The entrance is in the alleyway behind and it took us a little bit of rounding. As luck had it, we went down the right direction and turned into the correct alley. Pretty cool address too at 48¾, just like platform 9¾ in Harry Potter.There are about 20 seats available and the setting is very much communal. The staff are friendly and easy to talk to and we learnt that the place was set up by 3 friends.There are only 2 kinds of coffee available on the menu - black/white. These are espresso coffees made using coffee beans acquired from the owners' overseas travels. The coffee beans for this week were from the Blue Bottle Coffee Co of California, USA. Place your order with any of the staff.

My white coffee was pretty decent, but I would have liked it thicker. Each cup comes with a small complementary cup of the old-school colourful gems biscuits.My white coffee was pretty decent, but I would have liked it thicker. Each cup comes with a small complementary cup of the old-school colourful gems biscuits.We were lucky enough too to get the 2nd last slice of carrot cake available. This is a must-try because the smooth icing isn't overly sweet and the cake was moist. This was baked by one of the owners, who wasn't there that day.If you plan to visit, be prepared to queue to enter. A combination of coffee+cake is $12. Overall, an interesting option to explore with a friend with its hidden location and cosy concept. Do avoid coming in large groups (>4) though because of the limited seating space.

For the complete review, visit http://herpenandfork.blogspot.sg/2014/08/whale-cloud-hidden-cafe.html

At the first sound of it, I thought the products of extensive experimentation by the head chef and the results are meat-free options with a Western slant. This is unique and rarely, if not never, seen before in Singapore.It is recommended for diners to get the full 8-course set at $25++ (drinks are considered 1 course). However, if you like, you can order the mains ($12.80 each), soup/starter ($5.80 each), and salads ($7.80 each) on an ala-carte basis, but really, the full course is more value-for-money. Two can always share one full course set if it might be too much.They served a course of rosemary breadsticks, which came toasty warm with a mustard/blueberry dip. I liked the texture of the breadsticks and the combination, though simple, worked.For this dish, the correct way to eat it is to start from the poached Japanese Yuca Root to the jelly (right to left in this case) as the flavours are arranged in ascending strength. The Yuca Root was interestingly slippery and crunchy in texture, with the tart berry sauce. Light on the palate.This salad has an oriental flavor to it, because of the fried garlic topped upon the soy-sauced flavored mushrooms, along with a light vinegar dressing. Definitely for the ones who love mushrooms (me).It is definitely an 'acquired taste' because it tasted like a cross between seafood and pea flavors. Acceptable to me, but I heard some didn't like it. Order this, at your risk, but I would say it's interesting enough to warrant a try. Our other pick of cream of pumpkin was safer, it was executed reasonably.The presentation reminded me of the Mediterranean Shakshuka and tasted similar to it too. Paired with the pita bread which provided a nice bland contrast to the rich savory tomato flavor, every bite was moreish with the “meatiness” of the filling. I wasn't missing the meat at all for this.The amazing thing about this dish is how the mushroom looked so much like rings of squid. This reminded me of Chinese style fried noodles 炒面 because of the strong garlic-sauteed-in-soy-sauce flavor to it. The pasta was a little overcooked though, so it was a little mushy. Pity. Otherwise, it could really be as great as my colleague who tried it, described.

For dessert, the creamy, smooth fragrant-with-black-sesame panna cotta was a hit. The banana cheesecake was somewhat disappointing because there was only a hint of the banana. The cheesecake wasn't creamy enough and the biscuit base wasn't as moreish as it usually is. Skip this.This is a concept that takes vegetarian dining to a new level. Dining here, you don't feel like you have been shortchanged in your meal because the flavors are all present and delectable. Hits and misses, but this is a good place to try at least once and see/taste for yourself the creativity that makes these dishes stand out.

The menu runs the range from entrees, pastas and mains such as risotto and wood-fired pizzas. We ordered the potato wedges as appetisers and they came piping hot and done the way wedges should be. A good start.All pizzas served here are thin-crust, but the Family size 21-inch pizzas are the ones truly worth going for. These pizzas - the width of the pizzeria's table and the length of 2 people, are visually stunning when served up in front of your eyes. If you happen to come with a large group (>4),do not think about ordering multiple small pizzas for the different flavors. Just order this Family sized pizza even if only 2 kinds of pizzas are allowed to be mixed because it isn't everyday that you get to see and eat from a ginormous pizza like this, which is actually quite fun.The cheese on the pizza isn't as stringy as Pizza Hut's (their pizzas' cheese are the stringiest I have had by far) but it is still pretty good. The thin crust was crispy and the texture resembled that of a cracker. I enjoyed the pizzas, though perhaps the anchovies and olives combination in the Napoletana were a little too salty for our taste. The Parma ham and rocket made a very good combination - salty but balanced by the peppery and pungent flavour from the rocket.
Peperoni Pizzeria is a safe and pretty good alternative to your usual pizza joint. The thin crust is also a plus point for those who don't fancy carb-heavy meals. It is pretty ideal for big groups and the novelty of eating from the family size pizza (which might just be the largest pizza you can find available in Singapore commercially) just adds to the fun experience. Prices are on par with usual pizza places, so why not?

Shinkansen is 'bullet train' in Japanese and this 'lunch on the fast track' concept caters for the office lunch crowd here at this United Square joint. By the folks behind Standing Sushi Bar and Tanuki Raw, they do have another outlet too at Ocean Financial Centre (Raffles Place). Make-your-own salad bowls in the sizes of transit (the basic bowl with a base and 5 toppings), station (transit with 2 add-ons) and terminal (station bowl plus the choice of a meat) are available here.If you can allow a little leeway in your diet/aren't restricting yourself, go for the refreshing soba noodle base. Soba noodles are made of buckwheat flour - known to decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These noodles are a healthier alternative to rice with more fibre and definitely less carb-heavy than pasta. The soba here is light with a nice bite. Pair with any of the light dressings in store and you have got a winner.
The shop is more for takeaways, though there is a counter and 2 small tables for people who want to dine in. We arrived at 8pm on a weeknight, only to learn that they were closing. However, the owners were obliging and offered to still put together our salad bowls for us. They even went a step further to delay their closing so that we could dine in. Truly customer service at its best.My choice of Terminal bowl was Tuna Tataki with a mixed greens base, broccoli, tamago, mushroom, pickled seaweed and kidney beans with the add-ons of feta cheese and sundried tomatoes. The ingredients were all fresh, but it is the sundried tomatoes that sealed the deal for me - every piece was a burst of savory, flavor-filled goodness in the mouth. It is a must-pick for the add-on. The tuna tataki was slightly disappointing, as it was pretty flat on taste and sliced a little too thin. I preferred my aunt's choice of smoked salmon more, which was more on par in taste. Her bowl of soba noodles with sesame plum dressing was delectable, and the cashew nuts she chose provided a nice crunch in every mouthful.You can also help yourself to the wasabi and soy sauce at the side counters. The wasabi here packs a punch. The pungent spiciness of it shot up my nose immediately when I took a slightly more generous amount in my mouthful at first try. I nearly teared from it, but somehow because of it, I like their wasabi even more now. First-timers to this wasabi, take only a little bit to test your tolerance.
Shinkansen may be a little bit on the pricey side for a salad bowl, but the quality of ingredients here do justify it, as does the taste. The waiting time for your food is also very short (~5 minutes at most) so it definitely is a good choice for 'lunch on the go', especially for the health-conscious class.

For the complete review, please go to http://herpenandfork.blogspot.sg/2014/06/shinkansen-healthy-tasty-lunch-on-go.html

Chef Saul Bolton, the man behind the eight-years-consecutively Michelin-starred Saul in New York, was at The Cliff from 9 - 13 July as part of the restaurant's 3-part Michelin Chef series. I was very privileged to have a chance to taste his creations as Openrice's 25 Days Challenge winner.The Cliff is located at The Singapore Hotel Resort and Spa Sentosa. It is an alfresco concept overlooking an expanse of sea and the place feels like a hidden sanctuary with its dim lights and lush environment. The night's menu was specially put together by Chef Bolton just for this four-day dining event.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a delicious glass of champagne and a warm basket of wonderful bread with an accompanying platter of butter, olive oil and other assorted condiments.The 6-course dinner menu started with a simple, elegantly presented amuse-bouche of Spanish Octopus, Bacalao and Oyster. The Bacalao, or dried salted cod fish rehydrated again when ready to cook, was encased in a thin fried batter. There was a nice bite to this and the taste was new to me.
The spanish octopus was done with a touch of paprika sauce, but I thought it was a little too chewy.The freshly shucked oyster was slippery smooth in the mouth and the fresh taste was further accentuated by the sublime saltiness of the accompanying liquid in the shell, with the sweetness from the oyster and a hint of sour from the drizzling of lemon.The leftover juices in the shell were so good even on its own that I slurped it dry. I was never a fan of oysters but I am a convert after this. My favourite out of the three starters.This was an interesting contrast of textures between the smoothness of the hamachi sashimi and crunchiness of the puffed jasmine rice, which reminded me of Japanese rice crackers. Light and clean on the palate.Our normal chawanmushi upgraded a thousand times over. The creamy sea urchin provided a zing of seafood sweetness. Chef Bolton mentioned this as his personal favourite on the menu (when I asked him after).The soup was robust in flavour, but perhaps a little too concentrated. Needless to say, the ingredients were all fresh, but one of it had a distinctly pungent smell to it. Not sure what it was but the top layer had a slight stickiness in texture, which came apart to reveal a rubbery smooth second layer under it. My guess is beef tripe.The turbot came apart in neat little firm pieces when forked, with none of the flakiness of the usual fish meat. It had a nice buttery fragrance to it with a slight crisp on the outside from the searing. Paired together with the fennel which had a spiciness that shot up the nose the same way wasabi does and sweet piquilla peppers, this was a winning combination in taste. Another favourite of the night for me.The coconut rice was aromatic and all in soft, distinct unbroken grains - somewhat resembling the texture from the Thai dish Mango Sticky Rice sans the stickiness. The lobster meat didn't have any extra sauce or seasoning to it; unneeded too because the lobster meat was robust with sweetness . The curry resembled Japanese curry but sadly, was a tad too salty.Despite my lamb-aversion, I still decided to try a piece hesitantly. Lucky I did. Too good this was, done just right. Each piece of meat cut from this lamb steak was juicy and full of flavour.

The texture of the meat was faultless: soft and not overly chewy. It tasted very much like premium grilled beef steak, and would have gotten away with it if not for the very slight hint of odour remaining that I think is impossible for lamb to be rid of completely. Another surprise came from the roasted carrots, which were so good - they were sweet and had crispy ends to it.The sweets to round off the meal didn't let down too. In particular, the Mango-Passion Sorbet was very refreshing and tasty. We would continue having it non-stop if we had stomach space and weren't limited by the small portion given. Likely handmade by the chef, who is known for his strong belief in making everything in-house using fresh produce.Indeed, an eye-opening meal that is a delicious amalgation across East-West cultures. The chef even good-naturedly extended an invitation to drop in on Saul or any of his restaurants in New York should I ever visit. There weren't mind-blowing moments at every single point of the meal, but in the instances there were, they well did spectacularly.

The night was also wonderful because of the impeccable service from the service staff at The Cliff. Once again, thank you Openrice for this wonderful opportunity!
For the complete review, visit http://herpenandfork.blogspot.sg/2014/07/the-cliff-michelin-star-dining-chef.html