Morganfield's Singapore - Weekend Ribs Buffet @ Star Vista

For pork ribs lovers, you can indulge in Morganfield's Weekend Ribs Buffet that is currently available every weekend on Saturday, Sundays and Public Holidays from 11am to 4pm at $40++ per pax. Unlimited servings of delicious tender tasty sticky bones! Plus, there are some sides to provide a bit of distraction from the ribs.

Also, don't worry if drinks is not inclusive in the buffet as $11++ could get you a pint of Asahi or Kronenbourg draft. How about your children, you're asking? Kids below 6 years old eat for free with their paying adult. Maximum of two kids per table redemption. What about if there is an adult in the party who doesn't want to get the buffet? No problem too as ala-carte dishes are still available. Good to know that there is no requirements for all in the party to get the buffet as long as the buffet food is not shared to non-buffet person.

Morganfield's need no further introduction and I've been there multiple times, with most visit to Star Vista outlet. Noticed that their weekday set lunch deals (comes with a drink and a soup with the main course) menu had expanded a little over the years. Now, besides the grilled and half-rack sticky bones, there are sandwiches and salads too.

window seat

For Weekend Ribs Buffet, simply indicate into the order chit your order and the quantity. One portion of the buffet ala-carte stickby bones is a quarter of a slab and that translates to two bones.

indicate your order

The good thing about the ribs buffet, was that it allowed the customer to try more than 1 flavour in one sitting. We tried quarter slab of each flavour just to see which one we liked more.

all four flavours please

And what better to accompany the smokey, sauce slathered sticky bones? Beer, of course. There might be on-going craft beer (bottled) promotions, so do enquire from staff.

American craft

I prefer my Asahi, while bro got his Kronenbourg Lager. Refreshing on a warm day.

Asahi glass seemed bigger!

I think I ordered garden veggies, and was expecting some green leaves but it turned out to be hardy vegetables instead. Should've gotten coleslaw instead!

garden veggies

Was quite impressed with the plate of sticky bones. Quarter slab of each flavour. Very long and big bones, yay!

quarter slab sticky bones (right to left): Hickory BBQ, Smoked Peppercorn, Spicy Asian, Garlic BBQ

We started from mild to strong flavours. The Hickory BBQ which is their original sticky bones. Lovely meat, fork tender while retaining some bite. Loved the fatty charred bits. The smoked peppercorn has a tinge of spice to it but still pleasantly mild.
 

Garlic BBQ - close up

Next, the Spicy Asian seemed to have that soy based flavour and although there's a dried chili pepper adorning that quarter, it wasn't as spicy as it looked. Lovely char. Next, was what my bro called the tastiest of the lot, the Garlic BBQ. Indeed, it was also the strongest in flavour. Goes well with beer and loved the crunchy garlic bits.

yummy tender meat

Empire State Restaurant @ Causeway Point

Was there recently for late lunch. Causeway Point sure is crowded on a Sunday! Empire State has ongoing promotions where senior citizens aged 55 and above can do a buy 1 get 1 free. Or choose the $19.90++ pasta combo set where one can choose salmon & prawn pasta combo or glazed ribs and ribeye pasta combo and includes drink and soup. Am just going to use my Entertainer App.

restaurant

Ordered 4 main courses to share. Tried the BBQ Pork Ribs, Fish & Chips, Herb Chicken and Squid Ink Pasta.

Herb Chicken @$13.90++

Fish & Chips @$15.90++

The chicken had a mild herb flavour, possibly rosemary. Chicken was alright, and not too dry. The fries needed improvement as it tasted limp.

The fish & chips was a single big slab of crispy battered fish. I think it was dory fish. The slaw was enjoyable although a tad too watery.

BBQ Pork Ribs @$17.90++

Squid Ink Pasta @$15.90++

The pork ribs was a tad too tough but tasty enough. The surprise find was the squid ink pasta which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Strongly flavoured and tasted good. The prawns and squid was rather limited edition though.

This place is suitable for family and the ongoing promotions made it viable for a family of 6 pax to dine there for about $10 per pax.

Hot Tomato Café & Grill @ Westgate

Have always passed by Hot Tomato, be it their Star Vista branch, or Plaza Singapura and it seemed that its crowd consists mostly of the young adults. Brought parents out for lunch and we ran out of places to eat. The usual favourite would be Ichiban Boshi but mom wasn't in the mood so bro suggested Hot Tomato for us try its western fare.

It was off-peak during a weekend and about 330pm when we visited. Yeah, we were having our meals at odd hours. Having tunch (lunch cum tea)!

Service was friendly and top-up option was explained. Add $3.50 to get a soup of the day and a drink where one could choose from ice lemon tea., lime juice or hot beverages of coffee or tea. We chose ice lemon tea to quench our thirst on a hot Saturday.

dining area

menu

upgrades

The menu consists of salads, meats + pasta, meats + rice combination, or the usual meats+salad+french fries.
By default, the menu where it states pork chop or teriyaki chicken chop...those will come with a side of salad and pasta. One could inform the staff to remove the pasta for bigger salad portion.

top up $3.50 for each order of main course to get soup of the day and a drink

The soup of that day was tomato soup. A tad too watery for me though but generous in serving portion. Dad ordered Roast Chicken & Garlic Shrimp Combo and boy, what a huge serving! It has french fries (his favourite), olive rice and corn on cob with half baby roast chicken. The roast chicken was pretty regular sized and baby seemed like a misnomer.

Roast Chicken & Garlic Shrimp Combo @$12.90

U.S Choice Pork Chop and Sausages @$12.50

The pork chop was of a manageable portion. Guys would love to dine at Hot Tomato. It has enough meat, some carbs and the salad was pretty appetizing with the vinaigrette dressing.

Teriyaki Chicken Chop @$9.20

The chicken chop was a bit dry for me and the rosemary herb was rather strong. A normal juicy well marinated teriyaki chicken thigh would be great. The spaghetti can be done much better as  the current version tasted pretty much just salt-based. The salad was crunchy and refreshing with nice dressing.

In general, it was value-for-money. Meat, carbs and greens. They have it all. According to their friendly manager, the philosophy is so that each customer walks away feeling full and satisfied.
 

[Media Invite] Roosevelt's Diner & Bar @ New Bridge Road

Located at New Bridge Road, conveniently within 2 minutes walk from Exit H of Outram MRT station. Of course, the directionless me took the wrong exit and ended up having to walk for about 8 minutes to get there. Roosevelt is just round the corner of Dorsett Residences. Can't miss it, and easily recognizable by the neon lighted Teddy in a suit that smokes a cigar.

entrance to the diner

Roosevelt's Diner offers a comfortable space suitable for small and large groups alike. It also offers brunch menu whole day long everyday till 6pm. So, if you have any brunch items cravings, there isn't a need to wait till weekends! Just pop by Roosevelt's to satisfy those cravings.

interior

there's a vespa in da house!

Let's have a look at what's available in the brunch menu.

menu

no kidding, brunch menu available everyday till 6pm

What's the first thing that came to mind, when someone says "American Diner"? For me, that'll be milkshake, burgers, pies and jukebox. Yes, I watched a tad too much TV.

Here, we had a chance to sample 3 flavours out of the 7 available milkshakes; Signature Salted Caramel, Strawberry Cheesecake and Oreo. In terms of flavours that stood out, it was the Signature Salted Caramel with its gloriously sweet and salty smooth concoction. The granola bar crumblies in the milkshake added a bite to the creamy smooth texture.

Signature Salted Caramel Milkshake @$10++

But my personal favourite, was the Strawberry Cheesecake. A lady's drink, if you may. Liked the milder fruity flavour of strawberries. Yummy.

Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake @$12++

For food, we had a taste preview of an appetiser from the Dinner menu; the Pan Seared Hokkaido Scallops. Plump, juicy seared scallops served with housemade yuzu mustard ricotta, lovingly drizzled with umami'ish seaweed brown butter and topped with toasted hazelnut and ebiko. The contrast of textures between soft, firm and crunchy worked well and loved the flavours of chopped hazelnut.

Was actually looking for some bread to mop up the seaweed brown butter. So delish! But have to restrain self. Too much of a good thing, may not be good after all.

Pan Seared Hokkaido Scallops @ $24++

Next up, we got to try some wholesome salad bowls. For some Mexican flavours, one could opt for the Charred Corn Quinoa and should you prefer Asian'ish flavours, go for the Shitake Sesame Salmon.

Charred Corn Quinoa @$17++

pouring some hot sauce yoghurt over the Charred Corn Quinoa

Quinoa is a healthier alternative to rice. The hot sauce is really not spicy, so overall, this bowl has adequate greens, pickled cabbage and lovely crunchy prawns in a good mix of pico de gallo (salsa, typicall made of fresh tomato, onion, and jalapeno) and sliced avocado.

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Shitake Sesame Salmon @$18++

The Shitake Sesame Salmon bowl offers a taste closer to Asians with its sesame dressing. There's tofu, shitake mushroom slices, pomegranate, mixed greens, soba and edamame at the base, and a square of tender sous-vide salmon at the top, garnished with plenty of seaweed strips. Simply lovely.

But for those that loves your carbs, how about a well crafted mozarella steak sandwich? Roosevelt takes pride in curating the most suited bread to match with its tender sous-vide sliced beef chuck cooked to allow natural flavours of the meat to shine through. The wholemeal bread was toasted to a lovely crisp brown and melted mozarella over beef slices that exuded beefy flavours when chewed.

Mozarella Steak Sandwich @$16++

look at this lovely steak sandwich

how about some housepour wine to go along with steak sandwich?

For drinks, one could go for bottled craft, or Kronenbourg on tap. If you prefer wine, there are a few housepours with starting price of $8++ per glass (75ml). Or, coffee if you are like me. Mocha was my choice for the day.

coffee and latte art

Usually, brunch food will involve some eggs action. Similarly, one could get plenty of that at Roosevelt's.

If you have a big appetite, or just want to get the most variety, then you may want to order the Big Breakfast that has spiced potatoes, scrambled eggs, chipolata, bacon, shitake mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, greens and a croissant. Am inclined to think that this feeds two.

Big Breakfast @$28++

However, am excited to introduce two personal favourites from the Brunch menu. First up, a simple looking Beef Cheek on Potato Pancake. Three patties of shredded potato, lovingly stacked ontop of creamy cayenne buttermilk, topped with tender flavourful slow-braised beef cheek and on it, one perfectly poached wobbly free-range egg.

Beef Cheek on Potato Pancake @$22++

lovely side profile

What did I like about this dish? The way its flavours just come through together and the way one could still taste the flavours of the potato.

looking at delicious

Another brunch item that you need to try at Roosevelt's, is the Truffle Potato Foam with Croissant. Have never tried potato foam before, have you?

Truffle Potato Foam with Croissant @$21++

The truffle oil smell was strong, and the surprise find when one digs in. On top, one gets panko or toasted breadcrumbs, torched parmesan, then hidden inside was the free-range poached eggs and bacon bits.

so good, eat while it is hot!

For desserts, we tried the Churros Waffle with chocolate sauce. This is the good old buttermilk waffle with cinnamon spiced sugar. Served with vanilla ice-cream.

Churros Waffle @$12++

Thank you Ying and Roosevelt's for hosting the brunch preview and thank you Kris for the invite.
Click here for Roosevelt's FB page.

Jewel Cafe and Bar @ Rangoon Road

Been there numerous times but mostly for drinks and light snacks. This time round, utilized The Entertainer App and got ourselves some mains to share. Of course, their all-day-long 1-for-1 drinks made it an even sweeter deal.

outdoor seats

let's start off with a glass of bubblies

It was a birthday treat, so I got myself some Southern Fried Chicken. The other plate was Beef Tenderloin pasta so that we could have something more substantial, in the form of some carbs.

Beef Tenderloin and spaghetti tossed in garlic

Southern Fried Chicken

The pasta was rather bland though. Needed some more salt. Beef tenderloin was tender as we wanted it medium rare. Fried chicken was nicely fried with crispy skin albeit a tad oily. Liked the fresh green salad with minimal dressing.

Nice place to hangout with friend for relaxed chit-chats.

Thanks buddy for the treat!