Maggie's - Nostalgic and Exciting

Maggie's immediately caught my attention with her Aesthetic Chic vibes, daring unique concepts on food and decor that totally work. And so here I am, impressing myself in this place that is so full of character and oriental old world charm while enjoying food is that surprises and delights my palates.

Decorated with heavy florid curtains, soft glowing lamps, pastel green lamps with beads hanging off the shade, plush chairs, high paper dragon at the ceiling, Chinese porcelain ornaments and relics of yesteryears of Shanghai (rotary dial phone, anyone?), this place exudes that opulent, nostalgic feel that I relish.  All the traditional Chinese porcelain cutleries used here also impresses me. To add on to the mood, 70s oldies from Hong Kong and Taiwan are played. And the peppy classics such as 我要你的爱, sometimes brings a smile to my face because of the  cabaret style of the peppiness of the songs and nostalgia. This place is definitely worth a special visit simply for the ambience and mood here. And yes, it is of course instagram-worthy.

The food and drinks here make a visit here even more worthwhile and a must for foodies. Bold, distinctive yet harmonious flavours that carries that twang of nostalgia from the oriental taste. It is awesome and unique.

The service is simply awesome, being friendly, where patrons feel like friends, while still maintaining the professionalism, gives good suggestions on food and ensures we have a good time here. And I sure have a great time here!

Golden Prawn Croque Madame turns English Breakfast to Oriental Breakfast, and I totally love it! Even more so than English Breakfast. House-made Focaccia is nicely toasted to crunchy goodness and then used to sandwiched the bouncy, succulent Tiger Prawn Mojo. Layered in between is Green Szechuan peppercorn, which is simulating and exciting, balanced by the creaminess. The best part is after the top notes of peppercorn awakens the palates, the briny sweetness of Tiger Prawn starts to develop and becomes distinctive. My favourite dish of the night.

Seabteam Crudo features Kyushu Seabream soaked in Oak-aged Pickle Sauce and paired with Dongbei Sauerkraut. This dish is so refreshing in taste. Distinctive light Hong Kong style soy sauce works so well with the clean briny sweetness of sea bream. The parsley adds a touch of excitement. Dongbei Saukeraut, in shredded form, juxtaposes so well with the texture of the sea bream.

Crab Maniche Rigate is made with Shanghai Crab Fat "ragu", Crab and Scallion Oil. This is such a homely, hearty dish that is full of flavours. Sprinkling some black rice vinegar over this really lifts up the taste, but need to go easy on this to let the sweetness of crab and rigate, an interesting tube-shaped pasta, shine through.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Brown Butter is so fluffy, buttery and wholesome. The mashed pineapple jam spread on the top adds a nice mild tart taste to balance the sweetness. Creme Friache introduces the creaminess that makes it so awesome in taste and texture.

Maggie's speciality of Red Date Dew is so unique in its presentation and taste. With Barcadi Carta Blanca, Red Dates and Winter Melon served in a traditional Chinese Porcelain Teacup, this tastes like alcoholic Liang Teh and I love it!

(Ma)rgarita is a word play on the Chinese word for Szechuan Pepper. And yes, Szechuan Pepper is added to this Margarita cocktail. It is wicked, refreshing and intoxcating.

Complimentary alcoholic lemon drink lovingly served in traditional Chinese teapot and cup.

Thoughts: Amazing Experience with a twang of Nostalgia that satisfy the Senses

1 Keong Saik #01-04

Asu Restaurant - Complex, Delicate and Thoughtful

I know I got to go to Asu Restaurant the moment I read about how Chef Ace Tan’s Progressive Asian Cuisine, where East Asian dishes are reinterpreted with different global techniques while incorporating Traditional Chinese  Nourishment elements. And this beautiful restaurant, with the beautiful cuisine with beautiful taste, absolutely astounds me. So much so that I know I will back for another season!

I love it that so much thoughts is put into the concept of the restaurant, evident from the little details such as printed cards of the ingredients being beautifully hand drawn by an artist from Hong Kong, the paintings and plants reflecting the four seasons and the magical elevation of Asian dishes that score perfection in both taste and texture.

Each meticulously made bite-size morsel, made with luxurious ingredients, is so complex and well-balanced in taste while highlighting the vibrancy of Asian tastes. The dishes here are also unique in that they have this delicate familiar yet special cooling property like that in traditional medicine, so there is always a “wow, this is really something unique and awesome” moment when I take the first bite of each dish.

Housed within a historic colonial bungalow amid the lush forest at Labrador Villa, the exterior of the restaurant is grand, with touches of nostalgia and character. In fact, walking up the brick stairways flanked by lots of foliage while admiring the greenery surrounding the bungalow and feeling the serenity, away from the bustle of the city, is such a relaxing and different, great experience. The interior is classy, and stylish with subtle tones of lux, combining elements of modern sensibility and traditional Chinese flair.

The service here is simply awesome, being friendly, thoughtful, professional and meticulous. This restaurant is definitely of Michelin Star standard.

The crystal ball like Tea Smoked Sakura Masu features Cherry Trout smoked with Pu-er, topped with Fiddle Head and suprise! Pandan, it is full of light umami yet tastes refreshing. This is so unique and out of this world, made possible by the dot of special vegetal pungency. The crispy crystal ball contrasts so well with the texture of the cherry trout. An excellent start to the meal.

Mapo Tofu, a traditional favourite dish of chef’s childhood is reinterpreted with smooth Soy Milk custard decked with slices of Razor Clam, Shiso and Szechuan Pepper. The exciting, mildly spicy sauce is so well-balanced and complex, with the coldness of the custard perfectly balancing the spiciness. The texture of razor clam and its soft milky briny sweetness contrasts so well with that of the custard. Definitely my favourite Mapo Tofu.

Hotaru Ika Hitam is like the best Firefly squid dish I ever have. With Yam as earthy base, the umami of Squid Garum, the tart taste of Kaffir Lime and briny sweetness of the squid,  the dish is refreshing in taste yet amazingly warm in core, with a unique pungency to perk things up.

Special roll for the season, coated withs sesame and seaweed, is stuffed with coconut and crab, yielding a juicy, briny sweet, refreshing snack with crispy exterior. So hearty yet delicate, excellent.

First add-on I have is Buta Wrap, which is Chinese style Tacos with sliced tender, juicy grilled Hokkaido Pork paired with Winged Beans, Sambal Ijo and wrapped with Charcoal Crepe. The lovely warm meatiness is elevated by spicy, exciting, tangy flavours of the condiments.

Hong Zhao Main Xian gives me the chance to try Geoduck. And its crunchy refreshing texture, coupled wth a taste that is more milky than milky briny sweetness of abalone, totally wins me over. No wonder this delicacy is so prized in Chinese Cuisine. Geoduck goes so well with mild sweetness of Red Koji, spiciness of Bentong Ginger and crunchy, refreshing potato noodles. 

Abalone & White Asparagus Porridge is the best porridge I ever have and the only one I love. The bouncy texture and mild taste of of Abalone, the crunchiness of White Asparagus, the unqiue vegetal pungency of Perilla Oil and nutty sweet Coconut comes together to create a sweet refreshing dish. This is made even better by the char of the rice that gives a good bite and a layer of beautiful complexity to the taste. Pickled asparagus has that additional sweetness that makes me go, "Wow!"

Nori Chidai has Sea Bream deep fried to get super crispy scales and Fish Maw, Seaweed, Dried Scallop added to result in a sweet and refreshing fish dish that totally works. A fish dish that is refreshing? Yes this dish is, which is amazing and so delicious.

King Crab Shiro Kare King is a delicate dish packed with the briny sweetness of crab that I absolutely love. Crab Dumpling, White Curry, refreshing Daikon and a juicy stab of Crab leg meat incites that pure feeling of Happiness with every mouthful. The juicy succulent sweet crab meat has its sweetness further highlighted by the mild spiciness of the white curry.

To make things even more immersive and exciting, there are rice and Matcha Shio Pan to go with the curry, just like how we locals enjoy Chilli Crab. The white Curry, with the essence of crab, makes even the rice tastes sweet so oh-so-good! Matcha Shio Pan is also another awesome carbo to go with the curry.

Definitely my favourite dish of the night.

The Bone Broth served is so meaty sweet, and turns bombastic with unique pungency of Yunnan herbs. It is wow, wow, wow! Unbelievably good!

Wild vegetable for refreshing the palates between bites of the Wagyu.

Niu Pa Hu is like Wagyu Ribs savoured in five different ways, with options of Angelica Shoot and different condiments. The tender, succulent Wagyu Ribs tastes like Chinese meaty sweet char siew with hints of excitement from the accompanying condiments. I love this too!

Cheng Tng is so refreshing, surprisingly creamy and has a lovely herbal taste due to the awesome pairing of  Chrysanthemum Ice-cream, Red Date, White Fungus and Honey. This is so good and unique that I decide to add on another dessert in the menu.

Ice Cream Uncle is a pretty creation made up of Strawberry, Omija Berry, Wafer and Toasted Barley. Omija berry is chewy, which is a great texture to juxtapose with the crispness of wafers and creaminess of ice-cream. There is a good balance of tart and sweetness, with hint of earthy warmth from toasted barley for complexity.

Refreshing unique cocktails

Thoughts: Absolutely Astounded!

30 Labrador Villa Road