Full Restaurant Ember review: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/07/restaurant-ember-tasting-session.html

Among the earliest restaurants to open in Keong Saik Road, in 2002, long before the place became packed with hip cafes, Restaurant Ember in Hotel 1929 paved the way for the area by offering ground breaking, innovative, beautifully plated yet tasty modern Italian and French food, along with an unforgettable dining experience. When Head Chef Sebastian Ng moved on in May 2014, Chef Sufian Bin Zain, formerly of Iggy’s and Waku Ghin, took over the helm.Ambience at Restaurant Ember remains as intimate as ever. The rather small floor space is laid out smartly, with colours of navy blue against white, and low ambient lighting creating a soft, warm mood. Elegant, sophisticated touches of decor, including nostalgic / retro, and nautical themes adorn the walls. Elaborate table settings of shiny silverware, a hallmark of fine dining, create expectations of a gastronomic experience.Service at Restaurant Ember is professional, courteous, and efficient, as befits a fine dining establishment. Staff offer greetings / goodbyes, are prompt in seating diners, as well as clearing away empty / dirty plates from your table. They are knowledgable on the menu and dishes, able to provide insight into dishes, as well as proactively make recommendations. Staff also proactively ask for feedback on the dining experience, as well as come around regularly to top up water glasses.

Food at Restaurant Ember is modern European, blending the finest elements of French and Italian cuisine, elevated to an art form. Flavours are kept simple and clean, allowing the ingredients to shine. Chef Sufian Bin Zain has worked hard to distinguish himself and carve out a profile all his own, distancing himself somewhat from his more famous predecesscor. Dishes are generally very tasty, though some components in each dish miss the mark, but are all beautifully plated. Portions are of a decent size, and while each dish works well in taste and texture on its own, a complete course works together like a harmonious symphony. Prices at Restaurant Ember befits its fine dining status as well, budget at least SGD $90 per person, or more, for a meal here.The Mushroom Consomme, Shimeji, Chicken & Foie Gras Tortellini (SGD $16) was a soup I enjoyed. The earthy, almost herbal, dark soup / broth is strong with the essence of mushrooms, and the small shimeji mushroom heads dotting the dish complements it well. The chicken and foie gras tortellini were excellent, savoury with a fatty melt-in-your-mouth texture, delightful. Great starter, wanted more of it. Highly recommended!The Pan-Seared Welsh Lamb Rack, Ratatouille, Cous Cous, Thyme Jus (SGD $45) was very good, though again with a gamey taste. The vegetable ratatouille was executed well, you still get some crunch, with some softness, yet the vegetables still hold flavour without being limp. The fluffy cous cous works well with the tender, succulent lamb, which succumbs easily to the knife. Nice moist texure in the meat as well. The flavourful thyme jus still wasn't enough to mask the gamey lamb taste though. However, I would still recommend this dish!

Full Brewerkz review: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/07/brewerkz-tasting-session.html

Established in 1997 by Americans Devin Otto Kimble and Daniel Flores, Brewerkz is Singapore's oldest surviving microbrewery. Known for their award-winning craft beers, hearty American food, and friendly service, Brewerkz has consistently been pulling in the crowds, and doesn't look like they'll be letting up anytime soon!Ambience at Brewerkz has a modern industrial feel. You can actually see their beer brewing machinery, under the industrial looking water tower! Colours of blue, grey, and silver, along with wooden furniture, corrugated zinc decked bar tops, and warm, low ambient mood lighting creates a relaxed, casual, intimate atmosphere. The private booths are perfect for small groups, while the outdoor al-fresco seating along the Singapore River is picturesque at night. Overall, very good ambience!Service at Brewerkz is friendly and efficient. Although it's sometimes hard to catch their attention, as staff are almost always rushing around, they do attend to requests very quickly. Staff also offer greetings / goodbyes to diners. Waiting time for orders is decent, expect to be served within 15 minutes or so, even during peak periods. The menu has helpful descriptions of each dish, but staff may not always be able to answer questions on the food. Decent service overall.Food at Brewerkz is all about classic American dishes, served in large, hearty portions. Recently though, Brewerkz has also started to hand make more items on premises, such as desserts. Expect heavy Southen influence in dishes, particularly from the state of Texas in the United States Of America. Food is generally full of flavour, accompanied by tasty sauces, generously portioned, and reasonably priced. Budget about SGD $37 per person for a meal with drinks here.

The 3 Big Pigs Platter (SGD $90) is served with a chunky, slightly creamy White Cheddar Mashed Potato, and features the 3 signature meat items here. The Baby Back Ribs is done East Texas style, with fork tender pork meat that tears off the bone easily, and a sweet, tangy, sticky barbecue sauce glaze that coats the entire rib, making it very succulent and tasty! The Kielbasa Sausages are hearty, meaty, large pork sausages that are grilled perfectly, with a juicy interior and a snappy casing exterior. The Pork Knuckle is oven baked till the skin crisps, and is served over tangy sauerkraut, akin to traditional German styles. However, this was my least favourite of the 3 items, because the Pork Knuckle meat was somewhat dry. Overall, a very good dish worth ordering to share!The Satay Seafood Angel Hair Pasta (SGD $25) was created to celebrate Singapore's Golden Jubilee year / SG50. The reimagined Satay Bee Hoon features tender red snapper fish, and chewy soda cuttlefish, doused in a savoury, sweet, crunchy homemade cashew nut gravy. Complimented by the bouncy al-dente angel hair pasta, this dish hits all the right notes of flavour and texture. Well thought out, well executed, completely delicious. Easily our favourite dish of the evening, highly recommended!

Full The Chop Chop Selections review: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/07/the-chop-chop-selections.html

Located in the revamped Simpang Bedok Market Place, The Chop Chop Selections is a meat and seafood centric grill house and rotisserie. Think atas kopitiam Western hawker food. This prominent corner stall has a good range of grilled items on the menu, and they're known for taking great care in grilling your food.Ambience at The Chop Chop Selections is similar to the rest of the stalls here, on account of the shared casual seating, and clean, bright atmosphere. Part of the appeal at The Chop Chop Selections is their range of meats on display, where you can browse and choose the type of cut you want. Love that they've also put effort into some decor, with several retro signages and a vespa!

Service at The Chop Chop Selections is completely self-service. Ordering, payment, and collection of orders and utensils is all done over the counter. Staff are able to make simple recommendations, though they can be slightly brusque, seemingly impatient for you to place your order. Waiting time is rather short, within 10 minutes, and they provide a buzzer to alert you for collection.

Food at The Chop Chop Selections is Western style hawker food, but done with great care. Thought is put into plating and presentation, and dishes are rather photogenic. Great care is taken in grilling meats and seafood, and I find their dishes to be tasty, and value for money. Portions are more than sufficient for 1 person, and prices at The Chop Chop Selections are comparable to a cafe, budget about SGD $18 per person for a meal here.

The Premium Ribeye Steak (SGD $18.50), done rare, is tender, juicy, and packed with savoury beef flavour. The cut is a little thin I feel, but looks presentable, and for the price, is actually a pretty good cut of steak that is nicely grilled. The fresh iceberg lettuce and juicy cherry tomatoes lend a burst of colour and freshness, while the potato salad chunks are nicely chilled and crunchy in texture. Overall a satisfiying dish!The Grilled Salmon (SGD $16.50) is served with fresh iceberg lettuce and crunchy potato salad on the side. But the star is the fresh, albeit thin, slab of grilled salmon. With a crisp skin, firm, flaky fish flesh that is grilled to a light pink, then drizzled with sweet teriyaki sauce glaze, which gives it a light sweetness and savoury umami taste. Pretty good dish worth ordering!

Full Ballistic Meatballs review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/07/ballistic-meatballs.html

A meatball concept restaurant in Simpang Bedok Market Place, the Ballistic Meatballs stall opened in May 2015. Touting hand made meatballs, and with a name that is a pun itself, Ballistic Meatballs has a simple, straightforward menu, with a very niche concept.

Ambience at Ballistic Meatballs is shared with the rest of the stalls in the area. The clean, white look and feel projects a sense of minimalist zen, and you can see staff hard at work in the open kitchen. Part of the appeal here is their high bar stools, though I much prefer sitting in the spacious common area in front of the stall.Service at Ballistic Meatballs is decent. Staff are young and cheery, offering greetings when you step in. They're rather knowledgable about the menu and meatball ingredients, able to answer basic questions. And while ordering and payment is self-service, staff do serve orders to your table if you sit nearby.

Food at Ballistic Meatballs is designed around meatballs. The meatballs are small, hand made, and generally of decent taste. Ballistic Meatballs has a few other options on their small menu, including several side dishes, and sliders. Portions are small for 1 person, and prices are reasonable, budget about SGD $9 per person for a meal here.

The chef has experimented with creating his own flavours, and the meatballs here are a distinct fusion of Western presentation and Asian flavours. And they're also a No Pork, No Lard store.

The Salted Egg Yolk Fries (SGD $7.90) is a new item on the menu, and most of our group found it delicious! The salted egg yolk sauce is thick, creamy, with good flavour that is a mix of salty and spicy (from curry leaves). The fries are hot, with a medium thickness, and the combination is delightful. However, it needs to be eaten quickly, as it doesn't taste as good when it cools.Meatballs are the speciality here. The Plain Jane Chicken Meatballs (SGD $4) are small and round, with a slight bouncy texture to the meat. You can't really taste the chicken, as the herbs and spices are a lot stronger, but overall, I liked it! The Signature Cheesy Beef Meatballs (SGD $5.90) feature a cheese stuffed beef meatball, garnished with crunchy sesame seeds While I liked the savoury, salty taste, the texture isn't as pleasant as the other meatballs, being slightly dry.

Full D'zerts Cafe review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/07/dzerts-cafe.html

Located along the stretch of shophouses in Simpang Bedok, near the fire station, D'zerts Cafe is a speciality dessert cafe that does pretty good waffles and ice cream. Owner and chef Lemuel Tay started baking as a Navy chef, and decided to strike out to open D'zerts Cafe with his dad, Mr. Tay Yong Seng, in April 2013.Ambience at D'zerts Cafe is fun and casual, with bright colours of green, red, pink and white. Furniture is simple but modern, and the clean, brightly lit interior is spacious. The menu is clear and legible, and the quirky pastries displayed in the dessert counter are very attractive. A faint aroma of waffles and baking lingers in the air, while the edible garden outside lends a touch of greenery. Nice place for chilling!Service at D'zerts Cafe is casual, but friendly. Staff are quick to seat you and take orders, and are knowledgable enough to make recommendations on popular flavours for ice cream. However, expect to wait a little longer for food, especially during peak periods, as the kitchen takes some time to prepare it.

Food at D'zerts Cafe is simple, but also their weakest point overall. Their desserts are pretty good, especially their waffles and ice cream. However, the finger food here is terrible, poor quality offerings, and should be avoided. Portions are nicely sized for individuals, though sharing of desserts is recommended. Budget about SGD $10 per person for desserts here.The crisp outside, soft inside, fluffy Plain Jane Waffle (SGD $7.90) are very good, and worth ordering if you're in the area! The Waffle With Mango Sorbet & Peanut Butter Ice Cream (SGD $13.70) was possibly the best combination we tried, the Mango Sorbet was rich, thick, and fruity, though a tad overly sweet. The Peanut Butter Ice Cream was the best ice cream flavour of the day, rich, creamy, nutty, and thick, excellent! Highly recommend ordering the Peanut Butter Ice Cream!An above average Salted Caramel Cheesecake, I thought this was pretty good. The texture of the cheesecake is properly smooth and creamy, with a rich cheese and salted caramel flavour. Balanced in taste, you get both the sweet and salty notes. Good!