Silk Road 丝绸之路 @ Amara Hotel Tanjong Pagar

First time dining at Silk Road and we went full force! Located at Level 2 of Amara Hotel, it was convenient as we were doing our staycay at Amara for the year end.

interior

Not sure why but the staff couldn't find our reservation. Nevertheless, we were still ushered into the restaurant and were seated right infront of the kitchen. Probably not the kitchen in entirety but the area where Chefs would be preparing the Peking duck for serving.

For drinks, we got ourselves the Eight Treasures Tea; which seemed to consist of goji berries, walnut, dried longan, red date, chrysanthemum, jasmine tea, rose bud and rock sugar.

Eight Treasures Tea (八宝茶) @$5

szechuan pickles @$3

Our first dish was the appetiser; suan ni bai rou  蒜泥白肉. But the sauce over here, is leaning towards the sweet side.

Sliced Pork with Cucumber  蒜泥白肉 @$12

thinly sliced pork belly

Then, we had the xiao long bao. The dumpling was full of soup and the skin was of a slightly thicker kind. Meaty and juicy. It was nice.

Shanghai Xiao Long Bao 上海小笼包  @$12

soupy dumpling

meaty and juicy

Next, we have the dishes started to be brought in. It was a furry of activities on the table!

all in

Our main dish is the Peking Duck, and then we had various types of dumplings besidest the xiao long baos. I think for a table of 4 pax, half a duck would suffice. We had one whole duck, and it was a lot!

Traditional Beijing Roasted Duck @$70

make it a wrap

bon appetit~

But, I don't know why Silk Road does not offer a second serving style for the Peking duck meat. Instead, we had the meat chopped and served on a plate, as it is. I feel it was kind of bland. Much like an anti-climax...

meat from the duck

We also had mapo tofu and rou jia mo. No wonder, we were so stuffed after the meal!

Traditional Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐 @$20

The taste of the mapo tofu sauce was good and has a bit of mala. Still sweet though. The Chinese Hamburger (rou jia mo) was fluffier than expected. 

Shaanxi Chinese Hamburger 陕西肉夹馍 @$14

We had two other types of dumplings. The crisps looking snowflakes dumplings and the traditional looking chives dumplings. Each had their own sauce, but we couldn't remember which is for which, so anyhow eat. 

Shenyang PanFried Snowflake Dumplings @$16

inside view

Chives Dumplings @$14

"Would you like to have some dessert?" The Staff asked.

My mind was saying no, but then the group caved in for red bean pancake, because we saw it being served to the other table. Weak.

Sichuan Red Bean Pancake @$8

No regrets as the red bean pancake was served piping hot and tasted good. Sinful but good.

All in all, we spent $60 per pax for this meal. It felt like a buffet...

Silk Road

Address: 165 Tg Pagar Rd, Level 2 Amara Singapore, Singapore 088539

Website: https://singapore.amarahotels.com/dining/silk-road

Contact: 6227 3848

Business Hours:

Closed on Mon.

Tues - Sun: 12–2:30pm, 6:30–9:30pm

Ikkousha Hakata Ramen 博多一幸舎 @ Tanjong Pagar

It was rainy afternoon, and we still haven't have our lunch. Walked into Ikkousha at about 3.30pm and ordered some food.

shop front

Oooh, didn't know they still serve complimentary hard boiled eggs!

complimentary hard boiled eggs (served chilled)

 

Ok, let's have one. Pretty easy to peel.

I ordered karaage to share and a small bowl of chashu don. The fried chicken was nicely fried and there's a small serving of flavoured salt on the side. Loved the size of the fried chicken too.

Karaage @$5

Cha-Shu Don @$4

Was happy with the cha-shu don. Just the right size as a snack. The rice has some drizzle of soy sauce and tasted good. Cha-shu was nicely tender and flavourful. Quite yummy. Then, I added some broth from the ramen. DIY chazuke? Keke!

yummy

In the past, I liked Ikkousha ramen for its flavourful soup. That still stands and now the cha-shu don can be a good alternative when you're not that hungry. Just wished that they could serve a small bowl of soup with it as well.

ramen

Ikkousha Hakata Ramen 博多一幸舎 

Address: Apt/Blk 7 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-104B, Singapore 081007

Website: https://www.ikkousha.sg/

Contact: 6538-1880

Business Hours:

Monday to Saturday

11:30am - 10:00pm (Last Order 9:45pm)

Sunday

11:30am - 9:00pm (Last order 8:45pm)

[Tasting] Birds of A Feather - Sharing Menu @ Amoy Street

My favourite place to enjoy Happy Hour till 7pm and "Find the Chicken in the Chilies". 

Birds of a Feather, interior

Happiness in a glass, Prosecco (@$10 Happy Hour)

Bird's Snack

I always look forward to something new when returning to familiar places. This time round, the creative kitchen team had come up with a new snack, which is an elevated spin from prawn toast (面包虾).

Bird's Snack - deep fried onions, land caviar, minced scallop on brioche

Encountered a short dilemma as the snack was too pretty to be eaten yet, it was beckoning for a taste. In the end, the stomach triumphed. Balanced flavours and simply enjoyable.

If you're in a party of 2, they have "Sharing Menu for 2 " @$128 per pair or the "Anyi" menu for a minimum of 2 pax @$102 per pax.

Birds Avocado & Crab Bruschetta

Birds Avocado & Crab Bruschetta

lovely starter

One is never short of flavours at Birds. Aesthetically pleasing as well. Enjoyed the canape in two bites.

Yu Xiang Eggplant

Yu Xiang Eggplant, tart

Wow, I didn't expect an eggplant dish to be looking like this. Thought it was a chocolate tart dessert! There's baby mozarella, edible flowers and somewhere in there, lay pickled daikon and juicy eggplant. Yums and this was a meatless dish.

Pork Dumplings

Pork Dumpling, from Anyi menu

The pork dumpling dish looked mighty fine, I must say. Pan-seared with distinct marks, surrounded by sage foam, topped with crisp almond and fried sage leaves. The secret, is in its sichuan dressing. Don't be shy and do scoop up more of the tangy vinegary sauce to enjoy with the meaty parcel. So good.

Anyi 安逸, means feeling comfortable and relaxed. And I do get that feeling at BOAF. Then, coupled with bubblies, delicious food and informative conversation with Head Chef Eugene, one leaves happy.

But don't leave without trying the slow-roasted Angus Beef Short Ribs.

Beef Short Ribs

delicious slow-roasted Angus Beef Short Ribs, part of Anyi menu 

Sichuan rub, broccolini, morels and ratte, potato fricasse

Oooh, I think this is my first time having beef short-ribs in this style. Super love the sichuan rub for its familiar flavours. The meat was tender yet with a good chew. Mouthfeel was luxurious and best paired with a drink (or two!). Definitely need 2 to finish.

For something lighter but equally luxurious, their Loup de Mer was nothing short of amazing.

Loup de Mer 

Loup de Mer, Sharing Menu for 2 (+$35)

Beautiful European Seabass, topped with House Pickled Shitake mushroom slices, salsa verde and broccolini.

The dish is worthy of two thumbs up! Fish deboned, lightly baked and pickled shitake lends an interesting lift to the sweet, super cottony flesh of the fish. Wow, I think I could finish more than half of the fish on my own.

I believe I have found my favourite chicken, beef and fish dishes at Birds!

For dessert, both menu offers Pear & Jelly.

Pear & Jelly

Pear & Jelly, Classic Ice Jelly

Wah... as usual, Head Chef Eugene and team, exceeded expectations. Beautiful plating, and the inclusion of pickled cucumber did tickle the palate by introducing an unexpected element yet so matching.

Thank you Kris for inviting and Chef Eugene for the delicious food, as always. Kudos to team Birds for lovely experience. With Shermaine and Tiara.

Birds of a Feather

Address: 115 Amoy St, #01-01, Singapore 069935

Website: https://www.birdsofafeather.com.sg/en_SG/

Contact: 6221 7449

Business Hours:

Daily:

Mon - Thurs: 10.45am to 3pm, 5pm to 11pm

Fri - Sun: 10.30am to 12am (10pm on Sun)

[Tasting] New Drinks and Tasty Eats at George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer @ 81 Boat Quay

Back for more Hitachino Nest (bottled craft beer), and this time round, managed to try the Red Rice Ale. Previous visit, I had the Dai Dai and also a sip of White Ale. Wouldn't that means, 3 out of the 4 flavours tasted? My favourite is now the Red Rice (红曲米) Ale. It has a definitive fragrance of the red rice, mildly sweet and refreshing. Plus, very good price during Happy Hour. Cheers indeed!

bevy of beauties - bottled craft from Japan

Brewdog Bottled Craft Beer from UK

For food to go with the drinks, we had the small squares of golden brown homemade chestnut tofu, and freshly fried. Yummy! However, there was less of the crunchy chestnut that I enjoyed from the previous visit.

Crispy Chef's Homemade Chestnut Beancurd @ $12++

introducing Chuga Soju with Milkis

Salted Egg Yolk Soft Shell Crab would be perfect munchies for the beer.

Salted Egg Yolk Soft Shell Crab @$18++

Happy to see soju on the menu, so we tried the lychee, green grape and watermelon flavour, in preferential order. Happy Hour promo, one gets 3 bottles for $36++. Mix it with cold Milkis for a change.

On rainy days, the best thing to eat would be Claypot Mutton Stew with Beancurd and Radish. A pot of well braised tender mutton with a good chew but the surprise was in the radish. Bursting with savoury satisfying flavours! Drizzle all the 'zup' onto a bowl of steamed rice and relish in simple pleasures. It was like a putting the final piece of the puzzle together. So good. No funky business here, only tasty stuffs.

Claypot Mutton Stew with Beancurd and Radish @$25++

Penang Laksa Steamed Fish Head @$28++

If you missed eating assam laksa, why not give Penang Laksa Steamed Fish Head a try. This newer version has been slightly tweaked.

a toast with Brewlander Love (Wild IPA)

Next dish, was a good sized Tilapia for the Penang Crispy Fish. Loved the crisp edges of the fish and remember to scoop the sauce from underneath the fish. This dish paired well with beer as well as soju, and I'd reckon some red too. Just that I wasn't drinking any red wine that night. Hey, it's just Monday!

Penang Crispy Fish (Tilapia) @$28++

For the finale, we were served the Golden Chicken. It is special because underneath the chicken skin, there's a layer of fish paste. The result was a pleasant surprise due to the difference in texture and taste, yet still maintained a familiarity from the crisp roasted chicken skin. 

Golden Chicken - $20/$38 for half/whole chicken

close up view

I enjoyed the refreshing soju, cold beers (bottled craft/tap) paired with tasty tze char food. From what I've tried, it paired quite well so far. Try it and do share if there's any particular combination that stood out to recommend to others.

Thank you Jennifer for the invite, Charles for your kind hospitality and George Town Tze Char for hosting the dinner. 

George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer 乔治 海鲜

Address: 81 Boat Quay, Singapore 049869

Website: https://george-town-tze-char-and-craft-beer-boat-quay.business.site

FB: https://www.facebook.com/georgetowntzechar/

Contact: 6535 6277 

For bookings: Whatsapp 96823826

Business Hours:

Daily 12pm to 11pm