I visited the national museum on a saturday afternoon as it is one of the open house days and am surprised by a flea market at the second level.
After browsing through the various stalls displaying their choice products and creation, I stopped by littlehouseofdreams because this is one stall that caught my eye. I was surprised by how they could make such a confined space of a small square table look so professional, interesting and products so appealing.
Dressed in a red polkadot table lining with white cake stands and wooden shelves. Yes, they are selling cakes, cup cakes and interestingly, jar cakes. Every cake is opened midway to allow customers to view the cross section of the cakes is a perfect idea. I'm surprised.... The insides of the cakes looked as perfect as the outside. Dressed neatly with dainty decorations outside with a soft hue of pink, these cakes appealed very much to the sweet nature of a girl. The flavors looked wonderful and I am most attracted to the carrot cake and chocolate rootbeer bundt because they look different from my previous carrot cake experiences and chocolate rootbeer bundt i've never tasted such a creation before.
The cupcakes looked dainty and lovely too... Very Pretty I must say and the Jar Cakes are what attracted me the most. I've never tasted a Jar Cake, its actually cake in a jar and the wooden shelve where they display these Jars made me curious of the taste. So I chose a funky flavor... Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge... I believe will be an ultimate bewildering experience for me.
After purchasing the cake and strolling around whatever that is left of the flea market, I proceeded outside to seat at the Foyer of the museum. My Curious kitty caught me there.. I must try the newly acquired JAR CAKE...
To my amazement, the inside looked as pretty as the outside. Upon popping the lid off, what greeted me was a swirl of cream with droplets of caramel. After admiring it for a while, I dipped my spoon in.. and yes... its a spoonful of whipped cream with droplets of caramel and chocolate fudge with a rich chocolate cake. The taste was overwhelming... I could taste the saltiness of the caramel, with the rich fudgy texture of the chocolate cake, which i find bouncy and lastly the soft fluffy cream. The balance was good, salty then sweet and a fluff, yet this small jar cake is filling and rich... So its good to share though its small as its very creamy.
I have an extremely good impression of the products, display and the enthusiastic staff that served me. If I have any parties, I think it would be such a luxury to have their cakes as part of the catering... Sure to UP the BLISS index :)
I had the opportunity to eat breakfast here during my staycation and I have to concur and say it is truly the most expansive (and expensive!) hotel buffet breakfast I have ever tried.
I started eating at 830am for 2 whole hours and yet did not manage to try everything - and I doubt anyone can. The selection is huge - Chinese, western, indian, korean, Japanese, local, breads, waffles & pancakes, fresh juices, cuppucinos & lattes etc. It is mind boggling how much food is there and how must goes to waste after that. Almost everything was of above average quality.
I'm just not sure if it is worth just going there to eat unless you're an in-house guest and your room includes breakfast, as it costs $46 ($56 after ) per pax on its own. Its almost too luxurious for breakfast.
It was time to re-visit Pan Pacific Singapore again after their refurbishment so I took the opportunity to have a staycation here with 2 friends - their Singapore Staycation package (only applicable for Singaporeans, PR) was a very good deal at $218 per night for a deluxe room which complete with breakfast for 2, $40 dining credit, late check out til 3pm, and complimentary parking.
CHECK IN - Arrived at 12noon (had informed the hotel prior) and was pleased that we could check in immediately. The hotel also kindly upgraded me to a Panoramic room after learning it was a special occasion. Check in was smooth and I was pleasantly surprised that offered a welcome drink complimentary.
ROOM - my room 2724 was nicely appointed but didnt feel as big as I thought it was, probably because the bathroom took up some space too. It was all very zen-ish with everything built in, including the wine glasses. The 2 single beds were very comfortable too. I wished there was a day bed instead of the resort looking chair which looked out of place. Coffee / tea sachets were available, and there was a Nespresso machine in the room which was very welcomed. Was also given some fruits and chocolates as a welcome amenity. Cleanliness was not a problem, and plenty of powerpoints for use. The good thing about having a Panoramic room that you access it using the external elevator which gives you a view everytime you go up and down (rooms at level 21 and below uses the internal lift).
SERVICE - Service in general throughout my stay was okay, except for one time where housekeeping forgot my request for an ice bucket. But otherwise nothing to complain about.
DINING - I had drinks at The Atrium in the early evening and found the place adequately staffed although the area was vast. Service was pleasant too. Breakfast at The Edge was crazy amounts of food and variety - all of rather high standards - thumbs up! I ate there for 2 whole hours and didnt even manage to try everything. Just not sure if its worth it to have breakfast here if your package doesnt include breakfast as it costs $56 per pax after taxes otherwise. I also spotted the staff at the coffee machine using expired milk to make a cappuccino and using bare hands to handle fruits meant for juicing so watch out.
LOCATION - the hotel is connected to Millennia Walk and Marina Square which in turn leds to Suntec City and further away, City Link, Esplanade, and finally Raffles City where City Hall MRT station is - everything is sheltered so no problem at exploring these places even if it rains.
CHECK OUT - Check out at 3pm was really slow. They have a system whereby you queue at a central queue and directed to an available counter once a slot opens up, much like a bank system. My check out took 15mins which I thought was a tad slow especially when I was rushing for my next appointment.
It was a great staycation nonetheless but this will be a great place for tourist wanting to do abit of shopping yet stay out of the blazing Singapore sun.
Love to hangout at this outlet on my non-working weekdays, though I find it always packed to the brim even for weekday brunches. It must be the super aromatic thick and traditional tasting coffee that brought the crowd...
I like the deco of the place, the old antique looking everyday living items they place all over the walls and shelves, made me feel like i'm in a 60s kopitiam. The music in the background is a soothing tune of the 60s oldies in a contemporary jazz rhythm, extremely alluring. I love to just seat and watch the uncle behind the counter make his coffee as steam arises and feels the air the potent caffeine fused aroma.
Love their traditional toast and half boiled eggs. The eggs are seriously the 'bigger' eggs and you sure feel full after having the eggs plus 2 slices of thinly sliced toast with kaya and cold storage butter which tasted very much like cheese to me :) Love the crispy slightly burnt toast and the sticky sensation of the kaya, slightly sweet yet balanced by the slightly salty hard creamy butter. The combination brings forth superb taste, right mix of crunchiness and softness and right mix of memories from your beloved childhood for some.
Its a good place to hang and service is pretty good. I once saw a guy who complained that his eggs were (1) cold, they changed for him a new set of eggs, (2) not cooked enough, they changed for him, (3) overcooked, they made a new batch for him. So for the patience and customer service its a 5 star :)
The place would be more comfortable if the seats werent placed so close and perhaps a larger entrance as the queue filled up the entrance and its really hard to move in or out :)
If you like handmade candies, then you will like sticky.... Freshly handmade and fully customizable. These candies unlike the regular off the shelf candies are brightly colored and full of flavor. Lots of interesting flavors to choose from and priced economically.
It takes a longer time to melt in your mouth because its almost 100% GULA GULA (Sugar). I love to watch them mold and make the candies... The thumping, the dragging of the sugar dough looks like it requires a man with super strong arms. The gloves are huge and thick and I can imagine how hot the sugar dough is. The smell of hot sugar somehow appeals to me...
Love their free flow of trial candies.. you can almost test every flavour before you buy them and they sell by 100grams.... My favourite flavors: Pomegranate, watermelon, strawberry and cream and bubblegummy!!!
Love the art of making candies, their demo, their customization and most importantly bringing live candy making into the heart of Singapore. Its an educational and fun service they offer.. Loving it :)
I had the opportunity to be entitled to their facebook promotion - buy main course and get free dessert plus unlimited wine (after 6pm daily except Tue and Fri) - what's not to like! So 3 of us made our way down on a Saturday evening expecting a crowd because of the promotion but were surprised.
Casserole is on level 3 and the lobby is on level 5 - take note. The name Cassrole actually doesnt quite hint of its morrocan / indian / Med cuisine but doesnt matter - we were there for the food.
The menu is not big, with most mains hovering around $30 - $45 which was unexpectedly affordable for a Shangri-La. We had 3 mains:
Crabmeat Masala ($30) - this was interesting combi of crabmeat - and it is really a huge dome of densely packed crabmeat - and some morrocan spices. The cashew nuts mixed into the meat provided a very nice crunch to the dish. It wasnt as savory as I expected it to be though. I would think this makes a a terrific paste on plain bread and toasted.
Curry chicken ($30) - obviously this is not the actual name on the menu: I forgot what is was so I had to randomly give a layman name. It came in a big pan of about 8 large pieces of chicken (de-boned), sitting in a pool of thick curry. For some reason, the dish is more sweet than savory but nonetheless the chicken was tender and very more-ish.
Morrocan baked fish ($30) - The smallest portion of the lot but the fish was super fresh. The accompanying sliced veg was crunchy, and the slightly tangy broth was very re-freshing.
Garden salad - this is served at all tables complimentary. I thought it was rather nice of them to make a proper salad than giving you the usual garden greens in thousand island - this had carrot, olives, rocket leaves, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, spinach, all tossed in a vinegrette sauce. And they make this on a side bar so you know where your salad comes from.
Dessert - the promo was supposed to come with dessert too but the chef apparently couldnt decide what to serve us so we were simply asked to help ourselves at the Silver Shells Cafe dessert buffet spread next door which worked for us.
Wines - they do really live up to the promo, although there was an initial confusion if we were entitled to wine at all. But there were no problem after all and they keep piling us with wine, both white and red. The wine was not the best I've had but with the promo, I'm not complaining.
It was a evening well spent, and each of us had at least the equivalent of 1 bottle of wine each. All in all, the bill was $101 for 3 of us - a deal you'd never ever get anywhere. Oh, and they have ice plastic to chill the wines instead of an ice bucket - very cute touch.
Popped by Bistro Du Vin's original outlet one sunny weekday afternoon for lunch with a couple of my colleagues. Promising to serve up honest to goodness classical French food, the restaurant is one of the many brand names under the Les Amis umbrella.
Located on the 2nd floor of Shaw Centre, Bistro Du Vin plays neighbour to a Vietnamese Restaurant and of course it's upmarket sibling, Les Amis. The interior is reminiscent of a typical French brasserie, from the red walls right down to the tiled floor. However, tables are spaced a little too close for comfort which makes normal conversations a tad difficult. Proper sound proofing is also lacking and the entire place sounds like a market when running at full capacity.
Complimentary Bread - The bread was a simple and simple crusty baguette served with orange butter. Pretty nice and a great way to stave off the hunger pangs.
Char Grilled Australian Angus Ribeye - This required a top up of $10 to the price of the set lunch but it was well worth it in my humble opinion. Done up medium as per my request, the meat was flavourful and juicy with hints of smokiness from the char grilling. The accompanying truffle mash ( $3 ) was smooth and fragrant as well and the truffle honestly helped elevate what would have been a boring, bland side of mash.
However, in a subsequent visit, I had the exact same thing and it was still good, just that the salt content was a little too high for my liking.
Walnut Tart - And for desserts I had a pretty good walnut tart - solid tart base with walnuts set amidst rich chocolate and caramel filling. Between this and the Pink Tiramisu which I had on my subsequent visit, I honestly preferred this (though the pink tiramisu was something different). Served up with a scoop of real vanilla bean ice cream.
The standard lunch set is a reasonable $30 but it is the top ups that really "upsize" the bill. Still, food quality is pretty decent and I especially like their steaks. Service is rather clinical and lacks warmth though - an area that the restaurant might want to look into.
This is a pretty small outlet of art supplies store of the ART FRIEND branches however it has all that i needed for my art ventures.
Sketching supplies, oil paints and all that you need for that art project of yours, they do carry a good range of materials with various textures, colours and make. These supplies are neatly stacked according to their types on rows and rows of racks making browsing a breeze. I could quickly find what I wanted, some foam rubber number and letters, a few A4 pieces of glittering foam sheets, a wooden plaque backing, some paint markers in my desired fluorescent hue and some spray on adhesives.
While looking through the items I wanted for my art project, I also noticed other stuffs that got my creative juices flowing. Simple materials like wooden blocks, steel wires or even crepe paper are some of the things we could easily get from hardware stores or small shop houses about a decade ago, however these things have become uncommon items and could only be found in the art supplies store and being priced as a premium.
I think their prices are reasonable. Not exactly cheap but I don't mind paying a little more when I can get everything under one roof. Service is great, the staff seemed to know whats anything for and where to get what you want. Its not as big as compared to the other outlets but its good enough for me. Easily accessible location near the main road but parking could be a problem.
The chocolate cake is smooth, filled with creamy chocolate mousse and loads of dark sticky rich chocolate. One tiny slice is enough to hit heaven...
I was so surprised by the quality of Chocolate Origin's chocolate cake. I was served a tiny slice from a birthday bash event and was surprised by this humbly looking plain chocolate cake which taste exploded in my mouth. The filling is rich and made of premium chocolate. Its full of flavor and yet of the right balance of sweetness and the raw taste of cocoa. Love the sleek smooth and chic looking glossy patent look of the face of the cake. Its plain looking, just like its packing which is a white box and a small logo at the side.
It seems the other chocolate fudge cakes from LANA or Awfully chocolate has met their match. Now if I were to impress anybody with chocolate cakes in Singapore, Chocolate Origin will be the one.
Smooth, rich and premium tasting yet with a reasonable price. A small cake serving about 6 will cost approx $28 however because of the quality tightly packed in that one small round sleek looking cake, its totally worth every cent.
There serve only plain chocolate or dark chocolate... How specialized is that :)
Even though subway is EVERYWHERE... and their sandwiches are the same for as long as I had a subway sandwich, I still like it.. Because its healthy and the cookies are yummy!
This outlet is very special, its right underneath the escalator and with its high tables and chairs, it is not very comfy to hang and thats perhaps why i always could get a seat at this outlet and like everyone else, i won't stay very long here.
Food is great, service is quick at the counter however, tables don't get cleared so often and the queue starts from the inside of the already crampy eating space.. Should it start from the entrance, it would have looked more popular and more natural for people to buy their food and then walk deeper into the restaurant to seat.
They have improved their drink counter. Now they do have MILO for self-serve :)
Really interesting outlet, but beware the onlookers from the upward escalator above you. It means guarding your food to prevent any UFO from floating down from above and watch that cleavage of yours.
1=SGD 0.0587
I visited the national museum on a saturday afternoon as it is one of the open house days and am surprised by a flea market at the second level.
After browsing through the various stalls displaying their choice products and creation, I stopped by littlehouseofdreams because this is one stall that caught my eye. I was surprised by how they could make such a confined space of a small square table look so professional, interesting and products so appealing.
Dressed in a red polkadot table lining with white cake stands and wooden shelves. Yes, they are selling cakes, cup cakes and interestingly, jar cakes. Every cake is opened midway to allow customers to view the cross section of the cakes is a perfect idea. I'm surprised.... The insides of the cakes looked as perfect as the outside. Dressed neatly with dainty decorations outside with a soft hue of pink, these cakes appealed very much to the sweet nature of a girl. The flavors looked wonderful and I am most attracted to the carrot cake and chocolate rootbeer bundt because they look different from my previous carrot cake experiences and chocolate rootbeer bundt i've never tasted such a creation before.
The cupcakes looked dainty and lovely too... Very Pretty I must say and the Jar Cakes are what attracted me the most. I've never tasted a Jar Cake, its actually cake in a jar and the wooden shelve where they display these Jars made me curious of the taste. So I chose a funky flavor... Salted Caramel Chocolate Fudge... I believe will be an ultimate bewildering experience for me.
After purchasing the cake and strolling around whatever that is left of the flea market, I proceeded outside to seat at the Foyer of the museum. My Curious kitty caught me there.. I must try the newly acquired JAR CAKE...
To my amazement, the inside looked as pretty as the outside. Upon popping the lid off, what greeted me was a swirl of cream with droplets of caramel. After admiring it for a while, I dipped my spoon in.. and yes... its a spoonful of whipped cream with droplets of caramel and chocolate fudge with a rich chocolate cake. The taste was overwhelming... I could taste the saltiness of the caramel, with the rich fudgy texture of the chocolate cake, which i find bouncy and lastly the soft fluffy cream. The balance was good, salty then sweet and a fluff, yet this small jar cake is filling and rich... So its good to share though its small as its very creamy.
I have an extremely good impression of the products, display and the enthusiastic staff that served me. If I have any parties, I think it would be such a luxury to have their cakes as part of the catering... Sure to UP the BLISS index :)
Rating given:
I had the opportunity to eat breakfast here during my staycation and I have to concur and say it is truly the most expansive (and expensive!) hotel buffet breakfast I have ever tried.
I started eating at 830am for 2 whole hours and yet did not manage to try everything - and I doubt anyone can. The selection is huge - Chinese, western, indian, korean, Japanese, local, breads, waffles & pancakes, fresh juices, cuppucinos & lattes etc. It is mind boggling how much food is there and how must goes to waste after that. Almost everything was of above average quality.
I'm just not sure if it is worth just going there to eat unless you're an in-house guest and your room includes breakfast, as it costs $46 ($56 after ) per pax on its own. Its almost too luxurious for breakfast.
Rating given:
It was time to re-visit Pan Pacific Singapore again after their refurbishment so I took the opportunity to have a staycation here with 2 friends - their Singapore Staycation package (only applicable for Singaporeans, PR) was a very good deal at $218 per night for a deluxe room which complete with breakfast for 2, $40 dining credit, late check out til 3pm, and complimentary parking.
CHECK IN - Arrived at 12noon (had informed the hotel prior) and was pleased that we could check in immediately. The hotel also kindly upgraded me to a Panoramic room after learning it was a special occasion. Check in was smooth and I was pleasantly surprised that offered a welcome drink complimentary.
ROOM - my room 2724 was nicely appointed but didnt feel as big as I thought it was, probably because the bathroom took up some space too. It was all very zen-ish with everything built in, including the wine glasses. The 2 single beds were very comfortable too. I wished there was a day bed instead of the resort looking chair which looked out of place. Coffee / tea sachets were available, and there was a Nespresso machine in the room which was very welcomed. Was also given some fruits and chocolates as a welcome amenity. Cleanliness was not a problem, and plenty of powerpoints for use. The good thing about having a Panoramic room that you access it using the external elevator which gives you a view everytime you go up and down (rooms at level 21 and below uses the internal lift).
SERVICE - Service in general throughout my stay was okay, except for one time where housekeeping forgot my request for an ice bucket. But otherwise nothing to complain about.
DINING - I had drinks at The Atrium in the early evening and found the place adequately staffed although the area was vast. Service was pleasant too. Breakfast at The Edge was crazy amounts of food and variety - all of rather high standards - thumbs up! I ate there for 2 whole hours and didnt even manage to try everything. Just not sure if its worth it to have breakfast here if your package doesnt include breakfast as it costs $56 per pax after taxes otherwise. I also spotted the staff at the coffee machine using expired milk to make a cappuccino and using bare hands to handle fruits meant for juicing so watch out.
LOCATION - the hotel is connected to Millennia Walk and Marina Square which in turn leds to Suntec City and further away, City Link, Esplanade, and finally Raffles City where City Hall MRT station is - everything is sheltered so no problem at exploring these places even if it rains.
CHECK OUT - Check out at 3pm was really slow. They have a system whereby you queue at a central queue and directed to an available counter once a slot opens up, much like a bank system. My check out took 15mins which I thought was a tad slow especially when I was rushing for my next appointment.
It was a great staycation nonetheless but this will be a great place for tourist wanting to do abit of shopping yet stay out of the blazing Singapore sun.
Rating given:
Love to hangout at this outlet on my non-working weekdays, though I find it always packed to the brim even for weekday brunches. It must be the super aromatic thick and traditional tasting coffee that brought the crowd...
I like the deco of the place, the old antique looking everyday living items they place all over the walls and shelves, made me feel like i'm in a 60s kopitiam. The music in the background is a soothing tune of the 60s oldies in a contemporary jazz rhythm, extremely alluring. I love to just seat and watch the uncle behind the counter make his coffee as steam arises and feels the air the potent caffeine fused aroma.
Love their traditional toast and half boiled eggs. The eggs are seriously the 'bigger' eggs and you sure feel full after having the eggs plus 2 slices of thinly sliced toast with kaya and cold storage butter which tasted very much like cheese to me :) Love the crispy slightly burnt toast and the sticky sensation of the kaya, slightly sweet yet balanced by the slightly salty hard creamy butter. The combination brings forth superb taste, right mix of crunchiness and softness and right mix of memories from your beloved childhood for some.
Its a good place to hang and service is pretty good. I once saw a guy who complained that his eggs were (1) cold, they changed for him a new set of eggs, (2) not cooked enough, they changed for him, (3) overcooked, they made a new batch for him. So for the patience and customer service its a 5 star :)
The place would be more comfortable if the seats werent placed so close and perhaps a larger entrance as the queue filled up the entrance and its really hard to move in or out :)
Rating given:
If you like handmade candies, then you will like sticky.... Freshly handmade and fully customizable. These candies unlike the regular off the shelf candies are brightly colored and full of flavor. Lots of interesting flavors to choose from and priced economically.
It takes a longer time to melt in your mouth because its almost 100% GULA GULA (Sugar). I love to watch them mold and make the candies... The thumping, the dragging of the sugar dough looks like it requires a man with super strong arms. The gloves are huge and thick and I can imagine how hot the sugar dough is. The smell of hot sugar somehow appeals to me...
Love their free flow of trial candies.. you can almost test every flavour before you buy them and they sell by 100grams.... My favourite flavors: Pomegranate, watermelon, strawberry and cream and bubblegummy!!!
Love the art of making candies, their demo, their customization and most importantly bringing live candy making into the heart of Singapore. Its an educational and fun service they offer.. Loving it :)
Rating given:
I had the opportunity to be entitled to their facebook promotion - buy main course and get free dessert plus unlimited wine (after 6pm daily except Tue and Fri) - what's not to like! So 3 of us made our way down on a Saturday evening expecting a crowd because of the promotion but were surprised.
Casserole is on level 3 and the lobby is on level 5 - take note. The name Cassrole actually doesnt quite hint of its morrocan / indian / Med cuisine but doesnt matter - we were there for the food.
The menu is not big, with most mains hovering around $30 - $45 which was unexpectedly affordable for a Shangri-La. We had 3 mains:
Crabmeat Masala ($30) - this was interesting combi of crabmeat - and it is really a huge dome of densely packed crabmeat - and some morrocan spices. The cashew nuts mixed into the meat provided a very nice crunch to the dish. It wasnt as savory as I expected it to be though. I would think this makes a a terrific paste on plain bread and toasted.
Curry chicken ($30) - obviously this is not the actual name on the menu: I forgot what is was so I had to randomly give a layman name. It came in a big pan of about 8 large pieces of chicken (de-boned), sitting in a pool of thick curry. For some reason, the dish is more sweet than savory but nonetheless the chicken was tender and very more-ish.
Morrocan baked fish ($30) - The smallest portion of the lot but the fish was super fresh. The accompanying sliced veg was crunchy, and the slightly tangy broth was very re-freshing.
Garden salad - this is served at all tables complimentary. I thought it was rather nice of them to make a proper salad than giving you the usual garden greens in thousand island - this had carrot, olives, rocket leaves, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, spinach, all tossed in a vinegrette sauce. And they make this on a side bar so you know where your salad comes from.
Dessert - the promo was supposed to come with dessert too but the chef apparently couldnt decide what to serve us so we were simply asked to help ourselves at the Silver Shells Cafe dessert buffet spread next door which worked for us.
Wines - they do really live up to the promo, although there was an initial confusion if we were entitled to wine at all. But there were no problem after all and they keep piling us with wine, both white and red. The wine was not the best I've had but with the promo, I'm not complaining.
It was a evening well spent, and each of us had at least the equivalent of 1 bottle of wine each. All in all, the bill was $101 for 3 of us - a deal you'd never ever get anywhere. Oh, and they have ice plastic to chill the wines instead of an ice bucket - very cute touch.
Rating given:
Popped by Bistro Du Vin's original outlet one sunny weekday afternoon for lunch with a couple of my colleagues. Promising to serve up honest to goodness classical French food, the restaurant is one of the many brand names under the Les Amis umbrella.
Located on the 2nd floor of Shaw Centre, Bistro Du Vin plays neighbour to a Vietnamese Restaurant and of course it's upmarket sibling, Les Amis. The interior is reminiscent of a typical French brasserie, from the red walls right down to the tiled floor. However, tables are spaced a little too close for comfort which makes normal conversations a tad difficult. Proper sound proofing is also lacking and the entire place sounds like a market when running at full capacity.
Complimentary Bread - The bread was a simple and simple crusty baguette served with orange butter. Pretty nice and a great way to stave off the hunger pangs.
White Asparagus Velouté - I honestly didn't quite take to the white asparagus veloute, which was a little too runny for my liking. There was also a bitter aftertaste to it - something which I certainly didn't appreciate.
Char Grilled Australian Angus Ribeye - This required a top up of $10 to the price of the set lunch but it was well worth it in my humble opinion. Done up medium as per my request, the meat was flavourful and juicy with hints of smokiness from the char grilling. The accompanying truffle mash ( $3 ) was smooth and fragrant as well and the truffle honestly helped elevate what would have been a boring, bland side of mash.
However, in a subsequent visit, I had the exact same thing and it was still good, just that the salt content was a little too high for my liking.
Walnut Tart - And for desserts I had a pretty good walnut tart - solid tart base with walnuts set amidst rich chocolate and caramel filling. Between this and the Pink Tiramisu which I had on my subsequent visit, I honestly preferred this (though the pink tiramisu was something different). Served up with a scoop of real vanilla bean ice cream.
The standard lunch set is a reasonable $30 but it is the top ups that really "upsize" the bill. Still, food quality is pretty decent and I especially like their steaks. Service is rather clinical and lacks warmth though - an area that the restaurant might want to look into.
See my pictures here.
Rating given:
This is a pretty small outlet of art supplies store of the ART FRIEND branches however it has all that i needed for my art ventures.
Sketching supplies, oil paints and all that you need for that art project of yours, they do carry a good range of materials with various textures, colours and make. These supplies are neatly stacked according to their types on rows and rows of racks making browsing a breeze. I could quickly find what I wanted, some foam rubber number and letters, a few A4 pieces of glittering foam sheets, a wooden plaque backing, some paint markers in my desired fluorescent hue and some spray on adhesives.
While looking through the items I wanted for my art project, I also noticed other stuffs that got my creative juices flowing. Simple materials like wooden blocks, steel wires or even crepe paper are some of the things we could easily get from hardware stores or small shop houses about a decade ago, however these things have become uncommon items and could only be found in the art supplies store and being priced as a premium.
I think their prices are reasonable. Not exactly cheap but I don't mind paying a little more when I can get everything under one roof. Service is great, the staff seemed to know whats anything for and where to get what you want. Its not as big as compared to the other outlets but its good enough for me. Easily accessible location near the main road but parking could be a problem.
Rating given:
The chocolate cake is smooth, filled with creamy chocolate mousse and loads of dark sticky rich chocolate. One tiny slice is enough to hit heaven...
I was so surprised by the quality of Chocolate Origin's chocolate cake. I was served a tiny slice from a birthday bash event and was surprised by this humbly looking plain chocolate cake which taste exploded in my mouth. The filling is rich and made of premium chocolate. Its full of flavor and yet of the right balance of sweetness and the raw taste of cocoa. Love the sleek smooth and chic looking glossy patent look of the face of the cake. Its plain looking, just like its packing which is a white box and a small logo at the side.
It seems the other chocolate fudge cakes from LANA or Awfully chocolate has met their match. Now if I were to impress anybody with chocolate cakes in Singapore, Chocolate Origin will be the one.
Smooth, rich and premium tasting yet with a reasonable price. A small cake serving about 6 will cost approx $28 however because of the quality tightly packed in that one small round sleek looking cake, its totally worth every cent.
There serve only plain chocolate or dark chocolate... How specialized is that :)
Rating given:
Even though subway is EVERYWHERE... and their sandwiches are the same for as long as I had a subway sandwich, I still like it.. Because its healthy and the cookies are yummy!
This outlet is very special, its right underneath the escalator and with its high tables and chairs, it is not very comfy to hang and thats perhaps why i always could get a seat at this outlet and like everyone else, i won't stay very long here.
Food is great, service is quick at the counter however, tables don't get cleared so often and the queue starts from the inside of the already crampy eating space.. Should it start from the entrance, it would have looked more popular and more natural for people to buy their food and then walk deeper into the restaurant to seat.
They have improved their drink counter. Now they do have MILO for self-serve :)
Really interesting outlet, but beware the onlookers from the upward escalator above you. It means guarding your food to prevent any UFO from floating down from above and watch that cleavage of yours.
Rating given: