BLACK SHEEP CAFE: NOT TOO VALUE FOR MONEY

Heard about Black Sheep Cafe's from some people who raved about its duck confit and pork cheeks.

Well...Sunday is as good as a day to try it. But not on a rainy Sunday apparently.

The place was pretty chilly and we were only one of the two tables around for 12pm.

Deciding that a small meal was better, we went for a soup, main and a tea.

The lobster bisque cost $16 with two small chunks of lobster meat was passable.

 

The pork cheek was done nicely and fork tender with a nice crisp. I suspect the duck confit would not be far off in terms of quality and finishing. But, the meat lacked flavouring and the sauce was rather sweet.

The only saving grace was the very nice, rustic bread. $47.50 for everything. You be the judge.

PRIVATE DINING: MY NEIGHBOUR'S KITCHEN

I was recently elated to hear that my friend Wilson, had intentions to start cooking for his family and friends on a grander than usual scale.

A close group was invited to suss out his menu yesterday evening.


A collaboration between Wilson and his neighbour, the concept reminded me of a cross between the ambience of PS Cafe at Harding Road during its fledgling days and casual fine dining.

So, Wilson and his wife cooks while his neighbour provides the location and wine pairing.

What you get is honest, home-cooked dishes that surprises you when least expected.

The medley of prawns, butternut squash and that explosive consomme of prawn was nothing short of restaurant quality.

If you are a cod-fan, you would love that oh-so crispy skin of the fish. Basking in a bed of chicken and wolfberry consomme, you would be hard-pressed to find much faults with this well-executed dish.

Fret not too if you are averse to garlic, the bits in the braised beef cheeks dish are actually chopped water chestnuts. A nice touch with the Japanese fried rice.

Unfortunately, this photo was taken after I was done with my portion of the desserts. You get dehydrated strawberries, collagen strawberry jelly, and a literally popping chocolate-coated strawberry which was cleverly infused with those fizzling candy of yonder.

Nevertheless, it is a very good effort for a start. If you want something private, cosy and customisable, you can buzz Wilson at ong.c.wilson@facebook.com for a dinner.

Don't miss the tricycle while you are there ;)

COOCCI: JAPANESE FARE IN A HAWKER CENTRE

Japanese food at hawker centres is not something new. So when this sprouted in Commonwealth Crescent hawker centre, I was intrigued in some ways. 

I had the tori nanban. Essentially a piece of battered fried chicken served on a bed of lettuce and oozing with juices/sauce.

Not too bad. But the portion was small for $6.00. 

Not a die die must try.

3.5/5

OVERHYPED: JAMIE'S ITALIAN

I never really favoured food that requires queuing for hours. Don't get me wrong, I do queue for good food. but not more than 1.5hours.

The last time I queued that long was for Wah Kee at Pek Kio the day before Uncle closed temporarily for his medical condition.

So when names like Tim Ho Wan and Jamie's and their long queues made the news, I knew things were just going to be the same. Hype.

All's good if you lived up to the hype. But not this one.

The food's is selectively good. But some are just 5/10.

You go queue and be the judge. I paid $79.45 for mine. And queued only 10mins on a Saturday afternoon.

4/5

3.5/5

2.5/5

4.25/5

2.5/5