[Tasting] 25 Degrees Burgers and Liquor Bar

Was invited to 25 Degrees Burgers and Liquor Bar recently. While I had been a customer at Ginett (am always lured by the concept of reasonably priced good wine with good food) prior, this was the first time am setting foot at this restaurant just next door to Ginett! Thanks to Jasmine for the invitation.

come on in

The Ambiance

25 Degrees possesses an old Hollywood charm in a casual setting. High ceilings, dark interior and classy American decor.

The Staff

The service staff at 25 Degrees are friendly and ever ready with a response to our queries. 

The Food

We heard that Cheesy Mac Attack is Back! This burger is not on 25 Degrees regular menu but was an earlier favourite, and was brought back due to customers' demand. How cool is that? Thanks to these loyal customers, we got to try this highly popular burger, once more.

Cheesy Mac Attack @$18

Oho, it was actually the perennial favourite of mac & cheese, battered and deep fried to golden brown to form the 'bun' to the burger. I see! Crispy, cheesy and beefy. We had all our burger patties done medium and it was flavourful and with some moisture retained. How does caramelized onions, bacon, nacho cheese, swiss cheese and thousand island sounds to you? If that doesn't scream creamy and  flavours, I don't know what will!

Best part? All of those and that little side of pickled gherkin, tomato slices and lettuce are priced at $18++.

yummy

I loved the Cheesy Mac Attack and can understand why many others do too. Crispy exterior with that familiar cheesy yums of mac and cheese inside the fried 'buns', smothered with thousand island and more melty cheeses along with the flavourful handmade beef patty, it was like having two favourites of mac and cheese and burger all at once!

happy hour, means need happy juice

For the kiddos, how about some milkshake to shake the blues away? We got one from the Classic selection and another that is more adventurous in nature. The Chipster is a vanilla based milkshake topped with potato chips. Think salty sweet mix. It tasted as it is. Milkshake and potato chips. Was happy that the milkshake here were not overly sweet and really enjoyable, if we do not have to care about the calories it packs...

Classic Chocolate Milkshake @$12++

The Chipster Shake @$16++

For some of us, we chose beer to wash down our burgers. One could get beer on tap (Kronenbourg Blanc or Calsberg) or bottled craft beers.

Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc @$16++ (1 pint)

Bevy of beauties @$16++ each

pour me some

Let's get some sides while we are at it. As the burgers does not come with any french fries, one could order a side of filthy/truffle/french or curly fries. We had the filthy fries that was topped with bacon gravy, caramelized onions and cheese.

Filthy Fries @$6++

25 Degrees Wings @$8++

The 25 Degrees Wings were interesting as it came topped with curly fries and had a coating of spicy homemade sauce that tasted like, some say sambal? Only mid-wings were used and these little wings were moist and flavourful. Seasoned pretty good.

The must order for the sides would be the onion rings. mMmmm, so good! The batter was good, the size of the onion rings were huge and outer was crispy while the inner was moist and sweet. Strongly recommended.

onion rings @$5++

so big!

Let's try some more burgers. We heard that Number One, and Number Three are the current crowd favourites while the new kid on the block was the Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burger. The burgers are priced at $14++ and one could opt to switch for gluten free buns at additional cost of $2++. We just got ours with regular buns.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burger @$14++

The buttermilk fried chicken thigh was well fried and tasty but it turned soggy with the slather of spicy miso BBQ sauce. Decent but I preferred the beef patty burgers instead.

Let's bring out the beef burgers, shall we?

Contender Number Three would be the jalapenos, chipotle with the mezzo secco jack cheese versus the reigning champion, Contender Number One with its arsenal of caramelised onions, artisanal cheeses of cresenza, prelibato and gorgonzola, topped with bacon and the pepperish bitterish arugula and smacked with thousand island sauce.

Number Three (beef patty, roasted tomatoes, mezzo secco jack, jalapenos, chipotle, avocado)

Number Three unveiled

Number One

Much as I liked Number Three for its attempt at spicy smoky, Number One wins hands down! The combination of all its cheeses and that arugula with delicious beef patty, meant its overall tasty flavours were much more prominent and seriously good to munch on this one. Yums!

irresistible Number One

After all the good times, the one that I will miss the most, is still you; Cheesy Mac Attack. Hurry and get your hands on one before 31 August 2019!

Cheesy Mac Attack

Trivia (Value for $$ Alert!)

Did you know that 25 Degrees Burgers and Liquor Bar has a local breakfast set of kaya toast, poached eggs and free-flow brewed coffee for just $2.50 in the morning? Wah, I'd have to admit that's pretty good value!  It's even cheaper than the set offered at my workplace canteen and that's without the free-flow coffee, yo.

Once again, thank you Jasmine, R&B Lab and Hotel G for the invite and 25 Degrees Burgers and Liquor Bar for hosting the tasting.

Dinner with Kris (@msginginly), Alvin (@o_oican), Shermaine (@littletinysun), and Hence & Tracy (@chubbybotakkoala).

25 Degrees Burgers and Liquor Bar

Address: 200 Middle Rd, Hotel G - Singapore, Singapore 188980

Website: https://www.randblab.com/25degrees-sg

Business hours:

Daily 7am to 3am

[Media Invite] Five Marbles Craft Beer Restaurant @ Rendezvous Hotel

Where in town could one enjoy a chill-out session with work-mates, bffs or family while experiencing a carefully curated selection of craft beer and beer infused dishes? Five Marbles is located within the courtyard of Rendezvous Hotel and easily accessible by Bras Basah MRT and the nearest bus stop which are about 5 minutes away.

Five Marbles @ Rendezvous Hotel Courtyard

spacious

There are 12 curated craft beers available and one could expect to see something new being introduced every other week. Current selection consists of pale ale, porter, ginger beer, IPA, XPA, DIPA, stout, mead and cider.

current craft beer selection

I'd likened that the craft beer experience here at Five Marbles was rather similar to a wine experience. The staff will be on-hand to share with you, depending on your preferences, which beer to start with, the profile of the beer, food pairing and dessert, where one could end with a beer float, akin to an adult version of ice-cream float.

For the drinks, half pint is 236ml and full pint is 473ml, and priced attractively. It is not surprising to know that beer is one to the top 10 most consumed beverages in the world.

To start, one could opt for Brewdog Dead Pony Session Pale Ale from the UK. This zesty brew has strong citrusy aroma, and tasted fruity, and easy to drink.

Brewdog Dead Pony Session Pale Ale UK 3.8% ABV @$5-half /$10-full

On the menu, there is Craft Beer Mushroom Soup which is infused with the pale ale. This classic warm soup was tasty and provided the much needed comfort to settle an empty stomach. The aroma of the beer in the soup was mild.

Craft Beer Mushroom Soup @$9

The soup was prepared with four different types of mushrooms; oyster, shitake, portobello and button mushrooms. The earthy undertones played well with the beer. Loved the rustic flavours.

chunky mushrooms

For the ladies (and the gentlemen too), you would love the Zeffer Apple Crumble Cider and Gosnells Citra Sea Mead. I'd bet on it! Very easy to drink and one could easily overdo it. To me, that signals dangerous, in capitals and bold, if you'd like.

The apple crumble cider is of a deep golden colour with strong aromas of ripe apples and cinnamon. Tasted just like the baked apple crumble dessert in liquid form.

Zeffer Apple Crumble Cider NZ 5% ABV @$6-half/$12-full

Gosnells Citra Sea Mead UK 5.5% ABV @$7-half/$14-full

First things first. What is a mead? Wiki says that "mead is an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with various fruits, spices, grains, or hops". Ahhh, ok. If you love the taste of honey, then you'd fall in love with the taste of Gosnells Citra Sea Mead. Blended with sea water, this mead my day with its sweet and salty taste.

Getting hungry? Let's have some Portobello Chicken Cheese Baked Beer Rice or the Craft Beer Chicken Rice. Recommend to order the mains for sharing.

Portobello Chicken Cheese Baked Beer Rice @$16

The cheese baked beer rice was very striking in its golden yellow cheese toppings. Dig in for fresh portobello and pulled grilled chicken. Enjoy while it is hot. Yums.

golden portobello chicken cheese baked rice with beer bechamel

The Craft Beer Chicken Rice came with a large whole leg on the plate. Its origin was from Beer Canned Chicken with a strong cajun flavour marinated thigh and served with chicken rice, and baby potatoes. The meat was fork tender.

Craft Beer Chicken Rice @$16

To cleanse the palate, there's ginger beer from Innocence Brewing Kranji Kakis. Yes, it is local! Singapore own brew where galangal (blue ginger) from Kranji's Bollywood Veggies was used. How was the taste? Like a clean tasting ginger drink minus the sweetness and it is alcoholic.

Innocence Brewing Kranji Kakis Ginger Beer SIN 3% ABV @$6-half/$12-full

Next up, the other pale ales. Pale ales is a style made through warm fermentation processes with predominantly pale malts. It is said that the granddaddy of pale ales are the British bitters.

Then, there are the XPA (Extra Pale Ale), IPA (India Pale Ale) and DIPA (Double India Pale Ale) at Five Marbles.

Stockade Hop Splicer Grapefruit XPA Aus 4.2% ABV @$6-half/$12-full

Brewlander Love IPA SIN 6.5% ABV @$7-half/$14-full

Lost Coast Indica IPA USA 6.5% ABV @$6-half/$12-full

Stockade Mysterio Double IPA AUS 9% ABV @$7-half/$14-full

The Stockade Hop Splicer Grapefruit XPA has a pronounced sharp grapefruit aroma and upfront taste as expected. The Brewlander Love was a lovely fruity brew of pineapples, mango and passionfruit with a long hoppy bitter aftertaste. The Lost Coast Indica is full bodied with strong hoppy fruity yeast flavours. The Stockade Mysterio Double IPA packs a harmony of hoppy zesty flavours with strong bitter aftertaste.

I'd pair all these bitterness with the Beer Grilled Honey Wings and the munchies of Salted Egg Fish Crisps. Yes, both are equally as addictive!

Beer Grilled Honey Wings @$9-half dozen/$16-dozen

Salted Egg Fish Crisps @$9

Spice and beer? Yes please! The Green Curry Lychee Duck Linguine packed quite a spicy kick. Looks can be rather deceptive. This dish was Thai-influenced.

Green Curry Lychee Duck Linguine @$19

One of the signature pasta dishes at Five Marbles is its Bolognaise Linguine. Made from a good ratio of minced/chopped beef, beef fats and bacon and simmered for long hours, resulting in a delectable, rich sinful taste of bolognaise. The version here is less saucy but lip-smacking good. Like a good beefy ang mo bak chor mee.

Bolognaise Linguine @$16

Moving on towards the dark side, the world of Porter and Stouts. The Brewlander Respect Porter was full bodied and was just like drinking cold black coffee. Well, almost lah, since this one is more potent with the alcoholic content.

Brewlander Respect Porter SIN 5.1ABV @$6-half/$12-full

The Innocence Brewing Calamity Coffee Ale SIN 4.6% ABV ($6-half/$12-full) has a stronger coffee and caramel aroma, as freshly ground specialty beans from Papa Palheta are infused in an amber ale base resulting in a cold-brew coffee like ale.

Young's Double Chocolate Stout (back) and Tiny Rebel Marshmallow Porter (front)

For an unusual yet familiar taste of marshmallows, one could try the Tiny Rebel Marshmallow Porter UK 5.2% ABV ($7-half/$14-full). Otherwise, there's the Young's Double Chocolate Stout UK 5.2% ABV ($5-half/$10-full) for its mocha-like taste.

It is rare to find Beer Floats served in Singapore, but one could get it from Five Marbles. We tried the White Princess and the Calamity Affagato. Please note that the photographed beer floats below are of tasting portions.

Crumble & Tumble @$15 

The Crumble & Tumble has coconut ice-cream on Zeffer Apple Crumble Cider. For those who likes cinnamon, juicy apple and coconut. Personally, I'd prefer the Affagato as it tasted like a creamy coffee, and less sweet than Crumble & Tumble.

Calamity Affagato @$15

Overall, it was an educational and interesting experience to go on a craft beer journey. Food tasted great, plenty of knowledge to be gleamed from the staff pertaining to craft beer profiles and a nice place to chillout.

Thank you Hence for the invite and Five Marbles for craft beer experience.

The Armoury x Yellow Cup Coffee @ South Beach Avenue

Cosy and casual young vibes all round, The Armoury x Yellow Cup Coffee is a business where the brothers are in-charge. This is a place where you get craft beer, burgers and coffee all under one roof. Chanced upon this place during one of the weekends, and with Happy Hour prices, got myself a Hawaiian Kona draft beer to try.

on tap

hmm

happy pricing

sampler

The cool thing about this place is that the people here are friendly. The craft beers on tap are mostly American and if you weren't sure of what to get, they were alright with offering a sampler if you're already bought a drink or if you ask really nicely.

They have Rogue ale the hazelnut brown nectar one, Stone IPA and coffee stout amongst others. Have had those elsewhere so this time round, chose the Kona Golden Ale.

Aloha

The beer was light and balanced, pretty easy to drink though it was rather early that day.

Kona Golden Ale (4.4% ABV) @$6 (HH)

For food, we sampled the Beer Battered Chicken Cutlet on Waffles for savoury and for the sweets, we had the Berry Ricotta Pancake (special order and depends on availability of ingredients, as the on-menu version was matcha).

Beer Battered Chicken Cutlet on Waffles @$21

The beer battered chicken had nicely crisp batter that was music to the ears. Yums! It had a bit of salted egg lava drizzled onto the cutlet, served with sunny side up which oozes nicely when sliced and some dots of ricotta cheese. On the overall, the chicken thigh was well marinated and tasty but it was also a bit on the sweeter side. Preferred it to be more savoury and perhaps with a touch more of spice like chili flakes or chili padi. The waffles was nicely eggy. Would have loved to bite into these chicken cutlet again!

I'm the only one with beer while the rest were happily sipping their honey or nutella latte. Then, I got a spoonful of nutella to try. What did I do? Why, have it with beer of course! Surprisingly, this combo works. In fact, it works extremely well with the Hawaiian Kona beer.

nutella and golden ale, because I can

The coffee here is from Yellow Cup Coffee and using the La Marzocco machine.

coffee counter

for that intense flavour

coffee

And, the Berry Ricotta Pancake had like 3-stacks of pancake in there and topped with lots of seasonal berries; we got blueberries, strawberries; raspberries, yuzu gel and mascarpone cheese.

Berry Ricotta Pancake @$22

We were stuffed from eating too much that day with Fynn's being our first brunch stop.

young vibes

Worth checking out if you are in the vicinity, as they do have a good selection of drinks and good food. Or, drop by for a drink and casual chat with the young bosses.

drinks menu