[MEDIA INVITE] Seasons Bistro ('SB'), a modern North American inspired bistro located at 111 Somerset Road. While most of us will probably remember this building as the SP Power building, it had a makeover and transformed into a place for dining and groceries near Orchard Shopping belt. Seasons Bistro present a diversified menu that changes to draw out the best taste from the seasonal freshest ingredients and maintain an affordable price for its customers. During the day, the bistro are well lit with natural lights that come through the huge pane of glasses. While in the evening, a slightly traditional theme lighting are used. With the American influences, the dining area are decorated with Americans influences, traditional style wooden chairs, wooden tables, and 1970s record. There is also a bar and drinking area for those who enjoys one or two after-work drinks. We begin our tasting session with Pan Seared Foie Gras ($19) and Cajun Blacken Fish Taco ($16). The Foie Gras is nicely pan fried, crisp on the outside and served on a thick slice of French Toast brioche. The combination of chocolate ganache and bacon jam provide a complementary flavours to the Foie Gras. The Cajun Blacken Fish Taco is unique and new to me. Using haddock white fish, the texture is lean and firm, but with a mild flavour which made it flexible to combine with other flavours for the taco. For the flavours, it tasted sweet and creamy from the pickled onions and avocado mayonnaise, while for the texture, it has crispy and juicy texture. If you never had taco before, imagine you are eating Kueh Pie Tee with cheese. Watch out for the Jalapeno though, it is fiery. For salads, we have two choices of Superfood Salad ($18) and Baja Cobb's Salad ($19). Superfood salad is a super healthy salad, which consist of quinoa, chick peas, blueberries, avocado, pomegranate, pumpkin seed and citrus vinaigrette. It tasted fresh, but it can be slightly raw or very earthy to some. Meanwhile the Baja Cobb's Salad is my kind of salad, especially with cajun spiced chicken, eggs, bacon blue cheese and red wine vinaigrette. It is very tasty and the dressing binds all the ingredients well. Warning, Cobb salad has a reputation for being the unhealthy salad, but it just taste so good!! Mains portrays more on the theme of the restaurant, AMERICAN. SFC Seasons Fried Chicken ($25), Jerk Spiced Pork Meatloaf ($29), Seasons Cheese Burger ($25) and Roasted Lamb Rack ($32). For the fried chicken, it uses buttermilk as part of the seasoning to help maintain the moisture in the chicken so it is tender and succulent. That can be said about the fried chicken here, however it is not very flavourful. They expect the succotash and deviled ranch dressing and homemade catchup to add the taste to the fried chicken. I personally like my fried chicken without any sauce, so I think it is so so only. The meatloaf is seasoned using jerk spiced, which originated from Caribbean / West Indies communities. It has a very earthy and strong flavour and normally they dry rub it into the meat. In this case, the meatloaf has a unique flavour to it. Either you like it or your don't. I personally like this, especially with the smooth and creamy mash potatoes. For the lamb rack, I find it cooked unevenly, some part of the meat is juicy and succulent, while the other part can be chewy. The potato is nice though, combination of half potato, filled with mash potatoes and baked again. Unfortunately the gravy was just overpowering. Burger is a must try dish here. We had two burgers, one cooked to medium rare and the other to medium. Both burger are nicely done, tasty and juicy. According to SB, the brioche buns are baked fresh by Imperial Treasure bakery next door, based on the chef's requirement. If anything that can be improve from this burger, it will be the fries. Midway through the burger, the fries become soggy already. While Southend Pasta ($22) looks like a comforting dish with the sausage and tomato based sauce, it was a total disappointment. The pasta was overcooked to the point of soggy and the sauce is very lacklustre. More chorizo, more cheese and less cooking time for the pasta might do the trick to improve this dish. Coming to the end, we had two desserts to try. Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake ($12) and Miss D's Pecan Pie ($12). The cheesecake has a dense and solid texture. It is tasty, creamy and goes well with the cranberry cream. For the Pecan Pie, the fillings was very sweet and it does not hold well together. It breaks before we even touch it, and the ice cream was just too sweet. Rather than using vanilla ice cream, probably a fruit sorbet will be a better option. Overall, SB allowed me to have a taste of some North American dish such as their Fish Taco, Cobb Salad and the Jerk Spiced Meat Loaf. As SB continue to change their menu seasonally, the chef has an opportunity to fine tune the menu. So if you are in Orchard Area, give Seasons Bistro a try. Cheers!!

Thank you very much for OpenRice and Seasons Bistro team for the tasting invitation.

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Social Square ('SS') is a concept restaurant from Ministry of Food located in 3rd floor of Parkway Parade Shopping Centre. SS offer a combination of European – Japanese gourmet delights and all day breakfasts.The décor is of this establishment is like a indoor garden with tall 'trees' surrounding the dining area. The open concept kitchen also allow you to see the chefs & bartenders at work preparing your food and drinks. Once seated, we were given a tablet for the menu and to place our order. There is a printed menu available on each table as well. If this is your first time here, you will probably need to get the service staff help to run through the order, as the initial briefing are not very helpful. I ordered Pork Belly Special Lunch Set ($15.80) which comes with ice lemon tea and ice cream. The pork belly is served on top of open sandwich concept with scrambled eggs, topped with mash potatoes. On the sides are baked beans, grilled tomatoes and garden salad with brown sauce. The pork belly is tender and tasty, the mash is smooth and delicious with gravy on top while the scramble eggs ooze a slightly pungent aroma due to the cheese they used. I just wish there are more slices of pork belly in it. The Cookies and Cream ice cream that come with the set lunch is about half of a normal scoop. Mini size. The taste is pretty average and nothing memorable. They should just skip the ice cream and give a warm soup instead. Little Devil decided on Sashimi Bento ($28.80). The portion of the sashimi are quite generous. Three slices each of swordfish, tuna, salmon, yellow tail, sashimi prawns, tamago, kani stick on top of sushi rice with salmon roe. The sashimi are fresh and the cuts are thick. The rice portion are huge, fluffy with the right amount of vinegar for sushi rice. Our little E (our niece) decided to order Gammon Ham Pancakes ($11.80). Three stack of medium size pancakes, served with scrambled eggs, gammon hams with butter and maple syrup. The pancakes are fluffy but a little bit dry. The scrambled eggs has the same pungent aroma as the one in the pork belly sandwich, while the ham are thick and not as salty as other ham. For the service here, keep your expectation to the minimum. During our visit, the place was not packed so its quite manageable. But as the crowd grows, it is very difficult to get their attention. Overall, Social Square provide a good place to get a bite in Parkway Parade. The quality of the food is quite good, the price is reasonable and the greenery atmosphere is very relaxing. Unless, you got kids start to run around and scream their head off. Cheers!!

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OSIA Bar and Restaurant is a fine dining establishment owned and marketed by Ottscott Pte Ltd. A partnership between distinguish and award winnings Chef Scott Webster, who made his name in Australia and his long time friend Chef Otto Weibel, the Swiss Chef previous executive Chef from Swissotel the Stamford and Fairmont Singapore.OSIA offer a fine dining experience, that combines innovative and freshest ingredients, which can be enjoy individually or shared between the diners. Located in RWS, this award winning restaurant not only catered to for the resorts guests, it is also open to public. Helmed by Chef Douglas Tay, winner of several gold medals at Culinary Olympics 2008 and Western Australia Oceanafest 2009; you can look forward to some culinary excellence.We gathered here to celebrate a friend's birthday party so I need to limit my bloggers probing. We started with the signature Stone Hearth Flatbread ($11). Ours was a combination of Truffled Kalamata Olive and sour cream. The flatbreat has a distinct crispiness on the crust, with a a moist, fluffy yet resilient texture in the middle. The pistachio cream cheese dip provide a excellent complement to bread compare to the normal just butter.Next come the fresh oyster, served on salt cast ring. I like eat my oyster as close to nature as possible, with a small squeeze of lemon. It is fresh and succulent, you can actually taste the ocean in your mouth.For mains, I had Byron Bay Berkshire Pork Rack 300 gram ($55). The plating of the dish is quite unique, served on a wooden platform layered with oba leaf. The pork rack looks like a pork chop with the bone in it. The cuts are thick, cooked just right with slight pinkish in the middle but absent of blood. It is well seasoned, tasty, tender and succulent, I almost did not touch the fresh hollandaise sauce. The homemade chutneys, seasoned vegetables and pickles are creamy but under-seasoned. Overall, it can be considered a good main dish, but somehow it's kind of missing the WOW factor.The tables shared the desserts of OSIA Macadamia Soufflé ($32). Since the soufflé intended for 2 persons, the size is quite tall when it rises. It is light, moist, has the right sweetness to it but the taste of the egg is quite strong. The praline provide a crunchy texture to the overall dish and the ice cream is there for contrasting experience of hot and cold.The décor of OSIA is modern and elegant. The open concept kitchen is one of the main feature here. You can see the chef at work no matter where you are seating. Service are excellent, setting the benchmark for fine dining standards. Kudos to the service team.Overall, OSIA provides you with a very good fine dining experience. Starting from the freshest ingredients, modern yet classic cooking technique and exceptionally good service. Cheers!!

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Quoting from the website of Mrs Pho, “There is no Bastardisation nor is there any fusion on the menu here – It's traditional Vietnamese Food, just like how Mamma used to cook”. This quote itself says it all on what's on offer at Mrs. Pho written Anthony Bourdain's flair.Once you enter through the door of Mrs. Pho you will wonder if you actually just step out into the back alley of Ho Chi Minh. The wall spray painted with names and phone numbers telling people who to contact if you want to buy this land. The dangling light bulb with cables hanging down from the roof top are not far from portraying of how people eat street food in Vietnam. Of course, once you realise you are missing flies and mozzies, rubbish on the floor and the soothing air from the aircon you know that you are still in Singapore.Grab a seat, check out the menu and write down your order on the order sheet provided. Pass it to the service staff and only make payment (Cash only) after you finish your meal.We started with Cha Goi – Fried Spring Roll ($3) and Goi Cuon – Fresh Spring Roll ($3.50). The spring rolls are crispy, full of juicy fillings. The fresh spring roll or rice paper roll filled fresh ingredients and wrapped in a moist and chewy paper roll. If you want me to compare, the fresh spring roll got my pick.Of course a must try dish here is the Pho. LD ordered Pho Tai – Rare Beef Noodle Soup ($7.90) and extra Bo Vien – Beef Balls ($1). The broth is robust with a hint of sweetness from the onion and bones. The rice noodle is thin, springy and generous in portion. The rare beef are thinly sliced but slightly chewy as regular beef are used. I wonder how it will taste if it uses a higher grade of beef such as wagyu.I ordered Hu Tieu Bo Kho – Stew Beef Noodles ($7.90). The meat here is the opposite, the cut are thick, but the meat are tender and melts in your mouth. It shows that it has been through a long cooking process. The rice noodle is thin and springy, while the broth not only robust, it has a little spicy kick in it.The most memorable dish that we found here is So Huyet Xao Toi – Stir-fry cockles with garlic and pork lard ($6.50) This dish might look simple, but it is fragrant and appetizing thanks to the garlic, pork lard and basil leaves. The cockles stir-fried until it is absent of blood but still juicy. Once you open it, dip it in the salt and pepper provided with this dish. Here comes the twist, if you add the fresh lime juice in the salt and pepper, the taste become completely different and improve significantly. Guess what, we also dipped the fried pork lard into it, and I have to say it will go down well with a plate of white rice. Yum Yum.Unlike other establishments that try to make a higher profit with the drinks, Mrs Pho drinks price here is very reasonable. The refreshing Da Chanh – Homemade Lemonde is priced at $2; and a bottle of mineral water is at $1.50.Service is efficient and friendly. The stunning looking manager follow up on the order and teach us to add the lime to the salt & pepper for the cockles.

Overall, Mrs Pho food are just delicious. Although the Pho is not the best that I've ever tried in Singapore, the rest of the other dish really authentic and make you feel at home. It is also value for money. We actually went back a few nights ago before I wrote this review and each one of us had a plate of fried cockles each in a finger licking good manner. So Mrs Pho, is a must try. Cheers!!
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Thank you very much to Ian Low (The Silver Chef), May & Phillip from Thai Village Group for hosting the food tasting invitation.My memories of my first visit to Bangkok were the sumptuous dinner that I had in Yaowarat Road, Chinatown. Where you can smell the food in the air from street food such as wanton mee, bbq seafood or more exquisite Teochew influenced dish such as Shark Fin soup, bird nest, stewed goose web and suckling pig.Inspired by Thai Teochew Cuisine, Thai Village Restaurants bring these flavours to Singapore, China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Showcasing their specialities which includes: Braised Shark's Fin, Abalone Rice, baked crab with vermicelli and baked salt chicken.We started our dinner with individual braised Superior Shark's Fin with Crab Meat ($65 for small). Each diners got individual solid serving of the shark fin soup. The broth are thick, robust and flavourful. The shark fins came from Spain and I have to say it does not have any fishy smell. I did not even any vinegar in my soup, which you will normally do to cover the overwhelming smell. The bean sprout and crab meat provide different texture to the dish. Yum Yum!Braised duck web ($20 per serving). The original version of this dish supposed to be braised goose web. However due to the restriction of goose meat in Singapore, duck webs are used as substitute. Presentation wise, it does not look very appetising. However, do not judge the dish by the look. It pack of flavours and has a resilient texture. The duck web is gelatinous, but not as good as goose web.Deluxe Cold Dish ($70 for large), not a common dish that I will order unless at a wedding banquet or reunion dinner. The octopus has a sweet and springy texture. The chicken is slightly though for my liking. However the deluxe fruit salads which contains strawberry, honeydew melon and apple are refreshing. The shrimp roll is crispy and their version of ngo hiang with salted eggs and lap cheong is tasty and unique.Baked Crab with Vermicelli ($72 for large). This dish has a Thai Teochew Food signature all over it. All the vermicelli is well coated with the robust gravy. The aroma arises from the pork lard and herbs used, but the best part it does not look oily at all. The crabs were fresh and cooked to perfection. Delicious.Cheese Baked Lobster ($14 / 100 gram). We were served half portion each and the lobster is quite huge in size, fresh and meaty. The cheese used are subtle and really complement the dish instead of overpowering the freshness of the seafood. At first, I only ate the meat using the fork and knife. Halfway through, I decided to forget about the cutleries, all fingers are on deck and leaving the trail of exoskeleton for the aftermath.Pan-fried Japanese Wagyu Beef ($176 for large); Cubed, cooked with sliced garlic and served with diced mushrooms. If there is a word Beefgasm, this will be the right time to use it. The wagyu beef is so tender it just melts in your mouth. Together with the sliced garlic and cubed mushrooms, it is just unforgettable.Baked Cod Fish ($60 for large) is another dish that might not look so appealing. It look charred, however this charred seal the juice inside the cod fish and provide a different texture to the fatty, yet silky smooth meat of a cod fish. The sauce was just right and it will be nice to have it with a bowl of rice.Chinese Spinach with Superior Broth ($12 for small). We were almost full at this point and we actually want to skip this dish. However we decided on a smaller portion instead. The spinach are fresh and the broth of robust. The eggs coated the spinach well enough and add the salty flavour to this dish.Abalone Rice ($33 per serving for 3 to 4 person). Served using a whole abalone from Australia and large shiitake mushrooms. The same broth as the shark fin soup is used to bind this dish together. It is a good comfort food, or I should say luxurious comfort dish.Of course for Teochew Cuisine, the dinner will not be complete without Yam Paste (Orh Nee) with Ginko Nuts - $5 per serving. Individually steamed with a nice presentation. The Orh Nee looks rough in granules form, however this is what orh nee lovers are looking for. It has a nice bite and texture to it. The pumpkin and ginko add another layer to the dish brought together nicely by the coconut milk.The décor of the place is slightly traditional yet classy in a way. The dining area are bright and the distance between tables are quite spacious. When you enter through the main door, the wine fridge provide a classy divider between the main dining area and the reception.Overall, I was impressed by the quality of the food and the faultless execution of the dishes. Foodgasm, of course. Price can be on the high side, but you are paying for quality. Thanks to the awesome dinner, I did not try to find any food during my red eye flight to Taipei that night. Yum Yum, Cheers!!

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