Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore

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Category: Singaporean – Hawker Centre

My favourite go-to food centre in Singapore, Old Airport Road Food Centre has some of the best of Singapore’s most popular dishes and is highly revered among Singaporeans. While these are familiar dishes to the locals, I figured it would be helpful to write a little for friends from overseas coming to visit, and since I was at Old Airport Road Food Centre for lunch on Sunday, that’s exactly what I did.

19 Old Airport Road, Singapore 390019

Located in the vicinity of Mountbatten and Geylang, Old Airport Road Food Centre is a two-storey stocky-looking building situated in a relatively open space, painted in bold colours of yellow, blue, red and green (I know…), with a carpark on one side and a few residential buildings by it’s front. Any taxi driver would be able to take you, and if you’re coming by the MRT (i.e. train), the closest station would be Mountbatten.

Damage: $

It’s the foodie’s heaven, with reasonable prices ranging from $3 for pie tee to $5 and up for noodle-dishes. When you come, I can almost guarantee you’ll be hypnotised by the delicious wafting smells and will want to try everything – in which case… maybe I should increase the damage to $$.

To go: Of course! (Is this a trick question?)

No reservations about it – if you want to have an authentic experience amongst locals and try some of the best of Singaporean cuisine, this place should be at the top of your list.

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A MORE DETAILED REVIEW

This review will consist of a few sub-reviews.

Kangkong Jiu Eng Cai, $3, and Pie Tee, $3 (Feature picture, from left to right)

Kangkong Jiu Eng Cai is a dish made from kangkong (a kind of long skinny vegetable), and jiu (cuttlefish), which often features cucumber, pineapple cubes and beansprouts. This dish uses cured cuttlefish, which I didn’t like because of its translucent agar-like texture, but the sweet prawn paste sauce with chilli and peanuts was fantastic – light, tasty, and yet full of flavour. Our favourite stall for this dish faces the front of the food centre, and has a purple sign with red chinese words together with white words announcing “Homemade springroll, springroll skin”; if you look carefully on the right, it says “Fortune Food” in english.

Otak-otak, 80 or 90 cents each

Look at the crab flesh embedded inside! Otak-otak is traditionally a grilled “fish cake” made from fish meat, tapioca starch and spices, wrapped in banana leaves and speared with little toothpicks at the ends to keep them intact when grilled over the fire. Now, otak-otak has expanded to a wider variety of different fillings to include crab. The one from Lee Wee Brothers is very tasty and generous with the meat, and also is just nicely toasted, unlike some places which overdo it until it chars.

Char Kway Teow, $3-$5

Ah, Singaporeans absolutely love their fried kway teow. Also known in the local dialect as “char kway teow“, this dish is a stir-fry of flat rice noodles, with beansprouts, slices of chinese sausage, egg and cockles in a chilli and soy-sauce based sauce. Lao Fu Zhi has one of the best char kway teows around – it’s situated along the middle aisle and always has a queue. The noodles are well coated with a thin flavourful sweet-savory layer of sauce, and with eggs deliciously stir-fried into it. Watch for when the man himself is handling for the wok, because he does it best.

Another Singaporean favourite is Hokkien mee, also known as fried prawn noodles. While I didn’t have it this time, you should be sure to give it a try and the one at old airport road food centre is very good.

Other dishes to try

While you’re there, have the roast chicken wings with the local chilli sauce from Tong Kee Charcoal BBQ as well – freshly roasted until the skin is golden and crispy, while the meat remains tender and incredibly juicy (careful – the juices will flow out!). Also try some local desserts like Tau Suan (essentially a sweet soup made from split mung bean) and sesame paste (picture below, left to right).

Paradise Dynasty, Singapore

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Category: Chinese – La mian, XLB

I daresay Paradise Dynasty is one of my all-time favourite and most frequented restaurants. Just a few days ago, my friend who’ll be coming over from San Francisco in March asked for some recommendations, and this was one of the places that came to mind almost immediately.

Multiple locations including ION Orchard, Westgate and now, VivoCity

Every Singaporean would have heard of Paradise Dynasty – it’s one of the restaurant chains in the famous Paradise Group that owns several other fantastic Chinese restaurants such as Taste Paradise and Paradise Inn. They’re so well represented in Singapore that you’ll probably be able to find one of their restaurants in any decent-sized mall.

Damage: $$

Paradise Dynasty is one of the more (if not the most) affordable options from the Paradise Group, and it’s easy to get full (and I mean really stuffed) on under $20 per person. Portions are generous, and they’re especially popular for their La mian (pulled noodles; ~$10) and Xiao Long Bao ($8.90 Up).

To go: Yes, and often!

One of the most value-for-money places, with good service and delicious food, I’d come here time and time again. Paradise Dynasty almost always has a long queue, especially if you’re going anytime outside of office hours – whether it’s on a weekday after work or on a weekend, prepare to wait at least half an hour. Besides the La mian and Xiao Long Bao, the other dishes are mostly of a very good standard as well. I don’t believe I’ve ever left Paradise Dynasty unsatisfied.

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A MORE DETAILED REVIEW

Since the servings are quite large, we decided to go with a mix of dishes to share, including a basket of xiao long bao, wok-fried rice with shrimps and preserved vegetables, crisp-fried fish fillet with minced garlic, and crispy sweet and sour pork. Xiao long bao (literally “small basket buns”; feature picture) are little steamed soup dumplings originating from the Jiangnan province in China. They are pinched into tiny folds and sealed at the top and when bitten into, releases the tasty soup within. The ones at Paradise Dynasty came piping hot, but I felt that the delicate skin was pinched too tightly at the top such that it gave it a more heavy doughy texture which could explain the breaking of some baos. Overall, it came second to Din Tai Fung’s – although they have their signature basket of xiao long baos in 8 flavours which you can’t get anywhere else; the truffle, foie gras and garlic ones being particularly good.

Paradise Dynasty serves up a tasty fried rice, with fluffy grains and a good stir-in of fresh ingredients, second only to Din Tai Fung (looks like I need to write about DTF!). The crisp-fried fish fillet  was lacking flavour and the batter was extremely tasteless and oily, which made us queasy – so I definitely recommend against ordering it.

The crispy sweet and sour pork (also known locally as “kor lor yok”) was delicious! When we next return, I’ll make sure to order it again. It was so crispy, and caramelised in the flavourful sweet and sour sauce, flavoured with the sweetness of pineapple and onion slices and countered by the chilli.

For dessert, we had the egg white soufflé with banana and red bean. I’d had it before at the ION Orchard branch and remembered it was light and fluffy in texture, but this one was… deflated. The soufflé fell into more of a thick sort of dough, so perhaps it would be wise to skip the dish since you won’t know who’s in the kitchen.

If you’re visiting Singapore and are new to Paradise Dynasty, I strongly recommend ordering the la mian, because they are really among Paradise Dynasty’s strongest dishes. I didn’t have it this time but I have had it almost every other time I visited – springy noodles in a robust pork bone broth, an onsen tamago (egg with a firm but custard-texture yolk) and, in many renditions, fish maw- it just always hits the spot each and every time.

Kim Heng HK Roasted Meat, Singapore

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Category: Chinese – Hawker – Roasted Meats

My colleague and friend has been raving about this place for weeks on end, and so I finally made my way down on a Saturday morning to give it a try. Before going, I did a quick search which yielded Kim Heng as the “Best all rounder” in an article by the Straits times on the best roasted meat stalls, and so I went with high hopes.

Block 214 Serangoon Avenue 4, 01-88, Tel: 6283-3695, Opens 8.30am to 7pm daily

Situated in a clean coffeeshop at the corner of the ground floor of a HDB block facing the Serangoon Stadium, Kim Heng HK Roasted Meat is easy to find and can be seen from a distance away; even before lunchtime, a long queue of customers would have formed, cutting right across the path.

Damage: $

It’s roasted meat after all, and in a coffeeshop, so it can’t (and shouldn’t) be that expensive. That said, it’s steeper than some of the other places I’ve been, but that could be because we ordered ribs in the mix. It came up to about $14 for each of us, for a platter of mixed meats and 2 small soups to share 3 ways.

To go: Perhaps, if you’re in the area

I’m personally not convinced that this is the best all-rounder for roasted meat in Singapore. It was okay; nothing really special if you ask me, and unfortunately not as mind-blowing as my friend made it out to be (I mean, when he was describing it to me, he really went all out with the expressive hand gestures to accompany the mouthwatering descriptions in addition to a look of bliss). The sio ba (roasted pork belly) was better, but I remain a skeptic about whether this place warrants the queue and the hype.

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A MORE DETAILED REVIEW

I cut through the building, entering from the side of the carpark, and straight away saw the long line to my right. My friends had recommended going just before 11.30am when, from experience, a freshly roasted batch of sio ba would be ready and displayed alongside other tantalizing meats, ready to be devoured.

We ordered a mix of char siew, xio ba, ribs and roasted duck (feature picture). The char siew (roasted pork slices) was average – way too fatty and not as caramelised on the outside as would be ideal. There were little tasty bits here and there, but nothing came close to the char siew I’d had at this place called Sun Ming in Cheras, just a little way out from Kuala Lumpur – which, to date, still stands as the best I’ve ever tasted.

The sio ba was springy and the skin was lightly crisped, but I found that it was not exceptionally fragrant although on the plus side, it wasn’t heavy from overused oil which is a common mistake. The ribs were a disappointment – there was very little meat, and it wasn’t particularly tender. If you go, I’d recommend you save your rib fix for another day at some place else like Morganfields which has the ultimate sticky bones.

And so my search for the best roasted meats in Singapore continues. If you have any recommendations, please do let me know – I’d really love to hear all about them!

UNA, One Rochester, Singapore

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Category: European/Spanish – Special Occasions

Just a month ago, we visited UNA for the first time over Christmas. My family has a family tradition of having brunch every 25th of December, and I, as usual, was placed in charge of making the reservations. I was looking for a place which served up hearty meats (beef/pork/turkey) – to me it just doesn’t make sense to have Asian cuisine at Christmastime – and a cosy atmosphere. Helmed by Chef Jean-Philippe Patruno, UNA, veiled by the lush greenery of One Rochester, was relatively new and had already received a number of good reviews.

1 Rochester Park, Singapore 139212

Located in the vicinity of Buona Vista, One Rochester is an enclave of classy restaurants. Parking is limited in the open air carpark, but you can always park next door at The Star Vista and take a short 5-10 minute walk over.

Damage: $$$$

They have several tapas-style options in the $10s to $20s. Mains of Hanger steak, suckling pig or Pluma Ibérica are around $30 – and the portions are decent but not that sizeable. So if you’re planning to do the entire suite including dessert, prepare for about $100 each. At Christmas, their brunch menu of 1 main and a buffet of starters and desserts was $65++ each.

To go: Sometimes, on special occasions

While the food was good, the thing that stood out to me most was the impeccable service. I think anyone who has experienced poor service on an important occasion would agree with me that it makes a whole lot of difference. The staff were very friendly, helpful in offering suggestions, prompt at checking-in on guests, and basically doing everything possible to ensure the best experience possible. They had some standout dishes as well, including the Spanish Tortilla, Pluma Ibérica, Crispy Cod Fish main and Pedro Ximénez Panna Cotta.

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A MORE DETAILED REVIEW

We opened the meal with appetisers of cold meats, jamon iberico, and pan con tomate, which is a dish which I saw lots of when I was studying in Barcelona, and which we made at barbecues and gatherings by taking a tomato cut in half and then rubbing it into bread. The spread included pan-fried scallops & asparagus which featured thick juicy scallops, as well as spanish tortilla with prawns and aioli (see featured picture, triangular slice) which in Spain was referred to simply as a kind of “spanish omelette”.

For the mains, we ordered the pluma ibérica, hanger steak, baby chicken and crispy cod fish. The steak was a bit dry and tough, but the pluma ibérica was incredible – the pork was tender, and its meaty-woody flavours sang powerfully to the accompaniment of a light but intense sauce made from natural jus. The mash which lay beneath was smooth and creamy, and balanced out the saltiness of the meat perfectly.

The baby chicken was beautifully charred on the outside, although not crispy, but the inside remained juicy and moist. The crispy cod was a good counterpoint to the heavy meat dishes and was fresh, falling off in large flakes when pulled with the fork, and the batter which encased it was crispy, light and non-oily.

I was excited about the spread of desserts which included items like banoffee mess, bitter chocolate tart, and churros & chocolat. The bitter chocolate tart was a disappointment in spite of how it looked – the presence of salt in the chocolate was overwhelming and masked the taste of the cocoa entirely. The churros was too oily as well. The Pedro Ximénez Panna Cotta, however, was fantastic – topped with light crumbles of popcorn, the panna cotta was soft and creamy, with the sweetness of the grapes of the sherry coming through in its wake – and I just had to have three of those before calling it a day.

Baking: StellaCakes’ Pineapple tarts

Finally. I’ve found it.

The perfect balance on the sweet and tart notes of the pineapple fruit, encased in a velvety pastry with the right crumble. As far as I’ve tasted, the best pineapple tarts in Singapore.

I don’t know about you, but pineapple tarts are the hottest thing at my family gatherings during the Chinese New Year. They’re usually the first thing that’s picked up by the guests when they’re visiting. They’re also the ones I love the most, BUT – they’re also usually kick-ass unhealthy.

We’ve never managed to find a store-bought pineapple tart that we really liked. It’s either one thing or another – the pineapple jam either not being fresh or lacking flavor or being too sweet, or the pastry being overly compressed or too greasy. And even if those elements are fine, there’s the ratio of the pineapple jam to the pastry. I like the pineapple in the Le Cafe ones, but it’s a huge gob of jam wrapped in too little pastry and it packs a mad-load of calories. Sure, it’s Chinese New Year and we can afford to loosen our belts, but I’d rather spend it on something more worth it.

StellaCakes‘ Pineapple Tarts have a pastry that’s not greasy but still creamy, filled with homemade pineapple jam made from carefully ripened fruit – I think I’m in love! There’s still nothing like homemade and handmade pineapple tarts. If you’re in Singapore, they’ve just opened their orders for the Pineapple Tarts (you can order online through their website: www.stellacakes.com or drop them an email at enquiries@stellacakes.com).

Yummy.

Bincho at Hua Bee, Singapore

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Category: Japanese

I guess we should’ve known. With a 45% rating and a price range of $$$$ on HungryGoWhere, we should’ve seen the signs.

My friend, an up-and-coming culinary superstar in his own right, was back from London for a short while and suggested we give it a go. Coming from someone who has helmed the kitchen at some of the world’s finest michelin star restaurants, I wasn’t going to object – and so we went.

78 Moh Guan Terrace, Singapore 162078

The restaurant is situated in a quiet corner of a block of low-rise residences, just before the turn into an open air carpark. With an entrance that looked entirely unassuming, the restaurant would not be found unless you were specifically looking for it. Either that, or if you’d googled and seen pictures posted by the visitors who’d gone before you who, like you, also thought they’d finally stumbled upon the “hidden” find.

Damage: $$$$

In short, it costed a bomb. Almost 2 hours later, we were left slightly dazed at what just happened.

Full? Nope. Amazed? Nope. Mind-blown? Yea, I think so, and it’s not exactly contradictory. After all, we did get served up a $300 check just for us two.

To go: Uhh… no

I’m not going back, sorry.

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A MORE DETAILED RECOUNT

Bincho has a small seating capacity of 25 seats. In the day, Hua Bee is a kopitiam that serves up bak chor mee (a Chinese dish made with yellow noodles and accompanied by minced pork and sliced mushrooms). At nightfall however, the lights are dimmed, the tables are set, and the charcoal is ignited under the yakitori grill. The vibe is one that is unexpected, yet quite pleasant and cosy when combined with the marbled tables and plastic chairs.

We weren’t very hungry so we ordered a Bincho set ($120) and a few add-on a la carte dishes of Spice Cod Roe Wings ($15), Grilled Squid ($20), and Grilled Beef Tongue ($25).

Our first dish to arrive was the grilled squid. It looked pretty nice, but taste-wise I thought there was really nothing special about the dish. I wanted to like the dish because I usually like grilled squid, but the flavour was lacking. I looked at him and he simply chewed, delaying his verdict on it having been overcooked.

As part of the Bincho menu, we were served up Angler Fish Liver. The dishes that came before it were an Assorted Appetiser and Assorted Sashimi – both pretty standard restaurant dishes in my opinion, and not enough to incite a reaction of sorts. I kind of expected the liver to taste like a form of foie gras -Perhaps I was wrong to have that kind of expectation, but this was pasty, lacked flavour, and had a far firmer texture that came away in pieces rather than melted in my mouth. The sauce, I felt, was a bit misplaced and separate from the liver.

Then, 2 dishes later, we were served up a plate of tempura. I absolutely love tempura, so when I saw this, I picked up my chopsticks and immediately fished up a piece and popped the entire thing into my mouth. It was super hot from being freshly battered, so I was hurriedly fanning my mouth and blowing out the heat, but once that was through and I actually bit through the tempura, I turned to him and made a face just as he put his piece back on the plate after just a nibble.

I don’t like this, he told me, just as a hot liquid mess filled my mouth from the broken tempura. The tempura itself was unusual – it was less weighty and crispy than most. The inside of the tempura was creamy but not quite, and tasted like… wow, I don’t even know how to describe. Slightly like a tasteless hot mess, with… a tinge of fishiness? I hated it.

He made a face back, laughed at my expression and said, it’s a cod fish’s sperm sack.

Damn.

The Tsukune with egg yolk was possibly my favourite dish of the entire Bincho degustation menu. Anything with yolk is usually good with me, and the sauce on this had far more depth than all the other dishes. I most closely associated it with the Tsukune burger at MOS which, as a kid growing up, I ate every Saturday after ballet class because it was so yummy.

While, this far into the meal, I’d become rather cautious of what I might be served, I must say the grilled beef tongue (featured picture) was good too. I’d never tried beef tongue before and was rather hesitant about it, but it was tender, full of juice, and the sauce of chopped garlic went perfect with it.

The chefs tell me it’s hard to impress with chicken and they were right. Although the chicken of the Yakitori Platter was pretty tasty, I probably wouldn’t be blown away no matter how many parts of the chicken they separated out and cooked for me. Some of it was actually quite dry, and while I like creative dining, I might just prefer the chicken wings on the the long metal skewers which the uncle fans with a wicker fan down the street.

Table @ Pip’s, Singapore

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Category: Western

181 Orchard Rd, #B2-11/22 Orchard Central, Singapore 238896

B2 of Orchard Central is pretty dead, even on a Friday night. I’m not sure if anyone even ventures there, and Table@Pip’s is tucked all the way at the end if you’re approaching from the main escalators coming down from where the apple store is on level 1. The wait staff were very friendly and helpful, but the food and ambience just didn’t justify the bill.

Damage: $$

Appetisers (~$10), Pasta (~$20), Mains (varies, but easily ~$30 for a dish less common than something like Fish & Chips)

To go: Nope

The dishes are pretty pricey for the quality; the mains were a disappointment. I learnt from the waitress that Table@Pip’s was previously situated along the row of shophouses near Coronation Plaza, but had moved to this new spot since September 2014. They have quite a large floor space which is oddly split down the middle by a wide and open walkway, and the cafeteria-type plastic tables and chairs and colourful plastic placemats somehow didn’t feel like the right atmosphere for their fine-dining menu. Perhaps its 91% rating on HungryGoWhere was earned at the old place, but I won’t be back anytime soon.

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A MORE DETAILED RECOUNT

We started with the Foie Gras, which was served with sautéed onion, sweet glazed apple and a raspberry demi-glaze. The sauces were okay but coated the entire dish in a dark brown, making for a rather non-photogenic dish. I couldn’t really pick out the flavours distinctly, but I would describe it as a savoury, somewhat tangy contrast to the foie gras. The foie gras was a good portion and full of flavour, and the slice of sweet apple beneath worked surprisingly well.

My friend ordered the Creamy Carbonara (featured picture) – a pretty standard pasta dish. The pasta was a little too firm for my liking, but I supposed that could be a personal preference although most good Italian restaurants do it just right. While the bacon lent the carbonara flavour, I had to agree with her that it somehow made the dish a little too salty. The mushrooms were tasty, however, and so was the egg yolk – especially if you’re like me and love to slice open the yolk to coat every form of noodle.

The Duck Leg Confit (~$20) itself was tender and easy to separate with a fork, but was very dry in certain parts. The mash was very grainy and the vegetables entirely lacked flavour. If you have a craving for duck leg confit, go to Saveur instead for a better one and at a better price point.

There was an ongoing promotion for a $1 add-on for the flourless chocolate cake, which was around $8 on the menu if I recall correctly, so we ordered two – reminder to self: don’t order it again. The cake was 3 bite-sized and hard rounds on the plate, topped with a scoop of very ordinary vanilla ice cream.

Alkaff Mansion Ristorante, Singapore

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Category: Western

10 Telok Blangah Green, Singapore 109178

Honestly, besides the lovely sight of the tudor-style historical bungalow peering over the park (which you can’t really see much of at night), the privacy and the very attentive service, I’m not sure anything else about Alkaff Mansion Ristorante really stood out to me. The portions are on the small side, which is fine considering it’s fine dining, but I didn’t come away very satisfied.

Damage: $$$

Antipasti (~27SGD), Pasta (~30SGD), Fish Main (~43SGD), Meat Main (~50SGD), Desserts (~15SGD)

To go: On rare occasion – should try new places first 😐

If I were to return, I would probably try going back in the day instead when I can enjoy the view and maybe sit out at Alkaff‘s Terrace. I’m thinking late afternoons would be a fine time for that. The menu changes every now and then.

They have a 3-course set lunch on weekdays at $36++, and Italian Afternoon tea on Mondays to Fridays at $26++ and Saturdays at $40++ (I suppose this helps cover the costs of the live band, dessert bar, and the additional crepes suzette and pasta stations).

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A MORE DETAILED RECOUNT

We opened our meal with an antipasti of Salmon Carpaccio; The salmon was fresh and the roe was springy as it should be, but the greens did nothing for the dish by being dry and tasteless. Although I like my dressing on salads or antipasti light, this was an olive oil dressing that did not quite bring out the flavours of the dish.

For the mains, we ordered the Porcetto Sardinyan Style, Carre’ d’Agnello al Forno, and Fettuccini with slow-roasted veal.

The Porcetto Sardinyan Style (see feature picture) was recommended to us as a fantastic Alkaff Mansion special. While the meat itself was relatively juicy and tender, the skin was really hard to cut through. If I were to knock it with my knife blade, it would remain unblemished while giving rise to a clicking sound. Again, the rest of the greens on the plate did nothing for the dish.

The Carre’ d’Agnello al Forno, or Oven Baked Lamb Rack, was slightly on the well done side but remained tender, although I wasn’t a fan of the slightly sweet and sticky sauce. The mash was grainy. As a pasta lover, I was disappointed that the fettuccini was rather forgettable; the meat was tasty and the pasta was al dente, but they felt like two separate dishes put on the same plate. The sauce could not coat nor cling to the pasta even after I tried to mix it up a few times, possibly also because there wasn’t a lot of it. At almost $30, there are many other places which can serve up a better pasta at this price point.

To end off, we had the Semifreddo al Cioccolato Bianco e Caffe’, and the Panna Cotta alla Vaniglia, Frutti di Bosco e Salsa al Lamponi. I love my sweets, but I would suggest having dessert elsewhere. The coffee came across as way too bitter in the semifreddo and the panna cotta had a bit too much of a gelatin texture to it which prevented the creaminess from coming through.

Wooloomooloo Steakhouse, Singapore

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Category: Western – Steakhouse

I visited Wooloomooloo Steakhouse when they first opened in Singapore, and I’ve gone back (and have been wanting to go back) at every opportunity. Wooloomooloo Steakhouse has a cosy spot in my book as a place that serves a great steak, is cosy (yet comfortable enough and not overly pretentious), and good to go with friends, family, and even that special someone.

2 Stamford Road, Level 3 Swissotel The Stamford, 178882 (Access from Raffles City Shopping Mall)

Wooloomooloo Steakhouse is tucked at a corner, just behind the escalators leading up to the conference venues, on level 3. You’ll be led from the entrance past chillers displaying a variety of wine and a classically-furnished bar area (think cigars and men in top hats) into the restaurant, which is surprisingly larger than it appears from the outside.

Damage: $$$

They’re reasonable (by that I mean around 70 bucks for an Australian Black Angus Beef 12-oz Rib Eye or Sirloin). If you don’t feel like spending a bomb, I’d pick them over CUT by Wolfgang Puck or Morton’s. In this price range, they trumph Bedrock Bar & Grill, and are comparable to Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse, although I’d go to the latter just for the Fiorentina.

To go: Yes, whenever possible

Christmas time is actually a really good time to go to Wooloomooloo Steakhouse. They usually have a very comprehensive 4-course Christmas menu for $68++ at lunchtime, including a steak option for the mains. The rest of the menu is fixed. For people who can’t eat a whole lot, a set menu makes more sense as well. As for the rest of the lucky ones with bottomless pits for stomachs, by all means, feast and be merry!

The ambience by day is comfortable, cosy, with light coming in from the full length windows, and with views of the Padang. By night, the place seems to transform into a warm, rustic and charming atmosphere, with gentle lighting illuminating the dark wood.

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A MORE DETAILED RECOUNT

The bread that opened our meal was an onion bun which was served warm. The bun was soft, yet with a thin outer layer that provided a bit of bite, while the inside was fluffy and moist. I loved the onions atop, which was well complemented by the sea salt butter, although I thought some of the flavour could have been better kept at the edges which had been heated out a little too much.

The cream of pumpkin soup was next – creamy and flavourful. The highlight of this dish, however, was really the foie gras which was seared to perfection. Many places overcook foie gras, but this one wasn’t; the searing brought out the intensity of the flavour on the outside, while the inside remained soft and almost tofu-like.

The appetiser was a smoked salmon dish on some cream cheese and topped with mint leaves. I thought this was an excellent choice, being light and full of fresh bright flavours, and really set the stage for the heavier (and meatier) mains and creaminess of the dessert to follow. I am personally not a fan of smoked salmon because I find it tends to be rather salty, but this was quite alright even for me.

The steak, oh the steak, was really my favourite part of the meal – as it should be, considering it is after all a steakhouse. It was a true medium, springy and still red through the middle, was tender through and kept its juices. The brown gravy brought out the meat’s woody notes, and the mash on the side was pureed into a cream.

The dessert was a Christmastime special of fruitcake, seated in a moat of a creamy vanilla sauce, topped with vanilla ice cream and a caramelised thin. I wasn’t a fan of the fruitcake (nor of most fruitcakes for that matter) because it was quite hard and the flavours were too synthetic and gummy for my liking, although the ice cream was fine. The coffee that came later was a great way to finish the meal and cleanse the palate though – strong and full-bodied with a mild bitter finish, accompanied with a little chocolate truffle cube.