Sucrine Lettuce - also called the little gem lettuce, is a breed which aces both of the 2 most important features among lettuces, crispy and sweet. In Esquina, they grill it to give it a smokey char without overcooking or softening the lettuce. Complemented with a punch of flavour from the minty herb yoghurt, and macadamia nuts for the extra crunchiness.
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I really enjoyed this, and was amazed at how Chef Carlos managed to transform the simple lettuce into such a memorable and appetising dish!

Second time I’ve visited Esquina and I’m still in love with their flavourful and meaty Canelones!

A classic dish that is made during the festive period at Chef Carlos’ hometown Catalonia. This version is filled with wagyu beef, pork and foie gras, making it a very rich and smooth filling with a satisfying meaty taste 🤤

The canelone is drizzled with bechamel sauce and crowned with black truffles, giving an uplifting dazzle to this wonderful dish! Yummy!!

Part of the 9-course tasting menu at @esquinasg ($118++). One of the most worth it tasting menus I’ve had to date!

Part of the tasting menu ($238++).

Meta is short for metamorphosis and has a strong philosophy of change and evolution. Headed by Chef Sun , food here reflects this philosophy with perfect intersections between not 2, but 3 different cultures: Korean, Japanese and French!

Pictured is the Aged Sawara, served as the first dish after amuse bouche. Sawara is a top grade Japanese Mackerel, best during the winter when it’s fattest, very sweet and rich in flavour. It was aged to give it an aromatic smoky flavour.

Not only was it served with a really generous amount of caviar 😍 the yellow sauce beneath was very special, and the most memorable component to this dish, a ponzu sauce made with egg yolk. Ponzu usually goes well with sashimi, and the use of egg yolk gave this sauce an amazing silky texture that just coats the fish perfectly. What a genius!

Truffle game strong at @pollenrestaurantsg !! I loved their dishes which highlighted different truffles of the season, wonderfully paired with the Chef’s creations.

This other truffle dish used the highly prized white truffle, which is only harvested once a year! Shaved generously on top of a bed of egg, polenta and chicken jus. This dish came out quite filling, but the fragrance of the white truffles shined right through so elegantly. What a special experience to be able to try such valuable ingredients 🙏🏼😌
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All part of the tasting menu ($168++) at Pollen Restaurant, beautifully located inside the Flower Dome of Gardens by the Bay. The white truffles were seasonal and were added as a top up, do ask which is in season now 😉

Truffle game strong at @pollenrestaurantsg !! I loved their dishes which highlighted different truffles of the season, wonderfully paired with the Chef’s creations.

My favourite dish at Pollen, the Wild Mushroom Tart, was an exciting combination of flavours with the caramelised celeriac, vinegared chanterelle and umbrian autumn truffles. Each element contributed a distinct flavour, some new, some familiar, resulting in a vibrant and yet earthy flavour that was so unique to me!!
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All part of the tasting menu ($168++) at Pollen Restaurant, beautifully located inside the Flower Dome of Gardens by the Bay.

Coming to a place like Meat Smith, one would expect indulgent and rich bites of beautifully barbecued meat.

Ordered the much raved about Cheeseburger ($16), and it was worth every juicy bite 🤤 The size was not excessive, and hence I could take a full bite from top to bottom, and taste all the perfectly done components together. Their patty is special, with brisket inside to give it the balanced mix of fats and flavourful beefy taste that I love~ By far the best burger I’ve ever had! (I’ll edit this statement if any burger ever overtakes this)

5 years after they’ve opened as a patisserie, Mad About Sucre has evolved and recently gone through a huge makeover. The new interior design concept is edgy and unconventional, with many colours juxtaposed next to each other, and yet it had really cosy and chill vibes as I settled in. They even have a small table lamp that acts as quite a nice lighting tool for photos too :D

Glad to say that along with the physical makeover, they’ve matured as a full restaurant serving a solid selection of starters and mains, with really tasty savouries!

My favourite of the night was the grilled cauliflower steak ($35+) with a bed of gherkins salsa, topped with miso, almonds, figs and prunes. The combination of flavours were addictively good, and you must eat every part together along with the prunes. It was as flavourful as a full meat dish and I didn’t feel like I was eating a vegetarian dish at all! Textures were on point too with the almonds giving a nice crunch. Highly recommend trying this when you’re here!

I didn’t think that I’d travel all the way to Serangoon so soon again, but I won’t say no to a visit to @8degreesatsg 😋 This is my second time here and I really like their food.

Classics like the braised pork belly rice ($5.80) is a must order, it is slightly less fatty and has a distinct anchovy-like fragrance that makes it quite appetising. But also because of its distinct flavour, it won’t taste exactly like the usual ones you’d remember from Taiwan. Personally, I think this gives it character and I like it a lot! It is authentic nonetheless, as it is Taiwanese owned and run.

I didn’t think that I’d travel all the way to Serangoon so soon again, but I won’t say no to a visit to 8 Degrees 😋 This is my second time here and I really like their food.

A new star was discovered this time round, and it was the herbal duck soup ($7.80). It was so flavourful and packed full of ingredients. There was an even mix of duck meat and bones, and the meat wasn’t tough but very yummy having soaked up all the herbal flavour. For herbal soup lovers out there, this is a must order! But if you don’t like herbal tastes, this might be overwhelming.

Beautiful Golden Roasted Duck ($52++/half) from 藝Yì by Celebrity Chef Jereme Leung.

As the name suggests, dishes here are presented like works of art, reflecting the beauty and age old artistry of Chinese cuisine. The brush of gold on the crispy duck skin did just that, and they were served with a variety of rainbow pancakes.

The fermented bean sauce served was interesting and came in two versions: one salty and one sweet with roses. Both complemented the duck well!

The taste of the duck was good, but was superseded by the visual flare of the dish.

Part of Mad About Sucre’s New Year Festive Dinner Menu ($165+) ~

This dish was the second dessert course of the Menu, and it featured a very unique texture of chocolate, which is called the chocolate yolk, the last dark brown sphere on the plate. As the name suggests, it’s like an egg yolk with an extremely thin and delicate membrane holding a runny dark chocolate inside. The moment it’s cut open, the chocolate just bursts out and it’s amazing!

The chocolate runs and it is to be eaten with a nice combination of textures and flavours with the vanilla mousse, raspberry sauce and sphere and also sponge cake to soak up the remainder chocolate! Very creative dessert and I hope this would appear once again beyond this one-off festive menu!

Hand in Hand has been around since 2004, bringing authentic northern Chinese cuisine to Singapore. Everything is hand-made and fresh, and prices are very reasonable too!

Pictured is the braised tofu ($8++) with a nice fragrance of peppercorn spices and just slightly spicy. Do note that this dish might be very bland for some, as they don’t really put salt in this (or maybe just this time?). But I still enjoyed it because it brought out the clean tofu taste more as a result.