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

Oscar's Cafe @ Conrad Centennial

I went to Oscar's Cafe at Conrad Centennial a few days back. I have heard about Oscar's Cafe quite some time ago and have always wanted to try it out, so when I got the chance a few days back, I seized at the opportunity. However, it was quite a letdown. Or perhaps I was expecting the place to be cosy and quiet, with a nice aura, but it was just a normal place for buffet. The food is alright, with a a bit of variety, but overall, I was not overwhelmed by the place.

For a cafe with such a name, and at such a location, I would kind of expect it to be better, considering the price paid. I have heard raving reviews about the hot chocolate there, but when I ordered one, it was nothing out of the ordinary. I have had better hot chocolates elsewhere. Also, I heard it is one of those places that still have my favourite dessert - Sago Gula Melaka, but there was no trace of it at all! Overall, my experience there was quite disappointing.

I do not mind going there again though, but at a different time. Perhaps the lunch, tea or supper menu will be better? Not to mention it is open twenty-four hours of the day, so maybe the menu on the other timings are better?

Cuisine : International
Food : 2.5 out of 5
Ambience : 2 out of 5
Price : 2 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

Corduroy Cafe @ ViVo City

There is this rather quaint cafe in ViVo City called the Corduroy Cafe, under the same umbrella as Corduroy and Finch. The place is pretty cosy, with sofa chairs, English-inspired theme, with home-made jam, complete with an antique piano. There is also a bookshelf filled with magazines like National Geographic where people can sit and read for hours. The food is not too bad as well.

A friend and I were there last night for dinner. I ordered lasagne and English Breakfast tea, and the tea comes in a tea strainer instead of a teapot, but I love the teacup and saucer set! The teacup and saucer set is clear and transparent, so cute and quaint! Not to mention when I asked for milk, the milk comes in a mini glass bottle, which reminds me of those old-fashioned glass milk bottles that were left outside English village houses!

A pity we were rushed for time, so did not get to stay much. But the service sucks though. I had to ask for quite a few things before they gave me, and some of the things had to be self-service, like bill payment. I wonder why they even have the cheek to charge us service charge?

Food : 3 out of 5
Ambience : 3.5 out of 5
Service : 2 out of 5
Price : 3.5 out of 5

Au Petit Salut @ Dempsey

I went to a fantabulous dining place on Saturday night - a cosy French restaurant called Au Petit Salut, the one at Dempsey, although there is another one at Holland Village. Kudos to the chef, because almost everything was perfect! We ordered a la carte instead of the set, so started off with traditional French Onion soup (how can anyone go to a French restaurant and not have onion soup?), pan-friend onglet beef (medium) for me and roasted quail for my friend, and ended off with dessert, where I ordered Creme Brulee and he Orange Souffle. I had a glass of lychee martini, mixed to perfection!

The food is really good, the beef is perfectly medium and the creme brulee is on par with the one I had in England last year. Even the quail is tender and juicy (well, but then that was the first time I actually ate a bird other than chicken and the occasional duck, so there was no basis for any comparison, still it tastes pretty good). Service is good too, the waitress is polite yet not overbearing, and enthusiastic (too enthusiastic at certain times!). The only gripe is that the onion soup is a bit too bland, despite putting pepper in.

We were dining al fresco, but luckily it rained that afternoon, so the weather was not too hot and humid. The ambience is really nice, dimly lit, candlelight, with trees and the roadside just next to us. It kind of reminded me of the open restaurant in Gozo (Malta) which I went to last year, where the dining is by candlelight, with the restaurant being next to the sea. Compared to the Pump Room where we went for drinks after that (it has the worst Long Island Tea I ever tasted - too concentrated!), Au Petit Salut is really a highly recommended place to go to.

Cuisine : French
Food : 4.5 out of 5
Ambience : 4.5 out of 5
Service : 4 out of 5
Price : 3 out of 5

My Escargot Episode

I ate a snail last night. The friend I was having dinner with ordered a plate of escargots. Actually it is nice, but I simply cannot get the image of the slimy snail crawling around with its two eyes in the air, thus I had to psyche myself to eat it. And my friend was not helping matters, by telling me how he was playing with a cute puppy, went into a house for dinner, and came out to find the puppy gone because it was the main dish at the dinner. As well as the time he was slurping on something juicy, only to see under the table that he was eating monkey's brain instead.

I know he was trying to tell me there were worse things, but did he really expect me to be able to stomach any food after hearing that? Still, I was in the middle of chomping a piece of garlic bread when I told myself to just eat it, like how I ate the rabbit stew last year, so I popped the escargot into my mouth and quickly chewed and swallowed it without thinking. Well, it was not a bad feat, but after this, I do not think I can ever stomach escargot for a long time again!

Chiffon Cakes

I came across a small shop at the Raffles Xchange selling chiffon cakes earlier on. Being a fan of the pandan chiffon, I stopped to take a look. The chiffon cakes are the mini types and come in all flavours, namely pandan, durian, coffee, oreo cookie, banana, orange, chocolate, triple chocolate, vanilla and cheese.

I could not resist it. Since my family members like chiffon cakes as well, I bought almost all the flavours, save for coffee and vanilla. A few weeks back, I was supposed to go for a chiffon cake baking workshop, but due to a clash in schedule, I was not able to make the class. How I wish there will be another class then I can bake to my heart's content!

Sun Japanese Dining @ CHIJMES

I was sick for a few days and finally able to get out of the house yesterday to meet a friend for dinner. Even though I still had not much of an appetite, still I managed to eat a good dinner, at this chic place at CHIJMES. When I stepped in, the restaurant gave me a zen-like feel, dimly lit and tatami as walls. The interior decoration on the walls consist of long brush strokes of calligraphy - really nice!

When I first stepped into the restaurant, I was thinking to myself that the name is really appropriate. Japan is the land of the rising sun after all, and during the anti-Qing revolution, the great Sun Yat-Sen escaped to Japan for a while to teach and preach his anti-Qing sentiments. Thus the name "Sun" for a Japanese restaurant is just perfect!

The food is a bit expensive though, although not too bad. I had rice with chicken and vegetables, with soup. It comes in a set, but I cannot remember the actual Japanese name for it, while my friend had beef ramen. We ordered salmon sashimi as well, and the salmon pieces are cool and fresh.

All in all, it was a filling dinner. For someone who barely managed to get the appetite back, I must say it had been a good dinner, after the few days of porridge - plain, fish, congee. At least I can finally eat solid food again without any discomfort whatsoever! This is one of the few good Japanese restaurants around, so I would recommend it, especially for those who love Japanese food!

Cuisine : Japanese
Food : 4 out of 5
Ambience : 4 out of 5
Price : 2.5 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