Dare to dream,Live the dream

Arbite: Where East Meets West

Thursday, July 23, 2015 | 7:36 pm | 0 comments

Arbite is situated on the second level of a shophouse in Serangoon Gardens. I dubbed this area the Sleepy Village, as the habitants seem to rouse only nearer to noon and the entire place is so self-sucfficient they can walk over for brunch in their sleep wear.

Fries of the Month: Salted Egg Fries $6

Salted Eggs Fries looked promising and it was a nice change from the usual truffle fries.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something about this that is quite lacking.

Firstly, the salted egg flavour wasn't particularly distinct.

Secondly, the fries were over-fried, resulting in a biscuit-like texture with no potato flavour.

While I apreciate the innovation, it would be better if the chefs would finetune the recipes before serving it to the customers.

Miso Tagliatelle $18

Tagliatelle, honshimeiji mushrooms, sundried tomatoes

and spring onions topped with tempura prawns

This dish piqued by interest but my heart dropped when it arrived.

I'm sure everyone has had tempura before, and we all know that's not how a properly done ebi tempura looks like. If it wasn't for the tail, I wouldn't have know that was a prawn. The batter was so thick that I literally peeled off the entire coating and left it uneaten.

The quality of the prawn hidden inside was sooooo delicious, sweet and juicy yet the chef couldn't make use of the excellent ingredient to make a decent tempura.

The pasta here was mushy and the sauce was quickly soaked up, so towards the end, it became a battle of eating dry overcooked mushy pasta.

Sigh, such a disappointment.

XO Duck Tagliatelle $16

Tagliatelle, duck breast, xo chilli sauce, sugar snaps and corn kernels

I was extremely interested in this dish, and the appearance was a tad surprising.

This XO duck is quite spicy, and it somewhat felt like I was eating my coffeeshop duck kuay teow dry with lots of chilli. I think my dining partner found it too spicy and had to take repeated breaks, it's definiely not a dish for the faint-hearted. My only problem here was the pasta was overcooked too. Marrs the whole experience.

In a Nutshell

Verdict: 3/5

Price Point: $$

Thumbs Up: Creativity, ambience
To Improve: The idea of fusion is good, but the skills ought to be brushed up.

Will I return: Yes and no

Why: Yes for ambience and chilling, no because it seemed so promising, but the food was disappointing.

66A Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 555962.

Tel: 62870430

Fax: 6287 0434

Email: mail@arbite.com.sg

We are open:

Tue – Fri, 11.30 am – 3.00 pm, 6.00pm - 10.30pm

Sat – Sun 11.00 am – 10.30 pm

Last Order at 2.30 pm & 9.30 pm

(Sun 9.00pm)

Closed on Mondays

Labels: dream-oracle.blogspot.com, Food, July2015, SgBlog, Singapore

Rokeby Bistro Cafe: Gourmet Australian Cuisine in Jalan Riang

Wednesday, July 08, 2015 | 5:30 pm | 0 comments

Rokey Bistro Cafe is a quaint little shophouse nestled amongst the quiet Jalan Riang estate and they serve up a unique Australian menu that will delight heavy meat eaters.

Seeing as my dining partner and I aren't heavy meat eaters, we opted for something simpler instead.

Truffled Parmesan Fries 8.90

Truffle fries are now a must-have on every Western menu so it's not surprising to see Rokeby offering it too. What surprised us was how terrific the fries tasted! They drizzled a generous portion of truffle oil over the fries, so each fry was fragrant and crisp. It's one of those "fight-for-the-last-fry" fries quality. Definitely a value-for-money must-try!

Freo's Fish 'n' Chips 16.90

The fish and chips here is on the pricey side, but this piece of beer-battered fish is the flakiest, freshest and sweetest I've ever tasted. The batter wasn't too thick, and it was a case of crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Excellent indeed.

Mushroom Aglio Olio 14.90

The mushroom aglio olio is my go-to for simple pasta dishes. Albeit on the spicy side, this pasta is cooked al dente and flavourful. You can choose the spicy level, I picked the lowest but it still took me many water breaks to finish it.

Full Monty Brekkie 18.90

It's been a long time since I sat down to a proper full big breakfast kind of brunch, and this one was yummy! The hashbrown was so crispy and fragrant that it elicited an "oooohhhh" from us when we dug in happily. Eggs were creamy and smooth, and the mushrooms were especially fragrant and juicy. It's a huge portion so if you're a small eater, best to share.

In a Nutshell

Verdict: 4.5/5

Price Point: $$

Thumbs Up: The truffle fries!

To Improve: Lighting, the place is not conducive for photo taking haha!

Will I return: Oh definitely!

Why: Best place for truffle fries, besides Habitat Cafe.