The first impression i had for Gastrosmith is something along the line of extravaganza with snippets of their food plating looking classic and dainty. Upon stepping in, i was welcomed by the artsy graffitied wall. Deck in a coat of silver-grey with great resemblance to that of a cemented wall bringing about a rustic feel.Extensive food and drinks menu with a few choices available from different categories. Drinks prices are surprisingly reasonable while the food prices are dangling on the higher end. You are able to get a cup of coffee/tea for just $4-$5 whereas the starters will range from $10 – $12 and the mains from $20 – $25 subject to 7% GST and 10% Service charge.Mocha ($5)Crab & Caviar Bruschetta ($15) – A dish that is too brilliant and awesome to not give it a try. Well toasted bruschetta giving a golden shine to the top and leaving the edges crispy. We are won over by their generosity of shredded swimmer crab meat with mayo that keeps this starter light and refreshing and the unique taste of smoked cavier that bursts right into our mouth.Braised Lamb Shank ($27) – Tender braised lamb shank that almost achieve melt in your mouth denotation. Full flavors well infused right to the bone after long hours of braising with red wine and korean red pepper paste, gochujang. The pairing with sauteed mushrooms and smooth creamy pomme puree which absorbs the piquant savory sauce has delighted our taste buds greatly.Pork Collar Ragu ($21.50) – Linguine tossed with truckloads chunks of braised pork collar and abundance of parmesan cheese. What kept me puzzled and disappointed was the supposedly red wine tomato cream based pasta which turns out to be an italian dish filled more with asian flavors. Generally, the dish is generous with their meats but could hold back on their oil a little.Gastrosmith had whipped out quite a decent number of exquisite quality dishes which may have set themselves apart from the rest of the cafes. It’s a place you would return to for some occasional cafe pampering at a higher cost but with a quiet laid-back personal space.

https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/08/16/gastrosmith/

Joining the stretch of bars and eateries along Maju Avenue is none other than Plonk. Plonk has actually been around for good 2 years. With a laid back setting and some dim lightings, one is ready for some tapas and drinks for the night.Beside their printed menu, they do have a ‘Specials’ menu for the night which ranges from tapas to drinks to even some mains. Not only that, sometimes they have One for One pizza on Tuesday Nights too!Food Menu – Good variety of Tapas to Mains to Desserts.Drinks Menu – it should have something for everybody and remember to check out their Happy Hour!Plonk is generally known for their tapas and drinks, so we decided to go for some tapas, mains and desserts less the drinks. While waiting for our order to be served, Complimentary Bread accompanied with Olive oil dip with a big dollop of balsamic vinegar was shown to our table. Very crisp crust and soft lightly dense body with olive oil and vinegar makes it a good starter for the meal.Since they are known for their Tapas, we decided to try 2 of them, one from the menu and one on the ‘Specials’ board. First one from the menu was all time favorite Char-Grill Calamari, Chilli, Garlic, Lemon and Fresh Herbs ($12). Calamari was grilled to perfection retaining the springy and bouncy texture which is not too tough and chewy. The dressing falls a little to the sour side which literally whet up ones’ appetite. Very refreshing with a faint hint of tingling sensation from the chilli.The second tapas that was ordered from the ‘Specials’ board was Hot Buffalo Wings ($14). There’s a choice of Hot or Original and came in a set of 6 mid-joint wings. The sauce tasted somewhat familiar yet special. It has a slight resemblance to the Belacan Chilli from the Zi Char stall, spicy yet aromatic and with traces of kaffir lime being used. The wings was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It’s a delightful marriage of the sauce and marination with the mid-joint wings.The only main that we tried was Seafood Aglio Olio ($22). Linguine tossed in olive oil, garlic and herbs served with fresh and succulent seafood such as the crunchy tiger prawns, juicy black mussels and springy squids. Very good ratio of almost 1:1, seafoodasta. I find it a little too oily but the flavor and taste was really good.Of course to not forgetting a plate of dessert to end off our meal. We went for something that we thought it sounded special – Deconstructed Lemon Tart with Fried Shallot Ice cream ($13). Beautiful plating of dessert was done with cookie crumbs that lay the plate and triangular lemon tart and fried shallot ice cream that rests above. These triangular lemon tart is so sour that it will literally send a chill down your spine. Advisable to not be taken alone but with the cookie crumbs or fried shallot ice cream to neutralize the sour-ness. With that said, the fried shallot ice cream turns out to be quite pleasant, the ice cream wasn’t really heavy or strong in shallot taste and in fact, it’s those fried shallot itself that bring out and enhance the fried shallot flavor and aroma. I must agree, the fried shallot indeed complement well with the lemon tart. This dessert wouldn’t be that perfect if any of the one component is missing.
Plonk is a good escapade from the bustling busy town area for a night filled with drinks and foods. Quality wise is good i would say while i may find the price a little on the higher side after all it being in a neighborhood area. But still, it’s worth a trip down!

https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/08/07/plonk/

Right in the heart of the CBD area sits the Sarnies Cafe with an unpretentious outlook. They have kept everything simple with just a few art pieces and well furnished with wooden seating arrangements for both indoor and outdoor.Not an extensive dinner menu but what they have are really one of a kind and classic.First appetizer of the meal was this Triple C – Curry Crab Crocketts ($14). Don’t mistaken them for mozzarella cheese sticks! Within each of them are filled with flow-y piping thick hot curry crab sauce. The texture well resembles that of mozzarella cheese sticks just that instead of cheese fillings, it’s hot curry crab sauce fillings. Although i’m not too sure what kind of crab am i suppose to expect inside, but it tasted good enough for a finger food! The curry is not too spicy, the flavor falls a little between Japanese and Indian curry.Next up was Avocado Fritters served with Spicy Lime Sauce ($10). It’s my first time seeing how avocado can be served differently on the dining table. It’s simply avocado balls coated with crumbs. A bite into the ball and you can feel the creaminess and richness of the fruit itself. The spicy lime sauce on the other hand was pretty light, so it went well with the richer tasting avocado and balances the flavor.Last appetizer of the meal C4 Bomb – Truffle Mash wrap with Home-Cured Bacon ($12). The mash potatoes is of super smooth and fine consistency with subtle truffle taste. The bacon used to wrapped around it was a little crispy yet not oily and with a little saltiness to it. The pairing with avocado puree makes it a delightful combination.This Cajun Spiced Paperbag Chicken ($14) consists of 3 drumsticks/thighs part well marinated with cajun spices. The chef really took good control of the heat and cooked it to perfection. With the skin a little charred, and the meat inside remains tender, juicy and flavorful. The cheese sauce that accompanied with it complements the overall taste really well and makes this dish kind of addictive! I could easily finish this whole portion by myself. It’s really that good.Finally here come the first main – Thai Disco Pasta ($15). Pretty interesting name they have there, and when we were asking for recommendation, we were warned that Thai Disco is very spicy not for the faint heart! But when i had a taste of it, i was pretty disappointed, not that the dish was bad, but the spiciness level and omph that i was expecting, it’s simply missing. Nevertheless, this pasta dish is pretty good. Why is the name Thai Disco Pasta? Simply because of the ingredients used – Basil, Kaffir and Chilli padi, the very 3 ingredients that you will never miss it in any authentic thai food. The whole dish was aromatic and the spaghetti was cooked to al dente. A simple dish yet with all the main flavors locked into it.Kabocha Pumpkin Risotto with Prosciutto Ham ($16) was the last main we had for the night. Kabocha Pumpkin is commonly known as Japanese pumpkin with its sweetness higher than a typical sweet potato or pumpkin. It looks kind of different from a typical risotto right, doesn’t it? Yet, the consistency and the rice is pretty much similar to that of a risotto nonetheless. The overall dish is full of natural sweetness from the Kabocha Pumpkin making it a pretty light dish but with the presence of Prosciutto Ham enhancing and bringing out the flavor of the risotto.Of course, we need desserts to end off a meal – Churros with whipped cream, chocolate and salted caramel dips ($10). I guess I still like my churros with chocolate dips, it’s still the best combination of all! Whipped cream dip seems to be a little too light for it, maybe it will be better, if it’s used as a filling instead. Salted caramel dip pairing was pretty mediocre too, maybe the consistency of the dip was not right, so the flavor does not really goes well with the churros. The churros here are pretty thick and sweet on its own, it gets a little too ge-lard after one stick.
Overall, Sarnies dished out pretty good and interesting food that was different from the norm. The ambiance makes it good for a night chill out after a day of work in the CBD area.

https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/sarnies/ for more reviews

Fresh Fruit Lab or otherwise known as FFL, has been around the cafe scene for a good amount of time. FFL has differentiated themselves with a laboratory-inspired theme and fruits infused food/drinks menu. It’s conveniently located just a 5-10 mins walk away from Kembagan Station along the bustling Changi Road, attracting quite a decent number of crowds on a Saturday night.It’s a nice gesture for the staff to serve this complimentary rack of test tubes filled with fruit juices that can be found in the menu for tasting prior to placing our orders. At least we get to try the different flavors and order something we like best. To further enhance our experience in a laboratory-based cafe, water is served in beaker and juices/sodas are served in conical flasks. The juices concoctions are pretty unique and interesting bringing out the different characteristics of the different fruits and vegetables when they are mixed together. Three to Tango was one of my favorite, something zesty yet refreshing, the perfect drink for this hot summer. The one in the conical flask below was Passion Fruit Soda, its surprisingly cooling and refreshing with real mashed up passion fruits, somewhat tasted different from the usual soda that just mixes with syrup.Being the usual us having no idea what’s good to order, we decided to choose from a mixture of Chef’s Recommendations and Lab Bestsellers. First up was Truffle Fries ($12), neither a bestseller nor recommended by chef, but it’s like a must order, cause we have a crazy truffle fries fan among us. What makes a good Truffle Fries is definitely the presence and infusion of the truffle’s aroma and flavor coupled with hot crispy exterior of the shoestring fries. FFL’s truffle fries has definitely met 80% of the criteria.First Chef’s Recommendation’s of Masago Cavier Pasta ($20). Delicately plated with Baked Half Scallops topped with Sunny Quail Egg and Cavier Masago. Spaghetti was cooked to al dente, and wholesomely infused with the taste of Masago Cavier. Half Scallop was well seasoned and baked to perfection; not too hard and chewy but instead light on teeth. The dish is a little heavy on taste some might find, but this dish definitely suits my taste bud, someone who enjoy seafood and prefer food with heavier flavors!Next up, this Fish & Chip ($19) is FFL’s Bestseller! Generous and relatively big piece of Beer battered pacific dory served with shoestring fries and homemade tartare. The fish was thick, fresh and not crumbly. And i like how all their main dishes are accompanied with fruits infused salad that gives an additional sweetness to the overall dish.Like how the dish is named, Da Bomb Burger ($19), it’s really da bomb! In between the 2 toasted bun sits a juicy 250g beef patty with crunchy lettuce and tomatoes, crispy bacon and a runny sunny side up! It’s a total burst of flavor in the mouth. The balance from the lightness of the sunny side up and veggies paired with the flavorful beef patty, is simple yet awesome.
With some stomach space left just for the dessert, we ordered both their Rainbow Cake ($7) and Lychee Cake ($6.50).I must admit their Rainbow Cake tasted a little different. The cake was moist and dense; Cream cheese that was used for layering was rather light and the different layers bring about a citrus taste to the palette. This Lychee Cake is another praise worthy piece of dessert. Delicate pure looking dessert that sits a big juicy lychee. The texture of the cake was pretty unique, the exterior is as though i am eating marshmallow, and within it is layers of these marshmallow and sponge cake. Light and fluffy with subtle sweetness.The best way to end off such a fulfilling dinner is definitely a cup of fruit infused tea to cleanse our palette and help us in our digestion.
Overall, it was quite a pleasant dining experience in Fresh Fruit Lab. The ambiance and the quality of food served was superb. However, the downside was that the setting sun were shinning in at where we were sitting during the evening time which was quite a disturbance. Nevertheless, it’s a recommended place for a good chill!

https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/fresh-fruits-lab/ for the full review with pics.

Opened by Chef-Owner Frederic Deshayes, a french pastry chef who apprenticed at Lenotre Paris and has spent several years teaching in Sunrise Singapore has finally decided to set his foot along the stretch of Tanjong Katong with his very own Do.Main Bakery specializing in french breads & pastries. Separately, Do resembles the sound of ‘dough’ which is the essence of all bakery products and Main which means ‘hand’ in french and when placed together, Do.main also represent a prominent place or home which produces the best products by hand and dough, the soul of bakery products. Chef Deshayes steps into the kitchen as early as 6am and leave as late as 10pm just to bring the freshest and best tasting bakery to his customers.The bakery cafe is in a simple coat of monochromatic colors with a look through glass panel straight into the kitchen. They also have a room at their second level for hosting private events. Look at these golden flaky pastries, aren’t they making you salivate!It was a great honor for us to have a short tour around the kitchen with Chef Deshayes sharing with us the day to day kitchen operations. Chef Deshayes will knead the dough conscientiously and leave it overnight in the bread proofer till ready to use for the next morning. Being oven-inspired, this french boulangerie serves all their dishes in the absence of stoves and you’ll be amazed how good the food turn out to be!After a short tour around the kitchen, it’s time for dinner to be set. Many of us may have the impression that Do.Main only sells coffee & pastries but definitely that isn’t the case. They do have an all day dining menu serving a couple of simple french fares that are pocket friendly yet not compromising on the quality of ingredients used.First up on the menu is Charcuterie Platter with Sourdough Bread ($20). Charcuterie Platter will always be made up of 3 different meat selections which vary from time to time. Our Charcuterie Platter comes with Duck & Pistachio Pate, Pork Rillette & Kruobuta ham. Personally, it’s kind of my first time trying a dish like this. I really liked both the Kruobuta ham & Pork Rillette where it is salted and cooked slowly till it’s tender enough to form a paste. For the Duck & Pistachio Pate, the duck is well seasoned and brings out a slight nutty note to the taste bud. As these selections are quite heavy in taste, it really goes well with the plain airy sourdough that has a faint sourish taste and is light on the bite.Served together with the Charcuterie Platter was this Four Season Salad with the attempt to include at least a kind of vegetable from each season such as lettuce, cured capsicums, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots and lentils. Bringing an extra crunch if you pair it with the Charcuterie Platter & Sourdough. But to be honest, i’m not a fan for the given selection of salad.Next we have Broken Egg with Mouillettes ($12-$15). It comes in 3 different bases – Plain, Cream & Ham or lastly Tomato. Each base has their own distinct and unique flavor. For the Plain one, it reminds you of the traditional half-boiled egg that goes well with your dark & light soy sauce; while for the Cream & Bacon, it brings about the westernized brunch flavor with stripes of hams.So what’s the correct way of eating? Simply, grab a mouillette that has been slightly toasted, break the yolks and whites with it, and slurred it till it looks even out. Then either dip your mouillette into the broken eggs or scoop some of it and put it on your mouillette and it’s ready to be slurped down your throat. I like how runny and soft the texture of eggs were. Here’s another two items being dished out to our tables – Tartiflette “Reblochon” with Bacon & Potatoes ($16) and Cassolette Oven Baked Escargots with Homemade Garlic Herb Butter ($16). I’m in love with this delightful assemblage of Reblochone Cheese, Lardons and Potatoes. The potatoes and cheese were baked to perfection, potatoes were soft yet not mushy and the cheese melt perfectly leaving traces of cheese trails as you pull a part out from the dish. Another of my favorite will be the Cassolette Oven Baked Escargots. Escargots are heavily seasoned with garlic herbs sitting on a bed of tomato-base, springy, fresh and well treated with no lingering odour. & if you have not realized, sauces on its own of these dishes really goes pretty well with sourdough or bread sticks! After a cold platter and some hot savory french dishes, it’s time for some of their well-known pastries!They have a good collection of french pastries made from the finest ingredients. We are pleased to have Chef Deshayes to decide what’s in for our Dessert Platter.Lemon Tart, Paris-Brest & Royal Chocolate Tart (Gluten-free) are 3 out of the 4 desserts Chef Deshayes have chosen for us. These classic desserts have their own merits and are special in its own way. These pastries are freshly introduced into the menu for less than a week. This classic lemon tart need no more introduction, it can be commonly found in most cafe, but what makes this stands out from the rest is the lemon curd with a strong sourish citrus note and usually is topped with a lime marshmallow. Next is the Paris-Brest, inspired by a cycling race from Paris to Brest and this pastry is created to commemorate the race. I like the taste of the praline filling which is made up of nuts & sugar in a ratio of 60:40. Very smooth and nutty with tinge of caramel & hazelnut flavor. The Royal Chocolate Tart is made from roasted buckwheat flour without any use of gluten, and made up of 2 distinct layers – almond sponge with crushed waffle that gives a light crispy texture and chocolate mousse with the use of Valrhona Manjari Chocolate. I like how it tasted bittersweet and the flavor being not too heavy. Something that is healthier and less sinful for your indulgence.& this Questche Tart is the last dessert recommendation from chef. Questche is some sort of like dried prunes or also known as stonefruits which are seasonal and can be found commonly in Eastern France. So when stonefruits season is here, since they can’t keep all of them when they are ripe, they will process some into either jam or tarts. The thin crust at the bottom of the tart is simply made of semolina and sugar. The whole mouthfeel is as if you’re only eating dried dark red prunes amidst the jelly like sugar solution that has cooled down accompanied with the flaky crust. It may look sweet, but it’s actually not too sweet.After the end of desserts, Chef Deshayes is very sweet and thoughtful, he gave each of us a bag of Chouquettes for us to bring home. We were told that, this was a common practice in France where the host will usually give some treats to the visitors as a form of thanking them for coming by. Chouquettes is a type of Viennoiserie with a small portion of Choux pastry sprinkled with pearl sugar. The texture of Choquette is pretty interesting, it remains crispy on the day it was baked, and became chewy on the subsequent days. But i find it a bit too sweet for my liking.Indeed it was a wonderful dinner warmly hosted by Chef Deshayes and his staff and thank you Openrice for having us at the Food Tasting event. Not only that, do pop by over the weekends for their Bread Festival to check out the different varieties of bread they got to offer you. Also, their different french pastries which are at pocket friendly prices is definitely worth your trip down!