Singapore: 11/12/15 & FOC Restaurant

We woke up around 6am because we still don't know what time or day it is. It's very confusing to travel for so long and then lose half a day of your life in time difference. Anyway, we made the most of it by getting an early start to our day. We walked over to the famous Raffles Hotel which is right across the street from our hotel. This is the home to the 100 year old world famous Singapore Sling drink. Since it was not even 9am, we didn't have one, but still walked all around the hotel grounds which span an entire square block. There are cafes, bars, shops, spas, you name it. The hotel is absolutely stunning and looks like it is impeccably maintained. By contrast to the luxurious and modern Marina Bay Sands, it has an old fashion look and feels historical and beautiful.

We then walked over to the Boat Quay (pronounced "key") area for a bumboat tour. The Boat Quay is a unique small street lined with cafes and bars.

The bum boat tour takes you around the river and highlights the different areas and buildings that define Singapore. It also felt like it was 100 degrees, so being on the water in a boat was much needed.

After the tour, we took the subway over to Little India. There we saw tons of street vendors selling all kinds of crap, similar to Canal Street. There was also another food market that we checked out. This one completely catered to the Indian clientele in the area. It also was half fish, meat, and produce market (which did not do much for the smell in there). We didn't try anything too crazy, but went for a little snack of a curry puff, fried banana, and mango lassi. I was definitely into the first food market more, but it was worth checking out another part of town with a distinct culture. 

After going back to the hotel to rest for awhile, we went back over to the Boat Quay area to try a restaurant from Michelin-starred chef, Nandu Jubany, that Jeremy had found online- FOC. This place had cool decor and an upbeat vibe. Their slogan is "Fine fun food." We ordered a few drinks and a bunch of tapas for our meal. Everything was delicious!

Twist on an Old Fashioned and Bloody "Jordy"

Sauteed cauliflower with pine nuts and spring onions, romesco sauce, pickled green beans and capers

Cuttlefish and saffron paella with prawn scampi

Octopus Galician style

Braised beef cheek sliders with mustard and kimuchi mayo on brioche

Before calling it a night, we stopped at an unmarked bar down the street, apparently called 28 Hong Kong Street. It was extremely expensive (about $22-$24 per cocktail), but we each had one for the experience. They were quite delicious and fresh and made right in front us by the talented bartender. A cool place to try!

Singapore: 11/10-11/11/15 & Adrift Restaurant

After about 24 hours of travel, we arrived at Naumi Hotel in downtown Singapore. It is a boutique luxury hotel that has a very modern, trendy design and feel. A few interesting notes about the room we had - the bathroom was essentially half of the room, with the sink and vanity area in the center island. The toilet and shower were each separated by a glass door, but this isn't just any glass. It's magic glass. Meaning, there is a light option that changes this glass from opaque to completely clear. The switch for this is on the outside wall, so that became a funny game at inopportune times. Additionally, the hotel provided several useful and complimentary amenities and snack options which we appreciated. So, we immediately passed out upon arrival to be fresh for our first real day in Singapore. 

We woke up on Wednesday morning ready to explore the dynamic city. We first tackled the transportation system. First of all, coming from a seasoned New Yorker who is well versed on public transportation, this system is immaculate. The stations are so clean, not overcrowded, and designed in such a smart way. The platforms have lines, arrows, and lights to denote when and where to stand and enter the train. The platform also has a vestibule of sorts protecting the area where the train comes in- so no way to drop anything or fall onto the tracks. It's also way more visually appealing and so clean! Not a single piece of garbage, rodent, or homeless person- throughout the entire city for that matter. We bought a visitor pass for 2 days for S$26 each, however you can return the card at the end and receive the S$10 deposit back. Well worth it for convenience alone, but considering each ride would be around S$3, we were able to hop all over the city. To get in, you tap your card to enter AND exit, because the cost will depend on how far you are going (if you were to pay per ride). 

So, we first took the subway over to what looked like the business district. We went solely to try one of Singapore's famous food markets that Jeremy was super excited about. There are different markets around the city, and this one - Amoy Street Food Centre- catered to the Asian young professionals on their lunch breaks. It's essentially a food court with 3 floors and close to 100 food stalls with all sorts of Asian style food from protein and noodle or rice dishes, to wonton soup, to blended fruit drinks. I didn't see a single dish over S$4.50, and this is for a full hot meal. We noticed the most interesting behavior while there. People flow in and grab their seats first, using a packet of tissues or single business card to mark their territory. What was so amazing to us was that everyone just respected this and did not move or ignore someone else's seat saving. Also, I thought it was odd how many people happen to carry around personal packs of tissues, but instantly realized that not a single vendor offers napkins or paper goods so it's bring your own. They actually charge slightly more for takeaway containers. There are a few staff people that help clear trays and I guess clean the bowls and utensils. So, the food. It was hard to choose what to get and where to go because there were so many options that were varying degrees of the same thing. I got a delicious smoothie with avocado, milk, and mango for S$2.50 and a wah kee noodle dish with roasted pork that came with wonton soup for S$4. Jeremy got homemade dumpling and noodle soup for S$3. Everything was authentic, flavorful, and felt like the real deal.

It down poured while we ate, which worked out well since this was the only time we were inside all day. This time of year in Singapore has rain basically every single day for brief bursts. Everyone has an umbrella at all times. It didn't rain the rest of the day which was helpful since our next activity was to check out the famous Gardens by the Bay. We took the subway down to the Marina Bay Area, which houses many of the tourist attractions including the Marina Bay Sands hotel. The Gardens are acres of beautifully manicured and maintained grounds with pockets of special flower or sculpture areas and astounding architectural design. The visual most people recognize are the Supertrees since they stick out from the rest of the gardens with a unique cage-like sculpture around it that is lit up at night. We explored much of the gardens and took some good pictures. They have a few attractions within the gardens and we decided to check out one- the Cloud Forest (partly for air conditioning). This is a dome housing hundreds, if not thousands, different types of tropical flowers and plants. It also features one of the world's tallest indoor waterfalls (35 meters), and allows you to walk around to the top and experience what a real cloud forest is like.

After going back to the hotel to nap and relax, we went back to the Marina Bay Sands hotel for dinner at Adrift. This hotel is a wonder in itself with a casino, shops, restaurants, and 3 towers all connected by a roof deck with an infinity pool overlooking the entire city. The view is truly breathtaking. We went up there after dinner just to see it, but we're only allowed access to the bar area since the pool area is for guests only.

Dinner at Adrift was delicious and the restaurant had an upscale atmosphere. We went for the omakase option and enjoyed a 6 course meal.

Rice cakes with yogurt sauce (pre-course)

Mussels with tomato, cucumber and chives.

Steak salad with smokey chilies, cucumber, mango, and vinaigrette

Halibut with yellow and green squash and edamame with lemon butter sauce

Lamb with mint chutney

[Not Pictured - Tamarind glazed beef with shishito peppers]

Sponge cake with custard and ginger candy

Restaurant Review: The Breslin

The Breslin has always been on my list but never found a time to check it out. My sister was in town for work and staying nearby so I figured this was the perfect opportunity. It's located in the Ace Hotel and fits the dark, cool, low key atmosphere of the hotel. The service was very on point as we had multiple waiters and runners filling our waters, clearing our plates, asking if we wanted more wine or needed anything additional. Very attentive.

The food was very good, but my one big caveat is the very high sodium content of every dish we had. It was all savory and tasty, but I must have drank 4 or 5 glasses of water throughout the meal just to re-hydrate!

We started with the heirloom tomato fattoush. Chunks of red heirlooms, cucumbers, smoked eggplant and currants were mixed with a labaneh yogurt sauce and sprinkled with fresh herbs- definitely some mint. There were also a few pita chip croutons in there that were the perfect crunchy buried treasure.

Heirloom tomato fattoush

For entrees we split the chargrilled lamb burger and the milk-braised Berkshire pork shoulder. The burger came recommended and apparently it's their hot item because we must have seen at least 20 come out of the kitchen (which we were sitting near). It was in fact quite tasty! The waitress let us know upfront "medium" was pink and bloody it was! It didn't bother me because it was juicy and delicious, but I probably could have left it on another minute. The bread was superb- crunchy crust and soft inside, and it was topped with feta and some red onion. It was served on a cutting board with thick crispy seasoned fries ("thrice cooked chips") and a cumin mayo dipping sauce. I loved everything about this.

Lamb burger

The pork shoulder came as a very nice portion and was so tender. It fell apart with just the fork and had a savory flavor. It was served over Tuscan kale that was crunchy and some crispy sage that added a nice textural contrast. The meat and greens sat in a pool of some kind of jus that was a little greasy, but to be expected with the hunk of pork we were served.

Berkshire pork shoulder

We added a side of cauliflower for good measure. It was roasted until the perfect crunch and highly seasoned, but was actually green and didn't look like any cauliflower I have ever seen... Not sure what that was about, but I was down with it.

Cauliflower

In sum, we had a lovely evening of good service, good food, good vibes. While a little on the high-end for price, I would recommend it to anyone in the NoMad area!

Restaurant Review: Upland

I had been hearing all about Upland lately from many friends, and one of them was gracious enough to give Jeremy and me her reservation that she ended up not using. It seems to be very hard to get a reservation here, so a table on Saturday night was much appreciated (thanks Hil)! We had a bunch of recommendations to choose from, and ultimately decided to try one item from each section - Pizza, Vegetables, One, Two, Three.

First they came out with an adorable mini loaf of bread that was fan-freaking-tastic. It was golden brown with a crisp, flaky crust and had large chunks of sea salt baked into the top. It was so fluffy inside that it collapsed once you cut into it. The bread tasted buttery- croissant-like. That didn't stop us from trying the butter they served with it too, which was creamy and topped with herbs and lemon zest.

We were discussing at length how much we were enjoying the bread when a random waiter came out of nowhere and gave us a new one before we even finished the first one. Perhaps we were exclaiming our delight loudly, but hey, it paid off.

Fresh baked bread

Our first selection was the sausage and kale pizza, with pecorino, stracciatella, and parmesan. It was quite sizable and very enjoyable. The dough was thick and chewy in a good way, and slightly charred on the bottom. On top there was a nice balance of cheese and other toppings. The sausage was crumbled, which I personally prefer over slices or chunks, and flavorful. I do want to emphasize that this pizza is pretty substantial for two people. Our waiter did not indicate that when we asked about it, so this is my warning!

Sausage and kale pizza

The brussels sprouts were a last minute add on. We definitely didn't need them, especially with the unexpected size of the pizza, but the waiter suggested we add a vegetable. They were seared and mixed with red onions, oregano, chili, and Meyer lemon. I liked the flavors, but I would rather the sprouts be roasted and crispy. These were soft and very greasy. There was at least a tablespoon of oil leftover in the bowl.

Brussels sprouts

From the "one" section, we went with the beef tartare. Presented well, but once you mixed everything together (as instructed) it kind of looked like dog food. That aside, the beef itself was great, mixed with trumpet mushrooms, anchovies, egg yolk, and a number of seasonings. However, there was puffed farro on top that was mixed in. I think this element was included to add a new texture - a crunch - however the flavor really overpowered the dish and tasted like cereal.

Beef tartare

From the "two" section we chose the estrella pasta dish with chicken liver. The pasta was homemade into a tubular shape and cut into about 3" pieces. The chicken liver, which was quite mild, was sort of crumbled and mixed in, and the dish was made with sherry, rosemary, and sage and topped with shaved parmesan cheese. I was craving some sort of sauce for this dish and thought while the flavors came together nicely, it was kind of dry. Though, Jeremy really liked this one and thought it was fine as is.

Estrella pasta with chicken liver

From "three," we ordered the Upland cioppino which came with clams, red shrimp, mussels, striped bass, Jonah crab, and gochujang (fermented Korean sauce). All of the seafood was in a spicy red broth that had a big punch of flavor. I thought there was a good amount of seafood there, and it was served with two thick slices of charred bread brushed with oil. You definitely wanted to use that to sop up that broth!

Cioppino

Overall, we enjoyed the experience for the atmosphere and service. The restaurant itself is spacious, busy (but not overwhelming), and had interesting/trendy decor. Our waiter was very attentive and knowledgeable and explained each dish to us as it came out. The food was a bit hit or miss. Everything was "fine," but I had higher expectations and hoped to be more wow-ed. If I ever went back, I would definitely get another pizza, keeping in mind how large it is, and try more of their seafood options based on the cioppino.

Restaurant Review: Le Bernardin

As a very special birthday present this year, Jeremy took me to Eric Ripert's top-rated and famous Le Bernardin. There are a few dining options to choose from - 2 different tasting menus and a prix-fixe. We decided to go with the 8-course Chef's Tasting Menu and it was glorious.

The atmosphere felt very high-end and fancy - jackets are required for men after all. The decor was mostly fitting to this, except for a massive painting of ocean waves. I don't know why, but something was weird about this, though I get the connection with it being a seafood restaurant.

As you might expect, the service is impeccable from the moment you walk in. The staff is on their toes at all times and ready to please. They do look pretty stiff in their uniforms, but it also creates an accurate depiction of their attentiveness and knowledge of everything they are putting in front of you.

After we notified our waiter of our meal selection, the bread guy came over with a 2-foot basket full of at least 8 different types of bread. We tried a sundried tomato roll and a slice of olive and rosemary bread. Both soft, moist and homemade (so much so, that we grabbed a few more pieces when the guy came back around later on).

First came the amuse-bouche, which set the tone of excellence for the rest of the meal. On the left was a mini roll of goat cheese and some kind of basil cream. The basil was insanely fresh and potent. In the middle was a mini tuna tartare taco in a tortilla shell. On the right was a cauliflower cream soup shooter with foam and topped with a Parmesan crisp.

Amuse-bouche

The first course was a cluster of Nantucket bay scallops marinated with Granny Smith Meyer lemon vinaigrette and topped with sea urchin. The scallops were raw, tender and small, and the vinaigrette was light and fruity which complimented the dish. The sea urchin was creamy with the usual ocean flavor, and paired well with the both the scallops and vinaigrette.

Bay scallops and sea urchin

The second course was strips of King fish sashimi topped with caviar. The dish was served with just the fish and then the server poured the mariniere broth around the 3 pieces of fish as he explained what we were about to eat. The caviar really gave life to the fish and the seafood broth provided a buttery contrast.

King fish and caviar

The third course was sauteed langoustine (type of lobster) over frisee with truffle and aged balsamic vinaigrette. The langoustine looks and tastes very much like shrimp, but the only thing I was focusing on was the massive piece of black truffle that was shaved on top. The vinaigrette also had truffle in it, so naturally that pretty much overpowered the dish. This was very good, but not the most memorable of the courses.

Langoustine

The fourth course was lobster "lasagna" with truffle butter sauce. I love lobster so of course I enjoyed this generous portion of it. This wasn't typical lasagna as it was not baked and the pasta layers were homemade and soft. The truffle butter sauce was just that - extremely truffley and buttery (starting the sense a theme?).

Lobster "lasagna"

The fifth course was more of an entree dish. The pan roasted monkfish was served on top of a perfect square of some kind of potato puree and sauteed cepes mushrooms. The server poured the lemon-paprika sauce around the edges and dotted the dish with a few pearl onions that were soaked in sherry and finished with creme fraiche. The fish had a perfect crust on the outer edge and the center was soft and flaked apart. And those onions were amazing. They were like little pockets of tang tucked away in the smokey paprika sauce.

Pan roasted monkfish

The sixth course was really the main event. A little surf and turf action in the classiest of ways. On the right was white tuna (or escolar) that was lightly grilled and topped with a soy-lemon emulsion and sticks of Asian pear. In the middle was kimchi topped with a piece of baby bok choy. On the left was seared Wagyu Kobe beef (the real authentic kind) with a homemade barbecue sauce drizzled on top.

The escolar was out of this world. It was soft inside and flaked apart, and really just melted in your mouth. The outside was so lightly and perfectly grilled, and the sauce was light and mild (finally no butter!), plus the pear added a refreshing crunch. The kimchi/bok choy was spicy and kind of random, but it added some spunk to the dish. The Wagyu Kobe beef was the most amazing piece of beef I have ever had. It was only about 1.5 sq inches, but I cut off little pieces to try and savor each bite as much as possible. Inside it was the most perfect pink and the outside was crisp and savory. I have never tasted beef so flavorful before.

White tuna and Wagyu Kobe Beef

The seventh course was the first of the two desserts. They called this a "palate cleanser" since it was cold and refreshing. It had roasted Bosc pear with vanilla ice cream and topped with Bartlett pear olive oil. There was some kind of "pear ice" as well that was very interesting.

Pear and vanilla ice cream

The eighth and final course was the maple candy dessert. There were 3 cubes of maple candy cap cremeux (French pudding) with maple and huckleberry confit. There were chocolate and caramel (I think) cubes that were fluffy and mousse-like with a strong maple flavor. There were some sort of caramel crisps stuck in the cubes that gave the dish a nice presentation. The huckleberries were tasty and a nice contrast to the rich cremuex cubes.

Maple dessert

To wrap up the meal, every table gets a little cookie plate that we rook advantage of. We also ordered cappuccinos that were so excellent, I didn't even need to add sugar to (which is quite rare).

Cookie plate

Overall, we had such a special evening. We got dressed up, were waited on hand and foot, and ate spectacular food. My takeaways from the experience are that the French really like butter, truffles, and decadence (and are not overly generous with the portion sizes), but Le Bernardin are truly the masters at preparing, handling, and cooking seafood and can really put on show.