Saveur (Purvis Street)

Saveur's Pasta $4.90

Saveur is a restaurant serving affordable French Cuisine. The owners of the restaurant first the business in a coffeeshop before moving to its present location at Purvis Street. Today, the restaurant occupies 2 units at Purvis Street (side by side) and has a second outlet at Far East Plaza.

Saveur located at Purvis Street is directly opposite the National Library. It is around 10 minutes walk from either Bugis or City Hall MRT station.

There used to be long queues at the restaurant but now that the hype has died down and it has 2 units (larger seating capacity), there was no need to wait or queue for a table despite it being a weekend evening. Outside its entrance, there was even a small kiosk for customers to key in their mobile number to enter the queue. I guess there's no need for this now.

The restaurant was around 70% full during our time of visit. Looking at its kitchen counter, it still looks so classy and modern despite its pricing.

French Onion Soup $8.90

The French Onion Soup $8.90 with served with a slice of toasted french loaf was probably the most 'not-for-value' dish. It comes with a pricey price tag and in addition, it failed in the taste department. There was a weird after taste.

Potato au Gratin $3

For sides, we ordered the Potato au Gratin $3. I wonder if it was me, but the word 'Gratin' typically means that the dish is baked and comes with (top) layer of light brown crust. This was not the Potato au Gratin I was expecting. Nevertheless, at $3 this was a decent dish in terms of taste. Maybe they should rename this dish.

Saveur's Pasta $4.90

We also ordered their signature Saveur's Pasta $4.90 for sharing. It consisted of Angel’s Hair Pasta with minced pork sauce, sakura ebi, kombu and chilli oil. Tossing everything together, the taste was amazing with hints of sweetness, saltiness and just a slight hint of spiciness at times. I wonder how come it was not spicy if chilli oil was added. Priced at $4.90 this was a real steal, I could not have expected more in terms of taste at such pricing. It even came nicely plated.

Duck Confit $12.90

I ordered the Duck Confit $12.90. The Duck Confit was served on top of a bed of mashed potato with sauteed shitake with parsley and garlic at the side.

Duck Confit $12.90

The Duck Confit, typically prepared by roasting the leg of the duck till it is crispy was on the skinny side. It was not meaty enough. Moreover, some parts of the duck leg was not even cooked and hence was not crisp. Those parts that were crisp were very well executed. The mashed potato at the bottom was delicious. I was scrapping the empty plate to ensure that none were wasted.

Seabass $14.90

The partner ordered the Seabass $14.90 which was pan-seared. It was served with sauteed potato and french beans.

Seabass $14.90

The Seabass was incredibly fresh with no fishy after taste and its skin was pan-seared till it was so crisp. What puzzled us was that the french beans were layered (i.e. sliced in-between to make it 2 halves). The crunchiness was lost as a result.  

The french food at Saveur is quite affordable and value for money. Other than the French Onion Soup, it would be hard to find such prices at anywhere else. If you are on a budget, this is a place to consider. In terms of ambience, the restaurant was crowded and noisy. It was hard to strike a conversation at times.  

Saveur (Purvis Street)

5 Purvis Street #01-05/06

Singapore 188584

Tel: 6333 3121​

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 12pm - 215pm, 6pm - 915pm

                          Sun 12pm - 215pm, 6pm - 9pm

Website 

Saveur (Far East Plaza) 

14 Scotts Road

#01-07B Far East Plaza

Singapore 228213

Tel: 6736 1121

Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 1130am - 930pm

                          Sun 1130 - 9pm

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Lam's Abalone Noodle Restaurant 阿南鲍鱼面 (Marina Square)

Lam's Abalone Noodle Restaurant 阿南鲍鱼面 was established by a person known as Ah Lam. He first started out in the early 1950s selling "Mini Wok Noodle" before being one of the first to sell abalone noodle in a coffee shop. Today, the Lam's Abalone Noodle Restaurant which he found has 3 outlets (addresses are appended at the end of this post).

We visited the outlets in Marina Square which is located at level 4; the same level as the The Gallerie (Food Court), Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice, Hotpot Culture and The Corner Place (Korean BBQ). The crowd on a weekend evening. 

Lam's Abalone Noodle Restaurant has its own seating capacity which was largely under-utilised during my visit on a weekend evening. One of the reason could be because most people would bring their food to the food court to join their friends or families. 

Menu 

Menu

The menu which ranges from noodles (e.g. abalone noodles, mini wok noodles, etc) to Salted Baked Chicken rice, dumplings soup to smoked duck!  

Signature Specialty Noodle $5.20

I ordered their Signature Specialty Noodle $5.20 which came with fish ball, sliced meat, minced meat, vegetables, seaweed, a prawn, half an egg, fish skin and crunchy pork lard. It was so full of ingredients that you would not be able to see the noodles (mee pok) underneath! It is similar to Bak Chor Mee (Minced meat noodles)

Signature Specialty Noodle $5.20

I was impressed with this bowl of Signature Specialty Noodle. The mee pok mixed with the pork lard and special sauce was just so fragrant and flavourful! The sauce made a huge difference. It had such a unique and delectable flavour that the more I ate it, the more I love it. The downside was that the prawn was not fresh. Nevertheless, I quite like this bowl of noodles!

Teochew Dumplings Soup $3.50

The Signature Specialty Noodle was so good that it ignite my taste buds. I was still hungry (after wolfing down the noodles) and longed for more. Hence, I made my way back to the counter and ordered a bowl of Teochew Dumplings Soup $3.50 with high expectations.

Teochew Dumplings Soup $3.50

It was a big mistake. Ouch. We both agreed that the Teochew Dumplings were badly executed. It was tasteless and the skin was just too thick.

Lam's Abalone Noodle Restaurant 阿南鲍鱼面 (Marina Square)
6 Raffles Boulevard
Marina Square
#04-101 The Gallerie Food Court
Singapore 039594
Tel: 6336 0848
Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 9pm
Website

Lam's Abalone Noodle Restaurant (Race Course)
460 Race Course Road 
Singapore 218700 
Tel: 6398 1154
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm

Lam's Abalone Noodle Restaurant (Causeway Point)
1 Woodlands square
#04-01 Food Republic Causeway Point
Singapore 738099
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm

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Yan Kee Noodle House at BK Eating House

I have heard about a noodle stall in a coffeeshop at Circular road which specialises in Dry Mee Sua. This is unique to me as Fishball Noodles and Bak Chor Mee (mee pok or mee kia) nearly always take the limelight in any noodle stall, not mee sua.

The stall is called Yan Kee Noodle House at BK Eating House located at the junction of South Bridge Road and Circular Road. Another factor which makes it so unique is that the stall is open 24 hours and is only closed on Sundays.

When I visited on a weekday noon, the eating house was surprisingly empty. There were only a handful customers. There was also no queue at Yan Kee Noodle House.

Needless to say, I ordered their Speciality Dry Mee Sua, made payment and waited for the food to be served to my table.

Speciality Dry Mee Sua $3.50

The Speciality Dry Mee Sua cost $3.50.

Speciality Dry Mee Sua $3.50

Speciality Dry Mee Sua $3.50

The Speciality Dry Mee Sua was served with fishballs, meatballs, minced meat, lean meat, a whole mushroom, ikan bilis and pork lard. What stood out was that the mee sua which was amazingly springy, not soggy. In addition, each strand of mee sua when well mixed was well coated with the chilli and vingear sauce which is bounded to entice your taste buds. The two handmade fishballs, bigger than what you get else where also deserved a mention. They were bouncy and firm with no fishy taste. The smaller things to note which made this such a wonderful dish was the crunchy ikan bilis and pork lard which gave an additional dimension to the texture and oomph of the dish.

For just $3.50, they were so generous with the ingredients. Value for money and yummy! 

Yan Kee Noodle House at BK Eating House 
BK Eating House
21 South Bridge Rd (Junction of South Bridge Rd & Circular Rd)
Opening Hours: Mon to Sat 24 hrs
                         Closed on Sun

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Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Nam Nam) which specialises in serving Vietnamese cuisine belongs to the Les Amis Group (which includes the likes of Au Jardin, Bistro Du Vin, Canele and other restaurants). But unlike these upscale restaurants, Nam Nam offers more affordable food in a causal bistro setting targeting the mass market.  

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

Nam Nam first opened at Raffles City Shopping Centre in late 2012. Within a short time span of less than a year, two other outlets have opened at Wheelock Place and Suntec City.

I have frequently past by its outlet at Raffles City and wanted to try it on several occasions. However, there was always a long perceptual queue! This time, we decided to meet visit the eatery early at 1130am to beat the crowd. 

Banh Min counter

The Banh Min (Vietnamese bread, normally toasted baguettes) counter is located right in front of the eatery. 

Nam Nam's seven commandments - the Namnam-tiquette placed at the front of the eatery. 

On every table, there was a row of bottles of condiments. Personally, we did use any of them as the originally taste of the dishes were sufficient. 

Southern Roll with Sweet Shrimps, Egg, Herbs $4.90

We kick started the meal with the Southern Roll with Sweet Shrimps, Egg, Herbs $4.90 was served with hoisin sauce fried with chicken liver dip. The Southern Roll were bland on its own. You would need to dip it into the sauce provided which was the game changer. The combination of the dip enhanced the flavour and would ignite your taste buds. One 'glitch' was that the rice paper used to wrap the roll was too tough. They really need to improve on this aspect as we had a hard time biting into it.

Pho Beef Steak Slices $8.90

The most famous Vietnamese dish is Pho which is essentially a bowl of rice noodles with herbs, spices and thinly sliced meat (normally beef or chicken) in beef stock. How could we not order Pho in a Vietnamese eatery!

 Pho Beef Steak Slices $8.90

The Pho Beef Steak Slices $8.90 was surprisingly good. The two main factor was the beef slices and the beef stock. The beef slices were thinly sliced, slightly uncooked, and hence were so soft and tender. The beef stock was light, rich, aromatic (due to the herbs) and the flavours were so well balanced. Together with the thin and smooth rice noodles, it was a hearty comforting bowl of Pho! Yummylicious!~ 

Extra Toppings: Wagyu Beef $2.50

Ordered an Extra Topping: Wagyu Beef $2.50. It arrived in a small bowl. The stock was similar just that it was more robust - full beefy essence! The Wagyu Beef was also thinly sliced and was pinkish as it was slightly undercooked. This would be a good choice if you are a beef fanatic. 

 Pho Beef Balls $8.90

The Pho Beef Balls $8.90 was average. Two main reasons. The beef balls were not as shiok as the beef slices in terms of flavour. In addition, the stock was not as beefy compared to the bowl of Pho Beef Steak Slices.

We quite like our dining experience at Nam Nam Noodle Bar and would definitely be back for the Pho Beef Steak Slices! With more outlets, hopefully the queue will not be as long.

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Raffles City Shopping Centre)
#B1-46/47 Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
Singapore 179103
Tel: 6336 0500
Opening Hours: 8am to 10pm
Website

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Wheelock Place)
#B2-02 Wheelock Place
501 Orchard Road  
Singapore 238880
Tel: 6735 1488

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Suntec City)
#B1-131 Suntec City
Temasek Boulevard
Singapore 038983
Tel: 6884 5677

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Lady M Confections Singapore (Marina Square)

Lady M Confections has opened a store in Singapore at Marina Square! This is its first store outside of US. Interestingly, this is only Lady M Confections' fifth outlet! The other four stores are located in New York and Los Angeles. Now you do not have to travel all the way to US to try this! 

Lady M Confections first opened in 2001 in New York and is well known for its cakes especially the mille crepe cake which uses a combination of French pastry techniques and Japanese etiquette of precision. In fact, many have claimed that Lady M Confections is the one who started the milli crepe cake craze.

We visited Lady M Confections Singapore on a Saturday at 5pm. To our surprise, there was a queue of around 5 persons in front of us although there were a few empty tables. From observation, it seemed that there was insufficient staff. Some of the tables were still not cleared. We waited around 10 minutes before we got into the cafe. 

The store looks similar to the other stores in US with white theme used for its setup and furnishing. It was a pity the ambience was noisy, making it hard to hold a decent conversation. In addition, with 56 seats, if you are coming in a group of more than 5, it may be hard to get a table.

Cake Menu

The cake menu is appended above. It was a pity the Green Tea Mille Crepe was not available. 

Vanilla Mille Crepe $7.50

The signature Vanilla Mille Crepe cost $7.50. This mille crepe cake was essentially a layered caked made up of more than 20 layers of paper thin crepes, with a vanilla cream filling between each layer. Each of these cakes are handmade over a period of 10 hours!

The top of the Vanilla Mille Crepe was lightly caramelized. The more than 20 over layers of crepes were incredibly thin with a soft texture. The light aromatic pastry cream with a hint of vanilla flavour complement the layers well. The Vanilla Mille Crepe was delicious on the first few mouthful. However, towards the end, we felt that it was too sweet and had difficulty finishing it. 

Checker $8

The Checker $8 was a checkered vanilla and chocolate sponge cake covered in chocolate ganache. The cubes of chocolate and vanilla sponge cake were alternated to form checkered pattern. Each of these cubes were separated by light pastry cream. Personally, I thought that the layer of cream between each cube was too thick. The rich and bitter chocolate ganache complemented the sponge cake well. At $8 per slice, I thought that the cake was pretty ordinary. I would have expected something better for this price.

I am not particularly wowed by the cakes I had at Lady M Confections Singapore. In addition, the service needs to be improved. The staff had a tendency to look straight and not look around the surroundings. It was a challenge looking for one to take order or to even ask for the bill. If you are dining in, there will be a 10% service charge. I doubt I will be back anytime soon.. unless they have the Green Tea Mille Crepe (which is something I want to try).

Good news for fans of Lady M. By October, a second outlet will be opened in One Fullerton.

Lady M Confections Singapore (Marina Square)

#02-103 Marina Square Shopping Mall 

6 Raffles Boulevard  

Singapore 039594

Opening Hours: Daily 11am to 9pm

Website

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Tian Xin Wanton Noodle 天心云吞面 (Coleman Street)

Tian Xin Wanton Noodle 天心云吞面 is a stall specialising in noodles located in Sidewalk Eating House which is located at Excelsior Shopping Centre along Coleman Street. In fact, this Eating House is located just next to Funan Digital Mall, facing the Central Fire Station along Hill Street. 

Sidewalk Eating House was packed with hungry office workers during my visit on a weekday lunch hour. This was probably so due to the many offices located nearby. 

Frankly, I had no idea what to eat and decided to just go for one with a queue (Singapore mentality tsk tsk). Hence, I settle for Tian Xin Wanton Noodle 天心云吞面 as there was about 10 people in the queue (the longest queue at the Eating House). I ordered the Minced Meat Noodles aka Bak Chor Mee. The Minced Meat Noodle was available at $3.50 or $4.50. As usual being a glutton, I ordered the $4.50 version. 

I seldom see any stall providing so many different type of condiments. Normally, the stall owners would add it for you themselves to control the quantity. 

Minced Meat Noodles $4.50

The Minced Meat Noodles $4.50 was served with a bowl of soup, similar to what you can get elsewhere. For my noodles, I ordered Mee Pok; flat yellow noodles. 

Minced Meat Noodles $4.50

Minced Meat Noodles $4.50

I was pleasantly surprised by the big bowl of Minced Meat Noodles which was filled to the brim. They were extremely generous with the ingredients and noodles. I should have ordered the $3.50 version (you have been warned). Despite the generosity, it was an average bowl of Minced Meat Noodles. It was a pity the Mee Pok was overcooked and had lost its springiness, and the sauce (including vinegar) was not flavourful enough. 

Undeniably, I must admit that this stall is reasonably price. In addition, the service provided was good. The Auntie was friendly; she would ask if you want certain items and always had a smile. Judging from the long queue, this seems to be one of the more popular stall.

Tian Xin Wanton Noodle 天心云吞面 (Coleman Street)

Coleman Street

Sidewalk Eating House

Excelsior Shopping Centre

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Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier is a bakery cafe set up by Spa Espirit Group. It is the same group which owns a number of restaurants such as Open Door Policy, Skinny Pizza and Demspey House. Tiong Bahru Bakery first opened in Tiong Bahru estate now has a second outlet located in Raffles City Shopping Centre. 

Tiong Bahru Bakery at Raffles City Shopping Centre has been enjoying a brisk business ever since it has opened at the bustling location. 

First Anniversary Promotion

Coincidentally, on the day of visit (3rd Aug 2013) it was their first anniversary at Raffles City. As such, they had a $1 Mini Kouign Amann promotion. 

The products offerings are proudly displayed. Customers who are interested to buy something (no matter how many) would need to go through this entire stretch where they would be enticed with a visual display of a whole range of food such as bread, pastries, cakes, sandwiches, desserts and coffee. What a smart move! 

Drinks

Tiong Bahru Bakery offers a while variety of drinks and coffee which are displayed at the cashier.

We ordered 'Magic' coffee, Mini Kouic-N Amann and a Plain Croissant.

'Magic' Coffee $6.50

The 'Magic' Coffee $6.50 was a hybrid between a latte and macchiato. The coffee from the Forty Hands was aromatic and quite decent. 

Plain Croissant $3.20

Croissant  one of the items which has been highly raved about. The Plain Croissant was not exactly cheap as it cost $3.20. 

The exterior of the Croissant was beautifully baked. It was crisp and flaky. The interior was soft, light and fluffy. Taste wise, it was simple with just the right buttery fragrant to make you keep longing for more. Certainly, one of the better Croissant I have eaten. I like how they kept it simple and original with no fanciful alterations, just the way it should be. Price wise, I would agree that its not cheap. But, it was worth it. Simple yet delicious! 

Mini Kouign Amann $1

As mentioned earlier, Tiong Bahru Bakery was celebrating it's first anniversary in Raffles City and had a $1 Mini Kouign Amann promotion! As such, we ordered one to share. If you are curious why the promotion was only for Kouign Amann. The reason was because the Kouign Amann is their bestseller. 

The Mini Kouign Amann was addictive. Made from bread dough with butter and sugar folded, it was a crisp round pastry with caramelised sugar coating its exterior. The interior was buttery and sweet with a hint of saltiness. The partner liked it so much that we ordered four more pieces to bring back home to indulge. 

For me, I thought that both the Mini Kouign Amann and Plain Croissant were equally good and worth indulging in when we are around the area during tea time. We will be back! 

Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier (Raffles City Shopping Centre)

252 North Bridge Road

#B1-11/12 Raffles City Shopping Centre

Singapore 179103 

Tel: +65 6333 4160

Opening Hours: Daily 9am to 10pm

Facebook 

Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier (Tiong Bahru)

56 Eng Hoon Street #01-70

Singapore 160056

Tel: +65 6220 3430

Opening Hours: Daily 8am to 8pm

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