Wildfire Kitchen + Bar

Probably one of the hottest new food haunts on Instagram, I saw numerous photos of Wildfire's mouthwatering burgers which compelled me to try out the place even though it was located in a corner of the world.....at Evans Road. Honestly, not the kind of place I would travel to, but for a meal with the BurppleTastemakers, I couldn't say no ;) And it certainly was an experience! Possibly one of the eatups which I didn't feel like I was going to burst at the end, but I was satiated, nevertheless. 

For once I was early for an eatup, and I was absolutely starving when I got there! When our servers placed the Umami Fries ($6) in front of me, I couldn't resist digging into them immediately. A deviation from the ubiquitous truffle fries found in most cafes/restaurants nowadays, the umami fries had an interesting flavour that I couldn't quite pinpoint. I can't really decide whether I liked it or not, but it was strangely addictive. Or, I couldn't have just been hungry.

I most certainly enjoyed the Sriracha Glazed Chicken Pops ($13) though. Crispy chicken chunks slathered in a delicious hot sauce that was really flavourful. 

I found the Mozarella Stuffed Meatballs ($13) rather yummy too. What a brilliant idea to have melty cheese in the core of handmade meatballs. It was a wonderful surprise to bite into the meatballs and discover what was inside. More cheese please!

On to the mains - while Wildfire is known for its burgers, I have to give a special mention to the Hanger Steak ($36). This was SO GOOD. I would choose it over the burgers, actually. Kobe cuisine, Queensland Australia Wagyu (400 day grain fed). The quality was evident in the beautiful marbling and perfect texture of the beef. Look at that gorgeous red centre! It was red, without being bloody, and it was incredibly tender with an amazing taste that was strong, without being overpowering. 

We also had the Wagyu Inside Skirt ($36) that was tasty as well, when eaten on its own, but unfortunately paled in comparison next to the Hanger. 

I'm not much of a fan of pork chop as I feel that it can be rather tough when not done well. The Pork Tomahawk ($28) was better than some pork chops I've tried, but didn't impress much. I was distracted by the side of maple and milk glazed carrots and sweet potato though! It was a really interesting accompaniment that was a surprisingly good complement to the flavour of the pork and was my favourite part of the dish. 

Then, it was BURGER TIME. 

From a single burger featured, we ended up with an army of burgers on the table!! Big thanks to Wildfire for their generosity - we practically tried every single burger on the menu! To be honest, I felt that the different flavours started to taste the same after awhile. But those that stood out for me in particular were The Works ($23) and Chilli Con Carne ($19). If you're the kind who can't ever decide what to eat, definitely go for The Works, which is everything you could ask for in a burger - beef patty with baby spinach, bacon weave, rosti, parmesan crisp, fried egg, sliced tomatoes, caramelized onions, guacamole and Wildfire's signature master sauce. I liked the Chilli for its slightly unique flavours - give me jalapeños anytime! I was a tad disappointed by the classic 001 ($16). Despite its fantastic Instagram-worthy appearance, it was nothing special. The downside of Wildfire's burgers was the lack of flavour of their patty. Perhaps it was to allow the rest of the ingredients to shine, but I felt it could have done better for the patty since that should really be the star of every burger. The buns were fluffy and sufficiently thick, which was a plus point! 

Wildfire Kitchen and Bar

26 Evans Road

Tel.: +65 6734 2080

Daily 11am-10.30pm

Restaurant Sela

Celebrated papa’s birthday last month with a yummy meal at Restaurant Sela. I love how birthdays are such a great reason for celebration! :) And what’s a better way than to bond over some good food and wine ^^ Restaurant Sela impressed right from the beginning when I called to make a reservation, and continued to do so throughout our experience there.

I didn’t manage to get a photograph of the ciabatta ($3) that we started with, but they were the loveliest little pillows of bread ever! Perhaps I should just mention a tiny quibble we had, which was the amount of time the food took to prepare, which they only informed us only when we were ordering our food. But thankfully the bread helped to quell my growling tummy. It was so fluffy and warm, we couldn’t get enough of it!

There was a good variety of options on the menu. I was the only one who opted for a seafood dish because all the meats were snapped up in an instant. The Baked Miso Chilean Seabass ($28) was one of the best fish I’ve eaten! It tasted way more luxurious than it seemed, with a texture and flavour of codfish. The skin of the fish was lightly charred to perfection, and seemed to have a touch of caramelised balsamic to it (though it could well have been the miso that I tasted). It was bathed in a sake broth and was complemented with a generous serving of clams.

Sam ordered the Beef Tenderloin ($42) and I’m so glad that I’ve taught him to share ;) It was soooo good. Cooked to medium doneness, the interior was a beautiful pink that looked absolutely inviting. It was tender, and packed a punch with its delicious flavour.

Mummy had the Slow Braised Pork Belly ($28) that was almost melt-in-your mouth and achieved the delicate balance between fat and meat. We loved the fragrance of the apple risotto, which had a lightness that is almost non-existent in typical risottos. The Granny Smith chips on the side were an interesting touch, though I was a tad let down that it wasn’t crispy.

Zhen ordered the monster Australian T-Bone Steak ($58) which was a whopping 400gms, excluding the bone, I believe! It was a massive portion. And despite the fact that it was all sliced up (perfect for the lazy ones), the meat retained its juiciness. The caramelized onions that came with it were simply addictive and possibly stole the limelight from the meat! Just kidding. But they were really good.

Finally, papa had the Herb Crusted Lamb Rack ($32). This took a long, long time to arrive at our table. The rest of us were nearly done with our mains when it finally arrived! And the rest of our dishes had already taken a good 20-30min, so you can imagine how long this took. But it was well worth the wait. Though I’m not a fan of lamb, I could tell that this was a dish that was executed with flair. According to papa, it was incredibly tender, and the flavours were amazing.

As we were celebrating a birthday, the restaurant not only helped us to serve the cake, but also presented papa with a dessert, with compliments from them! They made a point to ask for his name when I made the reservation and wished him ‘happy birthday’ personally. Plus they gave us a couple of concessions, which we really appreciated :) Little touches of good service this does go a long way!

This new restaurant has potential, and despite it being a mere half year old, it has garnered spectacular reviews since its opening. Time to place this on your radar as the newest hotspot to check out next.

Restaurant Sela

32 Seah Street

Tel.: +65 6337 6358

Mon-sat Lunch 11.30am-2.30pm

6.30pm-11pm

Trattoria Gallo D'oro

I had the pleasure of having quite a number of fantastic meals right before i flew off to Europe in early june. this post is obviously quite overdue, but i'm so excited to write about it! (the other restaurant was Shelter in the Woods, check it out if you haven't!)

started off with the amuse bouche, which was a simple bruschetta that whet our appetite for the rest of the meal to come.

because we were there for zhen's birthday, the lady boss/manager kindly gifted us with a glass of prosecco to kickstart our meal! the crisp wine cleansed our palate and went perfectly well with the amuse bouche.

we were really lucky that day because the restaurant had just flown in a fresh batch of scallops, and the waitress was so excited about this that we just had to order it! the Croccantino di Capesante ($32) was a row of plump scallops that were bathed in a balsamic vinaigrette and finished with a caramelised carrot/pumpkin (too long ago to rmb) that added a touch of sweetness to the acidity of the sauce. 

one of my favourite dishes has to be the Tagliolini Bella Vista ($48) which was a lobster meat squid ink pasta. the sauce was packed with flavour from the lobster juices and tomato base, finished off with a tinge of spiciness. there was a generous amount of meat from the lobster, and its fluffy texture complemented the springy al dente pasta.

perhaps the only dish we felt was a slight letdown was the Osso Bucco ($38), which is a very traditional italian dish. very typical of how italians prepare their food, the focus was on the natural flavours of the meat. the braised veal was stewed in the natural veal jus, and was so tender it easily yielded with a fork. perhaps because we had it after the pasta though, it felt as though the taste paled in comparison.

the Florentina ($120) was a whopping 700g slab of meat - bones excluded. which was really really HUGE by any standards. this, was the crowning glory of our meal. seared on the outside, with a light hand of salt and pepper, the chef deftly coaxed the essence out of the meat, allowing the quality of the meat to speak for itself. topped with a few sprigs of rosemary, this was easily one of the BEST florentine steaks i've ever had. 

What i really enjoyed about dining in this restaurant (and Shelter in the Woods as well!), was how they seemed to effortlessly fulfil the sacred trinity of ambience, service and food. it wasn't stuffily high-end by any means (albeit pricier than a usual meal), and had a wonderfully cosy interior, with the walls adorned by art pieces by the chef himself - and yet, the service was top notch. we had the most personal experience from the lady boss/manager herself (lucky for us because there were not many patrons that evening), who came by on a regular basis to check on us, tell us more about the restaurant and dishes and offer her recommendations on wine pairings. the waitress too, was very personable and attentive, and extremely well-versed with the dishes (she was able to identify and describe to us a very obscure tiny ingredient in the dish which we were curious about). the food? definitely satisfying. Trattoria Gallo D'oro had just undergone a change in management, and we were one of the lucky few to be the first to experience it! :)

Trattoria Gallo D'oro

Central Mall, Magazine Road #01-03

Tel.: +65 6438 8131

Mon-Sat 12pm-3pm, 6.30pm-11pm 

Closed on Sunday

Shelter in the Woods

though Shelter in the Woods was one of those in the list of Restaurant Week establishments, i never really thought much of it as i hadn't heard much about it before. i only knew that jiayee liked it a lot, and so one day, the family decided to venture into the neighbourhood of Greenwood Avenue to check this place out. and W-O-W. i was absolutely blown away!!!! definitely would want to come back here again one day, perhaps for restaurant week so that it's not so expensive! granted, this place is quite pricey, but for a special occasion, definitely worth the splurge ;) almost every single item we tried was fantastic! save for one dish, which was not bad, but not fantastic. service was impeccable as well - the staff were all very attentive and were ready to provide descriptions and recommendations of food and drinks.

according to our server, the restaurant changes their menu once every few months and also has weekly specials - customers can keep updated through their Facebook page if they want to know what is the special that week. (haha and i'm not paid to promote this restaurant k! it's a totally unbiased review ^^ i loved it!). pardon the poor quality of the photos though >.< the lighting was pretty dark in the restaurant (haha for the sake of a cosy ambience ^^)

the Atlantic Blue Cod Fish ($30) was a weekly special, which i hope will appear on the main menu sometime! it was absolutely lovely. steamed cod that was super fresh and supple, marinated in a refreshing minty sauce and perched atop a bed of barley. though the flavours were light, it packed a punch nonetheless and was so delicious!

the Suckling Pig ($35) came highly recommended by jiayee and we knew we just had to order it! it performed spectacularly to our expectations with a crisp layer of skin over meat marinated in its own juices, and wasn't too oily - just the way we liked it. special mention too for the quail eggs that were done map-style with the runny yolks!! yummy ^^

i LOVED my choice of Wagyu Beef Hanging Tender ($45), which was soooo juicy with a pronounced flavour, and hit all the right notes with the aromatic confit shallots on the side and silky mashed potato that was rich, smooth, with a slight buttery essence - definitely one of the best mashed potatoes i've eaten!! (i'm not usually a fan of mashed potatoes btw)

the only dish which i felt was kinda underwhelming compared to the rest was the French Duck Breast ($30). it was tasty, no doubt, but nothing special. i thoroughly enjoyed the confit garlic and Dauphinois potato that came with it though!

we were cajoled into ordering dessert when the staff described the weekly special to us - Crepe Suzette ($15). and i was rendered speechless upon trying it. i'm always rather skeptical when it comes to orange-flavoured food. though i love the fruit itself, i prefer to go for the ubiquitous chocolate in my desserts if i have a choice. good thing that the rest of the family decided to go for the less traditional option though! thin layers of warm crepes with a sauce of Grand Marnier liqueur, orange juice, sugar and butter, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. the hot-cold pairing was impeccably good, and i loved the stunningly great combination of the sauce, crepes and ice cream. gosh, these specials have got to go on the main menu soon!

the Korean Strawberry Mille-Feullie ($14) was really good as well! firstly, the portion was bigger than i'd expected. plus points for that! haha. and each element of the dish was perfectly executed - from the crispy layers, to the super delicious cream (we devoured all of it!!!) and sweet strawberries.

i really loved this meal at Shelter in the Woods! while the portions looked small initially, i was surprisingly quite full already after i finished my main dish. everything was perfect, from the ambience, to the food and service. would be glad to come back again for a special occasion perhaps! (:

Shelter in the Woods
22 Greenwood Avenue
Tel.: +65 6466 6225
Lunch: Sun 11am-2pm
Dinner: Tue-Thu & Sun 6pm-10pm
Fri & Sat 6pm-10.30pm
Closed on Monday