Chez Suzette, French-inspired cafe

The trick to having an enjoyable weekend brunch is to go on Sunday instead of Saturday. I think. Especially those in the CBD-ish areas. That or i was really lucky to get a last minute table for early brunch at the popular French-inspired Chez Suzette, which serves classic brunch plates all day long. 

We were thankful to be seated indoors instead of the alfresco area on the ground floor. God bless this weather. I've been meaning to drop by after gym at Tanjong Pagar but it's afterall a 10 mins walk under the hot sun, and my jelly legs do object that. A craving for Croque Monsieur (i heard they do a decent one), led me down this path and it didn't disappoint. 

 

I'm more a Madame than a Monsieur fan actually since i live for eggs. The Croque Monsieur ($19) here features some lovely French sliced ham with melted Comté cheese and béchamel sauce in between and on top of the crusty and pillowy sourdough, before being grilled. The flavors were classic but i found the overall bite a tad dry, probably from the lack of the béchamel sauce. I'm not sure if i was ravenous after spin class or was it a pregnancy thing but i finished the entire sandwich, which is very rare. The size was quite decent i thought. 

Gemma, Modern Italian Steakhouse at National Gallery

Celebrating the best of Italian summertime steakhouses, GEMMA is the latest concept of Italian Chef-Owner Beppe De Vito of The ilLido Group. Tucked atop National Gallery Singapore, the 68-seater restaurant is full of old-world charm but not stiffy at all and the prices are a lot more reasonable than some of these other steakhouses around. Lunch sets are only $45/pax and even their dinner sharing menu for 2 would only set you back by $208/pair.

I meant to check out Gemma earlier but plans were disrupted several times due to COVID. A random browsing of the Restaurant Week offerings (yes it is still around!) finally provided an opportunity to visit Gemma. The Restaurant Week dinner menu actually looks a lot like their regular lunch set offering ($45/pax, Tue - Sat) with a few upgrades.

We started with a semolina bread with Alpine butter sprinkled with Tarragon. This was followed by an amuse bouche of beef tartare on potato cracker with Mascarpone cheese.

The appetizer was a blue swimmer crab with avocado, ox-tomato gelée, citron remoulade and compressed Sedano. We really enjoyed the refreshing citrus and herb finish with the fresh crab and how the tomato added a little spiciness to the dish.

Myo Restobar, classic Cantonese food in the CBD

A Chinese restaurant in the middle of CBD, tucked away on top of a commercial building with no prominent signage in view? You would think that it's quite impossible for them to survive the pandemic, but nope, Myo Restobar still draws in the crowd with their solid dishes featuring 40 years of history and experience from their Kia Hiang roots. You may be drawn in by their Michelin Guide recommended Claypot Spring Chicken but definitely stay for their classic homestyle Cantonese dishes and all-day dimsum.

A bite of the Shitake Mushrooms & Black Truffle Dumpling (3pcs $6) and i knew we had to come back to sample more of Myo's dimsum offering. 

The thin and smooth translucent mochi skin was bursting with the mushrooms and crunchy vegetables filling. It's not huge on the truffle but we enjoyed the flavors just fine.

If you're a fan of the traditional yam ring, you would enjoy the individually portioned Crispy Yam Bag with Scallops ($5 each, min 3pcs) because you get all the goodness of the typical yam ring all in one bite and you will still have space for other dishes. I liked that was crisp and not oily. 

I currently have an aversion to fish and generally all seafood but i was able to stomach the Garoupa Fillet in Claypot with Garlic & Ginger (from $18) and i actually ate more than i expected. The fillet was very lightly seasoned and because Myo only uses the white flesh of the fish, there was no fishy flavors at all. 

The Kia Hiang Claypot Organic Chicken ($28) is what most people go to Myo for. Be comforted that the premium organic chickens did not die in vain- they lived comfortably and listened to classical music, and were also given health supplements (no antibiotics or growth hormones ok). The chicken is enveloped in a sweet cabbage and braised in a rich herbal broth and the overall flavor was on the sweeter side. We probably would have enjoyed this dish a lot more if we didn't eat this at the end of the meal.

We were surprised at the quality of the grilled Miyazaki A5 Wagyu ($40/100g, min 200g). The cut was closer to the chuck so it wasn't too fatty. It's good on its own but you could always add a bit of the black pepper sauce at the side. 

Singapore Airlines B777-300ER Business Class SIN-FRA review

Almost forgot to update my review of the Singapore Airlines B777-300ER Business Class ride from Singapore to Frankfurt when we went on our Germany trip (check out our 10 day Germany itinerary here)! Now that we're working on our relocation, i thought it was opportune to share the updated SQ Business Class review. 

Our trip started with a visit to the temporary SilverKris Lounge, which is the current KrisFlyer Gold Lounge. We didn't have much time to spare actually so i'm gonna do the lounge justice and refer you to Mainly Miles review of the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge here! One thing that i appreciated was the online ordering system which ensures that your food is fresh and "clean". 

Onto the already not so new Business Class seats on SQ. The seats are handcrafted from Scottish leather and diamond-stitched. 

The seats have new seating positions- the Lazy Z, a cradling position; and Sundeck, a lounging position that extends the base and foot of your seat so you fully stretch out. The seat back and leg rests could be adjusted independently, and you could adjust it to your preference. I actually fell asleep in the Lazy Z position while watching my pre-dinner movie. 

Of course, my favorite feature is that the seat transforms into a fully flat bed with a cushioned headboard so i could easily just prop myself up to watch a movie comfortably. I also caught some beauty sleep on the bed complete with linen, duvet and pillows. This is a must on any long haul flight! The 18 inch LCD TV could also be tilted downwards for viewing pleasure while you're lying down. 

I also appreciated the side console, which allows for easy stowage of small items and even a laptop. Since it sits above the armrest, i could easily grab my toiletries pouch, hand sanitizer etc. while seated or lying down. Ports (eXport, HDMI and USB) are also readily available for easy charging of electronic devices. 

A highlight on SQ is the 'Book the Cook' dining selection and i make it a point to try something different each time. Currently SIA is featuring a series of popular local dishes from renowned hawkers to celebrate the addition of Singapore’s hawker culture to UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This includes Bismillah Biryani Restaurant Chicken Dum Biryani, a Michelin Bib Gourmand Award Winner from 2016 to 2019, and also Boon Tong Kee Chicken Rice and Qiu Lian Ban Mian! And hello SQ satay how much i've missed you!