I was sick for a week and was really wrecking my brains for something to eat. A friend suggested Vietnamese food and we went to Le Viet. I'd walked past this place many times and never stepped in to try the food.
Simple and modern decor. It had this nice water tank running along the side of the restaurant. There were guppies and goldfish swimming about it. When we got there, they had just put fresh food in so all the fish were coming to the surface. It was certainly nice to look at.
There were few people there that weekday evening. So it wasn't too noisy. Just right with a few tables occupied.
There was quite a variety and being a noob to vietnamese food, I spent a lot of time poring over the descriptions....
Food Ordered:
Goi Cuon - Fresh Rice Paper Roll ($6) There were 3 rolls and you had a choice of chicken or pork. We picked chicken. The shredded chicken was wrapped in a paper thin translucent skin with vermicelli, beansprouts and basil. I liked this very much. It was light yet savoury. Bun Ga Nuong - Dry Vietnamese Vermicelli w Chicken ($8.50) This arrived looking like your regular Kueh Tiao with Grilled Chicken. But flip it and you'll find a host of crunchy vegetables right underneath! Toss it well and you have yourself a savoury noodle salad! Yummy!!
Pho Bo Thap Cam - 3-in-1 Mixed Noodles ($8.50) My friend had this with slices and beef balls. You can choose 2 out of 3 options and those were his choices. I didn't eat this because I'm not a fan of beef. But the soup was very very tasty!
Including drinks our bill came u to about $30 (and a little more) which I find pretty reasonable. Every thing was served fast cos it's not too hard to prepare... and the service was satisfactory.
This is one place where I'll return often for the cheap salmon don and yummilicious desserts! It was the cheapest I’ve seen so far! When the Salmon Don was served, I was pretty shocked. It didn’t looked like it cost just $3.80! I wondered if they’d served a wrong order! It was also served with miso soup and pickles. There were lots of rice and the number of slices of salmon served was more than those you get from sushi belt where you paid $6.50 for. Although its not as thick, it was still fresh and nice. I’m not a chosey eater, so this entire set for $3.80 was definitely very value for money. CHEAP!!
Their showcase of desserts outside the restaurants attracts the most attention and this is one of their pull factors for customers. Whoever walks by their showcase will be tempted by their mouth-watering display of plastic/rubber/clay food that's made to look so so real and good! (Beauty of the crafty craftman)
I tried their mango ice cream dessert that cost about $6.80. (I pay lesser for the salmon don! HA!) But still, this dessert is very nice. Freshly diced mango with soft vanilla ice-cream on top of a pile of cornflakes! *droooooling* Just thinking about it makes me want to go back for more!
Tried other dishes too like the cheese tofu, karage chicken and others which I can't remember. Next time I go again, I'll make sure I write more about them k.
It is always not too good to have too high expectations of a place because the expectations the bigger the disappointment will be. Having saying that, it happens to this place. I have heard a lot of people telling me this place has one of the best Japanese buffet in town and it is worth the money, and it has been one of the places that I wanted to go and give it a try. The chance came when my partner invited me to join her colleagues for dinner there. So a big group of us went, not to say that one of her colleagues is a big fan of that place.
The restaurant is hidden in the first level of the hotel, if not for the Japanese style of door way, it is a blink and miss place. Once walked inside, I was surprise by how small the whole place is. It looks like those Japanese old cottages. There is a few traditional tables where you have to take off your shoes and sit. A number of small tables with small sets and the rest of the seats are bar counter seats. For a big group of people like us, we have to squeeze as well. If you are big sized like me, you will definitely knock to the person sitting next to you. Advice is to go in a group less than 10 people.
Next, is the food. The menu is cramped with words, no pictures. So if you expect to order by pictures, you will be sorely disappointed. At times, I just go by my guts to order as well. There is a lot of food to offer from sushi to sashimi to bento to soba etc. Lots of them in wide and different variety as well. They also served a few items as starters first, like smoked salmon. A mini seafood paper steamboat where the soup base is too salty. A miso soup that came in a tea pot and have to squeeze in lime juice as well, quite refreshing for that.
In a big group, there is confusion over ordering of food as the waitress just came with the food and we also not sure if we had ordered the food. Since it is a buffet, we just eat whatever is placed on our table. In other words, it can be a mess!
Sashimi’s lover would loved this place! Their variety is a lot and they came in big portions, not to mention that the slices came in very thick slices. Hmm… but not very fresh. Too bad I m not really a big fan of it. They got limited sushi chooses but I am not too impressed with their sushi as well. I have tasted better ones elsewhere. The rest of the food can be quite forgettable. Their tempera, again a lot of variety, from prawns to mushrooms, was quite ok nothing to wow off.
One funny thing did happen when I was ordering chicken cutlet, they asked me how many cuts I want. I thought in terms of how many full cutlets they mean. In the end, it turn out their cuts means how many slices I want. A bit … …
Their service can be quite slow and there was periods of time that we got no food and when we tried to order, their waitress always seem busy with other things or other people. As their tables are quite small, they also slow to clear the plates as well. Think they could have done with more help.
Seems that the place is quite popular as it was packed by 8pm and even the counter seats are packed like sardines. Like they say it is always better to make reservation for the place.
At a cost of $33 plus plus plus, in the end it was $38.80 per person. Personally, I think it is not worth the money and I would rather spend the money on other sushi places. Not to say because of my high expectations of the place, I was sorely disappointed and dun think I will be back to this place unless someone is giving me a treat. Hmm… so Sushi Teh any one?
Talk about pizza in Singapore and the first name to jump at you will be Pizza Hut. However, there are quite a variety of other offerings out there yet to be noticed or even recommended. Most are targeted at niche markets instead of the usual crowd and honestly, i think Pizza Hut is charging a little too much these days. In comes New York Pizza, more casual and easy going then Pizza Hut, and also decidedly Halal so it can be enjoyed by even more people. Lets have a bite and find out if its a contender shall we?
Simple and gets the job done. The location is alfresco and thats about all there is to it. I wasn't very happy that i'd have to stay in the sun and get all comfy with it and the fact that there's a noticeable waiting time of about 10 minutes after you order makes it look less palatable
The container - Do not let the picture fool you. This is not a small piece of pizza at all. To put it in perspective, think about the length of pizza huts biggest pizza and you get the idea of how long this is.
Queens Meal = Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Wing Pepsi ($6.90) - Queens meal, nice name though it belies the actual fact that its quite simply a big piece of pepperoni pizza with green pepper, pepperoni and bits of beef. The pizza itself is pretty big and can be split into 4 further pieces for consumption. Its crust is reasonable but very crunchy and crispy which is a refreshing change from pizza huts rather flour filled pizzas. The toppings weren't much to shout about however and i soon got sick of the same taste it offered. The chicken wing was strangely fragrant and sweet, not to mention piping hot
Hawaiian Pizza Meal ($6.90) - Its crust is alike with the pepperoni version which i suppose is the determining factor and difference it is bringing to the scene. Crunchy but a little overdone such that you could see the charred portions from over baking. The Hawaiian pizza is a little too sweet and easily overwhelmed after more then 3 bites into it. The ingredients used were also a little miserly when compared to other pizza places i got to try.
The lunch came up to $13.80 which can't be considered expensive. We did get very sick of the pizza after our 2 helpings so i don't think i will be returning.
I actually tried the place a long time ago when it first started. During that time i had the fish and chips and also tried its pizza burger. Both were pretty good and the fish and chips in particular had a wonderful fresh taste to it. During this visit, the machine was spoiled and thats why we settled for its less then optimal pizzas. Well, i wouldn't know if the fish and chips are any good now since i probably won't try it again. If anyone else tries, let me know if it tastes good alright? Cheers!
Having heard from quite a number of people that the Japanese buffet here is good, I finally tried it!
But probably having heard so much about it, I hold pretty high expectaton on it.
The restaurant is a pretty small one & to hold the group of 12 of us was even a problem due to space constraint. So, do note that it's not a good place for large group gatherings.
The menu was a simple one which looked quite wordy at first glance. Although no pictures of the food items was available, they did provide English descriptions for some of the dishes. Otherwise, you'll probably need a regular patron to advise you on the dishes to order.
The service was a little slow, probably because the restaurant was quite packed with diners then. We splitted up into 2 groups when we placed our order but the food served was combined and this made it quite confusing for us & we ended up eating the wrong food. But anyway, since it's a buffet, we just ate whatever that's placed infront of us & ordered more if it's not enough. Haha...
The restaurant offers quite a good variety of sashimi. However, the quality of the sashimi was disappointing. It didn't taste as fresh and we could even taste that the fish had been frozen & thawed before it was served. My friend, who is a regular patron, noticed the drop in standard of the sashimi too.
Other than the sashimi, we tried their tempura too. Well, the batter was a little too heavy & it was quite oily. Unlike the tempura I had elsewhere which is light, crispy & not oily. So to say, their tempura was a disappointment.
After taxes, it came up to $38.80 for each person. I'm looking for better Japanese buffet elsewhere!
I'm a big fan of dim sum although I don't eat pork. Yes, dim sum is an exception for that. Haha... Heard that the dim sum served @ this restaurant is not bad, so decided to give it a try. Actually we were just trying our luck to see if they still serve dim sum, it was nearly 5pm, near dinner time then. But dim sum is still available! Hee hee.... Although a few of them were already sold out.
We ordered a total of 8 dishes as described below.
1. Pan-fried carrot cake This was the first dish served & it came hot. A thin layer of crisp on the outside. Good! Just a little oily.
2. Chicken feet This dish tasted quite normal. Not the best & not the worst that I've eaten. The dish also came with cubes of yam.
3. Prawn dumpling Skin was thin & with a generous serving of prawns. What's lacking was probably a suitable chilli sauce that will go well with it.
4. Xiao long bao Don't really like it as it has a porky taste even though I already ate it with ginger & vinegar. Lack of soup in the xiao long bao too.
5. Prawn with mango This is definitely my favourite! The mango was wrapped up in a springroll, deep-fried & dipped in mango sauce. Yummy!
6. Egg tarts It came as 4 mini egg tarts. "Beware! The filling is hot!!"
That's the warning we got from the waitress. Yes, she's right! Not only was the filling hot, it was soft & good. The crust was light & crispy.
7. Glutinous rice Two relatively big balls of glutinous rice wrapped up in lotus leaves. It came with quite a good portion of chicken & rice.
8. Chicken in paper bag Not bad, quite nice. But I think it'll be nicer if they use other parts of the chicken too instead of just the wings.
The bill came up to about 40 bucks after a 10% discount. To me, I think it's quite a reasonable deal. The service was really good! The waitresses just kept refilling our ice water & hot tea and they were very friendly.
I had always been a fan of their la main. I personally do find theirs better than others. However recently, they went through a revamp, or more like “Honey I shrank Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao”! I wonder this only happen to the Ngee Ann City outlet or to the rest of the outlets as well.
The long queue to wait for a table and the number tag is still the same
Nothing much changes in the menu.
The changes:
Xiao Long Bao – There used to be four xiao long baos per order but now they shrinked the xiao long bao into a smaller size and increase the number to five per order. Hmm…. It still taste pretty much the same but the size difference is really too much. Not very happy with it. Smaller xiao long bao means there is lesser fillings and lesser soup in each bao and this makes a lot of difference.
Shanghai Pan Fried Bao - There used to be three per order but now there are four. Same case as xiao long bao, the size shrinked a bit too much.
Their la mian is still pretty much the same in the variety but what changes is the type of la mian they are offering. From dragon whiskers to dao siao main to even ban mian, there are 7 types of la mian to choose from. Hmm… From what we have ordered, we still conlude that the old type of la mian still works wonder. Hee…. Nothing much changes from the rest. The portion of the food also shrank a bit.
The changes do not really impressed me and I think they are better going back to the old ones.
The service is still as good and attentive as ever, that is one thing I like when dining there. The place is still as packed as ever. Overheard one customer complaining how come there are only 3 pcs of beef in the la mian when there is supposed to be 4 slices. Hmm…. The supervisior also cannot answer that question but then she just brushed off the comment like that. Sigh……
I need the old Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao back!
Dough Culture, looking at the name, thought that they are actually selling bread or donuts. Neh! They are actually selling a very traditional breakfast favorite item with a new twist.
They are selling…. YOU TIAO! Haa….. Not the normal kind though, they actually treat you tiao as the base then they add different kind of toppings on top of it! They got apple, chocolate and a lot of different types.
I bought 2 to try it out, one apple and one white almond (sorry I forgot their actual names). For the apply one, it is apple fillings on top of the you tiao, and topped with some rasins and sugar toppings. It is too sweet for my liking and the you tiao is kinda of cold. I think it is supposed to be eaten cold. Yet when the you tiao is cold, it is still crispy. The size of the you tiao is pathetic. Personally, I dun really like it.
For white almond, this is different, instead of the normal you tiao shape, they actually use the same dough but rolled it into a bun shaped, with custard inside the bun and the top covered with white chocolate and almonds flakes. I like this as it does not really taste like you tiao at all, more like eating a bun.
At the moment they got limited variety but I think they will introduce new ones as time goes by. Personally, I still prefer you tiao in the originally way they are, and they have to be hot and crispy. With each priced at $1.30, I do consider they are over priced. If I want to eat such things for sugar rush, I would rather turn to donuts.
I had heard of this place some time ago that actually serves quite good Japanese BBQ food, however it always looks very classy from outside and dare not walk in and give it a try. On a special day (and well someone giving me a treat), and since I am in the area, decided to walk in and give this place a try regardless of the price. Hee…. Feeling brave huh? You can say that. Haha……
On outside, the decoration of the place reminds of those old Japanese restaurants in Japan. It does have a old tradition touch to it. Once we walked through the door, we were immediately greeted with the normal kind of Japanese greetings and echoes of it were heard throughout of the place. We were ushered to our seats. Inside the decoration were the same as outside, traditional kind of decoration. There are small little sections that can seat up 4 to 6 people and also large sections that can hold up big groups as well. They got private rooms as well.
Once we were seated, menus were served and we were sort of overwhelmed by the variety of food, from different kind of meat from beef to chicken and to seafood and vegetables as well. There are also set meals with wine included but these were kind of out of our budget. It seems that all the food are to be BBQed and there are no cooked food on the menu.
In the end, we ordered a seafood assorted set, a plate of chicken, a plate of sirloin beef and a plate of assorted vegetables.
Once the order is done, also immediately, they will serve up a pot of hot burning charcoal in front of you. The special thing about this charcoal is it is smokeless so it will not really be smoky for the whole place while cooking and it does not leave a burning smell on you when you leave the place as well. They are hot but they do not have any lit fire. Sitting near them can actually feel the heat already.
Next came the food, please note that the food came raw as we have to cooked them ourselves.
Assorted vegetables - A big plate of vegetables are served up. They include, corn on cob, leeks, asparagus, mushroom, green pepper, carrots. The portions are quite big and fresh as well. It is interesting to cook them on the stove and have to keep in mind that the stove is very hot, therefore the vegetables actually get cooked very fast, leave them any longer on the stove, they will be burnt. Well that happened to the first few anyway. Haa…. With a little burnt on the outer, they actually tasted quite good, especially with the green pepper and corn. The mushroom actually managed to retain its juice inside, making it crispy outside but full of juice inside.
Chicken – The chicken came marinated and cut into smaller but thick pieces. It will take some time to cook due to the thick slices. However once they are cooked, they are very good. The meat is tender and will not lost its flavour when BBQ. It is cooked to a bit burnt on the outer side.
Beef – This came in cube slices and it is also marinated as well. Beef is easier to cook as they no need to be fully cooked. However the stove being very hot, it will take a very short time to cook the meat. The beef here although not being the top grade, it is tender as well and juicy as well, with the fats slightly melted.
Assorted seafood set – This came as a surprised as the portions are really huge! It got big tiger prawns, scallops, a big full sotong, and two big slices of salmon. It was great! The seafood is really fresh as if they just got out of water. Cooking them is a breeze. The hard one is the sotong, as it is in full size and need them to cut up into smaller pieces as the outside is cooked but the inner is still not cooked. They provided butter for the salmon, and they are placed in the aluminum foils as well, it is like frying them instead. This is really worth the money especially on the big portions on seafood, even they only come in 2 pieces each.
The service of the crew is good and very detailed. They are always on the look out of the stove every time they walked past. They will either change the grill (if it turns black) or they will add in charcoal. They are also pro active, like the case of the sotong, they offered to cut it into smaller pieces for me so that it will be easier to cook as well. They do serve ice water and never fails to top up the water as well. When they served the food, they will also advise on how long to cook the food. Good for first timers like us. Hee…
Oh yes, don't worry, tongs will be provided to make yr bbqing easier and more fun. It is like bbqing inside a room.
Overall the meal; cost around $90 for 2 pax if my memory did not failed me. A bit on the expensive side but then it is a good experience. I am quite happy with the experience except that I dun think I will return soon because fo the price.
The place does get packed rather soon during meal times so if possible make a reservation before going down. it does save you from not getting a table and being disappointed.
Between this and Korean BBQ, well of course there are difference and each got its own pros and cons. However, if they are like the Koreans, able to cook it right in front of us, it will be better. Especially for lazy people like me. Haha….. Korean BBQ also have a lot of small side dishes whereas this does not have. For me, both are as good, just depends what I feel like having then. Hee….. What about you?
In my bid to bade a warm farewell to this 2 decades old iconic landmark of the Oasis (which happens to be closing soon), I visited on a warm weekday evening ladened with much nostalgia from my good old childhood days.
Nothing much has changed since I can last remember, save for some minor refurbishments and facelifts here and there. The interior is still as warm as ever, even with air conditioning.
Beancurd with Shrimp - The shrimps didn't taste particularly fresh while the tofu was small and tasteless. Add overly salty gravy to the equation and you get a below average dish for the price ($7).
Preserved Vegetable Omelette - The egg was overly fried as evident from the charred bits along the edges but the preserved vegetables weren't too salty, which was something I personally liked.
Bean Sprouts - Nicely fried with bits of salted fish in it to give it taste. However it did seem a little too oily and salty.
Stewed Pork - The stewed pork aka Mei Cai Kou Rou, was an off menu item and tasted decent at best. It didn't help that the meat was a tad too dry as well. Did I mention that it was expensive ($10) as well for the tiny serving?
I honestly don't know what to make of this place. The food is average and prices are astronomical. 1 meal here can buy me at least 2 equally if not more satisfying meals at the teochew porridge stall near my house. The only reason I can think of why people still patronise this place is nostalgia. After all, this place has been around for decades.
1=SGD 0.0587
I was sick for a week and was really wrecking my brains for something to eat. A friend suggested Vietnamese food and we went to Le Viet. I'd walked past this place many times and never stepped in to try the food.
Simple and modern decor. It had this nice water tank running along the side of the restaurant. There were guppies and goldfish swimming about it. When we got there, they had just put fresh food in so all the fish were coming to the surface. It was certainly nice to look at.
There were few people there that weekday evening. So it wasn't too noisy. Just right with a few tables occupied.
There was quite a variety and being a noob to vietnamese food, I spent a lot of time poring over the descriptions....
Food Ordered:
Goi Cuon - Fresh Rice Paper Roll ($6)
There were 3 rolls and you had a choice of chicken or pork. We picked chicken. The shredded chicken was wrapped in a paper thin translucent skin with vermicelli, beansprouts and basil. I liked this very much. It was light yet savoury.
Bun Ga Nuong - Dry Vietnamese Vermicelli w Chicken ($8.50)
This arrived looking like your regular Kueh Tiao with Grilled Chicken. But flip it and you'll find a host of crunchy vegetables right underneath! Toss it well and you have yourself a savoury noodle salad! Yummy!!
Pho Bo Thap Cam - 3-in-1 Mixed Noodles ($8.50)
My friend had this with slices and beef balls. You can choose 2 out of 3 options and those were his choices. I didn't eat this because I'm not a fan of beef. But the soup was very very tasty!
Including drinks our bill came u to about $30 (and a little more) which I find pretty reasonable. Every thing was served fast cos it's not too hard to prepare... and the service was satisfactory.
Rating given:
Cheapest Salmon Don and Nice desserts!
This is one place where I'll return often for the cheap salmon don and yummilicious desserts! It was the cheapest I’ve seen so far! When the Salmon Don was served, I was pretty shocked. It didn’t looked like it cost just $3.80! I wondered if they’d served a wrong order! It was also served with miso soup and pickles. There were lots of rice and the number of slices of salmon served was more than those you get from sushi belt where you paid $6.50 for. Although its not as thick, it was still fresh and nice. I’m not a chosey eater, so this entire set for $3.80 was definitely very value for money. CHEAP!!
Their showcase of desserts outside the restaurants attracts the most attention and this is one of their pull factors for customers. Whoever walks by their showcase will be tempted by their mouth-watering display of plastic/rubber/clay food that's made to look so so real and good! (Beauty of the crafty craftman)
I tried their mango ice cream dessert that cost about $6.80. (I pay lesser for the salmon don! HA!) But still, this dessert is very nice. Freshly diced mango with soft vanilla ice-cream on top of a pile of cornflakes! *droooooling* Just thinking about it makes me want to go back for more!
Tried other dishes too like the cheese tofu, karage chicken and others which I can't remember. Next time I go again, I'll make sure I write more about them k.
Anyone want to go with me? :P
Rating given:
It is always not too good to have too high expectations of a place because the expectations the bigger the disappointment will be. Having saying that, it happens to this place. I have heard a lot of people telling me this place has one of the best Japanese buffet in town and it is worth the money, and it has been one of the places that I wanted to go and give it a try. The chance came when my partner invited me to join her colleagues for dinner there. So a big group of us went, not to say that one of her colleagues is a big fan of that place.
The restaurant is hidden in the first level of the hotel, if not for the Japanese style of door way, it is a blink and miss place. Once walked inside, I was surprise by how small the whole place is. It looks like those Japanese old cottages. There is a few traditional tables where you have to take off your shoes and sit. A number of small tables with small sets and the rest of the seats are bar counter seats. For a big group of people like us, we have to squeeze as well. If you are big sized like me, you will definitely knock to the person sitting next to you. Advice is to go in a group less than 10 people.
Next, is the food. The menu is cramped with words, no pictures. So if you expect to order by pictures, you will be sorely disappointed. At times, I just go by my guts to order as well. There is a lot of food to offer from sushi to sashimi to bento to soba etc. Lots of them in wide and different variety as well. They also served a few items as starters first, like smoked salmon. A mini seafood paper steamboat where the soup base is too salty. A miso soup that came in a tea pot and have to squeeze in lime juice as well, quite refreshing for that.
In a big group, there is confusion over ordering of food as the waitress just came with the food and we also not sure if we had ordered the food. Since it is a buffet, we just eat whatever is placed on our table. In other words, it can be a mess!
Sashimi’s lover would loved this place! Their variety is a lot and they came in big portions, not to mention that the slices came in very thick slices. Hmm… but not very fresh. Too bad I m not really a big fan of it. They got limited sushi chooses but I am not too impressed with their sushi as well. I have tasted better ones elsewhere. The rest of the food can be quite forgettable. Their tempera, again a lot of variety, from prawns to mushrooms, was quite ok nothing to wow off.
One funny thing did happen when I was ordering chicken cutlet, they asked me how many cuts I want. I thought in terms of how many full cutlets they mean. In the end, it turn out their cuts means how many slices I want. A bit … …
Their service can be quite slow and there was periods of time that we got no food and when we tried to order, their waitress always seem busy with other things or other people. As their tables are quite small, they also slow to clear the plates as well. Think they could have done with more help.
Seems that the place is quite popular as it was packed by 8pm and even the counter seats are packed like sardines. Like they say it is always better to make reservation for the place.
At a cost of $33 plus plus plus, in the end it was $38.80 per person. Personally, I think it is not worth the money and I would rather spend the money on other sushi places. Not to say because of my high expectations of the place, I was sorely disappointed and dun think I will be back to this place unless someone is giving me a treat. Hmm… so Sushi Teh any one?
Rating given:
Talk about pizza in Singapore and the first name to jump at you will be Pizza Hut. However, there are quite a variety of other offerings out there yet to be noticed or even recommended. Most are targeted at niche markets instead of the usual crowd and honestly, i think Pizza Hut is charging a little too much these days. In comes New York Pizza, more casual and easy going then Pizza Hut, and also decidedly Halal so it can be enjoyed by even more people. Lets have a bite and find out if its a contender shall we?
Simple and gets the job done. The location is alfresco and thats about all there is to it. I wasn't very happy that i'd have to stay in the sun and get all comfy with it and the fact that there's a noticeable waiting time of about 10 minutes after you order makes it look less palatable
The container - Do not let the picture fool you. This is not a small piece of pizza at all. To put it in perspective, think about the length of pizza huts biggest pizza and you get the idea of how long this is.
Queens Meal = Pepperoni Pizza Chicken Wing Pepsi ($6.90) - Queens meal, nice name though it belies the actual fact that its quite simply a big piece of pepperoni pizza with green pepper, pepperoni and bits of beef. The pizza itself is pretty big and can be split into 4 further pieces for consumption. Its crust is reasonable but very crunchy and crispy which is a refreshing change from pizza huts rather flour filled pizzas. The toppings weren't much to shout about however and i soon got sick of the same taste it offered. The chicken wing was strangely fragrant and sweet, not to mention piping hot
Hawaiian Pizza Meal ($6.90) - Its crust is alike with the pepperoni version which i suppose is the determining factor and difference it is bringing to the scene. Crunchy but a little overdone such that you could see the charred portions from over baking. The Hawaiian pizza is a little too sweet and easily overwhelmed after more then 3 bites into it. The ingredients used were also a little miserly when compared to other pizza places i got to try.
The lunch came up to $13.80 which can't be considered expensive. We did get very sick of the pizza after our 2 helpings so i don't think i will be returning.
I actually tried the place a long time ago when it first started. During that time i had the fish and chips and also tried its pizza burger. Both were pretty good and the fish and chips in particular had a wonderful fresh taste to it. During this visit, the machine was spoiled and thats why we settled for its less then optimal pizzas. Well, i wouldn't know if the fish and chips are any good now since i probably won't try it again. If anyone else tries, let me know if it tastes good alright? Cheers!
Rating given:
Having heard from quite a number of people that the Japanese buffet here is good, I finally tried it!
But probably having heard so much about it, I hold pretty high expectaton on it.
The restaurant is a pretty small one & to hold the group of 12 of us was even a problem due to space constraint. So, do note that it's not a good place for large group gatherings.
The menu was a simple one which looked quite wordy at first glance. Although no pictures of the food items was available, they did provide English descriptions for some of the dishes. Otherwise, you'll probably need a regular patron to advise you on the dishes to order.
The service was a little slow, probably because the restaurant was quite packed with diners then. We splitted up into 2 groups when we placed our order but the food served was combined and this made it quite confusing for us & we ended up eating the wrong food. But anyway, since it's a buffet, we just ate whatever that's placed infront of us & ordered more if it's not enough. Haha...
The restaurant offers quite a good variety of sashimi. However, the quality of the sashimi was disappointing. It didn't taste as fresh and we could even taste that the fish had been frozen & thawed before it was served. My friend, who is a regular patron, noticed the drop in standard of the sashimi too.
Other than the sashimi, we tried their tempura too. Well, the batter was a little too heavy & it was quite oily. Unlike the tempura I had elsewhere which is light, crispy & not oily. So to say, their tempura was a disappointment.
After taxes, it came up to $38.80 for each person. I'm looking for better Japanese buffet elsewhere!
Rating given:
DIM SUM!!!! Yum yum.....
I'm a big fan of dim sum although I don't eat pork. Yes, dim sum is an exception for that. Haha... Heard that the dim sum served @ this restaurant is not bad, so decided to give it a try. Actually we were just trying our luck to see if they still serve dim sum, it was nearly 5pm, near dinner time then. But dim sum is still available! Hee hee.... Although a few of them were already sold out.
We ordered a total of 8 dishes as described below.
1. Pan-fried carrot cake
This was the first dish served & it came hot. A thin layer of crisp on the outside. Good! Just a little oily.
2. Chicken feet
This dish tasted quite normal. Not the best & not the worst that I've eaten. The dish also came with cubes of yam.
3. Prawn dumpling
Skin was thin & with a generous serving of prawns. What's lacking was probably a suitable chilli sauce that will go well with it.
4. Xiao long bao
Don't really like it as it has a porky taste even though I already ate it with ginger & vinegar. Lack of soup in the xiao long bao too.
5. Prawn with mango
This is definitely my favourite! The mango was wrapped up in a springroll, deep-fried & dipped in mango sauce. Yummy!
6. Egg tarts
It came as 4 mini egg tarts. "Beware! The filling is hot!!"
That's the warning we got from the waitress. Yes, she's right! Not only was the filling hot, it was soft & good. The crust was light & crispy.
7. Glutinous rice
Two relatively big balls of glutinous rice wrapped up in lotus leaves. It came with quite a good portion of chicken & rice.
8. Chicken in paper bag
Not bad, quite nice. But I think it'll be nicer if they use other parts of the chicken too instead of just the wings.
The bill came up to about 40 bucks after a 10% discount. To me, I think it's quite a reasonable deal. The service was really good! The waitresses just kept refilling our ice water & hot tea and they were very friendly.
I'll definitely be back for more food!
Rating given:
I had always been a fan of their la main. I personally do find theirs better than others. However recently, they went through a revamp, or more like “Honey I shrank Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao”! I wonder this only happen to the Ngee Ann City outlet or to the rest of the outlets as well.
The long queue to wait for a table and the number tag is still the same
Nothing much changes in the menu.
The changes:
Xiao Long Bao – There used to be four xiao long baos per order but now they shrinked the xiao long bao into a smaller size and increase the number to five per order. Hmm…. It still taste pretty much the same but the size difference is really too much. Not very happy with it. Smaller xiao long bao means there is lesser fillings and lesser soup in each bao and this makes a lot of difference.
Shanghai Pan Fried Bao - There used to be three per order but now there are four. Same case as xiao long bao, the size shrinked a bit too much.
Their la mian is still pretty much the same in the variety but what changes is the type of la mian they are offering. From dragon whiskers to dao siao main to even ban mian, there are 7 types of la mian to choose from. Hmm… From what we have ordered, we still conlude that the old type of la mian still works wonder. Hee…. Nothing much changes from the rest. The portion of the food also shrank a bit.
The changes do not really impressed me and I think they are better going back to the old ones.
The service is still as good and attentive as ever, that is one thing I like when dining there. The place is still as packed as ever. Overheard one customer complaining how come there are only 3 pcs of beef in the la mian when there is supposed to be 4 slices. Hmm…. The supervisior also cannot answer that question but then she just brushed off the comment like that. Sigh……
I need the old Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao back!
Rating given:
Dough Culture, looking at the name, thought that they are actually selling bread or donuts. Neh! They are actually selling a very traditional breakfast favorite item with a new twist.
They are selling…. YOU TIAO! Haa….. Not the normal kind though, they actually treat you tiao as the base then they add different kind of toppings on top of it! They got apple, chocolate and a lot of different types.
I bought 2 to try it out, one apple and one white almond (sorry I forgot their actual names). For the apply one, it is apple fillings on top of the you tiao, and topped with some rasins and sugar toppings. It is too sweet for my liking and the you tiao is kinda of cold. I think it is supposed to be eaten cold. Yet when the you tiao is cold, it is still crispy. The size of the you tiao is pathetic. Personally, I dun really like it.
For white almond, this is different, instead of the normal you tiao shape, they actually use the same dough but rolled it into a bun shaped, with custard inside the bun and the top covered with white chocolate and almonds flakes. I like this as it does not really taste like you tiao at all, more like eating a bun.
At the moment they got limited variety but I think they will introduce new ones as time goes by. Personally, I still prefer you tiao in the originally way they are, and they have to be hot and crispy. With each priced at $1.30, I do consider they are over priced. If I want to eat such things for sugar rush, I would rather turn to donuts.
Rating given:
I had heard of this place some time ago that actually serves quite good Japanese BBQ food, however it always looks very classy from outside and dare not walk in and give it a try. On a special day (and well someone giving me a treat), and since I am in the area, decided to walk in and give this place a try regardless of the price. Hee…. Feeling brave huh? You can say that. Haha……
On outside, the decoration of the place reminds of those old Japanese restaurants in Japan. It does have a old tradition touch to it. Once we walked through the door, we were immediately greeted with the normal kind of Japanese greetings and echoes of it were heard throughout of the place. We were ushered to our seats. Inside the decoration were the same as outside, traditional kind of decoration. There are small little sections that can seat up 4 to 6 people and also large sections that can hold up big groups as well. They got private rooms as well.
Once we were seated, menus were served and we were sort of overwhelmed by the variety of food, from different kind of meat from beef to chicken and to seafood and vegetables as well. There are also set meals with wine included but these were kind of out of our budget. It seems that all the food are to be BBQed and there are no cooked food on the menu.
In the end, we ordered a seafood assorted set, a plate of chicken, a plate of sirloin beef and a plate of assorted vegetables.
Once the order is done, also immediately, they will serve up a pot of hot burning charcoal in front of you. The special thing about this charcoal is it is smokeless so it will not really be smoky for the whole place while cooking and it does not leave a burning smell on you when you leave the place as well. They are hot but they do not have any lit fire. Sitting near them can actually feel the heat already.
Next came the food, please note that the food came raw as we have to cooked them ourselves.
Assorted vegetables - A big plate of vegetables are served up. They include, corn on cob, leeks, asparagus, mushroom, green pepper, carrots. The portions are quite big and fresh as well. It is interesting to cook them on the stove and have to keep in mind that the stove is very hot, therefore the vegetables actually get cooked very fast, leave them any longer on the stove, they will be burnt. Well that happened to the first few anyway. Haa…. With a little burnt on the outer, they actually tasted quite good, especially with the green pepper and corn. The mushroom actually managed to retain its juice inside, making it crispy outside but full of juice inside.
Chicken – The chicken came marinated and cut into smaller but thick pieces. It will take some time to cook due to the thick slices. However once they are cooked, they are very good. The meat is tender and will not lost its flavour when BBQ. It is cooked to a bit burnt on the outer side.
Beef – This came in cube slices and it is also marinated as well. Beef is easier to cook as they no need to be fully cooked. However the stove being very hot, it will take a very short time to cook the meat. The beef here although not being the top grade, it is tender as well and juicy as well, with the fats slightly melted.
Assorted seafood set – This came as a surprised as the portions are really huge! It got big tiger prawns, scallops, a big full sotong, and two big slices of salmon. It was great! The seafood is really fresh as if they just got out of water. Cooking them is a breeze. The hard one is the sotong, as it is in full size and need them to cut up into smaller pieces as the outside is cooked but the inner is still not cooked. They provided butter for the salmon, and they are placed in the aluminum foils as well, it is like frying them instead. This is really worth the money especially on the big portions on seafood, even they only come in 2 pieces each.
The service of the crew is good and very detailed. They are always on the look out of the stove every time they walked past. They will either change the grill (if it turns black) or they will add in charcoal. They are also pro active, like the case of the sotong, they offered to cut it into smaller pieces for me so that it will be easier to cook as well. They do serve ice water and never fails to top up the water as well. When they served the food, they will also advise on how long to cook the food. Good for first timers like us. Hee…
Oh yes, don't worry, tongs will be provided to make yr bbqing easier and more fun. It is like bbqing inside a room.
Overall the meal; cost around $90 for 2 pax if my memory did not failed me. A bit on the expensive side but then it is a good experience. I am quite happy with the experience except that I dun think I will return soon because fo the price.
The place does get packed rather soon during meal times so if possible make a reservation before going down. it does save you from not getting a table and being disappointed.
Between this and Korean BBQ, well of course there are difference and each got its own pros and cons. However, if they are like the Koreans, able to cook it right in front of us, it will be better. Especially for lazy people like me. Haha….. Korean BBQ also have a lot of small side dishes whereas this does not have. For me, both are as good, just depends what I feel like having then. Hee….. What about you?
Rating given:
In my bid to bade a warm farewell to this 2 decades old iconic landmark of the Oasis (which happens to be closing soon), I visited on a warm weekday evening ladened with much nostalgia from my good old childhood days.
Nothing much has changed since I can last remember, save for some minor refurbishments and facelifts here and there. The interior is still as warm as ever, even with air conditioning.
Beancurd with Shrimp - The shrimps didn't taste particularly fresh while the tofu was small and tasteless. Add overly salty gravy to the equation and you get a below average dish for the price ($7).
Preserved Vegetable Omelette - The egg was overly fried as evident from the charred bits along the edges but the preserved vegetables weren't too salty, which was something I personally liked.
Bean Sprouts - Nicely fried with bits of salted fish in it to give it taste. However it did seem a little too oily and salty.
Stewed Pork - The stewed pork aka Mei Cai Kou Rou, was an off menu item and tasted decent at best. It didn't help that the meat was a tad too dry as well. Did I mention that it was expensive ($10) as well for the tiny serving?
I honestly don't know what to make of this place. The food is average and prices are astronomical. 1 meal here can buy me at least 2 equally if not more satisfying meals at the teochew porridge stall near my house. The only reason I can think of why people still patronise this place is nostalgia. After all, this place has been around for decades.
See all my pictures here
Rating given: