Garibaldi Italian Restaurant @ Purvis Street | Restaurant Week March 2015

Visited on a weekend lunch during the recent Restaurant Week. Was my bro's birthday as well, so decided to bring us to Garibaldi to experience some good service and good food. It better be since it has a star for Restaurant Week!

The restaurant gave us a call when we ran abit late that day. From the outside, the place felt rather deserted but once ushered into the dining hall, the restaurant was rather busy.

Garibaldi's RW 3-course set lunch costs $40++ as with any other restaurants that had been awarded a Dining City star.

RW menu

cheese sticks to chew on

Complimentary bread to ease the hunger. Replenishable upon request.

house bread, complimentary

As in any celebration, how about a bottle, err.. make it half since there's only two of us. Half bottle of Livon Pinot Grigio.

Pinot Grigio @$60++

cheers!

The wine was light, and with mineral taste.

Service was quick and courteous. Food was delivered promptly. First course, was seafood soup.

seafood soup 'acqua pazza' style

Light and slightly tangy broth, and pleasant. However, it lacked that seafood umami taste.

Main course was pasta or meat.

homemade saffron fettucine with jumbo prawns and zucchini

baby pork drumstick confit with chestnut gnocchi and mushroom

The texture of the homemade fettucine was simply lovely. Well tossed with olive oil, tasty and the trombetta zucchini could've fooled me for asparagus. Very nice.

Baby pork drumstick was probably an alternative way of saying, 猪脚? My bro and I concluded that this dish will be excellent if there was skin left on the meat and some fats in between. Generous amount of protein but it was a tad too dry. However, there was some hidden gem in this dish; namely, the gnocchi.

gnocchi, chestnuts and mushroom

Am a gnocchi fan but only for good gnocchi. The Garibaldi version is of course, excellent. Perhaps the 'limited edition' amount of these small pillowy babies added to the 'want'. Found only 4 pieces in this entire plate. Of course, there's perfect explanation to it. Gnocchi in this dish was meant to augment the dish, not overshadowing it. Agree, as too much of it will cause 'jelakness'.

Last course was dessert. Knowing that it was a celebratory lunch, they brought out a small surprise in the form of a complimentary tiramisu.

happy birthday bro!

complimentary tiramisu

dolce - banana everything

Tiramisu was very likeable. Soft and not too sweet. The RW dessert was good too, although the recurring flavour of banana got a bit tiring after a few bites. Liked the middle one best. Tasted like a dense banana tofu.

That's not all. Included is the post-meal drink of coffee or tea. For coffee, one could opt for black, latte or cappucino.

latte

It is served with a generous amount of biscuits.

nice container

Was an enjoyable experience dining at Garibaldi. Efficient and attentive service, and the lovely tiramisu for birthday boy.

Do enquire from them if you wish to celebrate your birthday there and with a group of 4 pax (min.), as you might be eligible to enjoy a complimentary bottle of prosecco and a free tiramisu.

Expect to spend about $80+ per pax.

Bar-Roque Grill @ Amara Hotel, Tanjong Pagar

My first restaurant week, ever! Booking was a breeze through DiningCity. 830pm at Bar-Roque Grill Amara Hotel. They were doing a surprise menu, so I didn't know what to expect. Had a suspicion that they'd might do tart flambee, and that hunch was right!

Bar-Roque Grill Restaurant Week Dinner Menu

Arrived half an hour earlier, and was seated with no problem. Outdoor seating, and the weather was a little warm. The tables weren't that far from one another, but they weren't elbow length away. Just an elbow and a half probably?

outdoor seating

crispy pork terrine (supplement $6++)

Thought the service staff gave us the wrong dish. Was thinking, "Did we order crab cakes?" Haha, then realised...oh, crispy pork terrine.

pork terrine

Not sure why, but my mind was thinking of pate-looking terrine. This crispy version was interesting, as the texture was not the smooth, dense pate-style but rather small little chunks inside. Mildly flavoured and it was not funky, not at all.

Chose char-grilled octopus salad as the other appetiser.

octopus salad (supplement $6++)

Octopus was tender, though it was somewhat lacking the char-grilled smokey flavour. Rather clean tasting. Liked the crispy almond sprinkle as it added contrast to the bite.

Ordered a glass of restaurant week wine (french) to go along with our food.

RW white wine (@$10++)

For mains, there were four choices; Smoked Sausage and Mustard Braised Pork, or Baked Salmon, or Ravioles "Royan", or Grilled Wagyu Flank Steak.

Guess which one we ordered? One meat and one carb.

Grilled Wagyu Flank Steak (supplement $12++)

medium rare

The friendly service staff said that chef would usually do medium for wagyu flank and to quote, "That would be perfect." I was hesitating because we usually have steaks done medium rare. Hahaa. At the end, medium rare it was. The outer sides were a bit tough but the middle parts were all pink. Flank is still the tougher cut, with some beefy flavour and goes well with a sip of wine. The mash was smooth and good. Mildly flavoured.

Am beginning to think that chef seems very gentle with the seasoning. Flavours were mild and one could taste the ingredients for what they are.

Ravioles "Royan" with root vegetables and gruyere cheese

Best dish of the night, goes to the Ravioles "Royan". Perhaps, I was looking for stronger flavours and this dish has it. One could taste the mushroom, carrots, cheese and crispy shallots. The ravioles were tiny tiny square parcels. So cute. A spoon would be much more efficient in getting those delicious bits into the mouth, all at once. Cheese was not overpowering, it brought the ingredients nicely, together.

Due to some miscommunication (they thought we ordered tart flambe, I thought I ordered but in actual fact, didn't), we got The Classic - Bacon & Onions Tart Flambee. Chef's must-order Alsatian dish. Offered on the house. Heehee. Thank you, gentlemen!

Tart Flambee would do as a nice savoury starter to share over some drinks.

Tart Flambee - The Classic (bacon and onions)

Was really, seriously stuffed to the max by then. But of course, there's still room for desserts.

creme brulee

apple pie

Liked both the desserts. Creme brulee had a nice crisp thin sugar crust and the custard tasted just right. Sweet and not too creamy. Apple pie sweetness was natural, and the pie crust was quite yummy. Homely.

Restaurant Week October 2016 @ Kuvo Orchard Shopping Centre

Do you try out new places during Restaurant Week? Have been to a couple of restaurants for the past few years now through this event. I think it was useful to suss out up-and-coming restaurants or just to find a menu that offers good value with dishes that you like. Booked a date with buddy for dinner at Kuvo to try out its $38++ 3-course dinner.

Restaurant Week Menu at Kuvo

As usual, we started with a glass of wine. I chose a white wine from Austria while she has her usual bubbly. The Austrian white had a fruity flavour with slight mineral finish.

Lenz Moser Prestige Grüner Veltliner @$12++

First course was the scallop tartare presented in a large white plate. Very light and clean tasting. Tasted of fresh greens and sweet scallops.

wasabi espuma, petite mesclun and hokkaido scallop

Next, I had the braised beef cheek while friend had the Cod Medallion. Am happy with braised till fork tender beef cheeks. Flavourful and of a good portion. Had a bite of the cod medallion and it was rather firm.

200-days grain fed beef, porcini pommes puree, asparagus spears and port jus

Cod Medallion in bacon-nut crust, pearl barley fricasse and lardon emulsion

For the final course, we had desserts. The Cocoa Bar, served with vanilla gelato was such a heavy dessert but so good, so decadent.

Cocoa Bar - rum soaked raisin, milk chocolate sauce

vanilla gelato

Kuvo

Address: 321 Orchard Rd, #02-01 Orchard Shopping Centre, Orchard Shopping Centre, 238866

Website: http://kuvo.com.sg/

Business Hours:

Monday – Thursday : 5pm – 1am

Friday & Eve of PH    : 5pm – 2am

Saturday                   : 12 noon to 2am

Sunday & PH             : 12 noon to 1am

Kacyo 花蝶 @ 46 Bukit Pasoh Road | Restaurant Week March 2016

Kacyo serves Washoku (和食) which quintessentially means Japanese cuisine with Japanese ingredients. Kacyo was found in 1927, Ginza Kabuki-cho. Since February 2016, it has a branch in Singapore at 46 Bukit Pasoh, where its neighbours include Restaurant Andre and Majestic. Chose Kacyo as one of the restaurants to try for Singapore Restaurant Week 2016, March edition. If you are driving, you may want to consider utilizing the valet services around this area. Nearest MRT would be Outram.

The restaurant exudes elegance, with private dining room, and the inner sections catering to larger groups of diners.

beautiful chopstick holder

My dining companion was ultra late for our dinner, so I was just sitting around inconspicously while the junior waitstaff would come by every so often to refill the tea. There seemed to be some event happening that night at the inner sections. Perhaps, a company function. The private room was also occupied. For counter seats, most of the dining parties would order a bottle or two of sake, or a glass of wine to have with their dinner.

The Japanese chef brought out the appetisers to our table. "Egg pudding, pumpkin soup and tofu with sesame sauce." He said. Then, he repeated, "In Japanese, this is chawanmushi, kabocha and goma tofu." Such a cute chef, he was.

かぼちゃスップ、ちゃわんむし、ごま豆腐

Ah, forgot to ask which one to start with. Never mind, I would go with the cold items first. The pumpkin soup. Tasted natural and mild. Pleasant. The tofu was the most interesting. Its texture was more 'sticky' or 'Q' than all the tofu's that I had eaten thus far. That bit of ikura and wasabi on it, completed the tofu and the sesame sauce was really appetising. Chawanmushi was smooth and tasty and had lots of sprout-like ingredients in it that added some healthy crunch to the smooth egg custard.

interesting texture, overall good taste - おもしろいですね！

Next, was the fried items; tempura. Chef did not make his appearance here. This plate was brought out by the other service staff. Mostly vegetable items for the tempura consisting of eggplant, pumpkin and shishito pepper. Liked the prawn and shishito pepper (獅子唐辛子) the most. The style here is without sauce and instead, one could eat it with a bit of the seaweed salt. It was unfortunate that the pumpkin tempura tasted a tad undercooked.

天ぷら

At this point in time, our hot sake arrived. Ordered a warm sake and chose the recommended Shochikubai (Hanjozo). The hot sake tasted pleasant and deceptively mild, as the alcohol would not hit you till you are almost at the end of the bottle.

Shochikubai (Hanjozo) sake (warm) @$24++ per 300ml bottle

For mains, we ordered one of each; Japanese beef steak and grilled Japanese eel. Only when Chef brought out the dishes, did we know that the beef and eel were from the Kagoshima prefecture. 

Was dissappointed that the eel portion was so tiny. Kagoshima is said to be the biggest producers of farmed eel in Japan, and if this plate is of the farmed version, then the beef steak would offer a better value for money.

Grilled Kagoshima Eel

Kagoshima Beef Steak - medium rare

As expected, the Kagoshima beef steak was good, though I only had a slice. The accompanying greens included asparagus, broccolini, carrot and mushroom that was quite tasty as well.

Then, we were served the next course, of 5-piece assorted sushi served with a bowl of miso soup. The sushi was ordinary but it did its job to fill us up. After copious cups of sake, there was still a bit left. It had, by then, turned cold. The sake had a flowery fragrance that became very apparent, the moment its temperature went down. Interesting.

salmon ikura, hotate, prawn, hamachi and white fish

For desserts, we were served the Kacyo Original Ice-cream which was matcha flavoured. Found it to be creamy and quite milky. Nice.

Kacyo Original Ice-cream

The last surprise came, when the last cup of our green tea was exchanged with a hot one, and it turned out to be savoury! Wooo! Tasted like clear soup, but visually still looked like green tea. Magic.

Lovely place, and service was great. Expect to spend between $80 - $100 per pax for dinner.

Haru Haru Japanese Restaurant @ Jubilee Square Ang Mo Kio

Haru Haru Japanese Restaurant is located at Level 2 of Jubilee Square, which is about 12 minutes walk from Ang Mo Kio MRT Station. A Japanese restaurant in the heartlands with omakase option? Nice. Was invited to try some of the items from its menu. The restaurant itself is compact and cosy. If you would like to make a reservation for a private room, they do have one as well.

menu

counter seats

private room

Fresh seafood is flown in from Tsukiji Market every Tuesdays and Fridays. Chef/Owner will determine if the shipment requires adjustment and the delivery will be as frequent as 3 times a week, depending on demand.

fresh fish on display

For starters, we had the Kagoshima wagyu tataki. Gorgeous marbling of beef, nicely laid out on a plate. It tasted good on its own. The dipping sauce gave it a light tanginess. Overall, good fatty mouthfeel that does not overwhelm.

wagyu tataki @$26.80++

Next appetiser, was in a liquid form. Negima mushi. Even without knowing what was inside the clear broth, the essence of fish was rather apparent. Steamed in a ceramic container akin to chawanmushi, the tuna belly and slightly scorched leek were able to retain its taste. Enjoyable for fish lovers. Negima mushi is currently available with the $100 omakase set. Do request from the service staff if you would like to try it ala-carte.

Negima mushi @$15++

Next up, was the Wagyu Sukiyaki. Hotpot seemed to be popular amongst the ladies! Plenty of vegetables, mushrooms and tofu in the sweet soy based broth.

Wagyu Sukiyaki @$25.80++

closer view

let's get started

Also tried the Yuzu Tebasaki, which are basically yuzu flavoured salt grilled chicken mid-wings. Well seasoned and great with beer or sake. Or, green tea if you must. Chef managed to churn out still juicy wings with golden brown skins with some charred bits. Charming.

Yuzu Tebasaki @$6.80++ per stick

Next, was a dish that was the centerpiece of our table. The very beautiful sashimi platter with an additional order of itoyori fish (golden thread) @$38++. Itoyori is a kind of threadfin bream with firm flesh.

Sashimi platter with Itoyori (Golden Thread) @$158++

premium fresh ingredients

Liked the freshness of everything on that platter. Uni was so sweet and fresh. Hotate and hamachi used to be my favourite, but there was a snapper-like flesh with specks of silver on its skin that was so good. Firm texture similar to mekajiki but not as dense. Slightly sweet too. Yums.

For mains, one could try the wagyu don. The bowl came without much sauce though but this allowed the natural flavours of the beef to be more apparent. I could even taste the lightly caramelized fragrance of the onions. The soft boiled egg is served in a side dish.

Wagyu Don @$24.80++

Wagyu don is a substantial dish that will fill up the belly. Would be perfect if they have a less rice option for the small eaters. The wagyu don is value-for-money as its price point is similar to wagyu tataki but with rice and an egg.

mix in the egg for a silky smooth coating

If you really feel like splurging (and don't want to share your sashimi), there is the Premium Chirashi Don to order. Beautifully laid out with premium seafood such as a huge botan ebi, uni, toro and so much more.

Premium Chirashi Don @$31.80++

look at that gorgeousness

If rice is not your thing, then how about ramen? A simple bowl of comforting ramen with pork and onsen egg. While the soup may look reddish, it was actually not that spicy. Wonder why it is called Zaku Ramen though. Maybe related to Gundam?

Zaku Ramen @$14.80++

Sometimes, I like to order sushis for dinner. Nowadays, I will usually opt for aburi sushis as it gives more flavour. The aburi sushi at Haru Haru comes in a set of 6 sushi. Salmon mentaiyaki, mekajiki, maguro, ika, ebi and hotate.

Aburi Sushi @$23.80++

If you prefer maki, then Haru Sushi Roll might appeal to you. A colourful roll with of bright orange and beautifully plated. Good sized, tasty and has lots of things going on in there. For salmon and mayo fans too.

Haru Roll @$14.80++

Haru Roll

Special thanks to Haru Haru Japanese Restaurant for hosting the dinner, and Alvin for the invitation. To the earnest staff in the restaurant, thank you for your service. To new friends that night, see you again!

Haru Haru Japanese Restaurant

Location: 61 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 #02-03, Jubilee Square
Contact: 6451 3201
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HaruHaruJapaneseRestaurant