Must Try

It was indeed art coming alive and edible with Chef Cédric Grolet’s creations. Inspired by fruits and made so extraordinarily realistic, it was not hard to understand the hype even with the hefty prices.

The intricacies of this lemon created using lemon gel, candied lemon segments, lemon confit, mint infused and zest mousse, fingerlime, yuzu ganache was simply out of the world, down to the extent of the exterior’s uneven texture and the different colour shades. While I felt that the overall flavour was refreshing, zesty and enjoyed the pink, pulpy fingerlime thoroughly, some others felt that it was too sour to handle.

Definitely one of my favourite!

Tucked away in the newly opened Kim San Leng Coffeeshop at 130 Jurong Gateway Road, Ipoh Home Cuisine Tai Pai Tong is not your typical zi char stall. What sets this zi char stall apart is its offerings of specialty dishes such as Street Fried Carrot Cake, Ipoh salt baked kampong chicken, Ipoh Pasir Pinji mixed yong tofu etc that are synonymous with the city while embodying the Ipoh identity.

One of my favourite dishes of the night had to be their old street fried shrimp cake. Served piping hot, these shrimp cakes were a harmonious blend of savory, umami-rich, and slightly sweet flavors with a satisfying crispy texture. Fried till golden brown, the crispy exterior provides a delightful contrast to the soft and flavorful interior. Each shrimp cake was generously loaded with at least 2 shrimps, which introduced a pleasant touch of seafood sweetness and a strong umami flavor to the dish. The clean, fresh seafood flavor was a hallmark of the well-prepared dish, and the reason why it got addictive, especially when the accompanying tangy chili sauce cuts through the grease. Haven’t had such an impressive shrimp cake in a while.

While we enjoyed the freshly made shrimp cakes, the waiting time for this dish could take a while as they are made upon order.

It was almost impossible to miss this shop on the same street because you would notice a never ending queue. Although they had different curry puff fillings, we decided to go for one of the more traditional ones, sardine. The size of the curry puff was comparatively massive to the usual ones, and the puff itself was hot and crispy as new batches were constantly made on the spot. Despite its size, the puff was packed with chunks of sardine. Definitely value for money.

I finally ticked Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong off my list this year after much postponement. A house signature, I would confidently say their curry mussels is a no brainer unless you don’t eat mussels. Immersed in a bowl of homemade curry exhibiting aromatic spices flavour from a blend between Chinese and Indian styled curries, the mussels were extremely fresh and probably larger than commonly found. Served with mantous that you would gladly use to mop up every single drop of the curry. Additional portions of mantou can be ordered separately.

Ending off on a sweet high note was the strawberry, of which, one was plated differently to celebrate our birthdays. The strawberry tartness along with some balsamic espuma complemented delightfully with the lightly herbaceous chamomile jelly cubes, expressing a bright flavour profile topped with edible flowers and koji sable.

Adding to the repertoire, we had the Ibercom Iberico Abanico Pork. Tender with a beautiful pink hue, I was pleased that the pork slices were served on a bed of sake kasu polenta and paired uniquely with green harissa, pork jus of natural flavours, crunchy maitake mushroom, finally topped with shredded endives. An overall balance of sweet and savoury flavours was instrumental in the dish execution without overly meaty. Interestingly, the sweetness from the sake kasu was a first and lovely taste for me.

While I welcomed the fusion twist on the House-poached octopus served on a bed of squid ink risotto, we felt that the salted egg sauce was mild in flavour and perhaps more custardy that I personally could not foresee as a harmonious pairing. The octopus was nicely poached to give a chewy texture.

We chose the Venus clams, a house signature as our 2nd small dish. Cooked in a nutritious fig broth that depicts the theme for the Fall Menu - nourishment, the clams were especially enjoyable in a mild sweet broth with cabbage kimchi and pickled Wakame. Expectedly, we left the bowl spotless. Served with 2 slices of bread.

Does the wild Sri-Lankan tiger prawn dish come across as a familiar local hawker dish? I really adore the creativity expressed through the pan-fried daikon kimchi cake that resembles chai tow kueh, and a hint of sweet fruitiness from the raspberry gochujang sauce. While the savoury sauce also retained a mild spiciness characteristic of the fundamental Korean ingredient, it had a good balance of basic taste to accentuate the de-shelled crustacean sweetness along with the brown butter granola.

It’s an overdue post, but one of the most satisfying meals of the year for my birthday this year at @morselsinsingapore. Set within a rustic barnyard-style house, it feels like entering a house with cozy vibes, repurposed wooden furniture, hanging lamps made using glass bottles and even ingredients fermented in-house.

Featuring some plump seasonal oysters, accompanied with an Asian-inspired dressing of tamarillo shrub, pear cucumber vinaigrette and pickled cucumber. Bold yet complex, tangy flavors which elevated the freshness. Fortunately, it wasn’t as briny as I thought it would be, even with the presence of ikura.

The next time you’re at @level33_sg , be sure to pair their craft beers with the brewery lobster roll & fries from the beer dining menu. Created with a crispy beer malt artisanal brioche roll, the bread itself with grains was extremely fluffy and fragrant. Packed within were some sweet, refreshing cabbage slaw that cuts through the savoriness before topping with fresh slippery lobster chunks. The Blond Lager pickled shallots had an interesting light malty flavour. Leaving me in awe, the aromatic roasted yeast butter and saffron aioli were outstanding in elevating the overall flavour dimension. An amazing lobster roll served by a brewery.

How blessed I am to have friends fulfilling my wishlist of dining at @restaurantlabyrinth as a celebration for my wedding. 🥰 People who know me well will know that I am a big fan of ModSin and Mod Asian cuisine, so how could I possibly miss out on a one-Michelin star restaurant that pays homage to local Singaporean cuisine!

One of my favourites that night had to be the signature labyrinth chili crab. Leaving me in awe was not just the smooth chili crab ice cream complemented by the sweet local flower crab that had resembled the actual dish, but also details like the embellishing ice plant and the mini fried mantous which completed the entire experience. Adorable and applaudable. It was definitely also heartwarming to see local establishments supporting local farms and suppliers.