A very personable dining experience...

The Rabbit Stash 
(http://www.therabbitstash.com.sg or  https://www.facebook.com/therabbitstash.fanpage )
354/356 Alexandra Road #01-07 Alexis, Singapore, Singapore 159948
Tel: 91730723

After an experience with private dining in Hong Kong, I was rather determine to sniff out similar dining places in Singapore. That's where i chance upon Rabbit Stash by Chef Matthew Mok.

I did attempt to head over to Rabbit Stash when it was at Ulu Pandan but they were closed and preparing for a new place. And so, when it was up and running recently now over at Alexis (close to where Ikea Alexandra is) I was glad I went over for lunch.

The thing about private dining that i enjoy is that some really is a no frills place but serves good food with a very personable approach to dining. And we are not simply referring to the service crew but you actually have the chef come out and have a chat, understand the needs and get a feel of the customers.

We tried his beef tenderloin and as stated in other blogs, it is nicely done tender and juicy. I tried the salmon and the texture was beautiful making it a rather pleasant surprise considering the fact that recently i did try out Salt Grill and Sky Bar and i wasnt too impressed with the doners of the fish (i tried three different kinds of fish then even!).

We did start off with the pea voloute and for a pea hater, this was not overwhelmingly strong but a good balance of the flavours and spices. This was something that i noticed for all the dishes. It was a smart use of spices to give that extra edge and challenge the taste buds in a way that opens up the palate.

The Basil cheesecake was not too creamy and maybe it was the tinge of basil in it that gave it that added edge to it. I have a sweet tooth and so this cheesecake i really dig.

Be sure to call in and book. In the past when it was at Ulu Pandan... if i am not mistaken they use to be able to seat only 12 folks but now with the new place Alexis i think they have pretty much double up the capacity to about 25-30. Don't worry. the place ain't cramped up, instead nicely spaced. Go on down and tell me what you think about Rabbit Stash.

 This was really nice. Sorry forgot to take down the name.. its salmon with smoked duck. 

Travel Files 1: Amsterdam

Amsterdam in June is beautiful, and its also in season for herring! It was my first time having it and you can find a few stores along the bridges across quite a few rivers. the herring was fresh and really delicious with a little onion, dash of pepper and nothing more.

I did however visit Ron Blauw's restaurant (2 Michelin Star), Restuarant De Klas as well as Yamazato Restaurant in Okura Hotel (only Japanese restaurant outside of Japan to be awarded 1 Michelin Star).

So this June 2012, Ron Blauw in Amsterdam was my first stop. I can't say i was "wow"ed by the experience during lunch but i do have some pictures to share for this restaurant. 

To be honest, there were occasions i felt, some similarities to what i had in Fat Duck. But the use of fresh in season produce was refreshing on some instances and maybe my palate isnt as refined as i would like it to be... there were times I wasn't quite sure what to appreciate. 

Restaurant De Klas on the other hand was a pleasant experience, and rather romantic you walk across a stream off the main road into this park where a huge green house nestled in the serene green surroundings. Food was nice, and the entire feel of the area eating within a greenhouse, looking out into the beautiful park left me with no regret in dining at this place.

If my memory serves me well, it was "omakase" like as in we didn't get to choose but rather the chef cooks what he feels like for the day and serves our some produce that they actually harvested from their greenhouse. I was not a fan of olive but the olive they served us was really nice and organic... I sincerely do believe organic food do taste different.

My final stop was Yamazato as i spent my last day's dinner at this traditional Japanese restaurant in Amsterdam. We had wine/sake pairing with our omakase and that was rather novel at least for me. Food wise, can't help it but feel Shinji in Singapore was heaps better. Not that it was bad food, don't get me wrong the dishes were good but for the amount of money we were paying somehow it fell short of our expectations.  Anyway, the following are some of the pictures I took and maybe you can share with me your opinions on some of the places and maybe some tips even or suggestions so that I can check other restaurants out should i be back in Amsterdam.

Shinji - an experience that makes you feel its almost sacrilegious to eat at certain sushi place...=p

Shinji by Kanesake (http://shinjibykanesaka.com/raffles/index.html)

Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road

#02-20

Singapore 189673

I am a believer! 

I used to question how good can sushi be in Singapore after my experiences in Tokyo and Hokkaido. Didn't believe how divine Otoro (as well as the different types and marbling) can be to the extend it literally melts in your mouth... Never appreciated Uni or Tamago (since i never really like eggs to begin with). 

But hell yeah! I am a believer of them all! Uni was fresh and creamy, no funky weird smell or taste to it... the tamago was excellent! I really can't find a better way to describe it other then to say it gave me the "lemak" feeling. There was no "eggy" taste to it and for a non-egg fan, i was sold. 

I must admit that it comes with a premium price tag but I felt it was totally worth the experience. Forget the big chains of conveyor belt sushi... where the sushi slowly dries up and looks forlorn after a while when no one takes it. Or the thinly slice pieces of unagi that reminds you of shaved honey baked ham and all you can really taste is the rice. Shinji at Raffles Hotel is a small sushi place with the experience Oshino Sushi Chef and his disciples running the show. They serve up the freshest catch and it varies each time you visit the place as the season changes. Despite the price tag and the finesse behind each beautifully crafted pieces of sushi, you certainly do not leave the place feeling unsatisfied and hungry. My dinner experience there left me driving home unable to sit up straight as my waistline grew to even more unflattering inches. I wasn't complaining then... happy belly.

Other noteworthy sushi that i fell in love with was the mackerel (usually i find it fishy) and there is this absolutely sinful "ice cream" of rice, otoro and uni. Give it a shot and you will be amazed. I am simply gushing in this write up.

The pictures you see are a mix of what I had from lunch as well as dinner. Sometimes I like to have my lunch and have Shota san as my sushi chef. Need i say more or even state that its highly recommended in my opinion?