All the stories they tell you are true. Pushing out a baby, especially the first, is hard work. Fortunately, I got to skip the dreaded morning sickness and satisfy all my sugary cravings for our inaugural dessert guide, Sweet Spots 2010, which comes free with this week’s issue. I hope you like it. Do get in touch if your copy’s missing.
In between grueling taste testing sessions, I made sure to carve out some time for the family (or I’d never hear the end of it). My old man snuck into town for his beautiful wife’s celebratory birthday meal at Chinois by Susur Lee. Happy birthday mom! We gorged ourselves silly on dishes including five-spiced duck confit glutinous rice rolls, pan-fried crisp-top carrot cake and an oven-baked cod with sautéed egg white and salted egg yolk.
I also managed to trek out to Arbite (66A Serangoon Garden Way, 6287-0430), a quaint little café in the Chomp Chomp vicinity. I was rewarded with some hearty fare, courtesy of chef-owner Marc Wee. I have a deep appreciation for chefs who take the time to make their own, so I was particularly impressed by the effort and care that goes into his food. My lovely dining companion and I were bowled over by chef Wee’s homemade pappardelle, made fresh daily, with mushrooms and parma ham ($19.90). Tossed in an ivory cream with onions, garlic and shallots, the sliced button mushrooms and light drizzle of truffle oil made for a luscious and comforting dish. Another good bet is his Asian-spiced lamb shank ($21.90), so tender we didn’t even need a knife.
For the first time in quite a while, I was able to kick back over the weekend and head to Cherry Garden for some dim sum action. Their champagne brunch ($118) was an overly-indulgent variety of unlimited food and bubbly. I enjoyed (maybe too much) the juicy xiao long baos, honey-glazed Kurobuta char siew and steamed scallop atop silken tofu in a spicy, savory black bean sauce. Even though I was just about ready to burst at the seams, I couldn’t resist their watermelon chutney with aloe vera and lemongrass jelly. It was so deliciously refreshing, I would have gladly polished off another portion, or three, had I the capacity.
