Soufflé, Duxton Hill

The idea of a soufflé themed restaurant sounded intriguing on paper. The execution was not so much because when one soufflés every dish, it only means waiting time. Took about two hours to complete a three course at Soufflé (5 Duxton Hill, tel : +65 6690 7562) and it was not because we were slow eaters. We even saw people leave out of frustration.

Fortunately they didn't soufflé-lize everything. There was a foie gras terrine with sugar glaze onions. According to the menu. Terrine was okay, not one of the better ones around in my opinion. Those onions didn't taste sugar glazed - just wilted in red wine and unexpectedly lots of pepper. There was something also very Asian about its flavour which I thought didn't pair well at all with the foie gras.

There was a laksa soufflé. It's not bad. The soufflé itself had gotten the flavours delicately. Quite a bit of chopped up prawns in there. Sauce on the side added punch to the rempah flavours though it could have done with much less salt. The thing that might have completed it was laksa leaves or even shredded fish cake. Haha. 

Mains came with soufflé. Their bouillabaisse came with a mini lobster soufflé. Had a little lobster claw which tasted pretty seafood-y but not necessarily lobster-ly. Couldn't identify the flavour in the soufflé but it was definitely not lobster. Bouillabaisse was lightweight in flavour and the seafood tasted like they were frozen. So - forgettable. #lowquality

Entrecôte steak came with a mini Roquefort soufflé. Steak was okay-ish but that herb butter probably had more than just herbs. Unless the meat was sour. The Roquefort soufflé was good though. Should have just ordered the regular sized one.

We picked a soufflé a la Chartreuse for dessert. It was served with the digestif where you could pour to your heart's content. This particular soufflé was a little different from the earlier savoury ones we had. Its texture under that light crisp surface was what one might consider ethereal. It was also our first time with Chartreuse. Tasted very much like other herbal liquor.

An Indian rice meal at Mapletree Business City's FoodMaster

FoodMaster's the food court in Mapletree Business City (50 Pasir Panjang Road) nearer to Google. That's a rice meal from their Indian stall. Rice meal that some may affectionately call Indian cai png.

I liked it. Liked their garlic-ky and crispy chicken 65. Liked how the lime achaar went its own harmonious way with their dahl (hidden under the papapdum) or even their creamy raita on the the rice. Yeap, that thing right on the top isn't coleslaw. They even gave some tamarind curry today (beside the rasam). So much savouriness, warmth from the spices and tangy flavours to go around.

Cheng tng from Xi Le Ting (喜樂亭)

I thought this was worth a mention. Cheng tng at Xi Le Ting (#02-70 Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre, 31 Commonwealth Crescent) for a dollar and not a bad one if I might say so. Ingredients seem to have lessened through out the years. Or perhaps it's just inconsistency - I don't eat from this stall enough to know.

The soup's refreshing even though it was a warm dessert and it is not overly sweet to boot.

*activates time machine* Managed to dig out a photo from about 4 years back. It looked like there was more white fungus and those big sago balls. Not so much of the malva nut in that bowl.

Origin + Bloom, Marina Bay Sands

Origin + Bloom (Hotel Tower 3 lobby, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Ave.), a deli/pâtisserie has taken over the spot where SweetSpot. used to be. I'm gonna miss their cha yen and pastrami sandwiches.

But O+B has mazagran up there. Lemon juice and espresso on ice. Pretty good to sip on for our weather.

There's a sandwich called The Whole 9 Yards. That's the 4 cm portion. Lots of stuff in it. Ham, other cold cuts, pickled vegetables, fresh vegetables, olives and whatnot in many layers. Pretty interesting and stacked but I suppose one time is all it is good for - for me that is.

What wowed us was their Parisian. Generically described on the menu with French ham, Normandy butter and baguette. I asked for extra butter. The sandwich was dripping with that delicious butter. I'd come back just for this.

A third October in Keria that ended with coffee jelly

We came back to Keria again, third time this month. Thrice in a month has never happened before but it was a good chance to get more of some of the seasonal items before they rotate out.

Otoshi was shirasu and pickled cucumbers. Unfortunately, it was also filled with ginger. Couldn't eat this.

Tried their chikuwa isobe age for the first time. Not bad munching.

Today's tonteki was outstanding. I remember that it had been a different experience the previous time we've had this. Loved how the wasabi in the butter flavoured without being overpowering.

Their beef curry has always been good. Packed a nice deep warmth.

Sujiko was in season so here's a sujiko gohan set.

Like ikura, great with rice.

Shirako soup for this season's soul.

Among the desserts we've had here, the coffee jelly is their best.

Titan Tsukemen from Tonkotsu Ikkyu

It's been quite a while since I've eaten at Tonkotsu Ikkyu. Since the blueberry bowl. Since the spinach bowl.

Today was something they called Titan Tsukemen - presumably 'titan' refers to the size of the large slice of aburi charshu that is served with the noodles.

Didn't taste bad at all. I liked the bonito flavour from the dipping broth punctuated by bits of chopped negi. The chew on the noodles were quite on point. Egg was more cooked than I was hoping for. The yolk wasn't well done but was definitely way past the molten stage. That charshu - pretty tender and a little smokey. Not exactly the fall apart in the mouth type though. All the richness did get to me a little at the end because of the size.