Mr Bean's Cafe @ Selegie

Finally I went to this cafe at Selegie Street after passing by it umpteen times. How my friend and I ended up at this cafe was because we were just wandering about, wondering where would be a good place to eat, so we ended up around that area, but a pity most places were closed (on Sundays?!), and that was the only one that was open in that area.

So we went in. The first thing I saw was a picture of Mona Lisa, with the face of Mr Bean (aka Rowan Atkinson). A rather humourous and light-hearted gesture actually, but real art connoisseurs will hit the roof! We sat down and looked through the menu, deciding where to eat, when we realised there were actually quite a lot of restrictions.

Firstly, the set dinner looked so appetising, but it was not available on Sunday. So we looked through the promotional menu, but that, too, was not available on Sunday. Finally, we had to order ala carte. When the waiter came to take our order, I asked for soup, but he said no soup on Sunday. Right.... why would the cafe even be open then, and it was stated open for twenty-four hours, if everything was unavailable?

In the end, I settled for a bacon and cheese bruschetta. When we had finished our meals, the waitress came with our bills without any prompt. We were thinking of ordering dessert, but the waitress said the rule was that the bill would be presented once we had made our orders. Which means, if we wanted something else, we would have to order and pay again? I am surprised the cafe can still survive till now.

And it is not as if the food is that good. Nothing fancy or spectacular to speak of. The only thing I like about the place is that it is quaint and cosy, with quaint-looking windows and setting, something like those old-fashioned small village cafe which I went to in England and Tasmania. But without the colonial flavour.

Food : 2.5 out of 5
Ambience : 3.5 out of 5
Service : 2 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

Torisho Taka By Aoki @ Gallery Hotel

A friend and I went to this yakitori place at Gallery Hotel for dinner last night. The place is posh indeed! No wonder the dress code states "Smart Elegant". I was racking my brains wondering what "Smart Elegant" means, because it is different from smart casual. In the end, I figured as long as it is not denim or slippers, a bit dressier should suffice.

Thus I ended up with a black toga dress, draped with a lime green pashmina. The restaurant is a small place, with just four tables, and about fifteen or so counter seats. It does not seat that many. Thank goodness I managed to get reservations! But then the place was not really fully packed as well. And it seems like I happened to be the dressiest. Oh well....

We ordered the chicken skewers consisting of breast meat, gizzards, pork bellies, sirloin, squid, asparagus, hot and spicy ramen (still cannot be compared to the one I took in Sapporo, although the chef did a pretty good job), and fillets. With beer for him and sake for me. The sake comes in a traditional Japanese wine pot. I felt as if I had moved back one century!

Since there was still time after dinner, we decided to order dessert, so I tried Sakura ice-cream (cherry blosson ice cream, although it was tasteless) and he tried black sesame ice-cream (that is really black sesame). Overall a nice and cosy place, with good ambience and fine dining!

Food : 4 out of 5
Ambience : 4 out of 5
Price : 3 out of 5

Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily

A friend and I went to this restaurant on Saturday. That was the first time I went there, because for the whole of my life, I have never stepped into that area. I have stepped into the Mount Sophia area, but Mount Emily is further up and it is a bit hard to get to without a car or cab.

Initially we were thinking of going to Prive at the new Keppel Bay area, but when I called on Friday, the place was already fully booked for Saturday, and I was put on the waiting list, pending confirmation on Saturday afternoon. So we settled for Wild Rocket and it was lucky we managed to get reservations for Saturday night!

Anyway the place is situated on a hill in a small hotel, next to a colonial bungalow. The entire piece of land belongs to the same management, so we parked outside the colonial bungalow, which houses Wild Oats, the drinking place next to the restaurant. For someone who always loved Victorian architecture, I like the place the moment I set eyes on it.

The interior of the restaurant is pretty cosy and dimly lit. The waiters are jolly and friendly, with a good sense of humour. We started off with a salmon appetizer, had laksa pento, and for dessert I had Affagato with gula melaka while he had Yam Paste (aka orh nee).

The salmon was thinly sliced and mixed with wasabi and streaks of mayonaise (or was it tartar sauce?). The wasabi was just nice, not too thick, not too thin, just the right kick with the salmon. The laksa pento was cooked with the typical laksa leaves, sauce, prawns and egg, but instead of the white noodles, linguine was used in its place, and instead of the thick gravy, it was dried laksa.

For my dessert, I thought I could finally partake gula melaka again (something which is so hard to find nowadays), but then I realise, the place serves fusion food, so even though the menu states "gula melaka", it was probably not the same type I like. And how right I was! It was actually ice cream with the brown sugar syrup, without the sago, filled with Affagato (something like thick espresso). Nice, but the caffeine taste was too strong.

The Yam Paste was also coconut ice cream on top of the orh nee, put in thinly sliced waffle. Not too bad as well. The meal was complemented with lychee martini for me and a kind of beer for my friend, although I think the lychee martini at Au Petit Salut was better. I just realised that lychee martini is shaken, not stirred, as in true 007 style.

Overall, it was a good meal, with good food and good ambience. At least it was somewhere different, and that is what I enjoy - exploring different places to venture into. It is good to have company that enjoys the same things I do!

Cuisine : Japanese
Food : 4 out of 5
Ambience : 4.5 out of 5
Price : 3 out of 5