For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2014/04/02/district-10-star-vista/
Met my Uni friends some time back at Star Vista for dinner, and our choice was District 10, a bar tapas restaurant serving more than 35 tapas and pinchos (spike in Spanish). Pinchos are small bites skewed on long toothpicks, typically found in Northern Spain bars and taverns. Although tapas are meant to be the star, the main course, pasta and pizza we ordered outshone the former.
Alfresco and indoor seats are available. I would use the word Chillax to describe the ambience- a place whereby many office workers would like to unwind after long day’s work. Service was attentive and patient; and staff are eager to help.
The menu is extensive, with a variety of tapas, pinchos, soups, salads, pasta, pizza, main courses and desserts to choose from. We were spoilt for choice and landed up squabbling on what to order, haha! I strongly suggest to come in a group, so you can order a wider array of tapas.

We kicked start our hearty dinner with some tapas. Please pardon my photo quality; the lightening was difficult for photography
Fried Calamari with Wasabi Mayonnaise ($12). Deep fried with crunchy batter and springy calamari, accompanied with spicy tangy dip. Forget about counting calories and just indulge!
Sautéed Mushrooms with garlic and parsley ($8)- simple, yet so addictive!
Natural Cut French Fries ($9) were crisp and crunchy, yet not at all oily, with enough fluffy potato inside to make them satisfying. Flavour-wise, it was lacklustre, hence ordering the truffle dip ($3) is a good idea.
Pizza with Iberico Ham, Rocket and Parmesan Cheese ($29). We loved the slight charred, thin crispy crust and tasty melt-in-the-mouth Iberico ham.
Linguini in Aglio Oilo and Jumbo Crab Meat ($26). Al dente aglio oilo pasta, huge chucks of succulent crab meat and cherry tomatoes-a winning combination fully deserving of our 6 thumbs up.
Spanish Oven Roasted Pork Belly with Mashed potato and Onion Gravy ($24). This main course is part of the promotion menu so I am not sure whether it’s still available now, but if you see this, order it! Delicious, tender porky goodness that none of us could resist.
Desserts were too pricy ( about $10) and didnt sound very interesting, so we went elsewhere for sweet endings.

Brunch and set lunches are also available during the day, you can find the menu on their website

For pictures and full review, pls visit:
http://madamechewy.com/2013/12/30/afternoon-tea-buffet-at-10-scotts/

I have not dined in Grand Hyatt before and what attracted me here was a picture of a flowerpot in Her World Magazine.So what’s with this flowerpot? Well, its an ice cream dessert which is part of the afternoon tea spread, made with hazelnut ice cream, crushed biscuits (soil), raspberries(fruits) and edible flowers. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? But upon arrival I was told that flowerpot have been replaced by “fried egg”. Arghs! More on the “fried egg” later….

Recently refurnished 10 Scotts oozes refinement, yet has a relaxing aura, thanks to their chic contemporary décor and warm lighting. Afternoon tea is from 12 noon to 5pm. The first seating is from 12 noon to 2.30pm, while second seating starts at 3pm and ends at 5pm. We picked the 1st seating because there is 30 minutes extra to feast and we can have this meal as our lunch, haha!
Prices are on the high side for such a small spread. $43++ for weekdays and $53++ for weekends; with unlimited tea, coffee hot/iced chocolate and juices. Top up $20 for free flow champagne.

The concept at 10 Scotts is semi-buffet with a local twist on some savory items. There is a buffet line of sweet and savories, tiny selection of breads, cold cuts and cheeses, plus a chiller filled with appetizers, salads and mini pots of ice cream. Sandwiches and some savories are served on a 2-tiered glass stand and these are refillable.

Although the quality of the food is good, the variety is much smaller compared to other hotels such as The Regent’s Tea Lounge and Ritz Carlton’s Chihuly Lounge. Both are very well known and popular for their high-quality afternoon tea buffets with large and interesting spreads. However, I will choose 10 Scotts over any other afternoon tea buffet if I am going to dine with hubby.

This is because 10 Scotts meat dishes beats every other afternoon tea buffet/semi-buffet I have tried so far (Shangri la’s Rose Veranda, St Regis Brasserie Les Saveurs, Regent’s Tea lounge, Fullerton Bay’s Landing Point and Ritz Carlton Chihuly Lounge). So ladies, if your man likes meat, its better to have your afternoon tea here so you won’t see a black face at the end of your tea session.

Service is slow. It took the wait staff ages to prepare the beverages and also refill food items. It was also difficult to get their attention, which was baffling, because not many tables occupied. Culinary staff manning the open concept kitchen were very cheerful, with genuine, infectious smiles.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so now, be prepared to be bombarded by food pics!

I’ll start with the canapes served 2-tiered glass stand, which are refillable. Cucumber sandwich, quiche and beef roll were very ordinary.

The tastier savories are…

Crab Cakes: Packed with succulent crab meat, fried till a prefect shade of golden brown and served with a delicious remoulade sauce.

Freshly prepared Poh Piah

Prawn and Quail Egg Salad

Spiral Curry Puffs with flaky, buttery crusts and addictive fresh curry leaves.

Moving onto the buffet section! Smoked Chicken, Apple and Walnut Salad was drenched in excessive amount of dressing which overwhelmed the natural flavor of the ingredients.

Seafood with vermicelli

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Parma Ham with Rock Melon and Peking Duck

More Peking Duck, boring Sushi and uninspiring assorted breads. Oh, there is curry mutton as well, which is not pictured.

As you can see, the dessert section rather small…

The Dark Chocolate Tarts are divine! Tiramisu lacks the alcoholic punch….

Apple Crumble adorned with a slice of dried apple. Lovely presentation.

“Egg on Toast”, served in a frying pan, is so creative and definitely the highlight of this buffet! The “egg white” is vanilla ice cream while the “yolk” is made from mango passion puree. The “toast” is actually mango sponge cake, “tomato sauce” is raspberry sauce while chocolate chips make up the “pepper”.

Salted caramel ice cream, totally my thing!

Decadent Dark Chocolate ice cream was so good I had 2 servings.

The beverage menu has an extensive list of teas and coffees but what makes 10 Scotts different from other afternoon tea establishments is their free flow orange or pineapple juice. Oh, did I mention they are freshly squeezed?

Rooibos Vanilla tea made from vanilla originating from Madagascar

Classic white tea

We tried both the Iced chocolate and Hot chocolate but both were unremarkable.

Overall an enjoyable experience but with the amount of money spent, we expected more.

For pictures and full review, visit:

http://madamechewy.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/tea-bone-china-by-arteastiq/

Chilled out in Arteastiq new F&B establishment, Tea Bone China, on a Saturday afternoon. Tea Bone China opened it doors on the 2nd of August at Millenia walk and currently has opening special promotions. We enjoyed a $2 discount of a $11 ice tea set, which could be shared among 2 persons. The tea set includes either a hot pot of tea, or a vase of ice tea, plus a dim sum.

On weekdays, customers can look forward discounts on tea sets and hot pot lunches. (click on the link above to view pictures of the promotion)

Tea Bone China offers a wide variety of tea and also serves quite a number of cooked dishes: soups, hot pots, dim sum, appetizers and even peking duck.

Service was attentive; there were only 2 tables occupied. I held a menu that was sticky(yucks!); luckily I had wet tissues in my bag. Other than the sticky appetizer menu, everything else was pleasant; the ambiance along with the Shanghai-Tan music was perfect for sipping tea while chilling out.

Ice Pomelo Tea with Char Siew Sou. The tea was refreshing and the sugar level was just right, there was no need to add any of the additional syrup provided . Wished the straw was larger in diameter as sometimes the pomelo sacs get stuck at the bottom of the straw. Hubby and I were impressed with the Char Siew Sou, the filling was tasty and ample while the pastry buttery, soft and flaky.

For pictures and full review, pls visit:

http://madamechewy.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/restaurant-ember/

Restaurant Ember, located at boutique hotel 1929 serves modern European cruise. The first time we arrived for lunch at 1pm; almost half of the selection of mains was sold out. NOOooooo The second time I arrived there at 12.15pm, M and I managed to grab the last steak and cod, phew! So if you want the good stuff at Ember, you have to be really early.The restaurant does not have many seats so reservations are recommended. The service is OK only, with the exception of one very friendly and loud Mandarin speaking Aunty who is quite animated.

We had:

Pan seared foie gras with caramelized apples and clove, port and raspberry glaze

Pan roasted scallop with Parma ham, citrus and tarragon vinaigrette

Roasted and poached foie gras with mirin and shoyu, shiitake.

Crispy duck leg confit with new potatoes, caramelized onion tyme jus

Pan seared Chilean seabass with mushroom and smoked bacon ragout, truffle yuzu butter sauce. The sauce is WOW!!!!

Marinated cod with black miso, sweet peas and herbed potatoes

Pan roasted USDA prime beef tenderloin with French fries, merlot reduction.

Warm valrhona chocolate fondant with vanilla bean ice cream

Crispy cinnamon apple pie with home made ice cream

Crispy caramelized pear tart with homemade baileys ice cream

M loves the food here, so we would be back again. M is based overseas and she even misses Ember’s food when she is not in Singapore. Ember serves a very value for money 3 course set lunch at $39.50++

If you want to impress your date, this is the place! Located on the apex of Fullerton Hotel, The Lighthouse is an intimate Italian restaurant boasting panoramic views of Marina Bay and the city skyline. Above the restaurant, there is a private rooftop lounge to enjoy a drink, breathtaking view and a long chat with your date

The food was delectable and the service was good at first, but it got busier later in the evening and there was 2 occasions whereby we had trouble getting the staffs’ attention.

We ordered the set menu, but swapped some of the dishes. The restaurant is very flexible, you can swap with any of the dishes that belonged to the same category on the menu.

The cozy restaurant with seating for 52 diners. Reservation is recommended.