De Burg @ Bukit Merah

Located at Blk 119 Bukit Merah Lane 1, this eatery is really near the office. Near like walking distance near, or if you like, two bus stops away. So it made sense to drop by to try, especially after it has been featured in a local tv programme, so decided to see what's the fuss about.

stall front

indoor or alfresco seats

Most of the coffeeshop tables are four-seaters, so if you're going in a larger group then it'll be good to make reservations. Their email response was really fast. Was impressed.

menu

It's self-service so just take the menu from the plastic holder in front of the cashier, decide what to eat then proceed to cashier to order and to pay. Then, you'll be given a device that'll buzz when the food is ready for collection.

buzzer

Quite a good number of choices for burgers; The Signature/Celebrity Burgers, then there are the usual beef, lamb and pork burgers that one can choose between 100gms or 200gms patty. For 200gms patty, you'll have a choice of 2 sides (salad, chips, tater tots or ranch beans). For 100gms patty, by default it'll be served with chips.

Allow at least 15 minutes for cooking time. If you're part of a larger group and there are many burgers to cook, then the waiting time would be much longer as the burgers for the entire group ought to be ready at the same time for collection.

Certain items may not be available on your day of visit, so there's a whiteboard behind the cashier that displays those items.

Ok, back to the food.

De Burg Decadence, with extra side orders of chicken wings and onion rings

onion rings

chicken wings

Just realised how sinful all these deep fried stuffs are! Chicken wings were crispy but felt that the meat seemed to be somewhat lacking in flavour. No matter, as there're chili, mustard and tabasco sauces available, should one prefers it.

ready for some 'burgasm'?

De Burg Decadence - pièce de résistance

bun, mayo ring, greens, tomato, portobello mushroom, crispy bacon, melted cheese, Aus wagyu beef patty 200gms, bbq ring, bun

eat me

 juicy wagyu patty

The burger was good. First bite, soft bun with crispy bottom. Chew and savour mild sweetness of bread, crisp fresh greens and tomato slice bursting with juice. Second bite, a hint of smoky bitterness from portobello, very moist and flavourful beef patty contrasted by crunchy crispy bacon. Yums.

glistening crispy bacon

When oil started dripping out of the burger, it was inevitable that the mind would be forced to evaluate whether it was worth all the calories and fats. So in times of emotional turmoil over the want to continue eating versus the logic to stop, guess it's time to munch on some greens while the battle rages.

fresh greens

nicely salted fries

Eventually, without knowing it, it was almost down to the last bite...

nom nom nom

The wagyu burger is only available on Fridays and weekends and in limited quantity.

For ladies or small eaters, a 100gms burger is actually quite filling (considering the chips and a drink). This meal was shared between 2 pax and we were stuffed.

Streets of London @ Bukit Merah Central (Part II)

Wandered to this part of the town so decided to try the $10 set lunch at this place. Amongst the mains available for set lunches are IPA chicken, fish & chips, spaghetti bolognaise, ribs and chicken.

soup of the day (pumpkin soup) & ice lemon tea

ribs & chicken

closer view of grilled chicken

ribs close-up

The soup of the day was pumpkin soup, and it was served piping hot. Mild flavours.

The ribs were indeed tender and falls off the bones easily. The sweet sauce was interesting. The grilled chicken has a nice smoky flavour to it.

$10 set lunch include a soup and a main. Add 50cents for a soft drink/coffee/tea.

Here's a link to first visit.

Kitchenette Bottleshop.Bakery.Bistrot @ Goldhill Plaza

Located at Goldhill Plaza, right next door to Pigsfly Kitchen & Bar. Was there on a Friday evening and business was brisk.

breads and pastries

Had made prior reservations so our small group was quickly led to our table upstairs which to my surprise, looked like it was meant for a larger group. Didn't read too much into it, so we sat down. Service was quick and water was served while we browsed the menu. After some minutes, we were asked if we could shift downstairs so that a larger group could take our table. Hmm, we were ok with that so we moved downstairs. Unfortunately, it was very warm there as the airconditioning wasn't in its best condition that night and Joel acknowledged that. So, we requested to be seated upstairs whenever possible. In the end, Joel and his team did manage to squeeze out a small corner upstairs for us. Thank you for the effort.

Went back upstairs and placed our orders. Bread basket was served while waiting for food to arrive. Tap water is available too.

bread basket with a small slab of butter

two types of bread to try while waiting for food

menu

For appetiser, we tried the escargot. Had forgotten how tiny escargots really are. Should eat while these are warm as the cheese hardened pretty quickly. The escargot itself was tender and not too chewy.

half a dozen escargot

cheese, herbs and snail

just the right texture

For mains, we ordered different items. First to arrive, was the duck confit. The skin was nicely crispy,  crackling and flavourful but its meat was a tad dry at some parts. However, the mashed potatoes was superbly buttery. Yums.

Confit de Canard

crispy skin and very very tasty mashed potatoes

Braised Beef Cheek was one item that was personally anticipated. The meat was well braised with flavours fully absorbed, and very tender. A joy to eat.

Braised Beef Cheek

beautiful chunk of tender flavoursome meat

Next, was the Atlantic Sea Bass. Thought it was a good size to have a meal with. The meat was rather succulent and fatty. Slurps. Though the skin was crispy and fragrant but unfortunately, it was overly salted.

Atlantic Sea Bass

meaty meaty

a little pink at its center

This meal costs about $76 and good for three pax.

PappaMia @ River Valley Road

Located at 429 River Valley Road, it's a corner shop with huge signboard so it's easy to spot.

from across the street

It serves local food such as Ipoh kway teow soup, char kway teow, laksa, toast bread, soft boiled egg etc in a cafe setting. It also has western fares such as burgers, sausages, steaks, chicken chops etc from Botak's. For drinks, expect the usual hainan kopi, teh, beers, to the unusual cucumber drink.

bar @ Level 2

It's a pretty laid back shop, with outdoor and indoor seatings.

menu

lunch deals

For draught beer, Stella Artois goes  for $10 nett per pint or $8 nett for half pint.

Service was pretty nonchalant as well. Items that they no longer serve such as sandwiches were still in the menu. Ended up ordering fish otah with toast bread, and cheese fries to munch. For drinks, we had ice lemon tea and honey lemon.

ice-lemon tea ($2.80++)

lemon honey ($3.50++)

cheese fries ($7++), fish otah with hainan toast bread ($5.90++)

chunky cheese fries

hmm, wrong cheese?

First time having cheese fries with non oozy cheese, and it costs $7++ for that. Should just skip this. The otah on the other hand, was not bad.

fish otah, steamed

crunchy toasted bread

Ate the otah like a bruschetta. Break a small piece of the toast and spread some otah on it before popping the tasty morsel into the mouth. Nice.

Here's the link to second visit.

La Villa @ River Valley Road (Part II)

Was there on a rainy weekend afternoon. Decided to pop in for lunch since the rain was too heavy for anyone to go anywhere else on foot without getting wet.

rainy day

Having tasted their excellent Angel hair Pasta with Lobster Ragout ‘Sardinia’ style before, so decided to have pasta again this time round. Ordered the Spaghetti Pasta with mixed Seafood in Squid-ink sauce.

Was actually pleasantly surprised when they brought out three different types of bread even when I'm lunching alone. Liked the white bread the most. Its inside was soft and fluffy when warm. The brown bread tasted fragrant with nutty flavours.

warm breads

favourite bread

The spaghetti was ready in just minutes after I've munched on some breads. Opted for the small portion.

seafood spaghetti in squid ink

chockful of ingredients

closer view

The sauce was nicely thick and not too salty. Many small bits of seafood inside including mussels, clams, prawns, crab meat and squid. The sauce was also tangy (from the tomatoes?) and full of flavours from the sea. However, a not so fresh seafood was detected amongst all the gems in the plate marred the experience a little. Otherwise, this could potentially be the second favourite pasta dish, right behind the Capelini with Lobster Ragout. Unfortunate, indeed.

Though it was a cold day, the good service received from staff really warmed the heart. Was welcomed by the each staff that happened to have eye contact with both upon entrance and also when leaving. While eating, there was an irritating fly that was buzzing around so one attentive staff came over to place a tealight on the table and then he also tried to chase the offending creature away. Hehe.

There's carpark rebate if you're driving. There's also a 15% discount if you're paying via Standard Chartered credit card.

Here's a link to first visit.