For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2016/06/01/afternoon-tea-mandarin-orientals-axis-bar-lounge/
Mandarin Oriental’s afternoon tea menu refreshes on a monthly basis and for the month of June, the focus is on berries. While waiting for the food to be served, we sipped on a complimentary cup of an exclusive blend which was created in partnership with TWG. The green tea blend incorporates Asian flavours, featuring mix of citrusy and spicy notes rendered from lemon peel, ginger and spearmint. In addition to Mandarin Oriental Singapore Tea, the luxury hotel also offers an extensive selection of TWG teas.
It was a hot day and I enthusiastically welcomed the first course, a chilled starter of berry jelly cubes, topped with crème fraiche emulsion.
The common afternoon tea classics, such as egg mayo and cucumber finger sandwiches, are so yesterday. At Mandarin Oriental, be dazzled by rolls and open sandwiches of unusual varieties! Hitting the spot is the decadent Duck Rilette & Foie Gras, brightened up with raspberry jam while cured-meat lovers will take comfort in the Prosciutto & Melon with Arugula & Aged Balsamic. The earthy Truffle-scented Egg Mayo & Chives Sandwich as well as Semi-dried Tomato Cream Cheese with Caper Berries were superb too.
We continued the time-honoured ritual of tea with freshly baked Cornish Lamb Puff and Farm Butternut & Cranberry Pie, where flavoursome filling and flaky pastry captivates. Indulge in unique scone creations such as Caramel Maple Walnut and Mixed Berries Rosella, accompanied with raspberry jam and clotted cream.
Finally, the sweets arrived, displayed daintily on a quintessential 3-tired stand. Let your palate be intrigued and delighted by the following artisanal desserts:
Classic Blueberry Souffle Roulade
Lychee Strawberry Lemon Pound Cake
Pistachio Raspberry Macaron
Blackberry Yogurt Mousse
Cherry Confit Mille-Feuille
Summer Pudding Yogurt Chantilly
Every bite was savoured with a wide, silly smile on my face. It wasn’t easy picking a favourite out of these lovely darlings but for me, the Blackberry Yogurt Mousse left the deepest impression. I simply adore its balanced flavours and dreamy, airy texture. Here are more close ups photos of the drool-worthy cakes.
It’s always a pleasure to spend afternoons in Axis Bar & Lounge, where you are always assured of excellent morsels, fine teas, and attentive service. Despite being a regular here, it’s still easy to be impressed by the afternoon tea offerings as the chefs’ inventiveness and attention to detail, are unparallel.
Afternoon tea is priced at $42++ per person or $80++ for 2 guests. It’s served daily from 3pm to 5pm from Monday to Friday, with an additional seating from 12.30pm to 2.30pm on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.

For picture and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2016/03/27/umivino-seafood-wine-bar/
Umi+ Vino, a contemporary European-Japanese Seafood Wine Bar, is one of Emporium Shokuhin’s 8 dining concepts. The focus here is on fresh seafood, which comes directly from the Japanese gourmet grocer’s live seafood market.
The restaurant’s interior is modern and spacious; your conversations would not be easily overhead by others as tables are well-spaced. Service was attentive; staff are prompt to clear the used plates, bring out the next course and refilling our drinks.
We began with a complimentary amuse bouche, Salmon and Leek. Beneath the mountain of fresh leek, lies appetizing marinated raw salmon, on bed of fried leek. I love how the flavour and textures worked-harmoniously.
A La Plancha Hokkaido Scallops. Plump and juicy scallops, enhanced sprinkle of pepper, swim in a pool of Konbu Seeweed broth. The scallops were expertly grilled, and mad delish! A handful of leek is thrown in for that added dimension and textual variation. It was altogether a wonderful warm starter to line the tummy and whet the appetite.
Little Neck Clams in White Wine Broth. Here, fresh clams soak up the intense white wine broth which invigorates the senses. I never knew fennel and rocket could go so well with white wine broths. Great stuff!
Onto the mains! The 65 Degrees Chicken Roulade, with herb potatoes, was somewhat disappointing. Although the chicken breast was tender and moist, it was not sufficiently marinated, resulting in bland meat. The onion thyme jus does add some flavour to the meat; we also advice cutting a piece of the chicken and eating it together with some roasted fennel. You’ll be surprised at the results. Still, this could have been a better dish if the chicken wasn’t so plain.
I’m all about Umi+Vino’s Pan Seared Salmon. The generous slab of fish was skilfully seared to a beautiful pink hue, and its skin, rubbed with various peppers and herbs for that irresistible taste. Its accompaniments, mushroom ragout, polenta cake and juniper form, were enjoyable too. I’m so glad that this gem is part of Umi+Vino’s set lunch (more details towards the end), as I would like to have it again!
I was looking forward to the Homemade Tiramisu with biscotti but sadly it was a letdown. Wayyy to sweet, such that the coffee and alcohol notes were overwhelmed.
Umi+Vino’s Restaurant Week Lunch Menu is priced at $28++ and to be honest, I came without high expectations . However, I was blown away by the substantial portions, quality of ingredients and the execution of most dishes. If you missed Restaurant Week, fret not as Umi+Vino serves 3 and 4 course set lunches for $28++ and $34++ respectively.

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2015/07/19/hai-di-lao/
It took us a while to find the entrance to Hai Di Lao @ Clarke Quay (a lift tucked in a corridor), but better late than never! The famous steamboat chain from China is well-known for its mala soup base, quality ingredients, stellar service and notoriously long queues. In Singapore, the chain has gone from strength to strength, opening its second outlet at 313 Somerset.
To avoid waiting for hours, I made reservations 3 weeks in advance for Sunday lunch. Upon stepping out of the lift, we were impressed with the superb service. Staff greeted us with enthusiasm and led us to our table. Along the way, I was drawn towards the manicure room (complimentary service) and board game tables. Snacks are provided free of charge and a children’s playroom is available to occupy kids as well.
The restaurant itself is nicely decorated in black and red. Once seated, the waitress assigned to our table handed us aprons, spectacle cleaning cloths and ziploc bags to protect our mobile phones. For ladies with long hair, a hair tie is provided. The sauce, pickles, fruit and dessert counter is chargeable at $4 per pax.
We ordered a double-flavour hot pot comprising of Mala spicy broth and Chicken soup ($22).
We ordered the following in full portions (half portions also available) on the IPad. The food was faultless and oh-so-fresh.
Golden Pomfret ($19), Black Pork ($16), US Beef Slices ($18) and Handmade Shrimp balls ($16).
Fish balls ($8), assorted mushrooms ($18), fried tofu skin ($10), potato slices ($4), bamboo shoots ($7), lettuce ($6) and Chinese Cabbage ($4)
Kung Fu Noodle performance with rock music. Very entertaining!
Watermelon slices and Chilled Almond Beancurd from the buffet counter.
Service was attentive, prompt and efficient, a standout from many other casual restaurants in Singapore with splotchy service standards. What impressed us is Hai Di Lao is the ability to manage crowds well. Our bill totaled to $203 for 4 pax after tax and service charge. Pricy hey, considering you’ve gotta cook yourself.

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2014/09/06/jones-the-grocer-2/
It’s the long awaited weekend and off we went to Jones the Grocer for the much-needed refueling. Located on the 4th level of Ion, the 140 seater café and food emporium looks striking from afar. Not only does Jones serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, its also well stocked with a wide range of fine foods and confectionery sourced internationally.
ones ceases serving breakfast fare after 12 noon, so we could only order from the lunch menu, which was a simple 2-pager. Not a lot to choose from but the dishes were well thought out, featuring fresh, quality ingredients. Service was very friendly, in line with my café experiences in Australia.
Long Black ($5) and uniquely refreshing Orange Earl Grey Iced Tea ($7.50)
Whenever there’s angel hair pasta, I’ll surely order it. Yes, I am that blatant for my love of this carb. Jones Angel Hair Pasta ($28) comes with a crown of sweet blue swimmer crab, chilli, rocket, garlic and grana padano (Italian cheese). Individual flavors can be tasted separately and they worked extremely well on the whole. A mild, healthy-tasting dish that is satisfactory. Personally, I felt that more chilli could be used to lift the flavor.
Tempura Barramundi ($28) paired with Jones chips and Asian tartar. Enveloped within deep-fried crisp batter lies dense, flaky meat with a mild butter flavor. A joy to savour but do be careful of tiny bones. Comes with lackluster chips.
The folks here are serious about their beef burger, and they do a very good one. Australian Wagyu Burger ($28) is accompanied with bacon, gruyere, truffle mayonnaise, pickles, mustard, bois boudran sauce and caramelized onions. The sauce was not overpowering which allowed one to enjoy the true natural flavor of the beef. Thankfully,it came with a tangy salsa dip which spruced up the boring chips.
Delectable Black forest cake ($9) with potent kirsch punch, fluffy chocolate sponge, sitting atop an ethereally light mascarpone base. Pricy, but it’s worth it!
Baked Lemon Cheesecake ($7) is something I’d like to eat over and over because it’s gratifyingly rich, yet not at all cloying because of its tangy notes.
Cotton-candy hued Salted Caramel Macaron ($2) was crisps and slightly chewy with a gooey salted caramel centre. White Chocolate and Olive Macaron ($2) was terrible-hard like a rock!
 

I have been meaning to try French inspired Becasse for the longest time. Last weekend, we spent a leisurely afternoon at its first outlet at Ion, a bakery as well as a full-service restaurant.
Since Becasse was brought in by the folks behind Jones the Grocer, I had high expectations. Glad to report that I wasn’t disappointed! Overall, brunch at Becasse is decent, with more hits than misses. Brownie point for the reasonable prices!
Generally vibes are good-I love the stylish setting. Service is great as well. The manager took time to approach every table to check if everything was ok.
Croque Madame ($16) arrived with a bubbling mini casserole dish of truffle eggs. Sandwiched between the golden crusted pillow-y brioche are savory slices of smoked leg ham and Gruyere cheese. Soft flowy eggs are what we always need on the weekends! What’s best is the prominent truffle flavor. Dip a piece of sandwich into the eggs and savor the lovely combination of flavors. Do try to finish the eggs quickly, because it will be further cooked by the hot casserole dish and solidify.
Hubby was rendezvous and wanted something more filling. Becasse’s Entrecote with frites ($24) was hearty and satisfying. Choose from Horseradish and Dijon butter, creamy mushroom sauce, black pepper sauce or Becasse secret sauce to accompany the moist, tender 300g Scotch steak. Fries were a tad too dry though.
Salted Caramel and Chocolate Tart ($4.90) was delectable and very value for money. Because the salted caramel (black flakes) is concentrated in the centre, I recommended a little stirring with a fork before tucking in.
If you like your lemon desserts face-scrunching sour, skip Becasse’s Lemon Curd Tart ($4.90). The lemon curd was too sweet and lacked that refreshing sourish punch. Tart base was not as buttery or crumbly as I’d preferred, leaning more towards doughy texture.

For pictures and full review. pls visit
http://madamechewy.com/2014/08/30/becasse/