See pictures @ http://thehungrybunnie.blogspot.sg/2016/04/shisen-hanten.html

Although touted as a purveyor of Japanese-Sichuan cuisine, the fare at Shisen Hanten is very simply, Sichuan fare, made just a little more refined and nuanced by the quintessential Japanese precision.
The extensive menu is a tad daunting, and while we loved almost everything we ordered, it wasn't a 100% hit-rate, but a tip is to stick to the traditional stuff for a slamdunk meal.
We had:
1) Cold Steamed Chicken ($22) - seasoned with sesame and leek oil: incredibly aromatic, and despite subtle kick of the chilli pepper spice, was clear and refreshing. This was like Hainanese chicken, but all shredded up and given a spicy twist. Absolute must try.
2) Grilled Wagyu Beef ($30): beautifully burnished and glossed with a delicate garlicky spice blend. Sumptuous, albeit forgettable. The earlier starter really stole the limelight.
3) Hot & Sour Soup ($12): exceptional, punchy and robust, but finished with an exquisite polish
4) Braised Corn Soup with Crabmeat ($12): skip this, it was insipid and clunky.
5) Roasted Crispy Chicken ($46 for whole and promotionally half-priced on Thursday lunches): outstanding. For once, I actually only ate the breast meat, which was wonderfully moist and flavoursome
6) Sweet & Sour Pork with Black Vinegar ($26): A galfriend thought it was "too porky", but I thought it was acceptably full-bodied. The one thing we all could agree on, was that the heady, sweetish, piquant glaze was absolutely delightful.
7) Chen's Mapo Doufu ($22): hearty but restrained. I liked the complex nuance finessed into this.
8) Rice Vermicelli with Crabmeat ($28): The noodles were lush with stock, but managed a light elegance; and it was generously piled with scallops, shitmeiji caps, freshly shredded crabmeat and egg white scramble

See pictures @ http://thehungrybunnie.blogspot.sg/2016/04/flutes-at-national-museum.html

The cuisine at Flutes is modern Australian, occasionally fused with a touch of Asian elements. Its elegant and sophisticated fare is reflected in the posh and swanky setting. That said, the vibe is relaxed, with nary a whiff of stuffy pretentiousness. We liked the service too, attentive but discreet, knowledgeable without being overbearing.
We had:
1) Queen Victoria's Green Pea Soup ($18): with a block of sockeye salmon mi cuit, creme fraiche to add creaminess, and lemon to lend a bright accent - loveliest green pea soup I've ever had. Velvety smooth, and amazingly complex, this, together with the next 3 mains, made it to the must-try list.
2) Twice Cooked Spanish Suckling Piglet ($46): Skin had a satisfyingly crackling crunch, and the flesh was lusciously fork-tender. This was contrasted with a dollop of caramelised apple compote, toasted grains, radish, and cup of sherry jus.
3) Chilli Crab Pasta ($38): with oodles of freshly shredded king crabmeat weaved into a roll of angel hair, and crowned with a gargantuan crab leg, was subtly spiced, redolent of crab essence, was fantastic.
4) Pan Roasted Fillet of Barramundi ($42): incredibly crisp skin and moist flaky meat. This was set on a mashed potato bed, and served with rainbow heirloom tomatoes, rocket leaves, and a drizzling of olive emulsion.
5) Grilled Margaret River Wagyu Striploin ($120 500gm for 2 to share): done to a medium-rareness as requested, and sided by a crisp peppery watercress salad and red wine jus - the only weak link of dinner. We didn't like the meat, which we thought too full bodied and this was quite forgettable.
We opted for the accompanying sides of a beautifully caramelised casserole of Sweet Potato Dauphinoise ($12 ala carte price but complimentary with the striploin) and Roasted Broccoli ($12 ala carte price) sliced with a flavoursome sesame sauce and decadently plaited with smoked bacon lardons

Full review's at http://thehungrybunnie.blogspot.sg/2015/10/candlenut-kitchen.html

Candlenut's Peranakan fare is exceptional. Familiar favourites and modern interpretations, given equal billing, are executed with both polish and flair. And, prices are wallet-friendly.
BUT, I find Candlenut's restaurant policies lacking in sense. For starters, there is just ONE multi-course set for dinner, with no exceptions for ala carte orders whatsoever. To compound matters, tap water is not served at all, only bottled water is available, so even though we had ourselves a glass of wine and lemongrass ginger juice, we still had to purchase a 500ml bottle of mineral water at the exorbitant price of $4. Honestly, it's a major turn-off that a restaurant is as rigid as this.
Dinner was a Set Tasting Menu ($50) of 12-courses, refreshed seasonally. Even if each course was considerably petite, 12 courses added up substantively to a most value-for-money dinner if I ever saw one.
We had:
1) Kueh Pie Tee: served DIY and scrumptious
2) Warm Minced Pork Relish, weaved with punchy banana chillis, black peppercorns, aromatic laksa leaf strips, and presented atop a lettuce bed.
3) Grain-Fed Australian Beef Flank Satay burnished in a stickily sweet peanut sauce: so meltingly tender and juicy, I wouldn't have known it was beef if I hadn't been informed otherwise.
4) Tumbuk Prawns, the last of the quartet of appetizers, was served chilled, speckled with laksa leaf, chives, and raw shallots: wonderfully clean and clear; its refreshing overtones enhanced by the starfruit slice.
5) Rawon Soup - fork-tender beef cheeks in a buah keluak-spiked soup spiked with chilli: robust and spicy
6) Chap Chye, a melange of cabbage, shitake, dried beancurd skin, and glass vermicelli softly braised in a delicate prawn stock: Excellent, one of the best renditions of this classic.
7) Blue Swimmer Crab Curry - impossibly sweet chunks of freshly shredded meat flash-cooked in a mild tumeric coconut milk curry, while kaffir lime leaves lent a piquant touch: So freaking good.
8) King Tiger Prawn, wok-fried with pungent petai beans:succulent, fiery and sweet
9) Ayam Bakar - chicken fillet grilled to a smoky perfection with kicap manis, shallots, and green chillis.
10) The contemporary desserts here were exemplary, like the Candlenut Signature Chendol Cream, a panna cotta-like pudding layered with pandan jelly and sweetened with gula melaka.
11) A lighter option was the zesty Mango Cream with Lime Sorbet, dotted with jackfruit, and sago pearls

For more reviews and photos, please see http://thehungrybunnie.blogspot.com/2012/02/my-humble-house-esplanade.html

I've been wanting to try this restaurant for the longest time. My Humble House can be considered the most high-end restaurant under the Tung Lok Group, serving modern Cantonese cuisine. While the prices are somewhat "cha-ching" and portions miniscule (each dish is really only meant for one person so you'll have to order multiples of every dish according to the number of diners).

If I really had to whine, it would be about the freezing temperatures, our piping hot food turned cold in minutes and I was shivering the entire time. We had to keep topping up our hot teas and downing it just so stay barely warm.

We ate:

1) Dance of the Wind ($18), a double-boiled seafood consomme in young coconut is an absolute must-try here. The soup was intensely flavoured with the richness of the scallops and prawns and the sweetness of the wolfberries but still delicate, with spinach grounding the soup in its characteristic metallic elements.

2) Velvet Memories ($18) - velvety braised fish maw and mushroom in shark's cartilage broth. This was silky, and so flavoursome and rich, but still balanced. I liked that this didn't leave a yucky milky film on the tongue.Loved the spongy bamboo pith

3) Beckoning of Blossoms ($16) - a crispy boneless sakura chicken marinated with "mao tai" wine, best part of this dish was the sweetish chutney-like sauce

4) Dusk, Twilight & Perhaps Stars ($8) - our least favourite dish. We really didn't take to the old tofu, with its airy, sponge-like texture. I suppose the texture was designed to soak up the roasted garlic infused superlative chicken broth, lightly accented with crisp-fried conpoy and shimeiji mushrooms

5) Heart of Soul ($12) braised bai ling mushrooms, smooth as silk, in a thick black truffle jus with sauteed spinach. Best dish of the meal, hands down

6) In the Heart of Gold Fever ($8) crisp-fried soft and sweet pumpkin glazed with salted egg yolk and baby snow pea tempura, makes for a fantastic snack. I so need to learn how to make this at home.

7) From the Earth, Sea & Heart ($22) fleshy marble goby fillet simmered in winter black truffle jus, chunked up with chopped mushrooms and layered on a bed of spinach

Pictures are at http://thehungrybunnie.blogspot.sg/2015/08/ola-cocina-del-mar.html

The cosy restaurant, innocuously tucked away at the commercial hub that is MBFC, has been surreptitiously churning out Spanish cuisine with a Peruvian inclination. It's totally underrated, and flies so low under the radar, that it was 3 years before I learned of its illustrious lineage: Ola's head chef was the executive chef of the short-lived celebrity restaurant Santi at MBS.
Dinner-time will find the restaurant a lot more chilled and tranquil, compared to the frenzied boisterousness of the lunchtime crowd. I much prefer dinners here; there's a languorous ambience perfect for savouring OLA's exquisite tapas. Service is also a lot more intimate and attentive.
We had:
1) 36-months aged Jamon Iberico '5J' ($48): sublime fatty salty ribbons of cured pork shoulder sided by catalan toasts and fresh tomato puree. Pricey, but sublime nonetheless.
2) Burrata with Pesto ($35) with heirloom tomatoes, edamame, and crispy jamon curls: an off-menu special that was a fantastic recommendation by the affable manager. Incredibly balanced in terms of flavour and texture, this is a must-try if ever it's in season.
3) Gambas ($25) - of fresh sweet prawns swimming in a medley of roasted garlic oil, dried chilli, and espelette pepper: heady and aromatic. Dish with the complimentary crusty bread, great fodder for the robustly flavoured oil.
4) Pulpo ($26): Spanish octopus grilled to a luscious and smoky finish, and complemented by a nutty lentil sauce, and lightly spiced romesco vinaigrette. I'm not a fan of octopus (the tentacles scare me), but even I was blown away by this.
5) Conchas a la Parmesana ($35): a duo of plump Hokkaido scallops baked to a succulent caramelization, was set atop parmesan grains, and a creamy lime and brandy aioli. Decent, but not outstanding.
6) Fiduea con Secreto Iberico y Setas ($45): loved the flavourful noodle paella dish loaded with organic oyster mushrooms and grilled iberico pork, even if my galfriend found its sweet undertones disconcerting.
7) Ceviche ($25): only lackluster dish where the potent taste of the wild seabass overwhelmed the delicate flavours of the lime, chilli, and onion marinade