[Tasting] Birds of A Feather - Sharing Menu @ Amoy Street

My favourite place to enjoy Happy Hour till 7pm and "Find the Chicken in the Chilies". 

Birds of a Feather, interior

Happiness in a glass, Prosecco (@$10 Happy Hour)

Bird's Snack

I always look forward to something new when returning to familiar places. This time round, the creative kitchen team had come up with a new snack, which is an elevated spin from prawn toast (面包虾).

Bird's Snack - deep fried onions, land caviar, minced scallop on brioche

Encountered a short dilemma as the snack was too pretty to be eaten yet, it was beckoning for a taste. In the end, the stomach triumphed. Balanced flavours and simply enjoyable.

If you're in a party of 2, they have "Sharing Menu for 2 " @$128 per pair or the "Anyi" menu for a minimum of 2 pax @$102 per pax.

Birds Avocado & Crab Bruschetta

Birds Avocado & Crab Bruschetta

lovely starter

One is never short of flavours at Birds. Aesthetically pleasing as well. Enjoyed the canape in two bites.

Yu Xiang Eggplant

Yu Xiang Eggplant, tart

Wow, I didn't expect an eggplant dish to be looking like this. Thought it was a chocolate tart dessert! There's baby mozarella, edible flowers and somewhere in there, lay pickled daikon and juicy eggplant. Yums and this was a meatless dish.

Pork Dumplings

Pork Dumpling, from Anyi menu

The pork dumpling dish looked mighty fine, I must say. Pan-seared with distinct marks, surrounded by sage foam, topped with crisp almond and fried sage leaves. The secret, is in its sichuan dressing. Don't be shy and do scoop up more of the tangy vinegary sauce to enjoy with the meaty parcel. So good.

Anyi 安逸, means feeling comfortable and relaxed. And I do get that feeling at BOAF. Then, coupled with bubblies, delicious food and informative conversation with Head Chef Eugene, one leaves happy.

But don't leave without trying the slow-roasted Angus Beef Short Ribs.

Beef Short Ribs

delicious slow-roasted Angus Beef Short Ribs, part of Anyi menu 

Sichuan rub, broccolini, morels and ratte, potato fricasse

Oooh, I think this is my first time having beef short-ribs in this style. Super love the sichuan rub for its familiar flavours. The meat was tender yet with a good chew. Mouthfeel was luxurious and best paired with a drink (or two!). Definitely need 2 to finish.

For something lighter but equally luxurious, their Loup de Mer was nothing short of amazing.

Loup de Mer 

Loup de Mer, Sharing Menu for 2 (+$35)

Beautiful European Seabass, topped with House Pickled Shitake mushroom slices, salsa verde and broccolini.

The dish is worthy of two thumbs up! Fish deboned, lightly baked and pickled shitake lends an interesting lift to the sweet, super cottony flesh of the fish. Wow, I think I could finish more than half of the fish on my own.

I believe I have found my favourite chicken, beef and fish dishes at Birds!

For dessert, both menu offers Pear & Jelly.

Pear & Jelly

Pear & Jelly, Classic Ice Jelly

Wah... as usual, Head Chef Eugene and team, exceeded expectations. Beautiful plating, and the inclusion of pickled cucumber did tickle the palate by introducing an unexpected element yet so matching.

Thank you Kris for inviting and Chef Eugene for the delicious food, as always. Kudos to team Birds for lovely experience. With Shermaine and Tiara.

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: 10.45am to 3pm, 5pm to 11pm

Fri - Sun: 10.30am to 12am (10pm on Sun)

Soi Thai Soi Nice @ Raffles City Shopping Centre

Was at Raffles City Shopping Centre basement, and as usual, dilemma of what to eat for dinner. As there wasn't any objection for Thai food, off we went into Soi Thai Soi Nice for a meal.

interior

 

We ordered the papaya salad, waterfall pork belly, green curry (chicken) and steamed fish.

Green Papaya Salad @$10.90++

Had the original version of the green papaya salad and it turned out to be non-spicy. Gave the feedback to service staff and they made adjustments to the spice level. Another surprising element in the salad, was the raw long beans. I don't think I ever had such a big piece of raw long beans before this!

Waterfall pork belly @$13.90++

The waterfall pork belly was drenched in tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce. This plate was spicier than the green papaya salad initially. The pork was tender but its skin was chewy. Very appetising when paired with a hot plate of jasmine rice.

green curry @$13.90++

chunky chicken

Interestingly, the green curry is found under the 'Soup' section and true enough, it has enough sauce for all four of us to enjoy. Liked the spice and richness in this bowl. Portion was good.

If the food order goes beyond $30 (excluding drinks), one can order a steamed fish for half price. So, we got one to try.

Thai Style Steamed Seabass (UP $32.90++)

The fish was nicely cooked and the sauce was similar to the one in waterfall pork belly. Spice level was manageable.

Overall, expect strong flavours which tend to lean towards the sweeter side. Spice level, manageable unless one requests for more fiery version.

tamarind drink @$3.90++

The portions are generous hence, for a group of 4 pax, just need one appetiser, one curry and one meat. We overate that night and felt super duper full.

Service staff are amiable and friendly.

Soi Thai Soi Nice

Address: 252 North Bridge Rd, #B1-14/15, Singapore 179103

Website: https://www.soithaisoinice.com.sg/

Contact: 6261 7106

Business Hours:

Sun - Thu: 11.30 am to 9.00 pm

Fri - Sat: 11.30 am to 9.30pm

[Staycation] What's it Like inside a Boutique Hotel? Let's Explore Naumi Hotel @ Seah Street

Staycay time! Aeons ago, Seah Street and North Bridge Road used to be my playground. My old office was at North Bridge Road, so lunch and often dinner was at nearby Seah Street, Liang Seah, Purvis Street, or Bras Basah Complex mostly.

Naumi Hotel location was right smack on a street lined with restaurants and bars. There is also an on-site restaurant, Florian downstairs and Cloud9 Rooftop bar is at Level 10.

As with most of my staycay (which is not sponsored, in-case you're wondering), it was an impromptu decision to just experience what's it like. The only bummer was, there's a high percentage, it'll be more like a workation as it gets busier towards the end of the year.

Naumi Hotel

Naumi Hotel entrance

Was greeted by the staff at the lobby, and check-in was performed fairly quickly without guests having to stand in queue. Was there at about 2.40pm and the usual check-in time is 3pm. Ferlyn, whom helped me with the check-in, offered to walk me to my room. What a pleasantly surprise as I only got to experience this usually, when the room is of a higher-tier category. For Naumi Hotel, I booked the Habitat room for two nights.

Habitat Room 20 m²

The one most striking feature when one enters the room, is the lighted counter-top outside the bathroom area and right smack in the middle of the room.

open up the drawer, if you're looking for toothbrush

toilet

shower area

big bottles

amenities

The room cleanliness was acceptable except for one of the towels which had a stain and one of the pillow casing with small dirty marking.

I like the spacious feel of the room, the comfy seat at the workdesk but the room curtain was rather thin.

King-sized bed

no plastic bottles here

day view from room window

night view from Level 9

I was happy to see with the complimentary non-alcoholic drinks in the fridge, well-stocked coffee capsules and also tasty snacks like truffle chips and nuts. Cool! My favourite drinks would be the coconut water and coffee!

complimentary mini-bar

included but a tad too sweet

Hook Coffee

freshly brewed

your choice of cups

airplane snack

loved this!

yums

bedside table

ear-plugs, if you need

Besides the comfy King-sized bed, was pleased with the Samsung Smart TV that allowed me to cast Youtube videos because then I can listen to my favourite music using the lovely sound system in the room.

can even connect to Apple TV

If you're working with your laptop, note that you could pull out the table top (careful not to spill any drinks!) of the workdesk to reveal extra power points. I didn't know this at first and was using the sole power point near the bedside table.

pull out the workdesk table top slightly

Have seen review of others who mentioned about the specific keycard for the lift and one for the room power. Not an issue as the room keycard was already slotted in-place when I check-in, so could just leave it there. Just remember to off the lights and TV when you're out. The blue-coloured keycard is for guests to use the lift and to enter the room.

let's go see the pool

If you're wondering about the pool view, it was indeed lovely on a bright morning.

rooftop view

rise and shine

Cloud9 morning view

Come nightfall, the pool and Cloud9 transformed into sexier vibes.

night view

Cloud9 menu

cheers to a good night

My package did not include hotel breakfast, but nearby has breakfast places like YY Kafei Dian. For dinner, I was at Florian and got acquainted to PY and Shermaine. Nice people and thanks for the recommendation! Hotel guests enjoy 10% off their bill at Florian.

Overall, it was a nice stay and yes, I did manage to get some work done. Bumped into housekeeping the next morning of my stay and we exchanged greetings. Had a pleasant surprise when returning to the room at lunch time. Drinks in the fridge were replenished, coffee capsules and snacks as well. Thank you for the treat!

Naumi Hotel

Address: 41 Seah St, Singapore 188396

Website: https://naumihotels.com/singapore