Ms Skinnyfat

It was a tapas calling recently and i suggested a gathering at Morsels, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it eatery tucked away in a shop house along Mayo Street. In fact, you wouldn't even know it's there because no one would randomly walk past this spot in Little India. Morsels serves morsels of food (really small plates) that are largely influenced by Japanese ingredients but it also incorporates a variety of cultures in their dishes.

Ingredients are sourced from local farmers and sustainable sources if you are big on that sorta stuff. Here's what we sampled.

Must Orders

You should definitely start with the Hokkaido Scallop Ceviche ($17/25). This is what spring/summer taste like. Cubes of tangy compressed seasonal plum, salty tobiko and sweet scallops were tossed with cilantro, onion and a refreshing yuzu. It's even more awesome with the homemade tortilla chips which is a cross between a super buttery curry puff pastry and wanton skin. Super love! We ordered a second portion immediately upon tasting this.

If you do not wish to have morsels, then the following 3 mains should satisfy your tummy. Ume-sake Braised Short Rib ($30/38) was delectably tender and flavorful. Certainly umami. We especially enjoyed the Okinawan Sweet Potato mash that had a light sweetness to it and wasn't too starchy. Served with crunchy baby Bok Choy, Ume and koji wasabi. Another 2 portion dish!

The Firecracker Pulled Pork Conchiglie Pasta ($16/24) was also voted as a top favorite with our group. There's something about the sourish and spicy habenero pesto sauce with the caramelized pulled pork. Neutralize the zing with the dollop of sour cream or just mix it all in. They could do with more meat though. Again, the boys demanded that we order another plate!

The Grilled Hungarian Mangalican Pork ($28) wasn't too bad either. Mangalican Pork is really growing in popularity hur! The meat had a very clean un-porkish taste in fact and the cauliflower purée was a great healthy alternative to any cream sauce. We thought the Asian ginger sauce was just a regular BBQ sauce though.

The other dishes..

Now to the ok and not too fantastic dishes. The steamed clams in fig broth ($22) was on the sweet end. I only caught a hint of the kimchi flavor. The highlight was more the broth than the clams and it went quite well with the crusty bread. But would i pay $22 for soup? Not really.

The Squid ink Risotto ($25) is supposed to be a a signature dish but we all found the dish too salty for our liking. The risotto was lacking the smoky squid ink flavor and the salted egg sauce failed to elevate the excitement of this dish. The grilled poached octopus was delicious however and had the right amount of charred ends.

The Pan seared fish with buttermilk miso broth ($24) was just MEH. The bland tasting fish had a slight muddy taste to it and the foamy miso broth failed to cover that up. Portion was really small too.

All decent successful adults! Our teachers would be proud! :P

So yea. Hits and misses at Morsels. The group consensus was that we may come back for the top dishes instead of giving a go at all the funky morsels. We were at 70% stomach capacity at the end of the meal (probably less for the boys) and it was about $35/pax. You'd probably feel more satisfied if you stick to the bigger meals.

Morsels

35 Mayo Street, Singapore 208316

Tel: +65 6396 6302

Tuesday to Thursday: 6 pm to 10 pm

Friday & Saturday: 6 pm to 10.30 pm

Walk into a time capsule of 19th-century glamorous New York right here at Manhattan, Regent Hotel Singapore. This 1 week old bar will transport you back to the Golden Age of cocktails and fine drinking with its craft bartending, artisanal spirits and luxurious environs. There was certainly nothing run-of-the-mill-hotel-bar about Manhattan.

The 90-seat bar is home to the world's first in-hotel rickhouse, where bourbon, whiskies and spirits, bitters and single-cask cocktails are aged in American oak barrels imported from Minnesota. The rickhouse is run by American bartender Ricky Paiva who has years of experience under his belt, having worked at famed bars such as San Francisco's Rickhouse which does some of the rarest, tastiest bourbons from around the world.

Manhattan's Rickhouse uses the Solera ageing method and house blends are created by mixed fractions of the contents of the various aged spirits or cocktails.

We had to give the Solera Aged Negroni ($25) a shot and it came served with hand-cut ice from a metre-long showcase ice block at the bar. The Gin, Vermouth, Campari cocktail was citrusy with a light sweetness and very strong.

Lightly buttered and peppered with paprika popcorns are served as snacks

I was enthralled by NYC-neighborhood-inspired cocktails which are accompanied with gourmet bites that are reflective of each neighborhood and the melting pot cultures they represent. I was naturally drawn to the Upper East Side and SOHO but Wall Street and Harlem was appealing as well. Cocktails are priced from $18 to $25 and the fixed beverage menu will change every quarter.

On the Upper East Side, we had The Millionaire ($24)- Plantation Jamaica 2000 Rum, Cedilia acai liqueur, Albicocca apricot brandy, fresh lime and house made grenadine. The ingredients and house-made syrups are not kept for more than two days to ensure freshness.

The Princess Cut ($23) is a delicate G'Vine Floraison Gin- June fleur de vigne liqueur, fresh lemon, rose water and champagne.

The Rebellion Burgers ($20) is absolutely UES in terms of its quality and taste. Juicy Angus Beef patty served with a pungent but delicious tomato onion jam, artisan Nicosia cheese and butter lettuce sandwiched in a buttered and toasted paprika bun. Is it worth 20 bucks for 2 little bites? Well the boys said yes. Non meat eaters could have the tempting Maine Lobster 'Roll' ($26) or Veggie Burger.

On Wall Street, where life is bold and wild and never dull, i had the New York Sour ($23)- St. George Bourbon, ruby port, house made lavender maple syrup, fresh lemon plum bitters. I didn't quite taste the lavender maple syrup but it was a delicious drink nonetheless. Pair this with the Charging Bull ($24) a petit filet with bourbon apple puree.

Wall Street served us the 'BIG' apple cheesecake ($10). I noted the irony when 4 baby Philadelphia cream cheese apple (mousse) appeared on crunchy vanilla sable. The rum-infused apple cheese mousse is encased in a thin gelatin coating. Interesting but we'd price it at $8. It's quite a stretch for $10.

I would probably give American Chef Nicholas Trosien's SOHO Village Steam Buns a la Momofuku (my fav) a shot the next time. Durocc pork belly with Hoisin sauce anyone?

Ingredients Room for drinks and food

If you're up for something special, take the Manhattan Guided Tour ($35) with its tableside trolley service to create a special cocktail blending rare spirits with artisanal vermouths and bitters.

I would certainly be frequenting Manhattan Bar, before it goes too mainstream like 28 Hong Kong Street. For a celebratory after work drink, Manhattan Bar serves complimentary Raine Laws gourmet sandwiches during their Violet Hour. Now please excuse me while i have my drink.

Manhattan
Level 2, Regent Hotel Singapore
1 Cuscaden Road, Singapore 249715
Tel: +65 6725 3377
Daily: 5pm - 1am
Violet Hour (Weekday): 5pm - 7pm

When it comes to French Toast, the most talked about one currently has got to be Miam Miam. With all the raving going on, I had to check it out for myself and French toast for dinner is always a good idea in Ms Skinnyfat's food world.

Miam Miam is a French-Japanese cafe and they serve the usual Fusion Japanese cafe stuff e.g. pasta, baked rice, soufflé, matcha latte and of course french toast. Knowing that they do not take reservations, we made it down early to the Bugis Junction outlet on a Friday evening and an empty restaurant welcomed us (but not for long).

Drinks first, the Iced Matcha Latte with Softee ($8.80) was actually pretty decent. Great green tea flavor with a milky flavor, though I still prefer the intensity of Nana's Green Tea.

Iced Earl Grey with Softtee ($6.80) was bleah. The tea was too weak and the softee lacked in the cream department. Take note that water is charged at 50 cents a cup.

Gave the other savory dishes a try as well. The Riz Noir ($15.80) is a Squid Ink Black Rice and Scrambled Omu Egg. The portion was surprisingly small though. A rather disappointing dish that lacked in smokiness. The rice while moist was also on the salty end. Eggs were nicely done though.

The Miam Miam Spaghetti ($15.80) was typically Japanese with a light savory sauce made from French butter, shoyu and some secret sauce. Well, looking at the ingredients (processed sausage, bacon, some vegetables and mushrooms and a soft boiled egg), it seemed like a randomly thrown together plate of home cooked noodles and indeed it tasted kinda like that as well. Not to say that it's not nice but i would expect better ingredients.

If you are a fan of saucy food, then the Riz Au Curry ($15.50) would be for you. Sweetish rich Japanese curry with soft rice, minced meat (almost non-existent) pork sausages, broccoli cheese and egg. Everything kinda drowned in the curry. The flavor of the curry was alright but maybe just go easy on the sauce?

Now the redeeming grace of Miam Miam would be their desserts and there are pancakes, souffles and parfaits. Honestly, there's one thing that you definitely should order and that's the French Toast.

Disappointing mains aside, the French Toast ($9.80) was every bit as good as everyone promised. Soft fluffy brioche cubes that had the texture of clouds. They're paired with the thoroughly whipped heavy cream, it is close to clotted cream but lighter in taste (but sweeter) and texture. Absolutely delicious with the smoky maple syrup. I would have drenched the toast with it but there wasn't enough. Have this as a main course instead!

Matcha Souffle ($10.80) was undercooked and very wet inside. The texture is that of whipped raw egg whites that are pandan flavored. I could hardly taste any matcha.

The Chocolate Molleaux Dessert ($9.80) fared better with the rich chocolate taste though i found it on the cakey end. The softee was too icy and lacked in vanilla. That said, i wouldn't mind having this again.

Conclusion, Miam Miam is better for its sweets. The mains will fill you up but you wouldn't be quite satisfied. Maybe the pasta is alright. I don't know. But as for me, i'll stick with the French Toast and Matcha Latte for now.

Miam Miam
Bugis Junction #02-14, 200 Victoria Street

Weekdays: 11.30am - 10pm

Weekends: 10.30am - 10pm

There's another outlet at West Gate, Jurong East Singapore.

I've been rather hardworking for the past couple of weeks in checking out the cafes. Well I must say that Instagram has been most helpful in keeping me updated with the prettiest cafés on the block and that kinda led me to One Man Coffee, a hole in the wall that shares their shop front with Crust gourmet Pizza Bar along Upper Thomson Road.

Sip on the Melbournian Axil Coffee Roaster beans pulled by Sarah Jane (formerly from Immigrants) or E-gene (who pulled his way around MEL). Coffee is little acidic with medium finish. My latte wasn't quite full bodied or milky though. While it's not quite my style, it was sufficient in packing a punch to last me through my afternoon meeting. Coffee is priced between $3 to $6.50.

OMC also stocks B.A.O's pastries. I simply love Christophe's croissants, well the French makes the best croissants! The Chocolate pain is also amazing. Get them to heat it up for that crispy flakiness. Better still, have them with honey ham and melted cheese ($6). Cakes are also available and I was seduced by a Salted Caramel Banana Cake.

For something a little more than sweets, OMC does all-day-breakfast with a lean but mean menu, all of which come out of a pizza oven! Talk about easy to make but delicious food here!

Love the description of the Gashouse Egg aka Toad in hole aka Egg-in-the-bread-with-the-hole-in-the-middle ($10). It's more of a snack I feel. I really do have a monster appetite for breakfast food. The dish is really simple, they really do just make a hole in the fluffy brioche, crack an egg in, top with cheese and into the oven it goes. Almost a croque madame.

Really there's no need to be fancy for brekkie when the ingredients are good (hello ooooozy yolk). What's special is that bacon jam which is smoky, meaty and sweet. I could do with a thick layer of that in the toast anytime. Satisfying flavors, a little dry on the edges, not so satisfying portion but that helps save space for other food.

The Broiche French Toast ($10) is another popular item and it looked freaking amazing with the homemade berry compote, candied walnuts and fresh cream. Of course the dust of sugary white completes the instagram worthy picture.

OMC is a great alternative to the super packed Habitat Coffee which I failed to visit TWICE! Well I guess I'll just have to explore the rest of the Thomson cafés until Habitat becomes less crowded. Anyhoo, great vibe at One Man Coffee but do go early or be prepared to wait as well due to the extremely small space.

One Man Coffee

215R Upper Thomson Road Singapore 574349

Daily: 9am - 5pm (Closed Tue)

Indian Fine Dining is a rarity in Singapore and one of the famous one is no other than Rang Mahal at the swanky Pan Pacific Hotel. Well, there's no need to break the bank though as Rang Mahal has opened a younger and more contemporary sister restaurant at Naumi Hotel. Table by Rang Mahal is a relaxed bistro-style dining concept from the award winning group.

The restaurant is conveniently located on street level, right next to the lobby of the hotel.

A contemporary open concept dining room concept is at play here at the boutique hotel nestled in the heart of the city.

V and i started with a clear asparagus soup (a little salty for our liking) and the Chilli Cheese Kulzza. The fresh fluffy bread packed with mild yellow cheddar, piquant chili and fresh coriander was extremely addictive and tasted way better than it looked.

We then sampled the Executive Set Lunch which is available in both non-vegetarian and vegetarian options. The dishes were elegantly presented on a wooden tray and i liked that the portions weren't huge and there is a variety of items. Each set is served with a choice of naan and comes with some sides. From left to right): Dal Tadkewali- yellow lentils tempered with onion, tomato and cumin; Brown and red rice pilaf with cumin and Gobi Matter- cauliflower tossed with peas, ginger and coriander. The rice was the most boring of the lot.

Here is the Tandoori Mushroom and Tandoori Paneer Tikka (foreground). I loved the fresh button mushroom in herbed spice yogurt (very creamy) but the paneer (Indian cottage cheese) was rather plain imo. I would have preferred it cooked with creamy spinach (call me boring but wev).

The non veg version: Murg Angar and Tandoori prawn. Tender cubes of chicken in a yogurt and red chili marinade. The tiger prawn is a little on the dry side but kinda expected as it had undergone the tandoori treatment.

I must say that Table does really good breads. The naans were also irresistible and i keep mopping the lentils up with them. I wished there were other gravy though. A wholesome five grain flour is used to prepare the naan (quinoa, soya, ragi, sorghum and gram).

Table also served Indian classics such as tasty Chicken Tikka with cubes of chicken marinated in robust yogurt and red chilli to the more unique Bengali Fish masala - fresh sea bass fillets tossed in mustard and spices. These are available during dinner.

We ended the meal with some Table’s Pop, a sugar-free popsicle made with fresh raspberry and coconut infused with chia seeds. I never quite enjoyed the iciness of popsicles as it kinda compromises on the robustness of the flavors.

The Masala tea rounded up the meal nicely. Rich, thick and flavorful but there could always be more spice.

As Table by Rang Mahal is the resident restaurant of Naumi Hotel, it does everything from breakfast to supper and drinks and includes international fare as well. The buffet breakfast is priced at $22/pax, while the executive set lunch is priced at only $15/pax. Do check them out if you're looking for a different Indian cuisine dining experience from the usual greasy hawker spots.

Table by Rang Mahal

Naumi Hotel

41 Seah Street Singapore 188396

Tel: +65 6403 6005

Daily: 7am- 12am

Watch out Tiong Bahru, Jalan Besar is the up and coming cafe area with its current mix of Chye Seng Huat Hardware, Windowsill by the Woods and also The Bravery Cafe. Brunch called for a trip to The Bravery at Horne Road and i was hopeful that it'd be as good as The Plain and Ronin as it's opened by the same folks.

Typical sign-less cafe but this time i even had a hard time finding the door! As for the decor, well it's one thing to be minimalist, another to be 'can't be bothered' and this seems to fall into the latter category.

Unfinished wooden planks on DIY metal frames and concrete slabs make uncomfortable tables and chairs that are also potentially hazardous and the electrician obviously wasn't paid to do his job with the lights. Tables are wooden planks on top of simple metal frames and concrete slabs. The general environment felt make-shift and the noise level was deafening despite the 60% capacity when i visited. Not quite a place to hang around for long.

Coffee is made using the same Genovese blend from Brazil, which is robust but not acidic. The Lavender latte ($5.50) had a fragrant aroma and was lightly sweetened but there's a light bitter aftertaste that wasn't present in the flat white. Perhaps that came from the dried lavender.

Great Flat White ($4.50) with superb crema. Drinks like a dream.

The food menu is rather limited, as with the usual The Plain and Ronin style but the regular eggs on toast, pancakes and some savory mains and sandwiches were available.

The Brave Begedil ($17) was a Bravery recommendation. Poached eggs with Turkey Bacon (wert no real bacon?!!) and Avocado on Corned Beef Begedil Hash. If you don't know what Begedil is, it's a Malay potato patty with onions and coriander. I was looking forward to digging in and that was when i noticed my missing avocado. And it was only after i asked about it was i told that they ran out of avocado and the replaced it randomly with another slice of turkey bacon. Seriously?! So you weren't gonna tell me if i didn't ask? Never not cross a hungry woman. NEVER. Oh the same thing happened to the customer next table too.

It was a further slap in the face with the overdone poached eggs and papery whites. Nothing in this dish stood out and the bacon was terribly dry and sweet. I should have ordered the Beef Steak Ciabatta ($13.50) which had good reviews on the juicy rump steak silvers or that Ricotta Cheese Pancakes.

Spotty service was yet again displayed with our second order. We ordered the Crostini ($7.50) shortly after the Begedil and it was only served when we were way done with the first dish. I think i spent a good 10 mins playing with the leftovers and the crostini still didn't come.

Well at least it was a huge portion when it finally came. Well sauteed Aubergine (aka Eggplant aka Brinjal aka that mushy plant) cooked with Chickpeas, served on on Sourdough Toast with Mint Leaves and Crumbled Feta Cheese. This Vegetarian Greek breakfast is a departure from my regular brunch items but i found it rather refreshing with the sharp kick from the feta.

Would i go back to The Bravery again? The answer is no. Especially not when there are so many cafes popping up in the hood. If you want a better brunch, head on to Ronin (read review here), which does the best brunch out of their 3 outlets.

The Bravery
66 Horne Road, Singapore 209703
+65 62254387
Daily: 8am to 8pm (Closed Tues)

The New Yorker weekend begins in hipster enclave Williamsburg NYC with a quintessential hipster brunch. Or if you are the free spirited artist, that's how you begin every morning. Five Leaves is where i'd be headed to for a great start to the day. This small neighborhood spot draws the crowd from Manhattan and the wait could go up to 1.5h easily. Some interesting history with this one- it was opened with the backing of the late Heath Ledger in 2009 (he died before the cafe bar was opened).

We waited for a bit despite it being a weekday but was rewarded with the smell of strong brews and delicious breakfast food when we stepped into the cosy cafe bar. Expect refined Australian comfort food (very similar to NYC comfort food) made from fresh, organic, sustainable, locally sourced products. Of course it has to be, it's hipster.

The brews are made with Wandering Goat Coffee Co. beans from Eugene, Oregon, a small specialty coffee roaster. The huge and strong cuppa, which was served promptly, made my eyes light up at once.

Wanting the best of all worlds, I ordered the Big Breakkie ($13) which came with 2 eggs of my choice (organic, free range), hash browns, whole wheat toast and choice of 2 sides. I choice my favorite avocado and gave the thick cut bacon a go. This was perfection on a plate. Beautifully folded scrambled egg that looked like a yellow rose in full bloom, addictive home made hash browns that were the best i've tasted and bacon steak (not crisps)! As much as i wanted to finish it all, i could hardly get through half the American sized portion!

S had the Ricotta Pancakes ($13) with honeycomb butter, banana, blueberries, strawberries served with 100% maple syrup. This dish is so absolutely decadent! Plump fluffy disks of batter complemented by that ZOMFG honeycomb butter. Nothing in Singers is comparable to this stack of heaven. We only managed 1.5 pancakes between the 2 of us!

There's quite a fair selection of healthier eats like fruit salad, house made granola toasted perfectly, muesli and oats. Breakfast is served till past noon. Those looking for something more substantial, word is that the Five Leaves Burger ($15) is so insanely wicked. Packed with grass-fed beef, house pickled beets, harissa mayo and sunny up egg, it is impossibly hard to tackle even with bear paws but that hasn't stop anyone from trying.

Come nightfall, hit the bar with oysters served w/ rice wine mignonette ($15 for half doz) and all sorts of alcoholic concoction. Five Leaves open till 1am daily so your cravings will be satisfied anytime.