Ah Bong's Italian

Tiong Bahru is a very interesting place nowadays. Home to the old school Tiong Bahru Market and small Chinese restaurants and the famed Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh. Here in Tiong Bahru you still can find small eateries known as 小吃店, which are dying off in Singapore because the government have limited granting licenses for these eateries due to hygiene reasons. This small shops supposedly don't have the piping systems in place for food processes.

In the midst of all these old shop houses, Tiong Bahru also boast many hipster cafes such as Tiong Bahru Bakery and Dripz. And one particular 小吃店 goes through a transformation. Small eating house with a few hawker stalls by day, it transforms into a pizza parlour by night known as Two-Face Pizza. But today I'm not talking about the transformation nor the pizza. I'm focusing on one of the hawker stalls. In the face of dying traditions, a young fella stepped in and went to set up a hawker business. What's more interesting is, he is not selling traditional hawker food. He is selling Italian food, in a hawker fashion.

For Italian food, the prices weren't expensive. $6-7 for a plate of pasta. The menu changes daily, so check back often, or check their facebook. On the day I went, I had the Chorizo bolognaise. It was served in a traditional 'chicken' plate. Cute. The serving isn't huge, but with the minced chorizo and peas, it was good enough for me. Our intern had the aglio olio which only had some mushrooms. She's, um, still growing I presume, and found the portion not quite enough. The young chef came over and chatted with us and asked how the food is. When we feedback on the portion, he said that was 150g pasta each. I'm presuming he meant cooked weight. For me, I liked my bolognaise. The pasta was perfectly al dente, the sauce rich and delicious. Maaaybe a little more will be nice.

Chorizo bolognaise

Because those who had the aglio olio were so unsatisfied, we ordered the Expresso creme brulee. It's actually not bad. The coffee flavor wasn't overpowering, and the sugar crust was beautifully crunchy. Although I did find the custard not quite rich enough. It felt a little... thin...

Expresso Creme brulee

Broke through the beautiful sugar crust

I do admire the guy for braving the hawker industry with real 'ang moh' food. Not the usual 'western food' you see in kopitiams that serves asian flavored chicken chops with fries and call that western. And to do all that in his tiny stall area, I'm impressed. To tell the truth, we haven't really gone back there for lunch. The portion is probably one deterrent. The space constraint is another. The eating house doesn't have a whole lot of seats and can get quite warm in the afternoon.

Ah Bong's Italian

56 Eng Hoon St, #01-46
Singapore
Tel: 9650 6194

Tunglok Signatures (Vivocity)

Ok... Here's to catching up... *flex fingers*

It was my aunt's birthday, and the family decided we'll have dinner at Tunglok Signatures. I'm guessing the decision was made based on cousin's Amex discount. Back then I hadn't applied for that card yet. So for our 20 pax, that was a 20% discount under the Palate membership. I wasn't part of the decision making team for the food ordering. I simply go and sit and eat. But I believe we ordered some kind of set menu, as is the norm for my family.

Tunglok Signatures does serve up some 'attas' items that aren't found in the Tunglok Seafood restaurants. It's like a levelled up Tunglok if you will. But if you're looking for the usual favourites, they still carry quite a fair bit of those in their menu. The sharks fin soup was served in individual portions. I'm not a huge advocate of sharks fin, and will never order it by myself. But the family loves it, and I think it was part of the set menu. Their's was made more spectacular by the little sprinkling of flammable substance at the side of the bowl. Immediately prior to serving it to each guest, the waitress light up the substance. So each guest get a piping hot bowl of sharks fin with a little not-so-useful-at-keeping-the-soup-hot, more-for-asthetics flame at the side of the bowl. It turned out to be a little dangerous for the kiddos and we had to turn each plate until the flame is away from each kid. Fireworks aside, the soup was rich, warm and yummy.

Sharks fin soup

Next atas item. Bamboo clams. I looooovvvvee bamboo clams. This is an advance order item, something I learnt on a second visit when it wasn't available by the time I arrived at the restaurant. Steamed with a generous sprinkling of garlic and glass noodles and yummy sauce. I loved loved loved it. I think I even managed to snag an extra because there was only 9 pax on our table, not counting my 3 year old nephew.

Bamboo clam

Next is the fish. This is the most deconstructed fish I've ever seen in a Chinese restaurant. Garoupa, served two ways. One side is little nuggets of garoupa deep fried into golden perfection. Those were GOOD. We even managed to cheat one nephew into thinking it was chicken nugget and he ate them. He NEVER eats fish. The other side are fish slices stir fried with a variety of vegetables such as asparagus and peppers. I love these veggies, so that side suits me fine too. Overall, I like this dish.

Garoupa served two ways

I probably missed a whole lot of dishes in my photos, because I'm sure we ate more dishes than these. But really, those three were my favourites. The noodle actually wasn't amazing, but it was served so prettily that it warranted a photo. Bamboo pith noodle soup. The broth is sadly one dimensional, the noodles unimpressive, and shrimps soaked in soda to an artificial crunch. I hate 'fake' shrimps.

Bamboo pith noodle soup

The most amazing thing about Tunglok Signatures, is actually the birthday service. We brought our own cake. But the cake was displayed beautifully on this huuuge plate, with meaningful writings on it. And to amaze us further, a few of the waitresses actually came to our table, and read that entire writing out in celebration for the birthday girl. And the next amazing thing was served alongside our cake. Their longevity buns. Instead of the usual pink lotus paste buns served at the beginning of the meal, theirs were yellow buns served at the end. Which puzzled me. Until I bit into one. OMG!! IT WAS 流沙包 (salted egg yolk custard bun)!!!! AND ITS VERY VERY YUMMY!!! The older folks weren't keen on it, and the helpers were too full to eat it. I managed to conquer and wolfed down 4 all by myself. YUM YUM YUM!!

Cake presentation and longevity buns

I was duly impressed. Both by their food and their service. And I brought my hubby's family back to celebrate my FIL's birthday subsequently. Lynn brought her mum there for birthday celebration after my rave reviews too. And she, too, was very impressed. And now that I get the Amex card, Lynn and I can go and eat at 50% off. I think we'll be frequenting this place alot alot of times...


Tunglok Signatures
VivoCity #01-57
1 HarbourFront Walk
Singapore 098585
Tel : +65 6376 9555

The Wine Company (Sentosa Boardwalk)

I've spotted this joint a few times walking in and out of Sentosa from Vivocity. It faces the sea, and looked like a nice place to chill with the hubby during sunset. So one fine day, we decided we'll go 'pak tor' there. Unfortunately, we chose a slightly overcast day and the hubby decided that sitting outdoor was risky. Moreover it was one of those incredibly humid August evening and the indoor air-conditioning was welcomed.

First up, truffle fries. I like that theirs were slightly more thick cut than the usual shoe string fries. I like my fries thick and fluffy, which was how theirs was. However, theirs were a little oily, and there wasn't a lot of truffle flavor.

Truffle fries

Lynn told me their chicken liver pate was very good. I could find it nowhere in the menu, except as one of the options for the bruschetta. So we ordered the tomato and the mushroom for the hubby, while I get the chicken liver pate. Indeed, their pate was creamy, livery and yummy. I just wished that it was a dish by itself.

Bruschetta - roma tomatoes, mushroom and brie, chicken liver pate

Remembering the fabulous crab pasta from Riccioti, I ordered the crab spaghetti and was sorely disappointed. The pasta was too undercooked (mind you, I know al-dente. Theirs' was definitely undercooked) and the tomato sauce waaaaay too tangy. That said, they were very generous with the sweet crab meat. In the end I picked through to get all the crab, and gave up on the pasta and sauce.

Crab spaghetti

Hubby got the mushroom risotto. As he is usually not big on rich dishes, he enjoyed maybe the first three mouthfuls? Then he got sick and finished the rest without much comments. But risotto are always like that, very rich. So he typically never liked them.

Mushroom risotto

We didn't get any wine despite being in a Wine Company. Hubby wasn't in the mood for it. We also weren't impressed by the food. And being 1 of the only 2 tables in the restaurant was pretty awkward. I'm pretty sure we won't be back in the recent future. 

PS Cafe Petit (Tiong Bahru)

The plus point of working near Tiong Bahru is the access to all the little cafes that have sprung up in this recently hipster neighborhood. So for SH's farewell lunch, we thought we'll go to PS Cafe.

The Tiong Bahru branch of PS Cafe is the Petit version - meaning it only carries the takeaway menu. Nonetheless, we managed to secure ourselves a table. I've actually never tried any of the PS Cafe, but I've been told that their truffle fries are to-die-for. So, I ABSOLUTELY have to try the truffle fries! It was served in a nice little paper cone, and sprinkled generously with parmesan. The truffle flavor was strong without being overpowering (wait a minute, can truffle ever overpower? haaa). The fries were piping hot and crisp, the perfect vehicles for carrying the truffle goodness to my mouth.

Truffle fries

SH went for the All-day breakfast panini. Bacon, eggs and cheese sandwiched between beautifully toasted bread. Look at the cheeeese....

All-day breakfast panini

The beef bolognaise was quite normal. It was a good pasta, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't impressive. And somehow the takeaway format seems to take something away from it. But I've already known it's a takeaway menu so I can't complain.

Beef bolognaise

Given the small takeaway menu here, I don't think I'm in a position to judge the food. The fries were good, that's for sure. The other food were simple, mainly because they were meant to be eaten on the go. I think to be fair to PS Cafe, I need to go to a full-fledge restaurant before I can cast my judgement.

PS Cafe

No.41 Blk 78. Guan Chaun St, S 160078
Telephone / SMS: (+65) 9226 7088 for takeaway orders

The Provision Shop

LF suddenly asked me if I wanna join her and SH for lunch one day. Considering I finished my breakfast at about 11am, her lunch invitation at 11.30am was a little early. But I decided that sure, I can tag along and see what small meal I can get.

It was a good 10-15 minutes walk from our lab to the Provision Shop. The cafe is a very small place, with limited seating capacity. So in a way it was good we went early before it became crowded. The menu is pretty small, with a few sandwiches, a few brunch food, and a few pastas. Both of them opted for Eggs Benedict with salmon. The bread, though what I would call 'square bread', was thick and crusty and seemed homemade. The eggs were poached beautifully, and smothered in the hollandaise sauce. And they were really generous with their salmon. All for a pretty affordable price.

Eggs Benedict with salmon

Because of my late breakfast, I was too full for a full lunch. So I opted for a Perogie. With ham, onions and cheese, what's there to not love about it? But it was really quite small, so I think I was hungry in about 2 hours. But that's my own fault for having a late breakfast.

Perogie

I was so happy with the meal that I mentioned it to E when I returned. And another fine afternoon, when we happened to be free for a longer than usual lunch, a bunch of us trooped over for lunch. This time, many of us went for their pastas, which are homemade! I love homemade pastas!!!

The lagsane was a little sadly small. But since it was HY who ordered it, it's ok, since she's not a huge eater. And that mountain of greens piled on the lasagne suits healthy her fine. The carbonara looked a little pale, in my opinion, and a little too watery. AF didn't comment much on it, so I wasn't sure if he liked it or not. I vaguely remember him saying it wasn't filling enough....

Lasagne

Carbonara

I actually liked my beef ragu pasta very much. The ragu tasted fabulous, and I loved the texture of the homemade pasta. And I guess with the beef chunks inside, this plate was a lot more filling than the watered down carbonara and the small lasagne, so I must say I was pretty satisfied.

Beef ragu pasta

If I return, it's most probably for the pasta. I'm such a sucker for the homemade stuff. But then, I'm such a sucker for so many things. Haha!! But do take note of the small capacity, and the fact that you will leave smelling like the cafe due to not so impressive ventilation.


The Provision Shop
Blk 3 Everton Park #01-79
Singapore
Tel: 6225 9931

Riccioti (Star Vista)

So it was Commencement Day! And because I've been allocated to the evening session, we decided to go Star Vista for dinner before the ceremony. Because the hubby is vegetarian, I decided on Riccioti. There's always vegetarian options in Italian joints.

Lynn and XP met us at the restaurant, because XP was graduating too! Because of time constraints, we decided on our orders pretty fast. In fact, I went ahead and ordered for XP even though he hadn't arrive yet. We've eaten together often enough that I know what he likes.

For starters, we went for mushroom bruschetta. Nice change from the usual tomato, served on crusty bread with slices of parmesan. We found out these aren't easy to bite into two, so we just shoved the entire thing into our mouths.

Funghi bruschetta

Lynn and I decided to share a pasta and a main course. So for pasta we chose Linguine al granchio. I liked it, alot! It was a mixture of cream and tomato based sauce. Richness from the cream, tartness from the tomato to balance out the rich, and voila, you have a delicious winner that doesn't overwhelm you with too much richness. And the shreds of crab meat inside the sauce was a winner too! I really liked this dish, as it appealed to my cream+pasta+crab craving all at one shot.

Linguine al granchio

For XP I ordered him a salmon pasta. Because he like fish in general. It was served in the same tomato+cream sauce, making it an equal winner. With flakes of salmon, he enjoyed it very much as well.

Tagliette salmone

The hubby got Spaghetti Pomodoro. Spaghetti in tomato based pasta sauce. No frills. It was in reality the best way to taste the original flavors of the sauces, although I tend to be swayed by frillier alternatives. He liked it fine, so I guess Riccioti's tomato sauce agrees with him.

Spaghetti Pomodoro

The main course that Lynn and I shared was the boneless grilled half chicken. I was amazed. It was really boneless except for the wings. The meat was tender, juicy and well seasoned. The lack of bones made for an exceptionally easy to eat meal, with little need to dissect anything. The dissection part is what turns me away from most roast or grilled chicken so Riccioti scored with their boneless verison. The mash potatoes, however, were a little on the dry side.

Boneless grilled half chicken

For a place I randomly picked off the mall directory, I was actually very pleased with the food. I really liked their pasta and their chicken, and I believe I will be back to try their pizza. They have another branch nearer to my workplace. I may very well end up there soon enough.

Riccioti

1, Vista Exchange Green,
#01-33 # 01-K2,
The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Tel:(65) 6694 4101

Fax:(65) 6694 4102

Sumiya

Lynn and I had to go to Orchard Central to collect our race pack for the Garfield Run. So after collection, we browsed through the mall directory to find a dinner place and decided to give Sumiya a shot.

Located on the top storey (or was it second top?), Sumiya is a Japanese restaurant serving mainly sumiyakis, ie Japanese BBQ skewers. It wasn't incredibly crowded and we got a table immediately. Their menu are presented as a rolled up newspaper, pretty cute. They have a very cute system for edamame. You pay a fixed amount of money for (drum roll.....) as much edamame you can grab with a single hand as you can. We didn't try that as we felt both of us didn't have very large hands. I'm not kidding with the drum roll, they really have someone beating the drums as you grab the edamame. We heard the commotion several times during our meal. As we browsed the menu, we were attracted to way too many items at one go. After a lot of contemplation, we settled for these:

Raw cabbage served with spicy miso paste. This is something I've had at Kazu, and liked. So we both thought it would be nice, and it was! Fresh cabbage, dipped in that lightly spicy miso, slightly juicy, slightly salty, totally yummy.

Cabbage with spicy miso

For sashimi, we discovered that their uni is going for only $15. Quite an affordable price for uni, so we ordered it, alongside salmon sashimi. The salmon was normal. The uni was creamy and fragrant. The seaweed served alongside the uni was a very nice complement. The portion wasn't huge, but with uni, too much is actually not a good thing as you will get sick of it. So I felt that the portion was just nice. Would have liked more seaweed though.

Uni (bottom) and salmon (middle) sashimi with nori

Then we had a snow crab tempura, which sounded very unique. Turned out it was actually quite normal. The crab legs weren't super sweet or anything, so we decided it was a can-be-passed dish, and that we won't order it again.

Snow crab tempura - spot the crab

Then we move on to the main dishes - sumiyakis. First off, wagyu beef and beef-wrapped foie gras. These were blissful. The wagyu beef skewer was tender and fragrant. The foie gras was oh-so-melt-in-the-mouth, and the buttery livery goodness was soooo blissful. It was leaving its fats everywhere we placed it, and we were happily trying to absorb it up with whatever we could.

Wagyu beef (left) and beef-wrapped foie gras (right)

The 6 piece omasake had chicken, pork, beef, prawn, sweet potato and mushroom. All three meats were tender, juicy and nice. The sweet potato was a little on the dry side but we were using it to absorb foie gras fats so that was ok. The mushroom was pretty normal, but grilled mushrooms are always nice anyway. The prawn. Oooooohhhhh. It was soooo nicely grilled, with just the perfect touch of char, then the flesh itself was juicy and sweet. We ordered a second set just for the prawn, because unfortunately, they don't have just prawns on the menu.

6 piece omasake

The garlic fried rice, we didn't care for. It tasted like what we call 'rice cooker fried rice'. As in, it felt like it was fried up as one huge batch, then kept in the rice cooker and scooped when someone order. Very similar to those birthday buffets fried rice. Very insincere, lukewarm fried rice. The taste was't very garlicky, the rice wasn't very sticky like the usual Japanese rice. It was just overall not impressive.

Garlic fried rice

The whole meal speaking, we liked it. It was pricey, for sure. But the skewers quality were impressive, and we were quite blown away. I will definitely return when I have a sumiyaki craving.

Sumiya
ORCHARD CENTRAL
#12-02, 181 Orchard Road,
Singapore 238896
(formerly known as Kuriya Penthouse)

Tel: +65 6509-9618
Fax: +65 6509-3886