The Bird Southern Table & Bar - Media Tasting

Marina Bay Sands has teamed up with 50 Eggs to unveil its first Asian venture, the James Beard nominated and award-winning Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, operating under the name The Bird Southern Table & Bar. Bringing authentic U.S. Southern cuisine and hospitality, the casual American diner boasts the use of farm-fresh ingredients in all its dishes. The 190-seater two-storey restaurant serves Southern classic dishes, including the famous 100-year-old recipe Lewellyn’s Fine Fried Chicken, Shrimp 'N' Grits, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Butter Lettuce and Grilled Mango Salad.

Inspired by the Southern United States, The Bird incorporates modern-rustic design with industrial touches. The restaurant uses familiar textures and colors signature to its flagship location, including accents of reclaimed wood, recycled machinery parts and mason jars. The open-kitchen concept allows diners to peek at skillful chefs meticulously crafting out dishes using freshest of ingredients.

For this Media tasting, we sampled the "Prix Fixe Menu", a new 3 course set dinner for 2pax (coffee & tea included), for an attractive price of S$65++. The menu consists of 2 appetizers, 1 main course with 2 sides, and one choice of dessert.

While dinner was being prepared in the kitchen, the friendly host served us premium bottled water and Amuse-Bouche (fresh oysters topped with seasoned chopped apples). These were fabulous.

Appetizers

Deviled Eggs
dill, chives, smoked trout roe

Fried Green Tomato BLT
house smoked pork belly, pimento cheese, frisée, smoky tomato jam, lemon vinaigrette

Both were amazing to look at and tasted great too. The Tomato BLT was my fave dish of the day, I loved the smoky flavored and tender pork belly that combines excellently with the fresh crunchy tomato covered in crispy batter. Thumbs up!

Mains & Sides

Chicken ‘n’ Watermelon ‘n’ Waffles
chilled spiced watermelon, vermont sharp cheddar cheese waffle,
bourbon maple syrup, honey hot sauce

Macaroni & Cheese
torchio pasta, five artisan cheeses, crispy herb crust

Classic Buttermilk Biscuits
honey butter, house-made jam

Butter Lettuce & Grilled Mango Salad
char-grilled mango, smoked pecans, tomato, onions, benne seed dressing

The Buttermilk biscuits (not in the set menu) were served as I don't take cheese dishes (the waffles & Mac n' cheese). These are made fresh every 15mins and served hot straight from the kitchen. The Mango salad tasted pretty refreshing, and the gooey Mac & Cheese was well received by my friend who is a fan of everything cheesy.

The star dish of the restaurant, the 100-year-old recipe Lewellyn’s Fine Fried Chicken, brined and marinated for 27 hours before frying in pressurized cooker, ensuring evenly cooked meat without losing its moisture. The chicken skin was super crispy and meat was tender and flavorful, it's delicious. The bourbon maple syrup was fairly potent too, with an evident kick of alcohol taste in it. This was supposed to compliment the savory cheese waffles but I had the buttermilk biscuits with it, I'm quite happy with the combination.

Desserts

Cafè Crème Brûlée
almond orange biscotti, orange gremolata

Banana Pudding
rum soaked banana cake, chantilly cream, fresh bananas, vanilla wafers

We got to try both the desserts. While the Creme brulee was good, I personally prefer the Banana pudding for its light-as-air chantilly cream topping and soft creamy bananas, a sweet conclusion to the 3 course meal. Last but not least, a cuppa coffee to end the enjoyable dinner.

Guests looking for a perfect spot to host intimate events can also choose between a private dining room that can be configured into two rooms for 6 to 10 people, and a 30-seater semi-private dining room.

If you like to chill over drinks after dinner, head to the alfresco bar by the waterfront (upper level) and be spoiled for choice with hand-crafted cocktails such as the Blackberry Bourbon Lemonade and Watermelon Sling.

We had a wonderful evening trying out the Prix Fixe Menu, highlighting the most popular signature dishes from different categories on the Ala carte menu. These dishes, if ordered separately, could cost a bomb, so it makes sense to order the set dinner and pair it with side orders of smaller dishes to complete the meal. Highly recommended for folks who are fans of Southern American cuisine.


The Bird Southern Table & Bar
B1-07, Galleria Level
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

Tel: +65 66889959

Opening Hours

LUNCH
Monday - Friday: 11:00am - 4:00pm

DINNER
Daily: 4:00pm - 11:00pm

DRINKS & LIGHT SNACKS
Thursday - Saturday: 11:00pm - 2:00am

WEEKEND BRUNCH
SAT & SUN: 8:00am - 4:00pm

New Outlet - Whampoa Keng Fish Head Steamboat @Bizhub28 (Media Tasting)

The 15-year-old restaurant brand opens its 3rd outlet at the ground floor coffee shop space at Bizhub28, taking up 3 stalls selling Economic Rice, Fish Slice Soup & Noodle and the signature Whampoa Keng Fish Head Steamboat along with local Zi-Char dishes. Bizhub28 is just a stone's throw away from the Chai Chee and Bedok neighborhood.

Occupying a floor space of approx 450sqm, Whampoa Keng @Bizhub28 offers both outdoor seating (co-sharing with the coffee shop) and its own private air-conditioning dining space located at the adjacent unit. Folks who don't smoke could enjoy their steamy hotpot in aircon comfort.

This new outlet is the only Whampoa Keng’s branch that does not charge GST and 10% service charge. All new Set Lunches are on promotion from Mon - Sat from 11.00am to 3.00pm, on top of value for money All day Set Meals catered for eastern heartland dwellers, particularly the families. If set meals ain't your thing, there's always the Ala carte menu that offers a good variety of local delights.

Their signature Fish Head Steamboat comes with 3 choices of fish, Red Grouper, Bucket Pomfret and Bardan Fish Slices. Prices are as follows:

Red Grouper
$40 (1-2pax)
$50 (3-4pax)
$60 (5-7pax)
$70 (8pax++)

Bucket Pomfret
$45 (1-2pax)
$60 (3-4pax)
$75 (5-7pax)
$90 (8pax++)

Bardan Fish Slices
$35 (1-2pax)
$45 (3-4pax)
$55 (5-7pax)
$65 (8pax++)

For this tasting session, we sampled the Red Grouper Steamboat for 8pax. The traditional charcoal heated steamboat contains lusciously milky fish broth (brewed for many hours) with thick chunks of fish meat, fried yam pieces, dried seaweed and assorted veggies. The soup base was sweet and fish meat was extremely fresh and tasty. This dish is a must order here 👍👍👍👍

The host, Mr. Louis, also served us some of their signature dishes from their Zi-Char menu. Many of them were well executed, a delight to enjoy with groups of friends and family. The dishes we had were (in order of appearance):

Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs w/ Crispy Cod Fish Strips 👍👍👍👍

$15(S) $20(M) $25(L)

Prawn Paste Chicken Wings 👍👍👍

$10(S) $15(M) $20(L)

Sambal Sotong Nyonya Style 👍👍👍👍👍

$15(S) $20(M) $25(L)

Salted Egg Yolk Prawns 👍👍👍

$20(S) $30(M) $40(L)

Seasonal Vegetables w/ Scallops 👍👍👍

$22(S) $28(M) $34(L)

Special Food Street Tofu 👍👍👍
Market price

We particularly loved the Sambal Sotong dish, the spicy nyonya sambal sauce was pure shiokness 👍👍👍, best eaten with white rice! The succulent Pork Ribs topped with crispy fish strips had wow factor too. Do note that the above dish presentations are for photography purposes only, regular customers can still enjoy the same great tastes without the fanciful plating.

Looking forward, the family-run business is considering opening new restaurants in the North-east region of Singapore. They are also in talks with potential partners from overseas on possible expansion plans beyond our shores. Franchising strategy is also in the cards for their long term business growth and development. We wish them all the best!

Once again, thank you Whampoa Keng for the delicious and hearty meal, and TheAsiaMedia Pte Ltd for arranging this fab tasting session.

Whampoa Keng @Bizhub 28
28 Senang Cresent Bizhub28 Singapore 41660
Tel: 63863228

Hours
Mon - Fri, 11.00am - 3.00pm, 5.00pm to 11.00pm
Sat/Sun/PH: 11.00am - 11.00pm

Other outlets

Whampoa Keng @Balestier
556 Balestier Road, Singapore 329872
Tel: 63567371

Whampoa Keng @Rangoon
116/118 Rangoon Road, Singapore 218396
Tel: 62968843

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WhampoakengSteamboat/

New Mother's Day Dim Sum Menu @Yum Cha Restaurant

Tagged along Wendy who was invited by Yum Cha Restaurant for Media tasting. They are launching 3 new dim sum items for the upcoming Mother's Day 2016 menu, and also taking the opportunity to showcase some of their specialty Chinese dishes on top of their popular dim sum items.

The 20yr old restaurant is located a stone throw away from the Chinatown MRT. From Exit A, take a short walk on Pagoda street and turn right at the junction to Trengganu Street. It's a mere 5mins on foot to get there.

The restaurant is located on level 2 of the Jinshan Hotel building, guests can take a lift up or an escalator on the left from the entrance. Look out for the Teapot sign!

The nostalgic Chinese Tea house settings, with vintage 1930s style paintings adorning the wall. We were given some Press release materials, the delivery menu and dining vouchers.

To start things off, we were presented with two new savory dim sum dishes for Mother's Day menu. The Braised Pork w/ Preserved Vegetables Bun 梅菜扣肉包 $2.00/pc and the Pan-fried Salted Fish Bun 香煎咸鱼包 $5.00/3pcs.

The braised pork buns are made into smaller bite sizes for easier consumption with chopsticks, no need to get your hands dirty like eating the classic Kong Bak Bao. The pork belly within the bun was braised till very soft but a little lacking in 梅菜 flavor, nevertheless it's a tasty dish.

The salted fish bun is a rare find in SG, a traditional Guangdong dish that was a noted favorite street food of Kangxi emperor from Qing dynasty. The minced pork fillings had hints of salted fish taste that wasn't too salty, quite nice actually but most of us felt that the bun was a tad too thick, a thinner skin with more meat fillings would've been better.

The 3rd new item on the Mother's Day menu was a dessert item which will be served last. We shall sample some of Yum Cha's most popular dishes prior to having desserts.

Steamed Fish Maw w/ Shrimp Paste $4.80/3pcs

Scallop Pea-Shoot Dumpling $4.60/3pcs

Prawn & Mango Sesame Fritters $4.20/3pcs

Pumpkin Yam Golden Cake $4.20/3pcs

Out of these 4 dim sum dishes, most were extremely delicious with the exception of the Pumpkin Yam Golden Cake which was over-fried till too dry and hard.

We also tried a couple of ala carte main dishes. Many of them scored in the looks department.

Salted Egg Prawns $23(small)

Black pepper beef w/ Lotus root

7 Flavors Crispy Tofu

Stir fried Mee sua w/ assorted Seafood $14(small)

Some hits and misses in terms of taste though. We liked the beef and the longevity noodles which were nicely executed, while the tofu dish has no wow factor, and the pretty looking prawns lacks salted egg flavor (tasted more garlicky instead).

Lastly, we ended the dinner with the anticipated 3rd Mother's Day special, Almond Tarts 杏仁挞 $3.20/3pcs and the flowy Custard Buns $4.50/3pcs. The flaky almond tarts had intense almond aroma, nice. The custard buns were decent too.

We enjoyed the food here at Yum Cha, reasonably priced with fine taste and quality. A great choice to bring your folks here for Mother's Day celebration and other family gatherings. A big thank you to Yum Cha for the delicious feast!

**The 3 new Mother's Day special dim sum will be available from 1 May - 14 May 2016 at both restaurant outlets and also for delivery orders.


Yum Cha Chinatown
20 Trengganu Street (Off Temple Street)
#02-01 Singapore 058479
Reservation Hotline: 6372 1717

Yum Cha Changi
6 Changi Business Park Ave 1 #01-33
UE Bizhub East
Singapore 486017
Reservation Hotline: 6789 1717

http://yumchaexpress.com.sg
www.facebook.com/yumchasg

Candid paparazzi moments...