Give me a Balsamic a day

Im a huge fan of balsamic vinegars.

A couple of days ago i came across CresCendo, a makeshift counter in Paragon Marketplace specializing in flavoured oils & balsamic vinegars. The promoter kindly offered me samples of their bestsellers- from fruit brews to the aged. 8-year-old was piercing, 16-year-old intensely concentrated and sweet. quality stuffs. Extremely intriguing were their 4-5 year Apple balsamic & a very uplifting Pomegranate balsamic, both brewed with natural extracts. The infusion of fruits made the acid a notch more exciting. Nice!

Amazingly, the Apple Balsamic Vinegar($34+ for 100ml) is packed with plenty of health benefits which can be reaped by taking a spoonful every morning. An applebalsamic-a-day keeps the doctor away. If only i had that kind of fortune, i would trash all my apples for this lol.

CresCendo is awaiting their official opening in ION Orchard.

Morton's The Steakhouse

My close friend who achieved patriotical glory decided he deserved a quality meat reward, self-selecting the mother of steakhouses as venue for celebration. Something straightforward yet pridefully presented. He really hecked the recession.

I am one person in least position to fuss over steakhouses. Being a beefless-tarian meant i am disqualified to join any form of intellectual discussion about that versatile cow, it's bodyparts, doneness, rawness, bloodyness blah blah blah... So just give me a decent piece of fish & dessert and i will gladly behave.

the famous, incredibly huge onion bread

I really thought i would. But certainly not when their renowned Onion Bread showed up as normal as it shouldn't be. Usually enticed by the titillating fragrance of onions baked in dough, i was buried in equal disappointment from the oversized loaf. Insipid brown spots, no aroma diffused. It failed to shut me up and instead suppressed my tendency to overnibble.

Our waitress Tracy then came to recite her piece, introducing every gem on the meat wagon as though her script came from "Morton's for Dummies". She ends off with a friendly warning, " Please try not to eat too much bread ok?"

Fret not, i won't.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Mustard Mayonnaise Sauce

I'd rather be off to my appetiser. My love for crabcakes developed at Whitebait & Kale (sadly have not reopened) where they came in high crab, low carb proportions. Morton's second. Neglecting price-to-price comparison, theirs is done with doubly satisfying lumps of crab. Very luscious, almost impurities-free apart from some essential breadcrumbs. Lump lump lump... perfect with a squeeze of lemon.

Maine Lobster Cocktail, Mustard mayo & Cocktail sauce

The friend had a serving of maine lobster meat shuffed in an ice-bedded glass. Chilled and fresh as anticipated since you can't quite go wrong with lobsters. All was fine except for his heart already half-set on my 2-inch tall crustacean coin. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Note: application not for entrees.

Ribeye Steak, USDA Prime

I foresaw a flying white flag when the Ribeye reached our table. At first instant i crowned it Biggest Single-portion Steak of the Year (among my encounters). But as my beef-loving friend hunked it down in smiles, he made it seem like pre-school spelling. Too good not to finish, he says.

Perhaps i should consider changing biggest to best.

Sesame Encrusted Yellowfin Tuna, Spicy Soy Ginger Sauce

On my side i thought i needed some SOS. My thick-like-i-never-had-before Yellowfin tuna fish was overdone (wanted medium well, came almost welldone) and bland if not for the toasted sesame coat & oriental sauce. The salvaging point was no fishyness!, a great indication of freshness. I tackled it s-l-o-w-l-y so i needn't activate the white flag.

Steamed Fresh Jumbo Asparagus, Hollandaise Sauce

We ordered a portion of steamed asparagus too, long gone past its optimal softness. Regretted not going for the grilled ones with balsamic glaze instead. And these are certainly NOT CHEAP for veggies.

Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake

And how to resist dessert? Morton's ensures submission of your dessert choice before the approx 40 minutes prep time. Tracy recommended the LEGENDARY hot chocolate cake, served with a scoop of Haagen Dazs Vanilla icecream. When you have scrumptiously sweet cake walls, ideally molten outflows & premium icecream coming together... the conclusion is divine.

And the place is Morton's.

Generous portions in generous pricetags.

If i could rewind time back to the start of the meal, i would say medium rare for fish and insist divine for dessert.

Morton's of Chicago: The Steakhouse

4th Storey, Mandarin Oriental Singapore

5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square

6339 3740

Caffe Beviamo

One of the world's best gastro-invention other than icecream, is the sandwich. The former heightens indulgence whilst the latter eases convenience. Both are indispensable in my regular diet. A Sunday noon i was figuring where to for my daily bread fix, when Beviamo randomly came to mind.

Loose-leaf Green Tea in pot

Its quite a surprise how long they've been here yet i have never set my mind to visit. Perhaps the PS-soupspoon-COVA distractors posed too strong a competition for this unobstrusive cafe to be noticed. They are nestled right up, outside the now defunct Sushi Tei, with a small open kitchen detached from the dining area. You'll need a second look to confirm: YES this IS a cafe.

Smoked salmon will always be my first choice for fillings but when unavailable, chicken does just as fine. Beviamo's Chicken Sandwich ($14)- poached chicken breast, cheese, basil pesto, zucchini- was a good take. Brownbread grilled panini-style, non soggy on the insides, with zucchini and pieces of fresh chicken. Not your usual frozen and mircrowaved junk. My cheese-to-avocado switch was inhesistently fulfilled; flexibility appreciated.

Dad had his Ham Sandwich ($14)- leg ham, tomato, red onion, spinach, cheese- on ciabatta bread. The colourful innards of shaved ham, baby spinach and melted swiss cheese looked appetisingly good from every angle.

Banana-carrot cake

Beviamo didn't offer much of a variety for desserts and a few looked untrustably rickety. My first instinct was to go for the Carrot Cake ($3.50) which 2 out of 3 tables around me were having. Crowd-following effect = not always right. I should have sniffed an amiss from its conventional buttercake shape- cause besides the cheese frosting & measly carrot shreds in the cake, there was nothing more carrot cake about it. The crucial prick of cinnamon was inexistent and most disturbingly of all, blocks of BANANAS were dominating the taste.

This banana cake-in-carrot cake-skin (apply wolf in sheep's skin) needs urgent relabelling.

Not your usual strawberry shortcake. Their Strawberry Shortcake ($3.50): American Edition adapted a local smell too. In short, strawberries+cream and Kueh Bulu sandwich.

While i can acknowledge their stance in bringing old-fashioned American sweets, and am in no position to condemn their local incorporations...their desserts (& poor service) just didn't do for me.

But the sandwiches and loose-leaf teas at $3.50 a pot, did.

Caffe Beviamo

290 Orchard Road

#05-K3/K4 The Paragon

6836 2535

Verve Bar & Bistro

The erstwhile Turquoise Room is now back as Verve.

Fresh and cool in white-washed walls, black trimmings and hue of iceberg blue, the bistro indents like a refreshing piece of mint. I liked the clean casual ambience amidst Gillman Village's remote lush. No pressure contained.

Any chef's passion can be derived from their menus. Verve's single-page does not spare you from scrutiny. The table sheet poured columns of details, many of which are Italian inclinations (yippee!) no short of pasta, pizza and gelato.

No short of bread on the house as well, italiano style. A pair of foccacia rectangles (per diner) is served on these nifty long plates that reach out to either ends of the table. Breadwise, some de-densing would be good.

Verve's signature Pasta Semplici ($24) is a no-meat playoff. Some roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, pinenuts and shaved parmesan tossed in virgin olive oil & linguine becomes the chef's vegetasty configuration. Now who needs meat?

I went for Slipper Lobster & Cherry Tomato Linguine ($28), a gourmet pasta promising white wine and slipper lobster broth. Both fluid inclusions were too subtle in taste. Only the deshelled slipper lobster chunks behaved less forlorn.

What hit me most was their attempt on homemade pasta. It is no doubt a positive trend seeing kitchens step out of Barilla/San Remo supplies to devote to pasta making. Out-of-the-packet pastas have been so fervoursly globalized and vibrantly evolved that it is nowhere out of sight today. One who is capable of producing a reliable dough by hand would deserve extra affirmation. But Verve's uncomfortably thick, undercooked ribbons had plentiful of room for improvisation.

Not surprisingly, we decided to round off italianly with Tiramisu ($10). Strong bitterness entrenched in the sponge and decent when paired with its firm cream. There was also a Pistachio & Green Almond gelato i wanted but was too popular to be available. Luck wasn't on my side.

...So it gives me a perfectly valid reason to return, i don't think i would miss out on their pizzas either. We'll be back.

Verve Bar & Bistro

Blk 7 Lock Road

Gillman Village

6473 3655

Restaurant Absinthe

Absinthe-d, with love.

Being uncertain of pronnouncing that complex alcoholic spirit-pegged name (read AHB-senth) became the last thing on my mind. That night i completely soaked into Chef Francois Mermilliod's compositions, Philippe Pau's experienced interaction and a table of quality company.

Absinthe's menu is honest classic French, luminated by premium ingredients and a set of choiceful sauces. They do a good toasted sourdough bread and is not stingy with filling you up with it. Catch it warm, the goodness gradually depletes with temperature.

Chilled Ravioli of Lobster with Lime Sabayon, Pink Guava Julienne and Shiso

The introductories of Menu Degustation began with a Chilled Ravioli of Lobster. Under that hargow-resembling sheet revealed a mound of crustacean chunks, aptly lifted by a teeny citrus tang from the sabayon. Nothing more than the generous innards struck big and bold.

Hokkaido Scallops with Sea Urchin Emulsion and small herb salad

Emblazoned by a great deal of Japanese character, i instantly fell for the Hokkaido Scallops with Sea Urchin Emulsion. Specks of seaweed stamped its surface, working simultaneously with the sea urchin sauce & light wakame salad for a victorious result on those tender thumbs. This was good.

Pan-fried Foie Gras with warm blinis & Wild Hibiscus

Taking (our side of) the table by celestial storm, the Pan-fried Foie Gras read speechless. After observing foie gras immersion i took a tiny bite and fared.. perfectly glazed, charred, creamy. mmmmmm.

House Wood-smoked Salmon

Foolishness disputable, house smoked salmon replaced my dish of goose liver & i couldn't say less about the bliss it brought (for me) over disintegratable fats. I love smoked salmon and i love it even better when semi-cooked. Absinthe's delicate hunk is excellently executed and done to a soft, flaky state. Salt kept on mid moderate. With every bit, i drifted closer to salmon dream...

Pork Belly

Slow Cooked Australian Lamb Loin, Capsicum Piperade & Ratte Potatoes, Thyme Jus

Seared John Dory Filet, Crushed Potatoes Green Asparagus & Vanilla “Beurre Blanc”

I didn't dislike the Seared John Dory but it was paling comparison with the earlier mightys. The slab was painfully small for a main and the potatoes needed more details. What's left to salvage- vanilla bean specks in the beurre blanc, which was an interesting use of that dessert star.

Verbena & Blueberry Creme Brulee , Absinthe Sorbet & Spiced Tuile

Warm Plum Clafoutis, Almond Icecream

A glitch occured in delivering the set's dessert and i jumped right for the Warm Plum Clafoutis. Like Cinderella, neither attractive nor popular (with the rest of the clafouti-eating people) but bound to find her prince. The warm studgy coin crossed between a cake & pudding, was packed with full almondy flavours which reached out amicably to me.

Petit Fours

We bade Absinthe farewell over a cup of tea and Valrhona sticks. But soulfully, Absinthe has planted a scene in my heart. I liked my meal.

Restaurant Absinthe

48 Bukit Pasoh Road

6222 9068

Nanbantei, Far East Plaza

Wasabi Tei's the reason. Dejected by Wasabi Tei's restday on a wednesday, i found myself stepping into the doors of NBT in hope of a satisfying Japanese dinner... Yakitori is never a bad alternative.

Being my second time here (the first for lunch) naturally halved the suspense of what to expect. Watching the conscientious chefs' constant stick-flipping, sprinkling of salt, careful fire control... was attention-seizing enough to keep our minds off the lunch-dinner price disparity.

A starter memorable from first visit was the Dashi Maki Tamago ($6), served middling between chilled and lukewarm. Good maki tamagos are rare in Singapore, and ever since a trip to Hokkaido, i held even lesser faith in mediocre versions. It was nice to see this come beautifully composed of clearly distinct layers, which speaks so much of the chef's masterful egg-rolling technique.

Yakitori fans would probably figure ala carte wasn't the best route to hitch, especially when they had well-assembled set dinners to save wallets . The mixed sashimi platter, part of the Sashimi Set dinner ($32), is one of raw fish slices so generous in thickness. Salmon, tuna, yellowtail...you've got it all.

Paid minimal attention to the details of Chef's choice of 8 yakitori sticks. Grab, bite, pull, savour was all i did, with my eyes closely fixed on the live action ahead. Things like the grilled okra, bacon-wrapped tomatoes (that bursts) & beef skewers clamoured much adoration from my partner.

Thinking 8 skewers would suffice, i diverted my orders back to ala carte selections. The Teriyaki Cod fish ($12) departed from the same trusty grill, forced with the same charred imprints but a tad dismissable in size.

Nanbantei's Cha Soba ($9) insists on authenticity when it comes to presentation and condiments. Nothing fell short in accompanying the bamboo tray and dipping sauce... noodles reflected perfect blanching, while that raw quail egg kept the dish at its most traditional.

Our food proved it. Nanbantei should be a reason on its own to come for, not a substitute for anywhere else's closure. I'm sure the Japanese expats around us would agree. Now if only their waitresses could look into their service... treat customers as equals regardless of age or nationality AND dutifully respond to tea-refilling requests, this meal would have been very much more enjoyable.

Nanbantei
14 Scotts Road
#05-132 Far East Plaza

Crab Extravaganza, Ellenborough Market Cafe

If you are hankering for this particular crustacean, Ellenborough Market Cafe's current Crab Temptations will keep your mouths (and hands) busy. The Ultimate Crab buffet dinner from 25 June to 12 July 2009 features crab, crab & more crabs alongside with their international, peranakan & local spread.

Salad of Hokkaido Crabmeat with Apple & Walnut

Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crabmeat

Crab Risotto

Crabmeat Fried Rice w Asparagus & Flying Fish Roe

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Couple of shortcomings aside, the appetisers contained fairly generous inclusions of crab meat to boot. What took centrestage was the real deal...4 enticing variations of crab which decently impressed. None was excluded from spice, but every dish bore its own distinct traits and flavours. Nonya Curry Crab whirled past like a marsala-injected fusion, Fragrant Thai Sauce Crab a unique execution perked up by basil oil, & Black Pepper Sri Lankan Crab dutifully releasing potent peppercorns. The Wok-fried Chilli Crab also debilitated my assumptions of fiery chilli- here's one sweet gravy surprisingly milder than the others.

Unfortunately more flaws than fancies were garnered for the rice dishes. The Crabmeat Fried Rice needed to tone down, whilst a weak stock was simply inadequate to uplift their overcooked Crab Risotto grains.

A crab feast cannot go without my favourite Man Tous. Deepfried to an even golden brown, i was glad Ellenborough's MTs soaked hardly any squirm of grease. Scaled down too for buffet-inclined reasons.

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It's always wise to halt before the crab-aphobia invades...and move on to freshen our earlier passive sweet-tooth. Their signature Durian Pengat is a perennial mainstay, or the row of assorted tongshuis many locals would fancy. While the rest cozied up on those, i filled my plate with western slices- a Pistachio Cheesecake dotted with real nut nibs & a reliable Bread & Butter Pudding, drizzled with bean-less vanilla sauce but nevertheless yummy. The other unsuspecting triangle was later identified to be Durian Cheesecake and so, instantly rejected to a side. Durian's not my thing.

And THEN came these friendly green bolters that drew the big bang finale. I was never a fan of peranakan or nonya food and would instinctively skip the cultural components (esp desserts) at buffets. Never would i imagine myself to glow upon a Kueh Dadah like a kid-sees-lollipop reaction! When you have it fresh and warm, it makes a whole world of difference.

Bestow on Chef Ivy's prized dessert, where your teeth sinks into porous, gently browned skins that relently subdues to pressure... stretching apart & freeing moist coconut shards simmered with gula melaka. *sudden serotonin rush and my hand reaches out for another.

For once i proclaim, i'm loving a peranakan kueh.

Note: Portions pictured are designed for a tasting session and may differ from the actual buffet spread. My sincere thanks to Sok Hoon & Yvonne, marketing communication managers of Swissotel Merchant Court for their kind hosting.

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Ultimate Crab Buffet is available for dinner daily from 25 June to 12 July. Priced at $46++ per adult, $23++ per child.

Ellenborough Market Cafe

Lobby Level, Swissotel Merchant Court

20 Merchant Road

6239 1848