Niku Katsumata 肉勝又, Singapore

The Duxton estate quietly welcomed a grilled meat restaurant originating from Ebisu, Tokyo – Niku Katsumata Singapore.  The restaurant pride themselves in offering quality Wagyu beef grilled over a crystal hotplate. During our visit they were having a $38++ A4 Wagyu beef set menu (wine in my picture is not included).

As per Japanese hospitality, warm towels were served upon being seated. We started our meal with an assortment of appetizers: Japanese pork prosciutto, kimchi and seasoned bean sprout, pickled cucumber and Chinese cabbage salad topped with seaweed.

While we were enjoying our appetizer, the staff heated up the crystal hotplate. Out of curiosity, I asked the staff if the plate would be blazing hot since crystal does not seem to be a good conductor of heat. She actually asked me to feel it for myself gently. The plate was at most lukewarm when I touched it, but the low heat was warm enough to cook the beef without drying it out. Another advantage of grilling beef over crystal plate? You can be assured that you would not leave the restaurant with the greasy smell.

The staff were there to help us grill the delicate wagyu to ensure that they were cooked to perfection. It would be a waste for inexperienced guests to spoil the beef by overcooking it. To me, the juicy and tender beef could be enjoyed on its own without the need for the condiments.

We also tried the ala carte A4 Wagyu Donburi with Urchin and A4 Wagyu Donburi with Ikura – both at $25++ each. The thinly sliced beef tataki had a melt-in-your-mouth texture which paired well with the rich buttery urchin.

For a lighter taste, pair the tataki with the savoury ikura which pops in your mouth. I must say the wagyu don is pretty value-for-money as we could enjoy the don in 2 ways: as it is or you could add a broth to turn it into Ochazuke.

Admittedly the beef portion was pretty small, but we were really satisfied with the quality of beef served. The beef here is making me miss Japan…

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Botanist [Closed]

Located within a corner shophouse unit along Neil road, a large wall mural painted on the side facade greeted us as we approached the Botanist cafe through the side entrance.

Once you step into the small doorway, you’ll see that the courtyard was turned into a non air-conditioned seating area with lush greenery panels lining the walls.  Despite being a warm day, the area was pretty much occupied. We were lucky that we found seats within the  small section of indoor air conditioned area inside the shophouse unit. Although the indoor area was cramp and they had an open-kitchen, the ventilation was well controlled. The exhaust system at the kitchen purged away the fumes effectively.

The cafe has a simple 1 page food menu comprising of salads, brunch items, pasta, burger and sides. The decision to go with limited options on the menu could have meant that the owners did some ‘homework’. The items that made it into the menu were all well-selected crowd favourites.

As I was looking for something light, my natural choice was the Chicken & Quinoa Salad Seared sous-vide breast, almond, pomegranate, baby spinach, avocado, quinoa tossed in yuzu vinaigrette. Although I am not usually drawn to eating salads, the quinoa salad appealed to me with the right combination of ingredients. There was tartness from pomegranate, citrusy flavour from the yuzu, along with the nutty crunch of almond. Every bit of the ingredients hit the right notes for my taste bud. This is a healthy yet wholesome and satisfying dish worthy of repeated visits to the cafe for.

We also tried the Seafood Aglio Olio Spaghetti with prawn, clam, squid, garlic, chilli, basil. The addition of ebiko toppings was something I would do when I cook my pasta at home too! These tiny roes are not only rich in taste, but also adds depth to texture of the dish.

This place definitely goes into my pocket list of places to go for brunches on weekends.

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Epiphyte

Epiphyte by definition of the dictionary means a plant that derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and grows usually on another plant (by Merriam-Webster).

The restaurant located in Duxton, is conceptualised as an infusion of food, art and nature. I got to know this restaurant from their instagram-worthy desserts such as Terrarium cake and galaxy cake.

On the day of my visit, when I walked over to the display counter, I was disappointed to see that the Terrarium Microwave rum sponge, chocolate soil, fresh mint custard, apple compote was made with brown sponge cake instead of algae green cake. The colour factor made a huge difference in how it looks. The brown was not as eye-catching as the green that would mimic the features of a Terrarium.

So I turned my attention to the galaxy cake Twilight Cointreau orange curd, chocolate sponge, Marbling chocolate mousse (contains alcohol). The dessert was as tasty as it looks, rich and smooth chocolate mousse with zesty orange curd in the centre.

I only got to know that the place has a dinner menu when I visited them as most of the photos on instagram featured their dessert only. While I was there, there seems to be some ongoing renovation on the 2nd floor and they are going to open a bar soon.

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MavRx Coffee Apothecary

MavRx Coffee Apothecary is a tiny coffee place nestled in Duxton Hill. I couldn’t find the opportune time to visit them since my office is not near the area and if I were to specially make a trip down, I have to go elsewhere to fill my stomach with proper food.

This “hole in the wall” cafe mainly does takeaways and is known for printing quirky quotes on their paper cup. Although when I ordered my Flat White, I was given a pretty standard one.

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Ninja Bowl

Was happy to see Ninja Bowl opening in Duxton area, one more healthier choice dining option. They took over the shop space/unit of the Department of Caffeine. Apparently some customers weren’t aware of the change and we saw a couple lurking outside the shop somehow sensing that something was not right – cos the shopfront remained largely the same. The interior of the shop also remained largely similar to the former occupant except there is a huge wall decal of Ninja Bowl once you step in. The couple entered the shop and quickly realised that it wasn’t DOC anymore and turned away. This happened to other customers too as we saw a few other groups came in and turned away…

To those who walked away, it was a pity that you didn’t give Ninja Bowl a chance and missed out on their healthy bowls.

I enjoyed the refreshing Coconut Lemon Mint Fresh coconut juice, lemon wedges, mint leaves $8 which came with slices of coconut meat.

From the main, we tried the Genki Yaki unagi, roasted pumpkin, beansprouts, onsen egg, pickeled beets $16 and Kaisen Pan-seared Hokkaido scallops, mussels, lemon butter sauce, mixed mushrooms, carrots $16, there is an additional charge of $2 to add on rice, green or $3 for quinoa. Therefore to turn the dish into donburi, it’ll cost around $18-19.

I enjoyed both the bowls, one is more sweet (unagi) while the one is more savoury (seafood). The ingredients used where fresh and we paired it with mixed grains. My only comment was the portion is kinda small (especially for guys), perhaps just nice for OLs who like to have light meals. I noted that there was a layer of oil (hopefully its olive oil?) at the base after I finished the bowls.

A great place for that occasional indulgence, slightly above budget for me to consider it as one of my daily lunch options (taking into consideration the cost of drinks which are also slightly above average).

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Tapas 39

Tried a new tapas place in Duxton Hill which is a eatery housed in a members-only clubhouse. Although the Club 39 itself is members-only, the eatery Tapas 39 is open to members of public.

Started our meal with Melon Ball botanist gin soaked with honey dew, midori, lemon juice, pineapple juice, sugar a fragrant and sweet drink and Teapot earl grey & lavender infused geranium gin, cointreau, honey, lemon juice and indian rose water drops which was aromatic and flowery.

The tapas are available for ala carte order or selection of 5 tapas dishes from $60 onwards, with additional supplements for higher valued items.

Grilled octopus, chorizo oil and ikura, mashed potatoes (supplement of $12) and Mini lobster roll, wasabi mayonaise, granny smith apple and were one of my favourites for the night. Well-executed smoky, chewy and tender tentacle on a bed of silky smooth mashed potatoes.

Squid ink Aquarello rice, sicilian red prawn (supplement of $5) and Sea urchin au gratin topped with Champagne (supplement of $5). The rice dish is also worthy of the supplement to try the aged carnaroli rice said to be best for risotto! The sea urchin au gratin was rich and smooth but I would enjoy actual uni more.

Our last tapas was Scallop ceviche, cilantro caviar but we weren’t too impressed by the rather small diced scallops. Ended our dinner with Winter tiramisu’ which came disguised as a potted plant =)

A nice little surprise when we were given some petit fours before we settle our bill.

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Garçons [Closed]

The beleaguered foodcourt in Pinnacle@Duxton has finally been resurrected under the hands of Essen@Pinnacle. Opting to change the genre of food stalls in the foodcourt certainly paid off for the new operator. The new place now features modern western cuisines instead of the traditional hawker fares. In a way its more “upscale” after the upgrade. I believe they going to upsize the seating capacity soon to expand the outdoor seats.

The first food tenant to operate there was Two Wings, riding on their success in Alexandra, they set up their 2nd outlet in the fringe of CBD area.

I visited the food court again after reading about Garçons as they pride themselves as a stall that offers affordable French dining.

At first glance, I was surprised to see that the kitchen area is so compact. Amazed that they can conjure up a menu comprising of a decent selection of starters and mains. It must be pretty challenging to work in such small spaces.

Chose to try the Escargots ($12.90), black miso foie gras with daishi ($16.50) and 12-hour pork belly with mashed potatoes and mesclun salad ($16.90) from them.

Seated in the foodcourt with a drink while waiting for my food, I quickly felt that the ambience was the spoiler of the place if you are here to relax. For a dining space that offers beer, pub grub, western cuisines, it should be a great place to chill and chat after work. But since its also near the Pinnacle estate, the food place also attracted family-oriented crowd.

Although places like Robertson Quay also sees family crowd, its a smaller proportion like 80:20. But here its more like 50:50. Most noticeable from the kids having fun in the eatery and baby crys. Its a rather odd experience for me, but I can foresee that this place will be an ideal gathering spot for Parent group gatherings. The parents can have a beer, while the kids can enjoy the chicken wings/fries and best thing – there’s a fitness corner which can double up as a playground for the kids outside! Parents can keep an watchful eye over the kids through the clear glass panels.

The french cuisine was pretty good. I loved the black miso foie gras which was well-seared and had a light broth. It’s different from the typical pairing of foie gras with fruit-based sauces. Escargots was nicely covered with tasty garlic buter. Pork belly had a nice crispy skin along with moist tender meat. Mash potato was smooth and soft.

Although I enjoyed the food at Garcons, I have doubts on whether I will be back to chill and relax at the foodcourt. Perhaps good for a meal but you may wanna enjoy your drinks at the nearby pubs instead? *Sorry to the drinks stall operator…but you already have a steady family crowd gatherings to sustain your business yah?

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Merchants Wine Cellar and Store

Dropped by Merchants Wine Cellar and Store for a simple dinner. The place carries a range of wines, quite a portion from Australia.

We only had a Rib eye steak with Fries and Chilean Mussels so only opted for a glass of red and white wine.

While the food was pretty alright, I was less impressed with the wines by glass. Had the Yilgarnia Cabernet Sauvignon ’10 and  Gallagher Chardonnay.

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Mars Bar by Mixes from Mars [Closed]

Discovered that Mars Bar has happy hour (1-for1) from Sun-Thurs from 5pm-8pm. *Keyword was “Sunday”~ NICEEEEEE….perfect for “pre-monday blue” drinks…

As a prelude to a crappy Monday, you can drink your sorrows away by having the Chilli Crab Cocktail – “a feisty concoction” as said by the mixologist, giving me a warning when he took my order. It was an interesting drink, almost like tomato gazpacho with tobasco sauce. And I like it~

Up next was Duxton Swizzle a recipe featuring watermelon.

The menu had what looked like hand-drawn pictures of the drinks, resembles that of Anti:dote (so who copied who?).

For the kidults, you can try Milo from Mars – a cocktail using Milo as base. For ours, the mixologist prepared it with Nutella. Comes decorated with a chocolate love-letter~

Lastly, Palawan Punch – a tiki drink named after the beach in Sentosa Island, featuring the tangy passionfruit.  Hopefully the passion can sufficiently fuel me to survive the coming work week.

Was chatting with the mixlogist when we got to know that they are preparing for the opening of another place in Red Dot Museum at Maxwell soon. Will keep a lookout for the new exciting place. Meanwhile, the drinks at Mars Bar will keep us returning back for more.

[Updates in Jul 15]

Mars Bar at Duxton is closed due to refurnishing of the hotel. Visit Hopscotch by Mixes from Mars at 28 Maxwell Rd, #01-04 Red Dot Traffic Building, Red Dot Traffic Building, 069120

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Pince & Pints

The lobster-only eatery along Duxton road, Pince & Pints, was set up by the co-founder of now famous blogshop Love, Bonito. I think even before they are opened for business there is almost a guaranteed supply of customers from the supporters of the fashion label who would be spreading the news and creating the hype about this eatery.

When I first dropped by on a Friday night, the staff said they stopped putting people on the waitlist for that night because: “They have 75 guests on the waiting list already.” *ahem* 75?!what an insanely queue number! It was 8pm, with 75 people queuing, are the last few on the waitlist queueing for supper?!

The 2nd time when we thought of going, we decided to call them up to check out the situation first. The reply? They don’t take reservations for that night already, they don’t take walk in for more than 3 for that night. ??? Puzzled…

Anyway, we tried our luck and walked in to ask for a table for 2. Luckily this time they said the waiting time would take 20 mins. =) Perhaps cos its not on a weekend and we arrived at 9.40pm. With great estimation on the waiting time by the staff, we got our seats at 10pm (really can eat the Lobster as supper).

Most people might have heard by now that the eatery only has 3 dishes, all at $48 each:

• Chilli Lobster served with Fried Mantou, Homemade Fresh Tomato & Chilli Sauce
• Live Whole Lobster (Grilled or Steamed) Herbed Butter Sauce
• The Lobster Roll

The last 2 served with Mesclun Salad, Sour Cherry & Balsamic Dressing, Shoestring Fries.

We opted for the whole lobster and the lobster roll along with a pint of beer, although the eatery name seem to imply we should be ordering pintssss?

Some people might feel that its not worthy to spend $48 for Lobster roll, cos you don’t get to see the whole lobster and you are half full from eating the bun; but I enjoyed the roll more than the grilled lobster. The bun tasted fantastic, it was soft and had a crispy light crust at the base. The companion sauce for the lobster roll was aioli sauce, different from the herb butter one used for the grilled lobster. The fries wasn’t as crispy as I would expect it to be. The grilled lobster was slightly dry and wasn’t as succulent as I was expecting.

If I am #75 in the waitlist, I would have @#$%&^% about how overrated this place is. But since I only waited 20 mins for my seats, I feel that it is still ok for the pretty good Lobster Roll (& its for the Lobster Roll ONLY, not the grilled one)…

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