House: Barracks Cafe @ Dempsey

It was a sunny sunday morning so I went jogging ( repeat: Jogging)! Somehow... I ended up at Barracks! 

Can u resist a cup of cold water and a half cooked sunny side up after a jog? he he he

Situated in a old school like building, barracks can't be judged by its cover =p

Is this my Sunday Times? nope, it's the Barracks Menu!

 Indoor dining area, love the setting! Good morning Sunshine!

Eggs Benedict ($18)

 The hollandaise was a bit sour as compared to the norm, not to my liking but the rest were great =)

look at the egg york!

Bay Prawn Capellini

($25)

Its like prawn aglio olio, a bit spicy with garlic and olive oil.

what makes this unique was the angel hair pasta

Remember to make reservation as customers start coming in at around 11am. I didn't make any reservations and was told that I will have to give up my table by 12.30pm due to other reservations.

They also offer al fresco settings.

Barracks is also offering "Vintage Tea Party" @ $25

and other main courses.

Definitely a place to visit!

Overall rating: 7.1/10

I like the ambience but food could be better

Add: 80 Dempsey Road, Singapore 249672

Tel: 6475 7787

Website: Dempsey House

Ding Tai Fung @ Paragon

Ding Tai Fung is an internationally renowned Taiwanese "Xiao Long Bao" Restaurant.

Since a few years back, this chain was brought to Sunny island by our local BreadTalk group and expanded rapidly.

I have tried their outlets at Paragon, Wisma, Raffles City and Junction 8. So far, I think the one at Paragon is one of their best.

 Look at the queue and open kitchen concept =)

I was lured to Ding Tai Fung's current promotion - it's a release of their new creation called the Chill Crab Xiao Long Bao.

After waiting for approx 15min, I was lead to my seat. It's a bit crammed and table's a bit small..but I tell myself..this is for my tummy..for good food!

Stir fried spinach ($8)

Healthy high iron intake, eat more veg everybody!

Sauteed honey beancurd with mushroom ($4)

A good appetiser to start apart from the usual seaweed appetiser. (the seaweed appetiser is often sold out if you go for late dinner)

Seasonal dish - Chilli Crab Xiao Long Bao ($6)

If you like chilli crab, you will definitely enjoy this!

Minced meat noodle ($7) 

Dumpling in chilli oil (approx $6)

Simply delicious =)

Always enjoyed Ding Tai Fung, other dishes I would recommend besides the normal steamed pork dumpling would be the sweet and sour soup (large size at around $9 is really worth compared to the smaller size) and pork cutlet.

Overall rating: 7.7/10
highlight: be prepared to queue during meal hours =(

website: Din Tai Fung

Spruce @ Phoenix Park

Aloha, is that a cafe hidden in there?! Yes!

Welcome to Spruce

This restaurant has 2 dining areas, below shows the indoor, air-conditioned area

On a usual weekday lunch hour, there's some working adults and "tai-tai"s in the cafe.

Display of desserts including choc tart, carrot cake, brownie, doughnuts, penna colata, tiramisu, cheese cake... oh why r we oh desserts? let's get to the mains! *tummy grumbling*

This main which I've ordered isn't their signature dish, but I've always been a fan of vongole, hence couldn't resist and HAD to order this...

Vongole (Spagetti with clam) 

$22

 Spagetti was al dente, white wine sauce with chilli and garlic.. slurp!

 I was surprised with their generous portion of clams!

(I have yet to find really good clams in singapore though.. any recommendations?)

Signature Spruce Salad

$18

What attracted me was the slices of soft avocado. other ingredients includes crotons, goat cheese, almond, corn... The crunchy texture is a simple enjoyment

 Double Choc Cake w Vanilla Ice cream

$10

 Just wanna show u exactly how tall the cake is!
(hint: height of cake vs fork)

Portion is a bit big, so i recommend sharing and definitely order a scoop of vanilla ice cream to go along! accentuates the entire dish =)

Alfresco dining area

Sayonara Spruce..I will be back 

Overall rating: 7.6/10
highlight - value added service + relaxed setting

Add: 320 Tanglin Road, Phoenix Park Singapore
Tel: 6836 5528

The Magic of Chongqing Hotpot @ Tanglin Shopping Centre

This spicy hotpot restaurant under the Indochin umbrella has always been the only place that comes to my mind when I am craving for hotpot. And it still is and I am more than happy to spread this good find

They offer buffet and prices range from approx $25~$35. Weekday lunch buffet is the cheapest and weekend dinner is the priciest. There's also ala carte menu available.

The pic below shows the sauce which compliments the spicy broth as it evens out the spiciness. 

The waitress will gladly mix those shown below together to form the sauce or you can DIY.

Sesame sauce + garlic chilli soya sauce + sesame oil = the sauce

Dinner buffet menu...about 60 ~ 70 different dishes to select from =)

black fungus

Fish Paste ( I can eat 7 plates alone, so please do order!)

How they cook fish paste

Prawns

Water-cress (good for reducing heaty-ness)

I recommend putting all veg in the chicken broth as veg soaks up the soup, so the spicy base may make the veg too spicy and salty.

highly recommended wanton

Bamboo Fungi

Mushroom Stuffed with Chicken Paste

Seafood tofu - recommended to put into the spicy soup base

multiple plates of fish paste!

This restaurant also has the few complimentary dishes below. Every diners are entitled to one piece of each =)

Baby sausage , Salmon, Mock abalone, Xiao long bao, pan-fried dumpling

water chestnut jelly, fried bun with condensed milk, chinese sticky dessert with egg and fine sugar powder

I always goes for the eight-treasure soup as dessert. But you also have 2 other choices like ice cream or syrup fruits.

If you have some excess cash, I recommend their eight-treasure tea too =) it freshens up my mouth and takes away some heaty-ness from the spicy soup.

Overall rating: 7/10

Down side is that the price is a bit steep and we have a few other cheaper options available. But I really enjoy the food here and I hope u will too =)

Add: 19 Tanglin Road, Tanglin Shopping Centre, #04-06

Tel: 6734 8135

TWG @ Takashimaya

As a tai tai's afternoon tea hotspot, TWG not just nailed it but way surpassed that!

Fantabulous brunch, mains, desserts and French Earl Grey Tea blablabla~ the list could go on for a good 10 minutes.

Be prepared to splurge as we are paying not just for the food, but the brand and all those intangible "feel-goods" that comes along with the experience.

It's the feeling of wanting to have more that makes us treasure every bite we take (hence explaining the petite-sized servings)

I like that the chefs make an effort to improvise and infuse various teas into their mains, makes this a heaven for tea lovers and those who just want to try a variation from the norm.

Here's my review on some of the must tries @ TWG salon & boutiques.

Vendome Salad

$19

Greens! always a favourite of mine. This salad combines asparagus, broccoli, french beans, lettuce and 1 cherry tomato dressed with vinaigrette. 

To be honest, I can't really taste the "vendome" in their vinaigrette. But taste wise, this is good =)

Vegetable Lasagna 

$19

I dare say this is the best vegetarian lasagna i've ever eaten ( as you know lasagna's a beef thing..hee)

This is supposed to be infused with Moroccan mint tea. Supposedly. But I guess it's just not strong enough. That said, I enjoyed this dish, and despite being a small portion, it's pretty filling. =)

Gourmet Brunch Set

$40

This is TWG's basic brunch set with omelette as the main. I has a simple freshly squeezed orange juice with the following....

2 French brioche toast - bread with a crispy golden brown skin and soft, light buttery center.

Scrambled Eggs (ala carte price $19)

I choose the green tea flavoured scrambled egg. nomm nomm nomm

scrambled egg is nua nua not dry at all and goes well with the smoked salmon and salad =)

What surprised me is the de-shelled prawns! So enjoyed our privileges to be a tai tai once in a while and not dirty our hands peeling prawn =)

Raspberry Cheesecake

Absolutely delicious, not too sweet yet soft and the cheese goes especially well with the sour raspberry compote and biscuit crust. recommended for those who likes berry and sour stuff =)

Another of their highlights

Beef Bolognaise Lasagna 

($20)

this lasagna, just like the vegetarian version above, is infused with Moroccan mint tea.

the only thing you would complain would be why aren't they serving you a bigger portion

Creme Brulee Custard Berry Tart 

($9.50)

This is an art, an absolute MUST! I Love this =) Love it!

*If you see this in their trolley of patisseries, dont hesitate! cox it's not always available*

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Due to their exaggerated range of tea, I will have a post specially dedicated to just TWG Tea Selection. Lend me your patience =)

Add: Marina Bay Sands / ION Orchard / Takashimaya/ Republic Plaza

Website: TWG Tea Boutiques