A rendezvous..

A reunion of sorts.. a meeting with the Musketeers to catch-up and go check out Rendezvous Restaurant who has now relocated to its new premises over at The Central.

One of my parents favourite restuarants, Rendezvous was THE place to go if we wanted to have nasi padang.  I remember fondly the first time my parents brought us there, that’s when I had my first encounter and probably an overdose of chilli dishes.  That said, we often looked forward to the meals that we had at Rendezvous because ‘fighting’ over that last piece of chilli chicken or going with my dad to the counter to point and pick what dishes to plate for the table.

That’s why dining at Rendezvous always hold fond memories for me – a place for families and friends to gather over a hearty and sometimes not exactly healthy meal.

Mum has been wanting to go back there to have a meal, guess it’s time to plan a dinner outing there soon yah?

What about you?  Do you have a favourite family restaurant that evoke fond memories of growing up?  Would love to hear what you have to share.

Rendezvous Restaurant Hock Lock Kee
Address: 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #02-72 to 75/77/92, The Central, Singapore 059817
Tel: +65 6339 7508
Operating Hours: Daily 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

 

Checkin’ out: Catalunya

Of late, the Man has been hanging out at Catalunya pretty often and what’s not to like about the place?  It’s close to the office, the cocktails are really pretty darn amazing, the food is just wonderful (personally, I think it was better than our dining experience in Pollen) and it boasts a spectacular view of some of Singapore’s key attractions.

See what I mean?

But more importantly, I was keen to visit Catalunya and try out the food offerings for it is helmed by Chef Alain Devahive Tolosa who spent a decade in the kitchen of El Bulli.  Now that El Bulli has shut its doors, I was mighty glad that one of the seasoned chefs has decide to come to our sunny shores to open shop – a testament that our culinary scene has definitely evolved.

As with the other new places that we’ve checked out, I firmly believe that dining is so much more enjoyable when like-minded friends come round the table to share the meal.  So, we finally nailed a date and the whole Gang headed out for a mid-weekly dinner affair.  I had been so looking forward to the date, wanting to document the entire dining experience given that the Gang being the gluttons will probably want to order majority of the food items on the menu.

BUT, lighting at Catalunya was really pretty bad and after a couple of failed attempts at taking the photos of the food, I decided to give up.  Looks like I just have to come back during lunch and document what we loved.

We started the evening with several rounds of cocktails.  Personally, I think the bartenders at Catalunya make up a delicious and mean cocktail.  Fresh and fruity ingredients are used in their concoctions.  No wonder this has become one of our favourite watering holes after work. My favourite so far is the ‘Stairway to Heaven’ cocktail.  Try it and let me know know if you like it too.

Oh and ladies, if you are reading this, let me fill you in on another sweetener.  Wednesday nights are Ladies Night at Catalunya.  You know what this means right?  1-for-1 cocktails for all the ladies in the house.  Offer only valid at the Bar but it’s good enough if you ask me.  You can order on some light bites while sipping the delicious cocktails with your girlies.

Food-wise.. what can I say…most of the items that the Man ordered for the Gang were hits.  For starters, I particularly enjoyed the Tomato Tartar Confit which resembled like a beef tartar when our server put it down but taste hardly anything like it.  The finely minced tomato bits were extremely refreshing.  Best enjoyed with thin wafer crisps, this made for a wonderful start to the meal.  Other memorable starters that we had were the Jamon Iberico Croquettes and the individual serving of the deconstructed Spanish Omelette.

If the round of Tapas haven’t filled your tummies by now, then go on to the next level and order the mains.  That’s the beauty of dining in a big group I guess.  The suckling pig was a must-order according to the Man and another friend.  When our server showed us the little suckling pig, I almost felt bad.  Took a pic but had it removed.  On hindsight, it may be offensive to some.  That said, the suckling pig was indeed very tender and you know that it’s cooked to perfection when you bite into that thin crisp layer of skin.  What’s also interesting to watch is that they cut this little suckling piggy at the table with a dessert plate.  With the amount of strength that they exert during the cutting, I half-wondered why the plate hasn’t cracked by now.

Dessert-wise.  I can’t particularly remember anything that was outstanding.  Perhaps it was the alcohol that finally kicked in but it was a merry night to remember.

Catalunya
Address: 82 Collyer Quay, Singapore 049327
Telephone: +65 6534 0886

My Favourite Cafe

Like LITERALLY!

I love my Yong Tau Fu loads and one of my all-time favourite places to go eat this dish is at My Favourite Cafe located at Lucky Plaza, Level 6. I was first introduced to this place when they were operating in a tiny kiosk in a corner of Level 6 about 7 years back. Thankfully, they have expanded to accommodate more diners.

Must-eat here? The juicy plus huge mushrooms and the meatballs! I know the meatballs ain’t exactly healthy but they are seriously da BOMB!!! Without batting an eyelid, I will more than often take about 5 of the meatballs each time I visit this place. I usually pile on the ingredients and skip the noodles. But these days, I simply get the meatballs, the mushrooms, the vegetables and dry bee-hoon. Skip the sauce and have everything plain. You may think it’s gross but it’s actually very good! The bee-hoon and the vegetables are seasoned with a light but fragrant sesame oil. Totally yums!

I’m not too sure what the opening hours are but lunch-hours on weekdays here can get pretty crazy! So I’m so glad that they are opened on the weekends for I can slowly enjoy the food instead of chomping it down. Expect to pay about S$4-S$5 for your meal excluding drinks. This is of course dependent on how many pieces of ingredients you take for your meal.

Oh and do note that you must place your order first before getting your seats and not the other way round. This is an ‘unspoken’ system that I’ve adhered to and most of the customers abide by this supposed ‘unspoken’ rule.

Second time at Grin Affair

My first taste of the dessert from Grin Affair was simply heavenly and it left me wanting to try more flavours.  So ahead of the Intern’s farewell little-do, we decided to place an advance order for the desired flavours.  I got the number off their website, sent a SMS to them to ask if I can place an advance order for 30 odd bottles.

One day passed, no reply.  As you can tell, patience is not exactly my virtue.  So I decided to give them a call to check, someone picked up the phone and just flatly told me that yes, they can take the advance order, all I needed to do was to send in the text.  I found it rather strange to send my order thru a SMS.   Afterall, the names of the desserts weren’t exactly short and to type everything in a text was kinda waste of my time.  I’d say an email order would be alot better.  But arh well, I complied anyone because I thought it would make a sweet treat for the colleagues plus a couple more orders thrown in for the home.

Colleagues loved the idea of the dessert in a jar.  If you looked past the novelty, the desserts are really pretty good.  Light and airy, you could easily finish one of these jars easily.  For the little afternoon tea party, we ordered: Strawberry Custard, Hazelnut, Dark Chocolate, Lychee Passionfruit with Sea-Salt Pistachio, Cookies & Cream, Matcha & Azuki Bean and Banoffee.

I had the Matcha & Azuki Bean which I didn’t quite like.  The Matcha sponge cake was soft but the azuki beans, I thought was a little too heavy for the overall dessert.  Colleague who had this dessert loved it though, so I guess it’s an individual preference.

I brought home 6 bottles for the family to try.  Perhaps the entire transportation of desserts from Point A to Point B and then eventually home didn’t help to retain the freshness of the dessert.  They didn’t taste as good as I first remembered it to be.  But the helper and the MIL loved the Double Chocolate one which I didn’t get to try but managed to snap a shot of the dessert.  I thought the overall presentation for the Double Chocolate has gotta to be the most appetizing of the lot.

The Man and I shared the Lychee Passionfruit with Sea-Salt Pistachio since I couldn’t stop raving about it.  Thankfully, he loved it too!  We also shared the Banoffee which I thought was much better than the Matcha & Azuki Bean.  The moist coffee sponge cake together with fresh banana slices and baked pecan nuts made for a very satisfying after-dinner dessert.

Not sure if I would make another trip down to Grin Affair to get the desserts the next time round.  The entire experience of buying the desserts was less than satisfactory.  I still think the desserts are best enjoyed on the spot straight after the purchase.  Maybe the day which we purchased the dessert was simply was a bad day or maybe it’s just best to have the sweet memory and leave it as that.

Good ol’ steaming goodness

found in Ting Heng Seafood Restaurant but not before popping in to Tiong Bahru Bakery to pick up some croissants for breakie.  Hehe..

Been there a few times with friends a couple of years back but hardly been back since it could get crazy crowded during dinner time as I recalled.  But this evening, I had a sudden craving for some fish steamboat and since we were in the ‘hood, I suggested we head there for an early dinner.

Was it as yummy as I remembered it to be?  Perhaps.. the memory of the fish steamboat was hazy but it was still heartwarming.  Really comfort food for the soul.  And the deep-fried beancurd skin?  A must-order!  Crisp and crunchy with every bite.. simply love it!

It’s good to know that the swanky cafes/eateries can co-exist with good ol’ Asian cuisine. There sure is a little something to satisfy any sort of craving you may have at Tiong Bahru.

Ting Heng Seafood Restaurant

Address: Blk 82, Tiong Poh Road, #01-03, Singapore

Telephone: +65 6323 6093

Opening Hours: Daily from 5pm to 4am

Stocking up cookies from my lovebites

Truth be told, I couldn’t resist stopping by my lovebites after reading their Facebook feeds and learning of their new flavours.  The cookies that I purchased from my last trip was a crowd favourite both at home and with the friend, so I was itching to replenish stocks for the home.

And it appears that everyone is on a cookie craze for the stocks at my lovebites seem to just be flying off the shelves.  So after our family lunch on Sunday, I popped in and topped up our pantry.  Didn’t go too crazy, just went home with two packets – the salted caramel and the new Horlicious flavoured cookies.

Couldn’t resist ripping off the packets and satisfying the cookie craving with a cuppa just before dinner.  The salted caramel cookies were just as good as I remembered them to be.  The Horlicious cookies?  They were seriously da bomb!!  Who could imagine that this tiny morsel could evoke memories of my favourite childhood malt sweet?  But it really did!

If I’m not wrong, the Horlicious cookies are seasonal so if the Horlicks malt sweet used to be your thing as a child, what are you waiting for?  Go on and get your cookie fix at my lovebites today! 

Mikuni Japanese Restaurant

The ex-boss from Fashion Inc was on a leave of absence from work so we caught up over lunch one day before I headed back to the workforce. She had a special dining privilege at Mikuni and raved about some of the dishes there.  I bugged her to bring me along for a fancy Japanese lunch since her deal sounded really good.

Reservations were secured ahead of our arrival and I must add that the servers were really attentive to our needs throughout the meal.  From the moment we sat till the time we left, they regularly checked in to see if we were doing okay.

Even though the lunch sets seemed rather huge, we decided we could afford to be a little indulgent.  So we ordered each two different lunch sets to share.

Our sets came with a Chawamushi each but the ex-boss tried the special Chawamushi from Mikuni her previous trip and proclaimed is as one of the best Chawamushi she had.  But when we tried ordering it for lunch, we were told that this special Chawamushi can only be served at dinner.  Feeling a tad disappointed, we thought we will try our luck in asking if the chef would make an exception for us.  And they did!

Was it really that good?  I say super yummilicious!  I guess there was also some kind of novelty element that came from eating the silky smooth egg custard in an egg.  So a thumb’s up for this fun and tasty dish.

Next, the ex-boss also sang praises about the oysters done Robotayaki style. I couldnt’ say no to oysters so we order a serving to share. A couple of minutes later, two plump oysters were set in front of us.  I looked hard thinking this can’t really be that good, so much butter.  Picking up the shell with care and trying not to spill the butter on me, I dished up the oyster and immediately stuffed it into my mouth.  MMMMmmmm, oyster was done just right and the sauce didn’t feel all that icky and oily.  I later found out that the special sauce was made with sake and onion butter. Another yums dish.

Now on to our sets. I ordered the Robatayaki lunch set which was a full-on meat platter.  Thing was I hadn’t expected the portion to be that generous.  Some of the selection of pork cuts given weren’t all that lean so we ended up picking on whatever lean bits that was visible to the eye.

The ex-boss went for a Sashimi set which seemed to be a wise choice after looking at my full-on heavy meat platter.

Felt super stuffed after the lunch but thought given the ex-boss’s deal, it was totally worth it.  Hoping to bring the Man one day to try the Robatayaki section for it looked like a fun dining experience.

Mikuni Japanese Restaurant
Address : 80 Bras Basah Road, Level 3 Fairmont Singapore
Telephone: +65 6431 6156