¡Arriba!

While the Peach Smash & the Passionfruit Daiquiri from @sugarhallsg were equally exceptional, we finally have a winner that just managed to edge it over the previous duo. Honestly we may have done the second cocktail a disservice though, as it is still a charming cocktail, it just had the misfortune of getting ordered alongside the winner.⠀
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The Melon Rum Sour (all single serve cocktails are $26++) reminded me of the melon ramune drink, thanks to the honeydew & Charentais melon which is a type of cantaloupe. Besides the sweet melons, Havana Club 3 year old rum, absinthe, lemon & thyme are mixed into this fruit forward cocktail, and the booze hits pretty hard here thanks to the absinthe. However, the melon flavours in the Melon Rum Sour did taste a little artificial, especially on the aftertaste.⠀
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And now for the what was arguably the winning cocktail of the night, the brilliant Banana Highball. The use of discarded Banana Peel Rum was a 300 IQ move by Sugarhall’s mixologists, and the pleasant banana flavours held up robustly against the Amontillado sherry, green apple & black walnut bitters. At first sniff, it smells like delicious banana bread, and then notes of caramel start to arise. The flavour, on the other hand, was nearly purely caramel. It strongly reminded me of a Werther’s Original caramel sweet with the velvety caramel notes, with just a hint of banana at the end of every sip. Incredibly delicious, and the Banana Highball has us going bananas.⠀
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Thank you so much for the invite, @sugarhallsg!

@sukiya.singapore is now my go to beef bowl place not just because their gyudon is cheap and comes in gigantic portions, I also dine there because of their limited time specials. Take for example this Yangnyeom Cheese Beef Yakiniku Bowl, which clocks in at $13.80 nett for the XL bowl. The XL boasts double meat and twenty five percent more rice, making this a beefy bowl for the turbobulkers.
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The normal gyudon is upgraded by grilling the thinly sliced beef in a teriyaki glaze, resulting in even more flavour from that majestic Maillard reaction browning the beef and caramelising the sugars in the teriyaki. The beef is already fantastically flavourful, but the yangnyeom sauce adds a truckload more flavour. The deep umami from the gochujang is mixed with garlic & sugar, adding extra savouriness & sweetness to the already delicious beef. Truth be told, the flavours can get a little too intense sometimes, but all you gotta do is take a swig of the complimentary tea to reset your palate.⠀
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I do wish that the cheese on top of the beef & yangnyeom sauce was at least partially melted, but if you move fast enough, you can get it to melt slightly if you swiftly mix the cheese in with the hot rice. Still, this XL beef bowl gave me XL satisfaction.

Harry’s Jazz Burger ($22++) has been remastered yet again, and I have no idea which permutation this current one is. This time, however, the remastered version was a great success. I remember the patty of previous Jazz Burger being too densely packed and resulting in a tough chew, but this one has no such problems. Juicy buns sandwich a juicy, easy to chew patty with jalapeño cheese sauce, melted cheese & bacon with some mushrooms, lettuce & tomatoes, and this jazz solo is a hit. I couldn’t discern any jalapeño in here, but the cheese sauce and the slice of melted cheddar make this burger extra creamy & rich. The mushrooms add extra umami & weight to the burger, and it’s almost the perfect burger to hold in one hand while your other hand nurses a pint of beer. I’d definitely love to see a double patty option in the future, because double the patties double the fun.⠀
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Thank you for the invite, @harryssingapore & @burpple!

@sukiya.singapore is now my go to beef bowl place not just because their gyudon is cheap and comes in gigantic portions, I also dine there because of their limited time specials. Take for example this Yangnyeom Cheese Beef Yakiniku Bowl, which clocks in at $13.80 nett for the XL bowl. The XL boasts double meat and twenty five percent more rice, making this a beefy bowl for the turbobulkers.
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The normal gyudon is upgraded by grilling the thinly sliced beef in a teriyaki glaze, resulting in even more flavour from that majestic Maillard reaction browning the beef and caramelising the sugars in the teriyaki. The beef is already fantastically flavourful, but the yangnyeom sauce adds a truckload more flavour. The deep umami from the gochujang is mixed with garlic & sugar, adding extra savouriness & sweetness to the already delicious beef. Truth be told, the flavours can get a little too intense sometimes, but all you gotta do is take a swig of the complimentary tea to reset your palate.⠀
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I do wish that the cheese on top of the beef & yangnyeom sauce was at least partially melted, but if you move fast enough, you can get it to melt slightly if you swiftly mix the cheese in with the hot rice. Still, this XL beef bowl gave me XL satisfaction.

Sichuan style grilled fish is good, but I like old school steamed fish better. There are quite a few steamed fish hawkers around Singapore, and the newest entrant to the market has set up shop in the oddest of places: in the factory district of Ubi. Get ready to go back to @steamagestory, which steams up three types of fish, and they also offer clams, prawns & squid in four different styles, all steamed of course.⠀
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This sizeable slab of steamed tilapia will set you back eight bucks, which is fairly reasonable for the freshness of the fish & its size. There are some bones in this flawlessly fresh fish fillet, so caution is advised. I chose the reliable & simple Cantonese Style fish, which sees the fish steamed in some Hua Diao wine & sesame oil, lots of soya sauce, spring onions and lots of ginger. It’s simple, but super satisfying as the saltiness from the soya sauce fully flavours the firm, fresh fish fillet, the ginger ameliorated any trace residue of undesirable fishiness, and the aromatics from the cooking wine & sesame oil gives your nose a tantalising treat.⠀
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If you don’t fancy fish, Steam Age also has a couple of pork rib offerings, and five Cantonese double boiled soups which I’m hankering to sample. Still, the one big thing that annoys me is how I have to pay an extra $3.50 for veggies and an additional fifty cents for rice. I know vegetables and rice aren’t cheap these days (thanks a lot for nothing, 9% GST), but surely Steam Age could do a meal deal at ten bucks flat, especially considering the fact that it is located in the factory district.

@baiwei.sg is yet another new casual eatery specialising in Sichuan cuisine that just opened up in Singpost Centre. But wait, they’re not just your average Sichuan restaurant! They are a fairly novel concept built upon the ideal Chinese meal of 三菜一汤 (3 veg, 1 soup), but all the sides of meat & veggies are laid out in small plates, buffet style. You go down the line, pick your plates, add a buck for rice, and enjoy your wholesome Chinese meal. Think of it as 菜饭, but bougie.⠀
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I chose three dishes and a soup, and I was utterly stuffed. Portions here are pretty plentiful, and I could’ve dropped a dish and still be sated. At the top we have the Sichuan Mala Chicken at $3.90 flat a plate, and it was surely the spiciest thing on my tray. Tender chicken chunks are stir-fried in Sichuan chili oil and a devilish amount of chilies, and this dish alone is possibly enough to fill your protein quota for a single meal. It is rather salty and spicy though, so you’ll definitely need to invest in a drink.⠀
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The cabbage dish is the cheapest dish there, clocking in at an astonishingly affordable $2.90 a portion. It’s stir-fried with a couple of thin slices of shabu shabu pork belly in what tastes like soy sauce with just a hint of chili oil. The result is a slightly numbing, superbly savoury veggie dish that provides a fair bit of crunch, and a little meaty marvel with the pork belly. Pair this cabbage with rice for $3.90, and you have a low cost struggle meal for struggling homies that’s only slightly more expensive than a coffeeshop meal these days.⠀
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The Garlic Chili Steamed Fish was priced at the astoundingly low price of $4.90. Less than five bucks for a sizeable slab of fish amply topped with a mildly spicy & gloriously garlicky chili mix? That’s a steal, and I can’t believe I didn’t get arrested for it. And finally, the Mushroom Chicken soup ($3.90 nett) was supremely satisfying to my Cantonese sensibilities. It was hot, it was hearty, and the soup was unbelievably umami and full of flavour. Plus, it comes with a few generous chicken chunks too.⠀
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With food this delish at prices this low, I would like to wish Baiwei a very pleasant 长命百岁.

Did you hear about @blackcherrysg, a modern European restaurant serving up both Italian & Spanish cuisine, at Pasir Panjang? Well, now you have. They’re an all-day bistro that offers brunch classics & coffee in the am, and Italian/Spanish staples & booze in the pm.⠀
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Starting our dinner was the new addition to the menu, the Spanish Prawn Gambas ($18++). Featuring fantastically fresh prawns seared in garlic chili infused olive oil, these shellfish were a hit. The salty & gloriously garlicky oil lent its savoury goodness to the snappy, subtly sweet prawns, and the chilies added that tantalising tinge of spice to the prawns. Put the oil coated prawns on the garlic bread provided, and you get a terrific tapas.⠀
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Thank you so much for the invite, @sghappens & @esth3r_esth3r, and to @blackcherrysg for hosting us!⠀

@lumbre.sg Seafood Wet Fideua 'Arroz Caldoso' with Calamari and Smoked Eel ($48++) sounds exotic, but despite it being Spanish, it was highly reminiscent of a local Singaporean favourite. Arroz caldoso literally means ‘broth-y rice’, and it’s the Spanish equivalent of a risotto. But what the heck is fideua? A quick google search revealed that it’s paella, but with thin pasta noodles instead of paella rice.⠀
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Due to the noodles being cooked in a stunningly sapid seafood broth, each and every single soft noodle is utterly laden with umami. The little bits of calamari mixed in provide an irresistible chewy contrast to the soft noodles, and the flavours are sublime. Remember when I said that Lumbre’s fideua was a dead ringer for a Singaporean favourite? That’s right, this was essentially Spanish fried seafood bee hoon. And it’s essentially excellent too, with charred crispy bits at the bottom of the cast iron pot begging to be scraped off the pot and into your eager maw once you’ve devoured your way through this pot of piquant noodles.
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The slab of unagi-sorry, smoked eel on top was delicate in texture, but incredibly bold in flavours. Smoky, salty, seared spectacularly and simply stellar, the moist eel was well deserving of its place atop the redolent fideua. However, forty eight bucks before tax & service charge is a shockingly steep ask considering that it’s not a notably large portion. I tried it and relished every last morsel of it, but I’m not entirely sure if I’d order it again.

As I’ve mentioned previously, it isn’t quite fair to judge @lumbre.sg on its pastas, as it’s a flame grilled specialist. The grilled meats are what it should be judged by, and their Duck Breast with Confit Endives and Apple Purée ($32++) is a decent entrée to be judged by.

As the more eagle eyed of you may have noticed, the duck breast is grilled to medium well instead of the usual medium rare. Our party of eight included a pregnant mother, and I applaud the attentiveness & proactivity both the waitstaff & kitchen to accommodate her. Even though the duck breast wasn’t mid rare, it was still rather tender, and the copious amounts of fat under the skin have been adroitly rendered out, leaving behind a charmingly charred & crisp skin.

The savouriness of the duck is amplified by the stunning smokiness imparted by the flame grill. The rich, salty glaze adds depth of flavour and extra moisture to the red meat, superbly satiating any carnivore cravings you may have. There’s no risk of this duck getting too salty, as the sweet & sour apple purée rebalances all that meaty saltiness, cleaning out your palate and readying you for a second slice of smoky duck.

It’s a good thing that the head chef at Lumbre had the wisdom to pair the duck with confit endives, as the duck alone would’ve been quite lacking as an entrée. The slow cooking of the endives in fat have siphoned out most of the bitterness, leaving a pleasantly herbal & sweet flavour behind. The endives are a fork poke away from disintegrating, and they are felicitously fatty thanks to the slow cook in fat. Great way to eat your greens, if you ask me.

When it comes to the duck, Lumbre certainly doesn’t duck the vibe check, instead passing it with aplomb and some flair. Now we’re really getting stuck into the meat of the matter alright.

Even though @lumbre.sg has classed their Charcoal Octopus & Ibérico Pork Belly with Chorizo Foam ($38++) as a main dish, it definitely feels like a perfect appetiser to share. The Spanish are renowned for grilled octopus, and Lumbre certainly lives up to that reputation.⠀
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It’s no surprise that the grilled octopus is the leading man here, and deservedly so. The fantastically fresh octopus is grilled impeccably, singed lightly on the outside and achingly tender in the middle. Thanks to the octopus getting licked by the flames on the grill, the tastefully chewy octopus is sensually smoky, adding a deeper satisfaction to the salty flavour.⠀
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The Iberico grilled pork belly was also blessed by the same flame grill, and boasts a superb smokiness in addition to its fatty, juicy and meaty magnificence. Turning the chorizo into a foam seems to have sapped most of the expected saltiness of a chorizo right out, and the foam is more spicy & smoky than anything else. Texturally, it felt like a thinner, more aerated gazpacho, which does aid the ease of application onto the octopus & pork belly.⠀
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The reason why I believe the Charcoal Octopus & Ibérico Pork Belly with Chorizo Foam to be the ideal sharing appetiser is just how titillating this combination is on fresh bread. Get yourself a couple of friends, this dish, and a basket of Lumbre’s bread, and you have all the makings of a legendary starter.