I was enticed by the prospect of stuffing myself with dim sum for tea so headed down to Peach Garden @ Thomson one Sunday afternoon. The last time I had dim sum at Peach Garden, the fare was decent and I was under the impression that if food quality remained consistent, this dim sum buffet could be well worth the money.
Ambience
The place has a typical Chinese restaurant setting and looks deceptively small from the outside. The interior however, can seat probably in excess of a hundred pax. Though the place was packed to the rafters with people, I appreciate the fact that tables are spaced adequately apart, which makes for more privacy.
Variety
There is a "live" station where service staff dish out carrot cake, fried chicken, ice cream and the likes. Usual suspects like porridge, fruits and desserts can also be found at the station. Dim sum trolleys are pushed around periodically and you merely have to inform the wait staff of the dishes you desire. I counted less then 20 different dim sum varieties off the trolley, which include both steamed and fried variants. I found it quite a pity that Peach Garden didn't include their much loved (by me) custard bun in the buffet lineup.
Quality
Personally, I thought that the quality was average at best. The best dishes were probably the Har Gao and the Walls ice cream served up between 2 wafer biscuits. Everything else either tasted out of sorts or was too oily. We threw in the towel after only about half an hour when the whole buffet was suppose to last for two. I guess that says a lot doesn't it?
Service
Service was quite acceptably decent. No big boo boos or anything and our tea got refilled quite constantly.
Value for money
At about $20/pax after taxes, the buffet is not expensive per se but factor in the quality and I'm better off having ala carte elsewhere. This deal is only good if quality isn't of the utmost priority and you just wish to gorge yourself silly.
Spotted this place while trawling HGW for a National Day eve dinner; it sounded like an excellent choice to avoid the ION crazy crowd downtown and traffic snarls.
Far East Square is really quiet during weekdays :I A pity coz I think there are some really nice places for food. The small eatery was not packed at all on the evening, and throughout dinner there were including us 5 tables filled.
A menu without pictures and without the name of the place is something I don't see everyday; but it actually kind of makes the place seem more authentic :D
The set dinners were the orders of the day, I deliberated for abit and decided on the udon and sushi set. And my goodness the portions were really huge!
Udon & sushi set ($20) - Half udon, sushi, salad, chawamushi, mixed tempura, fruits. *pant* I felt the sushi rice was a little dry and hard, everything else was quite tasty, albeit a little too much carbs in this particular set.
Things I didn't get to taste was chicken teriyaki set, katsu set, and cold tofu. But it all looked quite good. we tried, but we really couldn't finish what was on our table.
Service was okay, nothing much to fault. Still feel its quite a pity for the place to be so empty on a weekend though. Prices are not cheap as per say but with the amount of food they give, its more than value worth.
Mortons has introduced the USDA prime burger, nicknamed "The Million Dollar Burger" by one of its founders, to its sole outlet in Singapore and according to history, it was this very burger that launched Morton's of Chicago, not a piece of steak which Mortons is known for. Surprise surprise.
You can choose to have the burger either at The Bar at Mortons which is on the fourth and a half storey, or at the steakhouse itself on the fourth. However, if you choose the latter, you will be subjected to a compulsory extra $5 /pax surcharge because of the humongous onion loaf that is served.
USDA Prime Burger - If you make an order for the burger before 8pm, its $30 . After 8pm and its $25 . The beef patty weighed about 12oz or 340g, which dwarfs almost all of the current competition, served up on a nicely toasted sesame bun. Although I was never a proponent of quality beef (apparently its grain fed and aged) being minced up into burger patties, I have to admit that Mortons did a pretty good job with it. The medium rare patty was tender and carried plenty of juices without the natural beefy taste being too overwhelming. However, the texture was rather smooth, indicating that it was probably machine chop/minced rather then hand. Not that it mattered much though as this burger ranks as the one of the best burger I've eaten in Singapore so far. The sides are decent as well so make sure you ask for all of them (sauteed onions, bacon, mushrooms) but just don't get too excited over the hand cut idaho potatoes, which failed to wow.
Upside Down Apple Pie - The apple pie was as good as I remembered it to be - not too sourish with raisins for a light sweetness and a scoop of smooth vanilla ice cream. Prices remain the same ($20 ) as 2 years back, which is a rarity in restaurants nowadays.
Morton's Hot Chocolate Cake - The stuff that makes people throw all diet plans out of the window and another signature dish of Mortons - its decadent hot chocolate cake. The crust was a little hard and held up pretty well while the rich molten chocolate was viscous almost to a fault. Admittedly, it's expensive ($25 ) for its size and though good, I find it rather ridiculous to pay so much for it.
$30 sure isn't cheap for a burger, but given its quality, I would gladly pay. Service was lacking that evening and we had a hard time trying to get any wait staff's attention. To compound our woes, the wait for our burgers stretched to more then an hour - something which Mortons needs to look into. But hey, it was a great evening and great place to chill.
The 50% lunch discount that La Brezza dangled to all Astor card members was to good to resist and I ended up having lunch there one fine afternoon. What's weird is that La Brezza, which means sea breeze in Italian yet serves Mediterranean food, is relatively unknown in the culinary circles even though it has been around for quite a bit.
Located on the second floor of the posh St Regis, La Brezza looks out into the hotel's swimming pool and boasts floor to ceilings windows to allow sunlight in. The bright and cheery ambience is accentuated through the use of white wicker chairs and striped blue/white curtains, which also give the place a laid back feel. The sofa couple seats are positioned with their back facing the wall, which allows both parties to have a full view of the pool.
I didn't think too much of the complimentary bread although there was quite a variety and it came served in a pretty white porcelain bowl with blue markings on it. And surprise surprise, we had bottled water with our set lunch, which makes me wonder if they even serve sky juice.
LaBrezza Salad - There was no mention of chicken in the description but I'm glad that they added it in. The generous serving of chicken breast slices were very well marinated and grilled, coming across as succulent and soft. The greens were fresh with a touch of light dressing and shaved cheese atop. Great way to start off!
Tomato Mozzarella - I am honestly not a big fan of raw tomatoes except when they come in the guise of bruschetta. But to be fair, this dish proved to be quite decent. The tomato slices were fresh and juicy and went well with the chilled and light burratina cheese, which helped to keep the acidity of the tomatoes in check.
Grilled Salmon - The chef's favourite for the day - grilled salmon. Well grilled till the skin boasted a nice crisp, the salmon did come across as a wee bit too dry for my liking. I did like the polenta on the side though - smooth and creamy .
Frutti Di Mare - Frutti Di Mare, or fruit of the sea, over risotto was my choice of main. The risotto was creamy and done al dente without the sauce being too overwhelming. Coupled with a generous serving of seafood, I must say I enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Paris Brest - This dessert was said to be created by a pastry chef in honour of a bicycle race between Paris and Brest in France. But La Brezza's rendition was a little lacking. The pastry wasn't fluffy and could have been a little softer as well. The hazelnut cream filling was decent though and the brown sorbet by the side was actually lime sorbet. Surprise surprise.
Chocolate Tart - The chocolate tart was rich with a tinge of bitterness and a layer of gooey caramel wedged inside, all held together by a thin yet solid tart base. Sadly, the caramel didn't quite feature in the taste though. And what better to complement a chocolate tart then with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a piece of chocolate?
Without the 50% discount, I would be hard pressed to find a reason to return, especially when the 3 course set lunch is a whopping $52 ($61.20 nett). The bottle of Evian provides scant comfort for the price and so does the food quality, which is above average but still a few notches below outstanding.
Was in the mood for hor fun (河粉) aka thick flat rice noodles, so headed down to Koon Kee after hearing/reading some pretty good stuff about it. It definitely helped that it was within a 5 minute bus ride from my house.
Located in a rather old shophouse at the beginning of Yio Chu Kang road, just opposite Serangoon Stadium, Koon Kee has a rather dated interior that would probably invoke nostalgia in the older generation. The walls are lined with interesting collectables that the owner has amassed over the years, which add to the retro effect. The place is not air conditioned by the way, but has plenty of fans to keep the heat at bay.
Hor Fun ($5) - The seafood hor fun had relatively generous servings of pork, fish slices and of course lots of greens to go along. The ingredients weren't exactly the freshest, but still palatable. The gravy didn't come across as too starchy and had a light garlicky taste to it while the hor fun had a stronger then usual wok hei taste but I would have preferred it to be a little more burnt. It all boils down to personal preference though.
Beef Hor Fun ($6) - Personally I am biased towards the beef hor fun as I am an avid fan of beef. The gravy was more robust (or is it a psychological thing?) with a heavier dosage of garlic and pepper. The beef slices tasted like they had been well soaked in tenderizer but I guess its common for most places that do this dish. And yes, I would have preferred the hor fun to carry a slightly stronger wok hei taste.
Special Tofu ($6) - There was nothing special about the tofu honestly. It carried a coating of flour on the outside which was fried to a crisp but a little too thick for my liking. And though soft, it was bland and had to be eaten with the accompanying sweet and mildly spicy sauce with crushed peanuts.
Egg Foo Yong ($6) - This dish was like your everyday fried egg save for bits of carrots, vegetables and strands of crab meat in it. Nothing like the ones I had in Hong Kong or Canada. Decent but probably not something I'll order again for $6.
All in all, I think prices are a wee bit steep for the hor fun, especially when the place is pretty much like a coffee shop. Price aside, quality is above average and worth a try. I understand that there are limited quantities of hor fun each day so please go early.
Passed by this shop today and couldn't resist the shoes just screaming for attention...
Anyway, to the cut the long story short, I have been dying for a pair of Dr. Martens for the longest time, and today a very nice sales person was actually very helpful and very friendly in helping me find the perfect cut and the perfect fit.
He advised me on which cut suited Asian legs best (I am quite short mah...) and brought out different designs, cuts and colours for me to choose from. How could I possibly resist?
So there I was, trying out the high cut, pure white Dr. Martens, almost prancing in front of the mirror, listening to him telling me how to take care of the leather, how to clean it, how to best season it and maintain the colour etc... I must say he was very helpful and very nice about it all.
Excited as I was, I decided to wear it on the spot. Not only did he help me pack my shoes, he also helped me lace up my brand new Dr. Martens. Don't underestimate these leather boots, they are damn hard to lace up for the first time, since the leather is stiff!
Very impressed with the service there, though I forgot to ask him his name. Pity!
Although this was named as Astons Express
but apparently was not very express as we often had to wait
like 20 mins for our food. Meaning other colleagues who have
started eating before us would have finished their food and
sat there waiting for us before we start on ours. Hence usually we would order together if we want to eat Astons so that none have to wait. Still it eats into our time and reduced the time we would usually use for coffee elsewhere.
Food was not bad, I've tried the Grilled fish with herbs or something.
Fish was tender with no strange smell, the herb sauce was great too,
compliments the fish meat and made it sweet. However it looks a bit
lame on a damn big plate. Perhaps due to the light colour of the meat and sauce.
The baked potato is a must try even if you are ordering as
a side dish though many may dislike the flaky texture but the potato taste
great~ (suspect they may have added something to add to the taste
but I'm not sure what)
A nice change from the normal food court food. Good to try once in a
while but do get a seat before ordering as they want table no.
We walked all the way from Plaza Singapura only to find a note stuck on the outside of the cafe we wanted to go, saying they are closed for renovations. Crossed the road dejectedly in search of a substitute and Mad Jack became our choice because we saw the wallet friendly prices :D
Service was really haphazard and tables almost elbow-to-elbow unless you manage to grab 1 of the 2 the couch seats by the window facing Selegie Road.
Menu was bright and cheery, with most items under $10. A small order chit and a pen is placed there for your FYI.
Plain fries ($4.90) - We decided on 'plain' instead of 'spicy'. It came in a small portion of slightly thick chips that didn't quite taste freshly done.
Grilled chicken in black pepper sauce ($7.90) - Same chips accompanied by a slab of chicken half-doused with what tasted like watered-down mushroom sauce. No hint of pepper at all, although it tasted okay. The handful of canned-peach and apple cubes was quite a nice contrast though.
Seafood Combo ($18.90) - assortment of seafood rolls, prawn toast, and butterfly prawns. Your average deep fried appetizers with the seafood rolls a little more memorable.
Other things I didn't try were Mad-thai curry chic on rice ($8.90) and some chicken drumstick thing.
Fare was really quite average western stuff, but I think sometime places like Billy Bombers serve the equivalent with much higher prices. For a quick and affordable western fix, I'll return.
Was recommended this place and I have to admit the chef's affiliation with Iggy's did slant my decision to go for the place. After all, its Iggy's right. Wrong.
At least the place was prominent enough, right next to TCC. The warm lightings and casual settings looked inviting enough, but the table that was reserved for us seemed like the polar's bear favorite spot; it was absolutely freezing!
Menu was smaller than I expected, but it made selection easier. I decided not to have soup and went for something which I later found out was quite a staple in other french places:
Poached egg ($12) - stir fried mushrooms below a nicely poached egg. The mushrooms tasted quite nice actually at 1st bite but later became an overload of salt on my palettes.
Salmon ($28) - for non-red meat and non-pork eaters like me, there's actually very little to choose from. The fish was came in a surprisingly big chunk ontop of asparagus and mashed potato (at least I remembered so). The only thing I remembered was the nicely crispy salmon skin but everything else was quite bland.
The other items that occupied the table were foie gras, lobster bisque, beef rossini etc, all of which were not fantastic according to what I hear.
To avoid yet another disappointment, we had to adjourn elsewhere for dessrts :D
Service was actually quite haphazard, but at least the lady who cleared my plate took the initiative to ask me if the fish was okay when she saw 1/4 uneaten. Because of a generously-careless gesture at the end, we walked away feeling sort of compensated for the disappointing quality of food. But that being said, I'm still not coming back.
The question of the night was: why were there malay staff when they have pork items on the menu? We never got to find out.
Needed a midday snack before I head home and heard my friends talk excitedly about this new place at The Central ~ But this place is a little hard to find if you're not familiar with the place: you should head out towards the bus stop along Eu Tong Sen Street and turn left --> its right beside Club Marc.
Its a much bigger place than I expected, and the place was very empty at 5pm on a weekday. There's 2 counters: 1 for cakes which didn't register much and another longish counter for bread~
I remembered reading about its raisin cream cheese, so I bypassed most of what's on display and bought 1 of that. Not very impressive outlook I must say, and erm, not very impressive taste actually :I I mean the bread was extremely thin and light and plenty of cream cheese filling dotted with raisins. But I failed to taste what's the 'wow' about it.
1=SGD 0.0587
I was enticed by the prospect of stuffing myself with dim sum for tea so headed down to Peach Garden @ Thomson one Sunday afternoon. The last time I had dim sum at Peach Garden, the fare was decent and I was under the impression that if food quality remained consistent, this dim sum buffet could be well worth the money.
Ambience
The place has a typical Chinese restaurant setting and looks deceptively small from the outside. The interior however, can seat probably in excess of a hundred pax. Though the place was packed to the rafters with people, I appreciate the fact that tables are spaced adequately apart, which makes for more privacy.
Variety
There is a "live" station where service staff dish out carrot cake, fried chicken, ice cream and the likes. Usual suspects like porridge, fruits and desserts can also be found at the station. Dim sum trolleys are pushed around periodically and you merely have to inform the wait staff of the dishes you desire. I counted less then 20 different dim sum varieties off the trolley, which include both steamed and fried variants. I found it quite a pity that Peach Garden didn't include their much loved (by me) custard bun in the buffet lineup.
Quality
Personally, I thought that the quality was average at best. The best dishes were probably the Har Gao and the Walls ice cream served up between 2 wafer biscuits. Everything else either tasted out of sorts or was too oily. We threw in the towel after only about half an hour when the whole buffet was suppose to last for two. I guess that says a lot doesn't it?
Service
Service was quite acceptably decent. No big boo boos or anything and our tea got refilled quite constantly.
Value for money
At about $20/pax after taxes, the buffet is not expensive per se but factor in the quality and I'm better off having ala carte elsewhere. This deal is only good if quality isn't of the utmost priority and you just wish to gorge yourself silly.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Good place for big eaters :D
Spotted this place while trawling HGW for a National Day eve dinner; it sounded like an excellent choice to avoid the ION crazy crowd downtown and traffic snarls.
Far East Square is really quiet during weekdays :I A pity coz I think there are some really nice places for food. The small eatery was not packed at all on the evening, and throughout dinner there were including us 5 tables filled.
A menu without pictures and without the name of the place is something I don't see everyday; but it actually kind of makes the place seem more authentic :D
The set dinners were the orders of the day, I deliberated for abit and decided on the udon and sushi set. And my goodness the portions were really huge!
Udon & sushi set ($20) - Half udon, sushi, salad, chawamushi, mixed tempura, fruits. *pant* I felt the sushi rice was a little dry and hard, everything else was quite tasty, albeit a little too much carbs in this particular set.
Things I didn't get to taste was chicken teriyaki set, katsu set, and cold tofu. But it all looked quite good. we tried, but we really couldn't finish what was on our table.
Service was okay, nothing much to fault. Still feel its quite a pity for the place to be so empty on a weekend though. Prices are not cheap as per say but with the amount of food they give, its more than value worth.
Rating given:
Mortons has introduced the USDA prime burger, nicknamed "The Million Dollar Burger" by one of its founders, to its sole outlet in Singapore and according to history, it was this very burger that launched Morton's of Chicago, not a piece of steak which Mortons is known for. Surprise surprise.
You can choose to have the burger either at The Bar at Mortons which is on the fourth and a half storey, or at the steakhouse itself on the fourth. However, if you choose the latter, you will be subjected to a compulsory extra $5 /pax surcharge because of the humongous onion loaf that is served.
USDA Prime Burger - If you make an order for the burger before 8pm, its $30 . After 8pm and its $25 . The beef patty weighed about 12oz or 340g, which dwarfs almost all of the current competition, served up on a nicely toasted sesame bun. Although I was never a proponent of quality beef (apparently its grain fed and aged) being minced up into burger patties, I have to admit that Mortons did a pretty good job with it. The medium rare patty was tender and carried plenty of juices without the natural beefy taste being too overwhelming. However, the texture was rather smooth, indicating that it was probably machine chop/minced rather then hand. Not that it mattered much though as this burger ranks as the one of the best burger I've eaten in Singapore so far. The sides are decent as well so make sure you ask for all of them (sauteed onions, bacon, mushrooms) but just don't get too excited over the hand cut idaho potatoes, which failed to wow.
Upside Down Apple Pie - The apple pie was as good as I remembered it to be - not too sourish with raisins for a light sweetness and a scoop of smooth vanilla ice cream. Prices remain the same ($20 ) as 2 years back, which is a rarity in restaurants nowadays.
Morton's Hot Chocolate Cake - The stuff that makes people throw all diet plans out of the window and another signature dish of Mortons - its decadent hot chocolate cake. The crust was a little hard and held up pretty well while the rich molten chocolate was viscous almost to a fault. Admittedly, it's expensive ($25 ) for its size and though good, I find it rather ridiculous to pay so much for it.
$30 sure isn't cheap for a burger, but given its quality, I would gladly pay. Service was lacking that evening and we had a hard time trying to get any wait staff's attention. To compound our woes, the wait for our burgers stretched to more then an hour - something which Mortons needs to look into. But hey, it was a great evening and great place to chill.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
The 50% lunch discount that La Brezza dangled to all Astor card members was to good to resist and I ended up having lunch there one fine afternoon. What's weird is that La Brezza, which means sea breeze in Italian yet serves Mediterranean food, is relatively unknown in the culinary circles even though it has been around for quite a bit.
Located on the second floor of the posh St Regis, La Brezza looks out into the hotel's swimming pool and boasts floor to ceilings windows to allow sunlight in. The bright and cheery ambience is accentuated through the use of white wicker chairs and striped blue/white curtains, which also give the place a laid back feel. The sofa couple seats are positioned with their back facing the wall, which allows both parties to have a full view of the pool.
I didn't think too much of the complimentary bread although there was quite a variety and it came served in a pretty white porcelain bowl with blue markings on it. And surprise surprise, we had bottled water with our set lunch, which makes me wonder if they even serve sky juice.
LaBrezza Salad - There was no mention of chicken in the description but I'm glad that they added it in. The generous serving of chicken breast slices were very well marinated and grilled, coming across as succulent and soft. The greens were fresh with a touch of light dressing and shaved cheese atop. Great way to start off!
Tomato Mozzarella - I am honestly not a big fan of raw tomatoes except when they come in the guise of bruschetta. But to be fair, this dish proved to be quite decent. The tomato slices were fresh and juicy and went well with the chilled and light burratina cheese, which helped to keep the acidity of the tomatoes in check.
Grilled Salmon - The chef's favourite for the day - grilled salmon. Well grilled till the skin boasted a nice crisp, the salmon did come across as a wee bit too dry for my liking. I did like the polenta on the side though - smooth and creamy .
Frutti Di Mare - Frutti Di Mare, or fruit of the sea, over risotto was my choice of main. The risotto was creamy and done al dente without the sauce being too overwhelming. Coupled with a generous serving of seafood, I must say I enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Paris Brest - This dessert was said to be created by a pastry chef in honour of a bicycle race between Paris and Brest in France. But La Brezza's rendition was a little lacking. The pastry wasn't fluffy and could have been a little softer as well. The hazelnut cream filling was decent though and the brown sorbet by the side was actually lime sorbet. Surprise surprise.
Chocolate Tart - The chocolate tart was rich with a tinge of bitterness and a layer of gooey caramel wedged inside, all held together by a thin yet solid tart base. Sadly, the caramel didn't quite feature in the taste though. And what better to complement a chocolate tart then with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a piece of chocolate?
Without the 50% discount, I would be hard pressed to find a reason to return, especially when the 3 course set lunch is a whopping $52 ($61.20 nett). The bottle of Evian provides scant comfort for the price and so does the food quality, which is above average but still a few notches below outstanding.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Was in the mood for hor fun (河粉) aka thick flat rice noodles, so headed down to Koon Kee after hearing/reading some pretty good stuff about it. It definitely helped that it was within a 5 minute bus ride from my house.
Located in a rather old shophouse at the beginning of Yio Chu Kang road, just opposite Serangoon Stadium, Koon Kee has a rather dated interior that would probably invoke nostalgia in the older generation. The walls are lined with interesting collectables that the owner has amassed over the years, which add to the retro effect. The place is not air conditioned by the way, but has plenty of fans to keep the heat at bay.
Hor Fun ($5) - The seafood hor fun had relatively generous servings of pork, fish slices and of course lots of greens to go along. The ingredients weren't exactly the freshest, but still palatable. The gravy didn't come across as too starchy and had a light garlicky taste to it while the hor fun had a stronger then usual wok hei taste but I would have preferred it to be a little more burnt. It all boils down to personal preference though.
Beef Hor Fun ($6) - Personally I am biased towards the beef hor fun as I am an avid fan of beef. The gravy was more robust (or is it a psychological thing?) with a heavier dosage of garlic and pepper. The beef slices tasted like they had been well soaked in tenderizer but I guess its common for most places that do this dish. And yes, I would have preferred the hor fun to carry a slightly stronger wok hei taste.
Special Tofu ($6) - There was nothing special about the tofu honestly. It carried a coating of flour on the outside which was fried to a crisp but a little too thick for my liking. And though soft, it was bland and had to be eaten with the accompanying sweet and mildly spicy sauce with crushed peanuts.
Egg Foo Yong ($6) - This dish was like your everyday fried egg save for bits of carrots, vegetables and strands of crab meat in it. Nothing like the ones I had in Hong Kong or Canada. Decent but probably not something I'll order again for $6.
All in all, I think prices are a wee bit steep for the hor fun, especially when the place is pretty much like a coffee shop. Price aside, quality is above average and worth a try. I understand that there are limited quantities of hor fun each day so please go early.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Passed by this shop today and couldn't resist the shoes just screaming for attention...
Anyway, to the cut the long story short, I have been dying for a pair of Dr. Martens for the longest time, and today a very nice sales person was actually very helpful and very friendly in helping me find the perfect cut and the perfect fit.
He advised me on which cut suited Asian legs best (I am quite short mah...) and brought out different designs, cuts and colours for me to choose from. How could I possibly resist?
So there I was, trying out the high cut, pure white Dr. Martens, almost prancing in front of the mirror, listening to him telling me how to take care of the leather, how to clean it, how to best season it and maintain the colour etc... I must say he was very helpful and very nice about it all.
Excited as I was, I decided to wear it on the spot. Not only did he help me pack my shoes, he also helped me lace up my brand new Dr. Martens. Don't underestimate these leather boots, they are damn hard to lace up for the first time, since the leather is stiff!
Very impressed with the service there, though I forgot to ask him his name. Pity!
Rating given:
Although this was named as Astons Express
but apparently was not very express as we often had to wait
like 20 mins for our food. Meaning other colleagues who have
started eating before us would have finished their food and
sat there waiting for us before we start on ours. Hence usually we would order together if we want to eat Astons so that none have to wait. Still it eats into our time and reduced the time we would usually use for coffee elsewhere.
Food was not bad, I've tried the Grilled fish with herbs or something.
Fish was tender with no strange smell, the herb sauce was great too,
compliments the fish meat and made it sweet. However it looks a bit
lame on a damn big plate. Perhaps due to the light colour of the meat and sauce.
The baked potato is a must try even if you are ordering as
a side dish though many may dislike the flaky texture but the potato taste
great~ (suspect they may have added something to add to the taste
but I'm not sure what)
A nice change from the normal food court food. Good to try once in a
while but do get a seat before ordering as they want table no.
Rating given:
We walked all the way from Plaza Singapura only to find a note stuck on the outside of the cafe we wanted to go, saying they are closed for renovations. Crossed the road dejectedly in search of a substitute and Mad Jack became our choice because we saw the wallet friendly prices :D
Service was really haphazard and tables almost elbow-to-elbow unless you manage to grab 1 of the 2 the couch seats by the window facing Selegie Road.
Menu was bright and cheery, with most items under $10. A small order chit and a pen is placed there for your FYI.
Plain fries ($4.90) - We decided on 'plain' instead of 'spicy'. It came in a small portion of slightly thick chips that didn't quite taste freshly done.
Grilled chicken in black pepper sauce ($7.90) - Same chips accompanied by a slab of chicken half-doused with what tasted like watered-down mushroom sauce. No hint of pepper at all, although it tasted okay. The handful of canned-peach and apple cubes was quite a nice contrast though.
Seafood Combo ($18.90) - assortment of seafood rolls, prawn toast, and butterfly prawns. Your average deep fried appetizers with the seafood rolls a little more memorable.
Other things I didn't try were Mad-thai curry chic on rice ($8.90) and some chicken drumstick thing.
Fare was really quite average western stuff, but I think sometime places like Billy Bombers serve the equivalent with much higher prices. For a quick and affordable western fix, I'll return.
Rating given:
Not fantastic~
Was recommended this place and I have to admit the chef's affiliation with Iggy's did slant my decision to go for the place. After all, its Iggy's right. Wrong.
At least the place was prominent enough, right next to TCC. The warm lightings and casual settings looked inviting enough, but the table that was reserved for us seemed like the polar's bear favorite spot; it was absolutely freezing!
Menu was smaller than I expected, but it made selection easier. I decided not to have soup and went for something which I later found out was quite a staple in other french places:
Poached egg ($12) - stir fried mushrooms below a nicely poached egg. The mushrooms tasted quite nice actually at 1st bite but later became an overload of salt on my palettes.
Salmon ($28) - for non-red meat and non-pork eaters like me, there's actually very little to choose from. The fish was came in a surprisingly big chunk ontop of asparagus and mashed potato (at least I remembered so). The only thing I remembered was the nicely crispy salmon skin but everything else was quite bland.
The other items that occupied the table were foie gras, lobster bisque, beef rossini etc, all of which were not fantastic according to what I hear.
To avoid yet another disappointment, we had to adjourn elsewhere for dessrts :D
Service was actually quite haphazard, but at least the lady who cleared my plate took the initiative to ask me if the fish was okay when she saw 1/4 uneaten. Because of a generously-careless gesture at the end, we walked away feeling sort of compensated for the disappointing quality of food. But that being said, I'm still not coming back.
The question of the night was: why were there malay staff when they have pork items on the menu? We never got to find out.
Rating given:
Hmmm.....
Needed a midday snack before I head home and heard my friends talk excitedly about this new place at The Central ~ But this place is a little hard to find if you're not familiar with the place: you should head out towards the bus stop along Eu Tong Sen Street and turn left --> its right beside Club Marc.
Its a much bigger place than I expected, and the place was very empty at 5pm on a weekday. There's 2 counters: 1 for cakes which didn't register much and another longish counter for bread~
I remembered reading about its raisin cream cheese, so I bypassed most of what's on display and bought 1 of that. Not very impressive outlook I must say, and erm, not very impressive taste actually :I I mean the bread was extremely thin and light and plenty of cream cheese filling dotted with raisins. But I failed to taste what's the 'wow' about it.
Sorry~
Rating given: