Abe's Diner ... a Cosy Japanese Diner and also serving European cuisine with a Japanese twist

I used to like words like quaint, quiet to be used on the little diners or cafes that emerge out of nowhere into the streets of Tiong Bahru. But no longer. There are so many that commercial spaces will soon out run residential spaces. At 42 Eng Hoon Street, right opposite Ting Heng, a popular fish head steam boat and seafood restaurant, a cosy diner joined the fray. Abe's Diner serve Japanese cuisine and also some European food with Japanese touches. I love small diners as service wouldn't suffer that much even if there's limited wait staff. While HY, Jane and I arrived, we were skeptical about Abe serving good enough food as we were the only ones around. Soon, the diner started to fill up. Service was good. Our tea was filled up as soon as we empty the teapot.

We thought we made a good choice with the Fried Chicken with Tartar sauce. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It's important that the chicken didn't appear to be greasy.

Cabonara with Japanese Udon was recommended by the folks from Abe's. This is an Italian pasta dish with a Japanese twist. Pasta was replaced by Japanese Udon. We know the texture of udon. It's smooth, springy and do not soak up much sauces. The sauce that coat the udon was eggy and cheesy. Udon didn't soak up sauce like the Italian pasta. Different but tasty!. 

Grilled Pork Belly with Mustard Cream Sauce. This is definitely not an authentic Japanese dish. The pork belly was tasty and went well with the mustard cream sauce. It would have been better if the pork belly was more tender and juicier.

Yaki Udon is Japanese Fried Udon. I liked it that there wasn't that strong flavor of yakisoba sauce like the kind served in Botejyu. Don't know how Japanese describe good "wok hei" because that's what this is. 

42 Eng Hoon Street
Singapore 169785
Tel  +65 6222 1719
Abe's Diner Facebook Page

Pollen ... Michelin Star Fine Dining within the Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay

Michelin Star Chef Jason Atherton brought some magic Pollen from the renown Pollen Street Social to be aptly sprinkled inside the Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay. What manifested after that between Pollen's cuisine, the exotic flowers in the gardens and the magnificent views from the restaurant, was an ambience and dining experience unparalleled in our fine dining circle. Pollen serves Mediterranean-inspired modern European cuisine amidst the garden that some Singaporeans can never dream of. 

Have you even dreamt that in Singapore, you can walk into a restaurant and spotting naturally grown daisies and gerberas as you're ushered to the entrance? Never in my life until now.

We arrived at the restaurant via the buggy service from the main entrance near the Gardens by the Bay's reception. The buggy was able to ferry both me, HY, little Julien and also his "not-at-all-compact" stroller. The buggy service was most welcomed especially during lunch time under the scorching afternoon sun. Pollen is not a long walk from the main entrance but if you're dressed to the nighs and not want to risk wilting under the sun, take the buggy. We were settled in the lower space for indoor dining but still surrounded by the garden and definitely sharing the cool air, maybe even flower scented, within the Flower Dome. Even with the 9 metres long dessert bar, the dining area is still very spacious. Although touted as a fine dining restaurant, babies are welcome. They even provide Stokke high chairs for the little ones. I never like fine dining where I would cause stares when my steak knife would occasionally cause a clashing noise on the plate from my uncouth table etiquette. I was not worry about that at all in Pollen. In fact, I was very comfortable and the immaculate and warm service did help.

In Pollen, dining comes with a complimentary view of one of the world most recognizable attraction, the Marina Bay. 

The baguette and sour dough with the slab of rich but smooth butter was irresistible. I think I had 4 servings and cleared the butter on the wooden serving spatula.

Complementary Olives and Fish Puree as a bread spread. The fish puree with olive oil went well with hte sourdough bread. It taste a little bit like the cod fish oil that I ate as a child but just coarser and savory instead of sweet.

We ordered off Pollen's Set Lunch Menu at S$55++ which I thought was a real deal. You eat in the comforts of the Flower Dome that will cost S$20 per entry. Taking away the entry fee makes the meal almost the cost of set lunches in the more casual less chi chi bistros.

For Appetizers .... 

Lime-cured Mackerel, White Radish, Green Tea. If you like cured fish, this is the appetizer to order. Slightly seared on the exterior to give it a more smokey taste and the refined savoriness made by the touch of lime hits you when the mackerel flakes out when you bite through the mackerel bar.

Asparagus and Grilled Heirloom Tomato Salad. If you think you are gonna get a hearty meaty mains, this might be a good one for you. 

Slow Cooked Egg Chorizo, Patata Bravas. HY chose this eggy appetizer and I thought one of the best. Can you imagine the molten yolk bursting out of the curd liked egg whites mixed up with the fruity sweetness of tomato based sauce, contrasting with savory and slighty spicy chorizo and slightly browned cubed potatoes added up into a Spanish style explosion in a mouthful. Yummy.

As for Mains ...

Roasted Pork Belly, Broad Beans, Slow cooked squid, Chorizo. I wanted pig that day and what's most indulging than pork belly? The well roasted pork belly was of perfect tenderness. Like what I told my friends, when you want an excuse for fatty food like this, just say it's colagen rich! Good for the complexion. Adding chorizo to the dish added a multiplexing effect with tints of savory and herbs. Love this dish!

Line-Caught John Dory, Minestrone, Coco Bean, Baby Courgette. HY's John Dory was meaty and tender. The seared portion added a good texture to each bite. Portion was small though. Glad I had multiple servings of bread.

Last but not least ... Desserts

All of us love how innovative our desserts turn out to be. They all look pretty but taste creative and bold. That's the least we can expect from Pastry Chef Andres Lara, formerly from Iggy's Singapore and also El Bulli in Spain.

Crispy and Burnt Lemon Meringue with Cucumber Sorbet. Have you had cucumber sorbet? Well that was a first for me but I thought cool and refreshing cucumber contrasted well with the sweet meringue.

Coconut Mousse, Rhubarb Broth, Goat Cheese Ice Cream. Using cucumber for sorbet was creative but  I thought goat cheese ice cream was bold! The sweet coconut mousse was good with the sourish rhubarb but the goat cheese ice cream really made an impression due to the "goaty" odour.

Petit Fours were served and I liked the chocolate truffles best.

After lunch we proceeded to tour around the Flower Dome. I must say I was impressed although Ade didn't think so ... "All the flowers are wilting under the sun! or abuse by visitors!". Anyway, thanks to Ade for lending me her Nikon J1 camera. Brought my Nikon D800 along but left the batteries charging at home ....grrr.

Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay

18 Marina Gardens Drive #01-09

Singapore 018953

Tel : +65 6604 9988

Pollen Website

Pamplemousse Bistro + Bar ... where have you been all these while?

We had a hard time searching for a place for lunch during the Mother's Day weekend and decided to just crash Dempsey Hill to see what's available. PS Cafe, long wait, Barracks Cafe fully booked. As we drove past block 7, HY remembered that someone had planted Pamplemousse Bistro + Bar in her mind. The bistro belongs to the husband and wife team, Adrian Ling and Cleo Chiang-Ling, who brings an international twist to French and Italian dishes.

I don't even know that it's there until I reached passage way leading to the entrance. The restaurant's signboard was mostly made obscured by the trees that adds shade to the tables at the corridor. I was glad that the service staff told me that there was a vacant table for us. We didn't know the level of standard for food here but on Mother's day weekend without any reservations, beggars can't be choosers. 

Enjoyment started with hot bread with rich butter ....

We ordered the set lunch that was a good deal at $32++ for a 3 course meal. There were 6 choices of appetizers and each equally interesting.

Appetizers

Porcini Mushroom Cream Soup. Adding escargot to the porcini soup was a good touch. The escargot was chewy and the drizzle of truffle oil enhances the taste. Service staff were prompt enough to serve extra hot bread to compliment this soup. I'm glad to know that the soup came with the goodness of cordyceps which didn't add much to the taste or aroma.

Mains

HY's mains was the Australian Onglet Steak 200g. Love the pomme puree which was smooth and that meant plenty of butter. Yummy.

Here's the onglet. A friend on Facebook ask me what's an onglet. An onglet, in French, is actually hanger steak referred to as "skirt" in Britain. It's sometimes referred to as "Butcher's Steak" as butchers used to keep this for themselves. It was tender and tasted good enough with the sprinkle of fleur de sel. The truffle infuse Madeira sauce was provided as a side as Chef probably knew that it's good enough without the sauce.

My Spanner Crab Capellini was made al dente. The mix of shellfish jus was balanced with a good portion of pancetta.  This pasta dish has the obvious shell fish savory taste but was light and appetizing.

W ordered the Duck Confit that was tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

For Desserts, we had ....

Milo Dinosaur. The Milo Parfait wasn't anything to shout about but was good nevertheless. Singaporeans would say ... "So So lor"

Osmanthus Creme Brulee with Lychee sorbet. Someone on the table, not me, said "HY's creme brulee was better". Well I must say I would agree with the statement in part. Only if HY is able to char the sugar  better it'll be perfect. Anyway, I find that the creme brulee was not as creamy rich as I would have liked and the osmanthus flavor wasn't obvious. The lychee sorbet was pretty refreshing though.

Fresh Milk Ice Cream was my choice of dessert and of course I thought was the best among all. The fresh milk ice cream acted to tone down the sweetness of the gula melaka and the spice cake. Yum Yum.

I've been around Dempsey Hill but Pamplemousse, where have you been? The fact is, Pamplemousse has been around since December 2009. The restaurant was probably too inconspicuous. With their food standard and their immaculate service, the bistro should be filled during Mother's Day Weekend. It was weird that it wasn't the case. Anyway if Set Lunch continues to be priced at $32++, it's good enough reason for me to revisit.

7 Dempsey Road 01~04

Singapore 249671

Tel : +65 6475 0800

Pamplemousse Bistro + Bar Website

Grazing in Progress at Graze, Martin No. 38

At No. 38 Martin Road, the Jia Boutique Hotel created a little empire of F&B outlets. There is KHA, popular for their Traditional Thai cuisine with a modern twist. KHA used to be located in Hort's park but have since shifted to this new address. Graze @ Martin 38 is the sister restaurant of the original Graze at Rochester park. It's located beside KHA and even sharing the same restrooms. One can walk across to KHA from Graze via the common corridor that they share inside the restaurants. We visited KHA the last time and this time, Graze, together with the rest of the Eat Eat Eat group. Food wasn't perfect for picky eaters like us but overall it was and enjoyable dining experience.

Enter here to start grazing ....

When you start your day early in Graze, the restaurant can come across as quaint and relaxing but not for too long. By noon these tables are all taken up.

Before my brunch starts, my engine needs oiling. A double shot cafe latte for me please!

An interesting coffee maker that ended as a show piece near the entrance. Wonder how coffee brewed with this taste like?

As Graze and KHA, are subsidiary of the JIA Boutique Hotels you can also order fanciful cocktails, characteristic of KHA in Graze.

The full wall glass panels allows as much natural light into the main dining area. I like the casual dining atmosphere in Graze. It makes the food more enjoyable. The setting is conducive for a chatty gathering of friends. Here's where the grazing occurs .....

The leg of Jamon Iberico was left over the counter which means we need to have some .....

The Spanish Pig. Spanish Jamon Iberico, Iberico Chorizo, House Olives, Roast Tomatoes, Sourdough Rye Toast. 

Having the flavorful Jamon Iberico with a piece of toast.

Signature Cast Iron Pan. Two free-organic eggs poached with roast potatoes, bacon, sausage, baked benas, roast tomatoes, mushrooms. Part of the Brunch menu. Usually HY would have left at least a third for me but she polished this off and left only a pair of egg yolks as it's the only thing she don't wanna eat.

Steak and Egg. Murray Bridge grain fed sirloin, South Australia skinny frites, roast tomatoes, house butter. Part of the brunch menu. Chris ordered the sirloin to be done medium rare but it came medium and not warm enough to melt the butter. They probably left it to rest for too long.

300g Pork Chop, Kurobuta Pork, 100% Berkshire from Victoria, Australia with Pear Chutney. Folks here were flexible enough to let us have our way. Although, it's brunch time, they allow us to order from their dinner menu. The Kurobuta pork chop was a thick cut. The portion was big and it was delicious.

Grilled Wagyu Burger with the lot, lettuce, tomato, onion, beetroot, fried egg, tomato relish, thick cut chips. We were half an hour too early for the lunch menu but they allow me to order from the lunch menu too. The patty was tender but like the steak, I ordered a medium rare but was served a medium. I didn't mind it being cooked medium but I'll prefer it to be slightly savory. Hummerston's burger would win my vote in comparison but of course the one to beat is Daniel Boulud's DB burger.

Hot Sticky Date Pudding, toffee sauce, candied dates, vanilla ice cream. This was soft and not as dense as the typical sticky date pudding and I like the toffee sauce that go with this one.

Apple Tarte Tatin, orange marmalade, vanilla ice cream.

38 Martin Road

Singapore

Tel : +65 6509 1680

Opening Hours:

Lunch Tues~Fri 12noon~3pm

Dinner Tues~Sun 6pm~11pm

Brunch Sat~Sun 10am~4pm

Wine Bar Tues~Sun 12noon~closing

Graze Website