nature and animals in singapore (Riders Cafe)

Okay. I’m going to ask you to do something preeetty difficult to do.

Ask anyone what Singapore’s best known for.

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Did you ask?

My guess is they’d automatically spin-off a snap answer of “Uh shopping and food lah. Got so many shopping centres you don’t know meh?”

Fine, we’re known for other great things too like being a superbly multiracial harmonious country blah blah and having one of the best airports in the world, but one specific aspect of Singapore goes greatly unnoticed.

We have nature!

Our nature ain’t nothing compared to the scenic countryside of Tuscany where we can taste fine wines with an array of cheeses or even the rural mountain peaks of Tibet, BUT we definitely do have a few snippets of nature in our own bustling city. Singapore isn’t merely about harsh skyscrapers and avoiding rush hour while taking the mrt.

We have… heaps of reservoirs (heh maybe Bedok Reservoir isn’t such a good idea for a casual safe stroll), parks, walking trails along MacRitchie and Lower Peirce, the Botanic Gardens and Pulau Ubin!

Lower Peirce Reservoir

For weekend brunch, I went to Riders Cafe – a small joint in Bukit Timah Saddle Club.

We saw plenty of horses (what a rare sight in Singapore) and the most adorable horse was just begging to be photographed. Well, not really, but he was eyeing us in a friendly way.

I want him. If you just so happen to be the owner of this horse, or you’ve ridden him before, LUCKY YOU.

At Riders Cafe, reservation is a definite must. We’d booked a few days earlier but the only time we could grasp hold of was an early 9 in the morning, so more of breakfast than brunch.

The Pacific Benedict ($16) is a seafood variation of the ever so popular Eggs Benedict. Instead of ham or bacon, chunks of swimmer crab tops two poached eggs with shrimp hollandaise drizzled over.

Smoked Salmon and Creamed Eggs ($14) is just nicely scrambled eggs with avocado and smoked salmon strewn upon Turkish pide – a type of flatbread.

All dishes came with a side of salad. Sadly, we didn’t appreciate this as the dressing was oddly sweet.

Come here if you want to escape the urban jungle and maybe coo at endearing horses.

Riders Café
51 Fairways Drive
+65 6466 9819

http://www.riderscafe.sg/

On another note, if you’re hungry and in need of snacking while in town, do try the Hot Chili Meat Fries ($11) at Picque Nique  in Takashimaya. We’d heard lots of bad reviews on this place (the cupcakes are dry, the brunch items aren’t worth it) but honestly, was pleasantly surprised by their fries.

Where’s your favourite place for brunch?

! photo post

Greetings my lovely readers (if there are any of you out there..do you people even exist?!), I sincerely apologise for the lack of updates but I’ve been lazy and when I’m lazy, I just like to eat, cuddle in my blankets, and eat again.

Thankfully, I’ve taken photos of almost everything I’ve eaten. If food photos don’t really appeal to you, just skip this post entirely.

Crispy catfish.

This used to be my one of my favourite thai dishes till I got food poisoning and turned sickly pale and threw it all up in my toilet bowl. Heh. It’s still pretty good.

A variety of mini-sandwiches.

Yum! A signature of Moomba’s Tuckshop, their best sandwiches featured in tiny sizes.

Foie gras.

I didn’t try this so I can’t comment on it. Occasionally I feel guilty for eating meat. Yeh, what a lousy food blogger, I know. But it was such a photogenic plate..

Domani’s soft shelled crab pasta.

Such a convenient location. If I’m ever strolling along Orchard and I feel the rumbles of a pasta craving? Great, Domani’s right there.

An afternoon tea set of scones, sandwiches and fruit cake.

This is unbelievably cheap for afternoon tea (at $11). Also, the scones are buttery and moist and crispy and crumbly, all at
the same time. Scones I think about at night.

Apple crumble.

Araguani chocolate.

A dessert with bananas, espresso and hazelnut.

Linguini alla modesto.

We shared this between two. Definitely worth it at $50, the portions were HUGE and heaps of glorious seafood. Prawns, squid, mussels, clams, flower crabs.. try it at Modesto’s.

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That sums up what I ate the past month (or what I ate and was worth mentioning). Hmm what shall I eat tomorrow?

Real Food

We actually had other plans for dinner but since passing by Real Food, the clean yet homely concept of the cafe caught our attention and I excitedly dragged him to see the menu (printed on recycled paper). This place is definitely recommended for those with persnickety health-conscious issues as the menu clearly states the ingredients used in each dish, and terms like ‘gluten-free’ and ‘vegan’ are commonly used.

Had the Rise-n-Shine Breakfast ($8.80). This came with the classics of a full breakfast – sunny-side up eggs, sautéed mushrooms, a grilled tomato and toasted bread. Strangely enough, a slightly mashed potato also made its appearance.

He had the Organic Mushroom Aglio Olio ($7.80). This was incredibly bland and dry, despite having been “tossed with fresh garlic, oregano, and parsley”.

We also shared Mushrooms Bruschetta ($7.80), and yes, I am aware that everything we’d eaten contains mushrooms. The mozzarella cheese atop the crispy toast was a nice touch, but the warm crispiness gradually faded away to just being hard.

Service was slow and almost non-existent, as we had to order/ pay at the counter and wait at least twenty minutes for someone just to clear the used plates and crumbs left on our table (flies were attacking us), but they claim serving organic food deserves such a lengthy wait..

Real Food caters to a niche group of people. Whereas the concept is fascinating – and obviously beneficial with no processed food, additives, preservatives or trans-fat – the taste and flavour of food appears to be last on their list of concerns. Might be better appreciated by those with dietary restrictions?

Real Food
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
The Central #B1-52/53
Tel: +65 62244492
Opening hours: 10am – 9:30pm daily

Daikokuya Ramen Dining

Everyone in Singapore would’ve tried ramen at least once- whether it is a cheap packet of instant ramen, or authentic noodles at a ramen vendor in Japan. There’s nothing like a hearty bowl of hot soup and noodles to tuck into. The best ramen I’ve ever tried?

Okay, this might not be in Singapore but it was so memorable – I just wanted to put a picture up here to show all of you. Doesn’t look like anything special? Don’t judge by its somewhat ordinary appearance; I was blown away by the taste. Simplistically put, it was just piping-hot savoury soup with springy noodles but I’d never liked ramen till I tried this (bleh Ajisen Ramen for leaving such a horrible stigma).

Before all of you with huge ramen cravings start fretting and looking up ‘best Japanese ramen’ online, there are some pretty decent restaurants that specialise in ramen. One of my favourites but not too well-known ramen places is Daikokuya Ramen Dining.

They have several outlets but I’ve found the best to be in Paragon. In fact, don’t even bother with the one at Serangoon Garden; the soup there came with a thick sheen of oil clumps.

Not much of a queue all the times I’ve gone. We shared a platter of Salmon Carpaccio ($8.80).

It was marinated with Italian dressing and spring onions were sprinkled all over.

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Let’s move on to what I deem as more important: Ramen.

The Assari Spicy Miso Ramen – available in both regular ($13.80) and mini ($9.50) – is a salt flavoured ramen with a base of fermented soybean paste. It’s topped with a slice of pork, several bamboo shoots, one kamaboko (fishcake) and half an egg. Get the regular size otherwise you’d be missing out on the egg and the amazing blend of firm egg white and runny yolk. However, I do believe the curly noodles were springier and suppler in my last visit.

On the other hand, the Tonkotsu Spicy Miso Ramen – regular ($13.10) and mini ($8.20) – also has a spicy miso base but instead, is flavoured with a creamy pork broth. The regular doesn’t have an egg! But you could always order it as an additional topping. Otherwise, it comes with the usual slab of pork, bamboo shoots, and kamaboko, as well as black fungus.

Daikokuya
#B1-47, Paragon
Tel: +65 6737 5416
Operating hours: 11:30am to 10:30pm daily

What to eat @ Gardens by the Bay

Since the opening of Gardens by the Bay, people might be wondering what culinary pleasures have sprung up alongside this touristy attraction. As usual, there are your familiar joints ranging from the economical fare of Texas Chicken to the pretty macaroons of Canele. Take special note of the restaurant Pollen, as it’s opened by a one-Michelin starred chef.

Anyway, we chose to eat at Verandah – a bistro that serves contemporary Asian fusion. The setting was gorgeous and great for unwinding, something much needed after a long walk through the gardens. If only we unwinded with the company of equally apt and delicious food.

Having surveyed the website before venturing to unknown territory, it was explicitly stated there would be a dish called Black Pepper Crab Linguini. To my dismay, there wasn’t. Perhaps the menu isn’t yet finalised? Was there a hidden side to the menu that I stupidly could not find?

All cynical questions aside, I moved on and ordered the Herb Sausages ($18). Oh, you order and pay at the counters before waiting for your food to be delivered.

It came with caramelised onions, beetroot and bright orange pumpkin mash. Honestly, this was only average. Not impressed but not totally horrified with the food. – not much to say besides that. Also, I got a pot of Gryphon Earl Grey tea ($6) which came with the most ridiculous teacup and saucer that I suspect would fit a cup of Espresso better.

He ordered Wok-fried Seafood Noodles ($14) which turned out to look like regular Hokkien Mee. I love Hokkien Mee but at that price? No thanks. I can think of a number of hawker food stalls that would cruelly mock us for paying fourteen bucks just for the setting (albeit having a lovely ambience and a chic-ly decorated interior). He claims it was a nice plate of noodles, with two lonely prawns and a plastic saucer of sambal chilli on the side, but I remain doubtful.

Maybe the Verandah will be nice for a few nibbles during the day? They do also have Truffle Fries with Three Sauces ($9) and Tempura Calamari ($14).

After dinner, we went to Seventh Heaven, an ice-cream cafe, for a quick ice cream break. Salty caramel ($4) was so-so but they do have other cool flavours like Superman, which was a mixture of raspberry and something else?

Verandah
18 Marina Garden Drive #02-04
Tel: +65 6636 1360
Opening hours: 7:30am to 10pm daily

Seventh Heaven
18 Marina Garden Drive
Between Flower Dome and Cloud Forest
Opening hours: 10am to 10pm daily