Mariners' Corner Restaurant & Steak House : Oxtail Stew is a must-try

Time has come to a standstill at this decades-old steak house. It opened in 1984 and is serving traditional Anglo-Hainanese cuisine. This is one of the remaining, the others are the Ship Restaurant and Shashlik Restaurant, in an ambience that reminiscent of the popular steakhouses from late 1970. There are posters of James Dean and Elvis Presley on their wall to bring you back to the yesteryear and a perfect trip down memory lane.

If you are there, look out for their daily set lunches which are available on the weekdays and weekends. The prices are different, though, it is slightly more expensive on the weekends. The set lunches for the weekends include their signature Hainanese Oxtail Stew ($18.50) and Sirloin Steak with Black Pepper Sauce ($18.50) which I ordered. Each set includes Soup of the Day, Garlic Bread, Today's Dessert with Coffee or Tea and also free-flow from the Salad Bar.

The choices though limited but it tasted fresh at the old-fashioned salad bar that resembled the one at Ponderosa. 

The Soup of the Day was Cream of Chicken Soup served along with a piece of garlic bread. The croutons were from the Salad Bar. 

Their signature Hainanese Oxtail Stew was served in a claypot, which helped to keep its warm till the last bit. It came with quite a few chunks of tail meat in the braising sauce that was slowly cooked to the desired consistency. This rich, oozy oxtail stew is a classic comfy food, it is filling and also delicious. It is as good as the one that is served by Shashlik Restaurant and is better than Werner's Oven.

It was served with mashed potato and poached vegetables. The mashed potato did not have much of the buttery taste, it was a bit plain if eaten on its own and it did not go too well with the stew. I would rather that they serve it with garlic bread. 

Sirloin Steak with Black Pepper Sauce was served on an old-school hotplate that you do not get to see it often these days. The nicely grilled Sirloin Steak was placed on a pile of shredded onion, served with potato wedges and poached long beans with carrots. There is an option to add a piece of baked potato for $1.50.

Coffee or Tea is included in the set and it was served along with a piece of butter cake. The butter cake has an old-school taste, like those that homemade by our mothers or even grandmothers, it was slightly dry but with a nice eggy taste. 

This is a place for a good lunch or dinner, it is hearty, warm and no-frill.

MARINERS' CORNER RESTAURANT & STEAK HOUSE

120 Cantonment Road #01-02 SINGAPORE 089760

Operating Hours: 8.15 am to 10.15 am /11.30 am to 3.00 pm / 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)

grit at Pek Kio : the better Western food stall

This is a western food stall started by a next generation hawker, Kieranne Chin with his business partners, Jeremy and Sargu at Pek Kio Food Centre. Kieranne has a degree in Banking & Finance, prior to starting this stall, he has worked for a few restaurants in Singapore and also in New York. They started in October and has been around for slightly more than 2 months. Other than the usual hawker western fare, their menu also includes Skillet Roasted Chicken, Skirt Beef Steak as well as pasta dishes like Mushroom Carbonara serving with Onsen Egg.

I went on last Sunday but they were closed, they left a notice pasted on their shutter but did not mention anything on their Facebook page, a wasted trip then. I went again on Friday for dinner and they were in operation this time. I was attended by Sargu. While browsing the menu board and could not quite decide what to order, he asked, "Spoilt for choice ah?" I decided to go with Fried Chicken Burger at $7.00. Then, i said, "What do you recommend for steak". He suggested Skirt Steak or Picanha (rump cap) and both are priced at $14.00. And, i asked, "What is the difference between both?". He said, "The Picanha is fattier and it is more flavorful". I went with Picanha as recommended. I paid $21.00 for both. I was asked, "Where do you seat?". I pointed to a table near the stall.

I waited for about 15 minutes, Sargu came over and asked, "Do you want your Fried Chicken Burger to be served first or both dishes at the same time?" He also asked, "How do you want the beef to be done?", which i replied, "Medium" and "Please serve the Fried Chicken Burger first". I waited for another 10 minutes before receiving the Fried Chicken Burger, Sargu said, "the Picanha is on the way". It was served 5 minutes later. 

Fried Chicken Burger consists of 2 pieces of nicely fried chicken as patties, garnished with a portion of coleslaw and sandwiched in between the lightly toasted buns together with a generous amount of cheese fries. I was telling my companion that i am even willing to pay upto $9 for such a set so pricing at just $7 is quite a steal.

Next up is Picanha. What is a Picanha? It is actually a cut of beef called rump cap and also referred to as sirlion cap, rump cover and coulotte, a triangular cut from the top of the rump region of the cow, it has a beautiful layer of fat. And, the blanket of fat lends the meat flavor and juiciness while protecting it from over-cooked during grilling.

It was served nicely cut up on a bed of mashed potato. Apparently, i did not like it as much as i would expected to be. The cut was a little too fattier and its texture was a bit too chewier to my liking, it actually required a great amount of efforts and time just to chew it well. I will just order the Skirt Steak next time.

I will be also interested to try their Fried Chicken Cutlet or Chicken Chop that is also serving with the delicious mashed potato that left quite an impression. It was smooth, soft and nicely flavored, it is easily one of the better ones that i ever tried. This alone, is a good reason to come back. 

grit at Pek Kio

41A Cambridge Road #01-45 Pek Kio Food Centre SINGAPORE 211041

Operating Hours: 5.30 pm to 8.00 pm (Tue to Fri) / 7.30 am to 8.00 pm (Sat)

7.30 am to 2.30 pm (Sun) (Closed on Mondays)

The Carving Board : Good Quality Western Food

It was listed in my article that published on MAKANSUTRA as one of the noteworthy western hawker stalls in Singapore. 

We came early this time, we were there slightly before 5 pm and did not quite expect them to be already ready then. I ended up waited for close to 1 hour to order during my last visit when i came around 6.30 pm. We were their first batch of customers of the day this time. We were presented with the menu to go through, most of the items on there are about the same but they are no longer serving Chicken Chop, which has been my usual favorite. 

I decided to order Mix Grill to share. I was asked whether i want the Premium Mix Grill for $22.00 which included a piece of lamb or the Mix Grill at $19.00 which includes the sausage instead, both are served with a choice of side dish. I have also ordered their signature Curry Pork Burger which serves with a portion of fries as well as Grilled Chicken Leg that is served along with fries and garden salad. 

Mix Grill ($22.00) consists of garlic bread and garden salad with perfectly grilled beef, chicken and lamb and potato salad as side with rosemary sauce.

Curry Pork Burger ($9.50) which consists of a piece of pork patty with a pineapple ring, bacon, tomato and lettuce on toasted buns then garnished with curry mayo sauce.

Grilled Chicken Leg ($8.50) was nicely char-grilled to a ideal tenderness serving with a good portion of fries and garden salad.

Please take note that they are currently undergoing renovation and will only be back on 21 June 2015 (Tuesday).

THE CARVING BOARD

Block 252 Jurong East Street 24 #01-107 SINGAPORE 600252

Operating Hours: 5.00 pm to 10.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Ministry of Ribs in Ang Mo Kio

Ministry of Ribs is now in Ang Mo Kio, nestled in the coffee shop right next to Courts, just a stone's throw from AMK Hub and within walking distance from Ang Mo Kio MRT and bus interchange. This is their newest outlet after they were forced to close down their stall at the coffee shop in Dover Crescent. This is definitely a good news for the those staying in the northern part of Singapore particularly those in Ang Mo Kio. Their main branch is a cafe in Pandan Garden. I have even featured them in my article on MAKANSUTRA as one of the 5 noteworthy western food stalls in Singapore.

When i was there for dinner, the stall was manned by Kleiser Lee, the owner with an assistant and a lady with a kid worn in a baby carrier at the counter taking orders and collecting payments. Though not as crowded as expected but there was a steady flow of customers. 

I ordered their signature Ministry Burger is serving at an unbeatable price of $14.90. It consists of a thick piece of handmade beef patty with a big chunk of fried battered onions together with 2 slices of bacon and cheese with a side dish of your choice.

Another order was Ribeye Steak (200 grams) with 2 side dishes at $15.90. It was nicely done at just the right doneness to a desired tenderness with a nice smoky flavor. I decided to have Potato Salad and Coleslaw as side dishes and both tasted fresh and refreshing. I would think much better than what i tasted over at their now-defunct stall at Dover Crescent.

I will definitely be there often as this new outlet is really near to where i stay.

MINISTRY OF RIBS

. Block 727 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 #01-4236 Singapore 560727

Block 416 Pandan Garden #01-125 Singapore 600416

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

NOTE: This outlet in Ang Mo Kio has already closed.

Outback Steakhouse Singapore

It was my first visit to Outback Steakhouse for lunch. We decided to go with Outback Special ($22.90), Chicken Fried Chicken ($12.90) amongst the other choices of set lunches. The set lunch includes a Soup of the Day and a Soda drink. Our order included a Typhoon Bloom ($14.90).

The complementary freshly baked Honey Whole Wheat Boston Bread served first with their homemade buttermilk butter. It was soft within but slightly crisp on the outside. 

The Soup of the Day is a tomato based soup, the texture was rather thick and creamy.

The Typhoon Bloom is hand-cut, fresh onion strings dusted with their unique seasonings then stacked high and fried to a nice crisp. It is then served with mayonnaise horseradish dipping sauce. 

Outback Special consists of their signature sirloin nicely seasoned with spices and pan seared to just the right texture. It serves with a single choice of side. The doneness was just right but it still did not taste as good as it expected to be. Well, it might has something to do with my expectations. 

And, Chicken Fried Chicken consists of a piece of hand-breaded and nicely fried to a crisp texture then topped with classic white gravy and served with mashed potatoes. 

The set lunches are value for money and i am likely to come back for the others.

OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE

9 Raffles Boulevard #01-114 Millenia Walk SINGAPORE 039596