Prive Bakery Cafe

Reservation: book early for Sunday brunch as they set aside only 30% of capacity for booking.
Go if you want: Breakfast, brunch or lunch by the marina and you like dining alfresco.
Parking: Basement carpark at Keppel Bay Vista where the cafe is located.
Tel: 6776-0777
Menu: http://www.prive.com.sg/cafe_menu.pdf
Budget: About $30 a person

Sunday arrived with clear skies after a long night of heavy downpour and made for a perfect day for alfresco brunching. At 1pm, the cafe was packed but we found a nice corner table outdoor nested in the refuge of plants on both sides and that offered a picturesque view of the waterfront. Only when we sat down did we discover why the servers weren't at first keen to give us that spot. Surreptitiously, the overhead sun blazed on us with full intensity. Serum facial repair came in handy in the night!

The service was good - we got water before we asked! - and it didn't take long at all for our food to arrive. In fact, I'd say that from sitting down, to ordering and getting our food and then even changing to a shadier spot, the process was entirely pleasant.

The main draw of this place is its location away from the hurry and flurry of the main island via a mere 5-minute link on Keppel Bay Vista through Keppel Bay Drive from Telok Blangah Road (before you come to The Caribbean condo). Having said that, it's much easier to go by car as you won't be stranded waiting for the sporadic cab to take you home, especially in the evenings. We'll definitely be back!

Cafe Latte - smooth & milky

Spaghetti Aglio Olio
with Bacon, Sundried Tomatoes, Bird's Eye Chilli & Baby Spinach

Big Omelette
Roasted Roma Tomato & Toast, with Choice of 2 Toppings:
Honey Baked Ham, Button Mushrooms,
Cheddar, Onions or Tomatoes

Privé Ultimate Breakfast
2 Eggs, English Breakfast Sausage, Streaky Bacon,
Button Mushrooms, Roasted Roma Tomato, Baked Beans & Toast.

Sticky Date Pudding
with Butterscotch and Vanilla Ice Cream

Lemon Meringue Pie - pity too little lemon

...but the meringue was good!



Greenwood Fish Market Bistro

Reservation: best done beforehand
Go if you want: good food with competent service, and arrangements for special occasions.
Parking: Free around Greenwood, if you can find a space.
Tel: 6467-4950
Menu avail @ http://www.fishshop.sg/


It was the family's first visit to the Fish Market, but my second in a week - both times to celebrate birthdays. I've read raving online reviews about their fish and chips, but what took the cake was the unparalleled service standards, product knowledge and attention to detail demonstrated by every server - all of whom happen to be male.

Having had a foretaste of their service excellence at the first visit, I called the next day to make a lunch reservation for a party of five for May Day. Upon arrival, we were ushered a few doors away from the main bistro to a surprisingly quiet and private dining area beyond the fish market [yes, the area where they actually sell fresh seafood]. The smell of fish was very strong at first, but the privacy and cozy ambience soon put us at ease and in happy banter and photo-taking mood for the ocassion. 

Two bottles of drinking water were served swiftly without our asking, followed by delicious and warm homemade pre-meal buns and breads. We would have been happy if the good service had stopped here... but it didn't!

The three girls had to try the House Fish & Chips, and I, having had that a few days ago, chose the Hervey Bay Whiting Fish & Chips. The sides of vegetable salad with olive oil and French fries were generous. Kenny had Pacific Cod, pan seared served with mashed sweet potato and vegetable salad.

One of the birthday girls commented that this was the first  time the batter did not overwhelm the taste of the fish fillet or her digestion. I rather like the less fishy taste of the Hervey Bay Fish.

After our mains, a server named 'Key' discreetly suggested a molten chocolate with ice-cream dessert with candles and inscriptions for the birthday girls. Key took down the full message given: "Happy Birthday to Krystle and Tessa." and even asked if we would like to add an exclamation mark to that! I wasn't sure how he was going to put all that on a single serving of molten cake but his confidence assured me of his competence. And he and his team delivered! THAT was the real birthday treat for my whole family!

At a time when simple, pleasurable dining often turns out to be a complex and frustrating experience with poorly trained foreign servers with poor knowledge of menu and accents that are hard to understand, this trip to the Fish Market today keeps us hopeful that conventional good service, though scarce, is still to be found in modern Singapore.  



Informative Placemats that made waiting pleasurable



Fresh homemade breads [not in picture: bun in a bowl]




Brisk serving of drinking water in glass bottles - at no extra charge!

 

Seafood Chowder



Lobster Bisque [yummy!]



Cream of Mushroom Soup

Escargot [kway pietee style]

Tartar sauce, Thai sweet chilli sauce and ketchup for Fish & Chips

Hervey Bay Whiting Fish & Chips

House Fish & Chips

The birthday surprise!

Molten chocolate cake with ice-cream, decorated with fresh fruits

The Birthday Girls

  

Budget $50 nett per pax for a meal with a starter and dessert and coffee/tea.

Kenny Rogers Roasters @ Great World City

Reservation: not required
Go if you want to: feed and delight hungry teens. Adults would be happy when youth are fed and satisfied.
Tel: 6734-9492


Seriously, I don't remember ever going to a Kenny Rogers' eatery till a friend took me to the one at Great World City recently. I imagine eating with a Kenny at a Kenny Rogers' restaurant would be an overkill. However, risking the 'overkill' one Sunday with the family, we headed for KR @ Great World City. The girls were impressed with the large serving of sides and fell in love with the corn muffins. Kenny himself had to explain who Kenny Rogers is to the girls who had never heard of him before. Tessa, 14, asked daddy why there were so many record discs and music memorabilia on the walls. The generation gap is jarring. But it's equally endearing to see them bonding over the music career of KR.

Must-haves, must-tries are these:

Brunch @ SPRUCE, Tanglin Road

Reservation: Best done beforehand, otherwise be prepared to wait up to 30 minutes especially for Sunday brunch.
Go if you want to: Enjoy alfresco dining surrounded by mature greenery of Dempsey.
Parking: Free, at open-air carpark at the foot of the restaurant.
Tel: 6836-5528
Menu avail @ http://www.spruce.com.sg/


Checked out a new venue for lunch at SPRUCE. We drove past the usual Dempsey rendezvous to this new place embraced by natural botanics around it. Without any reservations made, we waited 20-25 minutes for a table for 5. It would not have been an ideal situation if anyone of us were moody or grouchy. Cheerful chatter made the wait bearable... and it was well worth waiting for. Food was above par for brunch, better than our usual places at Da Paolo Pizza Bar and PS Cafe. Service was efficient and speedy... water served promptly without being asked.

Turkish Chicken Egg Benedict

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Avruga, Caviar

& Basil-cured Salmon

Spruce Breakfast Sandwich

Spruce British Brekkie

And the finale? A great cuppa latte! And then, we were off to SBR and Praying for the Nation at the Sanctuary, PL.

Sunday Brunch @ RELISH [before renovation]

On a Sunday we didn't want to go far from home for a decent meal, and hopefully with decent coffee for me, we finally checked out RELISH at the Cluny Court. Surprisingly, at brunch time, there was only one other family in the restaurant. We took the larger table in the centre and  quickly became comfortable.

Servers were mainly youths and were milling around the counter. Hungry as usual at this time, we were pretty lost as to what to order. Good thing was, the food turned out very decent and tasty; that is, apart from Krystle's over-salty pasta which I requested a change.

The Menu board at the entrance of RELISH

The Brunch Menu right at the back of the dinning area

A graffiti wall

My juicy burger - think it was chicken

Tessa's Blood Orange with her burger patti with octopus,

fries on the side

Kenny went for the bite-size Kid's Meal fare

Krystle's over-salted shrimp spaghetti

Father's Day at PS Cafe @ Dempsey

Reservation: Best done beforehand for weekends. Waiting could be long otherwise.
Experience: For outdoor feel with indoor airconditioned comfort in a conservatory-like dining room. The fragrance of fresh flowers fill the air from two over-the-top-sized vases sitting on a counter near the entrance.
Parking: About 5 lots across a wooden walkway from the restaurant; alternatively, ample open-air lots 5 mins away.
Tel: 9070-8782
Menus avail @ http://www.pscafe.sg/


For Father's Day, the choice of venue was clear - for all, it had to be beautiful without being too stuffy for a Sunday morning; for the dad, it had to be close to nature where there's rich foliage [and the visits of fauna would be welcome too!]; and for me, it has to have beautiful flowers, aircon and good latte! Well, clearly, many families had the same thing in mind and it was full-house at 11am! Thank God only that we had a parking space right beside and a table right after we arrived!

Anthuriums - the heart-shaped flower with a spike in the middle

- sits ceremoniously on our table this Father's Day.

Tessa sitting elegantly with her daddy as

mummy tried to capture the beautiful flowers behind them too!

Our daily bread - What is breakfast without it?

And what is life without the true daily bread?

After all, "Man does not live on great plans, good ideas,
and genuine intentions alone...

but by the wisdom that comes from above that is first of all pure..."

The father in attendance ordered the special -

Venison Sausage Potato Jacket. Typical meat-eater!

I ordered Garden Lasagne - a plate of pure veggie delight!

Krystle had Fish Croquette with Poached Eggs

Coochie stuck to the tried and tested Baked Bacon and Eggs

Baby had mushroomy Portebello Stack

Coochie with daddy who loves the Father's Day card she chose

that came with a movable cut-out of a car that bore

an uncanny resemblance to his beloved Triumph TR7! Divine choice!

Vista Bristro, The Playground @ Big Splash