Tawandang Microbrewery

Tawandang Microbrewery is an interesting concept, Thai food and German beer. The menu was huge for the food section, very small for the beer I think there were 4 options. My Pad Thai was very good and my friend both seem to enjoy there dishes. As for their beer there wasn’t a sampler option which I was bummed about so I picked one and it was so-​so. There were different size but as in all of Singapore the drinks were on the price side and the most economical option to me seemed like the ½ pint vs the 10 oz for a few dollars more you get a lot more beer. Worth a trip for the food the beer maybe I just picked the wrong one? Idk I love German beer so it could of just been the beer.

Came here on a business trip to Singapore, at my coworkers’ suggestion. It’s a little hard to find, kind of buried deep inside this tucked-​away commercial district in Dempsey. They have an extensive menu, all done very well. We were a large group and ordered several different dishes — probably at least a dozen, and without fail, they each were tasty, and eagerly scarfed down. The ambience is nice — they had a live band singing the standard American songbook (50s/​60s/​70s/​80s pop, rock, etc., including modern day pop).
The only thing that might be disappointing is if you’re a beer/​microbrewery connoisseur, particularly if you’ve been to a place in the US like Portland, OR. Nothing about this place said «microbrewery» other than the name and a decent beer menu itself. I guess it’s just that when I think of a microbrewery, I tend to think of places that have all the machinery you tend to see at every other notable microbrewery. Without that hardware, I don’t know how you’re not just a bar serving lots of different kinds of beers, like any other bar, if that makes sense. Myself, I’m not much of a drinker, so I wasn’t particularly disappointed, but a number of my colleagues did notice and mention the same thing I did about the place.
Prices seemed really good, but maybe because of the relatively strong dollar. We ate very well, for not a whole lot of money. I would definitely come back.

Try the Pork knuckles and Sticky mango rice, they are above average
Don’t forget to try the Dunkel Beer!
Prices are on the high side, but i guess someone needs to pay for the live band.

Until now, I’ve never given a 1 star review on Unilocal.Unfortunately, I found it hard not to do so after my first and likely last visit ever to this microbrewery.
My girlfriend and I stopped in with some friends for a drink in the mid afternoon. I had heard good things and am always excited to try a microbrewery.
It was 1 for 1 on all beers, and I started with the Weisen. I am usually a big fan of Weiss beers, but this one not so much. Not sure exactly how to describe it, but it simply seemed overdone and very tart. I was happy to move on to a lager from there, but things were about to go downhill.
Mid conversation, I felt something hit my back. Upon further inspection, it was bird poop… not cool, particularly for an INDOOR restaurant. Sure enough, there were birds perched in the rafters above. Thankfully I wasn’t eating, but I could never return to this place for a meal without the thought that bird poop might come raining down on my meal.
If you are curious, the lager wasn’t great either (and I would hardly classify it as a lager – it was cloudy and almost like a wheat beer). The service was nothing special, and even a bit awkward/​unhelpful at times as they had no idea what was in the mixed drinks on the menu. They tried to bring our bill before we cashed in our free beer. We then had to request the bill twice after our second round.
In a highly competitive Dempsey Hill, you can do much, much better.

Visiting Singapore on business the food is excellent. Service was fantastic. We ordered a selecton of seafood and 2 liter beer tower. The staff brought fresh frozen mugs for every pour. Great. Will definitely come back on my next trip. Live music eas also very good.

Very relaxed atmosphere with really good beer and fab Thai food… the fried sea bass was devoured in minutes and we didn’t have anything that our party didn’t like ;-)
Really enjoyed it and will definitely be coming back… hopefully they won’t sell out of wheat beer this time though ;-)

Its one of those places where the atmosphere is as important as the food (and beer) itself. I love it that they have live music, always from Thailand, and always entertaining. And Thai food naturally pairs well with beer, and so when you have freshly brewed beer, brewed onsite, what can beat that?

German beer, Thai food, male dancers in silver space suits, backed up by a live cover band, all come together at this spot on Dempsey Hill. It’s a whacky combination but in a way, it works and can be a fun place, especially for a group. As for the beer, you have 3 selections, a lager, a dunkel and a wheat beer. The dunkel was probably my fave, although all 3 were super light. As for the food, it’s extensive. The prawns in red curry was messy with the shells but the curry was good. The fish cake was also good, but skip the grilled beef. The duck was decent, and the fried sea bass was also very good. And now for the show… It’s a cover band that plays a lot of classics as well as more traditional Thai songs, but also takes requests. There are more costume changes than a Pet Shop Boys concert, and boy can they sing happy birthday. Only downer is trying to catch a cab after dinner on a weekend night,

A good night out to hang around with friends … They have singers in the house which makes your Friday night more relaxed … Love the ambience and food … We order a large variety of food.
They have indoor and outdoor seating and the service crew was nice. We order the pork knuckles, pineapple rice and beer etc … It’s really a table full of food …
Do pop by …

Interesting stop on my self guided Singapore beer tour. Only 3 beers on tap and their Dunkel was the winner. Paired it with the wings which looked skinny but were very tasty with the Thai sauce. Came during slow period but could see this as a great spot for date night. They got a nice stage for entertainment and comfy outdoor seating with soft rock classics.

Went here for dinner for a b’day party. We were a group of 8. Arrived late but was seated promptly. Food selection is vast, they tasted good, especially the Tom Yum Soup (Shrimp/​Chicken). The Crab Meat Fried Rice is very very good. In fact, everything that we ordered, except the Thai Teas were delicious. The performers were singing and they sound quite good. The one THING I did not like was the behavior of this middle aged lady who works there. She was not wearing a uniform like the rest of the waitstaffs did, she was always going around hovering at tables looking SOUR faced. When she tried to bring food to our table, we were trying to tell her which food goes to where, and she looked Displeased. Very sour and unprofessional. The whole night she looked sour. She could be a manager or maybe the owner herself. But this made me NOT want to come back. Food was good, but wow. The waitstaffs were ok, not too friendly, but not rude either.
The 4 stars above is STRICTLY for the FOOD. For the service I would rate them a 1 Star.

One of the most interesting dinning experiences I had at Dempsey so far. Amidst the posh dining enclave that is Dempsey hill, Tawandang sticks out like a sore thumb. Its ambiance is remarkable casual and it has a live show of some sorts. The show is an ensemble of acts from karaōke to musical (an abstract from Snow White and the seven dwarfs) to beer drinking competitions??? The host of the live show tries to engage the audience as much as possible. At times, even cajoling the waiters on stage to participate in a song & dance on stage. Strange. But entertaining nonetheless. I can’t help but think that this incoherent string of performances (at times tacky & impromptu but always hospitable)… sorta mirrors restaurant/​bar entertainment culture of Thailand. You sorta feel that your waiters are not just your servers. They try their best to keep you entertained throughout your dining experience even if that means they have to put together an amateurish string of performance. You can’t help but feel welcomed. At the surrounding tables, I notice clusters of friends (of all age groups) clapping, singing and cheering along with the performances. It’s definitely was an entertaining night filled with authentic thai food and an ambiance to match. However, I might caution against bringing a first date here. The music is definitely too noisy for any meaningful conversations to take place (unless you opt for outdoor seating).
The food
1. Cripsy prawn crackers — Great! How can one go wrong with prawn crackers???
2. Pineapple fried rice — Ok.
3. Pad thai — Good.
4. Grilled squid — Ok. Not much flavor though. Could use a more intense marination?
5. Prawn spring rolls — Good. It came served with a piece of strawberry pierced though the top via a cocktail-​pirate-​like-​sword. Strange.
6. Thai fish cake — Pass. Not impressed.
7. Fried pork knuckles — Great! Even though I do not typically like this dish. The porky smell was musk well. My only complain was that it took way too long to come (it was served almost at the end of the meal which meant that we were already 80% stuffed and had less space for this yummy dish. Everything else came very fast though, despite the crowd.)
8. The fried seabass! It’s so good :) — My favorite dish. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. How did they do it??? Magic. The sweet thai chili sauce was a perfect compliment to this wonderful dish. I would come back just for this. Like the pork knuckles, my only complain was that it took way too long to come.
9. Red ruby with coconut dessert — $ 10 — BAD. It was crazy sweet!!! sweeter than a Starbucks carmel frapp! That’s how tooth-​rotting it was. The coconut milk wasn’t freshly made too. It tasted they used a can version. But the red rubies were ok and they threw in a few other toppings too (to be able to charge $ 10 for it). I found some jackfruit slices in it. However, the ridiculous level of sugar in this dessert rendered everything else inedible.
The service
— Remarkable fast for most dishes except #7 & #8 (which were the best). I guess mum was right when she said good things come to those who wait?

We really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately it wasn’t right for us.
They allegedly serve «modern» Thai food, which perhaps go well with German beer, but we weren’t particularly impressed with whatever fusion cuisine it’s supposed to be. Fish cakes, Tom yum soup, green curry, fried rice, fried pork and pork ribs… the dishes we ordered were quite ordinary and certainly not what we’d expect in Bangkok.
Food aside, we were very happy with the beer selection. I guess you could never go wrong with German beer.
The food seemed overpriced, costing at least $ 60 per head, but probably considered standard for a restaurant in Dempsey. There was no live performance when we dined, except the DJ was blasting the music, so I can’t comment on the band.
SUM: Three stars for the beer and the beer only.

Had beers and appetizers. indoor & outdoor seating, quiet and comfortable. Enjoyed the beer and food.
I preferred the beer from a nearby brewer… But ya gotta love Thai food.

Not a fan of the beer but great Thai food!
Try the deep fried catfish and Tawadang morning glory!
Light beer better than the dark.
Slightly pricey but you have to factor in the location and live band and performances.
Overall good service.

Delicious food!
HUGE PLACE
Great company!
Awesome live thai group singers!
Beer.
Pineapple fried rice. GOOD!
FRIENDLY SERVICE!
YUMMY!

Considering what else is in Dempsey, this place is by contrast pretty bad. The beer selection is miserly as they only served lager, wheat beer and a dunkel (dark beer). The lager was a tad sweet and didn’t quite meet the expectation. The dunkel was ordinary but acceptable. For the price though? I think not.
Despite it being a «Modern Thai Cuisine» restaurant, the must-​try at Tawandang is actually the pork knuckle. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Missus had the typical thai basil leaf minced meat rice which she insisted was authentic. But nothing was more authentic than our server’s thai. Entertainment was watching the Thai waitresses danced to the spanish songs being played at the restaurant. Are you surprised we never went back again?

Will not be going back there by my own will anytime soon unless I’m taking my grandparents on a night out. The place is quite run down, with cheap metal furniture decorating the outside area, and pretty gross toilets that smell pretty bad as they have a sign asking customers not to throw toilet paper down the toilet bowl which results in a big bin of exposed used toilet paper sitting in the loo for goodness knows how long. What better way to ruin an appetite seriously.
The food is very mediocre — any zi char or thai restaurant in your neighbourhood would probably be a worthy rival to this place.
The live music wasn’t what you would expect at a bar either — rotating between Hokkien, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, English. some with accompanying dancers…
The only saving grace would their beers that they serve in towers — ain’t half bad, but I won’t be running back even for the beers.