Bloggers Outing: Chef Daniel's Kitchen

Ahh, those memories of Chef Daniel's Kitchen at Iluma. I miss my monthly blogger outings, I really do. Ever since I've started work, it's been close to impossible to find time to meet the rest, and already I'm watching a couple of outings slip by past me because I'm so occupied with work. For now, outings like this one I'm blogging today would serve as pleasant memories, and a small ray of hope perhaps, as I await the next food blogger outing.


Sometime last month we organised a gathering at Chef Daniel's Kitchen at Iluma, which if you hadn't known is situated directly opposite Bugis Junction. It was a bittersweet kind of gathering actually, sweet because it was a meet-up after quite a while with fellow like-minded friends, bitter because it was a farewell lunch for Lorraine since she would be migrating to the Netherlands the following week.


Like always, the cameras would be whipped out once the first dish arrives, the bloggers snapping furiously away for that one perfect shot and without much of a care if the food was turning cold. Normally we would be passing the food around, but the long table kinda forced us to get out of our seats and go round the table. It sure did look messy, but at least it was good fun. As tradition goes, here is the guest list for the day, with a few new faces :)

Dorothy from Dotinabox
Charlene from Foodoshoot
Glenn from Hungry Epicurean
Harris from The Simplest Aphrodisiac
Phoebe and Chloe from The Food Chapter
Daniel and Lay Sian from Memoirs of Food
Lorraine from The Hungry-Trotting Couple
Fen and Yuan from Indulgence After Work-Out


The venue for our outing was, coincidentally so, recommended by Daniel (no relations whatsoever to the Chef), and is a cosy, rooftop diner that is more popular than you would expect. Chef Daniel's Kitchen set lunch, which we all had, is affordably priced at $10.50nett and comes with a soup, a drink and a dessert. Let's roll out the food, shall we?

Focaccia Bread


Any diner that serves warm and soft focaccia bread gets a thumbs-up from me. Focaccia is definitely one of my most favourite breads out there.

Cream of Corn Soup


The soup-of-the-day, the Cream of Corn Soup wasn't very memorable and could have been better if it was a bit thicker.

Grilled Beef Burger


Almost everyone knew what I was going to order: Beef Grilled Burger. I probably have the reputation of being the biggest carnivore and burger fan amongst my food blogger peers, and I know next in line would have to be Phoebe for sure. I thought the beef burger was alright, though a tad small. The patty was a little too moist as well but nevertheless it was saved by the tangy tomato pickles that added some extra flavour to the burger. Read on to see what the rest ate!

Tonkatsu Don


Lorraine liked her Tonkatsu Don, and remarked that she actually likes the tonkatsu here as compared to the one served at Tampopo because of the way it was breaded as well as how there weren't much (if any) fats to the cutlet. Charlene, who had the same dish as well, wrote that the tonkatsu "wasn't exactly very deep fried, and there was a hint of lemon in every slice", which she loved.

Fish and Chips


Fen thought the Fish and Chips was average, but at least it wasn't too oily as some others are.

Here's some others which I don't really know how they went, but still, something to feast your eyes on!

Prawn and Crabmeat Burger


This looked really good, and I'm sure it tasted quite good too!

Lamb Stewed Navarin



Pork Netsuke



Raspberry Mousse Cake


The dessert-of-the-day, the Raspberry Mousse Cake, was a sweet and simple dessert to wrap up the meal. While not mind-blowing, it was decent enough for me.

Service
Very good.

Price
$10.50nett for each set lunch, which includes a soup, a drink, a choice of main course, and a dessert.

Place
Iluma @ Bugis, #07-02/03.

Additional Comment
Thank you Fen and Yuan for the first two pictures on this post.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.