La Belle Epoque – Modern European Cuisine in Boat Quay [MEDIA INVITE]

La Belle Epoque, which means ‘the golden age’ in French, is a brand-new European Restaurant and Bar located in Boat Quay. Helmed by Executive Chef Firdauz Nasir, with more than 15 years experience under the tutelage of fine dining Master Chefs in Singapore. At La Belle Epoque (“LBE”), Chef Firdauz will showcase his culinary creation using old-school techniques and herbs cultivated from his very own herb garden.

La Belle Epoque

We started our tasting with Oyster & Iberico ($26, 3 pcs, keto). Oysters lightly torched, topped with crispy iberico ham, tomato salsa and Avruga caviar. It is smooth and silky, followed by a sweet and tangy flavours from the salsa, mixed with the bursting umami flavour from the Avruga caviar and crispy texture of the iberico ham. A great start to the meal.

Oyster & Iberico

Charcuterie Platter ($28 for any 4 selections of cold cuts and cheeses). Our platter consists of black Forest Raw Ham, Collar boneless (Cabecero) Iberico, Taleggio DOP Cheese and Comte Rivoire. On top of the 2 cold cuts and cheeses, we also have salad, gherkins, olive and dried nuts.

Charcuterie Platter 

While the presentation looks good, LD and I just don’t like the flavour. The black forest raw ham is too gamy for my liking and the iberico is just too waxy. The cheeses, gherkins, nuts and olive are great. I find it is missing the fruits / dry fruits component on the plate.

Skins ($8, gluten-free) – Crispy Fish, Chicken & Pork skins, seasonal vegetables served with black garlic aioli. The fish and chicken skins are delicious, while the vegetables and black garlic aioli bind the whole ingredients together. The touch of edible flowers to this dish made the plating looks beautiful. Unfortunately, the pork skin let down the dish as it tasted like stale oil. Hopefully, they can fix this and turn this dish to become everyone’s favourite dish here.

Skins

Hummus Taco ($10, vegetarian & keto) - Smoked chickpea mashed & blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic served in a corn taco shell, roasted capsicum, romaine lettuce & pickled shallots. A vegetarian flavour bomb here. Earthy, creamy and robust. It is best eaten with your hands. You might want to remove the chilli if you don't like spicy stuff like me.

Hummus Taco

Cauliflower Steak ($12, vegetarian & gluten-free) - Smoked & cured cauliflower pan-seared with vegetable butter herbs, served with purple pommes potato, braised & grilled purple cabbage with vegetable demi-glace. A lot of textures and flavours happening on the plate. The cauliflower is smoky and crunchy, the pommes potatoes are creamy while braised purple cabbage with demi-glace adds the tanginess to the dish. Total sensory overload in this dish. Yumz!

Cauliflower Steak

Cauliflower Steak

Smoked Pork Belly ($16) - Smoked pork belly marinated with Chef's selected spices, served with crispy pork crackers, grilled peach salad and pork velouté. A robust and enjoyable pork belly, with a gelatinous texture rendered from pork skin and fats during the smoking process. The pork velouté (pork sauce) compliments the pork belly, while the bitter purple cabbage helps to balance the richness of the dish. We had a nibble of the pork skin and did not touch it further as it still has the stale taste as before.

Smoked Pork Belly

Since LBE smoked the whole pork belly, maybe the customer has a choice of “Corner Cut” or “Middle Cut”. At first, I got the middle cut, where the pork belly is almost fork-tender texture. Meanwhile, our friend received the corner cut, which has a gelatinous texture. Since I loved the gelatinous texture, we exchanged our plates.

Smoked Pork Belly

Beef Short Ribs ($28). Aged short ribs, marinated with local spices, cooked for 48 hours served with light smoked fine haricot beans, aged port wine & romaine salad. An overly complicated dish. There is too much flavour going on with the beef ribs, we are not sure what to make of it. Surprisingly, the smoked fine haricot beans deliver the best flavour on this plate. Moving forward, it is best to simplify this dish and allow the ingredients to shine.

Beef Short Ribs

Beef Short Ribs

Moving to the desserts, we have Tiramisu, Lemon Tart & Guerre Stellari ($10 each). The tiramisu served tasted too light and not creamy enough for my liking. It is also lacking OMPH from the coffee and marsala wine. I like my tiramisu to be light, but creamy at the same time. On top of that, I want to feel the power from the coffee and marsala wine, just like the Italians like their Espresso. I just had a tiramisu recently that meet my description above.

Tiramisu

The lemon tart is great. Light torched meringue sitting on top of the smooth lemon custard and crumbly cinnamon tart. The tart is served on top of a “Surprise” bowl that contains homemade dried fruits.

Lemon Tart

Lemon Tart with "Suprise" Box

Guerre Stellari is inspired by Chef Firdauz favourite movies, Star Wars. Dark chocolate shell in the shape of Star Wars warship, stuffed with chocolate mousse served with raspberry sorbet. Solid and #Chocolategasm dessert. The raspberry sorbet is super sour cuts through the dark chocolate perfectly.

Guerre Stellari

LBE has alfresco seating of 25 and indoor seating of 31, spread over 3 floors. The furniture used is more suitable for alfresco seating, using rattan chairs and light colour wooden top tables. As it is located facing the iconic Singapore river, I recommend the alfresco seating to soak up the memorable dining experience.

Alfresco Dining Area

The Bar

Overall, the menu curated by Chef Firdauz and his team showcases some brilliant flair and daring flavours. However, there is a tendency of overindulgence, pushing the boundary too much. Sometimes “LESS is BEST” and the team need to pay attention to the consistency of their execution. The menu caters to a wide array of specific diet groups such as keto, gluten-free and vegetarian as well. I recommend the Oyster & Iberico, Hummus Taco, Cauliflower Steak, Smoked Pork Belly, Lemon Tart and Guerre Stellari. Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7/10

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

La Belle Epoque

63 Boat Quay

Singapore 049851

T: +65 6732 1687

W: https://www.lberestaurant.com/

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

IG: @Labelleepoquesg

OH:

Mon – Sat: 15.00 – 23.30

Closed on Sunday

Menu available online

REBEL – More Than A Sandwich [MEDIA INVITE]

Vegan H.A.L.T.  Sandwich

REBEL is a new sandwich shop concept that first opened its door in TripleOne Somerset on 4^th May 2019. REBEL identify itself beyond a mere sandwich shop, instead, it is focused on a community and lifestyle.

REBEL Shop

REBEL is about being a culture that nurtures entrepreneurship, empowering employee as being part of the REBEL brand, taking ownership and its future. REBEL is Eco-Friendly and it works with like-minded partners such as QUORN – delicious meat-free leading brand producer; QOMUNE – passionate coffee partner; PACKADZ – environmentally friendly packaging; and ZAC MEAT – best halal meats supplier for the awesome sandwiches.

REBEL Gurl Logo

REBEL Sandwiches is inspired by the owner experience when he first bit into a Banh Mi in Vietnam. From then on, the seeds of REBEL were planted.

All Day Naked Sandwich

I tried two sandwiches at REBEL: All Day Naked ($6.90) and Vegan H.A.L.T. ($7.50). True to its name, All Day Naked consist of beef bacon, chicken ham and fried egg hold together with crispy REBEL bread. Unlike the Vietnamese baguette, the bread texture here is crisp externally, with a bit of density in the middle part of the bread. The bacon, ham and egg provided a solid meaty bite on the sandwich and will receive a nod of approval from meat lovers. Due to the texture of the bread, it does not leave a messy crumb after you finished your meal.

All Day Naked Sandwich

All Day Naked Sandwich  - The Fillings

Vegan H.A.L.T. is a different experience altogether. Filled with Quorn Spicy Patty, Avocado Salsa (A), Lettuce (L), Tomato (T) .... H.A.L.T! with Mayo, Tangy Asian Slaw & Fresh Coriander. I get a double crunchiness from the bread and Quorn spicy patty, followed with the moist and creamy texture from the avocado and mayo. The tomato and salsa add the freshness to the sandwich. I feel the sandwich is very tasty and I did not miss the meat protein at all. I enjoy the Vegan H.A.L.T more than the All Day Naked. Yum Yum.

Vegan H.A.L.T.  Sandwich

Vegan H.A.L.T.  Sandwich

Vegan H.A.L.T.  Sandwich - The Fillings

Other then the sandwiches, I tried REBEL soup of the day, Mushroom Soup and Garlic Bread. The soup is thick and loaded with chopped mushrooms. Tasted like a restaurant standard mushroom soup instead of the diluted version that come from the can. Meanwhile, the garlic bread is crispy and lightly seasoned with garlic.

Mushroom Soup and Garlic Bread

The Rebel Salad ($6) – SE Asian Style Salad. Lettuce, carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts, fresh mint, Thai basil, coriander, spring onion and chicken cha lua (+$2). A refreshing take on Vietnamese salad. It is fresh, crunchy, healthy and yummy. Something for those who are very health conscious and watching their weight.

The REBEL Salad with Chicken Cha Lua

For a unique drink, try their Iced Cascara Tea (from $5). It comes with 3 option of flavours: Lychee, Peach and Yuzu. Cascara is the dried skins of coffee cherries, however, instead of the bitter coffee taste, it has a fruity sweet taste like in a fruity tea. The iced cascara teas are sweetened and both the lychee and yuzu are refreshing.

Iced Cascara Tea - Testing Cup

The décor of REBEL shop is bold and eye-catching. The REBEL Gurl logo is very prominent, together with other REBEL creative animation, it makes the shop looks like a fun place to hang out. Another plus point is for the “Wall Plug” generation that needs to juice up their mobile phone, some of the seats have cables to charge your devices.

Part of The Dining Area

Part of The Dining Area

Overall, I enjoy the overall dining experience at REBEL. The sandwich, the soup, garlic bread and cascara tea are things that I will order again when I visit REBEL. Cheers!!

Juice Up Your Gadget

Thank you very much to Dex, Genine, the team from The Linch Agency and REBEL for hosting me.

Please note that REBEL is in the process of getting their Halal Certification.

Food & Drink: 6.75/10

Value: 7/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 8/10

Budget per Person: $0 - $10, $11 - $25

REBEL

306 Lavender Street

Singapore 338813

W: https://rebelgurl.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/rebelgurl.co/

IG: @Rebelgurl.co

OH: 10.30 – 21.00 Daily

Previous Locations

111 Somerset Road

#01-08 TripleOne Somerset

Singapore 238164

The Menu 1

The Menu 2

The Menu 3

Elixir – Classic Style Boutique Roasters [MEDIA INVITE]

Magic - Flow State Blend

Elixir is a boutique coffee roaster that loves and respects the good old full-bodied, bold and straight expresso roast. They aim to transport you back to the origins of the café culture in Melbourne, where the third coffee movement starts.

Coffee Machine in Elixir

Old full-bodied roast is my preference when it comes to my coffee. During the tasting session, Elixir served up two types of coffee bean roast. For the single-origin, I choose Americano ($5 for 7oz) to try out the full flavour of the roast. The Single Origin Antigua Santo Domingo, Guatemala. The tasting notes stated Hazelnut, cocoa, brown sugar, Rich, Intense and Full Bodied. I tasted smooth, full-bodied and absent of any fruity flavour coffee. Nice.

Americano - The Single Origin
Antigua Santo Domingo, Guatemala

After the meal, I ordered Magic ($5.50 for 7oz) using their Flow State Blend. 80% Brazil Cerrado, Naturally Processed, plus 20% Euthopia Yirgacheffe G2, Washed. The tasting note states Nuts, Chocolate, Treacle & Medium Bodied. I feel it works well with milk. The additional extraction in Magic, give the coffee more punch as the nutty and chocolate taste shines through the smoothness of the milk.

Chief Roaster Kenneth in Action

Magic - Flow State Blend

Food also plays a significant role in the success of an all-round café. We started the food tasting with Brulee French Toast ($18). 

Brulee French Toast

The thick toast is sweet and crispy externally, followed with fluffy texture internally. It goes well with the chantilly cream, while the acidity from the berries and pomegranate balance the sweetness nicely. The candied bacon adds crispy, sweet and salty flavour to this exciting dish. 

 

The Bar

Truffle Eggs Prosciutto ($24). I like every component of this dish. Fluffy and creamy scrambled egg, topped with chopped truffle. The brioche toast is thick, soft and fluffy, while the bitterness in the arugula, the saltiness of the prosciutto and the umami flavour from the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese complement the luxurious scrambled egg nicely. It is just awesome.

Truffle Eggs Prosciutto 

Grilled Halloumi (V - $18). This version of cheese starts to catch my attention when I first try it in Food & Hotel Asia exhibition 2018. The firm texture of the dish with a touch of saltiness is a perfect companion with any salad. Here, it is paired with Kenya beans, charred scallions, lemon preserve, baby corn and tahini aioli. The honey Chinese vinegar dressing binds the whole dish together nicely. A nice vegetarian dish.

Grilled Halloumi

Wagyu Beef Cheek Rendang ($22). Representing the local flavours, created using Chef’s special rempah recipe. Cooked to perfection, the beef cheek rendang just melts in your mouth. The butterfly pea coconut grains are rich and aromatic, but it can do with a more generous dash of coconut milk. The homemade achar works nicely cut through the richness in this dish.

Wagyu Beef Cheek Rendang

Wagyu Beef Cheek Rendang

Carbonara with Onsen Egg ($18). Pancetta, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and herbs. Perfectly executed and best eaten hot. The flavours from the pancetta, cheese, egg and herbs are creamy, rich and absolutely delicious. Best eaten hot.

Carbonara with Onsen Egg

Moving beyond the traditional café menu of food and coffee, Kenneth (the Chief Roaster) started to experiment with coffee flavours to create mocktails and cocktails. This is the introduction to the “New Era” coffee, creating a balance between the flavour profile of their speciality coffee and the characteristics of alcohol.

Black Smoke Rising ($12) for a mocktail. The strong smoky aroma from the torched bourbon. Full-bodied coffee flavour, sweet with a touch of tangy flavour.

Black Smoke Rising - mocktail

Cocktails:

Stormbringer ($13). Ron Zacapa 23 Solera, Bundaberg ginger beer, Double shot of Guatemala, Antigua Santo Domingo, Espresso. Tasting notes: Sweet, spicy, intense.

Cocktail - Stormbringer

Same ole’ situation ($13). Woodford Reserve Kentucky, Bourbon whiskey, Gula Melaka, Homemade bitters with Costa Rica Las Trojas single origin. Tasting notes: lemony citrus, boozy, meant to be sipped slowly. Inspired by old fashioned.

Cocktail - Same ole’ situation

Killer Queen ($13). Disaronno hazelnut amaretto, Homemade cascara syrup from Finca Isnul, Huehuetanago, Guatemala, Toasted almonds grated over. Tasting notes: refreshing, light, a novel take on Italian aperitif cocktails.

Cocktail - Killer Queen

(*I did not taste the cocktails due to my medical conditions and likewise for LD as she is allergic to coffee).

Overall, LD and I agree that Elixir served nice food and awesome coffee. Coffee lovers and café hoppers must give this place a try. Cheers!!

Thank you very much Elixir Boutique Roaster Team and Protegie for hosting us.

Food: 8/10

Value: 7.5/10

Service: N/A (Tasting Invitation)

Ambiance: 7.25/10

Budget per Person: $11 – 25; $26 - $50

Elixir Boutique Roasters

10 Jalan Serene

#01-04. Serene Centre.

Singapore 258748

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

IG: @Elixir.boutiqueroasters

OH:

Thu – Tue: 08.30 – 16.00

Closed on Wednesday.

Food Menu - Aug 2019
Image Credit: Elixir Boutique Roaster

Drinks Menu - Aug 2019
Image Credit: Elixir Boutique Roaster