Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant

I like to eat Turkish food frequently and there are a few Turkish restaurants in Singapore I visit regularly. The one I most frequent is Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant. In my opinion, Sofra is the best Turkish restaurant in Singapore with its rich menu, attentive staff and management as well as the prices. This Beach Road Turkish restaurant has been around more than 12 years and is, I think, one of the most popular Turkish restaurants in Singapore. If you are looking for Turkish halal food in Singapore, this one is a must visit.

Sofra's specialities include Eggplant Kebap, Iskender Kebap, Jumbo Kebab Combo, Red Lentil Soup, Salad Plate, Sofra Yaprak Tavuk, The Chef. Everyday, they have a special set menu. They have (currently) below special dish schedule :

Monday       Lahmacun + Ayran or Şalgam
Tuesday       Tantuni + Ayran or Şalgam
Wednesday  Tandir Kebab
Thursday      Lahmacun + Ayran or Şalgam
Friday           Etli Nohut + Pilav
Saturday       İzmir Köfte + Pilav
Sunday          Çiğ Köfte  + Ayran or Şalgam

Sofra has really good cooks. Each dish is quite delicious and reasonably priced. It is very obvious that they use quality ingredients, especially very good quality beef in the restaurant. One surprising thing is that the taste is quite similar to what you would get in Istanbul, Turkey.

Other than food, they have a special corner from where you can buy Turkish food supplies such as Turkish cheese, Turkish Olive Oil, Turkish deserts, nuts and so on.

Sofra Turkish Cafe & Restaurant is around for more than a decade and is one of the best Turkish halal restaurants in Singapore

Softa Turkish Restaurant is located at 100 Beach Road, #02-42/44, Shaw Tower, Shaw Leisure Gallery, 189702. You can call +65 62911433 for reservation.

Harry Potter-themed cafe in Singapore - Platform 1094

Platform 1094 on 1094 Serangoon Road (600 meters from  Boon Keng MRT station) has opened its doors to customers in December 2016 with a Harry Potter themed menu.. With its warm brick walls, wood-panelled ceilings, soft chandelier light fixtures and chairs decorated with colourful stag prints, it brings customers into the world created by J.K. Rowling.

Platform 1094 is a new restaurant of three-year-old bistro and bar Fresh Fruits Lab in Changi Road.

Menu includes desserts like Black Magic ($16 - black sesame panna cotta and squid ink profiterole with mango cream diplomat, crispy charcoal bread, black tuile lace, chocolate soil, blackberries and sweetie cream), main dishes like Pestro Mayo Pork Ribs ($22 - butter-cream poached pork ribs, drizzled with pesto mayo, served with grilled vegetables, corn, pickled beetroot and mango mustard espuma).

But the real deal is the magical food; this Harry Potter-themed cafe offers wizard-themed starters, main dishes, desserts and cocktails.

Platform 1094's warm brick walls, wood-panelled ceilings, soft chandelier light fixtures and chairs decorated with colourful stag prints, it brings customers into the world created by J.K. Rowling.

Goblet of Fire ($15) for example is one of the most popular drinks at the cafe. This is an alcoholic cocktail that is made with blue curacao liqueur, lemonade and Bacardi rum. The drink is then set on fire in front of guests and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, causing sparks and flames to swirl.

Other "Poisons" in the menu are Truth Venom ($12 - blue curaçao liquer, vodka, sprite, grenadine and pineapple juice), Dizziness Tonic ($12 - blueberry vodka, tonic water and fresh blueberries), Amnesia Blend ($12 - rum, champagne, mint leaves and lime), Sleeping Draught ($12 - rum, ginger ale, banana schnapps, cherry, pineapple juice and orange juice) and non alcoholic Elixir Of Life ($8 - tonic water, sprite and lime sorbet).

Goblet of Fire is an alcoholic cocktail that is made with blue curacao liqueur, lemonade and Bacardi rum. The drink is then set on fire in front of guests and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, causing sparks and flames to swirl. - Image : Lonely Planet

Platform 1094 is on 1094 Serangoon Road. It is open from 11am to 10pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 10am to 10pm (weekends), closed on Mondays. Visit its Facebook here Platform 1094 Facebook page.

British tourist paid 216 Dolars for two sea bass dishes

This week, a letter from a British tourist (George Vickers) made its way to headlines in Singapore. George Vickers and his wife apparently went to Boat Quay for seafood and felt "ripped-off" after paying $216 for 2 sea bass. “We went to Boat Quay for a meal one evening and both of us chose sea bass without asking the price, so we were surprised when we got the bill and found that each fish had cost us $108” he said. “In most countries, the equivalent of $216 for two fish would be considered a rip-off.”

The issue here may seem like the restaurant : they did not warn the customers about the price. But due to the culture in Singapore, the real issue here is that the tourists did not ask for the price. Based on my experience in Singapore, I can say that it is not `appropriate` for a waiter to hint about the prices of expensive dishes. This is thought be considered as an insult, like saying `you may not be able to afford` it. This goes to news one or two times every year : a tourist orders a dish and faces with a super high bill and then argues with the restaurant because he was not informed.

So in Singapore in expensive establishments like the restaurants in Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, try to understand the prices of the expensive looking dishes before ordering them cheerfully. For example some dishes like Alaska crabs can cost more than 500 SGD per crab depending on its weight. No one will warn you because of the reason I have explained. For example a Filipino family on a trip in Singapore faced a bill of $1,186.20 where just the crab alone cost them $707. Their meal on April 26 at Forum Seafood Village Restaurant at Boat Quay also included prawns, a fish and a plate of vegetables.

By the way, the local media went to Boat Quay and tried to understand why a single sea bass costs 100+ SGD there. The reason is simple, rents! A restaurant in Boat Quay pays around 30,000 SGD per month(!) and it is a must to overcharge with these rents.

But do not forget, the real reason behind an exaggerated bill may really be overcharging. For example in a famous case in 2009, a food stall in (overrated) Newton Food Centre charged  a group of American diners a hefty S$239 for eight tiger prawns. The stall's license was suspended after the news went straight into local newspapers and TV.