Sin Lee Foods: Soulful nosh
Labels:
all-day-breakfast,
big groups,
brunch,
cafe,
fried chicken,
hidden finds,
must go,
tiong bahru,
waffles,
will return
·
Some days when the cravings for Chicken and Waffles get a little too overbearing to handle, I slip on some decent shoes and head out the house in search for instant gratification at Sin Lee Foods (though I am now considering standing in line for 30mins under the hot sun for a taste of the forbidden fruit from Clinton Street Baking Company...that can wait). However, confessions first, this plan always fizzles midway, at this very juncture, hunger takes precedence and a toss up between a nearer cafe and this one, often ends up with the former emerging victorious. A tragic outcome, evident from my last visit being in July last year. You can read about it here.
Bochinche (revisited): The stars remain aligned
Labels:
affordable,
big groups,
desserts,
hidden finds,
modern,
must go,
restaurants,
robertson quay,
romantic,
special occasion,
tapas
·
There exists a blurry line between Bochinche being a great bar or a great restaurant. Mainly because it does both with intuitive nature, as though it's an intrinsic part of its being. Plop your tush by the bar and lap on some interesting underpriced wines from the Argentinian region or shake up your own Chimchurri Bloody Mary table-side. Your life, your call. Just that my advise would be a little cocktail don't hurt nobody.
Now with a new menu of exciting small plates for sharing, dining at Bochinche just got a whole lot easier on the pocket and with the added benefit of having a wider variety of items tantalise the tastebuds. Some most orders: the Watermelon salad with mozzarella cream and tomatoes and the Ox Tongue topped with Parmesan foam, that is such a festival of textures and tastes, it makes you cantillate songs of praise to have working teeth and a tongue in your head.
Weekend Haunts: Vasco + Long Chim
Weekends are hard to come by, and when it does swing by, we hit hard and paint the town red. Whilst you're at it, make sure to get some good grub into your system; because nothing fuels the fun more than positive dining experience.
So, here are some places to check out over the coming weekend! Let's make a date.
Newly opened cocktail bar, Vasco located on Hong Kong street has got some mean grind, knowing that its current team spirit constitutes of those gregarious ones from leading local cocktail bar, The Cufflink Club; and with kitchen muscle provided by former executive chef of Esquina Tapas Bar, we've got a formidable force on our hands.
Shake Shack - The Alshaya Food Tour in Dubai
Labels:
affordable,
american,
burgers,
casual,
dubai,
family friendly,
must go
·
Toss a coin out, even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Singapore, and you'll probably hit someone who has heard of Shake Shack, or even better still, someone who is a big fan of the brand.
Being the burger fanatic, I've heard myths and legends about the roadside NYC 'burger' stall that had achieved cult status and since then, went forth to open up chains throughout the world.
And today, I sought to challenge that myth. Putting Shake Shack through the mill, with a series of burger debauchery and mindless gluttony.
The Alshaya Food Tour: iHop + P.F.Chang's
Labels:
affordable,
all-day-breakfast,
big groups,
dubai,
family friendly,
pancakes,
will return
·
I willed my stomach into ordering something from the dinner menu, 'it's just for tasting purposes', I convinced myself despite the gut's relentless protest; something about being over fed. I ignored it - then my mind wondered to the additional paragraphs I had to add to the growing review. *Groans*
If you think there's such thing as a free lunch? There isn't.
As part of The Alshaya Food Tour that has journeyed across half the globe to taste test 4 American-based brands, iHop, Shake Shack, Texas Road House and P.F. Chang's, who coincidentally have set their sights on stepping foot into the South East Asian market; we had to do our due diligence.
Reports before 11pm every night? I'm on it!
Read on for the low down on what to expect should you be lucky enough to have these giants embrace our shores.
Gin Khao: I wish I have more than two thumbs (up)
Labels:
affordable,
big groups,
desserts,
dinner,
East Coast/ Joo Chiat,
family friendly,
hidden finds,
lunch,
must go,
spicy,
thai food
·
I will get to the heftier items on the menu. I will sing praises about the Stir Fried Squid with Runny salted egg, that I still finish the sentence usually with a longing sigh. I will reminisce the intensely flavored Kang Ob Woon Sen, the glass noodles dampened with the concentrate of seafood broth and stippled with Thai garlic and pepper. I'll try to explain how I manage to make space for the Thai Green curry Gelato and sticky rice at the end of lavish meal- because it was so good - in due time. All in due time.
Restaurant Sela: Modern European with a fleck of Asian confusion
Labels:
affordable,
bugis,
cityhall,
degustation,
fusion,
hidden finds,
may return,
modern,
seah street,
special occasion
·
Situated between Cityhall and Bugis, Seah street is home to one of my favourite baking supplies shop; my frequent visits to the joint during my better days as a budding pastry chef blinding me to potential great food experiences along the way as I spearheaded my way thru Raffles Hotel with cumbersome bags full of chocolate and dry ingredients to spin up sweet tales in my kitchen. Apart from my distasteful meal at Third and Sixth that forever left a mark on my soul (read about it here), Seah Street occupied no space on my map to achieve culinary satiety on local shores. Up till now.
This is SELA, an industrious restaurant dressed in a gobs of muted whites and muji like shades of wood and old fashioned tweed; fortuitous swirls of ink across white canvas decked the walls with their artsy intentions. Pushing past all that, I was solely focused on the food, having heard some amazing stuff about the petite courses, I came armed with expectations. Some of the most dangerous weapons, so they say...
Creature S: Twisted creatures that are best not to disturb
Labels:
expensive,
farrer park,
fusion,
hidden finds,
little india,
overrated,
will not return
·
Here's a little Thursday jeremiad.
Creature S....All that initial excitement, pumped up by deliciously spun tales and sights of its artfully decorated interior; plummeted to the ground after a very lackluster dinner crippled by horrendously amatuerish service. The only thing keeping us calm at the table whilst we received one glass of wine as opposed to the two that we ordered, was the therapeutic lemongrass aromas wafting through the air, reminiscent of a spa experience. Except that in place of amiable ladies in waiting, sophomoric adolescent boys took their place, typing on their phones furiously while our backs were turned.
Cha Thai: an Air of Confidence
Labels:
big groups,
chinatown singapore,
expensive,
family friendly,
hidden finds,
telok ayer,
thai food,
will return
·
Leah, business owner and head chef strides out of the kitchen, aromatic wafts of Thai Basil following in her wake. With a firm handshake exchanged, she proceeds to vouch for the quality of the menu, stopping briefly to evaluate our likes and dislikes before pushing out her recommendations . "People who don't go the wet markets to shop wouldn't understand why our food is so expensive," She laments, "but we only use the freshest of ingredients that we pick personally that's why the price." I shrug in contention at her unsettling air of confidence. However, the instant she dropped the French Culinary Institute background training, I was sold on her promise that her clear Tom Yum Goong would be "nothing like you've tried in Singapore before."
Open Farm Community: In the Weeds.
Labels:
big groups,
brunch,
cocktails,
dempsey,
hidden finds,
must go,
pasta,
special occasion,
sunday brunch,
will return
·
Disclaimer: In case you had the impression that I was going to slam Open Farm Community's garden nosh, no chance; by "In the Weeds", I meant the state of your poor stomach as it churns up its indignation in view of your unsuppressed gluttony at the table. Point is, you can't help it - food at OFC beckons with a spellbinding light that rendered me a minion, the fork doing relentless runs between the beautiful crockery and my mouth.
Open Farm Community plays a familiar game, the hipster playground that has accidentally allowed you in - rampage its grounds with a ping pong table (that could incidentally also double up for a beer pong table) in a vibrant shade of yellow on the porch; yet still retain a bit of its verdant nature with sprawling green pastures sporting an extensive spectrum of herbs and spices that would eventually end up on your plate in one form or another ~ Walk through the first extension of the establishment and you'll find memorabilia and cutesy baby-related merchandise from Tinydipity, there, traverse pass the covered corridors to the inner sanctum; a glasshouse-esque setup with an open-kitchen style pass; the orgy of chefs threading in tandem making for a fascinating sight.
That's until the food starts spilling out onto the tables...
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