Artemis - The Food: Tastes as Good as it Looks

Mediterranean cuisine, sustainable produce—these are what brought my attention to Artemis, and these are the factors that keep this restaurant in my wish list, even after I struck some, including restaurants with Michelin Stars, off the list due to my lack of time to patronize them all. In fact, so hectic is my schedule that this will most probably be one of the last few I write for this year. Prior to visiting this place, I was not sure if I had made the right choice. Turns out that this restaurant is one of best surprises of the year. Not only does the food here scores high on taste, it is also aesthetically pleasing.

The much raved about beautiful view of the Marina Barrage from the rooftop will impress many, I guess. If seated at the right location, one can even see the iconic Supertrees of Gardens by the Bay. The interior is of minimalist style to let the skyline of the city runs the show. Since I appreciate nature more, I acknowledge that the place is absolutely great for dates, but I am not exactly bowled over by the setting of the restaurant. So let's go on to talk about the food instead.

It is quite a novelty that a service staff carries the wooden tray filled with bread and makes her rounds to the tables to serve the bread. And to top this off, instead of butter, powdered spices and olive oil are provided as dips for the bread. The taste is interesting, but the dips do not integrate well into the bread to create a harmony of texture and taste. The bread itself is not served warm. And it is kind of hard but not toasty to justify the dry texture. I am very fussy about my breads, so the bread here does not win me over.

Moving on, casting the bread aside, the other dishes get the thumbs up from me. Alaskan King Crab is love at first bite because the generous chunks of fresh, succulent crab meat are oh so sweet. And the creamy, slightly tangy dressing with finely chopped vegetables serves to accentuate that sweetness of the sea. The avocado slices are welcomed addition since I love the smooth balmy creaminess of this berry. The dressing also goes very well with the avocado since it adds a kick to the mild taste of avocado. Tomato petals, which looks like bacon, has very intense, full-bodied flavour. This appetizer is best enjoyed by savouring these ingredients separately since they all have distinctive tastes that can be combined but each is good enough to shine on their own; the avocado refreshes the palates, and the tomato petals give the oomph factor to complement the crab meat. This dish is a must-order.

Octopus Salad is truly a very unique salad since the cooked vegetables are used instead of the usual raw ones. The best part is it also tastes great. The broccolini, which is a hybrid of broccoli and kale, is every bit as juicy and crisp as raw vegetables, thus having that wonderful bite that many love in their salad. Fine preparation is needed to achieve this and retain that beautiful dark green colour of the vegetable. The other ingredients of the salad simulates the senses: citrus flavour of the artichoke adds zest to salad, and the romesco sauce of vivid orange colour introduces earthy tones to the taste. The cylindrical pieces of octopus are grilled to perfection—featuring the rich aroma of grilled seafood and being slightly chewy, but not overly so. If I have to nit-pick, my only grouse with this appetizer is that one of the octopus pieces is too thick, thus being too chewy to my liking.

Beetroot Gnocchi is one of those vegetarian main courses that is not only healthy, but also tastes delicious. The fresh and crunchy vegetables pairing with the pungent feta is a bold combination that works, due to the strong taste of feta adding a zing and accentuating the clean taste of the various vegetables. The pink-hued breakfast radish not only adds colour to the dish, this juicy, zesty, crunchy root vegetable incorporates a contrast in taste, for that extra excitement. And the vegetables also go very well with the mashed celeriac that coats them with a layer of subtle flavours of celery with nutty overtones. Beetroot gnocchi has that glorious shade of reddish purple and looks very appetizing, but it is far more subdued in terms of flavours. The sweet earthy taste adds dimension to this mains though I have to admit that the other ingredients steal the show instead. And I do find this dish to be slightly similar to the Octopus Salad due to the use of broccolini.

After trying these dishes with bold, clean and striking flavours, I do wonder if the dessert, Salted Vanilla Ice Cream, can match up to them. I find my answer where I take the first bite of the ice cream, served at the perfect temperature—cold enough to retain the shape yet higher than freezing point to allow the flavours to be released. It is sublime because of the intense milky taste. Either eat on its own or savour it with carrot cake sponge and walnut crumble, it is all good.

Petit fours served at the end of the meal is a nice touch, but given how exciting are the appetizers, mains and dessert to the senses, these cute little pieces of confectionery do not really make that much of an impression.

As for the service, the friendly staffs get all the basics right, and I can see that they really try hard. They can do better if there is an extra sharpness in the observation of surroundings and the handling of orders. Things are still pretty good when I arrive at the earliest timing, almost. But the staffs get real busy when the restaurant is full, yes, it is full on a weekday afternoon, so it is best to make reservation, and it may be difficult to get their attention. All in all, I still give the service here the thumbs up, especially when they bid farewell to me when I am leaving. To me, this tiny gesture leaves a nice ending note to the dining experience, it matters.

So will I come back? It goes without saying that for sure I am.

My Thoughts: Awesome!

Nearest car park: CapitaGreen's car park

Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer

138 Market Street
#40-01 CapitaGreen (Rooftop)
Contact No: 6635 8677

Mad About Sucre - Fallen in Love Again

After my first visit to Mad About Sucre, I have been wanting to come here again. But it is only until now I can squeeze out some time to satisfy my cravings for meticulously prepared, fine French confectionery. The idyllic, swish place is still immersed in that Parisian vibe, completed with light French music, and the service is still as warm and friendly though the new young chap has lots to learn from the owners.

What has changed is the line-up of cakes, just like how the best restaurants of the world change their menus seasonally, to continually surprise and tantalize our palates with new creations.

And the Castile I have tried pleasantly surprises me like what the cakes of previous line-up had done. This cake, taking on an angelic appearance, complete with a white chocolate feather on top, tastes like incredibly sweet bliss being condensed into a tangible and edible form. The light yoghurt mousse features a firmer texture than that of usual mousse, so as to complement those of the lychee jelly, honey sponge and compote. More importantly, it has a wonderfully intense, sweet milky flavour. It is light yet at the same time, is bursting with flavours. The compote of fresh strawberries and blueberries, amazingly, has just that soft touch of tart taste to add dimension to the overall taste while not overwhelming the delicate flavours. The texture of lychee jelly encased inside the mousse is akin to that of konnyaku, thus the very subtle flowery aroma of lychee is only released after the mousse, compote and sponge have melted in the mouth. This crystal-like block of jelly does very well to refresh the palates in preparation for the next bite of the cake. I love how subtlety can translate to intensity in this creation.

In addition to the delightful, delicate cakes, Western Provincial Dining is introduced into the menu. And this gives me more reasons to go here for an exceptional complete dining experience.

The Spring Tangy Tomato Soup is exactly as the name suggests: tangy, at just the right level where the palates are teased and the appetite is whetted, without overwhelming the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. Talking about tomatoes, along with the sun-dried tomatoes used to introduce the hint of the smoky flavour, 2 types of French tomatoes are utilized to make this soup, and one of them is the heirloom beefsteak. And these tomatoes yield incredibly sweet soup with a myriad of flavours due to the numerous aromatic compounds of the different types of tomatoes. This dish is not just about the soup—hidden beneath the soup is a stash of fresh Arctic Snow Crabs. Amazingly, the lovely, distinctive briny flavours of the crab is accentuated, instead of eclipsed, by the strong taste of the tomatoes. With that said, this is a great dish to start the meal with.

The salad totally wins me over to declare that it is a must to try to the dishes in Western Provincial Dining menu. It is no mere salad. Luxurious, sinful ingredients such as French foie gras, grilled prawns, and caviar are added to staples of egg and fresh, crisp greens. The foie gras is cooked until it is crispy on the surface while retaining the soft interior, which is full of oily goodness. Grilled prawns are so fresh, sweet and intense in flavour—the prawns are perfectly prepared to unlock the full extent of the aroma of grilled seafood, I have to say the grilled prawn here is one of the best prawns I have tried. Most probably the best, on par with the prawn I had in a Michelin Star restaurant. Caviar replaces salt in this dish for dashes of saltiness and sprinkles of umami. And I absolutely welcome this since savouring the relish of the sea encased within each black pearl of the caviar is pure indulgence. Amid the lush savours, the egg adds a nice earthy flavour to balance the flavours of the salad and give variations to the overall taste. It is not only the ingredients that shine, the combination of these ingredients works to create a dish that features flavours of a wide spectrum while ensuring these flavours complement each other. Oh yes, the sweet, slightly tangy French mustard sauce does great to make the greens a delight to tuck into while staying in the background to let the other ingredients take the central stage.

With all these being said, it is without a doubt that I am looking forward to go back.

My Thoughts: Amazing!

Nearest car park: URA's open air car park along Teo Hong Road and Bukit Pasoh. Prepare lots of coupons.

Nearest MRT: Outram Park

27 Teo Hong Road

Singapore

Contact No: 62213969

Terra Tokyo Italian - One of the Best Italian Restaurants in Singapore

It has been quite a while since I feel great inspiration to write about my dining experiences. And at Terra Tokyo Italian, that inspiration to do so is so strong that words, sentences literally surface onto my mind when I am savouring the dishes here. It is one of those times that reminds me of the reasons I put into words my thoughts on the restaurants I have been to: to feel inspired and translate that feelings into a tangible form in black and white.

With the terracotta red bricks lining one wall, sliver ornaments adorning another side, white-washed walls, lacquered wooden table and Windsor chairs, the place is seeped in a curious and uplifting mix of idyllic, rustic Italian vibe and modern sophistication. In fact, the interior of this restaurant reflects what the food here is all about.

First up is, of course, the bread, served in a cute little sack. The presentation is very quaint and interesting, which does heighten my expectations. And the creamy mushroom spread, with that pronounced, well-loved woodsy flavour, that comes with the bread makes for a unique and wonderful start. Though the spread is more of the star instead of the bread. While the bread has a nice browned, crispy surface around the soft, stretchy, moist core, it does not really have anything special that make me swoon over it. Then again, perhaps the mushroom spread goes best with this kind of bread. The great part is the spread can be replenished, and I do enjoy tucking in the bread with a thick layer of mushroom spread slathered on it.

The real show begins when the appetizer, Scallop from Salfutu comes up. The scallop itself, served in a rustic pot, is incredibly sweet. And the texture is perfect: so soft that the knife cuts through it like butter, yet retaining that light bounce of fresh scallop. The delicate crust on top imparts an extra hint of crunchiness to the scallop, making this dish all the more delightful. The tomato sauce is unlike any I had tasted. Subtlety and flawless balance of flavours are what it is all about. A lace of sweetness, a dash of acidity and the distinctive wholesome flavour of fresh tomatoes complement the mild flavour of scallop perfectly. Even the asparagus wins me over despite the fact that I am no fan of this vegetable. The young shoot is refreshing in taste, tender yet firm and has no fibres—the fibrous texture of most asparagus is what I do not fancy. This is a dish I can find nothing to nit-pick on. And it is amazing that the flavours of this dish actually develop and get more intense with each subsequent bite. My impression of this appetizer goes from being pleased with it to absolutely loving it. One more thing, the champagne I have tastes sweet with this appetizer—great pairing of wine with dish.

The Hokkaido Uni Spaghetti continues to impress with the gems of the sea and spaghetti that is one of its kind. I always appreciate food that introduces new tastes and textures while persevering the familiarity of the traditional dishes. The spaghetti here is exactly that. Thicker than the usual spaghetti, it is smooth and features an iota of chewiness that other types of spaghetti do not have. Best of all, it absorbs the rich umami flavours of the decadent fresh uni and bottarga very well without getting soggy. The yuzu added gives a hint of refreshing taste and aroma to the spaghetti, and when paired with the uni, reminds me of the time I had the freshest, best sushi that had citrus added to it—adding dimension to the taste and highlighting the freshness of the seafood. Like the appetizer, the flavours of this dish intensify as one savours it. Got to say that this is the best spaghetti dish I ever have.

Since I have specified that I do not eat beef and lamb, I expect the main course to be fish. Well, the chef gives me a nice surprise with the serving of duck instead. This nice surprise turns out to be a wonderful surprise. The sweet, juicy duck meat, which has slight gamey flavour, is perfectly cooked to have both the aroma of roasted meat and the tenderness. Dipped in the sauce full of homely flavours, it becomes a mouthful of bliss when tucking into it. This beautiful, and I specifically mean in terms of taste, main course is the best duck dish I have thus far.

The Tiramisu keeps up with the rest of the dishes by blowing me away with the most intense shot of coffee hidden within the moist chocolate sponge. So strong is the flavour of the coffee that that it tastes like liquor, and I remain very awake till night time. The rich fresh cream not only tastes good by itself, it also harmonizes the strong taste of coffee. And the strawberry, oh my goodness, it is unbelievably sweet for a strawberry. And a sweet strawberry, with its lovely fragrance, is definitely and always one of my favourite fruits. A great dessert to end the meal.

Service is very attentive and meticulous, with nothing out of place. A turn of head or stretching of the neck, and the friendly service staff will notice and attend to the patron in need. I am absolutely impressed.

Some food sweeps people off their feet while some have the down-to-earth charm. The food here is in between these two categories. Kind of like after taking the first bite, little angelic wings grow out from the heart, and one's heart starts to flutter around happily. As things progress, the heart begins to twirl around in delight. I do look forward to going back.

My Thoughts: Awesome!

Nearest car park: URA parking lots along Tras Street. Alternatively—need the alternative solution since it is not easy to get an empty slot at Tras Street, there is a car park in quite nearby URA building
Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

54 Tras Street
Singapore
Contact No: 6221 5159

Yogurette

The acidity and creaminess of yogurt simply works so well with chocolate.

Country of Origin: Germany

Where to buy this: Candy Empire

Waiting for you …

Found this old review while doing some formatting. It is not on this blog since it is not about morsels of delice. But I post it here just for the fun of it, as this is one of the more unique reviews I had written. And no, I'm not saying which restaurant is this.

Try "singing" this review to the tune of "I will be right here waiting for you".

After order, time after time 
I had asked about my food, 
Twenty minutes, had just passed 
But not one dish had came yet 
The kang kong had finally came, but it tasted oh so salty 

Your service is slow, Your food is awful, 
Why am I still here, waiting for you 
At least thirty minutes, to wait for each dish
Why am I still here, waiting for you 

The scallops with yam, tasted so bad 
This is a lousy combi
The only good, about this place 
Is the live and fresh Seafood 
But the chef can't cook it well, what a waste of good seafood

I wonder how I can survive, to even 

Have to wait for thirty minutes, 
To Settle my Bill 
Oh, even getting the change
Took more than twenty minutes

After this, I quit being a romantic, and go "No more nonsense about all these waiting, I'm not coming back ever!".

Just Acia - Very Value for Money

Actually, I have never intended to write about this restaurant since I am not feeling particularly inspired to do so. In other words, I kind of take this place for granted. It is only until I had visited Hifumi that I feel this place does deserve a mention here after all.

Ambience wise, the place is clean and pleasant to dine in. It scores more on functionality instead of aesthetics. The staff is okay; some are friendly while some are just doing their job, nothing more. The main drawing point is how incredibly value for money the set meals here are. For just $6 plus onwards, patrons can get free flow of drinks, soft-serve yoghurt and Mingo ice-creams to go with a main course. While these are not exactly something to rave about, I like the variety of drinks available, from the usual suspects of frizzy drinks and sugary drinks to Thai ice tea and hot beverages of coffee and tea. The ice-cream section features an interesting selection not commonly found in supermarkets, like lychee for example. To me, this is a huge plus point since I don't fancy eating ice-cream that I can easily get from NTUC or Cold Storage.

Main course dishes vary from mediocre to decent in terms of standard. The dumplings are bland, and the amount of filling inside is pathetically little. The Aglio Olio is surprisingly not bad. Not al dente, but the spaghetti has not fallen into the category of "soggy", in fact, far away from it, thus I still find myself enjoying this dish. And it helps that the aroma of garlic is pronounced in this dish. This is the dish that gives me the reason to visit Just Acia again when I am in saving mode. This is also the place that comes into my mind if suggesting a place for gathering since it will not hurt the wallets.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

For locations, click on the link below:
http://www.justacia.com/findus.html

Rabbit Stash - Rabbit's Little Secrets

Closed

So many restaurants, so little time … and when I finally get a free slot in my tight schedule, I head straight down to Rabbit Stash aka Hareloom Bar. Though I do wish I could go for dinner instead since the offerings for lunch is catered to executives looking to have a hearty and filling meal before heading back to work, and it is hard to get a strong feeling of the chef's talents and creativity from these dishes available during lunchtime.

The interior of the restaurant is like the rabbit's secret little snuggery, being dim and cosy with yellow lights, cute but classic rabbit figurines and walls highlighted with washes of purple light. It seems like the rabbit has a taste for modern chic.

The generous basket of breads may look ordinary, but they have this interesting texture that lies between crunchy and chewy. A nice change from the usual. These are best enjoyed with butter and the sea salt. Just dab a small cube of butter on the sea salt and then put that butter onto the bread, the combination of the aroma of baked, toasted wheat and grains, creaminess of butter and mineral taste of sea salt makes for a wholesome treat.

Hokkaido Scallop with 58 degrees Egg, appetizer of the Executive Set Lunch, not only looks pretty, its taste is simply unbelievable awesome. The sweet flesh of the fresh scallop is firm with nary the chewiness, which is the perfect texture for indulgence of scallops, and permeated into it are the flavours of earthly toasted brown rice and sea salt—I do think that there is sea salt sprinkled on top before being seared. The myriad of flavours makes this one of the best and most flavourful scallop I have. The 58 degrees onsen egg stands out on its own with just a scattering of fine pepper on top. And its yolk also complements the scallop well. The sauce on the lettuce leaves tastes like goma sauce, except that the nutty flavour of sesame is more pronounced here. While not as stellar as the scallop and egg, it is pretty good for a salad due to the rich, nutty, slightly creamy sauce.

The main course of Sea Bass goes big on portions, which is good news for many. The sight of the generous bowlful of French fries may delight lots of people, but not me since I know I cannot finish them, and French fries is not my thing. While I like the salad in the appetizer, seeing it the second time on the mains does not incite the same level of excitement since I am looking to explore different tastes—have to admit this is expectation issue as the restaurant's focus during lunchtime is on Hareloom Bar offerings. The sea bass is fresh, and the sauce is very interesting in taste, having just that iota spicy flavour to kick things up. However, the sauce is not enough to add enough flavour to the plain fish meat.

Chocolate Fudge Cake brings things up a bit with the lovely combination of milk chocolate fudge and cake made from dark chocolate with intense flavour. The cake is best eaten with the fudge since on its own, it is a tad dry—have to admit that I am someone who loves to have lots of cream in my cakes. The chocolate crumbs, when eaten together with the cake, gives a nice extra crunch to the dessert. The ice cream is the weak link since on its own, it is not exceptionally creamy to create an impact and it does not really make a difference to taste and texture of the dessert either.

The Gourmet Bowl of Tiger Prawns is an à la carte item I ordered on my second visit. The fresh springy tiger prawns coated with golden yellow batter is what draw the thumbs up from me. A dash of tangy flavour, a tad of sweetness and a tang of spices yield a multitude of flavours that surprises and intrigues. The runny onsen egg complements the tiger prawns well to add eggy goodness to the rice. Talking about the rice, it is good that Japanese rice is used instead of Thai jasmine rice, as I prefer to try other types of rice outside of the regular jasmine rice I have been eating almost everyday. But being an individual who is very picky about rice, I find the rice lacking the sheer shine indicating the perfect texture that I look for in Japanese rice. Still, at $17 plus, this is very value for money.

Service here is wonderful. The staffs, who are friendly and helpful, responds quickly to my requests with smiles. And they are very proactive in replenishing the butter for my breads and filling up my glass of water. Lastly, they put a nice finishing touch to the entire dining experience of the patrons by bidding farewell to them. Providing good service is not easy feat, to exude that genuine warmth is something not many service staffs, even those of the best restaurants, can achieve, but the service crew here exceed my expectations to exhibit this trait that I appreciate.

This is a nice place to consider for a hearty lunch with sprinkles of exciting flavours incorporated. Dinner maybe even more exciting since I can tell the chef is really great at playing with flavours based on Hokkaido Scallops and Tiger Prawns.

My Thoughts: Nice!

This restaurant is no longer in operation.