Thursday, 23 October 2014

Samy's Curry

Dempsey Road. The name that is synonymous with hip eateries and upmarket restaurants. One thing that stands out like an eyesore here is Samy's Curry.

Totally not in sync with other establishments in terms of layout and interior design, this feels more like an eatery in Little India. But fortunately for those who are living closer to Dempsey than Little India, this place serves decent Indian food to satiate any cravings.

I have been here on several occasions, and this time craving struck while me and The Wife was thinking of where to eat. She wanted to visit the newly opened Henri Charpentier, but being the sensible one, I decided that we needed to get some real food before dessert. (Alas, after this meal was over, so were the operation hours of the dessert shop).

My to-go food here is always biryani.
I love biryani.
Not those who cheat you with Umbrella Thai rice or whatever type of other cheaper rice grains there are.
But actual basmati biryani rice.
Basmati rice really brings out the flavour of the spices used in biryani.

Behold Exhibit A.
Notice how the rice grains are longer than those you eat normally at Chinese restaurants?
That is a quick way to differentiate basmati rice from other types of Asian rice.
My definition of good biryani is that it must be good enough to eat on it's own, without any curry or meat.
If the chefs aren't stingy with the spices, this generally isn't much of an issue. Samy's biryani passes the Lunatic's Test.
But therein lies my dilemma. I like the biryani to be tasty on it's own, but I hate picking out the spices IN the biryani. I like the rice, not the extra bits and pieces of cloves, nutmeg or whatever!
This Lunatic, so hard to please!
Of course, the best way to eat biryani is with curry! LOADS of it!
Sometimes my biryani turns out more like gruel than rice. HEHE.
I always try to go for chicken curry as it compliments the chicken that I usually order with biryani.
The Samy's rendition is pretty decent, not spicy enough to give weak palates a heart attack, yet providing enough oomph for people like me with stronger taste buds.
One thing that they provide together with the FREE FLOW biryani (yes you read that right) is daal (chick pea stew) and dahi (vegetable yoghurt). Personally I don't like dahi so I didn't get any, So you can on see the daal from my picture above.

The daal is pretty bland, but I guess it's more of a distraction, so it doesn't matter. I really like chick peas, so if I were to say I can do without this, it might be a huge signal. Haha.
 
The Wife had one look at the tandoori chicken and declared that she wanted it. Huge mistake. The meat was dry and didn't have any tandoori taste beyond the outer layer. You can tell my the photo that the inside of the meat is pretty much like eating the breast meat of a very fat roasted chicken. Totally tasteless without any condiments.  Order at your own risk!

The masala chicken though was a different story.
Don't worry, it's not as spicy as it looks. It didn't provide me with much of a kick, so I would surmise that those who can take slightly spicy stuff would still be able to enjoy this dish in it's entirety.
Similar to the tandoori chicken in that the flavour did not go all the way in, the redeeming quality of this is that just a little bit of masala enhances every bite. While nowhere near the best masala chicken and not something that would make your jaw drop, it is fundamentally still comfort food. 

Remember the free flow biryani? Well they don't allow sharing, and The Wife was denied just 1 mouthful, which got her fuming. She didn't even get to try the rice! Such a pity. As such, she has declared this place to be a no-go in the future as she feels cheated. Honestly, it wasn't like I would have asked for a rice topup anyway.
I didn't even finish the mountain of rice plonked in front of me! 
Although I do respect their business standpoint, they could have been slightly more flexible in that aspect.

Looks like I won't be back for quite a while.

Price : About $10 per pax
Address : 25 Dempsey Rd, Singapore 249670
Tel : 6472 2080

Signing off,
The Lunatic

Monday, 20 October 2014

Bruno's Pizzeria & Grill

A couple of months ago, one of my close friends had his birthday dinner here.
Incidentally, when I still a food writer, I also came here when I was doing a pizza article, and I remember vividly because I got the chef to make a special 4-in-1 pizza for me..supposed to use it as the cover image for the article but it didn't pan out.
Felt so bad!

Ok back to the topic. Located along Tanjong Katong Road, Bruno's is a quaint little place that feels very family-operated and owned. Katong is well-known for the bevy of outstanding eateries in the area, and for those of you sick of the usual Katong laksa or Aston's, do try this place out!
The Wife liked her last visit so much that she kept pestering me to come back again. And so we did, with Mum coming along as well.

Please do make reservations before coming as they always seem to be full!


You will start off the meal with a basket of bread, with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dips. Not much to comment about as I don't think they make their own bread. The only gripe was that the bread could have been heated up a little, might have been nicer.
We decided to order mushroom soup as well because we haven't tried any of the soups here before. We were not disappointed with the thick and creamy mushroom soup, with bits of mushroom for that added bite. Thumbs up for thick, satisfying soup!

 Prosciutto with rock melon. The ham itself is pretty salty, as is all prosciutto. That's why it is always paired with rock melon! I really like the parma ham and rock melon combi. They don't call it parma ham here, and I think their ham is slightly saltier than parma ham. Taste wise is comparable though. The Wife and Mum both found this ok, but they aren't fans to begin with. But I would order it again! The portion here is generous and worth the price ass well in my humble opinion.

Fungi pizza.If memory serves me well, the pizzas here are generally well made, with very thin crusts and generous amounts of cheese. I would have liked a little more mushrooms on this though. But still a pretty decent pizza.


 Grilled king prawns. This is precisely the reason why The Wife wants to come back. She LOVES this to bits. Personally, I found that the prawns are a little overcooked, a wee bit too mushy. But again, still a pretty good dish. Don't get fooled by the picture, the plate is HUGE. The food portion still manageable I would say. Prawns aren't that filling anyway.

 Vongole. The sheer amount of clams in this make this a must-order dish for any clam lovers. Me and Mum spent a good amount fo time sifting through the shells and digging out the meat. WAYYYYY  more clams than spaghetti. Pretty tasty with the white wine sauce as well.
Was looking at their chalkboard, and I noticed that they had something called Nectar Juice. Was curious so I asked about it. Turns out to be fruit juices. Comes in apple, pear and peach flavours. Wondering why they called it nectar juice, I decided to order an apple one. The taste is kinda strange...but not unpleasant. It seemed like apple mixed with something else, exactly what, I am not able to place my finger on. I probably wouldn't order it again, though it has a pretty interesting taste. Probably an acquired taste for most.

The 3 of us were all stuffed by the end of the meal. Pretty decent food, though SLIGHTLY pricey for the inconvenience of getting here. Parking is always a hassle. Since The Wife loves the prawns so much...it's a safe bet that we will be back sometime again! See you guys there!


Price : About $50 per pax

Address: 344 Tanjong Katong Rd, S(437110)
Phone:6440 4525
Website : None (How is that possible...)

Signing off,
The Lunatic

Saturday, 18 October 2014

The Audacious Cakery

Had a chance to visit Audacious a couple of days back, and the positive reviews I have seen of them online are pretty close to my experience.

Though I love desserts, cakes aren't exactly my thing. With that said, I am partial to certain cakes because they are closely associated with my childhood, e.g Lana Cakes and the cheesecakes from Hilton.

So I don't think that it would be too much of a stretch to say that Audacious are doing what they do well, because I am planning to return with The Wife in tow.

 They are a small shop situated below a HDB block, but dont let them fool you.
The first thing I noticed was their clever posters, like the one below.
 
Just makes it seem like one of the places to chill out on lazy afternoons with a special someone or with a close bunch of friends.


The have a range of cakes and cupcakes that while I feel are slightly overpriced for their location, become justified immediately once you take a bite.




They have a range of cakes that range from classic favourites to strange flavours you would not have imagined a cake to be. Take for example the chestnut cake below.
This is the same roasted chestnuts (gao lak) you can get from street hawkers. But the only difference is that this is not roasted lah! The cake itself it really creamy and somehow has a tinge of the chestnut flavour. I was skeptical of this at first but it's a pretty interesting cake. Would recommend those more adventurous to give it a go.

For my not-so-adventurous readers, they also have classics that have withstood time. Take for example the strawberry shortcake below.
Similar in texture and execution to the chestnut cake above, the strawberry shortcake is also extremely creamy. But the difference here is that the creaminess here is really...cream taste. Not much of a strawberry taste unless you bite on the strawberry itself. This could be a hit-and-miss depending on your palate. It didn't make my eyebrows go up in wonder so for me it's pretty forgettable haha.

Then we have something that I will always order if available. Lemon meringue!
Ok the lemon curd here is SUPER strong. Damn sour. Made my face cringe. But hey! I like it! Though it could have been a tad sweeter...but I think most lemon meringues have an unhealthy amount of sugar already...so this might be healthier difference for once!
The tart itself wasn't to my liking though. I tried cutting it with my spoon and it was rock hard, so I ended up scooping out all the curd (and cream) and eating without the tart.
But then again...that is what I used to do to pineapple tarts as a kid. Never liked tart pastry...only the fillings!

Something else we ordered was the yuzu cake.
Honestly, I have never been a fan of yuzu, I just don't like the taste of it. I did try a bite and it was ok for me. The yuzu taste was pretty strong. So that is why I will not order it again. But hey, the rest of my party were saying that it's good. So don't take my word for it, try it if you are a fan of yuzu!

Couldn't help but notice they have some pretty bottles on display. On closer look, turned out to be tea.
Will try one of them when I return with The Wife!

Price : <$15 for cake+drink
Address : 2 Everton Park #01-61, S(081002)
Tel : 6223 3047
Website : theaudaciouscakery.com

Signing off,
The Lunatic

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Fordham and Grand

Blink and you WILL miss it.
Even if you are trying to find it, you will have trouble seeing it.
That is Fordham and Grand for you.
Nope, it's not the one with the yellow signboard. It's the wooden door closest to you. No large signboards, no indication that it's a restaurant, no windows, nothing.
That's it. Talk about no frills! The tiny sign you see on the left is the only indication that you are at the right place.
From the outside, you may be forgiven for thinking that they are closed. But step inside and you will feel like you are living in your own world.
A small establishment, no doubt. By my count, they can only seat about 30-40 pax? And that is including the bar!
I found this place by accident, while looking for places to eat on Chope.
Seeing as the 2 founders came from big names like Waku Ghin and Restaurant Andre, I figured that the quality here shouldn't be too bad. And I was right. Far from being bad, they impressed all 4 of us present!
Gotta love the cute coasters!
I was there for lunch during a weekday, and maybe because it was quiet (just 4 of us + another table of about 6?), the service was spot on. The 1 service staff on duty was attentive and had very quick reaction times.

The lunch set menu is not extensive, and from the 3-course set menu, you only have a choice of
- 3 starters
- 4 mains
- 2 desserts
You can choose from the alacarte menu though, they have a slightly greater variety there. But we all decided that the set menu was extremely value for money and so we all went with that.

There were no regrets. Their menu might have been slight, but EVERYONE was happy with EVERY dish. And that says A LOT.
Fordham and Grand is the epitome of 'Quality over Quantity'.

For starters, we were able to try 2 out of 3. Nobody wanted to order the asparagus and egg confit. Shame.
Daikon soup, extra virgin olive oil and espelette pepper. Creamy and tasty. Quite good, but I would still recommend the next choice...

Grilled tiger prawn, mesclun salad and semi dried tomato. The prawn is grilled to perfection! It retained the juices of the prawn, while adding the flavour of flame grilling. You know how some grilled prawns are full of the smoky taste, yet dry as hell? This ain't it. Haha!

Salad is salad...as long as it's fresh, it's ok. But I didn't have any of the tomato...not a big fan.
Sidetrack : I do like ketchup though!

Mushroom risotto, parmesan and roasted porcini. The sauce is very well done. Spread evenly over the grains of rice, each mouthful carries a distinctly mushroomy taste. I didn't get to taste the porcini as this wasn't my dish and I didn't want to deprive my friend of the mushroom...but she said it was nice and juicy! Verdict : A!

Roasted spring chicken, fries and mesclun salad. At first glance, it looks super ordinary. When it was served, I was all like 'WTF' in my head. Boy are looks deceiving. The skin is crispy, but the meat inside is surprisingly tender and juicy.
Quote my companion who had this : "I've never had nice roast chicken in Singapore. Until now."
Word.

 Minute steak, fries and mesclun salad.
While minute steaks might not always be associated with the best quality beef, this is the exception to the rule. Every bite oozed with juice, and the beef was extremely flavourful. A must-try for beef lovers.

Oh! Did I mention the fries? The fries here are excellent! If you are a fan of Macdonald's fries and you prefer the crunchy ones instead of the soggy ones, this is the place to come. EVERY fry is crunchy. And tasty to boot! 

Profiterole, caramelized hazelnuts and chocolate sauce.
Loved the mushroom looking profiterole. Loved the look...I didn't get to try it. I only tried the sauce. Bitter chocolate...not a fan but everyone else thought it was good. Out of the 3 who had this, all 3 gave thumbs up!

Almond and pistachio parfait, white chocolate and apricot bits.
When this was served, I was thinking "HELLO I ordered PARFAIT, not POTONG."
But seeing as the food up till now was good, I decided to keep my big mouth shut. Lucky for me!
I don't really like ice-cream, but this is good. The ice-cream itself isn't too sweet, and tastes nutty (duh. Almond and pistachio of course taste nutty lah). The white chocolate coating lends its sweetness to the mix, and the apricot bits on top make the entire package a winner. I would recommend this!

I like the fact that they serve food for everyone at the same time.
While it probably means slightly longer waiting times, at least you won't feel left out when 1 person is eating at the rest are just waiting for their food!

All in all, all 4 of us had a blast at this place.
I will definitely be bringing The Wife back sometime to try out their other selections of food.
And they stay open for supper as well!
Till 2am I think!

Price :$35++ for set menu, quite reasonable considering the quality
Address : 43 Craig Road
                Singapore 089681
Tel : 6221 3088
Website : fng.com.sg

Signing off,
The Lunatic

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Monday, 13 October 2014

The Magic of Chongqing

I was randomly commenting that I wanted to have steamboat for my birthday, and The Wife decided to surprise me by Googling for the best steamboat in Singapore. Was really touched by her effort, though she did bring me to the wrong place, on the pretext of trying out Brunetti.  See my review of that here. Hehe she's adorbs!

The Magic of Chongqing is based in Tanglin SHOPPING CENTER, not Tanglin MALL. Just in case any of you want to visit. It's the rundown cousin that is filled with Middle-Eastern shops selling carpets. And it's on the 4th floor, quite hard to find.

But trust me, it's worth the effort.
You are greeted by a banner that looks suspiciously like something Bruce Lee would break into 2 in his movies.
The place isn't very big, so you might want to make reservations before coming. I was too excited about the prospect of having steamboat so I didn't take any interior pictures. My bad!

What drew The Wife here was specifically the search for Mala steamboat. This place has got a perfect rendition of that. The soup is spicy, but it still retains flavour.
In some places, the spice level is so overwhelming that you cant taste anything else. At these places,  I will sometimes end up looking like Tony Leung from a very old period comedy. One that never fails to make me laugh. In case you still have no idea what I'm referring to, refer below.
Classic! Hahaha! But I digress.

As I was saying, the soup here is excellent. They also have some premium soup selections which you would have to pay extra for. Didn't try this time but maybe next time when I go back!

While the soup base is undoubtedly the star of any good steamboat, quality ingredients are what takes the broth to another level. Of these, The Magic of Chongqing has in abundance.
 Beef. My staple of choice no matter which steamboat place I go. The beef here is excellent. Some places slice it VERY thin, and you don't get much bite out of a single slice. Over here, the thickness is just right, and the meat has enough taste on it's own and does not get overshadowed when you cook it in the mala side. Still maintains the beefiness, and I think that is testament to the quality!
 Shiitake mushrooms stuffed with what I think is pork. Most of my friends would know I'm almost halal...but I like this thing! The pork isn't too porky (which I hate), and the mushroom and pork somehow blends well together. Try it!
 Shrimp wonton. The Wife likes it but I think it's too skinny. Skin-ny...hahahaha I kill myself! Yup, I feel that there's too much skin, and the pork in the dumpling overshadows the prawns inside. I could see why people would like this though.
 Quail eggs. No description needed!
 Lettuce. No description needed!
 Taupok. No description needed! At least I don't know what to say about it...I didn't eat it. Not much of a taupok fan.

Of course, we had much more than this.
MUCH MUCH more than this. Oh yeah, try cooking the tanghoon in the mala soup! Yummy!

When you are halfway through, they serve portions of cooked food.
Xiao long bao, guo tie (pan fried meat and chive dumpling) and spring roll. The picture above looks like my guo tie. I think so. It's cumbersome to whip out a DSLR when you are in the midst of eating.

The spring roll was decent, but I didn't like the other 2. Too porky. Like taking a bite out of Porky Pig himself.

And then there is a touch of sweetness when they see that you are almost done.
 Chestnut cake. Very refreshing after 1 hour of mala hotpot!
It's call egg coated glutinous square, but what it feels like is nian gao. But there is no sweetness or much taste to this. Just the gooey texture.

And then there was a deep-fried bun, which I wolfed down immediately paired with condensed milk. Possibly my favourite item at any restaurant that serves it!

To wash all these sins down, do try their homemade '8 Treasures Tea'. It comes either cold or hot, and I opted for the cold version. It tastes herbal, but still sweet, and I think I could drink it every day. It supposedly has some health properties as well, but I was too busy staring at my food to listen to what the waitress had to say.
No! This is not green tea! 8 treasures tea I said!

Do give this place a try if you are into hotpots. You won't regret it!

Price : About $35 per pax (buffet)
Address : #04-06/07, Tanglin Shopping Centre, 19 Tanglin Road
Tel :  67348135
 Website : http://www.chinesefeasts.com.sg/restaurants.html

Signing off,
The Lunatic