Tocha Bistro &#8211; An Offbeat Bistro Bar at Lavender

Tocha is the Portuguese word for ‘torch’ and also an offbeat bistro and bar with one of the cheapest places for Crazy Happy Hour. Crazy Happy Hour happens 5-6pm every day, where a pint of beer starts from S$7.80, and a bucket of 6 from S$25. On Mondays, the Crazy Hour Promotion runs all day and all night!

Happy Hour promotion will be from 6-9pm every day, where a pint of beer starts from S$10.80, and a bucket of 6 from S$35.

We started dinner with Mushroom Soup (5.80SGD), which is made fresh daily with three different kinds of mushroom. The soup was creamy and had good flavour, the crispy garlic bread was toasty and complimented the soup well.

The Grilled Salmon (15.80SGD) came with grilled asparagus, sauteed potatoes and carrots. The skin was cooked well, crispy to the bite however the salmon itself was overcooked. The dish came with honey mustard sauce that was tangy and citrusy.

The Grilled Cod Fish (19.80SGD) was served with mashed potatoes, baby carrots and asparagus faired a lot better, the fish was grilled perfectly without being overly dry and the black pepper sauce at the side gave the dish a spicy bite. The fish does come with bones, so as with all fish dishes eat slowly and with caution.

The Iberico Pork (22.80SGD) was well cooked however the slices were a bit small. The surprise on the plate was actually the spinach which was very flavourful and went well with the pork.

If you’re hoping for a more meaty bite try the Tenderloin Steak (28.80SGD). The steak was perfectly charred and tender when paired with the black pepper sauce provided good depth to the dish.I would recommend medium rare but if you are ordering well done, consider having the Cajun chicken burger(12.80SGD) instead.

The star dish on the menu went to the Chicken Wings with Belachan Sauce (15.80SGD), The wings were well-marinated and crispy. Dip it into the very spicy and addictive in-house belachan sauce for more kick.

The braised lamb shank(16.80SGD) was also a personal favourite. Fall off the bone lamb meat that was tender to the last bite. The sauce was creamy and overall very hearty and satisfying.

Tocha is a good place for chilling out with friends over drinks despite some hits and misses on the dishes. The place also offers quite an extensive whisky list if you are a whisky lover.