Artichoke @Bugis

A great reputation for brunch and their Mediterranean, Turkish food, this place is always evolving- their love for edible gardens, their love for all sorts of sinful but great and delicious foods, such as their Fried Chicken we ordered, and their Snickers Tarts at Overdoughs.

Both indoors and outdoors sitting have their own uniqueness, but I'd prefer to sit outside, with the plants and the de-funct church just beside.

Iced Chocolate!

Fried Chicken

AWESOME.

Look at the syrup and juice!

Legendary Pork Belly on the background.

Cheese & Pita Bread on the foreground.

The prices are abit hefty, as they recommend communal dining, in other words, for sharing among a few persons. Try their White Chocolate, a little bit different from the usual chocolate.

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Verdict:

Food: 4/5

Service: 5/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Total Score: 4/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups, Family

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About it:

Artichoke

Address: 161 Middle Road, Sculpture Square, Singapore 188978

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Kebabs and Curries @Mustafa Centre

Looking for a restaurant with a roof top view and candle-lit tables with classic red and white table cloths, PLUS affordable food?

This is the place! If you’re not a fan of Indian food, this place is great for you as well.

Service

The servers are very friendly and speak well. In fact, one of the server took the initiative to ask us, midway through our meal, if everything was fine.

Food

They do serve buffet as well at $20.90++ per pax on the other side of the rooftop (it’s a huge place!), I will check that place out soon.

We tried the ala-carte menu at 8-ish in the evening, and the tables were mostly filled, but still quiet enough for that candle-lit ambiance. (Not very good lighting for photos though, hence pardon the high contrast photos!)

non-vegetarian platter to share ($24.90)

 Bread Bowl ($10)

Paneer ($9)

Craving for Nann bread in different flavors, we had the Bread Bowl ($10) which includes Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Plain Naan, etc.

As a complement to the naan, we ordered Paneer ($9), a Pakistani dish, of Swiss Cottage Cheese. Spicy, but really tasty.

The main dish is the non-vegetarian platter to share (well, at most for 2 pax) which includes Fish Tikka, Chicken Tikka, Jumbo Prawn Tikka, Chicken Sausage, and salad on the side.

Normal drinks such as Teh ($1.50), Teh Alia ($2.50), are on the menu as well, slightly more expensive.

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Verdict:

Food: 4/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Total Score: 4/5

[1- Never again, 2-Won't go back unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Visit again? Definitely!

Good for? Couples, Groups

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About it:

Kebabs & Curries @Mustafa Centre

Address: Level 7, 145 Syed Alwi Road, Singapore 207704 

Directions/ Parking Tips:

Mustafa Centre has free first-hour parking for 24 hours! Walking distance from Farrer Park on the North East Line.

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Gastrosmiths- Juicy Beef! @Bugis

GastroSmiths (formerly The Humble Loaf).

The place is small, but the food packs a punch.

Start off your meal with Shoyu Latte ($5)! This is an extremely special latte, with a tinge of saltiness that blends splendidly. Definitely unique and unexpected.

Weekends can be pretty crowded with the regulars, do make reservations before hand! For a quiet night or annoyed with queueing up at Seah Street, try this new and very accessible place at Bugis.

Must-tries: Hokubee Ribeye (with egg) ($30.50) and Onglet Steak ($25.50)!

Roma Tomato & Buckwheat ($11)

Sea-ly Eggs ($10.50)

Onglet Steak ($25.50)

The juiciness!

Onglet Steak ($25.50)

Hokubee Ribeye (with egg) ($30.50)

Warm Lava Cake ($14.50)

The Place!

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Verdict:

Food: 4/5

Service: 5/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Total Score: 5/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups

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About it:

Gastrosmiths

Address: #01-02/03, Marrison Hotel, 103 Beach Road, Singapore 189704

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Tree Lizard @Dempsey- Never again...

This place has full of lizards. Both fake ones and real ones, small and big ones. It can't be blamed, after all it is situated at the extreme end of Dempsey, opposite of La Fondue, and beside The Disgruntled Chef. The interior is really aloha-changi-chalet-like. White walls with a few pieces of lizard deco (fakes!), ceiling fans and even a wall-mounted LED TV playing Channel 5! A super homely feeling. There seems to be a second floor, but we sat at the first floor, where there's mostly high stools and high tables. More like a bar setting than a proper restaurant.
Service Servers were friendly and very helpful, recommending us dishes and serving us iced water without much ado. The Food For the price paid, quality of food & ambiance in Dempsey area... I'll suggest trying other places in the vicinity, where they're plenty of other options.

Tenderloin Steak ($29.90)

Tenderloin Steak ($29.90) Tenderloin was smaller than the cod fillet... Too hard and difficult to chew. It was supposed to be their signature dish. We asked for rare, but it was like medium. Side dishes were not filling at all. Just 4 pieces of fried zucchini and one spoon of mash potatoes. Cod Fillet ($28.90)
Cod Fillet ($28.90) Fish is nicer as compared to tenderloin, a fairly large portion as well. The lemon juice (or sauce?) provided a good companion. Just 4 pieces of fried zucchini.
However, as I said, for the price paid after the GST & service charge (a total of $69 for 2 pax), I will not visit here again for neither food and ambiance... 
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Verdict:

Food: 2/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 0/5

Total Score: 1/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups

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About it:

Tree Lizard

Address: B1-01, 25 Dempsey Rd, Singapore 249670 (Opposite of La Fondue, and beside The Disgruntled Chef)

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Chabuton Ramen @Somerset 313

Not one of the best ramen places around after all the recent surge of authentic ramen stores in Singapore recent years, especially by a Michelin Star chef!

In Orchard area, there're quite a handful of ramen stores around this price as well.

It was touted as, "The ingredients used at Chabuton Singapore are directly imported from Japan or produced by local companies appointed by the Japanese team. The recipes used at Chabuton Singapore are the same as the other Chabuton outlets in Japan and Thailand, supervised by eminent chef, Mr. Yasuji Morizumi, the first ramen chef to ever receive a Michelin Star... While 14 outlets have sprung up in Thailand over the past four years" Hence we were attracted to try it out first hand. There was no queue, which I'd have expected.

Service
Servers were friendly but perhaps they were new, some staff seemed unsure.

Food

Chabuton Tonkotsu Ramen ($11.90)

We opted for the hard noodles. which is quite tasty. The Miso Ramen ($12.40) is the nicer one, than Chabuton Tonkotsu Ramen ($11.90). However, both soups get boring after a while.  You get to choose between 2 different sizes, junior and standard, but we both felt the standard size is actually better for a meal. The junior size is quite price-friendly though. If you don't opt for the top-up ($3 for boiled egg and extra cha siu) the ramen is, also, very boring by itself.   Overall, I wouldn't return here for ramen.  There's many other options around town and Singapore, do follow my blog! ------------------

Verdict:

Food: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Ambience: 3/5

Total Score: 3/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups

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About it:

Chabuton Ramen

Operating Hours: 11:30am - 10pm
Address: Somerset 313. 313 Orchard Road #B2-01 S(238895)

Directions/ Parking Tips: 

• Read here for Tips to Parking in Orchard/Somerset/Dohby Ghaut Area

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ButterScotch Cafe- Wendy meets Ramly Burger!

The Place!

There were a lot of Malays young adults in this store, perhaps due to the lack of malay stores at the dinner hour in the hawker centre nearby. Also, the front of house was fully run by Malay people. The décor is nice, a very café feel. However, it’s quite small, and there’s a family table in the middle where customers have to squeeze and move during their meals should new guests arrive.

Service

The hostess was quite friendly and offered to give us a call when our turn came as the place was full. After a shopping trip in NTUC nearby, we received the call and were greeted into the store warmly.

Food

Chilli Crab Cake Burger ($14)

Chilli Crab Cake Burger ($14)

It’s too spicy. Wayyyy too spicy for an average-spice level person. Fear not though, you’re not getting “crab-stick” kind of meat. Real crab meat, which still has a tinge of sweetness. I would not spend the money for this burger In a café though…

Ramly Meets Wendy Burger ($14)

Ramly Meets Wendy Burger ($14)

Either one tasted nice on its own. This fusion needs more work… And for this price, I can buy a Beef Bacanator Set from Wendys plus Ramly Burger from the pasar malam. Not really worth the money…

Buffalo Wings ($9)

Buffalo Wings ($9)

Spicy spicy! Nothing interesting, just plain wings in BBQ sauce.

Bandung Soda Float ($6.50)

Bandung Soda Float ($6.50)

This is one I regretted buying afters. I could have bought the ingredients in the nearby NTUC supermarket…

We spent quite abit for a café like this. I would not recommend this place for a meal in Bukit Merah. The plus point is that Malay friends can eat at ease here if dining options are sparse in the neighborhood. Also, they do not charge for GST, except for service charge.

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Verdict:

Food: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Total Score: 2/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups

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About it:

Butterscotch

Operating Hours: Tue - Sun: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm (Last order at 9pm). Closed on Mondays
Address: Blk 164 Bukit Merah Central #01-3625 Singapore 150164

Directions/ Parking Tips: 

• Park in HDB area. EPS parking.

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