Level 33 @ mbfc tower 1

It was administrative professional's week so I thought it was an opportune time to bring our department secretary out for a well deserved lunch. Watching her step out of office beaming in her best stilettos was enough reason to make my day. 

The swanky interiors of asia's highest brewery did not disappoint. We were ushered briskly to a table with a lovely window view of singapore's marina bay promenade with a birds eye view of marina bay sands. At only $33++ it's no wonder that this restaurant gets booked up v quickly especially for lunch. 

And indeed this has got to be one of the best value set lunches in Singapore. We started off experimenting with the extensive and innovative salad bar, which featured lovelies like hummus salad with rocket leaves and a delightful Tuna pasta. There was also smoked salmon, jammon ham, a variety of cheeses/breads and sweet chilled prawns. The restaurant seems to spare little expense on investing in quality produce. I indulged myself so much that i almost forgot to save space for the main course. Which would have been almost a crime. 

Given the location of the restaurant, it is not uncommon to see well heeled executives tottering into the restaurant with their fake accents and branded bags. Their porcelain faces soon break into genuine smiles as the main courses appear. Fish and chips are the order of the day. Any extra calories can be burned off at the gym after work. 

I love the fish and chips here. Portion is generous, the batter is sufficiently thick yet crispy and the fish is fresh. Nothing much has changed about this dish since i first tried it many years back. It is just consistently good and perfectly executed. And yes, it still comes with a trademark bright green smudge of mashed peas and semi soggy potato wedges. 

Dessert is simple and no frills but delightful nonetheless. Help yourself to a small tray of cupcakes, eclaires, tiramisu or carrot cake placed non descriptly beside the salads. Tea is chargeable but would be a fitting end to the meal if u are planning to overstay and enjoy the view just a little longer. 

I should come back more often but i keep forgetting. 

Rainbow cake

Got this light bulb moment when I was browsing through an 8 days eat article on 20 yummiest desserts in Singapore. Everything looked so yummy and I hadn't even tried one of them! Shows how much I've been missing out on the dessert scene in Singapore. 

Henceforth begins my (mis)adventure to try each and every one of these desserts mentioned in the article. And I hope to do so with 20 different friends so I have 20 different stories to tell.

(1) adventure one: rainbow cake at nom paterisserie

Rainbow connection?

Notes: a dreary working Monday made less dreary by thought of a generous slice of salted caramel rainbow cake. 

Company: 2 ex schoolmates whom I have been trying to matchmake for the longest time

Verdict: a little awkward but definitely a match. Besides ordering 2 slices of rainbow cake (1 with choc cream and the other with salted caramel) we also ordered a bevy of other dishes like chicken skin, smoked duck pizza and fish n chips. My vote goes to the beer battered fish n chips- super yummy and in generous portions too. Not too oily, yet retaining its crispiness after 1 hour.  Rainbow cake (6.90 a piece) was definitely a cut above the other versions I've tried, boasting a rich buttery crumb. Definitely a crowd pleaser. Almost every table ordered a slice. I personally preferred the chocolate to the salted caramel but my dining companions begged to differ. 

Adventure quotient: 7. It's in a nondescript community club in the middle of rows of hdb flats. Not v accessible. We had to take a train to Mac pherson, hail a bus from there and walk a little. Restaurant comes across a little sparse and the background music can get a little stifling at times especially if u sit near the speakers. Check out the retro dragon playground slide (for kids under 3 only)

Hoshino coffee @ plaza singapura

Always wanted to try Hoshino, having read superb reviews on their pancake toasts.

Having been forewarned of bad service, I thought I was mentally prepared but this was really worse than expected. 

There was only 1 waiter serving our whole section of 10 tables. He was a sour faced bespectacled old man immaculately decked in smart western waiter outfit.  While his English was impeccable, he was also prone to impatient outbursts especially when we clarified on credit card promotions and took too long to make our order. Water took ages to refill and we had to help ourselves in the end. 

What really irked me was how attentive the other staff suddenly became from the time our food arrived right up till the time we settled the bill. They were probably eager to close and couldn't wait to shoo us out. All our food arrived in a quick succession even though I had ordered a starter (soup), main (pasta) and dessert. It was a miserable sight watching my ice cream melt and my pancake toast turn soggy as I tried to quickly gulp down my soup and pasta. 

To add salt to the wound, multiple persons kept checking our order chit, repeatedly informing us that our orders had arrived.

For the record, the hoshino pasta (with bacon, soft boiled egg and shimejj mushroom) was nice but nothing to rave about. Miam miam serves an identical version, if not better.

Dessert was a hit and miss. The chocolate banana pancake toast (with vanilla softee) turned out to be disappointing with a strange bitterness within the batter. 

Faring better was the French toast whose  pillowy soft bread was well complemented by a dollop of whipped cream and lashings of maple syrup.

Don't recommend visiting this place unless u are into Japanese food photography and maybe, coffee.