Revenge of the Curry

There’s a group of us that meet fairly regularly, usually on a Wednesday night, for a slap-up Indian meal. Our place of choice is invariably Khansama where the quality of food never disappoints, and neither does the low figure at the bottom of the bill. Well this week we decided to be a little crazy and venture out of the confines of Little India and made our way up to that old famous favourite, Samy’s.

Firstly of note here was the lack of Indian people in the restaurant (apart from those in our group) – that’s right, it was all Ang Mohs – tourists and expats, perhaps because of its prolific appearances in the guidebooks… not the best sign of a good curry house, but we weren’t going to let that deter us.

There is no menu here – just a display cabinet of curries sitting in bain-maries just waiting for you to come along and choose them. We were there quite late (by late I mean around 9pm) and unfortunately you could tell that the majority of dishes had been sitting there for some time. For this reason we skipped the seafood which was looking really rather sad by this stage and opted instead for the lamb, chicken and vegetable dishes.

Once again we were slightly rather over-zealous with our ordering, not realizing that every dish we ordered would be slopped onto each banana leaf in abundance – but at least nobody went hungry and we were able to sample most dishes on offer (apart from the crusty seafood of course).

We kicked off with two types of Chicken and some Cauliflower, served on central plates with toothpicks to help ourselves with – which, apart from our concerns regarding the obviously high levels of food colouring, were a pretty tasty beginning.

Then came the main courses – two types of chicken, two types of lamb, some dahl and some raita. These again was all perfectly palatable (although not a patch on Khansama) and satisfyingly spicy. The bottom line on the bill was also fair, especially considering the vast amounts of food ordered.

We left fairly satisfied and happy to consider Samy’s as an occasional alternative for Wednesday night get-togethers. Until the next day that is… when between the 7 of us we managed to notch up bathroom visits well into the 30s… and so now (unlike our bathroom visits) we certainly won’t be running back here in a rush… You have been warned!

Samy’s - http://www.samyscurry.com/
Dempsey Road

One Year in Singapore!

It was our One Year in Singapore anniversary, so despite it being a Tuesday evening, and Mr Greedy Glutton having to work late, we decided we had to mark the occasion in some way. And what better way than a celebratory meal? And what better location that our local hideaway Marina at Keppel Bay?

We end up at the Marina quite often on a Friday evening, or mid-week when we can’t be bothered to cook, or when we just fancy kicking back in their comfy sofas on the breezy decking, or supping some wine in their cozy wine bar… Tonight however we ventured deeper into the depths of the complex, and found ourselves at the Japanese restaurant, Takumi Tokyo.

As soon as we had set foot in the door, we were greeted by a chorus of Japanese welcomes, and a waitress in a kimono shuffled quickly towards us to take our umbrellas and show us to a seat. The restaurant is split into three areas – normal table seating, the Teppanyaki counter, and the Robatayaki (charcoal grill) counter. We opted for the Teppanyaki couter, and were again greeted by a chorus of welcomes as we approached – this time from the chefs.



Not being particularly versed in Japanese cuisine, we decided to make things easier and go for one of their set meals - they offer several different options, and we chose the Tokyo Teppan Course (from the Teppanyaki counter) and the Edo Robata Course (from the Robatayaki counter). There wasn’t a lot of difference between them – apart from the different styles of cooking, the main difference was that the Robata course comes with fish instead of meat – and the choice of rice is slightly different.

So all that was left was for us to sip on our Asahis and wait for the meal to emerge. It didn’t take long – first up was our Appetizers which were presented to us with much bowing and smiling. Here we had a selection of four different dishes – some Sushi, some Wagyu beef slices, Gluten and Pickled Vegetables.



Next up was a very generous Sashimi course – with three different types of fish.



Followed by the Assortment of Seasonal Vegetables
(this from the Tokyo Teppan course)



(and this from the Edo Robata course)



Next up was where we got some input – to choose our main courses: For the Tokyo Teppan course this was a choice of Premium Sirloin Steak with Grated Daikon Radish, Sauteed Kurobuta Pork with Rock Salt and Japanese Condiments or Selected Wagyu of the Day (additional $50.00). Well Mr Greedy Glutton’s a bit of a steak man, so Sirloin Steak it was:



For the Edo Robata Course, we got to take a trip to the other side of the restaurant to choose our fish from the ‘market’ (which is apparently flown in daily from Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market, the biggest fish and seafood market in the world). I have no idea what type of fish I ended up with – I just pointed at one that took my fancy, and a few minutes later it turned up on a plate in front of me:



There wasn’t too much room left in our expanding stomachs by now, but next up was a very tasty Seafood Miso soup

and some accompanying Garlic Fried Rice (for the Tokyo Teppan Course)

and Toasted Rice Ball (Edo Robata course).

Which only left time (and room) for one other thing – dessert: a semi-peeled grape, some rather delicious black sesame ice cream and an exceedingly sticky something-or-other.

All in all we had a pleasant evening – the food was enjoyable and the service attentive and cheerful. However, I’m not sure we will be rushing back for a mid-week meal any time in a hurry, mainly because of the cost I guess ($316.00 without drinks)… and besides, there are so many 100s of Japanese restaurants in Singapore to try… how could we justify returning here without trying all of them first?

Takumi Tokyo - http://www.takumitokyo.com/

Over-priced Chicken Rice

Chatterbox at the Meritus Mandarin hotel always gets mentioned in magazines, blogs, travel books etc etc, and yet despite being up on Orchard Road several times a week, I have never ventured in there. Recently, however, its well-publicized move to the 38th Floor finally tempted me over the threshold.

First things first – the view is impressive. We can quite often be found making use of the New Asia Bar’s happy hour, especially when we have visitors in town, and Chatterbox’s view certainly gives it a run for its money. Granted it’s not as high as the New Asia Bar, but this actually gives you a better sense of perspective over the buildings, and it also has a better outlook.

Now back to the food – Chatterbox has made its name serving up an array of hawker favourites in a modern and comfortable atmosphere. Its reputation, however, seems to have been gleaned from one dish and one dish alone – its Mandarin Chicken Rice. Obviously I had to try it – despite the outrageous price tag ($24.00++ for chicken rice anyone?!)…

but not before my ever-present Satay cravings got the better of me:



The Satays were okay, but no better than I’ve had from any hawker centre, and hugely more expensive (perhaps you pay for extra for the presentation of the cucumber and onion kebab and the pandan wrapped rice cakes).



So, on to the famous Chicken Rice – well it was a huge portion, no way I was going to finish it, and rather nicely presented (although that felt wrong somehow!)



and yes it was tasty – the chicken was succulent, the rice well flavoured, the soup tasty although rather overly peppered.



So probably one of the best chicken rices I’ve tasted… although I’m still not sure about that price tag!



And while I’m having a moan about the price tag – guess how much they charge for a cup of Jasmine Tea? I'll tell you - $8.00++! And it came in a mug with a Twinings tea bag….

I’m glad I waited to come here until the move to the 38th Floor. Somehow the view made up for the outrageous prices. I’m not sure I will return here in a rush… although if we have visitors in town, it would certainly be an option for lunch… but mainly because of the view…

Chatterbox - http://www.meritus-hotels.com/hotelresort/meritus_mandarin/dining/chatterbox.htm

Meritus Mandarin Hotel, 38th Floor

Fondue Night

I love skiing – the adrenaline rush of hurling yourself down a mogul run, the wind in your hair, the fresh crisp mountain air, vin chaud in the mountain restaurants… and of course, fondue! Well there aren’t any snow-covered slopes in Singapore that’s for sure, but I have discovered a fantastic little fondue restaurant.

Tucked away behind its rather more popular neighbours Long Beach and Samy’s at Dempsey Hill Green, is La Fondue. Keeping up with the European theme, the people at La Fondue have tried to recreate a ‘medieval castle’ atmosphere in which to enjoy your fondue. In fairness the restaurant is rather too contemporary to achieve this aim, but the stone walls, exposed beams and subdued lighting do make for a cozy environment for a fun dinner with friends.

In fact so modern is the set up here that each table is equipped with its own fully controllable electric hot plates – no naked flames and lighter fluid here thank you very much.

As there were four of us, we opted for two of the 4 course ‘Fondue Feasts for Two’, which enabled us to sample a good proportion of the menu between us. This kicked off with a choice of 3 salads - we chose the Caesar which was surprisingly good.

Next up was the first of the fondues – the Cheese course. Out of a choice of four different cheese fondues, we went for the Swiss Traditional Cheese (Gruyere, Swiss Emmenthal, Kirsch and White Wine) and the Black Pepper Cheese (Smoked Black Pepper, Stilton Cheese, Coarse Pepper, White Wine). Not only did two enormous pots of fondue appear fairly swiftly, but they were accompanied by a mound of bread cubes and trays of cooked crunchy vegetables.

These were pretty good – although a small complaint would be that the Swiss Traditional Cheese was perhaps to strong on the Kirsch flavour, and the Black Pepper Cheese perhaps not stilton-y enough (although this suited me fine).

Next up was the Meat & Seafood Course. Here, we opted for the Bourguignonne European Style Soup and the Chicken Broth (the other choice was a Flat Pan Grill which didn’t sound half as fun as dipping into the fondue).

With the soups we were served an amazing array of meat and seafood to dip in and cook - Garlic Herb Chicken, Marinated Sirloin, Shrimps, Teriyaki Chicken, Venison, Black Pepper Pork, Honey Pork, Sausages, Cajun Fish, Marinated Salmon, Spicy Fish, Beef Tenderloin – phew!

And it was all fantastic – each meat really carried its own flavour, and also differed depending on which soup they were cooked in. This led to several comments such as “Ooh, ooh, you have to try the Shrimps in the Bourguignonne” “Oh my God, have you tried the Honey Pork in the Chicken Broth yet?”… Ah, endless hours of fun!

Thankfully the fun didn’t end there, and the best was yet to come – yes, every girl's wet dream come true – the Chocolate Fondue. Again we were presented with a choice and after much deliberation we decided on the Original Chocolate (straight up Milk Chocolate) and Orange Chocolate (Dark Chocolate, Liquor, Orange Peel). To be honest, looking back at the menu now it is beyond me why we didn’t order the Cookie & Cream Marshmallow (Dark Chocolate, Marshmallows and Cookies), but anyway what we did end up with was certainly worth coming back for. Served with a selection of fruit, marshmallows, pieces of chocolate brownie, pieces of donut and ice cream, this was a heavenly end to a fantastically indulgent meal.

I will definitely be returning here – on top of the fantastic food, the serving staff were some of the most welcoming and attentive I have come across in Singapore. The only thing lacking was a buzz – there was only one other table in when we were there, so I hope it doesn’t suddenly disappear like so many other places in Singapore.

And if you happen to venture to La Fondue yourself… I can recommend the chocolate brownie dipped in the chocolate fondue, with ice cream on the side… sounds like chocolate overload… tastes like heaven…

La Fondue - http://www.lafondue.com.sg/

25 Dempsey Road, Dempsey Hill Green. Phone: 6474 0204

I’ll take the Fake

So the much-hyped Supperclub has finally opened its Asian doors in Singapore. Having had such a good night at the Bed Supperclub in Bangkok (note – no relation to the Singapore/Amsterdam chain – like so many others things in Bangkok, that one is a fake/copy), we were keen to check out the new one here. With this being the original from Amsterdam we had high hopes, so with a group of friends we booked a 'bed' and made our way down to Odeon Towers.

Walking into the Supperclub is exactly like the one in Bangkok (oh yes, like my Chatuchak market Gucci handbag, Bangkok does a good fake) – whitewashed walls, large communal beds lining the room, DJ box, bar, upstairs balcony, dance floor… although perhaps the waiting staff here were a little stranger.

Having kicked off our shoes and made ourselves comfortable on the beds with a glass of wine (no cocktail menu here unfortunately), we sat back and waited for the entertainment to begin. In Bangkok we were continually being entertained – there was always something weird and wonderful going on, but unfortunately it didn’t quite happen the same here.

Never mind, the food was brought along so we had something to keep us occupied. The five course surprise meal (unlike the one in Bangkok where the menu was revealed after each course on the projection screen, we were never told what each course was) kicked off with a Tuna Tartare, served in polystyrene takeaway boxes, with chopsticks.



It then moved on to a Seafood and Sweetcorn "Cappucino", served in a half pint Heineken glass



Followed by Swordfish with a Risotto



Lamb Cutlets with a Sweet Potato Puree and Vegetables (unfortunately raw – no, not rare, I said raw!)



And finally a Chocolate Molten Cake with Caramelized Pineapple and Ice Cream.



The food unfortunately was all pretty average - so back to the entertainment. Well, somewhere between those courses they did eventually bring in a painted lady offering suggestive dance moves with a large snake round her neck. It lasted about 10 minutes... then we went back to entertaining ourselves. Then once the meal was over an artist wearing a gimp mask turned up to paint some canvases in the middle of the dance floor for 45 minutes – well there’s only so much paint splashing that can keep you amused and after five minutes most people had got bored of it... so we went back to entertaining ourselves.

So our highly anticipated evening out ended up being a bit of a damp squib really… the entertainment was lacklustre, the food average and the bill exorbitant ($250 per head in fact) So in otherwise in comparison to the copy in Bangkok, the Singapore Supperclub is half as good for twice the price… thanks Singapore, but if I’m thinking of heading back to a Supperclub, I’ll take the fake in Bangkok…

Supperclub – www.supperclub.com

Disappointment at Dempsey

A few of our friends had been to Barracks and said how much they had enjoyed it so myself and Mr Greedy Glutton decided to give it a whirl for a Friday night ‘date’.

First impressions weren’t great as we started off in ‘Camp’, the bar area. The restaurant and bar are housed in the former mess of the British army barracks up at Dempsey, hence the name and the rather over-the-top theming of the establishment. Whilst the location of the bar with views over the rainforest should have been perfect for an alfresco pre-dinner tipple, the desire to carry the army theme throughout meant utilitarian furnishings which are just uncomfortable.

We tried to take one of the canvas covered sofas made from tent poles which suggested they might be slightly more comfortable than the steel upright chairs, but were told that they were fully booked (nobody sat in any of them in the hour that we were there – in fact there were only 2 other tables full). Despite there being next to nobody in the bar, flagging down a waiter wasn’t the easiest task, but we did finally manage to order some cocktails.

Camp boasts that its cocktail menu has been put together by a group of global mixologists and claim to be ‘here to help you discover a better standard of drinking’, so we thought perhaps things were about to look up. They also claim that their Madagascan Mojito (“a vanilla twist on the classic Cuban refresher”) was voted Best Mojito by I-S magazine.

Well I’m guessing the people at I-S magazine didn’t try any others, because this was the worst mojito I have ever had the misfortune to try. I’m all for a good serving of mint, but this was taking it to extremes – between the mint and the ice, there was no room left for any liquid and after two sips it was gone – at $17.00 ++ that’s two expensive sips of cocktail! Thankfully the Latin Fling was more successful – with Freshly Muddle.d Pineapple and Lime, Brown Sugar, Cachaca 51, Havana Club Anejo Reserva Rum, this was refreshing and unique.

Unfortunately the service in the restaurant, Barracks, wasn’t much better – there was much confusion over our booking despite them phoning me earlier that afternoon to confirm, and us confirming with them on our way to the bar an hour earlier. We sat for ages waiting for the menu and wine list; the water we asked for on sitting down didn’t appear until half way through the meal and even then only because we had to ask again; when we ordered a bottle of wine the waiter walked off without even acknowledging our order only to return ten minutes later to tell us it was out of stock; when we eventually ordered the wine it appeared about 20 minutes later, just before our starters…

I could go on, but writing this is depressing me as much as sitting there did on the night. Focusing on the positives – the wine list was fun and quirky (even if half the bottles were out of stock!) presented like a Pantone reference guide

and, thankfully and most importantly, the food was good. We started off with the Sweet Corn Soft Shell Crab, which were lovely and crisp, served with baby herb salad, a creamy sweet corn puree and ‘Mojo’ sauce, and topped with a novel addition - curry popcorn.

I then moved on to the Slow-cooked Crispy Pork Belly, which they claim is slow-cooked for 7-9 hours. Of course I don’t know if this is true but it was fantastic, with delicately crispy crackling and the crunchy sweet pickled vegetables complemented it perfectly.

Mr Greedy Glutton’s option of Cod Fish and Chips a la Indian was slightly less successful. Despite being described as being ‘curry and coriander cod fish’ it just tasted like, well – fish and chips… they weren’t bad fish and chips, but certainly not as interesting as the menu suggested.

I have to say that their desserts sounded fantastic – Mango Marshmallow Melt anyone? Or how about Hazelnut & Raspberry Chocolate Cake Crunch? Sounds tempting… but to be honest we had just had enough by then (bad service can be terribly exhausting!)… and we decided instead just to get the rock out of there…

Camp/Barracks - http://www.dempseyhouse.com/

(be careful, the website keeps crashing my internet browser!)

Chocolate Heaven

I had just enjoyed a decidedly good Thai feast at Café Supunsa and decided that a coffee would finish of the meal perfectly. Crossing the courtyard at Robertson Quay, I just couldn’t resist the comfy lounge chairs and sofas outside Laurent’s Café and Chocolate Bar.

Now I might just have stuffed my face full of Pad Thai and Beef Penang, but I challenge anyone to walk inside Laurent’s Café and Chocolate Bar and return having ordered only a coffee. This place is a utopia for every chocoholic out there… even an apathetic chocolate eater such as myself could not resist the goodies on offer – cookies, cakes, chocolates, ice creams… my goodness, it’s like a visit to Candy Heaven, there’s even a walk-in fridge, full of… CHOCOLATES!

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I do confess to a weakness for a slice of cake with my coffee and so, after much deliberation, I finally decided on a slice of the very aptly named ‘Pleasure’. Oh and pleasurable it was indeed – a chocolate, hazelnut biscuit base, topped with layers of chocolate hazelnut mousse and wafer thin chocolate slices, I’m swooning all over again just writing this.



It was amazing, fantastic, orgasmic even… but exceedingly rich, and for someone who can normally only stomach two squares of a chocolate bar in one go, it was quite a challenge to eat the whole slice. I can proudly announce however, that I rose to the challenge admirably… and despite my protestations of feeling sick, I was even to be seen wiping that plate clean with my finger…

Laurent’s Café and Chocolate Bar - http://www.thechocolatefactoryonline.com/

A Hidden Gem

I was down at Robertson Quay with a couple of friends, looking for a place to stop off for lunch. None of the options were immediately grabbing any of us, so one of the girls suggested a little Thai place, tucked around the back of the main drag – so Café Supunsa it was…

This is a tiny, basic restaurant with only a handful of indoor and outdoor tables, and as we were quite late for lunch, we were the only clientele. Nevertheless the staff welcomed us in and we ordered ourselves up a feast:

Starting with some Spring Rolls:


And moving on to Beef Panang:



Pad Nam Mun Hoi Goong (stir fried prawns with oyster sauce and fresh vegetables)



Pad Kra Pao (Stir Fried Chicken with fresh vegetables, chilli and basil)



And a Pad Thai:



Now this may not be the most glamourous or comfortable restaurant in Roberston Quay, but I tell you what… if good, cheap Thai food is your thing… this little bad boy is well worth seeking out…

Café Supunsa, 30 Robertson Quay, #01-04 Riverside View