Gem Bar

Just a stone throw away from Amoy Street, lies Ann Siang Hill. Another amazing street of many hidden finds waiting to be uncovered. And just in case if you're worried about this place being unaccessible, fret not. It's just a walking distance away from Tanjong Pagar MRT and is near to Amoy Food Centre and Maxwell Hawker Centre.

Discovered the existence of this dining place while strolling along Ann Siang Hill one day and I can't wait to try this place out. Hence, our destiantion for lunch one day!

The interior of the place gives diners a comfortable and cosy feel. Equipped with air-conditioners, you will definitely be glad you found yourself this place knowing that weather in Singapore can be so hot it's almost unbearable.

Promotion
Right now, they are having this Set Lunch Promotion every Monday - Saturday at 11am - 3pm. One Soup/Salad + One Main Course at $10++. They will serve you chilled/warm water upon asking. Or if you prefer other beverages, you can always top up $2 for soft drinks and $3 for juices.

What if you can't make it for lunch due to a meeting? No issues. Head down to Gem Bar for a Late Crowd Promotion (Monday - Thursday at 3pm - 9pm) which you will be able to enjoy 50% discount off the main course. Do check out if there are terms and conditions!

Salad

Tradition green mix with a couple of tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Some of the vegetable tasted way too bitter for me to handle. Left more than half the plate of greens untouched. Would have been better if they were more generous with the dressing though.

Beef Lasagna

Carbonara

Spaghetti tossed in creamy sauce with bacon and mushroom. Two words: Super Delish.

Bangers & Mash

Chicken Sausage and Mashed Potato with onion gravy.

Wagyu Beef Burger

Mushroom Burger

Beef Patty topped with Mushroom and Gratin with Gouda Cheese served with a side salad and cripsy fries.

Meat Ball Pasta

Spaghetti tossed in tomato sauce and wagyu meat ball.

Fish & Chips

Deep Fried Battered Dory served with a side salad and cripsy fries and tartar sauce.

Herb Crusted Salmon

Baked Salmon topped with Herb Crust laced with Mustard Cream Sauce with side salad and cripsy fries. My opinion? The slice of salmon certainly doesn't do justice to the amount of price paid.

Spent a total of $99 on this meal for 8 of us, thanks to the set lunch promotion. Definitely worth the money in my opinion.

If you happen to be in this area, do drop by for a meal! Or a drink, if you're in this area at night.

Gem Bar

10 Ann Siang Hill

Singapore 069789

Tel: 6423 9562

Website: http://www.gemsingapore.com/

Zafferano - Contemporary Italian Cuisine

Restaurant Week 2013 was held on 18 - 24 March 2013, which just ended on Sunday. Within the short span of a week, have you managed to make your reservation at your favourite restaurant?

I've gotten a reservation for L and myself at Zafferano, and like the title of this post, the restaurant serves Contemporary Italian Cuisine.

Here's an extract from Zafferano's website:

Located 240 metres above the ground at the top floor of the Ocean Financial Centre along Singapore CBD’s bustling Collyer Quay, Zafferano offers gastronomes a winning hybrid concept that consists of a contemporary restaurant and chic rooftop bar. Enjoy the panoramic 270-degree view as you dig in to Chef Roberto De Franco’s neo Italian cuisine that’s a refreshed and modern version of the classics.

The description is enough for me to make a reservation almost immediately. The view is said to be to-die-for, isn' it?

We didn't get an al-fresco seating arrangement but the interior of the restaurant was impressive.

Source: google.com

Having been to several italian restaurants, and being served just a single kind of bread before starting the meal, Zafferano was indeed refreshing as they offer not just a single, but a variety of bread. Which I am not complaining, I love bread sticks!

Tonno - Tuna & Avocado Tartar, Cherry Tomato Juice & Aromatic Salad

This was my choice of starter, and to be honest I wasn't attracted to the taste and even switched plates with L after a single bite. However, I have to admit that I hold a biased point of view in this case, because the smoked tuna tasted raw, and I don't stomach raw food. But the cherry tomato juice makes a perfect bread stick dip!

Burrata - Burrata Cheese, Cherry Tomatoes & Basil

L's choice of starter, which ended up became mine heh. This dish went well. I really love how fresh the tomatoes were and how they tasted after the chef's work. But to be honest, I would prefer less servings of cheese and more of the tomatoes.

Our mains! L got Short Ribs, and since I don't take beef, I got the latter - Astice. Okay, confession time. I got greedy after seeing 'lobster' on the menu.

Short Ribs - Slow-cooked Beef Ribs, Port Wine & Black Truffle Sauce with Polenta, Taleggio Cheese & Briased Vegetables.

Huge thick chunky piece of tasty tendy meat on your plate. Who can resist?

Astice - Boston Lobster Ravioli, Celeraic Cream & Asparagus

To be honest, I wasn't expecting any dumpling-like dish. I mean, I want to see Lobster. But then again, to be really fair to the chef and his works, this dish is tasty and the taste of lobster is too obvious to miss.

Favourite course of the meal: Desserts!

Caffee' - Coffee Mousse, Mascarpone Cheese Foam & Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

Was a little hesitant to order this since I am not a fan of mousse cakes, but this impressed me. The chocolate ice cream was delicious, just that it melts a bit too quickly. The coffee mousse was sweet and chilled, but the coffee was overwhelming that the aftertaste gets a little bitter. Great for coffee lovers though!

Tiramisu - Traditional Expresso Tiramisu

The serving of coffee icecream which comes along was really good. Tiramisu didn't quite impress and it tasted too bland. Or rather, since it was accompanied by desserts that are way too sweet, the tiramisu turns out pale in comparison. Have yet to try any tiramisu worth raving about. Do you have any recommendations?

Total bill comes up to a total of $129 for just the both of us. Worth a try, especially if you're a diner who pays attention to the ambience and interior of the restaurant.

Zafferano

Ocean Financial Centre, Level 43

10 Collyer Quay

Singapore 049315

Tel: 6509 1488

Website: http://zafferano.sg/



[PROMOTION] ETNA

Pardon me if I am too slow, but I just got the true definition of ETNA. (Refer to my dining experience at ETNA over here). And ETNA means... Every Table Need Attention!

So, if you're looking for a restaurant, where you will be served good (italian) food with above average service, please make your way down to ETNA. I assure you that you will not be disappointed, because I wasn't.

Here's a promotion for the upcoming Valentine's Day. Surprise your partner by bringing him/her for an unforgettable dining experience!

Etna Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria

Another new post. Another new post on Italian cuisine.

2 Saturdays back, L decided to bring me to Enta Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria! We took quite awhile to find the location, and the rain didn't help at all.

Entrance (courtesy of google.com)

There wasn't any set menus for us to choose, so we had to make do with the ala-carte menu. It took both of us awhile to decide on what we want because all the items on the menu are so attractive!

Funny how neatly presented dining utensils can affect my mood for the meal.

The traditional fire place where the chefs will prepare our pizza.

Fire place

While the chefs were preparing our mains, the waitress politely serve us some warm bread.

Bread was warm, and fluffy. Not the kind of usual plain bread served in other restaurants though. L and I finished all 4 pieces up in a jiffy.

Another cute container for the olive oil and vinegar just like that one we saw at Pasta Inc.

Our mains!
L got the Chef's Special of the Day. Pizza with Burrata, Parma Ham & Rocket Salad

Pizza with Burrata, Parma Ham & Rocket Salad (S$29.00)

This didn't quite score with me, though the thing crust did impress me quite abit. The saltiness from the parma ham is delicious with the crust, but sadly, the rocket salad dressed on top was too bitter for our comfort. But I must say that the pizza is worth trying still!

I opt for pasta, as usual.

Linguine con Polpa di Granchio e Crema di Aragosta (S$25.00)

Liguine served with chunky crab meat in a lobster cream sauce.

And I really meant Chunky.

One word : Delish. Although it does annoys me to find some shell (probably due to crab meat) in my food...

Total bill came up to a total of S$57.78 for just 2 mains. Not cheap, but not expensive for a decent Italian meal too. Afterall, you get what you paid.

Promotion: There is a on-going 3/4 course set menu which is only valid on Weekdays Lunch.

ETNA Italian Restaurant & Pizzaeria

49/50 Duxton Road

Singapore 089513

Tel: 6220 5513

www.ETNAitalianrestaurant.com



Pasta Inc

Hello to everyone, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Although it is already the 18th day into this brand new year, Livelifelovefood still want to do a newyear shoutout to everyone reading this space!

Thank you to everyone who is reading lllf. No, we are not people who want fame and be a celebrity bloggers or whatever of that sorts. We just want to capture memories of the nice and not-so-nice food and share with everyone at the other side of the computer. And we definitely wish you will enjoy our posts as much as we enjoy the food heh.

Back to food! L and I finally had the chance to taste some really tasty Italian food after afew weeks of humble eating. Decided that eating real tasty food every single week isn't a good thing for both our wallets and waistlines. Afterall, almost all yummy things are fattening.

So here we go, at Pasta Inc for our lunch one Saturday!

Panorama Shot of the street

Had a tough time finding this place, but thank goodness for smartphones and the maps app. We finally reached here. I have always wanted to explore this part of Singapore, all the shophouses and narrow street attract me somehow.

The first step into this restaurant was a pleasant one. Politely greeted by one of the staff and led to our table straight away. Love how the tables are all spread out neatly with a decent amount of empty area in between each table. Remember how some restaurants have uncomfortabley small narrow spaces in between each tables, and how you have to whisper to your date awkwardly over meals just so that the other tables won't have the chance to hear what sweet nothings you two are saying?

Panorama Shot of the Interior

Over at Pasta Inc, you don't have to worry about that.because each table is neatly spaced out.

We were served bread as well, just like how we were served in other Italian restaurants. The bread here wasn't warm, neither are they fluffy and soft like the ones served at Modesto's. Quite disappointed, but my disappointment turns into amusement immediately when I see this.

Container of Olive Oil and Vinegar.

Cheap thrill, yes I know.
Soups were served very quickly.

Soup of the Day - Mushroom Soup

Bisque Di Aragosta - Homemade Lobster Bisque Soup

To be very honest, I wasn't impressed by either of them. L had the Lobster Bisque Soup while I opt for the Mushroom one. The Lobster soup was abit too fishy for my liking. While the mushroom one didn't impress me either.

Main course is up next!

Linguine Carbonara - Linguine with bacon in cream sauce and egg yolk

Was disappointed when I realised that the squid ink based pasta wasn't in the menu, as I was dying to try that as there were many raving reviews. But my carbonara quickly turn my disappointment around. I love to have linguine as my choice of pasta when I am having carbonara, and the chef did up my order as what I wished without much hassle too. The linguine was done al-dente (the italian way), accompanied with fresh bacon slices and delish sauce. Perfect-o! Although the one at Modesto's/Michengalo are better in my opinion. But nonetheless, I wiped the whole plate clean.

Tagliolini Ai Brocolli E Funghi - Tagliolini with Brocolli, Mushroom and Cherry Tomato in Oil, Garlic and Chillies.

L's choice. To me, this is like the italian version of our chinese wanton mee, with different sides. A very refreshing dish, but it will be better if the chef drizzle more olive oil as it gets a little too dry after afew mouthfuls.

A sweet dessert will end your meal nicely, thats what everyone says. And of course, we are glad to live by it.

Dessert of the Day - Tiramisu

This tiramisu didn't capture my heart nor stomach. Abit too bland, and too watery. A better dessert will definitely make us happier!

The total bill comes up to only S$31.80 because I got this 3 course meal deal off groupon. Would come back for the pasta anytime, but I will be saving my stomach for better desserts.

If you're a pasta lover as well, why not check out our posts on Italian Cusine over here?

Pasta Inc

35 Keong Saik Road

Singapore 089142

Tel: 6297 7515

Modesto's - Traditional Italian Wood-Fired Pizza and Home-Made Pasta

Italian Cuisine for dinner again! Can't stop smiling from ear to ear when I managed to persuade my colleagues to go for Italian Cuisine for dinner instead of a BBQ buffet. I love food, and one cuisine I will never ever get sick of, is Italian Cuisine. Because my love for pasta is insurmountable. Let's just say, if you know me personally, you will definitely that I can have pasta every single day without feeling sick of it. Alas, but I am not a particular fan of pizza though.

And so, here we are, at Modesto's @ Vivocity where Traditional Italian Wood-Fired Pizza and Home-Made Pasta are served.

Panorama shot of the restaurant.

The restaurant is dimmed so all the diners can have their meals in a cosy environment, which might be a little too uncomfortable for some who prefer well lit places. So pardon me if some of the shots are below your expectations, I don't want to disturb the other diners with the constant flashes from the camera. Hence, some shots turn out rather dark and blur without flash.

While waiting for our orders, there's this complimentary platter of bread served, together with condiments like olive oil, etc.

Fluffy, soft and warm bread which is fresh from oven. I don't see what's there not to like. But remember not to stuff yourself silly with these, because the main course served are in quite a huge portion.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara (S$ 22)

Linguine with pork bacon, egg yolk and parmesan cheese in cream sauce.

Linguine Alle Vongole (S$ 23)

Linguine with fresh clams, dried chili and garlic in an extra Virgin olive oil and white wine sauce.

Rigatoni Alla Puttanesca (S$ 23)

Large tube pasta with anchovies, capers, black kalamata olives, dried chili and basil in fresh tomato sauce

Bistecca Di Manzo Alla Bismark Con Crema Tartufata (S$ 40)

Grilled ribeye steak with asparagus, parmesan cheese and fried egg, served with creamy white truffle sauce.

Prosciutto Crudo (S$ 56)

Blur shot of a portion of the pizza. It fills up almost the whole plate! Evidence of how huge the pizza is.

Tomato, cheese and Italian pork Parma ham. Can you imagine the devastated look on my face when the waiter served us our pizza before I could take a shot of the whole completed pizza. Le sigh. So the only thing I can do is to take photo of my pizza on my plate, to show you how huge the whole pizza is.

The pastas are all done al dente which is perfect for us. If you, however, prefer your pasta to be well cooked, simply let the chefs/waiters know, and they will whip it up for you the way you want your dishes to be. All the pastas are perfect, not just because I am a pasta lover, but because everyone else who ordered pasta love it. Whether is it white wine based, cream based or tomato based, you can be sure that you will be satisfied and definitely come back for more.

Like I have mentioned, I am not a fan of pizza. In fact, in order for me to fancy pizza, the pizza must be of a top quality grade. And I can find them here at Modesto's. Thin crispy crust which will not fill up 3/4 of your tummy before you get to enjoy the other dishes, and they are definitely generous with the ingredients too. We ordered the huge family size pizza since there are 6 of us, and boy, when I say huge, I really mean HUGE.

But of course you can opt for a smaller size pizza. There are 3 sizes available, Mini (approx 8"), Regular (approx 12") and Family (approx 20").

Since this is an Italian restaurant, the waiters work in an 'Italian way'. Don't adjust your plates personally while they are serving your food, because the waiters will prefer you to sit back and relax, and enjoy your dinner while they serve you.

For me, Modesto's has the perfect service, ambiance and food. What more can I ask for?

Total bill came up for S$ 210 for 7 of us - 7 mains + 1 Family pizza. Not very cheap, but I would go as far as to say this dining experience is worth every penny that you spent.

For pasta lovers, another place where you can make sure you get delicious pasta will be at Michelangelo's. (:

Modesto's

1 HarbourFront Walk #01-166/167

VivoCity Singapore 098585               

Tel: +65 6376 9808