District 10 Bar & Restaurant

i've been visiting star vista quite a number of times since it opened (okay, like three times? but it's not that near my house so i guess it could be counted as quite a lot haha). and there seems to be quite a few other places we would like to check out there! 

visited district 10 this time, since i'd been hearing the name around quite a number of times. and i was quite pleasantly surprised at how good it was! it had a very refreshing menu, with lots of interesting dishes that we wanted to order ^^ i would say that the prices of their tapas were pretty steep though, knowing how small the portions usually are. thankfully the quality of food made up for it (: 

the sauteed garlic prawns with olive oil ($12) were deliciously fragrant. a hit amongst us garlic-lovers ;) we devoured it in minutes!! the prawns were juicy, and the sauce was so good that we mopped it up with anything and everything available :P

i loved the jumbo crab cakes ($14) for their fluffy texture. they were such a delight to eat! (btw don't be mistaken about the size of the tapas ok...i might have zoomed in quite a bit so it actually isn't as large as it appears to be)

the mini black angus cheddar cheese burger ($7) was tiny, but so adorable!!! the combination of the beef and cheddar cheese was divine (: 

and the naturally cut fries with truffle dip ($12) were so good!!!!! i think this way of doing such fries is much better than those pseudo truffle fries that have barely any truffle flavour at all -.- for this, the fries were fried beautifully - super crispy, while fluffy inside and tasty on their own! perhaps they were a little too oily though. the truffle mayo dip was delicious with sufficient truffle essence ;) 

although i've got a feeling that tapas are meant to be the star at this restaurant, i was actually more excited about the mains!! bigger portions that would definitely satisfy. right? ;) hehe. we actually ordered from the specials menu that day so i'm not too sure whether the same dishes would be available. but they were so good, i really hope they include it in the normal menu as well!! the soft shell chili crab pizza ($25) was a super interesting combination - loved how there was a fusion element in this dish ;) kind of like an asian-style pizza!

and the braised wagyu beef cheek rendang ($29) was sooo fragrant. we could smell the rendang aroma from one end of the table to the other :D and the beef cheek was done wonderfully. though not melt-in-your-mouth standard, it was tender without a doubt, and a delight to eat! the pita bread came in useful to soak up all the sauce (not one bit was left to waste!) and the mashed potatoes were sinfully, but deliciously, buttery ^^

very happy family with our happy hour bottle of carbenet sauvingon for $34 ;) 

District 10 Bar & Restaurant

The Star Vista #01-42

Tel.: +65 6694 2884

Sun-Thu 11.30am-11pm

Fri & Sat 11.30am-12mn

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi & my hot pink blazer :D

i got my tonkotsu ramen fix!!! (: a bowl of warm soupy ramen was probably one of the things i missed on exchange. there's only so much a bowl of instant noodles can do...it's food for the soul when we were freezing, no doubt, but i still miss the hearty japanese soups which i know have been boiled painstakingly for hours to produce a rich, flavourful broth, without being overwhelmingly-thick like western soups. i've been wanting to get a yummy bowl of such tonkotsu soup, and while i was glad to have some ramen at Santouka previously, i have to say that i still prefer tonkotsu ramen to hokkaido ramen! 

and so, ta-da! i present my delicious bowl of Arashi Genkotsu Ramen ($12.90) ^^ this jap restaurant, tucked away in a corner of star vista, doesn't have the queues of menya musashi. i actually dined at menya musashi last year but i don't know why i didn't do a post on it. and i can't really compare now since i can't remember how that one tasted, except that it was good :P haha. anyway, Ramen Kagetsu Arashi has pretty much the full range of ramen - tonkotsu (yay!!), miso, shio, etc...but sam and i both immediately went for the tonkotsu ;) hehe same taste! i absolutely loved this broth, which had a delightfully piquant flavour, especially because of the strong garlic aroma :P but the good thing is that it didn't leave the kind of uncomfortable garlic-breath which is totally undesirable for dates :P i felt that the cha shu was a bit tooooo thin, and the egg wasn't the flowy yolk kind (need to top up for that!), but the tasty soup more than made up for these minor quibbles (:

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi

The Star Vista #01-41 

Tel.: +65 6339 0335

Mon-Thu, Sun 11.30am-10pm

Fri-Sat 11.30am-11pm

and yay i found an opportunity to wear my hot pink blazer out! :D i realised that this blazer is kind of conflicted haha. because it is one of my most formal/structured blazers (the cuffs were damn difficult to fold up -.-), and yet it's HOT PINK which i obviously can't wear for anything formal. but i'm glad i finally managed to fold up the sleeves (minimally....) which made it a little less formal. and i love how blazers can just smarten up a shorts+tank combo (: so i don't look like a kid next to my boyfriend who just came from work hahaha ;)

Top: Primark //

Blazer: H&M //

Shorts: old //

Bracelets: Thomas Sabo, Primark //

Nosh

Nestled in what almost resembles a giant treehouse in Rochester Park is Nosh. there are actually many food places popping up there! and with the circle line, that area is now so much more accessible :)

started off the meal with this lovely starter which they called fried italian flatbread i'm not wrong. it was sooooooo delicious! if you've ever eaten those pizza biscuits that they sell in grocery stores, this is the bread-version of it! :D deliciously seasoned with various herbs, it had a crispy exterior, and a dense chewy interior that was absolutely lovely.

we ordered some appetizers to share - the seared scallops ($18) was a beautifully harmonized dish. the soft tender scallops melted in my mouth, and they were contrasted with the woody, slightly sweet flavour of crunchy candied walnuts. and this had to be the most yummy spinach i've ever eaten!!!! super melt-in-your-mouth soft, and so flavourful.

the mango avocado creviche ($18) was very interesting to eat! following the instructions of the waitress, we each took a piece of the tortilla chips (crunchy and nicely seasoned!) and plopped a serving of the black cod, heirloom tomatoes, fresh chili, avocado and mango onto it, and into our mouths it went. nice combination of flavours :)

and i really loved my drink!!!! :) this has to be one of the nicest drinks i've ever ordered. usually i'd get a little sick of the alcohol taste after awhile, but my Stay cocktail ($15) made of kaffir lime, yuzu and vodka had the most refreshing taste that i loved it soooo much and i could have more more more :D the sweet-sour flavour of the yuzu was just damn awesome :D

i ordered the braised veal cheek ($25) which came with saffron risotto and was flavoured with various herbs like garlic, cinnamon and clove. this was SO tender that the meat just fell away easily when prodded with a fork, and simply melted in my mouth. a dish rich in flavour, the risotto was creamy and smooth, and added even more body to the meat.

i loved how the kurobuta pork belly ($25) was fried so beautifully, without any hint of any oiliness. it came topped with apple chutney, and very interesting sides - sweet potato mash and sweet potato chips. the chips were thinly sliced, and held a touch of sweetness, distinguishing it from your ordinary potato chips. the sweet potato mash was equally wonderful, very light and easy to eat.

the sambal snapper ($25) was one punchy dish! it was really quite spicy haha. i have to say that i was pretty surprised a western restaurant could do this asian dish so well. the tamarind rice that came with it was nicely flavoured with a variety of spices and tasted delicious!

the braised lamb shank ($29) was not really my cup of tea, since i dont like lamb. but the gamey taste was relatively minimal! and the meat was super tender too.

i liked how the grilled chicken pasta ($24) was relatively easy to digest, considering it was a creamy pasta. usually i shun creamy pastas because i don't like the sauce much, but a mouthful of this pasta, which came with fettucine, caramelized onions, iberico ham and mozzarella, was not just tasty, but easily palatable! :)

Nosh

9 Rochester Park

Tel.: +65 6779 4644

Tues-Sun: 6pm-10.30pm (Dinner)

Sat & Sun: 10.30am-2.30pm (Brunch)

1-Caramel

1-caramel has a sort of special significance for me, and it just brought back feelings of nostalgia when i visited it again last week. this time, it was at a different location though. i got an invite to attend a food tasting at the outlet at Rochester Park :) sadly the one at Handy Road has since closed down >.<

anyway, it was a really interesting experience for me to attend this food tasting! and i got the chance to sample quite a wide array of the selection of desserts there.

\1-Caramel's focus is on DESSERTS, and thus doesnt have much lunch/dinner options. the brunch menu is fairly extensive though! and i got to try my favourite brunch dish - eggs benedict :D with smoked salmon ($14). i felt that the hollandaise sauce here was especially fragrant and i loved how it complemented the beautiful wobbly poached egg sitting atop a toasted English muffin. the exquisite arrangement of roe on top of the egg (literally) added a burst of flavour as they popped in my mouth :D so cute! and i have to rave about the fried potatoes that came with this dish!!! they were fried till they were slightly crumbly (i really loved the texture!) falling apart easily in my mouth and the seasoning for the potato was really unique and delicious.

we also had the posh platter ($22) which is a selection of canapes including a smoked salmon tart with creme fraiche and ocean trout caviar, asparagus wrapped in basil and prosciutto and truffled brie & cherry tomatoes on a toasted brioche. my favourite out of the three was the tart! as always, i really adore pastries and i was completely intrigued by the combination of flavours of the smoked salmon, caviar and creme fraiche. :) and the asparagus felt SO HEALTHY haha despite the prosciutto! but this is something i can eat again and again without feeling too guilty ;)

on to desserts! we had a stream of souffles ($14) parading down our table! haha it was fascinating. the ones we tried were the hazelnut souffle with chocolate ice cream, miso souffle with yuzu ice cream and passionfruit souffle with banana-passion sorbet.

yes you saw right, MISO souffle! haha it was super interesting!!! and i have to say that it was my favourite out of the bunch! i really enjoyed the slightly savoury taste of the souffle, it didn't feel out of place at all, despite the fact that souffles are typically sweet. the yuzu sorbet was citrus-y and refreshing! i also liked the hazelnut souffle - the moment i put it into my mouth, the first thing that came to my mind was FERRERO ROCHER! :D hahaha. love it to bits. it was wonderfully spongy yet soft, great texture! and the chocolate ice cream that came with it had to be one of the richest, most decadent chocolate ice-creams i've eaten. mummy would have loved it. it was not too sweet! ;) the passionfruit souffle didn't really appeal to me much though.

and we had the chance to try the 1-Caramel Assiette which was a really gorgeous platter of 5 desserts ($24)! it was certainly a feast for the eyes. you wouldn't be able to resist it.

it is a sharing platter of petite-sized portions of 1-Caramel's signature desserts, and the ones which were on our platter were the earl grey creme brulee, raspberry lychee rose panacotta, midori macaron, baked alaska, tropical vodka trifle and death by chocolate ($14 each for the original portion) - the most gorgeous array of desserts ever! :O

i especially liked the raspberry lychee rose panacotta which was a super light wobbly pudding with a subtle hint of the lychee rose flavour. i liked how the lightness of the textures and flavour were such a perfect match for each other!

the intensity of the earl grey struck me the moment i took a mouth of the creme brulee. it was wonderful how each flavour of the desserts in the assiette platter were so clearly distinct from one another, each providing a different experience altogether when i sampled each of them.

the death by chocolate was a dense rich spongy cake with a full-bodied chocolate flavour. i was just a tad disappointed though as i expected the 'chocolate lava' to flow out of the cake, but it didn't.

the baked alaska was one of the most interesting desserts i had! we all thought the white dome on top would be some hard biscuit-like kind of thing, instead it gave easily when we dug our spoons into it. the brownie underneath was pure delight! :) and the strawberry sauce went perfectly with it.

the last dessert was the tropical vodka trifle which was a refreshing mix that helped to cleanse my palate at the end of all the desserts :) the pineapple gazpacho jelly and sponge cubes, together with the coconut sorbet just made this feel like a super healthy dessert - the perfect way to end a meal :)

for drinks, i had the mango strawberry ice blend ($8.90) which was a delightful combination strawberries and fresh pureed mangoes. a surprisingly delicious combination that was utterly pleasing :D

Many thanks to Yen, from  1-Rochester, for the invitation :)

1 Caramel

1 Rochester Park, Level 2

Tel.: +65 6774 1302

Mon-Fri 11.30am-10.30pm

Sat-Sun 10am-10.30pm (brunch 10am-4pm)

Graze

i've heard about 38 martin road quite a bit. recently it seemed to have undergone some sort of revamp such that it's now home to a bunch of new restaurants, one of which is graze. i only know one other restaurant there, kha, which is a thai restaurant, and i've been wanting to try it! but havent actually got down to it yet. do you know of the other restaurants there? comment and let me know! i wanna try them out sometime (:

the brunch at graze starts from 10am, but only a limited section of the menu is available unfortunately :( the rest of the brunch menu is only served after 12pm, so we were restricted to the brunch specials and eggs sections. nevertheless, we were able to order quite a variety of dishes, which were pretty yummy (: first up, we had the free range eggs ($18) which are cooked according to your liking, be it poached, scrambled or fried, and served with bacon, roast vine tomatoes and toast. the eggs, we chose sunny-side up, were cooked beautifully, although they looked a bit small, but they were pretty substantial so that was good.

i ordered my eggs benedict ($19) as usual. probably getting to predictable already, and yi was complaining that i was always the one who ordered eggs ben such that no one else got the chance to try it. oops :P okay, it's time for a change i guess. next time i shall order something else. haha. the eggs ben comes with a choice of mortadella (i learned that day that it was ham), smoked salmon or baby spinach. such a refreshing and healthy option! but i didn't chose the spinach :P instead, i got the smoked salmon which was nice and soft and yummy. as always, smoked salmon is a tad salty in my opinion, but that can't be helped i suppose. served atop brioche toast that was warm and crispy on the outside and perfectly crumbly inside, i LOVED this bread. really. it was absolutely delicious :D and there was a generous dollop of hollandaise sauce on top of it. perfect!

zhen ordered the signature cast iron pan ($24) which sounded like a really big meal. i was really imagining the huge wok i had at home for stir-frying haha. i was over-imagining it apparently. the cast iron pan was significantly smaller than i thought. seeing the number of things on the menu description of this dish though, i was surprised that they actually managed to squeeze everything on it! there were 2 free range eggs (cooked to your liking), hash browns, bacon, chipolata, baked beans, roast vine tomatoes and mushrooms. BIG BREAKFAST! (:

from the brunch section, we ordered the banana french toast ($15)! sounds interesting already doesnt it! the french toast was nicely toasted, slightly crispy outside but soft inside, covered with a generous layer of syrup. the grilled bananas that came with it were topped with toasted coconut shavings. a very interesting combination of tastes (:

finally, we had the homemade orange & vanilla waffles ($15), which was a rather unique, refreshing twist to typical waffles! the moment i bit into the crispy crust of the waffle, i could taste the subtle flavour of the orange. not too overwhelming, it instead lends a citrusy freshness to the pastry. served with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and the jar of chocolate sauce, this was a decadent dish :D

Graze

(moved to 4 Rochester Park)

Fri-Sat 6.30pm-11pm

Sat & Sun 9.30am-4pm