Forbidden Duck

"Demon chef" Alvin Leung, known for his three-Michelin-starred Bo Innovation in Hong Kong, opened Forbidden Duck in Singapore. Located where Crystal Jade Prestige used to be, the contemporary Cantonese restaurant is on the 2nd floor of Marina Bay Link Mall. Take the lift, between Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1 and 3, from the 1st floor and turn left upon exiting. Visited on a weekday for late lunch to try its dim sum and was surprised to see many empty tables for a relatively small but spacious place. Though the Pan Fried Turnip Cake with XO Sauce and Steamed King Prawn Dumpling were not recommended items on the menu, we liked them better than its Pesto Duck Spring Roll that my dining companion hated. Could neither rave about its Pork Siu Mai nor fault the thick but tender and a-tad-sweet slices of Iberico Pork Char Siu, except that the latter was too fatty for our liking. Oh, and the accompanying chilli sauce was very salty.

Jewel Coffee

I happened to be in the area after dinner at Lau Pat Sat on a weekday and decided to try my luck at Jewel Coffee, not knowing if it was still open. Remembered this as the indie café The Straits Times Food Editor Tan Hsueh Yun tried her hand at making coffee and latte art. A brightly-lit red sign that reads "coffee" stood out against concrete floor, white walls and blackboards with scribbles of menu and schematic diagrams. Located at One Shenton, it is one of the independent coffee joints in the Central Business District. Could smell a faint aroma of roasted beans in my order of macchiato, which was full-bodied and bitter with a tinge of acidity. Loved that it came with double shots of espresso but not how its acidity was accentuated the more I stirred in the dollop of foam on top. And adding sugar did not help.

New Kid on the Block – La Cantine

Having tried &Made by Bruno Ménard, I just had to try La Cantine fronted by the same 3-Michelin starred chef at Asia Square. A week after the French restaurant officially opened on 18 Sep, it looked empty when I reached just before 6pm. With staff huddled over a discussion at a corner, I wondered if it was opened for business. As I stepped in, was asked if I had any reservations. I did not and was told the place was fully booked unless I did not mind sitting at the bar counter. Not the most ideal for dinner, I asked if I could be accommodated at a table reserved for 8pm as I would be done in an hour or so. Restaurant manager Emmanuel Costenoble was very kind to arrange that and offered me his namecard, saying that I should call him on his mobile for seats in future.

New Kid on the Block – Doutor Coffee

Happened to walk by Doutor Coffee at Marina Bay Financial Centre on Thursday and saw people mingling inside the biggest Japanese coffee chain's 1st outlet in Singapore. A staff at the door however said it would only be opened the next day and handed me a discount coupon instead. When she repeated the same to the two guys who also tried to open the closed glass door, they asked if they could just have a coffee. Nice try, I thought but of course it did not work. It was probably a closed-door event for shareholders and/or media.