Pasta Brava Italian Restaurant at Craig Road has been in the Singapore Food Scene for a long time. I’ve been told that they are worth a visit by many friends, but it took me until now to go there. I guess it’s better late than never, and I am really happy to tell you that it has joined the ranks of my favourite Italian Restaurants in Singapore.

It is a great place with a homely vibe. The lighting is dim and romantic, and the wall adornments give the restaurant a personal touch. The staff is equally well trained; friendly without being too intrusive, and they are very familiar with the offerings.

The menu at Pasta Brava restaurant is divided into appetisers, salads, soups, pasta dishes, rice dishes, main dishes (fish), main dishes (meat) and desserts – with average price of each dish between $19-23 for the pasta/risotto, and $25-40 for the main dishes.

We were feeling greedy, so we chose to forego the antipasti and share an additional main course instead.

Amongst the three pasta/risotto that we had, my favourite was the Linguine Regina Del Mare ($23). It was savoury and sweet and filled with luxurious seafood like prawns, clams, scallops, squid, and crayfish. Easily one of the better Italian pastas that I’ve had recently.

The Stracci Ai Gamberi E Capesante ($23), on the other hand, was average. Whilst the thin pieces of fresh pasta were good, the Saffron cream sauce was too overwhelming.

They have only three risotto on the menu (mushroom, squid ink and mixed vegetables) and we were very tempted by the seafood and squid ink version.

Eventually, we decided to play it safe and go for the mushroom risotto. Our choice was right as the Risotto Al Funghi Porcini ($23) proved to be very good. Rich yet not overpowering, moist yet not soggy, every grain of the arborio rice was flavourful and oh so delicious.

The Tagliata Di Manzo Stile Toscano ($34), highly recommended by the staff, was fantastic! It was essentially thin slices of grilled beef sirloin with herbs, rocket leaves and parmesan flakes.

I was not expecting much from it when the waiter brought the dish to our table. It was only when my friends took a bite and let out a satisfied sigh, then I realised what I was missing out (I was busy with the seafood linguine).

We enjoyed it tremendously, you MUST order this if you go to Pasta Brava.

Pasta Brava Italian Restaurant is not exactly very big, and when it’s crowded (especially during Friday and weekends), it can get quite noisy. Reservations are highly recommended. The prices here are what you’d expect from a good Italian restaurant, but the food here is definitely better than most. It is simple, hearty and very tasty.

For more recommendations, read my list of Italian Restaurants in Singapore

Singapore Food Blog Review
Pasta Brava Italian Restaurant
11 Craig Road Singapore
Tel: +65 6227 7550

Operating Hours:
Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 2.30pm
6.30pm – 10.30pm
(Closed on Sun & PH)

Excellent French Food at Bistro Petit Salut

One day, I will be in Paris…

Since I am currently saving up for the air ticket, the closest that I can get to Paris is by having French cuisine. Located at Chip Bee Gardens, Bistro Petit Salut is the sister restaurant of Au Petite Salut, and it is a great option for causal dining if you are craving for French food.

Like the main restaurant at Dempsey road, the French bistro offers two different set lunches: 3 course set lunch at $25++ and the executive set lunch at $38++.

We had two normal 3 course set lunches and for starters, we had the Salmon Tartar, which was light and refreshing – the perfect appetiser to start our lunch. When it comes to escargot, there are typically only two reactions: a) I love it or b) eew snails are so disgusting! My lunch partner belonged to the latter camp, and refused to touch the escargot so I had everything to myself.

It took us a while to choose the main course. You could have the excellent Onglet Beef with French Mustard Jus and mashed potatoes, or the Penne pasta with roasted vegetables, or the catch of the day. It is impossible to not be tempted by the Chicken Leg Confit and the Braised Lamb Shoulder, and it’s hard to say no to my favourite Mushroom Risotto.

We eventually settled on the Mushroom Risotto and the Catch of the day which was an Escolar. The fish was very fresh and well-cooked, it fell apart nicely when we teased it with a fork. The portion was quite small for guys, but it is probably just nice if you don’t want to fall asleep in the office after lunch.

As much as I love risotto, I’d usually avoid this dish when it comes to choosing a main course for set lunches. It seems a little silly to choose risotto when there are meat and seafood on the menu. But I was glad that I ordered Bistro Petit Salut’s Mixed Mushroom Risotto with light cream emulsion and Parmesan Cheese. It was rich, and creamy: thick flavourful rice done al dente, with the earthiness of the fresh mushrooms giving it an additional flavour.

I think this is easily one of the best risotto that I had before.

Amongst the six desserts available on Bistro Petit Salut’s set lunch menu, we didn’t want the Fresh Fruit Salad, Homemade Strawberry Shortcake, and Financer with chantilly cream, so it left us to choose two desserts between the classic Creme Brulee, Choux Buns and Homemade Cheesecake.

We agreed that the Gateau au Fromage Blanc was too good to miss, and since I had Au Petit Salut’s creme brulee before, we went for the Choux Buns with vanilla ice cream.

Filled with vanilla ice cream and glazed with a sweet and thick coating of chocolate sauce, the choux buns were gone before you could pronounce profiteroles. While they were not fantastic, we wanted to end the meal on a sugar high, and the Choux Buns did just that. Unless you are a big fan of profiteroles, I’d advise you to go for the Creme Brulee over this.

The Homemade Cheesecake was accompanied by a mixture of fruits, a delightful end to a great lunch at Bistro Petit Salut.

* * *

The whole experience is just $25++/pax, which easily makes it one of the best set lunches in Singapore. One thing is for sure, I will be in Paris soon, but until then, I will just have to satisfy my French Food craving at Bistro Petit Salut, Chips Bee Garden.

You may want to consider Bistro Petit Salut if you are still looking for a restaurant to celebrate Valentine’s Day Dinner.

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

Singapore Food Blog Review
Bistro Petit Salut
44 Jalan Merah Saga #01-54
Chip Bee Gardens Singapore
Tel: +65 6474 9788
// Closed on Sunday

If you have been hanging around my food blog for some time, you’d know that I don’t usually eat in shopping malls, or restaurant chains for that matter of fact. The reason is not because I have an exquiste taste-bud, but rather I believe in finding unique cafes that serve better food at the same price.

I have been to Cedele Bakery Depot a couple of times before, but only for desserts. Just in case you have never heard of them. there are four Cedele all day dining restaurants, fourteen Cedele cafe and two standalone bakeries in Singapore. To be honest, I was quite skeptical when I first knew that Cedele restaurants serve main courses and pasta.

I was at Raffles City Shopping Mall over the weekends, and as much as I like the place — most of the restaurants there don’t really appeal to me. We finally settled on Cedele restaurant as it was relatively quiet.

After a quick glance, I was sorely tempted to order the eggs from Cedele’s All Day Breakfast menu (YES they served all day breakfast!), but decided to go with the Red Chili Crab Pasta ($16.90) instead.

It was a clever play on the famous Singapore dish. Sitting smugly on top of the pasta, the tiny soft shell crab was crisp and full of bite. But I didn’t really pay much attention to it. I was engrossed with how the linguine entangled itself with the sweet and tangy sauce, tossed with strands of crab meat.

Granted, the risotto (you mean that ugly-looking thing in the photo is a risotto?) won’t win any awards for aesthetic value, but don’t judge it too quickly. I don’t know about you, but whenever someone mentions about seafood pasta; a picture of us sitting by the beach enjoying a luxurious seafood feast always come to mind.

In every way, Cedele’s Red Seafood Risotto ($16.90) was close. It came with a generous spread of mussels, prawn and seared white fish. The risotto was slightly wetter, and it had an intense tomato flavor which I thoroughly enjoyed. Somebody preferred risotto that is drier but this one works fine for me.

* * *

If you are there for dinner, remember to check out Cedele’s carrot cake for dessert.

Restaurant Review
Cedele Bakery Cafe & Restaurant
391 Orchard Road
#B1-37 Takashimaya Shopping Centre
Tel: +65 6235 2380

501 Orchard Road #03-14
Wheelock Place Singapore
Tel: +65 6732 8520

1 Kim Seng Promenade #01-01/02
Great World City Singapore
Tel: +65 6836 1426

252 North Bridge Road #03-28A
Raffles City Shopping Centre Singapore
Tel: +65 6337 8017

Jones the Grocer’s Confit Chicken ($27.5)

Jones the Grocer brings back good memories of brunch, and I am sure for many friends who have been to Australia, they will agree that Jones the Grocer is one of the best gourmet food retailer around.

Among my list of Breakfast places in Singapore, there aren’t many places that serve breakfast daily. Most of the restaurants and cafes in Singapore tend to serve brunch only during weekend, and Jones the Grocer is one of the few that has breakfast available daily. During weekdays, the breakfast menu is available from 8.30am – 12noon, while weekend brunch is from 8.30am – 3pm.

I enjoyed the brunch at Jones the Grocer, so I was really keen to check out their dinner offerings. With the opening of the new Jones the Grocer at Mandarin Gallery, it gives you the perfect chance to check them out – especially if you have been complaining that Dempsey Hill restaurants are too inaccessible.

Some of the Mandarin Gallery restaurants that have been making headlines in the Singapore food scene include Wild Honey which serves all day breakfast, and the over hype famous Ippudo Ramen which has a super-duper long queue.

Normally, I don’t start with a conclusion in my blog posts. But in case you are just drooling over the photos, and missed the words, dinner at Jones the Grocer is over-priced and under-portioned.

Given that Jones the Grocer is more of a gourmet food retailer, and the food is very cafe-ish; all of us agreed that the food was pricey considering the petite portions.

Seafood & Saffron Risotto ($32.5)

Hey look — they have my favorite seafood & saffron risotto on the menu! Oh look, it’s a whopping $32.5! I don’t care if this makes me sounds like a cheapo, but granted the fact that I paid less than thirty bucks for risotto at an authentic Italian restaurant – I really do not see why I should fork out the extra money at an Australian cafe no less.

Surprisingly the Jones open wagyu beef burger ($26.50) is pretty good. With a touch of roasted tomato and an abundance of rocket salad, the wagyu beef patty rested on a toast, and the potato wedges were really worth a good shout!

To be fair, the mushroom risotto ($25.5) was enjoyable. Made with mushroom stock, every grain of the mushroom risotto was mushy yet not sticky, firm and delicate.

Chocolate Brownie ($6.50)

Blueberry Cheesecake ($6.50)

Trust me, just stick to their brunch and desserts and you will do great. On a side note, I preferred the interior decoration of the new Jones the Grocer at Mandarin Gallery to the one at Dempsey Hill. Don’t ask me why, go down to Mandarin Gallery and check it out. If Jones is not your type, there are many new restaurants at Mandarin Gallery.

Restaurant Review
Jones the Grocer
333A Orchard Road #04-21/23
Mandarin Gallery Singapore
Tel: +65 6836 6372

The Garden Slug’s Waga Wagyu Beef burger ($18.90)

Of late, I have been hanging out in the East almost every week. I’ve mentioned on twitter that I needed some suggestions for my list on the best food places in the East of Singapore.

There were many responses pointing to the stretch of restaurants along East Coast road, with Aston Speciality and Everything with Fries among the more popular options there. But the whole area was a little hyped-up and I preferred a quieter place for a simple dinner.

I’ve been to The Garden Slug previously for a food photography workshop organized by Samsung Singapore. When my partner said that she wanted comfort food for dinner, the cafe immediately came to mind.

Housed in the same cluster together with a few pet stores, The Garden Slug is somewhat like an indie cafe at Lorong L Telok Kurau. It serves homely comfort food – think big portions of Western food at reasonable prices.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Rustic Bolognese pasta ($9.90). There wasn’t any fanciful ingredients, just a light tomato sauce created with topside beef and carrot chunks and topped with zucchini. It was a very simple yet satisfying pasta done the Garden Slug way – comfort food in large portions.

The Hickory Babyback ribs ($29.0 for full and $18.90 for half rack) was bright, and hearty. The perfect dish to whet your appetite when you don’t feel like eating, and it’s also the dish to make us hungrier when we are feeling hungry. Having half a rack alone was probably not enough, so we ordered the full rack to share.

Risotto looks like baby food, except that it’s much nicer.

I have a love-hate feeling for the risotto. It’s heavy, yet comforting. It’s a dish that I will want to order every time, but never wise to do so since I always can’t finish it on my own. It’s silly and downright foolish to try and finish a serving of risotto alone. Risotto is meant to be shared.

Subconsciously, I found myself scooping mouth after mouth after mouth of the Grilled Ocean Scallops with Mushroom risotto (on the weekend special menu). I adored the huge chunks of mushroom, and the risotto was somewhat similar to porridge. It’s warm and charming – the perfect thing for rainy days. This is comfort food at its best.

The portions of the dishes at The Garden Slug are big and filling, and the Pan Seared Dory Fillet ($17.90) is no exception.

* * *

Like what I have mentioned, most people would probably think of the stretch of restaurants along East coast road, or Siglap centre when they think of the best food places in the East of Singapore.

If you are looking for a place that is away from the crowded East Coast area, The Garden Slug is a great hidden gem to bring your family, friends or date to. The cafe is simple and unpretentious. Most of the main courses are priced under $20, and I can see myself returning to the garden slug for their all day breakfast soon.

Restaurant Review
The Garden Slug
55 Lorong L Telok Kurau
#01-59/61 Bright Centre
Tel: +65 6346 0504

The Garden Slug is listed as one of ladyironchef’s favorite restaurants in Singapore.

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)

Right on the heels of a romantic dinner at Forlino, I had another amazing Italian feast – the following day. The original plan was to have a simple lunch somewhere else.

“Why don’t we go to Valentino?” I asked jokingly.

Apparently, my lunch date took it very seriously. To cut the story short, we ended up at Valentino’s after calling to confirm a table. Stepping inside Ristorante Da Valentino, it feels like we are in our charming Italian neighbours’ house for dinner.

Most squid ink pasta, or at least the ones that I’ve tried, had the quirky and murky flavor. This one tasted like squid ink. It tasted like fresh ink extracted on the spot.

Like the one that I’ve at Forlino the night before, the Fettucine al Granchio ($23.9) here was also infused with squid ink. Huge chunks of crab meat with the fettucine, tossed with the creamy tomato sauce – it was absolutely wicked!

Now we have a problem. I want every slurp of the pasta. No, I do not want to share.

Option A: Finish everything and re-order before my partner returns from the washroom.

Option B: Try to convince her that the mushroom risotto is better than the squid ink pasta.

I could see no Option C, even though I was secretly praying that she’d not like the pasta.

Unfortunately not. In case you are wondering, we wiped the plate clean. I’d die for the squid ink pasta, or less dramatically, save up and come here every week – just for this.

I want Risotto. My dear Seafood linguine, it doesn’t mean I don’t like you anymore. It just means right now, I’m craving for risotto more.

Mushroom risotto has a very important place in my heart. I don’t always order it, but when I do – it has to be good. Maybe subconsciously, we wanted more of the squid ink pasta, or maybe we had small appetite that day. Either way, just a word of caution: see the plate of Porcini Mushroom Risotto ($23.9) up there?

It might not look like a lot, but trust me, both of us couldn’t finish it.

Sweetie, it’s desserts, and Perla’s Pastry Boutique is calling!

Right beside the restaurant, there is Perla’s patisserie by Valentino’s sister. There’s no dine-in area for the patisserie, but the desserts are available if you are dining in the restaurant. It was an agonizing choice between the tiramisu, panna cotta, frutti bosco and their signature chantilly cake. But the sight of the gorgeous mixed berries were simply irresistible.

There’s a wise saying that goes like this: never trust a beautiful woman, and if I can add on to it, never trust the beautiful berries to taste sweet. Call me shallow, but I actually fall for it. Oh well, what to do, I’m superficial. Anyway I believe there’s blackberries, raspberries and strawberries in the Frutti Bosco ($8.80).

* * *

A romantic dinner for two is not necessary just about fantastic view or fanciful cuisine. Lovely, lovely place. Valentino is my definition of a romantic restaurant, it is all about us having good food in a cozy ambiance. Here’s a restaurant for Valentine’s day, reservations are definitely a must for dinner.

I’m going to bring all my friends to Ristorante Da Valentino for their homely, authentic Italian food. Rifle range road is directly opposite King’s Albert Park & Bukit Timah Plaza. Pick up your phone, and dial the eight digit numbers. Get on with it.

Restaurant Review
Ristorante Da Valentino
11 Jalan Bingka
Mayfair Park
Tel: +65 6462 0555

Ristorante Da Valentino is listed as one of ladyironchef’s favorite restaurants in Singapore.

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

A dreamy Sunday out with you, eating nothing but eggs and pancakes. And a glass of that bubbly champagne is just the icing on the cake. I love brunch! I really do. There’s just something about brunch that makes me excited, just the mention of it will be enough to get me on a high.

And how about a buffet brunch? Excellent, you get to eat a bit of everything (not that I’m a big fan of buffet), and free flow of champagne? Swoon!

I can never say no to desserts, you are my weakness. And we couldn’t resist taking photographs at the desserts section first since it’s right in front of the restaurant. All the petite desserts were waving to me, with the alluring cakes winking and making signals for me to step forward.

Do you want a piece of chocolate?

How about a chocolate tree? I’ll pluck the chocolates off and give them all to you. I know you want the bitter one, and you can feed me the sweet one. The chocolates, they were so good!

And there were a few different whole cakes, crepes, selections of bread alongside the mini cakes and petite shooters.

Rows, and rows of them: mustard lox salmon, smoked salmon, Thai smoked salmon, and an assortment of smoked fish platter. I bet you will just stand there all day and finish every slice of them.

Breakfast to me, must consist of eggs benedicts, pancakes, sausages; that sort of stuff. They had poached eggs here, but there wasn’t any hollandaise sauce, and sadly because the breakfast section was prepared beforehand (not on the spot), the eggs, sausages, and hash browns were cold.

But there’s an ala-minute section where the chef prepared eggs-done-in-any-style. Omelettes, sunny sideup, overeasy, you name it, they have it.

And while you are at the same area, the chef will prepared Vol Au Vent on the spot too. There’s Prawn with Brandy Sauce, Duck Confit with Foie Gras, Chicken Ragout with Mushrooms and Ham & Cheese Ragout to choose from. I’ve the duck confit with foie gras, which sort of reminded me of the kueh pie tee; crispy shells with savoury fillings

The array of seafood selection at Global Kitchen consisted of the typical mussels, prawns, scallop, and there’s Alaskan king crabs too! But it was the spoilt-for-choice of oysters that impressed me! The usual buffet line-ups will mostly just have, you know, fresh oysters on a bed of ice. But not here, there’s so many options, this is oysters at their best!

Among all, the fried oyster with bacon wrap was my favourite; I know this might not be the best way to taste the oysters as there probably wouldn’t be “freshness” left since it’s fried, but you know the thing with fried food, it’s always tasty. The saltiness of the bacon greatly enhanced the whole thing, not that you need to “add more flavour” to the oyster anyway. The purist probably couldn’t accept it since this was akin to killing the oyster, but I like it!

I also enjoyed the baked oyster with cheese tremendously. What’s there not to like when oyster marry with cheese? Fans of oysters will most likely gulp down a dozen of them at one shot, but not me. I had enough after having about five different ways of oysters, and there’s a few other ways which I didn’t try!

In buffets, I will always go for the ala minute food – stuff that are cook by chefs on the spot. And the fish & chips were pretty impressive. For one, they had mashed green peas, yes green peas! It totally exudes the “British feel” of a hearty fish & chips.

And can you imagine my excitement when I saw the chef preparing risotto and pastas too? There’s not much ingredients to choose from, you know the typical mushroom, tomato, but there’s no need for fanciful stuff when a plate of simple and comfort risotto/pasta is all I need.

There’s actually a lot more food, main courses like duck breast, salmon, seabass, beef, lamb, pork loin; in short, something to cater to everybody. I didn’t try all of them, just a bit here and there. Camemberu managed to take all the photos of them, so check it out over at her blog!

Free flow of champagne, amazing company with Camemberu, and Aromacookery, we pigged out for three hours ( including one hour for taking photos), this is what I call brunch! My appreciation to Cheryl and Merissa of Pan Pacific Hotel for hostingus for the media tasting session. We did not eat a lot, just a bit of everything, and  yet at the end of it I was feeling sick – over stuffed with food. And we didn’t even try all the things available at the buffet! The champagne brunch is on Sundays from 12.00pm to 3.00pm.

Price:
$98++ per adult (with Champagne, wines, cocktails, beers, juices and soft drinks)
$88++ per adult (with wines, cocktails, beers, juices and soft drinks)
$78++ per adult (with juices and soft drinks)

Global Kitchen
Level 3, Pan Pacific Hotel
7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square
Tel: 6826-8240

There are generally two type of restaurants; either one that has great food, but normal or almost no scenery to boost of; where you will gladly bring along your really-stable-boyfriend, bff, girlfriends whom have all seen you at your worst so dining unglamorously is not an issue. Or the other that serves average food, but has a to-die-for ambience, making it a must-go place for your date.

And Novus Cafe belongs to the latter. Theoretically Novus cafe isn’t a restaurant, it is a cafe. But I’m speaking on the broad assumption that it has great ambience, and serve average simple food.

The latter will be the type of places where you will go for your first date, or important occasions; never mind the food’s you-know-what, but it’s a great place to hang out and chill at. Period. Novus’s menu mostly comprises of simple food like pasta/risotto, pizza, and sandwich. But it is the ambience, I love in fall with it the first time I “accidentally” went to the National Museum and saw it. Okay, that’s a lie, I went there with the sole and only purpose to Reece the place for a visit.

Nestled within a Museum, artistic value checked. Nice al fresco dining area, checked. Comfy sofas and nice ambience, checked. Come for dinner and you have a night at the museum. You come to the places like this for your important date, the food doesn’t matter since you are gonna lock eyes with the partner sitting opposite and probably won’t notice what you are putting in your mouth.

I always feel sandwich is a down-sized burger in disguise. Well the similarity is certainly there; fillings stuff between two bread/bun, with the exception that sandwiches ain’t as sexy as their burger counterparts. Who wants sandwiches when you got burgers? Stop pretending to be healthy, and keep the calories chart that you are holding!

“My sandwich” ($16) certainly wasn’t what my-kind-of-sandwich would be like. Beef pastrami, gouda cheese, tomato, dijonnaise, rucola, and sunny side up. And it came with potato chips. How healthy. Anyway, I was wondering how come we can pay 16 bucks for a sandwich and not wimp, while some will scorn at the mere mention of paying the same amount for the burger? Does this means the sandwich was bad? Not at all, like I said, I’m just not that into sandwich.

I fall in love with risotto, and ever since I’d been on the lookout for better ones. So when there’s only four selections under the seemingly-comprehensive-sounding title of pasta & risotto in the menu, I chose the risotto, immediately. I’ll never forget, the sticky-almost-porridge texture, the essence of the ingredient fully absorbed and coated in every grain of the alluring aborio rice. Pesto risotto ($12).

Does that means Novus being the nice-ambience-but-average-food place was bad? Of course not. I’m so gonna come back here again! There are places where you will go for the good food, and there are places where you go to, to immerse yourself in the surroundings. And Novus belongs to the latter.

I’m a sucker for ambience.

Read Pamie’s post on Novus here.

Novus Cafe
93 Stamford road
#01-04/05
National museum of Singapore
Tel: 6337 1397

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

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Ate. Nine. Ten.

Esplanade we were at, yet it certainly didn’t feel anything like Esplanade. The al fresco area was within the ground floor, yet while sitting there and people-grazing, the mood was out away from this world.

Service was almost impeccable. Since most of the tapas were off-the-menu, we wanted to know what we were eating and started asking the staff a lot of questions. Initially when they served us the first few appetisers, they were not sure of the names, and the ingredients in it. But they got used to us asking questions, and when they served the rest of the tapas, they made sure they checked the names and ingredients. Well we did make them stress that day, akin like taking a spelling test. Nonetheless, the staffs were always cheerful and friendly.

In the time of recession where people cut down on their expedition, it takes a brave soul to come out with interesting dining concept. The idea that the chef serves whatever he wants, is actually not new. But there just isn’t much places doing it, most people after all, aren’t adventurous enough and want to have a say in what they are eating. 7atenine. Catchy name, check. Unique concept, check. Ambience, check.

There’s something about Salmon which makes them irresistible to ladies. For some unknown reasons which continue to elude me, most ladies seem to love them. The salmon tartare. For the ladies! Fresh crunchy salmon in lemon cream sauce, with walnuts & some leafy greens providing the crunch. What impressed me was the effort entailed in preparing the cucumber. Instead of short slices, the cucumber was peel off vertically, in a long string. This, surely warrant our praise.

What I liked about the Taco cerbice was the simplicity of the dish. The crunchy sour dough plus the smooth octopus meat. Topped with greens, it further beautify and added balance to the appetiser.

Like couples who are always together, ham always comes with cheese. The dish is a basically an appetiser of ham & cheese. Cubes of green apple, cheese, and ham. While there’s nothing intriguing about the combination, it’s a simple dish to kick-start the meal.

I always remember the significant and special food that I’ve before. Like the best mushroom soup, the best dim sum, all those are deeply engraved in my memory. And the Beef roll on hot stone, would definitely be the latest addition to my memorable list. Putting the thinly-sliced beef rolls on the heated up stone, a brilliant idea! The usage of salt to bring out the natural taste of the beef, with the hot stone keeping the beef warm at optimum temperature. Divine.

Tangy, was the best way to describe the lobster gaspach. Shredded lobster fried was good on its own. But having left it too long in the slightly sourish sauce, it was soggy when we tried it. And did I mention I loved the way 7atenine decorated the bowls with a brush of the sauce. A stroke of genius.

With the pairing of cheese and anchovies, the Mozzarella cheese with anchovies certainly let our imagination ran wild. Just exactly what does the humble small salt-water fish and cheese have in common. Well nothing, but that’s what makes the pairing unique. The presence of bell pepper and tomato brighten up the aesthetic aspect. Much as I’m for creative cooking, this dish didn’t exactly impress.

The best. Mushroom Risotto. 7atenine rendition was done close to the porridge form, quite unlike the harder glutinous-rice like version I had before. Boiling several types of mushrooms to get the stock, the end result was a strong mushroom infused flavour in the risotto. The presence of strong cheese taste was a plus. I do not think words alone can describe the goodness of the risotto. Comfort food.

Again, we see the use of raw salt to bring out the natural flavour of food. Poached lightly, the Salmon with potato wrapped bacon was another worth mentioning dish. Even when eaten on its own, the salmon was fresh, but when you dip it with the sauce, it brought it to a brand new level. The bacon bits, by the side, was salty and flavourful. My date enjoyed her roast mini potatoes, although I didn’t quite fancy that.

When ocean meets farm, the Seabass in celery cream. Sprinkled with bits of salt, the seabass reminded me of my mom’s home-cook fish. The fish was better eaten alone, rather than together with the brown sauce. The mesh celery represented the farm.

At first look, we were guessing the ingredient used to “dye” the calamari black. Guess guess, squid ink! An interesting twist to the otherwise boring calamari. The tomato salsa was refreshing, but other than that, there wasn’t much wow factor. The crusted calamari.

A cheesy pasta. The spaghetti with ham symbolised every aspect of the cheese pasta. A simple dish done right. We were wondering what ham was used though.

If 7atenine is all about interesting new dining concept, then the sizzling wings would definitely be the best representative. Using the pegs (for hanging clothes) to hold the chicken wings so that diners were not dirty their hands. Bravo! While the effectiveness of the peg remained to be questioned, we should applause the innovation. On the other hand, the chicken wings were nothing to shout about. I was pretty astonish when they served the wings, since nothing in my dictionary told me that wings were classified under tapas.

The beef flank was the last main course that we had before serving desserts. The meat was tough and inelastic actually. I didn’t touch much of it. Well, a disappointing anti-climax for the main course.

Caffe latte trifle was the first of the three desserts we started with. Everything coffee. From the ice cream, meringue, to the thin layer of sponge, all of them are coffee flavoured. There’s rice krispies on top too.

With a base of berries, there’s the strawberry ice cream and vanilla bean on top. The execution of the simple strawberry gazpacho was enough, for us to end the meal on a sweet note.

We were surprised by the inclusion of vanilla bean ice cream since the sight of the normal walls ice cream was so common everywhere else. I liked the fact that they spreaded some Oreo crust by the side. I can taste vanilla bean, and with some help from the crust, it turned into Oreo ice cream. And oh yes, warm chocolate brownies must always be eaten together with chilled, cold ice cream.

Total bill was $86.58 for 2, lunch unlimited buffet. In my humble opinion, my date and I agreed that 7atenine is the best new restaurant in 2009, that is until i try a better one. Although not all the tapas impressed me, but the food taste is more on the extreme ends, it’s a case of whether you love it or hate it. Personally, I felt food lovers will generally accept this concept better than the rest, especially so if you are the type that are adventurous and love to try new creations.

It is definitely fun to be keep in the suspense, and wondering what is coming next. Of course, with expectations there will be disappointment. I’m sorry if you do not agree with me. But I love this type of dining concept,  the playful presentation of food, the friendly services, bold creations, the ambience and the amazing value. Of course, the company of my date plays a vital part as well. This year, the best meal I had so far, 7atenine!

7atenine
8 Raffles Avenue
#01-10/12 Esplanade Mall
Tel: 6338 0789

7atenine is listed as one of ladyironchef’s favorite restaurants in Singapore

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My fourth, her third, another’s second, and many others first. Our common love for food. That’s how it all began. At the heart of East-Meet-West. Persimmon.

Kopitiam, the symbolic of our local heartlands. The place where everybody grew up sipping their milo & coffee, where everybody settled their three meals when their mother was on strike, and the gateway to many delicious heritage hawker food.

Persimmon is quintessentially a swanky and upmarket kopitiam, retaining the traditional feel by using the classic kopitiam furnitures and floor tiles. The furnishings were a combination between comtemporary and rustic. And not to mention her location is right in the middle of Tiong Bahru, with the shophouses and kopitiam lining side by side.

Choices of desserts pick from a la carte buffet. Bread pudding, carrot cake, mango pudding, panna cotta, chocolate mousse. For the discerning us, perhaps only the carrot cake made the cut.

The kong ba bao (stewed pork belly) was way off my radar. The bun was hard and dry, the meat was not fatty enough, and lacked the delicious gravy. And oh ya, it wasn’t part of our menu, but was under the a la carte buffet offered.

Inspired by NoSignBoard white pepper crab, Persimmon white pepper Crabcake is all about that. Enjoyed the white pepper “crab”, no doubt in the form of crabcake, without any hassle. Under the sunny weather, the crab was toned prefectly brown, with a crisp-cross shell, and savoury meat within. Adiós

The crown of Persimmon. Hainanese Chicken Salad. Featured in almost all the media publications, there isn’t any excuse for you to miss this dish. The concept is simple, Singaporeans loved their chicken rice, but dreaded the calories. So what do you do? Remove the rice, throw in some greens, and voila! Singapore’s very own Hainanese chicken salad. Poach chicken, fresh local herbs & mesclun greens, rise crisps, and special dressing.

Tomato base pasta? Boring! How about our rich cream base instead? I hate cream! Right, why not try our Linguine laksa leaf Pesto? Specially created for your exquisite taste buds, the laksa infused linguine will definitely blow you away with its unique taste. Think laksa, but swop the thick rice noodles with pasta. Some felt that the laksa leaf was too heavy and overwhelm the whole dish. On the other hand, i thought the pasta was perfectly fine. Innovative with a big I.

Mixed blonds (fusion) are interesting in some ways, and the 8 treasures certainly roused my curiosity. Three mushrooms, two nuts, chinese sausage, parmesan cheese and risotto. What happens when Italian Risotto combine with the 8 treasures? You get the 8 treasure Risotto! The intial impression was Glutinous rice, but it was way better. I need to be honest, i couldn’t taste all of you. But in the end, it doesn’t really matter, you are all mine!

Staying true with the principle of fusion food, we have the European-style steak meeting heads on with our Asian carrot cake. The grilled ribeye with “chye tao kueh” carrot cake is bound to make your eyes popped out. The carrot cake was fried with XO and balsamic, with the latter providing a sour taste. A vast contrast with the steak. Not everyone could accepted sour carrot cake with steak though. Aspiring combination, but somehow failed to sizzle with the seemingly weird taste.

Eaten alone, the Slow poached salmon with zuchinni ribbons didn’t come as tender as we thought it will. But dipped in the green curry sauce, the fish went through a make-over in the taste department. There was cucumbers used in the green curry, which caught my attention. Like what one of our fellow friend say, when you don’t understand, just say “fusion!”

Our humble Otak is given a upmarket transformation by going créme brulée. With richly flavoured spicy kaffir lime & coconut used as the main ingredients, there was fish mousse hidden beneath the otak. The otak creme brulee is a very creative fusion dish indeed, but the experiement could perhaps be better. Some of us found the otak to be too watery, and maybe it’s meant to be this way. But is créme brulée ever so soggy?

There was a slight tweak to the menu compared to the one i previously shown. And the cost per person was 20 dollar nett, which everybody agreed was a reasonable price given we managed to try a variety of food. I hope everybody enjoyed their meal, and see you all at the next LIC food outing! We had 27 people for this outing, which was quite a healthy figure.

Well, like what some of you mentioned, it was a case of hits and misses, fusion food is pretty much an experiment between the Asian and Western cuisines, and it was certainly interesting to try some food which we’ll never get to try elsewhere.

And not to forget, LIC outing is all about the fun, joy and laughter during the event, and getting to know more friends. I’ll also like to take the opportunity to thank Helena and Sharon, the co-owners of Persimmon for having us there.

Do add me on facebook, if you missed the links earlier.

Read Jaime-la-nourriture chinese post on the outing here

For those who missed this Persimmon outing, you can get the best discounts when you mentioned ladyironchef while you are at Persimmon. So do go down and give the fusion food a try.