Category Archives: Dishes – Truffle Fries

Platypus Kitchen, by Lobster Shack at Bugis Junction

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Platypus Kitchen at Bugis Junction

Address (Google Map): 200 Victoria Street #03-29 Bugis Junction

Opening hours: Daily, 12.00pm to 10.00pm

Introduction

Platypus Kitchen first opened for business in end 2012 and they pride themselves to serve the freshest handmade paste and to offer gourmet cuisine at affordable price.

They are actually the same group of people managing the famous lobster shack at China Square. In October 2014, they revamped their menu and incorporated their famous lobster roll from Lobster Shack as part of the menu.

Menu: Click to enlarge

Chicken Garlic Creme Risotto (S$16.90++)

I like my risotto’s rice grain to have a well-defined texture and Platypus’ rice grain is a little too mashy and soft. From the name Chicken Garlic Creme Risotto, i was expecting something more robust in taste.

The garlic flavour is strong and is to my liking but overall it fell short for it’s taste. The portion is good and presentation is great. This is an OK dish for me.

Spicy Diablo Crab and Prawn (S$18.90++)

The pasta is tossed in a herby pasta base with medium sized prawn and topped with a generous portion of shredded crab claw meat. Unlike what the name suggested, i thought it’s not really spicy.

I have no complain about the prawn and crab claw meat and I really love the texture of their handmade pasta. It’s actually like a softer and more moist version of Mee Pok. The only complain is the lack in flavour. It’s very lightly salted with the majority of flavour coming from the herb, which doesn’t add much taste to the pasta as well. A little saltier might been nice.

Lobster Rolls (S$23.90++)

My favourite is actually their lobster roll. A generous amount of butter is spread onto the roll and the lightly-fried bread is delightfully crisp on the outside. There is little or zero unpleasant seafood taste and i pretty enjoyed the texture of the chewy and succulent lobster chunk.

Each portion of their lobster roll also comes with a serving of thick-cut truffle fries and a side salad. Among the two flavours, the traditional and garlic, i enjoyed both but my vote goes to the traditional.

The lobster meat in the garlic flavour is tossed in a sweet mayonaise with a pinch of lemon. A generous sprinkle of crispy garlic slice and tomato cubes made up the majority of the condiments and goes rather well with the sweet chilled lobster meat. This is lighter in taste compared to the traditional flavour but enjoyable nevertheless.

The traditional, flavoured with buttery mayonnaise (and cheese powder I guess), chopped onion and sprinkled with pepper, is my favourite among all dishes. This lobster roll gives a stronger punch compared to the Spicy Roasted Garlic. Despite the potent mix of ingredients in the sauce, i can still taste the sweetness of the lobster meat.

Conclusion

Actually I’m am pretty impress with the pasta selection of Platypus and they did a very good job in describing their dishes in it. It made me wanted to order everything. It’s a pity that the actual taste ia a little different from the expectation. Not that it’s bad, just that it’s different.

From the four main courses that i ordered, i am pretty more into their lobster rolls although I think that the handmade pasta’s texture is commendable. I thought the price is pretty reasonable, given the variety and kinds of ingredient used.

I enjoyed the overall dining experience at Platypus. I think this place is quite suitable for family with kids. Firstly it’s very accessible, right in the center of Bugis Junction and the tables are well spaced out. During evening time, the place is also slightly dimly lited, which adds a little romantic atmosphere in the air for couples who don’t wish to burn a hole in their pocket.

I will go back to try out a few more of their handmade pasta selections. Have you tried any good pasta from Platypus? Feel free to leave a comment if you do and you think that it may does justice to their pasta range.

Lola’s Cafe – The most popular Cafe at Kovan

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Lola Cafe

Address (Google Map): 5 Simon Rd Singapore 545893

Opening hours: Sun to Thu 10am to 11.30pm, Fri & Sat 10am to 12am, Closed on Mon

Introduction

Lola’s cafe is another hipster brunch cafe that is situated near to Kovan MRT. You won’t believe how popular this cafe is. Despite the inconspicuous location, there is even a queue on a weekday lunch hour.

I went there a couple of times, once on a Sat afternoon at about 3pm and i was told that there are ten people in the queue so i left. When i returned at night at about 8pm, i was told that I needed to wait for 45 minutes so i left again. Then, I visit this place on a Friday afternoon at 11.40am and I STILL NEED TO QUEUE. Need to be so popular or not?

But this time, the waiting time is only 15 minutes and I got myself a seat for two pax. They have a queuing system whereby a diner enters his contact mobile into an ipad and system will give you a call when your table is ready so that you do not need to stand outside the cafe like a dummy and i like this system very much.

They serve breakfast menu from 11 to 3pm and dinner from 6 to 9pm. Note that they only serve starter dish and finger food between 3 to 6pm. All prices on menu are nett with no GST and service charge.

Menu 1: Click to enlarge

Menu 2: Click to enlarge

Lola’s Full Monty Breakfast

In recent years, brunch culture is blooming in Singapore and everyone started selling breakfast platter. Majority of them are actually mediocre and seeing all-day breakfast on the menu does not excites me as much as before.

However, Lola’s breakfast platter brought back some excitement to the term “All-day breakfast”. Unlike some restaurants that charge for the sky, Lola’s is at a reasonable nett price of $15.

Their honey glazed ham and bacon is outstanding with a tinge of char-grilled flavour by torch flaming it for a slightly charred outlook. The scrambled egg is creamy and well-flavoured with a runny texture. If there is one thing to improve, they can increase the quantity of the bread for a fuller meal.

Butter Croissant ($13 nett)

Melted Cheddar Cheese, Sliced Ham, Pan Fried Bacon, Scrambled Egg wrapped in a lettuce and freshly toasted Croissant.I love the Croissant. Cripsy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Each mouthful is sinfully good with chunks of egg and melted cheese.

This dish not exactly an exciting option, but Lola’s manage to bring together people’s all time favourite ingredients and made it into something better. The only complain is it’s served on a flat wooden pan. Although it looks nice on photo, the crumbles of the Croissant fell all over the place and was really untidy. There’s gap on the table top so these crumble even fell onto my legs.

Paparika Honey Wings

This is a highly recommended dish by many fellow Singaporeans. It was sold out when I went there for brunch so i returned on another day’s evening for this. The garlicky wings are well marinated and lightly battered and it’s served piping hot. The exterior is really cripsy while the interior retains it’s tender juicy texture. The added paprika powder is mild but yet adds a rich flavor to the wings and the final touch is completed by the sweet honey taste. Love every bite of the wings.

Dinner menu

While I’m back the second time, I ordered their dinner menu, but it was not as impressive as their breakfast menu.

The chicken burger ($14 nett) is rather mediocre and it’s marinated in a curry powder marinate with the bread spreaded with aioli. The only good thing is for the tenderness of the patty and the generous amount of fries.

The Bacon and Mushroom Spaghetti in Truffle Cream Sauce ($14 nett) is not bad though not impressive and probably is my favourite among the mains that I had. The pasta is creamy rich with a generous amount of mushroom but can be better as the truffle taste is not strong enough.

Duck Leg with Honey Mustard Sauce ($16 nett) The Duck leg is well-cooked, but i can’t accept the supposed Honey Mustard Sauce that is drizzled on the duck. If you enjoy sour and sweet sauce on your duck, then likely you can accept this dish better than me.

Their Banger and Mash is an all-day dish but I find comfort in this dish after a few not-so-exciting experience of their main courses. The sausage is the same as the breakfast platter.

Conclusion

It’s a pity that their dinner menu is not as good as it’s breakfast menu so sadly only Lola’s breakfast menu works for me. You can see many youngsters pantronizing Lola’s as it probably has something to do with Lola’s affordable pricing as well as their sinfully good side dishes.

Truffle Fries ($12 nett) with grated parmesan cheese

Judging from the waiting time, having Lola’s in the vicinity is definitely a move welcome by the residents of Kovan. However, that also means that instead of being the place to chill and hang out, it became a eat-and-pay-your-bill as there are much people waiting for a seat. On top of that, Lola’s tables are very close to one another and is rather cramp. As such, my conclusion is – Dinner? So so. Place to relax and chill? Not really. Brunch? Yes.

Au Chocolat – Excellent Truffle Fries and Duck Confit

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Au Chocolat

Address: 2 Bayfront Avenue, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands L1-03

Operating Hours: Bistro 11.00 am to 12.00am (Daily) Last Order at 11.30pm
Operating Hours: Confiserie 11.00am to 12.00am (Daily)

Introduction

Au Chocolat (pronounced as “o sho koh lah”) is situated at MBS level one at the side that is very near to the Helix Bridge. It spans itself over two units, the Confiserie sells pastries, ice-cream and desserts while the Bistro, is a seated restaurant that serves main course. The price range of their dishes is considered as higher than an ordinary restaurant but probably one of the most affordable in MBS.

Their menu (with price) can be found here

Duck Confit – S$27.00++

What exactly is a duck confit?

Duck confit is a dish that is prepared by rubbing salt, pepper and other spices, wrapped and kept refrigerated for up to three days and this is known as the salt-curing process. The longer you place it in the fridge, the saltier it will become and the more it will absorb the herb and spices. The duck is then rinsed and poached slowly in the oven for generally from four to ten hours.

One of their must-try. Many agreed that this is one of the best duck confit (pronounced as “con-fee”) that they had in Singapore. For myself, I love their crackling skin and i think the taste has a little resemblance to KFC chicken original recipe. The waitress actually gave me a heads up that this dish will be salty and jsut to ensure that I’m OK with it.

I am rather satisfied that the duck remained tender despite the crispy exterior. It also comes with a mash potato side in chocolate sauce. I think not everyone can handle a orange chocolate sauce to go with a salty dish. Judge it for yourself. It’s pretty brilliant Imo. This dish also comes with slices of white wine poached pear. The only complain is for it’s small portion but it’s a no choice cus a duck can only grow so big as well as for their thigh. How about considering a duck confit two piece meal?

Ultimate Benedict – S$22.00++

Ahhhhh… Sweet mother of mercy. Just looking at the dish made me heavier by two kg! This dish is made up of roasted ribeye steak, crispy bacon strips, shredded chicken in cheese sauce (I think), sautéed spinach, two pancakes and two egg benny with their dark chocolate infused hollandaise sauce. It is a pity that the chocolate hollandaise sauce lacks a punch and in fact it taste rather bland. Among all the items, i like the shredded chicken best. As for the rest of the ingredients like the beef steak, bacon and pancake, they taste ordinary and tasted like what they should rightfully taste.

Will I order this again? Maybe not in recent visit. Did I regret ordering this? Not exactly. It’s actually a decent dish but just that having this ultimate benedict together with the truffle fries should had depleted all my available calories for the entire day. Those who are into calorie tracking are already sweating for me. It’s not something to feast on on a regularly basis.

Truffle fries – S$15.00++

Some of us would have already heard of this “best truffle fries” from Au Chocolate. I was wondering what is so great about this truffle fries that everyone is shouting out for and the price is not even cheap. And I realised why.

At $15.00, the portion is reasonably large and it’s good to be shared among four people. It’s sizzled with white truffle oil and seasoned with truffle sea salt and comes with a BBQ sauce and mayonnaise dip. I like Au Chocolat choice of a thick straight-cut instead of a thin one. As such, this fries were fried to a perfect crispness without losing it’s taste. I think it is not too exaggerating to say the this is the best fries that I had eaten. It is even able to retain it’s crispness even when it’s cold. The fries are really addictive and we finished the whole thing unknowingly. Bye bye to all my available calories.

Conclusion

Overall i am quite satisfied with Au Chocolat. I did not try their dessert as i intend to pop by Lady M Confection that is just across the Helix Bridge. This meal cost me not more than S$80.00 which i think it’s reasonable for it’s quality and location. In my opinion, the Truffle Fries lived up to it’s online reputation as well as it’s Duck Confit.

Didn’t have the intention to try their dessert on that day, so feel free to share if you had tried a very good dessert from Au Chocolat and think that it’s worth the try. I think i read quite a lot on their Choc-A-Bloc Tower Cake and the portion is really big! From the way i see it, it’s good to visit this place in a small group, like a group of four, so that we can get to share more dishes without stuffing yourself to death from the side dishes and desserts.

By the way, why not take a night stroll at our Singapore’s famous Helix Bridge after the hearty meal at MBS Au Chocolat?

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