MEAT-LOVERS' PARADISE
Dallas Restaurant & Bar's newest outlet at Suntec City Sky Garden is now my go-to place for grilled meats.
Its meat platter for two ($70) comes with two perfectly grilled lamb cutlets, a 250g piece of prime rib, a quarter roast chicken, tender baby-back ribs, delicious fluffy potatoes that have been roasted to a crisp in beef fat and roast vine-ripened tomatoes.
The prime rib, which is slow-cooked for 15 hours, then sliced and seared-to-order, is fabulous. It is tender, flavourful and the fatty bits are gorgeous.
The chicken is always succulent and juicy, while the ribs and lamb cutlets are also good.
Non-meat eaters can order the barbecued barramundi ($30) served with watercress, fennel and roasted garlic mayonnaise on a bed of mashed potato. If you are after bar snacks, there is a range of sliders and tacos with fillings that include chicken tikka, battered snapper and crispy pork belly (about $15 to $22 for three persons, depending on the filling.)
WHERE: Dallas Restaurant &Bar, 3 Temasek Boulevard, Suntec City Sky Garden, 03-302 MRT: Esplanade OPEN: 11.30am to midnight (Monday to Wednesday and Saturday, last order at 10.30pm), 11.30am to 1am (Thursday and Friday, last order at 11pm), 11.30am to 11pm (Sunday, last order at 10pm) TEL: 6333-4068 INFO: www.dallas.sg
CHEAP BARACHIRASHI
At $12.80 each, Sushiro's barachirashi bowls are among the cheapest in town. It is decent and fresh, especially for the price.
The standard barachirashi (above) comes with chunks of tuna, salmon, octopus and ikura, or salmon roe. Add $3 for a set with salad and miso soup.
The 12-seat Japanese eatery at Thomson Plaza opened about six months ago and serves a range of sushi rice bowls, nigri sushi and don buri such as salmon teriyaki on rice and katsudon with egg and onions.
WHERE: Sushiro, 301 Upper Thomson Road, Thomson Plaza, 01-113F MRT: Marymount OPEN: 11.45am to 2.30pm, 5.45 to 9.30pm (Wednesday to Monday), closed on Tuesday TEL: 9450-1020
TUAS DELIGHT
The Greenhouse Cafe at Design Hub in Tuas is a contemporary cafe that would not be out of place in the Central Business District.
It is clean, air-conditioned and extremely spacious with a high ceiling. It can seat about 200 people.
Greenhouse offers everything from soups and sandwiches to pastas and bento boxes. There is hearty local fare too, such as laksa and hor fun.
Its Supreme Beef Noodles ($17, photo) is a pleasant surprise.
You get a hearty bowl of beef noodles - choice of kway teow, thick and thin bee hoon as well as Hokkien yellow noodles - with beef balls, tripe, tendon, sliced beef and soft chunks of beef.
The noodles, served in a thick, herbal and sticky beef gravy, also come with salted vegetable and ground peanuts. If you are in Tuas, this is the place to head to for a meal or a meeting.
WHERE: Greenhouse Cafe, 30 Tuas Bay Drive, Design Hub MRT: Joo Koon OPEN: 9.30am to 4pm(Monday to Friday), closed on weekend TEL: 6863-0110 INFO: www.designhub.com.sg
ICY COLD POPSICLES
The popsicles at I See I See, an artisan popsicle shop from Hong Kong which opened its first overseas outlet at 313@Somerset's food hall last month, are not only pretty to look at, but are also refreshing and do not contain preservatives or colouring.
The shop offers a good range of fruit-based dairy-free options and my favourite ones are Straight-up Pineapple ( $5.90) - an invigorating sweet pineapple juice pop with chunks of fresh pineapple; Mixed Berries And Orange ($6.90) - a tangy pop with a mix of orange juice and bits of raspberry; and Refreshing Kiwi ($5.90), which is an ice-cold kiwi fruit on a stick.
Opt for the Earl Grey And Pistachio pop ($6.90) if you fancy something creamier. It has a lovely bergamot flavour that calms the nerves after a day under the sun.
WHERE: I See I See, 313 Orchard Road, 313 @Somerset, B3-46 MRT: Somerset OPEN: 11am to 10pm daily TEL: 6509-6608 INFO: www.facebook.com/iseeiseesg
