bar bar black sheep, can i have some more?

me and kathy met for dinner one day during the week. we were at the small plaza of shops across from botanic gardens and had meant to go to relish (on the second floor) which was closed when we arrived.  we could either wait or head down the street to holland village or dempsey... not being inclined to further deal with bus stops and taxis and traffic, we decided to go around the corner to bar bar black sheep for a drink to wait for it to open. ...but... then we just stayed there... because it was awesome!  seriously, the menu is a mixture of thai, indian and western.  and all your favourite options of each. and with the exception of japanese, thai, indian and western are my three most favourite food categories in the world!  my kind of place.  for sure.

i could not decide which way to go.  seriously.  how can one choose? i ordered a lime juice and spring rolls to decide.  and having the spring rolls.. which are always deep fried deliciousness, my resolve caved and i went for western, veggie burger.. with fries no less.  and a coca cola.  oh, the healthniess of it, i know.   kathy ordered a burger too (not veggie) and a white wine.. it was one of those days.

but here is the delightful thing.. when my veggie burger came, it was not one of those massive bun monstrosities that western restaurants serve. the burger was small, like a 1970's size bun, a small macdonald's burger size.  and it was perfect. on top of my burger was this gorgeous red pepper relish. now, i don't usually go for relish at all, but this was damn good. damn good.  i ate it all. fast.  and then i ate the fries.  and then i sighed.  damn.  good.

and... and.. the washrooms are connected!  just down the hall.  and they have this cool mantra (well i think its cool, but i can see how singaporeans wouldn't get it) they charge for water.  water is $1.00. cause its not just tap water but clean mineral water.  and they don't DON'T charge tax or service charge.  what? a restaurant that does not rip off its customers?  what an idea.

so... what can i say... damn, damn, bar bar black sheep. a black sheep you are not at all... you are fackin' awesome.  i just have one question: when can i go back?

Bar Bar Black Sheep
Cluny Court  501 Bukit Timah Road
6763 4757
www.bbbs.com.sg

p.s. good night.

it was frankie's birthday, so we decided to gather for an evening meal.. so we decided to go back to dempsey (yay!). frankie made reservations at ps cafe (yay! yay!)  i was quite happy, as you know i have enjoyed the brunches a la ps cafe.  and i was ok with a splurge for an evening meal.  its a new year, so lizzie and laura have gone on with their travels; the expat life in singapore is not for them. but kathy was there as well as isabella (again yay!)  i miss isabella as she lives half here and half in toronto.. she is damn funny.

we had a lovely time.  wine and chatting all round.  kathy has a posh new job at one of the more pretigious schools in singapore netting over 15000 a month. what?  i know... i do not have a great job...and i am sick of working in singapore for singaporeans that are really big bullies.  get this.... as 'civil servants' we are inundated with racial harmony propaganda, there is literally a 'racial harmony day' to remind everyone to be nice to each other.  but then, THEN for CNY, the singapore government gave all civil servant employees of chinese descent ONLY a 'festive bonus'.  yes, they got their pay a week earlier than everyone else because they were of chinese descent.  i am no expert, but that is rather, um, how shall i say this, damn racist!!  but no matter...i have great prospects!  right now i am in a bidding war with two different job offers.  one here in singapore, one in thailand. both international employers. thailand is the land of my dreams... and as much as i love my brunch girls and the hectic chaos that is singapore, my heart is really leaning towards blue waters, white sands and no chaos for awhile...

and back to the night... in which ps cafe, comes alive.  its lit inside making the trees outside look magical. still the large bunches of flowers.  still the awesome row of cakes at the front.  i ordered a moroccan stack of coucous.. which was divine!  so good, i stopped talking for about 20 minutes and just ate and savoured. and it was vegetarian.  and on the menu.  ahhhh..

then i ordered dessert.  of course i ordered dessert. but i think i ordered wrongly.  but how to choose? so many damn good choices.  i ordered pecan pie, but it was pecan chocolate pie and more like a brownie in a pie crust than the southern sugar overload of pecans and sugary toffee filling i was expecting.  no matter.  really, no matter. i was already so happy with my morroccan stack that nothing could dampen my mood.  not even the bill. (which wasn't that bad this time. i didn't have wine and i was prepared)

P.S. Cafe
Dempsey (you know where it is)
www.pscafe.com

living the dream at the green room

i was excited to go to the green room in bishan park.  id already tried canopy which was ok, but the green room specializes in raw food.  a vegan's dream!

the ambiance was spectacular.  i went (with a 'new' man friend.. ahem.) in the evening, so it wasn't too hot.  i love LOVE singapore at night.  the humidity lifts and it is truly spectacular.  a calm quiet blankets the city as construction stops and people begin to relax for the evening.  the green room is behind canopy in a jungle of greenery.

we opted to sit outside in lovely wooden lounge chairs.  there is a large bar/lounge area beside canopy which just looks like a place you could curl up with a glass of wine and chat to your friends or lovers all night. a truly hidden gem.

the food, was well, it was ok. it is raw vegetables, twisted, turned and spiced up, but in the end, still raw vegetables.  it was good, but i think since living in singapore, i have slacked in my vegan habits, as its hard to find so many options, so my palate has started to lean back towards the oils, sugars and breadish tastes of the non vegan.. so the raw stuff does tend to begin to taste bland.  if only i could go away to a resort, to hide out for a few weeks and eat only this food.  then THEN that would be divine!  and so would my body and soul be actually.  damn world, what are we doing to ourselves?  we could eat like this every day.  we could live like this.  grrrr.

so back to the restaurant; i ordered....

the rice paper samosa spiced herbs and vegetables wrapped in rice paper served with coconut chutney and then the nasi campur which is multi coloured rice with vegetables and tempeh, peanuts and tomato sambal.  my friend had the pumpkin and vegetable tower chopped vegetables with asian pesto between fresh slices of butternut pumpkin and the vietnamese rice flour pancakes.

and then we splurged on dessert. probably shouldn't have.  because for all its health appeal.. dessert without sugar is just hard to digest.  literally.
we tried the chocolate and goji berry fudge crunch and the spice island apple crunch.  the chocolate brownie was very dry and well bland. (duh.. no sugar).. but i have tasted very awesome vegan desserts.. but then i guess they are using raw sugar. but no, i've made lemon cake with no sugar just applesauce and mango juice for sweetener.. so huh.  the apple crunch was good.

anyways.. at the end of the night (lucky it was at the end) i saw a mouse scurry across the path.. and then he/she proceeded to chirp quite loudly.. i'm not sure who she/he was shouting at, but it was rather distressing to me.. who was wearing a long maxi dress.. and had to walk along the path to get the hell out of there.

guess mice are vegan too?  i never knew that.

so green room cafe.  not sure if i should mention i was starving afterwards and craving potato chips.  but i forced myself not to eat them.. and just go to sleep and i woke up refreshed and rejuvenated. huh.  i am giving it four stars... yes. if you are vegan and love raw food this is the bomb... wish it delivered and wasn't so damn pricey... well the prices are understandable.. . but.....well.. i just feel i have to support the green room because this is how i want to eat, this is how i feel good when i eat.. and i want to see more, more, MORE restaurants like this out there.

The Green Room Café
Bishan Park: 1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
Singapore 569931
Tel: 6556 1533
http://www.greenroomcafe.com.sg

original sin takes a lot more than apples...

i had a friend visiting from hong kong, and she (like me) is a veggo.. so i took the opportunity to head to my favourite vegetarian restaurant in singapore - original sin.  i first went there with graham.. and thought it was ok.  but when i went back with my hong kong friend, i have upgraded my opinion.  it was fantastic.  we had such a good time.  yes, the conversation was great.  but even more great was that i could order ANYTHING from the menu!  i had selection!  do you know how awesome it felt not to have to 'make up' something from the sides?  i could order the appetizer or the entree or dessert, whatever i wanted.  and so i did.

we ordered the mezze platter to start.  really how can you go wrong with hummus and pita bread?  so good!  i ordered the beetroot salad.. cause for some reason, i was craving healthy food. and it was delcious.  a strange choice, quite tart.. but a lovely companion to my not so healthy second choice..
the fritters; eggplant and parsnip fritters deep fried. hello!  (actually not so awesome..but not bad...)  kind of wished i had of went for the vegetable tandoori, or the risotto ( i had the risotto my first time... and it was sooo gooooddddd), or the pesto... or the moussaka.. or oh!  the choices!

my friend went for one of the special's which was a veggie pasta with an steamed artichoke.  it was bizarre.  i've only ever seen artichoke hearts, peeled and ready to eat on my pizza.  but my friend was served with a full artichoke, in which she had to peel and try to figure out how to eat it.  fascinating.  she did report, that after having figured it out, it was delicious. as was her pasta.

we didn't have dessert.. because we were actually quite full and satisfied by our mains.  i had the masala tea while we sat and chatted. i wish i had more friends here in singapore. actually, i just wish i had more friends who were vegetarian so i could for dinner or lunch or anything, anytime at original sin.  it was truly divine.

original sin is hidden away up at the top of chip bee gardens across the road from holland village.. but it also just down the lane from gastronomia..  which helps to snab something after for lunch or treats the next day.. (not saying i did... ok i did...).

not that it wasn't awesome, it was.  but i am giving original sin 4.5 stars because they should deliver.  and they should be located closer to my house.

Original Sin
Blk 43 #01-62 Jalan Merah Saga
Holland Village: Chip Bee Gardens
Tel : 6475 5605

check out their menu online originalsin.com.sg

hatched too late

i saw this place as i was wandering around holland village one day looking for a foot reflexology place.  i didn't find one.  but decided to give this place a try.

i googled the menu (super cool website.. its all about face here in singapore = a marketing agencies dream)  and noticed it was voted one of the 'best brunch' places by singaporeans.  and there was a vegetarian option.  so we decided to give our beloved boomerang a rest and try this new place. just like we have all decided to give men a rest...cause they are all annoying.......and ugh........and seriously doing my head in....

i think the theme is everything to do with eggs.. hatching eggs to make breakfast... yeah.. that's kinda cute... no? ...the front has this colourful facade of stretched yellow bungee cords.  and the inside has these small child like round tables surrounded by stools with no backs. like a hawker centre made by ikea.  odd.  we decided to sit outside in the regular outside chairs.  the menu was pretty cool  but not what i saw online.  but i had just returned from a short jaunt (4 days) to thailand.. and after a crazy kamikaze taxi ride from pattaya to the airport my adrenaline was pumped.  so i was up for anything.  i ordered the mushroom burger with the vegetable option of grilled eggplant and a soy cappuccino. the quite, shall i say, interesting, mushroom burger is singaporean's vegetarian option du jour i think.  that is the 3rd restaurant that has offered that. and i've never had/heard of it anywhere else.  huh.  at least its better than beijing.  their vegetarian option was a plate of steamed bok choy.  

lizzie ordered sausage and scrambled eggs, laura ordered french toast, frankie ordered the full fry up (sausage, bacon, eggs, toast). we all ordered water.  

water was the last to come.  the first was frankie's, then lizzie's, then laura's, then mine.  then my cappuccino and laura's coffee. what the?  i will never get used to the random food service of singapore.  how and why does it take an hour to make a cappuccino?

actually not withstanding the wait (or maybe because of the wait increasing my hunger) my food was awesome.  awesome like once in a very long while. because it was so soo greasy. dripping grease.  i drizzled it with ketchup and just enjoyed being 16 and hung over again........and then i popped a few extra digestive enzyme tablets for good measure.

all in all it was an ok experience.  annoying mostly because of the service.  the food was good, but i doubt we would go back. cause it has nothing on boomerang.  but afterwards we were in holland village!  so we went for a manicure and shopping which was delightful.  so that could be considered better than walking down the river at robertson quay.......and its closer to where i stay (yes.. 'stay'.. not 'live'... that's singlish to you).. so cheaper cab.

huh.  2.5 stars. if i was 10 i'd probably give it more because i'd enjoy sitting in the bright cheery restaurant on tiny stools.   if i was 16 and hungover, i'd probably give it more, because it was the perfect hangover cure food.  greasy fries.  greasy sandwich.  it would also have been awesome with a cold coca cola.  but i was terrified to change my order. god knows how long i'd have to wait for someone to put ice in a glass. yup.

Hatched
Holland Village (just up the alley from Starbucks)
26 Evans Road
Tel: 6735 0012

tiong bahru bakery... tiong wasted..

so.. i have heard about this tiong bahru bakery for ages.. the "best bakery in singapore" is what my time out magazine told me. it was also voted the" best almond croissant in singapore".  which.. if you know me at all.. are the magic words.. i loves me an almond croissant. (yes. i know they are not vegan.  but we all cheat sometimes.  well,  i do)  they were my anchor, my rock and my rebellion when i lived in hong kong.  every morning i would have to trudge from the lovely cosmopolitan section of soho over to the wilds of kowloon, choi wan station. which would take about an hour.  so every morning, id stop at my lovely pret manger and grab a lovely freshly baked almond croissant and a green tea.. and yes...break all the rules possible and sit and eat it on the hour long mtr (not mrt) ride. ahhh...never fined.. but attracted lots of dirty looks.. so worth it..

so.. tiong bahru.. is coincidentally where my yoga studio is.  the absolute best studio i have found in singapore. i started at hom yoga.. but me and singaporean teachers don't really mesh.. something about their defiant blinding absolutism... basically they were fackin rude and yelled at you if you didn't follow their specific examples.  i am not singaporean.. and have a rather independent mind of my own.. so i need... well i need a nice teacher.  i also tried bikram.. but that carpet crap on the floor.. some indoor/outdoor thing.. is just, in my opinion.. gross.  imagine the amount of sweat that gets dripped on that every day.. ugh.... so its absolute yoga for me.. lovely hardwood floors.. two clean towels.. large showers.. lovely international teachers... ahhh...

after a particularly long 90 minute hot yoga class, i decided to use my trusty iphone map and find this damn famous bakery.  i walked down from tiong bahru mrt (not mtr). it actually took about 20 mins.  i was surprised.. and tired and thirsty.  its in this tiny tiong bahru village old fashioned singaporean street place... with lots of hawker stands and old fashioned chinese markets.. not really the upscale area i was led to believe of the 'best in singapore'.  i finally found it.. and it is quite lovely.. and damn busy.  every seat in the place (small place) was taken.  i was thinking i'd sit and have a cup of tea or cappuccino and try the croissant.. but no. not today.  i was the only 'ang mo' (white person) in sight.  and everyone was sat around in large groups talking really loudly together. see.. there is a bit of a culture gap in the idea of cafe.  i think for singapore.. it means something more like restaurant.. where people go to meet friends and talk loudly.  for me.. it usually means a nice quiet place to sip tea, read, chat with a friend or two.. and just find a moment of peace.

there was a great selection of bread and baked goods, cupcakes, tarts.. and croissants.  huge croissants. i ordered one almond. it was the size of 3 regular ones and heavy!  huh.  it had a great crunchy edge to it... you know when you cook sugar and it crystallizes creating like a candy apple edge?  yeah.. that was on the bottom.  but damn! was it doughy!  so heavy. good yes.. but huh.  i think there is a disconnect between our cultures. i know this is supposed to be a french pastry type bakery.. but no french baker i know would ever sell something so.. doughy.... croissants are supposed to be light, airy, crispy and soft and melt in your mouth.  although this was good..don't get me wrong.. i didn't have to eat for the next two days (didn't have to...... doesn't mean i didn't) but i was soo full from just one croissant.. i almost didn't finish it.. huh what?

so.. huh.. apparently they are opening a new branch in raffles place (city hall mrt).. so cool?  or not...well.. in my opinion ..let's see... shit seating... shit walking for 20 minutes to find the damn place.. shit heaviness... too heavy it made me feel guilty for eating it all.. which is shit... especially after an awesome yoga class... so huh. but sweet and crunchy apple candy bottom.. nice.. and damn famous.....well let's just say, once is enough.  i don't know?  try one yourself.. maybe i'm just an elitist snob... wait.. i am... mwah..... deux etoiles..peut-etre?... je ne sais pas...chacon son gout....

Tiong Bahru Bakery
56 Eng Hoon St
Tel: 6220 3430

gastronomia... fack yeah.

i haven't been here for brunch yet.  but does it matter?  you need to get your ass in here. stat.

it is an italian/french deli type place that serves ready made food.  like freshly made pizza. and freshly made pasta.  and grilled eggplant and zucchini strips.  and croissants. and french loaves. and pasta dishes.  which all look fantastic.  and desserts to die for.  especially ESPECIALLY my two favourite things in all of the world... and now singapore.  lemon chocolate curd and toffee shortbread.  so i have a sweet tooth.  and a greasy food tooth. and a fack'n good food tooth.

my nanny (that is.. for you singaporeans... my grandmother, my father's mother, not a woman my parents hired from the philippines to do our laundry and live under our dinning room table) used to make it for dessert.  not the full lemon meringue pie.  just the lemon filling mixed with the meringue topping.  yummm....  so tart. and good. and creamy. and this place, this gastronomia genius of a place has added chocolate mouse and a chocolate gauche top.  what?  i gives a fack if its vegan.  its orgasmic. i just love it. and its packaged in single serving (well probably more like a double serving for a romantic shared dessert) and sometimes i actually can halve it and save the other half for later. yes, that has happened never.

the second favourite is toffee shortbread.. which is this delightful breadcrumb crust with soft toffee covered in a layer of chocolate.  and it is single serving about 4 bites of crazy sinful sweet heaven.  to be honest the rest of the food looks awesome, and lizzie said the scones are lovely, but i haven't tried anything else. i only have eyes for my two loves.

so.. for this lovely.... 4.5 stars.  (and that's just based on the two items. there is really no where to sit. and its kinda expensive, the lemon curd goes for about $8.50. someday i may try the other options... god knows what else could be better.  is that even possible?)  there are many locations around singapore.  i usually head to the one in holland village (across the street in bee gardens) or the one.. yes... just around the corner from my school.. like a 10 minute walk.. how did the universe plan that so well?!?.... in serangoon circle.

Gastronomia De Paulo Group
Holland Village (other locations)  43 Jalan Merah Saga
Tel: 6475 1323