The Tiong Bahru Club Singapura Review

The Tiong Bahru Club Singapura has a strange name for an Indian restaurant but we’re not complaining with food this tasty. We found this place by chance one Friday evening, as Rodney tends to get his hair cut at the barber nearby, and despite Tiong Bahru having a huge selection of brunch and lunch places, there doesn’t seem to be that many dinner options.

Apparently this place was designed as a tribute to old Singapore heritage, so the design of the place is quite quirky. The menu is also a little confusing at first, as you have to choose between either Singaporean / Chinese Tapas or Old Raj / Indian, but you can’t eat from both menus. Because of this reason we’ve only ever chosen the Old Raj / Indian food menu which is based on Northern Indian Cuisine.

It is quite an extensive Indian selection from Tandoori, Curries, Biryani and starters, but we’ve tended to order the same dishes each time we’ve been there. This will include:

• Murgh Makhanwala – spiced chicken in a buttery tomato gravy (aka Butter Chicken)
• Palak Lamb – lamb cubes cooked with pure Indian spinach
• Dal Palak  – a yellow lentil dish with spinach and mild spices
• Garlic and Plain Naan

We find that the Dal is a bit too watery for our liking so instead we ordered the new Aloo Gobi (cauliflower and potato dish) which was just delicious.

The drinks menu is also quite extensive with a good range of alcoholic (beer, cider & wine), and non-alcoholic drinks (lassi,  chai lattes, single origin and organic tea, coffee and soft drinks) to choose from, and they even have a happy hour promotion until 7pm.

The Tiong Bahru Club Singapura
57 Eng Hoon Street #01-88
Singapore
6438 0168

Cracker Jack Restaurant Review Tanjong Pagar

Today we stumbled upon another new restaurant which has opened in Tanjong Pagar called Cracker Jack. Tucked in the corner of Tanjong Pagar Rd and Cross St, this was quite a little gem to find.

We were there for lunch on a Saturday, so the brunch menu was on offer. Although quite a small menu, there was definitely enough variety to choose from and satisfy our taste buds. We opted to share a few plates which we can highly recommend:

• House Bone Broth with egg stracciatella (think egg drop soup not egg ice cream), barley, kale and added chicken was tasty and warming on the inside
• Sweet Potato Hash – breakfast sausage, kale, sweet potatoes and baked egg was packed with flavour
• Horchata Pancakes with almond praline, cinnamon, whipped cream, agave nectar and crispy bacon was a nice savoury treat to end with

The drinks menu and honeycomb wall of alcoholic beverages behind the bar looks quite inviting, so we will be back one night, sans little one, to try out a few concoctions.

The interior design is also worth a mention. Apart from the gorgeous honeycomb shelves of alcohol behind the bar there are hilarious, albeit temporary, school tables and chairs, a  striking pop-art collage, eye catching light fixtures, open kitchen to watch the magic happen, a shuttle board table to play on and a general relaxed atmosphere.

Cracker Jack
Phone: 8121 1462
43 Tanjong Pagar Rd, Singapore 088464
http://www.crackerjack.sg
Monday to Saturday 8am to 12midnight
Sunday 10am to 4pm

Japan Rail Cafe Review

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It has been an exciting couple of months in Tanjong Pagar as new cafes and shops have been opening in the new Tanjong Pagar Centre near the MRT.

When we first saw Japan Rail, (located near the new lift and above the station, street level 1) we thought it was just a place to buy train tickets for Japan, which in itself seemed a bit weird for Singapore. After deeper investigation we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was also a Japanese cafe and retail outlet.

The menu, as you can see in the photos, is cleverly incorporated into a mini newspaper with interesting articles to read about Japan whilst your food is being prepared. There is an adequate amount of food to choose from the menu, although they have run out of a few ingredients on occasion which is hopefully just teething problems.

We’re a bit of a sucker for chicken karaage, so we went straight for the Watashino Curry Rice (red rice, rich mince curry sauce and side salad) with choice of 2 sides (crispy chicken and fried egg) and the Crisp Chicken Don (crispy chicken on a bed of red rice, two sauces and choice of soup), which were both delicious. We have been back since and unfortunately it seems other people are fans of chicken karaage too as they had run out, so the pork is another good options to choose with the curry rice.

It seems they are also known for their burgers, but we are yet to try them as we can’t get past their delicious chicken karaage and also don’t feel burgers are very Japanese, so it’s an odd choice to make.

Drinks wise they have a few interesting options to choose from including their healthy yogurt fruit drinks and iced tea (both of which change seasonally) and their drip coffee which are all good.

There’s quite a few tables available within a nice bright environment but I would recommend visiting on the weekend when it will surely be much quieter than during the week with the city crowd.

They also seem to have quite a good selection of Japanese beer so could be a good place to hang out for drinks after work too.

Japan Rail Cafe
Tanjong Pagar Centre, 5 Wallich Street, #01-20 Singapore 078883
http://www.japanrailcafe.com.sg

A Poke Theory Review

I started my new job this week and have been really excited about exploring all the new cafes and salad bars for lunch. Having been working in quite an industrial area previously, my only choices for lunch were in hawker centres, which can get quite boring and unhealthy after a while. 

My new colleagues quickly introduced me to Poke bowls, one of the latest food trends popping up around Singapore recently. Apparently Poke – pronounced as “poh-kay”, is the Hawaiian verb for “section” or “to slice or cut”. 

I have a weird obsession about eating food from bowls, so I was keen to try this new Japanese / Hawaiian twist on the traditional salad ‘pick and mix’ bowl. The main difference being their raw fish meat options and Japanese salad ingredients. 

A Poke Theory is just across from my new office, so it was the best place to try a Poke bowl first. Basically you pick your favourites from the following selections:

1. Base (quinoa, sushi rice, red rice or lettuce leaves) 
2. Meat (shoyu tuna, avocado miso salmon, spicy wasabi salmon, spicy garlic sesame tuna, avocado or wasabi ponzu) 
3. 5x Salads (cucumber, cherry tomato, carrot, pineapple, seaweed salad, avocado, Kimchi, mango or pomegranate)
4. Optional Extras (crunchy kale, teriyaki edamame beans, crispy salmon skin,  spicy roasted cashew nuts, shredded pork or BBQ corn)
5. Top with nori and sesame seeds
6. Add extra sauce if you need
7. Mix and enjoy

As you can see it creates a beautifully colourful bowl of delicious and healthy salad for lunch. 

They also have superfood smoothie bowls  which look just as beautiful and delicious that I will be trying next time.  

A Poke Theory

27 Boon Tat Street Singapore 069623

http://www.apoketheory.com/

A Noodle Story Review

I am a huge fan of A Noodle Story. It’s usually one of the first places I recommend or take visitors wanting to experience some Singaporean food due to its location in a hawker centre and low cost without jeopardising on flavour or quality. 

A Noodle Story, located in the Amoy Street Food Centre, was started by two culinary trained Singaporeans wanting to create the ultimate ramen noodle dish, Singapore style, but without the expensive price tag. 

What they have developed is a consistently high quality, low cost ($7-$9) and beautifully presented bowl of noodles. Expect slices of tender pork Cha-Su, Hong Kong style pork & prawn wontons, a prawn wrapped in spaghetti-like potato, gooey slow cooked egg, spring onions, chili sauce and saffron threads, accompanied with a bowl of hot pork broth. 

Once you’ve tried this modern Singaporean hawker dish it’s easy to understand why there’s always a queue (so get there early) and why they have been awarded the Bid Gourmand in the Michelin Guide Singapore 2016, among numerous other awards and recommendations. 

A Noodle Story

01-39 Amoy St Food Centre

https://m.facebook.com/ANoodleStory

Humpback Seafood Restaurant Singapore Review

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It was the first Friday of 2017 and after recently arriving back home to Singapore after an amazing Christmas and New Year’s trip to visit our family and friends in Sydney and New Zealand, we needed a night out which would remind us exactly what we loved about living in Singapore. Scrolling through the internet I came across an interesting new seafood restaurant, within walking distance from our place in Outram, which looked promising.

Humpback has been inspired by the oyster shucking bars in Seattle and promised to provide “the freshest offerings from sea, land, and garden, with ever-evolving flavours to sample as the seasons change”. We’re not particularly oyster aficionados but the rest of the Humpback dinner menu looked interesting, plus they had a table available on a Friday night, so we we’re willing to give it a go.

Well, weren’t we pleasantly surprised!

Humpback is a casual neighbourhood dining experience with tables outside and inside varying from high benches, normal tables and counter seating. I was impressed that someone from Humpback messaged us to advise that only counter seats were available and ask if we minded. After explaining we would have a pram with us they were able to ensure we had a more appropriate table to sit at thankfully.

The menu as I mentioned was very interesting. We started by ordering a cocktail and 2x Hama Hama oysters, recommended by the waitress, to start with. Having arrived before 8pm these were available at their happy hour pricing and were also asked just before 8pm if we’d like to order anything else from the happy hour menu before it ended which was also very helpful.

Hampback have a nice 1 page menu with a half dozen options of oysters, starters, vegetables, mains (seafood & meat) and desserts to choose from which seems to change regularly. We chose a couple from each:

• Scallops – sashimi style, juicy and delicate flavours
• Smoked salmon dip – salty, creamy goodness
• Kale salad – raw and crispy kale with a tasty dressing and pear
• Cabbage – surprisingly the best dish of the night, just order it!
• Calamari – crispy outside, tender inside and spicy sauce
• Iberico Pork – went perfectly with the cranberry sauce and cauliflower
• Chocolate Cake – moist and rich flavours
• Cotton Cheese Cake – not a huge fan of matcha but was quite light

We will definitely be back again soon!

Humpback Seafood Restaurant

www.humpback.sg

20 Bukit Pasoh Rd, Singapore 089834

Mon-Sat: 5pm–12am | Sunday brunch: 11am-3pm

Miso Salmon Noodles

Here’s a quick and healthy dinner idea, miso salmon noodles.

Simply cook the soba noodles according to the packet instructions in a pot of boiling water. Drain and add a few splashes of sesame oil to keep the noodles from sticking together. Lightly cook the cucumber, capsicum, celery and spring onion or keep raw if you prefer them crunchy. Toss together with the noodles and a few more splashes of sesame oil and soya sauce to taste.

Bring an inch or two of water (depending on salmon thickness) and a large tablespoon of miso paste to boil in a frying pan. Add your salmon fillets, skin side up to start and cook on a low-medium heat. After 5 minutes turn the salmon over to cook on the other side until cooked through.

To serve, place your noodle salad on a plate, add the salmon fillet on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds and takaokaya kizami nori for a flavoured decoration. Don’t waste that delicious salmon miso broth, just pour into a small bowl and enjoy!

Ingredients (2 people):

• Soba noodles
• 2x Salmon fillets
• 1x tbsp Miso paste
• Water
• 1x Cucumber
• 4x Celery sticks
• 1x Capsicum
• 4x Spring Onion sticks
• Sesame Oil
• Soya Sauce
• Sesame Seeds
• Takaokaya Kizami Nori (Dried Shredded Seaweed)

Stuffed Sweet Potato

When I was younger I never liked bland food like potatoes, eggs or pumpkin. Strange really, as it’s usually the opposite for children. As I have grown older and my passion for cooking has developed, so has my appreciation of these ‘bland’ foods as the perfect base for more interesting food combinations and flavours.

Here is a quick recipe I knocked together one night for dinner as a twist on the classic stuffed baked potato. For a healthier option I have used orange sweet potatoes and substituted half the mince with lentils.

Ingredients (2 people):

• 2x large sweet potato
• 150g beef mince
• 1x tin of brown lentils
• 4x tbsp sundried tomato paste or passata
• Handful of cherry tomatoes
• 4x spring onions
• Chives
• Grated cheddar cheese
• 2x handfuls of rocket leaves

Scrub the sweet potatoes with skins on under cold running water to remove any excess dirt, pat dry, prick each with a fork, place on a lightly oiled baking tray and place in the oven for approximately 45mins on 180 degrees celsius.

Whilst the sweet potatoes are cooking, cook the mince in a fry pan over a high heat. Once browned, add the lentils, tomato paste, tomatoes and spring onions, season with salt and pepper, then cook through.

Once the potatoes are cooked, assemble your plate with the rocket leaves underneath the potato. Cut the potato in half lengthways and place the mince mixture with cheese and chives sprinkled on top for added flavour.

As always feel free to swap any of the ingredients to suit your preferences and availability to purchase. For example you could swap the rocket for baby spinach, chives for any herb of your choice and use any type of cheese you prefer.

You could also add some plain yogurt if you want as a creamy topping which is healthier than the classic use of sour cream.

Enjoy!

Botanist Cafe Review Singapore

We were informed by our local sources that there was a new cafe opening up nearby which promised to serve good coffee, great food and have a coffee retail outlet upstairs. Tucked away on Neil St we discovered the new Botanist Cafe and Knockhouse Supply Co… we were not disappointed.

The coffee selection is pretty standard espresso but you get to choose which beans you’d like from their coffee menu. I enjoyed a refreshing iced white with the Dark Matter blend beans which were noted to taste of dark chocolate and macadamia. Rodney enjoyed the classic flat white with the Santa Isabel beans from Guatemala which were noted to taste of jasmine and white grapes. Both great!

The food we have tasted so far is simply outstanding; both beautiful to look at and delicious to consume. They have a healthy, classic brunch and lunch pasta / mains menu to choose from and everything sounds amazing. I opted for the Egg Florentine with portobello mushroom, wilted spinach, avocado, poached eggs, tomatoes, chive hollandaise, and toast which didn’t disappoint. Rodney ordered the Corned Beef Hash with homemade shredded corned beef, crusted potatoes, poached eggs with hollandaise sauce which he equally enjoyed and polished off. We will definitely be back again to try some more dishes which their chefs passionately plate up.

The only downside to this cafe is that it isn’t very baby or stroller friendly with no baby change area, a large staircase at the main entrance, another staircase going down to access the main seating area and another steep staircase up to the retail outlet. We did however find they had a back entrance to the rear which was easier to access with a stroller and at least one table suitable. (funny the new criteria we assess a cafe on these days)

As you can see there are also only a small selection of tables available, so fingers crossed this place stays our little secret. Unfortunately Botanist Cafe doesn’t take reservations so we are likely to see queues start to form outside like the other cafes in this area if word gets out how good it is.

Thank you Botanist. We will quickly become regulars there.

 

Botanist & Knockhouse Supply Co

Tues – Sun: 8am – 6pm

74 Neil Road

Singapore

www.botanist.sg

Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes

I was having a few mums and bubs over for a catchup this week so wanted to bake some sweet treats for us. I bought the ingredients for the New York Baked Cheesecake from Taste website but I never found the time to prepare it the day before as my little one was needing my attention. I woke up early the morning of my mum & bub catchup and decided that instead of just ordering cakes from a local bakery I would try making Mini Raspberry Cheesecakes instead. I figured they would be quicker to prepare, bake and set as they would require approximately half the ingredients and occupy a smaller surface area. Not only were they delicious, but they were quick and easy too!

 

Ingredients (makes 10-12):

• 200g plain sweet biscuits (I used digestive biscuits but use anything you have)
• 100g butter
• 250g cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 lemon rind grated
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 large egg
• fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Line a muffin tray with grease proof paper or cup cake casings, and lightly grease the sides of the muffin tray.

Blitz biscuits in a food processor until they become like breadcrumbs. Add the softened or melted butter and process again. Spoon into the muffin tray to create a thin base for each mini cheese cake and then pop into the fridge to set whilst you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Process the cream cheese, sour cream, castor sugar, lemon rind and vanilla essence until just combined, then add the egg and mix together again. Pour the mixture evenly between the muffin trays and bake in the oven for approx 15-20 minutes or until the cheesecakes are slightly firm in the middle.

Cool in the tray and then transfer to the fridge to set for 30mins before serving, otherwise the biscuit base will appear quite crumbly. Top with fresh raspberries (or any fruit you prefer) and accompany with tea or coffee to serve. Enjoy!