Trattoria da Mimmo Restaurant and Pizzeria @ Clover Way

"Let's have something healthier." That was how we came about choosing this place for our lunch. Italian fare it is.

restaurant's entrance

I was a tad late, so the others arrived earlier. The interior was cosy and spacious.

interior

table setting

online menu

Pretty extensive menu and one of the staff rattled off a long list of Specials for the day. Our first time at the restaurant, so we decided to get the Special Pizza, two appetizers and two pastas. Once our order was captured, a bread basket was immediately brought out.

complimentary bread

olive oil and balsamic

with butter

Staff asked us if we would like the food to be served all at once or to serve the appetisers first. We smiled and said, "all at once". But little did we know that the plates are pretty big, so very quickly our table were full!

Burrata Pugliese con Parma @$56++

hello parma~

It has been quite a long while since I last had any burrata or parma ham. Loved the sweet tomatoes! The burrata was our healthier plate. The small side dish that looked like pickled vegetable was a curious thing. Taste-wise, it definitely does not taste like szechuan vegetable. Staff helped us to enquire from the chef and came back with the answer. Eggplant! Ok, it didn't taste like eggplant too.

smooth burrata

Prosecco @$13++

Trippa della Casa @$24++

The tripe was served piping hot, so be careful. We used the bread to mop up the sauce. I liked it as it was cooked till tender, and its tomato based sauce was comforting.

Gnocchi al Formaggi @$29++

Am always in search for gnocchi that could rival the one that I really liked from Club Street, many years ago. Lucky me, my friends allowed my indulgence and we got a plate to try. However, am on the fence for this one as it had a heavy cheese flavour to it. Maybe I should've ordered the tomato based version?

Pappardelle al Cinghiale @$36++

I was skeptical at first on the wild boar pappardelle (Pappardelle al Cinghiale) but it had a likeable robust flavour. Strong flavours, lovely pasta texture and not overly gamey. In fact, I think it wasn't gamey at all. This was one dish that I kept going back for more!

Special Pizza @$42++

The Special Pizza came looking kinda cute with all the mini cheese balls on it. Mini burrata? Hehe. Liked that the crust is neither too thin nor too thick, as it was just right. The sausage meat on it had an interesting texture and overall flavours were enjoyable. I can finish 2 slices of these.

lemon sorbet @$12++

For dessert, we had the lemon sorbet served in an actual frozen lemon. Keke, first time seeing ice cream presented this way.

And, we did try their tiramisu as well. Light and gone in a jiffy!

tiramisu @$15++

light and yums

The sparkling and still water were charged at $7.50++ per bottle. I saw the other tables having their water poured from a jug, so I guessed the tap water option is available as well.

Service was efficient and we enjoyed the light hearted banters with Isabelle, who attended to us that day.

Thank you Ivan, Tracy, Hence and Shermaine for a lovely catch-up, and for the hearty lunch. Till our next adventure, stay safe.

Trattoria da Mimmo Restaurant and Pizzeria 

Address: 3 Clover Wy, Singapore 579078

Website: http://www.trattoriadamimmo.com.sg/

Contact: 90882659

Business Hours:

Closed on Tues.

Wed - Sat: Monday, 11:45 am–2 pm, 5:45–10 pm

Sun: 11:45 am–2:30 pm, 5:45–10 pm

Blanco Court Prawn Mee @ Beach Road

It is an old establishment and I tried it when my previous workplace was at Gateway. That's a good many years ago.

There's two stalls in this coffeeshop. One that sells the fried fritters (ngoh hiang or wu xiang) and the other one that sells prawn noodles. It is a good pair, and I'd totally recommend to order both.

Stand at the front of the queue line and once the staff take notice of you, he'll quickly assign a table. Move on and take a seat. Remember the table number as you'll need that info when ordering from the prawn noodles stall.

Is it worth it to get the bigger prawns version at $12+? Am not sure, as the flavours are the same as the 'smaller' prawns so typically I'd just go for the $7 version. Save some $$ to buy the fritters. Hahaha!

Make payment and the prawn noodles will be delivered to your table when it is ready.

As for the wu xiang, take a plate, pick out your favourites and hand them over to the uncle. He'll quote you a price and make payment. Then he'll hand you the buzzer. Head back to your table and pick up your order when the buzzer buzzes.

prawn noodles @$7

wu xiang 五香 @$8+

I have selected 4 items for the deep fried; guan chang (灌肠), prawn fritters, liver roll and fish paste roll (I think it is this, but then I don't know).

The most expensive should be the pink coloured meat roll (guan chang), and my go to pick is the liver roll. Don't know why but I always get one of these. The prawn cracker/fritter is a must for that crunchy crunchy feels. And the version here, was superbly crunchy!

two sauces

Anyone knows why the wu xiang is always eaten with the starchy pink/orange sweet sauce?

yums

I asked my friend why not the stall just peel off all the shell from the prawns since the prawns were all pre-cooked anyway. She said, "for aesthetics". Probably true.

One need not choose the noodle type here. The default is this type of firm bee hoon (rice vermicelli) that's thicker than the normal thin type.

Broth was flavourful but it is not those deep umami type. Sufficient, I'd say. I felt that the noodles were on the smallish side, so the pairing with the extra fried stuffs was a good match.

Blanco Court Prawn Mee

Address: 243 Beach Rd, #01-01, Singapore 189754

Contact: +6563968464

Business Hours: 

Closed on Tues.

Wed - Mon: Thursday, 7:30 AM–4 PM

Konditori Artisan Bakes @ Bussorah Street

The shop front looked like a quaint shop, and a window for passerby to take in the view of their wonderful bakes. I wanted to get some pastry/cakes for my late lunch / tea-break after a heavy breakfast and was around the Kampong Glam area.

When I was there, I saw a small group of tourist with their local guide standing outside of the shop, and the guide was explaining a little bit about the shop. From the outside, I could see that there are about 4 pax in the shop (excluding the shop staff) choosing their breads, so I went in to do the same. 

Then I realised that the shop space is really small. Buying customers will likely be standing in-front of the bread/pastry counter which starts right at the door and if you're standing behind that person trying to catch a glimpse of the  baked good, then you will be blocking whoever that wants to enter the shop.

I like how the baked goods are displayed, and everything looked like they'd going to be delicious. Hahaha, luckily I did my homework and went online to see what I think I'd be getting, made a list and went to the shop to then actually get it. Once the staff acknowledge your presence after they'd finish serving the initial customer, it was time to get to the front and pick out your choices. I only spotted one of the item that I wanted; Black Pepper Beef and Honey Mustard Croissant. For the rest of my choices, I just rattled off the name and the staff will think for a bit and point it out and then I'd nod and said, ok I'll be getting those.

cruffins and more

Items were swiftly packed and made the payment, and I was a happy shopper.

time to enjoy

Black Pepper Beef Honey Mustard Croissant @$6.10 and Peanut Butter Jam Brioche @$5.40

good sized croissant

I liked how substantial the black pepper beef croissant felt when you hold it. Adequate slices of beef inside and the honey mustard sauce helped to moisten the overall bite. Flavours are strong in this one. Loved the pickled chilies too.

Peanut Butter Cruffin @$4.70

Basque Burnt Cheesecake @$8.70

I liked their savouries more than the sweet ones. Also tried the Truffle Beef Salami bread ($5.50) and it was delicious after heating it up in the air-fryer for 2 minutes. Think oozy cheese center....yums!

All in all, loved the options available, choose wisely (because one simply can't buy everything!) and you should be able to find a favourite over here. Enjoy~

Konditori Artisan Bakes

Address: 33 Bussorah St, Singapore 199451

Website: https://www.konditori.sg/

Contact: +6562098580

Business Hours: 

Daily: 10.00 am–6.00 pm

Walking Around Kampong Glam Area

It's been a long long while since I last visited this area, and took some time to take in the sound and sights again.

Headed straight to Sultan Mosque to view one of the iconic landmarks in the area.

towards Sultan Mosque

stalls lining up outside the mosque

Weather was super hot and initially wanted to try the foods at the Ramadan Bazaar but ended up with none.

ventured into the back alleys

cool art

There were plenty of restaurants offering Turkish/Lebanese foods in the area and the staff standing at the front of the shops in the hot sun are pretty friendly. 

went inside to dabao breakfast

Some 17 years back (plus minus), when my office was at Gateway, sometimes we'd be having our lunch or birthday celebrations for our Muslim colleagues in this area. Fika restaurant was our go-to for birthdays while Kampong Glam cafe was our hangout for cheap lunch and some of those nasi padang stalls around that area. I remembered eating at Bumbu but can't recall if we had tried Sabar Menanti.

beef rendang, brinjal and omelet @$10

Ok, and yes I was influenced by recent media as Sabar Menanti was featured in Youtube. Unfortunately, the beef was tough. I liked the rice although some said that it was too soft and overall flavours were balanced.

Walked past a shop called 'Ratu Lemper' and bought the beef version to try. An Indonesian dessert and overall taste was sweet savoury.

beef lemper @$8

It was nice revisiting the area again. Plenty of shops around to explore!

O.BBa Jjajang & BBQ @ Chun Tin Road

Finally, tried O.BBa KBBQ at their Chun Tin Road outlet (Bukit Timah). It's within 5 minutes walking distance from Beauty World MRT, so that's pretty convenient. Reservation is not available at this outlet, hence diners would have to appear at their doorstep, then key in your phone number at the queue kiosk (at the entrance) and wait for staff to call. One could also check queue status via whatsapp.

My bro and me went at about 1pm and were seated within 10 minutes. The shop was fairly busy even at late lunch hour.

Scan the QR code left by the staff at the table and order through that as well. The place has adequate staff, so no issue in getting your questions answered. Drinks were served immediately once order is placed and the BBQ set appeared within 5 minutes as well. 

Set C - mix of beef and pork @$96++

scan for menu/wifi

Beef short rib, pork belly, traditionally marinated beef, marinated pork rib, sausage

At first, I was slightly confused as to whether the staff will do the BBQ or are we supposed to do it ourselves as the staff was just standing at our table after bringing out the meats. Ahh, perhaps he was waiting for me to finish taking the photos? Hahaha!

let's start

apple salad

fishcake

sliced sausages in tomato sauce

kimchi

While staff was busy grilling the meats, we busied ourselves with the side dishes. I liked the cold apple salad and the kimchi the most.

beef short ribs

We loved the tender slices of short ribs. It's unmarinated hence, one could add dip it into the sesame oil salt mix, or make it into a wrap with whichever condiments that you like. Noticed that the shop don't provide raw garlic here.

grilled cheese

Realised that the set also came with 2 squares of cheese which is also grilled. Interesting, and staff shared with us that this type of mozzarella cheese isn't too melty and hence, suitable for the grill. My first time trying a grilled cheese that isn't haloumi.

I was confused x2, when the staff suddenly dangled the already grilled cheese infront of me. So I quickly brought up my small plate to receive but he frowned. I was like thinking... what, what do you want me to do? Then he said "photo". Orhhhhh, he wanted me to take a photo of the grilled cheese.

grilled cheese photo with an amused bro at the background

For drinks, we tried the Chungha Sparkling which is like soju in sparkling form. A ladies drink, and it was sweet.

Chungha Sparkling @$15++

pork belly

gyeran jjim (with the set)

Staff kindly advised us to eat the steamed egg otherwise, the hotstone pot will continue to cook it due to its retained heat and the parts that are in contact with the pot surface, will likely get burnt.

This oppa staff at our table, do like to nag us a bit. Hahaha!

tasty

pork ribs

grill all

traditionally marinated beef

I least liked the traditional marinated beef as it was mostly lean and became such small bits after cooking. The marinade was sweet and similar to teriyaki or bulgogi sauce.

Give me all the fattier cuts, anytime!

The set also came with selected stew or noodles. We chose jjajangmyeon because wanted to try their shop specialty.

jjajangmyeon (with the set)

mix well and slurp

The noodles portion could be main dish for 2 pax. We were so full after all the food. I think this set feeds 3 comfortably.

juicy pork ribs

grilled white kimchi, onions, sausage, beef tendons (cut out from the beef shortribs earlier)

The free sausage was pretty good. I think it is pork sausage and texture was bouncier than the banchan version.

Once you're done with the food, head on to the cashier to make payment. Our meal costs $133 in total for 2 pax.

On your way out, remember to take your complimentary small haagen daaz ice-cream to eat outside as staff said they are sorry, but the ice cream can't be eaten inside the shop. I guess this way is to free up the dining table for the next seating.

ice-cream choco flavour

Overall, staff are friendly and efficient. Thank you to the oppa who helped us BBQ that afternoon.

 O.BBa Jjajang & BBQ

Address: 19 Cheong Chin Nam Rd, Singapore 599743

Website: https://obba-sg.com/

Contact: +6564639262

Business Hours:

Daily:  11:30 AM–3 PM, 5–10 PM