I found the fillings of the Paus rather normal, but the Da Bao didn't have ginger inside, which I personally prefer because I simply dislike ginger. The Pau skin was soft and not too thick, with lots of bite. Its really a cut above the rest. Little wonder about the long queues. Try it!
Vansh is an Indian Restaurant that combines the traditional Indian food with modern dining concepts. With a neon-green open kitchen in the centre that has glass surrounding it, there are even bar seats where you can watch your food being prepared up close. If you're worried about getting "smoked" or smelling like you've just stepped out of a BBQ party, don't worry as the real cooking is done in the regular kitchen nearby. If bar seats are not your fancy, you can choose to have the indoor couches or the al fresco seats. Dimly lit, it's a great place to chill, but not quite for photo-taking. (as you can see from my pictures)
We dropped in without a reservation on Christmas Eve. Luckily we were pretty early and the place was quite empty when we got there. The wierd thing was that it got filled with family-types close to 9pm.
The staff were mostly native Indian and were very polite. I liked the ambience very much. It was cosy and still had an Indian flavour to it.
There was quite a selection of food and we took some time to decide. We were also given complimentary rolls (I don't know what they are called) and a variety of dips as starters. We certainly enjoyed trying all the dips.
Food Ordered:
Honey Kulzza $9 This was a a pizza like bread covered with honey, tomatoes, coriander and onion seeds. I liked it very much. It wasn't overly sweet. This alone could be a meal for a small-eater as it was enough for the two of us to share.
Tandoori Mushroom $13 These are fresh button mushrooms covered in herbed cheese marinade. Honestly? They did look quite ugly on the plate. But once they are in your mouth, it's very nice. Despite looking very dry, the button mushroom is still juicy and chewy, which gives it a different texture from its outer covering.
Chicken Tikka Masala $18 Recommended by the staff, this consists of tandoori marinated chicken cooked with capsicum in a flavourful tomato masala. MMmM I'm still thinking of this one... it was spicy but not the kind to make your hair stand. The chicken was still tender. The masala was perfect for us to dip our naans in.
Plain (X1) and Butter naans (X1) $4 each The naans were thick and fluffy, served nicely in a basket. Actually the plain one was enough for the two of us. But we had so much masala left we ordered the garlic one too! The Butter one was more oily than the plain one (obviously) and I think I would have rather stuck to the plain one.
Virgin Colada $9 My companion had no complaints about this drink. It was just a little overly sourish but there was a strong coconut flavour which appealed.
Tulsi Sherbet $9 A mix of basil, lemon, ginger and spices all blended to give a delightfully sourish drink. I'd say this drink was a good accompaniment to the food. I wouldn't order this if I weren't eating though.
Good service throughout our time there. When I dropped the naan on my lap the staff was alert enough to hurry over quickly and offer me another napkin. We were also given little party sets since it was Christmas Eve.
So good service, good food and good ambience. All for $78, inclusive of service charge and GST. I wouldn't say it was expensive, but it is above average. I would have given it 5-stars if it were more convenient. But the waterfront location made it quite romantic to have a leisurely walk after dinner. Worth a try definitely.
I watched the restaurant renovate with anticipation, excited that there would be a new place in the area for me to try. That day my companion and I wanted to try another place down the road but it was closed so we trot over to Tuk Tuk which is just across from Aston's Specialties, next to Glory Catering. You can't miss the actual Tuk Tuk (yes the vehicle) outside the restaurant.
Once you step into this bright family restaurant, you'll be greeted by equally bright smiles. The place looks modern and can seat about 70 people.
Settling down, I gladly let my friend have the menu as there were a number of words there that I didn't understand, translations from Thai. There were also English descriptions though and the pictures in the menu were quite enticing I must say.
Food Ordered: Olive Rice with Cashew Nuts The rice was very fragrant... and it was more than enough for two of us to share. I enjoyed the crunchy texture the nuts added to the dish.
Thai-Style Otah I was surprised when the otah came. I'm too used to the conventional style where it is flat and long. This one is like a kueh-kueh, a little cube of otah encased in the leaf. It was less spicy than I had expected but it was also more fishy than normal.
Lemon Chicken with Mayonnaise This was the dish which was quite disappointing really. There was too much mayonnaise covering the chicken bits. Although the serving was quite big, the chicken was too dry which made it a little too chewy.
Sambal Long Bean A common dish where you could find anywhere. No complaints about this dish though. It was tasty and not overly spicy. The long beans were not overdone and were still crunchy, retaining all its nutrients so it felt really healthy. Tapioca for Dessert About 6 pieces of Tapioca were served for $2. They were a little dry(hard) and milk served with it was not as sweet as I expected it to be. Lemongrass Drink Only if you have a sweet tooth. And Luckily I do. I loved the sweetness of the drink and it had a nice tea-like smell thanks for the lemongrass.
The service there is very good and everyone was very polite. Although some of the ladies do seem to have problems with English (they are all from thailand), but they were able to cope.
We spent about $40 for the 2 of us. I'm sorry I can't give the actual amount because I have misplaced the receipt. But the food we ordered could feed three people... so I find it pretty good value for money. Definitely worth another visit. :)
I was here 3 years ago when it first opened. That time the staff was very inexperienced and I waited 45 minutes for iced water and 2 hours for my Fish and Chips.
Finally gathering enough courage, I went again recently with another friend. The previous ones were too disappointed the first time to visit with me again.
We were there on a weekday afternoon so we were the only ones in the restaurant. So we were served promptly.
Food Ordered:
Wild Mushroom Soup ($4.90) It's obviously Mushroom Soup, served with garlic toast. It was thick and creamy, which was a nice surprise.
Seafood Platter ($13.90) A good serving of fish, chips, calamari and prawn, served with salad. I liked the fish a lot. The flesh was light and tasted great. The batter was not too heavy so I didn't feel too sick eating it all up. It was quite a large serving for a girl but I was really hungry. Ribeye Steak - Gentlemen's cut ($19.90) It came sizzling and did look presentable. However my companion commented that it was mediocre and was not as done as he wanted it.
The funny thing about it was that we were quite busy chatting when the food arrived so it was left alone a bit then the waiter came back 5 minutes later to remind us to have it while it's warm. so cute.
Service has improved tremendously. It cost $43.60 for both of us... so it was alright I guess. I'll visit again just not order the steak. :)
Cafe de Amigo relocated to Funan in 2006. Chef Foo Wah Ann is the man behind this very nice place. Having heard about him when he was at the renown La Brasserie (Marco Polo Hotel), we thought a visit to this place was a must. The ambience is pretty cosy. There is a live band singing jazzy tunes throughout the night. The crowd there is consists largely of those working in the area.
Food Ordered:
Deep-fried Cheese - 3pc ($16.50) 3 types of cheese melted together and deep fried, served with fresh basil and tomato sauce. I like the cheese which was firm and not oozing out of its shell. Soft Shell Crab ($13.50) The batter was a little too light and it was too oily for my taste. Small serving just enough for one person.
Escargot A la Bourguignon (6 for $16.50) Served in a garlic and butter sauce, I found nothing spectacular about this dish. If anything, the serving was really small. Lobster Bisque ($9.50) "Bisque of Bisques" was its description in the menu. Thus we had to try this. It was flavourful however it's pretty hard to find lobster nor taste any lobster in this dish.
Not the same Potato ($7.50) It is actually supposed to be creamy potato soup but the taste of potato was weak and overpowered by the cheese that was blended into it.
Salad de Amis ($14.50) A huge serving of salad which you'll be able to see anywhere, served with olive oil vinegar dressing. Which I think wasn't enough as it was dry and a little bland.
Chicken chop ($20.50) Grilled boneless chicken drumstick served in black pepper sauce and fries. Sadly you can get a good taste of this dish at hawker centres at a quarter of its price. Although boneless, the chicken had a fair share of fatty bits and it wasn't as succulent as I had expected. The black pepper sauce wasn't thick enough too.
Ox-Tail ($24.50) One of the inhouse specialties. A generous serving of stewed oxtail served with boiled potato and broccoli. My companion commented that it was very tender and juicy. I did think that it was the one of the best dishes on the table that night Duck Breast ($26.50) Also one of the recommended dishes. Roasted duck slices in red wine sauce, served with boiled spinach. The combination seemed a little odd to me at first. But my companion has full of compliments for it so I guess it was really good.
Normandy Apple Pie ($7.50) One of the recommended desserts. It was served with wild honey and vanilla ice-cream. I loved the crumbly crust which was light and tasty. One would find it hard to be sick of this. The inside was not overly sweet. Frezzie Tiramisu ($7.90) It was a regular ice cream cake. Certainly not worth the money.
The presentation of the food was not good. More like they were all haphazardly put together. The service is alright. I don't think I will be back anytime soon...
Was searching for a decent caterer for the first party Yebber is throwing. And recalled the great spread of food catered at my previous workplace, so I decided to give them a try.
These were served at the Yebber's party... Tossed Garden Greens with Baby Potatoes Butter Tiger Prawn with Oatmeal Hawaiian Chicken Cutlet with Pineapple Thai Style Mango Fish Fresh Broccoli with Assortment Pacific Clams Sausages & Papadem with Cheese & Thai Dip *HOT Sunny Pilaf with Cashew Nuts Petite French Pastries *HOT Festive Punch
I'm posting these up with photos first tonite. Will review it when I'm sober. Time to crash...
Review to be continued...
Let me get down to business with this caterer's review... First the presentation - Its one of the better ones that I've seen. Instead of placing everything on the same level with simple plain white table cloth, Harvest has got boxes below the cloth to make the presentation nicely, placing dishes on different levels. And they created a feel of class with the gold and silver cloth. Their sauces was also served in nice white soup bowl instead of plastic bowls. Food was nicely placed and the presentation is welcoming. Makes you want to grab more food.
The Food - This was a Season special menu at $16/pax. Tossed Garden Greens with Baby Potatoes Just like any other salads. Fresh greens and nicely halved baby potatoes. If they'd provided more sauces, it'll be even better. The one that came with it was Thousand Island. Not so friendly for those ladies watching the diet.
Butter Tiger Prawn with Oatmeal - Photo This was the one that looks the most appetizing. While the man was setting up, everyone was eyeing on the prawns! It looks big and delicious. When we finally get our hands on the prawns, its was good. But it would have been better if it was warm. You can taste the butter and the oatmeal was kinda soggy after being wrapped up in foil. This was one of the better dish that night.
Hawaiian Chicken Cutlet with Pineapple - Photo The looks of this dish makes one want to give it a miss. The pineapple dressings on the chicken has almost blended into the used-to-be-crispy chicken skin. The chicken skin was soggy and the taste of the supposed to be Hawaiian taste wasn't present. Kind of disappointed with this one.
Thai Style Mango Fish After the entire night, than I realised one thing. We should have poured the bowl of salsa sauce lookalike onto the fish before we eat them! I was puzzled when there's this extra bowl of vegetables on the table, but thought it could have been complimentary or something. Hope some of you did know that the sauce was for the fish and had put some over the fish before you eat it. So silly of me!
The fish (w/o the salsa sauce) tasted plain. There was a little fishy smell and again the fish was soggy. But still edible. Guess the caterer should try to find a way to prevent their food to turn soggy during the delivery process. The warmer provided was insufficient to really heat up the food. Perhaps an additional warmer per dish might help better.
Fresh Broccoli with Assortment Pacific Clams - Photo Nicely cooked broccoli with not-so-fresh pacific clams. It might just be my taste bud, but the clams had a strong smell. I love clams but this one I didn't even wanted to have a second helping. Still this dish was well presented. I still enjoyed the broccolis and mushrooms.
Sausages & Papadem with Cheese & Thai Dip *HOT - Photo This must be the hottest item that night. Nacho Papadem with cheese! I can't imagine eating this combi before that night. But now I'm craving for it! The Papadem was fresh and crispy. Dipped into the cheese dip and yummy! Perfecto! Love it! The sausages were normal chicken sausages, as usual, this is the easiest to eat finger food. The thai dip and cheese makes it even better.
Sunny Pilaf with Cashew Nuts As usual, the rice for all catering is always the least favorite. There were plenty left after that night. Not sure if anyone else notice, there were shrimps cooked with the rice. We should have mixed the rice a little before eating, cos I think most of the shrimps were hidden at the bottom of the rice. The obvious ingredients was the cashew nuts and raisins. This one still not bad, rice was a little fragrant and the shrimps used was fresh. Definitely better than most of the fried rice I had at other catered meals.
Petite French Pastries *HOT - Photo Too little of these were served! Pastries were nicely made and it was not too sweet. Chilled at the right temperature that doesn't cos the pastries to become too soft. Didn't get to try the cream puffs as they were gone when I went back wanting to try one. Had couple of the chocolate ones, and it was gone when I wanted more. Will surely order this again the next time.
Overall, I still like and enjoyed the food by Harvest. Will probably order from them again for my future events. Value-for-money.
On a sidenote, you might want to get them to set-up an hour prior to your event. That night, the guy came late and he took quite awhile to set-up on his own. I was quite nervous when guests started coming in when he was still setting up. And the food had to be heated up before consuming. So it's advisable to plan way ahead for them to set-up and allow sufficient time for the food to heat up.
I love The Soup Spoon! The last time I went was a few years ago and I was happy to go again recently to find that it has expanded! There's more seating area now although it's really cramped cos they tried to put as many seats as possible. On weekday evenings, the place was absolutely brimming with people! It was sheer luck that my friend and I managed to get a table!
Food Ordered: Seafood Clam Chowder in Bread Bowls - 2 servings Tuna Mayo Sandwich A bottle of Snapple
I love the clam chowder ($8.20) because it's so thick and flavourful! And it's fun eating up the whole bowl with it. One serving of this is actually enough for two people so my friend and I were absolutely full after...
The Tuna Mayo Sandwich was tasty but not extraordinarily. Serving is just right for one person, provided you don't order anything else much.
The total bill came up to about $25, which I find very reasonable since we ordered enough to feed 3 people. Definitely worth many more visits!
Having heard about this place being good for its desserts, naturally being a dessert-lover, I was drawn to it. My friend and I went on a quiet weekday afternoon so there wasn't anyone, which is great! I was awed by the selection of desserts and simply didn't know which to pick! After a long long time we managed to decide.
As it was tea time, there was a tea time special. A choice of dessert and a drink for $9.50.
Food Ordered: Arabella Sweet Pleasure Strawberry Italian Soda Iced Lime Mint Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich
Arabella is the dome-shaped chocolate cake with Jivara mousse with caramelised bananas, fruity ginger and passion fruit puree. I'm not a fan of caramelised bananas but was attracted to the presentation of the cake... the taste of bananas wasn't as strong as I thought it would be so that was good for me. I loved the outer covering.
Sweet Pleasure was made of layers of hazelnut praline dacquoise, Jivara milk chocolate ganache with fleur de sel, topped with chocolate mousse. I loved this cake. Except for the fact that it was difficult to eat, thanks to the hard top layer, it was delicious. Not overly sweet, the hazelnut taste was strong and made it really different from other cakes.
The Lemon Mint was a strange unappetizing green colour but nonetheless it was good. You can taste both flavours nicely.
The only one that disappointed was the Italian Soda. All Soda no strawberry. Made me extremely bloated after that.
The Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich was adequate in taste. It was quite big and more than enough for a lady like me. The ingredients were sufficient. It wasn't fantastic but at $12.50 I guess it's alright.
The bill came up to $36.40 for five items between two of us. Really a good deal I must say. Please note that this price is only during Tea time Specials.. weekday afternoons only.
On Christmas Day .... a second trip, we tried: Macarons - Chocolate with Raspberry Macarons - Chocolate with Lemon Forest Noir Ambrosia Lychee Tea
To keep it short, the macarons are good but not fantastic. You really have to pick the flavours carefully. The Chocolate and Lemon one was too sticky for me whereas the Raspberry one was good in texture but slightly too sweet in taste.
Forest Noir was very much your average Blackforest cake but the Ambrosia was fantastic. lol my friend kept stealing mine!
And the Lychee tea is definitely a huge improvement from the Italian Soda I picked the last time. Good Drink.
This time we spent about $30 for 4 items. (See the difference minus the tea time special? Pity we're not all tai-tais.)
Anyway I'll definitely be back for more desserts and Lambourghini/Ferrari-watching. :)
Happened to be around Kallang couple weeks ago and we went to check out the totally revamped Leisure Park.
The last image I had of that place was run down and sleezy. Before the close for renovation, I remember going there for BK and buying cheap stickers at push carts around the first level. There was also this game arcade where I used to waste my time at while waiting for fireworks on NDP day.
Now, the place looks so much brighter and bigger. However there were many empty shops still when I went. Based on my memory, there was a Subway, a foodcourt (filled with aunties and uncles), a toy collector shop, a pet shop (with no pets), some fashion stores, a game shop and few gift shops open. Think there's also a cold storage at the basement if I'm not wrong. (I'm old... memory's failing me...)
Guess this place is not going to be that happening as yet. Unless there's some event at the stadiums. But once the train starts its service there, crowd might just start picking up.
I wouldn't suggest you to choose this place for a window shopping mall for now. Give it a couple more months. Hope more shops will be opened. And seems like a cinema or sort might also be opening there. (Top level wasn't accessible yet when I was there.)
Giving it a 2/5 for now. Will review again when I revisit them later next year.
Tamon is a small Japanese eatery located along East Coast Road near 928 Laksa. It had been sitting quietly in its corner for years and I was really tempted to try. Its opening hours are quite limited. They are open from 12-2pm (weekdays) and 6-10pm (weekdays and weekends). They aren't open on Public Holidays. Finally after one failed attempt (reached there and they weren't open), we managed to enter this place, frequented by Japanese in the area.
Seating for this place is for about 30-40, with about 4 tables of 4 outside. It is pretty cramped with the seats very close to each other. You can't have two larger sized people sitting back to back otherwise they would have a really hard time getting out.
They have a variety of items however they only have 5 dinner sets to choose from. Dinner sets are the best bargain at about $20 . The rest of the items are at normal prices which aren't very cheap.
Food Ordered: Tamon Bento Dinner Set A
The Tamon Bento ($26) consisted of sashimi,tempura, saba shioyaki, chawanmushi served with miso soup and rice. Both sets had a variety of sashimi and tempura which were sizeable and fresh (sashimi). The batter for the tempura was pretty good and it wasn't oily. The saba shioyaki (grilled mackerel) was well done, retaining its taste without being too "fishy". The best item here was the chawanmushi. Its texture was very smooth. One of the best I've tasted really.
Dinner Set A ($26) consisted of sashimi,tempura, chicken teriyaki served with miso soup and rice. The extra item here would be the Chicken teriyaki. It was a pretty sizeable serving so I shared it with my friend. Nicely done with very little fatty bits which is what I like.
In terms of service they were slow to respond at times even when there were only a few people. They were quick to tend to regulars though.
So I took one star off due to the service and limited opening hours. Parking isn't too easy too in the area.
I found the fillings of the Paus rather normal, but the Da Bao didn't have ginger inside, which I personally prefer because I simply dislike ginger. The Pau skin was soft and not too thick, with lots of bite. Its really a cut above the rest. Little wonder about the long queues. Try it!
Rating given:
Vansh is an Indian Restaurant that combines the traditional Indian food with modern dining concepts. With a neon-green open kitchen in the centre that has glass surrounding it, there are even bar seats where you can watch your food being prepared up close. If you're worried about getting "smoked" or smelling like you've just stepped out of a BBQ party, don't worry as the real cooking is done in the regular kitchen nearby. If bar seats are not your fancy, you can choose to have the indoor couches or the al fresco seats. Dimly lit, it's a great place to chill, but not quite for photo-taking. (as you can see from my pictures)
We dropped in without a reservation on Christmas Eve. Luckily we were pretty early and the place was quite empty when we got there. The wierd thing was that it got filled with family-types close to 9pm.
The staff were mostly native Indian and were very polite. I liked the ambience very much. It was cosy and still had an Indian flavour to it.
There was quite a selection of food and we took some time to decide. We were also given complimentary rolls (I don't know what they are called) and a variety of dips as starters. We certainly enjoyed trying all the dips.
Food Ordered:
Honey Kulzza $9
This was a a pizza like bread covered with honey, tomatoes, coriander and onion seeds. I liked it very much. It wasn't overly sweet. This alone could be a meal for a small-eater as it was enough for the two of us to share.
Tandoori Mushroom $13
These are fresh button mushrooms covered in herbed cheese marinade. Honestly? They did look quite ugly on the plate. But once they are in your mouth, it's very nice. Despite looking very dry, the button mushroom is still juicy and chewy, which gives it a different texture from its outer covering.
Chicken Tikka Masala $18
Recommended by the staff, this consists of tandoori marinated chicken cooked with capsicum in a flavourful tomato masala. MMmM I'm still thinking of this one... it was spicy but not the kind to make your hair stand. The chicken was still tender. The masala was perfect for us to dip our naans in.
Plain (X1) and Butter naans (X1) $4 each
The naans were thick and fluffy, served nicely in a basket. Actually the plain one was enough for the two of us. But we had so much masala left we ordered the garlic one too! The Butter one was more oily than the plain one (obviously) and I think I would have rather stuck to the plain one.
Virgin Colada $9
My companion had no complaints about this drink. It was just a little overly sourish but there was a strong coconut flavour which appealed.
Tulsi Sherbet $9
A mix of basil, lemon, ginger and spices all blended to give a delightfully sourish drink. I'd say this drink was a good accompaniment to the food. I wouldn't order this if I weren't eating though.
Good service throughout our time there. When I dropped the naan on my lap the staff was alert enough to hurry over quickly and offer me another napkin. We were also given little party sets since it was Christmas Eve.
So good service, good food and good ambience. All for $78, inclusive of service charge and GST. I wouldn't say it was expensive, but it is above average. I would have given it 5-stars if it were more convenient. But the waterfront location made it quite romantic to have a leisurely walk after dinner. Worth a try definitely.
Rating given:
I watched the restaurant renovate with anticipation, excited that there would be a new place in the area for me to try. That day my companion and I wanted to try another place down the road but it was closed so we trot over to Tuk Tuk which is just across from Aston's Specialties, next to Glory Catering. You can't miss the actual Tuk Tuk (yes the vehicle) outside the restaurant.
Once you step into this bright family restaurant, you'll be greeted by equally bright smiles. The place looks modern and can seat about 70 people.
Settling down, I gladly let my friend have the menu as there were a number of words there that I didn't understand, translations from Thai. There were also English descriptions though and the pictures in the menu were quite enticing I must say.
Food Ordered:
Olive Rice with Cashew Nuts
The rice was very fragrant... and it was more than enough for two of us to share. I enjoyed the crunchy texture the nuts added to the dish.
Thai-Style Otah
I was surprised when the otah came. I'm too used to the conventional style where it is flat and long. This one is like a kueh-kueh, a little cube of otah encased in the leaf. It was less spicy than I had expected but it was also more fishy than normal.
Lemon Chicken with Mayonnaise
This was the dish which was quite disappointing really. There was too much mayonnaise covering the chicken bits. Although the serving was quite big, the chicken was too dry which made it a little too chewy.
Sambal Long Bean
A common dish where you could find anywhere. No complaints about this dish though. It was tasty and not overly spicy. The long beans were not overdone and were still crunchy, retaining all its nutrients so it felt really healthy.
Tapioca for Dessert
About 6 pieces of Tapioca were served for $2. They were a little dry(hard) and milk served with it was not as sweet as I expected it to be.
Lemongrass Drink
Only if you have a sweet tooth. And Luckily I do. I loved the sweetness of the drink and it had a nice tea-like smell thanks for the lemongrass.
The service there is very good and everyone was very polite. Although some of the ladies do seem to have problems with English (they are all from thailand), but they were able to cope.
We spent about $40 for the 2 of us. I'm sorry I can't give the actual amount because I have misplaced the receipt. But the food we ordered could feed three people... so I find it pretty good value for money. Definitely worth another visit. :)
Rating given:
I was here 3 years ago when it first opened. That time the staff was very inexperienced and I waited 45 minutes for iced water and 2 hours for my Fish and Chips.
Finally gathering enough courage, I went again recently with another friend. The previous ones were too disappointed the first time to visit with me again.
We were there on a weekday afternoon so we were the only ones in the restaurant. So we were served promptly.
Food Ordered:
Wild Mushroom Soup ($4.90)
It's obviously Mushroom Soup, served with garlic toast. It was thick and creamy, which was a nice surprise.
Seafood Platter ($13.90)
A good serving of fish, chips, calamari and prawn, served with salad. I liked the fish a lot. The flesh was light and tasted great. The batter was not too heavy so I didn't feel too sick eating it all up. It was quite a large serving for a girl but I was really hungry.
Ribeye Steak - Gentlemen's cut ($19.90)
It came sizzling and did look presentable. However my companion commented that it was mediocre and was not as done as he wanted it.
The funny thing about it was that we were quite busy chatting when the food arrived so it was left alone a bit then the waiter came back 5 minutes later to remind us to have it while it's warm. so cute.
Service has improved tremendously. It cost $43.60 for both of us... so it was alright I guess. I'll visit again just not order the steak. :)
Rating given:
Cafe de Amigo relocated to Funan in 2006. Chef Foo Wah Ann is the man behind this very nice place. Having heard about him when he was at the renown La Brasserie (Marco Polo Hotel), we thought a visit to this place was a must. The ambience is pretty cosy. There is a live band singing jazzy tunes throughout the night. The crowd there is consists largely of those working in the area.
Food Ordered:
Deep-fried Cheese - 3pc ($16.50)
3 types of cheese melted together and deep fried, served with fresh basil and tomato sauce. I like the cheese which was firm and not oozing out of its shell.
Soft Shell Crab ($13.50)
The batter was a little too light and it was too oily for my taste. Small serving just enough for one person.
Escargot A la Bourguignon (6 for $16.50)
Served in a garlic and butter sauce, I found nothing spectacular about this dish. If anything, the serving was really small.
Lobster Bisque ($9.50)
"Bisque of Bisques" was its description in the menu. Thus we had to try this. It was flavourful however it's pretty hard to find lobster nor taste any lobster in this dish.
Not the same Potato ($7.50)
It is actually supposed to be creamy potato soup but the taste of potato was weak and overpowered by the cheese that was blended into it.
Salad de Amis ($14.50)
A huge serving of salad which you'll be able to see anywhere, served with olive oil vinegar dressing. Which I think wasn't enough as it was dry and a little bland.
Chicken chop ($20.50)
Grilled boneless chicken drumstick served in black pepper sauce and fries. Sadly you can get a good taste of this dish at hawker centres at a quarter of its price. Although boneless, the chicken had a fair share of fatty bits and it wasn't as succulent as I had expected. The black pepper sauce wasn't thick enough too.
Ox-Tail ($24.50)
One of the inhouse specialties. A generous serving of stewed oxtail served with boiled potato and broccoli. My companion commented that it was very tender and juicy. I did think that it was the one of the best dishes on the table that night
Duck Breast ($26.50)
Also one of the recommended dishes. Roasted duck slices in red wine sauce, served with boiled spinach. The combination seemed a little odd to me at first. But my companion has full of compliments for it so I guess it was really good.
Normandy Apple Pie ($7.50)
One of the recommended desserts. It was served with wild honey and vanilla ice-cream. I loved the crumbly crust which was light and tasty. One would find it hard to be sick of this. The inside was not overly sweet.
Frezzie Tiramisu ($7.90)
It was a regular ice cream cake. Certainly not worth the money.
The presentation of the food was not good. More like they were all haphazardly put together. The service is alright. I don't think I will be back anytime soon...
Rating given:
Was searching for a decent caterer for the first party Yebber is throwing. And recalled the great spread of food catered at my previous workplace, so I decided to give them a try.
These were served at the Yebber's party...
Tossed Garden Greens with Baby Potatoes
Butter Tiger Prawn with Oatmeal
Hawaiian Chicken Cutlet with Pineapple
Thai Style Mango Fish
Fresh Broccoli with Assortment Pacific Clams
Sausages & Papadem with Cheese & Thai Dip *HOT
Sunny Pilaf with Cashew Nuts
Petite French Pastries *HOT
Festive Punch
I'm posting these up with photos first tonite. Will review it when I'm sober. Time to crash...
Review to be continued...
Let me get down to business with this caterer's review...
First the presentation - Its one of the better ones that I've seen. Instead of placing everything on the same level with simple plain white table cloth, Harvest has got boxes below the cloth to make the presentation nicely, placing dishes on different levels. And they created a feel of class with the gold and silver cloth. Their sauces was also served in nice white soup bowl instead of plastic bowls. Food was nicely placed and the presentation is welcoming. Makes you want to grab more food.
The Food - This was a Season special menu at $16/pax.
Tossed Garden Greens with Baby Potatoes
Just like any other salads. Fresh greens and nicely halved baby potatoes. If they'd provided more sauces, it'll be even better. The one that came with it was Thousand Island. Not so friendly for those ladies watching the diet.
Butter Tiger Prawn with Oatmeal - Photo
This was the one that looks the most appetizing. While the man was setting up, everyone was eyeing on the prawns! It looks big and delicious. When we finally get our hands on the prawns, its was good. But it would have been better if it was warm. You can taste the butter and the oatmeal was kinda soggy after being wrapped up in foil. This was one of the better dish that night.
Hawaiian Chicken Cutlet with Pineapple - Photo
The looks of this dish makes one want to give it a miss. The pineapple dressings on the chicken has almost blended into the used-to-be-crispy chicken skin. The chicken skin was soggy and the taste of the supposed to be Hawaiian taste wasn't present. Kind of disappointed with this one.
Thai Style Mango Fish
After the entire night, than I realised one thing. We should have poured the bowl of salsa sauce lookalike onto the fish before we eat them! I was puzzled when there's this extra bowl of vegetables on the table, but thought it could have been complimentary or something. Hope some of you did know that the sauce was for the fish and had put some over the fish before you eat it. So silly of me!
The fish (w/o the salsa sauce) tasted plain. There was a little fishy smell and again the fish was soggy. But still edible. Guess the caterer should try to find a way to prevent their food to turn soggy during the delivery process. The warmer provided was insufficient to really heat up the food. Perhaps an additional warmer per dish might help better.
Fresh Broccoli with Assortment Pacific Clams - Photo
Nicely cooked broccoli with not-so-fresh pacific clams. It might just be my taste bud, but the clams had a strong smell. I love clams but this one I didn't even wanted to have a second helping. Still this dish was well presented. I still enjoyed the broccolis and mushrooms.
Sausages & Papadem with Cheese & Thai Dip *HOT - Photo
This must be the hottest item that night.
NachoPapadem with cheese! I can't imagine eating this combi before that night. But now I'm craving for it! The Papadem was fresh and crispy. Dipped into the cheese dip and yummy! Perfecto! Love it! The sausages were normal chicken sausages, as usual, this is the easiest to eat finger food. The thai dip and cheese makes it even better.Sunny Pilaf with Cashew Nuts
As usual, the rice for all catering is always the least favorite. There were plenty left after that night. Not sure if anyone else notice, there were shrimps cooked with the rice. We should have mixed the rice a little before eating, cos I think most of the shrimps were hidden at the bottom of the rice. The obvious ingredients was the cashew nuts and raisins. This one still not bad, rice was a little fragrant and the shrimps used was fresh. Definitely better than most of the fried rice I had at other catered meals.
Petite French Pastries *HOT - Photo
Too little of these were served! Pastries were nicely made and it was not too sweet. Chilled at the right temperature that doesn't cos the pastries to become too soft. Didn't get to try the cream puffs as they were gone when I went back wanting to try one. Had couple of the chocolate ones, and it was gone when I wanted more. Will surely order this again the next time.
Overall, I still like and enjoyed the food by Harvest. Will probably order from them again for my future events. Value-for-money.
On a sidenote, you might want to get them to set-up an hour prior to your event. That night, the guy came late and he took quite awhile to set-up on his own. I was quite nervous when guests started coming in when he was still setting up. And the food had to be heated up before consuming. So it's advisable to plan way ahead for them to set-up and allow sufficient time for the food to heat up.
Rating given:
I love The Soup Spoon! The last time I went was a few years ago and I was happy to go again recently to find that it has expanded! There's more seating area now although it's really cramped cos they tried to put as many seats as possible. On weekday evenings, the place was absolutely brimming with people! It was sheer luck that my friend and I managed to get a table!
Food Ordered:
Seafood Clam Chowder in Bread Bowls - 2 servings
Tuna Mayo Sandwich
A bottle of Snapple
I love the clam chowder ($8.20) because it's so thick and flavourful! And it's fun eating up the whole bowl with it. One serving of this is actually enough for two people so my friend and I were absolutely full after...
The Tuna Mayo Sandwich was tasty but not extraordinarily. Serving is just right for one person, provided you don't order anything else much.
The total bill came up to about $25, which I find very reasonable since we ordered enough to feed 3 people. Definitely worth many more visits!
Rating given:
Having heard about this place being good for its desserts, naturally being a dessert-lover, I was drawn to it. My friend and I went on a quiet weekday afternoon so there wasn't anyone, which is great! I was awed by the selection of desserts and simply didn't know which to pick! After a long long time we managed to decide.
As it was tea time, there was a tea time special. A choice of dessert and a drink for $9.50.
Food Ordered:
Arabella
Sweet Pleasure
Strawberry Italian Soda
Iced Lime Mint
Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich
Arabella is the dome-shaped chocolate cake with Jivara mousse with caramelised bananas, fruity ginger and passion fruit puree. I'm not a fan of caramelised bananas but was attracted to the presentation of the cake... the taste of bananas wasn't as strong as I thought it would be so that was good for me. I loved the outer covering.
Sweet Pleasure was made of layers of hazelnut praline dacquoise, Jivara milk chocolate ganache with fleur de sel, topped with chocolate mousse. I loved this cake. Except for the fact that it was difficult to eat, thanks to the hard top layer, it was delicious. Not overly sweet, the hazelnut taste was strong and made it really different from other cakes.
The Lemon Mint was a strange unappetizing green colour but nonetheless it was good. You can taste both flavours nicely.
The only one that disappointed was the Italian Soda. All Soda no strawberry. Made me extremely bloated after that.
The Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich was adequate in taste. It was quite big and more than enough for a lady like me. The ingredients were sufficient. It wasn't fantastic but at $12.50 I guess it's alright.
The bill came up to $36.40 for five items between two of us. Really a good deal I must say. Please note that this price is only during Tea time Specials.. weekday afternoons only.
On Christmas Day .... a second trip, we tried:
Macarons - Chocolate with Raspberry
Macarons - Chocolate with Lemon
Forest Noir
Ambrosia
Lychee Tea
To keep it short, the macarons are good but not fantastic. You really have to pick the flavours carefully. The Chocolate and Lemon one was too sticky for me whereas the Raspberry one was good in texture but slightly too sweet in taste.
Forest Noir was very much your average Blackforest cake but the Ambrosia was fantastic. lol my friend kept stealing mine!
And the Lychee tea is definitely a huge improvement from the Italian Soda I picked the last time. Good Drink.
This time we spent about $30 for 4 items. (See the difference minus the tea time special? Pity we're not all tai-tais.)
Anyway I'll definitely be back for more desserts and Lambourghini/Ferrari-watching. :)
Rating given:
Happened to be around Kallang couple weeks ago and we went to check out the totally revamped Leisure Park.
The last image I had of that place was run down and sleezy. Before the close for renovation, I remember going there for BK and buying cheap stickers at push carts around the first level. There was also this game arcade where I used to waste my time at while waiting for fireworks on NDP day.
Now, the place looks so much brighter and bigger. However there were many empty shops still when I went. Based on my memory, there was a Subway, a foodcourt (filled with aunties and uncles), a toy collector shop, a pet shop (with no pets), some fashion stores, a game shop and few gift shops open. Think there's also a cold storage at the basement if I'm not wrong. (I'm old... memory's failing me...)
Guess this place is not going to be that happening as yet. Unless there's some event at the stadiums. But once the train starts its service there, crowd might just start picking up.
I wouldn't suggest you to choose this place for a window shopping mall for now. Give it a couple more months. Hope more shops will be opened. And seems like a cinema or sort might also be opening there. (Top level wasn't accessible yet when I was there.)
Giving it a 2/5 for now. Will review again when I revisit them later next year.
Rating given:
Tamon is a small Japanese eatery located along East Coast Road near 928 Laksa. It had been sitting quietly in its corner for years and I was really tempted to try. Its opening hours are quite limited. They are open from 12-2pm (weekdays) and 6-10pm (weekdays and weekends). They aren't open on Public Holidays. Finally after one failed attempt (reached there and they weren't open), we managed to enter this place, frequented by Japanese in the area.
Seating for this place is for about 30-40, with about 4 tables of 4 outside. It is pretty cramped with the seats very close to each other. You can't have two larger sized people sitting back to back otherwise they would have a really hard time getting out.
They have a variety of items however they only have 5 dinner sets to choose from. Dinner sets are the best bargain at about $20 . The rest of the items are at normal prices which aren't very cheap.
Food Ordered:
Tamon Bento
Dinner Set A
The Tamon Bento ($26) consisted of sashimi,tempura, saba shioyaki, chawanmushi served with miso soup and rice. Both sets had a variety of sashimi and tempura which were sizeable and fresh (sashimi). The batter for the tempura was pretty good and it wasn't oily. The saba shioyaki (grilled mackerel) was well done, retaining its taste without being too "fishy". The best item here was the chawanmushi. Its texture was very smooth. One of the best I've tasted really.
Dinner Set A ($26) consisted of sashimi,tempura, chicken teriyaki served with miso soup and rice. The extra item here would be the Chicken teriyaki. It was a pretty sizeable serving so I shared it with my friend. Nicely done with very little fatty bits which is what I like.
In terms of service they were slow to respond at times even when there were only a few people. They were quick to tend to regulars though.
So I took one star off due to the service and limited opening hours. Parking isn't too easy too in the area.
Rating given: