Loola's by Awfully Chocolate @ Esplanade Mall

Loola at Esplanade is less than a month's old, but it's already packing the crowd. Managed by Awfully Chocolate, the name "Loola" actually resembles the name of the baby daughter of the lady boss of Awfully Chocolate.



Loola is located on the same floor as My Humble House, and it's easy to spot the entrance due to its white facade.



The decor is simple with white chairs and wooden tables. The restaurant has a nice viewing spot where you can see the "lotus" flower of the Marina Bay Sands.



We ordered a variety of food to try out since it's our first visit. The Waldorf (S$13) - a salad consisting of baked apples, walnuts crumble, fresh celery, dried cranberries, creamy dressing, was crunchy and refreshing. They also added some fresh diced green apples for added crunch too.



Free ice water for all diners. Service was excellent as they will keep coming over to ask how was the food and if everything is ok.



There were 2 soups on the menu. The first was the Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup (S$9) - Tomato and Carrot soup with crispy bacon. The soup didn't come pippin' hot, so we requested them to heat it up again. Taste was good.



Their second soup is not your usual kind of soup, but a local Salted Vegetable Duck Soup (S$9) - or more commonly known as Kiam Chai Arg. What sets this version aparts from the "homemade" version is the addition of Egg emulsion in the soup, which creates an almost creamy texture. The soup also had chunks of Confit of Duck, where the duck skin had a crisp texture.



A surprise hit from Loola was this Marrow & Toast (S$15) - Grilled bone marrow, toast, balsamic reduction, capsicum pesto. I didn't know how this bone marrow dish ended up here in this cafe, but it's sinfully good. Eat the marrow with the crispy toast. Creamy and intense.



Another beef dish we had was the hearty Stewed Oxtail (S$28) - Oxtail, tomatoes, celery, carrots and bread. The oxtail had lot's of chunks of meat, and they were tenderised after being stewed for hours in the vegetable stock.



We love roast pork. And Loola's Pan Seared Braised Pork Belly (S$28) hits the right spot. The honey pork belly had a crusty skin, yet the pork remained juicy. Served with a side of crispy lotus roots chips, plus the very English bubble & squeak, which literally is a pan fried potato pancake made from roasted vegetables.



As if it's still not enough, a 3rd animal joined out dining table - The Spatchcock (S$36 for 2 diners) - It's a juicy whole pan roasted chicken carved at our table but the service staff. The chicken had minimal seasonings, and they provided some citrus salt and rosemary salt to go along with the roast.



The roast chicken also came with sides of String Beans in anchovy reduction, and caramelized baby onions (my fav).

We like Loola for the good food and service, and will make an attempt to try out their desserts next time when we are here.


Loola's by Awfully Chocolate
8 Raffles Avenue,
#02-14
Esplanade Mall

Sque @ Central Clarke Quay

Back in September, the very enterprising Emmanuel Stroobant opened a new concept restaurant at the ground floor of Central mall facing the Clarke Quay river. Sque (Pronounced as Skew), combines an alehouse together with a rotisserie. Sounds weird? But the concept actually works.



There are 2 sections here: An alfresco outdoor area with quite a number of seats, and a smaller air-con indoor area which is much smaller (hence reservations is required during peak hours for indoor seating).



The selection of beer here is astonishing. Comparable to Brussels Sprouts (which is also by Belgium born Emmanuel Stroobant too). We were recommended the Schneider Weisse Tap 7 (S$11.50 for a 1-for-1 half pint) - Hefeweizen beer from Germany. Fresh, light and crisp. Perfect for fried and roast food.



A look at the open concept kitchen.



Another wonderful restaurant which serves free iced water.



We ordered the starter of Salt & Pepper Prawns (S$18) - The King Prawns were flashed fried in a light tempura batter which has been slightly spiced, and the sauce to go along is Citrus Spicy Dipping. The prawns were definitely fresh and sweet, and the batter was not oily. Most important of all is that it went well with the fresh beer. Yummy!



On the other hand, the Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Soup (S$14) was a bit too heavy - the soup had Wild Mushrooms, Chicken, Truffle Essence and Toast.



The roasts here have a Middle Eastern + Indian flavour to the food. Our first mains was the Roast Chicken (S$24 for half) with Sque's spiced rub, served with salad and roasted potatoes. The chicken meat was very tender and juicy, even the chicken breast! We think it was one of the best roast chicken we had for a long time. But we had a difficult time finishing the roasted potato sides. Think they were undercooked.



The Lamb Sque'r (S$32)- Lamb skewers marinated with cumin, coriander seed, paprika, garlic and lemon confit, also had a strong Middle East flavour to it. Served with salad and roasted potatoes. Top marks for the tender and juicy lamb, but minus marks for the undercooked roasted potatoes.



After the disappointing roasted potato sides, we were relieved that the Fries with Truffle Mayonnaise (S$8) fared much better. The fries were freshly fried (whole potatoes with skin). Crisp on outside, and starchy in the inside. The Truffle Mayo also went well with the fries.



A nice place for gatherings or a weekend brunch along the Clarke Quay river.


Sque
6 Eu Tong Sen Street,
#01-70
The Central @ Clarke Quay

Zaffiro Italian Cuisine @ Asia Square Tower 1

The Marina Bay area has recently seen many new developments, and many new offices are popping up every few months. The latest is Asia Square.



Asia Square consists of 2 main towers. The 1st tower opened this year and tower 2 will open in 2013 and will house the Westin Hotel in its upper floors.



We are here tonight for dinner at a brand new Italian restaurant - Zaffiro. The name "Zaffiro" means sapphire in Italian, and the chef here is Giuliano Dacasto, who has worked in quite a few top Italian restaurants in Europe and in Singapore.



We started our dinner with the San Pellergrino Sparkling Water (S$8 for 800ml).



According to The Business Times, Chef Giuliano Dacasto has worked in one-star Il Convivio Troiani in Rome, two-star Michelin Ristorante Bracali in Massa Maritima and the three-star Michelin Ristorante La Calandra in Padova. In 2009, he moved to Singapore and has worked in il Lido, then Forlino and most recently at L'Angolo. And this also explained why every single dish we had tonight were delicious.



We were first served this complimentary starter by the chef.



And this basket of bread. This basket of focaccia bread must be one of the best breads served in Italian restaurants. The crust is crunchy and the bread itself is soft and slightly salty with a few drops of olive oil. They offered us another basket of breads, but we decided not to be greedy and concentrate on our main dishes.



As there were only 2 soups on their menu, we ordered both of them. The first was this Chilled San Marzano Tomato Soup (S$18) with a Burrata (mozzarella and cream) heart and dry olives. Unlike most chilled tomato soup which is either too sour or too acidic, the version here suits us perfectly. The combination of the Burrata with tomato was excellent.



Top marks for the Chestnut Creme (S$18) with wild rosemary aroma and Amarone wine reduction. The soup had generous slices of white truffles, and it tasted slightly nutty but sweet.



The service staff recommended us this off-menu item: Roasted Greenland Scallops (S$28). The scallops from Greenland (between Arctic & Atlantic Ocean) were grilled with butter, and tasted sweet without any fishy aftertaste. Below the scallops were 3 salsify vegetable. It's a root based vegetable and tasted almost like a hybrid of carrot and potato.



We shared 3 mains. First, the Mushroom Potato Gnocchi with Parmigiano Fondout and Autumn Truffle (S$30). It's truffle season and Zaffiro was very generous with their truffles. The Gnocchi was cooked with some blueberries, and had a slightly citrus taste to it, which reduced the "heaviness" of this dish. All their pasta dishes were handmade fresh from their kitchen, and that explains the "QQness" of the Gnocchi.



We also enjoyed the Veal Shank Ravioli with Savoy Cabbage and Truffle (S$32) very much. Once again, lot's of truffle slices, and each Ravioli was stuffed fully with tender veal shank.



Our 3rd mains was this Spanish Roasted Suckling Pig with Pearl Onions and potatoes. Even though we were very full by now, but we still managed to clear the plates. The suckling pig had a very crispy skin and we were surprised at how juicy and tender the pork was. The mashed potato by the side had a maple syrup taste to it. We like this dish very much.



To digest all these heavy food, we ordered a digestif wine - Jagermeister (S$14 per glass). This German digestif may not be everybody's cup of tea (or wine), but after sipping it, you will feel your chest slowly warm up, and the warm feelings go down all the way into your stomach.



Dessert was the Black Tea and Bergamot Vanilla Creme Brulee with Raspberry Sorbet (S$16). Once again, the chef has done a good job of making sure that the burnt crust on top of the creme brulee was not too thick and too crusty. The creme brulee had a nice black tea taste to it. Alternating between the creme brulee and the slightly tangy raspberry sorbet create the most balanced taste.



We thought it was the end, but the staff brought us complimentary petit four. Out of all, we enjoyed the coffee mashmallow the best.

In conclusion, Zaffiro is an Italian restaurant which serves great Italian food with excellent service. Highly recommended.


Zaffiro Italian Cuisine
8 Marina View,
#01-01
Asia Square Tower 1

The Loaf @ Pavilion KL, Kuala Lumpur

A few years ago, former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahthir decided to team up with a Japanese businessman to bring in the concept of Japanese bakery to Malaysia. The first shop opened in Langkawi, and was quite a success. Since then, a few more branches have opened in Selangor, and the 2nd one was located in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.



Lunch at Pavilion proves to be a speedy affair. We were in and out within 30 minutes, and it's not bad considering it's a restaurant cum cafe.



I was also quite impressed with the service staffs. Although they were young, but there were eager to serve its customers.



There was nothing Japanese about the menu, so I had the Southern Cajun Chicken (RM22) - Crispy chicken drumpstick marinated with cajun spices and oriental bulb mix. Initally, I was worried that the fried chicken patty would be too dry, but when I bite into the burger, it was moist and juicy.



The basement of The Loaf is the bakery shop. Here, it competes with Breadtalk within the same complex, as well as Sun Moulin located at Lot 10 which is just a stone's throw away. I didn't have a chance to try the breads at The Loaf, so could not give my comments about standards here.


The Loaf
Lot 3.13.00,
Level 3 & 4
Pavilion KL,
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 Kuala Lumour

Tai Hing @ Changi Airport Terminal 2

Back at Ting Hing over at Changi Airport Terminal 2 for a quick breakfast before boarding the plane.



There are always ample seats here, so it's never a problem for me finding a seat before my flight.



Ordered the set breakfast, which came with my choice of drink. I had the Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea. The presentation was rather unique because the milk tea was placed in a bowl of ice, hence the milk tea will not be diluted when the ice melts.



A bowl of CQYD noodles (I presume it's the sesame oil flavour), with 2 pieces of luncheon meat with ham, omelette, and vegetable. What you see is what you get. I was glad they didn't overcook the instant noodles, as it is still springy when served to me.



Together with the breakfast set is a side ordering of Dim Sum, and I selected har kow. The skin was not too thick, but the fillings were rather small.


Tai Hing
60 Airport Boulevard,
Departure/Transit Lounge,
Changi Airport Terminal 2

Czzar @ Great World City

It's been a long time since we went back to Czzar for dinner.



Everything is still the same, including their plates and cups.



The Homemade Tofu (S$12.80) came sizzling hot in a hot plate. A bit different from what you get from normal tze char stalls, as the squarish tofu is made in-house with egg white and soya milk. The result is silky soft tofu with an intense egg taste to it.



A bowl of steam white rice (S$1) to go with our dishes.



When we are here, we will always order their double boiled soup of the day (S$6 for small portion). The small portion is enough for 4 bowls of soup. Tonight's soup is lotus stem with pork. It's flavourful and given the price, we have no complains.



Ended our dinner with the last dish - Sweet & Sour Pork (S$9.80). I can never get tired of eating these sweet and sour dishes. It helps to "open" your appetite and adds some nutritious fruits and vegetables into your diet.


CZ'ZAR
Great World City #01-371
Kim Seng Promenade

Hummerstons @ Robertson Walk

We enjoyed our previous dinner here so much that last weekend, we are back at Hummerstons to try out their brunch.



Their brunch spreads from morning till 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays. As it was drizzling, there were not too many customers and most prefer to sit in the outdoors. For us, it's always indoors.



Diners can choose to sit at the proper dining section, or laze around on their sofa chairs. They also have a bar counter at one side of the restaurant.



The main reason why we were here was to try the Hummerstons Pancakes (S$14) - Grandma's recipe. Their pancakes have been selected by 8 Days as the best pancakes in Singapore. And I can concur to that title. The pancakes were huge and they had a wonderful buttermilk taste to it. They used to serve the pancakes with unpeeled kiwi fruits, but has changed to a more user-friendly berries.



Hummerstons' Pancakes come with real maple syrup, whipped butter, & fruit compote. I think we are so used to the thick maple syrup that we were not used to seeing real maple syrup so watery. But this is what pure maple syrup tastes like. Out of these 3 condiments, my favourite was the whipped butter.



From the appetizer menu, we selected the Poutine in The Hangover style (S$13). Poutine is actually Homestyle handcut US potatoes , and we chose a gravy combination of pork & garlic sausage, oak smoked cheddar, mozzarella, jus & poached egg. The fries were really good and full of potato goodness. However, the "sauce" was pretty ordinary and a tad too salty.



Soup of the day - Pumpkin Soup (S$9)



Ordered their special main course of the day - Iberico Pork & Scallop (S$18), which is Iberico Pork & Chorizo Stuffing Mushrooms, Pan-Seared Scallops, Crispy Wanton & Romesco. Although it tasted ok, but I find there is nothing special with this dish. Portions were a little small too for this dish.



Desserts here was good. The Orange & Thyme Creme Brulee (S$11) - Thyme-infused with fresh orange segments, blended creamy custard & caramelized sugar topping, was a good balance between the creamy custard with the tangy orange bits.


Hummerstons
11 Unity Street,
#02-14
Robertson Walk