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Food & Beverage
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Spring Court has the honour of being one of the, if not the oldest Chinese restaurant in Singapore. Founded in 1929, it used to be located at Great World Amusement Park (大世界) before finally settling at its current location at Upper Cross Street sometime in 2004.
Housed in a four storey heritage shophouse just opposite Chinatown Point, Spring Court spots white washed walls adorned with pictures and warm lighting, very much typical of a Chinese restaurant. The place is bustling when we arrive, a testament to the popularity of the place I guess?
Braised Beancurd With Scallop - I used to think that serving up beancurd dishes by weight or individual portions were the purview of upmarket Chinese restaurants but clearly, Spring Court has decided to buck that trend. It would have worked if the dish tasted great but unfortunately, it was anything but. The beancurd lacked smoothness and the savouriness that I personally like. Topped with a small piece of scallop and draped over with a mildly starchy meat sauce that had bits of chilli in it. Average.
Deep Fried Prawns With Salted Egg Yolk - The small portion had about 10 prawns or so (charged by weight) and came across as crunchy with a mild egg yolk taste (would have preferred something more pronounced actually). While decent, it lacked that savoury saltiness that is the hallmark of any good egg yolk prawn in my humble opinion.
Stir Fried Broccoli - Cooked just right, the broccoli was neither too hard not soft but could do with some wok hei. Nonetheless, greens are always welcome as they help break the monotony of rich foods.
Roasted Chicken - Mildly crisp skin coupled with moist meat and a good pinch of saltiness; a respectably tasty dish of roasted chicken.
Peking Duck - As part of a tie in with a credit card, a Peking duck was offered to us for a mere 85 cents (with minimum $85 expenditure). We opted to have the meat chopped up and served ($5 extra) over frying it with noodles ($12 extra) and to be honest, it was probably one of the worst Peking ducks I've had in a long while, on par with the sub $20 ones that go for sale at the Ubi area. The skin was mildly crisp but came wrapped in limp and dry crepes whilst the chopped up meat was rather oily and had a strong fowl taste to it amidst flittering hints of herbs. We gave up on it after a while.
Lotus Leaf Rice - Apparently a signature dish of Spring Court and one that required pre-booking, the lotus leaf rice or 荷叶饭 had a slight waxiness to it (which was good) with bits of dried sausage, egg and shrimp. However I did find it a little lacking in fragrance and flavour, coming across as bland and nothing like the delicious 荷叶饭 at Peony Jade Clarke Quay.
Dinner for the 6 of us was a rather inexpensive affair, at just over $190 or ~ $32/pax with decent service. However food quality was average at best as a whole and I really don't understand the hype or seeming popularity (yet another Red Star?) of the place. Sure, Spring Court has a long history but I don't see how that's going to bring it into the future.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
We were on a burger eating binge and ended up at Omakase Burger one weekend morning. Apparently OM serves up one of the best burgers in Singapore, as evidenced from the frequent citations in various media sources.
The place works (and looks) very much like a cafe. Prices are displayed overhead as well as at the counter where you place your order and make payment. Your food will be delivered to your seat. The interior is rather chirpy through the use of bright colours and bright lights (part of the lighting comes from the mall).
Omakase Chicken Sandwich Combo - We had the truffle fries with our chicken sandwich and it was unevenly splashed in truffle oil, which meant some portions of the fries bucket were dry whilst others were glistening with oil. Real classy.
And we thought that perhaps the chicken burger would do wonders. But we overestimated its potential. The chicken fillet was deep fried to a crisp but could do with a little more moisture (not oil) and seasoning to bring out the flavours. Read. Bland and oily. And I never thought I would ever say this but the batter was way too crispy for my liking and it unceremoniously left a few puncture wounds in my mouth. Almost fifteen bucks for the sandwich alone, seriously? Did I mention that the sandwich was small? Think the golden arches' fillet o fish size, maybe a whisker larger.
Applewood Smoked Bacon Cheeseburger Combo - And in continuing the tradition of small burgers, the bacon cheeseburger was, well, small, by many accounts. However it did taste much better than it's friend, the chicken burger. The patty was done to medium but came across as more oily than juicy whilst the bun, though soft, was bland. The highlight of the burger was definitely the applewood smoked bacon; crisp without coming across as too dry, imbued with a nice smokiness and saltiness.
Available only on weekends, the signature beef tallow fries were pretty good; golden brown exterior with a lingering bovine aftertaste. Think McD's fries on a good day. The fries could do with a little more moisture though.
Both our burger combos came up to almost $53 which was quite pricey considering the size and quality of the burgers. In short, Omakase Burger was a let down and is nowhere near Suprette's offering, neither in size nor in taste.
See all my pictures here.
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The wife and I are quite a fan of Gordon Ramsay, having dined at his eponymous restaurant in London less than a year back. So when it was announced that Bread Street Kitchen (BSK for short), his first foray into Singapore, would open for business on 19 June 2015, we immediately made reservations for the following weekend.
Located near a corner of the swank The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, BSK prides itself on serving up a British European menu with fresh seasonal produce and takes up 2 levels of space (B1 and L1) at the mall. From our observations, the dining area on B1 is much smaller and consists mostly of bar counter seats as well as an open concept kitchen while L1 offers a more expansive dining area with lots of natural light (from the floor to ceiling glass panels) and views of the surrounding Marina Bay area.
Although the place markets itself as an informal dining space, there is a smart casual dress code listed on the website. But enforcement probably isn't strict as I did notice quite a few people in bermudas and slippers. Note to self to wear favourite pair of slippers next time round.
Complimentary Bread - Served barely lukewarm, the complimentary bread basket didn't quite impress and I must say that the bread roll was rather dense and compact (in a good way) but with an yeasty aftertaste.
Traditional Fish & Chips, Crushed Peas, Tartar Sauce - I'm usually not a huge fan of fish and chips but this was pretty decent; light, crispy batter coupled with mildly sweet, tender flesh. Accompanied by a richly smooth tartar sauce and a sweetly refreshing crushed pea puree (I think there was a sprinkling of thyme in it, which explains the lingering, mild mint like cooling effect). The fries were crisp and nicely salted but having said that, I'm more of a fan of shoestring fries.
Irish Angus Rib-eye Steak 12oz 28 Days Aged Grass Fed - Irish beef is purportedly gaining in popularity for its quality and if BSK's Irish Angus Rib-eye is anything to go by, I'm quite inclined to agree. The 12oz (~340g) piece of steak was done to an almost perfect medium rare, lightly salted, tender with bits of chewy fat and full of juicy flavour. At $68 (definitely not casual dining prices though), this could really give the steakhouses in Singapore like Morton's and Ruth's Chris a serious run for their money.
Macaroni Cheese with Garlic Roasted Crumbs - This was a side that was meant to be served together with our mains but unfortunately, the mac & cheese didn't show up till we were almost done. And if we hadn't asked halfway through, I'm not sure if it would even show up. The much longer than usual wait aside, the mac & cheese, though rich and cheesy with a nice crunch from the roasted crumbs, tasted more like béchamel sauce than cheese. Nothing like the mac & cheese from The White Rabbit (though I once had a nasty rendition from them ~ 2 years back)
Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding, Muscovado Caramel, Clotted cream - And on to desserts. Our toffee pudding tasted like a more refined version of the banana cake from Bengawan Solo; moist, with a rich banana taste and a sweet finish from the caramel. Not a big fan of clotted cream though.
Treacle Tart with Crème Fraiche Ice Cream - A traditional British dessert (and a favourite of Harry Potter), the treacle tart sported a crusty, uneven surface and a rather dry, crumbly filling on a base of rock hard pastry. I've never had a treacle tart before and this virgin exposure was somewhat pleasant although it did come across as overly sweet and a tad stodgy. Thank god for the crème fraiche ice cream, which helped to maintain a balance with its light sourish notes.
There was an issue with the Point of Sale (POS) system so we had to wait ~ 15 minutes for our final bill (our initial bill had apparently been settled with an unknown credit card number). Boo-boos aside, at close to $172 for 2 pax, it's honestly a little pricey, especially for the quality of food and the "informal/casual" labeling of the restaurant. Service was spotty (our bottle of water never got refilled until I asked) but the staff do try to be friendly.
Overall, BSK strikes me as a decent place to have a meal if you are at Marina Bay Sands but I wouldn't see it as a specific dining destination. Having said that, if BSK can iron out the kinks and refine their pricing strategy, I'll be happy to return, if only for the steak.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Common Man Coffee Roasters, a collaboration between Harry Grover of 40 Hands, Five Senses Coffee and the Spa Esprit Group (behind brands such as Skinny Pizza, Tiong Bahru Bakery, ODP etc) and one of the "in" places to have brunch at in recent days. Desperately wanting to feel young again, I made the long trek to Martin Road (cut throat parking charges!) to try and wrangle a table for brunch (they don't take reservations).
Full Breakfast - The Full Breakfast consisted of 2 free range organic eggs done in any style (I had mine poached), bacon, sausage, tomato salsa, chorizo hash brown, mushrooms and pork cannellini beans with artisanal sourdough toast. In all honesty, everything was pretty average and nothing really stood out. It was just a mixture of flavours that happened to find find themselves on the same plate. At $26 , this was really quite expensive.
A coffee and a breakfast platter cost almost $36. I usually wouldn't blink at such a price but quality of food really doesn't justify the price. So what brings locals and expatriates alike to CMCR? Is it the coffee? The food? The service? The sense of belonging? I really wouldn't know but I'm guessing it's not the food.
See all my pictures here.
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We dropped by Wildfire Kitchen for brunch one Saturday morning, in search of their highly raved about burgers. But alas, burgers weren't available till 12pm so we had to order off the breakfast menu.
Taking over the spot vacated by Hatched along the leafy stretch of Evans Road (just across the road from MOE), Wildfire Kitchen spots a cafe like amostphere with cement screed floors, metallic chairs, overhanging exposed tungsten light bulbs, free seating and a "pay and collect your food at the counter" ordering process.
Swiss Rösti - The rösti was deliciously crisp on the outside without coming across as overly charred whilst the scrambled eggs had a nice creaminess (a little less milk would be much appreciated though) to it. Best eaten with the chewy, mildly charred sourdough bread and the firm, savoury Toulouse pork sausage. Only gripe I had was that the salt content in the rösti seemed to be unevenly distributed; some parts were saltier than the others. Nonetheless, a pretty nice dish overall.
Wildfire Breakfast - Wildfire's namesake breakfast aka the big breakfast. Fresh tasting hash browns (no recycled oil taste), savoury Toulouse sausage, mushrooms, a choice of egg (I chose poached), crisp bacon, greens and toast. The eggs were mostly runny (a tad overcooked as a tiny part of the yolk had already hardened) and went well with the sourdough. Pretty decent as well.
Brunch for the both of us cost a relatively reasonable $52. Quality of food was a notch above average and I like that there's no service charge imposed. Do note that its cash or nets only so don't be caught unprepared like yours truly.
And I went back during lunch one weekday to specially try out their burgers.
The Works - This had everything thrown in (120 day grain fed beef patty, baby spinach, bacon, rösti, Parmesan crisp, onion rings, fried egg, tomatoes, beer caramelised onions, guacamole and signature sauce) and was it a feast for the eyes; the sheer monstrosity of all the ingredients stacked up layer by layer and culminating in a beautifully (but partially) glazed bun. Unfortunately it wasn't quite as good as it looked. By virtue of the many ingredients, there were too many competing flavours in every mouthful and it was difficult to have all the flavours gel together. Sometimes less really is more. That aside, the patty (done to a requested medium) was a little too mushy for my liking and the buns could do with a little more time on the griddle to achieve a nice crisp. Still a decent burger nonetheless but it definitely won't be near the top of my list that's for sure. Maybe their basic or specialty burgers might fare better.
And of course the bill. I'll probably return just to have another burger before coming to a conclusion. But for now, I still very much prefer Suprette.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
We often drove/walked past Hatter Street Bakehouse & Cafe and the place used to be rather quiet until it got featured in a few publications as well as The Straits Times. Intrigued by the hype, we popped by one weekend afternoon for a dessert fix. And even at about 3pm, the place was still pretty full (it's actually pretty small and cramp) but we were lucky to snag two counter seats facing the pedestrian walkway.
Chocolate Hazelnut Tart ($6) - I love a good chocolate hazelnut tart and this was actually pretty good; Chilled, smooth richly yet not too sweet chocolate encased within a crumbly tart shell and topped with a hazelnut. Only gripe I had was that the shell was a tad too moist and could do with a little more stiffness.
Waffle With Pandan Ice Cream & Gula Melaka Sauce ($9.80) - This was a rather unique combination and it piqued our interest quite a fair bit. Crisp waffle (I found it a tad too hard for my liking though) coupled with a scoop of smooth, mildly flavoured pandan ice cream and drizzled over with a distinctive yet not cloyingly sweet gula melaka (palm sugar) sauce. Pleasantly nice local twist to a western dessert I must say.
Will I be back? Most probably, since I don't stay too far off. However Ciel Patisserie might still be my top choice for desserts in the same area as it's cheaper, has less crowds (although seating is even more limited) and quality as a whole is rather similar. Only downside is that they don't do waffles.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
It was restaurant week again and we decided to do Chinese for once. Since neither of us had ever been to Summer Palace, we decided to give their lunch a shot.
Located on the third floor of Regent Singapore, just a level above Basilico, Summer Palace houses a rather traditional Chinese interior complete with wooden chairs, golden pillars and a floor of red trim carpeting. We were lucky to be seated by the window (3 such tables available) but there was honestly no view to speak of except for the pool below and the hotel guests sunbathing by it. Still, I appreciated the serenity of the whole place.
Chef's Dim Sum Selection - Deep Fried Prawn Roll with Mango - I liked the crisp, deep fried rice noodles that encapsulated bits of crunchy prawn but unfortunately, the taste of mango was almost non existent. What was interesting was that the mayonnaise that came served alongside actually had hints of mango in it. Or was I imagining things?
Barbecued Pork Bun with Pine Nuts - Boasting a crusty, not too sweet top and a generous filling of sweet, mildly gooey BBQ pork, the bun was actually pretty respectable. However, unlike my personal favourite from Lung King Heen, the sweetness from the BBQ pork actually overwhelmed the nutty taste of the pine nuts and the bun itself wasn't as soft or chewy.
Steamed Prawn Dumpling with Bird's Nest -This was your typical 虾角 with a mere aesthetic upgrade aka tasteless shreds of birds nest. Throw in a relatively limp dumpling skin and you have an average prawn dumpling.
Double Boiled Ginseng with Fish Maw, Conpoy and Bamboo Piths - Although I'm personally not a fan of ginseng, this soup was quite good in my humble opinion. Tasty yet light with the mild taste of ginseng helping to keep the nausea at bay and the spongy fish maw coming across as crunchy.
Stir Fried Fish Cubes with Asparagus in Teriyaki Sauce - Flaky and smooth flesh coupled with a light sweetness from the teriyaki sauce and a mild savouriness from the stir fried garlic and ginger. Pretty good. Only issue I had was that the sweetness of the teriyaki dominated the natural sweetness of the cod fish, which I personally am quite a fan of.
Fried Glass Vermicelli with Crabmeat and Black Pepper - A tad chewy with an abundance of wok hei, crab meat shreds and black pepper for that mildly peppery kick, the glass vermicelli was pretty decent. And the beansprouts added a nice crunchiness to it.
Combination of Desserts - Osmanthus Jelly with Wolfberries - Nice and sweet with the wolfberries tasting very similar to raisins.
Mango Sago - Chilled and a tad runny but thankfully, not too sweet. Not as refreshing as I expected and could probably do with a little tartness and a little more time in the fridge.
Lemongrass Jelly - I absolutely dislike lemongrass but this turned out surprisingly acceptable. The lemongrass taste was rather faint and it tasted like your regular ice jelly dessert with crunchy bits of aloe vera. Very decent.
And so concluded our lunch, with two restaurant week lunch sets and a pot of 龙井 hitting the century mark. Pretty satisfactory lunch but I personally don't deem it wow enough for a return visit, not when the normal ala carte prices seem a tad steep for the quality of food. Service was excellent though; warm yet unintrusive.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I was in search of a good burger, having been recently disappointed by W39's over-hyped rendition and word on the street was that Suprette served up one of the best burgers in Singapore in current times. Since it wasn't too far from our place, the wife and I decided to drop by one Sunday morning for brunch (yay to free parking at the public carpark).
Suprette is actually housed in the heritage Kam Leng Hotel (first established in 1927 and later extensively refurbished and reopened in 2012), along the busy and sometimes chaotic Jalan Besar Road. The simply furnished eatery is quite small and can probably take up to about 30 customers in one sitting. As it is located on the ground floor, all the views you get are of cars and passers-by (relatively rare). But the place is cosy in it's own right, exuding an unhurried, small world charm amidst the hustle of the passing traffic. However, having said that, pray for quiet patrons. During our visit, there was a relatively loud table who held us hostage with their gossips and that marred our experience quite a fair bit.
Pasta Of The Day - Pasta of the day happened to be Carbonara so went for it. In a "tribute" to the local dining scene, the spaghetti is served on a water resistant brown foil (like those you would get at nasi lemak or economic beehoon stalls) placed in a old school tin plate. Or maybe they just wanted to save cost and do away with the fancy tableware. Anyways, the spaghetti was a little overcooked while the cream sauce came across as a tad runny. Throw in generous handful of porky, fat laden bacon bits and you end up with a rather uninspiring rendition of this Italian classic. I reckon I could get something similar at a random western food stall in Singapore, at a fraction of the cost.
Suprette Burger - The sole reason why we were here; Suprette's eponymous burger, with an additional topping of bacon and mushrooms ($3 apiece). Soft buns slathered with butter and toasted on the griddle till crisp and golden brown on the surface, sandwiching a juicy, beefy patty with bits of fat for that extra chewiness and topped with a layer of gruyere cheese which imbued it with a faintly sweet, nutty taste.The additional topping of mushrooms was worth it, adding an earthy perspective to the mix but the bacon did come across as a tad too crisp, dry and lacking in salt. Overall still a good burger and one of the best I've had in a while (last one was at Minetta Tavern in New York).
There is only 1 dessert available daily and we didn't fancy what was on offer that day (lemon meringue pie with vanilla ice cream) so we skipped it.
At $20 for a basic burger with fries, it is honestly a little on the pricey side but I reckon it's well worth the dough. Service was decent and I'll be happy to return just for the burger (and the nostalgia from the hotel), minus the bacon strips of course.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I had read about W39's awesome burger in the various (un)conventional media outlets and eagerly made my way down with my colleagues one weekday afternoon to partake in the consumption of one of my favourite dishes.
The Place & Menu - Nestled within the quiet private estate stretch of Jalan Mas Puteh and playing neighbour to KFC, W39 stands out with its cosy yet rather quirky interior with a nostalgic nod to yesteryear. Think bare floors, brightly coloured chairs, and knick knacks from my childhood (okay I'm old).
Wagyu Burger - The main reason why I was here, the much raved about wagyu burger. I should had known better. For starters, it was relatively tiny (think McD's new Big Mac size but without the middle slice of muffin) and the bun was dry and insipid though crisp in some parts. Instead of medium rare as per my request, the patty came medium well but looked like it had hemorrhaged just before service (check out the amount of blood soaked up by the bun). Taste wise, it was rather similar to McD's Quarter Pounder patty, albeit coming across as slightly thicker. And the cheese atop tasted almost non existent. In my humble opinion, this burger doesn't even meet the mark for a normal, non fast food beef burger, much less a wagyu beef burger. How it is so highly raved about honestly confounds me.
Mister Chocolate - Apparently the best selling dessert at W39 (according to a placard in the display fridge), the Mister Chocolate did manage to provide a wee bit of redemption after the less than satisfactory burger experience. Smooth and rich chocolate fudge covering and flowing through the moist sponge whose texture was strangely similar to huat kueh (Chinese steamed cake). Top up $2 for a scoop of average quality vanilla ice cream. Overall still a decent dessert.
Rainbow Cake - As vibrant and appetising as the rainbow cake looked, it was actually pretty bad. The buttercream was stodgy and eating it was akin to chomping straight down into a cube of butter. Dry sponge layers definitely didn't help one bit. It was so bad that there was quite a bit left over.
Lunch for the 3 of us cost almost $87, which was pricey considering the quality of food. Service was alright but it will take more than service and a cosy ambience to get me to return.
See all my pictures here.
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I had heard about the rather exclusive (served in limited quantities on a first come first serve basis and only during lunch) but delicious lobster rolls at The Naked Finn and decided to try my luck one weekday afternoon.
But first, getting a table. Strolling into the place at 12pm sharp got me the very last counter seat. And boy was I grateful. The place is tiny, with approximately 10 counter seats and another 10 table seats inside the seemingly make shift premises. Outside there are probably another 10 seats but unfortunately those are not open during lunch.
Lobster Roll With Homemade Mayonnaise - 90g of warm, sweetly succulent lobster chunks wedged between a crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside, pan fried brioche that boasted a smooth butteriness. The dollop of homemade mayonnaise imbued a smooth and creamy finish with a nice piquant aftertaste. Very good! Only gripe I had was pertaining to the fries, which were double fried till extremely dry and in some cases, burnt. Good fries should retain a certain degree of moisture beneath a crisp surface in my humble opinion.
Lobster Roll With Crème Fraîche - As I was still hungry after my first lobster roll, I had a go at another one but this time opting for the other alternative on the menu; Lobster roll with crème fraîche instead of homemade mayonnaise. And the verdict? The crème fraîche was noticeably lighter on the palate but it killed the butteriness of the brioche and dulled the crustacean sweetness of the lobster. Homemade mayonnaise is definitely the way to go in my humble opinion. Did I also mention that shortly after my order was sent to the kitchen, the place ran out of lobster rolls for the day? And it was barely past 1pm!
ps: I skipped the fries, naturally.
A cholesterol level busting lunch cost just shy of $70, which isn't expensive for lobster rolls, especially in Singapore. Quality was very good and just a wee bit below that of Burger & Lobster in London but marginally better than Luke's Lobster in New York. Service was good and I liked that sky juice was served free of charge as well. There were other things on the menu that seemed interesting as well but somehow I can't quite reconcile paying almost $30 for a bowl of prawn noodles vis-à-vis topping up a few dollars more for a lobster roll. I'll definitely be back!
Update - And I went back 3 times in the space of 3 weeks, with varying degrees of quality in the fries (twice burnt and once perfectly fried with a touch of salt. Quality control issues?). The lobster rolls remained delicious though but during my third visit, the buns seemed to have lost a bit of their butteriness and came across as a tad dry.
See all my pictures here.
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