Had dinner with my family at Jumbo Serangoon Gardens to "commemorate" its 20 odd years of business in the area, just before its swan song at the end of October. Apparently the rent has at the club has shot up by quite a bit so Jumbo has decided to take its business elsewhere.
The interior looks a little dated but boasts a quirky blue ceiling with concealed lights to give an impression of dining under the sky - not that it really worked though but studies have shown that blue is a calming colour, which could have been useful, judging from the crowd that evening.
Kailan with Garlic - You can't really go wrong with fried kailan and garlic so no surprises or disappointments here. Portions are a little small for $12 though.
Chilli Crab - The crab seemed rather small for its purported weight (1kg) and it didn't help that this signature Jumbo dish failed to live up to expectations. The gravy was rather watery and didn't go very well with the oily, insipid mantous that used to be an object of greedy desire (for me at least) some 10 years ago. How quality has deteriorated over the years!
Homemade Beancurd - I liked the generous amount of golden mushroom that buried the homemade beancurd. What I didn't like was the lack of silkiness and savouriness in the beancurd. Sure, it was soft but didn't slither down my throat and came across as bland.
Deep Fried Red Tilapia - Tilapias don't go for much in the markets but we were charged $32 for it - hardly fitting. Inflated prices aside, the fish was nicely deep fried and crisp on the outside, coupled with firm flesh on the inside. I didn't appreciate the tons of bones within though. Overall an averagely decent dish.
Cereal Prawns - The prawns weren't fresh and the flesh tasted a little soft and "powdery". I certainly didn't expect that from an established seafood restaurant like Jumbo. On the upside, the prawns were deshelled, leaving only the head, something which most places don't bother to do. I did like the cereal dressing though - mildy spicy, crunchy and sweet. But then again, it wasn't enough to salvage this dish.
Mee Goreng - One of the staples of Jumbo ever since we started patronising them some 10 odd years ago, the mee goreng was a shadow of its former self. Overly sweet would be most apt in describing it, with the noodles carrying no taste except being sweet. Apparently the sweetness is used to cover the alkaline taste present in the egg noodles, but this is really an overkill.
I don't know about you, but $188 ($138 with a $50 discount) for a sub standard dinner for 6 pax just doesn't cut it for me. Service was decent in a haphazard sort of way. Final words? Good riddance to overpriced and commercialized sub quality food!
Definitely my favourite, favourite, FAVOURITE prata place of all time.
Casuarina Curry and RK Eating House do make it into my charts, but sorry, the top spot still belongs to THE Roti Prata House.
Their crispy prata is legendary. Crispy but not too oily and served with chicken curry, it has long been the subject of many of my late night cravings.
My love affair with The Roti Prata House began when I was just a young girl of five. My parents would bring us here every Sunday for breakfast, and boy was it good. We always had several crispy pratas and the formidable mutton curry.
Many many years later, since evolving from an early bird to a night owl, The Roti Prata House is ideal for supper any time of the night since it opens 24/7. Their maggi goreng packs a punch, paper prata is awesome, plaster prata is good too, and their milo & horlicks dinosaur is definitely diabetes-inducing.
Reclusiveness seems to be the name of the game these days as small "boutique" restaurants start up in not too accessible locations, just like Jules, a tiny cafe whipping up Australian cuisine in the north eastern heartlands of Singapore.
Nestled in the midst of a private estate just opposite Nanyang JC, Jules plays neighbour to a seafood restaurant (Punggol Seng Choon I believe) and is visible from afar with its brightly litted crimson red signboard. The place is tiny and sparsely furnished, complete with granite flooring and wooden furniture. Air conditioning is a luxury unless you are seated just below one of the two units present. Fans attempt to cool things down a little but don't make much of a difference especially if you are taking the table just next to the counter.
Wagyu Burger - Although I still maintain my stand that wagyu beef should never been minced into patty, Jules did quite a good job on the beef I must admit. The patty's texture was uneven and I could make out bits and pieces of fat, which contributed to the chewy texture. The inherent beefy taste reminded me more of steak then patty, which was definitely good and I certainly appreciated the dollop of sundried tomato puree atop. The bread was average though and so were the fries.
Fig Pudding - I don't know what prompted me to order the fig pudding. Maybe it was the wait staff's recommendation. But I'm glad I did. I'm not exactly a fan of figs but the pudding was nice and moist without coming across as too sweet. Small pieces of figs were lodged within and the sauce had vanilla beans in it. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it proved to be a nice sweet ending to conclude the meal.
Prices are nett (no GST, no service charge), which is a huge plus. On my part, I forked out $26 for the burger and the pudding, which is very reasonable given the quality. Service was decent as well but the wait can be quite long especially if you have a big group. That aside, they probably need to look into installing more airconditioners to cool the place down.
Prawning, prawning. What an experience! It's nothing like fishing I must say.
It's extremely commercialized for one, but for some strange reason extremely addictive. I found myself going back to that place two nights in a row.
There are a few ponds there, but I like going to the one down the back alley and stairs because the barbecue pits are right next to the ponds.
So here's how it works - you pick a rod, check the number on it, go to the counter and pay for the number of hours you want to rent it.
1 hour - $15 2 hours - $25 3 hours - $30
It's definitely more economical to get the 3 hour package, because seriously, how many prawns can you catch in a hour? I took one hour on my first visit, and ended up with four prawns. It was embarrassing to say the least.
Okay, once you've gotten your rods, get the bait (chicken heart I think?) from the counter, find an auspicious spot, pull a chair and sit and wait.
Read my full and comprehensive prawning guide here.
Don't worry about there being not enough prawns in the ponds - they release live prawns into each pond every hour.
If you've got time and cash to spare, you definitely have to try this out. It's a bit pricey but worth the experience (:
It's open 24 hours and shares the same car park as the driving range next to Bishan Park, so it's quite hard to miss this place!
Dinner was at Cafe De Hong Kong (CDHK for short), a small restaurant selling HK style cze char dishes that have garnered rave reviews from many sources, both mainstream media and blogs alike.
Inconveniently located at the beginning of Balestier Road, just off the junction of Thomson Road and Balestier Road, CDHK looks like just any eatery that dots the entire stretch of Balestier Road. Step in however and a HK cafe style decor greets you with its quirky design and white washed walls. Parking in the area can pose a problem so cabs or public transport might be a better alternative.
Pork Ribs - Looking beautifully charred around the edges, the ribs were fall of the bone tender but came across as bland even with the sauce. Could have done with a little more marination. Mildly disappointing to say the least.
Salad Dressing Prawn Ball - I couldn't see the reason why this dish came highly recommended by our waitress. The prawn balls didn't exactly wow any of us at the table though I must admit that it was still quite decent nonetheless - crunchy with a dollop of mayonnaise. Then again, how bad can anything with mayonnaise be? I did like the broccoli though, which was cooked just right.
Roasted Chicken - Apparently this dish is so popular that you have to make a booking for it when you make your table reservation and that's exactly what we did. The half chicken (for the 5 of us) was more then adequate, which is rather surprisingly considering that in some places, a whole chicken might not even be sufficient. Consistency is suspect here as some parts of the chicken were juicy and tender while other parts tiptoed into the dry region. There was a higher salt content in certain areas as well.
Supreme Tofu - The tofu came with a thin slice of scallop on top and was silky smooth but lacked savouriness. Decent but nothing fantastic. Makes me wonder about the supreme in the name.
Stir Fried You Mak Cai with Dace Fish - Personally I thought that the vegetables were a little limp - the result of overcooking. The slight saltiness from the dace fish was apparent and I appreciated it. Overall nothing too fancy or outstanding, but definitely palatable.
The bill for the 5 of us was just shy of $100, which isn't too expensive by any standards. However, I can't quite attest to the rave reviews that have been popping up ever so often. Still, food and service is decent so probably still worth a try.
Welcome to Cache Cache!!! WELCOME to Cache Cache!!! WELCOME TO CACHE CACHE!!!
I can't help but have this ringing in my ear all day... Eventhough i have a pet named CASH... But it was not why i had this slogan ringing all day... Its because I visited CACHE CACHE at Ion Orchard.. and what more.. i shopped there for the longest time i ever spent in any shop, per m2.
I should say its not a big shop, however, they are having a great sale of up to 70% off... The clothes were funky, trendy and funny... Really Totally My style!
I love the bright colours and the wonderful designs and the prices were so reasonable.. You can never find another place with price as reasonable as Cache Cache.. They have the bling bling stuffs for gala, the Country Country Stuff for your line dance, the CuteCute Stuffs for your teenage daughter and the everyday Casual wear for everybody.
On top of that, they also have some smart casual clothes and shirts with prices you can NEVER IMAGINE.. The materials were great, helms and stitches not medium raw, medium well but WELL DONE and they do have really special designed clothings that look too happening for the dance floor...
Especially look for the jeans and shorts.. They were greatly priced and have got the latest cuts and designs on sale...
Accessories were great too.. With great colours and designs to go with your selected outfits. Prices were reasonably affordable and you really can't stop at buying one....
Head down today before the sale ends... and be rewarded with a new wardrobe.. What do you do with the old ones? Keep lor.... 5 years down the road, there sure be a retro fever again! Heh Heh! Shopping Is GREAT!
I simply fell in love with this restaurant. Let me tell you why.....
First, the ambience was great, there were plenty of tables for couples or small groups of 4 friends as well as huge group setting up to 10 friends can sit at one table. The sits were great, deco chic japanese and light warm yet you could see your food well.
I particular light to mention the great service. I was personally impressed by the number of waiter and waitresses serving. I felt outnumbered, but i guess it was a good sign. They were nice, attentive and very polite. On top of that they really made me feel served.... Introduction to the menu were clear and helpful and even wet towels were being given personally by a rep waitress.
Now lets go to the food. The sashimi were great, with value for money prices and a good portion. Salmon Sashimi was fresh, succulent and shouts "EAT ME! EAT ME!" The placement of the sashimi on top of the a bed of sticks were a great visual contrast.
The tempura and fried stuffs were great too.. I personally love the portion they serve and you cannot imagine the prices they put on the menu.... Its definitely much more worth it then going for buffets. Noodles were great and soupy... another must try is the WATAMI salad. They come in such huge portion that it takes more then 1 to finish.
Another thing i love about this place is the free flow green tea and most importantly prompt refills of the cup with a GREAT BIG SMILE. I particular love this gesture as it really made me feel special. Boo!! to those who charge a mere $1 for a green tea bag and I have to fill up my own hot water via the tap that always leaks.... Something to learn and improve on..."Other Jap Restaurants!!!"
If you have a IPHONE version of the yebber, i will upload the great photos i have taken. Please Please Please create one!!!
Upmarket restaurant IL Lido at Sentosa has apparently gone mass market with its latest offering - Cafeteria IL Lido, located at Suntec City Mall. Although I didn't think too much about the upscale IL Lido, I was tempted to find out what its "mass consumer centric" eatery offered.
The eatery seats beside other mass market eateries around the mall's fountain area at B1 and boasts a seating capacity probably in excess of 80 pax. The place is rather "cafeish" and comes across as cheery and soothing with its bright wall tones and wooden furniture.
Spaghetti Carbonara - This honestly smacked of convenience. The pasta wasn't al dente while the cream sauce was rather watery without any presence of egg yolk and tasted like the pre made bottled cream sauces you could get off the shelves at any supermarket. The only saving grace was the generous amount of bacon chips which could have used a little more salt.
Ham and Mushroom Pizza - The pizza base was thin, almost to the extent of biscuit like. While I appreciate the gooey cheese and generous toppings atop, I didn't quite take to the pizza in general because everything tasted bland. The crust was way too thin (and hard) to absorb any flavours from the tomato sauce or the cheese and essentially you are just eating biscuit topped with ingredients, something which I can probably do myself without too much hassle.
Tiramisu - This tiramisu has the dubious honour of being the worst tiramisu I have ever eaten in my life (sometimes I wonder if it is even edible) . For starters, it was served at room temperature and that resulted in the mascarpone cheese being soft and almost watery. To cut cost, they probably didn't add eggs in it as well, which made the whole dessert very flat tasting. The sponge fingers were terrible - drowned in what tasted like instant coffee and grossly soft. It came to a point where I was almost "drinking" the whole dessert. And if you are thinking alcohol, there is none of it present.
Black Forest - I would say the black forest was at least palatable. The cherries were a little dry but rather tart and the cream to sponge ratio was quite lopsided in favour of the cream. At least it was sweet though.
I don't know about you but $36 for such mind blowingly lousy food irritates me to no end. Compound the fact that service was seriously lacking ( I had to gesture for about 10 mins before I could catch the attention of any service staff and I wasn't the only table facing such problems) and that I had to pay a 10% service charge for that, I will never go back, not even step near it. Honestly, IL Lido has never enjoyed a high standing in my books but with Cafeteria IL Lido, the entire brand name has just slipped a few rungs.
Had been meaning to try out Teochew City for quite a while now so made it a point to head down one weekend evening for dinner. Owned and operated by the Prima group, which also owns the historic Prima Towering Revolving Restaurant, Teochew City is one of the pioneers of Teochew fine dining in Singapore and apparently serves quite good Teochew food, if the hearsays are to be trusted.
Located in a corner at the top floor of Centrepoint Shopping Centre, the restaurant cuts a lone figure amidst the retail shops in the mall. A huge signboard makes known the restaurant as soon as the escalator takes you up but human traffic on that level is probably too scarce to make much of a difference. The restaurant's interior is rather spacious and offers a view of live seafood swimming around in huge tanks by the side - very typical Chinese restaurant decor.
Crab Meat & Fish Maw Soup - The soup was tasty and not overly starchy with relatively generous amounts of crab meat and fish maw. However, drinking too much still can make you woozy. And $8 gets you a decent sized bowl.
Braised Goose - I doubt the ban on fresh goose meat has been lifted so this is probably frozen meat. Not that it mattered though, because it was handled quite well and the only slip was the mild dryness of the meat. Portions were also generous for a small serving.
Hong Kong Kailan with Mushrooms - The vegetables weren't overcooked while the sauce didn't come across as too starchy. Mushroom servings were generous and though not the most exciting vegetable dish I've had, no complains really.
Lobster and Prawn Balls - This dish featured prawn paste and fresh prawn molded into balls and deep fried till crisp. Nice but a tad too oily for my liking. The pièce de résistance however, was the egg white with lobster meat served alongside. Savoury without any hint of rawness and a nice smooth texture, complemented by the shreds of lobster meat within. Could have done with a pinch less salt though.
Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts and Pumpkin - The hallmark of Teochew desserts and its most famous one yet - the humble yet time consuming to produce yam paste. Fragrant with a spoonful of not too sweet syrup atop, the paste was smooth and thick. And I like my yam paste without coconut milk.
After a 10% discount, the 3 of us chalked up a bill of almost $125 ($138 without discount), which isn't exactly cheap but consider the quality of food and I reckon it's still reasonable. Service was good and the place provided a nice respite from the mad Orchard Road crowds on a weekend.
It seems to me that Orchard Central has quite a number of Japanese Restaurants, so much so that shoppers are totally spoilt for choice!
Anyhow, we decided on Tonkichi because firstly, it looked damn good. Secondly, there was a long queue, and thirdly, there were Japanese folks queuing to get a seat too. That's a definite indication that this place serves good Jap food, no?
They were famous for their Tonkatsu (fried pork fillet) so how could we pass that up?
Ok let's cut to the chase, here are the highlights of what we ordered:
Sashimi ($40 for 14 slices) Definitely not cheap, but pretty value for money? The slices were fresh, extremely thick and served cold. I'm a sucker for sashimi so this dish was gone in less than 5 minutes.
Oyster & Hire Katsu Set ($24) Served with rice, a mountain of shredded cabbage and miso soup was two big oysters and three slices of pork fillet, all fried to a crisp. Thankfully, it wasn't oily and the pork fillet was quite tender. Loved it!
Premium Rosu Katsu Set ($25) This is one big piece of pork loin pre-cut for your convenience, served with rice, shredded cabbage and miso soup. There really is a difference between the Premium range (these pigs were supposedly grain-fed and from Australia) and the Original Tonkatsu. The former is much, much more tender and juicy.
We also ordered some form of ramen though I can't remember what and didn't get to taste any so I can't quite comment. But they have a set meal with certain ramen so it's quite worth it, do check it out!
The service is pretty fast. To my surprise, a waitress came along and asked if we wanted a second helping of the shredded cabbage since it was free-flow. Free-flow cabbage, imagine that! That's a first for me. But I already had a mountain of it on my plate that I couldn't finish, so I politely declined.
I loved the Tonkatsu, will definitely go back again for more!
1=SGD 0.0587
Had dinner with my family at Jumbo Serangoon Gardens to "commemorate" its 20 odd years of business in the area, just before its swan song at the end of October. Apparently the rent has at the club has shot up by quite a bit so Jumbo has decided to take its business elsewhere.
The interior looks a little dated but boasts a quirky blue ceiling with concealed lights to give an impression of dining under the sky - not that it really worked though but studies have shown that blue is a calming colour, which could have been useful, judging from the crowd that evening.
Kailan with Garlic - You can't really go wrong with fried kailan and garlic so no surprises or disappointments here. Portions are a little small for $12 though.
Chilli Crab - The crab seemed rather small for its purported weight (1kg) and it didn't help that this signature Jumbo dish failed to live up to expectations. The gravy was rather watery and didn't go very well with the oily, insipid mantous that used to be an object of greedy desire (for me at least) some 10 years ago. How quality has deteriorated over the years!
Homemade Beancurd - I liked the generous amount of golden mushroom that buried the homemade beancurd. What I didn't like was the lack of silkiness and savouriness in the beancurd. Sure, it was soft but didn't slither down my throat and came across as bland.
Deep Fried Red Tilapia - Tilapias don't go for much in the markets but we were charged $32 for it - hardly fitting. Inflated prices aside, the fish was nicely deep fried and crisp on the outside, coupled with firm flesh on the inside. I didn't appreciate the tons of bones within though. Overall an averagely decent dish.
Cereal Prawns - The prawns weren't fresh and the flesh tasted a little soft and "powdery". I certainly didn't expect that from an established seafood restaurant like Jumbo. On the upside, the prawns were deshelled, leaving only the head, something which most places don't bother to do. I did like the cereal dressing though - mildy spicy, crunchy and sweet. But then again, it wasn't enough to salvage this dish.
Mee Goreng - One of the staples of Jumbo ever since we started patronising them some 10 odd years ago, the mee goreng was a shadow of its former self. Overly sweet would be most apt in describing it, with the noodles carrying no taste except being sweet. Apparently the sweetness is used to cover the alkaline taste present in the egg noodles, but this is really an overkill.
I don't know about you, but $188 ($138 with a $50 discount) for a sub standard dinner for 6 pax just doesn't cut it for me. Service was decent in a haphazard sort of way. Final words? Good riddance to overpriced and commercialized sub quality food!
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Definitely my favourite, favourite, FAVOURITE prata place of all time.
Casuarina Curry and RK Eating House do make it into my charts, but sorry, the top spot still belongs to THE Roti Prata House.
Their crispy prata is legendary. Crispy but not too oily and served with chicken curry, it has long been the subject of many of my late night cravings.
My love affair with The Roti Prata House began when I was just a young girl of five. My parents would bring us here every Sunday for breakfast, and boy was it good. We always had several crispy pratas and the formidable mutton curry.
Many many years later, since evolving from an early bird to a night owl, The Roti Prata House is ideal for supper any time of the night since it opens 24/7. Their maggi goreng packs a punch, paper prata is awesome, plaster prata is good too, and their milo & horlicks dinosaur is definitely diabetes-inducing.
A great place for sinful indulgence (:
New drivers beware - parallel parking only ;)
Rating given:
Reclusiveness seems to be the name of the game these days as small "boutique" restaurants start up in not too accessible locations, just like Jules, a tiny cafe whipping up Australian cuisine in the north eastern heartlands of Singapore.
Nestled in the midst of a private estate just opposite Nanyang JC, Jules plays neighbour to a seafood restaurant (Punggol Seng Choon I believe) and is visible from afar with its brightly litted crimson red signboard. The place is tiny and sparsely furnished, complete with granite flooring and wooden furniture. Air conditioning is a luxury unless you are seated just below one of the two units present. Fans attempt to cool things down a little but don't make much of a difference especially if you are taking the table just next to the counter.
Wagyu Burger - Although I still maintain my stand that wagyu beef should never been minced into patty, Jules did quite a good job on the beef I must admit. The patty's texture was uneven and I could make out bits and pieces of fat, which contributed to the chewy texture. The inherent beefy taste reminded me more of steak then patty, which was definitely good and I certainly appreciated the dollop of sundried tomato puree atop. The bread was average though and so were the fries.
Fig Pudding - I don't know what prompted me to order the fig pudding. Maybe it was the wait staff's recommendation. But I'm glad I did. I'm not exactly a fan of figs but the pudding was nice and moist without coming across as too sweet. Small pieces of figs were lodged within and the sauce had vanilla beans in it. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it proved to be a nice sweet ending to conclude the meal.
Prices are nett (no GST, no service charge), which is a huge plus. On my part, I forked out $26 for the burger and the pudding, which is very reasonable given the quality. Service was decent as well but the wait can be quite long especially if you have a big group. That aside, they probably need to look into installing more airconditioners to cool the place down.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Prawning, prawning. What an experience! It's nothing like fishing I must say.
It's extremely commercialized for one, but for some strange reason extremely addictive. I found myself going back to that place two nights in a row.
There are a few ponds there, but I like going to the one down the back alley and stairs because the barbecue pits are right next to the ponds.
So here's how it works - you pick a rod, check the number on it, go to the counter and pay for the number of hours you want to rent it.
1 hour - $15
2 hours - $25
3 hours - $30
It's definitely more economical to get the 3 hour package, because seriously, how many prawns can you catch in a hour? I took one hour on my first visit, and ended up with four prawns. It was embarrassing to say the least.
Okay, once you've gotten your rods, get the bait (chicken heart I think?) from the counter, find an auspicious spot, pull a chair and sit and wait.
Read my full and comprehensive prawning guide here.
Don't worry about there being not enough prawns in the ponds - they release live prawns into each pond every hour.
If you've got time and cash to spare, you definitely have to try this out. It's a bit pricey but worth the experience (:
It's open 24 hours and shares the same car park as the driving range next to Bishan Park, so it's quite hard to miss this place!
Rating given:
Dinner was at Cafe De Hong Kong (CDHK for short), a small restaurant selling HK style cze char dishes that have garnered rave reviews from many sources, both mainstream media and blogs alike.
Inconveniently located at the beginning of Balestier Road, just off the junction of Thomson Road and Balestier Road, CDHK looks like just any eatery that dots the entire stretch of Balestier Road. Step in however and a HK cafe style decor greets you with its quirky design and white washed walls. Parking in the area can pose a problem so cabs or public transport might be a better alternative.
Pork Ribs - Looking beautifully charred around the edges, the ribs were fall of the bone tender but came across as bland even with the sauce. Could have done with a little more marination. Mildly disappointing to say the least.
Salad Dressing Prawn Ball - I couldn't see the reason why this dish came highly recommended by our waitress. The prawn balls didn't exactly wow any of us at the table though I must admit that it was still quite decent nonetheless - crunchy with a dollop of mayonnaise. Then again, how bad can anything with mayonnaise be? I did like the broccoli though, which was cooked just right.
Roasted Chicken - Apparently this dish is so popular that you have to make a booking for it when you make your table reservation and that's exactly what we did. The half chicken (for the 5 of us) was more then adequate, which is rather surprisingly considering that in some places, a whole chicken might not even be sufficient. Consistency is suspect here as some parts of the chicken were juicy and tender while other parts tiptoed into the dry region. There was a higher salt content in certain areas as well.
Supreme Tofu - The tofu came with a thin slice of scallop on top and was silky smooth but lacked savouriness. Decent but nothing fantastic. Makes me wonder about the supreme in the name.
Stir Fried You Mak Cai with Dace Fish - Personally I thought that the vegetables were a little limp - the result of overcooking. The slight saltiness from the dace fish was apparent and I appreciated it. Overall nothing too fancy or outstanding, but definitely palatable.
The bill for the 5 of us was just shy of $100, which isn't too expensive by any standards. However, I can't quite attest to the rave reviews that have been popping up ever so often. Still, food and service is decent so probably still worth a try.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Welcome to Cache Cache!!! WELCOME to Cache Cache!!! WELCOME TO CACHE CACHE!!!
I can't help but have this ringing in my ear all day... Eventhough i have a pet named CASH... But it was not why i had this slogan ringing all day... Its because I visited CACHE CACHE at Ion Orchard.. and what more.. i shopped there for the longest time i ever spent in any shop, per m2.
I should say its not a big shop, however, they are having a great sale of up to 70% off... The clothes were funky, trendy and funny... Really Totally My style!
I love the bright colours and the wonderful designs and the prices were so reasonable.. You can never find another place with price as reasonable as Cache Cache.. They have the bling bling stuffs for gala, the Country Country Stuff for your line dance, the CuteCute Stuffs for your teenage daughter and the everyday Casual wear for everybody.
On top of that, they also have some smart casual clothes and shirts with prices you can NEVER IMAGINE.. The materials were great, helms and stitches not medium raw, medium well but WELL DONE and they do have really special designed clothings that look too happening for the dance floor...
Especially look for the jeans and shorts.. They were greatly priced and have got the latest cuts and designs on sale...
Accessories were great too.. With great colours and designs to go with your selected outfits. Prices were reasonably affordable and you really can't stop at buying one....
Head down today before the sale ends... and be rewarded with a new wardrobe.. What do you do with the old ones? Keep lor.... 5 years down the road, there sure be a retro fever again! Heh Heh! Shopping Is GREAT!
Rating given:
I simply fell in love with this restaurant. Let me tell you why.....
First, the ambience was great, there were plenty of tables for couples or small groups of 4 friends as well as huge group setting up to 10 friends can sit at one table. The sits were great, deco chic japanese and light warm yet you could see your food well.
I particular light to mention the great service. I was personally impressed by the number of waiter and waitresses serving. I felt outnumbered, but i guess it was a good sign. They were nice, attentive and very polite. On top of that they really made me feel served.... Introduction to the menu were clear and helpful and even wet towels were being given personally by a rep waitress.
Now lets go to the food. The sashimi were great, with value for money prices and a good portion. Salmon Sashimi was fresh, succulent and shouts "EAT ME! EAT ME!" The placement of the sashimi on top of the a bed of sticks were a great visual contrast.
The tempura and fried stuffs were great too.. I personally love the portion they serve and you cannot imagine the prices they put on the menu.... Its definitely much more worth it then going for buffets. Noodles were great and soupy... another must try is the WATAMI salad. They come in such huge portion that it takes more then 1 to finish.
Another thing i love about this place is the free flow green tea and most importantly prompt refills of the cup with a GREAT BIG SMILE. I particular love this gesture as it really made me feel special. Boo!! to those who charge a mere $1 for a green tea bag and I have to fill up my own hot water via the tap that always leaks.... Something to learn and improve on..."Other Jap Restaurants!!!"
If you have a IPHONE version of the yebber, i will upload the great photos i have taken. Please Please Please create one!!!
Rating given:
Upmarket restaurant IL Lido at Sentosa has apparently gone mass market with its latest offering - Cafeteria IL Lido, located at Suntec City Mall. Although I didn't think too much about the upscale IL Lido, I was tempted to find out what its "mass consumer centric" eatery offered.
The eatery seats beside other mass market eateries around the mall's fountain area at B1 and boasts a seating capacity probably in excess of 80 pax. The place is rather "cafeish" and comes across as cheery and soothing with its bright wall tones and wooden furniture.
Spaghetti Carbonara - This honestly smacked of convenience. The pasta wasn't al dente while the cream sauce was rather watery without any presence of egg yolk and tasted like the pre made bottled cream sauces you could get off the shelves at any supermarket. The only saving grace was the generous amount of bacon chips which could have used a little more salt.
Ham and Mushroom Pizza - The pizza base was thin, almost to the extent of biscuit like. While I appreciate the gooey cheese and generous toppings atop, I didn't quite take to the pizza in general because everything tasted bland. The crust was way too thin (and hard) to absorb any flavours from the tomato sauce or the cheese and essentially you are just eating biscuit topped with ingredients, something which I can probably do myself without too much hassle.
Tiramisu - This tiramisu has the dubious honour of being the worst tiramisu I have ever eaten in my life (sometimes I wonder if it is even edible) . For starters, it was served at room temperature and that resulted in the mascarpone cheese being soft and almost watery. To cut cost, they probably didn't add eggs in it as well, which made the whole dessert very flat tasting. The sponge fingers were terrible - drowned in what tasted like instant coffee and grossly soft. It came to a point where I was almost "drinking" the whole dessert. And if you are thinking alcohol, there is none of it present.
Black Forest - I would say the black forest was at least palatable. The cherries were a little dry but rather tart and the cream to sponge ratio was quite lopsided in favour of the cream. At least it was sweet though.
I don't know about you but $36 for such mind blowingly lousy food irritates me to no end. Compound the fact that service was seriously lacking ( I had to gesture for about 10 mins before I could catch the attention of any service staff and I wasn't the only table facing such problems) and that I had to pay a 10% service charge for that, I will never go back, not even step near it. Honestly, IL Lido has never enjoyed a high standing in my books but with Cafeteria IL Lido, the entire brand name has just slipped a few rungs.
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Had been meaning to try out Teochew City for quite a while now so made it a point to head down one weekend evening for dinner. Owned and operated by the Prima group, which also owns the historic Prima Towering Revolving Restaurant, Teochew City is one of the pioneers of Teochew fine dining in Singapore and apparently serves quite good Teochew food, if the hearsays are to be trusted.
Located in a corner at the top floor of Centrepoint Shopping Centre, the restaurant cuts a lone figure amidst the retail shops in the mall. A huge signboard makes known the restaurant as soon as the escalator takes you up but human traffic on that level is probably too scarce to make much of a difference. The restaurant's interior is rather spacious and offers a view of live seafood swimming around in huge tanks by the side - very typical Chinese restaurant decor.
Crab Meat & Fish Maw Soup - The soup was tasty and not overly starchy with relatively generous amounts of crab meat and fish maw. However, drinking too much still can make you woozy. And $8 gets you a decent sized bowl.
Braised Goose - I doubt the ban on fresh goose meat has been lifted so this is probably frozen meat. Not that it mattered though, because it was handled quite well and the only slip was the mild dryness of the meat. Portions were also generous for a small serving.
Hong Kong Kailan with Mushrooms - The vegetables weren't overcooked while the sauce didn't come across as too starchy. Mushroom servings were generous and though not the most exciting vegetable dish I've had, no complains really.
Lobster and Prawn Balls - This dish featured prawn paste and fresh prawn molded into balls and deep fried till crisp. Nice but a tad too oily for my liking. The pièce de résistance however, was the egg white with lobster meat served alongside. Savoury without any hint of rawness and a nice smooth texture, complemented by the shreds of lobster meat within. Could have done with a pinch less salt though.
Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts and Pumpkin - The hallmark of Teochew desserts and its most famous one yet - the humble yet time consuming to produce yam paste. Fragrant with a spoonful of not too sweet syrup atop, the paste was smooth and thick. And I like my yam paste without coconut milk.
After a 10% discount, the 3 of us chalked up a bill of almost $125 ($138 without discount), which isn't exactly cheap but consider the quality of food and I reckon it's still reasonable. Service was good and the place provided a nice respite from the mad Orchard Road crowds on a weekend.
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It seems to me that Orchard Central has quite a number of Japanese Restaurants, so much so that shoppers are totally spoilt for choice!
Anyhow, we decided on Tonkichi because firstly, it looked damn good. Secondly, there was a long queue, and thirdly, there were Japanese folks queuing to get a seat too. That's a definite indication that this place serves good Jap food, no?
They were famous for their Tonkatsu (fried pork fillet) so how could we pass that up?
Ok let's cut to the chase, here are the highlights of what we ordered:
Sashimi ($40 for 14 slices)
Definitely not cheap, but pretty value for money? The slices were fresh, extremely thick and served cold. I'm a sucker for sashimi so this dish was gone in less than 5 minutes.
Oyster & Hire Katsu Set ($24)
Served with rice, a mountain of shredded cabbage and miso soup was two big oysters and three slices of pork fillet, all fried to a crisp. Thankfully, it wasn't oily and the pork fillet was quite tender. Loved it!
Premium Rosu Katsu Set ($25)
This is one big piece of pork loin pre-cut for your convenience, served with rice, shredded cabbage and miso soup. There really is a difference between the Premium range (these pigs were supposedly grain-fed and from Australia) and the Original Tonkatsu. The former is much, much more tender and juicy.
We also ordered some form of ramen though I can't remember what and didn't get to taste any so I can't quite comment. But they have a set meal with certain ramen so it's quite worth it, do check it out!
The service is pretty fast. To my surprise, a waitress came along and asked if we wanted a second helping of the shredded cabbage since it was free-flow. Free-flow cabbage, imagine that! That's a first for me. But I already had a mountain of it on my plate that I couldn't finish, so I politely declined.
I loved the Tonkatsu, will definitely go back again for more!
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