One up for the Tunisian at the Wild Honey!

This is Wild Honey (333A Orchard Road, #03-02 Mandarin Gallery, tel : +65 6235 3900), a relatively new all day breakfast place at the newly refurbished/renovated Mandarin Gallery which looked quite promising for a return. If not for this place, then for the new Japanese restaurant Suju just around the corner. I'm was having a bit of fun trying out my new Canon Ixus 100 IS. Sure beats the hell out of trying to take photos in a dimly lit restaurants with a camera phone, making me almost regret not getting a digicam earlier. But I guess it's never too late to start.

a jam filled donut

This lucky donut found a home in our stomach. Greed and excitement had gotten ahead of us at the counter so we picked it up while placing orders.

a dead jam filled donut

In the end, it was a regular greasy jam filled donut which was a little cold and getting a little stiff on the outside. It was a better jam than the usual jello substance that one can commonly find but it wasn't spectacular taste wise. Sure as hell won't be falling for it the next time.

goat cheese tart

In that moment of greed at the counter, we reached out for the cheese tart which the staff mentioned, would be heated up before serving. Strangely, it looked exactly the same when it arrived. The creamy cheese which did disservice to the normally pungent goat cheese didn't even look like it was going to melt. The capsicum in the tart was pretty good but there was an occasional taste of lemongrass which was a little baffling. Not the better goat cheese tart around for sure.

"Sweet Morning"

Sounded great on menu. Looked pretty good as well.

still sweet at this point......

The disappointment was that the egg on the thick French toasts looked like they had been brushed on rather than soaked in which I would have preferred. This made the toast very bread-y and not eggy at all. There was an odd flavour in the fillings of sliced mango. Thought it could have been great if it was served a little hotter. The saving grace of this plate came from the generous vanilla mascarpone (which didn't taste the least of vanilla) and maple syrup. Definitely not considering this again the next time.

"Tunisian"

This was straight up awesome. An excellent wake up breakfast pan or even a post drinking chow. The idea behind this plate wasn't sophisticated but it did an excellent job being both greasy (in a good way) and spicy. Now I'm not sure if that spicy flavour came from the paprika or the oil that had oozed from the slices of chorizos beneath the egg and tomato stew. I'm definitely looking forward to eating this again. Having those freshly toasted thick sliced bread to soak up the grease and yolk was an excellent choice for the filler as well.

"who would have known" macchiato

The well done foam from the macchiato took me by surprise. It was top notch and full bodied, floating above a decently done espresso. Now I wonder if that consistency would be subjected to consistency in this place...

Nature's Remedy indeed

This cinnamon, honey and vanilla brew did strangely possess a sharp flavour which reminded me of ginger in a good way. And also marsala tea. I'm not to sure how to go about with this but it was a comforting drink and the Nature's Remedy did sound very apt.

Back in Miharu...

So I'm finally back to Miharu (1 Nanson Road, #01-11 The Gallery Hotel, tel : +65 6733 8464) on a revisit. I recall them having donburis on the menu and that I've a couple of colleagues that were interested in having some Japanese ramen. I've to say that this turned out to be a good recommendation of my part, seeing the glaze in the eyes of my Filipino colleague as he claimed their koumi tsukemen to be the best ramen he'd ever tasted.

This takana and mayo pork rice bowl did hit the spot for dinner, mixing savoury sweet with the textures of both meatiness and crunchiness from the pickled vegetables over warm rice. With only one other similar item in comparison from Baikohken, I've got to say that this was a pretty good rice bowl in its own ways as well. Miharu's braised pork did come with dissolve in your mouth fat and if I might say so, comparable with any of the good ones that I've tried. What I didn't quite like was the sweetish starchy gravy that had a hint of ginger.

Stewhaus, Cactus Road

I remember seeing this place at Siglap some years back and it seems they're relocated (6 Cactus Road, Seletar Gardens, tel : +65 65557845) to the sleepy neighbourhood at Seletar Gardens. My guess is that in spite of a spread in the menu, they're better known for stews or at least are suppose to be good at them. So I ordered myself a Guinness lamb stew which actually came with a shot of Guinness. 

Can't say that it was impressive to any extent. There were definitely flavours going on, especially when freshly doused with that stout and the pieces of lamb within were tender as well. However the pieces of potatoes and green vegetables looked worn and limp and I'm guessing that they've been boiled to death. The lamb strangely didn't look overcooked. Sides of the mashed potatoes was at best ordinary. The stew felt medieval. I've tasted better.

Brunch @ Epicurious

Been hearing about the breakfast items at Epicurious (60 Robertson Quay, #01-02 The Quayside, tel : +65 6734 7720) for quite a while and here came the opportunity for a brunch pig out on a late Saturday morning and wishing that I could afford more mornings like these.

So what was it all about? Decently fluffy pancakes, a larger than expected Full Monty plate that included three eggs (yeah!), streaky bacon, buttered and toasted bread, token side of canned beans, some pretty good sauteed mushrooms, pan fried tomatoes and a few meaty but bland sausages in a morning fry up along with juice and coffee. There was a pretty decent breakfast burrito filled with scrambled eggs and bits of chorizo and cheese that did hit the morning spot. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a good hearty breakfast as a doctor might recommend.

It would be worth noting that the coffee here isn't as robust as I would have liked though.

Putu piring...

It's been a long while since I've had these. The taste rekindled memories of childhood when my parents used to buy them from this stall at Haig Road. The only thing that I could detect that has changed with these airy steamed flour cakes was that the flour shells today are rather skimpy, making the size of the putu piring smaller than I remembered them. Fortunately, the molten fillings of gula melaka (palm sugar) inside were still plentiful. This however made them difficult to pick up by hand since they simply fell apart from the weight of the fillings. Not that eating the freshly steamed ones by hands are a good idea in the first place.

Very tasty with those slightly chilled shredded coconut that came with each packet.

Arnold's Fried Chicken, City Plaza

The sealed in juices in the fried chicken thigh seeped out onto the plates as I peeled strips of cooked meat from it. I'm usually not really big on fried chicken, but these ones from Arnold's, (810 Geylang Road, #02-99/101, City Plaza, tel : +65 6746 2372) - I be liking them. 

It's definitely because of the fresher tasting chickens which they claimed to be from the farm rather than the freezer. Not forgetting the thin and spicy crispy batter and their chilled and chopped coleslaw which could improve on the portions. Not surprisingly these put the monopoly by old man Sanders to shame. The gripe I have with this joint is that we're "forced" to pay extras for choice parts. If not, you'll probably end up with mostly the less meaty cuts that everyone else seems to avoid asking for.

Shin Yeh Restaurant, Liang Court Shopping Centre

Woah, this was some pretty expensive Taiwanese porridge down at Shin Yeh (177 River Valley Road, Liang Court Shopping Center, #02-19, tel : +65 6338 7337). The restaurant which originated from Taipei was set up and opened here in collaboration with the Tung Lok Group. 

This was so far, the most I've ever paid for Taiwanese porridge. Apart from the complimentary pickled zucchini and muah chee that was presented right at the end, the rest of the food along with three bowls of sweet potato porridge totalled almost $80. That being said, it was mostly delicious. From the sauce soaked tender braised intestines that still had bite to the also tender braise pork belly which had quivery layers of fat that dissolved in your mouth. The steamed minced meat was savoury and accented with a borderline sweetness from the sauce while the roasted mullet slices were both salty and smoky at the same time, reminding me of strangely - a less crumbly Parmesan cheese. A definite run for all those Italian restaurants working with measly bottarga crumbles. 

All in all, Shin Yeh did a respectable rendition of the pork based dishes and scored with the mullet roe which was something we would never find in other Taiwanese porridge establishments locally.

pickles pickles

braised pig intestines

braised pork belly with bamboo shoots

steamed minced pork with salted yolk

roasted mullet roe and cuttlefish with turnip and leek

muah chee

The of two pieces of muah chee they gave with the bill were quite good. Must have been a combination of warm gooey rice dough rolled with fragrant and finely ground peanuts with sugar that did the trick. Moreish even after we were all so stuffed from all the food.

Komala's Deli @ Northpoint

The crave for Indian food continues as I endured the insufferable weekend crowd of the grease ventilated basement food court of a Sunday afternoon at Northpoint. This was definitely not going to be the laid back and quiet lunch I would have preferred to have where I can lounge over my caffeine laced beverage of choice. Here, one loitered in hopes of catching a recently emptied table, get your food, eat up and then leave.

As with the other of their outlets, Komala's Deli here does a brisk business which translates to a good turnover for their cooked meals for their kitchen. This in turn meant that there will be a good chance of getting orders that were freshly made. We did end up with some freshly made idlys and vadai, a dosai of a variety of fillings made to order and of course the not so great chutneys that they have. Those did the trick and were filling as well. Not beyond consideration the next time I feel like having something vegetarian.

Oriole Cafe & Bar......Take 2

This revisit to Oriole came about because we didn't get to try their coffees the last time round. Since the owner and head barista here were winners in the National Barista Championship for the past 2 years, I'm guessing that they must be pretty good.

The food as with the previous time fell short. A side of thick cut fries arrived without the shaven Parmesan cheese. The excuse being that the cheese was tossed with the fries and had melted in. So to me that essentially means that the portions that they had used, if it was used at all, was minute and the fries must have been sitting for a while before they reached the table. Neither of which sat well with me. That particular staff was seen walking back into the kitchen counter after grabbing a bottle of powdered Parmesan, probably trying to use them from our request for more of the cheese which I thought was really just bad form without excuse. It took another server with initiative to approach us and return with the shaven cheese.

I understand that this was just a cafe and that one might not expect pristine service/top notch servings, but really, one shouldn't advertise on the menu if one cannot deliver.

The Cubano sandwich wasn't too bad. I guess the basic elements of ham, melted cheddar, pickles and a sweet chilli mayo under the hot iron press in bread turned up pretty decent. Probably the first point of redemption for me here since I don't think I would mind eating this again if I returned.

This was one of those weekly specials that was actually a Gorgonzola based risotto with kenya beans and roasted Hokkaido scallops. I was honestly hoping for it to be good, but again, was disappointing. If you've noticed, I've often griped over the insufficient use of that blue cheese, resulting in a less than desirable level of aroma (or pungence) from the cheese. This time round, I couldn't taste any blue cheese at all. Nada. Zilch. What was served was creamy risotto with some flavor of cheese and slightly undercooked grains. Scallops was deceptively dry and certainly didn't taste all that fresh to me.

The silver lining at Oriole dawned from their brews. I found myself a little taken in with their rich chilli chocolate mocha that worked a lingering spiciness down the throat which was almost subtle. That spiciness here was the sort that was a mild fiery warmth rather than a harsh burn. I hadn't really known what to expect initially, but I guess this was something I guessed grew onto me as the sips went by.

Oriole's piccolo latte is what I think of as a real coffee lover's latte. To explain in short, I normally regard regular lattes are coffee flavoured milk. Not coffee. This one packs the punch of an additional shot of espresso bringing the milky brew up a noticeable notch in aroma and strength of coffee. I dare say that they were fairly robust as well.

Will be back for more of their coffee. One more shining ray of hope in our coffee market I must say.

Jaggi's revisited

I've been craving for Indian food since I came back from Hong Kong. This was a trip to get some frills free comfort food within fairly easy reach. It's been quite a while since we were last at Jaggi's. and we have been meaning to come back for some time. As things turned out, we came back for dinner twice over three days to catch up on what we've been wanting to eat. 

A plate of white rice slathered with some meaty keema, some chicken tikka, their unique smoky and creamy butter chicken, aloo gobi and their kashmiri "candied fruit cheese" naan which was a one of a kind deviant against the more traditional varieties. I them to be tasty in their own ways. No real dried fruit nor nut, just candied cherry and some cheese.

Would have been close to a perfect ending if I could have finished with that masala milk from Chellas. But the milky masala tea here came close.