Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Escaping the big smoke - the foodies way

As Friday rolls around, if you want to escape the city then sometimes you need a bit of inspiration in Sing.

In fact Mr C and I feel like that most Fridays, so we get busy ferreting little nooks of oasis pleasing on the palate and the soul and these are just some of them...


Pietrasanta

Hidden away in the leafy Wessex Estate on Portsdowne Road which is  home to a number of colonial black and white houses (many of which have now been turned into creative studios and f&b outlets) - is Pietrasanta.

This is the place to go if you want Italian food as authentic as you're going to get it in Singapore.

If you sit outside on a balmy night and stretch your imagination you might even begin fooling yourself that you're in Tuscany with the food, wine  and wooden tables made out of reclaimed wine boxes...oh but it happens to be housed in an old colonial house! Perhaps that's stretching things a bit too far then.






The grilled calamari is PROPER calamari - super fresh, soft and delicate and not at all rubbery. The best I've eaten in a very long time.


And the duck stewed in red wine, vinegar, raisins and chocolate is delicious and as it says on the menu - a must try!




Red Dot Brewhouse

Again housed in a pre-war Colonial building but this time at Dempsey, if you want something low key and have the need to basically just eat a big chunk of meat washed down with some beer in a leafy setting then this microbrewery is a good place to do just that!

Walk past the twinkle twinkle of the fairy lights and grab yourself a silly big burger...


..and wash it down with a refreshing green - yes that's GREEN - Monster Beer.



(Perhaps the lopsidedness of this photo was due to one Monster Beer too many?!)

Anyway, don't be alarmed as the reason it's green is because it apparently has "health benefits" derived from the chlorophyll which it contains.


Jim Thompson

Yes Jim Thompson! Damn that man he gets everywhere doesn't he? From Kings Road, London to Dempsey, Singapore and everywhere else in-between.

Now Mr C and I have a bit of an obsession for Massaman curry and since filling our faces with it a year ago in Thailand have been on a mission to find Massaman curry on the menu in every Thai restaurant first in London and now in Singapore - and they are few and far between believe me.

Massaman curry what the hell is that I hear you say?

It's a sublime Thai curry Muslim in origin with duck, beef or chicken and potato stewed in a fragrant, spicy, rich and sweet coconut-peanut sauce.


Anyway, the holy grail of Massaman curry currently rests at Jim Thompson (yes the Massaman is even better than some I've had in Thailand!) and this is now where we escape to on a Friday when we need a fix!

So for Thai food bliss, book a table inside - as it's the only place to truly appreciate the Thai-style opulence of this restaurant plus you don't feel so awkward here when the Thai dancer (no not that kind silly!) starts performing her little piece by your table.






Then order the family sized portion which is the same price as getting two individual portions leaving you enough to have a whole other Massaman experience all over again in the comfort of your own home. Genius!


No comments: