I would have imagined that it was somewhat unfortunate for iSTEAKS Diner to open their new branch at Suntec City Mall just before the circuit breaker period, but I was also feeling quite glad that I visited the restaurant for a dine-in too.
To me, they had taken their steak business quite seriously with the range of steak options available. I ordered their Grain Fed Char-grilled Ribeye (S$25.00) which truly didn’t disappoint, with the slab’s doneness and seasoning right on point. I supposed that it was also the fact that they were so good with what they were doing, that their restaurants were progressively expanding across the island.
The restaurant also offered some interesting-looking desserts, but this yummy dinner would have been best complemented with a glass of house red wine.
When I first saw the Aburi Mentai Yaki Chirashi Don (S$17.90) served to me, I was very excited for the generous amount of Mentaiko Mayonnaise squeezed on top of the bowl of raw seafood, egg and cucumber cubes layer. Not to mention the sea of glistering Ebiko.
Being so happy with the Mentaiko Mayonnaise made me ignore and accept the somewhat little portion of the diced stuff. But of course I also felt saddened by the fact that business was moving very slowly to the point that I could not confirm if the portions were “upsized intentionally”, or the sushi rice was on the hard side because it was not moving fast enough for a new batch to be prepared.
Served in their refreshed menu this year, LECOQ introduced two sea urchin mains for the diners who loved its freshness — the Hot Uni Spaghetti (S$22.00) and the Cold Uni Somen.
Every strand of the spaghetti was thickly coated with a cream-based sauce with a few pieces of the raw sea urchin resting beautifully, so once the pasta was tossed, you could actually taste the freshness of the sea urchin without feeling to overpowered by it. Even as a person who was not a big fan of sea urchin, I thought this was a pretty noteworthy dish to enjoy.
As far as I understood, this dish would not be redeemable as a Burpple Beyond deal, but don’t let that stop you from savouring it.
#BurppleEatup
Feeling a craving the other day for fried rice, I was at Bali Thai to have their Nasi Goreng Istimewa (S$15.50) for dinner. The fried rice dish also included two sticks of Satay, a stuffed winglet, a fried egg, and some Keropok and condiments by the side.
The dish did promise quite a well-rounded variety of items, thus making it a bit more special than conventional Nasi Goreng. Unfortunately, the taste of the fried rice was just not “power” enough to make this worth coming back for. If that was how it was even without the chilli padi added into the fried rice during the cooking process, it could have also been the case when the spice was thrown in.
The Laksa Mussels (S$20.00) was a plate full of mussels cooked in their take on “Nyonya Laksa”, which turned out to be on the dry side — less gravy but packed with flavour. This was a great dish for sharing, but I would say it was also possible to conquer it alone!
I had a great meal here, partly also because the staff seemed to be quite friendly and attentive despite the crowd during dinner service.
The Raspberry Lemon Cake (S$6.90) was a limited-time offer in conjunction with the cherry blossom season. I liked the lemon zest that was sprinkled on the top of the cake, giving it that citric flavour with a bit of texture to every bite.
However, I realised from previous visits and this one that the cakes at Starbucks were starting to have sponge cake layers that were on the dry and hard side. I thought that the cake could have given a better experience if the sponge layers were more fluffy and light.
Count on the Japanese to deliver innovative dining concepts, as Singapore brought in Yakiniku Like to our dining scene. Supposedly, they pitched the restaurant as fast food because the raw meats were quickly served upon order, and you would have solo or shared grill to dine at your own pace.
I tried their Like Set, which comprised 150g of meat (beef tongue, skirt steak, beef short plate), rice, soup and a side dish, for a good price of S$15.80. On top of that, diners were free to order ala carte meat items from S$2.50 to experience a variety of additional meat, from chicken to pork to even Wagyu beef!
To customise the flavours based on your palates, the restaurant also offered 8 kinds of condiments for that tasty grilled meats. And while one had to also moderate his expectation that the cuts were not at the best grade, the quality of the meal was much justified by the wallet-friendly prices.
On the other hand, I was quite sure that not many people would wait for almost an hour to get a seat. I could only hope that their diners would abide by their philosophy to make it a fast food and learn from the Japanese to make it a quick meal for others to like the Like too.
The first impression of this place when I saw the menu was that this café served their food at affordable prices. Because of that, it made sense to order some additional appetisers for sharing, such as their Truffle Tater Tots (S$7.00).
Though I would not really pin much hope on the minute portion of shaved parmesan for flavours, the tater tots were just addictive to make one want to pop one after another into the mouth.
The Nitro Cold Brew at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf was steeped for 20 hours before being infused with nitrogen to give that silky smooth finish in every sip.
If you were particular about what went into the coffee blend, they used a special blend of premium Bali Blue Moon and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe coffees with Chicory, which, according to their official website, would give out flavours of sweet toffee, caramel and brown sugar, amidst the comfortably bitter taste of steeped coffee.
And, if drunk at a regular pace, it was really possible to enjoy ice cold coffee from start to finish.
Perfect as a sweet ending for two, this S$9.90 dessert was pretty amazing the moment I tried to scoop some ice cream up with the spoon, because it was actually quite sticky (texture a bit comparable with Sticky Chewy Chocolate). But what was really enjoyable about this dessert was what could be found at the bottom of the “coconut husk”: sticky rice, beans and red rubies? There was like some Thai influence to this dessert, but it was refreshing and fun nonetheless.
Given my very limited encounters with Vietnamese cuisine, it was a shame to say that this was my first encounter with Bahn Mi, which loosely translated to Vietnamese baguette sandwich.
The Caramelised 5-Spice Pork Belly Bahn Mi (S$9.90) was just scrumptious despite the humble price tag. Juicy pork belly slices were pressed with raw vegetables, coriander and pâté between a sliced baguette with very crispy crust. The sounds of crunches came from both the bread as well as the vegetables, making the meal sensational amidst the ease of eating it without taking a toll on the jaw and teeth.
Likely to be the first Burpple Beyond partner that did not adopt the “1-for-1” deal system, but Gyu Nami was able to stand out with their S$20.00 for Two Don deal, which consisted of any two Donburi for great value.
If you had tried Red Rock before, you would be familiar with the mountain of sliced Wagyu beef which was torched perfectly before adding a raw egg and sauce from the top. And their Signature Roast Wagyu Don (S$13.00 for Large) was quite able to deliver that droolsome flavour that I recalled from Tokyo.
If beef is just not on your list of cravings, I also liked their Salmon Mentaiko Don (S$12.00). Also flame-torched, but this seafood rice bowl was just well-flavoured within the rice, salmon and Mentaiko sauce.
Just a note though, that the deal would not cover two sets of Signature Roast Wagyu Don (Large), as told by the management of the restaurant.
#BurppleBeyond
