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The Refinery (Lunch)
The demographic of Jalan Besar is starting to get younger, and it's certainly not from the new generation of fans trying to support the local soccer team. With more hipster cafes such as Chye Seng Huat Hardware and AEIOU opening up, people from all ages are making their way to the area now. The Refinery epitomizes a modern lifestyle cafe, on top of serving fusion Japanese rice bowls for lunch, Yakitori sticks for dinner and brunch on weekends, there's ample work spaces for designers to meet and collaborate.
located in the midst of an auto-car mechanic workshop area, The Refinery is fitted out in a utilitarian styled design, complete with long tables, rentable work-spaces on upper floors, high ceilings and a Japanese themed caricature mural in the backdrop. we went on a weekday lunch where the menu is focused on fusion Japanese rice bowls, although booze, juices and sodas are also readily available. a somewhat different offering from your typical cafe. 
We tried their Teriyaki Chicken Don rice bowl which was pretty much good comfort food. from the tenderness of the marinated chicken thigh in Teriyaki sauce, to the quality of the rice, to the egg and tofu, it was one of the better ones we've tasted. we had Yoshinoya for lunch today just to remind ourselves, and the contrast was really distinctive. 
one notable highlight was the Onsen Tamago or lava-egg that is served with their rice meals. the yolk is watery and yet holds its place until you attack it. the flavour soaks into the rice and the sauce making it really pleasurable to eat. their signature dish above is called the Refinery Bowl, which is made up of braised pulled pork, egg, pickled ginger and shittake mushrooms. the meat is shredded into thin slices and blended well with the condiments. there's a noodle version called Spicy Mee, complete with sambal chilli, but we heard some reviews suggest that certain dishes are best kept to the heartland hawkers. 
the experience comes together with dessert, so we ordered some waffles called the Kopi Addict Waffle. perhaps we didn't read the menu too carefully, because we were surprised that the coffee-based waffle, with butterscotch ice-cream and coffee-infused syrup, also came with streaks of bacon on top of the waffles! i guess we didn't know how to appreciate savory bacon served onto a dessert, and that was a real downer to an otherwise good dessert. In all, this was a very cosy and comfort-food based dining experience and we'd look forward to come back to try their Yakitori dinner and chill-out bar concept on another evening. 
The Refinery 115 King George's Ave Singapore 208561 Opening Hours Tuesdays to Thursdays: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 12 am Fridays & Saturdays: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 1 am Saturday & Sunday (brunch): 11 am to 4 pm (closed on Mondays) Purveyors of the Good Life.. HK Eats - Tin Lung Heen
as we prepare for the Lunar New Year festive mood, we decided to do a little throwback to our recent visit to Hong Kong's Ritz Carlton Hotel for some amazing dim sum. Located on the 102 storey of the hotel, Tin Lung Heen boasts a breathtaking view of Kowloon's harbour and a delectable spread of dim sum and ala carte dishes. This work of Chef Paul Lau and his team has also earned the restaurant 2 Michelin stars in 2013.
visiting the restaurant during the winter, we kinda liked how they kept our tea warm by the window. the views are awesome, albeit with abit of fog on the day that we visited and the decor of the place was totally Instagram worthy. if you were to query the staff on which dishes earned them the Michelin awards, they will be quick to tell you that it was awarded for the overall dining experience and that probably includes the impeccable service quality that greeted us the moment we arrived. 
at the staff's recommendation, we ordered some of the restaurant's signature dishes from the ala carte menu, before proceeding to review the dim sum selections. This steamed crab claw with egg white in Hua Tiao sauce is indeed very special. the selection on crab has an abundant portion of flesh, and the egg white with the sauce creates this savoury taste which partners the dish very well. we also went on to find out that the dim sum dishes were also prepared with quality ingredients. 
We heard about Tin Lung Heen specialising in char siew prepared out of Spanish Iberian pork, so we ordered a serving of the steamed rice rolls with Iberian pork and mushrooms. the char siew is very tender and juicy even for Hong Kong standards, allowing each piece of the rice-rolls to be a very easy chew. in the same vein as the cheong fun, we ordered some Phoenix Claws or chicken feet in conpoy with supreme sauce. unlike many other dim sum places, this chicken feet is so well steamed that they can be cleanly licked off the bones. The sauce gives it a unique flavour unlike the sweet and spicy version that's more typical in Hong Kong. 
special mention to this dish of deep fried frog leg with chilli and sauce, we don't see this very often back home and it really tasted like very good, soft fried chicken. it wasn't too spicy, and the sprinkles of diced fried garlic made it very flavourful and not too over-powering after a couple of pieces. maybe we could say it was.. finger licking good. In all, the visit to Tin Lung Heen was a good experience and an eye-opener. if you're visiting Hong Kong and would like to go for some dim sum indulgence, this is certainly the restaurant to visit. 
Tin Lung Heen Level 102, International Commerce Ctr 1 Austin Road West Kowloon, Hong Kong Opening Hours Lunch: 12 pm to 2.30 pm (Mondays to Fridays) 11.30 am to 3 pm (Weekends and Public Holidays) Dinner: 6 pm to 10.30 pm (daily) Authentically Cantonese in a refined atmosphere Pollen (Afternoon Tea)
my own impression of high tea is a very English-styled activity that has a cottage or a garden somewhere in the backdrop to complete the overall ambience. so when we discovered that there's a place at Gardens by the Bay that offers good afternoon tea, and inside the air-conditioned confines of the flower-dome no less, we thought it'd be worth a shot.
The restaurant is called Pollen, pretty apt since it occupies 2 storeys within this flower dome. an afternoon-tea dining session also earns you a free buggy ride from the main entrance, and also free admission into the dome. the inside is air-conditioned, to preserve an optimal environment for plants to cultivate and having tea in this setting certainly makes you feel like you're in European spring. 
With each afternoon tea set going for S$38++, the food portions at Pollen turned out to be just right. with 2 servings of savoury and another 2 platters of sweet dishes, we didn't feel the overkill that tends to be the case for some famous high teas. there's also a free flow of flavoured tea selections and gourmet coffees to choose from, making the whole package real value-for-money. we particularly liked the above savoury set that came with hummus dips and dukkah spices over toast, as well as the ice-cream cone shaped chicken-liver parfait. 
for the sweet servings, the lemon meringue tarts are simply fantastic. topping that off with some banana tea cake, brownies, macaroons and hot scones, this made a pretty hearty yet not overly-filling combination. i don't know about you, but at high-teas, i usually get killed by the scones, yet that is the hallmark of a typical English tea. the scones at Pollen are not too hard, not too large and has a nice buttermilk taste that went well with the jam and cream. 
in all, considering the prices for hotel high-teas nowadays, the whole package at Pollen makes it a very good deal. it is a perfect way to spend an afternoon catching up with friends, people-watching and enjoying the wide selection of teas and coffees. including the entry to the flower-dome and the overall environment, a trip to Pollen would mark a full day of activities that you're not likely to do on a daily basis. 
Pollen Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay 18 Marina Gardens Drive, #01-09 Singapore 018953 Opening Hours Mondays to Thursdays: 11 am to 9 pm Fridays to Sundays (including public holidays): 9.30 am to 9 pm Afternoon Teas: 3 pm to 5 pm (closed on Tuesdays) Epicurean journey of unique gourmet offerings.. Kai Sushi & Robatayaki
good Japanese food prides itself on the freshness of its ingredients, particularly for those that are prepared raw. while maybe commonplace on the streets of Japan, good sashimi and robatayaki could be quite hard to find locally. for those that also come at value-for-money prices would really be a gem.
Kai Sushi & Robatayaki opened at Plaza Singapura recently. located on the fourth storey of the extension wing, the creators behind this concept are the folks who ran Ishinomaki at Palais Renaissance. most of the dishes are prepared only upon ordering and you can see the sushi chefs at work behind the bar counters. we started off with a serving of Cha Soba or Japanese buckwheat cold noodles, that was served with seaweed, and a very fragrant bowl of shoyu. 
many patrons come here for their sushi and sashimi, primarily because they are served fresh and at very affordable prices. this succulent Chirashi bowl costs only $23. the serving of sashimi is generous and comes in ample varieties, accompanied by sweet and flavourful Japanese rice. for those who'd just like a small serving of sashimi to go with their mains, there is also a small bowl going at $3.80 each. 
but of course, the signature of this restaurant would be their robatayaki. Japanese grilled skewers may be popular street food in Shinjoku, but not many serve up really good ones here. we went for their recommendation of this Hotate Kushi Yaki, essentially scallops grilled and dripped into teriyaki sauce. the meat was tender and didn't leave a strong aftertaste. other skewers that are regularly ordered here include the Enoki Bacon Maki, grilled asparagus wrapped with bacon, as well as the Tebasaki or flame grilled chicken. 
all the robatayaki come in bite-sized skewers and are perfect for sharing amongst a small group. Kai Sushi & Robatayaki also serve a good range of beers and sake, which would certainly go well with grilled food. the food quality and reasonable pricing makes this one place that we would love to visit again. If you are looking for a good Japanese fix at good value, do drop by Plaza Singapura to check out this hidden gem. 
Kai Sushi & Robatayaki 68, Orchard Road, #04-68 Plaza Singapura (extension wing) Singapore 238839 Opening Hours 11 am to 10 pm (daily) prepared with the freshest ingredients and lots of love.. Lola's Cafe
this is probably the most popular cafe in north-eastern Singapore, where long dinner queues, inadequate parking and a bizarre ipad queue system have left many hopefuls still wanting to try out this illusive joint. But such issues are a thing of the past, as this cafe along Simon Road has recently expanded to the shop-house unit next to its original store and now offers ample seating for its followers..
Love is at the heart of what we serve, that's the mantra of Lola's Cafe. and that's what probably makes it so popular. good tasting brunch dishes, painstakingly presented to be Instagram-worthy and accompanied with good coffee brews are a rarity in this part of the island. To be frank, while alot of popular brunch places are hyped up through social media, the quality of brunch food served at Lola's ranks up there with the better ones in this business. 
we tried their Eggs Atlantic, a combination of poached egg and smoked salmon served on a brioche bread with Hollandaise sauce, salad and balsamic dressing. if we are to judge the quality of brunch food by how the eggs and bread are prepared, the freshness of the salmon and overall presentation, this one is tops. we also tried their Breakfast Butter Croissant, which provides a hearty serving of scrambled eggs, breakfast ham, honey bacon with cheese and mayo all wrapped in a toasted croissant. in both cases, the eggs were well done, buttery for the scrambled eggs, lava-flowing for the poached eggs. the bread were all flaky but not hard, and the overall servings were generous. 
the drinks here are equally popular, with the coffee in particular making a good brew. i recall in early 2014 when I first visited on a Sunday afternoon, the team had probably misjudged the popularity of their coffee such that they ran out of coffee beans by 2 pm! prompting our friend to exclaim, "how can you be a cafe without coffee?!". but it was through that experience that we discovered their other wonderful drinks, such as this Matcha Green Tea Latte. Lola's carry a good selection of craft beers too, if you're coming for a chill out dinner. 
and did we mention that people come for their cakes as well? This creation of the Lola's Chocolate Cake which is essentially a chocolate sponge dripped with cream, hazelnut feuilletine and toasted meringue makes a sinful dessert. Many other people have mentioned their Lemon Meringue Tart, which is another of their signatures. in all, long waiting time and challenging parking aside, our experiences at Lola's Cafe is highly positive and is definitely a brunch place in the north-east that we'd visit again. 
Lola's Cafe 5 Simon Road Singapore 545893 Opening Hours Sundays, Tuesdays to Thursdays: 10 am to 11.30 pm Fridays and Saturdays: 10 am to 12 am (closed on Mondays) Food served from the heart is the most delicious.. 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.. |
..ThE lEgEnD..
Last Movie: Ad Astra
Golden Village, Singpost Centre 
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