I live for weekends these days for that slight reprieve from work, which has become quite unbearable the past weeks. Before a 3am operations stakeout the day after (hell i'm not even in ops), i managed to squeeze in a dinner at Spago as a reward/encouragement and boy did it help me get through the week. 

The first international offshoot of Wolfgang Puck’s renowned Beverly Hills restaurant, Spago at Marina Bay Sands offer a seasonal menu of Californian cuisine with global accents and you'd find some Singaporean dishes like Kaya Toast and Laksa here. 

The restaurant overlooks part of the pool, which you would not see if dining indoors. On a cool night, i believe it should be quite comfortable dining along the outdoor terrace but i do prefer the classy indoor environment. 

My weakness right there, bread and butter. It took all my willpower not to tear into everything.

A creamy mushroom choux to start us off. 

Truth be told, i didn't expect the "Kaya Toast" ($35) to work as well as it did. Out with the classic pairing of pan-seared foie gras with an acidic fruit compote, at Spago, the buttery liver is balanced with a sweet pandan-coconut jam which actually works. All components of the local kaya toast breakfast is present on the plate- splatters of egg curd, toasted brioche, and even espresso (it went into the foie gras mousse). 

The Charcoal Grilled Octopus ($32) spectacular and i'd highly recommend this. I've not had such a tender octopus leg before and honestly octopus should only be cooked this way. This dish certainly took reference from Japanese cuisine, with the use of Japanese herbs, tempura sea beans, bonito and powdered nori. The accompanying kaffir lime aioli further lifted the dish.

The Agnolotti with Sweet Summer Corn ($28/38) was another pleaser. Lovely little parcels of sweet corn puree, flavored by a savory creamy mascarpone sage sauce and shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano. The simple life. Or lux it up with some shaved truffles if you wish.

Iberico Pork Chop ($65) is one massive stunner for any meat lover. The meat, served medium, was a delicate shade of pink in the center. The heavy notes were balanced with a ripe whisky-glazed pears and, lemony fennel, and gremolata. We'd recommend this for sharing if you're a small eater. We ended up bringing half a portion home (which was still great the day after). 

The Japanese Sea Bream “Laksa” ($55) is another rich dish, but slightly more manageable than the pork since the curried coconut broth helps to whet the appetite with the spice. Underneath the crispy seared fish lies the dry fried rice noodles, a more refined and smooth version of the thick bee hoon on the market. 

For desserts, we had the Marina Bay Sands 10th Year Anniversary special salted caramel soufflé ($10) served with a farmer’s market Fuji apple sorbet. Perfect with an espresso! 

Great first experience at Spago, the wait staff are knowledgeable and very friendly. We thought the prices were very affordable even for their tasting menu. We were surprised at the affordable pricing. Be sure to check out their lunch and sunset menu too if you're looking for a deal.

Spago

L57, Sands SkyPark, Hotel Tower 2

Tel: +65 6688 9955

Lunch: 12pm – 2.30pm daily

Dinner: 6pm – 10pm (Sun – Thu)

Dinner: 6pm – 10.30pm (Fri – Sat)

Stuck in Singapore with nowhere to go? Well one way to beat that wanderlust for a moment is to eat the cuisine instead. That's how we ended up at Olivia Restaurant & Lounge, that same restaurant that made the Basque burnt cheesecake a trend in Singapore. We had high expectations since co-founder and chef Alain Devahive's background includes cooking at the legendary El Bulli.

Even during the Phase 2 period of safe distancing measures in Singapore, it's easy to forget that momentarily with the buzzy vibes at Olivia. 

The menu, which is a rotating repertoire of Catalan-style tapas and dishes are split into Bites, Dishes, and Specials. The Bites are more like the typical tapas, think cured meats, croquetas, padron peppers. The Specials are the bigger mains and best for sharing among small groups. The flavors are the heaviest in this category as well. 

We started with the Iberico Ham, Cheese and Truffle “Bikini” ($16). Well, as simple as it may sound, i was surprised by the milky and creamy center of the sandwich with a tinge of sharpness and the light crisp on the exterior. There's even that slight pull that you'd get in a grilled cheese sandwich. I would be very happy to have this every morning. 

Next, a pricey Mushroom and Truffle Croquettes (2pcs/$14). This is an intense mushroom soup encased in a breaded crust essentially. Bite into that golden crispy and out flows a velvety bechamel filling peppered with bites of mushrooms. Delicious it was but mind you it's $7 a pop. 

We toyed with the idea of a Ham, Mozzarella and Truffle Open Omelette ($26) but the flavors would probably be too similar to our appetizers. So the Octopus, Crispy Pork Belly and Potato foam ($38) it was. The kitchen split the dish nicely for the 2 of us even though we're quite happy to share. We were told to swirl the dish as there's some sweet confit onion hidden under the mash. This turned out to be very rich in flavor, mostly due to the starchy "potato foam" (it wasn't very airy). The octopus was fabulously handled by the kitchen and i'd gladly have more of the leg. 

We went with more seafood with the Black Rice with Grilled King Carabineros ($48). The rice is colored black with squid ink which gave the dish the deep sea flavor. Umami it was, and even more so when you squeeze some of that heady elixir from the red prawn heads. I love carabinero prawns for their intense sweetness and delicate scallop-like texture. 

We were absolutely stuffed with the savory dishes but well since Olivia was first made famous by their cheesecake, we simply had to try it for ourselves... right? It turned out to be our biggest mistake. Sorry this ain't no Basque burnt cheesecake and that center wasn't molten, it was just really watery. At first taste, the savory flavors of the cream and blue cheese filling were pleasant but what i didn't expect was this lingering bitterness from the blue cheese that also tasted like cheese rind and that taste lasted the entire night. Mind you, i love blue cheese, but even i hate this version of it. Needless to say, i'd never come back for this. There are also better cheese tarts e.g. Flor Patisserie.

Drinks wise, there're plenty of Spanish wines here to go with the food. We tried their bespoke cocktails instead. The briny Gin Me!! ($20) which uses olive brine, rosemary and elderflower was a savory and refreshing G&T that is martini-like. Jr's Black Beauty ($18) with Sailor Jerry, D.O.M, Blackberries, Lime, and Ginger Ale was way too sweet for my liking. 

The food at Olivia wasn't too bad but as i'm writing this post, i realised that the prices at Olivia has increased tremendously from the time that they first opened and this was across all the food items. The croquettes used to be half the price, which was fair. Anyway, if i were to come back again, i'd probably not order the cheesecake, like ever. Nor would i recommend it to anyone as well. 

Olivia Restaurant & Lounge

55 Keong Saik Road, #01-03, Singapore 089158

+65 6221 0522

Tue- Thu: 12 - 2pm, 6 - 10pm 

Fri - Sat: 12 - 2.30pm, 6 - 10pm

Chef's Table BBQ put the idea into us and so off to Meatsmith to scratch the itch, even if it meant eating dinner at 8pm (because we made a last minute reservation). And of course it had to be full on American smokehouse barbecue at the OG Telok Ayer outlet (Jr also prefers this to the Indian style bbq one at Campbell Road). 

I had reservations about the Platter for 2 ($90) given how small of an eater i am but Jr was very confident about finishing 6 meat items- brisket, pork ribs, pastrami burnt ends, pork belly burnt ends, brisket spring rolls, and fried buffalo wings. Looking at the presentation, you can tell who are the stars. So either go for the slabs of meats first or start with the smaller stuff. 

The brisket spring rolls were smashingly crunchy and filled with sweet shredded meat. A good bite to have to break the meaty monotony. Same goes for the spicy and very acidic buffalo wings. While i didn't have high expectations of them, they do help to spice things up a little. 

The pastrami ends has a super peppery rub on it and was a tad too salty for us. The pork belly was also a little plain despite its paprika spice rub but i assure you that the meat was meltingly good. 

Moving on to the mains, the beef brisket was as expected- smoky on the outside, tender overall, and gelatinous at some parts. Enjoy the natural meaty flavor on its own, or smear a little of the Meatsmith BBQ sauce. The ribs were great too and certainly one of the better ones around with the right amount of sweetness. 

The platter also came with the pickle plate and cornbread. I found the corn bread a tad too crumbly and it was hard to pick up the loose bits but yes that's just nitpicking. Love the flavors though. We also added on the slaw ($6) to refresh our palate. Must say we did pretty well in finishing the meal. 

Desserts are available too, S'mores tart sounded lovely but our stomachs were protesting. Expect a wide variety of whiskeys and bourbons, or perhaps an alcoholic Bourbon sweet tea.

Meatsmith

Telok Ayer

167/169 Telok Ayer Street

SINGAPORE 068620

21 Campbell Lane

SINGAPORE 209894

Where to for tapas that transports you to Spain? Well you have to visit Esquina, who is OG thatbrought us the authentic Spanish and Catalan flavors. Back in 2011, you have to wait in line at 6pm to snag a seat at this popular joint. I haven't been back since the chefs changed hands but i'm happy to report that Barcelona-born Head Chef Carlos Montobbio is doing a great job still. 

For the first time also, i dined at level 2, which is a flight away from the chaos and squeeziness on the ground floor. I'm not sure if the torturous metal counter chairs have been replaced but it was also impossible to have a proper conversation downstairs with the wide spacing of the seats. If you're on a date, i'd suggest getting a table upstairs. 

We started with the gorgeous thyme & onion bread with smoked sweet paprika butter ($12). The flaky crust gave way to buttery layers within. The flavor of the bread was sufficient on its own but who can resist more umami butter on this one? 

The chorizo ibérico croquetas, piquillo pepper mayo (2pc/$8) were spectacular too. The breaded exterior broke away to reveal a rich creamy center flavored with the smoky meat bits. Certainly a lot more value for money than some other Catalan restaurant nearby. 

A tapas that i've never had before even in Spain was the slow-baked sweet potato with ají amarillo, smoked quail egg, and puffed quinoa ($16). The light sweetness of the sweet potato balanced the sharp Peruvian yellow chili pepper sauce which strangely reminded me of a spicy nacho cheese. The little quail egg on top helped to thicken the sauce further. It was surprisingly pleasurable.  

Any decent Spanish restaurant would be measured by the standard of their pork and Esquina did well. The Spanish pork jowl, chipotle, pickled pear ($16) had the makings of a glorious sio bak- very buttery fats with a thick layer of crispy meat, balanced by a tangy chipotle mayo. The slightly sweetened jelly-like packham pear also helped to cut through the richness of the meat. 

The Grilled Spanish Octopus ($28) is another must-order at Esquina. The texture was spot on with a tender firmness (I hate the overly chewy ones) and there's that slippery layer of jelly between the crispy skin and the meat. The smoked potato foam was an lighter and more airy version of the famed Joël Robuchon potato mash and the chorizo broth added on to the smokiness without the richness of the meat itself. 

I forgot to take a photo of the Pyrenees Milk-fed Lamb with cous cous, “mojo picón” (a garlic pepper sauce) and pickled shimeiji. I've not had lamb this tender and it wasn't too gamey by Jr's standard (he would not pick lamb if given a choice). 

For desserts, the bread, chocolate, olive oil and sea salt has been on the menu for a while and for good reason. A substitute for churros and chocolate befitting of the vibe of the restaurant. 

Our spirits were lifted and refreshed with the Spanish strawberries with sweet basil sorbet, burnt marshmallow, and black olive powder ($15). Love the contrasting grassiness of the basil with the sweet berries. 

Wonderful experience at Esquina, few years too late but i'm glad they're still around! Definitely not my last visit for sure. 

Esquina

16 Jiak Chuan Rd, Singapore 089267
+65 6222 1616

Tuesday to Saturday: 12 – 2.30pm, 6 - 10.30pm

I'm a fan of SIRI HOUSE if you don't know. Tucked away in the lush greenery of Dempsey Hill, it is an art space, Collective Market retail store, and restaurant rolled into one. The menu, is one that celebrates the vibrance of the Modern Asian family table. The latest edition is based on the favorite food memories of Head Chef Leo Pang (formerly from Le Benardin) culinary team, and you can expect nostalgic flavors presented in new and inventive ways. 

Start with the bites to go with the apertifis. The restaurant’s signature Chicken Fat Cookie ($12), delightful buttery cookie has been given a face lift. Enhanced by chicken fat, topped with a curry spiced cream with chicken skin bits which eats like curry Twisties and peppered with turmeric mushroom dust, each bite brings back fond memories of snacking in front of the TV. 

The Papadum ($10) eats like an Indian roti prata/nacho, with a dip of curry creama spiced up with bits of smoked fish chili. Chef Leo's favorite childhood dish is roti prata with fish curry and that inspired this snack. We loved the light tang from the sour cream, which is very similar to the acidity in Indian fish curry. 

No traveling still so i'm making pretend with a bowl of IPPUDO ramen at their eighth dining outlet at Raffles City Shopping Centre which is just a couple of days old. The 80-seater serves not just their signature ramen, but is also the first sake bar concept with some dishes exclusive to it. 

Outfitted with an in-house sake cellar, diners can enjoy highlights such as Japanese-style Shochu Sour and around 20 types of sake. We had the refreshing sparkling sake CHIYOMUSUBI SORAH which helped to cut through the fat savory ramen. I'd also recommend the DASSAI Junmai Daiginjo 45 which is available by the glass!

The exclusive dishes range from salted egg and cheese fries ($6.80), to healthy pumpkin salad ($5.80), wings and also a Teppan Rice. 

The Teppan Rice is served with a medley of red and yellow peppers, corn, and crisp-fried IPPUDO ramen noodles. A homemade cheese lava sauce poured on to the sizzling hot plate to give the dish extra savoriness. You could add on grilled wagyu beef ($13.80) and pork ($12.80). I probably wouldn't come to Ippudo to eat this as a main but it's quite an interesting side to share. 

Are you tired of Avocado Toast and Eggs Benedict yet? Try a different brunch at Fat Prince, a modern Middle Eastern restaurant located on Peck Seah Street. Contemporary kebabs, mezzes and sharing mains are fired from a custom-made oven, accompanied by Fat Prince's unique "koktail" programme. 

Enjoy a Royal Brunch ($49), which comes with a choice of a dip, mezze/salad, main, and dessert, and also a welcome koktail. The permutations will keep you busy so here are my favorites. 

From the dips, I absolutely love the roasted cashew gremolata hummus ($12)with smoked paprika. I could feel myself filling up because i could not stop eating the toasted pita with this dip!

New Ubin has launched UbinEats for the solo diner craving for your local kopitiam fare but prefers to have it at home. The virtual restaurant dedicated to ‘Truly Singaporean’ ready-to-eat meals for one has launched with five sub brands—Ubin Nasi Lemak, Vijay Banana Leaf, Ah Koon Scissor Cut Curry Rice, Ah Ma Chicken Curry Noodles and Ah Boon Signatures, each representing the different ethnic groups in Singapore. 

The favorite of the lot goes to Vijay Banana Leaf devilish Chicken Masala ($12). Vijay is a long-serving New Ubin chef of South Indian descent who’s responsible for the many Indian dishes that have become signature mainstays on the tze char’s eatery menu. We loved how the heat from the chicken is balanced by the perfumed biryani basmati rice. The fluffiness of the rice was also what attracted us to the dish. The price tag is quite reasonable given the huge portion. 

Next favorite is the Ubin Nasi Lemak ($15). It's pricey but my mama was pretty satisfied with the fragrant coconut rice that has been cooked with pandan leaves. The sides are a bit different with a joo hee sambal, a sweetish sambal cuttlefish that wasn't too tough to eat, and a juicy and tendy piece of ayam bakar (charcoal grilled chicken). The thick slice of omelette was also very enjoyable, along with the spiced anchovies and sliced cucumbers.

Finally introduced Jr to The Spot! The Spot was one of my highly recommended restaurants of 2018 and i'm so glad that Chef Lee Boon Seng is still dishing up his creative European dishes using SEA ingredients! Trust me, you wouldn't regret making your way to Marina One for a meal. Plus there's a good selection of drinks with bottles with 1855 (i spend all my wine money there) and specials from the Macallen boutique. 

We were there for restaurant week and dinner featured mostly items from their main menu. To start, the cheese bread (a Pao de Queijo) with unsalted butter & paprika sea salt ($8) is the perfect savory bite that packs a punch. Lovely crust with a dense center, perfect with butter. 

Market garden greens with a pan seared, panko-like crusted foie gras that cuts like butter. sweetened with a wild stingless bee honey, a little blue cheese was snuck into this one as well to go with the greens.

The Char-grilled Octopus with preserved green papaya slaw, mint, peanut aka miso emulsion showcases Chef Boon Seng's clever take on modern Asian-European cuisine. The peanut aka miso is all too familiar, like our local rojak sauce and the association with Thai and Vietnamese cuisine is also strong with the use of the pickled fruit and herbs. Of course, the star is the smoky octopus. I always associate grilled octopus with Spanish cuisine, do you?

I was wowed then and i'm still impressed with the Grilled Hamachi ($38), which comes with a spring onion chimichurri, Ratte potato, white clams, in a coconut clam broth. The broth is a pseudo Thai Green curry and the sweet clams really shine in this dish. 

Kaya and Gula Aren Cream Choux bun. That's how i first got to know about Allium, which is surprisingly not a cafe/pastry shop. This sleepy little restaurant hidden in Kensington Square is helmed by Dillon Ng, formerly of The Humble Loaf and GastroSmiths, and his wife Lulu who is the pastry master here. Stepping into their 16-seater restaurant felt like someone's home and i kept mixing them up with some other private dining turn commercial place.

The food is all about sustainable produce though i could not figured out their cuisine focus, except that modern (presentation?) came up several times during my meal there. There's no need to put people/things into boxes of course but it does help a little with dining expectation. Nevertheless, if you like surprises, Allium's monthly menus with revolving cuisines would be your cup of tea (i guess that's why i kept thinking they did private dining before).

We had the prix fixe lunch menu ($58/pax nett) for July, which was inspired by the couple's memories of Japan, featuring Japanese home-style dishes. The meal was served the Teishoku way, as a set and all at once, which is perfect for a quick (or leisurely) lunch. The cold sides were a delight- a kombu-like Sustenir Kale tossed in a sweet-ish goma sauce, an umami julienned lotus root, and chunky slices of pickled daikon.