Paradise Pavilion @ Marina Bay Link Mall

Paradise Pavilion has always been one of our favourite place for Dim Sum on weekends. It's not too crowded, is accessible quite easily, and the food and services are good.



About 75% filled on a Sunday morning.



It was quite warm in the past few weeks, so ordered a refeshing Chestnut with Sugar Cane (S$4.20 per glass)



Pickles (S$2.00)



This is one of our favourite items from the Dim Sum menu: Black Truffle Chicken Pie 黑松露鸡派 (S$6.00 for 3). Pastry shell is buttery. Nice hint of truffle taste in the chicken fillings.



Double Boiled Fish and Apple Soup 苹果炖生鱼汤 (S$10.00 per person). Very well done.



Braised Stone Pot Sharks Fin Soup 石锅鱼翅 (S$48 per person). Full of collagen goodness. Steaming hot and yummy



Steamed Scallop and Mushroom Dumplings 带子鲜菇球 (S$5.60). Crunchy bits of mushrooms and juicy scallops.



Siew mai with row 鱼子香菇烧卖 (S$5.60). Their version here is quite big, with big chunks of prawns.



Steamed Cheong Fun with minced preserved turnips 金蒜菜脯肠粉 (S$5.00). Another of our favourite. We love how the "chai por" is fried with garlic before added.



Chilled Pig's Ear with vinegar 爽脆千层峰 (S$9.80) Crunchy. Maybe some may not dare to try this, but the ears of the pig has been diced and cooked, presented in the form of these beautiful stripes of layered "cake".



Sautéed diced beef in supreme soya sauce 一口牛仔粒 (S$12.80). Tender and juicy.



Mini egg tarts 酥皮蛋挞 (S$4.80)



Deep fried taro puffs with prawn 蜂巢炸芋角 (S$4.60). Well fried and full of ingredients inside.


Paradise Pavilion
No 8A Marina Boulevard
#02-01
Marina Bay Link Mall

Uma Uma Ramen

RAMEN ALERT! The popular Uma Uma Ramen chain from Japan has opened its doors at Forum the Shopping Mall, brought to you by the folks of fine dining Iggy's.

The menu at current is limited to only two broth choices, with optional toppings and some side dishes.



Using a family tonkotsu stock recipe, the broth didn't have the milky appearance I expected, but was nevertheless rich and hearty. Noodle threads were thinner than the usual ones I had.



For something hotter, Spicy Chashu Ramen ($16) would be a better option. The broth was also richer that it formed a thin layer of jelly the few minutes I fed camera. Umai!



Our Chicken Karaage ($8) was delectable and juicy. Quite expensive for the portion however.





うま・馬　博多ラーメン (Facebook)
583 Orchard Road
#01-41/42/43 Forum The Shopping Mall
Mon – Sat, 11.30am – 3.30pm, 6.30pm – 10pm
Sun, 11.30am – sold out
6235 0855




After dinner, we made our way to the museums, where all the fun and actions of this year's Night Festival are seen. If you missed the fun last weekend, fret not, head to Bras Basah this evening and next.



Night Watch by WOKmedia







Grow a Garden in the Dark by Tay Bee Aye



5QU1D by RYF



Temple of Hope: Forest of Eyes by Entang Wiharso



Mimoїd II by Stéphane Bève, Milosh Luczynski & Philippe Rizzotti



We The People by Brian Gothong Tan



Scaling the Dome by 3D painting master Joe Hill

Kookaburra Restaurant & Gastrobar @ Albert Court Village Hotel

Kookaburra sounds like an Australian restaurant, but it's actually branded as a bistro with an "Asian twist".



Located near Little India, this restaurant is on the street level of Albert Court Hotel, which I have not heard till now.



Complimentary iced water for all diners.



Kurobuta Rendang (S$28) - Kurobuta Pork Cheek slowly braised in herbs and spices, toasted fresh coconut macadamia long bean sambal, soused pineapple and sticky rice. This is one of their signature dish, and I can understand why. First, I think this is the 1st time I had a pork rendang in Singapore? So it's good for people who don't take beef. The pork is fork tender, rendang gravy is as good as those served in popular shops. The pineapple added some texture to the dish. All in all, a very hearty and delicious combination.



I guess is our first time trying the BBQ Kangaroo (S$16) - Marinated Skewered Kangaroo loin, smoked salt dusted chunky chips, mustard and horseradish BBQ sauce. Yes, it's Kangaroo meat. Taste a bit like mutton I guess. A bit chewey, but if you are OK with mutton or beef, then I think you will like it. No gamey taste. Very well marinated.



Presenting this tower of Fluffy pancake stack (S$22) - Caramelized apples, crispy pork belly, swirled Cinnamon Rhubarb ice-cream. It's not a dessert dish when you see pork belly on top of the pancakes. Pancakes here are of a good standard, and they are fluffy.



Something special to drink: Alain Milliat juice from France (S$12) - Summer Pear Nectar



We were recommended their signature Brandy snaps with poached pears (S$10). I like the crunchy brandy snaps. Went well with the poached pears.


Kookaburra Restaurant and Gastrobar
180 Albert Court
#01-09
Albert Court Village Hotel

Les Amis @ Shaw Centre

During 1994 when there were not much fine dining restaurant, Les Amis opened its door to Singaporeans and her visitors. There were no IRs and no internet, and it was really one of its kind in the Singapore dining scene. Fast forward to 2012. The island now is considered one of the top culinary destination in Asia, and quite a few people have forgotten the existence of this restaurant along Scotts Road amidst all the Michelin stars restaurants.



And so, we revisited what is considered one of Singapore's finest French restaurant, and ordered their 3 courses Executive Lunch (S$70++). As you can see, the restaurant is very quiet during lunch time. Except for a Minister who zipped past us to the VIP room.



Although complimentary iced water were served, we opted for the San Pellegrino Sparkling Water (S$14 for 1000ml)



Warm assorted bread with Mustard French butter and Austrian pink salt crystal



Gillardeau oyster from France (S$96 for 6). No doubt it is expensive for these top quality oysters, but then these oysters specially farmed by the Gillardeau family in France, is produced in small quantities due to the traditional methods they have been using.



Amuse bouche. Iberico jamon



Panko crusted confit free range hen egg, Joselito Iberico, spinach, crispy farmers bread. The excellent quality eggs were fried in panko crusts.



White asparagus soup with mushroom ravioli and lobster knuckles.



Olive oil poached Atlantic cod, heirloom tomatoes, bonito, tomato consomme, basil oil. Good quality fish!



Crispy Fried Kurobuta pork belly, white asparagus, mushrooms, "Gao Zhi". We were wondering what is Gao Zhi, and it is actually the big dumpling you see on top!



Coconut, Mango, Lime, Thai Basil. Very "Thai"



Tarte Tatin, Hazelnut, Aged Sherry Liquer



Petit Four. Had to tarpao the Petit Four because we were late for movie. Overall, a very tasty lunch.


Les Amis
1 Scotts Road
#02-16
Shaw Centre

The Annex @ Chye Seng Huat Hardware

Since its opening two Fridays ago, words have been spreading really fast about this new chic coffee bar, by the great folks who brought you Papa Palheta and Loysel's Toy. Located on a street lined with hardware businesses, this new outfit pays tribute to the neighbourhood by not only retaining most of the original facade, but also gave this no less befitting name, which literally means 'to thrive again'.

For such a genius use of space (and conservation effort), I think these guys truly deserve the URA Architectural Heritage Award of the year.



The Annex, my favourite part of the place, is a little experiment ground for coffee, just like the much-missed The Steeping Room last year, except that it's not going to go away any time soon.





Cupping



When peaberry from the Kimel Estate in Papua New Guinea was brewed with orange-peel infused water using a syphon, it produced a clean tasting cup, with a faint ginger first impression. It paired well with raspberry financier.



The same bean emerged more intersting with more complex flavours in the pourover made with the Hairo woodneck drip pot.



Orange-infused cappuccino



Tyrwhitt's Tipple





Many thanks to our awesome baristas, Mel and Andre for hosting the session. (Sorry I didn't get a decent shot of Mel).

The Annex session is held daily at 4pm with an additional 8pm session on weekends. If you are interested to learn more about coffee, I strongly urge you to sign up for it today. As they would change the theme of the session from time to time, I see myself coming back very often.


And some shots along the way....

















I couldn't help it but took this shot. Sorry to the guy who waited for so long to use the rest room.






再成發五金 (Facebook)
150 Tyrwhitt Road
Tue – Thu, 9am – 7pm
Fri – Sun, 9am – 10pm
6396 0609