The Clan Restaurant

When it comes to restaurants, K likes nice ambience while I’m more into the food.

So we agree to disagree on The Clan Restaurant.

Beyond the classy setting, there’s really nothing spectacular about this place. Most people go for the 6-course set menu at $63.80++, supposedly of good value, but I’d rather pay the same for a 3-course (or even 2-) meal of higher quality and gratification. Our pickings off the ala carte menu were decent at best, mostly forgettable dishes.

You’d think that a combination of tuna, earl grey, lavender and basil will taste weird, but it turned out bland so that was okie. Poached salmon was awesome but it was not my dish, sadness. My cod fish was quite pathetic, the size of my palm (I have very small hands) and way way overcooked. Chocolate lava was clearly a misrepresentation, we didn’t get a cake that has that oozing runny chocolate that I want, tsk!

Complimentary Strawberry Shooter

Chef’s Starter ($18++)
duck rillettes, scallop with truffle foam, deconstructed prawn sushi

Earl Grey Cured Tuna, Lavender Scented Fruit Salsa with Orange Basil Emulsion ($20++)

Cepes Mushroom with Truffle Paste Soup ($11++)

48deg Poached Salmon with Japanese Broth, Dehydrated Wakame & Leek Confit ($27++)

Pan Seared Cod Fish with Horseradish Sauce, Roasted Garlic & Olive Crisp ($29++)

Chocolate Lava with Homemade Gelato ($10++)

The Clan Restaurant
18/20 Bukit Pasoh Road
6222 2084

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Boo Lunch at Spathe Public House!

So the day after I blogged excitedly about Spathe Public House, I managed to psycho the colleagues to go there for lunch, heh heh.

But alas, the set lunch kind of killed off my interest in Spathe. The 2-course menu ($13+) goes like this:

Starter (no choice): mixed leaf salad.

BORING. Add roasted red peppers or crispy egg or smoked salmon for $4+. Each.

Main: lagsana or spaghetti or smoked salmon tartine.

Various add-ons available of course (roll eye).

My smoked salmon tartine arrived looking completely miserable, even the sunny side up on the side (additional $2+! I’m such a sucker for eggs!) couldn’t make it happier. The bread served was the smallest I’ve ever seen for a sandwich, portion fit only for a mouse. And seriously, the salad was pathetic. It’s just some sad leaves passing off as a proper salad meant for a starter. It’s “salads” like this that makes people think salads are boring and not filling! Angst!! It’s so plain and meh that I even thought that the chef forgot some ingredients in it! And that’s when the “oh, you need to add blah blah blah for $x” thingy was made known to us by the waitress.

If you want a complete meal with protein, add-ons are inevitable, according to the way Spathe’s set lunch menu is structured. Maybe it’s just me and my English cannot make it, but I think it’s misleading and missing a couple of “or” (see for yourself here). And Spathe, if you can’t even offer a set lunch that’s of some decent value, don’t. even. do. it.

Scottish Smoked Salmon Tartine ($13+), Sunny Side Up (additional $2+)

Spaghetti with Organic Basil Oil ($13+), Grilled Chicken (additional $4+)

Spathe Public House
#01-01, 8 Mohamed Sultan Road
6735 1035

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Kitchenette (Novena)

Kitchenette has potential, I think.

The prices are right, portions are good, food is fresh.

If only consistency is not an issue. The lady at the table next to ours ordered the exact same thing as me, but hers came with a nice little pile of rocket leaves while my eggs florentine looked kind of bare and sad.

Oh, and it’d be fab if the waffles are not so limp and soft too! FYI, nobody likes soggy waffles. N.o.b.o.d.y.

Waffle Big Breakfast ($11)
scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, sauteed mushrooms

Eggs Florentine ($14)
spinach, artichoke, walnut rye bread, potatoes

Kitchenette (Novena)
#01-01, Goldhill Plaza
51 Goldhill Plaza
6352 7484

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Chye Seng Huat Hardware

Chye Seng Huat Hardware, the blogged-to-death, not-so-latest-now addition to the Papa Palheta’s mini coffee empire in Singapore.

Enter via the side grey gate (on the left hand side) and be prepared to see and be seen in the supposedly hip and cool coffee bar.

Coffee is coffee to me.

So pardon me when my untrained palate can’t taste what the hype is all about, haha.

From left: Espresso + Milk ($5.50); Cold Brew ($7).

Chye Seng Huat Hardware
150 Tyrwhitt Road
6396 0609

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La Pizzaiola

I wanted to like La Pizzaiola but I didn’t.

Rather bland and oily, the pumpkin ravioli was nothing compared to Pasta Brava’s wickedly gratifying version. Pizza was not bad with a thin crust, though I’m bothered that they don’t do boring smoked salmon here, haha. On hindsight, getting the specialty whole grain pasta was not too smart; the same pizza crust covered a medley of cooked brown pasta, potatoes and lots (and lots) of cheese. If that’s not an overload of carbs and cheese, I don’t know what is.

Tortelli Di Zucca ($13.90++)
hand-made pumpkin ravioli, butter, sage, parmesan

Pizza Mortadella ($17.90++)
tomato, mozzarella, Italian cured sausage

Pizzaoccheri Della Valtellina ($13.90++)
hand-made whole grain pasta, butter, sage, potato, cheese

La Pizzaiola
15/3 Jalan Riang
6282 5031

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7 KICKstart BREWiches

I have it on good authority that the burgers at 7 KICKstart BREWiches can seriously kick some ass!

We took the last chicken patty instead of the default beef, and what arrived was one toppling juicy and sloppily overly dressed (in a good way) killer burger, cutely stabbed with a knife, unceremoniously dumped on an unglam metallic serving plate (which I’ve got a few at home too!)~

Too bad the open-faced smoked salmon sandwich was too homely, skip.

The BEST-EVER (<– their printed word, not mine) Burger ($12)
chicken patty, cheese, fried egg, double turkey bacon

Smoked Salmon Sandwich ($8.70)

7 KICKstart BREWiches
50 Armenian Place
#01-02, Wilmer Place
8389 7877

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Bella Pizza

Google “best pizza in Singapore” and you will likely come across Bella Pizza.

I wonder why though, as the pizza salmone ($22++) was so-so, hmm…

Bella Pizza
#01-14, Riverside View
30 Robertson Quay
6734 0139

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Bye Bye, Bay Sushi~

I’m emotionally scarred by (my favourite no more) Bay Sushi.

So determined were we last Saturday night to fix our Bay Sushi craving that 1) we braved the jam caused by Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ free concert at MBS, 2) made a detour to park at Gardens by the Bay, and 3) walked a good distance to reach our final destination. All for the love of Bay Sushi~!

We haven’t been there for about 2 months and boy, the menu has changed! While prices remain more or less the same, the portions have been halved. 8 pieces turn 4, how sad is that?! The waiter told us it’s cuz diners were unable to finish the previously generous servings; I thought that’s just a load of crap. More like simple accounting at work, driving up prices to retain more profits, boo.

No longer affordable, no longer rave-worthy. The sushi is still freaking delicious, but severely overpriced now.

Sigh, I should have known that good things never last…

Bye bye, sunset roll ($12++) and eel house roll ($14++); don’t think we’re gonna see each other any time soon…

Bay Sushi
#B2-01B, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
10 Bayfront Avenue
6688 7707

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Kooka Cafe

Brunch at Kooka Cafe was a little too simple for comfort.

I think I want just a tad more excitement on Saturdays, haha.

Top, down: bacon mushroom cheese omelette on toast ($7.50+); affogato ($5.80+); falafel tzatziki wrap with fries and salad ($8.50+).

Kooka Cafe
18 Purvis Street
6467 0288

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Chillax Massage Cafe

TGIF = chill out night = dinner at Chillax Massage Cafe

That’s what we did last Friday! Truth be told, the food was “okie-okie” only, but cuz it was a long-awaited Friday night, anything less than perfect was overlooked. The black truffle capellini ain’t so truffled after all; unagi omelette had one rather pathetically small piece of eel hidden under a pile of eggs, hmm.

By the way, I wouldn’t want to be there on a blazing afternoon since there’s no AC (I’m such a typical Singaporean, haha), so remember to check the weather forecast before hopping over!

Black Truffle Capellini ($20+)
signature dish served with black truffle and wild mushrooms

Unagi Omelette ($18+)
cheddar cheese, asparagus, radish, wakame salad

Chillax Massage Cafe
28 Maju Avenue
6244 5529

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