White Dog Cafe-- Indeed a catchy name to recall. With its funky artistically designed Interior Deco. One cannot help but want to explore this place a bit...
Situated in a not so crowded corner of our really vivo VIVOCITY, is another fun restaurant which serves excellently priced set lunches for all our dear lunch yuppies out there..
The setting is great.. with long tables for your big group of colleagues and nice cosy couches for the shopping break tai tais..... This cafe provides a great view of the viewing deck outside as well as the reconstructing Sentosa.. Our Only NEARBY, CHIC and Most Funnest GETAWAY.. With Beach Hunks and that Ooh so sexy low hanging Board Shorts.. Oops.. Don't get me started on that man..... Well the view is great... and whats better to ease up the mood then a nice cute jug of iccy.... coool... Water with slices of Lemons... I just can't Get Enough Of That.. Healthy and No CALORIES.. BEST OF ALL.... ITS FREE
The set lunches are priced pretty seductively.. with much choices to offer... You've got Pizza.. Sandwiches.. Pasta.. Baked Rice.... Chicken Chops and much much more..
Though the soup of the day didn't really make my day, the Pizza did the job. Thinned Crispy crust with a good deal of ingredients.. Its not to die for but acceptably good for a slim lunch... The baked rice taste Normal however.. the rice beneath the chunky cheese Cover is full of sauce and flavour.. which is what i like....
Interesting place.... Must go at least once in your lifetime.... if not Dog will become Elephant.... White Elephant... heehee!!!
Kopitiam literally translates into 咖啡店 or coffeeshop which is synonymous (to a certain extent) with affordable local food. However, this offering by Swissotel Singapore promises the best of local favourites at a premium price in an air conditioned environment coupled with good service.
Hidden in a corner on the second level of Fairmont, Kopitiam plays neighbour to Cafe Swiss. Decor is kept simple and uncluttered with green wooden top tables and mugs that are reminiscent of kopitiams in the old days. There's even a few push cart type stall fronts where chefs will prepare local favourites like popiah to mimic the days of old.
Popiah - This has got to be the most expensive popiah that I've eaten in Singapore, standing at $7 a roll. Brimming with ingredients, shreds of slipper lobster inclusive, the popiah looked like it could burst anytime with its thin but hardly chewy and tasteless skin. Honestly, as a whole, the popiah was tasteless. Only the taste of chilli prevailed.
Tahu Telur - Honestly, tahu telur to me is mainly comfort food and Kopitiam's rendition reminded me of those you can get at food courts islandwide - average and not the least bit outstanding. The tofu was rather chunky and I found this dish a little too sweet for my liking. The only thing I thought was quite good was the egg, which was deep fried to a crisp.
Bak Kut Teh - I've always been a fan of bak kut teh, especially the Teochew variant, which this offering didn't fall under. $15.50 got me 5 medium sized ribs, a bowl of dough fritters and rice. The ribs were actually quite good, meaty and coming across as tender with a mild bite. The soup was a tad too sweet for my liking but definitely not as sweet as the one I had at Empire Cafe, probably due to the noticable absence of wolfberries. Did I mention that the dough fritters were crackling but didn't taste fresh?
Hainanese Chicken Rice - One of the most iconic dishes of Singapore and purportedly a signature of this place, the humble Hainanese chicken rice looked disproportionately small for $17. I'm pretty sure you can get the same quantity of chicken at a hawker centre for about $3-$4. That aside, the chicken was succulent and tender without being too fatty or salty. The rice was not too oily and fragrant but a tad undercooked. Definitely not as tasty as I had expected it to be. But then again, I guess you sacrifice taste when you cut down on the oil.
Without discount, the bill came up to a shocking $61.20, which is preposterous in my humble opinion. Street food, even in "high class" restaurants, really shouldn't cost an arm or a leg. Kopi Tiam Singapore Restaurant may be effective in showcasing Singapore's culturally diverse local food to tourists but it certainly doesn't strike a chord with me, not with the prices.
Tiger Airways, Singapore's very own budget airline. Its the first time i've ever sat in anything other than an SIA plane in 3 years and a budget offering at that.
The first few things you notice is that there's free seating but seats can be allocated at a premium price. I managed to get a special discounted price for Western Australia at $650 to and fro with no additional airport tax or anything like that. Which i still find, is a pretty good deal given that no other airline i've checked can match that.
The second thing i noticed is that there's no free food and no free drinks and entertainment. Which was quite a shock since the journey is 5 hours and there was nothing to do. Worst of all is how dry the air in the plane is. You'll have to drink or face the dryness of it all. Its not really a choice in the end.
The planes are of a smaller variety and thus leg room is limited. Its also quite wobbly during take off and during flight which makes it rather difficult to sleep.
As a budget offering, its not too bad. Just that i'm too used to being pampered with unlimited drinks and entertainment. That said, i'll probably stick to SIA in future. Cheers and kudos to Tiger Airways still .
Just returned from a 7 day trip to Western Australia and i'm glad to say i absolutely loved the place! Slow and relaxed lifestyle. Friendly and wonderful people, absolutely beautiful surroundings and lots of fresh and good food. Its an experience everyone should go for.
My 7 day trip took me to King's Park which is a must visit in Perth. Excellent views, superb flowers and great food at Fraser's as well. The wonderful weather between June to October is extremely conducive for visiting the park. Lots and lots of beautiful flowers. Unbelievable view of Perth and the 2 rivers and lakes as well.
A short trip down to Murray street and HarbourTown Direct Brand shopping is a must for bargain hunters.
Across the highway to millpoint, there are restaurants like Shige and The Oyster Bar which are highly recommended by locals and overseas people as well.
A trip down to Fremantle is highly recommended for even more shopping and good food. Prepare to invest some time there.
I then drove down to Margaret River for a good wine experience. In the process visiting a few of the smaller towns like Dunsborough, Bunbury, Busselton and Augusta. Whatever you do, eat at Margaret River at night at this place called The Spaghetti bowl. It serves excellent food and i do mean excellent food at competitive prices as well. Loved it so much i visited i every night i stayed at MR.
All in all, visit WA. Its more then worth it. But be sure to give it at least 2 weeks or you won't be able to see enough. I certainly felt that it would be great if i stayed another....2 or so weeks. :)
Ristorante Da Valentino - a small Italian restaurant famed for its excellent homely Italian food and stellar service to boot. Dining at this reclusive semi fine dining restaurant presents quite a challenge as reservations are hard to come by (minimum 2 weeks in advance) and made even harder with the restrictions placed. Reservations of more than 8 pax are usually not entertained and Valentino also enforces a two seating policy, with the first running from 6pm - 830pm and the second from 830pm till closing. This effectively means that a leisurely dinner is probably out of the question, especially in large groups.
Located at the end of a short row of shophouses at Jalan Bingka, just off Rifle Range Road, Valentino can be rather inaccessible if you don't know your way around the area (shortcuts) or have your own means of transport. The interior struck me as very cosy and homely with its low ceilings, smallish dining area, decorative memorabila on the shelves and red walls decked with photo frames.
Complimentary Bread & Minestrone Soup - The complimentary bread was simple and nice. Warm and a tad chewy without all the frills. I won't be shy to admit that I requested for another serving of the bread.
At $5.90 a plate, I was rather doubtful about the quality of the minestrone but it was surprisingly good. With just about the right viscosity and flavour, it came across as light on the palate and was a hit amongst my dining companions.
Salmon Salad & Tomino Wrapped in Bacon - I didn't think too much of the salmon salad, in which the salmon slices were smoked and served atop fresh greens simply because the smoked taste was conspicuously faint. Honestly, if I wanted to eat non smoked semi raw salmon, I would have gone to a Japanese restaurant instead.
The Tomino, which is a typical Italian cheese that comes from Piemonte and made with cow's or goat's milk (in this case it was definitely goat), created a little stir with its nice smooth texture which was complemented by the crisp bacon. Only gripe I had was that the whole dish was extremely salty. And if you can't take the rather pungent taste of goat's milk, please refrain from ordering this dish.
Fettucine Al Granchio - The dish which I was eagerly anticipating, the squid ink fettucine with crab meat. The home made pasta was al dente and featured a rich cream based sauce with a touch of tomato that was most excellent, a fact that was accentuated further by the decent clumps of crab meat. Personally I like this better than that of Da Paolo's.
Porcini, Rucola and Prosciutto De Parma - The pizza spotted a thin crust that heaved downwards under the weight of its ingredients. Please do not be mistaken that the ingredients were plentiful. On the contrary, it was adequate at best. Personally I thought the pizza was good but not exactly the type that would wow me. I mean, how bad can mushrooms, parma ham and rocket leaves taste when eaten together?
Risotto Ai Frutti Di Mare - The risotto deserved the worst dish of the evening award with its sourish overtone that reminded me of food gone stale aka chao sng. I wasn't the only one who thought so apparently. Neither the fresh seafood nor the texture of the risotto could save this dish.
Chantilly - I had requested for four of Valentino's best desserts and left it up to our waitress to decide which desserts would fit the bill. The chantilly started us off on the right note, coming across as light on the palate without the cream being overbearingly sweet.
Panna Cotta - The panna cotta's texture was reminiscent more of tofu than pudding - quivery yet firm, which isn't so bad really until you get to the taste part, which was bland and uninspiring in my humble opinion. Would have liked it much stronger.
Tiramisu - Served up in a queer shaped plastic container, the tiramisu disappointed right from the start. Even though the presence of liquer was evident, the mascarpone cheese was a tad too thick and coagulated while the sponge was dry. I had expected better.
Valentino Cake - This was one decadent cake with dark chocolate making up most part of it. There were bits of raisins and traces of rum as well, making it a sweet but dry (the sponge was dry) ending to our dinner. Could it be that the cake was left in the open for a period of time such that the sponge dried up?
On my part I paid about $56 for a share of all the dishes I reviewed above, which really isn't too expensive for the variety of food I got to sample. Food quality was a case of hits and misses and I reckon only the mains are worth the trouble. Prices for the appetisers do seem a tad over the roof while the mains are priced a notch higher than other similar restaurants. Service was great and I must say I enjoyed some aspects of the dinner.
Rolling Wok is fully airconditioned a Tze Char Restaurant located in NUS. It's located in a pretty obscure part of NUS, and you'll probably have problem getting to it unless you know NUS layout very well, or you take a taxi, or have a very good navigator in your car. Although I have been studying in NUS for 4 years, I never knew it existed till my friend (who has lecturer parents) told me that such a place existed inside NUS.
The Mushroom Bean Curd is on my definite must-try list. It's $6 for a delightfully crispy and wobbly egg tofu. The tofu itself is very delicious, with a crispy layer of golden brown skin enclosing a smooth silky interior.Other restaurants are selling a lesser than average tasting one for double the price. It's about palm sized (for normal sized palms), but I'm pretty sure I could finish one by myself since it's so yummy!
The San Bei Ji (Three Cups Chicken, 三杯鸡) which was $6.90. The sauce went very well with the tender chicken. There's a hint of hua tiao jiu (chinese cooking wine) and it's not overly salty. Do try this dish if you go to Rolling Wok, it comes in a claypot and is a good sized portion.
Chicken Broth with Bamboo ($5.90)
It's not very spectacular. I don't think I'll have this again. It has crab meat, a bit of bamboo and some fungus.
Curry Chicken $4.90
Nothing very fantastic - 3 pieces of chicken and potatoes in normalish curry sauce. Pretty generic tasting.
Special Sauce Salmon($6.90)
I didn't really like this dish cos I found the salmon too dry, and there was too much sauce covering the fish. I think this must be one of the Kee's Sauce since it's the sauce that Rolling Wok uses. I found it too salty too.
Rice costs $0.80 and there is no service charge (but there's 7% GST). I suppose it's name is Rolling Wok cos their waiter wears roller blades... Ice water is free of charge and self service.
For people in the area, Rolling Wok is a great choice for a peaceful lunch (away from all the terrible canteen queues). The tofu and three cup chicken warrent another visit, but it's not the kind of place that you'll go out of your way to try.
Bon Gout is a little Japanese eatery, which proves that good Japanese food can be affordable.
Magurozuke Don ($14nett)
It came prettily presented, garnished with crispy Japanese cucumbers and ginger and a side of pickles. Maguro Zuke means marinated raw tuna We were suprised at the amount of maguro we got - 6 huge chunks of tuna - probably the most that I've seen for $14 (with a set meal too!)
The salad was simple with sliced capsicums, onions and cucumber, topped with a dollop of tangy dressing.
Tofu Salad ($7)
Chilled Tofu with a tangy dressing and a hint of sesame. I really liked the little crispy silver fish which were used to garnish the salad. There's also some Japanese seaweed (at the bottom right in the picture) which gives the dish a delicious texture. Theres also fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and some chopped spring onion sprinkled over the top.It's a very refreshing dish with a contrasting variety of textures.
Ramen Set ($12, $10 for ramen alone)
I tried the Tonkatsu Ramen, which was recommended by the waitress. The ramen broth (which is what I use when I compare ramen) was pretty normal, nothing to rave about, The set came with Onigiri (Rice balls) which were carbo overkill after the ramen.
Nasu Chicken ($12)
Chicken and Eggplant with Miso Sauce, which was highly recommended in another blog review (according to my friend). Thought $12 is pretty pricey for the portion, I thought that the dish was brilliant. It was a riot of colour, and the chicken was tender, succulent and done just right. The stir fried peppers, leeks and eggplants cooked to perfection and evenly coated with the delicious miso sauce. Best of all, the eggplants (which I find are harder to cook) were cooked enough so they weren't still spongy, but yet not till it was soggy and the seed portion mushy and dropping out. They had a brilliant purple hue, and tasted yummy together with the chicken.
I really enjoyed my dining experience - we went there for lunch on Sunday, and the place was pretty crowded, though the interior was far from noisy. Most of the Japanese families were reading books borrowed from the restaurant. The place is brightly lit (great for taking photos) and cheerful, with helpful knowledgable staff. The mood is casual and relaxed, perfect for lazing the weekend away.
The al fresco area overlooks Singapore River, and on a balmy Sunday afternoon, is a perfect place to relax. It's very windy, peaceful and if only I could read Japanese, I'll camp here all afternoon reading their endless volumes of manga.
Best of all, there is no service charge or GST! It is indeed affordable, delicious and value for money. I will definitely return (hopefully very soon) to try out their curry sets, which are incredibly aromatic:)
BBQ Chicken is located in Cineleisure basement, where Cafe Cartel used to be. They pride themselves in deep frying chicken in 100% olive oil, which is supposed to be healthier, but I have my doubts.
Of course, being located in somewhere frequented by youngsters (not that I'm old), the pricing is fairly reasonable, though it's much more pricier than KFC or Macs.
We tried the Ginseng Flavoured chicken The set lunch is $15 after extra charges, for 2 pieces of good sized chicken, fries and coleslaw, and it came with corn soup, a free drink and a scoop of ice cream.
The chicken has exceeded my (low) expectations, and I would even say that it's pretty good! It's the kind that's just cooked, extremely tender, juicy and bursting with yummy chicken juices. It's also sprinkled with ginseng flavoured powder, giving it a unique Korean taste.
In terms of taste, the ginseng powder could be more generous - the ginseng powder is pretty sparse, and while eating the chicken, I'll sometimes hit a spot with lots of powder, and at others, there's no ginseng taste at all.
The coleslaw beats KFC's hands down cos it's so much fresher, doesn't have that weird stale cabbage smell and has huger cabbage pieces instead of cabbage bits.
I actually went back for dinner the same day because I was watching an evening movie and after I told my friends about my lunch, they all wanted to try the Ginseng Chicken too! Hope the olive oil doesn't clog my arteries :S
We actually wanted to try Brown Sugar, but then unfortunately, it was fully booked the day before. But it was a blessing in disguise, and we have now found a new place for affordable and good food.
It's a pretty hard to find (for 1st timers) location, but it's wedged between 2 japanese restaurants, along the river, and quite near to butter factory. Actually, most of us were stumbling around Robertson Quay before finally finind it. The parking's pretty insane on weekdays too - all parallel and no lots, and the pier carpark was full.
Soup of the day - Mushroom Soup $5. Though the soup wasn't the memorable kind, the best part of it was the cheesy garlic bread. The delicious freshly baked bubbly cheese smell made everyone salivate. The mushroom soup itself was pretty creamy, with lots of mushroom bits and onions, worth the $5 since it's a good sized portion.
Vietnamese Bolognaise, spaghetti with minced chicken, chillies and lemongrass. It's a refreshing change for normal spaghetti, the lemongrass, chillies and piquant fish sauce went really well with shaved parmesan. At $16, it's a good sized portion with lots of minced chicken.
We also had the Grilled king salmon fillet ($20). For the side dishe, we chose ratatouilee (since nearly everyone watched the show and wanted to try it) but it was not really to our liking cos it was pretty soggy. The salmon didn't dissappoint - it was juicy and tender, and completely not dry.
Desserts was the Apple Crumble, topped with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's a steal at $7, and the portion will put other dessert stores to shame. Though the crumble layer is pretty thin, the whole bowl is full of delicious chopped green apples, for a healthy finish to the meal.
Chocolate mousse ($7) This is intensely chocolatey, and has a slightly powdery/grainy texture. It's very delicious - and it's like eating a whole bar of delicious cold chocolate, but minus the sore throat after that, since it doesn't leave that sticky, sensation you get after eating one too many chocolate bars.
Overall, Epicurious is a pretty good place to chill and have a relaxing dinner - in fact, I returned for teatime desserts the next day to have more apple crumble, and to sample the Pandan Panna Cotta, which wasn't as memorable as the apple crumble.
No reviews?! I was randomly checking restaurants that I've visited and stumbled across Blue Lobster. Blue Lobster specializes in seafood, and it's well worth the long trudge from my house. It's located along the same row of shops as Gourmet Plus.
The Lobster Thermidor is supposed to be a hot seller, but it costs a hefty sum (around 60 bucks or thereabout), which I was unwilling to part with (since there was set lunch). On Thursdays, freshly shucked oysters go for a mere $1 per piece, but then when we were there for lunch, there weren't any oysters cos the supply hadn't arrived.
We had the 3 course set lunch, which included a soup, main, dessert.
Mushroom Soup with White Truffle Oil. The soup is packed with generous amounts of mushroom and the aromatic truffle oil goes really well with the soup. There is also a small serving of caramellized onions, which tastes great with their soft foccacia bread.
My crab meat Aglio Olio was pretty oily, with tasty morsels of crab and tongue numbing chilli padi for a spicy zing. But I must say that I regretted ordering this when the chargrilled fish came.
Grilled Hoki (Fish of the day) is extremely fresh, juicy and lightly grilled. It's exactuly how I like my fish to be done, just slightly dressed with a bit of sauce, but not too much that it masks the freshness of the fish. It was fantastic, and probably one of the best (cooked) fishes I've had. I couldn't really tell if it was pumpkin or sweet potato mash, but it was a intersting change to the usual boring mashed potatoes. It was slightly creamy, not too starchy.
For dessert of the day, we had Raspberry Parfait - it's like a non-meltable ice cream which has the texture of mousse and filled with crunchy nuts.
The interior of the restaurant is simple, and service is quick and efficient. Our water was topped up constantly, and the waiter (who recommended the fish) came to ask us how we liked it - he was as pleased as punch when we said the fish was great, since he was the one who recommended it.
1=SGD 0.0587
White Dog Cafe-- Indeed a catchy name to recall. With its funky artistically designed Interior Deco. One cannot help but want to explore this place a bit...
Situated in a not so crowded corner of our really vivo VIVOCITY, is another fun restaurant which serves excellently priced set lunches for all our dear lunch yuppies out there..
The setting is great.. with long tables for your big group of colleagues and nice cosy couches for the shopping break tai tais..... This cafe provides a great view of the viewing deck outside as well as the reconstructing Sentosa.. Our Only NEARBY, CHIC and Most Funnest GETAWAY.. With Beach Hunks and that Ooh so sexy low hanging Board Shorts.. Oops.. Don't get me started on that man..... Well the view is great... and whats better to ease up the mood then a nice cute jug of iccy.... coool... Water with slices of Lemons... I just can't Get Enough Of That.. Healthy and No CALORIES.. BEST OF ALL.... ITS FREE
The set lunches are priced pretty seductively.. with much choices to offer... You've got Pizza.. Sandwiches.. Pasta.. Baked Rice.... Chicken Chops and much much more..
Though the soup of the day didn't really make my day, the Pizza did the job. Thinned Crispy crust with a good deal of ingredients.. Its not to die for but acceptably good for a slim lunch... The baked rice taste Normal however.. the rice beneath the chunky cheese Cover is full of sauce and flavour.. which is what i like....
Interesting place.... Must go at least once in your lifetime.... if not Dog will become Elephant.... White Elephant... heehee!!!
Support the humble restaurants!!!
Rating given:
Kopitiam literally translates into 咖啡店 or coffeeshop which is synonymous (to a certain extent) with affordable local food. However, this offering by Swissotel Singapore promises the best of local favourites at a premium price in an air conditioned environment coupled with good service.
Hidden in a corner on the second level of Fairmont, Kopitiam plays neighbour to Cafe Swiss. Decor is kept simple and uncluttered with green wooden top tables and mugs that are reminiscent of kopitiams in the old days. There's even a few push cart type stall fronts where chefs will prepare local favourites like popiah to mimic the days of old.
Popiah - This has got to be the most expensive popiah that I've eaten in Singapore, standing at $7 a roll. Brimming with ingredients, shreds of slipper lobster inclusive, the popiah looked like it could burst anytime with its thin but hardly chewy and tasteless skin. Honestly, as a whole, the popiah was tasteless. Only the taste of chilli prevailed.
Tahu Telur - Honestly, tahu telur to me is mainly comfort food and Kopitiam's rendition reminded me of those you can get at food courts islandwide - average and not the least bit outstanding. The tofu was rather chunky and I found this dish a little too sweet for my liking. The only thing I thought was quite good was the egg, which was deep fried to a crisp.
Bak Kut Teh - I've always been a fan of bak kut teh, especially the Teochew variant, which this offering didn't fall under. $15.50 got me 5 medium sized ribs, a bowl of dough fritters and rice. The ribs were actually quite good, meaty and coming across as tender with a mild bite. The soup was a tad too sweet for my liking but definitely not as sweet as the one I had at Empire Cafe, probably due to the noticable absence of wolfberries. Did I mention that the dough fritters were crackling but didn't taste fresh?
Hainanese Chicken Rice - One of the most iconic dishes of Singapore and purportedly a signature of this place, the humble Hainanese chicken rice looked disproportionately small for $17. I'm pretty sure you can get the same quantity of chicken at a hawker centre for about $3-$4. That aside, the chicken was succulent and tender without being too fatty or salty. The rice was not too oily and fragrant but a tad undercooked. Definitely not as tasty as I had expected it to be. But then again, I guess you sacrifice taste when you cut down on the oil.
Without discount, the bill came up to a shocking $61.20, which is preposterous in my humble opinion. Street food, even in "high class" restaurants, really shouldn't cost an arm or a leg. Kopi Tiam Singapore Restaurant may be effective in showcasing Singapore's culturally diverse local food to tourists but it certainly doesn't strike a chord with me, not with the prices.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Tiger Airways, Singapore's very own budget airline. Its the first time i've ever sat in anything other than an SIA plane in 3 years and a budget offering at that.
The first few things you notice is that there's free seating but seats can be allocated at a premium price. I managed to get a special discounted price for Western Australia at $650 to and fro with no additional airport tax or anything like that. Which i still find, is a pretty good deal given that no other airline i've checked can match that.
The second thing i noticed is that there's no free food and no free drinks and entertainment. Which was quite a shock since the journey is 5 hours and there was nothing to do. Worst of all is how dry the air in the plane is. You'll have to drink or face the dryness of it all. Its not really a choice in the end.
The planes are of a smaller variety and thus leg room is limited. Its also quite wobbly during take off and during flight which makes it rather difficult to sleep.
As a budget offering, its not too bad. Just that i'm too used to being pampered with unlimited drinks and entertainment. That said, i'll probably stick to SIA in future. Cheers and kudos to Tiger Airways still .
Rating given:
Just returned from a 7 day trip to Western Australia and i'm glad to say i absolutely loved the place! Slow and relaxed lifestyle. Friendly and wonderful people, absolutely beautiful surroundings and lots of fresh and good food. Its an experience everyone should go for.
My 7 day trip took me to King's Park which is a must visit in Perth. Excellent views, superb flowers and great food at Fraser's as well. The wonderful weather between June to October is extremely conducive for visiting the park. Lots and lots of beautiful flowers. Unbelievable view of Perth and the 2 rivers and lakes as well.
A short trip down to Murray street and HarbourTown Direct Brand shopping is a must for bargain hunters.
Across the highway to millpoint, there are restaurants like Shige and The Oyster Bar which are highly recommended by locals and overseas people as well.
A trip down to Fremantle is highly recommended for even more shopping and good food. Prepare to invest some time there.
I then drove down to Margaret River for a good wine experience. In the process visiting a few of the smaller towns like Dunsborough, Bunbury, Busselton and Augusta. Whatever you do, eat at Margaret River at night at this place called The Spaghetti bowl. It serves excellent food and i do mean excellent food at competitive prices as well. Loved it so much i visited i every night i stayed at MR.
All in all, visit WA. Its more then worth it. But be sure to give it at least 2 weeks or you won't be able to see enough. I certainly felt that it would be great if i stayed another....2 or so weeks. :)
Rating given:
Ristorante Da Valentino - a small Italian restaurant famed for its excellent homely Italian food and stellar service to boot. Dining at this reclusive semi fine dining restaurant presents quite a challenge as reservations are hard to come by (minimum 2 weeks in advance) and made even harder with the restrictions placed. Reservations of more than 8 pax are usually not entertained and Valentino also enforces a two seating policy, with the first running from 6pm - 830pm and the second from 830pm till closing. This effectively means that a leisurely dinner is probably out of the question, especially in large groups.
Located at the end of a short row of shophouses at Jalan Bingka, just off Rifle Range Road, Valentino can be rather inaccessible if you don't know your way around the area (shortcuts) or have your own means of transport. The interior struck me as very cosy and homely with its low ceilings, smallish dining area, decorative memorabila on the shelves and red walls decked with photo frames.
Complimentary Bread & Minestrone Soup - The complimentary bread was simple and nice. Warm and a tad chewy without all the frills. I won't be shy to admit that I requested for another serving of the bread.
At $5.90 a plate, I was rather doubtful about the quality of the minestrone but it was surprisingly good. With just about the right viscosity and flavour, it came across as light on the palate and was a hit amongst my dining companions.
Salmon Salad & Tomino Wrapped in Bacon - I didn't think too much of the salmon salad, in which the salmon slices were smoked and served atop fresh greens simply because the smoked taste was conspicuously faint. Honestly, if I wanted to eat non smoked semi raw salmon, I would have gone to a Japanese restaurant instead.
The Tomino, which is a typical Italian cheese that comes from Piemonte and made with cow's or goat's milk (in this case it was definitely goat), created a little stir with its nice smooth texture which was complemented by the crisp bacon. Only gripe I had was that the whole dish was extremely salty. And if you can't take the rather pungent taste of goat's milk, please refrain from ordering this dish.
Fettucine Al Granchio - The dish which I was eagerly anticipating, the squid ink fettucine with crab meat. The home made pasta was al dente and featured a rich cream based sauce with a touch of tomato that was most excellent, a fact that was accentuated further by the decent clumps of crab meat. Personally I like this better than that of Da Paolo's.
Porcini, Rucola and Prosciutto De Parma - The pizza spotted a thin crust that heaved downwards under the weight of its ingredients. Please do not be mistaken that the ingredients were plentiful. On the contrary, it was adequate at best. Personally I thought the pizza was good but not exactly the type that would wow me. I mean, how bad can mushrooms, parma ham and rocket leaves taste when eaten together?
Risotto Ai Frutti Di Mare - The risotto deserved the worst dish of the evening award with its sourish overtone that reminded me of food gone stale aka chao sng. I wasn't the only one who thought so apparently. Neither the fresh seafood nor the texture of the risotto could save this dish.
Chantilly - I had requested for four of Valentino's best desserts and left it up to our waitress to decide which desserts would fit the bill. The chantilly started us off on the right note, coming across as light on the palate without the cream being overbearingly sweet.
Panna Cotta - The panna cotta's texture was reminiscent more of tofu than pudding - quivery yet firm, which isn't so bad really until you get to the taste part, which was bland and uninspiring in my humble opinion. Would have liked it much stronger.
Tiramisu - Served up in a queer shaped plastic container, the tiramisu disappointed right from the start. Even though the presence of liquer was evident, the mascarpone cheese was a tad too thick and coagulated while the sponge was dry. I had expected better.
Valentino Cake - This was one decadent cake with dark chocolate making up most part of it. There were bits of raisins and traces of rum as well, making it a sweet but dry (the sponge was dry) ending to our dinner. Could it be that the cake was left in the open for a period of time such that the sponge dried up?
On my part I paid about $56 for a share of all the dishes I reviewed above, which really isn't too expensive for the variety of food I got to sample. Food quality was a case of hits and misses and I reckon only the mains are worth the trouble. Prices for the appetisers do seem a tad over the roof while the mains are priced a notch higher than other similar restaurants. Service was great and I must say I enjoyed some aspects of the dinner.
See all my pictures here.
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Rolling Wok is fully airconditioned a Tze Char Restaurant located in NUS. It's located in a pretty obscure part of NUS, and you'll probably have problem getting to it unless you know NUS layout very well, or you take a taxi, or have a very good navigator in your car. Although I have been studying in NUS for 4 years, I never knew it existed till my friend (who has lecturer parents) told me that such a place existed inside NUS.
The Mushroom Bean Curd is on my definite must-try list. It's $6 for a delightfully crispy and wobbly egg tofu. The tofu itself is very delicious, with a crispy layer of golden brown skin enclosing a smooth silky interior.Other restaurants are selling a lesser than average tasting one for double the price. It's about palm sized (for normal sized palms), but I'm pretty sure I could finish one by myself since it's so yummy!
The San Bei Ji (Three Cups Chicken, 三杯鸡) which was $6.90. The sauce went very well with the tender chicken. There's a hint of hua tiao jiu (chinese cooking wine) and it's not overly salty. Do try this dish if you go to Rolling Wok, it comes in a claypot and is a good sized portion.
Chicken Broth with Bamboo ($5.90)
It's not very spectacular. I don't think I'll have this again. It has crab meat, a bit of bamboo and some fungus.
Curry Chicken $4.90
Nothing very fantastic - 3 pieces of chicken and potatoes in normalish curry sauce. Pretty generic tasting.
Special Sauce Salmon($6.90)
I didn't really like this dish cos I found the salmon too dry, and there was too much sauce covering the fish. I think this must be one of the Kee's Sauce since it's the sauce that Rolling Wok uses. I found it too salty too.
Rice costs $0.80 and there is no service charge (but there's 7% GST). I suppose it's name is Rolling Wok cos their waiter wears roller blades... Ice water is free of charge and self service.
For people in the area, Rolling Wok is a great choice for a peaceful lunch (away from all the terrible canteen queues). The tofu and three cup chicken warrent another visit, but it's not the kind of place that you'll go out of your way to try.
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Bon Gout is a little Japanese eatery, which proves that good Japanese food can be affordable.
Magurozuke Don ($14nett)
It came prettily presented, garnished with crispy Japanese cucumbers and ginger and a side of pickles. Maguro Zuke means marinated raw tuna We were suprised at the amount of maguro we got - 6 huge chunks of tuna - probably the most that I've seen for $14 (with a set meal too!)
The salad was simple with sliced capsicums, onions and cucumber, topped with a dollop of tangy dressing.
Tofu Salad ($7)
Chilled Tofu with a tangy dressing and a hint of sesame. I really liked the little crispy silver fish which were used to garnish the salad. There's also some Japanese seaweed (at the bottom right in the picture) which gives the dish a delicious texture. Theres also fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and some chopped spring onion sprinkled over the top.It's a very refreshing dish with a contrasting variety of textures.
Ramen Set ($12, $10 for ramen alone)
I tried the Tonkatsu Ramen, which was recommended by the waitress. The ramen broth (which is what I use when I compare ramen) was pretty normal, nothing to rave about, The set came with Onigiri (Rice balls) which were carbo overkill after the ramen.
Nasu Chicken ($12)
Chicken and Eggplant with Miso Sauce, which was highly recommended in another blog review (according to my friend). Thought $12 is pretty pricey for the portion, I thought that the dish was brilliant. It was a riot of colour, and the chicken was tender, succulent and done just right. The stir fried peppers, leeks and eggplants cooked to perfection and evenly coated with the delicious miso sauce. Best of all, the eggplants (which I find are harder to cook) were cooked enough so they weren't still spongy, but yet not till it was soggy and the seed portion mushy and dropping out. They had a brilliant purple hue, and tasted yummy together with the chicken.
I really enjoyed my dining experience - we went there for lunch on Sunday, and the place was pretty crowded, though the interior was far from noisy. Most of the Japanese families were reading books borrowed from the restaurant. The place is brightly lit (great for taking photos) and cheerful, with helpful knowledgable staff. The mood is casual and relaxed, perfect for lazing the weekend away.
The al fresco area overlooks Singapore River, and on a balmy Sunday afternoon, is a perfect place to relax. It's very windy, peaceful and if only I could read Japanese, I'll camp here all afternoon reading their endless volumes of manga.
Best of all, there is no service charge or GST! It is indeed affordable, delicious and value for money. I will definitely return (hopefully very soon) to try out their curry sets, which are incredibly aromatic:)
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BBQ Chicken is located in Cineleisure basement, where Cafe Cartel used to be. They pride themselves in deep frying chicken in 100% olive oil, which is supposed to be healthier, but I have my doubts.
Of course, being located in somewhere frequented by youngsters (not that I'm old), the pricing is fairly reasonable, though it's much more pricier than KFC or Macs.
We tried the Ginseng Flavoured chicken The set lunch is $15 after extra charges, for 2 pieces of good sized chicken, fries and coleslaw, and it came with corn soup, a free drink and a scoop of ice cream.
The chicken has exceeded my (low) expectations, and I would even say that it's pretty good! It's the kind that's just cooked, extremely tender, juicy and bursting with yummy chicken juices. It's also sprinkled with ginseng flavoured powder, giving it a unique Korean taste.
In terms of taste, the ginseng powder could be more generous - the ginseng powder is pretty sparse, and while eating the chicken, I'll sometimes hit a spot with lots of powder, and at others, there's no ginseng taste at all.
The coleslaw beats KFC's hands down cos it's so much fresher, doesn't have that weird stale cabbage smell and has huger cabbage pieces instead of cabbage bits.
I actually went back for dinner the same day because I was watching an evening movie and after I told my friends about my lunch, they all wanted to try the Ginseng Chicken too! Hope the olive oil doesn't clog my arteries :S
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We actually wanted to try Brown Sugar, but then unfortunately, it was fully booked the day before. But it was a blessing in disguise, and we have now found a new place for affordable and good food.
It's a pretty hard to find (for 1st timers) location, but it's wedged between 2 japanese restaurants, along the river, and quite near to butter factory. Actually, most of us were stumbling around Robertson Quay before finally finind it. The parking's pretty insane on weekdays too - all parallel and no lots, and the pier carpark was full.
Soup of the day - Mushroom Soup $5. Though the soup wasn't the memorable kind, the best part of it was the cheesy garlic bread. The delicious freshly baked bubbly cheese smell made everyone salivate. The mushroom soup itself was pretty creamy, with lots of mushroom bits and onions, worth the $5 since it's a good sized portion.
Vietnamese Bolognaise, spaghetti with minced chicken, chillies and lemongrass. It's a refreshing change for normal spaghetti, the lemongrass, chillies and piquant fish sauce went really well with shaved parmesan. At $16, it's a good sized portion with lots of minced chicken.
We also had the Grilled king salmon fillet ($20). For the side dishe, we chose ratatouilee (since nearly everyone watched the show and wanted to try it) but it was not really to our liking cos it was pretty soggy. The salmon didn't dissappoint - it was juicy and tender, and completely not dry.
Desserts was the Apple Crumble, topped with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's a steal at $7, and the portion will put other dessert stores to shame. Though the crumble layer is pretty thin, the whole bowl is full of delicious chopped green apples, for a healthy finish to the meal.
Chocolate mousse ($7) This is intensely chocolatey, and has a slightly powdery/grainy texture. It's very delicious - and it's like eating a whole bar of delicious cold chocolate, but minus the sore throat after that, since it doesn't leave that sticky, sensation you get after eating one too many chocolate bars.
Overall, Epicurious is a pretty good place to chill and have a relaxing dinner - in fact, I returned for teatime desserts the next day to have more apple crumble, and to sample the Pandan Panna Cotta, which wasn't as memorable as the apple crumble.
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No reviews?! I was randomly checking restaurants that I've visited and stumbled across Blue Lobster. Blue Lobster specializes in seafood, and it's well worth the long trudge from my house. It's located along the same row of shops as Gourmet Plus.
The Lobster Thermidor is supposed to be a hot seller, but it costs a hefty sum (around 60 bucks or thereabout), which I was unwilling to part with (since there was set lunch). On Thursdays, freshly shucked oysters go for a mere $1 per piece, but then when we were there for lunch, there weren't any oysters cos the supply hadn't arrived.
We had the 3 course set lunch, which included a soup, main, dessert.
Mushroom Soup with White Truffle Oil. The soup is packed with generous amounts of mushroom and the aromatic truffle oil goes really well with the soup. There is also a small serving of caramellized onions, which tastes great with their soft foccacia bread.
My crab meat Aglio Olio was pretty oily, with tasty morsels of crab and tongue numbing chilli padi for a spicy zing. But I must say that I regretted ordering this when the chargrilled fish came.
Grilled Hoki (Fish of the day) is extremely fresh, juicy and lightly grilled. It's exactuly how I like my fish to be done, just slightly dressed with a bit of sauce, but not too much that it masks the freshness of the fish. It was fantastic, and probably one of the best (cooked) fishes I've had. I couldn't really tell if it was pumpkin or sweet potato mash, but it was a intersting change to the usual boring mashed potatoes. It was slightly creamy, not too starchy.
For dessert of the day, we had Raspberry Parfait - it's like a non-meltable ice cream which has the texture of mousse and filled with crunchy nuts.
The interior of the restaurant is simple, and service is quick and efficient. Our water was topped up constantly, and the waiter (who recommended the fish) came to ask us how we liked it - he was as pleased as punch when we said the fish was great, since he was the one who recommended it.
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