Sunset Grill @ Seletar Airbase

I first got to know of this place through a website, then realised it sells my favourite food - fried chicken wings, or rather, red hot spicy buffalo wings, so have been waiting to try it out. Initially the distance is quite a turnoff, as it is at a very inaccessible place, where no one even knows existed! The place itself is at a deep part of Seletar Air Base, so deep that it is almost impossible to get to!

Some months back, I tried to figure out how to go there. Since we happen to be the not-so-lucky ones who are not able to own a car, I tried to see how else to get there. I discovered from my place, I can take a bus down, and then change the bus that will bring me right in. But then upon searching, I found out that even though the bus goes "right in", it only stops at the entrance to the airbase. The eatery itself is deep inside the airbase, amongst those aircraft hangars.

In the end, we decided to hitch a cab. Turns out that even the cab driver himself does not know where the place is! He turned a few rounds, went right into the air base into a grassy area of sparse housing, past a dilapidated colonial bungalow which has since been unused, and finally when we saw a car turning and guessed it was going to the same place, we followed the car, and found the place!

I still had no idea how we found the place because there are just so many twists and turns and dirt tracks, but at least we found it! The eatery itself is in a zinc-roofed house. I felt as if I have stepped back into time!

The entrance to Sunset Grill

The outdoor kitchen-cum-washing area

Upon reaching the place, we saw that there were two areas - an airconditioned indoor area, and an alfresco area facing the airplanes, and accompanied by grass and mosquitoes. The tables and chairs were placed around a big tree and there were mosquito coils around.

One of the tables at the alfresco area

View of an aircraft where we were seated

The surrounding aircraft hangars

View of the alfresco area of the eatery

We were there for only one purpose - the buffalo wings with different levels of spicyness. So we ordered the wings. There were thirty levels of spicyness, from not spicy at all (Level 1) to super-hot-and-spicy-that-you-need-a-jug-of-water (Level 30). Since we had no idea exactly the level of spice being used, we decided to "play safe" and ordered one plate of half a dozen wings (three Level 3 and three Level 2), with drinks and garlic bread at the side.

Garlic bread

This is the actual size of the garlic bread. Besides being a bit burnt at the side, the bread tasted just perfect - just the right level of garlic butter used.

The famous buffalo wings with carrot and celery and blue cheese dip

These were only Level 2 and 3 in terms of spicyness. To me, they were not spicy at all, but to him, he felt they were a tad spicy. If we had ordered a higher level of spicyness, the chicken wings would look much redder. Despite that, the chicken wings are fantastic! The skin is crispy and the taste is superb! Even without the spicyness, the chicken wings are delicious! No wonder this place is so popular with locals and expatriates alike!

Sun setting over the horizon

Sunset Grill indeed!

We finished our meal just when the sun set. This is definitely a great place to see the sunset and enjoy some hors d'oeuvres while chilling out at the same time. I will definitely come again, to try higher level of the wings next time round!

Outside of the eatery

The next question is, how did we get back? The serving staff was kind enough to call us a cab. Apparently they had special cab services, otherwise how in the world would anyone be able to find their way out? The cab managed to find its way in and the sky was dark by the time we reached home. Till then.. at least another eating adventure concluded!

1 Twenty-Six @ East Coast Park

It is his birthday, as well as "anniversary" of our one and a half years of dating, so I brought him to this place right by East Coast beach called 1-Twenty-Six, which is a place we have always wanted to try. The location itself is already in a perfect place because we can see the beach from where we were seated. Growing up in an area near to the beach, this is really a great place to hang out and chill!

The front entrance of the restaurant

The beach from where we were seated

The food is of a communal dining concept, which means the bits and pieces all come in a plate for us to share, and we would take the food from the plate and pile into our own small plates. When I called in for a reservation, I did indicate it was a birthday dinner, so the service staff kindly gave us a specialised menu, consisting of appetizers (communal style), individual main courses with communal sides, and desserts.

Starters - Bread with water and olive oil

Appetizers - Calamari, Canapes, Salmon Paste

Tomato Puree

Main Course - Roast Chicken

Sides - Salad, Chips and Fried Calamari

Dessert - Blackberry Tiramisu with Vanilla Ice Cream

Because this was a birthday dinner, a complimentary bottle of red wine was also given!

2 glasses of red wine

All in all, despite the fact that I have wanted to go there, in the end, the food was a disappointment. The calamari was hard, the mains were overcooked, and the salad was too hard. Maybe salad is supposed to be hard, but I would prefer fresh soft lettuce anytime! For the price that was paid, I would definitely think the quality would be much better!

This is definitely more a place for drinks and chilling out than a special dinner.

Food - 3 out of 5
Price - 1.5 out of 5
Ambience - 3.5 out of 5
Service - 3.5 out of 5

Wala Wala @ Holland Village

Last Friday I went to Wala Wala. I have heard a lot about this place, but have never been there. When we went there it was almost full, so we sat outside.

The place is a pretty good chill-out joint with a big television screen for soccer enthusiasts. A game was shown that night and one could hear scores of fans shouting and cheering. The place sells a mean Erdinger beer as well as lychee martini, and there was one-for-one drinks during Happy Hour in the evening.

One thing I must commend on is that the chicken wings are superb! Delicious, spicy and fried to perfection! We ordered a plate of hot wings with chilli sauce and the plate was wiped out within five minutes!

It was my first experience there. Even though we did not stay long as we had a movie to catch, it was enough to make me want to go back. Perhaps next time I would be able to sit inside and order a proper meal instead of just drinks!

Food : 3.5 out of 5
Ambience : 3 out of 5
Price : 3 out of 5

The INK Club Bar @ Fairmont Singapore

It was the first time I went to this joint at the Fairmont Singapore, next to the Swissotel Stamford. The interior decoration is pretty chic! The bar reminds me of those that is always shown in Hong Kong drama serials. The drinks look interesting and have quite a big variety too!

The lychee martini there is solid! The martini is really shaken, not stirred. A martini glass is put in front of you, with a lychee in it. Then the martini is shaken in a cocktail mixer, then poured onto the glass. One sip of the martini and you are in heaven!

The rest of them ordered a combination of mojito, vodka, cocktails and beer. We sat down, chilling out, chatting, and listening to the jazz band consisting of three handsome hunks - the singer, the pianist and the drummer. The singer is really to-die-for! His looks, his body and his voice... WOW!!!

And the songs are nice too. At least they are some of my favourites so I find them nice. He crooned a medley of songs ranging from "Fly Me To The Moon" to "Sway" (jazz version) to "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" and "L-O-V-E".

The best thing was that it was happy hour when we went there, so we got the second drink free! By the time I reached home it was almost midnight. I do not really fancy pubs and bars, but this is one place which I find suits me pretty well. Definitely I will like to go there to chill out again!

Food : (in this case, drinks) 4 out of 5
Ambience : 4 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

The Penny Black @ Boat Quay

I have heard about this olde Irish pub for ages, and finally had a chance to go there last night. The interior decoration is reminiscent of a typical Victorian era pub, with wooden seats, bars, and even a mailbox as a table!

Even the doors and windows were reminiscent of that era. In short, I like it! For someone who always likes things from the old English era, the pub is really fitting for me! The music is not too loud, the people not too noisy, and it is not too crowded too! Again, perhaps it is mid-week during a weekday, or perhaps I went relatively early, hence the crowd has not arrived.

Apparently the place serves a mean Erdinger White. How different does beer taste anyway? People know I am not a beer person, I am a wine person, but last night I could hardly see any trace of wine. My favourite cocktail was not on the menu either, so in the end I settled for a pint of orange juice.

I am sure to go back again, at least to try the food! Hopefully the next time I am there I can venture upstairs where I think the decoration is nicer!

Food : no comment
Ambience : 4.5 out of 5
Price : no comment

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

Villa Bali @ Gilman Barracks

Villa Bali is a Balinese-inspired bar, where most prefer to sit al fresco, and at the end of the place are some Balinese huts, complete with mats and cushions. Apparently, if any customer wants to sit in the hut, there will be a special charge. We sat on rattan chairs that are comfortable, and it makes a good environment to chill out. That was the first time I tried a frozen margarita, strawberry-flavoured with huge chunks of ice!

When the drink came, it was spilling out from the side, so I quickly grabbed the straw and sipped away the sides. I wanted something sweet and will not make me drunk, so the frozen margarita is a good choice. I managed to drink the entire glass, without getting drunk (although I still felt a tad tipsy when I reached home - my cheeks were so red!), as compared to when I drank Singapore Sling, now that will make me drunk rather quickly!

It is a good place to go again, at least to just chill out and drink!

Food : (no comment since did not taste any)
Ambience : 4 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

The Wine Company @ Evans

A friend and I went to The Wine Company @ Evans for dinner last night. That place used to be a hostel, then converted to lecturers' offices and quarters, serving the old University of Singapore, and now, several restaurants and eating places have taken over the premises.

We sat in a corner next to the wine cellar. Living up to its name, the place stores a variety of wine from Spain, France, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, red wine, white wine, champagne. We were both drooling at the large variety of wine on display and sale, but a pity we were not able to drink, as my friend was driving, and I did not wish to collapse in the middle of a restaurant.

The food is good though. We started off with cheese platter, with five types of cheese. Main course for me was penne with bacon, and he had salmon fetuccine. Delicious and filling! After the big feast on Friday and last night, I really have to fast the rest of the week, otherwise all my efforts at slimming will be wasted!

Food : 3.5 out of 5
Ambience : 3.5 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

Giraffe @ Istana Park

There is this cosy two-storey glass building opposite Plaza Singapura, with a safari theme called Giraffe. We were there for drinks after a movie. Having had my fill of drinks at Brix, I decided to go easy this time and just ordered Earl Grey tea. Coincidentally, this place serve a mean Earl Grey tea - not too sweet, not too bitter, just the right consistency and the aroma is great!

I was still full from dinner so declined any order of food. The place was jam-packed (what can you expect from a Friday night?) and full of expatriates chilling out, or families enjoying the coolness of the night amidst the trees and jungle theme.

A pity my visit there is so short-lived. I would so want to go back there again!

Brix @ Grand Hyatt

There is this cool chill-out place at the basement of Grand Hyatt called Brix that is a cosy place for Happy Hour. We were there after work, just hanging out and relaxing. The crowd came in around nine in the evening. Normally I would order Singapore Sling but tonight I was in the mood for Long Island Tea. It was a stab in the dark but that turned out to be the best Long Island Tea I have ever taken!

The live band started playing around half-past nine. Apparently the crowd could ask for a song and the band would play, but seems like they did not know how to sing the song I wanted. :-( I ordered another drink - Singapore Sling this time, and buffalo wings.

The food is yummy and the drinks are nice! No wonder the place is so crowded and so many people like it!

Food (and drinks) : 4.5 out of 5
Ambience : 3 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

The Balcony Outside Heeren

Does anyone know of this place with suspension basket-like seats outside the Heeren? It occupies a small alfresco area outside The Heeren. The place is a cosy area for afternoon tea or just chilling out with friends.

I was there with a friend earlier on today. We sat at one of the suspension seats, chatting and drinking tea. It would have been an interesting experience, except the suspension seats make me feel like a cocoon. Now I know how caterpillars feel when they are in the midst of metamorphosis.

I would not recommend this place for food though. The variety of cakes and desserts leave much to be desired. But it is a good place on a cool day to have afternoon tea, as in just drinking tea, not the afternoon tea set. Which reminds me, I must find out where to have the best afternoon tea meals on this island!

Food : (no food, just drinks) 3 out of 5 (the tea is a bit bland)
Ambience : 3.5 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5