Showing posts with label chickenwings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chickenwings. Show all posts

The Alchemist Beer Lab: Food before Drinks. always.

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Labels: , , , , , , , , , , · Posted by Sihan at

Who's a Top Chef fan like I am? The first time I saw infusion used to similar capabilities as what The Alchemist Beer Lab does was when Season 10 winner Kristen Kish picked up a cream whipper in a quick-fire challenge; stuffed in her slab of fish coupled with a few sticks of bruised lemongrass and other aromatics and charged it twice before giving it a good hard shake. Why? Simply because pressure causes the flavors to be pushed into the protein faster, almost like marination on steroids. Now, why didn't I think of this...

Apologies for the geek talk, let's move on the subject of The Alchemist Beer Lab and their striking new presence in the South Beach precinct. What I love about this place, aside from the looming towers of ice cold beer, are the towering ceilings. There's nothing quite like a spacious act to induce the thirsties. At Alchemist Beer Lab, they perform major reconstructive work on the beers by injecting flavor via infusion. And not just any beer at that, since they are the brainchild by the same team behind microbrewery pub Little Island Brewing Co., mostly their concoctions are put in play. Soliciting the help of beer towers imported from Poland and The United States, ingredients ranging from marshmallows to pineapple slices, apple slices and thyme are placed in (HUGE AMOUNTS) the fusion chamber and this is followed by a quick release of compressed gas before beer is dispensed into the tower. This tedious process which involves lots of sanitisation in the midst helps to maximised flavor extraction to produce some delightful twists to the base beer.
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Cafe Iguana: More than just Margaritas

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Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , · Posted by Sihan at

Cafe Iguana, like its big brother company, Brewerkz, just down the road; has always been an institution along these tourist busted lane ways of Clarke Quay. With mismatched walls in crazy block colors, hanging lamps and trailing fairy lights, the decor is as kooky Mexican as it can get. 

Since, my covert love for a good Mexican meal has always been unrequited in Singapore, unlike in Sydney where I had my fair stash of regular haunts; I was very much open to the idea of a tasting session over at Cafe Iguana; which if my memory serves me well, saw me getting sloshed at a tender age of 18 on a flight of very potent margaritas. So, the reputation for dishing out some solid margaritas stuck. But, how does Cafe Iguana deal on the food foray? Let's suss it out!
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Ginza Lion Beer Hall: New location @ Suntec City Mall

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Labels: , , , , , , , , , , · Posted by Sihan at

I wiped my beer moustache with gusto after mustering a heavy weight lifting motion from table to mouth, as I lavished in my first sip of ice cold Sapporo beer from a boot ($18 for 600ml or $16 at Happy Hour, 11am - 8pm daily). Hell yeh... what a treat to escape from the sweltering afternoon heat.

Ginza Lion Beer Hall, owned by the Sapporo Lion Group, is a spacious beer hall with lofty ceilings and plush sofas complete with lacquered dark wooden tables to complete that German Beer hall look. Serving a wide variety of pub themed foods, big on flavor with similarly portioned mugs of beer to grace the tables, a trip to Ginza Beer Hall with friends and family will be a thoroughly enjoyable experience for sure.
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On The Table: It's got Soul

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Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , · Posted by Sihan at

On the Table, a sizable cafe hidden away in the sleepy western suburb of Pasir Panjang, has always been in my good books. Ever since my first visit last year (you can read about it here), I have always preached about its affordable cuisine and generous portions.  

Second time's a charm as well. With it's amicable disposition obviously winning over my regular patrons along the way - Dinner on a peaceful Tuesday sees a full-house in the dining room. With tables being turned over rapidly at the blink of an eye. The service staff, as if feeding off the energy of the brisk business, were a vigilant lot.
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Folks Collective: food that brings tears to your eyes.

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Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , · Posted by Sihan at


Tears welled up in my eyes as I tucked into the food. Yes, so admittedly,  the food was good, but it was even spicier. 

Having quite a reputation as a drinking spot of sorts, we put the food at Folks Collective to the taste test.

The Grilled Pork Neck Salad ($10.90) packs quite a mean punch and had us gathering our skirts up in buckets of sweat and dirty whistling in between gulps of ice cold water. Sips on our house wines that came surprisingly cheap due to the festive promotions ($5.50 for a glass of NY Merlot/NY Sauvignon) did aid in putting out the fire. Putting its fury aside, the dish was nothing short of excellent, tender pork neck with a slight smoky tang, well balanced with a good splash of lime, crushed nuts and cool herbs. Heat seekers wouldn't want to miss out on this one.


One bite into the Signature FOLKS Wings ($6.90) revealed that bar snacks is Folk's Collective forte. The spicy notes again, part of an outrageously clever plan to up sell plenty more pints of ice cold draft beer. The wings were juicy, finger licking good with crisp heads of fried skin that shatters in the mouth. Shards of crispy fried garlic creates a separate party in the mouth.


For something a little more substantial, indulge in the Chicken Pad See-Eww ($8.90). Successfully sweet, wok-hei kissed bowl of noodles tantalises ones taste buds. A simple yet satisfying choice should you be thinking of just choosing a single dish to partake in.

A wonderful addition to the table is the Prawn Omelette ($10.90), So it may appear a bit underwhelming as the prawns are chopped to tiny pieces and then scattered midst the fluffy golden crackling of fried egg, but there are apparently advantages to this method as the distribution of prawns is more even and there was zero risk of overcooked prawns. 

Offering affordable cuisine with the combination of a chill out environment, Folks Collective has got all the right qualities to draw in the crowds and I'm sure I'll be back to sample more dishes in the near future.


Folks Collective
20 Cross Street
#01-25 China Square Central
S(048422)

Opening Hours: 
Mon - Fri: 11am - 11pm
Sat: 12 pm - 11pm

Roadhouse: Integration

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Labels: , , , , , , , · Posted by Sihan at

Integrating myself back into Singapore society is in all honesty, a painfully dreadful task. 

What better way to start then on more familiar grounds. Let's ease into this transition. Starting off at a burger joint. Baby steps. My chest heaves in the humidity of the air, the heat slapping me in the face. I say a silent prayer... break it to me gently please.


The Roadhouse is a modern American diner shining the spotlight on burger artistry. It comes across as simply a restaurant with good food and earnest intent that just happens to be in one of the coolest spaces in the city. Inside, the feeling is almost "ironic suburban". with expansive family tables primed with chili flake shakers and good ole whimsical school diner lights hanging overhead. I settled in comfortably, only slightly bothered by the unfamiliar singlish jargon floating in the air. It will take time...


Kicking off the welcome back party were the Spicy Garlic Parmesan Wings (5 for $14), before you jump to conclusions, these are 5 single joints not 5 entire wings including both drumlets and wings. Pretty pricey in my opinion, these prove to be just mediocre, the BBQ sauce a little too acidic and one dimensional in flavor profile. 


The burgers come in variety of ingredient pairings; the menu proving to be a tough one to navigate if you're as fickle minded a person as I am. I went forth with the Bacon Marinated ($26), soft buns baked in house, beef patty sizzled on the josper grill; gorgonzola, streaky bacon, caramelized onions, garlic mayonnaise and sauteed mushrooms form the other layers. Similar to a brioche sans the unnecessary sweetness and sometimes overwhelming richness, the cloud like buns are a perfect canvas for this juicy mess. I just wish there was more gorgonzola on there... Verdict: this burger tickled my fancy, ticked off all the boxes that qualifies it as a good burger but still it's not the best I've tried. I continue my search for greener pastures.


His, High on Shrooms ($26) featuring forest mushrooms, truffle oil, rocket, monterey jack and garlic mayonnaise. Definitely an overkill in the truffle oil department, but the name says it, so no whining there.

Roadhouse
13 Dempsey Road
#01-07
Website: www.roadhouse.com.sg

Wings World: Shake your Tail Feather

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Have you met anyone who's immune to the simple, glorious charm of a chicken wing? I haven't.

Wings World, a fairly new joint set in the heart of Joo Chiat area appeals to the chicken wing aficionados in most of us. With 10 different flavouring options including dry rubs and wet marinades, one would be spoilt for choice. Explicitly focusing on the wings, the menu as well as the ordering process is kept tight and simple; and I suppose the back of house management be a little more straightforward in its food preparation. Not discounting the fact that all sauces are made in house, the heartbeat of Wings World comes from the kitchen, which I imagine to be plastered in wall to wall tubs of over 75 different spices and herbs.

Outside, the space is comfortable. Simple wooden panelling and few tables and chairs thrown around, a perfect backdrop for a casual catch-up with friends or an intimate family dinner.



Here, the wings take centerstage. I had the Mild Buffalo and Italian Herbs in a basket of 6 ($5.95) whereas my partner had the Rajin cajun and the Mango Habenero. For me, my choices yielded great content; the buffalo seasoning, a good balance of heat and tanginess whereas the Italian herbs had a good bite and zest going on. With the dry rubs, I liked that the coating was an appropriately thin layer, avoiding the situation where you catch rogue lumps of MSG laden seasoning with one bite. Coughing fits... nah.. we don't want that. The Mango Habenero however fell on the sweeter spectrum of things which I didn't quite enjoy. Bring on the heat please. Point to note: the wings may lean towards the gym-rat, anorexic side so do increase your order quantity for maximum gratification.


Wings World
214 East Coast Road
Singapore 428913


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