Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Lawn

X brought me here for dinner after my exam since it was nearby. Located at Biopolis, it is not exactly easy to locate The Lawn as there are so many buildings there. Parking is available in the building itself.

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This is how it works. You first choose your serving size before proceeding to choose the grills, toppings and dressings.
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Toppings you can choose from.

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Meat your greens

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Peach cider
The cider was quite bitter.

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Pot serving with olive rice -$10.90  (I opted for olive rice instead of 6 toppings)
2 grills : chargrilled garlic prawns, aceto balsamic beef cuts

The portion was HUGE! They were so generous with the prawns and beef. The prawns were really fresh, fragrant and delicious. The beef cuts were juicy, soft and packed with flavour. I really loved the prawns and beef! So yummy, we couldn't get enough of them! The olive rice wasn't very impressive next to the outstanding grills. Oh, and the honey ball dressing was good!

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Pot serving with 6 toppings
2 grills: portobello mushoom, grilled chicken breast with maple infusion

Photobucket Once again, the portion is ginormous. Look how big the bowl is!! (don't mind X's ugly fingers HAHA)
There was so much vegetables inside the bowl haha.
The chicken was sweet and extremely tender. Who said chicken breast is always hard? The portobello mushroom was soft and tasty too!

We could hardly finish our food but we sure were full and happy. The prawns, beef, chicken and mushroom were really pretty damn awesome! I know we'll be back again for the meat haha. Service was efficient and the staff were friendly. The boss took time to recommend the grills and dressings to us and chatted with us for awhile. Very pleasant dinner!

31 Biopolis Way, #01-07 Nanos
Mon - Fri: 09:30- 2100
  

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Love, K

K's rating of The Lawn : 8/10

Saturday, May 12, 2012

(CLOSED) Onion Restaurant & Bar

Onion is a new restaurant that sits comfortably and conveniently along Bukit Timah Road. It is within walking distance from Guthrie House. Parking is available right outside the restaurant but there are limited lots. So, we decided to park at Guthrie to save ourselves the hassle of getting a lot here.

And so here we were!
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The tiffany blue walls got me excited hahaha. I love tiffany blue

The restaurant has 2 levels so we chose to dine on the second level! There was nobody around so we had the entire level to ourselves. There seemed to be some event or food tasting session going on on level 1 so it was pretty noisy. We were glad that the second level was empty and quiet.

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Oooooh Tiffany Blue

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Low ceiling and simple colours.

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View of level 1 from upstairs.

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Pierre Henri Chardonnay 2010

We got the tasting menu - $23.80
-We could choose 3 items from Tapas menu (in tasting portion)
-A glass of house red/white wine

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Complimentary starter.
The squid might have been cooked sometime ago as it was no longer crispy and a little soft and soggy. We liked the sauce though! Sour and refreshing

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Tasting menu - 3 tapas
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Duck confit on Mushroom Stew (original price for full portion is $14.80)

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Served with pita bread

The duck confit was pretty average. It went well with the pita bread but it tasted pretty similar to the Chinese style braised duck.

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Oyster with cava (original price for 2 oysters is $12.80)
Seasonal oyster in sparkling wine served in oyster shells with red onion dressing

This was really good! The red onion dressing was delicious and not to mention, the oyster was extremely fresh!

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Cold steamed king prawn with mango salsa (original price for full portion is $12.80)
Served with spring salad and balsamic vinaigrette

The prawn was really fresh and the mango salsa was packed with sharp flavours that leave a tingling aftertaste. We really liked it!

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Creamy fettuccine with seafood and lumpfish caviar - $17.80
Greenland shrimp, flower squid, salmon slice, silverfish, fresh herb, black and green olive and parmesan cheese

The 2 pieces of fried onion were sweet and yummy! This dish had quite alot of seafood and they were all really fresh and delectable. The cream sauce was not too overwhelming and you wouldn't feel sick of it. The fettuccine was nicely cooked, springy and just the right texture. The portion might be a little small for some but after the tasting menu, this portion was just right for me!

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Spicy crabmeat spaghetti with caviar - $16.80
Sweet and spicy tomato sauce with egg white topped with crab meat and black caviar.

The sauce was both sweet and spicy and it was quite a good combination of flavours. The sauce was too spicy for me so X had to finish this haha.


After tasting for ourselves that their strength lies in seafood and oysters, we decided to get half a dozen of oysters. However, the one we wanted was sold out so we took a pair of these instead.

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Fin De Claire No. 3- $13.20
If you get half a dozen of oysters, you'll receive a complimentary glass of house white wine.
SO OBVIOUSLY, X wanted half a dozen. Hahaha. But we decided to be thrifty and order, just a pair.

The Fin De Claire oysters were amazing. They were SUPER fresh and really gratifying. The sauce that comes with the oysters was distinctly sour and leaves an aftertaste that lingers for a really long time. The oyster left a deep impression on us and it really left us craving for more.
So good.

The place's simple but charming. The second level can get extremely noisy as the sounds kinda echo through the level. A large group arrived when we were almost done with dinner and we could hardly hear ourselves as their conversations swallowed us up so we left shortly after. However, when it was just us, the place was quiet and pleasant.

The service was pretty efficient and the staff were courteous. And the most important thing is, the food's pretty awesome.

If you're a fan of seafood, and especially oysters, you've gotta visit Onion.


791 Bukit Timah Road
#01-01

Sun–Thu: 5.30pm – 10pm
Fri–Sat: 5.30pm – 10.30pm
(Closed on Mon)

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Love, K

K's rating of Onion: 8/10

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Baker & Cook

We first saw Baker & Cook after our brunch at Bronte. It was really new back then so it was not that crowded.  But it was a pretty bakery with the bread aroma serenading the entire place. We knew we would come back some day.

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For a rather small shop space, they have quite a number of seating available. Several long marble tables to accommodate huge crowds.

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Everybody wants a piece of Baker & Cook's bread

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Many many types of breads that I have no clue about. But i do know they smell really good.

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Huge array of tarts 

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And pastries 

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Iced Latte

The iced latte was a tad too strong for K.

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Iced Mochaccino

I loved this drink. Sweet chocolate flavour with a lingering coffee aftertaste. Exactly what i was looking for. A great start to brunch!

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Salmon Tartine - $13
Salmon with cream cheese, spring onion and fresh dill

If any food has the power to describe the phrase " looks can be deceiving ",  this is it. Simple looking with just a huge piece of salmon lying on top of a slice of bread, this was certainly deceiving as it packs some power punch flavours. The saltiness of the fresh salmon combined with the buttery taste of the cream cheese is quite a taste to behold. Also, there is a slight tinge of sourness that made it refreshing and all the more, delicious.

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Eggs Benedict ( Salmon) - $19
2 poached eggs on toasted Baker & Cook bread, topped with hollandaise sauce

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I think eggs benedict needs no introduction. But see the chilli oil by the side? Thats the surprise of this eggs ben. I like the intriguing taste of the hollandaise with a slight hint of spice. The black sauce which tasted like balsamic vinegar added more flavour to the dish. In addition, the poached eggs were perfect. Definitely worth a try.

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Desserts

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Lemon Tart - $5

One of the best lemon tarts I've had. Sweet yet not over-powering. Refreshing and not overly sour. And the crust was great. Everything about it was pretty perfect.

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Bombolini donut(custard) - $3.30

An ordinary donut that was a bit disappointing in the company of other brillant desserts. But we certainly liked the look of all of them sitting in a tray of sugar haha

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Classic cheesecake - $4.50

I'm really liking the Hillcrest area. So calm and serene. Perfect place for a quiet weekend brunch. Service is great, efficient and there is no service charge. Baker & Cook is highly recommended. Try it and let us know what you think! 

77 Hillcrest Road
Sunday to Thursday - 7am to 8pm
Friday to Saturday - 7am to 10pm

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Love, X

X's rating of B & C: 8.5/10