jar'd by sarnies, one raffles place.

was in raffles place on a saturday afternoon, and needed a quick lunch. it seemed that only shops in one raffles place were open, so we headed over and chanced upon jar'd by sarnies, where their mason jar salads were going for half the usual price! seemed like a good deal, so we quickly picked up two jars.

admittedly the tuna tataki salad (usual price $16) was not something that i'd usually choose, not being a fan of tuna, but choices were limited. J got the tuna tataki as well, but in a smaller size (usual price $12.50). it was a takeaway only concept, so we found a quiet spot elsewhere to eat.

i'd read comments previously that jar'd's mason jar salad idea was a good one conceptually, but not practically sound. the reviewers had almost unanimously commented that they found it difficult to mix up the salad by shaking the jar, because there were too many ingredients in the jar (sounds like a happy problem to me). they'd had to resort to taking everything out of the jar and mixing it in a separate bowl, which kind of defeats the purpose of a mason jar salad.



having no access to an extra bowl, luckily enough, we had no problems shaking the jar to mix up everything. J was happily shaking hers and mine away. i found everything to be mixed up quite satisfactorily once she was done. not sure if jar'd had considered the comments and reduced the amount of ingredients, or was it that the components of the tuna tataki that made it easier to shake up. still, i actually quite enjoyed my salad. the addition of the bonito flakes and seaweed made it a really interesting eat. i especially loved the soy and mirin dressing combined with the spiralized radish and shredded purple cabbage. J didn't like the tuna though, and gave some of hers to mine. it wasn't my favourite, but i was okay with it.



i enjoyed the salad enough that i would come back and have it, but only if it was half priced. at $16, it was priced too steeply for my liking, and i would rather have omnivore.


jar'd
one raffles place
#b1-38
http://www.jar-d.co

botanist, neil road.

pacamara being one of my go-to cafés, i was understandably excited to hear that they'd opened botanist over at neil road, which is much more accessible for me. i made a trip over with J, who loves pacamara as much as i do. the first time we were there, it was a rainy weekday afternoon. we were initially seated indoors, but it got too cold, so we requested to be seated outdoors instead, under the canopy.

the first thing that caught my eye was the corned beef hash ($19), so naturally i went with that. J is equally predictable, so of course she chose the salmon & egg ($23).



our food came really prettily presented- the flowers added a pop of colour to the plates. i guess it kind of links back to their name. the taste, however, fell a bit flat. i was expecting my shredded corned beef to be juicy, but it leant towards the dry side. the poached egg and hollandaise did make it better; in fact it was not bad when combined together, but coming with high expectations, i expected more, i suppose. still, portions were generous and i was full.



J quite liked her salmon, but commented that she still likes the food at pacamara more.

we came back in a big group sometime later, and this time, it was really hot out! it was a weekend, so the place was packed, and we didn't manage to get indoor seating. there were fans, but we were basically sweltering in the heat. alfresco dining really doesn't work in singapore.



this time i decided to try the slow cooked beef cheek ($24). it was nice, but didn't leave too much of an impression.



i got slight food envy when i saw J's chicken & quinoa salad ($17), especially after she added two poached eggs to it. my food envy subsided after J commented that the chicken breast was dry- i took a bite, and had to agree.

still, no gst and service charge makes botanist a good place to head to for well priced café food. they do a mean coffee, too! J doesn't seem enamoured with botanist, but i wouldn't mind coming back to try their other stuff, given that their all-day brunch offerings are not the usual ones.


botanist
74 neil road
https://www.botanist.sg

arôme french bistro, wild market.

i have a fondness for atas food courts like pasarbella, because interesting food is offered at more down to earth prices. and yay to no service charge! found out that wild market had just opened at shaw towers, so i brought C along for dinner.

there weren't a lot of stalls; probably about six, but it was a good mix of western and local. maybe because they'd just opened, the whole place was quiet, even for a weeknight, especially if you compare it to pasarbella over at suntec.

the stall that caught our attention was arôme, which was offering a two-course set for a really good price. i got the duck confit (of course) for $15.90. C's black angus bavette cost slightly more at $21.90. we both got soups as our starters.



we were given a buzzer to collect our food once it rang, but they were nice enough to serve it to us. our soups came after a brief wait. i got the french onion soup, while C got the spiced pumpkin velouté. both were served with baguettes. my french onion soup was pretty good! C wasn't used to her spiced pumpkin, and we ended up swapping soups in the end. i liked both well enough, so i didn't mind.



our mains came only after we were done with our soup. i was impressed by how prettily plated both of our dishes were! and happily enough, the food measured up, too. my duck confit had the requisite crisp skin.



it was accompanied by a slice of grilled pear, lentils and braised purple cabbage. all in all, it was a satisfying eat. i tried a bite of C's black angus bavette. while it was pretty good, i still preferred the duck.

i'm definitely coming back (probably with J in tow). they have a couple of promising items on their menu that i'm interested in trying. they seem to be open till at least nine in the evening, which is good, given our penchant for late dinners. i'll be back!


arôme french bistro
shaw towers
#01-27/37

ash & char, mccallum street.

debated internally for a while between trying ash & char and having salad for lunch (i honestly stood there pondering, and someone i know walked by and asked me what i was doing there *awkward*). decided on ash & char in the end, since the menu looked suitably tempting. plus, they had a set lunch as well (just $5 extra for a soup and drink with any mains).



soup of the week happened to be roasted butternut, served with toasted sourdough. it seemed to be the one on their christmas special menu, which came with chestnuts and spiced crème fraîche. it came piping hot, like all soups should be, but the crème fraîche was mysteriously missing, replaced by what seemed like truffle oil. hmm... i'm not the biggest fan of truffle oil. the soup was also more watery than i'd expected, but it tasted alright. what i didn't like was the grilled sourdough- it seemed to have been brushed with truffle oil, and its taste was overpowering.



for my main i got the grilled chicken leg ($17), which came with charred broccolini, sweet potato crumble and king oyster mushroom. i was curious as to what was a sweet potato crumble, but it turned out to be just sweet potato mash. everything on the plate was spot on, though! the chicken leg was juicy and tender, with an almost crispy skin.



but my favourite of the plate was probably the king oyster mushroom, which had been grilled (?) until its exterior was almost crackly. the dish was finished off with a truffle chicken jus (!) but thankfully the truffle taste was nonexistent. the jus was pretty good, actually- it tied the dish together.



i finished off my meal with a coffee. strangely enough they don't do things like lattes or flat whites- the only option is espresso, with milk or without. i got a 7oz espresso with milk, which bordered on the bitter side. it was drinkable, but not something that i'd get again.

i liked my food enough that i'd return. they're having a christmas special of chicken roulade stuffed with sticky rice, and that sounds like it's worth a try. hopefully i can squeeze in a trip back before they take it off the menu.


ash & char
21 mccallum street
https://www.facebook.com/AshandChar/

bottles & bones, raffles place.

salads are abound in raffles place, which is why i love eating there. the fact that there's no shortage of options means that it's hard to choose sometimes, and i end up going back to my default. bottles & bones has been open for a while, but i've never tried it. i got tempted into trying it mainly because they had polenta cakes on their daily specials menu- i'm a sucker for savoury cakes, like cornbread.



their daily specials are quite interesting, actually. the thursday specials were mediterranean lamb kofka (kofta?) with cucumber mint tzatziki sauce and parmesan herb polenta cake. i decided to get both. as the polenta cake was considered as a vegetarian main, i had to add on an extra $2, so my box was $16.90.



ordering was straightforward, as with most salad places. i filled in the order chit, handed it to them and made payment. i was given a buzzer, and once it was ready for collection, i went over to collect it.



i liked that the sides were not just the usual ones. to add a crunch to the box, they had a variety of different crumbles, instead of just the usual nuts. they could've been more generous with the crumble, though- it was barely a dusting, and i could hardly discern the parmesan flavour.

the lamb kofta, sadly, was saltier than i would've liked. it was overpoweringly so, and it was probably the only part of the box i didn't like. if i return i'll skip the lamb and go for their other proteins.



the main thing that i came for, though, was the polenta cake. it delivered on so many counts, and fulfilled all my polenta cake dreams. i could really taste the parmesan, and the texture of the cake itself was spot on. in fact, i'd return just to have the polenta cake alone- i'm tempted to ask if they sell it by itself.

on first receiving my box, i thought it might not be enough to fill me up, but it was surprisingly filling. i was super satisfied after finishing the cornbread. yeah, i'd come back on thursdays.


bottles & bones
chevron house
#01-42
http://bnb.sg

garçons, upper thomson.

we were on our way to pacamara, walking along upper thomson road, when i spotted garçons' christmas special menu that they'd displayed at the entrance. the turkey roulade caught my attention, and i decided that i wanted to try it. besides, having tried by the fire at alibabar, which is by the same people, and quite liked it, it seemed reasonable to assume that food at garçons would be of a similar standard.

the place was quiet for a weeknight dinner. the only other occupied table was by a caucasian guy drinking wine, but he left after a while.

it's mostly self service. we had to go up to the counter to order and pay, and were given a buzzer to collect our food. utensils and water were at a separate counter for us to help ourselves to. not that i minded, though- it's great that they don't charge for service. even though they gave us a buzzer, in the end, they served us the food at our table anyway.



i got the roasted turkey roulade ($15.90), which was basically turkey breast stuffed with bacon and apricots, mashed potato and mesclun salad. sadly the turkey breast was on the dry side, and strangely enough i could barely taste the apricots and bacon. what i tasted was actually pistachio. the mashed potato was also nothing to shout about, especially when i compare it to pacamara's smooth and creamy one.



but for the price, i was reasonably satisfied, though if i came back, i would probably order something else.



we also shared a tuna tataki salad ($12.50). it's awesome that J is as into salads as i am! the salad was pretty good, actually. i especially liked the balsamic vinagrette.

J, as usual, got salmon, this time in the form of a herb crusted salmon ($16.20). i didn't try it, but she didn't like the herb crust, and ended up scraping it off.

incongruously they were playing tom and jerry on a TV screen on mute. i didn't quite get why, but it entertained me for a bit. the food, given its nett pricing, was not too bad, though i think i was more impressed with by the fire. perhaps i just didn't order the right thing...? i wouldn't mind coming back, but there are so many other things along upper thomson that i think i'll be distracted away.


garçons
215r upper thomson road
http://www.garcons.sg

paddy hills, south buona vista.

J was driving and we had to be in the west, so paddy hills, which i've been meaning to try for a while now, seemed like a good choice.



the place was quiet when we got there, with only a few tables occupied, so it was really nice for a quiet lunch.

they have all-day brunch, right up to 5pm, so it was right up our alley. i zeroed in on the potato & fish ($24) straight away, because i can never say no to rostï. they had christmas specials as well, but the item i was interested in from that menu happened to be unavailable. J wanted the green scramble & bacon ($23), but without the bacon (much to the waiter's bewilderment). he told us that it would be silly to have it without the bacon, since it was kind of the point of the dish. i then asked if they could change the bacon to smoked salmon, but after consulting the kitchen, we were told that it wouldn't be possible. in the end J settled for the naked english muffin ($16), adding on the house cured salmon ($5). i don't understand why they couldn't have been more flexible about it, though!



both our dishes came prettily plated.



the rostï wasn't quite what i expected, though. the potato strips were cut more finely than usual, so it resembled fried vermicelli more than regular rostï. it was yummy just the same, though a bit on the oily side. the sea bass was generously portioned and super well-cooked, especially the super crisp skin. the bagna cauda sauce was interesting- not like anything i have ever had before, but it went well with the fish and rostï, though being placed on the bottom meant that it made the rostï slightly soggy. on googling i realised it was made from garlic and anchovy, both of which i don't exactly have a fondness for, but i couldn't really discern what it was when i was eating it. i quite liked my plate, but it leant towards the greasy side. i also found myself getting hungry quite soon after the meal, which meant that the portion wasn't quite enough- it would've been nice to have a more generous portion of carbs.



J's naked english muffin was basically in-house stewed beans, guacamole, poached eggs and greens stacked atop english muffins. she quite liked it, but i found it on the pricey side. still, food was obviously well cooked, and i wouldn't mind returning to try their other items (on a day when i'm not famished).



service was not too bad, but they took forever to serve J's side order of smoked salmon. we were halfway through our meal before we decided to ask about the salmon again, and were told that they'd check with the kitchen. but... we still had to ask them yet another time before it finally appeared. given that it was pretty much empty... it makes me wonder how they manage when it's full house.


paddy hills
38 south buona vista road
https://www.facebook.com/paddyhills.sg/

luxe, keong saik, 2.0.

come to think of it, it's been almost a year since i was last at luxe. i've always wanted to return to try more of their stuff. happily enough J was suitably intrigued by their menu, so we made a trip down.

i did make a reservation, but it wasn't necessary. we reached at 2 pm on a monday, and the place was quiet. and yes, they're open on mondays now!



their menu has changed quite a bit since i was last there. more brunch items seem to have been added, which suits us just fine. they have quite a number of interesting sounding salads (braised lamb! roasted aubergine!), which caught my attention, but eventually i went with the tijuana ($26) off the breakfast menu.



i was taken aback by the amount of pulled pork that appeared on my plate. when they said pulled pork, i was expecting a token amount, as with most brunch plates, but i was given two generous mounds. and when they said potato hash, i was expecting quite a bit of potato, but it was just a token amount- i finished it in a couple of bites. so proportion-wise, i found it oddly skewed towards protein, what with the poached eggs as well. i found i needed more of the potato hash and corn salsa to go with the generous amount of pulled pork.



odd proportions aside, the food was pretty good. the pulled pork was packed full of flavour- super delicious, especially with the perfectly poached eggs. also loved the potato hash, which was super crisp (part of the reason why i wanted more of it). i just didn't quite get the chipotle cream. to me, it was one dimensionally hot, even with the tiny amount that i tried. not sure how it worked with the entire dish, given that it was so overpowering and the pulled pork was already so flavoursome anyway. i left most of it alone.



J had no complaints about her luxe bowl ($20, additional $4 for smoked salmon). they were similarly generous with the smoked salmon, and i got to hoover some up because J was too full (sometimes it's good to eat with people with less stomach space than i do).

prices were admittedly on the high side, given that they do charge for service and gst, but portions and quality did match up, so i didn't mind. enjoyed our quiet weekday brunch there, and wouldn't mind returning.


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

ninja bowl, duxton, 2.0.

time really flies- my previous visit to ninja bowl was more than a year ago! i told myself that i was going to return, but as usual life got in the way. finally made my way back because chope was offering a diners' choice tasting menu, consisting of a starter, main and dessert. sounded like a good deal, so i made a reservation and headed over.

i was there at about one-thirty, but there were still plenty of people, to my surprise. i placed my order at the counter and took a seat at one of the high chairs.



the starter, a mini version of the ebisu, came quite quickly. pan-seared hokkaido scallops, mussels and toast in miso butter cream- really, nothing could go wrong with it. the portion was small, so it was alright, but i could imagine it getting too heavy if one were to have the regular portion alone. still, i quite enjoyed the bowl- the scallops and mussels were plump and well-cooked, and the crisp and buttery toast went well with the cream.



the letdown, however, was the main. i remembered liking the unagi bowl i had previously, and so, i was expecting to like the ushi bowl that i got. it came with grassfed flank steak with marmite butter, furikake corn, sautéed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes (changed that to pickled beets) and an onsen egg. the bowl came with a choice of base: ninja rice, quinoa or salad greens; decided on the ninja rice. the flank steak itself was cooked medium rare, but it was strangely tasteless, even with the marmite butter. the other sides were okay... but nothing to shout about (perhaps i've been spoilt by the other salad places abound in the CBD). i finished everything anyway, because i was hungry.



the dessert took a while to arrive- probably at least fifteen minutes. it was a miniature version of the fancy french- fig jam french toast drizzled in umeboshi honey, paired with grapes, plums, figs and hazelnut butter. i was slightly apprehensive about it, because it sounded like it was potentially saccharine sweet, but it turned out to be okay. i actually quite liked the umeboshi honey- it wasn't sickly sweet, had a slight tang, and really tasted of umeboshi. the toast itself was pretty good as well. there was the tiniest bit of hazelnut butter that i devoured within two bites. they really should've been more generous with it, because it was pretty good, too.

i felt slightly letdown by the meal. starter and dessert was alright, but the main was disappointing, especially since i liked the other bowl i had previously. maybe it was an off day for them, or maybe i just didn't pick the correct bowl....?


ninja bowl
15 duxton road
https://www.facebook.com/NinjaBowl/

sacha & sons, mandarin gallery, 2.0.

i've always liked sacha & sons, but it kind of fell off my radar, probably because there are just too many food options around. thanks to chope's diners' choice tasting menu, i got reminded that i like sacha & sons, so i bought a voucher and went over with J for a weeknight dinner.

the tasting menu was basically a specialty platter, where we got to pick three meat and smoked fish items. we picked pastrami, house cured gravlax and an egg & onion dip. the platter included two bagels, house pickles, onion, coleslaw and tomato. i've never had their platter, so i wasn't sure what kind of quantities that entailed (we were greedy and wanted to order more stuff). the waitress who took our order was really helpful though! she told us that the platter would be enough for two, and even showed us a picture of the platter on her phone, thus solving our dilemma. we still decided to be greedy though. J, having had their scrambled eggs before, was insistent on getting her scrambled eggs with sturgeon and caramelised onion ($20). i missed their latkes, so added on the one with apple sauce and sour cream ($10). we were musing at the matzo brei, wondering what it was, when the waitress told us that they'd run out of latkes (!) took that as a sign and decided to change my latkes to a savoury matzo brei ($14).



the platter came first. i was at first skeptical about the egg and onion dip, because i don't like raw onions, but we'd settled on that because the waitress told us that the onions were caramelised and the dip was pretty good. glad that we'd listened to the waitress! it was like egg mayo, but with much less mayo, and more egg. the pastrami was also just as delicious as i remembered it to be. in fact, everything on the platter was good, right down to the coleslaw. i loved that they weren't heavy handed with the mayo in both the egg and coleslaw, and that portions of the platter were super generous.

the scrambled eggs were, just as J said, delicious. super smooth and creamy- probably one of the best scrambled eggs that i've had.



the matzo brei, however, took some getting used to. it came looking like a hybrid of omelette and pancake, dusted with fresh herbs and stuffed with caramelised onions. sour cream and salmon pearls were served in separate dishes on the side. the matzo brei tasted oddly bland, as though it needed some salt. paired it with the sour cream and salmon pearls, and that made it taste a bit better, but it still wasn't really our kind of thing. managed to get through about half of it, before we got too full- we'd obviously ordered too much, and the waitress had been right about the platter being enough for two people.



we had so much food we didn't even have space for the bagels, and asked for them to be packed. service was excellent- they paper bagged the bagels, even asking if we wanted separate bags. upon seeing that we'd put on our jackets and were cold, the waitress took the initiative to turn down the air conditioning.

probably won't be getting the matzo brei anytime soon, but the rest of the food was good! plus, on a weeknight, the place was quiet and just the right place for dinner, away from the bustle of town. it goes without saying that we'll be back- i was enthusing throughout dinner about making a return, much to J's amusement.


sacha & sons
mandarin gallery
#03-02
http://sacha-deli.com.sg

the lokal, neil road, 3.0.

i can never resist a good deal- saw that chope was offering a diners' choice tasting menu for certain restaurants and was excited. the lokal's tasting menu enticed me enough to purchase a voucher. the catch, though, was that it had to be used by 30th November. and so back to the lokal i went- the third time in a few weeks.

i'd made a reservation just in case, even though i was there pretty late for lunch. upon entering, i told the waitress that i'd made one, but she looked at me weirdly and said something like, we've stopped taking reservations. ???? okay... no matter, since there were still seats anyway.

once seated, i told her that i wanted to redeem the diners' choice tasting menu... and received another confused look in return. she quickly scurried off to find someone else for help, and shortly after, a guy came over. i re-explained the situation. thankfully the guy was aware of the tasting menu, and he went off to scrounge up a hardcopy of it. i probably should've told him that i had the digital copy in my phone, but i didn't know he would spend a while looking for it (he only came back with it five minutes later).

after all that drama, i finally managed to order my food. there was a choice of two mains- a special pimp platter or a roast pumpkin salad. i got the platter since i'd already tried the salad on my previous visit. there was also dessert included (either sticky date pudding or chocolate stout brownie). i'd had the sticky date pudding complimentary previously and found it way too sweet. besides which, i don't really have a sweet tooth anymore, so i asked if they could just give me a coffee in replacement. i was flatly rejected, so i decided to just forgo dessert.



the platter came after a short wait, presented on a wooden plank. frankly, i'd expected the portion to be slightly bigger (even though yes, i know it's a tasting menu), but i ended up being quite full, strangely enough. the platter came with smoked salmon and mackerel, scrambled eggs, bacon, ricotta and kaya toast. apparently everything was in-house made, even the ricotta! it definitely made a difference- everything was fresh and delicious. the hot smoked salmon was perfectly cooked- tender, delicious, and with just a hint of smoke.



the star, however, was, surprisingly enough, the kaya. it barely resembled the commercially made, saccharine sweet green ones, in the best possible way- packed full of coconut flavour, and super, super smooth. paired with the thick, fluffy white toast, it was so delicious it made my day. i literally wiped the little dish clean with the toast.

service boo-boos aside, the food (though on the overpriced end) was good. i'd come back just for the kaya toast. yum.


the lokal
136 neil road
http://www.thelokalsingapore.com

the living café, bukit timah.

i hardly ever wish to go to bukit timah unless someone is driving, because it's such a hassle! so that's why the living café has been idling on my to-try list for the longest time. J was driving that day and we were heading to the west side, so i figured it was time to finally try it out. happily enough, it was a sunday, and so they had brunch offerings- our favourite!

J was worried that it was going to be crowded (we drove past atlas coffeehouse and saw the queue snaking out of the shopfront) but i assured her that it wouldn't be as crazy as that. after all, it is new age, vegan(-ish) food, and i always think that's less of a draw to normal human beings compared to regular brunch places.

sure enough, i was right. we managed to get a table pretty easily, though the place was bustling. it was hard getting the waitress's attention, though we only wanted to have a look at the menu. in the end we figured it was easier for us to just go up to the counter, order and pay, even though they do charge for service.

saw a lot of tables getting the breakfast burrito ($15) off the brunch special menu, so that sealed the deal for me. i like how they're a mostly vegan restaurant, but they still offer meat options. i need my (preferably meat based) protein at each meal, so i added on an extra wild barramundi ($6) as a side. J got the mediterranean omelette ($18) with an extra side of chicken ($5).

















i was pleased with my burrito- it was like eating a salad, but not really. it was packed full of spinach, scrambled eggs, mushroom ragout, cherry tomatoes and... raw eggplant bacon. i was intrigued by the raw eggplant bacon when i saw it on the menu- how can eggplant taste like bacon?! okay, to be honest, it did look kind of like bacon, but tasted nothing like it. didn't mean that it was bad, though! it was actually pretty yummy.


















my only complaint was there seemed to be too much wrap at the ends. i ended up discarding some of the wrap. i thought i might not be full, given that it was mostly just vegetables, but it was surprisingly filling- it lasted me all the way through another round at the gym, all the way till dinner time! the wild barramundi was well cooked, with a crispy skin and flaky flesh, sprinkled with just the right amount of salt to make the flavours pop. J's omelette was pretty tasty as well, though it came out flatter than both of us expected. the only letdown was probably the chicken, which was dry.

while waiting for our food, my attention was drawn to the zucchini lasagna ($18.50) being served to other tables. it looked really good. plus, it's totally my kind of thing, with zucchini instead of pasta sheets. i'd come back to try that if we're in the area.


the living café
779 bukit timah road
http://www.balancedlivingasia.com/the-living-cafe

the lokal, neil road, 2.0.

thanks to a botched attempt at using a chope voucher previously (it was apparently only valid during lunch, and i hadn't realised), we were left with an unused voucher that had to be used only during dinner within three months. we thus headed over on a saturday night for dinner (after calling to ascertain that the voucher could be used).

for a saturday night in the CBD, the place was actually quite full. the smaller tables inside were all taken, so we were seated at a big round table near the door.

i deliberated over the menu for a bit before settling on the braised beef cheek ($28). was tempted by the day's special, a seafood stew ($28), but they were only left with one portion and J wanted it, so i just went with the beef.

our food took quite a while to come- probably at least twenty to thirty minutes. we were both quite taken aback, because we were hungry and it was already pretty late (we have a penchant for late dinners, thanks to the gym). besides which, i thought the stew would've been pre-prepared.



seems that i've been having braised beef cheek quite regularly. not on purpose, though! it's just the thing that jumps out at me from the menu. the lokal's version was not too bad, but i found the portion of beef to be on the miserly side- for $28 (before taxes and service), can't i just have a bit more? in comparison, i would definitely prefer abc's rendition.



tried a bit of J's stew, and preferred that. it came with snapper, squid, scallops, slipper lobster and fregola. particularly liked the fregola- its texture was akin to barley, and provided a bite to the stew.

i found the dinner items to be on the overpriced side, though the food was competent. probably won't be back for dinner.


the lokal
136 neil road
http://www.thelokalsingapore.com

man man japanese restaurant, keong saik.

man man japanese unagi restaurant

pacamara boutique coffee roasters, upper thomson, 2.0.

i think pacamara might just be my favourite café for now- not that i've been there many times, but because it comes to mind whenever we want to go to a café for mealtimes. still, its location means it's not exactly accessible, unless J is driving. we happened to be nearby on a weeknight and so, drove over for dinner. just barely made last order- the place is open till 11pm, but last orders for food was at 9pm. J dropped me off before going to find parking, and i dashed in at something like 8.59pm. luckily they were nice enough to still let me order.  *wipes sweat*

given the short decision making time frame, i had to quickly decide what to eat, plus decide for J as well (lucky that's quite easy). i decided on the moroccan lamb stew ($22) and the pan-fried sea bass ($22) for J.



didn't take long for our orders to be served. my lamb stew came first- a generous mound of silky mash, topped with chunks of tender lamb. there was even crispy kale!



what surprised me was the vegetable stew, however- the carrots were slightly tangy, reminding me of pickles. it was a good sort of surprise, though, since it added a pop of freshness to the dish. the moroccan based sauce was on the salty side, but it was balanced out by the creamy mash. needless to say, i loved the dish. it was such a comforting eat.



J's fish was good as well! i stole a bite and it was well cooked, with the requisite crispy skin. it was similarly generously portioned. i hate it when cafés give dainty portions, and pacamara, on both occasions, proved to me that cafés don't necessarily equate that. food was consistently good, and i have no doubt that we'll be back soon.

pacamara boutique coffee roasters
185 upper thomson road
http://pacamara.sg/#home

la ristrettos, novena medical centre.

it seems i'm always going to places with all-day brunch nowadays (thanks to J). suggested la ristrettos, because the location was ideal, has all-day brunch, and has been on my to-try list for the longest time.



spied the breakfast crab cake ($15) on instagram, so i had my eye on that from the get go, though admittedly when i saw they had some daily specials (STEAK) i wavered slightly. perhaps i should have gotten the steak, though, because when the crab cake came we were both amused by how tiny it was. it would've been better marketed as a starter- or just give me two poached eggs and more spinach, please. after we left, i had to go get something else to eat.



tastewise, it was not too bad. i could actually taste the crab in the crab cake! the crab cake and the potato croquette could've been more crisp, though. as a whole, it was satisfactory, but not something i would come back for.

i wanted to wait for J's frittata before i tucked into my food, but i waited for about ten minutes before i gave up and started eating. i was probably already halfway through my food before her frittata FINALLY came. we went to ask when it'd be ready, and were told that because it had to be baked, it would take a while. okay... they probably should've stated that on the menu or told us when we were making our orders. it took about half an hour from when we placed our orders before it finally arrived.



pricing was nett, so it wasn't too expensive, though value for money is another question altogether. still, it was nice to spend a rainy weekday afternoon in the small café, just chilling out.


la ristrettos
novena medical centre
#08-37
https://www.facebook.com/LaRistrettos/