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.

Chicken Up, Tanjong Pagar

Over the course of the past decade, the strip along Tanjong Pagar road has evolved more than a little in with an array of non local food options. Noticeably so if I might say. We've experience a share of French (Gavroche, L'Entrecote), a smattering of Italian (Buko Nero, Etna, Latteria Mozzarella Bar, Pasta Brava), Japanese (Inaho's Kitchen Bar, Keisuke Tonkotsu King) and the occasional Chinese and even Australian. We obviously haven't had the time to explore them all. Most notably, Korean restaurants (Kko Kko Nara, ChoWon Garden) have really mushroomed in this stretch.

Chicken Up (48 Tanjong Pagar Road, #01-01, tel : +65 6327 1203) happened to be another one of those Korean restaurants that have been around (duration unbeknownst to me) that had caught my attention lately. As the name might have also suggested, they specialize in chicken. Fried chicken. Given my limited experiences with Korean fried chicken, I'm going to go out on a limb to tip my hat to them for doing a darn good job.

I'm talking meaty birds with shatteringly crispy batter that didn't hold the slightest amount of excessive grease along with tender meat that were literally dripping with juices. It's pretty much what I've described.

What we didn't expect to discover in a fried chicken joint was an item on menu described as fresh blood soup. That was essentially a spicy vegetable and cow blood broth with chunks of bouncy textured (imagine fishcakes) blood that was a blast of spicy and umami. I liked that the vegetables were well boiled to the point where it was soft yet still lightly crunchy. Together with the soup, it was perfect with the soft sticky rice they served.

Dislikes? Banchan while waiting would have been great, but instead what they had was a forgettable free flow of salad. Air conditioning also needs work.