Lenas @ JEM Jurong East

Located at Level 1 of JEM, and it's one of the brands under Ministry of Food (MOF). Visited on a Saturday for dinner. Was there before 630pm and could get a table fairly easily.

open area

menu

It has everything from deep fried appetisers (onion rings, squids, chicken wings etc), salads, pizza, steaks, breakfast, pasta and ice-cream.

Ordered a steak (250gms without side dish @$25) and half a roast chicken (@$15 with 1 side dish), and topped up $12 for half pint hoegaarden and a glass of Santa Luz Merlot.

As we were seated outside the restaurant, it was quite difficult to get the service staff attention. Liked that they repeated our orders before keying it to the system, and once again when the print-out was brought back to our table. Double-confirmed our orders. Hahaa!

beer and red wine

Food was served within 15 minutes. Pretty efficient, I'd say.

friend's steak with mushroonm sauce, served on the side

medium doneness

The roasted chicken was actually quite small. More like spring chicken size. Nevertheless, the charred skin was nice and it was served with a dark sticky sweet sauce. Too bad the chicken breast was rather dry. The sauce for garden salad was sweet and slightly tangy with lime. Enjoyable.

The merlot was somewhat spicy and goes well with the meats.

half roasted chicken

There was a queue formed by 645pm. Spent about $26 per pax for the meal.

Bacchus Wine Shop @ Isetan Westgate

Located at B2 Isetan Westgate, the latest mall at Jurong East.Was walking around at the liquor section of Isetan, and had just sampled some sake. Was contemplating whether to get any but can't decide because it felt kinda risky to get a big bottle then ended up not drinking it.

Suddenly, came across this area that looked like a bar. Hmm, went closer and discovered that they do serve wine, as well as sake. And the best thing is, one can buy the food from Isetan and have it together with the alcohol. Nice.

menu

come early, to get seats

Got myself a seafood chirashi bento from Mikoma @$12 (after 20% discount). And a $5 Taiheizan Tenkou (junmai daiginjo) sake. The seafood bento has one cooked prawn, one raw prawn, one hotate, one slice of smoked/cooked salmon, plenty of shredded crab meat and some ikuras. Has quite a bit of rice too, so ended up with a rather full tummy.

seafood chirashi, sake and some nuts (complimentary from the bar)

The Taiheizan Tenkou Junmai Daiginjoshu (太平山天巧 純米大吟醸酒) sake has 16.5% alcohol and a +2 in sake meter value and a 1.5 acidity.

Junmai Daiginjoshu ranks high in sake world as premium grade with no distilled alcohol added. Brewed using very precise and labour intensive methods.

Liked the taste as it was somewhat sweet. Very light, clear taste and has a peculiar fragrance to it. Easy to drink, but had to drink it slowly since it's pretty high in alcohol content!

Was quite fun to talk to others who were there to chill and drink. Met a wonderful couple, Peter and Dee. Peter had to work unfortunately, so Dee was my companion for the rest of the evening. So, if you're there, do say hi to Dee, an elegant looking lady whom people might mistake her for being a Japanese! Thanks Dee, my evening wasn't so lonely after all.

The patrons at the bar were quite friendly too. After sometime, it felt like everybody's is everybody else's friends.

friendly and hardworking staff, Edmund

Also tried the La Spinetta Moscato (@$10). That was quite yums too. Mellow, fruity, smooth and sweet.

No worries if you don't feel like having sushi with wine. Tierney's cart is just right next to the bar, if you'd like some cold cuts with cheese to go along with the wine. Think I'll probably grab some fried chicken and wakame the next time I'm there. Bar food with wine and sake.

One can also buy the alcohol from the liquor section and have it at Bacchus too. So, cheers!

Arossa Wine & Grill @ Scotts Square

Since May 2013, this restaurant at Level 2 of Scotts Square is now known as Arossa Wine & Grill. Arossa is helmed by Chef Chiaki Watanabe, and I was pretty intrigued on the flavours that Chef Chiaki would be showcasing here in Singapore.

enter, to taste the creations of Chef Chiaki Watanabe

Actually, had wanted to visit earlier, during Restaurant Week but had to cancel at the very last minute due to work commitments. Hence, am glad that opportunity came again, in the form of an invited tasting to try Arossa's Christmas Dinner Course Menu preview. Here's a link to the Christmas dinner course menu.

how about a bottle of Veuve Clicquot?

the beginning of Christmas feels~

Its interior retained the same rustic, classy decor with quiet and dimly lit ambiance. The restaurant has square as well as round tables for smaller groups, and private rooms for larger ones.

cosy

homemade bread served with tapenade, while awaiting for dinner to start

Bread was served warm, with crispy crust and soft whites.The tapenade (chopped olive, capers and anchovies) was interesting but I still like the old-fashioned olive oil and good balsamic.

Went to peep at the open-kitchen and spotted Chef Chiaki. "Service please" She'd called out after placing the items onto the service counter. Better make myself scarce before I get in their way!

Chef Chiaki busy at work in the kitchen

First on the menu, the course before appetiser, an amuse bouche of Turnip Potage Soup. Served in a dainty cup. Just the right start on a damp, and cold rainy evening.

dainty looking, creamy, smooth and warms up the tummy

Appetiser came in the form of Smoked Salmon and Vegetable Terrine with sour cream & orange, dill flavour.

Smoked Salmon and Vegetable Terrine

The smoked salmon has a slightly oily texture, with very light saltiness and natural tasting juicy vegetables. The purple cabbage was surprisingly sweet and crunchy. Overall, a natural fresh taste.

Second course was quite decadent. Sauteed Foie Gras with Caramelized Apple, Balsamic Sauce.

Sauteed foie gras with caramelized apple, drizzled with balsamic sauce

The foie gras was very good. Slight crisp on its outerside, and buttery on its insides. Adequately salted. A good size, and it made one wish for a glass of bubbly with it. Well, the good news is...the Christmas Dinner Menu does come with a glass of Veuve Clicquot!

If you're worried about not getting enough carbs, don't be! For the third course, was Home-made Herb Tagliatelle with Cream Bisque Sauce.

home-made herb tagliatelle with cream bisque sauce

tasty and enjoyable

Pasta was well-cooked and generously coated with sauce. Savoury, slightly tangy and has that mild seafood umami taste. Hearty flavours in manageable portion. Enjoyable dish.

For main course, one could choose either meat (beef) or fish. Pour moi, boeuf. Toujours de boeuf.

Australian roasted tenderloin with celeriac puree, Périgueux sauce

tenderloin, done medium

The tenderloin was good, easy to slice through and gentle to taste. Uncomplicated, simple taste. Deep fried lotus root was nicely crunchy and made a nice snack. 

Have a confession to make, though. The menu states celeriac puree, but when enquired with one of the staff, he mentioned yukon. Hmm, am not sure whether it was served with truffle yukon or celeriac puree that night, but the sure thing was, am in love with it! Sweet, smooth and creamy. Could eat it forever. Satisfying.

Lastly, dessert of Fondant Chocolate with Panettone Gelato, Mixed Berry Sauce.

fondant chocolate with panettone gelato, mixed berry sauce

fondant chocolate with molten heart

The Panettone gelato was rather sweet with candied fruits in it. A contrast to the dark and bitter fondant chocolate. If it ever gets too heavy, there's always the tangy mixed berry sauce to balance things out. 

Arossa's Christmas Dinner Course Menu, ends with either coffee or tea. Or, if you'd like another glass of Veuve-Clicquot champagne, it's $22++ per glass or $118++ per bottle (Mon - Sat, 6pm-9pm).

Thank you to Haswani, Publicist PR for the invite. And to Chef Chiaki and Ms Yuki Kawagishi, Arossa for hosting us. ありがとうございました！

Arossa Wine & Grill

Location: 
Scotts Square (next to Hyatt Hotel),
6 Scotts Road, #02-01, Singapore 228209
Tel: 6636 2951
Fax: 6636 2953

Opening Hours
Lunch 11:30 – 15:00 (last order 14:00)
Dinner 18:00 – 22:30 (last order 21:30)

Website: http://arossa.com.sg