Maru SG Dine & Bar at ICON Village (Tanjong Pagar)

This is not the first time I've been to Maru. I was introduced to Maru by Janel previously and we had a great time there. This time, we revisited them and they have a greater menu to share. Here's what we ordered. 

First, we had to get some drinks. Their bartender, Denise makes some really serious cocktails which are really enjoyable and pretty too.

(Left) Purple Royale (HH: $12, Regular: $20) is made up of Coconut Rum, Homemade infused lavender syrup and Lemon juice. It is such a enjoyable drink. You first taste the sweetness of the lavender syrup and then a slight sourness from the lemon juice before the aroma of the coconut rum lingers on your palette.

(Right) Reishi (HH: $12, Regular: $20) is made up of Jasmine Tea infused vodka, Lychee liqueur, lemon juice and egg white. I had this the last time i visited and I personally enjoyed it alot. My first concern was the egg white however the taste wasn't present at all. All that I tasted was the delicious lychee and jasmine flavour.

Purple Royale

Reishi

Next up, it's time for some snacks to slowly enjoy the night. 1. Sweet potato fries with garlic dip,  2. Mentaiko Cheese Gyoza, 3. Truffle Chawanmushi. They are each going at $8 and my favourite out of the 3 is the Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Dip!! 

 

I love the sweet potato fries, it remained crispy and they were the thick cut kind which made it so much more enjoyable. You MUST dip it in the garlic dip, we even got seconds for it. The Mentaiko Cheese Gyoza was rather normal, nothing to shout about.

The cutest chawanmushi would be these truffle chawanmushi served in eggshell. The first scoop and you get to savour that shaved truffle and caviar all in one mouthful. SHIOK AH!

If you are looking for something different, something exciting, I would totally recommend the La Paloma (HH: $12, Regular: $20). It is tangy, refreshing with a hint of spice due to the use of Denise's in house Jalapeno infused vodka.

Something for our non-alcoholic friends, Highly recommended to try this Momo cocktail (HH: $12, Regular: $20). It has Peach, Orange and Lemon with a splash of soda. Really enjoyable and pretty!

Maru has different menu for Lunch and Dinner. First let's take a look at two of the items from the lunch menu.

1. Mentaiko Cod Fish ($22) which features a piece of Cod fish covered generously with mentaiko sauce and cheese and then torched to perfection. Resting on top a bed of garlic fried rice.

2. Sashi Hiyashi Somen ($32) is generously topped with fresh Hokkaido Scallops, torched salmon and uni and ikura. The truffle infused sauce and the caviar brought up the whole experience on my palette. 

Dinner Menu:

1. White Tuna Tataki (Small - $22, Large $32). I have not tried white tuna before and I was really impressed with the one I had at Maru. The dish is served with Yuzu jelly bits and Pomegranate and it is recommended for you to eat them all together to get the best experience.

2. Kale Salad ($15) is finely chopped up with hints of mint and tossed together with pine nuts. Served with a wedge of lime to add a little tangy taste. Something for the health conscious friends to try!

3. Spicy Asari Clams (Small - $15, Large - $26) is the BEST dish here and you Must Must MUST order it! The broth is slightly spicy with hints of lemograss and the sweetness from the clams. Each clam is clean thoroughly and it is served with a side of toast which is never enough.

4. Duck Breast ($27)

5. Truffle Beef Cube Don ($25)

6. Bonito Unagi rice ($20) is much like a risotto topped generously with bonito flakes. The ungai flavour explodes in your mouth as you chew on each grain of rice. Amazing.

We got a sneak peek at Maru's Valentine's Menu as well. You may start planning for your Valentine's dinner while planning for CNY as well. Haha.

Maru Valentine's Dinner goes for $68++ per couple.

Appetizers - Camembert Fries with Blueberry Dip, Crispy Avocado Ravioli,

Tuna California Maki, Aburi Salmon Mentai, Tatami Iwashi

Salad - Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Romaine Lettuce Glazed with Honey Vinaigrette

Main - Grilled Sea Bass, Scallop & Carabinero Prawn Glazed in Yuzu Miso

OR Foie Gras & Striploin Steak, Red Wine Butter, Trio Capsicum Marinated in Balsamic & Potato Wedges

Dessert - Chocolate Mousse Cake Topped with Macadamia Ice Cream

This whole session was hosted by Maru's Team and we thank you for the awesome food and company.

MARU - DINE & BAR

12 Gopeng Street #01-05
Icon Village, S078877

ps: You can make your reservations on Quandoo!


With Love, M♥

The Flying Noodles from HANA Japanese Restaurant

With all the hype around the HANA Flying noodles, we #MCSCBabes had to check it out for ourselves! We made a reservation in advance(thank god) and was in when the restaurant opened! There was a Long snaking queue for those who did not make their reservation, so please remember to make your reservation guys! We first thought that we had to queue to get in despite having a reservation haha.

We first ordered a thirst quencher, the Over the top Apple Cider ($25). An alcoholic slushie with sour candy snakes to get your groove on anytime of the day. *drink in moderation*

Then the star of the day: Flying Truffle Somen ($25) and Flying Salted Egg Skinny Udon ($18).

I personally could not decide which one i liked better. Who would ever knew that Salted Egg and Udon would go together so well. We had to ask for a second serving of the Salted Egg sauce. SHIOOOOOK!

I would recommend that you start with the Salted Egg Yolk Udon first before moving on to the truffle somen as the truffle taste will overwhelm all other flavours. Haha. The truffle somen is a real delight to have as well. Do note that both noodles are served cold, so no rush to consume them. Snap as much photos as you would like first before digging in, but I bet you can't hold out for more than 10minutes. Haha.

Another insta-worth item at HANA would be their grid boxes. You can choose from 3 x 3 or 4 x 3. You get a little of everything and it's great for sharing too! We chose the 4 x 3 grid box ($38) to share and we loved it! Everyone had a enough to go around for 4 ladies. The 3 x 3 option goes for ($28).

I would suggest that you visit them unless you hate to eat cold food, or you dislike japanese food. Otherwise there is no reason for you not to visit! Haha.

HANA Japanese Restaurant

583 Orchard Road #01-17

The Forum, Singapore 238884

Tel: 6737 5525

Enjoy your time at HANA and Cheers to the New Year!

With Love, M♥

Paradise Dynasty - Rainbow Xiao Long Bao

So, the other day, while I was browsing on Groupon, I came upon Paradise Dynasty's Groupon Voucher. I've always seen it here and there but did not tempt me to buy, but that day, I decided to buy it because I wanted to try out the Rainbow XLB that they offer.

Planned a visit with Tse Lyn for a dinner on a weekday(since we can't use the groupon on weekends) and there we go! Tip: Visit the Vivo outlet before 7pm to get a seat immediately, or if you are in a group of 6 or larger, do make reservations(except ION's Outlet, they do not take reservations)!

I read many good reviews online about their Yang Zhou Fried Rice($10.80) and me being a "rice bucket(饭桶)", I Must order to try! The portion was huge! Enough for 1 Hungry man or 2 hungry women. I am quite a big eater(considering for a girl) and I can barely pass half of it after eating the XLB. The size is great for sharing among 3-4 Girls if you are ordering other things.

Stir Fried Spinach with Mince Garlic($10.80), Not oily at all, lightly seasoned with salt. Very delicious and fresh vegetables. Love the Garlic!! 

And the legendary Rainbow Xiao Long Bao ($14.80 for 8 flavours)! YAY!
1. Original, 2.Ginseng, 3. Foie Gras, 4. TRUFFLE, 5. Cheese, 6. Crab Roe, 7. Garlic, 8. Sze Chuan
You are recommended to eat them in that order to experience maximum enjoyment of the flavours. My personal Favourite would be the Truffle, Original, Garlic and Sze Chuan. :)

It was definitely yummy and I love the atmosphere at the Vivo City Outlet. I will be back! Maybe next time, I'll order a basket of 8 truffle Xiao Long Bao! LOL!

Paradise Dynasty

 Harbourfront Walk #03-08A 

Vivocity, S098585

Tel: 6376 8103

With Love, M♥