Singapore Food Blog - Chong Qing Grilled Fish 重庆烤鱼

Location: Bugis, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Liang Seah Street branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

Recommended: Grilled Fish (what else...)

I was unaware of this Szechuanese restaurant until my friends brought me to try it out. Apparently Chong Qing Grilled Fish is quite famous and throngs of customers were waiting for a seat when we left. Fortunately for us, we arrived before dinner peak hour and managed to avoid the same fate as those diners.

Despite the fact that Chong Qing Grilled Fish occupies 2 shop floors, the interior is not too spacious, with seats arranged close to each other and conversations within earshot. Coupled with the fact that the grilled fish was served piping hot (no, really...), we felt like a steaming can of sardines, with the aroma of grilled fish to go with.

With a name of Chong Qing Grilled Fish, there wasn't any surprises that the main dish of choice was various Szechuanese based grill fish, coupled with a limited selection of other dishes to go with the spicy main offer. Although grilled fish took the main spot, the other list of dishes would help cater to a larger group and more varied tastes.

Our choice of dish - Golden Snapper 红曹 in Pickled Cabbage flavor hot pot (酸菜)

Singapore Food Blog - Tart Blanc

Location: Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated: This business is permanently closed.

Recommended: Various tarts, Mint Cucumber tea

I have to confess that Millenia Walk is not my usual haunt - in fact I have never been there before if it wasn't for a Groupon voucher which we purchased to try out this store named Tart Blanc. For SGD11.80, we get to enjoy a tea set worth SGD24 for 2 that include 2 tarts and 2 hot beverages. With such an irresistible offer, how could we not give it a try?

Tart Blanc fits the description of "hole in the wall" literally by fitting into a small space, accommodating at most 5 - 6 couples, its counter occupying the other half of the store. With an unassuming exterior, we almost missed it if we were not looking for it. However my limited French allowed me to appreciate this artisan cafe's choice of various shades of white as its main theme, from the Chinese lantern styled lamps to the paint on the wall, for "blanc" is "white" in French.

Tart Blanc - it is French for "tart white", an apt description of their main selling pastry and the color of choice for interior decor.

Singapore Food blog - Tim Ho Wan 添好運 @ Plaza Singapura

Location: Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Plaza Singapura branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

Recommended: Prawn Dumpling (晶莹鲜虾饺) (SGD6), Pork Dumpling with Shrimp (鲜虾烧卖皇) (SGD5.50)

Every time I walked past Tim Ho Wan in Plaza Singapura, I was amazed by the sheer amount of people willing to brave the queue to get a taste of dim sum. Of course the fact that they advertised themselves as a Michelin star restaurant from Hong Kong did help push up the hype that generated such a loyal crowd. Me, who despise long queues, did not get the oppurtunity until a day when I saw that the queue was just the length of a few customers. So naturally I availed myself the chance to sample a taste of a 1 star Michelin restaurant specializing in dim sum.

Menu

Singapore Food Blog - Five and Dime Eatery

Location: Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated 2-Aug-2016: This business is permanently closed.

Recommended: Golden Custard Lava Cake (SGD12), Mentaiko Pasta (SGD18)

Sometimes reading “Lists of… to Die For” could be rather rewarding. At least it brings you to places you wouldn’t necessarily wander to. Take Five and Dime for example, its location a hideout among the affluent along River Valley Road, a modern shop nestled between some residential houses which architecture was frozen in time. Of course their location is not the focus here and yet I couldn’t help but to marvel upon how an eatery got itself into such a quaint spot.

Welcome to Five and Dime!

Singapore Food Blog - Department of Caffeine

Location: Duxton Road, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated 1-Jan-2017: This outlet is permanently closed.

I have read enough of "Top 10 cafes to visit in Singapore" that has been shared in the internet and I saw that Department of Caffeine has been on most of those list. Most probably they all copied from the same source and duplicate it as their own list of top 10, but the name itself is quite catchy. You definitely will look for a "department" of caffeine when you are looking for a cuppa joe.

Caffe Mocha (SGD5.50) - thick, good mix of espresso and chocolate, and topped with a nice latte art. What more could you ask for? The cuppa joe would get more acidic at the bottom, most probably due to the choice of coffee bean and method of roasting, so be prepared for that.

Singapore Food Blog - The Asian Kitchen's Lu Gang Xiao Zhen 鹿港小镇

Location: Bugis, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated: This business is permanently closed.

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Bugis+ branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

The Asian Kitchen's name is rather peculiar as its name English and Mandarin name does not match each other. Its Mandarin name is 鹿港小镇 (Lu Gang Xiao Zhen), potentially named after a small township in Taiwan though the reason why is beyond my guess. Apart from a peculiar name, I do find its dishes memorable, worthy of a recommendation from me.

I usually patronize the branch in Bugis+, personally because the restaurant is located on the highest floor of the mall and has a high ceiling. Despite its relative lack of deco the high ceiling and ample distance between tables gave a spacious feel to the place.

Herbal Crispy Duck (药材烧鸭) (small - SGD12.70) is one of our favorite dish in The Asian Kitchen . Its crispy skin and succulent flesh soaked up the sauce it bathed in, bringing forth the flavor with every bite and chew.

Singapore Food Blog - Bakerzin @ Orchard Paragon

Location: Orchard, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated 29-Nov-2015: This outlet in Orchard Paragon is permanently closed. Outlets of Bakerzin can still be located in other locations through here: outlet locations.

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Orchard Paragon branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.

Every once in a while I would walk past a Bakerzin cafe, its colorful confectioneries attracting my interest now and then but rarely did I stop for a break there. That was until once when I spied this one in Orchard Paragon and thought that I could get a break there, what with the cafes overflowing nearly everywhere on a busy weekend packed full of shoppers.

My impression of Bakerzin as a confectionery store and coffee serving cafe was challenged when I flipped through their menu and saw that they offered several main dishes as well. They served drinks, both caffeine laced and caffeine free, delivering enough to suit diners with different taste.

Bakerzin's menu is like a recipe book. Each section of the menu start off with an introduction of some ingredient highlights , some of which pointed to their nutritious values in the dishes in subsequent pages.

Singapore Food Blog - Bangkok Jam @ Plaza Singapura

Location: Dhoby Ghaut, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This post is written base on the dining experience in Plaza Singapura branch. Experience may vary from that of other outlets.


I visited this establishment when the riots were in full swing in Bangkok. The flow of tourists who once flocked to the vibrant city slowed to a halt, countries advising their citizens against entering the city, or the nation even. Bloodied images of chaos painted a grim picture of the city, with most captions questioning the future of the nation in the coming months. And the name Bangkok Jam reminded me of all that even as I was seated in its compound.

A riot of color and organised chaos (if there is such a thing) greeted my senses at the entrance of this establishment. Lampposts and traffic lights stood randomly in the "compound", itself an interesting but effective utilization of space by situating itself next to a bank of elevators and in a spot where the geometry of the floor plan induce headaches with most interior designers. Seated within the restaurant was akin to street side dining without the noisy traffic and dusty environment such seating came with.

To my utmost surprise, the menu was presented like a newspaper, with the news content being the dishes and the hottest news being none other than the recommended dish. Such a concept was employed by Ambush, invoking memories of delicious European dishes as was shared in Singapore Food Blog - Ambush @ Jurong Point.

The menu was presented in a newspaper format, in a way reminding me of Ambush restaurant which uses a similar concept.

Singapore Food Blog - Poulét @ Raffles City Shopping Centre

Location: City Hall, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Note: This piece was written base on the dining experience in Raffles City Shopping Centre's outlet. Experience may differ from those in another branch.

Getting affordable French cuisine in Singapore could be a challenge sometimes, with most of the high end fine dining claiming the honors to host such fine cuisine. The opening of Poulét by the same group operating Thai Express allowed middle income diners like me to try something French without the need to fork out a stack of greens or a significant deduction from your credit account.

Poulét is French for chicken, and as if to further emphasize this, their signature dish is one Poulét Roti, a dish offering you a choice of half or whole chicken. Of course, the queue in front of the restaurant during dining hours lend some testament to their reputation, so off we went for some French food.

If you can't relate the word Poulet with France, surely the half-chopped Eiffel Tower will remind you of the nation...

Singapore Food Blog - PODI (Pure. Offbeat. Delicious. Infusions.) @ Raffles City

Location: City Hall, Central Business District (CBD), Singapore

Updated: This business is permanently closed.

Pure. Offbeat. Delicious. Infusions. Not sure why these were chosen to form the acronym of the recently opened business in the basement fountain area of Raffles City Shopping Center, but there it was. Gone was the previous establishment occupying the spot, Out of the Pan, a cafe known for its crepes. And out it did. I was rather intrigued as to what The Bakery Depot, the parent company behind the popular Cedele chain of bakeries and cafes, would want to offer with PODI. My experience with Cedele was very positive, and being a frequent patron of its cafes, I decided to give this new establishment a try. To intrigue me more, very little information was available of this restaurant online, leaving a few blog posts and my own imagination to predict what I would get out of this.

PODI's location is rather strategic. The fountain area is one of those popular areas in Raffles City Shopping Center frequented by patrons and shoppers. To be able to dine beside the dancing waters under lighting styled after streetlights would be priceless.

2013 Hanoi Trip - New Day Restaurant (một ngày mới)

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

Vietnamese: một ngày mới

Full experience of my visit to Hanoi can be accessed through the list below:

Attractions:   St Joseph's Cathedral | One Pillar Pagoda | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Thang Long Water Puppet Theater | Lý Thái Tổ Garden

Dining:          Sketch Coffee | Bánh Cuốn Gia Truyền | Dương Hoa Kem Caramen | Thu Nga Kem Xôi & Chè Thái Lan

More about Hanoi can be read through the list below:
Vietnamese Dong

The trouble with traveling to a new location where the culture is vastly different and alien to you is the choice of dining spot. Choices were abundant when it came to lunch time in Hanoi, but therein lied the problem. Too many choices created an inability to choose from, and as if anticipating our thoughts, our hostel reception recommended New Day Restaurant as a possible choice. With the location marked on our map, off we went to explore our first Vietnamese fare. And not a bad recommendation it was.

A rainy lunch day in Hanoi. For foreigners unfamiliar with Vietnamese fare, especially their way of sitting on very low stool for food, dining at New Day Restaurant would be a good choice.

Singapore Food Blog - Hatched @ Holland Village

Location: Holland Village, Singapore

Note: This piece was written base on the dining experience in Holland Village branch. Experience may differ from those in another branch.

Egg - one of the food items which removes the boundary of nations and cultures, catering vegetarians (some consider egg as a vegetarian food) and carnivores alike. Wherever you go, you can be sure that there will be at least a kind of food made from this universal food. You could fry it, bake it, boil it, half-boil it, scramble it or poach it. You can have it as a custard, omelette, tart or salad, even pickled or salted. The possibilities are endless. And it makes sense to have a cafe opened with a main theme based on eggs. You just couldn't go wrong with that. Thus was born one named Hatched.

Even salt and pepper are served through egg-shaped shakers! Something may hatch out of it... Salt and peppers perhaps?

Singapore Food Blog - Fish and Co @ Changi Airport T2

Location: Changi Airport, Singapore

Every time we disembark from our flight in Changi Airport's T2, it would be right around dinner time. Nobody to blame on that but the fact that there was but 2 flights per day from our hometown to Singapore, and we picked the later flight so that we can spend a little more time at home. Home sweet home, as they say.

The thought of the 3 changes in public transit and hour long journey ahead was not helping, so our growling stomachs demanded sacrifices be made to accommodate their churning wrath. There were a wide range of choices of restaurants and cafes in Changi Airport, so to choose from such myriad choices and still have money left in our purses will required careful considerations.

I had eyed Fish and Co for a long time since I set foot in Singapore, but my impression of the restaurant chain was a seafood establishment with a not-so-impressive price tag. Still, sooner or later I would try it, what with fish and chips being one of my favorite. With that thought in mind, I asked myself, why not sooner rather than later?

Dining in Fish and Co means seeing fish everywhere. A fish shaped hard pad for your dish, a metal fishing bucket mimicking the one used to store catches for your utensils, and a fishing magazine-like menu for your orders. The store even has fishy facts on its wallpaper. All in all, a good day to fish (and co).

Singapore Food Blog - Ambush @ Jurong Point

Location: Jurong West, Singapore

Passing by this small and cramped area in Jurong Point shopping mall, I always wondered what it was to dine within such a confined area, with crowds able to see what it was which you ordered, as well as the look on your face when you sampled a bite off the steak you sawed through.

The catchy name of Ambush was quite intriguing, as well as the range of choices it offered off its menu. The dining joint had a well-deserved boast of offering a taste from Europe, as it was one of the few restaurants which offered truly something from different corners of the continent at a price affordable to us poor middle-class workers. Its slogan said it all - A piece of Europe on your plates.

Seated within the open restaurant allowed one to look around at the frenzy of shoppers, but you will need to learn to ignore the open stares directed to your dish. Otherwise, the small place with its chic design does seem to bring a piece of Europe with it.

Malaysia Food Blog - Fish Head Curry @ Kam Loong Restaurant (阿福街金龙阿仔咖哩鱼头)

Location: Jalan Wong Ah Fook, Johor Bahru (near City Square and JB Sentral)

Only realized now that I had not penned any article on Malaysian food, so I guess this has the honor of being my first article to promote Malaysian food. Fish head curry is particularly famous in Malaysia, but different regions of Malaysia, even different ethnics of the same region, have their own secret recipe. This makes consuming the curry a new experience wherever you go.

Singapore Food Blog - IKEA Restaurant @ Alexandra

Location: Alexandra, Singapore

I never was familiar with IKEA, nor was I familiar with Swedish meal, until I was introduced to both in an IKEA restaurant. Yes, that's right - if you are as unfamiliar with IKEA as I was, they have a restaurant within the boundary of the furniture giant and it is operated under their name.

The one that I visited in Alexandra was packed full of people in the weekend, greeting you with a long queue  and throngs of crowd. From what I understand, it is as such on weekdays as well, showing how popular it is with the locals. Then again, where else can one sample Swedish food while shopping in a furniture concept store?

Welcome to IKEA! The restaurant itself jutted out from the large container-like furniture giant. Seated by the windows will offer diners an unobstructed view of the hustle and bustle of traffic and pedestrian beyond the transparent glass.

Malaysia Food Blog - Tuck Kee Restaurant @ Yau Tet Shin Street

Location: Yau Tet Shin Street, Ipoh

If you have read my previous article on Mix Fruit Ice and crave for more of Ipoh's more locally available food, then here's another one located just nearby the area. The shop's name may or may not be familiar with most people since there are 2 'Tuck Kee' along the same row of shops... heck, they are practically sister shops next to each other, except for the fact that there is another shop in between the competing business.

The shop is nothing to scream about, except for the fact that it has been in operation for a very long while, which lent credit to how popular it is. Another sister shop named 'Sun Tuck Kee' (that's new Tuck Kee for you non-Cantonese speakers) provides similar choices of dish.

Malaysia Food Blog - MichelangelO's Pizzeria - Home of Authentic American Woodfired Pizza

Location: Ipoh Garden East, Ipoh, Perak.

Pizza - I know I will go for Pizza Hut when I am in Ipoh, but knowing a Michelangelo's Pizzeria in Ipoh is quite a surprise to me, more so that it is operated by a Westerner. Still, much thanks to my friends for introducing me to this superb establishment which offered me an alternative to the famous neighborhood pizza franchise, which started to bore me anyway.

Welcome to MichelangelO's Pizzeria! Even without the effects I overlaid  on the photo, the sign does look faded, so you will have to keep an eye open for the shop.

I remember that when we arrived, the owner of the pizzeria was trying to joke with us. Well, I was not quite sure it was a joke then, until he grinned widely at us and ushered us in. That was quite a change of way in greeting customers from the well accustomed Malaysian style. Still, I presume that there may be some who may be confused by his joke, so just be patient and enjoy the moment with him.

By the way, did I also mentioned that if you are asking for a table for multiple persons, you will need to have everyone present before he lets you all in? So no more booking a few tables when only 2 persons are there. Hmm...

The establishment that is Michelangelo's Pizzeria was featured in the papers before, as was evidence in the framed articles outside the pizzeria, the pride of the establishment. 

Malaysia Food Blog - Taipei 101 (台北101)

Location: Bayan Lepas, Penang Isle

No, this is not about that tall building in Taiwan. This is about a shop situated right opposite of Queensbay Mall, with its yellow sign gleaming through day and night. Indeed, the same establishment was originally called Mommy Wang (王妈妈), and after they started operating for a while they switched to this name which you can see across the street from Queensbay Mall's entrance.

Most of the joints near or in Queensbay Mall are not exactly for one with is not on a splurge. If you are one of those with a limited budget, and still would like to get a decent meal that is different from your usual ones, then I would definitely suggest Taipei 101.

Malaysia Food Blog - Madam Soon - A New Concept of the Spring

Location: E-Gate, Penang Isle

My old friends from my university years planned for a reunion in E-Gate, but we were not really sure where to head to. We saw Madam Soon right beside Old Town Cafe, and just out of curiosity, we went right in into a world of turquoise and amber.

Although the joint is called Madam Soon, the nice sprawling on the blackboard still tells otherwise.