Whenever readers ask me to recommend romantic dining places in Singapore, I will always think of the restaurants at Dempsey road. Among the options there, The White Rabbit ranks highly on my list of romantic restaurants in Singapore.

The White Rabbit, owned by the folks behind Loof and OverEasy, is a romantic restaurant housed within a beautiful restored Chapel in Dempsey Road.

I fell in love as soon as I stepped into the place.

Fine dining restaurants are usually not very versatile. I mean they are nice for a romantic dinner, but some of them can be quite intimidating. The White Rabbit, on the other hand, is great for just about any occasion. Be it a romantic date with your partner, a chic business lunch with your clients or a casual dinner with a group of friends.

I wanted to dine at The White Rabbit for the longest time, and I finally came here last week for their 3 course set lunch ($38++ per pax).

Amongst the five starters that were available on The White Rabbit’s menu, we opted for the Caponata and White peach salad. Drizzled with Italian herbs and olive oil, the crispy tiger prawns were accompanied by eggplant, celery and Roma tomatoes.

For our second appetiser, we chose the White Peach Salad over the Grilled Vegetables, Smoked Salmon and Mushroom Soup.

The White Rabbit’s set lunch menu has 5 different choices to satisfy everyone: Pan Seared Salmon Fillet, Pan Roasted Sea Bass, Braised Oxtail, Galantine of Duck, Roasted Lamb Rump and pasta. We eventually settled for the salmon and duck.

Served with Petit Pois Puree (green peas) and carrots, the Salmon was pan seared nicely and we thought that it was pretty well done. But with no substantial sides, the portion might be too small for folks with big appetite.

The Galantine of duck however, came with simple yet tasty potatoes. The herbed minced beef stuffing within the de-boned duck was subtle, and the dish somehow tasted like roasted duck.

Out of the three desserts on The White Rabbit’s lunch menu, we had the Tiramisu and Valrhona Chocolate Tart (with the other option being profiteroles). It is difficult to judge a tiramisu since everyone has different interpretations on what makes a good tiramisu. If you like it with a strong alcohol taste, you will love the one here.

The White Rabbit’s tiramisu had an extremely strong liqueur flavour at the base, which left a bitter after-taste lingering in the mouth for a long time. We did not really enjoy it, and thankfully there was the Valrhona Chocolate Tart to distract us.

Paired with a slightly sourish strawberry ice cream, the chocolate-y Valrhona Chocolate Tart was small in size but huge on flavours. It contrasted hot with cold and sweet with sour perfectly.

The romantic restaurant has a uber-chic watering hole in the al fresco area. The Rabbit Hole is an outdoor bar which is a lovely place for some drinks and finger food. It is definitely a good option for events and parties, but don’t expect it to be cheap.

Hold my hands and follow me down the rabbit hole…

The 3 course set lunch at the White Rabbit is $38++ and they also have a 4 course degustation menu at $98++ per person. For their ala carte menu, appetisers like the tuna carpaccio and steak tartare start from $20. Most of the main courses are in the $30ish range and desserts like the creme brulee and souffle are $16 each.

The White Rabbit restaurant has received mixed reviews so far: there are people who love the Alice in Wonderland theme restaurant, and there are also others who feel that the food is inconsistent and not worth the money.

Whilst the food at The White Rabbit may not be the most spectacular, sometimes food becomes secondary when you are eating at such a beautiful place.

Singapore Food Blog Review
The White Rabbit
39C Harding Road
Dempsey Singapore
Tel: +65 6473 9965

“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.

Did I get your attention with the title – “Best Pizza in Singapore?”

Good. Now that you know what we are dealing with, please grab a chair and some snacks before we continue. Here’s the story: for the longest time, I have been wanting to check out Bella Pizza at Robertson Quay.

“You must go to Bella Pizza, they have really good Italian food — but DO NOT BLOG about it!”

A couple of friends gave me the same warning. Bella Pizza is an open secret for good Italian food in Singapore. The problem with Bella Pizza, though, is the location. It’s at Robertson Quay along the Singapore River, and there are simply too many restaurants at Robertson Quay! Epicurious cafe, Red House Seafood Restaurant, Boomarang bistro and the list goes on and on. I am glad that I finally made it to Bella Pizza.

Since there wasn’t any salmon pasta on Bella Pizza’s menu, my salmon-crazy friend chose the Pizza Salmone ($21) and was rewarded with a very good pizza.

I am not a big fan of thin crust pizzas, but Bella Pizza’s was thin yet filling, moist but not overly wet. Rolled up like a taco with all the fillings, or simply wolfed it down directly on the thin dough – the Pizza Salmon’s a winner! This is a very good option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Yay for all salmon lovers!

After checking out a few Italian restaurants in Singapore for Squid Ink Pasta, I preferred to have the tomato-based pasta that is infused with squid ink, rather than one that comes with the slimy black squid ink sauce. For one, there isn’t as much stain on the teeth and the lips after dinner, and it is also because I have yet to find a squid ink pasta that’s truly memorable.

The Spaghetti Al Nero Di Seppia ($22) at Bella Pizza was very well-executed. Every slurp of the pasta blended effortlessly with the charcoal black squid ink sauce. Needless to say, we enjoyed the squid ink pasta very much! Bella Pizza’s rendition of the squid ink pasta is definitely one of the best I’ve tried so far.

Tossed with clams, squids, scallops, and a king prawn, the Linguine Al Frutti Di Mare ($22) caught our eyes immediately as we scanned through Bella Pizza’s menu. We wiped the plate clean and the pasta would be perfect if there’s a heavier dose of tomato!

My middle name is sweet.

If you have been reading my food blog for a while now, you’d have noticed that I have an incredible sweet tooth for a guy. Bella Pizza’s dessert menu has some interesting choices like the Panna cotta, Warm Chocolate Lava cake, and the tiramisu. For a minute, I was sorely tempted to order all three!

Since there’s only room for one, the obvious choice was the Tiramisu ($7) which was very reasonably priced. We took up the dessert fork and crowded around the tiramisu; literally like ravening vultures circling around the prey. We gobbled the tiramisu as though there wasn’t a second to spare, as though it would run away if we didn’t eat it fast enough.

* * *

It wouldn’t be fair to say that Bella Pizza has the best pizza in Singapore when we only ordered one pizza from their menu. But I really like the pizza there, and I will definitely come back to try the other pizzas. Bella Pizza is surely among my favorite Robertson Quay Restaurants now.

Have you been to Bella Pizza before? Do you agree that they have one of the best pizza in Singapore?

Restaurant Review
Bella Pizza
30 Robertson Quay #01-14
Riverside View Singapore
Tel: +65 6734 0139

All of us love Wednesday. It is the middle of the week, and it is the timely message to tell us: hang in there, Friday’s coming soon! Here’s one more reason to love Wednesday – there’s an ongoing 1-for-1 pasta promotion at Ricciotti Italian restaurant,

Ricciotti is a Singapore Italian Restaurant under the Garibaldi group of restaurants which include Gunther’s and Garibaldi at Purvis Street. The Italian restaurant has a series of 1-for-1 dining promotions for lunch and dinner. On every Monday, the beef lasagna (usual price $17) goes for $12, Tuesday is 1-for-1 Pizza, and today they have the 1-for-1 pasta. All one for one dining promotions refer to items of same or lower value, which in my books, is a very good deal.

I like the tangy tomato sauce of the Tagliolini Neri Con Capesante ($24.50), the scallop was fine but I’d prefer prawns. Ever since I had the out-of-this-world squid ink pasta from Valentino’s Italian restaurant, everything else was bland and tasteless in contrast. I know this is an unhealthy obsession. It’s like the feeling of not being able to forget your ex-girlfriend which leads to the inevitable comparison between the two.

For everything that Ricciotti’s Linguine Al Granchio ($21.50) lacked in looks, it made up for it with the abundance of crab meat and the creamy rich sauce. This was the classic example of the plain Jane. Even though it had a seemingly average appearance, the pasta had a robust and flavorful taste that would make you forget about everything else.

At the bottom of the hollow Soffiato ($8.90), the satisfying ooze of the immensely dark melting chocolate and the component of the dark chocolate cake were flawless. A scoop of vanilla ice cream would be the ideal companion to the warm dark chocolate cake. But the chefs at Ricciotti had a much better idea, there was a twist in the form of the chocolate chip ice cream instead of the typical vanilla flavor. Yum!

Tiramisu and I have an inexplicable relationship. All I wanted initially was to stand from far and admired her. Though I harbored no illusions, I found myself falling for her, and I became greedy. She is my tiramisu and I am her lover. The timeless favorite, Tiramisu ($7.80) is the dessert that everybody love – mascarpone cheese cake with ladyfinger biscuits, coffee and cocoa.

* * *

1 for 1 dining promotions at Ricciotti

Monday // Beef Lasagne at $12 (Usual Price $17)
Tuesday // 1 for 1 Pizza (Choice of any pizza)
Wednesday // 1 for 1 Pasta (Choice of any pasta)
Thursday // Any Panini or Salad at $9 (Usual Price $14.80)
Friday // House-pour Spirits at $5 (Whisky, Vodka, Gin etc)
Saturday // 1 for 1 any Wines (On Bottles or Glasses)
Sunday // 1 for 1 Homemade Gelato
* All 1 for 1 promotions refer to items of same or lower value.

In case you are still confused about how the Ricciotti’s 1-for-1 dining promotion works, we paid $24.50++ (the higher value) for two pastas, which makes it very value for money. The 1-for-1 dining promotion is available all day for lunch and dinner. Now you know where to find me during lunch every Wednesday!

Restaurant Review
Ricciotti Italian Restaurant
3 Pickering Street
#01-36/37 China Square Central – Nankin Row
Tel: +65 6438 8040

20 Upper Circular Road
#B1-49 The Riverwalk
Tel: +65 6533 9060

“With so many restaurants at Holland Village, where should we have our dinner?”

Holland Village is like a foodie paradise in the West of Singapore. Tourists love Holland Village, and there are also plenty of locals who always frequent the area. Meanwhile I have been on the lookout for a good Italian restaurant to add to my list of Best Singapore Italian Restaurant. Since Amici Italian Restaurant is one of the few Holland Village restaurants that has been around for some time, we set off for an Italian feast during a weekday dinner.

My friend had never tried any Squid Ink Pasta before, so I was keen to convert her to a fan of the black and slimy, but absolutely delicious pasta. Unfortunately, Amici’s Spaghetti Nero Di Calamari E Merluzzo ($20.90) was a letdown. It was subtle, bordering on bland, with no distinct taste and the only saving grace was the two tiny pieces of fried cod – definitely not the best place to have Squid Ink pasta.

The Fettuccine Alla Russa ($19.90) on the other hand, was delightful with the bits of smoked salmon and caviar in vodka cream sauce giving the dish a robust and flavorful taste.

Tiramisu is a must-order in an Italian restaurant, and we had the ‘award-winning’ Tiramisu ($10.90) from Amici Italian restaurant. It was a competent rendition, but nothing extraordinary.

The other dessert that we ordered, Country Apple Crumble Pie with gelato ($9.90) was excellent. Each bite brought a refreshing apple chunk under the tooth, and the cold gelato complimented the warm apple pie perfectly.

Among the Seven deadly sins, I’d most likely commit ‘gluttony‘. I am willing to be a sinner just for this apple crumble pie from Amici Italian restaurant.

* * *

I am still undecided as to whether I will return to Amici Italian Restaurant. While it’s interesting to watch the chefs perform in the open kitchen, but it wasn’t very pleasant to leave the restaurant with the smell lingering on our clothes. If I am craving for Italian food, I will probably choose to go to La Nonna at Holland Village instead.

I have only been to Mykii Brasserie Cafe so far, please share with us which restaurants in Holland Village do you usually go to?

Restaurant Review
Amici Italian Restaurant
275 Holland Avenue
Holland Village
Tel: +65 6469 9989

I wasn’t kidding when I said that I have been hanging out in the East of Singapore. That’s probably good news for the folks who are living in the East as I will be blogging more about the best food places in the East of Singapore.

Stepping inside The Cheesecake Cafe at East Coast road near the Frankel Estate, I was caught off guard by two things: 1) the place is huge for a cafe that only offers cakes, finger food, and drinks, and 2) the Victorian-style interior design of the cafe.

Prior to this visit, I heard nasty rumors that there’s a no-sharing rule for The Cheesecake Cafe, but we didn’t have this problem when we were there. Somebody was disappointed that the popular Peach Jelly cheesecake was sold out, so we had the chocolate banana cake, tiramisu and the Vanilla Chocolate chip cheesecake instead.

Coming in the form of a triangular sliced cake, the Tiramisu ($7.20) at The Cheesecake Cafe surprised me with the unusual appearance. I’m accustomed to seeing tiramisu in cups or squares, and it took a while to get used to the sight of a sliced version.

The tiramisu was decent, with a strong espresso and vaguely weak liquor taste. It’s amazing how fast we could gobble down desserts, especially when it was directly after our dinner at The Garden Slug.

By normal circumstances, I’m not a big fan of the banana + chocolate combination. But The Cheesecake Cafe’s Chocolate Banana cake ($7.20) was acceptable as the banana taste wasn’t potent enough. The darkly chocolatey cake layer tinkered on the tongue, silently dissolving into a subtle banana composition.

I know this sounds kind of silly; it’s like having chicken rice without the rice, or chili crabs without the gravy, but I like the simplicity of the chocolate cake without the undue influence of the banana. It’s comforting to know that there’s banana present, yet it didn’t disrupt the taste of the cake.

Out of the three desserts that we had, my vote would go to the Vanilla Chocolate Chip cheesecake ($7.60). There wasn’t much of the vanilla, but I like the big, dotty chocolate chips that were on top. They melted seamlessly with the layer of thick and heavy cheesecake that had an uneven edge with a crunchy base.

All of us were charmed by her effortlessly, and it’s enough, really, to make me believe that happily-ever-after fairy tales ending do exist.

* * *

The Cheesecake Cafe is a great dessert cafe in the East of Singapore to chill out over a sliced of cake and drinks. Even though they do not have that many different types of cheesecake on the menu, the prices are reasonable and if you have not been here before, give it a shot.

Restaurant Review
The Cheesecake Cafe
685 East Coast Road
Frankel Estate
Tel: +65 6448 7725

I am not one who will usually celebrate birthdays.

Every year is pretty much the same, going out with a group of friends for dinner and that’s it. No fanciful parties, no popping of champagnes – nothing exciting. Birthday is the perfect excuse to pig out and have a feast; all I need is a simple dinner with the people I like.

Presents are the best part about a birthday. On the pretext of being nicer to myself, I took a stroll to Funan and bought a Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens.

What started out as a dinner at Jones the Grocer last night ended up as a disaster with overpriced food and ridiculously tiny portions. Part two of the night was spent at Oriole Cafe for after-dinner/supper/whatever you call it. My awesome friends surprised me with a tiramisu birthday cake, and I dutifully finished three slices on my own!

If Sunday is meant for Brunch, then Saturday will surely be made for Dim Sum. But nobody is stopping you from having both dim sum and brunch! I haven’t make any reservations for tonight; a dinner buffet sounds good, I will keep you guys updated!

Happy Birthday B

Little India is probably a place that you will not associate with French Food, so I’m not surprised if you have not heard of The French Stall, a French restaurant tucked by the side of Serangoon road.

I have always wanted to check out Little India for good food. Other than Indian food like the famous Muthu’s Curry at Racecourse road, there’s an interesting mix of restaurants/cafes in the area like Pasta Inc at Jalan Besar, and Zsofi tapas bar at Dunlop street.

The French Stall Escargot

I always had the impression that Grilled Pork Medallions ($15.80) were meatballs so I was pleasantly surprised when the waiter brought the dish to the table. I preferred the pork loin as there’s melted ham and cheese within it, while the pork medallion was much tougher and didn’t really create an impression.

Another dish that we ordered was the Grilled Beef Sirloin Steak ($20.80). The 200g baby was enough to keep our friend occupied throughout the course of the dinner.

Pan Fried Seabass (first photo), Pan fried dory fillet (photo above)

I had a nibble of both the Pan fried Seabass ($20.80) and the Pan Fried Dory Fillet ($15.80). The former was smooth and tantalizing while the latter had a strong fishy taste which didn’t quite appeal to me.

I don’t usually use the word ‘yummy‘ because it doesn’t tell you anything about the food. But the Pork Loin Cordon Bleu ($17.80) was really yummy! Melted cheese and ham were sandwiched in between the tender and juicy boneless pork loin. The serving was adequate for a person and the side potatoes were very tasty too.

I ordered the Pork Loin Cordon Bleu as I had a good impression of it from my previous visit two years ago. Otherwise, I’d definitely go for the Duck Leg Confit with Pan Fried foie gras ($25.80).

Desserts too were quite a spread. Home Made Tiramisu ($7.20), Dark Chocolate cake ($6.20), Honey cheesecake ($6.80), Chocolate Souffle ($7.20), Creme Caramel ($5.20) were ordered.

When the Tiramisu arrived, I took a quick glance around and pounced on it before anyone else could respond. I’m very easy when it comes to tiramisu, I don’t specifically require one that has high alcohol or espresso content, just give me a tiramisu and I am a happy boy!

There was a mismatch in expectations for the Creme Caramel as we thought it was Creme Brulee. Unlike the latter which has custard with a caramelized sugar top, the creme caramel is a rich custard dessert with a soft caramel on top. With a sweet name like the Honey cheesecake, it was impossible for us not to order it. The cheesy cake layer had a base crust with a subtle taste of honey – it’s a very pleasant dessert to end the meal with.

“Look, look, there’s chocolate souffle!”

I was excited when i saw that there’s Chocolate Souffle on the menu. Since there’s a waiting time of 15 minutes for the souffle, it has better be good right? The first dig of the souffle saw hints of chocolate oozing out, but everything went downhill after that split second of excitement. The souffle was dry and not as fluffy. Fortunately, there’s the excellent Dark chocolate Cake which was deceptively light, moist and a delight to have.

* * *

The French Stall reminds me of La Petite Cuisine at Serene centre. Both places are homely French joints that serve unpretentious French food. Personally, I will choose La Petite Cuisine over The French Stall due to its proximity to my place, and also because of the slightly more affordable prices. Having said that, the fact that a French restaurant is located at Serangoon road Little India, makes The French Stall an interesting place to have dinner.

For more recommendations, read my list of the Best French Restaurants in Singapore

Restaurant Review
The French Stall Singapore
544 Serangoon Road
Tel: +65 6299 3544

83 MacPherson Lane
#01-263
Tel: +65 6746 0183
(Closed on Monday)

There are many times when I have this dilemma if I should blog about a particular restaurant.

I have to admit that I didn’t include La Nonna into my Best Singapore Italian Restaurants list for selfish reasons. But on second thoughts, this blog is about sharing the best restaurants in Singapore, and I think it is a shame if no one knows about this great lunch deal.

La Nonna is having an ongoing lunch promotion, 50% off their ala carte menu for their weekday lunch. Personally I think that it is value for money, and the lunch promotion is available at both the Holland Village and Namly Place outlet.

Before Arnold (Mr Gadget) left for Melbourne, Valerie (dweam.com) and I brought him to La Nonna Namly Place for lunch. We had the Linguini al Granchio ($19.0 before 50% discount). Linguine pasta served with crab meat in tomato cream sauce and fresh basil.

The La Nonna Signature Pizza ($19.0 before 50% discount) reminded me of the Carbonara. A raw egg was cracked in the middle of the thin crust pizza that had tomato, cheese, asaparagus and hints of black truffle.

I believe I met my perfect mate. It was lust love at first sight the minute my eyes fell on the Tiramisu ($12.0 before 50% discount). “It’s rude to keep staring at it” I heard a voice at the back of my head. Against my freewill, my body commanded my arms to pick up a fork and gobbled up the dessert.

Valerie beckoned to me when the waiter emerged from the door with a flat white plate. Inside it was the Panna Cotta ($12.50 before 50% discount). The fresh berry coulis was like sexy red lipstick on the pale white skin of the smooth vanilla custard – it was totally irresistible!

* * *

La Nonna’s 50% lunch promotion is quite a good deal, do check it out for lunch while the promotion is still available.

Restaurant Review
La Nonna Singapore Italian Restaurant
76 Namly Place
Tel: +65 6762 1587

26 Lorong Mambong
Holland Village
Tel: +65 6468 1982

Note: 50% off ala carte Lunch promotion is from Mon to Fri, 12noon – 2.30pm

OChre Orchard Central’s Agello – Australian Lamb Chops

When it comes to dining in Orchard Central, there are so many restaurants and eateries that we are really spoilt for choices. There’s a couple of restaurants at Orchard Central that I have been wanting to check out; for instance I have heard a lot of good things about Ootoya Japanese restaurant but the long queue always puts me off.

Like what I mentioned in my previous blog post on the Best Singapore Italian restaurants, I have been going to many Italian restaurants recently, one of which was OChre at Orchard Central.

When Mr Gadget was in town back in March, dweam and I brought him to OChre – an Italian restaurant on the 11th floor of Orchard Central. It seems inappropriate to start my introduction by jumping straight into the main course, but the picture of the Almond and herb breaded Australian lamb chops ($34) was too irresistible.

Rossini on right, Fegato Grasso on left

And then it was foie gras, and more foie gras! Our appetizer was the Fegato Grasso ($27), hot and cold foie gras. It was the virgin experience for both my dining companions when it comes to foie gras.

I was like, “Oh my god, how can you guys never tried foie gras before?”

It’s definitely one of the must-try food in the world! All of us preferred the hot foie gras, with a texture and taste that was consistent with the melt-in-the-mouth effect. On the other hand, the cold foie gras was a bit too much for us to stomach, with an overbearing gamey liver taste.

One of the main course that we ordered was the Rossini ($36). Done medium, the seared grass fed beef tenderloin also came with a piece of caramelized foie gras that sat smudgy on top. A bite of beef tenderloin and a bit of foie gras, I can’t think of a better combination!

If the chef is the artist, then surely the Doppio Carpaccio ($22) will be the piece of artwork. It was so pretty that we did not know where to start. Essentially it was a double carpaccio of Hokkaido Scallop and Parma Prosciutto. I’m a sucker for all things pretty, this is a feast for the eyes as much as for the stomach.

I couldn’t remember which pizza we had. All I knew was that: it was thin crust, with a very subtle tomato base topped with wild rocket.

The Acqua Pazza ($32) was the most disappointing among the three main courses that we shared. Fillet of red snapper braised in broth of clams, anchovy, capers and dried tomato – it was exceptionally ordinary.

Luckily, the Squid Ink Pasta and Duck Risotto were much better. The pasta was infused with squid ink and tossed in tomato sauce, the Squid ink pasta is one of my all time favorite pasta! We were intrigued by the Duck risotto, thin slices of duck meat were prepared with the risotto and lots of cheese, it’s very creamy and delicious!

It will be foolish to have an Italian dinner without trying the Tiramisu ($11). OChre’s rendition was generous not only in portion, but also in terms of the alcohol level. Give me a tiramisu and I will be a happy boy!

One of the must-order dessert at OChre Orchard Central will be the smooth and bouncy Pannacotta ($11). In addition to that, we also had the Creme Brulee ($10), which came in a trio of orange/espresso/pistachio flavors. Personally I preferred the orange over the other two flavors.

OChre Orchard Central has a complicated system in placed; there’s two different menus with the degustation set dinner menu at $68 per head for the interior dining, and the causal ala carte bar menu for the al fresco dining area.

In short, it means that you must order the set dinner menu to dine indoors. At $68, the dinner set menu includes antipasto, soup, pasta, main course and two desserts. While prices for the ala carte menu are around the $20s for appetizers and pastas, and $30-ish for main courses.

While the complicated system ‘forced’ customers to have the degustation menu; dining at OChre Italian Restaurant at Orchard Central is pleasant and doesn’t have the fine dining vibe. It will be better classified as a semi-fine dining Italian restaurant, and I wouldn’t mind having dinner at the breezy al fresco area.

From what I understand, OChre’s chef Kentaro Torii has been trained in Japan and Italy, naturally there’s a blend of the Japanese cuisine with Italian food. OChre Italian restaurant is a good option for a romantic dinner, with prices being slightly above mid range.

Which restaurants at Orchard Central will you recommend me to go next?

Restaurant Review
OChre Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
#11-03/04 Orchard Central
Tel: +65 6634 0423
(Note: This was an invited tasting session)

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.

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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

Any tiramisu will do the trick, but if you want a particularly good one, I would recommend the one at Galbiati Deli. This timeless favorite never fails to thrill me with the awesome combination of coffee, liqueur, & mascarpone cheese.

I’m sure you know I have a sweet tooth, and really, I can’t imagine a day without having any dessert. I’m also sure all of us have different favorite desserts. but whatever yours is, I hope you’re eating it. There’s simply no excuses if you don’t even spend some time for a slab of chocolate or a scoop of ice cream; well all I can say is you are missing out. Since the New Year is coming, maybe you should do some reflection, and set a new, new year resolution – have more sweets.

. . . I eat desserts first

Galbiati Gourmet Deli
400 Upper Bukit timah road
RailMall
Tel: 6462 0926

You already know by now, I’m sure, that I like desserts. However, it does get me into trouble as I constantly (read: all the time) think about them and the craving just won’t go away. At least not until I satisfied the sweet tooth. So much so that I eat desserts first, and I can even skipped the main course for the sweet stuff.

Anyway, our initial plan was to have desserts for lunch at Buttercake n Cream – only desserts and nothing else. But we just couldn’t resist the kurobuta pork that was waving at us, I mean who can?

Buttercake n Cream was formerly known as Peaberry & Pretzel (selling German food), but the owners have since changed the concept to an ice cream parlour and dessert place. They are famous for their sundaes, and when I heard that they are serving sundaes, the first thing that came to my mind was MacDonald’s hot chocolate fudge. But trust me, their sundaes are really much better than that; we were considering between their berry berry good and Apple Pie Ala Mode ($7) since we didn’t want chocolate or banana in their other options, and we had the latter.

On paper, it was two scoops of vanilla ice cream, with apple pie fillings and almond crumble. Spotting the speckles of vanilla beans was enough to make my heart flutter, and surprisingly, the manner in which they deconstructed the apple pie ice cream (as we like to call it) turns out to be good. I like how the almond crumble provided the crunch while the apple pie filling added an tangy touch to the cold vanilla ice cream.

Tiramisu. Say it with me: Ti-ra-mi-su!

Desserts too, are special. Why end off your meal with a cup of espresso or a shot of alcohol when you can have soaked sponge fingers into both of them, with the mascarpone special that will set tongues wagging and licking at the whipping combination of coffee-liquor-mascarpone. And there’s the most wonderful cocoa powder sprinkled on top of the fluffy mixture which makes you go: oh-my-it-is-so-good!

As our spoon cuts into the Tiramisu ($5.50), the top cocoa powder layer gave way and filled our spoon. Eaten separately, the soaked finger layer tasted like wet biscuit with espresso, and the masarpone like any other ordinary cream, but combine both together, the result is totally different. The different layers seem to fuse perfectly, and the effect is a yummy sensation.

Maybe it’s just me, but honestly, all tiramisu taste good to me; how bad can a tiramisu be? Okay, you are thinking about the really lousy one; what I meant was between the pretty decent, and the very good one. This means us to the question: is a good tiramisu one that has a) strong liqueur taste b) no liqueur or c) a good mixture of both espresso and liqueur? Some people swear by the strong liqueur taste lingering in the tiramisu, while the original tiramisu actually do not have any alcohol as they were meant for children. There’s no such thing as a best tiramisu, everybody have a different preference to the espresso-alcohol proportion.

I feel silly discussing this with you, but the-best-tiramisu has been over-debated for centuries. But who cares? I like all tiramisu.

Here’s another reason for you to explore Sunset way, TGIF!

Buttercake N Cream
Blk 106 Clementi St 12
(Sunset way) #01-52
Tel: 6777 3477

It’s not difficult to associate District 10 with Wild rocket, not when they have the bitter green for almost all their dishes.

Much as I agreed that Wild rocket is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes, but it’s too much when all the appetizers and the mains are adorned with the same greens. And yes, we started our first appetizer with Wild Rocket Salad ($10).

The Selection of traditional cold cuts ($14) had an assortment of parma ham, salami, chicken, with grilled ciabatta bread.

How about some Deep fried calamari and tiger prawns ($10) to get you started? Oh yes! I was actually looking at the portion and realise there’s at most one prawn and two calamari for each of us, so I immediately took my fork and started eating. And after that? I kept a lookout for signs to see whether the others wanted their share!

Wow, there’s even duck in spring rolls now?

The name Homemade duck spring roll ($10) caught my attention first, from the exterior you would have think that it’s just like the other normal spring roll, but there’s shreds of duck meat enveloped within the crispy fried skin. There’s a subtle taste of duck meat, and I like how the sweet sauce actually complimented the dish very well.

The Chili crab pizza definitely has the “Made-in-Singapore” brand stamp all over it. While credits have to be given to the chef who came up with the audacious creation, but the chilli gravy meant that the crispy pizza was moist and soggy. There’s other interesting new school selections such as the sambal chilli prawn and chilli flakes pork floss pizza.

Wagyu meat balls? Isn’t that a waste of the Japanese beef! I’m never a fan of penne, and this case the pasta was a bit over-cooked. But somehow I got hooked to the fulsome tomato sauce in the Rigatoni ($18)

When we were browsing through the menu, I knew we had to order the Crispy Duck Confit ($24). One of the things that I always lamented about, was the lack of duck dishes in restaurants, there’s nothing like a good duck confit to make you happy all day! The duck confit here was a lot smaller than expected, and while I tried very hard to convince myself this will be good, but it wasn’t. The lack of the crispy skin and the dry duck meat – let’s just say I had better duck confit elsewhere.

I thoroughly enjoyed the steak fries that came along with the Country style baby back ribs ($24), but the portions of the ribs were not as hearty as I would like it to be. Come on, give me a full rack, I can finish it!

Did I tell you how I like the way District 10 presented their fish and chips on the old-fashioned newspaper? And how excited I got when I saw peas (yes green peas) served along side the chunky fries and beer battered fish? Fish & chips is all about the crispy battered fish, the thick-slab of fries, with tartar sauce and green peas! I couldn’t remember much of the beer-infused taste in the soggy buttered crust though. But everything’s forgiven with the fresh fillet, and not to mention I totally adored the way they dressed up the fish & chips ($19).

I was tempted to order the beef burger but reckoned that we should save some room for the many desserts that were coming up. And luckily among the six of us that night, there’s four desserts enthusiasts, so we ordered almost everything from their dessert menu. The tiramisu ($9) caught my eye immediately, I’m a sucker of the Italian dessert and all of them tasted good to me.

The American Bramley apple pie ($9) was sweet-licious too. We ignored the accompanying butterscotch set cream and attacked the crusty apple pie. Every mouthful was filled with delightful apple flavour.

This wasn’t the typical heavy type, you know the thing about cheesecake; it’s the kind where you either love it or hate it. For those who preferred the creamy texture, this was a no-no, while for those who enjoyed the light airy cheesecake, the white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake ($10) will be the one for you.

I always wanted to try profiteroles ($9) and you must thinking how can I have not tried since I absolutely swore by my cream puffs. Taking a spoonful of the choux pastry, I carefully placed it into my mouth, and swoon! At that precise moment, I kicked myself for not knowing you earlier, it was good – it was damn good. If cream puffs with whipped cream is wonderful, imagine what’s it like when there’s ice cream in cream puffs!

For a split second, I thought that my taste bud must have gone haywire as punishment for being a glutton. There’s liqueur taste in creme brulee! But luckily the others reassured me that I’m not the only one who tasted that, there’s really rum-infused with the burnt cream. Traditional creme brulee with Bourbon vanilla & rum ($9).

Oh-oh-oh! the Palvova must be the prettiest among the rest. She’s so sweet, and charmed everyone with her beautiful red coat. You like meringue? You will like her here.

There’s something about old school that’s irresistible to me; the charming environment as though you are taking a trip back in time, with flashbacks of your carefree innocent school days. It was District 10 (by Bonta Italian restaurant) second week of operation when we went, and they were packed full house (160 seaters) on a Tuesday night. That’s something to reckon with! To be frank, there wasn’t any particular memorable dishes which wow me, but the reasonable prices and charming location might just do the trick. I’ll like to thank Hungrygowhere.com for the invitation to the food tasting session.

District 10 Bistro
10 Winstedt road
#01-17
Tel: 6738 4788

Senso ristorante is a fine dining Italian restaurant in Singapore that is located at Club Street.

If I do it my way, I will start every meal with desserts. A typical dinner usually goes something like this: complimentary bread and cheesesticks to keep you entertain, but that’s no dessert. Then there’s soup, appetisers, main course, blah blah blah until we reach desserts! So why do we eat desserts at the end when we are clearly anticipating for it from the start!

And when I go to an Italian restaurant, the first thing that comes to my mind will always, be the tiramisu. It is, the heart and soul, the perfect ambassador for Italian cuisine. Fine, I exaggerated. It is at least one of the first thing that you will think of when we are talking about Italian desserts. The Tiramisu Senso ($14) here was way better than the one I had at their bistro before.

And the second thing (for me) when it comes to Italian cuisine will be pasta of course! However, I was tempted to try Senso’s risotto, so we had the Risotto ($28) – carnaroli risotto served with saffron and sea scallops. It was good, but company always make the food taste better, and since my dining companion wasn’t a big fan of risotto, I should have gone for their pastas instead.

My companion also raved about the excellent Agnello (rack of lamb) that she had at Senso before, but we decided to try something new this time round. Food is always an adventure no? The choice of the second main was contested by the Manzo (beef tenderloin), Milanese (rack of veal) and the Ossobuco (braised veal shank). I was initially skeptical of having the braised veal shank since my previous encounter was a complete diaster.

But I was sweet-talked into it, and I’m glad that we ordered this; the Ossobuco ($34) was done just right, the veal shank absorbed the goodness of the sauce, I know tender is a word over-used when it comes to describing food, but yes, it was tender!

The Bruciata ($14) made its appearance in a very creative way and we were completely fascinated by the mini frying pan. Oven-baked egg custard, or more commonly known as Creme Brulee, I finished everything on my own!

* * *

I didn’t manage to take any shot of the place, we dined in the charming al fresco area, but it was the private room that caught my eyes! That place is perfect for a group of twenty, I will definitely love to do a party there some day.

Senso Ristorante
21 Club street
#01-01
Tel: 6224 3534

I went to Kuala Lumpur, alone. A breathe of new air, seeking of new adventures, finding old friends, could do no harm. On that lonely night, travelling across the dreaded causeway was a breeze, I found myself to be earlier of schedule, bus schedule that was, by one and a half hours. So what I did? I ate. This was supposed to be a feasting journey, and my first meal started with Fillet O’ fish from our good old MacDonald.

The journey towards KL was much faster than I anticipated, so I arrived there 4am in the morning, and found a place which was open and had roti prata; I ate again. This was, the start of my feasting week.

And it was all very exciting indeed. I did it the typical tourist way; monorails, Lrt, cabs and of course walking about. Conversing in “English” with flabbergasted hand signs, I managed to find my way around, somehow.

To whoever who says that the only good food in Malaysia is their street food. I’m sorry, but I don’t agree. The whole dining scene in Malaysia is so vibrant! There’s plenty of creative concepts everywhere, I was so amazed by it that most of the time I was walking around checking out ideas which I’ve never seen before.

And I didn’t mention about the shopping yet. Unfortunately, it was the Malaysian annual sale when I went, everywhere was screaming the four letter word, S-A-L-E! It was almost like a scene out of “Confession of a shopaholic“; every store I walked past, the mannequin seems to be waving and beckoning me to step inside the shop. Among the malls that I went to, KLCC, Pavilion and Sunway shopping mall; the spacious Pavilion stood out with a good mix of the luxury and other mid-level brands.

When I ate with my uncle’s family, we mostly had Chinese food, everything was freaking cheap there (1SGD to RM2.45). So I ate, and ate, and ate some more.

My short four days stay had a typical routine, I’ll wake up to have breakfast from places like Oldtown & it’s competitors like OldBoy. Kaya toast, nasi lemak, soft boiled eggs, and a cup of kopi-o.

And then we will go shopping, until our legs are tired and the stomach started to growl. Then we’ll have lunch, the la-mien was from Chinese restaurant Dragon-i; a Malaysian version of our Crystal Jade. Their sister restaurant, Canton-i recently opened in Ion, Singapore too! Since I NEVER ate at Crystal Jade before, there’s no way I could compare the two, but the food was pretty decent for the price, considering a restaurant setting.

After lunch, we continue to shop, and shop, and shop. I love the tai-tai life, and how can there be no high tea? We had cakes, ice cream, every afternoon. Then we continue to shop, until dinner.

One of the highlight of the trip that I was looking forward to, was meeting the KL Bloggers. I’ve always enjoyed reading their food adventures across the straits. I managed to meet up with Sugar Bean, Kampungboycitygirl, and ivyaiwei for dinner.

And our pursuit of good local street food brought us to Jalan Alor – a long stretch of road where there’s so many stalls to eat from! Our mini food-tour started with the very delicious BBQ chicken wings, siew yoke mee (roasted pork noodle), and fried bee hoon.

Us: Hello, twelve chicken wings (for four of us) please.
Staff: Stunned for a moment. Are you sure about it?

The chicken wings, were freaking awesome, so was the siew yoke mee, althought I would prefer the roast pork to be sliced bigger! We headed to our second stop for BBQ Stingrays and squids. Their interpretation of the stingray was quite unlike our local version (which was closer to JB); it was dried with no wet chilli gravy on top. It was fascinating to hear from the rest about the difference in the rojak too.

Adjacent to Jalan Alor, is Changkat Bukit Bintang which reminded me of Holland Village; another stretch of road for the night owls, very hip & happening, with lots of restaurants, a complete opposite to the street food from Jalan Alor, but they complimented each other perfectly.

It was such a coincidence when we bumped into thenomadGourmand on the street.We chatted like old time friends by the road, and she decided to join us for desserts. But first, she knew that Masak-masak, awhiffoflemongrass, fatboybakes and gang were in the same area too. So we dropped by and say hi!

After some deliberation, our group ended at in Le Bouchon, a fine-dining restaurant for some sweets. It was hilarious and embarrassing at the same time when the complimentary breads seemed to be more than what we ordered for desserts.The creme brulee was pretty decent, while the tiramisu was disappointing. The latter didn’t have any texture, it was more like just mousse with totally no alcohol and coffee flavour.

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This is more or less, the summary of my short trip to KL. Four days were too short, I didn’t want to come back at all. It was a paradise, eating, shopping, eating, shopping. I want to go back again! And there will be three more places, which I’ll like to highlight and show separately in the next post.

If life is about love, I want a day with you alone.
Together, we dine and feast, with merry and joy.
Bliss is the paradise, and blissful is the pleasure.

We sit by the waterfront; calm and serene.
Time stand still at that moment, we are cut out from the world.
So this is it; the feeling of bliss.

Even though you might not agree with me, I firmly believe that ambience and company is more important than food. A simple illustration, will you enjoy good food while you are dining with a person you do not like, or will ordinary food actually taste better in the company of good friends and nice ambience?

I’m a sucker for ambience, al fresco dining will always be the option when the weather is kind. And this ain’t some prime location, it’s Punggol park for goodness sake; I haven’t been to Punggol before! Luckily for me, and all of you, my friend drove his car, so the inaccessibility factor was threw out of the window.

Nothing too heavy or fanciful since we were there during mid-afternoon. The spicy wings ($6.90) were great for some light snacks. I remembered it was red fiery-hot; it was a satisfaction; gnawing at the meat, chewing on the bones, and sucking dry the oh-so-hot chilli flavour.

I couldn’t figured out why the fries were called X-cut ($5.90), but it was crispy and a close resemblance to nachos rather than fries. Dipped the fries into chilli sauce, and I’ll have my ketchup please.

And if I may, the tiramisu ($6.90) was a waste of money. For the sole reason that it wasn’t made in-house, there’s no value. What-to-do, a mis-time of tiramisu-craving. I know it doesn’t sound nice, but 7 bucks is a lot of money, it could get you a very good tiramisu elsewhere.

The place reminds me of Bark Cafe, another great place for finger food and chilling out. And it isn’t a coincidence that my buddy introduced me to both places; he’s a sucker for ambience too! And by the way, I absolutely loathed the round-shape cylinder that was placed on every table, the presence of the chilli-ketchup bottles didn’t help too.

Bliss Restaurant
Hougang Avenue 8
Punggol park
Tel: 6280 3389

I need some chocolate, I need some sweets; to cure my oh-so-painful-heartache. I need a patissier to cheer me up: Tiramisu, mont blanc, creme brulee, macaron, le royale; give it to me, give it all to me.

“A slice of everything on display, and a cup of hot chocolate with extra chocolate.”
“Everything?”
“Yes! Which part of every-thing do you not understand?”

The patissier is my best friend, he will know how to make this go away. Stepping into the patisserie, a tiny part of the gloominess was lifted, at the sight of the so-many-pretty-and-petite desserts.

I sunk my teeth into it, and oh-boy, it was good, I already felt better! The richness of the cake was soaked and immersed in the essence of the espresso, brandy & white rum, I was literally intoxicated.

Bittersweet. It’s all about chocolate. The first taste, so sweet and rosy, followed by the slightly bitter taste from the dark chocolate; the perfect analogy to life, the bitterness, the happy times, it depends on which part you want to taste – I want sweet now!

* * *

(1) The above is a largely exaggerated story on my part, no doubt sweets and chocolates helps when you are feeling down, but it is only a temporary measure. A heart-to-heart chat with a good friend does wonders, and the best part: we had it over desserts.

(2) The two slices of cake are Tiramisu and Chocolate Amer. The latter was a half-price promotional item for Bakerzin in the month of May. The current dessert that is on half-price is the New York cheesecake.

(3) As much as I do not really fancy Bakerzin, and the fact that I’ve tried almost every cakes there, the half-price promotion on a slice of cake was too tempting, read my previous visits here, here, and here.

Bakerzin
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-23 Millenia Walk
Tel: 6837 2422

It’s Sunday, the seventh day of the week; when lazy people wake up with the sun shining at their bum, to go for a hearty, big brunch.The idea of having eggs, pancakes, waffles for breakfast while watching the world slipped away; it was too irresistible.

The sun was high up in the sky, getting sweaty and sticky wasn’t really what we had in mind for a lazy Sunday brunch; which left us with only one mode of transport – taxi.

We soon arrived, at Wild rocket, Mount Emily. The day is ahead of us, all day long.

The first nibble

I was horrified by the mere thought of dipping the bread into vinegar, not vinegar, balsamic vinegar you corrected. And a dab of olive oil, what a ‘nice’ way to eat your bread.

Unfortunately, it was not as rosy like what we had in mind. In place of the old ala carte brunch menu, there’s the set brunch instead; and sadly there wasn’t any pancakes, waffles or eggs Benedict. We flipped the pages of the menu and finally decided on one set brunch, and one additional main course.

Pan-seared tuna Wild rocket salad

Light ginger dressing, lovely. The bitter-cold rockets, was not what I wanted for a hearty meal. But at least the pan-seared tuna weight in for the carnivore in me. And oh, there was mandarin orange too, what a pleasant surprise.

Scrambled eggs home-smoked salmon foccacia

Scrambled eggs. I adore (read: love) eggs. Over easy eggs, or scrambled eggs were hardly what you considered a value choice when there’s the famous wild rocket burger, or their signature laksa pesto linguini available on the same menu; but we wanted eggs, and eggs we got.

Believed it or not, the scrambled eggs were most excellent with the hollandaise sauce, tossed in some rockets, with some smoked salmon on a foccacia; this, was what I meant by B-r-u-n-c-h.

Black squid ink risotto

And then it appeared. Rising out from the ocean, the most hideous, gruesome, and black thing you ever see, it arrived on our shores. We stared at it for a second, okay, who’s first? Our eyes connected again, sending signals ‘you-try-first‘ across.

I carefully placed a spoonful of the black thing into my mouth, if I may, O-M-G! We threw away any pretenses, facade that we’ve before, and tucked in. I sniggered at you, pointing to the black stain by your mouth, you snorted at me, for the black blot on my teeth; there wasn’t any need for us to behave like a gentleman and lady any further. Boy, the risotto was good, and filling too.

This, ought to be, the most, unglamorous meal we ever had. But we love it!

Kueh buloh Tiramisu

The end. The arrival of the dessert symbolised to us that its time to go. But before that, let us try the tiramisu. Strangely, I couldn’t recall how it tasted like. I vaguely remembered having a dig at it, and both of us kept quiet, and dug more, and then, it’s gone.

* * *

Note:

(1) The 3 course Weekend set brunches is available at $26
(2) Black squid ink risotto is from the ala carte menu, $23.80
(3) Taxi up to Wild rocket from Cathay was $3.50, walking down took us just 10 minutes

Wild Rocket at Mount Emily
10A Upper Wilkie road
GF Hangout @ Mount Emily
Tel: 6339 9448

Alighting at EW XV, red dot was at the rear, and I passed by amoy. Stanley, Stanley where were you? I looked high, I searched far. Lo & behold, there you are. I hold you dear in my heart, Sweet Indulgence a year ago.

Gone were the white, in came the yellow. With a touch of blue, everything lingers fondly deep inside. Memories. This is the stuff that life is made of. I want to hold onto this moment forever.

The hot and the fury. What was supposed to be a routine simple appetiser ended up in the fast lane instead. We were too ambitious, and nodded when the manager smiled at us and asked innocently, extra spicy? Boy. This, was one hot chick. Only for the daredevil, Chicken wing in spicy sauce ($9.50).

A bit of everything from Nature’s best, garlic, basil, pesto with a variety of mushrooms. The result, a delicious comfort food. Sauté mushrooms ($9.50)

The Seafood platter ($19.50) was an assembly of seafood sauté in a white wine herb reduction, which came on the recommendation of the manager.

The problem, with not reading the fine print of the menu, meant that we were surprised when the platter arrived, completely opposite of the usual Fish & Co style. Overcoming our initial reaction, we dug in and found ourselves with mussel, scallop, clam, fish, squid and prawns.

Skinny seems to be the In-thing at the moment. 10 inch thin crust Siciliana pizza ($22). Home-made with a spicy element. With bratwurst sausages, roasted capsicum, onions and semi-dried tomatoes. Personally I felt that it wasn’t cheesy enough, but it garnered enough support from my mates to overrule me.

Call me ignorant, but I did not remember seeing crayfish served with pasta very often. It was usually the limelight of its more popular cousin, lobster instead. Much as I was tempted to go with the salmon pasta which I always have, a adventure was on the cards. And hence the pick, Crayfish linguine ($25) I liked the fact that everything was executed very nicely. The flavours were delicate and did not overwhelm.

We did not want to have everything from the land, so it was a tough fight between the baked salmon fillet, and the Pan-fried seabass ($26.50). The latter won of course. On paper, a pan-fried seabass served with mashed potato, daily vegetables was as safe as anything could be. But it was not to be. The fish was slightly over-aged, and I wouldn’t exactly use fresh to describe it. It wasn’t all over, the unique taste of orange based salsa was the saving grace.

The most expensive item on the menu, the lamb rack ($40.50). With portobello mushroom, daily vegetables, mashed potatoes and the beautifully grilled rack of lamb certainly looked enticing. But there was a snag. The proportion of fats to meat was equally balanced, which did not go well with the ladies.

The portobello mushroom made its second appearance with the Beef Tenderloin ($37.50). It was another tough decision to choose between the pork rack or the steak, but we were glad to have this. The roasted baby potatoes were snapped up in two seconds, the steak was the best among the three mains we had.

Desserts were done in-house by the chef, and we had the New York Cheesecake ($11). For such a hefty price tag, we were expecting a lot more, but sad to say it wasn’t good enough. The dessert lacked the dense and creamy aspect and somehow was sticky and crumbled easily.

The Warm Chocolate Lava Indulgence ($13) made up for the previous mistake.  Like all warm chocolate pudding, the melted dark chocolate oozed out and this sight never fails to excite me. Also impressive was the use of vanilla bean ice cream. My dining mates found it too light, but anything with warm chocolate and cold ice cream couldn’t possibly go wrong with my sweet tooth. We agreed it was slightly better than Bakerzin’s rendition.

I had a sweet memory of the tiramisu I had a year ago. At this very place, Sweet Indulgence’s tiramisu ($13). The coffee and liquer taste was very subtle, but that was exactly what I liked about you. The dessert was very smoothing to the palate, and if you do not think of it as a tiramisu, it is actually very good. But if you are expecting a typical strong coffee & liquer rendition, then you are just not that into her.

***

Photographs are the best memories keepers, and I have added more sweet memories with this. I’ll like to thank Chris for inviting me for this food-tasting session. There was some hits and misses, but Sweet Indulgence remains a nice place for couples to have a romantic dinner without any disturbance. I did find the prices to be rather steep, there is a current promotion of 1 free dessert with any 2 main courses or pastas.

Read my previous visit here

Sweet Indulgence
2 Stanley Street
Tel: 6223 7707