Open Door Policy @ Yong Siak

Wow. Can't believe its been such a long time since I posted. Feels like a lifetime has passed. 

Catch up time!!

Going forward I'll have to write more succintly since time is short.

Here's my first post of 2012- open door policy at yong siak street tiong bahru.

Foodwise- overrated. Restaurant Ember still wins in terms of taste though I like the dingy quirkiness of Open Door Policy. (chairs are semi rusty and a light actually fell on an unfortunate diner seated behind us halfway into the meal)

First starter- Halloumi cheese with olives, sweet pea leaves and croutons. Best eaten piping hot since the cheese starts to taste like those primary school rubbers once they turn cold. I enjoyed this dish but it didn't make me go "Hallelujah"

Second starter- Chicken wing (boneless) with some exotic egg yolk like concoction which actually turned out to be twisties curry flavoured sauce. The portion was really measly for the price and the fried chicken was mediocre.

Third starter- Watermelon with scallop and some shredded ham. Judging from the way my kakis were "playing with the food" and the time we took to finish this dish, I can safely say it was our least favourite starter. Sorry no pictures!

First Main course- Mussels in basil sauce with fries. I finished this within 5 mins and still felt hungry (and cheated). The portion was really pathetic. For a moment, I wish I was teleported to Brussel Sprouts, which serve solid mussels and free flow fries.

Second main course- Since I was still hungry and saw lots of people ordering the mushroom risotto, I decided to give it a go. It was really salty but this time the portion was very generous. The risotto was a little too hard for my liking.

Third main course- Pan seared sea bass. Nice and hearty. I enjoyed the crisp crust. It was well executed but not particularly memorable either. A safe choice.

Fourth main course- 48 hour braised beef cheek with potato mochi. The meat was fall off the bone tender and this has definitely got to be one of the signature dishes of the restaurant (the other being steak tatare which we were too chicken to try)

First dessert- Pistachio scented chocolate souffle. Very impressive presentation and a very generous helping. The insides were light and airy which is telling of a well risen souffle. Tastewise I'll defer to comment since I'm not a fan of pistachio.

Second dessert- Deconstructed black forest cake. Looks like a mess but tastes pretty good. They were strangely generous with the boozy cherries (counted at least 15 of them!) Is it just my imagination or is black forest cake making some sort of resurgence in Singapore?

Third dessert- Pineapple tartin with yoghurt ice cream. Since there was no apple tartin in the menu, I opted for this, only to be highly disappointed at the one dimensional flavor.

Coffee. Purportedly brewed by the folks from Forty Hands. I don't take coffee but my kakis do. One ordered a flat white while the other ordered a macchiato. Both weren't impressed and had some trouble sleeping that night.

It's hard to secure a reservation at ODP because of all the hype surrounding it. At the end of the day, the food is decent and the crowd is hip. But that's about it. Don't expect to be blown away unless you are the dreamy bohemian type

Moscato Madness

Although I'm no liquor expert, one thing's for sure- I love moscato. Its sweet, light and fizzy all at once. Best of it, it doesn't carry the heavy price tag of champagne. On days when life has been far from kind, a well chilled glass of moscato over dinner (followed by a good night's sleep) never fails to perk me up.

Recently, I had the good fortune of dining in a restaurant (Ristorante De Parma) which serves a delicious pink Australian moscato from The Innocent Bystander.

A 375ml crown sealed bottle costs SGD18+++, which is decent value. This is by far one of the better versions of moscato I have sampled so far, boasting just the right amount of sweetness, fizz and fruitiness (summer fruits, rose petals and turkish delight).

Unfortunately, I have yet to locate an accessible wineshop which stocks this label. In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to settle for the Brown Brothers version.

Another pink moscato which I am looking forward to trying is Princess Moscato by Peter Lehmann Wines. Selected Denise Wine Shops carry this label and I hope to pick up a bottle in the coming week.

My Favorite Drinks

Moscato (Brown Brothers)...retails at major supermarkets at abt 25 bucks a bottle

This current release is a light straw colour with some youthful green tinges showing. The nose is lifted with aromas of freshly crushed grapes, musk and melon characters. In the mouth the wine is vibrant and mouth filling with a sherbet like flavour. A wine of universal appeal the retained carbon dioxide gives a frizzante effect – the result a lively and fresh wine in the mouth. Serve well chilled.

Asti (Martini)...Retails at major supermarkets at around 30 bucks a bottle.

Medium sweet Italian sparkling wine from the Asti region of Southern Piedmont. A close second to champagne at a fraction of the cost. Fruity crisp taste. Goes particularly well with orange juice and strawberries. Serve well chilled.