I see this as a good alternative for me as the air-conditioned food court has been taken over by Sushi Tei - comfort wise, but not the food.
I have to admit I only picked this place as I was seeking refuge from the afternoon heat on a weekday. I remembered very vaguely about trying their ipoh hor fun so decided to try something else this time:
Dumpling hor fun ($4.50) - I chose to have it dry instead of soup. A relatively good-sized portion of hor fun, 5 mid-sized dumplings, and a handful of kailan pieces came in a thick blanket of dark sauce. It looked quite good but unfortunately the taste didnt quite make it.
The sauce was ultra bland. Not sure what was in it but whatever it was, it was just really really bland, not even a slight tinch of saltiness. Suspected the hor fun was not dipped in cold water before it was served, thus it was just stuck in one lump which made eating it tricky. The dumplings were the best part of the dish, tightly-packed with fresh pork and vegetables which added a much needed crunch to the entire dish.
If they use the same bland sauce for all their dry dishes, then I struggle to understand what's the fuss about the place?
The sambal sauce they provided on the table provided a little relief from the blandness, so good for that. Service was okay, with 1 staff taking care of the few filled tables around. Prices are good if you're looking at non-expensive food in comfort.
I will come here again, but just to escape the heat.
Was wandering around Thomson road after some grocery shopping at NTUC finest and chanced upon Hooked!, which has another outlet located at Rail Mall in the western part of Singapore. With Hooked! evidently being a seafood restaurant, I, as a meat lover and occasional fish consumer, had my reservations.
The interior is a cheerful yellow and blue with sketches and ornaments of sea creatures plastered onto the walls - very in tune with the seafood aspect of the restaurant. Some background music would have been appreciated though, as the place did seem a little too quiet and every whisper could potentially be echoed around.
Baked Rice - From my personal experience, not many places whip up a mean baked rice and Hooked! wasn't about to prove me wrong. Having said that, I would say Hooked! still managed to do some decent work on the rice, with the cheese gooey, a little chewy and of course, the relatively generous serving of seafood entrenched within.
Snapper Wrapped with Bacon - Although I am no big fan of snapper, I surprisingly took to this dish quite a fair bit. The delicate fish was nicely wrapped around in bacon, which had a nice crisp to it and contrasted very well with the texture of the fish. It would have been great if the fish had more natural sweetness though. A serving of rice and asparagus completed the dish.
Personally, I feel prices are quite reasonable at $33 for a 2 pax dinner, which came with 2 drinks. Having no service charge was definitely a plus and service was good, though it could have been due to the lack of crowds. Still, I would give them the benefit of the doubt.
This is a good althernative to the noisy seafood places at East Coast. The Big Splash itself is a much better dinner option if you ask me, with better parking options too.
730pm on a Sunday night was crowded. They do not take reservations so we had to get write down our names and contact numbers and the staff will call you when your table's ready. The system seems to be a bit messy though, with people going off to 'take a walk' after leaving their details and not answering their phones when called. Under-staffing also seems to be an issue here.
Claypot rice with mushrooms and chicken ($16.80) - the menu says its for 2pax but it is sufficient for 3 smaller eaters actually. I'm not sure if they actually cook the rice from scratch in the claypot itself as it didnt quite have the fragrance that it was supposed to have. Topped off with a handful of half mushrooms with thick chicken strips. It doesnt come with the dark sauce but instead light soya sauce. When asked, the staff just said their version is like that. The taste was really only so so, nothing too spectacular.
Spinach in soup ($6.00) - Generous serving of spinach claypot in what seemed like very bland stock (not tasteless but something very watered down). Healthy but can be more tasty I guess.
Lotus root and pork rib soup ($5.80) - Disappointing as it tasted watered down too.
Prawn gyoza ($6.00) - we odered this from the neighbouring Yoshimaru Ramen Bar which is helmed by the same management, while waiting for our proper food to arrive, which took almost 45 mins. 6 small sized gyozas nicely browned the prawn bits could have been bigger.
Food wise, I feel it is nothing fantastic. But the place itself is a refreshing change from the usual noisy packed seafood crowd.
Wanted a nice quiet lunch / brunch place after the holiday craze and a friend recommended this. The place was strangely quiet at about 1230pm on the 2nd day of the New Year but just as well.
I like the decor of the place, furnished in wooden tables and chairs with some comfy sofa seats as an alternative. Menu was quite comprehensive with additional brunch options. We had:
Bubbles & Squeak ($14.80) - I have no idea why its called what its called. It was onions, mushrooms, and potato cakes, and 3 patties of it. The description says its 'pancakes' and technically its not wrong but still I found it a little misleading. Not too bad for the taste with the cakes nicely browned outside and the insides still hot and fresh, but can be less oily as the otoil gets to you after 3 patties of the same thing. Served with a side of salad.
Blueberry Pancakes ($13.80) - Nice! 2 pieces of fluffy pancakes with real blueberries, so you get the natural sweetness of the berries on top of the aroma of the pancakes. Served with 2 short sausages which was quite bland actually.
Americano ($4.50) - They didnt have this on the menu, only the ready brewed coffee which I didnt want. It took some effort before the clueless staff understood what I wanted: Expresso with hot water.
Pomegranate tea ($4.50) - Light and very fragrant, a very good alternative to coffee!
The place started to fill up about 1pm onwards but generally still a getaway from the usual Taka crowd. Good place to catch up with friends but beware of clueless staff. Worth a place to revisit as the cupcakes on the shleves looked very very tempting~
As of 01 Jan 2010, tvmobile is no longer broadcasting.. And matter of fact i kind of missed it.. Missed its rumbling in the surrounding. It make bus riding not so boring and quiet. Though sometimes i hope it is not there and stop buzzing creating extra noise in the already noisy world, however, when i was bored or was trying to catch the 7 o'clock TV Mobile was always the other alternative or sometimes they are broadcasting my episode i missed...
Perhaps its really a good idea as bus rides are long and sometimes you just enjoy being occupied by something else rather then watching angry drivers trying to cut into another angry driver's lane. It is also a good distraction when somebody with a stinky and sweaty armpit stood so near to your seat with his arm balancing himself on the pole just above you.
Perhaps TV Mobile is not such a bad thing afterall it brought many some entertainment or leisure browsing... To think about it... Theres this one advertisement that was drilled into me by TV Mobile. Its by this steamboat restaurant in bugis and the slogan goes: 這個湯鎮的很好喝!!!
To the TV Mobile Team.. Good EFFORT and A WONDERFUL IDEA.. I miss you guys!!!
Do you know that there is a RED DOT Museum in Singapore?
Do you know it is walking distance from tanjong pagar MRT?
Do you know that the prestigious buildin they are housed in is a former Singapore Traffic Police Headquaters?
Do you know that it is all AWARD WINNING STUFFS inside?
DO you know that you could rest your legs at an exquisite coffee place in the museum itself?
Do you know that after the sun set you can hang around there for a drink too?
If you want to know.. all it takes is a couple of hours an $5 for an entry to the museum... Breath in all the creative air inside the museum and chill out outside or reflect on a cup of wine while gazing at the busy buzzing road......
Its one of the theatres i have a love hate relationship about. Its very far lor.. if you walk from MRT.... You must first walk from City Hall Mrt Station to Marina square then you got to walk straight straight straight until you see John Little... Then up and then straight straight straight again pass the bowling alleys then you see you theatre.... The only thing i love about the place is that it is not usually crowded like the rest of the other cinemas... However do get your tickets early too as during weekends.... It will be still crowded.. because everybody will start thinking that everybody will not be going there to watch a movie and ended up... everybody is there.
The seats unlike the newer VIVO GV or GREAT WORLD GV that the centre divider can be shifted up... most of the seats in marina GV cannot remove the centre divider hand rest however they have a row of the LOVERS SEATS at the last row.. Don't ask me why removing the dividers are important ok... Its just...... MORE COMFY..........
As it is not a very new cinema, the cinemas are larger in size.. and I totally enjoy the bigger screen and bigger space..... Especially when there are very few people watching the movie or you are the only one watching the movie.. You would feel totally value for money lor.... Human are the bigger the better right? The sound systems and levels are quite balanced unlike some cinemas when i realise the volume is too high and I get the ringing sound after that..
However one thing i really dislike about cinemas.... The entrance is always a nice escalator with beautiful soft carpets and spacious toilets with attentive attendants and movie preview screenings while the EXIT is always the FIRE EXIT.. with dreadful smelling bare staircases that nobody dwells in and even a rubbish bin is hard to find.. on top of that no toilets...... until you walk back into the mall which is a long journey.. Its a bad icon to the service and entertainment industry.. Like after you have earned my hard earned money and screened your movie.... you can disregard me already. Oh comeon... what makes you think I won't buy a drink on my way out or but another ticket to watch another movie later... comeon....this is an area which much improvement must be done....
I like our science centre.. Matter of fact i was quite an astronomical fan when i was a few years younger then now. Though now i am still young, but i kind of relived my younger days everytime i step into science centre.
First I like the fact that parking is free.. on top of that you have a good array of affordable food like the Macdonalds, Suki Sushi, etc.... The entrance fee is reasonable as there are many features inside the centre itself. There is also a water play ground making use of physics and other science themes which is environmentally friendly and very engaging.
I totally agree that play is the best way to educate children and youths and with the environment the singapore science centre had set up. It was indeed a great place to teach students on primary and secondary school science. I perhaps am most intrigued by the lighting room. Where they will conduct some real lightnings for demo. It is fun yet exciting and not many can get to experience a lightning strike up close and personal yet still remain alive.
The centre itself is well catagorised and have a wide array of themes which is fun and creative. There are many hands-on experiments and science is all about working on stuffs.. making use of your 5 senses and discovering more about our world and ourselves.
You might also want to catch a glimpse and watch a movie at the omnimax theatre.. Where 3D movies brings dinosaurs to live. With the rounded screen and steep sitting. Getting into your seat is an excitement all by itself. Check out also the astronomy shop whereby you can get stargazing equipments and some tips to venture into the mysterious outer space.
Many do not know.. Matter of fact, there is a huge telescope in the vacinity of the science centre itself and it is open for star enthusiaste. There is a interest club you can join and activities held there in the event of a prominent meteor showers.
Its a wonderful place to hang around when you just have nothing to do. Most important, I can never stop myself from learning new stuffs there... Its a place though old but knowledge so generous that you can never learn them all in a day.... Discover something you thought you already know today.
See You Around!!!
Thai Food - $10 Dollars
Ang Mo Food - $20 Dollars
ATAS Chinese Food at the top level - $100 Dollars
A sit in Ootoya during Dinner Hours - Priceless
The sits outside Ootoya are not for resting your feet, but they are for prospective customers with rumbling stomachs and black black faces. Now we know why it always feels like being in a thunderstorm in orchard central. The temperature so low and freezing, atmosphere dark and gloomy and the roar of the thunder reigning in my ears.
Ootoya is like a little gem in this cosmopolitan like mall. They serve food i should say pretty different from other restaurants. I catagorise them..."Home-Cooked Jap Food". They don't serve funky affairs like raw lobster sashimi or tappenyaki with the fliping saucers and flying eggs; but casual yet chic home affairs like fried chicken with egg plant, scallop on rice, and many more tantalizing saliva dripping stuffs which are super duper delicious. I could not really recall the complicated jap names of these dishes but I could recall the yummy taste and the soothing aroma, which BTW is flashing through my senses now....
The Dessert is FAB...... especially the mochi or whatever sticky yummy think they call it... You can have a choice of it with coffee, green tea or vanilla ice cream. Its always important to conclude your meal with a fabulously fantastic dessert as no one would enjoy a movie without a good ending...
Now we talk about the most important part.. Will it burn a hole in your pocket.. I can tell you... judging by my weight, size and the amount of burnt marks on my tongue I get savoury piping hot food.. It is super affordable. Considering the venue, ambience, super attentive service, wonderful setting, generous portions and great tasting food. It is very value for money. On top of that... the green tea is free lor.. no need 2 dollars or $1.50.. not even 50 cents... and no need to buy mineral water from them lor.....
Then got BONUS.....
They have this tatami sitting.. in as the centre piece. Great for big groups, single diners or just for 2. You get to sit with strangers, altogether totally jap style lor.. Matter of fact, I didn't manage to sit there even though i went there to eat many times. I always wonder how they get in and out. If they will kick anybody's head when they get in/out.... Anyway.. this is something very interesting that I love...
You can also sit on normal tables for 2 or 4. They are spacious and comfortable and I love the window sits as I do get to see the miserable and impatient faces waiting outside to rush in for dinner. Its not a huge place and theres almost no reservation services available. Be early to secure a good seat or be in the midst of a thunderstorm.
It was down to Chinese cuisine and at Changi airport, choices were far and few. I was generally sick of Crystal Jade Shanghai Kitchen so Imperial Treasure it was. It definitely helped that I had a positive experience at Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine before.
Located in the main lobby of Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport, the restaurant utilizes a dark wooden paneled facade to portray an air of exclusivity and class. Plush cushion seats amidst a carpeted flooring complete the picture.
Roasted Goose - Geese are a scarce commodity nowadays, especially after the banning of birds from China and Taiwan during the bird flu outbreak a couple of months back. And I baulked at paying $30 for probably just a quarter of a goose. But I did so nonetheless and am glad that it turned out splendid. A thin layer of fat sandwiched between crackling crisp skin and succulent meat, lying in a shallow pool of oily fluid. If you are the sort to squirm in the presence of excessive oil, it would be in your best interests to steer clear of this dish.
Sauteed Scallops with Truffle Oil - I loved this dish, especially with the aroma of truffle oil. The four scallops were huge, juicy and came served on a bed of lip smacking egg white. There is actually an option of having this dish without the truffle oil (its quite a fair bit cheaper too) but my advice would be to stick to truffle oil.
Broccoli with Mushroom - I personally thought that the broccoli was a little undercooked, rendering it a tad too hard for my liking. However the plentiful mushrooms more then made up for it and overall a very decent dish.
A most gratifying dinner for 2 didn't make it past the century mark, standing at a shade over $90, which was still reasonable in my context. I did think that $3 for a bowl of rice was a little over the top though. Service was good and I can't really find any reason not to return.
1=SGD 0.0587
Cool comfort but disappointing hor fun
I see this as a good alternative for me as the air-conditioned food court has been taken over by Sushi Tei - comfort wise, but not the food.
I have to admit I only picked this place as I was seeking refuge from the afternoon heat on a weekday. I remembered very vaguely about trying their ipoh hor fun so decided to try something else this time:
Dumpling hor fun ($4.50) - I chose to have it dry instead of soup. A relatively good-sized portion of hor fun, 5 mid-sized dumplings, and a handful of kailan pieces came in a thick blanket of dark sauce. It looked quite good but unfortunately the taste didnt quite make it.
The sauce was ultra bland. Not sure what was in it but whatever it was, it was just really really bland, not even a slight tinch of saltiness. Suspected the hor fun was not dipped in cold water before it was served, thus it was just stuck in one lump which made eating it tricky. The dumplings were the best part of the dish, tightly-packed with fresh pork and vegetables which added a much needed crunch to the entire dish.
If they use the same bland sauce for all their dry dishes, then I struggle to understand what's the fuss about the place?
The sambal sauce they provided on the table provided a little relief from the blandness, so good for that. Service was okay, with 1 staff taking care of the few filled tables around. Prices are good if you're looking at non-expensive food in comfort.
I will come here again, but just to escape the heat.
Rating given:
Was wandering around Thomson road after some grocery shopping at NTUC finest and chanced upon Hooked!, which has another outlet located at Rail Mall in the western part of Singapore. With Hooked! evidently being a seafood restaurant, I, as a meat lover and occasional fish consumer, had my reservations.
The interior is a cheerful yellow and blue with sketches and ornaments of sea creatures plastered onto the walls - very in tune with the seafood aspect of the restaurant. Some background music would have been appreciated though, as the place did seem a little too quiet and every whisper could potentially be echoed around.
Baked Rice - From my personal experience, not many places whip up a mean baked rice and Hooked! wasn't about to prove me wrong. Having said that, I would say Hooked! still managed to do some decent work on the rice, with the cheese gooey, a little chewy and of course, the relatively generous serving of seafood entrenched within.
Snapper Wrapped with Bacon - Although I am no big fan of snapper, I surprisingly took to this dish quite a fair bit. The delicate fish was nicely wrapped around in bacon, which had a nice crisp to it and contrasted very well with the texture of the fish. It would have been great if the fish had more natural sweetness though. A serving of rice and asparagus completed the dish.
Personally, I feel prices are quite reasonable at $33 for a 2 pax dinner, which came with 2 drinks. Having no service charge was definitely a plus and service was good, though it could have been due to the lack of crowds. Still, I would give them the benefit of the doubt.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Can be more authentic
This is a good althernative to the noisy seafood places at East Coast. The Big Splash itself is a much better dinner option if you ask me, with better parking options too.
730pm on a Sunday night was crowded. They do not take reservations so we had to get write down our names and contact numbers and the staff will call you when your table's ready. The system seems to be a bit messy though, with people going off to 'take a walk' after leaving their details and not answering their phones when called. Under-staffing also seems to be an issue here.
Claypot rice with mushrooms and chicken ($16.80) - the menu says its for 2pax but it is sufficient for 3 smaller eaters actually. I'm not sure if they actually cook the rice from scratch in the claypot itself as it didnt quite have the fragrance that it was supposed to have. Topped off with a handful of half mushrooms with thick chicken strips. It doesnt come with the dark sauce but instead light soya sauce. When asked, the staff just said their version is like that. The taste was really only so so, nothing too spectacular.
Spinach in soup ($6.00) - Generous serving of spinach claypot in what seemed like very bland stock (not tasteless but something very watered down). Healthy but can be more tasty I guess.
Lotus root and pork rib soup ($5.80) - Disappointing as it tasted watered down too.
Prawn gyoza ($6.00) - we odered this from the neighbouring Yoshimaru Ramen Bar which is helmed by the same management, while waiting for our proper food to arrive, which took almost 45 mins. 6 small sized gyozas nicely browned the prawn bits could have been bigger.
Food wise, I feel it is nothing fantastic. But the place itself is a refreshing change from the usual noisy packed seafood crowd.
Rating given:
Leisure place to chill~
Wanted a nice quiet lunch / brunch place after the holiday craze and a friend recommended this. The place was strangely quiet at about 1230pm on the 2nd day of the New Year but just as well.
I like the decor of the place, furnished in wooden tables and chairs with some comfy sofa seats as an alternative. Menu was quite comprehensive with additional brunch options. We had:
Bubbles & Squeak ($14.80) - I have no idea why its called what its called. It was onions, mushrooms, and potato cakes, and 3 patties of it. The description says its 'pancakes' and technically its not wrong but still I found it a little misleading. Not too bad for the taste with the cakes nicely browned outside and the insides still hot and fresh, but can be less oily as the otoil gets to you after 3 patties of the same thing. Served with a side of salad.
Blueberry Pancakes ($13.80) - Nice! 2 pieces of fluffy pancakes with real blueberries, so you get the natural sweetness of the berries on top of the aroma of the pancakes. Served with 2 short sausages which was quite bland actually.
Americano ($4.50) - They didnt have this on the menu, only the ready brewed coffee which I didnt want. It took some effort before the clueless staff understood what I wanted: Expresso with hot water.
Pomegranate tea ($4.50) - Light and very fragrant, a very good alternative to coffee!
The place started to fill up about 1pm onwards but generally still a getaway from the usual Taka crowd. Good place to catch up with friends but beware of clueless staff. Worth a place to revisit as the cupcakes on the shleves looked very very tempting~
Rating given:
As of 01 Jan 2010, tvmobile is no longer broadcasting.. And matter of fact i kind of missed it.. Missed its rumbling in the surrounding. It make bus riding not so boring and quiet. Though sometimes i hope it is not there and stop buzzing creating extra noise in the already noisy world, however, when i was bored or was trying to catch the 7 o'clock TV Mobile was always the other alternative or sometimes they are broadcasting my episode i missed...
Perhaps its really a good idea as bus rides are long and sometimes you just enjoy being occupied by something else rather then watching angry drivers trying to cut into another angry driver's lane. It is also a good distraction when somebody with a stinky and sweaty armpit stood so near to your seat with his arm balancing himself on the pole just above you.
Perhaps TV Mobile is not such a bad thing afterall it brought many some entertainment or leisure browsing... To think about it... Theres this one advertisement that was drilled into me by TV Mobile. Its by this steamboat restaurant in bugis and the slogan goes: 這個湯鎮的很好喝!!!
To the TV Mobile Team.. Good EFFORT and A WONDERFUL IDEA.. I miss you guys!!!
Rating given:
Do you know that there is a RED DOT Museum in Singapore?
Do you know it is walking distance from tanjong pagar MRT?
Do you know that the prestigious buildin they are housed in is a former Singapore Traffic Police Headquaters?
Do you know that it is all AWARD WINNING STUFFS inside?
DO you know that you could rest your legs at an exquisite coffee place in the museum itself?
Do you know that after the sun set you can hang around there for a drink too?
If you want to know.. all it takes is a couple of hours an $5 for an entry to the museum... Breath in all the creative air inside the museum and chill out outside or reflect on a cup of wine while gazing at the busy buzzing road......
Put it into your 2010 wish list today....
Rating given:
Its one of the theatres i have a love hate relationship about. Its very far lor.. if you walk from MRT.... You must first walk from City Hall Mrt Station to Marina square then you got to walk straight straight straight until you see John Little... Then up and then straight straight straight again pass the bowling alleys then you see you theatre.... The only thing i love about the place is that it is not usually crowded like the rest of the other cinemas... However do get your tickets early too as during weekends.... It will be still crowded.. because everybody will start thinking that everybody will not be going there to watch a movie and ended up... everybody is there.
The seats unlike the newer VIVO GV or GREAT WORLD GV that the centre divider can be shifted up... most of the seats in marina GV cannot remove the centre divider hand rest however they have a row of the LOVERS SEATS at the last row.. Don't ask me why removing the dividers are important ok... Its just...... MORE COMFY..........
As it is not a very new cinema, the cinemas are larger in size.. and I totally enjoy the bigger screen and bigger space..... Especially when there are very few people watching the movie or you are the only one watching the movie.. You would feel totally value for money lor.... Human are the bigger the better right? The sound systems and levels are quite balanced unlike some cinemas when i realise the volume is too high and I get the ringing sound after that..
However one thing i really dislike about cinemas.... The entrance is always a nice escalator with beautiful soft carpets and spacious toilets with attentive attendants and movie preview screenings while the EXIT is always the FIRE EXIT.. with dreadful smelling bare staircases that nobody dwells in and even a rubbish bin is hard to find.. on top of that no toilets...... until you walk back into the mall which is a long journey.. Its a bad icon to the service and entertainment industry.. Like after you have earned my hard earned money and screened your movie.... you can disregard me already. Oh comeon... what makes you think I won't buy a drink on my way out or but another ticket to watch another movie later... comeon....this is an area which much improvement must be done....
Rating given:
I like our science centre.. Matter of fact i was quite an astronomical fan when i was a few years younger then now. Though now i am still young, but i kind of relived my younger days everytime i step into science centre.
First I like the fact that parking is free.. on top of that you have a good array of affordable food like the Macdonalds, Suki Sushi, etc.... The entrance fee is reasonable as there are many features inside the centre itself. There is also a water play ground making use of physics and other science themes which is environmentally friendly and very engaging.
I totally agree that play is the best way to educate children and youths and with the environment the singapore science centre had set up. It was indeed a great place to teach students on primary and secondary school science. I perhaps am most intrigued by the lighting room. Where they will conduct some real lightnings for demo. It is fun yet exciting and not many can get to experience a lightning strike up close and personal yet still remain alive.
The centre itself is well catagorised and have a wide array of themes which is fun and creative. There are many hands-on experiments and science is all about working on stuffs.. making use of your 5 senses and discovering more about our world and ourselves.
You might also want to catch a glimpse and watch a movie at the omnimax theatre.. Where 3D movies brings dinosaurs to live. With the rounded screen and steep sitting. Getting into your seat is an excitement all by itself. Check out also the astronomy shop whereby you can get stargazing equipments and some tips to venture into the mysterious outer space.
Many do not know.. Matter of fact, there is a huge telescope in the vacinity of the science centre itself and it is open for star enthusiaste. There is a interest club you can join and activities held there in the event of a prominent meteor showers.
Its a wonderful place to hang around when you just have nothing to do. Most important, I can never stop myself from learning new stuffs there... Its a place though old but knowledge so generous that you can never learn them all in a day.... Discover something you thought you already know today.
See You Around!!!
Rating given:
Thai Food - $10 Dollars
Ang Mo Food - $20 Dollars
ATAS Chinese Food at the top level - $100 Dollars
A sit in Ootoya during Dinner Hours - Priceless
The sits outside Ootoya are not for resting your feet, but they are for prospective customers with rumbling stomachs and black black faces. Now we know why it always feels like being in a thunderstorm in orchard central. The temperature so low and freezing, atmosphere dark and gloomy and the roar of the thunder reigning in my ears.
Ootoya is like a little gem in this cosmopolitan like mall. They serve food i should say pretty different from other restaurants. I catagorise them..."Home-Cooked Jap Food". They don't serve funky affairs like raw lobster sashimi or tappenyaki with the fliping saucers and flying eggs; but casual yet chic home affairs like fried chicken with egg plant, scallop on rice, and many more tantalizing saliva dripping stuffs which are super duper delicious. I could not really recall the complicated jap names of these dishes but I could recall the yummy taste and the soothing aroma, which BTW is flashing through my senses now....
The Dessert is FAB...... especially the mochi or whatever sticky yummy think they call it... You can have a choice of it with coffee, green tea or vanilla ice cream. Its always important to conclude your meal with a fabulously fantastic dessert as no one would enjoy a movie without a good ending...
Now we talk about the most important part.. Will it burn a hole in your pocket.. I can tell you... judging by my weight, size and the amount of burnt marks on my tongue I get savoury piping hot food.. It is super affordable. Considering the venue, ambience, super attentive service, wonderful setting, generous portions and great tasting food. It is very value for money. On top of that... the green tea is free lor.. no need 2 dollars or $1.50.. not even 50 cents... and no need to buy mineral water from them lor.....
Then got BONUS.....
They have this tatami sitting.. in as the centre piece. Great for big groups, single diners or just for 2. You get to sit with strangers, altogether totally jap style lor.. Matter of fact, I didn't manage to sit there even though i went there to eat many times. I always wonder how they get in and out. If they will kick anybody's head when they get in/out.... Anyway.. this is something very interesting that I love...
You can also sit on normal tables for 2 or 4. They are spacious and comfortable and I love the window sits as I do get to see the miserable and impatient faces waiting outside to rush in for dinner. Its not a huge place and theres almost no reservation services available. Be early to secure a good seat or be in the midst of a thunderstorm.
Rating given:
It was down to Chinese cuisine and at Changi airport, choices were far and few. I was generally sick of Crystal Jade Shanghai Kitchen so Imperial Treasure it was. It definitely helped that I had a positive experience at Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine before.
Located in the main lobby of Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport, the restaurant utilizes a dark wooden paneled facade to portray an air of exclusivity and class. Plush cushion seats amidst a carpeted flooring complete the picture.
Roasted Goose - Geese are a scarce commodity nowadays, especially after the banning of birds from China and Taiwan during the bird flu outbreak a couple of months back. And I baulked at paying $30 for probably just a quarter of a goose. But I did so nonetheless and am glad that it turned out splendid. A thin layer of fat sandwiched between crackling crisp skin and succulent meat, lying in a shallow pool of oily fluid. If you are the sort to squirm in the presence of excessive oil, it would be in your best interests to steer clear of this dish.
Sauteed Scallops with Truffle Oil - I loved this dish, especially with the aroma of truffle oil. The four scallops were huge, juicy and came served on a bed of lip smacking egg white. There is actually an option of having this dish without the truffle oil (its quite a fair bit cheaper too) but my advice would be to stick to truffle oil.
Broccoli with Mushroom - I personally thought that the broccoli was a little undercooked, rendering it a tad too hard for my liking. However the plentiful mushrooms more then made up for it and overall a very decent dish.
A most gratifying dinner for 2 didn't make it past the century mark, standing at a shade over $90, which was still reasonable in my context. I did think that $3 for a bowl of rice was a little over the top though. Service was good and I can't really find any reason not to return.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given: