Symmetry, Singapore

If you're looking for a place for a first date where you can slurp squid ink pasta and not let your date see your gorgeous black stained teeth, Symmetry is the place to go. Nestled right at the edge of Kampong Glam area - stone throw away from Arab Street and Bugis, it's a place which sets off this vibe which I can't quite put my finger on. Indie? Hippy? Rusic, yet charming. 

Window decorations

What I love about this place is that it serves up 3 different menus - brunch, lunch and dinner. I love that the menu is so inspiring, not any plain Jane. Cafe by day, bar and restaurant by night. We popped by on a Thursday evening for dinner and I must say I was surprised by how packed the place got by the end of the night. 

 Tomatoes ($21)

The most amazing tomato salad I've ever had to date. I don't even like tomatoes to start with. It's the kind of dish you wished you didn't have to share (; Heirloom tomatoes, burrata cheese, basil, olive soil, honey & lemon emulsion...this makes tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese so yesterday.

Sometimes you wish that the chef didn't mess with the classics. At first thought - olive soil. Is that necessary? But it adds to the texture - crumbly and somewhat buttery. I would have this salad everyday.  Seriously, everyday.

Squid ($16)

Deep fried whole baby squid served with a squid ink black pepper aioli. Can't fault this, I'd imagine it'll go down a treat with ice cold beer!

Scallops ($32)

Perfectly seared scallops with squid, chorizo, mashed potato, piquillo pepper, kelp, almond and garlic. I had a dish somewhat similar once at Daniel Boulud's DB Bistro Moderne and this gives him a run for his money. 

Risotto ($34)

In the menu, this dish is supposedly a duck leg and foie gras risotto. Little confession - we had connections (pays to know the chef) so he very kindly changed it to a foie gras and mushroom risotto for us. We would gladly have ordered the original had it not been for the food coma we all had earlier on in the day - oops! This was mind blowing. So many places don't get their risottos right. This was perfectly al dente and oozy - not a pile of gunk and starch on a plate. The foie gras seemed to be deep fried - crispy on the outside and buttery on the inside, reminded me of deep fried luncheon meat (does that turn you off?) The sautéed mushrooms added an earthiness making this so decadent you feel somewhat sinful after having it! 

Beef short ribs ($37)

58 hour braised ribs served with creamy mashed potato, water cress and a brown butter emulsion. If you've not had beef short ribs before, you're missing out on something big. BIG. When cooked right, it becomes a cut which is so delectable and flavourful, it soaks up everything it's braised in and breaks down to be this sticky and meaty piece of goodness.

Opening hours

I wouldn't say it's cheap, but for a somewhat more composed and decently executed menu, Symmetry gets my vote. Then again, we had the tip of exactly what to order, and what not to (;

Symmetry

9 Jalan Kubor, #01-01

+65 62919901

Plaza Brasserie, Singapore

All you can eat crab buffet. Crabs. CRABS....

Plaza Brasserie is well known for their themed buffets and this time round they're running an all-you-can-eat crab buffet till 31st August 2013. So how much would it set you back considering these crustaceans are already worth quite a bit in restaurants?

Weekday dinners: Adult ($55++) Child ($33++)

Weekend dinners: Adult ($58++) Child ($35++)

A bang for your buck, I reckon! 

Raw plate

It's not just crabs - they have quite an amazing raw section of sashimi and (freshly shucked) oysters plus a salad bar, bite size appetizers, hot section etc. 

 

The world is your oyster (;

We had to go back for a second round because the first time round someone took the whole Tabasco bottle and we weren't satisfied! Lol! 

Boiled prawns

Braised sea cucumber and mushrooms

Clearly not everyone is a fan of sea cucumber - most dig out only the mushrooms! 

Lobster porridge

This was lovely - very nice consistency with pieces of lobster through the congee making it sweet and flavourful. Topped with as much shallot oil and fried shallots as you like, yum!

 Part of the crab selection

Crab with Dang Gui

 Crispy soft shell crab

 Nyonya curry crab

 Baked crab

 Chilli crab

 Butter crab

 Salted egg crab

Black pepper crab

Assortment of crabs? (:

Our favourite would have to be the salted egg yolk crabs! Best part of eating it would be the coatings on the crab and not the crab itself. Slightly sweetish with the curry leaves and yolk, we would have had second and third helpings had we not been so stuffed from everything else. The least favourite would be the butter crabs - unfortunately the butter was a little too overpowering and the sweetness of the crabs were so masked by it all. 8 different styles all together - surely you would find one you'll agree on! 

Souping it up

Dang Gui (Chinese Angelica Root) has a very distinct taste - somewhat like ginseng...well it is known as the female ginseng after all lol. The soup was so potent that it hits you right in the face after one mouthful. There's something about it though, you'll forget how strong it is and it keep you going back for more. Beats chicken soup anytime! 

 Coffee machine

If you need something to wash it all down they have coffee/tea/hot chocolate. What we did was a shot of espresso and then the ice cream section - Affogato! Our palate cleanser for the night (; 

Chocolate fondue

To be honest all I wanted to do was watch the chocolate coat the marshmallow - smooth sexy shiny flowing chocolate....

Jellies and puddings

Chocolate cakes

 Assortment of cakes

 Chocolate mousse cake

Blueberry cheese cake

I was honestly quite impressed with their dessert selections - they had red bean soup, barley, the whole shebang and were all pretty decent! Normally they'd look pretty and taste horrible but these were not half bad at all! Favourites were the chocolate mousse cake and the coffee jelly with evaporated milk. Oh, ask for a glass of ice cubes and make your own iced teh tarik from the tea machine! 

So if you're a fan of crabs, this is worth your trip down! Make sure you make reservations though. Do also note that you'll get a 15% discount if you pay using a DBS card - sweet deal (: 

Plaza Brasserie @ PARKROYAL on Beach Road

7500A Beach Road

+65 65055710 

Diandin Leluk, Singapore

Stepping into Golden Mile Complex is like being taken straight to Thailand. It really doesn't feel like Singapore at all. It's different...it's old, slightly dodgy, but you know you're in for a treat when you look around you and see that all the Thai restaurants are being filled by Thais themselves. The smell of mookata fills the air - it's really quite an experience here in Singapore.

Na Na at Golden Mile Complex is my usual go to joint to satisfy my Thai cravings but lately I've been hearing a lot about Diandin Leluk which is just a few shops across from Na Na. They also have another branch at Geylang.

Deep fried catfish with mango salad ($12)

You can't go to Diandin Leluk without trying this. Catfish salad (Laap pla duk) has got to be one of the most underrated Thai dishes here. The fish fillets are cooked, dehydrated (sort of like fish floss) and then deep fried so it forms a nest - very airy, crispy and addictive. The mango salad goes so well, whoever invented this dish must be a genius. Their version of mango salad wasn't spicy at all though, I reckon some more chillies would have made this dish perfect. 

 Deep fried fish cake (4pcs for $10)

Fish cakes with sweet chilli sauce can hardly go wrong. The fish tasted fresh and the spices and herbs came through. Served fresh out of the oil so it was still hot and juicy. 

Pandan chicken (4pcs for $10)

This is a one dish that many places don't do well. They either overcook the chicken till it's all stringy and hard or under season it. This was perfect though. Very well marinated and still succulent and juicy. Love how the pandan fragrance permeates the chicken. Mmmm...

Pineapple fried rice ($10)

Odd how this is such a popular dish everywhere - except Thailand. Diandin Leluk's rendition of this Thai favourite had heaping amounts of floss, a few prawns, raisins, pineapples and slices of Chinese sausage. It had the heady aroma of turmeric and curry powder but somehow missing that zing from the pineapples. And then as we finished our dinner someone pointed out - where do they get that many pineapple halves to serve their rice in? Lol. 

Tom Yum Goong ($10)

You get a choice of either seafood or prawns and we went with prawns. This definitely did pack it's punch and there were decent amounts of bursty prawns to go around. It had the right balance of sweet, sour and spicy but this isn't the best Tom Yum Goong in Singapore. You see, I think the soup isn't just about having the right balance it needs to be searingly aromatic as well. The lemongrass, the coriander roots, the lime leaves...it's about the layer of flavours. (Okay..I am quite passionate about my Tom Yum!) 

 Baked prawns with glass noodles in claypot ($18) 

You know how during steamboat sessions, when everyone is done and all that's left in the pot is some really concentrated stock that's bubbling away till it's nearly dried up and you throw in some glass noodles to soak it all up? It's sort of the best part of the meal isn't it? Well this tasted exactly like that. All that prawny goodness being sucked up by the noodles - it was so flavourful and borderline of being too salty but still bearable so all that goes on in your head is "this is damn tasty". The noodles were the best part of the dish really, the prawns were so overcooked they could not be any more dead but that's forgivable because the noodles were really that good!

Red ruby ( $3)

Red ruby (Tub Tim Grob) is possibly even better that bubble milk teas especially in this crazy humid weather we've been having lately in Singapore. It's basically a coconut based dessert with little red "rubies" which are tiny cubes of water chestnut covered in tapioca flour and tinted pink/red. The tapioca flour coating is exactly like pearls in your milk tea, they're chewy and basically tasteless so the chestnuts provide the crunchy contrast of textures and bursts of sweetness. A little disappointed by this that night because it was as if the red rubies were left out a little too long they lost their chewiness and they all stuck together like overnight refrigerated tapioca pearls. 

Mango sticky rice ($6)

The rice was amazing. Perfectly cooked coconut milk infused rice with just the right amount of salt and served warm with sweet gorgeous mangoes. Perfect way to end the meal.

I'm dying to go back to have the catfish salad and glass noodles...hits and misses there so be smart about what you order!

Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant @ Golden Mile Complex
5001 Beach Road, #01-67
+65 6293 5101

Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant @ Geylang
221 Geylang Road (beside Lorong 7)
+65 67428664

Jollibee, Singapore

Filipino fast food chain Jollibee couldn't have found a better place than Lucky Plaza as their first Singapore outlet. During the first month or two lines were so crazy that they actually have an empty shop lot next door to contain the queues.

Many would associate Jollibee as the Filipino version of McDonalds or KFC and it is very much like so. So how does it fare compared to those chains?

Jollibee feast!

I have always grown up eating KFC with white rice...childhood memories indeed. Funny thing is that when I was younger I never ate food with ketchup or chilli sauce...but I see how ketchup goes well with chicken now. Jollibee comes with a tub of brown gravy - pretty decent I must say. 

2pcs chicken with rice ala carte is $5.60 and a dollar more for a value meal. Chickenjoy is what they call their chicken and it is pretty darn good! Very crispy and moist succulent meat. Beats KFC, Texas, Popeyes and all the other chains hands down! Serving it with rice is already a plus point in my books (:

Also a favourite in the Philippines is the Jollibee Spaghetti ($3) but we had the 1pc chicken and spaghetti ($6.60). This is wrong on so many levels but it was good. A very kiddish version - minced beef, sausage, and some melted cheese. It's sweet, yes, but very tasty. 

We spotted the Double Yumburger with TLC ($6) and first thing my colleague said to me was - burger with Tender Loving Care? Secretly I agreed only to realise later that it was Tomato, Lettuce and Cheese. Oops. To be honest, I'll give the burger a miss the next time - wasn't too bad but chicken and spaghetti definitely wins over the burger! 

So if you haven't tried Jollibee, give it a go! Word is that the queue has died down, but try and avoid peak times! 

Jollibee

6/F Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road

+65 90543892

Tim Ho Wan, Singapore

The cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant. It comes as no surprise that when Hong Kong's Tim Ho Wan finally opened in Singapore this year, there were perpetual queues all day. Lines snake all the way to the corridors, and the queues can get up to 2 or 3 hours long.

I suppose that they didn't foresee this madness because in the early days they had a takeaway counter but today it's all plastered up - I guess they couldn't handle the crowd. They currently also have a no takeaway rule in place but there is always a way around this ("accidentally" over order and ask them to doggy bag the leftovers). 

You absolutely cannot go to Tim Ho Wan and not try the "Big 4 Heavenly Kings" - after all that effort and sweat in the queue, you have got to at least try all 4 signature dishes! 

 Baked bun with BBQ pork (3pcs for $4.50)

Signature item #1. This would be more known as "polo bun" to us. The legendary buns are limited to 1 order (3pcs) per person - that's how popular it is.

 BBQ pork bun innards

Biting into it you'll notice how light and fluffy the bun is. The top is slightly sweet and crumbly which makes it easy to eat more than just one! The BBQ pork (char siew) however was lacking that char taste and I found it to be just a little too sweet. 

 Vermicelli roll with pig's liver ($5.50)

Signature item #2. Chee cheung fun would be the common name. Apparently a lot of trial and error has gone into this - Chef Mak Kwai Pui is determined to get the texture of the liver similar to the ones in Hong Kong. I've got to say that liver is a very unusual filling and I'm not quite sure if it works. Can't quite help feeling that it was a little bland even when eaten with the sauce. But for the less adventurous, Tim Ho Wan also offers 4 other variations - BBQ pork ($5.50), shrimp ($5.50), beef ($5.50) and vegetarian black pepper ($5).

Pan fried carrot cake (3 pcs for $4.50)

Signature item #3. I absolutely love carrot cake. Gotta be one of my favourite snacks when it's done right. The perfect carrot cake? The taste of the radish has to shine through so that means not too much flour; the little chopped up pieces of Chinese sausage or pork has to provide the contrast of texture and flavour and then pan fried to perfection so that it's crispy on the inside and soft on the inside. Tim Ho Wan's version unfortunately isn't the best I've ever had. It's missing something.. twice I've had this but I still can't put my finger on it. I found myself dousing it in chilli sauce though! 

Steamed egg cake ($3.80)

Signature item #4. This, surprisingly, turned out to be my favourite among the 4 signature dishes. If you're a fan of steamed Malay cake, you gotta try this. It had just the right amount of sweetness and although I won't call it fragrant (smelled like eggs), it was so light and fluffy I could easily finish a whole serving myself (; 

Pork dumpling with shrimp ($5.00)

A good comparison for any dim sum place would be the pork dumplings (siew mai). Again, it was good but there's definitely better ones in singapore. They tasted meaty and the prawns were bursty - the dumplings help together just fine but still they were just mediocre.

Deep fried spring rolls with egg white ($4.20)

I actually quite liked this. Then again, anything deep fried is good! The egg whites were fluffy and silky in a way which provided great texture contrast to the crunch you get from the deep fried wrappers.

 

Tonic medlar & osmanthus cake ($3.50)

Dessert! This is served cold and is pretty refreshing! Tasted exactly like sweetened chrysanthemum tea and goji berries/wolfberries in a gelatinous form.

So if you're thinking of having a quick bite and then catching a movie at Plaza Singapura, think again. To be honest I wouldn't really go back unless the hype dies down - I don't reckon it's worth the queue at all even if it's just a half hour queue.

Hits and misses across the menu and while there were hits, they weren't spectacular or mind blowing in any way.

Tim Ho Wan
Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road, #01-29A
+65 62512000

Toby's Estate, Singapore

Brunch at Robertson Quay has got to be one of my favourite ways to spend the weekends. I live a stone throw away (5 mins walk) from Robertson Quay but it's odd that I don't find myself down there often enough. There's definitely something there for everyone, considering the amount of cafes and restaurants but the number of brunch places is incredible. A stroll along the quay side and you'll find many of Singapore's favourite brunch places - Smitten Coffee & Tea Bar, Kith Cafe, Epicurious, Hummerstons, SQ11 Deli & Cafe, Boomarang Bistro & Bar and of course, Toby's Estate. 

The unrelenting heat last Saturday wasn't in our favour to dine at Kith. Unfortunately Kith wasn't air conditioned and if we sat outside our poached eggs would have been hard boiled by the time we dug in. And because we were starving we hopped off to the nearest cafe which was Toby's Estate. 

Overlooking the quay

Perfect hideout place on a weekend! 

Ordering counter

I have always imagined that if I one day owned my own cafe, I would have a communal dining table. Bill Granger's Bills in Sydney is the same - it becomes the centre of the space and adds this warmth and cosy feeling. Well...that's the dream (: 

Cafe latte ($5), Iced latte ($6)

Coffee. Just the sound of the word gives me a buzz. That one cup can make or break your day and sometimes your whole day revolves around it. Toby's definitely didn't let me down. It was smooth and full-bodied and had that rich lingering finish which I loved. 

 Eggs royale ($16)

Two poached barn laid eggs, smoked salmon, brioche and a bacon hollandaise sauce. Now, the thing with ordering poached eggs is that many chefs poach their eggs in vinegar water because it's sort of easier but it annoys my because this changes the flavour and texture of the eggs. While this did not have that horrible vinegary taste to it, the texture was slightly off but the eggs were perfectly oozy and just right. 

Also, if you decide to call your hollandaise a BACON hollandaise sauce, it should have the lovely smokey flavour of bacon, or at least have bits of chopped bacon mixed through. This had neither. Didn't taste like it was bacon infused at all but it would have passed off well as plain good ol' hollandaise sauce. 

Black pepper - yes, please! 

Ooze baby, ooze!

Moroccan baked eggs ($18)

Spiced chili con carne (beef) with kidney beans, chorizo sausage, mushrooms, espresso maple bacon and sourdough. Absolutely stuffed from my plate I didn't try this so I have got no comments on this. This has got to be the first baked eggs I've seen that isn't all tomatoey so that's refreshing. Don't let this fool you because if you dig deep there is plenty (almost too much) of chilli underneath it. 

 Good cuppa, good food and good reads 

Serving more than just your run-of-the-mill breakfast offerings, they do sandwiches as well as pastas. I wouldn't quite call their food great, but I do think that their coffee has got to be the best around the area so that's good enough for me. 

If I do return, I'd also definitely pick an outdoor seat - they have truffle mushrooms (truffle oil, not the real stuff) on the menu so at times the smell of the truffle oil can be quite intoxicating inside. You know that smell of truffle fries? Urgh. 

Toby's Estate

8 Rodyk Street, #01-03/04

+65 66367629