Cotton (Closed)

It is the up and coming.It is the current and in fashion.It is the Tapas.Tapas. For those are aren’t a veteran in Tapas, they are small Spanish savory dishes, commonly savored with a drink at the bar. Yes, now it sounds familiar, doesn’t it. You do just that very often. Letting your hair down over a drink at a local bar, having a man’s talk or gossip sessions alike. And those small bites as supper, or as foundation in your stomach for those hard liquors you are about to down. Yes, those, Tapas.Specially crafted for sharing amongst your dining companions, you are treated to a meal where you have a reason to order a couple of different Tapas to try. Having 8 different Tapas platter, diners would surely have something suitable for their palate, not forgetting the sides they offer as well.Granted, the location isn’t the most accessible. If you have someone in your party who drives, 1-Twenty Six is the place to chill, drink, and nibble. Located within East Coast Park itself, it is just about one of the restaurants sitting within closest proximity to the beach. With the right spot in the restaurant, you are able to feel the sea breeze in the starry night, and within sight of the waves. Now tell me this isn’t ideal.Tapas Platter ($42++): Serving at least 3 persons, this signature Tapas Platter consists of Salt & Pepper Squid, Gambas Pil Pil (it means prawns with pil pil sauce – basically comprising of oil, red chilli and garlic), Potatoes Bravas (white potatoes fried in oil), Spicy Meatball, and Chorizo with Garbanzo Bean & Rustic Bread (spicy Spanish pork sausage). I’d call dips on the Chorizo if I were to head back and order this platter. Notwithstanding that, the rest of the items were satisfying too.Charcuterie Platter ($28++): Fans of cold platters (like yours truly), here’s a Tapas (ohmygee) with just that, Jamón Serrano (dry-cured Spanish ham), prosciutto de parma and Cotechino sausages (Italian pork sausage). Paired with a glass of wine, or whatever you are there for, it’s quite the heavenly, don’t you think?126 Sliders (Mini Burgers) ($42++): Look at the patty. No, that isn’t the best. The best is what contains it – the burger bun. I just dig burger buns that are slightly over toasted, giving the subtle crispy when bitten. And, slightly flavored. Best. All patties are that of beef, though, be warned. A third of them comes with foie gras, another third comes with cheese, tomato and bacon, and the rest comes with tomato jam, crispy French bean and rocket. Oh, complete with truffle fries (ooohhlala). No, thankfully it’s not ‘each sold separately’.Poultry Platter ($52++): Non-beef and pork meat lovers, this platter is plausibly customized for you. With quite a commendable portion of Roasted Baby Chicken, Duck Leg Confit, and Honey Grilled Quail, this can almost substitute as your skipped dinner. The Duck Leg Confit was my favorite. The Quail caught most people’s attention, this rare piece of meat, one that you don’t really see in the everyday restaurants / cafes.Meat Platter ($68++): And this, is for the other breed of meat lovers, the one who eats everything. Beef. Pork. Its Grilled Beef of Rib Eye, Snail Sausage and Pork Belly was accompanied with baked vegetables and mashed potatoes, of which, have gotten endless compliments from all over the table, hailing it as one of the best mashed potatoes. Probably the most sinful platter, but most gratifying.Salt & Pepper Calamari ($18++): Possibly the best calamari (sashimi style) I’ve had. People have no idea my love for the plain and simple (p&s), pepper and salt (p&s) (see what I did there). It’s so uncomplicated yet expresses the best flavors.Besides serving one of the best food (Tapas) in town, they also serve their clients pretty well. Though not concrete, and might not even go through, the management is actually thinking of having Mix-Your-Own-Cocktail/Mocktail sessions for diners. Blue, red, yellow, green. Sour or sweet, highball glass, cocktail glass, it’s all in your hands, literally. Watch the space. Who knows whether they will commission this session.They also have this ultimate bragging rights. Because East Coast Park is under NParks, smoking is actually prohibited all around. But if you are dying to have a puff, 1-Twenty Six’s bar is the only legalized area to smoke – head over there!Next best thing – the restaurant’s resident band, EJS. They perform every Friday, 7.30pm onwards. They are, in no exaggeration, the best local band I’ve seen. Man, they can hit the notes, sing the hardest songs, and still sound, so, damn, good. I would go there just for the good live music. Of course, the usual song dedications are taken. Just alert their friendly waitpersons.Speaking of which, service is under the watch of Amin Adam, Assistant Group Dining Manager. Be assured that your evening will be turned around by this gentleman. He’s outspoken and daring to interact. If you’re there for a wild time, he can aid you in just that.By far, one of my favorite hangout places. continue reading

Where do we go from here ? Don't know where to go after beach stroll,so decided to check out 1-twentysix at Playground Big Splash. The restaurant is dimly lit, cool and relaxing.I guess that's the beauty of Semi-fine, you get to taste everything in small portion. Sea bass is fresh and succulent goes well will the creamy and smooth mash potato. Oyster is fat and juicy, pan fried scallop is well cooked. Lobster soup looks heavy but it's smooth and light. continue reading

Having the desserts served at 1-TwentySix are like admiring pieces of Art piece display here. The lime sorbet is very sour and I do not really able to appreciate this smooth cold dessert at all. The mini lemon sponge cake is slight better, which is filled with the fragrant of butter and lemon flavour in it. The lemon souffle is also abit too sour and sweet as well, which also does not interest me at all. Environment was alright but the food here just does not suit my taste bud. continue reading

This was my first visit for brunch. Used to frequent this place for drinks at night only. The breakfast/brunch menu was rather comprehensive. My friends and I ordered the American Big Breakfast, Eggs Benedict and 2 sets of Croque Madam. The American Breakfast consisted of eggs (of your choice), sausages, baked beans, bacon, hash brown and toast. It was served with a glass of orange juice too. This would be good if you intend to try abit of everything. The Eggs Benedict was very well done and the muffins were toasted lightly. In between the eggs and the muffins, they added ham. It made the dish more flavourful... The last we ordered was croque madam. It was actually 3 layers of toast where they place a fried egg on the top layer. The second and third layers were filled with cheese and ham. Quite a refreshing change in the usual brunch menu. It was recommended by the wait staff. continue reading

I had cod brandade for lunch everyday while in Verona and Venice not too long ago so I was eager to find out how the homemade version ($8++) here measures up, especially when this is a laborious dish not commonly found in Singapore. While the smooth texture was spot-on, the saltiness was way over the top, even when paired with the accompanying grilled bruschetta.I like the whole combination of pan-seared Hokkaido scallops ($24++) with jerky-like bacon crisps and balsamic reduction on a bed of eggplant caviar which is somewhat like the Lebanese baba ghanoush.The frozen ‘deconstructed’ strawberry shortcake ($14++) was such a pretty sight to behold. Love the home-churned strawberry ice cream which was so natural-tasting and had a fabulous creamy mouthfeel. Nothing beats homemade ice cream! And the layers of soft sponge and flaky pastry were a great contrast. continue reading