This little hideout is really a paradise to chill to dine and to relax. A lifestyle retail shop and a restaurant with a Javanese theme brings out the true spirit of the Balinese culture; Relaxed, Casual and Sensual. Somehow the place intrigues my senses with the close to nature yet clean and mosquito bite free experience.
The white and black colonial building stands strikingly at the edge of the botanical garden and through a hardwood carved door of the equally small porch is a world filled with aromatic incense and traditional Javanese instrumental music. Immediately you feel relaxed and be led by the casualness of the friendly staffs in their beautiful batik Indonesian uniforms. The restaurant is very much an outdoor close to nature setting, luxuriously decorated with wooden dining furnitures, intriguing stone sculptures and lots of cushions. Ceiling fans and the natural wind collides while the smoke from the anti-bug incense shows makes the entire place feels dreamy.
You can choose to seat in the main dining (Joglo) are with choices of proper dining tables, on the floor group dining or these beautiful little huts (Lesehans) sat upon a shallow pond with real living creatures and luxuriously vegetated with aquatic plants. We sat in one of these traditional Javanese Lesehans with daybeds and low dining tables, perched atop the luxurious cushions and beautiful batik table coverings. Menu was served with a good recommendations of yummy javanese cuisines, however we ended with some tapas and brew from their brehaus.
They do have a good array of indian and indonesian cuisines and the few really yummy ones are the Naan sets, Fried Tofu was yummy, and not forgetting the tahu goreng with fantastic peanut sauce. You don't have much to choose from on the desserts yet we found some really interesting meal enders. The lemongrass panna cotta was an interesting mix of taste, something citrusy and grassy clashing with the soft tofu like texture of sweet vanilla custard. We also had the cendol which turned out to be a drink. The ingredients used for the cendol are generous which made it a little too sweet and we expected the green worm like jelly which turned out to be bead like. The food was pretty yummy and priced slightly higher than expected. Portion was generous so its really good to share.
The beer was outstanding. 3 house brews to choose from each with different characters and comes in half or full pint. Happy hours are available with lower priced brews, on top of that they also do serve wine and cocktail. Great place to chill or for a romantic dates. I do spot some bugs flying around yet none landed near me. The place is picturesque and great for gatherings and events. Simply loved the place and hope to hang there more often despite the lack in parking and inconvenient location with minimal public transport.
Sat on a small hilly area of the Rochester Park is a charming little restaurant named Nosh. The rustic nature embraced this beautiful white and black colonial styled property with both indoor (Air-Conditioned) dining areas for non-bug lovers and the airy outdoor dine and drinks platforms atop wooden raised flooring in an oversized shack.
On a cool evening such as this one and with the natural surroundings arousing of our spirits, we might as well donate some blood to the mosquitoes (but i didn't get one bite), as such we decided on the outdoor seats. Its rather quiet for a weekday evening but we spotted lovely large group seats which means this place could be pretty happening over the weekends. Dimly lit with candles and soft lighting, we practically had to turn on our mobile phone flashes to read the menu which seemed to be pretty lacking in choices.
We decided on a few interesting mains and sides and sat back to enjoy the beautiful surrounding while jazz pipes through the ceiling speakers. The bar is the most interesting piece, illuminated and lavishly decorated with all sorts of spirits and liquors with bar side seats for those who wish to hang and chit chat casually. Service was okay though its just another 2 tables occupied, the staff seemed to be rather non-chalent which in some way merges with the total feel of the place and not very likeable in my case.
Drinks were served and our sparkling white chilled to a good fizzle paired with some bread on the house and a red kinda salsa sauce. I could taste the tomato yet the other stuffs is kinda in a mess. The bread is a mix of crispiness on the skin and softness on the inside yet tasted fresh and appetizing.
Here goes the food:
The Purple Potato Gnocchi is a creamy salad dish with a mix of poached veg, mushroom and yam balls that left an extremely memorable truffle filled after-taste. Though the world Gnocchi don't make much sense yet we decided upon it because we wanted to try something bold. Interestingly, the first comment by our dear old friend who was infamous for his sarcasm was " What small plate and lots of food " it was obvious that this is his favourite dish at the end of the night. Yes... he attempted to lick up the plate but was dressed too gentlemanly to do just that!
The seared sea bass was a pretty delight though the plate still looked way too big for that neatly stacked food, yet the fish steak was nicely seared and cooked to the best taste. You could taste the freshness in the fish and the tangy salad pairs with it particularly well. Portion is good for not a big eater one and is a pretty dainty dish.
The veg pasta is a wowler! Beautiful stacked fettuccine, glittering with loads of colours from the Balsamic Portobello, Seared Artichoke, Sun-dried Tomato, Roasted Capsicum and Olive Tapenade. Fettuccine cooked to a good hardness and drizzled with aromatic spiced olive oil is yummy even if eaten by itself. Veg seared then tossed with the pasta retaining both colour and texture. An excellently executed dish.
The night ended with our food quickly cleared away. Like they always say, its either we couldn't get their attention or attention is given when its not needed! We just couldn't get them when we needed them and that was the service level of NOSH, though they were pleasant yet I expected a bit more than what I experienced. Food was good yet a little on the pricey side, dinner for 4 would lay you back about $160 with light drinks. Ambience and setting was fantastically dreamy and the place is great for events. Drinks and bar snacks are also available and I'm looking forward to try the bar snacks. Will return with my gang, this time dress to PARTY!
I've not tried Mouth Restaurant for a long time and ended up at this outlet after being down on my luck at a couple of Soup Restaurant outlets.
It was a mistake.
(no pics, sorry for this one!)
Beef tenderloin in bbq sauce ($38) - it was too fatty for us and a really teeny weeny portion for its price. Nothing really bad with the taste but for the price, it needs to be twice as much!
Lotus root, celery, mixed vegetables ($14) - Blandly stir fried together. The lotus roots slices were pathetic and not fresh.
Roast chicken *half)($16) - best dish of the night, with nice crispy skin and a accompanying salt as a condiment.
Salmon Yu Sheng ($49.90) - fresh but again really small for its portion. Tsk tsk.
Other things we had include: 1x rice @ $1.30, 9x beers @ $9 each, tea @ $2 per pax, towels @ $0.80 per pax.
The total bill was $250 - granted the beers were already $80 but its still a no-no food wise as I simply cannot stomach having so little value for the prices.
There was also a $3.90 promotion stated on its website but the staff there said there was none and that it was only for a specific beer which they didnt have (how convenient). I feedback via their website about this and their manager called back, but only to sound defensive and sarcastic about how I am finding fault with everything he said.
I dined here some time ago yet I just couldn't get over it. It is indeed a memorable experience, not in a good way, yet this was what happened.
Me and my girlfriend (singular), while single and available are suckers for korean BBQ and while we met for aimless talks, we decided to dine somewhere near her office and ended up with MANNA. The entrance looked promising while they had quite a large space for expensive shop fronts. The restaurant can house about 100 patrons comfortably in tables and we were shown the menu while we could choose whichever seat we wanted and we chose a table for 6. The regular korean BBQ menu with some special dishes, yet we are all creatures of habits and did not linger beyond the BBQ meat page.
The staff was of no help, matter of fact of bad help. We previously wanted to order some pork belly and sliced beef and was introduced the 3 meat platter which is a chicken, beef and pork. While we contemplate, we were asked if we wanted any side dishes and we ended with pancake which is supposedly one of the best made dishes here. To prevent our clothes from stinking while we are onto our post dinner drinks, we decided the meat to be cooked in the kitchen. What arrived later shocked us to the brim.
The side dishes arrived first with 6 varieties to choose from. We were disappointed and the veg for the meat also arrived which is a frisky thin basket of a few pieces of veg. Apparently, they do charge extra if you want more veg and this frisky less than 8 leaves of lettuce with cloves of garlic is all we got.
Pancake was a seafood flavor, regular slices I guessed 8-10 inch which is good to share with 4 other friends and the meats finally arrived and we were shocked till our spine tingles. 3 medium sized hot plates full of beef, pork and chicken, bulgogi styled and looked as if they were fried using the same sauce. We were overwhelmed... thats alot of food (aka meat) for 2 girls...
Dinner ended with us eating:
2.5 slices of pancakes
a little pork, chicken and beef yet we wasted more than 80% of the food and while the lady came over to clear our tables she asked us if we wanted to pack them home yet we would not know what we could do with it packed. She cleared the table with a disappointing face and we felt guilty. The thing is, the person who took our orders should advise us and not keep asking us to order more and introduce more stuffs, knowing we can't eat that much. The portion we ordered can feed 6 persons comfortably yet we didn't make a sound. The Singaporean courteous way of handling being sponged! We just make payment with no complaints but vowed NEVER TO RETURN as it will revive bad memories. This dinner for 2 came up to be about $220 with a plastic bottle of korean wine...
Food is Okay, not fantastic, quite pricey i must say and service is so so.... The restaurant was pretty empty for a weekday evening in the CBD area with just another couple at the next table having some rice sets, while we blur dudes got sponged!
2 stars because its a bad experience for me yet staff was friendly and service level was OKAY! so yes it doesn't deserve 1 star but not 3 either!
You simply can't blame me for being such a sucker for beautiful lingerie, i admit.. that I always gets magnetized into the La Senza outlet when I pass by one. Its Beautiful, Its Glamorous, Its Exciting, Its Wonderful to be a woman and of course pretty little secrets we kept hidden underneath our clothes.
As usual, I can't help myself but went in for a stroll. The shiny black cabinets, full of beautiful blinking "eye shades" arranged neatly in their sizes and cups, oh well... no harm just taking a look and feel the soft satin material while wondering how it would look on me! At this moment, my eyes darted around to look for the drawer that holds my size... as I open it.... It feels like revelation unveils itself.... IT HAS MY SIZE! A tickle in my ears as though somebody whispered....." You think you look good in this one?" I pondered and picked up my new found treasure, while I am about to close the drawer.. another whisp of air" "How about that one in a HOT PINK! and that dark blue looked SASSY!" Oh what the 'XYZ' since i'm already heading for the dressing room, might as well get a few more!
This moment, the friendly staff approaches with a large shopping bag and an invitation to freely pick whatever I liked and so, heeding that friendly gesture I went on with other lacey designs, something for that low plunge top, low back dresses and basics that perks me up on casual t-shirt days. I picked and I stepped into that posh carpeted beautiful changing room with mirrors so flattering and a heart shaped stool for me to try out every position. I feasted with my eyes as if every design looked delicious, imagined the occasions I will appear in them and took a small peek of the price! Hm..... affordable in a fast food lunch and dinner for the rest of the week way! Yes... I'm buying them! and immediately I feel my spirits lifted up and almost exited the changing room skipping. Ditched the ones I tried but am not prepared to buy and head on to the cashier.
While the cashier asked me.. "How about some matching panties!" and I considered.... WHY NOT? The whole set makes it COMPLETE! so motioning at her colleagues that seemed to have a big smile plastered on her face, she brought me to a large black counter and picked up all the matching undies in various matching styles such as boy shorts, g-strings and whatever fancy names! I've decided my best liked style and was showed back to the cashier! While she scanned my last piece, she reassured me of the sizes that I purchased and asked if I was a member or if I wanted to join, gave a brief introduction of the membership and I whipped out my trusty VISA. Carefully she wrapped these delicate pieces in a HOT PINK tracing paper and placed them into a classy LA SENZA paper bag with an extra pink paper on the top for discretion.
I left the shop feeling confident, in complete ecstacy and extremely glad with my purchase while I wondered.. where should I keep these new found love if my lingerie drawer is already full of La Senza? Perhaps a new wardrobe for the new year? and the guilt started to do its job!!!
If you love the aromatic thick black local coffee, Toast Box is just the right place to sit down for a short break. Yes, this outlet is so different from the other outlets, the interior deco is fabulously posh and I simply love the steamy fumes that emerges from the counter now and then.
Music from the nearby record shop fills the air with a sense of jazziness while we sink ourselves into the heavily cushioned smooth leathery looking seats. The ambiance is casual while men in their cleanl tailored suits looked seriously at their text messages and laughters from the nearby table of tourist. Its a mixed of work and play culture yet joy seemed to rule it all here.
The coffee at toast box is always thick and aromatic while they also do serve various choices of other drinks in which my favourite would be iced lemon grass with jelly. The pearls that they usually add to the drinks are not as chewy and yummy thus would be a bad experience for pearl lovers.
Local staples are available such as soup noodles, mee siam and laksa, while most people usually go for tapas or some sweet snacks during this coffee break. The cakes were extremely old school. I simply love the butter creamed cakes with peanut or vanilla, otherwise chocolate flavoured. It reminded me of the cakes we used to love to receive when somebody is about to get married. Cakes were spongy in the middle with smooth and slightly sweetened butter cream laced with gel coloured flavors is the perfect cake, though its of a good size, I always ended with 2 slices.
This location is extremely charming yet, the price remains the same as all the other outlets. Would love to bring my friends to hang around here!
If you would really enjoy a mouthful of italian food without owning an italian chef boyfriend, then PastaMania is the most convenient choice. You don't have to speak the romantic language of italiano to enjoy the hot kisses of spicy Sicilian seafood AglioOlio or the stinky cheesy breath of the mix of cheeses on that freshly baked Mediterranean pizza that left a sleazy clue on the crease on your lips.
The closest italian staples at the most affordable prices I can find, the varieties on the menu just made me hope I really do have an inflatable tummy. Appetizers was a good choice of more than 10 items yet I still ended up with a minestrone soup and a chicken caesar salad with bits of bacon. Soup was thin and watery while the salad was really crunchy and tasty with bouncy boiled eggs, just the way Caesar himself might like it.
Well, there were many pasta and pizza choices to choose from, yet with a big group, we could always do what the skinny girls does, to order and to share less we weren't too skinny and would usually over-order, which we eventually did. OVER-ORDERED. so here goes the list:
Chicken Ham & Sausage Baked Rice - was a pipping hot cheesy dish with loads of yummy soft rice underneath all that mess. Cream based, extremely tasty and cheesy, while the ham and sausages just pairs on well with the bits of mushrooms. Portion was a little small as the dish was rather shallow.
Vongole in a white wine sauce - pasta was well made to the right hardness and sauce was light but tasty. The clams chewy and rather brought with it the tasty sense of the ocean. Great portion and lots of clam, just without the wow factor.
Sicilian Spaghetti from the set menu of the day is a seafood angel hair pasta which is spiced nicely with a balanced amount of light chili and spices tossed lightly with olive oil and some chuncks of tomatoes and capsicum for that exotic look. Its yummy, light and healthy. Wonderful choice out of all we have chosen.
Meat Lover meaty pizza is one that was pretty disappointing. The crust was great, crispy and tasty, cheeses regular but the meat topping were hams and sausages and seriously lacking some real MEAT. So we suggest... to bring on some REAL MEAT!
Beverages were not much of a choice from canned drinks but they do have some interesting cocktails to choose from, love the strawberry soda thingee.. It was refreshing.
Meanwhile, the ambiance was nice and the sitting adequate even for big groups of 10 or 16s. Seats were casual and place is rather clean, its not too noisy, perhaps because we were the noise makers and the service is rather quick. Water and cutlery are self serve and order and make payment at the counter. Food portion was okay and I think its a great place for a get together rowdy kinda gatherings. Love the choices love the food and the italian look of the entire restaurant.
Step back in time for a cuppa coffee one lazy afternoon at the colonial styled building where Starbucks resides amidst the greenery and the squeaky insects calling. This is the most charming Starbucks outlet i've ever came across in Singapore. The location is kinda on a low hill and is almost too perfect except being obscured by the other higher buildings built in front of it.
Flushed in white with the prominent dark Starbuck's Green showing up in logos and gazebos, this is not a small outlet with plenty of seats indoor and outdoors for people who love to enjoy a cup of aromatic coffee and a book. Outdoor decked seats kept cool with some fan and the green surroundings while the indoor air-conditioned cushioned seats is just like a huge living room. Head up to the second floor and find yourself in a huge lounging living room as though an excerpt from your english novel (the gentlemen's card room). Lots of seats with various comfort level and well arranged space for easy moving around. There is also a non-aircon balcony area which overlooks the green surrounding down the hill which is the favorite spot for many. There are ample powerpoints if you need to charge your phones or power for laptops and seats are pretty mobile except for the lounging sofas, great for big groups. Noise is not very well contained with the high ceilings, so its important not to speak too loudly.
We find more food choices here as with the other outlets with lots of hot dishes to choose from such as lasagna, hot sandwiches and of course the regular cakes, biscuits, muffins and other coffee pairing desserts. The coffee menu is the standard menu like every outlet while I always love a good cuppa cappuccino with a coffee chiffon cake and a fantasy book for my weekend afternoons. Most cakes served in coffee delis are usually cheese or chocolate fudge cakes which is heavy and usually served cold rather I was surprised that their coffee chiffon cake is a good balance of a lightweight chiffon mildly coffee scented with a buttery cream top and walnuts that brings a soothing nutty taste without the crunch. The entire cake is soft but not limp, mildly flavored but not blend, eventful but not rich, the taste and texture blended very well and is tantalizing but not overpowering. Really good cake I must say.
This is going to be my secret haunt, though already home for many, I'm joining in the gang. Really exceptionally charming location. By the way, service was fast and friendly with large smiles and accented english everywhere however, it takes a little more effort to clear the tables and to keep the cafe clean :)
It was the F1 weekend again and we didn't fancy going into town for our dim sum fix. And so we decided on Ba Xian, the flagship Chinese restaurant at Tower Club. It helped that they were offering a 50% discount on dim sum for weekends only.
The lifts take you up to the entrance of Tower Club on the 62nd floor. From there, you take an internal lift from the club's lobby to the 63rd floor where Ba Xian is located. The furnishing is plush with full length windows that look out into the South China Sea. There are capsule like seats for 2 that offer a somewhat quirky dining experience.
Crispy Cuttlefish - Nicely seasoned but the flour coating was a tad too thick for my liking and so was the oil content. Makes you sick after a while.
Pork Belly Char Siew - The BBQ pork belly had a proportionate fat to meat ratio which made for great texture. However, the meat was rather bland and lacked any sweetness that I would usually associate with char siew.
Roasted Pork Belly - Although I love my sio bak, this was honestly a little hard to stomach and both of us were struggling to finish all 12 cubes of it. Sure, the skin was crispy but it was a tad too thick and dry for my liking. Also, as with the char siew, the meat was almost tasteless. A little more salt perhaps?
Pork & Century Egg Congee - Apart from the sticky texture of porridge that I personally like, this dish was average tasting with quantity of ingredients bordering on miserly.
Prawn with Crab Meat - Generous serving of prawns and crab meat stuffed within the crispy deep fried shell but strangely enough, there was a rather strong ginger aftertaste which I didn't like. Thank god for mayonnaise.
Sweet Corn Cake - This was the first time seeing sweet corn cake on a dim sum menu so thought it would be interesting to give it a go. Alas, it tasted like normal carrot cake with sweet corn and tiny bits of Chinese sausage embedded within. Texture wasn't exactly smooth but overall still palatable.
Chee Cheong Fun -The chee cheong fun came in 3 varieties of filling - char siew, scallop and prawn. For starters, the cheong fun was a little too thick but I was impressed by the generous amounts of scallop and char siew within. This was one of the rare occasions where I could actually make out the texture and taste of the scallop wrapped within. That said, the prawn filling was rather underwhelming though.
Siew Mai - Served with a slice of topshell, the siew mai was decent without coming across as too oily.
Har Gao - Instead of the de facto prawn taste that I was expecting, the har gao tasted overwhelming of vegetables instead. And the thicker than expected skin didn't help matters.
Mini Egg Tartlets - After the repertoire of dismal dim sum items, we almost gave up but decided to give the egg tarts a shot. It was decent without the custard being cloyingly sweet whilst the pastry had a nice flaky texture but lacked the oven baked taste that I personally like.
Even with 7 items at 50% off, the two of us still managed to chalk up a bill of $94, which is terribly expensive for the quality of food. Service and ambience is great but that hardly justifies the ridiculous price tag. So much for the positive online reviews.
Ever wondered why Cordon Bleu is a chicken dish? I was puzzled when the friendly server kept asking me if I wanted that.. I always associated Cordon Bleu with a spirited drink and perhaps an alcohol laced dish, but this is neither.
We wanted to eat at a queueless place and this is all we got on a weekday evening. Though the space is large and seats plentiful, staff is low as such service is rather draggy, though we could understand and with good control of our hunger pangs and some patience, we managed to get a seat after waiting for about 10 mins. The place was large and there are plenty seats but the staff is but 2 lady and a guy yet, the lady who served us with super huge eyes is efficient, friendly and speaks very fast.
We ordered their speciality, fish and chips and cordon bleu chicken as promoted to us by the big eyed girl! It was a set meal and we both had fizzy peach to go with our meals. The soup of the day, a savoury and creamy mushroom soup with bits of mushrooms is yummy and smooth.
Shortly the cordon bleu chicken arrived. The chicken is a cheese and ham sandwiched breast meat of 2 pieces of chicken on a bed of mashed potatoes with sauteed mushroom and picked radish by the side complete with a bed of tossed greens drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The meat is a little too tough for my taste as I expected the filling to be more tender and juicy but it ain't. The mash is yummy and mushroom appetizing.
Fish and chip is served over tossed greens drizzled with the ever yummy balsamic vinegar. Though I hope they used less batter and more fish, the fish is tender and fresh with no fishy breaths.
The meal ended with a good note of the staff quickly clearing our table and topping up our ice water. It was a good experience and price is pretty worth for the portion. The seats are comfy and spacious able to house big groups however situated kindoff in the middle of nowhere, there is not much privacy, rather great for casual chit chats. Dessert choices were very few and the menu is rather confusing to read as its kinda in the form of a newsletter. So always ask the opinion of the staff on what is nice and they usually serve up a good meal for you.
1=SGD 0.0587
This little hideout is really a paradise to chill to dine and to relax. A lifestyle retail shop and a restaurant with a Javanese theme brings out the true spirit of the Balinese culture; Relaxed, Casual and Sensual. Somehow the place intrigues my senses with the close to nature yet clean and mosquito bite free experience.
The white and black colonial building stands strikingly at the edge of the botanical garden and through a hardwood carved door of the equally small porch is a world filled with aromatic incense and traditional Javanese instrumental music. Immediately you feel relaxed and be led by the casualness of the friendly staffs in their beautiful batik Indonesian uniforms. The restaurant is very much an outdoor close to nature setting, luxuriously decorated with wooden dining furnitures, intriguing stone sculptures and lots of cushions. Ceiling fans and the natural wind collides while the smoke from the anti-bug incense shows makes the entire place feels dreamy.
You can choose to seat in the main dining (Joglo) are with choices of proper dining tables, on the floor group dining or these beautiful little huts (Lesehans) sat upon a shallow pond with real living creatures and luxuriously vegetated with aquatic plants. We sat in one of these traditional Javanese Lesehans with daybeds and low dining tables, perched atop the luxurious cushions and beautiful batik table coverings. Menu was served with a good recommendations of yummy javanese cuisines, however we ended with some tapas and brew from their brehaus.
They do have a good array of indian and indonesian cuisines and the few really yummy ones are the Naan sets, Fried Tofu was yummy, and not forgetting the tahu goreng with fantastic peanut sauce. You don't have much to choose from on the desserts yet we found some really interesting meal enders. The lemongrass panna cotta was an interesting mix of taste, something citrusy and grassy clashing with the soft tofu like texture of sweet vanilla custard. We also had the cendol which turned out to be a drink. The ingredients used for the cendol are generous which made it a little too sweet and we expected the green worm like jelly which turned out to be bead like. The food was pretty yummy and priced slightly higher than expected. Portion was generous so its really good to share.
The beer was outstanding. 3 house brews to choose from each with different characters and comes in half or full pint. Happy hours are available with lower priced brews, on top of that they also do serve wine and cocktail. Great place to chill or for a romantic dates. I do spot some bugs flying around yet none landed near me. The place is picturesque and great for gatherings and events. Simply loved the place and hope to hang there more often despite the lack in parking and inconvenient location with minimal public transport.
Rating given:
Sat on a small hilly area of the Rochester Park is a charming little restaurant named Nosh. The rustic nature embraced this beautiful white and black colonial styled property with both indoor (Air-Conditioned) dining areas for non-bug lovers and the airy outdoor dine and drinks platforms atop wooden raised flooring in an oversized shack.
On a cool evening such as this one and with the natural surroundings arousing of our spirits, we might as well donate some blood to the mosquitoes (but i didn't get one bite), as such we decided on the outdoor seats. Its rather quiet for a weekday evening but we spotted lovely large group seats which means this place could be pretty happening over the weekends. Dimly lit with candles and soft lighting, we practically had to turn on our mobile phone flashes to read the menu which seemed to be pretty lacking in choices.
We decided on a few interesting mains and sides and sat back to enjoy the beautiful surrounding while jazz pipes through the ceiling speakers. The bar is the most interesting piece, illuminated and lavishly decorated with all sorts of spirits and liquors with bar side seats for those who wish to hang and chit chat casually. Service was okay though its just another 2 tables occupied, the staff seemed to be rather non-chalent which in some way merges with the total feel of the place and not very likeable in my case.
Drinks were served and our sparkling white chilled to a good fizzle paired with some bread on the house and a red kinda salsa sauce. I could taste the tomato yet the other stuffs is kinda in a mess. The bread is a mix of crispiness on the skin and softness on the inside yet tasted fresh and appetizing.
Here goes the food:
The Purple Potato Gnocchi is a creamy salad dish with a mix of poached veg, mushroom and yam balls that left an extremely memorable truffle filled after-taste. Though the world Gnocchi don't make much sense yet we decided upon it because we wanted to try something bold. Interestingly, the first comment by our dear old friend who was infamous for his sarcasm was " What small plate and lots of food " it was obvious that this is his favourite dish at the end of the night. Yes... he attempted to lick up the plate but was dressed too gentlemanly to do just that!
The seared sea bass was a pretty delight though the plate still looked way too big for that neatly stacked food, yet the fish steak was nicely seared and cooked to the best taste. You could taste the freshness in the fish and the tangy salad pairs with it particularly well. Portion is good for not a big eater one and is a pretty dainty dish.
The veg pasta is a wowler! Beautiful stacked fettuccine, glittering with loads of colours from the Balsamic Portobello, Seared Artichoke, Sun-dried Tomato, Roasted Capsicum and Olive Tapenade. Fettuccine cooked to a good hardness and drizzled with aromatic spiced olive oil is yummy even if eaten by itself. Veg seared then tossed with the pasta retaining both colour and texture. An excellently executed dish.
The night ended with our food quickly cleared away. Like they always say, its either we couldn't get their attention or attention is given when its not needed! We just couldn't get them when we needed them and that was the service level of NOSH, though they were pleasant yet I expected a bit more than what I experienced. Food was good yet a little on the pricey side, dinner for 4 would lay you back about $160 with light drinks. Ambience and setting was fantastically dreamy and the place is great for events. Drinks and bar snacks are also available and I'm looking forward to try the bar snacks. Will return with my gang, this time dress to PARTY!
Rating given:
I've not tried Mouth Restaurant for a long time and ended up at this outlet after being down on my luck at a couple of Soup Restaurant outlets.
It was a mistake.
(no pics, sorry for this one!)
Beef tenderloin in bbq sauce ($38) - it was too fatty for us and a really teeny weeny portion for its price. Nothing really bad with the taste but for the price, it needs to be twice as much!
Lotus root, celery, mixed vegetables ($14) - Blandly stir fried together. The lotus roots slices were pathetic and not fresh.
Roast chicken *half)($16) - best dish of the night, with nice crispy skin and a accompanying salt as a condiment.
Salmon Yu Sheng ($49.90) - fresh but again really small for its portion. Tsk tsk.
Other things we had include: 1x rice @ $1.30, 9x beers @ $9 each, tea @ $2 per pax, towels @ $0.80 per pax.
The total bill was $250 - granted the beers were already $80 but its still a no-no food wise as I simply cannot stomach having so little value for the prices.
There was also a $3.90 promotion stated on its website but the staff there said there was none and that it was only for a specific beer which they didnt have (how convenient). I feedback via their website about this and their manager called back, but only to sound defensive and sarcastic about how I am finding fault with everything he said.
I personally have blacklisted this place.
Rating given:
I dined here some time ago yet I just couldn't get over it. It is indeed a memorable experience, not in a good way, yet this was what happened.
Me and my girlfriend (singular), while single and available are suckers for korean BBQ and while we met for aimless talks, we decided to dine somewhere near her office and ended up with MANNA. The entrance looked promising while they had quite a large space for expensive shop fronts. The restaurant can house about 100 patrons comfortably in tables and we were shown the menu while we could choose whichever seat we wanted and we chose a table for 6. The regular korean BBQ menu with some special dishes, yet we are all creatures of habits and did not linger beyond the BBQ meat page.
The staff was of no help, matter of fact of bad help. We previously wanted to order some pork belly and sliced beef and was introduced the 3 meat platter which is a chicken, beef and pork. While we contemplate, we were asked if we wanted any side dishes and we ended with pancake which is supposedly one of the best made dishes here. To prevent our clothes from stinking while we are onto our post dinner drinks, we decided the meat to be cooked in the kitchen. What arrived later shocked us to the brim.
The side dishes arrived first with 6 varieties to choose from. We were disappointed and the veg for the meat also arrived which is a frisky thin basket of a few pieces of veg. Apparently, they do charge extra if you want more veg and this frisky less than 8 leaves of lettuce with cloves of garlic is all we got.
Pancake was a seafood flavor, regular slices I guessed 8-10 inch which is good to share with 4 other friends and the meats finally arrived and we were shocked till our spine tingles. 3 medium sized hot plates full of beef, pork and chicken, bulgogi styled and looked as if they were fried using the same sauce. We were overwhelmed... thats alot of food (aka meat) for 2 girls...
Dinner ended with us eating:
2.5 slices of pancakes
a little pork, chicken and beef yet we wasted more than 80% of the food and while the lady came over to clear our tables she asked us if we wanted to pack them home yet we would not know what we could do with it packed. She cleared the table with a disappointing face and we felt guilty. The thing is, the person who took our orders should advise us and not keep asking us to order more and introduce more stuffs, knowing we can't eat that much. The portion we ordered can feed 6 persons comfortably yet we didn't make a sound. The Singaporean courteous way of handling being sponged! We just make payment with no complaints but vowed NEVER TO RETURN as it will revive bad memories. This dinner for 2 came up to be about $220 with a plastic bottle of korean wine...
Food is Okay, not fantastic, quite pricey i must say and service is so so.... The restaurant was pretty empty for a weekday evening in the CBD area with just another couple at the next table having some rice sets, while we blur dudes got sponged!
2 stars because its a bad experience for me yet staff was friendly and service level was OKAY! so yes it doesn't deserve 1 star but not 3 either!
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You simply can't blame me for being such a sucker for beautiful lingerie, i admit.. that I always gets magnetized into the La Senza outlet when I pass by one. Its Beautiful, Its Glamorous, Its Exciting, Its Wonderful to be a woman and of course pretty little secrets we kept hidden underneath our clothes.
As usual, I can't help myself but went in for a stroll. The shiny black cabinets, full of beautiful blinking "eye shades" arranged neatly in their sizes and cups, oh well... no harm just taking a look and feel the soft satin material while wondering how it would look on me! At this moment, my eyes darted around to look for the drawer that holds my size... as I open it.... It feels like revelation unveils itself.... IT HAS MY SIZE! A tickle in my ears as though somebody whispered....." You think you look good in this one?" I pondered and picked up my new found treasure, while I am about to close the drawer.. another whisp of air" "How about that one in a HOT PINK! and that dark blue looked SASSY!" Oh what the 'XYZ' since i'm already heading for the dressing room, might as well get a few more!
This moment, the friendly staff approaches with a large shopping bag and an invitation to freely pick whatever I liked and so, heeding that friendly gesture I went on with other lacey designs, something for that low plunge top, low back dresses and basics that perks me up on casual t-shirt days. I picked and I stepped into that posh carpeted beautiful changing room with mirrors so flattering and a heart shaped stool for me to try out every position. I feasted with my eyes as if every design looked delicious, imagined the occasions I will appear in them and took a small peek of the price! Hm..... affordable in a fast food lunch and dinner for the rest of the week way! Yes... I'm buying them! and immediately I feel my spirits lifted up and almost exited the changing room skipping. Ditched the ones I tried but am not prepared to buy and head on to the cashier.
While the cashier asked me.. "How about some matching panties!" and I considered.... WHY NOT? The whole set makes it COMPLETE! so motioning at her colleagues that seemed to have a big smile plastered on her face, she brought me to a large black counter and picked up all the matching undies in various matching styles such as boy shorts, g-strings and whatever fancy names! I've decided my best liked style and was showed back to the cashier! While she scanned my last piece, she reassured me of the sizes that I purchased and asked if I was a member or if I wanted to join, gave a brief introduction of the membership and I whipped out my trusty VISA. Carefully she wrapped these delicate pieces in a HOT PINK tracing paper and placed them into a classy LA SENZA paper bag with an extra pink paper on the top for discretion.
I left the shop feeling confident, in complete ecstacy and extremely glad with my purchase while I wondered.. where should I keep these new found love if my lingerie drawer is already full of La Senza? Perhaps a new wardrobe for the new year? and the guilt started to do its job!!!
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If you love the aromatic thick black local coffee, Toast Box is just the right place to sit down for a short break. Yes, this outlet is so different from the other outlets, the interior deco is fabulously posh and I simply love the steamy fumes that emerges from the counter now and then.
Music from the nearby record shop fills the air with a sense of jazziness while we sink ourselves into the heavily cushioned smooth leathery looking seats. The ambiance is casual while men in their cleanl tailored suits looked seriously at their text messages and laughters from the nearby table of tourist. Its a mixed of work and play culture yet joy seemed to rule it all here.
The coffee at toast box is always thick and aromatic while they also do serve various choices of other drinks in which my favourite would be iced lemon grass with jelly. The pearls that they usually add to the drinks are not as chewy and yummy thus would be a bad experience for pearl lovers.
Local staples are available such as soup noodles, mee siam and laksa, while most people usually go for tapas or some sweet snacks during this coffee break. The cakes were extremely old school. I simply love the butter creamed cakes with peanut or vanilla, otherwise chocolate flavoured. It reminded me of the cakes we used to love to receive when somebody is about to get married. Cakes were spongy in the middle with smooth and slightly sweetened butter cream laced with gel coloured flavors is the perfect cake, though its of a good size, I always ended with 2 slices.
This location is extremely charming yet, the price remains the same as all the other outlets. Would love to bring my friends to hang around here!
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If you would really enjoy a mouthful of italian food without owning an italian chef boyfriend, then PastaMania is the most convenient choice. You don't have to speak the romantic language of italiano to enjoy the hot kisses of spicy Sicilian seafood AglioOlio or the stinky cheesy breath of the mix of cheeses on that freshly baked Mediterranean pizza that left a sleazy clue on the crease on your lips.
The closest italian staples at the most affordable prices I can find, the varieties on the menu just made me hope I really do have an inflatable tummy. Appetizers was a good choice of more than 10 items yet I still ended up with a minestrone soup and a chicken caesar salad with bits of bacon. Soup was thin and watery while the salad was really crunchy and tasty with bouncy boiled eggs, just the way Caesar himself might like it.
Well, there were many pasta and pizza choices to choose from, yet with a big group, we could always do what the skinny girls does, to order and to share less we weren't too skinny and would usually over-order, which we eventually did. OVER-ORDERED. so here goes the list:
Chicken Ham & Sausage Baked Rice - was a pipping hot cheesy dish with loads of yummy soft rice underneath all that mess. Cream based, extremely tasty and cheesy, while the ham and sausages just pairs on well with the bits of mushrooms. Portion was a little small as the dish was rather shallow.
Vongole in a white wine sauce - pasta was well made to the right hardness and sauce was light but tasty. The clams chewy and rather brought with it the tasty sense of the ocean. Great portion and lots of clam, just without the wow factor.
Sicilian Spaghetti from the set menu of the day is a seafood angel hair pasta which is spiced nicely with a balanced amount of light chili and spices tossed lightly with olive oil and some chuncks of tomatoes and capsicum for that exotic look. Its yummy, light and healthy. Wonderful choice out of all we have chosen.
Meat Lover meaty pizza is one that was pretty disappointing. The crust was great, crispy and tasty, cheeses regular but the meat topping were hams and sausages and seriously lacking some real MEAT. So we suggest... to bring on some REAL MEAT!
Beverages were not much of a choice from canned drinks but they do have some interesting cocktails to choose from, love the strawberry soda thingee.. It was refreshing.
Meanwhile, the ambiance was nice and the sitting adequate even for big groups of 10 or 16s. Seats were casual and place is rather clean, its not too noisy, perhaps because we were the noise makers and the service is rather quick. Water and cutlery are self serve and order and make payment at the counter. Food portion was okay and I think its a great place for a get together rowdy kinda gatherings. Love the choices love the food and the italian look of the entire restaurant.
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Step back in time for a cuppa coffee one lazy afternoon at the colonial styled building where Starbucks resides amidst the greenery and the squeaky insects calling. This is the most charming Starbucks outlet i've ever came across in Singapore. The location is kinda on a low hill and is almost too perfect except being obscured by the other higher buildings built in front of it.
Flushed in white with the prominent dark Starbuck's Green showing up in logos and gazebos, this is not a small outlet with plenty of seats indoor and outdoors for people who love to enjoy a cup of aromatic coffee and a book. Outdoor decked seats kept cool with some fan and the green surroundings while the indoor air-conditioned cushioned seats is just like a huge living room. Head up to the second floor and find yourself in a huge lounging living room as though an excerpt from your english novel (the gentlemen's card room). Lots of seats with various comfort level and well arranged space for easy moving around. There is also a non-aircon balcony area which overlooks the green surrounding down the hill which is the favorite spot for many. There are ample powerpoints if you need to charge your phones or power for laptops and seats are pretty mobile except for the lounging sofas, great for big groups. Noise is not very well contained with the high ceilings, so its important not to speak too loudly.
We find more food choices here as with the other outlets with lots of hot dishes to choose from such as lasagna, hot sandwiches and of course the regular cakes, biscuits, muffins and other coffee pairing desserts. The coffee menu is the standard menu like every outlet while I always love a good cuppa cappuccino with a coffee chiffon cake and a fantasy book for my weekend afternoons. Most cakes served in coffee delis are usually cheese or chocolate fudge cakes which is heavy and usually served cold rather I was surprised that their coffee chiffon cake is a good balance of a lightweight chiffon mildly coffee scented with a buttery cream top and walnuts that brings a soothing nutty taste without the crunch. The entire cake is soft but not limp, mildly flavored but not blend, eventful but not rich, the taste and texture blended very well and is tantalizing but not overpowering. Really good cake I must say.
This is going to be my secret haunt, though already home for many, I'm joining in the gang. Really exceptionally charming location. By the way, service was fast and friendly with large smiles and accented english everywhere however, it takes a little more effort to clear the tables and to keep the cafe clean :)
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It was the F1 weekend again and we didn't fancy going into town for our dim sum fix. And so we decided on Ba Xian, the flagship Chinese restaurant at Tower Club. It helped that they were offering a 50% discount on dim sum for weekends only.
The lifts take you up to the entrance of Tower Club on the 62nd floor. From there, you take an internal lift from the club's lobby to the 63rd floor where Ba Xian is located. The furnishing is plush with full length windows that look out into the South China Sea. There are capsule like seats for 2 that offer a somewhat quirky dining experience.
Crispy Cuttlefish - Nicely seasoned but the flour coating was a tad too thick for my liking and so was the oil content. Makes you sick after a while.
Pork Belly Char Siew - The BBQ pork belly had a proportionate fat to meat ratio which made for great texture. However, the meat was rather bland and lacked any sweetness that I would usually associate with char siew.
Roasted Pork Belly - Although I love my sio bak, this was honestly a little hard to stomach and both of us were struggling to finish all 12 cubes of it. Sure, the skin was crispy but it was a tad too thick and dry for my liking. Also, as with the char siew, the meat was almost tasteless. A little more salt perhaps?
Pork & Century Egg Congee - Apart from the sticky texture of porridge that I personally like, this dish was average tasting with quantity of ingredients bordering on miserly.
Prawn with Crab Meat - Generous serving of prawns and crab meat stuffed within the crispy deep fried shell but strangely enough, there was a rather strong ginger aftertaste which I didn't like. Thank god for mayonnaise.
Sweet Corn Cake - This was the first time seeing sweet corn cake on a dim sum menu so thought it would be interesting to give it a go. Alas, it tasted like normal carrot cake with sweet corn and tiny bits of Chinese sausage embedded within. Texture wasn't exactly smooth but overall still palatable.
Chee Cheong Fun -The chee cheong fun came in 3 varieties of filling - char siew, scallop and prawn. For starters, the cheong fun was a little too thick but I was impressed by the generous amounts of scallop and char siew within. This was one of the rare occasions where I could actually make out the texture and taste of the scallop wrapped within. That said, the prawn filling was rather underwhelming though.
Siew Mai - Served with a slice of topshell, the siew mai was decent without coming across as too oily.
Har Gao - Instead of the de facto prawn taste that I was expecting, the har gao tasted overwhelming of vegetables instead. And the thicker than expected skin didn't help matters.
Mini Egg Tartlets - After the repertoire of dismal dim sum items, we almost gave up but decided to give the egg tarts a shot. It was decent without the custard being cloyingly sweet whilst the pastry had a nice flaky texture but lacked the oven baked taste that I personally like.
Even with 7 items at 50% off, the two of us still managed to chalk up a bill of $94, which is terribly expensive for the quality of food. Service and ambience is great but that hardly justifies the ridiculous price tag. So much for the positive online reviews.
See all my pictures here.
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Ever wondered why Cordon Bleu is a chicken dish? I was puzzled when the friendly server kept asking me if I wanted that.. I always associated Cordon Bleu with a spirited drink and perhaps an alcohol laced dish, but this is neither.
We wanted to eat at a queueless place and this is all we got on a weekday evening. Though the space is large and seats plentiful, staff is low as such service is rather draggy, though we could understand and with good control of our hunger pangs and some patience, we managed to get a seat after waiting for about 10 mins. The place was large and there are plenty seats but the staff is but 2 lady and a guy yet, the lady who served us with super huge eyes is efficient, friendly and speaks very fast.
We ordered their speciality, fish and chips and cordon bleu chicken as promoted to us by the big eyed girl! It was a set meal and we both had fizzy peach to go with our meals. The soup of the day, a savoury and creamy mushroom soup with bits of mushrooms is yummy and smooth.
Shortly the cordon bleu chicken arrived. The chicken is a cheese and ham sandwiched breast meat of 2 pieces of chicken on a bed of mashed potatoes with sauteed mushroom and picked radish by the side complete with a bed of tossed greens drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The meat is a little too tough for my taste as I expected the filling to be more tender and juicy but it ain't. The mash is yummy and mushroom appetizing.
Fish and chip is served over tossed greens drizzled with the ever yummy balsamic vinegar. Though I hope they used less batter and more fish, the fish is tender and fresh with no fishy breaths.
The meal ended with a good note of the staff quickly clearing our table and topping up our ice water. It was a good experience and price is pretty worth for the portion. The seats are comfy and spacious able to house big groups however situated kindoff in the middle of nowhere, there is not much privacy, rather great for casual chit chats. Dessert choices were very few and the menu is rather confusing to read as its kinda in the form of a newsletter. So always ask the opinion of the staff on what is nice and they usually serve up a good meal for you.
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