Saturday, July 11, 2015

Nickeldime Drafthouse @ Novena

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"Let's see what they have, over there." Friend suggested after a heavy dinner at Hong Kong Street. Looked over and saw the word "B E E R". Grinned at my friend and said, "Let's have a drink."

That was how we got acquainted with Nickeldime, with bright neon lights and all.

went towards the lights
da bao beer?

The 15 beers on tap are flashed on-screen. Or, just let Frank know whether you'd like 'em sour, salty, or sweet. I mentioned sweet, so he recommended Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar. Tasted nutty, slight sweetish hints of hazelnut with an almost lingering bitter aftertaste.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Subsequent visit, we went for Sapporo draft. Nothing beats ice cold beer on a warm night. Frank is seriously friendly, and he introduced a couple of Japanese craft beers to try.

Sapporo 1-for-1 during Happy Hour (before 7pm)

My personal favourite was this bottle of Far Yeast Tokyo Blonde. This is a lager/pilsner beer and very drinkable. Tasted pretty yeasty, slightly citrussy, a bit floral with hints of sweetness and dry. Yums.

Nippon Craft Beer - Far Yeast Tokyo Blonde

Next up, from the same brewery we tried the Kagua Blanc. Hmm, this guy was a bit more lemoney. Very much lime-wheat kind of drink. Refreshing.

Nippon Craft Beer - Kagua Blanc
 Interestingly, there's a Kagua Rouge. A pair of craft beer. Crafty.

Nippon Craft Beer - Kagua Rouge

With a deep colour similar to Tokyo Blonde, but Kagua Rouge had a very distinctive aroma to it.  And its perfume-like aroma was something that's light, and somewhat sweet. Said to pair well with food, but we've yet to try. Was always after dinner nearby, so no more space for food.

And for the daring, you may want to try the sour beer. Salty and pungent sounds more apt. Really. Sour beer is said to be up-and-coming 'in' thing to drink, but one sip for me is enough. Thanks, but no thanks. An acquired taste, but hey, it sure was interesting.

only know this as 'sour beer' but am pretty sure it has its proper name. Definitely not a Japanese beer

In just a few weeks' time, sometime in August, be sure to visit Nickeldime for its new addition to the bar. Cheers!

Nickeldime Drafthouse

Address: 273 Thomson Rd, #01-06 Novena Gardens, Singapore 307644
Contact: 6256 0261
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/nickeldimesg
Website: http://www.nickeldimedrafthouse.com/

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Balinese BBQ and Seafood Buffet @ Spice Brasserie | Parkroyal on Kitchener Road

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Think of Bali, and vivid imagery of an island surrounded by beautiful beaches, luxurious villas with private pool, or cafe overlooking paddy fields might come to mind. And when one talks about Balinese food, it is usually about seafood BBQ by the beach, or the Babi Guling at the warungs. Yes, not forgetting the urap and the spicy sambals too.

For the few that have yet to set foot to Bali, or if you are simply missing the deliciousness of Bali, read on further. The chance to savour Balinese food is here! The good folks at Spice Brasserie at Parkroyal on Kitchener Road are running its Balinese BBQ and Seafood Dinner buffet from now till 12 September 2015. Savour delicacies such as Grilled Lobster in Coconut, Clam Satay, Cumi Cumi Lsi (stuffed squid), Ikan Bakar, Crab Bakar and Babi Guling amongst the many offerings at its dinner buffet every Thursdays till Saturdays. Priced at $50++ per adult, or in conjunction with SG50 promotion, pay just $78++ for two adults.

BBQ and sambals go hand-in-hand
grill stations

Let's start with some BBQ seafood. Diners get to pick their live seafood and have the chefs grill it. Not often do we get that chance at buffets, right?

mussels and lalas
gong gong (clam/conch)
First time having BBQ'ed mussels, and it was downright delicious! Smokey flavour, and fresh sweet salty flesh.

grilled brown mussels
smokey briny clam
lala
 
The gonggongs texture were firmer, clean tasting and with an enjoyable chew. Chef divulged that these babies were not salted, so we could enjoy eating it at natures best. Quite fun to pick its flesh with a satay stick.

gonggong
conch meat

Lovely start to our Balinese feast. The shellfish were all enjoyable and good to be eaten on its own. If you prefer to have it spicy, there are about 16 types of sambal dips for you to choose from. Talk about spoilt for choice!

If shellfish is not your thing, there are still plenty of options at the buffet spread.

cold seafood
sashimi

salads
Indian food spread
Balinese food spread
crackers

I think I have sort of attained some 'enlightment' of buffet styled feasting. Ate my way rather conservatively with some sampling from cold seafood section (by the way, the cold prawns were big, firm and sweet~), then proceeded to try the grilled fish and chicken (ikan bakar, ayam bakar) and cumi cumi. Oh my, the marinade on the grilled chicken was so delicious! Combination of sweet, savoury with that charred smokey flavour was so good. Chef said kampung chickens are used as it is more flavourful.

ikan bakar and ayam bakar
cumi cumi (grilled squid)

The BBQ squid was cooked just right. One could taste the freshness of this seafood. The glaze was sweet savoury. Good to be eaten as it is.

ketam bakar (grilled crab)
udang bakar (grilled prawns)

Found another gem amongst the buffet items. Braised intestines in dark soy sauce and sambal petai goreng. WooO! Took these and ate it with nasi kuning. Such a good meal.

loving it

Of course, was holding out for the highlight of the night. The Babi Guling. The man, whom made all these happen, Chef Low Hoe Kiat was on-hand to share with us his stories (and also some recipes). He chose to use piglets that are around 6 to 7 months old for its meat would be tender. The pig is then rubbed and stuffed with a concoction of spices and left to marinate for two days. After which, it is then spit-roasted under his watchful eyes to tender perfection.

slow roast

Think this is the only place where one could eat as much suckling pig as one would like to without having to break the bank.

babi guling (suckling pig) served with cooked nangka lemak

The suckling pig was seriously tender. Seasoned just right and no gamey porky aftertaste. The crackling is not those super crispy type but it has a good smokey flavour to it.  First time having cooked nangka and it tasted very sweet, very rich. Chef says it is typically eaten with nasi kuning (yellow rice), with sambal and some vegetables.

Was in meat heaven for that moment.

For drinks, have a try of Spice Brasserie's version of non-alcoholic mojito. Tasted like a glass of refreshing ginger ale.

non-alcoholic mojito (ala-carte order)
For those who likes desserts, here are some pictures. Only managed to try the durian pengat and muah chee. Was too stuffed with food to eat anymore!

assortment of cakes
all time favourite and must eat - durian pengat
the 'roll-it-yourself' muah chee

One could have the durian pengat as it is, or make it into a durian chendol!

durian chendol - shaved ice with sweetened corn, coconut milk, gula melaka and generous scoop of pengat


For the month of June and July, Spice Brasserie would be donating 0.5% of their total sales proceeds to four local charities: AWWA Community Home for Senior Citizens, Bright Hill Evergreen Home, Melrose Home and Singapore Cheshire Home, under the Pan Pacific Hotel Groups' "Eat Well with Us" initiative.

for a good cause

Special thanks to Cleo for the invite and Chef Low for spending time with us. The man has over 20 years of experience in the industry and he is passionate about bringing fresh quality produce to the buffet table.

Spice Brasserie @ Parkroyal On Kitchener Road

Address: 181 Kitchener Road, Singapore 208533
Contact: +65 6428 3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PRSKT

Friday, July 3, 2015

Pho Street Vietnamese Street Delight @ Westgate

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Pho Street has been around since December 2013, and since then it has grown to two outlets. One at Bedok Mall and the other at Westgate, conveniently serving diners at both ends of Singapore. If you had visited Pho Street before June 2015, it is now time for a revisit! Since 2 June onwards, Pho Street proudly presents its revamped menu that is more visual and with more items.

Pho Street revamped menu

Was invited to its Westgate branch to try some of the items. Vietnamese food to me, has always been synonymous with pho and coffee. Well, there are more things out there, if one cared to try.
 
Singapore has been experiencing a spell of hot weather lately, and it makes one crave for iced cold drinks. Got myself a glass of Passionfruit & Basil Mojito.

Passionfruit & Basil Mojito @$3.50

The drink was refreshing and a good thirst quencher. Not too sweet and not overloaded with greens.

If you're in a party of two or more, I'd recommend getting the Vietnamese Snack Platter to munch on. A sampler of sorts, with the slightly spicy chicken skewers that tasted pretty much like a non-oily variation of satay, the well fried delectable pork rolls and a slightly salty crabcake with minced pork. Tasty on its own, hence there wasn't any need for the side dips.

Vietnamese Snack Platter - Vietnamese Crabcakes, Crispy Fried Pork Rolls, Roasted Chicken Skewers @$8.90

If you had ever wondered how does Vietnamese deep fried wings would taste like, well..wonder no more. A plate of Crispy Fried Chicken Mid-wings served with Caramelised Sweet Dip would cure any curiousity.

Crispy Fried Chicken mid-wings with caramelised sweet dip @$4.90


The wings were fried upon order, and its seasoned batter was light and very crispy. Bits of pepper can be seen in the batter. Served piping hot, with still-juicy meat intact. The sauce was slightly on the salty side so a light dip will do.

If deep fried is not your thing, then how about the evergreen Summer Rolls? A visit to a Vietnamese food place will likely feel incomplete if one does not order the rolls. Its rice wrap was slightly on the chewy side and so tightly packed. The prawns are seen through the translucent wrap, and it looked pretty attractive.

Fresh Summer Rolls with Prawn, Pork Belly & Fresh Herbs @$4.90

One bite into the rolls, and one would be transported to a garden of greens. One mouthful yields quite a bit of herbs and vermicelli. The oil from the pork belly gave it a good meaty aroma.

light healthy meal

Just when you thought we're done with snacks, there's one new item that may soon prove to be quite addictive. Crispy sesame rice crackers eaten with fragrant minced meat and spices dip. Yums. Those crunchy crackers were all imported from Vietnam.

put as much or as little
Sesame Rice Crackers with Fragrant Minced Meat and Spices Dip @$6.90


The man behind the menu revamp, is Chef Kenny Hà. A quiet unassuming boyish-looking chef, from Ho Chi Minh, whom had no qualms about infusing his own personal preferences into his recipes.

What's the bestseller at Pho Street, you may ask. The Pho Beef Combination has received much love and so, we just had to try one.

Pho Beef Combination - beef balls, beef slices, beef shank, beef tendons and beef tripe @$9.90


delicious comfort
The beef broth was tasty and slurp worthy. Liked the beef shank for its texture and taste. The tripe was good too as it was cooked down just nicely. Could do with more herbs though, so if you like a stronger herb taste, do request from the service staff so that they could add more into the bowl. Oh, don't forget to try the sweet peanut dip with the chili. For those that likes the heat, this dip is not to be missed.

If you don't eat beef, fret not. There are other non-beef options available. For example, the Dry Rice Vermicelli with Roasted Pork Chop & Spring Roll that's said to be a favourite amongst ladies. Or, the Roasted Pork Chop with Fragrant Rice for those that need rice as their primary carb.

Roasted Pork Chop with rice @$7.90

The pork chop rice didn't work for me though. Found it a tad too salty.

Haven't tried any banh mi before, so when opportunity presented itself, decided to grab it!

Banh Mi Combination - 3 meats of Pork Belly, Grilled Beef and Chicken Ham @$6.90

cross section

Pho Street worked with its bread maker to supply the banh mi bread based on its recipe. Freshly baked and delivered on on a daily basis and toasted upon order. The sauce represented the elements of salty, sourish, sweet, and spicy. The most dominant meat taste was from the pork belly. Paired well with the pickled vegetables that cuts through the fats from the belly.

Pho Street has an unusual dessert of Cream of Mung Bean with Coconut Sauce & Crushed Peanuts.

dessert - Cream of Mung Bean with Coconut Sauce & Crushed Peanuts @$3.50

My brother thinks it tasted like 白云糕. I do agree. The taste is very similar! The mung bean was very sweet, with some waterchestnut bits. An acquired taste this one.

The Westgate outlet has an open space concept where everyone could see what you're eating, while the one at Bedok Mall is said to be more like a restaurant space with better ambience.

tables and chairs
Westgate outlet

Overall, the prices are reasonable and the food has hits and misses. Go for the snack platter, summer rolls for the health conscious, the beef pho for those who can and banh mi for days that you want to eat bread.

Thanks to Mei Ping for the invite and Chef Kenny for preparing our food. Not forgetting the friendly crew of Pho Street.

Pho Street @ Westgate

Address: 3 Gateway Drive, #B2-K6/K7 Singapore 608532
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhoStreet
Instagram: @pho_street



 
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