TWG Tea Garden - Wonderful European Inspired Cafe

Actually I am just roaming around Marina Bay Sands after a morning at Gardens by the Bay, when I spot a lovely looking cafe with European inspired furnishings, think red wood panels, English Calligraphy, English crockery, with touches of Parisan flair, then interestingly added lots of crystal yellow lights, reminding me of those quaint Japanese cafes serving European inspired cuisine. Looking at the impressive front of the store stacked with TWG tea tins and boxes of different colours, I just step into the cafe, wanting to immerse in the atmosphere. A good thing that I go in before the high tea crowd comes in because the cafe soon gets full after a short while.

I’m actually surprised by how comprehensive the menu is, given the cafe setting. It has light bites for brunch, heavier mains, dainty high tea sets, desserts and of course, a variety of teas. The desserts are light and moist, while what truly impresses me is the caviar set. This is so luxurious and delicious that I say, “Definitely try this is you are in the mood to splurge.”

Sugar packed in this quaint porcelain jar actually.

The caviar set immediately got my attention with its TWG Tea caviar (20g) accompanied by chopped capers, chives & red onions, boiled egg yolk and boiled egg whites, served with a duet of Matcha blinis and crème fraîche sprinkled with Gyokuro Samurai tea leaves.

It tastes as good as it sounds. The caviar has a mild buttery saline taste that tastes so good on its own already. It’s a wow moment when I savour the caviar with the soft, super fluffy, warm Matcha blini. When paired together, the buttery saline becomes sweeter, completed with an additional toasty aroma and the contrast in texture between the caviar and blini. Crème fraîche adds the creaminess and slight tang to add the extra lux and smoothness to the texture. Go sparingly with the capers, since this, when add in a dot is excellent in perking up the taste, but overwhelming if too much is piled on. Finely chopped onions and boiled egg add the variety and extra oomph to the delicate taste of the caviar without overwhelming it.

I love this so much.

Rum Baba here, which is rum-soaked cake that is like no others. Additional twists, in the form of rum jelly adding so much to the texture and Vanilla Bourbon Tea Ice-Cream adding the refreshing astringent element, make this cake such a delight and surprise to savour. Chantilly cream adds the creaminess to balance the intoxicating and lovely sweet taste of rum. Powdered Rum tea sprinkled on top for the extra touch.

Nice and moist Strawberry Shortcake.

Smooth earl grey served in a unique, classy pot.

Thoughts: Ultimate Tea Party!

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, B2-65/68A

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

Sufood - Clean, Clear, Light and Delicious

Actually, I don't feel really well, so I decide to dine at Sufood, a Taiwanese vegetarian restaurant, for a filling yet light and easy dinner. And I end up getting a delicious, satisfying, light, flavourful meal here. In fact, I feel better after a dinner here!

Yes, this is the best vegetarian food restaurant, where all vegetarian ingredients are served as ... vegetables, without me feeling that I'm eating only vegetables. If anyone wants me to recommend a place serving, cleaning, healthy and delicious food, this is the one.

Wafu Yuzu Potato Salad is creamy, due to the potato, and zesty, due to the yuzu and cute bite-sized fruits, whihc is a lovely combination.

Mulberry Cider is surprisingly sweet and refreshing, with hint of the zest. So good that I can finish this whole jar.

Soft yet crunchy breadsticks that can be paired with the light creamy sauce. Sea grapes has the briny sweetness, together with the zest of the clear sauce and refreshing element of shredded turnip, totally whets the appetite. 

Pickle, another zesty appetite-whetting goodie.

Tofu with vegetable sauce is refreshingly tending towards earthy tones while retaining the freshness to open up the palates.

Butterfuly Pea Flower Cooler is gorgeous and a good thirst quencher,

Double-boiled Cordyceps with White Fungus and Black Garlic is so so good because this is full of goodies and tastes so nourishing, featuring the savoury herbal taste of double-boiled Chinese soup.

Peppery Golden Quinoa Risotto has awesome texture, having the starchy and slightly chewy bite due to the mix of fluffy risotto and quinoa. Pumpkin adds a nice sweet earthy savoury goodness to the grains. Absolutely hearty treat.

Rosy White Fungus with Peach Gum is such a cooling nice dessert that also tastes nourishing. I especially love the gelatinous yummy peach gum added in this.

Thoughts: Healthy, Natural and Absolutely Delicious

252 North Bridge Road
Raffles City Shopping Centre #02-19

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