Five & Dime

We paid a spontaneous visit to Five & Dime for dinner, bringing along three buddies! We've been here a couple of times for brunch and have loved their Eggs Benny. And now, its time to give their dinner a try!






Fish & Chips - $22
I felt that this was best eaten with your hands! The size of the pieces of crispy fish was perfect for your fingers to pick them up and dip them into the sweet ketchup and yummy tartare sauce. The tartare sauce was really special. It was really tasty I cleaned up the whole serving of tartare sauce!


The chips were crispy and really yummy too. The buddies were saying that the chips were unique and good. Sister N who ordered Fish & Chips too also praised the dish! Being one with a tiny stomach, she had great difficulty finishing this. I couldn't finish my fish and chips too and had to seek help from the other three pigs haha.

Fresh fish, great sauce, crispy chips and delicious on the whole!


Mac & Cheese - $16
This mac and cheese looks simple but as they say, looks are deceiving. Infused with creamy lobster sauce, this dish was tasty and contrary to popular belief, not the least bit "ger-lat". I was secretly jealous of XM who ordered this... HAHA. Three types of cheese make up the thick layer of fragrant cheese. So good! Might be a little small on the portion side for some though


Cajun Chicken - $18
Grilled chicken maryland with mashed potato, corn and tangy tomato sauce.
The mashed potato is hidden under the slab of chicken. Brother Z couldn't stop praising the mashed potato.. HAHA. Excuse me the highlight is the chicken maybe? Haha the chicken was tender and well-cooked! In Brother Z's words, this dish was "sick" and the mashed potato was "too sick" haha


The Burger - $23
As you can see, this is pretty huge. Haha and X said the burger was not bad

Our buddies were really pleased with dinner and we were really glad they liked it! I'm gonna get the mac and cheese the next time I go there. Hahaha. We wanted to try the youtiao churros but that wasn't on their menu anymore. Does anyone know if they removed it? We wanted to try the pork belly and the beef but they were out of it. Must be good! Will try them when we return the next time round!

Service was efficient and the waitress was very attentive and cheerful. I really like such people. They really make the whole dining experience better. 

297 River Valley Road
Weekdays -12 noon to 12 midnight (Closed on Tuesdays)
Saturday - 10 am to 12 midnight
Sunday - 10 am to 10 pm
Last orders for lunch at 230 pm. Last orders for dinner is 930 pm.


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Love, K

K's rating of Five & Dime: 8/10

The Sailors

Have you heard of The Sailors before?

This is the second time that X and I were here. We knew about this place because one of X's friend told him that you can get $1 oysters here on Monday nights.

We thought it was too good to be true but we were impressed the first time round. The $1 oysters were actually not bad! That being a year ago haha. And this time round, we brought along 3 other friends to see if this awesome promotion was still on. We've already had our dinner and we were at Robertson Quay in search of desserts when we remembered about the $1 oysters!

Located at Robertson Quay. The Sailors is within walking distance from Bella Pizza. Parking is readily available in the underground carparks. 






$1 oysters but still pretty quiet..

And we know why it was so quiet.

So much for FRESH oysters. The oysters didn't taste fresh and they had quite a strong "stench" (the weird taste) After finishing about 3 oysters each, everyone was complaining about the aftertaste and queasiness in their stomachs.

You may say that it's $1 and we shouldn't expect too much. Well, we'd certainly pay more to get better oysters. Everyone knows that oysters that aren't fresh will probably give you the runs. We weren't here to grab a cheap deal and end up feeling sick.

To purchase these oysters at $1 each, you'll have to order an item from their menu. It can be either food or beverage. The previous time we were here, I ordered seafood marinara and the portion was insanely huge but it tasted just alright.

The best part of this visit was probably the friendly manager who chatted with us.

If you're a fan of oysters and are interested to have an oyster night, you can head down to The Sailors on Mondays. Maybe their oysters will be fresher then.

By the way, speaking of oysters.
If you're heading to Lawry's, you've to try their oysters. TOO GOOD.

15 Merbau Road, Robertson Quay
Mon–Thu: 5.30pm – 1am
Fri–Sat: 5.30pm – 2am
Sun: 5.30pm – 12am

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Love, K

K's rating of Sailors : 5/10

Marutama Ra-men

This is a long over due post on Marutama. We have been there twice now and their ramen comes in among the top few on our list. According to the staff, the owner of marutama is very fond of basketball and thats where their basketball-esque logo came about.

Marutama has 3 outlets, 1 at The Central (Clarke quay) , 1 at Liang court and the newest one at Suntec City. Pictures shown here are taken at The Central outlet. The concept of the store is very simple - traditional japanese decor that is. The restaurant is not huge, roughly about 35-seater which feels rather cosy. During meal time, do expect the place to be packed.


Rather than having an extensive menu, Marutama chooses to excel in the selected few on the menu. This is ideal for K, as she always has trouble deciding on her food. Order the original chicken soup ramen SGD$12 , add an Ajitsuke tamago (egg) SGD$1 and Kakuni (stewed pork belly) SGD$5, you're in for a treat!


Marutama Ramen with tamagos- $14


Marutama Ramen with tamagos and Kakuni - $19

The texture of the noodles is very smooth. There is this tenderness about it,  which is different from the tougher ramen you find outside. The chicken broth is also very tasty and best still, it doesn't make you thirsty after you polish off the entire bowl. I highly recommend, anyone who goes to try it, to get 2 eggs. I love their runny eggs and 1 is just not enough for me. Another must try add-ons is the pork bellies which have been stewed until the meat literally melts in your mouth. Combine them together, and you have yourself a very satisfying meal. The price of around SGD$20 might be a tad on the high side for a bowl of ramen, but for the pleasure it provides, I say its definitely worth it.

Marutama ( The Central)
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#03-90/91
The Central @ Clarke Quay

Daily: 11am - 10 pm




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Love,
X

X's rating of Marutama : 7.5/10

Toby's Estate

What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than to have brunch along this beautiful stretch at Robertson Quay? That's what we thought. So we headed to Toby's Estate for brunch!






Sadly, the outdoor seats were all taken up so we had no choice but to sit indoors.






Giant coffee roaster!


A touch of old with the cement floors and brick walls


And a mix of modernity with black tiles and simple wooden furniture









Meet Mister Mocha Rayban haha
Iced mocha - $6.50
Well-known for their coffee, this mocha did not disappoint!


Eggs, salmon with brioche -$12

I wanted the poached egg with smoked salmon on brioche but they were out of poached eggs .. ):
So I had to settle for scrambled egg. The scrambled egg was pretty sturdy and not quite like those messy and soft ones. The brioche was nice and crispy but I had difficulty cutting it haha. This dish was simple but comforting and satisfying.


Toby's breakfast -$16
they were out of tomatoes so they gave us more bacon and mushrooms! I thought that the bacon was too tough. Other than that, everything was pretty average but I like the sturdy scrambled eggs haha.


Hot Chocolate - $5


This is definitely one of the better hot chocolates around. Served at an almost perfect temperature, I was enchanted by its taste and texture. It's smooth, not too thick and it leaves an aftertaste that leaves you yearning for more.

We had a pretty pleasant dining experience at Toby's. Nice place to chill although I felt a bit uncomfortable at the huge communal table as we were inevitably caught in others' conversations. Would have loved to have a table outdoors! Oh anyway, the water that is served is purified by themselves to conserve the environment! Really cool isn't it!

Gst is included in the prices that you see on the chalkboard menu. There's no service charge so what you see is what you pay. Parking spaces are available along the road outside Watermark.

Do share your experiences at Toby's with us!


8 Rodyk Street, #01-03/04
Daily: 7am - 6pm
I think their last order for food is at 230

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Love, K

K's rating of Toby's Estate: 7/10

Five & Dime Eatery

This was our fourth visit to Five & Dime, after 3 unsuccessful ones (the kitchen was closed, they were closed for cny function, full house...) X didn't want to come back anymore HAHA what a petty little kid. This time round, we made a reservation 2 days in advance for brunch on Sunday! All prepared haha.

Located along River Valley Road, Five & Dime is eye-catching and easy to spot!



Parking is available right behind the eatery



Five & Dime is not big but it's spacious enough.
You wouldn't feel like you're too close to the table next to you





Cute chairs


Brunch menu


Stationery set


Salty Caramel Cupcake- $4
I really liked it! It was sweet and really quite salty haha. Great mixture of flavours.
The salty caramel lies on top of the cake base which is yummy on its own.


Hot chocolate - $6
The hot chocolate arrived shortly after we placed ours orders but it was a little disappointing as it was not warm/hot enough. Taste wise, it was quite good!




Corned beef hash- $16
The toast was crisp and it was a pure, simple delight dipping it in the runny eggyolk.
The potato was a little spicy but it went well with the bacon and fragrant beef.
The portion was really generous.
Underneath the eggs was yummy corned beef hash, yummy corned beef hash and more yummy corned beef hash.
I was really full even though I didn't finish everything!


Eggs Benny -$16
X loved it! And so did I.


The seared beef which was soft and delectable, together with the poached eggs which were cooked to PERFECTION, and hollandaise sauce which was flavourful but not overwhelming on the croissant-like soft bread, stole X's heart. This was in really simple terms, heavenly.

X doesnt usually eat rockets but he cleaned the rockets up as he said they were drizzled in a really delicious sauce. The fruit salad which consists of grapes, strawberries, kiwi, and bananas were also sitting in a unique dressing that made them so palatable that X ate two bowls of them hahaha.

The eggs ben that we get at other eateries usually only feature 2 poached eggs and ham on english muffins. They were more often, than not, not filling. Five & Dime's Egg Benny comes with a side of spicy potato and ham, salad and fruit salad and this dish is exremely filling!


Indeed!











Cute toilet sign



We really liked Five & Dime! The food is really awesome, the ambience is nice and we appreciate the amount of thought and effort that has been placed into the decoration and setting! X liked the unique cutlery that they have and how they have colourful cups and fruit salad bowls to add a dash of colour and liveliness. The service staff were attentive and pretty efficient. Omg I really want to have their Eggs Benny now. PERFECT.POACHED.EGGS. They are to die for.

We're gonna be back for dinner soon!! 

297 River Valley Road
Weekdays -12 noon to 12 midnight (Closed on Tuesdays)
Saturday - 10 am to 12 midnight
Sunday - 10 am to 10 pm
Last orders for lunch at 230 pm. Last orders for dinner is 930 pm.

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Love, K

K's rating of Five & Dime : 8/10