Fifty Three

53 has replaced my favorite numbers of 7, 10, 19, 5 and other numbers that has some or no sexual reference. Like a ballerina swirling on my taste buds, I come to my readers a happy man.

Long have I been tortured by the mediocrity and the over priced nonsense I have been made to force feed myself to eat but all thanks for Jigga Man and B (What Up?), I was uplifted ironically during Valentine's Day. We went together for a non celebratory lunch at Fifty Three; and I was impressed.

The food was delicate, unusual, beautiful and sometimes weird (imagine the first time you ever see Salma Hayek), but the overall dining experience was one that I felt was something to talk about. We had the lunch menu and its not a typical restaurant where the stretch themselves to infinity, while making lots of dishes but specializing in none. 53 has 3 choices for appetizer, entree and dessert and that was it. I for one am not too comfortable with fine dining and the hyperbole used to describe those food items but I was rather blown away by what we ordered.

We ordered a various combination of food but in general as a table, we ordered (in order of the pictures) the following:

- Sirloin with 3 textured potatoes
- Roasted Figs with Sweet Olives
- Fillet of Fish with a piece of fried baguette
- Chicken with parsnips

Each dish was lovely on it own. Each a surprise and wonder in the mouth and I would like to say now that I would go back again before they increase their prices!

Tucked in a corner of Armenian Street, across from Singapore Management University. The owners of this restaurant have found that quality is not in quantity but the service, dedication and the honing of their culinary skills are virtues that their customers would admire.

We sat on the 2nd level of the shop house and I have to say that for such a great restaurant, having only 6 tables on that level shows why people should go back. 6 tables not because they won't have enough customers, 6 tables because the quality of the food is such that only you can replicate it, so many times.

Lunch was a steal. $45 +++ per person. Dinner is more expensive at $190 +++ per person. Their wine list, which in my opinion looks like one of the better ones in Singapore (You can't get a Parker Rated 98, Leoville Poyferre 2003 for $120 for half a bottle anywhere in Singapore)

Advise: Go before it gets too popular.

Aston's Prime

I have decided to drop some knowledge on my reader (Hi Mum!) today. Are you ready?

Astons Specialities : Is a well known local "western food," (how Singaporean term steaks, burgers fries and everything else they can't explain in a culinary sense) joint that I have, because of Pampadam Pam begun to fall in love with. Its my secret way of being in touch with my "Singaporean esque," cravings and my sometimes irreverent choices for food.

Transit of Property: Is a term that can be best explained by using the example of if x is as good as y, and y isn't as good as z therefore z is better than x. So because something is a part of another, it does not mean that it is the same.

Aston's Prime: Out of my desire to continually torture my wife with bad food, I dragged her by her hair to Aston's Prime for a quick Sunday lunch and to my surprise, or not. It was terrible. The medium rare burger I ordered turned out rare (I also didn't want the "mushroom sauce," on the burger which was understood by the server to put nothing else on the burger but a slice of cheese) and even though we were the only 2 people in the restaurant, service was non existent. The baramundi the wife ordered was fishy and the crab cake, which I believe to be from a box, was probably the only decent thing I had.

What have we learnt here today kids?

Just because Aston's Prime is from the popular chain Aston's Specialities, it doesn't mean that it serves good food.

This blog entry has been sponsored by the letters:

S, U, C and K.

Kuriya

I have blogged countless of times about the bad Japanese food situation in Singapore but I have to say that lately, I have been impressed with a chain that I have never tried until recently.

Kuriya Restaurant at Shaw Center is a place worth going. Its right up there with the "middle class," of Japanese food in Singapore. Not quite top end like Shiraishi at the Ritz, and not disgusting like Genki Sushi has become. Its what the experts call, "The Soft Spot."

With only 4 restaurants, I don't think Kuriya can be considered a chain but I just think that we share similar values. The food quality is high. Fish is fresh. They don't do alot of things like the typical Japanese fare but the few things that they do, they do it right. And I think its not ridiculous if each time you go into a restaurant, you expect good food. Fresh food. Tasty foods.

Kuriya @ Shaw Centre Shaw Centre #05-011 Scotts Road. Tel: 6735 5300Lunch: 11.30am - 2.30pm (Last Order: 2.00pm)Dinner: 6.00pm - 10.30pm (Last Order: 10.00pm)

There are several stores but I do recommend the one at Shaw Center. Its relatively quiet.

I have read differentiating opinions about this place but 2 out of 2 Doctors I know, recommend this place. So I don't think its that bad.

Kuriya. Its worth a punt.

Mimolette Restaurant

Mimolette restaurant had been the bane of my existence. I have had never been to the restaurant before and I have heard mixed reviews about how good or bad the restaurant is. To challenge myself, I decided to give it a go. Tucked in the midst of a turf club where little unicorns ride up and down the borough with ring wraiths and Lord Voldermort apparently lives in the neighborhood, the Gohs, the missus and I decided to put our lives at risk one more time, but this time did we risk too much?

Standing like the Imperial guards securing the perimeter of the Sith Lord in Star Wars, the servers stood and welcomed us. And like the Phantom Menace, the food like the movie was atrociously average. I don't understand how George Lucas continuously gets aways with making such bad movies but he does. So why in the world does Mimolette serve such atrociously average fare that really is befuddling.

A Waldorf salad with countable (less than a handful) amount of cashews was $26 a plate. My desert of apple pie was not even Luke Skywalker warm. The orders of duck confit, sea bass and (Geez, I can't even remember what I ordered because it was that forgettable but lets call it chewey) chewey was bland. The total meal cost $250 and I don't understand why Singaporeans continue to pay their valuable alliance credit, to such terrible restaurants is way beyond me.

The only saving grace to this restaurant is that if you really want to impress somebody and bring them to a corner of Singapore that is very unlike Singapore (think Death Star), and thank goodness for the company in the Millennium Falcon (think cool droids with crazy bounty hunter, a walking carpet and a death wish), the restaurant might be worth going. The furnishings make the restaurant look awesome too.

Just too bad, I can't taste the furniture.

Boba Fett Out.

Got Ice?

You can tell Zhi really really wants to eat carrots today.



The recent snow storm helps Zhi with her luke warm juice box situation.