Tag Archives: Hidden Find
Strangers’ Reunion @ 37 Kampong Bahru Road
Strangers’ Reunion became the talk of the town when it opened its doors early last year. With the coffee culture growing and the rise of the ‘third wave’ coffee movement in Singapore, many applauded the introduction of a premium specialty coffee joint to the scene. Fronted by Ryan Kieran Tan, two-time winner of the Singapore National Barista Championships and second runner-up at last year’s World Latte Art Championships, and his brother, Dylan, who were both formerly from Papa Palheta, it is no secret that discerning coffee drinkers can look forward to a cuppa that is well-balanced with bold flavors when they drop by this cafe.
Expect the usual serving styles of Flat Whites, Piccolo Lattes and Macchiatos for $3.90-$4.90 while the Strangers’ signatures such as Magic (double ristretto + milk) and Schlong (double ristretto half long black) are $5.50 and $4.90 respectively, in cup sizes between 5oz and 6oz. Tea drinkers can opt for a pot of English Breakfast or Oolong for $7-$8.
The menu on the weekdays is made up of baguette sandwiches with fillings of Roast Pork, Shrooms or Classic Smoked Salmon for $6.50 and up, croissants served plain or with kaya or ham & cheese or choose from the array of baked goods on display such as Red Velvet cupcakes, Banana Breads or a slice of Chocolate Whisky Cake which are all mostly made in-house.
Their best-seller is the Buttermilk Waffles which everyone orders when they come here. Served with either a choice of artisan greek yogurt, vanilla ice-cream or maple syrup with fresh fruits for $8.50, these waffles are worth every single calorie. Light and puffy with a rich doughy flavor that remained light and crisp right to the end. A definite must-try here!
Check out 5 Best Places For Waffles In Singapore for more great waffles!
COMMUNAL | Diner. Bar. New American Restaurant
COMMUNAL, the newest addition to the CBD area, along the busy North Canal Road, is Singapore-based American chef Ryan Jette’s first restaurant to his name. With a glowing resume and experience from top restaurants all around the world, including New York, San Francisco, London, under his belt and most recently as executive sous chef at The Sentosa Hotel, Chef Ryan hopes to glamorize diner food in his latest venture with quality ingredients and big flavours, all while maintaining pocket-friendly prices.
The menu here though limited, leans towards mostly American comfort/diner food with offerings of Burgers, Mac N Cheese, Fried Chicken and Thick Milkshakes for under $30. The lunch crowd can look forward to a 3 course value set lunch which includes a sandwich, soup/salad and drink, all for $15.
And just its name suggests, half of the seating here is ‘communal’ with a long bar counter table that stretches across the restaurant, where diners sit on black wooden stools facing the open kitchen. The remaining seats in this contemporary-chic themed eatery, with a rustic flair contributed by the red-bricked walls, are booth seats which hold more privacy for conversations.
The Meat & Poultry section is modest with only three choices of Fried Chicken $18, Seared Black Angus Strip Loin $38 and Braised Beef Cheek $24. Three very different ways of cooking three different types of meat with three different price ranges. Clean-cut and straight to the point. We settled for the Braised Beef Cheek just because we felt like it was a beef day.
And it was a great choice. Braised till amazingly tender and moist, with all rounded succulence, these braised beef cheeks were infused with a beautiful rich flavor of oyster sauce that was nicely concentrated. The mashed potato too was a bed of velvety smoothness that was warm and comfortingly indulgent with notes of buttery creaminess.
Made from three types of cheeses- Parmesan, Gyuyere and White Cheddar Cheese, this Lobster Mac and Cheese Gratin $20 is one of COMMUNAL’s signatures. While purists may frown upon the absence of that thick gooey melted cheese sauce, I found that their sauce though less rich in intensity, complimented the elbow macaroni well instead of drowning it. The lobster meat added to the casserole was not scanty either and was instead found in chunks, in almost every spoonful of macaroni we picked up.
Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant @ Gardens By The Bay
Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant, a well-conceived collaboration between Chef Yong Bing Ngen (the man behind Majestic Restaurant and Jing at One Fullerton) and local restaurateur/hotelier, Loh Lik Peng, is the only seafood establishment on site the picturesque ‘City in the Garden’ of Gardens by the Bay. Located just below the flower dome, Majestic Bay Restaurant lends an appropriate oriental presence to an otherwise Western Contemporary dining scene at the Gardens with the likes of Pollen, SuperTree by Indochine and Cafe Crema.
Guests are treated to a scenic view of nature with the floor to ceiling glass panels that bathe the spacious 110-seater restaurant with natural light while the colour palette of Tiffany-blue and white brings along a decidedly calming charm. In line with the restaurant’s main theme, the focus here at Majestic Bay is naturally on the fresh seafood though the menu does however also carry a sizable number of non-seafood dishes as well as Dim Sum offered during lunch time crafted by Guangzhou-born Chef Li Shou Tao.
Trio Prawns Combo: $38 for 4 persons
Dressed in three distinct ways of Wasabi Mayo, Lemon Butter Milk Sauce and Salad Dressing, these butterflied prawns were plump, springy and simply creamy. My pick of the lot goes to the Wasabi Mayo with its gentle hints of slow-rising spiciness that was complimenting and not too overwhelming.
Assorted Seafood Soup, Whole Young Coconut, Bamboo Piths: $18 per person
Light and nourishing, this clear seafood soup served in a whole young coconut shell was unsuspectingly full-bodied in flavour with a subtle sweetness that was accentuated by the coconut meat. The most gratifying part however was probably scraping off chunks of the white flesh and enjoying every last bit of it.
Social Sin | Gastrobar & All Day Breakfast Bistro
Social Sin is the latest dining concept by Ministry of Food (MOF), the very same people who brought you MOF @ My Izakaya, Lenas, DANRO Japanese Hot Pot and AmaSoy. This gastrobar offers All Day Breakfast, Happy Hour Drink Specials and even 50% off all 2nd main courses when you dine from 11.30am-8.30pm. With a rustic contemporary theme for the decor and a striking resemblance to House/Skinny Pizza’s menu newspaper style, augmented by Wild Honey’s naming system for their egg-centered breakfast platters such as English and Tunisian, Social Sin offers a plethora of dining experiences all in a single space.
The Light Bites and Snacks section of the menu is considerably straightforward, with choices of Chicken Wings $10, Beef Meatballs $9, Chunky Cut Fries $7, Popcorn Chicken $9 and even Tomato Bruschetta $8, best paired with their beer specials of the day written on the board.
We tried the Sweet Potato Fries $10 and Crunchy Calamari $9, both served in aluminum cans, with dips of tar tar sauce, sweet chilli and wasabi mayo. The latter was so creamy addictive, we could not resist asking for seconds. I liked how we had thick round substantial squid fried with a golden brown batter that remained crisp down to the last piece and a decent chunky cut of sweet potato fries, not too over the top unlike the ones at Skinny Pizza which had an extra coat of white sugar. These two light bite options passed satisfactorily.
We settled for a Parma Ham Pizza (8 inch $17) for our main as recommended by our server. Unfortunately they were out of rocket salad so the kitchen substituted the greens with other types of lettuce. The pizza crust was biscuit-like crisp and almost brittle, extremely enjoyable to munch upon, while the parma ham on the other hand, was missing that quintessential preserved saltiness of dry-cured meat, so that was disappointing. Peperoni still holds top ranks for a good parma ham pizza in my opinion.
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.
