Esmirada @ Orchard | The Entertainer App

Located near Orchard Hotel, it was quite a distance from Orchard MRT. Head towards Shaw at Lido, and along Delphi. Christmas season, so it was time for gatherings!

Place was dark and cosy. Thursday nights were fairly relaxed.

candelight dinner?

Happy Hour (HH) sees 1-for-1 drinks, so got myself a Sangria. Margarita and mojitos qualify for HH promo as well. Their version of Sangria is less sweet.

Sangria @$17++ (1-for-1 during HH)

Since there were just the three of us, we ordered 2 mains and 2 tapas to share.

Chorizo Sausage @$14++

Grilled Squid @$14++

Am not a fan of chorizo, so no comments. Salty sausages with wine, was alright. Squid was slightly tough but had an enjoyable flavour, with a touch of salt.

Next up, Paella Valenciana. Portion was ok to be shared comfortably amongst 2 pax.

Paella Valenciana @$35++

There were prawns, mussels, chicken bits and pork. Rice grains were moist. Those at the bottom would be slightly scorched, so do mix it up earlier. Flavours were pleasant and not too sourish. Appetizing and lines the tummy.

Lamb chop skewer was a sight to behold. Very medieval looking kind of dish, with the chops hanging off the skewer. Served with 3 dipping sauces (tomato, yoghurt and tartar/sour cream?) and one baked potato.

Lamb chop skewer @$38++

Lamb chops were just seasoned simply with salt, and its meat was so tender. Nice. I think I like Josper grilled food~

The baked potato was nicely done and good for those whom are still peckish.

hanging tender

Redeem one main course when requesting for the bill.

redeem the free main course

Thanks to The Entertainer App, we saved $35.

Seafood Valenciana was free~

Thanks Gina and Flo for the lights, otherwise, the photos would be too dark! Have a Merry Christmas!

Total spend was $45+ per pax, inclusive of the 2 drinks.

Bugis Junction Food Trail 2013: Platypus Kitchen

The good people behind Platypus Kitchen believes that gourmet food should be affordable. Think fresh handmade pasta, quality ingredients, beautifully plated and value-for-money, with all dishes priced below $20. It's also stated in their menu that the food contains no added preservatives, no MSG and made from scratch. Inexpensive, good food made with heart. How's that for your next meal?

One might then wonder if the ambiance is sacrificed? Non. The restaurant is spacious and comfortable with padded seats, and nicely decorated too.

interior

Sampled some dishes from the current Autumn/Winter menu. Plenty of choices for pasta and risotto.

menu

Here are the starters:

Crab Cake and Truffle Fries

Truffle Fries, with generous amount of shaved truffles ($6.90++)

Risotto Balls (@$8.90++)

The Risotto Balls were not much of a looker, but it has quite a nice flavour. Slather on a good amount of pumpkin puree, and you'll get sweet, crunchy, chewy cheesy all in one bite.

mozarella stuffed balls of risotto, breaded in panko and deep fried, with pumpkin puree

Thirsty? Because regular beer is said to be kind of boring, so they've got alcoholic creations such as Momo-Lychee Ale (peach and lychee flavoured) and Smith's Ale (apple and lemon infused). Current beer used is a Mexican beer, Sol.

Momo-Lychee Ale (@$9.90++ ala-carte / $6.90++ as part of a set) 2.9% ABV

Enjoyed the ale. Refreshing on a hot day. Yums. Though pretty low on alcoholic content, do still drink responsibly!

Now, let's take a look at the mains:

Carbonara (egg taglietelle with double smoked bacon in egg-yolk cream sauce @$14.50++)

Squid-ink Scallops Ragout (squid ink taglioni served with seared bay scallops in light garlic-dashi sauce @$16.50++)

Saffron & Caviar Risotto (saffron infused risotto with char-grilled prawns and scallops @$19.90++)

Spicy 'Diablo' Crab & Prawn (egg taglioni with prawns and crab claws tossed in spicy egg sauce @$18.50++)

All the pasta dishes and risotto looked so pretty. The taglietelle was done al-dente and perfect for those who likes chewy, thicker noodles. The carbonara didn't have an overly heavy taste despite the egg-yolk sauce. No worries about teeth stains when having the squid-ink ragout, as the ink has already been incorporated into the dough. In fact, this was a rather light tasting dish. I think I had the risotto a tad too late, as it had turned cold. Sorry chef, next time should eat as soon as it's brought to the table!

Personally, I'd prefer the Spicy 'Diablo' for its less chewy, stronger and more intense flavour (spicy!) and loads of ingredients like that pile of crab claw meat! Lip-smacking good.

For non-pasta main dish, we sampled the Pressed Pork Belly. Tender piece of meat. Belly good! It has a sweet well-rounded flavour from the glaze. Tasty.

Pressed Pork Belly (served with braised apples, carrots, tomatoes in honey & clove apple glaze @19.90++)

Had dessert, the Iced Sea Salt Caramel to round up the meal. Sweet, and crunchy.

Iced Sea Salt Caramel (@$8.90++)

popping candy ontop, and bottom chocolate peanut butter brittle

Platypus Kitchen offers monthly set promotions for both lunch (from $10.90++) and dinner (from $16.90++). Ontop of that, you may want to check-out their facebook page for other claimable offers.

And, continuing the spread of good news...how would you like to get your hands on "Bachelor's Banquet", a cookbook by Nicholas Lin (chef and owner of Platypus restaurants) and Adhika Maxi. Containing 80 elegant recipes and some tips, perfect to recreate an intimate dinner for two.

Just drop me an email to purplerain@gmail.com stating some basic information about yourself (at least tell me your name) and why this cookbook should belong to you. Or, leave your comments here, also can.

Be quick, as there is only one copy to giveaway! (This giveaway is only for people who are residing in Singapore.)

The giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation!

Bachelor's Banquet Cookbook

Platypus Kitchen

Location: #03-29, Bugis Junction
Tel: +65 6333 4434
Website: http://www.platypuskitchen.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlatypusKitchen
Twitter: @platypuskitchen

Medz @ Orchard Central

Located at B2 of Orchard Central. This place is considerably smaller than I thought. Went without a reservation on a weekday night and had to queue for about 10 minutes.

At the entrance, one would be presented with a small credit card sized electronic card to swipe for food and drinks purchases. Then, you'd be led to your table.

table setting

our table is in use

Went to the French station to get the duck confit. Hmm.. I think the price had went up a bit since opening, right? Thought duck confit was priced at $10 but now its at $12 instead. Anyhow, went ahead and ordered. Was given the electronic buzzer and it will light up and vibrate when the dish is ready to be collected.

electronic buzzer

The electronic buzzer went off while I was on 'guard' duty for my table. All my friends were away queueing for their food while the buzzer was lighted up and vibrating furiously! Hahaa. And, the lady at the French station wasn't too happy when I turned up to collect like 5 minutes later.

duck confit

crispy skin

tender meat

I think this was my first duck confit, ever. Heard about how salty it tends to be, and was rather relieved when I took a bite off the version here. Skin was nicely crisp and not too oily. The meat was fork tender and not too salty. Yums. Could do with a little more sauce though.

The rest of my friends went to get their food from the Mediterranean (Greece and Turkey) station.

grilled salmon

chicken kebab

rosti

rice (or was it barley) that came with the salmon

fish (sea bream) aglio olio

The rest of them got their fruit smoothies (@$4.90) and I had a taste of the strawberry version. Nice and thick. Quite yums.

Medz was having a DBS/POSB credit card promo where one can get 25% off the total bill (no minimum spend to enjoy this offer).