For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2015/02/21/nuvo/

Tucked in a corner of Marina Square Shopping Centre’s The Dining Edition, NUVO is a little difficult (but worth the effort) to find. Executive Chef Mark Richard (formerly from Keystone), helms the kitchen and marries Italian and Japanese cuisine to create unexpectedly exciting and creative hybrid fare.

The restaurant itself is spacious, decorated in muted tones and furnished with warm woods. It also has a lounge with an extensive wine list, specially crafted cocktails, spirits, rums and liquors, plus bar snacks for those who like to graze.

Our dinner started with warm herb bread basked with seaweed butter.

Oh, the velvety Vanilla Mushroom Soup was so lovely! The first thing that hit us was the aroma of the White Truffle essence, drizzled onto a flowy Onsen Egg.

The Salmon Crudo was dressed with Furikake Tobiko, Yuzu Pon and adorn with green apple. I was lukewarm towards this entree, but M enjoyed it.

The classic North Italian Eggplant Parmigiana with mozzarella and tomato fondue is given a Japanese twist with the addition of sweet miso. Nothing too fancy, just simple and genuine.

Made from roasted bone marrow, the Agnus Osso Buco Stew had an unusual partnership with Tsukii Oyster Fritter. The starter was spruced up with shimeiji mushrooms and pickled cucumber for bursts of acidity. I personally felt the combination too heavy, and would have preferred something lighter to highlight the rich flavors of the stew.

One of NUVO’s signature dishes, each strand of the al dente Angel Hair Wakame is coated with Lobster essence and Rayu oil (chilli oil), providing just the right amount of mellow flavour and heat. The simple but delicious pasta was adorned with Tamago Furikake, which added another dimension to it.

M’s Pepperoni and Ricotta Niku Dango was wholesome and gratifying. Tossed in spiced tomato sauce and sweet peas, each ribbon of pasta had a nice, firm bite and was not too thick, thus inheriting the flavors from the sauce beautifully. More Italian influence is observed in the tender Japanese meatballs, which had Ricotta Cheese embedded within.

Sweets included in the set meal were really dainty, but the Fuji Apple and Parmigiano Reggiano Torta dessert was so captivating I wished it was full-sized. The elegant pastry had a mild savory flavour imparted from the cheese, harmoniously complemented with Fig and Honey Ice Cream.

Less stellar was the Japanese Kinako Delight, with espresso and honeycomb giving the western touch. While the mochi’s texture was beautifully soft and chewy, the combination of flavors didn’t make quite make an impression.

Thanks to Amex’s 30licious promotion, the bill came up to $35 per head,. Despite some misses, we felt NUVO offerings are appealing enough to warrant a repeat visit. On weekdays, the restaurant serves 3-course set lunches for $15++ and 4-course set dinners for $35++. On weekends, diners can look forward to Nuvo’s Bottomless Prosecco Brunch a la carte Buffet ($40++)

Tea-time continues to refresh and entertain. It’s comforting to know that in such a frantic, fast-paced city, everything can still stop for tea. This time, we dropped by Fairmont’s glitzy Antiote Lounge anticipating a splendid afternoon of petite treats and tête-à-tête.

The savories and desserts were generally decent. What was most unforgiving was the indifferent service. There was about 8 staff on duty and only 2 tables occupied, but none of them bothered to clear our plates after the first course. Moreover, it took ages to catch someone’s attention for the bill. Overall, we did not have a pleasant experience at Antiote.
3 sets are available on the menu; all are the same except for the first course. Choose from black truffle scrambled eggs, assorted dim sum or salmon blinis with caviar. Each set is priced at $38++ and is inclusive of one pot of TWG tea (non-refillable). If the tea that catches your eye is worth more than $12.50, a top up of the difference is required.
From the list of close to 40 teas, we ordered a fragrant Genmaicha (Japanese green tea blended with roasted and popped rice) and ethereal White House Tea (white tea blended with fruits and roses).

The Antiote tea set features a single scrambled egg, glittered with black truffle, made completed with crisps buttery toast sticks. The lusciously creamy egg had a distinct woody aroma which lingered. Impossible not to love!

The Oriental tea set comes with a traditional wooden basket of Scallop Siew Mai, Shrimp Har Gau, Chive dumpling which my dining companion thoroughly enjoyed.

The rest of the food arrived uniquely presented in a classy white leather jewelry drawer chest. Each drawer is packed with dainty treats. My dining companion avoids alcohol so the chef swapped the alcoholic desserts for handmade chocolate truffles

The savory drawer features 5 different varieties of sandwiches-
Prosciutto, onion jam and aged cheddar
Cucumber and dill salad, cream cheese (rye bread spoilt it for me)
Coronation curried chicken
Boston Lobster rolls with herb mayonnaise
Smoked Salmon with caviar and crème fraiche

The most outstanding was the Boston Lobster Roll, featuring chucks of fresh lobster meat hubbed by a pillowy soft bun. Every mouthful was a delight!

Fluffy, light and crusty candied ginger and raisin scones were pretty good too; I particularly enjoyed the former with the homemade strawberry jam, Devonshire clotted cream and lemon curd. The Lemon Basil Pound cake and cookies didn’t quite make an impression though.

As for desserts, we had…
An enticing Rum Baba, which was superbly moist and gratifying. It’s presentation was engaging as well, as one would have to squeeze the plastic pipette to dispense the rum.
Decadent Karukera chocolate mirror tart
Strawberry gateau, raspberry, lychee pearl
Apple delight with almond crumble
Macarons
Handmade truffles
Chocolate-dipped strawberries. The fresh strawberries grant a sweet-zesty left and offer a tongue-tingling contrast to the rich chocolate.

If you have little ones, they can join in the fun too. Antiote serves Children’s Tea at $15++

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2014/09/01/antidote-afternoon-tea/

We’re back at Chui Huay Lim again, this time for dinner. Service has taken a plunge compared to our previous visit. Staff were overwhelmed by the crowd; it was so difficult to catch their attention, such that I had to fetch the menu myself. If this was just an eatery, I wouldn’t have minded at all. But prices at Chui Huay Lim are steep, hence this standard of service is appalling. We made a mental note to avoid this restaurant on weekends.

As mentioned before, Teochew cuisine sets itself apart from most other Chinese cuisines by being light-handed on flavourings, salt and oil. Commonly regarded as being very healthy, cooking methods often involve poaching, steaming and braising, depending much on the freshness and quality of ingredients for taste and flavour. While dishes are competently executed, Chui Huay Lim did not rock my world. Certainly did for my FIL though, who is Teochew and loves the authenticity of cooking here.

Slow braised in earthy aromatic spices, the Teochew Braised Duck ($16/per portion, $28/half, $54/whole) exudes a mouth-watering aroma. Nesting on a bed of silky tofu, the tender meat oozes flavour with every bite. I like to pair this with the Teochew chilli, garlic and vinegar dipping sauce to add a tangy punch.

It’s hard to go wrong with salted egg yolk. Wok fried Salted Egg Yolk Prawns ($20/$30/$40) were conveniently deshelled so one will not have to waste precious time, and dive straight into the dish. Each succulent prawn was generously coated with a thick layer of salted egg yolk paste, with diced capsicums that added a delightful crunch.
The highlight of any Teochew meal is always the Steamed Pomfret (seasonal price). The flavourful broth was light, which accentuated the fish’s freshness. It’s simplicity at its finest.
Plump and juicy scalloped graced our greens. Spinach with Scallops ($24/$36/$48) was a refreshing change from the common broccoli rendition.

The unassuming Si Ji Dou/French Beans ($12/$18/$24) was an unexpected surprise. Stir fried with minced pork and preserved black olives, your taste buds will reveal in the abundance of flavor.
I was excited to see Sugar encrusted Deep Fried Yam Sticks ($10/8 pieces) on the menu. It’s new to me, and as fan of taro, I was eager to try them. It’s essentially smooth and creamy yam, with a thin crisp crust, coated with sugar. The quality of the yam makes or breaks this dessert. If you’re fond of natural, unadulterated flavor of yam, you’ll love these warm sticks of comfort. Do note that the kitchen needs 25 minute prepare this dessert.

Other popular desserts we had were Sweet Yam Paste with Hashima ($7.80), Sweet Yam Paste with Pumpkin and Gingko Nuts ($4.50) and Almond Jelly (3.50), which were all lovely, especially the Orh Nee.

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2014/07/07/dinner-chui-huay-lim/

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2014/05/27/lolla/
Situated along Ann Siang Road is an unpretentious restaurant seeking to not merely to please, but excite your taste buds. Lolla’s small plates focus on fresh produce and fine ingredients. Their special menu updates often, reflecting seasonal produce.
Step inside and you’ll find an industrial chic setting, with a bar counter and open kitchen. The basement houses a long communal table. We were lucky to get seats at the bar counter, where we could watch the chefs work their magic.
Much-raved-about Sea Urchin Pudding (half portion $21, full portion $40) my friend dragged me there for. To be honest, I am not a fan of sea urchin. It tasted kind of strange to me at first, but I grew to like it. Served chilled, this decadent pudding has a strong creamy seafood punch, with a generous hunk of Hokkaido Sea Urchin perched atop. Take a bit of everything in one spoon and let it mingle in your mouth-UMAMI!
From the specials board, Chilean King Crab with Alio Cream ($30) highlights the exceptional quality of ingredients with its uncomplicated style of cooking. The leggy supermodel crustaceans are served conveniently opened, so that one will not have to waste precious time struggling with them, and instead, dive straight into the delicacy. The crab meat was juicy, succulent and sweet. Very delish and satisfying, you’ve got to try it yourself to know how good this is.
Whoever said vegetables are boring should check out this beautifully seasonedJerusalem Artichokes with Rosemary ($18). Love the crunchy texture and nutty flavour texture of this vegetable. Also from the special menu.
The bill was already $69, but our tummies were still rather empty (portions are tiny). We scanned for a dessert on the menu and Steamed Dark Chocolate Pudding ($15) caught my eye (chocolate is my weakness). Although chocolate pudding and ice cream isn’t particularly creative, its nevertheless a warm comforting sweet to wrap up a meal. Luxuriously rich, dense and moist (steaming makes it extra moist) pudding, sprinkled with cocoa nibs, served with Tahitian Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Best enjoyed with tangy fresh strawberries (with compliments of the chef) .
Although prices veer towards the higher and, the quality ingredients and cooking technique is worth the price. Follow their Facebook page to be kept updated on the special menu selections. I’m waiting for the Chilean King Crab to be featured again, which I plan to have it all to myself!

For pictures and full review, pls visit:

http://madamechewy.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/cafe-oliv/

If you are looking for affordable and delicious western food, Café Oliv at 220 East Coast Road fits the bill! The prices are very reasonable; taste and quality of food is delightful. The only problem is finding a car park. Dear and I went on a Sunday for lunch and spent 20 min looking for somewhere to park the car; we landed up parking about 7 min walk away from the café.

Décor and service was average but the main thing we came here for was to try the food, which had great reviews on a couple of food blogs I visited.

We had:

Salted egg calamari. I like anything that has salted egg in it, wish the calamari could have a more “qq” texture though….

Garlic Pesto aglio olio spaghetti with scallops. The pasta was well flavored, scallops were huge and fresh.

Dory fish with salted egg chilli aglio olio spaghetti. This was the first time I came across pasta with salted egg, ordered it because it sounds interesting. It was very yummy too!

Verdict: Great food with inexpensive price tags but we are not keen on returning because of the headache we experienced trying to get a carpark.