Blame it on the service..Now im from the service industry n like it anot..u alwez inform customers of promotions that u have for certain cards..
Now my fren booked a a table for 8 as we wanted to check out the bellydancing..n we had a citibank card we knew had a 40% discount so tot of usin that..
Now the food was not bad...the royaltine platter(pita bread plus 5 diff dips) was nice...the lamb(kofta) n beef kebabs were good..tho the kofta was slitely salty..wedges were not bad..typical wedges..but the honey mustard chicken..omg..6 small pieces of chicken cutlets(smaller than mcd nuggets) and a huge serving of the sauce..tried this lamb baked in potato thingy...was totally tasteless..but lamb was not bad..marakesh wings..bland..an the chicken stew like thingy...not my cup of tea..like baked beans in a can made more diluted with chicken init..
now we ordered twice..cos a fren ordered sum other things after we 1st ordered..n we onli remembered 1 plate of the honey mustard chicken cos onli 6/7 of us ate it..but when the bill came..they charged us for 2..n not onli that..they kept insistin they gav us two plates...
mayb shuld install cctv so that if anithin cen check the video..
not onli that..the belly dancin was supposed to be 4 segments..but we onli saw like 1 10 minute segment..
but the one thing that pissed me off was when we askd abt the citibank thingy..they were all "must tell when make reservation".."it was in the website"..ok so mayb its my frenz mistake to not mention but cmon..when she called to make reservation u culdv mentiond the promo ryt..
got over that..although felt like we got ripped off...esp since we got juz 1 measly plate of the chicken..
n the servers were so like "these people so troublesome"..cant b bothered with us..turned me off..even in the end the waiter said theyd give us 1 plate of the chicken..n we ate a lot so we tot we could take it away..instead of tellin us that we cnt he just stood at the counter with this blur face..onli when i told my frenz "i tink we gotta eat here" n they askd him did he tell us we cnt take it away..gosh..realli turn off..
now a week after i made a reservation and mentioned about the citibank.
came with my family and had the lamb kofta and the beef kebab. this time it was more salty than the first time. really really salty. my grandad didnt finish it because of that. we also ordered the mushroom soup which came out just plain watery "soup" with mushrooms in it. what kind of soup is that!!??mom wanted a dessert that wasnt too sweet and askd the lady boss for recomendation, she was all " all the deserts are sweet" in a "what are u dumb" tone. ended up not gettin it at all. and finally when we wanted to make payment they refused to give the discount saying we had to tell them when we made reservations. in the end she relented cos the waiter confirmed we did. but she was still being difficult saying "oh when u reserved u made for 8 people then now only 3 showed up. we had to turn away many ppl to accomodate u"..
first, one hour after that reservation i called to change the number of ppl to 3, not my fault the waiter didnt understand n 2ndly, there was only just 1 pathetic other group in the restaurant when other places nearby were packed..hmm...they had to turn away people..yeah right.
no wonder got 40% discount..with the bad service n overly msg-ed food..better get discount..
Saw that Tom's Palette had their tiramisu ice cream(only once a month) so decided to fill our tummies with sum food 1st b4 gorging on some sweet ice cream(i already aimed 3 flavours). I had a craving for kebabs so we thought we would try out Sofra. I hadnt patronised this place in years so i thought why not.
We didn't wanna over order so decided to share
Chefs plate
A combination of Doner kebab, Izgara Kofte and a skewer of shish kebab.
This is a run down of the different Kebabs.
Doner kebab is like those kebabs u get at the pasar malam. the one the have on te huge rotissery thingy and then cut. We had both chicken and beef. I loved the chicken we got. It was juicy and was grilled just nice. Found the beef just normal but both were adequately spiced.
Izgara Kofte is grilled minced patties. Now this i really liked. We got both chicken n lamb and i loved the lamb. Slightly on the spicy side and not too dry.
Shish kebab is a skewer of chicken meat grilled with capsicum.
It was a bit dry to me. Didnt really like it but it had a slightly tangy taste.
The bread was good. soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
We also ordered a sesame bread - $3.50 which i loved!!!it came out looking like a balloon and it was hot...crispy yet soft and thin. Really really really good.
At the end of the meal we were actually full.
Decor wise. its quite nice, relaxing and there are 2 choices, the sofa like seats wic we sat on(but table a bit too low) but its good for chilling after the meal and of course the normal wood tables.
Service was attentive and well mostly foreign staff but all were polite, and courteous.
Would definitely return to try out the other items in the menu.
Ok Im slow. Just realised that Astons now has 2 outlets in my hometown of Tampines. But both are at the West part of Tamp and South Part. Quite a distance from my home..
One of the days after our weekly grocery shopping, me n the bf decided to just try it out(provided it wasnt super packed). Thankfully it wasnt. We placed out orders of
1) chargrilled salmon(medium rare) with onion rings and fries
and
2) teriyaki grilled chicken with corn on the cob n fries
Food came around 5-6 mins later and we dug in. My salmon was done the way i wanted. medium rare and well acceptable. Skin was super salty though but i stayed clear of it. I was pleased with the fish.
they did get the order wrong for my bf though. he got bbq sauce instead but being the hungry bochap one, he just ate it. important thing is that the chicken is there. The onion rings and fries were ntuc bought ones but i still like that they sprinkled that chilli thingy on top.
Total damage was $19. But i think the salmon was really worth it actually. esp since they got it right. Helped that i didnt have to queue for hours too.
Before this outlet opened it was another establishment called Ti Amo. Guess it didnt do so well so this was opened. Not wanting to eat fast food and seeing that they had salmon on the menu, we settled here for dinner.
Ordered a broiled Salmon at $12.90 and a Sirloin steak at $10.90 and a rosti @ about $5 i think
Food came relatively fast, waited around 5-10 minutes.
My salmon was good. Wasnt overcooked at all and still retained its juices. Usually i would find the salmon skin salty but this wasnt the case here. think they did a good job with it.
Bf had the sirloin and didnt complain so i guess he liked it.
ROsti was disapointing though. On the burnt side and too much potato.
But my favourite was the cakes. They order cakes from sweet secrets and i decided to get a few selections to take back. at arnd $3 per cake. the cakes were nice. not too dense and thick and satisfied my craving for something chocolaty.
Service was alryt. young staff eager to serve but sumtymz they tend to focus on a certain seating area so hard to get their attention.
They have other items on the menu too. quite a variety so might try it out again another time.
after reading a frens review on the custard buns, i suddenly had a craving so thought i might try the custard buns here.
Bought both steamed and the fried ones.
Also ordered the frech toast thingy. the one with peanut butter on top.
Big mistake..i mean on the french toast. It was ridiculously high priced(i mean $4 bucks for like 3 slices of gardenia bread with butter and peanut butter?? i think i can prob try to do it myself) And i felt like my throat was clogged after a few bites. couldnt finish it at all.
Lucky thing the custard buns were not too terrible. I prefered the fried ones as they were not too overly oily and the bun itself was quite soft. custard was abit thick though but not too sweet which i liked. 3 pieces for $2.50
The steamed ones were abit disapointing. The bun was not very soft like they steamed it for too long. Insides were the same as the fried ones. Thick and not too overly sweet.
Can sum1 take me to sumwhere else with nice custard buns??prefably those that are not the thick hard custard kind..
Was feeling peckish and wanted to try out the stuffed chicken wings and crab cakes. But didnt really have the luxury of time to dine in the restaurant. So bought the two to takeaway and ate at home.
both comes with their own sauces and i instantly fell in love with the sauce/dip for the crabmeat. It was spicy with a tangy taste and had body. The chopped onions gave it a crunch and more zing and it went well with not only the crab cakes which were crispy on the outside leading to fillings that were chopped quite thickly but it was also good with good old plain rice. They gave quite a generous amount of it too. The crab cakes i think were a mixture of crab, carrots and i tink the spices.
As for the chicken, it was quite a disapointment. it was stuffed with chicken meat n i tink diced chestnuts and i wasnt too impressed by it. it was a wee bit tasteless to me actually. bf liked it though.
looking at the menu there are a few items that look quite ok..i might just give it a try if im ever in the vicinity. love the decor though..
I love love love the puffs here. Theyre chewy and yet so light and filled with delicious chocolate cream/ peanut butter cream or any other cream with the nice toppings.
my favourite here would have to the the peanut butter, the almond sweetheart(cos its filled with vanilla cream), the kaya, and oreo. boyfriend loves the cheese one but i find it a bit too thick and jerlak.
they also have just introduced the chewy juniors which is about 10-15 small little chewy jrs with either vanilla filling and topped with those sugar crystals or choco filling topped with choc. i like the vanilla jr cos sumhow i prefer the vanilla ones. used to be just $3 for one but now its $3.50 but u can get 2 at $6 so i usually would get 2 sinful sets of vanilla jrs...so sedap...esp love it when the cream oozes out..yum..
So far in two weeks, I have tried a total of 6 of their cakes/tarts in 2 trips.
Tucked away somewhere in Tiong Bahru(enter through TB market entrance opposite Link Hotel), the cheeful, bright pink and white walls will just catch ur attention. Cakes/ eclairs/ macroons are on display and the beauty of these mini creations will just catch ur attention.
My first time was thanks to my colleague who dropped me off here and I got a box of 3 cakes(Mont Blanc, Cru Royale, Pisa) and a chocolate tart for $21. They were having a promo then. Managed to have a nice chat with Mia(i think one of the business partners) about the chef and about the store. And the cakes were a hit!!
Mont Blanc - Chestnut Vermicelli Cream with Creme Chantilly on a French Meringue Disc and Sable
This was really good. The outer side is the Chestnut vermicelli cream. Quite light on the palate, slightly sweet and savoury. The creme chantilly was even lighter and went very well with the chestnut vermicelli. This is my favourite
Chocolate Cru Royale - I love this too. The chocolate was not too dense and again not too overwhelmingly sweet. like SC said, the base is crunchy and slightly sweeter but pairs well with the chocolate. Bf loved this cake n its 2nd on my list.
Pisa - Bourbon Vanilla Bean Bavaroise, Pistachio Biscuit Layers with Raspberry Compote
I ate this layer by layer. My favourite being the vanilla bean bavaroise and the pistachio layers. Another not too overly sweet desert, the lightest of the 3. The raspberry compote being the middle, sweetest component that ties the cake together. An intresting combination.
Chocolate Tart - Oh yum, bitter chocolate which is smooth, velvety on a crisp and slightly thick tart. need i say more.
2nd Visit
Made an online order beforehand and ordered
Mont Blanc (again)
Eclipse - Three Colour Chocolate of Frangipane Style Tart
TX5 - Valrhona Fine Chocolate in Five Texture; Cake, Cremeux, Cream, Mousse, and Salted Sheet
Choux Choux - Chocolate and Vanilla Cream Buns, Profiteroles style Tartlette with Almond Nibs
but they didnt have the Eclipse so got the
Bolero - Caramel Mousse with Hazelnut Cremeux and Spanish Orange Confit
when i went to collect the cakes, my bf mentioned that he wanted the Cru Royale so i asked to change the Bolero to the Cru Royale instead. The young lady serving us gladly obliged.
The TX5 was very intresting. The cake was the base, abit like a brownie it was quite dense and filled with walnuts, i liked the salted sheet which reminded me of salted caramel and all 5 elements really complimented each other. it was like an explosion of textures
But the Choux2 was heaven. each piece of the Chouquette was filled with lovely light cream and the chouquette itself was soft and savoury. The tart had lovely smooth custard in it and was crumbly yet quite crisp. I enjoyed eating one choquette after another n lastly devouring the tart.
just describing the cakes are making me crave them more. Its a shame that the location is soo far from where i stay. But heck that, i would make the trip even if i didnt have a car for these lovely creations. Theyre not only pretty but so delicious and rich.
I was lucky enough to even meet the Chef Patissier Steven Ong, a cheerful and friendly man, i really hope that he decides to open another shop(prefably in the central area like ct hall).
Centre PS is truly a gem and I admit that I am utterly, completely and hopelessly in love with it.
ps:ok so i only took 2 pics..cannot help it. the cakes are soo good i cnt be bothered to take pics..just devour!!!
The second installation of my mini Sentosa food trial brought me to Thanying Restaurant at Amara Sanctuary Resort. Famed for its authentic Thai food that is also served to the Thai Royal Family, Thanying is also unfortunately known for its steep prices to boot.
Thanying is housed in a classy standalone unit reminiscent of a small chapel with its wooden arches and high ceilings, just across from the main lobby of Amara Sanctuary. Huge wooden frame windows offer a clear view of the surroundings and time slows to a crawl in this beautiful and relaxing space. However conversation can be a little restrained as a blanket of silence covers the whole area, probably due to the lack of customers on a Saturday evening.
Tom Yam Goong - Tom yam soup is one of the hallmarks of Thai cuisine and Thanying's rendition of this ubiquitous dish was nothing short of excellent. The soup was sweet, salty and spicy all at the same time and the spice hits you smack at the back of your throat. The taste of lemongrass permeated through rather strongly and I'm guessing thats due to the use of fresh lemongrass instead of the dried ones.
Kai Jiaw Moo Sub (Fried Egg with Minced Pork) - Its really strange to be ordering fried omelette in a Thai restaurant or in any fine dining place for that matter but I couldn't resist the promise of juicy minced pork covered with a crisp layer of frothy egg sinfully deep fried in high temperature oil. Call it comfort food if you wish. The only downside to this dish was of course the excessive oil, which rendered me nauseous after a while due to the huge portions. And its $16 mind you.
Gai Hor Bai Toey (Pandan Leaf Chicken) - Another quintessential dish in Thai cuisine, the pieces of pandan chicken were quite a size and crispy on the outside while remaining tender and moist on the inside. There was a light hint of pandan taste as well, which gave the chicken a nice faintly sweet edge.
Pineapple Rice - What I found interesting about the pineapple rice was the presence of curry powder, or at least the taste of curry powder. I liked this dish for the fact that it was nicely done without being too dry even after being laden with pork floss but I did think that the chicken cubes that came alongside were overly dry and tough.
Pad Thai - Thanying serves up the drier version of Pad Thai, which I personally prefer. However I did find the fish sauce on this one rather overwhelming or maybe its just me being overly sensitive. I appreciated the relatively generous servings of prawns and chicken cubes though.
With the bill just over $108 for 2 pax, this is one expensive and belly bursting Thai experience. Food quality is consistently decent but not exactly fantastic. Service is excellent though and professional to say the least. If your pockets are as shallow as mine and you want a decent romantic dinner at Sentosa, Thanying might just be a viable option, considering that the other "fine dining" restaurants on the island could set you back by at least twice the amount.
Went on a business trip to Bangkok lately and i have to say, there are certain things i liked and certain things i didn't like about the place.
Disclaimer: my view may be a little skewed since i spent most of my 6 days in the hotel for job training.
First off, i'll talk about what i dislike.
- Dislike the horrible streets which seem like they just went through an earthquake
- dislike the spicy food and hot weather
- dislike the crowds and generally clatter
- dislike the dirty streets and back alleys
- bombs and protests
Now, we'll talk about what i like:
- cheap stuff for shopping
- huge shopping malls
- superb bargaining
- wonderful hotel (i stayed in Sheraton on the 26th floor shared with a male colleague)
- superb hotel buffets and food
- generally better service then Singapore
- CHEAP BEER (USD 90 cents for Tiger beer anyone?)
- Elephants on the streets
- Ma Boon Kong (enough said)
- Awesome sky train that shields and brings you to major hotels and shopping malls
- company sponsorship (can't live without it)
When all is said and done, its more or less justified to risk life and limb to visit the place. Its dilapidated and back in some areas but in others, it excels beyond what SG can offer at times.
The shopping is legendary and to be honest, i don't even know why i'm paying so much for the same things in Singapore now. However, pros and cons abound as usual.
Verdict? Visit the place at least once. Get over the horrible streets and expensive hotels and you'll find a place with charm, really cheap stuff and a really different experience.
1=SGD 0.0587
This is the first time im truly dissapointed..
Blame it on the service..Now im from the service industry n like it anot..u alwez inform customers of promotions that u have for certain cards..
Now my fren booked a a table for 8 as we wanted to check out the bellydancing..n we had a citibank card we knew had a 40% discount so tot of usin that..
Now the food was not bad...the royaltine platter(pita bread plus 5 diff dips) was nice...the lamb(kofta) n beef kebabs were good..tho the kofta was slitely salty..wedges were not bad..typical wedges..but the honey mustard chicken..omg..6 small pieces of chicken cutlets(smaller than mcd nuggets) and a huge serving of the sauce..tried this lamb baked in potato thingy...was totally tasteless..but lamb was not bad..marakesh wings..bland..an the chicken stew like thingy...not my cup of tea..like baked beans in a can made more diluted with chicken init..
now we ordered twice..cos a fren ordered sum other things after we 1st ordered..n we onli remembered 1 plate of the honey mustard chicken cos onli 6/7 of us ate it..but when the bill came..they charged us for 2..n not onli that..they kept insistin they gav us two plates...
mayb shuld install cctv so that if anithin cen check the video..
not onli that..the belly dancin was supposed to be 4 segments..but we onli saw like 1 10 minute segment..
but the one thing that pissed me off was when we askd abt the citibank thingy..they were all "must tell when make reservation".."it was in the website"..ok so mayb its my frenz mistake to not mention but cmon..when she called to make reservation u culdv mentiond the promo ryt..
got over that..although felt like we got ripped off...esp since we got juz 1 measly plate of the chicken..
n the servers were so like "these people so troublesome"..cant b bothered with us..turned me off..even in the end the waiter said theyd give us 1 plate of the chicken..n we ate a lot so we tot we could take it away..instead of tellin us that we cnt he just stood at the counter with this blur face..onli when i told my frenz "i tink we gotta eat here" n they askd him did he tell us we cnt take it away..gosh..realli turn off..
now a week after i made a reservation and mentioned about the citibank.
came with my family and had the lamb kofta and the beef kebab. this time it was more salty than the first time. really really salty. my grandad didnt finish it because of that. we also ordered the mushroom soup which came out just plain watery "soup" with mushrooms in it. what kind of soup is that!!??mom wanted a dessert that wasnt too sweet and askd the lady boss for recomendation, she was all " all the deserts are sweet" in a "what are u dumb" tone. ended up not gettin it at all. and finally when we wanted to make payment they refused to give the discount saying we had to tell them when we made reservations. in the end she relented cos the waiter confirmed we did. but she was still being difficult saying "oh when u reserved u made for 8 people then now only 3 showed up. we had to turn away many ppl to accomodate u"..
first, one hour after that reservation i called to change the number of ppl to 3, not my fault the waiter didnt understand n 2ndly, there was only just 1 pathetic other group in the restaurant when other places nearby were packed..hmm...they had to turn away people..yeah right.
no wonder got 40% discount..with the bad service n overly msg-ed food..better get discount..
Rating given:
Saw that Tom's Palette had their tiramisu ice cream(only once a month) so decided to fill our tummies with sum food 1st b4 gorging on some sweet ice cream(i already aimed 3 flavours). I had a craving for kebabs so we thought we would try out Sofra. I hadnt patronised this place in years so i thought why not.
We didn't wanna over order so decided to share
Chefs plate
A combination of Doner kebab, Izgara Kofte and a skewer of shish kebab.
This is a run down of the different Kebabs.
Doner kebab is like those kebabs u get at the pasar malam. the one the have on te huge rotissery thingy and then cut. We had both chicken and beef. I loved the chicken we got. It was juicy and was grilled just nice. Found the beef just normal but both were adequately spiced.
Izgara Kofte is grilled minced patties. Now this i really liked. We got both chicken n lamb and i loved the lamb. Slightly on the spicy side and not too dry.
Shish kebab is a skewer of chicken meat grilled with capsicum.
It was a bit dry to me. Didnt really like it but it had a slightly tangy taste.
The bread was good. soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.
We also ordered a sesame bread - $3.50 which i loved!!!it came out looking like a balloon and it was hot...crispy yet soft and thin. Really really really good.
At the end of the meal we were actually full.
Decor wise. its quite nice, relaxing and there are 2 choices, the sofa like seats wic we sat on(but table a bit too low) but its good for chilling after the meal and of course the normal wood tables.
Service was attentive and well mostly foreign staff but all were polite, and courteous.
Would definitely return to try out the other items in the menu.
Rating given:
Ok Im slow. Just realised that Astons now has 2 outlets in my hometown of Tampines. But both are at the West part of Tamp and South Part. Quite a distance from my home..
One of the days after our weekly grocery shopping, me n the bf decided to just try it out(provided it wasnt super packed). Thankfully it wasnt. We placed out orders of
1) chargrilled salmon(medium rare) with onion rings and fries
and
2) teriyaki grilled chicken with corn on the cob n fries
Food came around 5-6 mins later and we dug in. My salmon was done the way i wanted. medium rare and well acceptable. Skin was super salty though but i stayed clear of it. I was pleased with the fish.
they did get the order wrong for my bf though. he got bbq sauce instead but being the hungry bochap one, he just ate it. important thing is that the chicken is there. The onion rings and fries were ntuc bought ones but i still like that they sprinkled that chilli thingy on top.
Total damage was $19. But i think the salmon was really worth it actually. esp since they got it right. Helped that i didnt have to queue for hours too.
Rating given:
Before this outlet opened it was another establishment called Ti Amo. Guess it didnt do so well so this was opened. Not wanting to eat fast food and seeing that they had salmon on the menu, we settled here for dinner.
Ordered a broiled Salmon at $12.90 and a Sirloin steak at $10.90 and a rosti @ about $5 i think
Food came relatively fast, waited around 5-10 minutes.
My salmon was good. Wasnt overcooked at all and still retained its juices. Usually i would find the salmon skin salty but this wasnt the case here. think they did a good job with it.
Bf had the sirloin and didnt complain so i guess he liked it.
ROsti was disapointing though. On the burnt side and too much potato.
But my favourite was the cakes. They order cakes from sweet secrets and i decided to get a few selections to take back. at arnd $3 per cake. the cakes were nice. not too dense and thick and satisfied my craving for something chocolaty.
Service was alryt. young staff eager to serve but sumtymz they tend to focus on a certain seating area so hard to get their attention.
They have other items on the menu too. quite a variety so might try it out again another time.
Rating given:
after reading a frens review on the custard buns, i suddenly had a craving so thought i might try the custard buns here.
Bought both steamed and the fried ones.
Also ordered the frech toast thingy. the one with peanut butter on top.
Big mistake..i mean on the french toast. It was ridiculously high priced(i mean $4 bucks for like 3 slices of gardenia bread with butter and peanut butter?? i think i can prob try to do it myself) And i felt like my throat was clogged after a few bites. couldnt finish it at all.
Lucky thing the custard buns were not too terrible. I prefered the fried ones as they were not too overly oily and the bun itself was quite soft. custard was abit thick though but not too sweet which i liked. 3 pieces for $2.50
The steamed ones were abit disapointing. The bun was not very soft like they steamed it for too long. Insides were the same as the fried ones. Thick and not too overly sweet.
Can sum1 take me to sumwhere else with nice custard buns??prefably those that are not the thick hard custard kind..
Rating given:
Was feeling peckish and wanted to try out the stuffed chicken wings and crab cakes. But didnt really have the luxury of time to dine in the restaurant. So bought the two to takeaway and ate at home.
both comes with their own sauces and i instantly fell in love with the sauce/dip for the crabmeat. It was spicy with a tangy taste and had body. The chopped onions gave it a crunch and more zing and it went well with not only the crab cakes which were crispy on the outside leading to fillings that were chopped quite thickly but it was also good with good old plain rice. They gave quite a generous amount of it too. The crab cakes i think were a mixture of crab, carrots and i tink the spices.
As for the chicken, it was quite a disapointment. it was stuffed with chicken meat n i tink diced chestnuts and i wasnt too impressed by it. it was a wee bit tasteless to me actually. bf liked it though.
looking at the menu there are a few items that look quite ok..i might just give it a try if im ever in the vicinity. love the decor though..
Rating given:
I love love love the puffs here. Theyre chewy and yet so light and filled with delicious chocolate cream/ peanut butter cream or any other cream with the nice toppings.
my favourite here would have to the the peanut butter, the almond sweetheart(cos its filled with vanilla cream), the kaya, and oreo. boyfriend loves the cheese one but i find it a bit too thick and jerlak.
they also have just introduced the chewy juniors which is about 10-15 small little chewy jrs with either vanilla filling and topped with those sugar crystals or choco filling topped with choc. i like the vanilla jr cos sumhow i prefer the vanilla ones. used to be just $3 for one but now its $3.50 but u can get 2 at $6 so i usually would get 2 sinful sets of vanilla jrs...so sedap...esp love it when the cream oozes out..yum..
Rating given:
So far in two weeks, I have tried a total of 6 of their cakes/tarts in 2 trips.
Tucked away somewhere in Tiong Bahru(enter through TB market entrance opposite Link Hotel), the cheeful, bright pink and white walls will just catch ur attention. Cakes/ eclairs/ macroons are on display and the beauty of these mini creations will just catch ur attention.
My first time was thanks to my colleague who dropped me off here and I got a box of 3 cakes(Mont Blanc, Cru Royale, Pisa) and a chocolate tart for $21. They were having a promo then. Managed to have a nice chat with Mia(i think one of the business partners) about the chef and about the store. And the cakes were a hit!!
Mont Blanc - Chestnut Vermicelli Cream with Creme Chantilly on a French Meringue Disc and Sable
This was really good. The outer side is the Chestnut vermicelli cream. Quite light on the palate, slightly sweet and savoury. The creme chantilly was even lighter and went very well with the chestnut vermicelli. This is my favourite
Chocolate Cru Royale - I love this too. The chocolate was not too dense and again not too overwhelmingly sweet. like SC said, the base is crunchy and slightly sweeter but pairs well with the chocolate. Bf loved this cake n its 2nd on my list.
Pisa - Bourbon Vanilla Bean Bavaroise, Pistachio Biscuit Layers with Raspberry Compote
I ate this layer by layer. My favourite being the vanilla bean bavaroise and the pistachio layers. Another not too overly sweet desert, the lightest of the 3. The raspberry compote being the middle, sweetest component that ties the cake together. An intresting combination.
Chocolate Tart - Oh yum, bitter chocolate which is smooth, velvety on a crisp and slightly thick tart. need i say more.
2nd Visit
Made an online order beforehand and ordered
Mont Blanc (again)
Eclipse - Three Colour Chocolate of Frangipane Style Tart
TX5 - Valrhona Fine Chocolate in Five Texture; Cake, Cremeux, Cream, Mousse, and Salted Sheet
Choux Choux - Chocolate and Vanilla Cream Buns, Profiteroles style Tartlette with Almond Nibs
but they didnt have the Eclipse so got the
Bolero - Caramel Mousse with Hazelnut Cremeux and Spanish Orange Confit
when i went to collect the cakes, my bf mentioned that he wanted the Cru Royale so i asked to change the Bolero to the Cru Royale instead. The young lady serving us gladly obliged.
The TX5 was very intresting. The cake was the base, abit like a brownie it was quite dense and filled with walnuts, i liked the salted sheet which reminded me of salted caramel and all 5 elements really complimented each other. it was like an explosion of textures
But the Choux2 was heaven. each piece of the Chouquette was filled with lovely light cream and the chouquette itself was soft and savoury. The tart had lovely smooth custard in it and was crumbly yet quite crisp. I enjoyed eating one choquette after another n lastly devouring the tart.
just describing the cakes are making me crave them more. Its a shame that the location is soo far from where i stay. But heck that, i would make the trip even if i didnt have a car for these lovely creations. Theyre not only pretty but so delicious and rich.
I was lucky enough to even meet the Chef Patissier Steven Ong, a cheerful and friendly man, i really hope that he decides to open another shop(prefably in the central area like ct hall).
Centre PS is truly a gem and I admit that I am utterly, completely and hopelessly in love with it.
ps:ok so i only took 2 pics..cannot help it. the cakes are soo good i cnt be bothered to take pics..just devour!!!
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The second installation of my mini Sentosa food trial brought me to Thanying Restaurant at Amara Sanctuary Resort. Famed for its authentic Thai food that is also served to the Thai Royal Family, Thanying is also unfortunately known for its steep prices to boot.
Thanying is housed in a classy standalone unit reminiscent of a small chapel with its wooden arches and high ceilings, just across from the main lobby of Amara Sanctuary. Huge wooden frame windows offer a clear view of the surroundings and time slows to a crawl in this beautiful and relaxing space. However conversation can be a little restrained as a blanket of silence covers the whole area, probably due to the lack of customers on a Saturday evening.
Tom Yam Goong - Tom yam soup is one of the hallmarks of Thai cuisine and Thanying's rendition of this ubiquitous dish was nothing short of excellent. The soup was sweet, salty and spicy all at the same time and the spice hits you smack at the back of your throat. The taste of lemongrass permeated through rather strongly and I'm guessing thats due to the use of fresh lemongrass instead of the dried ones.
Kai Jiaw Moo Sub (Fried Egg with Minced Pork) - Its really strange to be ordering fried omelette in a Thai restaurant or in any fine dining place for that matter but I couldn't resist the promise of juicy minced pork covered with a crisp layer of frothy egg sinfully deep fried in high temperature oil. Call it comfort food if you wish. The only downside to this dish was of course the excessive oil, which rendered me nauseous after a while due to the huge portions. And its $16 mind you.
Gai Hor Bai Toey (Pandan Leaf Chicken) - Another quintessential dish in Thai cuisine, the pieces of pandan chicken were quite a size and crispy on the outside while remaining tender and moist on the inside. There was a light hint of pandan taste as well, which gave the chicken a nice faintly sweet edge.
Pineapple Rice - What I found interesting about the pineapple rice was the presence of curry powder, or at least the taste of curry powder. I liked this dish for the fact that it was nicely done without being too dry even after being laden with pork floss but I did think that the chicken cubes that came alongside were overly dry and tough.
Pad Thai - Thanying serves up the drier version of Pad Thai, which I personally prefer. However I did find the fish sauce on this one rather overwhelming or maybe its just me being overly sensitive. I appreciated the relatively generous servings of prawns and chicken cubes though.
With the bill just over $108 for 2 pax, this is one expensive and belly bursting Thai experience. Food quality is consistently decent but not exactly fantastic. Service is excellent though and professional to say the least. If your pockets are as shallow as mine and you want a decent romantic dinner at Sentosa, Thanying might just be a viable option, considering that the other "fine dining" restaurants on the island could set you back by at least twice the amount.
See all my pictures here.
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Went on a business trip to Bangkok lately and i have to say, there are certain things i liked and certain things i didn't like about the place.
Disclaimer: my view may be a little skewed since i spent most of my 6 days in the hotel for job training.
First off, i'll talk about what i dislike.
- Dislike the horrible streets which seem like they just went through an earthquake
- dislike the spicy food and hot weather
- dislike the crowds and generally clatter
- dislike the dirty streets and back alleys
- bombs and protests
Now, we'll talk about what i like:
- cheap stuff for shopping
- huge shopping malls
- superb bargaining
- wonderful hotel (i stayed in Sheraton on the 26th floor shared with a male colleague)
- superb hotel buffets and food
- generally better service then Singapore
- CHEAP BEER (USD 90 cents for Tiger beer anyone?)
- Elephants on the streets
- Ma Boon Kong (enough said)
- Awesome sky train that shields and brings you to major hotels and shopping malls
- company sponsorship (can't live without it)
When all is said and done, its more or less justified to risk life and limb to visit the place. Its dilapidated and back in some areas but in others, it excels beyond what SG can offer at times.
The shopping is legendary and to be honest, i don't even know why i'm paying so much for the same things in Singapore now. However, pros and cons abound as usual.
Verdict? Visit the place at least once. Get over the horrible streets and expensive hotels and you'll find a place with charm, really cheap stuff and a really different experience.
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