Brought to you by the folks behind Siri House is Moxie, a new modern Mediterranean restaurant and lifestyle concept. I was already impressed by the private entrance leading up to the restaurant, and the walkway from the door leading to the main dining area. The restaurant goes by the concept of a modern beach house, with the wood rattan ceiling lamps creating the vibes. I did feel like I was transported out of Singapore for a while.
Out of the different menus available (Lunch, Dinner, Weekend Brunch, Happy Hour), we had a medley of items from the dinner menu which features communal sharing plates and platters.
To start, we had the Moxie Dip Platter with Pita ($22 with 3 dips) comes with choice of dips and we were recommended the Spinach Yogurt, Smashed Kabocha and Whipped Ricotta. The Spinach Yogurt and Kabocha were the more interesting options, the former having a generous ratio of spinach to Greek while the latter has a light, natural sweetness of roasted Japanese pumpkin.
Directly air flown from Puglia is their Burrata ($19), with a creamy and flowy core that was easily torn apart. The salad was completed with red beets and grapes.
I don’t consume raw fish regularly but the Yellowtail Carpaccio ($32) was memorable. It had a slightly firm and chewy texture and was well-paired with chilli lime dressing and minced ginger flower.
Unlike its namesake, I was thankful that the Spanish Salt Cod Croquettes ($19) were not overly salty.
Our catch of the day was a 200g Seabass Fillet ($42) served chargrilled with salsa and charred spring onion puree. The skin had a nice, smoky taste while the meat was tender with a clean flavour.
The Arugula Pesto Orecchiette ($38) was a seafood feast, with crab meat, prawns and scallops. The fresh prawns were my highlight – sauteed with garlic confit in oil, dried red chili, white wine, arugula pesto and butter, they reminded me of a delicious gambas al ajillo without the spice. Though we found some parts of the orecchiette overly firm, the toasted pine nuts added a layer of texture and nuttiness that kept us going for more.
The list of cocktails at Moxie was interesting. I had a taste of the Amber Lit ($22), an Evan Williams Bourbon Infused Earl Grey Old Fashioned that was smartly paired with a small bark of rosemary and sea salt dark chocolate (70%) on top. The earl grey came as a smooth aftertaste. And well, the chocolate? I could have it as a snack all day.
We had 3 desserts and the Dark Chocolate Mousse ($16) was my favourite, hands down. The bittersweet mousse was topped with an addictive scoop of hazelnut ice cream which was distinctly nutty and not sugary.
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The Tiramisu ($16) (note: only available for brunch) had a light, fluffy texture with a good amount of rum. The ratio of ladyfinger to custard was also in a range I preferred, i.e. not overly creamy.
The Moxie Mille Feuille ($19) reminded us of the kunefe, with a layer of whipped cream cheese sandwiched between 2 layers of filo pastry and finished with a crown of kataifi. This was quite heavy for me and I didn’t manage to finish it.
Overall, I thought the modern interpretation of Mediterranean food was quite well done and together with the ambience and vibes, Moxie is one dining spot I would recommend especially for large gatherings to feast on their extensive menu. The price point, I felt, was better than restaurants of similar standards in the CBD.
This was an invited media tasting.
2 College Road, Medical Alumni Association Level 1 Singapore 169850
Tue – Thur & Sun 11.30am – 10pm
Fri & Sat 11.30am – 11.30pm
Closed on Mon
Have you not known about my obsession with all things white? My day-to-day wearables, the places I like to immerse myself in, my photo-editing style of always increasing exposure. For me, it is synonymous to cleanliness, to light, to minimalism. As opposed to the antonymous dirtiness, darkness and clutter. Three words that put my mind to unrest, that sometimes put me in fear.
In consistency with my white obsession, I therefore like daytime – mornings, especially. Mornings where the sun is unobstructed in a cloudless sea, where the most part of my room is naturally lit up through translucent curtains, where light and shadows are juxtaposed appropriately for a photo. Such mornings are days where I gain more drive and inspiration to live more fulfilling-ly (moment of shock as I realise that this word does not exist).
On such mornings, there are a few options:
Recently, one of such mornings was spent at Apartment Coffee. It was my third time at the white-washed, minimally-themed coffee house since its opening in late 2018. On usual afternoons, the space is packed comfortably with customers and conversations spill across everywhere. All the more I have to be pressed to reach as early as possible, best if at 9am when the closed sign is flipped.
Like the previous two visits, I had perched myself on the wooden high stool for the coffee bar counter and called for my usual order of White. I am always fond of the smoothly textured milk + espresso here, though those who prefer very strong and robust flavours may not. One day I will get the filter. Oh, no takeaways here unless you bring your own tumbler.
Whilst waiting for my coffee, I would swoop up my phone and camera for a good round of photo-taking. This time a few people got caught in my photos, for I arrived an hour past 9.
Interior-wise, I dare say this space is my best-loved. The white walls, ceaseless coffee bar, brown wooden stools and tables and large windows put together remind me of Scandinavian design. Due to its location and windows, sunlight enters and leaves, creating brief moments of contrasting light and shadows that I so love to admire.
Despite gloominess from that global health situation which I will not go on to elaborate on, the first quarter of 2020 has seen a pretty fair boom in new cafes in Singapore. This is after a lull in the previous 2 years that had more than slightly depleted my usual excitement in café-hopping.
Opened last November without much fanfare is Double Up Coffee, located along Jalan Klapa in an enclave that houses several other well-known cafes. Just recently, it started to gain attention from social media postings.
Stepping through the glass doors, I was first greeted by the concrete coffee counter, followed by another sitting area furnished with small stools and tables. The minimalist concrete-themed setting was predominant.
Small and simple, the menu is has 3 sections – Business (i.e. coffee), Pleasure (i.e. non-coffee) and Chow (i.e. pastries). Having always been more of an espresso person (vs. filter), I opted for the Spro with Soy Milk ($5.50), while my friend got herself the Iced Spro with Milk ($6). Spro here refers to espresso. Though my soy espresso was a tad limp, I loved the iced espresso with milk for its smoothness and non-acidic aftertaste. I later found out that beans here are sourced from Bearded Bella.
The sole pastry available that day was the Blueberry Crust ($5.50), which I thoroughly enjoyed for its lightness and flakiness.
Rather than a comfortable spot to do “work from home” whilst sipping caffeine, I see this spot as one where I can hold light conversations and, from time to time, empty my mind and daydream.
Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog 