Tag Archives: food

Jun 23 2013
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Food

Arbite – a hearty brunch

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Arbite is no newcomer to the list of popular brunch places in Singapore. It’s cosy interiors created by wooden furniture in a white space is no doubt a less formal, more chillax place for heartlanders to have gatherings there especially on weekends. The view overlooking Serangoon Gardens may not be posh but it certainly made the place look airy.
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I jumped straight into my order immediately. With such a pretty name, the Sea Salt Banana Pancakes ($14.90) was a definite call. With huge chunks of banana heavily caramelized in between the pancakes, you’ll never have to endure an overload of plain, boring pancakes. What’s more, the plate is rimmed with caramel sauce, berries and nuts.
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In my opinion many brunch places have mediocre breakfast sets with a random mixture of sausages, eggs….. but even till now, the Arbite Breakfast ($12.90) lingers in my cravings  with a note set in my memory. A good spread indeed: veal bratwurst which was tender to my liking, greens, bacon, mushrooms, fried potato balls, a nicely grilled tomato, soft brioche and of course truffle eggs (additional $3). Even though I preferred truffle on fries, I must agree that truffle on anything is still good.
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The Truffle Fries ($10.90) here are of a thicker cut. The hints of truffle salt and oil are barely there on the fries, they’re mostly hidden in the truffle mayonnaise. So don’t forget to dip them in!
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By that time, the both of us were pretty full from such a hearty and filling brunch. Yet, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity for desserts since they sound delicious by descriptions on the menu. Sadly, My Wife’s Chocolate Cake ($8) was quite a disappointment. I would think that a wife has better standards for her chocolate cake. It was undeniably dry and normal with no kick to it. I can imagine a sallow-faced wife.

 

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Lucky for Arbite’s Gula Melaka Tiramisu ($8) which saved the day. Having a gula melaka mascarpone made the dessert extra sweet but I’m not complaining. Because of the well-infused gula melaka into a tiramisu, it has turned out to be a unique rendition which is not too heavy on the stomach.

The number of tables here are limited but you’ll be happy that Arbite has opened another eatery, A for Arbite at Aliwal Street. Both the concept and menu mimics the original outlet except for its funkier location.

66A Serangoon Garden Way

Tuesdays to Fridays 11.30 am – 3.00 pm     6.00pm – 10.30pm
Saturdays & Sundays  9.00 am – 10.30 pm

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May 31 2013
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Food

Five & Dime Eatery

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This is a long overdue post of my belated birthday dinner. Of course, everything would not have been possible without Amanda, Tricia, Wileen, Angela and B who specially planned the secret trip to Five & Dime. The original intention was to proceed to Valentino’s for an Italian fix but since they were full I was brought here whilst being kept in the dark. Anyway, I loved the theme of the entire place. It’s a little hard to describe, more like a creation of artsy meets kiddy meets classic feel.

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Mocha on Mars ($12) and Decadent Chocolate ($12) in the background. I had the mocha milkshake and how I wished there could be less caffeine and more chocolate in it to balance it out (it tasted rather bitter for a drink called mocha on mars).

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Calamari ($8)
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Unlike the usual thick and cheesy ones out there, the Mac n Cheese ($15) here was based on a lobster sauce together with cheese thus giving it’s pinkish appearance as you delve into it. It was less heavy a dish and certainly a lot less cheesier which I felt was a good thing, unless you prefer an over dosage of cheese.

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The Cajun Chicken ($18) was not that bad, what with its evenly grilled surface.

Next was a surprise. The Mentaiko Pasta ($18) captured in the first picture was a great fusion pasta. I’ve had those at other places served either too creamy or too dry so it was heartening for me to finally find a good one there at Five and Dime. The faint taste of mentaiko was not overpowering, neither was it lackluster in flavor.

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Fish & Chips ($20) which were okay.

The Burger ($23) which I ordered was a tad of a small portion but otherwise enjoyable.

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Something like a Nutella Brownie with ice cream ($12) written on a blackboard would catch my attention immediately. When it first came served to my table I thought it looked divine. Sure enough, not only was the nutella concentration just the right amount for me, it was also just as moist to make a good brownie. Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it ended my lovely dinner on a sweet and satisfying note.
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The space here at Five and Dime may be a little small for a full-fledged restaurant but heck that, the dining experience was intimate. Just remember to make a reservation early. Generally the food here was enjoyable with a few outstanding dishes you must try ie mentaiko pasta, mac and cheese, nutella brownie. Now that I’m craving for more from five and dime, I certainly need a date to hop down and grab some of their brunch items. I mean, we’re talking about beef hash, panini, pancakes and waffles over here.
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297 River Valley Road

Mondays to Thursdays 12pm – 10pm
Fridays 12pm – 12am
Saturdays 10am – 12am
Sundays 10am – 10pm

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May 17 2013
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Food

Ladurée Boutique Singapore

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The macaron craze is back. Thanks to the much awaited Laduree which set up operations not long ago in Singapore, of course. Moreover, other than the permanent boutique fixture, there is yet another takeaway counter. To add a cherry  macaron on top of the ice cream, both are conveniently located in the heart of Singapore in Takashimaya shopping centre. The former is at level 2 while the latter is at level 1. Oddly enough, the queues at both counters are of about the same length so I would definitely recommend to peek in at the classier, bigger boutique. 

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It starts off with a wallpapered ceiling of a picturesque sky and classic chandeliers against the backdrop. Then are the rows of shelves of boxes, tote bags, jars of soft caramel and scented candles exclusive to the boutique.

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A minimum of 8 macarons are needed to get you a box to fit them all in, otherwise it’s just a scrawny paper bag. I decided to go ahead with the Singapore Limited Edition box (8 macarons) despite the $38 price tag which can make hearts skip a beat. A macaron costs $3.80 but there are only 8 of them, so essentially you’re paying about $8 for the box. That was hefty but I took it anyway.

The Strawberry Candy Marshmallow was one of my favorites. The marshmallow bit in the filling was a surprise and gave the macaron some different mouth feel compared to usual, creamy fillings.

However, the Chocolate Coconut Marshmallow did not meet my expectations – what I felt was an incompatible taste of chocolate with coconut.

I’ve had tons of really sweet pistachios which I liked a lot. The rendition of Laduree’s Pistachio was not overly sweet yet it did not fail to amaze me.

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The Salted Caramel is another hot favorite. It was more substantial than those from other macaron places.

An interesting macaron would be the Marie-Antoinette Tea. It has a bubblegum feel to it which was refreshing.

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The Liquorice (black) was average.

The Coffee flavor had a lingering aftertaste of – well, coffee.

As aforementioned, macarons here cost $3.8 each. Except for the 24K Gold Chocolate which costs $7.8. Basically it’s a chocolate macaron coated with “24K gold”. You can see that I actually bought it – for the pure reason of curiosity and tempt. Tastewise… yup it’s just a chocolate macaron.

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The overall feeling speaks of classiness and it’s not hard to understand why: simple ganache fillings but made more than ordinary and macaron shells of the right texture (at least for me). What’s next for Laduree in Singapore? A tea salon – coming soon.

 

391 Orchard Road

#02-09 (boutique)

#01-24A (counter)

Takashimaya Shopping Centre

Ngee Ann City

10am – 9.30pm daily

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May 11 2013
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Food

Menya Musashi Kodou

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Named after Miyamoto Musashi, the 5 branches of Menya Musashi are currently enjoying some attention as they join the new ramen scene in Singapore. Originating from Tokyo, it seems that their ramen stalls in Japan sell a-huge-number of bowls a day with stretching long queues.

And then, it’s always a battle in the mind between choices of ramen. Over at Menya Musashi, Ramen comes in white (original), black (garlic and onion) and red (spicy) flavors for the soup base.

We went with something rather original to start with. If there’s anything memorable about the White Kakuni Ramen ($14.9), it would be its braised pork belly which was juicy, tender and oozing with goodness. I also had the Bokuto Gyoza ($5.9) as my I’m-bored-I-want-my-ramen appetizer and sure enough it served as a dish solely for that purpose.

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The tsukemen, a.k.a dipping noodles, was something new I’ve never tried. Tsukemen comes in white, red and black as well. Unlike the usual ramen served in soup stock within the same bowl, the noodles are dry and separated from an independent bowl of hot, piping stock which is much thicker than soup. The right way to devour the 2 bowls is to dip a pair of chopsticks full of noodles in soup and slurp them up right after. Otherwise, you may find yourself a mouthful of extremely thick and salty soup. I had the Black Tsukemen ($14.9) which was interesting. The soup can, however, get less warm if you stop too long for photos though….

Overall, I still find their soups a little too salty for my liking. It appears to encourage you to drink more water rather than the soup. Despite those, the tsukemen experience is worth a try.

 

2 Orchard Turn

ION Orchard

#B3-25

Daily 11.30am – 10pm

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Apr 05 2013
3 Comments
Food

Equinox Restaurant – High Tea Buffet

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My maiden visit to level 69 of Singapore’s Swissotel The Stamford at Raffles City was a wonder. Equinox Restaurant had always been one of the buffet places on my list to tick off, and now it’s certainly not an easy task to sit down in front of my laptop and piece back the every bit smoothly.
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The first thing you notice at Equinox is not its food. As you start to step on soft carpeted ground, the area is transformed into an orient setting of wooden frames matched effectively with velvet, light blue seat couches. This sleek setting, at 69 floors high, overlooks Singapore’s CBD and all over Marina Bay. A mandatory shot indeed.
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I had a hard time thinking if I should jump start on the array of desserts since they look especially good. But I decided to play it safe and went off to get the savoury. Despite it being a high tea buffet, I found the spread rather wide. Western classics include salmon sandwiches, duck wraps (which I loved a lot) and salads; the Chinese selection includes dimsum buns and dumplings; and there are bentos of sushi assortment for the Japanese lover.

There is a short coming though. The food quality for its high tea buffet will definitely pale in comparison to the lunch and dinner buffet. Their savoury finger food, although alright, was nothing much worth tasting or remembering. Some were slightly above average, while others fell short of it.

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To my surprise and delight, there is a completely different corner near the entrance specially for pastries and desserts. I’d name it “My World” or “Willy Wonka’s World”, but probably My World so I can have it all to myself. The cakes are definitely worth a shot. I had numerous slices of log cakes, from which I have come to like their chocolate mousse cakes. Other worthy bites are the mini lemon meringue tarts, chocolate fruit tarts and glass shooters. Not to forget their spread of pralines which are classic. Skip the ice cream though. They were nothing more than ordinary.

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Vague memories remain of my trip to Equinox. With only an hour and a half for the high tea buffet, I was literally chomping down on my food as fast as I can to try as much of the spread. If possible, I’d likely go for either a lunch of  brunch buffet so I have the luxury of time to slowly dine and admire the view. With that said, it’s advisable to go for brunch/lunch/dinner instead but of course they come with a higher price tag. With such an idyllic setting, view, service and spread, I don’t see why not (come back for more).

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Level 69

Equinox Complex

Swissotel The Stamford

High Tea: 1530 – 1700 daily

Brunch: 1100 – 1430 on Sundays

Lunch: 1200 – 1430 from Mondays to Saturdays

Dinner: 1830 – 2230 daily

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Mar 19 2013
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Food

Ramen Keisuke Tori King: Best Ramen in Singapore?

I hardly go crazy over ramen, but once I find a fantastic rendition, it’s gaga time.
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Ramen Keisuke had two branches, Keisuke Tokyo and Keisuke Tonkotsu before their latest, third outlet, Ramen Keisuke Tori King. I’ve never tried the first two and decided to leave them aside to go with the new craze on tori king. It is located at the newly renovated 100AM mall at Tanjong Pagar, just a few minutes walk away from its sister outlet Keisuke Tonkotsu at Orchid Hotel. 100AM’s rather quiet so far with the slow stream of people. As such, Tori King seemed like a bustling dining place.

On a weekday night, it was already crowded and we actually queued at least 10 minutes in line. Don’t expect to spend a long time in there since diners come and go quickly and there always seemed to be people waiting for seats.

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Tori King’s menu revolves around chicken. Their ramen come in three different types of chicken soup base – the original, black spicy and green spicy. Of which, you can choose three different levels of toppings – seaweed, tamago and all toppings.
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I had the Black Spicy Keisuke Ramen ($16.90 with all toppings) and it was by far the best bowl of ramen I’ve had in Singapore. What makes the black spicy broth different from the original broth is the additional factor of spiciness by peppercorn. Spicy chicken broth for ramen was a first for me. I found it much more interesting than pork broth. From the broth to the noodles to the partially runny tamago, everything was worthy. The best part? Definitely the tender chicken thigh which it is easily ripped by the teeth, grilled to perfection. The jap food khakis and I barely talked much as we were busily slurping through the bowl.
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Free flow hard boiled eggs and beansprouts come along on the table, so remember to get a fair share of them.

100 Tras Street

#03-15

100AM

1130 – 2200 Daily

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Mar 16 2013
2 Comments
Food

[Advertorial] Booxify: Home and lifestyle subscription boox

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Most of you may not have heard of Booxify before. Well, they are a new Singapore Startup as to which you can subscribe to their boxes. Oops, I mean booxes. It’s simple to understand how it works.

Basically, the team behind Booxify curates booxes once in every 1 month or 2 months for you to buy. In every boox are 4-7 products ranging from lifestyle, home and taste goodies.
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Just recently, I had their Ice cream and Brownie Boox consisting of 2 P.osh brownies, a cup of Marble Slab Creamery’s chocolate fudge ice cream and another cup of New Zealand’s Natural chocolate ice cream.  I like to think of it as a lifestyle bento set, it’s a great mixture of light bites which you can have while doing anything at home and absolutely convenient with free delivery right to your doorstep.
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Simply subscribe to them to get your lifestyle boox at $16 each, featuring a different theme each time. Head over to http://www.booxify.com for more details!

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Mar 10 2013
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Food

Carpenter and Cook

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Carpenter & Cook became a hit late last year as an artisanal cafe with one of the coolest decors and food. Despite the far off and rather inaccessible location at Lorong Kilat (a remote corner in Bukit Timah), foodies and cafe goers in Singapore are hardly deterred from exploring this food enclave.

The vintage layout of the entire cafe from the exteriors to the interiors were meticulously handled with all sorts of quirky little things that matched. Somehow it reminded me of a fairytale setting where rabbits hopped among green, dreamy grass… Anyway, every piece of furniture and decor was handpicked by the founders of C & C from all over Europe. The best part is, most of them are for sale so you may wish to enquire about them.

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Moving on to the food, the treats from C & C are baked at limited numbers and in irregular intervals so new items may be put on the display while you’re eating. The Passionfruit meringue ($6.20) is one of their signatures (especially on Instagram). This tart, even though similar in appearance, is different from the lemon meringue. Instead, I liked it a lot more than lemon meringue as I thought that the passionfruit was a better, more suitable ingredient than the odd, sour lemon. I guess it’s a matter of personal preference.

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Sadly, the only savory item we had that day was The Picnic Sandwich ($8). It was a simple affair with ham and cheese and side salads but (not kidding) it was one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in Singapore compared to plain, boring other ones. Truly a savory piece. My only regret was not trying their quiches (which I heard were good too).

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Both the Lemon Drizzle Loaf ($5) and Frangipane fruit tart ($6.20) served as light bites for me. The former was somewhat like a lemon sponge cake only denser and more condensed with lemon. I felt like it was a better alternative to replace a lemon tart.

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Moving on, the Valrhona Sea Salt Caramel Tart ($6.20) was a much “heavier” dessert with its thick chocolate accompanied by sea salt caramel throughout the entire tart. Perhaps it may prove to be too much for some people to take it but I found it alright.

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We ended our hearty meal with the Caramel Walnut Cheesecake ($7). It was a good ol’ cheesecake made more outstanding with of course its caramel and walnuts. Though I’ve had memories of better cheesecakes, this one is still rather nicely done with some parts to rave about.

Put good food with a cosy atmosphere and you get one of my favorite cafes in my food list. Carpenter and Cook has just the right thing for me and that is quality. On your way out, don’t forget to get their homemade jams at $12.50 a bottle or even their tiny treats of biscuits, marshmallow and granola.

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19 Lorong Kilat

#01-06

Tuesdays to Fridays 1200 – 2200

Saturdays 1000 – 2200

Sundays 1000 – 1900

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Mar 01 2013
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Food

Hoshino Coffee

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As what I said on my previous post on Hifumi, I’d be exploring the new extension at Plaza Singapura – this time at yet another Japanese cafe cum restaurant enjoying long queues. Seems like the new restaurants at PS are doing quite well with the crowd especially on weekends. The food models displayed at Hoshino’s entrance can already make me drool, but are they the real deal?

I ordered what seemed to look like the signature dish/most appetising dish on the menu, the “Fuwa-fuwa” Hoshino Souffle ($15.80). The entire layer on top is actually cheesy fluff which sad to say, came nothing close to what I expected it to be. It may seem to be a big portion but everything above the bowl was merely their cheese soufflé which proved too much for me to finish them (but you had to finish it to get to the bottom). At the bottom is a bowl of cheese baked rice which was not that bad but nothing to rave about either.

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The other dish we ordered was the Hoshino Spaghetti w/ Eggplant, Bacon, Shrimp and Sausage ($14). I have to admit it was a good Japanese twist to the Italian Aglio Olio. Quite big a dish too. My only complaint is that they scrimped on a sauce which could’ve made the spaghetti better well-balanced.

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If you’re still doubtful about Hoshino, have their souffle pancakes – truly the signature. There are souffle pancakes with different toppings ranging from maccha to vanilla to mango but my friend and I decided to go plain with their Double Pancake Souffle Style ($12) which came with vanilla ice cream. We were unhappy that they took so long to arrive despite the early order – another patron which came later even had her pancakes already. But nevertheless, we were impressed with the thick, fluffy, spongy and warm pancakes. Definitely a first for me. Have them together with ice cream and maple syrup and you’re good to go on a satisfied tummy.

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I admire their food presentation a lot, but soon after I realized that they may seem to be better looking than they taste. Service-wise, there was an inconsistency with how their staff handles matters so I may think twice about coming back. Maybe I’ll try another pancake soufflé. My only regret is that I didn’t try their drip coffee. Still, Hoshino Coffee is rather popular in that new area so do make reservations to avoid queuing for long.

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68 Orchard Road

#03-84

Plaza Singapura

Daily 1130 – 2200

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Feb 22 2013
1 Comment
Food

The Merry Men’s Kitchen + Bar

Pre note: Blogging speed’s been slow these days but I’m still very thankful to all viewers out there. Currently trying to clear as many overdue posts as possible from my previous short break 🙂

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Robertson Quay remains as one of my favorite food enclaves in Singapore. And so I had yet another great ladies night out there over the festive season. The Merry Men was chosen and I could see why it is easily one of a popular choice for a more casual yet ambient restaurant and watering hole.
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To my surprise, it’s interior is rather small with a couple of communal tables very suitable for large groups and just another couple of tables for smaller groups. Yet, a cosy, light-hearted mood seemed to befall on the place especially at night. (Definitely in love with their window panel.) But don’t worry, outdoor seating is available and not that bad too.

As we dined in a large group that night we had the luxury of trying bits of pieces from every section of the menu. We started off with my all-time favorite Truffle Shoestring Fries ($10) which I always try to order whenever I spot it on a menu. I felt that the truffle oil wasn’t intense enough but there was an attempt to cover up by truffle-scented mayonnaise. Still, better ones out there!

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From their “Nibbles & Gobbles” we also had the Sausage Platter ($26) which mixed pork, beef and chicken sausages all together. We all agreed all of them were pretty good with some consistency.

Moving on to their pastas, we had Penne Carbonara ($18) and Spaghetti Crabmeat Aglio Olio ($20). I preferred the later because it was more special in terms of its taste. It’s shredded crabmeat went rather well with the aglio olio. My only complain is the lack of garlic of chilli in the dish which could have turned tables around.
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The Bolognese Pizza ($20) felt plain and dry especially with the too generous heap of greens and tomato sauce which was light while the Roast Duck and Lychee Pizza ($20) won me over. I’ve always marveled over the pairing of roast duck on crust and their rendition has surely not disappoint me.
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Hold on, we still have the mains to go. The Fish and Truffle Fries ($16) brought us back to another truffle state of mind except now with battered fish fillet and 3 sauces to dip and go along with. Not anything special but not any less disappointing as well. Same goes for the Yorkshire Pork Rack ($28), which had pretty tender char grilled pork meat, probably one of the better ones I’ve had. Yet it’s portion size really left me hungry for more.
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Of course, we can never call it a night till we have a proper ending with desserts. We opted for the Waffles ($12) and Chocolate Lava Cake ($14). The former was thick and good but a pity that it’s toppings were too creamy. Basically there were more whipped cream than chocolate, bananas and and ice-cream they were supposed to have. However the latter was a lot more satisfying with it’s thick, flowy chocolate popped molten hot into our mouths, accompanied by vanilla ice-cream afterwards.

I guess I have mostly uncovered the ups and downs; hits and misses of The Merry Men. Quality of food is quite well done considering they function very much as a bar as well, but don’t be setting high standards. They do serve western food pretty well despite the several lacking points. Indeed, you leave as a merry man.

86 Robertson Quay

#01-02

Mondays to Thursdays 1700 – 0000
Fridays 1500 – 0100
Saturdays 1500 – 0200
Sundays 1100 – 0000

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