I have received quite a few comments regarding my deletion of all previous entries. Almost all of you feel I should not have deleted all my entries as they served as good references. For those of you who have been following my blog for the last couple of years, I am really sorry.
My blog was created when I was in a relationship with S. At that time, he and his brothers were running yum.sg which I was contributing articles to. I decided then to start foodgossip since I was doing the reviews anyway and I had quite a bit of spare time back then, especially at night when S would be working and I didn’t have much to do. Many of the reviews were done with him, which was why I decided to remove them all, and start on a clean slate. However, as a consolation (I hope), I have come up with my list of favourite haunts thus far and I hope this helps. I will review new places I have been to as well as old places I have revisited but please be patient with me as I have less time these days. So, here goes!
FAVOURITE RESTAURANTS
Gunthers (French)
Gunther’s Specialty: Cold Angelhair Pasta with Truffles
I have actually been here a couple of times and I love the food here as well as the immaculate service. You must try their house speciality, the Cold Angelhair Pasta with Truffles. This is heavenly and is done to perfection. Usually I will order their daily specials. So far, I have tried the Wagyu beef and the lobster, both of which were deliciously prepared.
Gunthers is tad pricey, however you can order to share and they will split the portions accordingly. I reckon a 3-sharing would be just about right.
Celebrated my big 3 here with my girlies
Shinji (Japanese Omakase)
Shinji at Raffles Hotel has the best sushi omakase in town. Go during lunch as it is more value-for-money. Personally, I love sitting by the sushi counter and my favourite sushi chef has got to be Oshiniro-san (you may request for him). The rice portion and temperature is perfect. Everything there is delicately done and every bit of sushi just melts in your mouth.
Gyu Kaku (Japanese BBQ) – CHIJMES outlet
I used to love Chang’s Korean BBQ at Dempsey. But after I discovered Gyu Kaku, I have actually never gone back to Chang’s. I find Gyu value for money and I love the taste of their short ribs. Every piece is tender and juicy. There is no need to order the Wagyu standard as the regular beef is amazing. The pork belly is also pretty good. You must order their speciality salad as well as their soups. I actually get cravings for Gyu sometimes. Love this place.
Celebrating my big figure change with my Bestie @ Work!
Long Beach Seafood – Dempsey outlet
White Pepper Crab
Salted Egg Yolk Crab
Black Pepper Crab
I love crabs. For those of you who have been following my blog, crabs are one of 2 of my biggest loves (the other being escargots). I have tried many places for crabs and I must say that Long Beach Dempsey has been the most consistent in terms of crab quality and preparation. The crabs are sizable and meaty. The meat is succulent, fresh and firm. In terms of preparation, they are best for their Black Pepper, White Pepper and Salted Egg Yolk. In fact, I would go as far as to say that their Salted Egg Yolk is by far the best I have had as I am by nature not an egg yolk lover. Be sure to book in advance though as this place is always full!
Bamboo Clams with Garlic
Aside from crabs, other dishes worth ordering would be their herbal prawns or drunken prawns, their bamboo clams with garlic, sambal kang kung and for dessert, the aloe vera jelly with dry ice!
Aloe Vera Dessert!
Jumbo Seafood – Dempsey outlet
Jumbo Chilli Crab
For awesome chilli crabs, I recommend Jumbo. Whilst Long Beach has good ones as well, the Jumbo chill crabs stand out more somehow. There is a better blend of chilli, ketchup, eggs and whatever magic it is that they mix into their sauce. Pair it with fried or steamed buns, the chilli crabs here are tasty and addictive.
Jumbo Black Pepper Crab
Although I prefer the black pepper crabs at Long Beach, I sometimes do crave for the black pepper crabs at Jumbo. It is prepared differently with a stronger black pepper taste along with butter. However there has to be the right balance for I find the standard inconsistent and when there is too much pepper, it kills the taste of the crabs and all you get is that pepperish after taste.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
I have been fortunate enough to try steaks at many of the acclaimed steakhouses like Cut @ MBS, Mozza Osteria @ MBS, Mortons @ Mandarin Oriental, etc; and I must say the most impressive and memorable steak I have had, was the one I had at Ruth’s Chris Steakhous @ Pan Pacific Hotel. The meat was juicy with just the right amount of fat nicely spread out in minced portions throughout the steak. It was not overly done but simply grilled and the taste of the steak was not marred by any over-bearing sauce. The restaurant provides a variety of sauces for you to choose from. These complemented the flavour of the steak and the sides were delicious as well, enhancing the overall experience.
One of the better steaks I have had in my life was at Rockpool Grill & Bar in Sydney. The steak at Ruth’s comes a close second if not on par.
Koh Grill & Sushi Bar
Located in the food court of Wisma, Koh Grill & Sushi Bar is one of my discoveries for the year. I read about it on someone’s food blog and made a reservation to check it out with the girls. I thought it was a regular restaurant at first, but I had my doubts when the number given was a mobile number. I was actually surprised to find it beside Ding Tai Fung in Food Republic.
Open concept, there was a long queue when we arrived. The turnover was pretty quick and since I had a reservation, we didn’t have to wait long.
Sunday night dinner w A & L
The menu was simple and straight forward. Everything look yummy and I was soon ordering away. This was made easy especially with the very reasonable pricing. My personal favourites were the aburi salmon sushi, salmon carpaccio, and their in house specialty, the shiok sushi. The salmon carpaccio was rather unique and tasty. Not the best I have had, but it was good and the salmon was very fresh and served in generous portions. I particularly enjoyed the shiok sushi. I generally avoid sushi rolls in Japanese restaurants as I find them rather heavy and dry after 2 pieces. And until the shiok sushi, I had not come across a sushi roll that was tasty. On a subsequent occasion, I tried the shiok sushi #2, but it wasn’t as memorable and the flavour was similar to other sushi rolls.
Koh Grill & Sushi Bar is value for money and yet with a very good standard of sushi. I would definitely go back again. I have actually been there twice and I hope to bring my family there next.
FAVOURITE HAWKER CENTRE
Chomp Chomp @ Serangoon Gardens
I grew up a “gardener” and anyone who understands that, know Chomp Chomp is one of the key landmarks and is pretty much synonymous with Serangoon Gardens.
Forget Newton Circus, Chomps has the best BBQ chicken wings, BBQ stingray, lala, Hokkien Mee, Sugar Cane Juice, Satay, and Carrot Cake – you just need to know which are the right stalls to go to!
My favourite BBQ seafood stall is the first stall on the left (assuming u r facing chomps). The stingray here has just the right amount of sambal, burnt just enough to have the flavour of a grill, with the optimum amount of onions…it’s perfection. The lala is amazing as well. The sauce is divine. I always felt that their lala sauce was distinctive and tasty enough to rival that of the chilli crab. I am sure the same sauce would go very well with other seafood. Although I must say that the lala flavour complements the spice and sweetness of the sauce perfectly. I like their sambal kang kung too. It’s not too spicy and has just the right mix of prawn paste and sambal.
The best hokkien mee stall has definitely got to be Ah Hock Hokkien Mee, located on deeper in on the right side (assuming u r facing chomps). Expect a minimum waiting time of 30mins. The hokkien mee here is very unique and I have to say, the best I have had. They use thin bee hoon and have a good mix of bee hoon and yellow noodles. It is not too dry neither is it prepared wet like some other stalls. The Ah Hock hokkien mee is dry yet moist, full of flavour and served with one of the best sambal chillis. It is actually addictive and one would crave for it at times. Definitely worth the wait!
FAVOURITE CHILL-OUT SPOTS
10 Scotts @ The Hyatt Hotel
It’s perfect for that afternoon tea with the girls or even a Saturday night out where u enjoy simple, tasty food, slowly over girly chatter. Free flow of wine and comfy couches with a cosy setting, you could laze here for hours.
We celebrated G’s birthday here and it was a relaxing, fun and chill night. We started out with the trays of appetizers and moved on to the main course, ending off with cheese and fruit. We did this over 4 hours of chatter and lots of wine. Mid-way through the night, we were happy-high and just enjoying each others’ company. It’s the perfect way to unwind after a long stressful week. 10 Scotts is neither pretentious nor stiff, instead it is very homely. I like the concept of a simple and limited selection of food and the free flow wine. This ensured that there was quality yet it didn’t make you feel like you had to try a lot of things and gobble down lots of food. It was a very focused buffet and it allowed you to pace yourself and really just enjoy the night out.
By the end of the night, we were sufficiently full and satisfied yet not overly stuffed and feeling like we just gorged a huge buffet meal.
Martini Bar @ Mezzanine at the Hyatt Hotel
I love this place especially after work as it is away from the business district so you feel adequately away from the office yet it is also central so you don’t feel like you are away from town. It is often packed so you have to go early or you won’t be able to get good comfy seats, or any seats at all. On Wednesdays from 6-9pm I believe, there is a 1-for-1 martini special. They have an extensive variety of cocktails and again, this is a great place for a girly night.
I have been here a handful of times and I have actually always been here with my colleagues. So it really isn’t a girly-place per se. Unlike most bars, you don’t have to contend to mediocre finger food here. They have a pretty decent selection of finger food and you are also able to order sushi and other dishes from the mezzanine kitchen itself. I personally love the chicken wings here as they break it up into convenient pieces and fry them golden brown. Hot edamame also goes surprisingly well with cocktails, as does sushi.
Having a rough day at work? Or just need to unwind and chill? The Martini Bar @ Mezzanine is relaxing and enjoyable as you get nicely high on delicious cocktails and fill your stomachs with yummy food.
Mad Men Bar
The Mad Men Bar was introduced to me by a friend and since then, I have actually patronised the place at least a dozen times. Located along North Canal Road, on the roof of a shophouse, Mad Men is in the heart of the CBD and if you are seated outside, you are literally surrounded by the taller office buildings which has a certain feel to it especially at night when the lights come on.
It is rather difficult to get a seat at Mad Men so if you are coming in a group, I suggest you make reservations or go as early as 6pm. The place is mostly full with bankers and lawyers working in the vicinity. Mad is popular for its offering of Black Nikka, however they do serve other alcoholic beverages and I must say very decent bar food.
For me, the highlight of Mad has to be the live band. I love live bands and Mad showcases some of the best local bands and singers. Every night is a different act, and whilst they all have their unique styles, they are also extremely talented and the bar is set pretty high at Mad.
Unpretentious, very casual with good music, Mad is one of my favourite places to be when I just want to chill after work with some friends. It is not cushy and comfortable whereby you can laze there, but it is relaxing and entertaining. Think rowdy bar with live music, full of people standing right under the stars, nestled in the middle of tall concrete buildings.
FAVOURITE PLACE FOR MY FAVOURITE FOOD (other than crabs) – ESCARGOTS
The Ship Restaurant
Back in the day, when I was a little girl, I was really skinny and my palms were white as sheet. The doctor told my parents that I had more white blood cells than red and they needed to feed me with more red meat. And for as long as I can remember, we used to patronise The Ship Restaurant at Shaw Centre every week, where I would have my mushroom soup, garlic bread, half a dozen escargots and either the Ship Steak or the New York Steak. My drink would always be the Ship’s Evergreen Drink, which was essentially a non-alcoholic mocktail. As we went there so often, this mocktail eventually became “on the house” whenever we dined there.
Today, the outlet at Shaw Centre is closed for renovation and they currently have one outlet at NEX. The Ship has transformed over the years from a mid-range restaurant where we would actually dress up to dine, to a relatively casual restaurant with people going in slippers and shorts. The family restaurant now also serves asian food such as fish noodle soup and have a wide variety of set meals to choose from.
Personally, I find the standard of the steaks has dropped, or perhaps I have grown a more discerning palate; but I wouldn’t come here for the steak. The steaks are average, and similar to those of a western food stall in at a food centre. However, there is one thing which they used to do fantastic and still do – their Escargots. I have tried escargots at many restaurants, and some really high end ones too. But the escargots at The Ship are divine. Served traditionally on an escargots hot steel plate along with the shells, the escargots are done sizzling hot with a generous serving of garlic and herb butter. The taste is exquisite and unique. The garlic is not too overdone, burnt just enough and together with the butter, the entire dish is just extremely mouth-watering. Needless to say, another thing they do very well is their garlic bread. They toast a regular square soft white bread with the same mix of garlic and butter and this is done just right, not too crisp, so the white bread is still soft like a sponge that soaks up the garlic flavour.
Love escargots? Or haven’t tried them? The Ship restaurant serves possibly the best escargots I have ever had.
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I think I shall stop here for now. I will continue on with my lists as I think of other restaurants or haunts to share with you. I have so many new restaurants I have been to which I want to review, as well as topics I want to discuss, beauty items to share…etc. Until my next entry!
Food Gossip with Germaine 