club street social, chinatown

decent but hugely expensive – and pretty much unworth – brunch near china square. this is such a hipster place – its speakeasy decor, the too-cool-for-school waiters, the overtly-designed menu and high prices; all elements pretty common in the new cafes opened in singapore that all think they have that cool underground feel by popping up in our old districts. to cut it down: the food is pretty, the locations are pretty, the taste is alright, but all these sure don’t warrant the prices at this place.

esquina tapas bar, chinatown

interesting and very expensive food in chinatown. so esquina is part of a spate of celebrity-chef openings in singapore (which I think have been a reason for the rising prices of dining out) – and more interestingly it has been set up by jason atherton, of british and pollen-street-social fame. there has been such hype about this restaurant, about how this tiny place of a bar has been racking up hour-and-more waits with fantastic ground-breaking food that I went with high expectations, waited an hour, and really just to let you know up front: I left with exactly the same sense of being underwhelmed as I did after pollen street.