Lovers of fried chicken and Southern cuisine rejoice, for the James Beard nominated and award-winning Yardbird Southern Table & Bar is now open at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands as The Bird Southern Table & Bar.
Founded by Chef John Kunkel, The Bird is 50 Eggs’ first international venture, with Yardbird’s first two branches located in Miami and Las Vegas.
Towards the tail end of my Tokyo trip, I was craving for Western food badly enough that I decided to brave the queue at Luke’s Lobster, a seafood franchise located a stone’s throw away from Takeshita Dori in Harajuku.
Contrary to my initial belief, Luke’s Lobster did not originate in Japan; it was brought over from New York some time around 2015. The idea came about when founder Luke Holden and his father set out to make their idea of a perfect lobster roll: chock full of fresh, chunky lobster claws, minus the diluted coleslaw and mayonnaise mix that seemed to plague most restaurants in New York.
As luck would have it, the queue had pretty much dissipated when I joined, although it swelled to about 20 people by the time I reached the front counter. Good timing, or maybe I’m just incredibly lucky when it comes to queueing for food overseas (why the same luck doesn’t apply to my favourite stalls at Amoy during lunchtime is a mystery).
Update June 2020: RONIN has closed.
Here’s a cafe that’s relatively off the grid – at least by today’s standards where information about any and every business is readily available online.
When it first opened its doors, RONIN Cafe was one of those “hidden finds” with little to no reviews, and no website or social media presence to inform customers of its opening hours or menu.
Not that they needed that kind of publicity, though, as the 30+ seater cafe remains thriving in its cosy corner on Hong Kong Street to this day; the lunchtime crowd didn’t die down till well after 3pm when I re-visited.
Sunday brunches are made of these – long, slow-paced afternoons with your loved ones, your favourite dishes on the table, coupled with a picturesque view of the city on a weekend. Oh, and not forgetting a glass of bubbly in hand as you contemplate life’s simple pleasures.
Dubbed the longest brunch in Singapore (for the day long music and partying that commences after 3pm), Monti Festino is a new Sunday brunch concept by Monti, that aims to bring together the world’s finest ingredients, as well as smooth house tunes to create a feast for the senses.
Update June 2020: The Bakery by Woodlands Sourdough has moved to Upper Thomson.
I used to have an intense disliking for bread, especially during my kindergarten days. Break time? Soggy white bread slapped around clumpy strawberry jam. Lunch? More flimsy slices of white bread soaked through from being packed with tuna for too long. I vowed to stay away from the treacherous white slices (yes, I know I’m spoilt) until my cafe hopping ventures introduced me to the world of sourdough – robust, crisp, and easily paired with my favourite brunch toppings aka scrambled eggs and bacon.
So when my fellow foodie brought up The Bakery by Woodlands Sourdough, a sourdough specialty outlet, I was undeniably enthused.
“You’ll be trying a lot of food today,” the Morganfield’s PR representative told us as the third dish hit the table.
Morganfield’s is known for hearty American food – think Southern style BBQ, craft beers, and sinfully rich desserts that will send your calorie counter off the charts (not that you should be counting your calories when you’re dining at the self proclaimed Home of the Sticky Bones anyway).
With their new menu launching next month, we were invited for a taste test of their upcoming dishes and signatures at their outlet at The Star Vista.
Update 20 Jan 2025: Foxhole Cafe has closed.
There’s something about the start of a new year that fills me with optimism – new ventures, new possibilities, and most importantly, new places to go cafe-hopping!
Well 2017 must be the year that Singapore’s cafe scene finally breaks into the far-reaching corners of the East, what with places like Brothers in Fine Food opening in Tampines, and The Pourover moving into their new residence at Foxhole Cafe in Hougang.
One of the first few business to set up shop in the newly opened (and very empty) Midtown Residences, Foxhole is best described as a cafe without airs, with its 26 seater area tucked away on the second floor.
A large, galaxy-themed unicorn mural also occupies one side of the wall, and is fast becoming a prominent fixture on Instagram (good luck trying to fit the entirety of it in your pictures though, what with the space as narrow as it is).
Notice the slightly blue tint throughout the second level? That’s thanks to the UV filter that the owners installed on the wall – pretty handy for when the afternoon sun is at its brightest, seeing how the seating area overlooks an empty field.
Chue On It 