Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

To welcome the Year of the Dragon, Chef Aaron and team has prepared a Dragon’s Wealth Yu Sheng filled with an abundance of premium seafood with a honey miso golden peach sauce. After all the tossing for wealth and health, we were treated with the Abundance Treasure Pot, a pen cai filled with umami goodness with the treasures from the sea. The Prosperity Steamed Cod Fish with crispy preserved radish was perfectly cooked while the Fortune Oven-baked Lobster comes in a golden butter sauce and cheese. The usual roasted chicken is given an upgrade with the Lunar Bliss Sichuan Style Chicken that is stir-fried with Sichuan spice to give a spicy and numbing sensation from each bite. The last savoury dish of Signature Roasted Suckling Pig was not to be missed, with the crispy outer skin paired with the five-grain glutinous rice. To finish the meal, we had the Harmony Chilled Pumpkin Puree that contains nourishing bird’s nest and a side of sweet nian gao.

This Christmas, Wolfgang’s Steakhouse is serving their Christmas specials for two, starting with an appetiser of either the Waldorf salad or cream of cauliflower before a choice of entree which we chose the USDA roasted prime rib served with beef jus and cream horseradish. The main highlight of the meal was beefy and nicely seasoned which is served bone-in and you can gnaw the meat off the bone which has the most flavours. Accompanying sides include sliced honey baked turkey ham that is juicy and tender, baked sweet potato, sautéed wild mushroom that has an umami touch and sautéed haricot verts. End the meal with a dessert of ube tiramisu.

Chances are if you have been to Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre is to eat at Fragrant Garden, an old school Teochew restaurant that serves an array of authentic dishes. I myself was a first timer to this shopping centre and the building has seen better days. However the nostalgic charm of shining the spotlight back on a heritage restaurant gives me great joy and hunger to share about this place. Everything we have ordered from the claypot sliced fish soup (soup is refillable!), to oyster omelette, braised pork steamed buns and fried kway teow oozes homely flavours that stood the test of time and hopefully many more years to come.

Popular seafood restaurant, Seafood Paradise has joined forces with Chef Gaggan Anand’s fame Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh for a one-of-a-kind Singapore-style seafood experience with the exciting fusion of Indian-Mexican flavours. For starters, there is the Fresh Canadian Oyster with Salsa Taquera, Pickled Shallot and Tobiko, paying homage to the tangy Mexican flavours, and highlights such as the Crab Curry with Creamy Butter Crab topped with Coconut Crumbs best to go with some fried mantou, and Stir-fried Live Tiger Prawn with Gaggan’s Crab Curry Base that is aromatic with a touch of wok hei. If you are still feeling hungry, the iconic Mee Goreng is infused with robust masala spices and served with papadam. These dishes will be available for a limited time only so hurry down and try them before it’s gone.

Champion’s Curry is my favourite Japanese curry that I have tasted in recent times and the brand is having a pop-up at the Ishikawa Fair at Takashimaya B2 Food Hall from now to 2 November. The beef curry roux over rice with breaded pork cutlet is just amazing. The curry packs just a tinge of spiciness and you can also get the frozen roux from Donki.

For Christmas this year, The Marmalade Pantry has got you covered with a festive spread of new meats, sides and sweets such as the Roasted Maple Bourbon Turkey and Baked Maple Ham, both essential dishes for a great feast. Want different kinds of meat? The Beef Short Ribs Bone-in, Porchetta and especially the Lemon & Dill Salmon have got you covered. Accompaying these meats are sides that you should try especially the returning Mac & Cheese. For desserts, there are sweets like the Merry Berry Cheese Log Cake and Nutty Noel Chocolate Log Cake.

The sister brand of Tai Er, Beautiful Lai Grilled Fish, has finally opened in Suntec City Mall, specializing in using the premium leiocassis fish that is commonly found in the Yangtze River and is known for the bouncy and melt-in-mouth texture due to its stringent rearing conditions. The signature dish from this renowned Chinese-style suancai fish restaurant is the Green Pepper Grilled Fish which packs a punch from the fiery Sichuan peppercorn. Due to the addictive spiciness, it makes you crave for more from each bite and the best way to enjoy it is to first let is simmer for 3 minutes, savour the belly portion followed by the back of the fish and lastly the collagen-filled fish lips before finishing the rest of the meat with a bowl of rice that has been cooked in mineral water.

Besides the Signature Green Pepper Grilled Fish, there are other unique flavours such as the Cheese Tomato and Crab Roe & Garlic, which is great for sharing among friends. There are also side dishes such as Fried Spicy Bullfrog which absolutely hits you with a fiery punch and to cool down the heat, get the gigantic cups of Camelia Tea with Passionfruit & Orange or Iced Lemon Tea.

A renowned brand from Hong Kong, Social Place Singapore, is celebrating the upcoming Mid Autumn festival with their mooncake collection that is directly imported from Hong Kong. This limited edition mahjong collection contain White Lotus Seed Paste, Ham & Nut Assorted, Mini Custard Lava, and Mini Black Sesame Mochi.

The restaurant’s signature dishes include the Egg (Ain’t) That Simple, an addictive Sichuan chilli stir fry chicken that has the nice balance of spiciness and numbing feeling. The Sweet & Sour Pork is presented on ice and makes a dramatic entrance upon serving, including a host of dim sum like the Charcoal Custard Bun with gold brushstrokes. Lastly, for the mahjong kakis, you will find the Mahjong Jelly appealing as now you can eat the “tiles” that you want to pong with.

LUCE by Davide Giacomelli will be unveiling a refreshed ala carte menu from 15 August with highlights such as the Orecchiette Broccoli e Salsiccia, a durum wheat pasta dish paired with Italian sausage and broccoli, and white pizzas like the Prosciutto di Parma e Burrata that is topped with burrata cheese, parma ham, arugula and parmesan. Do not miss out also on the Polpo e Ceci, a Sicilian style cooked octopus served with chickpea purée and fresh salad and the Pancetta di Maiale which is slow cooked pork belly that has been glazed with honey jus and cuts through like butter. End the meal with the refreshing Pink Guava Panna Cotta with salted plum gel and strawberry granite.

élan is a Modern French restaurant by the Les Amis Group, headed by restaurant director Philippe Pau and Chef Peter Teo. The restaurant is now opened daily, even on Sundays, and during lunchtime, guests can opt for the 3-course Set Lunch menu, priced affordably from $60++ per pax. Each dish is well balanced in terms of the flavours such as the pan seared foie gras is paired with a granny smith apples and yuzu sauce that helps to cut through the richness, and the tagliolini pasta with carabinero prawns with a sea urchin and yuzu sauce.

For the mains, I will highly recommend the meaty Japanese seabream with the tomato & fennel ragout, which will surely fill you up in no time. Mop it clean with some of the sourdough bread too. For desserts, we chose the freshly baked orange madeleines with dark chocolate ice cream that got me craving for more. A worthy lunch spot that you should absolutely check out soon.

Housed in YOTEL Singapore, KOMYUNITI is the hotel’s multi-functional bar and restaurant that offers all-day Asian or Western cuisines. Headed by Bar Manager, As’ad, KOMYUNITI’s craft cocktails are concocted using a wide array of unexpected ingredients and techniques, and you can look forward to daily promotions from Happy Hours to Ladies Night on Wednesdays and Komyuni-TGIF on Fridays with 1-for-1 selected beverages.

To commemorate the upcoming National Day, KOMYUNITI will be celebrating the occasion with the Singapore Soft Shell Chili Crab Pizza ($33++) and an exclusive hawker-inspired tipple, U-Turn to Newton ($15++), both available from 7-13 August.

In anticipation of the autumn season, Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant at PARKROYAL on Beach Road presents a lineup of exquisite dishes in their autumn-themed set menus crafted by Masterchef Dave Lai. You can look forward to memorable dishes such as the Spanish Spareribs with Orange Peel, spicy Jianghu-style Deep-fried Yellow Croaker that comes in a minced meat soya bean sauce, and the comforting Vapour-steamed Quail Soup with Bamboo Pith. Special shout-out for the Braised Prawn with Bean Curd in a truffle mushroom sauce served in a mini stone pot to retain the heat. For desserts, the delightful Chilled Coconut Pudding with Fresh Fruits is a great ending with a touch of sweet notes.