Shashlik Restaurant

Shashlik Restaurant is a Russian and Western restaurant on the sixth floor of Far East Shopping Centre on Orchard Road. Its dishes are cooked by Hainanese chefs, in a style locals call Russo-Hainanese. It opened in April 1986, and many of its diners have been coming for years.

The story starts at Troika, a restaurant that opened in 1963. There, Hainanese cooks learned the recipes of a Russian chef. After Troika shut in January 1986, nine of its former workers put their money together and started Shashlik. One of them was the late Tan Niap Hin. The restaurant closed briefly at the end of 2015, and his sons, Derrick and Alan Tan, reopened it in March 2016 with a new partner. Derrick, a chef by trade, leads the kitchen. Many of the staff have been here for decades.

What to order

The house dish is the Shashlik of Beef. Beef tenderloin skewers are marinated for a day, then served on a sizzling hot plate. They come without sauce, though you can ask for one. Pork, lamb and chicken versions are also on the menu.

• Starters: blinis with caviar, escargots in garlic butter, and the Upside Down Crab, baked crab meat in a half shell.
• Soup: borshch, a beetroot soup with beef brisket and sour cream.
• Mains: Chicken à la Kiev, Beef Stroganoff served with Hainanese chicken rice, and a slow-braised oxtail stew on weekends.
• Dessert: Baked Alaska and Cherry Jubilee, both set alight at your table.

There is also a list of steaks, a short vegetarian section, a weekday lunch menu and a junior menu for children.

The setting

The room has an old-fashioned feel, and much of the fun is the service at your table. The Chateaubriand comes with tableside service, staff add sour cream to the borshch after it is served, and the desserts are flambéed in front of you. Many guests are long-time regulars.

The team also hosts private dinners, group meals and parties for up to 100 guests.

Good to know before you go

• Booking: reservations can be made online through the restaurant's website.
• Order ahead: a few dishes need notice, such as the tomahawk steak (two days) and the sole meunière (one day). You can also call ahead to have your Baked Alaska customised.
• Awards: it was a finalist for Best Western Restaurant (Fine Dining) at the RAS Epicurean Star Awards in 2018 and 2019.

Getting there

Far East Shopping Centre stands at 545 Orchard Road, next to Liat Towers. The restaurant is in unit #06-19. Details and menus are on the official Shashlik website.

Nearby

A meal here pairs well with an afternoon of shopping on Orchard Road. For more places to eat, browse our restaurants in Orchard and River Valley. If you like grilled meat, see our list of steakhouses and grills in Singapore. Still choosing a base? Read Marina Bay vs Orchard: where to stay.