Mothers' Day Celebration at Long Beach

Food Review: The Boneless Kitchen

I am back again! It is quite unusual for me to have consecutive blog posts but since the momentum is there, I shall keep it going! I stopped for a while because the laptop was a bit laggy and my keyboard was dying. Ever since I bought a new usb keyboard, I decided to keep this hobby alive again and I hope to do so before work gets busier. I may not be a good writer, but I love writing and penning down my thoughts. I also like to share with others about the places I have been, the food I have tried, as well as my views on certain issues. I guess it is the very thought about having the connection with the world that keeps me going. So today's post shall be a food review on a vegetarian restaurant that I went on 31st March 16. I remembered this date vividly because I had a good time catching up with my primary cum secondary school mate, Eileen.

The place I am going to review is The Boneless Kitchen, which is Singapore's first Korean vegetarian restaurant. Vegetarians rejoice! There are more and more dining options for vegetarians such that they will be spoilt for choices. Though I am not a vegetarian myself (I can give up all kinds of meat except for fish, thus the closest I can get is being a pescetarian), I can assure you that it is untrue to say that vegetarian food = untasty food.

 My choice was Dolsot Bibimbap ($9.90) which is scotched rice with a variety of vegetables. Cheese option is available. They do not serve eggs for this dish. This dish was average and I find it slightly spicy. No oomph factor and normal food courts can replicate this dish as well, or even do it better. It was only served warm and not really hot. 

My friend Eileen ordered this Kimchi Bokkeumbap ($9.90), which is basically just kimchi fried rice. She was contemplating between this and another fanciful dish because most korean eateries sell kimchi fried rice, thus would it be better to try out a new dish? Luckily, her choice to stick on to this dish was right! This dish was certainly better than mine as it was served piping hot and  being topped with a generous amount of seaweed and sesame seeds which injected more fragrance into the rice. This dish was slightly spicy as well. Every grain of rice was evenly coated with kimchi sauce, (leave no grains behind, if you get the joke: leave no man behind).

As a side dish, we ordered Kimchi Jeon ($3.90) which was kimchi pancakes, simply put. This dish did it for us! It wasnt the usual chewy mushy type of korean pancakes which we usually get to taste in eateries, but it was thinly sliced and crisp. Both of us could not help but sing praises for it! This dish was exactly suitable for our palette. 

Overall there were some hits and misses, but the highlight of the meal was still the Kimchi Jeon, which was a side dish! Haha. We would probably head back to this eatery again because we love the ambience and it is less crowded, definitely a place which you can have some private conversations with your companion. Price wise is ok as servings were pretty huge for the main dishes. 

Overall Ratings: 3/5 

The Commerze @ Irving

1 Irving Place #01-31

Singapore 369546

Nearest MRT: Taiseng 

Tel: 8457 6464

Website: http://thebonelesskitchen.com/ 

My 27th Birthday!

Well, this is definitely a backdated post as my birthday lies on 25th March, which happens to be Good Friday as well. The day started off with a trip to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, which usually opens on public holidays. Before that, we had lunch at my favourite The Soup Spoon. They serve some really hearty soups.

That's me with my classic green floral hair clip! Well, I love flowers and I love green and that defines me. Haha. I had a regular velvety mushroom stroganoff soup while Breadman had the potpie.

Back to to the railway station. Do you know you can book the place in advance for a photoshoot? If you are trying to save some money, then you can choose to go there when it's open on these dates. Breadman and I spotted a couple taking their wedding pics there amidst the sweltering heat. The groom was sweating buckets. Fret not, the wonders of Photoshop! Thus, I am pretty sure their pictures will turn out fine.

Here's some pics from the exterior of the building, while we made our way to the railway station.

It was my first time at the railway station and as it was a public holiday, there were throngs of crowd over there, with lots of families heading there. It is a place filled with history especially for those who used the railway station before it was closed down. I have always seen photos of people sitting on the railway tracks, posing artistically, thus this place was on my to-go list! Yay, one item off the bucket list!

 There there, this is the couple whom brazed the heat! Attracting stares from the crowds.

This was a pic of me standing on the railway tracks. I wanted to take a full length couple shot with Breadman, but he kicked up a fuss as none of us wanted to ask strangers to help us take the photo. Well, since I am the birthday girl, cant you do this little tiny favour for me?

 Another one of me! It was realllly hot yet I am wearing my black cardigan, because I have huge flabby arms. Well, one day if I have the confidence, I shall go sleeveless.

 That's Breadman, frowning and acting cool on the railway tracks. He is wearing the green top I bought him!

                                             Trying our best to open our eyes.

Enjoying a popsicle from one of the stalls. Business is brisk for the stall!

                         Standing in front of a coca cola sign! I love such vintage stuff!

                              A stall selling handmade owl decorations!

                                                           Colourful tingkats

                                                                 Handmade jewellery.

                            Another selfie of us! I guess these couple things are what makes the date fun!

Can you spot the fake potted cactus? It is really cute and can be lifted up and I had the intention to purchase it but sadly it was not for sale. Breadman was thickskinned enough to help me ask. I was pretty paiseh. Haha

So after this, we shopped around at Somerset for a while before making our way to Orchard Central to have our dinner. We did not talk during our shopping at Somerset because of the little tiff over the couple shot. I can still remember how he raised his voice at me over my request. Hmm. I guess the hot weather really brings out the personality in someone. Haha. All was fine when it was time for dinner. I had no idea where we are going to dine at but I only told Breadman previously that I wanted to have something healthy on my birthday. 

I was really happy when I learnt we were heading to Orchard Central, because I really love that place! It is huge and there's not much crowd. Ambience is nice as well. We went up to 12th floor and Joie by Dozo it is. Let's just say, I was pretty in awe when I stepped in. Service was really good with waitresses dressed smartly in suit, skirt and heels, greeting you. Welcome to the world of fine dining! In case you are not sure, this is a vegetarian restaurant. 

            

These are not reed diffusers but are edible breadsticks! We were really suaku on this. Haha. 

 

Wow, can you look at that cocktail. That's a really interesting way of serving the drinks. 100 points for all the effort!

This was Chef''s Selection of Assorted Platter. The middle one is konnyaku with carrot, the one on the left is pistachio cracker with raspberry sauce. The one on the left is a seaweed cracker with mushroom atop of it. This was really nice, with a burst of flavours. 

This is followed by the side dish. I chose the Matsutake Cake, which consists of steamed Japanese mushroom with rosemary gel, golden enoki and creme patissiere, served with pistachio crumbs.I really love this one and I am not exaggerating! The mushroom cake was really flavourful and the dressing was reallly apt. It is just like how bread goes along with peanut butter. I would be really glad if I can learn to make this dish. It is a really comforting dish and as it was served warm, my tummy felt happy, Haha. 

This was Breadman's choice for side dish. Gratinated Champignon with Mozzarella Cheese. This dish consistis of button mushrooms gratin served with tennessee heirloom potato pureee and Belgian endive, focaccia bread slices. Breadman really liked this as he is a cheese lover. I felt that it was average probably cuz I am not a fan of cheese. I liked the focaccia though! They were thin and crispy. 

Then it's time for the cold dish. I chose the Zucchini Tower and it is the best choice ever!

Let's just say, I was pretty amazed when I saw this tower! I was telling Breadman, do I have to topple this tower to eat it?This dish was made of zucchini stuffed with creme cheese, truffle mayo, medallion of puff pastry and beetroot sphere. I can turn vegetarian if someone makes this for me on a daily basis. Haha. This dish was so good that even meat cant compare to it. It was refreshing, crunchy, fresh, crispy.

Breadman chose the Tartare Platter au Naturel. This was a platter of pine nuts, Japanese seaweed, avocado, corn, tomato salsa, pomegranate, seagrapes and rice puff. This was akin to having salad and it was fun looking at Breadman mixing it. 

This was how it appeared after mixing it all up. Trust me, it tasted way better than the way it looks. Especially with the rice puff and pomegranate which gave it an overall crunch consistency. I think I can try to replicate this. Haha. 

Moving on to the soup, I had Snow Pear and Napa Cabbage Consumme. I thought it would be nice to have a slightly sweet soup for a change as compared to the usual savoury soups. I was afraid that this would turn out to be similar to a dessert dish, but it proved me wrong! The snow pear was delicious and the sweetness level was just nice, tantalizing to the senses. 

 This was indeed a work of art. The cooks really did an excellent job in this one.

The snowpear had a tinge of sweetness while the cabbage soup complemented this fairly well. I was surrpised that this combination could go well, given that one is a fruit while the other is a vegetable.

Anyway, Breadman's choice was more western and mine usually more oriental. Haha. Breadman chose Clear Tomato Broth with Garbanzo which is broth made of tomato and chickpea, with orzo pasta and spinach dumpling. This was average and I felt mine was still the best. Haha. 

Finally, we were going to be served the mains! By now, we were half full from drinking the soup and drinks. 

Breadman had the Duo Ravioli Platter which consists of pumpkin and spinach ravioli, flower emulsion with basil cream sauce. This was pretty nice and it is quite hard to make nice raviloli because it has to be served al dente, cooking time cannot be too long as it will be mushy. There must be a good control of timing. 

This was my choice! Again, the presentation of the dish blew my mind off. Doesnt that remind you of a log? This was Wildrice with Eggplant Terrine.

Can you believe this is eggplant? I cant! I got fooled!  Even till now, when I recalled how the dish tasted, there was no egg plant taste at all, interestingly. The wild rice had baby carrots, baby radish, pine nuts. It was my first time trying out wild rice and though it was slightly hard, it tasted nice as well since I have the habit of eating brown rice. 

 Finally it was time for desserts! Yay! women love desserts. Haha. This was Breadman's choice, Truffle Creme brulee. It is interesting to have truffle flavoured desserts. Usually it's truffle fries, truffle spaghetti.

Mine was Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream. This was average but I liked it anyway. Haha. Simple things like warm chocolate cake does hit the right spot. 

For drinks, Breadman had the mocktail of love. This was served in test-tubes. Breadman acting all lovey in this photo. Haha. 

 I had Ice Mallow Apple Melody. This was refreshing as it was a blend of mallow flowers, apple and guava juice.

                                                                      Happy faces :)

Then the waitress came in with a cake, singing this cutesy tune, clicking her fingers as well. She is really bubbly and I cant help to smile. She also tried hard to tell a joke which both of us could not really understand as well. Haha. 

 Then the waitress said this: Sir, you may present your gift to her now. Then I was secretly feeling excited, yay what gift is that? I love gifts! Haha. Breadman was shocked when he heard that because he had no gift! Then the waitress hinted for him to give me a peck on my cheek. Wahaha. We both had a good laugh. As proven by these photos.

Tadaa. The blessed birthday girl!

Joie by Dozo is definitely a place that I will recommend if you want a place that's quiet, away from the crowds and serves exquisite vegetarian food. Service is commendable as well. The only downside would be its skyhigh prices. Our dinner of 7 course was $68.80++ which adds up to $80.50 per pax. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I did have a wonderful and memorable time there, especially with the very cute waitress (whom i presumed is a Taiwanese) who tried to inject some fun into our date. Alternatively, you can try to have the lunch set of 6 courses at $38.80 ++ if you do not want to splurge too much. 

Ratings: 4.5/5 

Total damage done: $161 for 2 pax 

Joie by Dozo

181 Orchard Road

#12-01 Orchard Central

Singapore 238896

Tel: 6838 6966

Website: http://www.joierestaurant.com.sg/