Le Coq’s Meaty Skewers, Delectable Appetizers, Fun Pastas & Tasty Drinks

An impressively extensive menu at Le Coq – from appetizers to yakitori skewers, main courses (1-for-1 with Burpple Beyond) & pastas, & a rockin’ happy hour too. Brace yourself for a lengthy review…!

Hard to believe that their Fresh Oysters are only $2.50++ a pop. These New Zealand babies are creamy & decadent. Have them your way – with a squeeze of lemon or a dash of tabasco sauce. Or without anything at all; yes, they are that fresh. & at $16++ for a half dozen, $30++ for a dozen, that’s pretty dang affordable for the good stuff.

Uni on Toast ($15++ for 3) got me all hot & bothered. Firstly, look at the size of that hunky sea urchin. Secondly, that bread is actually a bed I want to sleep on. Pillowy soft, yet slightly crispy on the outside so it doesn’t get soggy. Loved the textures & flavours of this one. I was left dreaming about this for days.

Folks who want to take the heat up a notch will enjoy the Mala Chicken ($10++). It isn’t too wild, but it certainly has the numbness & spiciness that one seeks in Mala. I’m not a Mala expert, nor do I eat spicy food regularly. But I found myself picking slices from this silky smooth appetizer to pop into my mouth for that shiok feeling.

The California Maki Dip with Crisps ($12++) was surprisingly popular; I attribute that to how refreshing & clean it is. It’s essentially a deconstructed California maki roll. Sounds simple, tastes great. The crabmeat used is fresh & flavourful, tossed together with avocado, mayonnaise & crunchy fish roe. IMHO, though, what makes this super addictive is the thin rice paper crisps on the side. Use them to scoop up the dip & comfortably crunch away. That’s pretty dang unique to me.

Le Coq is a Burpple Beyond partner – so you can get 1-for-1 lunch or dinner mains here. However, they also have a fairly large menu that you can order from. Perfect for the office crowd, their drinks menu includes beer, wine, hard liquor & house cocktails. Swipe to see some of their cocktail concoctions that we sipped on through the night!

Their Happy Hour runs daily from 5 – 9PM, giving you a single glass of Grant’s Triple Wood Blended Scotch Whiskey or Hendrick’s Gin for $X at X PM, where X = 5, 6 or 7. At 8pm, it’s $10 a glass which is still okay, but the earlier the better fo’ sho. Also, Ladies Night is every Wednesday. #justsayin

& what better way to pair your evening drink with some skewers to munch on. Good variety of options here, with the Wagyu Beef ($6.80++) is my favourite. Soft & tender, you can taste the natural juices & flavours of the beef. The fattiness absolutely melts in your mouth… Very shiok.

The Cartilage ($2.80++) was interesting – nice & crunchy, a texture that I was intrigued by & appreciated. Something I haven’t had before, actually. But it was unfortunately too heavily salted with the combination & heavy-handedness of both sea salt & togarashi. Gave feedback about this & they took it into account. I would hope they’ve fixed this since then. It’s always nice to speak to chefs/owners/staff that are open to feedback.

If the price of the Wagyu Beef is too premium for you, consider ordering the Chicken Thigh ($2.80++) or Sweetpork ($2.80++); they too are hella juicy 😍 My preference of the two is the sweetpork as it has a sauce of Thai spices & honey, & is a pleasantly tender sweet one to indulge in.

The pastas here look simple, but are good. Both are very different, so take your pick based on your taste/preference/mood.

The Cold Truffle Somen with Hotate & Caviar ($16++) was such a delight to slurp at the end of our meal… Not just because it’s cold & smooth. The light truffle flavour proved to be sooo refreshing on the palate. Very welcomed after an evening of varied specialty cocktails, taste explosion appetizers & crazy flavourful skewers.

The cold slices of scallop were of a nice thickness to lovingly sandwich between your tongue & the roof of your mouth… Before comfortably sinking your teeth into them, thereafter letting out a breathy “ahhh.” 😂

The Mushroom Aglio Olio ($14++), on the other hand, is strikingly different as it is a warm capellini dish. A good vegetarian-friendly option, I wasn’t too bothered that this dish doesn’t have meat or seafood in it.

Most importantly, dang that flavour. It punches you right in the face! Chilli padi BAM. Finely chopped garlic BOOM. Earthy mushrooms YAS.

Thanks Le Coq for the hospitality & Burpple for the invite! 💕

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
🖥 Accepts reservations on Quandoo
🍽 Burpple Beyond partner

Rabbit Carrot Gun’s Bespoke Cocktails Are Addictive

Rabbit Carrot Gun‘s Specialty Cocktails menu had me taking a second glance. They aren’t discounted during Happy Hour… But I still went for these 2. Yes, even without the discount.

Started off with a Smokey Bloody Mary ($21++), which sounds like a match made in heaven. I enjoyed the taste of health from the tomato (hahaha) & also the woody, peatyness from the Old Young’s Oak Smoked Vodka. The cheeky spice that hits you at the back of your throat is what I appreciate in a good Bloody Mary, too. In all, this was very enjoyable.

Felt like I couldn’t stop there, so I ordered another Specialty Cocktail: the Earl Grey Martini ($18++). I appreciated how the subtle flavours of the chilled Earl Grey Tea really came through, despite the strength of the vodka. A dash of sugar syrup sweetened this cocktail just nicely without making it too saccharine sweet.

Would be back, though probably just for drinks as the food is on the pricey side. Other Specialty Cocktails here include:
• Mango & Pepper Gin & Tonic ($19++): House-infused Mango Gin, topped with cracked black pepper
• Hugalibre ($18++): Angosutra 1919 Rum, Fresh Lime, Ginger Ale

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
🖥 Accepts reservations on Chope
☀ Al fresco seats available
💦 Water is not chargeable

Almost Famous Craft Beer Bar – Good Variety, Nice Happy Hour

I’ve been wanting to pop by Almost Famous Craft Beer Bar for the longest time – finally did, albeit when happy hour was just over.

Happy Hour at this hole in the wall at CHIJMES is 4 – 7PM (Mon – Sat) / 2 – 8PM (Sun). Pints of craft beer go for $10+, premium craft beer for $12+.

Happy Hour at Almost Famous Craft Beer Bar

I missed Happy Hour, but I still enjoyed my pint of Passionfruit Wheat Ale ($14+) from Pasteur Street Brewing. Citrusy & fruity, there are hints of passionfruit & lemon, more so the former than latter so it isn’t sour like a saison. A light & delicious beer that pleases the crowd, & which I would order again.

Light & refreshing, I’m sure Pasteur Street’s Passionfruit Wheat Ale is a popular beer

Happy Hour or not, whatever you swipe your (linked) credit card for, you’ll get cashback from Shopback GO! I actually didn’t know this until I checked my phone after I swiped 😂

Sat at the bar counter with my back turned to the world; but before I immersed myself in some me time, I looked around & found the decor to be pretty simple. With various tones of grey & silver, the style is very metallic, almost like the interior of a spaceship.

One downside is that reception was pretty bad here.. I sat at the bar, not sure if it varies throughout the premises as they don’t have a huge space). WiFi also isn’t for public use, so I left after 1 beer.

I’ll probably return with a friend, or if I have offline work to do. 🍻

They had a food menu which I didn’t order from – instead, this coaster was my food for thought

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
🍽 Shopback GO partner
📶 No free WiFi
🙋🏻‍♀️ Service charge applicable
🚫 No GST

Boyle’s Coffee & Love Bites – Good Coffee in SMU

Was here in between appointments – have never been. Enjoyed my flat white double shot ($5.50 nett) as much as the ambience here – kind of wished I could stay longer.

The coffee was good & smooth. The beans weren’t too acidic, & the amount & quality of milk wasn’t too creamy. Just right for me.

I shall be back! I can forsee this as a comfortable place to relax your weekend away, or be productive while doing work. Being located in town, it is pretty central as well. It’s actually on the SMU campus – you lucky bastards. Maybe I should go back to school & get another degree 😂

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
📱 Accepts GrabPay

Burpple Beyond Giveaway!

Burpple Beyond is rolling out their new Premium & Lite plans, & I’m giving away 1 of each to 2 lucky winners. Visit the contest posts on @wobblethebui & Bui Bui Eats below to participate! Giveaway closes 8th Oct 2019.

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<< GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Winners will be contacted shortly ☺ >> #BurppleBeyond is rolling out their new Premium & Lite plans, & I'm giving away #BurppleBeyondNewPlans to 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is: 1) Like @wobblethebui & @burpple on Instagram. 2) Follow Bui Bui Eats on Facebook – easy clickable link on my profile. 3) On both contest posts, tag the friends you'll want to dine with, with your new Burpple Beyond plan. The more, the merrier! Contest ends next Tuesday, 8 Oct 2019 at 23:59hrs (Singapore time), & winners will be notified within the next week. Prize takes the form of a gift code & must be redeemed by 31 Oct 2019. It is only valid for Burpple users with no active Burpple Beyond plan. Good luck! 💕

A post shared by Bui Bui Eats (@wobblethebui) on Sep 30, 2019 at 6:50pm PDT

Awesome Coffee at Hylam Street Old Coffee

Yesterday was International Coffee Day – I found this out only when the day was almost over! But perhaps it’s this special day that gave me the good luck I needed to uncover a great coffee stall at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre.

My dad regularly orders coffee from Hylam Street Old Coffee 海南街老咖啡, after a friend introduced it to him & he got hooked. He then did the same to me, & now I’m hooked too.

We’re always here during off-peak hour (past 2pm on a weekday), so the queue is minimal if even there at all. During crowded times, the queues can get pretty snaking long, I’ve heard!

This is clearly for good reason. The amazing fragrance of roasted beans, superb taste, & affordability. When I walked forward to place my order, I could smell the beans immediately. That made me change my order of tea to a coffee before I blurted it out to the uncle.

In terms of taste, I really can’t ask for more. It has the socksy kopitiam taste that you want in a cup of hawker centre coffee. It’ll definitely give you that kick awake that you need in the morning/mid-day.

& the price? $2 total for this kopi & kopi C kosong. Who needs volume when you’ve got quality; want more, just buy 2 cups lor. Still cheaper than Starbucks.

Happy belated International Coffee Day!

Happy Shucking Hour at The Oyster Bank

Took me a while to get acknowledged by the staff at The Oyster Bank – waiting at the “please wait to be seated” sign for almost 5 minutes didn’t exactly give me a very good first impression to begin with.

Happy Hour here is from 12 – 9PM daily, & Happy Shucking Hour is 5 – 8PM on weekdays, 3 – 6PM on weekends. Double reasons to be happy. This was the reason why I came here in the first place.

During Happy Shucking Hour, naked oysters go at $2++ a pop (usual price $3.90++). You can order a maximum of 6 naked oysters per drink.

I ordered a glass of Somerton Cabernet Sauvignon ($10++ HH / $13++ U.P.); was shocked to find a glass of white wine delivered to me. They messed that up, but nothing unforgivable lah. Sent it back & got a glass of the correct wine shortly after.

The oysters are pretty delicious; not crazy plump, but I love how they are quite creamy & with a hint of brineyness to them. Wine was not bad, so in all I’d return for Happy (Shucking or otherwise) Hour again.

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats only
🛋 Bar & table seats available
📶 Free WiFi (Funan is a CapitaLand Mall)

Alcoholic Bubble Tea and Cocktails at The3Peas

Shopback GO led me here – surfed the app for cashback boost locations & this piqued my curiosity. So I made the trip down to The3Peas. Interesting to note that this hidden bar is actually located along my usual running route… So I pass by at least twice a week. Considerably incognito, I love it.

Don’t hunt too hard though – it’s located on the riverside bank opposite The Warehouse Hotel; just look for the 7-11 & it’s right next door. You’re welcome!

On the opposite bank is The Warehouse Hotel

I started off with something from their specialty cocktail menu – they have 7 on the list, but can whip up something to suit your preference. This is the beauty of a bespoke cocktail bar – & an added plus to me: Prices here are very reasonable.

My poison of choice, a little predictably, was the Glen O’ Fashioned ($20 nett) – Glenfiddich 12 whiskey, snow pear demerara reduction & acanthopanax bitters. Served in a chilled glass with a burnt orange slice. Sipped on it slowly as I did my own thing at the bar seats, & also talked to Eunice who was very friendly, chatty & passionate.

Aside from specialty cocktails, The3Peas also serves alcoholic bubble tea.. Fascinating. As a 0%-sugar bubble tea drinker, I was slightly hesitant to try this. But after talking to Eunice & hearing her take me through their alcoholic bubble tea offering, I knew I had to try one.

Their 3 standard offerings cover whiskey, gin & rum: Frambo-licious, Peach Ginie & Gingerbread Snap respectively, all at $15 nett a pop. But they can also do a bespoke surprise for you at $20 nett, which is still quite affordable.

I chose Peach Ginie (gin-based), which has freshly whipped cream on top a base of jasmine green tea. I enjoyed how the tea wasn’t bitter, even as I sipped on its fresh clearness – if you know what I mean (milk tea drinkers where ya at)

When you reach the bottom, you get the creaminess to end off the drink on a very lovely note. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would!

Alcoholic bubble tea – served just like actual bubble tea

The pearls in these alcoholic bubble teas aren’t your traditional tapioca flour pearls. Think sizable fruit pops that burst in your mouth to reveal fruity flavours.

Don’t misinterpret these as saccharine sweet balls that will make you gag. They are only slightly sour if anything at all. I loved them. Mine were lychee, but they also have mango & strawberry fruit pops.

The whipped cream ends off your drink on a superb note

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
🍽 Shopback GO partner
📶 No free WiFi
🙋‍♀️ No service charge
🚫 No GST
💦 Water is not chargeable

6 Grey Bar – Hidden Gin Gem

Itching for something to do after work on my birthday, I decided to head down to 6 Grey Bar. I tried being a good student & do some homework beforehand, but I didn’t find much info online.

Entrance to 6 Grey Bar along Jiak Chuan Road

So… I’m not a gin expert, but their variety here is impressive. Chit-chatted quite a bit with Jo; we skipped past Brockmanns, Gin Mare, Botanist, Roku, Bulldog… All of which are delicious, but which I’ve tried before.

Then the fun started. Jo introduced me to several unique gins that I’ve never heard of before. Think Wasabi Gin, Ant-infused Gin… You might assume these are gimmicky. I’ll admit, they drew me in. But that aside, the flavours are pretty special. Worth a shot (or two 😂).

I’m an early bird, & if you’re like me you will love the quietness of this place – they also have an excellent playlist, btw. I enjoyed my French Earl Grey Gin & Tonic ($22 nett) as much as I did my Me Time.

On Fridays/Saturdays (depending on when they have events planned), it gets crowded here as the night goes on. DJs lined up & all! Looks like I’ll have to return when my party mode is on 🎉

💳 Accepts credit cards
🌬 Air-conditioned seats available
☀ Al fresco seats available
📶 Free WiFi available – from Hotel 81 next door 😂
🙋🏻‍♀️ No Service Charge
🚫 No GST
💦 Water is not chargeable

Congratulations Playmade!

1-for-1 bubble tea promotion going on til 1 Sept here – congratulations Playmade on your new outlet at Tiong Bahru Plaza!

They are located at #01-154; next to KOI (haha), close to where the taxi stand is.