We were craving for Japanese food after an afternoon musical at the Mastercard Theatres @ Marina Bay Sands so popped by Hide Yamamoto for an early dinner on a Saturday evening.

There are a total of 4 seating areas within Hide Yamamoto - Sushi bar, Teppanyaki counter, Robata counter and the Ramen & Dining area. We opted for the Ramen & Dining area as it would allow us to order from all the counters. Not too sure if you are entitled to the same flexibility if you sit at one of the specialised areas. Do note that tables are spaced quite close to each other (unless you manage to snag the red velvet booth seat) so private conversations can pose quite a challenge.Grilled Hokkaido Scallop - At $35++ a pop, I was desperately hoping for more than the solitary scallop to start us off. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. However the lone scallop that made it to our table was huge, boasting a natural sweetness that was complemented by the mild saltiness from the roe that came alongside. The accompanying side salad had seaweed strips in it and came across as zesty.Tuna Sushi Combination - The tuna combination consisted of 3 slices of tuna (Fatty, medium and normal) apparently flown in straight from Tsukiji in Tokyo and served atop blocks of sushi rice. Goes without saying that the tuna was fresh and the rice lightly tart without coming across as too loose or sticky. Only thing that I didn't like was the heavy handedness of the wasabi layer wedged between the tuna and the rice. And of course the price tag ($50++).

Kurobuta Collar - Weighing in at 150g, the kurobuta collar was from the Teppanyaki counter and came across as sufficiently tender without the overwhelming pork taste. A sesame based dipping sauce completed the picture.

Soy Seafood Ramen - If I may, the soy based seafood ramen was very good with the broth light yet refreshingly tasty probably due in part to the addition of sweet corn. The ramen itself was springy (apparently the ramen is made in house from a 110 year old recipe) and full of bite whilst the seafood was fresh.
Portions are slightly smaller than your average ramen bowl though.

Soy Cha Shu Ramen - The cha shu ramen's broth was comparatively heavier than that of the seafood ramen but the noodles were excellent as well. Cha shu pieces were tender and overall portion size was just right to keep nausea at bay. I am definitely sticking to the seafood ramen the next time round.

A pretty satisfying dinner for 2 cost us in excess of $200, which is honestly a little on the high side. Service was good and food quality was definitely above average but I wouldn't rate it as excellent overall. I'll probably be back again, if only for the ramen.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/11/hide-yamamoto.html

Recently attended an invite hosted by the charming PR folks of Sheraton Towers Singapore @ Li Bai, the well regarded Chinese restaurant of the hotel.

The idea behind this invite was to showcase their mooncakes for the upcoming Mid Autumn Festival (中秋节) on September 19, 2013. And in case you have the same reservations as me about solely eating mooncakes for dinner, no, dinner was an exorbitant 6 course meal ending off with the delectable, lunar inspired dessert.

Deluxe Combination - We started off with the deluxe combination, a platter comprising a lone scallop topped with a black truffle mixture as well as a crab claw coated in batter and deep fried. The scallop was quite a size but a little too soft for my liking. Flavours were wonderful though, especially with the fragrance and earthy taste of the truffle. I couldn't quite say the same for the crab claw though, which came across as mildly spicy but overly salty. Waste of good crab if you ask me as the natural crab flavours were totally overwhelmed.

Braised Thick Soup of Bird's Nest with Homemade "Pi Pa" Beancurd - I seldom see bird's nest being used in soups and honestly, it wasn't a game changer for me. The soup was of the right consistency and flavourful with plentiful crab meat and bird's nest, with the latter providing a unique gelatin spin. Pretty good! However, I did find the soup a tad too salty though.

Baked Fillet of "Kurobuta" in Capsicum - Sitting atop a bundle of crunchy and delicious leek, the kurobuta pork was tender and savoury with a mild hint of capsicum towards the end. Nice!

Braised Assorted Vegetables with Bird's Nest - For the obligatory greens dish, the braised assorted vegetables with bird's nest was nicely presented with the likes of luffa, broccoli etc but I didn't quite make out the bird's nest, which was a pity, really. I am of the humble opinion that bird's nest should remain as dessert instead of trying to infuse them into savoury dishes.

Crispy Noodles Rolled with Lobster - I do like crispy noodles (生面) but in moderate quantities. And the noodles in this case were rather excessive to the point of almost overwhelming the taste of the lobster. But all in all still a great dish with fantastic presentation. Just be careful not to get your eyes poked by the feelers whilst attempting to savour this dish.

Snow Skin Mooncake - And of course, rounding up the meal were bite sized snow skin mooncakes. I am definitely not a mooncake person but I did find myself enjoying them as the flavours were surprisingly light on the palate without being too overladen with sugar. Definitely another option for me to mull over as a gift to family and friends this Mid Autumn Festival.

Thanks to Sheraton Towers Singapore for the invite!

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/07/li-bai-part-iii-invite.html

Popped by Bistro Du Vin's original outlet one sunny weekday afternoon for lunch with a couple of my colleagues. Promising to serve up honest to goodness classical French food, the restaurant is one of the many brand names under the Les Amis umbrella.

Located on the 2nd floor of Shaw Centre, Bistro Du Vin plays neighbour to a Vietnamese Restaurant and of course it's upmarket sibling, Les Amis. The interior is reminiscent of a typical French brasserie, from the red walls right down to the tiled floor. However, tables are spaced a little too close for comfort which makes normal conversations a tad difficult. Proper sound proofing is also lacking and the entire place sounds like a market when running at full capacity.

Complimentary Bread - The bread was a simple and simple crusty baguette served with orange butter. Pretty nice and a great way to stave off the hunger pangs.

White Asparagus Velouté - I honestly didn't quite take to the white asparagus veloute, which was a little too runny for my liking. There was also a bitter aftertaste to it - something which I certainly didn't appreciate.Char Grilled Australian Angus Ribeye - This required a top up of $10++ to the price of the set lunch but it was well worth it in my humble opinion. Done up medium as per my request, the meat was flavourful and juicy with hints of smokiness from the char grilling. The accompanying truffle mash (+ $3++) was smooth and fragrant as well and the truffle honestly helped elevate what would have been a boring, bland side of mash.

However, in a subsequent visit, I had the exact same thing and it was still good, just that the salt content was a little too high for my liking.

Walnut Tart - And for desserts I had a pretty good walnut tart - solid tart base with walnuts set amidst rich chocolate and caramel filling. Between this and the Pink Tiramisu which I had on my subsequent visit, I honestly preferred this (though the pink tiramisu was something different). Served up with a scoop of real vanilla bean ice cream.

The standard lunch set is a reasonable $30++ but it is the top ups that really "upsize" the bill. Still, food quality is pretty decent and I especially like their steaks. Service is rather clinical and lacks warmth though - an area that the restaurant might want to look into.

See my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/07/bistro-du-vin.html

It has been 3 years since my last visit to California Pizza Kitchen but the kind folks at CPK didn't forget about it and invited me over to try out a couple of their dishes as well as see the new premises.

CPK no longer takes up a dual storey unit at Forum The Shopping Mall. Instead, it has shifted a couple of metres sideways to take up a single storey unit in the same building (It's old premises have apparently been taken up by a Japanese restaurant). The open concept kitchen still remains but seating capacity has been drastically reduced from about 400 pax to roughly 150 pax.

Mediterranean Focaccia - A great way to start off our meal with the focaccia sporting a light and chewy texture with a faint cheesy aftertaste. Good enough to eat on its own but if you are the sort who needs olive oil to go with your bread, there is the Mediterranean dip (olive oil with herbs) provided.

Roasted Duck Breast Salad - I'm not usually a salad person but this one did the trick for me. Tons of fresh greens and edamame beans served with crispy wanton skins in a sweet plum sauce dressing and topped with generous slices of roasted duck breast drizzled with hoisin sauce. Sweet, savoury with a tinge of vegetable rawness all at once. Very nice! Do note that the half portion is big enough for 2 people to share, especially if you are intending to share a main as well.

The Original BBQ Chicken - The classic pizza from CPK, on a new improved dough base which apparently is hand stretched every time a pizza order is made aka stretched to order. And personally, I do like the new crust better. Light and airy whilst retaining its chewiness - good for people who love thicker crusts but loathe chomping down on hard, sometimes burnt crusts. Coupled with generous chicken chunks and BBQ sauce, it made for a pleasant pizza experience.

Red Velvet Cake - I honestly don't see the big hooha behind red velvet cakes in general so while this was pretty decent, I failed to appreciate this red, sweet and moist cake layered with cream cheese.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/07/california-pizza-kitchen-v-invite.html

Although Cocotte's brunch was a great experience on my first (and only visit), I never really got down to revisiting as I didn't fancy jostling for parking space on a weekend. But now Cocotte has launched an all week brunch menu during its lunch time slot and thanks to the restaurant, I had the opportunity to try it out again.

The place hasn't changed a bit since my last visit and is still rather spartan in some ways. The only difference is the apparent lack of crowds. I can say this from visiting Cocotte twice on my own accord (and expense) after this invite. But the lack of crowds may not be a bad thing from a customer's perspective (but definitely not from a restaurant's!) as it offers peace and quiet and of course a choice of seats.

Hot Smoked Salmon ($12) - We got off to a great start with the hot smoked salmon sandwich, which featured thin slices of beautifully smoked Norwegian salmon sitting prettily on a bed of moist and creamy scrambled eggs atop a slice of nicely toasted white loaf. Absolutely beautiful. However, just a note of caution. On my return visit during a weekday, the bread was smaller, the eggs were less creamy and the quantity of salmon, significantly lesser. Which of course raises questions on consistency. One might also be inclined to suggest that quality and quantity during tastings don't reflect the actual standards of day to day operations. But to be fair, I will give it another try before passing any judgement.

Provencal Tuna ($12) - Next up was the provencal tuna, which was essentially Nicoise salad with tuna on a toasted baguette. I honestly didn't find this too special although the sliced eggs and tuna chunks were aplenty. The baguette was also a little too hard for my weak jaws and wrists (had to slice it with a knife) to handle. But if you are a huge Nicoise salad fan, you might just like it.

Pan Fried Seabass ($14) - Based on this invite and my 2 individual outings, this dish was the most consistent. And at $14, I personally find it a steal. Very fine, almost silky texture coupled with crisp skin and a light flavour. Easily one of the best fish dishes I've had in a long time.

Dessert Platter -

Desserts are evidently not Cocotte's forte as neither of the 3 desserts in the dessert platter shone, with all coming across as average. Nonetheless, it was a sweet way to end off our wonderful meal.

In a nutshell, Cocotte offers some really good dishes at a very reasonable price. However consistency needs to be worked on. Service is decent.

Thanks to Cocotte for the invite!

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/05/cocotte-part-ii-invite.html