[Singapore Restaurant] Wild Rocket at Mount Emily

Wild Rocket has recently announced that the restaurant will be relocated and that last day of business at the current premises, Mount Emily, will be 30 November 2013.  It has been almost 5 years ago when I last stepped into the restaurant and I knew I had to visit the restaurant before it is gone.  The new location for the restaurant has not been confirmed but Chef Willin Low plans to re-open the restaurant in Mar 2014.

We order 2 sets of 3-course lunch (S$32++ each) which comes with 1 starter, 1 main and 1 sweet.  Bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil was served while we waited for lunch to be served.

Starters:  Adobo duck with onsen-style quail egg with truffle mash and baby spinach; and Burmese tomato and blue swimmer crab salad. 

On the house: Shitake mushroom kueh pie-ti.

Main dishes were Laksa pesto linguini with tiger prawns and quail egg; Roast Chilean seabass with chai poh confit and congee; and Salmon donburi with bonito and baby octopus red rice.

Sweets: Wild Rocket strawberry cheesecake (highly highly recommended) and pandan infused panna cotta with salted gula Melaka.

On the house: Wild Rocket Chendol.

All I can say (for all the dishes ordered) is that the dishes are uniquely named, the food are carefully cooked and it is a bliss to dine there.  We were fortunate to be offered complimentary dishes (because my friend is a regular customer) and that does not mean that those were of sub-standard.  There was none that I can say that it wasn't worth the calories.

Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily
Hangout Hotel
10A Upper Wilkie Road
Singapore 228119

Tel: 6339 9448
Website: www.wildrocket.com.sg

Opening Hours: Closed on Mondays, check website for lunch/brunch and dinner hours.

Getting there: The restaurant is not accessible directly by bus or MRT.  If you are not driving, the most convenient place to go there via taxi is from Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.  It will be a 3-min ride from the MRT to the restaurant.



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[Seoul, Korea] Foodhunt: Black' Smith Sinsa by Song Seung Heon [Closed]

If you think that Korean food is all the Koreans love, you are in for a big surprise.  Western food is a big influence in Korea, especially Italian food.  Many chefs, native Koreans, obtain their professional culinary trainings abroad.  Look at the recipes they had created, the food is totally enticing!  These yummy Italian dishes are from Black' Smith located at Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Spoon pizza is one which I personally like very much.  Key ingredients include roasted bacon and potato, sweet potato and cheese!  Baked to perfect golden brown.  Why is it called spoon pizza?  Because it is to be eaten by scooping using a spoon.

Gorgonzola Pizza is a basic (yet delicious) pizza.  It is gorgonzola cheese served with honey ... simple is good.  You get to focus on the fragrance of the gorgonzola cheese which has a nice buttery taste.

This pasta is Black'Smith's signature dish - Black Smith's Cream Pasta cooked using mushrooms, green peas, bacon, onion and deep flavoured cream sauce.  If you are not a fan of cream pasta, you may find this a little too rich.

If you prefer tomato-based pasta, then try Promodoro.  It is a basic pasta with basil, delicious cheese, extra virgin olive oil and of course, tomatoes.  

Warm bread rolls are served as appetisers, with olive oil dip.  The bread comes with variety so you don't always get the same type of bread when you dine there.

Now, to locate the restaurant is really very easy if you take the subway.  It is a simple 1 minute walk from Exit 8, Sinsa Station.  Look out for the directional details at the end of this post.  This is the building and the restaurant occupies 2 storey.

You will be greeted by Song Seong Heon life-size standy, posters and his interview video clips.  He is in fact the owner of this outlet!

The interior decoration is contemporary and cosy.  Each table comes with a bag holder and this is so useful for female diners.



Did you know that some of the scenes from Korean Drama, When A Man Loves, was filmed in this restaurant too?  The drama poster is up there and I was lucky enough to receive a postcard from the staff when I last visited in April =D

Black'Smith Sinsa

서울 강남구 신사동 514-20

Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Sinsa-dong 514-20

Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm (extended to 11pm on Fri, Sat and Sun)

Tel: 02-3444 8211

Website: http://www.blacksmith.co.kr/main.php

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BSsinsa?fref=ts

Getting there: Take Subway Line 3 to Sinsa Station and use Exit 8.  At the first junction, turn left and Black'Smith would be just in front of you.



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Swensen's @ Compass Point - Fish & Chips and Pasta

The queue outside Swensen's at Compass Point is ridiculusly long on weekends.  Nevertheless, it is all worth it when the all-time favourite Fish and Chips was served.  The waiting time for food was just about 10mins, which I consider relatively reasonable, since the queuing time to get a seat was easily 20 to 30mins.

The fish & chips was served slightly later than the pasta.  The 2 pieces of golden-brown deep-fried fish fillet were served with crispy thick U.S. fries and a small bowl of coleslaw.  The tartar sauce, although it was just a dip, brought out the tastiness of the fish.  As for the fries, what would it be without tomato ketchup?

Salmon and Mushroom Pasta - Recommended for those prefers not-so-creamy sauce.  The amount of sauce was also just enough for the pasta.  The dish was served with quite a fair amount of slightly-cooked salmon.  If you prefer cooked salmon, toss it with the warm pasta for a while.  However, since Swensen's is not an Italian restaurant, I did not have too high an expectation on the pasta dishes.  And, as such, I think the standard was better than what I would expect.

For a meal with just 2 dishes, without ice-creams and deserts, the damage was slightly less than $35.

Seafood Aglio Olio @ Secret Recipe

Secret Recipe @ Henry Park Apartment

42, Holland Grove Road

Singapore 278810

Phone: +65 68751233

Operating Hours: 10am - 9pm (Daily)
[Closed]

 

I'm quite glad that I discovered this dish.  It is awesome.  I love the springy spaghetti texture and the slightly burnt taste.  Though it was kinda oily, I guess it should be alright since olive oil was used in the cooking... or perhaps it was my own assumption.

The fried noodle was soaked in the fragrant garlic taste.  *Just make sure you do not burp straight into someone's face after that.*

I love the freshness of their seafood - prawn, crayfish and squid.  For $14.90 (ala carte + ice tea meal set), I can't really complain that the crayfish is too small.  Though I did wish that the portion could be double.  However, the proportion of ingredients and noodle was just nice for me.

FYI, Secret Recipe Diners card holders are eligible for 1-for-1 meat set.... So, it works out to be about $8.75 for each person (for the seafood aglio olio meals).

Saizeriya @ Liang Court

Saizeriya

Liang Court #02-22

Originating from Japan, this family restaurat serves pasta, pizza and grilled dishes.  The dishes are reasonably priced with pasta starting from $7+.  BUT, food quality is just very average. 

The cabonara (above) comes in a relatively big portion BUT there's no egg.  It was just a plain pasta with cream sauce and a few pieces of fatty bacon.

For the drink, it is quite worthwhile, if you opt for drinks set.  You get free flow drinks for $2+.  Selection of drinks include soft drinks, flavoured tea and coffee (espresso, mocha, cappucino). 

Overall, you can get a decent meal with $10 but do not expect any fantastic food standard.

The Pasta Shop

The Pasta Shop

Changi Airport T3 Departure/Check in Hall North

Mezzanine Level, #03-43/44, Singapore 819663

Tel : 6242 6378

Another Japanese food chain under Sakae Sushi.  As the name suggests, The Pasta Shop serves pasta cooked in Japanese style aka Wafu style.

What do you do when it is dinner time (6pm) but you had lunch at 1pm, toast bread at 3pm and tao sar bia at 4pm?  The food looks too tempting to resist... and so I ordered a main course + salad for sharing.

Salad and asparagus pasta looks interesting enough.  It came with some thin seaweed pieces sprinkled on the pasta.  At first, the pasta tasted rather ordinary... but somehow, it got more delicious as we started eating.  The salmon was fresh and serving portion was quite generous.

I am normally not a salad lover, but I would strongly recommend this Tofu salad.  It is so delicious... 

Excluding drinks, total damage for the 2 dishes (incl taxes) was abt $28.

There is citibank credit card promotion where you can get 100% rebate (round down to nearest $10).

Amici Italian Restaurant (Holland Village)

This is one Italian restaurant (Amici @ HV) which serves consistently good food, at least for those dishes that I have tried, including the one below - Creamy Alfredo with Ham. The cream sauce is so so so yummy.

Amici is a relatively classy restaurant and paying $8 for pasta of such good quality, what else can I complain? Note that this is only applicable during lunch.