[Tasting] Mischief @ Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Mischief is about 10 to 15 minutes from its nearest MRT, and that would be either City Hall MRT or Esplanade MRT. Expect American flavours and lots of alcoholic beverages. Lots.

Great place to chill, watch soccer with a beer tower (or two) and your best buddies.

it's a sign

It was a clear Sunday evening, and we opted for the great outdoors. To cool down from the heat, they brought us a beer tower. Yay!

Housepour Tower @$59.90 per tower (Promo: 2 Towers @$99)

here is where the action is

let's clink our glasses and cheers~

Nearby, we could hear musicians rocking it out at the Esplanade outdoor stage. Though we couldn't see the sunset, the air cooled down a bit and it was time to heal our famished tummies.

let's grab some food!

Can you guess what we had? Fried food and burgers? Absolutely, right!

Started with two fries; the Atomic and Truffle Maximus and then realised that, hey....the burgers also came with a side of fries. Thus, we ended up with fries party that night!

Atomic Fries @$14

Truffle Fries Maximus @$18

The Atomic Fries had sriracha sauce but it was really really mild. Its taste was somewhat cheesy rather than spicy. The Truffle Maximus had sauteed mushrooms, shaved parmesan and a large dose of truffle oil. Because of the mushrooms and shaved parmesan, I enjoyed the truffle fries more.

There's sio bak on the menu, and known as Crackling Pork Belly. Served with a side of pickled gherkins and a sauce made of garlic, onion and oregano that's reminiscent of Thai namjin sauce.

Crackling Pork Belly @$12 

Buttered Clams @$18

Enjoy 500g of Korean flower clams, cooked in sauteed garlic, lightly browned in butter with a splash of white wine. Beware of the cracked shells in the buttered clams though.

Delighted to know that Mischief burgers are made using 150g wagyu patties, and served with onion rings (only two rings!) and a side of fries. All burgers are lovingly sandwiched between toasted brioche buns.

Mamacita @$20

The Mamacita has pepper jack cheese, custom roasted chili blend (what was this? Sambal ah?), sriracha mayo sauce, crispy shallots and spring onions. Said to be for serious spice freaks but I thought it was rather mild. More spicy than the Atomic fries but nothing that we can't handle.

look at this beauty

Loved the colours of the Mamacita. So vibrant! The beef patty itself was all of natural flavours and moist. The onion rings was sweet and nicely fried. A tad greasy but so good.

Stomers @$24

Stoners has slow cooked mushrooms with herbs and melted cheese, arugula, extra virgin olive oil and a touch of ketchup. Okay, it's a mushroom cheeseburger! Classic taste and pretty good. But am favouring Mamacita more.

Stoners - an insider view

And then, there were crispy nachos, courtesy of Chicken Farm, a sharing platter comprising of nachos with cheese, guacamole and salsa, popcorn chicken, and chicken wings done two ways; Prawn Paste and Buffalo Wings.

nachos

nachos, guacamole, pickled chilies, sour cream, salsa

The Chicken Farm has enough food on it to feed six full grown adults. Chicken wings, nachos and beer. What more could we ask for?

The Chicken Farm @$48

Still feeling thirsty? Let's try some cocktails. There was Mochatini which tasted of Bailey's, Kahlua and espresso with some cocoa crisps for decoration, the Soju Slushie which tasted of yuzu and soju and my favourite, Coronarita of sweet blended strawberry slushie and Corona beer.

from far left to right to front: Mochatini @$22, Upside Down Soju Slushie @$26, Coronarita @$22

Mochatini for the coffee/milk chocolate lovers

In between of drinks, food and making merry, why not try your hands on the electronic darts machine or have a game of beer pong? Mischief has a corner for these activities.

how to play?

the challenge begins!

For the darts machine, one need to purchase a card for $12 with $10 stored credits for the game. Just inform the staff and you're good to start. Each game of darts is $2 credit and for 2 players, that'll be 2 x $2. Chose the countdown 701 points and we had maximum fun (and some wrist action, hehe).

Eat, drink, play and repeat. We also sampled the Wagyu Beef Brisket and boy, it was good.

Wagyu Beef Brisket @$32

Slow-cooked 24hr wagyu beef that's tender, and properly crusted with black pepper and served with a side of salad and fries. We ate a mountain of fries! The brisket was leaning more on the sweeter note.

yums

Many thanks to Jereme for the invite and Mischief for feeding us and plying us with drinks.

The darts machine was entertaining. Thank you Marc, Rachelle, CK and Tiara for playing.

Mischief

Address: 8 Raffles Ave, #01-10/12, Singapore 039802
Website: https://mischief.sg/
Contact: 6532 0106
Business Hours:
Sunday 5pm to 12mn
Monday 5pm to 11pm
Tues-Thurs 5pm to 1am
Fri/Sat 5pm to 3am

[Media Invite] Spuds & Aprons @ Faber Peak Singapore

Ascended to the hilltop to attain......hearty good food, good service, gentle natural breeze and coupled with an awesome view! What more could one ask for?

signage to the restaurant

Getting to Faber Peak Singapore was fairly easy. By Cable Car Sky Network with Mount Faber Line and Sentosa Line running. A Cable Car Sky Pass ticket for an adult costs $33 and you'll get Mount Faber Line + Sentosa Line and entry into Sentosa. But I think getting the Faber License is more value-for-money and here's why. Get this, for only $39 per year for an individual membership, you'll get unlimited joyrides on the two cable car lines, unlimited admission to Sentosa island plus exclusive privileges for dining and shopping at Faber Peak Singapore. How cool is that! Read more about Faber License and how to be a member here.

Took the cable car ride from Harbourfront Tower, and funny us, we lost our way as we got off at the wrong stop. Haha. My sense of direction is getting from bad to worse, apparently. From Harbourfront Tower to Faber Peak, the journey is about 7 to 8 minutes.

joyrides via Cable Car Sky Network

 
With the Faber Line, it was very easy to locate our dining venue; Spuds and Aprons. After getting off the cable car, walk into the souvenir shop, have a look or get a wishing bell from here, or exit the shop and you'll be greeted by the signage to the restaurant.

Spuds and Aprons is located about 100 metres above sea level at Faber Peak Singapore. If you feel a sense of familiarity of this place, that's likely because Jewel Box was previously here. Now, Spuds and Aprons offers big, comfortable space with good airflow, and has adequate lightings. It even retained part of nature in its space. The restaurant now has a casual vibe and basically pretty chill. The kitchen is helmed by Executive Chef Derrick Ang and the restaurant serves up good hearty proportions of tasty food which has both Western and Asian influences.

interior

one with nature

check out these offers

Diners could purchase a wishing bell from the souvenir shop and make a wish at the Faber Peak. From the restaurant, you could see the small wishing bells that others had placed. It makes a beautiful view.

wishing bells

Let's quench our thirst by starting with a refreshing mocktail of Wild Berries Chunky Munchies Soda with nata de coco. The soda water provided a bit of fizz to the drink. Nice and sweet and plenty of berries.  Not to worry if berries is not your thing, as one could also choose flavours such as mango, yuzu, passionfruit, soursop, watermelon and lychee. The berries were seriously plentiful in this mug!

Chunky Munchies Soda with Nata de Coco (Wild Berries) @$8++

For appetisers, we had the Truffle Wicked Fries, Chili Crab in a Tux which is listed as 'die die must try' in its menu, Sweet Potato Fries and Thai Green Curry Chicken with Rice Crackers.

Truffle Wicked Fries @$13++

The Truffle Wicked Fries are steakhouse cut spuds with 6 types of cheeses; Provolone, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Gruyere, Emmental and Cheddar and served with a small dish of brown sauce. There was no need for the sauce as the thick cut fries with melty cheese on it were so good eaten as it is! Gooey cheeses and crispy fries for the win!

Thai Green Curry Chicken with Rice Crackers @$14++

The rice crackers in the Thai Green Curry Chicken tapas was really good too. Fluffy and crispy as good rice puffs ought to be. Was just curious about the Thai Green Curry though. Its colour was rather light but the taste of green curry was there. Minced chicken meat was used and that was a tad unexpected along with the colour of the green curry. Curiouser and curiouser.

The other fries that we tried was the sweet potato fries. Sweet and well fried. The dip of curry mayo sauce was quite additive and tasted rather familiar. Lovely!

Sweet Potato Fries with Sea Salt and Japanese Curry Mayo @$10++

For the strongest flavoured starter, go for the Chili Crab in a Tux. A good flavourful mound of chili crab fitted snugly onto potato skins. Slight spiciness and moderately sweet. Cut it into halves? Nah, no way! Am not sharing this. All mine! No need to crack any shells too. So convenient and tasty. Why, one could even eat the skin on this one.Thumbs up for this dish.

Chili Crab in a Tux @$14++

For mains, we sampled dishes that had something from the land and the sea. Something with beef? Yes, one could eat like a horse with a small pot of Gorgeous Beef Guinness, or if duck confit is your thing, go for the Quack & Go.  Chef must be one humorous chap to come up with this name. There's also the good with beer item; the Barbequed Baby Back Ribs. Otherwise, there's Sio Bak or Crispy Pork Belly and lastly, my favourite dish from the mains; the Tobiko Crusted Cod Fillet. The Grilled King Prawns was impressive looking with its huge prawns.

Barbequed Baby Back Ribs @$26++

Quack & Go @$26++

The Baby Back Ribs has a nice glaze and was well seasoned. Meat was fork tender and portion was good for one pax. Enjoyed the accopanying sauerkraut too.Tangy and appetising!

The Quack & Go was basically Asian spiced duck leg confit, served with mango salsa anbd mixed brown rice. The mango salsa tasted pretty much like Thai som tam. Very likeable and goes well with the mixed brown rice which again has chye poh (fried preserved turnip) in it. Now we can say byebye to bland brown rice.

My preference was the Crispy Pork Belly over the duck leg confit.  Mainly because the pork belly has such tender meat with reasonable fat to meat ratio and of course, the de-facto crackling skin. Satisfying crunch indeed.

Crispy Pork Belly @$27++

Next, were two dishes that would make one sit up and take notice.

The Grilled King Prawns with the two large sized prawns sitting ontop of squid ink pasta which in turn, was bathed in tom yum broth. The tom yum broth was refreshingly tangy but it was also a tad salty overall.

Grilled King Prawns @$32++

Next, was my favourite main course. Looked so beautiful too. Good portion of the cod fillet, lots of tobiko, soba doused in light soy based sweet sauce and with some mushrooms and bok choy. Yummy, lovely colours, strongly flavoured yet has a light mouthfeel.  Recommended and must-try.

Tobiko Crusted Cod Fillet @$32++

For desserts, there are 6 options in the menu and we tried three; Banana Heaven, Jar of Happiness and Chempedak Bread and Butter (Pudding).

Banana Heaven has quite a strong vanilla taste to it, and the banana biscuit was quite unique as it tasted a bit like frozen sponge cake. Decorated with strawberries and marshmallows.

Banana Heaven @$12++

Jar of Happiness @$11++

Liked the Jar of Happiness quite a bit. One just can't help to feel happy eating the content of this jar. Dig into the thick creamy Haagen Daaz vanilla ice-cream that's topped with warm strawberry compote, almond flakes to find treasures of mixed berries and shortbread.

And, for the finale, personal favourite was the Chempedak Bread and Butter Pudding. This is also one of signature desserts, along with Jar of Happiness. The fragrance of the chempedak was evident and very likeable. Warm bread and butter pudding that gives off strong whiffs of chempedak fruit topped with cold ice-cream equates to love.

Chempedak Bread and Butter @$12++

Overall, Spuds & Aprons has a strong line up of hearty good food in its starters, mains and desserts. Its casual vibe was inviting and the place is suitable for families, large groups or even couples and close friends to chat and chill in the cool natural air with some good view from 100 metres above the sea level.

Special thanks and appreciation to Tracy, Yee Shan and Faber Peak Singapore for hosting the dinner and the good folks of HGW for the invite.

Hurry and utilize the on-going promotion at Hungrygowhere for Spuds & Aprons (till 30 Sept 2016) where one can get 50% off second main course, or free sweet potato fries beer/cider bucket or wine bottle, or free half-pint beer for every main course ordered. Check out for more information and t&c here: http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/spuds-aprons-telok-blangah-harbourfront/hot-deal/

[Media Invite] Outback Steakhouse @ Millenia Walk

Outback Steakhouse is not a stranger to the steak scene in Singapore. Outback is an American outfit which started in Tampa, Florida and its restaurant has an Australian theme. Just a month ago, it has launched some new items in its menu. Was invited to try the new additions along with fellow bloggers. Dinner with the blokes.

featured menu

interior

The place gets rather busy after 7pm on weekdays. The favourite orders would include the classics such as Typhoon Bloom as appetiser and rib-eye steak served with two sides of your choice as mains.

Upon placing your orders, diners would be served with complimentary bread. Two small loaves bushmen bread served with butter cream spread. Rather enjoyable soft mini-loaves. Its slight sweetness came from honey and cocoa powder. Yummy.

Honey Wheat Bushmen Bread (complimentary)

For drinks, we had the refreshing non-alcoholic Barrier Reef Punch. Basically a fruit punch made of mango, pineapple and orange juices blended with pureed strawberries. A cooling thirst-quencher!

Barrier Reef Punch @$5.90++

Tried the Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta. Was impressed by the thick cut mozzarella on the grilled baguette. Crunchy toast with thick soft slice of mozzarella topped with cherry tomatoes and greens. Liked the sweet dressing of basil pesto and balsamic vinaigrette. Good for sharing amongst 3-4 pax. It was quite hard to stop eating the breads. Enjoyed both the bruschetta and bushmen bread.

Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta @$14.90++

One of the crowd favourite thus far at Outback Steakhouse in terms of appetisers, would be its 'Typhoon Bloom'. A huge mound of onion rings, stacked like a flower and deep fried till golden brown. Dusted with Outback's seasoning, it was rather sweet on its own. But having it with the dip added to the enjoyment.

Typhoon Bloom @$14.90++

I think it would be rather daunting for two pax to devour that huge plate of onion rings as appetiser!

As part of The Great Aussie Eats menu, Outback is introducing its Crab Topped Sirloin. Chunks of lump crab meat sitting ontop of a 6-oz seasoned and seared sirloin. Served with two sides of your choice and hollandaise sauce.

Crab Topped Sirloin with two sides (baked potato and seasonal vege) @$37.90++

 As usual, we ordered our meat medium rare. The baked potato was really good with its salt crusted skin.

Loaded Baked Potato @$6.90++

Crab Topped Sirloin, medium rare

While we were there, most diners would opt for the USDA ribeye steak as their choice of mains. Got ourselves a chargrilled ribeye with peppercorn sauce to try. For the sides, we tried corn-on-cob and sweet potato fries. Was rather disappointed with the bland corn. The sweet potato fries (@$5.90++) on the other hand was good. Well fried and great seasoning. The ribeye was rather thin but its marbling was good. Can be eaten without sauce as it was adequately seasoned with Outback's secret blend of 17 herbs and spices.

10 oz. Chargrilled Ribeye @$39.90++

For non-beef option, you may want to try the Sweet Chili Chicken and Shrimp combo, served with one choice of freshly made sides. For the sides, we had Rice Pilaf and Fresh Seasonal Veges. Thought the rice pilaf was rather good. Moist and soft.

Sweet Chili Chicken and Shrimp @$23.90++

Ended with a new dessert of Key Lime Pie. Soft fragrance of lime and the sweet creamy curd encasted on slightly spiced pecan graham cracker crumbs base. Not too heavy and probably can do with a cup of coffee with this.

Key Lime Pie @$6.90++

Special thanks to Meghana and Outback Steakhouse for hosting the dinner, and Hence for the invite.

Outback Steakhouse

Website:  http://www.outback-sea.com/