All posts filed under: Eat

Oxwell & Co @ Ann Siang

Published by Beatrice

Despite reading quite a lot of horrid reviews on Oxwell’s service, I couldn’t help but try this 3 month old Oxwell & Co restaurant because the chef used to work with Gordon Ramsay! And I had one of the most mind blowing experience with Gordon Ramsay in the UK, I was willing to risk the bad service. Oxwell’s executive chef, Mark Sargeant, spent 13 years with Gordon Ramsay Holdings, including 7 years as head chef at Michelin-starred Claridge’s. Sargeant is known for his simple, honest food that is easy on the palate. I must say, firstly, the restaurant must have taken the service feedback quite seriously; I had a pleasant experience with the staff. When I called, they were initially full but gave me the option of going slightly earlier at 630pm so they can still seat me, so long as I could return the table by 8pm. When we arrived, the service crew did seem a little disorganized in that they weren’t sure about my reservation and took a while to check, but they were warm …

Mai Noodles @ Pekkio Food Center

Published by Beatrice

Had a simple meal at Pekkio Food Centre at Owen Road. I originally wanted to try the Wah Kee Prawn Noodle that my friend recommended but this is my second trip there and it was closed again!. So I opted for Mai Minced Pork Bee Hoon ($3), which honestly surprised me with its good taste! Be prepared to wait though, as the food is prepared by 2 elderly folks.  

Novena Peranakan Cuisine @ Novena

Published by Beatrice

I discovered an old gem recently at Novena recently. Apparently, I was told by Jeffrey, one of the owners, that they have been open 9 years! Funny how I have always passed it eating the Hong Kong Family restaurant on its left or Prawn Mee to its right but deselected Novena Peranakan Cuisine. They run a set lunch/dinner at $12.90, with 3 mains (1 each from 3 different lists), 1 drink and 1 dessert. Been there twice now! And these are the dishes: 1) Assam Pedas Fish Meat – so good I repeated on second visit! Assam Pedas, literally meaning “sour spicy,” is a classic Malaysian/Indonesian dish. It is supposed to be sour and fiery hot, and this dish didn’t fail to live up to its name. Rich and sour punch with every mouthful of fish and curry. This dish at Novena Peranakan Cuisine tastes extraordinarily satisfying and has become one of my favorite top fish curries in Singapore (alongside Ocean Curry Fish Head @ Toa Payoh Lorong 4 and Hong Kong Street Chun Tat …

Common Man Coffee Roasters @ Martin Road

Published by Beatrice

Common Man Coffee Roasters (CMCR) is a unique concept brewed from a partnership between Harry Grover, Five Senses Coffee (Australia), and the Spa Esprit Group. The cafe roots from the notion that great coffee should not be a privilege, but instead available for all to enjoy, hence, “common man”. But truth be told, the prices of the food is not the most  “common”/affordable. Located at 22 Martin Road, Common Man Coffee Roasters houses a coffee roaster, a specialty coffee bar, a 60-seater cafe and a retail space that offers coffee accessories. Even though it has quite a lot of seats, they do not take reservations and the cafe was packed when we arrived on Sunday lunch time. However, they reassured me that there is usually no longer than 5-10min waiting time during busy hours for groups of 4 or less. I actually find this cafe a smart business partnership  for all the partners. This is the first tieup that moves Spa Esprit in the wholesale business, an expansion from retail which they already do very well. …

Quan Xiang Yuan 泉馨园 (Jing Ji) Seafood Restaurant @ Jalan Besar

Published by Beatrice

I used to frequent Quan Xiang Yuan previously with my aunt since I was a kid. Apparently, this is one of the oldest Hokkien restaurant in Singapore, founded since the 1930s. First up, we tried Quan Xiang Yuan’s traditional Prawn Roll ($8), handmade using pork, prawn and spice mix. It was well battered (fish-and-chips style) and juicy on the inside. Most prawn rolls tend to be a bit dry inside due to the frying but this one was still supple. We also had the Fish Maw Sea Cucumber Stew ($20), a must order every time we visit a Hokkien Restaraunt. This particular stew had a lot of the ingredients – Fish Maw, Sea Cucumber and Mushrooms so this is good value for money in terms of the amount of ingredients. However, the taste was just average for me. We couldn’t decide between the Fried Hokkien Noodles ($6) and Fried Hokkien Beehoon ($6) so we ordered both in small portions to share. The noodles were definitely traditional, but I think all 4 of us unanimously preferred the Beehoon! The …

NOX – Dine in the Dark @ Beach Road

Published by Beatrice

We decided to celebrate our 100th days of marriage at NOX Restaurant, which is Singapore’s version of dining in darkness. On top of it potentially being an interesting experience, we also wanted to do our little bit to help with the visually impaired in Singapore. As NOX website describes, we are constantly having sensory stimulation. Especially in our modern fast paced environment, our senses are nearly overwhelmed, always having new news to look at, new information to feed into our brains, new people to talk to. So the concept of NOX – Dine in the Dark, is to compel us to be more conscious of our remaining senses since we cannot see, thus heightening our ability to smell, feel and taste! As NOX describes, the experience is to “temporarily surrender one of your dominant senses, sight, in exchange for enhancing the other four, allowing you to completely re-evaluate your perception of the world around you”. When you first enter the restaurant on the first floor, the host will brief on all the necessary logistics – …

Cad Café @ Kampong Glam

Published by Beatrice

Cad Café is a new coffee joint opened for just 3 months, set in extremely hipster Haji Lane! You will walk through a sea of graffiti walls to get to Cad Café! It is  a very small café that can seat less than 20 people in total. Extremely artistic and grungy interiors, Cad Cafe has some good hand drawn paintings hanging for sale. I personally think they blend the décor perfectly with the Haji Lane esoteric atmosphere. It is a rushed breakfast coffee grab, so we tried the Flat White and Ice Coffee. They are using beans from Toby’s Estate, and I must say the coffee is better than I expected (7.5/10)! The Flat White ($5) is medium bodied – quite viscous. It is bitter and only slightly acidic, but is well balanced with the milk, with strong aroma. The Ice Coffee ($4.50) is not too acidic and had quite a long lingering taste. There are tourists sitting around chatting, and given the vibrancy of the café, if I was on a holiday, it would be a …

Cafe Melba @ Goodman Arts Centre

Published by Beatrice

We were looking for dog-friendly cafe after bringing my fluff to NEX, and Cafe Melba Cafe came to mind. Given that it was only a replacement Public Holiday on a Monday (half the people I know were still working), Melba Cafe was relatively crowded. By the way, I suspected and later confirmed that Melba stands for Melbourne (MELB) and Asia (A), so the food is supposed to be Asian interpretations of Australasian dishes. We sat outdoor where it was cosy but also quite warm, and my dog was happily pampered by the children around. We had the Haddock and Chips ($24), Crayfish Linguine ($27)and Chili Crab Calzone ($22). All 3 of us enjoyed the food! The Crayfish Linguine  is cooked Al Dente, and the crayfish bisque was absorbed well into the linguine, giving the pasta a juicy texture. At the same time, the red peppers complemented the roasted crayfish, while the rocket gave the dish a bitter after taste. Complex dish with a Western-Asian blend indeed. The Chili Crab Calzone is like Cheese Prata with Chili Crab, angmoh style; crab meat, egg, …

Butter Studio @ Jalan Besar

Published by Beatrice

After a disappointment along the Jalan Besar trail with Tiramisu Hero, I was a little sceptical to try another new Butter Studio Bakery. I was wondering if it was just another nicely decorated Hipster Bakery with no real substance. But Butter Studio caught my eye from across the road when I was having lunch at the Jalan Besar Food centre (which, btw, has very nice Pahang “sashimi” for $3 at the congee shop), and we decided to cross the road to try Butter Studio out. One is welcomed into the shop house by a tent over grass turf and outdoor table made from stacked up pallets. It is an easy to do set up for people to hang out outdoors. The layout of the cakes and cupcakes is very welcoming at the entrance. There are also very ornate articles like a bicycle outdoors with nice flowers in the front basket. Definitely good impressions from the decoration effort! I am welcomed by rows of interesting cakes, cupcakes, food and tarts on the left when I enter the …

Hong Sheng Restaurant Tzechar @ Toa Payoh

Published by Beatrice

I have been eating this Hong Sheng Tzechar at Toa Payoh Lorong 1 for many years, it almost feels weird to be blogging it only now. I have read various reviews online that say the general flavour of the dishes at Hong Sheng lacks the umami oomph compared to other Tzechar stalls. I have to agree that Hong Sheng food tastes very cosy home cooked style, where there is less salt and MSG. For example, even the tofu, they do not use the stronger tasting egg tofu, but the more authentic white tofu. The soup is also slightly bland. So if you are looking for the strong outstanding flavours in every dish, this is not the place for you. Despite some of the not so good reviews online, be prepared to wait at Hong Sheng. If you don’t arrive by 530pm, the typical waiting time will be at least 1 hour!, so tip is to reach by 530 latest, especially if you have many pax. Tip: They are known for their Horfun, which is wrapped in …