The Great Court Restaurant @ British Museum

When we planned a visit to British Museum on our recent trip to London, knowing fully well that a full day is a must for any museum visit, I planned our lunch to be on same venue. It was a delight to find the Great Court restaurant serving full course and not just a simple canteen/café.

Made the online reservation as not knowing whether it would be full for lunch, turned out, it was not a full house; yet numbers of patrons occupied half part of the restaurant.

Décor is simple in neutral tone; the natural light coming through the magnificent ceiling though not right under it, still gives that airy feel to the whole area.

Service was quite alright, attentive in asking our drink and order, very accommodating when asked for a change of table. There were one or two times when we couldn’t get their attention as they were standing at far end but it was still acceptable.

Food selection was quite good, not very elaborate and not too concise too, just good for this scale of restaurant. Food served quite promptly and it was fresh and decent.

Due to temptation of ground floor café, we had indulged its carrot cake and tea before lunch, resulting in just main courses to order at the restaurant.

Beside the open concept cafés available on the ground floor, I would highly suggest to try Great Court restaurant in you plan on having lunch during your museum visit.  

The magnificent rooftop of British Museum 

A bit of Victorian style dinnerware 

 

Orange Juice with Ginger and Herbal Extract..Still taste the Orange Juice 

Part of the magnificent rooftop near our table 

Drinks Prep area 

Overall look of the dining area. A very good idea of having magazine and newspaper holder railing

 

The entrance 

Ordered main course of Sirloin Steak, French Fries, Peppercorn and Paprika Butter

This butter combo was really good 

 Iberico pork, grilled courgette tomato, watercress & smoked almonds

 Fresh and beautifully presented 

The Great Court Restaurant

British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG
Tel : +44 (0)20 7323 8990

http://www.britishmuseum.org/visiting/eating/great_court_restaurant.aspx

Opening times

Lunch : Daily between 11.30–15.00

Afternoon tea : Daily between 15.00–17.30
Dinner : Fridays between 17.30–20.30

Crab In Da Bag @ East Coast

At first, I was curious when reading what the fuss about another seafood restaurant in East Coast until I read it further and saw some pictures on how it was served. I would said it was intriguing.

Few weeks later, I found out that there are more restaurants popping up and offering similar dish and serving style which was on plastic covered table and they poured the whole pot on top of it where you eat it with your bare hands and no plates necessary.

I thought best bet to try was to visit Crab in Da Bag as the original initiator of this serving style.

Read some unfavourable review on its service but so glad it wasn't as bad as what past reviews mentioned, perhaps they had improved since then.

The menu certainly more favourable for choosing the Big Pot, the Caboodle Boil, instead of ala carte items and we did just that. No other side orders and other ala carte item.

Interesting to see how the table lined up with good quality plastic and bibs were provided for each diner.

We had quite some waiting time, perhaps around 30 mins or so before the whole pot came. It was advisable for everyone to stand back for a while when the whole pot was being poured out.

It certainly a seafood or shall I say, a crab galore for seafood lovers; it also came with boiled potatoes, onions and corns which were tasty and lemons wedges to neutralize the seafood smell.

The seafood taste itself were alright, I personally didn't feel it was great and made me want to return for 2nd time.

There were 3 dipping sauces provided with Malaysian sambal as the favourite among us but overall, all 3 sauces tasted great.

Service could be felt a bit slow but perhaps it was due to shortage (?) but they were polite and friendly.

Décor is very nautical kitschy theme and as always, you can always expect to see a TV in this type of family/group restaurants.

Simple Menu

Simple table setting with provided bibs

Main entrance and overall nautical décor



The TV sets

Drinking Prep area

After being poured on table

These sides of corns, onions and potatoes were tasty

Succulent seafood

More yabbies than prawns

The 3 sauces of green chillies, lemon garlicky, Malaysian sambal which all were tasty

 

 

Crab in Da Bag

Block D Unit #01-25
902 East Coast Parkway. Big Splash Singapore 449874
Tel: +65 6440 0083

 

http://crabindabag.com/

 

Opening hours:

Closes on Monday

Tue - Friday from 4 pm to 11 pm

Sat and Sun from 12 pm to 11 pm

Forlino - Dining By the Bay

When I read that Forlino chef is a Japanese chef and this is an Italian restaurant, it immediately piqued my interest.

Going to Forlino was like going through maze if you came from Fullerton by The Bay hotel side but it wasn't hard to follow the clear directions. I must say, it build up your anticipation and it will not disappoint you either once you reach the restaurant.

The black & white tiles with its pastel mint wall colours greeted you once you were up the upper floor by going up a staircase from the reception counter (the journey certainly continued) Passing the modern lounge setting facing opposite the Fullerton Hotel will awe you and you kinda know how the tone of this restaurant.

Walking into dining area with its beautiful chandeliers and full height window to MBS view was just astounding. Everything is carefully planned; the arty steel partition between tables, the table setting and what some restaurants still lacking here (and what you encounter often in Japan) is the 'Handbag' stool. It just another thoughtful gesture from Forlino and indeed, it shows the Japanese touch in this restaurant. True to behold; not long after, the patrons coming to Forlino were mostly Japanese for that night.

Our waiting staff were excellent; her friendly demeanor from a start promised a good evening for us and it was. She definitely knowledgeable which wine to suggest for our dish and promptly able to accommodate my query if I didn't wish for Foei Gras on my meal.

The meal was excellent; it was still true to Italian cuisine but with some refined techniques and skills infused to these dishes; attention to every detail on its presentation and most importantly the taste were excellent.

All in all, it was a lovely evening in a romantic ambience with great service and food, not to mention a view to boot; we just can't found any fault with Forlino.

I would highly suggest Forlino for a special dinner or occasion; combining Italian cuisine and Japanese chef are a must try dining experience.

Hallway to lounge and dining area

 

The bar

 

Chic lounge

 

Attention to detail

 

Looking at you to sit here

 

 Or here

 

The wall ornate not to be missed

 

Chef Kentaro Torii

 

 

 

View to MBS

 

The handbag stool

The artsy steel partitions to admire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Entrance to their private restroom

Adorable wall decoration

Beehive shaped tiles

 

Leather bound menu

 

 

Starting out with a glass of Chianti Red Wine

 Duet of Angus Beef

Braised short rib Brasato and Tenderloin Rossini 'Foie Gras' (I requested for it to be changed), Marsala Wine Sauce, Ricotta Spinach Raviolone

I had extra Raviolone replacing the Foei Gras

The beef was very tender and juicy; the combination of Marsala worked very well

Spinach Raviolone

Another thumb-up; it may seemed a humble item but it was made very well; it was soft yet firm and the spinach melted nicely in your mouth

 

Orata

Grilled Fillet of Sea Bream Amalfi Lemon Anchovy Sauce, Baby veggie, Panchino Tomato Confit

 

The fish was grilled to perfection and the lemon anchovy sauce complimenting it very well

Coconut Panna Cotta

Pineapple Confit, Moscato Jelly, Passion Fruit

Glad we skipped the starter in favour to have dessert as it was delish.

Never thought I would love Passion Fruit but combined with this coconut panna cotta and the pineapple; it was superb

And we loved every detail put into the presentation 

Warm Chocolate Fondant

Gianduja Lava, Vanilla Gelato

It may sounded simple but believed me; this chocolate fondant was excellent

 

Forlino Dining by the Bay
1 Fullerton Road
One Fullerton
#02-06
Singapore 049213
Tel: (65) 6690-7564

Opens Daily
Lunch: 12PM to 2.30PM
Dinner: 6.30PM to 10.30PM

 

Wrap & Roll @ ION Orchard

When I walk toward the restaurants corner at B3 level at ION Orchard, I am always discouraged by the waiting crowd flocking in front of Imperial Jade restaurant. It was one of the reason why I never noticed Wrap & Roll outlet which adjacent to it.

Judging by the name, I thought it was like a fast food style sandwich/roll which even more discouraging. Luckily, they distributed their marketing flyer which made me aware that they do offer Pho Bo and rice dishes too.

Turned out, the seating capacity at Wrap & Roll is bigger than expected which applies to its menu too.

The concept of wrap and rolls applies to either using rice paper or lettuce to wrap around selection of proteins and add on with few garnishes.

It was quite tempting to try few different wrap and roll dishes but due to ordering of Pho Bo and rice dish; we limited ourselves to one selection which I chose due to my personal fave, their fried spring roll.

Bad thing about choosing fried spring roll was the idea of using lettuce around it, which not really convenient and slightly messy if you try to add on garnishes.

Food wise, it was good and it presented an interesting concept on their wrap and roll dishes.

Service was prompt and fair but they were a bit shorthanded, understandable though due to our lack of manpower in this industry at this moment.

Décor is simple with bright wall colour added with few Vietnamese touches.

Would love to return here and try different dishes; it is such a refreshing option to have your meal at ION or Orchard Road area.

Menu 

Thumbs-up for sustainability of local produce 

 Simple yet functional

 Ceiling lights inspired by Vietnamese Hats

 Subtle Vietnamese touches

Table setting 

Steps on doing your Wrap & Roll 

Beef Pho Bo 

I wish (should try to ask next time) for more beansprouts...

Overall, it was a good Pho; though, meat slices were a bit tough but quite alright 

Vietnamese style Ice Coffee 

Chrysanthemum Ice Tea

The flower flavor was quite strong; not used to it

 Fried Spring Roll as Wrap & Roll selection

It was every bit how fried spring roll should be with the sweet sauce to dip in 

Lettuce, mint leaves, rice noodle and carrots as its garnishes

The spicy Vietnamese Yellow Chili 

Upon exiting, saw these wall decors 

Entrance  

One of the wall display at entrance 

Wrap & Roll
ION Orchard 2 Orchard Turn, #B3-19,
Singapore 238801
Tel: (65) 6509 1555

http://www.wrap-roll.com.sg/

Opens daily from 10 am to 10 pm