Morganfield’s Orchard Central

Morganfield’s, of Sticky Bones – American BBQ pork ribs, slow cooked to tender perfection – has just opened their 4th outlet at Orchard Central! Perched high up at level 11, you can expect the same delicious ribs in town, smokey, juicy and tender, slathered with your favorite sauce! Best washed down with a nice pint of beer, mmm.

Speaking about beer, a new feature at Morganfield’s Orchard Central is Bar MF, the highest craft beer bar in Orchard Road. This craft beer bar aims to make craft beer more approachable and accessible, and they serve up to 10 rotating beers on taps from all over the world. Don’t worry about being called a noob if you’re new. Simply approach the friendly bartender, and he will be more than happy to introduce you to the wonderful world of craft beer, and find one that suits you best! Expect crowd favorite brands, and crafted seasonal specials as well.

We were invited to their launch event where some of their favourites were served, such as the Pulled Rib Sliders, Crispy Golden Pork (must try) and Candied Bacon (!!!). Being at the pinnacle of Orchard Road dining means that the restaurant is a great place to gather with friends for a hearty meal or colleagues for a round of after work drinks, away from the bustling city crowd. You can expect great quality food, and equally great beers here!

Check out their regular promotions too, like their Weekend Ribs Buffet where you get free flow ribs at $40++ every weekend and public holidays from 11am to 4pm. Did I also say that kids eat for free on weekends too (with every purchase of any mains, up to two kids’ meals per table). Check out their website (link below) for more information.

Beerfarm – Established For The Future

Breaking the duck for both Morganfield’s, as well as their own appearance in Singapore is Beerfarm brewery, from Metricup, Western Australia. Living by their mantra “Established For The Future“, Brewmasters Neal and Peter came to Singapore for the first time to tell about how Beerfarm prides itself as a brewery that makes award-winning beer in a sustainable fashion that grows with their local community.

We were treated to a wide selection of their beers, ranging from the light, crisp West Coast Lager to the punchy, hoppy India Pale Ale (IPA) and the milky Milk Stout. Each had a distinct character and taste; a hallmark of the dedication to stringent brewing practices and quality ingredients. My personal favourite was their Belgian Sour and all its tarty glory, and the Barrel Aged-Marmalade Saison, of which the Seville oranges were actually picked from a tree from their own farm.

New or seasoned craft beer enthusiasts, do check out their decorated India Pale Lager, or “the beer the brewers make for their own selfish pleasure”. Bagging the “Best International Lager” at the 2017 Australian International Beer Awards, it is a vibrant mix of tropical fruit flavours and the aroma of a few hop varieties (Magnum, Mosaic & Saaz for the nerds), matched with a light maltiness and fiinshed with a crisp bitterness.

GIVEAWAY

Score some free chow at Morganfield’s Orchard Central! Stand a chance to be the one lucky winner to walk away from a $50 voucher*! To participate:

Instagram:

Follow @MorganfieldsSingapore and @holeinthewallsg on Instagram and comment on this post:

• What do you look forward to seeing in Morganfield’s Orchard Central
• Participants to tag someone you would like to visit Morganfield’s Orchard Central with!

Contest is open to all Singaporean/PR residents with a public Instagram account. Remember to set your profile to public! This contest ends by 22 December 2017 11:59PM.

More Information

Morganfield’s Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
#11-03/04
Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Reservations: 66341828
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Beerfarm
177 Gale Road
6280 Metricup, Western Australia
Australia
Email: orders@beerfarm.com.au
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p.s. Thanks Neal for the beer talk!

The post Morganfield’s Orchard Central X Beerfarm (Media/Launch) appeared first on You Otter Go There.

Bar on 5 at Mandarin Orchard Hotel recently got us over one evening for a tasting of some whiskys. Set within the urban buzz, this chic and contemporary bar, situated at level 5 (hence the name) is a popular hang-out amongst sophisticated professionals, corporate business people, and trendsetters. There’s also a decent craft beer bar adjoining to the lounge, but that’s a story for another time.

Chivas Regal Mizunara Whisky

Debuting in Bar on 5, the Chivas Regal Mizunara blended scotch whisky is an award winning special by their Master Blender Colin Scott. With a part of the blend matured in rare Mizunara oak (Quercus mongolica) casks, it gives a unique sweet and creamy taste with hints of spice and hazelnut. Accompanied by Chivas Regal’s Whisky Sommelier, we were treated to a tasting session where any decent Scotch is enjoyed with a splash of water (and not copious amounts of sweetened drinks), and in this case with tulip glasses to fully enjoy the fruity aroma of peaches and pears. Paired with a selection of light canapés, we enjoyed every sip of the whisky.

Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve

As a bonus we were ALSO treated to another variety of Scotch, the Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve. Named for the distillery’s founder, George Smith, it’s a single malt Scotch that’s on the lighter end of single malts with generous aroma and taste of fruits. As their product manager calls it, ‘a good, gentle introduction to people who just started to enjoy single malt whiskys’.

I Think You’re Neat!

A short (heh, whisky pun) and simple evening, but we had a really fun experience of enjoying a couple of decent whiskys that will definitely leave a longer note. Currently they have offers for bottles of the Mizunara Oak (at time of writing the launch promotion is $460++ for 3 bottles), but do check it out at the bar as it may change time to time.

More Information

Bar on 5 @ Mandarin Orchard
Level 5, Mandarin Orchard Singapore
333 Orchard Road, Singapore 238867
Operating Hours
Sunday – Thursday: 11.00am – 1.00am
Friday, Saturday, Eve of Public Holiday: 11.00am – 2.00am
Phone: 6831 6286
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Cake Avenue to many, is probably synonymous to its bespoke cake designs, such as the unicorn cakes and designer cupcakes; basically any elaborate design you want on/of a cake, they will be able to do their magic. Recently, they have expanded their operations from their cosy store along Lorong Kilat (near Beauty World MRT station) to also include a full-service bistro with American and Italian cuisine.

Cake Avenue Christmas Menu

I was invited to sample their 2017 Christmas menu just last week, which will be available from 25 November (today) all the way till Christmas! In true Cake Avenue bespoke confectionery fashion, Chef ET has come up with a range of Christmas-themed desserts, from the conventional Yule Log, macarons and cookies, to the adorable entremets and a signature reindeer cake. They have also created a menu of savoury dishes which include braised lamb shank, chicken lasagna, and a selection of canapés.

Diner Dessert Menu

We also were treated to a new addition in their menu, to introduce their bistro to customers: the Diner Dessert series. At first glance, they look like your normal run-of-the-mill western diner food, such as burger and fries, nacho chips, alphabet tomato soup, and meatballs. But on closer inspection, they’re actually creatively designed with cakes, ice cream and the likes. For example, the “Diner slider and fries” were actually dark chocolate ice cream ‘patties’ sandwiched between vanilla butter cake ‘buns’ and topped with raspberry ‘ketchup’ and passionfruit ‘mustard’, served with warm cake ‘fries’. Such deceptive, so confuse. Nevertheless they were delightful to take pictures and enjoy after!

Sweet Deals!

From now till Christmas, Cake Avenue’s Christmas menu will be available for dine-in and takeaway in a few value-for-money festive packages! They’re pretty good for a small to medium gathering such as your office parties or pot lucks at your BFF’s place. Do give at least 3 days notice if you would like to order these special menu items though. Check the whole list out here and call/message/email them to make your order early!

More Information

Cake Avenue
33 Lorong Kilat
#01-01/02
Kilat Centre
Singapore 598132
Email: sales@cakeavenue.com
Phone: 6877 9008 or  9666 2022 (Whatsapp)
Operation hours:
Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 8.30pm
Closed on Mondays
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They are Halal-certified!

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Iced T

Tired of the same sweet bottled beverages you can find in convenience stores, or the saccharine-loaded teas soaked in cheap milk-flavoured powder? Not that they’re not enjoyable (I’d like an Arizona I C E D Tea once in a while), but I guess we should be mindful of what we putin us, especially since we’re here doing food reviews.

Cafe Yellow

In the town (where I was kind of born), at the far end of the second floor of Millenia Walk, sits a Citroen van that’s painted the brightest of yellow. Together with We The People (the Kickstarter products store), the aptly visually-named Cafe Yellow is a simple get-up that serves naturally-flavoured teas that are no added sugar.

Some of my favourites from their cold brew tea series are the mango sticky rice flavor with strong coconut hints reminding you of the markets of Bangkok, and the Hojicha with a fragrant malty taste reminiscent of the temples of Kyoto. For you caffeine junkies, they also serve Nitro cold brew coffee (seeing a trend here)!

Oh, did I mention that Cafe Yellow also run by the loveliest동생 ever, Sohee?

Happy Chuseok! #Korean #autumn_festival 즐거운 추석 보내세요 #cafeyellow #cafe#coffee #추석

A post shared by Cafe Yellow (@cafeyellow_sohee) on Oct 3, 2017 at 6:30am PDT

Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”3.5″]
Ever since the previous anchor (Harvey Norman) moved out, it’s pretty quiet on the second floor of Millenia Walk, so you don’t really notice it so much.

Price: [star rating=”3.5″]
At $5-7 per drink, it’s pretty reasonable, and you get a nice ambiance away from the buzz. #protip: It’s a good hiding place when you need to rest from visiting the many conventions at nearby Suntec City Convention Center.

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
It’s a simple variety of beverages, but they all taste fresh and wholesome, none of that overtly sweetened syrups!

Overall: [star rating=”3.5″]
Decent teas and a nice view (with pretty owner as a bonus)? We could drop by every time we’re in the area!

More Information

Cafe Yellow
Level 2, Millenia Walk
9 Raffles Boulevard
Singapore 039596
Tel: 9233 0627
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C is for Communal

Over the last week I was invited to a media event at OUE Downtown Gallery’s newly launched concept, the OUE Social Kitchen. Opened to the public since 18 September 2017, it is situated at the third storey of the complex (which is really actually a really long building btw), and where you can be part of Singapore’s first communal cooking experience! Inspired by how food is a very universal language we connect with, OUE Social Kitchen is designed as a “co-cooking” (think co-working but with stoves and dining rooms) so that you can comfortably cook and enjoy your own cooking with your friends and family, or even the strangers-who-are-actually-friends-you-haven’t-yet-met at the next station!

The 4000 square foot kitchen space has six standard stations, and two more that’s partitioned at the back that are halal-friendly! There’s also a very spacious dining area, and also two VIP rooms where you can bring your finest guests to enjoy the experience as well (or hold cooking classes! Chef not included, but feel free to ask the staff for any special arrangements)!

C is for Cooking

When we arrived there were already kitchen stations prepped with fresh ingredients where we could have a shot at being the next MasterChef. With a random draw, we picked the salmon en papillote (salmon in parchment) recipe and off we go! It wasn’t too bad in the end, and we got to trade dishes with fellow cooks too! The kitchen’s pretty professional, and is armed to the teeth with the full range of kitchen appliances from Smeg, such as state-of-the-art gas and induction hobs, ovens, microwave, fridge, wine chiller and coffee maker. Small appliances, baking essentials, cookware, crockery and cutlery will also be provided by OUE Social Kitchen. There’s also a wide range of condiments and seasonings at your disposal!

Don’t worry if you are not that great a cook or don’t know how to operate the appliances; there is an in-house chef (was kindly introduced to Chef Andy) and staff at the ready to provide assistance, some cooking tips, and more importantly when you’re done cooking, clean-up services (yay, no dishes)! Thereafter you can enjoy your food at the dining area as long as you like without worrying about anything other than who’s getting the last piece of chicken!

Apart from a delectable range of treats like tacos, DIY waffles and Vietnamese rice rolls, we were also treated to a quick in-house kitchen demo making tuna cakes at one of the VIP rooms. Featuring a high-tech cooking station, you can also interact with your important guests and impress them with some Michelin star-worthy cooking!

C is for Cheap

You may think that such an atas setting like this will burn a really big hole in your pocket/purse right? Actually they’re pretty affordable, with the standard kitchen station started at S$48/hr for up to four persons (that works out to $12 per person) and the VIP room from S$108/hr, subject to 7% GST. They say you can hold corporate and private events here as well, up to 200 people! Now that’s a real community!

Oh, before I forget, you can bring whatever ingredients you like (but please don’t try to make pot brownies here, this is still Singapore)! Or if you don’t want to or don’t have the time to go to the nearest supermarket (which is quite a walk away) you can purchase pre-packed ingredients with the OUE Downtown Gallery App (available on App Store and Google Play) or over the counter, with advance notice.

More Information

OUE Social Kitchen
6A Shenton Way
#03-02/03
Downtown Gallery
Singapore 068815
Opening Hours: 10am to 10pm daily
Tel: 6224 0355
Email: socialkitchen@oue.com.sg

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GIVEAWAY

Fancy yourself impressing your friends and family with your culinary prowess, but not having the space to do it at home? Or maybe you want a new idea for the weekends with your girlfriends? We’ve got TWO sets of vouchers worth $50 (valid till 19 Nov 2017) that you can use at OUE Social Kitchen up for grabs! To participate, you can either:

1. Like our Facebook page, this post and comment what you would like to cook/bake at OUE Social Kitchen, and/or
2. Follow us on Instagram (@holeinthewallsg), like and comment on this post what you would like to cook/bake at OUE Social Kitchen as well.

Winners will be picked at random from both posts and announced on social media. Contest ends 8 October 2017 (Sun) 11:59pm (2359h)!

If you didn’t win, don’t worry. You can use the promo code “OUESK141” for a $10 off your booking. Simply use the Downtown Gallery app, navigate to OUE Social Kitchen, and make a booking with the promo code by 31 Oct 2017.

Best of luck!

This post has been kindly brought to you by OUE Social Kitchen.

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The flower doesn’t dream of the bee. It blossoms and the bee comes – Mark Nepo

Hustlin’ with Sunday Posies (@sundayposies)

Having a job these days, is never a bad idea. Having a job you love? Even better! However it’s not something that you can snap your fingers and a genie appears magically to grant you that wish. So having a side hustle or hobby does help keep your sanity in check amidst the bustle of the day job.

Sunday Posies (@sundayposies) was the brainchild of @gigglemenot (as she prefers) as she #somekindofeatpraylove for a while, away from a hectic job. Strolling among the florists in markets of Melbourne, she found therapy in floral arrangements and decided to make some money at the same time. Check out her social media profiles (Facebook & Instagram) and if you need a bespoke florist with some pretty good vision and skillz, you know who to look for!

Wheeler’s Estate

From the people that brought you one of Singapore’s top 10 Instagram-ed cafe (Wheeler’s Yard), is another to-be highly Instagram-ed cafe with the name updated to specify a bigger space (estate). It’s so big, that it’s classified into 6 7 different sections: Restaurant, Alfresco, Bar, Events, Entertainment, Picnic and Cycling! Can’t buy bicycles here though, so I guess this is their side hustle in a way?

Situated in what used to be part of Selatar Airbase, Wheeler’s Estate is part of the wave of rejuvenation of the area now known as Seletar Aerospace Park. Traverse down the relatively ulu road and you’ll be greeted by one highly Instagram-ed icon; the silver caravan/camper van endearingly named “Bambi”:

Facing a modestly-sized but lush green field, it’s one of those fewer places where you can fit right in, whether you’re there on a date, a family Sunday brunch, or a high school reunion. Or you really just want to escape the F1 buzz in town for the weekend. There’s even the playground nearby at The Oval (that is well, literally an oval-shaped street) where you can bring your kids, or act like one (don’t we all?).The seating space is also generously spacious, although if you really look at it there’s not that many sheltered options available at the first floor. There are however several long benches for big groups and a indoor dining hall at the second level, which has a stairwell, and a corridor that is also (another) highly Instagram-ed spot.

Wheeler’s Estate serves up some casual Australian cuisine good ol’ alfresco style (of course you may choose the comfort of the air-conditioned veranda but it gets echo-ey. There seems to be a rotating menu so you may not get the same food every time you come here. When we were there, we had a very unique twist of the Philadelphia Steak (philly steak) where instead of it being in a sandwich, it was a marinated beef steak on a tortilla wrap and garnished with chili and caramelised onion. Very different from tradition, but without compromising on taste and complexity!

Other usual favourites that we were recommended were the fish and chips, and the chicken cordon bleu that was served in a similar deconstructed fashion. Seems like these guys don’t just take apart bicycles!

When the sun goes down at Wheeler’s, things are different too. Under the dim fairy lights and slightly blaring live music, the weather also becomes more tolerable as the alfresco seating becomes more filled with people who want to revel but also prefer the chill vibes. You can also take a stroll in the park which is adjacent to Seletar Airport’s airstrip, and get some *ahem* quiet time if you need.

Verdict

hole-in-the-wall-ness: [star rating=”4″]
Rather challenging to get to unless you drive or take a taxi, it’s definitely out of the way by Singaporean standards.

Price: [star rating=”2.5″]
It is quite expensive at the average range of $30-40 per head including drinks but not dessert, and portions were not THAT bad either.

Quality: [star rating=”4″]
While expensive, they do try to be innovative with their menu and presentation. At least the food is fresh!

Overall: [star rating=”3.5″]
My only gripe was that despite having an army of part timer youngsters I felt pretty neglected during my visit there. For example we wanted some cutlery and water, and were told by no less than 3 different servers that they’ll get it for us, but conveniently forgotten after (I wanted to get it myself in the first place, had to do it anyway). I guess some organisation will help, which is evident in some of their ratings on social media as well. It’ll be a waste if disorganised service spoilt an otherwise nice ambience and honest, casual cuisine!

More Information

Sunday Posies
Enquire more on bespoke floral services
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Wheeler’s Estate
2 Park Lane
Seletar Aerospace Park
Singapore 798386
Reservations:  6262 0001 (recommended if you’re going on a weekend)
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