Burger and Lobster @ Raffles Hotel

Ok, so this was an 'atas' (similar connotation to high-class) tea session. Hey, once in a while, it's ok to pamper ourselves. Nevertheless, it was rather rare for us to be having a meal at 3.30pm. But then, it's Happy Hour (3pm to 6pm) at Burger and Lobster too!

Tip: If you're taking a cab/grab, drop at Raffles Hotel Seah Street side. Otherwise, it was a one big round walk to Burger and Lobster.

The usual temperature taking and Safe Entry check-in before admission. Was late, hence the group had already ordered and started by then. Ambiance was cosy and I enjoyed the view of the lovely looking bar.

lovely bar view

Besides admiring the bar, of course I'd be trying the cocktails. Cocktails at $10 during Happy Hours, yay! To start, had a South Side. My first time trying it. Gin based with Angostura Bitters, lemon and a mint leaf. Refreshing. 

South Side 

Old Fashioned

Ok, let's get some munchies with the drinks. Friend had already finished with her lobster roll and she enjoyed it tremendously. I went with the flow and had a small bite with whatever else that was on  the table. The Salted Egg Yolk Baby Squid was good. Not too tiny, tender yet with a soft chew.  The coating/batter of the salted egg yolk was tasty and goes so well with the cocktails. Best eaten when it was still hot. Lovely!

Salted Egg Yolk Baby Squid @$12

Another friend had Lobster Thermidor and it looked so pretty. There's something about gratinated cheese that looked inviting. Served with garlic toast. 

I had a bite of the garlic toasties, and because we ordered the Lobster Rosti, I made a small bite by breaking off a corner of the garlic toast, placed a good amount of guacamole and some lobster meat on it. Hehe.

Lobster Thermidor @$31 (Half Lobster)

say cheese~

Talking about Lobster Rosti, here's a pic of it. Light tasting and value for money. 

Lobster Rosti @$18

The place tends to get busier after 5pm on weekends. A good place with $10 Happy Hour cocktails, and lobster rolls.

Burger and Lobster

Address: 328 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 188719

Website: https://www.burgerandlobster.com/menu/raffles-menu/

Contact:  6971 6127

Business Hours: 

Daily 11am to 930pm

[Tasting] Mischief @ Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

Mischief is about 10 to 15 minutes from its nearest MRT, and that would be either City Hall MRT or Esplanade MRT. Expect American flavours and lots of alcoholic beverages. Lots.

Great place to chill, watch soccer with a beer tower (or two) and your best buddies.

it's a sign

It was a clear Sunday evening, and we opted for the great outdoors. To cool down from the heat, they brought us a beer tower. Yay!

Housepour Tower @$59.90 per tower (Promo: 2 Towers @$99)

here is where the action is

let's clink our glasses and cheers~

Nearby, we could hear musicians rocking it out at the Esplanade outdoor stage. Though we couldn't see the sunset, the air cooled down a bit and it was time to heal our famished tummies.

let's grab some food!

Can you guess what we had? Fried food and burgers? Absolutely, right!

Started with two fries; the Atomic and Truffle Maximus and then realised that, hey....the burgers also came with a side of fries. Thus, we ended up with fries party that night!

Atomic Fries @$14

Truffle Fries Maximus @$18

The Atomic Fries had sriracha sauce but it was really really mild. Its taste was somewhat cheesy rather than spicy. The Truffle Maximus had sauteed mushrooms, shaved parmesan and a large dose of truffle oil. Because of the mushrooms and shaved parmesan, I enjoyed the truffle fries more.

There's sio bak on the menu, and known as Crackling Pork Belly. Served with a side of pickled gherkins and a sauce made of garlic, onion and oregano that's reminiscent of Thai namjin sauce.

Crackling Pork Belly @$12 

Buttered Clams @$18

Enjoy 500g of Korean flower clams, cooked in sauteed garlic, lightly browned in butter with a splash of white wine. Beware of the cracked shells in the buttered clams though.

Delighted to know that Mischief burgers are made using 150g wagyu patties, and served with onion rings (only two rings!) and a side of fries. All burgers are lovingly sandwiched between toasted brioche buns.

Mamacita @$20

The Mamacita has pepper jack cheese, custom roasted chili blend (what was this? Sambal ah?), sriracha mayo sauce, crispy shallots and spring onions. Said to be for serious spice freaks but I thought it was rather mild. More spicy than the Atomic fries but nothing that we can't handle.

look at this beauty

Loved the colours of the Mamacita. So vibrant! The beef patty itself was all of natural flavours and moist. The onion rings was sweet and nicely fried. A tad greasy but so good.

Stomers @$24

Stoners has slow cooked mushrooms with herbs and melted cheese, arugula, extra virgin olive oil and a touch of ketchup. Okay, it's a mushroom cheeseburger! Classic taste and pretty good. But am favouring Mamacita more.

Stoners - an insider view

And then, there were crispy nachos, courtesy of Chicken Farm, a sharing platter comprising of nachos with cheese, guacamole and salsa, popcorn chicken, and chicken wings done two ways; Prawn Paste and Buffalo Wings.

nachos

nachos, guacamole, pickled chilies, sour cream, salsa

The Chicken Farm has enough food on it to feed six full grown adults. Chicken wings, nachos and beer. What more could we ask for?

The Chicken Farm @$48

Still feeling thirsty? Let's try some cocktails. There was Mochatini which tasted of Bailey's, Kahlua and espresso with some cocoa crisps for decoration, the Soju Slushie which tasted of yuzu and soju and my favourite, Coronarita of sweet blended strawberry slushie and Corona beer.

from far left to right to front: Mochatini @$22, Upside Down Soju Slushie @$26, Coronarita @$22

Mochatini for the coffee/milk chocolate lovers

In between of drinks, food and making merry, why not try your hands on the electronic darts machine or have a game of beer pong? Mischief has a corner for these activities.

how to play?

the challenge begins!

For the darts machine, one need to purchase a card for $12 with $10 stored credits for the game. Just inform the staff and you're good to start. Each game of darts is $2 credit and for 2 players, that'll be 2 x $2. Chose the countdown 701 points and we had maximum fun (and some wrist action, hehe).

Eat, drink, play and repeat. We also sampled the Wagyu Beef Brisket and boy, it was good.

Wagyu Beef Brisket @$32

Slow-cooked 24hr wagyu beef that's tender, and properly crusted with black pepper and served with a side of salad and fries. We ate a mountain of fries! The brisket was leaning more on the sweeter note.

yums

Many thanks to Jereme for the invite and Mischief for feeding us and plying us with drinks.

The darts machine was entertaining. Thank you Marc, Rachelle, CK and Tiara for playing.

Mischief

Address: 8 Raffles Ave, #01-10/12, Singapore 039802
Website: https://mischief.sg/
Contact: 6532 0106
Business Hours:
Sunday 5pm to 12mn
Monday 5pm to 11pm
Tues-Thurs 5pm to 1am
Fri/Sat 5pm to 3am

Birds Of A Feather @ Amoy Street

Had a late lunch at Birds of a Feather recently, on a Sat noon. It is a cosy place, with nice decor and friendly ambiance. Suitable for peeps with laptop who wants to work while sipping a cocktail or two, and to enjoy Sichuan flavoured snacks or creatively delicious fusion Chinese meal.

Loved the menu with the printed drawings instead of actual photos of the food.

menu

interior

cosy and classy

I was intrigued by the Sichuan Oxtail Soup with Chinese Yam Noodles. Like, what does Sichuan Oxtail Soup would taste like? And what in the world is a Chinese Yam Noodles? So many questions and I eagerly await for the dish to arrive.

Kris ordered the "Red Birdie Noodle" that comes with "Bang-Bang Chicken" and an onsen egg. I know nothing about "Bang-Bang Chicken" but since it is a red, it must be pretty spicy!

How about a glass of rose to go along with the food? Why, yes please.

Chateau Montaud Rose @$14++ per glass

refreshing with flavors of raspberry/strawberry with a crisp, clean finish

With drinks in-hand, we needed some appetisers. We ordered the "Charcoal Grilled Pork Bits" as I have not tried this before. Thank you Chef Eugene for sending us the complimentary plate of "Find the Chicken in the Chillies"! Now we have double dose of meats!

Charcoal Grilled Pork Bits @$15++

Find the Chicken in the Chillies @$16++

The Charcoal Grilled Pork Bits comprises of grilled pork belly slices, baby potatoes and sweet potatoes are smothered with a layer of those Chinese skewer magic spices similar to its sister restaurant at 51Soho. Loved everything on this plate!

It wasn't that hard to find the chicken amongst the chillies because there were some chunky bits in it. Yummy! The mix had peppercorn, leek bits and dried chillies deep fried till slightly crisp. Don't leave the leek bits behind if you enjoy bursts of sweetness amongst the fiery spicy taste.

For Sichuan Oxtail Soup, I was pleasantly surprised by its visual. The inclusion of arlette pastry added to the aesthetics. Tasty too with its buttery flaky texture that's fragrant with spring onion. The first spoonful of soup revealed a broth that was beefy, with hints of herbs and not overly rich. Very enjoyable. The Chinese Yam Noodles turned out to be flat sheets of al-dente chewy noodles that had similar texture to QQ rice cake. Very good. Oh, be careful when you dip into the chilli dip provided... so spicy!

Sichuan Oxtail Soup, Spring Onion Arlette with additional Chinese Yam Noodles @$29++

can't get enough of this noodles!

The oxtail itself was meaty and superbly tender while maintaining its flavours. Thumbs up for this!

you have become a favourite of mine

The Red Birdie Noodle is a dry version with spicy mala sauce and served with condiments that were meant to be tossed into the noodles for a good mix while the Bang-Bang Chicken was to be eaten separately.

Red Birdie Noodle @$20++

going in~

well tossed Japanese noodles

The Red Birdie Noodle was strongly flavoured and goes well with a drink. The "Bang-Bang Chicken" had a nice sweet sauce (was it 沙茶酱?) to it and the chicken breast meat likeable (this is coming from one that doesn't like chicken breast usually).

Compliments to Chef Eugene and I've enjoyed the meal at Birds of a Feather. Weekend lunch date with Kris and Tiara.

Suggest to order 3 appetisers with a shared main (for lighter eaters), or 1 appetiser with 2 shared mains and a dessert for 2 pax. Expect to spend about $45 to $55 per pax for a meal here, with a drink.

Birds of a Feather

Address: 115 Amoy St, #01-01, Singapore 069935
Website: https://www.facebook.com/birdsofafeathersg
Contact: 6221 7449
Business Hours:
Daily:
Mon - Thurs: 10.45am to 3pm, 5pm to 11pm
Fri - Sun: 10.30am to 12am (10pm on Sun)

Kafe UTU Revisited @ 12 Jiak Chuan Road

Back again after a month or so, and this time to try some new items in the dinner menu with the rest of the foodie gang. It was a somewhat deja vu moment as we sat at the same table as we did, one month ago! Here is the link to previous visit.

While waiting for the last person to arrive, we ordered up our drinks with half the group opting for mocktails and the other half preferred the alcoholic ones.  That night, we left our drinks selection in the hands of Ivan, the Head Bartender at Kafe UTU.

He asked what would I prefer. I said, "Gin based and slightly sweet. Make it special."  After a long while, my drink arrived in a dainty tokkuri (徳利) and it came with a little cute heart. How'd they know I like Japanese stuffs? *winks*

The Alcoholics

Gin-based Special #1

I liked the special gin mix that was not too strong, sweet and refreshing. Thank you Ivan for the thoughtful creation.

Grapefruit Negroni

Whiskey-based  Special #2

Rum-based Special #3

The Mocktails

Fruit-based and refreshingly tangy

Watermelon-based with egg white

Tiki drink

Berry refreshing

Can you guess which of the above mocktail was for a guy? Hehe.

But where's the food? One word of advice, do place your food order quickly before the kitchen gets really really busy with the avalanche of orders.

KIDOGO (BITES)

Malindi Croquettes @$12

I think the Malindi Croquettes came to our table by mistake but we ended up ordering two more plates of it. Smallish in size, but it packed a punch in flavour. Best eaten when served. The insides are super soft and creamy, with a nice golden crisp batter. Pause for 5 seconds after the first swallow and notice the rising burn. Wow, it was deceptively spicy! Well, the menu did say Habanero...but guessed we just didn't noticed it. But it was shioks!

fresh cassava leaves, ginger, garlic, Habanero, House spices, Bechamel

Pan Con Tomate with House Smoked Anchovies & Garlic @$18

The tomato cold soup was as how we remembered it, and the difference was in the toast. The smoked anchovies added another dimension to this.

SALADS

Roasted Pumpkin Kale Salad (V) @$20

FROM MAMA AFRICA

West African Charred Aubergine Stew with Angus Beef Cheek (served with basmati rice) @$30

We loved to hear the origins of the dish and the aubergine turns out to be Kurt's favourite birthday dish! Can easily understand why, as the beef cheek has a pleasant smokey flavour yet tender with each bite. Moist with the Liberian sauce, its spices were pleasant and delightful when laden ontop a spoonful of basmati white rice. Yums.

Moroccan Lemon Chicken Tagine @$29

Yes, there was no tagine (طجين) for the Moroccan Lemon Chicken Tagine dish. The tagine is a shallow earthen pot which is often recognised for its upside down cone shaped cover. It's ok not to have the tagine though because the chicken was still very delicious.

The star of this dish, got to be the quinoa. Superbly moist, flavourful and delightful with the onions.

Macanese African Chicken with Mango Salsa @$29

The Macanese African Coconut sauce looked a tad oily but we did not care a bit. Cut a small piece of that chicken, swirl it all over the sauce and into the mouth it went. Lovely.

The Macanese African Chicken With Mango Salsa is served with quinoa, and the quinoa in this dish was rather interesting as well. It was made into a patty and pan-fried, which resulted in a nice crust on its outer part much like the taste of scorched rice.

We also had some of the favourites from the previous round; the Swahili Fish Curry and Liberian Peanut Chicken Stew. These two dishes paired so well with the basmati rice.

PASTRIES

We ordered our previous favourites; the carrot cake and the soft serve ice-cream. Malindi Halwa was added after Kurt shared more stories of how this dessert snug into the menu. Yes, we do love stories especially if it was about Sheiks, master craftsmen and their favourite dessert.

Malindi Halwa @$10

"Would it be too sweet?" I was thinking in my mind. "How does Kafe UTU's version of Halwa taste like?"

Halwa is sweet confections made in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. There's flour based halwa, nut butter based halwa but this texture was something unfamiliar. I felt like I might be eating a cube of watermelon (based on visual), but it tasted of spices and a pleasant sweetness with a light but not so bouncy texture. The Kafe UTU's halwa is made of dragonfruit juice, hazelnuts and cashew nuts,  macadamia, pistachios with Malindi spices. There's yoghurt on the plate for a slight sour taste. There's crisp spiced Dukha filo too. Interesting!

Carrot cake was a crowd favourite, but soft serve ice-cream is life! The flavour on that night was dark chocolate. Previous visit, we had coffee soft serve.

UTU Soft Serve Ice Cream @$4

SIPPING GIN

One shall not pass a chance to savour some sipping gin. Sipping gin is basically a gin that is good enough to drink neat.

Cheers to Good Food, Good Drinks and Good Company~

Procera Gin

Procera Gin, is an African craft gin and has African botanicals from Morocco, Kenya, Somalia, Zanzibar, Madagascar and Sierra Leone. It is the first and only gin crafted with African juniper.

Lovely aroma, strong and pleasantly smooth on the throat.

Kurt asked if we would like to try something that is currently not on the menu yet. Would we be too full since we were done with dessert as well? And miss a chance to try new menu? No way. And that was how we ended up with more food.

Off menu special Nigerian Beef Suya

The meat was tender, marinade was on point and the crispy homemade chapati provided the contrast in texture to the tender flavourful meat. Eaten like a wrap with pickled thinly sliced cucumbers and piled with as much kachumbari as you like.

lovely onglet

Once this makes its appearance in the menu, hesitate not. It was delicious.

All in all, expect to spend between $40 to $60 per pax for a drink and a good meal.

An enjoyable Friday night out with Kris, Elle, Rachelle, Tiara, Shermaine, Alvin, Hence and Ivan. Thank you Kurt for your hospitality, and team UTU for taking care of us that night.

Kafe Utu

Address: 12 Jiak Chuan Road Singapore 089265
Contact: +65 6996 3937
Website: https://kafeutu.com/

Business Hours:    

Kafe Utu
Closed Monday
Tuesday – Sunday: 8am – 5pm

Utu Lounge
Closed Monday
Tuesday – Thursday: 6pm-11pm
Friday & Saturday: 6pm-1am
Sunday: 1130am - 5pm