garibaldi italian, purvis street

I’m (super) late on this one (and many others), and so just a short piece on this place – it was a birthday meal, and we arrived with heightened expectations and a keen sense of disappointment after. while service was lovely, and the place was neat and crisp with its white tablecloths and fancy tableware, we found the food to be just about middling. nothing so bad as to surprise, but certainly not as good as we were led to believe with its longstanding, positive repute. at the long and short of it, we are unlikely to return, especially with Singapore’s large range of excellent Italian restaurants (such as Senso and Gattopardo).

Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar
36 Purvis St
Singapore 188613
tel + 65 6837 1468
$$$: 55ish onward

wingzone, bugis+

perfect-for-students and binge-day casual dining a few steps above regular fast food in bugis+. if you spent most of your university days (this applies more to men than women, and of course I’m generalising) surviving on take-out and fast food, this place will bring back memories (most especially if you did that tour while in the US).

conceived by two starving students in Georgia who just couldn’t fathom another slice of pizza, this place has nearly twenty years of experience behind it, and more than its fair share of expanded waistlines.

it’s no diet food for sure, but those wedges are well-worth any guilt.

sprigs, purvis street

very, very good food at this small, modern restaurant in bugis – very earnest, and it succeeds both in service and space and food. it’s still relatively uncrowded, which is surprising for its quality, but unsurprising for its relative tucked-awayness. add the fact that prices are more than reasonable – especially with a set offered at dinner time – really, I’m not sure I could like it more.

it’s a little like that comforting corner diner we all want – except that it’s quite a bit away from my actual ‘hood.

and, I’m back!

victor’s kitchen, bugis

I rather wonder if my method of skipping hyped restaurants at the peak of their popularity is leading to a systematic, and now rather expected, disappointment at how unimpressive the food is.

that’s a leading statement if there ever was one, and no – I don’t really understand all the praise and rave about this place. it’s not bad, and actually, the food is just as you’d expect it to be considering the style of the eatery – just that my expectations were raised what with so many people citing this as some sort of powerhouse.

but at least it didn’t cost too much, eh, so we take the small things where they come.