Finally got down to posting about the 2nd edition of Restaurant Week Singapore, which happened from the 21st to 27th March 2011 (Yes I know it's long overdue). With all the prominent restaurants (think Les Amis, St Julien, The Cliff etc) fully booked even before reservations were open to public, I had to settle (with some luck and fast fingers) for Capricci - the best of the remaining lot in my personal opinion.
And so we made our way down on a cool Tuesday evening and were ushered to a table smacked in the middle of the dining room and sandwiched between 2 others. So much for a romantic evening, especially since we were within earshot of the other tables and vice versa. But I've got to give it to Capricci. The place was tastefully done up with ambient lighting and oozed a serene sort of comfort - great for winding down after work, if only the table placements were better.
Complimentary Bread & Cream of Tomato - I honestly have no idea if the cream of tomato was meant to be consumed as a standalone but I had it with the complimentary bread, which had a positive effect of elevating the boring, bland piece of dough to one that had a nice creaminess with a lightly tart bearing.
Seafood Burger of Crabmeat and Salmon and Mix Salad - Personally I wasn't a fan of the seafood burger as it was way too fishy for my liking due to the combination of crab and salmon. So no comments.
John Dee Beef Tenderloin Tartar with Truffle Oil, Shaved Parmesan and Arugula - The beef tartar was soft and overly salty in my humble opinion. But when paired together with the parmesan and arugula, it was great as the saltiness wasn't so apparent. Nice way to kick start the dinner.
Oven Baked Suckling Pig Sardinia Style with Portobello Mushroom - I certainly didn't expect the suckling pig to come looking like something out of a Sci Fi movie. Sitting on a huge piece of mushroom was a bed of pork and sheltered by what looked like a warped piece of cracker, which was actually a piece of crackling crispy pig skin! The meat was a little too gamy for my liking but the drizzled sweet sauce helped mask it a little. Not something I would go for seconds though.
Gnocchi with Slow Cooked Kurobuta Pork Ragout - Yearning for flour, I had the gnocchi with slow cooked kurobuta pork ragout, which came across as above average. The not overly thick dumplings were stuffed with cheese but didn't threaten to overwhelm. And honestly, I wasn't able to tell if the pork ragout was really kurobuta as the shreds were too fine. But hey they provided a nice mildly chewy texture.
White Chocolate Mousse with Maraschino Cherries - This dessert turned totally different from what I was expecting. I envisioned a mould of white mousse but what I got was a mini popsicle lookalike. And it was all cherry and no chocolate taste. Way too strong.
Cocoa Cream Caramel Pudding with Amaretti - The cream caramel pudding was quivery and tasted quite a fair bit like almond jelly with toppings of crispy caramel bits. Interesting but nothing really outstanding.
Owing to the restaurant week deal, both of us only had to fork out $70 or $82.40 after tax in total, which is a reasonable amount in quantitative terms. However, food quality wasn't up to my personal expectations and that might have had something to do with the discounted prices but I am unable to say for sure as I've never dined at Capricci prior to this. But I guess I'll never know as the menu somehow lacks that pull for a revisit.
Singapore's hectic pace of life has led many in search of a respite in the few remaining green lungs of our concrete city state. And I was no exception, jumping at the opportunity to take refuge one weekend morning in the lush greenery surrounding Mimo (formerly known as Mimolette) just off Bukit Timah Saddle Club.
If it's your first time to Mimo, it can get a little tricky as Fairways Drive is a small slip road off Eng Neo Ave and to get to Mimo, you need to go through the saddle club so watch out for the horses! The interior and furnishing is reminiscent of a quirky black and white pop up book (where the pictures pop up when you flip the pages). Most interesting.
Poached Egg & Crispy Bacon Salad - Stiff bacon, fresh greens and an overly cooked poached egg - nothing impressive, coming across as average at best and something I could easily whip up at home myself.
Streaky Bacon - As with the bacon found in the salad, this was grilled to a stiff crisp. From the looks and taste of it, it probably came straight from a packet off the supermarket shelf.
Sauteed Mushrooms - Served up with onions, the mushrooms were tasty but overly oily. Kinda icky to be chowing down slicker than normal mushrooms honestly.
Croque Madame - Yet another lacklustre dish, the brioche wasn't flaky or buttery enough and the whole thing tasted like McDonald's egg Mcmuffin. Not that I dislike egg Mcmuffins or anything but 15 bucks is a little too much to pay for fast food wouldn't you think so?
Mimo Beef Burger - I had high hopes for the burger but as pretty as it looked, it failed to impress. Topped with sun dried tomatoes and a layer of parmesan crisp, that's where the compliments end. The patty seemed to be machine chopped from its texture and was a little dry and bland. The buns were run off the mill but I personally took to the side of sweet potato and purple potato chips, which were lightly seasoned with salt for an undeniable indulgence.
French Toasts - I secretly hoped that desserts would salvage the situation and they did, to a certain extent. The french toasts were rather spongy on the inside yet a little crisp along the edges with a hint of cinnamon. Add a dollop of butter and some honey and you are all set! Far from being the best I've had, but relatively a gem at Mimo.
Coconut Pancakes - The pancakes were nicely crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside with coconut shreds in attendance. The honey was decent but a little too watered down in my humble opinion.
The respite, albeit brief, was much appreciated. I can't say the same for the food and price though, having spent just over $160 for brunch for 3. Food in general was average at best but desserts performed a little better, weighing in at just slightly above average. Service was okay but a little clueless at times. With such a value proposition, I can hardly find any reason to return. Can you?
Arranged to meet up with a friend over dinner at Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine (or ITFCC for short), purportedly the crème de la crème of the Imperial Treasure group of restaurants, which of course explains the choice of location - Marina Bay Sands.
Situated alongside the celebrity restaurants on the second floor of the Marina Bay Sands shopping arcade, ITFCC's decor is reminiscent of its sister restaurant, Imperial Treasure Cantonese - modern classical with lots of glass and sombre colours.
Roasted Pork - We started off with a well known dish from the Imperial Treasure group - roasted pork, which had a good fat to meat ratio with a crisp top. Unfortunately, it wasn't served warm and that marred the experience quite a bit.
Roasted Duck - Roast goose wasn't in the menu so we had to make do with duck instead. Lean crisp skin coupled with succulent and not too gamy flesh made for a good eat. I still prefer goose though.
Sauteed Prawns with Italian White Truffle Oil - My usual order of scallops was out so the wait staff recommended substituting with prawn balls, which on paper, sounded equally enticing. But in reality, the truffle oil just didn't gel that well with the prawns however huge and crunchy they were.
Four Types of Vegetables with Oyster Sauce - Basically the kitchen chooses what four varieties of vegetables you will be getting based on what's available on that particular day. Served up with slightly starchy oyster sauce. Decent.
Yong Chow Fried Rice - Apart from the plentiful prawns and char siew (BBQ pork), I couldn't find any other reasons to like this dish. Lacking in wok hei and tasting flat throughout, the fried rice looked the part but failed to deliver.
Durian Pudding - A sweet and smooth ending to the meal and probably the highlight of the dinner. At least the quality was consistent with what I had at Imperial Treasure Cantonese.
We could barely walk after the meal. Heck, we could barely even finish the meal, all at a cost of about $130 for 2. Going by what we ordered, that's not exactly cheap and I certainly wouldn't consider it value for money for the quality of food. Don't get me wrong, the meal wasn't bad. In fact it was above average but personally I just felt it didn't warrant such a price tag. Especially since Imperial Treasure Cantonese @ Crowne Plaza can produce better food at that price point.
Michelin starred Daniel Boulud recently opened a branch of his award winning DB Bistro Moderne (originally from New York), at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore. This top rated French- American bistro, in the words of Daniel Boulud, aims to provide Singaporeans with a "convivial, delicious and affordable" experience.
The place is reminiscent of a typical Parisian bistro with its "sidewalk" seating and striking red booth seats at the corner. Coupled with dark tones and cream backed chairs, the whole setting presented itself as soothing with a tinge of formalness. And tables are spaced far apart enough to ensure privacy during conversation, but get the booth seats if you can or the "sidewalk" seats if you are somewhat of a voyeur or enjoy being gawked at.
The Original DB Burger - Is it just me or is the size of the patty a little on the large side? Alright, large is a ridiculous understatement. The entire burger looked absolutely lopsided in favour of the beef (no complaints though!) and the buns, nothing more than puny pieces of window dressing. I asked for my patty to be done medium and it honestly looked rare but I attribute that to the sirloin short ribs being braised in red wine. Taste wise, the patty had the makings of a good burger - inherent beefy taste, juicy with bits of fat and a nice mildly uneven texture. It's only pitfall(s)? The absence of any foie gras taste (I see it, but I don't taste it) and the copious amount of salt that went into it. I like salt but trust me, this was salty. Not salty enough to keep me and my continuously refilled glass of iced water from polishing up every last morsel of it though. Ironically, the fries could have done with some salt but I guess the serving of mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup sufficed.
Profiteroles au Cafe - I am quite a fan of this classic French dessert and when I learnt that it was going to be drenched in chocolate syrup, I was sold instantly! And boy oh boy, was it drenched in chocolate. The profiteroles were stuffed with coffee rocky road ice cream, marshmallows, nuts and covered with a thin layer of chocolate. Hot chocolate sauce was then poured slowly over to melt the chocolate and coat the profiteroles were a thick layer of decadent, happiness inducing chocolate syrup. The richness of chocolate coupled with a smooth strong coffee taste - very good. Just don't consume too much as it might prove overwhelming hence the magic number of 3 per serving (I ate 4 and it really got to me).
On my part, I paid about $62 for a belly bursting brunch in a nice environment, great company and great service. My burger was decent, just too salty but the profiteroles were sinfully good. I'm not sure the burger warrants the hefty price tag of $38 though, seeing that I can probably get similar quality at Mortons and Spruce at a lower price or a significantly higher value ratio at Smokinn Frogz. However, if you are of the opinion that $38 is small change, you are more than welcome to indulge in it and for something more luxurious, there is the black truffle variant, which costs a cool $88 and is available only during dinner.
Amici, which means friends in Italian, has been around for quite a while but we've never really gotten down to trying it even though there have been quite a number of favourable reviews circulating around on the internet. That changed when we popped by the Holland Village area to buy some baking supplies and decided to give Amici a shot.
Finding the place takes some navigation skills as the place around it seems to be under construction which makes it hard to see the place until you actually walk near it. There is a small al fresco area but I wouldn't recommend that especially if you go in the afternoon and with all the construction going on. The seemingly narrow air conditioned interior lets loose a cosy vibe but watch out for the too close for comfort table spacing and the unforgiving air circulation system which will have you smelling of food within minutes.
Complimentary Bread - We got off to a nice start with the warm and crusty complimentary bread that had pockets of what seemed like cranberries. Mildly sweet and comforting.
Carbonara - The carbonara wasn't al dente but on the upside, it didn't come across as too rich which toned down the nausea inducing factor. The plentiful bacon pieces were a plus as well.
Squid Ink Pasta - Apparently a specialty at Amici, the squid ink pasta was the drenched in squid ink variant, not the made from squid ink kind, of which the latter I personally prefer. I could make out a noticeable tartness in the pasta ( I assume they probably tossed the pasta in tomato sauce first before dunking it in squid ink) which did make it more appetising. What caught my attention was the delectable pieces of cod fish that were crisp on the outside and exuded a natural sweetness from within. There was also a generous serving of squid rings which served to up the chewy factor.
Tiramisu - The desserts were certainly the stars of the evening and it started with tiramisu, which had a great sponge to mascarpone ratio. The sponge wasn't overly soaked in coffee but where's the alcohol?! Still very good though and if there's any reason I'll return to Amici, this would be it!
Cappuccino Cake - I'm no big fan of coffee but this dessert surprised me. 5 layers of sponge compacted with a thin layer of wafer in between - firm in texture with a sweet hint of coffee. The ice cream that came alongside didn't gel with me though, seeing that it was literally milk solidified and came across as overpowering.
Through the use of a voucher, we had the cheaper main course free, which brought our bill to a more manageable $56 for a 2 pax lunch. Reasonable I may say, but I'll probably only be back for the desserts. Service was decent but then again, the place wasn't packed so it's probably not a good gauge.
1=SGD 0.0587
And so we made our way down on a cool Tuesday evening and were ushered to a table smacked in the middle of the dining room and sandwiched between 2 others. So much for a romantic evening, especially since we were within earshot of the other tables and vice versa. But I've got to give it to Capricci. The place was tastefully done up with ambient lighting and oozed a serene sort of comfort - great for winding down after work, if only the table placements were better.
Complimentary Bread & Cream of Tomato - I honestly have no idea if the cream of tomato was meant to be consumed as a standalone but I had it with the complimentary bread, which had a positive effect of elevating the boring, bland piece of dough to one that had a nice creaminess with a lightly tart bearing.
Seafood Burger of Crabmeat and Salmon and Mix Salad - Personally I wasn't a fan of the seafood burger as it was way too fishy for my liking due to the combination of crab and salmon. So no comments.
John Dee Beef Tenderloin Tartar with Truffle Oil, Shaved Parmesan and Arugula -
The beef tartar was soft and overly salty in my humble opinion. But when paired together with the parmesan and arugula, it was great as the saltiness wasn't so apparent. Nice way to kick start the dinner.
Oven Baked Suckling Pig Sardinia Style with Portobello Mushroom - I certainly didn't expect the suckling pig to come looking like something out of a Sci Fi movie. Sitting on a huge piece of mushroom was a bed of pork and sheltered by what looked like a warped piece of cracker, which was actually a piece of crackling crispy pig skin! The meat was a little too gamy for my liking but the drizzled sweet sauce helped mask it a little. Not something I would go for seconds though.
Gnocchi with Slow Cooked Kurobuta Pork Ragout - Yearning for flour, I had the gnocchi with slow cooked kurobuta pork ragout, which came across as above average. The not overly thick dumplings were stuffed with cheese but didn't threaten to overwhelm. And honestly, I wasn't able to tell if the pork ragout was really kurobuta as the shreds were too fine. But hey they provided a nice mildly chewy texture.
White Chocolate Mousse with Maraschino Cherries - This dessert turned totally different from what I was expecting. I envisioned a mould of white mousse but what I got was a mini popsicle lookalike. And it was all cherry and no chocolate taste. Way too strong.
Cocoa Cream Caramel Pudding with Amaretti - The cream caramel pudding was quivery and tasted quite a fair bit like almond jelly with toppings of crispy caramel bits. Interesting but nothing really outstanding.
Owing to the restaurant week deal, both of us only had to fork out $70 or $82.40 after tax in total, which is a reasonable amount in quantitative terms. However, food quality wasn't up to my personal expectations and that might have had something to do with the discounted prices but I am unable to say for sure as I've never dined at Capricci prior to this. But I guess I'll never know as the menu somehow lacks that pull for a revisit.
See all my pictures here.
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If it's your first time to Mimo, it can get a little tricky as Fairways Drive is a small slip road off Eng Neo Ave and to get to Mimo, you need to go through the saddle club so watch out for the horses! The interior and furnishing is reminiscent of a quirky black and white pop up book (where the pictures pop up when you flip the pages). Most interesting.
Poached Egg & Crispy Bacon Salad - Stiff bacon, fresh greens and an overly cooked poached egg - nothing impressive, coming across as average at best and something I could easily whip up at home myself.
Streaky Bacon - As with the bacon found in the salad, this was grilled to a stiff crisp. From the looks and taste of it, it probably came straight from a packet off the supermarket shelf.
Sauteed Mushrooms - Served up with onions, the mushrooms were tasty but overly oily. Kinda icky to be chowing down slicker than normal mushrooms honestly.
Croque Madame - Yet another lacklustre dish, the brioche wasn't flaky or buttery enough and the whole thing tasted like McDonald's egg Mcmuffin. Not that I dislike egg Mcmuffins or anything but 15 bucks is a little too much to pay for fast food wouldn't you think so?
Mimo Beef Burger - I had high hopes for the burger but as pretty as it looked, it failed to impress. Topped with sun dried tomatoes and a layer of parmesan crisp, that's where the compliments end. The patty seemed to be machine chopped from its texture and was a little dry and bland. The buns were run off the mill but I personally took to the side of sweet potato and purple potato chips, which were lightly seasoned with salt for an undeniable indulgence.
French Toasts - I secretly hoped that desserts would salvage the situation and they did, to a certain extent. The french toasts were rather spongy on the inside yet a little crisp along the edges with a hint of cinnamon. Add a dollop of butter and some honey and you are all set! Far from being the best I've had, but relatively a gem at Mimo.
Coconut Pancakes - The pancakes were nicely crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside with coconut shreds in attendance. The honey was decent but a little too watered down in my humble opinion.
The respite, albeit brief, was much appreciated. I can't say the same for the food and price though, having spent just over $160 for brunch for 3. Food in general was average at best but desserts performed a little better, weighing in at just slightly above average. Service was okay but a little clueless at times. With such a value proposition, I can hardly find any reason to return. Can you?
See all my pictures here.
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Situated alongside the celebrity restaurants on the second floor of the Marina Bay Sands shopping arcade, ITFCC's decor is reminiscent of its sister restaurant, Imperial Treasure Cantonese - modern classical with lots of glass and sombre colours.
Roasted Pork - We started off with a well known dish from the Imperial Treasure group - roasted pork, which had a good fat to meat ratio with a crisp top. Unfortunately, it wasn't served warm and that marred the experience quite a bit.
Roasted Duck - Roast goose wasn't in the menu so we had to make do with duck instead. Lean crisp skin coupled with succulent and not too gamy flesh made for a good eat. I still prefer goose though.
Sauteed Prawns with Italian White Truffle Oil - My usual order of scallops was out so the wait staff recommended substituting with prawn balls, which on paper, sounded equally enticing. But in reality, the truffle oil just didn't gel that well with the prawns however huge and crunchy they were.
Four Types of Vegetables with Oyster Sauce - Basically the kitchen chooses what four varieties of vegetables you will be getting based on what's available on that particular day. Served up with slightly starchy oyster sauce. Decent.
Yong Chow Fried Rice - Apart from the plentiful prawns and char siew (BBQ pork), I couldn't find any other reasons to like this dish. Lacking in wok hei and tasting flat throughout, the fried rice looked the part but failed to deliver.
Durian Pudding - A sweet and smooth ending to the meal and probably the highlight of the dinner. At least the quality was consistent with what I had at Imperial Treasure Cantonese.
We could barely walk after the meal. Heck, we could barely even finish the meal, all at a cost of about $130 for 2. Going by what we ordered, that's not exactly cheap and I certainly wouldn't consider it value for money for the quality of food. Don't get me wrong, the meal wasn't bad. In fact it was above average but personally I just felt it didn't warrant such a price tag. Especially since Imperial Treasure Cantonese @ Crowne Plaza can produce better food at that price point.
See all my pictures here.
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The place is reminiscent of a typical Parisian bistro with its "sidewalk" seating and striking red booth seats at the corner. Coupled with dark tones and cream backed chairs, the whole setting presented itself as soothing with a tinge of formalness. And tables are spaced far apart enough to ensure privacy during conversation, but get the booth seats if you can or the "sidewalk" seats if you are somewhat of a voyeur or enjoy being gawked at.
The Original DB Burger -
Is it just me or is the size of the patty a little on the large side? Alright, large is a ridiculous understatement. The entire burger looked absolutely lopsided in favour of the beef (no complaints though!) and the buns, nothing more than puny pieces of window dressing. I asked for my patty to be done medium and it honestly looked rare but I attribute that to the sirloin short ribs being braised in red wine. Taste wise, the patty had the makings of a good burger - inherent beefy taste, juicy with bits of fat and a nice mildly uneven texture. It's only pitfall(s)? The absence of any foie gras taste (I see it, but I don't taste it) and the copious amount of salt that went into it. I like salt but trust me, this was salty. Not salty enough to keep me and my continuously refilled glass of iced water from polishing up every last morsel of it though. Ironically, the fries could have done with some salt but I guess the serving of mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup sufficed.
Profiteroles au Cafe - I am quite a fan of this classic French dessert and when I learnt that it was going to be drenched in chocolate syrup, I was sold instantly! And boy oh boy, was it drenched in chocolate. The profiteroles were stuffed with coffee rocky road ice cream, marshmallows, nuts and covered with a thin layer of chocolate. Hot chocolate sauce was then poured slowly over to melt the chocolate and coat the profiteroles were a thick layer of decadent, happiness inducing chocolate syrup. The richness of chocolate coupled with a smooth strong coffee taste - very good. Just don't consume too much as it might prove overwhelming hence the magic number of 3 per serving (I ate 4 and it really got to me).
On my part, I paid about $62 for a belly bursting brunch in a nice environment, great company and great service. My burger was decent, just too salty but the profiteroles were sinfully good. I'm not sure the burger warrants the hefty price tag of $38 though, seeing that I can probably get similar quality at Mortons and Spruce at a lower price or a significantly higher value ratio at Smokinn Frogz. However, if you are of the opinion that $38 is small change, you are more than welcome to indulge in it and for something more luxurious, there is the black truffle variant, which costs a cool $88 and is available only during dinner.
See all my pictures here.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
Finding the place takes some navigation skills as the place around it seems to be under construction which makes it hard to see the place until you actually walk near it. There is a small al fresco area but I wouldn't recommend that especially if you go in the afternoon and with all the construction going on. The seemingly narrow air conditioned interior lets loose a cosy vibe but watch out for the too close for comfort table spacing and the unforgiving air circulation system which will have you smelling of food within minutes.
Complimentary Bread - We got off to a nice start with the warm and crusty complimentary bread that had pockets of what seemed like cranberries. Mildly sweet and comforting.
Carbonara - The carbonara wasn't al dente but on the upside, it didn't come across as too rich which toned down the nausea inducing factor. The plentiful bacon pieces were a plus as well.
Squid Ink Pasta - Apparently a specialty at Amici, the squid ink pasta was the drenched in squid ink variant, not the made from squid ink kind, of which the latter I personally prefer. I could make out a noticeable tartness in the pasta ( I assume they probably tossed the pasta in tomato sauce first before dunking it in squid ink) which did make it more appetising. What caught my attention was the delectable pieces of cod fish that were crisp on the outside and exuded a natural sweetness from within. There was also a generous serving of squid rings which served to up the chewy factor.
Tiramisu - The desserts were certainly the stars of the evening and it started with tiramisu, which had a great sponge to mascarpone ratio. The sponge wasn't overly soaked in coffee but where's the alcohol?! Still very good though and if there's any reason I'll return to Amici, this would be it!
Cappuccino Cake - I'm no big fan of coffee but this dessert surprised me. 5 layers of sponge compacted with a thin layer of wafer in between - firm in texture with a sweet hint of coffee. The ice cream that came alongside didn't gel with me though, seeing that it was literally milk solidified and came across as overpowering.
Through the use of a voucher, we had the cheaper main course free, which brought our bill to a more manageable $56 for a 2 pax lunch. Reasonable I may say, but I'll probably only be back for the desserts. Service was decent but then again, the place wasn't packed so it's probably not a good gauge.
See all my pictures here.
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