Province 2.0 - Refined Amazing Local Flavours

Whenever I want to enjoy meticulously crafted, refined local flavours, Province is definitely one of the restaurants that come to mind. And so here I am again to experience Province 2.0, a new dining concept with revamps on flavours, plus additional unexpected surprises. The food is as good as ever, featuring familiar local flavours presented in unique, awesome ways that makes me go, “This is so different from the usual taste!”

This is one memorable meal filled with lots of gastronomic surprises. And Chef Jia-Jun and his team make sure we feel right at home with their great hospitality.

First appetiser reminds me of my favourite CNY flower-shaped cookie. And this old-school beloved CNY goodie is given an elevation and twist by pairing with luxurious goodies such as Chutoto, caviar and sakura ebi. The taste is so nostalgic and exciting at the same time due to the briny sweetness of caviar and creaminess of chutoro punctuated by the herbal zest of laksa emulsion. The crispiness of the cracker adds texture to the paste-like chutoro.

The next appetiser looks simple but is surprisingly full of subtle harmonised flavours, from earthy mild sweetness of potato, intense refreshing savoury goodness of ikura to the richness of the organic eggs.

Our familiar Bao is given an awesome makeover with uni and Japanese white corn to yield a bao that tastes so unique and good. This is full of creamy umami savoury goodness, balanced by the mild buttery sweetness of corn and the mild nutty sweetness of the fluffy bao. This is like lava bao, lux umami version. So decadent, so good!

A surprise not in the menu comes in the form of Prawn Toast! It’s amazingly and surprisingly, wow, so good. It taste distinctively prawn, yes, but at the same time unlike any prawn dish I had tasted.  I love this new exploration of the taste of prawn. The sago cake has light crispiness and a bit of stickiness to have that "revealing the core" kind of surprise on the palates. The savoury taste of prawn is layered with the sweetness of prawn, made even more distinctive when topped with prawn caramel.

When I first see Province's interpretation of the Rojak, I thought this dish will be super zesty and refreshing. Imagine my surprise to find that yes, it has the zesty, refreshing elements, it is also incredibly naturally sweet, elevated by the earthy Southeast Asian taste of jambu stuffed into the tomato, belacan sauce, the accompanying vegetables and cashew nuts. Rich and refreshing at the same time. Brilliant 

The old school favoutite Wanton gets the star treatment, where the stuffing is made up of shrimps, dried flounder and Sarawak pork for marriage of the sweetness from the sea and land, completed with the earthy taste of airy light Shitake foam. The pork is specially chosen for its milder taste. This dish tastes so comforting and sweet, with lots of flavours dancing on the palates, like the sea, the earth and the garden coming together.

Soon Hock is interestingly prepared like Amadai to yield a great contrast in texture, with a more earthy and unique taste profile that totally goes so well with the sour-spicy umami-rich smoked mussel curry. Different from usual Soon Hock, this one tastes more refined where the smooth pliable flesh is highlighted by the deep fried crispy scales. The mild zesty spicy curry balances the taste of the fish and add excitement to it. The zest from the confit fennel lifts up the spiciness to make it even better. 

Savoury palate cleanser exploring the entire taste spectrum, with a Southeast Asian flair. And it works!

Aged for 10 days with lemongrass, then roasted before resting for 2 days, the Braised herbal duck, packed with star anise, coriander seeds, Thai makwan pepper, galangal, tastes nourishing and is so flavourful, while light and balanced in taste. The hint of zest brightens up the taste. The meat is so tender and succulent yet has a good firm bite to it. Best braised duck, of course!

Second part of the duck dish has fluffy Sarawak Highland long-grained rice served with duck consomme that has a lovely hint of herbal bitterness. Cognac is added for the extra lux. I totally love the amazingly slightly fluffy duck sausage that has the local flair. This dish tastes so satisfying and comforting like Chinese sausage rice, but elevated and more elegant in taste and texture.

Mango and Glutinous Rice is like mango fantasy with textures. Mango sorbet, mango cubes, cute bouncy glutinous rice balls and crispy deep fried mung beans seasoned with chilli and salt, comes together for an exciting dessert.

Kaya toast is oh so good due to the fluffy brioche soaked with coconut milk, brushed with butter and coconut flower sugar. It has a hint of savoury goodness and refreshing element, compledted with the earthy taste of sourdough ice cream, richness of egg yolk jam and kick of the maldon sea salt. This is so good and satisfying to enjoy. 

Unique Petite Fours is in the form of Black Pepper Financier and Pink Guava Candy. I titally savouring them so much too.

The glorious display of the ingredients used for the dishes of the night.

Thoughts: Awesome Fine Local Delights

153 Joo Chiat Road

Marquee Nightclub - Hard Techno Futuristic Wonderland

I just found a new love, in the form of Hard Techno! Who could have known that I start to like Hard Techno when I’m a metalhead. And Marquee Singapore made it possible, with the impressive layout spawning over three floors, state-of-the-art lighting and screen, curated selection of DJs and a Ferris Wheel plus slides. I immediately go, “Wow!” the moment I step into this place with its super high ceiling, from where streams of violet blue lights stream from. And the giant screen at the front, extending from the bottom floor all the way to the top, showing hypnotic, robotic videos to add to the techno vibe.

Marquee is like a futuristic wonderland … for the grownups. And I love it!

It is quite an experience to sit in the Ferris Wheel and see the place from the highest point. The winding slide from third floor to first is so thrilling that I want to ride it again. The main highlight is of course dancing to the Hard Techno music. The hard pounding, strong bass beats really sets the rhythm to move one’s body to. I love dancing, but this is the time where I feel most intensely to move with the music. And did I mention that the dance floor is full of attractive people? Yes, indeed.

The DJ at the Hypersonic event totally nailed it in hyping up the crowd. The transitions, build-ups, anticipations and releases are timed perfectly to keep us engaged and our energy up through the night.

The drinks are good too.

Anyway, go in early for a shot at the Ferris Wheel and Slide without queuing. I have fun roaming the place before the crowd comes in 😉 

Thoughts: Fantastic Experience. I want so much to be back at here again!

10 Bayfront Avenue

#B1-67 The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands 

Misato - Quality Japanese Food made with Passion

I’m back at Misato, a Japanese restaurant famous for food crafted and made with love, and the boss’ singing videos on Misato’s social media. Relocated to Orchard Gateway, the venue is slighter larger, with the exact same decor and feel as the previous location at Centrepoint. The food here is still as good, featuring hearty, robust flavours yielded from quality Japanese ingredients and condiments. And the service crew is as friendly and warm as ever.

I’m not exactly a Donburi person but I absolutely love the Wagyu Donburi here, which is served in a hot Japanese claypot to ensure every bite is piping hot. The medium rare beef is so tender, juicy, meaty and sweet that every bite makes me feel so blissful. The meat tastes and feels so luxurious, when paired with the smooth starchy Japanese rice, tastes so comforting. A must-order here.

The Corn Soup pleasantly surprises me how incredibly sweet it is, with laces of savoury goodness. A dash of pepper makes it even more exciting and lifts up the creamy sweetness. Best corn soup? Yes!

The signature Okonomiyaki here is packed with lots of goodies, such as cabbage, mayo and bonito flakes, yielding a taste that packs lots of punches. The texture is excellent too, where the custardy core juxtaposes so well with the crunchy cabbage and slightly crispy exterior.

I order Grilled Mochi because I’m simply curious on its taste. Grilled mochi is more chewy after grilled, but is still easy to bite, completed with a layer of char for extra dimension in taste. My favourite part of this dessert is actually the matcha soup with red bean. The clear astringent, slightly bitter taste of matcha is perfect match with the earthy sweetness of the red bean.

The Lemongrass drink here is loaded with most amount of the aromatic herbal goodness of lemongrass. Even more concentrated than the lemongrass drinks in Thai restaurants! This is definitely, 100%, the best lemongrass drink.

Thoughts: Comforting Excellent Food, with no Holding Back

Orchard Gateway #B1-11

Kemuri - Wonderful Refined Izakaya Experience

I always want to go back to Kemuri after an awesome meal here. And so here I am, enjoying quality traditional Japanese cuisine with additional interesting twists. The menu changes quite a bit, and the food is still as good as ever. And it is a treat to see the chef in action at the robatayaki grill station.

The negitoro here is super sweet and smooth, and as I bite more into the roll, the warm earthy zest and savoury goodness of vinegar rice takes over, creating a lovely transition in taste profile. Tastes so satisfying, especially with a good crunchiness of the finely chopped pickles to contrast with the texture of the minced toro.

Corn mousse is so amazingly good that makes me go, "wow" at first spoonful. The floral buttery umami of corn, makes it taste like uni of vegetable kingdom, and punctuated by the herbal bitterness of the flowers for an even better and more complex taste. I love this.

The Charcoal Grilled Mushroom is surprisingly very good. It tastes so warm and earthy, whiole the texture is  soft and tender. Soaking it in light yet concentrated chicken broth is a very different way of presenting mushrooms and it totally works. Feels so comforting to savour this.

The Charcoal Grilled Tiger Prawn is plump and juicy, full of briny sweetness, topped with a hint of char. The tangy taste of lemon accentuate the sweetness and make the taste more varied. Another highlight is the cauliflower paste, which has slight vegetal earthiness, adding dimension to the taste of the prawn. The slight grittiness within the smoothness of the paste makes every bite of the prawn more interesting and enjoyable.

Charcoal grilled A5 Kagoshima Wagyu Sirloin is so tender, so juicy, so meaty sweet. The richness is balanced by the miso paste, wasabi and salt. And best of all, the meat got the sweetness of grilled meat and the light sweet aroma of straw. Every bite of this is a bliss.

Mozuku is very smooth and zesty, best enjoy at the start, to whet the appetite.

The warabi mochi here has this unbelievable liquid like, soft texture, with an iota of chewiness. This makes for such awesome mouthfeel. The earthy aroma of kinoko makes the sweetness of the dough even better and more varied. One of the best warabi mochi.

Thoughts: Absolutely Enjoyable Hearty and Authentic Japanese Meal

5 Koek Road #04-02