Restaurant week was upon us again and we finally had the opportunity to try out Salt Grill & Sky Bar for lunch during the weekend. Having stayed at Hilton Sydney and dined at Luke Mangan's Glass Brasserie slightly over a year back, we were excited as to how his restaurant would fare in Singapore.

Perched on the 55th floor of the iconic Ion shopping mall along Orchard Road, Salt offers a panoramic view of the surrounding area through floor to ceiling windows that culminate in an arced top that allows natural sunlight to flow in, which makes the place a lot cheerier. I personally like the expanse of space that the restaurant offers, just perfect for that lazy weekend brunch.

Complimentary Bread - The complimentary raisin bread wasn't anything to shout about but it was decent - warm and crusty with a lingering aroma.

Truffle Fries - This was an additional side and boy oh boy, was it sinfully delicious. Hot crispy fries topped with a generous serving of grated Parmesan cheese and doused with truffle oil. What's not to like?

Crab Omelette, Enoki Mushroom and Herb Salad, Miso Mustard Broth - The omelette was stuffed with shreds of crab meat and topped with enoki, fried shallots and parsley whilst sitting prettily in a pool of miso mustard broth. What was nice about this dish was the oriental feel from the shallots and parsley coupled with the salty tinge from the miso broth and of course the creaminess of the omelette. Pan Fried Gnocchi, Corn, Asparagus, Zucchini, Parmesan, Thyme, Truffle, Verjuice Dressing - This is honestly the first time I'm trying out a seemingly vegetarian gnocchi dish and it was surprisingly tasty. The corn provided a natural sweetness whilst the shaved Parmesan topped it off with a nice cheesy aftertaste and fragrance. Overall a rather light dish and only gripe I had was that the gnocchi did come across as a tad too soft for my liking.

Grass Fed Beef Tenderloin, Mash, Pumpkin, Grains and Seeds, Red Wine Jus - Contrary to what I had requested for, the beef came almost well done instead of medium well. However the meat was still relatively juicy and tender but lacked the beefy goodness that I personally like. Grains and seeds added a nice crunchy texture to the dish with the pumpkin puree providing a touch of sweetness.

Warm Hazelnut Cake, Hazelnut Biscotti, Praline Ice Cream - And finally, the finale - an excellent warm hazelnut cake that looked uncannily like Bengawan Solo's banana cake, just alot crustier and drier with hints of hazelnut. When paired with the toffee sauce, biscuit crumbs and of course a scoop of ice cream, it was comfortingly good and ended the meal on a relatively positive note.

It being Restaurant Week, prices are $40++/pax for lunch with the truffle fries contributing $13++ to the bill for a total of almost $110 for 2 pax. Pretty reasonable in my humble opinion but at this price point, I still prefer Ember's food. However Salt has the distinct advantage of ambience and a great view to boot. I will probably return for lunch in the not so near future.

See all my pictures at http://www.timelessfacade.com/2013/11/salt-grill-sky-bar.html

I am all along a Soup Spoon fan. I love their beef rendition, Simon Chic Garfunkel, mushroom and tomato soup. Thus, I have naturally high expectations about this new establishment. Headed down to try out their new Brunch menu but aww what a let down

Had the Union's SouperBreakfast ($16.50) with sous-vide eggs and the Chicken Pho ($7.50). I like that the sausage tasted spicy, otherwise it was quite ordinary. Small portion and pricey, I could have a better breakfast set elsewhere and pay less even.

Adding on to that, the ultimate disappointment was with the Chicken Pho. The soup was plain, nothing whatsoever was nice about it. Had the hot Vietnamese Drip coffee add-on with the noodles, again, it was a disappointment too. The coffee was not strong at all. The cup looked cute, but the coffee was a no-no. I rather spend on buying kopi from Yakun. In conclusion, I am disappointed with the new Farmer's Brunch menu. I don't think I would want to try the other food items in the menu anymore although my sweet tooth is calling me to try out the RedVelvet Waffles. I guess it would be better to just stick with the soups instead.

Last month, my friends and I decided to dine at Brotzeit (perhaps to soak in the Oktoberfest festivities). So we reserved a table for 4, and on the day itself the staff called to confirm our reservation and even asked if I wanted seats outside or inside the restaurant.

When we reached, we had to wait for a while because there were no seats, and later the host asked if it’s alright if we got seats outside. Feeling kinda bumped out, I cheered up after seeing the awesome view seats offered. Its facing the river so not too bad though it was quite humid in the evening.When you dine at a German restaurant, it is only right if one orders sausages. Anyway I had the curry wurst which came with potato wedges and my friend had the pork cheese sausages. I end up sharing with another friend because I wasn’t too hungry and anyway the dish looked more like an appetizer.

The sausages are nice and they were very generous with the potato wedges. Was munching on them throughout the dinner.It is also only right if one orders German beer! PROST~! (Cheers in German). I had the Original Munchner Lager while my friends ordered the Bayrischer Longdrink which contained both beer and vodka. (Nice combination if you are not a big fan of beer)

Overall it is a pleasant experience except that we often had difficulties catching the attention of the waiters/ waitresses. Maybe it was a busy day and we were seated quite far out from the main dining area and the waiters/waitresses hardly passed by.

Still, good place to go for authentic German food and drinks!

Laurent Bernard Chocolatier. A common sight in many local shopping malls where the brand adorns kiosks hawking stunning arrays of everything chocolate. But what I only just recently discovered was how the same brand name would be whispered almost in reverence when it comes down to chocolate soufflés.The outlet at The Pier at Robertson if I'm not mistaken, is the only Laurent Bernard Chocolatier selling more than their standard chocolates and thus offer dine-in facilities , both indoors and alfresco seating. Chocolate lovers throng the cafe throughout the day, but it's only at night when it really becomes packed with dessert lovers and chocoholics alike.
P.S.: The name on the signboard actually says Laurent Cafe & Chocolate BarInside the cafe, it feels like a jaunt into a spruced up cafe from olden times - Victorian looking furniture and furnishings, a spick and span counter alongside a display fridge where you pick your ice creams from, lit overhead by a bunch of bare light bulbs.Guanaja Chocolate Soufflé - $18
Getting down to the core agenda of my visit - the legendary Guanaja Chocolate Soufflé. Prepared only on demand to ensure quality and freshness, each order takes approximately 15 minutes of waiting time. A paltry wait when the soufflé is finally served. All puffed up with a luscious looking chocolaty crown, the soufflé was served with a white chocolate sauce and a side of raspberry ice cream. Cutting into the soufflé and its soft yielding middle, wafts of aromatic chocolate hits you immediately. It was light, yet rich at the same time, and the centre was slightly gooey still, giving an interesting contrast to the dish as a whole.

One word: Delightful

I for one would not advocate the white chocolate sauce. When I tried it, it was a little too watered down for my taste. Views on the raspberry ice creams remain divided. It's super citrus-y and acidic and while it adds to the flavour profile, you've got to be a fruity person to enjoy it.

Some people might say, $18 for a soufflé, or any dessert at that is really overpaying it. But I still really enjoyed it as any chocoholic or dessert lover would. Laurent Bernard Chocolatier has just set the benchmark for chocolate soufflés for me, and I very much look forward to my next return visit.

Came to MAD for a team lunch and from the moment you walk in, you will see a display of furniture, books and other items that will make you think you've walked into a modern furniture stall instead! Very nice concept as it made me curious to venture in further. Check out the interior. They use a very pleasing color scheme of soft blue, vibrant red and black. I really do feel like I'm in a modern arts display area! It did worry me that this place would fare better in the decor than the food but will find out when the food arrives. There are more private seating areas along the side of the restaurant. I like the whole curtain decoration which makes it look like one of those private areas at opera houses and the red wall gives it a very sexy feel. Like a setting for one of those secret rendezvous meeting between lovers at a ritzy opera. Hehe! The iconic symbol of MAD is the Chinese Opera face as seen on their napkin. I guess the juxtaposition of a traditional image like the Chinese Opera in a modern layout is to show the concept of mixing the contemporary and the old school style. More images of the Chinese Opera face on coasters but in vibrant pops of color! I really love this kind of Andy Warhol design. Our first dish is the Deep-Fried Liu Sha Bao ($4.80). Now the Liu Sha Bao I've usually had are the steamed and soft variety. This deep fried version has a harder crust but the inside has the usual oozy salted egg yolk. Honestly, I still prefer the steamed version but after a few bites, it does grow on you. Think of it as deep fried man tou dipped in salted egg yolk. Next dish is the Black Angus Siew Mai ($6.20) and unfortunately I do not fancy this dish much. The beef is quite tough and didn't carry much flavour. My idea of black angus beef was it to be tender soft and juicy, but alas the siew mai turned out quite dry. From this cross section, you can see how "compact" the beef is and how dry it is. I had to dip it generously in chili sauce to get some extra flavour to it. Now comes my main dish - the Josper-grilled Wagyu Beef Claypot Rice ($26). This wonderful claypot creation comes with one damn sexy hot spring egg and is drizzled with aromatic truffle dressing. I cannot tell you how exquisite this decadent dish is. It's so good I had to bold the name. Tender slices of Wagyu feed cooked to medium rare perfection, the large onsen egg, the smell of truffle oil... I was in food heaven. Crack the egg and mix it with the rice and tender beef, then just dig in. It was silky, savory and I love every morsel of it. The beef was really good (I wish there were more slices!) and that egg gives me a Japanese feel as people in Japan likes to mix raw eggs to coat their rice to be sticky. Believe me, you will be scrapping the bottom of the claypot as this is super good! To end the meal, I had one of their signature cocktails - The Strawberry Shortcake ($14). This drink is mildly sweet, only a slight bite of alcohol and comes with a shortbread biscuit. The color is very pretty and girl. I find it refreshing and a good beverage to have on a hot sunny day!

The menu could be a hit and miss so I would say go for their wagyu beef series!