Category: Singapore

The hub of South East Asia, Singapore has many household names in culinary world. Singapore Chilli crab and Hainan Chicken Rice just to name a couple.

Segar Restaurant, Singapore

This is quite a late post from my trip to Singapore. Segar Seafood restaurant is sitting at the heart of Chinatown in Singapore.

They had quite a simple menu of assorted seafood and non-seafood dishes at quite an affordable price. If you feel a bit adventurous, you should try their special: Curry Fish Head!

Hotplate Chicken with Dried Chilli – $12

This is for your friends who don’t eat seafood…

Long Beans with Prawns – $10.80

Long bean with shrimp paste and prawns? This is the only way I know how to eat my veggies!

Salted Egg Prawns – $14

Anything salted egg is why I eat so much every time I go to Singapore. So, when I saw this dish at Segar restaurant, I couldn’t help but order.

I love the combination of crunchy deep-fried prawn and the salty/savory taste of the salted egg. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Assam Curry Fish Head – $20

I know most people in Australia wouldn’t even consider eating fish heads. However, the curry fish head could be considered a delicacy in South East Asian countries.

I love the challenge of going through each part of the fish head. The best thing about it was that the part was always so juicy!

One of the key factors that we chose this restaurant was that the halal certification that they had.

The final verdict for Segar Restaurant:

Segar Restaurant is a quick and affordable restaurant that served pretty nice food.

Do you think I should go?

Getting a halal restaurant in Singapore can be quite challenging. Segar is one of them.

Rating:

Segar Restaurant

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $12 – $20 per main dish

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

B2-39/40/41, 133 New Bridge Road, Chinatown Point, Singapore 059413

+65 6444 1778

Segar Restaurant on facebook

Nov 6, 2019
Neon Pigeon – Singapore

Just a few minutes walk from the MRT station in Chinatown, Neon Pigeon can be quite hard to spot from the outside. The restaurant concept was Japanese izakaya with a little fusion twist.

The menu at Neon Pigeon can be enjoyed in either small or large plate, except for one curious prime rib that would cost up to $500.

For our visit, we ordered everything on a small plate.

Neon Pigeon – Birdfeed

I would assume they called it ‘birdfeed’ because of their inherently small portions. However, as you read through this, it’s not necessarily the case.

Tokyo hummus – $9 – edamame, curry chips

The night started off with a bang! I don’t know how they make this hummus. IT WAS AWESOME!

We didn’t mind paying an extra $2 for the chips to dip into those goodies!

Hamachi tartare – $16 – tofu-miso dressing, daikon, quail egg, sesame crisps

One of my dining mates didn’t quite like the tartare as it tasted a little too fishy.

Seabreem sashimi – $18 – tamari cured, green apple, yuzu kosho, tempura seaweed

The seabreem dish, on the other hand, was pretty good. The crunch of tempura seaweed and the tartness of the green apple complemented the fish nicely.

Roasted bone marrow – $19 – furikake seasoning, crispy garlic, toast

I got to finish the whole dish because none of my dining mates found it appealing.

I have always loved bone marrow and this one was very nice!

Neon Pigeon – Vegetables

Spicy baby corn – $12 – red miso, corn creme

I’ve had two amazing corn dishes this year. While this baby corn was nice, it was obviously not as superior.

Crispy brussels sprouts – $15 – mirin glazed bacon, karashi

This was a nice little side dish for our otherwise meaty affairs.

Miso roasted eggplant – $12 – eggplant puree, mint, fried lotus chips

The baba ghanouj-style eggplant was one of the favourites for this dinner.

Seafood

Pan seared scallops – $21 – smoked tofu, wakame, ponzu, yuzu sago

The portion for this dish was pretty tiny. It would probably have been more enjoyable if we each received one bowl.

Meat N Poultry

Fried chicken wings – $18 – burnt miso & garlic dressing, preserved carrots

We didn’t originally order this. However, one of my dining mates couldn’t eat quite a lot of dishes we had ordered. The preserved carrots weren’t exactly a big hit.

Smoked baby back ribs – $23 – sake barbecue sauce

If you went with 3 people, it would mean 1 tiny rib per person. The rib itself was pretty tasty. However, the portion could be better.

The final verdict for Neon Pigeon

The drinks and the small dishes at Neon Pigeon were very good. However, the substantials could probably be improved… or removed.

Do you think I should go?

It’s a nice izakaya place to wind down after a hectic day in Singapore.

Rating:

tomodachi

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: s$9 – $48 per dish

Place: 8.5 / 10

Details:

1A Keong Saik Road, #01-03, Singapore 089109.

+65 6222 3623

https://www.neonpigeonsg.com/

Aug 16, 2019
Restaurant Nouri – Crossroads Cooking

When I was working in Singapore last week, I managed to have dinner at one of the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. Sitting at #39, Restaurant Nouri has only been opened for a couple of years. However, they have already had a Michelin star under their belt.

Chef Ivan Brehm and his team gave us this very interesting dining concept called ‘crossroads cooking’. The dining room is also where the chef prepared all of our meals.

They served four pre-dining dishes. They also advised that we could re-order sourdough bread as many times as we want. This is a very good idea as you would want to soak up all of those nice sauce!

The first two that came with the bread was their rendition of silken tofu and vegetable broth. The tofu was more like a dipping sauce for the bread!

The next two was cold kimchi made from abalone with daikon and nashi pear and Chinese bitter gourd salad. I can understand why the two had to be consumed side-by-side as the bitter gourd was really bitter. It accentuated the kimchi cold and sour taste.

The 7-course ‘Omakase’ from Restaurant Nouri

They had an option of 5- or 7- course menu as well as set or omakase. I could see some of the omakase menu was pretty similar to the set menu.

The first course was Hamachi sashimi with caviar and chilled onion consomme. It was a nice and fresh sashimi with very nice vinaigrette… the reason why you should keep asking for bread!

The second course was their rendition of prawn bouillabaisse with saffron jelly. They used the reduction from the prawn head to make the thick soup.

Their rendition of cheong fun (or rice noodles) was one of my favourites on the night. Not only they used black truffle, underneath that green cheong fun there was Alaskan snow crab! Even the foamy bit was very nice!

The second last main dish was kimedai fish with scales and black pepper sauce. Yes, they prepared the fish with its scaled. The scales were very crunchy and almost like crackers The fish was perfectly cooked and went really well with slightly hot black pepper sauce.

I wouldn’t blame you if you think this next dish as a chocolate cake with truffle. They did incorporate chocolate but only as the powder around the plate.

This dish was actually wagyu rib eye with Mexican’s mole sauce. However, they used the traditional ingredients called ‘keluwak’ to darken the colour.

Desserts at Restaurant Nouri

Before we started with the desserts, there was a bowl of Gooseberry granita with peach and champagne. It was very nice and refreshing!

The first dessert looked quite simple but it was actually pretty sophisticated. The dish was Japanese ichigo with azuki beans, sansho pepper and kinome leaf with strawberry sorbet.

The dish was sweet, sour, cold, crunchy… and hot! Every now and then there was this kick from the sansho pepper that made the dish very lively.

The last dish was 48-hour baked orange with assam tea ice cream, cream and some jelly that tasted quite bitter.

I have never tasted something quite like this before.

The final verdict for Restaurant Nouri

Restaurant Nouri clearly deserved its Michelin star and the #39 spot in the Asia’s Best 50 restaurants. They have a unique table arrangement and impeccable service.

Do you think I should go?

Definitely! Chef Ivan will surely treat you well!

Rating:

Nouri

9.5 / 10

Taste: 9.5 / 10

Price: $225 pp for 7-course Omakase

Place: 10.0 / 10

Details:

72 Amoy Street, Singapore 069891

+65 6221 4148

http://nouri.com.sg/

Aug 1, 2019
Ellenborough Market Cafe

Ellenborough Market Cafe Review:

When I went to Singapore last month, we went to a buffet restaurant called Ellenborough Market Cafe in Swissotel Merchant Court. The dining area was nicely decorated with a little pool of water in the middle. We also could see a couple of chefs hand-rolling our dumplings. It was a very nice first impression to the restaurant.

Before I start talking about the food, I just want to say that the review below did not include every available menu on offer at the restaurant. There were just too many of them!

Bain-Marie

The list was quite extensive in the bain-marie section as it tries to cater to almost every demographics in Singapore. The ones in the slide below are: lobster (however it looked more of a Balmain bug in Sydney), otak-otak ( a traditional dish from the region), and babi pongteh (slow braised pork).

Seafood

The seafood options were very extensive. It is probably even more than some Japanese restaurants in Sydney. You can find 2 different sashimi, 4 sushi, baby octopus, seaweed. There are also cold seafood dishes like prawn, crab, mussels and escargot. In addition to the fresh seafood area, they also provided hot and cooked versions.

Others

There is a dish that I’m not familiar about but sit at a very prominent location. The dish is called Kueh Pie Tee. It was more of a DIY station than a complete set. They also have the roast meat section, cheese and salad.

Desserts

One of the most amazing things about this restaurant is the availability of (not just one, but) two durian dishes! I always thought you could not bring durian into the hotel. But then again, the durian in the restaurant wasn’t exuding that lovely (or horrible, depending on whether you are team durian or not) smell.

One was more on a creamy side and the other, deep fried!

If durian is not your thing, they also have a whole display full of desserts.

The Final Verdict for Ellenborough Market Cafe:

All you can eat lobster and durian? and did you also see that sashimi and fresh snails? I’m sure you know what my verdict is.

Do you think I should go?

When you are ever in Singapore and are in needs of a buffet, Ellenborough Market Cafe will be a good fit for you!

Rating:

8.5 / 10

Taste: 8.5 / 10

Price: S$68 dinner buffet

Place: 8.5 / 10

Details:

20 Merchant Road, Level 1 Swissotel Merchant Court 058281

+65 6239 1847

Ellenborough Market Cafe at Swissotel

Jun 3, 2019
Chilis American Grill Bar – Singapore

Rating:

6.5 / 10

Taste: 6.5 / 10

Price: S$23 – S$35 main course

Place: 7 / 10

Review:

Chilis American Grill Bar is located strategically right at the heart of Resorts World Sentosa. We went there just after a visit to Universal Studio Singapore because it was just around the corner!

I recommend you to try their Triple Dipper (S$24) as a starter. You could choose three dishes between their starter choices. It would then be placed on a share plate with three sauces of your choice. On this occasion, we chose Texas cheese poppers, Wings over Buffalo, and Southwestern eggrolls. The cheese poppers were pretty exciting with the additional pop from the jalapenos every now and then. The other two were okay.

Chili Shrimp Quesadillas (S$23) was our second dish of the day. Since it is American, they tend to use the word shrimp instead of prawn. Served with house-made pico de gallo and a side of sour cream, the quesadillas could have a little bit more time on the pan. However, the dish was presented pretty nicely.

There is a whole lot of Cs in our next dish: Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers (S$25). It was a spiced up version (with the addition of smoky honey-chipotle sauce) of the regular chicken crispers that came with sweet corn on the cob and homestyle fries. This dish was my personal favourite in the restaurant.

For the last dish, the name escapes me, it could have been Fajita trio (apologies for that). However, I can tell you that it is sort of a hybrid between quesadillas and fajitas with rice. They also have ribs and burgers which we didn’t try this time.

The final verdict for Chili’s American Grill Bar

Being at the heart of Resorts World Sentosa certainly enticed us to visit Chilis American Grill Bar, especially after a full day of fun at the Universal Studio Singapore. The Triple Dipper would certainly get things a bit more exciting to start with.

Details:

Resorts World Sentosa

26 Sentosa Gateway, #01 – 072-074 Singapore 098138

+65 6835-9077

http://www.chilis.sg/index.php

Mar 28, 2014
Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

Rating:

8 / 10 Taste: 8.5/10

Price: S$208++ set menu for four

Place: 7/10

Review:

Jumbo Seafood restaurant is one of the household names in Singapore. They even had the motto ‘The big name in Seafood’ to illustrate how famous they are. Last year when I visited Singapore, I wanted to go to Jumbo restaurant but they didn’t open in the afternoon. Hence, this time around I must go!

Jumbo seafood have quite a view branch and we went to the one in Riverwalk, a nice river-side location in Clarke Quay, Singapore. When we saw the menu, there were a whole bunch of seafood dishes to choose from and it was quite hard to decide. In the end, we chose the set menu for four people, priced at S$208++. There are five dishes (with optional mantou that we took) and a dessert.

Our first dish of the day was Superior Seafood in Thick Pumpkin Soup. This was the first time I ever tasted a pumpkin soup combined with a whole lot of seafood goodies and mushrooms. It quickly built up my appetite and expectations (a good thing considering it was already sky high!) through the roof!

The second dish Jumbo presented us was Fresh Scallop & Squid Fillet in XO Sauce. Unfortunately this one was a bit spicy to my liking and I was kinda worried that the chilli crab would be this spicy! In terms of presentations, they had a balanced combination of seafood and vegetables on a deep fried noodles ‘plate’.

Our next dish fell in the category of ‘as expected’. It was the traditional-looking Roasted Duck. Although it was in the ‘nice’ end of the scale, it was still a regular roast duck with sauce, tender meat and crispy skin.

Then came the dish that I’ve been dying to try for ages, Jumbo Chilli Crab. It was presented in a wok, possibly not the one they are cooking it from as the crab was too immersed in the soup. I was extremely pleased that the Singaporean chilli crab wasn’t actually as hot as I would have imagined them to be.

Jumbo seafood’s signature dish came with an optional deep-fried mantou which I strongly recommend to take (or add some more!). The mantou really enhanced the chilli crab’s taste.

Similar to other Chinese restaurants, they served the rice last. In this case, it was Seafood Fried Rice with Silver Fish. It was staple food good to fill up tummy that wasn’t really full, like mine 🙂

It was a really yummy dessert to end the night, Chilled Mango Sago with Pomelo. It was condensed milk on crushed ice with toppings of mango sago and pomelo.

The final verdict for Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

I must say I am very pleased with my visit to Jumbo Seafood Restaurant. They might command a slight premium value to the average Singaporean Restaurant, but it was thoroughly justified with the dishes they presented. Its Singaporean Chilli Crab also lived up to my expectations.

Details:

20 Upper Circular Road #B1-48

The Riverwalk, Singapore 058416

+65 343435

http://www.jumboseafood.com.sg/

Jun 11, 2013