Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen- A Preview

As you all must have heard, Gordon Ramsay is opening a chain of his restaurant, Bread Street Kitchen here at The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. With all the excitement and anticipation, I decided that I would give you a preview as to what the restaurant would be, and all the action happening around this restaurant opening. 

For those of you who do not know who Gordon Ramsay is, Gordon Ramsay is a Scottish born chef, who is a famous restaurateur. He has a total of 14 Michelin Stars under his belt and has his own shows such as Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word etc. Gordon Ramsay is known worldwide for his fiery and quick approach to cooking. If you watch his shows, you would notice the excessive swearing and short-temper he presents. Apart from this, he is an excellent chef, owning world-class restaurants internationally such as Maze, Savoy Grill, The Boxwood Cafe etc. 

Bread Street Kitchen

Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen made its way into the culinary world on the 26th October, 2011. This restaurant was located near St Paul's Cathedral in central London. The restaurant cost approximately $4.7 million. Its London outlet is the original outlet, with its second outlet recently opened up in Hong Kong in September 2014, therefore making Hong Kong the first Asian country to welcome Bread Street Kitchen. The name 'Bread Street Kitchen' came from the address of the original restaurant, 10 Bread Street. 

Gordon Ramsay's newest Bread Street Kitchen outlet at Hong Kong

Bread Street Kitchen's original menu consists of a Breakfast menu, a regular A la Carte menu, a canape menu and a wine, desserts and drinks menu. As you can tell, the menus give customers a wide variety. His A La Carte menu consists of traditional British cafe food with options ranging from a Snow Crab California Roll to a Roasted Sea Trout. Similarly, his breakfast menus showcase traditional British classics such as Eggs' Benedict and even a simple Toast and Jam. The breakfast menu also consists of fresh fruit juices to 'kick start your day'. And of course, how could we forget the tea? The British certainly do love their tea, and at Bread Street Kitchen, teas ranging from peppermint to green tea, is showcased on the breakfast menu.

Gordon Ramsay's Bread Street Kitchen certainly provides its customers with the classic British with its own twist of modern international flavours, mainly Ramsay's deep knowledge into French cuisine. 

The Seabass Carpaccio is one of Ramsay's many dishes at Bread Street Kitchen that combine modern flavours

As you may be able to make out from the picture, the decor and interior of the place is absolutely brilliant! The restaurant is nicely lit, and opens up to a beautiful bar, a trademark of fine dining restaurants. The decor and ambience at Bread Street Kitchen is another elements that helps in a wonderful customer experience.

Bread Street Kitchen Singapore

Bread Street Kitchen Singapore is said to open at The Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands in April/May 2015. Clearly starting up here in Singapore is not going to be easy in the beginning, due to the great competition in fine dining restaurants at The Shoppes, with celebrity chefs such as Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Bould, Mario Batali etc. Due to the huge number of fine dining restaurants, The Shoppes is a mall high in demand for fine dining restaurants, which is why Ramsay chose to open Bread Street Kitchen there. 

This is not the first time Ramsay has been to Singapore; he visited in 2013 and participated in the Hawker Heroes Challenge and in fact won the award for the best Chilli Crab, a tantalizing local delight. Ramsay was impressed with the quality and standard of food presented by local hawkers, and was in awe of the entire atmosphere here, which was probably why he was inspired to start his own restaurant here.

Chef Gordon Ramsay at the Hawker Heroes Challenge in SIngapore (2013)

Ramsay had in fact stated that Bread Street Kitchen Singapore is going to be different from the original outlet in London, as Ramsay is said to add a "Singapore-Style Blend". This blend hopes to attract more locals to his restaurant. Gordon Ramsay also mentioned in a statement that although food may not be cheap (nor too expensive), it would good value for money.

Apart from that, Ramsay recently hired a local intern to work at his restaurant, by the name of Koh Han Jie, after an intense cook-off between several interns at Marina Bay Sands. The contestants had to cook a three dishes, with egg being the hero of the dish. Due to Gordon Ramsay being a perfectionist, these eggs needed to be perfectly cooked soft-boiled. These dishes were then judged by Ramsay and the CEO of Marina Bay Sands, George Tanasijevich and eventually selected Koh for this highly reputed position. Ramsay said that this challenge was purely to bring out local talents, to kick-start Bread Street Kitchen Singapore. Koh mentions that he is exciting to start his internship with Gordon Ramsay and to work in a "fast-paced" restaurant. 

Ramsay himself is an experienced mentor, which is seen through his series such as 'Hell's Kitchen' and 'MasterChef', and has been mentors of chefs that have evolved through the years and have reached a culinary standard matching up to Ramsay's.

Bread Street Kitchen's new Intern Koh Han Jie (Centre), along with Chef Ramsay, and the CEO of MBS, George Tanasijevich
 

 With prices still being worked out, Bread Street Kitchen is on its way to make its second foreign appearance. Whether this restaurant would be a hit amongst locals, only time would tell. Hopefully I get the chance to try out this place myself once it opens next year; probably my most in-demand future review. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this post, as I vowed to do something different. Please leave a comment, and continue to follow my blog. Have a wonderful Christmas season!

Disclaimer:

I haven't been to Bread Street Kitchen and therefore all information presented in this post is information extracted from various sources and not from my own personal experiences.

Maple-Soy Glazed Salmon- 22 Food Street Recipes #1

After some thinking, I had decided to do something different apart from my run-of-the-mill restaurant reviews. So therefore, I decided to share with all of you an incredibly simple recipe, that is absolutely delicious and easy to make. This is hopefully the first of the many recipes I want to do, and it shall be called 22 Food Street Recipes. Today's recipe is going to be a stunning Maple-Soy Glazed Salmon. 

Salmon is a beautiful and versatile fish that is packed with health benefits, including the healthy Omega 3 fatty acids and nutrients. Apart from its health benefits, this oily fish has a wonderful taste that is enjoyed by people worldwide and is ranked amongst the top fish in the culinary world. Salmon can be found easily in supermarkets, and here in Singapore, Salmon can be found in supermarkets such as Cold Storage, FairPrice etc.  So, let's jump straight into this mouthwatering recipe!

Ingredients

The Ingredients in one picture: All set to go!

1 pound Salmon (Preferably a fillet)
1/4 cup Maple Syrup (less according to taste)
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce             
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Whisk the maple syrup, soy sauce garlic powder, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a small glass bowl. This is the marinade for the fish.

2. Place the salmon is a baking dish, and pour the marinade evenly over the salmon. Cover it, and put it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, and after flipping the fish, for an additional 15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F), beforehand. 

4. Put the baking dish in the oven after pre-heating and bake for around 20 minutes for a salmon fillet, and around 15 minutes for a tail, as I used. This is because the tail is thinner than the fillet. 

The coated salmon

All done!

The Verdict

This recipe is simple yet delicious, and requires only the basic ingredients in any household. The flavours of this dish are wonderfully brought out with the sweetness of the maple syrup and the saltiness of the soy sauce, contrasting wonderfully with each other. Just a note, if you are not a fan of sweetness, I suggest putting less maple syrup, as it can be quite overpowering. These flavours are executed only with the help of the smoky, salty garlic flavours in the marinade. 

This recipe is wonderful for friends, family or just when you want to enjoy it by yourself and also, useful when you are out of ingredients and too lazy to get to the supermarket and stock up. Hopefully this recipe is one of the many to come, and please comment on whether you would like more recipes. Also tell me how this recipe tasted and also how it could be better. Also, stay tuned to my blog and expect posts of more diversity, and as always, suggestions are always welcome.

Recipe Rating- 4/5

Mad For Garlic @ Suntec City

Mad For Garlic is a classic Italian restaurant with a Korean twist. Yes, a Korean twist! I was surprised when I heard about this place originated from Korea, and also voted as the best Italian restaurant concept, due to its garlic-themed dishes. With such kind of fusion, we couldn't stop ourselves from getting into this restaurant. As the name probably suggests, every dish has garlic. Well, would that be good or bad you ask? Well, it's an acquired taste. Every dish has its own garlic-y twos, which makes this restaurant stand out from the rest. Mad for Garlic has two outlets: one here in Suntec City, and one in the picturesque area of Clarke Quay.

Yuzu-Ade and Wine-Ade

The Yuzu-Ade and Wine-Ade were the two drinks we had ordered on that night. Yuzu is a citrus fruit found mainly in East Asia, and is becoming more popular among Western cultures, with this fruit even being used in some beers. The drink itself was wonderful, bringing out the citrus-y kick from the yuzu, complemented by the fizz in the drink. The Yuzu itself has a subdued sweetness compared to a lemon or an orange, and the natural sweetness of it elevated this drink beautifully. The Wine-Ade was no different. The bitter-sweet wine combined nicely with the sweetness of the drink, and probably made it more child-friendly, and more likeable. Don't worry, I had no more than a sip!

Rating- 4/5

Dracula Killer

The Dracula Killer ($15.80) is basically soft bread served with roasted garlic and anchovies in olive oil. As strange as it may sound, the whole combination was fabulous! The bread was soft therefore allowing the olive oil to be easily absorbed. The olive oil imbedded fruity flavours in the bread. People may think eating garlic solely is strange, but once you taste the roasted garlic in this dish, it is sure to change your mind. It gave out smoky flavours that contrasted well with the chewy, salty nature of the anchovies. However, I feel this dish is slightly overpriced. Overall, let me just say the Dracula killed me with its flavours!

Rating- 4.2/5 

Garlicholic Rice

   

The Garlicholic Rice ($17.90) is another dish in which garlic is incorporated (clearly made out by the name). This dish included pickled garlic, shrimps and anchovies alongside some chillies for the heat. The whole combination was decent, the pickled garlic and the chillies providing heat and spice, and on the contrary the shrimp and anchovies giving a salty flavour. However, I found the vegetables rather bland, and the rice slightly over-seasoned. This dish in my opinion, could be worked upon, making a boring, plain fried rice into something delicious and vibrant.

Rating- 3.8/5

Cheese-Baked Bolognese Pasta

  

The Cheese-Baked Bolognese Pasta ($23.50) is probably a dish everybody has heard of, and probably eaten it at least once. When I go to a restaurant, the main criteria I look for in this dish is whether the balance between the cheese and the tomato sauce is spot on. In Mad for Garlic, this balance was perfect. The salty, heavy and creamy baked cheese was balanced perfectly with the traditional tomato sauce that was sweet, vibrant and fresh. Another feature I observed is that there were no tomato bits in the tomato suace, which in my opinion, is wonderful, as I like my tomato sauce to be smooth and silky. On the negative side, the pasta (spaghetti) was overcooked, making them mush causing them to stick to each other. Overall, a good dish.

Rating- 4/5

Garlic Steak

  

The Garlic Steak ($37.80) was that one dish that Mad for Garlic had specialized on, and of course, like the rest of the night, few more cloves of garlic were to be digested down. However, I was quite disappointed with this dish. The picture says it all; there is so mnuch garlic that the steak is barely visible! The garlic in this dish was made into some sort of paste, that did not work well in delivering quality flavours with the meat. This paste was unbelievably overpowering, the meat itself, and was a pity as the meat was perfectly cooked medium-rare. This dish greatly needs to be redone and executed a whole lot better if they want to call this dish their signature dish. I wouldn't mind trying this dish again, hopefully to find an improvement.

Rating- 2.8/5

The service at Mad For Garlic was good, with servers giving us frequent recommendations and also with food coming out in good time. Apart from the minor mis-communications, service at Mad For Garlic was worthy enough of a fine dining restaurant.

Service- 4/5

Overall Rating- 7.8/10

Mad For Garlic

3 Temasek Boulevard, #02-300/301, Suntec City

Singapore- 038983

Opening Hours
Sun-Thu: 11:30 am- 10 pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30 am- 11 pm

Tel: +65 6238 1930
Web: www.madforgarlic.com.sg  

Nearest MRT- Promenade (CC4, DT15) 

Kinki @ Collyer Quay

Kinki is a traditional Japanese restaurant with a stunning modern twist located in the prime CBD District in Collyer Quay at Raffles Place. The restaurant itself is on the second floor of the Customs House at Collyer Quay. Its beautiful location and its elevation gives a stunning view of the iconic Marina Bay Sands at Bayfront across the bay. When we were there in the evening, fireworks put up a stunning show as we treated ourselves to a wonderful dinner. (I'm sorry I was unable to post for the past weeks as I had a heavy schedule consisting of my exams and projects. Hopefully I can post more often henceforth!)

This restaurant itself was dimly but nicely lit. As expected, there was a beautifully lighted sushi bar 'L' shaped in the restaurant. As I said earlier, this Japanese restaurant was serving traditional Japanese food but with a modern twist, and I was excited to try out their food. 

 Shirley Temple 

The Shirley Temple ($10) is a mocktail I always enjoy, and if given the choice I would take it over the rest. A Shirley Temple consists of sprite, lime/lemon juice and grenadine syrup. I absolutely enjoyed this drink as I thought that the proportion of the ingredients in the drink was absolutely spot on. The grenadine syrup gave it the wonderful sweetness and the lime juice gave it a citrus kick. It all blended perfectly in my opinion.

Rating- 4.8/5

Tai Carpaccio

The Tai Carpaccio ($32) is another mix and match of a traditional Japanese dish with a modern twist on it. This Tai Carpaccio is finely sliced fish known as a seabream, a well known Japanese fish used in sashimis and sushis. The modern twist was the way they served it like an Italian carpaccio and not as a sashimi. Carpaccio uses more western flavours compared to a sashimi, which combines Asian flavours, although both include a selection of raw meats/fish. The carpaccio was drizzled with truffle oil, which really elevated the dish, and also chives blended together. But what sealed the deal for me was the inclusion of the soy sauce, which gave it the wonderful saltiness which was much needed in the dish. This dish was fabulous, as it included the mix of modern and traditional, by combining a Japanese fish prepared like a carpaccio, and the blend of Asian and Western flavours with the truffle oil and soy sauce. Overall, a fantastic, light, refreshing appetizer. 

Rating- 4.5/5

Spiced Miso Edemame

When I go to a Japanese restaurant, it is customary that I try edamame. The Spiced Miso Edemame ($8) is edemame taken to a whole new level; apart from the plain edemame. Edemame is traditional steamed Japanese soy beans, normally served as an appetizer. This edemame tasted delicious, as the spiced miso and garlic just elevated the dish from a boring edemame, and the spiced part of the dish gave a nice contrast to our previous cold appetizer. However, I felt it lacked some basic seasoning such as salt and pepper, but overall a decent dish.

Rating- 3.8/5

Hot Dynamite Maki

The Hot Dynamite Maki ($20) was a spiced up kick to a traditional Japanese Maki. This maki contained pan-seared salmon (something cooked!), yellowtail roll, scallions and cayenne pepper to give it the heat. This modern maki was delicious in my opinion, as the drizzled sauce, which was some sort of hot sauce, gave the dish the perfect amount of heat. It wasn't too overwhelming, but neither too bland. The scallions in the maki gave the dish a crunchy and crispy element, balanced well with the softness of the salmon. A wonderful blend of textures and flavours made this dish a one I would come back for. 

Rating- 4.5/5

Pork Belly with Spicy Goma Sauce

This dish was our first entrée in this urbanised Japanese place. The Pork Belly with Spicy Goma Sauce ($38) was another dish I was eager to try. This dish involved a Pan-Seared Kurobuta Pork Belly served with a spicy sesame (goma) sauce. I found the sauce in this dish rather bland, as I found no heat whatsoever in the dish. The pork itself was cooked perfectly, as it was soft and tender, but due to the sauce the whole dish seemed to lack in flavour and spice. The bed of veggies under the belly was wonderfully crispy and had a good texture to it. This dish in my opinion, could be improved on. 

Rating- 3.8/5

Crusted Spicy Salmon

The Crusted Spicy Salmon ($28) was the second of our entrées, and this time, a fish dish. Salmon is undoubtedly my favourite fish, and extremely healthy too! (Well, even if it wasn't, it would still be my favourite). This salmon was seaweed crusted and consisted of some roasted asparagus and crispy veggies. The salmon was wonderfully tender, and the seaweed crust gave it the crispy and breaded exterior, matching up with the soft, tender salmon flavours within the fish. The asparagus could have been cooked more, because as you can see in the picture it looks quite bland and boring. Overall, an appetizing dish. 

Rating- 4/5

Yuzu Sorbet topped with Toasted Soy Crumbs

Yes, yet another sorbet! The Yuzu Sorbet with Toasted Soy Crumbs ($8) was our first of our two desserts. The toppings of this sorbet can be chosen between toasted soy crumbs and candied red beans. Yuzu is another citrus fruit that was nicely implemented in this sorbet. This citrus flavour was wonderfully dominant in this dish and it gave a nice acidic, light and refreshing taste. However, I felt that the toppings of toasted soy crumbs didn't go well at all with the sorbet. As you ate the soy crumbs, it sticks to the roof of your mouth which was very unpleasant to taste, and I felt it spoiled the wonderful taste of the sorbet itself.

Rating- 3.8/5

Oreo Sesame Ice-Cream

   

The Oreo Sesame Ice-Cream ($12) was our final dessert, which again, combines the famous Oreo Cookies with a Black Sesame Ice-Cream giving it the Japanese twist. I found the black sesame Ice-Cream delicious, as I was expecting this really strange taste that wouldn't go as an Ice-Cream, but I found it quite wonderful in fact. The Oreo Cookies were evenly blended in with the cookies, and therefore, every mouthful you take, you get this nice, even proportion of Oreo Cookies to the Ice-Cream. The waffles added a crunchy kick to the dish, and therefore this dessert showcased a variety of textures tingling in your mouth. On another note, I found the dessert too heavy, and if you asked me, I would prefer a sorbet, as its lighter yet tasty compared to an Ice-Cream. On behalf of its taste, it was delicious.

Rating- 4/5

Kinki's service in my opinion, was not up to the mark of a fine dining restaurant. I felt that our servers didn't really understand what we were saying, and as a result some wrong dishes were served to us. Apart from that, there were no major problems at Kinki. Overall, I find this Japanese-Western restaurant wonderful, but more work on the execution of some of their dishes would make this restaurant better than ever!

Service- 3.8/5

Fun Fact: While everyone might mix up wasabi with soy sauce, doing so is incorrect according to the Japanese. The wasabi is used to season the sushi/sashimi to taste and the soy sauce is meant to be dipped with only the fish part of the sushi.

Overall Rating- 8/10

Kinki

70 Collyer Quay,

#02-02 Customs House,

Singapore- 049323

Opening Hours

Mondays-Friday: 12-2:30 pm (Lunch) & 6-10:30 pm (Dinner)

Saturday & PHs: 6-10:30 pm (Dinner only!)

Closed on Sundays

 

T: 6533 3471

F: 6533 3473

Web: www.kinki.com.sg

Nearest MRT- Raffles Place (EW14, NS26)- 500m

MTR @ Little India

MTR is short for Mavalli Tiffin Rooms, and is a traditional South Indian restaurant located in Little India, an Indian based community in Singapore. It is one of the many South Indian restaurants in the vicinity and probably one of the best, in the area.

I felt this quaint restaurant a nice contrast from just Western and European food and I was very excited to go to this restaurant, which is extremely popular in India. The restaurant was functional and simple, and offered a variety of traditional South Indian food.

Vegetarian Pulau

The Vegetarian Pulau ($5) was a dish I was looking forward to try. I normally don't savour vegetarian food, but this pulau was extremely delicious. It was nicely spiced, which gave good heat to the dish, and the yoghurt (raita) added a sense of refreshment, which all blended in well and maximised the dish. The rice was however slightly overcooked which was definitely a bummer, but overall an enjoyable dish. 

Rating- 4.2/5

Uddina Vada

The Uddina Vada ($2) is basically a savoury Indian doughnut made up of a lentil called vigna mungo, and is meant to be crispy served with sambar, a South Indian supplemetary curry. This vada was served with a green chutney as well, which I found too salty, but the sambar was flavourful and served well with the vada. The vada itself was not as crispy as I had expected, and too oily, which would have made it soggy. However, the flavour was without doubt stunning. 

Rating- 3.8/5

Bisbele Bhath

The Bisbele Bhath ($6) was actually a dish I wanted to order, but they said they were out on it. The manager kindly gave me whatever was left of the bisbele bhath free of charge, which I really salute him for and which is why you must be wondering why the portion is so small. This is basically rice cooked in sambar, which is what I earlier mentioned as a South Indian curry. I like to call this dish the sambar risotto, as it tastes just like one! I thoroughly savoured this dish as the rice was perfectly cooked and the sambar flavours were wonderfully incorporated in this dish, therefore adding some heat and fragrance of lentils and other vegetables. Overall, an excellent dish.

Rating- 4.5/5

Sambar Vada 

The Sambar Vada ($3) is as I said an Indian donut, this time soaked in sambar. This is the first time I've ever come across this idea of soaking a vada in sambar, and I didn't find it great at all. When the vada is being soaked in the sambar, it loses its texture of being crispy and therefore making it soggy, which made it like eating plain sambar. The sambar tasted wonderful, but the vada should have been the hero of the dish.

Rating- 3/5

Honey-Saffron Lemonade

The Honey-Saffron Lemonade ($3) is one drink I really wanted to try out, especially as it had saffron in it. As you can see in the photo, there are small bits of saffron at the bottom of the drink that really elevated the flavours of the lemonade, which made this drink unique. The spice from the saffron and the sweetness from the honey contrasted well and blended well together in the drink. 

Rating- 4.5/5

Chapathi

The Chapathi ($4) is a simple Indian bread normally served with a few curries. However, I found the chapathi way to hard for my taste as it was slightly crisping when I tore a piece. The curries served alongside it was delicious. The curries included a vegetable curry and a green chutney. I felt this dish could be improved on, in terms of the cooking timings and texture. 

Rating- 3.5/5

Masala Dosa

The Masala Dosa ($6) is a traditional South Indian pancake-like dish which is very popular especially among South Indians. Inside the dosa is the masala which included potatoes which were spiced to give this dish elevating flavours. The dosa was cooked nicely and crisp on the outside, which was important for me, but however, could do with a touch more seasoning. Overall, I enjoyed this dish. 

Rating- 4.2/5

Plain Dosa

The Plain Dosa ($5) was similar to the masala dosa, but just without the masala. The Plain Dosa is usually roasted in ghee, and served alongside 2-3 curries. I found this dosa slightly burnt on one side, which made it taste slightly bitter. Neverthless, I found it wonderfully crispy in texture, which was absolutely fantastic. In my opinion, a dosa should be lightly browned to give out the best possible taste. This dish can be improved on in my opinion. 

Rating- 3.8/5

Idli

The Idli ($2) is like an Indian rice-cake served alongside a sambar and the green chutney. The idli was soft and fluffy, just as I would expect it to be; and the curries were delicious, and went hand-in-hand with the Idli. In the photo, the small bowl on the right is actually oil, which can be used to moisten the Idli if needed. I found this dish wonderful. 

Rating- 4.5/5

MTR is run with friendly service, with food coming out in a very timely fashion, therefore making our dinner easy and fast. The manager at the restaurant was very informative about their dishes and even gave us a sample of what they might implement in the menu. I enjoyed the service at MTR. 

Service- 4.8/5

In terms of the food, I generally found their traditional dishes good, but there can always be some room for improvement, especially in some dishes. Classic dishes like idlis and the masala dosa didn't fail to impress me, and I'm sure I'll be back at MTR if I can.

Overall Rating- 8.2/10

MTR Restaurant

438 Serangoon Road, Opp. Sri Perumal Temple,

Singapore- 218133

Opening Hours

Tuesday-Sunday: 8:30 am- 3 pm & 5:30- 10 pm

(Closed on Monday)

Contact- 6296 5800

Nearest MRT- Farrer Park (NE8)

Directions- Take exit (turn left) to Farrer Park Station Rd, Turn right on Rangoon Rd, Turn left on Serangoon Road and walk until MTR (4 mins- 350m).

Fika @ Millenia Walk

Fika is a Halal Swedish cafe located inside Millenia Walk, a mall located in the heart of Singapore. It's the first time I've ever been here, as I haven't heard of this place before. I was quite excited to go to Fika, as I've never tried Swedish food, and also never seen or been to any Swedish restaurants in Singapore. Fika recently opened a new outlet here in Millenia Walk, with the original outlet being at Beach Road.  

Although, the location is at the heart of Singapore, and vulnerable to office crowd and tourists, the place was pretty much empty, which took me aback, and at one point, we were the only ones in the place itself! However, I was excited to see the menu and try some Swedish comfort food!

The restaurant was spacious, and had a similar layout to Lola's Café, with tables and chairs in front of a beautiful bar that showcased desserts and coffee to order. The menu consisted of traditional Swedish dishes, and also regular Western comfort food. We decided to go for the traditional Swedish dishes to get a taste of Swedish food.

Swedish Onion Soup

The Swedish Onion Soup ($6.90) was the Soup of the Day for Friday, July 11. This onion soup didn't fail to impress me, as the aromatic caramelised onion brought out a beautiful roasted flavour to the soup. The soup was quite watery, which I enjoyed as it matched with the flavour of the caramelised onions. I felt that the number of onion slices could be massively reduced, as it is not always a pleasurable feeling to have a mouthful of onions in each spoon of the soup. Nevertheless, it was a good way to start our lunch.

Rating- 4/5

Swedish Apple Tea

The Swedish Apple Tea ($7.90) was a drink I was fascinated to try, as I love iced teas in general. However, when I drank it, I felt that the balance between the apple and the tea, was not good, as there was an extremely strong bitter taste of the tea, and the apple could merely be tasted. This drink is one I wouldn't order again. Also, make sure you mix it well before drinking it, or you'll lose your appetite for the rest of the lunch. 

Rating- 3/5

Bread Board

The Bread Board ($7.90) was an assortment of Swedish bread, served in a small, rustic basket, along with some butter. The types of bread included the regular cylindrical loaf, the brown cookie bread, and the brown cylindrical loaf. The bread didn't have any taste in particular, but it was soft, except for the cookie bread, which was hard and unappetizing. Also, the butter was too hard to spread, as it hadn't melted enough. In my opinion, the bread could have been accompanied by a lingonberry jam, to make the bread more moist, and to elevate the flavours of it. I think this appetizer could do with some improvements, in general. 

Rating- 3.5/5

Swedish Home-made Meatballs

The Swedish Home-made Meatballs ($19.50) is a traditional combination of meatballs and a cream sauce with the mild sourness of a lingonberry jam. I felt that this simple combination tasted absolutely delicious, as the cream sauce gives the meatballs a heavy feel, and the lingonberry contrasts it with a light feel on the meatballs. The meatballs itself were slightly dry, but the cream sauce definitely made up for it. The contrast between sweet, from the cream sauce and sour from the lingonberry was delicious, which is what makes the combination so flavourful. However, I couldn't say the same for the sides. The potatoes were bland, as it definitely needed way more seasoning, and the salad was pretty awful, as it was unbearably acidic and sour for my taste, and you just couldn't enjoy it. Overall, the meatball is the hero of the dish, and not the sides, so I still managed to savour this dish. Also, as a notice, the dish is quite heavy, so sharing might be a good option, as the meatballs continued bouncing in my stomach hours later.

Rating- 4/5

Panbiff

Panbiff ($19.90) is a Swedish beef pattie (like a steak) served with a cream sauce and lingonberry jam. You might think its the same thing as the previous dish, but its not, although it looks the same. The beef pattie indeed tastes different from the meatballs, and the sides include a garden salad and mashed potatoes. The beef pattie was however dry, as it was slightly burned on its sides. However, the same classic combination still proved to be delicious, and refreshing. The sides, unlike the meatballs, tasted fantastic; the mashed potatoes was at the perfect consistency and the simple salad was wonderful mainly because of the contrast of sweetness from the carrots and the acidity from the cherry tomato and the dressing. I thoroughly enjoyed the dish, although much can be done to improve the beef pattie. 

Rating- 4/5

Apple Crumble Pie

As we were coming to the end of our Swedish lunch, we decided to end it off with a simple dessert. The Apple Crumble Pie ($9.90) seemed to be the perfect choice for it. I absolutely savoured this dessert as it was absolutely perfect! The crust of the pie was crunchy and perfectly baked, and the sweetness of the cream was balanced with the sourness of the strawberry pieces and the syrup. The apple pieces were crunchy and crispy, which was just right for me. I felt that they could have increased the portion size, as the dessert was quite small, as you see in the photo. But whatever was served, was perfected!

Rating- 5/5

The service at Fika was decent, I wouldn't say great, as I felt they could have given out the food in a more timely fashion, especially because we were, at a point, the only ones in the cafe.

Service- 4/5

My overall opinion about Fika isn't that great, as there are many areas in their dishes they can improve on. However, their traditional specialities such as their meatball, were delicious and I recommend that you order some of their beef dishes, as I found it flavourful and delicious. I hope they work on improving their other dishes, as their other dishes are mediocre. I would however come back for their meatballs!

Overall Rating- 7/10

A set lunch is available from 11 am- 2 pm from Monday to Friday at $19.90 per person, with a choice of soup, main and a dessert. More information can be found at Fika's website (http://www.fikacafe.com/).

Fika Café (Millenia Walk)

9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-20, 

Singapore- 039596

Nearest MRT- Promenade (CC4, DT15) (Connected)

Reservations at 6336 7234 (Millenia Walk)

Opening Hours

Monday- Friday: 11 am- 11 pm

Saturday- Sunday: 12 pm- 11 pm