Mezza9 Singapore Grand Hyatt Hotel Singapore

Today is the 21st of December 2012 and thank God we are all still here :).  Let's wish we will have a world full of peace, awareness, conscience to do the right things and kindness for all mankind.

This is a very short post.  However, I think this dish deserves a special mention.  The food at the Mezza9 is generally very good.  The quality, taste and freshness of the produce is consistent and excellent.    Their "must-try" is their lamb chops.

It is superb!  Tender and juicy with just the right amount of seasoning.  I requested for medium and it was perfect.  I love lamb and I usually order lamb almost everywhere I go.  Hence, if you are heading down to Mezza9, try the lamb.  Hope it will be as consistent and delicious as usual.  You can also order side dishes to go with it.  I had mine with saute wild mushrooms and mashed potatoes.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

Mandarin Court Chinese Restaurant

I love Peking Duck.  Felt like having one and thought I gave Mandarin Court a try.  We arrived for dinner at around 6.45pm and was greeted as soon as we entered the restaurant.

The peking duck arrived at the table sliced.  It was nice and crispy.  The pancakes were warm though I think it would have been better if it was a tad warmer.

 
Beef cubes ($28) were delicious!  It was tender and the meat was juicy.  It was well cooked and the sauce on the beef was yummy!  All of us enjoyed that very much.  This is not a good photo as it is not very clear.

When I was going through the menu, this vege dish caught my eye.  It is spinach and poached with 3 eggs: salted, century and normal ($20).  It is different and I rather like it.  The different taste and texture of the eggs with the slight crunchiness of the spinach makes the dish rather interesting.

We tried a different style this time with the duck meat.  This one was deep fried with spices.  It was crunchy, crispy and lovely.  It was hot and just the way how it should be served.

Crabmeat Fried Rice ($12) was delicious too.  You can see bits of crabmeat and roe.  I think this is a fabulous dish.  The portion is very small so it is enough for one person only.

All of us enjoyed the food very much.  The service was excellent.  They were very observant and helpful.  The location of the restaurant is also superb.  It is on the 34th level of the Mandarin Hotel so you get a fabulous view.  Ask for a window table (unless you are afraid of heights) and reservations are recommended.

Peking Duck: 8/10
Saute Beef Cubes: 9/10
Spinach with 3 poached eggs: 8/10
Fried Duck Meat: 8/10
Fried Rice with Crabmeat and Roe: 9/10

Mandarin Court Chinese Restaurant
Mandarin Orchard Singapore
Level 34
333 Orchard Road
Singapore (238867)
Tel: (65) 6737 4411

Kashmir (East Coast)

I noticed there are now many eateries around Katong and Joo Chiat area.  I checked out this North Indian restaurant as I noticed they had quite a number of customers who looked clearly like they were enjoying their food.... and I felt like having a snack. :)

We were recommended a fish appetiser, and I agreed to try it out.  The burst of flavour from the spices were fabulous but it was not too overpowering.  Only that I find it a tad too salty for me, if they had tune the salt just a notch down it would have been perfect.

The fish was fresh and it was in chunks.  It was tender and moist and so flavourful.  I will order this again but I will request for less salt.  It is a little like fish and chips, only that, this is much better :)

I ordered my favourite Rogan Gosht  but the waiter recommended the Boneless Lamb Gosht and I thought why not?  Again, it was fabulous.  The lamb was tender and the gravy delicious!

When we were ordering the chicken dish, we asked the waiter for suggestions and he came up with this dish that I don't know the name.  Nevertheless, it was very very good.  It was a little sweet for me but it was very nice.  Again, the chicken was tender and moist and the spices were well put together.

The garlic and butter naan that we ordered was also freshly made and it was still lovely and hot when served.  The service was very good too.  They were extremely observant when we needed service although we were sitting outside.  They were also extremely polite.

I will definitely go back to try out other dishes with my other makan friends. :)

Ratings:
Fish with spices (appetiser) 9.5/10
Boneless Lamb Gosht 9/10
Chicken dish 9/10
Garlic and Butter Naan 9.5/10

Service: Excellent

19 East Coast Road (beside Odeon Katong)
Tel: 6344 9163

Garibaldi Italian Restaurant and Bar

I've always like this restaurant.  My friends and I decided to go there for lunch and I have not been here for quite a while.  It was Restaurant Week when we were there and they had a set menu.  As usual, the staff was very polite and service was good.  We were greeted and our orders were taken promptly.

The first course was a veal tongue salad.  One of my friends did not quite like it as he did not like the texture as he said it was slightly slimy.  My girlfriend and I thought taste wise it was ok but not outstanding.

For the main, I picked the Seafood Soup dish and my friends ordered the duck pasta dish.  One of them thought the pasta was fine while the other one said it was disappointing.  So I had a taste and I must say while it was not bad but it was not exceptional.  It could have been tastier but we all agreed that the texture of the pasta was good.

 

Fortunately, I ordered the Seafood Soup.  It looked good and tasted good.  It had just the right seasoning and the flavours are from the natural juices of the seafood.  With such dishes, it is best to season ligthtly to enhance the natural juices without overpowering the dish, which they did.  So I was rather happy with mine.  The only thing is that the toasts that came with it could be a tad crispier.

My two friends were very happy with their choice of dessert.  Actually, they mentioned it was their best course! Lol!  It was basically a chocolate cake but I could not remember it's fancy name.  It was super tasty without being too sweet.  Even I thought it was good...

I picked the white chocolate dessert.  The outer layer texture reminded me of jelly but once you cut into it, it is soft and creamy.  It's delicious and the fruit pieces in it cuts the richness of the dessert.  The pastry at the bottom adds the necessary crunchiness to this sweet delight.

I somehow feel that the food was not as good as the few previous times I was there.  Perhaps, they were full but I don't see that as a good reason.  Service is always good here.  The staff are helpful and friendly without being intrusive.  I will just go back there one more time to try their food again to confirm whether I should still include Garibaldi as one of my favourite restaurants...  but then again, who cares what I think.. :D

Veal tongue salad:  7/10
Duck pasta dish:  7/10
Seafood Soup: 8.5/10
Chocolate cake: 9/10
White chocolate dessert: 9/10

Service:  9/10

Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar

36 Purvis Street #01-02
Singapore 188613
Tel: (65) 6837 1468 Fax: (65) 6337 3770
Email: garibaldi@garibaldi.com.sg

Le Bistro Parisien

Went for a lunch meeting and my friend suggested this new place.  This charming little french restaurant is around the Arab Street area. 

When we got there, we were greeted by the friendly and vivacious owner, Jean Francois Nordin.  Apparently, I heard that he was living in France a long time ago for 12 years working in the restaurants there and he got started by being a dishwasher to get himself into the kitchen.  I guess that's part of the reason that he speaks fluent french too.  We got our seats and was given the menu.  I like the way it was written.

The Onion Soup ($12) was baked well, along with the lovely crusty cheese on top.  The sweetness came from the onions, like how it should be.  It was very tasty.

The Carrot Soup ($8) was really lovely too.  It was creamy but not too much cream that makes you feel sick.  It had the right consistency to it. 

The cod baked with cream was very nice.  Again, it was just right and not too creamy.  The cod pieces were perfectly baked in the sauce.

Ahhhh... the next dish is my personal favourite.  I would come here just for this!  It is a marrow dish   ($21)  and I am so sure my eating kakis would LOVE it!  The marrow was baked and the gravy was glazed on top of it.  This dish is definitely not for the faint-hearted.  It is not oily as I could tell they didn't add any oil....only the oil that came from the natural fats of the marrow.  It was served with some saute mushrooms.

It is superb as you can see the marrow goodness here :P  The marrow was done perfectly well.  The marrow was smooth, rich and simply succulent.  It is like having the equivalent of our local soup tulang minus the knocking and the sucking :D

As you can see, I polished off the whole plate!  In my opinion, this is a must try! YUMS!!!  I don't think you should have this everyday but hey, some fats will do you good...  This is definitely a dish for someone who lives life with a passion :)

We ordered two different steak to taste the difference.  The US Black Angus Ribeye ($48)  was really tender and tasty.  It came with a 2-4 marbling.  It was well seasoned and extremely tasty.

My Australian Wagyu Ribeye ($98) came with a 8++ marbling.  There's fatty goodness in every morsel.  Delicious, extremely tender and is slightly sweeter than the US ribeye, I think due to the fatty content.  Both were perfectly done medium, pink without being "bloody".  It is indeed a superb cut.  However, I always find Wagyu to be a bit rich for me.  I couldn't finish it, not because it was not good, but because I have a relatively small stomach :D.  But I decided to pack it home to make a fab steak sandwich for dinner later.

Dark chocolate dessert

The dessert (again, I can't remember what's the name) is lovely.  I tried 3 different flavours. The dark chocolate, the raspberry and the coffee and chocolate.  I think it is perfectly executed.  All wasn't too sweet and simply delicious.

Raspberry dessert

Coffee and chocolate dessert

The sponge is soft and goes well with the various flavours.

We also tried the creme caramel.  The soft layer of creme caramel on top was nice.  Again, it's not too sweet though the consistency should be just a tad firmer.  But it was tasty.

This unpretentious restaurant has good quality ingredients and top grade meats.  I heard they will be renovating the upstairs bit during Hari Raya as currently the upstairs deco is not too French.  They also offer set lunch menu at a fab price of $18.90 nett.  That would include a soup, a choice of beef stew or a lamb or chicken dish and a coffee.  All meat are halal.  I realised as well that there's no GST nor service charge here.  They do not sell alcohol but you can BYO.  I will definitely visit this restaurant again.... especially for the marrow! :P

Ratings:

Onion Soup: 8.5/10
Carrot Soup: 8/10
Baked cod dish:  7.5/10
Marrow dish:  9.5/10
US Rib Eye: 9.5/10
Australian Wagyu: 9.5/10
Sponge 3 flavour dessert:  9/10
Creme Caramel: 7.5/10

Service: 8/10

10 Haji Lane
Singapore 189203
Tel: 6396 6383
Tel: 6396 6383
(11am to 11pm)
www.bistroparisien.com.sg

Private Affairs

I've been wanting to try out this restaurant for a while after I heard about it from a good friend last year.  So, I decided to head there for lunch one afternoon.

The frontage of the restaurant looks really nice.  I like the old shophouses around Joo Chiat as I think they have great character compared to all the swishy malls in town.  As I entered, there was no one at the "reception" and after about a good two minutes, a staff appeared and led us to our table. A group of guys were having business lunch but otherwise, no one else.

My foie gras appetiser was well done.  Crispy on the outside and soft in the inside.  However, it was slightly underdone in the centre, so I left it.  The salmon was fresh and tasted good but a bit on the small side.  The combination of seaweed and caviar was interesting to the palate. 

The snapper was fresh, with tasty crispy skin.  Although we find it a little salty but the slight turmeric taste (I think) is nice.  If they tone down slightly on the salt, it would've been perfect.  The oxtail was tender and had a good flavour together with the mushrooms.  The mash was light and the portion was just right for me but some may feel it's too little. 

I must say all the dishes were presented very well.  The staff were friendly and they were not too much "in your face".  The deco was nice and I think it's a suitable place for a business lunch or a leisurely meal with friends as you are not rushed.  I think it is a decent place though I was told that they will be moving to another venue in town this year.  That's quite a shame as it would be nice to have more choices of nice looking restaurants with decent food in the East Coast coast area...

Ratings:
Salmon: 8/10
Foie Gras: 8/10
Snapper: 7.5/10
Oxtail: 7.5/10

Service: 8/10

45 Joo Chiat Place
Singapore
Tel: +65 6440 0601

Opening Hours

Tue–Sat
Lunch: 11.30am – 2.30pm (Last sitting at 2pm)
Tue – Sun
Dinner: 6.30pm – 11.00pm (Last sitting at 10pm)
Sunday
Brunch: 11.30am – 3.30pm
(Closed on Mon)

Buyan Russian Haute Cuisine and Caviar Bar

Decided to give this new restaurant a try.  My friend was saying that Russian food may be lousy but I thought, why not check it out.

one of the levels in Buyan

It is located in a shophouse in Duxton.  When I got there, there was no one at all to "greet" me at the sort of reception area.  It was totally empty.  Luckily, my friend had said that he's on the 3rd floor as I made my way up on my own with no staff in sight.  Only upon reaching the landing of the 3rd floor, I "located" a staff.

I was given the menu as soon as I was seated.  With iPad as menu and you can click beside the text to show the image of the food you are ordering.  There's 2 different menus, casual dining and fine dining.

They recommended me an appetiser from their fine dining menu as I couldn't make up my mind.  When it came, I think my Crabmeat Salad ($45) was superb! It was fresh, tasty, slightly crunchy and such a delight to the palate.  My friend ordered the Herring and Potato appetiser ($10) and it was excellent as well.  It was simple but very well done.  The herring was fresh, the potatoes were warm and it was good.  We were very happy with the appetisers that we decided to share another appetiser.  Since the Russians are known for caviar, we decided to go that way.  It comes with all the usual condiments and I enjoyed that very much too as I like caviar.

Shashlik

My friend ordered the Shashlik and I ordered the Beef Stroganoff as we feel we should order their classic dishes as our mains.  The Shashlik was decent though I was expecting something outstanding after our appetisers.  The portions were decent and it's reasonably tasty.  My Beef Stroganoff was delicious but I find the sauce too rich and therefore I was not able to finish it.

We decided to move downstairs to have our dessert.  The baked apple dessert was interesting and very different.  I've never seen this technique before.  The apple is still crunchy on the inside and it is crispy on the outside.  I will order this for myself the next time.  The berry dessert, ( I can't really remember the names of both desserts) is something light.  The pink liquid is sort of half drink, half jelly consistency plus the berries.  It is refreshing and just what I needed on a hot day though I won't really call it dessert.

I will visit Buyan again to try out other dishes and definitely will order the Crabmeat Salad again :)  I was also told that they serve 50 types of premium vodka in their vodka bar (apparently some not available elsewhere)  on the ground level.  So, I guess would be good for those of you who are vodka lovers...

Dessert:  Baked apple

Ratings:
Crabmeat Salad 9.5/10
Herring & Potato 9.5/10
Shashlik 8/10

Dessert: Berries

Beef Stroganoff 8/10
Baked Apple Dessert: 8.5/10
Berry Dessert: 6/10

Service: 7.5/10

Address: 9/10 Duxton Hill

Tel: +65 6223 7008

Opening Hours

Mon–Sat: 12pm – 12am
Closed on Sundays

Garibaldi

This is one of my favourite restaurants.  Decided to have lunch with some friends and since I've not been there recently, decided to head there this time.

As usual, the staff was extremely welcoming when we arrived.  I picked the carrot and crabmeat soup and roast turkey.  The carrot and crabmeat soup came with bits of crab meat which was lovely but I think it could do with slightly more seasoning.  Alas, I had forgotten to take any photos... The roast turkey was done just right.  It was tender and the sauce that went with it was delicious.  I think it's perfect for lunch as I didn't want something too heavy.  The prawn linguine that my friends ordered were very good though I think the herb was a tad too strong for my liking.  The linguine was al dente and it has just the right amount of sauce. As usual, I only ordered a gelato for dessert and it was creamy in texture and milky in taste.  The chocolate dessert (I can't remember the name) was fabulous and the rest of my friends who ordered it enjoyed it very much.

The Italian waiter who served us was very friendly and helpful.  In fact, all the staff are well trained and has the right personality.  This is one restaurant that I would not mind going again and again...

Ratings:
Roast Turkey: 9/10
Prawn Linguine: 8.5/10
Chocolate dessert: 9.5/10

Service rating: 9.5/10


Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar
36 Purvis Street #01-02
Singapore 188613
Tel: (65) 6837 1468