I couldn’t forget you, no, not after what happen last time.
The two sided face of you. You were rich and good to me before.
But you showed me your cold side now.
I know we couldn’t be together.
But i can’t stop thinking of you.
Until we meet again, my duck.
The scones ($2.50) from Caffe Beviamo was soft and fluffy, with a buttery undertone.There wasn’t any “wow” from the strawberry jam, but it was enough to compliment the warm scones. If i may say so in my humble opinion, the ones here are better than the legendary Royal Copenhagen scones.
When you run out of names for your desserts, why not try some creative ones which can attract others attention? That’s exactly what Beviamo did. The hummingbird cake ($3.50) had was pineapple, banana and coconut involved, definitely no bird or what so ever. I love to eat pineapple and banana on its own, but to have them in cake is completely a different story all together. Banana cakes are just not for me, some things just can’t be forced.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
With franchise monsters like Crystal Jade and Din Tai Fung numbing our palates away from gastronomic adventures and weaning us off truly good food, it is nice to see an independent setup working to bring true authenticity back to pique our taste buds.
Ye Shanghai surprises by serving up a wide range of Shanghai, Beijing fare and occasionally crossing to Hong Kong territories with a few bamboo baskets of dim sum, all from the confines of a little kitchen in an already tiny shop front.
Shanghai style fried fish On the outset, this looked like a very simple plate of deep fried fish until I sank my teeth into it. Fried till crispy on the outside, the flesh of the fish is fluffy, moist and light inside. There was also a pleasant tinge of sweetness that went very well together.
Drunken Chicken I personally liked Ye Shanghai's offering thanks to the strong wine flavour that permeates the meat. It is a lot more potent compared to Din Tai Fung's limp counterpart that I tend to mistaken as plain steamed chicken.
Fried Rice with Crab Roe While I could hardly taste the crab roe, Ye Shanghai serves up a mean fried rice that is comparable to Crystal Jade and Din Tai Fung's.
Mango Mochi With bits of fresh mangoes and light fluffy unsweetened cream in a thin translucent chewy dough skin, Ye Shanghai's mango mochi is provided a Midas' touch to an already satisfying and good valued meal. The natural sweetness from the mangoes was just right without leaving that heavy feeling that you usually get from too much sugar.
Thanks to a dear friend, I got a chance to enjoy their lunch buffet recently. According to her, the variety of dishes has become lesser as compared to before they renovated and moved up the place. Not sure how long ago was that thou.
When I was there, the crowd were mostly the senior citizens who've retired and has lots of time (and money) to spend. There were also families and taitai look-alike there. If not for the lunch meeting, I would probably never have a chance to dine at such a place.
The food though variety is not plentiful, but the spread was good enough for lunch. And the most important thing is that its fresh and taste very well.
My favorite from that day was the Thai Seafood Curry, Fresh Salmon Sashimi, couple of the appertisers and the hazelnut chocolate cake from the desserts bar.
And the highlight at Rose Veranda is the huge variety of tea available free-flow(!!!) for customers. I spent 15minutes going through and deciding which to try. If I had the time, I would have ordered like few options (one after another) to try more varieties.
Rose Veranda is a great place to spend the afternoon with friends over good quality tea and great food. The setting is very comfortable and they've got very comfy sofa seats too.
If you're planning to give it a try, don't forget to call for reservations! Even if its on a weekday!
Its one of those rare days where you'll find me in a KTV room. But after that night with the crazy bunch, I think I'll be visiting these cosy rooms pretty often! They made KTV so fun and enjoyable! It's the best session I've had in years!
Like all KTV places, there'll be the standard fruit platters and tidbits which you're "forced" to pay for. And imo, the tidbits is to make our throat feel uncomfortable so that we will order more drinks to smoothen it so we can sing more songs/ better. But of course, you can choose not to those these tidbits and let it lao hong (gets soften) over the 4 hours in the air con room.
The collection of songs was great and about 85% of those we selected were of original mtv. The sound system was very good too. Except for one of the mic in our room which couldn't be turned off. The room was just nice for 9 of us, and the sofas were clean and comfortable too.
One thing I learned about singing at KTV rooms is never to go late! If you book the room at 10pm, be there on time. Their clock starts counting from 10pm instead of 10.30pm where we finally got settled in the room. So instead of the full 4 hours of singing time, we sang for only 3.5 hours.
I'm so looking forward to our next session together! Let's try their other outlets too!
Thanks to the food hunters! We managed to have our Christmas dinner at this hidden place. I think I've heard about it before but never really thought of trying it. But no regret after I tried it.
When we arrived, the place was empty with only one table filled. But as the night comes, the place gets very packed with hungry families and friends.
The choice of food is pretty decent, and they're fresh. Agree that the beef was fantastic! We should have ordered more of it! Love the mini custard bao which needs exactly 2mins in the boiling steamboat to cook/ heat it.
Their choice of cooked food though little, but they are of good quality too imo. Love the lemongrass chicken, fried chicken wing, sotong you tiao and cucumbers!
The service staff were helpful too. When the table couldn't put that huge number of plates we ordered, they helped us "throw" all the food into our steamboats too.
And do you know who owns this place? Its Terrence Cao the TCS actor.
Nice place for gatherings and hungry souls.
*No photos caused everyone was hungry and too lazy to take out our cameras! LOL!
For this years Christmas Eve celebration, i managed to go out with a couple of friends who has been asking forever to have an outing. And i'm glad i went for it. First of all, thanks to all the people who came that night, it was great fun and lets do it again soon.
So it was that this restaurant was decided upon for the gathering. I was skeptical at first but these were quickly dispelled when i had my first bite. The restaurant itself was located right next to Tao's to the left. There's another steamboat place on the right called Ju Ju Steamboat restaurant so make sure you don't get confused.
The meal we had was the buffet menu at 27 .
The selection is decent to say the least, there's the usual cooked food menu and the non cooked food menu and a variety of soup bases to choose. Our choice were the winter melon and the herbal chicken soup base. Both were pretty good but the winter melon tasted much better. The herbal chicken soup was rather bland tasting.
The selection of items included the usual prawns, chicken, beef, pork, eggs and veg.
The beef is of paticular mention since it tastes really fresh and good. If not for the buzzing flies, the beef was something to really eat much off.
The interesting items were the char siew pau, custard buns and the har gao(shrimp dumplings), which required you to boil them before eating. The pork dumplings were interesting as its the first time i had BBQ pork dumplings that need to be boiled. Even more surprising is that it actually tastes pretty good. Along with the custurd bun and the shrimp dumplings as well.
The chili cockles are worth a mention too. Spicy and sweet. One can easily eat this whole bowl straight off.
Overall, i'd say the meal was rather good in general. Service can be slow when the crowd sets in and the plates can really pile up quite quickly. However, the quantity of items served and the hit items make up for it.
And when good company is around, food just tastes better.
Cheers and happy new year people.
Experiences can be a funny thing. It changes your outlook on life and brings different priorities to light which you might never have noticed otherwise.
For this year end, the teambuilding event my boss decided upon is one which is pretty interesting, a place to learn to cook and after that, eat as well. Whats not to like?
Palate sensations is an interesting concept cooking school which has some big name chefs doing the teaching and guiding processes.
Our chef for the day is Ms Lynette Foo who does the teaching for Western/Australian cuisine. And our meal consists of our own, handmade pasta, and choclate souffle (aka molten chocolate cake)
The entire experience of making the dough involved everything right from the mixing of the dough to the choice of pasta to make. Suffice to say, it was interesting from start to end.
The chocolate souffle was most interesting to me since i love desserts and eat this every chance i get. To my horror, it was so easy to do and uses reasonably cheap ingredients that i'm just shocked how much i'm charged for it outside. Easily 8 to 9 times more then what its worth.
The coordinator or chef is amiable and facilitating. The food we made were reasonably tasty and good. And the environment is very condusive and comfortable.
The one night course and 3 course meal took 4 hours and cost upwards of $68 per head for 7 people. Interesting? Yes!
Expensive? Very much so. Fun? Yes! Try again? Let me do a rain check on my wallet before i answer that. Well, no. Its too expensive and out of the way to do again for me but its an experience everyone should try once at least.
Christmas is just around the corner and i was fortunate enough to be invited for a food tasting session at Jia Wei restaurant for their Christmas set menu. Jia wei, literally means a taste from home and is championed by acclaimed chef Lee Tuck Seng, who has forty years of culinary experience under his belt and is no stranger to multiple culinary awards. Special thanks to Keane and Grand Mecure for this wonderful experience.
The interior is a portrait of soft lighting and simple chinese furniture with thankfully rounded tables and surprisingly comfortable chairs. Minimalistic but comfortable, the rounded tables make conversation easy and brings people together much better then the normal rectangular ones found elsewhere. To me, thats a plus.
Roasted Walnut with sesame - This is worth a mention because its made in house, is very fragrant, crispy and pleasing to eat.
The dim sum appetiser reminded me of similar offerings in taste paradise and the hai tien lo trio albeit of a totally different category. The siew mai is rather big and came with a suitably decadent decor of gold foil. It doesn't add to the taste but it sure is nice to look at. The pork taste is rather strong in this but otherwise, it was a nice and regular offering. The second item is a prawn and scallop dumpling which is generally well received by all at the table. I found the crunchy prawn sweet and fresh while the scallop complimented and enhanced the taste further. Definitely something to try. Next up is the prawn and mango roll which had too much mango for my liking since it covered the taste of the prawn and finally, the last item is the deep fried prawn dumpling. Bascially, its good but rather oily. Not a bad start and this gave me high hopes on the restaurants dim sum lunch offers.
Christmas is just around the corner and i was fortunate enough to be invited for a food tasting session at Jia Wei restaurant for their Christmas set menu. Jia wei, literally means a taste from home and is championed by acclaimed chef Lee Tuck Seng, who has forty years of culinary experience under his belt and is no stranger to multiple culinary awards. Special thanks to Keane and Grand Mecure for this wonderful experience.
The interior is a portrait of soft lighting and simple chinese furniture with thankfully rounded tables and surprisingly comfortable chairs. Minimalistic but comfortable, the rounded tables make conversation easy and brings people together much better then the normal rectangular ones found elsewhere. To me, thats a plus.
Roasted Walnut with sesame - This is worth a mention because its made in house, is very fragrant, crispy and pleasing to eat.
The dim sum appetiser reminded me of similar offerings in taste paradise and the hai tien lo trio albeit of a totally different category. The siew mai is rather big and came with a suitably decadent decor of gold foil. It doesn't add to the taste but it sure is nice to look at. The pork taste is rather strong in this but otherwise, it was a nice and regular offering. The second item is a prawn and scallop dumpling which is generally well received by all at the table. I found the crunchy prawn sweet and fresh while the scallop complimented and enhanced the taste further. Definitely something to try. Next up is the prawn and mango roll which had too much mango for my liking since it covered the taste of the prawn and finally, the last item is the deep fried prawn dumpling. Bascially, its good but rather oily. Not a bad start and this gave me high hopes on the restaurants dim sum lunch offers.
Turkey Ham Salad with fresh fruit and wasabi mayonaise - Being a christmas set dinner, our course began proper with a turkey ham salad. The meat itself was rather dry but is nicely counteracted by the tasteful wasabi mayonnaise and the sweet fruits it came with.Rather surprising was how well the entire concoction complimented each ingredient used for a pleasing and appetising effect.
Jia Wei Superior Sharks Fin - Slowly becoming a norm and a trend, the sharks fin is served in a hot stone pot to help keep the broth warm. Definitely one of the better items that day, the sharks fin is generous in big pieces and comes complete with crab roe, beansprouts and crab meat. The broth is thick and more starchy then regular sharks fin. In fact, it was good enough to have without pepper nor vinegar, this is a gauge of how good the sharks fin is . Our host also shared that executives nearby will come for the sharks fin for lunch and leave. So yeah, it was pretty good.
Pan Fried Fillet of Pork Spare Rib with Special Sauce - My friends had this so i only had the luxury of a short taste, to be honest, it was way too sweet for my liking and the special sauce tasted just like honey to me. Not bad, but not something i'd order enthusiastically.
Grilled Special Rack of Lamb with Chinese Wine - I wasn't given much of a choice since the menu was decided for me but i ain't complaining. Compared to the pork, i find this done pretty darn well. Medium rare and done with perfection, with a nice hint of chinese wine in the sauce. The meat was tender without the overwhelming lamb taste. In other words, this was a clear winner of a choice for the set menu.
Braised Bai Ling Mushroom with Broccoli - Finally, something lighter to wash the palate. The broccoli is crunchy and tasty while the mushrooms took a lesser stage while still maintaining a nice soft and spongy presence. I liked the generous quantities of dried scallop within but it was quite salty as a whole.
Homemade Noodles with Prawn and Conpoy - The final main dish for the day, the homemade noodles were soft and springy but failed to absorb much of the sauce. The prawn, though huge, was hit or miss in terms of quality since it was not springy nor sweet on one side but salvaged on the other half. Overall, this was the one dish that didn't impress.
Chilled Lemon Jelly with Lime Sorbet - Personally, i liked this dessert quite a bit. Even though the lime sorbet is terribly sour, it came with dried fruits and enough lemon jelly to compliment the overall taste.Simply have the entire combination altogether and you'll have a more pleasant experience. I especially like the way it cleans the palate after such a heavy meal.
In terms of costs, this meal would set you back by $98 per head.
All in all, the meal was pleasant and our host, Keane filled us in quite abit on the history of the hotel. The food is above average on some and average on others but the overall experience is a good one. If you're looking for a place to spend Christmas away from the crowds, in a nice quiet Chinese setting with loved ones, this is not a bad place to visit. Do note the steep prices however.
They have been away for a long time now; the feel, touch, sight, smell were always in their mind, but its gradually fading away with each day passed. How they wished they could be back, but reality often gets the better of man. He missed the food, while she yearned for the familiar environment.
It struck them after entering the place, the comfortable and cozy environment, just like home. Jia Wei restaurant. How apt.
To have Christmas without the festive turkey and ham (both sets), it’ll be like to have the Mid-autumn festival without the mooncakes, or going through Halloween without pumpkins. He found the meat was too tough and dry, while there was the wasabi sauce, it was insufficient and wasabi didn’t exactly compliment the turkey meat well. Luckily there was the fresh fruits salad to save the day.
The highlight of the menu will definitely be Jia Wei Superior Shark’s Fin soup (Festive cheers menu) in hot stone pot. Thick and generous portions are discovered, the excitement just like discovering a treasure cove. The hot stone pot played a vital role in keeping the rich stock base warm and nice, a notable fact after they tried the other shark’s fin soup which wasn’t served in the stone pot. This bowl of treasure will most likely cost you a bomb if you have it elsewhere, but at Jia Wei, they do it cheap and good, its available on their a la carte menu too. Eating a Chinese delicacy for a frosty Christmas, the thought of home seem so far away.
While the superior shark’s fin soup with Conpoy (Christmas glow menu) offered the same ingredients as the previous one in hotpot, but the differential in price obviously meant that the higher priced festive cheers menu had slightly more shark’s fin. This one was lukewarm by the time they started eating, while the hot stone pot one remained piping hot. The dumpling-wannabe actually had water chestnut, vegetarian mushrooms and crab rob.
The layer of fats aroused her inner feelings. There was a struggle to ignore the calories and enjoyed the bliss. The grilled special rack of lamb (Festive cheers menu) made her succumb to temptation. If they were not to mention anything, you’ll never know the use of Chinese wine, together with a bit of Japanese Sake created a wonderful sauce which covered the usual strong lamb/mutton smell. Without the fats, the rack of lamb wouldn’t be as good, since they largely contributed the tenderness to the overall taste. And, the sweetness of the meat was actually extracted by chewing and sucking the bones. Sinful, yet so good!
One of the dish which he missed a lot from home was pork. The pan-fried fillet of pork spare-rib (Christmas glow menu) was exactly what he needed to satisfy his needs and homesickness. The special seasoning was very peculiar, the inital guess of fruits were proven wrong. Done in Japanese style, the sauce was slightly sweet and sour, which provided a tangy robust taste. The pork was pan-fried that the crispy layer was just right for the meat. It was very delicious. The downside? Portions were dainty considering it’s the main course.
While the braised bai ling mushroom with broccoli (Festive cheers menu) was what his mother used to prepare, he didn’t quite enjoyed the dish since the overall taste was a tad too subtle for his liking. Yes, although this vegetables dish was supposed to be light since the previous few dishes were rather strong in flavour, so i guess its more of different taste buds.
The similar dish on the Christmas glow menu, braised dry scallop with sea cucumber and bamboo piths. The vegetables were fresh, but being neither a fan of scallop nor sea cucumber, they didn’t know how to appreciate it.
There’s reasons for relatives to look alike. Was it baby lobster? Or is it crayfish? Gosh, wait a minute, it does rather looks like a big prawn instead! The home-made noodles were springy and smooth to the palate. The big prawns were fresh and succulent. But, there’s always the big BUT to look out for. Having used stock base for the Shark’s fin, the vegetables dish, and now the noodles. They couldn’t finish the home-made noodles with prawn (both sets) because the excess usage of stock base did seem a bit too much.
The simple, yet refreshing chilled lemon jelly (Festive cheers menu) was definitely a welcoming dessert. With the robust lemon sorbet, and the light lemon jelly, the all-lemon combination provided a sweet ending to the Christmas feast.
On the other hand, there’s the chilled mango pudding (Christmas glow menu) which wasn’t as good as it lacked the bouncy and chewy texture that a good pudding should have.The whole mango flavour was also not very strong, but you’ve to give credits to them for making the mango pudding so pretty.
The oriental Christmas feast at Jia Wei brought them closer to home, and the whole meal took 3 half hours to complete.
Christmas Glow ($78 ) Festive turkey, ham and fresh fruits salad Superior Shark’s fins soup with conpoy Pan-fried fillet of pork spare-rib with special sauce Braised dry scallop with sea cucumber and bamboo piths Homemade noodles with prawn and conpoy Chilled mango pudding
Festive Cheers ($98 ) Festive turkey, ham and fresh fruits salad Jia Wei superior Shark’s fin soup in hot stone pot Grilled special rack of lamb with Chinese wine Braised bai ling mushroom with broccoli Homemade noodles with prawn and conpoy Chilled lemon jelly
Enjoy a 30% discount on the Christmas feast from Monday to Thursday, except on 24, 25, 31 Dec 2008 & 1 Jan 2009. This was an invited food tasting session, I’ll like to thank Keane and Shu Ling representing Grand Mercure Roxy hotel for being a wonderful host. I’ll also like to take the chance to praise Jia Wei’s assistance manager, Jessica who was very professional and knowledgeable about the cuisines. And also to my dining companion for being a good company (you know who you are).
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
1=SGD 0.0587
Love is just like raindrops.
They evaporate, and leave stains behind.
I couldn’t forget you, no, not after what happen last time.
The two sided face of you.
You were rich and good to me before.
But you showed me your cold side now.
I know we couldn’t be together.
But i can’t stop thinking of you.
Until we meet again, my duck.
The scones ($2.50) from Caffe Beviamo was soft and fluffy, with a buttery undertone.There wasn’t any “wow” from the strawberry jam, but it was enough to compliment the warm scones. If i may say so in my humble opinion, the ones here are better than the legendary Royal Copenhagen scones.
When you run out of names for your desserts, why not try some creative ones which can attract others attention? That’s exactly what Beviamo did. The hummingbird cake ($3.50) had was pineapple, banana and coconut involved, definitely no bird or what so ever. I love to eat pineapple and banana on its own, but to have them in cake is completely a different story all together. Banana cakes are just not for me, some things just can’t be forced.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Killing franchise monsters one dish at a time
With franchise monsters like Crystal Jade and Din Tai Fung numbing our palates away from gastronomic adventures and weaning us off truly good food, it is nice to see an independent setup working to bring true authenticity back to pique our taste buds.
Ye Shanghai surprises by serving up a wide range of Shanghai, Beijing fare and occasionally crossing to Hong Kong territories with a few bamboo baskets of dim sum, all from the confines of a little kitchen in an already tiny shop front.
Shanghai style fried fish
On the outset, this looked like a very simple plate of deep fried fish until I sank my teeth into it. Fried till crispy on the outside, the flesh of the fish is fluffy, moist and light inside. There was also a pleasant tinge of sweetness that went very well together.
Drunken Chicken
I personally liked Ye Shanghai's offering thanks to the strong wine flavour that permeates the meat. It is a lot more potent compared to Din Tai Fung's limp counterpart that I tend to mistaken as plain steamed chicken.
Fried Rice with Crab Roe
While I could hardly taste the crab roe, Ye Shanghai serves up a mean fried rice that is comparable to Crystal Jade and Din Tai Fung's.
Mango Mochi
With bits of fresh mangoes and light fluffy unsweetened cream in a thin translucent chewy dough skin, Ye Shanghai's mango mochi is provided a Midas' touch to an already satisfying and good valued meal. The natural sweetness from the mangoes was just right without leaving that heavy feeling that you usually get from too much sugar.
Rating given:
Thanks to a dear friend, I got a chance to enjoy their lunch buffet recently. According to her, the variety of dishes has become lesser as compared to before they renovated and moved up the place. Not sure how long ago was that thou.
When I was there, the crowd were mostly the senior citizens who've retired and has lots of time (and money) to spend. There were also families and taitai look-alike there. If not for the lunch meeting, I would probably never have a chance to dine at such a place.
The food though variety is not plentiful, but the spread was good enough for lunch. And the most important thing is that its fresh and taste very well.
My favorite from that day was the Thai Seafood Curry, Fresh Salmon Sashimi, couple of the appertisers and the hazelnut chocolate cake from the desserts bar.
And the highlight at Rose Veranda is the huge variety of tea available free-flow(!!!) for customers. I spent 15minutes going through and deciding which to try. If I had the time, I would have ordered like few options (one after another) to try more varieties.
Rose Veranda is a great place to spend the afternoon with friends over good quality tea and great food. The setting is very comfortable and they've got very comfy sofa seats too.
If you're planning to give it a try, don't forget to call for reservations! Even if its on a weekday!
Next to find chance to try The Line!
Rating given:
Its one of those rare days where you'll find me in a KTV room. But after that night with the crazy bunch, I think I'll be visiting these cosy rooms pretty often! They made KTV so fun and enjoyable! It's the best session I've had in years!
Like all KTV places, there'll be the standard fruit platters and tidbits which you're "forced" to pay for. And imo, the tidbits is to make our throat feel uncomfortable so that we will order more drinks to smoothen it so we can sing more songs/ better. But of course, you can choose not to those these tidbits and let it lao hong (gets soften) over the 4 hours in the air con room.
The collection of songs was great and about 85% of those we selected were of original mtv. The sound system was very good too. Except for one of the mic in our room which couldn't be turned off. The room was just nice for 9 of us, and the sofas were clean and comfortable too.
One thing I learned about singing at KTV rooms is never to go late! If you book the room at 10pm, be there on time. Their clock starts counting from 10pm instead of 10.30pm where we finally got settled in the room. So instead of the full 4 hours of singing time, we sang for only 3.5 hours.
I'm so looking forward to our next session together! Let's try their other outlets too!
Rating given:
Thanks to the food hunters! We managed to have our Christmas dinner at this hidden place. I think I've heard about it before but never really thought of trying it. But no regret after I tried it.
When we arrived, the place was empty with only one table filled. But as the night comes, the place gets very packed with hungry families and friends.
The choice of food is pretty decent, and they're fresh. Agree that the beef was fantastic! We should have ordered more of it! Love the mini custard bao which needs exactly 2mins in the boiling steamboat to cook/ heat it.
Their choice of cooked food though little, but they are of good quality too imo. Love the lemongrass chicken, fried chicken wing, sotong you tiao and cucumbers!
The service staff were helpful too. When the table couldn't put that huge number of plates we ordered, they helped us "throw" all the food into our steamboats too.
And do you know who owns this place? Its Terrence Cao the TCS actor.
Nice place for gatherings and hungry souls.
*No photos caused everyone was hungry and too lazy to take out our cameras! LOL!
Rating given:
For this years Christmas Eve celebration, i managed to go out with a couple of friends who has been asking forever to have an outing. And i'm glad i went for it. First of all, thanks to all the people who came that night, it was great fun and lets do it again soon.
So it was that this restaurant was decided upon for the gathering. I was skeptical at first but these were quickly dispelled when i had my first bite. The restaurant itself was located right next to Tao's to the left. There's another steamboat place on the right called Ju Ju Steamboat restaurant so make sure you don't get confused.
The meal we had was the buffet menu at 27 .
The selection is decent to say the least, there's the usual cooked food menu and the non cooked food menu and a variety of soup bases to choose. Our choice were the winter melon and the herbal chicken soup base. Both were pretty good but the winter melon tasted much better. The herbal chicken soup was rather bland tasting.
The selection of items included the usual prawns, chicken, beef, pork, eggs and veg.
The beef is of paticular mention since it tastes really fresh and good. If not for the buzzing flies, the beef was something to really eat much off.
The interesting items were the char siew pau, custard buns and the har gao(shrimp dumplings), which required you to boil them before eating. The pork dumplings were interesting as its the first time i had BBQ pork dumplings that need to be boiled. Even more surprising is that it actually tastes pretty good. Along with the custurd bun and the shrimp dumplings as well.
The chili cockles are worth a mention too. Spicy and sweet. One can easily eat this whole bowl straight off.
Overall, i'd say the meal was rather good in general. Service can be slow when the crowd sets in and the plates can really pile up quite quickly. However, the quantity of items served and the hit items make up for it.
And when good company is around, food just tastes better.
Cheers and happy new year people.
Rating given:
Experiences can be a funny thing. It changes your outlook on life and brings different priorities to light which you might never have noticed otherwise.
For this year end, the teambuilding event my boss decided upon is one which is pretty interesting, a place to learn to cook and after that, eat as well. Whats not to like?
Palate sensations is an interesting concept cooking school which has some big name chefs doing the teaching and guiding processes.
Our chef for the day is Ms Lynette Foo who does the teaching for Western/Australian cuisine. And our meal consists of our own, handmade pasta, and choclate souffle (aka molten chocolate cake)
The entire experience of making the dough involved everything right from the mixing of the dough to the choice of pasta to make. Suffice to say, it was interesting from start to end.
The chocolate souffle was most interesting to me since i love desserts and eat this every chance i get. To my horror, it was so easy to do and uses reasonably cheap ingredients that i'm just shocked how much i'm charged for it outside. Easily 8 to 9 times more then what its worth.
The coordinator or chef is amiable and facilitating. The food we made were reasonably tasty and good. And the environment is very condusive and comfortable.
The one night course and 3 course meal took 4 hours and cost upwards of $68 per head for 7 people. Interesting? Yes!
Expensive? Very much so. Fun? Yes! Try again? Let me do a rain check on my wallet before i answer that. Well, no. Its too expensive and out of the way to do again for me but its an experience everyone should try once at least.
Rating given:
Christmas is just around the corner and i was fortunate enough to be invited for a food tasting session at Jia Wei restaurant for their Christmas set menu. Jia wei, literally means a taste from home and is championed by acclaimed chef Lee Tuck Seng, who has forty years of culinary experience under his belt and is no stranger to multiple culinary awards. Special thanks to Keane and Grand Mecure for this wonderful experience.
The interior is a portrait of soft lighting and simple chinese furniture with thankfully rounded tables and surprisingly comfortable chairs. Minimalistic but comfortable, the rounded tables make conversation easy and brings people together much better then the normal rectangular ones found elsewhere. To me, thats a plus.
Roasted Walnut with sesame - This is worth a mention because its made in house, is very fragrant, crispy and pleasing to eat.
The dim sum appetiser reminded me of similar offerings in taste paradise and the hai tien lo trio albeit of a totally different category. The siew mai is rather big and came with a suitably decadent decor of gold foil. It doesn't add to the taste but it sure is nice to look at. The pork taste is rather strong in this but otherwise, it was a nice and regular offering. The second item is a prawn and scallop dumpling which is generally well received by all at the table. I found the crunchy prawn sweet and fresh while the scallop complimented and enhanced the taste further. Definitely something to try. Next up is the prawn and mango roll which had too much mango for my liking since it covered the taste of the prawn and finally, the last item is the deep fried prawn dumpling. Bascially, its good but rather oily. Not a bad start and this gave me high hopes on the restaurants dim sum lunch offers.
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Christmas is just around the corner and i was fortunate enough to be invited for a food tasting session at Jia Wei restaurant for their Christmas set menu. Jia wei, literally means a taste from home and is championed by acclaimed chef Lee Tuck Seng, who has forty years of culinary experience under his belt and is no stranger to multiple culinary awards. Special thanks to Keane and Grand Mecure for this wonderful experience.
The interior is a portrait of soft lighting and simple chinese furniture with thankfully rounded tables and surprisingly comfortable chairs. Minimalistic but comfortable, the rounded tables make conversation easy and brings people together much better then the normal rectangular ones found elsewhere. To me, thats a plus.
Roasted Walnut with sesame - This is worth a mention because its made in house, is very fragrant, crispy and pleasing to eat.
The dim sum appetiser reminded me of similar offerings in taste paradise and the hai tien lo trio albeit of a totally different category. The siew mai is rather big and came with a suitably decadent decor of gold foil. It doesn't add to the taste but it sure is nice to look at. The pork taste is rather strong in this but otherwise, it was a nice and regular offering. The second item is a prawn and scallop dumpling which is generally well received by all at the table. I found the crunchy prawn sweet and fresh while the scallop complimented and enhanced the taste further. Definitely something to try. Next up is the prawn and mango roll which had too much mango for my liking since it covered the taste of the prawn and finally, the last item is the deep fried prawn dumpling. Bascially, its good but rather oily. Not a bad start and this gave me high hopes on the restaurants dim sum lunch offers.
Turkey Ham Salad with fresh fruit and wasabi mayonaise - Being a christmas set dinner, our course began proper with a turkey ham salad. The meat itself was rather dry but is nicely counteracted by the tasteful wasabi mayonnaise and the sweet fruits it came with.Rather surprising was how well the entire concoction complimented each ingredient used for a pleasing and appetising effect.
Jia Wei Superior Sharks Fin - Slowly becoming a norm and a trend, the sharks fin is served in a hot stone pot to help keep the broth warm. Definitely one of the better items that day, the sharks fin is generous in big pieces and comes complete with crab roe, beansprouts and crab meat. The broth is thick and more starchy then regular sharks fin. In fact, it was good enough to have without pepper nor vinegar, this is a gauge of how good the sharks fin is . Our host also shared that executives nearby will come for the sharks fin for lunch and leave. So yeah, it was pretty good.
Pan Fried Fillet of Pork Spare Rib with Special Sauce - My friends had this so i only had the luxury of a short taste, to be honest, it was way too sweet for my liking and the special sauce tasted just like honey to me. Not bad, but not something i'd order enthusiastically.
Grilled Special Rack of Lamb with Chinese Wine - I wasn't given much of a choice since the menu was decided for me but i ain't complaining. Compared to the pork, i find this done pretty darn well. Medium rare and done with perfection, with a nice hint of chinese wine in the sauce. The meat was tender without the overwhelming lamb taste. In other words, this was a clear winner of a choice for the set menu.
Braised Bai Ling Mushroom with Broccoli - Finally, something lighter to wash the palate. The broccoli is crunchy and tasty while the mushrooms took a lesser stage while still maintaining a nice soft and spongy presence. I liked the generous quantities of dried scallop within but it was quite salty as a whole.
Homemade Noodles with Prawn and Conpoy - The final main dish for the day, the homemade noodles were soft and springy but failed to absorb much of the sauce. The prawn, though huge, was hit or miss in terms of quality since it was not springy nor sweet on one side but salvaged on the other half. Overall, this was the one dish that didn't impress.
Chilled Lemon Jelly with Lime Sorbet - Personally, i liked this dessert quite a bit. Even though the lime sorbet is terribly sour, it came with dried fruits and enough lemon jelly to compliment the overall taste.Simply have the entire combination altogether and you'll have a more pleasant experience. I especially like the way it cleans the palate after such a heavy meal.
In terms of costs, this meal would set you back by $98 per head.
All in all, the meal was pleasant and our host, Keane filled us in quite abit on the history of the hotel. The food is above average on some and average on others but the overall experience is a good one. If you're looking for a place to spend Christmas away from the crowds, in a nice quiet Chinese setting with loved ones, this is not a bad place to visit. Do note the steep prices however.
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They have been away for a long time now; the feel, touch, sight, smell were always in their mind, but its gradually fading away with each day passed. How they wished they could be back, but reality often gets the better of man. He missed the food, while she yearned for the familiar environment.
It struck them after entering the place, the comfortable and cozy environment, just like home. Jia Wei restaurant. How apt.
To have Christmas without the festive turkey and ham (both sets), it’ll be like to have the Mid-autumn festival without the mooncakes, or going through Halloween without pumpkins. He found the meat was too tough and dry, while there was the wasabi sauce, it was insufficient and wasabi didn’t exactly compliment the turkey meat well. Luckily there was the fresh fruits salad to save the day.
The highlight of the menu will definitely be Jia Wei Superior Shark’s Fin soup (Festive cheers menu) in hot stone pot. Thick and generous portions are discovered, the excitement just like discovering a treasure cove. The hot stone pot played a vital role in keeping the rich stock base warm and nice, a notable fact after they tried the other shark’s fin soup which wasn’t served in the stone pot. This bowl of treasure will most likely cost you a bomb if you have it elsewhere, but at Jia Wei, they do it cheap and good, its available on their a la carte menu too. Eating a Chinese delicacy for a frosty Christmas, the thought of home seem so far away.
While the superior shark’s fin soup with Conpoy (Christmas glow menu) offered the same ingredients as the previous one in hotpot, but the differential in price obviously meant that the higher priced festive cheers menu had slightly more shark’s fin. This one was lukewarm by the time they started eating, while the hot stone pot one remained piping hot. The dumpling-wannabe actually had water chestnut, vegetarian mushrooms and crab rob.
The layer of fats aroused her inner feelings. There was a struggle to ignore the calories and enjoyed the bliss. The grilled special rack of lamb (Festive cheers menu) made her succumb to temptation. If they were not to mention anything, you’ll never know the use of Chinese wine, together with a bit of Japanese Sake created a wonderful sauce which covered the usual strong lamb/mutton smell. Without the fats, the rack of lamb wouldn’t be as good, since they largely contributed the tenderness to the overall taste. And, the sweetness of the meat was actually extracted by chewing and sucking the bones. Sinful, yet so good!
One of the dish which he missed a lot from home was pork. The pan-fried fillet of pork spare-rib (Christmas glow menu) was exactly what he needed to satisfy his needs and homesickness. The special seasoning was very peculiar, the inital guess of fruits were proven wrong. Done in Japanese style, the sauce was slightly sweet and sour, which provided a tangy robust taste. The pork was pan-fried that the crispy layer was just right for the meat. It was very delicious. The downside? Portions were dainty considering it’s the main course.
While the braised bai ling mushroom with broccoli (Festive cheers menu) was what his mother used to prepare, he didn’t quite enjoyed the dish since the overall taste was a tad too subtle for his liking. Yes, although this vegetables dish was supposed to be light since the previous few dishes were rather strong in flavour, so i guess its more of different taste buds.
The similar dish on the Christmas glow menu, braised dry scallop with sea cucumber and bamboo piths. The vegetables were fresh, but being neither a fan of scallop nor sea cucumber, they didn’t know how to appreciate it.
There’s reasons for relatives to look alike. Was it baby lobster? Or is it crayfish? Gosh, wait a minute, it does rather looks like a big prawn instead! The home-made noodles were springy and smooth to the palate. The big prawns were fresh and succulent. But, there’s always the big BUT to look out for. Having used stock base for the Shark’s fin, the vegetables dish, and now the noodles. They couldn’t finish the home-made noodles with prawn (both sets) because the excess usage of stock base did seem a bit too much.
The simple, yet refreshing chilled lemon jelly (Festive cheers menu) was definitely a welcoming dessert. With the robust lemon sorbet, and the light lemon jelly, the all-lemon combination provided a sweet ending to the Christmas feast.
On the other hand, there’s the chilled mango pudding (Christmas glow menu) which wasn’t as good as it lacked the bouncy and chewy texture that a good pudding should have.The whole mango flavour was also not very strong, but you’ve to give credits to them for making the mango pudding so pretty.
The oriental Christmas feast at Jia Wei brought them closer to home, and the whole meal took 3 half hours to complete.
Christmas Glow ($78 )
Festive turkey, ham and fresh fruits salad
Superior Shark’s fins soup with conpoy
Pan-fried fillet of pork spare-rib with special sauce
Braised dry scallop with sea cucumber and bamboo piths
Homemade noodles with prawn and conpoy
Chilled mango pudding
Festive Cheers ($98 )
Festive turkey, ham and fresh fruits salad
Jia Wei superior Shark’s fin soup in hot stone pot
Grilled special rack of lamb with Chinese wine
Braised bai ling mushroom with broccoli
Homemade noodles with prawn and conpoy
Chilled lemon jelly
Enjoy a 30% discount on the Christmas feast from Monday to Thursday, except on 24, 25, 31 Dec 2008 & 1 Jan 2009. This was an invited food tasting session, I’ll like to thank Keane and Shu Ling representing Grand Mercure Roxy hotel for being a wonderful host. I’ll also like to take the chance to praise Jia Wei’s assistance manager, Jessica who was very professional and knowledgeable about the cuisines. And also to my dining companion for being a good company (you know who you are).
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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