The Lokal

You may be mistaken by the German word "Lokal" thinking that it serves more on German Cuisine but in fact the Lokal is an Australia Style Cafe than offers more than just German flavours. Taking the business name, it kind of already suggest that its more on the Local, more like internationally influenced style. They are located at a corner of the intersection of Bukit Pasoh and Neil Road where you can find Goethe Institue nearby. It's quite easy to get here as they are within minutes walk from Outram MRT Station.

The Lokal 

It's causal and welcoming atmosphere had kind of remind me of a cafe in Edinburgh Bus Interchange. Interior was rustic with a hipster interior that keep up with the cafe trends in Singapore.

Interior

We requested the coffee based dessert to be served first. This looks really cool with a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with shot of espresso.

Affogato - $6.50

While waiting for the food, I had a glass of chai latte. Chai fragrance was average and all was down in my stomach even before the food was served.

Chai - $6.50

Starters was good with 3 ways Cauliflower served on a traditional Chinese metal plate. Cauliflower comes in 3 different forms and beautifully presented. With puree as its base, stacked by leafy greens and cabbages with tumeric infused cauliflowers, fried cauliflowers, as well as Ricotta & almond makes it special. Recommended.

Cauliflower 3 ways - $13

Another starter we had was great and perhaps suitable for those who want a lighter meal instead. Roasted beet roots was juicy and mix with quinoa, green beans, blue cheese & honey walnuts. I'm not really a fan of blue cheese, fortunately, the taste of the blue cheese was not that strong as I would have thought.

Roasted Beetroot Salad - $13

Torn between the Braised beef cheek and Cape Grim Sirloin Tagliata, I end up with the latter as per recommended by the server for its popularity. Served on a wooden board with scrumptious beef cubes cover by watercress with Asiago cheese and cheery tomatoes pairing.

Cape Grim Sirloin Tagliata - $28

The beef were cut into cubes form cooked to the default perfection by the cafe. Simply love its charred exterior and the juicy tender mild bloody meat.

Beef Cubes, WoW!

Ending the session of the night with sticky date pudding as dessert on a good note. The warm pudding was velvety coupled with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream and yummy caramel sauce. The best part of the dessert was that with the sticky date and sauce, the entire dessert was not too cloying and one won't feel the excess richness and sweetness in them.

Sticky Date Pudding - $10

As a whole, service was friendly with a good atmosphere around. Even though they have limited items on the menu, fred not as they have daily specials, so do check out what's on their black board.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

The Lokal
Location: 136 Neil Road Singapore 088865

NOX - Dine in the dark [Closed]

Have you all dine in the dark before? We all heard a fair bit about the concept of dining in the total darkness, haven't we? I think NOX need no further introduction.

NOX along beach road

NOX is located along the shop houses of beach road occupying 2 level of shop space.

NOX - Dine in the dark

The service staff welcomed us into the lounge and gave us a drink menu to choose upon. The moment I sat down, the plushy sofa seat reminds me of Gold Class Cinema lounge, quite similar in a sense. Servers explained there is no food menu to choose from, rather there is a secret menu at $88++ per pax that consists of 12 dishes spreaded into 3 courses, appetizers, mains and desserts. Restaurant menu will be change every 6 - 8 weeks and should you have any dietary preference, e.g. vegetarian, please highlight to them.

Lounge Area

Mocktail

A citrus combination of orange with a bittersweet finishing taste from a pomelo. Its more sour than sweet per say with grapefruit, lemon juice, simple syrup and Grenadine that give a tart and sweet flavour to the naturally sour fruit.

Grapefruit Spritz - $14

The zesty and minty flavours make this quencher such refreshing. Out of 3 drinks tasted, I rate this the best. Ingredients were close to other drinks with passionfruit, simple syrup, lemon juice, lime juice, fresh mint leave and ginger ale.

Virgin Passionfruit Julep - $14

Being described as not the ordinary strawberry milkshake, it really make me wonder how does it taste like. Drink was milky pink served with little ice cubes and a strawberry. It was more of sweet and less of the sour taste with fresh milk, vanilla syrup, simple syrup, lemon juice and Amaretto Almond Syrup.

Strawberry Shaker - $14

Starters

We were served with the starters with a vegetarian on the left and 2 mini cones on the right for the non vegetarians. The fried vegetarian had a pleasant scent of truffle oil smell and looks good with its creaming sauce at its base.

Starters

Starters for the non vegetarian was miniature. Raw salmon was served in the tip of the ice cream cone biscuit added with caviar. The presentation which depicts some plants on the soil had totally taken me away.

Before Proceeding into the darkness

We was told not to bring any of our belongings to the dining area and had them kept in the given lockers, not even our handphones or watches with illumination / glow in the dark function. Instagrammers, sorry! For those who needs to go toilet, its best to have the "passage" clear before entering into the darkness.

Entering the Darkness

We were quite excited while the door to the dining area swung open and we were greeted by the service staff. Have you wonder how to walk up a flight of steep stairs in total darkness? Well, we conquered the first stage by having 1 hand tapping to each other shoulder in a line and walk up the stair and into the dining.

Dining in the darkness

It all started with uneasiness, getting ourselves up at the dining area. When we reached our table, we were led to the back of the chair and have to figure ourselves to take a seat under the clear instructions of course. We were briefed to locate our cutleries (spoon and fork) and the position to place our drinking glass on the table. With every course served, we was told to lean backwards to our chair as these visually impact servers placed the dishes onto our table accurately. 

Each course consist of 4 dishes served in a wooden tray and placed in a "t" shape. The rule to dine is to start with the dish nearest to ourselves at the "6" needle base on a analog clock and go clockwise.

It was a challenge as well as fun locating the dish and place our spoon correctly into our mouth without dropping off the food, afterall this was my 1st time ever dining under such environment. 

I vividly remembered that our appetizers consist of rocket salad, foie gras, fried calamari, chick peas, lentils etc. While the mains were duck confit, wagyu beef cubes, cod fish. Meat was tender and tasty. Desserts was lava chocolate, popcorn ice cream, lemon sorbet and strudel. 

Finishing the meal

We stood up and walk a few meters on the carpeted ground using the same "tapping shoulder method" in a line before heading back to the stairs. Luckily the stairs were dimly lit and we could see and walk down under the shades of light. As we proceed back to the lounge, our eyes were tired and as though we had just woke up.

We were told to fill up a questionaire to recall and guess what we had eaten. After which, the person in charge will come with an ipad, showing the pictures and naming out the 12 dishes we had. We were surprised by our guesses as it really gave our taste buds a good test.

Conclusion

All in all, it was a good 1.5 hours session of experiencing the life of a visually impact human, coping with darkness in their moves. We took our 5 senses daily for granted and being in such environment really gave us a good reminder of how lucky we are to be able to see, hear, touch, taste and feel. Not only that, such dining concept keeps us away from the usual social media / electronics distraction we had during our meals with our friends / partners / families.

The only disadvantage here I could ever think of is perhaps not to bring someone here for a first date where you cannot see each other. Ha!

We spent about $120 including drinks per pax and reservation is recommended.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

NOX
Location: 269 Beach Road Singapore 199546
Website

Cocotte

Cocotte is a communal restaurant and bar that serves delicious, genuine country cuisine in a hip environment. They are located in Singapore's Little India just inside Wanderlust hotel.

Cocotte

Environment was indeed different and unique on its on with industrial like bar counter and some old school items around.

Interior

Old School Barber Chair

As appetizers, 2 types of olives was given, in dark brown and olives color. Taste were not too greasy and was not too bitter either.

Olives

Basket of bread was warm and the butter spread given to us was remarkably delicious. Butter was flavourful and was made in France, pairing along well with the warm bread.

Bread

A special style of serving braised pork trotters in wraps with hazelnuts, thyme, brown butter, capers and sauteed kale. Braised Pork Trotters were deboned and served in shredded form like pull pork and mustard was given to pair along with the dish. Though the dish may be special with nuts and vegetables, i still prefer a stronger taste from braised pork and juicier touch.

Pork Trotters Parcel - $18

Pork Trotters Parcel with Mustard 

The whole grilled seabass was something not within my expectation as it was bigger than what I had thought. Meat was fresh and tender, served with vierge and salad of crispy quinoa that literally overwhelmed the entire perimeter of the fish. Capers, mint, radish, shallots, lemon and parsley was part of the mix too.

Whole Grilled Seabass - $48

They use grass fed beef which is antibiotic and hormones free from Cape Grim, Australia served with green pepper corns sauce, duck fat fries and salad. Ordering Medium Done-ness from the beef, I find that the beef was actually well cook to our request and I would give a thumb up to this dish. Simply love the pairing of tender beef and sauce even though I'm not much fan of medium done-ness. Fries on the other side maybe on a soft but have unique taste.

Steak Frites 200G Chargrilled Onglet Steak - $36

Apart from the proteins and carbohydate we had from the main dish, here comes the fibre that save us from the "heavy" meal. Interestingly mixed with different types of vegetables with a touch of vinaigrette, ah, its really something wonderful to have for the meal.

Greens

Dinner was pleasant with a comfortable ambiance. The environment is both suitable for gathering or even couple dating. Recommended.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Cocotte
Location: 2 Dickson Road Singapore 209494
Website

Formosa Delights

The row of eateries along Clementi Road is the common meet up place among the NUS students who are studying nearby and also used to be one of my hang outs for Cheese Prata. Just today when we were there for our lunch we realize that Formosa Delights do have a shop space just beside the popular chain Wanton Mee, Fei Fei.

Formosa Delights

I know of Formosa Delights through their outlet in West Coast Plaza for their handmade noodle but unfortunately they had shut down their premises about a year ago and we were quite disappointed to lose a lunch alternative during then.

The interior over here looked rather upscale with bars available. Interior was air-conditioned as compared to the neighboring eateries and with a disco kind of ambiance.

There was another menu which serves promotional dishes especially for Rush Hour Special apart from the usual menu.

Menu

Even though we ordered sides, the main courses came first and this portion of Handmade Noodle in Taiwanese Stir Fried Sauce was big even though we had it at discounted rate (usual price $7.90). The bowl was filled with handful of noodle covered by minced meat with mixed vegetables and little toufu cubes as well as shredded cucumbers by the side.

Handmade Noodle in Taiwanese Stir Fried Sauce - $6.90

Similar to the former dish, Traditional Braised Meat Noodle cost $7.90 at its usual pricing. Ingredients serving of braised meat was unexpectedly huge and on a oily side. However the taste was good with a thoroughly braised hard boiled egg and preserved vegetables.

Traditional Braised Meat Noodle - $6.90

Since I first known Formosa for its handmade noodle, I'm tempted to have this finest handmade noodle on their menu with a choice of thick or thin noodle. The entire portion was quite big for a pax with 3 prawns, 2 delicious meat balls, mocked abalone pieces, vegetables and mushrooms. The broth of the noodle was definitely a good one, going well with the chinese parsley which elevates the dish. A thoughtful gesture seen was that these parsley was served separately from the dish and diner may choose to add or skip them.

Formosa Finest Handmade Noodle - $12.40

Though it was not the best  Taiwanese Fried Rice I ever had, the quality was there. Rice grains were relatively short and plum. Eggs and vegetables were the only main ingredients here. Even without the use of meat the dish was fragrant and scrumptious, most importantly, not greasy. Recommended.

Vegetarian Fried Rice - $7.90

The layers of the crepe was not very even and you can feel as if you are still biting on the dough. Also, there was not much taste of green onion even though hints of green onion can be seen on its top layer.

Taiwan Green Onion Crepe 

 Handmade Dumpling was paired with ginger strips and vinegar. Elongated and with a thin layer of dumpling skin, the fillings were made up of fine minced meat but was not to my liking.

Pan Fried Handmade Dumpling - $6.40

Don't judge the book by its cover. These little white baos may look unappetizing and boring without its usual pleats and guidelines, the taste of them were simply above an average fare. Trust me.

Xiao Long Bao - $5.90

The overall menu seems to differ from the Formosa Delights we used to have and had kind of enlightened us. Food that we ordered were generous in portion, however on the greasy side.

Rating: 3 / 5

Formosa Delights
Location: 20 Clementi Road, Singapore 129749

INDOCAFE - the white house

The stretch of buildings along Scotts road had always spurred my interest and I could not help turning my heads back over and over again each time as we drove pass there. In fact, I have always thought that it was some private housing since the facade looked like its kind of from the Bristish Colonial times.

Into the compound

Another thing that made me think that it was more of residence was that there was usually one or two cars in the compound and I always thought that if it was something commercial, there should be more vehicles in there.

INDOCAFE

Till we went into the compound and understand that parking lots were really limited and valet service is available.

Colonial Housing

INDOCAFE is situated on a raised ground and you have to climb up a few steps through the stair of red carpet. Be welcome by the Peranakan flooring at its alfresco dining and rich culture before you entered into the restaurant.

Exterior Environment

I was enlightened by the cafes lamp hanging down from the ceiling and its pot of flowers as we entered into the restaurant. There then the waiter ushered us to our table.

Into INDOCAFE

Place was modernly furnished yet still retaining some peranakan culture with its wooden furnitures as well as decorations.

Interior

At any time if you feel that you need to spice up more on the food, just dig the small spoon into the peranakan style pot for more chilli,

Sambal Belachan Chilli

The dishes were all served at a go and not according to any sequence as stated in the menu. However, the waiter that served us did mention every dish's name as he placed our sharing portion on the table.

"Bok Nee" when translated from Teochew means black fungus. The salad was served cold and rather spicy to me. Salad consisted of Wild "Wood Ear" black fungus with Sambal dressing. Red onions as well as chilli padi can be seen among the cold salad, it really gave our tongue a very good heaty kick for a start.

Bok Nee Salad

Talking about Peranakan food, Kueh Pie Tee is always my top favourite as snack among the cuisine. Ingredients are served separately from tThe Crispy pastry cups. Get your hands dirty by making your own Kueh Pie Tee now.

Kueh Pie Tee & its ingredients

Ingredients like shredded turnips, prawns, mushroom and even fresh crab meats was given. In fact, I would say that they are more than sufficient for the 4 cups. How generous! Before serving the kueh Pie Tee, do remember adding the garlic chilli on your cup, it does really make a big difference!

My Kueh Pie Tee

Don't miss out another staple by the Peranakan's. This homemade 5 spiced pork meat was rolled and wrapped in soy bean curd skin then deep fried. Sweet sauce and sesame seeds were added when served. Color was dark brown which was close to a burnt color, however be rest assured that the meat was moist and overall the bite was crispy bite at exterior and was soft in its fillings.

Ngoh Hiang

The fattier it is, the more authentic it becomes. Forget about the lean pork you have outside for Babi Pongteh, try this and enjoy the absolute softness from the braised pork belly in fragrant soya bean paste and aromatic spices. The dish was served with potatoes but just too bad that they tasted quite plain, nevertheless they still made a good pairing in making the gravy thicker, looking more scrumptious.

Babi Pongteh

Quality beef cheek slow-cooked to perfect softness, easy on the jaws. All was good but the miss was that the Rendang was not strong enough even though the Wagyu was prepared in INDOCAFE's special blend of spices.

Wagyu Beef Rendang

Kari Ikan was rated the best dish among the rest. The cod fish fillet was fried and even though it is served in authentic Nyonya gravy, the meat still holds on together and would not tear apart easily. Therefore, retaining the texture as it was supposed to be.

Kari Ikan

Stir fried Eggplant dish may be rather simple but its spicy Sambal chilli was something that lift up the entire dish!

Sambal Terong

Chap Chye has a stronger fermented bean curd taste than the usual ones I had elsewhere. The excellent find here is the prawns and pig skin with the standard braised mixed vegetables. As usual the gravy goes well with the refillable plain white rice.

Chap Chye

Looking at my plate of desserts, I was kind of disappointed as they looked boring to me. In fact, I make a glance over the next table and they had the rainbow lapis which I wold prefer more. Since this portion is individual , it would be good they can served differently for the assorted kuehs for each person. 

Assorted Nyonya Kueh Kueh

The Peranakan fare we had was above average but it did not have the impressive factor that will imprint a good memory. As far as the restaurant week menu is concern, it will be good to see more selection of Nyonya dishes available like Ayam Buah Keluak, Bakwan Kepiting etc.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

INDOCAFE 
Location: 335/35A Scotts Road Singapore 228227