Barossa Bar & Grill Vivocity

Barossa Bar & Grill has launched its new outlet at VivoCity. I've vaguely heard of the brand before and they've been operating from the Esplanade branch but i've never tried it, i guess partly due to the location (sadly Esplanade isn't known as a food destination). We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of meats at this Australian-inspired restaurant, flown from four renowned Australian farms- Bass Strait, Wanderer, Josdale, and Carrara, each known for different qualities of their cattle.

Not only that. The restaurant also boasts its own dry-ageing fridge to enhance the flavors of their meats. To further elevate the experience, all the meat and seafood are cooked on a Spanish Josper charcoal grill for the perfect golden-brown Maillard reaction. 

For starters, the Barossa Steak Tartare ($26) is one smooth fella. The slightly thicker strips of beef were coated in a mix of smoked oyster aioli, ponzu jelly, pickled red onion, wasabi zuke, and a coagulated egg yolk. 

Ah Hua Kelong's Tiger Prawns ($26) are served charcoal grilled for that extra smoky headiness and further flavored by a shio kombu garlic beurre noisette. The charred kale chips that the prawns sat atop off were a great accompaniment to the juicy crustacean.

Restarting my skincare regime- IDS Skincare Part 3

Recently i tried the Pico Laser at IDS Skincare, which Dr Michelle Wong recommended to help with skin rejuvenation and brightening, and also pigmentation reduction. I understand that this laser could be done monthly as the intensity is not that high, which also means that the downtime is shorter (about 1 - 2 days), and is good for maintenance.

The “Pico” in “PicoLasers” refers to Picosecond, which is one trillionth of a second. This is approximately approximately ten times faster than nanosecond Q-switched lasers and theoretically works more efficiently in targeting the specific tissues with less surrounding tissue damage. 

For the laser, my skin was cleansed first before numbing cream was applied. The numbing process takes about 15 - 20 mins but i thought it felt shorter than that. I was then quickly ushered into the treatment room and Dr Michelle started on the laser immediately. 

I was a little tense as it had been some time since my last laser treatment. I must say that the pain was a little more than i expected as i thought my face would be completely numb. I would say the pain was 3-4 on a scale of 10 but thankfully it was in short bursts. It was definitely more intense than IPL, plus i could smell the burn. Sensitive areas such as the upper lips also hurt more. Dr Michelle Wong concentrated the laser on my cheeks and nose for purpose of reducing pore size and pigmentation. Anyway before i knew it, the treatment was over and that took maybe 5 minutes. 

The Brewing Ground

The East is best when it comes to food. There was a dearth of cafes in the past but that has quickly changed with big boys like Brawn & Brains, Dutch Colony and Forty Hands moving into the Siglap/Katong area. The latest hottest is The Brewing Ground, which has amazingly popped up steps from my place at The Yards, a transformed school compound at Telok Kurau. 

Experience the bright and breezy Eastie vibe with the glasshouse-inspired interior, or park your bike/pet out on the alfresco deck breezy alfresco deck. I've been lucky enough to walk in without a wait at lunch time but now that the secret is out of the bag, please make your reservations. I hear weekdays breakfast can pack a queue!

This is not quite the place for early risers, that is if you are looking to bite into their much raved about Breakfast Burger ($20), which is only served from 11am. They ought to call it a Brunch Burger actually. It is just as well because i doubt anyone can stomach this massive beast too early in the morning! Toasted brioche buns sandwiches a juicy rosemary pork sausage patty and creamy scrambled eggs, flavored even more with a lovely caramelized onion relish and a sweet ketchup mayonnaise. There was too much of the latter and i had to scrape some off for balance. A perfectly crispy hash brown completes the blockbuster. I was thankful for the side of mesclun salad which helped to to cut through the richness of the bun with its refreshing acidity. 

Restaurant JAG- Savoie herbs-focused French Cuisine

I first got a taste of Chef Jérémy Gillon and his Alpine-herb-forward French cuisine five years ago at now defunct Audace. It was certainly the most refreshing French dining i've experienced then. Fast forward to 2021 and Chef has already earned his star with his fine dining Restaurant JAG. Stepping into Restaurant Jag for the first time, we were pleased to see that Chef has remained true to his brand of serving seasonal cuisine inspired by the wild-foraged herbs from Savoie. 

It was yet another refreshing and educational meal with unpredictable flavors using herbs that we have never heard of or were able to pronounce. We went with the well-priced 4 course Executive Set Lunch ($98), which was a delightful experience. Do allow yourself at least 2.5 hours for this. I ended up rescheduling my appointment after because lunch took longer than expected but it was worth it though! If you have even more time to spare, there's also the 6-course Degustation Measured Indulgence Menu ($175). 

We started with a Salsify and Sariette biscuit with the crunch of a potato chip. 

Then a green Kohlrabi juice with Hyssop oil and balsamic. This had notes of apple and celery in it. 

A steamy dark rye was served with a duo of Normandy and herb butter. While we loved the fluffy insides, the dark burnt crust a tad too much to handle after a few bites. Lovely miso notes if you don't mind the char though.