Battle of the east vs west: Beng Hiang, Lolla

This week, I'm going to review two noteworthy restaurants that has fallen within my radar in the past week. 

Lolla

First up, Lolla. What is Lolla? It is a small tapas restaurant nestled on the busy street of Ann Siang Hill, where a ton of bars and restaurants are situated. If you go to their website, their slogan is 

"Inspired yet simple small plates combining the finest ingredients and seasonal produce with the influences of the mediterranean"

http://www.lolla.com.sg/

On HungryGoWhere, it got a 100% rating based on 7 reviews, whereas on Yelp, it got 3 out of 5 stars based on 6 reviews. Why the disparity, you might ask? 

The answer lies in the taste profile of the reviewers. 

Due to the popularity and physical size of the place, it is impossible to get a seating without making a reservation, but somehow, L. and I managed to grab the last two seats in the house. 

Looking at the menu, which is a trendy paper printout which serves as your table mat as well, I was very intrigued right away. The menu had a very good selection of seafood, meats and carbs, and I love a restaurant which boasts an emphasis on the quality of the produce...

 I started off with the uni with black pudding. The black pudding had a very very complex taste profile, but goes really well with the uni. The uni, although not the best grade, wasn't bad with the pudding, but the quality becomes obvious when you eat it on its own. But then again, for this generous chunk of uni for 19 bucks, I'm not going to complain. I give this dish points for being able to come up with something so wonderfully complex and delicious, but I have to say that this gets heavy really fast. Three spoonfuls of this dish, and I was a little overwhelmed by how rich it is.

Next, I got the fresh baguette with home made tomato paste and garlic. The bread was nicely toasted but the tomato dip was a little watery. It does taste home-made, due to the simplicity of it, but it does lack a little in flavor and texture.

 I also got the frisee salad with anchovies and crispy garlic, which was on the seasonal menu. I love anchovies, and these didn't disappoint. Although, the salad was a little too oily for my liking. A good salad should showcase the vegetables in it, not the dressing.

We had the duck fat potatoes everyone seemed to be ordering. It was good, just pillows that melt in your mouth, but then again, very oily.

We also had the pork collar which was not photographed because we were too far gone on the delicious carafes of white wine, but it was nicely cooked and the sauce was tasty. I also had the duck rillette, which was as good as rillettes go, but unfortunately, I had it too late in the meal, and the fattiness of the rillette wasn't too appetizing to me.

Final verdict: As far as mediterranean fare goes, I can understand why this would appeal to the masses at Hungrygowhere, as it is a trendy spot that boasts very bold flavors and rich meats and seafood. But if you are truly looking for european food with finesse, this is not your place. The dishes in general are tasty, but are a tad too oily. Maybe that is why Yelp gave it 3 stars, because for the price range, you are looking for dishes which are more well-developed.

Beng Hiang (Amoy St) 

 As much as Lolla is trendy and pretentious, Beng Hiang is as unpretentious. Yet, on a sunday night, it is packed full of hungry Singaporean families. Why? Because it brings you back to old, simpler times.

Beng Hiang is one of my grandfather's favorite restaurants, so you can imagine how long it has been around. The owner is this quaint old man, who obviously have built this restaurants from a small establishment to the grand restaurant it is today.

The decor of this place is very old school. It could be garish to some, but to me, it reminds me of old banquet halls where weddings were held. Of course, people come here for the food......

We started with a cold platter which wasn't much to talk about, so I'm just going to highlight some of the tasty dishes we got. I love the fish maw soup. It is just a hearty soup that is chock full of crab meat and fish maw, and with a dash of vinegar, it is so tasty!

Braised cabbage with mushrooms, carrots and pork: Apparently this dish has to be pre-ordered a day in advance because they braise the cabbage for hours. And it is my favorite dish of the night. It takes a lot of skill to make something as ordinary as white cabbage so tasty, with strong hints of nutmeg and cloves. The sweetness of the cabbage contrasted nicely with the broth, and I could not stop eating it. 

 The crispy oyster omelette is also one of the favorites. It is an interesting rendition of the normal moist and wet oyster omelette. And oil satisfies!

 The "kong ba pau" is also one of the must-orders. Everyone at my table liked it a lot, but unfortunately, I cannot bring myself to choose the fatty meat, so the lean meat was a little tough. The meat juice was delish though.

I need to mention that I really dislike hokkien noodles. I do not care for it much, because it is oily and I don't like the yellow noodles they use. BUT this hokkien noodles was soooo good! Not too oily, with a really good flavor. Loved it.

And look, they have a website too!

http://www.benghiang.com/

Final verdict: Great for bringing your elders to. You will not regret it. 

xoxo,

Keira

Jungle beer brewery!

4 beers on tap. Free flow!

Entry from guest blogger and lover of beer, Clyde.

I am an enthusiast. Most of my family and friends know me as the beer guy. But I want to be clear:  I’m not an expert. I don’t study beer. I don’t analyze it. I don’t hoard it or cherish it. I don’t look at beer the way a sommelier looks at a glass of Bordeaux. I drink beer. I drink it often and I try to experience as many as possible. I prefer crafted beer from the West Coast of the United States, but I enjoy all forms of the wondrously fermented malt. I drink Tiger sometimes and I’ve even been seen with a Bud Light in my hand on a hot afternoon (although I don’t often admit that), but there’s little that gives me as much pleasure as finding that perfect IPA when I’m not expecting it, or ending the day with a really strong, boozy imperial stout that has spent a few months in a bourbon barrel.

If you’re still here after that rambling narcissistic diatribe, Keira wanted me to talk about our recent trip to Jungle Beer.

The journey. I’ve lived in Singapore for about a year and a half. I have enjoyed almost all of it, but the rarity of craft beer has been a challenge. I do enjoy the hunt, though, and this recent one almost felt like a safari. Jungle Beer (at Barefoot Brewery) is hard to get to. It is as far north as you can get without getting wet, so you need a car or a cab. Follow Google Maps to 8A Admiralty Street (not 8 Admiralty Street, sorry Keira), turn into the carpark in front of the FoodXchange sign, drive up to level 4, and look around for the Jungle Beer van. The tasting room is through the door, past the “Danger Men Brewing” sign, and up the stairs.

You’re getting warmer…

The First Impression. Most of the time it’s just a microbrewery, but once a month on a Saturday they open up the tasting room for … wait for it … FREE FLOW BEER! $40 for all you can handle from 6:30 – 11:30. Bring some munchies, though, because there’s no food there (unless you walk down to FoodXchange) and you’re going to want something to soak up that beer. We showed up after 10:00 and met Joe as we walked in. Very friendly guy. He introduced us to the lay of the land, chatted for a few minutes, then disappeared into the back room to find us a couple of glasses.

Polished, frat-like atmosphere.

The Vibe. Two words:  house party. The “tasting room” is really more of a frat house, but cleaner. A few couches, some bar tables, a pool table, and a “we-mean-business” scale kegerator in the corner. The music is loud and centers around 2002. By the time we got there, several of the patrons were visibly drunk (duh), but everyone was pretty mellow and amicable. About half local, half ex-pat. Also, pretty cool that there is a large window overlooking the production floor. And if the noise starts to get to you, you can always grab a seat at one of the tables they set up outside the door in the carpark.

Enjoying their IPA at the Good Beer Company

The Beer. Now this is where the rubber hits the road. I’m here for the beer, not the vibe. And I’m not referring to the quantity. I’m not here to drink as much as possible for my $40. I want good, satisfying, brewery-fresh, lovingly-crafted beer. They had 4 taps flowing when we got there:  American Pale Ale, Mango Wheat, Coffee Amber, and a smoked Porter. The Mango Wheat blew shortly after we got there and they quickly replaced it with a similar Fruit Wheat. The verdict, honestly: meh. I wanted to love it. Really. I’ve had their beer before. The IPA is satisfying although unremarkable, and the Kiasu Stout is very good. Drink the stout at about 18-20 degrees and you will find a rich and complex beer, deserving of the moniker, “craft beer”. That is what I was expecting (hoping for) at the brewery. But the offerings that night were underwhelming. The Pale Ale and the Porter were passable, but highly unrefined. They had what I call the “green brewery syndrome” which happens when a small brewery starts production before they’ve really figured out what they’re doing. I’m an intermediate-level home brewer, so I use my own beer as my yardstick. It’s decent, but I wouldn’t try to sell it. I can make a better pale ale and a better porter than I had that night at Jungle Beer. The Wheat and the Amber suffer from a related disease. In my opinion, you should be able to make a good Wheat beer first, then you can experiment with fruit. That being said, the fruit and the coffee characters do mask the shortcomings of the underlying beer and make it more drinkable.

The Close. At 11:25 Adi turned off the music and politely-but-firmly told the crowd that it was time to wrap it up. Getting a cab turned out to be more of a problem than it should have been, but that was my fault for not using my app properly (sorry again, Keira).

The Judgment. Despite my disappointment with the beer, I was happy to stick with the porter and enjoy the laid-back atmosphere. Will I be back? Almost certainly, but it won’t be the mandatory monthly event that I expected it to be.

Did I mention the laidback vibe?

Communal / Culina

COMMUNAL 

Everytime after hot yoga, I would walk past this new restaurant called Communal on North Canal Rd. The interesting menu caught my eye and I tried to google it. All I found out about it is that it is recently opened by an NYC chef, and there was no website nor contact number. I know that some blogs wrote about it but obviously I trusted my own opinion on it.

Besides, usually if I want more than 5 items on a menu, I would make it a point to check it out.

The service was very good, and the chef came with a complimentary amuse bouche which was the cornbread with honey butter.

 It was pretty outstanding. The butter wasn't really sweet though, I think the honey was mostly in the bread, which was moist, sweet but not too heavy. Plus, the corn was super sweet, which is a big plus in my book.

 The casual menu which serves as a table mat as well. I love the concept, because this gives me the chance to keep mulling over the menu as I eat.

The cuisine is mostly new american. The variety of the menu was just right, I thought. Not too many items to be completely confused, but enough to offer something for everyone.

This was the dish on the menu that really piqued my interest. Caesar salad soup with bacon and parmesan foam. As Emeril Lagasse said once, the true skill of a chef lies in a simple soup, whether it has depth, flavor and character. And I couldn't agree more. Soup is a dish I've always adored, and it is hard to find a good soup. This soup is essentially a green vegetable soup puree, but nicely flavored, and very well complimented by the cheese foam. You can also taste the earthiness of the bacon, very subtle though. My only critique is that it is a little too watery, but I can deal with that. Better a lighter soup than a soup that is too creamy.

And for my main, I had the popular lobster mac and cheese gratin. I like this dish because 1) the lobster chunks were generous and sweet. 2) The mac was al dente and light 3) The mixture of cheeses made for a very flavorful profile 4) The breadcrumbs gave texture to the dish which was needed. In general, a lighter rendition of a dish which could be potentially super heavy. I enjoyed this dish a lot. If anything though, it could afford to be a little more melty and saucy.

 I didn't taste Deron's burger, but the fries were amazing to me. Melty in the inside, and crispy on the outside. He said the flavor of the burger was very good, one of the best he's had in Singapore. The foie gras was pretty standard and nothing to complain about.

The seabass with saffron foam was amazing. I like a slab of fish that is perfectly cooked. Crispy on the skin, tender on the meat. And the saffron flavor really compliments the fish, and it tastes healthy but delicious at the same time.

The smoked potato puree was a little reminiscent of the potato puree they serve at Bouchon and Joel Robuchon. Very much less butter in the formula though, although hefty compared to normal whipped potato. Tasty!

 We ordered the lemon tart with a pine nut crust. It was pretty tasty but I thought it was a little too sour for me. Nice flavors though.

 The staff was sweet enough to treat us to the chocolate souffle for free. The strawberry ice cream was good (obviously home made) but the souffle was a bit too rich for me. Any lover of milk choc should get it too. Also, the sugar on top wasn't melted completely.

In all, I really enjoyed the restaurant. The house white was very good too, and it's 1 for 1 on Fridays.

                                                             CULINA (DEMPSEY)

I went out for dinner with one of my dear friends D. yesterday and we were going to try out "the disgruntled chef" till we realize upon reaching the venue that it was closed on mondays. -_- Dop!

Due to my obsessive-compulsive nature regarding food, I went on to do a yelp search of a suitable substitute in the dempsey area while taking a brisk walk around the compound to survey the area physically.

All this time, my poor friend was following me around while I was muttering under my breath and looking over the menus of at least five restaurants. Sorry D. but I made it worth your while right *sweetly*?

After much ado, I chose Culina. On several factors. Decent reviews on Yelp, nice wine valley bistro feel, and I love the stuff they sell (great wines, pates, caviar and other interesting stuff), plus there was at least five items on the food menu I wanted to try......

And I bit into possibly the best oysters I've ever had. It's a high call, and I've had a lot of oysters in many many places, but the Perle Blanche (and the other one which name I cannot recall but it's the other creamy one) were amazing. Both were very creamy and meaty. The PBs were slightly sweeter and the other were slightly more briney but tasted like the ocean. I can't really decide which one I like more. Don't make me choose!

But most importantly, not only were the oysters good on their own, this vinagrette for oysters was AMAZING on them, a little sweet and a little sour. Sublime.

Their soup of the day was green pea with prosciutto. I LOVE green pea soup (I blame it on Top Chef 'cuz they always make it look so good), and I love prosciutto of course. The soup was incredibly flavorful, with great depth. Could do without the dollops of mint jelly in it, although it does make it interesting.

Their home-made gnocchi with duck ragout, orange zest and thyme was outstanding. I am super particular about gnocchi. Most places serve frozen ones which are chewy and gross, or mess up their home made ones by it being too gooey (super easy to do especially in this climate), but their gnocchi was near perfect. It was on the gooey side, and maybe could have been a bit more flour-ey BUT it was well done. The sauce was amazing, and the duck was so tender we agreed it tasted like braised beef. Nice dish, on the heavy side though.

They serve a side dish of brussel sprouts, and I love it that they do. Could use a little more lemon in it but pretty tasty.

The disappointment of the nice. Spaghettini was overcooked, and the crab meat was a bit lumpy and not-so-fresh. The parsley was fresh though.

In all, a very good experience. I would come back just for the oysters seriously.

xoxo,
Keira

Ricciotti@Star Vista reivew

We decided to try the new Ricciotti outlet at Star Vista. For those who are unaware, this is Ricciotti's third outlet. I've always thought that if a place can open a couple of chains over time, it can't be bad. The only problem is that the quality might not be as great as the flagship restaurant.

                                               

The decor was light, bright and airy. It was comfortable, although the wire chairs did not exactly score very high on the comfort scale. Okay, I'm just being sore because I accidentally jammed my finger between two seats...

Like the many new restaurants in Star Vista, they offer lunch specials. I wasn't too blown away by the selection of the limited set lunch so I opted for the main.

 The foccacia bread they served free with the mains was delicious. It had a strong rosemary taste, but super melty and satisfying. The balsamic vinegar served with the olive oil wasn't real balsamic, but a almost chocolately sweet version of it, but fits the taste of the bread really well, so I can't really complain.

One of my friends got the margherita pizza. Despite it being thin crust, the pizza was almost soggy, and the taste wasn't really great. Even Marche does a better pizza.

I opted for the spinach pasta in a tomato sauce with beef meatballs. The sauce was tasty, albeit a little sour, and the pasta was fresh pasta, which is always good, but the meatballs were severely overcooked, and pretty much inedible. Poop.

 I think the best dish out of the group was Nicole's, which was the spinach pasta with salmon in a creamy tomato sauce. The sauce was yummy, albeit a tad too rich, and the salmon was tasty as well.

 Feng Huai's pork chop was a but dry and overcooked, but the salad and mash was good, according to him.

The dessert apple pizza is a good dish to have, and they make it fresh from scratch. I wish the crust was a bit crispier, but it was overall a tasty dish. I liked the freshness of the apple slices.

Final verdict: Go for the lunch specials, the dinner prices are a little too high for the quality, unless they improve on the execution of the dishes. The ingredients are fresh, but the execution, for the most part, was just a little off. Hopefully, with time, this will improve.

xoxo,
Keira