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DC Comics Super Heroes Cafe
our city state has always been trying to bring out the tourist-destination-worthy thematic restaurant, akin to the likes overseas which have created many instagram moments. with this latest introduction at Marina Bay Sands, we somewhat feel that we are getting closer, although much more could be done around the theme..
as the table props tell you, this is Singapore's first super-hero themed restaurant. the backdrop of the cafe is decked with comic strips and character introductions of DC Comics' array of superheroes, the setting is filled with bright, punchy colours and is also accompanied by a retail store selling costumes, accessories and memorabilia of your favourite comic book character. lotsa photo opportunities around the store as well, like this life-sized Bat Mobile that currently fronts the store. 
the food, should have brought out more from its theme though. other than the most photo-worthy Dark Knight burger (a Batman themed black sesame burger), which was sold out due to popular demand, the other dishes carried very unique superhero names.. but they didn't have much relation to the presentation of the food. Full points for guessing which superhero was tagged to this fish & chips dish? it's Aquaman by the way.. 
the food quality itself was normal, could probably be more consistent, but decent. their pastas come in very generous servings such as this Aquaman's arrabiata which has a wide spread of seafood. we also tried the Flash Lightning's linguine which wasn't too bad as well. i guess, other than the tacky names aside, the more thematic dishes are probably their beverages, such as Superman coffee-art that goes with their lattes. the other drinks come in comic-book like cups and the peppermint tea we had came with a Bat-symbol biscuit. 
since most people or tourists are probably here for the atmosphere, we recommend that you go for the desserts, such as the Batman shaped pancakes, Green-Lantern tea lattes and Wonder Woman themed cakes. The place is a little pricey for the type of food that they serve, but this premium is probably for the experience that goes into building the concept. The merchandize from the retail store is not cheap either, probably targeting at the MBS clientele. Expect rave queues and lotsa youngsters for the rest of this year as this craze is currently still trending.. till probably Sanrio opens their Hello Kitty themed cafe later this year. 
DC Comics Super Heroes Cafe 2 Bayfront Avenue, L1-03 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Singapore 018972 Opening Hours Sundays to Thursdays: 10.30 am to 11 pm Fridays & Saturdays: 10.30 am to 11.30 pm Batman is the most featured superhero in this cafe.. Erwin's Gastrobar
it can be quite a casual experience having brunch in the CBD. on a weekday, brunch time is probably when most are headed to work, and on weekends, the whole area tends to be alot quieter.. so either way, its quite a luxury to be sitting in the heart of the CBD having a hearty breakfast, sipping a cuppa coffee and people-watching the morning away. Erwin's Gastrobar at Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) gives us such an opportunity.
located at the ground plaza of MBFC, this place is a brunch cafe by day and a chill-out bar by night. visiting the place for brunch is quite a unique experience as you'd realise that Erwin's is also a popular take-out joint for expats and locals on the go. their range of coffee and breakfast rolls being the most popular. for the more fortunate who either have the luxury of a tea-break or the day-off (like we did), the cafe offers a range of breakfast dishes as well. 
from small bites, muffins, to full-fledged breakfast meals, Erwin's simple yet wholesome offerings are certain to make your morning. we tried their scrambled eggs salmon that comes with rockets and a spread of goat cheese served on a thick toast. the dish is served warm, has a generous serving of salmon slices and a good milk battered scrambled eggs. 
we also had to try their very popular breakfast rolls, which was a favourite item on-the-go. the selection of the egg & bacon roll came with two slices of toast, scrambled eggs, a hearty spread of bacon and tomato sauce. although fairly affordably priced, the rolls make a very decent breakfast and can be very filling indeed. quite possibly, the simple, earnest delivery of their breakfast dishes is what makes Erwin's stand out as a very enjoyable brunch place. 
we tried other sides to go with our breakfast, including a bowl of mac & cheese sprinkled with bacon bits and for the more health-conscious, there are salad offerings too. to remind patrons that the joint transforms into a restaurant and chill-out bar after 11 am (Happy Hours inclusive), they were promoting a small 0.3L of Paulaners on the house for their newly opened Valley Point outlet. we truly enjoyed their brunch, and would certainly make it a point to make Erwin's Gastrobar one of our next destinations for dinner and chill-out very soon. 
Erwin's Gastrobar 8A Marina Boulevard #01-01, MBFC Ground Plaza Singapore 018984 Opening Hours Mondays to Wednesdays: 8 am to 11 pm Thursdays & Fridays: 8 am to 12 midnight Only the Valley Point outlet is open on Weekends from 10 am.. Bistro Du Vin
carrying on with the European theme, we move on to one of the Les Amis Group's most popular creations - Bistro Du Vin. the restaurant does a fine job in recreating the ambiance of a French Bistro, and this is translated into the interior design, the lighting, the service and of course the food itself. located at a corner of Shaw Centre, where all the cars roll up to its carpark, having a seat by the window really gives you a French street-side feel. take it from someone who hasn't been to Paris *wink*
the restaurant is most famous for its set lunch menu, it is reasonably priced, covers a good range of their signature French dishes and comes with a good selection of desserts. the only small drawback, which i personally don't even consider one, is that the mains come in smaller portions than the ala carte version of the same thing. The mushroom veloute as an entree comes together with a serving of bread. we also tried a foie gras ravioli for starters and it was superb, down to the very last drop. 
a very hearty portion of a duck leg confit soon followed and it was served with pommery mashed potatoes. the duck meat was tender, well grilled and had a decent portion of meat. it is not surprising that this dish is one of the more popular choices amongst the set lunch mains. 
next up, we had the braised pork cheek set, that came with pork sausages, baked potatoes and cabbage. the pork cubes were all very soft and easy on the chewing, the gravy kept the meat moist and carries a unique flavour, though it felt a little boring towards the end. we saw other patrons having the tuna steak with ratatouille and made a mental note to try that on our next visit. 
then came our desserts. the baked apple tart on a puff pastry served with ice-cream is something those with a sweet tooth would go for. the waffle-like pastry was served warm and the apples had caramel sauce dripped over them. i guess this accompanies well with ice-cream. on the other side, we tried a creme brulee, which is a custard-based pastry decked with flame-burnt hard caramel. this is a popular French dessert that is served warm, and was also very sweet. good thing that the set lunch ends off with coffee to wash it all down eventually. in all, the visit to Bistro Du Vin was a refreshing and pleasant experience. the cosmopolitan crowd and packed tables on a weekend is probably the best testament to its quality (reservations for weekend dining is recommended) and having all that as part of a set lunch was surely a steal. the environment is nice, good for catching up with friends or having a small family meal. we're converts, and we'd almost certainly be coming back. Bon Appetit! 
Bistro Du Vin Shaw Centre 1 Scotts Rd, #01-14 Singapore 228208 Opening Hours 12 pm to 2 pm; 6.30 pm to 10 pm (Daily) Food - the best ingredient to relish life with your loved ones over a memorable meal.. Pasta Brava
with a couple of our friends touring Italy now, and having plans to visit Europe next year, we kick off a short series of European cuisine that can be found locally. Pasta Brava is a classic Italian restaurant located within a conservation shophouse along Craig Road in the Duxton area. it has been around since the 1990s and is known for serving authentic Italian dishes.
Established by an Italian native founder, the restaurant gives out a European family restaurant vibe. It has won numerous awards over the years and is rated on Tripadivsor for tourists visiting Singapore. they carry an authentic menu from its appetizers, to salads, to its pastas, Risottis and mains. The price point is reasonable and can be very crowded during weekday lunches as well as weekend dinners. 
we were very curious why they had chalk and paper on every table. somewhere deep down, we seriously thought it was for the waiters to mark special orders from the customers. fortunately, the crew clarified, and even quipped that "they are confident that customers to their restaurant wouldn't be drawing on the walls"... hence, we wrote a birthday message for our friend who joined us that evening. 
there are a wide range of starters, and we went for their Calamari Fritti, which was fried squid rings served in their special spiced tomato sauce. other starters that we were recommended to try include their cold cuts with provolone cheese and the Gamberi Con Aglio E Prezzemolo, which is essentially sauteed prawns prepared in brandy, butter and garlic. the gravy and sauce for most of their starters are thick and well-flavoured, giving them a distinctive taste. 
this was all the more so for the pasta dishes that we ordered. I especially loved the Tagliolini Con Aragosta, which was a Tagliolini pasta dish served with lobsters in cherry tomato sauce. the flavour of the pasta was very rich, served smoking hot and had the spices/sauces well immersed into the pasta. similarly, the crayfish spaghetti (Crayfish Al Cartoccio) which was served with tomato-based sauce and wrapped in paper to contain its taste was excellent! we also tried some of their Ravioli and found the servings generous and well-stuffed. in all, the visit to Pasta Brava can be described as a unique experience. the food served here does not taste like the average pasta meals we get readily in chain restaurant establishments in our country and was certainly worth our visit. The setting feels right for a romantic dinner date, though some evenings can get a little too crowded. reservations are advised and just open your heart to savour a truly gastronomic Italian experience. 
Pasta Brava 11 Craig Road Singapore 089671 Opening Hours Mondays to Saturdays: 12 pm to 2.30 pm; 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm (Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays) They occasionally open for dinner service if a Public Holiday falls on a Friday or Saturday, so call to check! Dian Xiao Er
Dian Xiao Er is a local restaurant chain themed around recreating a traditional Chinese tea-house/inn from medieval times. Xiao Er refers to the waiters that serve the travelling guests and the setting in the restaurants recapture a typical scene from dynasty period dramas.
we wouldn't go so far as to say this is a thematic restaurant concept, but the idea of offering affordable, delicious comfort food would be akin to what the swordsmen would expect back in the day. an iconic feature of the restaurants would be its dim and rustic-looking interiors, fully decked with traditional furniture, lanterns and brickwall finishes. their signature roast duck is also often displayed on their shop-fronts, so it's quite hard to miss them. 
known for its repertoire of classic Chinese dishes, we went for their household specialties including this Xiao Er Tofu, which was well fried to give it a crispy exterior, but soft and flavourful interior. another dish to watch out for is the Spicy & sour fish, which consists of fresh steamed fish slices accompanied by a rich sauce of many spices. 
as with many other Chinese dishes, the food at Dian Xiao Er can be said to all go well with white-rice. we certainly didn't miss out on their signature Angelica Duck, a cut of their roast duck prepared in herbs. the meat was very tender (which is important to us for roasted duck) and has a unique taste unlike most of the typical roasted meat we have here. this dish just stands out amongst its peers, just like how Hong Kong's Yung Kee stands out from other roast geese restaurants there. 
In all, Dian Xiao Er offers a very wholesome, cosy dining experience. it is popular with the local palette and very normal to find long queues forming outside one of their 10 outlets islandwide. Reservations are not available for Fridays, weekends and public holidays, thus making these days the most crowded. We picked the outlet at the basement of Junction 8 in Bishan, which is the newest and thus far, "least discovered" outlet to date. We got fairly good service there and this makes it a fine destination for a weekend family dinner or gathering with friends. 
Dian Xiao Er 9 Bishan Place #B1-07, Junction 8 Singapore 579837 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11.30 am to 3 pm; 5.30 pm to 10 pm Weekends & Public Holidays: 11.30 am to 10 pm Dian Xiao Er accompanies you to excel in the journey of life.. Miam Miam
Japanese fusion food is a concept that enjoys a fairly good following here. after the success of the original Hoshino Coffee, the next wave that followed suit was Miam Miam. opening its first outlet at Bugis Junction a couple of years back, there are currently two of this French-Japanese fusion cafe in Singapore today.
we visited the outlet at Westgate recently and were greeted by this very chic and trendy exterior. the food offerings of desserts, pastas, Japanese curry rice and drinks - ranging from matcha lattes to French coffee ensured that anyone young and old would be able to find something for themselves here. 
the rice dishes are an interesting blend. this Riz Au Curry that comes in a claypot combines baked rice with Japanese curry, sausages, cheese, egg and vegetables. the pot keeps the rice warm and the curry sinks well into the rice and ingredients giving this dish a very distinct flavour. another rice dish to try is the Riz Noir Black Rice, which is essentially squid ink rice with scrambled egg and sausages. if you thought squid ink pasta was great, this dish would turn out very special. 
if you prefer to go for something tried and tested, the pastas here at Miam Miam are popular choices. we personally loved the Carbonara spaghetti for its rich, creamy flavour, generous servings of ham and topped off with a wet poached egg. There is an edgier version of this dish which they coined Miam Miam Spaghetti that includes tomatoes and veggies, to give that added twist. the portions for the pastas are generally hearty and reasonable. 
not forgetting the toasts and desserts. this classic French Toast is a Miam Miam specialty where small cubes of toast are topped off with whipped cream, sugar and honey. something for those with a sweet tooth. we also tried their caramelised banana pancake, that comes with vanilla ice-cream, they all bordered on the sweet side. Miam Miam cafe is currently enjoying the kind of reception Hoshino once had, when they were a novelty at Plaza Singapura. so expect to experience some queues and a fair waiting time if you visit either Bugis Junction or Westgate today. 
Miam Miam 3 Gateway Drive #01-21/22 Westgate Singapore 608532 Opening Hours 11.30 am to 10 pm (daily) The French Cafe with a Japanese twist.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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