Bukang Tuna, Red Dot Traffic Building

I sure hadn't anticipated the spread that came along with the order of the tuna sashimi set from Bukang Tuna (28 Maxwell Road, #01-06 Red Dot Traffic Building, tel : +65 6327 4123). In fact, I had imagined that it could have been something along the lines of a Japanese teishoku styled meal serving. 

Certainly not one that filled the table literally right to the edges with servings of miscellaneous food that wasn't quite banchan. Those servings included octopus, a thin but tasty kimchee pancake, a deceptively clear as water yet spicy clam broth, freshly grilled saba, spicy flounder soup, fish porridge, a fish roe bibimbap, some top shell slathered with some red spicy paste, a little basket of vegetables and an interesting steamed/burnt egg dish that was bubbling for a long time in a hot pot. 

The highlight of the meal which were slices of chilled shiro maguro, regular maguro that tasted different from ones that I've previously had and strangely, mekajiki. What was different about having the sashimi here was a very fragrant dish of sesame oil which worked pretty well with the raw slices of fish. A change from the usual shoyu and wasabi combination.

The restaurant operated very much like any other Korean shops except that it had a sashimi counter and that most of the items available on menu were seafood or fish.

Pizzas at Etna

It was just coincidence that both pizzas that were ordered represented extremes in flavour. The Napoletana of anchovies and capers was generous with both ingredients resulting in it being heavy on the salt while the other pizza of black truffle paste and porcini mushrooms had the quantity of flavour from every ingredient moderated to the point that each of them could be tasted and neither overwhelmed one other. I certainly wouldn't have minded if the truffle paste was bolstered with generous lashings of truffle oil.

Still, thin crusted and light, both rather enjoyable pizzas from Etna.

$8.88 burgers from Chili's

Kookabura Restaurant and Gastrobar, Albert Court Village Hotel

Kookabura (180 Albert Court, #01-09 Albert Court Village Hotel, tel : +65 8522 2365) is apparently an all day breakfast food kind of place. The ambiance was laid back with a modern-ish chill out vibe from the music and rustic food that could have benefited in presentation from similarly rustic crockery. Loved the food. Awesome grease butter egg protein salt and other carbohydrate stuff that is good that I wouldn't mind coming back to again.

The only dampener about the place was that it ran out of items and the wait staff never knew until an order was processed. It needs to communicate a lot more with itself.

The Kookabura was essentially their big breakfast plate. Strips of thinly sliced lamb proscuitto folded within scramble eggs were awesome. Enjoyed the mint green pea mash. Bacon was bacon. Lamb sausages was gamey, which I liked. Rump steak was flavorful, nicely grilled on the outside, medium well done on the inside and not overly tough. Sun dried tomato damper was great, the dense texture reminded me a little of corn bread/English scones. All in all, it was hearty and tasty and definitely what I could look forward to in the morning. Perhaps, the only gripe was that I would have very much preferred to not be scrounging for more food after a $28 breakfast.

The other item they had on menu that we thought was pretty well done, though in an unexpected manner was their corned beef hash which was a sort of baked casserole of eggs, onions, potatoes, corned beef and Gruyere cheese. The attention to each component on plate was noteworthy. Very much enjoyed their toasted rye which seemed to have a cheesy crust thing.

SSC chicken rice from The Palms

I've had this (yes, the menu does call it SSC Chicken Rice) over a few times at The Palms (45 Tanjong Rhu Road, inside Singapore Swimming Club, tel : +65 6342 3679) and as chicken rice went, it wasn't bad at all. 

What I liked here were the tender cuts of the deboned thigh and their limey chilli (still not on par with the one from Tian Tian). The rice had flavour that was more subtle and the grease wasn't as heavy. That part was also probably one of the elements that isn't quite consistent as I remember the grainy textures being fluffier sometimes and dryer at another. Still, a very viable alternative to tide over cravings.

Brunch @ Artichoke

This was a very enjoyable brunch from the folks at Artichoke who seem to be doing very well for themselves, judging from the crowd. I liked that the food had its identity and the attempt a local sourcing produce ingredients has made a very good showcase of what ever little produce we actually grow in this country. Namely the mushrooms and the eggs that I know of.

If I had to pick some things about what I liked about the food, the scrambled eggs were smooth, tasty and generous in portions. I did like their maple glazed smoked bacon chop which certainly lived up to the moniker of meat candy. Certainly enjoyed the open faced lamb ham sandwich over flat bread that had impeccably timed sunny side ups for dips and both pickles and crumbled feta for flavors.

Will come back. 

 

 

A local breakast of glutinous rice, double eggs and luncheon meat

A savoury meal of fat, protein and carbohydrates to start the day. Whatever it might bring.

Thai red curry chicken from The Canteen

In the few times that I've been down to The Canteen (1 Scotts Road, #01-01B Shaw Centre, tel : +65 6738 2276), I have always discounted their Thai red curry chicken and never gave it more than a cursory glance on the menu. I tend to be skeptical about any Thai whathaveyous when it's not done by a Thai restaurant. Today, I saw that red curry chicken on the neighbouring table and decided that it looked pretty good.

Was pretty impressed. The viscous and rich tasting gravy possessed a spicy kick I had not expected and definitely made an awesome pairing to the rice that they gave. Something else to look forward to here other than the X.O. lou shi fan and laksa after all.

The Porridge King, Upper Thomson Road

This was a bit of an unusual spot down at Upper Thomson Road (906F Upper Thomson Road , tel : +65 6600 5405) along a stretch of old shophouses. The place, Porridge King is apparently run by a bodybuilding Alvin Koh whom was also known as the Naked Chef. Press articles are plastered all over the front of the establishment.

What made the place unusual was also the crimson stained decor, golden framed mirrors and the plastic furnishing that made the place feel like a cafe or a watering hole rather than an eatery known for Chinese porridge. I was challenged to link the place to the food.

To credit, their Supreme century egg porridge was pretty well done. I liked the savoury flavours and viscous consistency, along with the fact that it was filled quite generously with bits of both century and salted eggs, shredded bits of chicken and conpoy. 

There was also a bunch of small bites including to my dismay, some battered deep fried prawns that were neither shelled nor de-veined. Altogether greasy in an unappealing manner that was disappointingly lacklustre. In honestly, it wasn't appealing at all and the porridge was definitely the only thing going on here that was good.

Salta re-visited

Not so much about the beef for me to further mention since I've previously talked about how I felt about their rib eye. Apparently, they were consistent with that. It seemed that there are flavoured butter options which one can include now. This jamon iberico butter tasted like it had blue cheese in it. Definitely enhanced the grilled meat though not exactly in ways I had expected.

What impressed us this visit was their smoked tomato soup which I did not think was available the last time. The smoked aroma was impressively well bodied in a cream base that was non too heavy. Also redolent with the flavour of the tomato. Bonus points goes to the thin garlic and cheese toast. This could be something I'll come back for again. That and their very nicely done up garlic mashed potato which was surprisingly addictive.

Avoid their beef burgers. For a place that specializes in grilled meats, the patties were atrociously bad.