Equilibrium

It was an impromptu decison to join in for lunch at Equilibrium, located on the 1st floor of Capitol Piazza between Dazzling Café and Ryu's Dining & Bar. From the outside, the décor of this duplex space looks nothing like a modern Italian bacaro and ristorante. By The Crea8 Group who founded Demand & Supply at Esplanade and Orchard Gateway, and is also behind The East Bureau at Marina Square. I chose Aglio Olio with Shrimps from the Executive Set Lunch menu that comes with lovely handmade bread and trio-of-the-day – assaggio piccolo, petite antipasto and cheese. Could neither rave about nor fault the al dente pasta with fresh and succulent shrimps tossed in hot olive oil, splash of homemade broth, sprinkle of chilli and pepper. With both minced garlic bits and thin garlic slices in the dish topped with parsley, the amount of garlic was copious as aptly described and would seem like overkill if you dislike it. While I loved the aroma, it was a tad overwhelming.

Kaiserhaus

Singapore Restaurant Week is back this year, from 19 to 26 Mar, with set lunches and dinners at $28++ and $38++ ($40++ and $58++ for restaurants awarded with DiningCity Star) respectively. No different from previous editions, I decided to try a participating restaurant I have never been to before. This time, my choice was Kaiserhaus on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the refurbished Capitol Theatre. According to its website, the restaurant-café-bar offers authentic culinary delights from the former Habsburg Empire extending over Austria, Hungary, Northern Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and parts of Poland, Serbia, Romania and the Ukraine, at the end of the 19th century. With a supposedly exquisite dining menu fit for an Emperor, items on the menu include handmade pastries and cakes by renowned Austrian pâtisserie Zauner founded in 1832, craft beer and unique boutique wines from Central Europe.

Violet Herbs

Singapore Restaurant Week was from 24 Oct to 1 Nov and my choice this time round was Violet Herbs, a new age semi-formal fine-dining restaurant offering European cuisine with Asian influences. Helmed by Chef Edward Hoe with about two decades of culinary experience, the restaurant has its own herb garden growing up to 20 different kinds of herbs. As the name suggests, herbs are used extensively in its dishes and splashes of violet – chairs and sofa seats stood out against wooden tables, floor and frames (of pictures on one wall and mirrors on another), could be seen on the first floor of the two storey shophouse on Tras Street. Visited last weekend and we had for appetiser, Parma Scallops and Mushroom Cappuccino with truffle foam and chives. The former was succulent and served with burnt figs on bland sweet potato purée, trout roe caviar and melon gel while the latter was strangely bitter.

Laurent’s Café – Full Menu in Orchard

My dining companions and I were looking for a place to eat dinner on a weekend when we chanced upon Laurent's Café, tucked away in a quiet corner at the basement of Robinsons Orchard where Costa Coffee used to be. Most of us have tried the sweets from Laurent Bernard Chocolatier, with presence in Robertson Quay and Portsdown as well as takeaway counters at Takashimaya and Hitachi Tower. But not its savoury dishes and decided to give it a shot. As brunch was only served 'til 6pm, we settled for other items on the menu. We started with cold Laurent's Lemonade (orange, lemon, grapefruit, lime juice, brown sugar and soda), hot Double Cappuccino and my disappointing Café Mocha that was too diluted for my liking. Ordered a French Onion Soup and Lobster Bisque for sharing – the former was nothing like the one my dining companion had in France while the latter also turned out very different from all the versions we had in Singapore, France and other parts of Europe.

Salute

A dining companion suggested going Immanuel French Kitchen for dinner on a weekday and we arrived just as it was opening. Located at a coffeeshop in the Alexandra Village Food Centre vicinity opposite Alexandra Hospital and Queensway Shopping Centre, it is one of the stalls at Salute. Others include Stew Küche (it means kitchen in German) serving Swiss-German food, Seasalt – The Seafood Place and Two Wings. Upon reaching, we saw blue and white tablecloths on tables atypical of the usual coffeeshop layout. We were asked how many people we had and for a moment, I was reminded of the touting at Newton Food Centre where seats would be arranged for customers who then felt obliged to order from the particular stall which helped to find tables. With the assurance we could order from any stall regardless of where we were seated, we allowed a table to be arranged for us. After checking out the menus, we proceeded to order from each and pay.

Table @ Pip’s

My dining companions and I met up for dinner at Table @ Pip's last Friday. Located at B2 of Orchard Central on the same floor as MEDZS, it is tucked away at a corner near the underpass to Centrepoint. Hidden from view due to the lifts in this shopping mall, the casual dining place with an open-concept kitchen emphasises the use of fresh ingredients in its unpretentious food. Items on the menu include BBQ Crocodile Rib and Italian pastas, just to name a few. Foie Gras was lukewarm at best though I loved the sweet glazed apple that the pan-seared duck liver was served with. I have had better ones, just like Escargot Bourguignon – oven-baked Brandy snails stuffed in button mushrooms coated with garlic butter and topped with parsley leaves. With no reminiscence of mud or sand, the snails were not as plump as others I have tried. A tad chewy and bland, the succulent mushrooms were needed for taste.

Halia

Halia means ginger in Malay and is aptly located in the one-hectare Ginger Garden of the Singapore Botanic Gardens where over 250 species of gingers with their stunning foliage and colourful flowers thrive. According to the website, its construction was carried out at the same time that the Ginger Garden was developed in 2000. So architecture could be conformed to the contours of the land, dignity of mature trees such as decades-old majestic palm trees and preservation of heritage. The restaurant officially opened the following year with various forms of ginger and its related family creatively introduced into some dishes and beverage creations such as Halia Infusion (hot or chilled), a house-specialty of sun-dried ginger and wild mountain honey. In 2008, its first and only overseas branch opened at Westlake, Hanoi.

Ambush

I was intrigued by the catchy name of this casual European restaurant located on the 4th floor of newly-opened Jem, one of Singapore's largest suburban malls. After checking out its menu, my dining companions and I decided to eat there. Weekday lunch sets include a complimentary soup of the day and drink each. À la carte menu reminiscent of old-style newspaper offers a variety of fares such as Belgium moules and palourde (French for mussels and clams respectively), French entrées like Confit Duck Leg, Italian pastas, Spanish paella and Swiss-German wurst. The latter also includes German chicken schnitzels and pork knuckles as well as Swiss rosti among its choice of accompanying starch – other options are mashed potato, fries or pasta. Among us, we had three lunch sets and an à la carte dish. Except Ambush's Paella, the rest were pastas where we could choose fusilli, linguini, penne or spaghetti so our food was served quick enough.

Paris Baguette

Seems it is not just the local coffee scene that is booming but also the bakery scene with Tiong Bahru Bakery and Drips Bakery opening their 2nd branches at Raffles City Shopping Centre and along Sunset Way respectively. Within walking distance from French's Paul bakery at Takashimaya and Japanese's Maison Kayser at Scotts Square, is Korean's Paris Baguette at Wisma Atria. Brought in by SPC Group with more than 3,000 outlets in Korea, this is its 1st concept merging the bakery's offerings with menu items from upmarket restaurant Passion 5 in Seoul. The 24-year-old European-style Korean bakery chain also has presence in China, the United States and Vietnam. Do not be misled by the stand with a menu near its front (no entrance to speak of since the café is not enclosed with passers-by gawking at you eat) as customers are supposed to find their own seats. This involves Lady Luck shining on the right table and breathing down others' neck while waiting, no different from a food court.