The Chop House

The Chop House. A slightly lower tiered restaurant under the Wooloomooloo Group which houses the famous Wooloomooloo Steakhouse from Hong Kong. The ambience was country and pleasant. But the staff could try to be a little friendlier without their strict faces.

 <Pumpkin Soup>

Excellent! Velvety and full of pumpkin sweetness. The croutons added a good crunch and toasty depth to the soup as well. I will definitely recommend anyone to try this.

 <Crispy Calamari>

The squids were fresh and the tartar sauce tangy. But the coating on the outside kept falling off the squid. I guess they probably didn't do a proper coating before frying them. From my understanding, it only falls off if you don't double coat them. As in, flour --> egg --> batter.

<Linguini Bolognese>

Though the pasta were those pre-made types, it was cooked to perfection. However, the bolognese was way way too salty. Remember to drink loads of water after that.

<Berkshire Pork Chop served with rhubarb jam, mustard and onion jam>

The highlight of the day! O.M.G! The pork chop is to die for! It is super tender, super moist and super flavourful. They got the balance of the hoisin and black bean chilli sauce spot on. It was one of those few times that I wish the meal could go on. I even picked up the bone and chomp on the bits on it. T__T But I suppose the only way you could have dislike this dish might be, if you prefer to taste the really porky flavour of the pork. Otherwise, there is no reason for you to not like this.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Great
Cost - $40+
Overall - Must try!

Address
1 Harbourfront Walk, #01-161-162 VivoCity, Singapore 098585
http://www.wooloo-mooloo.com/sg/the-chop-house.aspx

Opening Hours
Mon to Thurs: 12pm to 11pm
Fri, Sat and Eve of Public Holidays: 12pm to 12am
Sun and Public Holidays: 11am to 11pm

Magnum Singapore

 <Venice in a Jar>

<Mid-summer's Night Dream>

Fanciful names with fanciful plating. That is about as good as it gets. The specialty desserts sold at the pop-up outlets had no real depth to them in my opinion. They were all just relying on their looks to draw in the crowd. Not to mention the hefty price tag that comes along with them. In all negativity, at least the ice cream from magnum was still good. I'll probably just continue my foray with their original flavours from the supermarkets.

No location and opening hours provided as the outlets were just temporary.

Verdict
Ambience - Not good.
Food - Average
Cost - $8+
Overall - Stick to the supermarket Magnums

Peperoni Pizzeria

A pizzeria under the Le Amis Group. We had quite high hopes for the pizza as Le Amis has a few good restaurant brand names under them. The restaurant was furnished with very simple decor, nothing over the board nor pretentious.  

 <Half/Half Margherita and Quattro Formaggi>

They only have one type of crust and the pizza is baked in a wood fire oven. The taste is simple, good and fresh. However, if you are really hungry, you could easily gobble down 2 large pizzas on your own as they are really light.

 <Gnocchi>

Home made soft potato dumplings gratinated in four cheese sauce. Too heavy, too dense and rich for my liking. Overall, I didn't like it at all.

 <Tiramisu>

This Tiramisu was just average. The mascarpone cheese was too heavy. Not sure which way it wanted to go, it was neither cocoa-ish nor coffee-ish enough nor alcholic enough.

 <Tortino al Cioccolato>

Chocolate lava cake made from Valrhona chocolate. Alas! That was its only saving grace. Without the intense chocolaty flavour from Valrhona, this dessert would have been a total let down. It is over cooked and the ice cream served with it is just plain average.

Verdict
Ambience - Average
Food - Average
Cost - $20+
Overall - Worth a try. But could give the desserts a miss.

Address
3 Temasek Boulevard #B1-130
http://peperoni.com.sg/

Opening Hours
Mondays to Saturdays: 11am to 9.30pm
Sundays: 11am to 9.30pm

Juchheim Baumkuchen

Baumkuchen or "tree log" originated from Germany. It was brought over to Japan and it won over the hearts of many Japanese. It sort of resembles the "kueh lapis" that we are familiar with. The store in Singapore sold its flagship original flavour along with others such as chocolate and earl grey. I bought the earl grey one as my wife loves the fragrance of the tea. The cake is very dense but not oily. It is slightly dry but has a very good depth of flavour to it. You should chomp on each bite slowly to let the aroma permeate your entire mouth. Though texturally, I prefer a lighter and more moist cake. This cake is interesting enough to make me want to go back and at least try out another flavour.

Verdict

Ambience - N.A

Food - Average

Cost - $5+

Overall - Worth a try

Address

391 Orchard Road Singapore 238873, Singapore Takashimaya B2 205 3-1

http://www.juchheim.co.jp/english/store/

Opening Hours

11am to 9pm (Un-confirmed)

Bistro Du Vin

 <Rabbit Terrine>

First time trying rabbit and first time for a terrine too. Not quite sure what to expect. But I didn't enjoy it as much as I would like to have. The  terrine was dry and the meat was flaky. There were pots of solidified oil that proved a little overwhelming in the end. Don't get me wrong, maybe I do not know how to enjoy it. But Bistro Du Vin has been one of my favourite places so far. I guess my adventure ended on the wrong side today.

 <Nicoise Salad>

A mixture of mesclun salad, tuna flakes, anchovies, black olives, hard-boiled egg, green beans and bell pepper. It was a hefty and decently delish salad. However, some might find it a little fishy for their liking.

 <Char Grilled Australian Augus Ribeye>

Served with French fries and Bearnaise sauce, the steak has a really good char all around it. Making it really flavourful and it also locked up all the juice within it as well. Really tender! Will definitely recommend it to steak lovers out there to try it. Just to rant, somehow I still can't bring myself to like Bearnaise sauce. =.=

 <Grand Marnier Souffle>

Puffy, fluffy and well executed. For me, it was cooked to perfection. And I've always preferred for souffles to be served with ice cream. *Thumbs up!* I just wished that they offered other flavours too.

<Petit Pot Au Chocolate with Madelines> 

Overall it was quite average. Nothing spectacular about it. If you are going to visit this awesome bistro for the first time, if you like, do try out their French onion soup and duck confit. I do rate them as amongst one of the best in Singapore.

Verdict
Ambience - Good
Food - Great
Cost - $30+ per pax
Overall - Must try!

Address
1 Scotts Road, Shaw Centre, #01-12, Singapore 228208
http://www.lesamis.com.sg

Opening Hours
Lunch: 12pm to 2pm
Dinner: 6.30pm to 10.30pm