blue ginger, tanjong pagar

happy national day, all you guys! I’m back from the americas (photos to follow) to celebrate this fantastic day with my favorite little nation, and it seems appropriate to restart programming with this little gem serving up a very local, very traditional cuisine.

blue ginger is an institution for peranakan eating – the result of a fortuitous hodgepodge of cuisines that originated from our forefathers-of-many-lands. reservations are a must for this small two-storey restaurant in a restored building along tanjong pagar, and the food is delicious and authentic.

pagi sore indonesian restaurant, tanjong pagar

very-good indonesian food at tanjong pagar’s 100am – still very good, even after the first time we came here nearly a year a go (with many consistent great visits between).

they’ve gotten a little bit busier now than they were before, so it can actually get fully occupied on weekday dinners (which is both good for food turn-over and bad for waiting). but service is prompt, and the food comes out very quickly – so you’re fine once you’re seated.

the flavors are punchy and perky, and it’s a spice-iness that makes things interesting, and a spicyness that is just right for even moderate chilli eaters to handle. we tend to order up a storm – the butter prawns and curry fish head are favorites, as is the rendang, and it all goes very well with the rice that comes in a beautiful wrap of banana leaf.

good value, great flavors, and quick service. it’s the weekday dinner diner of dreams.

Pagi Sore Indonesian Restaurant (Amara Shopping Center Outlet)
#02-28 100AM (Amara Shopping Center)
100 Tras Sreet
Singapore 079027
tel +65 6636 1373
$$: one-zeho-zeho for four

penang street, funan digitaLife mall

decent penangish, asian dishes at this (relatively) new cafe in the funan mall – great flavors and colours, but let down by the terrible rice. I’ve recently been into all these spice-y, exotic asian flavors, all potent examples of what long stewing and high heat can bring to food – and I really liked this place.

it is therefore (as some terribly formal people like to say in conversation) regretful that I can’t give it more than a cautiously pleasant review – I don’t take rice, so the bad quality makes no difference to me – to all you typically-asian rice-eaters though, that bowl of bad stuff will keep you from returning (and if you have a dad like mine, it’ll keep you from coming at all).