Sunday, December 30, 2012

Bintan 2012


Short weekend getaway to Bintan to end 2012. 



We were brought to a tiny coffeeshop in the middle of the city area that served pretty kick-ass ayam panyet. Soft fragrant rice with fiery chili padi and crispy tender chicken. Tiny Tiny chicken though 




Food was surprisingly good and cheap at the resort. 


Cheap and great way to relax over the weekend :) 

Monday, December 24, 2012

Au Chocolat Bistro


Au Chocolat is a really cute restaurant at Marina Bay Sands. Throwbacks to the Paris landscape litter the restaurant and even a miniature train chugging through over your head.  A tad gimicky maybe but sometimes a welcome sight amidst the glitz and sophistication of the other restaurants here. I think it suits the chocolate theme too. Next door to Au Chocolat is a great candy store where one can purchase truffles, cakes, scented candles and all types of chocolate goodies. Go nuts. 
And yes you may consume the cakes purchased in the store at the restaurant but you have to order at least a drink.


Au Chocolat serves all-day breakfast so you know where to head to if you are craving for eggs. 
Went for the farmer's breakfast, essentially scrambled eggs with avocado and mushrooms, served with brioche, tatter tots and  cheese topped tomatoes. A huge serving and unfortunately did not look too appetizing when served. 
Taste-wise, it was average at best but I did like the chocolate dressing on the side salad.


Monster of a burger. Nothing to shout about as well except portions here seem to be quite large.



Fortunately, this place does live up to its name when it comes to desserts. The chocolate cake was dense, rich and satisfying. I love the generous crust!



Au ChocolatBay Level L1-03 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands 2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956 

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Morganfield's


New malls in Singapore are starting to have a ridiculously high FnB to other shops ratio. I guess retailers are realizing that while Singaporeans can shop online, they still have to eat. 

Star Vista has a few new FnB outlets that I have not heard of. Decided to try out Morganfields and it seemed like your quintessential all American joint with ribs being the main draw (ala tony romas).

Morganfields got the American-sized portions down right. Everything, except the steak was huge so do share. 


Cheese fries


Gigantic portion of ribs. The ribs werent bad, sufficiently tasty and tender. 


Fish n chips

The signature ribs were not bad, but everything else was probably average. 
The service staff walked around looking lost and confused most of the time but I guess I will cut them some slack since they are probably new. 


Ended the meal with our favorite 'hei' ice cream from Awfully chocolate. 
delightfully rich and thick. What ice cream should be.


Morganfield's
The Star Vista, 1 vista exchange green
#02-23


Monday, December 17, 2012

Restaurant Week: Bistro Du Vin


I have taken part in Restaurant week about 3 times and eaten at about 10 different restaurants. 
Bistro Du Vin is hands down my favorite experience and so much so that unless there are any places I really really want to try, I am going to go back to Bistro Du Vin come next restaurant week. 

Bistro Du Vin is warm, cozy and unpretentious, with bright red walls lined with picture frames. 
Now bear in mind that Bistro Du Vin does not have a dining city star (i.e. dinner is $35++ instead of $55++)


started off with warm crusty bread and butter. Simple and good we had 2 baskets!

We were blown away by the quality and quantity of the foie gras. Nicely seared and oh so creamy (and so sinful!). Wolfed it down with the bread.


The cauliflower soup was equally rich. Perfect on a cold night.


Both of us went with the beef cheeks in red wine for our mains. The beef cheek was oh so tender and flavorful, the mash was smooth and fluffy and buttery - basically everything you want in a mash.
Sadly, the portion was too big. The heart was willing but the stomach couldnt take it.



We were apprehensive when desert came, we had been having such a wonderful meal so far it would be horrible to end the meal on a low. Thankfully, desert did not disappoint. The warm chocolate cake was rich and perfectly cooked. The apple tart was flaky, crisp and sweet but not cloyingly so.

The icing on top of this very delicious meal was how great the service was. Our glasses were frequently topped up and everyone was pleasant and friendly even though the restaurant was so packed, a very rare occurrence in Singapore I must say.
This place knows how to make good, satisfying meals and I will definitely be back for more especially to try out the set lunches.


Bistro Du Vin
1 Scotts Rd
#02-12 Shaw Centre
Singapore 228208
T: 6733 7763



Saturday, December 15, 2012

Restaurant Week: Salt Grill & Sky Bar


After hearing many good things from my friends, I couldnt pass up the opportunity of dining at Salt Grill & Sky Bar at this year's restaurant week

Perched on top of Ion Orchard, Salt boosts an impressive view. Makes for a great lunch time meal; entrance to the restaurant was via a semi-private lift lobby which for some reason was really dark and mystifying ( I wonder if its symbolic of the dark sky or something) 


Started off with warm crusty bread, warm bread almost always signals the start of a good meal. 



The sydney crab omelette with miso mustard broth. A very good appetizer, the broth emphasized the delicate sweetness of the fresh crab meat. And lets be real, everyone loves a good omelette.




Grilled Spatchcock with parsnip puree 
Took a bite from my friend's dish, the spatchcock was very tender and sweet. 




Red wine poached barramundi with cauliflower puree
Yet another delicate dish, my fish was fresh though a tad overcooked. The cauliflower was melt-in-your-mouth awesome.


Dessert was a duo of sorbet - rock melon and raspberry. I understand that because this was a lunch menu, it was meant to be light but I couldnt help but feel disappointed. The rock melon was sweet and delightful though the raspberry a tad too sour for my taste. But I cant take sour stuff so dont trust me on this.


Best thing about Salt is the service. Warm and friendly without being too intrusive. Our orders got slightly mixed up and was late for about 5 mins, no biggie but the waiters were so apologetic about it (even offering more bread/ heating up the other mains), great service is rare in Singapore so I feel that it should be called out as often as possible.

Salt Grill and Sky Bar
2 Orchard Turn, Ion Orchard, lvl 55,56.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Mooshi Bakes

Mooshi Bakes is opened by the Awfully Chocolate Group and we know how good the desserts are (especially the hei ice cream mmmm) , but what about brunch? 


The souffle omelette was huge, no wait it was gigantic.  This monster of a omelette scared me when it arrived, I mean how many eggs are in that thing?




That said it was sooo light and fluffy, I am not sure how much air they got into those egg whites but eating this was fun. The sprinkle of parmesan on top gave the omelette enough flavor and it tasted really good with the crusty bread and tomato relish paste. 
Too darn big though, I barely made it thru half. 


Truffle scrambled eggs had a hearty kick of truffle oil, making this plate smell so darn good. Paired with cheese and pork sausage for a very sinful brunch. 
I wish the eggs had been creamier though. 


Coffee was below average, cant be helped if the barista is also your waitress I guess, the teh tarik was pretty good though. Overall I like brunch here but I thought the portions were too big, slightly smaller plates at lower price points would be perfect. 



Mooshi Bakes Brasserie
#01-01, 131 East Coast Road
6440 6735



Sunday, December 9, 2012

MerryMen



Getting to MerryMen is quite a stroll along Robertson Quay but it was worth it.
Located along the river and dining under twinkling fairy lights, MerryMen is a lovely place to kickback and chill with an ice cold beer.





A must try is the Pork Rack ($28). The pork was juicy and moist and so so flavorful. I was half afraid that the meat will be really tough and dry but this was a really good dish. Resting on a plate of roasted potatoes, french beans and sweet plums. The sides were all very tasty and complimented the meat well.


The fish and chips, served with truffle fries(!), cole slaw, tartar and vinegar. The fish was well-fried but I thought it could do with more flavor, lots of tartar and vinegar was needed which was unfortunate. The truffle fries were really good though, tossed with truffle salt + truffle oil. Would order the fries as a side the next time.



Dessert was a chocolate lava cake that we had to wait 10-15mins for, and trust me the wait was worth it. This is probably one of the best Chocolate lava cakes we had, perfectly crispy and warm on the outside and with that wonderfully melted center. Crack the cake and watch all the chocolate just ooze out.  Ice cream plays a big role in this desert too, and the vanilla ice cream was good, speckled with the familiar black dots - the ones where you know this is going to be a good ice cream.




Very happy with my meal :)
And I will be back, maybe to try the pizzas and the sliders

MerryMen
86 Robertson Quay #01-02

Monday, December 3, 2012

&Made by Bruno Menard




I am always on the hunt for a good burger and when I heard about this gourmet burger joint in town, I rushed down to try it. 


Cute menu/placemats 












Went with the B burger with dry-aged beef, cheese and onions. Served with fries ( additional $3 for truffle fries). The burger was good, sufficiently juicy and well-flavored patty. Very satisfying and reasonably priced. The relish/sauce for the fries was a sweet and savory blend and it tasted pretty darn good. So much so that I didnt miss my chili sauce. 


The toastoos are some kind of strange buckwheat sandwich with fillings - in this case, ratatouille. Interesting idea I guess but the flavors did not work at all in my opinion.
Stick to the burgers. 


Caramel pudding served with a corn flake crusted ball of ice cream. Sinfully good. 

Wouldnt mind going back to try the pork or duck burger.

&Made by Bruno Menard
#01-04/05/06, Pacific Plaza
9 Scotts Road
6238 5549


Sunday, December 2, 2012

Chilis


Popped by the newly opened Chili's at Central a couple of times for lunch since its so near my workplace. I like it, great service and great portions :)



The Big Mouth Burgers were really really huge. I probably ate about half of the burger before feeling like bursting. Cant say no to the avocado burger, but for some reason mine came with these sinful deep-fried (!) honey glazed bacon strips. Took a couple of bites before deciding I dont want to die early from a clogged artery.  Bacon aside, the burger and fries were good. The patty was juicy and flavorful and fries were crispy on the outside and soft within, just the way I like them. 




Opted for something slightly healthier the next round. Set lunch ($14) with a choice of main, soup and free flow soft drinks. Pretty worth it, I got the grilled bbq chicken salad and chicken/green chili soup. 
The chicken slices were surprisingly moist and tender, making the salad very enjoyable. 


Chili's
Central @ Clarke Quay
6 Eu Tong Sen St #01-18