I woke up 5 months ago and suffered a serious case of writer's block which was beyond the capability of any prescription. While the blog took a break, my stomach never relented during the 5 months... The passion for eating never ceases. With the festive feasting came the mood to write again. I hope this bout of inspiration will last a while.

The Black Swan would be apt to mark the occurrence of this post. It's not as if the Art Deco style of the place was not enough to impress me, I had the Black Swan burger  which was one of the best that I've eaten so far. The patty was well seasoned and so soft that it melts in the mouth with the cheddar cheese and runny egg. Even the lightly buttered toasted buns which were crisped on one side and pillowy on the other were heaven on their own. I would have gobbled the burger as a whole if not for my petite mouth. The candied bacon was well caramelized and crispy. Everything was perfect at the Black Swan, from the food to the service. 

Set is a restaurant that offers set menus. At really cheap and affordable prices. $28.80 for 5-course set lunch and $38.80 for 6-course set dinner. I was invited to a tasting session for the 6-course dinner. 

There are 6 courses and each course has 4 to 5 choices to pick from. I was amazed at my ability to stuff all of the choices into my little tummy. #AchievementUnlocked.

Picking the right choice for each course was crucial. I have sacrificed myself to eat everything and hence let me share with you which would constitute a good choice. 

Chef Starter | Bacon mushroom with cheese which was creamy and contains nice cheese with bacon. It was a perfect match with the lightly toasted bread that was crispy on the edges.

Cold dish | From top: Huai san carpaccio, Smoked duck breast, Salmon garvlax, Tomato carpaccio 

Out of the five cold dishes available, the tomato carpaccio which was cheese cream on tomatoes was my most favourite. It's airy texture yet rich flavour was like from a spray can.

Side dish | Grilled oyster mushroom that came with teriyaki and mayo sauce, and accompanied by truffle foam. There is no oyster. This is an oyster mushroom. Never a big fan of mushroom. So it was just ok for me. A bit rubbery but not tough. 

Soup | Left: Miso soup with sake, Right from top: Pumpkin soup with truffle oil, Double-boiled herbal chicken, Mushroom veloute with peanut butter

By now, I was wondering if my tummy would survive to see the main course.  Out of the four soups, my favourite was surprisingly the double boiled herbal soup. The herbal soup was intense and the flavour was full of herbs. It was hearty and warming to the stomach, helping to expand the stomach for further consumption of the main course. A close runner-up would be the pumpkin soup with truffle oil which was rich in flavour. 

Main course | From top: Roasted chicken pullet, Grilled snapper with salsa, Marinated rack of lamb, Roasted beef tenderloin, Baby pork back ribs

I'm not a red meat person but the roasted beef tenderloin scores for me. It uses the loin part which was fork tender with the right amount of fats. Second favourite would be the honey glazed baby pork back ribs which I was looking forward to. However the meat was a bit too soft and tender for my liking. 

Desserts | From top: Coconut cake, Poached pear with gelato, Pistachio panna cotta, Huai San jello, Espresso creme brulee.

You might hate me if I tell you I love all five desserts! Hmmm this would be a tough choice but I would go for either the Huai San jello and espresso creme brûlée. If you like something light, refreshing and healthy, go for the Huai San jello. The espresso creme brûlée was strong coffee flavored and topped with a crackle-thin crust of caramelized sugar. 

Overall | Great place for those with a tight budget but unlimited budget for stomach space. Dishes are hit and miss.. So make the right choice. 

Address: 1 Selegie Road, POMO #02-01 Singapore 18830

Telephone: 6337 7644

Website: http://www.set-sg.com

Thanks to Petrina and Lay Peng for the invite.

Wow where do I even begin? It has been a busy busy month and haven't got time to update this little forgotten blog of mine.

Anyway I visited Symmetry quite a while ago. Symmetry had been on my "to eat" list for the longest time. In fact, this was the second time I visited. The first time when I went without reservations, I thought there was a queue for a free meal or something. So in the end I gave up.

Queue for free food?

So unless you want to take your patience training to a higher level, please remember to call and make reservations or book online.

Yes that's how insanely popular Symmetry is. Which I can understand why. I love everything about it. The brick walls. The cute lamps. The big windows. The menu that shows drawings of the food instead of real photos. The witty posters and quotes. The music that I don't know who is the singer but I like it because it makes me feel cool. 

I ordered my favourite drink of the century (DOTC) aka green tea latte ($6.50++). Hmmm Symmetry's version is a bit less sweet and a bit diluted for my liking, although I can still taste the green tea powder. I prefer the Starbucks version which is sweeter. My fellow diner ordered a flat white ($5.50++). It was good per my friend.

And here I present to you the die die must order: Symmetry Eggs Benedict ($22++). It comes with two poached eggs sitting on top off bacon, portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, aged cheddar and of course hollandaise sauce. I love the awesome hollandaise sauce and the golden eggs which flowed like a river. The fragrant toasted bread was crispy at the edges and fluffy in the centre to soak up the sauce and egg yolk. And I love the bacon which was savoury salty with a tinge of sweetness. The mushrooms were a bit bitter and  pungent which gave a different dimension in taste to the whole dish. The lonely looking tomatoes at the side tasted a bit weird and were strangely not sweet. 

My friend got the waffles with ice-cream $16++ (I don't know how come got people eat waffles with ice-cream for breakfast). The waffles were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Very substantial and will feel full half way. But I think I prefer Wimbly Lu's version much more. 

Service was not very attentive and I had to wave frantically to catch the wait staff's attention zzz. It also took forever for them to give us back our change. But overall they were polite and friendly lah.

Address: 9 Jalan Kubor, 199206
Symmetry website 

Common Man Coffee Roasters is a cafe located at Martin Road. 

Which is ulu for those without a car. 

Which is a less crowded brunch place for those with a car. #justsaying

Anyway I was here to give a birthday treat to one of my "sisters". The sister who broke the sister code regularly #BoysOverSisters #GaveUp. The sister who had a week-long daily celebration starting from Monday. And the sister who scheduled my turn only six days later on a Sunday.

I could have wished her happy birthday like how someecards did. But I'm nice. Haha.

Common Man Coffee Roasters is the typical popular cafe that does not take reservations on weekends. 

But due to my good karma, we didn't have to queue when we reached at 12pm on Sunday. There was a short queue from 1pm though. 

I couldn't get a picture of the interior of the packed place but here's one from the Common Man Coffee Roasters's website. 

Patrons are mainly ang moh with kids and youngsters, the usual suspects. It can be really noisy so if you are looking for a quiet place, this ain't it.

Seats are mainly bar table style. There was a big common round table in the middle. But we are anti-social Asians so we were given one private corner next to the windows with plenty of natural light. 

Latte/Cappuccino ($5++ each)
I am no expert in coffee. But I love Common Man Coffee Roasters' version of cappuccino very much. Everything about the coffee hit the right notes with me, as if the barista and I had common wavelengths. The coffee doesn't leave a sourish/bitter after taste - my usual concern with most other coffees. It is light-bodied yet does its role well to wake me up on a Sunday. 

Organic eggs benedict ($24++)
My friend had the organic eggs benedict with braised ox cheeks and artisanal sourdough toast. She had nothing but praises for it. If you don't trust 99% of what I crapped on this blog, you can trust my friend who was probably a serious food critic in her previous life. 

I had a small bite of it. The ox cheeks were moist/tender and not overly gamey. And when soaked with the golden egg yolks and hollandaise sauce as well as the accompany toast, it was a wondrous mix. 

Brioche French toast ($18++)

I had my eyes set on the brioche French toast. The brioche French toast was served on a wooden board. Vibrant red raspberries and strawberries compote sat on top of soft warm golden brown brioche that is dusted sparingly yet with the right amount of icing sugar. The compote was not sour but sweet. 

End it off with some really smooth Kapiti vanilla ice cream that was melting slowly into the brioche toast. 

I loved the toast which was served warm, fluffy and crispy at the corners. Haven't had a really good French toast like this for a long time. 

Service speed was amazing for a Sunday crowd. We only had to wait for about 10 minutes for our food to come. 

What can I say?  Common Man Coffee Roasters has exceeded my expectations with its substantial and good quality food and coffee, as well as speedy customer service. It might be a bit expensive, but at least you don't get crappy food or service. This is certainly one of the better brunch places that I would highly recommend. 

Address:
22 Martin Road #01-00 Singapore 239058

Tel: 6836 4695

I went to PS Cafe on Ann Siang Road. It's a pretty restaurant located at the end of Ann Siang Road which was on top of Ann Siang Hill. The restaurant was quiet and offered a different vibe from the rowdy watering holes along the road and Club St area. 

Though by the time we trekked up the hill, we were sweating buckets enough to water the plants at PS Cafe. 

Ok I know Ann Siang Hill is not really a high hill.

The Victorian style decor was so pretty and the place smelt of flowers. It would be perfect for a romantic date.

PS Cafe is well known for its brunches. However, we were there for dinner on a Friday evening.

Truffle shoestring fries

When dining at PS Cafe, truffle fries is a must order. PS Cafe's version was probably the best truffle fries I've ever had. And I am not even a big fan of truffle fries to begin with. The fries, infused with truffle oil, were fragrant and light, making me feel less sinful clearing it. The fries were topped with grated parmesan cheese making it more addictive. It was so irresistible that the plate was wiped out quickly.

Crispy calamari 
The deep fried squid rings were accompanied by two sauces - a brown sauce which was sweet, and another white sauce which was honey lemon butter. Typical fried food which was addictive and delicious.

Crab tart ($32++)
For my main course, I chose the crab tart which was served with prawn bisque cream , lemon honey vinaigrette dressed greens & homemade harissa.

The tart was very huge and so was the accompany salad. I was unable to finish it.

It's something like baked mash potatoes, and there was crab meat shreds within. The outer tart was very crispy. However, it was a bit too salty for my palate. A pity it was also not served hot. I was quite disappointed with this as I was really looking forward it. Somehow the dish did not turn out right.. maybe because the taste was lacking in dimensions. The portion was too overwhelming for me to finish by myself. 

Chargrilled cheese burger ($29++)
Chargrilled wagyu & US chuck pattie topped with melting gruyere & mozzarella cheese, tomato, mesclun greens, sauteed mushrooms & crispy onions on a toasted sesame bun with shoestring fries

My fellow diners ordered this.. OMG more fries.. totally fries overload.

The picture doesn't do justice to its actual humongous size. Fellow diner also didn't finished it. And one of them complained that the steak was overcooked. 

Overall, I think I will just come back for truffle fries.

PS: This PS outlet only accepts teenagers and adults. So no yelling babies or children.

PPS: They hold two seatings... we had the 6.30pm to 8.30pm seating. And they were ultra prompt.. we were reminded to leave around 8.15pm.

Address:
45 Ann Siang Road, #02-02, S 069719