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Maggie Joan's
we kinda think this is like a secret Mediterranean rendezvous, by invitation only. the address seems innocuous enough, 110 Amoy Street. but when we went there, the shop-house front was that of a posh office, with no indication of it being a restaurant. i mean, who is to know that the ONLY way to enter this place is through a back alley from Gemmil Lane?
yup, thats how the main entrance to this boutique Mediterranean restaurant looks like. to add to the whole theme of secrecy, the interior is dimly lit with very limited seating (we were fortunate to get seated without making a reservation). having said all this, the folks behind this concept really put alot of thought into the food. from the appetizers to the mains, Maggie Joan's serves up some really good European fare. 
this dish is called Egg, Dukkah and Saffron Mayo, esentially a poached egg deep fried in a sesame dukkah with a drop a saffron mayo by the side. the presentation is unique and you'd never expect to still have a lava egg yolk flowing out of it. the dukkah gives it a very savory taste and makes this a good opening appetizer. we also had a Rosemary bread with Hummus, a Turkish bean-based food dip that has a distinct smell of olive oil and garlic. 
then comes the mains! We had this roast bass with pesto and marinated tomatoes, practically a fillet of sea bass roasted and served in a green pool of pesto sauce. the sauce is poured in from a bottle only upon serving, adding to the spectacle and when soaked with the fish, doesn't leave a strong aftertaste. very unique dish indeed. 
and there's the Iberico pork jowl with prunes & cauliflower, where the cauliflower is actually part of the sauce. the meat is grilled to tender perfection but did come off a little bland in taste, probably influenced by the taste of the roast bass. everything here is in somewhat fine-dining portions, so expect to go for the full works of appetizers, entrees and mains to complete a hearty meal. nonetheless, we found it a satisfying experience and certainly makes this place ideal for an intriguing dinner date. 
Maggie Joan's 110 Amoy Street, #01-01 Singapore 069930 (enter from back alley of Gemmil Lane) Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 12 pm to 2.30 pm; 6 pm to 11 pm Saturdays: 6 pm to 11 pm Closed on Sundays many other interesting dishes await, if you can find it.. 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.. Prive Cafe
Keppel Bay is a man-made island that houses many restaurants that gives you the "get away" feel and allows you to enjoy good food in a waterfront setting. perhaps it was my early exposure to Keppel Land and their projects during my school days that made this area and its ambience all the more charming and relaxing. of all the eateries, Prive Cafe remain one of our favourites.
we visited the cafe again recently on a hazy Saturday afternoon. and despite the haze, decided to pick an outdoor seating table, because the waterfront al-fresco dining overlooking the yacht berths is what this experience is all about. its funny how the staff always asks if we are residents of The Caribbean or The Reflections. perhaps they'd enjoy some perks but the irony is that only a privileged few get to live here to begin with. 
we love the food here too, and would almost always kick off our meals with a serving of the seasonal oysters. the dish is served in a platter of ice, with lemon slices and red vinegar. call me traditional but i'd still love my oysters with tabasco sauce. the catch is fresh and this serves as a good appetizer. 
the cafe serves a good variety of brunch dishes and pasta selections. we went for the linguine carbonara that came with a poached egg, thick cut bacon slices, button mushrooms and parmesan cheese slices all served in a thick cream sauce. the serving is very generous, and the pasta tasted very rich. we also tried the eggs royale off their brunch menu, which is ultimately a serving of eggs benedict served with brioche bread, poached eggs and smoked Norwegian salmon all decked in Hollandaise sauce. 
Prive has a good spread of warm and cold desserts, but we had a craving for ice-cream so we went for the Oreo mudpie. The highlight of this dish would certainly be its affogato swirl ice-cream served on an Oreo cookie base and covered in chocolate sauce. how we managed to miss their Cookies & Ice-Cream Tower remains a mystery, but that would certainly be something i'd go back for. In all, an afternoon out at Prive always makes us feel comfy and relaxed, so take a break off that shop-house styled brunch cafe and visit Prive Cafe for your next brunch date. 
Prive Cafe 2 Keppel Bay Vista Singapore 098382 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 9 am to 12 am Saturdays & Sundays: 8 am to 12 am The residents really have it great, because the parking here is steep.. 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.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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