Singaporean: I strongly recommend REGENT CHILI CRAB

 

[TAIPEI]🌶🦀 Chili crab > hairy crab  especially with mini fried mantous to dip in the sauce.

More sweet than spicy, it was SO good and satisfying to eat. I know it’s hairy crab season, but this has more meat and is easier and faster with less work especially with the claw shells cracked already. 

Would totally eat this again and recommend trying especially at the current takeaway price NT$1980. Thank you @regenttaipei for the treat.

The only other place I’ve had chili crab in Taipei was at Jumbo a few years ago when they first opened and the service was so awkward and lackluster I never went back, especially at the premium prices they were charging. This way you can get messy and gluttonous in the privacy of your own home (I devoured both claws and half the crab in no time) and use the leftover sauce to stir fry noodles or something (my sauce is in the fridge waiting for inspo). 

not taipei/singapore: 8 PLACES TO EAT/VISIT IN SINGAPORE

I've been to Singapore a couple times before, but never had that much time to explore. Thanks to all of your great recommendations, I had a chance to explore some new Singapore must eats! There's nothing like going to a new place to get overwhelmed by all the information out there. You want to maximize your time in the short amount of time that you are there, but sometimes you don't even know what areas to go to, much less what restaurants. So here is a shortlist of the places I visited and would return to again - it's more of a four day itinerary of where I ate and went. Hope I get to return to Singapore again soon!

8 PLACES TO EAT/VISIT IN SINGAPORE!

(1) ONE FULLERTON ROAD PHOTO OPS
Sure, it's going to be a bit overpriced and a bit touristy, but if you want a lot of photo ops, then you can't beat the view of the Marina Bay Sands from across the river. If you walk along the pier, you can also get a picture with the iconic Merlion or the One Fullerton Road sign. If you don't have time or budget for a full meal, you could grab a coffee at Starbucks or dessert, or go for a stroll. Be sure to go around 9 or 11PM to catch the laser show that happens nightly from the Marina Bay Sands. I had chili crab at Jing the first night there, but thought the crab was slightly overcooked and tough to shell, so would opt for crab elsewhere, especially since you are paying for the view to eat there.

(2) SKY ON 57 at MARINA BAY SANDS

Opened four years ago in 2010, the Marina Bay Sands is an impressive hotel/casino/shopping center destination. I didn't get a chance to try the full buffet on the 1st floor, instead my family opted to eat at the smaller buffet area housed at Sky on 57. There's the typical array of hot western and Asian hot foods, continental breakfast items, porridge and sides and fruit and juices. You also got a choice of ordering two made to order items per guest- I loved the slow cooked farm eggs and enjoyed the spicy laksa (yup for breakfast!). My dad liked the ramen and the french toast was also really tasty. Didn't really get much of a view where we were sitting, but since we were hotel guests, we got to enjoy the infinity pool which is pretty amazing (and freaky for those of you with fear of heights) that feels like the water is spilling over into nothingness with a panoramic view of Singapore.

(3) HAINAN CHICKEN RICE at CHATTERBOX / MANDARIN ORCHARD
I had mixed feelings when our hosts chose Chatterbox as our place for Hainan Chicken Rice. It's listed online as one of, if not the most expensive places for Hainan Chicken Rice at S$27. The environment is upscale in the Mandarin Hotel, and there's lots of other things to eat like lobster laksa, but Chatterbox definitely has a smooth running operation. You can also shop or walk around Orchard Road afterwards.

This was a fun drink- Lychee juice with shaved ice with lots of lychees inside- but it was super sweet almost like drinking a version of canned lychees and the juice inside.

Hainan chicken rice (S$27)

(4) WHITE PEPPER CRAB at SEAFOOD REPUBLIC

I LOVED the white pepper crab that we had at Seafood Republic, a restaurant at the Resorts World Waterfront in Sentosa, which is Singapore's version of Universal Citywalk with a shopping/entertainment/retail area in front of Universal Studios. The white pepper crab was 10x better than the chilli crab we had the first night at Jing at Fullerton Road, and was worth getting your hands dirty for. The meat was sweet and the sauce had a lot of garlicky, peppery flavor, but wasn't prohibitively spicy. Also good to order were the cereal prawns, wasabi prawns, fried mantou, mee goreng.

Fried mantous to eat or dip in the sauce

(5) OSTERIA MOZZA at MARINA BAY SANDS/MALL

Sure you could eat Mozza in LA, but for those whose circles revolve around the east side of the Pacific Ocean, it was a great option to be able to have burrata and fresh pasta at Mario Batali's Mozza at the Marina Bay Sands Mall. Must orders are the burrata and the steak- so good! I felt the scallops were a tad on the salty side, but the servers were very knowledgeable and great at answering all the questions I had about the dishes when I was ordering, and good service makes up for a lot. Osteria Mozza was just included on the 50 best restaurants in Asia list, so they must be doing something right.

(6) LAU PA SAT

Thanks to you guys, I was given a heads up on these two food court areas. If you want to eat where the locals eat, then you can consider these. Lau Pa Sat is like an outdoor food court market with more international choices, while Old Airport Road felt more like Shilin night market with different hawkers and more local foods. Even though a lot of stalls were closed since it was the tail end of Chinese New Year's, it was possibly less crowded for the same reason, so easier to find seats and tables. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of Indian choices, and there were of course a ton of local options including hainan chicken rice, black and white carrot cake, hokkien mee, char kway teow and ice kachang.

"Black" stir fried carrot cake

Ice Kacang

Loved this- there's a huge pile of biryani rice underneath the naan, as well as some

Hokkien Mee

(7) OLD AIRPORT ROAD
Outdoor hawker food court, reminded me a little of Shilin Night Market in Taipei, though I have to say Taipei seems to have faster turnaround for the food than Singapore.

Wanton mee

Satay- I think we waited over an hour for these.

HK Crispy Seafood noodles 

(8) BOON TONG KEE - HAINAN CHICKEN RICE
One of my favorite meals of the trip, I would strongly recommend that you give the chicken rice at Boon Tong Kee a try. I got it to go (twice!) and while it was better the first time than the second, it was SO good. Boneless chicken with savory rice cooked in chicken oil and the sauces totally make it. I also loved the sauces so much that I brought back the extra packets that I had- the thick, sticky soysauce was the perfect balance of sweet and savory, almost like a reduced balsamic vinegar, the garlic and chili are essential complements to chicken rice.

Some great reads bookmarked for my next visit to Singapore!

30 Famous Local Foods to Eat in Singapore  - great descriptions about the dishes and lists a few places for each dish 

I eat I shoot I post's Top 10 Ten Things to Eat in Singapore: Hawker Food

10 Singapore eats from Lady Ironchef

HUNGRY IN SINGAPORE

ONE FULLERTON ROAD

1 Fullerton Sq Singapore 049178 Bayfront, Raffles Place

SKY ON 57 at MARINA BAY SANDS

10 Bayfront Avenue, Level 57, Sands Skypark, Tower1
Singapore 018956

+65 6688-8868

CHATTERBOX at MANDARIN ORCHARD

333 Orchard Road, Singapore 238867
+65-6737-2200

SEAFOOD REPUBLIC
Resorts World Waterfront
26 Sentosa Gateway 01-292 Singapore 098138

OSTERIA MOZZA at MARINA BAY SANDS

2 Bayfront Ave #B1-42/46, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands 

Singapore 018972 

+65-6688 8522

LAU PA SAT / TELOK AYER MARKET

18 Raffles Quay, Singapore 048582
+65-6220-2138

OLD AIRPORT ROAD FOOD CENTRE

Block 51, Old Airport Rd, Geylang, Singapore

BOON TONG KEE

425 River Valley Rd Singapore 248324
+65-6736-3213

CLOSED! singaporean/french: i strongly recommend AU JARDIN (BISTRO DU VIN)

CLOSED! a/o 2014

AU JARDIN (BISTRO DU VIN)

No. 222, XingAn St. 松山區興安街222號 

(02) 2719-6863

MRT:  Zhongshan Jr. High School or Nanjing E. Rd

website: Au Jardin's FB page

hours: 11:30AM - 2:30 PM; 6PM - 10:30 PM

$$ 

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visits reviewed: 5/25/2012, 5/26/2012 and 6/26/2012

Opened for a few months now, Au Jardin is a bright, cheery bistro in the Songshan District that serves up Asian meets Italian/French fusion fare. Fans of Just In Bistro or the shuttered Le Petite Cuisine might find some Sino French flavors or faces familiar, but newcomers should feel just as welcome.

Also tucked on this alley is Fresh Cafe, which I've been hearing about and meaning to try.

At first glance, the menu seems a bit disjointed with both items like Spaghetti Alla Carbonara and Singapore Laksa on it, but there are gems to be found. On my first visit, I was a guest of my friend D and the restaurant, so they brought out their signature dishes for us to try. The English and Chinese menu has a range of pastas, main dishes, appetizers and desserts, as well a wine list selection. This post is a collection of three different visits so there's a lot of food to drool over! 

I like to treat my grandma to lunch sometimes and if the place is too pricey, sometimes she will feel guilty or be too polite about eating together, but I think she had a good time at Au Jardin and enjoyed the food even more when I pointed out the reasonable prices to her.

The Tofu Spring Salad with Light Soy Bean Dressing (NT$180) sounds deceptively simple, but it's refreshing. With both fried and silken tofu atop dressed greens, the soybean dressing is more like a sweet vinegrette. I've ordered this salad again on every visit afterwards.

The Tempura of Soft shell crab salad with Green Chili Sauce (NT$360) has a strong kick with the spicy green chili sauce that gives the crispy soft shell crab an acidity and fire that is addictive. It also works as a salad since there's some lettuce and greens to spread the sauce around.

On my last visit, on the seasonal menu was the Parma ham with grilled peaches salad (NT $360). Sweet and savory, perfect for summer.

For the more traditional options, the Caesar Salad (NT$200).

I loved the spicy soup from the Sauteed clam "Tom Yam" (NT$120), but I had a few gritty clams that turned me off.

The Grilled Confit Pork Neck with Honey Mustard Dressing (NT$140) is not a bad appetizer to share, but the confit pork neck is used in quite a few of the dishes I ordered, so it's not necessary to repeat order unless you really love it.

Calamari Fritter with Lemon Aioli (NT$180)

Grilled Oyster Mushroom with Potato Salt (NT$100) is a hearty choice for vegetarians.

Soup of the day- Seafood Chowder 

A must order is the Roasted Duck Confit with Seasonal Vegetables, Chicken Jus (NT$400). It's a great portion for the price and is roasted perfectly so that the skin is crispy and the meat is juicy and tender. 

Depending on your mood, there are two pastas I really recommend- the Tagliatelle Confit Pork Neck (NT$380) is a crowd pleaser with noodles tossed in olive oil and garlic that brings out the flavors of the pasta and the pork. The pasta is cooked perfectly al dente, chewy but not too hard.

And the spicier Tagliatelle Confit Sweet Shrimp Pork Neck Laksa (NT$420) bursts with Southeast Asian flavors of spiciness, sweetness and sourness that somehow works perfectly with the Italian noodle. Again there's the melt in your mouth pork neck meat along with some seafood flavors and shrimp. There's traditional Laksa as well, but I also ended up getting this dish.

My friend was craving red meat, so she ordered the Grilled rib eye lunch set (NT$980) to share. Pricey for lunch, but not a bad price for a nicely grilled steak.

A few orders were not as strong and distinctive- the Cheeseburger, Salad and Fries (NT$380) was gourmet enough, but not as exciting as laksa.

I also felt the Seafood Risotto (NT$400) was not my idea of a risotto- it was quite watery and the rice was too soft. It tasted more like a seafood stew with rice.

One of the things that I think also makes Au Jardin stand out is the service. The dirty plates and utensils were whisked away and replaced with new ones between courses (salads, mains, desserts) without asking. This usually only happens at fine dining restaurants with higher entree prices, but it's nice when you get that quality of service in a casual ambience. It was nice having to have clean forks to enjoy the different flavors and not have to wave the waiter down for water, and is a noticeable gesture in the land of self serve eateries.

There's lots of delicious desserts to choose from- if you want a souffle, be sure to order it before you want to it since it will take time to cook. The first day, they had a Peach Souffle for us to try, but it was a tad underdone for me.

But I loved the decadent warm Baked chocolate cake (NT$220) with the gooey chocolate center.

And the flaky Apple tart (NT $180) that is served as one long strip and easy to share. Meticulous thin slices of apple are sweetened with caramel sauce and the crispy phyllo dough underneath makes it a dessert that is satisfying, but not heavy.

Although it's a bit out of the way for me, it's worth the trip. Au Jardin is also in that sweet spot where not too many people know about it yet so it wasn't crowded, but that might change when word of mouth spreads.