The Sushi Bar @ Ngee Ann City [Singapore]

For the longest time, my friends had been talking about the sushi bar and I frequently mistook it for the standing sushi bar I visited ten years back! They finally couldn't stand it anymore and decided to bring me there for lunch.

All four of us specially took the opportunity to clear our annual leave so that we can have more time enjoying each other company, and also because we expected lesser crowd on a lazy Wednesday afternoon. Well, there was still a queue when we reached at 1.00pm; bloody.

Thankfully, I made a reservation and we were allowed in once everyone arrived. Menu was online (shall share the QR later) and above was our food list for the day! 

Mandatory cup of hot green tea to accompany our Japanese meal; using a standard green tea sachet, the flavour wouldn't deviate too much from the OSK green tea that cost S$6.95 a box at NTUC Fairprice for 50 sachets. 

Scallop Mentaiyaki - I love scallops and it was an expression of absolute satisfaction whenever I popped a nicely grilled one into my mouth! These scallops were yummy with a touch of the flamed mentai; pity. it wasn't that satisfying when they were sliced so thinly! 

Pitan Tofu - note, a must order for century egg lovers! The tofu had a pudding-like texture and complemented the gooey century egg perfectly! I love how the different flavours, including fish roes and spring onions coalesce into such an amazing taste! 

Secretly happy that my friends asked me to clean up the bowl. 

Salmon Aburi Roll - I first had salmon aburi roll from standing sushi bar and I must say I was hooked. This version at the sushi bar sure didn't disappoint even though I prefer the salmon to be flamed a bit more for that irresistible, slightly burnt aroma. 

Cha Soba (Cold) - for someone who used to detest soba, I have since converted into a person who would likely order the noodle when the weather is hot! You should see my contented expression after I dipped the noodles into the sauce and gave them a hearty slurp! 

Cold buckwheat noodles had a unique taste but you need a good sauce to enhance the flavour! The one at the sushi bar featured a sweetness that's not too over yet brought out the tastiness from the soba. What I need was, in fact, more soba! 

Sirloin Steak - why did we order a sirloin steak in a Japanese restaurant?! I was actually thinking about that when my friend suggested ordering the sirloin steak at the sushi bar. But, she knew her food and I am sure it's trustable. 

OMG; served medium, the texture was literally melt in the mouth! It was already good on its good even though you can pile up with the accompanying fried garlic for that additional layer of oomph! 

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Would I be back again? 

Sure! 

Address

391B Orchard Road,

#05-35, Ngee Ann City,

Singapore 238874 

(next to Best Denki)

Website

https://thesushibar.com.sg/

Operating Hours

11.30 am to 9.45 pm 

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Scallop Mentaiyaki - S$14.90

Pitan Tofu - S$6.90

Salmon Aburi Roll - S$16.90

Cha Soba (Cold) - S$13.90

Sirloin Steak (200g) - S$32.90

(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

Signature Black forest Cake from Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café (#SBBSCafe) along Scotts Road (Near Newton MRT Station) @ Singapore

My earliest memory of black forest cake came from Han's Cake House near Nee Soon Camp, where my family would purchase its signature cake whenever a birthday is coming. This continued for quite a number of years until we moved to Yishun, a new town with more bakeries catering to the burgeoning population.

I still purchase black forest cake from Han's occasionally to relive the nostalgia moments but I often wonder; are there better black forest cakes around in Singapore? An online search brought me to the above colonial bungalow located near Orchard road and next to the luxurious Reignwood Hamilton Scotts condominium (p.s. each unit has their own car porch, next to their living room)! 

Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-Café - instead of a pair of lions that is more common Singapore, the entrance of the cafe featured a pair of nutcracker statues! According to German tradition, where the black forest cake is supposed to originate from, the nutcrackers are "symbols of good luck, frightening away malevolent spirits."

Officially opened by the lord mayor of Stuttgart, the capital of a German state that's just an hour away from the black forest that gave the cake its name, in 2012; I bet the authenticity of their signature black forest cake shouldn't be doubted. Of course, authenticity doesn't mean it would appeal to everyone in terms of taste although I was hoping for the best.

First thing that hit me when I stepped in - the cafe had so much space with so little tables / chairs for diners. Even though safe distancing is a regulatory requirement due to the pandemic; the space in between the tables was way more than the mandatory 1-meter and for a profit making entity, you would want to scale up the seating capacity for more diners. 

Furthermore, it's not as if the cafe offered a lot of food variety; there were only drinks and desserts! From what I read, it appeared to sell German dishes like pork knuckles and beer in the past but these were stopped due to the pandemic, for reasons unknown to me. 

Interior design was an interesting mish-mash of both local Peranakan and German elements.

Whatever the case, it was quiet and for one period of time, we were in fact the only customers. Quite relaxing if you ask me, especially with the rain pitter-pattering right outside and we were sipping on a cup of hot beverage while digging into a slice of cake.

Hot Chocolate - disappointing as the chocolate was quite watered down and it seemed like I am drinking a cup of hot milk, rather than hot chocolate. Saving grace was the biscuit accompanying the drink; flaky, melt-in-the-mouth, German cookie; Alex loves it enough to ask me to replicate! 

Chef's Brownie - even though the main focus was the black forest cake, I can't help ordering this as well! There's another option for banana cake but brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream was a more perfect combination! 

Served warm, the texture was cake-like with crunchy, candied nuts; this is definitely the kind of brownie I enjoy better. Minor problem - the brownie broke apart easily and you would need a spoon, instead of a fork,  for better enjoyment.

Signature Black forest Cake - star of the visit and one that deserved more photographs in this post; look at that sheer amount of chocolate shavings! To be honest, I was slightly trembling as I used my fork to cut out a piece; at S$16.00 a slice, I sure hope it's worth the money.

What black forest cake have I been eating all this while?! The burst of liquored cherries coupled with the thick yet deliciously light cream between the thin layers of chocolate sponge cake, all sitting on a bed of soft biscuit base, and densely covered with chocolate shavings; this S$16.00 a slice cake was worth every single penny! 

Undeniably the best tea time we ever have!

I am actually not a huge fan of food items heavily laden with alcohol (spirit / rum etc) but strangely, the strong liqueur flavour was something I greatly enjoyed as it gelled so well with the rest of the signature black forest cake! p.s. we returned two weeks later for another tea session with black forest cake; this time, a slice for each of us! 

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Address

35A Scotts Rd, Singapore 228228

(Near Newton MRT Station)

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.scafe.com.sg/

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Hot Chocolate - S$5.00

Chef's Brownie - S$12.00

Signature Black Forest Cake - S$16.00 a slice

(Subject to GST and Service Charge)

49 Seats - A Casual Eating Place @ The Centrepoint [Orchard, Singapore]

When one doesn't know what to have for lunch, one could just go online and search on google map for nearby eateries with good reviews. Which was what we did two weekends ago, and chanced upon 49 Seats, with a rating of over 4.0 from over 600 reviewers! 

Can't say the raw, messy decor was pleasing to the eyes but hey, I am here for the food. Was more curious if there were indeed 49 seats and no, it has way more than that! According to their website, their original store did start out with 49 seats and the name kind of stick. 

List of their signature dishes and I read that their tom yam seafood pasta was highly recommended! You can apparently requested for level 49 spiciness but knowing my limit, I am happy to stay put with the original level of spiciness. p.s. you can upgrade to a set meal (includes a drink and soup) for just S$4.90.

Drinks available; for set meal, I remember you can only choose from those below S$3.00. Being the stingy me, it would mean paying a minimum of S$1.90 for the soup. 

Since no service charge was imposed, kindly make your way to order at the counter, inform your table number to the service staff, make payment, and then wait for your food. 

My ice lemon tea was canned from Seasons; to think that I was hoping for something different. Well, can't complain much for S$3.00 even though a calculative person would think of the pretty good profit margin for something you can easily purchase from most convenience stalls / supermarkets at a much reduced cost.

Mushroom soup was served visually better with a piece of garlic toast. Sadly, the soup tasted suspiciously like the kind you get from canned campbell's, with maybe a bit more mushroom bits. To be honest, I did regret upgrading my main to a set.

Chicken Chop - the chop didn't wow us and we were in fact more impressed with freshness of the accompanying salad and the mashed potato which won the thumbs-up from Alex. 

Tom Yam Seafood Pasta - even before the plate was put on our table, I had already caught whiffs of the appetising tom yam aroma! Can't wait to dig in! 

Counting three prawns, one mussel and a few pieces of small clams. Gravy was rich, thick and flavourful but the pasta fell short of expectation; the cloyingness got to me halfway through the meal. Of course I couldn't help comparing this to the tom yum seafood pasta from Good Bites Café; and it's a no fight, the latter was better. 

Didn't finish my meal. :(

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Address

 176 Orchard Rd,

#01-49, The Centrepoint, 

Singapore 238843

Website

http://49seats.com/

Pricing

Chicken Chop - S$13.90

Tom Yam Seafood Pasta - S$14.90

Upgrade to Set Meal - S$4.90 each

(Subject to GST)