And here I am, reviving an otherwise dead blog all for the one and only RedDot Brewhouse.  After a hospitable night at the brewhouse, I felt that I really needed to permanently etch my memory of my visit somewhere and why not in this beautiful space (if I do say so myself)?

Food: 4/5

Price: $$

Service: 5/5

Ambience: 5/5 (absolutely gorgeous)

RedDot Brewhouse should be no stranger to Singaporeans especially with its distinct green lager which thralled many people. I had my first brush with their beers when they had a branch at Boat Quay. They had their distinctive RedDot balloon right at the front of the shop and tables full of green coloured beer. 

Fast forward years later, I reconnected with RedDot via the craft beer sessions organised by Changi Airpot and decided to visit their original brewhouse at Dempsey. 

For people who think that tea places just serve non-filling high tea food at obnoxious prices, Arteastiq is another place which would get you to reconsider that notion.

Food: 3.5/5

Price: $$/$$$

Service: 3/5

Ambience: 4/5 (I love their plush sofas)

Tip: One for one main courses and signature teasery on the Entertainer App!

In addition to my all-time favourite TWG, Arteastiq is another place which serves good food in addition to a wide range of tea. And for the latter, I have to say I actually prefer Arteastiq's. Their presentation of teas plus pairing of delectable tea nibbles definitely score bonus points. Plus, their teas are slightly less expensive, although a lot smaller in range.

I remember Arteastiq as the first tea boutique and art jamming place in Singapore. They have been around for a long time now, but I have never really been there until last year. I too thought they only served expensive tea, and never bothered to explore their menu until I had the Entertainer App which came with 1-for-1 main course and high tea set (i.e. signature teasery).

#notanadvertisement I swear.

The signature teasery ($48++) was huge and the food was pretty decent. I'm pretty sure it feeds 2 people, but because of the 1-for-1, we were stuffed. That was my first experience at Arteastiq and I decided to head back to try the main courses.

Not the first time that I'm sniggering at attempts to name places/dishes etc. Arteastiq has a name for each dish (which I may not necessarily nod in agreement to) but they're all pretty good.


Rage of the Spartans – Arrabiata Stew ($19)
This is a simple and warm stew perfect for rainy days. It's sauteed turkey bacon and chicken cheese sausages in Arrabiata sauce topped with sunny-side up and served with toast. I actually really love this dish because it's just so, so perfect as comfort food. The stew was sweet and tangy and they did not scrimp on the meats. Even the toast were crispy and worked really well when dipped in stew and dripped with runny egg yolk. But seriously, LOL at the name. Definitely no rage here for this lovely dish.


Boston Loveboat – Cioppino ($27)
Next up is another stew but served in a delicious baked pastry bowl The stew is made up of baby octopus, salmon, scallop & prawns in claypot, baked En Feuillantine and served with Arugula. This is extremely hearty and although the stew is only up to half of the baked pastry, this is not a light meal. I mean the entire delicious En Feuillantine is essentially carbs. Plus you get so much seafood. The stew reminds me of arrabiata but with seafood flavours. Very yummy. Another dish perfect for the cold weather. I really love the En Feuillantine. It's buttery, flaky and moist at the same time.


I get the Boston reference, but not the loveboat part. Is it because it's seafood in a bowl...? #nolink #tryingveryhard #fail


The Royal Princess – Salmon Wellington ($27)
Who doesn't love wellingtons? Wellingtons may have reminded people of boots in the past but thanks to the rise of Masterchef and Gordon Ramsay's famous beef wellington, everyone now wants to try a wellington. The Salmon Wellington at Ateastiq is one of my favorites and it is a pretty big portion. It is essentially salmon wrapped in puff pastry with mushroom capers pate, served with sautéed asparagus, cabbages, and lemon butter sauce. Do note that this dish takes about 20mins to make.

I love the addition of lemon butter tanginess to the chunky salmon. The sauce isn't cloying and is therefore a welcomed addition to an otherwise slightly dry dish. But I suspect it's part of being wrapped up in puff pastry like a dumpling.


Truffle Sweet Potato Fries ($15)
The usual suspect for an appetizer, the sweet potato fries are served with Horseradish Aioli. I couldn't taste much of the horseradish though (thank god. But bad news for horseradish fans I guess...). But their sweet potato fries are really sweet and fried to a crispy orangey-brown and so very addictive. Would love to have more truffle to go with the fries though.

Now ladies, if your man refuses to go for a meal there because they think they need real food, there you have it! Tempt them with the huge salmon wellington (and one-for-one deal)!

Arteastiq

2 locations:

Mandarin Gallery

333A Orchard Rd, 04-14/15, Singapore 238867

Plaza Singapura
 68 Orchard Rd #03-70/72, Plaza Singapura, Singapore 238839

Edit: At the time of writing this, TWG has revamped their menu and half of the items below have been replaced.

Update 28 Nov 2017: Tried their pan-seared cod and boy, it's good! Also glad to say that their wagyu steak hasn't changed :) Do check out my Instagram @angelinenie for more food!

If you follow me on instagram (@angelinenie), you will know by now that I'm a huge, huge fan of TWG, especially their Wagyu steak. Not because I'm 'atas', but because with the Amex platinum card, I get 50% off the entire menu with 2 pax, and TWG actually has pretty good food. 

Food: 4/5

Price: $$/$$$

Service: 3/5

(I always feel like they judge me when I ask for butter or water.....)

Ambience: 4/5 (I love their classical music playlist!)

Tip: Ask for butter for the accompanying bun that comes with each main course. The butter is THE BOMB as it comes with green tea leaves and roasted brown rice. So, so good!

Now, just a small reality check - for those who think that TWG is actually a really luxurious tea brand from overseas, it isn't. It's actually Singapore owned and was established in 2008. TWG is short for The Wellbeing Group, and 1837 is the year Singapore became a trading post for tea- hence 1837 TWG.... But nonetheless, they've expanded all around the world in quite a number of countries (including US and UK) and that is impressive!

They're not kidding about being a luxurious tea brand though, as prices of tea start at about $11 per pot, and mind you, it's non-refillable. This makes the Amex card all the more precious. Do note that this isn't an advertisement for Amex. I'm just really aunty. LOL.

Now starting off with my favorite from their menu....

Wagyu Beef Steak - $35

A 200 day grain-fed wagyu sirloin steak served with brown sauce accompanied by mesclun salad and truffled matcha matchstick potatoes (a.k.a fries). The wagyu is thick and juicy, but I would recommend medium rare because they aren't very consistent with the "doneness" sometimes. I especially like the deep fried crepe cup which holds the fries- when dipped into the brown sauce, it's buttery and savory all at once.

P.S. I think TWG just recently revamped their menu as they now have wagyu beef steak with green peppercorn sauce instead of the brown one. But I'm pretty sure it'll still be good even with a change of sauce.


Norwegian Salmon & Matcha Beurre Blanc - $28

This is another one of my favorites and I'm glad to see that it's still on the new menu.  We have chunks of salmon caramelized with terriyaki sauce and accompanied by coconut ginger rice, sauteed oyster mushrooms and served with a matcha beurre blanc sauce (which basically tastes like creamy matcha, with a slightly foamy texture).

I really love the combination of flavours on this one- the coconut ginger rice is super duper fragrant (and creamy so it can be quite cloying and filling), and it's balanced with the saltiness of the terriyaki sauce from the salmon.


Roasted chicken- $26

The roasted chicken I had back then had an Asian influence and nutty tones. I believe this one is different from the new roasted chicken on their menu which is infused with Lavender Tea (!!!).

Nonetheless, given that this chicken I had was juicy and absolutely delicious, I believe their new roasted chicken should be really good too! Can't wait to try it out because, LAVENDER HELLO.

I had brunch on a separate day and decided to catalog the two dishes we tried as well. Though the pictures here are taken with a iPhone so pardon the quality.


Omelette- $19

I love love love fluffy omelettes and this was one really good omelette and super thick.  P.S. pardon the droplets of sauce as my friend's lactose intolerant so she kind of just drizzled random drops of the accompanying cheese sauce.


Club Sandwich- $21

Toasted homemade pain de mie with slow-cooked chicken breast layered with fried egg and smoked veal bacon, Roma tomatoes and lettuce, accompanied by a green salad and 1837 Green Tea infused vinaigrette. This is one hell of a comforting breakfast which is extremely sinful for a sandwich but SO SO good. I like that the yolk for their fried egg isn't completely cooked so it's still slightly runny and adds an egg-ier touch to the whole thing.


As for drinks, do give their tea mocktails a try as you would be surprised by how delicious they are. My favourite is the Dulcet Rose ($11) on the left, which is a mixture of lychee juice and rose tea. This is an extremely refreshing drink and not too sweet! For dessert, I highly recommend their tea ice creams (I love the sorbet!)

Okay honestly, typing this post was a bit of a bummer for me because I only just discovered the change in menu and it was only 1 month ago that I took these -.- So technically this isn't a 100% useful post (face palm). Problems with untimely posting... #iblamework as always.

But nonetheless, what I can say for sure is that TWG really has good (and substantial) food. They're often mistaken for just a high tea place, but honestly, their food is good and with the Amex discount, it's super worth the money too. I therefore have faith that their new dishes would be good too although I haven't tried them. And now, all the more reason for me to go back again to try!

1837 TWG Tea 
List of locations in Singapore: https://www.twgtea.com/location?country=SG
Do note that the branches in the airport do not serve food.

The Coffee Academics helms from Hong Kong and is renowned for their amazing coffee. So when this popular coffee place came to Singapore in 2015 and landed at a pretty spot in Scotts Square, throngs of people visited. And they're doing so well, they even have a second outlet at Raffles City.

 

And as usual, I'm a bit slow with the café scene (hence, visiting only in 2017) because I don't like rushing to join the crowd. I rather wait till the hype dies off. 

 

 

Truthfully, I... don't know what the hype is with this place. I really don't. I guess you can tell immediately that I'm not a fan and I'll never visit again- except maybe if I want coffee. But then I'll do a take-away for sure, or maybe I would just screw it and get good coffee elsewhere at a cheaper price. Don't get me wrong, the place is really pretty and chic and the coffee is really good. But it's not worth me queuing and I don't think it's worth the price tag. Fyi, I noticed that the prices of the mains have been increasing over the years too.

 

Food: 3.5/5

Price: $$/$$$

(We paid an average of $40 per person,what the heck.)

Service: 3/5

Ambience: 3.5/5

Tip: One for one main courses on The Entertainer App (but still asspensiveee). Also, pancakes take 40mins to serve so make sure you order that first!

 

I almost got the "world's most instagrammable coffee", i.e. coffee in a cone for $8.90. But thank goodness my senses got the better of me. (The things I do for a good picture, sigh). Needless to say, one must order coffee when one is here, so all of us got one.

 

Hot Manuka- $6

Iced Jawa- $7

 

They're all really good, and I especially like the Jawa coffee. But stay away from their new seasonal coffee, the iced sea salt latte (pictured above). It's really, really salty, waayy too creamy/foamy and we couldn't taste the coffee.

 

Now on to the food... :(

 

 Umami Pasta- $21

Their foray into pasta was interesting but given that they aren't strong on the food side, it probably should have been avoided. Umami pasta is a Japanese fusion pasta which was really spicy. Like burn-my-tongue kind of spicy. And although it comes with an onsen egg, the pasta is very, very dry. And really spicy.

 

Academics Breakfast - $25

 This is your average and typical big breakfast. Nothing fancy nor memorable. I didn't like how 'flat' the eggs were. I prefer them fluffier.

 

Crispy Fish Fillet Tacos - $23

 Probably the only decent main course thus far, the crispy fish fillet tacos is extremely refreshing with the fruity fresh flavours of mango and tomatoes. The pieces of fish were tasty and the overall combination of flavours were interesting. I like how the taco shells remained crispy throughout the entire meal (as opposed to soggy from all that "zhup").

 

The star however, is actually their curly fries.

 

Curly Fries with Dip Trio - $14

 Now this is one hell of a yummy (and expensive) curly fries. Move over McDonalds! The sauces that come with the hot crispy fries, especially the curry one, was extremely delicious, and you can actually ask for refill of the sauces!  Definitely a must have if you are there to dine.

 

 Le Smoked Salmon - $23

This is a smoked salmon wrapped around a pretty poached egg on top of a small bed of potato rosti. Man, this dish is tiny. Not sure how this passed off as a main dish. But this is surprisingly average tasting for something that looks really pretty. Nothing much to comment on- they all taste like what they should taste like individually, but the combination was not magical.

 

Academics Pancake Tower- $20

 This popular pancake tower takes 40mins to serve so make sure you order it first to avoid the waiting. This is essentially 3 layers of pancakes served with mixed berries, berry sorbet, whipped cream and syrup (the latter can be topped up).

 

 

The pancake tower makes for a pretty picture but that's just it. The pancakes were too dry and no amount of syrup was enough. Plus not all were cooked evenly. I recall that the one at the bottom was the most moist of the 3. The other 2 crumbles when cut, and I was essentially scooping crumbs to eat. Berry sorbet was good, but you can get the same at any ice cream shop.

 

 

The space itself is really, really gorgeous. I like that it's spacious and despite the huge crowd, you don't feel too squashed together. It's really a pity that the food doesn't match up.

 

They conduct coffee classes as well and you can sign up for them at the café itself.

 

 

Overall, good coffee (although pricey) and mediocre (but expensive) food. I wouldn't visit specially for the coffee even if I was doing a coffee run. The place is too crowded and you'll probably feel pressured to finish your coffee quickly to make space for the queue. I would probably head over to Plain Vanilla Bakery in Ion or say get a coffee at Kith Cafe. The Coffee Academics should perhaps refine their menu and limit themselves to a few star dishes and cut out the rest. They should also place a stronger emphasis on their coffee and perhaps have a pairing suggestion with the food they serve. #idea? 

 

The Coffee Academics (Scotts Square)

 #02-01/02, Scotts Square,6 Scotts Road, Singapore 228209

 

Burlamacco Ristorante is no stranger to the Italian restaurant scene in Singapore. It has been around since November 2012 and has been a favorite amongst many for delicious Italian food. If you're curious about the interesting name and the happy clown in the symbol (no, it is not IT), Burlamacco is actually the clown-like figure which presides over the carnival in the Tuscan town of Viareggio, and is the town's mascot. Burlamacco Ristorante is conceptualized and managed by Gabriele Piegaia, a veteran in the business. He started his career working in 1 star michelin star restaurants in Italy, and came to Singapore in 2001 to join Senso.

 

Food: 5/5

Price: $$$/$$$

(unless you have an Amex Platinum Dining card)

Service: 3/5

Ambience: Classy and prefect for celebrations.

Tip: Get up to 50% with Amex Platinum Dining Credit Card. Set lunch menus at $35++ per person is also available for the CBD folks.

 

P.S. The plating of the food in this post may look different from the usual because they have nicely portioned each dish into 2 for us.

 

If you do your research before coming here, you would know that there is a common consensus that there are several must try dishes. I ordered the most popular 3 main dishes, so let me just jump straight in to my favourite of them all.

 

48Hr Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs with Marsala Wine Sauce - $46

 

This beef short ribs is simply divine. The meat is so, so tender, it melts in your mouth. The marsala wine sauce is slightly thick, sweet and savoury and a perfect combination with not only the beef but also the mash potatoes.

 

 

 

What really attracted me to this (over the popular squid ink risotto) is the fact that their pappardelle is home-made. I was really excited to try and see how different home made pasta can be from store bought ones, and I'm glad I gave it a go. The pappardelle isn't too thick or thin and it retains a slight chewiness. Plus it was silky smooth. The pork leg ragout is so, so good and they are really generous with the portion.

 

I have also tried the Linguine with Boston Lobster Tail in Spicy "Arrabbiata" Sauce ($32) on another visit, and boy was it delicious. But I didn't find it as special as their home-made pappardelle.

 

You're served with delicious and warm bread at the start and they're my favourite kind- crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside.

 

As for appetizers, I've tried the Golden Crispy ‘Calamari’ Rings with Arrabbiata Sauce & Fresh Parsley ($26) and Truffle Fries ($14) on my second visit. I have to say the calamari rings are really expensive, but they're delicious with a light crispy batter and delicious arrabiata sauce. There's nothing fancy about their truffle fries though, so you can give it a skip.

 

All in all, Burlamacco Ristorante will go down in my list as one of my favourite Italian restaurants, seeing as how I went there twice this month (with 1 of them being a celebration for Hen's night). I highly recommend getting the Amex Platinum Dining Credit Card as well to maximize your value for. I actually paid only $70 in total for the above 3 dishes! 

 

(Note: This is not an ad, this is just me being aunty and sharing the news on discounts) 

 

Burlamacco Ristorante

Address: 77 Amoy St, Singapore 069896

To start off, the name is a huge LOL, and their tagline is "the more we get together, the happier we'll be". Admit it, you sang that didn't you ;)  But name aside, the food here is ridiculously good for the price you pay (most mains are below $12). 10 points to the East!

 

Food: 4/5

Price: $/$$$

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Tip: They are known for their lava cakes so save your stomach space for some!

 

The first thing you will notice when you step in is the wall full of post-it notes on them. It's a cute idea to have patrons leave little messages behind. It's very much in line with the theme of gathering together to create memories. The booth seats have meaningful quotes painted on the walls too.

 

 

Moving on to the food, I wanted to order everything on the menu because they're inexpensive and sounded really good. We started off with their popular Mexican quesadilla and a healthy salad. Actually the latter is my dining companion's dinner, because, healthy living yo.

 

Mexican Quesadilla- $7.50

I quite like that the quesadilla had a substantial amount of cheese and grilled chicken slices for the price you're paying. But when I mean substantial, I mean substantial for $7.50. If you are looking for a fully stuffed quesadilla, you will be disappointed. The quesadilla came piping hot and that added the 'shiok' factor.

 

Healthy Salad with Chicken- $11.90

Okay so I don't have much to say about this because it basically just tastes like an average salad. Don't get me wrong, I love salads (in fact, I have them for lunch almost every weekday) but I don't know how to describe a normal salad.

 

Grilled Pandan Chicken Chop- $9.90

The most exciting dish for me has got to be this Pandan Chicken Chop. I mean hello, PANDAN!!! I love pandan and was intrigued as to how the flavours would match up. And to my surprise, this was absolutely delicious. The chicken was juicy and the pandan sauce (which was actually coconut sauce) went really well together to create an interesting savory (instead of sweet) dish! No wonder this was one of their most popular mains.

 

Matcha Lava Cake 

(the price with ice cream is $7.20, but you can order without it)

So I only had 1 stomach sadly, if not I would have also ordered their chocolate lava cake and their Hojicha swiss roll. See, I told you everything on their menu sounds uuuhhhhmazeballs. But anyway, I decided to go for the matcha lava cake (cause hello, matcha) and it was simply heavenly. The cake wasn't overly sweet and was of a nice density. The matcha lava was very rich and smooth and complimented the cake really well. You cannot leave this place without trying their lava cakes!

 

Butterscotch Iced Café Latte - $4.70

I love how affordable their coffees are, but I have to say my butterscotch iced café latte did not taste of butterscotch. It was just really milky so I guess you might as well order their normal latte.

 

I really, really like this place. The price point is a big draw plus they do not scrimp on the quality or the quantity. How do they do it? Is it because they're housed under a HDB so the lease is cheaper?

 

To-Gather Cafe 

Address: 84 Bedok North Street 4, # 01-25 / 27, Singapore 460084

 

 

After a series of short posts, here's a long one finally! I am a huge fan of Nyonya food since I grew up eating the thick delicious curries which my  grandma cooked and she was born a Singapore Peranakan. I am also a huge fan of museums. So when I saw that Violet Oon opened a restaurant at my favourite National Gallery with opulent decor, I knew I had to bring the family to try it.  

Violet Oon is Singapore's own little celebrity chef. She has published her own cookbooks and even had her own cooking program back in 1980s. To learn more, visit her official website at: http://violetoon.com/about-violet-oon/

Food: 4/5

Price: $$/$$$ 

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 4/5 

(the place is so posh, it is perfect for special occasions)

There are 3 things I always, always order whenever I'm at a peranakan restaurant- ngoh hiang, kuey pie ti and beef rendang. I can eat these 3 for days, but my fear of growing fat always wins. Sigh.