Archive for Food

Christmas Day Lunch with Mum at Da Luca

For Christmas Day this year, and to enjoy the time with my mum who was returning back to the UK on Boxing Day, we booked up a table at Da Luca Italian Restaurant – in Novena.

It is still a little surreal to enjoy Christmas in the tropics, but we knew we were in for a good meal. It wasn’t massively busy, but we had a nice meal of Beef Carpaccio, Pizza and a Mixed Salad which we shared – certainly different from the Christmas Turkey and the trimmings – but delicious all the same.

It was great to spend it with my mum, rather than eating on my own, so I am glad I was able to spend it with her, and to ensure she had a relaxing trip back (on a full stomach).

Da Luca Italian Restaurant
1 Goldhill Plaza #01-19/21
Goldhill Plaza
Singapore
309012
Tel: +65 6258 4846
URL: http://www.daluca.com.sg

Culina Dempsey Dinner (23 Dec 2014)

Dempsey is growing one me as an area. Not only is it closed to where we live, it actually has a number of enjoyable drinking and eating experiences.

This time around, we decided to book a table at Culina which is a nice restaurant establishment…one that has a butchery and fish bar (servicing a delightful selection of oysters) – the steak selection is very tasty, you go and select your cut of meat and then tell them which sauce from the menu you want with it – yummy indeed!.

So we started with a charcuterie board – it was a nice selection, but a wee bit pricey for what you get (like most Mediterranean food in Singapore!), then we had mussels, and crab cakes – all in all a nice selection of dishes to fill our bellies.

I certainly would recommend Culina – not only is it a nice and relaxing place, it’s not too pretentious or over the top – but is a delightful setting with a nice delicate mix of good food, good service and relaxing surroundings – and if you want to buy stuff to take home – they have a deli shop in-built within the restaurant as well.

Culina Dempsey
8 Dempsey Road #01-13
Dempsey Hill
Singapore 247696
Tel: +65 6474 7338
E-mail: info@culina.com.sg
URL: http://www.culina.com.sg

Paradise Dynasty at ION Orchard

To enjoy a cheapish (sorry I mean ‘cost effective’) pre-Christmas meal with my mum and girlfriend, I decided to take them to ION Orchard and to the Paradise Dynasty restaurant there. We intended to enjoy the fusion xiao long bao that they serve specifically at this restaurant. Paradise’s xiao long bao are quite different – as they serve a mixed plate of 8 xiao long bao of different types: original, szechuan, ginseng, crab roe, cheese, garlic, and the kings-among-kings – foie gras and black truffle. Delicious and very tasty!

We ordered a few dishes and enjoyed the fine and relaxing company – and it was a great meal and experience overall. It wasn’t too expensive and we were able to enjoy it with a nice discount – as I had some vouchers to use up. I think I managed to use $40 of the $50 I had, and provided the difference in cash – something like S$7 – not bad, hey?

Paradise Dynasty at ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
#04-12A ION Orchard
Singapore 238801

Tim Ho Wan Dinner with Mum (16th Dec 2014)

Another day, another eating opportunity – and this time, I found myself around Plaza Singapura in Dhoby Ghaut.

After some shopping in and around the shopping mall, I decided to walk by the Tim Ho Wan restaurant, to see if the queue was very long – unfortunately, it doesn’t allow bookings, and it is difficult to gauge how long the wait will be in the queue. Luckily, the queue was quite short – and so we decided to give it a shot.

It is a little bit over-rated, but with a limited menu selection – it is focused on quality (after all it is a Michelin Star place after starting in Hong Kong) and quick service – and it does meet this objective – just about! I wouldn’t say it is the best dim sum I have had in Singapore – or even in the Hong Kong or the UK – but it was still an enjoyable dinner with mum, and I can see why it remains a popular choice. The price is good though – so this ensures we can enjoy a Michelin Star experience, for very acceptable prices.

This place is growing quickly – starting with this first location, and now having 5 restaurants across the island.  Would recommend it – but it is going to be one of those places that you do it a few times or on special occasions only.

Tim Ho Wan
68 Orchard Road #01-29A
Plaza Singapura
Dhoby Ghuat
Singapore 238839
Tel: +65 6251 2000

The Mad Hatter Christmas Party (12th Dec 2014)

It is towards year-end, so it is always customary to enjoy a festive party with the work colleagues.  This year, the team planned a party at Una Restaurant at One Rochester.  It was a bit of a way out from the MBFC office.  Luckily for me, it is not that far to my ‘other home’ – so it was easy to get home after the party (unless there is an after party – which is very unlikely in the current set-up).

The theme was ‘Mad Hatter’ (remember the Disney movie – “Alice in Wonderland”?) – well it basically meant HATS HATS and HATS.  With the customary theme comes the challenge of trying to locate something appropriate for the Party… Last year, I tuxed up, and won the “best dressed man at the party” – but this year, I thought I just go with the flow and dress modestly…haha! 🙂  I decided to go with a cheapish hat, and managed to get a red top hat from a shop that had lot of glitter (yikes) – at least it had a Christmas-y feel!!

Also part of the celebrations was the classic ‘Secret Santa’ – the person I picked opted with the easy option of selecting what they wanted…hmmm…spoils the fun a bit, don’t you think.  I always go with the ‘anything’ option, to see how creative the gift-bearer is.  So anyway, my option wanted a Gift card – so I decided to buy them a $30 Robinson gift card.  That will do – quick and easy, as I hate trying to find some suitable – very difficult indeed, when you don’t really know the person.

The buffet food was actually very tasty, the wine was nice, and the service very attentive – I really enjoyed the place, and it turned out to be quite a nice party.  The only downer is that is it should be a party – e.g. people should be letting their hair down, having fun, and partying hard…but here the ones I’ve been too, is that people just eat, drink, do their stuff and then leave.  And when I say ‘leave’ – I mean the party ends around 9-9.30pm – hmmm…isn’t that meant to be the start of the party.  Anyway, I opted to go with the group, as I wasn’t aware of any of the folks I know were interested in staying or going somewhere else, but managed to join a colleague and we went into town to continue drinking and having more fun elsewhere.

Una at One Rochester
1 Rochester Park
Singapore 139212
Tel: +65 6773 0070
URL: http://www.una.sg

Delicious Thai Food at Holland Food (and Reasonably Priced too) (2nd Dec 2014)

It was always enjoyable when you find a new eating establishing, and the best surprise is when it is near to your girlfriend’s place.  This new(ish) Thai restaurant, is located at Holland Village, along Lorong Liput down one of the side roads of the main part of the eateries along Holland Village. I believe it is the fifth branch to have opened in Singapore, after Bedok North Avenue 3, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, Pasir Panjang Road and Marine Parade Central.

It is quite a nice place, no frills, simple in design and set-up, but the food is modestly priced, but the quality is top-notch. It feels very authentic, I even think some of the staff are actually Thai – but don’t quote me on this.

The variety is very nice, and the food delivery is very quick and pleasant. I would definitely recommend this place, especially if you find yourself near to one of their locations – or even here in Holland Village.

Nakhon Kitchen (Holland Village)
27A Lorong Liput
Singapore 277738
Tel: +65 6469 6862

An Stroll to ECP and Early Dinner at Brussel Sprouts (23rd Nov)

Well it started with the usual “lets do some exercise” excuse – so we decided to go for a bus ride to the East Coast area.  We stopped near to the Stadium, and we decided to walk along the east coast from here.  It was a pretty hot and stuffy day (like every other day in Singapore), but it was a good stroll, as we weren’t in any type of hurry to get anywhere.

We aimed to try to see if we can walk quite a bit, but as we started to flair as we approached the Big Splash along East Coast Parkway, we decided to stop, rest a bit and have a drink.  We did do about 5km walk and it took just over an hour, so pretty good going methinks.

Mussels and Chips

Mussels and Chips

We stopped and walked around the shops here, and then we decided to have a bite to eat (well we were quite peckish by this time) at the Brussels Sprouts restaurant located here.  We had a nice beer – which was really refreshing, and we just chatted away, eating the mussels that and chips we also ordered.

They weren’t the best mussels we’ve had in Singapore, but did the job and we were actually very refreshed after the bite to eat.

 

Brussels Sprouts
902 East Coast Parkway
Block F #01-27 Big Splash
Singapore 449874
Tel: +65 6346 4344
Email: bigsplash@brusselssprouts.com.sg 
URL: http://brusselssprouts.com.sg

Walking Around Novena – Funny Times

When you walk around Novena, it is sometimes funny what you find.  There is not much around the mainly shopping and medical district, but if you search deeper, you do sometimes find a nice shop or two in the area.

I went with the girlfriend for a nice meal at Da Luca Italian Restaurant (at #01-19/21 Goldhill Plaza, 309012) for their lovely Burrata (this is one of the nice restaurants you find in the area), there was even a new spa (called Pine Spa – at 199 Thomson Road, 307636) that had opened up that month – and we were almost tempted to do this after our food – but we were so tired, I think we probably wouldn’t have woken up even if they forced us too – so we decided to pass the massage for another time.  BUT, it is a great treat, and now I know where it is – and it is 24 hours – what more can you ask for 🙂

We did find one particular restaurant / bar (forgot the name) near to Goldhill Plaza and Thomson road, which had a great window display – a big cuddly bear watching the world go by and relaxing with a beer (shame it wasn’t a Guinness!).  We then went to the Udders Ice Cream (155 Thomson Rd, 307608), an interesting place, and a nice variety of ice cream on offer – with no other that Oktobeer Ice Cream – that’s Edhinger Dunkel & Guinness Stout – yummy.

So as I said, there are a few nice places in and around Novena – you just have to spend time to walk around and find them… 🙂

Club Street Night Session (21st Nov 2014)

Another weekend, another excuse to go out and have some fun.  Club Street is all the rage these days, with the street turning into a pedestrianised area on Friday and Saturday night – which makes it even more of a fun atmosphere, as the restaurants cover the road with tables and chairs, and people spill over the streets.

We wanted to make the most of it, and Amex had a Chillax offer – as they partnered with many of the hip bars around Singapore to offer fine discounts, exclusive to Amex of course!  The only issue we found is that many of the offers are not applicable on Friday – hmm…shame we only found out after we had settled in for our drinks.  Silly terms and conditions, diluted the fun of the Chillax promotion in my opinion, as Friday and Saturday are the key nights for chilling and relaxing – as the promotion was centred on doing!

Our tour went something like this:

  • :pluck – for a cocktail each…a nice place and a nice ambiance inside.  We sat at the bar and watched them work away.  We had a snack (possible our ‘starter’) as well, as we drank away.
  • Lolla – we then went to our next venue – to have another drink to accompany our Sea Urchin dish – plus other dishes. The Sea Urchin dish was definitely a very different type of dish – never had it before, and I am still on the fence on whether I will have it again, but it was a very interesting dish indeed.
  • Noti – this place had a nice vantage spot, right along the main part of Club Street, we went inside for what will be our dessert snack.  Chocolate cake with ice cream – yummy!
  • Sugarhall – we then walked around to Amoy Street, where we were looking for the infamous Jigger & Pony cocktail bar…unfortunately, it was full, so we decided to go next door to Sugarhall, which I believe is owned by the same owners as Jigger & Pony – but Sugarhall is focused more on rum drinks and delightful meat dishes – my favourite choice.  We had a couple of cocktails, before we decided to call it a day.

 

What a session this was – it was chilled, relaxed, with lots of good food and drinks experienced.  Certainly brings a smile to both of our faces 🙂

Sunday Lunch at Keisuke Tokyo

A colleague from work was retiring after spending an enjoyable tenure with American Express – mainly around SE Asia. As he was returning to his native US, my mum and I arranged a nice farewell lunch with him and his wife.

He suggested a venue in Suntec – which was called Keisuke, which was a nice no-thrills place serving Japanese Ramen – and it certainly was a yummy meal.

We found the place pretty easily, and tuck into a delicious dish of Ramen – this place was certainly a great find, and we certainly enjoyed the meal.

Keisuke Tokyo
#02-391/392 Suntec City Mall
3 Temasek Boulevard
Singapore 038983
Tel: +65 6337 7919

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