Dirty Supper in Tiong Bahru

I finally made it over to Dirty Supper and found my new favorite place (78 Moh Guan Terrace #01-19). Everything about them just sings to me, including not just the dual-purpose venue after the noodle aunties finish in the daytime, but also the broader philosophy that they embrace.

They feature nose-to-tail sustainability, while their kitchen's techniques bring taste of the ingredients to the front. That smoked mackerel on fried chicken skin above was wonderful, as it was effusing savory and smoky tastes with just the right amount of salt, all while sitting on what was effectively a crispy fat-laced cracker. I also grabbed a plate of breaded nuggets, which were formed using tender pig head meat. Their food was accompanied by a nice drink list, inclusive of a citrus-laced house lager and even non-alcoholic kvass.

It's awesome that they're open on late Saturday afternoons with the doors wide open for a nice breeze with good music playing overhead. This was just from their limited afternoon snack menu, but the way. One day I'm gonna come back here for a full dinner. This place rocks.

Hong Kong's La Vache! in Singapore

That may look a little weird above, but it was the remaining portion of my steak frites up on the tealight-heated tray. And yes, this steak frites shop from Hong Kong oddly provided ketchup, presumably for the fries (40 Gemmill Lane #01-03). Not to worry though; there was also a tarragon-heavy béarnaise to use with that tender meat. And fortunately, the crispy shoestring fries were nicely seasoned. I enjoyed the food, and service was fast and attentive despite the rowdly lunch atmosphere. But the bill left a pretty big hole in my wallet, as this place wasn't cheap.

Bavarian Obazda from Paulaner Brauhaus

We were at Paulaner tonight and this sounded interesting enough to try: a Bavarian mixture of Brie, butter and spices put into those three scoops above. It was pretty good, with an indulgently creamy and rich mixture going great with that soft pretzel and beer. They had Spargel on the menu tonight too, but I was happy to get this.

Mamma Mia Focaccia in Singapore

That was surprisingly good! I wasn't quite sure about this narrow sandwich counter at first, as I had never heard much about it, and it didn't seem like it was getting much attention either (94 Amoy Street). But they were open conveniently early, and it turned out to be amazing, especially the bread. See, the bread was light, airy, and crispy, and made the entire sandwich work. The stracciatella, mortadella, and pistachio cream inside made it savory and moist too, but the bread totally stole the show. I'm definitely going back for more, perhaps in the evenings, as it turns out that there is a speakeasy in the back of the shop. How cool!

The "Yuzu Nuts" Soba from LILYAN

Yes, that's how it's named on the menu at LILYAN, which I went to after that discussion about SHIN the other day. The "yuzu nuts" are in reference to the brown noodle dip on the left, which is made from ground cashews while carrying a nice yuzu accent. I don't think I'll get it again, but at least the name gave me a little smile. Note to self: next time remember to either upsize your noodles OR get a rice bowl on the side, but not both at the same time, as that was just a bit too much.

Guangzhou's RUXU at Funan in Singapore

I rather like this Cantonese dessert chain from Guangzhou. They have an outlet on the ground floor of Funan (107 North Bridge Road #01-11) doing things like mango sago and almond pudding. But it was only today that I tried one of their caramel croissant tarts, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. It was buttery, flaky, and rich without being excessive. I easily could have eaten more if I didn't restrain myself.

Noodle Star K Now Has Pyeongyang Naengmyeon

I am not sure if Noodle Star K got a new chef or something, but their menu now features a Pyeongyang naengmyeon option at an S$8 (US$6) premium. In turn, one got buckwheat noodles along with a subtle broth, although that broth featured slushy ice chips like normal naengmyeon. Joong San does a better job in that sense, although it was nice to see that Noodle Star K is also serving geotjeori kimchi now. It was pleasantly fresh, and they even offer to sell tubs of it for you to bring home, which I might do one day.

8889 Ji Gong Bao at Northstar@AMK

This jigongbao place in a distant industrial park was commanding hourlong waits on a Saturday night (7030 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 #01-30). After duking it out by nibbling on some fried lok lok from a stall nearby, our pot finally arrived. And it was good to see that it wasn't too sweet, with the thick soy sauce providing a nice amount of savoriness that helped carry the firm bone-in parts of chicken.

The small pot above was only S$16.90 (US$13.20), and it became clear later that they made their money from the optional plates in the fridge. Sure, they were priced at just S$3 each, but one grabs multiple plates in one go, so that quickly surged past the cost of the base pot. Next time I should remember to grab a pot of that claypot lala soup when we select our lok lok from that Fei Zhu stall.

Korea's Standard Bread in Singapore

I needed a bit more food after that ramen, so I stepped into that wood-laden Standard Bread place given that there was no line tonight (26 Sentosa Gateway #01-229). They only had a few loaves of brioche remaining, so I grabbed one of those with a coffee.

The bread was reasonably fluffy and buttery as you might expect, but I realized a few minutes into it that I should have opted for some butter. At least I had some of that iced Korean "Spanner" coffee to help wash things down. I'll admit that I rather liked the velvety dessert-like beverage.

Perhaps the more (not so) memorable thing was the price: the bread was a whopping S$14 (US$11), which is apparently double the price of how much they charge in Korea. This place was started by some design firm that is charging for the themed decor and Sentosa rent on top of the food.

Mensho X Sentosa's Wagyu Tantan Mochimen

I finally got around to trying the mochimen at Mensho X Sentosa. At first I tried eating from each section of that plate before I realized that one needed to toss it all first, as only certain parts of it were seasoned. Granted, that ended up covering up the taste of the beef too, but nonetheless it all came together well with those thick and chewy noodles. Now it's making me think of that 175° DENO place.

People People Brewing Co in Sentosa

That quarter rotisserie chicken portion on the right might look a little paltry, but it was surprisingly affordable considering that it was from the Burnt Ends team. And yes, that meant that the quality was good too, featuring very moist and savory pieces of chicken accompanied by crispy and nicely seasoned skin.

This wasn't from Burnt Ends itself though; it's from a new microbrewery at the RWS WEAVE mall (26 Sentosa Gateway #B1-209). The menu looked rather uninspiring at first, featuring things like burgers and pizza that looked like food that you'd find at touristy resorts. Fortunately, the quality was good, and the beers were too.

Katong Mei Wei Chicken Rice in Singapore

I'd never heard of this chicken rice shop before, but it's originally from Katong, and they have an "express" outlet in the city that puts everything in single-use plastic takeout boxes, even if you're dining in (8 Club Street #B2-19). As much as this wasteful packaging irks me, I'm putting that aside for now since the food turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting.

I didn't think it would be very good given the big pile of achar pickles that they provided. But it wasn't too sweet, and fortunately there were lots of sliced chilis in there to make it fun. The portion of chicken was generous and generally moist despite me opting for breast meat, and the fried garlic bits on top weren't too distracting either. The soup on the side was nice and peppery too.