Singapore - Le Bistrot

A pleasant surprise at Stadium Walk.. a casual French eatery serving good classic cuisine. And the crowd on a Tuesday night is testament to its quality. We started with the classic French onion soup, which I think I've said before, is my test of a good French restaurant. Good rich beefy broth and topped generously with a giant crouton and gratinated Gruyere - almost a meal in itself. And you will find at Le Bistrot, that portions are not quite French so you need to be hungry to have the 3 course meal.

Not knowing, we ordered the "Poor Man's Caviar" a combination of chicken liver, eggplant, garlic and creme fraiche. The layers were served in an airtight glass kitchen container and toast. It was pretty good except that personally, I would have prefered a lot more chicken liver, and to be more accessible that at the bottom of the pile. We had to doggy bag this since we had to leave room for the others.

Of course, being a bistrot, if I was not going to have Steak Frites, I must at least have the Frites. The crispy fries did not disappoint, and were garnished with an herb salt. Very good!

Our main was the duck confit served with a honey wholegrain mustard sauce and a tasty mash. The duck leg was perfectly roasted with the fat gone from under the skin, making it crisp on the outside but moist on the itself. And none of the heavy greasy feeling.

To finish, we chose the creme brulee served 3 ways - vanilla bean, earl grey and dark chocolate. Each was good in its own right but being a classicist, my favourite was the vanilla bean. The crisp caramel over the top could have been thinner and crisper though. And they could have decided whether to serve hot or cold, rather than room temperature.

Friendly and good professional service also added to the experience - something hard to find in Singapore these days. All in all, a good experience worthy of a second time! I'm elated that the repertoire in the East Coast is growing!

Singapore - Cova

Yes, this great Italian patisserie and restaurant has made it to Singapore at last! Tucked in the back of the Paragon Shopping Mall where Olio Dome used to be, it boasts an indoor and "outdoor" (within the mall) area. No smoking allowed anyway..

We started off with the Parma ham and Arugula pizza - good quality Parma (seasoned just right and not chewy), and the aromatic Arugula (none of the fake breed whcih can be too punchy).

For mains, I shared the breaded veal escalope with arugula and Italian cherry tomatoes. Competent but not the best, it was a good-sized portion though. I thought it was a bit gamey and while I don't mind it all, may not suited for people who are more sensitive to gamey meats.

What I thought was better was the Papardelle with Duck ragout. A very tasty duck stew poured over al dente pasta made for a hearty meal.

We ended off with the cake made famous by Cova, the sponge and fresh cream with fruit combination. This was a little disappointing since the sponge was not as fluffy as the one I've had in Hong Kong and Milan and there was no choice of fruit (the strawberry one is THE BEST). But mango was ok too and would have been made better if the cake had been chilled better. Room temperature cream just didn't go down too well.

Singapore - Nogawa Sentosa

I try not to disappoint when asked about food and so when an American colleague said "'let's go Japanese", and coupled with a first visit to Singapore, what better place than to take a leisurely drive to Sentosa, where she can see the transformation the island is going through and eat at one of the better Japanese restaurants in "town".

It was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday afternoon and so we got in without reservations. Of course at Nogawa, I have to have the Sushi Moriawase since it does have probably the best vinegared rice around. My colleague goes with the safe Salmon, omelet and cod roe bento rice box. To share, we got a large oyster which was juicy and crunchy at the same time and succulent accompanied with a tangy ponzu sauce. The seafood and pumpkin gratin was also good and my colleague who loves anything in the squash family, licked every morsel of the pumpkin clean.

Great booster for an afternoon of serious shopping!!!

Singapore - Restaurant Ember

No pictures in this segment since I was at a business dinner but just when I thought good western food was dying in this country, I am pleasantly surprised by Restaurant Ember, the modern continental restaurant at Hotel 1929 in Keong Saik Road, one of Singapore's red light districts. The eclectic neighbourhood adds to the character and the all glass restaurant offers a glimpse of the outside world as you dine.

Of special mention, the mushroom soup - one of the best - full of the porcini flavour and just enough cream to balance but not overly heavy. Accompanied by the freshly baked rolls, mmmm........

While not a big fan of fish cooked in the western way, I did order the Chilean seabass in a bacon ragout. Surprisingly well done and not overcooked, the ragout lent itself with the smokiness of the bacon and onions and was a light yet tasty main course - very little guilt element!

Rounding off with the molten chocolate cake - yes, we've been there done that - but this was a very competent version and definitely worth the calories if you are a chocolate fan.

Pics are promised on my next visit where I hope to try more from their menu. Yes, it is definitely worth a next visit.

Singapore - Izakaya Nijumaru

Eating in Japan very often is about squeezing into their Izakayas and having "little eats" with your sake, beer or shochu. These places are rarely posh and squeaky clean but full of character simply because of the characters that populate these places.. from different walks of life, usually the working class, coming in to de-stress after a hard days' work. The food therefore is more hearty than refined cuisine.

Tucked into a corner on the 2nd storey of Cuppage Plaza, the Izakaya Nijumaru attempts to bring this slice of Japan to the Japanese workabees of Singapore. Even the Chinese and Hokkien speaking wait-staff have expanded their language repertoire to include Japanese to cater to them and somewhat adding to the atmosphere.

The menu is not hugely extensive but does what it does competently - and to increase the alcohol intake of its guests.

Although it's not known for its raw cuisine (and does not serve sushi since the don't make the rice), we start off with the Sanma (Pacific Saury) sashimi, which is the "catch (or flown in) of the day". Roughly chopped up but a good size to enjoy the moist and fat fish, it was pretty good even if not the best. The choice of wasabi or minced ginger/ chopped spring onions to go with your shoyu was also available without request.

The butter grilled squid was a succulent combination of garlic butter and squid juices although the squid was a tad overcooked and bordered on rubbery in some parts but the sauce accompanied by more Japanese mayo was a nice sinful combo which would help you down more sake than you can say sake.

To round off, we had the katsu curry rice and stir fried mixed vegetables. Although the pork cutlet was not the best cut (it's not black pork) I've had, the curry tasted every bit home-cooked and rich in the stock it had been stewing in all day. Coupled with the red pickles, very very good.

Almost like being transported back into a back street in Tokyo and enjoying as the locals do..

Singapore - Majestic

A meal at Majestic has not disappointed and after a lapse of just over a year, I went back for a visit with some colleagues. The set menus had changed and I didn't see my favourite lamb chops with fried carrot cake, which I had been thinking about. Yes, you heard it.. Majestic specialises in Chinese food, served Western style and portions. I don't want to risk calling it "fusion" since I think it's much better without what I think is a misconceived and preconceived label.

This visit, I went with a comparitively healthier Set Menu A and still enjoyed the experience. For starters, there is the thinly-sliced marinated in five spices ox tougue served on a bed of rocket and drizzled with balsamic. Interesting and tasty enough but no "Wow" as you might imagine from the pic.

A tasty shark cartillage soup followed. With a rich stock as a base, you could feel the collagen hang from your lips with each spoonful! Pretty good although I thought there was a tad too much of a pepper hint. Hmm...

Next up, a jumbo sized prawn deep fried to a crisp and drizzled with mango salsa was yummy.. and there were enough juices left in its head to cause a swirl.

The steamed Chilean seabass topped with Chinese "mui choy" (sweet preserved vegetables) was clean on the palate yet tasty. The fish however, was a tad overcooked but the bouncy texture of the seabass saved it from being too chewy.

My favourite of the evening was the abalone with noodles served in a really superior stock and topped with chopped kale. The noodles were very al dente and the stock was so good I wanted to pour every drop into my mouth. The use of tiny abalones did not detract from the taste and made for convenient consumption, no need to saw up with a fork and knife.

Dessert was Majestic's signature ice cream with sago and avocado puree, drizzled with Gula Melaka (Asian molasses). This is reminiscent of the famed Indonesian dessert Es Avocado andmade for a sweet ending. However, more avocado and gula melaka would have done it for me more. Or even, just the avocado and gula alone would have been best.

Singapore - Thai Village Sharksfin

Every once in a while, I am politically incorrect and find pleasure in indulging in sharksfin... and so, when the need to watch The Dark Knight lands us at one of the few cinemas in town with tickets, we find justification in eating in the best restaurant in the complex - Thai Village Sharksfin Restaurant at the Leisure Park in Kallang. One of the institutions still going strong in our nation. While it isn't going to be the best in quality, it probably is pretty darn good in value.

Chinese spinach with 3 eggs in superior broth

made special by the garnish of crispy silver fish

The chicken special which upon tasting is just a pretty competent oyster sauce chicken served sizzling in an old wok.

The accompanying dishes to the meal were not the focus although they are pretty competent. But between the satisfying signature green chilli sauce and the seafood fried rice, this politically incorrect evening turned out gastronmically correct.