Hungry Ghost

I love cocktails but most of my girlfriends don’t drink so I have not had the chance to explore any cocktail bars in Singapore. A date recently brought me to Smoke & Mirrors, a cocktail bar with magnificent view.  Smoke & Mirrors is housed on level 6 of the National Gallery Singapore, one of the most iconic buildings in Singapore. Come in the evening for a sparkling panoramic view of Singapore’s skyline.  There is no physical menu, scan the QR code provides to access the   menu . The Real Art of Drinking is Smoke & Mirrors’s latest cocktail menu. This menu features a series of beautifully blended flavors and spirits, with complex layers coming together like brush strokes. This is one of the cocktails from the   Real Art of Drinking menu , Flowers In The Afternoon. This cocktail is a blend of whiskey, herb liquor, honey, chamomile, citrus and pineapple. It is smooth and refreshing with hints of pineapple and citrus. Besides cocktails and drinks, Smoke...

  I have heard so much about Ikkousha Ramen (CHIJMES) but I never got the chance to try it out until now. Ikkousha Ramen specializes in tonkotsu ramen which is a speciality of Hakata, Fukuoka. You can find the full menu   here . This is Ikkousha Ramen’s signature   Tonkotsu Special   [S$17/S$16]. Thin noodles accompany thick creamy pork bone broth made by boiling pork bones over many hours. This bowl has all the ingredients - pork cha-shu, flavored egg, fungus and spring onions. The pork broth is not quite as thick as   Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King, but the creamy broth fills my stomach and warms me up.  Bonito Ramen   [S$14.50/S$13.50] is a speciality ramen here. The broth is a combination of chicken, bonito and tonkotsu which gives it a distinct flavor. The thin noodles are accompanied by pork cha-shu,  bamboo shoots, seaweed and spring onions.  Hakata Speciality Hitokuchi Gyoza   [S$5.80/5 pieces] is another speciality of this restaura...

A friend, who happens to be a lecturer at ITE College West, invited me to dinner at Amber West.  Amber West is ITE’s School of Hospitality fine-dining training restaurant where students put what they have learnt into practice. Students run the restaurant with guidance from their lecturers. The restaurant is open to the public, but you need to make a reservation in advance.   The carpeted floors, white linen tablecloths, artfully folded  napkins and brown armchairs gives the restaurant a posh feel. It really does feel like a fine-dining restaurant.  This is Amber West’s dinner set menu. Ironically, both the 3-course and 4-course set dinner are both S$25. We decided to go with the 4-course set dinner which includes an appetizer, soup, main and dessert. The student-concocted Mocktail of the Day was Sparkling Tart Cherry Mocktail. This refreshing mocktail was made of cherry juice, orange juice and lime juice. I like the sourness of the mocktail which cleanses my pal...

CLOVE, the all-day dining buffet restaurant on level 2 of Swissotel The Stamford has been revamped into a casual western restaurant that specializes in burgers and shakers.  The transformation into a fast food restaurant is understandable given the current Covid-19 pandemic situation globally which makes the resumption of buffets highly unlikely in the near future.  The buffet counters have now been converted into open kitchen concept where you can see the chef preparing the meals. The dining area has retained the open-concept design but why is there a cow in the middle of the restaurant?  CLOVE’s menu   reminds me of Shake Shack with the same burgers, thick shakes and concretes. Double Up   [S$26] is CLOVE’s signature burger. This monster of a burger uses angus patties from Stanbroke,  pickled onions and chilli, cheddar cheese, bacon jam and parmesan aioli.    I personally feel that the beef patties are a little dry but the symphony of flavors fr...