L’Atelier Tiramisu, Singapore

Tiramisu has got to be the most difficult dessert to please. The intensity of the coffee and alcohol (if any), the cream : mascarpone ratio, how soaked the lady fingers are - everyone has their own preference.

L'atelier Tiramisu, translated as "The Tiramisu Workshop" is a new kid on the block - only about a month old...hidden in the basement of Central Clarke Quay. And as the name suggests, tiramisu is all they sell, and of course, beverages.

Sampler set ($15)

We got there on a weekday at about 8.30pm and all that was left was the sampler set and a lonely piece of lychee tiramisu. The sampler set came in 4 different flavours - lychee, matcha, dark cherry and 2 classics. Perfect for sharing! 

Honestly, this is on a whole other level compared to Gastronomia's tiramisu which everyone raves about. The flavours in each were intense - very light yet decadent at the same time. My favourite would have to be the classic - followed by the dark cherry. 

Dare I say it's the best tiramisu I've had in Singapore to date. If anything, the fruity flavours like lychee was a little too watery - juice from the canned fruits itself. 

Planning a return visit soon to get a proper (bigger) slice of the classic tiramisu! They also take orders for 7" tiramisu cakes - perfect for a movie night in with a few good friends (: 

L'Atelier TiramiSu

The Central @ Clarke Quay

6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #B1-09

+65 93898582

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant, Singapore

I've always been a "crabby" person, unlike people I know whose laziness deters them from eating, I actually enjoy picking at it. Ever since moving to Singapore, I've been having odd cravings for crabs but fortunately I have a partner in crime (: 

Last month we had the all you can eat crab buffet at Plaza Brasserie and this month we decided to have salted egg yolk crabs. A quick search and Master Crab came up as the most recommended in Singapore. They have outlets all over the heartlands but Ghim Moh was the nearest to where we were, so Ghim Moh it was! 

I can't remember why, but we weren't so hungry that night - or maybe all we wanted was crab. No rice, no carbs of any kind, just crabs. Oh, but herbal soup was okay for the rainy night (; 

 Herbal frog ($18) 

I have this thing with frogs - I eat them, but I secretly feel squeamish deep inside. So usually I'll just have the soup, or the gravy it's cooked in. I used to love them when I was young, till one day I saw a display of a skinned frog with it's head still intact. Oh, the horror....

The soup was lovely here, the angelica root (dong guai) wasn't too overpowering. We ordered the small portion but the portions were generous we ended up taking half of it home.

Salted egg yolk crabs

The pièce de résistance! The gravy was so rich and felt so cholesterol laden (not that we're complaining) and it was so addictive. If anything, it was perhaps a little too sweet but I would gladly have this any day!

A thing to note is that they have crabs of 2 different sizes - small and big. If you're going for small, you would have to order a minimum of 2 crabs. For big, just 1. If you're thinking of having two flavours, you could go with 3 small crabs and they will split 1 and a half crabs each dish.

The bill came up to about $105 for just the 2 of us - exclusive of drinks and we didn't order rice or anything else. Not exactly cheap for a coffee shop style place, but business seems to be blooming for them. Everyone flocks here for the salted egg yolk crabs so that's saying something!

Master Crab Seafood Restaurant @ Ghim Moh
Block 19 Ghim Moh Road, #01-229
+65 63141868

Chuan Yi Pin, Singapore

We've been going through a wet few days - evenings mostly cold and rainy... perfect for steamboat! So the plan was to check out one of those steamboat places along Liang Seah street at Bugis. Walked past Chuan Yi Pin, and the smell of the sizzling BBQ was just too good to ignore. 

By Singapore standards, some would call this place a horrifying and crummy hole in the wall. Think of street food stall in Bangkok or something and you'll be fine (; 

It was quite a long queue for Friday night - no need to wait if you're having just steamboat but at least half an hour queue if you're having both steamboat and BBQ. It's the same price regardless ($23.80 for adults on weekends). 

Cooked food 

What I found interesting was that their selection of cooked food was mostly Szechuan appetisers - pickled trotter, tripe, and other offals.

 Balls, anyone?

 More steamboat stuff 

 Seafood and marinated meat

 Seafood!

 Round 1 (:

 Thinly sliced pork

Thinly sliced beef

BBQ-ed mantou (:

Charred goodness

They had a very good selection..there was a guy behind a meat slicer slicing away meat to order - pork, mutton or beef. We ended up BBQ-ing most food though, and had very little steamboat. 

Be prepared to sweat and smell like what you're eating (: A friend once said if you go back and soak your hair in some water, you would make a broth out of it....

Psst... make reservations beforehand!

Chuan Yi Pin
Bugis Point, 530 North Bridge Road, #01-01
+65 68844582

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