luxe, keong saik.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

long phung, joo chiat.

i only really started to like vietnamese food a lot after being to ho chi minh. prior to that, my knowledge of vietnamese food was limited to banh mi, pho and spring rolls. the trip really exposed me to a range of vietnamese food, and one that i particularly took to was bun thit nuong. so that was why i had bun thit nuong ($7.50) instead of the pho that most people have at long phung.

not my first time at long phung. the first was quite some time ago, at dinner, and i remember having to queue for a seat. but at off peak lunch time, the restaurant was only half-filled, so i snagged a seat with ease. was briefly considering getting a chicken salad side to go with my noodles, but then realised that it was priced at something like $12- probably more for sharing, so i made do with just the noodles.

service was fast and efficient. my noodles probably came five minutes after i placed my order. at first glance, i was slightly disappointed because of the large amount of noodles, while the amount of vegetables looked to be negligible. one of the things i love most about vietnamese food is the amount of fresh vegetables they give. however, after digging around, i realised that the amount of vermicelli was an illusion. the vermicelli looked like a formidable amount only because it was covering a mound of crunchy beansprouts, and that discovery made me happy again.



the grilled pork was awesome. it was piping hot and had a respectable char. the best part, though, was that it wasn't fatty pork. i know most people have this thing for fatty pork, but i'm not one of them, so i appreciated the leanness of the pork (usually i find myself digging and cutting away the fat bits, but for this, i didn't have to at all). there was a sprinkling of peanuts and fried shallots over the noodles, but i found myself wishing there was more. it came with a salty-sweet sauce that had pickled carrots and radish. portion-wise, i found it to be just right.

i can fully understand why long phung has remained so popular over the years. will come back to try more of their stuff- in particular the bun thit bo xao called out to me.

long phung
159 joo chiat road

face to face noodle house, city square.

to be perfectly honest, the thing that drew us in to try this (aside from the fact that it's newly opened and really, city square mall does not leave us with too many options) was their opening promotion. they were having 50% off all mains on the menu.

it was nine-ish on a monday night when we stepped in, which was probably why it was so quiet, but still, it was not confidence inspiring. decided to go ahead and try anyway- with the 50% promotion factored in, prices were comfortable.

it was simple to order. grab a seat, order and pay at the cashier, then wait for your number on the receipt to be called.

i tried the signature soup pan mee (originally $8.90). choice of flat or round noodle- of course i got the flat one, given my preference for linguine over spaghetti. came with minced meat and an onsen egg, with fried anchovies on the side.



the soup itself was pretty good- warm, comforting, and flavourful. also liked how the noodles were cooked al dente (i hate soft, overcooked noodles) and there was a bite to it. the fried anchovies also added a savoury crunch. with it being served on the side, it meant that i could add it to the soup whenever i wanted, and it wouldn't get overly soggy. the egg was also well cooked.

i found that they could've been more generous with the other ingredients, though, for a $8.90 pan mee. while pan mee is basically a carb dish, they could've given more of the minced meat to make it a more complete meal. or maybe i'm just a more protein-based rather than carb-based eater.

without the opening promo, not sure if i'll be back. sure, it was a passable bowl of noodles, with better than average noodles, but for $8.90? questionable.

face to face noodle house
#02-23/24 city square mall

grain traders, market street, 2.0.

swung by for a... post-gym snack (not quite sure what to call it, given that i'd eaten breakfast, and it was definitely not lunch). i had been tempted by seeing instagram posts of their polenta egg rancheros ($8) which was only available for breakfast- wish they would do it for lunch! the roasted pork brown rice porridge from their breakfast menu tempts me too.

service was quick, rather like lunch. everything was already prepared and on the counter, so it was just a matter of putting it together. thankfully it was pretty empty during breakfast- i could envision myself having a leisurely breakfast there.



it came with two boiled eggs, with a dab of guacamole, on top of polenta cakes, with a generous side of mixed bean pico de gallo (which i think also comes as a side for their lunch bowls). also had a small serving of greens on the side. it's a pretty good post-gym meal, actually- full of protein.



i cut into the first egg, envisioning it to be runny, but was sorely disappointed. it was more like a hard boiled egg than one with a runny center. the other egg fared better, with a runny, half molten yolk than ran onto the polenta cakes. also wished they'd been more generous with the guacamole. there was so little of it that i could barely taste it. still, it was a pretty good meal, with a delicious combination of flavours.



will be back for their breakfast offerings- much prefer it to their lunch, given the price point. too bad they only offer breakfast till ten-thirty. will make an effort to swing by to try the brown rice porridge.

birdie num num bar, kembangan.

it was their name that caught my attention at first. walked past a few times but they were always closed (operating hours are from three onwards), sadly ruling it out for lunch. but i was eventually motivated to head there for dinner after reading several positive instagram reviews (i'm a sucker for underrated, hidden finds).



out of the three starters they had available, we got two- foie gras and pan-seared scallops, both $7.90.

the foie gras was on top of a caramelised slice of apple. i loved the tangy sweetness of the caramelised apple (thought it was pear at first, then re-read the menu) paired with the richness of the foie gras. couldn't really discern the grape puree, probably because of how strong the flavours were already. also would've liked a fatter piece of foie gras, but then i'm probably asking for too much, given that it's only $7.90.



X didn't quite take to the foie gras, and much preferred the pan-seared scallops. the scallops came perfectly cooked- golden brown, as the menu promised, on top of cauliflower puree. also came with caviar, but i found the caviar to be unnecessary, since it didn't add too much to the dish. but okay, i'm probably just nitpicking here.



our mains came shortly after (in fact, even before we've finished taking photos of our starters). X got the pan-seared salmon while i chose the miso cod, both $15.90.

the pan-seared salmon was certainly generous in portion- a huge slab of salmon, with a golden, crackly skin, over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and salad on the side. X found the salmon to be slightly overcooked, but the end that i tried was alright. she loved the mashed potatoes though! it had a dominating flavour that was familiar, but we couldn't seem to really place it. i thought it was bacon, while X guessed truffle. whatever it was, the mash was delicious.



my miso cod came with two pieces of perfectly cooked cod, marinated in miso, making it sweet and salty at the same time- yum! it was served on top of creamy risotto, with greens on the side. quite liked the combination, though i found quite a few bones in my cod. aside from that hiccup, it was really pretty good. and for $15.90!!!





what i didn't understand, though, was the need to have squiggles of sticky, black balsamic sauce on top of all the dishes. i found it superfluous, given that the taste of the dishes were on the strong side to begin with, so adding the sauce wouldn't have made much of a difference taste-wise. X liked the black balsamic though, and was scraping it off the plate to go with her mash.

it was a sunday night when we went, but the place was pretty quiet. a good place for a quiet, relaxing dinner, away from the bustle of more central restaurants. they serve up honest, unpretentious food; reasonably priced to boot (prices are nett!). highly recommended.


birdie num num bar
54 jalan kembangan
https://www.facebook.com/birdienumnumbar

aroy dee thai kitchen, middle road.

my sister had had lunch there previously and was pretty satisfied with the food, so it was on her recommendation that we went. still, even though my sister had recommended it, i was still surprised by how good all the dishes were. usually when we order a variety of dishes to share, i tend to have a favourite. this time, however, i was hard pressed to find a favourite dish, simply because all the dishes were of reasonably high standards.

we got the papaya salad ($7), pineapple fried rice with chicken floss ($6.50) and of course, pad thai ($6.50).



also got the green curry chicken ($10) and soft shell crab in thai curry ($15).



we ordered the smallest size for each of the dishes, but the portions were substantial. liked how they were generous with ingredients even in the carb-centric dishes like the pad thai and fried rice- i found several juicy prawns and squid in the pad thai. pretty generous for $6.50, i think. even in the green curry they didn't skimp on the chicken pieces.

flavours were spot on. my mum commented, though, that since the flavours were so heavy we probably should've just gone with white rice, especially to pair with the green curry. (in fact we did order a small portion of rice to go with the dishes.) but... i think of the fragrance of the pineapple fried rice and peanutty goodness of the pad thai... and i don't think i can give that up.

might be worth coming by for their lunch sets! prices were reasonable for dinner, but only in a party of four and above, i think. with fewer people than that i think it'd be hard to share dishes. no service charge, so for four people we paid less than $50. would come by for a group dinner again- good food, and reasonably priced.

aroy dee thai kitchen
262 middle road
https://www.facebook.com/aroydeekitchenthai/

sushi on wheelz, city link.

was walking through city link mall on our way to dinner, and chanced upon this new place. really, it's more of a takeaway kiosk than anything else, but they do have quite a variety of items, including oden and of course, sushi.



what caught our attention, though, was the salmon mentaiko waffurger- because waffle!!! and salmon!!! and mentaiko!!! i was hungry, so i was tempted to get it, but logic prevailed (we were on our way to dinner, after all). then L saw that they had mochi lollipops (!) and we were sold.

both savoury and sweet mochi lollipops were available, and they had a special promotion with 3 mochi lollipops going for $5. the catch, though, was that it was only for the $2 ones. the one we wanted, salmon mentaiko, happened to be a $3 one, so instead of getting one each we settled for sharing. (they should really do an offer for the $3 ones, too.)

the mochi lollipop came toasty and hot, with actual salmon on top and a generous squiggle of mentaiko mayo. L was surprised that they actually did give salmon slices (but for $3 i would think they should).



the base was basically mochi that had been toasted in a waffle iron, so it was soft and gummy. the salmon and mentaiko mayo had been aburi-ed, so it was a given that it was delicious. in all, it was a pretty good snack, got to remember to come back for the waffurger.

sushi on wheelz
#b1-61 city link mall
https://www.facebook.com/sushionwheelz

park bench deli, telok ayer.

the list of places i want to try is constantly growing, so i'm always glad whenever i can cross one out. park bench deli is one of those places. finally tried them out for lunch. came after the lunch rush, at about two plus, so it was fairly quiet and i managed to snag a seat with ease. got the one near the door, which afforded me much privacy (as well as the opportunity to people watch).



they had quite a number of sandwiches on offer, but the one that caught my eye was the pastrami ($17). mainly because it had a variety of different ingredients, not just meat. it came with smoked pastrami, sautéed bell peppers and onions, pimento cheese, pickles and their sauce. liked that they constructed the sandwich on order, which meant that my food was piping hot (but also that i had to wait a while for my food- i was hungry).



the sandwich was served already cut in half, which was good, because it made eating easier. still messy though, because of how they'd stuffed the sandwich with lots of ingredients, but not complaining because it was awesome. these guys really know how to make a sandwich.



the combination worked. salty, savoury kick from the pastrami and stretchy cheeeeseeee, combined with the tang of the pickles, along with the sweetness of the sautéed bell peppers and onions... it was my kind of sandwich. the ratio of bread to ingredients was also just right. found myself wolfing it down, and wishing there was more.



pricing is on the steep side, so it's hard to justify coming by often. but... i can see myself getting cravings for the pastrami sandwich.



park bench deli
179 telok ayer street
https://www.facebook.com/ParkBenchDeliSG/

enbu 炎舞, suntec city, 2.0.

came by the first time and was less than impressed by their yuzu chirashi. decided to give them another chance because i had a sugar voucher for the tsukune with onsen egg, so i came by for their lunch.

got one of the lunch sets- the tori warayaki don ($15), which came with miso soup.



they are supposedly famous for their warayaki. the chicken came quite well cooked, tender and moist, slathered in a spicy-sweet, sticky sauce. what i didn't like, though, was the rice. it was way too wet, making it a weird combination with the chicken.

the tsukune came a while later. that alone was worth the visit. the tsukune was topped with a wobbly onsen egg and saffron threads, with spring onions at the side. it also came with a soy-based sauce, which went really well with the egg.



the egg yolk was glorious and runny, flowing the moment i cut into it. the whole combination worked really well together. portion wasn't stingy as well- it was a well-sized patty.





it was a rather pleasant meal- a step up from my previous experience. will be back for the tsukune with onsen egg. yum!

enbu 炎舞
#03-307 suntec city
https://www.facebook.com/enbusingapore