Park Bench Deli, Tanjong Pagar

Park Bench Deli is one of famed breakfast spots in Telok Ayer/Tanjong Pagar since they opened in 2015. I remember firstly the queue, and then squeezing myself onto one of those uncomfortable bar seat and balancing my sammie over a thin long bench of a table. But damn the sandwiches were great. 

We recently revisited PBD after their revamp mid 2021. PBD is now a spacious all-day diner which is way more inviting with comfortable seating for 42 pax. The menu has also expanded beyond their sloppy buns and now also offers breakfast plates and heartier mains for lunch- the likes of braised beef cheeks, pastas, and fried steaks.  

A craving for pancakes and more sent us to PBD and i was drawn to the PBD Big Breakfast ($22), a massive platter 2 mini ricotta pancakes, sausages, bacon, tater tots, and scrambled eggs. This sounded like the perfect solution for one who wants both savory and sweet stuff, right? Except that the ricotta pancakes were more undercooked meringues with a very foamy center and they were so raw they split in the middle. Even though we were the first customers in the cafe, the sausages and bacon came cold and bland. The best component of the dish turned out to be the freshly fried tater tots. This was a complete disappointment. When we heard the next table's order of 3 platters, we shook our heads in horror. 

The Grilled Cheese ($15), one of the mainstays, didn't fare better. As you can tell from the picture, the cheese remained hard and cold with zero melt at all. The spiced pear relish was the one that threw me off with this bitter aftertaste to each bite. 

Even the coffee was bad. The Iced White ($6.50) was diluted and bitter. We had to get another coffee after the meal.

Needless to say, we left PBD extremely disappointed. If not for the tater tots, i would have been super hangry. I'm not a hater of PBD, seriously just look at my previous post on them. And there i was, playing it safe with an old favorite and this happens. Just bring back the good old standards. 

Park Bench Deli

179 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068627

Tue - Sun: 9am-10.30pm

Iru Den Omakase, Scotts Road

I could hardly find any proper reviews of Iru Den online and only chanced upon it thanks to the fellow foodies with trusted taste buds on IG. So, here is a proper review for you guys who are considering dining at this hidden omakase-only restaurant on Scotts Road.

Chef Owner Javier serves a Modern Japanese Kappou style cuisine. If you thought he sounds familiar, he used to run a one-man kitchen IL DEN which served Modern Japanese cuisine. Since then, his style has evolved and grown and he now runs a full-fledged kitchen serving 3 choices of omakase meals starting at $198++ (7-courses).

When i said that the restaurant is hidden, i meant it quite literally. Entering the main gate, we naturally went to the first obvious building we saw, only to be given the dirty eye and directed to the left corner of the black and white. Enter the wooden gate and down a little dark garden, you will then arrive at the locked doors of Iru Den. Only after our reservations were checked could we enter the restaurant. 

My gf and I went with the 10-course dinner omakase ($268++) to sample more variety. I was originally worried that i wouldn't be able to stomach the whole course but the portions are really small and i was feeling just right at the end of the meal (i'm a small eater btw). 

Our first dish was the Aka Ebi, dressed with Tosazu vinegar dressing and Nanohana pesto. I enjoyed the light and refreshing citrusy acidity and touch of herbiness with the sweet prawns. 

Anju Modern Korean Bar and Restaurant, Tras Street

If there's one good thing that came out of COVID-19 for me, it's the appreciation of Korean cuisine, thanks to Netflix and K-drama. I've always prefered Japanese food over Korean, as it is more delicate  and refined, as compared to the one pot, mix-it-all with lotsa sauce, and eat out of a huge metal bowl kinda way of eating. Well consider me a convert. Korean food is best for social bonding over hearty dishes and alcohol. For those who want the best of both worlds, i highly recommend ANJU for a more elegant modern Korean dining and bar experience in a chic and tasteful setting right in little Korea that is Tanjong Pagar. I promise you would not leave smelling like a BBQ post-dinner.

Dinner reservations are hard to come by and i was lucky that a friend made a reservation more than 2 months ago! Forget the regular green or blue bottles of soju. At Anju, they have a curated list of Koreans alcohol and Makgeolli is a special. 

If you are here with more friends, definitely go for their special Champagne Makgeolli ($75, 940ml), which is naturally carbonated. Since there were only 2 of us, we went with the White Lotus Makgeolli ($28, 375ml). The grain liquor was infused with white lotus, which provided hints of floral undertones and a refreshing nutty finish. 

For appetizers, it's a toss between the umami crunchy bomb that is the Bori Prawns ($8) simply seasoned with green baby garlic shoots and salt; or the Black Bean Mascarpone ($16) with sourdough crackers that is my one true love. The latter could be a snack or a dessert due to its delicate sweetness from the sweet Suritae beans. Mix it with Chef’s special chive oil and it provides a savoury headiness. 

Dream Cruise Palace Suite Review

We didn't think we were going to travel in 2021 earlier this year due to work restrictions and so we decided to give the cruise-to-nowhere a try again given our desperation for a break. Since it's our first proper break in a while, we decided to just go with the Palace Suite on Genting World Dream, which is an all-inclusive and exclusive suite experience. 

The price tag for a 3D2N cruise was about $700 for us. This was for a booking in July but we postponed it to October at no further charge (our original cruise was cancelled due to a COVID case). While it may seemed pretty pricey for a short cruise, it's like going to a fancy resort with a huge suite, meals entitlements at all the specialty restaurants, special activities at no costs, free Wi-Fi, plus a 24-hour butler concierge service to assist with all your restaurant reservations, show bookings, and any other requests you may have. 

One thing that wasn't conveyed to us is that there's priority check-in and embarkation. If you're a Palace guest do take note of that so that you could skip the queue. I would suggest checking in earlier if possible to enjoy all the facilities and to get your hands on those popular restaurant bookings. 

Stepping into our Palace Suite cabin, we were surprised by the size of it. The average suite size is over 42sqm and there's plenty of room to fit a king size bed with fine Italian linens, a sitting area, dresser, work counter, wardrobe,  a huge balcony with expansive views of the ocean, and a bathtub and shower. This time i made sure i was fully prepared with my bubble bath!

 

Bath amenities from Etro™which are decent enough, though i did bring my own shampoo still. 

Coffee and mini bar are all complimentary with our room. Apart from beers, there are also these cute single serve bottles of Prosecco. Make sure you finish everything before you leave, if not you would have to go through the hassle of paying for taxes should you decide to bring them home. 

Another perk that we enjoyed as Palace Suite guests are the dedicated facilities. Check out the dedicated pool and lounge area for the Palace guests. You could also choose to enjoy Happy Hour at the pool area as well, just that it's a bit more troublesome getting your drinks. Note that you'd need to make a booking for the pool or jacuzzi due to COVID social distancing measures. 

  

The dedicated facilities like the gym and all-day-dining Palace restaurant could be easily accessed by the dedicated lift, which connects your cabin level to them! It is entirely possible to spend all your time within the Palace facilities only. 

 

We also signed up for a pilates class at the dedicated gym. The class size was really small to start with (it was limited to 4-6 pax) so we almost didn't think we could squeeze in but it became a private session because only 2 of us showed up! Absolutely lovely experience with a view too. We also booked ourselves a steam and sauna session. Just look at that soothing ocean!

If you were to venture out of the confines of the Palace, some fun activities include the Waterslide Park with five slides. There's also a ropes course and zipline, a rock climbing wall, mini golf, pool, and VR games arcade. 

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't that great when we wanted to check out these activities, so we chose to go into our private hot tub and enjoy a wine instead. 

We also caught one of the shows, which is Vision by Vincent Vignaud. I was really amazed at the illusions because they were quite impossible? There's another show called Faith which is a mix of ballet, acrobatics, and comedy but our schedule was too packed and we couldn't fit that in?? Honestly 3D2N was too short a break and i would recommend a longer cruise to check out all the restaurants and activities. 

Now the food. We only ate at the specialty restaurants during this trip. Our previous experience with Royal Caribbean was that the general dining and buffet selections were very underwhelming. Silk Road Chinese restaurant served pretty decent Chinese food and we were surprised at how empty the restaurant was. We enjoyed the dishes but the portion were really small. I guess better since we could check out the supper offerings at the Palace Restaurant.

The food wasn't super wow for supper but at least you get fresh veggies and fruits too. The curry, dimsum, and congee are among the better tasting items we had but yes you can have char kway teow too. The Palace Restaurant also serves afternoon tea, which was again quite basic but well it's just something to pass your time.  

 

We also enjoyed our experience at the Seafood Grill and Prime Steakhouse by Mark Best, which was our favorite restaurant on board. The quality was great and so was the ambience and service. You could enjoy both the seafood menu as well as the grill menu at the same place. Umi Uma is another hot spot for dining but honestly if you don't manage to get the Teppanyaki tables, you may wish to skip their Korean BBQ or bento services. I may just have gone for the alfresco Hot Pot restaurant instead if i knew how meh the Korean BBQ was. 

I'm not gonna delve too much into the COVID measures on board but we felt quite safe with the reduced capacity, contact tracing measures and sanitation, except that there could be better enforcing of group dining (guests were speaking across tables). There are still queues for the main cruise activities but the crowd was orderly. The Antigen Rapid Test at Marina Bay Cruise Centre pre-boarding was a breeze as well. 

So yes, the short and sweet review of the Palace Suite on Dream Cruise. I've definitely changed my mind on cruise holidays after this experience. Would you give it a try?