Market Bistro – Wall Street Style Bistro at MBFC [MEDIA INVITE]

Market Bistro is a Wall Street-style bistro, inspired by the bustling food scene in New York’s CBD has opened its doors in the heart of Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC). It is run by Eleven Seventeen, the same group that brought you the awesome steakhouses, Meadesmoore and Fat Belly.

Market Bistro

The décor is a blend of simplicity and sophistication, combining the theme of black and white with the timeless classic of wood. Market Bistro (“MB”) will serve NEW All-day dine-in menu, pasta set lunch and even cater to lunch takeaway that will include salads and proteins. MB also offers coffee from the award-winning Blacklist Coffee Roaster in Perth.

The Coffee Bar

Part of Dining Area

We started our tasting with Sharing Items. Fried Baby Squid [$15]. They are crispy, tender and bouncy. The homemade aioli is creamy, with a touch of spice, like an XO sauce. When you squeeze the lemon, it adds a zesty spark to the dish.

Fried Baby Squid

Deep Fried Camembert (V) [$16] – Truffle Honey & Pickles. LD and I like the crumbly crust of the cubes of camembert and creamy cheese that followed. The truffle in the honey dip is too overpowering for our liking. Maybe they might consider a stronger honey like Leatherwood. The pickles jalapeno is perfect for balancing the creaminess in the cheese.

Deep Fried Camembert

For the mains, we ordered 200g Grass Fed Ribeye [$34] - Blistered Tomatoes, Mojo Verde & Fries; and Tiger Prawn Bisque [$28] – Fusilli Lunghi, Prawn Bisque, Grilled Tiger Prawns & Chervil.

200g Grass Fed Ribeye

The Ribeye is cooked perfectly to medium-rare. It is juicy, succulent and not overly fat. The fries are crisp externally and fluffy internally. The blistered tomatoes are bursting with sweetness combined with a lovely charred, while the mojo verde on top of the steak spice up the dish together with the brown sauce.

200g Grass Fed Ribeye

Tiger Prawn Bisque pasta is a “Flavour Bomb”. The ramen-looking fusilli lunghi pasta is crunchy and chewy like a Korean ramen, soaks up the essence of the robust prawn bisque. The prawns are pan-seared with butter, resulting in a crispy exterior and crunchy meat. The roe inside the super crispy prawn heads, are the key umami to this dish. Yummy!!

Tiger Prawn Bisque 

We complete the meal here with the delightful Baked Alaska [$12] – Swiss Meringue, Red Berries, Vanilla Ice Cream & Genoise Cake. The Baked Alaska has a nice charred and sweet. Internally, it is filled with red berries, vanilla ice cream and genoise cake. The refreshing and zesty passion sauce is perfect complement to the sweetness of the Swiss meringue and vanilla ice cream.

Baked Alaska

To accompany our meal, LD had a nice Cabernet Sauvignon house wine and I had homemade Iced Lemon Tea without sugar.

Cabernet Sauvignon & Iced Lemon Tea

Overall, the food is delicious and packed with flavours. While the plating is simple, bistro style, the menu has been meticulously curated. Definitely, a place to visit in the MBFC area. Cheers!!

All Day Menu

Thank you very much Protegie Consultancy and Team Market Bistro for the invitation.

Pasta Set Lunch Menu

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50

Market Bistro

12 Marina Boulevard

#01-03 Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 3

Singapore 018982

T: +65 8399 1912

W: https://www.marketbistro.com.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553875808099

IG: @Marketbistro_sg

OH:

Mon – Fri: 08.00 – 21.00 (L.O. 20.30)

Closed on Weekends and PH

Menu available online

Allo – Delicious French Food

Allo is a French bistro located in shophouses along Desker Road, Little India. I was attracted to Allo when I saw a posting on Allo’s dish on social media and added it to my list of places to try.

Allo

When you reach the front door of Allo, you will be welcomed by a nice al-fresco dining area, complete with rattan chairs and white round tables, just like those found in France. The indoor dining area is separated by white steel doors with glass windows. In the evening, the ambient of the indoor dining area is dimly lit. It is furnished, with square tables, rattan chairs and long banquette seats, for seats against the wall. Though not an open kitchen, through the pass, you can see the chefs at work in the kitchen.

Allo's Al-fresco dining area

We started the meal with Pan Seared Foie Gras [$26] - Pan-Seared Foie Gras, Figs Compote, Rice Crackers. A generous serving of foie gras, cooked to perfection. It has a lovely crisp externally, smooth and creamy internally. The figs compote is sweet and bodes well with foie gras and crispy rice crackers.

Pan Seared Foie Gras 

Warm Oven Truffled Camembert with Figs Compote [$28] - Camembert Cheese, Truffle Paste, Figs compote. The camembert is sliced evenly like a muffin and generously slathered with truffle paste. It is then baked, to the point where the cheese is warm and gooey. Eaten together with crispy sourdough and figs compote, it is just delicious.

Warm Oven Truffled Camembert with Figs Compote 

Moving to mains Wagyu Sirloin Steak with Pomme Puree & Seasonal Vegetable [$38] - Sirloin, pomme puree, brandy sauce. The steak is cooked to medium-rare, as ordered. It is nicely seasoned, juicy and succulent. The pomme puree (French mashed potatoes) is creamy, velvety and ridiculously delicious complemented by the crunchy seasonal vegetables. Yummy!!

Wagyu Sirloin Steak with Pomme Puree & Seasonal Vegetable

Beef Tenderloin with Potato Dauphinoise & Seasonal Vegetable [$38] - Brandy Sauce. The thick beef tenderloin is meaty and succulent. Unlike the sirloin which has more fats, the tenderloin offers a nice meaty texture. The Potato Dauphinoise (Potato au Gratin) has a crisp exterior, followed by a creamy interior, which complements the beef tenderloin nicely. The seasonal vegetables are crunchy, while the brandy sauce binds all the ingredients nicely.

Beef Tenderloin with Potato Dauphinoise & Seasonal Vegetable 

The service is friendly but minimal. On that night, we only have 1 service staff covering 4 tables.

Overall, Allo served delicious French cuisine in a French café atmosphere. The food is fairly priced and we will surely return for more. Santé!! Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6.5/10

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50; $51 - $80

Allo French Restaurant

72 Desker Road

Singapore 209595

T: +65 8897 9230

W: https://allo.com.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/allo.com.sg

IG: @Allo.com.sg

OH:

Tue – Thu, Sun: 11.00 – 15.00, 18.00 – 22.30

Fri – Sat: 11.00 – 15.00; 18.00 – Midnight

Closed on Mondays

Overly Cheezy – Cheese Overload Pizza [MEDIA DROP]

Cheezy Cannonballs Pizza

Overly Cheezy (“OC”) is a unique pizzeria located in the heartlands of Hougang. OC signature is the use of 5 different kind of cheese on every pizza, consist of Gruyere, Mozzarella, Emmental, Cheddar Orange and Parmesan. OC recipes are the results of collaboration with top chefs from Japan, Italy, France and Singapore. 

The original media drop is a set meal for 2, consist of 1 Large Pizza, 1 Regular Pizza, 1 Cheezy Salted Egg Fries, 1 Chocolate Lava Cake and 1 bottle of soft drinks. I ordered Smoky Beef Salami Large, Cheezy Cannonballs Regular and Sprite for the drink. 

My first impression, I like their packaging. The yellow cheese colour on the pizza boxes is very eye-catching and set the mood for a pizza feast. It is crystal clear that cheese will be the signature ingredient of the pizza. 

The Pizza Box

Part of Set Meal for 2

When you opened the box of the smoky beef pizza, you will go WOW!! The cheese covers almost all the surface of then crust pizza, while the generous smoky beef toppings were swimming under it. The cheese is just delicious, combining the cheese pungent aroma, with savoury and umami flavours in each bite. The only drawback is the smoky beef is on the salty side; however, the kids just love it. 

Smoky Beef Salami Large

Smoky Beef Salami  - Slice

The cheezy cannonballs pizza is created with cheese lovers in mind. It is a combination of vine-ripened tomato sauce, cream cheese balls and parsley flakes. I like the concept; however, I feel the cream cheese balls are not suitable for the pizza. Since OC already uses 5 types of cheeses, they should do OC version of Margherita Pizza, loaded with lots and lots mozzarella to showcase the natural flavours of their cheeses and to have that cheese pull effect. 

Cheezy Cannonballs Regular

Cheezy salted egg fries is just a crowd-pleaser. It is packed in a box that looks like a slice of cheese. The holes on the box similar to the holes on artisanal cheese, allow the fries to retain its texture over a long period. The texture of the fries remains crisp externally and moist internally. The salted egg powder coated the fries evenly, not forgetting the solid cheezy dip. 

Cheezy Salted Egg Fries

Chocolate lava cake is solid. If you put it on a place, you will find the middle part still oozing with melted chocolate. Good to have it on its own or with a scoop of ice cream. 

Chocolate Lava Cake

As we are a big family, I also ordered 2 large pizzas $33. My pick was Trufflicious Hawaiian and Trufflicious Wild Mushrooms. For these two special pizzas, there is an additional charge of $4.50 each. These two pizzas are just awesome. It uses signature creamy white truffle sauce to bind all the ingredients. The mushrooms toppings and ham plus pineapple are generous and you can’t get enough for it. 

Trufflicious Wild Mushrooms - Large

Trufflicious Wild Mushrooms

So far, we only tried their classic crust, which is their hand-stretched thin crust. If you are looking for something different, OC also has special crust such as Milky Avocado Crust, Creamy Tomato Crust and Pâte Feuilletée Crust at an additional fee. 

Trufflicious Hawaiian - Large 

CBK Verdict: Super delicious pizza that everyone will enjoy (except for those who don’t eat cheese). The cream sauce and tomato base are very good, combine with generous toppings, they are the magic ingredients for delicious pizza. Better than most of franchise pizza brand and some artisanal pizzeria. We’ll sure order from Overly Cheezy again. Cheers!! 

Full Disclosure: There was a mix up in our order during the delivery. Out of goodwill, OC absorbs the charge for the 2 additional large pizzas which was not part of the Media Drop. 

Thank you very much, Dawn and Overly Cheezy Team for the Media Drop. 

Food & Drinks: 7.75/10 

Value: 7.5/10 

Service: N/A (Media Drop) 

Ambiance: N/A (Media Drop) 

Budget per Person: $10 - $25; $26 - $50 

Overly Cheezy 

Blk 311 Hougang Ave 5 

#01-189 Singapore 530311 

T: +65 6245 4922 

W: https://overlycheezy.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/overlycheezysg/

IG: @Overlycheezysg 

OH: Daily 11.00 – 23.00 

[CLOSED] The Mast – Housemade Buffalo Milk Cheeses

Pomodoro E Proscuitto Crudo

The Mast’ is a homegrown Italian Restaurant in Singapore that offer fresh house-made buffalo milk cheese. In fact, The Mast’ is the only establishment in Singapore and Southeast Asia region that make fresh house-made buffalo milk cheese. The Mozzarella, Burrata and Stracciatella are made on-site daily using a small compact mozzarella machine and they are showcased throughout their menu. 

The MAST’ of Mozzarella & Co

The Cheese Making Room

Pomodoro E Proscuitto Crudo ($30). A perfectly handmade creamy burrata served with sweet Italian tomato and 24 months Parma Ham. Nothing beats the combination of creamy, savoury, sweet and the depth of saltiness in a Parma ham. In my book, this oozing creamy burrata tops oozing egg yolk anytime. We have ordered this every time we dine here and never get bored with this. 

Pomodoro E Proscuitto Crudo

Pomodoro E Proscuitto Crudo

Crostini E Funghi ($20). The bread base is crisp and slightly chewy, topped with creamy Stracciatella and intense fungi flavour combo from the mushroom and truffle. Simply delicious and irresistible.  

Crostini E Funghi 

Crostini E Funghi 

Rigatoni Carbonara ($25). We like the use of mini cubed pancetta, as it delivers the delicious pork flavour without the excessive saltiness that comes from the bacon. The Italian answer to our favourite pork lard. The al-dente tube pasta gives the pasta extra chewiness and are easily coated with the eggs and shaved parmesan, which gives the pasta an extra oomph.  

Rigatoni Carbonara

Rigatoni Carbonara

300GR Grain-Fed Ribeye ($42). Perfectly cooked medium-rare ribeye steak. Don’t expect those melts in your mouth texture, instead it delivers tasty and tender #beefgasm experience. Elevating the flavour of the steak is the robust veal jus with balsamic vinegar to balance the fats nicely. The crunchy asparagus, earthy roasted potatoes and sweet roman tomato completed the dish nicely.

300GR Grain-Fed Ribeye

300GR Grain-Fed Ribeye

During our 2^nd visit with other foodies, we can’t get enough of the cheeses, so we ordered Pizza Funghi ($27 for Large). The toppings consist of Buffalo Mozzarella, Fresh Mushrooms, Pancetta, Tomato Sauce. Though the pizza is good and loaded with buffalo mozzarella, it was outshined by the intense combination of mushroom and truffle in the crostini we had earlier. I recommend that you order a different pizza if you already order the crostini.

Pizza Funghi

Pizza Funghi

Tiramisu ($12). This plated dessert feels more like a deconstructed tiramisu. It is soft, moist, slightly cream served with berries on top. While the coffee powder on top is generous, it is lacking the coffee liquor or the coffee that soaks into the mascarpone. 

Tiramisu

Sanpellegrino - Aranciata

Both times we went to The Mast’ on Saturday afternoon and only a few tables are occupied. It feels like we book most of the restaurant for ourselves. Service was friendly and attentive. We also noted that a number of customers bought the cheeses only for home consumptions or party.  

Part of Dining Area

Part of Dining Area

Overall, the house-made buffalo milk cheese at The Mast’ is one of the best in Singapore that we had tasted. The food here is delicious and our go-to place to satisfy our burrata and buffalo mozzarella cravings. Cheers!! 

The Food Menu

Food: 8.5/10
Value: 7.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambience: 7.25/10
Budget per Person: $26 - $50
 

The MAST’ of Mozzarella & Co
182 Cecil Street
#01-05 Frasers Tower
Singapore 069547
 
T: +65 6513 8010
W: https://themast.com.sg/
F: https://www.facebook.com/themastsg/
IG: @Themastsg
OH:
Mon – Sat. 12.00 – 21.00
Closed on Sunday