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Three. It is the natural number following two, and preceding four. It also represents the three of us, the memories; of the fun, joy and laughter that we shared throughout the years. No, although we didn’t meet frequently, but somehow our conservation always continue smoothly from the previous meeting which was a few months ago, as though we just met yesterday.
Friends, are like the macarons you see. They come in all shapes and flavours, just like friends who has different characters and personality. And how long have we all known each other; with each finger representing a year, I count almost nine out of the ten fingers I could afford on both of my hands.
Friends. There isn’t a need to contact with each other all the time. A simple greeting, uncomplicated chit-chats, and a sincere well-wishes, are the ingredients needed, just like how a good macaron is defined by having chewy shells, with flavourful fillings.
Friends, we automatically updated and filled in on each others life, the gossips and chit-chats that make a whole afternoon passed by in a blink of the eye. A place to sit, some desserts to go along with a cup of tea, are all we need.
She giggled, you chuckled, and we smiled. Much as we used to complain about dragging ourselves out of bed on a Saturday morning just for the practice, thinking of the silly times we had, those were the days.
All of us had moved on, to new pasture, and a different world. But we still managed to meet up even though the rest often had excuses to miss our gatherings. Yes, always the three of us.
Bakerzin is currently having their Macarons promotions, selling at a dollar for each macaron (usual price $1.60 ). And since it is a promotion, their usual flavours will not available, instead there’s ten different flavours to choose from. We had seven out of the ten, namely; lemon, coffee, Peach, Pistachio, Sakura, Blueberry, and Chocolate.
In short, not all the macarons impressed. We like the coffee, with the strong after-taste lingering on our tongue. The pistachio was chewy and sticky. The first bite of the chocolate was overwhelming bitter, but the taste became sweeter for the second bite. The different macarons have different texture, the lemon and the blueberry’s shell crumbled easily, while pistachio and chocolate have slightly crispy ones. But still, a dollar a macaron is cheap, and you can’t complain.
I was sceptical about choosing the Mango mousse ($6.20) initially. But since I’ve try most of the other cakes available at Bakerzin, we decided to take a risk and go ahead with it. And I must say the mango cake, or rather mousse was better than what we thought. Two layers of thin sponge with thick layer of mango mousse in between. The mango mousse, was naturally fulsome with mango.
With a name like Lavande ($6.90), we were perhaps expecting something more of the lavender flower, but it never came. Instead, the cake was very rich, with the goodness of dark chocolate fudge, and the velvety lavender-infused chocolate mousse. The very subtle lavender flavour in the cake meant that it was simply a chocolate cake, with a slight hint of flower.
As with most tastings, we always leave the strongest for the last. Sweet Pleasure ($6.90) is what my friend call it, my-kind-of-cake. How very true. A top layer of chocolate, jivara milk chocolate ganache, a layer of chocolate mousse, and hazelnut praline dacquoise. All in all, it did seem like a ferrero rocher cake. And having tried about thirteen of Bakerzin’s cake so far, sweet pleasure together with the chocolate amer are two of my favourites.
Friends are one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. One year technically isn’t very long, and with the advancement in technology, there’s always msn and email to bridge the gap of the two countries. Have fun in the coming months, my friend, my senior, my big sister. The three of us, yes as always, three, will meet once you got back.
***
Total Bill was $37.25 for 3 cakes, 7 macarons, and 3 drinks. With the promotion of getting a drink at $1.90 each with the purchase of each slice of cake during tea time. As you will know by now, I don’t like to repeat visits, but the one-dollar a macaron was too tempting for me to resist. Having tried thirteen cakes on two visits, it is unlikely that i will visit Bakerzin in the near future, but yeah, you shouldn’t missed their current promotion until end of Feburary.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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I read on the Sunday Times that Fish & Co is coming out with Fish & Co Express, and I must admit the revelation of the news hit me. Much as I don’t like Fish & Co (too commercialise), they are still a restaurant to me. But with the idea of having fast-food associating together with them, I will definitely think twice before dining there again. While it’s good for businesses to diversify, it can be a double-edge sword if not handle properly.
And this brings us to Aston Riding on the popularity of Aston specialist, the owner introduced Aston Prime which offered finer and of course pricer meats. And Aston express, the coffee-shop version, into the local heartlands. The result, immediate success, given the number of express outlets springing up all over Singapore.
The fisherman’s pride. Grill fish with herb ($6.50), of which we chose tasty rice and house salad. Express or no express, the standard in quality wasn’t really apparent. But given my last visit to Aston Specialist was over a year ago, my failing memory might not be a good judge. And quite unlike the name, the tasty rice wasn’t very tasty. I called it the fried-rice-without-eggs. And i love eggs, so it was a no-no for me.
Tempted as I was to get the beefy jack burger, I ended up with the char-grilled chicken ($5.90) instead since the latter came with two side dishes, and the former none. The French fries were all about ordinary Joe & plain June. With the onion rings proving to be better. Given the price, I thought that the char-grilled chicken was pretty good.
Total bill was $13.2 for two mains. While it really depends on what you are comparing with. With hawker-fare or restaurant/cafe food? Given the accessibility of Aston Express, and the shallowness of my pockets, I dare say you will be seeing this post again. Although i’ll have no qualms revisiting them, but I seriously doubt anybody will spend $59.90 on the burgundy roast beef from their menu.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Organised a dinner at Da Mario after reading a couple of relatively good reviews about it online. This small Italian restaurant, which is helmed by Chef Mario from Abruzzo, Italy, promises an authentic Italian dinner by using the freshest ingredients as well as by making sauces and certain pastas from scratch.
Located at The Quayside just diagonally opposite from The Gallery Hotel, Da Mario is a small outfit that can sit probably 30 pax tops. Seating is mainly al fresco with the exception of a couple of small tables in the air conditioned interior. If you are worried about rising temperatures from sitting in the open, worry not. The restaurant has a couple of fans and blowers to keep you cool.
Calamari - The calamari's batter was a tad too thick for my liking while being overly generous on the salt. I'm not sure that this is my idea of a good calamari. The dip and lemon sauce did help a bit though.
Bruschetta Al Pomodoro - I can't believe how much olive oil went into this dish. The bread was literally soaked in olive oil, which made it rather gross to consume. Credit goes to the fresh and tangy tomatoes though.
Portobello Gratinato - Finally something that's worth mentioning - the Portobello mushroom. Served up in one humongous piece, the mushroom was tasty and succulent with a light hint of cheese. Black olives added a nice sourish twist to it while the sun dried tomatoes contributed a natural sweetness.
Capellini Regina - I only had a small sampling portion of this dish but what struck me was the excessive olive oil present, resulting in a soggy and rather oily rendition of angel hair pasta. My friend even went so far as to term it as a wetter/oilier version of "fried beehoon", which I am most inclined to agree given the resemblence in taste.
Tortelli - This was reminiscent of the lobster and crab meat ravioli I had at Bistro Senso about 2 months back. Taste of crab meat was predominant and the lobster, if any, was forgotten. I also thought that the tortelli was done up a little too thick, which resulted in a chewier then usual texture.
Omega 3 Pizza - In other words, smoked salmon pizza. Comparisons with Parma's offering is inevitable but its a totally different take on the same dish. Parma uses a mayonnaise base and rawer tasting salmon whereas for Da Mario, its tomato based and the rawness of the smoked salmon is very much subdued. I personally still prefer Parma's rendition but there are some who prefer otherwise.
Tiramisu - I only had a cursory bite of this dessert and found it rather average. The mascarpone cheese was too soft which affected the texture of the whole cake and I couldn't quite make out any alcohol. The only upside was the generous portion, which could have been shared amongst 2 - 3 pax comfortably.
Each of us forked out almost $35 for a filling, but not exactly satisfying dinner. Food quality is average but portion sizes are quite respectable. Service is very decent as well but the waiting time can vary, depending on the crowd. This is due to the lean kitchen that Da Mario operates (there's only Chef Mario and 1 assistant). Take your chances here.
See all my pictures here.
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I got to know about this shop from a renovation forum while doing renovations in my home. I favoured this over the regular Jalan Besar shops cos it's away from all the light-shoppers AND it's much nearer to where I live. Moreover I'm more familiar with Geylang. But I hadn't shopped for lights before then and wasn't sure what to expect.
I liked the shop instantly on sight. It was in a corner of a pretty rundown building. What I liked was that it wasn't one of those big snobbish looking lighting stores (like some others I passed along the way there). It looked exactly like what it was.. a family run business with nice warm friendly smiles. Alex is the young man in charge and he certainly knows his products well! If you see a light that you liked in another shop you can just describe it to him and he will know it instantly.
The shop itself is quite small though they try to cramp as much as possible on display. He knows lights pretty well so he can source for lights which aren't on display in his shop. I think the prices in his shop are very competitive and certainly much cheaper than the bigger fancy stores I went to on the same stretch. He has the same designs too! I think Alex's resourcefulness really makes up for the lack of variety (his shop is small rem?).
On top of that they have ceiling fans of almost every brand there and it's good to talk to Alex about ceiling fans because he can really advise on what size and brand to buy.
I think the best part was that they weren't pushy. We went back three times and only bought on the third trip. AND Alex remembered us and our requirements even after a few days. In fact, he remembered my sister even after a few weeks!
With good prices, prompt delivery and good service, I think this shop is really worth visiting if you're looking for lights!!
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Strolling down the Singapore River, we found ourselves mesmerised by the scenery, the cool evening air, the group of angmohs enjoying some beer before the sun sets, and the occasional harass from a few of the “eateries” which touted free drinks to entice us.
History has it that this beautiful watershed was the place where the myths and legends conjured up memories of the lighters, bumboats, tongkangs with their painted eyes to see the danger ahead and sampans of yesteryear. This is the place where the Chinese, Malay, and Indian once lived. This is the the place where Sir Stamford Raffles once sailed through to land on Singapore.
The charming Boat quay offers a magnificent view of the Singapore River, with the Fullerton hotel as the backdrop, and the towering skyscrapers in the buzzing CDB just behind. Since the area is famous for its vibrant night life, one will certainly not associate the place with food, I had the same impression, that is, until I visited Dallas restaurant.
Entering the second level, it was a complete stunner as we experienced the hundred & eighty change in environment. From the blasting pub, we stepped into a room befitting of a semi-formal dining restaurant. With nice furnitures, carpeting, and the natural lighting from the windows, this room was ideal for a quiet and romantic dinner.
And if you think that is the end, you are in for a surprise. The bar and restaurant concept was fully displayed in the third level of Dallas. With a slightly tone down attitude compared with the second level, this one was all about the causal and relax approach for a hearty dinner. And the smoothing lounge music overhead certainly helps too.
To begin the long dinner which we realised in the aftermaths, lasting almost three hours, we started off with the Dallas platter ($12 for 2 person). The succulent mushroom immediately made an impact as the juices gushed out when we took a bite.
Chicken wings, and the Cheese Quesedillas completes the platter. There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the wings, but the garlic mayonnaise that came along was everything about garlic. On the other hand, the popular cheese quesedillas fared reasonably on my score sheet. Tasting almost like a Mexican taco, there was chicken bits soaked with tomato in chicken broth, but I lamented the fact that it wasn’t cheesy enough.
My dining companion is a big fan of prawns, and the Salad of green mango & prawns ($16) definitely worked its magic. While I felt prices did seem slightly steep for a bowl of greens, but there was a generous portions of the fresh & juicy prawns. And the crisp, tart green mango reminded me of the refreshing Thai-style salad.
Our first main course was the BBQ Barramunudi fillet ($20), one of Dallas’s signature dish. The watercress that accompanied the dish caught my attention, since it wasn’t that common to see this vegetable as a choice of green for salad.
Gigantic, huge, enormous are probably some of the terms you will link the baby back ribs ($22 for 1/2 rack, $28 for full rack) with. I’m a sucker for pork ribs, and the sight of this ginormous baby aroused the carnivore in me. Man, I can still clearly recalled the sweet and juiciness of the ribs now, and if it wasn’t for the fact that we had other food after this, I’ll gladly go for the full ribs instead.
I could only stared at the Tenderloin with shitake mushroom sauce ($28) when it arrived. Being almost full by the previous ribs, the thickness of the steak did shocked me for a bit. While some people would insist on medium well to prevent seeing red, I felt that it would not do any justice to the piece of tender meat.
By the time the Roast chicken and Penne pasta ($16) navigated its way to our table, we were completely stuffed by the multi course dinner. Nonetheless, we did a sampling, and since I’m not a fan of penne, maybe it wouldn’t be a completely fair comment. I found the pasta pretty plain in taste, but the restaurant manager Kenneth, told us that it was a favourite among his angmoh customers, Acquired taste perhaps. And not to forget the roast chicken did wonders for me, it was akin to our roast pork, or more affectionately known as, sio bak.
We were told frankly by the manager that Dallas is still working on their desserts, and there was nothing to rave about. But being the dessert enthusiasts we were, a meal wouldn’t be complete without any sweets, so we decided to go for the Dallas Cheesecake ($8). It could be due to the fact that we had zero expectations, the cheesecake actually didn’t turn out to be as bad as we thought. We couldn’t resist the rich and cheesy dessert. But for the price, I wouldn’t exactly recommend trying the desserts, just get another appetiser!
Dallas Restaurant & Bar stands out as one of the few gems among the food outlets in Boat Quay. I certainly changed my mind about the impression I had of the area, and Dallas proves that there can be a good place for you to dine and drink at the same time. Their set lunches are pulling in all the office crowds, with the 2 course lunch at $18 , and 3 course dinner at $28 .
I would like to thank Rayner from creative partner for inviting me for this food tasting session, and Kenneth the restaurant manager for hosting us for dinner. And oh yes, for you guys who are looking for a venue to have your birthday bash, or a group outing, Dallas has their function room on the third level with a private bar, and a balcony for this. For more information, email to [email protected]
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Situated right in the centre of Palais Renaissance, you can find this place easily as it's at the foot of the escalator. My galfriend and I went there on a weekday afternoon just before lunch hours so we had the luxury of choosing any seat we wanted. I had expected it to remain quiet save for a few tai-tais but BOY was I wrong. At noon, the whole place filled up.
We sat for quite a bit, chatting and taking a long time going through the menu. Throughout that time, no iced water was served. I thought that this is one of those that refuse to serve water so I commented about it to my friend. She laughed and replied that you have to ASK for it though it's free. That really puzzled me.
Food ordered:
Linguini with crabmeat tomato chllis and pinenuts $22
I had this dish. Don't be fooled but that little lump. It really is quite a filling portion. The pinenuts added a nice crunchy texture to the pasta and the pasta was suitably done. The downside of this dish was the sauce. It tasted fine on the first few bites but halfway I really couldn't stand the fishy taste of the crabmeat anymore. It was also unbearably salty after a while and I didn't finish my pasta.
Scrambled Eggs with Sausage on Toast and Field Mushrooms $18
The description forgot to add that it had fries too. My friend ordered it, thinking it sounded like a great brunch only to be surprised by the large serving of fries that came with it. The combination was a little odd but each item tasted fine on their own. I didn't relish putting them altogether in one mouthful though.
Deluxe Chocolate Pecan Brownie
Again, the description failed to include that there was ice cream served with this brownie (although I do know that most places have ice cream but it's not quite polite to assume.) If I had known this, I would have requested for the ice cream to placed on a separate dish. Not to mention if you take a good look at my picture, the ice cream was already melting when it arrived. Since my friend and I had no intention of having the ice cream in the first place we didn't ask for a change. I found the brownie a little too dry for my taste and the chocolate taste wasn't strong enough. It was more like a cake with a hard crust. We chatted for 3 hours and managed to finish this in the end. No easy feat though.
The staff were quite efficient in taking orders and serving but they lack a certain warmth. I guess that's their style.
Would I go back again? Only if a good friend suggested it.
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It’s all about you. It’s all about you baby. Yesterday you asked me something I thought you knew. So I told you with a smile, ‘It’s all about you‘. Say ‘if you made my life worthwhile it’s all about you’. It’s all about the company, it’s all about the cakes, it’s all about the laughter, it’s all about the fun, it’s all about the sugar-rush, from the desserts.
It’s all about pistachio and strawberry. The fraisier ($6.90 ) was the first one we started with. The very subtle & mild pistachio butter cream, worked for me, but it might just disappoint the pistachio purists. A simple dessert, with the almond sponge cake enveloping the butter cream. I’ll pick this again, yes I will.
On my first time trying the Strawberry shortcake ($6.50 ), I was disappointed by Canele’s rendition. Well still basically a shortcake sponge with cream and strawberry, Bakerzin’s version appealed more to me. But, for people with stronger taste buds, go for other highly-flavoured cakes instead of this.
It’s all about New York. No, you do not need to go all the way to NY just for a slice of the famous New York cheesecake ($6.50 ). Possibility one of the most popular cheesecake, this one here came with a coat of tangy strawberry glaze, topped with a sole berry. Light and airy, a few of us preferred this to the stronger lemon cheesecake.
Lemon, cheese, and cake. I’m talking about the Bloom cheesecake ($6.50 ) of course. Cheesy flavour with a strong hint of lemon. In the battle between the supporters of the heavy-cheesy, and the light subtle dessert, I’m leaning towards the light airy camp in this case. It’s not that I do not like the cheesy type, but the bloom somehow was overwhelming, although I like the lemon zest.
It’s all about the love of coffee, and chocolate. The Sumatra ($6.50 ) coffee mousse with the combination of dark and white chocolate. I ain’t a coffee lover, so it didn’t quite worked out for me.
It’s all about childhood, birthday, and nostalgia. I remember the time when I was a kid, eating my black forest cake to celebrate the-day-I-was-borne. The Foret Noir ($6.90 ) was the biggest in slice, with chocolate flakes showered all over the chocolate almond sponge cake soaked in kirsch. You know, the only reason why I detested eating black forest cake was the presence of brandied cherries within. Why can’t we do a black forest without them inside!
It’s all about chocolate. It’s all about chocolate baby. The sweet, o so sweet chocolate mousse with the flourless chocolate sponge. The “oomph” and “ahh” all came out. Heavenly chocolate. I can’t imagine somebody who will dislike this, and chocolate. The Chocolate Amer ($6.20 ) was by far, one of the best cakes among the 10 that we tried.
With crunchy walnuts, chocolate ganache, and caramelised bananas. Ambrosia ($6.50 ). I’m always against the marriage of banana and cakes. And now, there’s even a third party, walnut involved. Not my cup, or rather slice of cake.
I called this the cousin of Foret Noir. Having similar ingredients like chocolate mousse, and brandied cherries, the Coeur Noir ($6.50 ) has dark chocolate glaze instead of the chocolate flakes, and a hazelnut dacquoise base.
Bakerzin’s signature, warm chocolate cake ($4.90, usual price $9.80). The chocolate ooze out like lava erupting from volcano. Like I mentioned before, when you eat the warm chocolate with the cold ice cream. The chemical process between the two combined together, was magic. At the current promotional price, i’ll agree its a good deal to try this out.
I must say the arrays of cakes Bakerzin offered, make them one of the leaders for gourmet cakes. But I still think that in terms of appeals, Bakerzin loses out, with Canele having stronger marketing and branding. I’ll like to thank the warm hospitality of area manager, Miss Janet Chua, who was around at the Novena branch.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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They make you smile. They make you blissful.
They are call ice cream. They are call gelato. They are call sorbet.
They come in scoops. They come in pints. They come in sticks.
They have all sorts of flavours. They are our happy-booster.
I like nuts, just hazelnuts anyway.
I see myself trying Pistachio,
well it’s just another type of nut anyway.
Whole natural nuts. Intense, pure, nutty.
There’s two types; pears and Chinese white pears.
This one, was pear, sorbet.
No milk, no cream, a fruit puree.
Akin to eating, the real pear.
O, what creative use of the wall. What better ways to improve,
than to get customers to vote, for the new flavours.
Yakult, White chocolate with Macademia liqeuer, choya, & Ribena
are the flavours under R&D right now.
A Note: Pure Pistachio & Pear sorbet
Classic single scoop $3.20, double scoop $4.90
Premium (liqueur) single scoop $3.90, double scoop $5.90
Freezing the bowl for the ice cream to last longer, well done!
U.d.d.e.r.s ice cream
155 Thomson road
Goldhill Shopping Centre
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Positioned units away from the legendary Sik Wai Sin, Ding Feng Ge is a new entrant to the food business found along the eventful stretch of Geylang Road. It is difficult to miss Ding Feng Ge with its dazzling array of red and yellow lanterns hanging outside the eatery and the loud neon signage screaming along the main road. Derived out of true blue passion for food, sisters, Angeline and Christina, discovered various lip-smacking fares during their culinary adventures and decided to unite everything under one roof and offer the best of Steamboat, Chicken Rice and Cooked Food (think Tze Char)!
Reminiscent to 7th Storey Hotel Hainan Charcoal Steamboat, the dinner was set in motion with the Hainanese Steamed Chicken ($25.00 for whole chicken, $13.00 for half chicken). HFB found it slightly overcooked, rendering its flesh a tad tasteless due to the loss of natural juices and sweetness.
Those that enjoy their steamboat dinner with a stronger, robust soup base would enjoy their option of Chicken Herbal Soup or Spicy Tom Yam flavoured broth.
Other flavours include the Mala (a combined flavour of Sichuan Peppercorn and Chili) and the newly introduced Bak Kut Teh soup base. For 2-3 pax, one can opt for the $24.00 set that HFB reckons was very value for money. With a mixture of seafood and meat along with the usual balls of different sorts and what�s not, each and every ingredient was very fresh. In fact, it was so fresh that HFB questioned whether the price was set too low for the quality served.
What's more, HFB's personal favourite items of Cockles and Pig's Liver was offered in the menu as well! But of course one could opt to change the items if they wished to, but you can surely drop that idea if you are dining with HFB � Heh! FYI, HFB finished up all the cockles that evening *smug*.
The cooked food section did well too � the signature dish of Ribs with Fermented Beancurd ($12.00/$18.00) was lip smacking delicious. It was deep fried to a crusty crunch and the layer of fats gave the dish an added luscious touch. That was definitely HFB�s favourite dish that evening!
Another nice surprise was the Crispy Seafood Beancurd ($10.00/$15.00). HFB encountered horrible tofu before, but thankfully their version wasn�t. It was firm on the exterior crust and soft on the inside. The excellent contrasting texture along with the flavoursome core was great to go with the sweet dip.
The Sambal Kang Kong ($8.00/$12.00) wasn�t too overcooked and the sambal was spicy � awesome when you eat it with plain rice (or chicken rice). The generous serving of Dried Shrimps was very much welcomed too!
One of their favourite dishes between the two sisters, the Pork Rib with Mayonnaise Sauce ($12.00/$18.00) was another well-executed dish. Nicely coated with mayo on the exterior, the meat was juicy and nicely seasoned. HFB�s only gripe was that a mayo-based dish tended to be too heavy for a meal especially when you coupled it with steamboat and chicken rice.
The Indonesian Curry Prawn Claypot ($18.00) was another iconic fare that night! In fact the gravy was so good that HFB reckoned Ding Feng Ge should fashioned a watered-down version as a soup broth offering for their steamboat set. The gravy was full-bodied and savoury yet surprising light for the palate.
It would be unwarranted if HFB mentioned he didn't enjoyed the Stir-fried Butter Crab with Salted Egg Yolk (Market Price). The truth of the matter was he was too filled at that point in time to truly savour it. Plus by the time HFB got his hands to it, the dish had already turned cold. However, one thing he wished to underline was the crab came choke full of roe!
You can view all the photos here.
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To be honest, I can't believe that I've never tried Din Tai Fung (鼎泰丰) even though its rather prolific and alot of people have actually tried it. I guess I've been put off by the ridiculously long queues at each of its outlets during meal times. So imagine my glee when I found the crowds wanting at one of its outlet one afternoon.
The place is reminiscent of a typical Chinese restaurant except that this outlet had most of its seating in the open atrium of the shopping mall, which poses a genuine threat of uninvited aerial missiles from the shoppers above.
Tofu - For $3.30, I honestly didn't expect much. But I certainly wasn't prepared for the onslaught of the minature tofu. I kid you not. The tofu looks small enough to be devoured in just 1 large mouth. Taste wise, it had a high egg content and tasted very normal.
Xiao Long Bao - The dish that Din Tai Fung is known for, its Xiao Long Bao. I can't say that I didn't like it, but it wasn't that much of a mind blowing experience that I had anticipated. The rather dry skin enveloped a mouthful of light broth that flowed out with every nibble. Also, the XLBs didn't carry the strong pork taste which I personally disdain.
Fried Rice with Prawns & Egg - The rice grains were plump and moist, which made for a nice texture. However it lacked the quintessential wok hei and portions were minute to say the least.
I was stuffed at the end of my $26 lunch, but prices here aren't cheap and probably higher then your basic Crystal Jade outlets for the portion sizes. Food quality is decent and service is efficient but rather curt. So much for the legend. But I might just have another go at this place if the crowds are nonexistent.
See all my pictures here.
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