Singapore Eats: &SONS, Telok Ayer

 "Can I pick your brain and get to know your thoughts? So I can read your mind when you don't wanna talk."

Good evening people. Yes, it is currently after midnight and yet I am not on the bed yet because I just had my dinner at 10PM. I suppose a 7.40 gym class does not really help my diet in a way because by the time I finish my class, it's already 8.40 and after shower time, it's already 9+ PM and I reached home at slightly before 10PM. Great time management indeed. Hahaha.

Anyway I was passing by Far East Square on my way home and I remembered that I have not shared my latest foodie adventure at &SONS.

I actually often visited &SONS a year back for lunch because my office located nearby. However, since I have changed job, I seldom eat at &SONS even for lunch. So one night on a Friday, my friend and I decided to visit &SONS for its dinner menu since I have never tried dining here at night and my friend has never even visited &SONS before. &SONS has different menu for lunch and dinner. We ordered one main dish and one pasta dish to share amongst the two of us. The lighting at at &SONS is set to give out romantic vibe and hence, not so good for picture taking.

The main dish that we ordered is Lamb Shank with Pumpkin and Eggplant (SGD 28). The lamb shank taste so good and tender and it goes well with the brown sauce. 

For the pasta, we ordered Wagyu Beef Ravioli with Roast Jus (SGD 26). I am a fan of ravioli which in concept, is the Italian rendition of dumplings. The meaty ravioli taste yummy as the wagyu beef seems to have been soaked in the sauce for quite a long time before cooked. Yummy!

The portion of both dishes is not very big (either that or we were just greedy), so we still had a space in our tummy to eat dessert. Here comes our dessert of the day, the Tiramisu (SGD 12). The tiramisu is served in a cup with a stick of ladyfinger. Be a bit careful when eating the tiramisu as the chocolate powder can make you cough. Other than that, the tiramisu taste good with enough coffee flavour within. 

&SONS is located at: 

20 Cross Street

China Square Central #01-19

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday - 11.30AM to 1AM

Saturday - 6PM to 2AM

Sunday - Closed

Singapore Eats: Arteastiq, Mandarin Gallery

"Oh simple things, where have you gone?"

Have you ever been in the phase of life whereby you think you should know by then and yet you still don't know what you think you are supposed to know? Most of the time I don't know what I want to do in my life because society expects me to have a clear precise and detailed answer of what I want to do in my life while I like to keep it simple. In simplicity, I know that I want to enjoy my daily life so that I will not look back to that day and regret not enjoying the moment. Yeah, enjoy the moment is the best philosophy. And I'm sure everyone know what they enjoy the most. It can be cheap like lazing on the bed, playing some mobile games, reading books, texting friends, etc.

Or cafehopping of course. But this one does not come free. LOL.

And today for our cafehopping agenda, we are going to Arteastiq, a posh looking cafe located inside Mandarin Gallery, Somerset.

Arteastiq divides their menu into Ladies Affair and Gentleman's Dinner. Not sure what the factors being considered before the division of the menu but I, being a lady, am pretty attracted to the menu listed under Gentleman's Dinner. I wonder if that makes me a very manly lady or just a greedy one. LOL.

A tea set is also available but we did not feel like having one at that moment and instead, we decided to order ala-carte. One interesting thing about ordering any of the coffee selection at Arteastiq is that the coffee will be served on a pretty tray completed with sugar cubes and some small cookies. With the small golden spoon. Chai latte never looks so posh before. 

Cafehopping buddy ordered mocha instead and you can see her drink is way darker because of the chocolate infusion in the mocha I guess. 

The chicken cordon bleu is actually part of the Gentleman's Dinner menu but I kinda wonder if the guys will be full after eating the chicken because the chicken does not look that big. The chicken cordon bleu is served with the sweet potato fries instead of normal fries. Taste wise, it's not bad but not fantastic either. Oh well, maybe guys nowadays eat lesser? 

The salmon wellington which is part of the Ladies' Affair menu looks like puff from Polar but it is filled with grilled salmon instead of otah, curry chicken, sausage, and tuna. The salmon wellington is served with tartar sauce and a side of vegetables. I should have gone for pure grilled salmon the next time I see a variation with salmon offered on the menu. 

Despite the mediocre taste of the food, dining at Arteastiq is pretty good for the girls' talk (and guys' talk too since there are some guys chatting up with each other) atmosphere. I do realise that nowadays people take into account the atmosphere of the restaurant too, not only the taste of the food. 

Arteastiq is located at: 

333A Orchard Road, #04-14/15

Mandarin Gallery

Nearest MRT: Somerset

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday - 11AM to 11PM

Saturday and Sunday - 10AM to 11PM

Singapore Eats: L'etoile Cafe, Farrer Park

"All I know is that I'm lost wherever you go"

I know I like to think about random stuff in my mind because just a minute ago I was wondering what do you call the period after midnight and before early mornings? I was thinking of the wee hours but it does not seem to apply yet as you tend to feel like pee-ing around 3AM, 4AM or 5AM-ish. Apparently evening lasts until whatever time you're going to bed so since I am still awake now, I can still wish you good evening peeps!

Super random I know.

Anyway, it's officially Friday and despite the fact I have to attend some ugh-ish company's event, I should still be grateful that it's finally Friday. Woots! When the weekend is here, it's time for some cafehopping and rendezvous time with friends. Last Sunday, I finally had the chance to visit L'etoile Cafe with cafehopping buddy after 3x re-scheduling. Crazy world we live in, we can't even make time for fun stuff.

L'etoile Cafe is located in Farrer Park area but you need to walk a bit of a distance from the MRT station. Owen Road, where the cafe is located is actually a nice stretch of street filled with a lot of cafes and neighbourhood stores (and even offices). L'etoile Cafe has both al-fresco and indoor seating but since it is pretty windy recently (yes, I do have a lot of hair-on-the-face moments lately), we chose to sit inside. 

If you don't mind the wind, sitting outside seems to be quite chill and relaxing too. And there were not many people visiting L'etoile Cafe on a Saturday night surprisingly. 

Cafehopping buddy warned me that it is a sin not to order coffee while going for a cafehopping adventure. So I ordered the less strong version of coffee from L'etoile Cafe, the iced chai latte (SGD 5 or 6 ish). I always go for either green tea latte, chai tea latte or mocha everytime I have to order a fix of caffeine. In some days, I still end up with insomnia drinking these supposedly-weak-version-of-coffee though. 

L'etoile Cafe was having 1-for-1 promotion for its main dishes last Saturday (hope they still have it this weekend) so we zoomed in our ordering attention to the main dishes only. After a careful deliberation, we decided to order grilled chicken, which come with steamed vegetables (the carrot pretty tough to bite), yummy potato wedges and the grilled chicken which I wish can be bigger. 

The other dish that we order is pan-seared dory served under generous amount of tartar sauce. L'etoile Cafe's rendition of grilled fish is definitely better than Aston's grilled fish with herb. Under the fish, you will find the same potato wedges and steamed vegetables served as side dish for the above grilled chicken. Both dishes taste great and we polished our plate clean except for the hard carrots. Thankfully there is no teacher around who can force us to finish our carrots. 

There is a blessing in disguise when your main dishes are not big in size and portion. You will still be able to finish a dessert. Yum! Cafehopping buddy is a fan of rainbow cake despite her tomboy attitude. I don't really like rainbow cake due to heavy coloring that used to come up with that shade of colors. Since the rainbow cake at L'etoile Cafe is infused with a heavy layer of chocolate, I should call this rainbow chocolate cake instead. So so but bear in mind the review comes for a non-fan of rainbow cake. 

L'etoile Cafe is located at: 

160 Owen Road

Singapore

Nearest MRT: Farrer Park MRT (North East Line)

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday - 11AM to 11PM

Saturday and Sunday - 9AM tp 11PM

Singapore Eats: Paddy Hills, South Buona Vista

"Cause you use your heart as a weapon and it hurts like heaven."

First of all, let me wish everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day no matter if you are attached or single because hey, love is always in the air no matter whether you love other people or you love yourself. After all, you will not be able to enjoy a life with someone if you are not even happy with yourself. And since I am happy enjoying good food, let me share with you a yummy finding (which may be a good place for you to celebrate a belated V-day date) at South Buona Vista, Paddy Hills.

I heard the waiting line to eat at Paddy Hills can be quite bad on peak dining hours but it was perfectly okay when we reached the place around 4PM on a Saturday. A snapshot of the wall mural right at Paddy Hills' wall before we went into the restaurant. 

Paddy Hills look pretty cozy and it totally gives out the cafe chillax atmosphere. Perfect place to date or have a fun chat with your friends on a weekend. 

Since it was still Chinese New Year celebration when I and cafehopping buddy visited the restaurant, Paddy Hills offers a limited Chinese New Year specials (which probably has ended now). We saw some interesting rendition of otherwise, a brunch/ breakfast item or Western dishes. 

The drinks menu are more or less fixed (I mean there was not any CNY special drinks). So we followed another friend's recommendation to try out the coffee (she did say I will be considered committing a sin if I come to Paddy Hills without ordering any coffee).

I know that I will not get the pretty latte art if I order a cold drink but I was in the mood to drink something which comes with ice cubes. So yeah, here is the iced mocha (SGD 6.50). The straw reminded me of coffee which I had in Melbourne, Australia. That city is really coffee heaven. 

My cafehopping buddy prefers her drink hot, so her hot mocha (SGD 6.50) came with a very pretty latte art. No 3D latte art though. 

Cafehopping buddy has actually just visited Paddy Hills like two weeks ago and back then, Paddy Hills has already serving its Chinese New Year specials. However, she has already missed the taste of one of the special menu, the Soft Shell Crab Croissant (SGD 25.80). This dish is so fun to play with and eat, of course. The croissant is infused with squid ink (and hence, the black color) while the crispy soft shell crab is served on top of the Mac & Cheese fillings. The garnish of green and cheese completes the whole dish. Taste-wise? Awesome-max. 

The other main dish that we ordered, Capellini (SGD 24.80) also came out looking photogenic. The food here seems to be created for Instagram moment. Hokkaido scallop, prawn and salmon roe served beautifully on a al-dente handmade pasta. Taste-wise, it is less heavy than the soft shell crab croissant definitely but ain't bad either. I still prefer the croissant though. 

Paddy Hills also has cakes to offer at the counter however they don't look as pretty as their main dishes so we gave them a miss. We will definitely come back for the non Chinese New Year menu next time. 

Paddy Hills is located at:

38 South Buona Vista Road

How to get there: 

(1) Take MRT to Buona Vista MRT Station

(2) Make your way to the bus stop opposite The Metropolis (exit D of Circle Line of Buona Vista MRT Station)

(3) Board bus no. 22 which stops directly at the bus stop in front of Paddy Hills

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday - 10.30AM to 5PM, 6PM to 10PM

Saturday and Sunday - 9AM to 5PM, 6PM to 10PM

Singapore Eats: Bakerzin, Vivo City

Good morning world! I just saw a news that makes me grin like small kid. Liverpool won the match against Tottenham 2-0 last night. This is despite my super low faith in them winning the match. Hahaha. And why is this so important? Because I can't stand someone teasing me that Man Utd is gonna be on top of Liverpool in the Premier League table (although it may happen since their points difference is so tiny). Oh well, we live for another week, my dear Liverpool! YNWA! Muahahahahah.

Okay, enough about football stuff (to be honest, I do not even have any means to watch the match. Sadz!). My BFF and I were thinking of eating "healthier" last Friday night simply because she wants to fit back into her old jeans while I just had too much things to eat for lunch (since the Boss' treating and all). But the idea of eating a big plate of salad at Toss & Turn was not really appealing to me for a Friday night so we changed our original venue to Bakerzin instead.

  

I don't think we have so many Bakerzin outlets nowadays. In fact, I only know that Bakerzin has an outlet in Vivo City in Singapore. Not sure about other shopping malls. The restaurant is pretty bright and cozy and it was not too crowded for a Friday night. But it can be very very cold due to the super powerful air conditioning. 

I'm quite surprised that Bakerzin has also embraced the idea of special menu for Chinese New Year since they offer mainly Western dishes. Kudos for them for being creative. But we did not order any of this special dish though. 

BFF's healthy eating plan continued so we ordered a plate of Pearl Barley Salad (SGD 12.50). This is the first time I see barley in my salad. So far, I have only seen them in my drink. Hahaha. The salad use tuna as its main protein and pesto dressing. It feels light as a whole and hence, I hope it is considered healthy. Not bad indeed from a perspective of non-salad eater. LOL. 

However, despite our plan to eat healthier, both of us know there is no way that a plate of salad is enough for our tummy. So we ordered another dish to go with the salad, the Chicken Mayo Sandwich (SGD 11.90). The word "mayo" has deemed this dish to be not so healthy. But without the addition of mayo, I don't think the sandwich will taste as good as it is currently. The dilemma of eating clean and healthy. 

Bakerzin is currently having promotion for its latest cake addition, the Decadent Chocolate. It only costs SGD 4.50 which is like way cheaper than Bakerzin's usual price-tag for its cakes (around SGD 7+ on average). I love chocolate so there's nothing bad I can say about this chocolate cake which thankfully not so sweet. I suppose we really had a well-balanced diet just now at Bakerzin with a combination of salad, sandwich and a moist chocolate cake. 

Bakerzin is located at: 

1 Harbourfront Walk, #01-207

Vivo City

Opening hours: 

Daily 10AM - 10PM

Singapore Eats: The Wine Company, Sentosa Boardwalk

It has been a pretty rough Thursday but yeah, I made it peeps! I have to resort to Gong Cha's caramel milk tea for a dose of happiness but other the unfortunate 1 kg weight gain (probably due to the Gong Cha drug plus Tai Cheong's egg tart), I'm glad I manage to go through Thursday. Thanks God indeed.

If you are looking for a place to chill tomorrow after work (yaassssss Friday is just around the corner), you may want to consider coming to the Wine Company at Sentosa Boardwalk. Especially if you can come out of office before 7PM.

The easiest way to reach the Wine Company is by coming through Vivo City. You can make your way to the entrance/exit door from Vivo City to Sentosa Boardwalk between Brotzeit and Barrio by MexOut. If you want to sit inside, you have to make a reservation though. We did not make one last time and hence, we settled for an al fresco table. 

If sunset-watching is your favourite pastime, you should opt for an al-fresco table really. You will be able to enjoy this view right across your table. I do not have so many opportunities to catch sunset in Singapore (thanks 9-to-not-6 job!), so I really enjoy lazing around while waiting for the sun to set. The last time I have this opportunity is 2 months ago when I travelled to Bali. That lovely island. 

What to order when you are in the Wine Company? Of course, the wines. You can laugh at me and my dining buddy but initially we planned to make it a "clean" dinner. Like no-alcohol kind of clean. What a joke, right? Hahaha. Obviously both of us failed our own plan and ended up with a glass of Infusion (Anniston pomegranate & rose, Western cape) and Sparkling (Riebeek Cellars Sparkling Brut NV, Swartland). Each glass of 150ml wine costs SGD 9.90++.

Since the atmosphere and the weather were quite cool and cozy that night, we decided to have our dinner here. We ordered three food from the menu. The first one is the salt & pepper squid (SGD 9.90) which is a kind of dish that cannot and should not go wrong at all since you just need to season the squid, batter them and fry them to wonderful crisp. Hahaha. 

The next bite that we ordered is a classic Singaporean dish, Crabmeat Chunks. The crabmeat soupy sauce has the taste of sweet and sour compared to the chili crab taste but nonetheless, it still goes well with the fried mantou (i.e. the two golden fried buns). This has been my favourite dish back then in my younger days whenever we came to Hard Rock cafe to listen to a live band. Omg, the day where my money crash and burn seems to be just yesterday. Hahaha. 

The last dish that we ordered is actually a kinda wake-up dish from the alcohol that we have been consuming because it has coffee taste. Yep, it is a coffee-rubbed spareribs (SGD 22.90). I personally find the coffee taste a bit too strong to my liking but my dining buddy find it to be okay. Hmm, I wonder if my tastebud does not really go well with caffeine. 

The Wine Company is situated at: 

6 Sentosa Gateway

Sentosa Boardwalk

Opening times:

Monday - Thursday: 5PM - Midnight

Friday, Saturday, Eve of Public Holiday: 5PM - 2AM Sunday, Public Holiday: 5PM - 1AM 

Singapore Eats: Lerk Thai, Chinatown Point

Don't you feel that you just want to chill out by doing nothing after a hard work in the office? If yes, you may want to listen to Coldplay's latest album A Head Full of Dreams because the songs inside are epic dope, especially the song titled Up & Up. I can listen to that song forever in loop. Hahahah. Okay, enough random rambling and let's go to the lunch time story for the day.

My Thursdate and I went to Chinatown earlier because we were getting bored with the food around our office area. Like usual, we did not really know what to eat and decided to walk around Chinatown Point to see if they is any place which catch our interest. Suddenly, Thursdate chirped that she wanted to eat Thai food and here we were, at Lerk Thai. Turns out we did not really have to wander for long from the exit of Chinatown MRT. 

I actually ordered a seafood phad thai but my order got mixed up and my seafood phad thai has changed into its sibling, soft-shelled crab phad thai. At least, they are pretty similar to each other. The thing is...a combination of fried stuff and phad thai is a recipe for sore-throat because it makes you feel heaty. 

To make matters better (or worse?), our favourite bubble tea stall, Woobbee is available at Chinatown Point. Who could resist the temptation especially you were making all the way here during lunch time (not that it's a difficult feat knowing our office just located one stop away). XD

You will be given a buzzer after ordering because apparently Woobbee does not use numbering machine. Hahaha.

The taro milk tea made my day in the office at least, endurable. Yumz! I have messy table I know. 

Lerk Thai is located at: 

Chinatown Point, 133 New Bridge Road

#B1-50

Opening hours: 

11AM to 10PM Daily

Woobbee is located at: 

Chinatown Point, 133 New Bridge Road

#02-26

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday - 10.30AM to 8.30PM

Saturday, Sunday, PH - 10.30AM to 7.30PM

Singapore Eats: Pasta Date at Lenas, Bugis+

Lunch date goes on in the first day of February. I am definitely feeling great knowing that the harsh month of January is now over and done. Totally gonna chill and slack as much as I can this month although boss seems to have different idea of February compared to my plan. Hahaha.

Today, lunch buddy and I hanged out at our favourite stop along Downtown Line, Bugis. Instead of the usual Bugis Junction, we decided to explore the neighbouring shopping mall, Bugis+. If you are looking for a place to eat at Bugis+, you just need to explore two levels i.e. the ground level and L4. We looked for a place with no queue yet as we did not want to spend a lot of time queuing up so we ended up eating at Lenas.

Lenas seems to be another jack-of-all-trade kind of restaurant although it seems to specialize in Western food (well, steak, pizza and pasta do sound Westernish). Both of us wanted to try out the pasta because pizza seems to be too big for one person. The pasta served at Lenas looks pretty similar to Saizeriya's from the picture but let's see how well they are. I went for the grilled dory tomato based pasta. The grilled fish is okay, the pasta is okay, the tomato sauce is okay too. Generally, it is an okay dish I guess. 

My lunch buddy's meal looks pretty similar to mine except for the part that it uses chicken meat instead of fish. The tomato sauce taste exactly the same. I suppose we all know now that all tomato based pasta will use the same sauce. Similar concept should be applicable for the other based sauce like cream sauce, etc. 

Since we still have some time (and tummy space) for dessert, we went for McDonald's at Bugis Junction to dig into depravity in the form of McFlurry. Hahaha. 

The strawberry Oreo taste not bad if you want to try different taste of McFlurry. It's indeed a beautiful mess inside the cup. Hahaha. 

Lenas is located at: 

201 Victoria Street, 

#04-03 Bugis+

Opening hours:

Daily 10AM - 10PM