Favourite Brekkie Joint

I have a new favourite place for Breakfast/Brunch in Singapore (I’m not talking about a Sunday champagne brunch, that’s a different topic altogether). Until recently my favourite weekend brekkie hangout was probably Graze at Rochester Park, but following a few recent visits to Privé at the Marina at Keppel Bay, my allegiances have firmly swung to the latter.

Privé is divided into three areas – a rather fancy indoor fine-dining restaurant, a rather fabulous outdoor bar, and a more casual bakery/café that also shares the bar’s outdoor decking. It is here in the bakery/café that they dish up a fine breakfast.

So what’s so good about it? Well, first there is the location – sitting out on the decking in the sunshine with the sea breeze on your face, and surrounded by expensive-looking yachts, you could be forgiven for thinking you had just landed in lottery-winner heaven. Chill-out tunes, bubbling water features and an abundance of leafy green plants complete the picture.

Then of course there is the food – hand on heart, I can tell you that they serve up the best Eggs Benedict and Pancakes I have yet had in Singapore. The Eggs Benedict are served on proper English muffins with good quality ham, the hollandaise sauce’s flavour, consistency and seasoning are all just right.

The pancakes are served in a generous portion, with slices of banana and strawberries nestling in the layers, and topped with maple syrup, honeycomb and cream.

The fresh orange juice is really freshly squeezed orange juice (unlike recently when we asked at P.S Café at Palais Renaissance if there ‘fresh’ orange juice was freshly squeezed, we received the reply “Freshly squeezed out of the bottle”) and is a generous serving, chilled over ice. They also have a range of coffees, teas and milkshakes, including a thick creamy coffee milkshake.

I’ll be honest, there is one small downside to this place and that is that the service can be somewhat erratic. They are normally pretty good, until you try to settle the bill. For some reason printing up the bill and dealing with payments seems to have been skipped from their customer service training regime…. My advice is to order the bill at least fifteen minutes before you are ready to leave… twenty-five if you plan on paying by credit card…

Privé, Marina at Keppel Bay - http://www.prive.com.sg/

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/