The Library ... psst what's the password?

Our follow on activity after Keong Saik Snacks was to visit The Library next door. We were not interested in books though. There was a bespectacled librarian who will approach you and ask, "What's the password?" The librarian will allow you into the library after you say the correct password. The Library and Keong Saik Snacks belong to the same owners and while we were snacking, the staff of KSS shared the password with us. The password will change every month (according to folks in KSS). Anyway here's what goes on in The Library when you say the correct password ....

47 Keong Saik Road
Singapore 089151
Tel : +65 6221 8338

Beer Tower of Bar Bar Black Sheep

 

I am not your typical beer person. A more social drinker at that and proud to have no beer belly. It was more of a social gathering with ex class mates, some I knew for 30 years.  So when young men like us gather, it'll be over booze and  we chose a place with a name so safe that our spouse, girlfriends or mums would approve of .... Bar Bar Black Sheep. We got the most impressive Beer Tower to quench our thirst. It was shaped like Eiffel Tower with 4 taps at each side of the tower and just enough for four sheepish young men to gather around to drink to their hearts delight. We got about 6 imported beers to choose from. We huddled around the tower at the Tanjong Katong outlet. There's a Northern Indian Food Kitchen in the bar if you need some food. Bar Bar Black Sheep have their first bar at Robertson Quay and along the Singapore River.

362 Tanjong Katong Road
Singapore 437122
Tel : +65 6348 8275

Nibbly things at Seddon Wine Store

Seddon Wine Store is a study in how service can completely override price.  Despite their close proximity to two other bottle shops, one of which prides itself on its bargain bin wine, Mr Baklover drops into Seddon Wine Store regularly for their fabulous range, personal service and the occasional natter.

There is awesome wine here and great advice to go along with it.  Lots of bottles are from very small-scale producers, all with a story behind them.  And before you say "nice for you, then", they've got a great range of bargain bottles just inside the doorway which, truth be told, is where we do the majority of our wine shopping.

The best bit is you can sit in and have either a glass of wine from an interesting selection, or get a bottle off the shelf with a corkage charge.  Along with that there's a small menu of good quality drinking snacks, turning Seddon Wine Store into a great little local watering hole.

I had a lovely, quite unusual white grape variety that was so little known, I have gone and forgotten it.  Curses - I do try to write notes, but sometimes I get distracted by, well, life!

Grazing plate, $18

This was a lovely little sandbox to play in - mild manchego cheese with quince paste, lovely, vinegary little mushrooms, gorgeous terrine with plump pistachios throughout, bitey salami and loads of good bread to smoosh it all on.  If you want something heartier, they also do cassoulet.  Seddon Wine Store also sell various cheeses, posh anchovies and other goodies to take home.

I know we all want a bar where we can get properly sozzled until 1 am, but from Thursday to Saturday Seddon Wine Store is open till 10 pm - plenty of time to put a rosy glow in your cheeks.

Seddon Wine Store
2/101 Victoria Street, Seddon
Phone:  9687 4817
Hours:  Sun-Wed 11am-8pm, Thurs-Sat 11am-10pm


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One Twenty Six ... Beach ... Green ... Breeze ... Booze

Dining habits in Singapore has evolved. Weekend brunch is the next "in" thing in Singapore and I don't think it's a fad that will die off anytime soon. Spurred on by this evolution, there appears to be more cafes and restaurants more than willing to serve weekend brunch which leads to further nurturing of more sleepy heads who will wake up after 9am, still want breakfast and kill lunch with the same stone. This is one trend that I'll gladly ride along. Since there are so many brunch options out there why not one that has abundance of fresh air, plenty of greens, proximity to the beach and plenty of booze? I was referring to One Twenty Six, the dining, garden and gastrobar located at Playground@Big Splash.

We chose the outdoor option amidst their "garden", under the shelter of the pavilions and having industrial fans blowing to enhance the effects of  the sea breeze. You get to people watch from behind your cool sun glass, in your comfortable bermudas, while seeping ice cold cocktails that One Twenty Six has plenty to offer. During the day, the place is "disguised" as a restaurant. When the sun starts to disappear into the horizon, the gastrobar will probably see more action churning out their cocktails and slushing out malted froth out of beer taps more often than during the day. Meanwhile, during the day, "The Crew", service staff with the same name printed onto their polo Ts, will have to keep themselves busy with serving mostly brunch food to a primarily family crowd. 

The most obvious breakfast on the menu is The Big Breakfast with a preference of scrambled/fried/poach/boiled eggs, German Sausage, Bacon, Hash Brown, bake beans, roasted tomatoes and toasted country bread. All these served with a glass of fresh orange juice. With McDonald's taking out their pioneer outlet, One Twenty Six's Big Breakfast will be the only Big Breakfast in the vicinity of East Coast Parkway. At $24, the portion was adequate but I thought they can do better with their choice hash brown and bread.

The Big Breakfast was HY's choice, mine was the Shellfish Carbonara with Scallop and Prawn, spaghettini with edamame and creamy pancetta sauce (S$32). The spaghetti was al dente but I was close to getting it soggy by eating it too slowly as I was helping HY cut her sausages and hash browns, then forking it to her while she's feeding little Julien (and he had to wake up and feed at the same time. Babies will be babies.). The creamy pancetta sauce was balanced but at the same time viscous enough to get me full that I skipped dessert. The scallops was well caramelized and the sweetness was accentuated by a sprinkle of coarse black pepper. The prawns was also sweet and crunchy too. I didn't think the edamame made a difference to this dish though. Placed on top of the spaghetti was what seemed and taste like crispy pan fried parma ham that added a smokey flavor to the dish. This pasta was delicious and the kitchen was generous with the portion. It is unusual that I skip dessert. Maybe it's the Katong Curry Puff I had for breakfast before the brunch. Sssh don't tell anyone that I'm an old man who'll naturally wake up early for breakfast and trying to make myself young by appearing for brunch. Brunch to me is simply .... early lunch :). One Twenty Six has a mix of American, European and Asian cuisine. You'll be able to get Nasi Lemak here too!

The weather was warm at noon time, so there's no stopping any one asking for good old fresh strawberries ice cream. Ice cream's alway good with little Vic in the house.

The Daddies on the table get their fill of booze too. William got the Mojito while I got myself this Agave Agul (S$16) - Sauza Tequila, Grand Marnier, Blue Curacao, honey and lime. This cocktail was sweet and sour blend and ice cold, intoxicating and totally liberating.

Since One Twenty Six is part of the One Rochester Group that has its winning concept circling around dining at Gastrobars, "The Crew" should be taught better not spill my Agave Agul on me even after I shifted my seat to make way for him. While it may be cool to mingle in casual profanities while conversing with a fellow colleague, nobody's stopping you but please be sensitive to do it away from a earshot?  Your brunch clientele profile is definitely different from that after the sun goes down. Last but not least, don't just stand around and just look good. Please help fill up our ice water, it's basic service for keeping customers cool while dining outdoors in this tropical weather. If one can see pass all these, One Twenty Six would definitely be a choiced venue for brunch. For some reason when One Rochester Group decided to spiff up service standards, we should be seeing more tables being filled during brunch because their food was above average. Else, they should be contented with making money from booze from their bars.


902 East Coast Parkway
Playground@Big Splash
Singapore
Tel : +65 6348 2126
One Twenty Six Website