2014 ~ Another year of food, glorious food! I don't understand myself sometimes, why this self-torture of continuing to make personal lists to conclude the year. Haha it's so difficult to narrow down with such abundance of delicious meals! But I guess it serves as a remembrance to the calories that went to the waist but not wasted, the sincerity and soul that the chefs poured into the dishes served, and the wonderful company of my dining companions.
So here it is, PinkyPiggu's Best 10 Dining Experiences of 2014! Listed not in preference but in alphabetical order, and includes both established restaurants and new eateries which opened this year. I have to list down my Top 5 Favorite Treats of 2014 too, little indulgences which I would return again and again for :)
(Also read: Best 10 Dining Experiences of 2013 & Best 5 Unforgettable Meals of 2012)
On the blogging front, I'm thankful to be in the finals for Singapore Blog Awards, Best Food Blog for the first time this year (after Best Cooking Blog nomination in 2013). PinkyPiggu's YouTube channel is also launched on the blog's 2nd anniversary in September to showcase some of the gastronomic adventures. What can be expected are many more collaborations with restaurants, chefs, and fellow bloggers.
To an even greater year of deliciousness ahead. Happy 2015, everyone! Cheers!
Top 5 Favorites Treats of 2014
Cake ~ Fromage Melon @ Kki
Dessert ~ Matcha Lava Cake @ Babette
Dim Sum ~ Legendary Baked Salted Egg Yolk Bun @ Mouth Restaurant
Ice Cream ~ Mango Sticky Rice Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream @ Ice Queen
Pastry ~ Choux Crème @ Pantler
Chotto Matte
Chotto Matte is the place for great sushi and Japanese-inspired food! The generously-cut slices of shiro maguro, shima aji and hirame paired with petite dollops of sushi rice were so naturally sweet and meltingly tender, I astounded myself at how much I relished them. Till now, the Wagyu Foagura Fried Rice remained exceedingly unforgettable: Delicious grains of garlicky eggy rice with bursts of beefy goodness and duck liver's fatty creaminess. We experienced bliss in a bowl. Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/10/chotto-matte-singapore-blair-road.html
GastroSmiths Bistro & Bakery
One of the best new openings this year! GastroSmiths aspires to bring us globally-inspired comfort food, their Atlantic Cod Fried Misua and Hokubee Ribeye Don were certainly comforting in a familiar yet lurking with surprises kind of way. We couldn't resist those Sea Salt Fries too, perfectly hot and crispy delight with truffle oil and parmesan cheese. Awesome! Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/09/gastrosmiths-bistro-bakery-tan-quee-lan.html
Moosehead Kitchen & Bar
Pulsating with edgy vibes and delicious food! Moosehead is one of the BEST places I've been to this year where I LOVE EVERY DISH that was served to us. The cuisine is most suitably described as having a global edge, free-style with a core Mediterranean flavor and influences from around the world. Must-tries include Bacon-wrapped Chargrilled Dates, Crispy Spiced Pig's Ears, Grilled Octopus and many more! Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/08/moosehead-kitchen-bar-telok-ayer-street.html
Salt Grill & Sky Bar by Luke Mangan
Dining with a view is always pleasing, even more especially so when we're talking about the spectacular city scenery offered by Salt Grill & Sky Bar, which is perched up high on level 55 in the bustling ION Orchard mall. Opened by renowned Celebrity Chef Luke Mangan, our lunch experience at his restaurant was nothing short of what one would expect from a swanky fine-dining establishment - Quality food, impeccable service and excellent atmosphere. Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/06/salt-grill-sky-bar-by-luke-mangan-ion.html
Saveur Art
How Great Thou Art! After Saveur and Concetto, hawker-guys turned restauranteurs Joshua Khoo and Dylan Ong are now wooing us with their latest dining concept, Saveur Art! My heart was effortlessly won over by their repertoire of French-inspired cuisine. How can I not be, when the food was visually beautiful and taste delicious, with prices that are easy on the wallet? One of the dishes was so mind-blowing good, my dining companion teared. Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/11/saveur-art-ion-orchard-how-great-thou.html
Sawadee Thai Cuisine
Thai restaurants are aplenty in Singapore, but Sawadee Thai impressed me with some unique dishes which are seldom found locally such as Betel Leaf Wrap and Otah unusually served in traditional clay plate. Perennial favorites like Duck Curry, Olive Rice and Mango Sticky Rice were superbly executed and left us salivating for more. Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/06/sawadee-thai-cuisine.html
Suju Japanese Restaurant
Highly recommended for fantastic lunch sets! Suju uses their in-house miso, vinegar and soy sauce which gives a umami taste to their food that can't be found at other places. Most of the ingredients used are also sourced locally from Nagano, and I dare say their fine quality is easily distinguishable even to the most undiscerning tastebuds. Even the white rice is a noteworthy mention. Specially cooked in handmade copper pots, it was practically glistening like mini pearls in the bowl. Eat already have 幸福的感觉!!! 最高の幸せ!!! (feelings of bliss and happiness). Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/05/suju-japanese-restaurant-mandarin.html
The Clan Restaurant
Elegant ambience, delectable food, excellent service! The Clan's cuisine is described as "Modern European with Asian Touches", featuring a combination of chef's starter, cold dish, side dish, soup, main and dessert to be enjoyed as a set meal. The concept is such that several options are available for each course, so we get to chose what we fancy. Very worth our moolahs and calories I would say, considering both the quantity and quality of food that was served up. Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/12/the-clan-restaurant-bukit-pasoh-elegant.html
The Naked Finn
The Naked Finn serves such an awesomerrific lobster roll, it was the most memorable I've ever eaten to date. Served warm in Connecticut-style, featuring 900g chunks of exceeding fresh and succulent Maine lobster meat sandwiched between soft, pillowy buttered-toasted bun. Go go go for their slurpilicious Hae Mee Tng (prawn noodles soup) too, which is completely in a league of its own. Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/12/the-naked-finn-gillman-barracks-go-go.html
Two Wings
One of the BEST CHICKEN WINGS I've ever tasted in Singapore! The first thing you'd noticed is the wings' beautiful golden brown exterior and nary any trace of oil can be seen on the wooden serving board. Next comes the exciting part! A bite into the wings rewarded my mouth with hot crackling crispy skin, before filling it with fleshy, succulent meat. It was certainly well-marinated, but not over powering the natural taste of chicken. The best part was, the wings did not taste greasy at all. I just ate and ate with minimum feelings of calories guilt hehee. Super amazing, I must say! Already lost count of the number of times I visited the stall for repeated indulgences. Read about it at http://www.pinkypiggu.com/2014/06/two-wings-bukit-merah-one-of-best.html
Happy Nom Year to you! Hope you have a great year ahead. deng deng deng deng!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year...another great food-ful year in 2015.
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