I don’t know what came over me.

I am not good at meeting new people, and a disaster if thrown into a cocktail party situation.  I tend to talk to people I already know.

So what got into me to sign up for Khana Commune?

Khana Commune is one of Singapore’s new things, a secret supper club.

A what?

Secret Suppers are like flash mobs for eating.  In the instance of Khana Commune, host (the very lovely) Zina Alam opens her home to you and up to 15 others.  You pay to hang out at Zina’s home and eat what she prepares for you, with people you don’t know.

Usually something I would avoid like the plague, but I was piqued with curiosity and by pictures of Zina’s food showing up on my FB page.  You know I have a fondness for food (understatement).

My friend Mai described it ‘checking our social skills, to see if we still have any’.

Tiong Bahru is the new Club Street it would appear.

From a quaint deco-ish estate with long-time residents mixed with dormitories for foreign workers (legal or not I don’t know, but I went into a tiny property once that housed about 35 men, no windows, no air), to an influx of new residents paying $1m (it was $800k about 6 months ago) for a 2bedroom flat.

Part of the hipness is from the newer business opening there – uber-hip Books Actually and even uberer-hip Strangelets.  And the buzz around Forty Hands for stellar coffee.  All on one quiet street.

Now joining them on Yong Saik Street is new eatery Open Door Policy.  A resto-child born out of a ménage a trois of Cynthia Chua (Spa Esprit), Ryan Clift (Tippling Club) and Harry Grove (Forty Hands).

As it is the hot new thing, make sure you book well in advance, or wait a couple of months.

We only tried a few dishes, so please share on FB if you try the other dishes on the menu.

As usual I got so caught up in eating, I forgot to take pictures, so you’ll have to make do with the stock photos.

It must be that I’m not hip enough or too old, because the decor just didn’t do it for me.  Uncomfortable metal chairs (old school chairs?) that snag your clothes and your skin (if you’re wearing a skirt), cold metal ceiling, strange wood panelling.  The large skylight in the back of the space is lovely, and if you’re seated in that part of the resto, it’s got a very New York-y feel to it.  It could just be that I’m of the age that I would choose warm and inviting comfyness over edgy, painfully-hip decor.  You young hipsters might love it.

Happily though, the food is outstanding.  It’s tasty, tasty, very very tasty, it’s very tasty.  (you think I’m babbling, but I’m just quoting a commercial from the 80s!)

I felt like Gregg Wallace on Masterchef with every first spoonful.  Because really, the food here is all about the taste, and the genius in being able to extract as much taste out of a single spoonful possible. You really do get multiple hits of taste from one spoonful because of the chef’s skill in building complexity to a dish.  It’s not about comfort food and losing yourself in volume and a food coma.  It’s about making each mouthful count.

That thing you hear on those shows all the time – you have to really know your food to be able to combine flavours to make a masterpiece – yes, that’s here.   Much like how Willin Low manages it with his local-modern fusion at Wild Rocket.

We had 2 starters – the baba ganoush and the halloumi (menu here).  The baba ganoush made really interesting with the addition of curry oil.  Creamy, flavourful, with an uplift from the curry oil.  But the halloumi!  I would go back just for the halloumi.

As with all the dishes, beautifully presented.  Grilled strips of halloumi in a dish with olive oil, roasted cherry tomatoes, anchovies and olives.  Salty, bitey cheese, softened by the olive oil, sweetened by the tomato bursting in your mouth.  Don’t ignore the cubes of drenched focaccia in the bowl.  Yet another lovely flavour, yet another texture.

I had the much-buzzed-about beef cheek – 48 hour cooked sous vide.  And truly, it really is the tenderest cheek of beef you could hope to meet!  It really gently melts.  You have to love meatymeatmeat – because the central flavour of it is it’s rare-ish meatiness – much like tartare.  I don’t think I could eat it again as I like my meats adorned or really done.  But I’m glad I took the opportunity to celebrate flavour and texture like that.

Next time it’s the rigatoni bolognese for me.

We had the lime pannacotta with coconut sago and the white chocolate mousse with raspberry headache (still don’t know exactly what a raspberry headache is)  The pannacotta was yummy and comforting but the white chocolate mousse was stunning.  Little pellets of semi-frozen white choc mousse dusted in raspberry powder (the headache??) with raspberries on the side and raspberry coulis (all of those make for a headache??).  The sensation of the hard pellet melting in your mouth to release the milky sweetness countering the bite of the raspberry.  Damn.

Another surprising wow was the affogato – espresso over a dollop of ice cream.  The coffee is from Forty Hands and they take coffee really seriously here (no decaff) and wow, it really is something else.  That round-but-bitter, rich, intense coffee meeting the melting, creamy vanilla ice cream – just amazing.  I think that might have been the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.  It was definitely the best affogato ever.

Service was good, with young, knowledgeable, well-spoken staff.  We had a bit of a to-do with the maitre d’, but he did work very hard to redeem himself.  It did mar the evening and we did have to leave early because of it – but the effort he made to make up for the upset was appreciated.

It wasn’t the most comfortable experience ever, but it was one of my tastiest.  I don’t think it’ll become one of my default restos as it wasn’t terribly welcoming, but good food nonetheless.

All hail the chef and the coffee maestro.

19 Yong Saik Street

bookings: enquiries@odpsingapore.com

A friend passing through town asked me to pick a restaurant for dinner for our annual catch-up/philosophical debate/chin wag.  He’s pretty careful about his carb intake, so I thought this was the perfect time to try one of the several new steakhouses in town.

I am not much of a meat eater (in fact I’ve gone meat free many times in my life) but do appreciate a good steak every now and then.

I called Bedrock and was told that Saturday dinner was in 2 sittings.  From 6.30-8.30 or 8.30 onwards.  So – eat early and skedaddle somewhere else or eat late and linger.  Neither was attractive.

I called Cut at MBS and fully expected ‘we are full’ but lo and behold, they had room.  Mindful of friend’s wallet (he always buys dinner), I asked what the average $ per head was.  ”Starting at $300 per person for 3 courses”.  Wow.  That had to be pretty fine steak.

The menu is relatively simple – starters, then a choice of different cuts of different grades of meat (from USDA Prime to 100% Japanese Wagyu), with your choice of sauces and sides (from mac and cheese to caramelised onions to broccoli).  There are other dishes (chicken, pork) on the menu should you not eat beef.  (menu here)

Mr Puck and the various cuts on offer

Given that the beef is priced to be AMAZING (the cheapest cut starts at $70), we opted to avoid the starters and keep our appetites primed (pardon the pun) for the main event.

I opted for the cheapest New York sirloin (the USDA Prime aged 21 days) and my friend the Australian Angus, aged 35 days).  We had creamed spinach and broccoli, and I had the shallot-red wine bordelais sauce.

OMG.

It was amazing.  The seasoning was beautiful (13 herbs and spices) and the smoke-grill was evident in the multi-layered flavours.

The meat was firm but sliced easily (like butter).  Each mouthful was flavourful, with just enough chew before it melted in your mouth.

The sauce was delightful, and the sides excellent – beautiful creamed spinach, and perfectly cooked and seasoned broccoli.

This is NOT your average steak experience, but a connoisseur’s delight.

Without a doubt, the best steak I have ever had.  My friend said it was on his top 3 list (he’s eaten more steaks than I have!)

We were so satisfied we didn’t even want dessert to spoil it.

But of course, being a high end restaurant, you’re spoiled with amuse bouches and petit fours.  The amuse bouche was a fabulous choux concoction with a gruyere kick.  The petit fours were little macaroons and cookies – just enough of a sweet ending.

I had been fearful before dinner that the hefty price tag was because of the celebrity chef and not because of the quality of the food.  Happily, I was wrong.

The service was good (maybe a little forced, but I appreciated the effort), the decor upmarket-modern-American-casual-chic, with pictures of Hollywood stars gracing the walls (there is a Cut in Beverly Hills, and it’s a celeb favourite).

My gripe is that it’s awfully dark – I get the ‘romantic’ atmos attempt but seriously, I’d like to have been able to see more.  Turn up the lights a little.

What was amazing to me was the number of families and children having dinner.  Given that our bill for 2 steaks, some beers and bottled water was $400, how can people afford to bring their entire families for a casual dinner?  And would you want your 10 year old eating $100 steak?  It blew my mind, especially when I asked our charming waiter about it.  He said they were mostly local families, just having dinner, no special occasion.

Remarkable.  There’s obviously a lot of money wafting around, and Mr Puck must be sitting in his counting house yelling “KA-CHING!”

I want to go back again, to try the $250 wagyu steak (beautifully marbled).  I asked the waiter if that steak sang and danced in your mouth.  He said “no singing or dancing, but like heaven”.

Good enough for me.  Better start putting the pennies in the piggy bank so I can get back there.

It’s so hot here in Singapore these days that I’m sorely tempted to cut all my hair off and just sit in a tub of ice.

Then I remember I always regret it when I cut my hair off.

I blame this heat for my excitement at hearing about Frostbite, a little shop that makes and sells gourmet/artisanal popsicles.

photo courtesy of Frostbite

It’s a little outlet in Toa Payoh Central and is pretty bare-bones: a simple,  barely-decorated store that sells flavoured ice lollies, in distinctive flavours – White Peach with Lavender, Raspberry-Cranberry, Watermelon-Lemon, Grapefruit-Passionfruit, Mango-Lychee, Chocolate-BloodOrange… you get the idea.

My favourite is Calamansi SourPlum.

I don’t know how they make it so the flavour is so full and comes alive in your mouth with each slurp.

It’s not overly sharp, sweet or sour – they’ve managed to get the blend of all three just perfect.  The texture of the ice is perfect too – it’s soft, not too crystalline, and the flavours soaked in enough so you get a few good slurps out of it.

It’s fruity, with bits of sour plum through it, and has none of the bottle/store flavour – fake and sickly sweet – that turns me off a potentially lovely flavour combo.

Each lolly is $2.50.

It’s my new favourite thing.

All the flavours I’ve tried so far are punchy and fruity, without being overly sweet.  They taste like the best version of homemade fruit popsicles.  Flavours are intense, and drenched through each ice crystal!

Surely surely there’ll be some kind of cola lolly, and of course, a gula melaka lolly, soon?  A calamansi-cola lolly for me please.

If you buy one to eat they thoughtfully give it to you with a napkin to catch the sticky drips if you’re a slow eater.  If you buy in bulk, they give you your lollies in bags of ice.  But bring a chill bag anyway, and stock up!

Remembering iceballs of the past – shaved ice on a bit of newspaper with coloured syrups through it – bought from a little shoppy during an afternoon’s play – I realise how sophisticated we’ve become that a neighbourhood store doesn’t sell iceballs, but gourmet popsicles.  (by the way, those iceballs were 10 cents, and it wasn’t THAT long ago)

The store is a little hard to find – the address is Blk 178, #01-546 Toa Payoh Central.  It’s right behind the HDB Hub, facing Ya Kun and Polar.  Look for the flashing fairy lights.

A couple of young entrepreneurs with a great idea and a passion to succeed.

I love that, and I hope it succeeds.

ps:  just tried the Mango.  It’s very rich and mango-sweet.  If you love the intensity of a really ripe mango, this is one for you!  Grapefruit-Passionfruit has a lovely, rich bite, tangy but passionfruit-y (!) and Chocolate-Caramel is just delicious – rich and chocolatey, with the texture of a Paddle Pop.

pps:  Suntec outlet: facing Carrefour

It’s true.  We’ll go anywhere for good food.

The area around Lavender isn’t my normal beat, but the food is so good here, you can’t give it a miss.  It’s relatively small but there are a galaxy of star food stalls here so well worth the schlep.

Parking is another nightmare.  It has a little teensy-weensy carpark of its own but otherwise it’s street parking and good luck to you at weekend dinner times.  It’s also full of grumpy stallholders!  Many stalls came here from the famous Bugis Street (we’re going wayyy back now) and are the original people so maybe they’re just knackered.

But my main reason for coming here is the fantastic kon-lo mee.

The 2 aunties and the uncle have been turning out the best on the island for years.

Service does not come with a smile, and the dish is either $4 or $5 – yet there are always queues, and well-justified.  It’s all about the flavour of the sauce, and the springiness of the noodles.  The sauce is not ketchup-y or heavy.  It’s light and enough to accentuate the noodle flavour.  The chilli adds to the overall symphony and doesn’t overwhelm.  The wantons or swei kow are nice sidepieces – but it’s all about the noodles and the sauce.  Each mouthful is a joy!  One of my favourite hawker dishes, ever.

The famous Bugis St Beef Kway Teow is also a must.  Bouncy, chewy, beefballs, thin slices of beef and a hearty broth – also a top ranker in my books.

My nephew and niece love the dimsum here.  Strikes me as a bit average but they LOVE it.

A new addition – and wonderful it was – is the Ah Long pancake stall.  Man, hot, crispy, and with a sweet filling (not for me all the weird ones) and made for you on the spot – AWESOME.

They really need to add Nutella to the menu but I don’t see auntie (also not smiley) doing that anytime soon, so bring your own pot of nutella and get it spread on!

The satay (Chinese) is also good, and many come for the original Eminent Frog Porridge.  Sorry Frog Porridge fans, but bleargh for me!

My sweet tooth is a blessing as well as a curse.

It’s a blessing because I get so much pleasure out of desserts.  I almost feel sorry for people who don’t love their food, because you just don’t know what you’re missing.  It’s a curse because, well, lardass, it goes without saying.

And someone has come up with another way for me to derive more pleasure and spend even more time in the gym.

almond choc, blueberry cheese and macadamia choc

Chewy Junior has 5 outlets.

Oh mamma, they are just yummola.  They’re like a cross between a doughnut and Beard Papa.

There are the cheese and fruit versions (cream cheese + strawberry/blueberry/cranberry) or cheese + cheese (cream cheese and grated cheese) or the chocolate version – oreo, double chocolate, triple chocolate (choc filling, choc frosting, choc chips), chocolate + nuts (almonds or macadamias) and the fruit spread ones – lemon curd (ecch).  There are savouries too but I’ve never seen them on sale.  The full range here.

They do promos in multiples – like 6 for $6, or 11 for $11 (but one alone is more than a dollar of course!)

And it gets its name because you have to chew through it.  Which is kind of gratifying – I mean, you can feel the calories going in, and it’s not going to be a surprise when your pants get tight.  Each bite goes -> creamy icing, crispy shell, chewy middle, with creamy filling.  Yowzah!

I love me the chocolate ones.  Especially the macadamia.

oh happy day

This is not a review of Skinny Pizza.

Rather, based on my recent experience, I am giving you tips on how to order at Skinny Pizza.

If you are ordering multiple pizzas – for example, there are 4 of you and each wants a distinct pizza – then you must say to the wait staff that you want them all at the same time, when you place your order.

Otherwise, like us, you will wait 40 minutes to get your order filled:  10 mins wait, pizza #1, 10 mins, pizza #2, 10 mins etc etc.  You get the picture.  It’s really hard on you if you are pizza #4!

According to the outlet manager, this is standard policy, as people order pizzas to share…that’s how they should be eaten.  It seems that it’s not normal to order your own pizza and you are the weird one for expecting your food to arrive together and therefore you have to wait…And chasing regularly for the rest of the food is just annoying for the staff.

That was interesting because I’ve never encountered that at other pizza restaurants before…at a ‘normal’ pizza restaurant, all the food arrives together… or had the outlet tell me how I was going to eat, and when.

Given the wait and the warped logic, you can imagine how good the pizza would have to be to make us happy.

And…no.

Just a tip should you want to pay $20 and above for some crackers and topping.

I’m just sayin.

Who doesn’t love Thai food?

Yet despite our proximity to actual Thailand, it’s hard to find a good Thai restaurant.  You know, one where the food is honest and good, the ambience mellow, and you can kick off your heels and chill while eating the hot, sweet, sour, salty yumminess.

Last week I had dinner at Sabai on the Bay.  I already knew Sabai from the Ngee Ann City outlet (it’s the RED restaurant).  I was hopeful it would be my kind of joint as I know from eating at the Ngee Ann outlet that the food at Sabai is pretty damned good.

So – the food is really good.  But mellow it is not.  Firstly, there was a private party downstairs so we were seated upstairs…where the sound drifts up, and you don’t really get the view of the bay.  It was hard to hear each other.  Secondly, because of where it’s at, it’s going to be a bit chi-chi.

©Sabai

So if you want a nice Thai meal with a touch of swanky and chic, this is it.

the Sabai mojito

Steve had the signature lemongrass mojito, and when the waiter heard I had a cough, suggested a hot lemongrass and honey.  It was delicious and Steve liked the mojito so much he had a few more ; )

We had fabulous crackers and dip (khao tang na tang) – so horribly more-ish, a worthy green mango salad, good prawn cakes, very good stir-fried beef and the signature duck curry.  And strange as this may sound, Sabai does the best stir-fried veg.  Maybe the best test really is the simple things.

No complaints at all about the food, it really was all just right; well-balanced, not heavy handed and really tasty.

It was unfortunate that we were seated upstairs which didn’t really have much of an ambience.  The downstairs dining room looked great and I think if the weather’s nice, sitting outside with a awesome view of our new skyline, plus the high food standards would make for a really nice evening.

I’ll definitely go back for more.  It’s way better than many other swanky Thai restaurants on our little island.

the set lunch at Sabai on the Bay

Yes, my favourite eating haunt has spawned another child.

I’m not sure we needed another outlet but PS Café is now open at Ann Siang Hill, in a corner shophouse overlooking the park.

Like all its siblings, this one is comfortable yet stylish.  It’s more bistro-y in style than the others (tiles, mirrors – a little cold) but the signature feel of PS is still there – big pandanus, foliage (in and out), and a menu that’s full of edibles (not chi-chi dishes, but real food!).  The menu is a hybrid of all the outlets, plus a few new dishes, and of course, the usual generous desserts (sticky date toffee pudding!) and don’t forget the amazing truffle fries.  Menu here.

the bar on the ground floor

Because it’s a shophouse, it’s narrow with odd corners, and goes up to a groovy lounge area and the sweetest little outdoor terrace.

dining, on the second floor

Friend Sue says that during the day, the vibe is different, as the park foliage is visible, and quite pretty.  Probably warms up the ambience quite a bit.  I imagine this is a good weekend brunch spot – it’s probably a lot less noisy than the Dempsey outlet.

Controversially, the outlet does not welcome kids – as a CBD outlet it’s targeting business diners and I guess the small narrow spaces are not kid-friendly.

As with all the outlets, service can be hit and miss.  We had a great waiter, Mico, who was charming and knew his stuff (I feel less love for the waitress in the Palais outlet, but that’s another story for another day).  As a new chain, there are teething pains when it comes to consistency of service, but the food is always yummy and well executed.

Not sure I love it, but if I worked in the area it would be a welcome addition.