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Blend It Up
Homely Italian restaurants with a story charm behind it will often be popular amongst its converts turned loyal supporters. many of whom have a slightly longer history and are located within private residential areas to create that rural, rustic feel. Blend it Up along Upper Paya Lebar Road caught our eye on a random drive home. through a quick check online, it turned out to be the restaurant with the highest ratings in the Paya Lebar/ Tai Seng area.
Opened by celebrity chef Peter Neo (who opened Pietro Ristorante Italiano some years back), this restaurant revolves around fuss free Italian food and fusion creations adapting Singaporean flavours into some of the dishes. Despite its off-the-beaten-track location, the place can be pretty crowded during dinner times and parking around the area could be a challenge due to limited lots. more importantly, given its pretty extensive menu, Blend It Up maintains a good quality for all its dishes, encouraging repeat visits from its regular customers. 
the wide selection of pizzas at the restaurant are served piping hot when it comes to the table. we tried the signature Blend It Up pizza that is made up of feta cheese, ham, mushrooms and a sunny-side-up egg in the middle. the crust is crispy with a soft dough and right amount of flavour, making this dish popular among the adults and children. we tried it together with some specialty chicken wings, which came with a its own blend of curry sauce. 
the pastas here combine some Italian classics and others with a local twist. many customers gave good reviews for its Spaghetti prawn paste Aglio Olio and we could understand why. the blending of the pasta with homemade prawn paste makes the dish really fragrant, coupled with fresh prawns and dory fish slices to complete the dish. other pasta dishes that are worth a try would be their Spaghetti Vongole, which has a generous serving of clams immersed in a white wine sauce, as well as their crabmeat and lobster Ravioli which albeit a smaller portion, came in a very zesty tomato based sauce. 
popular desserts here include a selection of gelato scoops, which included some special local flavours such as durian. although the lava cakes make a good Instagram choice, our Pistachio lava cake fell short as the souffle disintegrated when we tried to cut into it for the lava to flow. the vanilla gelato was a saving grace as we had an ice-cream craving that day. in all, Blend It Up makes a cosy family restaurant serving a wide selection of quality Italian fusion food. the ambience makes the restaurant suitable for a date night as well, so long as your date isn't put off by the parking situation. 
Blend It Up 325 Upper Paya lebar Road Quemoy Building Singapore 534946 Opening Hours Daily: 11.30 am to 3 pm; 6 pm to 10.30 pm blend the Italian tradition with a twist of Asia.. Labels: #blenditup, #italianfood, #italianfusion, #spaghettiprawnpaste, #upperpayalebarroad Kuro Maguro
Japanese sashimi restaurants are increasingly commonplace today, but finding one with extremely fresh and good quality cuts are not quite as common. especially after you've tried the real thing in Japan and crave for something that comes close. A new joint at the recently open Tanjong Pagar Centre has made a phenomenal following in a short time. having underestimated its popularity by trying to make a walk-in visit on random weeknights, we soon found out that reservations are absolutely a must for this restaurant in the CBD.
Kuro Maguro celebrates tuna (Maguro is Japanese for tuna), various cuts of it imported directly from Misaki port in Japan. Many dishes revolves around the Maguro theme and beyond the sashimi styled servings, some dishes are even prepared grilled or stewed. The restaurant is actually a pretty compact space, probably only a few tables and a long sashimi bar counter. the place is popular among the working faithful where they get to see the chef in action while tucking into their sashimi rice bowls. 
The specialty of this restaurant is obviously their cold cuts. patrons can select from different parts of the tuna for a 3 cut or 5 cut sashimi, or like us, they can go for an Omakase styled mixed seafood dish. All the various seafood slices were fresh, well-cut and surprisingly sweet. it was a little bit bordering on fine dining though, with only 2 slices for each type of seafood. 
and then moving on to the lunchtime favourites, the sashimi rice bowls. with poke-bowls being all the rage these days, Kuro Maguro's delivery of these combinations are top-notch. We tried the Kaisen Meshi, which is an assortment of mixed seafood, including fresh prawns, salmon and tuna. while the lean tuna went into the sashimi, the chef suggested that we tried their daily special, stewed fatty tuna or Maguro Toro Kakuni. turns out to be the surprise package of the evening, with the tuna stewed to a soft, chewy texture, and the savoury (albeit salty) broth going well with the cold cuts. 
the classic Chirashi Don with a twist, this bowl is called Barachirashi - an assortment of sashimi cubes in a rice bowl. a very interesting dish with hearty portions of fish. the restaurant also serves sochu, Asahi beer and a seasonal selection of sakes (Japanese wines). Quality Japanese food will not come on the cheap, though Kuro Maguro is considered reasonably priced. the crowds that come here are a testimony of its quality and for those with a more discerning tastebud, the premium donburi sets will certainly cap their experience here. 
Kuro Maguro 7 Wallich Street #01-04 Tanjong Pagar Centre Singapore 078884 Opening Hours Daily: 11.30 am to 2.30 pm; 5.30 pm to 10.30 pm from the fishermen’s hands to the dining table.. Labels: #donburi. #sashimi, #japanesefood, #kuromaguro, #tanjongpagar, #tanjongpagarcentre Noodle Bar by Tokyo Latte
covering one of my favourite topics today even though it is basic comfort food - instant noodles! and even when it is something that can be easily prepared for supper at home or a late night in the office, specialty shops serving variations of instant noodles have been gaining some ground. Take Su Superstar (which specialises in Korean Ramyeon) at SCAPE for example and this store, which prides itself in serving customised noodle dishes.
Noodle Bar by Tokyo Latte is located at JCube in Jurong East. Popular amongst students and the working faithful in the area, this store is able to customize your favourite noodle dish in a mix-and-match format, allowing patrons to select from the noodle type, to the soup base to the ingredients to add on. the combinations are reasonably priced with a selection of sides and other signature dishes to go with their mains. we went nostalgic by trying the Nisshin noodles with old school chicken soup base. we propped a Ponzu roast chicken to add on and viola, a heart-warming meal. there are also dry noodle bases that one can go for, such as stirring the noodles with yakisoba or going fusion and doing it aglio olio style. 
beside noodles, the store has other signature dishes such as this baked sunrise seafood rice, which is one of their specialties. the cheese baked rice is very fragrant and topped with an abundant portion of seafood. other popular Western choices offered here include the signature gourmet beef burger and the classic Tokyo Latte french toast. many of these noodle and rice dishes also come in red enamel pots or baking pans, which the restaurant believes will help to create that homely feeling that ought to come with these dishes. 
and as the store's name suggests, Tokyo Latte represents Japanese fusion with European cuisine, hence on top of Nisshin instant noodles, customers can select from ramen, udon or cha soba. another popular combi is this ramen served with roasted tomato basil and seafood soup base. its abit like seafood pasta but with ramen instead. and although Tokyo Latte itself is a drink on a menu, the thirst-quenching favourites here are the green island lemonade or the pineapple gunner crush. In all, the noodle bar is a cosy comfort-food hideout that is good for quick-fix lunches or for group gatherings as well. 
Noodle Bar by Tokyo Latte 2 Jurong East Central 1 #02-03, JCube Singapore 609731 Opening Hours Daily: 11.30 am to 10 pm to make casual dining a gastronomic experience.. Labels: #bakedrice, #instantnoodles, #japanesefusion, #jcube, #jurongeast, #noodlebarbytokyolatte The Chop House (Vivocity)
there are not many steak houses that combines a casual dining bistro concept with excellent meat cuts at reasonable prices. From the makers of Wooloomooloo Steakhouse that originated from Hong Kong, comes the group's spin-off concept, The Chop House. starting at Vivocity in 2013, this Western gastro bar holds its own against other Western competitors along the waterfront facing stretch of Vivocity, attracting a following from locals and tourists alike.
the store's interior is very spacious that includes a bar counter to serve craft beers off the tap. the al-fresco dining area is equally popular for patrons in the evening when there is cool breeze from the waterfront. the theme for the starters and the mains revolve around meat-lovers and we are today breaking out of character to talk a little about steak (a meat that we don't take). 
so while the more conservative of us went for a delicious serving of mushroom soup and Caesar's salad for starters, some may be thrilled to know that the starter menu included Filet Mignon salad (sounds kinda paradoxical to have something so rich paired with some healthy chow), crispy pork belly and Mussels Mariniere. The Caesar's salad was served with lettuce, ample Caesar's dressing, bacon, cherry tomatoes and other greens, good cleansing for the feast to begin. 
so i had a Berkshire pork chop for my mains that was grilled to perfection over a sweet seasoning. the thing about pork is that it has got to be grilled well done, and many a time, some restaurants end up having a pretty tough texture for the pork. This version at the chop house is juicy, tender and came in a fairly generous serving, a satisfying slab of meat. all the meat cuts goes well with the mustard, red wine or chilli sauce that they provided, completing a hearty meal. 
but what's a gastrobar without craft beers, and we treated ourselves to a couple of flavoured Weissebeers to top off our lunch. in all, the experience at The Chop House is pretty relaxing, casual and allowed us to enjoy really good quality meat. The staff were helpful and shared their thoughts on meat preparation and suggested accompaniment of sauces. We liked the experience and would likely return very soon. 
The Chop House (Vivocity) 1 Harbourfront Walk #01-161/162 VivoCity Singapore 098585 Opening Hours Mondays to Saturdays: 11:30 am to 10 pm Sundays and Public Holidays: 11 am to 10 pm offering an array of international dishes with a contemporary spin.. Otto Ristorante
Nestled in a quiet corner of the refurbished Maxwell Chambers building, Otto Ristorante provides the Italian option for corporate lunch within the CBD of Singapore. not quite a Zafferano, even though this institution has been around since it was originally located at the nearby Red Dot building, only moving over to this new premises in 2015. In all, Otto makes it a convenient place for business set lunches within the Tanjong Pagar area..
placing quite abit of emphasis of liquor to go with their meal offerings, the new design of the restaurant comes with a wine bar that carries a good selection of wines and spirits. the set lunch menu appears to be extremely popular amongst the office workers within the area as it comes in a 3-course set at very reasonable prices. 
kicking off the set lunch menu, popular choices would be their crab meat with avocado salad, or the daily soup. we had cauliflower soup on the day of our visit that turned out just right, freshly prepared and served warm to accompany a wide selection of bread that formed part of the starters. 
the choice of mains come in very ample portions, of which the lamb shank and the grilled Japanese squid came out as regular preferred choices. the grilled Japanese squid comes with Borlotti bean and onion salad, the texture of the squid is grilled well to ensure it is not overly chewy and seasoned to make it really flavourful. the lamb shank came with mash potato and seasonal vegetables, though the meat could have been a little bit more tender and the rich taste of lamb better masked. 
the desserts were pretty good with their very own interpretation of sorbet served with white chocolate and jelly a very popular choice. judging from the daily turnout especially during weekday lunches, advanced reservations should be made before visiting the restaurant. overall, Otto Ristorante whips up pretty good Italian fare and its set lunch menu would be a good choice to assess some of their main dishes at a very reasonable rate. 
Otto Ristorante 32 Maxwell Road #01-02/03 Maxwell Chambers Singapore 069115 Opening Hours Mondays to Fridays: 12 pm to 2.30 pm; 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm Saturdays: 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm (closed on Sundays) quality Italian food and amicable service in a sophisticated environment.. Labels: #italianfood, #maxwellchambers, #ottoristorante, #setlunch, #sgitalianfood Jamie's Italian (Singapore)
there was a certain degree of excitement when the news broke that Jamie Oliver's famous Italian restaurant from Oxford, UK is coming to Singapore and more certainly, a victory for Singapore retail as its first outlets opened within shopping malls. then came the challenge of living up to Singapore's more illustrious institutions for Italian food such a Amarone, Pasta Brava or La Nonna, and whether the Singapore version of Jamie's Italian turned out more normal than it's celebrity status..
we visited the outlet at Vivocity to find out, and found the demographic of the weekend crowd largely made up of tourists. it was certainly not as busy as when the store first opened in 2013, especially now that it has 2 outlets. the store is designed to recreate one of Jamie Oliver's kitchen settings, bar-top counters overlooking either the baking of fresh pizza or the preparation of pastas. there are also al-fresco dining areas (overlooking Sentosa) and normal table dining as well. we heard from other reviews that the restaurant service ought to have included checking with the patrons on how they'd like their pasta texture to be, or any other dietary requirements, but that somehow didn't happen during our visit. 
pastas are a must when visiting an Italian restaurant, so we tried the Spaghetti Vongole. it turned out to be a petite serving of pasta but with an ample portion of clams, sprinkled with chopped red chilli and garnishing. it wasn't bad pasta with the right amount of spiciness. we also tried a Ravioli Con Carne or beef-ragu stuffed ravioli dashed with brown butter and lemon. the texture was fairly crispy and for beef lovers, the stuffing was generous. 
checking out some of the restaurant's other mains, we ordered a serving of the Venetian fish stew, which came with fish, clams and mussels, prepared in a tomato based sauce with white wine. i actually loved this dish the most, where the sauces really soaked into the seafood, giving it a very rich flavour. the non-pasta mains generally don't come cheap though, and one should expect to spend at least $50 per pax for a visit here. 
the drinks were kinda blah unless you'd go for a fairly conventional selection of red or white wines. we went for some non-alcoholic cocktails which came in really huge mugs but was largely more sparkling water than juice. for a celebrity restaurant, this place brings with it a great ambience with food that won't go wrong. perhaps not too authentic as compared to other Italian establishments in Singapore, but i guess it is still a close representation of a British chef's interpretation of Italian fare, which earned it top accolades in the UK. you'd probably visit Jamie's Italian, if you'd want to be part of that experience. 
Jamie's Italian (Singapore) 1 HarbourFront Walk #01-165/167, Vivo City Singapore 098585 Opening Hours Mondays to Thursdays: 12 pm to 10 pm Fridays: 12 pm to 11 pm Saturdays: 11 am to 11 pm Sundays: 11 am to 10 pm tradition combined with current, innovative ideas and a Jamie twist.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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