By The Fire @ East Coast Road

Alibabar the Hawker Bar at the junction of East Coast Road and Joo Chiat Road seems to be a prosperity ground for any hawker start up with the likes of Aston and Saveur, which move on to opening their own restaurants and branches. The latest tenant is By the Fire, opened by Immanuel Tee by started Immanuel French Kitchen at Bukit Merah and his partner Alexander Chong who helmed the kitchen at By The Fire.

Little Squid 4.2/5

The Little Squid ($9.90) comes with Thai sweet dipping sauce, is a good starter to go with a bottle of beer. The lightly battered squid is deep fried to a crisp exterior while the inside is still tender. Very enjoyable and addictive.

Scotch Egg 4.5/5

The Scotch Egg ($6.90) is not a common item on most restaurant menu and I am glad By The Fire decides to serve this. The breaded minced pork with soft boiled egg and purple cabbage coleslaw is not only beautiful on the plate but palate too. I have tried a couple of scotch egg elsewhere but nothing beats this, especially the well marinated minced pork.

Keystone's Seaweed Pasta 3.8/5

A popular dish at By The Fire is the Keystone's Seaweed Pasta ($8.90). Top mark for the concept using angel hair pasta cooked in aglio olio style, shio kombu and sakura ebi. Although the dish came across a bit too salty, I can tell this is a very good dish with the rich and complex flavours that worked harmoniously.

Grilled Pork Cheek 3.5/5

It was a hate and love affair with the Grilled Pork Cheek ($15.90). The grilled pork cheek confit glazed with Japanese curry oil, served with potato and pumpkin salad literally melted in the mouth. However, it came across too oily.

BBQ Pork Ribs 4/5

It felt like I was have a Sunday BBQ with the BBQ Pork Ribs ($14.90) served with macaroni and cheese. The grilled pork ribs glazed with home secret BBQ sauced has a nice smokey flavour on top of the sweet BBQ sauce. Just need to get your hands dirty with the fork tender ribs. It will be finger licking good.

Squid Ink Pasta 4/5

For the price and portion, I think the Squid Ink Pasta ($12.90) is quite value for money. The spaghetti pasta cooked in squid ink cream sauce, served with grilled scallops, spring onions and bonito flakes will be a delightful slurping goodness for the hungry stomach.

Grilled Hangar Steak 4/5

Last but not least the Grilled Hangar Steak ($19) is cooked perfectly to medium rare. The charred onglet steak (200gram) is served with brown sauce, shallot confit and crispy potato. As the hangar steak is quite tough, I would say this is cooked to a nice tender bite.

Overall, By The Fire serves up some delicious and affordable dishes that is comparable to restaurant quality. It is definitely a place I will not mind going back again.


By The Fire
Alibabar the Hawker Bar
125 East Coast Road
Singapore 428810
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Nearest MRT: Dakota (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 1030pm
Sat-Sin: 12pm - 4pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Dakota MRT station. Take exit A. Walk to bus stop at Blk 99 Old Airport Road (Stop ID 81181). Take Bus 10 or 32. Alight 6 stops later opposite Roxy Square. Walk to the junction of East Coast Road and Joo Chiat Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 15 minutes.[Map]

Sopra Cucina & Bar @ Claymore Road (Orchard Road)

Located just of the main stretch of Orchard Road directly behind Palais Renaissance is Sopra Cucina & Bar that offers the unique Sardinian cuisine from the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, together with great pizzas, wines and cocktails. Sopra has recently revamped their menu and also kept some of their all time favourites.

Polpo Alla Carlofortina 3/5

Dinner at Sopra to check out their new menu started with the Polpo Alla Carlofortina ($20) which is slow-cooked fresh octopus with celery, olives, pine nuts, basil and house made dressing. It felt like strolling along the beach under a light breeze, with the light and mild seasoning. The octopus is cooked to a nice bite too, not too chewy or tough.

Biscotto di Pecorino 4.5/5

Next is the Biscotto di Pecorino ($22) which is Pecorino cheese stuffed in pane carosau and drizzled with honey. Carosau is a traditional Sardinian thin flat bread that is baked to crispy. The addition of pecorino cheese and honey accentuated the whole enjoyment. Beware, this is extremely delicious.

Pizza Sopra 4/5

Everyone loves a good pizza to go along with some beers. The Pizza Sopra ($28 for 9 inch) will be a good choice. The tomato sauce based pizza topped with mozzarella, parma ham, fresh tomato, arugula and parmesan, crowns a great evening with the simplest ingredients.

Malloreddus alla Campidanese 3.8/5

The Malloreddus alla Campidanese ($25) is a traditional Sardinian semonila pasta with rosemary pork sauce. The pasta is quite similar to the gnocchi except that it is smaller in size. I still prefer gnocchi for its more doughy bite. Nevertheless, the rosemary pork sauce is the star that holds the whole dish together. To be frank, I think it goes well with any pasta.

Porcheddu Sardo 4.5/5

A highlight at Sopra is the Porcheddu Sardo ($48), traditional Sardinian suckling pig (400grams) with Mediterranean herbs and roasted potato. I was worried that suckling pig has that strong milky taste which most Singaporeans do not like. Glad to say the crackling pig skin and fall of the bone suckling pig did not have that strong milky taste.

Panna Cotta 3.5/5

For dessert to wrap  up the night, we had the classic combination of Panna Cotta ($10) with mixed berry compote and Tiramisu ($10) with layers of coffee soaked sponge and mascarpone sabayon. Decently good dessert for a sweet note to the evening.

Tiramisu 3.5/5

If you have limited space after the delicious meal, the Cannoli ($10) will be a good choice to end the evening. The traditional pastry filled with ricotta, chocolate and candied orange provides a more multi-dimensional enjoyment in taste and texture after a satisfying meal at Sopra.

Cannoli 4/5

The beauty of Sopra is that it is hidden away from the main street, giving it seclusive ambience for one to enjoy a meal or chill out with friends.


Sopra Cucina & Bar
10 Claymore Road
#01-02
Singapore 229540
Tel: +65 67373253
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Website
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon: 5pm - 1am
Tue-Sun: 11am - 1am

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk towards Wheellock Place via ION. Exit Wheellock Place and turn left towards Liat Tower. Cross the road at the traffic light junction and turn left towards Royal Thai Embassy. Walk to Palais Renaissance which is right after Royal Thai Embassy. Cut through Palais Renaissance to the other side of the building. Destination is opposite the building. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk towards Shaw House via underpass. At the road level, walk along Orchard Road towards Royal Thai Embassy direction. Walk to Palais Renaissance which is right after Royal Thai Embassy. Cut through Palais Renaissance to the other side of the building. Destination is right opposite the building. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]