Farewell to Ember

C says:

Sorry for the radio silence. We were away, and have been super busy since we got back, so we're still working on chronicalling our holiday eats.

It'll take us another week or two to start posting our holiday stuff, but in the meantime we thought we'd write about our bittersweet meal at the original Ember last night, so that anyone who wants to do the same has one more month before Sebastian and Sabrina serve their last meal there on 30 April.

We each ordered the set, and added the angel hair pasta with konbu and abalone. That was served first, and (what would be a recurring refrain throughout the night) was familiarly perfect.

My chicken and duck liver parfait was rich and creamy and came with a slice of light and buttery toasted brioche. They sold out of the scallop carpaccio so A had the fried soft shell crab with wasabi aioli.

Second course: fried langoustine with lobster bisque for A, and the deep fried tofu with foie gras-mirin sauce for me - another must-have. The sauce packs so much flavour, and the tofu is fried perfectly.

As tribute to our last meal, we ordered both their signature mains - the Chilean seabass, and the 12-hour pork belly. The seabass was, as it always is, perfect. The pork belly was better than I remembered, with tender meat and ridiculously crispy crackling.

We shared the apple tart tatin with vanilla ice cream for dessert, which was again delicious.

We were lamenting to Sabrina, who recognises us as somewhat regulars, that after celebrating our anniversary here for the past 7 - 8 years, now we have to find somewhere new to go.

To our surprise, before our tart tatin arrived, we were served a coconut panna cotta with a candle on the side. The waiter said it was compliments of Sabrina, who told us it was to thank us for supporting them from the very beginning, and an early anniversary celebration.

It was such a sweet gesture, and coupled with every dish being executed perfectly, made last night's meal truly bittersweet. I'm glad to have been a part of their 12 year history, and I'm sure we'll be there when their new concept opens its doors (though not for another year or so), but now we have to create new anniversary memories elsewhere.

I'm feeling rather forlorn now, so excuse me while I go mope.

A says:

Sigh. This last dinner we had there was especially good. I'd advise everyone to go while you still can. I'll now be looking forward to the new place, hopefully by next year.

Saigon Lotus

C says:

Among the new restaurants at The Dining Edition at Marina Square is Saigon Lotus. We ended up here one evening when everything else didn't really call to us. We wanted something fairly simple so we didn't have very high expectations.

As it turns out, the pho here was surprisingly good. It's increasingly hard to get good pho in Singapore these days, with a good beefy broth that's synthetically sweet. The one here tasted like it was a proper beef broth, and the sliced beef and beef brisket was tender and deliciously fatty.

Their crispy chicken wings were a bit disappointing - too overfried and crispy for my liking, but I guess that is how they're billed...

We don't have pho cravings very often, but when we do, it's good to know that we can come here for a pretty decent bowl.

A says:

Very good pho. I hope this place survives despite the poor traffic in the area.

Saigon Lotus
6 Raffles Boulevard,
Marina Square, #02-100A/B
Tel: 6337-4648
Mon - Sun: 11.00am - 10.00pm

Volunteering at Willing Hearts

C says:

I've been meaning to get involved in volunteering efforts for some time now, but alas, most initiatives (understandably) involve working with children. For those who know me, saying that I'm not good with children is somewhat of an understatement.

Which is why I got excited when I read about Willing Hearts a couple of months ago - a non-profit 'soup kitchen' whose mission statement is to "provide daily meals and other support services to the underprivileged, the needy, and other marginalized members in Singapore, and to assist and guide them towards rehabilitating and reinstating themselves as useful members of our society". To me, the only way for volunteering efforts to be sustainable is to do something that you enjoy/believe in, so what better way for me/atetoomuch than to work with food?!

A quick check of their website told me everything I needed to know - the kitchen operates daily, 365 days a year, from 6 am to around 4 pm. If, like me, you're interested in kitchen prep work, you need to get there early to help with the meals for the day. Otherwise, you can also offer your services to pack the food into containers for delivery, or even to help out with deliveries later in the morning/afternoon. Large groups like corporate teams need to inform them in advance of their visit, just so they're prepared, but individuals can just show up to lend a helping hand.

Y and I decided to go together so that we wouldn't be alone and clueless on our first foray there. We got there at 7 and spent a very enjoyable few hours washing and cutting copious amounts of radishes. The camaraderie in the place is infectious - we happened to be there with a large group from Marina Bay Sands, and though it was the first time for most of us, everyone got into the swing of things very quickly. 

It's heartwarming to see small groups of retirees showing up together, and even groups of schoolchildren were there packing mandarin oranges. I left promising to return soon. Given that the bulk of the kitchen work is done in the morning, and depending on how much I want to contribute on a particular day, I can either take a morning off work, or just get in to work a little later than usual. Yes, I do have to wake up extra early and drive to MacPherson, but I figure it's the least I can do.

A says:

So proud of you. You go, girl!

Willing Hearts

50 Genting Lane

#04-06 Cideco Building

www.willinghearts.org.sg
www.facebook.com/pages/Willing-Hearts/251054094985354

Bam Tapas and Sake Bar

C says:

For lovers of small plates like us, 3-month old Bam at Tras Street looks set to be another new favourite. Opened by Chef Pepe, who used to be chef de cuisine at Santi at MBS, Bam may bill itself as a tapas bar but don't expect ordinary tapas like croquettas or garlic prawns. Instead, they offer exactly what we love - small plates of inventive tapas-inspired dishes, often with other influences thrown in as well.

Portions of each dish are just nice for 2 to share, and if you're like us, you'll probably need about 5 or 6 to be pleasantly full. Remember to save space for dessert though - this is one of the few places (for us) where the desserts really are worth ordering.

The Roasted Eggplant with Lardo and Romesco Sauce started out ok enough - till I got a mouthful of the lardo. The thin sliver of lardo was lightly torched on top of the eggplant, and packed a ton of flavour.

The Grilled Octopus with Gem Lettuce and Lentil Vinaigrette was so good that we promptly ordered another one (we were there with W and M). The octopus was really tender yet meaty, and wonderfully charred and smokey. This dish really brought us all back to Spain.

The Pork Ear with Burrata and Anchovy Vinaigrette was a very interesting dish. I liked the different textures of the creamy burrata and the crunchy, slightly gelatinous pig's ears. I would've liked a bit more burrata though, so I'm not sure if this is on my order-again list.

One of their signature dishes is the Sakura Ebi Omelette with Melon and All-i-oli (Catalan for aioli). I liked the creaminess of the omelette (I hate overcooked omelettes) and the umaminess of the sakura ebi, but I'm not sure that the melon was all that necessary. Next time we'll try the other egg dish on the menu - the Kampong Egg with baby squid and chorizo.

Don't go low/no carb while you're here, because all 3 of their pastas were outstanding. The Foie Gras and Chestnut Ravioli came in a light, delicate broth that was packed with flavour, and the Mushroom Rice with Scallop and Idiazabal Cheese was a risotto lover's dream.

What really shone though, was the Pasta a la Plancha with Prawns and Sake Butter. The tubes of pasta were literally cooked on the plancha (flat-top), giving it a wonderful al dente yet crisp texture. It was served with the most amazing sauce and sake butter that we all but licked off the plate. Awesome.

As far as the meats go, we had the Calamari and Beef Tongue, and the Grilled Quail with Leeks. I enjoyed both dishes, but everyone else wasn't as enamoured as I was. Apparently the Wagyu Onglet is better, so perhaps we'll try that next.

Desserts are definitely worth a try here. The Bailey's sponge with chocolate cremeaux comes with a huge dollop of the lightest, airest Crema Catalan I've ever had, and lightly torched too.

As good as that was, the other two desserts were more standouts. The coconut sorbet with pineapple and tea granita was really light and refreshing, and the lemon zest ice cream with caramelised banana was perfectly balanced - just when the ice cream seemed a bit too tart, the cubes of banana helped to sweeten and mellow it down.

They've only been open for 3 months but already they seem to be doing pretty well. We should probably head there again sooner rather than later, before it starts being on everyone's radar and it gets harder to snag reservations.

A says:

Rock. Especially the desserts.

Bam Tapas and Sake Bar
38 Tras Street
Tel: 6226-0500
Open Mon to Sat: 6 pm - 12 mn
Closed Sundays

The Mustard Incident

C says:

The Mustard Incident is a gourmet hot dog joint that opened recently in the newly renovated Tangs basement, opposite Krispy Kreme. Seating is limited, with just one small 2-seater and a U-shaped counter for dining-in. I guess they assume that hot dogs are generally on-the-go food.

You may want to be seated for some of their creations, though. Some, like the Coney Dog and the Frankenstein, have a chilli topping that makes it pretty messy, but oh so delicious. The Coney Dog is a beef sausage with bean-less (yay) chilli and topped with diced white onion. The Frankenstein is, literally, half a beef sausage and half a pork sausage held together with bacon (hence the name), chilli again, hot sauce and sautéed onions.

I had the Frankenstein and A had the Coney Dog. Both were very good – I especially like the sausages, which have a good snap to casings. I liked mine because the sautéed onions took the edge of the raw ones; A liked his precisely because of the raw onions.

They have seasonal flavours too, like a turkey, ham and cranberry one over the holidays, as well as some limited edition flavours like a Sauerkraut and a Breakfast dog. If both are still available when we’re next in the vicinity, they’ll be our next picks.

A says:

I was a bit apprehensive at first given the $10 price, but these are seriously good hot dogs and totally worth it. The staff is friendly as well. The only problem with the place is the cramped counter eating area. Can't be helped I guess, but this is a definite go-to for a good dog.

The Mustard Incident
310 Orchard Road
Tangs Basement
Tel: 6836-3647
Mon – Thurs & Sat: 10.30 am to 9.30 pm
Fri: 10.30 am to 11 pm
Sun: 11 am to 8.30 pm

Shin Yeh Bistro

C says:

This casual outpost of Taiwanese restaurant Shin Yeh at Liang Court took over the premises at Square 2 that used to be occupied by Zhou's Kitchen (they're all Tung Lok restaurants anyway so I figure they just do musical chairs based on what's currently the most viable).

Most of our favourite dishes from the Liang Court branch are also available here, maybe in a simpler form. The oyster omelette, for example, is in the form of a thin layer of egg, topped with fried oysters and leeks. I actually think this is more successful than the regular version, which during recent visits has been bulked up with a bit too much starch for my liking.

A's favourite braised pig's intestine is also available. The intestines were nicely cooked but there wasn't enough braising liquid to douse our porridge the way we like to. The homemade Taiwan sausage was good, but the portion was a bit too much for me, since A's not a Taiwan sausage fan (all that for just $4.20, insane!).

Their drinks were a very pleasant surprise. I'm normally not one for weird sweet drinks but they didn't have a normal chrysanthemum tea and I was put on the spot to order something. I got Yogurt Green Tea, and A ordered the Watermelon Milk Tea. Mine was a nice refreshing mix of yakult and jasmine tea, and A is completely enamoured with the Watermelon Milk Tea.

Besides the food (and drinks) being really good, what strikes me is how reasonably priced it is. Every dish we ordered was under $10, including the oyster omelette which was an amazing $6.90.

Pity we don't live close to Square 2 anymore, or we'd be here every week.

A says:

Watermelon milk tea sounds crazy but it turned out to be crazy awesome. Great if you like sweet flavoured teas. The rest of the food is good and relatively cheap. Highly recommended.

Shin Yeh Bistro
Square 2 #01-73
10 Sinaran Drive
Tel : 6893-1123
Lunch: 11:30 - 3:00PM
Hi-Tea: 3:00 - 5:00PM
Dinner: 6:00 - 10:00PM
www.shinyehbistro.com.sg

Victor's Kitchen

C says:

After the stellar dim sum and dun nai (steamed milk) that we had in Hong Kong, we were wondering where we could go in Singapore that could measure up. I recalled that Victor's used to serve some versions of dun nai so we thought we'd try our luck.

Alas, they no longer do; probably too labour intensive. They still serve pretty damn good dim sum though. Their king prawn har gow is packed with really fresh prawns, and lots of them, and the char siew bao is really light and fluffy.

2 items we had deserve special mention - the steamed carrot cake with XO sauce, and the HK Silk Stocking Iced Tea. The carrot cake is the best I've had - it's soft, smooth and you can really taste the radish, lup cheong and dried shrimp. Almost doesn't need the XO sauce, though it does add an additional flavour element. Don't expect the texture of the pan fried variety though - this is really soft, without much bite, but I think that's precisely why it's unadulterated and so good.

The milk tea is served inside an ice bath, which keeps it cool without diluting it - genius. The tea is the perfect strength, milkiness and sweetness. I daresay better even than what we had in HK.

Even the ambience is like being in HK - elbow to elbow seating and efficient but brusque waiters. As good as it gets, I think. But my dun nai search continues.

A says:

Awesome carrot cake and milk tea. And the milk tea here is better than in Hong Kong cause it's sweeter. I'll definitely be back more. Just have to remember to go early to avoid the inevitable queue.

Victor's Kitchen
91 Bencoolen Street
#01-21 Sunshine Plaza
Tel: 9838-2851

Crab in da Bag

C says:

Atetoomuch’s year is definitely off to a good start! We tried Crab in da Bag the other night and liked it so much that I’m already planning a return visit soon.

Located at Big Splash at East Coast Park, Crab in da Bag, as its name suggests, primarily serves seafood cooked in bags, with your choice of seasonings and other accompaniments like potatoes, sweet corn and bratwurst sausage. Reservations are recommended because they do get pretty crowded, even on a Sunday night when we went. Also, their tables are all quite large, so smaller parties will probably have to share tables.

If you order individual seafood items, each will be cooked in a separate bag with your choice of seasoning and accompaniment. We decided on tiger prawns with sweet corn in garlic butter, flower crabs in their signature Caboodle mix (combination of local and Louisiana spices with butter and garlic), and squid with their Ultimate Curry mix.

They’re really not shy with their seasonings. All of them packed a big flavour punch in different ways. The seafood was all very well cooked, and with the nutcrackers and scissors provided, not that difficult to get at. Having said that, I think we’ll try the King Crab legs the next time. They looked huge and very meaty.

They also do a Caboodle Boil for a larger group of 4-5, with a selection of seafood all boiled in one bag, which you then eat with a selection of sauces/dips. I actually think it’s still better to order the seafood separately – that way, you get a wider selection of seasonings, plus I’m sure it still tastes better to have the seafood actually cooked with the seasoning, rather than boiled and dipped into sauces.

This is definitely not a first date place – you’re given bibs and are just expected to dive into the seafood with your hands. And trust me, things will get messy. I love it though. It’s refreshing knowing that everyone is being just as barbaric as you are.

It’s also a very difference experience from Naked Finn, which serves high-end seafood varieties and their preparations are simple, to highlight the seafood. Here, it’s all about the seasoning, because I think while the seafood is good and pretty fresh, it certainly isn't artisanally sourced or anything. It’s just a straight-up good, fun seafood meal.

A says:

All da seasonings were great. Next time, I'll get a side of bread to soak it up, especially all da garlic bits. Da service is slow but they are very friendly and helpful.

If I had to find something to complain about, it would probably be that there's no cheap non-alcoholic beverage option. I guess they have to make money somewhere, though you'd think they'd have saved on cutlery costs by having no plates.

Crab in da Bag
Block D Unit #01-25
902 East Coast Parkway, Big Splash
Tel: 6440-0083
Opening hours: 4 pm - 11 pm
Closed Mondays

Esquina 2.0

C says:

Esquina recently unveiled a new look and new menu. They've now included a second floor, which they open up on busier nights. Because it's located away from the kitchen, I assume it's less of an interactive experience than sitting at the bar counter, but perhaps some people may prefer less frenzied, sit down dinner experience.

They've also revamped the menu, with the dishes now divided into Snacks, Soil, Sea, Land and Desserts. They also have some daily specials, but for the time being they're not offering their set lunch.

From the Snacks, we had the pork crackling with salt cod and smoked herring roe, and the dashi poached oysters with onion foam. The pork crackling was good but I'm not sure that it's a sustainable dish. It's so light that it kept billowing in the breeze of the fan, and the couple next to us had one of theirs fly off the plate as they were being served, and had to get a replacement plate. I can just imagine the challenge getting these upstairs from the kitchen to the second floor.

From Soil, we had the heirloom tomato salad with watermelon gazpacho (A is a sucker for anything with gazpacho), smoked anchovy and avocado. It was interesting to see how different the various varieties of tomatoes could taste, though I expected and hoped that the anchovy would be a bit more aggressive.

From Land, we had the ox cheek and tongue with blue cheese gnocchi, fried broccoli and hazelnut and tarragon pesto. I loved the broccoli, which was fried till the florets were nicey browned. The meat was very rich and tender, but got a bit heavy after a while. On the other hand, the pan fried foie gras with little nuggets of smoked eel was fabulous.

We had another meat from the specials board - a duo of lamb with a braised lamb shoulder and seared lamb rack. This was excellent. I liked the differing tastes and textures of the lamb shoulder and the lamb rack. This came with charred green onions and a manchego mashed potato, which had a slightly odd, gummy texture from the cheese.

Finally, from Sea we had baked cod with salt cod, smoked mussel and potato chowder. The texture of the fish itself was a tad dry, possibly overcooked, but the chowder more than made up for it with really intense smokey goodness.

A last minute addition to our order turned out to be one of the best dishes of the night - the flame-grilled sea trout with heirloom carrots, pistachio crumbs and crudo lardo (yes, a literal translation of that is raw fat). Thin slivers of lardo were placed on top of slightly cured trout, then flame grilled with a blow torch. The result was the best possible surf and turf combination.

We were definitely too full for dessert, and as always, we left making a mental note to be back again soon.

A says:

OMG so good.

Lunch at Mikuni

C says:

2013 has flown by, and before we know it, our FAR Card will be expiring. Before it does, we had to try lunch at Mikuni, since 50% off a $70 set is pretty reasonable.

Of course, we also decided to splurge on some sashimi, and ordered the toro, kanpachi, hotate and mekajiki. This was pretty good, with the hotate in particular being very sweet and creamy, but I don't think I would have paid full price for this.

I ordered the bone-in pork robatayaki set lunch, and A had the Australian beef set. The pork was far superior. The pork was lightly smoked, and had just enough fat to give it lots of flavour, and some lean layers to balance it out.

The beef was very disappointing. It was a classic example of bland, tasteless beef that's all too common nowadays. It was cooked to a perfect medium rare, but it had no flavour or character.

Suffice to say that without the FAR Card, there's no way we'll be coming back here.

A says:

Good, but totally not worth the price.

Atetoomuch's Best Food of 2013

C says:

A belated happy new year, everyone! It's time once again for our Best Of list. Our cut-off date for our Best Of contenders is literally 31 December 2013, so places like Ubin Seafood won't get a mention till next year's list.

In alphabetical order then, here are my picks for the year's best bites:

Central Hong Kong Cafe

Whenever we run out of ideas for places to eat, or just want something quick, simple and comforting, Central at Star Vista is our default choice. Most of the things we've tried are very tasty, but their sliced fish noodle soup alone gets them my vote.

Esquina

Given how often Esquina keeps changing the menu and specials, almost every visit is a brand new experience, so this is one of two old favourites that I have to keep mentioning.

Guzman Y Gomez (GYG)

This deserves a spot just for converting me - a previously die-hard Mexican food hater . I guess not all Mexican food is drenched in sour cream and refried beans, Tex-Mex style. The burritos and quesadillas are excellent, but my default lunch time option now is the Grilled Chicken salad. A salad where the protein is almost the main event is definitely my kind of salad.

Jewel Cafe at Rangoon

I'm still upset that Jewel in Shenton Way no longer has the awesome chicken wings on their menu, but that's somewhat balanced out by the incredible carbonara at their Rangoon Road outpost. This is quite possibly the lightest and best carbonara I've had.

Oca Grassa

I know we've since discovered Ubin Seafood's steak, but to be fair, Oca Grassa's Florentine served on the sizzling Himalayan salt disc was a pretty outstanding steak. It did break our run of bad beef, and for that it's on my list.

Redring wanton mee

I'm not a big fan of wanton mee (I much prefer bak chor mee), but I love everything about Redring's version, from the al dente noodles to the smokey char siew to the clean yet umami sauce.

Tamoya Udon

This no-frills, self-service udon joint in Liang Court serves some of the best udon I've had. The noodle texture is perfect, the broth is uncomplicated but flavourful, and customise your udon with the self-service toppings bar, complete with tempura batter bits, wakame and grated daikon. Their tempura and chicken karaage rock too.

Tanuki

The food has some misses (steer well clear of the beef tartare don), but there are more hits, plus their Happy Hour oysters and salmon sashimi are possibly the best deal in town.

The Naked Finn

Fresh seafood, sublime bee hoon, great cocktails and a chill, unpretentious environment. What's there not to like?

Their awesome prawn noodle soup now starts at $18 rather than $28. But the downside is that it's now only available for weekday lunches, as they've stopped supper service.

Two Fat Men

We keep coming back here even thought it's in the East and parking is a pain - two factors that usually discourage us from visiting, let alone revisiting, a place. But the food here is well worth it. The chicken wings and grilled pork neck are beyond amazing, and we've recently discovered their kangkong and grilled squid too. And their drinks are fab.

That's it! And if the first couple of weeks are any indication, I think 2014 may be an even better year. Here's to a great year ahead, everyone, and may we never waste our calories on crappy food.

A says:

We keep going back to the same places so I don't think these will all be new or that surprising.

Charlie & Co. Best burger under $20 in Singapore. Try the Classic or Mighty Charlie. Unfortunate location in the Ion basement means it may not be there long, so give it a try while you can.

Tamoya Udon. Best udon in Singapore. No doubt about it.

Jewel Cafe. Good food. Great coffee. Affordable. And not packed with hipsters or posers.

Naked Finn. The seafood is phenomenal. Some items are a bit pricey though. But the beehoon and coconut sorbet are so worth it.

Oca Grassa. It's almost impossible to find good steak in Singapore without breaking the bank. Oca Grassa's one is fantastic, and while still expensive, won't leave you in debt.

First Love Patisserie. I love creamy mille crepes. And this place (I go to the Ion one , but they now have a branch at Raffles City) has a great one. Granted the one at Lady M is better, but it's also more expensive. So if you want a good $6 mille crepe, this is my choice.

Baker's Talent. This small shop in Clementi has great Golden Sands (molten salted egg yolk and sugar) buns for just 90 cents a pop. I get one almost every week. They've got other cheap and good buns too.

And of course, old favourites Esquina (almost every bite is awesome), Ember (consistently good food and service) and Two Fat Men (serious flavour on a budget).

Ubin Seafood

C says:

I can't believe that the best steak and ribs that we've had in ages was at a seafood restaurant - what's going on?!

I was understandably apprehensive about recommendations to try the rib-eye steak at Ubin Seafood. Who can blame me? Ubin Seafood is a frenetic seafood restaurant in the heart of Sin Ming Industrial Estate, amongst car repair shops. I had my misgivings, but we decided to give them the benefit of the doubt one rainy Saturday night.

OMG. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is the best beef that I've had in ages. I thought Oca Grassa was good, but this really takes the cake. US certified Angus rib-eye, chargrilled, then cut into cubes and served on a platter with wedges, caramelised onions and, the best part, fried rice cooked with the beef drippings.

Where to begin? The rice was like a delicious version of claypot rice, with crispy bits of beef fat that were reminiscent of the charred bits at the bottom of claypot rice. This went perfectly with the sambal belacan that was provided.

The beef was outstanding. It was tender, juicy and perfectly cooked. There was a good char, and it was seasoned just right with salt and pepper. For some reason, almost every cube of meat had a bit of fat on it, which gave the already sweet meat an incredible flavour, and not a single piece had any sinew or gristle on it. The steak costs an unbelievable $12 per 100g; granted, their minimum size is 550g, but that's still $66 for one of the best steaks I've had. I think my beef search is officially over.

Something else I've been trying to find in Singapore are good ribs. My idea of good ribs are basically like Naughty Nuri's - flame grilled, and tender but with still some bite to them. Not the overly braised kind that are slathered in BBQ sauce, which end up tasting (and looking) like pulled pork. Ubin does a pretty decent version, thought not as awesome as the steak. The ribs were just slightly overcooked, but otherwise all the elements were there. And sauce served on the side, as it should be.

In comparison, the sweet potato leaves fried with sambal were a bit lacklustre, though maybe it's because they didn't quite go with the rest of the dishes. On hindsight maybe a simple asparagus dish may have been more appropriate.

The place is teeming with huge tables of families tucking into plates and plates of seafood. Going as a couple is definitely not efficient - their minimum orders of items like prawns (minimum 300g) is somewhat prohibitive to us trying many dishes. Unless you're there solely for the steak, I think 4 is the bare minimum. It's perfect for large groups, and best of all, they have a BYO policy on alcohol too.

Parking's a bit of a bitch though, and that would be the only thing preventing us from coming here regularly. Well, that and the fact that they affectionately call the fried rice "Heart Attack Rice"...

A says:

Early contender for best of '14. Awesome. If only parking was easier.

Ubin Seafood
Block 27 Sin Ming Road, #01-174
Sin Ming Industrial Estate Sector A
Tel: 6466-9558
Mon – Fri: 11am – 2pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm (Last Order)
Sat & Sun: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10.30pm (Last Order)
www.ubinseafood.com

Rakusaba and Ramen Burger, The U Factory

C says:

Located at Block 39 in Gillman Barracks, The U Factory is a pop-up collection of experimental establishments, ranging from shops selling quirky arts and crafts items, to cafes and restaurant concepts. Most of the shops are closed by 7 pm, and the F&B outlets either open during the day (Maison Ikkoku Cafe, The Bakers’ League and The U Cafe), or only in the evening (The Travelling COW’s Ramen Burger and Rakusaba). We were there after work on a Friday so we only tried the Ramen Burger and Rakusaba.

Rakusaba

This collaboration between Preparazzi and Eastern Craft Beer is a reinvention of the humble laksa, serving it tsukemen-style. Instead of bee hoon, you get a thin hand-made la mian, for dipping into a thick pork and prawn-based laksa broth. Accompaniments are cucumber and lotus root pickle (like achar), salmon otak, soft egg topped with sambal, and pork confit.

Overall, this was very good. The laksa dipping broth had loads of flavour and was thick and rich, and of the accompaniments, the pork belly was outstanding. The meat was confit-ed so it was nice and tender, but still with some bite, and the chef took a blow torch to it right before serving, so there was a nice charred, smokey flavour too.

The noodles were a bit on the thin side, and had a tendency to get a bit clumpy. Also, as with tsukemen ramen, you can also request for a fish broth soba-yu to add to the residual broth to drink it like a soup. In theory, that is. In practice, both of us didn't have any dipping sauce left after we were done with the noodles. They were nice enough to give us a bit more, together with the soba-yu, so that we could try the diluted version. The fish-based broth made for a rather interesting flavoured soup, but the laksa broth on its own is much better.

Ramen Burger by The Travelling C.O.W. (Chef On Wheels)

This was a bit of a disappointment. The concept is similar to MosBurger’s yakiniku rice burger – crispy ramen discs form the burger “buns”, with a choice of teriyaki chicken, bbq chicken or beef bulgogi as the filling.

We tried the beef, which was very tasty, albeit a bit hard to eat since you had to eat entire slices because you can’t bite through them. The ramen buns were a letdown – they got soggy pretty quickly and just tasted like crispy sang mien.

I wouldn’t mind checking it out the other cafe concepts as well. And before the pop-up closes at the end of January, we’ll be back for one more laksa tsukemen fix.

A says:

The pork that came with the laksa was incredible. And the way it's served is very interesting. However, while it's good for a change, I think I still prefer my traditional Katong Laksa.

As for the ramen burger, the filling was good, but the ramen used to replace the bun was pretty bad. Unless you want a gimmicky meal, I'd skip it.

Oca Grassa

C says:

My faith in beef has been somewhat restored. New(ish) restaurant Oca Grassa on Bukit Pasoh Road is a charming Italian restaurant specialising in beef - specifically, their star dish, the Florentine steak. The menu lists a 1.2 kg cut, but you can ask for an 800g cut which is perfect for 2 people to share.

What sets their steaks apart is their unique technique of both curing and aging them in-house. When we went, they had two different types of Florentine steak available - aged for differing periods of time. We went for the longer one (either 14 or 30 days, sorry can't remember), since I wanted a full-on beefy experience.

The steak is grilled and served on a disc of Himalayan rock salt, imparting even more flavour and char to the meat. It also acts like a hot plate of sorts, and they provide you with an empty plate to transfer meat if you don't want it to carry on cooking. The steak comes with roasted new potatoes, and confit onions and garlic.

Wow. The combination of the curing/aging process and the flavour and char from the salt disc, makes for an intense flavour experience that made me very happy indeed. I enjoyed the sirloin part of the Florentine for its flavour and ring of very tasty fat; A predictably preferred the tenderloin side.

Their other offerings are worth a mention too. The bread comes with a tomato and basil jam, with a glass of olive oil and home-made balsamic jelly. The texture of  the balsamic jelly is a bit strange, but the syrupy flavour more than makes up for that.

They were out of their char-grilled foie gras starter, so they recommended one of their daily specials - a tortellini filled with foie gras and pork jowl, served with a mushroom and truffle emulsion. This was really good, particularly the sauce which we completely lapped up.

We managed to get a table at fairly short notice on a Friday night, which is good for us but not very good for the restaurant. It was about 3/4 full by 8+, but I somehow expected more of a demand for a table. We'll certainly be back, because at least for now, I think I've found my default place to satisfy my beefy cravings.

A says:

Fantastic. Great food and service. Will definitely be back.

Oca Grassa
6 Bukit Pasoh Road
Tel: 6534-9854
Mon to Sat: 12 noon - 3 pm; 6 pm - 12 mn
Closed Sundays
www.ocagrassa.com

"Tai Hwa" Bak Chor Mee at Ghim Moh Market

C says:

I recently found out that a relative (possibly a son but this isn't verified) of the legendary Crawford bak chor mee had opened a stall in Ghim Moh market. Given that the Crawford outlet proudly displays a sign saying they're the one and only with no branches, I assume this latest one is also likewise not an official outlet.

Nevertheless, we decided to try it one day, given (a) how convenient it is for us compared to driving and parking at Crawford, and (b) the queue would almost certainly be less than the almost 1 hour wait.

I managed to find the stall without much effort, and there was only 1 person in line. It's manned solely by the guy so if he needs any toilet breaks, the stall is empty.

Prices are $1 less than at Crawford - I ordered the medium bowl for $5. For the most acuurate taste test possible, I ordered what I usually do at Crawford - dry mee pok, with more chilli and vinegar.

So how did it compare? Well, it definitely wasn't as good, but I expected that. The question is - just how far off was it?

Noodles: The noodles weren't as "kiu" (al dente), which is Crawford's trademark. Here, the noodles were quite soft, without much springiness or bite.

Ingredients: You can't really go wrong with liver, minced pork and pork balls. If I had to criticise, it would be that the wontons here had a bit too much skin.

Soup: Fail. Maybe it was early in the day (11am+), but the soup had absolutely no flavour at all. Not even close to Crawford's rich, sweet soup.

Seasoning: Besides the noodles, one could say that this is the most important aspect of bak chor mee. Because I asked for more chilli and vinegar, I got a pretty tasty and flavourful result. Still, it was definitely lacking something, and I can't quite put my finger on it. It didn't have the savoury umani-ness of Crawford's - I reckon it could be the chilli blend, or maybe Crawford adds some secret tare-like concoction to each bowl; who knows?

All things considered, I'd say it was about 65-70% of the original. Given how much less of a palaver it is, I'd say it's acceptable for a quick fix to satisfy a craving, but I'd still go back to Crawford if I had time to kill.

A says:

It's okay. Good but nothing special. And at least there's no queue.

Ember

C says:

We celebrated our 10th (!!) anniversary at good ol' Ember. Judging by the clientele (ourselves included), Ember clearly doesn't bother trying to be the coolest place to be; it works on maintaining a consistent standard of excellent food, attracting regulars who want a good meal without the bells and whistles of the latest place to "be and be seen".

Because we went on a weekend, we didn't get to order the $100 4-course menu that lets you build your own menu from the a la carte selections - that's only available from Mondays to Thursdays. Luckily, their $88 menu happened to have "our" dish - the Chilean seabass so we both opted for the set.

To start, we had the crab cakes and the scallop carpaccio. The crab cakes definitely outshone the scallop, mainly because they were so aggressively flavoured in comparison.

For the next course, we had the deep fried tofu with foie gras mirin sauce, and the lobster bisque. Both are some of our favourite dishes there, as they represent exactly what we love about Ember - nothing fancy, no unnecessary ingredients, just very balanced flavours and great execution.

The Chilean seabass with bacon and mushroom needs no introduction, and as always, was comforting and satisfying. The beef tenderloin with red wine sauce was good too, but my loyalties are with the seabass.

Finally, A had the banana tart with vanilla ice cream, and I had the pear tart with Baileys ice cream. I think kitchen was in a bit of the weeds at this point, because all the tables seemed to be waiting for their desserts. Eventually they arrived - A's was better than mine this time. The pear tart was weighed down somewhat by the streusel topping.

I know we rave about Ember every year, but I love how a meal there, while not chi-chi or particularly current, is dependably always satisfying. A bit like us, eh?

A says:

Always awesome. Definitely a reliable favourite.