The Short Review
Price Range: $5-$6
Nearest MRT: Beauty World (opening soon)
Instagrammability: Low -
It's a hawker centre. The cross-table judgement will be real.
Food:
1) Crispy Pork Belly Burger [$4.50]
The pork belly is a little dry. Fried lard cubes add a nice, life-threatening crunch. Didn't really need the presence of wasabi mayo, though I'd welcome a little more Hoisin sauce to moisten the meat.
2) Classic Beef Burger [$4.50]
Good for its price.
Freshly-grilled buns are always a delight.
Add $1 for Fairy Fries.
Vehemently recommended by Marcus.
The O List
Price Range: $16-$18
O for: Outstanding
What is popular here?
Scallop Kaisen Don [$17.80]
In my books, Teppei edges out Tanuki Raw as the best place in town to eat great, yet affordable Japanese food. Each thick slice of scallop, sashimi & a generous assortment of other fine specimens and roe also makes it one of the most decadent, indulging takeaways you can find along Orchard Road.
So what if there's no seating space? Kick back in a random corner of Takashimaya like a true foreign domestic worker, and ease the awkwardness with each glorious bite.
What should I try instead?
To control your urge to eat raw fish, given Singapore's current Group B Streptococcus scare.
The O List
Price Range: $20-$30
O for: Optimistic
What is popular here?
Green Curry Gelato & Sticky Rice [$8.80]
Riding on both novelty & word-of-mouth, the Green Curry gelato is acceptable, but not exactly delectable as well.
Meanwhile, other ice-cream flavours Palm Sugar and Tom Yum sit on opposite ends of the spectrum; the former being quite delicious, the latter being something straight out of a camp forfeit.
Other disappointing desserts include Thai Tea Molten Lava Cake, which sounds great but came out dry.
What should I try instead?
Phat Thai Kung [$13.80]
Immediately tasty upon first bite, the well-soaked vermicelli in garlic & prawn broth was one of my favourites.
Stir-Fried Squid & Runny Salted Egg [$14.80]
This crowd-pleaser consists of tender squid doused with emphatic salted egg gravy, thickened by pieces of egg white. A notch or two above other salted egg paste dishes out there.
This was a hosted Burpple meal, courtesy of Gin Khao.
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $27-$32
Nearest MRT: Somerset/Clarke Quay
Instagrammability: Moderate -
Arresting door entrance & decent interior design.
Food:
1) Brioche French Toast [$18.00++]
No doubt, one of Singapore's better French Toasts. The bread is pillowy soft, the berry compote/vanilla bean/cinnamon toppings classic.
Herein lies my problem with CMCR: Costs of café fare are often already multiples of daily sustenance; yet CMCR manages to rack up multiples of other cafés' bills.
The pricetag of $21.20 makes the plate of two slices of amazing bread and a dollop of ice-cream & berries a little hard to swallow.
2) Organic Eggs Benedict [$24.00++]
Two expertly-handled eggs sitting atop gamey oxtail & tough sourdough, while surrounded by a distressing amount of rocket.
Again, decent but pricey.
3) Flat White [$5.00++]
Visually average.
"Got the roasted taste." (Jes, 2015)
4) Iced Chocolate [$7.50++]
As with many other joints, dilute.
Besides being quite inaccessible from MRT stations, Common Man's pricey stated prices resemble those which've already included all prevailing taxes. We couldn't even afford to fill up the screen, lol.
Come Here: Maybe?
To finish, FatCat offers the aptly-named "Magnum Pop", a tasty house-made Magnum consisting of strawberry sorbet encased in white chocolate crunch & popping candy.
In a perfect world, there'd be a cheaper dish with just the distilled elements of wasabi foam & bon-bons, surrounding a stick of "MP".
Straight-On: Pretty Delicious
This newly-launched menu item first kickstarts decently with refreshing watermelon popsicles topped with rose foam.
The main course, however, was a collection of hits & misses.
I couldn't care for the Mango & Caramel paper, smoked ice-cream, curry and matcha powders, which were just...vaguely interesting.
The strawberry marshmallow was alright.
The wasabi foam meanwhile packs a light, calculated & delicious punch for the dessert, which is swiftly balanced with accompanying strawberry & citrus notes underneath on the plate.
Nestled amidst the storm of strawberry textures, is a spectacular white chocolate bon-bon, which bleeds strawberry coulis upon first bite. Save this for last if you want to end the main on a high.
Or you could let the finale "Magnum Pop" give the pleasant, parting sugar high.
Top-Down: Mmm okay.
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $17-$22
Nearest MRT: Bugis
Instagrammability: High -
From wall typography to table accessories, everything here is engineered for the gram.
Food:
1) Butterscotch Popcorn Waffles [$14.00]
Enjoyable & crisp, though it was hard to find the butterscotch elements.
Popcorn could've been a teensy bit more crisp, but its sugar restraint kept it from overpowering the waffles into cloying sweetness.
2) Affogato Pancakes [$12.00]
I don't even know why we non-coffee drinkers ordered this, but objectively speaking, the pancakes went fine with Hyde's espresso syrup.
Marshmallows were nicely charred.
You may want to lay off the syrup at the start to prevent the pancakes from just sitting & soaking in the coffee's bitterness.
3) Pulled Pork Mantou Sliders [$8.00]
At $2.67 apiece, each slider satiated with sufficiently flavourful meat & bearable slaw sandwiched between slices of golden-fried mantou.
You'll be neither extremely impressed nor disappointed with this safe choice.
4) Chocolate Meringue Tea [$9.00]
A pot of nice fumes & acquired tastes.
Though H&C was "fine", its considerable proximity from the MRT and lack of distinct, one-of-a-kind signatures may stand in Hyde's path towards becoming more than just a pretty café.
Come Here: Maybe?
The O List
Price Range: $12-$15
O for: Overpriced
What is popular here?
Cocoa 76 [$7.90]
The new kid on the Star Vista block's signature is more chocolatey than your average beverage, but comes in a $1 McDonald's kids-sized cup.
Cocoa Bola [$6.90]
The mallet provided was quite inept; its head separating from the handle at the slightest opportunity. I've tried cheaper Bolas in Taiwan.
Dark Chocolate Gelato [$4.90]
Got it at a sweet price of $2 with the Sugar app. Impressively gao, though I still prefer a scoop of Hei from the AC just above.
What should I try instead?
For immediate cocoa indulgences, your nearest Max Brenner should suffice.
The O List
Price Range: $69-$80
O for: Okay
What is popular here?
Taste Of Singapura Buffet [$58.00++]
Those who have heard of Brizo know of their annual 'Crazier For Crabs' buffet, and it shows in their Chilli Crab dish, which is above average.
Their other more ordinary offerings, ranging from crustaceans, satay & curry noodles, are able to satiate without ever exceeding expectations of its $69 pricetag.
The unappetizing desserts meanwhile feel like placeholders; akin to a host nation immediately qualifying for sports events, simply present to round off the buffet selection.
What should I try instead?
The only sweet treat which warranted a second helping was a passable Durian Pengat, which shone in a sea of dessert mediocrity.
Also help yourself to the Salted Egg Crayfish, which was amply tender & drizzled in yolk.
This was a media tasting session, courtesy of Brizo.
The Short Review
Price Range: $100-$120
Nearest MRT: Knightsbridge
Instagrammability: High -
Awesome food presentation & ambience, with customary fine-dining dim lighting.
To sample the world's now 7th Best Restaurant, set in the gloomy yet majestic confines of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, reservations months in advance are highly recommended.
Food:
1) Meat Fruit [£17.50+]
Delicious Chicken Liver Pâté wrapped deceptively in Mandarin Gelée, this iconic DBH dish tastes as good as its simple facade.
Grilled bread could've been even better to match the wow factor of the pâté.
2) Octopus Frumenty [£18.00+]
Besides well-grilled octopus appendages & a likable, clear broth, I found the rest of the dish tasting rather weird, its sophistication beyond my appreciation.
3) Powdered Duck Breast [£36.00]
I really liked the duck, which had a texture similar to charsiew & an aftertaste of liver.
Complimented well with blood pudding.
4) Cod in Cider [£30.00+]
Decent chard sitting in a puddle of buttery cream, delicious onions & artichokes.
5) Chocolate Bar [£13.50+]
Lacklustre.
6) Brown Bread Ice-Cream [£13.50+]
A tart of interesting textures, though the combination of pear & malted yeast might prove to be an acquired taste for some.
7) Tipsy Cake [£14.50+]
Another DBH signature, this dessert is ridiculously good comfort food.
Upscaling McDonald's Cinnamon Meltz with brandy syrup & perfectly-roasted pineapple, this simple dish executed familiar tastes with 2 Michelin star precision.
Singaporean's Guide To Ulu Café Hopping
Price Range: $12-$17
Nearest MRT: Queenstown
Instagrammability: High -
Iconic blue & white tablecloth make for good table shots, in an otherwise atas coffeeshop setting.
Food:
1) Pork Belly [$16.90]
Fatty, melt-in-your-mouth pork slices bathing in potato foam & a sous vide egg.
Mushrooms are okay; croutons & bacon bits are cheap.
Raine's contrasting account shows a teething problem of consistency, but this Immanuel specialty still remains the star of Salute.
EDIT: Got a really dry portion of pork recently. You're really rolling with the luck of the die here, coming out either disappointing or amazing.
2) Camembert Cheese Gratin [$11.50]
A baked bowl of cheese & quiche custard, which gets a bit heavy halfway through the dish. My friend commented that it was very "jelat" towards the end.
Caramelized onions are a very welcome addition to a one-note cheesy offering.
3) Chicken Liver Pâté with Port Wine [$7.90]
I had the uphill task of convincing my friends, all non-liver fans, to try the pâté, which had an off-putting hue similar to dried paint.
Meanwhile, the obviously-just-taken-out-of-the-fridge pâté wasn't as buttery smooth as I had hoped, nor as rich in flavours like Pollen, which I had tried just days before, further exacerbating the contrast.
4) Mary Jane Burger [$12.00]
Newly-opened Jack The Ripper's default burger comes at a hefty $16, but thanks to Marcus's awesome tip, you can save 25% by getting rid of those nutritional veggies.
The chuck patty's amply juicy, while the fries are just...fries.
Decent at $12, not so at $16.
Come Here: Again.
Perhaps I have a weak spot for powders. The crumbs of Portico's signature Deconstructed Blackforest, the addictive Milk Pork from Two Chefs, or the simple satisfaction of downing Milo straight from the packet in OBS.
Why bother with a mediocre black waffle, when you can get a cheaper plate of well-caramelized bananas, sitting in a mound of dehydrated Nutella & dark chocolate soil. It's not their best plated dessert, but don't just feed your eyes with charcoal novelty; order this gem for under $10.
Straight-On: Pretty Delicious
