Bright

G's fiancee wanted to surprise him for his 30th birthday and so gathered a bunch of closer friends at The Riders Cafe this morning.  Her brief was simply "come in bright colors".  So I obliged.   G was not totally surprised though; he saw a few familiar cars as he was parking.  Oh well, commendable effort by the girl anyway.

The brunch menu was simple but sufficient.  Prices are not only gentler than city equivalents, but the portions were generous and tasty.  It was fully packed from morning til mid afternoon.  Be sure to make a reservation if you are ever going to go there.






On another note, do I look "not so skinny anymore" ?  Those exact words were G's first comment to me this morning when he saw me.  I was a little surprised, given the extra bits of exercise I had been trying to do since the last month or so, that I do look a little big.  Sigh.

Riders Cafe
51 Fairways Drive, Singapore 286965

Tel: 6466 9819

Open Tue-Thu,Sun 8:30am-10pm

Fri-Sat 8:30am-10:30pm

Review: Meii Sushi

CNNGo recently published a "Top 5 omakase in Singapore". I usually read such reviews with a pinch of salt. But that does not stop me from being intrigued about this place called Meii Sushi that was featured and yet I could find so little literature written about it. Without expectations and by sheer stroke of luck in change of plans, the Three of Us trotted off to check it out on a Friday night. 

Tiny like a shoebox aptly describes the space. Nonetheless, it was a comfortable fit for us at the counter. It was not busy, another family of three who appeared to be regulars shared the counter with us. 

I could be sensitive but Chef Hong did not appear very friendly initially, perhaps because we were first timers and strangers.  Plus, he didn't know our palates nor our depth of knowledge about sushi / Japanese cuisine so I found his selection of food for our omakase quite safe i.e. sashimi and sushi for this first visit.

Now, I don't know if this is Meii sushi's style but his sashimi cuts are very thick. So thick that each slice could easily be two servings, which could actually have been more enjoyable because I'll get two identical slices (as opposed to different ends of the fish with every bite. Do I make sense?) Having said that, there were moments of major deliciousness in the fresh oysters in ponzu sauce, uni and ikura. 

Same deal for the sushi. Big slices of fish over small lumps of rice spell major difficulty in fitting each sushi into the mouth in one bite. Sushi rice was also a little ..erm... a little underseasoned and slightly wet, for me.

The food paired well with the +1 sake Chef recommended.  It was good, but I think we could have gone for a little bit more dry. 

Ah, oh well.

We are after all in Singapore. I guess Chef Hong is catering to local preferences. It was still a pretty decent meal, don't get me wrong, but also not the best or most value for money compared to similar joints (such as, Hinoki, Hokkaido, etc). I think he did let down his guard a little bit more by the end of our meal, so I'm not writing off this place but wait and see if our "sushi relationship" improves the next time.


Meii Sushi
7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza (facing Craig Road)
Mon - Sat:  Lunch and Dinner
closed Sundays (but he is considering closing Sat nights)
Note: Meii Sushi does not like to open late (I asked for a 8pm reservation only to receive "so late ah?" as my reply -_-) .

Weekend #29

I have been (and probably still) feeling low. I sort of know the reason yet at the same time, unwilling to pull myself 100% out of this crazy emotional state of mind. I have been reminded to stay positive so here goes.

The weekend came and went by quickly. Yet there were many moments that I relished:

1. I was glad I rounded up my besties to kickstart the weekend with omakase on Friday night. I could have called it a night when my original plan flopped (my dinner mate forgot she had made a conflicting appointment). But these girls are a source of respite for me. I don't always tell them how I feel and they never ask but always know I am not 'right' and they detract me from stray thoughts. We went to Kaiho Sushi (Cuppage Plaza, #03-01) by the way and had a great dinner.

2. Came Saturday, I started the day early baking sticky date puddings for an inaugural "cuzzies only" dinner potluck. They turned out great and made my day.

3. Swung by ECP for a few minutes of light cycling and enjoying the sea breeze before popping by the Big Bad Wolf, a new bistro/cafe at 226 Tanjong Katong for a bite. The hot day made the peach fruit beer and mussels with white wine cream sauce perfect for an ideal lunch. The beer tasted like a cider / Jolly Shandy, waaay easy to drink. Thanks EL, for introducing it to me. Well, I am not a green-lipped mussels fan, but choices were limited so I gave them a shot. For $10, I wouldn't expect fresh ones and at BBW, they were admittedly frozen. BUUUT they were cooked beautifully, tender and with the cream sauce not too heavy. A flufflier bread would have been lovely to soak up the sauce.

4. Caught up with an ex-colleague of mine and despite the wrong choice of venue, our conversation was thoughtful and deep. He might be young and irritating, but he does throw out a few gems once in a while.

5. Saturday prolonged when I convinced one of the besties to visit Bar Stories for a drink. Her HK colleague was in town anyway and she needed to entertain him. Had a most delicious melon saketini as well as a lemongrass-ginger saketini. The creamy note from the unfiltered sake did the trick. I would have to tell them to tone down on the sugar syrup in future though. Tip to you readers: Never go with the first drink the staff recommends. Ask for something special that no one else is drinking.

6. Sunday was simply good because I visited my friend's church and the sermon spoke to me. You wouldn't know but it has been a while.

7. That was followed by a pig-out lunch at Ikoi (Miramar Hotel) for Japanese ala carte buffet. I avoid buffets like I would avoid an accident, but sometimes, life is about give-and-take. That Sunday time, I decided to give. The one dish I always looked forward to was the salmon head nitsuke. It was smaller than usual but with no competitor vying for it, it was all mine.

8. I even managed to sneak a short catch up with the Haute One while she was at work. Happy she found something she's happy to do.

9. The weather remained perfect (i.e. warm and dry) the whole weekend. In fact, it was scorching. That hot, burning sensation from the sun's rays made me feel like I was being burned. But it made me feel alive. For that, I am oddly grateful.

Review: Hinoki Japanese Restaurant

The saying goes, "when the cat's away, the mice come out to play".  When our third leg, a.k.a the Big Guy, was out and down, the cheeky imp and I met and gorged ourselves with delicious Japanese food. 

Without a doubt, that lady and I share uncanny similar wavelengths.  Case in point:  we can literally walk anywhere in comfortable footware, we cannot stand inconsiderate people (such as those who are not at all remorseful about being late), we watch out for others (for example: she texted me to ensure I could find my way and stood outside the restaurant to catch me just in case I walked right by), she pre-ordered sashimi, sushi and grilled fish, which were exactly what I wanted, and I could go on more but I know you are really just waiting to hear my views about Hinoki.

Weeell, it was my first time at Hinoki and first time eating the food prepared by Chef Gary Ng.  I enjoyed his platter of sashimi and his over-generous drapings of fish over sushi rice.  The aburi salmon belly was tender and oily; no sauce needed.  He insisted serving us each a whole mebaru, which belonged to the rockfish family, grilled with salt.  The fish meat was firm and sweet and could go terribly wrong if it was not fresh.  In general, the food was really decent, above average and I was stuffed at the end of the meal!  Trust that I will be back.

The restaurant was relatively quiet so we had full on attention by the men behind the counter.  While we could do with a little bit of privacy, they played their part in making the night so fun.  I bantered with them non-stop.  I think the imp was highly amused to see a different side of me and for the record, I blame the little bit of sake I had.

My mom says...

She might have just been keeping a cat in disguise all these years.





Yes, I love my fish. (:

Happy Friday and weekend ahead people! Mine started just 12 hours ago.

xoxo

Sunday #28

Mine started off pretty awful, seeing me say a rather sad silent goodbye to a person I thought was a friend.  Well, I was glad I decided to end the negativity right away and get on with my life.
 
“Don’t be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.” – Richard Bach

So off I went into a lovely lunch at Santi (more on that later), followed up by a short catch up with the Imp.  We missed the big man and black local kopi at Tong Ah.  But oh well, our alternative, mainly to escape the unforgiving heat, was just as good, if a bit of a more feminine choice.  Who knew canned lychees, mint and lime mixed with tea would taste so refreshing?  You must try the summer ice tea from The Plain @ Craig Road.  It was just perfect for the scorching afternoon weather.

Finally, what else could have ended my Sunday (at this current moment) better than more trip planning and wanderlust about the land of pasta?  Sigh... (:

Meantime, I'll relive the delicious brunch I had at Artichoke (I love that man Bjorn Shen!).

Artichoke - Smoked Salmon with beetroot tzatziki sauce

Hope your Sunday was filled with good memories too.  Sweet dreams folks!

Review: L'Aterlier de Joel Robuchon



Dinner 2 July 2011


Sorry for the delay.  So the reveal of where I went when I last dressed up!  L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.  Definitely not your everyday restaurant, you would agree with me. But I did have an occasion worthy of a splurge :)  

Hmm, the food was fairly decent, mostly well accepted and slightly above average but I would hesitate to say fantastic. 

Okay, I take that back and I preface the following that it is purely coincidental that the top two dishes that came to mind belong to the dessert category.  First the souffle - texture was AMUHZING.  And maybe the pre-dessert coconut sorbet.  It had a toasty, nutty, coconutty flavor, and texture was smooth and it was not too sweet.  Oh, and DON'T order the langoustine.  It was expensive and unspectacular.

But what I did love was the strong visual appeal that most of the dishes delivered and noticeably, the strong energy and vibe about the place and the people. To be frank, I had a bit of an attitude that night but the energy lifted me out of that somewhat.  It helped that I was having such a contemporary meal with a fellow foodie so passionate about his food. I enjoyed the interesting discussions we had around each dish. 

At multiple points through the dinner, the restaurant crew would break out into a birthday song, in French no less, to the birthday boy / girl.  True to the casual spirit I suppose.  Yes, I was also celebrating a birthday that night.  Our friendly server 'complained' he had to be a singer too.  Eight times just that evening alone.  Heehee.

Beware of overly pretentious waiters, though I suspect they might be forced to have to speak English with a smattering of French accent before they could work there. Oh well, I just try to have fun trying to imitate them.

Would I come back again?  Most definitely, if the occasion calls for it.  The petit portion menu is a long list of interesting dishes that I hope to try more of.

And happy birthday D!

Playing Dre$$ Up

I have been (shamelessly) wanting to jump on the "Playing Dre$$ Up" bandwagon started by the talented R from The Pleasure Monger.  After all, I love dressing up and really wish Singaporeans would make some effort to dress up even just a little.  Most of the time I feel overdressed >.<  Sigh, but I've learnt to care less about what others may think of me.  Heehee.

Just last night I had a chance to dress up for a dinner at one of the celebrity restaurants (*cue to roll eyes*) in Singapore.  I debated over a few dresses and decided on something slightly more formal yet not stern.  So, out went the chili red toga bubble dress (too party-ish, although I am looking forward to an appropriate occasion to don this!) and the skin-tight bandage dress (how to eat in this dress??).

The final get-up is a combination of:
1. vintage-inspired prom dress from ASOS.com (< S$ 50)
2. chunky statement necklace from Haji lane (sorry, can't remember which shop exactly but it is opposite Soon Lee) (S$ 49)
3. Gold strappy heels (on sale from Tangs; my sister's :P)

Not seen, but I was carrying a Kate Spade black clutch with smallish gold studs that I bought on sale on 50% discount a couple of years ago, waaaay before TPL's time.


And yes, I was the 'dressiest' in the restaurant.  SIGH!