GRUB, Singapore

Date of visit: 5 July 2014

K and I are 'westies' who are perfectly fine with staying within our side of Singapore since there's plenty of good food to be found nearby, so for us to have made a trip down to Grub on a Saturday morning and actually thought it was well worth it, is quite a big deal.  

I can see why this new café has been the talk of the town and why it deserves the attention it's been getting.  It's now on my list of cafés to return to for comfort food and a relaxing brunch with loved ones :)  Indeed, it's legitimately delicious food that I would be proud to serve in my own home, just like what they'd hoped to achieve.

Restaurant Labyrinth, Singapore

Date of Visit: 4 April 2014  

L to R:  Garlic foam, olive butter, balsamic vinegar jam

Served with warm and fluffy focaccia bread slices

Amuse-bouche:  Scallop carpaccio with lemon vinaigrette

Starter:  Mango Tomato Bruschetta

The tomato was seasoned and arranged such that it would look like a typical steak tartare.  There were tomato 'clouds' on the side as well to keep the salad light and refreshing although they did not have much taste.  The tomato was seasoned well, the sweet mango sauce on the top balanced out the tart flavours nicely and overall this dish was a solid introduction to the rest of the creative dishes.

8/10

The view from our counter seats (we were lucky enough to be seated in front of the chill crab station as it is Labyrinth's signature dish) and Chef-Owner Han Li Guang in action.

LP+Tetsu Singapore

Date of visit: 12 December 2013

This fine-dining restaurant is a collaboration between one-Michelin-starred Chef Laurent Peugeot and Singapore's F&B Lifestyle company Food Junction Holdings Limited.  K and I celebrated our anniversary here and we were glad to have found such a gem in Singapore that restored our faith in the local fine-dining scene.

Simply LP+TETSU

6-course menu

$98 per pax

Open Door Policy

Dropped by Open Door Policy at Tiong Bahru for a quick brunch today, and this is what K and I had!  The restaurant was decorated tastefully and has a decent selection of dishes (they have a brunch menu and a full menu), but we both felt a little let down by the quality of food and that the price was too steep for those that we tried.

ODP Pancakes with blackberries & chocolate  ($22)

I ordered this from the brunch menu and when it arrived, we were pretty excited because the fragrance of the chocolate was strong and tantalising.  The pancakes are not like those you find elsewhere - they were a more moist version of a fusion between buttery flat pancakes and English muffins.  It was surprising and the texture was decent.

The chocolate sauce was not as strong as its smell or colour, although the blackberries were cooked well such that they were not as sour as when they are eaten raw.  I would say it was a fun new dish to try, but I would not order it again because the chocolate was a letdown and the price seemed unjustified.  It would have been nicer with streaks of dark chocolate and some whipped cream on the side instead of just splashing it with milk chocolate - just a few added touches would have been nice.

6/10

Skirt at W Hotel - Sentosa Cove

I am finally back in sunny monsoon season Singapore for my Christmas break!  Feels amazing to be home, and I've been going on a whirlwind tour of my favourite restaurants and places ever since touching down.

K brought me to a steakhouse that I haven't been to yesterday evening and it was a refreshing getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Skirt is the perfect place to bring your date if he or she likes spending a good two hours sitting around and just soaking in the surroundings.  I mean, just look at the decor of this place!  From those dramatic lantern-looking lights to wooden cutting boards hanging behind us.  It was quite a sight to behold - every wall was covered with some kind of display or dramatic curtains that hung from the top of this restaurant's very high ceiling.

On a side note, I do see why 'staycations' have been becoming more popular nowadays after taking a stroll around W Hotel and Sentosa Cove.  K commented that for once he felt like he was in a different country, and I couldn't agree more.  Admiring the nearby developments that had tranquil views of the south coast and just strolling along with nothing and no one but the sea breeze for company ended off my night wonderfully.  It truly felt like a short getaway to a quiet island, and I won't be forgetting that feeling in a long while.