Description:
Angkor Beer.. Healthy Lunch.. Indonesian Japanese.. Mexican and Margaritas..
Contents:
Angkor Beer
 We were in Siem Reap for a long weekend to visit the fabulous temples of Angkor.
All that temple trekking can be thirsty work I can tell you... well thank goodness for Angkor Beer. It's not my favourite beer in Asia, but damn it tastes good when your feet are weary and legs aching from tramping up and down those steep Khmer stairs... cheers...
Healthy Lunch
I had a lunch date with the girls, so we headed to Club Street where we could combine lunch with some funky boutique shopping. We ended up at the Eden Café – a small restaurant with a big heart. The focus of the Eden Café is on simple, healthy, fresh, well-cooked food and we certainly weren’t disappointed with the results.
The lunch menu included a select few main course specials – in addition to the standard sandwiches and salads. Although the menu isn’t particularly explanatory, Clement, the owner was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about all the dishes and ingredients.
We managed to sample a wide variety between us – the Roast Pork with Caramelised Onions and Apple, the Pasta with Bacon and a Poached Egg, and I went for the Chicken Salad which came with a zesty dressing and orange segments, making a tasty, light lunch.
Even the drinks made for an interesting adventure – none of your standard Pepsi-Cola-style drinks here, the Cola is organic
and the Soda with Lingo Berries made an interesting (and quite delicious) accompaniment to my salad. The coffees and hot chocolates were served in funky glass mugs and the herbal tea list was the most extensive I have ever seen.
The desserts were another cause for delight – I opted for the Hibiscus Cheesecake and the others went for the Crème Brulee which was torched at the table, and the Chocolate Fudge Brownie which was deliciously and wickedly rich and came served with vanilla ice-cream and scattered with rose petals. (yes we were all a little jealous of this one…) All in all a fantastic little spot for lunch… and soon there will be a sister restaurant at Rochester Park… so soon to be another lunch spot for lunch with the girls… fantastic… Eden Café – www.edencafe.com.sg
Indonesian Japanese
We were in Bintan with friends on a golfing weekend, staying at the Bintan Lagoon resort. We were on the late ferry back on the Sunday night so decided to check out the resort’s Japanese restaurant, Miyako, before making our way to the ferry terminal. It’s an attractive space with a minimalist, zen-like feel to it and they also have a Teppanyaki counter, although we were a bit too early to be entertained by knife-wielding chefs on this occasion.
The meal started off quite promisingly with some lovely sushi – Tuna Maki and Tempura Maki. We weren’t all that hungry following a late post-golf lunch so we continued with some nibbles but unfortunately these were all somewhat disappointing – a very greasy Mixed Tempura left the taste of the oil in your mouth rather than what was within the batter.
And a fairly bland Chicken Yakitori…
Never mind… we were there for the golf, not the food.... and there are several other restaurants to choose from at this resort on our next golf outing…
Mexican and Margaritas
We tried coming to Margaritas at Demspey a couple of months back, but it was closed for refurbishment. My friend has been raving about the food here for so long, that we finally booked a table (we had to practically beg to be squeezed in as they were fully booked) and headed up here on Friday night.
We obviously went straight for a round of margaritas – strawberry and frozen, of course – which were tasty, although the tequila wasn’t very evident (although some would say that’s a good thing!) and the glasses came rimmed with salt which led to a heated discussion about whether fruit margaritas should have salt round the rim or not… I noticed that everyone without exception wiped it off, regardless of their opinion…
We also later sampled the Mango version, but it rather paled in comparison to its Strawberry cousin.
We were all so hungry we ordered up some nibbles while we looked at the menu – some fantastic Nachos which disappeared in about three seconds flat (hence the half empty plate in the picture, I barely got in there in time!)
and some Jalapeno Poppers - not on the menu, you have to be in the know! These were tasty but we all agreed were disappointingly lacking in heat (of the spicy variety)
We then ordered up our own choice of main courses – the Kitchen Sink Burrito for myself and Mr Greedy Glutton, which as its name suggests, has a little bit of everything – chicken, beef, vegetables and rice all wrapped up and topped with Salsa, Sour Cream, Jalapenos and Guacamole.
I was however a little envious of the rice side order that came served with others’ Beef Burritos and Vegetable Enchiladas, which was buttery and scrumptious.
All in all we had a great meal, the food (and obviously the company) was great – I do think they could perhaps crank up the salsa tunes a tad… get a party atmosphere going… and perhaps encourage a few more margaritas and tequilas to flow in the process… now that’s my kind of Mexican meal… Margaritas - http://www.dempseyhill.com/tenants_Margarita.htm
Girly Lunch
I was meeting the girls for lunch and a pedicure – and where better to kick off a good girly afternoon like that, than tai tai favourite, Marmalade Pantry? This was my first time here, although I did try the Holland Village branch not long after we moved to Singapore, and I remember their fabulous fresh juices, which is what we kicked off with:
Pert – Orange, Apple and Ginger
And Delight – Honeydew, Orange and Carrot
They have a nicely varied menu, with dishes to suit every appetite, from soups, salads and wraps, through to pastas, tagines and roasts. My friends opted for two of the lighter options: The Grilled Pesto Chicken Wholemeal Wrap with Oven Roasted Butternut, which was given the thumbs up for being tender and juicy, and not at all dried out as can be the danger with such dishes.
And the Goats Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tart, which was also declared to be tasty, although the base crust was so hard it couldn’t be cut through properly, leading to goose-pimple inducing scraping noises on the plate.
I, being the Greedy Glutton, opted for one of the pasta dishes – the Spaghetti Alio Olio with Crispy Korobuta Belly Pork and Chilli. This I thoroughly enjoyed – the pasta was spot-on al dente and beautifully dressed, and the Pork was perfectly delicious.
But we didn’t stop there… oh no, there were desserts to be had, and we were definitely up for having them…
This time my friends were slightly more sinful in their choices, opting for the Basil Crepes with Caramelized Bananas, which looked sensational and were declared to be good enough to come back for alone; and a Cherry Crumble Tart, from the Pantry Menu: I, although completely full from my large serving of pasta, treated myself to the Homemade Lemon Tart with Wild Berries and Raspberry Coulis. And wasn’t I glad I did? Gooey, sticky lemon with a fresh, crisp crust and zesty coulis to finish it off… to-die-for… So now I know why this place is so popular with all those ‘Ladies who Lunch’… and now I also know why they go for pedicures so often… after eating here we needed to sit still with our feet up for at least an hour before we were able to walk again… The Marmalade Pantry, Palais Renaissance - http://www.themarmaladepantry.com/
Shopping and Lunch
We had some important business to attend to at Takashimaya… ie. Shopping, but beforehand we ad some equally important business to attend to… ie. Lunch. We didn’t want to go far, so popped into Crystal Jade Kitchen in the basement. This is a much more casual venue than the other Crystal Jade restaurants I have been to, although no cheaper… but the smells were appetizing and the tables were all full, so we didn’t think we could go too far wrong.
We started off with the Barbecued Pork in Honey Sauce, as it’s our absolute favourite from our regular Crystal Jade, Dining In at Vivocity. This wasn’t quite up there with our fave, definitely missing the hot plate, but it was still very moreish and worthy of the empty plate that went back to the kitchen.
We also ordered up some Noodles with Prawn Dumplings, which thankfully tasted better than it looked, although the noodles were somewhat congealed, and the dumplings slightly dried out…
Next up were some Chicken and Mushroom Dumplings, which were pretty tasty albeit a little stodgy,
and some (supposedly) Pork and Shrimp wantons. I say ‘supposedly’ because I couldn’t actually find any evidence of any pork or shrimp within the crispy wanton wrapping, although if you look at the photo below, I believe the little circle at the top is perhaps holding a small amount of filling… it certainly wasn’t distinguishable as pork and prawn, anyhow.
It did come with a rather nice sweet and sour dipping sauce though, which held many surprise ingredients, like pieces of squid and char sui, so I guess that kind of makes up for the lack of filling in the wantons.
Did I enjoy my lunch? Yes, I did actually… Will I be returning? Mmm, probably not... there are far too many places out there serving up superior food to this to make it worth my while… Crystal Jade Kitchen, Ngee Ann City - http://www.crystaljade.com/
Balinese Feast
Saturday night and we had more friends staying with us to entertain. We had spent the day sightseeing with them, and had worked up a healthy appetite, so we donned our glad rags and jumped in a cab to see what culinary pleasures we could seek in the fun and festive atmosphere of Clarke Quay.
We ended up at Bayang, the Balinese restaurant. We had been here once before, on our first week in Singapore (pre-blog days!) and remembered it being exceptionally good, but for one reason or another have never returned – mainly because their outside tables are invariably full. Tonight, as we were fairly late, we got lucky and an outside table was ours.
There were five of us, so an ideal opportunity to sample a range of their dishes, which of course we did, with great glee, starting off with some awesome Lamb & Chicken Satays,
Chicken in Pandanus Leaves,
and Deep Fried Squid – all of which were fantastic.
We followed these up with Black Pepper Beef on a hot plate,
Lamb Chops with Spices and Sweet Chilli Sauce,
Garlic Prawns,
and Charcoal Grilled Fish.
These were all equally as great as the starters, particularly the Fish, which got completely destroyed… and I think I’ve just found myself another favourite restaurant… (the list is getting quite long now!)
So a delicious, and massive, feed… the perfect energy fuelling required for our next stop, China One… where we managed to pull out some particularly embarrassing moves on the dancefloor, thanks to their resident band… definitely getting too old for that malarkey...
Bayang - #01-05 Blk A Clarke Quay, River Valley Rd
Teppanyaki Fun
It was raining but we didn’t really want to be indoors, so we made our way up to Chijmes, where we could have a bite to eat then have the option of moving outside once the rain cleared up. I’m never that impressed with the range of options at Chijmes – there seems to be too many places offering second-rate Burgers and Ribs for my liking, but today we came up with a winner…Tatsu.
As I’ve said before, we’re pretty much novices when it comes to Japanese food and have never quite ‘got’ all the fuss surrounding it… well, I think this could be the restaurant to convert us. Tatsu is divided into three – the Sakae Bar, the Sushi Restaurant, and the Teppanyaki Restaurant, and we chose the Teppanyaki section for its comfy chairs and in-situ chefs.
The waitress was really helpful and patient with our incessant indecisiveness and with a little help, we finally settled on the following starters:
Tuna Sushi
Tempura Maki
Both of which were fantastic, really fresh and tasty and I particularly fell for the Tempura Maki. But we had to ensure we saved some room for the rest of the feast we had coming our way – all from the Teppanyaki section: Beef,
Salmon
And Vegetables, served up with some Garlic Rice. Again, each dish was awesome and each cooked up on the hot plate in front of us by our charismatic chef:
 Who kept us entertained with his banter, fire-raising and knife-juggling skills. So a big-up to the Tatsu team for not only providing a really amazing meal, but also giving us an extremely entertaining and enjoyable evening… and converting us to the wonders of Japanese cuisine…. Tatsu Teppanyaki - #01-15/15a Chijmes, 30 Victoria St
Cantonese With Friends
Friday night in Hong Kong and we were all gathered in preparation for the Hong Kong 7s. It was decided that it would be a sensible idea to line our stomachs and have ourselves a large healthy meal before the nonsense began and we were too busy having fun to think about things like meals (and no, KFC and McDonalds don’t count).
So, one of the gang canvassed her local Hong Kong colleagues and booked us a table at Jasmine Place. Well, what a bonus having some local knowledge on your side – this place was awesome, and we ordered up a feast. I can’t really remember what everything was (sorry – that’s what happens when you have a boozy weekend away with friends!) but here are the pictures with a rough idea of what it was:
Roast Duck/Roast Pork (so good we ordered another immeditately)
 Honey Chilli Chicken (just look at the sticky, gooey goodness there)  Garlic Beef with Mushrooms & Cucumber  Fried Fish with a ? Sweet & Sticky Sauce  Another Fish Dish  Eggplant with Minced Pork (inspired by the extremely tasty dish we had at lunch yesterday – this was completely different, but equally as delicious) 
And yes I know I need to do better at remembering what we had to eat.. but suffice to say, it was a really fantastic meal, and definitely recommended… great food, great location, great price… (and of course, for us, great company!)… what more could you want…
Jasmine Place, Jardine House, Central, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Lunch
So we were back in Hong Kong, this time for the Rugby 7s, but had headed up a couple of days early to take in the sights before the rugby carnage began. I was with the girls and we were on our way to the Ladies markets to see what fantastic fake-handbag bargains were to be had, but we obviously had to satisfy our hunger beforehand.
We were on a Dim Sum hunt, but for one reason or another (one being that one of the girls picked up the wrong suitcase off the carousel and we had to make a time-costly return to the airport!) most restaurants were closed for the afternoon. So we followed our noses which led us to the Pacific Place Mall and asked the friendly doorman’s advice, who pointed us in the direction of the basement, and Zen.
They had finished Dim Sum for the day but our disappointment was short-lived when the food arrived, which was fan-tastic. While searching (in vain) for their website to include on this blog, I have since discovered that this place has quite a reputation for being one of the best places in Hong Kong for Dim Sum and authentic Cantonese cuisine, but we obviously didn’t know that at the time so were doubly impressed with our find.
Here’s what we went for: Eggplant with Minced Pork 
Garlic Chilli Chicken (it wasn’t called that, but that’s essentially what it was), and 
Roast Pork in Imperial Sauce, which came with dip-in buns and was to die for…  
unfortunately the pork arrived after we had already destroyed the other dishes, and also our appetites, but it was so good we finished it anyway.
This beat all the meals we ate last time we were in Hong Kong… so a successful stumbling-upon and a great fuel-stop to rev us up with energy for copious amounts of shopping at the Ladies Market…
Zen Cantonese Cuisine - Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong
The Gluttons back at Gluttons Bay
We had a friend staying with us, who was straight off the plane from the UK and wanting some local Singaporean food – and fast, before she succumbed to the inevitable jet-lag induced early-to-bed syndrome. We met Mr Greedy Glutton from work on Boat Quay and took a sight-filled stroll across the bridge to the Esplanade, and Gluttons Bay.
The last time we came here, we left sorely disappointed, as the food just wasn’t up to its usual standards… today, however, I’m happy to say it was back on form. We ordered up a selection of ‘local’ nibbles to give our friend a flavour of Singapore and give ourselves a tasty feed:
The ever delicious smoky chicken wings from Huat Huat Chicken Wings/Carrot Cake at Stall F  The equal-favourite scrumptious, sticky Mixed Satays from Alhambra Padang Satay at Stall C
Popiah (from memory and deduction this came from Stall G, but I’m not sure what it’s called) – it was slightly too shrimp pastey for me, but that’s just me not being a big fan of shrimp paste, our guest seemed to enjoy it, and that’s the most important thing.
The fabby Char Kway Teow from Hup Kee at Stall L – you can tell it’s good as there’s always a queue here... and of course some veggies, which I believe we got from Boon Tat BBQ Seafood at Stall J.
Once again, an enjoyable feast… and our friend was awake at 4am with jetlag, dreaming of the food we’d just had… so it was obviously a success…
Relaxing Brunch
We’ve been meaning to try Graze for a while for dinner, but we’re never organized to book ahead and consequently can never get a table. Instead, we headed up to Rochester Park to meet some friends for brunch on a Sunday. I’ve been here for drinks in an evening when the candlelit tables, water features and big-screen old movies make for a relaxing and chilled atmosphere, and during the day it is equally as pleasant, with the white awnings providing a bright and cheerful setting.
Their menu is equally as impressive, with something for everyone – with dishes as varied as Fruit and Muesli, Eggs Benedict, Pancakes, Full fry-up or, for the hungry carnivore, a full Barbecue Menu. Amongst the four of us we managed to sample a fairly wide variety of what was on offer, and happily they were all fantastic.
Fruit with Yoghurt – an enormous bowl of fresh fruit, slathered in lashings of yoghurt: Eggs Benedict – fantastic, probably the best I’ve had in Singapore so far (although it would be a tough toss-up between here and Whitebait & Kale… these being more traditional).
Avocado and Tomato – served on Wholegrain Toast with olive oil, salt and pepper
And what do you know, Mr Greedy Glutton just couldn’t resist the burger… it was pretty good, although the consensus was that we still can’t beat the Wine Garage burger…
As it was Easter weekend, we also indulged in some Hot Cross Buns:
 I think this might be my new favourite place for brunch, although it has such a lovely atmosphere that you just don’t want to leave… I could well imagine adjourning to the lounging area for some post-brunch refreshments… which, when you consider their cocktail menu, could be rather dangerous… Graze - http://www.graze.sg/
Farewell Dinner
It was my last night in the UK on my visit to my parents, so we treated ourselves to a meal out. It being a Monday night, several of the local restaurants were closed, but we did manage to seek out Brooks Restaurant in nearby Brighouse.
This is one of those restaurants with a separate bar area, where you can relax over a drink while you look at the menu and then move through to the dining area once your first course is ready, which is always a nice touch. There were lots of interesting choices on their daily-changing menu – mostly using fresh local ingredients, with international influences.
Although none of us braved the Spam Fritters for which Brooks is famous, we did manage to choose some superb dishes. Starting off with:
Warm Filo Moneybags – these are another signature dish for the restaurant, and although tasty they were slightly too stodgy with the Garlic Cream Sauce soaking into the Filo Pastry, together with the Mushrooms and Brie.  Melon with Fruit Sorbet – not much you can say about melon, but the sorbet here was delicious, really fruity and light.
Seared Scallops with a Savoury Pannacotta, Bacon and Crispy Onions. Although I didn’t try this one myself, I was assured by my Dad that it really was fantastic – well cooked scallops, a fish-based pannacotta and the bacon and onions finishing it off perfectly.
For mains, I opted for Fish of the Day – this was two fillets of fish –one a Seabass, and I’m afraid I can’t remember the other, but they had been simply grilled with Balsamic Vinegar, Lemon and Herbs and served with Tomato and Capers. Perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, perfectly delicious.
The Grilled Pollock was an equally generous portion and was presented with a Spanish twist, with Chorizo, Paprika and Manchego Cheese.
Whilst the Roast Goose Breast was an enormous portion of beautifully roast goose with Spiced Apple Puree and Caraway Seeds. These main courses were also served with hugely generous portions of vegetables and Potato Dauphinoise.
None of us really had room for dessert, but my Mum can’t go out for dinner without one, so she ordered the Cherry Meringue, a light crisp meringue, served with Kirsch-soaked cherries (try saying that after a glass of wine!) and an awesome mousse (which I just couldn’t help from sticking my spoon into, despite it not being my dessert)…
It was a fantastic meal and a lovely end to a trip back in Blighty… unfortunately it was definitely UK eating-out prices, but if I just pretended the pound sign was a Singapore dollar, it didn’t hurt so much… and anyway, it was definitely worth every penny… Brooks Restaurant, Brighouse, UK - http://www.brooks-restaurant.co.uk/
English Pub Lunch
While back in the UK visiting my parents, we made our way up the hill to the local pub, the Sportsman’s Inn… a typical English pub, with a fairly typical English pub menu (and I’m talking about the good ones), albeit slightly more adventurous and interesting than most.
Being in a Yorkshire pub, I couldn’t really see past the Fish & Chips… and once they arrived, I certainly couldn’t see past it – literally – it was the biggest helping of Fish & Chips I think I have seen in my life. Truly enormous. It was delicious too. You could taste the beer in the crisp batter, the fish was fresh and well cooked, the chips were homemade and cooked just right, and even the mushy peas, not normally a friend of mine, were tasty. I’m afraid to say I only managed about a third of it, but that was due to its sheer size and in no way a reflection of the quality.
My parents were more adventurous – Dad opting for the Beef Carpaccio, which although supposedly a starter was plenty big enough, and my Mum went for my second choice, the Pork Belly which was equally acceptable – tasty and tender, and was served with mustard mash and an enormous helping of side vegetables:
I was very impressed with our lunch… although despite not finishing off our meals, we did rather waddle out of there… perhaps we should have asked them to save the leftovers our lunch for us for when we return next time… and I’m pretty sure there will be a next time….
The Sportsman’s Inn, Rochdale Rd, Greetland, W Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Sunday Roast
I don’t normally write about home cooked food, but I’m going to make an exception for my favourite meal of all time – My Dad’s Roast Beef. I was back in the UK visiting my parents and this is definitely one of the perks that makes up for the bad weather…
So here it is, beautifully cooked Roast Rib of Beef:  With genuine Yorkshire-made Yorkshire Puddings 
And... Roast Potatoes…
Oh joy! I haven’t had roast potatoes in over 6 months, since we moved to Singapore in fact, as our oven is too small to make a roast with all the trimmings. And, as I have never quite got over the disappointment of not having any with our Christmas Lunch, these were very welcome indeed. While we’re at it, I might as well blow my own trumpet as well – we finished off with some profiteroles made my fair hand… and very nice they were too…. 
As much as I love my Singaporean food adventures, and wouldn’t swap them for anything… sometimes, it has to be said… there’s no place like home…
My Mum & Dad’s, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom (no website!)
Dempsey Disappoinment
My friend has been waxing lyrical about Margarita’s at Dempsey Hill for a while, so we substituted our usual Little India mid-week feast for a trip to Dempsey to enjoy some Mexican magic… except when we got there, Margarita’s was closed for refurbishment.
Slightly disappointed, we took a short hop across the road and settled ourselves at a table outside La Forketta. The first thing that annoyed me with this restaurant that they refused to bring us iced water, despite the fact that we were ordering glasses of wine and beers all round – they would only serve us vastly overpriced bottled water (and yes, this really is a pet hate of mine).
Putting that annoyance behind us, we ordered up some food. After much deliberation, I settled on the Aubergine Cannelloni. You know La Forketta is really pretty expensive by Singapore standards and I was expecting a lot more from my main course here – all I got in the end was this:
It wasn’t even served with a side salad or anything, and it was unfortunately really pretty bland.
Those who ordered a pizza I think got the better half of the deal – Mr Greedy Glutton being one of them, ordering a Pepperoni and Pineapple Pizza.
The pizzas were really good – light, crisp base and generous toppings… but they come at a price, and I doubt very much if we will be back to enjoy them again… and definitely not for as long as they refuse to serve iced water along with your meal.
So unfortunately our mid-week cheap and cheerful get-together turned out to be rather less cheap… and rather less cheerful than usual… but at least the company was as good as ever…
La Forketta - #01-09 Dempsey Hill
Shooter Frenzy
 After our fantastic feed at Ras, we all made our way on to China One, where someone (the birthday boy I presume) decided it would be a bright idea to start a Shooter Frenzy… this started off with a tray of B52s (Kahlua, Grand Marnier and Baileys floating on top).
I think we went on to sample most of the shooters on offer in China One… and I have a vague memory of this continuing later on in Zouk… well at least that’s our excuse for the display of dancing we all put on on the nightclub podiums anyway…
China One - http://www.baize.com.sg/index.htm
Birthday Curry
It was a friend’s birthday so 15 of us hit Clarke Quay for a curry at Ras. I’ve been here a few times and always hugely enjoyed it. It’s a whole lot more expensive than anywhere we normally go in Little India, but it’s great for a special occasion such as this, or if you just want a night out where the action is, and enjoy a really good Indian chow down at the same time.
We ordered up a whole selection of dishes, starting with Paneer Pakoras
 Tandoori Vegetables
 Lamb Koftas
 Tandoori Fish (really fantastic, the winner of the starters)
 And going on to enjoy Lamb Vindaloo (not as hot as you would think, but very tasty)
 Butter Chicken
 Lamb Rogan Josh
 Palak Paneer (I know I perhaps say this a lot, but this has to be up there with the best Palak Paneer ever tasted)
 and a selection of other vegetable dishes including Bhindi
 Potatoes
 and Eggplant (slightly bland and my least favourite of the vegetable dishes, which on the whole were fabulous) 
Good food… good wine… good company… and a happy birthday boy… what more could you ask for?
Ras - http://www.ras.com.sg/
Veggie Dim Sum?
One of my favourite places to go for Dim Sum is Yum Cha in Chinatown. This time we went with some friends, one vegetarian, so it was an excuse to order extra dishes, and also some we wouldn’t normally try (ie. the vegetarian ones).
It transpired to be quite a challenge finding vegetarian dim sum, but we ordered up the following which all sounded veggie enough:
Crystal Chive Dumplings – turned out they had prawns in, Fried Carrot Cake – tasted very fishy so we decided it wasn’t vegetarian at all.
 Vegetarian Spring Rolls – definitely veggie  Crystal Vegetarian Mushroom Dumplings – the veggie hit of the day, inspiring a double order  Coconut Flavoured Plain Bun  We also ordered up some non-veggie dishes: Steamed Pork Buns  Xiao Long Bao  Steamed Pork Ribs with Bean Sauce  And also some old favourites which didn’t let us down – Yum Cha Shrimp Dumplings, Sesame Prawn and Mango Rolls, Fried Garlic Prawn Dumplings and Dumplings in Special Spicy Sauce. So all in all a bit of a mixed bag really… some disappointing, some as good as ever… I think I’ve had better experiences here, but I still enjoyed it and will of course be back again soon… our veggie friend has been to a specifically vegetarian dim sum restaurant… so that’s always another option for next time… Yum Cha – http://www.yumcha.com.sg/
Two Dinners
We so enjoyed our last foodie experience up at Arab Street, that we decided to head back there on Friday evening for some more Middle Eastern delights. Unfortunately though, this time’s experience couldn’t be more different from the fabulous Turkish food we enjoyed at Alaturka. We’d heard good things about Al-Tazzag, an Egyptian restaurant on Haji Lane, so that was our destination of choice, but as I said, not a particularly good one.
It started with the hummus. Now let me explain, Mr Greedy Glutton had a bit of a hummus ‘habit’ when we lived in the UK, which he has managed to kick since we moved to Singapore, except for rare occasions such as this. I therefore had to carefully prepare him for the disappointment before he tasted the Al-Tazzag hummus, which was, in a word, awful. I don’t know what else to say, it just didn’t taste like any other hummus I have ever tasted, and definitely not in a good way.
The Baba Ghanoush was equally as bland and disappointing, and even the pitta was stale… oh dear, not a good start.
Unfortunately it didn’t get any better after that. I ordered the Chicken Sheesh Kebab, which was, again, really pretty tasteless, but worst of all came served with frozen potato wedges!
At least mine turned up though, which is more than can be said for Mr Greedy Glutton’s Koftas… after 15 minutes and not being able to even locate any member of their waiting staff, we actually got up and left, deciding that if the rest of the food was anything to go by, it wasn’t worth waiting for anyway.
We were obviously still hungry by this stage, so we went in search of more food. Unfortunately Alaturka was already closed, so we took a seat outside at Amirah’s Grill next door, and ordered up a couple of Chicken Shwarmas. They weren’t great, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them or return for another one, but they were a massive improvement on where we’d just come from.
To say we went home disappointed is an understatement… ah well, you win some, you lose some… I’m just glad that this wasn’t our first experience of eating in this neck of the woods, or we might not have returned in a hurry…
Al-Tazzag – Haji Lane
Amirah’s Grill – Bussorah St
Gourmet Burger
If you’re a regular reader, you will know that Mr Greedy Glutton and I love a good burger, and it is something we have struggled to find since moving to Singapore. So I was interested to read on Chubby Hubby’s website of a new joint in town, dedicated to the gourmet burger. So last Sunday we dragged ourselves out of bed and jumped in a cab headed for Bukit Timah road and to Relish.
We were both going to go for the Bacon & Cheese Burger, but were encouraged by our waiter to be a bit more adventurous (quite right, what were we thinking?!) so Mr Greedy Glutton ended up with the Mexican Burger (jalapenos, salsa, guacamole) and I opted for the Wild Rocket Burger, which was the original burger from the owners’ other restaurant, Wild Rocket, that inspired the whole idea for Relish. This came with sun dried tomato salsa and a pepper sauce.
There’s no mistaking it, these were good burgers, well seasoned, fresh, toasted buns, well cooked (if you don’t mind your mince rare), and interesting accompanying salsas and sauces. They are very thick and high though, and so not that easy to eat and I noticed most people were tackling theirs with a knife and fork (not me, half the fun is to have the juices running down your arms isn't it?!) It’s a great location to enjoy a burger too – a cool and laid-back atmosphere with friendly and attentive service.
What I was extremely impressed with though, was the onion rings. I often order onion rings, as I like the sound of them, but I rarely actually enjoy them (so why do I always order them? Because I’m greedy… and I live in hope of enjoying them). Well today was the day, these were the tastiest onion rings ever, tasty, soft onions in a light, crisp batter – perfect.
Had we not recently discovered the Wine Garage burger, we would have been very excited by Relish indeed. For us though, the Wine Garage burger is still the current favourite, and for us Clarke Quay is a whole lot easier to get to than Bukit Timah road. Those Relish burgers don’t look that big when they arrive at your table, but let me tell you, they certainly fill you up… luckily the Botanical Gardens are a hop, skip and a jump away for walking off your lunch… not that you’ll be able to hop, skip or jump after eating here… Relish – http://www.wildrocket.com.sg/relish.htm
Dim Sum Craving
 Every few weeks I wake up with a Dim Sum craving, when nothing else will do, and last Saturday was one of those days. We had a spot of shopping to do on Orchard Road so chose Crystal Jade Nan Jiang Cuisine at Ngee Ann City. Last time we came here we had to wait for half an hour for a table, so today we booked ahead and what to you know? It was half empty… Well who cares, we had a table in a nice restaurant and a veritable feast to enjoy.
We started with a chicken and noodle salad with a spicy peanut sauce, which was quite strange – it basically tasted like cold noodles and chicken mixed in with some peanut butter and chilli – but hey, I like noodles, chicken, chilli and peanut butter, so it was ok by me…
We also pigged out on Crispy Beancurd Rolls with Shrimp, a true winner:  Ha Kau Shrimp Dumpling, as good as ever  Xiao Long Bao (and those damn dumplings stuck to the lettuce leaf so the soup disappeared into the steamer before it reached my mouth, but the remaining dumplings was still pretty good)  Siew Mai  And our favourite dish from our last visit: Pork Wanton in a Spicy Sauce – unfortunately they just didn’t live up to our memories though, today’s were decidedly tasteless and oily. 
Cheap and Cheerful
Wednesday evening and time for a quick bite to eat with friends after work. Lau Pa Sat was the hawker centre of choice and Ming Yen Seafood, the stall we ended up at – mainly for its set-apart location outside on picnic-style tables and, more importantly, its proximity to the Tiger Beer stall. I’m not a big fan of stingray, or sambal dishes, but the friend I was with eats nothing else it seems, so Sambal Stingray it was – it was ok, but I’ll refrain from commenting further as I’m not the best person to judge.  We also ordered the Chicken with Dried Chillies  and some Kai-lan with Oyster Sauce 
Both of these were really pretty good…all plates going back were empty anyway… so it can’t have been bad…
Ming Yen Seafood – Stall 55 – 57, Lau Pa Sat
Express Thai
I was with a friend on our way to see Santana in concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium and needed a quick bite to eat before we went, so we called into Thai Express at Raffles City. It’s been a while since I’d been to Thai Express, and I’d forgotten just how good their food is – and we’re talking a cheap and cheerful fast-food joint in a shopping mall here.
We opted for the Phat Thai Neua - Beef Noodles: 
Ka Nah Phat Het, Kai-lan with Mushrooms: 
and the BBQ Seafood Platter with Spicy Chilli Padi and Lime Dip: 
and it was all really fantastic. I wrote some time ago about Thai Accent at Vivocity and said that it was comparable to Thai Express, well I take that back… Thai Express kicks butt on Thai Accent… I enjoyed this little chow-down so much I was actually back in Thai Express a few days later with Mr Greedy Glutton, sampling their awesome Yellow Chicken Curry with Potato and their tasty (and very spicy) Basil Beef Rice… twice in one week… now that’s greedy… Thai Express - http://www.thaiexpress.com.sg/index.htm
Vietnamese Dinner
Ever since we went travelling in Vietnam in 2003, and I succeeded in my quest to have Spring Rolls every day of my trip (often twice a day!), I have been a huge lover of Vietnamese food. Strange then that we haven’t really eaten much of it since we moved to Asia… well… apart from the odd lunch and takeaway from the Orange Lantern… and the odd plate of Spring Rolls from the various Indochine bars…
Anyway, tonight it was all about a proper Vietnamese sit-down dinner (although strictly speaking it was South-East Asian, not just Vietnamese), and fabulous it was too. This was our first time upstairs at the Indochine on Club St. We’ve spent many an evening in the downstairs bar supping cocktails and nibbling on the aforementioned spring rolls, but never ventured up the narrow staircase to the restaurant. It’s a beautiful space with white linen tablecloths, and large Buddha heads adorning the walls, and the menu is full of mouthwatering dishes.
Believe it or not, we gave the Spring Rolls a miss this time (unheard of!), and dove straight into the main courses – Pepper Beef with Garlic and Butter – big thick chunks of tender beef sautéed in herbs, spices and butter, which were really delicious, especially when dipped in the accompanying sour-sweet dip
Tiger Prawns in Lemongrass and Chilli Sauce – this sauce was so zesty and spicy and tasty that I just couldn’t stop spooning up those juices
Stir-fried Vegetables with Basil and Chilli – even these were delicious, especially the baby corn (although when I mentioned that to Mr Greedy Glutton, he said he hadn’t had a chance to try any before they all disappeared… oops!)
I am adding this restaurant to my list of favourites… yes, that ever-growing list of restaurants… that I seem to add to every week…. Indochine Club St - http://www.indochine.com.sg/
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