Tag Archives: Burger
Department of Caffeine @ 15 Duxton Road
Opened for barely one month but already making waves on Instagram, Department of Caffeine is the newest addition to the row of cafes in the Duxton enclave. Tucked away at the beginning of Duxton road, this edgy coffee joint with an industrial-chic groove, blends together the hard metallic steel of their chairs with a cosy homely vibe lent by the majority wooden paneled walls and tables. Its appeal is inviting and the entire space seats about 20 people quite comfortably without intruding on your neighbour’s personal space as some smaller joints usually do.
And ‘taking their food and drink seriously’ as they claim, the weekday menu boasts of well thought-out comfort fare that is simple yet satisfying. Centered around mostly sandwiches, their offerings include Pulled Pork, Meatball, Fish Finger and Mushroom, all served with a side salad for $13. Mains such as Roast Chicken or Poached Salmon Fillet come with a choice of 1/2/3 salads for $13/$15/$17. Desserts are either homemade cakes and pastries from the counter or Buttermilk Waffles with Ice-Cream at $12.
Two Blur Guys
Two Blur Guys, located at level 1 of Orchid Hotel in Tanjong Pagar is a neat little burger joint that specialises in burgers, beers and pastries. The menu is not particularly extensive but succinct with six signature burger offerings within a price range of $9.50-$12.50. If you are dropping by for afternoon tea, you might want to check out their pies (savory and sweet), tarts and lamingtons which are all below $5.
The story behind their idiosyncratic name of Two Blur Guys stems from how the two owners (who are both guys) did not know anything about the food industry when they first started their business and were simply ‘blur’ about everything. But fueled with a deep passion for good food and the desire to share that with others, the concept of Two Blur Guys was born.
All burgers here are served with a mesclun salad drizzled in their special Balsamic mix and a homemade potato salad. And with their extremely talented consultant Chef Jimmy Chok of Bistro Soori having a hand in creating all the burger recipes, you know you will be in for a scrumptious treat here at Two Blur Guys.
&MADE By Bruno Ménard
When &MADE first opened in July this year, it became the talk of the town. Throngs of people flocked to this casual dining restaurant helmed by Chef Bruno Ménard. It was exciting because this establishment was opened by the first ever Michelin-starred chef that was to be based in Singapore permanently. The concept was a winning recipe- a well accredited chef with a convenient and accessible location, serving up comfort foods of gourmet burgers, fries, toastoos and interesting desserts. This burger bistro soon found its fans who raved over the amazing beef patties and detractors who thought it was overrated. 6 months later after all the excitement had died down, I decided to make a trip down myself to see what the fuss was all about.
The design of the place was charming and whimsical. I immediately warmed up to the low-hanging light bulbs, graffiti sticker-ed glass windows and bold colours of blacks and reds used to spruce up the decor. The feel was inviting, casual and relaxed with a chorus of ‘Welcome!’ by the chefs in the open concept kitchen each time a new customer walked in.
The 3 Little Pigs $23
The burgers come served in a platter with fries and homemade &MADE BBQ sauce dip. Top up an additional $3 for truffle fries which we both could not resist doing so.
Layers of shitake mushrooms, Japanese cabbage, Shibazuke pickles with a thick patty of bacon, pork filet and chorizo that was amazingly moist and tender, this burger had some great flavours going for it. And bringing it to the next level was the yuzu-kosho mayo dressing that tied it all together. Loved the toasted buns that was fluffy and crisp all at the same time. Truly memorable.
Food Safari @ Singapore Marriott Hotel
For the last 17 years, since the day they opened back in 1995, Singapore Marriott Hotel has earned quite many accolades and approval ratings for not only its very convenient location at the heart of Orchard Road, but also for its quality service and luxury accommodation for the many tourists who have walked through their doors.
This 5 star hotel has recently undergone an overhaul with a $35 million refurbishment and is now ready to present a much improved and renewed Marriott Hotel with its newly revamped guest rooms as well as more casual fine dining options.
At a recent media tasting, we were given a tour as well as a sampling of the 5 restaurants located within the hotel itself, after its multi-million dollar renovation and this gastronomic journey was hosted by none other than the very talented, accomplished and passionate Executive Chef Kevin Thomson of the Singapore Marriott Hotel.
JAVA+
Lobby level
7am-11pm daily
(65) 6831 4605
Newly launched and the latest addition to the Marriott Hotel dining scene, Java+ is a deli cum cafe cum bakery. This 3-in-1 novel concept allows easy takeaways of sandwiches, cakes and pastries. Of course, dining on site over a cuppa coffee is also a very viable option with its inviting open concept of natural lighting and comfortable chairs. In the evenings, one can also unwind after a long day over a glass of wine with the wide range of reds and whites available and some Spanish tapas.
We sampled some Shaved Serrano Jamón served with melon, tomato chutney and marinated olives on the side.
Backyard@Dempsey | Bar & Restaurant
Located at the first turn of Minden Road, Backyard@Dempsey is an idyllic picture of lush greenery and wooden rustic charm. With its low rise planked wooden ceilings and open concept that leads out to a bigger porch with widely spaced tables and chairs under the strategically placed lampposts that offer the right amount of light without being too intrusive, it is simply the perfect place for a quick getaway from our bustling and fast paced cosmopolitan city.
Opened by duo team Han and Val, this couple is truly one of a kind. Dynamic and effervescent, Val is a fantastic host who is full of life and always so bubbly, while Han is the more serious one with a warm and down to earth personality. Together, their complementing characters translate into what Backyard@Dempsey is essentially all about- feeling right at home in your very own backyard.
Val shares that their dream was to have a space for customers to just come and chill in their own comfortable attire while they provide great food, music (a live band plays every Friday night) and of course an extensive 4 page long list of various wines, beers, cocktails and spirits. So it’s all about letting loose with a little alcohol and just enjoying the peace and tranquility that nature has to offer in this little nook in the woods.
We kicked off the night with a couple of mocktails since we were driving. The Longan Freeze $7.80 and the Kiwi Backyard Quencher $6.80 were refreshing and ice-cold. I loved how they had topped my drink with real longans for an extra fruity touch.
And of course, some munchies were also in order as accompaniment for our mocktails.
Backyard@Dempsey offers great light bite options of fries, chicken wings, corn chips with various dips and even some local favourites such as spring rolls and fried ikan bilis with peanuts. There is definitely something for everyone right here.
We tried the Spam Fries $9.80 which was one of their more popular starters. Good ol’ luncheon meat sliced and dipped in batter before frying to a golden brown. This was so sinful but oh so satisfying and delicious. Paired off with the wasabi mayo dip served at the side, it’s so hard not to love.
The US Beef & Vegetable skewers $19.30 reminded me of the true BBQ grub with that nice smokey smell and black charcoal bits stuck onto the food. But of course, this version was done with a lot more class and looked way appetising. Alternating pieces of USDA beef with red peppers, zucchinis and onions threaded into the skewer for the added colour, it is a fun way of getting your meat craving satisfied with a good serve of veggies.
