Drinks at Two Chefs Bar Mexican & Italian @ Sentosa

31 Ocean Way #01-11 Quayside Isle, Singapore 098375

Tel: 6268 8633

Website: http://www.twochefsbar.com.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twochefsbar

Two Chefs Bar Mexican & Italian gives everything away by its name. You'd know it's a bar, and that it's a unique concept of sassy Mexican food and hearty Italian cuisine.

Located right by the waterfront at Quayside Isle, Two Chefs Bar Mexican & Italian also has another outlet at Holland Village, which I have not visited. Service at the Sentosa outlet is good - by a friendly, humorous crew.

Menu comprises of a variety of Mexican dishes such as Cajun Fries, Fajitas, Enchiladas, Burritos, Chili Con Carne and Chimichangas etc. From the Italian side, expect a good array of pasta and pizzas, and delectable desserts.

If you are looking for drinks to chill over, you'll find yourself spoilt for choices between their Cocktails, Magaritas, Beers and Wine selection.

Time passes far too quickly over here, as the breezes sweeps across one's face, somehow enhancing the enjoyment of Two Chefs Bar's stunning settings.

Dinner at Chili's Mexican Restaurant @ Resorts World Sentosa

26 Sentosa Gateway, #01-072 / 073 / 074 Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore 098138

Tel: 6428 6066

Website: https://chilis.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChilisSingapore

After my initial dining experience at Chili's Mexican Restaurant, I have been back a few times over the years, the most recent visit being June this year itself.

Brought the niece and nephew out for their June vacation outing, so decided to bring them to try Tex-Mex cuisine (since they haven't).

The setting was congested despite the spacious interior, with chairs pushed up against each other back to back. Service was slow but staff was polite once you got their attention.

We started with Texas Cheese Fries (SGD$14.90) topped with smoked bacon, jalapenos, green onions and cheese; served with ranch-made dressing on the side. What surprised us was the fries served on sizzling hotplate so the thick cheese continued to melt onto the crispy fries; making this appetizer utterly delectable.

Next, Smoked Chicken Tacos - flour tortillas encasing dices of smoked chicken, fresh avocado, grated cheese, onions and jalapenos. Citrus chile rice and black beans were served on the side. Another enjoyable dish that was polished off quickly.

Finally, Beef Fajitas served "deconstructed" so that diners could mix and wrap their own fajitas with sizzling hotplate of succulent beef slices, sliced bell peppers, caramelized onions, and warm flour tortillas. On the side are fresh toppings such as fresh guacamole,  pickled onions, mixed cheese, jalapeno relish, cumin-lime sour cream, house-made pico de gallo and fresh salsa.

A round of ice cold Hoegaarden concluded the smokin' good meal on a hot sunny afternoon.

Chili's will always be my go-to joint for simple but undeniably delicious Tex-Mex fare.

Dinner at Santa Fe Tex-Mex Grill (Stewords Riverboat) @ Marina South Pier

31 Marina Coastal Drive, Berth 1, Marina South Pier, Singapore 018988

Tel: 6278 5775

Website: http://riverboat.com.sg/santafe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/santafetexmexsg

The appeal of by-the-sea dining has never failed to appeal to me, that was why Santa Fe tex-Mex Mexican Restaurant, located right on Stewords Riverboat, permanently docked at Marina South Pier, drew me like a magnet.

*Nadine and I visited the restaurant for dinner one evening (thankful for her adventuresome spirit). The stationary boathouse is three-storey high; and specious in its wood and nautical settings. Our seat gave a good view of the sunset over open waters. For service, there is much room for improvement.

Anyway, a round of drinks kickstarted our evening, and we opted for House Sangria (SGD$16.00 for half carafe / SGD$30.00 full carafe) and Strawberry Margarita (SGD$11.00) - traditional Mexican restaurant drinks. Sadly, the drinks were very diluted and it felt like we were sipping syrups.

Moving on, food! The serving crew strongly recommended the Chicken Chimichanga (SGD$11.00) - diced chicken, black beans, spinach and cheese rolled in flour tortillas and deep fried to a golden brown. Avocado ranch dressing was served on the side. Pretty good recommendation for us, except that this appetiser dish waa served last.

For mains, I had the Avocado Prawns Tacos (SGD$21.00) - fresh avocado cubes and springy prawns tossed in spiced mayonnaise, with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and sprinkling of sunflower seeds, all in hardshell tacos. The result was a tasty mix of flavours and textures together.

Ribeye Steak (SGD$34.00) with black pepper sauce was grilled over open flame and served on a chopping board with mashed potato (choice of fries available) and salad. This was tender, with smokey hints and was a delightful choice for us.

Finally, we concluded the evening with a Walnut Brownie Sundae (SGD$10.00), generously portioned and served warm so every walnut-studded bite was inviting and delish. The huge scoop of vanilla ice-cream was a lovely complement.

Overall dining experience at Santa-Fe Tex-Mex Restaurant was good, major scorers being the external and internal ambience - take heed that during high tides, the boathouse tends to rock so if you have seasick-ness, this may not be a good dining venue for you. Other than that, food was pretty decent so yes, I would return.

[Invited Tasting] Dinner at Burp Kitchen @ Katong

259 Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore 437047

Tel: 8428 1134

Website: http://burpsg.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/burpkitchen

If you have been to Burp Kitchen & Bar at Bedok Reservoir, you would be happy to know that BURP now has a new branch along Tanjong Pagar Road. If you haven't, don't fret - you would be just as delighted to learn that you can now enjoy good American street food (with Asian twists on certain items in the menu) as well as delicious cocktails in your 'hood.

A dimly-lit, rustic concept defines the interior of this restaurant cum bar, complete with a huge TV screen and almost-romantic window seats (I am a sucker for window seats) to add variety to the relaxing settings. Service is efficient and friendly enough; the owners and crew are always happy to make recommendations when asked.

Because it's nearing Christmas, we started off with some festive cocktails. The most eye-catching and festive one of all was the The Grinch (SGD$10.00) - composed of Bourbon, peppermint and orange, stirred with a candy cane. The first sip was " medicinal", but this pretty drink grew on us the more we sipped it, and gradually enjoyed it.

Next up, White Christmas (SGD$10.00) - a decidedly delicate looking beauty made of Rum, Egg White and Orange Lemon - the concoction reminded me of eggnog with a zest. This was easy on the palate from start to finish; smooth.

The last Christmas cocktail would be the Christmas Punch (SGD$10.00) - a medley of Rum, Pineapple, Orange and Grenadine. A sweet cocktail with citrusy notes and fruity goodness - easy to down a few of these delicious mixers.

Food was served next!

We kickstarted the tasting session with Beef Chilli Totchos (SGD$12.00) - deep-fried grated potato cubes (tots), Beef Chilli, melted cheese and jalapenos. This dish is supposed to simulate nachos, except made with more substantial ingredients - making it delicious, unique and unstoppable to munch on. If you do not take / like beef, there are options of BBQ Pulled Pork or Pulled Pork Brisket available.

Spam Fries (SGD$12.00) needed no introduction - deep fried fingers of luncheon meat (pork), bold in flavours but not too salty - it was too easy to plow through this addictive starter. The sprinkle of tiny sugar cubes added a refreshing contrast to the heavier flavour, but not all would welcome the sweetness. Lime mayo dip was served on the side for those who want to cream up the crispy fries.

We also had Honey Lime Paprika Chicken Wings (SGD$12.00) - juicy, tender, fleshy, and glazed with sweet and citrusy sauce.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos (SGD$12.00) - comprising soft flour tortilla shells filled with smokey shrimps, apple slaw, salsa fresca and garlic cilantro lime mayo, served with nacho chips on the side. We enjoyed the springy texture of the dish and smokey notes of the shrimp, citing it as one of the favorites of the evening.

Next up, Pork Carnitas Tacos (SGD$12.00) - made up of soft flour tortilla shells filled with slow-cooked BBQ pulled pork, apple slaw and salsa fresca, served with nacho chips on the side. The harmony of sweetness and umami in this dish was good but not outstanding; though some might prefer the tender chewy-ness of the pork to that of the shrimps (earlier dish).

Moving on to the burgers - there's an entire list of interesting flavours we wanted to try, such as Tom Yum Chicken, Chicken Rendang, Curried Pork, Soft Shell Crab Burger, etc, interesting East-West fusionized burgers waiting to surprise. However, we decided to try the American flavours, such as The Hog Burger (SGD$14.00) - toasted brioche buns, fresh baby romaine, succulent pork patty, cheese, caramelized onions, crispy bacon and tarty berry jam - all stacked into a burger bursting with flavours and texture; a very satisfying pork burger dish.

The other  burger as tried was Triple Cheese Burger (SGD$15.00) - made up of toasted charcoal buns, baby romaine, juicy beef patty, trio of cheese (cheddar, American cheese and mozzarella), bacon, caramelized onions and BBQ sauce - another burger that exploded with flavours and texture, the perfect choice for lovers of good cheese burgers.

Then we had Tomyum Chicken Mushroom Linguine (SGD$14.00) - a creamy pasta dish with an interesting Thai conversion. The tomyum flavour was robust and freckles of bacon bits added crunch to the otherwise limp noodles. I would order this for the delicious flavour and ask for the pasta to be done more al-dente in texture.

Overall, the dining experience here was lovely - relaxed dinner with good varieties of flavours and choice of burgers, tacos, pastas etc. I also enjoyed the modernized concept of blending Eastern flavours into their burgers and tacos, letting us have the best of both worlds. This is definitely the choice place for dinner and drinks with friends or colleagues, a spot to unwind.

Thank you Burp Kitchen for hosting us, and Hence for extending the invite.

Lunch at Muchachos Mexican Restaurant @ Keong Saik Road

22 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089129

Tel: 6220 0458

Website: http://muchachos.sg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/muchachos.sg

It was *Sidney's and my fifth failed attempt to dine at Afterglow - closure for a few days with a paper posted to the door, but no updates on their social media pages. Hence, we settled for their neighbour, a funky Mexican / Latin-American resturant named Muchacos, with its colorful exterior and graffiti-artistic interior.

One has to place their orders at the counter, and collect their orders when ready. There is a glass viewing panel where we could see the chefs preparing the food in the kitchen.

We proceeded to the upper level to sit and sip on our Jarritos flavoured sodas (SGD$4.50).  The 2nd level was very funky in its street decor, easily making one feel like they were in Mexico itself. Service was all right; I just didn't like how they yelled your orders from below when it was ready, and then we'd run down to collect our food.  They could probably inform us to wait or check back on orders shortly, or invest in one of those vibrating devices to inform when our food was ready. Or is it something practiced in a typical, traditional Mexican restaurant?

Anyway, *Sidney chose to go for the Carne Asada Salad (SGD$13.50, add SGD$2.00 for extra guacamole). It comprised of grilled beef, tomatoes, cabbage etc, and was gigantic in portion. The beef was succulent and was well-complemented by the crisp, fresh goodness of the vegetables.

I had the Super Nachos (SGD$13.50) - a bed of tortilla chips with ground beef, melted cheese, beans and guacamole. Unfortunately the tortilla chips were not crispy- even those untouched by the ground beef and sauce. The sauce and ground beef were average, nothing that would leave a deep impression.