Barrio by Mex Out: New Breakfast Menu at Vivocity Outlet

Mexican, served fresh. 

That's the heart of Mexican eatery, Mex-out, that has been known for its Mex-American cuisine which is influenced by both the ancient Mayan and Aztec culture, as well as modern Bajan California and the Carribean. It's said that everything here uses the freshest ingredients. For instance, the Guacamole is made fresh daily using with fresh avocados and seasoned with just the right amount of lime 

Having heard so many delicious stories of its food at first outlet in Far East Square as well as its beer-inspired casual restaurant, Barrio by Mex Out @ 313 Somerset, I finally came to its latest outlet at Vivocity which is decked in a cheerful mode, with walls and place mats in bright primary colors. 

Be it the Smashed Avocado on Toast or the Breakfast protein salad, these hearty dishes took off with excellent guacamole on the right level of consistency and seasoning. I'm usually a bread person in the morning but I can foresee a change with the Huevos Ranches, a plate of tasty rice grains tossed in some mildly heady chipotle chilli powder with black beans and a fried egg.   It was meant to be eaten like a tortilla but I concluded that they were already delicious on their own.

If the guacamole from the breakfast dishes can't satisfy you enough, get the Loaded Nachos with smoked chilli con carne, corona cheese and melted cheddar ($13.60) from the regular menu. This will likely last you from the start to the end of your meal. 

But this place also doles out some mean tacos, quesadillas and tortas too. The latter category merits some serious investigation as "tortas" aka Mexican-styled sandwiches, looked like any American burger but tasted better than most. The butter brioche bread was utterly crisp, bolstered with a super-rich filling of pulled pork, pickled red cabbage and Alioli--a combination both colorful and tasty. 


I was a little disappointed with the Fish Tacos  ($13.40/2pcs) as there was too much fried batter and the Alioli did not liven up the meat very much. Even though the dash of lime did impart some acidity, I thought the sauce could be a little more zingy. 

Spice-wise, the food doesn't get hotter than the Stuffed Jalapeños with Cheese (4pcs/$8.40). These mini chilli pepper bombs are crispy on the outside and gushes out a mix of cheese and juice as one bites into it. The mild fiery sensation only popped by for a minute or so and by then, you would have gone on to the second or even third chilli pepper like me. 

There is only churros with hot chocolate sauce for the dessert menu. But with so much food-coma inducing food already lined up at the start, I don't think we need too many sweets either. The cinnamon sugar-coated churros, in its most primitive form, was delectably crisp and aromatic. 

There's a breakfast churros version is dusted with icing sugar instead of cinnamon sugar and served with a yoghurt sauce. But I highly recommend the classic chocolate, even though it tasted a little like those bottles of Hershey chocolate sauces. After all, you can always choose not to dip your churros in them. 

Heard that this place collaborates with Mexican distillery, Sauza Tequila, which was founded since 1873. With so many dishes boasting intense, bold flavors here, I think anyone would need some margaritas for an authentic Mex-out experience. 

This is an invited tasting

Barrio by Mex Out @ Vivocity 
#01-116 Vivo City
1 Harbourfront Walk,
Singapore 098585
Sun-Thu: 11am-11pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-12am
http://www.mexout.com/

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[NEW OPEN] Gelateria TIE-AN @ Shibuya : [新登场] 東京の和风冰淇淋店

Looking for another Japanese gelateria shop after Ouca? Tie-an is the place to go. Located in the basement of Shibuya Hikarie, Tie-an is gelataria selling ice cream flavors that are inspired by Japanese ingredients and traditional Japanese desserts. Think strawberry Daifuku, Mitarashi dango, condensed milk Ichigo, Edamame Raspberry White Chocolate served in a cup with a rice cracker biscuit from SENBEI BROTHERS.

Opened just recently in September 2016, this place also serves soups as well as savoury and sweet crepes. The ice cream is served in a cup and sold at a minimum of 2 flavors (441 yen) I decided to go with 3 flavors (540 yen) since there's too many delicious flavors that I want after a few samplings.

The five-grain chocolate was smooth and bitter with a toasty aroma from the grains. The other two were Matcha Biscotti and Strawberry Condensed Milk, which were not too bad but I still prefer the gelatos from Far East Bazaar.

The use of healthier ingredients like soy milk and cane sugar might explain why it melts faster than average. It wasn't too sweet but I wished the scoops were as big as those shown on their official website.

Gelateria TIE-AN

Shibuya Hikarie B2F

2 Chome-21-1 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tōkyō-to 150-8510

Daily 10am-9pm
http://tie-an.com/

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Yuji Ajiki : Back for Seconds and Blown by Croissants

It's back to Yuji Ajiki to try out other items and I uncovered yet another gem here- the croissants. I can't say it's not the best croissant in Tokyo (because it's located outside Tokyo) but I can say it's the BEST CROISSANT in the Kanto Region. That's an even bigger disclaimer even though I've not scoured every single croissant in Kanto. 

But who cares? I'm sure I'm not the only one who will rave about his croissants. The Croissant Yadokari (¥360) caught my attention for its jumbo size and quirky shape. Only ONE is produced each day and I was so happy to get it even though I didn't come for this. Neither did I know about its existence beforehand. 

As the old saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. This is a big delicious "worm" that should be awarded 5 Michelin star. It's so sturdy yet light and crisp, shattering into pieces as you pry apart and pluck the tender bread. 

Meanwhile, the Croissant Geso (¥360) is another croissant tree monster in sugar glaze and Pearl sugar. If Yadokari is the crispy cro, this is the crunchy cro that meets the ideal standards of "zaku-zaku" with the golden baked effects from multiple foldings of dough. Don't bother about that Zaku Zaku in Harajuku. The world-class pastry is found here. Perhaps the next best one would be the Kouign Amman from A Tes Souhaits. 

As for the cakes, they were totally different from what I had previously except for the Black Figs Shortcake, a seasonal twist to the strawberry shortcake. Just like before, the sponge was still as delicate and tender, matching impeccably to the fresh cream and fruity sweetness. 

However, the mousse-based cakes like Buochon de Champagne or the Anabana did not impress as much as those I've had previously. Perhaps one reason is that it lacked the Creme beurre component which positioned them at the same levels as the mousse cakes from other patisseries. 

Printemps looked like a cold, icy princess but it isn't too difficult to understand her. On the almond tart base was a nice swirl of rare cheese mousse with three berries compote in the center, completed with curvy white chocolate shell. Sweet, sour and mildly cheesy, 

Nonetheless, the classics such St Honore still shone as one of the best I've ever had. The tart shell is unbeatably crisp and butter, holding up a billow of Tonka vanilla beans-spiked fresh cream and an unctuously creamy core of vanilla beurre. 

That are some desserts that borders on too good to be true and this is one of them. I was totally dazzled and bespectacled by such a humble yet grand creation that I kept asking in my heart, "How could there be such a perfect pastry on Earth?" 

Yes, probably only here at YA

Since I had a fantastic baked cheese tart at his disciple's shop, I couldn't leave without trying the master's version. Perhaps the addition of seasonal fruits made this a little sweeter but other than that, I couldn't tell much difference. 

Ok...my world has been shaken by the croissant. If you are one who always flock to Gontran Cherrier every single time you visit Tokyo, it's time for a change my friend.

This will change your life.

Click here for previous visit and details of the shop. 

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Silk Road @ Amara Hotel : Celebrating Ah Ma's Birthday with Excellent Chinese Food and Restaurant Service

It's a yearly affair to celebrate Ah Ma's birthday at a Teochew restaurant but for her 80th birthday this year, we decided to try out Silk Road in Amara Hotel, since I've heard several good reviews about this place. This restaurant has been around since 2001 and is one of the earliest places that serves authentic Sichuan cuisine in Singapore 


Since it will be CNY in less than a week's time, we took the opportunity to try the CNY set menu for $128/pax. We booked a private room for a group of 14 and the food and service--from the start to the end--were truly impeccable. 


Before the Eight Treasures Yu Sheng, we had the mandatory longevity buns were unprecedentedly fluffy and delicate. But it was the first time for everyone to have crispy fish skin and golden silverfish in the luxurious Yu Sheng which came with sliced abalones, cured salmon, jellyfish, ikura roe and tobiko roe as well. The chef's special Spicy Sichuan Garlic Sauce wasn't as fiery as I would love, in fact, rather sweet for me, but it was a refreshing change to the usual dressing. 

The Double boiled free range chicken soup with shark bone's cartilage and dried scallops was nourishing and creamy but it was too salty.

Fortunately, the same issue did not happen for the Steamed Free range chicken infused with salt (白切盐鸡). The chicken was beautifully cooked to a tender soft with a glistening shine on the skin. It came with a side of minced ginger in shallot oil but I thought the meat itself was already flavourful to stand on its own. 

The Soy-glazed Baked Cod with Bonito sauce (日式焗鳕鱼) was the best dish that evening. The fish was uber fresh-so good that even my Ah Ma who usually don't take commercial fish gives her full thumbs up. It was melt-in-the-mouth tender, with bonito flakes and sake-Mirin sauce that gave the fish a delicious umami dressing. Simply faultless buttery indulgence at best! 

We all know that sea cucumber is one of the highly prized delicacy especially during CNY and this came in the dish of Braised pork knuckle with sweet chestnuts. The theatrical piece of pork knuckle received a generous pour of the aromatic dark sauce but all flavors have already been absorbed into the meat thanks to the 6-hour long slow cooking process. You can imagine all the ladies at the table were aiming at this collagen-rich dish.

The Deep Fried Prawns with Golden Pork Floss gave everyone a nice surprise as the floss is mixed with curry powder! Aromatic but not spicy, the prawns were another hit with its sweet succulence. 

But the steamed fragrant rice with Chinese sausages was the faultless finale of indulgence. It's nothing like those sizzling claypot rice with dark soy sauce. Here, the rice worked magic with a special blend of fragrant soy sauce that made it so irresistibly delicious. Not to forget the salted fish and two kinds of sausages (Sichuan sausage and traditional Chinese sausage) that brought additional sweet-savoury flavors to the dish. 

Desserts were originally Nian Gao and fried Sesame dumplings but the restaurant was flexible enough to accommodate a change to either a choice of Mango Pomelo and Lemongrass Aloe Vera Jelly. 

Before the desserts, we had the Longevity noodles (寿面), as a traditional practice for the birthday dinner. But little did we did not expect the restaurant to arrange it in such an exquisite manner. Understanding that everyone was already full to the brim, the chef and his team had tastefully prepared them in mini portions, plated with a sweet lotus paste-filled "flower" and the "寿” character written with raspberry sauce! The longevity noodles are quite unique because they are thick and chunky la-mian handmade by the noodle chef. The toothsome texture reminded me of udon and the broth was very tasty.  

But the most touching moment came when the noodles chef presented Ah Ma with a special version that had a longevity figure hand-crafted using noodle dough! What a talent he is! Ah Ma was so happy and couldn't stop grinning.  We were truly grateful to the restaurant team for going the extra mile to make the dinner such a memorable one for my ah ma and my family. In fact, we learnt later that the chef from Sichuan actually took the entire afternoon to create the figurine! Full marks for effort and sincerity. 

Being a huge fan of Sichuan cuisine, I'm already eyeing the spicy chicken, mapo tofu and spicy handmade noodles for the next trip. If you are still searching for an excellent Chinese restaurant in town? Look no further. This is it. 

Silk Road @ Amara Hotel Singapore
165 Tanjong Pagar Singapore 088539
Lunch: 11.30am to 3pm daily
Dinner : 6pm to 10.30pm daily
Reservations and enquiries:
Tel: (65) 6227 3848
Email: silkroad@amaraholdings.com
For menu : http://singapore.amarahotels.com/promotions/2017-chinese-new-year-silk-road/

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Kajitsuen 果実園 Fruit Cafe in Tokyo : Popular but Mediocre

Kajitsuen has had a long presence at Tokyo station selling fruit parfaits, fruit pancakes and fruit cakes. I think fruit desserts make a good business because people generally won't hate fruits and they can be charged at a high price. I finally got a chance to check out its opened a new outlet near Shinjuku station since the location is more convenient and opens till late. 

As attractive as the tall fruit cream cakes may seem, they were utterly disappointing and fared even poorer than food from those franchise cafes. The sponge of the Pistachio Strawberry cake was dry and the pistachio taste wasn't as strong as it looked. I won't be surprise if artificial coloring has been added. 

Of course the freshness of the seasonal strawberries can't be argued but I won't pay more than 1000 yen for a cake of such substandard quality ever again. Better head to Takano Parlour.

The Strawberry Parfait (1300 yen) was more value-for-money than the cake because there was an seemingly endless supply of strawberries. However beyond that, it was just a tower of artificial-tasting whipped cream (like those squirted from metal canisters), vanilla and strawberry ice cream. It's probably the worse ice cream I've ever had in Japan because I've yet to encounter anything as bad as this.

I try to convince myself that I'm paying for the quality fruits. But in that case, why don't I just go to the supermarket for the fruits?

This was my first and shall be my last visit

Kajitsuen 果実園
Shinjuku outlet:
〒151-0053
東京都渋谷区代々木2-7-7南新宿277ビルB1
Daily 7.30am-11pm
Tokyo 151-0053, Shinjuku-ku Yoyogi 2-7-7 Minami Shinjuku 277 Building B1
http://kajitsuen.jp/html/

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Melting In The Mouth : Organic Soft Serve Cafe in Hiroo Tokyo

White poop? Aha...it's the original soft serve from Melting In The Mouth, an organic dessert and cafe store that opened in Hiroo. 


The unique fat and white swirl made it a standout amidst the rest and the texture is almost "Melting In the Mouth". It's not as sweet as condensed milk yet but I think it can still afford to be less sweet. 

There are plenty of variations to play with...salted caramel pretzel, honeycomb and chocolate but only the original flavor is available in cone. The cafe is said to serve desserts but there's nothing much besides the soft serve, tiramisu and honeycomb cheesecake.

The Matcha Tiramisu (¥500) is the interesting one to lookout here as the texture is so cheesy and dense like no tiramisu you've had before. Try forking a plastic spoon through the mass and it might just break because the vanilla ice cream remained very cold. But once we succeeded, it was awesome to find a pool of organic Hokkaido Mascarpone Cheese nested at the base, all mixed well with green tea. Yummy. 

MELTING IN THE MOUTH
東京都渋谷区広尾5-17-10MKビル1F
Tel: 03-6459-3838
11:30 - 20:30 daily (no fixed holiday)

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Fishball Khin : More than just delicious handmade fish balls

It's neither bouncy nor springy, but the handmade fishballs here have a pleasant chewy texture that are good telling signs of more fish than flour. Fishball Khin is an all-day eatery in Ang Mo Kio that probably needs no introduction for regular fans of fishball noodles. In fact, it's the place that my family would go when we get bored of the food at the hawker center across my house since it is in the same area. 

Another aspect of the fishballs here is the saltiness. If you have come across those health promotion board ads often, you may have known that fishballs are one of the local food that is high in sodium. 

But the fishballs here are just mildly salty and we never remembered encountering any MSG thirst syndrome after our meal. The fishballs are good but everyone loved the He Kiao so much that we would usually order just an extra bowl of he Kiao to share. 

 If the fishballs can win the best star award, the meepok noodles ($4) can earn the best supporting role. Tossed in vinegar and chilli, the noodles were satisfyingly punchy and cooked to the right degree.  

Other dishes that we tried are equally competent too. The Hokkien Mee ($5) was drenched in stock but not overly wet. It ain't a bad thing to see more bee hoon here as they absorbed the flavors of the stock very well, pairing perfectly with the side of sambal. 

The fish head soup ($6) is also highly recommended especially if you prefer something light and wholesome. The fresh batang fish bathed in a pool of opaque white broth that was boosted with ginger and pepper.  

Recently we decided to try the fried rice as we noticed that almost every table ordered it. And boy, it was so delicious! The fried rice was full of wok-hei and flavorfully tossed with crispy silvered fish, sweet dried sausages and some chewy fish cakes. Each grain was distinct (粒粒分明）and not greasy at all. You can even say it's better than many of the Chinese restaurants in Singapore. 

The place may be fully seated during lunch or dinner hours but the turnover rate is quite fast. So chances are you don't have to wait or queue hours for something good and affordable. 

Fishball Khin
Block 574 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, 01-1825 
Tel: 8198-6868 
Open: 11.30am - 11.30pm (Wed - Mon), closed on Tue

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Wildseed Cafe & Bar : A Blooming Seed in Seletar Singapore

It feels like a walk through British colonial times as I stepped into this sprawling two-storey black and white bungalow in Seletar Park Lane, formerly the residential area of RAF Base Commander and other senior offices. 

A new lease of life has been injected into this area with the establishment of the Summerhouse, an integrated multi-concept destination made up of the Summerhouse Dining Room and Balcony Bar, Wildseed cafe and complementary facilities such as an edible garden, florist and coffee roaster. 

Given such remarkable surroundings, it would be easy to surmise that the food is perhaps of secondary importance. Not so. As the name of the place evokes a strong connection back to nature, expect some nature-inspired, farms-to-table cuisine whipped up by the Chef Florian Rider who has a wealth of experience at Michelin-started restaurants including La Belle Époque in Germany and Alma by Juan Amador in Singapore

Although we did not catch the food from Summerhouse this time, we tried some sandwiches and desserts from Wildseed Cafe & Bar where ambience is more casual and laid-back. I gleaned in delight when I noticed traces of Middle-Eastern/Meditteranean influences in the dish as that is one of my favourite cuisine. Think falafel, hummus, etc. 

Of the three sandwiches I've had, I had the best impression of the Independent Uruguay ($15), a giant rye bread sandwiched with house-made falafel, pickled beetroot, yoghurt sauce and lettuce from local Kranji farm. What distiguished this from the usual falalel sandwich is the carrot pesto, made from scratch by Chef Florian by steaming carrots and cooking it with garlic, chilli padi and tomato reduction. The result was a fresh, wholesome flavors with light hints of sweetness that lingered in the memory. 
In fact, the Pork and Kraut ($15) was good too because the cured and later smoked pork collar achieved the right degree of saltiness and balance with the tangy purple cabbage. The taste reminded me of the German Saukeraut except that there's no pork knuckle this time. 
Bar snacks such as deep fried hollandaise balls ($12) and Super Thin Curly Chips ($11/$17) served as tasty nibbles for lazy days and long nights but the star was the assorted beverages concocted by Mixologist Yadhaven Santheran. I am not a good drinker but I thoroughly enjoyed the Marsala Chai Sour; freshly brew Marsala Chai with Almond Milk, Vanilla liqueur and Jack Daniel's. It's sweet and creamy like a Teh Tarik but extra fragrant with the boost from the liquor. It's the only warm brew on the menu but the scent could probably be the most alluring and potent of all. 
Right now, most people seems to be flocking here mainly for cakes that are whipped up by 1-Group pastry chef Jasmin Chew. Like the savoury food, the desserts are very much inspired by the herbs and plants from the Edible Garden. Examples are the Pea Flower coconut muffin or Honey Lemon Rosemary Tart. 

While they can easily satisfy the sweet tooth, what I would order again when I'm back is the Kaya Toast because it's so delicious and you can't find it elsewhere. Kaya, butter, coconut, gula melaka, 62.5 degree sous vide egg.....basically a Local Kaya breakfast stuffed in a sour dough pocket. How can this be not tasty? And it's very convenient to eat too. 

The Pancakes is a homey dish drizzled with maple syrup and topped with house-made butter. Delicious but still not as special as the Kaya Toast in my opinion.

With such sweltering hot weather all year round in Singapore, I won't say dining here is a celebration of summer. But if you are looking for a funky little backyard garden that is not too crowded yet, this is the next big space to watch. 

This is an invited tasting

Wildseed Café & Bar
3 Park Lane Singapore 798387
Tuesday to Friday: 10am to 7pm (Bar 4pm to 10pm)
Saturday to Sunday: 9am to 7pm (Bar 4pm to 11pm)
www.thesummerhouse.sg

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