Thursday 27 June 2013

PasarBella Market

The Grandstand, PasarBella

I am going to do a short blog for this place. This is the first time i visited this place. For those that do not know what is this about, PasarBella is Singapore’s first wholesome market. Housed within a warm community-based environment, PasarBella encompasses a seafood market, meat, dairy, fresh produce, wines and craft beers, global cuisines and personal services

Look at the seafood being sold here, they came from everywhere, Japan, Australia etc. You get to see alot of uncommon seafood that are not found in supermarket or local wet market. Whats more, you can choose the seafood which you like and cooking service is available. Your dish will be ready to serve in minutes! 








Other than fresh seafood, the market has a variety of products, mostly organic food packages, fruits and wine. Imported wine, tea leaves and coffee are available too. I recommended this place for food tasting and shopping.




Sunday 23 June 2013

Necessary Provisions Review - Coffee and dessert

Necessary Provisions



The theme of the shop is black + plants. As you can see, there are plants everywhere in the shop. It is a small and cosy little shop with a few waitresses. Half of the shop are cater to their coffee machine and kitchen, so the space for customer is limited. So, you will have to wait for awhile for available seating.


Cake of the day - Grapefruit + Yogurt cake. For a slice of cake, this cost $4 SGD is considered a little expensive. But what you can taste from the cake is really grapefruit. When you put a piece of the cake into you mouth, you experience sourness first, as you chew, the bitterness slowly set in. You get to taste layers of different taste as you chew which is why this cake is really worth the price.

The drink is ice hojicha tea. Heard from the waitress, this drink is extracted from concentrated hojicha in the form of ice. The drink is collected as the ice melted. Try it, it is really refreshing.


Ice coffee with milk. The drink is served with coffee cubes. Yesh, ice cubes in the form of coffee. You will have to wait for cubes to melt first!!! No worries, there is a serving of milk which can facilitate the melting process. Pour the milk and stir the mixture. You will see the milky white changes to brownish colour. Interesting right? New way of drinking ice coffee. It recommended to wait for the cubes to be fully melted before drinking the ice coffee so that you get to enjoy the taste of the coffee.


Otah dipper. Homemade dish which taste great. For those that do not know what is otah, it is a dish made from mixture of spice and fish meat. The otah is not very spicy, hence suitable for everyone to have a bit. The bread that comes with it is very crispy and go well with the otah. It is similar to French dip, but modify to suit the locals here as spicy food are preferred. 


Tuna sandwich. I am not very fond of this dish. Really do not 'wow' me at all. The sandwich's filling consist of tuna, spices and cucumbers. Homemade dish without a surprising factor. In addition, the salad is added with olive oil which doesn't push the flavor of this dish much. I will definitely not order this dish for the next visit.


Overall: 3.5 /5

  • Taste(3)
  • Environment(4)
  • Service(4)
  • Clean(4)


  • Price(3)


Verdict: For relaxation and chill out, it is a good place to be, drink and food  is normal, nothing much to expect except for the otah dipper. Will drop by if i have time to spare.

Sunday 16 June 2013

Spruce Review - Western food


SPRUCE AT FIRE STATION


I happened to passby this place, hence pop in for dinning experience.This shop is located at Upper Bukit Timah, in an colonial style fire station. It is surrounded by nature as you will be able to see a more greener side of singapore. It is recommended that you drive as the location is quite inconvenient if you are taking other mean of transportation. The long glass windows allow you to enjoy warm sunlight during the day while you having brunch and serene views of nature at night while you chill out. 




They do serve dessert, unfortunately, i did not try them. Hopefully will try it if I have a chance.


Fresh Lemonade and Ice Lemon tea. Personally, I regret ordering the ice Lemon tea. It really taste sour. I will recommend the lemonade instead. It is refreshing with the zest of mints.  


Roasted “Pullet” Chicken. Broccolini, mashed potato in rosemary veloute is beautifully place with the roasted chicken. The chicken is nicely done, or at least I did not see any uncook portion since this is a drumstick. The meat is not hard and easily chew. Potato is tasty and go well with the chicken. 


I
Spruce Burger. The burger is stuffed with pickles, lettuces, beef patty and cheddar cheese. It comes with herbed fries too. This dish is recommended by some friends too. Overall, it taste good. The burger is soft and you know that is is freshly made. The beef patty is thick and juicy. Really taste good. A must try dish if you happened to be there.




Beef and Pork Pinchos. The beef is incredible, nicely done and yummy. There are some spice and herds added to the meat, but the spice level is acceptable to me as i do not take very spicy stuff. Pork meat are mixed with herds too which make it more fragrant. With the tomato sauce, this dish really increase my appetite.



Overall: 4/5

  • Taste(3)
  • Environment(5)
  • Service(5)
  • Clean(4)


  • Price(3)


Average spending is $45 after GST + service charge

Verdict: Clean place, you feel comfortable to enjoy your food. Felt that the price is abit too high for such quality of food, but still not too bad

Sunday 9 June 2013

Carpenter and Cook Review - Dessert Cafe


A small shop located at the west of Singapore. This shop look no different from the other shops along the street. But once you enter the shop, you see Vintage. Yes, the furniture, decorations and utensils are old but well maintain. However, this shop still draw crowds during the weekends and be prepare to queue for their food if you did not place any reservation.  






They have a wide range of selection for pastries to cakes and to drinks. The pastries and cakes are freshly made and displayed for customers selection. You can just order for them off the shelves.





Pastries/Bakeries



Sea Salt chocolate tart. It look like a tart with chocolate filling, nothing exciting from the outside. But, once you put a piece of that tart into your mouth, you know that it is actually more yummy than it look. Below the chocolate layer, there is a spread of caramels which goes well with the chocolate and the crust. Together with a pinch of sea salt, you will not get overwhelming sweet taste.   


Lemon Meringue cake. The cake is soft and spongy with lemon filling and cream top. I do not feel "wow" by it, maybe is because I tasted better ones. But still, it is not that bad.




Shower me rain "Lemon cake".  The cake is soft and not dry. The lemon frosted top look like the cake are drenched by lemon rain!! A simple cake with a zest of lemon which is nice for a tea break.


Lemon 'passion fruit' Meringue tart. This is definitely a must order pastry if you really like sourly stuff. You can taste the passion fruit and lemon going well together. The crust is crispy and chewy. You will just keep eating and wanting more. The cream on the top help to reduce the sourness quite a bit. Must try.  

Coffee


Latte and cappuccino respectively. The coffee is good but not that special. Interestingly, serving plates and tea spoon are served with different cups of coffee. You will not get the same serving plates and tea spoon most of the time.  




Rating: 4/5

  • Taste(4)
  • Environment(5)
  • Service(4)
  • Clean(4)


  • Price(3)

Nice place to chill out and relax, I will come back again to try other stuffs.