The new burger joint at Level 1 of Wisma Atria seemed to have attracted a bunch of curious diners, for Burger+ marketed itself offering premium fast food at affordable prices.

Apart from some delicious-looking burgers, they also sold alcoholic beverages, Korean fried chicken (they were supposed to be a Korean kitchen by the way) and combo meals, comprising a side order and a drink, would entitle a diner to offset up to S$2.50 for their meals.

One of their signature items was the Avocado Bacon Burger, which came with a buttered potato bun, 130g beef patty, their special B+ sauce, baby romaine lettuce, tomato, half a sliced avocado, bacon, seared onion and cheddar cheese. It sounded like a mouthful for a S$17.20 burger, and the overall presentation was definitely earning itself some Instagrammable moments.

While its taste was also quite the same as some other new burger joints that I had tried recently, that might have also been the best experience of the burger. Sure, potato buns might be quite unique in the burger scene, but the texture was a little too soggy for me after absorbing the B+ sauce and the patty juice.

With this burger paired with other items to make the cheapest possible combo, the meal with a regular fries and a regular drink would easily cost me S$22.50. Sad to say, that if the flavours did not stand out so significantly, paying a premium for supposedly affordable burgers became just a little against the grain for most diners who read “affordable” in a different way.

d’ Good Café’s third restaurant played a more Asian theme, specifically on the local coffee and tea scene and our familiar Kopitiam heritage.

The Hainanese Roulade & Risotto Balls (S$19.50) repackaged the local favourite chicken rice into a more Westernised presentation. The chicken was tender and juicy from the poaching, and the garlic-ginger chilli remoulade encapsulated the ginger and chilli sauce quite perfectly. And that small piece of foie gras was more of a touch of luxury to this dish, giving me a sense that the food was worth the money. My only slight gripe from this dish was their risotto balls, because the rice was not as compact within the ball and was a tad marshy for its texture. Overall, it was still a good dish and I would actually recommend this dish to those who loved chicken rice anyhow.

They also had an in-house coffee museum that was open to public, but given that visitors would be shuffling their way into the museum without any obligation to spend in the restaurant, sitting near the entrance of the museum might cause some inconvenience to those who minded someone squeeze behind their seats.

The grilled eel here just tasted a bit different from those that I could get from other competitors, because the eels were first steamed then grilled with a nice caramelisation of the sauce and captured a smoky taste. This also meant that the Unagi would boast a combination of juiciness and crispiness, with a sweet and smoky finish.

It would have been a routine for me to order the Unagi Hitsumabushi (S$32.80) for an extra pot of Dashi broth, to be added to a portion of the rice and eel. Those who were informed would know that the mains should be divided into portions, each to be eaten in a different way using the condiments provided. Also, if you were like me, who liked the Unagi to be a little more saucy, you could actually ask for an extra serving of the Unagi sauce to intensify the sweetness of the eel.

The Long Pasta might be out of stock rather quickly, but that did not stop the kitchen from serving their Supremo Porky Marinara (S$14.00) with Curly Pasta instead. Although the purplish pasta lost its beauty in the red tomato sauce, the general taste of the dish was still acceptable, given that the pasta was close to al dente.

The dish also came with sliced pork (Haus Bacon) and a large beef and pork meatball (Haus Meatball), which was perfect if meat is a staple in your food. However, what I truly enjoyed about the dish was the generous portion of Pork Croutons (also known as fried pork lard) amidst the sauce. Not only it added crunch, but also that fragrance of lard filled my mouth quickly as I minced it with my teeth.

The good news was that with an additional S$2.50 for a free flow drink, one could easily get a friend to enjoy the same, thanks to Burpple Beyond!

#BurppleBeyond

Milksha, or better known as Milk Shop in Taiwan, was officially open yesterday, taking over the previous cheese toast business. And for two full weeks, Milksha would only sell ten types of bubble tea to attract customers to try.

One would probably know that I would definitely order their Fresh Taro Milk (S$5.60) which came as a standard medium size without any additional sugar added. As done like their competitors, Milksha used mashed taro puree in their drink to give that real, non-powdery taste of yam. Though it was unfortunate that they could not import fresh milk from their farms, the substitute Greenfields was said to taste the closest to the milk used in Taiwan.

What I really enjoyed about this drink was that the mashed yam blended well with the milk, making most sips fairly well-mixed without too much yam paste sedimented at the bottom of the cup. Having said that, a 30% ice portion would be perfect to cool the drink without diluting the flavours.

It was a Wednesday night, and I felt like I needed a buffet dinner to sum up the hump day. Beach Road Kitchen happened to be one of those places that came to my mind, as I had not been here since its opening.

The layout of the dining area and the food stations was quite clean, and all the paper placemats had the floor plan printed on, so navigating the restaurant was not challenging. The staff were friendly and definitely helpful, which also added some pluses to the dining experience.

On the other hand, the quality of the food that were served was just underwhelming for me. The oysters were grainy, the grilled meats were barely lukewarm (probably having a slower turnover due to the 40% full dinner service), and the paella did not taste like it was cooked with any seafood stock. Coming from a restaurant belonging to a five-star hotel, I would have expected more authenticity in the flavours for some of the dishes, but they just did not seem to deliver for me. For S$80.00 per adult during weekday dinners, my apprehension built up as I sat through my meal.

Just to make the experience more balanced, I was actually pleased with their pizzas, grilled fish and desserts station. If I would come back again, I guess you would know where I would camp at to make my meal satisfying.

It was a feast on the dining table with a group of friends, but the star of the evening was still stolen by the Spare Ribs Soup (S$8.00). Even without paying that additional S$2.00 for the premium ribs, the amount of meat in this bowl was straightforwardly sufficient. The soup was lighter and not so peppery, but the flavours were just on point for the perfect excuse to get unlimited refills of the tasty soup.

And as a group dinner, we also ordered many other dishes for sharing. Personally, I liked the Braised Fried Beancurd (S$5.00 for Large) and the Braised Pig’s Trotters (S$10.00 for Large) for a little more braised profile to the dinner. The pig trotters, in particular, was quite meaty and was not like getting a large slab of collagen and fats in the face.

Sounds like a good deal for people who have late weekday lunches or early dinners, because Ichiban Boshi had this weekday promotion from 3.00pm to 5.00pm where they offer Ankake Yakimeshi (or in layman terms, the Japanese Mui Fan) with a cup of green tea for just S$5.90!

At a decent portion size, the rice came with a thickened Dashi stock, and the pork version consisted of sliced pork, Kimuchi and chopped chilli padi (optional). I wondered why they did not put this in their regular menu as well, but maybe by not doing so it made this dish a little more exclusive to the afternoon crowd. Excluding the green tea, paying slightly more than S$4.00 was definitely worth it.

Vegan-friendly Bibimbaps were nothing too new to us, but keeping it low-calorie and including ingredients like avocado and sweet potato would definitely be a must try at Dosirak. This meatless option, at S$9.90, tasted really delicious, all thanks to the kitchen crew who put in so much effort to prepare and make the best flavours for people with various dietary preferences.

“Let Omma decide” your five sides and add in your favourite sauce (Apple Cider Gochujang went best with this), shake your box well and enjoy the goodness of Dosirak.

#BurppleEatup
#BurppleBeyond

Drink it immediately so the layers (both colour and flavour) remain distinct.
#food #foodphotography #foodstagram #starbucks #starbuckssg #starbucksfrappuccino #frappuccino #burpple #burpplesg #foreverhungry

Look at the sales of their Popcorn Chicken and you will know.
Thank you @stickiesbar for the addictive bar grub, and @burpple for the Eatup invite!
#food #foodphotography #foodstagram #popcornchicken #stickiesbar #burpple #burpplesg #burppleeatup #foreverhungry

Drink beer.
#beer #happyhour #carling #stickiesbar #burpple #burpplesg #foreverhungry