Brine Restaurant - Contemporary Singaporean Cuisine, Nostalgic and Beautiful Taste

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Upon knowing about Brine, a restaurant helmed by local chef, I immediately note down this place into my Wishlist. I had assumed that the dishes here will be European with a bit of Asian touches, and the dishes totally surprise me regarding this, and in a very good way.

The dishes here are distinctively Singaporean, prepared in European style and elevated with complex flavours. They invoke the nostalgia, yet at the same time manage to be unique in taste. I really love the dishes, they exceed my expectations.

The place, at the first glance, looks more like a nice, modern minimalist cafe. In fact, I asked if it's Brine when I first stepped in 😂. But when I look around the place, I realise that there is a mini art gallery in this! At one side of the place, pottery art pieces and hand made glassware populate the tables and shelves there. This is so cool. All of them were made by the owner and for sale. Needless to say, I take lots of pictures of the art gallery.

The service is very good too. The young lady staff is very friendly and is fast to response to requests.

The second Battered Cauliflower is served, I immediately catch the lovely familiar whiffs of pepper and spices sprinkled over the crispy batter coating each mildly sweet cauliflower. Lots of subtle flavours packed into the cauliflower, and it tastes even more exciting when eaten with the mashed duqqa  for the extra kick in flavour and mashed hummus for the earthy, nutty element. I also love the crunchy roasted brussel sprouts, which is so good to bite on.

Knife Cut Noodles with buttered crab is so delicious. I love the texture of the special knife cut noodles, which is flat, curly and a bit springy. This is different from the usual noodles, and knife cut noodles are not exactly easy to find in Singapore. Hints of spiciness from the chilli and tangy flavour from the lemon juice makes this dish such a delight to savour. And best of all, I find chucks of briny sweet crab among the noodles. Two thumbs-up for the generosity in adding lots of crab meat. Caviar and Ikura are pops of essence of the ocean that add more umami goodness to the dish. A must-try.

Another must-try is Coconut noodles, laksa leaf jelly, kaffir lime meringue. I swoon in pure bliss when tucking into this dessert full of South East Asian flavours. The pungency of laksa leaf actually works beautifully in this dessert, complementing the tart taste of kaffir lim and the mild milky nutty flavour of coconut noddles. And the textures of this dessert is awesome due to the crispy meringue, springy noodles, crunchy sugar-coated peanuts and sorbet+jelly consistency of laksa leaf jelly.

Brine Restaurant is not just any good restaurant, it is a restaurant that serves up very good, unique food that showcases the essence of local food. It is full of passion and vision. I'm so into this place after an outing here. I look forward to come here again.

Thoughts: So Singaporean, So Awesome

This place is no longer in operation

Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar - Nice Cosmopolitan Place

French food, impressive cosmopolitan decor and value-for-money set lunches at 18 bucks only, with all these factors, Ginett sure attracts quite a crowd during lunch time. The food is actually good. Just that while the service here meets the minimum standard of being quite efficient, I do expect more from the service given that this restaurant is of minimum mid level. Besides the front counter lady who is friendly, the rest look very stressed, to the point that I think I smile more at them more than they do to me.

Setting aside this, this restaurant is good for a nice meal at pretty good price. By the way, one needs to request the service crew to show the set lunch menu since it is written on a blackboard instead of being printed on a paper. 

Despite the attractively priced set lunch, I order Olio Scampi from the ala carte menu instead. And I love my choice. Three huge succulent fresh prawns, smooth, springy house-made linguine tossed with chilli, garlic and bacon, this dish is full of flavours. As mentioned in my posts before, I prefer linguine over spaghetti since smoothness of the surface of linguine is more evident than that of spaghetti. So yes, I like this a lot.

Complimentary bread is pretty okay though not warm and nice. By the way, the staff didn't serve me the bread, which made me wonder at first if the bread is only for set lunch order. So I asked if the bread only comes with the set meal and here it is. Mystery solved. So request for it if it is not served by the time the first dish is up.

Mille-Feuille "Grands Augustins" hits all the right spots in terms of sweetness and texture. The puff pastry is vey crispy and flaky, which is excellent. The Bourdon vanilla cream is light, smooth and creamy. This is one good dessert.

This is a nice place to dine and wine (the wines are of very good price too) on a budget or to have a quick gathering with friends or colleagues. And the good part is water is really complimentary instead of going the still or sparkling water route that lots of restaurants do. The food is good and comes at a pretty good price. Just don't expect stellar service here.

Thoughts: Pretty nice place

200 Middle Road

Nearest MRT: Dhoby Ghaut or Rocher or Bencoolen

Huevos - Simply Delicious Mexican Food

I simply can't get enough of Mexican food, so I have to visit the much raved about Huevos to satisfy my cravings and curiosity.

And goal met after an outing here! The food here is one of the best Mexican food in Singapore. Note that I said "Food". Yes, the place itself is very humble in the humble neighbourhood of Jalan Besar, but the food is totally worth the special trip to there. There are so many choices to choose from the extensive menu. Surely there is something here for someone. This is one place I will not hesitate to recommend to everyone because of the awesome food and the super attractive price point. 

One Quesadilla, which is big enough for sharing, costs less than twenty bucks. Imagine that.

Talking about Quesadilla, which I had been wanting to try due to the addition of melty cheese, I decide to order Al Pastor Pork. The taste of Grilled Pork, the simulating flavours of Chiptole Aioli (made from mayonnaise, garlic, lemon and chiptole pepper), the refreshing sweetness of Pina Salsa and creaminess of cheese come together to become a delightful and delicious satisfying treat. I totally love this.

I'm not a fan of pineapple, but I l finish every one of pineapple cubes because they taste so good when paired with the rich Mexican flavours in this dish. 

For a bit of indulgence, I got Scallop La Mexicana, which is five huge, plump, juicy, pan-seared Hokkaido Scallops sitting on a blanket of sweet and tangy Corn Puree, Ezapote, Butter and Arugula Radicchio. To make it even more luscious, dots of caviar are added onto each scallop. All the taste buds are engaged when tucking into this dish. So does this taste as good as it looks? An astounding YES! It's absolutely delicious.

Tres Leches: Three Milk Cake topped with Ice Cream.

The Cake is surprisingly soft and fluffy. And it is full of milky goodness. The sauce the cake is sitting in is like evaporated milk, adding to the lovely milkiness. The ice-cream is really special. It's of a pleasant taste that I had never tried before. It's smoky and has a hint of coffee in it.

Then I found out that they used popcorn to churn out this home-made ice-cream. I'm impressed. I like this dessert a lot. But since it's very sweet, best to share this.

Horchata is House-made Cinnamon Rice Milk, which is milky and refreshing. Good recommendation by the friendly staff.

This place has decor that has the Mexican touches to it, like the colourful straw hats lamps, pastel green walls, white bricks, special orange loud font and pictures of Mexican wrestler on the T-shirts of the service crew. The service is very efficient, being able to handle the constant stream of crowd coming in. The slim guy is very friendly.

This is one restaurant that I will go back regularly because of the great food at great price. Yup, being good to both the tummy and the wallet.

By the way, I went after 1:30pm to avoid the crowd, and patrons can use the restaurant's wifi to log in paynow to settle the bill.

Thoughts: Super Good Mexican food. Gracias Amigo!

803 North Bridge Rd

Nearest MRT: Lavender or Jalan Besar

Restaurant Chedi - Awesome Flavours, Best Thai Restaurant

2023 is so exciting. Just three months in, I already found the best Japanese restaurant, the best French restaurant, the best Indian restaurant and now, the best Thai restaurant, in the form of Restaurant Chedi! Yes, the multitude of strong and nuanced flavours explored, the presentation, the passion and the exceptional service simply makes a meal here one of the best I have.

Contemporary Thai cuisine here is a must-try for foodies. The food is distinctively Thai and influenced by the cuisines of different parts of Thailand. 8 courses served in European style works beautifully, and I love it. I feel each course has a definitive theme in the taste, so I'm going to describe each based on the theme, aka first impression that comes to mind.

Simulating in taste, miang kham of wild betel leaf, homemade Thai miang reduction,

rayong dried shrimp, Hokkaido ikura packs all the strong harmonised flavours of saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, and spiciness to start the meal with a bang. This is so good and get me all excited for what's to come. And the miang reduction has this interesting fizzy element in it that I like.

A distinct departure from the taste profile of its predecessor, nam prik gapi has this Earthy flavour instead to shake thing up. Tempura tiger shrimps is crispy and full of concentrated essence of the sea. Tempura broccoli is delicious too. They taste even better with the spices from shrimp paste relish.

Pilable, succulent, slight bouncy flesh of dry-aged Chilean Seabass is Briny sweet in the dish of gaeng som fak thong. The sweetness of pumpkin and pungent favour of the spices in the piquant soup makes the fish all the more delectable. In fact, the soup is so good that I finish every drop of it.

The Hearty treat comes in the form of tom kha gai. Both the baked chicken wing meat and the oh-so-good starchy translucent rice are thoroughly soaked with the flavourful marinade. Tom Kha foam, which freshens up the taste of chicken, is amazing. It’s like you can’t feel it, but you can taste its robust flavours of spiciness, sourness, savoury and pungency.

Refreshing Thai salad, som tam ruam mit, is most probably best salad I have. Packed with juicy fruits such as mango and pomelo, these add tart sweetness and give a smooth finish to the crispy leaves. Every part of the salad is nicely drenched in the light Thai sauce.

Nam ya goong mang korn is lovely Umami presented in Thai style. This is my favourite. The Maine lobster is so tender, succulent and full of nuanced umami. It’s not easy to prepare lobster right, but the chefs at Chedi serve this in perfection. And the yellow curry accentuates the umami of the lobster. I end up wiping the plate clean of the curry with the crispy rice blocks.

Incredibly Rich in flavour, the Iberco Secreto of kor muu yang, which is the best part of pork, is juicy, tender and bursting with the nutty, evocative flavours, enhanced by the light char of grilled surface. Absolutely delicious.

Additional order: Khao pad kid terng's highlight is the Smoky aroma of fried rice with 6 months cured threadfin and crab. This is one unique fried rice. But I suggest those with small appetites to share this dish. Halfway through this, I find my stomach reaching its limit already.

Creamy tub tim krob is the perfect sweet ending to the meal. The home churned coconut ice-cream, being super creamy and slightly sticky, is the best coconut ice-cream I ever have. And the crunchy, refreshing red ruby is the perfect juxtapose to the ice-cream.

The chef hard at work grilling the food over blazing open fire.

The place is an eclectic mix of the chic, cool bar restaurant and traditional, lavish Thai heritage. I appreciate the distinctive Thai influences that make this place unique, and I also like the posh bar feel here. The service is amazing, being friendly, full of smiles and prompt to respond to requests. Especially Chef K-Jin, who explains to us the origins, the little details that go into the preparation of food and the recommended way to enjoy the dishes.

I love every dish here. Best of all, this is a gastronomic experience like no others. No wonder a young restaurant like Chedi is already having regulars already. Reservation is a must. The place is almost full house on a Monday night, just imagine how it is like on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I definitely want to back again!

Thoughts: I love contemporary Thai food here!

15 Hamilton Road

Nearest MRT: Farrer Park

Sum Dim Sum - Old School Goodness

Had been wanting to enjoy some old school dim sum, unlike the younger me who just wanted fancy dim sum, so I shortlisted Sum Dim Sum into my wishlist. Somehow, there is something about this place that attracts me. And since I'm at Jalan Besar area, going to a Christmas party at Enneagram Academy (side note: love their courses on the 9 personalities, self discovery and realisation, mutual sharing of experiences. I'm Type 5 by the way, the Investigator!), I might as well try out the dim sums at Sum Dim Sum.

One thing I like about this place is dim sum is also served for the night too, unlike lots of restaurants. And there are patrons dining there already when I arrive at 6pm. The place soon gets crowded after a while. Looks like lots of locals crave for dim sum at night too.

Deep Fried Shrimp Dumplings have lots of juicy, bouncy diced shrimps wrapped within the deep fried wanton skin. Nice! Though will be nicer if the skin is crisper.

Pandan Crispy Pork Bun has this lovely crispy biscuit dough top that tastes so good when eaten hot or warm. The light sweet aroma of pandan and the sweet savoury char siew makes it even better.

Smooth dough skin with light soya sauce, chopped spring onion and sesame seeds, ahh, this is how I like to eat rice roll, but I do wish there is more scallop meat in it.

Scallop Dumplings do fulfil my wish by having a slab of juicy scallop decked on top of each siew mai. And beneath the scallops is lots of succulent shrimp pieces 👍.

The exterior and interior has this old-school charm that feels as if one is transported to a Hong Kong dim sum house in the old times. There are some modern elements, like the blue forest painting, wooden frame, and hanging bamboo lamps, to make the place somewhat cosy. If I'm not in a hurry, I can really lounge here for quite a while and enjoy the piping hot dim sum. The service is friendly and very efficient, way better than that of lots of old school dim sum houses I had been to. This is a good place to enjoy some old-school dim sum with family, friend, partner(s) and oneself.

Thoughts: Sometimes simple old-school food can be good too.

161 Jalan Besar

Nearest MRT: Jalan Besar