tiger radler, and a beef stew

my preferences for alcoholic drinks run toward sweet dessert wines, smooth whites, warming sake, and champagne. four years in England and I never picked up a beer habit, much less an affinity for the drink.

but that’s because most beers seem bitter and not quite flavorful enough (I’d rather have water, thank you) either for food-pairing or plain-drinking; and if you think the same – can I please introduce the tiger radler to you?

just in time for your lunar new year preparations, the can is decorated all festive-like – and the drink itself is redolent with the fragrance of mandarin oranges (which will go plenty well with thousands of the actual fruit actually being passed around over the 12-day celebration period).

and if you still don’t feel like you’d want to drink it (and I don’t see why, since it’s rather like a less-sweet, adult version of Fanta orange), it sure makes for a great base to a beef-and-carrot stew.

brewerkz, dempsey

good, quick-and-dirty american food at this chain of restaurants across singapore. mostly popular with the drinking crowd (unsurprising given the name of this place, and their booze-making status), I’ve recently rediscovered this place, as well as my love for comforting, gut-filling american dining.

there’s a certain impatience that comes with age – it’s got to be age or disposition, and I prefer to blame the first – and a meal of ribs and burgers is exactly the thing when you’re not into a foamy, decorated plate.

I had the pulled pork burger – a mass of meat bound with barbecue sauce and topped with thick slices of pickled jalapeno. the chillis pack a mild heat that creeps up on you, and the sauce could be a little cloying if you’re going bun-less (so don’t). it’s quite a generous mound of meat, so eat whatever doesn’t fit between the buns with the crisp salad on the side.

you get a choice of sides – and I usually go for just a salad, but the onion rings are thick and pretty decent, even if it came slightly greasy this time. and if you’re into beer – their daily specials are usually a tad cheaper than the other menu options.

the dempsey hill outlet is a little dark and small – basically a porch with a couple indoor seats – and doesn’t have the character of the one at riverside point. but it’s still a decent place to get a meal (without overpaying, as the locale would typically require), and relax at the end of a long day.

Brewerkz Microbrewery
18 Dempsey Road
Singapore 249677
tel +65 6634 1229
$$: easily under thirty a person, which is almost a steal

level33, marina bay

good fusionish european dining high up in the financial district – this is the first time I’ve done a full meal here, and it was a good one. it’s on the pricey side, but at least the dishes were pretty stellar, and the muscato and beers are reliable.

plus, you very seldom have the option of starting dinner in an air-conditioned, comfortable place (it’s far too hot for an entirely al fresco meal these days), before proceeding outdoors to a fantastic view for some dessert and a sip of something-something.

oktoberfest asia 2013 (singapore), keppel bay

I am bearer of late food news – but I thought it was worth sharing how much fun we had last wednesday at singapore’s first proper oktoberfest. held within a thankfully-air-conditioned canopy at the posh marina at keppel bay (yacht-park of our high-flyers and big-spenders), it was a noisy, yuppie-filled, modern take on oktoberfest – lots of german beers on tap and a couple of classic dishes.

… and a bit of standing on the benches with glasses in the air.

how did you spend your oktoberfest?