Simpang Bedok I

This was actually my second trip to Simpang Bedok, the first was a lunch visit with D to Spize The Supperclub (uh-huh, didn’t occur to her – it’s ok I still love you D). So to make things right, we made our first official visit to Spize for a late dinner over the weekend. Therefore, the following will be a review of Spize and Badoque (where we had dessert).

For the record, Simpang Bedok is a hotspot for halal food with places like Tang Tea House [357/359 Bedok Road (Opp. Simpang Bedok Post Off) Tel: 6445 9100], Asian Fare & Grill [282, Bedok Road, Tel: 6445 9987] and Badoque among others. And those of you who are wondering where Foo House Cafe & Bar (the place with wonderful Irish-Hainanese food prev. at Jln Pari Burong in Simpang Bedok) has moved to, they are now at Tanjong Katong next to Full House (a Korean restaurant/cafe).

Without further adue, we’ve got Spize’s Chicken Shawarma ($5) [***.] in a warm tortilla wrap (there’s also the option of pita bread) served with wasabi chips. Value for money I must say. The chicken was very tender and juicy, but they could’ve cut back a little on mayonnaise. The wasabi chips were an unusual addition, but I like them because they go well with the wrap.

D had Spize’s signature Bullet Pepper Steak ($14.90) [****] pictured here. Served on a grill plate, there was mashed potato, a corn cob and vegetables accompanying the very very juicy piece of steak. Each morsel of beef oozed savoury goodness…yums. Grilled meats are definitely one of their specials as they claim. Our food was so good it didn’t matter that we were seated at a table by the road across the petrol station. Spize actually has a front and back seating area, but we were out front because we wanted to avoid the human congestion out back.

Our next stop after our leisurely post-dinner walk around Simpang Bedok was Badoque for dessert. With celebrity chef, Rizal, who writes for Berita Minggu fortnightly at the helm, we wanted to get a taste of their desserts (I’d like to try their tapas & main courses another time).

They close around 11 pm on saturday nights, so we were pretty lucky dessert was still on the cards when we got there around 10 plus. We ordered their Ice-cream and Cakes Sundae ($8.50) [***] - a sweet combination of 3 scoops of ice-cream and 3 cakes – to share. All in all there was a summer berry topping, raspberry ripple, caramel, strawberry, marquise cake, oreo cake and chocolate banana cake. As a whole, what we selected complemented each other, but when I tasted each individually I wasn’t impressed. It seemed that their ice-cream wasn’t made in-house (perhaps I’m wrong but it’s taste suggested otherwise), while their cakes were at best fairly good. Therefore, I thought it was smart of them to offer a mix & match.

/all prices stated above are nett (no service charge & GST)

The I-wanna-know[s]:
Taste – refer to individual ratings above
Price – $ to $$
Service – 6/10
Ambience – 6/10
Accessibility – 6/10

Legend:
[$]-cheap like peanuts: ($10 & below/person)
[$$]-average Jane ($15-$25/person)
[$$$]-you might wanna tke tht card out..($30-$60/person)
[$$$$]-extremely exorbitant ($70 & above/person)
[* to *****] – rating(s) for individual dishes

Tel: +65 6445 3211 (Spize) | +65 6446 6928 (Badoque)

Website: http://spizeconcepts.com | Badoque’s Facebook Page

Address:
(Spize The Supperclub) 336 Bedok Road, Singapore 469512
(Badoque) 298 Bedok Rd – behind Shop & Save

Opening hours:
(Spize) – Weekdays: 2pm – 4am | Weekends: 2pm – 4.30pm
(Badoque) – to be confirmed

Dress code: Casual

Nearest MRT: Tanah Merah

Buses: 9, 10, 2…

OrganiCafeXperience

My friend S brought me to OrganiCafeXperience on friday night for a nice organic dinner. I must admit that I had reservations about how tasty organic food could be, but this place pretty much dispelled them. Helmed by Chef Colin (previously from Hotel Phoenix), OrganiCafeXperience prides themselves in serving up thoroughly healthy fare with 100% fresh organic condiments. Located on the ground floor of Novena Square’s Velocity (in a corner next to MOS Burger), seating capacity ia about 20-ish. They have an interesting selection for their set meals ($17.90). But I only had eyes for the Seafood Aglio Olio ($13.90) [****] which was highly recommended by S. It’s common knowledge among my friends that aglio olio is my ultimate pasta favourite. I love it in any form, purist or not.

These are the main criteria to pass my aglio olio taste test:
1) how well the pasta is done al dente
2) quantity & quality of olive oil
3) combination of ingredients

I’ve had my fair share of sloppy aglio olio, so I’m rather stringent with compliments. Spagheddies serves a great chicken primavera and a decent bacon & ham aglio olio, Food Addict Cafe has one that’s cheap and relatively good, My Secret Garden has an abundance of succulent seafood, and Basil Alcove’s was passable. Before Turquoise Room closed their shutters, they were 1 of my favourites…now, I’ve added Organicafe’s to my list.

Spruced with alfafa sprouts, this aglio olio on the left has ample portions of prawns, mussels, scallops, mushroom, and even ham guaranteed to leave you satisfied. The spaghetti was good on its own with the right al dente texture, there was adequate olive oil, and the overall combination was harmonious.

Thereafter, we shared a wonderful Raspberry Yoghurt with very healthy (presumably organic) ingredients – plum & green apple slices, sunflower seeds, strawberries, raspberries and raisins atop a very light plain yoghurt. Mmmm….

Organic food isn’t ‘just vegetarian’, ‘plain’, or ‘oatmeal & wheat grains’…In fact, there’s meat and many others that our tastebuds are accustomed to. Next time you’re thinking of having a healthy meal, check out OrganiCafeXperience which has 3 outlets (Tampines, Novena & a third which I can’t recall) and let me know your impression! In the meantime, I intend to try their set meal on my next visit…

The I-wanna-know[s]:

Taste – 8/10
Price – $$
Service – 7/10
Ambience – 6/10
Accessibility – 8/10

Legend:
[$]-cheap like peanuts: ($10 & below/person)
[$$]-average Jane ($15-$25/person)
[$$$]-you might wanna tke tht card out..($30-$60/person)
[$$$$]-extremely exorbitant ($70 & above/person)
[* to *****] – rating(s) for individual dishes

Address:
238 Thomson Road
#01-53 Velocity, Novena Square

Tel: +65 6352 7837

Opening hours:
11am – 9.30 pm (last order) daily

Dress code: Casual

Nearest MRT: Novena

Buses: 21, 131, 56, 57, 166, 980, 54…

Halia Restaurant

Last night, I went to Halia Restaurant in the scenic Botanic Gardens for my birthday dinner with the boyfriend. Halia (which means ginger in malay) is a 7-year old restaurant located within the Ginger Garden. Nestled in the heart of lush foliage, Halia’s alfresco area was an idyllic spot for a romantic dinner. With fans overhead and ample greenery, heat and humidity were successfully kept at bay. From the moment we were greeted till the moment we left, we received wonderful service from Halia’s staff – they were friendly and attentive to our needs throughout dinner.

We were recommended Halia’s signature Crisp Black Pepper Soft Shell Crab ($18) [****.], and I was eager to try it after hearing so much about it. This dish was paired with wasabi mayonnaise (decorated here on the plate), and their staff are prompt in offering you more wasabi mayo. In fact, the waitress who attended to us was insistent on it, and for good reason too – it tasted lip-smackingly good. The wasabi taste wasn’t overpowering, and the mayo balanced out the slight spicyness of the black pepper.

Our main courses were up next and my boyfriend had the 200-day grain fed Ribeye Steak ($45) [****.] which was served with french beans, potato and brown mushrooms on the side as pictured here (the cut’s a tad bigger than it looks here). He paired with Halia’s house Cabernet Sauvignon. I pinched a morsel of steak from him and it was juicy. The texture of the meat was consistent in its tenderness, with slightly above-average marbling (in my opinion).

As pictured above, we’ve got the Seafood Bouillabaisse ($42) [****.] which I ordered to go with the Sauvignon Blanc I was having. Halia’s version consists of 3 of each of the following – fresh scallops, mussels, prawns, sea perch fillet and squid infused with Asian spices such as lemongrass and chinese parsley among others.

Bouillabaisse
[BOOL-yuh-BAYZ, BOOL-yuh-BEHZ]
is defined as a celebrated seafood stew from Provence, made with an assortment of fish and shellfish, onions, tomatoes, white wine, olive oil, garlic, saffron and herbs. The stew is ladled over thick slices of French bread.

© Copyright Barron’s Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER’S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Dessert was a pleasant surprise because we ended up with not 1, but 2. The Chocolate Torte with kirsch strawberries ($15) [***.] came first. Halia’s menu states that this dessert will take 15 mins’ preparation so do order this some time in advance. Commonly paired with chocolate torte – vanilla ice-cream – together with the kirsch strawberries were a pleasant combination. The torte was crisp on the edges around the bottom, and the warm chocolate oozed out easily.

Our final dessert was Halia’s signature Teh Tarik Halia [****.] – caramel tea crème brulee with ginger sorbet, a dessert specially created in tribute to the Ginger Garden. My favourite of the 2 desserts. I’m not a fan of ginger, but I really liked the lightness of the sorbet, and the crème brulee was really unique because it was infused with tea.

Halia is a fantastic choice for the upcoming anniversary, or a big date…it was a memorable experience for me. I’m certain it’ll be one for you too.

/ prices stated above not inclusive of ++

The I-wanna-know[s]:

Taste – 8.5/10
Price – $$$ to $$$$
Service – 9/10
Ambience – 9/10
Accessibility – 7/10

Legend:
[$]-cheap like peanuts: ($10 & below/person)
[$$]-average Jane ($15-$25/person)
[$$$]-you might wanna tke tht card out..($30-$60/person)
[$$$$]-extremely exorbitant ($70 & above/person)
[* to *****] – rating(s) for individual dishes

Tel: +65 6476 6711

Address:
1 Cluny Road, Ginger Garden
(enter via Tyersall Avenue)
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Singapore 259569

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday
(except public holidays):
11am to 11pm
Saturday, Sunday &
public holidays:
9am to 11pm

Website: http://www.halia.com.sg

Dress code: Smart Casual

Nearest MRT: Orchard MRT (soon-to-be Botanic Gardens MRT – Circle Line)

Buses: SBS Transit 7, 105, 123, 174, 502 | SMRT 75, 77, 106