Rosso Vino @ Robertson Quay

For this year's Christmas Gathering, Ivan suggested Rosso Vino for Italian fare plus, reasonably priced wine. We readily agreed and reservations were made immediately.

Our dinner was at 730pm on a weekday and the place was not too busy yet. There are alfresco dining area if you prefer but for us, we like the comfortable air-conditioned indoor seats.

interior

Festive Specials

Have to wait a bit for the rest of the party to arrive, so started with a Rose IGP (Negramaro) from Puglia.

Rose IGP (Negramaro), Puglia 2020 @$14

When the rest arrived, we made it a point for each person in the party to order one dish of their choice. Mine was the Gnocchi alla Sorentina. Reason is, I wanted to try the different gnocchi in Singapore. Thus far, the best one was at Club Street but unfortunately, can't recall the name of the restaurant. Next was from Gattopardo (but the gnocchi was only an accompaniment on a meat dish).

Appetiser

Started with Buffalo Mozarella cheese with Parma ham. And here, I was wondering why there's so little greens on this plate. Because there is another meatless option called Burrata fresca di Andria. Keke!

Buffala e Prosciutto @$22

let's start

Next appetiser was fried calamari. Thin batter and still tender. Fried to a nice golden hue. Good with the tartar sauce.

Fritto di Calamari @$17

Main Course(s)

Since we are celebrating the festivities, we picked 2 items from the Festive Chef's Special menu; pizza and the cod fish dish.

Gourmet Pizza al Vitello Tonnato

Didn't read the menu before I sank my teeth into the pizza and the dominant flavour turned out to be tuna! Now I know why. Because there's tuna sauce!

veal slice, white pizza with mozzarella cheese, tuna sauce

It's interesting to have veal as pizza topping. The dough has a nice chew to it. White-based pizza is usually not my first choice.

Tracy requested for a simple tomato based spaghetti and it came before the fish dish was served. We had a quick bite each for the spaghetti and it was lovely.

Spaghetti in tomato sauce

wholesome

The cod fish was served to our table only after we enquired about our missing orders. 

Filetto di Merluzzo Su Purea di Patate e Crema di Aragosta

Loved all the seasonal vegetables in there and the mashed potatoes were so yummy! Fish as expected, was smooth and had a good mouthfeel to it. My favourite dish for the night.

Baked Black Cod Fish on mashed potatoes and Lobster Bisque

But where's my gnocchi? I was ready to give it up but we enquired from the staff again and it arrived almost together with our dessert. Served piping hot, the cheese pull was incredible!

Gnocchi alla Sorentina

look at that cheese pull

The gnocchi texture was good, despite being baked. Everyone in the group enjoyed all the tomato-based pasta dishes. Lovely.

Dessert

The group went all out and ordered 3 desserts when everyone was already feeling full. But that's us.

Tiramisu @$16

Torta agli Arumi di Sicilia @$14

Tiramisu was ok, and I preferred the Traditional Italian Cream Pie more. The homemade citrus jam was good. 

hello chocolate gelato

But my absolute favourite dessert that night, was the Affogato. Simple espresso coffee that's strong with a nice aroma (not burnt!) and topped with vanilla ice-cream that melts faster than you can say Affogato. Hahaa! Thank you guys for not wanting to share this. All mine!

Affogato @$9

My table was attended to by Cyan and Eva. Both are friendly and doesn't mind the intermittent orders for wine top-ups or that random pasta. Plus, one of them is quite proficient in helping guests to take group photos, with multiple shots from various angles.

We also had the friendly owner/manager dropping by to say hello and to offer us limoncello to end our meal. Grazie!

limoncello

Overall, Rosso Vino is a good choice for dinner and for a good time with family/friends. I spied other diners having penne pasta, so next time it is.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Rosso Vino

Address: 15 Merbau Rd, Singapore 239032

Website: https://www.rossovinosingapore.com/

Contact:  6733 7735

Business Hours:

Mon - Sat: 3pm to 12am

Sun: 11.30am to 12am

Bonding Kitchen Revisited @ Orchard Gateway

Brought my colleagues to Bonding Kitchen to try Chef Danny's delicious food. Last visit was in April where my Primary school mates enjoyed the food during our rare gathering.

For guests visiting the restaurant for the first time in a group of 4 pax, I will recommend the set menu as it contains all the favourite dishes.

We pre-ordered the bakwan kepiting soup to share and added a bottle of red. After the meal, we realised that this combination could have easily fed 6 pax.

1st Appetiser

Keropok Ikan and Belinjo

Achar

The first appetisers were polished off before the rice arrived. The achar was pretty good. But better to eat it with rice.

2nd Appetiser

Kueh Pie Tee

Selected the Kueh Pie Tee for the team and helped to assemble for them, complimentary service. They seemed happy.

Wine

Housepour Gold Trees Shiraz (U.P $38)

Pre-Order Soup

Bakwan Kepiting Soup @$16 (pre-order)

impressive homely taste

The bakwan kepiting soup is pricey. And, first thing my colleague said was, "Where's the crab shell..."  

The soup was smooth, much like a cream soup texture yet not that full-on creamy. Soothing, comforting familiar taste with sweetness and savoury from the ingredients. The meatball was flavourful and slightly larger than a golf-sized ball. Enjoyable!

For the mains, I recommended the Hokkien Lor Ark, Ayam Buah Keluak, and Sotong Masak Hitam as one of my colleague, doesn't take beef. Otherwise, the Wagyu Beef Rendang is a must.

Main Course

Sotong Masak Hitam

Ayam Buah Keluak

Hokkien Lor Ark

They were pretty impressed by the sotong, as per my first experience then as well. Keke. For the ayam buah keluak, it came with additional paste for the connoisseur to add on to their rice. Very strong flavours there! Lor ark was lovely, as usual.

Otah

One dish that surprised everyone, was the Otah. This unassuming and common dish, was super tasty with the right balance of refreshing and spicy. So yummy!

Vegetable

Nonya Chap Chye

The portions were good and no one left hungry. All of us were super stuffed that night.

Dessert

Chendol (front), Gula Melaka Panna Cotta (back)

have some

We spent about $60 per pax. Reservation is recommended and happy to see Chef Danny again.

Bonding Kitchen Singapore

Address: 277 Orchard Rd, #02-18, Singapore 238858

Website: https://bondingkitchen.weebly.com/

Contact: 8860 9087

Business Hours:

Sat - Thurs: 11:00am–3pm, 5:00–9:30pm

Fri : 11:00am–3pm, 5:00–9:30pm

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.