Covo Bistro & Lounge, Greenwood Avenue

Actually, the whole experience in this place was rather good, secluded in the peaceful corner of Greenwood (16 Greenwood Avenue, Hillcrest Park, tel : 6466 8103) with their application of discreet lighting (read as rather romantic for dates) and somewhat minimalist concrete looking decors along with a nice little private dining table in the middle of the restaurant encased in glass and little ponds at the sides. It was somewhat of a little surprise to find this spot after having been here a couple of times and never actually noticing that it existed until today, though I must admit that I am certainly not a regular to the vicinity. The amicable show runner (or chef or owner) Oliver whom was lurking at the entrance mentioned that it's been around for a year or two. I must confess that we were also partially bought by the $1 oyster options which sounded really familiar considering that this was just a few units away from the Greenwood Fish Market.


The food what fusion-ish by account of description and since I only had the squid ink pasta and oysters to go by, I couldn't really say much else about the other offerings. The former was quite the usual of its sorts, featuring al dente spaghetti and bits of squid in some crabmeat garlic tapenade. What I really didn't like about it was the chopped bits of coriander which I certainly did not expect (why?!) and had to pick out carefully, marring this otherwise, decent pasta. The Australian oysters were definitely fresh, plump and chilled, sliding down with ease with the accompanied lemons and tabasco sauce.

What amused me was that the sangria was bubbly (not bad actually) and that these guys actually serve also, a non alcoholic version which I asked the serving staff if that wouldn't have made it just a fruit punch. I got a bemused smile for a response.

Tai Wah Ba Chor Mee, Crawford Lane

I have actually come for a bowl of this delicious ba chor mee after that unfulfilling experience at Fatty Ox since this was nearby and I've actually been wanted to return after being introduced to it a couple of years back by a friend. What worked well for me here is the judicious use of vinegar and a rather unique blend of savory fragrance from the fried pork lard and salted fish. Tossed with the toppings of sliced lean pork, pork liver, meatballs and some wonton.

Fatty Ox Hong Kong Roast Duck, North Bridge Road

This stall (in a coffeeshop at 10 North Bridge Road) which was previously located at Murray Street is apparently a comeback by the owner from Hong Kong. I was made aware some time ago, but didn't successfully located the old place before it closed and now they're back in a different location.

The roast duck was fine and so were the fairly tender roasted pork belly. I certainly couldn't rate it anyway above 'not bad' for a place that gave me duck that was mostly bones. Personally I feel that there would be obviously better options for both roast duck and roasted meat. While Fatty Ox wasn't too bad, it certainly wasn't that remarkable neither. Nor filling as well.

Shiraz Mezzah, Clark Quay

I was thinking that this might be a good place (Blk 3A, Clarke Quay, #01-09 River Valley Road, tel : 6334 2282) to get them kebabs since there aren't much of such stands around and this one is opened by Shiraz which is just across the pavement. What I didn't quite expect was fries and jalapenos thrown in the the kebabs. Not that I mind them at all (those fries which are of the packed variety are fried upon order, at least mine were), but they didn't quite feel Persian to me (squeeze bottle hummus anyone?) even though I haven't been to there. Those jalapenos which was a nice touch of spiciness with the meats did do the job, but I guess it just felt a little Mexican. Perhaps that's the face of modern Middle Eastern fast food eh? Still can't beat Sultan Kebab here which feels a little more straightforward. I wouldn't say that I'll avoid this totally since it's actually not too bad.

Crystal's mee shay

Wow, this mee shay was really not bad and dare I say, authentic since it was made by someone who learnt how to do it back at home where it was done as many people would eat them minus the fanciful dressing and localised adaptation. Hey Crystal, this is yours and thanks for the really nice lunch. Certainly as well, this is the first Burmese entry I've ever done and will probably be an opening for more to come in the future once I figure out where to land myself more of their food locally.

Back to the mee shay, it wasn't too complicated to make them as well. Essentially, it's a kuey teow salad with stuff like pickled vegetables, chilli black bean paste, raw bean sprouts, spicy fermented tofu (excellent surprise), vinegar with bits of raw garlic and some starch, all hand mixed. How could I have forgotten to mention cubes of braised pork belly. There was actually some coriander garnishes which I passed of course. The result was a strong flavored and appetizing comfort dish which landed myself 3 servings. Oh man, the z monster afterwards....


And then, there was some pork rib and coriander soup with garlic. I'm glad that the coriander was just crushed stems which didn't introduce an overwhelming taste of that vile plant. I guess the mildness of that flavor actually gave a depth to the soup that I never expected that I would enjoy.



Thanks again Crystal, for a wonderful lunch, masala chai, frozen watermelons and cigars. Will be looking forward to the next lunch.

Skinny Pizza, Suntec City

I'm not too sure how long this Skinny Pizza (3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-002 Suntec City Galleria, tel : 6333 9774) place has been around, but I think these guys are related to or at least working together with Barracks as I've found out from the recently visit a couple of weeks back to the latter location that both are actually doing same pizzas of the same branding. They even do the truffled fries at this place.


The main thing that attracted me at the initial point was that the pizzas did look to have a very thin crust. It was only after eating them that I realised that the crust wasn't really similar to regular thin crust pizza at all. It was so crispy and crackling that the texture was akin to papadums with no chewiness at all even after some time. Which made them pretty much a mess to eat with either utensils or hands since they just crumbled whether you bit or them or tried to cut them. After a while, the crisp kinda wore me out and to be honest, I prefer a regular thin crust. These ones were far too thin and barely held the weight of the toppings without falling apart.

In the department of toppings, I've to say that these guys were quite generous. The dark grey-ish one is the squid ink pizza which comes with a squid ink crust and some creamy squid ink sauce on the top. There was quite a bit of squid and prawns with some tomato based salsa (which was fortunately not overly tart) on the top as well. The rings of raw red onions were an excellent ideal. One gripe I had was that the pizza arrived barely lukewarm. The other macadamia roasted pumpkin pizza featured chunks of roasted butternut squash, real macadamia nuts and the best part of it, goat's cheese. As you might have guessed, it was a blend of pungence, fragrance and sweetness which wasn't too bad. The crust got boring after a while though and I'm not sure about the ripped basil that the menu mentioned.

All in all, eating these was something of a novelty for me and I guess, the toppings scored well. I wouldn't mind eating them again, but I don't think I'll be in a hurry to re-visit anytime soon

Mega McGriddles

So, I've finally gotten round to eating one of these double pattied McGriddles and I guess I've got to say that I kinda like them better than the regular ones. Simply because there's twice of that salty and peppered chicken meat underneath their sweetish hot cake covers. It's a tad pricey in my opinon and would be great if it's a dollar or two cheaper.

Pasta Brava re-visited

moon shaped ravioli with pumpkin, red capsicum sauce and cream

It's been quite a while since I last ate here and I've been wanting to try out their oft recommended pumpkin filled raviolis for the longest time. This trip puts me a little bit closer into covering what I've been wanting to eat from their menu since it hasn't changed since the first time I've visited and probably also, for a very long time. I suppose that means that if you're looking for something new, it's not going to work for you. On the other hand, the favourites remain good.

We started off with some very decent fried calamari. If I had to do some comparison here, I would have to say that I would pick the ones over at Da Mario over this since their batter was more flavored and one could just eat them the way they are minus any dips. These ones had batter that was a little more bland, but made it up with their mildly spicy tomato dip.

pappardelle with ragout of duckling and mushroom

Based on my previous visits, the pastas here have been mostly a good experience and this one continues that tradition. I'm quite taken in by the pumpkin filled ravioli which was almost dessert like in some ways from the sweet pumpkin puree stuffings. Together with that robust and creamy capsicum sauce that lingered in its flavor serveral burps later after dinner. What I thought was that it's definitely an interesting mix of flavors in a captivating way. The duckling pappardelle turned up tossed generously with shredded meat and a flavor that I initially thought was slightly underwhelming. I was expecting a stronger flavor from the ragout, but was reminded that this was suppose to be the meat of young ducks. The result was still a hearty pasta which I really wouldn't mind having again in subsequent visits.


The dessert on the other hand, and quite similary to a previous experience didn't quite make the mark for me. It was described as an apple pie with mascarpone and ricotta and then a la mode. There was definitely generous portions of semi crunchy chunks of apple in the hot and soft crusted pie, but I was left wondering where in the world did all that mascarpone and ricotta go.