Occasionally I would be struck with a desire to eat something fancy/expensive. And I'm glad when that happens I always have some friends who would want to go with me. For this particular desire, it was quite surprising but we managed to score a table at Mag's Wine Kitchen, which I've heard much about and walked past several times without having actually dined in there. Finally! So the place is actually a long shophouse with an open kitchen concept. Our table was just right beside the kitchen so we could observe the chefs hard at work. 

I love Playmade. Amongst all the different bubble tea brands in Singapore, I think my top 2 (and they are closely tied) are Playmade and Woobbee. That's why I was surprised and happy to find that Playmade has opened a new cafe selling food and bubble tea called Playground, right near where I live at AMK Hub! Situated right outside Watsons (and a few steps away from bubble tea competitor Chicha San Chen), this small but cute space has a few tables for dine-in and a food menu with sandwiches, burgers, croissants and rice bowls and HK-style egglet. 

Every bite was bliss. The airy pockets were a genius invention against the chewy and crispy textures.

Overall, I'll definitely be back at Playground to have more of their food items together with a bubble tea. I'll highly recommend you guys to check them out if you are in the vicinity as well because its not common for bbt brands to expand into selling food, and we should support local!

🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if nearby ✔️
💁 Bookmark this 

Oh I also made a TikTok video of my trip there. Check it out.

@alexis.cheong the new Playground is at B1 AMK Hub! #sgfoodie #bubbletea #foodsg #foodtok #foodsg ♬ Alcohol-Free - TWICE

Playground by Playmade

AMK Hub #B1-51B, 53 Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, Singapore 569933

11am (10.30am on Sat and Sun) to 10pm daily 

Wanton noodles are probably in my top 5 favourite dishes of all time. That's why I couldn't say no when I was invited to try out Wanton Seng's at their new location on 10 Ann Sian Hill. I've had them when they were at Amoy St, and they have moved around a bit before settling here at the old Gem Bar location (ad folks will know it as one of their regular drinking spots). I'm glad too that Ann Siang Hill now has this affordable gastro bar selling local cuisine (wanton noodles some more!) AND has a drinks list to match the others.

We also sampled the Jasmine 'White' Sangria (S$18/glass) made with white wine, jasmine tea, kaffir, pineapple and cointreau. Which looked really refreshing but was unfortunately a tad light for our palates. Same for their Shiok Chili. It's been tampered with for sure, because a proper wanton mee chili will burn your mouth properly. This was more like a tickle.

We also had the Kombucha Fizz (S$18) gin, citrus honey, ginger, seasonal kombucha which was quite refreshing, though I wish it again was more alcoholic :P Anyway, I do think that a craft beer might be a better accompaniment to the food than the cocktails.

That's because you can just order the regular Char Siu Noods (S$8.5) with thick juicy layers of pork belly char siu with pork wontons, hk kailan and scallions and be perfectly happy with it. This is the quintessential wanton noodle experience with upgraded char siu. I loved it a lot, mainly again back to the noodles carrying the cast members. Even the char siu itself was pretty average in comparison. And overall, for $8.50, this is really super affordable in the heart of that district! 4/5

I was super intrigued when new kid on the Telok Ayer block, Umami 10, which opened this year in July, invited me to try out their Japanese-European food and sake at the Yoshoku Sakaya concept shophouse restaurant. It was brave of them to open a sake gastro bar during these trying times for F&B, especially with the 10.30pm no-alcohol deadline. But with every crisis comes opportunity, and I'm glad they are available as another option for food and sake!

To start, we first picked a carafe of a strong and slightly sweeter sake, the Ishichi Junmai Ginjo Asahi (S$47 for 350ml), which like the restaurant name suggests, is very umami and pairs well with food like that. 

Here's their sake list. For the full menu, visit their website.

And here's the food menu, which is thankfully a limited one. I don't like it when there are too many choices! As you can see, there's starters for sharing, and what they termed as tapas (hot or cold) which can be considered appetiser-mains, portion wise. 

On to the food! We first tried the Scallops Carpaccio (S$26) from the Cold Tapas section. The artistic plating was cool, but what's more impressive was the interplay between the fruity and slightly sour mango salsa mixed with truffle and basil caviar, with sea asparagus on top of some fresh, raw scallops. Super refreshing and I have to say.. umami. 4/5

Next was this artfully presented Tuna Ceviche (S$24) with yuzu ponzu, shallots and the surprising but great addition of guava strips and pomegranate bits. The fruit gave it an extra crunch, texture and fresh sweetness that harmonised with the savoury tuna to bring out the natural sweetness of the raw fish. 4/5

Then something which was a bit too strong in terms of the seafood flavour for me - the Firefly Squid Tempura (S$25, which uses the Toyama Firefly Squid with all the roe inside fried to a crispy goodness. If you enjoy prawn heads and crab roe, this might be your thing. This is also a dish that goes VERY well with a Sapporo beer. 3/5

What we both loved to death instead was this Asari Clams (S$18) of using yuzu, cream and San Marzano tomatoes on clams, cooked fresh upon order. Wow our Asian tastebuds were screaming in delight at this moreish dish that just clamoured for a bit of bread to dip into. The clams were so fresh and brightened by the yuzu, yet there's the salty round flavour from the cream and tomatoes. Basically a recipe for.. umami. If you are there, this is a must-try! 5/5

We were so stuffed, but when Chef-Owner Mark Tay asked if we'll be interested in the Tsukune (S$15), or the chicken "meatball" made with a chicken pattie and walnuts and topped with a raw egg yolk, I couldn't resist! It was fantastic indeed with the creamy egg yolk coating the sweet, minced chicken with its delightful texture. We also thought it would be even better if there's a smokiness to it, and Chef immediately took the feedback and got the smoker out! 3.5/5 without smoke, 4/5 with smoke. 

To end off the big meal (we were bursting), we had a delightfully refreshing Yuzu Ikura Sorbet (S$13). Yes you heard that right. The Yuzu sorbet had salty, seafoody ikura added to them and it was topped with an oba leaf. You would think it strange like we did at first, but it really worked when we tried it. The sweet, cold and slightly tart sorbet counterbalanced those little pops of salty umami flavour. I see what they did there... 4.5/5

And I do hope you had more space in your stomach than us because the house-made three-liqeur tiramisu called Pick-me-up (S$13) is another must-try from the menu. It looks unassuming here but when you dig in and have a bite, it will fill you with that melty alcoholic goodness that makes your head spin (in a good way). 4.5/5 That's together with the great house-techno music that's on in the restaurant, by Chef-Owner Mark Tay again who used to spin on the international circuit as a DJ. A man of talents!

Overall, it was a superb meal of epic proportions in flavour, innovation and guts at Umami 10. I think this level of experimentation might not be for EVERYONE though, if you prefer the typical Japanese or European fare. Me? I'm on for anything so this is my cup of tea. Go check them out if you are in the area and in the mood for something interesting!

🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if nearby 
💁 Bookmark this ✔️

Umami 10

163 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068616

Weekday lunch 11.30am-2.30pm

Weekdays and Saturdays dinner 5.30pm-10.30pm (5.30pm-7pm happy hour)

Closed on Sundays

Reservations on website or call 6513 5789

Thanks Jasper for the invite!

I'm not a cook. But during the times when I do have to cook something, like a piece of salmon for example, I find myself confronted with limited choices of cookware at home that is non-stick AND non-toxic. I came to know more about them through a video by John Oliver about the harmful effects of the chemical PFAS (which PFOA is a subset of) used in non-stick pots and pans that can ironically stick around for a VERY long time, in your body if ingested, or in the environment. That's why I was glad when Modori reached out to ask if I would like to review their Goodle collection of non-stick cookware, which is made in a special forging process that coats high purity aluminium (hence its not heavy) with an inoble coating 6 times that is non-toxic yet durable and conducts heat evenly and quickly. Perfect for yourself or as a gift!

Overall I'm super impressed by the Goodle Collection of non-stick cookware by Modori. With proper care and use (not using metallic stuff on the surface, using soft sponge and non-alkaline cleaning detergent, not letting the wooden handle soak in water, and not varying the temperature of the pans too much) I think it will last a super long time so I can cook worry-free. Thanks Modori for sending the cookware over and for those who wish to shop the collection and take advantage of the sale now, please visit this link!

I'm here today with the opposite of what I typically write about, which is food and feasting. Today I'll like to shine a spotlight on a local Singaporean fitness and lifestyle start-up called Band of Sisters, which promotes the use of resistance bands in strength training and is suitable for everyone regardless of whether you are a pro or amateur (that's me). They have a very strong mission and vision, which you can read more about here. 

I also attempted the side kicks. I probably need to work on these cos I'm leaning too much on the side! 👯

But as they say, fitness is a journey and I'm so glad I got to try the Band of Sisters resistance bands because I will be incorporating them into my fitness routine - maybe do it for 30 minutes every Thurs and Sunday just during the day for a good break!