Whisk & Paddle @ Bukit Gombak Park

There's one at Tebing Lane which is somewhere around Punggol area and now this outlet at the North West area. 

The cafe was nicely spacious and it was fairly relaxed at 530pm on a weekend, on the day of visit. The place only got noticeably busier at around 730pm.

interior

There's a QR code placed on each table, so one could scan it for the menu and order through the website. The service staff will then bring the food/drinks to your table once it is ready. Payment as per normal at the payment counter after the meal.

Latte (iced)

coffee cube

ta-da!

The iced latte was nicely mild with the milk not too overpowering. Just wished that there was more of the coffee cube.

Bar Bites

Masala Cauliflower Bites

The masala cauliflower was fragrant and we definitely could smell it first. The batter was nicely crisp but the seasonings seemed to be on the batter itself. Not much flavour from the cauliflower. Still enjoyable nonetheless.

We were in a party of 5 pax, so we ordered 4 mains to share.

Mains

Prawns Macaroni and Cheese

closer view

The Mac & Cheese definitely tasted milky and liked that each bite could get some of those shrimps.

big bite

Come to think of it, we ordered plenty of carbs that day. The pizza was interesting as it had lychee as toppings.

Duck and Lychee Pizza

Thin crust pizza, smoked duck was good and adequate cheese. What's there not to like? Oh ya, if you hate pineapples on pizza then you might not like lychee as well. The lychee didn't do much for the pizza except to add some sweetness to the bite. I still prefer pineapples though.

wished there were more smoked duck slices

And yes, the pizza was indeed greasy but it makes a good hearty bar food! I do see some tables ordering beer. A pint of beer during HH is cheaper than a milkshake.

cheers!

My request for the group, is that we order meat dishes too and not just carbs. Little did I realise, that the meat/seafood dishes that we ordered, came with a baguette, Hahaa! Carbo loading!

French Onion Chicken Leg

Seafood Pan in Tomato Cream Sauce

But of course, the baguette was extremely useful to mop up the delicious sauce from the French Onion Chicken and the Seafood Pan. Both sauces were likeable. It would be better if the corn in the seafood pan was actually sweet. The ones that we got was lacking in flavour.

All in all, it was a nice cosy cafe in the West/North-West region, to gather with family and friends. Staff were efficient and we could sit for hours there since it was not overly crowded. Food portion was good and no one left feeling hungry.

We spent between $32 to $44 per pax.

Whisk & Paddle

Address: 816 Bukit Batok West Ave. 5, #01-01, Singapore 659089

Website: http://whiskandpaddle.com.sg/

Contact: 6550 2330

Business Hours:

Closed on Tues

Wed - Thu, Mon: 12–10pm

Fri: 12–10:30pm

Sat: 9:30am–10:30pm

Sun: 9:30am–10pm

6ixty 7even Restaurant & Bar @ 67 Neil Road

Went back with a group of friends as promised. Read more on our previous visit here. This time round, we opted for the upstairs dining experience.

table for six

Got ourselves a bottle of red, while some of us were having cocktails to start.

cheers~

Fries and wine, why not? Our small bowl of truffle fries were so delectable as it was served piping hot. Yums!

Truffle fries with gruyere cheese and truffle aioli @$15

Korean Yangyeom Style Crispy Chicken Karaage @$14

Pan Roasted Foiegras, Caramelised Granny Smith Apples, Mulled Wine Raisins, Feuille de Brick @$26

Loved the chicken karaage as it was well fried and not too tiny to bite. The foie gras was a tad challenging to be shared amongst so many of us, haha! 

Kurobuta Pork Chop Bone In, 250g @$42

For mains, we ordered the pork chop, chicken roulade and braised beef cheek. Everyone loved the mash that came with the roulade because it was so naturally sweet. The beef cheek was the standout dish for it was so flavourful and tender. Hits all the right spots. Loved the pork chop as well but it was just 250g. Limited edition but was good enough for everyone to have a taste.

Crispy Roulade of Farmed Chicken @$28

Signature Connor Stout Braised Beef Cheek @$32

To end our meal, we had the Basque Burnt Cheesecake. It was lovely.

Basque Burnt Cheesecake @$20

Cosmopolitan @$16

Had fun hanging out with the monthly buddies. Cheers and see you again!

Expect to spend about $80 per pax, inclusive of a drink.

6ixty 7even Restaurant & Bar (67 Restaurant)

Address: 67 Neil Rd, Singapore 088898

Website: https://6ixty7even.com.sg/

Contact: 6988 6767 

Business Hours:

Closed on Sundays.

Mon - Sat: 3pm – 10:30pm

Herbivore By Zen Japanese Vegetarian Restaurant @ Fortune Center

This place was recommended by my colleague whom is a vegetarian. Prior to this, I'd usually think of Elemen, if we are looking for a vegetarian restaurant.

The restaurant is inside Fortune Center, and pretty easy to find. The shop was smaller in size than anticipated.

restaurant entrance

almost all tables have a 'Reserved' tag

We were dining on a Saturday evening, and hence reservation is a must. The place was bustling! Trays after trays of food were being sent out from the kitchen and looks like bento was commonly ordered amongst the diners.

order pad

Although we weren't inform of the time limitation when making reservation, there was a small signage inside the restaurant that indicated so. If I remembered correctly, each table was limited to a 75 minutes dining during peak hours.

Ordering was easy via the order pad placed on each table. I ordered a drink and will eat whatever that my colleagues had ordered prior to my arrival (sorry, I was the last to arrive!).

my drink

Tonkatsu bento @$22

Teriyaki Chicken bento @$22

The bento seemed to have the same side dishes and dessert, hence the only difference was in its 'main'. From the bento sets, I prefer the tonkatsu more than the teriyaki chicken. Reason being, there was some herb taste with the teriyaki chicken and I didn't like that.

Other than that, the nicest side dish was the donut looking thingy that tasted almost like a 'squid' ring, Pretty yums.

fried rings (at the back) was yummy

The fresh springroll was rather healthy tasting. Loved that there's a small side dish of salad as well.

fresh and healthy tasting

small salad of lettuce, turnips, radish and cherry tomatoes

The sauce/dressing seemed to be soy/sesame predominantly. There was one small side dish that consisted of beancurd skin and that came with spicy sauce.

hot pot

Not sure which hotpot my colleagues ordered as it looked like the tofu and yasai hotpot, but it came with 'pork belly' and that was an eye opener. Really tasty and the texture was almost similar to the 'real' thing. It amuses me every time! 

However, the most recommended item were the unagi maki and the mushroom cheese.

mushroom cheese

First impression of the mushroom cheese? Wow, it was really a flavour burst! And, by far the most salty amongst the rest of the items that I had tried that night.

Unagi Maki @$14

I liked the unagi maki the best! Balanced flavours and best tasting. Lovely!

closer view of the maki

We spent about $35 per pax for a meal here.

Herbivore

Address: 190 Middle Rd, #01-13/14 Fortune Centre, Singapore 188979

Website: https://www.herbivore.sg/

Contact: +65 6333 1612

Business Hours: 

Daily: 11:30AM–2:30PM, 5–9PM

Beast and Butterflies - 2022 @ 90 Robertson Quay

Not a stranger to this place, read more from this post. Went back there in May 2022 with Tracy, Hence and Ivan. Our visit was more memorable as Fiona really made sure we had a good time there. Thank you!

It is quite obvious that my favourites there are the Hokkien Mee and Pork Knuckles. This time round, I wanted to try the lamb rack, so we got that too. Also took the chance to enjoy their weekend 2 hours free-flow cocktail with top-up of $25++. You could select the Mimosa, Aperol or Sangria. I tried the Sangria and I do agree with Fiona that the concoction is delicious!

Claypot Hokkien Mee @$14

Crispy Pork Knuckle @$22 (half portion)

Is it just me or the portion of the pork knuckles seemed to have decreased? Hahaa, I think I could do a full portion next time! Crackly skin and moist meat. Hokkien mee is as flavourful as I remembered it albeit it had lesser crispy pork lard but I am sure if you request for more, it will likely be acceded.

Lamb Rack (300gm) @$48

Lamb Rack was the most expensive item but it was pretty good and we liked it for its succulent texture. Well seasoned too, so each bite was precious. No additional sauce was required.

We were kept happy with our cocktail. Mood was light and jovial with a touch of sweetness, and Fiona did check on us to see if there's anything else that we needed.

Sangria

Of course, we ended our meal with dessert. Not just one or two, but four!

(from left to right) Molten Chocolate Cake, Apple Pie, Lemon Tart 

Pandan Panna Cotta @$12

The Pandan Panna Cotta has that distinctive pandan fragrance and the rich sweetness from the gula melaka sauce. It was wobbly and not too dense.

The Molten Chocolate Cake, I just love digging into all the chocolatey gooey goodness for that decadent bite. 

Molten Chocolate Cake @$17

For the apple pie, I liked the version here because it is not too sweet. Lovely to enjoy by yourself or with friends.

Apple Pie @$10

The lemon tart was lovely too with some tart/tangy/sweetness from the lemon flavours and to be honest, I think you can find something that you will like.

Lemon Tart @$8

Thank you Tracy, Hence and Ivan for the birthday treat. Am glad to have all of you in my life to enjoy the delicious food and our adventurous impromptu travels. 

Special shoutout to Fiona and team at Beast and Butterflies.

Beast and Butterflies

Address: M Social Singapore 90 Robertson Quay Singapore 238259

Website: https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/singapore/m-social-singapore/beast-and-butterflies/

Contact: 9183 9420

Birds Of A Feather 2022 @ Amoy Street

Finally, we are able to gather for a meal at one of my favourite places; Birds Of A Feather. Let's eat up a storm! And, we did.

Cocktail

Godfather of Sichuan @$30

Irish Tea @$25

Someone Like You @$23

Didn't try the cocktails though because all of those were ordered by my friends. I imagined if one places an order for the cocktail, will probably need to phrase their orders properly. For example, imagine if someone tells you, "I'd like to order Someone Like You..." Will you raise an eyebrow at that? Haha!

HH Brewerkz Golden Ale Full Pint @$12

Bang Bang

Bang Bang @$14

Cold Dressed Chicken, Mustard Green, Peanut

mix well and enjoy

Bang Bang is a new item and my first time trying it. Chef Eugene explained that the edible 'coaster' is made of peanuts and one is supposed to smash it before having it with the salad underneath. I like the 'coaster'. Tasted of peanut butter!

Find the Chicken in the Chillies

Find the Chicken in the Chillies @$19

This one need no introduction and my must-have every time I eat at BOAF.

Yu Xiang Eggplant (V)

Yu Xiang Eggplant (V) @$17

The eggplant dish is looking very different now. It has baby mozzarella, spring onions crumbs (that tasted like cookies) ontop and hiding the Japanese eggplant. Mix it all up and enjoy.

flavourful eggplants

Burratine & Tomato (V)

Burratine & Tomato (V) $26

Chef Eugene was explaining about the special tomato used in the Burratine dish and we were sold. Hence, we gave it a try. It was a good choice.

juicy sweet tomatoes

And, to have the burratine on a crisp toast with a slice of that tomato, it was heavenly. What a joy to eat. Thank you for the recommendation, Eugene!

Strange Flavour Prawn

Strange Flavour Prawn @$42

Ok, I must admit. Am not well versed enough in the vastness of Chinese cuisine, so when I saw a dish named as "Strange Flavour..." my mind was having a shutdown. Like, why would I want to eat strange flavours? So, its name is a literal translation of guaiwei 怪味 which is a seasoning mixture in Sichuan cuisine. Orhhhhh.

The prawns were lovely and nothing strange about the flavours. It was somewhat sweet with a touch of spice. Prawns were of a good size, fresh and firm.

Loup de Mer

Loup de Mer @$89

When you're reading the menu for Loup de Mer, it says "Whole European Seabass, Denise Pesto, Sweet Vinegar Joyn Tomato, Celtuce" . Then, if you're like me, you'd do a double take at 'Denise Pesto'. Aptly named as such because, the pesto sauce was concocted by Chef Denise. She's lovely.

Homestyle Braised Pork Belly

Homestyle Braised Pork Belly @$58

with winter truffles

This dish is surely a head turner when it was brought to the table. We could smell the aroma when the lid was taken off. And, we were in luck as the winter truffle was still available then.

Staff would assist to mix the ingredients. The braised pork looked like dongpo meat but not that sweet, and it was fork tender. You'll get burnt rice from the sides and bottom of the pot too. Yummy!

Pear & Jelly

Pear & Jelly @$18

Glutinous Rice Cake Rock @$17

I think I fell for the Glutinous Rice Cake Rock dessert. I could never imagined it as such, but loved the crisp outer of the cake and the soft, light texture of its inside. Looked and tasted like smokey mochi but doesn't feels 'heavy'.

I love how Chef Eugene innovates for the same dish. For example Yu Xiang Eggplant, be it the elements in the dish or the presentation, there's always something new even if the dish name is the same.

Once again, we were happy to be able to dine in a group, in a comfortable environment, and with lots of good food.

Thank you foodie friends for taking time for this catch-up. Special thanks to Eugene for feeding us, as always, and looking forward to your new creations. Till next time.

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: 12–3pm, 6–11pm

Fri - Sat: 12–3pm, 6pm–12am

Sun: 12–3pm, 6–10pm