La Tapería

Les Amis' newest mid-range restaurant is a tapas affair and one of the better ones in Singapore. Mind you, that although Les Amis is moving away from the fine-dining scene and trying to establish itself in the mid-range market, it still veered towards the high-end of mid-range.

That being said, the quality of food at La Tapería did impress. In particular if you consider how, in Singapore, tapas are usually over-priced ang moh dim sums. At least here, the price may generally be north of $10 but at least the quantity and quality mostly justifies it. Bearing in mind that you are also paying for ambiance and service.

So, let us talk about the food now.

Off the bat, $4 for 4 slices of baguettes may seem excessive, but it was a worthy investment as the bread could be used to wipe up all the sauces provided.

The prawns in sizzling olive oil and garlic with chili was fresh, (Gambas Al Ajillo) and the oil was delicious to eat with the above-mentioned bread.

The gaelic style octopus (Pulpo a la Gallega) was one of the disappointments. It was soft and tender but did not wow the taste buds. There was a distinct lack of taste that not even the chili powder could compensate. Although, again, the oil was delish!

The fried manchego with Spanish Iberian salami (Crujiente de Manchego y Salchichon) was a children's (and adult's) favourite. The salty tanginess of the salami complemented the aged chewy cheese, and the fried pastry skin added some crunch.

The two squid dishes were a delight. The crispy baby squid cooking in squid ink (Chipirones Fritos en su Tinta) was a well done calamari-dish and frying it with the squid ink gave just the right amount of saltiness to complement the squid (which went well with a dash of lemon and the garlic mayonaise). 

The squid wrapped with jamon iberico (Rollito de Jamon Relleno de Calamar) was one of the best dishes. The squid was fresh and simply boiled and lightly grilled with a thin piece of jamon iberico wrapped around it which infused the seafood with a salty meat crisp.

Then came the meat dishes.

The charcoal grilled iberian pork (Pasa Iberica a la Parrilla) was a piece of ultra-tender pork chop - which I have been told "did not taste like pork!" (which would be good for all those people who have an adversity towards the elusive "taste of pork"). However, having said that, without that "porky taste" there seemed to be something lacking in the overall experience of such a tender piece of meat.

The off-the-menu wagyu beef came in 3 size: 150g, 300g or 500g and was served with a sides of potatoes and greens. The beef was done medium to medium-rare, and was tender and flavourful with a rich smell of charcoal and salt on the outsides. But they were too generous with the sauce which over-powered the natural flavour of the beef (which in all honesty, did not really need to be a wagyu).

The suckling pig (Super-Conchinllo confit) was average. You get to choose which quarter-part of the pig you preferred and I had the belly. It was fatty, the skin was crisp (veering more towards fried rather than roasted), but the meat was on the dry side, and not roasted enough to fall off the bone smoothly. The peach sauce and caramelised onions complemented the pork but was too little.

Lastly, the lobster pallea (Paella de Bogavante). A delicious, albeit slightly expensive, lobster and rice dish. The lobster was generously proportioned but dwarfed the portion of the rice - which in this case, with all the other food we had ordered, was appropriate. The lobster was fresh and succulent, and the rice, fragrant with saffron, was well cooked in lobster-broth and one of the better seafood paellas in Singapore.

The wine list was mainly Spanish, and the dry and mineral, with a hint of sweet, 2013 Laxas, Albariño went very well the dishes after breathing for a bit. 

Desserts was the churros and the crema catalana. Both were adequate although the mango bits in the latter was interesting and made it less boring than just a plain creme brulee.

At just slightly above S$500 for everything above, this was a good children/infant-friendly place that would be great for big group of friends and/or family. Dinner for one, two or three may be slightly less worth it.

La Tapería 
http://www.lataperia.com.sg/

1 Scotts Road #02-10/11 Singapore 228208
Tel: 6737 8336, e-mail: lataperia@lesamis,com.sg

Opening Hours:
Lunch: 12pm to 3pm, Dinner: 6.30pm to 10pm

El Rocho's

Mexican food. Never really had a craving for it, but am not adverse to it. Good Mexican done well is so hard to find in Singapore, so I rarely will go out and try new places after getting bitten one too many times.

Anyways, I ended up at El Rocho's on a good friend's advice for Cinco de Mayo, and boy! was I not disappointed!

Chef/Owner Marcus Loh does some really mean Mexican dishes. All the meat we had - pork, beef, ox tongue and chorizons - were very well grilled and marinated in particular the ox tongue.

The quesadillas were thing crusted and generously filled.

Perhaps only the fries and steaks were a bit of a disappointed. Although the fries were chunky and crispy on the outside, and the steak pieces were tasty, the overall impact of the dish kind of lacked oomph and punch. It was tasty but unspectacular, and possibly not worth the extra for the steak.

The taco was excellent! Soft, mildly chewy taco shells with generous portions of ox tongue and vegetables cubes. This is best eaten with your hands! Try not to spill everywhere! The salsa that accompanied the nachos were also divine; I wish I could bottled it back and eat it at home!

The margarita was not as strong as I'd like which was good in my case - it was a work day lunch, natch.

For dessert, we had the Les Tres Leches (?) - Three Milk Cake - which was a soft sponge cake in a pool of sweetened milk and topped with ?cream. A very simple dessert that tasted as simple as it looks. Nothing overwhelming but also not unacceptable.

Update (7/5/14): Came back 2 days later for a second round, and this time round I called ahead and asked Chef Marcus if he could do a fish taco for me. In a word: heavenly! Best darn fish taco in a looooong while, and definitely in Singapore! Thank you, Chef!

The nachos supreme was a sloppy mess with the guacomole and carne, and again thankfully, minimal beans. However, if it was a tad spicier it might have brought out a more complex flavour.

The bisteca especial was not really that special. The flank steak was a bit over done and the beef by itself was not as tasty if without the accompanying sauce.

Hibiscus frozen margarita: 4 shots of Jose Cuervo with 4 shots of Cointreau. Generous portions, but was kidding that it could be even more potent still!

Verdict: One of the best Mexican restaurants in Singapore, will definitely come here again once more on a Friday for the cerviche, and then whenever I get a Mexican craving or a friend does.

Limehouse

The first thing that strikes, and impresses, me was the deco of the place. A nice mix of Peranakan and Caribbean influence in an old-concept. The set lunch was priced rather attractively with either a 2-course or 3-course option.

The sweet potato soup (soup of the day) was thick, but lacked the inherent sweetness one would expect from sweet potato. Although the addition of the Caribbean spice to it did give it a nice tang.

Then we had an ala carte order of the fish cake. Chunky fish pieces reminiscent of fish tikka, although the one here had a similarly strong lime/spice Caribbean vibe to it. Pity then that the fish was a tad too chewy and overcooked.

The Jerk Chicken was the main course and it was rather tasty. The chicken was grilled very well with the meat retaining its juiciness and tenderness despite having a nicely charred and crispy skin. The Jerk BBQ sauce was unique in its spice and tang, and went well with the chicken. Although it was the same sauce they used for their steak too.

The macaroni pie was a disaster. Bland, tasteless and an awful waste of carbs. It was like a solidified baby food gone bad.

Verdict: Can actually come back to try other stuffs (am intrigued by the goat - if it's really goat) and like all the eating joints in this area, it seemed like a chill place to hang out.

Wild Honey @ Mandarin Gallery

So much rave about this place, and yet such a disappointment. What do people see in this place? Ordered their pan-fried goat cheese salad and it came as deep fried (see picture, below). Bacon pieces were greasy and rubbery, and whole salad was just too oily. It just all taste so amateurish and sad. And so very expensive. Even their small cup of coffee is more expensive than a medium cup over at Dean & Deluca. On top of all that, the epitome of disappointment was the discrepancy in price on the menu, blackboard and bill for the sirloin steak sandwich and the resultant confusion and poor service. Counter staffs were terribly unhelpful. Basic service/industry etiquette should apply and the established ought to honour the displayed price. It took a ?senior staff to come to our table later to apologise and refund (after a waffling "I see what I can do.").

Verdict: Much better brunches/brekkies can be had elsewhere.

Wild Honey
333A Orchard Road
#03-02 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore

Contact: 6235 3900

Opening Hours
Daily: 9am - 10.30pm

Dean & Deluca (Singapore)

Disappointing. They are not prepared for an opening. They opened over the weekend and I was one of the first few customers in on the Monday. Had a coffee and chocolate croissant while waiting for the rest of my brunch party. Don't they serve their coffees in cups any more? (the last time I ate at D&D was at least 6 years back). The brewed coffee was good. Better than the coffee chains at least. The chocolate croissant on the other hand, was just acceptable. Sadly, Hediard has set a very high benchmark for all other chocolate croissants to follow. Furthermore, by the time I was ready to order my main course, I found out that they only had the display items for sale. The menu items were not available. They had also ran out (?!) of ingredients for the french toast brioche and flap jacks (after opening for business for less than an hour!); I could not even be bothered with ordering anything else for breakfast/brunch. Oh, do take note that the expiry dates for their American produce are in the American format, so "Exp: 12/6/12" means "expires in 6 Dec 2012". Damn, I miss Felicity.

Updated (10 Oct 2012): 4 months since the first visit, and the hype over the place definitely has died down. Not much of a crowd and you can safely get a seat when I was then from 11am - 2pm. Unfortunately, food was not great. Finally had the portobello cheeseburger, and though it was big, it was too greasy. The meat will be well done if you do not ASK for it to be otherwise, and the fries were just too salty. Coffee was great though, big cup, good quality milk foam and strong brew. Lastly had the carrot cake and the chocolate cake; former's cream cheese topping was too sweet and the latter was too dense.

Verdict (updated): Nice place to chill out or hang with friends to pass some idle hours, but not really worth it for proper meals.

Dean & Deluca (Singapore)
181 Orchard Road
#04-23/24 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896

Contact: 6509 7708

Opening Hours
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison

This place can give Tonkichi a run for its money. The Hungary Mangalica pork katsu is their specialty, and it did not disppoint. Fat, succulent and tender. The crumbs were well fried and of good quality, and the pork went excellently with the salt and tonkatsu sauce. The multi-grain rice was also a surprisingly healthy and delicious addition to balance off such an unhealthy main dish. Typically, free flow of rice, soup and lettuce. The oyster on the other hand was just acceptable; nothing spectacular about it, but I guess so far hard to find excellent fried tonkatsu-style oysters in Singapore. The best kaki is still in this little store in Uedo, Tokyo. Service was acceptable, but price is a bit on the steep side which is what it has going against it compared to Tonkichi.

Update (30 June 2012): Had the jumbo ebi. It sure is big. But the batter is also really thick. The prawn itself lacked the crunch and freshness of good seafood. Oysters were still just so-so.

Verdict: Good, delicious tonkatsu that is on the pricey side. Stick to the pork.

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison
333A Orchard Road
#02-35/36 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore

Contact: +65 6733 4541

Opening Hours

Mon - Fri: 11am - 3pm; 5pm - 10pm
Sat - Sun & PH: 11am - 10pm

Le Bistrot

Dinner at Le Bistrot. A french bistro over at Indoor Stadium that seemed to have garnered for itself quite an encouraging reputation. Nice decor, cozy and comfortable; quiet, sufficiently lit and well-spaced tables. Menu was decently priced.  A good idea with the prix-fixed 2 or 3-course menus (which needs additional top-up for the "premier items". I had the black angus steak (400g), aka "the big one", which was served with frites and green. The beef was well seasoned, but ended up a bit too dry and more medium than medium-rare. Portion was really generous though. Dessert was a trio of creme brulee; I had the vanilla, chestnut, and something whitish which I forgot and was unmemorable (hah!). The sugar glaze was burnt for the creme brulee, and the texture though rich and smooth was unexciting. I had a taste of the french onion soup which was not too bad; the scallops was interesting (but not the dressing/side it came with); the salmon starter was not bad; the lemon tart was too tart; the hot chocolate set was "cute" but the drink lacked oomphed. Corkage was $20.

Verdict: Good place to chill with friends over moderately priced menu with generous portion; can come again if looking for acceptable french bistro fare in the east.

Le Bistrot
2 Stadium Walk
Kallang Indoor Stadium
Singapore 397691

Contact: 6447 0018
Park @ Carpark E

Opening Hours:
Tues - Sun: 11.45am - 2pm, 6pm - 10pm
Sat & Sun: 10am - 2pm
(closed on Mon & PH)

Capri Trattoria and Pizzeria

A new Italian establishment along Bukit Timah Road, well just slightly off it at Binjai Park. New kid on the block that is already packing a full crowd on a Saturday dinner shift. Homely ambience that may be a bit too cramped, with a small (3 tables) outdoor seating. Too much use of halogen light, coupled with the open wood/brick-oven, and it can get at bit warm-ish the nearer you are to the kitchen. 4 wait staffs, with very good, polite service, but still a tad under-staffed (another 1 or 2 will be better). The Italian boss himself stood behind the counter, making the coffee, and settling the bills. only very occasionally does he step out to serve or chat.  Food wise was good. Hearty Italian meals with generous portions. The house Prosecco was light and tasty. The starters of sautéed squid served in its own ink and seafood soup were fresh and promptly served. The former went very well with the table bread but had more of a stir-fried chinese tze-char taste than Mediterranean; the latter's seafood (clams and prawns) were stir-fried/sautéed with garlic before adding the soup and the heat was clearly too high, such that the garlic were burnt, and the soup ended up with a charred-undertone. In addition, the soup volume was just too minimal to fully appreciate the taste. The mixed pork (ribs, sausage, mince, belly "siew bar") pappardelle  was very generous. The tomato base and the porcine taste were not over-bearing, but again, still feels Chinese. Strangely, the soup and pasta was served at the same time. The highlight was the pizza. Now, this is where I was impressed. The pizza was the kind that I liked the most: thin crust yet chewy not crunchy. I had the truffle cream with mixed mushroom (including porcini) which was yummy. The truffle-smell was not overpowering and the cheese/cream combo was just right. Well done! Desserts was the ricotta with pear and lemon tart. Both were good, but not knock-your-socks-off. The ricotta was slightly heavier but balanced off with the pear and crust. The lemon tart was light and fluffy, and served with a side of ? cream. Good to slowly nibble off with a cuppa after dinner. Very filling, reasonably priced for the amount of food. Valet provided.

Updated (9 Sept 2012): The Boston lobster fettucine was excellent. Large generous portion, that was reasonably priced for a restaurant, however, it was a tad too salty. The cherry tomatoes lent a sweetness to it that complement the natural freshness and sweetness of the crustacean, but the number of tomatoes could be cut down bout 10%. The suckling piglet was a winner! They do not have it often, but if they do have it, order it! Crispy skin that was lightly salted, but importantly, the meat was soft and tender, and peeled off the bones beautifully. Not for the health conscious though, the lard just ooze...Excellent!

Verdict: Will definitely go again. Not only for convenience, but also for my kind of pizza.

Capri Trattoria & Pizzeria
No. 3 Binjai Park
Singapore 589819

tel: 6468 4886

Opening Hours:  to be determined

Blu Kouzina

A homely Greek restaurant along Bukit Timah road that has been drawing a sizeable crowd since its inception. I have seldom not seen it packed when I drive past, so now finally now I have got the time and mood for a little Greek food. White washed walls with the typical white-wood furniture accented with blues, and even the greek evil eye popping around. Fairly large place, with an outdoor dining, open air ground level, and air-conditioned second-floor. You can pick your choice of seating during reservation, and reservation is recommended. However, there are 2 seatings for dinner, so choose wisely! Service was prompt and serving was timely. Menu had a good range of appetisers, some cooked appetisers, a selection of meat and fish platter as main, and the blackboard specials. Good drinks menu, focusing on greek wine, but there's always Mythos and Ouzo too if so inclined. The food servings were all generous; think Caucasian size rather Asian portion. The grilled feta was a generous slab of sheep cheese in a shallow pool of olive oil, and served with olives and herbs; only for people who like feta by itself. I asked for an extra loaf of table-bread to eat with the Feta, and my bill had a $2 charge for "bread", so either case...what money grubbers! The mousaka was excellent, though it reminded me more of shepherd's pie, however, it could be improved if the eggplant had been more flavoured/marinated longer. The meat platter consisted of 2 (large) portions of beef patties (yum! fatty and chewy), meat balls (good, taste like a ball version of the patties, though a tad drier), beef skewers (perfectly seasoned and grilled, medium rare to medium), and surprisingly good lamb chops (tender, succulent and not "lamb-y"). All the meat served with a side of fries and (small) dip. Dessert was a greek yogurt, served with honey and walnut. Great for digestion.

Verdict:  Great and filling Greek food at restaurant price (and blatant about it). Good ambience, though the double seating is a turn off. Will come back again for the fish, but definitely at the second seating.

Blu Kouzina
893 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 589615

tel: 6875-0872; e-mail: blukouzina@singnet.com.sg;
online reservation at their website: http://www.blukouzina.com

Opening Hours
Lunch: Fri - Sat, 12pm - 2.30pm
Dinner: Tues - Sun, 6pm - 10pm (2 seatings: 6-8pm and 8.15 - 10pm)

Marukin Ramen (丸金拉面)

Objectively speaking, the ramen here was acceptable...if you are looking for non-pork alternatives. Yes, that's right. This place sells chicken-stock ramen with chicken char siew. Only! The tsukemen was accepted but the chicken was really bland/pathetic. Similarly the gyoza was tasteless. In addition, it's not cheap and no table water provided (but has wet tissue...which would you rather?), though at least no service charge either since one got to self-order at the counter.

Verdict: Never again! (unless you are looking for non-pork options)

Marukin Ramen
6 Scotts Road
#B1-11/12, Scotts Square

Opening hours: Daily, 11am - 10pm