Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill @ The Star Vista, Singapore

Nestled at a lovely corner at The Star Vista, Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill is a casual, home-style Italian restaurant that serves more-than-decent Italian cuisine  (duh). On top of their branches at China Square and Riverwalk, the outlet at Buona Vista features a contemporary setting with sleek wooden furniture and an Italian-inspired wall mural. There is also a nice alfresco dining place - a relaxing ambience for chilling out at night.

Pies & Coffee @ Rochester Mall, Singapore

Having been to Pies & Coffee a couple of times, I thought, why not do a damn review about this place already. Located at the vicinity of Rochester Mall, Pies & Coffee is a modern, stylish cafe which seats up to 80-persons, offering diners a choice of indoor and al-fresco style dining amidst the greenery and water features. Given the luxury of space, it is no wonder why it is a favourite spot for students, who sipped on their frappe while mugging for assignments and examinations. That is, including myself.

At Pies & Coffee, there are two obvious highlights - pies and coffees, which one could simply admire in full-view at their counter display. It is not easy though, as anyone would be spoilt for choices. Besides that, they do serve all-day breakfast as well, such as Smoked Salmon Stack - a glorious combination of toasted bagel, stacked with truffle mashed potatoes, velvety scrambled eggs, peas, mushroom, and finally topped with smoked salmon. This dish is completed with a side salad. Who would mind waking up to this beautiful breakfast everyday? Well, definitely not me.

Cali Cafe @ Park Avenue Rochester Hotel, Singapore

On the constant hunt of brunch places, we recently discovered Cali Cafe on some websites coupled with deals. Although it is located within a stone's throw from my residence, this casual American cafe somehow managed to hid under our "foodie-radar". And so on a beautiful Saturday morning, we decided to give it a try out. Nestled within Park Avenue Rochester in Buona Vista, Cali Cafe prides itself in healthy dining and whips out all-day brunch and popular food choices in California, such as Steak and Fries, and Baby Back Ribs. 

Well, we settled down and had our drinks served to us shortly. Food came before we even warmed our seats. While girlfriend had their famous All-Day BDBH (S$18.60), also known as the "best darn breakfast on the hill", which consists of a wide spread of breakfast necessities - toasted bread, bratwurst sausage, baked potato , side salad and a personal choice of  eggs (scrambled or sunny side-up), and crispy bacon or honey ham.

1 Caramel Patisserie Dessert Boutique @ Rochester Park, Singapore

Located amidst the tranquil of Rochester Park, 1 Caramel which is opened by the 1 Rochester Group is a place not to be missed if you are an avid brunch or dessert lover. Surrounded in the lush greeneries, there is an option for al-fresco dining, but since it was a hot Monday afternoon, I figured out that the cosy, air-conditioned indoors was a better choice for us. But again, I bet that outdoors are perfect for a weekend buddies night-out, or perhaps, savouring a meal with the accompany of live music.

Morganfield's @ The Star Vista, Singapore

By now, The Star Vista should be no stranger to all, especially for like-minded foodies out there - this notable, award-winning architectural landmark houses more restaurants and cafes than its size could hold. For myself, I have been making frequent trips to this particular mall trying out different eateries (it's nearby my apartment, so why not?), such as Watami, Itacho, Boston Seafood Shack and my favourite so far - District 10. Hence, when my colleagues suggested The Star Vista for boss's farewell lunch, I immediately recommended Morganfield's, and oh well, the reason is none other than I wanted to give them a try.

Situated comfortably at the edge of the mall's second storey, Morganfield's serves a wide array of American -style fare in both indoor and al-fresco dining concepts. Their signature Sticky Bones - authentic old-fashioned barbequed pork ribs have made quite a name for itself, so here we go!

Boston Seafood Shack @ The Star Vista, Singapore

Boston Seafood Shack is another venture by Creative EATeries, an attempt to replicate the vibrant and lively atmosphere of Boston's harbour, while aiming to serve hearty flavours at affordable prices. With "seafood shack" as a design theme, the natural-lighted Boston Seafood Shack is equipped with a variety of colourful beachside props, such as anchors and nets with fishes hanging everywhere.

There is a reason why service charge is waived in Boston Seafood Shack. Since it is a more of a fast-food restaurant, diners have to queue up to make purchases which after you have to collect the food and utensils yourself.

District 10 Bar Tapas Restaurant @ The Star Vista, Singapore

To be honest, thinking about what's for dinner on Valentine's day is quite a fortunate pain in the ass, unless settling for a romantic candlelight, home-cooked dinner at home. I am pretty sure that most couples, especially the male counterpart would nod profusely to this statement, and I did mention "fortunate" as you know, we should give thanks for our significant other.

District 10 Bar Tapas Restaurant, located at The Star Vista, was chosen as the venue for our Valentine's day dinner. The newly opened branch became the latest addition to the Bonta Group of Restaurants, offering an inviting haven for people from all walks of life to chill out amidst their relaxing and laid-back atmosphere. Interesting enough, I found out that there is a "Smash your Stress" booth to vent your frustrations by smashing your glass bottles on an iPad with your nemesis's face on it. But since it's Valentine's day, I decided to show mercy and let girlfriend off (nah, just kidding.)

District 10 had a Valentine's day promotion (which lasted till 17 Feb), but we chose to try out the other ala-carte food items instead. Duck and Mango Salad (S$16.00) proved to be an worthy appetizer, with shredded duck, diced mangoes and walnut bits scattered on the heap of greens. Personally, I love how walnuts bring life out of the fresh greens. Oh, if you're looking for something lighter, District 10 Salad might be the choice for ya.

Small bites are something not to be missed at District 10. With a wide variety of more than 30 of tapas and pinchos, one might just get a migraine from choosing what your belly could fit in. If you are wondering why the name "pinchos" (which meant spike in Spanish), it actually meant tapas (snack in Spanish) that is skewered with a piece of bread, typically by using a toothpick, and paired with a glass of icy cold beer Interesting eh?

Aside from their signature spiked meat-on-a-bread, we had Sauteed Garlic Prawns with Olive Oil (S$12.00) - a delightful bar snack, which consisted of succulent prawns drenched in an abundance of garlicky flavor. Oh, what more can I asked for?

The menu offers a variety of traditional dishes, namely "Pizza with Portobello Mushroom and White Truffle Oil" and "Jumbo Crab Meat Linguine", as well as creative fusions, like the Wagyu Beef Cheek Rendang Pizza (S$28.00). The combination of braised Indonesian beef rendang together with the Italian staple was unique, amazing and definitely a winner. If only there were more garnishes or perhaps, rendang sauce spread across the whole pizza. Yum.

Complete the dinner with Warm Chocolate Cake (S$14.00) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Sadly, it was not oozing with molten chocolate, but it was still soft-centered with a slightly hardened crust. Despite so, the price for the dessert was rather steep.

Service-wise could be beefed up a few levels, as they were pretty unresponsive and slow, however District 10 Bar Tapas Restaurant left us with an overall good impression. Would definitely visit again when I have the chance.

District 10 Bar Tapas Restaurant

Tel: +65 6694 2884

Opening Hours 

11:30am – 3pm, 6pm-11pm (Mon-Thurs), 

11:30am-3pm, 6pm-1am (Fri), 

11am-3pm, 6pm-1am (Sat), 

11am-6pm, 6pm-11pm (Sun) 

1 Vista Exchange Green, 

#01-42/K3

The Star Vista 

Watami Casual Japanese Restaurant @ The Star Vista, Singapore

Bromance buddies and fellow girlfriends had another dinner meet-up recently at The Star Vista, this time round being my second trip to this newly-opened mall at Buona Vista. The shops are pretty much opened for business, so if you have not stepped foot in here, why not plan a dinner outing and chill out with your family or friends? Eateries are in abundance in The Star Vista and they even boast about "The Star Performance Arts Centre" which includes a 5,000 seat auditorium equipped with the state of art technology, outdoor amphitheatre and even a private rooftop garden.

Check out my food review on Itacho Sushi.

After an hour long queue at approximately 8.20pm, only then we were seated into the restaurant. I understand that it was a Friday night and that queues would be more or less unavoidable, but the management could have been better and it is clear that they were shorthanded - seats were empty with used dishes and cutleries from the previous diners piling up on the table.

Kushi Moriawase (S$13.80) - assorted array of finely grilled skewers which consist of chicken thigh meat, two sticks of nankotsu (chicken cartilage) with chicken breast, bacon-wrapped mushroom and spring onions. My favourite amongst all is the nankotsu. Bite into the lightly marinated breast meat and soft crunch of the bone - Yummy! The other various skewers fared normally, as I would prefer them to be slightly more glazed and robust in flavours, such as Shin Kushiya's.

I recommend the Tonpeiyaki (S$8.80), pork belly and cabbage wrapped in omelette-style drizzled with cheese, mayonaise and sweet sauce. The complex combination of so many flavours and textures was just simply mouth-watering and delectable. Anyway, this dish reminded me of tako balls (maybe because of the similar garnishes).

Watami has this deluxe set meal for 4 (S$129.00), which includes a variety of food items, such as appetizers, salads, sashimis and side dishes. For more information, please click here. 

Sashimi Mori 3 - three kinds of assorted sashmi consisting of shrimp, salmon and scallop. The shrimp meat brings along a sweet distinctive taste with a soft chewy crunch, however the salmon and scallop was not fresh with a slightly slimy texture.

Irodori Chirashi Sushi - warm Japanese rice topped up with freshly diced assorted sashimi, seaweed, refreshing cucumber strips and crunchy roes. Personally I do not like the idea of having ginger and wasabi in my sashimi-don, so I took them out. Beautiful combination of colours, flavours and textures.

Chicken Katsu Tamago Toji - chicken cutlet with scrambled egg sauce is delicious as well. The batter was nicely crisped, while the interior remained succulent and juicy with the right amount of fat to meat ratio. Dip into the sweet egg sauce to enjoy a bite of heaven.

Tempura Moriawase - deep fried prawns and assorted vegetables were nicely fried, unlike Itacho's.

Sukiyaki Nabe fared normally, with nothing much to rave about.

Wafu Touban Steak was my favourite amongst the food items. The lightly-seasoned beef was tender with a nice thin layer of fat. I love it when you can DIY the steak and cook it to your preferred doneness. It also comes with two types of sauces - sweet and soy sauce, but one could definitely eat them wholely by itself.

Generally a nice place to have your weekly makan sessions with your family or friends.

Just a friendly tip - arrive early and skip the dinner crowds, you surely do not want to spend an hour queueing up. But if you happened to stuck in the queue, why not get some Taiwanese desserts from next door first?

Watami Casual Japanese Restaurant

Tel: 6694 3643

Opening Hours
Daily: 11.30am - 10pm

#02-16
1 Vista Exchange Green

The Star Vista

Itacho Sushi @ The Star Vista, Singapore

Located at the basement of a newly-opened and award-winning architectural landmark "The Star Vista", Itacho Sushi is one of the restaurants that one can hardly missed with its distinct Japanese set-up and ambience. My friends have been raving about this particular sushi restaurant, so when I had the chance to visit The Star Vista a few weeks back, I decided to have my virgin experience at Itacho.

They were having this yellowtail festival promotion back then, so we ordered one each for the four of us. It comes in five assorted topping - Original, Sea Salt, Citrus Junos Sauce, Black Truffle Sauce and Black Truffle Oil, which comes at a steal at S$1.90 each. I had the yellowtail sashimi paired up with the black truffle sauce, it melts slightly in contact with the mouth and tasted smooth with a less chewy texture. The truffle sauce tasted quite "earthy" with a faint floral touch.

Six sushis when we ordered four. We returned the two that we did not ordered.

Next up, we ordered some individual sushis to our own preferences - Roasted Duck Breast (S$1.50), Roasted Squid Leg (S$1.20) and Crab Stick (price unavailable). Tasted decent but the roasted duck was good.

Salmon Lobster Salad Roll (S$3.60) ganished with spring onions was decent as well, however I barely tasted the lobster as the salmon taste was too overpowering. Another downside was that this sushi was too filmsy - it breaks apart too easily.

Shrimp Spring Roll (S$3.00 for 3pc) was disappointing. Cold, hard and tasteless. The mayonaise sauce helps little in saving this dish.

We also had the Whole Sea Eel (S$6.50). It is slightly different than your usual unagi sushi, this sea eel has a softer and less chewier texture, and tasted less oily as well. My father likes it hence we ordered another after wolfing down this piece.

Deep fried Shrimp Gyoza (S$2.40) and tempura (which comes with a bowl of udon) were both dissatifying. Gyoza tasted cold and the meat fillings was one of the lesser ones I have ever seen. I was then wondering if this dishes were rejected or done wrongly, and now being re-served to our table.

The tempura on the other hand was done half-heartedly as well. The batter was over-fried and the eggplant tempura was done up wrongly. It should be cut at an angle, not complete vertically.

Curry beef udon was acceptable, with the beef meat and noodles cooked just nicely.

Throughout this dinner, we were waiting for my bowl of beef udon, and despite after 3 to 4 dishes that were being served wrong to our table, they still couldn't get it right. Service lapses, maybe? But 3 to 4 times? The service staff, and even the branch manager apologized and offered us desserts on the house and the beef udon that was not served, free-of-charge. In the end, I just asked for their un-derserving service charge to be waived.

"Itacho" in Japanese means chief chef and this title was awarded to the most sublime position in the restaurant. However, I felt that this outlet falls short. Apart from the few decent dishes, most of the food were purely disappointing, and not worth the bucks. It shouldn't be even called Itacho. I had never been to Itacho Sushi before and the food and service has already left me a bad impression.

Itacho Sushi

#B1-12
1 Vista Exchange Green
The Star Vista