Tag Archives: food

Feb 09 2013
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Food

Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant M Hotel

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A few months ago I had the opportunity to go for Canon’s Food Photography Workshop by Dr. Leslie Tay (of Singapore’s best known food/hawker blog  ieatishootipost.sg) which they hold once or twice a year. I’ve missed a few of these workshops previously so I was pretty excited to get some tips and meet some food and camera addicts. The location was at Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant at M Hotel off a street of Tanjong Pagar, which I’ve never heard of before. Now I’m here to tell you that Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant has got to be one of the most underrated Japanese places in Singapore.

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The restaurant is a rather cozy one with a bar counter. Definitely the place to go in Tanjong Pagar if you need a quiet hideout. All of us attendees had a hands-on session with our cameras before enjoying our 9 course Kaiseki meal (valued at $65 per person).

We started with the very refreshing Wafu Salad and Homemade Pitan Tofu.

Then came the assorted 5 pieces of Sashimi. I was never a fan of sashimi (not even when I went to Japan) but that day felt like a life-changing moment when I finally came to like it. I didn’t really fancy their maguro though.

The Hokkaido Ginkarei Shio (Grilled Hokkaido Halibut Fish) was my first halibut ever and except for the irritating number of small bones in a small portion of fish, it ranks high on my list of favorite type of fishes. Soft and tender; not Shio but Shiok.

To restate my stand from a previous blogpost, everyone loves chawanmushi. The Hokkaido Ikura Chawan Mushi (Steamed Custard Egg with Hokkaido Beni Salmon Roe) came with a generous serving of salmon roe which was interesting.

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Signature Hokkaido Mai sushi: truly a signature. In the middle is a roll of cooked salmon wrapped with crispy seaweed which you can hear crunching in your mouth. The sushi was also rolled in sesame, then topped with salmon roe (again!) and a sauce that added flavor. Unlike the usual sushi, this had a unique texture with a good blend of ingredients which made me hungry for more.

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Another highlight of the menu was the Hokkaido Taraba Udon (Hokkaido King Crab Leg Udon). The crab’s leg meat was very tender and unfortunately we couldn’t get more than one crab’s leg in the udon… So we could only capture this massive Hokkaido King Crab below on our cameras.

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Every meal deserves a sweet ending and we polished off our green tea ice cream before saying goodbyes. It surprises me that Hokkaido Sushi Restaurant is less known in the food context of Singapore. Furthermore it’s kaiseki menus are fairly less pricey than some other kaisekis in Singapore, so I don’t see how it is so underrated.

M Hotel Singapore

Level 9

81 Anson Road

Mon: 11:30 – 14:30, 18:00 – 22:30
Tue: 23:30 – 14:30, 18:00 – 22:30
Wed – Thu: 11:30 – 14:30, 18:00 – 22:30
Fri: 23:30 – 14:30, 18:00 – 22:30
Sat – Sun: 11:30 – 14:30, 18:00 – 22:30
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Feb 02 2013
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Food

The Square Novotel Clarke Quay: Are you hot enough?

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With Valentine’s Day cum Chinese New Year round the corner, I can imagine lots of Singaporeans scrambling around for the most suitable restaurants for a celebration. Look no further than The Square at Novotel Hotel Clarke Quay. In conjunction with the 2 upcoming seasons, The Square has a special, new concept buffet spread titled “Are You Hot Enough?“. New dishes cooked with none other than spices, spices and more spices are the main highlights. For just $98++ per couple on Valentine’s Day, this is the one place to consider. A few bloggers and I had their luxurious spread for buffet dinner that evening. 

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One of my favorite counters there was the salad counter. This surprised me a lot as I wasn’t a salad or cold cuts type of foodie.   What made them interesting was the good use of spices which made them unlike the usual, plain old ones. The beef salad and chicken salad were memorable. Next to them was a huge parma ham which had me drooling.

Cold cuts/Mini tapas counter
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Seafood lovers will be happy to find that their quality of seafood is rather high. Right at the front of the buffet line is the tantalizing fresh seafood counter of prawns, clams, oysters, mussels and salmon. Further on there are black pepper mussels and prawns with mayonnaise sauce which are worth the try as well.
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The cod fish with laksa and baby kailan served to our table was a good rendition of cod. The laksa was not spicy but brought upon a rather light feel on the cod fish which I thought was the right taste for me.

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At the end of the buffet line for the main dishes were three dishes with three levels of spiciness tagged on their lids. They are the spicy pork (one level), fish with cream sauce (two levels) and chicken with brown sauce (three levels). I wasn’t too sure if I could handle that much of spiciness initially but after trying them, they were really not that spicy. There wasn’t a distinct difference in their level of spiciness too. Still, the dishes were enjoyable.
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Another one of my favorite counters would be their risotto corner. There is a “grinder” sort of cookware in which they mix the risotto with parmesan cheese. We tried both renditions of risotto they offered that day: the normal risotto with cheese (left) and risotto with laksa mix.(right) Both were good risottos which can sink well into your tastebuds but I preferred the risotto with cheese for its more authentic taste.

The meats were also worth a mention. Their roast pork, roast beef and ham were juicy enough for the thumbs up. Other than that, expect to find dim sum, laksa, fried rice, noodles, sushi, breads, cheese and more.
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Moving on to the desserts, some of them are infused with spices as well: Fruit spicy syrup (fruits sunk in chocolate syrup with spices) and chili chocolate mousse (chocolate mousse with ground red chili) are the main ones. A while after tasting them came the sharp spicy taste so be careful not to gobble them too quickly. Interesting creations though.
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And of course, everyone loves chocolate fondue!
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There was a spread of desserts which are pretty normal so I won’t elaborate much. From L-R top to bottom: Fruit spicy syrup, carrot cake (infused with spices as well), strawberry butter cake, assortment of glass shooters, orange tarts, green tea cheese cake.

I guess the bloggers and I should have this pretty same verdict about The Square at Novotel. With dinner buffets at other hotels costing at least $50 and over, it’s really hard to find somewhere more affordable with a decent spread these days. I’ve found the answer and The Square at Novotel is the answer. It scores high for variety and quality. For it’s price, the buffet would be absolutely value for money and worth it.

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Thank you John and Jean-Philippe for the kind invitation and warm hospitality.

177A River Valley Road

Novotel Clarke Quay (Level 7)

0600 – 1030 Buffet breakfast

1200 – 1430 Buffet lunch

1800 – 2200 Buffet dinner

Are you HOT enough buffet (only for dinner):

$58++ per pax for adults on Fridays & Saturdays 

$48++ per pax for adults from Sundays – Thursdays

$38++ per pax for child on Fridays & Saturdays

$30++ per pax for child from Sundays – Thursdays

$98++ per couple on Valentine’s Day

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Jan 26 2013
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Food

Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar

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After a festive walkathon and carnival in Orchard with the loved ones, I thought of Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar for a late afternoon after-lunch because I’ve hardly ventured into Tanglin. Nassim Hill is located within Tanglin Post Office itself. The place was rather quiet on a weekend mid-afternoon and we had almost the entire place to ourselves. A good spot to get away from the bustling Orchard, I reckon. As quoted from Nassim Hill, “It is a bakery by dawn, bistro by day and a charming bar by dusk, with DJs spinning their latest groove.”
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I wanted to try some sandwiches in the lunch menu such as their Hot Reuben ($18), Smoked Salmon ($16) and Grilled Cajun Chicken ($15) but the Eggs section was too hard to ignore. In the end, both of us succumbed yet to eggs again after having them earlier in the day. I had the Hearty Scrambled Eggs ($20) with cheese and salami which looked beautiful. They were indeed good scrambled eggs. It also comes with Nassim Hill’s signature Grimbergen Ambree beer bread basket with jams which was one of the better and interesting bread in bread baskets I’ve had. Great to go with their eggs too!

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W had the Salmon Omelette ($20) which had smoked salmon atop it and cream cheese in it. Definitely a better taste contrast and flavor compared to the scrambled eggs but also depends whether you like the eggs plain or “heavy”. For me, cheese and salmon are among my favorites on the list, so I really liked it a lot.

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There are only a few choices for desserts in the cake jars so we opted for the Apple Crumble Cake ($8) which looked the most appetizing among all. Sure enough its texture reflected the quality of the apple crumble. The scoop of vanilla bean ice cream came as a bonus. Just be cautious of its huge portion – sharing between two should be good.
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I should think Nassim Hill is a hidden find for eating in Orchard Road. It’s location further down from the main district may put you off but come to think of it, it wasn’t that bad at all.

56 Tanglin Road

Tanglin Post Office #01-03

Tuesdays to Sundays 0800 – 0000

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Jan 20 2013
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Food

Hifumi Japanese Restaurant

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The new extension of Plaza Singapura is here with many new F&B outlets including new branches of old favorites and totally new restaurants unheard and unseen of. They are a fusion of Western, Malaysian, Thai and especially Japanese eateries. Of those, Hifumi is one that is enjoying long queues for lunch and dinner.

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One of the main reasons why shoppers are attracted Hifumi would be their all-you-can-eat Japanese sides served in a mini buffet style in the center of the restaurant. If you opt for the set meal when you order the mains instead of a la carte (about $2 more) you will be entitled to it (with additional rice and miso soup with your main course). My favorites from all the sides were: Japanese curry, tofu, potato salad and chawanmushi. A definite thumbs up for this concept of theirs. I am not sure if they rotate these sides on a daily/weekly basis though.

Moving on to the mains, the prices are very well affordable, just that their standards were soso, or just right. I had the Tonkatsu set ($13.99) by myself which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a tad too dry and it could be a little crispier for a more authentic feel.

Another main course my friend had: Bara Chirashi sushi set ($17.99)
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The Hamburg set ($15.99)’s beef was not that bad either considering it’s price. I guess the fact that Hifumi’s food is just nice with value-for-money prices are keeping it’s customers, with more to come. Everyone likes simple and comfort Japanese food right? That said, I will be trying more restaurants at the new PS extension so look out for them!
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#04-68 Plaza Singapura

68 Orchard Road

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Jan 12 2013
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Food

Salted Caramel Artisanal Ice Cream

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There’s nothing like having artisanal ice cream on sweltering days recording 35 degrees Celsius in Singapore. Salted Caramel resides among the food district of Upper Thomson together with a few other ice cream parlours, providing a chill corner for residents nearby.

Salted Caramel goes for the simple do on their furnishings but definitely not on their ice cream.

We had the three recommended flavors: Horlicks Tim Tam, Salted Caramel, Espresso & Caramel Biscuits. Somehow I feel that the ice cream here was not as good as I expected despite their dainty names. Salted Caramel was too salty for my liking and the caramel was lacking in flavor. Fortunately, the other two flavors were better. Espresso & Caramel Biscuits deserves a shoutout for a vivid espresso taste which still lingers in my mind. A single, double and triple scoop costs $3, $5 and $7 respectively.
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I came back on a second occasion because I didn’t get a taste of their Waffles (which I’ve heard is a must-try) the other time. Their waffles are $3.5 without the ice-cream and you get to choose chocolate or maple syrup. The first thing that caught my attention was the thickness of the waffles. Then the generous drizzling of chocolate syrup. My conclusion: most suitable for two to share, but I like it all for myself.

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Salted Caramel has its hits and misses but one thing’s for sure, I’m raising both hands up for their waffles.

 

246F Upper Thomson Road

Sundays to Thursdays 1200 – 2300

Fridays, Saturdays, Eve of PH 1200 – 0200

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Jan 04 2013
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Food

Au Chocolat

Au Chocolat is the new hype at Marina Bay Sands after opening mid last year. As it’s name goes, Au Chocolat features chocolate – comfort western food with some having a twist of chocolate in them, chocolate drinks, chocolate tarts, cakes and macarons and gelato. The classy, modern retro designs of the restaurant makes it a very cool casual place. I absolutely adore the the cute toy train circling on its tracks at the Victorian ceiling.

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To my surprise, Au Chocolat’s Hot Chocolate Fudge ($9) was one of the best hot chocolates I have ever had. Most of the time they would be too bitter, bland or even taste like milo but their rendition was far from those adjectives. It comes with a hefty price tag but trust me, it is worth it for it’s thick, chocolatey taste at a rather sweet level.

Eggs benedict has always been one of my favorite dishes to have for lunch. Au Chocolat actually serves three types of eggs benedict which I thought I had to try. The Au Chocolat Benedict ($18) is the usual benedict done in the Au Chocolat way – two poached eggs atop bacon, spinach and tomatoes on an English muffin and instead of normal hollandaise sauce they are covered by hollandaise infused with red wine and dark chocolate. It takes a few bites to get accustomed to it’s taste which I quite like. Definitely one of the better ones I have had.

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My friend went for the Ultimate Benedict ($22) which looks like a delicious mess of the same items from the au chocolat benedict with extra pancakes, steak and chicken. Sounds like a myriad of popular main courses – not for the ones who can’t take in the heavy and messy.
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The Bubblegum Cheesecake ($7) seemed special enough to catch my attention with it’s light blue appearance for a cake. With fusion of bubblegum flavor, the cheesecake was quite light and finished easily.

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The Chocolate Tart ($7) – sweet chocolate cream on a crust. It appeared to be a chocolate overload but it is the perfect tart for chocolate lovers.

Their Lemon Meringue Tart ($8) was one of the biggest meringue tarts I have ever seen, a perfect dessert to share between two people.
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I like that the food here is more casual with a magic touch to it – probably from the chocolate. This is definitely a place to dine at if you are on a budget, for the celebrity restaurants may be too “high end” when you just need a cafe cum restaurant to chill at.

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#01-03/04/05

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Mondays to Thursdays 1000 – 2300

Fridays and Saturdays 1000 – 0000

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Dec 28 2012
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Food

Marché Restaurant Vivocity

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Marche Restaurant used to be my favorite place that I frequent with the family but we kind of stopped going there after I found my love for exploring foodie places. After at least 2 years from my last visit, I thought I should return to test their standards. I guess people more or less know about Marche but I see no harm in writing a post.

Over the years, new outlets have opened at Somerset and Raffles City, but my favorite remains as the Vivocity outlet. It is so much more comfortable there especially with it’s location at the sky deck. In terms of layout, it gets first place.

The Smoked Salmon Crepe was filled with chopped lettuce, red cabbage and smoked salmon and it was super savory. At times you taste the crunchiness of veggies, otherwise you get the softer, savory taste of the salmon.
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Pork Knuckles with Mashed Potato is one of the main courses to order at Marche, except that the quality is not that good anymore.

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Everyone’s favorite at Marche is no doubt the Swiss Rosti. I added on a chicken cheese sausage which was rather juicy. It is no doubt for me too that the rosti is my favorite dish from Marche, but I wish they could go easy on the oil content.

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For desserts, there is the Movenpick ice cream which I have always loved. Otherwise, they have sweet crepes, cakes and tarts.  The Brownie looked good but unfortunately it was a tad too dry for my liking. If not, the chocolate taste would come out good and strong. On the other hand, the Mousse was mainly a good dollop of dark chocolate which surprised yet amazed me.

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This Christmas Fruit Cake did not fail to impress me. It is not a norm for me to order fruit cakes so I was glad I did not make the wrong choice. The taste of cinnamon together with dried fruits and icing sugar was great, I would not mind a second serving.
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The conclusion: Will I continue to patronise Marche? Probably. The food here have their hits and misses but ultimately they have comfort food and ambience which makes everything about them seem homely – perfect for family outings.

 

1 HarbourFront Walk

#03-14

Vivocity

Weekdays 1100 – 2300

Weekends 1000 – 2300

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Dec 24 2012
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Food

Keong Saik Snacks

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Keong Saik Snacks have been opened for months and featured in the media for sometime, which brings me to it. The layout is small and homely, with one side of red couches for bigger groups, and the other side of old skool tables and stools. A bar stands out at the back. Upon stepping in we are welcomed with warm service. The best part about it? No service charge over here!

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It was my first time seeing a menu of boxes. Names of each item in a box, so it looks like a grid. When I do not know how to start my meal, I go with the default fries. The Chili Garlic Fries ($6) reminded me of my all-time favorite truffle fries, only that the distinct taste of truffle was not there. Still, it was free of chili and garlic taste altogether and instead was the resemblance of fries with very good seasoning.

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The Kimchi Burger ($20) caught my attention; I expected some kimchi-flavored burger patty but alas, it was a beef patty burger with a side dish of kimchi. It was kind of hard to have it together with the burger so I had to have it separately. Both the burger and kimchi were good but not fantastic. Definitely waiting for an eatery to come up with a real kimchi burger.

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By chance the other main course we had, the Grilled Bone Marrow & London Gentleman’s Relish ($18) was also of beef. I just realised that Gentleman’s Relish is the anchovy paste on the bone marrow after googling. It is a messy affair having to pick out the beef from the bone marrow and to spread it on toast but the result is worth it. It reminded me of a beef pastrami sandwich, but only better.

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Only 2 desserts are available on the menu: Hot Doughnuts with Cinnamon & Vanilla Chantilly ($8) and a selection of home made ice-cream flavors. I had to go with the former which sounds more interesting. Essentially it was two pieces of doughnuts coated with sugar and to be dipped in a caramel paste. A simple light bite, yet it could be better.

The food offerings from Keong Saik Snacks are of a small range yet it sort of brings out the best from every food item. If beef is not for you, try the Jason’s Very Hot Dog, DIY Tuna Tartare and Lobster Roll with Spiced Mayo & Iceberg Lettuce – which are all very special in their own ways.

By the way, a bar next to Keong Saik Snacks is hipster. And mysterious as well. It requires a password which you can get from the staff of KSS to enter. Have fun exploring!
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49 Keong Saik Road

1200 – 2300 daily

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Dec 19 2012
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Food

Little Pancakes

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To be honest I am a little addicted to pancakes recently. I have yet to see anyone who would actually not like pancakes. This probably explains the trend of opening eateries which only serve pancakes. Little Pancakes is a relatively new kid on the block that opened months ago, joining old favorites such as Strictly Pancakes at Prinsep Street.

Two cute little pancakes (Mr and Mrs Pancakes) are the mascots together with a kiddy concept Little Pancakes deliver. They serve bite-sized, mini pancakes instead of the bigger ones we usually find in Singapore. This concept eventually attracted people of all ages.

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The savoury selection of pancakes from the menu includes Big Fan of All Day Breakfast ($10.9), Ham & Cheesy ($8.5) and the last one which we had – Chick & Cheesy ($8.5). Basically, they are pancakes with glazed sausages and cheese and accompanied by potato salad and greens. Over the moon was I to find cheese sandwiched in between the two little pancakes as well. It was something like a cheese hot dog bun, only better.

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The sweet pancakes boast a bigger selection including Going Nutella For You ($8.2) and Simple and Sweet ($6.5). I had one of their most popular item there – Gimme S’more Oreos ($8.2). The Pancakes are stacked into two towers topped with crushed oreos, sided with toasted marshmallows on oreo cookies and a scoop of chocolate ice-cream. I would definitely give it a higher rating if the marshmallows were in between the stacked pancakes instead.

There is a Singaporean section of the menu as well featuring red bean and kaya but I did not get to try them. Apart from that, they serve ice-cream and coffee as well.

Overall, I pretty much like their style of mini pancakes, unique flavours and plating really speaks of creativity which I adore. The pancakes have their hits and misses but I do not see any reason why you should not make a trip down to this cosy corner at Upper Thomson.
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200 Upper Thomson Road

#01-04

Thomson Imperial Court

Mondays, Wednesdays to Fridays 1300 – 2300

Saturdays 1100 – 2300

Sundays 1100 – 2100

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Dec 14 2012
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Food

Catalunya: Classic Spanish

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Spanish tapas bars are making their way into Singapore with no small affair. With new names like Bomba, Los Primos and La Cicala popping from areas near the CBD, I took quick (or a little less than quick) action to one of the most lavish Spanish tapas bar and restaurant and also the talk of the town, Catalunya.

Location: fab. It is a lone yet sleek glass dome separate from the usual line of restaurants along fullerton bay, across the marina bay sands. It comes to this close of imagining yourself dining out at sea. Interior: high-end. Wooden furnishings coupled with the glass walls of the dome and complete with symmetrical patterns lining the entire place.

Catalunya is helmed by former elBulli chef Alain Devahive Tolosa and serves more as a tapas bar for late drinks nowadays with a cocktail, wine and tapas menu. The place was not as packed on the Saturday afternoon we went compared to weekday or weekend nights. Still, the food from the restaurant menu is worth every penny you pay and I can see why the media was running high on this place.

First up we definitely had to have items from the tapas menu. Pictures of the Tomato Tartar Confit ($18) on reviews were playing on my mind so I went with it. Seemed a little mysterious initially but it was refreshing and a great start to our meal.
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Also we had the Roasted Suckling Pig w/ Lemon Puree ($18) from the tapas menu. One word: tenderness. Each bite was tenderness and I fought hard to savor the meager portion. Forget about roast pork belly, I want to have roasted suckling pig all day. My only regret was not getting the entire traditional suckling pig ($125, feeds 2-3 pax) from the main courses.
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For our main course, we had the Braised Lamb Rack ($55). Not too bad except I find the meat a little tough for a medium cooked meat.
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Not to forget the desserts, which I found both as exquisite altogether. The Torrija with Milk Ice-cream ($12) is essentially fried milk bread with spices served with smoked milk ice cream. The “bread” seemed more like a sponge cake to me and it was soaked with sweetened milk so fully that I loved it so much. You can literally taste smoke while having the smoked milk ice cream. I found it a little eccentric but I guess it’s worth the experience.
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On the other hand, the Warm Creamy Almond Tart ($12) was like the conventional molten lava cake, only much more special. The almond “cream” flowed out with much less viscosity compared to molten chocolate and it sure took me by surprise. The distinct almond cream was the limelight which made this dessert unforgettable.
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Let me go all out and say that this was my blockbuster meal for the year. My only pity was not ordering more hot favorites from the menu… Guess that means another trip back there.
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82 Collyer Quay

The Fullerton Pavilion

Daily 1200 – 0200

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