Actually so upset that I didn’t think of this earlier - replacing bakkwa with bacon in my aglio olio!? Ingenious idea, especially with Bee Cheng Hiang’s Gourmet bakkwa that’s made of pork belly. A simpler pasta dish here, but great especially if you like a bit of sweetness in your food. The glazed bakkwa adds a little layer of sweetness to every bite of your pasta.

Thanks for having us, Bee Cheng Hiang Grillery!✨

This was so delicious! The aroma of the truffle together with a mix of different types of mushrooms like shimeji, oyster, button and even crispy enoki mushrooms on the top!! That crispy enoki added a nice touch to it, just as the runny sous vide egg which gave all the shrooms more sauciness. And of course true to the shop they have added sliced beef bakkwa in this dish, and who knew bakkwa and mushrooms go pretty well together😳

Thank you Burpple for the invite & BCH for hosting!

Gourmet fusion platter which consists of miniature bakkwa slices made of premium pork hind leg meat with pork belly in one slice. The meat was grilled with charcoal at Bee Cheng Hiang’s Grillery, unlike in the normal shop where it’s grilled over the electric grill. The fusion meat was slightly thicker, but also juicier and with more texture, which I really enjoyed. An interesting concept at the grillery where you can have bakkwa and pair it with wine👅 A suitable place to bring your friends from overseas who want to try some local delights!

Thanks Burpple for the invite✨

Nestled in a quieter area of Dempsey Hill, Jiu Zhuang is a beautiful hidden restaurant and bar that is a worth a try. The ambience of Jiu Zhuang perfectly matches up to its name, with the whole restaurant appearing to be a premium drinking house, and decked in heritage, Chinese style decor which aimed to emulate how a sophisticated “atas” drinking parlour might have been like in the past. The immaculate vibes of Jiu Zhuang won my heart. And even though the restaurant is not all that big, they’ve positioned their customers to be comfortably apart from one another, and that is always well appreciated.

As it’s name goes, you’re at a premium bar which offers a wide range of liquor - from Bai Jiu & Huang Jiu to a very extensive wine list. They have a massive range of whiskeys but also a unique selection of cocktails inspired by the four seasons (pictured). The cocktails were decent, but this is a definitely a bar for people who enjoy their hard liquor, be it neat or on the rocks. And when it comes to whiskey, you’ll be spoilt for choice here. Jiu Zhuang has a food menu as well, and no surprise it’s a Chinese menu, with a few dim sum options but also szechuan cuisine. And I’ll highly recommend one of my favourites got to be their Whisky Xiao Long Bao. So if you’re looking for a somewhere unique and quiet for a cosy date night, you can consider heading to this elegant hidden bar✨

Mama Diam has been making its rounds on social media for a long time, and I haven’t been able to book a slot until recently. The concept of Mama Diam is uniquely Singaporean, and a perfect expat tourist trap for people who want to “experience” Singapore culture, with the mini mart photo op or even childhood items for sale. The menu is very well done, and Mama Diam clearly lays out the alcohol strength and sweetness in their drink for you to make an informed choice. I went for the Pisang Old Fashion - chocolate + banana + rum + bitters combination that was a strong one, but I honestly didn’t think much of the flavours here. Pictured is the Chai Tarik Brew, a seemingly crowd favourite for its aesthetic (duh) and how easy it is to drink. With its lower alcohol level and high sweetness, this is one dessert drink you’d enjoy at night after drinking all your non-alcoholic teh pengs in the day. That being said, it’s all cute, fun, and nice to look at it, but I personally am not very convinced. A huge part of it was perhaps got to do with the crowd and the rather bustling, noisy atmosphere that made Mama Diam more suited to be a restaurant to hangout in groups and eat, rather than a speakeasy bar to chill and drink. And because of the crowd, the staff were understandably busy - but that also meant a lot of movement and less attention.
I’d still recommend coming to Mama Diam with the right group of friends and right intentions - because why not? But if you’re looking for a quiet, cosy, bar to really have a nice and calm night, this will not be the speakeasy for you.

Got the blue label soft serve ice cream in a cup for $8, and added brownie chunks for another $2. The swirl flavour simply means you get a mix of both vanilla and after eight, a mint chocolate flavour. I thoroughly adored the texture of the soft serve here, it does not melt too quickly, and has a nice milkiness to it. Hesitated adding the brownie chunks - but it really elevated the experience for me with that added chewiness.

Rate:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Have been wanting to try Blue Label for a long time knowing how their restaurants exude a classy, yet laid-back retro bar vibe. It was a nice, cozy ambience even at the bar seats - which lucky walk-ins get relegated to especially when the restaurant is fully booked. The Original Famous composed of a five cheese blend together with a tomato base and basil. The pizza here has a crustier, crunchier texture unlike of course, your sourdough pizzas. But the crunch was well-appreciated, and the crust was of a nice thinness. The flavours of this classic pizza was simply enjoyable, nothing too heavy with the cheesiness on point!

Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Was battling between this flavour and the buffalo wings, but the staff told us that this was spicier. Indeed, a good kick of spice, though I personally do not enjoy honey-like sweetness in my food. Thankfully the garlic, sriracha, and blue cheese ranch made the honey sweetness lighter for me. Pretty decent starter to have! Though I’d love to try their state fair fries the next time🤭

Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Love the flavours of this chilli pan Mee when everything especially the runny egg is all deliciously mixed together. The best part is when you add any amount of chilli you want, you can adjust how spicy you want it to be! A satisfying meal - though pricey for pan mee.

Rate:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Very interestingly done dessert with a savoury papadum placed on top of the ice cream!? Well it went decent together, the papadum was nice, but the sticky date pudding fell so short of expectations because of its pretty dry texture. That being said, you should try this if you’re in for something really sweet, especially with the caramelised banana on the side.

Rate:🌟🌟

Pastry was quite soft and not as crusty as I would like, and salmon was a bit dry. However, the flesh of the salmon was still tender, and went nicely with the delicate lemon and dill beurre blanc. Pretty decent but definitely on the pricier side.

Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Rich oxtail stew full of zucchini, potatoes, and carrots. Meat was fall of the bone kind of tender, though I thought the stew got too much for my palate after a while. The rich flavours of the stew went wonderful with the well-toasted baguette.

Rate:🌟🌟🌟