Merry Go Round Siglap - The Perfect Watering Hole

Despite not being an Eastie, a pop-up event on rare spirits brings me all the way from the North to Merry Go Round in the East! And yes, the East side is very exciting too. Consisting mainly of low-rise shophouses and landed properties, this place has a unique character that is part nostalgia, part heartland and part idyll. And Merry Go Round embodies these qualities while adding an element of excitement from the impressive range of curated spirits and wine.

The staff here is so friendly, making one feel like a friend with everyone here. Especially with the light, chill mood here. There is lots of chitchatting over the food, glasses of spirits and wine, just like how a watering hole is like.

While the patrons are free to bring in our own food to enjoy with drinks here, the food here, prepared by the owner himself, is so good that I will choose this option any time of the day.

The interior of this place exudes this special tavern vibes, Singaporean style, with its wooden panels and shelves, brick-red walls, lots of bottles of spirits and wine and wooden barrels. When there, I instantly feel relaxed. Excellent place to unwind.

Prawns in Batter is da bomb. Served piping hot, the prawns are so succulent. And the bouncy texture of the prawn juxtapose so well with the super crispy thin batter. The accompanying specialty chilli sauce is full of umami.

Fried Carrot Cake is so fluffy, bouncy and flavourful.

Thoughts: Excellent place to have great time, drinks and food

930 East Road

Mansion 7 Cantonese Cuisine - Delightful Myriad of Unique Creations and Old Favourites

It has been quite a while since I dine at a Chinese restaurant for the sake of dining instead of gathering. And Mansion 7 is actually one of the few Chinese restaurants that gets me all excited due to beautiful unique dim sum items. So of course, I made a reservation when the opportunity arose.

The dim sum here is definitely instagram worthy, and they feature the most succulent, juicy texture, with a good balance in taste. The dumpling skin used to wrap the fillings is a star in itself, due to how moist, thin and bouncy it is. Will I be back here, specially for the dumpling skin? Yes!

The decor is classic Chinese with a brush of luxuriant stylish modernity. All tables have translucent screens with golden framework between each other, plus the plush chairs, it feels so cosy and luxurious at the same time, with lots of privacy. I love it.

Service here is very good. The staff is friendly and gives good recommendations on food. This is one excellent place for enjoying Cantonese Cuisine with family or friends or by oneself.

Angel Goldfish Dumplings look so cool when served. With the dry ice bubbling up to become fog swirling around the goldfish-like dumplings, the presentation is totally worth it. Packed within the pliable crystal moist dumpling skin is a unique filling of fish with mild balanced flavours.

Love Story of Thousand Layer Butterfly Puff is another instagram worthy dim sum item. The flaky, crispy puff pastry skin is so good to bite on, revealing the sweet potato paste within.

Bamboo Clam steamed with Hong Kong Soy Sauce and vermicelli hits the exact sweet spot for my craving for some old school Cantonese classic dishes. I love the crunchiness and mild milky brininess of the bamboo clam, made more exciting by the light soy sauce. And the vermicelli absorbs the goodness of the sauce and essence of the bamboo clam for pure gastronmic enjoyment.

Mansion 7 Fresh Prawn Dumplings make me swoon over how moist, succulent, briny sweet the prawn filling is. It is made even more of a gastronomic treat with the incredible thin, jelly-like dumpling skin. Best Fresh Prawn Dumplings? Yes!

Crystal Mushroom Dumplings with Black Truffle is another dim sum item that makes me go "My oh my, this is so good!" The meaty flavour of the mushroom, perfectly complemented by the earthy goodness of black truffle, immediately wows over my palates as I bite through the light moist dumpling skin. Definitely a unique gem.

Pistachio Mochi is meticulously made in house with the softest thin mochi skin wrapped over a ganache of chopped pistachio and sugar. Quite a delightful treat.

Glutinous Rice Fragrance is such an unique tea that combines the sweet aroma of pandan and the toasty earthy flavour of glutinous rice. And it totally works! 

Thoughts: Perfect for Enjoyment of Chinese Cuisine

30 Maxwell Raod #01-03

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

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