Dining Out - Sumiya Charcoal Grill Izakaya

HC got free tickets to the movie, Good Kill, and she invited me (her backup friend) after her cousin refused to accompany her.

After the show, we went for a late dinner at Sumiya, located at the highest floor of Orchard Central.

Sashimi Platter

We had ordered the 3 Kinds of Sashimi Platter, but what was served to us was 2 pieces each of 6 different kinds. Apparently the restaurant always serves 6 types of sashimi to give customers a pleasant surprise. Though a touch gimmicky, I must admit we were excited when the platter was first brought to us. The fresh sashimi was artfully arranged on a bed of ice and served with freshly grated wasabi.

Foil-grilled Sweet Potato with Butter

HC picked out this dish from the menu and it was also her favourite out of everything we ordered. Japanese purple sweet potato are cut into inch-long pieces, seasoned with butter, wrapped in aluminium foil and grilled. The mildly salted butter brought out the natural sweetness of the satsuma-imo.

Grilled Yellowtail Collar

I thought this was meh. The crispy grilled skin was not too bad, but the flesh itself was a tad dry.

Can Can Mushi (10 Prawns)

This was my favourite! 10 fresh prawns are steamed in a delightful Japanese sake and dashi broth. HC was kind enough to split the good stuff 60-40, which meant I got to eat more of what I love.

Grilled Butter Mochi

We ended the meal with Grilled Butter Mochi as dessert and this was also yummy. It was served to us fresh off the grill, all warm and chewy. I could have easily ate a few more of these.

I would love to return again to try out more items on the extensive menu. The prices on the dinner menu are slightly steep, but I was told that the place does amazing lunch sets at affordable prices.

Sumiya Charcoal Grill Izakaya

Address: #12-02 Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Road Singapore 238896

Phone: 6509 9618

Cafe Hopping - 23 Jumpin

Picked the kids from school and drove to 23 Jumpin, a cafe in the Tai Seng area.

To share, we ordered Honey Paprika Wings, Mushroom Pizza Waffle and Bacon & Honey Baked Ham Pasta in Neapolitan Sauce. I also got a Thai Iced Milk Tea to sip on.

Thai Iced Milk Tea

The milk tea was fragrant and reminded me of those I had in good Thai establishments. I enjoyed it even more after the ice melted slightly to dilute the sweetness of the drink.

Honey Paprika Wings

This was a great appetizer. Mid-wings are halved and coated in a crispy batter, which increases the batter to meat ratio. Honey and paprika powder are drizzled atop the wings for flavour and this dish was very moreish.

Mushroom Pizza Waffle

This is a signature dish of the cafe, since they pioneered the Pizza Waffle. The elder monster loved it since it combined 2 of her favourite types of food - pizza and waffle. The waffle was light and fluffy and was thus a good base for the melted cheese and mushroom topping.

Bacon & Honey Baked Ham in Neapolitan Sauce

The spaghetti was tossed in a tomato based sauce with chopped onions, ham and bacon, and topped with fresh cherry tomatoes and grated Parmesan cheese. This was not bad, but I would preferred if the pasta was cooked more al dente. But the younger imp enjoyed this, which I suppose was because the softer texture of the pasta meant it had a home-cooked feel to it.

To end the meal, we got the Volcano Waffle and our usual cappuccinos.

Cappuccino

Another day at a cafe, another beautifully-pulled coffee.

Volcano Waffle

The Volcano Waffle had a chocolate molten lava cake atop the black charcoal waffle, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce and garnished with toasted marshmallows and chocolate wafer rolls. The kids attacked the waffle with gusto once I took the photo above. This is a very rich and chocolatey dish. I do think it tasted better because we shared it among the 4 of us. I would have enjoyed it more if the waffle was more crispy, but still it was a good end to our meal.

23 Jumpin

Address: #01-25, The Commerze, 1 Irving Place, Singapore 369546

Phone: 9137 5697

Cafe Hopping - Paddy Hills

After seeing rave reviews of Paddy Hills on my social media feed, the Mum, the Younger Sister and I made the drive west to try out the place.

Even from afar, the shophouse housing the cafe exuded a hipster vibe, with kitschy colourful murals painted on the side wall.

Kitschy Murals

At the entrance to the cafe is a neon pink message, 'Rise and Grind', which I interpreted to mean that a cup of good coffee would help one get through the daily grind of life. But it is likely that I am reading too much into the message and these are just words thrown together at random, presented in a social-media friendly form.

Neon Greeting

The menu offered a myriad of interesting options and after perusing it for a while, I decided on The Maze, Mum got the Potato & Fish and the Sister got the Quesadillas. I also a cold pressed juice called Taste Like Purple.

Taste Like Purple

Taste Like Purple is made using cold pressed grapes, sweet basil and garnished with a dehydrated lemon slice and fresh blueberries. This was sweet, which I presume was due to the inherent sweetness of the dark grapes used. It tasted better once some of the ice melted and diluted the sweetness.

Quesadillas

Quesadillas featured pulled pork and homemade BBQ sauce between pressed tortillas. It came with a side of charred corn, roasted peppers, pickled shallot and cherries. I tried some and thought it tasted pretty decent.

The Maze

The Maze had lamb meatballs, cauliflower fritters, polenta chips, crumbled manchego and a sous vide egg laid atop a generous portion of creamy mash. This was a rich and hearty dish and I was stuffed by the time I was halfway through with it. This dish is more suitable for a strapping man with a hearty appetite than for a petite Asian lady like myself (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA).

Potato & Fish

Potato & Fish featured seared sea bass, fried egg, sauteed mushrooms and deconstructed bagna cauda atop pan-fried potato rosti in white cream sauce. Mum gave me a portion to try and I thought it was not too bad. The blurry photo of the dish is a result of Mum's superb photography skills.

To end the meal, we got a dessert called Lollies! to share and a cappuccino each.

Cappuccino

The cappuccinos were made from fresh-ground coffee and tasted great. 

Lollies!

Lollies! had a yuzu jello ice lolly and an earl grey lolly laid atop vanilla foam and drizzled with raspberry dust, crushed pistachios, sea salt caramel marcona almonds, fresh raspberries and edible yellow flower petals. The dish was visually stunning, but tasted so-so. The yuzu jello lolly had powdery sediments at the tip which I presume settled there during the freezing process and diluted icy crystals at the base. 

I would give an 'A' for the visual presentation of all the dishes and also for the warm and friendly service given. But taste-wise, nothing particularly wow-ed me even though the detailed descriptions on the menu promised much. If the owners/chefs worked on improving the taste of the dishes, this place can become a true gem in the local cafe scene.

Paddy Hills

Address: 38 South Buona Vista Road Singapore 118164
Phone: 6479 0800

Sweet Endings - Mad About Sucre

After dinner at Lollapalooza, we used the 8 Days App to search for a nearby place for dessert and decided on Mad About Sucre.

Mad About Sucre

The place is decorated like a charming French tea parlour and the pretty desserts on display looked appetizing. Most of the cakes were sold out and there were only 4 options left to choose from. We wanted to get a cake shaped like a chocolate sphere in the display case, but we were told that those few had been reserved.

In the end, we got the Coco Citron and Luna de Miel (Moon of the Honey) to share. The friendly and enthusiastic owners are passionate about their products and shared in detail on the premium ingredients used to craft each cake. They also suggested tea pairings that they have curated themselves that go well with each of the cake.

Luna de Miel (Moon of the Honey)

The Luna de Miel featured French Spring Blossom Honey, Blood Orange, Savore Sponge and Short Pastry. The different textures and flavours worked well together, with the citrus flavour making this a refreshing dessert option. This was quickly polished off and we found ourselves impatient for the next cake.

Coco Citron

The Coco Citron featured Coconut Mousse, Lemon Curd, Sable Tart and Sugar Crystal Pieces. This was also delicious. Since HC does not really care for coconut-flavoured items, XT and I polished this off between the both of us with glee.

The artisanal desserts here have been carefully crafted and are a delight to consume. I am already looking forward to my next visit here and hopefully I would be able to try the intriguing chocolate cake I saw.

Mad About Sucre

Address: 27 Teo Hong Road Singapore 088334

Phone: 6221 3969

Dining Out - Lollapalooza

To celebrate HC's birthday, XT & I made a reservation at Lollapalooza, the new sister restaurant to Lolla.

Lollapalooza

The restaurant was buzzing when we arrived and the open kitchen concept meant that diners had a good view of the chefs creating the meals.

Lollapalooza's Open Kitchen

There were many interesting options on the day's menu, but we came to a consensus on what to order. Apart from ordering a bottle of sweet dessert wine, we ordered these items to share:

• Black Figs Stuffed with Murguez and Wrapped in Bacon
• Roasted Australian Wild-Caught Scampi (Langoustine) with Seaweed Butter
• Hand-Torn Pasta with Tomato Concasse and Hand-Picked Sri Lankan Crab
• Roasted Quail Stuffed with Duck Foie Gras and Raisins
• Chargrilled Dingley Dell Pork Chop

Roasted Australian Wild-Caught Scampi (Langoustine) with Seaweed Butter

This dish was absolutely yummy. A fresh juicy scampi is delicately roasted, preserving its freshness and the seaweed butter added subtle flavour. I wished we had ordered one each, but the $18 price tag for each scampi held us back.

Hand-Torn Pasta with Tomato Concasse and Hand-Picked Sri Lankan Crab

The hand-torn pasta tasted like an Italian version of Mee Hoon Kuay. This dish shone because of the shreds of fresh crab meat used abundantly in the sauce. I am always a sucker for any dish that features fresh seafood, so it's no surprise I enjoyed this one. 

Black Figs Stuffed with Murguez and Wrapped in Bacon

This was another interesting pairing. The salty-spicy chopped murguez stuffing combined well with the sweet fresh figs. The roasted bacon-wrapped figs were presented atop tomato concasse and all the flavours worked well together, though I found it a touch too salty which I suppose was due to the use of bacon and murguez.

Roasted Quail Stuffed with Duck Foie Gras and Raisins

Out of the 5 dishes we ordered, we liked this the least.  The use of foie gras meant that the dish tasted rich and greasy. But the fresh spinach leaves that it was served atop helped to counter the richness of the stuffed quail. It was not bad, just that we enjoyed the other dishes more. This dish looked a lot more appetizing than it does in the terrible photo taken by HC.

Chargrilled Dingley Dell Pork Chop

HC picked this one because she was taken with the melodious sounding name. It cracked us up for some reason. But it turned out to be a decent choice. The tender pork chop was served with a wedge of grilled pineapple (always amazing!) and fresh tomato sauce topped with herbs.

The restaurant prints a new menu each day to showcase the best produce available and this concept is brilliant because it ensures that diners are presented with food made using the freshest ingredients. We enjoyed the dishes we ordered and I look forward to returning to try more of the chefs' creations.

Lollapalooza

Address: 1A Keong Saik Road Singapore 089109
Phone: 6221 3538

Dining Out - The Rabbit Hole

Met J for lunch before my interview in the afternoon. We decided to eat healthy and went to a new salad bar at One Raffles Place nearby called The Rabbit Hole.

The Rabbit Ho(le)

J took the photo above. Not sure if she intentionally left out the 'le'. 

You can customise your own salad starting from $10, but I chose one of their creations called the Summer Rabbit. It uses a premium salad base topped with chopped strawberries, orange wedges, sunflower seeds, strips of turkey pastrami and alfalfa sprouts. This is paired with tangy honey mustard served in a shot glass on the side.

Summer Rabbit

I found it thoughtful of them to serve the salad dressing on the side so one can customise the taste to their liking. This also helps calorie-conscious salad eaters since the dressing is usually one of the most calorific part of the salad.

The salad was also artfully arranged in a huge wooden salad bowl even when the queue got long, and I do think that the great visual presentation made the salad more appetizing.

Taste-wise, I thought that the ingredients used were fresh and the portions generous. I enjoyed the combination I picked and finished it feeling sated but not stuffed. J, on the other hand, had difficulty finishing her salad because she thought there was too much greens. But she was sufficiently filled up on the protein in her salad since she picked a combination called The Protein Punch that had sous vide chicken in it.

This is a good healthy option in the CBD and prices are reasonable for the quality and taste.

The Rabbit Hole

Address: 1 Raffles Place #04-30 Singapore 048616

Cafe Hopping - Fluffy White Cloud

J made a surprise visit today to my house after attending a church wedding in the afternoon. The princess then told me that she was craving for You Tiao paired with Soya Milk and asked that I indulge with her. So I drove us to Rocher Beancurd House in Thomson so the princess could satisfy her cravings.

Afterwards, we adjourned to a nearby cafe at Thomson V Two so I could grab a cup of coffee. I got a cappuccino while J got a pot of tea.

Cappuccino

The barista pulled a lovely pattern of a chain of hearts in my cappuccino. The coffee was robust, just the way I like it.

But the shop was really tiny, with the indoor bar table occupied by the barista using her laptop to while away the hours, so the only seats available were the ones outside the cafe. Good thing it was evening time so it was not unbearably hot.

Fluffy White Cloud

Address: #01-19, Thomson V Two, 11 Sin Ming Road

Phone: 8684 9497