CHOMP ON A BURGER, DOWN A COCKTAIL
If you're curious what a sushi chef comes up with when tasked with creating burgers to pair with cocktails, pop by Nektar in Scotts Road today.
It's a jam session involving the cocktail bar, gourmet food truck The Travelling C.O.W. and chef Kenjiro "Hatch" Hashida from Hashida Sushi restaurant.
The chef has come up with original flavours such as the Sakura-Masu Burger, which has a deep-fried fillet of cherry trout between the bread. And his Wagyu Nikujaya Burger is a twist on the Japanese wagyu beef stew croquette.
The Travelling C.O.W., meanwhile, contributes its Wagyu "Hamburg" Burger and Japanese Curry "Kare" Ramen Burger. Prices range from $14 to $24 each.
Each is matched with a cocktail, such as Japanese Whisky Sour for the Nikujaya Burger or a citrusy Sazuki for the Ramen Burger.
The pop-up burger-cocktail event is on for three weekends, including this one.
Where: Nektar, 31 Scotts Road MRT: Newton When: Friday, April 25, May 2, 6 - 10pm, Saturday, April 26, May 3, noon - 9pm Tel: 6836-9185
DIM SUM DELIGHTS IN CHANGI
Unless you work or live around Changi Business Park, you may have no idea that UE Bizhub there is packed with eateries. It's not an area I go to often and I found that out only recently when I went to check out Yum Cha at Changi.
It's a casual eatery but good either for a quick weekday meal or a more leisurely weekend family meal after an outing to the nearby Singapore Expo.
There is dim sum available for lunch and dinner, as well as Hong Kong-style noodles and congee. This is the only Yum Cha outlet to offer roast meats as well.
You can order the meats individually, such as the Crispy Roasted Duck (from $12.80), or as a platter (from $16.80 for two types of meat, including Crispy Roasted Pork and Honey Roast Char Siew).
For dim sum, I'd recommend the Prawn & Mango Fritters ($4). Or get the Beef Brisket Noodles ($7.80) for a more substantial meal.
Where: Yum Cha at Changi, 6 Changi Business Park Avenue 1, UE Bizhub East (North Tower), 01-33 MRT: Expo When: 10.30am - 3pm, 6 - 9pm daily Price: A set consisting of a dim sum, a noodle or congee and a drink is at $11.80 nett Tel: 6789-1717
CLICK FOR CHEESECAKE
The new online cheesecake venture Cat & The Fiddle by Daniel Tay, formerly of Bakerzin, is just the thing for busy folk.
First, it's convenient. You can place your order online at any time of the day or night for delivery the following day.
Second, it's nicely priced, with each 1.1kg cake at $19.90 to $31.90. There are additional charges for things such as a nicer box ($3.90) or greeting tags ($1.50). There is also a delivery charge of $9.60 for most locations or you can collect your cake at no charge from the company's office in Kampong Ampat or at The Central.
Third, it tastes good. There are 10 flavours to choose from. The one I tried, called Paws Of Fury ($24.90, above), is inspired by the "yuanyang" beverage, with three parts espresso and seven parts milk tea. It's light and not too sweet, and the flavour of coffee and tea comes through nicely.
What: Cat & The Fiddle, 171 Kampong Ampat 05-04 MRT: Tai Seng Price: $19.90 - $31.90 each Tel: 6287-0077 Info: www.catandthefiddle.com
CRYSTAL JADE GOES VIETNAMESE
Crystal Jade has ventured into Vietnamese food with C-Jade Viet Cafe IN, a casual outlet in Bugis+ which replaces its C-Jade HK Cafe.
The menu offers familiar Vietnamese items such as Spring Roll ($5.90), Chilled Salad With Pomelo, Radish, Cucumber And Carrot ($6.90) and Pho With Raw And Cooked Sliced Beef ($8.90). It has also brought back its QQ Rice, which was previously available only at the former Crystal Jade Kitchen in Scotts Square. But it's a bit different now, as it comes in a pan with toppings of steamed chicken and deep-fried lotus root for $15.90. I prefer the former claypot version though, which was simply topped with minced ginger and spring onion, and was more fragrant.
Where: C-Jade Viet Cafe IN, 04-05 Bugis+, 201 Victoria Street MRT: Bugis When: 11am - 10pm daily Info: www.crystaljade.com
This story was first published in The Straits Times on April 18, 2014
