Bistro Soori is a fusion restaurant with a modern concept with immense pride in their attention to detail in every dish. This thoughtfulness exudes through their food which diners can enjoy through the melange of flavours.
It is a perfect little hideout between Outram Park and Chinatown where you can enjoy a reserved dinner in the sleek and minimalist environment. Bistro Soori is very suitable for every important occasion whenever you want to impress someone or indulge more than usual, meeting your needs for business meetings, dates or family dinners.
Hello! There's also a washroom to accommodate meals that will stretch for hours.
Starters
Foccacia bread and cheese was set on the table soon after we settled down - thank goodness because I was starving! The foccacia bread was soft and well-toasted and a classic to go with the cheese spread.
A flute of champagne!
My choice for starters was the seared US scallops that was doused with a good deal of mango miso puree with sprigs of salad made of mango salsa and frisse. I enjoyed it tremendously because the scallops were so fat, juicy and fresh! The beautiful searing of the scallops made it even more enticing. Two were definitely not enough but I shan't be greedy - there are more ahead to enjoy.Another starter dish that impressed us was the pan-seared foie gras that was accompanied with caramelhead apple, mixed greens drizzled with balsamic reduction sauce. The foie gras can be described to melt in the mouth instantly. I know this delicacy is surrounded with controversy, but well, it was really good and well appreciated.A zoom-in on the pork ribs slow roasted with pumpkin, frisse and pumpkin seeds that competed with the foie gras on their melt-in-the-mouth abilities... it did not leave a greasy feeling and was quite light in its taste.
Main Courses

My main course of linguine pasta soaked in cream sauce, lobster, spinach, parmesan with seasoning from herbs basil and chilli. The sauce tasted really special and one of its kind, with a waft of coconut milk in its fragrance. The pasta was cooked al dente and the lobster was also very fresh - peeling it from its shell was effortless.This is the slow roasted chicken breast with portobello confit, arugula rocket salad, pistachio with truffle vinaigrette to dress. While the chicken was really tasty and well-marinated, I wished it could be a little more crispier and succulent. Not a fan of rocket salad either, but the portobello mushrooms did stand out despite not being the star ingredient of the dish.

The duck leg confit in sunchoke & balsamic sauce was very tender, evenly cooked and blended perfectly with the sauce. I was surprised that it didn't had the trail of a duck taste which was the reason I normally avoid eating duck.This pretty concoction is the seared lobster tails perched on a fortress of brown butter, yuzu corn pudding, asparagus, sugar pea & jalapeno pickles. Initially the other main course which I was divided over because I was inclined to satisfy my curiosity about how their yuzu corn pudding would taste like. The yuzu flavour was faint but distinguishable, while the corn flavour was more apparent. I found that this dish could be larger in its portion.
The risotto with scallops, prawns, yuzu and parmesan garnished with Thai basil was much appreciated as well, a little on the savoury side and generally really enjoyable. I liked it the most out of all the main courses.
DessertsMy favourite time of every meal is the desserts: this was my first choice of desserts (actually, I was tempted to get all of them for myself) with a classic dark chocolate lava cake, berries syrup and good ole vanilla ice cream that everyone loves. The lava cake was really cold on the outside and flows beautifully when sliced open, with very rich dark chocolate. Oh, I can't continue describing it without craving for it right now.
This was my choice of dessert ultimately because I was attracted to the seared vanilla pudding and salted caramel elements which I knew would be a surprise because my imagination had limits on how it would unfold. While it was slightly sweet, the vanilla ice cream and almond flakes that accompanied it neutralized the cloying tastes and I simply loved this. Desserts must be one of Man's best inventions.This was the cognac vanilla creme brulee served with fresh summer berries like blueberries and strawberries. I love creme brulee as well, but I couldn't order everything at once for myself so.. I pinched a little and realized that it was really just as I imagined it to be - really very yummy.
I admit that I am not a good cheese connoisseur (nothing near there, in fact), so I couldn't appreciate this cheese platter properly. But if you can - the bread allows you to enjoy each of the different types along with croutons, honey comb and plum paste.
While I thought that layered sponge cake would be rather predictable, Bistro Soori's rendition caught me by surprise with its featherlight texture across all layers with chocolate and coffee cream spread along the different seams with chocolate liquor. I underestimated this, and the first mouthful of it immediately proved me wrong.
I liked this pretty lady dessert of forest berries mousse cake because it really packed a punch of delectable detail in a single little cake, served with berries syrup.

For full review: http://www.amiehu.com/2014/05/bistro-soori-teck-lim-road.html

What's good at Stateland Cafe? Opened recently in February this year, the brand name has already established a corner for itself in the hipster world. Evidence? Springing up several times in my social circle, too many times to ignore without being rude. A visit is definitely in order.
First impressions count... Stateland Cafe reminds me a little of a cross-between Group Therapy Cafe in and PoTeaTo in terms of decor, a little half-renovated vibe and the comfortable private space between tables. Their menu offer quite a spread across brunch standard items like Egg's Benedict, pastas, toasts, waffles and of course, coffee.It doesn't take a genius anymore to know what I would order but a mocha for the afternoon. Only God knows how many gallons of this thing I've drunk, just like every other caffeine addicts out there. Stateland Cafe's mocha is pretty fifty-fifty on the caffeine-chocolate ratio, relinquishing the caffeine's bitter aftertaste. It doesn't top my favourite mocha at Yellow Cup Coffee, but pretty good in its own way.Nobody leaves Stateland Cafe until they have tried their famous Red Velvet waffles!Which I must say, I love incredibly. Red velvet usually materializes in the form of cakes, but Stateland Cafe reinvents it in good ol' hipster tradition of waffles. The rich cranberry and chocolate waffle base was so fluffy and slightly crispy, drizzled with a good dose of cream cheese sauce, sprinkled with chocolate flakes and topped with a vanilla ice-cream scoop with cranberries on top. It's quality with every bite, and they are so generous with the serving that happiness was almost literally bubbling inside me. Okay, I overuse the word literally - but you know what I mean! It's definitely not cloying or too sweet, and well, what can I say but - GO TRY IT. You won't regret it.
This cafe is stowed away in the most unassuming lanes around, parallel to Haji Lane. A lovely place for gatherings, dates or birthday celebrations in your girly groups.

Visit http://spherepiece.blogspot.sg/2014/05/food-feat-stateland-cafe-bali-lane.html for the menu.

Nankin Row, located at China Square Central, is almost like the less commercialized, more upbeat and hippier end of town. There is an electric buzz in the atmosphere, similar to Circular Road... but more spacious. Many restaurants, bars and cafes popping up over here, including the latest Korean restaurant which offers 100% baked not fried chicken - KORYO Korean Baked Chicken Hof.

Their dessert patbingsu - ice-shavings with red beans - (original/strawberry/green tea) was not available as they were lacking some ingredients to make it.. oh well, better luck next time. I was quite impressed that they are really serious about their food, ensuring that the ingredients were of the best quality before they go ahead with making it.




Their open-concept kitchen is sleek and minimalist, allowing customers to see their chefs hard at work! The furniture placement and choice were very laidback, homely and cozy.

The entire wall is scattered with stern black-framed pictures, resembling a museum. In case you missed it - some iPads were camouflaged cleverly on the walls to create animated paintings... for a moment there, it reminded me of Harry Potter.

Even the placemat is designed beautifully to complete the whole dining experience.

The potato salad was a grey mash that was served cold and didn't had much of a flavour, except well, potatoes. It might be better if they added more tangy and juicy vegetables like cucumbers to add more dimension and color to it. The pickles were curiously white, and were perfectly soured. Not a fan of pickles, but I tried a few and kind of liked it. :')

There were in-house dip creations available for the baked chicken too. Choices include soy garlic, red hot, honey mustard and wasabi mayo. The reserved, Korean-Chinese service staff suggested wasabi mayo, which turned out to be a great idea.

The signature assorted baked chicken (4pcs) came in a tray, piping hot straight from the oven. Yes, they are cooked in a much healthier way, and people often associate healthy food with blandness... well, not necessarily because KORYO knows how to achieve the best of both worlds.





The chicken skin was baked to a satisfying crisp, but the best part about not frying it? The chicken meat retained a lot of its moisture, and every bite is so tender - especially the drumsticks! If there is one thing I cannot give up in the food spectrum, it has got to be chicken drumsticks.



Squeeze a jab of lemon and a smear of wasabi mayo... and I'm in heaven.



KORYO start operations at 4.30pm everyday and fills up pretty quickly even though they have tables stretching across the alfresco area. You are advised to reach before 7 in order to snag a place in this hottest restaurant in town. We arrived at a little past six, and the dinner crowd was already trickling in slowly. A recommended place especially for all those chicken lovers out there!

For more pictures, visit http://spherepiece.blogspot.sg/2014/04/food-feat-koryo-korean-baked-chicken.html

Tanjong Pagar is a trove for Japanese ramen places and Korean BBQ restaurants, but I'm not a huge fan of the latter so I decided to continue on with my hunt for the best ramen in Singapore. By the recommendation of a friend, I stopped by Menya Sanji Kagoshima Ramen! The first thing that I noticed was that the servers were really Japanese - their English was heavily accented by Japanese intonations that I was wondering if I was hearing Jap - I was deeply fascinated. There were also a couple of Japanese businessmen tucked away and slurping away at their ramen happily, seems like a stamp of reassurance!

They had a Ladies Set available at $10.20++ which includes a mini Ramen (trust me, it's not thaaaat mini: Black Sesami Ramen/Sanji Ramen/Spicy Ramen/Gyokai Leek Ramen) + Small Bowl Choice (Edamame/Roast Pork/Roast Pork on Rice/Fried Chicken/Dessert) + Drink (Coke/Orange Juice/Green Tea).

I decided on the Sanji Ramen, Dessert (Cheesecake! *__*) and Orange Juice. Sanji Ramen: The broth was really thicker than the usual sort and tasty too, but not too salty. The ramen noodles were also springy and very good - hardly anything to grumble about. The portion was supposed to be "mini" - but it is only slightly smaller, which meant more space for desserts. Taking into account its relatively lower price, Menya Sanji easily tops my ramen list beating big names Nantsuttei, Ippudo and Keisuke Tori King. Orange Juice: Slightly diluted, but it's really quite cheap anyway. Cheesecake: I love how my cheesecake is served on a cold plate so that the temperature will maintain low as long as possible - really impressed by the attention to details. The cheesecake is also moist and dense at the same time, NOT cloying at all while being sweet! The biscuit crust at the bottom is also not too dry and crispy... all in all, I really love it. I might go back just for the cheesecake ;X The service is also double thumbs up, polite, prompt and responsive to requests, with a quiet sort of humour and grace. Definitely a place that I will return for.

Sushi: the best solution to deal with a picky stomach and a fluctuating appetite. And... where could be a better sushi place than Itacho Sushi in ION Orchard? Nowhere else, and therefore here I am.I always spy a mega long queue outside Itacho Sushi, but not to worry - it has a huge seating area to match and the queue clears up quite fast. I waited about 10 minutes during lunch peak hours on a weekday.Here is me, spying and stalking my sushi chef at work! *motion blur some more*Moments after we were seated, we were served green tea in this very cute cup! There was a 50% promotion on all sushi during lunch time - only for dine-in - when we went. Refer to menu below. Not sure if it is still applicable now, call Itacho Sushi to check before you go. Salmon with Soy Sauce ($0.40++): A very fresh, flavourful, savoury satisfying pop of a sushi that doesn't require any further soy sauce/ wasabi. It is also cold enough to steal my heart away... in any case, my stomach agrees with it so much it is an instant appetizer.Smoked Salmon with Black Pepper ($1.60++): Okay. Put my favourite sashimi and seasoning together and you get my instant approval... the freshness of the salmon just radiates out from my tongue the moment I start eating it. It's really smooth and slides down my tongue and I'm screaming for seconds even with a queasy stomach.

But you know they always say, always leave a good restaurant with half an empty stomach, that will give you enough hungry memories to keep you coming back! Okay, that was my logic. I'm definitely up for a return visit! Anyone?

For full review and menu, please visit http://spherepiece.blogspot.sg/2013/07/food-feat-itacho-sushi.html