Royal London Duck

London Fat Duck is was a joint venture between the Fei Siong and Akashi groups when it opened last year. The partners have since parted ways and while London Fat Duck expanded its presence from Scotts Square to VivoCity and Waterway Point in Punggol, Fei Siong has opened Royal London Duck on the 4th floor of Mandarin Gallery where jones the grocer used to be. It can also be found at Centrepoint, Compass One in Sengkang and West Mall in Bukit Batok with plans for another branch at Millenia Walk. When we visited the Cantonese restaurant at Mandarin Gallery for dinner on a weekend, only a few tables were occupied. Could neither rave about its Royal London Duck (do not expect crispy roast duck skin) nor fault the succulent Prawn Wanton Noodle Soup except that its portion was a tad small. Loved the wok-hei and aroma of egg in its XO Sauce Fried Turnip Cake which had a crisp outside with soft, not mushy, insides. A satisficing hassle-free meal right smack in the middle of Orchard Road.

Hashida Garo

Tokyo's Hashida is headed by Master Sushi Chef, Tokio Hashida while its 1st restaurant outside Japan is helmed by his son, Chef Kenjiro Hashida. Better known as Hatch (pronounced as Haa-chi), he has since opened a 2nd establishment in Singapore to reach a wider audience with his culinary creations and share his personal passion for the visual arts. Both are located at Mandarin Gallery – Hashida Sushi on the 2nd floor and Hashida Garo on the 4th. Though the latter is a place where desserts meet art, main course is also offered as part of its set menu served with Wagashi of the day and hand-picked Japanese tea of the day. These are, however, only available during lunch and dinner times and the first-flush-tea harvested once a year is not refillable. Garo means gallery in Japanese and this "unique multi-faceted space aims to hold a visual and gastronomic feast for the senses through a creative amalgamation of food with art". As my dining companions and I were there for dinner on a weekend a few months back, the menu may have changed since.

The Providore

The Providore first opened a 3,000 sq ft concept retail store at Tan Boon Liat Building selling gourmet food, cook books and bespoke gifts as well as wine, craft beer and artisanal spirits. It has since expanded its presence from the spacious and modern industrial warehouse to Mandarin Gallery, Tangs Orchard and The Grandstand. I was enticed enough by its breakfast|brunch menu, which is served 'til 3pm that I dropped by over the last weekend. Located on the 2nd floor of Tangs Orchard by the escalator, there was no queue for seats. Ordered an English Breakfast – could neither rave about the pork sausage and sourdough toast nor fault my choice of sunny-side up (over poached and scrambled eggs) and roasted tomato. While the sautéed mushrooms were lovey, I found the grilled bacon a tad oily. Ended my meal with a chocolate tart where the rich taste of chocolate was well-balanced in taste and texture by the tart raspberries on top and crumbly tart.

Ippudo

Happened to be in the area when one of my dining companions suggested having dinner at Westgate's Ippudo, which I of course had no objections to since the Japanese restaurant is ranked as one of my top 3 bowls of ramen in Singapore. It was founded in 1985 by Shigemi Kawahara, the internationally-acclaimed Ramen King and CEO of Chikaranomoto Company. According to its website, there are more than 120 branches worldwide including 80 in Japan. The rest are located in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. Having eaten at Mandarin Gallery's and Mohamed Sultan's Ippudo, and preferring the former to the latter, I wanted to try at this branch. It was a weekday and we were there for dinner before the queues started. Ordered my usual Shiromaru Tamago – classic Hakata-style ramen in tonkotsu broth with flavoured egg, and chose medium hardness for the noodles over soft, hard and very hard.

Wild Honey

While I loved Wild Honey for its hearty all-day breakfast and interior designs, could not say the same of its queues and price tag – drinks are not included, and please add service charge despite having to queue at the counter to order. First tried its signature English (another is European Eggs Benedict) breakfast at Mandarin Gallery and subsequently at Scotts Square where seats could be reserved and orders were taken at the table, and preferred it to the Canadian one. The former included soft and fluffy brioche, lovely sautéed mushrooms and breakfast potatoes with Cumberland pork sausage, grilled vine ripened tomato and scrambled eggs I could not fault as well as back bacon and Dad's baked beans I could not rave about. And the latter paled in comparison, with a stack of three thick pancakes that I found too cloying after a while despite eating it drizzled with imported Canadian maple syrup and between mouths of Canadian back bacon and yummy wild forest berry compote.

Antoinette Revisited

It was on a weekday afternoon when my dining companion and I visited Antoinette at Penhas Road, near Lavender MRT Station. While I have been to the branch at Mandarin Gallery (there is another at Palais Renaissance), this is my first time here. Instead of its breakfast which I had the other time, I tried Boeuf Bourguignon. Could taste the red wine in the braised Wagyu brisket so tender it could be easily pulled apart with the fork and knife. And loved how it went well with the pomme purée and seasonal vegetables. The former is mashed potato with a thicker consistency than usual, and contained tiny cubes of potato I could bite into. Portion was a tad big, maybe because I ate most of the viennoiseries and a bacon that was part of the Antoinette Breakfast. Oops, you just realised how much of a glutton I am.

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Update: The branch at Palais Renaissance has closed.

Ito-Kacho

Founded in 2009, Ito-Kacho is a subsidiary of Sumikin Bussan and opened its 1st branch outside Japan in Singapore. Tucked away on the 4th floor of Mandarin Gallery, the Japanese Yakiniku restaurant takes prides in its beef – serving only authentic Japanese Black Wagyu beef air-flown from Kyushu and delivered to the restaurant regularly. To retain its marbling for a better overall consistency, it is chilled and not frozen so the temperature is kept constant. Dimly-lit with lots of wood typical of Japanese décor, the place is properly ventilated with comfortable seats. Similar to Gyu-Kaku and Magosaburou, an in-built convection system quickly sucked smoke away from the grill so you need not worry about leaving with a barbeque odour. Besides beef, other top-grade meats such as Tzubo-Tsuke Kurobuta are also offered. Marinated overnight with miso BBQ sauce in a big pot, strips of black Berkshire pork collar were juicy, tender and definitely good enough on their own.

jones the grocer

An impromptu decision for late lunch at Dempsey Hill led me to premium Australian gourmet store, jones the grocer. Bigger than the one at Mandarin Gallery and probably Ion Orchard too, this includes a temperature-and-humidity-controlled cheese room in a corner. Industrial-looking metal shelves along the walls complemented concrete floor in the sprawling space with high ceilings. Sat at one of the long wooden tables inside (outdoor seating also available) and ordered a jones club, requesting for the sauce to be served separately. Loved the toasted bread with a nice charred aroma, the bacon though it lacked melt-in-the-mouth fats and might be too hard for some, and the fried egg. While the grilled chicken was a tad bland and dry, it went well with other ingredients in the sandwich including the raw lettuce and avocado. With a side salad in tart dressing, the meal was well-balanced not just in terms of taste and texture but also nutritional value and portion. Thumbs up!

Update: The branches at Ion Orchard and Mandarin Gallery have closed.

Antoinette

Heard of Antoinette by chef-owner Pang Kok Keong before it was due to open at Penhas Road but I have yet to try it. Forgot all about the French patisserie until a recent The Straits Times article on "Tasteful Interiors", which featured Le Jardine D'Antoinette at Palais Renaissance. Reminded myself to make a trip down one day and was in Orchard on a weekday evening when I decided to try my luck at its Mandarin Gallery branch. As reservations are not allowed and queues are the norm on weekends, considered myself lucky to get a table. The enticing displays of pastries, cakes and desserts seemed to beckon me to the place, extravagantly furnished with opulence.