Places to Dine near Fort Canning

Fort Canning is a site of historical importance, nestled close to the Singapore River, Robertson Quay, and Clemenceau Avenue. This area is filled with many delicious delights, making it an exploration for both history enthusiasts and those seeking delectable dining experiences. I have came up with a compilation for places to dine near Fort Canning.

1. Shunjuu Izakaya

Shunjuu Izakaya is situated along Robertson Quay with al-fresco dining, they serve many Japanese favourites with an emphasis on dishes that pair well with alcohol.

The Piri Kara Doufu Sute-ki was tofu served with spicy sauce. The deep fried tofu boasted a crunchy exterior that gave way to a tender interior, the spicy sauce added a kick that ignited my appetite. The Karaage Chicken was savoury and elevated further when paired with the contrasting flavor of the creamy mayonnaise sauce.

The Hotate Buta Maki was actually scallop rolled with pork. Offering a delightful chewiness, the dish brought together the succulence of the scallop and the savory essence of the pork in an union of flavors.

30 Robertson Quay, #01-15 Riverside View, Singapore 238251

Operating hours: 12 to 2.30pm daily, 6pm to 11pm from Mon to Thu, 6pm to 11.30pm on Fri and Sat, 5.30pm to 10.30pm on Sun

Food Tasting: Peranakan Feast at The Square @ Novotel

August is the month for Peranakan feast at The Square at Novotel.

The Square is a restaurant located at Novotel Clarke Quay a 4-star hotel situated just besides Liang Court. Take a lift up to 7th floor, The Square restaurant offers a daily Lunch and Dinner buffet with interactive live cooking stations feathering international and local cuisines.

The hip and modern restaurant makes me feel at ease and cosy upon entering. I like the relaxing and elegant ambience.

The Square restaurant international buffet includes Singaporean favorite Dishes like fresh prawns & mussels, roasted meats, homemade Dim Sum, delicious A-la minute Risotto and a wide range of curries with condiments.

Presenting to you seafood on ice. The seafood looked fresh and succulent.

The Square offers a wide selection of astonishing variety of food. Be sure to try each dish.

Chicken sharwama, one of my favourite station.

The crab of the night was black pepper crab. 

Different flavour of crab will be served on different days. They have chilli crab, salted eggs and many more.

The chef introduced us to all the stations served. We came to a stop at the dessert corner.

Totally spoilt for choice when it comes to dessert. There are so many variety of cakes available specially created by their chefs. Aww, so many different flavours of cake. They have devil chocolate, orange with earl grey, mango cake, lemon tart and etc.

A group photo with the lovely and friendly girls. 

Thanks Reka for the photo.

Everything was great except the mussel. There was a strong fishy taste not to my liking.

I mentioned earlier that in August, The Square will be rolling out their Peranakan buffet line. Our main highlight of the food tasting is to be among the first to sample the Peranakan dishes. Here's what you will be having in August:

Chicken Devil Curry

The Chicken Devil Curry definitely live up to its name, the level of spiciness is no joke. They spice ingredients used was purely chilli padi.  It indeed spiced up my appetite, I could feel the burning sensation lingering in my throat and stomach. I can't stop myself from eating despite the spiciness. A love-hate relationship.

Nonya Style Asam Fish (Steamed)

Nonya Style Asam Fish (Fried)

We were being served with steamed and fried Nonya Style Asam Fish. I preferred the fried style because it added a little crunchiness to the fish. The asam flavour was not as strong, it wasn't hot and sour enough to bring our the flavour.

Ayam Buah Keluak

This was one of my favourite dish that night. The chicken was braised in a keluak nuts gravy, giving it a unique and delicious taste. Each bite tasted so flavourful and the chicken was juicy.

Bakwan Kepiting

Instead of the usual pork and crab meatballs, the chef replaced the crab with chicken. The texture of the meatballs were juicy and firm. However for the soup base, it was too salty. If the taste of the soup could be lighter, it will be perfect.

Kueh Pai Tee.

Kueh Pai Tee is a popular Peranakan dish. It has a crispy exterior filled with a mix of eggs, sliced vegetables and prawns. It has a combination of sweet and spicy taste. Indulge in the mouthful of crunchiness.

Babi Pongteh

The chef used pork ribs together with fermented soya beans to make Babi Pongteh. The pork rib was very tender and the flavour was well mixed with taste of sweetness and a hint of saltiness.

Traditional Nonya Kueh

We had the traditional cakes and colourful pastries to round up our sumptuous dinner. 

Meet the man behind the scene.

Thank you Chef Kishen for preparing such a sumptuous spread. Little did you know, he was being trained by a Peranakan master previously.

A surprise dish prepared for us by Chef Jimmy.

The oysters fritters tasted heavenly delicious. It was fried till perfection in order to get the fluffy and crunchy taste. Coated with chilli sauce, it enhanced the flavour of the oysters, bringing the shiok level to the max. Having just one is seriously not enough for me!!!

Come celebrate SG50 with Peranakan buffet at The Square @ Novotel.

The Peranakan buffet is available during dinner for the month of August. 

Daily dinner Bbffet: $58++  (6.00pm to 10.00pm) 

Weekend lunch buffet: $48++ (12.00pm – 2.30pm)

Weekday lunch buffet: $38++ (12.00pm – 2.30pm)

Food Tasting at IPPIN CAFE BAR - Japanese Makan & Drinks Place

Cafe hopping has been really popular these days. With the increasing number of cafes opening in Singapore, we are spoilt  for choice with wide selection of cafes to visit.

What makes me want to visit a cafe is the relaxing ambience, delicious food and a conducive environment for chit-chatting with friends. 

I was being introduced to IPPIN CAFE BAR, Singapore's first home concept Japanese cafe bar located at Mohamed Sultan Road.

IPPIN CAFE BAR is a place where you feel at home and they served classic Japanese home-style dishes. It is a place for unassuming lunch/dinner spot or a dress-down weekend date.

Other than serving the delicious food, they also sell premium Japanese snacks, cooking ingredients and drinks at affordable prices that are exclusively only available in IPPIN CAFE BAR. These merchandises travel all the way from Japan to Singapore.

Every little things fascinated me.

Another thing I like about the IPPIN CAFE BAR is that the prices are inclusive of GST and Service Charge. The price you see is the price you pay.

A photo before we started eating.

We have salad and Nikujaga (pork and potato) for appetizer before we began our food tasting.

I am not really a fan of salad, but this salad is appetising.

Yakisoba Set ($12 nett)

Yakisoba comes with Kobachi and hojicha pudding.

Yakisoba is Japanese daily food, it tasted delicious and favourful. The favourful taste of the noodle lies in the secret of their savoury sauce. The noodles tasted tangy too.

Oyakudon Set ($15 Nett)

The set comes with miso soup and hojicha pudding.

Chicken and egg on rice, an authentic Japanese dish. The chicken was soft and tender. The bowl was filled with dashi (stock), the rice then absorbed the dashi which gave the authentic taste. The broth was a little bit too much, as a result, the rice turned soggy.

Grilled Oyster & Veggies in Ponzu Butter Sauce Set ($20 Nett)

The set comes with rice (with barley), Hatcho miso soup, Nikujaga, salad and houjicha pudding.

Oysters from Hiroshima. These oysters are raised in clean ocean so be ready for a clean taste. Grilled in special ponzu (yuzu vinegar) butter sauce, it gave a refreshing taste and strong flavour. I liked it very much.

Deep Fried Oyster Set ($24 Nett)

The set comes with rice(with barley), Hatcho Miso Soup and Nikujaga Pork and Potato Stew, Salad and Houjicha Pudding.

The oysters were lightly battered and so they were crispy on the outer. With the first bite, I could feel the juice oozing out and it was crispy good. Dip it with wasabi mayo for enhanced flavour of sweetness with mild sourness and spiciness. I couldn't stop eating.

Tea was the best drink to go with after a hearty meal.

There are 3 types of green tea ($6 nett) available at IPPIN CAFE BAR:

Sencha - The most popular green tea which has the perfect balance of refreshing aroma, delicate sweetness and mild bitterness.

Genmaicha - Being steamed longer than Sen-cha, it caused the tea leaves to split, giving it a stronger yet more mellow taste as well as being highly nutritious.

Hojicha - Roasted green tea(brown) is high in catechin and low in caffeine and tannin, making it suitable for children. 

My favourite of all was Genmaicha, I loved the enhanced taste that is distinctive from the rest.

We tried the Japanese alcoholic beverage, Sake.

I loved Strawberry Sake ($39 nett). It has 17% alcohol content. 

Even someone who is not a good drinker like me love this, the Strawberry Sake has a fruity and sweetener taste that cover the taste of alcohol. I'm sure many girls will love this drink.

We tried the Yuzu flavour too. I still liked strawberry the best.

Diner is never complete without dinner.

I have Houjicha Pudding and Rattsu. Rattsu are coated nut in the coating of strawberry, matcha and coffee. Strawberry is my favourite.

The Rattsu is available for purchase in the cafe too.

Our mandatory group photo before we ended the food tasting. Thanks Meryl for the photo.

Thanks IPPIN CAFE BAR for having us at the food tasting. Here is a hideout corner that I would love visiting again, the set meal is price reasonable and affordable. 

IPPIN CAFE BAR

18 Mohamed Sultan Road 

Singapore 238967

Operating hours: 11am to 11pm

Contact number: 6733 4794