My much awaited lunch date with Ember was finally fufilled. Outside Hotel 1929 lies the notorious red-light district of Keong Saik Road; inside, the mood is more serene as the diners persue the electic mod- Euro menu from the talented Sebastian Ng. The food is consistently good and imaginative. Like the food, the decor is neither fussy nor pretentious. The 3 course set lunch menu is popular with the business executives. There are several options for the appetitizers and mains. There are specials of the day that are not found in the menu as well. Top up additional $6 for the foie gras. I was a little amazed that the speed that they served this bread. The warm and crusty bread was presented to me almost immediately after placing my order. The warm and crusty bread is no doubt a sun-dried tomato bread. However, this is one of the best bread that I had tried so far. The crispy crust of the bread just got me hooked. Great for some nibbling while waiting for the appetitizer. Crispy tofu with shimeji mushrooms and bonito flakes Folks, this is not some simple and common tofu that that you can find in local restaurants or kopitiam. Well, I was a little skeptical about trying this tofu. What makes does this tofu stands out from the other appetitizers and being so popular with the patrons. The tofu was deep-fried till the outer layer is crispy and the interior is warm and soft. There were strips of stiitake mushrooms embedded in the tofu itself. The tofu is really crispy and they topped it with bonito flakes and crispy shimeji mushrooms. The foie gras sauce which was serve along tasted a little salty in the beginning but towards the end, it complement very well with the tofu. Now I finally understood why this tofu is so ”legendary”. Chilean Seabass with smoked bacon ragout and mushrooms, truffle-yuzu butter sauce This was clearly a winner. However, most people would opt for the marinated miso cod which was ever popular. The chilean seabass was the best fish that I had this year. The top layer is crusty, with hint of craked black pepper while the fish meat is soooo tender and juicy. I savoured it slowly and the fish meat just melts in my mouth in every bite. I like the accompanying truffle- yuzu butter sauce while was not heavy and creamy. The smoked bacon was very crispy and had a smoky flavour while the mushrooms were fragrant. Those who love bacon would definately love this! There are very generous with the bacon bits though. However, it was a little too much for me to finish Warm Valhorna Chocolate Cake I wasn’t impressed with this warm valhorna chocolate cake. The warm chocolate cake was served with the chocolate lava flowing out thus I did not have the opportunity to ”poke” it. The vanilla bean ice-cream was almost tasteless thus I did not like it. The warm chocolate cake was not even warm and it just lack the ”oomph” factor that I was looking for. There were some hits and misses here. Apparently Ember fare well in their mains and appetitizers and not the desserts. The staff who served me speaks too fast and I couldn’t catch what she is saying and thus had to repeat over to me again. The restaurant is not very big and it was almost full at around 1230pm thus it is strongly recommended to make reservations. One thing that I find it a little disturbing is the noise level which is too noisy

Yoguru, another yoghurt joint serving soft serve flavoured yoghurt. I enjoy soft serve yoghurt compared to those creamy ice-cream.

Yoguru’s soft serve yoghurt is slightly pricey compared to Yami Yoghurt, Yoghurt stop…etc. The regular cup itself would cost you $3.80 but if you mix 2 flavours, that would be $4.10. But hey, the regular cup would equal to the medium cup at Yami Yoghurt! Each toppings are priced at $1.20 and double at $1.80.

There were 2 flavour available for the day- Blueberry and Natural. Both are equally food thus I decided to mix two flavours together. I love strawberries and mangoes thus they are choose as the toppings.

I feel that all soft serve yoghurt taste quite similar, it was the difference in consistency (some are creamier). The yoghurt is slightly creamy and melts quite fast. Enjoy them quickly before they starts melting.

Vis a Vis means ”face to face” in English but here I am not teaching or translating French language into English but to recommend a French Fine Dining Restaurant. Vis a Vis is located at Chun Tin road and in case you are wondering where is it, it is just opposite Bukit Timah Shopping Centre and along the row of shophouses. I was working around that area for more than a year and did not realise there is actually a French restaurant.



Vis a Vis has merged with Sursip Thai Restaurant and therefore, they do serve Thai cuisine besides French.


The interior has a elegant-looking style. Awards and accolades were being displayed and visible the moment you stepped into the restaurant.

The menu offers a selection of french dishes but rather on a pricey side. I would suggest to order the set lunch priced at $21.80 ++ or perhaps the 3 course chef’s menu priced at $58++. Appetitizers are priced ranging from $17 – $30 onwards,Mains $30 ++ onwards and desserts , $15 ++ onwards.

I took the Chef’s menu as it seems more reasonable for 3 course.



Avacado & Crabmeat Au gratin

The avacado au gratin appeared to be my starter instead of ”The Vis a Vis House Salad”.

Baked in the oven, forming a browned crust, the avacado and crabmeat were mixed and blended together . Au gratin dishes are normally baked with cheese or breadcrumbs as toppings and this Avacado & Crabmeat version was very creamy . I can see the mashed avacado but crabmeat was not in sight.I know they mixed the carbmeat in as there were some bits of crabshells in the gratin.



Grilled Black cod dusted with garlic chips laced with tangy passionfruit coulis

The mains was a choice of The Black cod / medallion of Emu (Ostrich). I had the former as I have no idea what is Emu until I goggle searched on the net.

I was very pleased with my Grilled black cod. Deepfried minced garlic topped on the tender and melting black cod fillets. The minced garlic added a nice fragrance to the fish too.

I was a little surpised that they served a small little puff pastry filled with creamy mushroom ragout. Indeed, the puff pastry is very flaky and the creamy mushroom ragout were superb!

Ratatouille is worth mentioning as well as the vegetables were crunchy and appetitizing.
The passionfruit coulis is slightly creamy and it provides a tangy and refreshing flavour to the dish.



”Vis a Vis House Salad”


I thought salads are usually served as the first course but they served it to me right at the last dish, becoming a dessert instead.

The salad was served beautifully in a glass plate. Mesclun salad leaves with diced pears , strawberries, tomatoes, almond flakes tossed in a home-made dressing. I like the dressing which is quite different as the chef added some minced garlic to the salad as well. I enjoy the pears and strawberries as they were crunchy and sweet.

Overall: Good food but the service totally sucks to the max. The moment I enter the restaurant, they handed me the menu and before I could ask anything or order, the waiter seemed to be very kan chiong and snatched away the menu from me. It was the first time I encounter this which is kinda rude ??? They seemed to be having a grumpy face and purposely made noises using the untensils which I felt was rather fustrating and on top of that, the moment I finished my last morsel of the salad, they quickly asked me ,” You want the bill?” Of course I would gladly foot the bill but it’s kinda rushing me …

I am very pleased with the food in terms of taste ,presetation and quality. My favourite would be the Grilled black cod which is so tender and melts in my mouth in every bite. I would strongly encourage them to improve their service to avoid losing customers … Of course I would love to make a re-visit as the food was superb!

A re-visit to Pontini, this time round with my dining partner, Oyster Diaries (Rachel). We planned this lunch date a few weeks back as I recieved the 30% discount voucher from my previous dining and thus I decided to use it to off-set for this lunch.

I was having high anticipation for the Italian National Day but was disappointed when the promotion menu ended on the 12 June, we just missed it by 2 days!

Even though the antipasti buffet looks interesting, OD decided not to have the buffet. Both of us decided to get the set. While OD got the 3 course set lunch priced at $45 ++ and I went for The Italian 3 course set lunch priced at $68++.



Warm vegetable salad, red endives, beetroot jelly and foam

My starter was the warm vegetable salad served in a small glass. I thought it was kinda interesting to serve a small serving of salad in a glass. The salad comes with edamme beans, green peas, asparagus, zucchini, squash, asparagus, endives… they were all diced into small cubes . The dressing has a tangy flavour and the beetroot jelly ” coloured” the vegetables into slightly purplish and gave a sweet after-taste. The salad serves as a great starter for the proper meal.



Gorgonzola & Walnut Salad

OD had the Rocket Salad with gorgonzola & walnuts. She was not informed that it was actually a rocket salad as she personally dislike the peppery taste of Rocket salad leaves. Well, she offered a little for me to try.

The salad comes with some sliced pears, candied walnuts which OD loves it and gorgonzola cheese which the cheese is a little too strong for her.



Linguine with smoked lobster, white wine, fresh tomatoes


This linguine with lobster pasta is one of their signature pasta dish and I was glad I had this as my middle course. I thought that the linguine pasta looks more like spaghetti but it is cooked al-dente, the way I liked it. The lobster meat was a little firm and I do like the fresh tomatoes being used as the pasta base.



Salmon with roasted potatoes

OD had the salmon as her mains but she was not too pleased with her salmon as the sides were a little hard and rough but the middle part of the salmon was alright. However, she loves the lemon caper sauce which has a tangy flavour . Bth of us were not fan of potatoes but she actually likes this roasted potatoes which was slightly sweet, probably caramelised and reminds her of sweet potatoes.



Cod wrapped in parma ham, kale, caramelised onion, ham stock

The cod wrapped parma ham is also another Pontini’s signature dish but it failed to impress me.

The maitre’d would pour the ham stock in front me and I can literally smell the aroma of ham stock. The cod was wrapped like a rolade with parma ham . The parma ham was chewy and does not have the smoked flavour, probably due to ”soaking” in the ham stock and thus it went slightly soft. The cod was alright but certain parts were a little overdone.The essence lies in the ham stock which is a savoury and rich broth. The ”mui cai” would probably refer to the kale. Indeed, it looks and taste like ”mui cai”(salted veggies) which has a slight sourish and salty flavour and I adore those cute little balls of shallots!



Apple Tart

OD had the apple tart which comes along with her set lunch. She had too much ice-cream for the past few days thus she had the apple tart instead of the cassata.

OD is a fan of desserts and this rendition of apple tart reminds her of an orange-flavoured tart instead of an apple tart. I tried a little and I could taste a strong flavour of orange rather than apple. I think the tart is called an apple tart probably due to the few slices of apples topped on it.We thought that the apple tart would probably comes with a scoop of ice-cream but a dollop of fresh cream was served on the side. OD didn’t like cream thus she didn’t had it.

She carefully explained the tart to me, frangipane tart, orange taste, the middle part uses good butter, slices of apple… so detailed. I guess she is another dessert connoisseur!

You would probably heard of Corriander Leaf Cooking School but Screening Room Bistro might be the first time you heard of it’s name. It is a posh bistro as well as movie threatre on the second floor. The restaurant is a Mediterrean sequel to owner local Celebrity Chef, Samia Ahad’s blockbuster Persian-Asian Original, Corriander Leaf in Clarke Quay. It is just opposite Kki sweets and beside ”The Patissier”, perhaps you might want to have lunch here before grabbing some desserts.

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Screeing Room has 5 floors:

1. The Roof top: The Terrace

Fantastic position to overlook Chinatown, with alfresco area for gatherings and probably have some wines.

2. The Film Theatre:

Film and private bars showing films from all over the world. Private screeings can be organized by making bookings.

3. The Studio

It’s highly customizable facilities and mini-studio allows you to hold a conference, private cocktails and dinners and even fashion shows!

4. The Restaurant

Modern Asian menu is served by Culinary Director of Corriander Leaf Group, Samia Ahad.

5. Malt Vault (bar)

Showcases some of the world’s sought-after single malts and place for Whiskey lovers.


Expect Fusion food to be served here and the menu is 70% similar to the Corriander Leaf Bistro. Screening Room offers a 3 course set lunch priced at $28.50++ and menu changes weekly. Ala-carte available as well because on the pricey side. They offer ”bar-bites” where they serve some of the appetizers in small portion which allows you to sample various dishes.




Chilled prawn with quail egg, cucumber & herb mayo

The amuse bouche was a chilled prawn topped with a quail egg with some fish caviar. The prawn was really fresh and sweet. I like the herb mayo which goes well with the small slice of cucumber and prawn.


Mesclun salad ($8++)


A simple mesclun salad to start off. The radish (in pink) taste like wasabi which has a slight bitter taste.



Crabcakes in homemade tomato chutney – bar-bites portion ($12++)


They offers quite a variety of bar-bites items which I faced some difficulties in choosing what to order. I narrowed down the choices from the hummus to the lamb-kebabs. The staff recommended the Crab-cakes to be one of the popular bar-bites item.

They offer 3 pieces of crabcakes for bar-bites portion and 5 pieces for ala-carte. The crabcakes coquettes were very crispy and filled with generous crabmeat, onions, capsicums, corriander leaves and some other stuff which I am unsure and of course , a dash of Indian spice.

The Tomato chutney that is served along with the crabcakes has a strong aroma of Indian spices and it was a little spicy . The chef added some black mustard seeds, indian spices together along with tomatoes. Those who are not used to spicy and indian food should are advised to drink more water!



Roasted cod with tomato & red pepper fondue & flamed roasted provence vegatable skewer ($33++)



Surprisingly, the roasted cod is the only fish item being offered as the Mains. The roasted cod is served in a tomato-based fondue, alongside with a vegetable skewer.

The cod is roasted and has a crispy skin and silken and fish meat. The cod is topped with red capsicum relish that has the soft texture of Jelly. Every bite melts in my mouth and it is that delicious.

The tomato fondue has a tangy taste and the taste reminds me of tomato-based food in Indian cuisine due to the addition of onions and herbs.


The vegetables - Zucchini, squash, eggplants and tomatoes are lightly sprinkled with some sea-salt and roasted. Just look at the burnt edges, I probably had to skip that. The roasted vegetables were slightly burnt, resulting in a bitter taste.

Overall verdict: The restaurant is very quiet and ideal for a quiet and relaxed lunch. The food served here focuses more on fusion thus some of us might not be able to get used to the taste eg. Pakistan and Indian food. Screening Room is popular for it’s movie screening and now it is another excuse for me to go back again for food!