restaurant SELA - an almost 5 month old restaurant at the heart of the city, serving up a range of afforable contemporary modern cuisines whilst pairing them with wine and award winning japanese beers. the starters/tapas

Miso Squid Perfectly cooked, another tapas dish which hit all the right notes during the night. More Salmon roe on display and great combination of the miso sauce to complement the grilled squid.

Salmon Skewers A tad too fishy imo, but was overall well seasoned and cooked. The grape relish represented a different approach to the previous tapas dishes and tasted great with the salmon, musking its fishy after taste.

Grill Asparagus w para ham An ensemble of ingredients which made the whole dish look so exciting. You slit that poached egg - the oozing of the egg yolk onto the vinaigrette mixed rockets. Wrap some parma ham onto your fork and into your mouth. A dish worthy of its price.

the drinks Oh yes. the best part of the place is their awesome mix of Japanese craft beers. Selected to complement your order of food, the table wholly agreed that the swan lake beer was the best. Tried them yet? I bet you haven't!

the mains

Herb crusted rack of lamb Tender, juicy and every bit of what you expect from a good rack of lamb. I can vaguely taste that overwhelming odour which made it even more appetizing.

Slow Braised Kurobuta Pork Cheek A special request by me because i wanted to try something different (and i was still hungry). Tender and soft, but I felt that it lacked in flavour. Somewhat anticlimax.

Desserts

Gula Melaka Creme Caramel A generous douse of gula melaka to compliment the creme. Some salinity would have made the dish more appealing. Otherwise, it was a good dessert to end the meal.

Lemon Cheese Tart Great flavours, a blend of cheese and cake with lemon curd on top. To top if off, more lemon sauce is drizzled onto the plate to make it moist.

Full review @ http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/11/restaurant-sela-where-west-meets-east.html

so after a short hiatus, guess what's finally back on Artisty's menu!

Peanut Butter and Jam French Toast  One of the better french toast around, Artistry spreads peanut butter and jam between their brioche, and pan fries them to give a wonderful tasting dish. Topped with vanilla ice cream and recently crushed cookies, this sweet treat will give dessert lovers something to crave about. Tried it yet?

what else are there?

Crab Cake Burger  Marinated crab meat compressed into a ball, dipped in batter and later fried. Presented on a charcoal burger. How good this is, i can only say its crispy and flavorful. Probably a tint too small, but delicious anyway.

The Nasi Lemak Burger (4Hands) An opinion divider. For me i found it more burger than local flavour. You scarcely notice the pungent coconut flavour, but the chilli makes for a good cause. The chicken patty was well done - crispy and tender, topped off with a free range egg. Found it surprisingly good. Not the best, but something different.





Overall review: read my full review and pictures @ http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/11/artistry-jalan-pinang-look-whats-back.html

I guess westies will be familiar with the ever popular Joyden Seafood @ West Coast. Now, the group has set its sights to wow the west again with Joyden Canton Kitchen. Located in the Upper Bukit Timah Hillview Area, Joyden Canton Kitchen @HillV2 serves up authentic yet contemporary Canton cuisine. What to expect at Joyden Canton Kitchen? Cantonese food of course, but with some twists. Let's start the food rolling.

Crispy Golden Lotus Root ChipsChips which are healthy and so tasty! A first for me, thinly sliced lotus root, fried till crisp. I wanted to bring home for snacks but they said that it should be eaten fresh. Well, a reason to go back. Found this dish to be really innovative.

Joyden Signature Soy Sauce Chicken The reason why the salt poached chicken didn't get a 5 hands. This soy sauce chicken was exceptional. Try it to believe it. Much has to be lauded for the secret blend of sauce and herbs. Also, rosewater is used to give the chicken that tender texture and robust flavour. I'm actually craving for it now as I type.

Fish Maw and Prawns with Glass Noodles in XO Sauce The entire dish is cooked in that black claypot which gives off that mouthwatering smoky 'wok hei' flavour to the glass noodles. Ingredients used were all of good quality and I must say another favorite of the night. I have been here one more time for this since being invited for the tasting. If you are thinking of the one dish to order here, this would be it.

Sliced Grouper Fillet Probably the only average dish we had all night. Decently done in the claypot.

Braised Homemade Beancurd with Baby Cabbage One hand less to perfect because I felt that the beancurd could be better done. Don't be focus on those balls and set your sight below. Those Poached Shanghai Baby Cabbage are what you should be eyeing for. The leaves are so tender, it melts completely into your mouth at first bite. Let's hope it stays that way for some time.

overall review: for my full review and pictures @ http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/12/joyden-canton-kitchen-hillv2.html

I have long noticed this restaurant along katong - Zaffron Kitchen. On the bus, journeying to the eastern part of Singapore from town, I have always been intrigued by the shop's setting, yet never had a time to visit it. Was it fusion cuisine? probably european fusion, but I finally found out last week that it serves great tasting indian food. Thankful to be invited for their Christmas tasting, I came out impressed at how indian cuisine can intertwine so well with a western festive season, Christmas, so well. Even the menu was impressive.Starters

Platter not on the menu And this is what modern indian cruisine is all about. Tapas style, on a platter. Head chef's Satish ingenuity and moment of inspiration and we were fortunate enough to try it.

1. To the left, prune in potato, baked and finished with herbs - I thought was the best amongst the 3.

2. In the middle, tiny naan with chickpea and potato. Tasteful and a great mix of spice

3. The last, Halibut fish in mix herbs.

Differing flavours of sweet, spicy and herby. A great dish to start off the evening.

Soup We were served soup! Yes you are not seeing stars. 3 to choose from - Mushroom, pumpkin and corn. All three were rather good of which the pumpkin was the table's favourite.

Mains

Shahi Turkey Birani The highlight of the night, and the dish which drew me back the following weekend. Yes the christmas turkey biryani. Turkey cubed breast marinated in yogurt, a mix of ground spices whipped up togehter in basmati rice and saffron. To end off, it is baked inside a roti, which compacts all the flavours inside the dish.

A real treat and a must have here at zaffron. Found the turkey so tender and juicy, while the rice exudes the fragrance of the spices onto your palate.

Tandoori Turkey Set (4Hands)Roasted Tandoori Turkey. Similar to the tukey Biryani, the turkey was tender and soft. Simply no trace of the usual tough bird we have during christmas. It is fantastic that chef Satish can whip out which delicacies. The meat, served with chestnut, rasin pilaf and herbs went well if the papadum. Also, I was told that Zaffon's papadum are baked! and not fried. How interesting and healthy that is.

overall review: read my full review and thoughts of the place @ http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/12/zaffron-kitchen-contemporary-indian.html

It is that time of year again - Christmas. Probably one of Singapore's favourite festive seasons with lots of parties and christmas dinners. So where are the places which are having x'mas specials and promotion this year, this is one of them - Morganfield's

Morganfield's - Home of Sticky bones is an American diner which specialises in ribs and meat. I was fortunate to be invited for their X'mas media tasting and was blown away by some of their dishes which will only be available during this X'mas period. Also, for dinner parties and takeaways, Morganfield's will deliver their meats and christmas specials anywhere around our sunny island to your doorstep from 15 November to 28 December 2014.The Christmas drinks

Christmas Hazelnut Roast Chicken A first time having hazelnut flavored chicken. Marinated with rogue hazlenut brown nectar and roasted until brown. Accompanied with potates and chestnuts. Quite a huge chicken as you can see, probably around 800g. Found the chicken a tad too dry for my liking.

Bourbon Marmalade Glazed Leg of Ham Its name burdened the dish with much expectation and I would say, it did not disappoint. This whole leg of ham weighs approximately 4-5 kg and when it was displayed, drew the 'wahhs' and 'woahs' from the table. That outer glazed was fantastically yummy. Aside, its interior was juicy and tender. Probably the highlight of the night and I would come back here just for this. However, you need a large group because 4kg worth of ham is indeed a sight to behold and finish.

Morgan's Christmas Feast If you prefer a mix of items, this platter will spoil you. As many as 11 different food - grilled sausages, two different type of ribs, the glazed ham slices, smoked turkey and siders (potatoes, carrots, onions, green beans and corn bread). This platter is probably good for 4. The Corn bread was especially good, seldom can you find this american dish here in Singapore, and i loved every crumb of it.

That incredible starter - beer candied baconThis glass of heaven - the beer candied bacon. Perhaps the dish better than the leg of ham. Accompanied with the X'mas beers, you can finish this sinful treat in seconds. Glazed in Morganfield's secret recipe, I doubt you can find a bacon as good as this elsewhere.

Basketful of porkPork at their various ends. The beer candied bacon appears again! The pop corn pork was very floury. Sliced pork Bratwurst which was a real treat. Great for sharing and married with beer. The interior - stewed cranberries and cubed peaches form the base. A portion of crumble (which was not enough) above, finished by a scoop of vanilla. Comfort X'mas dessert.

overall review: read my full review and the pricing of the dishes @ http://shauneeie.blogspot.sg/2014/11/morganfields-rib-tastic-xmas-special.html
a great place to spend x'mas this year