My Humble House, part of the prestigious Tung Lok Group and helmed by celebrity chef Sam Leong, is also one of the few restaurants in Singapore that made the top 100 list of British Food Magazine "Restaurant". The hype alone made a visit to the place necessary and we finally conquered the management to grant us photo taking rights during their 5th Anniversary celebration held recently. The celebration promised free flow buffets of Foie Gras, Scallops, Lobsters, Wagyu beef and wine which sounded way too tempting to decline, and so, we went.
The interior was impressive and nicely designed in a chic and slick way. Prepare for an assault on your visual senses as you step into a totally different environment filled with soft lighting, mainly white and black furniture and a combination of sensual candlelight with moving, colored displays. Relaxed would have been the word if not for the fact that the cocktail reception method required us to stand throughout our meals. The place was also packed with people as they mingled and networked throughout the reception, more interested in connections then the actual food prepared. That said, the reception was done such that portions were served for almost all items except dessert, which is either a boon or a bane depending or personal preferences, for this reviewer, it was a bane as the portions served were minuscule and requests for more servings were met with strange looks.
Peking Duck - I found the pancake tasting too much of egg and the skin a little too fatty for my tastes. Its also practically tasteless since i did not return for subsequent helpings and the long queue did not help one bit.
Shrimp, Chicken Meat and Pork - The moment you enter, you'll notice young ladies carrying trays of food asking you to try one of the items above. Each item was well made and tasted wonderful in bite sized portions. However, you need to be quick to catch them before they walk off again to serve others.
Foie Gras (Goose liver) - The item with the longest queue was the Foie Gras. Somehow, i was expecting a steady flow of this item from the kitchen but that was not to be. It was prepared piece by piece on a small grilling plate in plain view and everybody queued up for this. It also frequently ran out of stock and people had to wait even longer for them to prepare the item again. Taste wise, its average at best with the pan frying and batter being unevenly cooked at parts and the foie gras itself less smooth then other offerings i've had before. Decent but not worth waiting for.
A picture of the wines offered - Do not be deceived. You do not get to bring bottles of wine home. The 'free flow' is indeed true but limited to only small tastes at a time. There were a few really good wines distributed among the 6 counters, each touting wines of different origins but these were mostly commercial ventures instead of free providers. Basically, each tasting session is accompanied by a brief introduction of the wine and where you can get it, asking for more is possible but still nets you less then half a glass which may or may not be a good thing. For me, i love wine, be it red or white and i love champagne, so when i ask for more, i mean more. Not another few drops in my already diminishing glass. Nonetheless, i do not deny they had a few pretty good offerings.
Wagyu Beef - The wagyu beef, one of the main draws for attending the celebration. Its served in bite sized pieces yet again and done medium well. The above actually shows the beef in super zoom and after asking for bigger portions twice. It is that small and i'm not kidding. The counter also happens to be one of the least occupied which meant our group frequented it the a lot. I counted at least 10 trips to that counter alone and still it did not fill me up. Taste wise, i could not discern if it was indeed wagyu because the texture and meat quality seems average. The thai sauce also took plenty of focus away from the meat, leaving us wondering if it was beef or pork we just had. Its decent but debatable.
Chocolate Fondant - One of the few desserts prepared on the spot as the rest were cakes (Badly made ones too.) The fondant was nothing special as the cake was tasteless and quivery. The molten chocolate also felt rather tasteless as it was neither sweet nor bitter.
Space @ My Humble House - We adjourned to the second location after much disappointment wishing for a glimmer of hope and a glimpse of the promised lobster.
Crispy Chicken Rice - One of the better items for the day, the crispy chicken rice used rice crispies akin to Kellog's corn flakes and added chicken shreds with an assortment of wolfberries and greens. Soup was then added to the concoction and served. I've never had this before so it came as a surprise, a pleasant one at that. Crunchy and fragrant with the usual Hainanese chicken rice taste. Worth a try.
Lobster Po Piah - Wondering where the lobster was? Its right here! In the popiah. It didn't surprise me in the least that the portion of lobster meat present in them was pathetic since it seems to be the order of the day at Humble House so far. The popiah was nicely done but i could not taste much of the lobster even after we took out the lobster meat itself. Another attempt at cost cutting? Bravo!
After the event, all i could feel was the pinch at having spent $80 for this 'celebration'. Sure, we were full but i'm sure we didn't even come close to covering our cost for eating here. At best, the portions i had could have been $35 worth of food. Perhaps the hype was too much and we expected more from this prestigious place, but judging on this event alone, the food was average at best and the servings were meager and stingy. Also, having to queue for food when i've paid $80 is unheard of and silly. To be fair, i've heard that the normal offerings are of a higher quality and usually, mass production simply does not produce good results in terms of food. However, that does not change the fact that the event could have been managed better and the guests taken better care of. Portions should have been bigger and given more readily when asked and seats should have been given. And although, everything promised by the marketing department was given, the should not give the impression of trying to scrimp and save on the offerings by cutting corners and making people wait. The overall experience has not been a good one and i will be hard pressed to find a reason to return.
Having eaten at Waraku (Katong Village) before, I decided to recommend a couple of friends to their outlet at Marina Square. The experience was quite different from what I would have expected.
Firstly, the location was rather off, being tucked in a far away corner along the outside of Marina Square (facing the main road between Marina Square and Millenia Walk).
Secondly, the queue that night was quite long, and we ended up waiting for almost an hour just for a table.
Next thing was the service, which I thought was much better back in the Katong outlet. Over in Marina Square, the staff was slightly less attentive, especially with the ocha. Granted that this outlet is alot bigger and busier, but I believe more effort should be placed into it's customer service. Even the usual Japanese greeting (easily heard in almost every Japanese eating outlet now) was missing. Not that I would want to hear it for the millionth time, but it does make a difference.
Having said all those, the food was quite up to standard. Variety is definitely good, but that should not be the only basis of comparism since all Waraku outlets share the same menu. The food was served rather quickly, so there was no need to wait long for food. Taste-wise, the food was similar to what I tasted before.
Go for their set meals only if you can really eat or if you are hungry. The portions are BIG. Good for value of course. Do try their noodles of course. Wide variety to choose from that can definitely satisfy your tastebuds. The sashimi platter is also good, offering a variety of fresh fish, served on a large platter of ice.
Prices are slightly steep, especially their sashimi. Noodles go for around S$10, and set meals up till about S$20. Still decent and affordable by most standards, unless you are really into sashimi and other premium stuff. If you enjoy japanese food, I'm sure the prices are affordable if you compared them to other restaurants like Sushi Tei.
All in all, I must say that although I enjoyed the food at Waraku, I would think twice about going to this particular outlet. I'd still prefer to travel down to the other outlets for their food.
There are a total of 5 outlets. More information available at http://www.waraku.com.sg/.
Pu Tian is a region in China's Fujian province, and is the hometown for most Heng Hwa (Xin Hua) people who come from China.
Aptly named after this region, Pu Tian (Xin Hua) Cai Guan serves traditional and tasty Heng Hwa food. Being of Heng Hwa origin, this restaurant has become on of the frequent weekend lunch hangouts for my family.
Food served at the restaurant is relatively cheap, and the food is rather tasty. Some ingredients such as their bamboo clams, or 'tang' (pronounced 'teh-ng'), are flown in specially from the region itself, and are available only certain seasons.
Do try the traditional Heng Hwa Bee Hoon/Mee Sua/ Loh Mee. These three staples are the very soul of Heng Hwa cuisine, and a definite must-try. Also, their Bamboo Prawns (Prawns cooks in a herbal soup served in a bamboo container) never fails to satisfy my taste buds. Cooked in a light herbal soup, the fresh prawns taste exceptionally sweet. The fried Ma Jiao Yu (horse mackerel fish) is also one of the better traditional dishes. The fish is sliced and fried as it is, with hardly any seasoning. Great natural taste, and never over-fried.
The restaurant has been renovated before, and the classy settings does give a different feeling to eating simple home-cooked food. Prices are relatively cheap considering the ambience, and service is good too. Do drop by to take a look and have a meal. You won't regret.
Nicely renovated place and seats looked comfortable. Wonderful staffs at the reception who asked for our permission and preference of where to seat. When we first saw the menu we were like at a loss of what to order as everything looked nice. Sashimi were in big cuts and fresh. Food taste above average. I ordered Chicken Katsu with egg set meal which tasted great with the tender meat although the skin was a tad too salty. Serving portions were large and definitely counts as a good meal. The place is very suitable for family or small group outings.
Cons:
Very small seats and place. 5 of us had to squeeze into seats meant for 4 people. That is not much of a problem usually however, out of 5, 4 of us were bigger in size. We were served by the manager there who totally spoiled our mood for the meal. Not only he seemed impatient when taking our orders. He kept shouting out orders to his people WHILE taking our orders and at a point, even left our table while one of us was still giving orders.
A different way of ordering Japanese Cuisine. People brings a metal can with their table number and goes around looking at the food on display. For sushi-in-plate, people simply take whatever they wanted. For drinks, main dishes and desserts, people will take the ice-cream sticks assigned for each item then bring them to the counter for ordering. Zen, Japanese village-like decorations in the restaurants gave us a warm feeling. Good customer service where almost all the staffs there are full of smiles and are polite. One does not have to wait for too long to be served. Price is not expensive if one just order sushi in a plate which cost 99cents per plate. This is cheaper than other Japanese restaurants. Offers unique dishes like Rose bud tea, one of a kind Tempura and desserts. Had the chocolate mousse cake, curry udon and mango ice. Simply love the mousse cake which although is a bit hard in texture, is great tasting and not too sweet.
Cons:
Sushi taste just abit above average however, its compensated by the lower price. Main dishes like curry udon, tempura, chicken karaage (salty) are a tad more expensive than other places although there is no significant difference in the portion. Staffs should explain more of the order procedure to customers on sitting.
When I first ate at Canton Wok some 2 years ago, it was housed in a non air conditioned coffeeshop in Serangoon and prices were relatively reasonable. 2 years on, we are at its new premises along Joo Chiat Road for dinner. Canton Wok is now housed in a refurbished old bungalow which can seat more people than its previous shop space at Serangoon. Its air conditioned too by the way, unless you opt to sit outside together with the cars. After a quick browse of the menu, we ordered the Bacon Prawn Rolls with Mayonnaise Cream, Beancurd with Scallops, Double Taste Pork Ribs and the Stir Fried Xiao Bai Miao(?)(someone please ID this vegetable for me, I forgot the name. Thanks!), which wasn't in the menu.
The Bacon Prawn Rolls with Mayonnaise Cream was essentially prawns wrapped in bacon with mayonnaise added to it. Nothing too special about it, but I liked it because the mayonnaise made the whole dish a little creamy and complemented the saltiness of the bacon. A pity about the small prawns used and the ridiculously small portion. Next up was the Beancurd with Scallops, which was soft and silky, but it had quite a strong raw taste due to the scallops. Which leads me to the scallops. There were but a few strands present in the gravy, which I didn't notice until we had finished all the tofu.
The Double Taste Pork Ribs sounded interesting, but it was merely one small serving of Coffee Pork Ribs and another small serving of your normal Pork Ribs. Both renditions were very well done though. Of notable mention is the Coffee Pork Ribs, which was very well seasoned and had a strong coffee taste, unlike the one I had at Szechuan Court. The meat was also tender and cooked to perfection. Our greens for the day was the Stir Fried Xiao Bai Miao(?)(As above, someone please ID this vegetable for me, I forgot the name. Thanks!) It was particularly fragrant and the gravy exceptionally tasty, so much so that all of us suspected that it had been fried in pork lard, although we couldn't visually detect any traces of it. So if you are health conscious, you might just want to steer clear.
Dinner for 4 pax came up to $60.06 after a 20% discount, which isn't very expensive, but the portions were a tad dainty for 4. 3 pax would have been a better bet. Although the food is good, I don't think I'll be back in the absence of the 20% discount unless I'm feeling rich.
If you ever take a stroll down Telok Ayer Street on a quiet Sunday evening when most of the shops are closed, you will notice a small shop with a brightly lighted blue signboard which is packed with people. The signboard reads Bee Heong Palace Restaurant. Known to many of the older generation as one of the finer Hokkien restaurants around, it used to be located at PIL building along Cecil Street for quite a number of years, but has since shifted to its current smaller premises. On this sleepy evening, we were lucky to get a table without making reservations.
As mentioned earlier, the place is small. And by that, I mean cramp. You probably can fit about 30 people indoors and thats already a very generous estimate. I understand that they do have tables upstairs, but I didn't get a chance to go up, so no comments.
Haer Zhor - Prawn Rolls - This was probably one of the better dishes of the night. The skin was crispy and the filling had lots of bite due to the high proportion of minced meat. Here comes the problem. There was so much meat in the filling that I couldn't really make out any prawns except for small bits of shrimps hidden within the filling. Why call it Haer Zhor or Prawn Rolls when there hardly seem to be any prawns around?
Hokkien Mee - As the name of this dish suggests, its a must order when having Hokkien cuisine. The gravy appeared quite thick and starchy at first sight, but was in fact rather watery and tasted quite bland. The noodles tasted rather flat and didn't have the slight bitter aftertaste that I personally prefer. An above average rendition, but maybe I've eaten more than my fair share of Hokkien Mee to not be impressed by it.
Stir Fried Baby Kailan - The simplest dish, yet the dish I liked the best. Green and bursting with freshness, the Kailian was stir fried just right with oyster sauce, fried onions and garlic. A no frills yet delightful dish.
Fish Maw Soup - he soup was easy on the starch but tasted quite normal. There were but a few slices of Fish Maw, but then again, what do you expect for a $3 a bowl soup? However, I would have liked it better if the slices of Fish Maw were slightly crispy, like the one I had at Beng Hiang.
Kong Ba Pao - The key to increasing your cholesterol level and waistline served in the disguise of a soft and fluffy Pao. We had a small serving of it and was disgusted. First of all, the meat was ridiculously fatty. I estimated about 75% of the meat was fats. 50% is still marginally acceptable, but 75%? I really don't wish to die of a heart attack before I'm 30. Secondly, the gravy, which plays a pivotal role in this dish, was bland. No matter how much gravy I splashed onto the Pao, the taste was still very sublime.
Dinner didn't cost us a cent because it was a treat from my mum's boss(many thanks!) who we happened to bump into at the restaurant, but judging from the listed prices in the menu, it would have come up to about $40 for 3 pax, which is rather inexpensive. To be fair, the food wasn't really up to standard, but I would probably give it another chance(I'll order other dishes of course) since it comes highly recommended by my mum, who has dined there quite a few times.
Operating in the coffeeshop on the ground floor of a HDB flat in Lorong 5 Toa Payoh, UNO Beef House is THE place for affordable and smack-a-licious western food.
They are definitely good for steak, and my personal favourite is their chicken chop served with black pepper sauce (you could request for mushroom sauce if you want something lighter). Also, the Fish'n'Chips offers a large portion of fish fillets with nice crispy fries that are just nicely salted.
You won't be disappointed by their side dishes as well. Potato lovers should give their mashed potatoes a go. Nicely shaped into a ball and lightly fried to give a nice texture to compliment the soft and warm inside, this has got to be one of the best ways to serve the potato. Next thing to try is their fried chicken wings. Lightly battered and fried to a nice golden-brown, their wings are definitely better then finger-licking-good. It's simply indescribeable.
Prices are definitely affordable, with the chicken and fish going for somewhere around S$5 or so, and steaks going at a slightly (and understandably) higher price of S$10 or so, depending on the cut you want. Yes, you get to choose which cut you want to suit your chewing habits.
Of course, if you want to aviod the long waiting time when taking-away, feel free to give the friendly staff a call, and you can get your food by the time you get there, piping hot. But I'd advise you to aviod taking-away if you want to give their steak a go because I think it still tastes better eaten there with the hot-plate.
With the new outlet(s) opening, I believe UNO would carry on serving cheap and good western food to all you hungry Singaporeans. Do drop by and give it a shot! I'll probably be having that for dinner tonight.
Decided to try some traditional Hokkien cuisine and where better to try it than the famous Beng Hiang Restaurant. It is renowned for it's excellent culinary skills in Hokkien fare and it is no secret that even UOB's chairman and CEO, Mr Wee Cho Yaw, dines there frequently. We made a reservation for 2000hrs and got there about 5 mins late and believe me when I say this, the place was packed to the brim with people and the place had at least 40 tables! Thank goodness we had a reservation.
Our orders were taken promptly and we had most of their signature dishes, (We would have liked to try more, but our stomachs and pockets were constrained)which included - Ngo Hiang with Har Cho, Hokkien Mee, Oyster Omelette, Kong Ba Pao and Fish Maw Soup.
The Ngo Hiang with Har Cho was very good. The Ngo Hiang was very cripsy and crunchy while the Har Cho was crispy and filled with shrimps. The Har Cho went well with the plum sauce provided. Very fresh with no taste of reused oil at all, unlike others that I have tried. The Hokkien Mee was tasty with the gravy a little starchy and the Mee chewy and eggy. This is something different from the usual Hokkien Mee which is often very oily. Oyster Omelettes are usually soft, so it came as a surprise when the Oyster Omelette served was thin and crispy which was just heavenly. The oysters were also larger than the small ones you get outside.
Delicious doesn't even begin to describe the Fish Maw Soup. It looked and tasted a little like sharks fin soup except that it had fish maw and egg in it. Thick, marginally starchy and full of flavour. This is one thing you definitely have to try. The Kong Ba Pao was also nicely done. The Kong Ba was evenly layered and it was melt in your mouth kind of tender. I usually have reservations about eating such high cholesteral food, but now I'm a convert!
Overall it cost us about $80 for 5 pax, which all of us unanimously agreed that it was worth the money and that the food was good. Don't bring your date for a romantic dinner though, because it's heck of a noisy there, unless the both of you are just looking for good food. I will unbashedly declare that I'll be back to try the other dishes, namely the suckling pig. And oh yes, there's no service charge as well, which is a plus. Try this place out, you won't regret it.
Twas the night before Christmas and most restaurants were fully booked for the yuletide season. I got lucky and managed to squeeze in a table at IL Lido, which incidentally was the venue of my last Christmas dinner. To see my previous writeup on IL Lido, click here. On a side note, I realised that there was a downsizing in the number of courses from 5 last year to 4 this year. So much for inflation.
The interior was as I had remembered it to be, simple yet oozing unadulterated chic. I did find the spacing between tables a lot narrower now (maybe I just expanded horizontally), which made eavesdropping an interesting after dinner pastime (pun intended). The outdoor seating promises a view of the Singapore Straits and if you are lucky, some cooling breeze. The interior on the other hand, is filled with nice cool air but comes without much of a view.
Complimentary Bread - I am pleased to say that the complimentary bread was still up to standard. Thin and crispy with lots of bite, it helped us quash our hunger as we waited for the dishes to be served.
Home Made Tagliolini with Live Lobster and Green Asparagus Tips - I wasn't too impressed by this dish as the texture of the Taglionlini tasted like wanton noodles to me. That's not to say that it wasn't good though, coming across as springy, full of bite and light on the palate. Something could be done about the sweetness of the lobster though.
Goose Liver with Pears and Marsala Wine Sauce - I'm no expert in foie gras but I do feel that it could have been more quivery and smooth. However, on a lighter note, it went very well with the pear and marsala wine sauce, which by nature was fairly sweet.
Roast Turkey Stuffed with Pancetta and Truffle, Apple and Chestnut Puree - For mains, you either get the turkey or the cod and since I'm not a fan of fish, I chose the former. The turkey was a delight if I may say so, with the meat tender and juicy and the stuffing of pancetta, truffle, apple and chestnut puree adding a nice touch of sweetness and texture. Pity about the small serving.
Pan Roasted Atlantic Cod with Porcini Mushrooms and Potato Cream - This was probably one of the weirdest cod fish that I've ever tasted to date. Firstly, it reeked of the raw fish taste that I personally dislike and secondly, the flesh tasted very soft and mashed up, which together with the equally soft potato cream, made me nauseous.
Chocolate Souffle with Wild Berries and Caramel Sauce - Aesthetically pleasing, the chocolate souffle came served under an intricate red basket made of sugar. The crust of the souffle was a little soft and pudding like, which was quite a bummer but as I broke into it, mounds of chocolate oozed out. Simply decadent!
I would have hoped that with the parring down of the menu for the same price, food quality would have stayed consistent or even gone up a notch. However, this was obviously not the case, with dinner merely slightly above average and weighing in at $245 with a glass of dessert wine. I'll probably be trying somewhere else next year.
1=SGD 0.0587
My Humble House, part of the prestigious Tung Lok Group and helmed by celebrity chef Sam Leong, is also one of the few restaurants in Singapore that made the top 100 list of British Food Magazine "Restaurant". The hype alone made a visit to the place necessary and we finally conquered the management to grant us photo taking rights during their 5th Anniversary celebration held recently. The celebration promised free flow buffets of Foie Gras, Scallops, Lobsters, Wagyu beef and wine which sounded way too tempting to decline, and so, we went.
The interior was impressive and nicely designed in a chic and slick way. Prepare for an assault on your visual senses as you step into a totally different environment filled with soft lighting, mainly white and black furniture and a combination of sensual candlelight with moving, colored displays. Relaxed would have been the word if not for the fact that the cocktail reception method required us to stand throughout our meals. The place was also packed with people as they mingled and networked throughout the reception, more interested in connections then the actual food prepared. That said, the reception was done such that portions were served for almost all items except dessert, which is either a boon or a bane depending or personal preferences, for this reviewer, it was a bane as the portions served were minuscule and requests for more servings were met with strange looks.
Peking Duck - I found the pancake tasting too much of egg and the skin a little too fatty for my tastes. Its also practically tasteless since i did not return for subsequent helpings and the long queue did not help one bit.
Shrimp, Chicken Meat and Pork - The moment you enter, you'll notice young ladies carrying trays of food asking you to try one of the items above. Each item was well made and tasted wonderful in bite sized portions. However, you need to be quick to catch them before they walk off again to serve others.
Foie Gras (Goose liver) - The item with the longest queue was the Foie Gras. Somehow, i was expecting a steady flow of this item from the kitchen but that was not to be. It was prepared piece by piece on a small grilling plate in plain view and everybody queued up for this. It also frequently ran out of stock and people had to wait even longer for them to prepare the item again. Taste wise, its average at best with the pan frying and batter being unevenly cooked at parts and the foie gras itself less smooth then other offerings i've had before. Decent but not worth waiting for.
A picture of the wines offered - Do not be deceived. You do not get to bring bottles of wine home. The 'free flow' is indeed true but limited to only small tastes at a time. There were a few really good wines distributed among the 6 counters, each touting wines of different origins but these were mostly commercial ventures instead of free providers. Basically, each tasting session is accompanied by a brief introduction of the wine and where you can get it, asking for more is possible but still nets you less then half a glass which may or may not be a good thing. For me, i love wine, be it red or white and i love champagne, so when i ask for more, i mean more. Not another few drops in my already diminishing glass. Nonetheless, i do not deny they had a few pretty good offerings.
Wagyu Beef - The wagyu beef, one of the main draws for attending the celebration. Its served in bite sized pieces yet again and done medium well. The above actually shows the beef in super zoom and after asking for bigger portions twice. It is that small and i'm not kidding. The counter also happens to be one of the least occupied which meant our group frequented it the a lot. I counted at least 10 trips to that counter alone and still it did not fill me up. Taste wise, i could not discern if it was indeed wagyu because the texture and meat quality seems average. The thai sauce also took plenty of focus away from the meat, leaving us wondering if it was beef or pork we just had. Its decent but debatable.
Chocolate Fondant - One of the few desserts prepared on the spot as the rest were cakes (Badly made ones too.) The fondant was nothing special as the cake was tasteless and quivery. The molten chocolate also felt rather tasteless as it was neither sweet nor bitter.
Space @ My Humble House - We adjourned to the second location after much disappointment wishing for a glimmer of hope and a glimpse of the promised lobster.
Crispy Chicken Rice - One of the better items for the day, the crispy chicken rice used rice crispies akin to Kellog's corn flakes and added chicken shreds with an assortment of wolfberries and greens. Soup was then added to the concoction and served. I've never had this before so it came as a surprise, a pleasant one at that. Crunchy and fragrant with the usual Hainanese chicken rice taste. Worth a try.
Lobster Po Piah - Wondering where the lobster was? Its right here! In the popiah. It didn't surprise me in the least that the portion of lobster meat present in them was pathetic since it seems to be the order of the day at Humble House so far. The popiah was nicely done but i could not taste much of the lobster even after we took out the lobster meat itself. Another attempt at cost cutting? Bravo!
After the event, all i could feel was the pinch at having spent $80 for this 'celebration'. Sure, we were full but i'm sure we didn't even come close to covering our cost for eating here. At best, the portions i had could have been $35 worth of food. Perhaps the hype was too much and we expected more from this prestigious place, but judging on this event alone, the food was average at best and the servings were meager and stingy. Also, having to queue for food when i've paid $80 is unheard of and silly. To be fair, i've heard that the normal offerings are of a higher quality and usually, mass production simply does not produce good results in terms of food.
However, that does not change the fact that the event could have been managed better and the guests taken better care of. Portions should have been bigger and given more readily when asked and seats should have been given. And although, everything promised by the marketing department was given, the should not give the impression of trying to scrimp and save on the offerings by cutting corners and making people wait. The overall experience has not been a good one and i will be hard pressed to find a reason to return.
Rating given:
Having eaten at Waraku (Katong Village) before, I decided to recommend a couple of friends to their outlet at Marina Square. The experience was quite different from what I would have expected.
Firstly, the location was rather off, being tucked in a far away corner along the outside of Marina Square (facing the main road between Marina Square and Millenia Walk).
Secondly, the queue that night was quite long, and we ended up waiting for almost an hour just for a table.
Next thing was the service, which I thought was much better back in the Katong outlet. Over in Marina Square, the staff was slightly less attentive, especially with the ocha. Granted that this outlet is alot bigger and busier, but I believe more effort should be placed into it's customer service. Even the usual Japanese greeting (easily heard in almost every Japanese eating outlet now) was missing. Not that I would want to hear it for the millionth time, but it does make a difference.
Having said all those, the food was quite up to standard. Variety is definitely good, but that should not be the only basis of comparism since all Waraku outlets share the same menu. The food was served rather quickly, so there was no need to wait long for food. Taste-wise, the food was similar to what I tasted before.
Go for their set meals only if you can really eat or if you are hungry. The portions are BIG. Good for value of course. Do try their noodles of course. Wide variety to choose from that can definitely satisfy your tastebuds. The sashimi platter is also good, offering a variety of fresh fish, served on a large platter of ice.
Prices are slightly steep, especially their sashimi. Noodles go for around S$10, and set meals up till about S$20. Still decent and affordable by most standards, unless you are really into sashimi and other premium stuff. If you enjoy japanese food, I'm sure the prices are affordable if you compared them to other restaurants like Sushi Tei.
All in all, I must say that although I enjoyed the food at Waraku, I would think twice about going to this particular outlet. I'd still prefer to travel down to the other outlets for their food.
There are a total of 5 outlets. More information available at http://www.waraku.com.sg/.
Rating given:
Pu Tian is a region in China's Fujian province, and is the hometown for most Heng Hwa (Xin Hua) people who come from China.
Aptly named after this region, Pu Tian (Xin Hua) Cai Guan serves traditional and tasty Heng Hwa food. Being of Heng Hwa origin, this restaurant has become on of the frequent weekend lunch hangouts for my family.
Food served at the restaurant is relatively cheap, and the food is rather tasty. Some ingredients such as their bamboo clams, or 'tang' (pronounced 'teh-ng'), are flown in specially from the region itself, and are available only certain seasons.
Do try the traditional Heng Hwa Bee Hoon/Mee Sua/ Loh Mee. These three staples are the very soul of Heng Hwa cuisine, and a definite must-try. Also, their Bamboo Prawns (Prawns cooks in a herbal soup served in a bamboo container) never fails to satisfy my taste buds. Cooked in a light herbal soup, the fresh prawns taste exceptionally sweet. The fried Ma Jiao Yu (horse mackerel fish) is also one of the better traditional dishes. The fish is sliced and fried as it is, with hardly any seasoning. Great natural taste, and never over-fried.
The restaurant has been renovated before, and the classy settings does give a different feeling to eating simple home-cooked food. Prices are relatively cheap considering the ambience, and service is good too. Do drop by to take a look and have a meal. You won't regret.
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Pros:
Nicely renovated place and seats looked comfortable. Wonderful staffs at the reception who asked for our permission and preference of where to seat. When we first saw the menu we were like at a loss of what to order as everything looked nice. Sashimi were in big cuts and fresh. Food taste above average. I ordered Chicken Katsu with egg set meal which tasted great with the tender meat although the skin was a tad too salty. Serving portions were large and definitely counts as a good meal. The place is very suitable for family or small group outings.
Cons:
Very small seats and place. 5 of us had to squeeze into seats meant for 4 people. That is not much of a problem usually however, out of 5, 4 of us were bigger in size.
We were served by the manager there who totally spoiled our mood for the meal. Not only he seemed impatient when taking our orders. He kept shouting out orders to his people WHILE taking our orders and at a point, even left our table while one of us was still giving orders.
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Pros:
A different way of ordering Japanese Cuisine. People brings a metal can with their table number and goes around looking at the food on display. For sushi-in-plate, people simply take whatever they wanted. For drinks, main dishes and desserts, people will take the ice-cream sticks assigned for each item then bring them to the counter for ordering. Zen, Japanese village-like decorations in the restaurants gave us a warm feeling. Good customer service where almost all the staffs there are full of smiles and are polite. One does not have to wait for too long to be served. Price is not expensive if one just order sushi in a plate which cost 99cents per plate. This is cheaper than other Japanese restaurants. Offers unique dishes like Rose bud tea, one of a kind Tempura and desserts. Had the chocolate mousse cake, curry udon and mango ice. Simply love the mousse cake which although is a bit hard in texture, is great tasting and not too sweet.
Cons:
Sushi taste just abit above average however, its compensated by the lower price. Main dishes like curry udon, tempura, chicken karaage (salty) are a tad more expensive than other places although there is no significant difference in the portion. Staffs should explain more of the order procedure to customers on sitting.
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When I first ate at Canton Wok some 2 years ago, it was housed in a non air conditioned coffeeshop in Serangoon and prices were relatively reasonable. 2 years on, we are at its new premises along Joo Chiat Road for dinner. Canton Wok is now housed in a refurbished old bungalow which can seat more people than its previous shop space at Serangoon. Its air conditioned too by the way, unless you opt to sit outside together with the cars. After a quick browse of the menu, we ordered the Bacon Prawn Rolls with Mayonnaise Cream, Beancurd with Scallops, Double Taste Pork Ribs and the Stir Fried Xiao Bai Miao(?)(someone please ID this vegetable for me, I forgot the name. Thanks!), which wasn't in the menu.
The Bacon Prawn Rolls with Mayonnaise Cream was essentially prawns wrapped in bacon with mayonnaise added to it. Nothing too special about it, but I liked it because the mayonnaise made the whole dish a little creamy and complemented the saltiness of the bacon. A pity about the small prawns used and the ridiculously small portion. Next up was the Beancurd with Scallops, which was soft and silky, but it had quite a strong raw taste due to the scallops. Which leads me to the scallops. There were but a few strands present in the gravy, which I didn't notice until we had finished all the tofu.
The Double Taste Pork Ribs sounded interesting, but it was merely one small serving of Coffee Pork Ribs and another small serving of your normal Pork Ribs. Both renditions were very well done though. Of notable mention is the Coffee Pork Ribs, which was very well seasoned and had a strong coffee taste, unlike the one I had at Szechuan Court. The meat was also tender and cooked to perfection. Our greens for the day was the Stir Fried Xiao Bai Miao(?)(As above, someone please ID this vegetable for me, I forgot the name. Thanks!) It was particularly fragrant and the gravy exceptionally tasty, so much so that all of us suspected that it had been fried in pork lard, although we couldn't visually detect any traces of it. So if you are health conscious, you might just want to steer clear.
Dinner for 4 pax came up to $60.06 after a 20% discount, which isn't very expensive, but the portions were a tad dainty for 4. 3 pax would have been a better bet. Although the food is good, I don't think I'll be back in the absence of the 20% discount unless I'm feeling rich.
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If you ever take a stroll down Telok Ayer Street on a quiet Sunday evening when most of the shops are closed, you will notice a small shop with a brightly lighted blue signboard which is packed with people. The signboard reads Bee Heong Palace Restaurant. Known to many of the older generation as one of the finer Hokkien restaurants around, it used to be located at PIL building along Cecil Street for quite a number of years, but has since shifted to its current smaller premises. On this sleepy evening, we were lucky to get a table without making reservations.
As mentioned earlier, the place is small. And by that, I mean cramp. You probably can fit about 30 people indoors and thats already a very generous estimate. I understand that they do have tables upstairs, but I didn't get a chance to go up, so no comments.
Haer Zhor - Prawn Rolls - This was probably one of the better dishes of the night. The skin was crispy and the filling had lots of bite due to the high proportion of minced meat. Here comes the problem. There was so much meat in the filling that I couldn't really make out any prawns except for small bits of shrimps hidden within the filling. Why call it Haer Zhor or Prawn Rolls when there hardly seem to be any prawns around?
Hokkien Mee - As the name of this dish suggests, its a must order when having Hokkien cuisine. The gravy appeared quite thick and starchy at first sight, but was in fact rather watery and tasted quite bland. The noodles tasted rather flat and didn't have the slight bitter aftertaste that I personally prefer. An above average rendition, but maybe I've eaten more than my fair share of Hokkien Mee to not be impressed by it.
Stir Fried Baby Kailan - The simplest dish, yet the dish I liked the best. Green and bursting with freshness, the Kailian was stir fried just right with oyster sauce, fried onions and garlic. A no frills yet delightful dish.
Fish Maw Soup - he soup was easy on the starch but tasted quite normal. There were but a few slices of Fish Maw, but then again, what do you expect for a $3 a bowl soup? However, I would have liked it better if the slices of Fish Maw were slightly crispy, like the one I had at Beng Hiang.
Kong Ba Pao - The key to increasing your cholesterol level and waistline served in the disguise of a soft and fluffy Pao. We had a small serving of it and was disgusted. First of all, the meat was ridiculously fatty. I estimated about 75% of the meat was fats. 50% is still marginally acceptable, but 75%? I really don't wish to die of a heart attack before I'm 30. Secondly, the gravy, which plays a pivotal role in this dish, was bland. No matter how much gravy I splashed onto the Pao, the taste was still very sublime.
Dinner didn't cost us a cent because it was a treat from my mum's boss(many thanks!) who we happened to bump into at the restaurant, but judging from the listed prices in the menu, it would have come up to about $40 for 3 pax, which is rather inexpensive. To be fair, the food wasn't really up to standard, but I would probably give it another chance(I'll order other dishes of course) since it comes highly recommended by my mum, who has dined there quite a few times.
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Operating in the coffeeshop on the ground floor of a HDB flat in Lorong 5 Toa Payoh, UNO Beef House is THE place for affordable and smack-a-licious western food.
They are definitely good for steak, and my personal favourite is their chicken chop served with black pepper sauce (you could request for mushroom sauce if you want something lighter). Also, the Fish'n'Chips offers a large portion of fish fillets with nice crispy fries that are just nicely salted.
You won't be disappointed by their side dishes as well. Potato lovers should give their mashed potatoes a go. Nicely shaped into a ball and lightly fried to give a nice texture to compliment the soft and warm inside, this has got to be one of the best ways to serve the potato. Next thing to try is their fried chicken wings. Lightly battered and fried to a nice golden-brown, their wings are definitely better then finger-licking-good. It's simply indescribeable.
Prices are definitely affordable, with the chicken and fish going for somewhere around S$5 or so, and steaks going at a slightly (and understandably) higher price of S$10 or so, depending on the cut you want. Yes, you get to choose which cut you want to suit your chewing habits.
Of course, if you want to aviod the long waiting time when taking-away, feel free to give the friendly staff a call, and you can get your food by the time you get there, piping hot. But I'd advise you to aviod taking-away if you want to give their steak a go because I think it still tastes better eaten there with the hot-plate.
With the new outlet(s) opening, I believe UNO would carry on serving cheap and good western food to all you hungry Singaporeans. Do drop by and give it a shot! I'll probably be having that for dinner tonight.
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Decided to try some traditional Hokkien cuisine and where better to try it than the famous Beng Hiang Restaurant. It is renowned for it's excellent culinary skills in Hokkien fare and it is no secret that even UOB's chairman and CEO, Mr Wee Cho Yaw, dines there frequently. We made a reservation for 2000hrs and got there about 5 mins late and believe me when I say this, the place was packed to the brim with people and the place had at least 40 tables! Thank goodness we had a reservation.
Our orders were taken promptly and we had most of their signature dishes, (We would have liked to try more, but our stomachs and pockets were constrained)which included - Ngo Hiang with Har Cho, Hokkien Mee, Oyster Omelette, Kong Ba Pao and Fish Maw Soup.
The Ngo Hiang with Har Cho was very good. The Ngo Hiang was very cripsy and crunchy while the Har Cho was crispy and filled with shrimps. The Har Cho went well with the plum sauce provided. Very fresh with no taste of reused oil at all, unlike others that I have tried. The Hokkien Mee was tasty with the gravy a little starchy and the Mee chewy and eggy. This is something different from the usual Hokkien Mee which is often very oily. Oyster Omelettes are usually soft, so it came as a surprise when the Oyster Omelette served was thin and crispy which was just heavenly. The oysters were also larger than the small ones you get outside.
Delicious doesn't even begin to describe the Fish Maw Soup. It looked and tasted a little like sharks fin soup except that it had fish maw and egg in it. Thick, marginally starchy and full of flavour. This is one thing you definitely have to try. The Kong Ba Pao was also nicely done. The Kong Ba was evenly layered and it was melt in your mouth kind of tender. I usually have reservations about eating such high cholesteral food, but now I'm a convert!
Overall it cost us about $80 for 5 pax, which all of us unanimously agreed that it was worth the money and that the food was good. Don't bring your date for a romantic dinner though, because it's heck of a noisy there, unless the both of you are just looking for good food. I will unbashedly declare that I'll be back to try the other dishes, namely the suckling pig. And oh yes, there's no service charge as well, which is a plus. Try this place out, you won't regret it.
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Twas the night before Christmas and most restaurants were fully booked for the yuletide season. I got lucky and managed to squeeze in a table at IL Lido, which incidentally was the venue of my last Christmas dinner. To see my previous writeup on IL Lido, click here. On a side note, I realised that there was a downsizing in the number of courses from 5 last year to 4 this year. So much for inflation.
The interior was as I had remembered it to be, simple yet oozing unadulterated chic. I did find the spacing between tables a lot narrower now (maybe I just expanded horizontally), which made eavesdropping an interesting after dinner pastime (pun intended). The outdoor seating promises a view of the Singapore Straits and if you are lucky, some cooling breeze. The interior on the other hand, is filled with nice cool air but comes without much of a view.
Complimentary Bread - I am pleased to say that the complimentary bread was still up to standard. Thin and crispy with lots of bite, it helped us quash our hunger as we waited for the dishes to be served.
Home Made Tagliolini with Live Lobster and Green Asparagus Tips - I wasn't too impressed by this dish as the texture of the Taglionlini tasted like wanton noodles to me. That's not to say that it wasn't good though, coming across as springy, full of bite and light on the palate. Something could be done about the sweetness of the lobster though.
Goose Liver with Pears and Marsala Wine Sauce - I'm no expert in foie gras but I do feel that it could have been more quivery and smooth. However, on a lighter note, it went very well with the pear and marsala wine sauce, which by nature was fairly sweet.
Roast Turkey Stuffed with Pancetta and Truffle, Apple and Chestnut Puree - For mains, you either get the turkey or the cod and since I'm not a fan of fish, I chose the former. The turkey was a delight if I may say so, with the meat tender and juicy and the stuffing of pancetta, truffle, apple and chestnut puree adding a nice touch of sweetness and texture. Pity about the small serving.
Pan Roasted Atlantic Cod with Porcini Mushrooms and Potato Cream - This was probably one of the weirdest cod fish that I've ever tasted to date. Firstly, it reeked of the raw fish taste that I personally dislike and secondly, the flesh tasted very soft and mashed up, which together with the equally soft potato cream, made me nauseous.
Chocolate Souffle with Wild Berries and Caramel Sauce - Aesthetically pleasing, the chocolate souffle came served under an intricate red basket made of sugar. The crust of the souffle was a little soft and pudding like, which was quite a bummer but as I broke into it, mounds of chocolate oozed out. Simply decadent!
I would have hoped that with the parring down of the menu for the same price, food quality would have stayed consistent or even gone up a notch. However, this was obviously not the case, with dinner merely slightly above average and weighing in at $245 with a glass of dessert wine. I'll probably be trying somewhere else next year.
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