Places That Left A Lasting Impression

Places That Left A Lasting Impression

Curating a list of special places that not only left a lasting impression but definitely worth returning again. Not limited to just my favourite hawkers, but also cafes and restaurants in Singapore and around the world! List was started on 15 August 2018 and all photos are added thereafter.
Julius Lim
Julius Lim

The newest Da Paolo Gastronomia opens in Great World recently and this Tuscany inspired trattoria aims to bring the Italian dining culture to the diners with its extensive array of offerings from freshly made food, grab & go takeaways, gelato, bakes, grocery and imported fine foods from Europe. What’s unique about this new outlet is that they have specially curated menus for each time of the day, from a weekday menu to weekend and dinner, and each contains foods from their virtual concepts, Panini Italiani, Pasta Bar and Pizza Bar.

Starting off with some hearty breakfast brunch items, we had the Double Baked Almond Croissant ($4.90) direct from their bakery counter, the Scrambled Eggs on Toast ($11) finished with parmigiano reggiano, chives and cracked black pepper, and Homemade Meatballs ($14) made with Australian beef and served in a sauce of Roma and San Marzano tomatoes. Perhaps my favourite of the day, the Spaghettone Carbonara Calabrese ($25) pays homage to the classic carbonara with a slight twist of using nduja (Calabrian spicy no case pork salami) instead of guanciale followed by the Seafood Spaghetti Cartoccio ($29) that has chock full of seafood such as slipper lobster, scallops, squid and mussels cooked in a lobster bisque. Last but no least, from the Pizza Bar comes the Rucola e Credo ($28) topped with 24-month aged Parma ham, mozzarella and locally grown rocket leaves.
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✨ Da Paolo Gastronomia
📍 1 Kim Seng Promenade, Great World, 01-163, Singapore 237994
🌐 https://gastronomia-foodtoorder.dapaolo.com.sg/
🍴 [Media Invite]

We were pleasantly surprised by their nasi padang, from the wonderfully spiced sambal goreng to the tender ayam bakar and flavourful bergedil. Comparing with the other big brands like Minang and HJH Maimunah, @redgingersg is definitely able to stand on its own and I am looking forward to a second return in the near future for their other dishes like mee siam and briyani. Truly a hidden gem in the basement of the PLQ Mall.
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✨ Red Ginger
📍 10 Paya Lebar Road, Paya Lebar Quarter Mall, B2-31, Singapore 409057
🌐 redginger.getz.co
🍴 [Self Funded]

People growing up in the Katong area and beyond will vividly recall the iconic Chin Mee Chin Confectionery along East Coast Road and the place has underwent some renovations but the nostalgic charm still remains. The Breakfast Set of kaya toast, soft boiled eggs and drink ($4.90) is the quintessential Singaporean breakfast and is something that Chin Mee Chin Confectionery has perfected it. The soft pillowy texture of the bun with the pandan coconut jam and slab of butter is just something that you will crave for anytime of the day while you slurp down the perfectly boiled eggs that has been seasoned with dark soya sauce and a dash of white pepper. Wash it all down with some kopi-o and this is your instant boost of energy or perk-me-up kinda meal.
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✨ Chin Mee Chin Confectionery
📍 204 East Coast Road, Singapore 428903
🌐 https://www.chinmeechin.sg
🍴 [Self Funded]

The lady had the Rustic Mushroom ($17) while I ordered the Spam & Cheese Bagel ($16), a sure-winner when you see what goes into this sandwich; a sunny side up with runny yolk, thick cut of spam, cheddar cheese and a slather of crunchy peanut butter on a toasted bagel bun. With a side of greens and cherry tomatoes, the sandwich is everything you would have wished for, salty sweet and creamy goodness, and I polished it clean. The Rustic Mushroom didn’t fare that badly either with a generous portion of scrambled eggs and mushrooms over a sourdough toast with truffle pate.
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✨ PRAIRIE by Craftsmen @prairie.sg
📍 462 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427674
🍴 [Self Funded]

Luckily, we were there at the right time and the queue wasn’t that long and we got our order in less than 10 minutes. The $5 portion had quite a modest portion and we were very satisfied with what we ate. The noodles had a strong wok hei aroma and was in between the wet and dry version, almost like a carbonara consistency. The sambal chilli is another key mention of this plate as it packs a mean spicy punch. I have heard mixed reviews of this place with some raving the wok hei while some complaining the lack of it. Fortunately, what we have gotten that day was up to expectations. @youfuhokkienmee
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✨ YouFu Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle
📍 505 Beach Road, Golden Mile Food Centre, 01-57, Singapore 199583
🍴 [Self Funded]

What started out in a small room that was attached to Artichoke restaurant has now moved to a bigger location. Bookings are usually released on a monthly basis and each booking is for 4 pax, and there is only a single fixed menu at each point of time, hence, the restaurant is not able to accommodate any substitute of courses. For the month of August, it will be the Thai Dough-makase ($650++ for 4 pax), a menu that was conceptualized back in May but was only launched now due to the past dine-in restrictions. Forget about all your tom yum, green curry or basil pork, for the Thai Dough-makase, you will experience a Thai infusion of flavours, almost like going onto a cultural trip but tasting things that you will not normally get elsewhere.

We started off with a couple of snacks in the Dough-ritos & Crudites, which were crispy dough chips and fresh vegetables with a nam prik noom guacamole and unicorn dip of sea urchin presented in 3 ways. The former was a guacamole spiked with green chillies that brought a spicy kick to each bite while the unicorn dip contained charred corn and ikura with velvety uni dip. The Northern Thai pork donut came next, a homage to the popular dish of nam prik ong which traditionally comes with a dip of ground pork, tomato and chilli paste with fresh vegetables, but in this case, the pork was topped onto one of the most ridiculously soft chewy doughs, with a touch of young mango to cut through the richness and fresh dill for their refreshing flavour.
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✨ Small’s
📍 115 King George’s Avenue, Unit 02-02, Singapore 208561
🌐 smalls.as.me
🍴 [Media Invite]

Even though our last visit was four months ago, the vivid memories and pure joy that we get from each dish was ingrained in our minds and after today, this dining experience tops the previous and the sky is truly the limit to Chef Han’s ingenious interpretations of our local favourites.

Course after course, we continued to be in awe of the flavours and concepts that were presented to us from Chef Han’s Homage to My Singapore menu, with dishes that we sampled for the first time such as the Uncle William’s Quail Egg that is smoked with oolong tea, Ah Hua Kelong Green Lip Mussel that we wiped clean and not leaving any of the fish paste, laksa sauce and taupok behind, Bak Chor Mee No Bak Chor No Mee and the Ang Moh Chicken Rice that pays homage to chef’s popo’s recipe and he uses Toh Thye San kampong chicken in this dish. We ended with a sweet treat of My Favourite Pasar Malam Snacks, an assortment of our local night market with sweet corn, muah chee, cotton candy, biskit piring and sorghum.
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✨ Restaurant Labyrinth
📍 8 Raffles Avenue, Esplanade Mall, Unit 02-23, Singapore 039802
🌐 https://www.restaurantlabyrinth.com/
🍴 [Self Funded]

1 Like

This contemporary Japanese dining bar was one of the restaurants I was supposed to dine in before the dining-in restrictions kicked in and fortunately, I managed to enjoy their wagyu dons now at the comfort of my home. There is a total of three bentos that feature the premium Japanese wagyu prepared in aburi, yakiniku or sukiyaki. Each order of the Signature Wagyu Don comes with a complimentary side of truffle edamame that you can snack on as well.

The bento that has the aburi wagyu is the Wagyu Uni Chirashi Don ($58nett), a colourful display of wagyu cubes, Hokkaido uni, ikura, diced takuan, tamagoyaki and cucumber while the Truffle Wagyu Sirloin Sukiyaki Don ($58nett) is a magnificent showcase of wagyu sirloin prepared sukiyaki-style, topped with ikura, freshly shaved truffles and onsen egg over a bed of truffle rice. As expected, not a single grain of rice or ingredients are left behind. The whole meal was such a luxurious treat that I will highly recommend everyone to get. Besides these dons, you can get The Gyu Bar’s shabu shabu and sukiyaki sets that are perfect for two pax.

Takeaways and deliveries are available daily from 11:00am to 9:00pm, and you can place your orders by calling the hotline at 9150 3164 or visit the below link. There is free delivery to a single location for orders above $150 or a delivery fee of $8 applies for an order above $60.
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✨ The Gyu Bar
📍 30 Stevens Road, Unit 01-08, Singapore 257840
🌐 https://www.thegyubar.com.sg/
🍴 [Media Delivery]

Essentially, it’s fried chicken with a Southern dry rub of herbs and spices, but what sets them apart from regular fried chicken is how juicy it is with the wonderful kick from the peppers. You can get it in varying spice levels and we coward out with just the Mild so that we can enjoy the food without feeling the intense burn. However, if you can endure a volcanic eruption in your mouth, then I will recommend you get the insane level to spice up your life (and tastebuds). All in all, one of my top recommendations for fried chicken in Singapore which I have been back many times before.
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✨ Chix Hot Chicken
📍 1 Jalan Pisang, Unit 01-01, Singapore 199069
🌐 https://chixhotchicken.com/menu
🍴 [Self Funded]

2 Likes

Paying homage to the orang laut community which is translated to sea peoples, the food at laut utilises mainly seafood, without any poultry dishes in the menu. Each plate out from the kitchen celebrates South East Asian flavours with produce sourced locally or around the region. The lunch menu is priced at $29 per pax and it comes with a 3-course meal that includes a soup of the day and a choice of coffee or kombucha. There are a total of 3 choices in each of the starters, mains and desserts, and will be good if you go in a group of 2-3 to try out all the dishes.

The starters we got include the Wingbean Salad and Bergedil, the former is inspired by the Thai som tum which has ingredients of vermicelli and green mango to bring flavours of sweet, sour and spicy from each bite. It was such an enjoyable starter that the small portion was not enough for me. The latter is a potato ball that contains madras curry oil and fried shallots. The mains arrived shortly after with the Pao Fan and BBQ Fish Soup, with the rice grains cooked in a fish bone broth with prawns from Ah Hua Kelong, oysters from Ubin and crispy mackerel roe to replace the rice krispies and give it an umami touch. The BBQ Fish is an interpretation of the BBQ stingray but grilled fish belly is served with a homemade sambal, pickled vegetables and fried egg over a bed of blue pea rice.

Desserts were in the form of Tart Limau and my favourite Pisang Laut, a shell shaped fried tapioca with banana in it. Overall, the dining experience was so good that I am making plans to return for the ala carte dinner menu that has more dishes and bigger sharing plates.
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✨ laut
📍 17 Stanley Street, Singapore 068736
🌐 https://www.lautcollective.com.sg/delivery
🍴 [Self Funded]

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Available from 15 to 28 March, the menu consists of a six-course tasting menu, priced affordably at $75++ per pax, contemporary dessert curations and a lineup of Spring cocktails to commemorate the changing of seasons.

The tasting menu has been specially curated with Chef Janice, and the theme is to present a dining experience with a contemporary expression of art and food. Diners will start off with a warm and comforting Dobin Mushi that is made with a base of Katsuo dashi with the additions of kinmedai and spring vegetables. The savoury umami flavour balances out with the freshness of the vegetables, making this soup a highly palatable entry to the course meal. It will be followed by the Maple Iberico Pork Jowl served with a lentil bacon puree in which diners can enjoy the excellent texture and ratio of meat to fat. A citrusy palate cleanser, named Citrus on Wood, refreshes the tastebuds with a cardamom panna cotta at the bottom of the bowl with the tartness from the bergamot bubbles.

Perhaps my favourite and most surprising dish of the evening, the Nenrin will wow diners with the multiple layers of flavour, texture and temperature as on one side, you have a mushroom risotto and pan-seared foie gras, while on the other side, a burdock ice cream, with black garlic and salted caramel circling around the plate. You might think that the combination sounds farfetched and might not work out but put a bit of every single element of this plate onto a spoon, and you can truly understand why this dish is being highly raved about.

The meal concludes with the Kyoto Garden, constructed with an earl grey ice cream rock, orange blossom jelly and floral parfait, and the Ichigo of the Tochigi strawberries prepared four ways. All in all, an artful presentation and display of how different herbs, spices and ingredients can come together to create a masterpiece. What are you waiting for? Make a reservation today via email to jw.sinjw.dining@marriott.com as there is a preorder of the menu items at least two days in advanced, with limited sets available per day.
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✨ Akira Back x Janice Wong
📍 30 Beach Road, JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, Level B1M, Singapore 189763
🍴 [Media Invite]

1 Like

Based on his constant experimentations and ingenious visions of Mod-Sin cuisine, Chef Han successfully manages to let you see and taste our local dishes in a different light.

With this specially curated menu for the occasion, we started off with something cold and refreshing, the iconic and signature The Labyrinth Chili Crab, but this time round instead of the piping hot version, a local flower crab is battered and deep fried till crisp, and served with chili crab ice cream and a mini mantou. The snacks followed with Uncle William’s quail topped with Russian caviar in a prata for an interpretation of our mamak’s murtabak, the gunkan inspired burnt parts of claypot rice topped with house cured lap cheong (pictured) and the irresistible liushabao with the most outrageous QQ bun texture that has bafun uni and Kaluga caviar. The mains followed thereafter with the Kulhbarra Barramundi, which is Restaurant Labyrinth’s interpretation of the yusheng, sweetened with Nutrinest’s farm honey and grilled Oyster Omelette, served in a bechamel sauce and hollandaise.
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✨ Restaurant Labyrinth
📍 8 Raffles Avenue, Esplanade Mall, Unit 02-23, Singapore 039802
🍴 [Self Funded]

3 Likes

"The best souvenir from travelling is to bring home a memorable food experience" #aworldtoeat

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