House, Barracks and Camp

Okay, this might not be very relevant because I only tried 1 thing on the menu, i.e. Skinny Pizza. But I felt that I ought to put in a review because it was SO DARN GOOD. At first I had this dilemma about whether I ought to put this entry under Skinny Pizza's outlet at Suntec, but I decided against it since the pizza I had was from the Dempsey side.

Anyway, the story goes like this: House/Barracks sent over sample Skinny Pizzas to the company I work at - which I can't divulge but let's just say it's to do with the Media (which may explain the good quality but anyway)- I had a slice of the Wild Truffled Mushroom pizza, and this was THE WORKS!

Roasted mushroom, garlic, truffle oil and fresh parmesan on a light and crispy crust (similar to the famous tissue Prata at Simpang Bedok), topped with arugula leaves. All fresh, all tasty, all good. and in such GENEROUS HELPINGS! If I had a choice I would take the whole box, but we have to be nice and share.

So I'm giving the pizza a 9, because, dude, I'm usually not a pizza person but this got me hooked. The menu also indicates that it's a Skinny Favourite (http://www.dempseyhouse.com/pop-up/BarracksMenuOct08.pdf), which I'm not sure is a reference to the brand or the type of person you become after eating the pizza (I hope it's the latter), and for $18 it sounds really good value for money. House, Barracks and Camp can be happy that I've jacked their reviews in the positive direction because of a Skinny Pizza. :}

OMG OMG OMG. I'm surprised how updated this website is! In fact, when I was there last Sat, I secretly told myself that I'm gonna give this place a 10point review should I find it online, though half of myself secretly hopes that I won't be able to find it so that the "secret" won't be let out!

Cool place at a superb location, with unique decor, fun concept, great food and impeccable service.

When I first stepped into this place, I was awed by the view outside. The greenery that extends puts you into this totally serene yet happy mood. The nostalgia that emits from the use of old time hot water flasks as "vases" is quite a delight. The menu with little toy soldiers on the cover, carries food with delicious descriptions that makes choosing more interesting (and sometimes more difficult).

After we ordered, we were given a tour of the entire place, + upstairs (of the spa with thematic and gorgeous rooms + nice smells...SIGH.....) - totally adds to the "cool" factor of the place. There are many "private" rooms + function rooms that could cater to all sorts of occasions. Even a "green house" to dine in!

Back to the food. After a short tour, our food were served. Made with super fresh and fine ingredients...we were so won over by the food, that we all ate more then we should (considering we went there with 3/4 filled stomachs!

Zumara Salad has Japanese sweet potato (how special is that?), with spinach, grapes, bell peppers and some cheese, all mixed with this great sauce...it's REALLY one of the nicest salads I had ever had. The "leaves" were SO green yet sweet when taken alone (without the sauce), it was sheer delight. Tenderloin pork + potatoes + eggplant...meat was soft without the strong "pig" aroma. Noodles with prawns looked deceivingly 'simple', yet it was very tasty, less the usual msg aftertaste of normal hawker fare, plus the prawns...really fresh and done perfectly. Not too soft, nor overcooked.

The Muah Muah tea which I ordered was aromatic, 'thick', yet easy going! My friend's Mojito was one of the best I've had too! Nice balance of mint + lime + alcohol, none too overpowering.

Last but not least, THE DESSERTS! gosh. Chai Chocolate cake had the most interesting chocolate "mini-calls" on top and it was nice and moist, not too rich that we had to stop. The bread pudding, like my friend said, good comfort food. But I must say that it was the green tea tofu tiramisu that most of us liked best, cos' it was so special! The mix of tofu + soaked sponge cake + cream was great and it wasn't "heavy" at all.

I swore I was in a state of Euphoria on Sat...If fact, I liked that place so much, I brought my family there the following day!

Wagyu beef appetizer was not too bad, though I might have liked it more if it were more rare. The pork sandwich...hmm, I would have liked it much better if it weren't so "sweet" but as my brother rightly pointed out, it might not be special if it weren't sweet. The sweet potato "fries" were a refreshing change from the common fries. But I must admit the highlight of the day must be the STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE topped with cream sauce...!!

I am SO going back there again. Will choose the alfresco under the cage the next time it's not raining! Before it starts getting jam-packed and prices hike!

And yeah, nice to see all smiley servers who are very willing to answer all queries and attend to our needs. One of them even Offered to top up my pot of tea. Plus for that. Minus for "forgetting my bill" + "losing my tea pot" on the first day though...haha

So...too bad. Still not a 10-pointer! ;p But for prices like that...definitely worth a visit.

Forgot to add! They do not serve entrees before 6pm! Which was a major disappointment! They said it's "tea" time...but they kindly requested the chef to prepare the Salad, and later, the appetizer...if not I would have been MAJORLY upset. ;)

Btw, though I AM smittened with this place...I wish to share this with fellow foodies...and I look forward to reading other reviews! Hopefully you guys will like this place as much as I do. =D

I visited House again and I must say that their service seems to have dropped from the last time I was here (last year). To begin with, my beloved and I were in the vicinity at 6+ and decided to have an early dinner. So we popped in and made ourselves comfy on the chairs.

We weren't too hungry, so we ordered an Ahi Taki Salad and the Bay Prawn Capellini to share. The food came fairly quickly - possibly because the place was largely empty at 6.40pm - and were served in fairly sizeable portions. I must say that the Ahi Taki Salad DELIVERS; not only do the meat chunks look as appealing as in their menu shot, they also taste really good. Thumbs up for this; I'd advise everyone to make this a must-order. The Bay Prawn Capellini, however, was disappointing in that the taste wasn't very much there, missing something (essential spice or some other) and overall presentation made it look like a masquerading, thinner twin of Maggi Mee. Prawns were also not very delicious, rather dry in fact; after reading some of the reviews here you'd have imagined they were heavenly or something. But they were not, sorry.

After that we had the Chocolate Almond cake (or else the one that's rated number 3 on the desserts menu) and that was really good. Like, yum yum yum. And then we had a Madagascan Mojito from Camp, which was really good! Okay, thumbs up to food/beverage in general.

That's not my main grouse. My problem is that their service was not good enough for someplace at Dempsey. It had rained in the afternoon, so their staff was at the sitting area outside, cleaning up the benches for customers who'd want to eat there later. That much is understandable. What is not, however, is the idea of opening the glass partition so that all the cold air will rush out (that's not my main grouse, wait for it:) and MOSQUITOES COME IN. Halfway between my meal I realised that I was losing blood rapidly and asked for the door to be shut and air con turned higher. The latter they did, but the former request was ignored. So, I very sadly suffered a total of 8 bites that made my meal MOST UNPLEASANT and ITCHY.

The bill came up to $80+ for the dinner, bites and all. Wah lao eh. I wouldn't complain if not for the mosquitoes. Thanks much, House.