Must Try

Keeping to my 2015 new year resolution of popping randomly into never-been-before places was how I discovered this gem in Joo Chiat. It's actually been opened for more than two years. But better late than never, I always say 😄
After placing our orders, a basket with two kinds of warm bread was brought to the table, along with a small saucer of olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar. We were off to a pleasant start indeed.
Our appetiser of Sautéed Clams with White Wine Chilli ($18+) arrived shortly in a saucepan. Although the portion wasn't large, it was delectable with a touch of chilli and lots of sliced garlic in the soup. This dish is meant to have mussels as well but I had asked to have only clams and they were happy to oblige. I love it when that happens 👍
Our main courses of pastas ($22+ each) came next and they both deserved their "must try" labels. The Scialatielli Di Gusto was sumptuously rich in flavours from the sea (represented by fresh prawns) and the mountain (represented by porcini mushrooms). Tasting just as good but in a different way was the Linguini Con Granchito. We wiped every bit of its delightful, thick sauce of crabmeat in vodka-spiked tomato cream clean from the bowl.
For dessert, it was the day's special of Creme Brûlée which was really aromatic thanks to the use of proper vanilla (there were the telltale black specks in the custard). It came with a scoop of hazelnut gelato that was thankfully, mildly sweet.
The vibe in this cosy restaurant is an interesting blend of service styles. Dark-suited wait staff and their elegant old-school mannerisms provided the formal element, while the informal saw the Singaporean Chinese chef-owner coming out of the kitchen to chat with customers (sometimes in Mandarin even).
I have to say it is both a treat and a surprise, to encounter such warm, attentive service at a venue where the well-executed food doesn't cost an arm and a leg. We'll be back for sure.

Rasberry Pecan pie..not too sweet jus nice

For those of you familiar with the Serangoon Gardens area, you would perhaps be surprised to learn that the decades old Borsch Steakhouse is no longer there. Instead, it has been replaced by a Chinese restaurant specialising in Crab Porridge called 新海府粥城专家. Prices are rather decent, a pot of crab porridge that feeds about 5 people will cost you around $28. The taste of the crab porridge is reminiscent of black pepper crab tang hoon, minus the tang hoon. All I can say is that the porridge has indeed been infused with the taste of crab. If that's what you're looking for in a crab porridge, this place is for you. Special mention must be made to the quality of the crab used for the meat wasn't powdery. Most places serving crab porridge would usually use crabs of inferior quality but not for this place. Pay a little extra and you get crab and roe in your porridge!

Best Fish head curry..