Wow Wow West

@original_botak_jones has been around for the longest time, and they started out as a humble Western food stall serving up hefty portions of food for reasonable prices.

Fortunately, Botak Jones managed to redeem themselves with the Grilled Salmon. It is a little more expensive at twenty one dollars, but you get a sizeable slab of salmon that’s competently cooked. The salmon was still moist inside while boasting decently crispy skin. The accompanying garlic cream sauce was rich & sapid, adding a touch of luxuriousness to the salmon. Each main comes with two sizeable servings of sides, and the refreshing coleslaw & the baked beans were decent. Actually, the baked beans were more than decent, they seemed to have a little extra flair to them. I couldn’t quite make it out, but it sure seemed like a little smoke to me, perhaps from including some barbecue sauce into the beans.⠀
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Thank you so much for the invite, @original_botak_jones!

@original_botak_jones has been around for the longest time, and they started out as a humble Western food stall serving up hefty portions of food for reasonable prices. They’ve expanded a little since they came out of their hiatus, and now they have a few extra menu items, like this Stuffed Jalapeños ($10.50 nett). The jalapeños are de-seeded, stuffed with mozzarella, breaded with panko & deep fried. It’s sour, spicy and definitely a firecracker of a starter, but they could stuff a little more cheese in there to balance out the heat a bit.⠀
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The Shiitake Mushroom soup ($5.50 nett) looked plenty promising with the abundance of mushrooms inside, but it was an unfortunate disappointment. I get that it’s occasionally called Cream of Mushroom soup, but this was quite literally just cream with mushrooms floating inside. Every sip just felt like pure cream, and I would have certainly appreciated more complexity to the soup’s texture & taste. Oddly enough, my dad’s main gripe with the soup was that it contained too much onion.⠀

Thank you so much for the invite, @original_botak_jones!⠀

If you like your meat long & strong, then @berlin65_ig has something for you. The Mixed Beef & Lamb Adana kebabs ($26++) continue the Turkish trend here, with one stick of beef kebab & one stick of lamb kebab, and are very simply complemented by basmati rice & a couple of sauces. Both of them were seasoned & spiced sufficiently with a distinctly Turkish spice blend that includes cumin, thyme & za’atar, and both kebabs were tender & easy to chew.⠀
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Surprisingly enough, both of us preferred the lamb to the beef. The lamb was juicier and just ever so slightly more tender, and thanks to the spice mixture, the natural gaminess of the lamb is well suppressed. The beef kebab isn’t too shabby either, but the lamb kebab certainly has it beat.⠀
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And now finally we have something German but not quite German: Currywurst ($22++). This long pork sausage is drizzled in curry and served with fries. German curry & our Singaporean curry are completely different species, as the curry in the Currywurst a lot more like subtly spicy tomato relish. It’s definitely something different, but I definitely could appreciate it, especially when it’s appreciated between swigs of pilsner off of @berlin65_ig beer tap.⠀
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Thank you for having us, @berlin65_ig & @scalecollab.sg!

Diners seem like a curious relic from the Golden Age of American hegemony in the 1950s, but if you’ve ever read an Archie comic, you’ve definitely wanted to experience an all American diner. Here at @broadwayamericandiner , you can get a taste of the quintessential American diner, complete with burgers and milkshakes.⠀
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Speaking of milkshakes, it would be remiss of you not to order one. Broadway’s shakes are expensive at $13++ a glass, but these shakes are DUMMY THICC. It’s a lot more efficient to just gulp it down as opposed to trying to drink it through a straw, that’s how thick it is. I was impressed with just how close their Onde Onde shake was to real ondeh ondeh. The shake was chock full of pandan aromas & the sweetness of gula melaka, but it did get a tad too sweet after a while.⠀
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As for the starters, they have Ol’ Reliable: chicken wings. I have no idea why these wings are described as Buffalo Wings ($12++ per order) as they are clearly not sauced up. Still, the crunchy coating of batter encasing the moist meat within was excellent , and these wings paired perfectly with the Peri Peri sauce on the side.⠀
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These wings also feature in Broadway’s mammoth Meat Platter ($36++), which represents the carnivorous food pyramid. The long sausages in the Meat Platter were delightfully delicious with an outstanding texture, and the hamburger patties…well, that’s another review for another day.⠀
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Thanks for inviting us, @burpple & @broadwayamericandiner!⠀

Diners seem like a curious relic from the Golden Age of American hegemony in the 1950s, but if you’ve ever read an Archie comic, you’ve definitely wanted to experience an all American diner. Here at @broadwayamericandiner , you can get a taste of the quintessential American diner, complete with burgers and milkshakes.⠀
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Speaking of milkshakes, it would be remiss of you not to order one. Broadway’s shakes are expensive at $13++ a glass, but these shakes are DUMMY THICC. It’s a lot more efficient to just gulp it down as opposed to trying to drink it through a straw, that’s how thick it is. I was impressed with just how close their Onde Onde shake was to real ondeh ondeh. The shake was chock full of pandan aromas & the sweetness of gula melaka, but it did get a tad too sweet after a while.⠀
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As for the starters, they have Ol’ Reliable: chicken wings. I have no idea why these wings are described as Buffalo Wings ($12++ per order) as they are clearly not sauced up. Still, the crunchy coating of batter encasing the moist meat within was excellent , and these wings paired perfectly with the Peri Peri sauce on the side.⠀
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These wings also feature in Broadway’s mammoth Meat Platter ($36++), which represents the carnivorous food pyramid. The long sausages in the Meat Platter were delightfully delicious with an outstanding texture, and the hamburger patties…well, that’s another review for another day.⠀
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Thanks for inviting us, @burpple & @broadwayamericandiner!⠀

(PARTIALLY SPONSORED) @britishhainan has been in business for over a decade now, and they’ve been serving up consistently decent Hainanese western food. Plus, they’re preserving a piece of Singapore’s culinary history that was created by Hainanese cooks working for the British during the colonial era.⠀

The surprise hit of the night was the Porky Combo ($20.90 nett), which featured a porcine trio of British Hainan’s signature Hainanese pork chop, mustard pork chop and a classic bri’ish pork banger. The Hainanese pork chop was truly tender and sported a beautiful breaded exterior, and the sweet and sour sauce was tasty enough albeit a little sweet. ⠀
The mustard pork chop was the true standout, and not just because of its smoky & sapid flavours. The pork chop had a texture that hit peak neuron activation in my caveman brain, as it was tender enough to be swallowed with a moderate amount of chewing, but possessed enough resistance to give my jaw a decent workout and give me a chiseled jawline without mewing. And of course, the bri’ish banger was an absolute banger, with its juicy, meaty and bouncy qualities all encased in a snappy sausage skin.⠀
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Still, as long as you main British Hainan’s mains, you’ll be alright. Thanks for the invite, @britishhainan & @scalemicroinfluencers!

(PARTIALLY SPONSORED) @britishhainan has been in business for over a decade now, and they’ve been serving up consistently decent Hainanese western food. Plus, they’re preserving a piece of Singapore’s culinary history that was created by Hainanese cooks working for the British during the colonial era.⠀
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One common thread I noticed about British Hainan’s food is that it tends to be noticeably sweet, as evidenced by their Signature Oxtail Stew ($32.90 nett). The oxtail is tremendously tender, with the meat separating from the bone with minimal fuss. It wouldn’t be much of a stew if the meat wasn’t accompanied by potatoes & carrots, and both root vegetables were present and stewed till they were super soft. The stew gravy was satisfactorily savoury, but after a while I noticed it getting increasingly sweeter.⠀

Still, as long as you main British Hainan’s mains, you’ll be alright. Thanks for the invite, @britishhainan & @scalemicroinfluencers!

Hey look at us, dining at a halal steakhouse with nary a drop of alcohol. Who would’ve thought? Not me! @asapnco might just be the swankiest steakhouse that’s halal (or Muslim friendly at the very least), and they pride themselves on their choice cuts of cow from the most prized of bovine breeds.⠀
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ASAP & Co’s Smoked Beef Bone Marrow is a little expensive at twenty eight dollars before adding GST & service charge, but when they served this starter I fully understood the pricing. Three massive bones, each filled with that much coveted marrow, are grilled over charcoal till perfection. For those who haven’t yet had the pleasure of sampling beef bone marrow, it would be best described as a beef butter. It’s like someone took the entire cow & distilled it into a ridiculously rich mix that’s not far off from butter, but better. ASAP & Co also serve their own beautifully baked dinner rolls complimentary, and I really wish I left one to enjoy the beautiful bovine butter. Oh well, next time it is.

(PARTIALLY SPONSORED) Saturdays are for the boys, but they’re also for shots. Liquor shots are great, but first we down some oyster shots at @fryingfishclub. They’ve got a few variants of Oyster Shooters ($4 before ten percent service charge), and I picked the shoyu & the classic tabasco one. The shoyu was decent with the extra umami & the little pops from the tobiko (flying fish roe), but oysters are peak when combined with a spicy & sour element, plus some diced onions for a little twist.⠀
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I don’t know why I chose the Fried Cauliflower ($8 +10% service) as I’m in the cauliflower hate gang, but Frying Fish Club does these fried popper sized snacks excellently. Like the fish & chips, the batter used here is not a minute older than three hours, so the fresh batter means that the coating is more airy & less prone to soaking up oil. Additionally, the seasoning was sensational, with paprika leading the spice blend. I could’ve sworn I tasted some Indian spices in there, but the chef was not going to divulge his secrets to me, so that remains a mystery. A tasty mystery, but a mystery nonetheless.⠀
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Thanks for the invite, @fryingfishclub & @scalemicroinfluencers!

(PARTIALLY SPONSORED) I thought my clubbing days were long over until @fryingfishclub pulled up, and this is definitely more my type of club now that I’m the wrong side of thirty. They only have four entrées on the menu, making them a club of focus, commitment and sheer f-sorry. As their name implies, their claim to fame is fried fish, or more specifically, fish and chips.⠀
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I was feeling a little hot to trot that day, so an order of Spicy Shio Maguro Fish & Chips ($19.50 before ten percent service charge) was in order. Shio Maguro is the Japanese designation for albacore tuna, and this might be the first time that I’ve encountered tuna being used for fish & chips. It certainly won’t be the last time, as the shiro maguro is a marvellously moist & mildly oily fish that holds its structure well. The texture is terrific, as its firmness ensures that it flakes off in large chunks that can be speared easily by fork, compared to some other fish that are flaky but fall apart far too easily.⠀
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The batter used was immaculately crispy, and despite it being just a touch thicker than most other highly acclaimed fried fish, it did not absorb that much oil. I would later learn from a chat with one of the chefs that this was due to Frying Fish Club’s (FFC) insistence on keeping the batter fresh. The chefs would whip up & utilise a new batch of batter every three hours to ensure that the batter stayed as aerated & fresh as possible. That would certainly explain the airiness & crispness of the batter. With that said, I feel like FFC could’ve been a lot bolder with their mala spice applied to the fish, as the mala was only really a whispered suggestion in the grand scheme of things.⠀
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The accompaniments to the fish were superb as well. The fries used here are thick cut fries, and while potato purists may debate their status as proper chips, they are a damn sight better than poxy little shoestring fries. Shoestring fries are nice, but they simply don’t belong in fish and chips. The kani (no nabei here) salad was certainly a curiosity, with lots of shredded imitation crabmeat mixed with carrots in mayo. Not quite as refreshing as a proper ‘slaw, but this was sufficiently superb.

@pickysnoutsg has always been the place I pass by whenever I’m making my way downtown to the gym (ironic, I know). I’ve always been intrigued by them pairing meats marinated with Vietnamese flavours with the Swiss staple of rösti, which seems like a mismatch at first glance.⠀
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However, I was proven wrong by their Rösti Saigon Pork, priced rather reasonably at eleven dollars & ninety cents for a rösti & two thin but ponderous pork chops. The rösti was a little soft, with decently crisp edges and it was pretty decent overall. As with any other fried potato dish, it absorbs a fair bit of oil as potatoes hoover up oil like nothing else, but Picky Snout’s rösti is acceptable and not offensively oily.⠀
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The pork chops, as expected, carried the entire team. They were a little thin, but they were tender and still fairly juicy. The powerful piquancy of the lemongrass is the predominant aroma in this dish, and its citrusy, grassy scent kept the natural musk of the pork under control. The pork was sufficiently savoury with a charming char, but I personally reckon that Picky Snout could be a lot bolder with the use of fish sauce in their pork marinade.⠀
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The one thing about Picky Snout that I was distinctly unimpressed by was their sour cream. They charge fifty cents for a saucer of sour cream, and their sour cream has a runny, thin consistency like milk. I don’t know if the usual consistency of the sour cream was altered due to the hellish heat in the coffeeshop, or if Picky Snout watered it down, but I definitely remember sour cream being a lot less runny.⠀
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Sour cream aside, the tasty pork chops paired surprisingly well with the rösti mainly due to the rösti being simply flavoured with salt. Even if you’re picky about your porcine, @pickysnoutsg will satisfy your porky desires.

@fura.sg is definitely a cocktail bar with a handful of small dishes and not a restaurant with a lot of drinks, so adjust your plans accordingly. With that disclaimer out of the way, this strikingly embellished bar does a biodynamic, vegetable centric spin on commonly available local produce. Every dish Fura serves is proudly vegetarian, futuristic and highly innovative.⠀
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Take for example the Milk/Mylk/Melk ($22++), which has Bewilder oyster mushrooms served in something resembling a consommé, but here it’s a nut milk dashi. Nut milk…hehehehe-excuse me. The Bewilder shrooms were bewitching, and the gently chewy texture in conjunction with the umami from the MSG that naturally occurs in mushrooms made it a satisfyingly savoury shroom dish to ruminate upon with a couple of drinks. The nut milk added a luscious, rich creaminess (don’t you dare) to the mouthwatering mushrooms, making this dish a perfectly complete dish both taste & texture wise.⠀
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Due to Fura’s highly experimental nature, there were always going to be a few misses. The Kurly Kale ($20++) sounded good based on its composition: hydroponic kale, edamame, toasted seed butter & pickled shallot. However, kale is already plenty bitter by itself, and it was charred, amplifying the bitterness. I was searching for more of the creamy & savoury seed butter to balance out the bracing bitterness, but there wasn’t enough to be found. Plus, the Kurly Kale always felt a lot more like a side piece to an entrée that never arrived.⠀
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Still, even as an enthusiastic meat enjoyer, I can certainly appreciate Fura’s bold innovations with veggies.