db: bistro moderne

it was my annual sg trip =), well there are various reasons why i go to sg but usually i go atleast once a year. anyway, since R1 was disappointed that i didn't invite him during my dinner at pizzeria mozza i made sure i did this time, well i had no choice actually :P (kidding, i know he'll probably get to read this). we invited a couple of friends to join us as well.

the db dinner setting, sorry photos were bad i specifically brought my cam for this meal but unfortunately i left  it in the hotel :(.

complimentary bread, they were nice and warm, no complaints but sometimes i wish restos would serve soft rolls as well.

foie gras terrine, rhubarb duo and mache (28SGD)

based on the other posts i've read regarding this, it seems that the fruit/condiment of the terrine varies, i guess it depends on the season. this was love. it was a great way to start the meal. the foie gras was rich and was perfectly complemented by the rhubarb.

brioche, i think a more toasty brioche would be more apt or a totally different bread because the brioche is a bit rich. requested for refills because these slices were not enough :D.

the original db burger (38 SGD)

sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs and foie gras

i don't know how to exactly describe it, but i felt that the short ribs was too much for this burger that it drowned the foie gras. also, the burger was dry for me, i had it in medium and yet it was not juicy enough for me. or maybe, because the foie gras terrine just left such an impression that it ruined the burger for me, i dunno but i wasn't really impressed.

salad tropezienne 

someone who was full didn't want to order anything exciting so he opted for this. i should have tried it! it has fennel. oh well no comments on this one since i didn't get to try.

we also ordered the frenchie burger which i forgot to take a picture of, i ate the pork belly confit of that burger because someone didn't want to eat pork!

madeleines

this was complimentary too :D thank you db!!! but it can be had for 8 SGD and believe me it would be worth it. too bad we were so full we couldn't finish this basket we only had one or two each. this was amazing. warm madeleines with crunchy edges, soft and pillowy insides with that hint of orange that bursts in your mouth. yummy!

i could still dream about the foie gras terrine and madeleines they were sublime! i wouldn't mind coming back.

db bistro moderne

marina bay sands

singapore

ben's independent grocer

as the name suggests, B.I.G. is actually a grocery but not just a typical grocery. they offer mostly imported items that are not common finds in your neighborhood grocery. they have truffles, fine meats, various infused oils, a wide range of nuts and a lot more...i found my chia seeds here :D.

aside from scouting for truffle products and the foie gras which i didn't see because i failed to check out the non halal section there's also an eatery inside. i was keen on trying their items because of their not so common western fare.

my crab and zucchini quiche. i liked the crispy edges, and the less "eggy" filling. however i couldn't taste the crab and zucchini, so i guess the egg was still an overpowering element. it comes with a choice of side, there's a variety to choose from and i got the potato salad. what surprised me was that the potato salad has smoked salmon...yummeh!

this was their reuben sandwich, the side was barley with mushrooms. we were keen on trying this side but it fell short of our expectations. it has an overpowering limau/calamansi/lime flavor, there's no other hint of herbs that can brighten up this salad and the mushrooms seem to be underdone. i didn't try the sandwich itself so i have no comments on that.

this is grilled corn with crab. well who doesn't like grilled corn? this was nice and refreshing. though in retrospect i wan't able to get any hints of crab even though i can see it in the salad.


the food was ok, there's no wow factor but a very much welcomed break from all the typical rice and noodle dishes i get to eat on a daily basis. what bothered us the most was the service. first, the orders got mixed up and they actually didn't explain to us that our orders had side dishes already. then, our iced teas were served without the sugar syrup, we had to ask for it and it took sometime before they served it to us. even the request for cutleries took a long time, we just decided to check the other tables for what we needed. and lastly, it took a long time for the bill to arrive. the place wasn't really that busy except when we were about to leave already and there's relatively sufficient wait staff to address our needs so i don't know why they had such a bad service.



ben's independent grocer
publika

korean fare at sariwon

i love korean food! so i was really keen on trying sariwon which is one of the new restos in bhs central, also another franchised restaurant.

wet towels?  yup, if only i had the before picture you would know why i took a picture of this. the original towel was only half the size of the one in the picture. they would pour water on it and voila, you'll get these rehydrated wet towels.

this is a recommended drink, i forgot the name something like herb citrus cooler. it was very refreshing and had the right amount of tartness to complement the spicy, sweet and salty flavors your palate gets to experience during your meal.

of course it's not a korean restaurant if there are no freebie banchan.

my favorites were the crispy anchovies aka dilis and the pickled radish. my dad liked the potato salad and my mom having been to seoul recently is still on her kimchi addiction.

this is galbi something...oh gheez please forgive me for forgetting the names. galbi means short ribs if i'm not mistaken. there are only two versions, one is fresh and another is marinated. this was the marinated version. 

the galbi on the grill.

cooked galbi with all the sides. it was tender and seasoned just right. galbi has become my favorite, it recently overtook samgyupsal =) .

korean bbq will not be complete without the lettuce and gochujang (soybean and chilli paste), there's an extra leaf there...i remember before i was told it was sesame leaf  from my previous korean dining experience but this time i was told it was mint and it actually tastes like mint, the one i tried before didn't taste like mint so i'm not sure if they are one and the same but looks very similar.

korean hotpot - yes i am making up the name. not sure which korean hotpot/soup this was. it was a bit sweet for my liking and wasn't spicy at all. we were told they had to tone down the flavors to suit the filipino palate. too bad, i still prefer authentic korean flavors. but this one is very sulit, tons of mushrooms, beef slices and the korean vermicelli...think sukiyaki korean version.

dak galbi - yeah i am not making this up, this was the actual name. grilled tender chicken pieces, it was good.

for korean food newbies, i think that sariwon will definitely tickle your taste buds. for someone looking for authentic korean flavors, this could be a bit of a disappointment. still a good eat especially if you are in the bhs area and looking for something different from the western cuisines that most of the restos there have to offer.

sariwon

bonifacio high street central

the fort, taguig

village tavern

new restos started opening up at bonifacio high street central, it's the complex where jamba juice is. one of the restos that piqued my interest was village tavern. it's a franchise from the us if i'm not mistaken.

it was a friday night and we didn't make any reservations plus they were catering the nokia lumianation so it was really crowded. but since our friends weren't there yet, we agreed to just wait for a table. they gave us complimentary non alcoholic drinks which was great. the wait staff was very accommodating too. during the entire wait period of maybe 30 mins. we didn't feel like we were forgotten considering they were so busy plus it rained so the outdoor seating also got affected. 

let's move on to the food. there's only one thing that i wanted to try. crab cakes!

there are two crab cakes in the menu - an appetizer and the entree. when i gave my order they just asked me whether i want the single serving or the family/to share. so i said the single serving. they gave me the appetizer version so i was really disappointed. anyway, they took back my crab cake and made it into the entree serving. actually the only difference was the fries. the appetizer didn't have fries. anyway, i wanted to move past beyond this debacle. the crab cake was really flavorful. the reviews were right, you don't need any additional dressing you can eat it on its own. it was really good. the salad was bitter not sure if it was because of the radicchio. 

salmon with couscous - i wonder why the couscous are so big they look like quinoa. i didn't really try the entire dish but i felt like the couscous was strongly flavored.

this was the flatbread pizza me thinks...not sure not my order and i was too full to try it.

overall, i had a pleasant experience. the service and food were great. no complaints from my friends...well except for the drinks, yeah i recommend skipping the alcoholic beverages :). but it's a must try i hope the quality of food and service never deteriorate.

village tavern

bonifacio high street central

the fort, taguig

one of those expensive dinners

i actually forgot how much but most probably between 25-30RM per pax hehe and for regular folks that is an expensive office dinner.

gao ren guan is one of those finer dining family style chinese restaurants, simply because it's in a mall which guarantees a better ambiance and cleanliness. don't be fooled though, we usually spend the same amount when dining at regular side street types of chinese restos. anyway let's move on. here's what we got.

stuffed bitter gourd - i don't like this size of bitter gourd because i know it is bitter and it was. this one is stuffed with ground pork/beef?, i think that the boiling/stewing process just eradicated any possible nutrient we can get from the supposedly healthy bitter gourd. i don't like this dish.

steamed chicken with ginseng? not sure but it was nice.

my favorite dish of the night and not sure what it was called. just think ginormous ma po tofu hehe. basically tastes like the usual ma po tofu but instead of cubed tofu they served it whole.

steamed fish with chilli and soybean me thinks...nothing special though it was just ok.

gao ren guan

jaya one

jalan universiti, petaling jaya

a different kind of japanese craving

when i crave for japanese food it's usually because i want to eat salmon sashimi or salmon head nabe. two things that can only be had in a good jap restaurant. but upon reading so much posts about mangetsu and its fried shishamo i just kept on salivating. i love fish roe and unfortunately shisamo in kl is usually served grilled, and for me that it quite boring.

then i came across watami which serves deep fried shishamo...yahooo!

fried shishamo - drizzle with lemon and dip in japanese mayo and it's perfect! unfortunately i couldn't finish everything and had to bring it home. when i reheated it it wasn't as crisp as when i first had it. yeah i even deep fried it again but it really lost its light crispiness. so no leftovers for this one next time.

tonpeiyaki - read good reviews on this one. thin omelette wraps itself around finely shredded cabbage and ground beef and cheese? i forgot if it has cheese. it was perfect! actually it was the sauce that pulled this thing together. the sauce added a different dimension to the typical flavors that the eggs, beef and cabbage had which themselves were a perfect combination. 

watami

pavilion mall

bukit bintang, kl

sticky bones at morganfields

i have so much backlog...let's do a marathon. wanted to try a new place for easter and decided to eat at morganfield's which specializes in ribs.

my half slab of ribs, got the sticky bones which is basically the traditional flavor of hickory smoked ribs. it was aptly seasoned with the right mixture of sweetness, saltiness and tanginess. however, i didn't get much of the smoked hickory flavor that i love on a good bbq. nonetheless it was good, the meat was tender and juicy. unfortunately my other friend's ribs were not as tender and juicy it was a bit dry. usually served with fries and coleslaw, i requested it to be changed to baked potato and i appreciate the fact that i can do that.



morganfields
pavilion mall
bukit bintang, kl