[Tasting] George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer 乔治 海鲜 New Menu @ 81 Boat Quay

Was invited to try their new signature dishes, so let's get right to it. Looking at the variety of dishes in its new menu, diners now have the option of not only being able to enjoy traditional Penang dishes that its known for, but also more fancy dishes of lobster, A5 wagyu, caviar and abalone to name a few! Chef Michael Khor Choon Keat, culinary maestro with over 25 years of experience, is now helming the kitchen team at George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer.

Let's have a look!

Black Truffle Sauce Lobster

Black Truffle Sauce Lobster @$68++

plump with hints of truffle

A thing to note of this dish was that the aroma of truffle was really subtle to the nose. Only when it lands in the mouth that one truly taste the truffle.

Foie Gras with Caviar

Foie Gras with Caviar @$38++

Always wanted to impress your dining companion with foie gras and a glass of wine at a tze char place? Now you can!

The salad looking dish consist of duck meat cubed and slightly spicy. Interesting.

Lemon Butter Prawns in Yam Ring

Lemon Butter Prawns in Yam Ring @$38++

yam

The prawns at George Town has always maintained its standard this was no exception. The sauce was nicely thick though lemon taste was somewhat barely there.

Black Pepper A5 Wagyu

Black Pepper A5 Wagyu 120g @$48++

The sauce of the wagyu dish is strongly flavoured so, get ready with your drinks for this one.

Supreme Lobster Paofan

Supreme Lobster Paofan @$68++

clams, fish, baby scallops

lobster

And I think I have said this before, after all the drinks, it is really nice to have a bowl of comforting soup. The paofan here is our favourite dish that night. No, not because we had a lot of drinks (I had 1 glass of beer) but because the broth was flavourful and hovering between light and medium bodied. Seafood in there like the baby scallops, lobster and clams has a subtle sweetness and the crispy rice puffs made it all fun eats.

Abalone, Sea Cucumber and Mushroom

Abalone, Sea Cucumber and Mushroom 至尊三宝  @$38++

This dish of deliciously braised abalone, sea cucumber and mushroom combination is one that I may find in a wedding banquet but you can also enjoy it at George Town!

While not new on the menu, do watch out for their $1 chili crab promotion too and do enquire about the terms and conditions when ordering.

Chili Crab

chili crab

Lobster Mixed Platter and 3-Litres Amber Lager Tower

Priced at $88++, it's a delightful combination that's likely will appeal to the social drinkers in this area, looking for a great night out with their buddies. This combo works great for a group of 4 pax.

Lobster Mixed Platter, serves 4 pax limited to one per table

cheers!

lobster meat

prawn rolls

tako balls

Gobo sticks

deep fried octopus

mentaiko

The Lobster mixed platter consists of snacks that goes well with the beer. You may want to enquire on what are the small plates for that day before ordering.

Thank you Jennifer (Jennifer Yeo Consultancy ) for the invitation and George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer for hosting the tasting. Special thanks to their friendly staff who attended to our table that night.

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

Contact: 6535 6277 

For bookings: Whatsapp 96823826

Business Hours:

Daily 12pm to 3am

[Tasting] Shinya Izakaya 深夜の居酒屋 @ 79 Boat Quay

Is it just me, or does Boat Quay look more vibrant nowadays? It feels that the area has rejuvenated by the steady stream of merry makers or just hungry people looking for good food, and reasonably priced drinks.

entrance to Shinya Izakaya

Was invited to the Shinya Izakaya and this new izakaya is helmed by Chef Kakiruma, Jack Wee and Vincent Lau. Shinya Izakaya specialises in fresh sashimi 刺身, kushiyaki 串焼き (skewers), Agemono 揚げ物 (deep-fried dishes), Yakimono 焼き物 (grilled dishes), Itamemono 炒め物 (stir-fried dishes) and Donburi 丼 (rice dishes). Location wise, it is just a few steps away from Georgetown Tze Char & Craft Beer. 

Izakaya in general, refers to a "stay-drink-place". I do like to visit izakaya (not the standing type though), as I could get a variety of snacks/appetisers (otsumami おつまみ) to go with the drinks.

Let's check out Shinya Izakaya! Being the new kid on the block, has its perks. Perks for customers! Spotted their 'Opening Special' promotion of the $1 sashimi or the $1 oysters, with terms and conditions applied. So, do check with the restaurant directly for any further query. 

good deal

cheers

If you're a teetotaler, then it might be a good idea to bring along a friend who does drink (alcoholic drinks to be specific) as the opening promotion requires the purchase of normal priced alcohol. Again, for friends who drink, please drink responsibly.

what are we drinking today?

The interior of the restaurant felt spacious. We were seated at one of the booths that could fit 5 to 6 pax. There are private rooms available as well, hence please check with the restaurant when you make the reservation.

booth seats

inner section of the restaurant

private room

For drinks menu, there are options for Premium Sake, Sake (in the form of 300 ml, 720 ml or 1800 ml bottle), Wine, Beer and non-alcoholic drinks such as soft drinks, green tea or juices. Iced water is complimentary. Selected per glass options for sake and wine are available.

We got ourselves a 720ml bottle of sake to try and to match with the food that we will be having today. Was recommended the Hokkaido Kanjyuku, an aged sake. Aged sake is also referred to as 'koshu'. This informal term refers to sake that's been aged at the brewery for some time before release. For Hokkaido Kanjyuku, it was aged for 3 years. The colour is light yellow, tasted sweet and mellow.

Hokkaido Kanjyuku (Junmai Daiginjo)

Alc                    : 16%

Polishing rate    : 65%

Brewery　　    : Kobayashi Shuzo (Hokkaido)

Not good to drink on an empty tummy, so we started with a platter of sashimi. It was beautifully plated. The default number of sashimi slices is 3 pieces for both the 5 and 7 Kinds of Assorted Sashimi.

5 Kinds Assorted Sashimi (akami, kanpachi, salmon, tai, hotate) @$48

 Ala-carte sashimi comes in 5 pieces per order. There's about 10 different types available on the menu, including premium items like otoro and chutoro sashimi. 

Ala-carte sashimi (clockwise): shima aji 縞鯵 (@$38), otoro 大トロ (@$48) and salmon belly 鮭の腹 (@$14)

close up view

looking otoro-ly delicious

What are the snacks/appetisers that you usually start with? Eihire or Grilled Dried Stingray Fin, is a typical Japanese drinking snack. However, the version here is more chewy as it seemed less charred than the versions that I had from other places.

Eihire (Grilled dried stingray fin) @$12

Gobo Stick Karaage @$6

I think this was my first time having deep fried burdock sticks and boy, I loved it! The flavour reminds me of pisang goreng (fried banana) but it's not. Hehe!

Moving on to the meatier parts, and I do mean it quite literally! We tried the Buta Kakuni, Chicken Teriyaki and Saikoro Steak.

Buta Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly) @$12

The stewed pork belly was a whole lot thinner than I expected. Usually, we'd see thicker cuts of the meat for this dish. Tasted of savoury soy, sweet mirin and dashi. The fats was melty and dissolved almost immediately once it got into the mouth. Nice.

I was surprised by the Teriyaki Chicken dish, as it looked more like a deep fried item rather than a grilled one? No idea but it tasted good. 

Chicken Teriyaki (Grilled Teriyaki Chicken) @$12

Saikoro Steak (Pan-fried Diced Premium Beef) @$25

Am actually glad that the Pan-Fried Diced Premium Beef (Saikoro Steak) is more of cubes rather than too finely diced! Tender bites for all the two glorious pieces that I managed to steal. Light flavours for the meat.

Let's have a bowl of Tendon for something more substantial, although after having drunk the sake, a bowl of ramen would be ideal as well.

Tendon (Crisp Prawns with Vegetables on Rice) @$15

While the Tendon here does not have fluffy looking batter, nor was it superbly crispy since it was lightly drizzled with sauce, the taste kind of grew on me as I had more of the rice at the bottom. Only managed to try the root vegetables in the bowl and I liked both the pumpkin and sweet potato. Well cooked and tasted sweet. There's eggplant in there as well.

Usually, I'd look for chicken gizzard or heart but it's not available here. Instead, we tried the shishito, shitake, chicken meatballs, enoki bacon and tebasaki (chicken wing). The shio tebasaki was a tad dry but still flavourful. Loved the shishito (Japanese green peppers).

Kushiyaki (Skewers) - left to right: shishito @$2.50, shitake @$2, tsukune @$2.50, enoki bacon @$3, tebasaki @$3

 

My favourite dish for  the night, was the Grilled Yellowtail Collar. Looked a tad on the small side but tasted so good! Plump meat that felt buttery, and seasoned just right. Perfectly cooked.

Kama Shioyaki (Grilled Yellowtail Collar) @$20

Thank you Jennifer Yeo Consultancy for the invite and Shinya Izakaya for hosting the dinner.

Attended with Kris, Tracy, Hence and Ivan.

Shinya Izakaya

Address: 79 Boat Quay, Singapore 049867

Contact: 6327 9240

Reservation: 8112 8028

Business Hours:

Closed on Mon

Tus-Sun: 3pm to 4am

[Tasting] La Belle Époque @ 63 Boat Quay

La Belle Époque which means ‘the golden age’ in French, serves up modern European cuisine in the heart of Singapore's vibrant dining belt by the river, Boat Quay.

Helmed by creative and passionate Chef Firdauz Nasir, one can expect contemporary European cuisine using fresh ingredients seasoned with natural herbs. In fact, the restaurant has its own herb garden.

La Belle Époque

Happy Hour

I loved browsing through their drinks menu. The Signature Serves (cocktail) are priced at $20++ while the classics are priced at $16++. I was pretty interested in Butterscotch Sgroppino.

For starters, there's Oyster & Iberico. The platter consists of 3 pieces of lightly torched oysters, topped with crispy iberico ham, tomato salsa and Avruga caviar. 

Oyster & Iberico @$26++

The next appetiser was aptly named as "Skins". Chicken, fish and pork skins in fact. The whole bowl looked pretty with the greens and little flowers. The black garlic aioli was lovely with the fresh vegetables but it'll turn the skins soggy in no time.

Skins @$8++

If you prefer vegetarian dish, you'll probably like the Hummus Taco. This plate tasted of chickpeas! Loved the sauce.

Hummus Taco @$10++

For just $28++, the Charcuterie Platter offers good value as one could choose any 4 selection of cold cuts and cheeses. We had cold cuts; Black Forest Raw Ham and Collar boneless (Cabecero) Iberico. Cheeses; Taleggio DOP Cheese and Comte Rivoire. If ordered each items individually, the total would've cost about $36++.

Charcuterie Platter @$28++

Remember to say hi to Andy, as he makes the prettiest cocktails.

Pear & Rose Gin Sour @$20++

For healthier chips, one could try the Tomato Foccacia Chips to munch on. Bread as chips? Interesting!

Tomato Focaccia Chips @$3++

If you prefer meatless, the Cauliflower Steak is pretty substantial, plus gluten free. Meant to be shared, unless you are very hungry. Loved the purple pommes potato. Imagine orh nee but with natural sweetness. The cauliflower was not my thing though.

Cauliflower Steak @$12++

Beef Shortribs @$28++

For meat lovers, there is Beef Shortribs. Braised ribs marinated with local spices, and cooked for 48 hours and served with lightly smoked fine haricot beans, aged port wine & romaine salad.

The Smoked Pork Belly appeared with a golden crackling ontop. It was visually appealing.

Smoked Pork Belly @$16++

served with grilled peach salad

Depending on your luck, you may get a piece of belly that has more jelly/fats than the other. Or, if you happen to get the corners like I did, some bits would be pretty tough to chew. Not a big issue for me and I did prefer the pork belly over the short ribs here.

Let's try some dessert! First was the Lemon Tart. Looked so pretty with the torched Italian meringue. The meringue tasted like soft marshmallow and the lemon custard was more sweet than sour. The cinnamon tart was nice.

Staff described this as a 'surprise' kind of dessert so don't forget to lift up the cover after you're done with the tart. What you'll be getting may not be the same as mine!

Lemon Tart @$10++

dehydrated fruit slice

Next up, is Tiramisu with marsala wine, and served with berries by its side.

Tiramisu @$10++

The finale is for all chocolate lovers. As well as fans of Star Wars. Is there anyone who doesn't like Valrhona chocolate? While the raspberry sorbet looked so vibrant, it was too sour for my liking.

Guerre Stellari @$10++

My top 3 picks are Oyster and Iberico, Smoked Pork Belly and Lemon Tart.

Thank you Jennifer for the invitation and La Belle Époque for hosting us. Special thanks to Chef Firdauz for sharing with us your love and passion for modern European cuisine, and Siva for taking care of our table.

La Belle Époque

Address: 63 Boat Quay, Singapore 049851

FB: https://www.facebook.com/LBEsg

Contact: 6732 1687

Business Hours:

Closed on Sundays.

Mon - Sat: 3pm–11:30pm