Garibaldi - Fantastic, Glorious, Authentic Italian Brunch

A newsletter from Angra Wine got me to take a look at Garibaldi's Ferragisto Weekend Brunch, and I like what I see on the menu, and so here I am!

The brunch spread here is so glorious, full of lots of authentic Italian classics, with hints of twists to keep things exciting. Yes, the dishes are all delicious. I love it that there is huge variety of appetisers, pastas, mains and desserts all served à la carte to the table and all comes in small portions so I can enjoy all the dishes while ordering more if I want to savour more of the free flow dishes.

The place has this classy fine dining interior, with an Italian lightness to it. Think white linen, modern dark wooden furniture, table mats with golden bronze tint, soft yellow lights, modern paintings and full-panel windows with translucent curtains. Thus the space feels impressive with hints of idyllic feel, perfect for enjoying my brunch.

The service here is impressive: being professional, friendly and responsive.

I'm so looking forward to enjoying a lovely, idyllic, satisfying, sumptuous brunch at here again.

Poached Japanese Toretama Egg, Smoked Salmon & Hollandaise Sauce is creamy and Savour with buttery umami. Love this.

Fresh Oysters has this fresh saline sweetness, and tastes refreshing with the lemon and exciting with the tabasco.

Fluffy Bread with Crispy Crust goes so well with the Olive Oil has the tint of herbal aroma.

Crispy Breadsticks that is good on their own and goes well with the olive oil too.

Australian Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, Rucola & Parmesan Cheese has light meaty sweetness of wagyu, going very well with the nutty savoury taste of the Parmesan.

Fresh Burrata Cheese from Puglia is such a luxurious treat, being creamy, milky, juicy and refreshing.

Cold Cut Platter of Speck, Parma, Spicy Salami and Mortadella are savoury with hints of meaty sweetness, featuring different taste profiles. A real treat.

Crispy Deep-Fried Crab Cake is briny sweet, and its taste is lifted up by the creamy zest in the aloli.

Aperol Spritz is refreshing, sweet, with a lace of bitterness for the smooth mouth feel.

Spaghetti "Vongole" in a White Wine & Parsley Sauce is light on palates while rich in taste because of all the different kinds of briny sweet flavours packed within. My favourite among the pasta.

Fettuccine with Minced Italian Pork Sausage in Spicy 'Nduja Sauce' tastes exciting, due to the tomatoes, and meaty because of the sausage. Fettuccine has good texture for good mouth feel and catches the meaty sauce within its curls for good enjoyment of the pasta together with zesty meaty sauce.

Ricotta Cheese Tortellini in Truffle Porcini Cream is pure creamy, earthy goodness.

Seared Salmon & Passion Fruit Yogurt Sauce features salmon that is juicy and tender. The zest in the sauce cut through the distinctive taste of salmon for balanced taste.

Grilled Black Angus Beef 'Tagliata' & Fried Polenta Cake is so meaty sweet, tender and succulent, layered with the beautiful taste of char. So good that I get a second order of this.

Dark chocolate lava cake is so decadently good and intense.

Almond tart is surprisingly super good, with a smooth sweetness that comes out when biting into this dessert. The almonds add lovely earthy aroma of nuts to highlight the sweetness.

Light, airy and divine in taste.

Thoughts: Fantastic Brunch that I totally Enjoy.

36 Purvis Street #01-02

Foliage - Delicate, Balanced, Amazing Local Tastes

I always know that I will be back at Foliage, a quaint intimate cosy dining location born out of a couple's passion for food and their travels through Japan. And so here I am!

What I love about the food is its unique taste of distinctive Southeast Asian flavours with the clean and clear taste of Japanese cuisine, where the natural sweetness of the specially sourced ingredients is highlighted. And as I have said before, the owner couple work together to add an extra cosiness to their place with their hospitality, curated cutleries, sake, produce from their travels in Japan, and make the experience feel like private dining.

The dining experience here is one of a kind that I definitely look forward to enjoy again.

Monga Ika & Oba Spring Roll, Hojiso & Umeboshi White Rojak amazes me with an unbelievably clean, light and balanced taste of rojak. Roasted almonds add the nutty earthy taste for that distinctive rojak taste, and Hojiso aka ginger flower adds vegetal freshness to lift up the flavours. The ika, aka cuttlefish filling, is so fluffy and milky briny sweet, juxtaposing perfectly with the super crispy spring roll skin that nicely breaks at a bite. The crunchy vegetables tastes so refreshing, brightening the taste of rojak. Best Rojak!

Hamo Conger Eel, Sayur Assam, inspired by a Javanese soup, makes me go, "Wow!" with its unique comforting sweet, savoury taste with a hint of zest. The taste is like southeast Asian umami. The fish is so fresh, having briny sweet and juicy flesh.

 

Murasaki Uni & Akaebi "Lemak Ikan Asin" with Green Yuzu and Coconut is wow, wow, wow. It is unbelievably and amazingly delicious. The taste is super sweet, featuring different layers of sweetness, and refreshing. I love the blend of briny sweetness, vegetal freshness, creamy umami, nutty creaminess and hint of herbal pungency in this dish. The variety of textures present: creaminess and crunchiness, is awesome too.

Fresh Crab & Kani Miso "White Laksa" Pie Tee is stuffed with shredded Coconut Canadian Red Crab and super crunchy shredded turnip that makes for a lovely local taste with extra sweetness, refreshing element, zest from laksa and briny sweetness.  The housemade Pie Tee shell is so amazing on its own due to the extra sweet aroma of baked sweets present, made possible with the addition of coconut milk. And the shell, being freshly made, is so so crispy. Best Pie Tee.

Somen-Kabocha & Manganji Pepper "Soto Ayam Lamongan" with Japanese leeks features fluffy and meaty Grilled Ika & Kampong Chicken Tsukune, which is meatball, soaked in slightly spicy broth full of goodness of taste of Southeast Asia due to the medley of goodies added. The unique slightly crunchy somen, which is like strands of thin fine turnip, absorbs the umami of the broth to taste so good. 

Suzuki & Grilled Nasu White Wine Fish Curry with Prata ala Minute is like the best curry! The Japanese vegetables soaked in the spicy, sweet, buttery curry has this refreshing taste that contrasts so well with the thick curry. The prata here is exceptional too, being made from Hokkaido flour and Normandy butter, and is thus extra fragrant. Yes, best prata!

Amela Tomato & Kanten "Ice Jelly" with White peach is so refreshing and zesty, with vegetal freshness. I love the kanten jelly that introduces the bouncy texture and clear sweetness.

Hojicha made from stems, therefore having less caffeine and is smoother in texture.

White Corn & Wasanbon Kueh Dadar has French sea salt added for sparks of excitement. This dessert is packed with floral buttery sweetness of white corn and creamy nutty sweetness of coconut. The pandan green wrapping skin has such good texture, it is like super thin kueh. The filling features different kinds of crunchiness from coconut and corn, making for an excelent bite. Stellar Southeast Asian dessert. 

I also get to savour rare Japanese wine from Nagano, which cannot be easily found at other establishments. The couple managed to secure supply deal with the winery owner by helping with the harvesting of the grapes. I love the story behind getting wines from this unique, quaint winery. It adds an extra touch of warmth and passion to the experience. The wine is clean and crisp in taste, making the food tastes even sweeter.

I also get to try the red wine from this quaint winery, and it is made from Kyoho grapes. Wow, I have never tried wines made from Kyoho grapes, so I'm so excited to enjoy it. This wine carries the distinctive sweet aroma and wine-like richness of Kyoho grapes and the taste is fresh, with hints of sparkling feel. A must try here.

Thoughts: Amazing, Clean, Balanced Southeast Asian tastes realised by Passion

11 Kee Seng Street

#01-03

66 Chambers Red Room: On Air featuring MYA

I'm back at Red Room: On Air after an awesome night last week.

After a sumptuous crab feast and then a drink of Long Island Iced Tea, followed by listening to Industrial Techno on my way home, I kind of decide that the night is still very young. And I remember that I like what DJ MYA was playing in an instagram post on her first night at On Air, so I get a ticket on a whim, just 25 minutes before sales of tickets stop.

The result is hours of fun from movement to the high energy music belted out by MYA. I find myself immediately dancing in exuberance from the start of her set, characterised by high BPM, strong beats, deep bass and energetic melodies, with mechanical sounds seamlessly woven in as the night goes on and the music getting stronger. It feels good to discover another local talent that I can keep a lookout for.

Thoughts: Heart Pumping Music and Desire for Movement

22A Tanjong Pagar Road

Ikkoten Omakase - Amazing Meal crafted with Passion

It’s always a joy to dine at Ikkoten Omakase because of how Chef Brandon Low ensures that every meal will be unique, amazing and full of wonderful surprises. And this time, he did it again and lots of extra preparation beforehand to make it possible ❤️

Who could have known that soy custard can taste refreshing, baby corn can taste so amazing, sashimi can be enjoyed like bite-sized snacks, a simmered dish have char and textures, beef tartare tasting so creamy and sweet, and foie gras tasting light and balanced? Well, I get to experience all these here 😉 

Summer comes in the form of tonyu pudding, a custard made from soy that surprisingly refreshing and firm but easy to bite. The accompanying specially brewed Amela tomato broth has this refreshing umami that tastes so good on its own and elevates the taste of the pudding, The cute sliced heirloom tomatoes and roasted bonito adds complexity to the taste. A soft sweetness actually develops with each subsequent spoonful, making it even better.

Deep fried baby corn looks simple but tastes so amazing. I immediately widen my eyes and go, "Wow!" at first bite. The corn is unbelievably delicious, featuring a floral buttery sweetness highlighted by the light soy sauce. Best corn I ever have.

Deep fried sawagani is like Crab Skittles, crispy hard on the outside, soft and succulent on the inside. Biting through the shell reveals the briny sweetness of the crab making savouring this fun and exciting. 

Watching Chef Brandon Low meticulously cutting up the Hiroshima Sayori Sashimi into dozen of super thin slices is such a joy in itself. Due to the firmer texture of sayori, this fish being sliced thinly yield tender, smooth texture with a good bite. It is such an awesome experience to pop each cute bite sized fish slice into my mouth to enjoy its freshness and texture. And there are options such as savoury citrus oil sauce, crunchy spongy Japanese yam stem, zesty sudachi, refreshing cherry tomatoes to pair with the sayori to highlight the mild sweetness of the fish in various ways. I totally enjoy savouring this.

Kyushuu Aka Mebaru Nitsuke is first cooked with binchotan to get a hint of lovely roasted goodness to contrast so well with the simmered ingredients. The sauce with Japanese peppercorn is slightly spicy to accentuate the different forms of sweetness packed in thsi dish. The fish is succulent while retaining the slight firmness to hold its form while soaked in the broth. This is like the perfect fish to be used for simmered dish. The warmness of bonito and radish broth juxtapose perfectly with the refreshing juiciness of the summer vegetables, such as Japanese asparagus, carrot and melon.

Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Beef Tartare with specially prepared Kombu Whipped Butter Toast, topped with murasaki uni and specially prepared egg yolk gel tastes so rich and awesome. The slightly cooked wagyu is burned with torch fire to melt the fat for extra juiciness and slight char. When paired with the light, airy, creamy, smooth, slightly savoury kombu butter and mineral umami rich egg gel, the result is different forms of rich harmonised luxurious sweetness in one mouthful.

I have the smoothest and lightest foie gras here, in the form of foie gras mousse topped with caviar for hints of briny excitement and blueberry sauce plus apple sauce to nicely cut through the richness of the foie gras for a lovely well-balanced taste.

Shizouka Unagi was grilled for a crispy exterior before Being added to signature Donabe Meshi packed with savoury collagen goodness. So starchy, so satisfying, so good. Suimono with wasabi adds anotehr dimension and extra sweetness to the taste of the donabe. 

Yuzu Baked Cheese Cake is the best yuzu cheesecake because the texture is so unique and awesome. Creamy, light, succulent with a tinge of gelatinous texture, perfect.

Thoughts: Awesome New Exploration of Tastes and Textures through Thoughtfully Crafted Dishes

86 Telok Ayer Street