For full review and pictures collated from 4 visits, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2014/03/16/drips-bakery-cafe/
Co-owner Alfred Chan went from baking in Shangri-la Hotel to opening a cheery bakery café serving up quality fare in Tiong Bahru. Although Drips is well-known for their tarts and quiche, their tea cakes and sandwiches impressed me enough to revisit trice.
The café consists of 2 sections. If you wish to chill and relax, I recommend seats at the back, which comprises of mismatched sofas and couches. The front portion reminds me of a fun school canteen. Menu is written on a black board and selection changes often. Selection of both savories and sweets dwindle in the late afternoon, hence I prefer visiting at lunch time.
I don’t have close-up pictures of the teacakes to entice you; must try as they are are to-die-for! Pound cakes are so common these days; but I have not encountered any as good as Drips. They are luxuriously dense, amazingly moist and melt in the mouth. My family loves the raspberry cake; we buy a large block each time for breakfast.
Drips’ Iced Long Black ($5.50) is Hubby’s favorite coffee; he never fails to order this. Earl Grey Tea by the pot ($7.20) was satisfactory. There are 2 teabags in the pot, so be prepared to take them out to prevent over-steeping.
Hot Chocolate ($5) was fair; I had better ones elsewhere.
In order to set aside space for desserts, we ordered a slice of Rosemary and Chicken Quiche ($6.80) which was creamy and tasty. Don’t be deceived by the serving, although it does not look big, it’s very filling.
Sandwiches are wholesome and appetizing, prepared with generous portions juicy meat and fresh vegetables, plus a citrus side salad
Virginia Ham Sandwich ($13.80) with Dijon Mustard,
Sliced Corned Beef Sandwich ($15.80) ….
…and Oven Roasted Turkey Ham Sandwich ($15.80) with deliciously grilled capsicum and zucchini.
THIS Chocolate Tart ($6.80) stole my heart the moment I took my first bite. The first thing I do when I step into Drips is to check if this is available, and reserve one before it sells out. Made using high percentage of cocoa, the result is a slightly bitter tart with the ideal amount of sweetness.
Mixed Berry Fruit Tart ($8) was equally excellent. I particularly like the buttery and crumbly tart base, which had right amount of salt. Egg custard was just right-creamy and not too sweet.

For pictires and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2014/03/14/au-jardin/
How sad! Au Jardin under the prestigious Les Amis Group will be shutting its doors in approximately 2 weeks (apparently due to lease issues). In French, Au Jardin means “in the garden”. How apt, as it’s located in the beautiful Singapore Botanic Garden.
W and I visited some time ago during restaurant week for lunch ($40++ per pax), and I am so glad we did. I daresay you are missing out on a gem if you let the chance of checking out Au Jardin slip by. Their last day of operation is on 29th March.
The romantic fine dining establishment occupies the 2nd level of an elegantly restored colonial residence. Wine and dine in old-world charm. Love the warm-toned handsome furnishings and the touch of opulence thanks to the chandelier.
The best seats in the house are by the window, where one can admire the lush greenery. The tranquility is calming.
Warm bread promptly arrived at our table. I can’t help but notice their elegant China.
Amuse bouche was Cured Salmon, Orange, Honey Mustard adorn with Mesclun. Absolutely appetizing and no one flavour overpowered the other.
Foie Gras Ravioli in Mushroom consommé possessed robust flavours which W loved.
Shredded Duck Leg Confit and Gizzard with Organic Egg confit, wilted spinach, asparagus, truffle reduction. Oooo la la! Egg porn!
A winning combo of Butter Roasted Red Snapper with purple mashed potatoes, sautéed fine bean, bacon and Pommery mustard sauce. I polished these off in a snap.
Grilled saddle of lamb, vegetable couscous, confit of tomato and rock salad, natural jus. Another excellent main course with well-marinated lamb without a hint of gamey taste.
While the servings for appetizers and mains were substantial, the portion for dessert was rather small. This sweet and tangy dessert was the YUMS, and hence I was a bit upset that I didn’t get enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. Decussated lemon tart crumble , jelly and lemon sorbet.
We rounded of our meal with coffee, tea (included in set lunch) and petit fours. These cute mini Madeleines are irresistible-crisp on the outside while remaining soft, buttery and moist on the inside.

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2013/12/13/ocean-restaurant-by-cat-cora/

Opened by world renowned Iron Chef Cat Cora, Ocean Restaurant is her 7th restaurant and the 1st in Asia. It offers a one of a kind dining experience. Guest can dine right next to the world’s largest aquarium-spectacular 18.2 million litre Open Ocean Habitat which houses more than 100,000 marine animals from over 800 species, including huge manta rays.

We made reservations a few weeks in advance. Upon requesting for a table next to the aquarium, I was informed that tables will be allocated on a first come first served basis. We arrived early and were glad that our efforts were rewarded!

Mirrors are installed on the other side of the restaurant so that diners can still enjoy the view (albeit it’s a reflection) should their backs face the stunning aquarium.

Ocean Restaurant features seasonal, light and sustainable seafood with Californian and Mediterranean accents, with Asian influences. Most of the service staff seemed pre-occupied, perhaps because of the closed door event that was going to take place in the afternoon. The sweet and friendly waitress who attended to us assisted with picture-taking eagerly. She informed us that Ocean Restaurant changed the set lunch menu recently. Her command of English was not very good so we communicated in Mandarin. Each course was served at a tortoise-slow pace. We welcome this as it gave us ample time to admire the magnificent view. I get the feeling that this is deliberate.

Set lunch cost $60++ for a starter, main and dessert. Choices are limited but well-selected. Diners can choose from 6 starters, 6 main courses and 3 desserts. If do not wish to have the set meal, the minimum spend per pax is $38+. Drinks are on the high side- $8 for still or sparkling water and $6 for a glass of soft drink or bottled juice (no tap water).

I expected a bread basket but there was none. Usually fine dining places always have complimentary bread. Oh well. Perhaps the restaurant should look into this because food servings are petite; we didn’t feel full at the end of the meal.

Cabbage and Bacon Soup with Chicken liver mousse, toasted brioche and truffle oil ($18). The creamy, savory soup went well with the toasted brioche in the middle, adorned with onions and spring onions which gave a nice crunch.

42°C Sous Vide Salmon ($24) served with textures of lemon and dukkah spice. Dukkah is an Egyptian spice mixture blended from nuts, seeds and tasty spices. The most distinct flavours I detected were peppercorn and cumin. The right way to enjoy this dish was to get a bit of everything into one bite. Flavours combined beautifully- subtle smokiness from the soft and fresh salmon, lemon textures provided sour and zesty flavours while dukkah spice added a wow factor. A must-try signature dish!

Cooked for 12 hour hours, the tender and well-marinated Miso braised Kurobuta Pork Belly ($35) with crispy skin blew us away. Served with sautéed wakame, fermented bean curd and rice cracker.

Slow Cooked Salmon, creamed cauliflower, Hazelnut and Cauliflower Tempura ($34). Although it’s thoroughly cooked, it tasted a bit too raw for me. But this is my personal opinion as I dislike raw meat. Hubby loved it though; to him it was heavenly. Just barely cooked tenderness retained oils of the fish, coupled with bursts of flavour from the caviar; it was the best salmon dish he ever had. The cauliflower tempura added a special touch to the dish, I have never tried it before and am glad to say it was well fried. It didn’t feel oily and was satisfying.

Mont Blanc ($22). Smooth chestnut paste with hints of alcohol atop crunchy hazelnut meringue, with vanilla ice cream. An excellent dessert.

Chocolate, passion fruit and banana combinations can never go wrong! My Chocolate Passion ($18) consisted of banana stew, 68% Cocoa Ice cream and Passion fruit espuma. I loved the small sponge cake underneath the ice cream; it was great for mopping up the plate. Don’t wish to waste a single bit! Fresh rosemary herbs added a unique flavour to the dessert.

Athough the food was not filling, I felt the hefty price is justifiable as the quality of the food is good, while the ambiance is breathtaking and romantic. I appreciated the peaceful setting. One can comfortably admire the marine animals without being disturbed by screaming children or getting shoved over by unruly people (common occurrences in SEA Aquarium).

Attention seeking Stingray which swam past our table more than 20 times, lol!

Oh look, here come the manta rays! They remind me of Batman’s car…cool and sleek!

For pictures and full review, pls visit:

http://madamechewy.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/centre-ps/

My MIL introduced me to Centre PS while I was scouting around for places to make my ROM cake. Her friend, who is(or maybe was) a food journalist from a local newspaper is a great fan and loyal customer of Pattisier Chef Steven Ong.

Centre PS, pronounced phonetically as Centre Piece (it took me ages to get this right, I kept saying P S) was started in 2007. Chef Steven Ong has an impressive resume; he has experience in leading pastry kitchens in Conrad Centennial and Intercontinental hotel, as well as representing Singapore in numerous regional and international pastry competitions.

Virginia was extremely helpful and patient while assisting with the process of choosing my ROM cake. Thumbs up for her personalized service!

Centre PS’s éclairs are to die for! They have set my benchmark for éclairs. Being extremely popular, they just fly off the shelves; I suggest calling 1 day in advance to place a reservation for these babies. All 3 flavors, namely chocolate, coffee and lemon were heavenly. In addition, they are rather dense, which means you are paying for solid stuff, not air.

Pisa cake: Pistachio biscuit layers with raspberry compote and vanilla bean bavaroise. I can never have enough of this. Sometimes I crave for heavy and rich cakes, but get sick of them after a few mouthfuls. Other times I fancy light and delicate cakes, but yet I don’t feel satisfied after finishing them. Pisa cake encompasses the best of both textures; not too heavy yet not too light with perfect amount of moisture and flavor to delight the most fussy tongues.

The patisserie offers customization for weddings, baby first month, cooperate functions etc etc.

I favor mini cakes over cupcakes as I find cupcakes less formal, more suitable for engagement parties. You can choose designs from a catalogue or sketch your own design.

To add a touch of glam to the garden ceremony, I chose 2 tier mini cakes. My apologies for the poorly taken picture; the actual colour of the cake is purple. Centre PS has a long list of pound cake flavors; I selected lemon, vanilla with chocolate chips and green tea.

For pictures and full review, pls visit:

http://madamechewy.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/the-landing-point-fullerton-bay-hotel/

Brought Sis to try The Landing Point, Fullerton Bay hotel afternoon tea since I had a $40 discount voucher. The ingredients used in the afternoon tea set were exquisite and different from other hotels. Priced at $49++ per pax; guests can only choose 1 type of tea each (refillable) while the food can be replenished.

The only thing I didn’t like about this afternoon tea was that the refilling was done by the tray, because the staff cant remember which individual pieces I wanted. I was afraid that I would be charged for wastage hence I forced myself to eat some stuff I didn’t really like to eat; I prefer the freedom of a buffet.

The Landing Point was furnished with extravagant sofa seats and cushions; the ambience oozes opulence. As we visited on a weekday, it was very quiet, perfect for long chats while enjoying afternoon tea. I am not sure how busy it would be on weekends. Service was attentive and polite but I find it queer that none of the staff knew how to direct me to the hotel from the MRT station properly. We got lost 3 times following different staffs’ instructions on the phone; I finally got fed up and took a cab there.

I found the food absolutely delish. There was a good balance between the sweets and savories. The ingredients used were impressive and of high quality eg truffle, caviar, lobster, which explains the high price.