Archive for the ‘Mediterranean’ Category
Strangers’ Reunion
Baked Eggs in Shakshuka
Brunch session at Strangers’ Reunion saw us trying the Baked Eggs in Shakshuka ($17). Shakshuka is a Tunisian/Moroccan dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, and various spices. This dish was more soupy than we thought, as we had expected a thicker and more gooey gravy. The middle-easten origins were quite evident as the shakshuka was accentuated with lots of spices, with the sour tomato-based sauce forming the backdrop. The eggs were pretty raw – on the surface, the egg white seemed cooked, but within the soup, the egg white were still in its original raw colourless form. It seemed like the egg was only cracked and added onto the shakshuka after the dish was removed from the oven. Still, the soupy shakshuka did make an interesting middle-eastern flavoured dip for the accompanying bread.
Matcha Azuki
Be it brunch, lunch or dinner, we can never escape the temptations of having a cake to end our meal. The Matcha Azuki ($7.50) wasn’t too sweet though, as it exhibited the characteristic bitter green tea flavours. This cake consisted of alternating layers of matcha sponge and matcha cream. It was rather light, typical of a Japanese-inspired cake. The red beans embedded in the matcha cream provided that slight additional crunch and sweetness to the cake. Overall, there wasn’t much surprises to the cake – a straightforward matcha cake, everything that you can expect.
Strangers’ Reunion
33/35/37 Kampong Bahru Road
Pita Pan
Pita Pan
At the end of the Helix Bridge and down the stairs, facing the Art and Science Museum at Marina Bay Sands is Pita Pan, a Vegetarian Mediterranean restaurant.
Red Shakshuka
The Red Shakshuka ($9.90) was a rich spicy sauce of tomatoes, peppers and onions, with 2 poached eggs and served with plain pita. It reminded us of a more generous version of the Tunisian breakfast offered at Wild Honey initially. But on tasting, a difference could be identified. The sauce in the Red Shakshuka was very chunky but hardly spicy. It was a healthy dip for the bland steamed pita. However, after a while, the Red Shakshuka got a little monotonous in texture and flavours. There seemed to be nothing more than just sourish sweet tomato puree.
Hummus with Mushrooms
The Hummus with Mushrooms ($9.90) had a mild spices and herb taste and fragrance. It wasn’t oily and seemingly healthier compared to the one we had at Alaturka Turkish. The sauteed mushrooms added a bit more saltiness and flavour to the hummus. However, we still preferred the English chickpea hummus with no use of strong spices compared to those from the Mediterraneans’, seen here at Pita Pan.
In general, this is one of the cheaper F&B outlets, other than the foodcourt, in MBS where one could grab some healthy vegetarian fare.
Pita Pan
#01-87, Marina Bay Sands
2 Bayfront Avenue
Alaturka Turkish & Mediterranean Restaurant
Alaturka Turkish & Mediterranean Restaurant
A walk through the Arab Street area and one can find many Turkish and Mediterranean restaurants similar to Alaturka Turkish & Mediterranean Restaurant.
Hummus
Hummus ($6.50) – Middle Eastern mashed chickpea and sesame oil dip. The Hummus was vastly different from the English version we tried at Spruce. This had a texture similar to that of mashed potatoes, slightly coarse and mushy. There was also a strong spices fragrance and taste. It wasn’t too salty, and hence seemed healthier. The accompanying Turkish bread was served warm; it was bland but rather dense. It reminded us of a thick crust pizza.
Peynirli Ekmek
Peynirli Ekmek ($3) – Home-made Turkish bread with cheese. The Peynirli Ekmek was similar to the accompanying bread served with the Hummus, however there was melted cheese atop of this version. The Peynirli Ekmek was more charred, possibly due to it being baked a second time with the cheese. Peynirli Ekmek could do with a bit more cheese though.
Musakka
Musakka ($17) – Sauteed sliced eggplants and potatoes, layered with vegetables and topped with melted cheese. The so called layer of vegetables consisted of merely 3 slices of tomatoes and 2 slices of green chili. Though not very generous with vegetables, there was a huge serving of potatoes and eggplants beneath the melted cheese layer. Similar to Peynirli Ekmek, Musakka could fare better with more cheese. The potatoes and eggplants seemed to be deep fried prior to the addition of the gravy, hence releasing a bit of oil into the gravy.
Alaturka Turkish & Mediterranean Restaurant
16 Bussorah Street
Sufi Turkish and Mediterranean Cuisine
Our first visit to Sufi Turkish and Mediterranean Cuisine! The place was very crowded, with many customers smoking Shisha. For our first time there, we felt rather overwhelmed with the disorganization and rowdiness. We quickly settled down on a small table by the side and made our orders.
Patlican Musakka
Patlican Musakka ($17) – A special Mediterranean stew – chicken with eggplant and potatoes, topped with cheese and baked in a claypot, served with rice or bread. We’ve never had Mediterranean food before, but the description of the stew topped with cheese enticed us. The Patlican Musakka was served atop a lighted stove. The claypot was more like a hotplate as it was rather shallow. There was a generous layer of semi-melted and slightly charred cheese covered the stew. Breaking apart the cheese layer revealed the “stew” of minced meat and potatoes. The stew wasn’t what we had expected. It reminded us more of the hotplate tofu we get from most neighbourhood coffee shops. There wasn’t much of a stew factor, more like just minced meat in sauce. Hence, the “wow” factor of the Special Mediterranean Stew (as described in the menu) didn’t stand out.
Tavuk Shish
Tavuk Shish ($15) – Skewered marinated chicken breast, charcoal grilled and glazed with delicious homemade sauce, served with rice. This was the better dish of the night. The chicken breast was slightly charred on the surface and the burnt layer was bit crunchy. The chicken meat itself was juicy, succulent and tender. It was well marinated and packed with strong and robust flavours. For $15, the serving of chicken kebab was pretty generous as well.
Well, ambience wise, if you’re not a fan of a huge crowd smoking around you (be it Shisha or typical cigarettes), do avoid this place. Traffic in that area was a downright mess as well.
Sufi Turkish and Mediterranean Cuisine
48 Arab Street
Ph.Ds of FOOD 