Maggie's - Nostalgic and Exciting

Maggie's immediately caught my attention with her Aesthetic Chic vibes, daring unique concepts on food and decor that totally work. And so here I am, immersing myself in this place that is so full of character and oriental old world charm while enjoying food is that surprises and delights my palates.

Decorated with heavy florid curtains, soft glowing lamps, pastel green lamps with beads hanging off the shade, plush chairs, high paper dragon at the ceiling, Chinese porcelain ornaments and relics of yesteryears of Shanghai (rotary dial phone, anyone?), this place exudes that opulent, nostalgic feel that I relish.  All the traditional Chinese porcelain cutleries used here also impresses me. To add on to the mood, 70s oldies from Hong Kong and Taiwan are played. And the peppy classics such as 我要你的爱, sometimes brings a smile to my face because of the cabaret style of the peppiness of the songs and nostalgia. This place is definitely worth a special visit simply for the ambience and mood here. And yes, it is of course instagram-worthy.

The food and drinks here make a visit here even more worthwhile and a must for foodies. Bold, distinctive yet harmonious flavours that carries that twang of nostalgia from the oriental taste. It is awesome and unique.

The service is simply awesome, being friendly, where patrons feel like friends, while still maintaining the professionalism, gives good suggestions on food and ensures we have a good time here. And I sure have a great time here!

Golden Prawn Croque Madame turns English Breakfast to Oriental Breakfast, and I totally love it! Even more so than English Breakfast. House-made Focaccia is nicely toasted to crunchy goodness and then used to sandwiched the bouncy, succulent Tiger Prawn Mojo. Layered in between is Green Szechuan peppercorn, which is simulating and exciting, balanced by the creaminess. The best part is after the top notes of peppercorn awakens the palates, the briny sweetness of Tiger Prawn starts to develop and becomes distinctive. My favourite dish of the night.

Seabteam Crudo features Kyushu Seabream soaked in Oak-aged Pickle Sauce and paired with Dongbei Sauerkraut. This dish is so refreshing in taste. Distinctive light Hong Kong style soy sauce works so well with the clean briny sweetness of sea bream. The parsley adds a touch of excitement. Dongbei Saukeraut, in shredded form, juxtaposes so well with the texture of the sea bream.

Crab Maniche Rigate is made with Shanghai Crab Fat "ragu", Crab and Scallion Oil. This is such a homely, hearty dish that is full of flavours. Sprinkling some black rice vinegar over this really lifts up the taste, but need to go easy on this to let the sweetness of crab and rigate, an interesting tube-shaped pasta, shine through.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Brown Butter is so fluffy, buttery and wholesome. The mashed pineapple jam spread on the top adds a nice mild tart taste to balance the sweetness. Creme Friache introduces the creaminess that makes it so awesome in taste and texture.

Maggie's speciality of Red Date Dew is so unique in its presentation and taste. With Barcadi Carta Blanca, Red Dates and Winter Melon served in a traditional Chinese Porcelain Teacup, this tastes like alcoholic Liang Teh and I love it!

(Ma)rgarita is a word play on the Chinese word for Szechuan Pepper. And yes, Szechuan Pepper is added to this Margarita cocktail. It is wicked, refreshing and intoxcating.

Complimentary alcoholic lemon drink lovingly served in traditional Chinese teapot and cup.

Thoughts: Amazing Experience with a twang of Nostalgia that satisfy the Senses

1 Keong Saik #01-04

Sensu - Tastes and Textures Perfected

This restaurant is no longer in operation

Sensu caught my attention when I saw that a new promising young Chef Shang Jhu is at the helm over this restaurant and his interesting creations, such as Black Truffle Chicken Wings, look very promising. Well, I don’t get to try the Chicken Wings, but his other creations absolutely impress me. So impressed that I tell chef that I will be back.

The interior reflects the Japanese European fusion concept of the cuisine here, with the wooden omakase table, zen undertones, and the modern, cool vibes.

I love the unique takes on European cuisine, which makes for an awesome gastronomic adventure. The food is full of nuanced flavours with touches of oomph that really surpirse and wow the palates. The textures are so on the point. I love every dish here.

The service here is wonderful, being friendly and meticulous, making the dining experience awesome.

Carabinero Prawn with Smoked Piquillo, Sherry Vinegar, Basil Oil, is best carabinero prawn I ever have. The prawn is perfectly grilled to feature light, flavourful, briny sweet, bouncy, succulent flesh laced with the aroma of char. Most amazing part is the juice of the head of the prawn. This is like the concentrated essence of umami. At most restaurants, this juice is very thick and tends to overwhelm the palates. At Sensu, this juice is perfectly done to be light, complex and easy on the palates while still retaining the intense umami.

Winter Black Truffle Tart with Pear Onion Compote, Egg Confit, Bacon, Onion Foam is this lovely rich creamy umami that immediately wins my palates over at first spoonful. The oomph factor is pungent sweetness of onion that makes whole taste magical. The generous amount of black winter truffle adds the earthy aroma to elevate the taste.

Ultimate Crispy Kisu Fish topped with N25 Caviar, deep fried with Shiso Leaf, and completed with Champagne Beurre Blanc Sauce and Lobster Emulsion is such an amazing surprise. The tempura fish, with its paper thin crispy batter, is unbelievably light, and fluffy while creamy at the same time. This is embodiement of briny sweetness with complexity.

A5 Miyazaki Short Rib Beef Sando with Red Wine Reduction and Brioche Bread is so tender, moist and meaty. It goes so well with the toast of right thickness, with the aroma of toasted wheat, balance well with the meatiness, making it even better.

Hokkaido Scallop Risotto with Nduja, Lime & Lemon Dressing, Crispy Dried Scallop is one very refreshing risotto. It tastes interesting at first mouthful, and then the briny sweetness develops and get better with each subsequent bite. The texture is very good too, with the succulent scallops juxtaposing very well with starchy risotto and crispiness of the dried scallop.

I got lucky to come on here on the day where the chefs make the mochi from scratch, right at the kitchen counter. The freshly made mochi showcases this stretchy yet easy to bite texture, which is perfect. It goes amazingly well with the matcha ice-cream, so well that the Okinawa Black Sugar syrup is really optional, depending on whether one likes it sweeter. I surprise myself (since I'm kind of full at this point already) by requesting for a second helping since it is so good.

Raspberry Tuile, Balsamic & Strawberry Sherbet is manifestation of strawberry dreams. It is packed with the sweet aroma and tangy sweetness of the strawberry, balanced by the balsamic taste and tart taste of the raspberry. A sweet, lovely treat.

Refreshing white wine

Light red wine that is easy on the palates

Thoughts: Excellent Food hitting all the Right Spots!

27 Keong Saik Road

Hevel - Cool, Posh and Exciting

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Since I have a love for excellently-done fusion cuisine, Hevel got on my radar since the food here is inspired by Chef Stefan's childhood and culinary journey through Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. And so here I am, at this cool posh place, enjoying an exciting meal with unique tastes.

The food here is imaginative, unique and simulating in taste. One of the highlights is the meats here are excellently grilled to perfection, thus retaining the tenderness and juices while featuring a lovely layer of char to add to the complexity of the taste.

The place is like a posh, exclusive clubhouse with a feel of cosiness and swanky charm. The brown marble tables, shelves filled with wine glasses and unique, exotic sculptures exude that old money charm. The metallic embellishments, ornaments, lamps with glowing neon bubbles, the soft lights add that sophistication and modern boldness to the place.

The service is very good and friendly, accentuating that feel of dining in the exclusive clubhouse.

Potato hash decked with uni and leek is an indulgent snack combining the wholesomeness of the toasted fluffy bread-like potato hash and the amazing creamy umami of bafun uni. The clean taste and crisp pungency of leek works so well to refresh the palates after savouring the uni. A well-rounded dish.

First appetiser of Cashew & Banana with olive Oil and kelp makes my eyes widen in surprise by how good and complex cashew, banana and kelp can taste. It is an explosion of multi-faceted nuanced flavours from umami, florals, buttery goodness to sweetness. One of my favourites.

Chicken Liver is like foie gras in mousse form, perked up by xeres and rendered exciting by apple. Very unique and well-executed.

Fjord Trout with nori and bonito is so full of briny sweetness in various layers and with different undertones. I love this too.

Custard with onion and scallops immediately catches my attention with its lovely warm aroma when served onto the table. Smooth, warm and packed with savoury goodness, this is like pure comfort food.

Octopus Piquillo sprinkled with pepper and splashed with salsify is oh-so-good! The briny sweet octopus is unbelievably moist and tender while still retaining that good bite. The zest and kick from pepper and salsify makes it even better. Yes, this is another one of my favourites.

Mackerel smoked and bathed in spicy chilli and tangy passion fruit tastes so exciting. This is one brilliant way to prepare mackerel, a fish that has stronger flavour, which the chilli and passion fruit have cut through to yield the sweetness of meat and sea.

Soft rye bread is super fluffy and flavourful. Great eaten on its own and excellent when paired with the smoked butter.

Beautifully charred on the surface, Iberivo Presa is pure meaty goodness that I bask in delight as I chew on the tender, succulent meat to enjoy the sweetness highlighted by the slightly tangy blueberry reduction. Cauliflower puree does well to freshen the palates between bites of meat with its creamy, clean taste. Definitely my favourite of the night.

The carbohydrate dish interestingly comes in the form of Duck mixed with Barley and onion. The duck is surprisingly tender and easy to bite. I love the texture of barley, which is slightly chewy, making for a hearty treat. The add-on of truffle on top makes it even better.

Strawberries & Cream with yuzu and yoghurt is a refreshing, tangy dessert that interestingly features strawberry jam instead of strawberries. I like the crispy texture of meringue that juxtaposes well with the creamy cream and yoghurt.

Awesome hospitality with a surprise toast of Tawny Port.

Nice floral wine to pair with the dishes.

Thoughts: Savouring Exciting Tastes in Cool and Posh Ambience