Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Monkswood Restaurant 😚


Address: 393 Guillemard Road, S'pore 399790
Opening hours:
Tues to Thurs 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10.30pm
Fri                   11.30am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 11pm
Sat & Sun       11.30am to 11pm

For more updates: https://www.facebook.com/MonkswoodByChar/


Directions: Alight at Dakota Station (Circle Line). Exit via Exit A. You will see a canal, walk along it till the end and you will see a road. Opposite the road you will notice The Tuckshop. Walk towards the traffic light and you will spot Monkswood!





Next to Monkswood on the left is a Take-away Thai Restaurant called Thai-to-go. On the right, two shops down are the famous Tanjung Rhu Pao! I'm sure you have heard of it before.
Their baos are nice, highly recommended! Try their Fan Choy, Lor Mai Gai before they are out of stock..

Check out more reviews in below link:







Okay, let's not sidetrack here... Our topic today is Monkswood!

Monkswood is a British-Themed Restaurant that was opened just a week ago. Still new and fresh out of the oven~ They are under the same group of people that brought us Char. If you read a few entry before this, you will know I made a visit to Char too!!

And the main reason I made my way here is because WENDY is the chef here! Came here to give her my moral support!
YAY!



Tada... Here we are.. Let's get started!



The interior feels similar to Char, but as compared to Char, this is a smaller and a more humble environment.












Gotten their personalized key chains from me!
Wahahah.. forced to take pics with it.



AYA~ still in firmenich! lol



Wasn't expecting any gift.

Wah this year.. I have been getting gifts that I wanna planning to get leh!
They can read my mind meh?!




I really thought of getting this eh!
No joke, I wanted to place on my office desk, when I'm away or working from home, etc.

This comes in so handy!



Very Beesy la... Don't come bother me can.




Annie kpo kpo~



Our Yang Meh Meh~ Single and Available~






Burrata Cheese served with Tomatoes and Mesclun $14
(Creamy Burrata Cheese served with tangy Tomatoes and Mixed Greens with Extra Virgin Olive Oil Balsamic Vinaigrette)


 This Burrata cheese was fresh, soft and doughy. Definitely something light before the start of those heavy mains. The Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing goes well with the cheese and salads, it's sour yet not overpowering taste lifted our appetite for the following courses.

Initially, Yang Rui was quite skeptical about the cheese. She is afraid it would be too cheesy for her. But to her (and our) surprise, it was okay leh!

She is one picky eater when comes to her food. So when she said it was good means it must be really good lah!! HAHAHAHAH!



Here comes Limin (always the latecomer)
Another forced photo with the personalized key chains



Limin, Audrey, Jeslyn


Limin, single and available too... Whoops~
If you need jobs, look for her too!






Scotch eggs $8
(Perfectly cooked egg enveloped in sausage meat and bread crumbs and lightly deep fried to a crispy golden brown. Runny egg yolk when cutting into the egg. Served on a bed of mixed greens.)

Wah, this one is really nice lehhhh~ I have been longing for these Scotch Eggs ever since I have seen them on Monkswood's Instragram. 

The yolks are really runny, no kidding!
And that crispy crust of the Scotch Eggs gives it a bite so it is not soft and too mushy.

Thumbs up!! I approve!!
Must order these if you are dining there ya?!

But just in case they run out or out of stock, you might want to reserve or request upon reservations.
Don't say I didn't warn you!






Toad in the Hole $16
(Sausages baked in a Yorkshire pudding batter is said to have gained its unusual moniker because it looks like toads popping their heads from a hole.)

This is also another "Must-try" yah!!
We wanted to order some Yorkshire Pudding, but they are only available on Weekends.

So instead, we order this dish that also consist of Yorkshire Pudding.

Yorkshire Pudding is not really a Pudding lah, neither it is a dessert. It is originated from Yorkshire, thus the name. It's more of a Souffle batter dish, normally served with Sunday Roast and generous amount of gravy. It is called pudding because the shape resembles a pudding.

All of us anonymously agree that this is a good dish! It looks a bit like a puffy, eggy, crispy bread. Tasted a bit like French Toast - savory, sweet and buttery... Hmmmm~




Vongole Pasta $18
(Spaghetti cooked with Japanese Asari clams sautéed with white wine, pepper and spring onions)


The spaghetti was al dente. The aroma and taste of the white wine was strong.
I would say its a decent dish.






Fish and Chips $22
(3 pieces of cod, coated with a crispy Hobgoblin Gold ale-battered crust, served with Monkswood's very own tartare sauce and triple-cooked chips and mushy peas.

Previously I saw on their Facebook page that the fish looks more brown due to the paprika in the batter (inside news!) And so I was told that they are still trying to perfect their Fish & Chips...

I felt that the fish batter was a little thick for my liking but it is very crispy! Their Triple Cooked Fries was also crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside!! I think they over-salted the fries because it was a little too salty~

This dish still have space for improvement.





Shepherd's Pie $15
(Classic hearty dish made from minced lamb, herbs and a selection of complementary vegetables in a thick gravy - topped with home made mash potatoes.

The Mashed Potatoes was nicely browned and the minced lamb doesn't have much gamey taste.
It feels like comfort food.





Fish Pie $18
(Savory pie made with white fish, smoked haddock, vegetables and a creamy sauce hat is laced with bay leaves and nutmeg.


I like the homemade crust. It is baked nicely and crispy~
The sauce inside was creamy and the fish doesn't have that fishy smell at all!
Tasted a little like Seafood Chowder but with that smokey note from the Smoked Haddock.






Apple Crumble with Warm Custard $12


The warm custard goes very well with the Apple Crumble. The sauce is not too sweet too!
The crumbles are very nice too! The tangy sweetness of the apples are just nice too!!

This is a very good choice to end the dinner. Not too heavy~




Bread and Butter Pudding $11

Also comes together with Warm Custard on the side.
Sweetness was just nice too!
Really cannot decide whether I prefer the Apple Crumble or the Bread & Butter Pudding...
Both are good leh!




My 4th Bday cake from Cedele...

Don't judge by its look. It's Matcha cake coated with chocolate!
Wahahhaah!








AJALYA! Full strength today!



May my wish comes true ok?





Preaseee~




Jiang jianggggg~



The cake was surprisingly delicious leh!


A group photo with the Chef!
All in all, I feel it is a nice place to chill. Not easy to find good British food in Singapore. Good ambience and they also sell quite a selection of Ales and Ciders too. Heard that their wine are pretty good too! Prices are pretty affordable also. The waiter here quite a looker too! HHAHAHAHAHAH!
Food: 7.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Overall: 7.5/10
Thanks for reading.
Feel free to drop me a message, and follow me on the social platforms below!


on Facebook (Apple pupu Lim)
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or Email me at
doris_candy@hotmail.com


Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay

Address: Bay Level, L1-81, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Spore 018956
Contact: +65 6688 5665
Opening hours:
Breakfast: 7.30am to 10.30am (Sat and Sun only)
Lunch 11.30am to 4pm (Mon to Fri)
Brunch: 11am to 3pm (Sat and Sun only)
Dinner 5.30pm to 10pm (Sun to Wed)
Dinner: 5.30m to 11pm (Thurs to Sun)


For more updated info: https://www.facebook.com/breadstreetkitchensingapore/


Having the 3rd group of friends celebrating my birthday when it's not even nearing yet. This time at Bread Street Kitchen, finally! Age is really catching up ain't it? I'm 28 this year and two more years to my big 30! Make time stop please!!!

So anyways... this reservation was made 3 months ago. If you have been keeping track of my blog, we were here three months ago for Wendy's birthday dinner but we are unable to get a seat nor a reservation. They told us we had to make a reservation 3 months in advance and we did... so here we are today, on my Birthday celebration. But the person who wanted to come here the most today couldn't make it. Wendy was held up at work for her new restaurant so she had to miss today... Sad max!!!




Hi, Gordon~












Complimentary Bread Basket (free flow)

Consist of Foccacia bread, Rye & Bread Sticks.

These breads are so yums!! Spreading butter on them makes it even better!! They were so fluffy on the inside and that nicely salted crust boost your appetite right from the start!


 I am H.U.N.G.R.Y now~






The Menu

Cold Starters, Hot Starters, Salads, Mains, Grill, Sides



Dessert and Drinks




A very sweet surprise from Rayne!!
I really wasn't expecting this at all!

I have been wanting to look for a handphone casing that doesn't push my screen protector upwards. I saw these casings over the weekends at AMK but I end up not getting them. After complaining about it to Rayne for a bit, she end up getting them for me as a gift! Super touched!

She should totally be my Boyfie~
Hi there, Boyfie!

Now these casing fits perfectly for my S7 Edge. ^^


Happy! :)




Cheers!

Hmmm... Why only 3 glasses?
Cos the latecomer not here yet.



2014 Scanavino, Moscato d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy. $15

This was so good I tell you! It was very smooth, refreshing, sweet and fruity.
And because it was chilled, it tasted even better!












Cold Starter -
Spicy Tuna Tartare, Chilli, Garlic, Sesame oil, Wonton crisp $19

 The Tune was fresh, mild flavor and firm. Having it together with the sour cream and crispy Wonton is surprisingly good!

Reminded me of the Salmon Tartare I had at Paddys Hills. Though this spicy tuna was good, but the Paddy Hills' one still win hands down! Haha.




Hot Starter -
Flatbread, caramelized Onion, Taleggio Cheese, Semi-dried Tomatoes, Rocket pesto $20

Nothing fantastic though, just like normal pizza~
Nothing to rave about.


Even after our Starters are done... our "dear" friend still haven't made an appearance yet! The waitress here was kind enough to offer to hold the mains before our friend arrive. Services here are really different. They are attentive and polite. Keep serving us drinks and topping up our breads.

As we wasn't really sure what time will Lijia be arriving so we decided to tell them to serve the mains. We were a little embarrassed to sit there for so long without any appetizers already. LOL... Don't care liao... no need wait for our friend!





Mains -
Roasted Duck Breast, Mashed Potatoes, Kale, Roasted Ceps and Mulled Berry Jus $38

Looks pretty enticing isn't it! Sent this to my friend and she assumed and she assumed it was Beef!! Haha! It was cooked perfectly with that pinkish center. Flavorful and tender! A forkful of the meat and the Mash Potatoes along with the sauce made a little dance inside my mouth...




Mains -
Butternut Squash Risotto, Sage, Chestnut, Aged Parmesan $32


Look at the cheeeeesseeeee.

Its texture was smooth and a good kind of gooey... but it was a little too cheesy and creamy for me. Already feeling gelat after a few mouth.







Roasted Sea Trout with Wild Garlic Crust, White and Green Asparagus, White Wine veloute  $37


We were quite confused when the dish arrived. We thought either they send the dish wrongly or we ordered wrongly. But apparently, Sea Trout is somewhat similar to Salmon.
So yup, that's a Sea Trout you're looking at.

The fish was handled very well. Not over cooked at all. Very tender. Garlic crust was only okay, not much difference with or without .

For me, this dish doesn't have enough "WOW" factor.




It's my 3rd cake this year! On the house for this cake! Woo!!

My sisters actually bought a Matcha cake for me but we were told that cakes purchased from outside cannot be consumed in the restaurant.

So while I excused myself for the ladies, they ordered a Chocolate Fondant for me!

But in the end, the restaurant served us another piece of Brownie on the house!

So sweet of them!




May my wish come true :)


Wishing hard~


Here comes the Chocolate Fondant with Salted Caramel with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream $20



It's oozing out. Flowy and warm! This was good!
It wasn't too sweet, so it's not so sinful I guessed? Wahahahah.
Not a Mint lover, still prefer it to go with Vanilla... wahahhahaah...
But my friends enjoy it though.




This brownie doesn't taste like the usual brownie.
It was very soft and moist, was not too sweet too.



Complimentary cookies after payment is made!!

Don't think these are just some plain looking Chocolate Chips cookies, they are highly addictive!!



Asked for a shot, the payment card looks like a passport.
Acting like she's gonna flyyyyyyyyy again.


Cheers!



Total damage: $266




A photo with the "Man" himself before we leave the place!



As I was quite packed this week, I didn't managed to do my research to see which are their "Must-try" dishes. So while I was writing up this entry, I went to research a little about them. Apparently we didn't order any of the recommended dishes. HAHA! Fish & Chips, Dingley Dell Pork Belly, Tamarind Spiced Chicken Wings and the Cheesecake!! NONE! HAHAHH! It's okay... if ever there is another chance of going back, I will be sure to order those.

All in all, I feel that the food was okay. Not very impressive. Their desserts and complimentary dishes were good! For the amount of money we are paying, I felt that the food could be better. Services were undeniably good of course. Atmosphere wise was only okay, not very quiet like I thought it would be. I don't like fine-dining places, very stressful leh!
So this setting was alright for loud girls like us! Haha.

 

Food (mains) : 7/10
Food (desserts): 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Overall: 7.5/10
 Will I visit again? Maybe for their desserts, heard it's quite good!


Thanks for reading.
Feel free to drop me a message, and follow me on the social platforms below!


on Facebook (Apple pupu Lim)
on Snapchat (doris_candy / Freshapple)
on Twitter (apple_nfl)
on Instagram (applenfl/Freshapple)
on Dayre (Freshapple)
or Email me at
doris_candy@hotmail.com

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