Pince & Pints

Was planning a birthday dinner at Pince & Pints only to realise that the place is closed on Sundays, so I thought of trying it another year. After my plans were thwarted by last-minute changes for the umpteenth times, I decided not to wait for a celebratory occasion. We shall just have dinner at the lobster bar on a weekend. Finally visited the branch at Duxton (it can also be found at Katong) recently, and ordered The Truffle Roll and Live Whole Lobster. Both were served with salad and French fries, the latter with herb butter sauce. The former had truffle shavings and truffle caviar on top of the usual – The Lobster Roll, and truffle butter sauce instead of garlic aioli on the side. Loved the sweet and succulent crustacean stuffed into fluffy-soft bread with a lovely aroma of butter that did not overwhelm, and toasted 'til it is crispy on the outside. Chose grilled over steamed for a char-grilled taste of the fresh, juicy and tender lobster that did not disappoint.

sbcd

Happened to be in Tanjong Pagar area over the weekend when we were hungry. As most places are only opened on weekdays and it was still early for dinner, our choices were limited. Found sbcd tucked away in a corner at B1 of Tanjong Pagar Centre, and decided on the Korean Tofu House. Other than tofu stews that contain pork (except for the vegetarian option) and vegetables, it also offers mains such as bibimbap, bulgolgi and teriyaki chicken. Appetisers include mandu or fried dumpling, japchae and jeon – prawn tofu or seafood pancake. Sundubu, or soontofu as it is spelt here, means soft tofu in Korean and is handmade daily for adding into the stew served with an egg.

Binomio Spanish Restaurante

One of my dining companions made a reservation for dinner at Binomio Spanish Restaurante on a weekend. We chose to walk from Outram MRT station though you can also walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Located on Craig Road between Neil and Duxton Road, Bionomio means pair in Spanish. It is both a casual tapas bar and a fine-dining place. We started with an appetiser of Gambas al ajillo – succulent tiger prawns confit in olive oil "Ajillo" style, that I could neither rave about nor fault. This was followed by Arroz Negro (squid ink paella with clams and calamari) and Cochinillo "a la Segoviana" or roasted pig "Segovia style". The former failed to impress as the supposedly al dente rice was too undercooked for us. On the other hand, the latter wowed us with its crisp skin and tender meat that was well-marinated.

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.

Brasserie Gavroche

I have not, until recently, been to Brasserie Gavroche helmed by Chef Frédéric Colin who was born and brought up in Paris. According to the website, its cuisine is "timeless – classic dishes prepared from the heart". Located along Tras Street with Café & Bar Gavroche and Fleur De Sel, the place had a rustic shop front atypical of a French restaurant. As I opened the weather-beaten door and stepped in, was struck by the contrast. While there was still an old world charm about it, the interiors however exuded Paris ambience. A wide mirror spanned one side, with old photos in gold frames on white walls. Below which were red cushioned bench seats paired with wooden tables and chairs with backrest, some with armrest too. Old-fashioned red and white napkins were neatly folded and placed, together with glassware and metal cutleries, on white table cloths. Combined with the mosaic tiled floor and framed-up menu, it oozed the laid-back feel of a French brasserie.

Ramen Dining Keisuke Tokyo and Gyoza King

It was way past lunch time but my dining companion and I had not eaten. Since it was a weekend, we were surprised to find an almost empty Ramen Dining Keisuke Tokyo on the 2nd floor of Suntec City. This is by chef-owner Keisuke Takeda who, with 100% of sales generated at Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King last Friday, purchased and donated community notice boards to Tanjong Pagar housing estates as he found some of them too small or damaged. As part of its 3rd anniversary celebration, 350 bowls of ramen were sold at a thank you price of $5 each and bottles of water were distributed to customers queuing in the hot weather. Having tried the pork bone broth at Orchid Hotel's Tonkotsu King as well as the chicken-based soup at 100AM's Ramen Keisuke Tori King, I decided to order the crab stock ramen with egg at Keisuke Tokyo. Relocated from Millenia Walk, this 75-seater restaurant has a private dining room and is the largest in Singapore.

Fleur De Sel

Do not confuse French restaurant Fleur De Sel with Brasserie Gavroche or Café & Bar Gavroche. The former, by chef-owner Alexandre Lozachmeur who has worked in three Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée Restaurant in Paris and at Au Petit Salut and Brasserie Les Saveurs in Singapore, opened last year wheras the latter are by Chef Frédéric Colin. All are located along Tras Street with Italian, Japanese and Spanish restaurants – Gattopardo Ristorante Di Mare, Sushi Mitsuya and Bam! Tapas Sake Bar respectively. Fleur De Sel has an open-concept kitchen with counter seats, and natural light streaming into the charming shophouse from the skylight. There are also wooden tables with white table cloth or runners and unless you are sitting at the bar counter, chances are you will be sitting on wooden chairs with cushioned seats and backrests.

Supulae

On a Friday evening a few months ago, my dining companions and I met up for Korean dinner. Walking down Tanjong Pagar Road, a banner with the words "Naked Waitresses Serve You" caught our eyes. A closer look read "the naked truth about our waitresses is that they only serve you to make you regular". Still, we decided to check out the place packed with Korean customers and left our name. Then, we continued exploring the area and tried our luck at Todamgol where we managed to get a table for four. In the end, we ordered and ate there without receiving any call from Supulae (yes, that's the name of the restaurant where we left our number). Fast forward to last Friday and I was back with a different group at the restaurant. Opened last year, extendable exhaust tubes hung above gas-ignited charcoal grill at wooden tables paired with wooden benches and chairs against bare walls and concrete floor. Reaching before 7pm, my dining companions and I were seated immediately.

Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha

Have wanted to try Outram Park Ya Hua Rou Gu Cha for a while after eating a couple of times at Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh, which I was not particularly impressed with. Both stalls apparently use the same family recipe with the former opened in 2001 and managed by Frankie Gwee, brother of Ms Gwee from the latter at Havelock Road. On the 1st floor of Tanjong Pagar PSA Complex along Keppel Road, the non-air-conditioned place between two coffee shops was bustling when I was there for lunch on a weekday. Despite the hot weather of late, many were not put off from drinking the hot broth made from simmering pork ribs with various spices for many hours. There are a few versions in Singapore – both the Teochew and Hokkien ones are garlicky and peppery (the latter is darker and a tad sweet due to the addition of dark soy sauce) while the Cantonese one, also commonly found in Malaysia, has a strong herbal taste. Here, the light-coloured Teochew-style Bak Kut Teh is served.

New Kid on the Block – Kiasu Espresso

In the last few years, home-grown independent coffee joints have sprouted in every nook and cranny of Singapore. And the latest to join the booming local coffee scene is Kiasu Espresso, located on the 1st floor of 100AM beside Skinny Pizza. A collaboration between Harry Grover, owner and head barista of 40 Hands, and The Spa Esprit group who also owns Tiong Bahru Bakery. Hence, the limited food items available are cakes and pastries from the latter, known for its croissant and kouiqn aman. Drinks menu include Australian classics such as long blacks and flat whites, as well as familiar Italian favourites like cappuccino and piccolo latte. Ordered a macchiato and sat at a metal table, reminiscent of desks in school, facing the cashier.

6oz Espresso Bar

At the cross-junction of Cecil Street and McCallum Street sits 6oz Espresso Bar on the 1st floor of Tokio Marine Centre. Stepping into the air-conditioned place with glass frontage and lots of wood, I ordered a macchiato. The same neutral palette – white walls and black menus inside, could also be seen in the choice of tables and chairs outside. These were tucked under a long escalator, which explained the high ceiling. Was pleasantly surprised the open-air area was not as warm as expected and thought this was a nice place to people-watch. I could smell the aroma of roasted Arabica beans in my cuppa, served with a Belgian caramelised biscuit. Acidity that hit me with each sip gave way to a pleasant aftertaste on my tongue and I had it sans condiments.

Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King

Selected by Timeout's critic as 2012 Singapore Best Ramen Bowl is Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King by chef-owner Keisuke Takeda, Tokyo's Ramen King 2011 out of about 30,000 ramen chefs. The cosy little place at a corner of Orchid Hotel is his 2nd restaurant in Singapore after Ramen Dining Keisuke Tokyo at Parco Marina Bay and within walking distance from the 3rd, Ramen Keisuke Tori King. With the same simple menu, a queue of people sitting on stools outside and familiar-looking seat cushions in different colours against lots of wood. Similarly, on the table were complimentary hard-boiled eggs and sweet crunchy beansprouts with a tinge of spice as well as condiments and tissue paper. Chose Original over the Black Spicy and Red (instead of Green) Spicy soup with all toppings, less oil and no spring onions. I checked the boxes for normal soup and noodle texture on the order chit, and was surprised to see the option to exclude pork chasyu.

New Kid on the Block – Okada Coffee

Slated to open in November, Okada Coffee from Kumamoto finally opened on the 3rd floor of 100AM last week. In contrast, Tujiri Tea House (also at 100AM) expected to open its 1st outlet outside Japan only by early next year was already opened last month. Instead of having the lunch recommended by a staff at its entrance, who also offered white chocolate samples that I did not try, I ordered its cake set. There was a faint aroma of roasted beans, a blend of 7 types from around the world, in the pleasantly light and smooth Okada blend coffee with a tinge of bitterness and muted acidity. It was served with whipped cream and a cinnamon cookie reminiscent of caramelised biscuit, which went well with the cuppa I had sans condiments. The strawberry cake was a light and moist sponge cake balanced by sweet strawberry slices in fluffy cream, topped with mostly sweet and a tad tangy berries as well as thin chocolate slices I could neither raved about nor fault.

Ramen Keisuke Tori King

Chef-owner Keisuke Takeda, who was crowned Tokyo's Ramen King 2011 out of about 30,000 ramen chefs, opened his 3rd restaurant in Singapore within walking distance from the 2nd. The former offers Japanese ramen in chicken-based soup whereas the latter, Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King at Orchid Hotel, uses the traditional and more popular pork bone broth. In fact, no two Keisuke's outlets (including the 15 in Japan) offer the same bespoke and signature ramen. For example, Ramen Dining Keisuke Tokyo at Parco Marina Bay started with his signature prawn broth ramen but the menu now focuses on pork and crab flavoured ones. Located on the 3rd floor of revamped 100AM (formerly known as Amara Shopping Centre), Ramen Keisuke Tori King is the 1st in his empire to serve chicken broth ramen. Just like Marukin Ramen at Scotts Square, and Marutama Ramen at Central and Liang Court.