*Note to Readers: This review is from my guest author, CY.

I had the privilege to be invited down to eM by the River to review on their drinks menu and some of their, as they would put it, Bar Grub.

eM by the River is located within Gallery Hotel, and as the name suggests, its right by the Singapore River. It’s a really nice place to have your after-work drink because of its ‘chillax‘ ambience and relaxing music, or you could grab your brunch over here becasuse they have a menu for food as well.

eM is mainly a bar so, the drinks they serve here can range from alchoholic to virgin.

The first cocktail served up was called Melody of Harvest ($16), which is one of their newer items on their drinks menu.  This drink was created in lieu with the release of Absolut Pear Vodka.

This is a sweet and fruity cocktail with pear as its base flavor.  There are slight notes of peach and a citrusy aftertaste.  This drink may not be your drink if you’re a guy, but I’m sure its a great hit with the ladies with its crisp fruity flavours.  This would be definitely the drink for someone who doesn’t like the stinging taste of alcohol.  I liked this drink and the name of the drink is as elegant as how the drink is presented.

The Meringue-tini ($16) is a drink created from the concept of the dessert Meringue.

Served with egg white foam floating on top of the drink and salt rimming the glass, this was a very interesting drink for me.  This drink reminded me very much of a Lemon Meringue Pie.  Sharp citrus followed by a slight taste of smooth vanilla are be the main flavours of the drink.

I thought that the drink was abit to sour for my liking; It could done with a few slight touches of sugar in it.  Nevertheless, this was a very interesting and adventurous drink.

eM’s Chocolate Martini ($14) was very different from all the other Chocolate Martinis I’ve had, mainly because this was clear instead of being the conventional opaque with a slightly thicker consistency.  No milk is involved in this cocktail, so this would be perfect for those who are lactose-intolerant.

Without using any actual chocolate, eM is still able to emulate the smooth flavors of a Chocolate Martini with the use of chocolate liquer and vanilla syrup.  But that doesn’t mean that this drink doesn’t come with a kick.  Smirnoff Black Vodka is the ingredient that gives this drink the kick while not compromising on the smoothness of the drink.

I prefer sweeter cocktails and this was a perfect hit for me.  I like how it still delivers that punch without being too overwhelming.  This will definitely be the drink I would order the next time I visit eM again.

If you are into traditional cocktails, then you might want to try their Mango Mojito ($15), which is a reinvention on the traditional Mojito.  A traditional Mojito is made with a base of Light Rum or White Rum, while eM concocts theirs from Absolut Mango Vodka.  However, they are still able to capture the basic elements of a Mojito with the usage of Mint Leaves and Brown Sugar.

This would also be a perfect afternoon drink. Coupled with a good read and relaxing music, I would be able to sip on this the whole afternoon.  The tropical taste of mango with that tart sharpness of vodka and bitterness of mint complimented each other really well.

Though this was a good cocktail, its still not one of those drink that I would order, but that is really just personal preference.  I had a rather bad experience with Absolut Mango Vodka, which involves me doing the classic “Merlion” after having one drink too much.

Did I mention that eM serves delicious bar grubs as well?  Technically eM is a bar but they have a menu for food too.

I was totally spoilt by this Home made Beef Burger and Fries ($22).  A whole 200gm of thick beef patty sandwiched between homemande burger bun and serve with crispy fries and a side of salad.  I like how the patty was seasoned, it was very different from the other beef patties I’ve tried before.  The patty was surprisingly succulent and juicy as well.  A special dip sauce is made to compliment the burger as well.  And to add to the sin, crispy bacon cushion the patty and a sunny side to top the patty.  The home made buns were incredibly soft as well.

I would recommend this for those searching for a good bite around the area for brunch and to complete this, a glass of Chocolate Martini would be perfect for any afternoon.  The Burger without all that sin (Cheese/Bacon/Sunny Side) would be $17, but with an addition of $5 (or $2 per addition), it could really make your day.  Of course, this is definitely not for the health freaks or the weak hearted (pun unintended).

And if are looking for something less filling to bite on and something that you can share with a couple of friends, eM does have lighter selections like Traditional Swiss Rösti ($12) and Meatballs in Swedish Sauce ($12).

The Rosti is crispy on the outside but remains moist on the inside.  To make it better, smear it with a dollop of sour cream, and a slice of that sunny side egg.  Not many things can be said about this, except that you could add a side of sinful bacon for addition of $2 or a Bratwurst for another $4.  This is one aspect what I love about the food menu served in eM, is that you can choose to add the items you want.

The Meatballs wasn’t too bad actually, but nothing much to shout about.  Perhaps because it was left on the table for quite sometime, it became a little bit cold.  The meatballs was a little dry, but I would give it the benefit of the doubt that it was left out for too long.  The meatballs were well seasoned and the Swedish Sauce complimented it well; albeit being a tad too salty.

The meatballs wouldn’t be a really practical choice if you are going to leave it on the table for quite sometime, because like most meat dishes, its best eaten piping hot.  It would be a better choice if its ordered as a side if you plan on having your meal at eM.

eM by the River is a nice place with relaxing ambience to chill out for afterwork drinks, and its usually packed from Wednesdays on.  While their food menu is not their forte, it definitely does deserve some attention.  The picturesque alfresco siting area over looking the Singapore River has an outdoor bar station as well.  eM is also tucked away in a corner of Robertson Quay, away from all that bustling crowd yet not difficult to locate.

Current Promotions

White Hour

Monday – Friday
5 – 9pm

White Martini @$9
Moet @$14! (per glass of course)
White Wine @9

eM by the River

1 Nanson Road #01-05
of Gallery Hotel
Singapore 238909
Tel       :6836 9691
Fax      :3125 7127

Website: http://www.em-n-em.com/

No related posts.

Last month, I had the opportunity to escape the sweltering heat of Singapore for a short work cum leisure trip to Hong Kong! Fine, I shall delude myself no further for it was frankly not much of an escape. Hong Kong was equally as hot as Singapore for the period that I was there.

This marked my second visit to Hong Kong and having stayed in Kowloon on my previous visit (P.s. I stayed at  Hotel Panaroma – which I highly recommend as well), I stayed at the vernerable Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong this time around. Most of my meetings that I had planned to attend were scheduled to be held somewhere in the Central area, which made Mandarin Oriental the most obvious choice.

Now for the foodie in me, a 2 minute walk to the Central MTR station proved to be very much useful, especially on days that I had (rather, wanted) to travel out of the Central area in the hunt for local delicacies.

Read on to see my thoughts and photographs of my stay.

I knew that my stay at the Mandarin Oriental was going to be great right from the moment I checked into the hotel. A hotel staff would walk you all the way up the hotel room and provide a welcome refreshment upon arrival. The brewed Jasmine green tea made for an excellent welcome refreshment.

I stayed in their Superior Room, which came with a King-sized Bed in a well appointed 375-430 sq ft room.

There was no choice of an alternative view, so a view of the city, it was.

The room came with a 37″ flat screen TV. I must add that the myriad of tv channels (from the usual cable news networks to Asian Food Channel and Channel News Asia) would keep anyone occupied on those lonely nights. For those with kids, there were like 5 Kid-friendly channels like Cartoon Network and Disney Channel.

Trust me when I say that the sofa was extremely comfortable! I took many a shut-eye here whenever I had time in between meetings.

A pair of binoculars was made available – but frankly, there was not much to see out the window.

The toilet is physically seperated from the bath and shower facilities.

In between the toilet and bath facilities is, ‘powder room‘ of sorts.

P.S. never miss a show on TV, for there is a 15″ LCD TV right by your side. If there was one thing here that I disliked, it had to be the weighing scale! I weighed myself on the first and last day of my trip and realized that I had actually put on some weight while I was in Hong Kong.

For those of you who are into brands, Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries are part of the package.

A choice of a rain shower and a  shower head is for the taking. I must add that, the rain shower, felt awesome!

But of course, nothing beats spending time in a bath tub!

Conclusion

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong certainly lives up to the reputation of being one of the finest hotels in Hong Kong. The staff were friendly and efficient – from the receptionist to the room service to the concierge. The centralized location, its proximity to the Central MTR, Landmark and Lan Kwai Fong, are really bonuses compared to the stellar service that I had received throughout my stay. If you were to ask if I would stay at the Mandarin again, a resounding yes, would be what you would hear from me! P.S. For foodies who are reading, there are 2 Michelin-starred restaurants within the hotel and quite a number within walking distance, including L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Amber at Landmark.

Promotions

Mandarin Oriental has promotions all the time and many of them include daily breakfasts at their two cafes and credit for use at their hotel stays and in room dining service. The previous package that I got for myself included a daily credit of HKD$500. Good news for those who are planning a stay at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, I had just paid a visit to their website and realized that their current promotions now include a daily credit of HKD$600 for rooms and HKD$1200 for suites. I visited a few of their cafes and restaurants in the restaurant and trust me, the daily credit does come in handy! More on the restaurants coming soon!

For a list of their offers, please visit http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/tempting_offers/

Disclaimer

This was not an invited review. HungryEpicurean paid for his stay at the hotel reviewed here.

Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

5 Connaught Road, Central,
Hong Kong
Telephone: +852 2522 0111
www.mandarinoriental.com

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1. Hong Kong: Antique Patisserie & Fine Chocolates
2. Hong Kong – Four Seasons Pot Rice
3. Hong Kong: Yung Kee Restaurant

It was not too long ago that I reviewed Casa Verde, so I thought it was fitting only to post my thoughts of another one of their restaurants in the same group.

La Strada is their casual Italian outpost located right next to their French bistro-styled Bisto du Vin. Food aside, I quite like the decor of the restaurant – from the wooden flooring to the relatively large dining tables. I could be wrong here, but the decor presented itself in a rather semi-formal setting. But I always say, while the ambience is important, the company and the food plays a much larger role when dining out.

Calamari Fritti (S$16++) Fried Squid with arrabbiata sauce

We were starving; full stop. We had waited for about 20 minutes just to enter the Shaw Centre car park. On hindsight, we should really have found an alternative venue to park the car.

The first thing that came into mind was to order something that could be served quickly. Next to salads, which I’ll have to say, are somewhat boring in my book, was the fried squid or calamari friti.

I took a bite of the calamari, the batter had turned somewhat cold and felt a little soggy. And before you start pointing fingers, suggesting that it must have been the time I took to photograph this dish – I had a bite, before taking the photographs.

Nonetheless, I liked the lightness of the batter and and special mention goes to the arrabbiata sauce. The sauce was just the right mix of sweetness from the tomatoes and spiciness from the chilis. The sauce plate, eventually returned to the kitchen, empty.

Chittara alla Carbonara (S$30++)
Hand cut chittara pasta, crispy parma ham, parmigiano, truffle butter and pancetta sauce, confit of egg

Before my visit to La Strada, I remembered reading about the Carbonara from some other food blogs. Which ones – truthfully, I cannot remember. One thing’s for sure, I knew that I had to try this because of the what-I-remember-to-be positive reviews.

Praise has to be given when due and definitely am giving this dish, mine.

Crack open the poached egg and mix all the different flavours together and what you get, really is a melodious harmony of flavours. Oh and the distinct aroma of truffles hits you the moment the plate is presented to you.

Simple, yet elegant.

Linguine alle Vongole (S$29++)
Live seasonal clams, tossed with linguine pasta, in white wine, chilli, garlic

While the Vongole at Casa Verde was surprisingly good, the rendition here, was rather average.

The pasta was over-cooked and the clams had bits of sand in them.

P.S. But in truth, I was relatively disappointed with this rendition of the Vongole.

In all honesty, I would return, if only just for the Carbonara.

La Strada
|1 Scotts Road, Shaw Centre, #02-10,
Singapore 228208

Email: lastrada@lesamis.com.sg

Telephone: (65) 6737 2622

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1. Italiannies
2. Casa Verde
3. Pete’s Place – Unpretencious Italian Food

Ah..  Peking duck. I feel deeply in love with them from the moment I visited Beijing back in 2004!

Can Singapore’s Imperial Treasure live up to the ones that I’ve tried in Beijing? Read on to find out! For one, the chef brings the entire duck out and slices them up, right in front of your table. Talk about skills! These guys made slicing the skins off the duck seem like an easy task.

Caramaelized peanuts. Very Addictive, I must add.

Skin of the Peking Duck. Supposedly the best parts of the duck. I ate one before taking the photograph – so, it should be 4 pieces!

I can’t be certain which part of the duck this came from.

We requested for the balance of the duck meat to be cooked with bean sprouts and it was pretty good, with the wok-hei flavour.

Ending off the meal is a gui lin gao as recommended by one of the wait staff. This really tasted herbal, I loved it, but for those of you who don’t really like theirs too herbal, give this a miss!

Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant

290 Orchard Road
#05-42/45 The Paragon Singapore

Tel: +65 6732 7838

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Hi Brad,

On Sunday night, I wrote a piece on my blog, with regards to a food blogger requesting for a free meal and voiced out my personal opinions against the actions that allegedly took place. For the record, at no point of my blog post did I make any reference to both the blogger and/or the restaurant.

On hindsight, it was my mistake to only hear one side of the story and not to approach you to get the full picture.

As of Monday, 23rd August at 1800hrs, I had closed the comments to my blog post and at 2100hrs on the same day, I had removed the post.

The media, including the article on a prominent search engine, has sensationalized what was a simple mis-communication between the restaurant and yourself. To that end, some quarters of both online and offline media has intruded into your personal space, for which I am deeply apologetic.

For all the inconvenience to you that I may have caused, I sincerely apologize.

Humbly yours,
Glenn

Moving forward, I feel that this is a case best left closed. Let’s all move on from here. I will not be answering any more questions comments on Twitter, Facebook, Email or on this blog.

Related posts:

1. HungryEpicurean 2.0

Casa Verde, essentially means, “green house” in Italian and what an apt choice for a name! Casa Verde is nestled within the Singapore Botanic Gardens close to the Visitors’ Centre,  away from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road, yet with the added convenience of being just 5 minutes drive away. Sitting 110 diners, 80 of which are situated within the al fresco area, Casa Verde is a collaborative effort between the venerable Les Amis Group and Buko Nero restaurant.

Lunch is a semi-self service affair, where you go over to the counter to place your order. Dinner, on the other hand, is slightly more service-oriented where the order counter is shut and you have wait staff coming by to take your order. I am pretty sure many will shun going there for lunch but really? I really much preferred it to remain this way – the whole idea of queuing up and placing an order at the counter just seems to fitting for the environment. Casual, relaxed and where company takes precedence. P.S. Pets are allowed in the al fresco area!

I’ve been here for both lunch and dinner due to its close proximity to home but make no mistake,on each and every occasion, both the service and food seemed rather good, self-service or not. They topped up the glasses without being asked and always seemed to be around yet being non intrusive.

Fried Chicken Wings – 6 pieces served with salad (S$8++)

Yes, I ordered fried chicken wings. I had a sudden craving for some comfort food that day and just had to order something to whet the appetite.

They were crispy and you get none of that lingering old and recycled oil taste when you pop one into your mouth. Oh, they are pretty fiery too! The one and only set back would have to be that the batter was overdosed with too much salt.

Fish ‘n’ Chips – Deep fried fish fillet in egg batter served with fries and salad (S$14++)

Comfort food at its best. Although the batter was a bit thick for my liking, it was crispy and let’s admit it, there’s really nothing like a hot, deep fried dish.

Vongole – Linguine with fresh venus clams, tossed in a white wine, chilli and garlic sauce (S$24++)

The vongole was surprisingly good – very surprisingly indeed. Casa Verde did not serve any clams that were closed. (Sidenote: I’m still puzzled why do restaurants serve closed clams?) The pasta too was al dente, at least in my opinion, it was. If I were to pinpoint a minor disappointment, the white white sauce came across as a little under-seasoned. Again, this is just my opinion.

CASA VERDE

1 Cluny Road (Visitor Centre)
Singapore Botanical Gardens

Tel: +65 6467 7326

http://www.lesamis.com.sg/

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1. La Strada

*Note to Readers: This review is from my frequent guest author, CY.

Last Friday, I was treated to a really nice home-style dinner at Cafe Epicurious. Cafe Epicurious is the siste rcafe to the restaurant Epicurious at Quayside.  Unlike the restaurant counterpart, Cafe Epicurious gives their patrons a cosy and homely environment to dine in.

Opened only in November 2009, they are serve a menu that ranges from local dishes to Thai-style cooking to Western cuisines. Since it was my first time there, Sharon, the co-owner, recommended me to take up the 3 course set-dinner for 2.  Of course, I went there with a friend.

The set dinner came with a platter for starter, 2 main courses and a dessert platter to end the dinner.  And I like the idea of communal sharing of food which is what the set dinner is all about.

Appetizer

The Epicurious platter started off the dinner.  The platter consisted of 4 different mini dishes – Ah Ma’s Deep Fried Curry Chicken Wing, Beef Meat balls with Tomato-Basil Sauce, Devil Shrimp with Garlic and Chilli and Melted Cheese and sweet Onion Quesadilla.

I was very intrigued by the Chicken Wings so it was the first thing I attacked.  The curry taste wasn’t overwhelming and it was just nicely spiced to perfection.  It wasn’t too spicy as well.  It was definitely something different from the usual buffalo wings that would usually be served as a starter.

The Devil Shrimps reminded me of the Portuguese Peri-Peri Sauce.  The Garlic and Chilli combination is the staple to a Peri Peri Sauce recipe, and it went really well with Shrimps.  The shrimps were crunchy and fresh, but it was abit too salty for me.

The Beef Meat balls would probably be the best choice to start your dinner with.  The Tomato-Basil sauce was very appetizing and there were cubes of Tomatoes to give the sauce texture.  The meat balls on the other hand, were on the dry side, although the were very well seasoned.

Next up, was the melted cheese and sweet onion Quesadilla.  A Quesadilla is a Mexican dish made generally from melted cheese and Tortilla.  The crispy tortilla combined with the spongy melted cheese to give the whole dish a very unique texture.  The onions hiding within the cheese gave a subtle sweetness.

If I were to describe the platter in a sentence, The Epicurious Platter gives diners a taste of different countries in that very porcelain plate.

Main Courses

There were 4 different mains to choose from – Seafood Risotto, Lamb Shank, Angus Beef and Roasted Chicken.  My friend ordered the the Angus Beef. I decided to be abit adventurous and ordered the Lamb Shank.

The main courses were next up.  Both main courses were presented together, not separated.

This is a rather exotic dish actually, The Lamb Shank Tagine.  The Lamb is slowly braised with Moroccan Spices, butter squash, quince and figs to give that very unique flavor.  The tender meat falls off the bone, yet firm enough to give some texture.  I have personally never tried Moroccan-styled dishes before, so I couldn’t anticipate how it would taste.

But, this turned out quite well for me, albeit, it would definitely not be the first choice the next time round I visit due to the somewhat gamey lamb taste notes. Again, this was all boiled down to each individual’s personal preference.

For every meal, there is a highlight.  This Braised Angus Beef Short Ribs is the highlight that night.  2 big cubes of Angus Beef that has been slowly braised in Red Wine – the end result, a mounth watering flaky texture.  The meat was juicy and tender and the red wine sauce complimented the beef harmonously.

This was so good that I gobbled this up in less than a minute.

As the set dinner is for 2 person or more, sharing has become part of the whole experience of this dinner.  The sides of tossed salad and mashed potatoes came in one big portion for me and my friend to share.  These two side dishes did not offer much excitement and thus, were easily forgotten.

Desserts

To end off the dinner, we had a Dessert Platter.  Served up on this platter were  big slices of Devil’s Chocolate and Raspberry Ripple cake, 2 slices of Sticky Date Pudding drizzle with caramel sauce and a wedge of Lemon and Lime Tart.

The Lemon and Lime tart was light and refreshing.  The light citrusy taste definitely agreed with my tastebuds.  It was probably the most suitable dessert to end off the heavy dinner we had.  The sticky date pudding was nicely done, and it not too sweet.  But then again, I could probably do without this.

I personally love the Chocolate and Raspberry cake.  The tart taste of the raspberry cream cheese went really well with the smooth bitterness of the chocolate cake.  By the way, Sharon mentioned that the cake is baked flourless!!!  So there is absolutely no carbs in this, but I can’t say the same for the raspberry cream cheese though.

Cafe Epicurious does sell their desserts individually.  Apart from the ones served in the platter, they have little cakes like madelines and cupcakes, all handmade by their chefs.

Cafe Epicurious is definitely a nice have your meals or to just savor the desserts.  The prices are very reasonable, considering the quality of the food that you are getting.  Even though its situated slightly away from town, it definitely warrants a visit.

Cafe Epicurious

392 The Rail Mall, Upper Bukit Timah Road

http://epicurious.com.sg/

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3. Oriole Cafe & Bar Revisited

Restaurants serving Set Lunches are now dime a dozen but in my opinion, in terms of value vis-a-vis price the best deal goes to none-other-than, Saint Pierre. Make no mistake, their set lunch is not what you would categorize as, affordable, but you do get what you pay for! A lunch affair here would set you back between S$28++ to S$48++, but trust me – it’ll be the best S$48++ that you will spend on a lunch!

And I just have to reiterate the fact that Saint Pierre changes their menu on a weekly basis!

Label me as a bore but this was in fact, my third visit to Saint Pierre for their set lunch and I’m proud to say so!  My first visit to Saint Pierre can be found here , the second visit to Saint Pierre here. 

Nibbles

Pictured above is a deep fried hollow bread stick – okay, it’s not bread, but it’s a stick. It came with hints of banana and was extremely crispy. 

Pictured above are more nibbles – the Black olive Chips (Beige) and Sundried Tomatoes Chips (Orange).

And just when you thought that that was the end of the nibbles, there’s more – Cod fish in air dried parsley crumble, Fried Sardines accompanied by an Aioli sauce and Anchovy paste.

Amuse Bouche

I was surprised when I was this being presented to the table.

A simple amuse bouche made up of a truffle slice, with cold coconut cream (almost like ice cream) was a delight to savour. Both could have held their ground on their own, but paired together, it seemed like a match made in heaven!

I have to apologize – for I have forgotten to jot down what the tiny little orangey bits were.

Appetizers

My partner’s appetizer of poached crystal bay blue prawn with water cress puree, mussel emulsion and green apple was simple yet awesome to eat.

I must add that the prawns were really fresh and the mussel emulsion combined well with the prawns. The chopped up green apples added a hint of sweetness.

I had something similar the previous visit, so when I saw risotto was on the menu again, I just had to go for it! What was a Duck Confit risotto with smoked duck breast then, is now a Risotto of Duck Confit scented with fennel, lightly spiced duck jus and drizzled with walnut dressing. I loved how texture of the risotto rice.  I loved the simple wine reduction that accompanied the risotto. I loved how tender and how well-smoked the duck breast was. All in, I loved this dish.

My partner’s low temperature braised beef cheek with creamy pommes puree, glazed baby onions, forest mushroom fricassee, summer vegetables and Xeres sauce came across as decent.

Yes, the beef was fork tender and the sherry wine vinegar sauce was an excellent accompaniment but the the beef cheek itself somehow lacked flavour.

Oh yes, the portion did seem rather small.

I realized that on each and every of my last 2 visits to Saint Pierre, I had ordered the white miso marinated black cod. But on each occasion, the presentation of the dish differed; this time it came with pea puree, celariac, almond oil and red wine sauce.

Out of all 3, I have to say that this has the best presentation! The pea puree tasted great with the miso cod fish and the fish was timed perfectly, as usual.

You know what’s funny – I had just weeks earlier, prepared a white miso marinated cod  at home and used pea puree as a side as well! Talk about being coincidental!

Both of us decided against having desserts, but Jan, the Matre’D offered us a small complimentary dessert.

Green apple sorbet paired with sweet tomatoes (pictured in the background) and a tomato jelly on wafers (pictured in front) concluded the meal.

Alright, the next time that I’m going to Saint Pierre, I’m going for dinner!

Petits Fours

Saint Pierre by Emmanuel Stroobant

3 Magazine Road
#01-01 Central Mall

Tel: +65 6438 0887

www.saintpierre.com.sg

Related posts:

1. Saint Pierre Revisited
2. Saint Pierre

What was initially a hunt for a quick meal after my medical appointment at Raffles Hospital turned out to be a rather fruitful discovery. I was without my camera then, but I made a promise to myself that I would make a return trip; And I did with my colleague in tow.

Sabar Menanti is my now favourite haunt for Nasi Padang. And yes, I’ve tried River Valley Nasi Padang and the one at the corner of Kandahar Street.

Call me bias (or insert any other noun) but the one dish that will always make an appearance at my table is Beef Rendang and that is how I judge the stall. Yes, you may argue that it’s not being fair and all, but it’s in my opinion, with the myriad of  dishes that each Nasi Padang stall serves, there should be one single dish that is used as a benchmark.

In case you were wondering what Sabar Menanti means, it roughly means, to “wait patiently”. I’ve verified this with another Malay colleague of mine. Ironic, since everything is pre-cooked and laid out in metal trays and you get your meal served to you within 3 minutes. Of course, this name has stuck with the restaurant for ages, and who knows, perhaps the Sabar Menanti of yester-year, really required a long wait!

My colleague ordered a variety of dishes, including fried fish and prawns accompanied by a huge scoop of plain rice.

He was pleased with what was offered – and coming from a Malay Muslim background, that’s good enough for me! Although, he did comment that the food here is slightly more expensive to its nearby peers.

Rather than have all my dishes on 1 dish, I opted to have them in separate plates. Not only did it help in the photography, it allowed me to savour each dish on its own, rather than have the tastes all mixed up.

In comparison to the Beef Rendang, the fish was a tad disappointing. It was not bad, it just paled in comparison to the beef that I had. The fish was “fresh-ish”, the meat firm, and the curry was of the right combination of sweetness and spiciness. I’m pretty sure there is a proper name for the dish, so if anyone would care to help, I thank you in advance!

The Beef Rendang!

This is the best Beef Rendang that I’ve had the opportunity to try thus far and I’m speaking from the bottom of my heart!

The beef was simply divine – fork tender. I highly doubt that this was the work of a meat tenderizer, rather, it was the continuously simmering along with a secret blend of spices that contributed to its tenderness.

The gravy was one to lap up too! It was not too spicy and you could literally taste the subtle flavours of all spice rub.

Tempeh! My colleague gave me weird looks when I ordered the soybean cake; he was surprised I would order it.

I love tempeh, all of it! Perhaps, it’s the unique texture and flavour that entices me. BTW, I was introduced to it by my father, who once read about its health benefits and started to introduce tempeh to our diet when we were much younger.

Tempeh, or tempe in Indonesian, is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. Tempeh is unique among major traditional soy-foods in that it is the only one that did not originate in China or Japan. It originated in today’s Indonesia, and is especially popular on the island of Java, where it is a staple source of protein. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh’s fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. It has a firm texture and strong flavor. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue.

- Last accessed 6th August 2010 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh

Harris of thesimplestaphrodisiac fame recommended me to try the Ayam Opor but I’m not sure if this was the correct dish.

The chicken was a bit tough for my liking – the colleague agreed. I haven’t tried many other similar curries, so I don’t reallyhave a basis for comparison. That said, I would definitely order this if I was in the mood for a mild curry.

Sabar Menanti

48 Kandahar Street

Tel: (65) 6396 6919

Related posts:

1. Ansari Briyani Restaurant

It’s ironic how one can travel all across the country, or in Singapore’s case halfway across this island, to try a certain dish or patronize a certain restaurant, yet you miss out on a place that is in close proximity to you. Cafe le Chateau is a good example of me not visiting restaurants that I had yet to visit, in spite of the relatively short distance from my humble abode.

Cafe le Chateau is helmed by Chef Foo who last headed the kitchens of a restaurant in Funan Centre and the now demolished Marco Polo Hotel. The restaurant, while not exactly unheard of, is still, somewhat of a hidden find. That’ is, of course, not at the very least surprising, considering its relatively obscure location. Housed in Valley Point Shopping Centre, off River Valley Road, it is somewhat off the beaten track.

Oh, before I forget, whilst the name sounds French, the French flag stretches across the front of the entrance, it is of your humble author’s opinion that the food is reminiscent somewhat of Hainanese-influenced French cusine rather than as a pure play on French cuisine. That said, the menu includes many French classics like French Onion soup and escargots.

But I’m glad I’ve tried it. This restaurant, my friend, is a good alternative to Jack’s Place, The Ship or even Shahslik. Prices are comparable too, with set lunches going from just S$9.90++.

Pictured right at the top of the post is a Lobster Bisque. I liked the flavours of the broth and the creamy texture. This is no lobster bisque from The French Kitchen, but this shall suffice for now.
Note: This required a small top up to the set lunch.

The set lunch came with a Soup of the Day. The day’s soup was a pleasant Cream of Mushroom. Decent but it tasted a tad watered down for my liking.

A touch of truffle oil may have just done the trick to elevate this soup to much greater heights. But, for the price, I’m not complaining!

As part of the Executive Lunch set at S$24.90++, you get to a soup and dessert, but you get to choose any main course from the ala carte menu.

I was in the mood for red meat, and thus ordered the Beef Tenderloin. The beef was grilled perfectly, achieving the medium doneness that I had requested for.

The black pepper mushroom sauce though, came across as slightly strong, overpowering the natural flavours of the beef at times.

My dining partner was too in the mood for beef and ordered the Sirloin Steak. The sauce and presentation were basically the same as that of my Beef Tenderloin.

I had read from earlier reviews that the Apple Tart was one of their signature dishes and I was deliberating topping up for it or sticking to the dessert of the day.

I asked the owner/manager if their apple tart was worth trying and the simple nod that I got, sealed my choice.

It was served hot from the oven, with a fluffy pastry texture and was, most importantly, not exceedingly sweet.

I’ll gladly re-order this dessert, the next time that I’m here!

The Dessert of the Day was a simple Tiramisu. Just like the Apple tart, it was not overwhelming sweet, it was just the right way to end off the meal on a sweet note.

Cafe Le Chateau

491 River Valley Road
#01-16 Valley Point
Singapore

Tel: (65) 6737 7897

Related posts:

1. The French Kitchen
2. Cafe Epicurious at Rail Mall
3. Oriole Cafe & Bar Revisited