WHO: Jiggy & Pony Group's Humpback seafood restaurant. One of my long time favorites that i need to visit more once CB is over. Also one good thing that came out of the CB is that i'm reminded to support my fav F&B outlets.

WHAT: Humpback's Seafood Sharing Meal for 2 ($78)

Smoked Salmon Dip, served with Ritz Crackers- not overly salty which is great.

Barramundi, with charred corn, garlic mashed potatoes- Lightly seasoned to allow the natural flavors to come through. 

Ah Hua Kelong Lala, olives, yellow onion, saffron broth- slightly creamy broth with notes of pickled mustard leaves (probably from the olives). Would order this again. Am also going to place some orders from Ah Hua himself. Did you see his giant clams??! 

Cabbage (v), with herb cheese, crispy quinoa, chilli oil- simple delicious. The vegetable dishes at Humpback are my all-time favorites.

Flourless Chocolate Cake (gf), with jameson whiskey, sea salt- airy poofy goodness with a twang of citrus

WHO: Birds of a Feather, modern Sichuan cuisine. I'm a repeat customer. Enuff said. Read more here.

WHAT: Food Bundle Set for 2-4pax ($68) for variety's sake even though. This is definitely good to share among 3. 

Find The Chicken in the Chilis- Flavorsome crispy chicken bits with sesame seed and tons of dried chili and peppercorn. The numbing spice kicks in after a couple of bites so do alternate it with the other dishes. 

Spicy Oriental Bolognaise- the noodles are beehoon like and i do love the pull of the noodles. They also held up well during the delivery and wasn't too dry or clumpy. The chili oil of the tangy, pickled chili bolognaise helped. 

Tender Chicken Grains Bowl- a healthy bowl that is big on flavor. I love the mix of grains which were chewy and sweet. I mistook the chicken for oyster mushrooms at the start because they looked so smooth and boy were they tender too. 

Fried Pig's Intestines- the porky flavor was a bit strong or perhaps i'm not accustomed to it since i haven't eaten this in a while. The dried chili powder helped to mask the gaminess a bit. 

Bird's Brown Sugar Fresh Milk Boba Pearl 
x2- BOBA. That's all. 

WHAT ELSE: I struggled because i really wanted to eat the Baked Eggplant with Fried Mantou ($16). This is one of my favorite dishes at Birds of a Feather. Please order it for my sake. You won't regret it. 

HOW: Order from https://www.birdsofafeather.com.sg/en_SG. Minimum order of $50, $5 delivery fees.

WHO: One Michelin Star restaurant Basque Kitchen by Aitor. Also the best Michelin takeaways that i've had so far (yes better than Burnt Ends)

WHAT: Basque food (from Northern Spain) where they do pintxos and not tapas. 

Sharing Set for 2 ($98)- also the best 98 bucks i've spent on food this CB. 

Whole homemade sourdough bread with smoked French butter- da bomb! This made me soooooo happy. One freaking gorgeous loaf of sourdough that was still warm after a 30min travel home. Such fantastic thin crust with a chewy open crumb and THAT SMOKED BUTTER. We've not finished a loaf so fast (we had it for dinner, breakfast, and lunch) and i'm still rationing the smoked butter. 

Txaka- Sweet Jumbo crab meat with egg and mayonnaise. It's a great addition to the smoked butter on sourdough.

Croquetas de Bayonne ham, Espelette aioli- the thin crust of the balls erupted and released silky creamy center peppered with smoky bits of ham. The engine-red pepper aioli provided just that sufficient hint of spice 

Iberico Pork Ribs- the other highlight of the meal even. It may seem like a small portion but these sticky fork-tender fatty ribs satiated our appetite with its big flavors.

Catch of the day- flaky juicy fish battered with a savory mix. It's a good contrast to the rich ribs.

Classic mash potatoes- smooth and silky as expected.

Basque rice pudding, Japanese rice vanilla- it's lighter than you would think a rice dessert would be and reminded us of a Peruvian rice dessert that we had. Hints of spices and lemon in this. 

Guanaja" chocolate custard, dark chocolate & salted caramel pearls- i liked that the chocolate custard wasn't too sweet and the pops of salty caramel crunch broke the sweetness.

With a min order of $50 and if you pick up your food, you will get a free slice of their Signature Basque Cheesecake worth $16. The Idiazabal cheese provides a slightly more savory note and the cake wasn't that creamy. Jr preferred my version haha. 

HOW: Visit https://basquekitchenbyaitor.oddle.me/en_SG. Pre-order 1 hour in advance. Free Delivery for $100 and above. Surcharge of $3 will apply for eve of and on public holidays.

There's nowhere else i'd head to for a good Sichuan meals but Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurants and they've introduced a variety of seafood dishes "Colours of the Sea" which is available till 12 Jan 2020 at their three outlets. TOP of UOB Plaza and PARKROYAL on Beach Road are offering special a la carte and set menus, while PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road serves a buffet. 

Did you know that Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant is pufferfish on its menu? Their fish is imported directly from Japan. Check out these cute Steamed pufferfish dumpling which is exclusively available at TOP of UOB Plaza, where you can also enjoy the rest of their delectable dimsum bites. Expect a refreshing sweetness in this dumpling.

Another must try is the Sliced pufferfish with fresh chili and sesame (right). I love the blend of spices and the sesame fragrance in this one.  

There's no such thing as regular seafood dishes at Si Chuan Dou Hua as we were wowed by the interesting combinations of flavors. In the seafood combination platter, what stood out was a crispy soft shell crab with Osmanthus sauce that all of us could not stop nibbling on due to the lingering floral taste. The salted egg fish skin was irresistible as well.

As French patisserie Antoinette bid farewell to its Mandarin Gallery outlet, its move to Millenia Walk is a warm welcome by the working crowd in the area, who gets to indulge on fresh bakes, sweet treats and savoury bites, all day everyday. 

Pick your spot, be it under the sun (i mean skylight) in the ‘al fresco’ area along the atrium, or tucked tucked away in a cosy corner in the store, and then be ready to watch the world go by for a bit. New to the Millenia Walk outlet are French-style savoury crêpes and weekday-specials, the Le Menu Petite Déjeuner (a simple breakfast menu) and Le Menu Sandwich (classic European sandwiches) that are exclusive to Millenia Walk.

For a quick grab and go, other than Antoinette’s signature Pure Butter Croissants ($3.5) and Pain Au Chocolat ($3.5), i highly recommend the Egg Muffin ($5) which is way better than MacD's FOR SURE. The housemade pork sausage patty is incredibly juicy and wholesome, with zero additives. Topped with cheddar cheese and a sunny side up, it's sandwiched between a housemade muffin which is amazingly fluffy and buttery inside and woah i love that crunchy crust it has. How is this only $5?? 

The Italian Focaccia ($8) is also an easy sandwich to eat on the go. You can't go wrong with pesto butter and cheese, plus some juicy sous vide chicken. I love the herby mix and it certainly provides a hearty start to the day. An extensive range of traditional European and Japanese-style breads are freshly stocked daily for a convenient snack at the desk too.

You don't have to be in Niseko to enjoy Chef Willin Low's Mod-Sin izakaya dishes because they make an appearance every night at Relish @ Frasers Tower. In the day, enjoy Relish's classic burgers, pastas, and desserts; in the night, pick on bar bites and sharing plates over Japanese sakes and draft beers at Roketto Izakaya. Also, some of Wild Rocket's signatures are also available here! 

Warm your tummy with the Fish Collagen Broth ($5), a dairy-free but surprisingly rich and creamy soup that has extracted all the goodness from the fish bones. While it may look like a simple piece of fried fish, it's actually a homemade omu fish cake. Fish meat is mixed with egg, beaten and fried for the fluffy airy texture, similar to the typical fried egg floss at many fish soup stalls in Singapore.

Willin also likes to tease his dinners with all these Har Cheong (fermented shrimp paste) chicken dishes but he doesn't use any chicken in them. Instead, munch on a flavorful Har Cheong Pork Belly Keropok ($8.50) that is possibly the next big snack (goes perfectly with beer). The saltiness is well balanced with a refreshing Keffir lime mayonnaise.

A milder but more exotic version of the typical Har Cheong Chicken is the Har Cheong Tin Gai ($12), which features fried frog legs that have been mildly marinated in the pungent paste. It tasted like a very good fried chicken actually. Have it with the ginger flower paste and it instantly tastes like a staple on an Izakaya menu.

Dashi is the building block of Japanese cooking. Having experienced a dashi tasting before, i can tell you that a good dashi makes all the difference to the Japanese fine dining experience. At newly opened MAI by Dashi Master Marusaya, you can be sure that you're not getting off-the-shelf hondashi in their specialty dishes. 

Founded in 1962, Marusaya is an established wholesaler of Japanese katsuobushi (dried bonito). The company takes pride in its Satsuma 2-year-old hongare-honbushi, made from skipjack tuna which is dried and fermented over two years. This is unlike other katsuobushi, which is fermented only over a year. The extended fermentation is what brings out the umami in the fish. Together with the Rishiri kelp (a best in class Hokkaido seaweed), it produces a golden broth that is elegant and smoky. 

The restaurant features dishes that play to the best of their katsuobushi- think shabu-shabu (hot pot), toban yaki (hot plate) and donabe (claypot). What's best? The insanely affordable prices especially during lunch.

Sets start from $29 and include a variety of sides: chawanmushi and miso soup with seasonal toppings, bonito flakes (more like slices) that are perfect beer snacks, and flavourful claypot rice cooked with dashi. I could eat the rice on its own but it's even better with the accompanying condiments that are wasabi-flavoured konbu, premium ikura and Japanese pickles.

Shabu-shabu sets include either the US Black Angus Beef ($29) or the Hokkaido Pork Loin ($29).  Both were great but i preferred the fluffy texture of the beef. The sets are accompanied by fresh seasonal vegetables as well as two house dips – dashi ponzu and sesame.

The Clifford Pier at Fullerton Bay Hotel specialises in local Singaporean cuisine and sees a number of visiting guest chefs present their specialties at the all-day dining restaurant.  From now till 28 June 2019, Guest Chef Philip Chia will helm the kitchen, dishing up a hit parade of Peranakan signatures.  This will be his third guest stint stint at The Clifford Pier, The Fullerton Bay Hotel. Chef Chi is a fourth-generation Chinese Peranakan and has been cooking Peranakan dishes since he was six years old!

Dinner started with a trilogy of Peranakan appetizers, which are also available on the ala carte menu.

A melange of textures and flavors were presented in the bite sized pieces of these appetizers. The Grilled Spicy Laksa Prawns and Wing Bean Salad had a lovely ginger fragrance that complemented the spicy and tart tang from the pineapple, calamansi and fried shrimp spices.

Instead of the regular soup, Chef Philip turned the classic Pong Tauhu into a fried snack. The silky soybean curd was blended with meat and prawns to give it that lovely bounciness and chew when you bite into it. Delicious.

All-day dining venues are perfect for the Singapore CBD crowd and 51Soho at Telok Ayer is all geared up to bring you from day to night with menus for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all the hours in between. 

Need a power up before that morning meeting? Well there's the healthy Breakfast Overnight Oats ($9.90) or grab one of 51Soho's freshly baked Croissant with Ham and Cheese and Scrambled Eggs ($10.90). 

For lunch, tuck into their wholesome one-bowl meals, which have been calculated to provide you with a good mix of muscle-building protein, nutrient-rich greens and wholegrains. Pick from one of their bowls, or customize them. 

Wind down after work with the 51 Soho Specials cocktails that use Chinese rice wine, plum wine and bamboo wine as their base! I'd go for the Bamboo Dream, a lightly floral cocktail made from fermented rice wine and osmanthus Oolong tea. A little yuzu in this goes a long way to freshen your palate, while the passionfruit helps to sweeten the drink.

Another fruity drink is the 51 Soho, a plum wine that is spiked with lychee juice and a spritz of rose liqueur, 51 Soho's take on a lychee martini.

Dancing in The Moonlight’s bamboo wine is underscored with cucumber syrup, snow fungus and goji berries. It tasted really light, but light is deceiving, as with all their cocktails. 

Along with the drinks, there are charcoal-grilled skewers inspired by those served in Sichuan drinking houses. Sticks of marinated meats and vegetables are dusted with an original spicy mala blend. I'd recommend the pork belly sticks (2 for $7.50) which have crispy fatty bits around it. The beef skewers ($11) were good too.  

You could also have a proper dinner at 51Soho. I'm a huge fan of green mains and the Green & Nutty ($18) features different types of broccoli tossed in a lemony and herbaceous spring onion pesto.

For dinner, dig into heartier dishes with a tinge of Asian flavors in them. I would order the Salmon & Pearl ($28) in a heartbeat. I loved the crispy skin on the fatty fish, which was balanced with couscous that has been cooked in fish stock and sour vegetables and chili for a light tangy spiciness. 

The Spice de Canard ($30) is an Asian braised duck pretending to be European. I enjoyed the nuances of the chinese spices that the duck has been marinated in and then glazed over. The duck is then slathered with lentils marinated in Italian balsamic for a sweet tartness. 

When people said looks can be deceiving, they were referring to the Wicked Pasta ($22) at 51Soho. The zucchini-green linguine looked grassy but it tasted like a hearty tomato cream pasta. The pickling of the zucchini with yuzu must have caused some magic to happen because there was simply no tomato in this dish.  

For a more indulgent pasta, the Spicy Pasta ($24) will hook you with its addictive fiery and sour Mala sauce and chunky luscious seafood. Boy will you feel the burn but well we can deal with the consequences the morning after.

Also check out the Soho Burger ($28) with a house-made braised pulled beef, kimchi and fries. The bun is EVERYTHING. It's super pillowy, buttery, cloud-y delicious. It is best paired with an extra side of Shaky fries ($7.90) that is tossed with none other than 51Soho's house blend of Sichuan spices.

Desserts are not served for but you can always request to have some leftover bites from their tea menu. 51Soho is more than happy to accommodate.

I loved the idea of a one-stop-shop for meals and 51Soho does it well with their variety of offerings. Be sure to check them out!

51 SOHO
51 Telok Ayer St #01-01
Tel: +65 9755 1058 

Weekdays: 8am - 10pm 

Weekends & PH: 10am - 10pm

The Kilo compound has shifted from their Kampong Bugis home of eight years, to their new enclave at Duxton Road, with the new Kilo Kitchen located just steps away from their sister property, Kilo Lounge. The menu takes on a wood-fired focus with most of their Latin American-Asian flavored dishes being cooked in their wood-fire grill for that extra char.  

We started off with Kilo’s Seafood Ceviche ($23), a wonderful reminder of the chopped seafood salads that we had in Peru. We enjoyed the good mix of crunch from peppers, corn, and octopus too. 

We each had a small Beef Tongue Taco ($18 for 2pcs/$35 for 4pcs) with a mix of green apples, miso, and jalapeño-garlic tallow. The tacos are made with buttermilk and flour, which gave them a nice chewy texture and a slight butter note. However, the tacos were on the thick side and that took away the attention from the filling, which would otherwise have shone brighter with the balance of acid and fat. 

The folks at Kilo also tried to make lentil more up-class with their Atas Lentils ($26), by adding shaved Manchego, bacon, truffle, ibérico, egg yolk to the mushy nosh. Not one to eat lentils on its own, I thought that some chips would have gone perfectly with this saucy mix, which strangely had a hint of tomato when none was used.

The Squid Ink Rice ($29) took the classic paella and put it in the claypot but that was all to it. The dish was tasty with crusty bits, probably from cooking it the paella way but definitely not attributed to the claypot. Non-so-usual pairings of lightly battered octopus and ikura provided the slight variation from the typical black rice. 

I took one bite of the Ricotta Gnocchi ($26) and left it alone, due to the raw flour taste in the dumplings. The mushrooms were also too salty. 

Large plates include the Grilled Whole Rainbow Trout ($46) served with confit tomatoes, basil & olive oil. Well it was decent, but nothing wow. 

Desserts took forever to be served, and we contemplated leaving without having any, especially considering that we had to sit through two blackouts during dinner. Turns out that the Coconut Tembleque ($14) with pineapple sorbet was not worth waiting for.

The Chocolate Terrine ($14) only appeased us a little, with the soft chocolate mousse and smoked salted caramel with a butter tuile.  

Maybe go to Kilo Kitchen for some snacks, or perhaps drinks. Their bar programme features an intercontinental selection inspired by drinking cultures around the world.

I was quite disappointed at the experience at the new Kilo Kitchen. Doubt i'll be back anytime soon.

Kilo Kitchen

97 Duxton Road Singapore 089541

Tel: +65 64673987/ 9625 0279

Tues- Fri: 5.30pm - 12am

Sat: 6pm - 12am

​​Fresh Italian mozzarella in Singapore? HELL YEA! Be treated to fresh cheeses at The Mast’ of Mozzarella & Co.'s first SEA's outpost at Frasers Tower. Originating from Rome, the concept proudly combines a cheese production laboratory with a delicatessen, osteria and bar all in one space. It is the first in Singapore to make fresh mozzarella, burrata and stracciatella daily on site. 

The cheese are made from high-quality milk from the osteria’s very own buffalo farm in Valle dei Templi in Paestum, an area with the perfect climate conditions for buffalo breeding. Only 6kg of fresh cheese is made daily, most used at the restaurant and the rest for takeaways at a mere price of $8/12 for 125g of mozzarella/burrata.

In addition to being able to purchase freshly crafted cheeses over the counter, guests can enjoy them showcased in a host of sumptuous offerings available from breakfast through to dinner. An all-day dining menu is available for both lunch and dinner. 

In addition to the regular menu, The Mast’ will also introduce weekly specials that showcase the season’s freshest offerings.

LeVeL33 has earned its reputation as a upmarket microbrewery with a view over the years but now with the addition of a couple of new faces, including Executive Chef ArChan Chan and Chef de Cuisine Maksym Chukanov; expect a stronger focus on their beer, because you are gonna be drinking it,  and eating it.

Their latest menu offering focuses on featuring dishes with elements of beer, and although the team comes with plenty of experience, I had my doubts about fusing beer into European cuisine beyond typical bar pairings like pork knuckle and German sausages. As it turned out, I didn’t have anything to worry about.

With more delicate starters like Kingfish Sashimi ($26) (above) and Hokkaido Scallop ($24), Chef Chan managed to push the boundaries of what diners would typically associate with beer flavours. The cured kingfish doesn’t quite fall within the standard definition of sashimi but goes well with the accompanying nori and spent grain sand, while the addition of house-pickled cucumber made for an interesting combination of textures.

The grilled Quail ($27) (above) has a much more robust flavour from the stout used in its marinade, and while it is a bit closer in nature to other alcohol-infused dishes we’ve encountered elsewhere (think Guinness pork ribs and 三杯鸡), it was hearty, satisfying and left us wanting more.

A clear winner was the pan-seared Seabass ($36) with beer malt risotto and beurre blanc sauce – besides the perfectly done fish (crispy skin and all), the risotto also went extremely well with the sauce and made for a very satisfying main course.

However, it wasn’t only the meat items that were hearty and well done – vegetarians and vegans will be glad to know that Chef Chan’s Garden Greens Tart ($29) combines a gluten-free taro tart ring with seasonal vegetables to great effect. Although I typically don’t enjoy pure vegetarian options, I would recommend this in a heartbeat as an alternative to the Truffle Ravioli ($32) which was commonplace, though generous with the amount of truffle used in the dish. 

On a separate menu, folks looking for bar bite options would be pleased to find items like Spent Grain Flatbread ($16), Shisito Peppers ($10) and Southern Fried Chicken ($22) among LeVeL33’s offerings. The flatbread is served with cod roe dip and salmon roe, which was a little on the salty side, but otherwise makes for a moreish snack. For those who have trouble deciding, the Sharing Platter ($46) feeds up to 3 people and features both the chicken and flatbread, as well as a mix of white anchovy croutons and sweet potato fries.

The bar menu pairs perfectly with the beers on tap at LeVeL33, and for those looking for a more interesting introduction to beer, their craft beer cocktails are definitely worth checking out - we’d recommend the refreshing Blond Mojito ($22), and if you’re keen on sampling the beers brewed onsite, the Beer Tasting Paddle ($23.33), which comes with five 0.1L tasters of LeVeL33’s craft brews, including the Blond Lager, India Pale Ale, Stout, House Porter and Wheat Beer.

For those with a bit more of a sweet tooth, Chef de Cuisine Chukanov draws inspiration from his Russian heritage to create a Layered Honey Cake ($15) served with beer aerated honeycomb, topped with house made sour cream ice cream, lemon balm and fermented kumquat. The ice cream and lemon balm do wonders to cut through the sweetness of the honey cake and honeycomb, and balances this rich dessert very nicely. A darker option would be the Malt & Stout Parfait ($12), which combines a coffee oat crumble with a malt, stout and vodka parfait in choux pastry puffs to present a dessert that highlights the chocolate and coffee notes that stout lovers will recognise – this was particularly enjoyable without being too sweet.

LeVeL33

8 Marina Boulevard, #33-01, Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1, Singapore 018981

Tel: +65 6834 3133

Mon-Thu: 11.30am – 12am 

Fri-Sat: 11.30am – 2am

Sun: 12pm – 12am