Bistro Soori

As mentioned in my previous post, we had our Valentine's Day dinner at Bistro Soori (: Glad that we had the chance to order from the ala carte menu since it was not 14 Feb itself, which gave us a lot more choices to choose from. Perhaps it was a whole feeling of love that made everything fuzzy & beautiful, but I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner experience!

There were many items on the menu that sounded so good, and I had a hard time deciding what to eat as usual. I changed my order after I'd placed it, and thankfully the staff obliged. We began our meal by sharing a starter - US scallops with truffle vinaigrette, pistachio pesto, arugula and vinegar jelly ($18). These scallops were one of the best I've ever tasted. Plump, juicy and incredibly fresh, it was way too good to be wolfed down in a piece, although it would have been possible. We savoured each tiny mouthful slowly, allowing the flavour to develop on our palate. The pistachio pesto was an interesting touch, which complemented the scallops by adding a nutty aroma to it. 

For the mains, Sam went for the Baked Chilean Seabass ($38). This tasted really healthy, but was nevertheless wonderfully flavourful. I really liked the soy glaze that came with it, and I mopped it up with anything I could find on the plate. While this was a rather simple dish, it was executed with precision, and we really enjoyed it. I have to say that the similar dish I had at Sela still comes out tops though!

I was wavering between the scallop risotto and this Braised Short Rib ($40), and I went for the latter in hopes of something meatier. After all, we'd already eaten scallop for our starters. The beef was beautifully tender, and fell apart easily with a fork. It came bathed in a light soy broth, which Sam loved. I really liked the sautéed mushrooms that came with the beef, which were tossed in garlic and so tasty! The mashed potato in both dishes was yummy too (: 

A common feature I noticed in both dishes was how they were prepared with a light hand, making them feel healthy (yes, even the meat!), yet retained the essences of the main character of each dish.

We ended off our meal on a sweet, tangy note with the Lemon Cheesecake ($13). It was a good balance between both flavours - the lemon helped to cut through the heaviness of a typical cheesecake, and I relished the speculoos crumbs in it. The berries also helped to freshen up the dessert, which finished it off nicely.

The service at the restaurant made our experience extra special. We really appreciated the staffs' attention to detail. Firstly, they moved us to another table when they realised the original table we were sitting on was kinda shaky (I barely even noticed it myself). And when they saw us trying to take selfies, the waitress immediately volunteered to help us take the photo xD Almost the entire restaurant was filled with couples having their pre-Vday dinner, and it had a great dining atmosphere. Chill, quiet and perfect for couples ^^ I would love to come back some day! 

Bistro Soori

2 Teck Lim Road

Tel.: +65 6438 3802

Lunch: Mon-Fri 12pm-2.30pm

Dinner: Mon-Sat 6.30pm-10pm

Brunch: Sun 11.30am-3pm

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