Diandin Leluk, the well known budget Thai restaurant at Golden Mile and owner of the Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen chain, recently opened up a new upmarket branch around my area so thought it would be good to give it a shot.
Taking over the space vacated by a chicken rice stall just next to Sushi Tei, Diandin boasts two levels of seating in a brightly lighted comfortable looking interior with heavy wooden chairs and tables. Nice place for casual family dinners or gatherings.
Pork Beancurd Soup - I quite fancied this soup as it came across as light yet tasty from the addition of tong cai. There were balls of prawn paste peppered with bits of meat and steamed egg tofu in it. Very traditional Teochew styled soup.
Pandan Chicken - This was one of the better pandan chickens that I've eaten as it wasn't too oily or cloyingly sweet. The meat was tender and fibrous and of quite a sizeable chunk.
Stir Fried Broccoli with Scallops - A very simple dish and decently executed one at that. The broccoli wasn't overcooked while the thin silvers of scallop didn't carry the fishy aftertaste. However, I thought that the gravy was a little too bland for my liking. But on the upside, at least it wasn't too starchy.
Pineapple Fried Rice - A most mundane rendition of this Thai favourite. There were lots of meat floss, a few slices of shrimp, dried sausages and raisins but lacked the pineapple twang as well as the fragrance. Decent but I've definitely had better.
Phad Thai - The phad thai was of the dryer variant which I personally prefer and the noodles had a nice springy texture. It didn't come across as overly sweet as well and you had a choice of drowning the noodles in grounded peanuts, which I did. Pity about the small portions.
Durian Glutinous Rice - This dessert looked different from others that I've eaten elsewhere. The rice was seperated from the durian (which was real durian meat, not puree) and looked a total mess. Aesthetics aside, the durian was sweet while the glutinous rice wasn't overwhelmed by coconut milk. I did think that the rice was a little undercooked though because it came across as a little hard.
I have walked pass this restaurant several times, but often rather settle for the Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant as I never really thought my taste buds catered to the Korean flavour.
This time round, upon looking at the menu, I thought perhaps there could be something that suits my taste. No harm trying a new place, so my dinner partner and I left our names down for 2 at this restaurant.
There wasn’t really a queue at about 6.20pm and we were told that we had to wait 15 – 20 min for a table. I was rather surprised as it was still early and there was only one couple before me. Nonetheless, we waited.
20 min later, we were told the same thing again. Being a hungry customer who has been told to wait 20 min earlier on, this irritated me. Later, I realized that the wait was due to the fact that majority of the tables were “reserved” for groups who were coming in at 6.45pm or 7pm.
Another thing I noticed was a display at the “rostrum” at the entrance informing diners that members will be seated before non-members. While I understand the idea of giving priority and privileges to members of the restaurant, when I saw the queue and compared it to the number of seats available in the restaurant, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing to do.
Finally, we got a table, only because someone who reserved it didn’t turn up. The table was aligned for company of 8 in a room that, if necessary, could be partitioned for a private function. It was extremely weird because we had another couple join us not long later, and it felt like any privacy or peace was invaded by them due to the close proximity of our tables. The whole restaurant wasn’t very spacious either, only enough space for a single line of people to walk.
Waiting time and space aside, the food and service was not too bad. We ordered a plate of BBQ beef (choice of barbequing it yourself or get the kitchen to do it), spicy seafood noodles, seafood pancake and the Korean mixed rice (I think it’s called Bibimbap). Apart from the food we ordered, there are also small plates of complimentary appetizers such as Kimchi, egg, bean sprout and some others which I couldn’t really identify. Though not a Korean food fan, I thought the Kimchi was not too bad in that it didn’t taste sour or like it had gone bad.
We chose to barbeque the beef ourselves. The restaurant serves a rather generous portion of very tasty and evenly-marinated beef. The beef is cut into thin slices and cooks relatively fast thus allowing us to cook as and when we please, and eat it while it’s hot. The beef is also very tender. It was absolutely delicious!
I thought the seafood pancake was quite good too. It looks like omelette with squid and spring onions but I doubt it’s egg. It comes with a sauce that looks like soya sauce and enhances the flavour of the pancake.
The seafood noodles was not as spicy as I hoped for it to be. It looked like tomyum soup but not as tasty. I was told it tasted like the usual Korean instant noodles.
All in all, we spent almost $90 for 2 pax. We ordered too much and didn’t finish the rice and noodles. I would like ordering 1 bowl of noodle or rice/ 2 bowls of plain rice instead would have been more than sufficient. That would have lowered our cost by about $18.
On the whole, quite a positive experience. I left thinking Korean food could be quite good after all. Will definitely go back there to try the soup and have more BBQ meat!
After the shocking mother's day lunch at Si Chuan Dou Hua the previous year, it was decided to head somewhere more low key and down to earth this year. May I just make it known that I still think occasions like mothers day/fathers day etc are just ploys by unscrupulous merchants to jack up their prices and serve you substandard food. But here we were, at Wo Peng, for a mother's day dinner. Apparently the chef, Hong Kong born Julian Tam, used to preside over the kitchen at Furama Palace at Furama Hotel and left to work in Guangzhou for a couple of months before returning to Singapore to open up his own restaurant.
The place is easy to miss, occupying just 2 units along Macpherson Road, where parking is a nightmare. The restaurant itself isn't big, probably squeezing in 50 pax or so and everything is kept no frills, from the tables and chairs to the ornaments that decorate the walls.
Shark's Fin Soup - If you are a fan of adding vinegar with your shark's fin soup, the staff at Wo Peng will advise you not to because according to them, the soup is naturally flavoured by herbs and don't require any addition of vinegar. I must conceed that they are absolutely right. The soup had cordyceps, ginseng and other unidentifiable (by me) herbs that made it light yet tasty with a mild herbal connotation. The fins weren't exactly of superior quality but acceptable nonetheless.
Smoked Duck - I simply love this dish. It has got to be one of the best duck dishes I've eaten since the start of 2009. The skin was crisp while the meat was smoked to a reddish hue and came across as very smooth and tender. There wasn't an overly generous salt content as well and tasted a little like ham. Nice!
Stir Fried Red Garoupa with Sweet Pea - This dish was rather normal though the fish was rather fresh and served up with dried mustard greens (梅菜), which gave it a salty tinge. I did like the sweet peas though, which were sweet (duh!), crunchy and not overly cooked.
Steamed Garoupa - This was actually a continuation of the the first fish dish, where the fish head was chopped up and steamed with pork slices, black fungus and red dates. Personally I preferred to the former as the whole dish was actually more savoury. But being only fish head, the meat was limited.
Peng Cai - This dish is usually sold and eaten only during the Chinese New Year period. But here at Wo Peng, its available throughout the year but only with an advance order of course. There were the usual suspects - dried oyster, prawns, mushrooms, broccoli, goose web, scallops, dried abalone, sea cucumber and surprisingly, radish, which is said to be found only in authentic HK peng cais. Although I am no fan of peng cai, I thought that this one was quite well done as the whole thing was stewed long enough for the flavours to permeate through to the various ingredients. And may I add that portions were huge for 5 people. 6-7 would have been a more manageable number.
Fried Noodles - The noodles were a thicker variant of mee suah and came across as soft but not too soggy. It was tasty and came loaded with lots of seafood but it got really nauseating after a while and I gave up after my 2nd bowl. This is the first time I'm feeling so overwhelmed by the amount of seafood thus far.
Roast Chicken - Finally a white meat dish and I thought that it was actually quite good. The meat was tender while retaining its flavours and moisture. The skin was a nice homogeneous golden brown but a pity it wasn't crisp.
Hasma - Also known as the poor men's bird nest, the Hasma came with dried longans and dates and tasted like hot cheng ting. To be honest, I am absolutely terrified of this dessert as it is made from dried fallopian tubes of frogs and somehow, ingesting an organ that plays a pivotal role in reproduction doesn't exactly settle well with me.
A satisfying, if not button bursting dinner cost the 5 of us to the tune of $350, which works out to be roughly $70 a head. Reasonable if you ask me, especially for the quality and quantity of food. Moreover, ingredients like shark's fin, abalone, sea cucumber etc don't come cheap. Service was great and even more commendable in the absence of any service charge.
Tucked in the corner of Serene Centre lies La Petite Cuisine, an eatery that serves simple French fare with a delicate touch. For a no-frills, tiny establishment estimated not more than 20 tables (they have since expanded outside just next to the pavement), their menu is pretty extensive.
Although one needs to make their way to the cashier to place their orders, the good news is they do not charge GST. Also do not expect fanciful plateware and cutlery set as the complimentary bread came serve in plastic plate. Bread was warm but otherwise nothing extraordinary.
The Ravioli of Prawns Foie Gras in Light Lemon Crème ($14.00) was pretty interesting – the ingredients within the ravioli was generous, and the sauce was nice, but despondently, one could see the foie gras but not taste it – the prawns simply overwhelmed the former. In fact, it tasted more like prawn dumplings served French style.
The Foie Gras Panfried with Orange Confit Served with Salad ($17.00) was of decent portion. At such a size, HFB thought it was pretty good value for money. Nicely panfried on the surface, yet quiver when cut, it was done pleasingly. The orange sauce that came along with it goes really well also. Love it!
You must definitely give the Confit de Canard with Gratin ($15.00) a try if you pay them a visit. The duck skin is slow-cooked to a perfect crisp, and fully flavoured. The mash that came with it was smooth and delightful too. This dish was way better than the lousy version served at The French Stall along Serangoon Road.
The dessert though was very disappointing – HFB could understand the 20 minutes wait for a hot dessert, but the Tarte Tatin, or Apple Tarte ($6.50) was just unpleasant in many ways. Serving was measly, and the whole puff pastry stacked above two slices of apple arrangement just failed miserably. HFB end up eating the puff pastry separately from the apples, which was still slightly unyielding for consumption.
He reckon one would be better off having ice cream at Island Creamery next door!
Passed by this shop when having my meal at Aston's Prime Ribs. from the outlook, looks tempting so decided to give it a try on the next day.
The shop sells mainly dishes in claypot, which have the prok ribs with a mixture of the pigs internal organs (house special), pure pork ribs, sesame oil chicken, pig trotters etc. Decided to order the house special and the pig trotters. Serving wise, the portions were fairly reasonable and each piece of rib was also very meaty and huge by its own.
As for the trotters, the taste was nice and fairly large piece as well.
For an XL special claypot, there were abt 9-10 pieces of the ribs whereas for the normal one, there would be abt 10-12 pieces, accoring to the waiters. Price-wise, for the former it cost $28 while the latter cost $26.
Therefore, it is quite reasonable and worthwhile to give it a try if you like Bak Koot Teh. Also, there is a private car park in front of the stall, sepcially reserved for the customers. Business there can be quite good, so it is advised to make a reservation before you head down there to avoid waiting.
Been to this small stall in the coffee shop a couple of times. Basically it serves the normal Tze Char fare such as fried bee hoon, fried rice, as well as dishes such as Shrimp Paste Chicken , Sweet and Sour Pork. Their specialty is a fried tofu, which is similar to the yam ring that we eat at wedding dinners at times. That is something that I would recommend you guys to try.
As for the service, they serve the food pretty fast without compromising on the taste of the food. Lastly, the prices are quite reasonable and is comparable to the average found in other coffeshops. You can call the number to reserve the seats as the bigger tables are quite limited if you intend to bring a fairly large group there for a meal
53 - the newly opened dining collaboration between lawyer turned chef, Michael Han and the Les Amis group. Chef Han, who trained at the prestigious Fat Duck in England, brought along Fat Duck's 2nd pastry chef, Leoandro, to helm 53's pastry department. What makes this restaurant stand out is that there is no ala carte menu, which means the chef decides, to a certain extent, what you eat.
Aptly located at 53 Armenian Street, the restaurant is situated in a double story shophouse with the private dining room and kitchen located on the first level and the main dining hall and wine cellar on the second. The place is tiny and sparsely furnished with simple tables and chairs and the main dining area can probably only accommodate about 5 tables for a total capacity of 20. Hence reservations are of utmost importance. Try making them at least 2 weeks in advance.
I thought that the sky juice (no still or sparkling nonsense) deserved a mention because the serving jug has a piece of charcoal in it, which is said to remove the harmful particles in water and allow good minerals that are essential to the body to pass through. Reminds me of charcoal tablets.
Potato Crisps - A most interesting appetiser, the potato crisps were served on a charcoal holding stand and dusted with vinegar. The crisps were, well, crisp and not too dry with a light sourish hint of vinegar. Great way to start off.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary buckwheat (from Manitoba, Canada) bread came served in a sack that promised to keep the bread warm for 20 minutes. The secret lies at the bottom of the sack, which contains pebbles that are heated before the bread is served and dissipates heat to keep the bread warm. Ingenious! The bread looked like a muffin but outside was hard while inside was rather spongy. Served alongside was a dish of buttermilk butter that was sprinkled with buckwheat. Very nice!
Air Cured Wagyu and Hibiscus, Beetroot and Apple - I thought the pairing of cured wagyu and beetroot was rather interesting, if outlandish. 53 proved me wrong though. The wagyu had a nice salty tinge to it while the beetroot gave it a mild sweetness. Nice subtle contrast. The beetroot sorbet added an almost surreal chilling dimension to the dish. Mind boggling!
Scallop and Buckwheat, Chicken "Oysters" ( $10) - I'm guessing the chicken pieces look like oyster hence the name? And they were probably the best chicken pieces I've eaten in a long long time. They were extremely tender and tasty but the less then generous portions kept my cravings in check. The scallops were seared to perfection with the right texture and came across as very flavourful as well.
Beef Cheeks and Onion, Pearl Barley and Watercress - This dish was a little of a let down. I couldn't quite make out any inherent beefy taste and the beef cheek was all shredded and almost pulp like. It was just salty with a little sweetness, probably from the barley. A nausea inducing dish.
Barramundi, Blackberries and Green Beans - The fish was freshly sweet with the skin nicely crisp but a tad salty. I am guessing the extra salt is useful and delightful in contrasting the sweetness from the blackberry and pear jam thats smeared alongside. And the whole dish was topped with a slice of amazingly thin Ciabatta that rendered me speechless.
Szechuan Peppercorn Ice Cream, Roasted Figs and Olive Puree -
I've never been a fan of figs but this one was surprisingly acceptable to me (I only managed to finish 1 slice though). What was interesting was the ice cream, which came across as very "perfumy" so to speak with a mild numbing sensation from the szechuan peppercorn. The little black speckles atop were actually olive sprinkles that gave it a light savoury taste. Very interesting combination.
Chocolate Caramel, Enoki and Raspberries - Another interesting piece of dessert. The chocolate caramel was gooey and came with enoki mushrooms which surprisingly accentuated the taste of the caramel. Dried raspberry cubes by the side complemented the dash of peanut butter very well and was almost reminiscent of the peanuts in a peanut butter spread. And to top everything off, there was the raspberry sorbet for a sourish and chilled finish.
Apple Risotto and Rosemary - Tiny cubes of apple cooked the risotto way, with constant adding of apple juice - that's how this dessert was made. I thought that it was nice and mildly sweet with a subtle lingering taste of ginger. The risotto texture was crunchy and the rosemary foam was light as air and hinted of rosemary. Interesting to say the least.
Petit Fours - The perfect Gin and Tonic sweet is what 53 calls its petit fours and rightly so. How the sweet works is this. You place it on your tongue and let it slowly dissolve to release the gin tonic taste. When you decide that its too strong for you, just wash it away with water. Quite a novelty I must say.
It was without a doubt, a most excellent lunch that definitely warrants revisits, especially for dinner. But prices are steep, with lunch costing the 2 of us just over $140 and that's with 2 pots of complimentary tea that would have gone for $12 a pot from the menu. Quality of food is top notch and so is service. And there is an air of exclusivity around it as tables are limited.
This place is almost fully packed all the time and I pretty liked the idea of keeping the place small and cosy. The first time i was brought to this place it felt very traditional jap road side cafe feel... but as you dine, the cosy-ness slowly sits in.
Waiters were attentive however not smiling.... but its good enough.... Lets go straight to the food..
I however feel that the spread was not comprehensive enough for a buffet with regards to the price per head. The raw stuffs were fresh and juicy. The plating of the dishes were only normal and not extra interesting... However the tempura and grilled squid was nice.... As we know squid could feel very rubbery if overdone and this one was just nice... The sauce not too sweet and very yummy.
Tempura was usually good with plenty of sauce offered. I love handrolls however not to be consumed so much as the rice fills up alot of space.
I personally like the idea of the served up buffet style, instead of the usual buffet bar... Being served feels more spectecular....
I bought one of the GaGa Girl's Belated 21st Birthday Cake here... Every year is a belated 21st birthday, I kinda forgotten how old they are already.... In anyway... we shall remain under 25 till the end of our lives....
Though I did not dine here, the time i spent walking around the shop and playing with all the display there is more then the experience of eating there. I was desperate for a beautiful cake, something special and is not too filling and when i enquired, what truelly attracted me was the lady's description. She told me she would bring for me a freshly baked cheese cake, manually put in the creme and fill them up with FRESH Strawberries....... I love the sound of fresh strawberries.... How many of you can find freshly decorated cake with fresh, juicy, springy, bright red strawberries with beads of fresh dew on them?
Its to die for yar... after hearing that i IMMEDIATELY say.... BRING ME ONE OF THOSE CAKES BABE! While i watch them carefully decorating my cake, i soon discovered to my delight beautifully crafted in cupcakes in various yummy flavours.... They are so pretty.. I wonder who can bear to eat them up... They are affordable.. I mean if somebody were to look at their bright euro shop deco with chandeliers and intrisic designed shop front, many would think its such a expensive place and too doll house for anybody, however I must tell you the prices for the item is AFFORDABLE....
The service was great too.. With bright smiling faces and helpful attitude, the staffs there make me feel so welcome, loved and pampered.... However situated at a corner with lousy human traffic but busy road traffic, this place is a great place for high teas or a quiet tea alone with a book while watching the world go by.
Look out for this nice glass shop at the corner of chinatown and clarke quay with the GREAN PAISLEY sign.. Its Paisley.. not Parsley... Its a glass house... not a GRASS House
I am generally a less adventurous glutton who likes to stay in my comfort zone when it comes to the things I put in my mouth. As such, during the several times I've been to Ajisen Ramen, I've always sticked to eating things like their Volcano Ramen.
While their ramen hasn't always been exceptionally great, it does taste reasonable and they do serve a relatively large portion (for me that is). Nonetheless, their ramen is a little pricey in my opinion, hovering around 14 bucks if i'm not wrong. Of course they do have some special deals in which you get a free side dish, but it's still not worth 14-16 bucks to me, probably because I end up wasting quite a lot of food.
So this time round, I decided to try something else for a change. Usually, the case is that I stick to my comfort zone while other people out with me explore new stuff which taste really awesome. And when I try to be "adventurous", I fail badly. I cannot believe my lack of taste for food, so to speak, and decided to gamble with my food. I ordered an Unagi bento (something I recently became fond of and realize the sauce is actually real yummy if done the right way!), prawns with mayonnaise and sushi (which I can't remember what exactly it is already).
Usually, I'd comment on each individual item I tried. But now, I have one general comment before I go into a breakdown of the items - it's the worst Japanese food I've ever had.
Unagi bento - sauce was diluted. Unagi tasted undercooked or something. It had a disgusting rubber-y feeling of which even pinching part of the meat off felt gross.
Prawn with mayonnaise - It's supposed to be fried. Well it was, but it seemed like it was fried yesterday, and reheated today!
Sushi - I don't even need to know what sushi this is, but it's something that I cannot eat. Not the rice alone, not the seaweed alone, not the fillings alone. The rice looked like cooked japanese rice that was pounded till it became 1/4 it's original size. Totally looking delectable, NOT. And I never knew the taste of seaweed could ever go wrong. But they proved me wrong.
I cannot believe what bad luck I have I think I should just stick to my comfort zone.
I think we paid about $50ish in total, for 2 of us. It includes everything above and one more Unagi bento (yes double whammy).
It was horrid. Needless to say, never eating non-ramen stuff at Ajisen again.
1=SGD 0.0587
Diandin Leluk, the well known budget Thai restaurant at Golden Mile and owner of the Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen chain, recently opened up a new upmarket branch around my area so thought it would be good to give it a shot.
Taking over the space vacated by a chicken rice stall just next to Sushi Tei, Diandin boasts two levels of seating in a brightly lighted comfortable looking interior with heavy wooden chairs and tables. Nice place for casual family dinners or gatherings.
Pork Beancurd Soup - I quite fancied this soup as it came across as light yet tasty from the addition of tong cai. There were balls of prawn paste peppered with bits of meat and steamed egg tofu in it. Very traditional Teochew styled soup.
Pandan Chicken -
This was one of the better pandan chickens that I've eaten as it wasn't too oily or cloyingly sweet. The meat was tender and fibrous and of quite a sizeable chunk.
Stir Fried Broccoli with Scallops - A very simple dish and decently executed one at that. The broccoli wasn't overcooked while the thin silvers of scallop didn't carry the fishy aftertaste. However, I thought that the gravy was a little too bland for my liking. But on the upside, at least it wasn't too starchy.
Pineapple Fried Rice - A most mundane rendition of this Thai favourite. There were lots of meat floss, a few slices of shrimp, dried sausages and raisins but lacked the pineapple twang as well as the fragrance. Decent but I've definitely had better.
Phad Thai - The phad thai was of the dryer variant which I personally prefer and the noodles had a nice springy texture. It didn't come across as overly sweet as well and you had a choice of drowning the noodles in grounded peanuts, which I did. Pity about the small portions.
Durian Glutinous Rice - This dessert looked different from others that I've eaten elsewhere. The rice was seperated from the durian (which was real durian meat, not puree) and looked a total mess. Aesthetics aside, the durian was sweet while the glutinous rice wasn't overwhelmed by coconut milk. I did think that the rice was a little undercooked though because it came across as a little hard.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I have walked pass this restaurant several times, but often rather settle for the Crystal Jade Palace Restaurant as I never really thought my taste buds catered to the Korean flavour.
This time round, upon looking at the menu, I thought perhaps there could be something that suits my taste. No harm trying a new place, so my dinner partner and I left our names down for 2 at this restaurant.
There wasn’t really a queue at about 6.20pm and we were told that we had to wait 15 – 20 min for a table. I was rather surprised as it was still early and there was only one couple before me. Nonetheless, we waited.
20 min later, we were told the same thing again. Being a hungry customer who has been told to wait 20 min earlier on, this irritated me. Later, I realized that the wait was due to the fact that majority of the tables were “reserved” for groups who were coming in at 6.45pm or 7pm.
Another thing I noticed was a display at the “rostrum” at the entrance informing diners that members will be seated before non-members. While I understand the idea of giving priority and privileges to members of the restaurant, when I saw the queue and compared it to the number of seats available in the restaurant, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing to do.
Finally, we got a table, only because someone who reserved it didn’t turn up. The table was aligned for company of 8 in a room that, if necessary, could be partitioned for a private function. It was extremely weird because we had another couple join us not long later, and it felt like any privacy or peace was invaded by them due to the close proximity of our tables. The whole restaurant wasn’t very spacious either, only enough space for a single line of people to walk.
Waiting time and space aside, the food and service was not too bad. We ordered a plate of BBQ beef (choice of barbequing it yourself or get the kitchen to do it), spicy seafood noodles, seafood pancake and the Korean mixed rice (I think it’s called Bibimbap). Apart from the food we ordered, there are also small plates of complimentary appetizers such as Kimchi, egg, bean sprout and some others which I couldn’t really identify. Though not a Korean food fan, I thought the Kimchi was not too bad in that it didn’t taste sour or like it had gone bad.
We chose to barbeque the beef ourselves. The restaurant serves a rather generous portion of very tasty and evenly-marinated beef. The beef is cut into thin slices and cooks relatively fast thus allowing us to cook as and when we please, and eat it while it’s hot. The beef is also very tender. It was absolutely delicious!
I thought the seafood pancake was quite good too. It looks like omelette with squid and spring onions but I doubt it’s egg. It comes with a sauce that looks like soya sauce and enhances the flavour of the pancake.
The seafood noodles was not as spicy as I hoped for it to be. It looked like tomyum soup but not as tasty. I was told it tasted like the usual Korean instant noodles.
All in all, we spent almost $90 for 2 pax. We ordered too much and didn’t finish the rice and noodles. I would like ordering 1 bowl of noodle or rice/ 2 bowls of plain rice instead would have been more than sufficient. That would have lowered our cost by about $18.
On the whole, quite a positive experience. I left thinking Korean food could be quite good after all. Will definitely go back there to try the soup and have more BBQ meat!
Rating given:
After the shocking mother's day lunch at Si Chuan Dou Hua the previous year, it was decided to head somewhere more low key and down to earth this year. May I just make it known that I still think occasions like mothers day/fathers day etc are just ploys by unscrupulous merchants to jack up their prices and serve you substandard food. But here we were, at Wo Peng, for a mother's day dinner. Apparently the chef, Hong Kong born Julian Tam, used to preside over the kitchen at Furama Palace at Furama Hotel and left to work in Guangzhou for a couple of months before returning to Singapore to open up his own restaurant.
The place is easy to miss, occupying just 2 units along Macpherson Road, where parking is a nightmare. The restaurant itself isn't big, probably squeezing in 50 pax or so and everything is kept no frills, from the tables and chairs to the ornaments that decorate the walls.
Shark's Fin Soup - If you are a fan of adding vinegar with your shark's fin soup, the staff at Wo Peng will advise you not to because according to them, the soup is naturally flavoured by herbs and don't require any addition of vinegar. I must conceed that they are absolutely right. The soup had cordyceps, ginseng and other unidentifiable (by me) herbs that made it light yet tasty with a mild herbal connotation. The fins weren't exactly of superior quality but acceptable nonetheless.
Smoked Duck - I simply love this dish. It has got to be one of the best duck dishes I've eaten since the start of 2009. The skin was crisp while the meat was smoked to a reddish hue and came across as very smooth and tender. There wasn't an overly generous salt content as well and tasted a little like ham. Nice!
Stir Fried Red Garoupa with Sweet Pea - This dish was rather normal though the fish was rather fresh and served up with dried mustard greens (梅菜), which gave it a salty tinge. I did like the sweet peas though, which were sweet (duh!), crunchy and not overly cooked.
Steamed Garoupa - This was actually a continuation of the the first fish dish, where the fish head was chopped up and steamed with pork slices, black fungus and red dates. Personally I preferred to the former as the whole dish was actually more savoury. But being only fish head, the meat was limited.
Peng Cai - This dish is usually sold and eaten only during the Chinese New Year period. But here at Wo Peng, its available throughout the year but only with an advance order of course. There were the usual suspects - dried oyster, prawns, mushrooms, broccoli, goose web, scallops, dried abalone, sea cucumber and surprisingly, radish, which is said to be found only in authentic HK peng cais. Although I am no fan of peng cai, I thought that this one was quite well done as the whole thing was stewed long enough for the flavours to permeate through to the various ingredients. And may I add that portions were huge for 5 people. 6-7 would have been a more manageable number.
Fried Noodles - The noodles were a thicker variant of mee suah and came across as soft but not too soggy. It was tasty and came loaded with lots of seafood but it got really nauseating after a while and I gave up after my 2nd bowl. This is the first time I'm feeling so overwhelmed by the amount of seafood thus far.
Roast Chicken - Finally a white meat dish and I thought that it was actually quite good. The meat was tender while retaining its flavours and moisture. The skin was a nice homogeneous golden brown but a pity it wasn't crisp.
Hasma - Also known as the poor men's bird nest, the Hasma came with dried longans and dates and tasted like hot cheng ting. To be honest, I am absolutely terrified of this dessert as it is made from dried fallopian tubes of frogs and somehow, ingesting an organ that plays a pivotal role in reproduction doesn't exactly settle well with me.
A satisfying, if not button bursting dinner cost the 5 of us to the tune of $350, which works out to be roughly $70 a head. Reasonable if you ask me, especially for the quality and quantity of food. Moreover, ingredients like shark's fin, abalone, sea cucumber etc don't come cheap. Service was great and even more commendable in the absence of any service charge.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Tucked in the corner of Serene Centre lies La Petite Cuisine, an eatery that serves simple French fare with a delicate touch. For a no-frills, tiny establishment estimated not more than 20 tables (they have since expanded outside just next to the pavement), their menu is pretty extensive.
Although one needs to make their way to the cashier to place their orders, the good news is they do not charge GST. Also do not expect fanciful plateware and cutlery set as the complimentary bread came serve in plastic plate. Bread was warm but otherwise nothing extraordinary.
The Ravioli of Prawns Foie Gras in Light Lemon Crème ($14.00) was pretty interesting – the ingredients within the ravioli was generous, and the sauce was nice, but despondently, one could see the foie gras but not taste it – the prawns simply overwhelmed the former. In fact, it tasted more like prawn dumplings served French style.
The Foie Gras Panfried with Orange Confit Served with Salad ($17.00) was of decent portion. At such a size, HFB thought it was pretty good value for money. Nicely panfried on the surface, yet quiver when cut, it was done pleasingly. The orange sauce that came along with it goes really well also. Love it!
You must definitely give the Confit de Canard with Gratin ($15.00) a try if you pay them a visit. The duck skin is slow-cooked to a perfect crisp, and fully flavoured. The mash that came with it was smooth and delightful too. This dish was way better than the lousy version served at The French Stall along Serangoon Road.
The dessert though was very disappointing – HFB could understand the 20 minutes wait for a hot dessert, but the Tarte Tatin, or Apple Tarte ($6.50) was just unpleasant in many ways. Serving was measly, and the whole puff pastry stacked above two slices of apple arrangement just failed miserably. HFB end up eating the puff pastry separately from the apples, which was still slightly unyielding for consumption.
He reckon one would be better off having ice cream at Island Creamery next door!
You can view all the photos here.
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Passed by this shop when having my meal at Aston's Prime Ribs. from the outlook, looks tempting so decided to give it a try on the next day.
The shop sells mainly dishes in claypot, which have the prok ribs with a mixture of the pigs internal organs (house special), pure pork ribs, sesame oil chicken, pig trotters etc. Decided to order the house special and the pig trotters. Serving wise, the portions were fairly reasonable and each piece of rib was also very meaty and huge by its own.
As for the trotters, the taste was nice and fairly large piece as well.
For an XL special claypot, there were abt 9-10 pieces of the ribs whereas for the normal one, there would be abt 10-12 pieces, accoring to the waiters. Price-wise, for the former it cost $28 while the latter cost $26.
Therefore, it is quite reasonable and worthwhile to give it a try if you like Bak Koot Teh. Also, there is a private car park in front of the stall, sepcially reserved for the customers. Business there can be quite good, so it is advised to make a reservation before you head down there to avoid waiting.
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Been to this small stall in the coffee shop a couple of times. Basically it serves the normal Tze Char fare such as fried bee hoon, fried rice, as well as dishes such as Shrimp Paste Chicken , Sweet and Sour Pork. Their specialty is a fried tofu, which is similar to the yam ring that we eat at wedding dinners at times. That is something that I would recommend you guys to try.
As for the service, they serve the food pretty fast without compromising on the taste of the food. Lastly, the prices are quite reasonable and is comparable to the average found in other coffeshops. You can call the number to reserve the seats as the bigger tables are quite limited if you intend to bring a fairly large group there for a meal
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53 - the newly opened dining collaboration between lawyer turned chef, Michael Han and the Les Amis group. Chef Han, who trained at the prestigious Fat Duck in England, brought along Fat Duck's 2nd pastry chef, Leoandro, to helm 53's pastry department. What makes this restaurant stand out is that there is no ala carte menu, which means the chef decides, to a certain extent, what you eat.
Aptly located at 53 Armenian Street, the restaurant is situated in a double story shophouse with the private dining room and kitchen located on the first level and the main dining hall and wine cellar on the second. The place is tiny and sparsely furnished with simple tables and chairs and the main dining area can probably only accommodate about 5 tables for a total capacity of 20. Hence reservations are of utmost importance. Try making them at least 2 weeks in advance.
I thought that the sky juice (no still or sparkling nonsense) deserved a mention because the serving jug has a piece of charcoal in it, which is said to remove the harmful particles in water and allow good minerals that are essential to the body to pass through. Reminds me of charcoal tablets.
Potato Crisps - A most interesting appetiser, the potato crisps were served on a charcoal holding stand and dusted with vinegar. The crisps were, well, crisp and not too dry with a light sourish hint of vinegar. Great way to start off.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary buckwheat (from Manitoba, Canada) bread came served in a sack that promised to keep the bread warm for 20 minutes. The secret lies at the bottom of the sack, which contains pebbles that are heated before the bread is served and dissipates heat to keep the bread warm. Ingenious! The bread looked like a muffin but outside was hard while inside was rather spongy. Served alongside was a dish of buttermilk butter that was sprinkled with buckwheat. Very nice!
Air Cured Wagyu and Hibiscus, Beetroot and Apple - I thought the pairing of cured wagyu and beetroot was rather interesting, if outlandish. 53 proved me wrong though. The wagyu had a nice salty tinge to it while the beetroot gave it a mild sweetness. Nice subtle contrast. The beetroot sorbet added an almost surreal chilling dimension to the dish. Mind boggling!
Scallop and Buckwheat, Chicken "Oysters" ( $10) - I'm guessing the chicken pieces look like oyster hence the name? And they were probably the best chicken pieces I've eaten in a long long time. They were extremely tender and tasty but the less then generous portions kept my cravings in check. The scallops were seared to perfection with the right texture and came across as very flavourful as well.
Beef Cheeks and Onion, Pearl Barley and Watercress - This dish was a little of a let down. I couldn't quite make out any inherent beefy taste and the beef cheek was all shredded and almost pulp like. It was just salty with a little sweetness, probably from the barley. A nausea inducing dish.
Barramundi, Blackberries and Green Beans - The fish was freshly sweet with the skin nicely crisp but a tad salty. I am guessing the extra salt is useful and delightful in contrasting the sweetness from the blackberry and pear jam thats smeared alongside. And the whole dish was topped with a slice of amazingly thin Ciabatta that rendered me speechless.
Szechuan Peppercorn Ice Cream, Roasted Figs and Olive Puree -
I've never been a fan of figs but this one was surprisingly acceptable to me (I only managed to finish 1 slice though). What was interesting was the ice cream, which came across as very "perfumy" so to speak with a mild numbing sensation from the szechuan peppercorn. The little black speckles atop were actually olive sprinkles that gave it a light savoury taste. Very interesting combination.
Chocolate Caramel, Enoki and Raspberries - Another interesting piece of dessert. The chocolate caramel was gooey and came with enoki mushrooms which surprisingly accentuated the taste of the caramel. Dried raspberry cubes by the side complemented the dash of peanut butter very well and was almost reminiscent of the peanuts in a peanut butter spread. And to top everything off, there was the raspberry sorbet for a sourish and chilled finish.
Apple Risotto and Rosemary - Tiny cubes of apple cooked the risotto way, with constant adding of apple juice - that's how this dessert was made. I thought that it was nice and mildly sweet with a subtle lingering taste of ginger. The risotto texture was crunchy and the rosemary foam was light as air and hinted of rosemary. Interesting to say the least.
Petit Fours - The perfect Gin and Tonic sweet is what 53 calls its petit fours and rightly so. How the sweet works is this. You place it on your tongue and let it slowly dissolve to release the gin tonic taste. When you decide that its too strong for you, just wash it away with water. Quite a novelty I must say.
It was without a doubt, a most excellent lunch that definitely warrants revisits, especially for dinner. But prices are steep, with lunch costing the 2 of us just over $140 and that's with 2 pots of complimentary tea that would have gone for $12 a pot from the menu. Quality of food is top notch and so is service. And there is an air of exclusivity around it as tables are limited.
See all my pictures here.
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This place is almost fully packed all the time and I pretty liked the idea of keeping the place small and cosy. The first time i was brought to this place it felt very traditional jap road side cafe feel... but as you dine, the cosy-ness slowly sits in.
Waiters were attentive however not smiling.... but its good enough.... Lets go straight to the food..
I however feel that the spread was not comprehensive enough for a buffet with regards to the price per head. The raw stuffs were fresh and juicy. The plating of the dishes were only normal and not extra interesting... However the tempura and grilled squid was nice.... As we know squid could feel very rubbery if overdone and this one was just nice... The sauce not too sweet and very yummy.
Tempura was usually good with plenty of sauce offered. I love handrolls however not to be consumed so much as the rice fills up alot of space.
I personally like the idea of the served up buffet style, instead of the usual buffet bar... Being served feels more spectecular....
A must try....
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I bought one of the GaGa Girl's Belated 21st Birthday Cake here... Every year is a belated 21st birthday, I kinda forgotten how old they are already.... In anyway... we shall remain under 25 till the end of our lives....
Though I did not dine here, the time i spent walking around the shop and playing with all the display there is more then the experience of eating there. I was desperate for a beautiful cake, something special and is not too filling and when i enquired, what truelly attracted me was the lady's description. She told me she would bring for me a freshly baked cheese cake, manually put in the creme and fill them up with FRESH Strawberries....... I love the sound of fresh strawberries.... How many of you can find freshly decorated cake with fresh, juicy, springy, bright red strawberries with beads of fresh dew on them?
Its to die for yar... after hearing that i IMMEDIATELY say.... BRING ME ONE OF THOSE CAKES BABE! While i watch them carefully decorating my cake, i soon discovered to my delight beautifully crafted in cupcakes in various yummy flavours.... They are so pretty.. I wonder who can bear to eat them up... They are affordable.. I mean if somebody were to look at their bright euro shop deco with chandeliers and intrisic designed shop front, many would think its such a expensive place and too doll house for anybody, however I must tell you the prices for the item is AFFORDABLE....
The service was great too.. With bright smiling faces and helpful attitude, the staffs there make me feel so welcome, loved and pampered.... However situated at a corner with lousy human traffic but busy road traffic, this place is a great place for high teas or a quiet tea alone with a book while watching the world go by.
Look out for this nice glass shop at the corner of chinatown and clarke quay with the GREAN PAISLEY sign.. Its Paisley.. not Parsley... Its a glass house... not a GRASS House
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I am generally a less adventurous glutton who likes to stay in my comfort zone when it comes to the things I put in my mouth. As such, during the several times I've been to Ajisen Ramen, I've always sticked to eating things like their Volcano Ramen.
While their ramen hasn't always been exceptionally great, it does taste reasonable and they do serve a relatively large portion (for me that is). Nonetheless, their ramen is a little pricey in my opinion, hovering around 14 bucks if i'm not wrong. Of course they do have some special deals in which you get a free side dish, but it's still not worth 14-16 bucks to me, probably because I end up wasting quite a lot of food.
So this time round, I decided to try something else for a change. Usually, the case is that I stick to my comfort zone while other people out with me explore new stuff which taste really awesome. And when I try to be "adventurous", I fail badly. I cannot believe my lack of taste for food, so to speak, and decided to gamble with my food. I ordered an Unagi bento (something I recently became fond of and realize the sauce is actually real yummy if done the right way!), prawns with mayonnaise and sushi (which I can't remember what exactly it is already).
Usually, I'd comment on each individual item I tried. But now, I have one general comment before I go into a breakdown of the items - it's the worst Japanese food I've ever had.
Unagi bento - sauce was diluted. Unagi tasted undercooked or something. It had a disgusting rubber-y feeling of which even pinching part of the meat off felt gross.
Prawn with mayonnaise - It's supposed to be fried. Well it was, but it seemed like it was fried yesterday, and reheated today!
Sushi - I don't even need to know what sushi this is, but it's something that I cannot eat. Not the rice alone, not the seaweed alone, not the fillings alone. The rice looked like cooked japanese rice that was pounded till it became 1/4 it's original size. Totally looking delectable, NOT. And I never knew the taste of seaweed could ever go wrong. But they proved me wrong.
I cannot believe what bad luck I have I think I should just stick to my comfort zone.
I think we paid about $50ish in total, for 2 of us. It includes everything above and one more Unagi bento (yes double whammy).
It was horrid. Needless to say, never eating non-ramen stuff at Ajisen again.
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