June 2015 - Page 3 of 8 - Gazing and Grazing

Chalk Farm – Let Them Eat Cake!

June 17th, 2015

If you're shopping in Orchard Road and need a tea break, or more appropriately - a cake break, then do drop by Chalk Farm. Located in the basement of the Paragon shopping mall, most of the cakes at this little store are really good. There are a couple bar seats on the side and they do coffee too. My personal faves are the Guinness cake, Coffee Walnut cake, Black & Gold Sesame cake, Banana Muscovado Loaf and for something more local - the Kueh Salaat. Also, their occasional cakes...

Singapore’s Chinatown – Chicken Rice, Egg Tarts, Temples and More

June 16th, 2015

Chinatown is a good place to come to get a sense of old Singapore. The protected historical buildings provide a colourful backdrop to the shops and eating places. And because most of it is shaded, it's not too bad a place to come around midday and try some local favourites for lunch including very good Ipoh hor fun, Hainanese chicken rice and flaky egg tarts.

With the heat in Singapore, I'd recommend visitors to do most of any planned outdoor activities in the morning. High on my...

Wildfire – Great Gourmet Burgers

June 16th, 2015

My favourite gourmet burger joint in Singapore is currently Wildfire, which for me is handily located near the Botanical Gardens. High-grade beef patties are grilled and served in toasted brioche buns. Besides the lunchtime burger fare, they also do some really good breakfast/brunch burgers - sort of like a grown up Egg McMuffin.

One of the reasons the burgers are good here is the brioche bun. Firstly, I think it's the perfect size - so the meat to bread ratio is balanced. Secondly,...

Barcelona’s Bodega 1900 – Good Tapas, Just Doesn’t Stand Out

June 15th, 2015

Bodega 1900, a casual tapas eatery by the Adria brothers (of El Bulli) in Barcelona provides good quality tapas while showcasing vermouth. The challenge for this place is that there are a large number of great tapas places in Barcelona and I don't think Bodega 1900 stands out. So while I enjoyed the food, I had more more fun elsewhere and I guess I should just try harder next trip to get into the Adria brothers' other eatery, Tickets.

Part of the reason I think Bodega 1900 was...

Barcelona – Two Days of Good Tapas and Gaudi

June 15th, 2015

We only had two days in Barcelona - so what should we see while leaving time for good tapas? Luckily, Barcelona is generally an easy city to get around in and we were happy to walk. The first landmarks that came to mind were La Sagrada Familia and the Barri Gotic (gothic quarter) but we also added in a couple more Gaudi buildings and a visit to the beach.

I've not been back to Barcelona in some time and when I found out that it would be the first trip to this city for my travel...