Babette @ Parc Sovereign Hotel

Darren Wee, Radio DJ with Mediacorp's 987FM opens his second F&B concept at the 4 star Parc Sovereign Hotel. Browsing through the menu, one can easily see that the items are inspired by both French and Japanese influences. Babette is a restro-bar serving delectable food with a good selection of beers, wines and cocktails.

Grilled Octopus Salad 4/5

Dinner started with the Grilled Octopus Salad ($17). The Mediterranean octopus was braised in a Japanese sauce and served with fresh garden greens. I enjoyed that charred smokiness of the octopus that had a chewy bite in a good way. It is a good dish but I had a better one at MooseHead Kitchen.

Charred Cauliflower 3.5/5

The Charred Cauliflower ($8) served with yuzu veloute was really quite interesting. The used of the fried ginger pairing with the cauliflower gave it a familar homecooked touch that something my mum will cook at home.

Roasted Avocado 3.8/5

Something different for a change is the Roasted Avocado ($12) with aburi salmon and diced tomatoes. I like the concept, execution and the different play of taste and texture. However I thought the aburi salmon was hardly noticeable.

Steak and Foie Gras Donburi 4.2/5

A highlight at Babette is their donburi. The Steak and Foie Gras Donburi ($28) comes with marbled cut sirloin steak paired with creamy foie gras and drizzled with the homemade Babette sauce. I doubt I have seen this served elsewhere and its really value for money. The steak was really tender and flavourful. However I thought adding a onsen egg to the bowl would be even more perfect.

Duck Confit Donburi 4/5

The other donburi dish on the menu is the Duck Confit Donburi ($28) that comes with a crispy duck leg confit pan seared and served with homemade pickles and drizzled with their special sauce. The duck leg confit was fork tender and I like the pickles that help to cut through the greasiness.

Confit Salmon and Soba 3.5/5

If you don't feel like having rice, there is the Confit Salmon and Soba ($17) served on a bed of soba noodles with tamago. I enjoyed the slurping good soba noodles but I thought the salmon looked kind of pathetic.

Matcha Lava Cake 4.2/5

The finale at Babette has to be the Matcha Lava Cake ($12) to wrap the dinner on sweet note. This is the most instagram photo at Babette. The green tea infused white chocolate fondant is served with vanilla ice cream drizzled with premium azuki red bean. I am not a dessert person but I definitely gone back for more of it. While some felt that it is lacking the matcha flavour, it did not bother me as I enjoyed it.


Babette
Parc Sovereign Hotel
165 Tyrwhitt Road
#01-03
Singapore 207569
Tel: +65 63417727
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BabetteSG
Website: http://www.babette.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Lavender (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 11pm

Directions:
1) Alight at Lavender MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to V Hotel Lavender. Walk down to the end of Horne Road. Turn right onto Tyrwitt Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

Grub Noodle Bar @ Rangoon Road

Following the success of Grub at Bishan Park and Fix Cafe at HomeTeamNS, the folks from Cookyn Inc opens their third F&B concept, Grub Noodle Bar at Rangoon Road. They have renovated and converted their previous cooking studio into a supper bar servicing  beef noodles, assam laksa, delightful appetisers and craft beers.

Kang Kong Salad 4.2/5

The wife and me enjoyed the Kang Kong Salad ($7) very much. Tossed in a Nonya achar and house dressing, this interpretation of the achar was crunchy goodness that we can never have enough of it.

Baby Cuttlefish 3/5

What is a bar without bar snack or food right? The Baby Cuttlefish ($9) was deep fried to a delightful crisp with basil pesto mayo. While I enjoyed the crispiness and the hint of Indian spice, I thought the batter was a bit thick for the size of the cuttlefish.

Soft Shell Crab 3/5

The Soft Shell Crab ($13) is another delightful deep fried snack with mayo and house seasoning. I thought a little bit more of the mayo and seasoning would be better.

Chicken Drumlets 3.5/5

The other enjoyable deep fried food on the menu is the Chicken Drumlets ($9). It is coated with curry leaves, garlic and sesame seeds. The crunchy bites and the palatable seasoning made it finger licking good.

Weihenstephan Hefeweissbier Dunkel 4.2/5

With all the deep fried snacks, it is best to go with a bottle of beer. Grub Noodle Bar offers a selection of Belgium and German craft beers. I had the Weihenstephan Hefeweissbier Dunkel ($14) which was light, sweet and fruity. It is quite easy to drink and goes well with the deep fried snacks.

Hokkaido Scallop Tataki 4.5/5

Not to be missed at Grub Noodle Bar is the seafood appetisers. Their seafood are freshly supplied from the seafood supplier just a couple of door steps away. The Hokkaido Scallop Tataki ($15) was mind blowing with its well balanced execution to showcase the sweetness of the fresh scallop. The scallop was lightly torched with mustard glaze and mandarin orange segments.

Venus Clams 4.2/5

You can't really go wrong with fresh clams, the Venus Clams ($13) sauteed with beer, toasted ginger and lemongrass broth was plump and sweet. I could not really taste the lemongrass but the freshness of the clams were already as good as its own. Hence I am not complaining.

Live Tiger Prawns 4.5/5

How come you peeled the prawn so fast, asked one of the diners? This is because the Live Tiger Prawns ($15) was fresh and the shell simply comes off the flesh with ease. The tiger prawns were steamed in sake, garlic and ginger glaze. The execution once again highlighted the freshness of the seafood, allowing the nature sweetness to be the star.

Beef Noodles

The Beef Noodles ($12 to $19) is the signature item at Grub Noodle Bar. The noodle bar serves only the dry version that comes with fresh egg noodles in house sauce, 100% beef meatballs, minced beef, mushroom stew and a bowl of beef broth with a choice of beef slice. There are 4 types of beef slice choices namely Pasture-Fed Brisket, Pasture-Fed Rump, 100% Hormone and Antibiotic free 150-day Grainfed Angus Sirloin and 100% Hormone and Antibiotic free 150-day Grainfed Angus Ribeye.

There is also free flow serving of homemade Chinchalok. This is to die for. It was so good that I poured the whole thing into my bowl of noodle.

Beef Noodle 4.5/5

The Beef Noodle served at Grub Noodle Bar is not your typical or classic beef noodle that you get elsewhere. The egg noodle texture is quite similar to those Chinese ramen noodle with a delectable bite. What made this a good bowl of noodle is the slurping good in house sauce. I even added the chinchalok into the bowl of noodles to give it a more spicy kick and lift in flavour.

Beef Broth with Beef Slices 4.2/5

I felt that the beef noodle is quite value for money. Besides the bowl of noodles, it also comes with a huge bowl of beef broth with a choice of beef slices. Among the 4 choices of Pasture-Fed Brisket, Pasture-Fed Rump, 100% Hormone and Antibiotic free 150-day Grainfed Angus Sirloin and 100% Hormone and Antibiotic free 150-day Grainfed Angus Ribeye, my favourite is the ribeye which is really soft and tender. While I find the beef broth on the sweet side, I think it will be well received by the younger crowd.

Assam Laksa 4.2/5

Due to diet restriction, some of us may not take beef. In this case, I would recommend the Assam Laksa ($13) with prawns, fresh cucumber, pineapple chinks and fish gravy. This is surprisingly good. The broth was really robust that is packed with the flavours for a good bowl of assam laksa.

Grub Noodle Bar will be opened from 16 October 2014 from 7pm to 12 midnight. After trying out the menu, I am confident this will be the next supper hot place if they can continue with the quality and consistent.


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Grub Noodle Bar
221 Rangoon Road
Singapore 218459
Tel: +65 63415341
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GRUBNoodleBar
Nearest MRT: Farrer Park (NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 7pm - 1230am

Direction:
1) Alight at Farrer Park MRT station. Take Exit B. Turn left and walk to traffic junction. Cross the road to Rangoon Road. Walk down to the end of Rangoon Road. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]