Brasserie Wolf, Robertson Quay

Good friend of mine brought up a point to ponder over our dinner at Brasserie Wolf. We were just making dinner conversation over the quality of gula melaka and the first squeeze of coconut milk for good chendols, over Jimmy Chok's dinners over at the Academy Bistro and my fetish for wanting to take on the largest burger on the menu whenever we go out and have dinner. The salient point to ponder was that, amidst the sea of dialogue which was mostly food related, nothing ventured into to the topic of the food we were eating at Brasserie Wolf. Good friend said it spoke volumes of the impression we had of the restaurant. I didn't have anything to disagree with that. Maybe that's just us.

Brasserie Wolf was a very spacious bistro...that plays techno music. Felt like a mismatch but it is what it is. Service was very prompt. The food was far from compelling. I've heard some good things mentioned about this place but on hindsight didn't think it as good as what I've heard.

french onion soup with comte cheese

escargots in garlic butter

Their onion soup was served piping hot and heavily draped with cheese. So much that it was a trial of dexterity trying to finish the soup navigating endless strands of the melted cheese. It turned out quite heavy for soup. Didn't taste so much of the onion as much as the sweetness. I suppose I might have enjoyed it much better if it wasn't for the sweltering evening humidity. Escargots arrive hot and full of chew but tasted only of the garlic. 

The grilled tenderloin was probably the salvation of the dinner. I'm not much of a fan of their Bearnaise which I left mostly untouched. The meat was uniformly grilled with a crusty charred surface. The meat on the inside was tender as it should be. Medium rare came out more of a medium to me for this one. This piece of steak also for some reason reminded me of the Argentinian beef I had once. If I had to complain, I suppose the meat was a little dry. While this isn't specifically the yardsticks of French restaurants in general, it does imply the skill or care in the preparation that the kitchen makes. Overall was very passable food but I wasn't too impressed.

Cowabunga!

Are the American cows or are the rentals at coffeeshops straight over the roof these days? Geez....I'm not so sure if it's all because of GST. Prices like these could just compete with Just Steak and pretty soon, Mortons.

the Bigrill, 110 Yishun Ring Road

The evolution of the local western food scene presses on slowly but surely, introducing standards and quality that slowly climb upwards and sometimes even sideways. Bigrill (Blk 110 Yishun Ring Road, You & Lai coffeeshop) looks to be one of those hailing from the newer era serving food that are not seen in shape, form or species, in the drab generic stalls of it's genre. For one, the steak here looks decent and one of the signature items from the menu is apparently, crocodile meat. There's no need to backtrack. You read it right the first time. I did say crocodile.

This Texas sirloin (200g, $10) according to the menu, is one of the favourites. On first look, one must admit that it's quite pretty considering the fact that most steaks from coffeeshop westerns are simply pieces of meat that I don't really consider to be real steaks. The downside is that the meat was actually a little tough for medium doneness. Apart from that, this is probably one of the better ones from coffeeshops that I've had. This is definitely better stuff than E.Blackboard which I thought was utterly disappointing.


I'm sure some of you might have heard the recurring joke about exotic meats tasting like chicken. On a serious note here, this crocodile filet (200g, $18) does taste like chicken. The main difference that I could detect from the meat is probably the texture which puts it a little more fish like from the way it breaks and crumbles slightly. Looking back, I should have requested for the white pepper sauce on the side to get more of the natural flavor of the meat. Otherwise, the bite and texture could really pass off for chicken. I've heard that it's low in fat and cholesterol and that really makes it a much more expensive and exotic chicken alternative?

Of black pearls and blue cheese...

fromage bleu ribeye

I remember seeing this item on the menu from the previous visit here at Perle Noir so I decided that I just had to try it to see if it's any good. I often avoid steaks in non-steak places but the blue cheese beckoned and won over the tenderloin stuffed with oysters and wrapped in bacon! It was unfortunately not the hunk thick juicy steak which I was hoping it to be and judging from the quantity of blue cheese used, the flavour or stench was less than exceptional. This turned out to be a thin sliced ribeye. Not even close in terms of taste to the one that I had at Ember.

B.R.O.T.H., Duxton Hill

Dinner with Junie and Lea. Nestled in the little urban jungle of Tanjong Pagar in the tree lined streets of Duxton Hill, sits a quaint little Australian restaurant within decades old colonial shophouses. Which many people probably doesn't even know exist. B.R.O.T.H. (21 Duxton Hill) is dressed in like a old English cottage. The place exudes a certain unique charm of the older world. Honestly, I like this place enough that I probably will want to come back again. It makes a very good place for a nice dinner date.

I was somewhat disappointed by the lackluster starters that this place offers. I should have listened to my inner voice and gone for the goose liver. Doh! Apart from this, the rest of dinner was enjoyable. The restaurant just needs to remember to get steak knives for steaks.

spinach & mushroom salad with raspberry dressing

crab cocktail with capsicum tomato relish & avocado

daily broth (clam chowder)

pork & anchovy fritters w/ apple, chilli & onion salad

The mains here actually looked more appealing to me than the starters. Running through, the only memorable item was the spinach & mushroom salad which I felt was a good light starter drizzled with a very nice raspberry dressing and topped with what I believe to be very fragrant fried shallots. The crab cocktail was quite disappointing as it wasn't really chilled nor warm. The meat lacked flavor and body and the accompanied dressing was boring. The clam chowder's decent with a generous amount of clams and carrots. The soup's flavor is a bit more on the milky side. The pork and anchovy fritters are just really normal fried balls of pork. I didn't taste anchovies and for $18, I really thought little of it.

lobster scallop, prawn and pork chop combo (off menu request)

Mr Dickson's macaroni baked w/ cauliflower and peas

fillet steak w/ blue cheese, crispy mushroom and shiraz

The macaroni's strange. It looks like a baked mash and it tasted more of potatoes and cheese than macaroni. I didn't detect any macaroni at all. Came with an nice crust with toasted cheese. The seafood and pork chops are pretty good too. There's not much to fault with the cooking. It's probably just the herb that didn't agree very well with me. The pork is otherwise exceptionally tender. The steak with blue cheese is, if you've guessed, good stuff. Pity that the photo doesn't bring that out. It arrived medium rare as I liked. The blue cheese was quite overwhelming in flavor and for me, it drowned out pretty much any other taste there. That includes any beefiness and the shiraz reduction.It was otherwise a very enjoyable tenderloin.

supernova pavlova with fruits and cream

sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce

The pavlova tastes better than it looks. It's a meringue with cream and fruits, however it's quite large. The sticky date pudding is recommended. This stuff is really fantastic. Maybe it's because it's been a while since I had warm butterscotch, but if you're thinking of desserts here, this is one warm cake to try.

A return to Cafe de Amigo

This return to Cafe de Amigo was triggered by the availability of Argentinian beef tenderloin. Heads up from Recentrunes. I've never had Argentinian beef before so curiosity got me. The previous visit gave me mixed feelings about the place. While the food was on the whole quite decent, with hits and misses, the prices were a little high. Service felt like it came from automatons.

lobster bisque ($9.50)

I'm generally wary of lobster bisque. At this price point that is. Apart from an impressive rendition from Coachman Inn which I've had about half my life ago the only other one I liked enough to remember was the one from Morton's. Cafe de Amigo seems to have whipped up a pretty delicious rendition of the bisque. Albeit not as robust in flavor as the two places that I've just mentioned. Still, this was a pleasant surprise. It was rich and buttery and there were generous portions of lobster meat.

escargot ragout ($16.50)

The escargot ragout turn out to be very savory starter. It's basically escargots housed in mini choux puffs with garlic cream sauce, topped with chopped almond. There was quite abit of the sauce sauce which while was pretty good, became overwhelming after a while. Drowning out most of what could be tasted of the snails. I'm not complaining. I enjoyed this. And the remaining sauces was good on bread as well.

Argentinian beef tenderloin 200g ($36)

This char roasted filet was the highlight of lunch for me. I wasn't really sure what to expect out of Argentinian beef, but it turns out that it wasn't very different from other beef which I've had. Not quite what I was expecting after reading about it. What I enjoyed about the steak was the juicy tenderness. The succulence was remarkable. The steak was accompanied by sides of fries, boiled vegetables and a cream peppercorn sauce.

filet of leng fish

sliced duck breast ($25.50)

I'm don't know what leng fish is, but it tasted quite ordinary. The duck breast was a little more interesting. Done medium with a prune sauce of sorts and accompanied by some potato croquette and poached spinach. The meat was however a little dry and flat tasting.  That prune sauce did help out there.


Their apple pie seems to have shrunk a little from the last visit, but it was still good. In fact, this time round, I think it got a little better. Freshly made, sliced apples on top of a light buttery crust which was good with the vanilla ice cream.

This trip was worth it for the beef I imagine. It's too bad it won't be available for much longer. One more week I hear. I felt better about Cafe de Amigo this time round, but still can't shake the feeling that they're still pricey.

Some photos from Morton's

This was a belated dinner treat that was a long time in coming. :) Morton's of Chicago has so far not disappointed. From the warm bustling ambience to the perceptive spontaneity in service, the restaurant made visible effort to justify what one pays for eating here. Sure the prices are hefty but it would also be otherwise difficult to find a place that does better steak and service together.

This was the first time I am having their crab cakes. I have to say that they were $35 good. The same went for the excellent lobster bisque which I admit to being slightly skeptical towards initially. It was a rich, hot and creamy lobster soup with a hint of brandy just on the edge and in my books, it could be the best one around.

the evil onion loaf

jumbo lump crab cake

lobster bisque

boneless prime rib

bone in ribeye

grilled asparagus in balsamic glaze

chocolate cake

to be continued...maybe....perhaps.....someday....possibly