Celebrated T.H.’s Birthday At A Restaurant We Love. For his birthday dinner this year, T.H. was clear about where he wanted to dine. And this decision was made a few months ago when our dinner at @basquekitchenbyaitor left him hugely impressed. I know many people specifically visit this restaurant to savour their Txuleta and/or Turbot that are grilled on the Josper, but we had the Tasting Menu by Chef-owner @aitortxuchef. Leaving it to chefs to decide what to feed me has always been my preferred because I believe they would want to share creations that best represent them, not to mention those they are most proud of. And that’s how we spent the evening enjoying the following: 1. A yet-to-be-launched premium pintxo of mushroom glazed uni on toast topped with freshly shaved white truffle. Outrageously yum! 2. Another incredible premium pintxo of decadently delish “egg on egg on egg” action featuring caviar on a cured Japanese egg yolk and bottarga. 3. Piping hot and crunchy truffle croquetta with a creamy core of black truffle aioli and more white truffle to finish. I’ve always liked this a lot. 4. Very tender and flavourful abalone that’d been sous vide for 48 hours served on sourdough and blanketed in a “Donastiarra” sauce. 5. Housebaked sourdough with the restaurant’s as-fab-as-ever smoky butter. 6. An exquisite creation of poached Kegani hairy crab meat with Kaluga caviar, mixed greens and chive oil. 7. Hearty course of meaty cep mushrooms with cured japanese egg yolk and marigold - I simply couldn’t believe how satisfying this was. 8. An interesting dish starring sea anemone rice with plankton aioli and sea succulents - ice plant and sandfire. 9. Very flavourful pan-fried red mullet smothered in beef tendon crackling puffs and a sauce of its own bones, liver and such. 10. Tasting of the sea, a mussel consommé with creamy bouchot mussels and goose barnacles hidden under the foaminess. 11. For the meat course, T.H. had his favourite A5 Miyazaki Wagyu tenderloin with foie gras, autumn truffle, pumpkin purée and jus, while I got the incredible lamb that had bowled me over the last time. It was every bit as mind-blowing as I remembered. 12. To enjoy with our meats, we had what T.H. christened the “King Of Chips”. I must concur as the heap of huge and chunky, triple-cooked chips were perfection - mealy inside, crispy out. The white truffle shaved on was lovely but not necessary because frankly, the chips were outstanding on their own. 13. “Heaven on Wheels” rolled up next and Sham prepared for us a selection. By selection, I mean nearly every cheese on that trolley, including those from the Basque Country. You could probably have spotted my beaming smile from outer space. So great was my happiness. 14. Palate cleanser was a yellow-on-yellow vibrance of mango ice-cream, tangerine sorbet and marigold petals. 15. For dessert, Chef Aitor served a flan with the most luxurious mouthfeel, and it had the excellent company of housemade chamomile ice-cream and yuzu dust. 16. Petit fours were thoughtfully packed by Chef @ippinn_ for us to take home because after that cheesapalooza and desserts, we could not imagine taking another bite. To pair with the parade of seafood and red meats throughout the night, @jaureguiberryvincent recommended an atypical red which we found really lovely. Thank you Team @basquekitchenbyaitor for a most memorable dinner.

For As Basque As It Gets The entire restaurant pulls its inspiration from Basque Country, so no surprise that you'll find a Basque-style burnt cheesecake here. Each slice goes for $16 but you can also get a whole cake at $78. Baked with both cream cheese and native Idiazabal cheese, the result is sublime, "so sublime I didn't want to share it", says Burppler Veronica Phua. Photo by Burppler Ting C

Wagyu Txuleta Burger (S$38+) The best burger I’ve had in Singapore. This handful for a burger packs a definite punch. Within one bite of the Wagyu Txuleta Burger, I was hit with an assortment of flavours. The buns held its texture and did not get soggy despite the delivery time. And between them, they hold double patties of old cow wagyu smothered in glorious gooey melted cheese. Every order of the burger comes with a side of life-changing homemade thick fries. I’ll be counting down the days till I’ll be having this again.

Gindara Mentaiyaki ($38++) Charcoal-grilled cod topped with mentaiko-mayo. Chawamushi no more truffle. Cod fish is thicc w generous amt of mentai. Dine w a view!

1-For-1: Lunch Set (~save $32) Elevate your dining experience at USHIO Sumiyaki & Sake Bar on Level 8 of OUE Tower! Indulge in the exquisite flavours of their Unagi Don or the Chirashi and Uni Don with a generous array of thick sashimi. The panoramic view of MBS is the perfect backdrop, whether it's day or night. Don't miss out on the unbeatable 1-for-1 Lunch Set with your Burpple Beyond deal!

Unagi lunch set ($32) Prefer the salmon mentaiko set but this unagi set comes w additional onsen egg & salad

Char Siew Chee Cheong Fun I love their wide variety of CCF here. The skin was smooth and thin. I think abit chewy as compared to the other ones i had. The sauce had the sesame fragrance. Their mains was also quite good as well but portion might be abit small. So it is just nice to add on a plate of CCF for sharing.

Cantonese Comfort Food The queue here on a week day can be very long and most difficult to get a table. The Chee Cheong Fun here is made from steamed rice flour slurry coated on cloth, in order words, Guangdong style. Although it is not too bad, it is a pale shadow of the original restaurant in Guangzhou. The porridge is also average. Star of the lunch was the deep fried meat balls that were still piping hot and crispy on the outside with succulent minced meat on the inside. I think I’ll wait for COVID to go away and go back for my cheong fun fix in Guangdong province.

Wide variety of chee cheong fun! Chanced upon this shop after my Saturday morning workout a few weeks back. As the eatery has half its menu offering a wide range of different chee cheong fun i.e steamed rice roll, I knew I couldn't miss out on this. I ordered the fresh prawn egg roll ($7.50) and to be very honest, I've not paid so much for a chee cheong fun before lol. Didn't think it was especially mind blowing but it was a well made chee cheong fun, with the silky rice roll and crunchy fresh prawns. For those who wants to deviate from the usual char siew or prawn chee cheong fun typically offered in dimsum stalls, this is probably the place to go. Some of the more unique variety of chee cheong fun that caught my eye were vegan roll, pork and liver roll, and beef roll. Rating: 7.5 / 10

Fried Kang Kong Would recommend trying their one-of-a-kind deep fried Kang Kong ($16) when here! Lightly battered crunchy greens without overpowering the natural vegetable flavour, enhanced by the tangy spicy sauce. Also included crisp and succulent chunks of fish, and 2 generously sized deep fried prawns.

Charcoal mookata Hearty and satisfying traditional charcoal Mookata at decent prices. We went for the Mookata set ($69.90) that’s good for 3-4 pax. Enjoyed the sweet-sour and mildly spicy Tom yum soup. All the meats were well-marinated and tender. One can choose to have them in the soup or charcoal grilled for a smoky finish. Our favourites were the marinated and Tom yum chicken, pork belly, and marinated pork collar.

Mango salad $10 All exceptional value, even though sets were not available at night. Accommodating efficient lovely little place. All could be spicier

Not bad, reminiscent of a good laksa bowl! Dry Laksa ($18 1 for 1 with #burpplebeyond) - though the noodles were abit too soft, the sauce is thick and very flavourful, just like a good bowl of laksa. They gave 4 pretty huge prawns which were all plump and fresh! Not bad can try.

Pretty delicious Mentai Don! Salmon Mentai Don ($18 1 for 1 with #burpplebeyond) - mentaiko really can't go wrong and for this bowl they were pretty generous with the amount of sauce! As for the salmon pieces, it seems like it's lesser than that of Chirashi. I still love the rice in here! The onsen egg just pairs well with everything in here 😍

Chunky fresh pieces of sashimi, not bad Lecoq Chirashi ($16 1 for 1 with #burpplebeyond) - pretty generous with the sashimi ingredients, the sashimi pieces were fresh and chunky! I must say they gave alot of rice, but I ain't complaining because their rice were well seasoned and pretty darn addictive. Love the onsen egg as well, as it acts as a good medium to combine everything together!

Sous Vide Duck Breast ($38) Pretty dish and I was in the mood for some duck!

Chef Marco's Mum Signature Tiramisu $16 Probably the best Tiramisu i've ever tasted in my foodie journey~ A really must-try dessert 👍🏾

Lamb Ragout Tagliatelle My favorite dish of the night! The lamb ragout was so flavorful and tender. Perfect with the tagliatelle.

Picanhas - Brazilian steakhouse Brazilian steakhouse in CBD area Must order: - people’s burger (10/10) $22 - queen of steak $22 - creamy spinach with nutmeg $7 - potatoes with sriracha mayo $7 - apple crumble $15

A combo: Queen of Steak & Sze Chuan Sauce Queen of Steak ($25) - tender and melts to your mouth. We partnered it with Sze Chuan Sauce ($2). A good combo that compliments well each flavours. People’s Burger ($24) - not too thick yet still juicy. But we have tried other good burger. Picanha Don ($17) - for those who can’t get away with rice, this is a good meal in affordable price. Includes vegetables and egg too. Oozing with flavour and large portion of steak.

👍👍 👍👍

A4 Wagyu as part of @yen_yakiniku’s new 10 course Omakase menu. Expertly slow seared over charcoal and rested, this was such a dreamy piece of meat. I really loved how they portioned it to a point where you really get to enjoy the meat but enough to not overwhelm.

OX Tongue thin sliced ox tongue topped with spring onion and Yen signature dressing

Honeycomb Beef Tripe This dish is ultra small (like 6 pieces of beef tripe) for $23++. Please be warned. I was expecting a mini pot worth of food. I think taste wise, it's yummy. The baby carrot cubes, onion cubes and some other veg that I don't know (0.1cm x 0.1cm) below makes it taste like dried "beef stew soup" haha. Xoxo, wet tissue no have.

Mala Bah Chor Noods | $11.50 Well-executed bowl of mala minced pork noodles. Noodle texture was pretty decent, and the ramen egg was adequately flavourful. Wantons were adequately plump and juicy, Overall Mala taste was nothing too spicy or numbing, so feel free to add the “shiok chilli” to your bowl to jazz up the flavours. It seems like Wanton Seng is famous for their “shiok chilli”, which comes in two versions — one that is not too spicy and one that is a killer! The non-spicy version is on the sweeter side, while their killer version is truly a killer, so put it in moderation! Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Twosome Noods | $11.50 Twosome noods — a chance for you to get the best of roasted delights in a bowl of wanton noodles. Char Siu, Roasted Pork, and Wantons. What more can you ask for? Drizzle a bit of their shiok chilli, or douse your bowl in it if you want, this “modern take” on your classic bowl of wanton noodles is sure to satisfy that noodle craving (undeniably with a higher price point). Nonetheless, with good vibes, service, and drinks, this is a price I would not mind paying. Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Salted Egg Fried Wings | $14 Deboned fried wings that were decadently doused in salted egg sauce. Personally wasn’t wow-ed by the flavour, especially with the powdery texture amidst the sauciness. Nonetheless, it was still decent. I did think complementing these wings with their shiok chilli made the flavours more unique and palatable. Rate:🌟🌟🌟

Octopus Leg ($34) Went to Mazzo to savour their Italian grigliata (grill) since we can’t travel to 🇮🇹 Adding a touch of modern innovation to traditional Italian heritage, they use lava rocks instead of charcoal to bring out the natural flavours in chargrilled food like this Octopus Leg ($34) with creamy gratin potatoes. Do get the Chef’s Recommendation Antipasti ($39, sharing for 2) to start. A satisfying platter made of cold cuts, bruschetta, risotto balls, mozzarella, calamari and chicken wings with a glass of Prosecco.

Wonderful ambience and service A really lovely place to hangout for dinner and drinks. Ordered the seafood platter and each item was cooked to perfection!

Great Candlelit Dinner During our visit to Mazzo for dinner last week, we ordered the Wagyu Beef Burger along with a number of sides, including their cheese board. The ambience and the candlelit dinner experience allowed for a pleasant meal. Our host Sebastian and the waitress, Weiwei, who assisted us throughout the night, were really welcoming and rendered exceptional service during our visit. Overall, we had a wonderful night and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.