Dinner at Jones the Grocer

As promised, here is the coveted entry about Jones the Grocer, another great hangout at my favorite haunt - Mandarin Gallery. They have another outlet at Dempsey Hill which is larger, but I love this cosy branch more.

So, the exact address is 333A Orchard Road #04-21 / 23 Mandarin Gallery, Singapore 238897 and the contact number is 6836 6372.

This is a food emporium bakery / cafe concept that is rather popular in Australia and the States - a store selling an assortment of cheese, ham, jars of marmalade, jam etc and yet, providing tables for shoppers to have a meal or drinks. I like the non-fussy, relaxed atmosphere of that place, where one could totally chill out and enjoy hearty food easily in a darkly-lit store filled with goodies on display.

 I have been here several times, a pity I did not take photos of one of my favorite dishes here -Double Cooked Pork Belly - that I'd only gotten to try once, during my first visit. It's ultra-crispy on the outside and the inside is totally soft to the bite. The pork is a little salty, but the overall texture is good, and I love the bits of berries / figs / dates scattered atop the squares of meat. 

 This time, I brought a good friend, Edwin* there for dinner. After we ordered dinner, we were served a bread basket with olive oil on the side for dipping. I love the soft breads, especially the ones with tiny raisins embedded in them. 

We were really here for the Cheese, Fruits and Salami platter (second photo). For this platter, you get to choose a variety of cheese (we chose the conservative Mozzarella, Cheddar and one more with name that eluded my memory), then some Parma Ham and Salami, and some crackers and some dates and figs. It was really delicious - cutting tiny pieces of each and nibbling on them slowly, enjoying the exotic tastes of dairy products and cured meats. It was a little overwhelming at the end of the meal, but nonetheless, extremely satisfactory.

We still had a Chargrilled Lamb Cutlets - somewhat crispy and tasty, without the strong twang of lamb meats. This was a rather good platter of lamb cutlets, and I didn't even need mint jelly to mask the taste. There were smokey hints about the meat, but it was not tough; easy to cut and rather "juicy". It was just a little oily though.

I had a glass of Chianti after the salty meal, to wash down the taste and grease. The wine was sweet and smooth, and I paired it with my all-time favorite here - the Brownie Cheese Cake.

Errrr, yes, as though I haven't had enough cheese for one night! But this is a treasure! A very tasty piece of subtly-cheesy cheesecake, with a smooth (slightly grainy) feel. The brownie atop, and brownie chunks within - make for a great balance of sweetness and saltiness blend. Even the brownie is velvety. For a non-fan of cheesecakes, I always make an exception for this particular Brownie Cheesecake.

Overall, this was a great meal that answered to a couple of Edwin*'s and my food cravings. We spent about SGD$50.00 per person on this meal.