I first went to 1-TwentySix restaurant at Playground @ Big Splash, East Coast Park a year ago. It was a romantic restaurant to dine in, but I thought that the food was unremarkable for the price point, so I didn’t blog about it. Two months back, I went back again for dinner as a group of friends wanted to go there.

1 Twenty Six is a large sea-fronting beach restaurant & bar. While they have a nice indoor dining room, most of the customers prefer to eat at the al fresco area where you can enjoy the sea breeze and chill out with a group of friends over dinner and drinks.

We had a lot of food, but I only took a few shots as I didn’t want to scare off some of the new friends. 1 Twenty Six’s Coast menu is divided into two parts: the ala carte menu where you can get the usual appetiser ($6.5-22), salad ($12-20), platters ($22-32), main course ($28-48) and dessert ($14); and the Communal menu where you pay $70++/pax (min of 2 pax) for a nibble platter, choice of 1 main course/pax with sides, and a dessert platter.

With the exception of a few new additions, the menu has remained largely unchanged since my last visit. The nibble platter (pictured above) comes with the familiar Potato Skin with sour cream, Steamed Vongole Clams, and Crispy Soft Shell Crab with chilli mayo.

For the main course selections from the Communal menu, gone were the Seared King Scallops, Penne with Zucchini, and Fish Pie. In place were the Butternut Pumpkin Risotto, Shellfish Carbonara and Fish & Chips.

During my first visit to One Twenty Six, we had the 150 day grain fed tenderloin ($48), and braised short rib of beef ($38). The tenderloin was not bad, but I could have gotten a better steak elsewhere.

This time round, we also had the Communal menu. For the main courses, we shared the Fish & Chips, Roasted Baby Chicken, Seared Tuna Loin, and Grilled Cod Fillet.

Our British friend wasn’t impressed with the Baby Snapper Fillet in crispy beer batter, but the French Fries that came along with the ‘Fish & Chips’ were excellent – all of us couldn’t stop eating it.

Some of my friends thought that the Grilled Cod fillet with blood orange salad was good, but I felt that it was just decent, so was the Seared Tuna Loin (pictured below) with bell pepper marmalade. For me, the standout dish for the night was the Baby Chicken served with rosemary potatoes.

If you choose to have the Communal menu ($70++/pax), you get to pick either the Grande Assiette – a selection of five petite sized desserts consisting of Creme Brulee, Panna Cotta, Chocolate Cake, Pavlova, and Souffle; or a selection of artisan cheese.

1 Twenty Six by One Rochester Group is a hip and trendy place to see and be seen. Being one of the few fine dining restaurants in the East, it is a good option for people if they do not want to travel all the way to town. As for me, I would probably just come back for drinks.

Singapore Food Blog Review
1 TwentySix Restaurant
902 East Coast Parkway
Blk E #01-26 Playground @ Big Splash
Tel: +65 6348 2126

Sun to Thu: 6.30pm – 1am
Fri & PH Eve: 6.30pm – 3am
Sat: 3pm – 3am
Sun Brunch: 11am – 3pm

Singapore’s National Day falls on 9 August, next Tuesday!

Together with my list of Romantic Restaurants with the best views, this post on the Waterfront dining restaurants in Singapore will provide you more options on where to dine at.

Here are some of the best places to watch fireworks in Singapore.

Waterfront Dining Restaurants at Customs House, Esplanade Mall, Fullerton Bay Hotel, Marina Bay Sands, Marina Bay Link centre and One Fullerton are easily the best places to watch fireworks during National Day Parade, Chinese New Year and New Year’s Eve.

Al Dente Trattoria

Besides Orgo Bar, Al Dente Trattoria is perhaps the next best spot in Esplanade Mall to watch fireworks (without squeezing with the crowd).

8 Raffles Avenue
#01-13 Esplanade Mall
Tel: +65 6341 9188

Akari Dining & Bar

Akari Dining & Bar at Marina Bay Link Mall is under the same management as Tomo Izakaya. The al fresco area of the Japanese restaurant has an unobstructed view of the Marina Bay – shall we watch fireworks while eating sushi and sashimi?

8A Marina Boulevard GP
#01-02 Marina Bay Link Mall
Tel: +65 6634 0100

Bazin Restaurant

Bazin restaurant is one of the latest additions to the Marina Bay Sands Promenade. Guests can enjoy drinks at the outdoor dining area and choose from a selection of pizzas and kebabs at this waterfront dining restaurant.

10 Bayfront Avenue
#L1-84 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6688 7375

Boathouse

Boathouse at The Fullerton is easily one of the most romantic restaurants in Singapore. Prelude, the rooftop bar on the third floor, has a stunning view of the Marina Bay area. Enjoy a nice dinner at Boathouse before heading up the bar for some drinks.

#03-01 The Fullerton Waterboat House
3 Fullerton Road
Tel: +65 6538 9038

Brawn Steakhouse

Like its neighbours Akari Japanese Dining Bar and Harry’s Bar at Marina Bay Link Mall, Brawn Steakhouse has a few outdoor dining tables with a nice view of Singapore’s downtown.

8A Marina Boulevard
#01-01 Marina Bay Link Mall
Tel: +65 6634 8060

Caffe B

From Sunday till Thursday, Caffe B is opened for post dinner drinks till 10:30pm. The Waterfront Wine Bar is opened till 12 midnight on Friday and Saturday. The Marina Bay Sands Promenade location makes Caffe B an ideal place to watch the National Day fireworks.

10 Bayfront Avenue
#L1-83 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6887 3311

Clifford Restaurant

The outdoor dining area of Clifford Restaurant offers a marvellous view of the entire Singapore skyline. This waterfront dining restaurant is the perfect place to watch fireworks!

80 Collyer Quay
The Fullerton Bay Hotel
Tel: +65 6597 5288

Forlino Italian Restaurant

Forlino recently introduced a Gourmet Weekend Brunch at $58++. Start with 5 of Forlino’s signature appetisers and antipasti served family-style at the table; continue with a duck leg confit or wagyu beef cheek; and end with a dessert of the day.

Sorry I digress. But I am sure all of you know about the fine dining Italian restaurant at the swanky One Fullerton, what else can be said? Romantic restaurant, good Italian food, excellent view of Marina Bay — please call and reserve a table for National day and Singapore Formula one!

1 Fullerton Road
#02-06 One Fullerton
Tel: +65 6877 6995

Jing Restaurant

Jing Restaurant by Chef Yong Bing Ngen (who also runs Majestic Restaurant) has a pretty good dim sum buffet on weekends. The al fresco dining area gives you a fantastic view of the waterfront.

Jing Restaurant
1 Fullerton Road
#01-02/03 One Fullerton
Tel: +65 6224 0088

Kinki Japanese Restaurant

The Customs House is clearly one of the latest see and be seen places in Singapore. Kinki Japanese Restaurant offers a panoramic view of Marina Bay Sands, enough said.

70 Collyer Quay
#02-02 Customs House
Tel: +65 6533 3471

Lantern Rooftop Bar

The Lantern Bar, one of the best rooftop bars in Singapore, is an extremely popular after work drinks venue in Singapore. Getting a reservation there on National day can be quite tricky. Good luck!

80 Collyer Quay
The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore
Tel: +65 6597 5299

Nueva Cuba

Another new restaurant at Customs House, Nueva Cuba is a Cuban-themed restaurant that serves great drinks and of course, dining by the waterfront.

70 Collyer Quay
#01-03 Customs House
Tel: +65 6535 0538

One on the Bund Restaurant

Restaurants at One Fullerton and the Esplanade area that offer the romantic view to couples are a dime a dozen, but it is at Clifford Pier that you would feel truly special – there’s only one restaurant in the whole pier.

One on the Bund is a gorgeous restaurant. Understandably, beautiful restaurants come at a price. Be prepare to pay for the food, and in return, you would get an amazing view of Marina Bay and of course, the fireworks on National day.

80 Collyer Quay
Clifford Pier
Tel: +65 6221 0004

Orgo Bar Esplanade

Perched on top of The Esplanade, Orgo bar has a great view of the Singapore skyline. Prices are rather steep for the drinks, but hey, you are paying for the view!

1 Esplanade Drive #04-01
Roof Terrace Esplanade Theatres on the Bay
Tel: +65 6336 9366

Oyster Bar

Located beside the Fullerton Bay Hotel, the Oyster Bar is a gorgeous standalone building with full-length glass windows that overlook the Marina Bay waterfront. Oyster Bar is one of the best places to watch fireworks in Singapore while sipping champagne and eating oysters.

#01-01 Customs House
70 Collyer Quay
Tel: +65 6534 5534

Paradise Pavilion

I went to Paradise Pavilion for dim sum recently, and I love the restaurant! It has since replaced Taste Paradise (under the same group) in my top 3 favourite dim sum restaurants in Singapore.

Paradise Pavilion on level 2 of Marina Bay Link Mall has an excellent view of the Marina Bay area – definitely the place to go to watch fireworks on National Day, New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year.

8A Marina Boulevard
#02-01 Marina Bay Link Mall
Tel: +65 6509 9308

Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant

Eating Singapore’s famous Chilli Crabs while watching fireworks on National Day? I don’t know about you, but I think that sounds like a great idea!

1 Fullerton Road
#01-09 One Fullerton
Tel: +65 6227 2332

Southcoast

One of the newest restaurants at Marina Bay Sands Promenade, Southcoast is an Australian bistro that offers salads, pizzas steaks or the traditional fish and chips. The late night dining restaurant is quite the ideal place to watch fireworks on National day.

10 Bayfront Ave
#L1-85 The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6688 7600

The Landing Point

The majestic bar at the lobby of Fullerton Bay Hotel is the ideal place to see and be seen. It serves a pretty good afternoon high tea, and come National day on the 9th August, you can go there for a drink and enjoy the fireworks with a group of friends.

80 Collyer Quay Lobby Level
The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore
Tel: +65 6597 5277

The Moluccas Room

The Moluccas Room is probably one of the few fine dining Indonesian restaurants in Singapore. The modern interior is chic and spacious – a lovely place to have dinner.

2 Bayfront Avenue
#01-81 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6688 7367

Yu Champagne Bar

Yu Champagne bar offers an additional venue for evening drinks and light bites. There are fine Cantonese cuisine offerings such as BBQ Roast Platter, Soft Shell Crab and Crispy Eel. Looking for a nice bar to enjoy some drinks after work? Yu Champagne Bar is the place to go!

10 Bayfront Ave
#L1-82 The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6688 7318

I hope this list of restaurants on waterfront promenade in Singapore will help you decide on a nice place to dine at. For more recommendations on where to watch fireworks in Singapore, please read my list of Romantic Restaurants with the best views.

Where will you be watching the fireworks on National Day? Which waterfront dining restaurants do you want to check out next?

Located between the junction of Middle Road and Waterloo Street, Artichoke Cafe & Bar is a nice cafe which is 5 minutes away from Bugis.

Most of you probably read about Artichoke Cafe on other food blogs by now, so I shall go straight to the point. Artichoke Cafe at Sculpture Square, is definitely one of the best brunch places in Singapore.

However, there is still room for improvement for the service. We were there for brunch on a weekend, and they could not handle the crowd. Having said that, I do think they have good breakfast food and the cafe has a nice laid-back feel which sets the tone for a lazy afternoon.

Artichoke Restaurant is all about communal dining. Most of the family-style shared plates for dinner are around $10-$15 for appetisers and $25-$30 for main courses.

As for Weekend Brunch, they have nine items on the menu. Prices range from $9 for the Turkish Toast with homemade apple, to $14 for the Scrambled Eggs and $18 for the 65 degree slow cooked eggs with smoked salmon. If you are feeling hungry, go for the Self Destruction ($24) – which is sort of like a big breakfast with everything.

Accompanied by roasted tomatoes, toast and rocket, the Scrambled Eggs comes with either organic mushrooms ($14) or Maple Glazed Bacon Chop ($16).

We ordered both, and the Maple Glazed Bacon Chop was certainly more value-for-money filling since it came with a huge slab of Bacon Chop.

At $20, I felt that the Middle Eastern ‘baked beans’ with Merquez lamb sausage (above picture) was somewhat overpriced. There was nothing particularly outstanding as the dish only had lamb sausage, baked beans fried eggs and toast.

I’d definitely go for the Eggs Shakshouka ($20) which you see in the first picture of this post. It reminded me of the Tunisian Breakfast that I had at Wild Honey. Two eggs baked in tomato sauce with braised lamb, yogurt cheese and toast. The braised lamb was delicious.

I didn’t have the Grilled Haloumi cheese on toast ($17) with mushrooms, avocado hummus and wild rocket, but it looked quite appealing.

My favourite breakfast dish at Artichoke Restaurant was the Self Destruction ($24) – which came with crispy hash brown, country sausage gravy, melted cheddar, mushrooms and two fried eggs. The portion was huge, and it was very rich (perhaps a little too salty). Make sure you share this with someone, it is impossible to finish it on your own.

The al fresco area at Artichoke Cafe is a good place to chill out if you can take the heat. Otherwise, there are plenty of tables indoor, and they also have a Greenhouse which is like a private dining room.

Still looking for a brunch place? Why not visit Artichoke Cafe & Bar this weekend?

Read my list of Brunch Restaurants in Singapore | Best Cafes in Singapore

Singapore Food Blog Review
Artichoke Cafe & Bar
161 Middle Road
Inside Sculpture Square (beside NAFA)
Tel: +65 6336 6949

Operating Hours:
Mon closed
Tue to Thu 6pm – 10pm
Fri 6pm – midnight
Sat 11am-4pm, 6pm-midnight
Sun 11am – 4pm

“Have you tried Da Paolo’s tiramisu? It’s the best tiramisu in Singapore!”

I have always wanted to go Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar because of the tiramisu. All my friends who had it before have nothing but praise for their tiramisu.

Like the other Rochester Park restaurants, Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar offers a superb al fresco dining option. It’s great for dinner (maybe not for lunch under the scorching sun), otherwise you can always choose to dine indoor.

Da Paolo Bistro Bar at Rochester Bar is a cross between their restaurant and pizza bar. The restaurant has two open kitchens, with the pizza bar being positioned near the entrance of the restaurant and the main kitchen on the further end.

It has a very extensive pizza menu which includes selections: Pizza Bolognese with tomato, mozzarella, minced beef, béchamel and parmesan – Pizza Salmone with tomato, mozzarella, smoked salmon, mushrooms and pesto – Pizza Napoletana with tomato, mozzarella, capers, anchovies and oregano; and folded pizzas: Calzone Prosciutto e Funghi with mozzarella, mushrooms and cooked ham.

My brother chose the Pizza Mozzarella di bufala e crudo ($25) which has buffalo mozzarella, parma ham, sliced tomatoes and basil. We also shared the Pizza frutti di mare ($20) with tomato, mozzarella and seafood. Out of the two pizzas that we had, I would pick the latter as the spread of seafood (calamari, salmon, prawn and mussel) was more appealing in taste and flavor.

Da Paolo’s Tagliatelle al granchio ($26) was excellent. The home made egg pasta with crabmeat, tomatoes, cream and vodka was creamy yet not too heavy, and every slurp of the pasta was so good.

I felt powerless when the waiter brought the famous Da Paolo’s Tiramisu ($10) to our table. Thankfully, the tiramisu didn’t disapppint. It was fantastic, and wasn’t soggy like ordinary tiramisu and the marscapone was light and airy. I scrambled to lick my dessert spoon clean.

* * *

The pizza at Da Paolo is good, but not great. I won’t go all the way just to have them, but it’s a different story if I’m in the Rochester Park area. When it comes to Italian-style Pizzas in Singapore, my pick will still be Bella Pizza at Robertson Quay. While they are both Italian restaurants that specialized in Pizza and have a similar price-point, it’s not fair to compare them since I didn’t order the same pizza.

Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar at Rochester Park is a nice chill out place after work, and you must order the tiramisu! Which is your favorite Italian restaurant for Pizza?

Singapore Food Restaurant Review
Da Paolo Restaurant & Bistro Bar
3 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 5537

// Da Paolo group has other dining concepts like Da Paolo La Terrazza, Da Paolo Pizza Bar, Da Paolo Dolci, and Da Paolo Gastronomia at Chip Bee Garden.

Rochester Park was promoted as the next Dempsey Hill dining destination when they first started. Restaurants like Cassis fine dining French restaurant, Pinchos Tapas Bar, Twenty + One Patisserie have come and go, while the other main stewards like One Rochester and Da Paolo are still going strong. Are the Singapore Rochester Park Restaurants over-hyped? Or do they deserve more publicity?

Here’s a complete guide to the Restaurants in Rochester Park Singapore:

Da Paolo Bistro Bar

“Da Paolo restaurant has the best tiramisu in Singapore!”

My friend proudly declared, and no, she doesn’t work for them. Among the Rochester Park restaurants, Da Paolo is the one that I want to go next. In case you are not aware, the Da Paolo group also has other restaurants in Chip Bee Garden.

3 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 5537

Graze

Sunday is perfect for breakfast, and you can enjoy a lazy brunch of eggs benedict, toast and a cup of coffee at Graze. The al fresco dining area is lovely for those who do not mind eating without air-conditioning. Looking for a brunch place in Singapore? Check out Graze at Rochester Park.

4 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6775 9000

Krish The Restaurant

Krish is a fine dining restaurant which offers South Asia influenced European cuisine. In short, it means Western food with an Indian twist.

9 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6779 4644

Min Jiang @ One North

Located at the fringe of Rochester Park, Min Jiang which is a fine dining Chinese restaurant has another branch at Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore. I have been wanting to try their famous Peking Duck and dim sum. All right, I don’t care. I am going there the next time I have cravings for Peking Duck.

5 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6774 0122

North Border Bar & Grill

A friend told me that North Border Bar & Grill’s serves very value for money set lunches. With choices like lamb shank and steak on the menu, the 2 course set lunch at $21.90++ looks like a good deal. Folks working in the area can come here when you have a long lunch break.

2 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6777 6618

Onaka

Unless you walk right to the end of Rochester Park, you will probably not see Onaka Cafe. I only found out about it when I was surfing online. Has anyone tried the food here?

44 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6778 0246

One Rochester

One Rochester is under the same management 1 Caramel Patisserie and 1 Twenty Six at Big Splash East Coast Park. I have tried their Communal Coast menu at the latter. While it is rather expensive at $70++ per person, One Rochester restaurant is well known for their ambiance.

1 Rochester Park Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6773 0070

Rochester House

The newest kid on the block, Rochester House is a 3-in-1 concept. Rochester Park Cafe is a kids friendly restaurant which has an indoor and outdoor playground (called The Playhouse) for patrons to keep their kids entertained while they enjoy their meals.

7 Rochester Park Singapore
Tel: +65 6773 1312

* * *

If you are a big fan of green al fresco dining in Singapore, I believe you will like the Rochester Park Restaurants that are housed in Colonial buildings. Now, tell me: which restaurant in Rochester Park have you been to, and which one are you going to try next?

Dining Guides of Restaurants in Singapore:
Chip Bee Gardens Restaurants
Dempsey Road Restaurants
Greenwood Avenue Restaurants
Holland Village Restaurants
Orchard Road Restaurants
Sunset Way Restaurants

Hurray! May is finally here! I don’t care what others say, but May is my favorite month! It always kicks off with a bang (with a public holiday no less), and ends off with a big celebration. And incidentally, May also happens to be my mom’s name. April has come and gone in a flash, but I have always known her as the month of Chili Crab.

Every year this time, my family will be on the hunt for the best chili crab in Singapore, and we have the perfect excuse for it. My mom’s birthday falls in April, and her favorite dish is Singapore’s famous chili crab. Naturally, we are always on the lookout for places that serve good chili crabs.

Although the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind when you mention Chinese Seafood restaurants are at East Coast Park, we ended up at Red House Seafood at Robertson Quay instead because of its proximity to where we were. The Chinese seafood restaurant located further down from the Alkaff Bridge at Robertson Quay, away from the main stretch of restaurants, just beside Boomarang Bistro.

If there is a must eat dish in Singapore, it will definitely be Chili crab. For those who are not particularly keen on the sweet-spicy rendition, we have other fabulous creations like black pepper, white pepper, curry sauce, doubled baked cheese on the menus of the various Seafood restaurants in Singapore.

Besides my favorite Chili crab, I’ve been a fan of Salted Egg Crab for a while now. Unfortunately, Red House Seafood does not have that on the menu, so we opted for the Wok-fried with fresh herbs & fragrant Butter Crab ($4 per 100g) instead.

Even though I was quick in taking photos, the Sambal Kangkong ($10) wasn’t hot and lacked the wok-hei taste. On the other hand, the Fried Baby Squid was crunchy, and juicy, and addictive – it’s seriously better than potato chips.

The saving grace was the famous Red House’s Chili Crab ($4 per 100g).

With the thick, and sweet chili gravy around, nothing else seems to matter. I dipped the deep-fried mantou, fried baby squid, crispy roasted chicken, and even the butter crab into the chili gravy. Sense of accomplishment is when I had two big crab pincers and three bowls of chili gravy to myself.

Let me drown in the goodness of the chili gravy!

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I can’t help but feel that Red House Seafood at the Quayside caters more for the tourist crowd. Service was lack-luster, and the waitstaff seemed to be more attentive towards our foreign friends. And they charged for ice water too!

To be fair, the chili crab was very good and they are located in a central location. But if you ask me, I’d probably check out the Red House at East Coast Park or other Chinese Seafood restaurants when I’m craving for chili crabs next time.

For the Red House Seafood supporters out there, are there any differences in the quality of food and service between the East Coast main outlet and the Robertson Quay one? Which dishes do you usually order? And for the rest of you, tell me which is your favorite Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Singapore.

Restaurant Review
Red House Seafood Restaurant (Quay Side)
60 Robertson Quay
#01-13 The Quayside
Tel: +65 6735 7666

7atenine at Esplanade was one of my favorite restaurants in 2009. My last visit was a year ago, and the restaurant has since been re-branded to Southbridge Jazz @ 7atenine. Gone was the lunch unlimited concept. Instead, they also currently serving food with a cosmopolitan local flavor, combining the best of Western and Asian food.

Even though they have a Moroccan chef at helm, the direction of the menu is mainly influenced by their sister restaurant 7atenine Kuala Lumpur. This explains the presence of KL Hokkien Mee, Char Kuay Teow and Laksa on the menu. Interestingly, there are also Indian food alongside the remaining popular tapas and Western dishes that survived the previous menu.

To be frank with you, when I first heard that 7atenine changed the whole dining concept; I thought it was a shame as I really enjoyed the lunch unlimited ‘buffet’. I wasn’t too keen to go for a second time especially since I had such a good experience the last time.

But I must say it’s a very intriguing idea to combine Jazz with food, so I was finally tempted to drop by 7atenine again. Entering the restaurant and looking at the menu, it felt like the restaurant was going through an identity crisis. I couldn’t figure out if they were trying to be a Western restaurant with Jazz music or another ‘atas‘ restaurant that served hawker food?

Imagine this: you are having KL Laksa in a classy Western restaurant that is playing Jazz music in the background. Confused?

Surprisingly, their KL Curry Laksa ($14.70) was actually quite good. The laksa gravy was thick, and robust and addictive. To pay $14 for laksa is insane. But hey, the huge portion is probably enough for three person and you never know when your laksa craving kicks in during the middle of the night. Another item that we had from the Asian Menu was the Beef Fried Rice ($12.70): decent, it was but nothing breathtaking.

The interesting name – 52 degree Salmon ($27.70) – stood out from the other dishes on the menu. It didn’t taste like the usual pan-seared or grilled salmon. Nor was it like raw sashimi. 7atenine’s interpretation of the fish was like salmon at the most natural stage. Every slice just fell off easily and it came close to the crumble-in-your-mouth effect. There’s a problem though – the portion was too small for a main course.

If there’s a dish that will catch everybody’s attention, it will definitely be the Beef Kebab ($50). Even though the meat was slightly cold as I took a long time to take photographs of it; but every bite was so tender, and together with the fries and grilled vegetables, we called this – the date dish – perfect for sharing between a couple.

If you give me an air ticket that flies to any part of the world, I’d definitely choose to go to Spain. I have always been a big fan of the Spanish culture, somehow everything seduces me. From Spanish football, to the magnificent scenery of the country (that I saw on TV), to Spanish food and the tapas culture, please let me wake up and find myself speaking Spanish!

When the Churros ($7.70) arrived on our table, we experienced the phenomenon again. Everyone went quiet and focused on the dessert. Coated with heaps of sugar and cinnamon, the churros were deep-fried and served pipping hot. Dipping it with the nutella-chocolate sauce, oh em gee, this is surely the best-est thing ever! Chocolate, nutella and churros. I can’t think of a better combination. How could flour taste so good?

I just found my new love, her name is Churros with nutella.

I will like to thank Danielle from ate media for the invitation. Southbridge Jazz @ 7atenine is definitely a good chill out places in Singapore for jazz lovers to hang out with their friends over some food and drinks. The al fresco area is cooling at night for dinner. If you must have air-con, there’s a few tables inside as most of the interior area was converted for the jazz bar.

While I am not a very big drinker, we had fun trying out the different types of mojito at 7atenine. The whole new concept is bold and adventurous, but when it comes to the food, prices are not exactly in the affordable range and honestly, I’m not quite sure how people will react to it. So tell me: are you game enough to order Laksa and Hokkien mee in a restaurant? Well, one thing is for sure, I will definitely be back for the churros!

I need some recommendations for good chill out places please!

Restaurant Review
Southbridge Jazz @ 7atenine
8 Raffles Avenue
#01-10/12 Esplanade Mall
Tel: +65 6338 0789

Where and what to eat in Robertson Quay?

I get that question a lot, as people always ask me for recommendations on nice restaurants in Robertson Quay. I’m not sure if you have been there before, but there are actually plenty of options if you want to check out the restaurants at Robertson Quay.

Boomarang Bistro & Bar is one of them. It’s located further down from the Alkaff Bridge at Robertson Quay, away from the main stretch of restaurants. If you can’t find it, look out for Red House Seafood and walk towards that direction.

Boomarang Bistro is one of the few Australian restaurants in Singapore – it was set up by a true Aussie owner and his chef with the aim of introducing their interpretation of authentic Australian cuisine to Singapore.

It’s astonishing to hear that the actual size of the Chicken Parmigiano ($22) was thrice that of the tasting portion that we had in the picture. That’s huge! With the cheese, tomato and ham on top, I thought it was a pizza.

To my surprise, the base was actually a chicken breast fillet. For someone who usually hates the hard and dry chicken breast meat, I found the one here to be extremely tender and incredibly juicy. 22 bucks for something so big and rewarding? I’d definitely order this dish when I come back the next time!

I’m not sure if it’s because I was hungry, but the toasted Brioche was absolutely delicious! Forget about the salmon and salad on top, just give me the bread!

Marina suggested that we should try the Lemon & Lime Calamari, which is one of her favorite items on the menu. We squeezed not just lemon, but also lime, and that was it. I’m a big fan of citrus fruit, and it’s definitely a fantastic idea to have both lemon and lime.

The calamari however, could be better. It was slightly soggy and lacked the crunch.

Made for ladies

I’m sure there’s a tag like this on the salmon. All the girls in town will definitely fall in love with the Panfried Salmon Fillet ($28) with Saffron Baby Potatoes. Earlier on, we caught a glimpse of the chef handling the raw salmon in the kitchen, it was an entiree slab of meat. Fresh? You bet!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!

Wow! Kangaroo meat!

I didn’t know there’s Kangaroo meat in Singapore!

I was so excited when I saw it on the menu. Now I can proudly say that I have tried Kangaroo meat before! Just ticked the box on my checklist – kangaroo meat – done!

Charred on the brim, the Peppered Kangaroo Loin ($28) was done medium, retaining the pinkish-red tinge in the middle. I have no idea how a good kangaroo meat should taste like, but it was somewhat familiar to beef, just slightly tougher. It was chewy, and there was none of the gamy smell I thought it’d have.

The desserts are so beautiful. Oh gosh, I’m hungry again!

Looking at the dessert menu, the Flourless Chocolate Cake caught my attention immediately. It sounds good, and it looks very pretty too! The chocolaty top was a little too much for Ju, but it tasted just right to me. It’s not too sweet, and there’s this slight bitterness in the dark chocolate – it would be perfect if there was a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

“This is the best sticky date pudding ever!”

Initially, I wasn’t quite convinced when Marina told us that Boomarang Bistro serves the best sticky date pudding. I was actually afraid to try the dessert when it arrived on the table. What if this isn’t good? What if it’s just that I simply don’t like sticky date puddings and it has nothing to do with the dessert?

I leaned forward cautiously, keeping my fingers crossed. I took a corner of the pudding, and mixed it with the pretty vanilla bean ice cream. Compared with the ones that I’ve before which crumbled way too easily, Boomarang Bistro’s Sticky date pudding ($10) was a lot firmer, and it was actually quite good! Best sticky date pudding? I don’t want to pass a judgment, but for the first time, I think I actually enjoyed a sticky date pudding.

Go to Boomarang Bistro and order their Sticky date pudding. After that, let me know if it’s the best sticky date pudding you have tried.

If you are looking for a sugary sweet dessert, the Pavlova is definitely the one. It is like a meringue-based dessert. I had it once before, and I thought it tasted like pure sugar. The happy smile on everyone’s face – there’s nothing like a sweet dessert.

* * *

I’ll like to thank Marina from Croc Media for inviting and hosting the lunch. The prices at Boomarang Bistro & Bar are very reasonable for the huge and hearty portions. It’s a great chill out place for dinner with a group of friends, and if you are considering a restaurant at Robertson Quay for dinner, why not check out Boomarang Bistro? And oh yes, they serve all day brunch until 3pm during weekends too!

Restaurant Review
Boomarang Bistro & Bar
60 Robertson Quay
#01-15 The Quayside
Tel: +65 6738 1077

It’s easy to fall in love with dining in the Marina Bay District. Superb view overlooking the Marina area and there’s the up and coming Marina Bay Sands at the heart of the area.

Restaurants at One Fullerton and the Esplanade area that offer the romantic view to couples are a dime a dozen, but it is as Clifford Pier that you feel truly special- there’s only one restaurant in the whole pier.

One on the Bund is a fine dining Shanghainese restaurant in Singapore that is located at Clifford Pier, an area that visitors to Kusu island will be familiar with. Gone is the ferry terminal, and in place is the current One on the bund.

Despite taking over the whole pier, it has retained the old architecture and added an oriental yet contemporary vibe to the whole dining area. Stepping inside the restaurant, it feels like you’ve been transported to a giant museum with high ceilings and exquisite adornments.

I heard about One on the Bund from all the media hype when it started operations back in 2008. Unfortunately there wasn’t much reviews online and I wasn’t really keen to venture here without any indicator on the prices of the food.

They have this huge main walkway leading all the way to the al fresco area at the back. Personally, that will be the best bet if you want to enjoy the night breeze over some desserts. The main dining hall uses traditional dining furniture, and there’s also a noodle bar, private dining area and a small dessert bar area.

With such a grand setting, I had a feeling that it’s gonna be good.

In every way, having Peking duck is like falling in love. I’d watch the chef slice the roasted duck skin one by one, and the anticipation always make my mouth water. Butterflies will gather around my stomach, and it reminds me about the feeling of guessing what the other party is thinking; more fats, thicker skin, more fats, thicker skin.

Best Peking Duck in Singapore

The Signature wood-fire roasted duck in Peking style (S$88, order in advance), I decided, didn’t need the Chinese pancake wrap. I found it to be a pity to put the meat and skin into the wrap when it tasted so good on its own. We were told to dip it in sugar, and it was the first time that we actually heard of this manner of eating peking duck. But apparently after some research online, it seems to be a common way of having the peking duck.

The fine sugar struck like glue to the layer of fats, and I don’t care what you say – this is the best peking duck in Singapore! With the presence of the sugar, the usual Peking duck sauce paled in comparison, and I’m really thankful that Ju, Catherine and Julia don’t really have the stomach for this – I finished up almost 3/4 of the whole plate by myself.

Oh my god: this-is-so-good! I am not kidding you!

If the kitchen is the stage, then surely the chef is the actor and we are the audience that will never be satisfied. More food, more food! The Eastern Sea Dragon ($48) or Braised Fish Fillets in a Chilli Broth is all about the showmanship. The stage was set when the staff brought out their tools and placed it on our table, with a rustic-looking stove, they prepared the water-cooked-fish live in front of us.

From afar, we could actually smell the Crispy Lamb Ribs ($48) and I’m not sure if it’s a good thing – with the thick, gamy lamb smell filling the air. What’s the difference between lamb and mutton? We actually debated about this while having the lamb, and from the quick discussion I came up with a conclusion: a) Lamb is a sheep less than a year old b) Older sheep is called mutton c) mutton has a stronger and tougher taste and d) I like lamb > mutton.

As part of the menu that we had, there was some Chinese pastries. But because I still wanted dessert, we ordered additional macarons, chocolate cake and tiramisu. One On The Bund a fine dining Chinese restaurant, but they also have pastry chefs weaving their magic with the lovely Western creations.

The others were astonished by how much tiramisu I had, the whole slab could easily fill 6 people. It probably looks smaller in the picture, but I can assured you that it’s absolutely gigantic! I don’t know about you, but I think $16 for such a big serving of tiramisu is totally worth the money.

* * *

This is the last part of a series that I’m doing on the waterfront restaurants in One Fullerton. I’ll like to thank Fullerton Heritage, and One on the bund for hosting this dinner.

One on the bund is a fine dining Shanghainese restaurant, and understandably there’s a premium price to pay for the lavish settings. If you are not into Chinese food, I’d suggest the unlikely – go to One on the Bund for desserts. Given that it’s a Chinese restaurant, their western desserts are surprisingly quite good. Bring your date to the romantic Clifford Pier, order some sweets and enjoy the view across Marina Bay.

Restaurant Review
One on the Bund Restaurant
80 Collyer Quay
Clifford Pier
Tel: +65 6221 0004

With so many new Burger joints popping up in Singapore, which one do you go to? I have my fair share of going to some of the burger places in Singapore. I’ve tried Wagyu beef burgers with foie gras, expensive gourmet burgers, incredibility tiny burgers at some of the chic drinking places. But at the end of the day, I’d go to Smok’inn Frogz Kitchen at Bar Bar Black Sheep when I’m craving for a really good burger.

The thing about a good burger, to put it simply – they are so seducing! There’s nothing as sexciting like a gorgeous burger. Some places try too hard, they come up with fanciful names or throw in exotic ingredients, but you know what? All I want for a good burger is: a good juicy beef patty topped with melted cheese sandwiched between two toasted fluffy buns.

And Smok’Inn Frogz Kitchen is just exactly all about that, there isn’t any fanciful name – just a simple ‘homemade beef burger‘. Considering the burger is $12 nett, I’d think that it’s very hard to beat them.

Besides their popular Homemade Beef Burger, we also had the Grilled chicken burger and the Mushroom Cheese burger. Having tried the homemade beef burger on the previous two occasions, I was keen to go for the other burgers available on the menu and I chose the Grilled Chicken Burger. It was decent, but not wow. Maybe it was my fault as I was expecting to have a thick chicken patty, but instead there was chunks of grilled chicken stacked up together to form a patty.

We couldn’t really differentiate between the Homemade Beef Burger and Mushroom Cheese Burger since both had beef patty and came with cheese. The only exception to the latter was the inclusion of the mushrooms instead of caramelized onions. Beer goes so well with burger, needless to say, we finished every crumb of it and even most of the fries.

* * *

Maybe I shouldn’t hype too much about the burgers lest all of you have too much expectations of it, but I think it’s definitely up there among the best burgers in Singapore. If you are going to check out Smok’Inn Frogz Kitchen at Bar Bar Black Sheep, try to go before 6.30pm as it gets really crowded after that, and they are not open for lunch during weekdays.

Now you need to tell me: where’s your favorite burger place in Singapore?

Restaurant Review
Smok’Inn Frogz Kitchen
879 Bukit Timah Road
Weekdays: 5pm-11pm
Sat: 1pm-11pm
Sun: 9am-11pm
Bar Bar Black Sheep

All along, I thought that German food was all about pork knuckles, beer and sausages. While I was hiking at Katoomba, Blue Mountains, I met a German dude and I asked him what’s a normal German meal like? He mentioned that Germans are very big on bread, and contrary to popular belief, no – they do not have pork knuckle and sausages every meal. At least, that’s what he told me.

Coincidentally, I had my first German meal a few days later when I went back to Sydney from Katoomba. It was awesome, and I have been craving for German food ever since I came back to Singapore. Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant was one of the few places that came to mind when I wanted to plan for a German dinner. There’s currently three Brotzeit restaurant at Raffles City, 313 @ Somerset and Vivocity.

Needless to say, I was very excited. If you were there that night, you’d probably saw me from afar. Yes, the guy sitting near the entrance of the restaurant at Vivocity, with a big camera snapping away.

Anyway, German Pork Knuckles.

Yes, I wanted pork knuckles, and I wanted it immediately! It’s not exaggerating to say that pork knuckles are the representative of German Food for me. Extremely crispy, deep-fried but not dry, hearty but not heavy, I just love every bite of the Pork Knuckle ($36). It may not look very filling, but trust me, you need a few people to finish this.

The sausages platter Wustelpatte ($32.50) is a great way to try a little of everything. There’s spicy chicken sausages, Nurnberger pork bratwurst, mini pork cheese sausages, weisswurst sausage and garlic sausages. Half the time, I couldn’t tell which was which, but who cares? We finished every single one of them.

Somehow, the crackling pork knuckles reminded me of roasted pork, and when I saw the Schweinsbraten ($29.50) on the menu, I pleaded commanded my friends: lets get the roasted pork! But it was quite different from what I’ve imagined. I thought it’d be something like the roast pork that we’re so familiar with. Instead, Brotzeit’s rendition was roasted pork with gravy, alongside homemade red cabbage. Even though the robust gravy added flavor to the meat, but I still preferred the crispy roasted pork.

I was dazzled for a good twenty seconds the moment the Seafood platter, Fischplatte ($34.50) arrived on the table. Time seemed to slow as my senses fully captured everything on the plate; my eyes took in every single detail of the marination on the thick slices of tuna. The vibrant colors of the smoked salmon and bright-red marinated prawns also caught my attention. It was amazing to smell the white anchovies, and even more appealing to put it in my month, everything was so refreshing. Again, if you are with a good of friends, it’s more like a tasting platter since everyone only gets to try a little of everything.

* * *

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant will definitely be one of the top choices when it comes to German Food in Singapore. Reservations are a must, especially when it’s dinner time. There was about 7-8 of us, and for the food that we had, it wasn’t particularly filling for the most of people. On hindsight, we should have order at least one more main dish to share. Anyway, I reckon the budget is about $30-40 per person if you want to get a decent filling meal, and at least in the $50s if beer is included.

It’s always easier to order food when there are more people, and this is particularly true for Brotzeit. There’s so many items on the menu and it was a challenge going through all of them. My advise? Get a group of friends and hit Brotzeit for the Pork Knuckle, German sausages and booze. Hurry up!

Where do you go for German food in Singapore? And what’s the one must-try item when you are having a German dinner?

Restaurant Review
Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-149/-151 VivoCity
Tel: +65 6272 8815

I always wanted to visit The Wine Company as a friend mentioned that it’s pretty affordable to dine there, and they have two good locations in Dempsey Hill and Evans road. I went to the Dempsey road branch and the restaurant was located on the fringe of the more populated area of Dempsey Hill.

We went during the middle of the day for a quick bite. In my personal opinion, most of the items on the menu were more of finger food and drink snacks, not very appealing if you are looking for something substantial. We didn’t have any wine since it does not goes well with burgers, which was a pity as they had an extensive list of wine to choose from.

Even though it was off-peak period when we were there, it took slightly more than 40 minutes, for them to prepare three burgers, and when the burgers came – we were not impressed.

Small would be an understatement – they were tiny!

Given that it was just $10, I wasn’t really expecting much. But the fact that it took so long to come and we were really hungry; you could guess our feeling when we saw the burgers.

It wouldn’t be so bad if you had a full dinner, and the burger was just a snack to go along with drinks. The beef patty was competently done, but I didn’t like the buns. Fries were average, not the type that would make you finish the whole lot of it. Other than that, I liked the idea of having a slice of pineapple in the Chicken Burger ($10).

I wish I could say we loved this place – with the excellent location in Dempsey Hill, a long list of wine and the charming al fresco area. But at the end of the day, the main reason to come to The Wine Company is for drinks. To be fair, we only had two  different burgers so it’s not a good gauge of their food, but the main highlight of the restaurant is still the extensive and affordable wine list.

Restaurant Review
Wine Company
Block 14D Dempsey Road
Tanglin Village (Dempsey Road)
Tel: +65 6479 9341
Open till late

Remember my suggestion to have Seafood for your Chinese New Year dinner?

Since there’s still a few more days before Chinese New Year ends, if you are still looking for a restaurant to toss Yu Sheng, Palm Beach Seafood restaurant at One Fullerton might just be the place. Instead of the typical salmon yusheng, we had the Alaskan King Crab Yu Sheng (S$58 or S$88).

My weekdays, by and large, are similar to the weekends of most people. I had a fabulous dinner on Monday night, attended my friend’s big night on Tuesday, and now we have a seafood feast on Wednesday. It’s probably going to be Japanese cuisine tomorrow, and Russian food on Friday. Okay, I am muttering to myself.

Anyway, a seafood feast sounds pretty good right? Chili crabs, sashimi, lobster, seafood platter. Have I got your attention? Good. Make yourself comfortable.

Lets try again: air-flown Hokkaido scallop, huge gleaming oysters, live poached prawns, fresh salmon sashimi, and the gigantic bamboo clam. That’s better. I could vaguely recall the oysters that I had, unprocessed and fresh. A wedge of lemon is all you need for the perfect oyster.

I don’t know about you, but I’d definitely order the Seafood Deluxe Combination ($23.00 per person) with a selection of five seafood items.

I don’t know if there’s anything special about Palm Beach’s signature Chili Crab ($4.50 per 100g), but I absolutely love it! My feelings for the Singapore famous dish very much depends on two things: a) thick and spicy-sweet chili gravy, and b) deep fried mantou.

The pincers were long gone by the time I was done with the deep fried buns. It’s easy to choose between crabs and mantou (with gravy) – I’d go for the latter anytime.

The award winning Double Baked Cheese Crab ($4.50 per 100g) reminded me of the baked cheese lobster that I’ve before, with its strong cheesy taste. Baked parmesan cheese and crab? Sounds like a winner! If you do not want to get your hands dirty, ask for help from the staff. Catherine got her crab de-shell the easy way.

I first had lobsters when I was a very young boy. Back then, I had no idea how much a lobster was worth. To me, it looked like a GIANT prawn. But what mattered then, was that it tasted good. As I grew up, I realized that lobsters are very expensive seafood, and they can be prepared in many different ways; baked, steamed, fried, sashimi, salad – whichever ways it pleases your palates.

The one that we had was very different from the ones I’ve before. Usually I’d go for either baked or salad lobsters, but we couldn’t miss out on Palm Beach’s awarding winning Coco Lobo – Australian Lobster with Vermicelli in Superior Stock ($16.80 per 100g). It came piping hot in individual claypot, with the lobster meat and vermicelli absorbing the essence of the flavorful stock.

Sweet and tangy, intense yet refreshing. It’s also not too spicy. The Honey Tangy Marble Goby ($7.50 per 100g) is fried till golden-brown: crispy and soft and appetizing, drizzled with just enough of the terrific sauce. Ju had the blissful look after she finished the dish – it was awesome!

* * *

This is the third part of a series that I’m doing on the waterfront restaurants in One Fullerton. I’ll like to thank Fullerton Heritage, Karin of Palm Beach Seafood and Gail for arranging and hosting this dinner.

From what we observed, most Singaporeans seem to dine in the comfort of the air-condition, while the tourists prefer the al fresco area with the waterfront view. Will you dine indoors or outside at the al fresco area?

Restaurant Review
Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant
1 Fullerton Road
#01-09 One Fullerton
Tel: +65 6227 2332

I love a good restaurant. But if there’s one thing I like even more, it’s having good company for dinner together. Dining in a fine-dining restaurant is very nice, but it really depends on the people around you to make it even better. Sometimes we get lucky, it’s an extra bonus when we are dining with nice people, and it happens to be a very romantic restaurant.

Many people always ask me to recommend a romantic restaurant in Singapore, I’d like to tell them: so long you are with your other half, everywhere is romantic. But I can’t possibly do that can I? You want to know a romantic place for your first date, a romantic restaurant for birthday parties, a romantic restaurant for that special occasion, and like today, a romantic restaurant for Valentine’s day; it’s all about the ambiance.

I’m very pleased to ‘stumble upon’ Boathouse, a newly opened Modern European restaurant at Fullerton Water Boat House. Chic decorations that exudes a laid-back and homely feel, gorgeous view that overlooks the Marina Bay area, elegant and simple furniture, oh I love this place.

Fish Chowder Sea Bass Carpaccio ($15)

I had Wagyu beef on a couple of occasions before, but this was the first time that I actually had a Wagyu Beef Ribs. The first bite? It tasted just like pork ribs. The second bite? It’s definitely a lot better than the normal pork ribs. It’s a superior version, no it’s  wrong to even compared it with pork ribs. My dear, you are looking at the Wagyu Beef Ribs with Aged Red Wine Jus ($33).

The meat was so tender that it falls off the bone and melts in your mouth splendidly. Placed together in a plate, the wagyu beef ribs absorbed the aged red wine jus, and in turn the latter captured the essence from the long braising process. How good was it? Catherine wiped the plate clean with bread.

Ju had the Atlantic Pink Snapper ($25) instead of the Wagyu beef ribs. She mentioned that the fish was fabulously fresh, firm, sweet, and didn’t want to share it with us. An excuse to return? I’d think so!

I seems to be having a lot of pasta recently. Boy I’m glad all of them were good quality ones, and the Tagliatelle Wild Mushroom in Truffle Sauce (S$19) was no exception. Every slurp of the tagliatelle was intense, and so flavorful. Some might find it to be too salty and overpowering, but I thought that it was pretty well done.

The Caramel Apple tartlets ($15) were small. Fine, they were tiny. Initially the restaurant told us it was tasting portions, but after confirmation from a few friends who went there for dinner, they were still serve the mini apple tartlets for the full price.

Fifteen bucks for three mini tartlets and ice cream? I wouldn’t pay for this, and neither should you. Please do not order the apple tartlets until the restaurant made changes to it.

The mind is a funny thing. It always play tricks on you, and subconsciously conjured images of things that you wouldn’t want other people to see. Halfway through the meal, my mind decided to play a game with me. Like as though there was a remote control, it pressed the ‘play’ button, and memories of a very good semifreddo that I’ve before started to flash.

Reason #1 why the pastry chef here does not have a sweet tooth.

With the sourish fruit compote to compliment the White Chocolate Semifreddo ($15), it gave the impression of an anti-sweet establishment. Desserts, are after all, meant to be sweet. I tried the semifreddo on it’s own, and it was so good. In order to see the reasoning behind the inclusion of the fruit compote, I reluctantly had a taste of the semifreddo with the tart berries – well it wasn’t so bad, but I’d obviously prefer dessert to be sweet.

In my opinion, a good Panna cotta must have a firm yet wobbly-like texture. This one here was fairly competent, but under the limelight of the excellent semifreddo and creme brulee, the Panna Cotta did not make a statement.

Reason #2 why the pastry chef here does not have a sweet tooth.

The presence of the licorice reduction, with the Creme Brulee. I was told that the evil licorice was planning on taking over the dessert world, in a test-tube-like container.  Okay I exaggerated. You know, the guys (& some girls) who raise their eyebrow at the slightest mention of desserts? The licorice reduction would be perfect for them since it literally reduced the sweetness level, making me wondered why anyone would do that.

Oh well, that aside, I enjoyed the creme brulee very much.

Torched to a magnificent golden-brown, the underlying custard was naturally sweet. The contrasting layer of the cranky caramelized sugar with the beautiful custard: I’m in love with the creme brulee.

My middle name is dessert: apple tart with ice cream, creme brulee, panna cotta, and white chocolate semifreddo.

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This is the second part of a series that I’m doing on the waterfront restaurants in One Fullerton. I’ll like to thank Fullerton Heritage, Sophia and Kannan of Boathouse for arranging and hosting this dinner.

BoatHouse is definitely one of my favorite restaurant now, and I will not be surprised if they are one of the best new restaurants in 2010. There’s a separate rooftop bar on the third floor called Prelude. Stunning, stunning place with an awesome view of the Esplanade and Marina Bay.

Prices range from $20s for pasta to $30s for a main course. For the superb location and wonderful ambiance, Boathouse is offering a very value set lunch; the 2 course set lunch is $22++, while I’d go for their 3 course set lunch at $29++. Most of the items on their set lunches are from the main ala carte menu which make it extremely tempting.

See you at the Boathouse Fullerton.

Restaurant Review
BoatHouse
#03-01 The Fullerton Waterboat House
3 Fullerton Road
Singapore 029415
Tel: +65 6538 9038

Boathouse is listed as one of ladyironchef’s favorite restaurants in Singapore.

Updated: Read my list of Valentine’s Day Restaurant: 2011 Edition for more choices, and my guide to Valentine’s Day Gifts: Food Edition.

Saint Valentine’s is a strange little thing, it comes and leaves in a hurry, but memories will always stay behind. Even though it is a day where retailers, florists and restaurateurs rejoice – I believe in Valentine’s day. The idea behind it (less the commercialise plots), is very sacred; Valentine’s is all about you and me.

Have you decided on a romantic restaurant for your Valentine’s Day Dinner?

Everyday is Valentine’s, so long we are happy together. Yes that’s true, but Valentine’s is the only day that you can walk around with big bouquet of roses without having the whole world staring at you. This is the day where you have the perfect excuse to splurge on an expensive meal without feeling guilty. This is the day where you can justify spending a bomb to get the Tiffany blue box or that Gucci wallet without any nagging feelings. This is Valentine’s day.

Many people always have problems finding a nice restaurant for Valentine’s day. The guys will have a headache on where to bring their girlfriend, wife, and mistress, while the ladies will dream of where their man will bring them to, or in a slightly unfortunate twist, planning for their ideal Valentine’s day venue.

I’m no male chauvinist, but I firmly believe that a guy should plan the surprise, and search for a suitable Valentine’s day restaurant to bring their other half, well at least for Valentine’s day.

Here is a list of romantic restaurants in Singapore to celebrate Valentine’s Day:

Au Petit Salut
40c Harding road
Tanglin Village (Dempsey)
Tel: +65 6475 1976
$148++ per person (5 Course dinner on 14th)

Bistro One Zero Three
103 Pasir Panjang
Tel: +65 6476 6373
(Closed on 13th-23rd feb, for early Valentine’s only)

Boat House Fullerton
3 Fullerton Road
#03-01 The Fullerton Waterboat House
Tel: +65 6538 9038
(Please call restaurant to check if they are open on 14th)

Flute at the fort
21 Lewin Terrace
Fort Canning Park
Tel: +65 6338 8770
$228++ per couple (First seating 6.30-8.30pm)
$298++ per couple (Second seating 8.30pm onwards)
(Closed on 15-17th Feb)

Prive Restaurant
2 Keppel Bay Vista
GF Marina @ Keppel Bay
Tel: +65 6776 0777
$108++ per person (8 course dinner at restaurant)
$68++ per person (3 Course dinner at Bakery cafe)

Wild Rocket
10A Upper Wilkie Road
GF Hangout @ Mount Emily
Tel: +65 6339 9448
(Closed on 13th-18th Feb, for early Valentine’s only)

The White Rabbit
39C Harding Road
Dempsey
Tel: +65 6473 9965
$98++ per person (5 course dinner with glass of champagne)
(Closed on 15th-16th feb)

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I will be adding this list to the top of my Delicious page if you need to find this page the next time. Remember to call the restaurants in advance and make your reservations. Have a good Valentine’s Dinner!

One of the things that I like about the Singapore Dining scene is the vibrancy, there are new restaurants opening all the time. Some open with a big fanfare, while others prefer having a soft opening to fine-tune and tweak their menu before they are plot on the to-dine-at restaurant radar.

And when a new restaurant is being helm by chef Sufian Bin Zain’ who helped his previous restaurant Iggy’s being listed as one of the world’s top 100 restaurants, it’s not surprising that everyone will rush to the new establishment. I am not one of those that like to chase after new restaurants, that’s one of the reasons that it took me until now to drop by L’Entrepot Bistrot.

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I hardly blog about restaurants in Clarke Quay, there’s nothing wrong with the area; in fact it is a well-known places for tourists to dine at, when visiting Singapore. And that’s precisely the problem. Awesome riverside view, gorgeous restaurants interiors, but I’d imagine it comes with hefty bills and the made-for-tourist stamp too.

For restaurants, set lunches are one of the ways to attract more customers and increase sales. In times like this, not everyone can still afford to splurge on extravagant lunches, and that’s when you have value set lunches. Given that a normal meal and a drink in a food court will probably cost you six dollars upwards, an affordable lunch for $15 nett in a nice restaurant with everything plated nicely, is very tempting.

Besides the perfect excuse to indulge in a good lunch, it’s an opportunity to check out the restaurant and see if it’s worth coming back for dinner. On normal occasions, L’Entrepot Bistrot’s normal 2 course lunch is $25++, while the 3 course menu will set you back by $30++, but there’s a current promotion for all the Clarke Quay restaurants where a 2 course set lunch is $15 nett.

The promotional menu is almost identical to the normal lunch menu, with a few exceptions. One of those is the escargot which we wanted to get, but since it wasn’t available for the promotion, we went for the French Onion Soup, served with Emmenthal Cheese. It was a good decision, the onion soup is the classic example of the rustic French Bistro food.

On this visit, I chose the Vongole, which came with clams amidst the leeks, onions tomato and spaghetti. There was a subtle white wine taste in the spaghetti sauce. The generosity of clams were admirable, but the presence of leeks drove me to verge of irritation; I ain’t no fan of leek.

I’m not one who will always order fish for main courses while it comes to dining outside. I like fish, but it pales in comparison when you can have steak, chicken, or duck – meat in general. But still, I love fish, it sounds fickle but I am only human, you know. So I was glad when my Evangeline ordered the Pan Fried Seabass, with mashed potatoes. It may sound very ordinary, but the seabass was actually pretty good. It sounds like a layer of crispy pan-fried skin with the fillet nicely settled underneath.

It was a toss between Creme Brulee and Profiteroles when it came to desserts, but as Tampopo deli is nearby, we went for the former. Now, there will be vanilla beans inside, I’m sure. And true enough, there were tiny speckles of them in the custard, and the surface was caramelized beautifully.

* * *

Restaurant Review
L’Entrepot Bistrot
3E River Valley Road
#01-02 Clarke Quay
Tel: 6337 5585

It took me a year to finally visit Raw Kitchen Bar. Actually I dropped by when they just opened a year ago, but I did not have my dinner there back then. And despite staying just 10 minutes away from the place, it took me until now to pay them a visit. Yes, I’m a year late, but it’s better to be late than never isn’t it?

And boy oh boy, December is almost here. I like the year-end, for one it’s the month of celebrations with Christmas and New year, and I get to sum up my adventure for the whole year. Food-wise, this has been a fulfilling year, and I thought my winner for the best new restaurant is already decided, until I visit Raw.

Stepping inside, there’s just something different about this place. There’s the flimsy light bulb with different pieces of whimsical furniture to begin with. Then you have the quaint and charming backyard that looks like an awesome place to throw a tea party. The chef/owner Javier comes out and greet every table, all in all, you have the feeling of dining in the chef’s house.

The food is pretty good too. While we looked through the menu debating over spaghetti mentaiko, and commenting that the bun noodle sounds cute; we finally decided on the Capellini cream of ebiko and sauteed prawns ($19). Every slurp of the angel hair pasta seems to make its existence for your taste of the food. The portion might be a tad small, but it should be adequate for one person’s serving. We also like how the succulent prawns and flavorful ebiko enhanced the taste of the al dente pasta.

The Balsamic duck ($23) was a bit of let-down though, and not that it wasn’t good. The duck drumstick was firm and quite unlike that of a duck confit, but it had an uncanny similarity to the Chinese braised duck in terms of the smell and taste. We would probably enjoy it more if we did not have braised duck before; fusion dishes don’t work in this case, but maybe it’s just us. And for someone like me who usually don’t like mashed potato, the ones that came together with the petite drumstick here, was gorgeous in all sorts of ways.

The choice of the pizza was through an elimination method since there was only three to choose from. Spring vegetables pizza didn’t sound exactly appealing to us, and my friend did not want the mozzarella basil rosemary pizza, so we were left with the Prawns & chili pizza ($19). It was an irony that Raw Kitchen Bar was housed in the former premises of a firestation, wewe were about to call in the fire brigade for help – this pizza’s one kick-ass, fiery, spicy pizza.

This might not sounds convincing since I do not have high tolerance for chili to begin with; but even my friend who claimed that she grew up eating chili, agreed that this pizza was literally hot. And for the price, we weren’t expecting it to be so huge, which sort of compensate for the petite portions in the other two dishes.

Now I have a tough choice for the best new restaurant (among the places that I went to), and I know there’s probably a few more like Spruce & Hacienda (I have not been there yet) that will probably make the cut too. See you there!

Raw Kitchen Bar
276 Upper Bukit Timah road
Firestation
Tel: 6467 3987

Raw Kitchen Bar is listed as one of ladyironchef’s favorite restaurants in Singapore

There’s no other meat that can get me excited like kurobuta pork, not even wagyu. I know the Japanese beef is great, but my heart is already stolen the first time I had kurobuta.

I was skeptical when I saw that Grill-out is offering the kurobuta T-bone as part of their set lunch at only $11.50. Admittedly, the cut is T-bone and not the prized collar bone, but still, it’s kurobuta – the pork version of Kobe beef. Is this some gimmick? No, wait, cancel the last part.

Ho ho, just look at that piece of meat up there! It looks so sexy right? All my doubts were gone the moment I had the first bite. The pork was everything you could ask for; tender, juicy, with the fats providing the melt-in-the-mouth sensation: it was good!

You have to try kurobuta pork unless a) you absolutely hate and will not touch pork, or b) you want to save it for me. Aww.. Jokes aside, I think it’s important that you understand my point – get your hands on a piece of kurobuta pork, now!

Despite being very hungry, we only ordered one main course to share as we had an eye for the desserts next door. But I will definitely come back for the other premium meats they offered. If you are a meat-lover, here’s the place for you!

Grilled-out!
Blk 106 Clementi st 12
Sunset way #01-38E
Tel: 6774 7001

I’m head over heels like love with brunch. It’s more like the feeling of being able to slowly enjoy a long extended breakfast plus lunch, while watching time slips by. The idea of an all-day brunch place appeals to me – it’s damn sexy.

Of late, I’m always too busy over the weekends that there wasn’t a chance to have my favorite brunch, and so when I found out that KPO Cafe serves all day brunch during my first visit, I casually suggested to my friend, “let’s have brunch for dinner.” Okay, maybe casually is an understatement; it was a desperate attempt to plot and make her believe that instead of having steak and salad, it’s the norm to have eggs and pancakes for dinner.

Now, I think I’m really a crazy person (having ice cream for dinner) when it comes to food; I mean who in the right mind will want to have brunch during dinner ? Not many. I have pitched the idea to some of my friends, but most of them think that I’m joking. Surprisingly, it’s either my scheme works or my friend is just as crazy as me – we had brunch for dinner.

How can any brunch be without Eggs Benedict? It is like what har hau is to dim sum, or how chili crabs will be without the deep-fried mantou. After my first encounter with eggs benedict, I’m hooked. The thick creamy hollandaise sauce that is drizzled on top of the beautifully poached egg – it’s a truly magnificent sight to behold.

KPO’s Egg Benedict ($13) uses bacon streaks instead of ham or salmon, and together with the poached eggs, they sat prettily on a slice of thick white toast. For $13, I was expecting a lot more, and sadly it did not deliver. Oh, there’s only one poached eggs? I turned to my friend with a we-have-to-share-kind-of-look. On second thoughts, it was actually not that bad, the streaky bacon was a hit with poached eggs, I would however prefer to have muffin or baguette, instead of white toast. Anyway, the hollandaise sauce was pretty awesome too – honey, it’s all about the butter.

Do you want to pancake with me?

And yes, if there’s one thing which I absolutely adored (besides eggs benedict) – it will be Pancakes ($6). Like I said before, eating pancakes required some knowledge, to cut the long story short; just dunked the fluffy pancakes into the bowl of syrup, let it soaked and immerse in the essence of the wonderful liquid, and I guarantee: you will be happy boys and girls.

I know, the pancakes here look rather sad, they are certainly not like what I had before, but what to do? When you are a hungry man craving for brunch in the middle of town, there’s not much options. Well to be fair, it’s not expensive to have two pancakes for six dollars, it’s more like the consistency of the pancake; one is over-toast, and the other one pales in comparison.

Anyway, this time round, the first question that they asked was not credit card or cash. Instead, they went one step further, they brought me the bill (when I did not ask for it) immediately after the eggs benedict arrived on my table. And so if you are one who will be disturbed by such “tiny acts”, I suggest you head to somewhere else instead. As for me? I like the place enough to go back the following weekend after my first visit. All right, maybe I’m intoxicated by the happiness of finally having eggs benedict after such a long time that I’m not making sense now. If you like brunch, go here, here or here.

KPO @ Killney post office
1 Killiney road
Killney Post Office
Tel: 6733 3648

I always dread to have dinner in Orchard, well the place is great for shopping, people-watching, movies, but food? It is always an issue whenever my friends want to meet there and if you ask me, there’s hardly any place that I like in Orchard.

It was a coincidence that both Lingzie and Kenny were in town, so there was a minor crisis in deciding the place for dinner. Initially I wanted to bring them to my favourite place in Orchard, but we ended up at KPO Cafe.

Most people will have thought that KPO stands for Killiney Post office since the cafe is located on the premises of Killiney post office. But the name actually comes about because it’s at the intersection of Killney, Penang, and Orchard road.

We started dinner with the Pizza Yorkshire ($25). The 10 inch thin crust pizza was thoroughly enjoyable; sweet thin slices Yorkshire pork and well-baked crust with mozzarella cheese matched perfectly with the natural crust.

Even though the Grilled juicy mini beef patties were tiny, I love the way they are done – topped with melted Emmental cheese and served in home-made baguette. The Patty Melt ($12) is one of those things that you wish it would come in bigger portions. And oh yes, the home-made chips were great too! But for the kind of price, it’s more like a snack to go along with drinks rather than a main course for dinner.

The KPO Pork Ribs ($23) was the other signature dish of the cafe. A full slab of ribs marinated with the tantalizing sauce, we have to agree that the marination was very done-well. But having tried better pork ribs elsewhere, KPO’s rendition lacked the ultimate melt-in-the-mouth sensation. Still, it was pretty good.

* * *

I have no doubt that KPO, situated right in the middle of town and yet seemingly away from the hustle of the city, will be a success. The location is already a hit, with the chic environment, it is definitely the place-to-be-seen-at. While it’s a great watering-hole, with the food being pretty decent, but they really need to improve on the service.

I got a shock when the first question they asked, was not what I’ll like to order, but whether I’m paying by credit card or cash. No matter how nice the ambience was, or how excellent the food tasted – that was a total turnoff. But oh well, at least there’s no service charge & GST. Anyway, with the good location plus the chill-out atmosphere, I went back again the following Saturday.

KPO @ Killney post office
1 Killiney road
Killney Post Office
Tel: 6733 3648