Welcome to The Dark Smile!
- a generalist blog.
I write long posts about pretty much anything that interests me, but right now it's mostly restaurant reviews.
See the list of posts and pieces here.
If you enjoy what you read here, why not connect with me using the buttons below? It would be great to hear from you!
- a generalist blog.
I write long posts about pretty much anything that interests me, but right now it's mostly restaurant reviews.
See the list of posts and pieces here.
If you enjoy what you read here, why not connect with me using the buttons below? It would be great to hear from you!
Latest BLOG POSTS -

It's about time I had an indifferent meal - I went to Barossa at Esplanade Mall, Singapore. Read all about how underwhelmed I was...

The Dark Smile dines in the dark at Nox on Beach Road, Singapore - unique experience and dazzlingly good food: seeing is believing... check out my review.

With its cartoonish murals, eating at Dian Xiao Er at Serangoon NEX can feel like dining in a theme park - but this chain, with its super-fast service and very solid quality of food, should not be overlooked - click the link to see my review.
See what I thought of classic grilled Filipino food at the casual snack-joint Mang Kiko's Lechon, and at the other end of the culinary spectrum, check out my review of the fancy European-Japanese fusion food at The Clan Restaurant. Both good in their different ways... |

Back to restaurant reviews - Salt Tapas & Bar by Luke Mangan, at Raffles City, Singapore. Great food, a little pricey but huge portions (for tapas)... but avoid the sumac meatballs, whatever you do. And don't forget to triple-confirm your reservation...

Finally, a break from the all the restaurant reviews: check out my article about Western brand names in China. We're told by the marketing people that coming up with a meaningful Chinese name is all-important in the Middle Kingdom, but I wonder if that is true... read on and let me know what you think!
Two more restaurant reviews - Feedlot Steakhouse opposite Tanglin Mall, and Original Herbal Shop on Balestier Road, Singapore - both excellent and well worth a visit! |

Another review of an Indian restaurant, the excellent Gajalee at Colours by the Bay, Singapore - strongly recommended. Try the delicious sea bass koshimbir (pictured).

Back to Singapore again, but a reminder of Blighty: fish and chips at Smiths at Balmoral Plaza, Singapore - solid British grub!

My restaurant reviews go international - the first of my London restaurant reviews, the Michelin-starred Tamarind restaurant in Mayfair - click the link to see how it measured up.

I am finally starting to work through my backlog of restaurant reviews - latest one is of the distinctly average Aroy Dee on Middle Road, Singapore - click to read all about why you shouldn't eat there.

Click the link to read about the superb Mad Poet gastro bar, in China Court, Singapore - highly recommended.

Third time lucky - read my review of So Pho at Serangoon NEX - click to hear about excellent and reasonably priced Vietnamese food.

My second restaurant review: The Hog's Head Café at CHIJMES, Singapore - click the link to read all about their very good (if expensive) steak.

Why is restaurant service in so many restaurants in Singapore so bad? And if you think about it, isn't it entirely understandable? I had a little think about that topic here.

It's my first restaurant review! Lemongrass Thai Restaurant on Upper East Coast Road, Singapore - read all about why I didn't like it...

Mamma mia! It's David Rocco, and he's trying to create Indo-Italian fusion cooking in his latest series, Dolce India. Read my review here.

Eat, drink and be merry... I put together some thoughts on the significance of the last meal for prisoners on Death Row. Click the link and see what you think.

In the London episode of the second series of Scam City, Conor Woodman tries to tell us all about the scams that face the unwitting visitor to London. Read what I thought of that proposition by clicking the link!
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