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Little Oscar, Brunswick East

MELBOURNE | Little Oscar Brunswick East is what happens when the former owner of a Chapel Street fashion label decides to open a bar serving Korean and American fusion food. An odd and unexpected combination but one that owner Lorance Darwish is confident will appeal to Melburnian taste-buds. You might assume that it all sounds too “cool for school” but you’d be wrong. We spoke to Lorance just after Little Oscar opened in December and he stressed to us that he wanted Little Oscar to be a homely spot that appeals to locals. We’ve been back several times since our first visit and we’ve noticed little tweaks here and there as Little Oscar settles into its place as a Brunswick local’s joint.

little oscar brunswick east review

The space is small and long, with concrete and exposed brick mixing with large ropes giving a ship-like touch to the space. It’s all very casual and chilled out, with the eclectic soundtrack being supplemented in the afternoons and evenings by regular DJs and live musicians.

little oscar brunswick east review

On the drinks side it’s Nail beers on tap along with an eclectic assortment of local and international beers. Wines are mostly local and from New Zealand while the focused cocktail menu provides slight twists on the classics, as well as featuring a few bespoke creations.

little oscar brunswick east review

Parisian ($16.00)

London dry gin, fresh lemon, St Germain elderflower liqueur, fresh thyme and cucumber combine in this light and refreshing cocktail. It’s one of the best cocktails on the menu in our opinion.

little oscar brunswick east review

Stormy Old Fashioned ($18.00)

Featuring Bermudian black rum, house made ginger syrup and aromatic bitters, the Stormy Old Fashioned takes the best of 2 classic cocktails and combines them to create a tasty tipple.

little oscar brunswick east review

The Korean American fusion food is prepared at the open kitchen, and if you grab a seat at the bar you’ll be in prime position to see it in action. The burgers are unsurprisingly one of the most popular items on the menu.

little oscar brunswick east review

KFC – Korean Fried Chicken ($13.00)

Korean Fried Chicken is an inevitability on any menu in Melbourne that purports to serve Korean food or American food so it’s no surprise to find it on the menu at Little Oscar. This version hits all of the right spots, with a nicely seasoned, crispy coating and beautifully tender chicken. Don’t worry if the chicken has a slight pinkish tinge – this is just marrow leeching out of the young, porous bones and is common when the chicken is of good quality and cooked on the bone, as is the case at Little Oscar.

little oscar brunswick east review

Spring Rolls With Thai Sauce ($7.00)

Is this American? Is it Korean? What’s with the Thai sauce? All valid questions but all irrelevant to the most important question – does it taste good? The answer is a resounding yes. The spring rolls at Little Oscar are unashamedly fusion and are all the better for it – crispy and full of flavour.

little oscar brunswick east review

Kim Jong Un’s Chips ($11.00)

Beer battered chips with caramalised kimchi and gochujang beef covered in cheong-gochu, sour cream and spring onions. We could wax lyrical about these chips, but it’s easier just to say that whatever you’re thinking about them right now based on the description and photo is true. This messy thing of wonder is a must order menu item.

little oscar brunswick east review

Little Oscar Burger ($13.00 for 2)

The Little Oscar Burger cosists of a wagyu beef patty, cheese, lettuce, onion jam, house cured pickles, tomato and house made sauce. A decent burger that delivers what you expect, with the quality of the ingredients evident. Simple and delicious.

little oscar brunswick east review

Gangnam Style ($16.50)

This combination of Korean fried chicken with Asian slaw, kimchi and roasted sesame seeds sums up everything that Little Oscar is all about. The fried chicken is tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, the kimchi has a nice kick to it and the Asian slaw mellows things out. The flavours work really well together here, making the Gangnam Style another must order dish.

little oscar brunswick east review

Korean-Style Beef Ribs ($15.00)

The slow cooked beef ribs in bulgogi marinade and very tasty and tender, but make sure that the sprinkled coating is evenly on each piece of beef – you really need a bit of everything in each bite to get the full effect of these.

little oscar brunswick east review

Hwarang ($12.00)

We don’t exactly know what the inspiration was behind this sweet wekame seaweed and sesame jelly with mango, coconut ice-cream, pomegranate (we had strawberries as the pomegranate was out) and desiccated coconut, but it all works really well. Unlike the beef ribs this is one of those dishes where the components work well together and individually. There are some really contrasting flavours here thanks to the seaweed and sesame jelly and it works beautifully.

little oscar brunswick east review

Little Oscar is in an odd location, just past the Brunswick Road intersection on Lygon Street in Brunswick, but not quite up where most of the action in this part of town is centred. It’s a great bar with excellent drinks, interesting tasty food, top notch service and a fun local’s atmosphere. If you make the effort and pay Lorance and the team a visit, you might just become a regular yourself.

little oscar brunswick east review

Little Oscar

41 Lygon Street
Brunswick East 3057
Australia

Telephone: n/a
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://littleoscar.com.au/

Open
Mon – Wed: 12:00pm to 11:00pm
Thu – Sun: 12:00pm to 1:00am
Little Oscar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Smith + Singleton, North Melbourne

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MELBOURNE | Smith + Singleton is your standard neighbourhood cafe, but only if that cafe happened to have gourmet food and craft beer. Maybe not so standard after all. We were curious to find out more when we attended the preview.

Smith + Singleton is a tram ride from the city on the 55 or 59, all the way up to the Royal Children’s Hospital and to an art space called the Lariwell Centre, named after painter David Lariwell. The place is modern and green (in a plant sort of way), and offers a nice balance between casual dining and a more sophisticated experience.

As we mentioned in the earlier, for a restaurant aiming to be a kind of neighbourhood cafe, its food selection and style is well beyond the traditional fare. The vision of chefs and restaurateurs Paul Dunlop (GG’s, St Katherine’s, Bistro Thierry) and Lucas Sansome (Maha, St Katherine’s), Smith + Singleton is anything but traditional, and we don’t think this is a bad thing. Like many of the new breed of Melbourne bars and restaurants, as well as serving a bar crowd at the end of the night, it also opens for breakfast and lunch, but perhaps with less of a focus on alcohol at these hours.

We visited during their launch party, so we can’t confirm what you see here will be quite what you will get when you visit, but based on reports we’ve heard, we’re confident it will be a similar style. There’s also dessert, obviously, the likes of which are simple enough for most, and yet classy enough to feel special about it.

There is a lot to like about Smith + Singleton. While the hospital it shares its location with may not be a place you would choose to visit, this restaurant and bar is modern and interesting and certainly worth your time.

Smith + Singleton

48 Flemington Road
Parkville
Victoria 3052
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9032 9119
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.smithandsingleton.com.au/

Open
Mon – Sun: 7:00am to 10:00pm

Smith + Singleton Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Pablo Honey, St Kilda

MELBOURNE | Pablo Honey St Kilda (yes the name comes from the Radiohead album) is a South American inspired tapas bar and restaurant located on bustling Acland Street, in the heart of St Kilda. Opened by four friends, Pablo Honey represents a trendy social space, serving a variety of unique cocktails and innovative tapas dishes. The menu fuses a variety of interesting flavours to create a range of adventurous dishes, providing a culinary experience unlike any other. The City Lane was invited to sample the offering at Pablo Honey and we did not pay on this occasion.

pablo honey st kilda review

We were invited to begin our evening with a cocktail. A little overwhelmed by the extensive list, our waitress was quick to provide us with her recommendations. We chose cocktails on Honey’s List – The Nelson – Rum Raisin, made with spiced rum and Pedro Ximenex and Lemon Tree, a mixture of white rum, passionfruit, Chambord and mint.

pablo honey st kilda review

As we sipped our delicious cocktails, I could not help but notice the fabulously designed interior of Pablo Honey, which gives it its classy, yet cool and relaxed ambiance. The walls are adorned with bold, life size canvases painted in vivid colours of scenes from Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. These are made more special by the fact that they are painted by one of the lovely, highly talented waitresses, Isabella Iskaf (Instagram @bellaillustrates). The paintings are accompanied by beautiful, intricate sugar skulls in every colour imaginable, hand decorated by Jess Carpenter of ‘Killer Diller Designs’. Moreover Pablo Honey stays true to its name, with hexagonal shaped designs creating a honeycomb effect throughout the restaurant. In addition, the bar and restaurant has an outdoor seating area, with stunning views overlooking the beach – perfect for warmer evenings.

pablo honey st kilda review

pablo honey st kilda review

The menu at Pablo Honey is split into Small and Large Share Plates. We decided to go for a combination of Small Plates in order to maximize our ability to try out different dishes. One of our first picks was the Smoked Chicken Wingettes, with pico de gallo and habanero sauce. The chicken wings were very tender, marinated in a range of spices to create a powerful, and extremely tasty punch.

pablo honey st kilda review

pablo honey st kilda review

To mix things up a little we opted for vegetarian dish, Tomato Escabeche, a beautifully presented plate of charred spring onion, quail egg and coriander garlic pebre. The flavour of the spring onion complimented the juicy tomatoes, making it a great light option to pair with the meat dishes.

pablo honey st kilda review

My personal favourite dish of the evening was the Grass Fed Beef Tartare, seasoned with a mixture of salted egg yolk, smoked chilli, finger lime and coriander. This is the best tartare I have ever tasted, and the waitress was right to recommend it so highly. Slightly spicy with a strong, delicious fusion of flavours, the tartare was offset perfectly by the crunchy cumin seed lavosh we used to scoop it up.

pablo honey st kilda review

Luckily, one of the Large Share Plates we were keen to try was the Pablo Kitchen Special of the evening, Chimichurris Little Sister. A gorgeous mixture of vivid colours and bold flavours, this dish consisted of sous vide rump cap, oregano and parsley puree, pickled onion and smoked chilli gel. The rump steak was extremely tender and cooked to perfection with a spicy, smoky kick.

pablo honey st kilda review

Under the owner, Mat’s recommendation, we ordered the Dulce De Leche Mousse for dessert, which used a custom-made silicon mould to create a translucent Mexican Sugar Skull. The sweetness of skull was offset perfectly by raspberries and bitter chocolate popping candy, decorated with pink flower petals. A perfect end to the evening, this dessert was simultaneously delicious, unique and aesthetically beautiful.

pablo honey st kilda review

And of course we couldn’t leave Pablo Honey without trying one of the signature tequila cocktails from Pablo’s List. We were invited to accompany our dessert with a Coconut Margarita to culminate the evening, a fresh fusion of 1800 Coconut Tequila, Malibu and Elderflower.

pablo honey st kilda review

Giving a unique twist to every culinary and cocktail invention served, Pablo Honey will surprise you at every turn. Their delicious, powerful and unexpected flavours take risks to treat your taste buds, complimented perfectly the passionate, knowledgeable staff. Pablo Honey pays serious attention to detail, effortlessly fusing cutting edge art and design with creative food and drink – definitely one to watch on the Melbourne food scene.

Pablo Honey

68 Acland Street
St Kilda
Victoria 3182
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9534 3246
E-mail: n/a
Website: http://www.pablohoney.net/

Open
Mon – Sun: 11:00am to 1:00am

Pablo Honey Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Singapore Food Guide: What To Eat

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SINGAPORE | It’s often said that Singaporeans have 2 pastimes – shopping and eating, and its true that there is no shortage of places to shop and eat in Singapore. Historically famous for its street food and hawker centres, Singapore has in more recent years become known for its fine dining too. As the city rapidly grows and develops, with the government investing large sums of money in its attempts to turn Singapore into the “Monaco of the East”, the range of food options available to visitors has never been greater. If it’s affordable, traditional street food you’re after, you’re covered. If it’s high end, pricey fine dining prepared by Michelin starred chefs you’re after, you’re covered.

There’s a preponderance of chains in Singapore that seems to exemplify a lot of the mid range dining in Singapore and this is perhaps where the city’s dining has gaps. Singapore does cheap and expensive well, but the mid range is lacking compared to other cities, predominantly due to the high capital outlay required in starting a food business in Singapore, where rents are astronomical. What is certain, is that you’ll never go hungry in Singapore and no matter what you feel like, you’re covered.

Following is a list of some of the great food that you can find in Singapore, across all ranges of the price spectrum. If you’ve got any recommendations of you’re own, feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Street Food

Street food is the number one thing that comes to mind when people think about food in Singapore. It’s cheap, plentiful, tasty and there’s so much variety. Singapore is famous around the world for its street food which draws upon the country’s Malay, Chinese and Indian elements. Up until the country’s rapid urbanisation in the 1960s street food was most commonly found at street-side food carts. With urbanisation and modernisation (at least from the government’s point of view) strict government rules around food preparation and service were introduced and the street food vendors moved from the streets into purpose built hawker centres. There are also many modern shopping centre food courts that sell a range of hawker style street food favourites. If you want to try the best of Singaporean food, hawker centres are the place to go.

where to eat singapore food guide

There is so much variety when it comes to street food in Singapore that instead of giving you individual recommendations for the best places to get the various items (there are local Singaporean food writers that have already done that a lot better than I ever could), I’ll give you a list of some of the best hawker centres and street food spots in town, and some of the dishes that you should keep an eye out for. As is always the case when seeking out good street food, follow the locals. If you’re at a hawker centre or walking down the street and you see a line of locals waiting to get a feed, you know the food’s going to be good. Many of the best food I’ve eaten in Singapore has resulted from simply joining a line when I’ve seen one and ordering what everyone else is ordering.

where to eat singapore food guide

Chicken Rice

Hainanese chicken rice is, at its most basic level exactly that – a chicken and rice dish that originated from Chinese immigrants from the Hainan province of southern China. A whole chicken is steeped in hot (not boiling) pork and chicken bone stock and cooked until tender. The rice is cooked using a separate fatty chicken stock which gives it its famous oily texture. The chicken and rice are usually served with a range of condiments including chilli sauce, dark soy sauce and freshly pounded garlic. cucumber slices and light soy sauce finish the dish.

For a detailed breakdown of chicken rice spots in Singapore, check out The City Lane’s The Best Chicken Rice in Sinagpore guide, featuring favourites such as Loy Kee and Lion City.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Hong Kong style soya sauce roasted chicken rice is also very popular in Singapore, but is quite a different meal to the more traditional Hainanese chicken rice. This stall, in the Chinatown Complex hawker centre, always has lines and does some of the best soya sauce chicken rice in town.

where to eat singapore food guide

Oyster Omelette

The oyster omelette (orh luak) originated in Taiwan, but variations of the dish can be found throughout Southern China and South-East Asia. It consists of a thick, starchy omelette filled with small oysters. The edges should be crispy and the inside both fluffy and gooey. Oyster omelettes can often be found at stalls that sell carrot cake.

where to eat singapore food guide

Fish Head Curry

Fish head curry has its origins in South India but contains Chinese and Malay influences too. The curry contains Malay and South Indian flavours while the fish head is a Chinese element. Generally red snapper is used, with the fleshy cheek bone and delectable eyeballs considered the best parts. It’s a delicious assault on the senses and something that everyone should try at least once in their life. The version at The Banana Leaf Apolo in Little India is fantastic.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Chilli Crab

One of the most popular Singaporean dishes is chilli crab, which consists of a (usually) mud crab stir fried in a thick sweet, savoury and chilli tomato sauce. Despite its name, chilli crab is not particularly spicy, it is however delicious. It’s considered one of Singapore’s national dishes and can be found all over the island. No Signboard Seafood Restaurant and Jumbo Seafood Restaurant are 2 places that are constantly vying for the title of Singapore’s best.

where to eat singapore food guide

Char Kway Teow

Char Kway Teow literally translates as “stir-fried rice cake strips” and is one of the best things to eat in Singapore. It consists of flat rice noodles stir fried over a high heat in a wok with light and dark soy sauce, chilli, belachan, prawns, deshelled blood cockles, bean sprouts, chopped Chinese chives, egg, slices of Chinese sausage and fishcake. It’s traditionally stir-fried in pork fat, with crisp croutons of pork lard, although many versions today use vegetable oil and omit the pork lard croutons. Healthy no? Delicious? Definitely.

Mee Goreng

Mee Goreng is most commonly associated with Indonesia but is very popular in Singapore too. Literally translating as “fried noodles”, that’s exactly what the dish is – thin egg noodles fried with with garlic, onion or shallots, fried prawn, chicken, pork, beef, chili, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, egg, and other vegetables. The wide range of ingredients means that, like much of Singapore’s street food, everyone’s version is a bit different.

where to eat singapore food guide

Bee Hoon Goering / Economy Noodles

Bee Hoon are simply rice vermicelli noodles.  Bee Hoon Goering are fried rice vermicelli noodles but are often just called Bee Hoon. The noodles are fried in a wok along with bok choy, bean sprouts, prawns, thin sliced pork luncheon meat (kind of like Chinese Spam) and dark soy sauce. It’s generally garnished with sliced fried egg. Sometimes thicker egg noodles are also added to the dish, the combination which is called bee hoon-mee. It originated as a low cost meal that was carbohydrate rich – perfect for poor labourers. Today it’s comfort food at its best.

Hokkien Mee

These are the thick yellow egg noodles that many Westerner associate with Chinese food. In Singapore the dish Hokkien Mee generally consists of these noodles served with rice noodles all stir fried in a fragrant fish/meat stock along with garlic, eggs, soy sauce, yellow noodles, bee hoon, bean sprouts, prawns and squid.

Cornflake / Cereal Butter Prawns

This is a dish that seems to make no sense at first (well it still doesn’t make much sense to be honest) but many Singaporeans love the stuff. It involves prawns that have been lightly battered in a milk powder and flour mixture deep fried in a wok, then fried again (not deep fried though) in a butter, cereal, chilli and curry leaf mixture. The cereal used is a Nestle product called “Nestum” which is a multi-grain mixutre of wholewheat, corn, rice and milk amongst other things. You’ll either love it or hate it.

where to eat singapore food guide

Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak aka Breakfast of Champions is a Malay dish that’s commonly eaten for breakfast, but available throughout the day. It’s literal English translation is “fatty rice” due to the texture of the rice, which is soaked in coconut cream then steamed with pandan leaves. The rice is served with a variety of things – common in Singapore is sambal, sliced cucumber, fried chicken, fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, a fried or hard boiled egg and fish cake. A delicious combination of ingredients that will delight your taste buds – it sure beats cereal and toast for breakfast.

where to eat singapore food guide

Roti Prata

Roti Prata is a fried, flour based pancake that’s cooked over a flat grill. It’s commonly served with a side of curry and is also known as roti canai (Malaysia). The “Prata Man” at Prata Saga Sambal Berlada in Little India’s Tekka Centre is famous for his on-point roti prata.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Murtabak

Murtabak was originally created by Yemen’s Indian diaspora and over the years became popular elsewhere, especially in South-East Asia. The Sinagporean version uses the same dough as roti prata filled with egg, minced meat, garlic, egg and onion.

Roti John

Roti John is a popular Singaporean snack that consists of a baguette filled with pan fried egg, minced meat and onions, and topped with a tomato chilli sauce.

Rojak

Rojak is a fruit and vegetable salad that can consist of all sorts on ingredients. Common ingredients include fried dough fritters, bean curds, boiled potatoes, prawn fritters, hard boiled eggs, bean sprouts, cuttlefish, cucumber, and sweet and spicy peanut sauce. The fruit version often contains cucumber, pineapple, benkoang (jicama), bean sprouts, taupok (puffy, deep-fried tofu) and youtiao (cut-up Chinese-style fritters).

Satay

A dish that will be familiar to most people around the world, satay is simply seasoned, skewered meat grilled over charcoal, most commonly served with a mildly spicy peanut dip and sliced cucumber. The satay at Kwong Satay in Geylang is excellent, especially the chicken satay.

267A8692

Frog Leg Porridge

The name gives away what this street food favourite is all about. A hot pot of smooth, luscious, gooey hot Cantonese rice porridge served with either a spicy or mild sauce. Spicy versions tend to use dark sweet soy sauce, with wine, dried chilli and spring onions while the mild versions are cooked win dark sweet soy sauce with ginger, spring onion and a dash of wine. The frog legs come with the sauce and, for lack of a better term, taste like chicken. Even if you can’t bring yourself to eat the frog legs, frog leg porridge is worth trying for the porridge and sauce.

The reputation at Geylang Lor 9 is well deserved, and you can find some of the best frog leg porridge in town there. Eminent Frog Leg Porridge, also in Geylang also does a great version.

where to eat singapore food guide

Carrot Cake

Fried carrot cake (chai tow kway) isn’t a cake and doesn’t contain carrots. Rather is a cubed rice flout and radish pancake of sorts, which is then stir-fried with eggs, preserved radish, and other seasonings such as garlic. It is served black (fried with sweet dark soya sauce) or white (original). The version at Changi Village Carrot Cake is particularly delicious.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Oyster Sauce Vegetables

There’s no big secret to this dish – it’s simply assorted vegetables stir fried and served with oyster sauce. A good option for anyone is worried about “getting all their greens”.

where to eat singapore food guide

Sambal Kangkong

Kangkong is also known as water spinach and this dish simply involves stir fried kangkong served with spicy sambal. A definite kick compared to the more common oyster sauce vegetables.

where to eat singapore food guide

Mee Rebus

Also known as Mi Rebus, this dish is of yellow egg noodles  served in a gravy of sweet potatoes, curry powder, water, salted soy beans, dried shrimps, and peanuts. It’s garnished with a hard boiled egg, calamansi limes, spring onions, Chinese celery, green chillies, fried firm tofu, fried shallots and bean sprouts.

Laksa

Laksa is one of the most popular and well known examples of Peranakan cuisine, which fuses Chinese and Malay influences. It consists of a spicy coconut milk (and sometimes tamarind) soup filled with rice vermicelli and chicken, prawn or fish. There are several types of laksa, but the most popular version in Sinagpore is curry laksa, which adds rice vermecelli, bean curd puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles to the coconut milk soup. It can be given an extra kick by the addition of a generous dollop of sambal.

Crispy Fried Baby Squid

This dish is super simply and delicious and a staple across Singapore. Baby squid fried in oil with salt, dark soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce. The addition of sugar means you get a beautiful caramelised element to each bite.

where to eat singapore food guide

Steamed Fish

This Chinese style steamed fish is another simple favourite.  Fresh fish stuffed with ginger and garlic, topped with dark soy sauce and coriander, and sometimes crispy fried shallots. It’s commonly served with steamed rice.

where to eat singapore food guide

Biryani

Briyani is a mixed rice dish. There are many regional variations to the dish but commonalities between most versions are the use of rice, Indian spices, a meat or vegetable base and yoghurt. Other ingredients such as dried fruits or vegetables can also be added to the mix.

The photos below, taken in Little India’s Tekka Centre are a perfect example of joining the line of locals for a good feed.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Crumbed Prawns

This prawn dish is simple and while it won’t challenge your taste buds it’s delicious. Prawns coated in breadcrumbs (and sometimes coconut too) and deep fried. It’s as simple as that.

where to eat singapore food guide

Where To Find Street Food In Singapore

As mentioned earlier, the best stuff can be found simply by visiting a hawker centre and seeing where the locals are lining up. The advantage of hawker centres is that they are covered, and almost every kind of street food that you could want to try can be found in the one place. Check out The City Lane’s list of Top 10 Best Hawker Centres In Singapore for a breakdown of which hawker centres you should visit and what you should be eating at each.

Geylang

Geylang isn’t a Hawker centre but it’s a district in Singapore that’s well known for it street food (as well as for being the home of Singapore’s red light district). Take a stroll along Geylang Road and let your nose guide you to some of the best street food in Singapore. For a closer look at what Geylang has to offer lovers of good food, check out The City Lane’s Geylang Food Guide.

where to eat singapore food guide

267A8681

where to eat singapore food guide

Traditional Chinese Food

Singapore has a strong Chinese, Malay and Indian communities and all have contributed to the city’s vibrant food scene. Traditional Chinese food is particularly prevalent owing to the fact that 74% of Singapore’s population is ethnically Chinese. A good option for visitors who want to get a taste of traditional Chinese food is Paradise Inn. Asia is a part of the world where the term “restaurant chain” isn’t necessarily a bad thing and when it comes to Paradise Inn this is mostly true. We have heard that service and food quality can vary between outlets however the food and service at the Suntec City branch makes the grade.

where to eat singapore food guide

The hot plate tofu is a surprising highlight, and is served with preserved caixin and minced pork.

where to eat singapore food guide

The Stewed Pork Belly with Lotus Bun (Kong Ba Bao) is outstanding, with the flavoursome, tender pork belly literally melting in your mouth with each bite.

where to eat singapore food guide

The noodles in a gooey soup with vegetables (please let me know the name of this dish if you’re a reader who knows what it’s called) is another highlight. Reminiscent of chicken soup almost.

where to eat singapore food guide

The crisp fried crystal prawns with pork floss are one of the best things you’ll ever try. For the uninitiated, pork floss is a dried pork product with a cotton candy like texture. Crunchy and decadent, you won’t be able to stop at one.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Paradise Inn
Suntec City Mall
3 Temasek Boulevard
Sinagpore 038983

Coffee / Kopi

Traditional Kopi (the Malay/Hokkien word for coffee) was synonymous with coffee in Singapore for a long time, and can be found all over Singapore in traditional Kopitiams and hawker centres. Useful suffixes to know when ordering your Kopi are:

  • “Peng”: with ice
  • “C”: with evaporated milk
  • “Siew dai”: less sugar
  • “O”: black, no milk
  • “O Kosong”: black, no sugar

where to eat singapore food guide

More recently though, the island has seen several Western-style cafes open up. Approximately 50,000 Singaporeans live in Australia at any given time, with many over to study and when they return home they are keen to satisfy their Australian-style coffee cravings. Local entrepreneurs (and some Australians) noticed this gap in the market a few years ago and today there are local roasteries and several third wave coffee shops in Singapore. Here are just a few of the places that you can get a great drop of coffee from in Singapore

Common Man Coffee Roasters

A partnership between Harry Grover of Singaporean roaster 40 Hands, Aussie coffee maestros 5 Senses and the Spa Esprit Group, Common Man Coffee Roasters roast all of their beans in house and offer some of the best coffee in town. Any brewing method you can imagine is offered here and staff are able to explain exactly what’s going on with the flavours of each single origin and blend. Common Man do great breakfast and lunches too – check out The City Lane’s full review here.

common man coffee roasters sinagpore review

where to eat singapore food guide

Common Man Coffee Roasters
22 Martin Road
#01-00
Singapore 239058

Nylon Coffee Roasters

Nylon is a small venue with a limited menu. 4 seats, and your choice or black or white coffee, small or large. They source their own beans and are serious about making sure that they serve a great cup of coffee every time.

Nylon Coffee Roasters
4 Everton Park
#01-40
Singapore 080004

Cozy Corner Cafe

If you want to sit down and aren’t having luck nabbing one of the 4 seats at Nylon you can always try Cozy Corner Cafe. While it’s not worth visiting in its own right, they do a decent cup of espresso based coffees that hits the spot. Food is hit and miss.

where to eat singapore food guide

Cozy Corner Cafe
4 Everton Park
#01-50
Singapore 080004

The Clue-less Goat

The clue-less goat is a no-nonsense spot that serves simple all day breakfast and sandwiches and, more importantly, serves black and milky espresso based coffee using Common Man beans.

where to eat singapore food guide

The Clue-less Goat
189 Thompson Road
Singapore 307631

Toby’s Estate

Aussie coffee brand Toby’s Estate have been busy taking over the world in recent years and their Singapore branch offers up the same great food and coffee that their Australian and Brooklyn venues do. They roast their own beans, and offer a range of single origins and blends brewed how you like. Some of the best coffee in town.

Toby’s Estate
8 Rodyk Street
#01-03/04
Singapore 238216

Papa Palheta

Papa Palheta operate out the back of the fantastic brunch spot Chye Seng Huat Hardware and practice micro production roasting meaning that they obsess over every little detail in the roasting process. What this means for you is fantastic coffee.

Papa Palheta
150 Tyrwhitt Road
Singapore 207563

Liberty Coffee

Liberty are roasters foremost and retailers second, with their irregular opening hours a case in point. Check out their Facebook page to find out when they are open while you’re in town and get there if you can to be treated to some amazing coffee.

Liberty Coffee
37 Mactaggart Road
#06-01
Singapore 368083

Craft Beer

Craft beer has taken the world by storm in recent years, as discerning drinkers turn towards brewers who put a focus on quality ingredients and most importantly, flavour. Beer is no longer synonymous with watered down lager and today there are so many different styles to choose from that it’s hard to know where to start. Locals and expats in Singapore have seen what’s happening in the craft beer scene around the world and are looking for great beer. Entrepreneurial individuals have taken note and as a result it’s a great time to be a beer drinker in Singapore, with a spate of craft beer venues opening up to cater for those looking for their craft beer fix.

Check out The City Lane’s Singapore Craft Beer Guide to find out where to find the city’s best craft beer.

where to eat singapore food guide

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Western Food

You’ve always been able to get Western food in Singapore, but in recent years there has been an explosion of chefs and restaurateurs who have set up shop on Singapore’s shores. There’s opportunity and demand for good quality Western food in Singapore, and people are willing to spend good money for it. Here are just a few of the places places from the mid to high end where you can get your fix of Western food in Singapore.

MEATliquor

From food truck to one of London’s hottest dining spots to Singapore in just a few short years, it’s been quite a whirlwind adventure for MEATliquor founders Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis. Just like in London, the Singapore branch offers a range of burgers and other fried goodies (and …salads) in a space that’s grungy, hip and oh so cool. Thankfully the food more than just style over substance and the burgers are by all accounts just as good as the ones we’ve tried in London. There’s a lot of good stuff on the menu, but to our mind you can’t go past the classic Cheeseburger (beef patty, cheese, red onions, pickles, lettuce, mustard, ketchup) and the ridiculously tasty Dead Hippie (2 x mustard-fried beef patties, dead hippie sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, minced white onions).

where to eat singapore food guide

MEATliquor
99 Duxton Road
Singapore 089543

Potato Head Folk

Brought to you by the folks (geddit) behind Bali’s Potato Head Beach Club, Potato Head Folk occupies the space that for 74 years housed one of Singapore’s most famous Kopitams, Tong Ah. A textbook example of the gentrification that’s sweeping through Singapore. Regardless of what you think about that topic, there’s no denying that Potato Head Folk is an impressive venue. Spread over 4 levels you have Three Buns Kitchen, Three Buns Dining Kitchen, Studio1939 Lounge and The Rooftop Garden. Drinks are expensive (the cocktail are fantastic) and while food is, as you might have guessed from the name “Three Buns” burgers with a range of American burger joint sides. Beef is sourced from Australia and the UK, the buns are baked especially for the venue and everything else is made on site.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Potato Head Folk
36 Keong Saik Road
Singapore 089143

Tippling Club

Tippling Club has been around for a few years now, although its only been at its current location since late 2013. This is one of those restaurants that’s received so many accolades over the years that it finds itself by default on the list of many a diner looking to sample the best of what Singapore has to offer. The food that is served up by part owner/head chef Ryan Clift is best described as modern gastronomy. Fine dining technique and precision with creative elements and a style that happily bounds between European, Asian and a whole lot more. As long as the produce is fresh and of the highest quality and the flavours work well together, there are no rules. Check out The City Lane’s full review on the degustataion experience at Tippling Club here.

where to eat singapore food guide0

where to eat singapore food guide

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Tippling Club
38 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088461

Cure

Cure is the brainchild of chef Andrew Walsh (formerly of Esquina) and Joel Fraser (The Cufflink Club) and it puts the focus squarely on the season’s best produce, gathered by a variety of local and global artisans. There’s a big focus on British and Irish produce, and the food follows the trend of pared back gastronomy – fine dining technique combined with simplicity and casualness. The seasonal, ever changing food menu is offered as a range of set menus ranging from 2 to 6 courses depending on the time of day while the drinks menu is focused and contains a carefully selected variety of wines, beers and spirits, along with cocktails created by Joel Fraser. You can find The City Lane’s full review of Cure here.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Cure
38 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088461

Burnt Ends

Dave Pynt’s “modern Australian barbecue” restaurant Burnt Ends sits at number 30 on the San Pellegrino list of Asia’s 50 best restaurants and also made Zagat’s list of “Top 10 restaurants in the world” in 2014. Thankfully the food and overall dining experience justifies they hype. The food takes inspiration from not just Australian barbecue, but American, Spanish and British barbecue too. Smoking, slow roasting, hot roasting, baking, grilling and cooking directly on coals are all methods that are employed to get the best out of the fresh, high quality, seasonal product that’s used. Read what we thought when we visited Burnt Ends here.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Burnt Ends
38 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088461

Kaya Toast

Kaya is a coconut jam and is very popular in Singapore and Malaysia. Kaya toast consists of 2 pieces of crunchy toast filled with kaya, sugar, coconut milk and eggs, pandan and, if you’re up for it, a thick slice of butter. It’s sometimes dipped in a soft boiled egg too. The easiest way to get your kaya toast fix is at one of the many branches of the chains  Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Killiney Kopitiam but you can easily find it at any kopitam or place serving traditional Sinagporean breakfast fare.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Bao

Bao (Pau in Hokkien) are a steamed, filled bread like bun that have been part of traditional Chinese cuisine since, legend has it, the 3rd century AD but in recent years have gained popularity in Western countries too. Bao aren’t hard to find in Singapore and a range of flavours are available, sweet and savoury. Just a few of the types of fillings you can find include:

  • Cha sui bao / manapau: filled with barbeque char sui pork
  • Doushabao / tāu-se-pau: filled with sweet bean paste
  • Lotus seed bun: filled with lotus paste
  • Shāobāo: filled with chicken, pork, shrimp or salted egg
  • Bah-pau: filled with pork
  • Bah-pau: large bau filled with pork, eggs and other ingredients

One of the tastiest places to find bau in Singapore is Tanjong Rhu Pau & Confectionery. They have a few branches around town, but the Geylang one is the best. A bit more expensive than you can find elsewhere, but worth it.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide

Tanjong Rhu Pau & Confectionery
389 Guillemard Road
Singapore 399788

Dessert

Desserts in Sinagpore are quite unique compared to Western style desserts. While typical Western style desserts and sweets aren’t hard to come by in the city, it’s some of the local delicacies that you’ll want to try when you’re visiting.

Ice (Ais) Kacang

Literally translating as “ice beans” the ice kacang is one of the most ubiquitous desserts in Singapore. It consists of shaved ice, attap chee (palm seed), red beans, sweet corn, grass jelly and cubes of agar agar. It’s then topped with condensed milk, and one more more syrups. It’s super sweet, super wrong, and super delicious.

where to eat singapore food guide

A few of the other desserts you might come across while in Sinagpore are:

  • Cendol: a combination of coconut milk, pandan rice flour jelly noodles, shaved ice and palm sugar.
  • Grass jelly: a jelly made by boiling Chinese mint with water, starch, and a setting agent. It has a sweet, herbacious flavour to it and can be eaten alone or as part of other desserts. The black dessert below.
  • Fresh bean curd: A sweet, wobbly, custard/tofu like dessert with a silky smooth texture. The white dessert below.
  • Moon cake: flaky, slightly sweet biscuits filled with either red bean or lotus paste.
  • Layer cake: steamed rice flour batter, often flavored with pandan and coconut milk, layered as to form a “rainbow”. The texture is kind of like a more solid, gum like jelly.
  • Youtiao: Nothing fancy here – fried dough (sometimes called Chinese doughnut). The sticks in the photo below.
  • Sesame peanut ball: A bready dough filled with black sesame paste. The ball in the photo below.

where to eat singapore food guide

Ice Kacang along with most other Singaporean desserts can easily be found at hawker centres and street side shops.

where to eat singapore food guide

where to eat singapore food guide8

Durian

No article on food in Singapore would be complete without mention of the durian. Some call it the “King of Fruits” and love the stuff, smelling a sweet, perfume like fragrance while others liken its smell and taste to that of sweaty socks and rotting onions. It’s perhaps the most divisive fruit on the planet and it smell is such that it’s actually banned on public transport in Singapore. It’s one of those things you’ll either love or hate, and something that everyone should try once in their life. It’s commonly used in a range of desserts in Singapore as either a flavour or an addition.

where to eat singapore food guide

Bakkwa

Originating in China, Bakkwa is a sweet dried meat product akin to beef jerky. It’s traditionally made using pork and comes in a range of flavours. It’s super tasty and makes for a great snack. It’s not hard to find in Singapore, with local chain Bee Cheng Hiang being one of the most popular places to try it. It’s delicious and you need it. We always grab some from the Bee Cheng Hiang at Changi airport before flying out. The plan is to take some back home but it’s always gone by the time we get on the plane.

where to eat in Singapore food guide

Top 10 Best Hawker Centres In Sinagpore

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SINGAPORE | Singapore is famous for it hawker centres and street food and for good reason – it’s where you’ll find some of the best food in the world. Singapore might be a relatively new nation, but its food history is rich and varied, taking elements from its Chinese, Malay and Indian population. Back when Singapore was a poor country, many people would make a living selling food (hawking) from street side food carts. Many of today’s hawker stalls can in fact trace their heritage back to the original street food carts that used to be so common on the streets of Singapore.

In the 1960s, as Singapore started its rapid march towards modernisation, these carts were brought inside by the government, into centres specifically designed for the sale of food in a more regulated, structured and hygienic environment. Today health inspectors perform regular checks on hawkers and each hawker stall is required to clearly display its sanitation grade, which can range from A to D (A is best).

There are approximately 220 hawker centres dotted across Singapore today, so to make your life easier here are 10 of the best, including some of the must visit stalls and must try dishes. For a more detailed look at the kinds of food that you can find in Singapore’s hawker centres, and other places to eat in the city, check out The City Lane’s Singapore Food Guide and Geylang Food Guide

Is your favourite hawker centre on the list? What’s your favourite hawker dish in Singapore? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

Maxwell Food Centre

Maxwell Food Centre is one of the best known hawker centres in Singapore, due to its central location in Chinatown and the famous Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice and its competitor next door, Ah-Tia. Featuring over 100 stalls, its popularity hasn’t affected its quality and Maxwell Food Centre is still just as popular with locals as it is with tourists, although there’s arguably better chicken rice to be found elsewhere in town.

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

Maxwell Food Centre

1 Kadayanallur Street
Singapore

Chinatown Complex

A personal favourite of ours, Chinatown Complex is located a stones throw away from the more touristy parts of Chinatown and is always full of locals chowing down something delicious. It’s the largest hawker centre in Singapore with over 260 stalls meaning you won’t have any trouble finding something good to eat here. Because there are so many vendors, prices here are very reasonable too. There are also 2 fantastic craft beer stalls (The Good Beer Company and Smith Street Taps) at Chinatown Complex, giving the centre an interesting point of difference to the others. Must try vendors are Lion City Chicken Rice and Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodles.

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

Chinatown Complex

355 Smith Street
Singapore

Changi Village Food Centre

It’s not the most central hawker centre but Changi Village’s location to Changi Airport makes it a good option for those who only have a layover of a few hours and want to squeeze in some great street food. This place is heaving in the mornings, with the excellent carrot cake and nasi lemak offerings keeping locals coming back for more. Wash down your breakfast with a delicious cup of the local Kopi.

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

Changi Village Food Centre

2 Changi Village Road
Singapore

Tekka Centre

Located in Little India, Tekka Centre is notable for its large selection of Indian street food stalls. There are Chinese and Malay vendors here doing great stuff too, but a visit to Tekka isn’t complete without trying some Briayni and roti prata. Visit Allauddin’s for Briyani and Prata Saga Sambal Berlada for prata. The fresh fruit and vegetable stalls at Tekka are fantastic too.

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

Tekka Centre

665 Buffalo & Serangoon Roads
Singapore

Old Airport Road Food Centre

Open since 1973 and home to 168 stalls, Old Airport Road Food Centre is considered one Singapore’s best hawker centres. It’s open all day and is famous for its satay bee hoon, char kway teow, and rojak vendors. Especially worth checking out if you have a sweet tooth are Lao Ban Soya Beancurd and 51 Soya Beancurd.

Old Airport Road Food Centre

51 Old Airport Road
Singapore

Tiong Bahru Market Hawker Centre

Tiong Bahru is a laid back neighbourhood at the the Tiong Bahru Market Hawker Centre is set apart from others by its Art Deco architecture. It’s located above one of the city’s best wet markets and, since recent renovations it’s also one of the most pleasant and cleanest hawker centres in town. A must visit is Jian Bo Shui Kweh, which serves up its famous chwee keuh – rice cakes topped with saucy pickled vegetables.

Tiong Bahru Market Hawker Centre

83 Seng Poh Road
Singapore

Telok Ayer Market / Lau Pa Sat

Telok Ayer Market is more commonly known as Lau Pa Sat, which translates to “Old Market” due to the fact that the cast iron building that houses the hawker centre is 178 years old. Located in Sinagpore’s financial district, the hawker centre itself dates back to 1973 and is famous for its satay. Visit Boon Tat street next to the market in the evenings to sample some great (although not the city’s best) staty.

top 10 best hawker centre singapore street food

Telok Ayer Market / Lau Pa Sat

18 Raffles Quay
Singapore

East Coast Lagoon Food Centre

Located on the beach, this is perhaps the most laid back of Singapore’s hawker centres. 63 stalls with a view of the ocean selling a range of dishes with fresh seafood as the focus makes East Coast Lagoon well worth a visit. Try the Kiam Chye Ah (Salted Vegetable Duck Soup) from Leng Heng BBQ Seafood & Claypot Deluxe and the You Char Kway Rojak  from Kampong Rojak.

East Coast Lagoon Food Centre

1220 East Coast Parkway
Singapore

Chomp Chomp Food Centre

Chomp Chomp Food Centre isn’t the largest hawker centre in Singapore (it only has 36 stalls), neither is it the most convenient located for visitors however many locals count it amongst their favourite. It’s small, crowded and chaotic and should be on your list for 2 reasons. The sambal stingray from MacPherson Seafood BBQ and barbecued chicken wings from Good Luck Barbecue Chicken Wings. The various satay stalls here are very popular too, and everyone has their own opinion about which is best.

Chomp Chomp Food Centre

20 Kensington Park Road
Singapore

Newton Food Centre

Newton is one of the most famous hawker centres in Singapore from a tourist point of view, owing to its many write ups in tourism guides and its proximity to Orchard Road, however the only reason it’s been included in this list is as an avoid. Overzealous touts, stalls that overcharge and no real examples of the best of anything mean you’re better off going elsewhere. You won’t eat badly here as such but given everything else that’s available elsewhere, why would you bother?

Newton Food Centre

500 Clemenceau Avenue
Singapore

Brunch At The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch: Review

LONDON | The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch is often touted as London’s home of live blues and rock n’roll and we’ve enjoyed our fair share of fun nights on its dance floor. When a friend raved to us about its Sunday brunch offering, we had to check it out. We figured if they did food as well as they do live music, we were in for a treat.

blues kitchen shoreditch brunch review

The Blues Kitchen brunch offering ticks a lot of boxes: location, space, and selection. The venue is massive – we arrived about 11:00am and were able to get right in. It definitely started to pick up later in the day, but if you are looking for a place to remedy the previous night’s sins, this is the spot. The brunch menu is hugely varied, spilt up into four main sections consisting of brunch, mains, burgers, and salads. Whether you want to go healthy or the sinful route, there is an option for you.

We were craving more a traditional egg dish so we opted for two selections from the brunch segment. We enjoyed the American Breakfast (£9.50) which is complete with grilled pork sausage meat loaf, pancakes, eggs, dry-cured bacon, BBQ pit beans, fried green tomatoes and home fries with ranch dressing. Basically, your whole day’s nutritional requirements sorted. What can we say? It was excellent. We particularly enjoyed the sausage meat loaf.

blues kitchen shoreditch brunch review

On the other end of the spectrum, we went for the vegetarian friendly Healthy Breakfast (£9.50) consisting of poached eggs, heritage tomatoes, and grilled avocado on a sweet corn fritter with sautéed kale, pistachios, and goji berries. The dish was excellent, hitting high notes with unique flavor pairings and the super-food cherry on top.

blues kitchen shoreditch brunch review

The coffee was a bit lackluster but that won’t keep us from coming back. The service was as friendly as the venue is fun.

blues kitchen shoreditch brunch review

The Blues Kitchen has three locations across London: Camden, Shoreditch, and Brixton. We look forward to returning to brunch to check out more of the Blues Kitchen’s offerings, and trying some of their Texas BBQ that’s served at dinner.

blues kitchen shoreditch brunch review

The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch

134-146 Curtain Road
London EC2A 3AR
United Kingdom

Telephone: 020 7729 7216
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://theblueskitchen.com/shoreditch/
Open

Mon – Wed: 12:00pm to 12:00pm
Thu: 12:00pm to 1:00am
Fri: 12:00pm to 2:30am
Sat: 11:00pm to 3:00am
Sun: 11:00am to 10:30am

The Blues Kitchen Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

MRJ TOM, Collingwood

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MELBOURNE | MJR TOM Collingwood has been around for almost a year now and, while we’ve walked past several times and thought “hey that place looks cool”, we’d never actually visited until recently, when we were invited to an event to sample a range of their dishes from the new dinner menu. The space is very eclectically designed and uses corrugated iron, exposed brick and, unusually, lots of plywood. It’s been described by owners Harry Tsiaples and Nick Tiktikakis as “back to front” and “inside out”. We’d always assumed that the cafe/restaurant area was it but there’s actually a full bar out the back and a funky little space with a pool table downstairs – very unexpected. If Bowie were still with us an somehow found himself on Smith Street he might very well approve.

The drinks list is impressive, with a surprisingly decent range of craft beers on tap and bottles (including some fabulous Nail beers from WA). The wine list includes a thoughtful list of local and international drops, with an eye to food matching, while those in the mood for spirits and cocktails are also well catered to.

Food is taken care of by head chef Sam Kearney, who uses his experience cooking in Spain as well as Chapel Street’s Japanese fusion restaurant Mr Miyagi to create dishes that bounce between Spain and Asia, ranging from the traditional to the modern. One of the highlights is the seafood paella de mariscos which comes in either 7 inch or 12 inch pan sizes, and features prawns, mussels and calamari. We were also big fans of the “Mack on Crack” – marinated blue mackerel with tomato on a squid ink rice cracker and the mojo prawns – beautifully grilled fresh prawns. When it came time to explore the sweet side of the menu, we loved the buenelos – goats cheese ice-cream with almond praline and ponzu caramel.

Along with the new dinner menu, you can also get breakfast and lunch, or simply take advantage of the bar and enjoy a drink. Whatever time of day you visit, there’s something that should suit your needs at MJR TOM, be it traditional or a bit more out there.

MJR TOM

108 Smith Street
Collingwood
Victoria 3066
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9419 8048
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mjrtomcollingwood.com.au/

Open
Mon – Sun: 8:00am to 1:00am

MJR TOM Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Calling All Restaurants & Diners

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OPINION | It seems like every day we at the City Lane hear another story from a restaurant that can’t afford to get coverage from food media. It’s a restrictive and divisive situation, and we think there is a better way.

For new and original restaurants to thrive, we need more than just fee-for-service exposure. We all need to pay the bills, and we know that with the public’s expectation of free content those bills need to be paid somehow, but current approaches (that all of us in the food media have contributed to, including ourselves) have created a state where only the richest restaurants can get exposure. We think this is a disservice to all restaurants and diners and to everything that makes our food culture great.

With all this in mind, we here at The City Lane would like to start changing this situation for the better. Because while we still want to tell you about the big restaurants, the ones with the financial resources to get your attention, we also want to tell you about the other restaurants, the ones that don’t have those same resources. In short, we want to even the playing field.

And this is where we need your help.

If you are a restaurant that can’t afford the high cost of exposure, get in touch and if we think our readers will want to know about you, we’ll come and visit and it won’t cost you a cent. And similarly, if you, as a reader, know of somewhere great that you think doesn’t get the attention it deserves, get in touch. This is crowd-sourced PR at its finest.

What’s in it for us? We get to dine at interesting restaurants and then write articles and reviews about them. We get to talk with chefs and staff and people we wouldn’t normally meet and find out their often-amazing stories. And we get to draw attention to people doing great things. In turn, this makes us more informed, more interesting, and a more valuable resource.

What’s in it for you? You get a proven, reliable barometer of where to dine. You get to discover the places that are great because of what they make, irrespective of whether they can afford exposure in food media. And you get to support businesses to help foster culinary creativity and quality. In turn, this could make you more informed, expose you to new and different dining experiences, and generally help more voices be heard.

So if you want to make this scene a better place for all restaurants and diners, you can help by letting us know where we should try. Because we sure there is a better way, but we need your help to get there.

Get in touch with us here or on social media and let’s change food media for the better.

Nasir ol Molk Mosque of Shiraz

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SHIRAZ | The Nasir ol Molk Mosque, or Pink Mosque as it’s colloquially referred to is one of the most beautiful buildings you’ve probably never heard of. Structurally the mosque, built between 1876 – 1888, is typical of the mosques built in Iran during the Qajar era. What makes it unique and beautiful is the extensive use of stained glass in its facade, including a large number of pink tiles. For those who visit at the right time in the morning, as the sun rises over Shiraz, a visual treat awaits as the sunlight bursts through the windows and illuminates the walls and floors of the mosque with an array of beautiful, vibrant colours.

Nasir ol Molk Pink Mosque

Nasir ol Molk Pink Mosque

One thing to be aware of however is that this place is popular with tourists. There might not be that many tourists in Iran yet, but for those who do visit, a trip to Nasir ol Molk Mosque at the best time for light is a must. Chances are you won’t be the only visitor to the mosque when you visit. Getting a bit of peace inside the mosque and getting enough clear space to get that photo you’re looking for takes time and patience. You’ll notice that the photos that I have taken are all relatively close cropped. The reason for this is that when we visited there were a group of tourists that were quite inconsiderate of anyone else. They were standing all over the place, taking vast amounts of time posing in every corner imaginable. It was only when our tour guide pretended to be “official” and basically told them that they had to leave the main area that they (well the majority at least) moved out of the way. Even then, there were only a few brief moments before they scrambled back. A taste of what’s to come for Iran as the world fully appreciates what an amazing wealth of attractions it holds for visitors. I’m sure that one day, there will be lines to get into Nasir ol Molk and any opportunity for peace and solitude when the light is right will be lost.

Nasir ol Molk Pink Mosque

Nasir ol Molk Pink Mosque

The outside of the mosque isn’t as unique as its interior, but it’s a beautiful example of its style nonetheless, with intricate tiled mosaics along its walls and ceilings.

Nasir ol Molk Pink Mosque

Nasir ol Molk Pink Mosque

Nasir ol Molk Pink Mosque

Nasir ol Molk mosque is a must visit when in Shiraz, and with the ever increasing popularity of Iran as a tourist destination, a perfect example of why you should visit Iran now, before everyone else does.

George’s Bar, Fitzroy

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MELBOURNE | George’s Bar Fitzroy is not quite a bar about nothing. Rather it’s a bar that’s inspired by Seinfeld’s George Costanza. Why you might ask? Well owners Dave and Tina Barrett really like Seinfeld and had the idea – that’s all there is to it. As soon as you walk into George’s Bar the Constaza influences are there to see. The space itself has a low-lit American diner vibe with an assortment of George paraphernalia. There are 2 Frogger machines, George Costanza artwork, a Constanza American football jersey and a range of framed quotes. There are plans to get in more George related items in the future, along with artwork by local George-inspired Seinfeld fans.

There’s a vending machine that dispenses only Twix bars and a small selection of toasted sandwiches with names inspired by George. Aventurous individuals should go for “The Dealership”, which is a combination of Twix, maple, pretzels and Bosco. When we visited a special order Dealership was being prepared that added Snickers to the mix. We didn’t eat on this occasion but did sit in one of comfortable booths to enjoy a drink. The drinks menu isn’t the most adventurous around but there’s enough that everyone should be satisfied – Coopers and Lion-owned beers, a mixture of entry level to mid level spirits along with a few wines and cocktails.

The Barrett’s are aware of what can happen to themed bars that rely too heavily on a novel idea and are working on building a bar that can stand on its own two feet. Strip away the George theme at the moment and George’s Bar is a simple place in which to kick back and relax. Will this enough once the novelty wears off? Only time will tell.

George’s Bar

120 Johnston Street
Fitzroy
Victoria 3065
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9416 4385
Email: n/a
Website: http://www.georgesbar.com.au/

Open
Mon – Sun: 7:00pm to late

George's Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato