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Cova, which opened in 1817 beside the famous “La Scala” theatre, was founded by Antonio Cova, a soldier of Napoleon who first ‘campaigned’ as a pastry chef in the Galleria De Cristoforis.
Over the past 190 off years, Cova has built up a name for its authentic Italian culture , offering an espresso coffee or a tea savoured in the comfort of a neo-classical lounge in the mainstay of high-society life.
Outside of Italy, Cova can only be found in Japan and Hong Kong, so land ahoy! For Cova has finally opened on our shores. Choosing the ritzy Paragon Shopping centre where the likes of Prada, Gucci can be found, for the opening in Singapore certainly won’t go wrong for a premium brand like Cova.
Caffe Cova is spilt into a tea room and restaurant, with the open concept cafe having the space once taken by Dome, and the restaurant taking over the premise of Swarovski crystal shop.
The restaurant interior is done up splendidly, the lighting and the tone is set in majestic gold to reflect the ambience of the place. The serving waiters are dressed smartly, stepping inside the restaurant, think fashion and lifestyle.
They had quite a wide range of cakes available, but its not available on the menu because the cakes changes everyday. So you’ll need to go to the counter to order for it.
But, the big but, there’s only several cakes of the day, which you order in slices. The rest are all sold in whole, which makes it difficult if you want to try many different cakes, or unless you got a large group with you.
Prices in a posh restaurant like Cova is definitely not what you will describe as affordable. For their dinner menu, the mains are all in the 30 range.
For a swanky restaurant, you may ask 30 should seem rather reasonable, given there’s other places not in their league but charge around the same price. But Cova being famous for its coffee, cakes and pastries, i remain skeptical about paying 30 for their main course.
My secret food partner and I went for dinner, but we were after their cakes and pastries after all. So we didn’t ordered any main course, desserts are enough!
Unfortunately for us, Caffe Cova seems to be very popular during tea time, when we went during dinner time, quite a lot of their pastries are sold out, that includes their signature Sacher cake. And we went just one week into their opening.
Bigne Pistachio
Cova has sets for their mini pastries, with assortment of 4 petite ones going for 9 bucks. For such a miniature pastry at 2 bucks, it will make Bread Papa’s cream puff seems a very good deal. The bigne Pistachio does not really have much of a pistachio taste. Period.
Mini Chocolate Raspberry Tart
The chocolate shavings on the mini chocolate raspberry tart is what caught my attention, its done very exquisitely and pretty to look at.
The raspberry in the middle is rather sourish, but i guess it gives a compliment in taste to the sweet chocolate. But i’ll rather the raspberry to be slightly sweeter to perfect the overall taste.
Mini Chocolate Gooseberry Tart
Chocolate toppings coupled with gooseberry in the middle to make up the tart. Personally i do felt that the mini chooclate gooseberry tart is my least-like among the 4 pastries.
The gooseberry is too sourish, and its not like the case of the raspberry. Not so sure whether thats how gooseberry should be, but i don’t like the mini chocolate gooseberry tart.
Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
The hazelnut tart is the best of the lot, with the other three being quite a letdown. I love hazelnut, eating nutella out of the container is a favourite pastime for me. The mini chocolate hazelnut tart is gone in a mouthful, you wish there is more.
Assortment of cookies ($5.50 per 100 gram)
There’s quite a wide variety of cookies to choose from, but please don’t be mistaken by the picture, there’s more cookies from the 100gram than the seven shown in it.
Back to the point, the cookies are actually quite ordinary, like your normal butter cookies. I like the Krumiri (long banana shape-like), butter cookie with chocolate coating at the tip.
My partner preferred the star shape cookie with-a-hole-in-the-middle, which is covered with sugar.
The assortment of cookies at $5.50 per 100 gram isn’t very expensive, for a place like Cova where everything else is so expensive. But considering the fact that Famous Amos cookies are priced in the repotire of 4 plus, i do think buying famous amos is a better economic choice
Nevertheless, Cova cookies selections are placed in a nice bag, which makes a rather affordable and presentable gift for friends and family.
Gamberi ($14)
A refreshing combination of prawn and mayonnaise. The bread was a soft brioche so credits for that. But the Gamberi sandwich wasn’t even hot and toasted.
Furthermore, the sandwich portions were meagres given the price, the shrimps were crunchy but there’s only 3 tiny ones in the sandwich.
Total Bill is $32.50 for the pastries, cookies and sandwich. All in all, Cova is a good place for novelty, if u havent been to better italian sidewalk cafes, or even tried da paolo’s sweet little treats, its a nice place to experience the tai-tai lifestyle. Otherwise, i do find it quite a rip-off, which Cova rides on its brand name and not really worth it.
There are certainly other places for better cakes and pastries, but i guess going to Cova is more than just that, its the overall glamorous experience seating in Cova that really attracts people there. Maybe i will go back again for their Sacher cake.
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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What sets Ipoh Hor Fun apart from the bastardised version lies in the Sar Hor Fun (or 沙河粉). Local-produce Hor Fun somehow just doesn’t seem to meet the mark in terms of smoothness and silkiness factor. This is where Teck Kee steps in to bridge the gap.
Located just 2 stalls away from Ah Kow’s Mushroom Minced Pork Mee, it is interesting to see which among the two has a longer snaking queue during lunch time, even though a small serving of Teck Kee’s Crayfish Hor Fun comes knocking at $5 per plate, $6.50 for medium and $9.50 for large – surely there must be good reasons! I dare say Teck Kee's rice noodles is probably the closest you can get in terms of texture – It’s so smooth that it slips down the throat easily! I had the medium serving (not very filling though) and what came with it was a pretty good size Crayfish.
The flesh was firm and meaty but then again that’s all that is to it. Instead I thought the Big Prawns were much sweeter and less “rubbery” compared to the crayfish.
The gravy sauce was kinda disappointing though – I feel that it is not robust enough to go with the already plain Hor Fun.
Perhaps one is meant to dip the noodles and ingredients in the chilli sauce for a stronger flavour but I would probably be back for them only when I have a craving for smooth Ipoh Hor Fun.
This is probably the Best Sar Hor Fun around in Singapore, but gravy was disappointing. I also find it to be expensive for hawker standard, and serving wasn't big.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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Fresh with the memory of Bangkok's excellent Thai food and armed with a craving for Phad Thai, I headed down to First Thai at Purvis Street, which purportedly serves up authentic Thai food at reasonable prices.
The place sits right at the front of Purvis Street, making it easy to find and plays neighbours to Yet Con, which is next door and Chin Chin just across the road. Decor is very coffeeshop like save for the nice green olden style windows that look out to the main road. There is no airconditioning at this eatery so be prepared to sweat it out on a hot day. If the place is full, you'll probably have to share a table with someone or queue up outside the shop. Do note that you will not be seated until everyone in your group is present.
Tom Yam Soup Individual Serving - This is one of the better tom yam soups that I've tried in Singapore and at $7 a pop, it really isn't too expensive given the amount of ingredients in it. Light and sourish with a tinge of spiciness. But I would have preferred it a little spicier. And thats coming from someone whose spice tolerance level is rather low.
Pandan Chicken - Ok I got to admit that this isn't exactly cheap, at $8 for 4 bite sized pieces of pandan chicken. The chicken, though nice and juicy, didn't exactly wow me probably because of its rather mild taste. There was no burst in the mouth melody of flavours that I experienced while eating it in Bangkok. But still a nice eat nevertheless.
Phad Thai ($8)- One of the highly recommended dishes and purportedly one of the best in Singapore, the Phad Thai was actually quite good. Lightly sweet with a firm and chewy texture. However, it was a little too wet as compared to what I had in Bangkok. The ubiquitous dried shrimps were also missing. I know that dried shrimps are optional but they give an added texture and introduce a much appreciated salty dimension to the dish. Personally I still prefer the Phad Thai from Sweet Salty Spicy Food Market & Thai Canteen.
The cost of food sufficient for 1 pax stood at $23 (no GST, no service charge), which is still acceptable given the quality of food. However, drinks cost me an additional $8 which is terribly expensive. $3 for a glass of coconut juce, $4 if you want less ice. 50 cents for warm water and 50 cents for ice only. So technically if you wanted ice water, it will be $1/cup. Theres the more expensive option of bottled water though, starting at $2 (without ice). Sorry but I think its a rip off, especially when its only a coffeeshop. If I ever visit again, I'll be sure to bring my own water.
See all my pictures here.
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Birdnestfern's jewellery is somewhat mediocre, albeit the fact that she uses pretty charms and set pieces. Her wired necklaces could be more refined and sophisticated, and her photos could be more clearly taken and displayed at larger dimensions for customers to view.
Nevertheless, the overall neat layout of her shop should be commended and Huey Eng's friendly attitude makes Birdnestfern seem more than welcoming for potential customers.
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I have to say that mel's curiosity shoppe has excellent photos but on closer inspection, the jewellery seems rather average. Mostly, set pieces which spruce up the overall design of each jewellery is used which adds a bit of unique-ness to it but after a while the novelty of set pieces wear off and creativity is needed to ensure fresh and dynamic jewellery ideas in store. Otherwise, an excellent shop!
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Believing that happy food is created using natural ingredients and a pair of happy and dedicated hands – Kenneth, owner aka a happy chef (and a very cute and hunky one as well) saw a market for healthy, natural food for people who want a shift from the American junk food and the greasy Chinese takeaways.
Using homemade sauce (look out for the White Yoghurt Dip – slightly sourish but so zesty & tangy) and natural ingredients (no MSG, artificial enhancers, colourings) prepared with minimal fuss – what one gets are dishes that allows you to enjoy the food in its original state. From brown rice to grilled meats, sandwiches to wraps, each item listed on the menu guarantees one to enjoy their meal guilt-free! As we were rushing for time, we decided to go with the Toasted Tortilla Wraps and Sandwich that are filled with GENEROUS serving of Juicy Roast Chicken, Lettuce and Tomato Salsa.
I observed later, the big-hearted portion applied to all his customers – so much so that I began to wonder how does he meet his profit margin?
My verdict – I love the natural ingredients, the chicken is juicy and tender and one REALLY does achieve a sense of “happiness” after eating his food! However, between the wrap and the sandwich, I definitely preferred the former. The bread was slightly dry and flat which I believed was due to it being exposed to the air for quite some time.
Given a chance, do also give the Roast Chicken in Olive Oil and Rosemary a try – it looks really good and value-for-money. Interestingly, if you thought All Natural Kitchen is situated in a posh health bar, you might be surprised to find out that it is actually located at the 2nd level of Amoy Street Food Centre, just so that you get to enjoy these healthy foods at reasonable prices.
Grippingly, there were also copies of the latest issues of various lifestyle magazines for those in the queue to read – utterly considerate if you ask me.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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Had the opportunity to partake in a food tasting session at Fresh Bulggogi, courtesy of Benny, the marketing manager for Zingrill Holdings, which also owns and operates the Breeks, Seoul Garden and Zingdo chains of restaurants.
Located on level 3 of the viewing gallery at Changi Airport Terminal 2, Fresh Bulggogi spots a fresh lime green and black facade and plays immediate neighbour to Fish & Co. The interior (at least where I sat) consists of booth seats that can seat 4 pax very comfortably or 6 pax if you happen to be smaller in size. The concept of Fresh Bulggogi is built upon that of Seoul Garden save for 2 major differences. First, it only has an ala carte menu with no buffet option. Second, the food items sold are slightly more upmarket, with stuff like half shell scallops, sashimi grade salmon, just to name a few. It also serves up quick meals like Bibim Baps for time strapped customers who are in a hurry to catch their flights. For customers who dread perspiring while having steamboat, this place eliminates the problem by placing the pot in a dug in enclosure and installing cool air blowers right above the pot level. This prevents the heat from dissipating upwards and keeps the surroundings cool.
Pine Mushroom Salad with Prawns - Honestly the salad wasn't to my liking and was rather lacklustre in my humble opinion. The pine mushrooms tasted rather bland while the prawns were rather small in size and barely sweet. However there is one positive remark I must make and that is the effort put in to remove the prawn intestines. Not many places, even high class restaurants, bother doing so.
Deep Fried Assorted Mushrooms - This was actually comfort food for all of us. Assorted mushrooms coated with batter and deep fried till crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside. Very nice and chewy but I did find the batter a wee bit too thick. A little more moisture in the mushrooms would also be much appreciated.
Kimchi Jjigae with Sliced Salmon (김치찌개) - Unfortunately, none of us at the table could fully appreciate this humble Korean stew. It was essentially vegetables, mushrooms and rice cakes in a kimchi broth. According to wikipedia, Kimchi Jjigae is best cooked with older more fermented kimchi, which creates a much stronger taste and also contains more beneficial bacteria also found in yoghurt. The salmon slices were passably fresh but tasted rather weird with the kimchi broth.
Garlic Chicken Bap - A classic Korean dish and one that I've eaten a couple of times, the garlic chicken bap was surprisingly quite decent. For starters, the kimchi was lightly sour and spicy while the chicken was well marinated and you could actually taste the marination. Add the fact that the rice was moist and a little sticky and it made for a rather nice dish.
Premium Set C (Chicken Breast Meat, Beef Bulggogi, Chicken Bulggogi and Sliced Beef) - For our steamboat, we had a choice of 2 soup bases, kimchi and chicken, of which we chose the latter. I wouldn't go as far as to say the broth was great, but it was decently sweet yet light.
We had the premium set C for the sliced beef. Seriously, how bad can steamboat get? Everything tasted relatively fresh but the thinly sliced beef did look a darker shade of red as compared to what other tables were getting (this is based purely on our observations). The set is meant for 2 but in case the ingredients are insufficient, there is always the ala carte top up option.
Chicken Bulggogi & Korean Rice Cakes - 2 of our top up options, the chicken bulggogi, which the Koreans eat with lettuce and the rice cakes, which look like sliced fishcakes but tasted to me like chewy kueh when cooked.
Honestly, I know nuts to nothing about Korean food but personally I found the food overall to be rather decent, maybe not wholly authentic but certainly very edible. Prices are on the high side ( the damage for 4 pax was about $165 inclusive of 6 juices/soft drinks and 4 ice cream desserts) but thats to be expected since its at the airport. Oh and take note that they do not serve sky juice. Service was friendly but the place did seem a little short handed at times.
See all my pictures here.
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I am quite sad to say that even as a Singaporean, the first plane that I seat on was not a Singapore Airlines plane. Recently, I finally had the chance to sit on one. Hee….. Once step into the plane, it is pretty much like stepping into any other airlines plane, clean and tidy. Along the way, there will be friendly and smiling air steward or stewardess to guide and help you to get to your seat. After which, they would start serving hot towels to everyone as well. If I did not manage to get a copy of Straits Time before I board the plane, I would ask for a copy. Sad to say once in a while, the air stewardess would forget about it.
While on the plane, they did their best to keep us comfortable, and try to keep up with all our requests. Their service was really good when it comes to serving drinks and meals. This is definitely their plus point here. When it comes to their food, well it seems that they only changed their menu every two months, so in the end, I got to every dish in the menu over and over again. *Mental note: To request for special meals when booking tickets next time*
Next come to their entertainment system. Sad to say I am not very impressed with the system as it tends to fail me a few times or required a few times of reset. It is also a bit slow in reaction as well. At least they do change the movies every month so at least I got new movies to watch. It would be much better if they give better quality earphones. Once the system at the seat I was seating was defective, so they gave me a US$50 voucher to use for the KrisShop. Hee…. Too bad it can be only used on the plane.
All in all, I quite liked the service onboard the plane as they would make customers as comfortable as possible.
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With a special breeding technique using advanced Japanese farming methods – the chickens are reared in climate-controlled environments and totally free of antibiotics, growth promoter and chemicals. Hence a menu that offers diners a healthy rendition of the local favourite with no compromise on the flavour and enjoyment factors is born. The Chicken Rice Company is the only chicken rice operator in Singapore to use Sakura Chicken in all their dishes.
Opened in end-May and presently located at Newton Food Centre and Lau Pa Sat, HFB is honoured to be invited by them for a food tasting. The Chicken Platter for Two ($9 for ¼ chicken) when served has noticeably less fat underneath its skin – similar to what you get from Kampong Chicken at Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice.
No doubt one won't be getting that succulent gelatin, or jelly-like texture when biting the skin, the flesh is remarkably tender, succulent and surprisingly sweet-tasting.
Carefully concocted and subjected to stringent recipe tests, The Chicken Rice Company has also put together their special brand of Chilli Sauce that consist of quality Vietnamese Chilli Padis, and hint of Calamansi Juice. In addition, they also came out with a separate Spring Onion-ginger Sauce that is an invigorating mix of spring onion, ginger, garlic and shallots. Therefore one can either dipped their chicken in both sauces separately, or a mixture of both for a combination of spices.
The rice ($0.60) is pretty fragrant and although one does not really taste the oily residue when consuming the rice, I do find the rice slightly mushy – I prefer it to be more al dente – firm and grainy.
For more healthy options, one can also order their Green Vegetables ($3.00). Garnished with fried shallots, I find the vegetables really fresh and crunchy. Although I reckon some would probably find the vegetables too “green”, I personally love vegetables that are not too over-cooked.
Overall, I believe the arrival of Sakura Chicken would be a delight to the health conscious that has been shunning Chicken Rice for ‘oily’ reasons. With a slight twitching to their rice, I surmise The Chicken Rice Company will be a force to reckon with in the industry in time to come.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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Heard that Friends was having a special promotion for dinner so popped down the Jelita outlet one weekday evening with my gf.
Located on the 2nd floor of Jelita Shopping Centre in the upclass residential area of Holland, Friends @ Jelita's interior was simply done up with nice leather seats. Very nice and clean feel till I spotted a table with empty plates and cutlery still on it and no one seemed to be taking the initiative to clear it. And no, the wait staff weren't busy. It wasn't until probably about 5 minutes after we had taken our seats were the plates unhurriedly cleared. Sadly, first impression speaks volumes.
Complimentary Bread - Served up in the folds of a napkin which obviously didn't do a good job of keeping it warm, the complimentary bread was average at best. Tasted like normal bread you could buy from any generic bakery in the heartlands.
Pan Seared Tuna with Nicoise Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette - The tuna was nicely seasoned with salt and pepper and pan seared till cooked on the outside but raw on the inside. Very nice and tasty. However I did find it a little too dry. And portions were rather dainty - 3 small slices of tuna.
Chicken Caesar Salad with Garlic Bread and Parmesan Biscuit - A most forgettable dish and one that relied soley on caesar salad dressing to give the whole dish taste. The chicken pieces were bland and rather soft.
Pan Seared Sakura Chicken Breast on Caramelised Pumpkin, Grilled Vegetables and Orange White Wine Reduction - As tantalising as the name may sound, the sakura chicken breast wasn't a big deal really. For one the meat tasted like normal chicken breast which you can get off the shelves at any supermarket. The caramelised pumpkin didn't exactly sit well with me as the sweetness of the pumpkin didn't blend well with the caramel in my humble opinion.
Peppered Sliced Beef Tenderloin with Sautéed Spaghetti & Vodka-Tomato Sauce - The spaghetti was overcooked, coming across as a tad too soft, which also happens to be the bane of the sliced beef. Taste but no texture. Probably the only saving grace was the tomato based sauce which was relatively light with a nice tinge of smoky after taste.
Chef Kenneth’s Gourmet Trio of Chocolate Desserts - This name bearing dessert was a letdown. Very very ordinary if you ask me. Put 3 small pieces of chocolate and mousse together and viola, you get Chef Kenneth's gourmet trio of chocolate desserts. Very chocolaty, which is good if you are a chocolate addict.
Coconut Panna Cotta - Another average dessert, the quivery but a little glutinous coconut panna cotta carried an evident taste of coconut without the raspberry sauce being too overwhelming. It should/could have been good but more work probably needs to be done on the texture first.
$47 for an average dinner for 2 isn't really that expensive honestly, especially when theres service and ambience thrown in as well. But quality of food here really needs to buck up and I believe I'm not the only one who thinks so.
See all my pictures here.
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