Mediterranean

Mediterranean

Featuring ArkadaลŸ Cafe, Le Rida (Bukit Timah)
Sean Chen
Sean Chen

As a dessert that was recommended on the menu, this was pretty disappointing, albeit unique. From Wikipedia, the dessert originates from Egypt and literally means 'Ali's Mother'. Typically, pastryย is divided into pieces and blended with pistachios, coconut flakes, raisins and plenty of sugar. Milk, sometimes with cream, is then poured over the mixture and may be sprinkled in cinnamon. While it can be served either hot or cold, the variation at Le Rida's was hot. In essence, it contained filo pastry mixed with a variety of nuts and pomegranate seeds all of which are then soaked in a cloyingly sweet milk mixture. It reminded me of a watered-down version of Bircher Muesli with less texture and a whole lot more sugar. As all the ingredients were soaked in the milk mixture, the filo pastry became soggy which was unfortunate, especially when compared to its firm and crumbly counterpart found in the Baklava. The nuts still provided that crunchy texture I was craving for but overall, ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐—น๐˜† ๐˜€๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ธ ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜…๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—บ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜ '๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜†' ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜„ ๐—บ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ต๐—ณ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜€. In fact, I required 3 more glasses of water to finish it up. While it is still a unique dish that I was thankful to try, I will definitely not order it again.
Taste: 4/10

Full review at:ย https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/restaurant-review-le-rida-bukit-timah-road/

More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-MRTn_nvkY/?igshid=8r16jwmx9yp0

2 Likes

Coming in 3 separate portions of filo pastry, the dessert immediately appealed to the penny-pinching, economical side of me given its price. Not only were the portions generous, the flavours were well-balanced as well. The layers of filo pastry were well-soaked in a sweet syrup which complemented the intense nutty notes you get with every bite. Needless to say, generous amounts of nuts were given between the layers of pastry. While it's hard to eat without getting the entire table (and floor) in a mess, it was certainly a great way to end off our meal. After a few miserable attempts at trying to be civilised, my tummy got the better of me and I barbarically devoured it whole as soon as it could fit into my mouth. For the immense pleasure experienced, especially after having a savoury healthy (If ordering Mediterranean) meal, it was ๐˜๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ถ๐˜.
Taste: 8.5/10

Full review at:ย https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/restaurant-review-le-rida-bukit-timah-road/

More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-MRTn_nvkY/?igshid=8r16jwmx9yp0

3 charcoal grilled lamb chops were plated beautifully at the center of the plate, with a small mound of fragrant saffron basmati rice at the side. Sampling the lamb chops first, I was glad at how easy it was to cut into it. As I subsequently sunk my teeth into it, it was expectedly moist and tender.ย  Hardly gamey to start with, as it was also imbued with a smoky charred flavour, most of its gaminess was masked. While it is still discernible, it is arguably sufficiently palatable for all, as long as you're not allergic to lamb. The rice was delicious in its own right. Topped with fruity bits of pomegranate which bursts as you bite into them and earthy notes of cashew nuts, I was happy eating the rice on its own, appreciating its medley of flavours. It leaned more towards the healthier side in that it was not oily but dry. Nevertheless, having it together with the lamb or pomegranate will help to balance its lack of moisture. While some may find the portion of rice slightly small given its price, you're ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐˜†๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜.
Taste: 8.5/10 (One of the better lamb chops I've had for sure)

Full review at:ย https://liveeatbless.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/restaurant-review-le-rida-bukit-timah-road/

More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-MRTn_nvkY/?igshid=8r16jwmx9yp0

(Part 5/5)
Note:
- All prices are EXCLUSIVE of 10% service charge
- Will not be rating the price as I have no comparison when it comes to Turkish Cuisine

Baklava ($6++)
- Comes in 3 bite-sized pieces
Baklava's crisp and crunchy pastry was soaked in sugar syrup and had strong nutty notes (I'm pretty sure it was almonds), complementing the flaky sweet pastry. This baklava was very simple and a good pastry to satisfy one's dessert cravings but I felt that I have tasted better, was far too small and was just a tad too sweet for my liking.
Taste: 7/10

See more at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B0KWJLZApWf/?igshid=1vaj1kge8k15v

(Part 4/5)
Note:
- All prices are EXCLUSIVE of 10% service charge
- Will not be rating the price as I have no comparison when it comes to Turkish Cuisine

Kunefe ($12.90++)
'Kรผnefeย (kyoon-eh-FAY')ย is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with thin noodle-like pastry, or alternatively fine semolina dough, soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup, and typically layered with cheese'; Typically topped with pistachio powder as well
As my virgin experience eating this warm pastry dessert, it was very creamy (From the whole cream), subtly sweet and crunchy. Its quite dense and stringy with the entire exterior having a texture similar to that of the light crunchy ends of a Min Jiang Kueh (Chinese pancake) combined with the bite of Hong Kong Crispy Noodles. While the dish was drenched in sweet syrup, the cheese within the pastry helped to cut through it, making the dish not too cloying, a comforting dessert to end off the meal. If you had a hearty main, can be shared amongst 3-4 pax.
Taste: 9/10 (Must-try dish)

See more at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B0KWJLZApWf/?igshid=10fgfy005wxjl

(Part 3/5)
Note:
- All prices are EXCLUSIVE of 10% service charge
- Will not be rating the price as I have no comparison when it comes to Turkish Cuisine

Beyti Kebab ($17.90++)
- 6 pieces of Grilled minced beef & lamb wrapped in Lavash (A soft thin unleavened flatbread made within a tandoor) within a mixture of cold greek yoghurt and warm tomato sauce
A very interesting dish where many different basic flavours are combined together. As the greek yoghurt on its own is not strong in flavour and only slightly sour, when combined with the warm tomato sauce it definitely elevated the sauce by adding a creamy texture but the flavour profile was overwhelmingly tangy due to the strong tomato flavour and sourish greek yoghurt. The lamb & beef wrapped in the bread tasted slightly similar to the Pide I had earlier except that this was definitely more meaty and the taste of the lamb was more muted, probably due to it being drenched in the tomato sauce and greek yoghurt mixture. Personally, I do not quite like this dish as after awhile, the flavours seemed quite flat and one-dimensional but I do appreciate the natural and fresh ingredients used.
Taste: 6/10

(Part 2/5)
Note:
- All prices are EXCLUSIVE of 10% service charge
- Will not be rating the price as I have no comparison when it comes to Turkish Cuisine

Pide with Lamb and Cheese ($14.90++)
Lamb flavour was very strong, slightly gamey which I like and the bread was nicely toasted as well. Good for sharing amongst 2-3 pax. If eaten on its own, may be quite dry after awhile hence if you can dip it in the hummus, it will definitely make this dish much better.
Taste: 8/10

(Part 1/5)
Note:ย 
- All prices are EXCLUSIVE of 10% service charge
- Will not be rating the price as I have no comparison when it comes to Turkish Cuisine

Lunch Set Menu B ($12++; Ala carte price for Doner Chicken Kebab is $8++)
- Comes with Soup of The Day (Tomato Soup), Salad & Doner Chicken Kebab
Tomato soup had a hint of mint, sour and tangy, not sweet but fragrant; Not your typical tomato soup. Comes with a side of Pide Bread which was very fresh and fragrant (All of their breads are very fresh). Unfortunately, did not try their salad or the donor chicken kebab.

Hummus with Pita bread ($8.90++)
To start, absolutely love their bread like seriously all their breads are good to eat on their own with this one being nicely toasted and crisp on the outside. When you get towards the middle, topped with white sesame seeds, it adds an additional crunch to the bread and greater complexity to the overall flavour profile of the bread. The hummus dip (Typically made with mashed chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt & garlic) complemented the bread very well, adding a creamy texture and earthy flavour to the bread. The overall dish was very natural and a good start to the meal.
Taste: 9/10 (Must-try dish)

See more at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B0KTljCghX7/?igshid=1wgp4pebspeze

1 Like

IG: @thankgodforf00d

What To Read Next

Deals This Good Friday and Hari Raya Puasa
Deals This Good Friday and Hari Raya Puasa Redemption of most Burpple Beyond deals will be locked from 5pm on the 28th March until 29th March 2024 and from 5pm on the 9th April until 10th April 2024, but over 50 of our merchants are still offering great deals you can enjoy to celebrate!
Burpple
Western Wonders
Western Wonders Hey there, Singapore foodies! Get ready for a culinary escapade like no other as we delve into the diverse world of Western cuisine right here in the Lion City. With Burpple Beyond leading the way, prepare to tantalize your taste buds at some of Singapore's top-rated restaurants. From Latin American grills to whimsical cafes, we've curated a list of must-try eateries that will satisfy even the most discerning palates. Enjoy these places with #BurppleBeyond deals!
Burpple
Asian Delights
Asian Delights Hey there, fellow foodies! Ready to embark on a culinary adventure across Singapore with Burpple Beyond's Asian Delights? I've got the scoop on some of the best spots in town where you can indulge in mouthwatering dishes without breaking the bank. So grab your appetite and let's dive in! Enjoy these places with #BurppleBeyond deals!
Burpple
Flavourful Fiesta
Flavourful Fiesta Hello, fellow food enthusiasts! If you're anything like me, you're always on the hunt for the next great meal, and what's better than finding those meals at a steal? That's right, today I'm taking you on a flavour journey through some of the best Burpple Beyond deals that promise not only a feast for your taste buds but also for your wallet.
Burpple
ADVERTISE WITH US
ADVERTISE WITH US