&Sons

C says:

We had a thoroughly enjoyable, and surprisingly reasonable, meal at &Sons at China Square Central. Owned by Il Lido’s Beppe de Vito, it serves small plates of Italian food, which as everyone knows is right up our alley. Their portion sizes are perfect for sampling a fairly wide selection of their menu – we shared 6 dishes (2 of them were pastas) and were satisfyingly full without being stuffed.

Grilled Smoked Caciocavallo with avocado

Caciocavallo is a smoked, fairly firm cheese – a bit like haloumi. It was pan-fried so it had a nice crisp browned crust, and was served with a simple salad and chopped avocadoes.

Spaghetti sea urchin carbonara

Excellent; the sauce was briny, savoury and had perfect consistency, just coating the al dente spaghetti. If this is any indication, then their lunch-only bucantini carbonara with guanciale must be stellar.

Tagliolini with crab and nduja

Also good, but not as addictive as the carbonara. Nduja is a spicy pork sausage tasting similar to chorizo, so the sauce was basically a creamy crabmeat tomato sauce with a hint of smoked paprika. The interesting snow on top of the dish was a malt extract, which doesn’t taste like much but adds a richness to the sauce.

Lamb tenderloins with cannellini beans

The tenderloins were cooked a perfect medium rare, but I found them a little too aggressively spiced. The cannellini beans, on the other hand, were perfectly seasoned.

Crab and sundried tomato crostone

This was A’s pick, and while I didn't dislike it, it definitely wasn’t something I’d personally order. The bread for the crostone was good, but otherwise I found the crab topping fairly ordinary and predictable.

Calamari with nduja

This was amazing. The calamari will simply grilled so it was charred and smokey but still succulent and tender. The nduja was in the form of a dip, which wasn’t even really necessary because the calamari was so sweet and flavourful on its own.

The dishes we ordered ranged from $9 to $19, which I thought was very good value given the quality and quantity. I imagine that it can get pretty crowded on weeknights after work, but it’s a nice, calm vibe on Saturday night and a new go-to for us.

A says:

Great value. The pastas and calamari are definitely worth ordering. And the service is excellent. 

&Sons

20 Cross Street

#01-19 China Square Central

Lunch: Mon to Fri, 12 noon to 2.30 pm

Dinner: Mon to Sat, 6.30 pm – 10.30 pm

Closed Sundays

Izy

C says:

A group of 5 of us had dinner at Izy, a new(ish) izakaya-concept bar and restaurant along Club Street. They do sharing plates, but portions are still on the small side, so between us we managed to sample most of their menu.

I have to say that I expected it to be more style than substance, but was happily proven wrong. Staff were very friendly, and more importantly the food was very good. I don't think anything was bad; it was just a question of what impressed us more.

First off, remember to ask about their specials. A couple of dishes weren't on the menu but we ran into A's friend there, who raved about a couple of off-menu items. The sesame tofu with uni and ikura was very tasty - a silken tofu pudding with just a hint of sesame, and a dollop each of fresh uni and ikura. Both the uni and ikura were already strongly flavoured, so I appreciated how they were quite restrained with everything else.

The foie is another special - foie gras marinated in sake for 3 day is then charcoal grilled, so the flavours are sweet yet smokey. The sake added a very nice dimension to an otherwise straightforward yakitori foie dish.

Two seemingly unassuming dishes on the menu turned out to be some of the best we had all night. First was the smoked potato salad, which again was so simple but so tasty - a creamy and smokey cross between potato salad and mashed potato, with a smokey hit. The other was their salad, that featured fresh vegetables tossed in a sesame dressing. The vegetables were super fresh, and again the dressing wasn't overpowering.

That's not to say that the food is always simple and bland. Their pork and ginger rolls had slices of pork wrapped around young ginger. The ginger flavour was almost too strong, but it stopped just shy of being overpowering. The fried chicken with balsamic soy glaze was also quite a flavour bomb, with battered chicken quite heavily spiced and drizzled with a sticky glaze.

In comparison, some of the other dishes like the trout carpaccio, pork skewers and stewed eggplant were, while certainly not bad in any way, just less memorable than some of the other dishes.

The carbs were tasty too - we tried the wagyu beef don with shaved black truffles, and the lobster porridge. A preferred the beef don and I preferred the lobster porridge, mainly because I thought the latter was a lot less predictable. Both were great way to end the meal.

Even their desserts are interesting. We tried the mangosteen almond pudding, and a coffee and chocolate mousse. I enjoyed the pudding, but objectively I think the mousse was better.

Another place that definitely begs a revisit.

A says:

Surprisingly, it's the simple dishes that really stand out here. Is it the best for the price? I'm not sure, but it's definitely worth a try.

Izy
27 Club Street
Tel: 6220-3327
Mon - Sat: 12 noon - 2.30 pm; 5 pm - 1 am
Closed Sundays

Element on Tras

C says:

Element on Tras, at Amara Hotel, is an annexe of sorts to Element, which is the hotel's buffet restaurant. At Element on Tras, you can order a la carte from the Chinese, Thai and Spanish sections of the restaurant.

The Spanish kitchen is helmed by Basque chef Mikel Badiola, who used to cook at Martin Berasategui in San Sebastien. We only tried the tapas rather than the main courses, but those were more than enough to impress.

Definite must-haves are the mushroom brochette, and the bacalao bechemal stuffed in piquillo peppers. The flavours were strong but not overly assertive, and overall just very refined.

The tortilla was quite a substantial portion, and while I appreciate that it was well executed, with a nice still-runny centre, I found it slightly underseasoned, and it needed the sauce from the bacalao. The grilled octopus with potatoes and pimenton was simple but very good.

The Basque fish soup was a winner for me. The flavours were again restrained but still very complex, and there were generous portions of perfectly cooked, moist codfish inside. I would be happen to return just for this dish.

The menu is still quite limited, and we've probably ordered most of the highlights of the tapas/pinxtos section, but there's still the main courses to be explored.

A says:

I went in with very high expectations so perhaps it's not fair when I wasn't impressed. Honestly speaking though, the food is still very good food. And I must mention the amazing service.

Having tried the buffet as well, I would say ala carte is the recommended option here.

Element on Tras
100 Tras Street
Tel: 6879 2607
Sunday – Thursday / Public Holiday: 11am - 1am
Friday, Saturday, Eve of Public Holiday: 11am - 2am

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

MAD

C says:

For the most part, A and I have fairly similar tastes in food; I guess our tastes have evolved together after over 10 years of being influenced by the same food culture.

Still, we're fundamentally different where nostalgic comfort food is concerned. I tend to crave Asian food, whereas A can happily subsist on burgers and pizzas. Given a choice between bak chor mee and a Subway sandwich, for example, for me it's a no-brainer; bak chor mee every time. A's choice is just as vehemently for the Subway.

Which is why MAD, the new collaboration between Dick Lee and the Tung Lok group, is perfect for us. The restaurant serves both dim sum and Asian rice/noodle dishes, as well as tapas and Josper-grilled western fare.

The restaurant has a snazzy ordering system where you browse the menu and select/submit your order via tablet. The system gets the order right, but there are still a few minor glitches - the kitchen/servers weren't sure which table had ordered what, so we kept having incorrect dishes brought to us.

From the dim sum side, we ordered a char siew pau, and a fried yam puff. Both were decent but not very memorable.

We also tried the minced beef fried rice, which I found a tad oily, but otherwise quite tasty, with a good amount of wok hei.

The tapas kitchen is helmed by the ex chef of Bodega Y Tapas, and it certainly shows. I hate to admit it but the western dishes definitely shone more than the Asian ones.

The teriyaki mushrooms with cuttlefish "tagliatelle" was really good. The tagliatelle was thin strips of cuttlefish which were cooked till tender but still retaining a distinctively sweet cuttlefish flavour. They paired well with the juicy teriyaki-glazed button mushrooms.

The Iberico top loin with apricot chutney and braised cabbage, from the Josper grill section, was also outstanding. We selected "medium rare" for doneness on the tablet, and it arrived slightly pink, juicy and really tender. The flavours of the pork and apricot also went very well together.

We decided to have gelato from a nearby joint for dessert, but otherwise the dessert offerings here look pretty interesting.

The restaurant is quite big, but they recommend that you make reservations on weekends. Their website has an online reservation system, which allows you to see if your selected timeslot is still available or not.

I didn't expect to like MAD this much, expecting more of a gimmicky theme restaurant than a proper one, but they've proved me wrong. Definitely a new go-to place, especially when A and I can't agree on what genre we want.

A says:

My expectations were low so I was pleasantly surprised. The Asian dishes were average, but the "tapas" was pretty good. And with the variety, both C and I can find something. Plus the Asian dishes have a decent portion size and are not expensive.

Overall, we'll probably go back.

MAD - Modern Asian Diner
200 Turf Club Road
#01-20/21, The Grandstand
Tel: 6466-3303
Open daily: 11:30 am till late
www.modernasiandiner.com

Esquina

C says:

First visit of 2013! Hopefully this sets the tone for rest of our 2013 visits to come, because once again, lunch here was great. While there were only a few changes to the main menu since we were last here in December, there were enough specials for us to only repeat one dish - the roasted padron peppers.

There was an uni and prawn bisque, which was beautifully served in a sea urchin shell on top of a huge stone. This dish alone should silence all the Esquina detractors out there who think this place doesn't serve food worthy of a fine dining restaurant. The presentation was exquisite, and the flavours were really intense.

The duck confit paella with gambas and mussels was also very good - kind of like a rustic surf and turf paella. The addition of the shredded duck confit was a nice touch, as it added a savoury meatiness to a regular seafood-based paella.

We tried a new egg dish on the menu - a poached egg with truffle egg mayonnaise, charred leeks and a walnut vinaigrette. Again, great flavour combinations, with each element not overpowering the other.

The tandoori lamb shoulder was probably the least successful dish of the day. The tandoori flavour was quite subtle, and the lamb, though very tender, was more braised/slow-cooked than we usually like. The accompaniments, a pickled cucumber and some kind of chutney, tasted faintly of achar; I wonder if that was the chef's intention.

We tried a new dessert - a chocolate tea ice cream with sacher sponge, pickled cherries and hazelnut praline. I quite liked this for a change, but I think A would've preferred the cookies and cream again.

For Esquina newbies, they've just lauched a Chef's Tasting Menu - $95 for 10 courses. It's available at both lunch and dinner, and you get tasting portions of most of their specialties, with a choice between 2 main courses. Since we've pretty much eaten our way though their entire menu (and all its variations), we may not go for this, but if you're planning a visit and don't quite know what to order and where to start, this sounds like a good idea.

A says:

Win! Plus, the new Chef's Tasting Menu is great for newbies. I may try it myself one day if I can't choose between all the great dishes there.

Esquina

C says:

We finally dragged L and M to Esquina on Thursday night for dinner. It was absolutely packed, and we managed to get corner seats for the 4 of us by the skin of our teeth. Since it was L and M’s first time, we ordered some of the usual suspects like the salt and pepper squid and the bone marrow, but we also took the opportunity to try some new dishes too.

We ordered the roasted padrano peppers with garlic, chilli and salt for the first time. Wow, this definitely goes on the repeat list. The peppers were sweet and smoky rather than spicy; amazing that they managed to achieve such charred flavour from a simple cast iron skillet rather than a grill.
 

We ordered two dishes that, on hindsight, were quite similar. One was a roasted pork belly with bacon and seaweed dashi broth, and the other was a festive dish – Brussels sprouts with slow cooked egg, bacon and pork cubes in a seaweed broth. It may have been a bit much for just me and A, but it was perfect for the 4 of us, because we all couldn’t get enough of the awesome dashi broth. It was absolutely packed with umami flavour; I almost didn’t need the rest of the ingredients, though the pork belly and egg were really good too.
 

Another festive dish was roast duck with truffle honey and celeriac foam. I couldn’t actually discern very much truffle nor honey flavours, but the duck itself was cooked really well – rare in the center and really flavourful.
 

We actually ordered the Iberico pork chop off the Josper Grill menu, but they may have forgotten our order because when we reminded them towards the end, they told us they were out of the pork. That was a bit disappointing because I really wanted to try it. We settled for another Josper Grill dish – the grilled ribeye with parsley and shallot dressing. The beef was great, but the parsley and shallot dressing really “elevated the dish” (in A’s exact wanker words).
 

We ordered the cookies and cream dessert again, and it came served/plated slightly differently this time, with sweetened milk and the cookie served separately. The general consensus was that the manchego custard with olive brioche crumb and apricot jam was “interesting”. It was savoury rather than sweet, so a bit unexpected for a dessert. I guess if you liken it to a pre-dessert cheese course, then that helps you get over the mental obstacle that you’re having a cheese flan for dessert.
 
We’ve concluded that at least for the non hip-and-happening Atetoomuch, we’d much rather come to Esquina for lunch than dinner. Sure, at dinner there’s definitely a cool buzz, but at lunch time it’s a much more relaxing experience – they don’t run out of food, you don’t feel stressed out (yet admittedly a bit smug) by the people hovering behind you waiting for a seat, and the whole place is less frenetic, so you get to chat to the guys behind the counter and watch them do their thing at a much more calm, leisurely pace.

A says:

Food is always great, but after coming here for a dinner service, I definitely prefer the more laidback lunch atmosphere. Being so close to the "kitchen", I actually get stressed out by the dinner rush.

Amuse

C says:

Former Les Amis head chef Armin Leitgeb has teamed up with the Esmirada group to open Amuse (short for amuse bouche, so expect small tapas-style bites) in Orchard Hotel, where Bodega Y Tapas used to be. While Armin Leitgeb is the creator and name behind the restaurant, he's only in town once a month to conceptualise new dishes. The kitchen is run by head chef CK Lee, who worked with chef Armin during his Les Amis days.

Our love of tapas, acquired in Spain and reinforced by Esquina, made this a place that we really hoped would live up to our expectations. Luckily, Amuse definitely didn't disappoint. Almost all the dishes were well executed, tasty and interesting.

They have a French Laundry-inspired beef tartare cone, with the cone made of filo pastry and filled with beef tartare and horseradish cream cheese. One order comes with two cones, but next time we're getting an order each. These were really good - the cone, because it was filo pastry, didn't overpower the tartare, which was seasoned perfectly.

Another signature dish is apparently from chef Armin's Les Amis days - the pork crouton with either smoked eel or pork belly. We decided to go with the smoked eel, figuring a surf and turf combination couldn't go wrong. This was superb. The pork crouton was actually a slice of pork that had been roasted till crisp, and it went with the soft, smoky eel perfectly.

The marinated salmon with pickled vegetables was a bit ordinary in comparison. Overall everything worked together, but individually each ingredient was a little boring, especially the salmon.

We read about a hamachi dish that was highly recommended, so we ordered the only hamachi dish on the menu - the grilled hamachi kama. I was a bit surprised when the entire hamachi collar appeared. I love hamachi collar but A doesn't, so I pretty much demolished this single handedly. Nothing innovative about this, but oh so good.

Another winner was the Spicy Lamb Burger. The patty was really juicy and flavourful, and the charred eggplant added a nice texture to each bite.

The Ciabatta-wrapped Crispy Egg, with proscuitto, spinach and mushroom ragout tasted, strangely enough, like a Buko Nero dish; could be the flavourful, slightly Asian-inspired sauce. This is another must-repeat dish.

Portions are pretty small, so unsurprisingly after that we were still hungry. We added a tomato and mussel risotto, which was disappointingly ordinary. Next time we'll try the spicy lobster pasta instead.

The chef told us about the day's special - roasted loin of Iberico pork, and highly recommended it, so we gave it a go. It was a much larger portion than expected, and indeed any of the other dishes. Chef brought it to the table, doused it with a pepper-infused alcohol and flambed it. The pork was still slightly rare in the centre, and had a really sweet, subtle pork flavour. The charred romaine that accompanied it was really good too.

After that, we were too full for dessert, but in any case this place isn't heavily dessert-focused. There was only one in-house dessert, some mixed berry thing; everything else came from Esmirada next door.

The menu isn't very large, and we pretty much ordered most of the items that called to us, so if they don't regularly change it up then I don't think we can go as frequently as we do Esquina. It's a pretty big space, and was practically empty on a rainy Tuesday evening, so getting a reservation doesn't seem to be a problem. It seemed worryingly quiet, but I hope it's because the place is still fairly new, and there hasn't been enough buzz or word of mouth yet.

A says:

Great service and food, and surprisingly affordable (not cheap, but superb quality for a reasonable price). I highly recommend it.

Amuse
442 Orchard Road
#01-29 Orchard Hotel
Tel: 6735-3476
Monday to Friday: 5pm – 1pm
Saturday: 12noon – 1am
Sunday: 12 noon – 11pm
www.esmirada.com/amuse