One of the newest creations from Pizza Hut was their San Francisco Sourdough Pizza, using sourdough as the pizza crust.

As advertised, the crust maintained a good crisp on the outside, and with larger air pockets within, even though the insides were not as fluffed up as I would have imagined it to be. However, the sprinkling of the blended bread crumbs (or flour, whichever it was) made the pizza too grainy for my own enjoyment. Perhaps, it was meant to keep the crispiness at its optimum level, but I wouldn’t exactly say that I enjoyed the overall texture. Sadly, the experience was not sufficient to make me want to select this type of crust again, provided that it would stay in the regular menu in a few weeks’ time.

As F&B businesses started to pick up from the pandemic madness, one of the impressive deals at Compass One would be the Extended Lunchtime Special at Paradise Hotpot, where one can get significant discounts for their first orders. Imagine coming in between 2.31pm and 4.15pm and be told that there would be a 40% discount on the first order sent to the kitchen, and that would make absolute sense to have hotpot late lunch, afternoon “snack” or super early dinner.

Those who could not wait till 2.30pm for your meal, fret not! The original Lunchtime Special featured the items at 30% off, so there would still be some discounts to stretch the dollar a bit.

And for those who did not find the need to enjoy your individual pots, the fact is that you could share it with your fellow diner(s), on the premise that you all were having the same soup base.

A little sugar rush with this Frozen Honey Ruby Grapefruit Black Tea wouldn’t kill, especially when it was once upon the time on the top of my beverages list at Starbucks.

Priced at S$7.50 for a Grande size drink, it has evolved from its previous hot and iced versions, and seemingly tasted a little more citric, with grapefruit peel within almost every sip. Although it wasn’t in much of a slush form by the time it came out from the blender, I reckoned that it was still refreshing, regardless of how ridiculous the whether it was outside.

Grilled squid might not seem to be the best kind of bar food around, but the Ika Yaki here was done so well that my table of four had to get our seconds.

Let’s just say that his S$15.00 dish was much thinly cut than what was seen on the menu. However, it was perfectly cooked to avoid that rubbery texture. In the softness of the meat also lies a subtle but noticeable char that discouraged me from putting my chopsticks down.

What seemed to be a casual drinks session ended up as a dinner, as we started to order other foodstuff like the Murotsu Oyster Ikura, Tori Kawa Karaage and other char-grilled skewers. Before we knew it, we ordered some too many Kirin beers and Highballs, and I don’t suppose one will still think the Izakaya experience here is sub-par.

If there was still some space in your tummy to pack a dessert, I would say that their Mango Sticky Rice (S$7.90) would be worth the calories. Perhaps it was the mango season, and so the mango was very sweet. The steamed glutinous rice was served at a very acceptable portion, which was just enough to go with the sliced mangoes, and some crispy rice was sprinkled over, just to add some subtle fragrance and crunchiness to this classic dessert.

The S$2.10 version of their Boat Noodles might seem to be just a mouthful of noodles, but we all know that a typical Thai dinner would comprise many dishes of meats and vegetables. The flavours were definitely rather authentic, and my fellow diners could not stop praising the lard that was part of the dish.

If rice noodles were not your thing, other options included Bee Hoon, Kway Teow, Mee Kia, Tang Hoon and instant noodles to suit your preferences.

It’s been a while since I last checked out the cocktails concocted by hotels, and this glass of Mangata was a pleasant surprise, because they incorporated a surprising element — tea!

The Mangata (S$23.00) used Gryphon’s Osmanthus Sencha Tea to complement mango juice, citrus and London dry gin. It would probably not be lethal, as the taste of alcohol seemed to be well-camouflaged by the fruity and floral notes. And I guess that might just be the scary thing about unsuspecting cocktails: I might just order more!

Two years on, The GoodBurger Food Truck had made their move from the open space outside The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands to the corner space of Coronation Shopping Plaza.

Other than adding Tindle chicken into their menu, there were also more snack bites options to pimp the plant-based burgers experience. And although at some point I felt the “beef” burgers tasted a little like chopped luncheon meat, the “What The Cluck!” (S$18.00) was my highlight of the night, with stunningly crispy mock chicken patty done Southern-style, complemented with cheese, crunchy pickles and their homemade garlicky special sauce. And of course, the burger still held in place very well after more than 30 minutes of standing.

Of course, a burger like this might not have matched with the premium chicken burgers out there whereby perhaps a whole chicken thigh was used. However, the seasoning and firmness of the “chicken” patty was reasonably consistent, and so there’s little to complain about. Flavours were on point, and nothing felt soggy from start to finish.

The quest of food sustainability might still be at its infancy stage, but I would really commend the folks here for staying true to their plant-based food menu commitment. And hopefully the next visit would surprise me with more refined flavours, though currently it was already satisfying enough for me to want to come back again.

#BurppleEatup

When the Stir-fried Beef & Cheese Baguette (S$10.00) was first served, my first thought was “did they forget to put the cheese?”, because all I could see was the saucy beef slices stuffed into the Bahn Mi.

But as I sank my teeth into this S$10.00 Vietnamese baguette, I was totally sold. Just by having the light and crispy baguette that was a stark contrast from its creamy yet tender beef slices already could blow my mind. Not forgetting the presence of the greens that also helped to balance the flavours a little, this on its own made an appropriate light meal.

Dining in happens upstairs, but seats fill up quite quickly especially now that safe distancing is lifted. But I would seriously recommend this to be consumed in-house for maximum satisfaction.

Thai franchise Yenly Yours had recently landed in Basement 1 of the mall. For those who would have weakness for mangoes, this dessert café must be a compulsory stop for a quick round of sweets.

Though everything looked appealing, this particular item probably caught my attention almost immediately. At S$10.90, this bowl of desserts contained mango slush at the base, and some slices of mango, mango ice cream and grated coconut flesh. The latter gave the dessert a good balance of texture as well as acidity (from the mango counterparts). Having this dessert was like indulging myself in the midst of summer, with refreshing tropical notes and a slight desire to order another mango-based drink to go.

One of the more memorable dishes of the dinner was their Homemade Tofu with Minced Meat (S$15.00).

I would definitely agree that the big slab of homemade tofu here was already silky smooth and tasty on its own. With the additional stuff like minced meat, mushrooms, salted fish, chopped Kailan and chicken floss, and not forgetting that flavourful thickened gravy, this dish would go so well with plain rice, and would be a all-ages crowd pleaser.

For those who use Burpple Beyond, this dish would also be eligible for a one-for-one Main Dish deal, so this should go on the “must try” items, provided you were not after a vegetarian meal.

#BurppleEatup
#BurppleBeyond

The Chilli Crab is such a celebrated dish in Singapore, and of course it would make absolute sense to offer that here. Not sure if I got it right, but the gravy here seemed to also carry a surprise ingredient — chopped peanuts. But instead of turning it into a Satay sauce, I thought the peanuts added a subtle fragrance to the already tasty gravy, and that to me was a plus for sure.

And just like what my fellow diners had rightly pointed, it only would make sense if we finished the gravy with lots of fried Mantou or bowls or plain rice. I felt the spice level of the gravy was on point, but I might also prefer the tanginess to be slightly elevated, just to make the dish less “gelak”.

Seasonal price would apply for this dish, so check out the prices before ordering if interested!

#BurppleEatup