The Hungry Bunny

il Lido was one of the restaurants along the main Darwin Waterfront Plaza. We'd been walking the heritage trail just up the hill, and wanted a pit stop to rest, soak in the lively atmosphere of the waterfront. Breezy and relaxed, the open-aired restaurant was cool and casual. Serving modern Australian fare, the main draws are the pizzas and drinks. The Cheese Board (A$23) with swiss, cheddar, and blue dairy, was accompanied by a warm apple chutney, house made lavosh, prosiutto, fresh pear slivers and green apple slices. A scrumptious, well put together platter. The Prosciutto Pizza (A$26) strewn with oodles of rocket and grated parmesan, was topped with an aioli that I thought was unnecessary. That said, the pizza was still delectable. The Iced Coffees (A$2 each) were gratifyingly decadent sugar bombs, rich and frothy and creamy. The terrace of the restaurant is best for people watching, so snag a seat outdoors if you can. il Lido Building 3 19 Kitchener ...

It's been a while since I last dined at Otto , and I'd almost forgotten the Italian restaurant was around. It's moved from the starkly distinctive Red Dot Traffic Building, a little further down Maxwell Road, to the very white Maxwell Chambers. It's still a chic, sophisticated space frequented by the movers and shakers of the CBD hinterland, usually with fat expense accounts in tow, and the brisk lunchtime business shows it. Lucky for us regular folk, there's the set lunch option, which remains affordably wallet-friendly ($38++). Service is still laggy, but since I've gone in-house, I'm no longer constrained by the 1 single lunch-hour limitation. (yay for cheap thrills in life) A classic failsafe, the Insalata di Rucola, Pomodorini Pachino e Parmigiano , a green salad of arugula, pachino tomatoes, and shaved parmesan, was simplicity at its finest. Fresh crisp greens which peppery accents balance the tart juiciness of the tomatoes, were rounded off with...

It's been a while since I last cooked anything...life's been a whirlwind of engagements of all sorts, so cooking has taken a bit of a backseat. But, I recently got down to whipping up a stir fry. A one-plate, no-carb dish that was low-fuss and quick. Ingredients: 1 head medium napa cabbage, cut to big pieces 5 shitake mushrooms 1 punnet shimeiji mushrooms 2 medium carrots, shredded 200 gm chicken fillet, sliced and marinated for at least 1 hour with A 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp canola oil 1 tbsp sesame oil 4 eggs, beaten 2 tbsp oyster sauce 2 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tsp chicken stock powder 1 tbsp hua tiao wine 3 dashes ground white pepper 1 cup water Marinade A: 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tsp huatiao wine 2 dashes ground white pepper Directions: 1) Fry garlic in canola-sesame oil mix, until fragrant and taking care not to let the garlic burn, about 30 seconds on medium high heat. 2) Turn to high heat, add carrots, fry for 30 sec...

A long-time tenant of Tangs, Island Cafe serves local fare in an upmarket setting. The food isn't great but it generally passes muster. Like the offerings in a country club coffeehouse. But what I really appreciate about Island Cafe is its ambience, which sense of exclusivity and tranquil restfulness is a respite from the madding Orchard Road crowd. The Tauhu Telor ($12) a towering fried egg and tofu cake, strewn with julienned carrots and cucumber, and drenched in a sticky sweet kecap manis sauce, was decent. Nice texture on the tofu cake. A signature, the Island Laksa ($19) dotted with prawns, taupok, cockles, fish cake, and quails eggs was middling and forgettable. This needed a lot more chilli to balance out the coconut cream.I'm not sure how this is one of their two signatures. The other signature, the Black Pepper Crab Tung Hoon ($21) of glass vermicelli tossed with black pepper, laced with squid, shrimp, and crabmeat, and topped off with a duo of fried soft...

During the 80's and 90's, Sin Kee in Margaret Drive was one of the more notable chicken rice hawker legends. Then he passed on, and his sons have now taken on the mantle to carrying on his legacy. There's the one at Holland Drive which was just awarded a Bib Gourmand, and there's the other one at Havelock Road , just down the row of eateries where we used to eat Teochew porridge, post-clubbing . At first blush, the eatery looks a gimmicky simulation of an old-school street hawker. The street murals of an 80's Singapore, the stone tables, the wicker chairs, the tricked out menu extensive with a number of cze char fare, and the near-empty restaurant, don't exactly inspire confidence. But strip away the artifice, and skip over the gloss, and you'll find really awesome chicken rice. Also, we've noticed a steady stream of customers taking away their chicken rice, so the shop actually does a roaring good business despite the appearance of an in-house crowd...

The Darwin waterfront is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. The precinct is expansive, and spans the convention centre at one end, to the Stokes Hill Wharf at the opposite end. The stretch is lined with a multitude of dining options, and we were recommended the seafood at Crustaceans on the Wharf as a must-try. Sitting right on the historic wharf, the casual restaurant, which is more glorified canteen than full-serviced restaurant, is breezy and bustling. During the dry season, the alfresco tables which offer a spectacular view into the sea, are snapped up fast, so make reservations early early. While the food wasn't exactly mind-blowingly impressive, the seafood was one of the cheapest we've ever had. Our bill for three hearty dishes, including a whole lobster, came up to less than 100 buckaroos, which was unbelievably value-for-money. We liked that the grub here was rustic and uncomplicated, where a light touch was employed with the seafood to highlight...

So, we wanted to have shabu at Shabu Shabu Gen, but failed to make reservations at the tiny little restaurant on a Saturday evening. Obviously, we were turned away. So us lazybums simply walked into the restaurant next-door, sister restaurant Bistro du Vin , but they were also a full-house. So, we thought, surely La Strada , another door down, would have availability. I'm pretty sure you know where this is going, but yup, no free tables either at La Strada. But then the awesome service at La Strada cushioned their rejection by informing that Caveau Bar next door, also under the Les Amis Group as with the aforementioned 3 restaurants, shared the same kitchen and we could take a seat in the bar, yet order food from its relations next door. Turned out a blessing that the other 3 restaurants were all busy occupied. We ended up ordering exclusively from Caveau 's menu, and discovered the food at the unassuming little bar was outstanding! Like, everything we ordered was flawle...