Inspired by the Moroccan city of Marrakesh, La Fez Café & Bakery is a new Muslim-owned cafe with iconic horseshoe arches, rose pink and gold interiors, and Mediterranean dishes.

Located next to the Chinese-Indonesian restaurant Kota 88 in Siglap, La Fez Café & Bakery is currently still in the soft launch stage and reservations are highly recommended.

On the menu, you can find a selection of All-day Brunch dishes including Riad Breakfast (S$11.90), Majorelle Shakshuka with Feta Cheese (S$19.90) and Kesra Avocados on Soughdough (S$18.90).

Photo credit: La Fez

The Moroccan-inspired cafe also has mains that are prepared from the fire oven or cooked in traditional Moroccan earthenware such as Moroccan Harissa Chicken Legs (S$17.90), Fez Cous Cous with chicken (S$28.90) and Moroccan-style Rotisserie Chicken (S$32.90).

La Fez Café & Bakery is definitely an exciting addition to the growing list of cafes in the east of Singapore.

La Fez Café & Bakery
907 East Coast Road, #01-04 Springvale,
S459107

A restaurant, boutique wine bar and wine retail store all rolled out into one, Winestone—located in Mercure Singapore on Stevens—is a new kid in town that we love. It makes a perfect hangout venue for lovers of good food, better wine and swanky interiors.

As far as proper wining and dining is concerned, this bar and bottle shop has all your needs covered. Expect quality wines to set you back not more than S$10 a glass to S$42 a bottle. Not only that, the restaurant also dishes out Mediterranean platters that pair excellently with your vino of choice.

We particularly love the Winestone Express Platter that has it all from cured cold cuts, cheeses, olives, bread and even a glass of either white or red wine thrown in for good measure, but charcuterie and cheeses aside, the restaurant also boasts an extensive lunch and dinner menu that sees flavours and culinary techniques stemming from all corners of the Mediterranean from Italy all the way to Egypt.

Our readers can quote ‘ladyironchef’ to enjoy ladyironchef’s Set Dinner that includes a starter, 2 mains and 2 glasses of house pour wines at only S$90++.

Among the many swanky looking bars and restaurants nestled within the Steven’s Road enclave, this is quite possibly the most inviting and cosy one of the lot.

The warm hues, high ceilings, and low and slow music in the background all make for one heck of an intimate wining and dining experience.

3-COURSE LUNCH SETS

If you ever run out of lunch options in town, then allow Winestone’s lunch set to take you on a Mediterranean trip. At just S$35++, you get to enjoy a starter, a main and a dessert of which you can pick and choose from their lunch menu.

To start, we ordered the Falafel, Hummus, Minted Yoghurt, Olives, Semi-Dried Tomatoes (S$14++). Inanely crispy and brimming with a cumin-packed aroma, this spiced Middle-Eastern starter comes highly recommended.

To properly stand up against the spicy qualities of our starter, we got the 200g Grain-Fed Roasted Beef Fillet, Mashed Potato, Portobello, Charred Beans and Mushroom Sauce (S$30++). Properly seared on the outside and pink in the middle, the beef was tender with a prominent flavour coming through that was only made better with the umami-packed mushroom sauce.

Our dessert of choice for our lunch set was the Churros, Chocolate Sauce (S$12++). Served with bits of fresh fruit, whipped cream and chocolate, these golden nuggets of fried dough no doubt hit the spot.

For a truly seafood-oriented combination, go for the Pan-Seared Scallops, Chorizo, Crushed Peas (S$16++) to start with, followed by the Pan-Seared Seabass, Prawn Kataifi, Green Beans, Pesto and Tomato Shellfish Broth (S$26++).

The flavours were clean and delicate but still packed serious flavours. We particularly enjoyed the slices of chorizo that gave our starter some heat and a salty kick.

For dessert, we highly recommend the Catalane Tart, Berries, Lemon Sorbet (S$14) that promises a refreshing, zesty appeal that does well to balance out the palate.

Another main option that deserves a mention is the Rigatoni Pasta, Sun-Dried Tomato, Grilled Zucchini and Eggplants, Pomodoro, Parmigano (S$25++) that sees a gorgeous medley of colourful components perfect for a photo.

From the crunch of almonds, the soft, tender veggies to the slightly chewy al dente pasta, this dish is truly a treat to behold that marries both texture and taste wonderfully. We liked that the pesto flavour was kept relatively mild to allow the individual flavours to shine through.

LADYIRONCHEF EXCLUSIVE SET DINNER

As mentioned, our readers can quote ‘ladyironchef’ to enjoy a starter, 2 mains and 2 glasses of house pour wines at only S$90++.

The set dinner consists of an appetiser of homemade Hummus With Lebanese Bread (S$8++), two mains—the Cataplana (S$24++) and the 150 Days Grain-Fed MS2+ Beef Tenderloin (250g) (S$87++)—as well as 2 glasses of wine.

If you are craving for seafood, then we are pretty sure the Cataplana is perfect for you. It comes with squid, mussels, clams, tomatoes and capsicums that swim in a thick and hearty seafood broth.

Or if you are a die-hard carnivore like us, then the beef tenderloin—that features foie gras, asparagus, vine tomatoes and a punchy green peppercorn sauce—will have you smiling from ear to ear.

WINESTONE EXPRESS PLATTER FOR ONE

From the bright, salty notes of the pitted olives to the robust, meaty qualities of the cured meats, these items play a fundamental role in allowing one to truly savour the subtle yet complex notes of wine.

The Winestone Express Platter (S$22++) is served promptly in under 15 minutes—perfect for all you hungry and impatient diners—and comes with a mixture of cold cuts, cheeses, olives, bread and a glass of wine.

But these aren’t your typical store-bought nibbles, we’re talking about the Rolls Royce of charcuterie and cheeses here—from Jamon Iberico De Cebo, Brie De Meaux and more!

GRASS-FED ROASTED LAMB RACK (200G)

Another red meat option that you can consider is the Grass-Fed Roasted Lamb Rack (200g) (S$52++). Served with eggplant prepared in two ways, pomegranate, mint and salsa verde, this supposedly gamey meat is given a lift of freshness that works surprisingly well.

But of course, what better way to complement the dish than a glass of vino to truly round out those intense meaty qualities?

PELLEGRINO PIZZA

Great for sharing, the restaurant also brings to the table a taste of Italy in the form of the nation’s iconic pies. We sampled the Pellegrino Pizza (S$28++) and we can swear by the food gods that this was possibly one of the best renditions ever.

Although it lacked the traditional thin crust, we liked that the dough was fluffy yet crispy around the edges and the amount of toppings that went on this pie is by no means stingy. With every bite comes a medley of tastes from salty prosciutto, creamy mozzarella, briny olives and fresh basil.

Winestone’s concept revolves around the keywords: simple, attractive, authentic and affordable, so one thing you can probably expect is quality wines at affordable prices, from S$10 for a glass and S$42 for a bottle.

Wine lovers will be spoiled for choice with so many different bottles to choose from, from well-known vineyards to some lesser known regions and appellations across Europe.

Whether it’s a robust red or a crisp, bright white, there is bound to be a vino you will love.

Time to round up your best pals or even that special someone and make a trip down to Winestone! We promise you that the tummy fillers here are anything but boring and the wines are even better.

Mileslife is our favourite app to accumulate miles through everyday spending. You can earn 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.

Winestone

Mercure Singapore on Stevens
30 Stevens Road, #01-09
Singapore 257840
Tel: +65 6491 6100
Website: www.winestone.com.sg
(Closed on Sundays)
Monday to Saturday: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6pm – 12am (bar snacks are served after 10pm)
Nearest Station: Stevens MRT and Orchard MRT
Bus Number: 105, 132, 190, 972

Book a table: https://bit.ly/2GKKNBa

This post was brought to you by Winestone.

Platypus Test Kitchen at Clifford Centre is a very interesting place. They have an unique name, and it is kind of difficult to define the place.

What exactly is a test kitchen? Is it like a lab where the chefs experiment with different ingredients to come up with the best pasta in Singapore? Or is it just a name to catch the attention of customers? Knowing absolutely nothing about the place, my friend brought me to the restaurant at Raffles Place to try out their food.

The owners describe Platypus Test Kitchen as a casual Mediterranean bistro, specializing in hand-made pastas and seasonal Mediterranean fare.

For a small bistro, Platypus Test Kitchen has quite a few items on its menu. The appetisers section consists mainly of salad (Wild Rocket Salad, Caramelised Baby Carrots, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon) and soup (Leek & Crab Bisque, Wild Mushroom Soup, Vine-Ripened Tomato Soup). The pasta menu is divided into two corners: fresh handmade pastas (Summer Truffle Egg Tagliatelle, Four Cheese Tortellini) and their signature pastas (Carbonara, Aglio Olio, Prawn Pomodoro).

Prices range from $5 to $9 for the soup and appetisers, while most of the pastas are around $12 to $15. It is also worth noting that they have a few selections that are suitable for vegetarians.

With so many pastas on Platypus Test Kitchen’s menu, it took us a while before we finally chose the Squid Ink Seafood Marinara ($15.50) and Carbonara with Double-Smoked Bacon ($12.50).

Both the squid ink tagliatelle and the spagehetti with egg yolk based cream were a little too dry for my liking. While the squid ink pasta was generous with the ingredients, I definitely had better ones elsewhere. On the other hand, the Carbonara was decent but not fantastic.

It is clear that Platypus Test Kitchen caters to the office crowd in Raffles Place for lunch. They operate from 10.30am to 5pm on weekdays, while dinner is available only on Friday night from 5pm to 9pm, and they are closed during weekends.

Maybe we ordered the wrong pastas. But I can see myself coming back again to try the other items. The pastas are reasonably priced, and they have some interesting creations on the menu. If you are working in the Raffles Place area, gather your colleagues and head to Clifford Centre to try the pastas during lunch time.

Singapore Food Blog Review
Platypus Test Kitchen
24 Raffles Place
#02-02 Clifford Centre Singapore
Tel: +65 6533 7402

Well well, went to Alaturka at Bussorah Street with Weehong, Hongyi, Yixuan, Sherman. Wanted to try something more exotic because was getting a bit bored of eating chinese, western, and jap food. Its sort of a combination of turkey and mediterranean cuisine. I had make a reservation in advance, and they saved their best seat for us, which even had a roof that can be open so that we can look at the sky. So rule number one always make reservation before you go. We took a while before we can decide what to order because all of us did not try turkey food before : )

Wh had the kofte ($13.00) which was grilled lamb with rice and vege. Turkey really can cook their lamb, or at least at Alaturka they do it well.

Sherman had the Etlipide ($11.50) which was baked bread with chicken. Pretty good, i think its quite similar to Italy pizza, but if you had it as main course, its not really filling  

Yx ordered Adana chicken Kebab ($13.00), it has grilled chicken kebab with rice and vege  

Hy took the Iskender Kebab ($15.00) chicken with yogut. Hmm, it has lots of chicken, but then being the most expensive dish among us, it has no rice, so ordered one rice pilaf at $1.50. Not bad la, but considering it with the other dishes, the price a bit higher

I had the Kuzupirzola ($14.00) which was lamb chop with rice and vege. Although i do not eat lamb often, but the lamb chop here was good enough for me. Alaturka really do their lamb well service.

All in all, lamb is well done here, the chicken kebabs are also not bad, quite a number of variety of kebab and Ottoman specials they called it. No air-con, but hey come on, for the reasonable price and good food its worth it. If you want something special, Alaturka is the place for you.

68/69 Bussorah Street, 199437
Tel: 6294 0304  

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