The other veggie starter we had is the definition of ‘ugly delicious’. The Kou Shui Oyster Mushroom ($10++) is Fatt Choy’s vegetarian version of the beloved China classic kou shui ji, or poached chicken drowned in mala chili crisp. Fatt Choy’s rendition uses tempura oyster mushrooms doused in mala chili oil & chili crisp, and is every bit as delicious as its meaty counterpart. ⠀
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The tempura batter is different from what we’re used to, as Fatt Choy’s kitchen crew have settled on a more watery batter to better suit the texture of the oyster mushrooms after extensive experimentation. It’s less crispy, but it certainly suits the softer texture of the mushrooms. The flavour comes from the house made chili oil dressing, which consists of a copious amount of Lao Gan Ma & mala chili oil. The result is a spicy, numbing and stunningly savoury sensation that will make even carnivores forgo meat for a meal there.⠀
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Thanks for the invite, @kevin._.ngan & @fattchoyeatinghouse!

@fattchoyeatinghouse has a few superb vegetarian options when it comes to starters, and the Fried Silken Tofu & Omelette with Gochujang ($12++) is a mouthful both in name and in taste. Cubes of impossibly delicate tofu are coated in a thin batter and deep fried, and then stacked like a jiggly jenga tower on top of an omelette before getting drizzled with some gochujang sauce. ⠀
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I don’t know how, but the silken tofu is almost molten in texture, and one wrong move would cause it to completely fall apart. The tremendously thin batter crust was equally fragile, but its crisp was in direct contrast to the softness of the tofu. The omelette was serviceable, and you can wrap a cube of tofu in a strip of omelette if you’re so inclined. Almost all the flavour is supplied by the gochujang sauce, which oddly tastes a lot like the sweet sauce you’d get with yong tau foo. It’s pretty delicious though, and even as a tofu hater, I still enjoyed this appetiser.

Thanks for the invite, @kevin._.ngan & @fattchoyeatinghouse!

The Kongsee might be gone, but it is certainly not forgotten as @fattchoyeatinghouse has taken over with many of the old hits on the menu. Yes, it’s still the same bossman @kevin._.ngan running the show.⠀

Another starter that probably gets overlooked a lot but you must order are the Ngoh Hiang Rolls ($8++). An amalgamation of chicken & shrimp is the filling that’s rolled up in a beancurd skin and deep fried, the beancurd skin exterior is crispy and crackling while the filling within is delightfully bouncy with an addictive bite to it. Besides shrimp & chicken in the filling, there are colossal chunks of diced water chestnuts mixed in for a refreshing & charmingly crunchy bite every now and then. Plenty tasty too, especially when you dip it into the mouthwatering mala sauce from the sublime Sichuan Dumplings.⠀
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Thanks for the invite, @kevin._.ngan & @fattchoyeatinghouse!

The Kongsee might be gone, but it is certainly not forgotten as @fattchoyeatinghouse has taken over with many of the old hits on the menu. Yes, it’s still the same bossman @kevin._.ngan running the show. The Sichuan Dumplings ($8++ for a threesome) are back to smack your tastebuds with the marvellous mala sauce. The plump dumplings are filled with a meaty mix of minced pork & chives that are simply seasoned with salt, as the mala sauce does the heavy lifting. Spicy, numbing and stunningly savoury, the majestic mala is utterly titillating, and it was so addictive we had to request for a little saucer of just the mala alone.⠀
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Although the Chili Oil Shrimp Wanton with Fish Roe ($18++) appealed to my textural sensibilities more with the snappy, bouncy shrimp paste filling, the Sichuan Dumplings had already spoiled it for any other appetiser after it. The shrimp dumplings were still delicious, but they simply weren’t the Sichuan Dumplings.⠀
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Thanks for the invite, @kevin._.ngan & @fattchoyeatinghouse!

Weekend brunches are nice and all, but it ain’t a great brunch until it’s a BOOZY brunch. And here at @supplydemandnovena, you can booze up your brunch with FOURTEEN different cocktails, priced at an astonishing seven dollars and ninety cents each. That’s right, slightly under eight bucks for a cocktail at brunch. Oh baby YES!!⠀
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Since it’s still in the AM, grab yourself an Iced Baileys Latte. The reliable ol’ latte is spruced up with a shot of Bailey’s liqueur, and you can get tipsy and woke at the same time. The latte’s pretty decent with low acidity on the coffee and a moderate milkiness, but the Bailey’s was not incorporated well. The bartender should’ve shook the Baileys Latte up vigorously, and that will be something to note for the future.
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As for the Lychee Highball, it was a ravishingly refreshing, fizzy and moderately sweet cocktail. The lychee syrup is near perfect with the soda water, while the whiskey gives the cocktail a weighty body and the all important alcoholic punch. It may not be strong, but you sure can guzzle a whole lot of them.⠀
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Supply & Demand’s cocktails are certainly not the strongest, but at just $7.90 nett until four pm, you can just keep downing them one after another. Now that’s what I call a weekend. Thank you so much for the hospitality @supplydemandnovena & @marque.sg!

For the final dish of the tasting at @supplydemandnovena, we were served the Chorizo e Pancetta off the Exclusive Passholder menu that’s reserved for hospital staff, and medical students & staff at the school of medicine that Supply & Demand has set up operations in. At $15.90 nett, this simple but surprisingly substantial spaghetti will sate voracious appetites while satisfying the need for deliciousness.⠀
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A generous portion of crumbled up chorizo sausages, diced bacon, onions and shrooms are tossed together with spaghetti in a secret, house special umami broth & olive oil. The spaghetti was slightly past al dente, but it was in no danger of turning mushy. The umami broth delivered, with the amply salty broth fully flavouring everything present. However, Supply & Demand might want to give people an option on the spice level, as the Chorizo e Pancetta is scorchingly spicy. My tongue was set aflame from the spice, and I reached out for my $7.90 cocktail quite often to try and battle the blaze.⠀
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While Supply & Demand’s brand new brunch menu is the star attraction, their regular lunch & dinner menu is too good to be ignored. Thank you for hosting us, @supplydemandnovena & @marque.sg!

Besides the brunch menu, Supply & Demand have an exclusive menu for all Tan Tock Seng Hospital staff, and NTU Medical School staff & students. One of the exclusive dishes is the All-Anatra pizza ($15.90 nett), which has mozzarella, tomato sauce, onion, rucola and smoked duck slices, complete with dashes of hoisin sauce sitting on a nine inch pizza base. I will admit, I’m not a fan of the house-made pizza base, as it was more bread-y & stodgy than other pizzas. Also, I do think the pizza could’ve done with more Pizzaiolo sauce & cheese, as I found that the toppings tended to flop right off the pizza. Still, it’s pizza, and for $15.90 flat, it’s pretty palatable.⠀
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Thank you so much for the hospitality, @supplydemandnovena & @marque.sg!

@supplydemandnovena most expensive item on the new & exciting brunch menu is the Panzerotto ($18.90 nett). That’s right, the most expensive brunch item doesn’t even come close to twenty bucks. It may be priced very affordably, but its size is considerably colossal. You could split it between a party of four along with a couple of other dishes and everyone would be stuffed. The panzerotto is an upsized, deep fried Italian savoury puff that’s stuffed with bacon, chorizo, mozzarella, mushrooms, onions and a house-made tomato sauce called Pizzaiolo Sauce and it is every bit as glorious as the description makes it sound.⠀
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Now, most of the interior of the deep fried puff pastry shell is air, but there’s more than enough filling to stuff you to your socks. The molten mozzarella is the glue that holds together the salty bacon, the spicy chorizo, and the shrooms & onions, and this delicious cheesy mess is incredibly savoury & satisfying. As for the puff pastry shell itself, it was an intriguing cross between a pizza dough & puff pastry. The most peculiar thing about the panzerotto is that it actually gets better when you reheat it by pan frying it. I’m not sure why, but the dough gets flakier and less stodgy. Either way, I know what I’ll be storing in my fridge for those 2am beer munchies.⠀

Thank you so much for the hospitality, @supplydemandnovena & @marque.sg!

Sweet and salty is an elite breakfast combo, and when your cravings demand that combination for brunch, @supplydemandnovena is there to supply with their Pan Dulcis Con Uova. In layman’s terms, it’s a cinnamon French toast served with scrambled eggs, a side salad of mesclun mix, and your choice of meat. We picked Parma ham ($15.90 nett) as we were feeling posh, and the nosh certainly did not disappoint.⠀
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The French toast was slightly thicker than average and egg-citingly eggy, with a slight sweetness and hint of cinnamon. The sweetness is customisable as you can drizzle on as much maple syrup as you want, but Supply & Demand could’ve been a lot bolder with the cinnamon. As for the scrambled eggs, it was sufficiently soft & fluffy, but they definitely made a mistake by not seasoning the eggs. The inclusion of the salty parma ham did alleviate the problem a little, but those scrambled eggs were definitely begging for salt.⠀
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Despite that miscalculation, the French toast itself was rather fetching, plus it was only sixteen bucks, an absolute steal for a café brunch dish. I found myself staring longingly at the sweet version of the French toast that came with mixed fruits and gelato instead. Well, perhaps next time.⠀
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Thank you for inviting us, @marque.sg & @supplydemandnovena!

I’ve seen @supplydemandnovena constantly pop up on my insta feed, but it’s only now that I’ve learned of the existence of their outlet in Novena, near to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The menu is slightly different to the outlet at Somerset, and Novena has an emphasis on their new Brunch Small Bites. Everything is well under twenty dollars, and get this, it’s ALL NETT PRICE. That’s right, no GST & service charge only at Novena Supply & Demand. ⠀
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If you’re looking for a screamer of a wake up call, look no further than S&D’s Israeli Spicy Chicken Shakshuka ($1490 nett). Bell peppers, onions, chicken chunks and pumpkin are stewed in a spicy chunky tomato stew, and it’s all topped with an egg and crumbles of feta cheese. The stew is startlingly spicy, and while it was tolerable for me, it could be too violent for some, and S&D might want to consider letting patrons choose their spice level. There’s an ample amount of veggies in the stew, and it goes a long way towards making this stew feel healthy and wholesome.⠀
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The chicken chunks, while ample, were all notably dry. Dipping the chicken in the spicy stew does help lubricate the poultry though. Most impressively of all, despite everything getting baked in an oven, the egg that topped the shakshuka was still runny! Start your day right with fire in your belly and order this sapid shakshuka when you visit S&D!⠀
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Thank you for the invite, @supplydemandnovena and @marque.sg!

(PARTIALLY SPONSORED) As a Cantonese guy I love my braised meats, and @thebraisedhouse speaks my comfort food language. They don’t just offer the usual braised pork belly, their menu options include shredded braised pork, braised chicken and smoked duck. We went with an order of The Braised House’s Signature Braised Chicken Bowl ($11.50 nett), Minced Pork Bowl ($8.80 nett), and a pair of Kong Bak Paus ($3.50 apiece).⠀
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As for the Kong Bak Pau, it’s the classic crossover of decadence meeting simplicity. The soft, slightly chewy mantou buns are a blank slate for the fatty, supremely savoury kong bak (braised pork belly) to paint their ambrosial art on. The felicitously fatty pork belly, just like everything else, was stunningly savoury and so tremendously tender. These paus are incredibly sinful; my arteries were saying no but my heart was saying yes.⠀
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For the quality and quantity of food served by the braised house, I reckon their prices are quite a bargain. I could see myself ordering another braised bowl again, that’s for sure. Thanks for organising this, @scalemicroinfluencers & @thebraisedhouse!

(PARTIALLY SPONSORED) As a Cantonese guy I love my braised meats, and @thebraisedhouse speaks my comfort food language. They don’t just offer the usual braised pork belly, their menu options include shredded braised pork, braised chicken and smoked duck. We went with an order of The Braised House’s Signature Braised Chicken Bowl ($11.50 nett), Minced Pork Bowl ($8.80 nett), and a pair of Kong Bak Paus ($3.50 apiece).⠀
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As advertised, the Minced Pork Bowl was full of minced pork that soaked up all the superb sapidity of the braise, and The Braised House decided to spice it up with the inclusion of some chili into the mince. Not only was it supremely savoury, it was also surprisingly spicy. The mince was surprisingly delightful to devour with the sauced up rice, and the five quail eggs. No really, each Minced Pork Bowl comes with five whole quail eggs. Now that’s what I call protein power.⠀
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For the quality and quantity of food served by the braised house, I reckon their prices are quite a bargain. I could see myself ordering another braised bowl again, that’s for sure. Thanks for organising this, @scalemicroinfluencers & @thebraisedhouse!