Wow Wow West

Upon entering The Dempsey Cookhouse & Bar, I was immediately mesmerized by the chic monochromatic interior. Exuding chic romantic vibes, it’s the place to go whether for a romantic date or a casual business lunch.

Other than the affordable 3-course set lunch available, there’s also quite a selection on their a la carte menu. Go for the wood fired tiger prawns from the entrees as you will be served 4 jumbo tiger prawns grilled till just right, exhibiting a delectable smokiness on the hot plate. The prawns had been de-shelled so you can simply enjoy them without dirtying your hands conveniently. The pairing chili butter was, in fact, sweet and slightly creamy, somewhat like a Thai chili base. Topped with some shoestring potatoes akin to potato sticks, but they were slightly soggy upon serving. Recommended to pair with some sides such as vegetables, potato purée or French fries.

I am not into Carbonaras but since my friend was feeling it, we decided to share the Italian Carbonara here. Spaghetti tossed in cured egg yolk, garlic, bacon, parmesan cheese and finally topped with a poached egg. Perhaps the egg taste here was stronger than the usual carbonaras that come across as creamy cheesy, hence I could actually accept it. The overall flavor was decent too, but what was disappointing was the hardness of the spaghetti. Possibly overcooked.

Haven’t dine at the original outlet of Whisk & Paddle, but I am so glad they have now opened a new one at Bukit Gombak Park! A spacious cafe right amidst the lush greenery where you can chill over coffee and brunch after an exercise in the park.

Even as we were there on an evening, there was a queue formed but moved relatively quickly. Since the thin crust pizzas are made in house using natural fermented dough, there’s no reason to not try it. Recommending the duck and lychee pizza which is both sweet and savoury at the same time, yet not conflicting with each other. The smoked duck breast slices were rather succulent, pairing well with the tangy mango salsa and sweet juicy lychee slices. As recommended, the pizza crust was indeed biscuity thin and crispy.

Beautiful hill top scenic dining venue that oversees the Mount Faber and harborfront areas. However, if you aren’t driving, this place could be rather inaccessible.

I chose one of the chef’s recommendations, Pineapple-glazed Pork Ribs. Portion was huge, with about 5 slabs of pork ribs that could be easily torn off the bones and served alongside salad, achar and sweet potato fries. But there wasn’t any taste of the pineapple glaze at all; in fact it just tasted like hickory barbecue sauce. And the dipping sauce was diluted, with just a hint of savoriness. Probably wouldn’t return as the food here is pretty pricey.

We also had the signature lobster with pasta in tomato sauce. A good mix of fresh herbaceous and tangy flavors while adding on to the sweet juiciness of the gigantic lobster pincers. The al dente spaghetti was also evenly coated with the tomato sauce. This dish cost about $40, but it was really worthwhile given the considerable portion and food quality.

You know the Boston lobster is really fresh if you find meat even in their legs. Thanks Chef for letting us on this secret! Check out their Facebook page for daily updates. They also have another outlet at 526 Jurong West Street 52.

Say what, fresh lobsters at neighborhood prices without having to break the bank? Yes please! Heard so much from my dad that I had to try this no frills Italian cuisine in my estate.

At Bowen’s, you can be certain that you’ll be served some fresh produce with their daily specials, be it lobsters or oysters. But that also means you gotta be in luck to catch them! We had the lobster in garlic butter sauce, served with truffle fries and mesclun salad. Rich creamy, savoury flavours that were rather heavy on the palate. I liked the robustness of the overall taste especially with garlic and black pepper, but I would also recommend sharing to avoid a monotonous experience where the sauce could have overshadowed the sweetness of the crustacean.

#BurppleTakeaways

How do you say no to such a thick slab of homely lasagne? An extensive menu of over 15 different flavours of lasagne with beef, chicken, lamb and vegetarian, you are bound to find something that suits your tastebuds.

Wrapped between the layers in this Luigi Plus were minced chicken, spinach and scamorza cheese. The milky, creamy cheese pull was quite satisfying though the meat taste wasn’t too evident. I liked the input of spinach that brings a contrast. Such a huge block, good for sharing, but I am sure lasagne lovers can surely finish one by themselves easily.

Do note that seating space is limited but seems like they do accept reservation.

An average chili crab pasta, but what’s memorable are the elements that gives this pasta Japanese fusion attributes. Notice the heap of nori strips, and white sesame seeds that changes a westernized pasta to an Asian-influenced, especially with the whole deep-fried soft shell crab.

Tossed in home made chili crab sauce, egg white and mixed wild mushrooms, the spaghetti was far from al dente but had a texture somewhat like thick beehoon. The chili crab sauce was tangy, but also got spicier increasingly. Considered generous for the size of its soft shell crab.

You can enjoy this at a 1-for-1 price with #burpplebeyond!

While the salted egg trend is still going strong, the pairing of salted egg with fish (meat, not skin) is not as commonly seen as compared to say, chicken. Hence, since it’s the first dish in Yummo
Chow’s salted egg series, I thought it was a good idea to try.

A 200g deep fried Dory fish fillet in a house made batter, served with house salad and regular fries. Dipping tartar sauce by the side, while the salted egg sauce poured over the fish fillet. I liked the balance of the salted egg sauce; in terms of spices with evident curry leaved and red chili, creaminess, sweetness, mouthfeel. However, it appeared that the taste of a frozen fish fillet was too strong that it masked the salted egg taste subsequently. Possibly also caused by the inadequate amount of sauce.

You can now enjoy 1-for-1 mains at Yummo Chow on #burpplebeyond!

While it might not appear to be that aesthetically pleasing but rather on the charred side, this Cajun roasted chicken leg was really well marinated with spices which could be evidently tasted from the skin. It was also the char that had us enticed on the crackling skin. Underneath was some juicy tender chicken meat of a bright color that was so easily torn.

Served with really crispy shoestring fries, mesclun salad and orange citrus vinaigrette. I couldn’t stop munching on the fries.

Thank you @burpple for the invitation and Sam from @orhgaotaproom for hosting!

Perhaps you might be having second thoughts about trying this black-looking fish and chips but wait, don’t judge a dish by its appearance. The charcoal fish and chips is a specialty at The Pipe District. There’s a choice of dory or salmon, priced differently.

Coated with a crispy charcoal batter, the dory fish was tender and pretty fresh, and had no signs of being overcooked. While the looks of the charcoal batter was daunting, it tasted just like a usual better, not strong on the earthiness or any smokiness that the charcoal powder added could have imparted. Surprisingly it wasn’t very oily too. Each set comes with a side of coleslaw and a choice of straight cut fries or sweet potato fries. Love the tinge of sweetness from the sweet potato amidst the savoury!

Jumping on the bandwagon of plant-based meat alternatives in the food scene this year, PizzaExpress has launched 4 new dishes on its verde menu, featuring 2 pizzas and 2 pastas each for pork and beef by using those from Omnipork and beyond meat.

Sure, it does look like a normal beef pizza but topped with Beyond Beef, vegan mozzarella, passata, red onion, red chilli, garlic oil and kale. Also served with a lemon wedge. The beef was slightly charred but fortunately, there was no unpleasant taste/smell of the plant protein used. It was a rather good attempt also to mimic the texture of real meat. However, there wasn’t much meat flavour. Instead, you get heavy flavours from all the other spices and toppings. Well, I would still prefer my real meat if given a choice. For one thing, it’s pricey for the pizza size, especially when there’s no real meat involved.