While exploring Marina Bay Sands, I walked past Caffe B, which looked really posh. I am not a big fan of Italian cuisine and the prices were quite high, so I gave it a miss. A few weeks later, there was a lunch deal on Groupon, haha, now I had the perfect excuse to try Caffe B!

Don’t be mislead by the word “Caffe”; this establishment is a nouveau Italian fine dining restaurant. The owner is Japanese while the chef is Italian so you will notice some dishes marrying Italian and Japanese flavors.

The swank exterior was impressive, so I was surprised by the change in décor inside the restaurant, which I would describe as rustic European.

Caffe B has a no children policy so if you are looking for a place to have quiet dinner date, this is an ideal choice. While making reservations, we were also informed that shorts and slipper were not allowed. Service was courteous and not over-the-top friendly.

The Groupon lunch menu ($39.50 nett) consisted of a starter, a main from a choice of veal, Italian meat platter, venison or seafood, and a dessert accompanied by coffee or tea.

The food was a hit and miss (I was sorely disappointed with the dessert). Portions were too small; we were still hungry after the meal.

Upon seated, we were served fluffy Focaccia with Tapenade, a paste made with finely chopped olives and olive oil.

Mushroom soup with truffle, Extra virgin Olive oil and foie gras. I like the thick, creamy and smooth texture and intense flavor of this soup, but can’t seem to catch any foie gras flavor.

Hubby was very pleased with his Italian Delicacy Platter- Parma ham, Cured beef, and Italian salami with Rock Melon, served with Mozzarella, fresh Picacadilly Tomatoes, crunchy garden vegetables and homemade Focaccia. Well-plated, simply authentic Italian food. It was so good that Hubby wish he could have another platter.

Snapper with sea bass fillet, mussels, clams, prawns squid broiled in tomato broth, served with homemade garlic bruschetta bread. The star is undoubtedly, the spicy and slightly zingy tomato broth, which went very well with the fresh seafood.

Dessert was not in line with what I expected- it was simple and the serving was so small that it makes it hard for anyone to be excited. You have a choice from 3 flavors the Silician Sorbet: Coffee, Fresh Amalfi Lemon or Sicilian Almond.

For full review and pictures, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2013/11/03/caffe-b/

For full review and pictures, pls visit:

http://madamechewy.com/2013/10/21/12-inch-pizza-and-records/

Located on the 4th floor of V hotel above Lavender MRT Station, there is a pizzeria with electric interior with the feel and groove of the classic 12-inch records. This F&B establishment, opened by the Timbre Group, serves a wide range of savory and sweet dessert pizzas, appetizers, salads, main courses and pastas. You can choose to dine indoors or alfresco in the huge outdoor seating area. Indoor seats are limited so you may wish to make a reservation to secure it.

We visited on a Saturday night, but the pizzeria very quiet as only 3 tables were occupied. After the all the food arrived, I understood why.

We had 4 different flavors of pizza, but only one of them was good.

Roasted Duck with Hoisin Sauce ($19): Sliced roasted duck, hoisin sauce, shiitake mushroom and mozzarella cheese on a thin crust. Topped with crispy popiah skin and drizzled with hoisin sauce. This fusion pizza was the saving grace. The duck meat was soft and tender while and sweet hoison sauce complemented the popiah skin very well. I expected the star of the dish to be the roasted duck, but no, the hoisin sauce and crispy popiah skin stole the limelight! I wish there was more duck meat though….

Next we had a combination of 2 flavours: Goodfellas and Triple Mushroom. These pizzas cost $19 and $16 respectively for whole pizzas.

Goodfellas consists of plump shrimps, sweet garlic butter, curry leaves and mozzarella cheese spread on a thin crust. It’s topped with egg and cereals. It was quite bland and tasted empty….

Triple Mushroom fared better. Sliced shiitake mushroom with tomato pomdoro sauce and mozzarella cheese spread on a thin crust. Topped with thin strips of crispy enoki and button mushrooms. I love the harmonious flavours from the fragrant mushrooms and tomato sauce, but felt that the fried enoki mushroom toppings somewhat spoils this dish as it has a bland, powdery after taste which none of us liked.

Garlic Shrimp Pizza ($17): Plump shrimps, sliced onions with bordelaise sauce, garlic lemon butter and mozzarella cheese spread on a thin crust. Topped with chopped cilantro.

We were all looking forward to this pizza and it was such a letdown. Not only was it sorely lacking in garlic flavour, the small serving of 7 dry shrimps on was a dismay. The pizza looks like it has 14 shrimps because they are all sliced into halves. This is bland, tasteless and a waste of ingredients!

I have always been attracted to Arteastiq because of their pretty décor and finally managed to convince Hubby to bring me there because there was a promotion. Hubby only thinks of Ippudo when he is at Mandarin Gallery.

We tried 2 mains from breakfast menu, which is available on weekdays 11am-2pm and on weekends 9am-2pm. We had drinks as well and find that Arteastiq excelled in their beverages, but not their breakfast fare.

The placed was rather packed and the lovely window seats were all taken up…..

I had my favorite Iced Pomelo tea ($11), which I first chanced upon at Tea Bone China and have been addicted to ever since. Every time I visit any dining establishment by Arteastiq (another one is Museo), I will definitely order this.

Hubby had a Hot Cioccolata ($9). We both agree that the Roasted Hazelnut Hot Cioccolata is superior to the former.

The confectionery that came with the drinks tastes so fine!

Ante Meridiem ($20.80): Cheesy Potato Gratin with Salmon, topped with rockets. I like that the sliced potatoes are coated generously with rich creamy cheese sauce. Salmon portion is huge too

Prima Dawn ($19.80) Pan-fried potato-broccoli medallion, scrambled eggs and cheesy roasted tomato , with a choice of sausage or bacon. A heart breakfast for anyone with a big appetite!
All in all, the dishes we tried were not outstanding. Having been impressed by Museo and Tea Bone China’s afternoon tea, I expect Arteastiq’s afternoon tea to excite my taste buds. I shall be back again! And I have got to remember make a reservation for the window seats.

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2013/10/30/breakfast-at-arteastiq/

For pictures for full review, visit:

http://madamechewy.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/ritz-carlton-greenhouse-buffet/

Dined at Ritz Carlton’s The Greenhouse 2010 and 2011. It was enjoyable but I prefer Melt The World café buffet, because the latter has a wider range of food and desserts. Dessert at the Greenhouse pales in comparison to Melt.

For pictures and full review, visit:
http://madamechewy.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/the-drawing-room-st-regis/

Visited The Drawing Room at St Regis Hotel with W and I for a drink; had to make use of my $50 beverage voucher from The Supper Club.

The Drawing Room is not a place for art or drawing, as most people may have assumed. From the 18th to the mid-twentieth century, the term drawing room was used to describe a room in a house where visitors are entertained. Located on the lobby of St Regis, the luxuriously decorated venue serves aromatic teas, gourmet coffee, and vintage champagnes. Milkshakes and fruit juices are also available.

I would describe the service at the The Drawing Room to be amiable and warm, but scarce, which is something I would not expect from a luxury 5 star hotel. It was almost full house, but there was only 2 staff on duty; not very good manpower management from St Regis hmph! It took ages for the waitresses to notice us and take our order. We even had trouble getting their attention and had to approach them to get another cup for W to try our teas.

TWG Vanilla Bourbon: Decaffeinated red tea from South Africa blended with sweet TWG vanilla. Can be served warm or iced at any time of the day, and is perfect for children as well. I expected the price to inflated, but was pleasantly surprised to see that it cost $12, which is roughly the same price one would pay for sipping tea in TWG salons. But I would recommend having tea in TWG Salons as The Drawing Room failed to let the tea steep long enough for flavors to be released before serving. Vanilla Bourbon tea is my favourite tea, I drank it numerous times at TWG Salons, Chihuly Lounge at Ritz Carlton and Tea Lounge at The Regent; The Drawing Room has done the worst job preparing the tea.

W ordered a $18 milkshake; we all waited in anticipation to be wowed by such an expensive milkshake. Well, sad to say that it was a great disappointment that it was a PLAIN and ORDINARY glass of milkshake. The ice cream used was Kapiti triple chocolate, a New Zealand company producing fine food such as cheese, ice cream, sorbet and yogurt. Kapiti ice creams has won numerous awards in The New Zealand Ice Cream Awards. Kapiti is expensive which is probably why the milkshake cost $18; none of us felt that the milkshake tasted fantastic though.Presentation shouted minimal effort, which kind of annoyed me as I expected better standards from St Regis.