Encompassing 4 historical buildings and 2 new tower blocks within its premises, the stunning South Beach Singapore is a breathtaking architecture that is set to impress. However, most people are unaware that within the buildings is South Beach Avenue, a massive area that includes 16 dining and lifestyle concepts.

South Beach Avenue is easily accessible as it sits right on top of Esplanade MRT, right in Central Singapore. A multitude of trendy bars, photogenic cafes and gorgeous restaurants awaits to be discovered and there are endless reasons why South Beach Avenue deserves a visit.

With South Beach Avenue, your search for a weekend hideout with great ambience, food and drinks can finally come to an end. Be it a weekend with the family, a romantic partner or friends, trust us when we say that South Beach Avenue is definitely the hottest dining destination right now.

Here are 12 Restaurants at South Beach Avenue you wish you knew earlier.

ALCHEMIST BEER LAB

Alchemist Beer Lab is an elegant bar that caught our attention because of their massive range of craft beer and fruit-infused beer that are made in-house. Think crazy concoctions such as the Obama (S$12/Happy Hour, S$15/regular)—stout infused with toasted marshmallows, vanilla pods and mint leaves.

Of all the fantastic and innovative Premium Infusion Taps, our favourites were the Passionista (Tap 10) and the 50 Shades of Pink (Tap 14). Both infusions were fruity and refreshing and would be a great fit for those who prefer light drinks.

Dig into bar bites after sampling the unique beers. The chef highly recommends the Ale Battered Sea Bass (S$15.90/set lunch) that features soft and flaky sea bass.

26 Beach Road, #B1-16 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189768
Tel: +65 6386 4365
Sun to Thu: 4pm – 1am
Fri & Sat: 4pm – 2am
Nearest Station: Esplanade

ATMASTEL

Led by Andrea Tarini, an Italian chef with a 3-Michelin-star background, Atmastel is a modern Italian casual restaurant with a purist vision of Italian food in Singapore. Walk into Atmastel and be greeted by a swanky open-concept kitchen, a pizza bakery, Crudo, drinks bar and a well-stocked retail section with more than 70 varieties of artisanal cold cuts, cheeses, wines and condiments.

Chef Tarini and his team have exquisitely crafted a menu that features only the very best of artisanal ingredients. Fresh San Marzano tomatoes, San Daniele ham and mozzarella are just some of the ingredients that are air-flown weekly from Italy.

Start off your meal with the Cold Cut Platter (S$45) which is recommended for sharing. Comprising of assorted artisanal cheese, manually sliced artisanal cured meats such as San Daniele DOP Proscuitto and the Shoulder Iberico ham, candied fruit, olives, pickles and toasted homemade bread, this spread was beyond impressive.

The Zuppa di Pesce (S$68), market-fresh fish and seafood stewed in a Mediterranean sauce with toasted garlic bread, will make for a hearty main. Finish off your splendid meal with a deconstructed Tiramisu (S$14.90) or the Portuguese Egg Tart (S$4.20) topped off with cinnamon powder. One tip is to order in advance for the Portuguese Egg tart as they are a hot favourite and are usually sold out very quickly!

26 Beach Road, #B1-22 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189768
Tel: +65 6581 0085
Mon to Thu: 11.30am – 10pm
Fri & Sat: 11.30am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade

BLACK COW

A contemporary Japanese restaurant, Black Cow has made a name for its Japanese Wagyu beef—Matsusaka & Kagoshima.

If you are looking for a reputable Japanese restaurant to dine at when in South Beach Avenue, Black Cow has a menu of Shabu Shabu & Sukiyaki.

26 Beach Road, #B1-20 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189768
Tel: +65 6386 6720
Mon to Thu: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade

CAFFÈ VERGNANO 1882

Experience true Italian espresso at Caffè Vergnano 1882, Italy’s oldest family-owned coffee roaster dedicated to serving a good cup of coffee and hot chocolate. Coffee is brewed using Arabica beans sourced from Central America, which will give subtle hints of citrus fruit and floral notes in your brew.

This cafe bar also boasts a beautiful interior, made perfect by the rays of sunlight streaming in seamlessly through its bay windows. If you are a coffee and chocolate enthusiast, a weekend spent at the gorgeous Caffè Vergnano 1882 will be like a vacation in a chocolate and coffee wonderland.

Besides that, you must try one of Caffè Vergnano 1882′s signature drinks. The Bicerin (S$6) is a crowd favourite as it consists of 75% rich chocolate with a shot of espresso. If you prefer something cold, the 1882 Affogato is a sweeter alternative, consisting of vanilla ice cream topped with espresso for that caffeine kick.

26 Beach Road, #B1-17 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189768
Tel: +65 6385 5579
Mon to Fri: 7am – 8pm
Sat & Sun: 10am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade

FASTA

Fasta takes pride in serving up delicious pasta quickly, hence the punny name ‘Fasta’. They have a decent range of pasta choices on the menu at inexpensive prices. We like that you can even pick your choice of pasta or grains and some add-ons for a little something extra.

We dug into the Scallop Wallop (S$16), a linguine pasta with pan-seared scallops, crab meat, diced tomato and bacon bits with a rich yuzu-infused broth.  The overall flavour was delicious and the pasta was pleasantly al dente. The Siow Ba Mee (S$13) is also one of their bestselling pasta, topped with the local-favourite pork belly.

One of the highlights of Fasta is customising your own pasta, so be sure to check that out too.

26 Beach Road, #B1-23 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189768
Tel: +65 9111 1245
Mon to Sat: 11am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade

FYNN’S

Fynn’s is the talk of the town now and is a popular and charming brunch spot with a botanical inspired interior that is so highly-Instagrammable. This modern Australian restaurant believes in serving up dishes with simplicity so as to draw out the true essence and flavour of the ingredients.

We went with our gut and got the Corn Fritters (S$22) with poached eggs, bacon, sautéed spinach, grilled tomato and jalepeño jama and we never looked back. The corn fritters paired with the other components is a match made in heaven.

For a lighter meal, opt for the Chia Seed Pudding, Pineapple, Granola, Gula Melaka (S$14). Be sure to pair your food with a Common Man Roasters Iced Latte (S$5.50) too.

26 Beach Road, #B1-21 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189768
Tel: +65 6384 1878
Tue to Fri: 9am – 10pm
Sat: 11am – 10pm
Sun: 11am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade

HARRY’S

Harry’s is a familiar face in Singapore’s drinking scene and many love the popular Harry’s Premium Lager, their very own brew. Though its South Beach Avenue outlet oozes elegance and style, it also has a laid-back vibe and there could be no better place to kick back and relax during the weekend.

Try the popular cocktail Harry’s 1992 (S$16), a bright vodka-based concoction.

Bar bites to try include the Soy-Glazed Beef Cubes (S$18.90)  and the Chicken Masala (S$23). Something to share is The Harry’s Seven (S$36.90).

26 Beach Road, #01-18 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189768
Tel: +65 6386 6306
Daily: 11am – 11pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade

LADY M® CONFECTIONS

We have yet to find someone who has not heard of Lady M® Confections since the brand opened its first outlet in Singapore a few years back. Their Mille Crêpe cakes are a favourite among Singaporeans.

Adding to their collection of cake boutiques in Singapore is the new Lady M® Confections outlet at South Beach Avenue, which will be opening very soon! Look forward to the Lady M® Earl Grey Mille Crêpes (S$9.50++/slice), a South Beach exclusive seasonal flavour which will be in stores for a limited period only.

The handmade crepe cake is layered with pastry cream that is infused with earl grey tea and garnished with earl grey tea leaves and blue corn leaves.

Of course, you can also expect to see other popular flavours on the menu such as their signature Lady M® Mille Crêpes (S$9.50++/slice), Red Velvet (S$9.50++/slice) and White Chocolate Mini Choux (S$2.50++/piece).

Lady M® Confections
26 Beach Road, #01-17 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189768
Nearest Station: Esplanade

QUAICH BAR

Established in 2006, Quaich Bar is the first whisky bar in Singapore which houses more than 500 whiskies, of which 95% are sourced from boutique distilleries in Scotland. It is quintessentially a heaven on earth for all whisky lovers. Many of the whiskys are also exclusive to them only and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Instead of lazing the weekend away, you should gather your fellow whisky enthusiasts to further hone your appreciation and understanding of whisky at the Quaich Bar. Tutored tastings are available for a group of between 4 to 6 pax for the Flavours of Singapore Malt tasting set. Prices range from S$45 for 4 tasting portions.

We had a taste of a few exquisite single malts such as the Hazelburn Aged 12 Years, Bunnahabhain Aged 12 Years, Deanston Virgin Oak and Ledaig Aged 10 Years, each with its own unique flavour. There is also a cosy private room at Quaich Bar where you can book in advance.

Prices for whisky by the glass range from S$17 to S$416 and S$200 to S$32,000 for a bottle.

30 Beach Road, #01-16 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189763
Tel: +65 6386 5366
Mon to Thu: 5pm – 1am
Fri & Sat: 5pm – 2am
Nearest Station: Esplanade

REAL FOOD

Real Food specialises in meatless food that is good for your body. All dishes served at Real Food are free from processed ingredients, artificial preservatives and trans-fat. Nonetheless, they are still just as delicious.

We tried the Soy Curry Soup Noodles (S$12.80) and it reminded us of home. Comforting, warm and extremely tasty, despite being made with oat milk and extra virgin organic coconut oil.

An interesting concoction is the Baked Stuffed Portobello Mushroom with Soy Cheese (S$11.80). The mushroom is stuffed with minced vegetables, covered with cheddar cheese. It is almost like a recreation of a vegetable dumpling with a juicy mushroom encasing it.

26 Beach Road, #B1-19 South Beach Avenue,
Singapore 189768
Tel: +65 6384 2206
Mon to Sat: 10am – 9pm
Sun: 9.30am – 8pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade

THE ARMOURY CRAFT BEER BAR

Situated in a rustic colonial building in the South Beach Quarter, The Armoury Craft Beer Bar is a contemporary gastro-bar and cafe by day and Craft beer and Wine bar by night. Experience traditional and sophisticated European and Asian flavours in this comfortable and cosy dining establishment, which is an ideal weekend getaway for groups and families.

The Curry Chicken Prata Taco and Pork Belly Bao (S$6 each) are great munchies to start your meal off with. And we thoroughly enjoyed the Salted Egg Chicken Burger (S$19) because of the rich and creamy sauce.

From 7pm on weekends, dig into the all-you-can-eat steak buffet for just S$29.90. It is a huge steal considering that you can pick from 4 different cuts: Ribeye, Hangar Steak, Striploin and Wagyu Patty. Choose your desired sauce and sides, and eat to your heart’s content!

Mileslife is our favourite app to accumulate miles through everyday spending. You can earn 2 miles for every dollar spent at this restaurant. Download and try Mileslife out now! You can use our code ‘Ladyironchef‘ upon your first spending to get 1,000 miles.

36 Beach Road, #01-01 South Beach Quarter,
Singapore 189766
Tel: +65 6385 3173
Mon to Thu: 11.30am – 11pm
Fri: 11.30am – 1am

Sat: 11.30am – 12am
Sun: 11am – 9.30pm
Nearest Station: Esplanade

VATOS URBAN TACOS

When you think of good tacos in Singapore, Vatos Urban Tacos will come to mind. For a weekend with the lads, Vatos Urban Tacos, which originates from Seoul, is a must-visit if you fancy some Korean-Mexican fusion bar grub to go along with your drinks.

The signature “URBAN” tacos served on homemade tortillas is a must-try. The Galbi Short Rib Tacos (S$13 for 2, S$18for 3) and Baja Fish (S$12 for 2, S$17 for 3) were executed flawlessly with a touch of cilantro which highlighted the freshness of the ingredients. Otherwise, the Mango Prawn Quesadilla (S$22), Kimchi Carnitas Fries (S$18) and Honey Tequila Chicken Wings (S$18) are other interesting delights worth every calorie.

36 Beach Road, #01-03 South Beach Quarter,
Singapore 189766
Tel: +65 6385 6010
Mon to Thu, Sun: 12am – 11am
Fri & Sat: 12pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Esplanade

S$5 PARKING REBATE AT SOUTH BEACH AVENUE

When you spend a minimum of S$50 nett at participating restaurants and services at South Beach Avenue, you can receive a S$5 parking rebate (valid all-day, including weekends and Public Holidays). For more information on the restaurants and parking rebate promotion at South Beach Avenue, please go to SouthBeachAvenue.com.

This post is brought to you by South Beach Consortium Singapore.

The dining landscape in Singapore has changed remarkably in the last few years and it is exciting to be here at this time.

On the contrary, despite what some people might think, the arrival of big-name-chefs have benefited the food & beverage industry as they provide invaluable experience, and at the same time, they create healthy competition that “forces” other restaurants to up their game.

Over at Osia Restaurant in Resorts World Sentosa, we have Chef Scott Webster from Australia who is a consultant to the restaurant. He plays a big role in influencing the menu along with Chef de Cuisine Douglas Tay.

The restaurant has recently started a ‘Cooking with Friends’ series, where Chef Scott Webster would invite his chef friends to cook in Singapore. For the first instalment back in July, Chef Chris Taylor from Perth created a delectable menu with inspirations from Western Australia, including yellow tail kingfish, sea urchin roe, and truffle.

The theme of our meal: fresh Western Australia flavour.

We started with a ceviche of yellow tail kingfish with a lemon olive dressing.

Next up was the Manjimup winter truffle and porcini mushroom soup with truffle cream. It was a soul warming dish. I wish they would put this on the ala carte menu.

For main course, we had a golden spiced fillet of red sea bream on black dahl, pan fried gnnochi with goat cheese, and lamb shoulder slow cooked with walnut and chick peas. Then we ended the meal with a lovely Valrhona chocolate tart, served with espresso ice cream.

These dishes were prepared specifically for the week while chef was in town, so you won’t find them on the regular menu. But with Chef de Cuisine Douglas Tay at the helm, the food is always good at Osia (especially the flat bread, duo of Tasmanian lamb, and Valrhona hot chocolate soup).

If you are looking for a romantic restaurant to celebrate a special occasion, Osia Restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa should be at the top of your list.

Osia Restaurant
8 Sentosa Gateway
Level 2 Crockfords Tower
Resorts World Sentosa
Tel: +65 6577 6560
Sun to Wed: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm
Thu to Sat: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm

Note: This was an invited media tasting.

My adventure in Australia is drawing to a close, but I will like to share one final post with you: Adriano Zumbo. This is the patisserie that has caught Sydney by storm, this is the bakery that has created many lovely creations each season – this is the place in Sydney that I wanted to go the most.

Cakes arrived at our small round table, plated nicely. I’ve no idea exactly how the name Google it, Real life ($7.9) came about. But I do know for a fact that it is banana passion-fruit creme tart, and it is not just a pretty face. The diguise of almond croquante within the midst of the creme was clever; it added a crunchy dimension and provided a slightly salty aftertaste to the tart.

First and foremost: banana passion-fruit creme, a pretty orange-yellow layer on top of the crispy tart, beautifully dressed by the presence of the fresh berries. Banana and passion-fruit provided a good balance with each other, on it’s own, passion-fruit taste slightly sourish, but the banana is like the key to the lock, just like how chocolate always works with hazelnut.

The fine balance meant that neither fruits were overbearing, and in this case, it was rather surprising that both the banana and passion-fruit maintained a subtle, yet distinct flavor.

Your frund in the frudge.. toasted ($7.90), turns out to be a quirky interpretation of sandwich with tomato and cheese, in the body of a cake. I’ve ordered it solely based on the crispy puff pastry; the toast mousse had one of the weirdest taste I ever came across, flanked with the addition of the tomato jelly and the melted cheese creameaux, with hints of black pepper; I’d give it full marks for the creative idea, but it was too much for me.

Most of the creations have cheeky and whimsical names, and the 5, 6, 7, 8 ($8) is no exception. The flavors practically exploded on my tongue, each portion was trying to out-do the other; the lemongrass pandan & vanilla creame legere was by far my favourite among the three components of the cake.

You can discover the robust lemongrass taste among the smoothing and fragrance pandan; to the right of it there’s a case of identity crisis with the pineapple palm sugar sous vide – Adriano did something to it, but I’ve totally no idea whatever that is.

Coriander creamaux completes the trio with a peanut stable base the the bottom. 5, 6, 7, 8 is a highly complex creation, it looks good with the three complimenting colors, and there’s an intense mixture of different taste and texture involve – you’d either love it, or get lost trying to follow each and every unique flavor.

I’m glad we left the Not too S-h-a-b-b-y ($7.9) for the last, it was again, a combination of many different individual flavor, blend in to make one wholesome cake. There was flourless biscuit, muscavado creme brulee plantation chocolate mousse, and chocolate malt creme legere; all of which did not make sense to me. Tasting the stuff, one struggles for words, memories came flashing back and I felt like a kid again; I remember the first time I tried nutella, the first time I put foie gras into my mouth – I know my life will never be the same again.

It took every bit of discipline I had not to moan and giggle and rave after my first bite. I’m in love with this cake, so in love, she’s the reason for my very existence.

I’m really happy that I went to Adriano Zumbo patisserie before I left, his bold yet unique creations are indeed worth the effort to travel all the way there, I think Adriano Zumbo really deserves the accolade he has earned so far.

The fact that the patisserie is out of town in Balmain, yet managed to garner so much support, tells you everything about the desserts. Adriano Zumbo – he’s a genius! Thank you Richard & Simon for bringing me here!

* * *

This is the last post of my Twelve days in Sydney. It is not exaggerating to say that I planned the itinerary based on food, and all these will not be possible without the awesome food blogs in Sydney. I had the pleasure of meeting 50 Sydney food bloggers at a Christmas party while I was there; Helen & Lorraine are practically food bibles of Sydney, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Billy’s, Howard & crew and many other great food blogs that is impossible for me to list all of them here.

I’m not sure when I will be back again, but there’s something I’m certain of: Sydney is a great city, with real friendly folks, and good food. See you there!

Adriano Zumbo Patisserie
296 Darling St
Balmain, Sydney

I’ve a pleasant surprise when Billy asked me after our pigged-out, if I’m interested to visit him in Central coast, and when he mentioned sun, beach, and food – yes of course, I’ll love to!

It took me one and a half hours train ride from Central station to get to Terrigal; a major coastal suburb of Central coast, which is located north of Sydney. Upon arriving there, we went to a cafe patisserie, the fat goose for brunch.

We had no idea that the Grilled lamb fry ($21.50) was actually fried lamb’s liver, until the waitress clarified with us. It was served on creamy mashed potatoes with caramelized onions, and crispy bacon. Having tried pig liver, foie gras (goose liver), and duck pate (liver), I must say the lamb fry has an even gamier taste.

The wharfie ($16.50) had Toulouse sausages served on a seed mustard hush, topped with a gorgeous poached egg and covered with wild rockets. Pity there’s no hollandaise sauce though.

I’m sure, you have a different stomach for desserts, and I hope you will be salivating over the picture of the chocolate tart.

In the heart of Terrigal, there’s a rocky cliff called ‘the Skillion’ which provided an magnificent view of the long stretch of beaches. My dear, this is the place for our retirement in the future.

Sitting by the beach and watch the sun sets by the beautiful ocean, I knew this was going to be one of my best meals in Sydney. And it was. Like what Billy had told me, I’d go as far as saying this is one of the best fish & chips in Central coast!

I was very fortunate to be able to witness the cooking skill of Billy first-hand, he was preparing the Bo Ssam, a Korean cuisine where steamed pork is wrapped in lettuce leaf then accompanied by lots of condiments including kimchi, ssam sauce, for the Sydney Food Blogger picnic. And you wouldn’t know the dedication and effort put into making the dish unless you were there; he’d drizzled the sauce (oil released from the pork) over the meat on the hourly mark, the process repeats for six times , yes, it took six hours of roasting.

Searing hot sauteed mushrooms, crispy bacon, sunny side-up & golden brown toast for breakfast. This was in every way, the perfect breakfast anyone could ask for.

I had a great time in Terrigal, thank you Billy for inviting me to your house!

* * *

The Fat Goose
Shop 3, Killcare Road
Hardys Bay NSW 2257
Tel: 02 4360 1888

Haven Beach Cafe
The Haven
Terrigal NSW 2260
Telephone: (02) 4385 2061

The idea was to eat, eat, and eat, but plan b, or rather the lack of a proper plan, meant that we start at Plan B. We started off easy, but it was surely one of the best burgers that I’ve.

It took everything that I got to resist ordering another burger for myself, and missed out on all the stuff that was about to come – and so three hungry dude shared one burger.

Plan B by Becasse is famous for their wagyu beef burger, and at just ten bucks, you must try this burger! What is wagyu, anyway? When even the MacDonalds in Sydney sell Angus beef burgers, you probably think it’s not a big deal.

But the real wagyu burger, comes in the form of a thick beef patty, everything was kept simple; there’s no exotic ingredients like foie gras, nor were there redundant sauce – it was so good that you could feel the sauce gushing out! Interesting, beetroot was used, and it provided the contrast from the other burgers.

Plan B, 204 Clarance sheet, have you taken down the address?

It will be disappointing if one did not step into any pub/bar when in Australia. The folks here simply love (read: adore, head over heels, cannot do without) drinking. Be it a glass of the fine wines from the vineyard, or a pin of beer straight from the brewery, say cheers! There’s a strong drinking culture here; it’s not surprising to see people drinking during lunch time, or 3pm in the afternoon.

I was glad when Richard proposed that we make a trip to his favorite pub, Bavarian Bier Cafe for some beer to chill down the hot afternoon heat. Since I always have a sweet tooth, I went for the Mango, which had a smell consistency of the fruit. The taste however, did not have such a strong mango flavor.

No one in their right mind will pass on the chance to have German Sausages, and so we ordered a platter to share. There was a krunching sound when I bite the cracking roast pork, as with the German food that I visualize, it was hearty, tasty and definitely not enough.

‘Deep-fried sushi?’

Richard casually asked if we are keen to try it out, but I could sense the excitement in his seemingly-subtle-tone.

‘I don’t know, I’m not so sure.. about this’

And the next thing I know, we were standing in front of Kana Express kiosk. This is one place where most people wouldn’t have heard of, much less try the snacks here; an oblivious kiosk by the corner of a back alley.

The sushi was done Korean-style, and there’s other popular Korean snacks like spicy rice-cake, but our focus was on these two words: Deep-fried, & sushi.

As the guest, or so they said, I was entitled to the first bite. It was edible. I think one’s enjoyment of this sushi comes from the revelation of deep fried to the mind. On it’s own, the sushi tasted very tame, but the addition of the fiery hot chili sauce enhanced the flavor greatly.

I love summer. I really do.

Summer, is the perfect excuse for us to indulge with ice cream, and more ice cream. We dropped by Passionflower, a dessert cafe which exotic ice cream flavors. The choice of vanilla hazelnut & burnt caramel was made by me, the former was evidently the favorite, and I liked the nutty taste in the vanilla ice cream, while the latter had a strong burnt caramel taste.

Summer, is not summer, without ice cream.

I stole a glance at Krispy Kreme when we walked by the shop, and was immediately dragged in and convinced to have one (just one) of the original donut. This should be the definition of how a good donut taste like: glazed with a layer of sugar, yet not to the point of being cloyingly-sweet, there wasn’t any hint of oilyness that a poor donut will have. One, simply isn’t enough.

Our original plan was to have tonkatsu at a nearby Japanese restaurant, but it was closed by the time we got there, so we went to Harry’s instead. I’m sure, any reputable guidebook will list the pies & hotdog at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels as one of the must-try in Sydney. Tiger pie is particularly famous, but to be honest, I’m not very certain of it. Mashy and meaty, maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t really enjoy it.

On the other hand, we thoroughly enjoyed the hotdog, it was a shame that we only had one to share. I’d imagine one to hold the big sausage with both hands, and put the whole thing into the mouth!

While on the way to Max Brenner, we passed by Le Patissier and decided to stop here for some sweets instead. For a small place, they have quite an array of desserts to choose from. I wanted to try vanilla pastry cake but it wasn’t available that day, so we had the Lemon Ganache. The sourish lemon ganache provided a good counterbalance to the sweet chocolate layers, but the whole cake was too dry, and I’m not a big fan of kirsch that’s also present in the cake.

When the fork first sank into the Creme Brulee, we already came to the conclusion that it failed. And unsurprisingly, the surface of the dessert was not caramelized properly; it was either a leftover, or they had torched and caramelized too early. However, the custard underneath was actually quite decent, and there’s even vanilla beans used.

* * *
Just in case you are wondering again, yes, we ate all of these in one afternoon.

Plan B by Becasse
204 Clarence Street, Sydney 2000
Tel: 9283 3450

Bavarian Bier Cafe
24 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: 02 8297 4111

Kana Express kiosk
Corner of Central Street

Passionflower
580 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000

Krispy Kreme
Queen Victoria Building
429 – 481 George Street,
Shop 95 – 97 Lower Ground Floor,
Sydney, NSW 2000

Harry’s Cafe De Wheel
Haymarket, NSW 2000
Next to Paddy Maguires Pub
Tel: (02) 9281 6292

Le Patissier
50 Clarence Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 9299 0015

The sparkling mascato had that bubbly taste on the first instance it touches the tongue, i’ll like to call it the happy wine. There’s always the saying that white goes well with seafood while you have red for your meat, but it really depends on your own preference – the wine you like is the best wine.

There was three wine boutiques that we went to in Hunter Valley; Wollombi wines, Mount View estate, and Savannah. Even though I have not been a big vineyard before, but I like the personal and homely vibe that the smaller boutique exudes.

A simple damper sandwich can actually taste so good when you are sitting on a bench that overlooks the whole vineyard, with a glass of wine in hand.

And as for myself, I tend to favor white over red because there’s a sharp aftertaste of the latter that is spicy and hits the palate, or maybe it’s like what they say: you always start off with white and as you mature and grow older, then will you slowly appreciate red wine.

Now I’m not going to pretend I’m a wine connoisseur and have a lot of knowledge on wine, on the contrary I know hardly anything about them. During the wine tasting, I enjoyed most of the whites, especially the late harvest ones; they have a fragrant smell and sweeter aftertaste. Desserts wine are particularly a big hit for me, I love the sweet and charming taste, and it will definitely be perfect to end a meal with dessert and wine.

Wollombi Wine
25 Charlton Street (off Wollombi road)
Wollombi 2325

Mount View estate
502 Mount View road
Mount view NSW 2325
Tel: (02) 4990 3307

Savannah
Lot 211 Mount View road, Mount View
Tel: (02) 4990 6326

It’s always a good thing when visiting another country, especially when you are like me who usually do not research much on the place, to be in the company of fellow food bloggers.

I was fortunate to have my Sydney food blogger friends to show me around, and it was so much fun to hang out with them, everyone connected and soon we were chatting like we’ve known each other for years. And the food was good of course, no restaurant in their right mind will serve bad food to a group of hungry food bloggers.

Without Helen’s arrangement, I probably would never make it to Newtown, an suburb outside the city area, and I must say I’m glad I did. The place is a charming shopping paradise with the fashionable boutique by day, and when the sun goes down, it instantly transformed into a cool chilled-out area for all the night owls. The restaurant we’ve dinner was called Rowda Ya Habibi, they served Lebanese cuisine and we sat on the floor on cushions. Other than the exotic Lebanese cuisine, there was also special entertainment in the form of a belly-dancer, she’d danced around the room and then grab one of us up to dance (or rather move around) with her. Boy, it was hell lot of fun that night!

The eight of us went for the Extra Special Banquet ($30 per pax) which has a variety of 10 dishes selected by the chef. We began with Hummos, a chicken pea & sesame seed kind of dish that was really quite difficult to describe in terms of taste and appearance. The generous serving of Lebanese bread was somewhat like the Indian Naan, to dip with all kinds of sauces, and to be wrapped with the other sides to eat together.

I got confused by the Baba Ganooj because it looked so similar to the Hummos, but the main ingredient was smoked eggplant (one of the raw vegetables that I do not eat), and then all was good with the arrival of the fulsome Shish kebab, tender lamb fillets grilled on skewers that were mouth-watering.

In comparison to the Shish kebab, the Chicken skewers were much more tender, and juicy, and I couldn’t help stealing a glance around the table to see if there’s any leftovers. The remaining of the dishes include felafel, a deep-fried vegetarians balls of crushed chick pea (again), beans with spices, ladies finger which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Chinese fried spring roll, only that this one was filled with meat, onions and pine nuts.

Five minutes after we stepped out of the Lebanese restaurant, we headed further down the street for round 2 – ice cream! A few of the others unanimously agreed that Gelatomassi has the best (read: number one, top of the world, absolutely unbeatable) pistachio ice cream, and after trying it, I must say I agree with their judgment – it’s definitely by far one of the best green-nut ice cream that I’ve had before. The distinct pistachio nut taste would drive any fans of the green-nut crazy.

I’ve the ferrero roche flavour, which seemed tame after I tried the pistachio; it lacked the crunchy bite and wasn’t ferrero roche enough. Most of the folks didn’t like the lemon sorbet as they found it to be too sourish, but I on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the citrus sting. The other flavours we’d include chocolate cake, peanut, and strawberry.

Are we done? No, not yet, we went to another place in the Darlinghurst area called Messina for even more ice cream! Madness isn’t it? But that’s what happen when a group of food bloggers hang out together. The coconut lychee was a big hit here, but since I’m neither a fan of coconut nor lychee, it didn’t appeal to me. In addition, the second scoop was tiramisu which was pretty decent.

Afterwhich, the group of us went across the street to another place for frozen yogurt. It’s probably not the most sensible thing to do in the middle of a chilling night, but yet there’s nothing better than to sit out there in the cold weather while having ice cream and frozen yogurt.

‘Where are we going next?’ This simple question brought us to our fifth and final stop for the night, the very popular Chat Thai, in Chinatown. It was already midnight by the time we arrived at the place, and there’s still a long queue outside waiting to get in. No one could possibly miss out on Pad thai when in a Thai restaurant, so we had one to share. Just like the recent one that I’ve before I left for Sydney, it was sweet, not spicy at all, and the rice noodles were considerately thinner. I’d like my Pad thai to have lots of raw beansprouts and eggs, however Chat Thai’s rendition did not have enough of both to satisfy me.

* * *

Just in case you are wondering, yes we covered all these places within one night. This is the second part of my Twelve days in Sydney series, to be continued . . .

Rowda Ya Habibi
101 King Street Newtown
Tel: 02 9557 5368

Gelatomassi
262 King Street
Newtown NSW 2042
Tel: (02) 9516 0655

Messina
241 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Chat Thai
20 Campbell Street
Haymarket Chinatown
Tel: +61 (02) 9211 1808

It was supposed to be January, but it is almost April soon! Well, like they say, better late than never! Forty-four was the magical number this time, and I’m glad to see many of my regulars, and of course our new friends.

Salt & Pepper Calamari

We started with the simple appetiser, but I was too busy running from table to table that the calamari turned cold by the time I returned!

Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas

Dallas signature Quesadillas was one of the dish which I remembered from my previous visit. Tasting almost like a Mexican taco, there was chicken bits soaked with tomato in chicken broth.

Shredded Pork Tacos

Baby Back Pork ribs

There was some confusion when the ribs were served. The three different flavours of Fiery, Alabama & Smoked Hickory BBQ were too alike! Because we did everything in tasting portions, the pork ribs had to be cut and served this way, otherwise we were be there until four.

Dallas Wings

There was some feedback that the wings were too dry and lacked marination.

Tempura Barramundi

Corn & crab fritters

Beef Fajitas with Guacamole & sour cream

Breaded mushrooms

The “twin” brother which looked almost identical to the Corn & Crab Fritters.

***

A total number of 44 people turned up for this LIC food outing, thank you everyone! Like I’ve mentioned, there will be no date announced yet for the next lic food outing, I will try to organise it soon, so see you next time! I’ll also like to thank Jason, the owner for Dallas for hosting us.

I will be adding the group photos to my Facebook page later. Do add me there to see the photos!

Read about my previous visit to Dallas here.
And Catherine @ Camemberu
Julia @ AromaCookery
Fen @ Sgdessert
Keropok man @ Singapuradailymakanphoto

Dallas Restaurant & Bar
31 Boat Quay
Boat Quay Conservation area
Tel: 6532 2131
Website: http://www.dallas.sg/

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