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999.99 - Five Nines
Keong Saik Road has effectively transformed itself from being a red light district in the 1970s to a conservation district where hipster restaurants and cafes congregate. the chic rooftop bars, good variety of cuisines and trendy hipster cafes can only be undone by the challenging parking situation (limited parallel parking) that comes with its popularity. Five Nines is a European Fusion restaurant inspired by its Japanese chefs Masanao Saito and Takashi Ohkawa that is getting quite a following for its positive reviews.
the name Five Nines is actually read 999.99, symbolising purity similar to gold. that is the restaurant's ethos to serve up gold standard quality and service to all its customers. the romantic setting, coupled with customised set dinners, makes this place perfect for a date. for the bigger groups and the more adventurous ones, the restaurant also offers Omakase dinners or ala carte meals. as it was our first visit, we went for the individual signature dishes.. 
a highly recommended dish is their Lobster Gratin, that is as delicious as it is worthy on Instagram. the dish comes as a whole lobster topped with melted cheese and cream sauce. the meat is surprisingly generous and the taste, well blended with the condiments. we also tried the Chicken Diavola or Devil-Styled grilled chicken, which obtained its namesake due to its spicy kick. in reality, the dish is not overly spicy and is served to black hummus to give it that extra flavour. 
we had to try their carb dishes and were suggested to try the Spicy Pescatore which was essentially seafood spaghetti cooked in tomato based spicy sauce. served with cockles, clams and prawns, you could well taste the red pepper and tomato that went into the pasta. not exactly wow, and pretty much your seafood arrabbiata. the ladies went for some soft shell crab salad for appetizers, which turned out surprisingly good. 
Five Nines completes the dining experience by offering desserts, wines and spirits. we went for the conventional Sauvignon Blanc to toast to the occasion so as not to go wrong. it was overall quite an enjoyable experience, though probably not exactly gold standard, but still a place where we'd come again, especially to impress a date. 
999.99 - Five Nines 29 Keong Saik Road Singapore 089136 Opening Hours Mondays to Thursdays: 12 pm to 5 pm; 6 pm to 11 pm Fridays: 12 to 5 pm; 6 pm to 2 am Saturdays and Sundays: 6 pm to 11 pm an exploration of gastronomic delights from across the globe.. Labels: #europeanfusion, #fivenines, #keongsaikroad, #lobstergratin Hyang Yeon Korean Restaurant
to train up for an upcoming visit to Seoul, we decided to have a little Korean fix just to get into the mood. at the heart of Singapore's central business district, Amoy Street and Telok Ayer Street is home to a mini-enclave of Korean diners and restaurants. while they are frequented by office workers during weekday lunches, the fact that native Koreans specially come for dinner and on weekends says much about their authenticity.
Hyang Yeon Korean Restaurant has everything Korean written all over it. its newly fit-out interior and spacious setting makes this a cosy place for catching up and having a feast. the menu spread offers good variety, from the Korean BBQ selections to the traditional dishes and stews. Apart from the regular soft drinks and Soju, some of the imported drinks from Seoul such as the Korean Sprite is a popular choice here. 
the true Korean joints are really generous with their Banchan, or side dishes. over here, there is a wide selection to choose from and your favourite ones are even refillable. Kimchi lovers will go for multiple servings of the favourite Korean dish, for myself, i'd whack the spiced anchovies which i had always found to be a therapeutic snack. 
we went on to try one of their hotplate grilled dishes. Buldak or spicy cheese chicken, is a popular Korean dish that can turn out to be really spicy in some places. the preparation at Hyang Yeon is done back-end, so the dish comes served on a hotplate without much sizzle left on the pan. unlike western restaurants where they'd ask you how you'd like the meat done, you may want to be a little more specific with this one, as our chicken turned out medium-rare. but having said that, everything goes well with dollops of cheese and the degree of spice was just right. our mains for the evening was Budae Jjigae or Army Stew which would have been only more perfect if it was snowing outside. the portions were generous, with ample ramyeon, luncheon meat, rice cakes and kimchi. 
To top off our evening, we had a round of Makgoli (Korean rice wine) served in this bowl. very ancient three-kingdoms-oath-style. the rice wine was sweet and smooth on the palette, good for washing down the very rich tasting dishes that we had. in all, our visit to Hyang Yeon was a very pleasant one and for those of us working around the CBD, we'd certainly be making plans to drop by again. 
Hyang Yeon Korean Restaurant 80 Amoy Street #01-01 Singapore 069899 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm; 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm Saturdays and Sundays: 5 pm to 10 pm Having time with precious people.. Labels: #amoystreet, #armystew, #budaejjigae, #hyangyeonkoreanrestaurant, #koreanfoodsg Sunday Market
here's another one for the Sunday family brunch, and would there be any more appropriate name to have than to call itself Sunday Market? in the past, it is rather uncommon to consider Serangoon for a weekend chill-out or Sunday brunch location, but with the low-rise residential apartments spouting out of late, together with the cafe fraternity moving to the heartlands, there are indeed quite a few hipster hang-outs in this part of the world..
the exterior of Sunday Market is somewhat inconspicuous, more so with an unflattering location of Lim Tua Tow Road. the interior is a totally different story, equipped with young and friendly staff, industrial themed look and hip lifestyle elements. Parking is fairly ample with a surface carpark just outside the store. it's coupon parking but the cafe staff will be quick to update you when the attendant comes around. the menu concept is an Asian fusion interpretation of brunch, which can be somewhat of an acquired taste for some.. 
maybe not quite for a Sunday activity (when business is quite brisk), but the other weekdays make this cafe quite a chill place to have a cuppa and read a book. the guys whip up a pretty good brew and we enjoyed our flat white coffee very much. there is quite an interesting selection of drinks here, and many other reviews would recommend their Thai milk tea, shakes and other flavoured teas. 
moving on to the weekend brunch spread. this toast with sunny-side-up eggs look pretty normal, but beneath the egg lies some glazed BBQ char siew (chicken). the char siew sauce is reminiscent of our favourite hong-kong style roasted meat and makes any interesting accompaniment for the toasted brioche bread. Another dish that we tried is the duck pancakes with orange Hoisin sauce. there is shredded duck leg wrapped in a savoury pancake and drizzled with the sweet Hoisin sauce which carries a tangy taste. I'm not sure how to describe it, but i guess one might like this if they like Peking Duck. 
the cafe also offers several good quality small bites and side dishes for the bigger groups (and the ravenous ones). we particularly liked the truffle fries and the spicy wings, which were marinated in sambal phad-thai sauce and belachan. in all, the fusion food offerings puts Sunday Market at the cross-roads, some people may like this interpretation of the dishes, while others may go for more conventional brunch options. either way, we felt that the whole set-up makes this place a talking point, and somewhere you might wanna check out next weekend. 
Sunday Market 22 Lim Tua Tow Rd Singapore 547772 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 11 am to 11 pm Saturdays: 9 am to 11 pm Sundays: 9 am to 9 pm Not everyday is Sunday, but over here, it is.. Labels: #breakfast, #brunchcafe, #brunchfood, #limtuatowroad, #serangoonbrunch Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant
outside of Hong Kong, there are a couple of dim sum places back home that hits all the right notes when it comes to leaving a great overall impression. i used to think that Royal China at Raffles Hotel tops that list, until we visited Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant over the recent long weekend. located at Sheraton Towers Singapore, the restaurant shares a long history in Singapore. in more recent times, the younger ones may remember it for being on the 2016 Michelin guide or for being Qi YuWu's favourite dim sum restaurant..
the first thing we liked about this place was its service. the welcoming demeanour of the staff, how they quickly served tea and some really nice tapioca chips while we placed our orders really made it the start of a pleasant experience. the dim sum menu itself wasn't exactly long, but it included all the necessary Cantonese delights and some of its signatures. the food was served pretty quickly and we tucked into our dim sum feast. 
strangely, the only off-form thing for the afternoon was a classic Cantonese dish - Shrimp Cheong Fun (rice rolls). the texture for the day turned out a little soft and clumpy, while the dish didn't absorb the flavours of the sauce very well. considering that the rest of the dishes turned out tops, we choose to believe this was a one-off... one of those things. after all, the other carb dish that we ordered, the fish congee, turned out pretty good. 
this deep fried crispy scallop roll is one of their dim sum signatures. each roll has shreds of rice vermicelli (bee hoon) deep fried into a crispy ball, wrapping 2 scallops in it. we loved the skin, and the fragrance that the dish brings. another deep fried specialty is the deep fried cod roll with mango, the mixture of sweet and savoury taste that is not too heavy on the palette. the thing about dim sum is that its perfect for sharing, where a group can enjoy good variety without really over-eating. 
a notable mention to this Xiao Long Bao (pork and crabmeat dumpling) which came with a generous serving of fillings. and although the dumpling stayed intact when we bit into it, we could easily taste the flavours of the pork and the crabmeat stock. their baked mini egg-tarts was a good dessert choice and our experience was topped off with the staff volunteering to offer a complimentary carpark ticket when they came with the bill. it was an all-round good experience and a place we'd certainly come back, for a local dim sum fix. 
Li Bai Cantonese Restaurant 39 Scotts Road Sheraton Towers Singapore Singapore 228230 Opening Hours Mondays to Saturdays: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm; 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm Sundays: 10.30 am to 2.30 pm; 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm enhancing the natural flavours and fragrances of every ingredient.. Captain K Seafood Tower
the area around Prinsep Street is becoming quite a buzz lately with bars, cafes and restaurants all sprouting up. You'd recall us talking about the artisanal cafe Curious Palette sometime back, and in stark contrast, the concept of Captain K Seafood Tower is alot more straightforward, yet unbelievably popular.
something pictorial to give everyone the idea first, this restaurant is essentially offering a steamboat concept. it's soup base supports layers of these aluminum containers, each containing a dish of steamed seafood stacked over. customers can select layers ranging from 3 to 9 tiers, depending on the group size and the idea is that the essence of the steamed seafood will simmer through the holes in these containers to add flavour to the soup base. 
we were fortunate to have a big group of friends on this visit, so we went for the jugular and ordered the 9-tier tower. amid the prawns, scallops, oysters, squids and shellfish, this Alaskan Crab stood out, for its freshness and meaty limbs. scissors are provided on hand to help us break through the thorny shell. the way that the food is steamed also enabled us to lick off the meat from the shell pretty easily. 
we also managed to try an experimental dish that is not-on-the-menu-yet, steamed crab with golden roe marinated in rock salt. at a glance, this looks like cold steamed crab on a bed of ice, but it turned out to be salt, which gave the crab a rich flavour. another interesting dish worthy of mention is the steamed squid wrapped with spicy rice stuffing. the combination is actually very fragrant, but it guess when it was stacked as one of the bottom few tiers, most of us were too stuffed to really lap up the whole stuffing. 
some special mention for the soup base, customers can choose from 3 types: Korean Kombu Dashi stock, Kimchi stew or Ginseng chicken. we choose Ginseng Chicken for its rich taste and this was where the real steambox truly begins. you can select a variety of ingredients from the counter ranging from vegetables, hot-dog to instant noodles. you'd be charged based on the colour plates just like a sushi bar. there are also a few sauces (mostly sweet or spicy) to complement the steamed seafood so this is truly the fun part of the evening. Steamed seafood generally doesn't come cheap at most restaurants today, however, Captain K further brings an experience of unraveling the layers, and enjoying all things Korean. It's really popular now, and making a reservation before hand would be advised. 
Captain K Seafood Tower #01-02 Income@Prinsep 30 Prinsep St, Singapore 188647 Opening Hours Mondays: 6 pm to 10.30 pm Tuesdays to Thursdays: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 10.30 pm Fridays: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 11 pm Saturdays: 11.30 am to 3 pm; 5 pm to 11 pm Sundays: 11.30 am to 3 pm; 5 pm to 10.30 pm Steering and pioneering new culinary creations for food lovers.. Labels: #captainKseafoodtower, #koreanfoodsg, #seafood, #steamboat Dutch Baby Cafe
the first thing that attracted us to this place was really its name, although that's the part which also turned out to be somewhat confusing. Dutch Baby Cafe specializes in a fusion of Japanese Udon, and German pancakes served in a pan. around the cafe, there are some write-ups about how this German concept was first brought into America, and how the American owners couldn't pronounce "Deutsche" for German, resulting in the pronunciation becoming "Dutch".. anyways...
with the only Singapore outlet located at Paragon Shopping Centre, the cafe's exterior displays pastries that has shades of Fruit Paradise, this is not surprising, as this new concept is brought to you by the folks behind Ajisen and Fruit Paradise. the interior design is bright, simple and welcoming, with the niche menu emphasizing the concept's focus on its specialties. quite naturally, we had a go at some of their Japanese infused dishes. 
There is a selection of Udon dishes to choose from, which served as homely relief when we visited the store during the earlier rainy season (where in-mall air conditioning can get a little cranky). This Tom Yum chicken Udon is served with the right amount of spicy kick, with lemon chicken, and a somewhat thinner and springy interpretation of Udon. pretty good. for those who could do without spice, their signature dish is actually the Lemon chicken Udon that is served in a unique broth. we give thumbs up for both. 
of course, you've got to try the German pancakes while you're here. the texture of these pancakes are really different, with a soft base and slightly flaky crispy edges. the Caramel apple pan above was served with vanilla bean ice cream, apple slices and dripped with caramel sauce, with the latter in particular, blending exceptionally well with the pancake base. another signature is the lemon butter pan which also comes with ice cream and a slab of butter. it's drizzled with sugar and makes a pretty good pancake dish. 
to top-off the experience, we'd just like to talk abit about how they served tea and water in this cafe. they use this Gravitea dispenser to filter and drip the liquid into your glass. they do sell this gadget at the store, which i thought made a unique Christmas gift. Overall, the specialty dishes at Dutch Baby are well done, while some cafe purists may find the overall experience a little too simple, it is a good effort to keep up with the social-media times. for us, this makes a cosy place for catching up and gatherings, and we'd like to come back for the pancakes again soon. 
Dutch Baby Cafe 290 Orchard Road, #B1-13 Paragon Shopping Centre Singapore 238859 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 10 am to 9 pm Saturdays & Sundays: 11 am to 9 pm Pancakes on hot cast iron pans straight out from the oven.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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