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Maison Ikkoku
this is probably long overdue, to talk about our favourite shop-house cafe that we discovered by chance a couple of years back. since then, we have visited this place countless times for brunch and lunch, each time duly satisfied with the very earnest delivery of the food, the cosy atmosphere and the honest service that the crew brings along..
we're talking about Maison Ikkoku, situated within the heart of the Kampong Glam conservation area. this innocuously looking shop-house is certainly home to one hidden gem of a cafe. we actually first heard of this place through a Google search for Singapore's best Eggs Benedict, and the one served at this place is rated by several local food bloggers as one of the very best. we soon discovered that it was indeed a very hip brunch place, with many seasonal creations of cakes and pastries that you can try each week. 
so this is what we came for, the acclaimed Eggs Benedict - dished with prosciutto ham, poached egg (with a flowing lava yolk), cherry tomatoes and their own blend of hollandaise sauce all decked onto well toasted brioche bread. some places don't get the eggs right, while others have their dough a little too hard, the version at Maison Ikkoku really lives up to their reputation as one of Singapore's finest. 
another one of their signature brunch dishes would be this Hangover Omelette. certainly not something you'd have when you just woke up from a hangover, as this is one very hearty combination of a buttered, cheesy omelette wrapped with honey baked ham, onions, bell peppers and portobello mushrooms, served with potato wedges and toast. very filling indeed. Maison Ikkoku's brunch menu serves all day on weekends and holidays, while on the weekdays, there's also a nice lunch/dinner menu to pick from. 
we thoroughly enjoyed their pastas served for weekday lunch, such as this seafood marinara which has a very generous serving of clams, prawns and squids, accompanied with a mildly spicy tomato sauce. we loved their carbonara too, which has finely cut bacon served with linguine pasta on a very thick cream sauce. oh did we mention that drinks are on the house when you order the lunch sets on weekdays? what a treat! Maison Ikkoku serves up a good blend of coffee too, look out for their signature MI Latte or for soda lovers, there's a selection of cream sodas that one can choose from. Everyone has their own kind of chill out cafe, for us, Maison Ikkoku somehow has a special place in our hearts. 
Maison Ikkoku 20 Kandahar Street Singapore 198885 Opening Hours Mondays to Thursdays: 9 am to 9 pm Fridays & Saturdays: 9 am to 11 pm Sundays: 9 am to 7 pm There's a men's boutique on the second floor of this shop house? London Fat Duck
the attention on Chinese restaurants serving roasted duck was revived lately when UK based Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant from Baywater London opened its first outlet in Singapore. of late, several other restaurants have been adding on versions of the signature London duck onto their menus, and this increasingly popular restaurant at Scotts Square is even named after the dish..
today, it is not uncommon to see crowds forming outside this place around lunch and dinner times. Contrary to popular belief, London Fat Duck is not found in the UK. this concept adaptation, revolves around the signature roasted duck dish which uses the same Irish ducks as those found in restaurants along Baywater London. brought in by the Akashi Group, the restaurant also serves up a good variety of Hong Kong dishes and dim sum. 
popular Hong Kong styled noodle and congee makes up the staples that accompanies most of the patrons here. We tried this Seafood congee "Ting Zai" style, which comes with scallops, fish slices, peanuts and spring onions. The Hong Kong Wanton noodles and beef brisket noodles are also popular amongst those coming for the full Cantonese fix. 
of course, everyone comes here for the signature London roast duck, which comes in quarter, half and whole duck portions. what we ordered was a quarter, which can generously serve 2 to 3 persons. these Irish ducks are known as the "Wagyu of Ducks" which offer a heartier proportion of meat that is more tender, and covered with a crispy skin. the rest boils down to the roasting techniques and marinate of each individual restaurant's chef. we heard varied comments about the duck servings here, so consistency could be something that they'd have to work on. from our visit, we found the meat very juicy and generous, though it could have been a tad more tender.. 
interestingly, it was a couple of other signature dishes that we found even more notable. this signature black pepper London duck bun is just fantastic, with a slightly crispy bun skin, distinct black pepper sauce and the really tender duck filling, this is where comparisons with some other famous char siew buns would come into the picture. another dish that we liked was the signature steamed cheong fun where the traditional steamed rice cake was wrapped in a crispy spring-roll styled skin. the cheong fun soya sauce that goes with it also makes it a perfect combination. in summary, this is a decent Cantonese styled restaurant serving a good range of Hong Kong roast dishes and dim sum. I'll be the first to admit that when i first heard the name, i thought they specialized in duck confit, but this is hardly a Western restaurant. the throngs of people is a testimony to its popularity with the local palette and would add to the list of Chinese restaurants that families can gather on the weekends. 
London Fat Duck 6 Scotts Road, #B1-16/17 Scotts Square Singapore 228209 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11 am to 10 pm Weekends & Public Holidays: 10 am to 10 pm London Fat Duck is not found in London.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
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