Hong Kong food in Singapore is more or less dominated by a few names which i feel personally, still have not done the subject matter much justice. Wan Zhai Hong Kong Tea Room is a new addition which has yet to be highly commercialized but is it any good or does it fall into the same trappings as all its predecessors?
Peanut Ginseng Soup (Free with Baked Rice) - I have to say, i'm totally surprised at how tasty this soup is. It doesn't look like much but its packed with taste. The ingredients inside are plentiful (peanuts and some chicken meat) for a free item. No points for presentation but looks can be deceiving indeed.
Wasabi Seafood Baked Rice ($8.20) - The serving of baked rice is reasonable though hardly big. The reason i ordered this was because i've never tasted wasabi baked rice before so it was a novel concept for me, plus the fact that i quite keen of wasabi. The ingredients used are exactly the same as the HK Signature Hor Fan featured below, 2 mussels, 2 prawns and a smattering of fish. The unfortunate thing is that the ingredients definitely did not taste fresh to me. Prawns were powdery and lacks any crunch whatsoever, fish wasn't sweet and the mussels were a tad rubbery. The rice was normal and the wasabi was toned down for local tastes so it didn't have the kick i wanted. Average at best.
HK Signature Hor Fan ($6.30) - As mentioned above, the ingredients are the same 2 mussels, 2 prawns and some fish and the freshness is still below average. Taste-wise, the hor fan looked blackish and had a lot of pepper in it. My gf didn't finish this so thats a testament of how 'good' it is. To me, it wasn't worthy of the word 'signature' at all with its not-too-fresh ingredients, bad looks and worst of all, simple inadequate, salty and overly oily taste. The baked rice was better and that was already only an average offering.
The bill came up to $14.50 for 2 people but somehow, i still found it too expensive. The only good thing for this place is the soup sadly.
Hong Kong food is just not getting the attention and franchises over in sunny Singapore. To date, i've tried a few Hong Kong cafes and honestly, they are either too expensive, food offerings average or just plain bad. If anybody knows of a good place i can review, please let me know. Till then, my word on Hong Kong food in Singapore is that there is yet to be one worthy of the name yet.
Phin's beerhaus and grille is an unassuming, open concept eating place set on the 4th floor of Tampines mall. First looks did not impress and honestly, i've passed by this place so many times but never had the urge to try it till today. An offshoot of its bigger upmarket cousin, Phin's steakhouse, how does this lone restaurant fare? Read on.
The first thing i need to say about this restaurant is the service. We were served by a waiter jovial and professional waiter who required nothing to jote down our orders while being able to tell us exactly what they had and did not have for the day. He was also kind enough to introduce a different cut of meat which turned out rather well in my opinion. If only waiters in other establishments could be as good as him, i'd gladly pay service charges. (La Noce is another place where the service staff is simply excellent.)
Australian Grain Fed Tenderloin ($28.90) - As recommended by the waiter, i took the Australian grain fed tenderloin which was a time limited offer. According to him, the meat is superior, better marbled and contains less fat as compared to the normal offerings. I don't presume myself an expert on this matter, but i must say the meat was pretty good. Done medium rare, slightly charred on the edges with a small lump of butter sizzling atop, this reminds me of the good days when Jack's place was still making good food. That said, the meat was juicy and the butter added much to the already succulent and tasty steak. Pity about the portion size which i felt was rather small (even though it took me 15 minutes to finish.)
Soup of the Day, Garlic Bread and Salad ($19.90 set meal) - My gf's set meal, which means i got to try everything a little again, no prizes for guessing if my girth is increasing. The salad was fresh, sweet and crunchy while the garlic bread fragrant and went well with the accompanying creamy mushroom soup. A good starter.
Seafood Pesto Carbonara - This came as a surprise. The serving was quite generous with 2 huge scallops, 1 pan fried dory fillet and half slipper lobster set atop a bed of fettucinne cooked with pesto carbonara and mushrooms. The serving alone is worth commending and this is further accented by the fact that it tasted pretty good. It was quite spicy and tasted simple at the same time, allowing for an appetizing feeling without being overwhelming. The ingredients used were also equally fresh and everything tasted juicy and sweet. Nicely done.
Brownie Surprise ($8.90) - The brownie surprise really did come as a surprise because i saw more ice cream on the dish then brownies which were actually cut into small pieces and served as an accompaniment rather then the main draw. The ice cream was creamy and and smooth. The flavors served were cookies and cream, mocha and one which i can't quite make out. The brownie was rather dry but the melting ice cream made up for that oversight.
Dessert of the day (Mango Pudding with sugar icing) - The final part to the set meal was this mango pudding. Light, refreshing and sweet, this was a good ending for the meal.
The final bill came up to $67.90 for 2 people, its not cheap but the service and food quality made up for it.
I'm really quite surprised with how good this place is. I went in with very little expectations and was pleasantly surprised with the service and quality of food given its unassuming and rather small outlet. The lack of customers was also a plus for me since i dislike jostling with people when i dine, and that is difficult in a place like Tampines mall. Nonetheless, i'd recommend a try for people in the vicinity. Try it once to see if you like the place. (Though i'll say it first, the place definitely needs a cosmetic makeover and location change. *winks*)
Phin’s steakhouse isn’t the usual steakhouse you will expect with classy environment, expensive decor, pretty plates. Situated at Liang Seah place (behind Bugis Parco Junction), its on a street with small eatery and restaurants around. The place itself does not have air-con, decor are average, but they serve good steaks at good price.
Steaks in the hand of less-skillful chefs will turn out to be catastrophe, but not at Phin’s. Although i am not a great fan of red meat, but Phin’s steak won me over. The irresistable succulent nz air flown steaks are serve on signature hot plate with baked potato and seasonal vegetables.
Diners can choose from Sirlon, Ribeye, Tenderloin, with different sizes like ladies cut, gentlemen cut, humongous cut (with ladies cut cheapest & humongous cut most expensive). In addition, the choice of sauces on the steak is also accord to each delight, with the usual sauce like pepper, mushroom, to some unique sauce like garlic, sambal, honey mustard, and wild mushroom.
Although Phin’s a steakhouse, but it also offer other western food like chicken fillet, fish & chips, lamb, seafood. There is the combo set for 2 person, i saw a particular set which interest me, there is a combo of chicken, fish, lamb and steak serving for two. But maz and i decided on ordering two sirlon steak (gentlemen cut) at $14.90 each. Not feeling too adventurous, i had the safe yet good pepper sauce, while maz tried the wild mushroom.
For starters. we had Escargot baked in cheese and wine ($9.90), coming in servings of half a dozen. There is another escargot with garlic ($7.90), but we decided to try the more expensive one. Hmm.. this is the second time i had escargot and the feeling is exactly as the first time. Not very snail-like, rather it taste quite like the shell-type food? O well
Sirlon steak with pepper sauce (medium raw). The steak was good, meat was succulent and tender. It came with healthy servings of sides like vege, corn and a whole potato. Boy o boy, just eating the potato makes me full ( :
Sirlon steak with wild mushroom sauce (medium raw). N’uff say, only difference was the sauce, quality is the same. The wild mushroom sauce is quite unique as we didn’t expect it to be in this colour. 4.5 out of 5
Maz had new zealand natural mango ice-cream ($2.90) for desserts, i was too full so i skipped desserts. By and large, Phin’s is a good place for good and affordable steak. Well, being a steakhouse, its steak can’t be that bad right? Not too sure about the other dishes beside steak, but i saw the other diners having the combo and it looks good. Service-wise i suppose it is quite good, the waitress are friendly and re-filled our iced water very fast. I always felt that Bugis junction does not have much to eat, now knowing Liang Seah place is just behind, rest assured the next time you go Bugis. Total bill comes up to $49.20 for two person.
You are always welcome to visit Ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
The time: 7pm. The diners: Me, Wee hong, Hong yi & friends. The place: Fisherman’s Wharf. The food: Fish & Chips
Well well, i had great expectations for Fisherman’s wharf, having heard rave reviews on its fish & chips, we were left slightly disappointed when we left the place. Fisherman wharf is directly opposite the new Central Mall. From Central u can see the signboard of fisherman wharf because the current construction of the overhead bridge is blocking the view of the restaurant. The place do not have air-con, its free seating and pls self-service by going to the counter to order.
The thing with fisherman wharf is that all the fish are priced at different price, but most of them looks the same. Try comparing all the fish we ordered and see whether you can spot which is which. All the fish comes with generous servings of chips or fries, but i would prefer for some salad, vege or coleslaw. On a note, 2 of us had fries, while the other 3 had chips. In the end, only 2 of us enjoy the side dish, so you know what to order huh? ( :
Silver Cod Fillet ( $14.00) with fries.
North. Atlantic Cod Loin ($16.00) with fries. Its the most ex fish at Fisherman Wharf, but the tastes and the looks quite similar to silver cod fillet.
Garoupa Fillet ($12.50) with chips. Snow Fish ($15.00) with chips. Comment was not very nice, try something else.
Snow Fish ($15.00) with chips. Comment was not very nice, try something else.
Lemon Sole Fillet ($14.00) with chips. Very similar to silver cod fillet and north atlantic cod, but the taste is a bit different. The fish crumbed very easily, making it difficult to eat.
I am not lying, all the fishes look about the same, with the generous helping of chips, fries ana tartar sauce. Seriously if they didn’t tell us which is which, we wont know the fishes. I read that someone compared Greenwood Bistro to Fisherman Wharf, in my personal opinion, there is totally no way to compare. Greenwood bistro fish albeit being more expensive at the range of $17 to $20 , but it offers a lot more different quality fish, different style of cooking the fish, and a healthy servings of chips and vege. Furthermore, the ambience at Greenwood and Fisherman Wharf is different. Greenwood is a restaurant, while Fisherman’s is more like Long John Silver - fast food outlet. Mayb its because my expectation is too high before i went, therefore i am more disapointed.
But our conclusion is, go for the set lunch at $9.50 which comes with fish & chips, and drink. If not, for dinner just order the normal cream dory fillet at $6.50. No offend to any Fisherman’s Wharf lovers out there, this is just my personal opinion.
You are always welcome to visit Ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Went with cousin to try some authentic french food. Its a 5 min walk from Farrer Park mrt station. Located just by the main road, no air-con people, so its not your normal posh restaurant where you have to wear formal clothes there, t-shirt and jeans will do. Although its a weekday, but after 7pm, the restaurant was almost full, and they do not have my rule number one, no reservations, so you just have to reach there early i guess.
We took a while before deciding what to eat. There is the set meal going at $14.80, with a starter, Main course, and dessert. But for this set meal, there is only three types of main course available, dory filet, chicken leg, and pork chop. Not fancy by neither three main course, we decided not to order this set meal.
We had the exec steak set meal ($22.80) which comes with a starter soup, Steak as Main course, and Dark chocolate cake as dessert. Ok, for the steak, done medium raw with potato as side. Steak was tender, i do not eat beef often, so according to my cousin it was quite good, not the best but good enough. 4.5 out of 5
Instead of having the starter soup, we “upgraded” it to Escargots!! Snails if you put it in laid-man terms. Lol. Top up $5 to get half a dozen snails, it cost $8 if you order it as a starter. Hmm.. Escargots was special? Since we never had it before, nothing to compare against, but having tried it for the first time, its quite good, i mean not snail-like as you think. It was cook with garlic, so the garlic cover any snail-smell there is. Not bad, if you never tried before, do try. 4 out of 5
The other main course we had was Pork cordon bleu loin ($12.80). The tender meat had mushroom sauce spray on it and with cheese & ham inside the pork, the bite was simply delicious. Must have been one of the best pork cordon bleu i ever had. Also come with side dish of potato. At just $12.80, its really a steal, but they do not have this in their set meal which was a pity. I feel this is a must-try dish at The French Stall. 5 out of 5
Total bill comes up to $47.30 for two person. There’s the service charge, gst, and cess to factor in. The lady boss was quite friendly, had a talk with her while paying the bill. And she told me that they are hiring waiter or waitress. So if anyone out there want a job, this is the job for you to taste french food everyday. Overall, The French Stall is a good place to go, simply for the fact that there isn’t that many french restaurants around at a decent price. Food is good, price is reasonable, so what are you waiting for?
You are always welcome to visit Ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
" Ahh.. the French, the language, the romance, and of course the food "
Modern Decor, Value for money and delicious set lunch, what more do you want? As usual rule no one, i made a reservation in advance, so no need to wait, the waitress promptly brought us to our cosy seat. The seats here are what i called good seats as compared to Jap Dining Sun. The waitress was polite, and also reminded us to watch the small stairs. At 12.30, it was close to full house. Menu was not as extensive as Waruku or even Jap Dining Sun, but the set lunch menu are really value for money. More than enough to order.
Chicken Teriyaki & California roll set ($14.80), all the lunch set meal here comes with pickled vege, soup and tea/coffee. The chicken teriyaki place on hot plate was simply good. The california roll is really yummy, not those type you have at Sake sushi. Really nothing to grumble about, mayb more california roll? haha perfect score 5 out of 5
Sukiyaki & Tomato salad ($17.50) which was beef, vege, egg in hot pot, something like a mini steamboat. Beef was quite good, but very few piece only. Well, cant really expect them to give so much beef like chicken. 4 out of 5
Overall, nothing to complain about, If you haven been to Sun with Moon, make yr move fast man. I suspect Sun with Moon will become my fav restaurant soon, and i will be visiting them a few times one month at least. lol. Anyway, after paying the bill which comes to $37.65 for two person, they gave me dining coupons for their newly open branch at Central. 15% off food, and 2 free drinks which can be beer, house red/white wine, or soft drink. Confirm guarantee plus chop will use it to try the food at Central soon. I highly recommend you to go to Sun with Moon for its value for money set lunch, mayb not so often for dinner (no set meals more ex), and i think Sun with Moon is better than its sister restaurant Japanese Dining Sun. So Sun with Moon Central next week anyone? Haha
You are always welcome to visit Ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Don't be mistaken. This Teo Heng is the one where you can sing at. Not the one selling the karaoke equipment, although they are under the same company. This KTV has been around for ages, way before K-Box ever stepped in. Even my mom has been to this KTV.
Directions to Teo Heng, Turn right when you get out of the lift and keep right. It's quite secluded (ulu) but once you get there you'll find it perpetually filled with people.
The equipment here can act up at times. They have both normal and cordless microphones. Sometimes the microphones may sound funny and sometimes it takes some time for the receiver to get your song requests. But it's not because their things are old, but more like they are well-used. Most of the other places have technical problems from time to time too isn't it?
But the advantages of singing at Teo Heng greatly outweigh the disadvantages.
1) The Prices. It starts for $8/hr for a small room (3-4 people) to $12 for a large room (10 people) during off peak periods. If you sing all the way from 2-6 there are special packages. If you're singing during peak periods it's $14 for a small room. It's cheap!
2) Teo Heng has the newest songs too. Don't be mistaken by the way it looks. They have all the newest songs too. AND all the oldies. AND songs which you have never heard of in your life.
3) Drinks are at $1 per can. And price for drinks have not increased since 6 years ago.
4) You can bring outside food in. You can bring whatever food and drink you want in. They don't care as long as you don't make a big mess.
5) Parking at Katong Shopping Centre is relatively easy and after KTV you can always head up for cheap bowling... (but it's not so good to bowl there...)
K-Box or Teo Heng? Give me Teo Heng any time. :) ** I wanted to give it 4 stars but I do think that the furnishings need to be update. My companion commented that it is a little sleazy but it's really a family KTV :)
If you like herbal soups, you'll like Earthen Jar Treasure. Here they differentiate the soups by their Chinese medicinal properties. It could be cooling, warming or a blood tonic just to describe a few.
The giant jars where their claypots of soups are kept are quite a fascinating sight to behold. Upon order, a single claypot of your soup is taken out of the giant jar with a long metal stick which will then be served with either plain rice or yam rice.
The advantage of using a claypot lies in its ability to keep the contents warm, something I find absolutely essential for soups. If I remember correctly, the older generation believes that the medicinal properties of the soup is only effective when the soup is hot. Of course there is also the well-documented fact that anything made in a claypot tastes better.
As for the food served, the lotus root soup with pork ribs which has a soup with a cooling property. The palate was light yet full-bodied that would have you wanting seconds. The pork ribs that come along in the soup are cooked till tender and the taste of the soup permeates the meat. The lotus roots are thinly sliced and cooked to perfection. Every bite is crunchy.
The watercress soup had a nice and subtle sweetness which came from the combination of the pork, watercress and red dates. My only grouse with this soup is that the watercress were slightly over-cooked and yellow as I prefer the watercress somewhat greener and retaining a bit of its crunch. But overall, it is still an enjoyable pot of soup to savour.
Eden Cafe is a little gem tucked away amongst all the eateries there! It's tastefully done in a modern yet simplistic manner. The ambience was a winner with me. There were a couple of seats outside but I would much rather sit inside.
What I loved most about the place was the small garden Clement had at the back. It was filled with plants and Clement let us try some which were delicious.. Yes the leaves of the plants were delicious.
Clement provided great service, patiently explaining every bit to us. Esp when the items don't look conventional. The servers were also very polite, clearing our dishes at timely intervals.
I liked most of the dishes they went down pretty well with me... I shall talk about the ones I loved!
I liked the Black Sesame Pasta. It was my first time having it.. It was very different in taste but I still liked it. There was a certain flavour to it. But it didn't go down so well with many people...
I loved the Tomato based soup served with mussel. The soup was very flavourful and thick. The fact that it was so healthy and tasty at the same time had me licking the bowl clean :)
I also liked the Seedless Grape Chicken. This is the one dish that I would love to go back specially for. It was delicious! And we had ours in this funny fortune cookie cover thing which was really cute.
There were so many delicious things on the menu and the molten chocolate cake really had me.. That I think another visit is a necessity. The mains for the lunches also vary from week to week. You can join the mailing list to have Clement email it to you!!
Who doesn't know Thai Express? This chain expanded really fast and it's now all over the place. I even have one just a stone's throw from my place.
Popped by the one at PS just recently with a friend. We were nicely greeted and shown to a seat quickly. It was a Sunday afternoon and PS was brimming with people but Thai Express was only a quarter filled. Well it helped that there were many eateries around the area I guess.
We quickly decided on our food and the server asked if we'd like warm or iced water. I like that she didn't just assume that everyone wants iced water.
Food ordered: Kaeng Khiew Mangsawirat ($8.90) Green Vegetable Curry served with Rice I'm used to green curry that is much milder and has more flavour but this one was much spicier. There was a lot of vegetables though and it was pretty filling despite what people might think.
Poo Phat Pung Kari ($9.90) Curried Soft Shell Crab with Eggs and Onions, served with Rice This one's curry was less spicy, more mild. Complete opposite. But the curry masked any oilyness soft shell crabs usually have so it was a pretty good dish really.
Fresh Prawn Wraps ($5.90) Fried to a crisp, the wrap was very tasty. The prawns were not as fresh as one would expect but still acceptable I guess.
Acceptable food with pretty good service at an acceptable price I guess I will be there again.
1=SGD 0.0587
Hong Kong food in Singapore is more or less dominated by a few names which i feel personally, still have not done the subject matter much justice. Wan Zhai Hong Kong Tea Room is a new addition which has yet to be highly commercialized but is it any good or does it fall into the same trappings as all its predecessors?
Peanut Ginseng Soup (Free with Baked Rice) - I have to say, i'm totally surprised at how tasty this soup is. It doesn't look like much but its packed with taste. The ingredients inside are plentiful (peanuts and some chicken meat) for a free item. No points for presentation but looks can be deceiving indeed.
Wasabi Seafood Baked Rice ($8.20) - The serving of baked rice is reasonable though hardly big. The reason i ordered this was because i've never tasted wasabi baked rice before so it was a novel concept for me, plus the fact that i quite keen of wasabi. The ingredients used are exactly the same as the HK Signature Hor Fan featured below, 2 mussels, 2 prawns and a smattering of fish. The unfortunate thing is that the ingredients definitely did not taste fresh to me. Prawns were powdery and lacks any crunch whatsoever, fish wasn't sweet and the mussels were a tad rubbery. The rice was normal and the wasabi was toned down for local tastes so it didn't have the kick i wanted. Average at best.
HK Signature Hor Fan ($6.30) - As mentioned above, the ingredients are the same 2 mussels, 2 prawns and some fish and the freshness is still below average. Taste-wise, the hor fan looked blackish and had a lot of pepper in it. My gf didn't finish this so thats a testament of how 'good' it is. To me, it wasn't worthy of the word 'signature' at all with its not-too-fresh ingredients, bad looks and worst of all, simple inadequate, salty and overly oily taste. The baked rice was better and that was already only an average offering.
The bill came up to $14.50 for 2 people but somehow, i still found it too expensive. The only good thing for this place is the soup sadly.
Hong Kong food is just not getting the attention and franchises over in sunny Singapore. To date, i've tried a few Hong Kong cafes and honestly, they are either too expensive, food offerings average or just plain bad. If anybody knows of a good place i can review, please let me know. Till then, my word on Hong Kong food in Singapore is that there is yet to be one worthy of the name yet.
Rating given:
Phin's beerhaus and grille is an unassuming, open concept eating place set on the 4th floor of Tampines mall. First looks did not impress and honestly, i've passed by this place so many times but never had the urge to try it till today. An offshoot of its bigger upmarket cousin, Phin's steakhouse, how does this lone restaurant fare? Read on.
The first thing i need to say about this restaurant is the service. We were served by a waiter jovial and professional waiter who required nothing to jote down our orders while being able to tell us exactly what they had and did not have for the day. He was also kind enough to introduce a different cut of meat which turned out rather well in my opinion. If only waiters in other establishments could be as good as him, i'd gladly pay service charges. (La Noce is another place where the service staff is simply excellent.)
Australian Grain Fed Tenderloin ($28.90) - As recommended by the waiter, i took the Australian grain fed tenderloin which was a time limited offer. According to him, the meat is superior, better marbled and contains less fat as compared to the normal offerings. I don't presume myself an expert on this matter, but i must say the meat was pretty good. Done medium rare, slightly charred on the edges with a small lump of butter sizzling atop, this reminds me of the good days when Jack's place was still making good food. That said, the meat was juicy and the butter added much to the already succulent and tasty steak. Pity about the portion size which i felt was rather small (even though it took me 15 minutes to finish.)
Soup of the Day, Garlic Bread and Salad ($19.90 set meal) - My gf's set meal, which means i got to try everything a little again, no prizes for guessing if my girth is increasing. The salad was fresh, sweet and crunchy while the garlic bread fragrant and went well with the accompanying creamy mushroom soup. A good starter.
Seafood Pesto Carbonara - This came as a surprise. The serving was quite generous with 2 huge scallops, 1 pan fried dory fillet and half slipper lobster set atop a bed of fettucinne cooked with pesto carbonara and mushrooms. The serving alone is worth commending and this is further accented by the fact that it tasted pretty good. It was quite spicy and tasted simple at the same time, allowing for an appetizing feeling without being overwhelming. The ingredients used were also equally fresh and everything tasted juicy and sweet. Nicely done.
Brownie Surprise ($8.90) - The brownie surprise really did come as a surprise because i saw more ice cream on the dish then brownies which were actually cut into small pieces and served as an accompaniment rather then the main draw. The ice cream was creamy and and smooth. The flavors served were cookies and cream, mocha and one which i can't quite make out. The brownie was rather dry but the melting ice cream made up for that oversight.
Dessert of the day (Mango Pudding with sugar icing) - The final part to the set meal was this mango pudding. Light, refreshing and sweet, this was a good ending for the meal.
The final bill came up to $67.90 for 2 people, its not cheap but the service and food quality made up for it.
I'm really quite surprised with how good this place is. I went in with very little expectations and was pleasantly surprised with the service and quality of food given its unassuming and rather small outlet. The lack of customers was also a plus for me since i dislike jostling with people when i dine, and that is difficult in a place like Tampines mall. Nonetheless, i'd recommend a try for people in the vicinity. Try it once to see if you like the place. (Though i'll say it first, the place definitely needs a cosmetic makeover and location change. *winks*)
Rating given:
Phin’s steakhouse isn’t the usual steakhouse you will expect with classy environment, expensive decor, pretty plates. Situated at Liang Seah place (behind Bugis Parco Junction), its on a street with small eatery and restaurants around. The place itself does not have air-con, decor are average, but they serve good steaks at good price.
Steaks in the hand of less-skillful chefs will turn out to be catastrophe, but not at Phin’s. Although i am not a great fan of red meat, but Phin’s steak won me over. The irresistable succulent nz air flown steaks are serve on signature hot plate with baked potato and seasonal vegetables.
Diners can choose from Sirlon, Ribeye, Tenderloin, with different sizes like ladies cut, gentlemen cut, humongous cut (with ladies cut cheapest & humongous cut most expensive). In addition, the choice of sauces on the steak is also accord to each delight, with the usual sauce like pepper, mushroom, to some unique sauce like garlic, sambal, honey mustard, and wild mushroom.
Although Phin’s a steakhouse, but it also offer other western food like chicken fillet, fish & chips, lamb, seafood. There is the combo set for 2 person, i saw a particular set which interest me, there is a combo of chicken, fish, lamb and steak serving for two. But maz and i decided on ordering two sirlon steak (gentlemen cut) at $14.90 each. Not feeling too adventurous, i had the safe yet good pepper sauce, while maz tried the wild mushroom.
For starters. we had Escargot baked in cheese and wine ($9.90), coming in servings of half a dozen. There is another escargot with garlic ($7.90), but we decided to try the more expensive one. Hmm.. this is the second time i had escargot and the feeling is exactly as the first time. Not very snail-like, rather it taste quite like the shell-type food? O well
Sirlon steak with pepper sauce (medium raw). The steak was good, meat was succulent and tender. It came with healthy servings of sides like vege, corn and a whole potato. Boy o boy, just eating the potato makes me full ( :
Sirlon steak with wild mushroom sauce (medium raw). N’uff say, only difference was the sauce, quality is the same. The wild mushroom sauce is quite unique as we didn’t expect it to be in this colour. 4.5 out of 5
Maz had new zealand natural mango ice-cream ($2.90) for desserts, i was too full so i skipped desserts. By and large, Phin’s is a good place for good and affordable steak. Well, being a steakhouse, its steak can’t be that bad right? Not too sure about the other dishes beside steak, but i saw the other diners having the combo and it looks good. Service-wise i suppose it is quite good, the waitress are friendly and re-filled our iced water very fast. I always felt that Bugis junction does not have much to eat, now knowing Liang Seah place is just behind, rest assured the next time you go Bugis. Total bill comes up to $49.20 for two person.
You are always welcome to visit Ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
" Phin's - We'll make it Well-Done "
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The time: 7pm. The diners: Me, Wee hong, Hong yi & friends. The place: Fisherman’s Wharf. The food: Fish & Chips
Well well, i had great expectations for Fisherman’s wharf, having heard rave reviews on its fish & chips, we were left slightly disappointed when we left the place. Fisherman wharf is directly opposite the new Central Mall. From Central u can see the signboard of fisherman wharf because the current construction of the overhead bridge is blocking the view of the restaurant. The place do not have air-con, its free seating and pls self-service by going to the counter to order.
The thing with fisherman wharf is that all the fish are priced at different price, but most of them looks the same. Try comparing all the fish we ordered and see whether you can spot which is which. All the fish comes with generous servings of chips or fries, but i would prefer for some salad, vege or coleslaw. On a note, 2 of us had fries, while the other 3 had chips. In the end, only 2 of us enjoy the side dish, so you know what to order huh? ( :
Silver Cod Fillet ( $14.00) with fries.
North. Atlantic Cod Loin ($16.00) with fries. Its the most ex fish at Fisherman Wharf, but the tastes and the looks quite similar to silver cod fillet.
Garoupa Fillet ($12.50) with chips.
Snow Fish ($15.00) with chips. Comment was not very nice, try something else.
Snow Fish ($15.00) with chips. Comment was not very nice, try something else.
Lemon Sole Fillet ($14.00) with chips. Very similar to silver cod fillet and north atlantic cod, but the taste is a bit different. The fish crumbed very easily, making it difficult to eat.
I am not lying, all the fishes look about the same, with the generous helping of chips, fries ana tartar sauce. Seriously if they didn’t tell us which is which, we wont know the fishes. I read that someone compared Greenwood Bistro to Fisherman Wharf, in my personal opinion, there is totally no way to compare. Greenwood bistro fish albeit being more expensive at the range of $17 to $20 , but it offers a lot more different quality fish, different style of cooking the fish, and a healthy servings of chips and vege. Furthermore, the ambience at Greenwood and Fisherman Wharf is different. Greenwood is a restaurant, while Fisherman’s is more like Long John Silver - fast food outlet. Mayb its because my expectation is too high before i went, therefore i am more disapointed.
But our conclusion is, go for the set lunch at $9.50 which comes with fish & chips, and drink. If not, for dinner just order the normal cream dory fillet at $6.50. No offend to any Fisherman’s Wharf lovers out there, this is just my personal opinion.
You are always welcome to visit Ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
" Aren't the fishes all the same? "
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Went with cousin to try some authentic french food. Its a 5 min walk from Farrer Park mrt station. Located just by the main road, no air-con people, so its not your normal posh restaurant where you have to wear formal clothes there, t-shirt and jeans will do. Although its a weekday, but after 7pm, the restaurant was almost full, and they do not have my rule number one, no reservations, so you just have to reach there early i guess.
We took a while before deciding what to eat. There is the set meal going at $14.80, with a starter, Main course, and dessert. But for this set meal, there is only three types of main course available, dory filet, chicken leg, and pork chop. Not fancy by neither three main course, we decided not to order this set meal.
We had the exec steak set meal ($22.80) which comes with a starter soup, Steak as Main course, and Dark chocolate cake as dessert. Ok, for the steak, done medium raw with potato as side. Steak was tender, i do not eat beef often, so according to my cousin it was quite good, not the best but good enough. 4.5 out of 5
Instead of having the starter soup, we “upgraded” it to Escargots!! Snails if you put it in laid-man terms. Lol. Top up $5 to get half a dozen snails, it cost $8 if you order it as a starter. Hmm.. Escargots was special? Since we never had it before, nothing to compare against, but having tried it for the first time, its quite good, i mean not snail-like as you think. It was cook with garlic, so the garlic cover any snail-smell there is. Not bad, if you never tried before, do try. 4 out of 5
The other main course we had was Pork cordon bleu loin ($12.80). The tender meat had mushroom sauce spray on it and with cheese & ham inside the pork, the bite was simply delicious. Must have been one of the best pork cordon bleu i ever had. Also come with side dish of potato. At just $12.80, its really a steal, but they do not have this in their set meal which was a pity. I feel this is a must-try dish at The French Stall. 5 out of 5
Total bill comes up to $47.30 for two person. There’s the service charge, gst, and cess to factor in. The lady boss was quite friendly, had a talk with her while paying the bill. And she told me that they are hiring waiter or waitress. So if anyone out there want a job, this is the job for you to taste french food everyday. Overall, The French Stall is a good place to go, simply for the fact that there isn’t that many french restaurants around at a decent price. Food is good, price is reasonable, so what are you waiting for?
You are always welcome to visit Ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
" Ahh.. the French, the language, the romance, and of course the food "
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Modern Decor, Value for money and delicious set lunch, what more do you want? As usual rule no one, i made a reservation in advance, so no need to wait, the waitress promptly brought us to our cosy seat. The seats here are what i called good seats as compared to Jap Dining Sun. The waitress was polite, and also reminded us to watch the small stairs. At 12.30, it was close to full house. Menu was not as extensive as Waruku or even Jap Dining Sun, but the set lunch menu are really value for money. More than enough to order.
Chicken Teriyaki & California roll set ($14.80), all the lunch set meal here comes with pickled vege, soup and tea/coffee. The chicken teriyaki place on hot plate was simply good. The california roll is really yummy, not those type you have at Sake sushi. Really nothing to grumble about, mayb more california roll? haha perfect score 5 out of 5
Sukiyaki & Tomato salad ($17.50) which was beef, vege, egg in hot pot, something like a mini steamboat. Beef was quite good, but very few piece only. Well, cant really expect them to give so much beef like chicken. 4 out of 5
Overall, nothing to complain about, If you haven been to Sun with Moon, make yr move fast man. I suspect Sun with Moon will become my fav restaurant soon, and i will be visiting them a few times one month at least. lol. Anyway, after paying the bill which comes to $37.65 for two person, they gave me dining coupons for their newly open branch at Central. 15% off food, and 2 free drinks which can be beer, house red/white wine, or soft drink. Confirm guarantee plus chop will use it to try the food at Central soon. I highly recommend you to go to Sun with Moon for its value for money set lunch, mayb not so often for dinner (no set meals more ex), and i think Sun with Moon is better than its sister restaurant Japanese Dining Sun. So Sun with Moon Central next week anyone? Haha
You are always welcome to visit Ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
" Perfect Sun "
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Don't be mistaken. This Teo Heng is the one where you can sing at. Not the one selling the karaoke equipment, although they are under the same company. This KTV has been around for ages, way before K-Box ever stepped in. Even my mom has been to this KTV.
Directions to Teo Heng, Turn right when you get out of the lift and keep right. It's quite secluded (ulu) but once you get there you'll find it perpetually filled with people.
The equipment here can act up at times. They have both normal and cordless microphones. Sometimes the microphones may sound funny and sometimes it takes some time for the receiver to get your song requests. But it's not because their things are old, but more like they are well-used. Most of the other places have technical problems from time to time too isn't it?
But the advantages of singing at Teo Heng greatly outweigh the disadvantages.
1) The Prices. It starts for $8/hr for a small room (3-4 people) to $12 for a large room (10 people) during off peak periods. If you sing all the way from 2-6 there are special packages. If you're singing during peak periods it's $14 for a small room. It's cheap!
2) Teo Heng has the newest songs too. Don't be mistaken by the way it looks. They have all the newest songs too. AND all the oldies. AND songs which you have never heard of in your life.
3) Drinks are at $1 per can. And price for drinks have not increased since 6 years ago.
4) You can bring outside food in. You can bring whatever food and drink you want in. They don't care as long as you don't make a big mess.
5) Parking at Katong Shopping Centre is relatively easy and after KTV you can always head up for cheap bowling... (but it's not so good to bowl there...)
K-Box or Teo Heng? Give me Teo Heng any time. :)
** I wanted to give it 4 stars but I do think that the furnishings need to be update. My companion commented that it is a little sleazy but it's really a family KTV :)
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Need a boost? Try herbal soups!
If you like herbal soups, you'll like Earthen Jar Treasure. Here they differentiate the soups by their Chinese medicinal properties. It could be cooling, warming or a blood tonic just to describe a few.
The giant jars where their claypots of soups are kept are quite a fascinating sight to behold. Upon order, a single claypot of your soup is taken out of the giant jar with a long metal stick which will then be served with either plain rice or yam rice.
The advantage of using a claypot lies in its ability to keep the contents warm, something I find absolutely essential for soups. If I remember correctly, the older generation believes that the medicinal properties of the soup is only effective when the soup is hot. Of course there is also the well-documented fact that anything made in a claypot tastes better.
As for the food served, the lotus root soup with pork ribs which has a soup with a cooling property. The palate was light yet full-bodied that would have you wanting seconds. The pork ribs that come along in the soup are cooked till tender and the taste of the soup permeates the meat. The lotus roots are thinly sliced and cooked to perfection. Every bite is crunchy.
The watercress soup had a nice and subtle sweetness which came from the combination of the pork, watercress and red dates. My only grouse with this soup is that the watercress were slightly over-cooked and yellow as I prefer the watercress somewhat greener and retaining a bit of its crunch. But overall, it is still an enjoyable pot of soup to savour.
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Eden Cafe is a little gem tucked away amongst all the eateries there! It's tastefully done in a modern yet simplistic manner. The ambience was a winner with me. There were a couple of seats outside but I would much rather sit inside.
What I loved most about the place was the small garden Clement had at the back. It was filled with plants and Clement let us try some which were delicious.. Yes the leaves of the plants were delicious.
Clement provided great service, patiently explaining every bit to us. Esp when the items don't look conventional. The servers were also very polite, clearing our dishes at timely intervals.
I liked most of the dishes they went down pretty well with me... I shall talk about the ones I loved!
I liked the Black Sesame Pasta. It was my first time having it.. It was very different in taste but I still liked it. There was a certain flavour to it. But it didn't go down so well with many people...
I loved the Tomato based soup served with mussel. The soup was very flavourful and thick. The fact that it was so healthy and tasty at the same time had me licking the bowl clean :)
I also liked the Seedless Grape Chicken. This is the one dish that I would love to go back specially for. It was delicious! And we had ours in this funny fortune cookie cover thing which was really cute.
There were so many delicious things on the menu and the molten chocolate cake really had me.. That I think another visit is a necessity. The mains for the lunches also vary from week to week. You can join the mailing list to have Clement email it to you!!
Click here to see more pictures
*I know it's long due. Shoot me.*
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Who doesn't know Thai Express? This chain expanded really fast and it's now all over the place. I even have one just a stone's throw from my place.
Popped by the one at PS just recently with a friend. We were nicely greeted and shown to a seat quickly. It was a Sunday afternoon and PS was brimming with people but Thai Express was only a quarter filled. Well it helped that there were many eateries around the area I guess.
We quickly decided on our food and the server asked if we'd like warm or iced water. I like that she didn't just assume that everyone wants iced water.
Food ordered:
Kaeng Khiew Mangsawirat ($8.90)
Green Vegetable Curry served with Rice
I'm used to green curry that is much milder and has more flavour but this one was much spicier. There was a lot of vegetables though and it was pretty filling despite what people might think.
Poo Phat Pung Kari ($9.90)
Curried Soft Shell Crab with Eggs and Onions, served with Rice
This one's curry was less spicy, more mild. Complete opposite. But the curry masked any oilyness soft shell crabs usually have so it was a pretty good dish really.
Fresh Prawn Wraps ($5.90)
Fried to a crisp, the wrap was very tasty. The prawns were not as fresh as one would expect but still acceptable I guess.
Acceptable food with pretty good service at an acceptable price I guess I will be there again.
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