Gusttimo di Roma, ION Orchard
A part alfresco dining cafe, part air-conditioned gelateria, Gusttimo di Roma is situated in the heart of the city at the the newest shopping megamall of Singapore, ION Orchard.
My first impression was – wow, there are SO many flavours to choose from!
Strawberry, Mint and Dark Chocolate
So the first time I went there, I had Strawberry (Fragola), Mint (Menta), and Dark Chocolate (Cioccolato). It was so hard to choose; there were TONS of flavours, ranging from the wacky ones (Black Rice?!) to the classic (Plain Yoghurt). Having been to Italy and possibly eaten my weight’s worth in gelato over the 5 days I was there (okay fine, I probably exaggerate, but it was at least like 4 scoops a day or something), I wasn’t really expecting a fantastic experience. Because hey, what can beat gelato in Italy, right?
And drumroll…… yeah, it couldn’t beat Italy’s fresh, creamy, tongue-orgasm gelatos. But, I do think that it is pretty good for Singapore standards (compared to all the other gelatos here), and that I would definitely go back there for more. And at S$5.90 for 3 pretty generous scoops of gelato, I think that’s quite reasonable. Though if you’re a small eater, that might be a problem because that’s the smallest size available.
But anyway, I’ve digressed enough, and on to the taste.
White Wine, Tiramisu and Mango
The gelato was rich and flavourful – the Mango especially, was delicious – it had the taste of fresh mangoes and was not too sweet or powdery, the way synthetic mango syrups tend to be. The White Wine and Tiramisu were absolutely satisfying as well, creamy and true to its flavour, which made me savour these tastes in my mouth. It was like an explosion of icy cold heaven. But anyway, for the Strawberry, Mint and Dark Chocolate, the latter 2 were yummy but very normal, and the strawberry was… kind of strange.
The nice counter staff also let me taste a whole range of flavours and was really helpful, as I couldn’t decide which flavour to choose. I must say, Black Rice actually tastes much better than it sounds, and on the opposite end, Pecans+Brownie doesn’t taste as good as it sounds.
But anyway, it’s worth a try. And the outdoor atmosphere is pretty nice too – good for a chill, relaxing session with friends, over some gelato, or coffee!
I’ll probably go back sometime for more gelato, or perhaps, try the food.
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Gusttimmo di Roma
2 Orchard Road
#1-15 ION Orchard
Tel: +65 6509 9380
Website: http://www.gusttimo.com.sg/
Mobile uploads
Shucks. Getting a proper office job is seriously impeding my online life quite a bit – I now hardly have time to blog or post things on Facebook. But anyway – here are some (rather grainy, I apologize) pictures+quick reviews from some nice meals with friends. Really should start bringing a small point-and-shoot around…!
First up is – Food for Thought (http://www.foodforthought.com.sg).
Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwich
Honey Mustard Smoked Duck Salad
The contenders are – the Slow-Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwich, the Honey Mustard Smoked Duck Salad, and the Watermelon Mint and Lychee Sage Freezes. I must say the smoked duck salad was probably the winner for me. Having heard great things about the pulled pork, it somehow didn’t really do it for me. Not enough oomph? I guess I like pork to have more sauce/juice. But then, it was good in the sense that it was light and not over sauced or overbearing, and the pumpkins in it helped to add to that as well.
The smoked duck tasted strangely like ham, but was nice and tasty and went really well with the honey mustard and I love that they put capsicum and fresh orange pieces in the salad. And the watermelon mint freeze was just delightful! Refreshing and minty, mmm. Can’t say the same for the lychee sage though – the sweet canned lychee flavour was too strong in this one, and couldn’t really taste the sage.
One thing I must commend them for though, is the great service and the cosy atmosphere. We sat at the counter, so we were right in front of the kitchen. The chef came up to us to ask us how the food was, took our feedback with a smile (even though I was telling them the lychee freeze was too sweet), and was just really nice and polite and friendly.
To me, that is really what differentiates normal restaurants – if the food is pretty good all round, I’ll pick the one with better service because at least I’ll leave happy! Not that atas restaurants with fantastic food ought to give bad service, even though people will probably still go if the food is great, anyway. But I digress.
And I love that Food for Thought is somewhat of a small, indie eatery which aims to be a social enterprise of sorts. Just check out the website (address above), and you’ll know what I mean!
Approximately $15/person.
Next – Men-Tei Ramen, 61 Robinson Road
Tonkotsu Ramen
Actually there isn’t much to say on this – it’s just pretty good/decent ramen and the only pretty good/decent one in Shenton Way, so we went there to eat. The soup base for this one boils for approximately 9 hours with pork bones and spices before serving, so supposed to be like really awesome, lol. But ok, must admit it was quite nice – light but tasty, and not too heavy.
Approximately $14-$16 nett a bowl.
Finally, P.S. Cafe, Palais Renaissance (this is shaping up to be a rather long post haha)
Pan Seared Hokkaido Scallops with Leeks
Caesar Salad with Grilled King Prawns
Simply put, everything was Yummy with a capital Y, but gosh is that place pricey :/ the scallops, an appetizer, was $22, and the salad, $28. So good though – the scallops were plump and juicy, on a bed of leeks and green jelly-like Japanese seaweed and covered with some sort of fish floss of sorts. With some sort of tasty Japanese sauce too. So good.
The caesar salad had a gorgeous poached egg in it, and I liked that the croutons were really big and crunchy, and that they used proper shavings of parmesan cheese (not processed ones which come in tiny rectangle pieces). The prawn juice kind of added to the tastiness of the salad too. My friend’s Japanese-type tuna salad with tofu and some other stuff looked really delicious too – had a bite of the semi-raw tuna and it was heaven.
But yes, only on days when you feel in the red.
Man is this a long post. But need to give my food blog some love! 
Caesar Salad with Grilled King Prawns
Cedele, Wheelock Place
I’d like to say that this Cedele is one of my favourite places to eat in Singapore, and that I go there often. However, in actual fact I’ve only been there about 4-5 times, and usually only eat one type of food. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoy the semi-healthy, feel good food they serve there, and would like to keep re-visiting it.
Don’t have many pictures of the food, as I neglected to bring my camera there the last few times.
Grilled chicken salad with lemongrass sambal
This above is the Chicken Masak Merah Salad.
Cedele has a variety of grilled salad meals where meat/seafood/vegetables are grilled and then paired with a generous helping of mixed salad leaves and sunflower/pumpkin seeds, and herb/vinaigrette type dressings. If you are the type who likes the fruity or summery variety then I guess this is not really very suitable.
But I like all types, and so far they have not disappointed. Prawn + avocado + citrus vinaigrette + mesclun = absolutely delicious!
And the lemongrass sambal they use in the masak merah items in the menu is really tasty as well – the lemongrass taste isn’t that strong, and the sambal not too spicy; it gives just the right kick of spice and concentrates more on the savoury.
Mmmm...
The blueberry pancakes a friend had there were pretty yummy too!
I guess places like these with a large variety of ‘wholesome’ type foods just make me happy. Brunch/lunch there on a Sunday/public holiday afternoon and then coffee afterwards at a cafe is so relaxing and chill… wish I could do this more often!
Bistro Petit Salut, Chip Bee Gardens
Bistro Petit Salut, c’est superb!
Cosy restaurant
To celebrate my bf’s birthday, I decided to take him to Bistro Petit Salut, a cosy little French restaurant at the Chip Bee stretch behind Holland Village. The sister (or poorer cousin?) of the classier (and more expensive) Au Petit Salut, it was surprisingly good, with prompt, polite and friendly service, and delicious, reasonably-priced food.
The lobster starter mmm
The consomme
The starters were a lobster and beetroot salad thing (Citibank set meal promo), and a lobster consomme (normal set meal). Found the lobster to be fairly fresh and tasty – not powdery – and while I don’t really eat beetroot, I decided that the taste went well with the lobster. The consomme was normal, but good at that point because I was feeling a bit queasy. It came with a cute little ravioli thing which I think was filled with lobster and tomato – savoury and tasty.
Mussels! 
The Citibank set came with 2 entrées, the second being mussels cooked in white wine and Provençal herbs. At first the sauce tasted kinda funny, but as we ate, it kinda grew on us. Ended up scooping the sauce to drink after the mussels were long gone, lol. Reminds me of France, seriously.
Angus steak
My yummy sirloin steak
Being the carnivores we were, both of us had steak. Had a bite of the bf’s angus steak – thought it was alright, not too bad, but I’m really not a fan of medium done steaks, so. He thought it was a bit salty. On the other hand, I was completely in love with my steak! Lovely, red, juicy steak with caramelized onions and bearnaise sauce; it was so tender and flavourful such that I savoured every bite. MMM!
Dessert
Profiteroles
His chocolate mousse (I think) cake with berries and lemon sorbet was rather nice – the sorbet lent a refreshing taste to the moist and slightly bittersweet chocolate. My choux buns with vanilla ice cream, warm chocolate sauce and sliced almonds were splendid – a sweet, cold and crunchy end to the meal. So totally wonderful.
T’was a great experience and I would definitely go back! At $48++ and $38++ for the Citibank and normal sets respectively, it’s really quite reasonable and value for money. Must also once again commend them for the good service – it’s getting kind of rare in Singapore these days.
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Bistro Petit Salut (Chip Bee Gardens)
#01-54, 44 Jalan Merah Saga
Singapore 278116
Tel: 6474 9788
Website: http://www.aupetitsalut.com/bps/aboutus.html
Zhen Zhen Porridge, Maxwell Market
Just a quick post on the porridge at Zhen Zhen in Maxwell Market – having seen endless queues there for a number of days, I finally decided to try it. I am totally amazed at the amount of ingredients they put in it – it was chock full of fish, ginger slices and century egg, and REALLY generous portions of fried shallots, chai poh, and chopped spring onions. Plus it was rather tasty; I think it was the sesame oil and what not. But at $3, it was really value(and taste)-for-money!
I really should eat at hawker centres more often. Lol.
Chinese Box, Cluny Road
Chinese Box is a quaint, cosy Chinese restaurant nestled inside the old SMU campus at Bukit Timah. It’s motto is to serve the ‘best of Chinese cuisine’ – which I think it comes pretty close to doing.
At the restaurant entrance
I was fortunate enough to have the privilege of attending their food tasting event as a guest. With a 10 course tasting menu, with generous ingredients and delicious dishes, I was a happy, happy girl after that.
And without further delay, I shall elaborate on the tasting menu:
Vietnamese Mango and Duck Roll & Soft Shell Crab Handroll
Dish 1: Pretty good – the mango, cucumber and duck went well together with the nice soft skin. Slight problem though – I couldn’t quite tell the difference between the duck and the soft shell crab roll :/
Poet Drunken Chicken and Taro Strings
Dish 2: Loved this dish. Usually don’t like drunken chicken that much because I don’t like the taste of alcohol but this tasted a bit more herbal, and the taro strings had a really nice spicy bite to it.
Signature Beijing Duck Roll
Dish 3: Oh amazing. Crispy skin with juicy duck meat… the only complaint was that one of the rolls had a bit too much fat – but I guess that’s somewhat unavoidable with certain meats! The skin, sauce and other fillings (cucumber, leek) complemented it pretty well, and were not soggy or hard – just nice.
Teochew Taipan Superior Shark's Fin Soup
Dish 4: Don’t flame me for eating shark’s fin please – this one was so… wonderful looking I couldn’t resist :/ The whole fin was still… in one piece! Astounded. Lovely taste; warm, smooth and gelatinous.
Pan Fried Cod Fish Fillet in Superior Soy Sauce
Dish 5: Crisp and savoury on the outside, super soft and tender without being flaky or dry on the inside… this was my favourite dish of the day. Mmmm.
Signature Golden Roast Duck and Teochew Five Spices Meat Roll
Dish 6: The duck was similar to the one in the roll – super yummy crispy skin and juicy meat. However, the five spices roll was just, so-so.
Signature Golden Tofu Bar with Assorted Mushrooms
Dish 7: Silky tofu and tasty mushrooms, what’s not to like! But then I’m a lover of tofu and broccoli, so I might be a tad biased.
Stir-fried Taiwan Pea-shoots
Dish 8: Apparently these pea-shoots were imported from Taiwan, where they were grown. Lol. Nice, but they’re just plain vegetables. Well-fried though!
Garlic Steamed Fresh Scallop with Tofu
Dish 9: I liked the texture of the scallop – firm and moist. The texture of the tofu was really good as well, smooth and soft, with even smoother and silkier steamed egg below it, which was awesome. Only minus was that the garlic taste was slightly overpowering. The little shallot bits were tasty, though.
Taro Paste "Orni" with Pumpkin and Ginko Nuts
Dish 10: The final dish was a tradtional Chinese (to be more specific, Teochew, I think) dessert – “orni”. My Teochew grandparents love having this at big family dinners. Not so much a fan of orni myself, I almost didn’t want to eat this, but I thought hey, why not just give it a try. And I did – surprisingly enough, I liked it! The taro taste wasn’t too strong, and the sweetness of the pumpkin helped to flavour the paste. Pretty good, and healthier than the coconut milk version, too!
I don’t usually go to Chinese restaurants for meals with friends, but I’m definitely going to bring my family here. Quality food, at reasonable prices.
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Chinese Box
Blk 1D Cluny Road, Inside NUS Bukit Timah Campus,
Singapore 259600
Tel: 6219 7877
Website: http://www.chinesebox.com.sg/
Spruce, Phoenix Park
The restaurant
Today’s post is about Spruce, a quaint little establishment on a hill, a little off Tanglin Road. Heard nice things about it, so decided to go and try it out. Only realised later that it had gotten rather negative reviews online, but still glad I went there.
My conclusion is that – it is another restaurant with great ambience but just moderately decent food. The stairs up to the restaurant feels a little like a pathway to a castle. Up there, there is a light breeze, and ceiling fans in the outdoor patio so it’s not too hot, and in the air floats the smell of mosquito coils; which I kind of like actually – makes it smell smoky in a herbal way.
Winter salad with tomatoes and mozzarella
To start, we had the winter salad with tomatoes and mozzarella. Quite delightful, the slightly bitter rocket blended well with the sweet juicy tomato and soft and creamy mozzarella. The vinegar/vinegrette/balsamic added a savoury bite to it. Combined with the crisp buttered and toasted bread, delicious. A little pricey though, at $16. (You can get the famous Spruce burger for a dollar more!)
Seared tuna with steamed bok choy, carrot and ginger broth
My companion had the seared tuna – sadly to say, it was kind of disappointing – the tuna was, as he said, ‘insipid’. While I didn’t think it was that terrible, I had to agree that the tuna tasted kind of bland, and didn’t have the light sweetness with a slightly cooked, browned taste which most seared tuna have. The bok choy and the cute chinese plate were a nice touch, and the carrot and giner broth was quite tasty, but otherwise, this dish really isn’t too great. And at $22 for a few slices of tuna, it is also not quite worth the price.
Whole roasted snapper with herb salad and lemon jam
I had the whole roasted snapper – it was actually pretty good, lightly crusted with salt (I think) and roasted til the skin is nice and crispy, and the meat soft and warm inside. Nothing fancy really, just a fresh fish tossed on a grill and dressed with some herbs. Simple but enjoyable. The dish name was a bit deceptive though – there was no lemon jam, just a roasted lemon, and the herbs were more like vegetables and garnishes than herbs! I quite liked it though; if you’re a fan of whole fish, you might like it too. $23.
Spruce
Well, I wouldn’t say it’s anything to shout about, but I do think it’s worth another try – I would go again to try the other dishes. Prices for the appetizers, are a tad on the high side, but if you’re comfortable with that, do give it a try. The charm of the place is quite something else. Tends to get busy though I think, so do consider making a reservation if you plan to go on a weekend night.
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Spruce
320 Tanglin Road, Phoenix Park 247980
Tel: 6836 5528 Fax: 6836 5527
Website: http://www.spruce.com.sg
Klee, Portsdown Road
The ol' building-on-a-hill concept
This is totally my favouritest bar in Singapore, EVER.
With a superbly chill-out ambience in an old house on a secluded little hill in Portsdown, this bar does not have a paper menu. Instead, it has well-spoken bartenders asking you what kind of tastes you like, and then mixing up a fresh fruit cocktail based on your preferences. A cosy, intimate type of setting – you sit at the bar and chat with the bartender, who mixes your drink right in front of you, then serves it straight to you.
Oh and how I LOVE the way the fresh fruits mingle with the alcohol and coaxes it to be less overbearing – this bar uses ONLY fresh fruits as mixers.
Passionfruit mojito
So friend had the passionfruit mojito (which was more photogenic) and I had a strawberry amaretto sour. I’m not sure how to even describe the flavours, but they went really well together! There were chunks of fresh strawberries in my drink, flavoured by the almond-y taste of the amaretto. Totally yummy. And it’s hard to impress me with cocktails because I don’t really like the taste of bad alcohol and cheap cocktails with fake sweetener and syrup – just makes it taste even worse.
Wow.
And the bar was soomeething else. It had a super wide variety of alcohols and was so colourful bright and pretty. The place even has a grand piano, though I don’t really know if anyone plays it hmm; perhaps on the weekends.
The piano
Went back a second time – and this time, we had, from left to right:
Fresh kiwi and calamansi with gin (I think? forgot :/) , fresh pear and lemon with rose flavoured gin, and fresh mango margarita. I loved my pear and lemon rose flavoured drink – it was light and with a hint of sweet and sour, and the chunks of fresh pear were definitely a plus.
Almost a traffic light
Drinks are on average $18-$22. Do also note that drinks are not served outdoors in order to not compromise on quality. Seating at the bar is limited so reservations are encouraged! Also, do try to drive, otherwise… the trek in/out is NOT fun.
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Klee
5B Portsdown Road
#01-04 Wessex Estate
Tel: 6479 6911
Chihuly Lounge, The Ritz Singapore
Food counter by day, bar by night
First off, I must apologize for my long absence from posting on this blog. I have been rather busy, and – I have just graduated from university! Yay/oh no! Yes anyway it has been quite a busy last few months.
Okay anyway enough about me and on to the food.
The tea setting
So one fine Saturday about 2 months ago, a friend and I visited the Ritz Carlton for high tea as mum had some vouchers (yay, otherwise a poor student like me will find it hard to afford this).
The nice teapots
I found that the food wasn’t extremely fantastic, but it was so nice to have a warm pot of tea over little tea candles and heart-shaped sugar cubes, lemon wedges and a little Hediard honey pot.
Yummy!
Ok clockwise from the bottom left corner (forgive me, I don’t think I remember the exact names):
Unagi Soba With Roe – Quite delicious and savoury, but nothing very special.
Portobello Mushroom and Feta Cheese Mini Burger – Portabello mushroom is always good, and it tasted quite nice with the cheese. A bit dry though.
Unagi and Quail Egg topped with Caviar – This was good! Nice combination of flavours.
Salmon Quiche - I kind of forgot what was in this, but it was kinda blah anyway.
Crabmeat Tart with Sundried Tomato – Ooh this was quite yummy; the crabmeat was creamy and had proper chunks of crabmeat in it, and the sundried tomato lent a little tart sweetness to it.
And more food
Again, clockwise from bottom left:
Fried Cheese Puff - Very nice! But then again, it’s fried cheese… a bit hard to go wrong!
Duck, Witlof and Cranberry Mini Burger – I didn’t really like this, the cranberry didn’t really go with the duck.
Potsticker – Kind of dry, think they kept it there a little too long?
Scallop and Leek Puff – Quite nice! The leek complemented the faint taste of scallop in the creamy filling and flaky but buttery smooth outer layer.
Can’t say they didn’t have variety! There were a few more things but didn’t take pictures of them because they were quite normal (chicken wings, fish fillet – kids’ food).
Omg so pretty!
And on to desserts! Their desserts were SO super gorgeous! Unfortunately, they weren’t as nice as they looked – the cherry macaron was really sweet, the double layered thing was so-so, and the berry thing was too sour.
More pretty desserts
The berry cheesecake on the left was rather nice, the sour berries complementing the smooth cheesy cake. Behind it is a strawberry crumble of sorts…. pretty good! Crumbles and fruits with cream… generally are, mmm. The pistachio financier next to it was…. ho-hum, and the lychee cupcake was WAYYY too sweet!
Blueberry chantilly tart
This was probably the best out of all the little plates of dessert – light chantilly cream with blueberry paste in a crumbly graham biscuit-like tart.
The AWESOME waffle
Thankfully, to save the mediocre pre-prepared desserts, they had this SUPERBLY delicious strawberry flavoured waffle made fresh at a waffle counter, with your choice of premium ice cream and garnished with fresh fruit. Best waffle I ever had I think. I’m not usually a huge fan of waffles and ice cream because sometimes the waffle just tastes so soggy and doughy that I feel bleh about it, but this one… had a unique slight strawberry taste, was of the right springy texture with crisp corners, and with the premium ice cream and fresh fruits, was just perfect, to me.
So all in all, even though there were quite a number of misses/not-so-spectacular showings, I had a good time in sampling the little platters of food and sipping tea on a nice comfy couch in a relaxed setting, with live music and warm but not too bright sunlight seeping into the room.
Can’t compare it to the other hotel ones because haven’t been to any others recently, but I’d say this wasn’t too bad at all. Worth spending a lazy weekend afternoon at. Will set one back about $45 per pax though, I think, so go only if you have a little extra cash to spare!
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Chihuly Lounge, The Ritz Carlton, Singapore
7 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039799
Tel: (65) 6337 8888
Website: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Singapore/Dining/ChihulyLounge/Default.htm
Durian, mmm…
It’s durian season once again and I’ve recently tried 2 yummy variants of desserts/snacks using this fruit we love-to-hate and hate-to-love.
One of which is the legendary Goodwood Park Hotel Durian Mousse Cake, and mmmm, it is YUMMMMY!
Durian Mousse Cake
I tried it two ways – slightly frozen and completely defrosted (it came frozen and you have to freeze it in order to keep it fresh for 3 days). Strangely enough, I actually like it when it’s slightly frozen still – the durian is icy cold and slightly chewy, and the flavour is nice and tangy. When it’s thawed, it’s smooth and soft, with melt-in-your-mouth durian mousse – the way it’s meant to be eaten.
Either way, YUMMY. For durian fans, it’s like preaching to the converted.
At almost $8 a slice and almost $50 a cake, it is a little on the pricey side, but it’s definitely worth a try.
And another fine specimen of a durian snack I had the other day was the Durian Fritters from, strangely enough, Xin Fu Yum Cha, a dim sum restaurant. It’s situated in International Building, next to Lido. It’s a bit like goreng pisang, the durian version. Except that these fritters come with durian paste that is soft and savoury, wrapped in an extremely crisp outer shell which complements the paste, which together, assault the tongue with a medley of sensations and texture.
Total delicious-ness.
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Goodwood Park Hotel
The Deli 9am-9pm
Tel: 6730 1786
Promotion for Citibank and DBS Cardmembers: http://www.goodwoodparkhotel.com/promotion-dining.htm
Xin Fu Yum Cha
360 Orchard Road
#02-01 International Building
Tel: 6262 1717
