The Menu

The cafe was not busy despite being a Saturday thus I can happily spend my time here- having some snacks and reading magazines.
The menu wasn’t that extensive and limited starters, mains and desserts.
Current promotion: Order any of the promotional sandwich and get a free drink ( choice of berry , apple or banana)

Berry-delicious

This is the name of this drink and indeed was delicious! The smoothie consist of 5 different berries and it serves as a very refreshing drink . On top of that, berries are great antioxidants! Be warned , the smoothie is quite filling and would even fill you up quickly.


Half Time ($16.90 ++)

”Garlic pesto prawns with cheddar cheese in one half and peri-peri chicken and bacon in the other half on Focaccia bread”


Peri-peri chicken with bacon

The chicken meat was marinated with peri-peri sauce but it reminds me of the malay rendang gravy . It was rather tasty but the bacon were flimsy and hard.


Basil Pesto prawns and cheddar cheese
The prawns were tasteless and unfresh and the cheese was half-melted. Disappointing enough .
Overall, ambience was relaxing , the peri peri chicken was passable and I actually prefer the berry smoothie than the food.

There are several Italian restaurants in Holland Village- La Nonna, Al Dente Trattoria… & Amici is one of them. They used to be popular and have good ratings on the food but perhaps there was a change of chef, the standard seemed to have dropped.
The restaurant is cosy , narrow and cramp. The tables are placed facing the open kitchen where we can observe the chef at work. However, the restaurant is not well-ventilated and it gets rather stuffy and smoky having to dine in.

Mixed salad ( $8.90++)
Simple mixed salad with lots of sliced onions and kalamanta olives. Personally I do not really enjoy raw onions in salads.


Black cod with butter herb crust & mixed vegetable ($31.90++)
I was observing the chef at work and noticed one of them putting the cod in the microwave wave. What does that supposed to mean? It was oven-baked and not Microwaved! Anyway, back to the cod, the cod looks delicious but when I tried a little, it was way too salty! The ”butter-herb” crust was caramelized and salted and was enough to made me drink at least 3 glasses of water!

Verdict: DBS credit card gets 10 % discount ( ala-carte menu). A RETURN, unlikely....

Michelangelo’s had been on ”to-go” list. Previously helmed by Chef Angelo ( Started Angelo’s in Kiliney road) and after his departure, Chef Victor Tan took over and introduced a few of his ”own dishes’‘. The stalwarts like penne sambuca still remains on the menu.
Some new dishes being offered, braised boneless beef short ribs , Moroccan Lambshank, Chocolate fondant and The Seared scallops with caviar.


The menu

Recommended starters include the Pan seared scallops with caviar and the Seared Foie gras. Mains are priced on the higher side . They offer a 3 course lunch menu priced at $35 ++ and menu changes fortnightly. If you are feeling adventurous, try 3 course meal, which you can select an appetitzer, a main and a dessert from the ala-carte menu, priced at $58 (pasta) and $68 ( meat / seafood).


Pan seared scallops with carviar on onion confit & sun-dried tomato & pesto( $24++)

I would always love to try the chef’s signature as I believe it showcases the Chef’s skills and talent . This signature starter certainly did not disappoint! 4 de-shelled and crunchy prawns were paired with 3 bouncy and well-seared scallops.The scallops were the star of the show, they were fresh and has a bouncy texture. Paired with caviar and the sweet onion relish, it was perfeccct… particularly the onion relish, which leaves a sweet aftertaste.The prawns were also well-executed, they were not over-cooked and retain the firm texture.

Caesar Salad with poached egg ( $18++)
The Caesar salad was well-presented , top with a wobbly poached egg , slice of baguette and a crispy pancetta.The wobbly egg attracts my attention. I tried my best not to cause the runny egg yolk to leak out but the egg yolk blends in with the romaine lettuce, it taste great!While the caesar cream was too heavy , the crispy pancetta was sort of ”unhealthy” and the baguette ( replaced by croutons) was plain, the runny egg yolk helped to salvage the imperfection.
Sticky date pudding ( $13++)

The sticky date pudding is small but it serves as a filling dessert . I was recommended to try out this sticky date pudding. Frankly speaking, this is my first time trying a sticky date pudding and thus I am not very sure how to rate a sticky date pudding.
The sticky date pudding is served with a scoop of ice-cream butterscotch sauce and some fruits. The pudding was sweet and dense but towards the end, I felt that the base was a little charred but generally the pudding was average.


Verdict: A pleasant dining experience at Michelangelo’s. I have not been to Michelangelo’s and thus I was not sure whether the standard has risen or (dropped) after the departure of Chef Angelo but in IMHO, the scallops were yums!

A typical lunch/ dinner at Gunther’s does not come cheap, it can easily cost you $100 without even having wines but it all depends what you order, especially the seasonal items that would be showcased to you on a trolley.
However, a $38 ++ 3 course set lunch (menu changes weekly) doesn’t hurt the pockets!


Warm and extremely crusty mini baguette

I was having a bad flu and cough for the past week and it doesn’t get any better even after taking medication and thus I stay away from the cold dessert. The restaurant manager, Alexander kindly obliged to subsitute a light salad in replacement of the dessert offered .
Dessert of the day: Panna Cotta / Profiterols


A lovely Salad….

The salad looks pleasing to the eye and couldn’t bear to even eat it! When we hear the word ” salad’‘, some of us would start to groan and thought it was just salad leaves, tomatoes and perhaps some olives tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, so borrring…! But this salad may change your perspective. The use of different colours managed to catch my attention and whet my appetite.The platter of mixed grilled vegetables consist of grilled corn, mushrooms, segments of grapefruit, Scamorza cheese with some salad leaves .
Everything was well-executed but in particular, I like the Momotaro tomato ( in the center ) which was super sweet and juicy. The grilled corn also has a smoky flavour which is my second favourite .


Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon

This looks like baby food or porridge? The scrambled eggs were mixed with minimal cheese and milk. There were generous smoked salmon which has a smoked flavour to it but some may find it a little fishy .I ate it together with the crispy slices of baguette and I must admit that the baguette has a nice crunch to it! It’s the season of summer truffles and I’m sure it goes pretty well with the scrambled eggs.


Seafood pasta ( Capellini)
The seafood pasta came recommended by Alexander (The restaurant manager) . He assured that the seafood just arrived this morning and was very fresh.
When the pasta was presented , the fragrant aroma of the seafood stock stimulated my appetite . There were generous little neck clams, a fresh prawn and a small cod fish fillet that was well seasoned.The capellini was smooth and Chef Gunther loves to use Chives and chilli in his capellini pasta ( Check out one of the dish- Capellini with kombu, chives, dried shrimps ,chilli). The capellini pasta has a hint of spiciness but not too overpowering. Next time I shall try the version with dried shrimps to compare.


Verdict: No doubt it is one of the top French restaurant in Singapore ( other than Les Amis ). The 3 course lunch menu is reasonably-priced and would tempt you to visit them again!

North Border Bar & grill is ”housed” in a colonial style and lush bungalow, serving Southwest American Cuisine. Expect foods like jalapeno peppers, pico de gallo in your food… you get what I mean?
Sitting are alfresco, you get to choose smoking/ non-smoking area. The place gets pretty packed especially on friday and Saturday nights. Thus, a reservation is highly recommended, even for lunch!

The Set lunch menu

I had the 3 course set lunch ( 2 appetitzer and 1 mains )- $24 .90++. Skipped desserts as I am having a bad cold the past week.
Mixed green salad, marinated choyte, pecan chile dressing

Due to my allergy, they changed the pecan chile dressing to Balsamic dressing. The only special thing about this mixed salad is the Stuffed Jalapeno peppers with cream cheese which is slightly pungent and the cream cheese is not too heavy.


Achiote coated Ahi Tuna Salad

Did a goggle search and found out that Achiote refers to the seed of the Aploppas ( tree found in America). The seeds are extracted and made in a dye for colouring food. As you can see from the picture, the slices of tuna are coloured red.
When the Ahi tuna is served to me, I thought that the portion of the tuna was sort of miserable…. merely a few slices of tuna. But, the is well- coated with the Achiote dye, which leaves a very slight hint of spiciness. The tangy margarita dressing goes very well with the tuna. Well, they were generous with the spinach leaves though.


Bacon wrapped spring chicken, mashed potatoes, sauteed veg & pico de gallo

The ribeye steak and Salmon was recommended by the waitress but I had the spring chicken instead. Well, it depends what you crave that day. For me, since I had a salad and fish as starters, I would have the poultry as my mains.Drumsticks were served and they were wrapped around a thin slice of bacon. I would prefer the chicken to be roasted ( the bacon would be crispy then). The drumsticks were served cool and not warm. Perhaps it is the Western style of the Bai zhan zi ( chilled chicken). The meat was tender but a little dry .The corn looks sort of unfresh . Pico de Gallo added a tangy finish to the meal.

Verdict: Cool and relaxing ambience. The set lunch is priced reasonably and no wonder it was 90% full even on a weekday afternoon! The service is attentive even when the restaurant gets busy.