On the day of our 10th monthsary. the boyfriend picked me up from my work place and made me guess where we were going. I only knew that we were heading to an Italian restaurant at Bukit Timah and didn’t bother to entertain him futher. Haha he was obviously having a good time teasing me on the way there. I was pleasantly surprised when we stepped into Restorante Da Valentino for its interior was very pretty and the place had a homely feel 🙂 Anyway, I’m now experimenting with a new theme layout so the photos are larger than usual!

As usual, we would pick a pasta and a pizza, but never a main course. Sometimes, I really think we are creatures of habit. Haha not that I’m complaining of course. Whenever we spot squid ink pasta on the menu, we would smile at each other cheekily 😛 It’s ok to expose your black lips to your partner but not to the other diners. I think it’s just embarrassing! Hahaha. Yeah and thus we had the Fettuccine al Granchio ($25.90). Instead of squid ink sauce, it was squid ink fettuccine tossed with crab meat in creamy tomato sauce for us! It is almost always linguine for me. Fettuccine is pretty interesting too because it reminds me of ban mian (handmade noodles) except that the one we had at Valentino’s was thinner and had a firmer, chewier bite. The crab meat was unbelievably moist and smooth! As for the sauce, you have the best of both worlds if you want something in between 🙂

I really love this shot taken by the waiter as soon as our pizza was served. We look very normal right? Actually we couldn’t wait to nom our pizza! 😛

What can I say? Our Frutti di Mare ($21.80) smelled really mouth watering (we kinda noticed that when we were posing for the above photo)! Plus, the prawns were just so huge! Didn’t think much of the clams but we loved the scallops as well. Scallops were juicy and slimey (in a good and not gross way mind you). On a sad note, I felt that the pizza was a little wettish and the base was too soft. I prefer the pizza at Al Forno’s!

As the restaurant was about to be closed for the next sitting, we went over to Perla’s Pastry Boutique which is situated just next door. Apart from its own shop, the pastries are also available at Valentino’s. The little shop sells colorful candies and some of the restaurant’s memorabilia, on top of desserts and cakes.

All the cakes, tarts and other sweet treats looked so pretty, we had such a tough time deciding! Yeah and then I saw the Hazelnut Panna Cotta ($8)! There was a pistachio one but we wanted to be safe 😛 The lovely dessert was taken out of its cup and served to us on a plate, sprinkled with nuts. As we pulled the plate closer to us, the panna cotta wobbled in the most enticing way and we caught a whiff of the fragrant hazelnut. Panna cotta was melt-in-the-mouth silky smooth and the hazelnut was of the right sweetness. Very nice! I would want to try the pistachio one and also the cakes and tarts next time! 🙂

As we were not entitled to a 5% discount for dining in, the waiter (Hussain, who was also of our age) looked apologetic and was kind enough to let us sample these mini cream puffs 🙂

The shop was really small and there were no other patrons who dined in. Hussain was more than happy and really enthusiastic in helping us take photos with our dslr and polaroid. He played a part in making our 10th monthsary celebration so memorable and we are really thankful for that 🙂

Ristorante da Valentino, Perla’s Pastry Boutique and Valentino Private Dining will be closed from now to 23rd June 2011.

Ristorante Da Valentino
11 Jalan Bingka, Mayfair Park
Singapore 588908
Tel: 6462 0555

Opening Hours
Tue to Sun
12pm – 3pm
6pm – 10.30pm

My sweetheart and I make it a point to celebrate our monthsary at the end of each month (You can expect such posts scheduled around this time :P) After a casual lunch at Popeyes, followed by watching Norwegian Wood at my favorite movie theatre, we went round the National Museum of Singapore to take some photos. Very good way to kill time before our dinner reservation at 6.30pm! Plus it doesn’t cost us a single cent. We had so much fun, we almost lost track of time. Some of our friends thought that we had some kinda pre-wedding shoot but honestly, we would want to leave that to the professionals! 😉

I hardly venture to the east because it is awfully painful to travel there from the other end of Singapore. Travelling from town was a breeze though. We took bus 14 from Dhoby Ghaut and reached East Coast Road in about 20 minutes flat. I have been wanting to visit Al Forno for the longest time 🙂

Spot the wood-fire oven? Al Forno is an Italian restaurant that serves homemade authentic pizzas, pastas and main courses. Anyway this is a good place to take your date to (especially if it’s a first date) given its casual and relaxed atmosphere. You don’t have to worry about complex dining etiquette and stuff. Just be yourself! 🙂 However, the noise level can get a bit high.. Haha.

Can you tell how much we love taking photos? Before eating also must take photo 😛 Photos are memories and such memories are priceless. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a dslr or a camera phone, these photos will give you memories that last forever.

At Al Forno, food is love and true enough, the Pizza Costiera ($22) was prepared with lots of love. For a start, the fresh ingredients that go into making the tomato base are imported from Italy. If you are a fan of seafood, you will be delighted to know that the squid and prawns were incredibly succulent and crunchy! Moving on, the lightly charred pizza crust was airy and chewy, with a dry powdery texture. I suppose this can only be achieved with a wood-fire oven. It was not only love at first bite, but every single bite, with this fantastically doughy and fluffy wood-fired seafood pizza 😀

It was a relief that we ordered a cream-based pasta if not we would be over tomato-fied! The Spaghetti Carbonara ($22) smelled so tantalizing that we hurriedly picked up our forks and savoured the spaghetti. This is definitely one hell of a pasta! Spaghetti was al dente and absorbed the flavors of the sauce. The carbonara sauce was creamy enough yet not thick, such that the spaghetti can be easily twirled around with a fork, and with a layer of gloss on the surface, it glided past our lips. This is very good for sharing! 🙂

And I think we almost had a Lady and the Tramp moment! Hahaha! 😛
Ok joke aside, the Spaghetti Carbonara was a real treat, with the right amount of black pepper. It was as though we went to food heaven.

Even though we were kinda stuffed, we went ahead with dessert. Come all the way to the east already must also eat dessert then can go home with no regrets (nothing to do with SG Elections) right! Right but so wrong. We regretted. Deciding between this and the tartufo. Thought that the Tiramisu ($9) would be a safer choice. First few bites were not bad, really. But as we dug our way through the middle, bitterness took over. Not forgetting it was a little soggy too.

Surely, the dessert disaster is not going to deter us from revisiting Al Forno. The pizza and pasta were memorably delightful. We will be back for sure. As for now, we are looking out for another nice place to go to at the end of next month! 😛

Al Forno (East Coast)
400 East Coast Road
Singapore 428996
Tel: +65 6348 8781

Opening Hours:
Daily
12pm – 2pm (Lunch)
6.30pm – 10.30pm (Dinner)

Dots & Checks – Opposites attract. We are two individuals who think on a very similar level; sometimes we can even complete what the other party wants to say (I call it telepathy) but our personalities are the total opposite of each other. He’s calm and cool-headed while I’m rash and hot-tempered. He plays it safe while I enjoy taking risks at times. He is always quick to apologize to salvage the situation but getting me to say sorry is definitely not a case of taking candy from a baby. He expresses his love for me with words and actions while I put him before myself whenever I make decisions be it big or small. It is such differences that complement us as a couple and bring us together. There is just so much for us to learn from each other. We have been discovering new things about each other everyday, for the past 8 months. 🙂 Yup Chewy Charles and I celebrated our 8th monthsary last Saturday! 😀

The sweet boyfriend knew that I wanted to check out DB Bistro Moderne at Marina Bay Sands so he planned a surprise by calling a cab from wherever he was and picked me up along the way, refusing to reveal the location where we were headed to. Haha he actually seemed more excited than me! I truly appreciate the effort behind it 🙂

I really love the modern interior of DB. It was casual yet classy, but definitely not intimidating. The only gripe was that the tables were spaced a bit too closely. Honestly, we could do with a little more privacy.

As usual, we had our dose of cam-whoring after placing our orders and while waiting for our food to arrive. I really like this shot 🙂

We bring Sally & John with us wherever we go! Sally is very lucky, she has been to Japan. John is equally lucky too for he has been to Krabi and Australia. Hehe.. The two of them went on a trip to Malacca together last year! 😛

I think the waiters saw us cam-whoring and promptly served us this bread basket. Ok I’m just kidding 😛

The happy boyfriend with his brunch. He knew what he wanted within a couple of minutes scanning the menu.

The happy boyfriend was really happy with his Poached Eggs Benedict ($19). He even claimed that he would give it 5 out 5 stars! Nothing excites him more than bacon, baby spinach and two beautifully poached eggs stacked on top of english muffins. We were guessing if the bacon was actually ham in disguise. The hollandaise sauce was wonderfully rich and creamy. On the overall, it wasn’t too heavy. The eggs benedict was served with potato cubes. Perfect for any potato-loving person! 🙂

Because almost half the brunch menu consists of beef (sadly, I don’t take beef anymore), I took quite a fair bit of time to decide on my order. If you look closely, are you amused by the presentation of my food? It looked as though everything was dumped into a huge black pot, waiting to be cooked! 😀

There were tons of mussels, clams and prawns in my Casserole Provencale ($32). Thinly sliced carrots and fennel were thrown in as well. The seafood casserole was cooked in saffron broth. It didn’t look appetizing but the seafood tasted quite good! The mussels especially!

I knew we had to try the Profitteroles Au Café ($15) after reading some reviews. We gaped in awe as the waiter gave us a short performance of pouring hot chocolate sauce on the profiteroles at our table. The hot chocolate sauce was luxuriously rich and complemented the coffee rocky road ice cream really well! Even Chewy Charles who does not like coffee devoured this without any complaints 🙂

Although the boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed his eggs benedict and we both thought that the profitteroles were pretty awesome, I believe that the dinner menu holds much more promise.

With us around, the cam-whoring doesn’t stop! 😛 These photos are taken right outside MBS.

8 months is not a long time, but it’s long enough for me to know that you are the one I want to spend my life with 🙂

DB Bistro Moderne
10 Bayfront Ave,
#B1-48 Marina Bay Sands
Tel: +65 6688 8525

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun
11am – 2.30pm (Lunch)
5.30pm – 10.30pm (Dinner)

Like innocent kids who stumbled upon candy hidden in a jar, we couldn’t stop smiling at each other. 10 months ago, we were seated at this very same spot. Ootoya at Orchard Central sure brings back many fond memories because this is the place where we hung out together on our very first date 🙂

Because our previous dining experience was good, we decided to revisit Ootoya not only to relieve those memories, but to satisfy our pork cutlet craving! Anyway, we were supposed to grind these sesame seeds and mix some special sauce in. Haha why do we have to pay for service charge for doing such things on our own? 😛

The sesame seeds were really fragrant after all that grinding. Together with the special sauce, it was a really good sauce dip to go with Ootoya’s Charcoal Grilled Pork Set ($12.50 a la carte, $17.50 set). With a faint hint of charcoal smokiness, every piece of grilled pork was tender. Besides the special sauce with sesame dip, there were other dips available. Just try everything!

We had a craving for this. Big big craving. Every bite of the Breaded Pork Loin Cutlet ($11 a la carte, $16 set) was crispy and crusty, oozing tender juiciness! Again, you should try it with the different sauce dips.

I had initially wanted to order the same as Chewy Charles but the Breaded Pork Loin Simmered with Egg ($11 a la carte, $16 set) looked even more tempting on the menu! Freshly fried pork cutlet simmered with special sauce and egg with sweet onion was pure comfort food. Loved how wobbly the egg was done! The pork cutlet was not as crispy as the normal breaded one but well, at least the sauce was great.

We will definitely head to Ootoya again the next time the pork cutlet craving hits us! 😛 No doubts about it! Where’s your favorite place for pork cutlet? 🙂

Ootoya
181 Orchard Road
#08-12 Orchard Central
Tel: +65 6884 8901

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun
12pm – 9.30pm

The boyfriend and I were looking forward to celebrating yet another monthsary and this time, since we were crossing a slightly bigger milestone, he suggested that we go to Pamplemousse (pronouced as Pom-ple-moose) at Dempsey for its 3 course Prix Fixe Dinner Menu ($58+++). Our moods were negatively affected due to the heavy downpour but everything went in the opposite direction the moment we stepped in. The interior of Pamplemousse is really gorgeous and intimate. Perfect ambience for a perfect date 😉

We selected our appetizers to kick things off for the night. Chewy Charles had the Citrus Marinated Salmon which was a pretty interesting choice. The thick slice of salmon was firm and the citrus seasoning helped mask the fishiness, if there were any strong hints to begin with. I would say that this is a good choice for an appetizer because it is light-tasting. On the other hand, the accompanying Pamplemousse confit, which is essentially grapefruit, was intensely sour.

There were two types of foie gras and I went for the thick slab of Pan Seared Foie Gras (+$10 supplement) which was splendid enough to make me look forward to the main course and dessert. The melt-in-the-mouth foie gras was simply unforgettable and it tasted awesome with the macadamia nut crust sprinkled on top and biscuity brioche. Try it with the blob of black garlic gastrique for added taste.

As the waiter was pouring lemongrass & saffron broth onto Chewy Charles’ Butter Poached Barramundi, he mentioned that the broth might taste a little like tom yam. The boyfriend found the fish delicate and tender. Plus he also liked the nasu eggplant and hiratake mushrooms. However, please note that the portion might be quite measly for someone with a hearty appetite.

I somehow knew that I had made the right choice when the waitress who took our order further confirmed that the Duck Confit is one of Pamplemousse’s bestsellers. The duck leg is unarguably better than the one I had at La Petite Cuisine. Well-browned and crispy duck skin with a wobbly layer of fat underneath just spells sinful but oh-so-wonderful. Loved the pomme sarladaise, which are potatoes cooked in duck fat.

If you think that you are about to go back to basics with Pamplemousse’s “Toast & Milo”, you couldn’t be more wrong. Icy cold caramelized banana slices on crusty brioche certainly reminded me of banana and nutella spread on toast! Milo ice cream sitting on nutella soil is kinda like milo dinosaur, don’t you think so? Really brilliant!

One bite of the Crème Brulee got me thinking about egg tarts. Decent but not exactly very potent stuff. In any case, I just love desserts 😛

It’s nice to be pampered once in a while 😉 Pamplemousse does not operate on Mondays but this is an exceptional case. If you are thinking of where to take your date to on Valentine’s Day, you might wanna consider Pamplemousse! A menu inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet will be available at $118++ per person only on Valentine’s Day itself.

Pamplemousse Bistro + Bar
Blk 7 Dempsey Road,
#01-04
Tel: 6475 0080

Opening Hours:
Tue to Fri
12pm – 2.30pm (Lunch)
6.30pm – 10.30pm (Dinner)
Sat to Sun
11.30am – 2.30pm
6.30pm – 10.30pm
(Closed on Mon)

No experience whatsoever with French cuisine, we decided to go to somewhere that isn’t too intimidating. Got to know about La Petite Cuisine since I used to pass by Serene Centre quite often. A small and modest French restaurant that places its tables at unbelievably awkward corners, I suppose some people would close an eye because there’s no GST and service charge here 😛

Looking through the menu, Escargots on Croissant ($13) seemed like a good choice for our starter. It might sound a little gross but the snails did taste a little raw even though it was marinated with herbs and garlic. Kinda felt as though we were eating snails straight out of their shells. Loved the croissant idea though!

We are not sure how French this is but the Dory with Rice ($12) was quite decent. The fish was pan-fried till its crisp at the sides. Butter rice was very fragrant.

Since it was my first time eating a Confit de Canard ($16.50), I honestly don’t know what to expect. Haha. Ok anyway I found the skin of the duck confit slightly crisp on the outside and it was remarkably tender on the inside. As for the duck meat, some parts were a little too dry. Apart from that, it was fine.

Definitely not an intimidating experience for us. La Petite Cuisine is the place to go to for reasonably priced French cuisine!

La Petite Cuisine
10 Jalan Serene
#01-05 Serene Centre
Tel: 6314 3173

Opening Hours:
Tue to Sun
11.30am – 2.30pm (Lunch)
5.30pm – 9.30pm (Dinner)
(Closed on Mon)

Recently, it was a case of double happiness for Chewy Charles and I. Even better than striking 4D. Haha! We were so ecstatic, we just wanted to spend money so that we can eat and eat and eat! Sad also eat, happy also eat. Hungry also eat, not hungry also eat. Haha just kidding! 😛

As we have not had Japanese food in ages, the boyfriend suggested that we go to Chiharu! In Mandarin, it is called 千春 and over here, it actually means “Taste of A Thousand Springs”. I got very excited when he told me that we would be going there for the Weekend Chef Treat Omakase ($48++). It sure sounded like there was gonna be alot of food involved! *Drools*

Oh boy I can’t believe I made such a smart guess. The Weekend Chef Treat Omakase is an ala carte buffet on weekends and public holidays during lunch time. Choose from an amazing variety of 7 cold dishes, 8 grilled dishes, 8 deep fried dishes, 8 warm dishes, 6 main dishes, 3 salad dishes and remember to ask for your dessert of the day! On top of that, you are entitled to one serving of Sashimi. The Ama Ebi, Salmon and Hamachi (Yellowtail) proved to be a good start for our feasting session ahead!

Apart from the sashimi, you also get one serving of the Sushi. One by one, we popped the pieces of half-cooked tuna, salmon and yellowtail sushi into our mouths. Only one serving each, remember that.

Cold Dish

We started off with 4 cold dishes which included the Hiyashi Tomato. Although a little sour, the chilled tomato was also refreshingly sweet.

Cold Dish

Sesame dressing is commonly used in Japan when preparing vegetables. The toasted sesame seeds give the dish an extra flavor. The consistency of the sesame paste in the Horenso Goma-Ae (Poached Spinach with Sesame Dressing) had a rich and creamy texture. It complemented well with the spinach.

Cold Dish

The Wakame Kyuri-Su (Vinegared Seaweed & Cucumber) had a very strong acidic taste and it took us quite a while to get used to it. Each time we nibbled a bit of the seaweed or cucumber, our faces would cringe. Apart from that, we really liked the texture of the wakame seaweed.

Cold Dish

Thin slices of juicy and tender duck breast meat drizzled in homemade sauce, the Kamo Roast Yaki left us wanting more. If you think that you can get the same thing from buying duck rice, you are so wrong. The roasted duck meat was really fragrant.

Grilled Dish

This is actually my second or third time eating Shishamo. I felt a little squeamish when I first ate it about a year ago after my friend told me that this saltwater fish is grilled whole and it’s full of tiny little eggs. In other words, I am eating a pregnant fish. The grilled smelt was dry and crisp, containing many delicate egg sacs within.

Grilled Dish

The Tori Tsukune was really mouthwatering and I happily helped myself to two of the three grilled chicken meat balls. The balls of minced chicken paste were wonderfully grilled; so juicy that they were oozing flavor. I really wish that I could have some of that right now.

Grilled Dish

A humble piece of fishcake that would not normally warrant a second look for some, Chiharu does a modest Satsuma-Age Yaki . It would probably go well with some rice or soba.

Grilled Dish

Grilled and sprinkled with a bit of salt, the Shitake Kushiyaki was tender and juicy. Very flavorful but we would have preferred it to be grilled a little longer for it lacked a bit of that firmness.

Grilled Dish

I have to say that the Tebazaki Shio Yaki was extremely well-executed! The chicken wing was grilled to perfection, with its skin glistening with a bit of oil on the surface. The strips of smooth, tender chicken meat came off easily. We really appreciate that the chefs went easy on the salt, same goes for the grilled mushroom.

Deep Fried Dish

Moving on to the deep fried dishes, how could anyone miss out on the Tenpura Moriawase ? Prawns were succulent and we could taste how sweet they were underneath that light and crunchy batter. Same goes for the vegetables; the carrot strips and renkon (lotus root) were deliciously juicy.

Deep Fried Dish

Well-seasoned and marinated, the Ika Tatsuta Age had a slightly sharp and tangy taste. Although it was deep fried, we were still able to ascertain the squishy texture of the squid.

Deep Fried Dish

The Chiharu Cream Korrokke was another delightful yummy little thing. Drizzled in sweet sauce, the croquette was piping hot and mashy while its outer layer was crusty. I can guarantee you that one is never enough.

Deep Fried Dish

This is my first time eating Japanese deep fried spring rolls but honestly, I cannot really tell the difference between a Chinese one. Bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms were used for the Harumaki filling.

Warm Dish

Pork meat pan fried with ginger sauce, the Buta Shogayaki was another well-executed warm dish. The thin slices of pork were bursting with flavor. Nice to smell and nice to eat.

Warm Dish

My all-time favorite, Chawanmushi! Chiharu’s rendition of the steamed egg custard was smooth but a little on the wobbly side, such that it disintegrated fairly easily when I tried to savor it in my mouth.

Warm Dish

Not something I would usually order but since it was a buffet… Nikujaga translates to ‘chicken and potato’. We liked this very simple dish of simmered chicken with potato, carrot and onion. Everything was soft to the bite.

Warm Dish

The sauteed chicken had been pan-fried carefully such that its skin was not only intact but it was also not overly dry and hard. It’s gonna sound childish but I think we were close to fighting over the last few pieces of Tori Teriyaki.

Main Dish

I often find that soba is easily overcooked or undercooked. Chiharu’s Zaru Soba was just awesome. The soba was cooked al dente, resulting in a firm and chewy texture. Chewy Charles shared with me his secret (ok maybe not) of mixing some wasabi into the dipping sauce. I love it!

Main Dish

Sad to say, I have tried really marvelous udon during my previous trip to Hokkaido but I cannot seem to get that anywhere here! However, I’m not trying to discredit Chiharu’s Zara Udon. Springy with that extra bounce, we slurped up the noodles with ease. All of it.

Main Dish

It was our first time eating chazuke. There was one with apricot and another with seaweed, we chose the latter. Chazuke is a simple Japanese dish made by pouring green tea, dashi, or hot water over cooked rice, usually with savory toppings. I believe that the Nori Chazuke was prepared with dashi for it tasted like a very light version of miso soup. Very yummy!

Main Dish

My impression of Japanese curry is that it is not spicy but the Yasai Curry Rice was not only very strong in flavor but rather spicy too. The diced potatoes and carrots were cooked till they were soft. Curry gravy was thick but quite salty.

Dessert

Our last order at 2pm was the dessert of the day! The Rum & Raisin Ice Cream was really awesome. We both agreed that the taste of rum was undeniably strong and sweet. Chewy Charles doesn’t eat raisins so I had to dig them out and eat them.

Dessert

While I ate most of the rum & raisin, he had most of the Red Bean Ice Cream. As long as it is sweet, anything goes for me. Hehe. We left Chiharu at 2.30pm sharp; our stomachs full and our wallets empty. If we could, we would definitely have eaten more. Chiharu is highly recommended to those who want to try a great variety of Japanese dishes. Just remember that the Weekend Chef Treat Omakase is available on weekends and public holidays, during lunch time!

Chiharu Japanese Restaurant
779 Bukit Timah Road
Tel: 6769 1929

Opening Hours:
Tues to Sun
12pm – 2.30pm
6.30pm – 10.30pm
(Closed on Mondays)