The resident hotel bar of The Fairmont Singapore hotel, in Raffles City, Antiote bar is a stylish, modern, bespoke cocktail bar, located at the ground floor lobby of the hotel. Helmed by award-winning mixologists / bartenders Tom Hogan and Bannie Kang, Antiote bar, which opened in January 2014, offers more than just creative cocktails, but surprisingly decent bar food and high tea, all in a sleek, sophisticated setting.

Ambience at Antiote bar is modern, classy, sleek, and sophisticated. With a colour theme of black and gold, comfortable and plush seats, clean lines, Peranakan batik print motifs, and the open show kitchen, Antiote bar offers a lot to look at, beyond the good-looking folks! The beautiful 26,000-piece crystal chandelier and fully-stocked liquor display is eye-catching, and lends a touch of luxury.Service at Antiote bar is efficient and professional, as befits its classy feeling. Staff are quick to greet and seat guests, and have basic working knowledge if asked about cocktails, drinks, or food. The menu cards are informative and detailed, though the low ambient lighting makes reading slightly difficult. Staff do take off-menu requests, if you know what you want, the bar will attempt to recreate it!

Food at Antiote bar mostly consists of modern, contemporary light bar snacks / tapas, and desserts, both Western and Asian style. Portions are designed for sharing. And while Antiote bar has various types of liquor, the stars here are their creative, hand crafted, award-winning cocktails, made with fresh ingredients, some of which are from their very own herb garden! Prices are comparable to other bars, budget about SGD $55 per person for 2 drinks and a snack.

For the Hwa Chae Cocktail (SGD $23), Bannie Kang has drawn inspiration from the traditional South Korean fruit punch. Her version is made with Bacardi Carta Blanca rum, lemon, maple syrup, pineapple juice, watermelon, and beer! The result is a light, fruity, refreshing, and thirst quenching beverage; sweet and fruity in taste, yet complex with the malty, smooth fusion of rum and beer. With no bitterness and no lingering alcohol burn, this works both as an apertif / starter, or as a dessert beverage.The Corpse Reviver #2 Cocktail (SGD $23) is fruity and refreshing cocktail, made with absinthe, gin, home made orange liqueur, lemon juice, and home made vermouth, topped with orange peel and a sprig of rosemary from their in-house herb garden. This aptly named concoction is a great starter cocktail, perking up the palate, and pairing surprisingly well with the dishes here! Full Antiote review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/10/antidote.html

The Square Restaurant Novotel is the hotel restaurant of the Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore Hotel, located within its premises, and where the majority of meals for its guests are prepared. From 21 October to 14 November 2015, The Square Restaurant Novotel will be holding the "Wonderful Indonesia Food Festival 2015", an exclusive Indonesian buffet dining concept featuring 30 iconic Indonesian dishes curated by celebrity Chef Vindex Tengker.Ambience at The Square Restaurant Novotel is modern and sophisticated. The spacious seating area is divided into sections, depending on how much privacy you want, and features comfortable, modern cushioned furniture. There is an option of window seating, or private dining, and you can even choose to sit near the buffet area, or the performers stage. Regardless, overall atmosphere is pretty good, suitable and comfortable enough whether you're going for a quick bite, or a lingering meal.Service at The Square Restaurant Novotel is professional, befitting the hotel's 4-star status. Staff greet you with a welcoming smile at the entrance, and guests are seated quickly. The chefs around the buffet counter can provide detailed explanations on the dishes available, but not all the serving staff are able to do so. However, they are efficient, especially at clearing away empty / dirty plates, always helpful in a buffet when you take plate after plate of food! However, the large floor space also means you'll have to wait a short while till staff come by the check on your table.Food at The Square Restaurant Novotel is usually an International buffet, featuring fresh seafood, rotisserie meats, and a variety of cuisines including American, British, Chinese, Malay, Japanese, and Singaporean. Generally, food here is of a decent, passable standard in taste. Prices are reflective of a high-end hotel buffet, budget about SGD $64 per person for a meal here. They do offer ala-carte as well, though getting this isn't worthwhile, unless you're actually staying here. The Square Restaurant Novotel has their own in-house specialised pastry chef, thus, their bread and desserts are usually good!The Kambing Panggang Bumbu Rujak Jogjakarta / Yogyakarta Marinated Lamb Salad was soaked beforehand in a tamarind water brine, then coated in a mild spice mixture and grilled to perfection. Taste is savoury, with a hint of the smoky aroma, and the mild flavour of the spice, then you get the natural flavour of the lamb. Excellent!The Sate Lilit Bali / Balinese Wrapped Fish Satay was chef's 1st dish he ever learnt when he started working in the restaurants of Bali, Indonesia. He demonstrated how he prepared the fish paste mixture flavoured with mild spices, and the techniques of wrapping it around a stalk of lemongrass, before grilling it. Savoury and slightly sweet with the fragrant floral aroma from the lemongrass, this fish paste satay was incredibly tasty. Very good!Full The Square Restaurant Novotel review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/10/the-square-restaurant-novotel-tasting.html

Located in a corner shophouse along Desker Road, CreatureS is a contemporary bistro, offering modern Singaporean fusion cuisine. CreatureS regularly receives rave reviews for its stylish ambience, attentive service, and great tasting food. Typically fully booked, the founders of CreatureS, photographer Dennis Chong and information technology executive Chong Kok Keong, say the inspiration behind the name 'CreatureS' is two-fold, namely, creatures of comfort (comfort food), and creatures of habit (you'll come back)!Ambience at CreatureS resembles a tropical rainforest meshed with industrial chic. Vivid, colourful painted walls of green leaves / forest, beautiful spotlit flower arrangements, and modern furniture blend nicely with corrugated metal panels and rough concrete walls. Low ambient lighting sets an intimate mood, and the spacious seating area spread over 2 levels is able to accomodate large groups. The small outdoor al-fresco dining area is also a popular seating choice during good weather. Excellent atmosphere for slow, lingering meals!

Service at CreatureS is of a good standard, similar to the level of service received in a high-end bistro / low-end restaurant. Staff are friendly, offering greetings upon arrival, and will proactively engage potential guests if they stop by outside. Diners are quickly seated, and staff are knowledgable enough to make recommendations on dishes, providing basic descriptions. I also like that the menu has comprehensive information on dishes. Staff will come around to check for feedback and the progress of your meal, which I appreciate!

Food at CreatureS is modern Singaporean fusion, a blend of Western presentation styles and ingredients, with Asian flavours and spices. Generally, I find food here to be very tasty and delicious, a complex yet pleasing blend of flavours and textures. Familiar tastes are presented in new, exciting ways, but being modern interpretations, I feel diners may have strong feelings of like / dislike towards these. Portions are large, and can be shared by those with small appetites. Prices are typical of a high-end bistro / restaurant, budget about SGD $55 per person for a 2-course meal.

Loved the Miso Cod And Ulam Onigiri (SGD $32), which had the loveliest, soft, flaky oven roasted cod fish in a slightly salty but delicious miso sauce. Accompanied by a fresh salad of cucumber slices in a light dressing of plum sauce and calamansi juice, along with shrimp belacan and assam herb rice balls. Smash the rice balls, mix it together with the salad, and get a little bit of everything in 1 mouthful! Texture is a mix of tender, soft, crunchy, grainy, and juicy, while the taste is a combination of savoury, salty, sweet, earthy, with the distinct flavour of shrimp behind. Incredible dish!The large slice of Durian Cake (SGD $12) has real durian flesh from the Mao Shan Wang durian, you can actually see the fibers within the cake! Moist and soft, the pandan / screwpine leaf genoise sponge cake is layered with vanilla and pandan / screwpine leaf chantilly cream, making it sweet and rich. Very good cake!Full CreatureS review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/10/creatures.html

Since opening in July 2011, Sarnies has been attracting folks with their gourmet sandwiches, freshly roasted coffee, and rustic vibe, not unlike the cafe culture of Melbourne, Australia. The chilled, relaxed vibe of Sarnies and rustic, hormone-free food makes this place suitable even for daily dining.Ambience at Sarnies calls to mind the hipster cafes of Melbourne, Australia, with their rustic wooden furniture and eclectic decor. The dimly lit interior is heady with the aroma of robust coffee, though the cramped interior can get noisy when crowded. The relaxing exterior al-fresco dining by the roadside allows for people watching, though bad weather can be a concern.

Service at Sarnies is partial self-service, while ordering and payment is done over the counter, staff will serve orders to your table. There's some minimal interaction with the cashier, and staff are generally friendly. The menu cards are small and provide sufficient information, you'll rarely need to ask staff for more. Waiting time for orders can stretch up to 15 minutes during peak periods though.

Food at Sarnies is all about hearty, rustic, filling sandwiches and mains. Primarily British English / Australian in style, the portions at Sarnies are large and filling, made with fresh, tasty ingredients. Presented in a simple, rustic, straight forward manner, the food can be unashamedly greasy at times. They're mostly known for their breakfast / brunch and sandwiches. Prices are typical of a cafe, budget about SGD $27 per person for a meal here.

The Cortado (SGD $5) is robust and strong, great as a morning pick-me-up beverage. You get the good, strong flavour of the roasted coffee beans, and just a hint of the creamy milk.The Hot Chocolate (SGD $6) here is very good, with a thick, smooth texture, and a rich, deep flavour of chocolate. Love the precise chocolate art pour! Warming like a hug, this is worth ordering!The Fry-Up With Eggs, Shrooms, Baked Beans, Home Cured Bacon & Sausage (SGD $24.50) is their rendition of the classic British English fry-up breakfast. I must say that each component here is done well, the scrambled eggs are soft and fluffy, the baked beans in house made tomato gravy are tangy and sweet, the toasted bread is crusty, firm, and crunches nicely. The sauteed wild button mushrooms are tender and earthy, the large herb pork sausage is meaty and juicy within. Love the generous amount of home cured bacon as well, which is crisp and crunchy! This huge portion is sufficient for 2 people, and while it's not the most tasty, it's a solid, straight forward classic, done well.The Omelette With Cheddar, Mushrooms & Onion (SGD $21) had a slight drawback, it was more greasy than I would have liked. This is somewhat mitigated by the toasted bread, which helps to soak up the excess oil. Extremely filling, the fluffy egg omelette is stuffed with sauteed onions, wild button mushrooms, and gooey cheddar cheese. Portion is sufficient enough for 2 people, and while it's not the very best I've had, this dish is still pretty good. Pure, straight forward comfort breakfast. Good!Full Sarnies review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/10/sarnies.html

Chutney Mary is a small, casual bistro in Siglap, that for the better part of a decade, has been serving up tasty, authentic, bistro quality North Indian and South Indian food. Despite very little media publicity, Chutney Mary has gained a strong following via word-of-mouth, securing its longevity amongst the highly competitive restaurants of the area.Ambience at Chutney Mary is casual functional. The place is not built for comfort, furniture is simple and clean, and the atmosphere does live up to its 'fast food' tagline. While the place get a lot of natural sunlight during the day, the low ambient lighting within means very little light at night. Best for a quick meal, in fact, they also get a lot of takeaway orders.Service at Chutney Mary is definitely above your average fast food outlet, more like bistro style service. Proper cutlery is used, which staff will help to change during your meal. They're also rather friendly, albeit somewhat halting with the English language. I also commend them for introducing the various dishes, decent product knowledge on their part.Food at Chutney Mary is primarily North Indian cuisine, which they do very well, with a small selection of South Indian dishes. Generally, I find food at Chutney Mary to be very tasty, delicious, and authentic, except for their chaat / street food snacks, which end up tasting similar due to the use of the same sauces. Portions are designed for communal dining, so individual dining is not recommended. Prices at Chutney Mary are similar to most mid-range bistros, budget about SGD $28 per person for a meal here.

Loved the Dhai Batata Puri (SGD $9), which has crisp, hollow semolina puff balls, filled with mashed potatoes, lentil dumplings, chickpeas, sweet yoghurt, tamarind chutney, mint chutney, green chili, and coriander. A delighful 1-bite mouthful, this chaat / street snack is absolutely delicious. Highly recommended!Our group gave the thumbs up to the Allu Tikki Channa (SGD $7.50), a savoury dish of pan fried potato patties, covered in a savoury spicy chickpea gravy, drizzled with mint chutney. The flavours are complex yet satisfiying, and the heat from the chili is manageable. Highly recommended!Loved the Chicken Tikka (SGD $13), with its meaty, juicy, well marinated, savoury boneless chunks of chicken meat. The juice of the chicken meat runs clear, and is tender in texture, yet the outside still has that smoky barbecue / grilled / tandoor aroma. Excellent, highly recommended!The Mutton Biryani With Papadum & Raita (SGD $16.50) is deceptive in looks; served in what looks like a tiny pot, the portion is actually large enough for 2 people. The biryani rice is nicely fragrant and the grains separate easily, I also like that it's not too oily! The mutton chunks are tender and moist, with a nicely savoury taste. I notice that they're more generous with the mutton here, rather than 1 large chunk, they've given many smaller, bite sized chunks. Well worth the higher price, highly recommended!The Gajar Halwa (SGD $7) is a sweet, North Indian dessert pudding whose main ingredient is grated carrot, hence the bright orange colour. Those eating it for the 1st time are usually surprised that this is a sweet dessert, not savoury. The version here is not overly sweet, with a nice chewy texture, and some crunch from the nuts. Good!Full Chutney Mary review here: http://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.sg/2015/10/chutney-mary-tasting-session.html