Selfish Gene Cafe

Who wouldn't be intrigued by the name of this cafe? I always thought the owner was inspired by the book The Selfish Gene (which I tried reading but it was too heavy going) but it turns out that it's named as such because Gene, the owner, is selfish when it comes to food- he would not serve anyone food that he would not eat himself. 

A nice cosy place where strangely enough, crowds didn't congregate here on a weekend.

I got myself a Breakfast Plate ($15.80). As usual, this didn't manage to fill me up because I have a pretty big appetite. But the food was good. The scrambled eggs were runny, the sauteed mushrooms were moist and infused with a herby garlicky flavour, the tomato confit was sweet (very surprisingly), the honey baked ham was normal and the bread was warm and fluffy.

We also got the Chocolate Cake ($5.80). While it was decent, it wasn't that fantastic. In my mind, I still can't forget the insane Death by Chocolate cake at Riders Cafe.

And the famed Banana Cake ($5.80) is really something worth getting. The crumble beneath the bananas gave a nice twist to this homely moist cake. So did the lines of peanut butter sauce over the cake- not a fan of peanut butter, but it was subtle and provided a different edge to the cake. Definitely worth getting this cake!

Service was friendly as well. Worth a visit!

Selfish Gene Cafe
40 Craig Road
Tel No.: 6 423 1324 

Read More

Chikusen Japanese Restaurant

At Tanjong Katong, some shops are perpetually crowded like the established Eng's Noodle House. Pity that Big Bad Wolf which served pretty decent fare closed down. Competition's tough along this road. Seeing that Chikusen was a new contender along this street, we decided to give it a try. 

Beautiful entrance, with a simple and clean design within the restaurant.

We ordered a lunch set which is available on weekends as well. I got a Tempura Set ($14). The appetiser was very savoury and the shredded cabbage was fresh. I know it's just lettuce, but I get irritated every time I see browned sides or if the cabbage is soggy.

The Chawan Mushi had a lot of ingredients in it including juicy mushrooms.

The tempura was lightly battered and not oily at all. The prawns were a little small though. The meal rounded off with a mango pudding which was a little too sweet for my liking.

This place is apparently better known for its higher-end food. But their lunch sets are affordable and definitely value for money. Service was very good as well. I dropped a utensil and one of the waitresses immediately replaced it without me having to ask for a replacement- that's initiative, good observation skills and service deserving of mention!

Chikusen Japanese Restaurant
309/311 Tanjong Katong Road
Tel No.: 6348 1966 

Read More

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  

Read More

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! 

Read More

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

Read More

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

Read More