Osvaldo Ristorante Italiano @ Maxwell Chambers

Those who work in Tanjong Pagar knows that a few years ago, the building "White House" underwent a year long renovation.



Late last year, it emerged as the new Maxwell Chambers. And a few eateries and bistros opened on the 1st level of the new building.



Chef Osvaldo Forlino is quite a well-known Italian chef in Singapore. Having worked at Il Lido @ Sentosa and Forlino @ One Fullerton, Chef Osvaldo went back to his roots to create home-made Itlian cuisines which are well loved by generations of Italians.

The interior of Osvaldo reflects that of the cuisines - down to earth and feels right at home. Service staff were very attentive and courteous too.



I love their bread basket. The bread was great as finger food prior to our meal. Although no butter and olive oil were given, but the bread was good enough to eat it on its own.



Free ice water is served here. In fact, they give you one big bottle so that you can drink it to your content!



Appetizer was their recommended Peperone (S$20), which was red and yellow bell peppers with tuna and anchovy fillings. This was the first time I tried this very special appetizer, and I truly enjoyed it.



Raviolini Soup (S$14). Didn't really like the soup as it was a clear Chicken soup kind.



Our eyes spot a beautiful bicycle parked at the side of the restaurant, a bicycle which looks like something out from a European movie.



The signature dish here is the Wild Boar Tagliatelle (S$24). I was recently hit by this pork mania where I always make it a point to try out pork dishes from restaurants.

This is not my 1st time eating wild boar, and to be frank, I find it taste just like pork. But maybe more tender. This pasta dish is delicious. I do not really like tomato based pasta, but here the tomato paste is kept to a minimum. The tagliatelle pasta was cooked till al dente. Tagliatelle pasta is shaped like a long flat ribbon pasta.



Roasted Rabbit (S$39) was another main we ordered. Alright, I know some of you will be screaming at what they served and what we ate. I can already imagine people visualizing cute fluffy rabbits being skinned and thrown into the oven.

Fortunately, we didn't see this part of the meat processing here. The roast rabbit was quite tender, and actually the texture is quite similar to chicken meat. But to be frank, I prefer chicken (or pork) over rabbit meat.



Dessert was poached pear (S$18). The pear was quite sweet and very tender.



And not forgetting their Souffle Molten Chocolate (S$13) where the chocolate gushed out of the souffle when cut into. The slices of tangerines complimented the sweet chocolate well.



If you could not make up your mind, you can even get the waiter to bring the entire cake display over to your table to choose from!


Osvaldo Ristorante Italiano
32 Maxwell Road
#01-03
Maxwell Chambers

Kith Cafe @ Watermark (Robertson Quay)

Over the years, Robertson Quay has been home to many restaurants and cafes. Some disappear after a few years, some revamped, but those which maintains their standard stay.



Kitch Cafe, situated along the river and right below Watermark condominium, was opened in 2009. It's very small. I think barely 10 seats inside and another 10 outside. The cafe looks like a page out of Wallpaper magazine.



A huge blackboard shows all the food and drinks and prices clearly. Free flow ice water is available outside of the cafe.



From what I know, this cafe is opened by a lady. I am not sure if she is a Japanese or Chinese though, but I see some Japanese writings from the cafe'g website and blog. The cafe emits a very friendly and homey feeling to diners. A great place to chill out both in the morning, afternoon and evening. (they open at 7am and close at 7pm everyday).



Sea salt and fresh black pepper.



One of the best milkshake I had for a long time - Nutella and hazelnut milkshake. It's creamy and refreshingly chocolately.



My early dinner consisting of Smoked salmon + honey yogurt + celery + chedder + Panini . The Panini is freshly pressed and heated in their panini machine. Didn't know that combination of smoked salmon and honey yogurt could go so well.



For dessert, Cheese cake with Strawberry sauce. I find the cheese cake ordinary. But the straberry sauce was a nice touch.

This is one cafe which deserves to stay at Robertson Quay for a long time.


Kith Cafe
7 Rodyk Street
#01-33
Watermark @ Robertson Quay

The White Rabbit @ Harding Road

The trip to The White Rabbit is like fairy tale journey into Alice the Wonderland. First you make your trip out of the bustling Orchard Road and Tanglin district, and into the meandering Dempsey Road.



The White Rabbit is run by the owners of Lo and Behold Group which operates Loof bar.

To enter the restaurant, diners can choose to enter either through the main door or through this canopy which leads to the back entrance.



Formerly the Ebenezer Chapel which was built in the 1940s for the British troops in Singapore, the chapel has been transformed into a beautiful restaurant which encourages relaxing brunches and dinners. About half of their customers are expats.



The centrepiece of the restaurant are the 2 stained glasses. Very few restaurant in Singapore can boast having beautiful stained glasses with history.



Free iced water is served here for all diners.



The bread served at The White Rabbit was crusty on the outside, and warm and fluffy in the inside. I chose the Onion Roll which had bits of really fragrant onion bits inside the roll.



Eggs Benedict with Honey Baked Ham, sauteed spinach and black truffles served with muffins and roasted asparagus (S$23) - Really like the combination of the runny yolk with the heavenly black truffle pieces. The muffins soaked up the yolk and whites well.



Roast of the day (S$32) which was tenderloin. The beef was pretty tender and moist. Steak lovers will love it.



On the way to the toilet, saw these very retro looking typewriter and lamp.



And of course, their floor tiles. Can you guess what animal is that?



Had a Cappaccino, which is creamy and frothy.



The White Rabbit Creme Brulee (S$16) served with summer berries. The creme brulee was not too sweet, and came with sweet juicy berries.



The Black Forest (S$14) - A re-interpretation of the traditional cake. Chocolate mousse and chocolate sponge served with Kirsch jelly and the best brandied cherries. The Kirsch jellies were really unique. Enjoyed this a lot.



Those who orderd Crepes will get the serving staff to make the sauce and fillings right next to their dining table.



Lot's of seats in the former chapel, including this extension which was not opened during Sunday brunch.



A relaxing Sunday brunch ideal to waste the morning away. Good food and great location.


The White Rabbit
39C Harding Road
http://www.thewhiterabbit.com.sg

Osia @ Resorts World Sentosa

Famous Australian chef Scott Webster recently opened an Australian fine-dining restaurant Osia at Resorts World Sentosa.

Over here at Osia, you still get your steaks and oysters which forms a big part of Australian cuisines, but Osia gave these everyday dishes a creative twist and we were very amazed by the creativity, presentation and of course taste of the food here.



The problem about dining at Resorts World Sentosa is that only a few fine dining restaurants are opened there. The rest which are now opened are the restarants and buffet places in the hotels.

So yesterday while I was surfing the internet, found out that Osia was already opened since the beginning of this month. It is hidden along the steps of the Festive Walk, so you may need to search for a while before locating the restaurant.



From the open kitchen, you can see the enormous Stonehearth oven. I am not sure what is a Stonehearth oven, but I suppose it is an oven constructed out of these special stones.

We liked the deco of the restaurant. The open concept kitchen gets a bit too noisy, but is still acceptable. Food bloggers should take note that some tables are quite dark for photography, so do pick a table with adequate lighting.



Osia does not serve compplimentary breads, so we ordered this Black Olive Rosemary Flat Bread (S$8) served with Extra Virgin Oil, Butter and Spiced Garbanzo dip. the serving staff explained to us that the toothpaste tube actually contains their house-made Spiced Garbanzo dip. Garbanzo is also referred to as chickpea. the spiced paste is actually not too spicy, but had a nice "bean" taste to it.



According to the menu, the flat bread was baked in their unique Stonehearth oven. the rosemary was really fragrant when bite into, and their extra virgin olive oil really adds depth to this dish.



We also ordered the Seafood Ice Experience (S$22) , which was highly recommended by the manager. Boy was she right. It was creatively presented in test tubes. Each test tube contained a unique seafood with a special sauce.



And they are:

(From left to right) Pineapple Lemongrass Ice + Blue Fin Tuna,
Quandong Orange Ice + Amaebi Shrimp,
Calamansi "Mojito" Ice + Sea Scallop,
Lychee Martini Ice + Oyster,
Watermelon Lillipilli Ice + Maine Lobster,
Apple Celery Ice + Tasmanian Salmon.



I love all, but my favourite, is the Lychee Martini Ice + Oyster. It is juicy and the lychee martini went well with the oyster.



Another view of the chefs hard at work in the kitchen. The oven is on the right side.



Our mains arrived! Berkshire Pork Chop 200gm (S$42), grilled in Stonehearth Oven and served with Roma Tomato Confit and Corn Cob. Berkshire actually means Korobuta. The pork was juicy and flavourful. Diners who are scared of uncooked pork or overwhelming "pork" taste will be happy to know that the Berkshire Pork Chop is well cooked and does not have any "porky" taste to it.

The corn was also grilled, together with the vegetables.



Mulwarra Lamb Rump 160gm (S$38), grilled in Stonehearth Oven and served with Roma Tomato Confit and Corn Cob. According to the Mulwarra website, their Lamb is premium quality Fresh Australian Range Fed Lamb and Milk Fed Lamb sourced from the prime lamb production areas of South Eastern Australia. The lamb rump was extremely tender and juicy. All lamb lovers (as in diners) should really order this Mulwarra Lamb.



Osia provides free iced tap water. The service staffs were prompt to refill ice water.



We also ordered 2 sides. One was the highly recommended Baby Spinach (S$8), Sauteed with creme. Although spinach had quite a bitter taste to it, but the bitterness was perfectly masked under the creamy butter creme. I practically finished the entire bowl of the spinach.



In contrast, I didn't like this New Potato (S$6), Roasted with Chorizo and Scallion. The potatoes were a bit too dry for me.



We shared a dessert as we were too full after the dinner. So we had their house special - Valrhona Hot Chocolate Soup (S$20) with Black Pepper Ice-Cream and Sesame Crisp. The chocolate soup (more like chocolate fudge) was made of excellent Valrhona Chocolate. It's really hot, so be careful not to burn your lips. What makes this special is their in-house black pepper ice-cream. Vanilla ice-cream never taste so good with bits of black pepper in it. If this is your 1st time here, do order this signature dessert.



One of the best grilled restaurant I have tried in Singapore. Quality of meat is excellent, and the roast are both juicy and flavourful. Will definitely come back again for more Australian yummies.


Osia
8 Sentosa Gateway
Festive Walk
Resorts World Sentosa

The Dunearn @ NUSS Bukit Timah Guild House

I first found out of The Dunearn after reading thesimplestaphrodisiac. Was attracted by the price and the presentation of the food.

The Dunearn is situated at NUSS Bukit Timah Guild House (formerly occupied by SMU). A bit difficult if you are taking public transport or not very sure of the buildings and roads here.



I was quite surprise to see how small the restaurant was. Just 2 rows of tables and that's about it. Not sure if there are any VIP rooms inside.



Ordered the Dunearn 4 courses Set Lunch at S$28 which includes Appetizer, Soup, Main Course and Dessert. Also ordered the Harvest Carte 4 course set menu (Appetizer, Soup, Main Course and Dessert) at S$59. The difference is that diners can choose anything from the ala carte menu for the HArvest Carte set menu while the Set Lunch only allows diners to choose 1 our of 2 choices.



The bread was pretty good. It's fragrant and good enough to eat on its own.



Goose Liver with Crispy Floss, Purple Mustard and Sweet Mango Salsa - The goose liver used is of lower than average quality.



I appreciate the tangy mango salsa and crispy floss which added extra flavours and textures to the dish, but hope that the restaurant can use better quality goose liver.



My Warm Scallop Mesclun Salad with Lemongrass Granite was better. But still, I was disappointed by the quality of the scallops. At this point, I wondered if the quality of the ingredients was compromised due to the low price of the set lunch.



Truffle infused cep & morrel mushroom - The mushroom was nice, but couldn't detect the truffle taste.



Cream of broad bean - Quite ok for me.



Roast Pork Loin with Prune stuffing served with Dauphinoise Potatoes and Pepper Cream. Dauphinoise Potatoes is actually a potato dish baked in cream, cheese and milk. The pork is a bit dry for me, but the prine stuffings added some moisture and sweetness to the dish. I like the potato.



Grilled Wagyu ribeye (Marbling 9) & Duck Liver Port Wine Glazed on a bed of Sweet mashed potatoes and garden vegetables. I like the sweet garden vegetables. But hope that they could use a better quality ribeye.



Banana chocolate Filo pastry with Strawberry ice-cream. The banana pastry was a surprised as it tasted like Goreng Pisang. And I like the taste of it.



Phyllo Apple with Cinnamon dust and Vanilla Gelato - Initially I thought it was another version of the Filo pastry. But was slightly different due to the Cinnamon dust.



Finally, coffee to end the meal.

Although the price is good, however I am thinking they compromised on the quality of the ingredients. Perhaps they could raise the price and use better ingredients next time.


The Dunearn
1F Cluny Road
Bukit Timah Guild House (NUSS Graduate Club)