Ten+ - Singapore’s First Safari Theme Bistro [MEDIA INVITE]

Glamping is one of the activities that has been gaining traction in the past few years. It has elevated the humble camping experience, spicing it up with glamourous and luxurious features to the natural elements. Now you can partly experience glamping at Ten+, Singapore’s first safari theme bistro that simulates the ambience of dining during glamping.

Ten+ Entrance

Located in Sungei Tengah, Ten+ is surrounded by Singapore’s natural greenery, farms and nurseries. It is probably as close as to the middle of nowhere, which is a suitable setting for a glamping café. One part of the indoor seating area is furnished with knee-height foldable camping tables and foldable canvas camping chairs. This camping furniture is used in the three al-fresco seating tents. For those who prefer regular-height dining tables, this option is also available at the front and back of the indoor dining area.

Camping Furniture & Glamping Tent

Indoor Dining Area

Indoor Dining Area

We started the meal with Torched Aburi Prawn Pasta ($23). The plating made it look like the western version of prawn noodles. The al-dente fettuccine is sitting on the robust and umami prawn bisque. The prawns are fresh, and perfectly cooked with a lovely smoky flavour from the torching. In each bite of the pasta, you can taste the popping texture of the tobiko and seaweed. We polish this dish completely, except for the prawn shells.

Torched Aburi Prawn Pasta

Torched Aburi Prawn Pasta

Flame Grilled Angus Burger ($23). It is one of the best burgers I have tasted in a while. The patty is cooked to medium-rare, juicy and packs with nice beef flavour, while the brioche bun is nicely seared, light and with a touch of sweetness. The lettuce is perfectly placed at the bottom, preventing the juice from the tomato, gherkin and patty soak into the bottom of the bun. Topped that with bacon and cheese, it was a delicious burger.

Flame Grilled Angus Burger

The burger is served with addictive curly potato fries and garden salad with vinaigrette dressing making it a complete dish. Yummy!!

Flame Grilled Angus Burger

The Burger

LD & I also tried their bar bites. Moo Ping (4 sticks, $14) served with bonito flakes. We like the presentation and the moo ping has a caramelised exterior. However, we find the interior is too dry, like it was overcooked. The saltiness level is on the high side, suitable with beer but not for regular dining.

Moo Ping

Battered Fish Bites ($14). A lovely bar snack, perfectly fried. The mini flesh fish is coated with crispy batter, followed by moist fish meat. The tartar sauce compliments the fish bites nicely.

Battered Fish Bites

Crispy Kawa Ebi ($15). One of our favourite snacks in a Japanese restaurants. Crisp, plump and loaded with intense prawn flavour. A few drizzles of lemon juice with enhance the flavour and balance the saltiness in this dish. The portion is very generous, and we were unable to finish the whole dish.

Crispy Kawa Ebi

If you love pork knuckle or came with a bigger group, I suggest you try their Crispy Pork Knuckle ($32). Most of the customers will order this and it looks super yummy. Unfortunately, it was only LD & I, we certainly won’t be able to finish this.

Crispy Pork Knuckle
*(We borrowed our neighbouring table order to take photo. Thank you “Neighbour”!).

For drinks, LD ordered Cocktail Lychee Pea ($15), which was refreshing and very generous with the alcohol. I ordered Smoked Oak Mocha ($7). Nice mocha, with a hit of smokiness at the end.

Cocktail Lychee Pea

Smoke Oak Mocha

CBK Verdict: It can be a bit challenging going to the café for a non-driver. However, once arrived, you will be rewarded with a great safari dining experience. While the menu is on a smaller scale, the team made sure that each item on the menu is delicious. We will return if we are around the area. Cheers!!

Ten+ Bar Area

Thank you very much Protegie and Ten+ Team for the invitation.

Food & Drink: 7.75/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $11 - $25

Ten+

65 Sungei Tengah Road

Singapore 699000

T: +65 8656 8685 (No reservations currently)

W: https://www.tenplus.sg/

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

IG: @Tenplus.sg

OH:

Wed – Mon: 11.00 – 15.00; 17.00 – 23.00

(LO kitchen 21.00, drinks 22.15)

Closed on Tuesday

The Three Peacocks – Meat & Live Station Buffet [MEDIA INVITE]

The Three Peacocks (‘TTP’) are known to be a place to go for a great outdoor BBQ experience. They offer an extensive range of meat and seafood for BBQ and they are packed every day.

The Three Peacocks

Recently, TTP has launched Meat & Live Station Buffet, priced at $45++ for Monday to Friday. We last visited TTP a few years back, before Covid landed. When we visited them again this time around, we can see that TTP has expanded their offerings to include a few live stations and cooked food as well. They are becoming a full fledge buffet restaurant plus outdoor charcoal BBQ as well.

Meat & Live Stations Buffet

Back to the Meat BBQ, we started with the beef first. We have Bone In Short Rib Korean Cut, Angus Beef Boneless Short Rib, Wagyu Oyster Blade and Angus Beef Shortplate. We find the quality of the meat is good, almost Korean BBQ standard. The bone-in short rib is juicy with a good chewiness in it, but I like the boneless short ribs better as I do not have to get my hands dirty.

Part of The Beef Selections

Part of The Beef Selections

For the pork, we tried the Thick Cut Pork Belly, Black Pork Belly, Black Pork Collar, Pork Jowl and Pork Loin. We like both versions of the pork belly, as we grill them to the point of crispiness. The pork jowl has a nice fat-to-meat ratio; however, we find it too gamy for our liking.

Part of The Pork Selections

Part of The Pork Selections

Since the meat is not marinated, it is best to dip the cooked meat in different sauces provided to create the taste that you like.

Chilli Padi & Garlic, Chinchalok and Peacock Special Sauce

Salt, Korean BBQ and Yuzu & Ponzu

The skewers were highly recommended, so we grilled the Beef Skewers, Chicken Skewers, Marinated Mid Wing, Chicken Gizzard and Mutton Skewers. They are also known as Chuan Chuan in China. The beef, chicken and mutton skewers are good and you can add cumin powder seasoning to the skewers as well. I really like the gizzard as it was crisp and crunchy as well.

The Chuan Chuan

In between the meals I went to check out the live stations. The first live station that you will see when walking into TTP is the deep-fried and teppanyaki station. Here you can get a range of deep-fried food such as chicken karaage, fries, wedges, gyoza, calamari rings, nuggets and a lot more. The items will be rotated regularly.

Live Station Teppanyaki & Deep Fried

On that day, the teppanyaki station is busy with salmon, calamari rings and or-luak. On other occasions, they even do beef cubes, almost like the beef cubes popular in Taiwan street food. I get to try TTD version of or-luak which was very tasty, although it is lacking some crisp.

Or-luak

The next live station served pizza, pasta and burger. You won’t miss it as the big red pizza oven is so eye-catching, it should be a centrepiece. The pizza is baked on the spot, though I won’t say it is fantastic, it is decent. The slider (mini beef burger) is very good actually. Filled with juicy mini patty and pack with delicious sauce as well. On that day, they also serve carbonara, rojak and tacos.

Live Station Pizza, Pasta & Burger

Pizzas

Sliders / Mini Beef Burger

Since TTD is evolving to a full buffet lineup, they have beefed up the cooked ready food section as well. The cold food section includes a salad bar, cold cuts, sushi and soba. You can get the lettuce wrap from the salad bar and if you want something healthy, we find the apple salad is good to help balance the heavy meat BBQ.

The cooked food sections contain Soup, Garlic Bread, Fried Rice, Stir-fry Vegetables, Mac & Cheese, Baked Ratatouille, Potato Wedges, Corn with Cheese and Mala Xiang Guo. The Mala Xiang Guo seems to be popular with the guests, as the queue always peaked at the Mala Xiang Guo.

Fried Rice & Stir-Fry Vegetables

Mac & Cheese and Potato Wedges

Spicy Chicken and Baked Ratatouille

Mala Xiang Guo

To complete the meal, drinks and ice cream are free flow. Drinks provided are more of a healthier choice, such as fruit punch, blackcurrant juice, orange juice and sky juice (water). There is no coke, coke zero or sprite. The chocolate and tropicana (corn and coconut) ice cream are great.

Drinks

Ice Cream

Overall, we find the offering at The Three Peacocks to be extensive. We find it impossible to try all the dishes and even go for a second round. For $45++ you will surely get your fill. If you still like your seafood, you can also continue with your all Seafood and Meat Buffet. Cheers!!

Meat & Live Station Buffet

When: Monday to Friday

Where: The Three Peacocks

Price: $45++

Food & Drink: 6.75/10

Value: 7.25/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 6.5/10

Budget per Person: $51 - $80

The Three Peacocks @Labrador Park

8 Port Road

Labrador Park

Singapore 117540

T: +65 8333 2781

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

IG: @Thethreepeacocks

OH:

Mon – Thu: 17.45 – 23.00

Fri – Sun: 17.00 – 23.00

Guriru – Japanese Charcoal Grilled Seafood [MEDIA INVITE]

Guriru is a new concept by Japanese food guru Chef Teppei Yamashita (Chef and Owner for Restaurant Teppei) in collaboration with Anangram Food Lab. Guriru focuses on charcoral-grilled seafood concept, inspired by Japanese Hamayaki or fisherman’s grill.

Guriru

Guriru is nestled at the poolside of NUS Alumni Association, providing a good place to chill out and unwind after a busy day at work. You can almost treat it like your own poolside BBQ party hosted by a professional chef, loaded bar and seated almost 50 people.

The Poolside View

Following the recommendation from Brenda, our super friendly and knowledgeable service staff, we focus our order on the Hyogo oysters.

The Evening Atmosphere

Hyogo Oyster ($10 for 3 pcs, $19 for 6 pcs). It is served 2 ways, sashimi with homemade ponzu sauce; and grilled with butter or original shoyu sauce.

The Hyogo Osyer Sashimi & Grilled Shoshamo

For the sashimi version, the oysters are fresh, plump and juicy. The shoyu together with the fresh lemon juicy brought up the natural sweetness in the oysters. It was just so “shiok” when you slurped those oysters.

The Hyogo Osyer Sashimi 

Frankly, I am not a fan of grilled oysters. I always find that grilled oysters lost the plumpness and juiciness of oysters. However, it is a good option for those who do not eat raw stuff. You can still taste the natural flavour of the oysters, but the brininess and sweetness seem to multiply a few times.

Grilled Hyogo Oysters

Grilled Hyogo Oysters

Guriru Oyster Rice ($18). Chef Teppei signature dish for Guriru. The rice is soft and tasty from infused with a special sauce created by Chef Teppei. The Hyogo oysters remain plump and juicy, while the subtle aroma accentuates the umami in the overall dish.

Guriru Oyster Rice

Guriru Oyster Rice

Black Tiger Prawn ($6.50 for 1 pc, $25 for 5 pcs). Grilled to perfection with garlic butter. It is crunchy and bouncy, while the lovely smoky aroma just hits when you bit into the prawns.

Black Tiger Prawn

Shishamo ($9 for 5 pcs) - grilled with original shoyu sauce. If you love the deep-fried shishamo, you will love this grill version. The small fishes are plump and their tummy is filled with eggs. The grilled produces a crisp exterior and induced a smoky aroma in the fish. The shoyu sauce removes any traces of fishiness in this dish.

Shishamo

Whole Squid ($16). Highly recommended by our host Eunice. I heard a tale from the fishermen, one way to tenderise your squid is to whack it against the rock. Our squid probably faces a similar fate, though I am sure the professional chefs have their secret. It was nicely grilled, tender and succulent. There was a little chewiness at the end, making it a delicious squid.

Whole Squid

Kurobuta Pork Belly ($12). A must-order here. It is slow-cooked for 4 hours, finished on the grill for the charred and smoky finishing touch with the yakitori sauce. The pork belly is soft, tender, yet with a bit of bite and slowly melts in your mouth. The sweetness of the yakitori sauce gives it a touch of caramelisation plus the delicate sweet ending. Yummy!!

Kurobuta Pork Belly

Meltique Beef ($18). The beef is grilled to medium-rare, delivering a juicy and succulent texture. I like the finishing of the garlic chips, but not so fond of the drizzling of the yakitori sauce as it tasted very salty. Instead of pouring it on the plate, they can finish it by a quick brush of the yakitori sauce on the beef, before slicing.

Meltique Beef

Prosciutto Pizza ($21). Thin and crispy pizza dough, topped with tomato sauce, prosciutto, arugula and travel. The toppings are a tried and tested classic combination, however, Chef Teppei added a truffle twist to it.

Prosciutto Pizza

Prosciutto Pizza

We also tried Guriru snacks such as Crispy Salmon Skin ($9), Fugu Mirin Boshi ($14), Eihire ($12) and Kawa Ebi ($10). The salmon skin is crispy and packed with umami flavour. Once you started in this, you just can’t stop. While the Eihire is light and crispy, I prefer the Fugu Mirin Boshi. The marinated puffer fish slices are slightly sweet, aromatic and chewy. The flavours remind me of Singapore Bak Kwa.

Crispy Salmon Skin

Fugu Mirin Boshi

The Kawa Ebi is just awesome. The mini prawns are plump, crispy and lightly seasoned. Once you drizzle the lemon jus on top, the flavours just come alive. Yum Yum!!

Eihire

Kawa Ebi

For the finale, Chef Teppei serves us cinnamon ice cream with foie gras and drizzle with foie gras sauce. The flavour combination is unique, while the foie gras is grilled till crisp. The sauce is bold and it can easily overpower the flavour of the ice cream. I think this dessert is still a work in progress, it will be interesting to see the final products.

Cinnamon Ice Cream with Foie Gras

For the drinks, I tried their mocktail Aki-Momiji ($8) – Lychee, lime and soda. It is refreshing.

Aki-Momiji

Yuzu Highball

Overall, we enjoy our dinner at Guriru. The food and drinks are great and reasonably priced, plus the service is good. Instead of your traditional formal restaurant, Guriru presents a relaxed and chill poolside ambiance. The fresh Hyogo oysters, Guriru oyster rice, Kurobuta Pork Belly, Kawa Ebi and Prosciutto pizza are our picks. We’ll definitely return to try the rest of their menu. Kanpai!! Cheers!!

The Grill Master

Thank you, Eunice (Eloquence), Chef Teppei and Team Guriru for hosting us!

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $1 1 - $25; $26 - $50

Guriru

2 College Road

Level 1

Singapore 169850

T: +65 9010 7020

W: https://www.guriru.sg/

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

IG: @Guriru.sg

OH:

Mon - Thu: 12.00 – 23.00

Fri – Sat: 12.00 – Midnight

Hamayaki menu from 16.00

Lunch menu from 12.00 – 16.00

Closed on Sunday

Menus available online