Yardbird @ Shoppes Marina Bay Sands

It's wine night again, but we gonna do Southern food. Which means, bourbon! Actually, no lar. I just wanted to eat fried chicken.

Thanks to Hoong An, whom helped to make the reservations. 

bar

hardcopy

Digital menu via QR code scan is available on every table but I do prefer physical menu. Each of us ordered a dish each except for B, who arrived last.

Wednesday was ladies night, hence 1-for-1 Signature Cocktails for the ladies.

BLACKBERRY BOURBON LEMONADE @$22++

The cocktail was noticeably light and tasted pretty fruity. Liked that it as more sweet than sour. The berry tasted good.

For appetisers, we tried the Devilled Eggs. Each order has 3 portions, so we ordered 2 plates. I thought the bottom of the egg was a cracker but it was not. Ended up, dirtying my hand when I tried to pick it up using my fingers. Oops.

DEVILED EGGS @$14++

Next, I insisted to have salad, so we got ourselves mango salad. Fresh, crisp and light. Loved the crunchy walnuts.

BUTTER LETTUCE & GRILLED MANGO SALAD @$18++

And of course, we must have chicken. However, we were distracted by a new item on the menu or rather, an item that both Ivan and Hoong An have yet to try. This was my first time, so everything is new for me.

TRUFFLE & FOIE GRAS ROASTED WHOLE YOUNG HEN @$58++

We ordered the truffle and foie gras roasted whole young hen, and it does have a Christmas-sy vibe to the dish. The taste of the stuffings actually grows on you, the more you eat it.

butternut squash biscuit stuffing

Then, we decided to order the other signature; Chicken ‘N’ Watermelon 'N' Waffles.

Chicken ‘N’ Watermelon 'N' Waffles @$40++

Interestingly, served in an iron basket shaped like a chicken. The fried chicken was nice, waffle tasted good with the syrup but the tummy was protesting. Feeling rather stuffed by then. Could only do half a piece of chicken. I think I ate too much stuffings earlier!

Overall, nice gathering with like-minded friends. Cheers guys! Merry Christmas Hoong An, B, Elle and Ivan!

Yardbird

Address: B1-07, The Shoppes, Marina Bay Sands

Website: https://www.marinabaysands.com/restaurants/yardbird-southern-table-and-bar.html

[Tasting] Celebrate Merriment at George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer 乔治 海鲜 with Festive Delights and BBQ Favourites

Beer On-Tap

What would you like to drink today? How about a cold Japanese draft beer? Tried for the first time, a Mosaic Lager.

Hitachino Nest Mosaic Lager

It is so named as the beer was brewed from mosaic hop pellets, and is known for its complex floral, fruity bouquet.

Festive Delights

Festive Dual Flavoured Turkey 双味火鸡  @$28

Fancy having turkey at a Tze Char place? Well, it was certainly my first time and what an interesting experience. The turkey was done two-ways; deep-fried and braised (with Guangxi sauce).

Happy to report that the turkey meat was not dry nor tough. In fact, I almost forgot that I was eating turkey meat. The braised version tasted like steamed chicken but of a firmer texture. The Guangxi sauce tasted of scallion, onion, ginger oil mix.

脆皮炸火鸡与 广西酱炖火鸡

crispy skin

The deep fried version was of a golden brown with crisp outer layer. Pretty good.

For those who enjoys stronger flavours, the Hotplate Black Pepper Wagyu with Parmesan Butter would definitely be right up your alley.

Am a fan of the black pepper sauce at George Town Tze Char and to top it with Parmesan Butter just screams out tasty, in flashing neon. Now, I need a bowl of rice.

Hotplate Black Pepper Wagyu with Parmesan Butter @$28

In-line with strong flavours, one could try the Garlic Fried Tilapia. Loads of minced garlic, that'll surely scare off any vampires.

Garlic Fried Tilapia 蒜炸尼罗红 @$35

The fish was expertly deep-fried till nicely golden and we sure enjoyed the extra crispy (garing) bites! But do be careful when biting down as some bones are harder than the other parts.

Metal Jacket Drumlets was quite a favourite dish for my table. Was impressed by how tender the meat was. Sauce tasted pretty similar to Mongolian pork ribs sauce.

Metal Jacket Drumlets 铁公鸡 @$18

Now, let's eat some vegetables. There's the usual kailan, or dragon chives so today we had the choy sum. Actually, after having it that night, this vegetable dish is now one of my favourite. So flavourful and just enjoyable.

George Town Choy Sum 乔治菜心 @$12

We also had the Penang Fried Kway Teow, and this plate was gone in no time. Well-fried, and tasty. The kway teow here is of the smaller type, more like sar hor fun type.

Penang Fried Kway Teow @$10 (small)

BBQ Favourites

assorted BBQ skewers 

BBQ vegetable skewers

BBQ beef, mutton, intestine skewers

tasty

The BBQ skewers are priced from $1 upwards, depending on which meat/vegetable item of your choice. For us, here was what we had:

• Wagyu Beef - $5
• Mutton - $1
• Beef Tongue - $3
• Pig Intestine - $2
• Taiwan Sausage - $2
• Potato - $1
• Brinjal - $2
• Mushroom - $2
• Asparagus - $2
• Long Bean -$2

Thank you Jennifer for the invite and Charles for hosting the dinner. Always a pleasure to dine here.

George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer 乔治 海鲜

Address: 81 Boat Quay, Singapore 049869

Website: https://george-town-tze-char-and-craft-beer-boat-quay.business.site

Contact: 6535 6277 

For bookings: Whatsapp 96823826

Business Hours:

Daily 12pm to 11pm

[Tasting] Omakase Seasonal Lunch Course @ Monte Risaia

Been wanting to try exquisite omakase using premium and seasonal ingredients? 

Monte Risaia offers Omakase Seasonal Lunch Course for just $79++ per pax. Definitely good value for a lovely 5-course omakase treat! 

The place is cosy and tends to get very busy hence, recommend to make your reservations to avoid disappointment. Do come early around 12pm for lunch.

As in omakase, the item served would depend on season and availability on your day of visit. Below are a list of what I tried recently in Dec 2021.

Staff would check with the guests for their dietary restrictions, before commencement of the meal.

Omakase Seasonal Lunch (5-course)

Engawa (flounder fin) fillet, wrapped with Japanese eggplant and topped with Mozzarella cheese and Italian anchovy butter sauce

The first dish was delightful and comforting. There were layers of soft, smooth texture of the engawa, sweetness from the onions, juicyness from the eggplant (initially I thought it tasted like bittergourd!), topped with salty-creamy mozzarella and plenty of that wonderful tasting, anchovies butter sauce/broth. Just give me some bread to mop up the deliciousness.

Speaking of which, Monte Risaia do have its own housemade foccacia that one could order separately. Oooh, I fancy this because of its cake-like bread texture, plus it goes really well with the anchovies butter sauce.

housemade foccacia (not part of omakase)

The first course was so tasty that one couldn't help but to keep on eating. The plate was polished off pretty quickly.

Next course, was lobster bisque. Now, what I didn't expect, was it to be served inside a parchment paper. So interesting!

Lobster Bisque with Japanese Scallop and Minced Shrimp

hi there

lovely Japanese Lobster Bisque

The flavours of the Japanese Lobster Bisque was pronounced, and each bite had plenty of those sweet scallops and shrimps. Nice.

Next, was the Triple Dashi pasta dish. Lovely shiso fragrance from this dish. Sauce was a good balance of tangy and sweetness. Had enjoyed the previous version of this signature dish back in 2019, and am  loving this version too!

Triple Dashi

A meat dish was served for the next course. We had duck. 

The texture of the Irish duck was expectedly good; firm but not tough. Must try with the plum crystal sauce. Basically horseradish, plum and there is a surprise element in it. A good kind of 'crystal' surprise that adds to overall enjoyment of the dish.

Irish Olive Fed Duck served with Grilled Endive paired with Balsamic Reduction and Plum Crystal Sauce

Almost too quickly, we have reached the last course; dessert. Okinawa black sugar gelato with fresh fruits such as blueberry, raspberry and gooseberry. Berry good.

Fresh Fruits with Okinawa Black Sugar Gelato

The portion was good for the omakase lunch. Do come early to enjoy all the 5 dishes in the Omakase Seasonal Lunch Course at a comfortable pace.

Kudos and thank you to Chef Taizo, Chef Kent and team as all the dishes in the Omakase Seasonal Lunch Course were superbly tasty and comforting. Pronounced flavours that hits all the right spots.  Special mention of Alby, for being such a delightful presence.

Thank you Jennifer (Jennifer Yeo Consultancy) for the invite, and Monte Risaia for hosting the lunch.

Monte Risaia

Address: 59 Duxton Rd, Singapore 089523

Contact: 6970 0067

Reservation: https://www.chope.co/singapore-restaurants/restaurant/monte-risaia

Business Hours:

Mon to Sat : 12–2:30pm, 5–10:30pm

Closed on Sundays.

[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