Roosevelt's Diner & Bar Tasting Session 2016

Roosevelt's Diner & Bar Tasting Session 2016
331 New Bridge Road
#01-02 Dorsett Residences

Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri: 11am - 11pm
Sat - Sun: 9am - 11pm


http://roosevelts.com.sg/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roosevelts-DinerBar/245129005658386

This was an invited media review. I did not pay for the meal during the free hosted tasting session, but I did pay the standard price during subsequent visits.
Attended with representatives from Chubby Botak Koala, Purple Taste, Her Pen And Fork, Jelly Loves Food, Justin Teo Living Loving You, and msginginly.

Beef Cheek On Potato Pancake (SGD $22)

Quirky All Day Breakfast Joint By Day, Hip Bar By Night

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $37 per person.


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During my last visit to Roosevelt's Diner & Bar over 2 years ago, when they first opened, I was impressed with the chill, casual ambience, friendly service, and large, American sized food portions. Since then, they've made some changes to both the place, and the menu, sticking with classic favourites but also introducing exciting new modern dishes. Roosevelt's Diner & Bar now also offers 2 different menus; an all-day breakfast menu till evening, and a dinner menu from evening till late.

Roosevelt's Diner & Bar Counter

Ambience at Roosevelt's Diner & Bar has changed slightly. While the place is still spacious and brightly lit with ample natural lighting, the formerly grey walls have been covered with retro American posters. The showpiece engine table and vespa scooter still take up places of prominence, while there seems to be more decorative light bulbs now. Most obvious though, is their large, new signage over the counter, and the neon orange teddy bear mascot in the window. Still retains that chill, relaxing, casual feel.

Wallpaper

Service at Roosevelt's Diner & Bar is still efficient. Staff uphold the friendly, welcoming spirit I experienced during my last few visits, greeting and seating diners quickly. If asked, they're able to provide basic descriptions of dishes on the menu. I note that they are observant, and attend to diners promptly, along with clearing away empty / dirty plates or tables quickly. Can't really complain about the service standards here, they remain good, but just a tad shy from being memorable.

Teddy

Teddy Reflection

Decorative Lighting

Food at Roosevelt's Diner & Bar remains American, though the menu has changed. They now offer all-day breakfast menu till evening, with a dinner menu from evening till closing. They've kept some of the classic American favourites, but have swapped out the rest of the menu for modern creations. As such, there is a clear distinction now, on one hand, you have traditional, rustic American comfort food, on the other hand, you have exciting, unique, experimental flavours. Only time will tell if diners take to the new items! Portions here remain large, and suitable for sharing, though prices have risen slightly, budget about SGD $37 per person for a meal here.

Menu All-Day Breakfast

Menu Dinner

Menu Drinks

The Latte (SGD $4.80) here remains decent, made with coffee beans sourced from Liberty Coffee.

Latte (SGD $4.80)

They've improved on the Milkshakes since last time, and now have more variety of flavours! Texture is thick, rich, with full flavour, and best drunk chilled. The Salted Caramel Milkshake (SGD $10) is creamy, with a sweet salty flavour, and visually, you can now see the salted caramel within. The Strawberry Shortcake Milkshake (SGD $10), while not attractive, tastes exactly like the dessert cake, though I felt it was much too sweet. I personally preferred the Oreo Cookie Milkshake (SGD $10) though, with its crunchy, grainy cookie flavour. Super filling!

Milkshakes

Salted Caramel Milkshake (SGD $10)

Strawberry Shortcake Milkshake (SGD $10)

Oreo Cookie Milkshake (SGD $10)

What stood out in the Charred Corn Quinoa (SGD $17) was the sweet savoury grilled shrimp, with a smoky aroma and meaty texture! The salad itself is a good mix of freshness and colour, with juicy pico de gallo, sour pickled cabbage, creamy avocado, smoky corn kernels, crunchy arugula / wild rocket leaves, leafy spinach, and drizzled with a hot sauce yoghurt (that actually isn't that hot). I would order this again!

Charred Corn Quinoa (SGD $17)

Charred Corn Quinoa

The ladies loved the Shiitake Sesame Salmon Salad (SGD $18), with its Japanese inspired sesame dressing, which lent a wonderful fragrance to the dish. With cubes of soft silken tofu, tender earthy shiitake mushrooms, firm edamame, bright pomegranate seeds, juicy cherry tomatoes, crunchy arugula / wild rocket leaves, leafy spinach, and shreds of seaweed garnish. Topped with a tender, flaky, sous vide salmon fillet. While I wish the salmon fish was slightly larger, the flavours and textures work well together in this dish.

Shiitake Sesame Salmon Salad (SGD $18)

Shiitake Sesame Salmon Salad

The Pan-Seared Hokkaido Scallops (SGD $24) is a unique, creative modern appetizer. Fresh, bouncy scallops, beautifully seared to a nice golden brown on one side, sits on a bed of seaweed brown butter, home made yuzu mustard ricotta, toasted hazelnuts, and tobiko flying fish roe. Flavour is full and rich, a combination of sweet, savoury, earthy, briny salty, sour, and nutty. There's a lot of complexity here, yet it comes together in a tasty package on the palate. Purists may prefer a more up-front taste of the scallops though, as this dish takes a more muted approach, layering with other flavours. Worth ordering! As an aside, I would totally order the seaweed brown butter or the yuzu mustard ricotta on its own with bread, because it's really good!

Pan-Seared Hokkaido Scallops (SGD $24)

Pan-Seared Hokkaido Scallops

The Truffle Potato Foam With Croissant (SGD $21) in a ramekin, with a crisp, flaky, tasty croissant bread on the side. With a pudding like, creamy texture, the dish is filled with free-range poached eggs, savoury bacon bits, gooey torched parmesan cheese, and crunchy garlic panko breadcrumbs. The dash of white truffle oil isn't too overpowering, just sufficient to lend a hint of fragrance to the dish. The cooking method however, results in a semi-solid egg if left to sit for awhile. Not bad as a dish.

Truffle Potato Foam With Croissant (SGD $21)

Truffle Potato Foam With Croissant

Truffle Potato Foam With Croissant

Calling to mind the classic American delicatessen beef sandwiches is the Mozzarella Steak Sandwich (SGD $16). Thick slices of artisanal wholemeal bread, tender savoury moist beef chuck steak, gooey melted mozzarella cheese, and sharp tangy yellow mustard, make this a hearty sandwich! Served with a small, fresh side salad, I foresee this appealing to the office crowd working nearby.

Mozzarella Steak Sandwich (SGD $16)

Mozzarella Steak Sandwich

Absolutely loved the Beef Cheek On Potato Pancake (SGD $22), my personal favourite of the new dishes! What stood out for me was the crisp outside, fluffy inside potato pancakes, resembling a rosti or hashbrown, with a nice savoury potato flavour! The slow braised beef cheek is full savoury and fork tender, almost melting away beautifully in the mouth, coating the palate with meaty flavour. Served on a bed of cayenne pepper laced buttermilk gravy, with crunchy toasted hazelnuts, and topped with a free-range poached egg, which Chef has really put effort into making it perfectly spherical. Highly recommended!

Beef Cheek On Potato Pancake (SGD $22)

Beef Cheek On Potato Pancake

The classic American The Big Breakfast (SGD $28) has changed slightly from last time. The most obvious difference is the type of bread, now featuring a crisp, flaky croissant. They've added an Asian spiced sauteed potato, which has a little spicy heat from the chili, blending well with the tender, savoury salty potatoes. The scrambled eggs remain creamy and smooth, while the juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp bacon, and savoury meaty chipotle pork sausages are still as good. However, I did find the sauteed shiitake mushrooms to be slightly dry. While the price has risen slightly, the portion size has similarly increased. Overall, still remains a good dish!

The Big Breakfast (SGD $28)

The Big Breakfast

The experimental Churros Waffle (SGD $12) will appeal to those who like their waffles crisp. Rather plain-looking, at least it tastes good, with crunchy cinnamon sugar and a thick chocolate sauce paying homage to the Spanish churros snack. Topped with a large scoop of rich vanilla ice cream, which is creamy and vanilla milky in flavour. Wish there could be other ice cream flavours. A decent dessert.

Churros Waffle (SGD $12)

Churros Waffle

Churros Waffle

My appreciation to the team behind Montana Brew Bar / Montana Singapore, Fabulous Dough, and South Bronx The Burger Project, for hosting us!

Us

Comparing my last visit to Roosevelt's Diner & Bar and now, I'm glad to say they've kept what was good, with the new changes being an improvement that is fresh and exciting. Glad that Roosevelt's Diner & Bar is still going strong, managing to pull in the crowds, especially during weekday lunches and on weekends! Overall, the ambience still remains attractive and relaxing, the service still efficient and friendly, and the classic food still large in portion and tasty. Love the new dishes though, I will visit again!


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Reserve a table now @ Roosevelt's Diner & Bar

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