Showing posts with label cocktails. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cocktails. Show all posts

Sunday, May 18, 2025

[Tasting] Drinks&Co. Grill & Cocktails @ Chijmes

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Was invited for a tasting at Drinks&Co Grill & Cocktails at Chijmes and it was such a long time since I last visited that place.

Was a tad worried if the restaurant would be difficult to locate as I've gotten lost in Chijmes years ago (hehe JC would attest to that!). Found out that such worry is unfounded as it was pretty easy to spot Drinks&Co. Grill & Cocktails restaurant.


Drinks&Co Grill & Cocktails



menu

let's try some new items!

HH, yes pls!

alfresco dining


One could enjoy an ice cold beer sitting at the alfresco area and people watch, but with such a humid weather, we enquired if there is indoor dining. 

The staff that we met, Deepa, was lovely and walked with us towards the indoor area. Personally, I think it might be challenging for first-time guest to this location to spot the entrance to the indoor section.

indoor dining


can you feel the vibe

watch the Chefs at the open kitchen

If you would like to dine in private, they do have a beautiful private dining room that one can reserve. Take note of the minimum spending requirements and best to enquire from the staff prior to visit.

private dining room

drinks menu

may I have a slice of lemon in my water?


Cocktails


Singapore Sling

Head on to the bar, if you would like to watch Mike perform his mix for the Singapore Sling~

Mike at the bar







D&C Singapore Sling Premium Set @$29/$26




gems biscuit with the drink

pretty in pink


It has been many years since I last tasted a Singapore Sling. Once upon a time, the choice for cocktails were Singapore Sling, Long Island Iced Tea, Kir Royale...those were the days.

Likewise, plenty of choices available at Drinks&Co. The frozen margarita melted a tad too quickly, probably due to the recent rise in temperature.

Classic Mojito @$24/$20

Pina Colada @$23/$20


Margarita Frozen (passionfruit) @$26/$22



Tapas


D&C Signature Salt & Pepper Squid


D&C Signature Salt & Pepper Squid @$22/$20 (Reg/Mem)




Miso Iberico Pork 250g


Miso Iberico Pork 250g @$34/$32 (Reg/Mem)

closer view of miso iberico pork


Authentic Char Grilled Satay


Authentic Char Grilled Satay (mixed) @$36/32


Fillet Mignon Steaklet


Fillet Mignon Steaklet @$35/$30


Grilled Tacos (2 pcs)


Grilled Tacos (2 pcs - pork) @$20/$18


My favourite dish from the Tapas menu, was the Miso Iberico Pork. Loved the bird eye chili and the pink pickled onions. Yummy combination with well grilled tender pork. Seasoning was on point for this plate.

The salt and pepper squid was sort of a go-to dish for drinks, and loved that it has a bed of greens underneath all the tender squid.

Steaklet of New Zealand tenderloin looked good and was served with garlic butter and garlic confit. The garlic butter tasted a tad too strong for me. There was an interesting 'bulb/sphere' like ingredient on the dish, and it turned out to be aji peppers in red and orangy-amber colour. Not spicy.


Asian Delights


Chilli Crab Dip with Mantou


Chilli Crab Dip with Mantou @$25/$22


The 6 mantous (fried buns) were not enough as the Chili Crab Dip came aplenty. Maybe double the bun size or double the buns? Someone from the group shared that the dip tasted good with the ketupat from the satay dish!


Mains


28 Days Aged Australian Wagyu Ribeye


28 Days Aged Australian Wagyu Ribeye @$99/$94

MB 4/5 ribeye


The meat was of a good ratio of lean and fats, and the flavours were good and not too intense. The roasted potatoes were so good. I didn't get to try the purple salt though.


Pan Seared North Atlantic Halibut



Pan Seared North Atlantic Halibut @$38/$35


Enjoyed the pan-seared halibut for its smooth, buttery texture. 



Sharing Platters (for 3 to 4 pax)


Seafood Platter


Seafood Platter @$155/$145

The seafood platter has grilled king prawns, seared scallops, halibut fish and padron peppers. By now, I noticed that confit garlic has made its appearance in quite a number of dishes served.

It was interesting to see large pieces of padron peppers on the platter. Taste-wise, pretty much like capsicum. King prawns were meaty.


Pizza & Pasta


Truffle Forest Mushroom Pizza


Truffle Forest Mushroom Pizza @$30/$27




Pizza served hot, and yes, the cheese pull game was strong for this one. The sour cream was a surprise contrast to the taste buds. Loved the juicy mushrooms.


Japanese Scallops Aglio Olio Picante 


Japanese Scallops Aglio Olio Picante @$40/$36


Pasta cooked al-dente with generous portions of well-grilled scallops. Adequate seasoning and yes to chili in the pasta.


Dessert

Strawberry Tiramisu @$22/$20

Passionfruit Panna Cotta @$20/$18

Burnt Cheesecake @$22/$20

There is a Dessert Platter (any 2) for $35. The Strawberry Tiramisu (no coffee, no alcohol) was interesting. Soft, fluffy and sweet milky. Strawberry had a tinge of tangy.

I had a bite of Burnt Cheesecake after the Panna Cotta and boy, that brought the savoury-ness of the cheesecake to the fore. I liked cheesecake and wished it could be a larger piece.

cheesecake, buttercrumbs, berry compote


Thank you Kris for the invite and Amanda, Drinks&Co. for hosting the dinner. Special thanks to Chef, and staff whom attended to our table that night.



Drinks&Co. Grill & Cocktails

Address: 30 Victoria St, #01-21/22 CHIJMES, Singapore 187996

Websitehttps://drinksandco.asia/

Contact: 9619 4568

Business Hours: 

Mon-Thu: 12–11 pm

Fri-Sun: 12 pm–12 am


Saturday, June 3, 2023

[Tasting] Sichuan Alley 川巷 @ 51 Telok Ayer

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If you're around the vicinity, and has cravings for some noodles or, a cocktail or two with small plates, Sichuan Alley may have just the thing that you're looking for. Fuss free and straight forward. Let's have a look at their menu. This was an invited tasting.

Sichuan Alley

If you're thinking that the location looks familiar, you're right. This was formerly occupied by Basdban.

Sichuan Alley caters for a variety of diners. There's plenty of small plates between $5 to $14 to enjoy along the oriental cocktails. Or come for their daily Happy Hour between 2pm to 9pm, and enjoy a pint of beer (selected) for only $8++.

For noodles lovers, we tried a few and it was tasty, plus generous portion!

food and beverages menu


food menu

I was curious about their cocktails which had very Oriental sounding names, like Bamboo Breeze? Hehe, it turned out to be a cute looking panda soaking in a bamboo container. Cute.

Bamboo Breeze (bamboo green tea gin, pineapple, peach, jasmine) @$16++

Bamboo Breeze was light and refreshing. Tasted predominantly of green tea and jasmine. I think this might be the Oriental version of 'Long Island Tea'? The panda, is made of chocolate but it was a tad too hard for my teeth. Only managed to bite off a bit of the ear.

Mister Kiwi (vodka base) @$18++

Chengdu Fizz (gin, kumquat, chia seed, sparkling water)


Had mistaken Mister Kiwi and Chengdu Fizz to be mocktails as it was sweet and seemingly looked like a cooler/thirst quenchers. But, we checked with the bar, and indeed, it has alcohol! So, probably not a good idea to gulp it down too fast.

With drinks on hand, let's have some food. Small plates first.

"Zhangfei" Beef Slice @$11++

Mala Black Fungus @$5.50++

The beef was smoked and thinly sliced. Tasted natural and light flavours of the meat. The spices added a touch of flavours but non-spicy. The black fungus dish hits the spot with a punch of flavours. Garlicky, crunchy and spicy. Am biased towards black fungus. One of my favourite.

My first time having smoked liver and I can say, am not a fan. There's nothing funky about it though, but the texture was something that I didn't find it appealing. 

Smoked Pork Liver @$7.50++

egg yolk in the center

Been wanting to try the fried intestines and finally managed to have it here. It was nicely deep fried, and the addition of leek is a good idea as the leek provided some natural sweetness to the dish. Doesn't feel greasy but has a good mouthfeel. Lovely with alcohol. Will order again.

Fried Pig Intestines @$7.50++

Eat, drink (responsibly) and be merry!

Ume Plum Wine @$18++


cheers!

Ume plum wine was deceptively easy to drink as well. Like a dessert wine. 

And when you have more drinks, then there's got to be more food. Bite sized dumplings that's familiar in taste with ample meaty flavours. The sauce looked fiery but actually, pretty mild. Not to worry if you're not too good with spices. This one is only at level 0.5 in terms of heat. Yes, looks can be deceptive. The mala fungus was probably more spicy than these two.

Crispy Pork Dumplings @$6++

Hot & Sour Pork Dumplings @$6++

Braised Ox Tongue @$11++


Other unique finds would be the Braised Ox Tongue. On-point texture and pretty tasty with all the sauce and condiments. Thank you Chef Eugene for the never ending line of food on our table!

Braised Beef with Bamboo Shoots @$9++

Braised Beef with Bamboo Shoots managed to win me over with the superbly tender beef. There's some smokiness in the bamboo shoots. Will order this again.

Lalalala Fried Chicken @$22

The Lalalala Fried Chicken is still available and still as tasty as the previous time. Portion size and the price has been reduced slightly. No, we didn't have it with rice this time round to save some tummy space for the noodles.

Let's slurp up some noodles at this point in time. Noodles are main course portion sized.

President Noodle (Red) @$24.50++

President Noodles would be what I deemed as "all-in" version. It has a big bowl of noodles soup, fried egg, some shanghai greens and side dishes of braised beef cheeks, intestines, crispy chickpeas and pork ribs.


At first, I thought the side dishes of the meats looked a tad dry but it was tender and easy to chew. Good. Was this spicy? Actually, not quite.

If you prefer the earthy mushroom-my flavours, then go for the Mushrooms with Chicken Broth Noodles. Wholesome flavours for a cooler evening.

Mushrooms with Chicken Broth Noodles @$11.50++

While I was wowed by the variety of sides that came along with President Noodle, the best tasting noodles for me that night, was the Fresh Chilies Minced Beef Noodles.

Fresh Chilies Minced Beef Noodles @$13.50++

give it a good mix

enjoy!


For me, this has the strongest and tastiest flavour profile of all the noodles that I've tasted that night. Thoroughly enjoyed this noodle dish.

No.3 Lady @$18++

No.3 Dry Gin, Lychee Liquer, White Wine, Pink Grapefruit, Rose

Tried a bit of the Black Plum Iced Tea (non-alcoholic) and it was good as a thirst quencher plus, it helps to cut through the fullness of all the food we inhaled. And, it's a sweet drink. Not sure why but initially it didn't occur to me that this drink will be sweet so I was surprised when I first drunk it. Haha!

Black Plum Ice Tea @$8++

Mini Hotpot @$14++


One thing about the noodles, is that it absorbs the soup pretty good so after a bout of drinking, usually I'd like to have some warm soup. The Mini Hotpot is perfect for this. Spicy 'malatang' with tiger prawns, tofu, homemade liang fen and mushrooms. Careful as the pot will continue to bubble for a little while after it was served. The warmth in the tummy was comforting.

It's a vibe here at Sichuan Alley and No. 51 Telok Ayer has a chic, vibrant nightlife feel, while next door at 51A Telok Ayer has a more casual feel to it. Both spaces share the same menu.

Thank you Kris for the invite, and special thanks to Chef Eugene and Sichuan Alley for hosting the dinner.


Sichuan Alley 川巷

Address: 51 Telok Ayer St, #01-01, Singapore 048441

Websitehttps://www.facebook.com/sichuanalley

Contact: 9755 1058

Business Hours: 

Mon-Fri: 10:30 am–10 pm

Sat-Sun: 10:30 am–9 pm

 
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