Necessary Provisions

before i stepped into the cafe today, i honestly only had a very vague notion of having heard the name Necessary Provisions being thrown about before by my chichi coffee drinking friends who spend weekends hunting down the latest and coolest haunts with the best cuppas.

but i heard it again today though when it was suggested by my fellow friend of leisure after a fairly lazy walk around bukit timah, and i was really glad we headed over afterwards.

tucked away in the bowels of Toh Tuck (that's just off Jalan Jurong Kechil, for those as lost i was before i finally made it there), it is a rather unexpected place. almost painfully edgy and cool, it stands out from its charmingly quaint surroundings. i found a provision shop in the row that looked like it never made it out of the 80s. it sells biscuits in the huge square tins and grated coconut from the grating machine sitting at the roadside in front of the shop. but i digress.

while i loved the dark and eclectic design aesthetic (it rhymes!) of the cafe, the really polished and sophisticated display of its goods on the dark wood shelves and tables, it does come across as trying a little too hard, particularly given the super homey feel of its surroundings. food wise, i had the sardine melt while my friend had the beef pastrami sandwich. we both agreed that the sandwiches were hearty, tasty fare and quite satisfying after our morning hike. also fairly good bang for the buck at $9.

what i was slightly disappointed about though, was the coffee. granted that i didn't have a proper coffee but the iced chocolate with a shot of expresso, the end product was a rather sour concoction that didn't quite sit right on the palate. i would like to think that perhaps its just this product that's a bit of a miss and certainly i am intrigued enough by the place to go back again some time to try the coffee proper.

find Necessary Provisions at 21 Eng Kong Terrace, Singapore 598993. it's closed on mondays and first tuesdays of each month mind.

Silo by Joost

The Silo breakfast at Silo by Joost was probably the best brunch I had in my short sojourn in Melbourne earlier this year. Really simple, really divine.

LOVE.



I love the philosophy behind this joint, both in the way it is run as well as the experience you get. Its a communal table with an open kitchen so you can watch your meal being put together.



I also like the industrial chic decor.







I'm looking forward to heading back here again.

Silo by Joost 123 Hardware Lane Melbourne 3000

Restoran Soo Kee (Redux)

this is turning out to be a night for reduxes - but it goes to show how if its good food, we should go back for more!

in this case, Restoran Soo Kee. i first reviewed this back in 2007 and five years on, nothing much has changed. the chicken is still as smooth like you cannot believe, still bathed in that yummy oyster sauce, and the horfun is also still a winner.

probably, the only thing that has changed is that i've probably grown sideways.

anyhow, just the photos, for posterity.


view from the inside


waiting


oh hello there.


and hello to you too.



*hearts*

Bistro Soori (Redux)

Round three - and still going well. I love this place.

Another 7 course degustation on the menu this time and still no repeats save for the Butter Lobster in that absolutely lovely tamarind sauce and fennel.

To start us off:  a tuna tataki done just right, lightly coated with a tempura batter, served with flying fish roe, wasabi mayo and cherry tomatoes.



simply done and depending largely on the flavours of the base ingredients, save for the wasabi mayo. i'm not usually a fan of wasabi, but this wasabi mayo i can do. i liked this.

next up: seared foie gras with fig compote



what surprised me about this one was the fig compote. the sweet richness of it actually worked pretty brilliantly with the foie gras, and you could adjust the amount you liked. i personally am not a fan of sweets in general so i didn't actually take that much of the compote, but enough to make it work for me. i really liked this.

next up: the star of the evening for me - the pork belly with yuzu



remember all that i said about sweet stuff? that's all out of the window when it comes to this dish. this is absolutely brilliant. i am in love with it. the pork belly is slowly braised and slathered in a heady concoction of yuzu and i do believe it is honey. slightly sticky, fairly sweet and yet, despite the heavy flavours and the taste of pork, made fresh on the palate by the twist of the yuzu. fave rave!

moving not so swiftly on after the pork (i was given to linger on that one), was the truffle and caviar risotto



good stuff - and also a reminder again why good things come in small packages. i think if this had been in any bigger a portion, i'd have been absolutely destroyed by the end of the evening. the risotto is done just right, al dente with a bit of bite, and it is made rich and flavourful by the truffle and caviar. as risottos come and go, this was good but not the best i've had from them. i think the best is still the uni risotto from my first visit. that was something else altogether.

things slow down again for me in the next course: the butter lobster in tomato tamarind sauce and fennel.



this is a gorgeous dish and it is really the tamarind sauce really makes this work. slightly tangy, rich and almost like a bisque, it makes the lobster (which is already really fresh) stand out even more. happy marriage of tastes this one. my dinner partners have been known to mop up the sauce completely on this one.

and the final main course of the night: beef baby!



medium rare and juicy, topped with some roasted vegetables and a balsamic reduction for the sauce. lovely.

aaand finally: the sweets - the pandan souffle



i've been waiting a while to try this and i must say i really like this, even though i'm not usually that much of a dessert / sweets person. light but with that asian twist, it had us scrapping the bowl clean. i loved it.

so yes. all in all, still probably one of my favourite restaurants this year.

Food For Thought, SBG

and so, i was at Food For Thought at the Singapore Botanic Gardens a couple of weeks ago for a small group outing.

once a quiet, really beautiful place to chill out in the gardens with fairly decent food at okay prices, its now transformed into a bustling, super busy space filled with people from all demographics. the oldies on the way to / from a garden walk, couples on a date, young people on a group outing (kinda like us, i'd like to think hehhehheh - obviously the word young is in question here) and multi-generational families with kiddoes going crazy at the play area.

i think the concept behind Food For Thought doesn't hurt at all either.

but all that aside, i actually do really like this place and i really love the space. as i was telling my friends, i could absolutely see someone booking out close to the entire space for a cool, casual, afternoon wedding reception. any takers? there's decent parking too.

anyway, all that aside, lets talk about the food.

this time we were there for a late lunch. for me though, having woken at about noon, this was brunch. and appropriately, i had this:



simple, uncomplicated eggs and toast. for about S$6 i think. i'm not much a bread person but this one was pretty good. thick, crust at the sides and soft in the middle, i enjoyed it. eggs were ok i suppose. but i think the real star of the day was this:



chocolate and raspberry pancakes. also for about $6 i think. these were really, really quite good. sinful and rich and not too sweet. really comforting food for a brunch out.



we also shared a plate of fried chicken wings on the side, also for about the same price. now that was good value for the money and the yum.

so yes, all in all - Food For Thought hasn't blown my mind food wise as yet and i'm guessing it might never will, judging from the mains that my friends had. but i can still see myself heading back again and again. its a convenient and pretty stop for visitors to the gardens or people just there for a bite on the weekend.

what main course would you recommend from Food For Thought?

HY California

pre-Annie, post a few crazy weeks at work, we get this and a golden sunset over the bay on the weekend before national day.



the Hokkaido seared scallops, quick seared with sushi soy sauce. simply done, sweet and fresh with the squeeze of lime.

and then we had these:



the Philadelphia roll (salmon, cream cheese and onions), the salmon and avocado roll and the quintessential spider roll. these were really very good. these come in your choice of 3 or 6 pieces. as you can tell, we were going light this day. the bff liked the Philadelphia. i liked the more boring pickings. less complicated on the palate.

what was also not complicated, was the mojito.

sometimes that's all you really need. simplicity. on a golden saturday evening in the middle of town.

i would like to come back to hit up HY California again soon, perhaps for the mains the next time. but for a light evening bite, this does very well.

HY California 
Level 1 of Marina Bay Sands Shoppes
Next to the Art Science Museum

Bistro Soori

i've been a very naughty girl.

it's friday today and the second time in two fridays that i've hit up Bistro Soori. my pocket is crying for mercy but truly, that's just a whimper lost in the loud noises satisfaction i've probably made over two dinners at this divine place.

without further ado: tonight's 5 course degustation menu.



the first appetizer was the scallop sashimi served on a bed of cherry tomatoes and cucumber, dressed with dressing that had notes of yuzu, and of course, topped with caviar. key words here: light and so very balanced. the sweetness of the scallop, the saltiness of the caviar, the cherry sweetness of the tomatoes, the light crunch of the cucumbers (and i don't usually eat cucumbers) all totally works with the tart freshness of the dressing.

this was not the first scallop appetizer i've had at Bistro Soori. at last week's 7 course degustation indulgence, we began with the seared scallops with pistachio pesto, arugula and truffle vinaigrette that absolutely started us off on a great note for that evening. this evening was no different.




the second appetizer of the night was the pork with pumpkin and lettuce, served on a pretty slate plate that absolutely appeals to my minimalist heart. heck - the decor of the whole place appeals to my minimalist heart. lots of white? check. clean lines? check. wood and mirror finishes? check. window that opens to nice green garden? check check check.

anyway yes. this pork was really quite good. tender and fairly delicately seasoned, it went well with the sweet pumpkin and what tasted to me like honey truffle sauce - i might be wrong on this one but for someone like me who can't really tell individual ingredients that well just on taste alone, i'm not sure i really care what goes into it. its the experience that counts, and this experience rawked.

contrast again the last pork dish i had at Bistro Soori last week: the braised pork cheek which was unbelievable tender, rich in flavour and not the least porky. you know what i mean.



entree number one: the truffle risotto. nomnomnom.

creamy with generous flakes of black truffle and the risotto done just right with enough bite left in them. gorgeous, but having had the uni risotto last week, its not gorgeous enough. not even close. that uni risotto was really something awesome. the creaminess of the fresh uni on top with each bite of the uni and yuzu infused risotto was quite, quite ridiculous. it had my dinner partner last week in all sorts of bliss, being a big fan of uni. so yes - the uni risotto wins this round.



entree number 2 for the evening: the braised beef cheek on garlic sauteed spinach and mash with beef jus.

D.I.V.I.N.E.

hands down the dish of the evening. the beef was so unbelievably tender that you wouldn't have needed a knife really, it was so soft. the mash potatoes - probably one of the creamiest and most awesome mash i've had in a while. and then there was the sauteed spinach. oh my gosh. each mouthful was an explosion of flavour of garlic and a hint of truffle as well. now imagine all of that in a single bite.

excuse me a sec while i go back to my happy place remember this. sigh!!!!!

absolutely divine this one. no other word for it. but this isn't the only divine entree on the menu i can tell you that. from my experience on the seven course degustation menu the previous week, the brown butter maine lobster with tomatoes, fennel and tamarind sauce also totally rocked my world. totally rocked my world.

my only regret from the previous week is really just that i was seated at a place where the lighting didn't afford much photo opportunity. which was a pity. because that evening, we also had the following: a super light angel hair tossed in mayonnaise and caviar (another favourite of mine) and a rib-eye with roasted potatoes and caramelised onions (ooh!) - both of which were also fabulous. Bistro Soori has really surprised me, blindsided me even, with the awesomeness.

coupled with generally great service and knowledgeable staff, these two fridays have been probably the best dinner experiences i've had this 2012. the meals to beat this year, y'alls.

and now, to plan to go back for their brunch.

Bistro Soori
2 Teck Lim Road
Singapore 088385
T. +65 6438 3802

The Brunch Series: House

have you guys been here? it's quite a pretty space.





pretty good cappuccino too.




i was diggin the eggs ben - this one done on a biscuit, with ham shavings, spinach and sundried tomatoes on top served up with a healthy portion of salad. i like the biscuit variation and i also liked the spinach. i thought they could perhaps have done a little bit more with the ham but that's just nitpicking.



i also think they had a rawkin place mat.

but seriously, tau sar pau and teh tarik set for S$8??? even if i were a person who enjoyed pau, i think i'd rather pay a little more and go with their assortment of fries, preferably truffle.

anyhow, House definitely is not bad a place for the Sunday brunch crowd. lovely space, fairly good food and definitely not overcrowded - unlike Jones the next block over. funnily, it was because Jones was overcrowded this morning (and probably every sunday i would imagine) that me and my cousin hiked over to House. i'd been there once before for a baby shower. and while the food was really not bad, the service was, during that one visit, abysmal... but at least we got a discount for that one.

so yes. one of Singapore's best restaurants in 2012 apparently. i would suggest booking before going but even for walk-ins at the sharing table, it was fine.


80 Dempsey Road
Singapore 249672

Kathleen's 5, Shanghai

We discovered this lovely place quite by accident while we were trundling past People's Square in downtown Shanghai and stopped mainly because (i) the lunch set was quite reasonable (in SGD terms at least), (ii) the menu looked good, and (iii) it was getting rather chilly on the streets. February in Shanghai is still a bit on the nippy side of winter.

But yes, the price - RMB168 for a two course set lunch or RMB188 for a three course set lunch. Have it with a wine, like we did, and that will set you back another RMB48. That said, I think it was well worth the RMB236 or so (yes, I got the 3 course - reward for cruel and unusual suffering of being dragged through Taobao).

In any case, you get to choose a main and two other courses. The lovely tuna nicoise salad you see below was my pick - and I really enjoyed it. The tuna is done just nicely, as you can see, still a touch of pink in the centre. The dressing is tart, the baby potatoes just on the right side of salty, and the cherry tomatoes very sweet. Really, really good.




My lunch mates had the soup of the day (cauliflower I believe) and the beef caparccio with parmesan cheese and arugula salad. They certainly had no complaints.





Next up - the mains. Definitely not a let down by any means.



The roasted lamb looked too much on the medium side for me (as opposed to rare of course) but that said, it was a mouthwateringly tasty morsel that I had off June's plate.



This was Rae's seared live sea bass with shelled clams, dill, baby carrots, potato mash and clam butter sauce. She cleaned it up totally and she's a bit more of a picky eater than I am. I'll take her word for it that it was good :)



This was my Australian wagyu beef bolognaise with fresh herbs and parmesan. I really liked this actually, although I could be a wee bit biased with my assessment. This bolognaise had just a touch of ginger you see, and I'm absolutely partial to bolognaise with some ginger in it. To me, it adds just that extra dimension to it. My own variation also has bites of ginger in it but one thing it doesn't usually have, I'll grant you, is the buttery melt-in-your-mouth taste of wagyu.


And so, after a deliciously slow main course - and we were savouring it - we rounded it off with our pick of desserts:



the vanilla creme brulee with raspberry jam and creamy coffee ice cream;



the flourless chocolate cake with mixed berry compote and vanilla ice cream; and



the orange pudding and grapefruit with raspberry sauce and lemon sorbet.

Guess which I had?

I'm not a fan of creme brulee nor flourless chocolate cakes in general, but I think both were fairly good. Of all of that, I'd specially mention the coffee ice cream though haha. As to my orange pudding, I was pleasantly surprised at how light it tasted, even though it retained its zing enough to balance our the tartness of the lemon sorbet. The light sweetness of the grapefruit was surprising not overwhelmed by all the rest as well so I'm fairly impressed. I'd recommend this as an alternative to the usual dessert choices.



All in all, it was a great lunch in a really pretty space on the roof top of the Shanghai Art Museum. Set in a glass house like structure which I think would be really nice in spring or autumn (perhaps a little too warm in the summer), was absolutely heaven in the winter. Warm and cosy but yet affording you a view of the busy Nanjing Road down below, gloomy and wet in the winter rain, this was definitely one of the highlights of the lunches we had in Shanghai.

I'd definitely recommend this place, at least for lunch, if you're in the area.


5/F, Shanghai Art Museum,
325 Nanjing Xi Lu,
near Huangpi Bei Lu,
南京西路325号5楼,
近黄陂北路

Osteria Mozza

was absolutely lovely.  

sigh.

i'm feeling all warm inside thinking about it again actually. a restaurant hasn't really inspired that in me in the longest time but its a little surprising that its this one. surprising because i really really liked Osteria Mozza, but find the Pizzeria really quite... meh.




we started the evening with the Grilled Octopus with leek, celery and potatos. a lovely little antipasti this one, though i found the octopus a tad on the salty side. the saltiness was tempered somewhat when taken with the greens and - never thought i'd say this about potatos but - the delicate pieces of baby potatos. but if this was intended to get the taste buds going, i'd say it worked then.



alongside the grilled octopus, we also had something from the famed Mozzarella Bar. yeah, i'm sure you could tell we weren't feeling too adventurous with the antipasti but i found the mozzarella with the proscuito pretty good. simple, unpretentious and satisfying.

as was the rosato i had to start the evening. hic. 



what wasn't simple nor unpretentious sounding though, was the Iberian Pork Chops that my dinner mate had. but man was it so good. hands down, the best pork chops i've ever had - so far anyway. no but seriously, all that hype about Iberian pork chops? at Osteria Mozza, it is not hype. it has been proven as fact.

they recommend that you have it done medium, with it still a little pink in the middle. and it comes out exactly just right. it is so amazingly tender that it almost felt like it was melting in my mouth. and no, not because of fact, mind you. the herb crust was power packed goodness that really went so well with each bite of that crazy tender pork without overpowering.




but while i am probably very likely to have the Iberian Pork Chops as MY main the next time i make it to Osteria Mozza, i would also absolutely recommend what i had this time around - the Rabbit with veal sausage, sitting on a bed of an amazing spinach cooked down in the juices of the rabbit.

it was brilliant. no, seriously.

i'm sure some of you have heard the whole jazz about how rabbit tastes like chicken. well, its true. it even looks like chicken on the plate, but man it tastes so much better. so succulent and tender, its like an ultra fine chicken, really. but it was those juices on the plate and the spinach and roasted garlic that really made the dish work and work spectacularly. definitely a must try and if you've never had rabbit before, i promise you won't be disappointed by this.

by the time we polished off our mains, we were feeling more than happy with ourselves. but alas, Wicked does not wait for the greedy. and so with about 10 to 15 minutes left till we had to leave for the show, the only thing that we were both really thinking of at this time was to have a great little cuppa coffee to finish off the brilliant dinner.

i am pleased to report that the cappucino and the latte did not disappoint. in fact, it was actually really good, if a little on the strong side. and it really hit the spot in terms of the way it ended of the food part of the evening. i really had a lovely time.
 
so. if you're looking for a lovely time for yourself as well, do try out Osteria Mozza at MBS. again, do be prepared to part with a pretty penny for the awesomeness but i also think that as dinners such as these come and go, this was waaay up there as one of the meals to beat in 2011.


Osteria Mozza
2 Bayfront Avenue
Level B1- 42/46
The Shoppes @ The Marina Bay Sands

The Brunch Series: Group Therapy Cafe

this place is also known to me as the place with a pretty eclectic mix of chairs.



blue chairs, white chairs, plastic chairs, leather couches, fabric couches, high chairs, metal chairs, so many different chairs!



but all those chairs aside, there was also food. and Group Therapy Cafe's menu was fairly refreshing in the you're not really sure what you're gonna get kinda way. their menu, printed on plain white paper, is artful but very obviously temporary. its as though the chef doesn't decide whats on the menu till the day itself.



that said, the food comes as pretty and quaint as the space (and those chairs!) in which it is served. we tried the Croque Madame, the Eggs in a basket and probably the star of the day, the Poached Eggs on thick toast, smoked salmon, gruyere and hollandaise.

behold:



i had it served with a fairly good cappuccino. it was pretty good, if a little artery-choking. i liked it that it was essentially eggs ben on thick toast (as opposed to a muffin say) but i must say eggs ben with salmon is not my favourite. as it usually does, it turned out a bit too salty because of the salmon. but that's probably just a peeve of mine. the others certainly had no issues with this.

i also tried a bit of the Croque Madame. also good in the artery-choking way, not for the faint of heart. the french toast was a little on the sweet side, so if you're a swalty fan, this is probably your dish.

eggs in a basket: a pretty novelty - the eggs come in two little hollowed out bread rolls. but i reckon you could probably give that a miss unless you're the kind who likes hard breads. my jaw certainly had a bit of a workout just munching on the lids of one of those little "baskets" (basket!).

but all in all, it was a fairly all right dining experience set in a pretty, artful little place in Duxton. a great place for coffee and chilling out with groups of friends (hence the name), but i think i was looking for a bit more food wise.

Group Therapy Cafe
49 Duxton Road
#02-01