Bonta Italian Restaurant & Bar @ UE Square

Truffle, the Diamond of Kitchen, has such wonderful aroma that one can easily fall in love with it. This subterranean fungi is rare and almost impossible to cultivate. Most of the foodies would know that there are mainly 2 kinds of truffles dominate the European cuisines. Black truffle from Perigord region of France have the strongest aroma of all truffle with earthy flavor. But tonight, I am heading to Bonta, to pamper myself with Alba white truffle from Piedmont region of Italy which is more delicate in taste. It is in season. Good Italian restaurant like Bonta is celebrating with special truffle menu.



Acqua Panna (S$9) and Pinot Grigio Borgo Con 2009 (S$16)






Dinner began with the now-famous Bonta's soufflé bread. What's special about this bread in a cup is the inside....






Warm cheese fills the centre of the bread, together with nibbets of fiery red tomatoes and crunch walnuts.



Roma Tomato Soup served with basil crostini (S$14.00) - It's creamy, sweet and slightly acidic.



Pan-Fried Goose Liver served with 25 years old balsamic vinegar and semi-dried muscatel grapes (S$29.00). Perhaps you can't see clearly, but the goose liver is hiden inside the forests of salad leaves. The really good balsamic vinegar helped to balance out the crisp and slightly oily goose liver.



From the white truffle menu, comes the top truffle dish which all fans of white truffle must try - Homemade angel hair with Parmesan cheese sauce and white truffle (S$72.00). The pasta came with 5 grams of white truffle shavings. The warmth of pasta made the already intense truffle armoa spread even quicker. Every mouthful screamed luxurious. I was in heaven.



An original creation - the Truffle Ice-Cream (S$22.00) tasted as good (and creamy) as it looks. It's a medley of sweet truffle creamy dessert all mixed into one.

You have until end December to savour the best of White Truffles.


Bonta Italian Restaurant & Bar
207 River Valley Road
#01-61, UE Square

Meatworks @ ION Orchard

After its success in Kuala Lumpur, Meatworks decided to venture overseas and opened its first overseas restaurant across the Causeway in Singapore, in ION Orchard.



Occupying both the empty space outside of Three-Sixty Supermarket and also a unit next to Paradise Dynasty, we are here just barely 1 week after Meatworks opened its doors to the public.

As there were not much diners on a Sunday night, they did not open up their restaurant unit, but instead ushered all diners to the empty space next to the escalator.



Bacardi Housepour (S$10 per glass), one of the most famous brand name around the world.



We started our dinner with 2 portions of the Soup of the Day - Tomato Soup (S$8). The tomato soup was creamy and tasty, and should satisfy most tomato lovers. And the chef also did some beautiful patterns on top of the soup.



Also had the Fruit Salad (S$12) - Arugula, Raspberries, Strawberries, Granny Smith Apples, served with Citrus dressing, before our all-meat mains. Freshness is the word I would describe this salad. Everything is fresh and crunchy.



To company the read meats, we ordered the housepour red wine (S$12 per glass).



Lamb Rack (S$32) served with cous cous in traditional fresh mint sauce. Top marks for their lamb rack, which is juicy and tender. Special mention must be said about the creamy mashed potatoes, made of Yukon potatoes.



Tenderloin 220g (S$46) - Australian Diamantina Platinium angus, 150 days grain-fed. Both mains served with Yukon mashed and garden vegetables. The tenderloin though good, is still not as good as the lamb racks. But given the price, I must compliment them for the good quality choice of beef they have used for their steak.

Need to point out to all potential diners that we waited for a long time for the steak. Although they did tell us we need to wait for the steak as it takes some time to cook, but there was a 40 minutes gap between our appetizers (soup and salad) and the steak. And also, Meatworks tend to undercook their meats. The Lamb Rack I ordered had to be sent back to the kitchen for further cooking because when I ordered Medium Rare, I didn't expect the meat inside to be so raw. So for those who like Medium Rare, it's best to order Medium.

As they have just opened, everything has a 20% discount. Hopefully, they have ironed out all their problems by now.


Meatworks
2 Orchard Turn
#04-12
ION Orchard

Crystal Jade Palace @ Ngee Ann City

As you would have noticed, it's a whole lot's of asian dining this month. On a sleepy Sunday evening, we were at Takashimaya in Ngee Ann City when we decided to drop by at Crystal Jade Palace for a late dinner.



Not sure why, but almost everytime we are there, will be ushered to this back row where the tables reminds me of those long canteen table. From the photo above, you can have a peep at the long table seats behind.



The menu has an interesting texture, but is too heavy.



As with most Chinese restaurant, diners get to enjoy cold or warmt tap water for free. Crystal Jade too.



To judge how good a Cantonese or Chinese restaurant is, I will always try how good their doup is. The Soup of the Day - Old Cucumber Soup (S$7) was delicious. They have a deluxe version which is served in a mini hollowed old cucumber. And of course, that version also commands a deluxe price.



To go with white rice, we ordered the Stir fried beef with fresh mushrooms (S$20). Beef was tender, but did not have much "beef" taste. Most probably the gravy and mushrooms have overpowered the beef.



Sparkling Jasmine white rice.



Another order was the Pan fried prawns in Superior Soya Sauce (S$27) 100g, which is more than enough for table of 2. No complaints here as the prawns were fresh and crunchy.



Deep fried pork ribs marinated in fermented beancurd (S$18) - Crystal Jade did a great job to keep the pork tender and juicy despite the deep frying. And the fermented beancurd did penatrate the juicy pork ribs.


Crystal Jade Palace
391 Orchard Road
#04-19
Ngee Ann City

COVA Pasticceria (Confetteria Singapore) @ Paragon

When I pass by Cova, it is usually quiet and empty. No doubt COVA attracts the tai tais during tea breaks, but not much diners during meal times.



There are 2 sections to COVA - a cafe section in the middle of the mall, and a tea lounge next to it. The decor is classic Italian decor. As it is quite empty during dinner time, the whole place looks pretty spacious.



We ordered 2 Set Dinner - S$69 per person. On each table were bottles of white wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar, and a bottle of olive oil meant to dip the complimentary bread platter. And of course, all of them are direct from Italy.



Our set dinner started off with our appetizer of Stewed black mussels in white wine and black pepper "Impepata" style served with croutons. Mussels were fresh and the crouton allows the sweet and flavourful white wine stock to be mopped clean.



Another appetizer was this mini serving of Fusilli pasta served with braised duck leg ragour and duo colour of zucchini. The braised duck leg ragour was nicely done, without the over-acidity of tomatoes.



Ice water is available for free here at Cova when you dine in.



Next are the mains: Seared beef tenderloin served with pistachio sauce and paprika scented crispy potatoes. It took a little getting used to the pistachio sauce with the tenderloin. I am not sure why pistachio sauce was used, and I don't think it matches well with the beef.



The Grilled stuffed squid served with sauteed spinach and lemon sauce, on the other hand, is a winner.



Dessert was in the form of a Cova chocolate chestnut cake. We appreciate that the chestnut helps to balance out the thick slab of chocolates in the cake.



Our set dinner ended with Coffee and tea. A good place to chat and have a meal if you are around the area.


COVA Pasticceria (Confetteria Singapore)
290 Orchard Road
#01-20A
Paragon Shopping Centre

Miz Japanese Restaurant @ Craig Road

I walk past this Japanese restaurant several times and always thought that this is a "local" Japanese restaurant. But after reading a review on the internet, I found out that the owner and chef behind this ordinary looking Japanese restaurant just next to the HDB flats in Tanjong Pagar, is actually a former 5 stars hotel Japanese restaurant chef.




According to the chef, he wanted to bring good quality Japanese food to Singaporeans at an affordable price.



We were there on a Saturday night, and the whole place seems really empty. Except for 2 occupied tables, it was relatively quiet. Staff were eager to serve and polite too.

Oh, did I make special mention about these cute ceramic bottles on every table? I wonder how many did they lose every day due to itchy hands!



Complmentary Edamame beans were served to diners before the food. I am never a fan of these edamame beans, so no review for these green beans.



Deep fried Sakura Prawns (S$8) - At this price, don't expect amazing quality. But these are decent enough to munch on before all the food arrives.



Baked oysters with Japanese mayo and roe (S$12 for 3) - As the oysters were already baked and covered with mayo, I can't really give an accurate review of the freshness of the oysters. But they were sweet and big, and the mayo really balanced out the sweetness of the oysters.




Upon recommendation, we ordered the Iwashi Sashimi (S$12) these Iwashi sardines were really fresh and sweet. As these were in season then, we are not sure if they are still available or good now.



One of their signature dish - Cold Garlic Udon with Caviar (S$12). At this price, I find it quite expensive for udon, butter and minced garlic. It's nice and comes with caviar, but I don't think the price is justified given that the sashimi was also the same price.



Crispy Chicken Cutlet Bento Set (S$17) - Their sets are value for money. At S$17, you get one big piece of crispy chicken cutlet.



And also miso soup, omelette roll, appetizer, salad, rice. Would recommend diners to try to order the set. Very value for money.



Dashimaki (S$8), or Japanese rolled omelette, was nice to munch on.



The Tempura (S$12) was not as crispy and hot as we hoped for.



Leaving the best for the last - Foie Gras Sushi Roll (S$12). The combination of Foie Gras and Sushi is an excellent example of how the east and west could converge and create something so magically delicious. This is one dish, that you should order when you are here. The creamy and slightly fatty Foie Gras is balanced with the slightly vinegared sushi rice and egg roll skin. Yum.



Given some more time, we hope that Miz can improve its standards as they are almost there. But having said that, I would like to add that the food at Miz is definitely much better than that Japanese food stall over at nearby Amara Hotel food court.


Miz Japanese Restaurant
7 Craig Road

Restaurant Ten @ Purvis Street

A few months ago, the local dailies reported that a "healthy" Chinese restaurant - Restaurant Ten, has opened along Purvis Street. Formerly known as Metropole Herbal Restaurant in Clark Quay, it moved to its current location a few months back.



As we have not been to the former Metropole, we decided to give this Restaurant Ten a go. Restaurant Ten occupies the premise of the former Limon Restaurant which Sparkling or Still reviewed more than 1 year ago: http://sparklingorstill.blogspot.com/2009/04/limon-purvis-street.html



The manager ushered us to the 2nd floor as the ground floor was fairly packed. After browsing through the menu, we decided to order 2 sets of the Cod Fish Mini Abalone Menu (S$48++).



Complimentary appetizers: Sweet marinated lotus roots with special Hawthorn juice shots. Four Seasons Tea (a unique tea not commonly found in other places) - S$3.80 in the background.

The lotus roots were really addicitive.



We also ordered a glass of Rosella with Hawthorn Juice (Cold) - S$3.50.




The first dish, the Chilled Abalone braised with Tang Gui, surprised me because the abalone was really tiny. It was laid out on a bowl of crushed ice. The abalone was pretty flavourful with hints of tang gui herbal marinade.



Egg White with Dried Scallop in Potato Nest, which is their in-house signature dish. To be frank, while this was a nice dish, I have tasted similar well executed versions in other restaurants too. THe egg white was creamy yet fluffy, and the shredded dried scallops added extra flavours to the otherwise bland dish.



The manager encouraged us to add some Apple Cider Vinegar to the egg white. But I prefer mine with the original taste.



Soup was next: Double-boiled Hasmas with Chicken Soup. Restaurant Ten was generous with the Hasmas. The soup must have been double boiled for a long time because the chicken taste was evident in the soup. And it's not oily too.



On the other hand, the Braised cod fish with fermented rice wine, and fresh lily bulbs, did require some getting used to. It's a strange combination to combine the light tasting cod fish with the strong fermented rice wine sauce. Would have preferred them serving the fish plain, with the sauce at the side.

Buns were used to mop up the sauce from the fish.



Crispy Tofu with mushroom and angle luffa. There were vegetable and meat fillings inside the tofu.



Crack open the tofu, and pour the orange savoury sauce over it. It's like a Chinese version of Tauhu Goreng?



Ended our lunch with the Two Combination Dessert Coconut and soya milk jelly with Egg white Moose (foreground) and Pear juice (background). I didn't like the coconut jelly, but the pear juice was a nice touch to our set lunch.



Some hits and misses here and there.


Restaurant Ten
7 Purvis Street
#01-01