For the wanderlust and foodies, Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel is looking at satisfying your hunger. Drawing inspiration from their travel experiences, Executive Chef Nobuyuki Taguchi and his culinary
team at The Dining Room has crafted a new ala-carte menu that showcases signature dishes from around the world.

For the Francophile, the Confit de Canard, which is also Chef Nobu’s personal favourite. The duck leg is cured overnight, slowly simmered for another 10 hours before pan-frying to yield a golden-brown crispy skin, encasing the tender and flavorful meat. Paired with braised red cabbage and sautéed potatoes.Nothing beats a whole pork knuckle to go along with some beer! Eisbein, a traditional German delicacy, features a whole pork knuckle marinated overnight with a special in-house blend, boiled for another hour and then glazed with a coat of apple vinegar to attain a crisp finish. Good for sharing!
Have some Asian comfort food with the Dolsot Bibimbap. Mix in the homemade gochujang, a fermented condiment specially concocted by Korean Chef Kim, for a sweet, tangy and subtle chilli kick.
The Taste of the World ala carte menu is available daily for both lunch and dinner at The Dining Room. In-house guests may also enjoy these dishes in the comfort of their room.

The Dining Room, Sherton Towers Singapore Hotel
39 Scotts Road, Singapore 228230
Tel: +65 6839 5621

People working in the CBD area rejoice! Asia Square has launched the Asia Square Dining Enclave  which hosts restaurants and outlets that spans across several cultures and cuisines. The 50,000 square feet Food Garden will feed about 1200 hungry people at any one time in its relaxing green space.

With the expansion of the Food Garden since their opening in 2011, expect some new iconic new tenants that have been specially added to the mix. 

Soup Stock Tokyo from Japan and Guzman y Gomez from Australia, have opened their first-ever overseas outlets in the Asia Square Food Garden. My Hokkaido Crab Bisque from Soup Stock was a tangy tomato cream soup with minimal crab flavor. If there were more substantial ingredients in it, it could potentially be an alternative to my other favorite- Soup Spoon's Simon and Garfunkel.

You lucky people also get to dig into Ippudo Ramen Express Shiro Tonkotsu Ramen during lunch! Just thinking about the chewy Hakata noodles in the slightly sweet milky broth that is perfumed with garlic is enough to make me drool! 

If you're on an Atkins diet or Paleo or just protein loading, 180deg Rotisserie by Chef Eric Teo would leave you very satisfied. The special hormone-free Sakura chicken comes in three unique flavors- Old Bay, Venice and Yuzu.

I didn't think much of P.L.T. Sandwiches when my sandwich was first served. Well that's until I bit into that juicy Pork sandwich that is juicy and bursting with flavors. This is the perfect takeaway if you don't have time to lunch out.

Other than retail kiosks, there are also several new restaurants on Level 1 and 2.

63Celcius's 2kg Australian Tomahawk Wagyu was lovingly grilled in the Josper Grill to seal in the juices. This was certainly one of my favorite dishes of the night. 

Tao Seafood Asia Chili Crab Claw with Man-tou was a well balanced dish. The tangy chili sauce remained gluey and paired well with the crispy sweet mantou.

Be entertained during your Teppanyaki meal at Tatsu Sushi. Both the Beef in Foie Gras Sauce and the Crayfish in Yuzukoshō Mayo were well prepared. I'm certainly heading back for a full meal.

For desserts, head on to Artisan Boulangerie Co. which has one of the best lemon tarts I've tasted. A crunchy butter cookie-ish tart base with lemon filling of a perfect combination of sweet and sour. I'd rank this slightly below Carpenter and Cook's (read my review here).

With so many dining options, I'm expecting full house at lunch time. Remember to sneak off early for lunch! ;)

Asia Square Food Garden
Level 2, between Asia Square Tower 1 and Tower 2
8 Marina View, Singapore 018960
Weekdays: 8am - 9pm

There is no other airport in the world like Changi Airport where i would find locals visiting and dining there on a regular day. That's part of the charm of Singapore, you can find great food anywhere (except in the west. hurhur.) We're all familiar with the chain restaurants at Changi Airport but the Crowne Plaza Hotel Singapore is not typically mentioned when it comes to dining at the airport.

I had the opportunity to check out Azur at Crowne Plaza and their latest offering of premium buffet dinners. The award-winning restaurant will be launching its first edition of the series, Feast of the Seven Seas, this July over a limited period of two weekends from 19 - 21 July as well as 26 - 28 July.

Diners can have their pick of the most decadent and exotic fresh seafood and shellfish: sweet and juicy Boston Lobsters, Steamed Blue Crabs, Tasmanian Crayfish, New Zealand Green Mussels, Freshly Shucked Fines de Claires Oysters, Jumbo Bay Clams and Poached Tiger Prawns. I absolutely loved the pearly juicy oysters and sweet and succulent tiger prawns.

The Lobster Bisque with Tarragon Chantilly Cream with Herb Gougères was rich and creamy without being heavy. It may be a tad salty but i liked the robustness in the flavors. 

Other delightful seafood dishes available during the Feast of the Seven Seas include Truffle Risotto with Pan Seared Scallop topped with Shaved Parmesan Cheese, Truffle Salt and Caviar Butter, Black Pepper Slipper Lobster, Hawker Style Stir-Fried Chilli Bamboo Clams, Parisian Mussels with Fresh Herb Crumbles, Amritsari Fish, Freshly Sliced Sashimi and Soft Shell Crab Tempura served a la minute.

The slipper lobster and the stir fried bamboo clams are of the Singaporean zi char standard. The chili sauce of the bamboo clams is akin to the chili crab sauce but i found the bamboo clams too fishy for my liking. I'm sure Chef has taken our feedback and worked on that aspect. 

The sashimi slices were really huge unlike some hotel buffets that provide pitiful pieces. I liked that the sashimi weren't sliced in large batches to ensure freshness of the fish. 

From the carving station, the Baked Whole Salmon with Seafood, Aromatic Spices, Coconut & Lemongrass Espuma is something that you should not miss. This dish is Thai inspired and i loved how the scallop and salmon were fresh and juicy. 

There are many other dishes on the buffet line like the award-winning cheeses from New Zealand, appetizing starters, freshly baked selection of bread and sinfully decadent mini shooters and cakes at the dessert bar. Remember to save space for the Bread Pudding for it's one of my favorites.
Diners will also be treated to a complimentary first glass of red or white wine specially selected for its quality and taste by the Azur Team. Feast of the Seven Seas will feature Australia’s Flametree Embers Semillon Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. Subsequent glasses of Flametree Embers wines will be sold at a special price of $14++ per glass and bottle purchases will be entitled to a 15% discount. A mocktail will also be available for diners who prefer a non-alcoholic welcome drink.

Get 15% off your bill if you make a reservation via the Crowne Plaza Dining website http://www.crowneplazadining.com/index.php/promotions/30-feast-of-the-seven-seas.

Azur

Crowne Plaza Hotel Singapore

Changi Airport Terminal 3

Tel: 6823 5354
Dinner Buffet: Adult: $88 Child: $44

Brunch recommendations for the weekend! Five & Dime is a new eatery that has popped up in the River Valley area at the most unexpected spot next to some Chinese association or temple of sorts. When i looked at the address, i thought it would be located nearer to Robertson/Mohd Sultan but it's farther down nearer to the residential area. 

The concept of Five & Dime is a modern take on the 60′s diner experience without being saturated in nostalgia or overly trend based. The black and white, wood and tile combination is a classic look that would withstand the fickle mindedness of the consumers and movements in the design field. The space is pretty small, be sure to make a reservation (it was crowded when we got there on a Sunday afternoon).

It's surprisingly comfortable at the counter area (we sat there while waiting for a table) and it gave me a good view of the coffee and cocktail making (wasn't impressed with that). I'm too used to the third wave coffee and i kinda expect yummy coffee with pretty coffee art and unyielding foam. Spoilt by circumstances, not by default. :P Recognised the bartender from Drink Culture, which does a good cocktail anytime. Suppose this is a selling point of F&D, wonderful idea to get high for brunch. :)

Coffee is served with the old school candy snacks. I used to separate the sugar from the biscuits and ate them by their colours. It's a cheap snack, the quality is pretty lousy in fact but people like it because it's pretty? If you wanna be picky, they are just being really cheapskate.

Brunch is served from 10am to 2.30pm (kitchen closes at 2) and there is a selection of 9 mains- 4 breakfast dishes (eggs benny, eggs flor, french toast and pancakes), 2 sandwiches, 2 pasta and the regular F&C. Not a lot to choose from but a fair mix of breakfast foods and heavier lunch items. We had the Eggs Benny ($16)- Poached Eggs with seared beef and the Mentaiko Pasta ($22)- a spaghetti in creamy mentaiko sauce with chicken yakitori.

Apparently, the Eggs Benny is one of the hot items here. It is served with seared beef instead of the usual ham or smoked salmon. I wouldn't say it's a better choice though as the beef is pretty bland. The hollandaise sauce was too tasteless for me, it lacks the creaminess of the butter as well as the mild tang of lemon juice. On the other hand, the brioche was overwhelmingly buttery and that contributed to the sogginess of the texture. It wasn't wet but it was a huge lump to chew on. Not a fan of the bread. The texture is just not right. Bread should be somewhat airy and this is nothing like that. It's not bad tasting, it's just a weird texture and contradicts my understanding of what a brioche should be.

S was raving about the special salad dressing which we couldn't put a finger to the individual ingredients. I'm sure there's sesame sauce in there and maybe the Vietnamese fish sauce too. Regardless, it was refreshing.

The Mentaiko Pasta was absolutely heavenly. I felt like i was floating in a pink sea with dolphins swimming around me (only because i don't like the idea of fishes coming too close). The pink cream sauce was light and extremely fragrant. The slight sweetness of the Mentaiko kept me going mouth after mouth. This is what i would call a delicate dish. You will get what i mean when you taste it. The simplicity of the condiments use on the yakitori brought out the natural flavors of the meat (it was just salt and pepper and maybe a little spice). The dish was faultless. I finished this in 12 minutes.

A meal is never complete without some coffee. The mocha here is very chocolaty and sweet. It's almost like having a hot chocolate with a shot of espresso. Sadly, the salted caramel cupcake was sold out. Maybe another time. Enjoy your weekend!

Five & Dime
297 River Valley Road
Weekdays: 6pm - 12am, last orders 930pm, drinks till closing
Weekends: 10am - 3pm (brunch), 3pm - 6pm (tea), 6pm - 12am (dinner + drinks)
Closed Tues

The boy and i are true Easties and these days we spend most of our weekends closer to home. I'm always in town these days because of Yoga and i get sick of hanging out in town. It is especially bad on weekends especially these couple of weekends due to the festivities. To keep me occupied, S has been keeping track of new dining establishments in the area, so he does the finding and me the eating. :)

The Coastal Settlement is a 2 month old dining space hidden behind Hendon Camp and just opposite the old Changi Hospital. We have run down this road several times before and it's a really quiet place. Nice to see some new developments in the area. Suppose the rent is really cheap because a space like that at Dempsey or Town would cost a bomb. I like that it has lotsa outdoor space for chilling out. Pretty much like Skyve but more old fashioned. 

The alfresco seating at the back and around the restaurant as shown in the picture below. TCS really need to do something about the mosquitoes though. Just walking from the nearby carpark down this path and to the entrance, i was planted with 4 big kisses and they kept me occupied the entire evening. The 50cent sized bites are still swollen now. Slap on the repellant and enjoy the nature outdoors, it's quite relaxing when you are not scratching like a monkey.

The space is really interesting. I was overwhelmed by the different sights and contrasting textures- Steel columns, shelves and bars against exposed brick walls. The somewhat industrial look is softened by plush cushions on wooden frames and one feels comfortable whiling the day away. And it's perfectly fine because there is simply so much space!

The first thing that caught my eye was the main display of an eclectic mix of old furniture, memorabilia from the old days, flipping blocks, metal pots and potties..

There are also 4 Vespas sitting on the shelves! 

TCS is a great place for hanging out with friends and you can tell that by their table arrangements. How so? Most of the tables are huge with chairs for groups of at least 4 and more. There are bar seats, dining seats, round tables, rectangle tables, stools seating, sofa seating and so on. No matter the size of the group and regardless of your seating preference, you'll find something that fits here.

I 

I love how they section the restaurant into different areas. This feels more like a pub with bar stools. A live band was playing when i was there during the weekend. Old melodies and soulful singing by a group of uncles. They are not fantastic but somehow it's very atmospheric. 

My favorite space in the restaurant. Cosy and relaxing. I love how there's plenty of natural light filtering in through the floor to ceiling glass panels.

The bar is also pretty cool. They have this blue Eiffel Beer Tower for their beers. Not sure if you can purchase it for home use though. Would love to have one even though i don't drink beer. I suppose Sangria could work fine too. Hmm.. Sangria Tower.. Yums.

Now onto the food. For starters we had the Portobello fries (S$14). It's a bread crumbled Portobello slices served with a truffle mayonnaise. Sounds good? It tastes even better than truffle fries because of the added moisture from the mushroom. Add a little of that homemade chili and the dish is even more perfect.

There's a selection of Chinese main courses like Beef Horfun, Char Kway Teow, Nasi Lemak and Crayfish Laksa? That was alongside English dishes such as Rib eye with Rosti, Roasted Chicken and Fish and Chips. If i wanted Chinese i would have gone to Changi Village. Anyways.. we ordered the Char grilled Wagyu Beef and Mushroom pizza (S$23).

Nicely grilled juicy chunks of beef slices with sweet caramelized onion, sauteed mushrooms on a white wine reduction cream sauce and baked with Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese. Each mouthful was an explosion of tastes. The sweetness of the onion, smokiness of the beef and saltiness from the cheese give the dish a multitude of sensations. 

Even though it's a thin crust, it's not the same as the crispy Skinny pizza cracker sort. This has more bite to it and you would have to chew a bit. This is really heavenly!

A meal is never complete without desserts and the waffles blew our minds (S$14). The presentation is really pretty and once again it delighted our tastebuds. Light, crispy and salty waffles (yes salty. Very nice though!), fresh creme with sweet banana and raspberries (they ran out of strawberries) and maple syrup with a side of bitter sweet dark chocolate ice cream with a thinly sliced biscotti, cookie crumbs and dark chocolate. I was just grinning and nodding my head the whole time.

This is definitely my new favorite Eastie hangout apart from Lots. No more traveling to PS cafe for desserts anymore (unless i'm in town). I hope they don't close shop anytime soon because it is indeed quite out of the way. Please support them because the food is really good and i wanna continue hanging out here! :)) They have All Day Breakfast too! I'm so going back! Comes highly recommended by me (if that means something. haha.)

The Coastal Settlement
200 Netheravon Road
Tel: +65 6475 0200
Daily: 10.30am - 12am (Last food order at 10pm)