Duck confit with duck leg, arugula, mashed potato, orange sauce from The Larder Cafe. The saltily thin-skinned and fatty-armpited duck had a infantry sergeant-esque toughness to its flesh that could benefit from some post-bookout TLC. 3.4/5 The Larder Cafe Blk 177 Toa Payoh Central #01-124 Singapore 310177
Matcha Oreo Tart from Bloomsbury Bakers. The green tea – simultaneously milky-sweet and smoulderingly bitter – was as thick and rich as a millionaire hippo, whilst elsewhere the tart base had the defensive valour of a mid-tier knight. 3.4/5 Bloomsbury Bakers 30 Bendemeer Road #01-889 Singapore 330030
Savoury waffles from 20F Specialty Coffeehouse – buttermilk waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, rocket, maple syrup. Whilst the soft eggs were bountiful in supply and the bacon strips as crisp as an SG50 limited edition dollar bill, the waffles had the dour disposition of a disillusioned and resigned roadside cobbler. 3.1/5…
Seafood Aglio Olio from The Larder Cafe. The pilates-toned pasta was more czechar-wet than oil-slick while elsewhere the generosity displayed by the smorgasbord of seafood is as impressive as a twerking narwhal. 3.4/5 The Larder Cafe 177 Toa Payoh Central Blk #01-124 Singapore 310177
White snapper milanese with salmon roe gribiche, brussels sprouts with tamarind and bacon from Kilo. The breaded fish and egg mayo seemed content to be fluffy cushions for the smoky brussels sprouts and the bacon, so scene-stealingly soft, salty and pork-juicy that it probably committed an offence under Section 378…
Salted Egg Chicken Waffle from Ivory Coffee. The soft-hearted waffle deserves care and sympathy for mean girl project mates saying his ideas are half-baked. Elsewhere, the batter and skin-heavy salted egg chicken is mildly engrossing, with the sauce – potentially justifying a chargeable spinoff concept – helping to make the…
Jin Sake Don from Jinzakaya – chargrilled salmon fillet with teriyaki sauce. Whilst the salmon fillets had the seasoned competency of a 35-year-old Japanese professional, the same cannot be said for the drought-stricken rice, so arid that traversing camels are miserably falling on their sides to the ground. 3.2/5 Jinzakaya…
Horffles from Les Patisseries – 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, Horlicks powder, Horlicks sauce, toasted candied almond, fresh berries. Whilst the slightly sour waffle had a gentle crisp and the nuts certainly were welcome guests, the late-blooming vanilla ice cream only revealed its tuition teacher-encouraged potential late in the…
Whole Sea Bass “Au Plat” from Ash & Elm at Intercontinental Singapore – whole sea bass from the deep-sea farm of Mauritius with fennel confit, cherry tomato confit, taggiasca olives, lemon and beurre blanc sauce. A buttery gloss stridently dominates the proceedings, while elsewhere conquering the fish is quite the…