& tells the world about it
I’m actually quite impressed with Le Yi Bei (乐一杯) Taro Fresh Milk (M: $3.80 nett/ L: $4.80 nett, pictured). The taro taste is pretty robust. Pearls (+$0.50) are on the small side, but have a good chew & bounce to them.
Would buy this again! In fact, I’d like to try their’s actual teas – couldn’t do so today as it’s late in the evening & I do want to sleep tonight 😂
💵 Accepts cash only
💁🏻♀️ Membership card available for free (collect stamps!)
Got the Beef Banh Mi ($5.50 nett) from Banh Mi Thit’s takeout outlet at Tampines – whoa, it’s shiok & flavourful. Option to have/omit chilli – I said yes & the chilli padi slices packed a nice oomph to some of the bites.
The baguette is so crispy & easy to chow down on. I hate it when bread is tough & my teeth feel like they’re about to dislodge from my gums. This was anything but that. Very satisfied.
Admittedly, with my big appetite, this alone wasn’t sufficient to fill me up. But dang, I’m glad I made the trip here because it was delicious. Should’ve bought 2x Banh Mis – maybe a pork one too.
Added on an Iced Vietnamese Coffee (U.P. $1.80 nett) for only $1 nett because their set meal (1x Banh Mi + 1x Drink) is only $6.50 nett. Ah, my guilty pleasure. Sweet stuff for a Kosong-drinker, but the Taste of Coffee that packs a punch is smth I needed to start my weekend right. ❤️
💵 Cash payment
📱 PayNow also accepted
🪑 No seats; takeaways only
🚫 No GST or service charge
Had a really enjoyable night with a plethora of delicious food, good variety of cocktails & even better company. I enjoyed listening to the unique stories behind each of these & I’m sure you will too. All part of the experience & good vibes here.
So the food at Laut – how do I summarize it, if that’s even possible. Each dish has a story of its own, inspired by local flavours, staying quite true to that yet managing to be unique/intriguing.
Sometimes, you just need to try a dish to really be wow-ed by it. Describing it doesn’t do it justice (or maybe it’s just me 😂). The Burnt Eggplant Dip ($12+) was that for me. It’s essentially that, with a tomato & onion relish – served with curry spiced papadums.
First of all, props to the papadums for being fresh & crispy, because there’s nothing like a soggy papadum to ruin your day. Secondly, what sorcery is exactly in this dip?? Such distinct yet harmonious flavours: The smokeyness from the char, creaminess of the eggplant, & flavourful spice (not heat!) from the papadums. This was a hot favourite for the original days when customers would order this during CB 1.0 for delivery. &, of course, it still is.
The Bergedil ($15+) is another dish that has a cool story to it. It does remain true to its tasty fried potato nature – with good fragrance & flavour which I believe is in part from the Madras curry oil, balanced with the earthiness from the trumpet mushrooms. But what truly takes the cake is what they call the umami soil. That’s where the story gets pretty cool to me! I’ll leave that to the good folks at Laut to tell it to you. I was quite fascinated as Damian took me through the narrative. 😍
I had a Malay-speaking friend who asked me if Laut was seafood-inspired cuisine, as laut translates to seafood in Malay. The scrumptious sharing plates I enjoyed had seafood as the main star. When dining restrictions open up, I’d recommend dining in with a sizeable group, so you can order more items off this sharing menu.
I hate it when squid/octopus are overcooked, rubbery & tough to the chew. Laut’s Squid Gado ($27+) was anything but that. The seared whole squid was done so marvellously that it was almost melt in your mouth… I had to pause to think about whether I actually put the correct thing in my mouth 😂 (just an excuse to have a 2nd bite, amiraiiii?)
& the “Gado” in the name – you guessed it – the peanut sauce in the Gado Gado we all know & love.
BUT WAIT, that’s not all. Introducing the Otah ($37+) – by far the most atas otah you’ve ever had… & dare I say, it is worth it. The mix of fish? Oh, no big deal, just some awesome barramundi, blended mackerel & squid. 🧐
This otah really left me wanting more. Its texture is bouncy & firm, & the rempah mix was on point with good flavour. I loved the Nyonya Achar on the side as well, which provided nice refreshing acidity in between bites. It actually also goes well with the otah in a single bite, too. On the whole, this was an addictive dish & one of my favourites of the night.
Now, on to the drinks. I tend to be wary when cocktails arrive at my table very pretty. I appreciate good aesthetics, but not at the expense of bad taste, i.e. saccharine sweet or artificially syrupy. This was anything but that; & the variety of bespoke cocktails here is quite impressive:
🔸Grass ($21+) – slightly savoury & refreshing 👌🏻
➡️ Gin, Ginger Flowers, Pickle Brine, 3 Grass Kombucha
🔸 Kopi O ($21+) – strong flavours, but thankfully I was able to sleep that night. Personally enjoyed the creaminess of the coconut oil that goes well with the coffee.
➡️ Trigona vodka, nitro charged Sumatra coffee, toasted bread vinegar, orange pekoe tea, coconut oil
🔸 Mata Kuching ($21+) – as a sweet treat, this isn’t my typical cocktail profile, but is likely an easy drink for some folks.
➡️ Aged malt, smoked longan distillate, rambutan & lychee soda, cat whiskers flower (they upsized our flower for us haha)
🔸Lengkuas ($21+) – refreshing, beachy vibes, feels like a summertime drink without the scorching heat or sunburn
➡️ Aged Malaysian Molasses, Citrus Granitas, Laut triple spiced ginger beer.
Thanks Damian / @drinking_noodle for the invite & hospitality! 💕
💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
🙋🏻♀️ Service charge applicable
🚫 No GST
A well-established tempura specialty chain in Japan, Tempura Makino, has come to our shores! Conveniently located at #02-305/308/311 of Suntec City’s West Wing, it’s near Donki (if you need a landmark) & nearer to Esplanade than Promenade MRT.
Within the premises, there are options to dine at booth or counter seats – if you’re seated at the latter, you get a good view of chef freshly preparing made-to-order tempura.
Tempura Makino’s style of tempura is right up my alley. As you can see, the batter is light & crispy. Really appreciate how it’s not dripping (or even soggy – eeks) in oil. They even have Mochi Ice Cream Tempura ($4.80++/piece)!? There are 2 flavour options: Strawberry/Matcha. Mochi gives this dessert a chewy texture, alongside the ice cream which is creamy & takes a while to melt. While I don’t have a sweet tooth, hence am undecided if I’d order this again, this gets plus points for novelty.
I am a MASSIVE lover of eggs, & their Tempura Egg ($2.50++/pc) me greatly 😂 After seeing Jamie’s Instagram stories & hearing her rave about it, I must say it lived up to my expectations. I enjoyed every slurpy bit of it & could totally eat this on its own to savour the creaminess of the yolk. But I found myself pairing it together with the other tempura we had & enjoying it more that way.
Speaking of creamy – know what else is creamy? These Tempura Oysters ($3.80++/pc)! They were absolutely bursting in my mouth.. & I was shocked when Jamie revealed these are priced so affordably. IMHO they tasted & felt more lux than that. Will definitely order this again the next time I’m here.
Special shoutout goes to the noods, which are available in cold/hot options – we picked cold for both.
I loved how silky smooth the Inaniwa Udon ($7.80++) is, & enjoyed the Soba ($6.80++) that I nicked from Evan. Both are good for sure, & it probably is a matter of preference as both of us had a different favourite carb choice.
Wash down your meal with some refreshing ice cold draft beer – I had a pint of Asahi Super Dry ($13.80++/pint, $8.80++/half-pint)…
… Or pair it with their housepour sake:
❄ [Cold] Tomioh Gin No Tsukasa Junmai Daiginjo ($48++/300ml, $30++/180ml)
🔥 [Hot] Hakushika Nadajikomi ($30++/300ml, $20++/180ml)
🍶 They also have other sake bottles available for the discerning ones (i.e. not me)
Other tempura items on their food menu include:
➡ Prawn & Vegetable Tempura ($16++): A nice platter of Prawns (3 pieces), Eggplant, Maitake (mushroom), Butternut Pumpkin, French Bean, Lotus Root
➡ Chicken Fillet ($5.80++/plate): I’m not a huge fan of chicken tempura, but this is one of the better ones out there. The chicken was juicy & thankfully not dry
➡ Mentai Seaweed ($6.80++/plate): A heaping amount of mentai in this one – personally too overwhelming for me, but A+ for generosity! Probably best eaten with rice to balance out the salty flavours. Seaweed remains crispy alongside the light tempura batter 👌🏻
➡ Asparagus ($2.80++/piece): My favourite veggie tempura of them all – well executed, with a lovely crunch to the bite. There’s an Asparagus with Bacon ($4.80++/plate) option as well, for the porky lovers. I’d imagine that’d add a nice savoury touch to the Taste of Green.
➡ Okinawan Mozuku Seaweed ($5.80++/plate): No this is not hair LOL. It’s quite a sight to behold, also delightfully crunchy, & I think this is where the light batter really shines. I can’t imagine this being enjoyable in a thicker batter & dripping in oil. I loved chowing down on this goodness with the tempura egg 😉
Thanks Jamie/EN Group for the invite & hospitality! 💕
Comparing against previous reviews – looks like Gather has upped the price of the Off the Bone Galette ($18++). It had good texture, but the flavours were just ordinary. A bit too salty for me. I wasn’t expecting too much from ham, gruyere, cheddar & egg though, tbh.
White Coffee, 5oz ($5++) was weak & it felt like I was drinking milk. Wouldn’t recommend…
On the brighter side, service here was very attentive & the staff always made sure my glass of water was topped up & full.
In all, this felt like an overpriced tea time snack… Glad I tried it once, but unfortunately I personally wouldn’t return for more.
💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
📱 Accepts GrabPay
🔊 Acoustics indoors are very echo-ey
📶 No free WiFi
💦 Water is not chargeable
handBELLO is running a 20% off promotion during P2HA right now, & online orders are usually ready in an hour. I received a call 1 min after I submitted it online to confirm my pickup timing, which I appreciated because I was able to eat this while still hot upon collection 👏🏻
La Nonna’s (U.P. $22.00 nett) is a cheerful dish with a refreshing zesty lemon twang & spicy fun from the chilli flakes in every bite. The casarecce was cooked al dente, & I enjoyed the crunchy texture (& healthiness haha) that the broccolini added.. However, the Kurobuta pork sausage was overwhelmingly salty & overpowered the other flavours each time it was in my bite.
Nonetheless, still quite keen to check out the other pasta dishes that #handbellosg has to offer. I’ve got my eye on the Fun-Guy & Pink Vodka 😁
Tanuki Raw honestly needs no introduction… Happy Hour from 5-8PM daily; their drinks aren’t anything to shout about, & I only order them because they are a prerequisite to get the happy hour bites.
Oysters at $2++ a pop (which is half off the usual price of $4++ a piece) if you order a drink (max 6 oysters per drink); these were well-shucked & delightfully creamy to my preference.
5 slices of salmon sashimi for $7++ (limited to 5 slices aka 1 set per drink); I can’t eat raw fish so I can’t say much, only that they look fairly thick – but my dining partner said these were okay.
Lobster Salad & Salmon Bao at $5++ a piece. Again, didn’t try this but here’s a pic for reference.
Tanuki Raw’s Truffle Yakiniku ($19++) hasn’t changed much over the years – decently delicious, an average sized portion. However, quite disappointing to see that our request to serve the onsen egg (of another bowl, not in picture) separately was not taken seriously. It was indeed in a separate bowl, but had egg white remnants on the beef slices. If the diner requested for this & had an actual egg allergy.. 🤔
But wait, there’s more! That wasn’t the ultimate turn off during this particular visit. Get this – we were reminded FIVE times from 20:53 – 21:12hrs that we had to leave by 21:15hrs, as that was when they were closing.
We had already been informed of this upon arrival at 19:53hrs. Reminding us once would be acceptable but 5 times in 20 mins? Especially when you can clearly see we were in very intense conversation throughout dinner? How rude.
However, let me try to make the most out of this occurrence. I interpret this ferverent frequency of reminders as a reflection of how important this is to them.. So here’s me doing my part & making a public service announcement: To all who dine here, GTFO by 9:15PM, alright?
Our waiter was in such a hurry to clear our table that he spilled food back on the table in his haste to do so, & didn’t clear it up properly. Omg, punctuality is really so important at this outlet.
“You all are the last ones here already,” he barked at us, & even rapped on our table with his knuckles to bring his point across. Ok… Can.
What a way to make your customers feel so welcomed. Not sure if any other diners had experienced this before, but I certainly hope not.
💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
📱 Accepts GrabPay
👨👩👧👦 Only seats the group when all are present
💦 Water is not chargeable
Seng Coffee Bar – another cafe whose interior decor I really like! Am plugged in to their WiFi & streaming my Spotify playlist with earphones on – for some much-needed me time. & I do feel quite relaxed. 😁
I ordered the Crabmeat Egg Benedict ($18+), as I was craving something brunchy & unique. It’s conceptually appealing, but I felt there was something missing from this. Would’ve liked more dimension to the flavours.. Some form of heat or acidity would be welcomed. Maybe some cherry tomatoes or a dash of cayenne pepper?
The Hot White Coffee ($5+) was goooood, though. Would return to have a cup of coffee & try the other food items on their menu. I have my eye on the salted egg chicken burger (yes they have lunch mains too)!
💳 Accepts credit cards
📱 Accepts GrabPay
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
📶 Free WiFi
🙋🏻♀️ Service charge applicable
🚫 No GST
💦 Water is not chargeable
When I’m alone, I usually sit at the bar for a nice view of the bottles & the occasional chit chat/playful banter. But at Set of Six, it might be a tough call.. Both seem like good options. The seats look quite comfy & yes that is a disco ball 😉
Doesn’t look like something I’d typically order, but looks can be deceiving – Orchard Smash ($25++) is a cognac-based cocktail with citrusy goodness. Deceivingly refreshing with Dry Curaçao & Mint, go slow & savour it in all its cheerfulness, despite the temptation to slurp it all down. It’ll hit you with a fairly nice buzz after.
Didn’t have much time to spend here, but glad I made it & I will certainly be back. Make your reservations early as it gets packed as night falls. Yes lol I was here at 5pm on a Saturday – was able to walk in, but not before they asked me how long I’d be staying.
45 mins, I laughed. Hehehe.
💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
🖥 Accepts reservations online/by phone
💦 Water is not chargeable
I discovered Happy Ending Pizza on Burpple Beyond during Phase 2 of Circuit Breaker, when they were a hole-in-the-wall space in Orchard Towers serving only takeouts.
It was a cool October night; I’d ordered 2 pizza sets from them 2 hours in advance. Stood by the roadside eating my piping hot pizza, & I was impressed. The Mushroom Madness & Green Hulk I ordered were delicious, but I couldn’t finish everything – so I kept the leftovers in fridge & heated them up the next day.
Guess what? The 2nd-day pizza still tasted good. & that, my friends, was the beginning of my happy ending. They’ve since relocated to City Gate, where you can enjoy their pizzas with a dine-in experience.
Janan, the founder of Happy Ending Pizza’s shared his pizza philosophy (pizzalosophy?) & the genesis of his brand. Essentially, he believes that the entire pizza should be enjoyed, with nothing left behind.. Including the crust. & the crust is what makes a happy ending (to your meal) (what were you thinking, you filthy animals).
You’ll believe it when you try it for yourself. Even the non-crust-lovers at the table didn’t have a crumb left on their plates. The pizzas come with sauces as well, which is unique as much as it seems strange. I’m a carb-loving monster that could eat these fluffy crusts on their own, but if you need that extra flavour, go ahead & dip your crust into the sauce for a flavour explosion in your mouth.
As a hardcore fungi & fun guy lover, Mad About Mushrooms ($27) was actually my favourite of the night. A simple savoury pizza topped with 3 different types of mushrooms, gooey stretchy cheese, & drizzles of fragrant truffle oil. The earthiness of the mushrooms are comforting to me, as much as the chewy pizza base is. If you’re looking for a reliable/traditional pizza option to fall back on, you won’t go wrong with this one.
Should you be on the hunt for something more quirky, give the Holy Crab! ($28) a shot. They actually use real crab meat here – plump, juicy, succulent pieces. It’s slathered with their special chilli crab sauce which is also served on the side as an excellent crust dip. I liked how this isn’t crazy spicy, & that the flavours stay quite true to what you’d expect of a chilli crab inspired pizza. Definitely a winner in my books.
If you’re in the mood for more heat, Spicy Babe ($28) might be for you.. This one is for the mala lovers. The toppings are fairly simple – beef, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella & parmesan cheese. The pizza base is mala-infused, but the real heat comes from the sichuan chilli slathered all over the toppings. It packs a decent punch, while still remaining quite remaining palatable.
Thanks Happy Ending Pizza Parlour for the hospitality & Burpple for the invite! 💕
Bui Bui Eats 