photos and more here: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/the-market-grill-tanjong-pagar/

the food was delicious, the ambience cosy – I only wished the prices were a little less on the high side.

let’s start with the obvious. obscure location, check; portlandish aspirations, check; old-school that never happened here, check. and yet, this place is endearing – the tables aren’t too cramped, there’s just the right amount of people for a pleasant hum in the air, and I have a soft spot for great design, even if it has vaunted provenance in a school of thought I don’t belong to.

to cut to the short of it – there are far too many reviews about this place – the food was fantastic. we had the lobster (of course we did), and while rather small – the flesh was sweet and succulent, dripping with delicious seafoody brine. but even better than the lobster, was the dreamy cut of bavette at medium-rare - it came pink and juicy and tender and beefy. and with silky caramelized onions, and a petite jug of complexly savoury gravy – this was truly silence-inspiring.

we finished with their rum banana pockets. this was the weakest dish – the pastry a little too thick and oily, though at least the bananas were satisfyingly soft.

we came (somewhat) for the lobster, but we’ll return for the beef. they have a real charcoal grill and the cooking truly is expert. and the place is gorgeous and intimate, pretensions aside. we had a surly indian waiter – not hipster cool but genuinely unpleasant – which marred the experience somewhat, but the other female waitresses were friendly and pleasan. come here for beef (I have hopes for their other grilled meats), then go elsewhere for dessert. but really,in all, well-deserving of the hype.

photos and more: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/arkadas-cafe-one-north/

This place was a gem – expert, wholesome cooking coming out of a tiny kitchen. reasonable prices and decent portions too.

We started off with warm fluffy pide and hummus; the bread was crusty and delicious, the hummus decent.

I had a grilled chicken breast: moist and tender – at a standard I would expect from a restaurant. my friends had the adana kebab (a lamb-beef mix) and the baked rice – both of which went down easily enough.

We finished with baklava – and while it wasn’t the best I’ve had, it’s more than I expected. The pastry was sweet though not tooth-achingly so, and moistened just enough for the filo layers to still be discernible. I remember a slight floury after-texture, but nothing off-putting.

A tiny, unpretentious, but immensely likable café – and gratifyingly close to the gastronomic wasteland of my workplace. I see repeat visits in my gastronomic crystal ball.

photos and more: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/08/shots-cafe-tanjong-pagar/

Decent place to rest in the hipster part of Chinatown. I’m no coffee drinker, much less a connoisseur – so the judgment I pass on this place is it’s a good spot of air-conditioning on a sweltering afternoon.

I got a hazelnut latte, settled down to the appetite magazines (gotta love their photos) strewn on the table, and let the afternoon melt away.

One tall latte costs about $8+.

photos of the savouries here: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/melt-the-world-cafe-town-part-1/
photos of the sweets here: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/melt-the-world-cafe-town-part-2/

probably the best buffet I’ve had in singapore – in short: high quality food – not the best in themselves, especially if considered separately - but very good for the fantastically large range on offer. even better than the line at the shangri-la, which has seen standards dwindling in the past years. heavy sticker on this one too, but we waddled away overstuffed and happy – so perhaps an occasional treat?

they have a lovely garden outside near the barbecue area – very lovely. there’s a lovely spread of bread and salads on offer; the cold seafood section was rather fresh. I rather like the barbecued section – though it was a little occupied (pitiful singular waiter grilling up everything), everything from the roast pork to the seafood made us happy.

they had a european section with stews and loads of vegetables – something very often missing in buffets. a decent indian section too – but I think straits kitchen wins out here.

and a nominal section of east asian offerings – chinese cooked food and a japanese section. the sushi was rather paltry though – I’d say to keep the space for something else.

there was a rather fantastic dessert spread here though. the long of the short is that the desserts span cakes, mousses, little mignardises and modernesque dessert-in-spoons, fruit and a cheese board. and a waffle maker.

layered mousse cakes, apricot tea cakes, american-type carrot cake, a berried trifle and local kueh kuehs – my sister went a little nuts over their tiny spoonfuls of dessert – I think there must have been more than ten on offer.

I was quite impressed with the cheese counter. it was small but satisfying, especially since none of us had much space left for cheese anyway. a pretty good range of fruit too that was frequently replenished.

the restaurant isn’t super modern, but rather homey old-school, good for large family dinners; it was noisy and vibrant, and everybody was kept happy with the spread of food. it is probably one of the more expensive buffets, and so wasted on me – but if you have a decent appetite, this will do right.

photos and more: http://andmorefood.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/the-halia-town/

this place was impressive – and while it wasn’t cheap, I dare say it was rather well worth it.

friendly service, a quiet corner of the hotel, and retro furnishings (very appropriately so, and hence not too hipster) – and good food plus reasonable prices: I think this beats many of my recent gastroventures clear out the water. fine dining without poncy starched-up nonsense.

the chef’s soup of the day was a great start – a lightly truffled bowl of cauliflower puree. our middle courses carried the momentum of the great start: we were very pleasantly surprised by the beautifully arranged plates of cured kingfish and sous vide chicken leg. the flavors were intense but complementary; and the chicken might be one of the best executions of poultry I’ve had in a while. the skin was well-seasoned, the butternut squash a sweet counternote to the savoury dish – and really a feast for the eyes.

their desserts were also really good. that makes it a winner from starter to fin – something that happens too infrequently. the sticky toffee was warm, with a slight drizzle of caramel sauce and creamy vanilla-bean ice cream.
the ginger nougat parfait was very interesting. almost like a semifreddo.

it is a lovely space – might feel a little cramped if full house, but otherwise quiet and very cosy. service was well-paced and unobtrusive; one of the best meals I’ve had recently, from start to finish. wholly and unconditionally recommended.