Minds café is one of the first places that I will think of when I want to play board games or simply need a place to chill out with friends. Recently (slightly more than 1 month ago), they opened their 3rd outlet in the town area. This time round they are jz mins away from both City Hall and Bugis MRT.
The new place is quite easy to find, along the same street as Miss Clarity. To me, the new place is as big as Boat Quay outlet. However inside is much more spacious and brighter. New place mah. Since it is a new location, I think not much people still know of the new location unless they are walking past it or they are being to the new place when the other outlets are packed.
Although, the design and the setting of the place is still pretty much the same as other 2 outlets, I like the spacious, more space and the lighting of the new place, brighter. More space means big groups no need to squeeze together like sardines and there is more space to walk about and to do forfeits so that everyone in the room can see you. Haa….
There are both sofa seats and normal table seats. Sofa seats are more for big groups can seat up to 8 people. Table seats can seat up to 6 people but then tables can be combined for more seats. Those who want to have a decent meal before playing; I would suggest the table seats. Haa….
Since it is a new outlet, of cos they got limited games as compared to the other two outlets. However the more popular games still can be found there and to say that the games sets there are newer. Hee…
The menu there same as the other outlets not much changes but have to say that the food there is still as good as before. There is a wide variety of their drinks as well. Hee….
Depends on the size of your group, there are different packages to optimized your money and time. You can combine different packages to get the most out of it as well. Haa….. Packages usually come with 2 hours of playing time, some snacks and drinks.
They got quite a number of staff there to serve and advise, teach how to play the newer board games as well. They are quite on the ball and polite as well. They definitely got the patience to teach people how to play the games as well. If you are challenging enough you can always ask them for a challenge, be warned that they are quite good in some of the games ok! Hee….. On the average I can easily spend 4 hours there jz to play games.
This place serves quite a good place for gatherings or birthday parties as well. Not to mention affordable as well.
Hong Kong food in Singapore is more or less dominated by a few names which i feel personally, still have not done the subject matter much justice. Wan Zhai Hong Kong Tea Room is a new addition which has yet to be highly commercialized but is it any good or does it fall into the same trappings as all its predecessors?
Peanut Ginseng Soup (Free with Baked Rice) - I have to say, i'm totally surprised at how tasty this soup is. It doesn't look like much but its packed with taste. The ingredients inside are plentiful (peanuts and some chicken meat) for a free item. No points for presentation but looks can be deceiving indeed.
Wasabi Seafood Baked Rice ($8.20) - The serving of baked rice is reasonable though hardly big. The reason i ordered this was because i've never tasted wasabi baked rice before so it was a novel concept for me, plus the fact that i quite keen of wasabi. The ingredients used are exactly the same as the HK Signature Hor Fan featured below, 2 mussels, 2 prawns and a smattering of fish. The unfortunate thing is that the ingredients definitely did not taste fresh to me. Prawns were powdery and lacks any crunch whatsoever, fish wasn't sweet and the mussels were a tad rubbery. The rice was normal and the wasabi was toned down for local tastes so it didn't have the kick i wanted. Average at best.
HK Signature Hor Fan ($6.30) - As mentioned above, the ingredients are the same 2 mussels, 2 prawns and some fish and the freshness is still below average. Taste-wise, the hor fan looked blackish and had a lot of pepper in it. My gf didn't finish this so thats a testament of how 'good' it is. To me, it wasn't worthy of the word 'signature' at all with its not-too-fresh ingredients, bad looks and worst of all, simple inadequate, salty and overly oily taste. The baked rice was better and that was already only an average offering.
The bill came up to $14.50 for 2 people but somehow, i still found it too expensive. The only good thing for this place is the soup sadly.
Hong Kong food is just not getting the attention and franchises over in sunny Singapore. To date, i've tried a few Hong Kong cafes and honestly, they are either too expensive, food offerings average or just plain bad. If anybody knows of a good place i can review, please let me know. Till then, my word on Hong Kong food in Singapore is that there is yet to be one worthy of the name yet.
I thought that they have closed down for good since they closed the outlet at Hereens. However, we were looking for some place to hang out until over movie starts, we were surprised to see this outlet hidden in behind the food court. Seem like they are making a comeback since there are some crepes shops making their appearance in some shopping centres as well.
Since we are only there to wait, we ordered one of their desserts crepes, Mango Mania Crepe. The got warm crepes and cold crepes (each with a choice of 4 to 5 types), cost at $3.90 each. Quite cheap I must say.
Jz in case you are wondering what is warm crepes and cold crepes, warm crepes are those like ham with cheese etc and cold crepes are like those with fruits and ice cream.
So how they work? Make your choice and pay for the crepe at the counters. Take a seat while your crepe is being made. They will make the crepe when you order, so that the crepe comes to you hot and fresh. They will call out to you when your order is ready. Yes, you need to collect your order from the counter. Since their place is small, unless you sitting somewhere else, they sure can call out to you.
So now back to my Mango Mania Crepe. Seems like they are cutting down cost, everything used is disposable, from the plate to the forks and knives are all plastic. A bit sian alr. Look so food court style, a far cry from what they used to be. The crepe lies flat on the base of the plate with a scoop of mango ice cream on top with little cubes of mangoes spread by the the ice cream. Oh yes, it seems that they did not asked what ice cream I want and jz assumed that I asked for mango mania crepe, they give me mango ice cream. They should have a t least asked me.
After tasting it, to us, it is normal, nothing to wow or rave about. It is decent crepe la. Haa…. Luckily it came to us with the crepe is still hot if not…. …. Do find the portion a little small lah.
Maybe I will give their warm crepes a try, if not I think I rather go to food court and order dessert alr.
Had dinner with my gf at Bab Noodle. Have been patronising this eatery for about 5 years since 2002 (if I remember correctly).
Located within Millenia Walk, Bab Noodle provides a nice and relaxing place for you to slowly enjoy your food during meal times - a far cry from the mad crowds that throng every eating outlet at within the vicinity.
Tori Katsu - I personally didn't quite like the Tori Katsu because the flour was a little too thick and overall the chicken had an slight oil residue taste. But then again, it wasn't half as bad as I described it to be.
Tofu Donburi -
I'm a sucker for tofu with minced meat and I never fail to order this dish whenever I patronise. To be honest, there's nothing special about this dish. Its just that I can't seem to find something like that anywhere else. A huge chunk of agedashi tofu topped with lots of minced meat and gravy - now that's something close to my heart.
Tori Karaage -
This dish came across as a little too dry and hard, making chewing a tad challenging. Portions were quite small as well. Overall very average tasting.
Well the food's nothing spectacular, coming across as average at best. However, factor in the good service and the relaxing atmosphere and $24 for 2 pax is a steal in the heart of town.
Chanced upon Icekimo as I was wandering through the Thomson area and since it was a warm afternoon, a scoop or two of ice cream seemed like a pretty fantastic idea.
Tucked in a quiet corner of Sin Ming Centre, Icekimo stands out from the other shops along the row with its cutesy pictures and interior. However, you would really have to know that this place existed as its not visible from any major road, which is a pity actually, given its comfy laid back environment.
Crepe with Ice Cream & Waffle with Ice Cream ($4.80) - The crepes and waffles weren't very good, coming across as flat and lacking in texture but the ice creams were noticeably quite good. Rich yet not overwhelming. I personally liked the blueberry cheesecake ice cream as it had grounded peanuts within and was reminiscent of the cheesecakes I used to buy from KFC when I was a kid. Just in case you are wondering, Icekimo serves up other interesting flavours of ice cream as well, like Cempedek, Teh Tarik, Badung etc.
Phin's beerhaus and grille is an unassuming, open concept eating place set on the 4th floor of Tampines mall. First looks did not impress and honestly, i've passed by this place so many times but never had the urge to try it till today. An offshoot of its bigger upmarket cousin, Phin's steakhouse, how does this lone restaurant fare? Read on.
The first thing i need to say about this restaurant is the service. We were served by a waiter jovial and professional waiter who required nothing to jote down our orders while being able to tell us exactly what they had and did not have for the day. He was also kind enough to introduce a different cut of meat which turned out rather well in my opinion. If only waiters in other establishments could be as good as him, i'd gladly pay service charges. (La Noce is another place where the service staff is simply excellent.)
Australian Grain Fed Tenderloin ($28.90) - As recommended by the waiter, i took the Australian grain fed tenderloin which was a time limited offer. According to him, the meat is superior, better marbled and contains less fat as compared to the normal offerings. I don't presume myself an expert on this matter, but i must say the meat was pretty good. Done medium rare, slightly charred on the edges with a small lump of butter sizzling atop, this reminds me of the good days when Jack's place was still making good food. That said, the meat was juicy and the butter added much to the already succulent and tasty steak. Pity about the portion size which i felt was rather small (even though it took me 15 minutes to finish.)
Soup of the Day, Garlic Bread and Salad ($19.90 set meal) - My gf's set meal, which means i got to try everything a little again, no prizes for guessing if my girth is increasing. The salad was fresh, sweet and crunchy while the garlic bread fragrant and went well with the accompanying creamy mushroom soup. A good starter.
Seafood Pesto Carbonara - This came as a surprise. The serving was quite generous with 2 huge scallops, 1 pan fried dory fillet and half slipper lobster set atop a bed of fettucinne cooked with pesto carbonara and mushrooms. The serving alone is worth commending and this is further accented by the fact that it tasted pretty good. It was quite spicy and tasted simple at the same time, allowing for an appetizing feeling without being overwhelming. The ingredients used were also equally fresh and everything tasted juicy and sweet. Nicely done.
Brownie Surprise ($8.90) - The brownie surprise really did come as a surprise because i saw more ice cream on the dish then brownies which were actually cut into small pieces and served as an accompaniment rather then the main draw. The ice cream was creamy and and smooth. The flavors served were cookies and cream, mocha and one which i can't quite make out. The brownie was rather dry but the melting ice cream made up for that oversight.
Dessert of the day (Mango Pudding with sugar icing) - The final part to the set meal was this mango pudding. Light, refreshing and sweet, this was a good ending for the meal.
The final bill came up to $67.90 for 2 people, its not cheap but the service and food quality made up for it.
I'm really quite surprised with how good this place is. I went in with very little expectations and was pleasantly surprised with the service and quality of food given its unassuming and rather small outlet. The lack of customers was also a plus for me since i dislike jostling with people when i dine, and that is difficult in a place like Tampines mall. Nonetheless, i'd recommend a try for people in the vicinity. Try it once to see if you like the place. (Though i'll say it first, the place definitely needs a cosmetic makeover and location change. *winks*)
Popped by Vivocity to settle some stuff at Standard Chartered so decided to try my luck at Hong Kong Kim Gary, one of the places that I've been meaning to try, but never had the chance to because of the long queues. Well today I was in luck and I got a seat of my choice without any difficulty. Probably because its only 1215pm?
A friendly waitress showed me to my seat right at the end of the restaurant, which offered an unobstructed view of Sentosa through floor to ceiling windows (well there was this staircase...). As with many other Hong Kong Cafes, the ordering system is somewhat similar. You tick your order on an order menu and pass it to the waitress. I had the set menu B($7.50) of Fried Egg and Minced Beef Rice with a cream soup and Yuan Yang (coffee mixed with tea for an additional 30 cents) as well as an additional order of French Toast.
The soup came served in a cup which I had some trouble adjusting to because I simply can't get used to drinking soup right out of a cup without a spoon. The soup was rather bland and diluted, which didn't really bode well for the upcoming dishes.
Fried Egg and Minced Beef Rice - I had a minor shock when I saw this dish. In my mind I was wondering if they had made a mistake because I couldn't see the beef. However, upon closer inspection, I realised that the beef was minced up and scattered together with the thin layer of tomato sauce, which looked rather pathetic. Imagine my surprise when it actually tasted quite good. The tomato sauce was quite thick and mildly sweet, with the minced beef adding a wee bit of bite to the sauce. The only bummer was that there was no evident beef taste and that portions could have been bigger. As for the fried egg, how bad can a sunny side up get?
I like my French Toasts quite a bit and Kim Gary's rendition was not too bad, but certainly not as good as the one at Hong Kong Cafe. The toast itself was a little on the wet side and the exterior wasn't as crispy as I would have liked it to be. However, the sticking point was the peanut butter filling which I felt was totally unnecessary given that French Toasts don't come with peanut butter. Granted, the peanut butter was smooth, but it masked the "eggy" taste of the French Toast.
Lunch cost $11.30, which is comparatively cheaper and more value for money than the other Hong Kong Cafes that I've tried. The Yuan Yang was decent and the service was not too shabby. Overall, an above average dining experience and I personally feel that the dishes do show more promise than the other Hong Kong Cafes around. I will probably be back again, but not with the long queues.
Had heard about Ding Xian Lou from some of the club members and decided to drop by with my gf for dinner. Located right next to the main entrance of Golden Mile Tower at Beach Road, its claim to fame is its pricing - $4.80 for every dish and that includes prawns, crabs and fish!
The outfit didn't look quite like a restaurant yet it didn't quite suit the cafe tag either. Well it came with a few tanks which had prawns and fishes swimming in what looked like rather murky water. Oh and waitresses too.
Boiled Live Prawn - You must be thinking, $4.80 for prawns is a steal and I'm rather inclined to agree with you. However, for that price, you get 5 average sized prawns which are fresh, but I did get quite turned off by the sight of the live ones swimming around in the filthy tank.
Thai Style Crispy Chicken - This was none other than your common lemon chicken with a few slices of mango, salad and chilli atop. So much for the name I guess. This was pretty alright, but a little less flour coating on the chicken would have been nice.
Fried Kailan - I almost returned this dish to them. I'm not kidding. The vegetables were dark green, which indicated staleness and had holes in the leaves. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but I bit off all the stems and consumed only the leaves in fear of biting into a half asleep worm hidden within. In all honesty, I wouldn't even pay $2 for this dish, much less $4.80 .
Braised Beancurd in Claypot - This dish came across as rather normal and small (I counted 4 slices of beancurd). Only grouse I had was that the beancurd tasted rather flat and didn't have much bite.
The bill came up to about $25 for 2 pax. Sure it isn't an expensive sum to pay, but the quality of food leaves much to be desired. The prawns were probably the only exception, but then again, portions are rather pathetic. In case you are wondering if you could get by by ordering 1 dish by person, the answer is no. Only after consuming our 4 dishes and 2 bowls of rice did my gf and I feel marginally satisfied. That pretty much sums up how big the portions are. Oh and service is rather bad which really doesn't justify the 10% service charge. Inattentive, forgetful, hasty tones and the list goes on. Do give it a thought first before you jump on the bandwagon and try this place out.
Don't be mistaken. This Teo Heng is the one where you can sing at. Not the one selling the karaoke equipment, although they are under the same company. This KTV has been around for ages, way before K-Box ever stepped in. Even my mom has been to this KTV.
Directions to Teo Heng, Turn right when you get out of the lift and keep right. It's quite secluded (ulu) but once you get there you'll find it perpetually filled with people.
The equipment here can act up at times. They have both normal and cordless microphones. Sometimes the microphones may sound funny and sometimes it takes some time for the receiver to get your song requests. But it's not because their things are old, but more like they are well-used. Most of the other places have technical problems from time to time too isn't it?
But the advantages of singing at Teo Heng greatly outweigh the disadvantages.
1) The Prices. It starts for $8/hr for a small room (3-4 people) to $12 for a large room (10 people) during off peak periods. If you sing all the way from 2-6 there are special packages. If you're singing during peak periods it's $14 for a small room. It's cheap!
2) Teo Heng has the newest songs too. Don't be mistaken by the way it looks. They have all the newest songs too. AND all the oldies. AND songs which you have never heard of in your life.
3) Drinks are at $1 per can. And price for drinks have not increased since 6 years ago.
4) You can bring outside food in. You can bring whatever food and drink you want in. They don't care as long as you don't make a big mess.
5) Parking at Katong Shopping Centre is relatively easy and after KTV you can always head up for cheap bowling... (but it's not so good to bowl there...)
K-Box or Teo Heng? Give me Teo Heng any time. :) ** I wanted to give it 4 stars but I do think that the furnishings need to be update. My companion commented that it is a little sleazy but it's really a family KTV :)
I was at Vivocity and a sudden thought of having some desserts so decided to pop by Bakerzin to give it a try. It has been a long time since I stepped into one and I used to like their desserts and cakes a lot.
So I was standing outside waiting to be seated. Can see that the place is not really packed and most of the waitresses are jz walking around. I am quite big sized and not easily to be missed but then I was standing there for at least a good 5 mins before anyone come up to show me to my seat. The waitress behind the cake counter saw me waiting, yet did not inform her other colleagues to come and show me to my seat. Disappointing in the service so far. In fact I was telling my partner, I will count to 10 and if no one come up to us, we will jz walk away. Surprising at 10, someone turned up and showed us to our seats. Haa…. Still disappointed!
So seem like we can choose our seats cos not crowded. Got the sofa seats and they got this quite beautiful and interesting plastic chair as well. Nice. Given the menus and since we in the mood for dessert, we skipped all the mains and jz checked out the desserts.
The ordering part was easy and they also sort of set up the table according to what we have ordered. Like mentioned in the last post, they did not serve ice water. Bad move.
We ordered:
• Ice lemon tea: @ $4.80. Nothing to say except it is freaking expensive for a small glass of ice lemon tea. Could get more at Carl’s Jr at the same price. Haa…. Cheapo me.
• Vanilla Brulee: $5. I am a very big fan of cream brulee. When they served it up, me and my partner jaws dropped. Y? Cos it is freaking small. Haa…. Well size aside, it is actually quite good. I am very impressed. The top is covered by a layer of melted sugar, the custard is not too sweet, and has a eggy and milky taste which I liked. It is a good combination of the both.
• Profiteroles: $8.80. I actually used to eat this every time I go to Bakerzin. I will recommend to eat this with their cheese ice cream. At first, when I know they got cheese ice cream, I was like “Eeee…” However after tasting it, I fell in love with it. Hee… This time round it disappoints me as the ice cream is not as good as it used to be. The taste of the cheese is a bit too strong for my liking. There is a sour taste to it as well. Disappointing.
Think this will be one of the last times that I will go to Bakerzin for desserts alr. I did not try their cakes but hope that their standard will not drop as well. If not, I will have to go to other places for desserts alr.
1=SGD 0.0587
Minds café is one of the first places that I will think of when I want to play board games or simply need a place to chill out with friends. Recently (slightly more than 1 month ago), they opened their 3rd outlet in the town area. This time round they are jz mins away from both City Hall and Bugis MRT.
The new place is quite easy to find, along the same street as Miss Clarity. To me, the new place is as big as Boat Quay outlet. However inside is much more spacious and brighter. New place mah. Since it is a new location, I think not much people still know of the new location unless they are walking past it or they are being to the new place when the other outlets are packed.
Although, the design and the setting of the place is still pretty much the same as other 2 outlets, I like the spacious, more space and the lighting of the new place, brighter. More space means big groups no need to squeeze together like sardines and there is more space to walk about and to do forfeits so that everyone in the room can see you. Haa….
There are both sofa seats and normal table seats. Sofa seats are more for big groups can seat up to 8 people. Table seats can seat up to 6 people but then tables can be combined for more seats. Those who want to have a decent meal before playing; I would suggest the table seats. Haa….
Since it is a new outlet, of cos they got limited games as compared to the other two outlets. However the more popular games still can be found there and to say that the games sets there are newer. Hee…
The menu there same as the other outlets not much changes but have to say that the food there is still as good as before. There is a wide variety of their drinks as well. Hee….
Depends on the size of your group, there are different packages to optimized your money and time. You can combine different packages to get the most out of it as well. Haa….. Packages usually come with 2 hours of playing time, some snacks and drinks.
They got quite a number of staff there to serve and advise, teach how to play the newer board games as well. They are quite on the ball and polite as well. They definitely got the patience to teach people how to play the games as well. If you are challenging enough you can always ask them for a challenge, be warned that they are quite good in some of the games ok! Hee….. On the average I can easily spend 4 hours there jz to play games.
This place serves quite a good place for gatherings or birthday parties as well. Not to mention affordable as well.
Rating given:
Hong Kong food in Singapore is more or less dominated by a few names which i feel personally, still have not done the subject matter much justice. Wan Zhai Hong Kong Tea Room is a new addition which has yet to be highly commercialized but is it any good or does it fall into the same trappings as all its predecessors?
Peanut Ginseng Soup (Free with Baked Rice) - I have to say, i'm totally surprised at how tasty this soup is. It doesn't look like much but its packed with taste. The ingredients inside are plentiful (peanuts and some chicken meat) for a free item. No points for presentation but looks can be deceiving indeed.
Wasabi Seafood Baked Rice ($8.20) - The serving of baked rice is reasonable though hardly big. The reason i ordered this was because i've never tasted wasabi baked rice before so it was a novel concept for me, plus the fact that i quite keen of wasabi. The ingredients used are exactly the same as the HK Signature Hor Fan featured below, 2 mussels, 2 prawns and a smattering of fish. The unfortunate thing is that the ingredients definitely did not taste fresh to me. Prawns were powdery and lacks any crunch whatsoever, fish wasn't sweet and the mussels were a tad rubbery. The rice was normal and the wasabi was toned down for local tastes so it didn't have the kick i wanted. Average at best.
HK Signature Hor Fan ($6.30) - As mentioned above, the ingredients are the same 2 mussels, 2 prawns and some fish and the freshness is still below average. Taste-wise, the hor fan looked blackish and had a lot of pepper in it. My gf didn't finish this so thats a testament of how 'good' it is. To me, it wasn't worthy of the word 'signature' at all with its not-too-fresh ingredients, bad looks and worst of all, simple inadequate, salty and overly oily taste. The baked rice was better and that was already only an average offering.
The bill came up to $14.50 for 2 people but somehow, i still found it too expensive. The only good thing for this place is the soup sadly.
Hong Kong food is just not getting the attention and franchises over in sunny Singapore. To date, i've tried a few Hong Kong cafes and honestly, they are either too expensive, food offerings average or just plain bad. If anybody knows of a good place i can review, please let me know. Till then, my word on Hong Kong food in Singapore is that there is yet to be one worthy of the name yet.
Rating given:
I thought that they have closed down for good since they closed the outlet at Hereens. However, we were looking for some place to hang out until over movie starts, we were surprised to see this outlet hidden in behind the food court. Seem like they are making a comeback since there are some crepes shops making their appearance in some shopping centres as well.
Since we are only there to wait, we ordered one of their desserts crepes, Mango Mania Crepe. The got warm crepes and cold crepes (each with a choice of 4 to 5 types), cost at $3.90 each. Quite cheap I must say.
Jz in case you are wondering what is warm crepes and cold crepes, warm crepes are those like ham with cheese etc and cold crepes are like those with fruits and ice cream.
So how they work? Make your choice and pay for the crepe at the counters. Take a seat while your crepe is being made. They will make the crepe when you order, so that the crepe comes to you hot and fresh. They will call out to you when your order is ready. Yes, you need to collect your order from the counter. Since their place is small, unless you sitting somewhere else, they sure can call out to you.
So now back to my Mango Mania Crepe. Seems like they are cutting down cost, everything used is disposable, from the plate to the forks and knives are all plastic. A bit sian alr. Look so food court style, a far cry from what they used to be. The crepe lies flat on the base of the plate with a scoop of mango ice cream on top with little cubes of mangoes spread by the the ice cream. Oh yes, it seems that they did not asked what ice cream I want and jz assumed that I asked for mango mania crepe, they give me mango ice cream. They should have a t least asked me.
After tasting it, to us, it is normal, nothing to wow or rave about. It is decent crepe la. Haa…. Luckily it came to us with the crepe is still hot if not…. …. Do find the portion a little small lah.
Maybe I will give their warm crepes a try, if not I think I rather go to food court and order dessert alr.
Rating given:
Had dinner with my gf at Bab Noodle. Have been patronising this eatery for about 5 years since 2002 (if I remember correctly).
Located within Millenia Walk, Bab Noodle provides a nice and relaxing place for you to slowly enjoy your food during meal times - a far cry from the mad crowds that throng every eating outlet at within the vicinity.
Tori Katsu - I personally didn't quite like the Tori Katsu because the flour was a little too thick and overall the chicken had an slight oil residue taste. But then again, it wasn't half as bad as I described it to be.
Tofu Donburi -
I'm a sucker for tofu with minced meat and I never fail to order this dish whenever I patronise. To be honest, there's nothing special about this dish. Its just that I can't seem to find something like that anywhere else. A huge chunk of agedashi tofu topped with lots of minced meat and gravy - now that's something close to my heart.
Tori Karaage -
This dish came across as a little too dry and hard, making chewing a tad challenging. Portions were quite small as well. Overall very average tasting.
Well the food's nothing spectacular, coming across as average at best. However, factor in the good service and the relaxing atmosphere and $24 for 2 pax is a steal in the heart of town.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Chanced upon Icekimo as I was wandering through the Thomson area and since it was a warm afternoon, a scoop or two of ice cream seemed like a pretty fantastic idea.
Tucked in a quiet corner of Sin Ming Centre, Icekimo stands out from the other shops along the row with its cutesy pictures and interior. However, you would really have to know that this place existed as its not visible from any major road, which is a pity actually, given its comfy laid back environment.
Crepe with Ice Cream & Waffle with Ice Cream ($4.80) - The crepes and waffles weren't very good, coming across as flat and lacking in texture but the ice creams were noticeably quite good. Rich yet not overwhelming. I personally liked the blueberry cheesecake ice cream as it had grounded peanuts within and was reminiscent of the cheesecakes I used to buy from KFC when I was a kid. Just in case you are wondering, Icekimo serves up other interesting flavours of ice cream as well, like Cempedek, Teh Tarik, Badung etc.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Phin's beerhaus and grille is an unassuming, open concept eating place set on the 4th floor of Tampines mall. First looks did not impress and honestly, i've passed by this place so many times but never had the urge to try it till today. An offshoot of its bigger upmarket cousin, Phin's steakhouse, how does this lone restaurant fare? Read on.
The first thing i need to say about this restaurant is the service. We were served by a waiter jovial and professional waiter who required nothing to jote down our orders while being able to tell us exactly what they had and did not have for the day. He was also kind enough to introduce a different cut of meat which turned out rather well in my opinion. If only waiters in other establishments could be as good as him, i'd gladly pay service charges. (La Noce is another place where the service staff is simply excellent.)
Australian Grain Fed Tenderloin ($28.90) - As recommended by the waiter, i took the Australian grain fed tenderloin which was a time limited offer. According to him, the meat is superior, better marbled and contains less fat as compared to the normal offerings. I don't presume myself an expert on this matter, but i must say the meat was pretty good. Done medium rare, slightly charred on the edges with a small lump of butter sizzling atop, this reminds me of the good days when Jack's place was still making good food. That said, the meat was juicy and the butter added much to the already succulent and tasty steak. Pity about the portion size which i felt was rather small (even though it took me 15 minutes to finish.)
Soup of the Day, Garlic Bread and Salad ($19.90 set meal) - My gf's set meal, which means i got to try everything a little again, no prizes for guessing if my girth is increasing. The salad was fresh, sweet and crunchy while the garlic bread fragrant and went well with the accompanying creamy mushroom soup. A good starter.
Seafood Pesto Carbonara - This came as a surprise. The serving was quite generous with 2 huge scallops, 1 pan fried dory fillet and half slipper lobster set atop a bed of fettucinne cooked with pesto carbonara and mushrooms. The serving alone is worth commending and this is further accented by the fact that it tasted pretty good. It was quite spicy and tasted simple at the same time, allowing for an appetizing feeling without being overwhelming. The ingredients used were also equally fresh and everything tasted juicy and sweet. Nicely done.
Brownie Surprise ($8.90) - The brownie surprise really did come as a surprise because i saw more ice cream on the dish then brownies which were actually cut into small pieces and served as an accompaniment rather then the main draw. The ice cream was creamy and and smooth. The flavors served were cookies and cream, mocha and one which i can't quite make out. The brownie was rather dry but the melting ice cream made up for that oversight.
Dessert of the day (Mango Pudding with sugar icing) - The final part to the set meal was this mango pudding. Light, refreshing and sweet, this was a good ending for the meal.
The final bill came up to $67.90 for 2 people, its not cheap but the service and food quality made up for it.
I'm really quite surprised with how good this place is. I went in with very little expectations and was pleasantly surprised with the service and quality of food given its unassuming and rather small outlet. The lack of customers was also a plus for me since i dislike jostling with people when i dine, and that is difficult in a place like Tampines mall. Nonetheless, i'd recommend a try for people in the vicinity. Try it once to see if you like the place. (Though i'll say it first, the place definitely needs a cosmetic makeover and location change. *winks*)
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Popped by Vivocity to settle some stuff at Standard Chartered so decided to try my luck at Hong Kong Kim Gary, one of the places that I've been meaning to try, but never had the chance to because of the long queues. Well today I was in luck and I got a seat of my choice without any difficulty. Probably because its only 1215pm?
A friendly waitress showed me to my seat right at the end of the restaurant, which offered an unobstructed view of Sentosa through floor to ceiling windows (well there was this staircase...). As with many other Hong Kong Cafes, the ordering system is somewhat similar. You tick your order on an order menu and pass it to the waitress. I had the set menu B($7.50) of Fried Egg and Minced Beef Rice with a cream soup and Yuan Yang (coffee mixed with tea for an additional 30 cents) as well as an additional order of French Toast.
The soup came served in a cup which I had some trouble adjusting to because I simply can't get used to drinking soup right out of a cup without a spoon. The soup was rather bland and diluted, which didn't really bode well for the upcoming dishes.
Fried Egg and Minced Beef Rice - I had a minor shock when I saw this dish. In my mind I was wondering if they had made a mistake because I couldn't see the beef. However, upon closer inspection, I realised that the beef was minced up and scattered together with the thin layer of tomato sauce, which looked rather pathetic. Imagine my surprise when it actually tasted quite good. The tomato sauce was quite thick and mildly sweet, with the minced beef adding a wee bit of bite to the sauce. The only bummer was that there was no evident beef taste and that portions could have been bigger. As for the fried egg, how bad can a sunny side up get?
I like my French Toasts quite a bit and Kim Gary's rendition was not too bad, but certainly not as good as the one at Hong Kong Cafe. The toast itself was a little on the wet side and the exterior wasn't as crispy as I would have liked it to be. However, the sticking point was the peanut butter filling which I felt was totally unnecessary given that French Toasts don't come with peanut butter. Granted, the peanut butter was smooth, but it masked the "eggy" taste of the French Toast.
Lunch cost $11.30, which is comparatively cheaper and more value for money than the other Hong Kong Cafes that I've tried. The Yuan Yang was decent and the service was not too shabby. Overall, an above average dining experience and I personally feel that the dishes do show more promise than the other Hong Kong Cafes around. I will probably be back again, but not with the long queues.
See all my pictures here
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Had heard about Ding Xian Lou from some of the club members and decided to drop by with my gf for dinner. Located right next to the main entrance of Golden Mile Tower at Beach Road, its claim to fame is its pricing - $4.80 for every dish and that includes prawns, crabs and fish!
The outfit didn't look quite like a restaurant yet it didn't quite suit the cafe tag either. Well it came with a few tanks which had prawns and fishes swimming in what looked like rather murky water. Oh and waitresses too.
Boiled Live Prawn - You must be thinking, $4.80 for prawns is a steal and I'm rather inclined to agree with you. However, for that price, you get 5 average sized prawns which are fresh, but I did get quite turned off by the sight of the live ones swimming around in the filthy tank.
Thai Style Crispy Chicken - This was none other than your common lemon chicken with a few slices of mango, salad and chilli atop. So much for the name I guess. This was pretty alright, but a little less flour coating on the chicken would have been nice.
Fried Kailan - I almost returned this dish to them. I'm not kidding. The vegetables were dark green, which indicated staleness and had holes in the leaves. Maybe I was just being paranoid, but I bit off all the stems and consumed only the leaves in fear of biting into a half asleep worm hidden within. In all honesty, I wouldn't even pay $2 for this dish, much less $4.80 .
Braised Beancurd in Claypot - This dish came across as rather normal and small (I counted 4 slices of beancurd). Only grouse I had was that the beancurd tasted rather flat and didn't have much bite.
The bill came up to about $25 for 2 pax. Sure it isn't an expensive sum to pay, but the quality of food leaves much to be desired. The prawns were probably the only exception, but then again, portions are rather pathetic. In case you are wondering if you could get by by ordering 1 dish by person, the answer is no. Only after consuming our 4 dishes and 2 bowls of rice did my gf and I feel marginally satisfied. That pretty much sums up how big the portions are. Oh and service is rather bad which really doesn't justify the 10% service charge. Inattentive, forgetful, hasty tones and the list goes on. Do give it a thought first before you jump on the bandwagon and try this place out.
See all my pictures here
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Don't be mistaken. This Teo Heng is the one where you can sing at. Not the one selling the karaoke equipment, although they are under the same company. This KTV has been around for ages, way before K-Box ever stepped in. Even my mom has been to this KTV.
Directions to Teo Heng, Turn right when you get out of the lift and keep right. It's quite secluded (ulu) but once you get there you'll find it perpetually filled with people.
The equipment here can act up at times. They have both normal and cordless microphones. Sometimes the microphones may sound funny and sometimes it takes some time for the receiver to get your song requests. But it's not because their things are old, but more like they are well-used. Most of the other places have technical problems from time to time too isn't it?
But the advantages of singing at Teo Heng greatly outweigh the disadvantages.
1) The Prices. It starts for $8/hr for a small room (3-4 people) to $12 for a large room (10 people) during off peak periods. If you sing all the way from 2-6 there are special packages. If you're singing during peak periods it's $14 for a small room. It's cheap!
2) Teo Heng has the newest songs too. Don't be mistaken by the way it looks. They have all the newest songs too. AND all the oldies. AND songs which you have never heard of in your life.
3) Drinks are at $1 per can. And price for drinks have not increased since 6 years ago.
4) You can bring outside food in. You can bring whatever food and drink you want in. They don't care as long as you don't make a big mess.
5) Parking at Katong Shopping Centre is relatively easy and after KTV you can always head up for cheap bowling... (but it's not so good to bowl there...)
K-Box or Teo Heng? Give me Teo Heng any time. :)
** I wanted to give it 4 stars but I do think that the furnishings need to be update. My companion commented that it is a little sleazy but it's really a family KTV :)
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I was at Vivocity and a sudden thought of having some desserts so decided to pop by Bakerzin to give it a try. It has been a long time since I stepped into one and I used to like their desserts and cakes a lot.
So I was standing outside waiting to be seated. Can see that the place is not really packed and most of the waitresses are jz walking around. I am quite big sized and not easily to be missed but then I was standing there for at least a good 5 mins before anyone come up to show me to my seat. The waitress behind the cake counter saw me waiting, yet did not inform her other colleagues to come and show me to my seat. Disappointing in the service so far. In fact I was telling my partner, I will count to 10 and if no one come up to us, we will jz walk away. Surprising at 10, someone turned up and showed us to our seats. Haa…. Still disappointed!
So seem like we can choose our seats cos not crowded. Got the sofa seats and they got this quite beautiful and interesting plastic chair as well. Nice. Given the menus and since we in the mood for dessert, we skipped all the mains and jz checked out the desserts.
The ordering part was easy and they also sort of set up the table according to what we have ordered. Like mentioned in the last post, they did not serve ice water. Bad move.
We ordered:
• Ice lemon tea: @ $4.80. Nothing to say except it is freaking expensive for a small glass of ice lemon tea. Could get more at Carl’s Jr at the same price. Haa…. Cheapo me.
• Vanilla Brulee: $5. I am a very big fan of cream brulee. When they served it up, me and my partner jaws dropped. Y? Cos it is freaking small. Haa…. Well size aside, it is actually quite good. I am very impressed. The top is covered by a layer of melted sugar, the custard is not too sweet, and has a eggy and milky taste which I liked. It is a good combination of the both.
• Profiteroles: $8.80. I actually used to eat this every time I go to Bakerzin. I will recommend to eat this with their cheese ice cream. At first, when I know they got cheese ice cream, I was like “Eeee…” However after tasting it, I fell in love with it. Hee… This time round it disappoints me as the ice cream is not as good as it used to be. The taste of the cheese is a bit too strong for my liking. There is a sour taste to it as well. Disappointing.
Think this will be one of the last times that I will go to Bakerzin for desserts alr. I did not try their cakes but hope that their standard will not drop as well. If not, I will have to go to other places for desserts alr.
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