Going by the increasing number of upmarket joints in town, it’s clear that Singaporeans love a good burger. Here are five of them, tried and tested!

Wendy’s seems to be on an aggressive expansion path ever since making a comeback to Singapore about a year ago. This was our first taste of Wendy’s since its return (yes, we’re a pair of mountain tortoises).

2-piece fried chicken

First, the good stuff. The fried chicken impressed us with its tender and super juicy meat! The exterior was crunchy without being too greasy. But it was very salty.

Baked potato with sour cream & chive

The baked potato was a welcome change from the usual fries and mashed potato. There were other toppings available, eg. cheese, chilli (the spicy meat sauce kind), and broccoli & cheese (seriously, who would order this?).

Fries

The fries were a bit cold, but thankfully, still quite crisp and palatable.

Wendy's 1/4 pound burger

The surprise disappointment of the night was Wendy’s signature burger. The square beef patty was so very dry! Hubby said it tasted just like McDonald’s hamburger, except that this had more veggies.

Rick and I both agreed on this: We’d return for the fried chicken and baked potato, but not the burger.

Combo meal for 1/4 pound burger (includes small fries+drink) + fried chicken (about S$5) + baked potato (about S$3) ≈ S$15.00

Wendy’s (Holland Village)
243 Holland Avenue
Singapore 278977

It's gonna get messy...

This is priceless! Rick and I had a hoot taking this pic while waiting for our food to ermm, come.

Super Star with cheese.

Actually, this meal took place some time ago, so I can’t remember the prices. All I can remember is that hubby snuck out of the office for a quickie lunch date. He was hungry for meat and buns, heh!

Char-broiled Chicken Club Sandwich.

Among the various fast food chains, I must say that Carl’s Jr has the best burgers. But we don’t eat there often as it’s pricey. Fast food isn’t that healthy either. So we only indulge once in a while!

Onion rings and fries.

Their thick-cut fries and onion rings are pretty satisfying as well. The crumbs for the onion rings could be lighter, but look, there’s real onion! It sure beats Burger King’s onion rings!

Click here for the listing of Carl’s Jr. outlets in Singapore.

Barracks - no army rations here.

Occupying the premises of a former army barracks, House is a lifestyle concept that houses (sorry, I couldn’t resist) a spa, cafe, and bar. This is how the cafe’s name comes about. But this is also where any association with an army camp ends, for Barracks resembles nothing like a military mess hall. From chic, quirky decor down to stunning food presentations, our experience at Barracks was a total revelation. This is one canteen that soldiers would happily dine at everyday!

Clockwise from top: Beetroot Beat, S$8.50; Pei Pa Herbal Tonic, S$12; Mint Berry Fix, S$12

This lunch was a food-tasting session organized for four other food bloggers and yours truly. Helmed by Resident Head Chef Ho, Barracks’ recently updated menu is full of refreshing, unique ideas, and the trio of non-alcoholic cocktails that kick-started our meal reflected just that.

Inspired by the paper prata, Barracks’ Skinny Pizza crust must be the thinnest and crispiest ever! Forget about thick, bread-like pizza dough. You can throw melted cheese and tomato paste out of the pizza equation too. Barracks wants to completely revolutionize the pizza, hence their “thinnovation” – the Skinny Pizza. There’s also a Skinny Pizza outlet at Suntec City serving just pizza and soup.

Chorizo Almond Skinny Pizza, S$18

There are 12 kinds of pizza combinations available. Essentially, each 12″ Skinny Pizza is a super thin and crispy cracker, first baked, then topped with cooked ingredients and fresh arugula (rocket) leaves. We got to sample 4 pizzas. The Chorizo Almond was a clear winner – everyone loved the combination of smoky chorizo, crunchy toasted almonds, roasted garlic, grilled bell pepper, olives, and fresh grated parmesan.

Ahi Taki Skinny Pizza, S$24.00

While I love the Chorizo Almond, the pizza I went absolutely ga-ga over was the Ahi Taki! First, the crust is lightly smeared with mashed avocado, then generously topped with seared fresh tuna, port-wine soaked raisins, plump pistachios, avocado slices, and roasted tomatoes. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Most definitely a thought-I’d-died-and-gone-to-heaven moment, which I haven’t had in a while!

If you don’t fancy pizza, it’s also available as a salad. Currently, the Ahi Taki is available only at Barracks and not at Skinny Pizza, Suntec City.

Curry Chicken Babaganoush, S$15

For something spicy and exotic, we had a Middle Eastern-inspired creation. A dip made primarily of mashed grilled eggplant, baba ganoush is spread over the crust, then topped with mildly-spiced curry chicken, chopped hard-boiled eggs, onion and fresh coriander. Very exotic and very nice indeed!

Wild Truffled Mushroom, S$18.00.

Truffle lovers will love this! Roasted portobello and truffle oil generously adorn this Skinny Pizza, but alas, it failed to entice me, because I’m not a big fan of truffle (the mushroom, not the chocolate kind).

We were told that the recipe for the pizza crust has been improved upon since it was first launched. Indeed, we were very much impressed with the taste and texture, and especially how it managed to stay crispy till the end.

Old-fashioned American Sliders (Bleu cheese & bacon), S$22

Bigger and more luxe than White Castle sliders, there’s a choice of 5 toppings for each pair of mini burgers. Pictured above is the Bleu cheese (brie) and bacon, which I didn’t get to try.

American sliders (Cheddar cheese & bacon), S$22.00.

But I did get to try and enjoy the Cheddar cheese and bacon sliders! Pretty ordinary burgers, but although medium well done, the beefy patties were juicy and the lightly toasted buns soft and chewy.

Sweet potato & truffle fries

Accompanying the sliders were these golden beauties. Those are no ordinary shoestring fries; they’ve been tossed in luxurious truffle oil! But I could only detect a faint truffle taste, and both the sweet potato and truffle fries went limp pretty quickly.

Bay Prawn Capellini, S$22.00.

One of the “House Proud” dishes, the capellini is accompanied by some very plump and crunchy prawns! I thought the sauce was lovely – a light prawn bolognese with braised baby leeks and a hint of chilli. But I’d have preferred if the noodles had been more “wet”, ie. more sauce, please!

Herb Crusted Lamb Rack, S$32.00.

The lamb is gorgeous! Well, that’s what the others said anyway, because I was slow and only managed to grab a teeny bite-sized piece and it turned out to be gristle.

Moroccan Spiced Baby Chicken, S$19.

I didn’t detect much Moroccan spice, but the half portion of baby chicken had lovely crisp skin. Even the breast meat was super juicy and tender! Those crispy strips are yam, and underneath the chicken are baby bok choy and tomato-berry chutney.

One-meter-long Sausage, S$25.

That’s one loooooooooong sausage, one meter long, to be precise. Available as chicken, beef, or pork, this is fun for sharing and will certainly make for great conversation!

Finally, it’s time for desserts! Under the direction of pastry chef Sarah Tham, the desserts at Barracks are a medley of hearty American-style cakes and East-West fusion creations. Some of them are even served in mess tins to reflect the location’s military heritage. How quaint!

Barracks Strawberry Shortcake, S$9.50

Not quite your old-fashioned version of sponge cake sandwiched with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, this is a slightly different interpretation of strawberry shortcake. That’s vanilla bean cream to pour over the cake. Yes, there’s really specks of vanilla bean in the cream. So much nicer than whipped cream, IMHO.

Guiltless Chocolate Almond Cake, S$12.

Why is this guiltless? Well, for those who want to stay off carbs but still wanna indulge, this dense cake is flourless and gluten-free. Hmm, really? What about the sugar and milk chocolate?

The BBC (Banana, Brownie, and Cheese), S$12

Call me looney, but if I’m gonna indulge, I’d rather go the whole nine yards for The BBC, which is da bomb! I went bananas (again, I couldn’t resist) over the crispy banana strudel liberally sprinkled with freshly grated cheese, and the gooey, dark chocolatey brownie hidden underneath.

MMM - Mango Marshmallow Melt, S$10

But my top pick is the MMM! Maybe cos it has my favorite fruit – mango! MMM is a delicious concoction of chunky fresh mango, mini crunchy pavlova, honey, yoghurt, whipped cream and marshmallow. Do I hear you going mmmmm……?

Green tea tofu tiramisu, S$9.50

Normally I’m dubious of fusion dishes. If badly executed, things could go really wrong. And tofu with green tea and tiramisu? Alarm bells started ringing in my head.

Thankfully, they managed to pull it off. The firm, custard-like tofu – freshly made in-house – worked well with the light mascarpone and mild green tea flavor. In all, it’s a pleasant, airy creation that’s not excessively sweet.

Panna Cotta Agar Agar, S$9

Inspired by the Nyonya 9-layer rainbow kueh, this stunning dessert is actually alternate layers of creamy panna cotta and colorful agar agar. The refreshing agar and creamy panna cotta complement each other really well!

If you’re here in a large group, you’re in for a treat. Order the “Godzilla Box”, which is your choice of any 6 desserts, and you get 15% off! Isn’t that sweet?

Tiffin Punch, S$59

By now, you’d have noticed that besides taste, Barracks puts a great deal of effort into presentation. Like the Tiffin Punch, which is served in mini tiffin containers. Served on the side is sparkling champagne, which you add just before drinking for a zesty experience.

Refreshingly zingy!

What goes into the Tiffin Punch? Bombay Sapphire gin, lychee liquer, ruby red grapefruit, ginger slices, lychees, and of course, Mumm champagne. Sweet and refreshing, much like a lychee martini!

Tea, anyone?

This ain’t any ordinary tea. You have to be at least 18 to drink it!

This “tea” set is actually what they call Prohibition Long Island Iced Tea Party (S$55). In the teapot is gin, vodka, rum, tequila, cointreau, and lemon juice; in the jug is Coca-Cola. This innocuous-looking drink packed quite a punch!

Dining at Barracks, one can’t help but appreciate the details that go into every aspect of the experience – industrial chic interior, cosy vintage furnishings, whimsical antique plates, and visually stunning food presentation. But more importantly, we really enjoyed the food. For me, that is the most important factor, because without good food, ambience and presentation wouldn’t pull me back.

If it’s always this good, I’d most certainly return soon. I’m already starting to have recurring dreams of the Ahi Taki and MMM!

Fellow bloggers at this tasting session are: Camemberu, Hungry Cow, Ivan, and missyglutton.

Many thanks to our sweet and gracious host, Janet Lim of Spa Esprit Group, for the invitation and wonderful hospitality.

Prices stated are exclusive of 10% service charge and 7% GST.

Barracks @ House
8D Dempsey Road
Singapore 249672
Tel: (65) 6475 778
www.dempseyhouse.com

Fish and chips, S$21.00

Ricky and I took my mom to The Dining Room for a relaxing Sunday dinner. We’ve always enjoyed the elegance here, especially the view of the waterfall through the tall ceiling-to-floor glass windows. Surprisingly, only a handful of tables were occupied.

The ala carte menu seems to be more limited than I remember. Mom had the fish and chips. We thought it was a dish that shouldn’t be that hard for a 5-star hotel to execute. While it looked great, the inside of the battered fish was soggy. Yes, soggy, not juicy. Not that it wasn’t fresh or uncooked, but it just wasn’t quite right.

The portions were huge, though. Mom couldn’t finish the piles of fries and fresh salad that came along with it. The fries were pretty good, too bad we were seated right under the air-conditioning so they turned cold and hard too quickly.

Beef burger, S$19.00

Another mountain of fries, and a super thick patty. The hubby was in a fix. “How to assemble and eat such a thick burger?” Yes, we have yet to master the knack of eating this kind of “gimme the works” burger. Seriously, how do you hold a plateful of food between two buns??

Strange touch of sliced avocados, but Ricky said the caramelized onions and pickles were lovely, especially the pickle that was crunchy and not too sour, good enough to enjoy on its own.

Nasi goreng, S$19.00

I’ve always liked hotel-style nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) because of the luxurious sides that make it look like such a good deal. While the chicken satay was fragrant and tender, the rendang chicken was quite dry. The two huge prawns had huge heads. What little flesh they had was neither sweet nor succulent. Worse, one of them had mushy flesh! The achar was ok, the rice was unremarkable. Considering the cons outweigh the pros, the nasi goreng was a major letdown.

As usual, the service here was great, although once they forgot our request for water, and we had to remind them. Since we were stuffed by the American-sized portions, we skipped desserts. I remember the quality of food here used to be better. Or maybe now they place more attention on their buffets rather than ala carte (I know their buffets are quite popular). While it’s a pleasant place for an afternoon cuppa, I won’t be back for a main meal.

Total bill after service charges, taxes and credit card discounts was about S$60.

The Dining Room
Sheraton Towers Singapore
39 Scotts Road
Singapore 228230
URL: www.sheratonsingapore.com