fat cow, tanglin

decent, but very, very expensive japanese at the camden medical centre. it’s known for its lunch sets – but really, all (expensive) japanese places are known for their lunch sets, primarily because it’s hella more accessible than the terribly dear à la carte dishes.

I’m going to suggest that you’re going to eat much better if you head straight for the entrees; if you’re only going to do the lunch sets, you could eat just as well at plenty other places. so hard a truth, you could bounce a nickel off it.

majestic bay seafood restaurant, gardens by the bay

really rather good dimsum in this quite stunning restaurant set in the idyllic compounds of the gardens by the bay (one of my favorite places).

I had rather a far-too-much spree of dimsum a couple years ago, and so I very gingerly tread my way into dimsum restaurants these days, because of the very one-ness of their characteristics – they really only differ in quality. but at least this one was pretty much worth the calories (and repetition of flavors), and that view out the window is nothing to laugh about.

prime gyu-kaku, chijmes

decent bbq-it-yourself wagyu (and more) at this newly-refurbished outlet of the gyu-kaku chain at chijmes.

the once-chapel has been redone, with a long stretch of mid-ranging japanese restaurants serving a range of specialties, from ramen to tonkatsu. this one specialises in beef, of course, with the marbled styles dominating a menu broken up with sides and a couple seafood options.

it’s easy eating – a comfortable casual-ish environ and good slabs of meat. and is it just me, or can you stare at that meat-flipping gif forever?

isteaks grillhouse, serangoon gardens

surprisingly delicious steak, and well-cooked at that, at this rather casual steakery in myvillage at serangoon gardens. it’s a rather cleaned-up, modernified take on what was previously a coffeeshop western stall (a rather local phenomenon of asian-interpreted fried western foods dished up good and cheap), with service courtesy of rather-friendly aunties and good food couresty of great ingredients and some impressive-cooking.

it’s not nearly in the same league as the rather more renowned, poshy steakhouses – but it does pretty well in its class, rather much more impressive than aston’s, to my thinking.

black angus steakhouse, orchard parade hotel

some days, it’s about the restaurants that never let you down. have a great weekend, y’all!

x

Black Angus Steakhouse
Orchard Parade Hotel
Singapore 247905
tel +65 6734 1181

p.s. previous review here.

lower east side taqueria, katong

if you’re already planning your friday-night or weekend spot for food, then bravo. the public holiday yesterday rendered this week rather short, and there’s no better time than hump day to start daydreaming about the soon-to-come weekend.

this is a good place to come to, with the bright colors, a well-stocked bar, chirpy service (if you get the nice caucasian lady), and flavors that are fresh and crisp.

the market grill, tanjong pagar

fantastic food at hipster prices in the central business district. I hopped on the hipster bandwagon in coming to this restaurant – but I couldn’t resist. the myriad reviews coming out were too positive and too curiosity-inciting for me to ignore, and I’m glad this place more than lived up to the hype. the food was delicious, the ambience cosy – I only wished the prices were a little less on the high side.

but I suppose one can’t have everything, eh?

black angus steakhouse, town

great steaks – and for incredible value – in this steakhouse located just outside orchard parade hotel. let’s start this darn monday off with something simple – one of my favorite restaurants in singapore, and a regular family hangout. we’ve been coming here for ages – and while the prices have risen a little in that time, it remains one of the best (and only) places for a good, satisfying meal in town – not something easily said these days.

in a food climate that allows fancy restaurants to masquerade as steakhouses, serving exorbitantly-priced steaks without even the comfort of sides to lubricate the deal (paying for sides that ought to be there is one thing – and what are these double-digit figures for a mound of mash and a few skinny beans), this place is a godsend if you love your meat and have a beef with those newfangled places. it’s a return to true old-school american steakhouses where you sit down to an expertly-cooked slab of meat and sides, no fancy-schmancies.

amici authentic italian, holland village

hugely unimpressive italian in holland village. we didn’t really choose to come here – we were looking forward to yet another dinner at the handlebar – but my parents remembered that they had been taken in bought a sort of deal while gallivanting in holland village a couple of months ago and the voucher was soon to expire.

it turned out – as it probably always does – that the deal wasn’t nearly as good as we had expected. we received a bottle of wine (which we haven’t tried and so I cannot comment on but please let me tell you that it does not inspire) as well as 50% discount off the less-expensive half of the meal. I’ll start this by letting you know that while the food was decent although uninspiring, I am unlikely to come here without the discount as even with it, it still turned out rather more than I wanted to pay.

handlebar, sembawang

great american food in the deep-of-the-woods in sembawang. I’m of half a mind not to share this with you, but I rather like the photos that turned out so let’s just say I’m doing this in narcissism, though we both know I’m being amazing!!! by sharing what really is a sort of largely undiscovered gem.

I’ve never really thought much about bikers or the biker culture in singapore – for one, I hardly knew we really had one, and secondly I had always sort of thought them a group of rather obsessive hobbyists with nothing in common with myself (not that I don’t recognise a sort of problem in my clear obsession with food). in any case, handlebar is a rather aptly named bikers’ bar that just sort of happens to serve remarkable food, and at prices that are more than reasonable for quantity and quality – I think this must have to do with their really rather rural location.