Sin Lee Foods

Tucked away in the sleepy Bukit Ho Swee estate is Sin Lee Foods. Although the name sounds like a Tzechar restaurant (it actually retained the name of the coffeeshop that used to be there), it's actually a cafe serving really interesting cafe food. Since my food radar has been down for quite a while, I've completely missed this place. But thanks to  G who somehow found the place and booked it. This was the day that I also went to watch Jurassic World but then due to unforeseen circumstances (and bad planning on my part), didn't get to finish the show and I guess I never will :(

Salted Egg Sweet Potato Fries ($12)
Twice Fried sweet potato fries, house made salted duck's egg sauce, crispy curry leaves 

The salted egg sauce was one of the best I've tasted - great flavour and no skimping on the amount of duck eggs, and the aromatic curry leaves made it even more fragrant.
I somehow didn't really think that the sauce went particularly well with the sweet potato fries (though I also can't think of what would have gone better with the sauce). Sorry for the un-constructive criticism... I'll write it down when I finally think of what would go better with it...

Mentaiko Crab Mantou ($21)
Golden Fried Mantou, housemate mentaiko cream, season and breaded whole soft shell crab, papadum crisps 

Really interesting dish, though it's rolling in oil - fried papadums with orange sugar, crispy mantou (my favourite and most unhealthy carb), with deep fried soft shell crab. Unusual combination but really well executed. Would recommend this dish if you're not afraid of raising your cardiovascular risk.

The one and only Sin Lee's Fried Chicken and Waffles ($21.90)
Juicy boneless chicken leg, Iron waffle, house slaw and melted maple butter

I thought that out of all their other main courses, this sounded the most mainstream. It wasn't exactly mind-blowing. Sure, the chicken was done well, waffles fluffy, and the coleslaw reminded me of the homemade kind you get form the western food stores in the hawker centres (which I really like btw).

The texture of the waffle was good, but was a bit too light to hold up the weight of the chicken, and it became a soggy mess with the maple butter.

The Croissant and Butter Pudding ($14)
Butter croissant, vanilla beans, assorted fruits, vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce
Think of this as a level up from the usual bread and butter pudding. Worth a try.
Don't quote me but I think it's Kapiti ice cream that they use. Kapiti vanilla ice cream is the best! Especially since its the same ice cream that Marmalade Pantry uses.

We didn't manage to try the Aburi Broccoli salad ($12) which sounds really interesting, or the Macklemore ($20) which is spanish mackerel with corn and lap cheong relish, cos we were really really stuffed from the above dishes.

The restaurant seating area is REALLY tiny so do book in advance if you want to sit inside (i.e. aircon). The parking's also quite a pain.

I could feel plaques forming in my arteries after the meal. But it was really delicious and unique. Will definitely come back again since I'm nearby.

Sin Lee Foods
4 Jalan Bukit Ho Swee
Singapore 162004

Neon Pigeon

Walked past Neon Pigeon a few weeks ago - while trying to digest the pre-dinner snack from Afterglow (more about that in the later posts) and stumbled upon this newly renovated building - the Working Capitol. 

They have a no reservations policy - but then if you end on time like most normal human beings, it shouldn't be a problem.  As most new restaurants nowadays, Neon Pigeon has this sharing concept - though the plates aren't that large. I would strongly recommend that you go in groups of 4, as the large portions are perfect when divided by 4. They recommend about 6-7 dishes so we got 7 exactly (despite haphazardly ordering random dishes).

Since we were ravenous (at least half of us were), we quickly ordered the Smoked Pork Buns with pickled daikon and ginger, umeboshi and hoisin ($24). It's an atas version of the kong bak pau, with nicely steamed leaf mantous. Of course, unlike the humble $1.50 cousin, the pork belly was well done and marinated with a layer of crackling skin, and the salty pickles gave an interesting twist to an old classic.

 The other dish we got really quickly was the slow cooked octopus with cauliflower puree and shimichi ($38). I really love octopus, but then it's usually a hit and miss and I dread getting a tough as leather extremely chewy and bland tasting octopus leg - plus octopus doesn't come cheap so it's double the sadness. This octopus totally hits the spot - soft and tender, with a slightly salty, creamy cauliflower puree.

Smokey Eggplant - mint shisho and lotus chips ($$17) 

one of the starters - the lotus chips were really nice (despite being slightly oily) and the eggplant was lightly marinated in a tangy dressing. I'm pretty partial to eggplant so I  quite liked this dish.  

The only dish of the day which fell short of our expectations - Tuna Crudo - miso pickled apple sprouts ($16). Essentially it was tuna sashimi with some salad leaves, the fuji type of apple and bean sprouts, with a mayonnaise based dressing. Absolutely nothing to shout about. I think you should try the other dishes - they sound much more interesting.

Crispy brussel sprouts - mirin glazed bacon, karashi ($26)
Good portion of brussel sprouts, with sweetish bacon bits - I conclude that anything cooked in animal fats will taste good.

Grilled duck breast - 'katsu curry' pumpkin sauce($38)
One of my favourite dishes for the night - the duck's breast was tender, juicy and completely unlike the over salted and preserved ready made kind. The sweet pumpkin puree acted as a foil for the saltiness from the duck, and I really liked how the little bits of red looked like the pickled ginger you get with the Japanese curry.

House smoked bacon crispy pork skin spring onion egg yolk on rice $38
Comes in a hot plate - I'm not a fan of the pork skin, but I really liked the rice. I would describe it as a cross between risotto and a bibimbap.

We also had some cocktails - the Ichigo-en - jasmine tea infused sake, campari, process, peychaud's bitters

 The kyoho fizz - campa de encanto pisco, june fleur de vinge, grape calpis and soda. Was completely sold when I saw grape and calpis together. Which reminds me that I have yet to try Naked Finn's kyoho grape cocktail :(

 The food came really quickly (perhaps because we were one of the earliest customers) and they were pretty efficient in topping up our iced water.
There's no service charge here (unless you prebook for a group >6) and they don't take in reservations unless your group is >8. Worth trying if you're in the area and looking for something new.

Neon Pigeon
1 Keong Siak Road #01-03 
Singapore 089109
Phone 62223623

Wok and Barrel

I'm back (after such a long hiatus) and I've been (barely) surviving my first 2 weeks in the busiest team. I went home when the sun was still up for the first time in 3 weeks (never ever see the sun in the mornings!) today! And I was actually happy to be stuck in rush hour traffic (as opposed to leaving after the jams clear)... I've actually got one last post on Bhutan, but it's too depressing thinking of the land of Happiness (esp since Khaw Boon Wan's tactless remarks in the newapapers), and my happiness index is probably minus 100 now
Lunch time at Wok and barrel - they don't serve their other interesting dishes like their Bak Chor Mee pasta but they have Nasi Lemak (about $8-10) with an assortment of sides. The nicest one was the mutton rendang which had an intensely fragrant and thick sauce. We also had the chicken curry (also as fragrant, but I like lamb more). The Asian coleslaw has a sourish vinegar-base dressing and was refreshing especially after all the oil from the nasi lemak and the curry.
The ikan billis was fried to a crisp and nicely salted.

The Shendol dessert which is a twist to the usual icy chendol dessert. It's more like coconut panna cotta with gula melaka and a cloyingly creamy (couldn't finish this) scoop of coconut ice cream (red bean was sold out).

The decor is simple, clean and service is quick and friendly. They serve complimentary iced water (if I remember correctly, it's self service).

I would definitely return to try their lamb charsiew and special blend of spiced crackling pork and of course, their famed bak chor mee tagliatelle.

Popped by to Flor which is just a few doors down and tried their chestnut cake. Too full to appreciate it fully tho!

Wok and Barrel

13 Duxton Hill

Singapore 089507

Tel 62200595

Andre

I'm lagging again! Hope all you readers had a merry christmas and happy boxing day.This year's Christmas eve and Christmas was spent working - was saying that I've never worked on Christmas, but then someone pointed out that I've never had a job prior to this:/Thankfully, I didn't end up with chicken rice for Christmas dinner or my Christmas would have been even more tragic.
Happier mealtimes from nearly a month ago, just that I didn't have time to upload everything onto my comp. Spectacular meal with even better company:)
And so begins the food journey at Andre...

Starters including some popcorn thing with vanilla sauce (in the middle) and a delicious aji tatare in a crispy shell (far right)

Crispy chicken skin, which reminds me of the one I had at 53
Extremely thin and translucent, crispy without the oily fatty taste of chicken skin

Fresh scallops with purple cauliflower consomme - I liked the light purple hue of the dish if anything... it's cold and has some interesting kind of oil (of which I've already forgotten what kind of oil it is)

Delicate and fresh oyster encased in a wobbly piece of seaweed with apple foam and finely diced green apple

The oyster is so fresh that it feels like the oyster was just alive and happily sitting in the sea just seconds ago...

I really cannot remember what this dish was, just that it has macadamia nut shavings and caviar... If I'm not wrong, it has eggplant?

My favourite dish of the night - maybe cos it tasted very Japanese. Raw fish (can't remember what but I think it was aji?) with the swetest tomatoes and a refreshing tomato sorbet The other part of the dish (served together) was a seafood risotto and raw prawns (which were so fresh my tongue and ears started itching, as they always do when I eat raw prawns lobsters and crabs).

Chef's cheeky play on ingredients and textures - When this dish is served, you'll be asked which one's the squid. It's a dish with squid and rice, and keropok-like crackers (I suppose they're blackened with squid ink?). This dish is made from luxurious ingredients including Iberico Ham, Black truffle and some special egg. So shoot me cos I don't eat beef (even though I really miss BK's mushrom swiss and Mac's double cheeseburger) - the beef was tender and pink and looked incredibly juicy.

Since I don't eat beef, it was substituted for chicken (most un-worth it, I can hear all the beef eater's screaming in horror at the waste...) Chicken breast it was, cooked in a salt water bath. Every morsel of this was so tender and juicy it didn't even feel like I was eating chicken breast. The skin was crisped like crackling pork. I was quite intrigued by the the little pile of worm-like starchy root vegetables (from France, if I remember correctly).

Chef Andre serves this dish under the 'Memory' section of the menu. It's a foie gras custard (looks like creme brulee) with a aromatic layer of truffle oil on the top. Every scoop is so creamy and rich, it feels like I'm going to get an instant heart attack, but it's so yummy that I had the dish scraped clean. According to our server, this dish is extremely close to Chef Andre's heart... I agree totally - I'm sure a new plaque is wedged in my coronary arteries now...

Lastly was dessert - spongy chocolate cake (which looked like those natural sea sponge bath sponges) chocolate soil and a chocolate capsule

Andre

41 Bukit Pasoh Road (Opposite Oso)

Singapore 089855

Tel: +65 6534 8880

reserve@restaurantandre.com

Btw, parking's a pain in the neck since the public carpark is being renovated, but they have valet parking.

Iggys Lunch

First meal I had with my brother since he came back from overseas for summer break after being away for >9months, and we both happened to be free that afternoon. Of course, such rare occasion gives me even more excuse to indulge in good food. I initially wanted to try Osia, which I have been reading about on so many other blogs, and I've been wanting to try their famous bread, but the thought of trudging down to Sentosa and having to pay the incredibly expensive parking fee, or the thought of parking at Vivo and taking the monorail in proved too daunting, and we settled for Iggys lunch.
The lunch comes with either 2 starters, 1main course and 1 dessert ($65++) or 3starters, 1main course and 1 dessert ($80++).
For amuse bouche, there was essence of momotaro (a type of sweet Japanese tomato) and a wedge of tomato (not sure of it's momotaro, can't remember...). The essence of momotaro was like drinking a concentrate of tomato juice, but just that it's clear and slightly sweet. Hopefully it's packed with antioxidants so that it'll help with my wrinkling face and eyebags (btw I have been awake for the past 35hours, with 1 hour of sleep!) Starters - I didn't quite like my 2 starters so it was a rather dissapointing start to my meal.
Gratinated yellowtail (hamachi), radish, fine herd salad and sesame-lime dressing
My brother ordered this and he enjoyed it lots - probably cos he's been deprived of Japanese tasting food. Of course, the yellowtail was fresh, well marinated and the flavours from the herbs and dressing complemented each other without overpowering the fish.
Little neck clams: sauteed clams, tarragon, kaffir lime, burrata, rice and sago pearls
I ordered this starter because of the burrata, but the burrata didn't have the 2 different textures I was expecting, and it was was quite little. The translucent beads of sago was interesting to have in the dish, but it was rather forgettable.
Egg: Slow-cooked egg, bacon, mushrooms and pinot jus
The egg was somewhat lacking in character - just fatty bits of bacon (not sure if it's some fancy/special bacon), some brown mushrooms and the egg (perhaps it's some fancy organic egg? I couldn't tell, don't have such specialized taste buds), and the whole thing was a bit too greasy for my liking. The hard croutons didn't really impress me either.
Foie Gras (supplement $10): Pan-fried foie gras, poached peach, toasted brioche and almond flakes
This dish had a moderately sized piece of foie gras, sprinkled with crackling crystals (those that go popping when it's in contact with any liquid like saliva! I used to like this lollipop which came with the crackling powder when I was in Primary School). Perhaps it's cos the crackling powder reminded me of my more favourite childhood sweet, or perhaps it was the nicely crisped yet oozey interior of the foie gras, I like this starter the best of the lot. The pulpy caramalized peach was nice and sweet tho.

Charcoal Grilled Quail with brussel sprouts, lady's finger and tapenade (an olive based puree).

My brother's main which was a very small portion (I don't know if he was full after this but I was extremely full from my sakura ebi capellini). It's very well done with the quail being tender and juicy. But then again, nothing out of the ordinary...

I've been missing Iggy's signature Sakura ebi cappellini ever since my last visit (so long ago, see my post here) but either my expectations were too high or my memory has deceived me cos it failed to impress me during this visit. The little black bits of konbu, full of natural MSG and perfectly cooked cappellini infused with aromatic scampi oil makes a filling dish, and the tiny pieces of sakura ebi which gives way with a satisfying crunch when you bit down was good, but not spectacular.Perhaps it's cos the portion was too big (cos I had it as a starter previously) or perhaps I was full from my 2 pieces of restaurant bread and their peppery good quality olive oil, I didn't think it was supremely good like the last time I tried it.

Black forest

Salted chocolate caramel, petit beurre (butter biscuit), sour cherry, beatroot
My brother initially ordered this because of the salted chocolate caramel, but because it came with a beetroot sorbet, he swapped desserts with me. Beetroot is a vegetable/tuber/root that you either love or hate - it has a distinct earthy taste and smell, and has a natural sweetness. I enjoy beetroot in anything, and I usually juice it with a variety of other fruits/vegetables, though I haven't had the chance to do it recently due to my busy schedule. The beetroot sorbet The dessert also comes with a piece of jellied beetroot.

The other dessert we had is the Butternut Squash - which had the pumpkin in different textures, coconut sorbet, kaffir lime and orange. I requested for them to not put any lime or orange into my dish since I dislike citrus fruits, especially orange. The pumpkin came pureed as well as in crispy sheets. The coconut ice cream was deliciously creamy.

As they say, taste is subjective and this time, Iggys has failed to impress me this occasion. Maybe it's a case of too high expectations, or perhaps my tastebuds are growing old but I really hope I have better luck next time since my previous 2 dining experiences here were so memorable.

Iggy’s

1 Cuscaden Road

#03-00 The Regent

Tel: 6732 2234

I'm so happy that I'm having the luxury of posting this in the afternoon cos I'm on leave until 31st August! So happy that I've survived my posting and moving onto something that I really like! And just a shout out to my now ex-colleagues (lol stop blog surfing and do summaries!) I enjoyed working and learning with you all :D I'm off to sleep now to attempt to correct the damage done by not sleeping last night and hopefully erase my forming wrinkles and enlarging eyebags....

Fifty Three

I've been wanting to go to Fifty Three for >1 year already! Can't believe that just last year I was enjoying myself so much during this period and now I'm slogging away in a place which doesn't employ enough people!!! Major manpower shortage!!! And I think the reason why I have so much inertia to blog is because during work, I have to type so freaking much that when I go home I don't want to do anymore typing. Anyway, here's my uber outdated post on Fifty Three: Starter was their signature tapioca chips with some tiny Japanese fish embedded in the deliciously crunchy batter. It's like keropok just tastier and thicker. It's prettily presented (every dish here was) in a lacquered block with charcoal pieces. The sauce in front is some cheese with ?wasabi dip.

Chicken skin glazed with honey. It's super crispy and doens't have that layer of chicken fat underneath. With freshly cracked black pepper. Its extremely fragrant and has a nice roasted honey-chicken smell.Amuse bouche - this one is smoked Iberico ham, which used to be banned in Singapore. The ham is intensely salty, and has a light meaty taste and smell. I think this must be either my first or second time eating fresh Iberico ham.Another amuse bouche - this one is some herb leaves with herb dressing on a special chip (my memory fails me yet again). It's very light and there's little flower buds amongst the greens.

Fennel and Coconut

Aloe vera and Douglas Fir

It's a very interesting dish of thinly sliced fennel, young coconut granita, little chopped bits of aloe vera with Douglas Fir oil (I really can't describe the taste of this but it went quite well together).

Amela Rubins and Basil

Burrata and Horseradish

This dish was very refreshing, and it was one of my more favourite dishes that night cos it had some of my more favourite foods in it.

The whitish irregular shaped blob on top is icy and frozen Horseradish (something like wasabi), and it's on top of a hemispherical shaped burrata (more about burrata here, it's a type of cheese that is partially fermented) and it's very creamy. The Japanese tomatoes were extremely sweet - and some of them even tasted like grapes to me. Their skins were removed and they were served chilled in the basil soup.

Fifty Three's signature gunny sack bread bag - there's plain bread as well as a black coloured charcoal bread. The gunny sack has some warm beads sewn into it, so it keeps the bread nicely warm. It's served with 2 kinds of butter - one has a special type of nut, and the other one has real bacon bits.Charcoal bread with the nutty whipped butter.

Lobster and Tongue

Textures of Apple

The next dish was a favourite amongst my mum and sister, but it caused me an allergy reaction so I wasn't able to throughly enjoy my lobster. Such a pity cos the lobster was so well done that the outside was evenly cooked, and there was a rim of slightly raw lobster on the inside. The lobster wasn't coated in any sauce, so its freshness and sweetness could be appreciated. It was served with finely sliced apple coins, apple puree as well as duck tongue and deep fried lobster brain (there's a more elegant name for it, but as usual, it has slipped my mind). Thedeep fried lobster brain was crispy on the outside, and dissolved into a tasty pool of cholesterol laden goodness in my mouth. Delicious!

Japanese Striped Shrimp

Jauk's Pumkinseed Oil and Beach Herbs

This dish was another one of my favourites. It's extremely fresh Japanese shrimp served raw, with lemon-thyme snow sprinkled over. The dish is supposed to be like a beach, and I suppose I have rather strong powers of imagination, so I thought that I could really taste the sea in the herbs and the prawn but none of my other dining companions could taste it... Oh well, then again, I freak myself out thinking about a certain Chinese girl with long black hair and red eyes (argh goosepimples on my arms now!)

The herbs used in this dish are very interesting, there's even a leaf (which is the herb I think tastes like the sea, just like how you can sort of taste the sea in super fresh sea urchin) which has litle bubbles of water on it's underside. It's not very well pictured here, but there's numerous small little watery bubbles on the surface of the leaf...

Caroll's Heritage Potatoes and Wild Yam

Coffee and Parmesan

Ths dish was like a garden - along with soil and flowers. Slow cooked potatoes which absorbed all the tasty marinade prettily presented on a warm rock, along with coffee 'soil' and parmesan cheese swirls. It was also served with potato consomme, which tasted like a very intense and concentrated Brands Chicken essence.

Kuroge Wagyu from Kagoshima

Smoked Bone Marrow and Sorrel

The main for that day - it was supposed to be Iberico ham/pig but their stock didn't come! So it was wagyu beef (much to my dismay, but not to my other dining companions). Fortunately they had an alternative to beef, which was the Welsh Lamb. Didn't try this dish (cos I don't eat beef) but everyone who ate it enjoyed it.

My Welsh Lamb, which didn't have a single bit of lamb smell/taste, served very pink.

It came with an assortment of multicoloured beetroot and sweet turnip (the little yellowish ball at the side).

Between this and my berry dessert, there's another chocolate and coconut mango and mangosteen dessert which I have no idea where the photos my sister took went! Anyway, it's a big blob of chocolate mousse, and it's probably the heaviest/creamiest dish of the day. Didn't taste particularly remarkable, but I did like the little strip of jackfruit it came with.

Mara des Bois Strawberries and Green Peppercorn

There were little spicy bits in this dish, which I suppose can be attributed to the pepercorn. There were some crunchy flakes, and a very prettily layered and sliced strawberry covering a pudding (with the ground peppercorn). This dish was served dry, and the waiter came to squirt the red coloured gravy over the dish, thus producing the frothy soup that you can see pictured above.
Pretty strawberry

A berry sorbet which came with the dessert - very light and refreshing. I really like fruity desserts especially if they're chilled.

As a suprise, they even gave me a chocolate mousse birthday cake, which had a crackling base (the crackling powder which sparkles and crackles when it comes in contact with water). Such a nice way to end off my meal.

The meal ended with their lemon and gin gummies (I can't find my picture, must be stuck in another computer, I shall retrieve it when I'm free sometime this week, cos I'm super sleepy now... )

I really like the food served at Fifty Three - It's a bit like Iggys and Blu, just that it has lighter, less salty/heavy/creamy dishes (with the exception of the Chocolate mousse thing). I like the Japanese inspired dishes, and how they use lots of flowers and herbs (all of which are edible) to decorate the dishes.n

The restaurant is located in a shop house in Armenian street, and it's designed by the chef Michael Han. I think he must be quite a stickler for details (not complaining about this tho, since the food is really delicious and presentation is exquisite), right down to the black toilet paper, the designer hand wash and lotion, and the wooden decor. He even answers the phone calls for reservations himself.

Hopefully I'll be able to come back for lunch soon! I think lunch would be really fun cos I'll be able to choose the dishes that I want to try... But it'll have to wait cos I'm saving money to buy a new handphone (and maybe I will blog more regularly)! Can't wait can't wait!!

Fifty Three

53 Armenian St S(179940),

Tel: 6334 5535

www.fiftythree.com.sg