Why Wagyu?

It was Saturday night and we were due to meet some friends at the Screening Room on Club St. The Screening Room provides five floors of food and entertainment venues – the very cool basement Lounge; the ground level Bistro, which we have yet to try; a Studio available for private hire; the Film Theatre – a cosy little cinema room with comfy sofas; and our choice of venue for tonight – the Rooftop Bar.

The Rooftop bar is the perfect venue for alfresco drinks, with what they describe as “East meets West” views – offering a birdseye view of nearby Club St and Chinatown, with the skyscrapers of the CBD looming in the background. Add to this comfy sofas, a great cocktail list and chilled, laid-back tunes and you’ve got yourself a right little evening get-together hotspot.

We were running late and didn’t have time to eat before we got there at 8pm, so needless to say we were fairly hungry and immediately made for their food menu (ok, perhaps we ordered a mojito each first…) On the roof terrace they only serve their ‘Snack’ menu, which consists mainly of finger food and nibbles, so we both went for the one thing that looked capable of satiating the appetite – the Wagyu Beef Burger.

Now I don’t know about the rest of the world, but it seems that Singapore is obsessed with WAGYU. I’d never heard of it before I moved here, but now you can’t open a menu or read a restaurant review without the words jumping out the page at you (that and its porcine equivalent, Kurobuta Pork).

So Wagyu is known for its intense marbling, which not only gives a better flavour, but also improves the ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats – so it’s apparently better for you. From a foodie’s point of view, it is famed to be the most tender, succulent and tasty meat in the world… I don’t know about that, but what I do know is it is always way more expensive than any other type of beef on the menu. This little bad boy set us back $25.00++ and that didn’t include the fries (an additional $11.00++).

Unfortunately I didn’t really see how they could justify this price tag – the burger was pretty bland, not that juicy and not that big either. I’m really struggling to understand – for a burger on a snack menu, why use Wagyu at all?

This was my first time to try Wagyu and I wasn’t all that impressed – but I realize that a burger may not be the best vessel on which to base my judgement. So I shall obviously have to sample a wider range, before I decide for myself whether it’s worth all the hype... or a restaurateur’s licence to print money…

The Screening Room - http://www.screeningroom.com.sg/

Relaxing Brunch

We’ve been meaning to try Graze for a while for dinner, but we’re never organized to book ahead and consequently can never get a table. Instead, we headed up to Rochester Park to meet some friends for brunch on a Sunday. I’ve been here for drinks in an evening when the candlelit tables, water features and big-screen old movies make for a relaxing and chilled atmosphere, and during the day it is equally as pleasant, with the white awnings providing a bright and cheerful setting.

Their menu is equally as impressive, with something for everyone – with dishes as varied as Fruit and Muesli, Eggs Benedict, Pancakes, Full fry-up or, for the hungry carnivore, a full Barbecue Menu. Amongst the four of us we managed to sample a fairly wide variety of what was on offer, and happily they were all fantastic.

Fruit with Yoghurt – an enormous bowl of fresh fruit, slathered in lashings of yoghurt:

Eggs Benedict – fantastic, probably the best I’ve had in Singapore so far (although it would be a tough toss-up between here and Whitebait & Kale… these being more traditional).

Avocado and Tomato – served on Wholegrain Toast with olive oil, salt and pepper

And what do you know, Mr Greedy Glutton just couldn’t resist the burger… it was pretty good, although the consensus was that we still can’t beat the Wine Garage burger…

As it was Easter weekend, we also indulged in some Hot Cross Buns:

I think this might be my new favourite place for brunch, although it has such a lovely atmosphere that you just don’t want to leave… I could well imagine adjourning to the lounging area for some post-brunch refreshments… which, when you consider their cocktail menu, could be rather dangerous…

Graze - http://www.graze.sg/

Gourmet Burger

If you’re a regular reader, you will know that Mr Greedy Glutton and I love a good burger, and it is something we have struggled to find since moving to Singapore. So I was interested to read on Chubby Hubby’s website of a new joint in town, dedicated to the gourmet burger. So last Sunday we dragged ourselves out of bed and jumped in a cab headed for Bukit Timah road and to Relish.

We were both going to go for the Bacon & Cheese Burger, but were encouraged by our waiter to be a bit more adventurous (quite right, what were we thinking?!) so Mr Greedy Glutton ended up with the Mexican Burger (jalapenos, salsa, guacamole) and I opted for the Wild Rocket Burger, which was the original burger from the owners’ other restaurant, Wild Rocket, that inspired the whole idea for Relish. This came with sun dried tomato salsa and a pepper sauce.

There’s no mistaking it, these were good burgers, well seasoned, fresh, toasted buns, well cooked (if you don’t mind your mince rare), and interesting accompanying salsas and sauces. They are very thick and high though, and so not that easy to eat and I noticed most people were tackling theirs with a knife and fork (not me, half the fun is to have the juices running down your arms isn't it?!) It’s a great location to enjoy a burger too – a cool and laid-back atmosphere with friendly and attentive service.

What I was extremely impressed with though, was the onion rings. I often order onion rings, as I like the sound of them, but I rarely actually enjoy them (so why do I always order them? Because I’m greedy… and I live in hope of enjoying them). Well today was the day, these were the tastiest onion rings ever, tasty, soft onions in a light, crisp batter – perfect.

Had we not recently discovered the Wine Garage burger, we would have been very excited by Relish indeed. For us though, the Wine Garage burger is still the current favourite, and for us Clarke Quay is a whole lot easier to get to than Bukit Timah road.

Those Relish burgers don’t look that big when they arrive at your table, but let me tell you, they certainly fill you up… luckily the Botanical Gardens are a hop, skip and a jump away for walking off your lunch… not that you’ll be able to hop, skip or jump after eating here…

Relish – http://www.wildrocket.com.sg/relish.htm

Worthy Burger

Wednesday evening and we were due to go away for Chinese New Year the following morning, so no dirty dishes allowed in the house… so we just had to go out to eat instead.

We’d had a few CNY’s eve drinks at the usual after-work drinking hole then made our way to the Wine Garage for a bite to eat. We had a great Saturday brunch here before and happily tonight followed in its footsteps. They have a small but varied menu with several mouthwatering dishes on it, from Roast Duck to Crispy Seabass to Veal Cheeks… but I’m afraid we just opted for the Garage Burger… sometimes a glutton’s got to do what a glutton’s got to do.

As previously reported, we’ve had real trouble finding a good burger in Singapore but I can happily report that tonight was the night… the best burger yet.

It was smothered in good quality cheese, not the ‘plastic’ variety favoured by so many establishments here, the meat was juicy and well seasoned, the pickles had been finely chopped up and mixed in with the mayo and relish, the bacon was crisp, the bun was fresh… in short, an awesome burger. And it came with proper home cut fries.

Finally…a burger worthy of being called a burger… we will be back…

Wine Garage – www.winegarage.com.sg

Comfort Food

It was Sunday and we were up on Orchard Road, suffering from been-out-too-much-lately syndrome. What we needed was comfort food – something plain-ish and soothing. My initial idea was Dim Sum, lots of steamed dumplings to soothe the soul, but the thought of standing in a queue anywhere swiftly popped that little thought-bubble, and so we ended up in the Project Shop Café in Paragon shopping mall.

This is another ‘only in Singapore’ place – nowhere else in the world would I consider eating in a café within a clothes shop, within a mall! I’ve had lunch here before with a friend and their Turkey and Cranberry sandwich was awesome… but today it was all about the Chicken Burger.



Now, usually when you order a chicken burger it comes as a dried up grilled chicken breast or, god forbid, a McDonald’s-style deep-fried patty. Not here – this was fresh chicken mince mixed up with all sorts of herbs, spices, peppers… and there was even a hint of banana in there… no, really… made up into a burger and fried ‘til it was nice and sticky on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside. It came in a fresh, warm, soft, chewy ciabatta roll, with lettuce, melted cheese and mushrooms. In short, it was probably the tastiest chicken burger I’ve ever had. Even the side salad was good – beautifully dressed leaves with roasted cherry tomatoes and sautéed mushrooms.



Alongside the food is an interesting selection of drinks – from coffees and milkshakes to iced teas and fresh juices. In my current form, I tried their iced ginger tea, which was an inspired decision – I could feel every spicy, zesty mouthful healing my bruised body from within.

They also have a sumptuous selection of pies, cakes and desserts on offer… and I have vowed to return for coffee and cake… and undo all that good done by the ginger tea…

Project Shop Café – 3rd Floor, Paragon S.C, Orchard Road

A Burger Hunt

Mr Greedy Glutton came home from playing golf Sunday lunch time with a Burger craving... and we're not talking about a Whopper or a Big Mac here, we're talking home-made, ground beef, flame-grilled, with all the trimmings.

So, having read good reports in one of our restaurant guides, we set off to find Uber-burger. An hour later, having taken the MRT and shanks pony to Millenia Walk, we discovered that Uber-burger was in fact another victim of Singaporean catering and retail fickleness, and had closed down before we'd even had a chance to sample their 'gourmet' burgers. (We later found out that it actually closed down in February - that's 6 months before we even moved to Singapore, oops!)

So, we found ourselves in a bit of a quandry as to where to find a good burger. The closest place we could think of that has an abundance of 'western' bars and restaurants was Chijmes... so back we went for another 20 minute walk. When we eventually arrived there, it became a toss-up between the newly-opened Harry's 'Gastrobar' (their menu looks the same as every other Harry's bar, not sure what's so Gastro about it), Bobby's and Hog's Breath Cafe.... not the most inspiring set of choices.

We settled for Bobby's, having already experienced pretty poor meals at Harry's on Boat Quay and Hog's Breath at Vivocity before. As our burger hunt had now taken approximately an hour and half, there was little point in looking at the menu (and Mr Greedy Glutton knew better than to order anything else at this point), so burgers it was.

They weren't great... we weren't even expecting them to be... but they also weren't BAD - they were obviously home-made and had been seasoned well, but as seems to be standard here the cheese was of the 'plasticky' variety and the bun was stale. So burger craving only partly satisfied, and the quest for Singapore's best burger continues.

One thing I will say for Bobby's though - we were served by the most friendly and enthusiastic waiter I have yet come across in Singapore... he was truly full of the joys of Spring... so we may not have found our uber-burger, but we did find mr uber-enthusiastic... but unfortunately it didn't make our average burger uber...

Bobby's - www.bobbys.com.sg