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

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

Latteria Mozzarella Bar at Duxton Hill

I was first brought to Latteria’s Mozzarella Bar at Duxton Hill a few years ago when I was being interviewed for a new Marketing Manager role. I remember thinking wow, a whole menu of mozzarella and within walking distance to the office, where do I sign?

Yeah so maybe this place had a little to do with me accepting but I dare you to go there and not be mesmerised by the beautiful alfresco dining amongst the garden, overlooking the city skyline and being served delicious Italian food.

The Latteria Mozzarella Bar, as you might have guessed, has a whole menu of mozzarella in all shapes and sizes, prepared with different flavour combinations. The hardest part if choosing which one to have as there’s about 12 options but thankfully there are translations explaining the variances.

If I was forced to decide what my absolute favourite dish was, I’d have to say a mozzarella, tomato, basil and prosciutto salad with a balsamic reduction. I mean seriously what could be a better combination of fresh, simple ingredients? So naturally I chose the classic Buffalo mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and basil.

…plus a plate of proscuitto on the side.

Latteria also has other antipasto, pasta and grilled dishes on offer. Above is the mixed seafood spaghetti and below is the Baked Penne al Telefono (In traditional Italian cooking, any dish made with mozzarella cheese carries the name “al telefono,” a playful reference to the way the melted cheese strings out and curls like a telephone cord). Both quite delicious but not quite on par with the mozzarella options unfortunately.

LATTERIA MOZZARELLA BAR
40 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089618
6866.1988
http://www.latteriamb.com
info@latteriamb.com

Lunch: Sundays to Fridays, 12 noon to 2:30pm
Dinner: Mondays to Sundays, 6:30pm to 10:30pm

Steak and Frites at L’Entrecôte in Duxton Hill

We went to a fabulous French restaurant called L’Entrecôte over the weekend which brought back wonderful memories of our holiday to Paris a few years ago. Conveniently L’Entrecôte is located within walking distance from our place in Duxton Hill so we can go back and reminisce anytime we want.

L’Entrecôte specialises in steak and frites but they also have a classic French menu of entrées and desserts too. I was too hungry to remember to take photos of our entrées sorry but I had the Pâté de Campagne described as a ‘delicious French pork country-style pâté served with pistachio, crunchy pickled gherkins and grilled buttered Poilâne bread’. Rodney had the Soupe a l’oignon ‘Classic French onion soup with cheese toasts’.

As I might have mentioned L’Entrecôte specialises in steak and frites, and they literally only have 3 options to choose from: classic, large or Wagu, so be warned do not go there if you are vegetarian or want anything other than steak. All options are served with their classic walnut green salad to start and accompanied with their classic French Fries and ‘Legendary’ sauce (light and country Vinaigrette).

And did I also mention that the steak and frites come in two servings? Yes that’s right, you can eat a second serving of classic French steak and frites. Had I known this earlier I would not have ordered an entree (although it was delicious) and there’s also no need to order the large serving either unless you are really hungry (don’t tell them I told you that)!

For some strange miracle we managed to find room for dessert. Maybe it was due to curiosity or maybe it was due to only having had brunch that day (or maybe we are just greedy), but either way I’m glad we did. So after much deliberation Rodney went for the classic Crêpes Suzette ‘Crêpes in a citrus butter and Grand Marnier sauce’ and I had the ‘Sorbet Lemon & Limoncello (40°)’ which was amazing. Considering it had 2/3 parts of my favourite Italian cocktail Sgroppino, the only thing left to do was have a cheeky Prosecco nightcap down the road to create ‘white clouds on the inside.’

L’ENTRECOTE
36 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089614
T: 6690 7561
E: info@deliciae.sg

No Reservations.

Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday 12PM to 10.30PM
Friday 12PM to 11PM
Saturdays 5PM to 11PM
Sunday 12PM to 10PM

New Bakar Restaurant by BIG Group Opened

Last night we checked out the newly opened Bakar Restaurant by the BIG Group in Bangsar. Despite arriving very late in the evening they welcomed us and allowed us to place a quick last order for dinner.

The review we read about Bakar lead us to believe this was an Australian BBQ style place but I would not describe it that way. The menu, though limited, is a modern cuisine with mixed influences across Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, America and Spain.

The food was beautifully plated and there were some good flavours too, just like you’d expect being situated next to their sister restaurant Hit&Mrs. We choose the classic poached egg caesar salad, grilled watermelon and strawberry salad, BBQ squid, baby zucchini and rib eye steak to share.

This was followed by a selection of desserts including grilled pineapple with mint and ice cream, smores (American classic), cookie cooked in a pan (chocolate brownie), and fruit granita.

The interior of the restaurant was quite different to what we expected. Bright and fairly casual with a mix of seating options from around the kitchen counter to high benches. It felt more like an American diner which was quite relaxed.