Monday, April 1, 2013

Gunther's

Restaurant Week 

X and I didn't make any reservations this Restaurant Week after having been to 8 places during the last 2 Restaurant Weeks haha. We have tried every restaurant that we wanted to except that I really wanted to go to Gunther's! Gunther's is new on the list and I wanted to go really badly but X was super busy during Restaurant Week ): BUT, thank God for fellow food bloggers! 

Charleen, Derrick, Nicole and I met at Gunther's for lunch. We were notified earlier on that we only had an hour to dine. Our reservation was at 11.15 and I only got there at 11.40! I almost panicked haha

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Warm and fragrant mini baguette

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Cold Angel Hair Pasta, Tomato, Mozzarella, Ham

A simpler rendition of their signature Cold Angel Hair Pasta, Oscietra Caviar. Even without the caviar, this dish was delicious right down to the last strand. Cold and springy pasta with paper-thin savory ham and chewy small blocks of mozzarella, heaven was never closer. Quite a generous portion for a starter but it was definitely insufficient! We were all craving for more!

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Carpaccio Wagyu Beef, Tartare Style

Top quality beef that not everyone will take too. It's too raw for me but Derrick loved it!

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Pan-roasted Foie Gras, "a la dragees" (additional $15)

Perfectly roasted and tantalizing foie gras that is topped with crunchy almond bits. The almond complemented the roasted foie gras so well and enhanced the taste of the lightly crisp and melt-in-your-mouth slab of happiness.

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Love it to bits.

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Pork Ribs, Provencale Style

A giant piece of pork rib coupled with extremely delicious tomato omu rice. The tomato omu rice was rich and tasty with hints of spices that do not overwhelm your tastebuds. Every bite of the pork rib was joy and you really can't help but relish it. Brilliant and impeccable.

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Grilled Brittany Cod Fish, Couscous of vegetables

The cod fish pales a little in comparison to the pork ribs in terms of its portion and taste. The fresh cod fish was delicious with the creamy mushroom based sauce that it was partnered with. It does not leave as strong an impression as the pork ribs though!

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English Breakfast Tea Bavarois, Salty Caramel

The pudding like Bavarois sits in a lemongrass infused sauce that tasted a little too strong on its own but was immaculate with the bavarois and the oh-so-good salty caramel. I took really long to eat this as I savoured every mouthful. Pure goodness.

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Petit Fours

The thin almond cracker was fragrant and crunchy and the dark chocolate praline was really good. The madelaine was buttery and plain and probably the least outstanding but it was a simple end to the meal

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Coffee

Gunther's is incredible, superb and just downright impressive. They're elaborate in every aspect, from the plating to service. For the cold angel hair pasta, the dish that it was served in was cold. The pasta was, thus, kept at its optimum temperature for consumption. For the pork ribs and bavarois, the dishes were warm. I was really impressed! The restaurant is cozy and unpretentious with a smart casual dress code. And service was top-notch. The chef also spoke to us personally asking us how we found the food. We were initially told that we only had an hour to dine but the dishes weren't served all that quickly so the meal was extended but we never felt pressured to rush into our food. It was truly a wonderful dining experience!


36 Purvis Street
#01-03

Mon - Sat: 12:00 - 15:00
Mon - Sat: 18:30 - 22:30

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Love, K

K's rating of Gunther's : 9.5/10

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Le Cuisson

Conveniently located in a busy coffee shop near Buona Vista MRT and a short walking distance away from the nearest bus stop, La Cuisson might just be the place for you if you're looking for affordable and decent French food. Parking is readily available at the relatively huge carpark behind the coffeeshop. You'll have to drive towards NTUC and Hans to find the carpark!

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Foie Gras Salad - $12
Pan seared foie gras, mesclun with house dressing

The salad was pretty average but the sweet apple bits were quite yummy

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Sous Vide Pork Neck - $15
Cooked for 5 hours with low temperature, served with purple cabbage slaw and mash

The three pieces of meat sit atop a bed of mashed potatoes and also, a sauce that tasted very much like mustard. The sauce was strong and sharp and chokes you a little. The meat was nicely crisp on the outside but was too tough. Also, the portion was rather small and I was still hungry after I've finished it.

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Angus Hanging Tender - $18
A flavourful cut of beef, served with mash, confit shallots and garlic

We weren't asked how we'll like the beef to be done when we were placing our orders. Thankfully, this cut of beef was not overly done. It was a little too bloody for us though. I liked how the beef is thinly crisp on the top layer and tender when you bite into it. The sweet caramelized onions were a much welcomed garnish that added sweetness to the dish. The portion was reasonable and I can understand why it is one of the more popular dishes! If you were to dine at La Cuisson, I recommend this!

The stall operates on a self-service system which is not exactly very efficient because they just tell you to come back in 5 to 10 minutes.


40 Holland Drive

Tue - Sun: 11:00 - 14:00
Tue - Sun: 17:30 - 21:00

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Love, K

K's rating of Le Cuisson : 6/10

Monday, March 25, 2013

Club Street Social

After brunch at O'Batignolles, we walked about 20 metres to our next destination, Club street Social, for desserts!

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We really like the tiles!

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Warm and rustic.
Think the place will look prettier at night!

Club Street Social serves salads, soups, main courses, desserts and breakfast items such as French toast, yogurt and panini

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Iced Latte

There are 5 choices for dessert and 4 of them were calling out to me.
It was a tough decision to make.

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Lemon Tart - $7

X chose the lemon tart which was pretty good. Almost the right balance of sweet and sour but I feel that the crust could be better!

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Because I love salted caramel and s'mores very much, I picked this instead of the nutella bread pudding. I didn't know what to expect but I was definitely disappointed when this arrived 15 minutes later. It was nothing like its name? There was no trace of s'mores and the salted caramel did not taste like salted caramel. This tasted like chocolate and condensed milk on toast. We didn't like it very much. I guess the only good thing was the huge portion, and we didn't finish it. Well, didn't think I was gonna have bread for dessert..

Service was quite good and the place is cozy and pretty chill. A little too dark for brunch though haha

5 Gemmill Lane
Mon - Fri: 11:00 - 22:30
Sat: 09:00 - 22:30
Sun: 09:00 - 21:00

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Love, K
K's rating of CSS : 6/10

Monday, March 18, 2013

O'Batignolles

X and I were on the way to Club Street Social for brunch on a Saturday afternoon when we drove past O'Batignolles and I saw "Brunch from Paris". That got me excited haha. O'Batignolles is located just about 20 metres away from CSS. After looking at the menus from both places, we decided to have brunch here before heading to CSS for dessert. Parking is available right outside the restaurant.

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Isn't the shop front adorable! Can't wait for our trip to Europe this May!

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Hot chocolate - $6.50

The hot chocolate tasted more like a warm glass of milk with a very slight hint of chocolate. I was definitely disappointed

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Eggs Benedict (with Swiss Coppa) - $13

I asked if I could change my salad to something else and the server kindly offered bacon! The hollandaise was more on the bland side but the savory parma ham made up for it. Pretty small portion though

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Eggs Pacifico(with Smoked Salmon) - $13 

X thought the salad was quite good and the rest of the dish to be just average. Also, the pieces of smoked salmon were rather small.

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Mini Pain Au Chocolat - $3

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The pain au chocolat was crispy and fluffy but I felt it wasn't fragrant or sweet enough

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Cute little bucket!

Service was good and the servers were really nice and warm. However, we had to wait for quite a long while before our food was served. The cafe is simple but cozy and it's a really nice place to relax and spend a lazy weekend afternoon just reading the papers or watching the world go by. 


2 Gemmil Lane

Mon - Fri: 12:00 - 00:00
Sat: 11:00 - 00:00

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Love, K

K's rating of O'Batignolles : 6.5/10

Friday, March 15, 2013

Valentine's Day Present

My belated Valentine's Day gift that I took a whole day to open haha

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X is extremely thoughtful so he wrapped the present up.
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First layer

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Second

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Third

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Fourth

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And this was what was inside the toilet roll?!?!

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The REAL thing

Photobucket Hehe so pretty! Love the colourful geometric prints!

Thanks X! [:


Love, K

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Violet Oon's Kitchen

Violet Oon's Kitchen has been on X's to-go-list for the longest time and finally, we made it here! X brought his parents along because he knew Peranakan cuisine holds a special place in their hearts.

The restaurant boasts signature Nyonya fare and interpretations of local favourites but also serves dishes such as seafood pie and black pepper prawn pasta which cater to taste buds that are not so accustomed to local spices and flavours.

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Adore the tiles!

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Latte - $5

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Dry Mee Siam - $17
Fresh rice noodle fried in meesiam chilli sambal, topped with prawns, julienned beancurd and Chinese chives

A dry version of the popular meesiam! X's parents said it was yummy! 

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Babi Pong Tay - $19
Belly of pork slow-braised with dried mushrooms and bamboo shoots flavoured with yellow-bean paste, cinnamon and cloves. Served with white rice, sambal timun and sambal belachan

Incredibly tender and flavourful pork belly that will seize your heart as it melts in your mouth!

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Fish Tempra - $24
Fried fillet of baby sea bass topped with a sweet, sour and mildly hot sauce of chillies, onions, sweet soya sauce and lime. Served with white rice and atchara

The sea bass was perfectly crisp on the outside and it was soft and moist on the inside. The portion is also, very reasonable. Love the sweet and slightly spicy black sauce! My favourite dish!

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Vio's Chicken Curry with Roti Jala - $21
Chicken pieces stewed in Violet's homemade curry powder and coconut cream. Served with traditional laced pancake

This was what I picked. HAHA the one who is unable to take chilli always chooses the spiciest dish. The thick curry carries a strong coconut taste and it was, as expected, too spicy for me. Haha but please remember my standard of spiciness. This is probably not spicy at all for many of you! The curry comes with potatoes which are pan fried before they are added to the curry and a huge piece of chicken leg!

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The roti jala carried a subtle hint of sweetness and it's pretty soft.
Quite a unique combination with the curry.

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Bubor Cha Cha Panna Cotta - $9

This was way too sweet but it's an interesting fusion!

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Sticky Toffee Date Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream - $13

The warm, moist and soft cake was a winner! Paired with sweet toffee sauce and a scoop of vanilla icecream, this dessert might be a tad too sweet for some but I loved it!

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Pulut Hitam with Vanilla Ice Cream - $9

The pulut hitam is rich and heavy and it was perfect for X's mum because she's not a fan of sweet stuff. Vanilla icecream proves to be an impressive substitute for coconut milk as it sweetens up the dish and the clash of temperatures was pleasantly delightful.


The servers were very attentive and even though they made a mistake in our orders, they wasted no time in rectifying it. Also, free parking is readily available near the stretch of restaurants!

Cleverly fusing flavours from the present and past, Violet Oon's Kitchen's renditions of traditional goodness will leave a lasting impression on you.


881 Bukit Timah Road
Tue - Thu: 11:30 - 22:00
Fri - Sun: 11:30 - 00:00

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Love, K

K's rating of Violet Oon's : 8/10