rabbit carrot gun, katong

to follow on the brunch theme (does one post a theme make?), I’ve finally made my way to rabbit carrot gun – which is as strange and awkward (and can I say, unuseful) a name as an eatery could have – doesn’t really tell you anything apart from the fact that their owners are are probably modern types having an inside joke.

it’s a corner cafe in katong serving up fancified british, at prices the people of that fair isle would likely balk at – dominated by katong-type yuppies and expatriates all sitting al fresco in the heat (no one else but the too-cool and foreign would brave it – generalisation, yes, but stereotypes exist for a reason).

my bowl of homemade muesli served with yogurt and berry compote was decent, if small and unfilling. it was the french toast that really surprised us – thick bread that held its structure despite soaking enough egg-and-milk for a custardy inside, served with proper maple syrup and berry compote – it was delicious, and well-worth an order.

if you’re in the area for brunch, the food is pretty decent. which is to say I might come back again (although not travel specifically for) – but the prices are somewhat prohibitive (even for what is supposed to be an overpriced meal), and I like air-conditioning with my food.

Rabbit Carrot Gun
47 – 49 East Coast Road
Singapore 428768
tel +65 6348 8568
$$.5: 30 per person

las vegas, and some eating (part one)

nothing says las vegas like bright neon lights advertising a bit of harmless (or not quite so harmless) gambling.

I’ve got to admit, it’s not my favorite city. I associate las vegas with stale smoke, seedy joints (even the hotel lobbies feel seedy in nice places), and loud, aggressive people. the last time I visited this place, I was young enough that only the sphinx made an impression, and this time – I can add exorbitantly cut-throat expensive dining to that list of why-I’m-not-so-impressed.

I was there for work, which meant limited time to enjoy their many food options, although I did have the chance to try out what the land-of-blue-and-red is really known for: their not-quite-fast-food-(but-almost) diner-eateries.

&made burger bistro, pacific plaza

I am back! I’m going to pretend you are just about excited about this as I am – it’s possibly the longest hiatus between posts on this blog, and I feel a vengeance. you never know how obsessive connected you are to your electronics until you’re separated.

we’ll start the engine up with a set of rather out-of-the-ordinary photos taken at this okay cafe at pacific plaza. I’ve been here before (how has it been two years since!) – and it maintains its rather meh-but-edible status.

chili’s, clarke quay

as-you’d-expect – which is to say, good for simple, filling meals – at this american tex-mex chain outlet at the central in clarke quay. let’s cut to the chase: this isn’t gourmet, and it’s not trying to be. it’s full-on american diner-steakhouse type food served in large portions, and it (almost singlehandedly, actually) fills a niche gap in the singapore dining scene that I think many of us didn’t know existed.

it’s casual dining in a large space with very-american-style diner booth seats, incredibly enthusiastic staff, and a boisterous atmosphere that lends best to loud gatherings (impression fostered also by their myriad alcohol promotions) – but all that aside, this place has a killer bread pudding: one of the best, most satisfying non-chocolate puddings I’ve had in a while.

big eater restaurant, changi

fantastic seafood and zi char at this casual chinese restaurant nearish the singapore expo – really, it’s rather out of the way (for us), but it’s now become my family’s go-to place for crabs and the like, and well-worth travelling to. the place has been packed to the rafters even by early evening (we popped here on two consecutive sundays because it was so good) – but the prices are reasonable, the food is absolutely commendably executed, and service is both sincere and quick.

if you’re not from around here – then zi char refers to a rather casual style of dining-out, where you get local home-style chinese cooking spanning nearly anything you could want – meat, seafood and veg – with some stalls so expert as to provide restaurant-quality cooking at more accessible prices.

mel’s drive-in, sentosa

pretty decent american theme-park style offerings at this retroesque diner in universal studios singapore, somewhere along the hollywood strip. this place is just adorable beyond words – the decoration of the place, the little stage outside for apron-donning waitress-pretending performers to dance, the whole thing reminded me of a scene out of my childhood hanna-barbera cartoons. I like kitsch – and I think the whole disney/universal do a great job at transporting this across the world in their perfectly manicured playscapes (probably been watching too much sandra lee).

burger and lobster, london

(no real camera on hand at this meal, but I hope you still manage to see how it impressive the portions are!)

great diner in soho. so there was massive hype about this restaurant that opened in mayfair with only three dishes, all going for £20. I’m usually of the opinion that the fewer dishes a place has, the more likely they are to be good – so this was not a bad start. also there have been a gazillion reviews out there in the blogosphere about b&l, so I was pumped to get going when their new soho branch opened. the soho branch is located on dean street, an amazing foodie lane with vaunted new restaurants like cay tre and ducksoup and many more, so that’s a competitive place to have a restaurant – also a very smart move I fancy since overspills give each other business.

anyway, enough prelude. the restaurant was relatively unoccupied at 6.30pm on a monday night, though it filled up plenty towards 7.30pm. our waitress recited our choice of burger, lobster or lobster roll – but really as proud seafood-hungry asians with unhealthy obsessions for proper shellfish, there was nothing we could order but the lobster. the dishes come with fries and salad, and they also happily changed my fries to another salad, so kudos for good service.

mishkins, london

great little diner in covent garden. I have to say I came with mixed expectations, as I had a great experience at spuntino but not such a great one at da polpo, and there is such a mix of reviews online about mishkins that saying I was sceptical would have been an immense understatement.

straight up, I have to say that this was a very good meal, well-executed as the diner it is meant to be, and the food was both tasty and quite special. not too expensive as well, though the portion sizes vary quite wildly (and rather illogically). I loved the kitschiness of the place, with its bar at the front and its warehousey-type feel, and its diner-style serve-yourself-cutlery and ketchup/mustard squeezy bottles.