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.

Dancing Crab

My dining companions, one of whom has tried Crab in Da Bag at Big Splash before, and I met up for dinner on a weekend at Dancing Crab. Located at The Grandstand where Modern Asian Diner (abbreviated as MAD) used to be, it is also by Tung Lok Group. Flags of various countries strung together, and fishing nets hung from the ceiling at the spacious place. Opened last April, it is one of the restaurants in Singapore where seafood is poured onto the table for diners to dig in with their hands. While the concept from Louisiana started with The Cajun Kings in August 2012, others such as The Boiler Louisiana Seafood & Beer which serves seafood in bags and The Pelican Seafood Bar & Grill have also jumped on the bandwagon.

TungLok XiHé Peking Duck

TungLok XiHé Peking Duck, collaboration between Tung Lok Group and Beijing's XiHe restaurant group, has opened a 2nd branch in Singapore after The Grandstand. Tucked away in a quiet corner on the 7th floor of Orchard Central, its signature dish is Peking duck. But not the Cantonese version, so do not expect thin egg skin but thick pancakes. No different from most other restaurants, the roasted duck served whole (there is no half portion here) was carved in front of customers. Cut such that the thin crisp skin came with a bit of meat, this was best dipped in blueberry sauce followed by sugar so the latter popped or at least crackled in the mouth – a modern twist to the original dish and a tad sweet. We were recommended to eat the breast meat, with skin still intact, as wraps.

Café Mondo

Located on the 2nd floor of Orchard Central where Seventh Heaven used to be, is Café Mondo by the same people. Opened in 2008, Seventh Heaven used to be at Raeburn Park with a kiosk at Takashimaya Food Hall (basement 2). Now, its kiosks are at Gardens by the Bay and Pasarbella @ The Grandstand. But this one, opposite Central Hong Kong Café, is a full-service café serving more than desserts and drinks. Understood it was revamped and renamed with the addition of appetisers and mains on its menu. My dining companion and I were looking for a place to sip a cuppa coffee after dinner when we decided to also have its ice-cream. So we could try more flavours, chose mini twelve putts over six packs – six normal-sized scoops of ice-cream served in a muffin tray. I loved their names and presentation. Our choice of 12 small scoops of ice-cream was served in a mini muffin tray.

Maison Kayser Revisited

After lovely dine-in and takeaway experiences at Scotts Square's Maison Kayser, I decided to visit the branch at Wheelock Place. Located at B2 beside Nam Nam Noodle Bar, it is just across Paterson Link from Ion Orchard where Marks & Spencer used to be. My order of Original Blend Coffee had a nice aroma of roasted beans and was bitter with muted acidity. Neither too strong nor light, it was good enough sans condiments and served with Financier – there was an aroma of butter, the taste of which I found too overwhelming. Lacking a crisp on the outside and an aroma possibly because the Pain Au Chocolat was cold, it was not as fluffy on the inside as its croissant that was named the best by Paris newspaper Le Figaro. Still airy and soft, the lightness was somehow missing. While the chocolate was sweet and rich, it was overall a tad disappointing. Unlike its Croissant Praline which still had the same nice texture, with the bonus of a smooth hazelnuts and praline cream reminiscent of Nutella.

Modern Asian Diner

Collaboration between Tung Lok Group, Dick Lee, Bakerzin, Bar Stories and Top Wines led to Modern Asian Diner at The Grandstand (formerly known as Turf City). Abbreviated as MAD, the 5-in-1 concept combines dining, bakery, bar, wine and retail under one roof. On the lower floor with a door that leads outside is the sunlit bakery by Bakerzin, with displays of freshly-baked breads and pastries. Located near the taxi stand at South Grandstand with glass walls, it is simply furnished with concrete floor and lots of space between wooden tables and chairs. A yellow feature wall stood out against the neutral palette, except for a wall with colourful polka dots. Climbed a few steps to the upper floor where the front and right walls were adorned by red cushioned booth seats, tables and walls. To the left is the bar, manned by mixologist from bespoke cocktail maker Bar Stories, with blue-lit boxes against black walls. In the middle were blue, brown and white rattan chairs.