Going Merrily

If you look anywhere for the "Top 10 Steaks in Singapore", Bedrock Bar and Grill always makes it to the list - together with big names like Mortons and CUT by Wolfgang Puck.


Bedrock is conveniently located beside Somerset MRT, level 1 of 313.


Good steak comes with a price. Like all atas restaurants, they start with off with complimentary bread. Bedrock serves Naan bread with caramelised garlic and butter. There's alot of hype to this Naan bread - many bloggers swoon about its softness and texture, but to me it tasted like regular doughy stuffs. I do like that fact that it's freshly baked for each customer as they enter the restaurant.


Being budget diners, $99++ steaks are definitely out of our price range. Luckly, we had the entertainer app which gave us 1 for 1 offers to the mains menu. There's two types of steaks - USDA prime steaks and Australian grass fed steaks. In case you are not sure which to choose, definitely go for the Dry Aged Ribeye.


USDA Prime Dry-aged Ribeye - $96++ is beef that has been hung or placed on a rack to dry for several weeks, which makes it the the most value of money option as it requires such a long preparation time. For those coming in big groups, definitely try out the Tomahawk Steak.


We ordered two medium rare dry aged steak, which is served in a hot plate. Sauces, such as red wine sauce and bedrock chili oil are available at $3 each. We didn't get those as real steaks are meant to be eaten with just salt and pepper.You can seee that the meat is cooked very evenly.


Honestly, the steak was a bit of a let down as it tasted pretty normal. Some parts were actually hard to chew, definitely not worth $96. Even as 1 for 1, I probably won't return for a second time.

Nevertheless, if you are serious beef lover, maybe you can try it once.

Bedrock Bar and Grill: 96 Somerset Road, #01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites, Singapore 238163 Tel: 6238 0054
Website: http://bedrock.com.sg/
Operating hours
Lunch: Mondays to Sundays, 12pm to 3pm (last order at 2:30pm)
Dinner: Mondays to Sundays, 6pm to 11pm (last order at 10:30pm)
Bar: 12pm to 12am (last drinks order at 11.30pm)

Marriott Cafe is conveniently located right beside Orchard MRT, on the ground floor of Tang Plaza Hotel. Mum and I got to enjoy the Marriott Cafe 1 for 1 promotion through CIMB credit card - we went for a weekday dinner buffet price for $70++ for 2.


Restaurant interior was grand and comfortable. Of course the dinner buffet comes with freshly shucked oysters with hot sauce and lime, and sashimi. The supply was continuous. I never had to wait for it to come in batches like some other buffet places.


Other than salmon, the Sashimi and Japanese Sushi served include Yellow Fin Tuna, Salmon Sashimi Futo Maki, California Roll, Nigiri Wasabi, Pickled Ginger.


Seafood Selections include Boston Lobster (Friday & Saturday dinner, Sunday lunch), Freshly Shucked Oysters, Snow Crab Legs (dinner), Poached Prawn Crayfish Gong-Gong (lunch).


For starters / appettizers - under Charcuterie and Cheese, you get a selection of freshly sliced Smoked, Cured and Air Dried Meats Mustards, Pickles, Chutney Selection of Imported European Farmhouse Cheeses Dried Fruit, Nut Confit, Truffle Honey, Crackers, Grissini, Lavosh.

There is also a Salad and Olive Bar with Freshly Chopped Condiments with Assorted Mixed Lettuces Dressings, Flavored Oils and Vinegars, Fine Imported Olives Grains, Seed and Nuts. Accomplished unlocked for me includes - eating 6 different type of olives in one meal. Conclusion - still don't like them.

Besides sashimi, salmon lovers can also hit the Salmon Station for Norwegian Smoked Salmon Gravlax Salmon Sour Cream, Lemon, Dill Mustard Dressing, Capers, Cocktail Onion, Horseradish. Personally, raw salmon trumps smoked salmon, so this station didn't leave much impression for me.

On to mains - Beech Oven Roasted Australian Prime Ribs, Roast Leg of Lamb, Pork Saddle Stuffed With Prunes and Pancetta Baked, Whole Fish of the Day and Vegetable Gratin. The crispy pork saddle is my absolute favourite - its like a mix between Chinese roasted pork mixed with German pork knuckles.


The whole baked fish was one of the highlights as well. Potato gratin was nice and cheesy, but an evil buffet dish to fill your stomach up with carbs.


The roast beef, on the other hand, is so-so compared to the rest of the meat galore.


To compliment the western roast selection, there is the Chinese Barbecue Meats: Wan Hao Special Crispy Chicken and Chicken Rice, Crispy pork belly, Roasted duck, Char Siu Pork

Other cooked mains includes - Hot Western: Braised Chicken in Lemon & Thyme Sauce, Fish of the Day, Sautéed Lamb, Pork Cheek with Dry Fruits, Braised Beef, Short Ribs, Veal Tongue, Fricassee Vegetarian Option.


Asian Cuisine: Spicy Beef with Capsicum Kailan with Oyster Sauce, Singapore Chilli Crab, Sliced Pork with Snow Peas, Steamed Fish with Black Beans and Braised Ee Foo Noodles. Although the menu didn't write it, we also had drunken prawn noodle soup and it is a must try - prawn and Chinese herbal soup with a light trace of alcohol.

You can also make you own noodles at the Live Noodles Station: Hong Kong Egg Noodles, Chicken Broth, Vegetable Broth, Szechuan Broth Fresh Daily Market Condiments; you get to choose your own ingredients for the noodles!

The mint chocolate pudding mousse was just as awesome and refreshing.


And we end off with a tempting display of Ice Cream Gelato - vanilla, strawberry, choco, mango, cookies and cream and toppings, you name it. Perfect ending to the meal. Make sure you catch the next 1-for-1 offer, I know I will!

Marriott Cafe
Website: http://www.singaporemarriott.com/restaurant/marriott-cafe/
Telephone: 6831 4605

Address: 
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
320 Orchard Road
Singapore 238865

Prices:
$42++ to $80++

Opening Hours: 
Breakfast
6.00AM to 11.00AM

Lunch
12.00PM to 2.30PM

High Tea
3.00PM to 5.30PM

Dinner
6.30PM to 10.00PM

Tsukada Nojo 塚田農場 is most famous for their Nabe Bijin (Beauty Pot / 美人锅) at $25 per pax. It's called the beauty pot because of the collagen based hot pot soup that is both healthy and delicious.


Th collagen-rich soup, called the Golden JIDORI Soup, is made from made from organic chicken broth that was boiled for more than 8 hours and then cooled to because a super rich collagen pudding.


As the pot heats up, the golden pudding melts into thick chicken broth. For first timers, a waiter/waitress will be at your table to explain to you the steps to eating. When the pudding melts fully, the first thing to do is to take a sip of the pure golden goodness in a cup. And have some tender chicken meat that was hidden inside the pudding and have miraculously appeared in the soup.


In the meantime, the hotpot ingredients are served. This is a 3 people serving portion. I love how the vegetable are presented in such a appetizing and colourful display.  Each person is given 1 lady finger, 1 slide of water melon radish, 1 yellow cucumber, 1 baby corn, 1 deep fried tofu, a handful of sunflower sprout, lettuce, enokitake mushroom, fresh black fungus, baby sweet potato leaves, 2 whole shrimp and tori tsokune (minced chicken meat).


For first timers, the waiter/waitress will help you set the ingredients into the pot nicely and explain each ingredient to you as she does so. She will also help you make little chicken meat balls from the tori tsokune.



This is how the chicken ball looks like when it's cooked. It's really nice as there's fatty chicken meat mixed in the juice up the ball.


The waiteress/waiter will make sure that everything is nicely arranged into the pot - everything is always so well presented.


There are also 4 types of spices - Chili Shoyu / Negi ginger Oil / Yuzu Peper / Red Chile Oil. Honestly the soup was so good, everything tasted nice on it's own. I think the sauces are just extra to make you excited about all the choices.


We were also give a seaweed sauce in a heart shape. This is my favourite sauce as it tasted like very concentrated seaweed - it goes well with anything.


Last but not least, we have the ramen - 3 types to choose from - Thin Egg Noodle, Thick Mochi-mochi Noodle and Rice Noodle. We choice the thick mochi-mochi noodles which is the most ramen-like noodle if you asked me. The noodle is pre-cooked so you just have to heat it up in the soup.


Nikumaki Onigiri Cheese -$3.80 is actually quite good. I was apprehensive about eating a rice ball but the rice turned out to be very tasty from the bacon and soy sauce.


We got a complimentary side choose from Japanese Green Peas and Sweet Potato Fries with Ketchup and Kaya Sauce. And we were promoted to Managers!


5 more visits till our next promotion! (This customer loyalty system so doesn't make sense but it's so cute. They really presented us with a name card with the "manager" written on it.)



Lastly, we ended with jelly desserts (chrysanthemum tea and green tea flavor) with a kawaii plate art.


Here are some of their other promotions. I came at Christmas time, so all the staff were wearing reindeer hats. The dining area is quite small, hence the long queue for the food.


Tsukada Nojo Bijin Nabe 美人锅
Link: Tsukada Nojo Singapore's Facebook Page
Address: #03-81, Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road (Dhoby Ghaut MRT)
Phone: +65 6336 5003
Opening Hours: Daily, 11:30 – 15:00 and 17:00 – 22:00

Other Outlets
Address:133 New Bridge Road #02-37 Chinatown Point (Chinatown MRT)
Tel: +65 6444 8840
Opening Hours: Daily, 11:30 – 15:00 and 17:00 – 22:00

Address 3 Gateway Drive #03-04 Westgate (Jurong East MRT)
Tel: +65 6465 9356
Opening Hours Daily, 11:30 – 15:00 and 17:00 – 22:00