Ash & Char @ McCallum Street - New Menu with 1-For-1 Steak Promotion

Enjoying a double frontage, Ash & Char is a gastro-bar that could be easily spotted the moment you step onto the bustling streets of McCallum Street and Telok Ayer Street. With a new focus on char-grilled steaks, Ash & Char aims to be the place to serve you good quality steaks at affordable prices.

Waygu Ribeye MB4 4.2/5

The new steaks-focus menu will feature 3 main cuts - NY Striploin, Ribeye and Tenderloin. Inspired by Chef's recent trip to Tokyo, what's unique about this new concept is that you could order your steak by weight, with a minimum order of 200 grams, priced in the range of 9-14cent per gram. There will be a choice of seasonal special cut every week, as well as seasonal special add-on such as Boston Lobster or King Prawn. Sides such as broccoli, scallops, foie gras or fries are available to make your meal even more wholesome. Mine was a Waygu Ribeye MB4, with add-on foie gras. It was juicy and flavourful, especially so when i dressed it over with a bit of the garlic soy sauce provided. There's wasabi too if you want some extra kick.

Signature Char Siew 4/5

Other than mains, small plates are available for sharing, such as Signature Char Siew ($14.00). Great portion for sharing. The charred fats melted easily in my mouth, releasing any flavours that it held within. The meat has yet achieved the melt-in-your-mouth texture but I would say the satisfaction level was there.

Brownie Ala Mode 4.5/5

What's good on the hotplate is not just the steak but its sinfully delicious Brownie Ala Mode ($8). A rather peculiar sauce was created for this brownie - Miso Caramel. The umami taste wasn't that distinct till it flowed onto the sizzling hotplate and became thick and sticky. Like soy sauce at the side of claypot, it lent a savoury depth to the sweet chocolate brownie and chocolate sauce. Temperate, texture, taste were all well thought-out, down to the premium vanilla ice cream from New Zealand.

Do keep a look out for their new menu. Prelude to their new menu, Ash & Char is going to launch a 1 for 1 steak promotion for dinner this July. Choose from pasture fed ribeye (220g) at $35++ & Black Angus tenderloin (180g), both priced at $35.00++ each.

Words and photos by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Ash & Char
21 McCallum Street
Singapore 069047
Tel: +65 91328880
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Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 1130am - 11pm
Fri: 1130am - 12midnight

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Turn left and walk to junction of Telok Ayer Street and McCallum Street. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Birds Of A Feather @ Amoy Street - Spreading Its Wing With An Expanded Menu

Since the opening of Birds Of A Feather in October last year, the cafe/restaurant has been delighting customers with their Sichuan inspired dishes. Coming 6 April 2017, it will be spreading its wings with an expanded menu.

Pig Ear Mosaic 4.5/5

One of the new dishes is the Pig Ear Mosaic ($18). The crunchy pig ear is braised in Sichuan braising liquid and served cold with housemade Sichuan red and sour dressing and arrowroot noodle. Its definitely not for the faint hearted with a low tolerant of spicy food. On the hand, the cold and spicy combination has a refreshing finish on top of the spicy kick.

Baby Octopus 4/5

Inspired from the white pork with garlic sauce, the Baby Octopus ($18) is blanched and served in classic Sichuan white garlic sauce. It is paired with refreshing pickled black fungus and Japanese cucumber for an extra crunch.

Kawa Ebi Swim in The Chillies 4.5/5

Taking inspiration from their popular La Zhi Ji or Find the Chicken in the Chilli dish, it has created the version 2 substituting the chicken with deep fried river shrimp. The Kawa Ebi Swim in The Chillies ($17) is stir fried with Sichuan pepper, dried chilli, garlic, leek and dou ban jiang. The shrimp seemed to come alive with its crispiness, jumping inside the mouth. I find it very addictive.

Xiang Su Duck 3.5/5

Serving the duck in two ways is the Xiang Su Duck ($30) which comes with seared braised duck breast and duck leg confit. It is paired with roasted potato puree, Sichuan pickled vegetables, Tian Mian duck jus. A cup of white ginger and pear tea is also served with the dish, a nice little touch to wash down the greasiness. This is only for dinner only.

Salmon 2 Ways 3.8/5

Another new dinner item is the Salmon 2 Ways ($23). It made a grand entry with a dry ice cloud. The dish may look simple but it made up of many different components. On the left is the salmon tartare served with apple granite with a hint of fresh Sichuan pepper and topped with ikura. I applauded the use of apple granite to give it a refreshing touch. Giving it a contrasting experience of the same ingredient is the cured confit salmon on the right. It is paired with Japanese sweet potatoes, lychee, and roasted bell pepper coulis. I actually did not find the components of the cured confit salmon coming together as a dish but individual they were good.

Hong Shao Beef Ragout Orecchiette 3.5/5

You would get your normal Italian pasta dishes here such as the Hong Shao Beef Ragout Orecchiette ($26) which comprises of Sichuan style braised beef short ribs, Parmesan foam, spinach, black fungus, pine nut and egg confit. The beef ragout is painstakingly cooked via the traditional Chinese way of marinating the beef with dou ban jiang, chilli, salt, and spices for 3-4 hours and then braised for another 3-4 hours resulting in a flavourful end product that can easily paired with any pasta.

Big Bird 1st 3.5/5

For the brunch menu, there are also a few new addition. One of them is Big Bird 1st ($25) which is like your big breakfast. It consists of 2 poached egg resting on Englsh muffin, dressed in Mala hollandaise sauce, bacon, sausage and salad. This is a hearty plate but I would like to have more heat in the hollandaise sauce to get that mala kick.

Bird's Skillet 4/5

The other brunch item on the menu is the Bird's Skillet ($23) which is vibrantly presented. The colorful dish comprises of spicy chorizo, bacon, roasted baby potato, camembert, cheddar, two eggs and pickled red chilli tomato sauce. A dish with multi experience in terms of flavours and textures.

MonoTone 4/5

Moving on to the desserts, a new creation is the MonoTone ($15). Sesame lovers will adore the dish which represents a sea bed with the black sesame coulis and coral sponge, white sesame parfait and oil powder, sesame sable, light coconut mousse. A satisfying and light dessert to round off the meal.

GWC (GoodWoodCoffee) Coffee Dessert 4/5

Using their own blend of coffee from China is the GWC (GoodWoodCoffee) Coffee Dessert ($15). The coffee brownies is topped with Tahitian vanilla Chantilly with a candy cloud surrounding it. On the base is coffee soil. A shot of espresso is poured onto the brownie for a bittersweet appreciation. Definitely one for the caffeine lover.

Glutinous Rice Cake (Savoury Version) 4.5/5

My favourite dessert at Birds Of A Feather has been evolved to a new savoury version. The savory version of the Fried Glutinous Rice Cake ($12) is sprinkled with spicy soy seasoning, pistachio sand, red sugar caramel and pomegranate. The combination definitely has elevated the whole experience. A must try.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Birds Of A Feather
113 Amoy Street
Singapore 069935
Tel: +65 62217449
Facebook
Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (DT Line). Tanjong Pagar (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Wed: 10am - 11pm
Thu-Sat: 10am - 12midnight
Sun: 10am - 10pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Telok Ayer MRT station. Take Exit A. Turn left and walk down Cross Street towards Amoy Street. Turn left onto Amoy Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2)  Alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take Exit G. Follow the covered walkway to the junction of Mccallum Street, Telok Ayer and Amoy Street. Turn left at the junction onto Amoy Street. Continue on Amoy Street to the end of the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

Pyxiemoss @ North Canal Road - Inventive Small Plates In Adventurous Ways

Pyxiemoss is a new modern European cuisine restaurant spearheaded by Chef Tim Ross-Watson that has taken over the defunct D'Bell at North Canal Road. Pyxiemoss is derived from Pixie Moss, the only flowering moss over 12,000 species. It alludes the restaurant's aspiration to blossom and flourish in the competitive F&B industry. The cuisine here offers a flair of British with Asian influenced, using both traditional and modern cooking techniques to transform simple daily ingredients into novel dishes.

Pigaroon 3/5

The restaurant is kind enough to give a glimpse of the bar snacks offering which are only available after 10pm. We tried both the Pigaroon ($3) and Carrot Dog ($5/pc). The pigaroon is interestingly presented in a flower pot. What is on the plate is actually ethereal beetroot macaron swirl paired with pickledpig skin with cream cheese encased in pork belly and smoked bacon on a stick.

Carrot Dog 4/5

Carrot Dog sounds like a weird dish but the vegetarian interpretation of the hot dog actually works. The char grilled baby carrot is sandwiched between the soft and pillowy focaccia, and topped with achar and curry leaves. The whole combination of sweet and sour worked harmoniously for a delightful bite.

Seaviche 3.5/5

The Seaviche ($8) is an interesting twist substituting raw seafood with fresh sea coconut. Give the dish a good toss and have it together with the hickory-smoked corn chips. Even with the squeeze of the lime, I still find it lacked the punch that you get from the traditional ceviche, missing that strong tangy and spicy burst of flavours.

The Tribbiani 4.5/5

One of my favourite dish at the new Pyxiemoss is The Tribbiani ($15). The yellow dome shape thing on the plate is actually duck liver mousse. The silky and creamy duck liver mousse is paired with crunchy focaccia chips and pedro ximenez soaked medjool date jam. A luscious dish which is truly an indulgent.

Cofflee Lox 4.2/5

A light and refreshing dish on the menu is the Cofflee Lox ($18). The thinly sliced Norwegian salmon is cured using upcycled coffee grinds. This is perfectly matched with fresh chervil, cucumber, refreshing green apple sorbet and freeze dried grapefruit for acidity. A well thought and balanced dish.

Rad-ish 4/5

This may sounds simple but the Rad-ish ($8) is actually braised thrice before serving to the table. It is first braised in salt water, then miso water and lastly onion broth to expel its bitterness. A robust onion consomme is pour over the radish wheel at table which is topped with yuzu miso and pickled red radish. You can choose to have chopped wagyu beef for an additional $4.

Not Just The Tip 4.8/5

A dish that I never thought I would enjoy is Not Just The Tip ($14). A smart dish which makes use every part of the celery, not just the tip. A rift on the Waldorf salad, the dish uses the root, leaves, stem and the tip of the celery for different textural enjoyment of the whole celery. It is further paried with barley risotto, green apple, candied walnuts and stilton cheese to bring the dish together.

Mother's Lamb 4.2/5

The Mother's Lamb ($18) demonstrates Chef Tim's bold approach to food, upcycling usually-discarded parts of select produce. On the plate, is tandoor oven cooked lamb hearts and neck, with two sinful slabs of lamb bacon. The touch of having carbonated green and purple champagne grapes is very thoughtful, which helps to cut through the richness perfectly.

Pina Colada 4.2/5

Ending the meal on a sweet note, we have the Pina Colada ($10) and Snickerz ($10). The Pina Colada is a deconstructed rendition of the popular cocoktail's key ingredients. In the bowl, the components consider of fermented young coconut cake, coconut granola, salted coconut cream, compressed pineapples in extra virgin olive and a creamy caramelised pineapple ice cream. A light and refreshing dessert that suit my palate.

Snickerz 3/5

The other dessert, Snickerz ($10) is a rich and heavy glutinous rice brownie which comes with pavlova-like salted gula melaka cream . It is both chocolatey and chewy. I did not quite like the texture of the brownie. However the nuggets of caramelised peanuts rolled in homemade Snickers-inspired powder got my attention.

Overall, I have enjoyed my dining experience at Pyxiemoss. I find Chef Tim has brought something fresh to the table. You never know, the pixie moss may actually blossom and flourish into one of the best new restaurants this year.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


Pyxiemoss 
43 North Canal Road
Singapore 059299
Tel: +65 65322171
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 5pm - 12midnight
(Closed on Sun)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Clarke Quay MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards the traffic junction of North Bridge Road and North Canal Road. Cross the road and turn right onto North Canal Road. Walk along the shophouses to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

O'ma Spoon Korean Dessert Cafe @ 313 Somerset

Started with the first outlet at Marina Square in March 2015, O'ma Korean Dessert Cafe soon opened its second outlet in June 2015 at 313 Somerset. The current Bingsu craze has seen many of such cafe opened around the island. My favourite has been Nunsongyee and I am wondering how O'ma Spoon compares to it.

Green Tea Bingsu 4.5/5

After browsing through the menu, we ordered the Green Tea Bingsu ($13.90) to start with. The finely shaved, snow like bingsu generously topped with ice cream, green beans, cashew nuts, almond and green tea powder. For a full enjoyment of the milk flavoured bingsu ice, green tea powder is layered underneath the pile of shaved ice to give a consistent enjoyment from the top to bottom.

Chocolate Brownie Bingsu 3.5/5

Even more majestic than the green tea bingsu is the Chocolate Brownie Bingsu ($18.90). Topped with chocolate ice cream, brownie, whipped cream, almond, cashew nuts, oreo cookies crumble, banana and drizzled with chocolate sauce, this was unfortunately not as sweet as it looks. It pales in taste and sweetness compared to the green tea bingsu.

Chocolate Strawberry Honey Butter Bread 3/5

A signature at O'ma Spoon is the 2 inch oven baked thick toast directly imported from Korean. The Chocolate Strawberry Honey Butter Bread ($14.90) is covered with butter and Korean honey, slathered with nutella and topped with strawberries and vanilla ice cream. To be frank, I think my palate was more distracted by the butter and honey, instead of the chocolate and strawberries.

Injeolmi Cheese Toast 3/5

Next we have the Injeomli Cheese Toast ($9.90) that has chewy injeolmi rice cakes sandwiched two lightly toasted bread. I have tasted more chewy injeolmi toast so would have preferred more of it as well as the kinako.

O'ma Spoon did come in close to my favourite bingsu from Nunsongyee. It currently is probably my second choice for bingsu until I find another to dethrone it. Bingsu huge servicing is usually good for 2-3 pax but at O'ma Spoon it has the unique Petite Bingsu that is good for one.


O'ma Spoon Korean Dessert Cafe
313 @ Somerset
313 Orchard Road
#04-20/32
Singapore 238895
Tel: +65 63330995
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Sun-Thu: 1130am - 10pm
Fri-Sat: 1130am - 12midnight

Direction:
1) Alight at Somerset MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Copper Chimney @ Syed Alwi Road (Little India)

Many of you may not be foreign to Copper Chimney which has been around for 10 years at Syed Alwi Road, Little India. The restaurant recently has gotten a fresh new interior and revamped its menu offering Chinese Indian and North Indian cuisine under the new leadership of CEO Vikram Natarajan, who took over the reins two and a half years ago.

Salt and Pepper Babycorn (Dry) 4.2/5

Dinner at Copper Chimney started with some light bites. The first dish, Salt and Pepper Babycorn, Dry ($9) already got me excited and looking forward to find out more about Chinese Indian or Chindian cuisine. The babycorn is lightly battered, fried to a crunchy bite. It is then stir fried in garlic, peppers, and soya sauce. The taste is very similar to XO sauce. This is an addictive dish.

Chilli Paneer (Dry) 4/5

When the Chilli Paneer, Dry ($10.50) was served, the first instant that came to our mind is chai tow kway. The cottage cheese cubes coated with the chilli sauce is another delectable bite which I can find a familiar taste to Chinese cooking.

Malai Chicken Tikka 4.2/5

Next we had the Malai Chicken Tikka ($12) which impressed us with the well marinated and tender inner fillet of the poultry. The owner shared with us the importance of the marination and the used of hung yogurt, garlic and ginger etc for the flavourful chicken.

Szechwan Fried Rice 3.5/5

Szechwan Noodles 3/5

The owner shared with us that he has grown up with Chindian cuisine and the popularity of it, usually in the form of street food vendors have spread to even metro cities like Mumbai. Copper Chimney probably is the only India restaurant in Singapore offering Chindian cuisine. We tried the Szechwan Fried Rice ($11) and Szechwan Noodles ($11) on the menu. Yes it is spelled as Szechwan not Szechuan. I definitely can taste the similarity of the dishes to Chinese cuisine. However compared to Chinese cuisine I think it is still lacking that wok hei aroma. The spicy level can also up a notch since the dishes are named after the state in China known for its hot and spicy dishes. Nevertheless, both are still hearty dishes, especially using basmati rice's long grain for fried rice.

Gobi Manchurian (Wet) 4/5

Gobi Manchurian, Wet ($9) is another Chindian dish that adopts the Chinese cooking technique and seasonings. The lightly battered cauliflower is fried to a crunchy bite. We went for the wet version as the Indians like to eat the rice with the gravy. There is also the dry version if you want to try.

Veg Jaipuri 4.2/5

I simply adore this rich and creamy Vegetable Jaipri ($10) with an array of vegetables. This vegetarian dish is so addictive that I kept going back for more.

Mutton Roqanjosh 4/5

Butter Chicken 4.5/5

The next two dishes, Mutton Roqanjosh ($12) and Butter Chicken ($11.50) are best to eat with some Rumali and Naan. The mutton is cooked to a nice beautiful fork tender while the spices infused gravy is just too good not to wipe them clean with the Rumali and Naan. The butter chicken was also outstanding. It was not overly sweet. The smooth and creamy gravy with the tender chicken has a perfect match made in heaven..

Lychee Kulfi 4.8/5

If you have the chance to visit Copper Chimney, I would recommend you to have the Lychee Kulfi ($7). The frozen dairy dessert infused with Lychee, tasted just like ice cream, is so refreshing. They have other flavours such as Pistachio and Rose too.

Sizzling Brownie & Ice Cream 3/5

The Sizzling Brownie and Ice Cream ($7.50) definitely caught a lot of attention when the chocolate syrup is poured over the brownie filling the whole restaurant with the beautiful chocolate aroma. The restaurant even got a few orders from the other guests after seeing what we had.

Overall I find the Northern Indian food at Copper Chimney is outstanding. The Chindian cuisine adds an interesting offering to the menu. I personally felt some of the Chindian dishes need bit more fine tuningto win the palate of the Chinese.

Copper Chimney

100 Syed Alwi Road

Singapore 207676

Tel: +65 62948891

Facebook

Website

Nearest MRT: Farrer Park (NE Line)

Opening Hours:

Sun-Thur: 1130am - 12midnight

Fri-Sat: 1130am - 1am

Direction: 

1) Alight at Farrer Park MRT station. Take Exit H. Walk to the traffic junction of Kitchener Road, Rangoon Road and Serangoon Road. Cross the road and walk down Serangoon Road towards Mustafa. Turn left onto Syed Alwi Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]