Bar | Analogue Initiative @ Chijmes

It all started when I asked Rachelle to bring me along on her next exploration of drinking places in SG. Analogue is an interesting suggestion as this will be the first time am going to a bar that doesn't serve meat.

Reservation was made and we went on the appointed date. There are outdoor and indoor seatings, and indoor low tables are limited. First noticeable item, is it's cool 3D printed blue wavy bar top.

Staff are welcoming and friendly so one gets comfortable immediately.

100% plant based menu

Its table tops are made from recycled plastic and Mycelium. Interesting, I'd say.

of Mycelium and recycled plastics

Guess, what's my first drink.

cocktail menu

Make a guess, and I'll show the photo.

Cactus, with sparkly Tajim rim salt

staring right into pink dragonfruit, Mezcal, prickly pear (whatever this is!)

It tasted light and agreeable. Not quite what I expected but it was alright. Now let's take a look at Ivan's and Rachelle's choice of poison that night.

Smokey Jerkey

Spaceman

Loved it when presentation was that little tad extra! 

But I was getting hungry. Let's order food. 

what would you recommend?

We asked Shermaine for recommendations, and bingo! The recommended items were what I was thinking about as well.

Puri Poppers @$16

Pumpkin Dumplings @$22

Puri poppers had the right aesthetics but tasted mild. Was expecting a stronger flavours out of it, but well, it was a good start.

Was a tad disappointed in Pumpkin Dumplings, from its visuals perspective but it had a nice sweet taste to it. Fillings were mushy and dumplings were soft, hence there wasn't any contrast in texture.

All of us loved the main dish; the Jackfruit Tacos. Lovely strong rendang flavours with crisp taco shell. Yay!

Jackfruit Tacos @$26

After our meal, we tried different drinks. Here is my next drink, which happened to be my favourite for the night.

looking like plain water

It looked like a tall glass of water, with a sprig of mint leaves on top(which eventually fell off). I took a second look at the menu and clarified again if it was really "Hunter Beer". The staff confirmed that indeed, the order served was correct.

Hunter Beer, with new sprig of mint

Hunter Beer tasted of aromatics because its ingredients are galangal, tamarind, curry leaves. Not a beer per se and I think it is equally lightweight in terms of alcoholic content. I think I like the taste of curry leaves in my cocktails!

We had our post meal drinks at the bar area, and that's where we get to see Nicholas in action. Actually, already seen him crafting the drinks from our table, but now it is even more up-close.

how about some wine

The natural wines from Japan looked interesting, so we ordered it to try.

Natural Wines(left to right); Sato Pinot Gris, Coco Farm & Winery Noumin Rosso and Fattoria Al Fiore Ohno Field Blend

Guess, which drink was mine.

Noumin Rosso 2019, Tochigi @$17 per glass

I went witht the safest drink, a red from Tochigi. Coco Farm and Winery Noumin Rosso tasted balanced and juicy, with grape varietals predominantly of merlot, muscat bailey and cabernet sauvignon. No wonder I liked.

Sato Pinot Gris 2018, New Zealand @$17 per glass

Sato Pinot Gris has a Vivino ratings of 3.8 and the most interesting drink, was Rachelle's choice; Ohno Field Blend which has a Vivino ratings of 3.7. Its grape varietal are Chardonnay, Merlot and Steuben. Its taste profile described it with raspberry, tomato and light acidity. 

Nothing but grapes and love

Fattoria Al Fiore Ohno Field Blend 2019, Miyagi @$21 per glass

 

And, we had a dessert to end our meal. One pax could finish this. Tasted of clove (ice-cream), and I absolutely loved those chickpea tuille. But one will need to love the taste of clove first because that is the strongest flavour here.

Pina Clavo @$10

give me pineapples

It was an interesting experience at Analogue. Thank you Rachelle for the recommendation and Ivan for accompanying us! Happy to have met Shermaine, Nicholas and other wonderful staff there.

Analogue

Website: https://www.analogueinitiative.com/

Contact: 8518 1882

Business Hours: 

Closed on Mondays.

Tue - Sun: 5–10:30pm

Rosso Vino @ Robertson Quay

For this year's Christmas Gathering, Ivan suggested Rosso Vino for Italian fare plus, reasonably priced wine. We readily agreed and reservations were made immediately.

Our dinner was at 730pm on a weekday and the place was not too busy yet. There are alfresco dining area if you prefer but for us, we like the comfortable air-conditioned indoor seats.

interior

Festive Specials

Have to wait a bit for the rest of the party to arrive, so started with a Rose IGP (Negramaro) from Puglia.

Rose IGP (Negramaro), Puglia 2020 @$14

When the rest arrived, we made it a point for each person in the party to order one dish of their choice. Mine was the Gnocchi alla Sorentina. Reason is, I wanted to try the different gnocchi in Singapore. Thus far, the best one was at Club Street but unfortunately, can't recall the name of the restaurant. Next was from Gattopardo (but the gnocchi was only an accompaniment on a meat dish).

Appetiser

Started with Buffalo Mozarella cheese with Parma ham. And here, I was wondering why there's so little greens on this plate. Because there is another meatless option called Burrata fresca di Andria. Keke!

Buffala e Prosciutto @$22

let's start

Next appetiser was fried calamari. Thin batter and still tender. Fried to a nice golden hue. Good with the tartar sauce.

Fritto di Calamari @$17

Main Course(s)

Since we are celebrating the festivities, we picked 2 items from the Festive Chef's Special menu; pizza and the cod fish dish.

Gourmet Pizza al Vitello Tonnato

Didn't read the menu before I sank my teeth into the pizza and the dominant flavour turned out to be tuna! Now I know why. Because there's tuna sauce!

veal slice, white pizza with mozzarella cheese, tuna sauce

It's interesting to have veal as pizza topping. The dough has a nice chew to it. White-based pizza is usually not my first choice.

Tracy requested for a simple tomato based spaghetti and it came before the fish dish was served. We had a quick bite each for the spaghetti and it was lovely.

Spaghetti in tomato sauce

wholesome

The cod fish was served to our table only after we enquired about our missing orders. 

Filetto di Merluzzo Su Purea di Patate e Crema di Aragosta

Loved all the seasonal vegetables in there and the mashed potatoes were so yummy! Fish as expected, was smooth and had a good mouthfeel to it. My favourite dish for the night.

Baked Black Cod Fish on mashed potatoes and Lobster Bisque

But where's my gnocchi? I was ready to give it up but we enquired from the staff again and it arrived almost together with our dessert. Served piping hot, the cheese pull was incredible!

Gnocchi alla Sorentina

look at that cheese pull

The gnocchi texture was good, despite being baked. Everyone in the group enjoyed all the tomato-based pasta dishes. Lovely.

Dessert

The group went all out and ordered 3 desserts when everyone was already feeling full. But that's us.

Tiramisu @$16

Torta agli Arumi di Sicilia @$14

Tiramisu was ok, and I preferred the Traditional Italian Cream Pie more. The homemade citrus jam was good. 

hello chocolate gelato

But my absolute favourite dessert that night, was the Affogato. Simple espresso coffee that's strong with a nice aroma (not burnt!) and topped with vanilla ice-cream that melts faster than you can say Affogato. Hahaa! Thank you guys for not wanting to share this. All mine!

Affogato @$9

My table was attended to by Cyan and Eva. Both are friendly and doesn't mind the intermittent orders for wine top-ups or that random pasta. Plus, one of them is quite proficient in helping guests to take group photos, with multiple shots from various angles.

We also had the friendly owner/manager dropping by to say hello and to offer us limoncello to end our meal. Grazie!

limoncello

Overall, Rosso Vino is a good choice for dinner and for a good time with family/friends. I spied other diners having penne pasta, so next time it is.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rosso Vino

Address: 15 Merbau Rd, Singapore 239032

Website: https://www.rossovinosingapore.com/

Contact:  6733 7735

Business Hours:

Mon - Sat: 3pm to 12am

Sun: 11.30am to 12am

[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)