Breakfast @ Bearded Bella 8 Craig Road

Last visited in 2019. Read more about that visit here. We were doing a staycay at Amara and decided to drop by here one early morning for breakfast.

long time no see

Having started so early in the day, we needed coffee and Tracy of course, her tea.

White Cold Brew @$9

Homemade Chai Latte @$7

White Coffee 5oz Single Shot @$5

Ordered two mains from their brunch menu and a bundt cake for dessert. The Kookoo (am always amused by this name), goes meatless. But, definitely suited for brunch. What's not to like? There's rosti (potato), copious amount of greens (for good health), mushrooms and a lovely poached egg. Generous portion!

Kookoo v2 (V) @$22

customary egg flow shot

The Scallops & Cold Pasta, had an enormous amount of sprouts ontop. That gave it a somewhat 'raw' taste which I didn't like. Otherwise, the pasta itself was flavourful.

Scallops & Cold Pasta @$22

spot the scallops

It's been a long while since I last had a quiche. I think it was Tracy's pick? The bacon and asparagus quiche.

Bacon & Asparagus Quiche @$7

Hmm, the quiche was definitely milky! Its insides were soft and wobbly. 

profile view

And then, the chocolate bundt cake. But just to be sure, we asked if it contained coffee. And indeed, it does. So, no dessert for Tracy.

Chocolate Bundt Cake @$8

I think the gang misses Australia...

Bearded Bella

Address: 8 Craig Rd, Singapore 089668

Website: https://www.beardedbella.com/

Contact: 9880 0775

Business Hours:

Mon to Thur: 7:30am–5pm

Fri: 730am to 10.30pm

Sat-Sun: 7.30am-6pm

Salted and Hung @ 12 Purvis Street

Was in the area looking for a place to dine on a Friday evening. Went around a few before settling on Salted and Hung at 12 Purvis Street. The place was spacious, dark and cosy. Without reservation, one could only dine in a hurried manner before the next seating arrives. Fortunately, we were given an option for counter seats where we could enjoy our dinner in a more leisurely manner, maybe strike up a conversation or two with the Chef Drew and watch the bustling activities of the kitchen.

interior

okay

No worries for first timers. The friendly staff offered recommendations and asked if we had any dietary requirements. We heard that the popular dishes are the Charchuterie, Fremantle Octopus, Scallops, Wagyu Tri-Tip, Lamb Neck Char Siew, the Black Mash and Roasted Cabbage.

We made our choice based on our preferences and since it was just for two pax, we opted for two Small Plates, a main from the Josper and another from the Farm section. We were going for the Scallops, Octopus, Hamachi Collar and Roasted Cabbage. Oooh, didn't realize we ordered mostly seafood!

Chef Drew Nocente assembling the scallops

Scallops with Handcut Noodles and Prawn Floss @$28

There was a tiny hint of spice in that pile of prawn floss and handcut noodles. This scallop dish seemed to be a favourite amongst the staff!

decided on Mi Terruño Reserve Malbec 2014 (Mendoza, Argentina)

At Salted and Hung, even for an order of wine by the glass, I was pleasantly surprised when a first taste was offered to the guest. The pour continues if one likes it, otherwise, they are happy to change it to the next option. Must say that am liking the people of Salted and Hung for their service and warm hospitality.

Thus far, the first taste by the guest was usually practiced if the guest had ordered a bottle. Initially, it crossed my mind that perhaps the staff might have misunderstood that I was getting a bottle! Ooops! Found an interesting read on whether restaurants should offer guests that first taste of wine.

Mi Terruño Reserve Malbec 2014 (@$22 per glass)

Tried the Pitchfork Cabernet Merlot 2015 from Margaret River and this may be the one for you if you prefer a youthful drink with a soft profile. Tried the Mi Terruño Reserve Malbec 2014 and thought that this too tasted pretty young. Nevertheless, a bit paiseh to revert and continued with the Malbec. The taste improved after some time. Balanced, and with aromas of plums and cherries with a hint of spice. Lovely violet hues and goes well with the food that we ordered that night.

The next item was the Fremantle Octopus. One of the benefits of counter seats, was that Chef would be personally explaining the components of your dish. My attention was all on the delicious looking octopus tentacle. Anything from the Josper would be magic. That is the belief.

Fremantle Octopus - squid ink and charcoal @$28

Happy faces on first bite of the tender octopus. Enjoyable meaty chew, exceptional softness and a heavy dose of smokeyness. Yums. The red blob was salami paste and we were cautioned that it would be slightly spicy. Turned out to be rather mild. I'd smeared it generously along with the butter.

Liked that the food was served in accordance to the pace of the diner. Marlee, our lovely service staff for the night, came by every now and then to check on us on how we are doing. Chef too, would come by and asked about the food.

Our final two dishes came together. I never had my cabbages slow-roasted before so this would be a first for me. The leaves turned out to be soft as though it was boiled but with much more intense flavours. Very buttery and rich.

Roasted Cabbage  with Bonito Butter @$12

The Hamachi Collar looked very much blackened. If I could rate a maximum char, this would be it. Peel away the top to reveal sweet luscious meat with good mouthfeel. That's Hamachi, ladies and gentlemen.

Hamachi Collar

Hamachi Collar with soy, dashi and greens @$36

Took the last sip of wine and was ready to go when we were presented with a wooden box that contained housemade cookies with salted caramel. Love the texture and the familiar taste of the cookies. Very good and satisfying sweet end to our meal at Salted and Hung.

finale of cookies

Thank you for the good company and kudos to the lovely crew at Salted and Hung. An enjoyable experience.

Salted and Hung

Address: 2 Purvis St, Singapore 188591
Website: https://saltedandhung.com.sg
Contact: 6358 3130
Business Hours:
Tuesdays to Fridays - 11:30am to 2:30pm, 5:00pm to 10:30pm
Saturdays - 11:30am to 4:00pm. 6:00pm to 10:30pm
Sundays - 11:30am to 4:00pm
Closed on Mondays

Fynn's @ South Beach Avenue

Visited Fynn's for brunch during the weekends with fellow foodies. The brunch menu was rather compact; ie. a one-pager, so it wasn't difficult to decide on what to have. Kris recommended the chia seed pudding, so we just needed to choose another two dishes for sharing. Decided on stuffed french toast and pulled chicken pita.

brunch menu

interior

First time having chia seed pudding in an oat'ish kind of item, and am a new convert. Very nice. Liked the coconut flavour in this dish.

chia seed pudding, pineapples and granola @$14++

Drizzle the gula melaka and dig in! The raisins provided much sweetness but it also will get stuck in between of the teeth...

closer view

The next healthy dish was the pulled chicken pita. The hummus was used as a spread in the pita. The chicken was adequately seasoned and the light mayo gave it some moistness into an otherwise seemingly 'dry' dish.

pulled chicken pita, hummus, cranberry. lettuce, scallions @$17++

There was some leftover of gula melaka, so I dipped a piece of pita into that and the taste was awesome! Hehe. Multi-purpose.

The one dish that had all our votes, was the stuffed french toast with bacon, gruyere and roasted tomatoes.
Looked appetising and tasted good. We loved this!

stuffed french toast @$19.50++

Also sampled a piece of the peanut butter biscuit that would come along with the coffee. Crispy and airy. Not too sweet.

peanut butter cookies

Spent half a weekend with Kris, Jennifer, Shermaine and Tiara.

Fynn's

Location: 26 Beach Road #B1-21, 189768
Website: http://fynnsrestaurant.com/ 
Contact: 6384 1878
Business Hours:
Tuesday to Friday: 9:00am – 10:00pm
Saturday: 11:00am – 10:00pm
Sunday: 11:00am  – 5:00pm
Monday: closed
 

[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/

[Media Invite] The House of Robert Timms @ Wheelock Place | GSS 2016 Food Trail

From 3 June to 14 August, The House of Robert Timms is offering 50% second main (ala-carte menu only) that's valid daily, all day. Hence, do grab a friend to enjoy this offer. We traipsed down to Wheelock Place for the second stop in the food trail. Read about our first stop here. Traipsed is a misnomer, we actually drove down to Wheelock Place. =P

counter

sweets, cakes and pastries

bottled drinks

It's been a few years since my last visit to The House of Robert Timms and the decor still looked the same. And, have yet to try any Lamingtons! But I do remember the hearty portions of main course at Robert Timms.

ready for our mains

Ordered up 3 mains to try. We had the Ultimate Fry Up (breakfast food), Fish & Chips and the Pork Ribs.
 

Robert Timm's Ultimate Fry Up @$25++

The Ultimate Fry Up is essentially a create-your-own-breakfast kind of thing. Choose a choice of egg, two choices of proteins and choice of three veggies. As simple as 1-2-3. Literally. (pun intended, sorry can't resist)

Grilled tomato, mushrooms and arugula salad formed the vege components. Other vege components include baked beans, buttered vegetables and garlic roasted baby potatoes. For proteins, we chose crispy bacon and smoked salmon. Other available choicese are honey glazed ham, chicken cheese sausages and grilled chicken. For eggs, scrambled was our choice. The other styles of eggs are sunny side up, poached and overeasy.

Ultimate Fry Up - may feed two or one really ravenous person

Lovely scrambled egg that was seasoned just right and that crispy bacon was by far, one of the few that retained its crispiness. First impression of this dish, was its presentation was a tad too 'compartmentalized'. The picture of this in its menu looked more 'inviting' in its presentation. Personal thoughts only.

menu - Ultimate Fry Up

Next up, Fish & Chips. One large snapper fillet battered with Victoria Bitters beer and deep fried, and served with coleslaw and fries.

Robert Timm's Fish & Chips @$25.50++

Victoria Bitters beer battered snapper

Lastly, we sampled the Aussie Baby Ribs. The marinade was seasoned rather strongly, so these ribs would work pretty well with cider or beer. The meat was tender but not mushy. Would gladly eat one plate of these on my own.

Aussie Baby Ribs @$28++

tender flavourful ribs

Friendly service from the staff, and complimentary tap water is available. Otherwise, coffee, tea, soda, cider and beer are all available as well.

organic hot chocolate @$7.50++

Expect to spend about $33 per pax for a main course and a drink.


View and book HGW GSS deals here. Or, call reservation hotline (68846884). GSS offers ends on 14 August 2016.