Guzman Y Gomez (GYG)

C says:

Our friend KH seems to have achieved the impossible. First, with Two Fat Men he managed to get A to voluntarily drive all the way to East, and for Thai food, no less.

Now, with Guzman Y Gomez, he's managed to convert even me, a die-hard non-lover of Mexican food, into craving their burritos.

KH decided to bring GYG, a popular Mexican chain in Australia, to South East Asia after tasting some of their offerings on one of his trips to Sydney. They launched their first outlet in Singapore, at Asia Square, with a Free Burrito Day. No catch, no hidden terms. Literally, a free full-sized burrito of your choice as your reward for joining the queue.

The turnout was staggering, and they handled it like pros. The queues were insanely long, but they were such a well-oiled machine that the wait was no longer than 10 minutes. I was so impressed with the quality that A and I decided to go back again to do a proper review.

Unless you have a large appetite or are particularly hungry, the full-sized burrito is very filling and will pretty much guarantee a food coma after. The mini burrito may look small, but is more than sufficient for lunch. I had the mini with spicy grilled chicken, guacamole and brown rice - the chicken was tender, nicely grilled and just spicy enough to have some kick.

A tried a trio of tacos, and the great thing about GYG is that you're not forced to have 3 of the same filling. We therefore got a chance to try the steak, slow roasted beef, and the fish.

All 3 were delicious, and I would be hard pressed to pick my favourite filling. The steak was tender, the slow roasted beef packed a ton of flavour, and the fish (they use barramundi) was light and flaky.

They use good ingredients (like barramundi instead of the usual dory), and it shows in the quality and taste of the food. Plus, all orders are cooked and assembled only upon order, so they're freshly made and not sitting around waiting to be reheated.

The lines may look intimidating, but don't be deterred. They're as efficient as they were during Free Burrito Day so you barely have to wait at all. I must admit, I had my misgivings, but if they sustain their present quality then I think they're on to a winning formula. Can't wait for more outlets to open, and in the evenings/on weekends please!

A says:

Awesome except I hate beans. *fart fart fart*
Although I recently found out you can get the quesadillas which don't have beans, or request for no beans when it's not mad packed.
I especially like that when you order the tacos, you can pick different flavours. (My favourites are the two beef ones.)
WIN!

Guzman Y Gomez
12 Marina View
#02-11 Asia Square Tower 2 Food Garden
Open Mon - Fri: 10 am - 4 pm
Closed on weekends
www.gyg.com.sg

Lady M Bakery

C says:

Lady M Bakery from New York allegedly created the concept of mille crepes, so when they opened their first outlet in Marina Square we were curious to find out just how good theirs were. Were they better than our favourite First Love Patisserie?

For one thing, they only have one flavour of mille crepes here at any given time. Due to production and manpower limitations, they can only focus on one flavour at a time.

They only had the original so we tried that. And yes, all things considered, I think it IS slightly better than the one from First Love. The vanilla cream is about the same standard, but Lady M's crepes are thinner and more fragrant.

Still, I don't think the difference is worth almost $2 more per slice, plus I like the varied flavours that First Love offers.

We also tried their cheesecake, which was light and creamy yet intensely cheesy.

All in all, while Lady M's flavours are limited (apparently it may improve when they open their second outlet at One Fullerton), my default will still be First Love.

A says:

The mille crepe here is better than the ones at First Love, but they are also $2 more each. So ultimately, it comes down to how much you want to pay.

Lady M Bakery
6 Raffles Boulevard
#02-103 Marina Square
Tel: 6822-2095
Open daily: 10-30 am - 9 pm

First Love Patisserie

C says:

Mille crepes are by no means new in Singapore. We first tried them a few years ago from Classic Cakes, and while we found it quite interesting, it didn't really grab us. Since then, more places have started offering it, but we've only recently become enamoured with the ones from First Love Patisserie at ION Orchard.

I think one of the reasons we like the mille crepes here is the fact that we can get individual slices, in a range of different flavours. They have original, cappuccino, matcha, oreo, strawberry, and 2 recent additions - belgian chocolate and blueberry.

We've actually tried most of the flavours, and our favourites are the original, cappuccino and oreo. The crepes are quite thin and fluffy, and the cream is light and not overpowering.

The matcha is probably the most underwhelming, and while the belgian chocolate is a good change from the original, die hard chocoholics will be disappointed because it's not particularly chocolatey.

If you buy 4 you get 1 free, which is a great deal but not very great for our diet at all.

A says:

I love mille crepes and these are awesome.

First Love Patisserie
2 Orchard Turn
#B4-63, ION Orchard
Tel: 6238-8006
Open daily: 11 am - 11 pm

Happy Halloween from Ate Too Much!

RIP Brownie from W39. Deadly Vampire Bat (also known as Sir Simon) from Nici.

W39 Bistro & Bakery

C says:

I'm glad that there are increasingly more good eats in the West now. W39, opened by 2 sisters whose parents ironically run The Royals Cafe in the East, is situated within a residential neighbourhood at West Coast, amidst fairly nondescript hardware stores, a 7-11 and some prata/briyani shops.

It's been open for a few months now and, despite the less than central location, has been doing pretty well ever since it opened. A taste of their food one Sunday evening explained why - a winning formula of a cheerful and unpretentious vibe, very tasty and well-executed food, at reasonable prices.

We tried their chicken wings (of course) and crab cakes. The wings weren't the best I've ever had, but they were pretty tasty and cooked really well - a nice gingery marinade with a hint of prawn paste, a crispy exterior and very tender and juicy inside. It didn't need the sweet chilli sauce at all. The crab cakes were pretty tasty too.

The seared tuna with avocado salsa, soy glaze and wasabi mayo was a very good version of a by-now rather ubiquitous dish. What differentiated this from bog-standard versions at almost every eatery was, quite simply, the flavours and the execution. Everything was seasoned and cooked perfectly.

The Baked Lamb Ribs with cucumber yogurt and fries was another outstanding dish. Yes, I may still have preferred my ribs to be doused with a little less BBQ sauce, but everything was else so good that I'm willing to concede on this. The meat was tender but not excessively so, and the lamb was really flavourful. The cucumber yogurt was a perfect accompaniment - it was cool, refreshing and added a perfect contrast to the heavier lamb.

Even a seemingly ordinary-looking cup of chocolate mousse was a pleasure. The chocolate was rich but not too intense, and there were nice little cookie bits inside to add texture and prevent it from becoming too monotonous.

This is a great addition to the food scene in the West. We'll definitely be back for more, including their weekend breakfast menu.

A says:

Like! Since we live relatively close by, this is probably going to be a new default place for a lazy weekend dinner.

W39 Bistro & Bakery
39 Jalan Mas Puteh (off West Coast Road)
Tel: 9646-5372
Tues - Fri: 11 am to 10 pm
Sat, Sun & PH: 9 am to 10.30 pm
Closed Mon (except on PHs)
www.w39bistro.com

Imperial Treasure Shanghai Cuisine

C says:

Is there anything that the Imperial Treasure group can't do? This time they take on Shanghainese food, occupying what used to be Coca Steamboat's premises at Ngee Ann City. We went there with W one Saturday evening, and there were so many dim sum offerings on the menu that we just barely scratched the surface.

Their deep fried scallion pastries were delicious - fragrant, light and flaky. I really like the chicken curry pastry too, though A was less enamoured because it was too reminiscent of a curry puff.

Their xiao long bao was very good too. Were they better than the ones at Din Tai Fung or Paradise Dynasty? I'm not sure but they certainly were quite comparable. We also had a chicken wanton soup, brewed with chicken and Chinese cured ham, that really hit the spot.

We tried a vegetable dish that's classically Shanghainese - thin strips of beancurd skin with edamame and preserved vegetable. A didn't even realise it was beancurd skin till we got home. He thought it was some sort of noodle. It was interesting but because I prefer greener, crunchier vegetables, I probably won't order this next time. The pig's ear terrine was the same as their other outlets, and just as good.

Next time when A and I come, we'll probably order more xiao long baos and other dim sum items, and try some of their la mian offerings as well.

A says:

Good. But high-end Shanghainese isn't exactly my thing.

Imperial Treasure Shanghai Cuisine
Takashimaya S.C., #04-22
391 Orchard Road
Tel: 6836-6909
Monday to Friday: 11.30am to 3pm; 6pm to 10.30pm
Saturday: 11am to 2.30pm; 6pm to 11pm
Sunday: 10.30am to 2.30pm; 6pm to 11pm

Jamie's Italian

C says:

Against our better judgment, we decided to try getting a table at Jamie's Italian for lunch on Sunday. When we arrived at about 11.45 (they open at noon), the queue was quite frightening. I wanted to give up, but A offered to stand in line while I ran a few errands (of the mooncake and shoe variety) in Vivocity. Sure enough, once they opened their doors and started seating people, we managed to get a table by 12.10.

They have a selection of antipasti planks, either meats, fish or vegetable, that come paired with cheese, bread, olives and some slaw. They charge per person, and I like that there isn't a minimum order - you can just order a portion for one no matter how many diners in your party.

The fish one comprised of some battered dory with an aioli dip, baked mussels and clams, a smoked mackerel terrine on toast with olives and pickled chilli, a carrot and beet slaw, beet-cured salmon and pecorino cheese with chilli jam. The baked shellfish and the mackerel terrine were particular standouts, though everything was quite tasty.

We'd heard that their pastas were good so we made a beeline for them. Again, I like that almost all their pastas are offered in 2 sizes - a smaller appetizer size, and a full main course size. This works perfectly for us, since we like to try as many items as possible. Also, pastas and risottos tend to get monotonous after a while, so smaller tasting portions are ideal.

Their crab meat risotto was quite good, with the lemony crab meat cutting through the richness of the risotto. The risotto itself was nice and oozy and al dente. I particularly liked the vongole tagliolini - it was flavourful yet clean-tasting at the same time, with a deliciously light white wine sauce.

The honeycomb canneloni that A ordered only comes in one portion size, probably because of the casserole dish that they use. There are 3 flavours of canneloni - aubergine and sun-dried tomato, pumpkin, and ricotta and spinach. This was super flavourful but really rich, and completely put us way over the edge.

Service was excellent. Everyone from the waiters to the busboys/girls were extremely professional - they were friendly, helpful and really knew what they were serving. They probably had to go through vigorous training, and it definitely showed.

Having been to Jamie's Fifteen bistro in London, I dare say that we're more impressed with the food here. I admit I had my doubts when he first opened, expecting it to be more of a gimmick than a decent restaurant, but I've been well and truly proven wrong. In fact, I already know what we're ordering next.

A says:

After a disappointing meal when we went to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen in London, this place turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The food was really good, and not super expensive. I especially liked the canneloni, although they could do with a smaller and cheaper portion size (6 instead of 9?).

What really impressed me was the quality of the service. Polite despite the rush and well versed in the dishes.

I'm not sure it's worth a long wait to get in, but if you want to go early or eat at weird hours, I highly recommend it.

Jamie's Italian
1 HarbourFront Walk,
VivoCity, #1-165-167
Tel: 6733-5500
Sun to Thurs: 12 noon - 10 pm
Fri & Sat: 12 noon -11 pm
www.jamieoliver.com/italian/singapore/home

Gurney Drive

C says:

As the name suggests, Gurney Drive offers Penang specialties, from char kuay teow to assam laksa. It's a good thing we went when we did, because a few days after our visit, the ceiling collapsed at JEM (which has been riddled with problems since before it even opened), and the mall is now closed indefinitely. We were there with A's folks for a rather early dinner, so we weren't all that hungry and ordered some stuff for sharing that we maybe otherwise wouldn't have.

We ordered a plate of their Penang Lor Bak, which had a portion of ngo hiang and fried tau kwa. I didn't have the tau kwa but the ngo hiang wasn't too bad. The sambal chicken wings were quite disappointing. Despite being described as being marinated with sambal, I could barely taste any sambal at all. In fact, it was just a generic, somewhat tasteless fried chicken wing.

Their "must order" Penang prawn noodle soup wasn't too bad, all things considered, though the soup was a bit thin until you mixed in the chilli paste that came with it.

The sambal seafood grill had its highs and lows. The prawns were quite good but the squid was really rubbbery. And as for the Penang char kuay teow, like the prawn noodle it was quite tasty, but just seemed to lack that extra oomph.

The food generally is decent, and at least prices are fairly reasonable. Service is excellent, which is a rarity these days in chain joints like this. If we ever go back to JEM though, I don't think we'll be making a beeline here.

A says:

The coffee and service are decent. The food is passable. Compared to the other Malaysian-style diners, it's not as good as Old Town, but better than PappaRich (which has good food but horrible coffee). And certainly better than the Singaporean branch of Madam Kwan's (which is bad in every way possible).

L'Entrecote Express

C says:

Bruno Menard has opened a scaled-down version of his wildy popular L'Entrecote (at Duxton Hill) within the premises of &Made, at Pacific Plaza. Although the decor of the restaurant is now split, with half the restaurant now resembling the cramped bistro-like vibe of the Duxton joint, you can sit anywhere and order off both menus.

Almost all our favourites from the Duxton outlet are available here, with the one exception of the salted caramel waffles. Both the pate and the truffle brie are the same as the original, which is to be expected since I imagine they're probably made/sourced centrally.

Unfortunately, I think the steak frites fell a bit short, compared to the one at Duxton. The shoestring fries were quite tasteless, and the meat too was quite flavourless. At least the sauce seemed constant.

My main grouse isn't with the food, but with the pacing. I guess we were there early and the kitchen didn't have much to do, but having all our food arrive at once - yes, both starters and the main - doesn't seem like a smart thing to do. I don't see why they couldn't have waited to serve the steak. After all, neither the steak nor the fries were served hot, so they could at least have held it back till we were more than halfway done with our starters.

On the bright side, a peek at the &Made menu showed quite a large selection of new burgers, plus a brand new "create your own burger" section. When we come back here, it'll be for &Made, not L'Entrecote.

A says:

The food's good, but the fact that the steak came almost right after the starters kind of threw me off. It's definitely an option only if you're craving French bistro fare around Scotts.

L'Entrecote Express/&Made
9 Scotts Road
#01-04/05/06, Pacific Plaza
Sunday to Thursday 10AM to 10PM
Friday & Saturday 10AM to 10.30PM

Mikuni

C says:

Another place that we definitely wouldn't visit without the FAR Card discount, Mikuni took over what used to be Inagiku at Fairmont Hotel. Mikuni has some fairly elaborate set lunches, featuring their signature teppanyaki dishes, but we decided to try their Grand Tasting dinner menu for our first visit. At $220, the menu isn't cheap for what you get, but with the FAR Card 50% discount, it becomes somewhat more reasonable.

Before dinner, we were served some home-made shrimp chips that were quite tasty. First course was a soft tofu with uni and truffle that was pretty good, though the truffle may have overwhelmed the flavour of anything else. The soup course was some sort of a fish chowder, which had a faint bitterness that tasted a bit like fish liver.

The sashimi course was, a bit disappointingly, a seared tuna tataki with garlic chips and ponzu sauce, rather than a proper plate of fresh sashimi. For a supposedly fine dining Japanese restaurant, this seemed like a bit of a cop-out. The garlic chips also overwhelmed the delicate flavour of the fish.

Next up was abalone with sliced eringi mushroom, slathered with a slightly dubious cheesy sauce, served with an edible deep fried baby crab. The braised dish was, to A's horror, a whole braised kinki dish in a sweet soy sauce. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard to debone and eat, and the fish was really fresh and sweet.

Next was tempura of sea prawn, with head and tail included. The texture of the prawn was almost like crayfish or lobster, and of course I appreciated that the head was included. I think the tail section could have been fried a bit more though - the shell near the tail was a bit tougher, so it didn't crisp up enough to be crunched up very easily.

The Kagoshimya Wagyu beef was admittedly delicious. The meat was perfectly cooked and really flavouful. The same couldn't really be said about the Hokkaido corn fried rice though. It was completely bland, and was only edible after we added some miso soup, and the onsen tamago from the soup, to the rice.

Dessert was a fresh momo peach, which I think was a really good, simple way to end the meal.

Was I impressed? Overall, besides the beef, nothing really blew me away, and if not for the 50% discount I would have said it wasn't worth the money. But given how expensive it is to eat out anywhere these days, with the FAR Card discount it's pretty decent. We'll try to come back for their lunch sets and, if time permits, perhaps once more to try their a la carte offerings.

A says:

The food is good, but for the price, I expected to be blown away. Sadly, I was very let down. Totally not worth it.

Mikuni
Level 3, Fairmont Singapore
Tel: 6431-6156
Open daily
Lunch: 12:00pm to 2:30pmDinner: 6:30pm to 10:30pm

Esquina

C says:

It's about time we posted about Esquina again. For those of you who are averse to their no-reservations policy, good news - they now accept reservations at lunch time! That, combined with a wallet-friendly set lunch ($33 for 2 courses, $40 for 3), should be more than enough to convert any Esquina cynics.

The set lunch is definitely a great deal - sitting at the counter watching the dishes come out of the kitchen, I can vouch for the fact that just as much care goes into preparing and plating the set lunch dishes as the regular a la carte ones.

A had the gazpacho with black olive burrata and heirloom tomatoes, and I had the slow cooked egg with curried rice and potato foam. A liked his dish because he likes all forms of gazpacho, but my egg and rice dish was exquisite. The curry was pronounced but not overpowering, and the oozy egg yolk from a perfectly slow cooked egg... mmmm.

A's main course was the roasted rump steak, and I had the pan fried snapper with sauteed prawns and a prawn bisque. Mine definitely was much better than A's, which was more ordinary. The snapper was perfectly cooked and really flavourful with the prawn bisque.

We had the same dessert though - the chocolate tea ice cream with a sacher sponge. Pity we couldn't swap the other set lunch dessert (the sliced manchego cheese with toast) to the very enticing-sounding churros on the regular menu. We'll try it next time.

We wouldn't be atetoomuch if we didn't add something to the set lunch selection. We ordered an additional dish - the honey chicken wings with artichoke foam and a bacon and oat crumble. Another classic Esquina-style dish, with intensely flavourful components and a killer sauce.

Quality is still excellent, but I hope it doesn't get too crowded at lunch time now. It's still my default go-to place whenever I have a precious day off work.

A says:

Still my favourite place to eat (lunch) in Singapore.

New contenders at Ramen Champion

C says:

Ramen Champion at Iluma bid sayonara to Menya Iroha, Aoyama and, more disappointingly, Taishoken, the place that first introduced us to tsukemen. In their place are 3 new contenders - Buta God, with a slightly sweet tonkotsu broth and shabu-style sliced pork rather than chashu, and the two that we tried - Muso, and Menban Yamagishi Kazuo.

Menban Yamagishi Kazuo offers the lone tsukemen offering amongst the 6 current stalls. Unfortunately it's not as good as its predecessor Taishoken. Yes, they're very generous with the chunks of pork in their dipping sauce, and the sauce itself is duly complex with lots of bonito flavour coming through. But somehow it just lacks oomph. I'd rather go to Menya Musashi for tsukemen.

Muso serves the Jiro-style ramen found in Tokyo - characterised by a rich broth, lots of garlic and mounds of vegetables like beansprouts and cabbage. Previously Bario was the only stall here to serve it. So is Muso a worthy competitor?

Unfortunately not. To me, it doesn't even come close to Bario. The broth is simply salty, and doesn't have the depth nor the subtle sweetness of Bario's broth. I happen to like Bario's thicker noodles because I think they go well with the strong flavour of the garlicky broth. And both the beansprouts and the pork at Muso aren't particularly memorable either. I'm definitely staying true to Bario.

For a laugh, I thought I'd share the above photo. This is what happens when A's friend's pretty wife moseys over to Bario, flashes them a smile and asks for "more beansprouts". Heh.

A says:

Meh, my two favourite stalls are gone. And the new ones aren't really doing it for me. Unless I'm going with a big group that wants variety, I'd rather go to Menya Musahi for my tsukemen-style ramen.

Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse

C says:

I'm pretty disillusioned with beef at the moment. From the somewhat lacklustre burger that we had at Morton's recently, to a surprisingly flavourless Florentine steak at Bistecca, it all seems to lack a beefy flavour, or any flavour really, that sets it apart from any other meat.

Bistecca is known for its Florentine steak - a T-bone cut that comprises the striploin on one end and the tenderloin on the other. For 2 persons a single cut will suffice. We were there with W and M so we shared a double cut Florentine.

The Flintstonian-sized behemoth definitely made an impact when they presented it to us. Sizzling and almost black, we eagerly awaited its return while they took it away for slicing.

Unfortunately, because it was so thick, the ratio of the outside char to the rare steak was disproportionate. Once you get past the admittedly yummy charred exterior, the meat itself tasted oddly of nothing much. Just almost raw meat without much flavour at all. It was only saved by fairly aggressively salting the meat at the table.

W and M, who've had the single cut on previous occasions, assure me that it's usually much better. I assume that the double cut is simply too thick to get the balance right, especially when the meat itself doesn't have much flavour on its own. A better option would probably be to order 2 single cuts next time, the Florentine and a bone-in ribeye to share. We'll reserve judgment till we do.

A says:

It's pretty good, but even considering that the price is pretty standard for good steak places, I don't think it's worth it.

Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse
25 Mohamed Sultan Road
Tel: 6735-6739
Open Tues to Sun
Lunch : 12 - 2pm
Dinner : 6 - 10pm
www.bistecca.com.sg

Madam Kwan's

C says:

Madam Kwan's, a popular Malaysian nasi lemak chain, has opened its first overseas outlet in Vivocity. We ended up there because the queue outside Jamie's Italian was too long, even on a Monday night. We had read a number of reviews of Madam Kwan's, mainly in respect of how overpriced the Singapore outpost is compared to its equivalent in Malaysia, but we decided to see for ourselves.

The restaurant is pretty huge, and acoustics are terrible. Forget about trying to conduct any sort of conversation with your dining companion - you have to yell to hear and be heard over the incredible din. Despite many waiters running around, they are far from a well-oiled machine. I think it took us over 5 minutes just to catch someone's attention to take our order.

The nasi lemak was passable, though the rice wasn't coconutty enough for A. The otak was very good though, and the additional chicken curry that we ordered had a very tasty gravy; pity that the chicken itself was really dry and overcooked.

I decided to try the fried fish noodle soup. This was ok, but at twice the price of the one at Central and not nearly as good, definitely not something I'll order again.

Unfortunately all the reviews are spot-on. The food here is way overpriced given the quality. Service is almost non-existent, and they have the gall to charge $1 for water. Given the plethora of dining options available in Vivo, I'll be surprised if they last more than 2 years (I'd say a year but I assume most leases are for 2 years...).

A says:

Blah. Totally overrated.

Madam Kwan's
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-152/154, Vivocity
Tel: 6271-9989
Open daily: 10 am - 10 pm

Central Hong Kong Cafe

C says:

We have a new default choice at Star Vista - Central, a cha chan teng that also has/had branches at Vivocity and Ngee Ann City. For some reason, I think the turnover is pretty high; we've never had to wait in line for more than 5 minutes.

The menu is quite comprehensive, though some of the items may not be very well described. A side of Swiss chicken wings, for example, turned out to be soya sauce braised wings, rather than something Western/with cheese, like the name suggests.

Their noodle dishes are very good; better than the rice ones. Over a few visits we've tried their Hong Kong noodles with beef, ginger and scallions, and the fried instant noodles with beef and XO sauce. Both were surprisingly full of flavour, with the noodles absorbing lots of flavour from the respective sauces.

The instant noodle soup with luncheon meat and egg was a bit more ordinary in comparison, as was the rice with fried chicken (which replaced the crispy duck which they ran out of). Still quite decent but paled in comparison to the noodles.

My favourite dish by far, though, is the sliced fish noodle soup. For $7.50, you get a huge bowl with lots of salted vegetables, bee hoon and generous slices of perfectly cooked fish in a tasty milky broth. I've always loved this dish, and the version here is one of my new favourites.

One major reason we're coming here more often is that their drinks are way, way better than both Papparich and Owl Cafe.

A says:

Cheap and good (for the price). I approve.

Central Hong Kong Cafe
1 Vista Exchange Green
#B1-07/41 The Star Vista
Tel: 6268-9628

Supper at The Naked Finn

C says:

We finally made it to Naked Finn one Saturday night for their supper menu - namely, their gourmet version of prawn noodle soup. Tip: If you come maybe 5 to 10 minutes before supper service, you may be able to snag last orders off the regular menu too, hence the best of both worlds.

A had a serving of the chilled beehoon, which was as good as we remembered, but the star was definitely the prawn noodle soup. Prices start at $28 for a bowl of bee hoon soup with kang kong, slices of charred Iberico secreto, and 3 grilled banana prawns. Prices increase if you opt for giant tiger prawns or other exotic prawn varieties. I was mainly there for the soup rather than the accompanying prawns, so I went with the basic banana prawns.

You can read in detail how they painstakingly prepare their prawn noodle soup here - in summary, fried prawns are simmered in a pork stock for seven hours to form the broth, with no sugar, salt or MSG added. It is then served unseasoned, with an array of condiments (chilli powder, rock salt, a sweet onion sambal and Iberico pork lard) for each diner to adjust to their own preference.

This was, without question, the richest, most intensely flavourful bowl of prawn noodle soup I've ever had. Granted, at $28 it was also the most decadent and luxurious, but if you equate this to a prawn/lobster bisque soup rather than a hawker centre-style prawn noodle (the soup certainly resembles the former rather than the latter, in its flavour as well as consistency), it's not as astronomical as it initially appears.

The grilled prawns, which to me are almost secondary, had a very complex, almost blue cheese flavour, particularly around the head/brains. If the basic banana prawns were this good, I wonder how the higher end prawns will be.

This is officially the best late night comfort food ever. If I'm ever having a particularly bad day, a bowl of this will certainly cheer me up in no time.

A says:

Awesomeness.

After recently hitting a series of meals which were pricey for what you got and totally not worth it, this place has bucked the trend.

Yes, it's expensive. But yes, it's totally worth it.

Il Lido

C says:

A belated birthday dinner with the gang saw us going back to Il Lido in Sentosa after a few years (I think our last visit was for a Restaurant Week lunch a few years back). Having never been for dinner before, I was quite taken aback by the prices - appetizers started at $30, their pastas ranged from $38 to $65, and their mains were $58 to $88.

Given the fairly scanty menu and the prices, everyone decided to just go with the degustation menu - still by no means cheap at $158, but it still seemed the most sensible. Service was a bit strange - they were very polite, but when we asked for bread, they said it was still being baked, and when the bread finally arrived it was lukewarm/room temperature?!

After a couple of amuse bouches to tide ourselves over - some kind of crab meat with tomato sauce, and a risotto ball with black truffle, the first course was a salmon roll filled with snow crab and caviar.

Next on the menu was the foie course. They kindly acceded to W and A's requests to switch the foie to something else, so they got an elaborate scallop dish that unfortunately looked better than it tasted. The scallops were overcooked and hence a bit rubbery.

A had the spaghetti with uni that was on the menu, while I asked for them to prepare the risotto with frog's legs and asparagus instead. The latter was extremely disappointing - the risotto didn't have a very good texture or consistency, and the frog's legs turned out to be hard, dry cubes of meat that could have been any mystery meat. I tasted a bit of the uni spaghetti and that seemed to fare much better.

I must say that they executed the wagyu beef main course really well, though. Possibly simply due to the quality of the product, but the beef was insanely flavourful, and cooked really well too.

Dessert was pretty generic - a hazelnut fondant cake with chocolate gelato.

I think the meal was saved somewhat by the very tasty beef, but I don't think I'll travel all the way to Sentosa for this for no reason, especially given the prices.

A says:

Pretty good. Also pretty expensive. In terms of quality and price, it's somewhere in between Osia and Joel Robuchon's places at RWS. So maybe you could consider it if you're stuck in Sentosa and want a fancy meal.
 
Il Lido
Sentosa Golf Club
27 Bukit Manis Road
Tel: 6866-1977
Open daily: 12 noon - 2.30 pm; 6.30 pm - 10.30 pm