Morning Folks! Another weekend and another brunch session is due. This early bird is up early to catch the worm for you lazy birds still nesting under the covers. This weekend's brunch destination is Open Door Policy at Tiong Bahru. The Tiong Bahru area is no stranger to many locals, and is often known as the hippie enclave in Singapore, where the mix of new and old, yuppies and elderly, rich and poor converge.
New kid on the block (or not too new kid) is Open Door Policy, an open-planned restaurant framed by an aquarium-style show kitchen which runs the length of the shop. Chefs push out dishes to diners from behind the brick and glass wall, the only physical demarcation between the 2 parties. It does feel very much as we were dining with the chefs as we took our seats at the counter. It's an intimate setting, and i would think it's a little intimidating as well for both parties alike.
The interior- Portuguese-inspired tin sheets were used overhead and that leads to a glass-roofed area at the back. The effect of worn wood and red bricks balances the heavy iron tables to give the place a cosy atmosphere.
We began with a starter from the lunch menu to go with our brunch food. My overeating meal accomplice, the Stupidgirl, was happily rambling on the dishes she wanted to try and i had to prevent her from making both of us fat.
Papaduck papadum with crusted duck fillets & mint yogurt dip (S$18) was a nice and crunchy start to our meal. Some indian influence is seen in this dish though the papadum isn't the real papadum that we get at the prata shops. The duck fillets were tender and juicy and i love how well it went with the mint yogurt dip. You could do without if you aren't into that cool and light vege taste. I was starting to get a little full after 2 pieces..
Brunch is never complete without some eggs and i love mine scrambled. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toasted ciabatta with spinach and fresh herbs (S$19) succeeded in scaring the hell out of my small stomach for it was HUGE.
That is only a quarter of the entire dish and it kinda filled the entire eating plate. Egg lovers would rejoice at the height of the scrambled egg. I think it's at least 5cm tall? Well to achieve that sort of elevation, the creaminess was compromised a little but it tasted ok. On the other hand, i thought the salmon was a tad too fishy for my liking. Didn't finish all of it.
We also had the ODP Pancakes with black berry and chocolate (S$17). A lot of work goes into making this little babies. They are first cooked over the grill in little molds and then they were popped into the oven to give it that golden brown, crusty exterior. I like that it's fluffy and a little moist inside but i thought the batter could be slightly more savory and buttery. I still like my buttermilk pancakes best.
The caffeine addict in me ordered the Affogato (S$8) to go with my meal. Yes i have desserts before, in between and after meals. The coffee here is prepared by the 40 HANDS team, which is just across the road. I didn't like my affogato though. The acidity of the espresso was impossible to neutralize even with the homemade caramel vanilla ice cream. Trust me, i tried. This was pretty bad for me even though i do think that the rest of their coffee are good.
Would i go again? I think the food is alright but it was kinda expensive (we spent S$60 each). Skip the drinks and i think you'd be fine.
Sorry for the bad quality pics! Forgot to stuff my camera into my baby YSL easy. :P
Singapore 168650
Tel: +65 6221 9307
Lunch: 12pm - 3.30pm
Dinner: 6pm - 11pm
Fri and Sat – bar open till 12am
Weekend Brunch: 11am to 4pm
Last orders 30min before closing
Closed on Tuesdays
Fast forward 5 years and I was given the opportunity to visit the place again as a tourist. Was invited by Nuffnang to join
Decided to bring my aunt (affectionately known as my Mama) with me on the trip. This is the most important woman in my life (mum comes second) and I love to bring her out to experience new things like trying new cuisines or visiting new places together.
I stayed at Resorts Hotel previously which has quite decent amenities and the interior was a little more polished. This time we were put up at First World Hotel and let's just say this would never be on my accommodation list if I were given a choice. Even the easy going Mama was complaining about the lack of bath items and how spartan the deluxe room was and she is a very simple lady. Well I guess it really boils down to your budget. If you want a cheap and no frills lodging, this would be it. It's comfortable enough for a short weekend. If you want something more luxe, go for the better rooms/suites at Highlands Hotel, Resorts Hotel or The Maxims. 
Marveling at the wonders of Nature's creations. 
The Mama has green fingers and she loves the fruits and plants in the farm. She kept wishing she had a pair of scissors so she can graft the roses back home. Haha.
Too bad they don't have a mushroom restaurant here. They really ought to do something like 
Another highlight was obviously the Khalil Fong concert. I love this dude even though I haven't been following him actively. The other bloggers were surprised to know that Mama actually knows this guy. This lady watches Taiwanese variety shows. She was clapping enthusiastically during the concert. So cute. The bloggers were given different class tickets from our plus 1 and I wasn't very pleased about leaving her somewhere else during the show. Zyon, an ecoblogger, was really nice to exchange tickets with us so that Mama can sit in front with me. Anyway, i gotta say that the Arena of Stars is quite a good place to have a concert. Hsiao Jing Teng is gonna be performing there soon.
Bleah. Too many cameras and they didn't coordinate at all so I ended up looking at the wrong cam. Grr. Nevertheless, cool dude, great songs and performance. I like how he's a little awkward and in his own world. 
So yeap. This is what we did other than all the eating. It's supposed to be a food trip after all. Thanks for Nuffnang and Resorts World Genting for the trip. My little old lady enjoyed herself quite a fair bit and that's what matters to me the most. More on my favorite eats in Genting in the next post!
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