JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach

We were looking for somewhere to have a staycation and to our pleasant surprise, realised that we had sufficient points to book a free night at JW Marriott Hotel. 

1. Location 

The location is unbeatable. It is right smack in the city centre and a short walk away from City Hall MRT / Esplanade MRT. Raffles City Shopping Centre is also a 7-12 minutes walk away. There is no lack of eating options in the area. 

This is how they bribe their guests- yummy gummies! These were placed near the entrance and what a pity we only saw it on the last day because these gummies were delicious.

The check in was fast and the lobby exuded a modern flair. The lifts were a little psychedelic, with the colours of the lights changing frequently.

3. Room 

The room was generally nice, but could do with some carpet cleaning as there were some stains on the carpet which was a little off-putting. There was a long corridor that led to the bed. It is obvious that this hotel is going down the modern / trendy route, with modern paintings splashed across the wall, and the cupboards / walls adorned with mirrors. I am a little mirror phobic and hence chose the side of the bed which did not face the mirror. We got pretty good views from the 14th floor. Plenty of TV channels including international channels. The bed was comfortable. 

4. Toilet 

If anything, I liked the toilet more than the room because it felt like the guy who designed the toilet is someone who finally understands travellers. The sink was extraordinarily wide to contain splashes, there was a stool outside the shower area so that you could put your clothes there (instead of walking some distance to the clothes hooks), mats were already placed at the areas which would always be wet (i.e. next to the bathtub and outside the shower area) so that you didn't need to figure which were bath towels and which were bath mats. Finally, someone who understands.

The bathtub, the shower area and the toilet were located in three separate areas. For those who enjoy the automated toilet bowls, you have it here.

I seldom use the bath products from hotels because they often make my hair express their unhappiness in the form of extreme tangles which takes forever to unknot. However, Marriott's bath products have generally proven to be good and these aromatherapy bath products did not disappoint.

Rain showers in major hotel chains are generally expected nowadays and this was no exception. There was good water pressure and no issue with the water temperature.

5. Amenities 

Even if you do not swim, you should definitely go to the swimming pool to have a look. It's ideal for admiring the beautiful skyline. You should go once at night and once in the morning as the feel is different at different times of the day.

It was extremely relaxing to just sit at the benches by the pool and enjoying the morning breeze.

Bonus: In addition to the swimming pool, there is also a pool table and a foosball table.

It is great for  people who want to do something other than swimming / going to the gym. How about a table tennis table next?



Large comfortable sofas for people to just relax and chill.

There was also a gym which looked pretty well-equipped.

6. Service 

Service was polite and the staff were always ready to render their assistance. They also took note of my request for a higher floor.

7. Overall 

A comfortable stay, but the prices are probably a little steep for a comparable five star hotel.

JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach 
30 Beach Road
Singapore 189763
Tel No: 6818 1888 

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Tiong Bahru Bakery (Raffles City)

Tiong Bahru Bakery used to be crowded all the time at its Eng Hoon branch. It was therefore good news when they set up branches in the city as well. 

After a heavy lunch, we decided to get some dessert. I got an Almond Croissant ($4.20). I didn't use to be a fan of croissants because to me, they were just pastry loaded with butter. However, recently I tried the almond croissants at AM Bakery and got hooked onto it. The Almond Croissant here is flaky, crispy and dense with almond paste, with a generous sprinkling of sliced almonds on the exterior. 

We also had a Lemon Tart ($6.10). The sweetness and sourness of the lemon tart were well balanced, with neither overpowering the other. It made for a nice post-lunch perk-me-up.

Tiong Bahru Bakery 
Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
Singapore 179103
Tel No: 6333 4160 

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Poulet (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

Poulet is one of those places that we go to when we can't decide what to eat and want something safe. 

Poulet is of course best known for their Roast Chicken with Mushroom Chardonnay. We wanted to try something new and went ahead with the Roast Chicken with Black Pepper Sauce ($30.90). I guess it helps that since their main draw is their roast chicken, they constantly roast a few at the same time, and our order got served very quickly.

We are never disappointed by the roast chicken at Poulet, always timed to perfection - slightly crispy skin and moist inside. The sauce tastes different from the usual black pepper sauce and was mildly peppery. I guess if you wanted, you could eat the peppercorns which would lend a stronger peppery taste- they made this dish look almost Christmasy. Between the Mushroom Chardonnay and the Black Pepper Sauce, I prefer the Mushroom Chardonnay.

We can also never go wrong with the Tiramisu ($9.90) which in this market of over-priced desserts, is one that we think is value for money because of its large portion. It is also not too sweet and has enough soaked lady fingers, instead of some desserts where it is just 90% cream.

Good and attentive service.

Poulet 
Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-65/66
Tel No: 6336 3119 

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Naughty Nuri's

Naughty Nuri's originated in Ubud, Bali. Too bad we missed it the last time we went to Ubud. Now they have brought Naughty Nuri's to us. 

Reservations are a must here. Once, we reached here at 8 p.m. on a Friday night and were told that they were full. On another occasion, we reached at around 12 p.m. and a couple who came at around 12.30 p.m. were told that they were full.

We ordered a St Louis Half Rack ($18.80). The ribs are marinated in balinese spices and glazed on charcoal with an "Asian BBQ sauce". Slightly spicy, the sauce was appetising - just that sauce and rice will make a great dinner. The meat was tender and fell off the bone easily. It is one of the better ribs I have tried in my recent memory.

The Nasi Goreng ($11.80) came with a generous portion of fried rice, with a mixture of healthy brown rice. The chicken satay was moist and was coated with a layer of sweet sauce that tasted like that used for the ribs. The only thing that was a let down in this dish was the prawns which were a little tasteless.

Naughty Nuri's 
Capitol Singapore
15 Stamford Road
#01-84
Tel No: 6384 7966 

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Dazzling Cafe

Decked in Tiffany blue, Dazzling Cafe had long queues forming when it first opened at Capitol Piazza. Dazzling Cafe originates from Taiwan and is known for its shibuya toasts. 

This is your typical pretty cafe- little pots of flowers, whimsical decoration and random quotes on the wall.

We ordered a Black Chocolate Honey Toast ($17.90) to share which consisted of strawberries and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. I very much preferred the shibuya toast at After You in Bangkok. The shibuya toast here was decent but a little dry and not fluffy. Also, I don't know whether it was because we were sitting directly under the sun that the ice cream melted at an astounding rate such that a pool of chocolate liquid quickly formed on the toast.

It's a place where you can take pretty pictures to your heart's content, but I wouldn't come here again for its desserts.

Dazzling Cafe
Capitol Piazza
15 Stamford Road
#01-85

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Mikuni

Few hours after leaving Mikuni, I was still mumbling to myself, "What a good meal... what a good meal..." With the blessings of an Amex card, we enjoyed 50% off the total bill. 

It was fully packed on a Friday evening and if you booked early, you could decide whether to sit at the counters or at the "proper" sitting areas. Their ventilation is pretty powerful, I didn't smell like smoke after the meal even though I sat at the teppanyaki counter for the entire meal.

First, we had some complimentary thinly-sliced crackers with sprinkles of seaweed. It had gone a little soft though.

What is a Japanese meal without some Salmon ($20)? These thick slabs of salmon were fresh and creamy.

I was having an internal debate whether to order the Hokkaido Sweet Corn ($15). It is a little insane to pay so much for corn but I decided I had to get it since it says "Hokkaido". Hokkaido has fantastic fresh produce and I simply couldn't resist being the fool who pays $15 for corn. I haven't reached the stage of fishing out $100 for a Hokkaido musk melon though. The sweet, buttered corns were huge and lightly buttered, making each bite a delight. There was also some salt at the side- I didn't know that corn went well with salt!

We ordered some Hokkaido Scallops ($32). Chunks of plump scallops were swimming in butter sauce.

We also had the Kurobuta Pork Rib ($40). The portions were far too much for 2 to share. I don't often describe pork as tender because it often isn't. But here, the pork was tender, and had a thin layer of fat which didn't feel all that sinful at all. Simple flavours but delicious all the same.

The lobster ($48) covered in lots of roe and melted cheese was juicy and sweet. I would have preferred it with less cheese though because the cheese became a little gelat after a while.

We ordered the King Crab Fried Rice ($18). Aside from the fact that the rice was on the salty side, this fried rice was definitely worth ordering. There was so much crab meat in this that you would get some crab meat with every mouth of rice. The rice grains were also distinct without being too dry.

To round off the meal, we got the Ice Mochi Assortment ($28). The mochi flavours were vanilla, green tea and an unidentified flavour. There was nothing special about the dessert and this was the only dish I wished I hadn't ordered.

Overall, a memorable meal.

Mikuni
Level 3
Fairmont Singapore
80 Bras Basah Road
Tel No: 6431 6156

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Sufood

My mum told me that she and her colleagues really liked the food at Sufood. I have heard about Sufood for some time but only got about visiting this establishment which is meat-free and inspired by Italian cuisine. 

We ordered the Set ($29.80++) where you could choose from a variety of salads, soups, mains, desserts and drinks.

Our Sufood Appetiser consisted of a trio of poached Japanese yuca root drizzled with a blueberry coulis, a stack of oriental, white water snowflake greens and a cherry tomato jelly. The server told us that we should eat the appetiser from the right to left. I thought I would enjoy the cherry tomato jelly but it tasted like sour plums (which I do not eat).

Next up was the Rosemary Breadsticks which were soft and fresh.

I ordered the Mushroom Salad which came with button and shiitake mushrooms in a vinegar dressing. I liked how light and refreshing this salad was, with the vinegar to get your stomach juices flowing!

The soup was a Misto Mushroom Soup which was mixed mushrooms simmered in vegetable stock. The mushroom overdose was starting to kick in at this point in time. It was light and tasted a little flat.

This was my favourite dish of the lot and I am glad I ordered the Wild Mushroom Charcoal Tagliatelle. The tagliatelle, mixed with fragrant garlic and chilli, went well with the chewy king oyster mushrooms.

I ended off the meal with a Mango Frollino which is a cake with mango cubes, blueberry and custard sauce. This was decent with crispy strudel crust.

I had high expectations of this place because of the rave reviews that I had seen online. However, I found the food here, at the most, slightly above average. If I had craving for vegetarian food, unless I am looking for a place that looks presentable and has nice plating, this would not be my top choice. That said, this place has a fresh offering of vegetarian food that is not offered at usual vegetarian stalls. Service is also friendly. 

Sufood
Raffles City Shopping Centre
#02-19
Tel No: 63335338 

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Anti:dote

This is definitely one of the more exciting dining experiences I have had so far. 

Reservations for the high tea ($45++) are a must here.

The afternoon tea menu is here.

There were two different menus. You could choose between the Anti:dote tea or the Oriental tea. The only difference is the starters. For the Anti:dote tea menu, there is the Anti:dote black truffle scrambled eggs whereas for the oriental tea menu there is a selection of steamed and fried Hong Kong dim sum.

For me, it was a no brainer to go for the Anti:dote black truffle scrambled eggs because I love the taste of anything with truffle (whether truffle or truffle oil which is essentially a chemical compound).

In any genre of music, the introduction matters a lot because it sets the stage for the entire piece. Make sure it's something original, refreshing and endearing and this will be the winning recipe for the piece. The Anti:dote black truffle scrambled egg was precisely this important introduction. Besides the fragrant smell of the truffle which hits you instantly, the deep fried breadsticks were a perfect accompaniment to the runny texture of the scrambled eggs. I scrapped every bit of the egg clean.

Next up was the drawer of food. Top layer contained the desserts, first drawer contained sandwiches, second drawer contained scones and the last drawers contained biscuits, together with the accompaniment to the scones.

Everything about this was picture perfect. Taste wise, I preferred the sandwiches more than the desserts. We decided that we needed a strategy when eating these beautiful dainty little things- alternating between sweet and savoury so that we won't get a sudden sugar rush.

The sandwiches were really the star of the show. While the waitress explained to us what these were individually, we didn't really listen attentively because we couldn't start feasting away. We started off the with Smoked salmon, lemon and dill cream cheese and ikura roe because it was probably considered the most conventional of the lot. Then we moved on to the Boston lobster roll with confit lemon and chervil.  Prior to trying this, I didn't know what chervil was. Chervil is a herb related to parseley which might have ruined my experience of eating this roll since I do not like parsley at all. But the juicy lobster served as a good distraction.

This was followed by the Iberico ham quiche, with mozarella and black truffle. I am partial towards anything with mozarella. The ham and mozarella was scented with truffle and laid onto a puff pastry. Then the Confit duck rillette with foie gras terrine with pickled onion- unfortunately, this tasted more like tuna to me. Of all the sandwiches, this appealed the least to me. We ended with the Coronation curried chicken with apple. This was a very interesting combination where even the pastry had curry powder added to it. However, the apple taste was non-existent.

The scones (raising and candied ginger) came together with your choice of strawberry jam, Devonshire clotted cream, lemon curd. If I didn't realise how much fats each scone contained, I wouldn't mind eating them all day long. Leaving aside the fat content of scones, every bite of the scone brings you a little closer to England. Imagine having scones on your patio on a lovely spring day.

If you are looking for high tea and somewhere refreshing, look no further!

Fairmont Singapore
80 Bras Basah Road
Tel No: 6431 5315 

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Oscar's Cafe & Terrace (Conrad)

After my first visit here two years ago, I revisited Oscar's last week. The quality of the food was good but it seemed that the variety was lacking. 

The usual- salad bar. 

Huge slabs of sashimi were placed in the glass counters and would be cut upon your request. I requested for salmon and they cut a thick slice of the salmon which was succulent and very fresh.

If you like frozen seafood, they have scallops, prawns, mussels and crayfish for you to choose from. Surprisingly, the crayfish and prawns retained their juiciness.

There was a counter outside where you had your pick of prawn noodles, laksa, bak kut teh etc. I had such a kick out of eating this prawn noodle. Savoury but not too salty, the prawn noodles soup was balanced and the chilli raised the shiokness of the soup by one notch.

There were also stations for Indian food and Italian food. I didn't try the Indian food because nothing looked too attractive. The Italian food counter had roasted meats, pasta etc.

Desserts time! You must try the their signature Chocolate Royal Hazelnut Crust. Rich chocolate laid on a crunchy and fragrant hazelnut crust- it's a crime not to go for second servings.

On a side note, a few years back, I won a Christmas cake from Conrad for joining some competition- that was when my love-relationship began with Conrad. Sadly, I think they have stopped making the Christmas cake. Every Christmas, I still dream of the whirlwind romance I had with this dense chocolate cake laced with orange flavour.

There was also a waffle-making counter. The waffles were very dark at the bottom, suggesting that they were slightly burnt? But the lady manning the waffles counter said that they weren't. So I took it and asked for a scoop of ice cream on it. Clearly, the waffles were slightly burnt as it was bitter. Nonetheless, the ice cream made up for it, definitely serving good quality ice cream here!

There was a variety of chocolates to choose from- by then, my guilt index had shot up so much that I could no longer convince myself to take a piece of chocolate.

Ended the meal with a cup of cappuccino.

The buffet is definitely above average. At a price tag of $54++, the quality and freshness of the food justify the price, although variety can be improved. Service is also good and friendly.

Oscar's Café & Terrace 
Conrad Centennial
2 Temasek Boulevard, Lobby Level
Tel No: +65 6432 748

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