luxe, keong saik.

Thursday, December 10, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

having seen pretty good reviews, i've been wanting to try luxe for quite a while. but unfortunately, they're closed on mondays, which happens to be my off day (why is it that so many cafes and restaurants close on mondays?! grr). i was excited when i found that they were participating in the gourmet greens week, so i quickly made a lunch reservation.





the gourmet greens lunch was a four course meal, at $30. it started with parmesan doughnuts with parmesan cream. it was an inspiring start. the doughnuts (really shaped more like churros) were served fresh and piping hot. delicious paired with the smooth parmesan cream.





quinoa and beetroot falafel with minted yoghurt and greens came next. who knew quinoa and beetroot could be made into falafel? to be honest, i could hardly discern the flavour of beetroot, but it really tasted like regular falafel.





the main, miso mushrooms with rice, bok choy and tea-smoked egg arrived after a short wait. it was a delicious tumble of ingredients i like- fried shallots and miso mushrooms over brown rice. couldn't tell that the egg was actually tea smoked, but i loved the dish anyway. the egg was runny, and mixed into the rice, it was delicious. i would come back just for this. who knew something so simple could be so good?





the dessert was pandan madeleines with kaya and coconut cream. this is something i've wanted to try ever since reading about how spectacular the kaya is. thankfully, it lived up to expectations. the madeleines were served hot, with a slightly crispy crust that speaks of being freshly toasted, and they were fragrant and soft. the kaya and coconut cream was a sinful, irresistible combination. i found myself dipping bites of the madeleine into the kaya and coconut cream, though the madeleine was yummy even on its own. i've never liked madeleines, so it was a surprise to even myself that i actually really liked this.



i left really full and happy. the portions served were pretty generous. i'll gladly come back to try more of their food.



luxe
1 keong saik road
#01-04
http://luxesydney.sg

five and dime eatery, river valley.

Thursday, December 10, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

the first time i spotted five and dime was purely by chance. was on a bus heading to clarke quay, and spotted it because of how it stood out from the rest of the shops at night. it piqued my interest, but somehow i've never put it on my to-try list. after the gym that day, my friend suggested going there (since we had the luxury of being driven).

 

to be honest, based on online reviews, i was more excited by their desserts (particularly the golden custard lava cake) than their mains, but my friend who'd been there a few times, said their mains were pretty good. so we got a main each- the big brekkie ($22), mentaiko pasta ($18) and beef tataki rice ($20).

 

my friend swore by the mentaiko pasta, which she'd had a couple of times. while i found it yummy (it is mentaiko after all), i found the portion to be small for its price tag. the same sentiment applied for the other two mains. my beef tataki rice was... alright, but it's not something that i would pay $20 (before taxes) for, given the fact that it was only 120g of beef and an onsen egg (though admittedly well done) on rice. didn't finish the rice, because i was all out of beef and egg. also because i felt that the stickiness of japanese rice would've gone much better than the steamed rice they served.





so i found mains a slight letdown, given the prices they were charging. thankfully the golden custard lava cake ($12) kind of saved the day.
 

it came in a steamer basket, like those you'd find at a dim sum restaurant. really cute.

 

the moment we cut into it, the glorious golden custard oozed out. promising. and really, when you have an oozy lava cake, especially one that oozes salted egg custard, that basically already seals the deal. though, i would've liked the salted egg flavour to be more pronounced, since i'm a salted egg custard fiend. it was a pretty good lava cake, but i'm not sure it's a good salted egg lava cake, given the fact that i could barely discern the salted egg bit- maybe because the chocolate flavour was already so strong? it certainly was pretty, though.

doubt i'll be back, since it's so out of the way, and prices are on the high side for the quality and quantity of food served. still, the golden custard lava cake was worth a try, especially if you're into salted egg.

five and dime eatery
297 river valley road
http://fiveanddime.com.sg

windowsill pies, upper thomson.

Wednesday, December 09, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

my friend was driving, and so, she suggested windowsill pies for dessert after dinner. having moved to upper thomson from jalan besar, it is hard to get to without a car, so that was why we quickly took the opportunity to go there. my friend had had it once, when they were still at jalan besar, while i hadn't (despite the fact that jalan besar is actually really convenient for me).

had some trouble finding the place. thought it would be located on the main stretch when we got there, but it wasn't. it was tucked into the back of a dubious looking small alley- we had our doubts that we were in the right place.

my friend commented that the place was smaller than the original one at jalan besar. it was pretty much empty- kind of worrying, given that it was a sunday night. the only other customer was a guy on a laptop. but okay, when we were about to leave, a few other people came in.



the pies available were all displayed at the counter. there were so many that it was hard to decide, so thankfully the girl at the counter was really knowledgeable about what was in each of the pies! it's awesome when the staff is well-informed about what they're selling. my friend went in wanting one of their classics, the grasshopper (mint and chocolate), but she got swayed by the sheer variety available. i was undecided between the hazelnut & ginger creme and honey macadamia at first, but when the girl mentioned that there was PEANUT BUTTER in the hazelnut pie, i was sold. my friend eventually decided on the yuzu, so we got both to share ($16 in total).

 

didn't regret choosing the hazelnut & ginger creme at all. it was made of ingredients that i am fond of (hazelnut parfait, with hidden dollops of peanut butter, and topped with bits of poached pear and ginger creme) so it was a no brainer that i'd like it. also liked that it wasn't sickly sweet. what i didn't like was the texture of the parfait- a bit too stiff (though maybe that's just a parfait thing) but flavours were spot on. the pie crust was the barely-there, more-biscuit-than-butter type, so attention is drawn more to the filling than the crust. quite different from tarte by cheryl koh.



the tangy sparkling yuzu pie was a great contrast to the hazelnut pie. loved the smooth and just-runny-enough yuzu curd. the white chocolate dollops on the top were just right to offset the tang of the yuzu, though my friend did find the yuzu to be on the sour side. we weren't expecting the hidden pop rocks at all, so it was quite a surprise (now i know why it's called sparkling yuzu).



had a pretty good experience at windowsill pies. makes me wonder why on earth i didn't make an effort to go try them when they were located at jalan besar. just because of the sheer remoteness of the place, we were briefly tempted to do a takeaway (HONEY MACADAMIA PIE!!!) but... we regained our senses and decided not to be greedy. hopefully i can come back soon to try their other flavours!

 windowsill pies
95 soo chow walk
https://www.facebook.com/WindowsillPies/

sin lee foods, bukit ho swee.

Tuesday, December 08, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

sugar was having a special event, the sugar blackout, where all items were going at just 50 cents (!). managed to snag the aburi broccoli, and so, made my way down to tiong bahru to redeem it. the aburi broccoli has always been on my to-try list, because of how interesting it sounded. so this was the aburi broccoli (usually $13)- smoky torched broccoli and crushed papadum sprinkled with cheese shavings, over what seemed like a thin layer of mayonnaise, with an arty swipe of red sugar on the side of the bowl.


i loved it. never had anything quite like it. would've liked more of the papadum to add a crunchy element, and less of the mayo (then again i just don't like mayo) but the combination, surprisingly, worked. i found myself brushing the florets against the red sugar- the red sugar added a slight sweetness, and was more than just a garnish.



also got the beef & grains ($25) to go along with the broccoli. sliced striploin, runny fried egg and orzo, with a generous amount of sesame seeds, furikake and spring onions, in a very japanese broth. the orzo tasted so much like rice that i was surprised to find that it was actually pasta. it was a generous serving- i actually really felt full after the meal, and it lasted me till dinner (that is a feat in itself). it was soupy, warm and comforting. when the flavours got a bit heavy, there was the pickled ginger to refresh the tastebuds (though i found the ginger to be sliced a bit too thick).



the sunny side up was runny as promised- eggporn action!

 

really liked the two dishes i had. sugar is a really good way to explore places- gives me the push to travel to harder-to-get-to places for food. i've always thought that sin lee foods was just another café, but my experience there and the fact that they've been around for quite a while proves otherwise. love the creative spin they put on dishes- who knew that aburi broccoli would work? now, if only they weren't so out of the way...

sin lee foods
block 4 jalan bukit ho swee
#01-164
https://www.facebook.com/sinleefoods/

grain traders, market street, 3.0.

Friday, December 04, 2015 2 Comments A+ a-

swung by for the breakfast again, this time with the roasted pork brown rice porridge ($8) in mind.

came with a generous serving of brown rice porridge, topped with pulled pork, egg, furikake corn, carrots, herb salad and a wedge of perfectly ripe avocado.



i half expected the brown rice porridge to be bland, because well... it's porridge. but it was surprisingly tasty and full of flavour. who knew avocado could go with brown rice porridge, though? it did, making for a really yummy combination.



loved all the toppings, especially the pulled pork. i found it pretty good value, considering that the toppings are quite similar to their lunch bowls. would rather come by for their breakfast than lunch, given that it's half the price.

grain traders
#01-01/02/03 
138 market street