It's been a couple of months since Japanese bakery chain Asanoya Boulangerie opened its first-ever outlet outside of Japan in Singapore but i wasn't too quick to join the queue at the Queen Street outlet. Well i guess that's a good thing since when i recently visited, i found the place quiet and peaceful (also empty) during brunch time on a Saturday.
The only reason why i'd want to go to a buffet would be for the sheer variety (must be quality item of course) but i wouldn't mind going for a crab buffet since the meal wouldn't be that heavy (so i thought). On that note, if you're a crab fan, then you should check out Brizo Restaurant & Bar at Park Hotel Clarke Quay as they are presenting their second run of ‘Crazier about Crabs’ Buffet from 1 April to 28 June 2015.
It's terribly ironic that i'm a food blogger and a yogi at the same time but i guess it allows me that much needed balance in my diet. I typically eat light on weekdays and brunch/tea on weekends. That said, one can never be too sure that they are getting all the required vitamins for daily sustenance (and beauty) and that's where Swisse comes into my life! Here's introducing Australia’s #1 Multivitamin brand, which has just launched in Singapore.
Can't complain about the lack of coffee spots in the East anymore with so many sprouting like mushrooms! I actually visited Craftsmen Specialty Coffee at Siglap V, just opposite Siglap Centre, when they first opened (that was months back). Well, it took this long because well.. it's just another cafe... who gets its beans from somewhere else, and in this case from Dutch Colony Coffee Co., which opened its outpost a few streets down... And as the story goes....
In the process of clearing backlogs and found this one on Grand Mandarin, which is touted to have really good roast meats by Wong Ah Yoke of Straits Times. Well, if you're a lao ban (businessman) looking for a place entertain your Chinese clients, i guess Grand Mandarin would make the cut. It's one of the few restaurants that sell the crazy expensive Empurau fish (忘不了) in Singapore and that's sure to impress (it's all about 面子 'face' with them).
A sampler of appetizers first. We had the deep fried prawn coated with crème lemon sauce ($32). Firm succulent crystal prawn was used and the dressing was decent and masked the blandness of the meat. I found the crispy soft shell crab coated with chicken floss and curry leaves ($18) rather interesting though it could be kinda dry.
The honey glazed barbecued pork loin ($15) had fats that melted in my mouth. The meat was firm but juicy. This char siew is done slightly differently being first coated with brown sugar and then baked, giving the meat a crunchy creme brulee shell that will satisfy any sweet tooth. It's would come back just to take away some char siew for dinner.
The Double boiled chicken soup with cordycep flower ($9) was very soothing on the tummy with a flavorful broth but i wouldn't recommend eating the chicken which was rather tasteless after being stripped of its juices.
I love my cod fish and the Steamed silver cod ($22/pax) kinda does it, if only they would go easy on the amount of pink ginger on top. It was a pity that the smokiness of the bonito sauce couldn't cut through the light spice. Put the ginger aside and eat as required.
Next, the roasted duck with Perigord truffle ($28). Loved that paper thin crispy skin but the meat was semi dry and tough. :/ Also, we couldn't see or taste much of the truffle.
While the tofu with crab meat and egg white in carrot broth ($24) sounded healthy and refreshing, I'd advise you to skip it. We couldn't quite see the oil but we could taste it in every bite. Also, the tofu had a strange wok hei (burnt) taste even though it wasn't burnt at all.
The meal somehow got oilier with the stir fried crystal vermicelli with pork collar in X.O. chili sauce ($22) The noodles did not match the description at all and 'oily and bland fried noodles with rubbery cuttlefish' would be more apt in fact. Hardly a hint of X.O. sauce was detected as well.
I was hoping that desserts will somewhat save the meal from going downhill. The Liu Sha Bao ($4.80) had a rich and viscous salted egg custard that was decent on the first few bites before punching you out with the sweetness. Listen to the doc and just stick with one.
The Green Apple jelly with lime sorbet and aloe vera ($8) helped to get rid of the residual oily mouth feel from the mains. It tasted very homemade in fact and reminded me of a boiled apple drink that my mama makes. The lime sorbet gave the dish a slight acidity which lifted the flavor, and our mood.
Hits and misses at Grand Mandarin located at the fringe of Chinatown. It's located near one of the exits of Outram Park MRT (which one annoying dining companion we had can't seem to figure out. i wonder what his smartphone is for). May head back for dim sum since it's a daily affair here.
Grand Mandarin
325 New Bridge Road, Singapore 088760
Tel: +65 6222 3355
Tel: +65 6222 3355
Daily: 11.30am - 2.30pm, 6.30 - 10pm
It is a brainless solution really, to do the Norway in a nutshell ® trip when visiting Norway. Surely it would be wonderful to take your time to experience the fjords, but it's a case of too-many-things-too-little-time. The 14 hour journey (between Oslo and Bergen, also available from Voss) takes you on/through the Bergen Railway, Flåm Railway, the Aurlandsfjord, the Nærøyfjord and the steep hairpin bends of Stalheimskleiva (only from May-September), which IMO is sufficient sightseeing. You can of course opt for longer transits at the fjords if you wish.
A special occasion called for celebration and S surprised me with treat at Shinji by Kanesaka, an extension of 2-star Michelin Chef Shinji Kanesaka’s Edo-style sushi restaurant first set up in Tokyo’s exclusive Ginza district. There are 2 outlets in Singapore and S went with the charming Raffles Hotel (good on him) and we had the pleasure of having Master Chef Koichiro Oshino serve us.
There's something real sexy kneading dough with your hands and turning them into delicious buttery wonders and that's what Do.Main Bakery does. French baker Chef Frédéric Deshayes has set up shop in the part shady, part gentrified Tanjong Katong, supplying Easties with authentic French bakes alongside seedy massage shops and residences housing foreign workers.
Upon entering the bakery cafe, I was distractive by the croissants, pain au chocolat, eclairs, tarts and cakes. All these amazing bakes are made using Elle & Vivre butter, Valrhona chocolate and high-quality French flour.
I'm appreciating chinese food a lot more these days (maybe it's an age thing) and i was thoroughly wowed by Chef Tony Wun, new Executive Chinese Chef of The St. Regis Singapore, when i sampled his exquisite 8 course set menu at Yan Ting ($168/pax). It was dish after dish of Cantonese food deliciousness which brought Chinese fine dining to the next level.
The Signature Set Menu began with a trio of appetizers.
The boys from Saveur have gone from cheap and affordable French dining for the masses to modern French fine dining with Saveur Art! Their latest outpost, located at the swanky ION Orchard, is helmed by former sous chef of Jaan, Chef Tyler Lai. Despite the more upmarket location, the menu remains affordable with a 2-course set lunch at $29, 3-course $37, and a 4-course dinner at $52.
Our meal started with an amuse bouche of Seaweed Sabayon, a custard in roasted potato skin dashi, with rice puffs. Flavors were earthy, smoky and umami, and it tasted like a liquified potato chips.
For appetizers, despite wanting to try different dishes, we were all reluctant to order anything but the 64 deg slow cooked egg and truffle ($12; to add shaved truffle, additional $15). The creaminess of the egg, light earthliness of the the truffled potato mousseline, crispy potato thins, and sweet macademia made this a standout dish for us. We could certainly do with another portion of this each!
For mains, we had the Mangalica Pork Belly ($20) with barley risotto, turnip, wild mushrooms, foie gras sauce perigueux. The fats were very well rendered fats and they disintegrated into nothingness when you bite into it. The smoky char of the rich meat paired well with the sweet barley and vegetables but i found the dish to be a tad oily overall.
I had the Asian spiced braised beef short ribs ($28) with jalapeño and rosemary crumbs, apples, organic baby carrots. I've never had a braised beef short ribs done this style before and the jalapeño provided the lifting citrusy flavor to the fork tender meat. Pretty interesting and tasty dish!
The Market fish of the day ($26) (we can't remember what fish it was) was distinctly sweet because of the freshness of the fish. This is certainly recommended if you want a light dish. That's not to say that this is bland though. The salty and citrusy broth was robust without overpowering the fish.
We could not resist having some desserts and you simply must order the Chocolate and Pistachio ($13). There is no chocolate overload here even though the Valrhona chocolate was presented in 4 different ways- Guanaja fondant, Tanariva mousse, Ivory white chocolate espuma, and Araguani chips. There were so many different flavors and textures in this one. I tasted peanut butter salted crumbles with crackle pops (i was the first to notice that), flowy baby lava cake (can't we have a bigger one), salty ivory espuma which reminded me of a goats cheese, and a nutty pistachio ice cream. It was a wonderful end to the meal, which would be better if we had more!
Hats down to the Saveur boys for pulling modern French fine dining off. I certainly see myself visiting again (before the queues get too long). My only grumble is that the portions are a little small and we could do with a little more even with our little ladies' stomachs.
Tel: +65 6634 1141
Daily: 12 - 9.30pm
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