Paying it forward at Menya Musahi Tampines Mall

We eat at the neighborhood mall quite often.. It's a convenient place to quickly grab a bite after a long day at work.

Neighbourhood malls are known for their standard template of franchised food and retail outlets. We had dinner at menya musahi ramen outlet last night, a relatively new brand which recently opened in numerous malls.

Ramen was mediocre for the price. At 16 bucks I had a portion of weak ramen broth with a measly portion of noodles. Topped up 3 bucks for some battered sting ray which was spiked with small bones. This is definitely my first and last visit. 

What made up for it was a heartwarming sight as I was settling the bill at the counter. Snuggled up at one of the tables, I spotted my neighbourhood provision shop uncle having dinner with his wife and 2 grown kids. They looked weary but happy. Indeed, a family that eats together stays together. Wanted to do something special for them so hubby and I made an impulse decision to secretly foot their bill. 

Best decision of the day. 

Steak Alert at La Barca at Goodman Art Centre

If u are looking for a super private place to enjoy a yummy steak dinner, this is it!

Even on the eve of a public holiday, the restaurant was 30% filled, which is excellent for recluses like me. Ambience is dapper with airy white interiors studded with dark wood undertones, shiny cutlery, funky water glasses and freshly pressed napkins. 

To start the evening, we were served with a warm bread basket filled with interesting creations. My favorite is an glazed orangy tau sar piah looking one (sorry u can't see it.. It's hidden behind) which goes really well with lashings of butter. 

Steak (1.2kg) is juicy and comes medium rare from the onset. Served with a flourish after being meticulously sliced by the chef himself. The potato wedges tucked at the side of the dish are good! We also ordered spinach and mashed potato, which, on hindsight were totally redundant. 

Steak was tender and juicy, charred in all the right areas. We were also given a hot stone to sizzle the beef if additional "doneness" was desired. 

As I'm not a meat fanatic we also ordered other dishes to share, comprising 3 other starters (pumpkin asparagus salad, baked eggplant, lobster bisque) and 2 mains (squid ink risotto and beef lasagne). 

All the dishes were well executed and more-ish in portion. After awhile, the risotto started to resemble and taste like  buah keluak rice. My Peranakan alter ego must have been hallucinating. 

Desserts look interesting. A good friend ordered orange creme brûlée for dessert. She really likes the version here and gave two thumbs up. I wanted to steal a bite but was really too stuffed. Maybe next time. 

Some expat kids were playing with the soccer machine outside the restaurant. As we were making our exit, we spotted the cutest little 10 week old pug in town with a baffling name- "Darth Vadar". 

This is not some random cze char place to bring Tom dick or Harry. Prices are toppish but quality is guaranteed. Strictly reserved for special occasions with special people.  ;) 

Basil @ Kallang Wave

I wanted to name this post "the day Mee Siam Mai hum" coz this dining experience involves a chance encounter with our PM who happened to be walking past (with his entourage). But since food takes centre stage in this blog, let's move on to the yummy stuff instead.

First and and foremost, if u are reading this post and haven't yet made a trip to the retail wing of Singapore sports hub (love the name- "Kallang Wave"), get your butt cracking and do so now while it is still relatively uncrowded. Once word gets out, there's no way you can enjoy the beautiful and pristine surroundings in peace, much less take a contemplative evening walk along the glistening promenade.  

Local fare features prominently here with a slew hawker style offerings ranging from porridge (Aone) to bryani ( Bryani house), bak kut teh and kopi/kata toast (Old Town coffee). 

Fresh from collecting our World Cup winnings from Singapore pools, hubby and I decided to give ourselves a treat and settled on a chic looking Thai restaurant for dinner (Basil by Thai express). 

It was their first day of opening and there was a nervous anticipation in the air. Thankfully the staff pulled it together and made this one hawt dining experience I will not forget. 

The stage was set with this harmless looking Thai beef salad that contained more beef than leaves. Not a bad thing and v tasty too- except that the beef was waaay too spicy for our threshold. Our eyes watered, we croaked for more ice water and our tongues were so stung with spice that we couldn't really savor the subsequent dishes. Which was quite a pity. 

Drinks: I had a delicious lime Mojito (80% ice and 20% water.. Help! I need more water) while hubby had yummy Thai ice tea.

Since the restaurant is called basil, the interior was appropriately decorated with.. basil (naturally)

This is their logo.. I think it's quite well done.

When the other appetizers starting making an appearance, we prayed for some respite. Unfortunately this rice cracker dish with prawn and lemon grass proved similarly spicy. Thank God for the chilled vegetable sticks (wing bean, carrot, long beans, cucumber and cabbage) which provided momentary relief. 

Chicken wings were nice and crispy but nothing more. Or perhaps it was because we had partially lost our sense of taste by then. 

Green curry chicken for 2. For once this wasn't too spicy. The gravy is watery but palatable nonetheless. Order rotis for dipping. Kids will love it.

Pineapple rice was scrumptious. In fact, one of the best versions I've tried so far. Piping hot and perfectly speckled with bits of pineapple, cashews, prawn and raisins. Heaven. 

There's so much to see and do after dinner. We did a spot of grocery shopping at fair price/ guardian and gawked at rock climbers dangling precariously on walls housed within the mall's premises. Before leaving, we took a quick walk along the stunning promenade ("paktor" alert!) and snapped some shots of the main sports stadium.

Isn't the view beautiful?

For a comprehensive listing of shops pls click the link below: 

http://www.sportshub.com.sg/kallangwave

Overall a great place for all ages to hang out. Getting there with public transport may be quite troublesome though.