Moustache BBQ - Wonderful Gathering Hideout to have a Good Time

I didn’t know what to expect from Moustache BBQ when my good friend recommended this place for a meetup. I have to admit that based on the Chinese restaurants I had passed by in Chinatown, I was thinking it to be a crowded dingy place with a menu that is full of offals (to be fair, I did go into such restaurant whose menu is 80% offals, and I left straightaway after a look at the menu). But I did trust that my friend's recommendation should be good. Well, Moustache BBQ totally surprises me, in a very good way. In fact, the place reminds me of how impressed I feel when I first dined at HaiDiLao.

The food here is very generous in portions, very appetizing and flavourful. Perfect for enjoying with friends and family.

The place is actually pretty classy, with white as main theme to create that bright, clean vibe, fountain feature, plum blossoms landscape wallpaper, modern stylish acrylic partitions and a cute giant bird cage. Best of all, despite being a BBQ place, the place smells fresh and clean, exactly how I like it.

Service is good too, friendly, prompt to respond to requests and is very efficient. In fact, after this outing, we have decided to come here for next outing!

The BBQ skewers are must-try here because the meat is so succulent and flavourful, with an exotic, well-loved taste from Szechuan. At request, the service staff will heat up the pan with candles for the extra feel of enjoying BBQ.

Deep Fried Chicken is diced chicken stir fried with lots of Szechuan peppers to yield a plate of super flavourful meat with some aromatic spicy goodness.

Cereal Prawn is also a favourite dish of mine because the shell is super crispy and the prawns are so plump and juicy.

The BBQ Leeks are so tasty and crisp in texture. Another must-try here.

Wasabi Deep Fried Prawn is best eaten when hot while the crispiness is at its optimum.

Nice BBQ Scallops, but need quite some effort to get put all the meat.

Super tasty with some Szechuan spiciness, and so shiok to alternate between eating this and drinking a gulp of cold beer.

While the taste of banana is not evident, the Banana Pudding is smooth in texture, good as a small treat at the end of the meal.

Thoughts: Great Place to enjoy Hearty Treats and have a Hearty Time

26 Temple Street

FOC Restaurant - Unique, Delicious Tapas

Almost all the Spanish food I had tried in Singapore is actually Catalan cuisine, and I totally love it. So when I found out about a Spanish restaurant, FOC, that serves up Barcelona dishes instead, of course I want to go and find out if it is good. And yes, it is good!

The sheer variety of tapas available is definitely a strong point since there's something for everyone. As a seafood lover, I'm so happy to see lots of crab and prawn, alongside the beef and pork, in the menu. The taste of the food here is distinctive, unique and delicious, with a touch of lux. I love it that the food comes in small portions (at reasonable price) so that I can enjoy more varieties of food. And there are extra theatrics in presentation of some dishes and drinks.

Dark red glasses, plates, curtains and long lamps contrast so well with the black backdrop to create this cool, flamboyant vibe in a place that resembles a Spanish tavern.

 

Foie Gras Terrine & Arenkha Caviar in Crispy Phyllo Sandwich redefines how foie gras can be savoured. The unique combination of umami-rich, creamy, smooth foie gras, sweet thin crispy wafer and briny caviar works wonders in both taste and texture. A must-try here.

Grilled Hokkaido Scallops with Cepes Mushroom ‘Pil-Pil’ Sauce & Ibérico Ham Foam bits juxtaposes springy scallop with crunchy Ibérico Ham so excellently. This is full of subtle flavours.

Porcini Mushrooms Croquetas with Black Truffle Sauce is earthy goodness in creamy lava form.

Mediterranean Red Prawn & Snow Crab Giant Ravioli with Celeriac & Coral Essence is briny sweetness filled to the brim. The sauce is full of that simmered sweetness of the sea while within the thin dough skin is a generous filling of red prawn and snow crab that are so good for indulgence.

‘Patatas Bravas’ FOC Style with Aioli & Spicy Brava Sauce amazes me with how unique and delicious it is. Yes, this also defines how Pataras Bravaa, a traditional Spanish potato dish, can be savoured. The potato feels like bread, being toasty, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside while featuring the mild starchy, earthy sweetness of potato. The sauces add creamy excitement to the already delicious potato, making it even better. It feels so satisfying to eat this.

Flaming Rum Baba with Chantilly Ice Cream is a must-try here. In fact, this dessert is worth a special visit to this restaurant. The cake is fluffy, stretchy, just like bread, and has this malty, roasted, slightly savoury, mild sweetness of bread. And it works so beautifully with bitter sweet rum and sweet creamy ice-cream to showcase a myriad of flavours.

The presentation of this dessert is so awesome. Flaming rum poured onto the dessert is such a treat for the eyes too.

Pisco Fever, with Kaffir Pisco, Elderflower, Earl Grey syrup and Lemon Juice, is sweet and floral. And the presentation is awesome. I love this cocktail!

Despite all the plus points, I’m not sure if I’m eager to go back since I feel kind of being ignored here. I was led to my seat by the moody-looking front counter staff and given the menu, and then I became "invisible". I waited for quite a while, at least ten minutes, before anyone noticed my existence. I was so close to walking out of the restaurant. And I don't think I was hard to spot since I was the only person sitting at the bar counter. To be fair, after the staff noticed my existence, they were friendly and proactive to attend to my orders and requests. Still the damage was done.

Thoughts: Unique, Delicious with Great Variety

40 Hong Kong Street

Tippling Club - Robust Flavours, Exciting Creations

This restaurant is no longer in operation 

Forged by Vow brought me here, to an exciting experience of robust flavours, unique dishes, out of the world cocktails. I don't know why Tippling Club did not get onto my radar last time, but being eager to try more dishes with cell-based meat, Forged Parfait, after an amazing first experience with it, I immediately made a reservation when Forged by Vow revealed that this restaurant is serving some dishes with its parfait.

I'm wowed by the boldness of the unique combination of robust flavours here and also the details that go into the special preparation of the components of the dishes. One example: sliced paper thin A5 wagyu sandwiched between kelp to produce a special ham that is so full of umami, rivalling the taste of Spanish ham. The best part is these big flavours actually complement each other so well. And I love the huge variety of dishes available in the lunch premium menu: little bites of 15 courses. This is exactly how I like it.

I know this place will be impressive the moment I look down the long stretch of corridor adorned with greenery hanging off the ceiling and flanked with potted plants at the side. The entrance leads straight to the bar area that had this lovely nostalgic feel of old Singapore juxtaposing with the posh stylish bar counter illuminated with bright yellow lights. The interior of the inner dining room with open kitchen speaks of old money aesthetics, and I love it.

Service here is awesome, meticulous and thoughtful. They know their food really well and make very good recommendations on drinks. I totally enjoy my experience here.

Thus is the first time I’m trying Cromesquis, which is French croquette wrapped in bacon and batter and then deep fried. So I’m very excited about it, and yes, its taste matches my expectations! The intense essence of ocean in the caviar, the creamy, earthy goodness of black truffle mayonnaise, the complex umami of Forged Parfait and the warm starchiness of croquette work together to create a beautiful fireworks of strong yet harmonious flavours. And the aroma is awesome. One of my favourites here.

Tuna tartlet with sesame, shoyu and premium white kombu is refreshing and packed with briny goodness. I love it.

Air baguette is first surprise of the day when I bite into it, yielding a burst of zesty, creamy French sauce gribiche that perfectly complements the taste of dutch eel and the crispy texture of the air baguette.

Wagyu tartare taco with pickled egg gel is also so good, where the tangy, creamy elements excite the palates and then give way to the wholesome, sweet meaty goodness of wagyu trimmings.

Watercress royale with pea puree and a special caviar more premium than avruga caviar is a smooth, luxurious treat.

Chilled tomato gelée is so sweet, zesty and oh-so-refreshing. The whole spectrum of flavours complementing each other so well here.

White asparagus, blue crab, béarnaise is a winner in both taste and texture. I absolutely love this dish. The crunchiness and clean vegetal taste of asparagus are perfect juxtaposes to the succulent texture of the strands of briny sweet crab meat. Béarnaise sauce makes it richer, and better.

King prawn ravoli with cordyceps mushroom and wild mushroom broth is like mushroom gastronomic adventure. Packed with beautiful earthy umami with a tint of herbal goodness, the essence of the ocean in the ravoli actually comes through the big flavours to feature a taste that is complex snd pleasing.

A pretty swirl of Forged mont blanc stacked on top of cherry yoghurt and pistachio surprises me by how Forged Parfait can actually give a different but equally awesome tasting experience when paired with cherry yoghurt and pistachio. The refreshing sweet cherry juice with a touch of tart taste and its fruity texture really complement the creamy umami of Forged Parfait so well. I’m amazed and enchanted.

Bacalao (Spanish salted and dried cod) with courgette aka summer squash, sauce fumet, tonburi (Japan’s field caviar) is like Chef Ryan Clift’s love letter to and from Japan. The firm, succulent, oily fish is so full of robust yet complex flavours, thanks to the huge variety of ingredients curates from Japan.

A5 miyazaki wagyu featuring textures of umami is so rich, meaty and juicy. The specially prepared paper-thin wagyu mentioned before works it magic to give a layer of complexity to taste and texture. The briny essence of sea grapes adds pops of excitement to the wagyu. And the wagyu tastes even better when paired with the special leaf that has a light floral herbal flavour. An excellent dish.

Special toast with sea grapes. A lovely, creamy, rich treat.

Shine muscat, the best grape in the world, is featured here. I’m of course excited about it. The thin skin, the intense aroma of flowers and wine, the pure sweetness are what makes this grape unrivaled. Carbonated muscat shakes things up with a carbonated zesty frozen core. An interesting creation. Though I have to say that Shine muscat is so good that it tastes the best when on its own.

Chilli lime, you read that right, chilli and line as dessert! The taste is so exciting, with light hints of spiciness, harmonised by the zest of lime and nutty creaminess of coconut sorbet. The texture of granita and sorbet work so well together. It's unique and is my favourite dessert of day.

Honey lemon with peach compote, black lemon sorbet, caramelised granola is a lovely mellow treat that wins in texture.

Sweet treats of petit fours is very unique too with refreshing, zesty ice-cream sandwich, ramping up in intensity with a creamy tart and finishing with sea-salt caramel ice-cream. Excellent trio.

Cocktails is a must-try here. First Kiss is fruity and light, perfect for First Try of the cocktails here.

First Day at School is another lighter drink of the repertoire, and it is so good, having the right balance of zest, sweetness and bitterness.

First Love is very, very intense.

Thoughts: Exciting Experience!

38 Tanjong Pagar Road

Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar or Maxwell