@asapnco, the love child between @brulee.sg and @thesmokhous. Just opened in November, they were pretty much still full house on a Tuesday night! Their specialty is definitely their smoked meats and the matron of the shop highly recommended this hanger steak which is said to be a prized cut of butchers. Man, was it goooood... Great flavour and perfectly tender and juicy. Delectable smokey as well, this is a cut we’ll be back for.

If you’re ordering their smoked meats, you can (and should) reserve ahead of time with your order to avoid a long wait. Still some teething issues (understaffed, music is scratchy) but our food was yummy!

Congrats to @bengwhocooks on their new minimalist space! From dishing out grain bowls at Hong Lim to their very own restaurant, they’ve come a long way.

My favourite course of the night was this Happy Ending dessert that changes depending on what the chefs feel like serving. What I got was a creamy camomile mousse, crisp granola and pillowy cake that really gave you different layers of flavours and textures on upon each bite.

This popular lunch spot is constantly packed on work days, so was pretty happy to get in within 5 mins the other day. Ordered the classic dry pan mee, which of course was a great choice. Toss the chewy noodles with the dark sauce, oozy egg, minced meat and copious amounts of their deep red chilli oil for an addictive heat. What surprised me was the lovely pork lard! Slightly crackly and super fragrant, made all those calories worth it.

The other must-order when you visit @house_of_chirashi_sg, this bowl comes loaded with THICCC slices of salmon, hamachi (and normally swordfish, but they ran out so we got more hamachi here) for the raw fish. Besides the main stars, the supporting cast deserve a round of applause as well; unagi, aburi salmon, tamago, dried ebi flakes and ikura (spritzed with a little bit of gold for class) also stood out. Even their pickled ginger slices got us asking for more, having just the right amount of sweet and vinegary flavour to reset my taste buds with each bite.

If there’s an award for Most Value-For-Money Chirashi Bowls, my vote would definitely go to @house_of_chirashi_sg. For $18.80, this blanket of cubed salmon, tuna, unagi, shrimp and ikura tossed in an addictive spicy sauce has got to be the most fish volume / dollar I’ve spent on a bara chirashi to date. And dam, does it taste good too, luckily with no mush rice issues which I heard about previously.

This small 8 seater in East Village is going to be tough to get seats, so do make a reservation (I made mine two weeks ago) to avoid disappointment!

Saw this irresistibly intense looking dark chocolate tart on the counter at @doubleup.coffee and next thing I knew, I had it on my table. Incredibly fudgey, with a crumbly tart base, I loved the rich flavours which paired wonderfully with their nutty lattes (though hopefully they dial back on the sweetness for this and I’d personally love a bit more flakey sea salt).

@bellyluckynoodle at Hong Lim sells just one thing, and it’s this slightly mod take on kolo mee. Featuring springy, curly noodles that takes on the addictive salty, spicy minced meat sauce, two huge shrimp wantons, fatty char siew and a lava egg. It was surprisingly addictive, and those wantons were crazy huge and tasty. They’ve got tough competition in Hong Lim, but definitely something I wouldn’t mind getting again.

Smokey, spicy, numbing and just a friggin’ party in yo mouth. This seabass from @yunnanssg is just amazingly tasty and tender! They usually bring it hot off their charcoal grill, so drizzle that lime all over to temper that heat and dig in to enjoy it in all it’s sexy, smoldering glory.

Nantsuttei Ramen has been at Orchard Central for quite some time, and if the full table of Japanese businessmen near us was anything to go by, pretty legit too! Nothing groundbreaking here, but the tasty, thick broth served with a thick slice of cha siew makes for a pretty satisfying lunch. I got the negi version as well, which came with a mountain of sliced welsh onions.

Had to head back into office today, so took the chance to enjoy the lunch hour a little with @hvala_sg’s yummy hand whisked Japanese tea drinks! This latte starts with some houjicha syrup, milk then topped off with matcha. Smooth and refreshing, perfect for a hot day like today. 🍵

@6lettercoffee’s platter boasts a generous serving of their signature wings (soy glazed crispy wings), Crispy honey wings, criss-cut sweet potato fries and salad. A great option for sharing, we really loved the well done, fluffy sweet potato fries that was great dipped in the ranch sauce provided. Really filling though (the crusts on the wings fills you up fast), so only get this if you’ve got enough friends in your party!

Newly opened along Rangoon Road is the sleek looking @daizu.cafe. Self referenced as a minimalist Japanese-Western restaurant, expect dishes like Garlic Butter Sakura Ebi Pasta, Chirashi Bowls and this take on the classic chilli crab dish.

This fared much better than the chirashi bowl; the sauce was thick and had just the right amount of heat and tang to keep things interesting. The toasted brioche was the perfect vessel for mopping up all that sauce too. Gonna keep it real and say the food was a little hit and miss for now, but definitely wouldn’t mind giving them another shot!