“Don’t count the days, make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali

Cheong Chin Nam Road is a popular supper place where most would associate with local fare, like Roti Prata, Teochew Porridge or Chicken Rice. There are even Korean BBQ restaurants now! But sitting in plain sight is a steakhouse that’s definitely punching above its own weight.

NOTE: Stirling Grill has changed to STIRLING STEAKS (website) and has relocated to 115 East Coast Road, all while still offering quality and affordable steaks. They even do wholesale and supply meats now!

Stirling Grill

Having been opened for a few years, Stirling Grill dutifully serves up charcoal-grilled meats and delicious desserts in a casual diner setting. The deliberately mismatched furniture and crockery, together with the colourful chalk drawings, emits that cosy ‘at home’ experience that owner Elwyn sets out to give to his customers. There’s both an indoor seated area (with a comfortable couch booth available for a bigger group) and an al-fresco area that screens football matches live sometimes!

A post shared by Stirling Grill (@stirlinggrill) on Jan 15, 2017 at 8:05am PST

What isn’t casual about the place though, is their steaks. Faithfully charcoal grilled, the meats retain more flavour and nutrients all while reducing all that oil and fats. What it results to is juicy, and tastier cuts of goodness! What surprised me was that the sirloin steak burger is in fact an full cut of sirloin, perfectly grilled to your liking, wedged between toasted burger buns! Usually you’d expect a minced beef patty (sometimes dubiously) labelled as Wagyu/Angus Ribeye/Sirloin, but Stirling decided to put their foot down to this disparity.

Thanks to the Entertainer app we managed to get a bigger portion of steak for less, so we didn’t manage to try the other specialties of theirs that are well-raved online: the Crispy King Salmon and stirling sliders, good for a quick bite with a pint from their selection of beer, including Archipelago Beer on tap!

We couldn’t agree more with @teojimmy 😀💯👍 #repost ・・・ Chunky salmon steak with skin pan-seared ’til chips-like crisp yet retaining its juiciness, served on mashed potatoes with creamy dill! . . . #stirlinggrill #stirlingsg #crispykingsalmon #norwegiansalmon #pansearedsalmon #salmonsteak #salmonfillet #mashedpotatoes #creamydill #archipelagobrewery #archipelagobeer #belgianwit #wheatbeer #tagsforlikes #foodgasm #foodphotography #foodporn #sgfoodie #sgfoodunion #sgmakandiary #singaporeeats #sgeats #setheats #burpple #burpplesg #hungrygowhere #whati8today #8dayseat #8dayseatout @stirlinggrill @archipelagobrewery
A post shared by Stirling Grill (@stirlinggrill) on Apr 22, 2017 at 1:56am PDT

It’s sliders galore this Easter Sunday! 😁 #charcoalgrill #stirlinggrill #medium rare #juicybeef #igfood #sgfoodie #burrplesg #tops #meatporn #grill #grilling #grillporn #sgrestaurant #beauty world #dtl2 #moo #sgfoodporn #whati8today #sgfoodies #sgfood #buzzfeedfood #eatoutsg #singaporeinsiders #8dayseat
A post shared by Stirling Grill (@stirlinggrill) on Apr 16, 2017 at 6:50am PDT

We’re not done yet after the main course! Stirling also serves a good selection of ice cream (yummy) and other desserts also served in-house by their sister brand DessertSplash. Don’t you find that holy union of a belgian waffle, ice cream AND a cone tantalising?

Unveiling our new sister brand @dessertsplash – specialising in super awesome desserts. Featuring here is our Over the Top (OTT) Waffles. It’s a must have! 😆😃😂 #sgfoodporn #whati8today #sgfoodies #sgfood #burrplesg #buzzfeedfood #sgfoodporn #justdessertsSG #eatoutsg #singaporeinsiders #8dayseat #DessertSplash
A post shared by Stirling Grill (@stirlinggrill) on Nov 10, 2016 at 6:24am PST

Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”4″]
What used to be a relatively remote enclave for the west is now made more convenient with the Downtown Line, but the diner remains quaint amongst the hustle and bustle in the Cheong Chin Nam Road supper scene.

Price: [star rating=”4″]
Be prepared for a premium, but the prices here are still affordable for the quality of meat you are served. It helped that we got the Entertainer app too. Best if you go in a small group so that you can try more of their signatures!

Quality: [star rating=”4.5″]
Quality without compromise, at least that was what I felt. Good progress in his business will only help motivate the team to do even better!

Overall: [star rating=”4.5″]
Looking to wind down without breaking the bank, but still want some good meat and beer at that? Try this place out.