Imagine my surprise when Chef Azlie invited me down for another round of food tasting, right after Valentine's Day at Kings & Barrels. Chef Azlie seems to be creating new dishes everyday!

Also, Kings & Barrels has a spanking new logo that is really cool and representative of what they are - party like a king with loads of great whiskies from the barrel and good wine.

This is a true classic. Unpretentious and super juicy, it was so good that I brought my girlfriend down the next day for the delicious food at Kings & Barrels. It is very rare that I will revisit a place so soon, but I kept thinking of how it would taste if I could eat the whole burger instead of merely a quarter - I had to head down for a proper meal! It's really irresistible!

180gm beef patty grilled to a juicy perfection, accompanied by sweet relish, 2 slices of cheddar cheese nicely melted over the party and Chef Azlie's secret garlic sauce that provided the omph in this fabulous creation.

Both sides of the brioche bun were buttered with his own garlic butter before being oven toasted for the extra crisp.

I was was surprised that there was no lettuce in the bun, and to this, Chef Azlie mentioned that his beef patty and bun, being super hot, will cause the flavour and texture of the lettuce to change. That's pretty lucky that he didn't put lettuce in, as nothing irks me more than wilted vegetables in my burger. He did, however, provide a delightful wasabi yuzu kale salad with cherry tomatoes on the side.

To top it off, he had a pretty unusual Cajun fries on the side that went beautifully with the burger ensemble. At only $15++, this K & B Cheese burger is a steal. I only had a quarter during food tasting and it was pretty filling. But then again, I had quite a lot of food to taste that day!

Look at the perfectly grilled chicken! The meat was so tender, well marinated and downright tasty. I couldn't get enough! Even when I was feeling so full, I wolfed down the entire chicken leg burger. I felt like I had the most satisfying burger ever!

You can see how big the K & B Chicken burger is! At $15++ as well, served from 12-8pm, this is definitely another burger I would come back again for!

Just when I thought it would not get better, he brought out the K & B Chicken burger! Again, it was paired with his secret garlic sauce, and this sumptuous whole chicken thigh fillet at a whopping 200gm pleasured!

200gm of pure delight! The meat was well marinated before being grilled to tender perfection - and the taste of grilled chicken was indeed one of the best I have tasted. Chef Azlie's background in French fine cooking really shines in his chicken burger, which I think is the best in The Clarke quay area!

The chili crab pasta is simply amazing! Creamy with a chili crab based sauce with generous servings of flower crab meat, this is the best I have tasted! You can ask for more chili padi in the sauce if you are really into spice, but this is mild enough for me as I am not really able to take food which is too spicy.

Look at the amount of crab on my Chili Crab Spagetti at Kings & Barrels! Chef Azlie mentioned he would invite me again for the different pastas that he has, and I am definitely happy to come by again.

Their pasta dishes are all at $15++ as well!

The pizza came out next. My only complaint is that it is too big! Four people can share this easily!

The cheddar cheese was a pleasure, and it made the pizza more flavourful as opposed to the usual mozzarella cheese which melts stringy but is a little tasteless.

The pizza sauce made daily from fresh herbs in tomato paste is another winner. You get the full flabour of basil and garlic that is reminiscent of your grandma's cooking of pasta!

​What set this pizza apart was the lovely scent of truffle oil which gave this pizza extra flavour and character.

They have other classic toppings available as well, so do check their menu for the latest. This is the mushroom cheese pizza with truffle at $20++.

Kings & Barrels comes alive at night with a local bands hitting the stage and the bands they have on rotation really know how to party! With Asahi Super Dry, Asahi Black and Kronenbourg 1664 blanc on tap at just $9++, it's crowded at night with everyone partying like a King!

Where can you find them?

Kings and Barrels
Tel: +65 9237 6198
​Add: The Central @ Clarke Quay
6 Eu Tong Seng St, #01-15
Singapore 059817

Go to Clarke Quay Mrt, exit and walk towards the river. They are next to the big red heart, and next to Chillis too. It's a fully stocked bar with a live band at night, which I will be checking out the next time I come!

These prices are introductory, so do head down before the increase!

This sake I chose was pretty low in alcohol content, but the taste and smell of it was very lovely. 

Among all the Thai food at Golden Mile Tower and coaches going to Malaysia, I was really surprised to find this homely Japanese Yakitori place. It is small but can expand at will! The most number of people they managed to fit into the restaurant is 40!

Everyone seems to be ordering the chicken skin, so I did the same, and it was amazingly delicious. I asked how it was made so crispy and yet not a tad bit oily, and the answer was surprising!

"Our chef removes the chicken skin, scrapes off all the fat, then dries it. After it is well dried, it is fried and then the oil is left to dry off on the baking paper." 

Wow. All that to make a dish of chicken skin! You have to take a look at how yummy and crispy it is!

Always eat Sashimi before starting on the Yakitori, so that you are able to appreciate fully the delicate taste of the fresh fish with its wasabi and soy sauce combination.

Before tucking into the yummy chicken skin, my Sashimi came and it was super fresh with good cuts. I loved how thick each slice was, and even though I normally don't like tuna as it is usually overly strong tasting, the tuna that Yorimichi Yakitori serves is especially fresh and mild. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the fishes only arrived in the afternoon that day I was there. Tuna, Maguro is not always available, so do call ahead if you are there for the Tuna!

The curry chicken features super tender chicken wings in a mild curry with a tinge of laksa leaves for that extra kick. The gravy is so tasty that I drank it all up after eating up the chicken. Did I mention that it comes with a super soft baguette that is toasted to perfection, where it is warm and crisp and yet still soft and easy to bite / break off.

This is my favourite, and I absolutely love the bacon wrapped deep fried noodles. The Japanese Lok Lok is drizzled with a sweet japanese teriyaki sauce, and this adds to the flavor of the bacon wrapped items. You can choose which items are preferred, from enoki mushrooms, tomatoes to crispy noodles and vegetables. This is so tasty that you completely forget you are munching on bacon!

I'm a big fan of food, and if the chef / cook doesn't use MSG ( Mono sodium glutamate ), all the better, as I get rashes after too much intake of MSG. This is the reason why I was pleasantly surprised when I visited Club Vivaa. Though it is a bistrobar, or what people call a pub with food, the standard of cooking and range of dishes is pretty good.

Salt, Pepper and Garlic Tofu which is crisp on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. Lovely with the homemade sambal chili.

This is really awesome Sambal Fried Rice! My friend who at first didn't want to order as she wasn't hungry yet ate this up in just 10mins! It was that yummy! Not only was the taste amazing, the smell was awesome too!

Club Vivaa Opening Hours
Monday  to Sat
1700-0100
Sunday
1800-0100

Before you head off, spend some time in this cosy GastroBar with it's lovely mocktails, cocktails, or simply, a beer! 

Club Vivaa is a great place to chill out at if you happen to be in Bukit Timah. Located centrally opposite Bukit Timah CC, it has FREE Wi-Fi and parking at the back.

If you don't drive, there is a bus stop just outside as well.

If you get tired of conversation with your friends, you can play Darts or Pool. 

The currently have a Pool Challenge which gives anyone a jug of beer if they can put in 8 balls within 8 tries.

Innovative ideas and great food makes this  a lovely chill out place!

Do check out their FB page for more regular updates, and their website for their full menu!