Grub

Recently opened on 1 May 2013, this place has been receiving quite a bit of hype. To get here, you get to enjoy a walk through some greenery at Bishan Park. I like it that they serve "Food that we serve our own families" because I won't want to know how some the food we eat nowadays is prepared. 

I ordered the Crispy Fish Burger ($11) just because when I have no idea what to order, I go for fish and chips. This was a humongous piece of fish! I've never seen a fish burger looking like this before. The fish was deep fried to a nice crisp and the remoulade was perfect with the fish. Pity I'm not usually a fan of cod (hake fillet which is used here belongs to the same family). The fries were very ordinary.

My friends loved the churros!

Great surroundings and friendly service, although they can be a little short-handed. Food while pretty average is value for money. No reservations, so go slightly earlier to avoid the crowds!

Grub
Bishan Park 1
510 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
Singapore 569983
Tel No: 6 459 5743  

Rabbit Hole

My mum's effort in reading Alice in Wonderland to me when I was a kid has gone to utter waste- I can't remember anything about the story except that a person named Alice existed. Plus there was a Rabbit Hole. That's about it.

I read a synopsis of the movie Rabbit Hole a while back but never got around to watching it. So when I read the glowing reviews on the production, I decided it was time to get myself out from the couch to watch this. 

Lifted from their website:

Becca (Janice Koh) and Howie (Adrian Pang) are struggling to recover from a shocking accident. Caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, blame, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage, Howie lashes out and desperately seeks solace in a counseling group; while Becca opens up to her opinionated mother (Lok Meng Chue) and brash sister (Seong Hui Xuan), and secretly reaches out to the teenager (Eden Ang) responsible for the accident that changed everything.

Credit: TodayOnline

Interlocked with humour and moments which portray raw human emotions, this production really shined through with the stellar performance of the cast.

Get your tickets here! 

SPR MRKT

Finally got to try SPR MRKT last weekend after seeing how Bern from The Hungry Bunny repeatedly raves about the food here. Reservations are a must on weekends because we repeatedly saw how people didn't have seats because they didn't make any reservation. 

The theme behind this place is Food. Retail. Art. Food is easily explicable, how about Retail and Art? Little knick knacks like postcards are sold here and photographs/art are hung on the walls. The smell of toast envelopes this place which exudes a homely feel. Their menu changes on a daily basis so be sure to go to their website to check out the day's menu.

I got a Sausages & Mash ($16) which consists of two sausages made of korubuta pork, as well as fork mashed potato. To me, pork is pork. But I decided to check out what korubuta pork is and found out that it is "black hog" pork which comes from the Berkshire pig. Apparently, it's prized for its "juiciness, flavour and tenderness" (Wikipedia). Unfortunately, the sausages didn't really live up to expectations- they were pretty average. The sausages were a little too dry and tough. I wiped the delicious mashed potato clean though!

I also tried some of the Eggs Florentine ($14). To be honest, the portion is a little small compared to the ones I normally eat which come with an additional side like roasted potatoes etc. Nonetheless, the poached eggs and the toasted crumpets were done perfectly. That said, what's the difference between crumpets and English muffins? For those who are interested, here's what the intelligent internet tells me.

Food here is slightly above average. Atmosphere is great. Great thinking on the part of whoever arranged our seats- we got the only circular table in the whole shop as we had 6 people. If you are just looking for an afternoon to chill, consider this place!

SPR MRKT 
2 McCallum Street
Tel No: 6221 2105

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Raffles City)

Nam Nam Noodle Bar gave me a very good first impression even before I stepped into the restaurant. I normally do some research on where to eat because: (1) I wouldn't want to waste time over mediocre food, (2) I wouldn't want to make my wallet to be significantly lighter and (3) I wouldn't want to ruin my meal experience with bad service staff. After looking at so many websites, I have to say that Nam Nam's website is one of the best. Not only are there pictures, the price is also clearly stated- this is something that many shop owners don't do. 

I had the Pho Chicken ($7.90). The soup had a very clean taste to it but everything else (noodles and chicken) was pretty average. Compared to Long Phung, I'll choose Long Phung anytime.

The Grilled Chicken Banh Mi ($5.90) was rather impressive! The toasted baguette crumbles upon each bite and the pickled carrots and daikon made the Banh Mi very appetising. The chicken was tender and juicy as well.

The queues can get a little long and it's really packed in the restaurant. Nonetheless, the food is pretty worth it for its price!

Nam Nam Noodle Bar 
Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-46
Tel No: 6 336 0500

Canele

As the saying goes, there's always space in a girl's stomach for some desserts. Canele is one of the places that is always crowded. The macarons are always a pretty sight, but maracons are not my kind of thing- my dessert preference is kind of like me- mostly bitter or sour, unless you catch me on a good day. 

I always enjoy reading interesting descriptions of desserts- here's the description for the Le Citron (Lemon Tart) ($6.07): Zesty baked lemon curd, gently laid on a bed of almond perfumed crumble. The lemon curd possesses the power to wake anyone up- sour and yet somewhat neutralised by the sweetness. A layer of jelly-like glaze also added some texture to the dessert. I would have preferred a different tart to curd ratio though- there simply isn't enough tart!

And the description for the Le Chocolat Croustillant (Crispy Chocolate Cake) ($7.48) goes: A whimsical chocolate indulgence, using luscious Vanini chocolate mousse layered between a crispy chocolate praline & opulent Gianduja cream, surrounded by a wall of divine dark chocolate glaze & crushed hazelnuts.

I have a secret liking for chocolate cakes with a crispy base- Four Leaves sells this at a very affordable price- Coco Exotic. Salt is always a secret weapon in every pastry chef's armoury. Slightly bitter and slightly sweet, the salt always manages to give a slight kick to the cake. Given how much I like the crispy base, need I say anything more else about the crispy chocolate praline?

Desserts are not bad. Service was average- waitress didn't care that we didn't have water, but that's fine.

Canele
Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-46/47
Tel No: 6334 7377