After vacating their previous premises at Chijmes, bespoke whisky bar The Auld Alliance has found a new home in Rendezvous Gallery, next to Rendezvous Hotel. Established in 2011 by Mr. Emmanuel Dron, The Auld Alliance is named after a period of truce between Scotland and France, and is widely considered to be Singapore's finest whisky bar.
Ambience at The Auld Alliance retains its classical library style, with huge plush leather couches, dim lighting, and rows upon rows of bookshelves, lined with The Auld Alliance extensive range of over 1,400 labels of whisky. The spacious layout can accomodate over 60 people, including a private 14-seater room for those seeking even greater privacy than what The Auld Alliance hidden location currently offers.Service at The Auld Alliance is professional and knowledgable. Besides the owner, staff are trained and well versed in the vast collection of whisky available, from the various labels, to serving, and even curating and storage. Don't let the 70 page book-like menu intimidate you, just ask the staff if you need assistance!The Auld Alliance doesn't offer any food, beyond simple nuts / snacks. Go for the 1,400 labels of whisky, ranging in price from as low as SGD $14 per glass, to as high as hundreds of dollars per glass for the rare labels. The menu helpfully has some descriptions, on taste of each whisky, and their country of origin. Befittingly, the majority of whisky is from Scotland, though they also carry other whisky labels from many other countries, including Australia, France, Taiwan and India.Besides the extensive range of whisky, The Auld Alliance also offers an extensive variety of wines, with over 80 labels available. They also offer a decent selection of cocktails and absinthe.
The Absinthe Clandestine Marianne (SGD $23 Per Glass) is a white Swiss absinthe, has a refreshing minty taste with flavours of anise, wild flower, and honey, and a lingering bitterness of wormwood.The Whisky Glendronach 12 Year Old Sherry Cask (SGD $16 Per Glass) is a Scottish whisky, with a medium body, tastes of nuts and fruit, hints of sherry, and a strong alcohol aroma.

Full The Auld Alliance review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/06/the-auld-alliance.html

Full Akashi Japanese Restaurant review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/05/akashi-japanese-restaurant.html

Operating under the Akashi Group of restaurants, Akashi Japanese Restaurant focuses on serving fresh, high quality sushi, sashimi, and Japanese shabu shabu at decent prices.
Ambience at Akashi Japanese Restaurant is casual and comfortable, with decor in the Japanese style... quite zen. Wood and panelling is prominent throughout. Part of the appeal is the sushi bar, where you can watch chefs prepare the fresh sushi and sashimi!
I like the service at Akashi Japanese Restaurant. Staff top up drinks without being asked, and ordering is done via tablets. Food is also served pretty quickly, you rarely have to wait long even during peak periods. However, it seems odd that Akashi Japanese Restaurant makes diners self-pay at the cashier, rather than serving the bill to the table.
Specialities at Akashi Japanese Restaurant include their Sushi and Sashimi. Freshness is key here, and all the dishes I sampled had very fresh ingredients, treated with respect and allowed to shine through on the palate. Portions are nicely sized for 1 - 2 people, though prices can escalate quickly if you order more.
The Sashimi Salmon & Salmon Belly is beautifully sliced thick. Very fresh, the fattiness comes through in the taste. Excellent!Interestingly, the Agedashi Tofu here is served With 4 Toppings, including seaweed strips, spring onions, white daikon radish, and bonita fish flakes. Unusual pairings, but they work quite well, with the crisp exterior and soft tofu interior.I felt the Gyoza was probably the weakest dish here. The filling is loose and scanty / not tightly packed, and not too tasty. Skip this.

Full The Grocer By Sterling review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/05/the-grocer-by-sterling.html

The Grocer By Sterling is a integrated service provider by Sterling Trends & Concepts Pte Ltd, located in the rather ulu Media Circle road in Normanton Park area. Because of its concept, The Grocer By Sterling is easily the only convienence store located anywhere near this area, and provides a wide range of services.
Such services provided by The Grocer By Sterling include dry cleaning and laundry, sale of phone cards, a small minimart / convienence store with snacks, amenities, and drinks. The Grocer By Sterling also has an integrated cafe and bar, with a snooker / pool table. This makes the ambience here outstanding, almost like dining in a premium supermarket, and you can even choose indoor or outdoor seating! Brightly lit, furniture is semi comfortable and functional, generally quite quiet because there aren't many people.Staff at The Grocer By Sterling are friendly, though there usually is only 1 or 2 of them at any time. Still, they are able to make recommendations on the various options from the decent sized menu. Food is prepared nearly from scratch, which means a short waiting time of 15 - 20 minutes before you're served. Trust me though, the food is definitely worth the wait!
The Grocer By Sterling offers a variety of cuisine here, mainly Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Singaporean, Filipino and Thai, as well as Western cuisine such as American, Italian and British. There is a good range of tasty main dishes and bar snack, with portion sizes being above average. Prices at The Grocer By Sterling are extremely affordable, costing less than SGD $10 per dish!
Beer Ryan And The Beaster Bunny (SGD $8.50) is a seasonal Denmark saison beer that has a deep straw colour with a cloudy body, aroma of lemon, cloves and bread, with a light, sweet, fruity taste of pear and grapes, with a smooth and clean finish.Beer Mongozo Mango (SGD $7.50) takes its name from the Chokwe tribe of Zambia, which means "To Your Health!". A fruity and sweet tropical brew with a prominent mango taste, this straw coloured beer has a sweet, slick texture like velvet, and a sugary finish that lingers on the palate.I loved the Sweet Potato Fries (SGD $7) here! Thick cut, cooked perfectly till crisp outside, yet still soft inside, with a intense sweet potato flavour, this is a great bar snack. Good enough even without any extra sauce!The Adobo (SGD $8) is considered the national dish of the Philippines. This Filipino creation consists of onions, pork loin and pork belly, marinated in garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar, served with potatoes and an egg. The Adobo is excellent, well balanced salty, savoury and sour taste without being overpowering. The meat is beautifully lean and tender, and the potatoes and egg just soft enough. All porcine fans should try this at least once in their life!Another dish from the Philippines, the Sinigang (SGD $8) is a braised pork belly soup / broth, with onions, eggplant, garlic, orka, tomato, white daikon radish, water spinach / kang kong. The signature sour and savoury flavour of the soup comes from tamarind. The Sinigang here is pretty good, with tender meat and fresh vegetable, but the balance is slightly off, being more salty than sour.

Part retro diner, part vintage museum, Kombi Rocks (Diner) took over a now defunct coffee shop called Koon Kee at this location along Yio Chu Kang Road. Popular for their affordable Asian style food and great ambience, Kombi Rocks (Diner) can see queues of up to 1 hour, unless you make reservations in advance!The ambience at Kombi Rocks (Diner) is retro / vintage themed. Decor is a combination of tributes to music, mostly featuring the Beatles, and tributes to vehicles. Furniture is a throwback to the past, with old barber chairs or wooden coffee shop chairs, mixed with metallic tables. Space is small, and tables are packed quite close together. Even the layout is different, ranging from family style zi char table dining, to cozy couple 2 seaters.
The fleet of classic / retro vehicles here are available for rental, and are normally taken up by wedding packages. Toy memorabilia displayed in the cabinets are for sale. And on Tuesday and Thursday nights, Kombi Rocks (Diner) hosts live musicians playing golden oldies.Service at Kombi Rocks (Diner) is semi self-service, where you order and make payment at the counter, but staff wil serve your order to the table. Staff are generally young, perhaps part-timers, and quite friendly, able to make recommendations if asked. Food is also served quite quickly even despite peak periods, normally between 10 - 20 minutes.
Food at Kombi Rocks (Diner) revolves around Asian cuisine, featuring a mix of influences ranging from Thai, to Chinese, to Singaporean. But there is some hint of Western style influence as well, as Kombi Rocks (Diner) is also a bar, with a decent range of drinks / beer / wine, and bar snacks. Prices are very affordable per dish, but you'll need to reserve a table if you don't want to wait too long!
The bottled beers here are among the cheapest in Singapore, with a Beer Stella Artois at SGD $8, and a German Beer Krombacher Weizen at SGD $9.
I love the intense red bean flavour of the Pulut Hitam Red Bean Ice Cream (SGD $5). Studded throughout with red beans, the consistency is smooth, but doesn't melt easily, great for the sunny weather in Singapore.A twist on the classic Chinese Red Wine Chicken from Foochow / Fujian cuisine, the Red Wine Chicken Wings (SGD $15) are deep fried chicken wings doushed with a Chinese red wine sauce. The chicken wings have a crisp, savoury skin, and well cooked but juicy meat. The sauce is lovely, with a tinge of tangy and sweet... Very good!The Hand Made Thai Fishcake (SGD $8) is excellent! 3 lumps of well cooked fishcake, the exterior skin is crisp and flavourful with herbs and Thai spices, while the interior fish meat is soft and smooth. Not too oily, I only wish there was a bigger portion of it!

Full Kombi Rocks (Diner) review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/05/kombi-rocks-diner.html

Revolving around the concept of an ingredient, Mad For Garlic is a new concept restaurant that originated in Korea, but focuses its menu on serving classic Italian dishes such as pasta, pizza, and risotto. Offering over 50 kinds of menu items all based around garlic, Mad For Garlic is definitely not a place to dine at if you plan to do any kissing later.

Even the ambience reflects its theme of garlic and wine. Mad For Garlic has an attractive wine rack which takes up an entire wall, and the overhead lightings are wreathed in garlic cloves. Beyond this, Mad For Garlic has a rather simple, minimalist look, with dark colours and large, functional booths.

I find the service at Mad For Garlic to be above average. Staff constantly move around to check on diners, and are knowlegable about items on the menu. I find that they project a certain level of professionalism when speaking to them, especially the senior staff. Food is served relatively quickly. However, the junior staff do lack wine knowledge, only able to offer basic advice on wines.

While Mad For Garlic offers classic Italian dishes, they put their own spin on it by incorporating garlic into everything, even the appetizers and desserts. Portions are generous and suitable for sharing, and prices are reflective of a up-market cafe, but not as expensive as a full service restaurant. I especially liked that Mad For Garlic makes its own pasta in-house, however, they only offer spaghetti as the sole pasta choice.

A house specialty, the Garlic Bread Tower (SGD $12.50) is served table side, providing mini entertainment for diners. Filled with fresh garlic puree, I find the crisp, warm bread to be really tasty.The Grilled Chicken & Mushroom Risotto (SGD $22.50) has beautifully smooth and creamy risotto, while still being al-dente enough with a slight bite, and a fragrant mushroom aroma. Generous slices of mushroom, garlic cloves, and leaves of spinach make this dish healthy and fragrant, while the grilled chicken slices were tender, moist, and had a slight smoky char from the grill. Excellent dish, and I would highly recommend this! Garlic as a dessert? The unique Garlic Berry Ice Cream (SGD $8.90) features sweet garlic jelly that releases a burst of garlic goodness after the initial sweetness of the gelatin gummy. Served on a dollop of French Vanilla ice cream, with topping of raspberry and blueberry compote, the contrast of sweetness, tartness, and sharpness of the garlic complement each other well.

Full Mad For Garlic review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2014/01/mad-for-garlic.html