alexis blogs: March 2021

Restaurant Review: Habibi-san at 55 Haji Lane, Singapore 189248

March 25, 2021

I was intrigued to find out about this newish Japanese-Middle Eastern gastrobar called Habibi-San at Haji Lane adjacent to Bar Stories so I made a reservation and went with my foodie friends to check them out about a month ago! It was a great food experience - we tried almost everything on the menu other than the meat mains. The restaurant is in a shop house with two levels - there's counter seats at L1 as well but the entrance was blocked due to SMM so we had to go up to the cosy L2 from the Bar Stories side. We got some pita (S$3) bread for the dips first.

Here's the relatively small menu, which showcased a seamless fusion of Greek/Middle Eastern flavours with things like hummus and taramasalata to Japanese kushiyaki and ingredients like mentaiko. Because there's 3 of us we got the first 9 items on the left column of the menu - from the Pita to Snapper, and the last item on the right column for dessert.

Got a Negroni-inspired cocktail from Bar Stories as well but I have to say, it was quite disappointing compared to the food. It was made with alternative spirits to create a similar taste, but it wasn't special. Plus the price tag was pretty hefty (I think it was $22+?)

Along with our Pita (S$3 each), we had 3 mezzes - the Babaganoush (S$10) which was all kinds of savoury with the smoked eggplant and chicken skin crunch above to start and that was good 3.5/5, together with the Chickpea hummus (S$13) which we all LOVED 4.5/5. The Pickled beetroot (S$10) was also tart, earthy and all sorts of appetising. 3.5/5

The Mentaiko taramasalata (S$13) was also the perfect dip with its super salty, umami flavouring and little pops of tobiko. 4/5

One of the highlights of the night was the Burrata di puglia (S$15) which had some superbly smoked cherry tomatoes that felt like we were having a cigar with the creamy burrata. This was so addictive with the complex depth of the aromas. 4.5/5

Another highlight which I think is a must-order is the "Kibbeh naiyen" (S$17) which had 2 pieces of raw Westholme wagyu mixed with cracked wheat, shio kombu mixed with wasabi-yuzu vinaigrette on top of senbei crackers. We had 2 sets of this because it was just so delicious! 5/5

Another favourite (if you can't tell from the trend) was the Roasted Brussels sprouts (S$16) which was perfectly charred and cooked such that it wasn't darkly bitter, but more like a light hint of it so you can appreciate its original taste. For veggie lovers though, I must caveat. 4/5

We also got a protein since everything else was more small plates. The NZ line caught snapper sarma (S$28) was the choice for the night and the fish was light and fresh, with a very yummy shaved fennel and apple salad with yuzu butter sauce surrounding it. However against everything else this paled in comparison. Regardless, a delicious dish! 4/5

We ended the meal with a "Namastyle" chocolate tart (S$14) which sounds like a Snickers tart with the 70% guanaja chocolate, dulce de leche (cooked condensed milk), peanuts and kinako cream with sea salt. It was very sweet and dense. Maybe good enough to be shared among 4, even, just for a tiny taste but I'd imagine it to be quite a sugar rush for 2.

Overall, Habibi-san is definitely worth checking out because there's not often a lot of Japanese and Middle Eastern / Greek food places in the world. If you do go, I'll recommend that you skip the cocktails and focus on the food - get the wagyu tartare and smoked tomatoes with burrata, and definitely try the hummus with pita.

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🤷 Try if nearby
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Habibi-san
55 Haji Lane, Singapore 189248
Tues-Sat 5.30pm to 10.30pm
Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Reserve on Chope

food review

Food Vlog (in Chinese!): Rayben King of Seafood Soup at 39 Sin Ming Drive, Singapore 575713

March 21, 2021

food review

Seafood restaurant review: Marcy's at 39-40 Duxton Rd, Singapore 089503

March 08, 2021

Was intrigued to check out another relatively fresh kid on the Duxton block - Marcy's - as their website mentioned that they are a modern seafood . intimate bar. As a part-time pescatarian I'm always on the look out for great seafood restaurants in Singapore (like laut at Stanley St) because I think as a tropical island we should technically have good seafood. So we booked Marcy's like 2 weeks in advance online because it's not a big place and they have to mind the restrictions as well.

I like the French boudoir inspired decor indoors. Somewhat whimsical, intimate and comfortable. Upon walking in there's a cocktail bar that stretched out into the semi-open kitchen. You'll be glad to know that there's no food smell!

Diners can sit at the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail, or maybe just head over for drinks after dinner if its still early (since 10.30pm is the new Cinderella time).

On the other side we have tables and furniture, all quite well done. And because of the thick velvet curtains and trim, sounds from the restaurant's not bouncing off the wall. Which is one of my top pet peeve when dining in certain restaurants (you got to shout to be heard, almost).

Here's the food menu (we scanned the digital PDF version there too). I like how it is small enough to not overwhelm. Also note that it is best for you to come in groups of 3s because the menu is priced for items in threes such as the crab toast, red prawns and the scallop crudo (x6). However, the friendly waitress told me that they can definitely provide additional items (and just charge a unit price to it).

I've not tried their cocktails but it does look good, especially from the local Asian flavours like Kaffir lime and gula melaka fused into classics like the Pisco Sour and Martini.

On to the food! We had 7 items in total between the 3 of us (4 starters, 2 mains, 1 dessert). The first starter was the Crab toast (S$24). I suspect the bread's been slightly burnt - though it did not affect the taste, it looks pretty dark. The crab however was really decent and generous! It wasn't fishy or stale, and was nicely mixed into a pate for the crunchy bread to complement. 4/5

Then the Scallop crudo, daikon, lardon (S$25) next. Here the scallops were sliced thinly so you could appreciate its flavour on your tongue rather than to focus on chewing it. The sourish daikon slice gave it a crunch and the tang of it cuts through the sweet and soft scallop slice. Really enjoyable, light appetiser. 4/5

The star of the night must be the clams, calabrian chilli, harissa, sichuan oil (S$16) though. It doesn't look as pretty, but the flavours were so quintessential in Asia when it comes to using clams and mixing it with chilli and garlic. Every shell was meticulously seasoned so the tiny piece of meat created a mini explosion in our mouths, before the spicy (but not killer) oil hits you. I don't typically eat shellfish but this was excellent. 5/5

Then we actually added on the Red prawn aguachile, jalepeno, ginger flower (S$20) after our mains (before dessert) because we felt that there's still a bit of room. And prawns are typically not my thing (due to peeling of the shell) but here it is nicely butterflied and seasoned with jalepeno and ginger flower with super thin slices of cucumber over it like a tiny blanket. The prawn was fresh, bouncy and came alive with the smart seasoning. 4/5

In comparison the 2 mains we had seemed a little less refined. First up was the Bucatini, anchovies, calabrian chilli, bone sauce (S$26) which to me was interesting because the hollow tube-shaped pasta (cooked perfectly here) is typically used in ragu and the likes. The anchovy taste wasn't too overwhelming, and the bone sauce added a wholesome mouthfeel (but doesn't add to the taste). The chilli gave it a sharp kick occasionally. Overall interesting, but not mind-blowing. 3.5/5

The Rigatoni, red wine braised octopus and beef tendon (S$31) would be a better choice. Here the combination of the surf and turf worked well to bring out a strong, almost masculine flavour which is rich and deeply comforting. The octopus is chopped into small pieces to be had with the enlarged tube pasta. The only gripe is there's not enough. Haha. Just looking at the pic is enough to make me salivate! 4.5/5

We ended off with a sweet treat in form of a Pecan pie sundae with red miso caramel (S$14). There's actually a lot of pecan pie underneath the ice cream and the parts with the pecan actually made it less sweet. Otherwise it could become a bit of a sugar rush. Still, a unique way to end off the seafood dinner. 4/5

I'm so glad there are more innovative restaurants popping up despite the pandemic because we all need to pamper and enjoy ourselves once in a while and Marcy's is the perfect restaurant for conversations and delicious seafood. Be sure to go in threes if you can and share the dishes and laughs!

🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if nearby
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Marcy's
39-40 Duxton Road, Singapore 089503
Tuesdays to Sundays 6pm-10.30pm
Closed on Mondays
Reservations at Chope or call +65 90123747

food review

Spanish Lunch Review: Kulto at 87 Amoy St, Singapore 069906

March 03, 2021

I feel very blessed sometimes to have foodie friends who are willing to go try new places with me - or tell me about new restaurants opening, such as newly opened Spanish restaurant Kulto at Amoy St, right beside the hip and trendy burger restaurant Carne (which I heard is suffering from some issues). Helmed by experienced Spanish Chef Jose Alonso who believes in using the freshest ingredients and respecting the seasonality of the produce, the restaurant seems to hold a lot of promise! I went with 3 colleagues for their set lunch yesterday and we were all very pleased by the dining experience. I hope to be back to try their mains too, soon!

A straightforward layout - there's a small coffee/drinks bar at the entrance of the shophouse and walking in you will see the sort of open kitchen at the end, and tables spaced out quite nicely in between. It got filled quite quickly during the Tuesday lunch with reservations starting at noon.

Here is their ala carte menu, taken from their Facebook Page. I like how it's a small but classic selection of Spanish dishes that made me feel like I was back in Barcelona (one of my favourite cities in the world). The set lunch took some of the dishes here to make into a 3-course meal ($30 + $5 dessert/drink) which is really great, especially if you go with 3-5 other folks!

We tried 4 starters and am happy to say all of them were great. We did not try the grilled avocado with homemade pesto & "pipirrana" or the grilled prawns with garlic, chilli and homemade sambal (+S$10).

First, the roasted Australian cauliflower, tahini, hazelnuts & chilli. This was a light, deliciously savoury vegetable dish that got us in the mood for the rest of the items. Even though it was light, it was a clean and distinct taste to balance out the heavier dishes. 4/5

My favourite among the lot might be the Jamon iberico croquettes & crab croquettes though. It was soft and pillowy inside with just the right among of ham and crabmeat. Slightly salty, sweet from the potato and perfectly fried with a crispy batter exterior. 4.5/5

The Spanish omelette with aioli and romesco sauce was quite plain in comparison. If you like eggs, this is for you. But nothing fantastic here except it was well-executed and tastes very homely but with the best ingredients (not stuff you get from the fridge to fry up). 3/5

The croquettes fought with the Iberico chorizo, confit potato and soft egg for first place. This was simple but so good when the egg yolk's broken and the golden potatoes are mixed with it together with the salty chorizo sausage. The 2 pieces of bread with the egg also gave this dish a brunch-y feel. 4.5/5

YUM.

For mains we chose to get 2x Paella (min. 2 pax) - the Chicken & Seafood and Squid Ink. They also have a pure seafood version. We did not try their Charcoal chicken with Brussel sprouts or

beef cheeks with asparagus and apple puree (+S$5).

The squid ink paella (they kindly split it into 4 portions for us to try - so it should be double if its 2 of you sharing) was so delicious. Really tasty, with the seafood items giving that extra flavour hit on top of that distinct squid ink taste that coated the soft rice so well. 4/5

We also had the chicken + seafood paella. Even though it didn't have squid ink, it was still seafoody, and the bits of chicken and seafood together with the green long beans (I think) helped to create a symphony in our mouths. 4/5

For dessert we tried both on the lunch set menu (+$5, and comes with a coffee or tea), which is the Kulto cheese cake and Charcoal Pineapple with vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately I think this is where the menu's the weakest, in my opinion. The cheesecake was decent, like a no-bake one, and had a hint of lemon. But it didn't give off the same vibe as the savoury dishes. 3/5

Same with the charcoal pineapple. It was deliciously cooked to be a soft texture with the juices retained but felt a bit plain on its own. Even with the vanilla ice cream. 3/5

Regardless, Kulto is definitely going to one of the new restaurants in Singapore to watch this year, giving other Spanish restaurants like Binomio and Esquina a run for their money! If you are not a dessert person, skip that and go for their croquettes and paella.

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

Kulto
87 Amoy St, Singapore 069906
Lunch 11.30am-2.30pm, dinner 5-10.30pm
Closed on Sundays
Reservations here

Restaurant Review: Habibi-san at 55 Haji Lane, Singapore 189248

Food Vlog (in Chinese!): Rayben King of Seafood Soup at 39 Sin Ming Drive, Singapore 575713

Seafood restaurant review: Marcy's at 39-40 Duxton Rd, Singapore 089503

Spanish Lunch Review: Kulto at 87 Amoy St, Singapore 069906

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