Hype-worthy burgers at Shake Shack, Neil Road

Finally tried the burgers at Shake Shack and I have to say I'm suitably impressed. Expectations were met and our bellies happily stuffed. While I'm not a burger person (always preferred a hunk of steak), these burgers were satisfying and delicious, delivering a perfect punch in the fast food category. 

I love the Shroom Burger the most followed by the Smoke Shack, while purist KW preferred their Shack Burger. The boys had a burger each and filled their tummy with tons of fries. We didn't have any desserts this time round but no doubt they will be on our minds the next time we visit. 

Indulgent heartiness at Butcher's Block

Our tiny island probably has a very healthy per capita when it comes to fine steakhouses. If truth be told, an irrational increase in price doesn't necessarily get you quality all the time. I can count the number of times we have had steak in a restaurant and left feeling disappointed. That said, when it comes to a celebratory meal with the family, we still default to steakhouses as the lure of a well-charred medium rare steak can't be beat.

The grand dame herself Raffles Hotel has finally re-opened to the the public after a substantial facelift and spots new restaurants with Butcher's Block being one of them. We decided to visit the said restaurant for my father-in-law's birthday.

The interior - navy sleek, as opposed to black - seems to suggest 'We take our food very seriously but not to the extent, we take the fun out of fine dining.' Rightly so, as the service was warm and personable, remarkably understanding of our rambunctious boys.

After our orders were taken, bread was served butler-style, along with butter and sea salt. Yes, I didn't take a picture of the bread tray as it would be have weird - trust me, I did consider for like, 3 seconds whether to take a picture. The bread selection was surprisingly modest (I think we have been spoilt by some really fancy bread selection) but made for a suitable canvas for the amazing butter and coarse sea salt. The boys knocked themselves out with too much bread and butter.

JAPANESE CLUB SANDO

The three starters we had really shined. A must-order is the Japanese Club "Sando."  Iberico pork katsu sandwiched between buttered toast. An elevated steak sandwich? Maybe but it was really really good.

CARPACCIO

The carpaccio was a hearty protein mix of finely-sliced carpaccio, mushrooms, Comte cheese and pine nuts. Again, an elevated dish and a really good one.

FLATBREAD

Our last starter was described as a "Lebanese pizza." Elevated pizza 2.0. Yummy, surprisingly moist and quite filling too.

Butcher's Block prides itself on their fine cuts, which hang out at their Meat Vault till they are gloriously booked and cooked. We decided to go with the Rangers Valley WX Grain-fed MB7+ Porterhouse 1.2kg, which comfortably fed 4 adults. Hearty and gratifying, this is the reason why we turn to steakhouses again and again for celebrations.

PS I do love how they carved up the steak by our table.

Grilled radicchio salad, gratinated macaroni and sautéed spinach - worthy side dishes for the worthy steak.

A few cheeses made their way in before desserts. The love for cheeses in our family in real, especially with 5 year old Lucas. 

Our meal ended with a bevy of desserts - chocolate tart, not a creme brûlée and the standout pear tart. We were stuffed to the gills and more, but the crispy airy madelines were wiped out effortlessly. 

Team Lunch at The Providore

I wasn't expecting much to be honest but the pappardelle and club sandwich were pretty darn awesome. Cheers to carbs x

PS Cafe, Raffles City & One Fullerton

I have a soft spot for PS Cafe. It was a regular haunt of mine pre-marriage, pre-kids aka A LIFETIME AGO. If you searched for 'PS Cafe' on my blog, you might find more then 10 articles. Heck, I even did a dessert summary post not once (link), but twice (link). Oh, those young and carefree days.

I found myself at PS Cafe twice over the past couple of weeks - a surprise birthday for a friend at Raffles City and celebrating Russell's graduation with my in-laws at One Fullerton.

PS. TRUFFLE SHOESTRING FRIES

At Raffles City, I tried a couple of new-to-me dishes but before we committed to anything, an order for them truffle fries were made. You should have seen the carnage. It's like watching people overdose on crack - not pretty.

PS. CAESAR SALAD + GRILLED CHICKEN

poached egg, smoked bacon, baby cos, baked croutons, parmesan, chef's dressing

SUZY’S SPAGHETTI CRAB ‘MEE GORENG’ 

wok-fried with fresh crab, king prawns, spicy tomato sauce, silver sprouts

BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN

smoked jalapeno aioli & bbq sauce

I don't know what was more amusing - that we ordered mee goreng or that it was actually pretty good. I was really surprised by how much I liked this dish.

Fried chicken isn't groundbreaking but they are absolutely irresistible fresh out of the flyer. Awesome sharing dish.

 

PS CAESAR SALAD 

 

GRILLED CORN RIBS 

WINTER SALAMI MARGHERITA

tomato, mangalista salami, mozzarella, scamorza, cheddar

BIANCA FUNGI

portobello, king oyster & button mushrooms, sage, 

mozzarella, truffle oil, garlic confit

At PS Cafe One Fullerton,the pizzas were good with generous toppings - albeit on the chewy side. Undoubtedly, we ended our meal with a darling sticky date pudding chosen by Russell. 

Soup-ed Up, PasarBella Suntec

Tried out this new place for lunch. Good, hearty soups. We had their butternut squash and curried cauliflower. I hear the chicken meatball is amazeballs. The accompanying sourdough is dope.

Umi + Vino, Marina Square

I’m not shy to admit we are a bunch of terribly unadventurous eaters. We like tried-and-tested. We have our familiar favourites. And we know what works for us. But every now and then, we surprise ourselves by visiting a new eatery. Really helps if there is a handsome discount too. *cough*

One Sunday morning, I found an amazing deal for Umi + Vino, which was too good to pass up. 50% off at 11:30am... Cue happy dance.

To be fair, the dishes were all well-executed. We enjoyed everything we ordered and the kids ate really well (always a bonus in my books). However, portions were quite small and the dishes lack a pizzazz that warrant the original steep prices.

The highlight of our meal was the Kombu & Scallop Angel Hair; it was distinctively moreish, perhaps the only dish I would pay full price for. The Ribeye Wagyu was a crowd pleaser, while the Wagyu short rib was gloriously tender. Very good but on the meh side. I have come across one too many dry duck confits; while missing its crisp skin, this duck confit was juicy and fall-off-ya-bone.

Kombu & Hokkaido Scallop Pasta

Aus Wagyu Ribeye

6-hr Slow Roasted Wagyu Beef

48-hr Duck Confit, Parma Ham & Lentils

Panamericana, Sentosa Golf Club

Confession: I really don't like searching for restaurants. Each time I have research somewhere to go, I feel like I have sacrificed two hours of my life doing absolutely nothing productive.  Nowadays, my needs are a lot more different - decent food, great service and most importantly, a relaxinggggg environment. I can't emphasise this enough. And perhaps for this reason, I chose somewhere farrr awayyy for my birthday meal. 

My birthday treat with my better half took place at Panamericana. The restaurant that is located at Sentosa Golf Club was expectedly quiet for a weekday lunch. Perfect for a quiet lunch. 

We ordered a few signatures, namely their corn (which was super moreish), bone marrow and only one meat entree, the lamb, as our server kindly informed us that two meats would have been too much. The meal was enjoyable though I would struggle to make a trip out on a regular weekend. Their sticky date pudding was pleasant too but I had a sticky date pudding at PS Cafe the night before which was unforgettable so this rendition was runner-up at best. 

The highlight I have to admit was the surprise from my bae. The man who loathes telling restaurants about anniversaries and birthdays as he dislikes the unnecessary fanfare and attention actually informed the restaurant about my birthday. 

We were gifted a plate of ridiculously amazing churros that take the cake (haha, pun intended) for being one of the best churros I've had in recent memories. 

Corn 

Cuban-style, chilli citrus salt, manchego 

Bone Marrow 

Roasted, eschallot-thyme confit, sourdough 

Lamb 

350g, 7- hour slow roasted, rosemary & thyme glaze

Date Pudding 

Butterscotch, vanilla bean ice cream

Churros 

Dulce de leche