Club Meatballs

To come up with a concept with a unique selling point isn’t easy, but Club Meatballs seems to have found their niche. You can probably guess what they specialise in from the restaurant’s name, and I couldn’t wait to see whether they lived up to their name. The lunch menu features mainly subs and salads, whereas dinner is cheekily titled “Pimp Your Balls”. Put your meal together by selecting your balls, then choose what you would like to have under and on top of those balls, all for $14.

Our first selection was the 100% Australian Grass Fed Beef meatballs with fresh thyme x Italian Pappardelle x Red Wine & Onion Sauce. If you can’t decide on the combination to order, you can always ask the staff for recommendations. In general, they advised that it doesn’t matter which balls you choose, but the sauce should match what you have under the balls. This classic combination of red wine and pappardelle was a fabulous pairing, with the sauce being delightfully flavourful. It was surprisingly viscous, which gave the dish a richness that was rather unexpected. No complaints about that though. The beef balls were decently tasty, and I liked how it went together with the rest of the dish.

Our second selection were the Iberico Pork balls x Italian Pappardelle x Creamy Truffle Mushroom. Our waitress actually recommended that we chose the oven roasted vegetables to go with the mushroom sauce, but we decided against it as we were worried that we wouldn’t be full enough. Let’s just say that you should probably go with what the staff recommend. It’s not that the pairing was bad. In fact, it was tasty. But gosh, the thick noodles paired with creamy sauce was a little too much for me to stomach. The Iberico Pork balls were rather porky, as Sam pointed out, though I found the flavour quite unique and worth a try.

Both bowls we ordered were intensely flavoured and rich in texture, which made for a very filling meal, even though I had previously gotten reviews that the portions were a tad small. It could be that I was not very hungry that day, but after the meal at Club Meatballs, I was absolutely stuffed. The balls were rather disappointing though. While they were relatively tasty, they seemed to be overshadowed by the pronounced flavours in the other elements of the dish, and were a little dry. There’s a lot to live up to when trying to carve out a niche. Though Club Meatballs have an interesting concept, they should probably work harder to make their star item truly worth its namesake.

Club Meatballs
China Square Central #01-35
Tel.: +65 6222 8660
Mon-Thu 11am-12mn
Fri 1100am-1am
Sat 10am-12mn

Nickeldime Drafthouse

Had an awesome night out with Hopers a couple of weeks ago! (: Always love how most of us live around the (geographical) centre of Singapore which makes it so convenient to meet! Except for poor liying and dom who have to travel to meet us sometimes. Oopsie. Was really stoked to finally try Nickeldime after being captivated by its bright signboard every time I take the bus past that area. And it was awesome!! We were spoilt for choice there, wanting to order pretty much everything on the rather extensive menu. It was great that everyone was pretty much starving when we reached, and so we ordered quite a number of items to share :D yummmms! Time to dig in.

We kinda split the table down in half, and for our side, we started with the Garlic Fries ($6) which sounds simple, but was really the bomb with its kickass garlic flavour. I loved how there were chunks of minced garlic in the midst of the rather generous bowl of fries which made it incredibly addictive. 

After seeing a mouth-watering photograph of the 510 Burger ($16) on Nickeldime’s website, five of us decided to order it, and it didn’t disappoint! True to the representation, a five huge burgers arrived at our table, spilling at the edges. It was a hearty feast comprising a delicious beef patty with beer candied bacon, a sunny side up egg, a medley of melty cheese (IPA cheese, gouda and mozzarella) and oozing beer BBQ sauce and a touch of mustard. Equally loved by both the guys & girls at our table ;)

Sam ordered the Stout Braised Beef Ragout ($16), and although he was a tad let down by its appearance (no idea what he was expecting…hahaha), he concluded the meal as a happy boy. The slow-cooked meat sauce was fabulous, with an abundance of tender beef that had evidently been braised with love. While I felt that the components of the dish – pasta, sauce and meat – did not seem to blend well together (they were each very distinct), the flavours of each complemented one another and made for a tasty dish nonetheless. 

We were so greedy that we ordered another main to share for our side of the table :O The Curried IPA Mussels ($19) were a great choice though! Definitely one of the hugest mussels I’ve ever seen in Singapore!!! I was astounded because I don’t think I’ve managed to find mussels of this size other than in Europe, and not even in Belgium, where they’re so famous. While I found the sauce a tad lacking in terms of flavour (I didn’t even realise it was supposed to be curry), the freshness of the mussels made up for it. 

The other side of the table ordered two massive platters of the starters to share, and it looked SO awesome! Honestly, I have no idea which platter is which, but they were The 510 ($38) and Beer Greek ($42). Some of the items included were: Hot Crab Beer Cheese Dip, Stout Meatballs with Beer BBQ Sauce Glaze and Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts. I was terrible…. :P I kept reaching over to steal their food because I simply couldn’t stop. The meatballs were delightfully flavourful, providing a burst of flavour when popped into the mouth. It was a rather small portion, and definitely left me wanting more. The cheese dip was a really interesting combination of IPA beer, crab meat, worcestershire sauce, cream cheese and sour cream. We couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it tasted like, really. But it went well with the corn chips on the side. And when it comes to nuts, you know that I’m a sucker for it. I kept munching on them, loving the tinge of spiciness which the cayenne and paprika added to it. I just wish the nuts were crispier though!   

It was an enjoyable night of good company and food. You would have probably figured out by now that the restaurant specialises in beer, so definitely go for that when you visit! They have an extensive list on the board right at the counter, and your server will be glad to recommend something that suits your palate. To top off our experience, the service was excellent – kudos to our really friendly Belgian waiter!

Nickeldime Drafthouse
273 Thomson Road
Tel.: +65 6256 0261
Mon-Sun 11am-late

Filippo came to visit from Germany! Pretty cool having a friend from overseas coming to Singapore to visit. Though I think I need to improve my hosting skills :P It was a fun few days though!!

Wildfire Kitchen + Bar

Probably one of the hottest new food haunts on Instagram, I saw numerous photos of Wildfire’s mouthwatering burgers which compelled me to try out the place even though it was located in a corner of the world…..at Evans Road. Honestly, not the kind of place I would travel to, but for a meal with the BurppleTastemakers, I couldn’t say no ;) And it certainly was an experience! Possibly one of the eatups which I didn’t feel like I was going to burst at the end, but I was satiated, nevertheless.

For once I was early for an eatup, and I was absolutely starving when I got there! When our servers placed the Umami Fries ($6) in front of me, I couldn’t resist digging into them immediately. A deviation from the ubiquitous truffle fries found in most cafes/restaurants nowadays, the umami fries had an interesting flavour that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. I can’t really decide whether I liked it or not, but it was strangely addictive. Or, I couldn’t have just been hungry.

I most certainly enjoyed the Sriracha Glazed Chicken Pops ($13) though. Crispy chicken chunks slathered in a delicious hot sauce that was really flavourful.

I found the Mozarella Stuffed Meatballs ($13) rather yummy too. What a brilliant idea to have melty cheese in the core of handmade meatballs. It was a wonderful surprise to bite into the meatballs and discover what was inside. More cheese please!

On to the mains – while Wildfire is known for its burgers, I have to give a special mention to the Hanger Steak ($36). This was SO GOOD. I would choose it over the burgers, actually. Kobe cuisine, Queensland Australia Wagyu (400 day grain fed). The quality was evident in the beautiful marbling and perfect texture of the beef. Look at that gorgeous red centre! It was red, without being bloody, and it was incredibly tender with an amazing taste that was strong, without being overpowering.

We also had the Wagyu Inside Skirt ($36) that was tasty as well, when eaten on its own, but unfortunately paled in comparison next to the Hanger.

I’m not much of a fan of pork chop as I feel that it can be rather tough when not done well. The Pork Tomahawk ($28) was better than some pork chops I’ve tried, but didn’t impress much. I was distracted by the side of maple and milk glazed carrots and sweet potato though! It was a really interesting accompaniment that was a surprisingly good complement to the flavour of the pork and was my favourite part of the dish.

Then, it was BURGER TIME.

From a single burger featured, we ended up with an army of burgers on the table!! Big thanks to Wildfire for their generosity – we practically tried every single burger on the menu! To be honest, I felt that the different flavours started to taste the same after awhile. But those that stood out for me in particular were The Works ($23) and Chilli Con Carne ($19). If you’re the kind who can’t ever decide what to eat, definitely go for The Works, which is everything you could ask for in a burger – beef patty with baby spinach, bacon weave, rosti, parmesan crisp, fried egg, sliced tomatoes, caramelized onions, guacamole and Wildfire’s signature master sauce. I liked the Chilli for its slightly unique flavours – give me jalapeños anytime! I was a tad disappointed by the classic 001 ($16). Despite its fantastic Instagram-worthy appearance, it was nothing special. The downside of Wildfire’s burgers was the lack of flavour of their patty. Perhaps it was to allow the rest of the ingredients to shine, but I felt it could have done better for the patty since that should really be the star of every burger. The buns were fluffy and sufficiently thick, which was a plus point!

Wildfire Kitchen and Bar

26 Evans Road

Tel.: +65 6734 2080

Daily 11am-10.30pm

Seasons Bistro

I’ve been really privileged to attend a couple of tastings with Burpple recently! I can never resist heaps of food, and what’s better than enjoying this in the presence of other food fanatics? ;) Always feel like I’m bursting at the seams at the end of each tasting (note: stretchy clothes necessary), and we really have the generous chefs to thank for this! Seasons Bistro was by far one of the most hearty meals we had. They nearly served us the ENTIRE menu :O Not that I’m complaining though ^^ thoroughly enjoyed the sumptuous feast we had! Because we tried so many dishes, I’ll probably just feature those that I really liked.

Beginning with the starters, I really enjoyed all the salads we were served! We tried three in total, and this was the Superfood Salad ($18). Superfoods are all the rage now, and this was packed with goodness – quinoa, broccoli, avocado, baby spinach, blueberries, pomegranate and other ingredients! It was tossed in an appetising citrus vinaigrette and I really liked how they were generous with the sauce :) 

The dishes kept coming, and soon our entire table was filled with food! And these were just the starters!!!! Clockwise from the front: Pan Seared Foie Gras, Cajun Blackened Fish Taco, Season’s Poutine, Popcorn Chicken and Chicken Caesar salad. 

The Pan Seared Foie Gras ($19) is among one of the best affordable ones I’ve eaten, and it was a hot favourite amongst everyone! Thick slabs of melt-in-your-mouth liver, perched on top of a brioche pain de mie, and that chocolate ganache/bacon jam was to-die-for!!!!

I didn’t have much of the Fish Taco ($16) so I can’t really comment on it, though I felt the fish could have been done better though. Preferred the one from Jewel Cafe! 

I’d never heard of such a thing as Poutine ($13.50) till I tried the one at Seasons Bistro and I can’t believe how much I’ve been missing out!! It’s essentially fries, topped with a delicious homemade sauce (which was reminiscent of my favourite bolognese) and gooey cheese. Ermygawd. It was soooo good!!! And when we were done with the foie gras, we dipped the fries into the remaining chocolate ganache/bacon jam. WE WERE IN SINFUL HEAVEN AND WE DIDNT CARE. 

The Popcorn Chicken ($14) we had here included an interesting twist, with the addition of real popcorn! I liked the spicy seasoning, but was disappointed by the soft texture of the popcorn. 

The Chicken Caesar Salad ($16) was also one of the nicest I’ve eaten! I’m typically not a fan of it, because I usually find it awfully unhealthy and that it completely defeats the purpose of eating salad. This was a rather refreshing take on the classic though – with avocados and a runny egg that was so yummy! The chicken was superbly tasty as well. I liked how the sauce was light, which made it feel a tad healthier. 

This was SO.DELICIOUS.

Move over all those lousy renditions of korean fried chicken in Singapore (Bon Chon Chicken in Singapore is just plain terrible btw…), because the Americans can do their chicken way better! The Seasons Fried Chicken ($25) was sooooooooo gooooooooood. Haha I’m drooling just thinking about it already. I’ll be blogging about The Beast soon, and we had a pretty yummy fried chicken there too, but Seasons’ version beat the other hands down in my opinion! This fried chicken was perfectly browned and crispy on the outside, piping hot and incredibly juicy within. I have no idea what spices were used for the chicken, but it was really flavourful!

The Deconstructed Salmon Spanakopita ($30) was quite a delicious dish. The drizzle of lemon perked up the fresh salmon, and the combination of different textures made this dish an interesting one.

The Beef Wellington ($39) was potentially one of my favourite dishes, but I was slightly put off by its gamey flavour. Perhaps that was due to the addition of goat’s cheese which I hadn’t realised at that point. The homemade jus was really tasty though! 

We were served all four of the items on the restaurant’s pasta menu, which was a satiating amount of carbs, even for sharing! Surprisingly, I quite liked the Ben’s Mushroom & Bacon Carbonara ($21), though I’m not usually a fan of it. There was a generous portion of mushroom and bacon in it, and just the right balance of parmigiano reggiano. My favourite pasta was the Southend Pasta ($22, not pictured) which was tagliatelle in homemade tomato sauce, with chorizo sausages, fennel, tomatoes, basil, chili and parmesan. This was a spicy pasta that was really tasty!

With all the good food that we’d had so far, we had high expectations for dessert. Unfortunately, that was where Seasons Bistro failed quite a number of times. We tried all eight dessert items on the menu, and out of that, six of them were either too hard or dry. Imagine Chocolate Mousse that is hard?! That simply doesn’t sound right. Perhaps the desserts had been refrigerated for too long. But they were really quite disappointing. 

Thankfully, two items saved the day! One was the unassuming Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake ($12). Though it looked deceptively simple, it won our favour thanks to its fluffier texture (finally one that wasn’t overly hard!) and I really liked the interesting flavour of pumpkin in a cake. Plus points were also given for the tasty cream on the side.

The Seasonal Pie ($12) was a pecan pie and I do hope they put it on the menu permanently!!! It was delicious, with lots of pecans and a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream on top that sealed the deal. Thanks SK for being my unintentional hand model ;)

The name ‘Seasons Bistro’ came about with the restaurant’s desire to provide seasonal offerings for its customers by changing the menu every few months. It’s only been 8 months since its debut, and the restaurant is on its 3rd menu for autumn. Hopefully the next menu will be in time for Winter/Christmas and I can’t wait to see what’s rolled out next! 

Seasons Bistro

TripleOne Somerset #01-11/12

Tel.: +65 6836 5841

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