Pepper Lunch , by now is a new popular fast food chain serving up set meals on a sizzling hot pot right up to your table. It's like an individual serving of BBQ food.
Each set has a good combination of meat, vegetables and rice. A nice well-balanced meal, served fast cos it cooks at your table. :) A nice alternative to the regular fast food, but it's at twice the price.
What we ordered at the Suntec Outlet: Teriyaki Chicken Set Beef Pepper Rice
The place was rather empty (as it was a weekday) when we went in at 11.30am... we ordered quickly. They adopted a new system of seating people. They give you a table number suitable for the number of patrons and the huge number tags are already on all the tables. I think this is much more efficient and it prevents people from hogging tables far too big for their group. The Teriyaki Chicken set is their latest promotion so it's not on their menu on their website. The lady introduced it to me and I gladly tried it. There's also the Teriyaki Salmon set and Teriyaki Beef Set.
Our food arrived quickly. The young man who served us patiently explained how to cook the food and what condiments we could add. He said it quickly, clearly and with a smile.
Both dishes were good. The food tasted fine, partly due to our cooking. haha
One gripe would be the presentation of the food. They were very innovative in having the paper around the hotplate so that patrons would not burn themselves against it. But the chopsticks and the bowls are of very poor material, and quite ugly in fact. Another thing is that the salt and pepper container at our table was virtually empty. Since it was the start of the day, I would have expected everything to be nicely filled up.
By the time we left at 12.10pm, the place was nicely filling up with the lunchtime crowd.
Now.. I would like to try the cheaper Pepper Lunch at Century Square Food court... haha
Ayurvedic Salon is a little shop situated at Katong Shopping Centre. It's on the outside facing the main road. Near the Zhi Cha stalls.
I chanced upon this shop last week and was greeted by a sweet Indian lady. She's the only one in the shop but she doesn't speak much English. She's very polite though and not pushy at all.
She did eyebrow threading and upper lip threading on me. It wasn't very painful and she was patient and very thorough. I paid about $11 for both which is reasonable.
I think the best part was that I didn't have any pimples or whiteheads after the threading. It sometimes happens when I go to other places (more expensive places) so I think I'm really satisfied with her service and would definitely visit her regularly.
She also has traditional hair treatment, henna and facial treatments. Quite interesting really. But as it's a one-man outfit you'd have to call the number to make sure she's open before you go! :)
**Update**
I was just there again today. In fact I have been to this place regularly for the past few months. I like the service here and they are not pushy about their services and products which I find such a relief.
I had my usual threading done then I had a head-shoulder massage for my aching neck. It was great! My head feels so much lighter. while doing the massage, Pooja even suggested some things I can do at home to improve the condition of my hair, without trying to sell me anything at all. Isn't that really rare? Do check them out!
Central is a cafe chain with outlets at Vivo, Tampines and Ngee Ann City... And this one in the basement of Parkway Parade.
Today is not my first time there.. it should be the 3rd trip already. I can't remember what I ordered during the first two trips but it was just ok. A tad expensive if you consider its price... but this time..
Food ordered
Chicken Chop Noodle Dry
Chicken Chop Cheese Baked Rice
Guess we were in the mood for chicken chop. The outlet was relatively crowded for a weekday evening. But we were tend to quickly and had our orders taken. The food took just a short while to arrive which was good since we were really hungry.
The Chicken Chop Dry Noodle was the really thin noodles (which I like) with some vegetables and two pieces of chicken chop. I like the sauce which was not too salty and the noodles. But the chicken was quite fatty and I couldn't bear to eat about 1/5 of it due to that reason. The soup served with the noodles was great. I finished it, which was rare for me.
The Chicken Chop Cheese Baked Rice had more pieces of chicken in it with tomato and was well covered with cheese. The Cheese had hardened a little by the time it arrived but it was still warm. A tad salty for my taste but my companion thought it to be fine. The chicken bits in this dish were less fatty and more palatable.
This time, it cost us $17. Once in a while would be alright.
Werner's Oven is a famous German bakery and restaurant situated along Upper East Coast in the Siglap area.
I've been buying bread from them for ages and only today, I've tasted the food in their restaurant.
They have good pastries in their bakery. Great if you love wholemeal bread with all kinds of breads and seeds. I love the Fitness Bread which goes for $6.45. It's really healthy but quite costly at that price as one loaf can only be cut into about 15 pieces.
Food ordered (for 6 adults) Schlachtplatte for 3 A knuckle, smoked sausage, farmer's sausage, wild garlic sausage, two kassler and nurnbergerle, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and brezel
Beef Lasagne Calamari Breadcrumbed Fish
The Calamari came first and it was very fresh. It was deep fried in a special batter but not very oily. The batter was delicious although not light.
The Beef Lasagne came next. It was pretty decent, served with potato salad.
The Schlachtplatte was the ultimate. There were a variety of sausages (German fare) and a huge pork knuckle. There were also two pretzels. It filled up the stomachs of 5 hungry adults.
They also serve a variety of German beers which was ordered at every table but ours. The ambience is pretty casual and cosy. The service was fine, though not fantastic.
Really worth a try. We spend about $100 which is about $16 per person.
Challenger is a popular chain with a few stores around Singapore. They sell computers, computer peripherals, mobile phones, televisions, etc.
Dropped by today to get a webcam for my sister. They have quite a selection there from those "branded" ones to the lesser known ones. Needless to say there's a range of prices to suit your budget.
I found what I needed then proceeded to look for Data transfer cables... I went over and saw a whole rack of it... I didn't see the kind that I needed and asked the salesperson about it. He then pointed to the same rack I had just walked from. He made no move to walk over and show me which one.
Thinking that I might have remembered wrongly, i just took one that said data transfer... and consulted him again (I walked over to where he was) then he said... 'ya ya this is the one." I explained my purpose to him again and he just nodded his head. Then I explained how I used to see that there was a box thingy... then he gave a puzzled expression, walked away without saying anything and consulted a lady nearby. The lady replied loudly, "no stock no stock"
I very nearly bought the wrong thing because he refused to listen properly and had poor product knowledge.
This outlet is not as well stocked as the rest as it's much smaller... it also seemed like it had more LCD TVs then computer stuff...
Kobayashi is a small fast food outlet tucked away on the second level of Eastpoint Shopping Mall (near the lift lobby).
It serves up cheap Jap food (priced between $5-$14). They have plenty of one dish meals and some bento sets, along with ala-carte side orders. Their system is really like a fast food restaurant where you have to go to the counter, order and get your food immediately.
Food we ordered Chicken Katsudon (Fried chicken with rice and egg) Chicken Katsu Ramen (Fried chicken with noodles in soup) Beef Ramen (Beef with noodles in soup) Ice Green Tea
The Chicken Katsu was very crisp and tasty. The rice was soft and slightly sticky, as what is expected of Jap food. As for the Chicken Katsu Ramen, the noodles was fine. But the serving was small so my companion ordered a Beef Ramen after finishing his first bowl. They had more people then and the food became nasty. The ramen in the second bowl was overcooked and all stuck together... The beef was almost non-existent.
We paid about $20 and finished our food in under 20 minutes. It was ok but not really value for money. Good alternative if you're sick of Macs or BK...
Sasa is a store known to many Singapore women. It has a wide variety of beauty products, cosmetics and fragrances. :) One stop for your beauty needs.
I read about the Nu Ren products retailing at Sasa and went there over on Monday to see if I can get my hands on the chilli hot slimming gel etc.
I walked in to a shop with 3 assistants and no other customers. It was a Monday afternoon after all. Quite awed and distracted by the array of things I proceeded to browse every shelf. This store is much smaller than the others though thus have less items.
After some time, I realised that no one has tended to me. I then remembered about my slimming gel and turned around to get the attention of the staff since I couldn't see it anywhere. The staff saw me wave but turned away! I had thought that I was imagining things so I milled around again till I saw that another staff was facing my direction and i waved... and she turned to talk to her colleague!
Ambience - cosy with warm lighting, suitable for couples/ families and large groups.
Staff - Warm, friendly, alert and have initiative
Food - Lip-smackingly delicious (list of food ordered below)
Time taken to serve - Super speed
Prices - reasonable
******************************
My companion and I had an hour planned to have dinner at Manhattan Fish Market (MFM) yesterday. Thinking that 1 hour was sufficient, we strolled to MFM only to be confronted by a queue (on a weekday?!!) Sigh... we panicked for a bit as we had a movie in an hour. But the staff assured us that there was enough time so we lined up. We were pleasantly surprised when they handed everyone in the queue a menu so that the process of ordering will be sped up.
Amazingly we were seated in 10 minutes and had our orders taken immediately.
Our Order 2 Soups of the day - Cream of Mushroom Garlic Bread Fried Country Mushrooms Garlic Lemon Mussels Manhattan Fish & Chips Mango Juice
Seeing a full restaurant we were afraid that our food would take some time... but the soup arrived before we could whip out our camera! The soup was fine. Not diluted like some places I know. Just nice for a cream soup but it does not have additional ingredients. The garlic bread which was served just minutes after the soup was great. It was done with real garlic not just the butter kind you find at NTUC. Very tasty indeed.
The Mushrooms and Mussels came next, just 3 minutes after the bread. The Mussels came in a creamy sauce and was served with more bread for us to dip in the sauce. The mussels were fresh and the sauce was just right. Not overly creamy. The highlight was the mushrooms. At first glance, they weren't very much to look at... fried little things... but when you bite down... the mushrooms were SO JUICY! It was amazing! I love mushrooms and would definitely order them if they were available everywhere i go and this is by far the most delicious mushroom dish I've ever tasted. A Must-Order!
Then came our Fish and Chips... One look and I knew it would be good. The light batter melted in my mouth thus wasn't too thick. The fish was a light pink with great texture and no fishy smell. The fries were well seasoned, not just with salt but some other spice which I couldn't make out. And they were the thick sort which I love and were not covered in oil. A great deal at $9.90 really.
Throughout the meal, our iced water was constantly topped up and when we finally managed to whip out our camera, one of the servers magically appeared to offer to take the picture for us. They had smiles on their faces throughout despite being so busy. It was a fantastic experience.
We paid $52 for the two of us (we ordered a lot le), got out of the restaurant in 35 minutes (in good time for our movie).
** My companion was full of praises for this place and mind you he would normally reject 9 out of 10 new places we try. :) Don't I deserve something for such a fantastic review written? hehe
Sakuraya Fish Mart located at the basement in the "new" section at the far end near Coffee Bean. It's a small shop selling authentic Japanese products and fresh food. There is a small seating area for about 15 people at the back of the shop.
Here you can find the usual sashimi fare and some premium sushi. My companion and I had fresh salmon picked and then the staff sliced it for us. We also ordered California Maki and Handroll, some miso soup and Ocha. The miso soup was not too diluted and tasted just right. The Maki and Handroll was acceptable. The salmon was very fresh and just the way we liked it.
There were also native Japanese dining there, and I always believe that if you find native Japanese at a particular Jap Joint then the place must be fantastic. And it was good. Although not as good as some of the joints you find at Taka but it's also not as expensive. The two of us paid $30 for our food which was reasonable for its quality. Recommended.
Andersen's of Denmark has been in the basement of Parkway for as long as I can remember. It used to just be a counter where you had to buy and have your ice cream on the go. But it recently revamped (along with the rest of Parkway) and now has some sitting area which is both interesting (for people watching) and annoying (when people peep over your shoulder to see your food).
Last week, I visited the place with friends on a quiet weekday afternoon. Parkway was still bustling with activity so there were people sneaking glances at our food. It's alright if you aren't the conscious type but if you are I would suggest to order takeaway.
Anyway we had the couple fondue. There were 3 of us and we couldn't finish it after a meal at Sakae... it was our dessert and one which was nice. The chocolate tasted good. There were 5 small scoops of icecream but there wasn't many flavours to choose from. There was a variety of fruits, wafer, marshmallows, etc.
It was cheap at $17, compared to some places that charge $25-$40 for the same serving.
1=SGD 0.0587
Pepper Lunch , by now is a new popular fast food chain serving up set meals on a sizzling hot pot right up to your table. It's like an individual serving of BBQ food.
Each set has a good combination of meat, vegetables and rice. A nice well-balanced meal, served fast cos it cooks at your table. :) A nice alternative to the regular fast food, but it's at twice the price.
What we ordered at the Suntec Outlet:
Teriyaki Chicken Set
Beef Pepper Rice
The place was rather empty (as it was a weekday) when we went in at 11.30am... we ordered quickly. They adopted a new system of seating people. They give you a table number suitable for the number of patrons and the huge number tags are already on all the tables. I think this is much more efficient and it prevents people from hogging tables far too big for their group. The Teriyaki Chicken set is their latest promotion so it's not on their menu on their website. The lady introduced it to me and I gladly tried it. There's also the Teriyaki Salmon set and Teriyaki Beef Set.
Our food arrived quickly. The young man who served us patiently explained how to cook the food and what condiments we could add. He said it quickly, clearly and with a smile.
Both dishes were good. The food tasted fine, partly due to our cooking. haha
One gripe would be the presentation of the food. They were very innovative in having the paper around the hotplate so that patrons would not burn themselves against it. But the chopsticks and the bowls are of very poor material, and quite ugly in fact. Another thing is that the salt and pepper container at our table was virtually empty. Since it was the start of the day, I would have expected everything to be nicely filled up.
By the time we left at 12.10pm, the place was nicely filling up with the lunchtime crowd.
Now.. I would like to try the cheaper Pepper Lunch at Century Square Food court... haha
Rating given:
Ayurvedic Salon is a little shop situated at Katong Shopping Centre. It's on the outside facing the main road. Near the Zhi Cha stalls.
I chanced upon this shop last week and was greeted by a sweet Indian lady. She's the only one in the shop but she doesn't speak much English. She's very polite though and not pushy at all.
She did eyebrow threading and upper lip threading on me. It wasn't very painful and she was patient and very thorough. I paid about $11 for both which is reasonable.
I think the best part was that I didn't have any pimples or whiteheads after the threading. It sometimes happens when I go to other places (more expensive places) so I think I'm really satisfied with her service and would definitely visit her regularly.
She also has traditional hair treatment, henna and facial treatments. Quite interesting really. But as it's a one-man outfit you'd have to call the number to make sure she's open before you go! :)
**Update**
I was just there again today. In fact I have been to this place regularly for the past few months. I like the service here and they are not pushy about their services and products which I find such a relief.
I had my usual threading done then I had a head-shoulder massage for my aching neck. It was great! My head feels so much lighter. while doing the massage, Pooja even suggested some things I can do at home to improve the condition of my hair, without trying to sell me anything at all. Isn't that really rare? Do check them out!
Rating given:
Central is a cafe chain with outlets at Vivo, Tampines and Ngee Ann City... And this one in the basement of Parkway Parade.
Today is not my first time there.. it should be the 3rd trip already. I can't remember what I ordered during the first two trips but it was just ok. A tad expensive if you consider its price... but this time..
Food ordered
Chicken Chop Noodle Dry
Chicken Chop Cheese Baked Rice
Guess we were in the mood for chicken chop. The outlet was relatively crowded for a weekday evening. But we were tend to quickly and had our orders taken. The food took just a short while to arrive which was good since we were really hungry.
The Chicken Chop Dry Noodle was the really thin noodles (which I like) with some vegetables and two pieces of chicken chop. I like the sauce which was not too salty and the noodles. But the chicken was quite fatty and I couldn't bear to eat about 1/5 of it due to that reason. The soup served with the noodles was great. I finished it, which was rare for me.
The Chicken Chop Cheese Baked Rice had more pieces of chicken in it with tomato and was well covered with cheese. The Cheese had hardened a little by the time it arrived but it was still warm. A tad salty for my taste but my companion thought it to be fine. The chicken bits in this dish were less fatty and more palatable.
This time, it cost us $17. Once in a while would be alright.
Rating given:
Werner's Oven is a famous German bakery and restaurant situated along Upper East Coast in the Siglap area.
I've been buying bread from them for ages and only today, I've tasted the food in their restaurant.
They have good pastries in their bakery. Great if you love wholemeal bread with all kinds of breads and seeds. I love the Fitness Bread which goes for $6.45. It's really healthy but quite costly at that price as one loaf can only be cut into about 15 pieces.
Food ordered (for 6 adults)
Schlachtplatte for 3
A knuckle, smoked sausage, farmer's sausage, wild garlic sausage, two kassler and nurnbergerle, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and brezel
Beef Lasagne
Calamari
Breadcrumbed Fish
The Calamari came first and it was very fresh. It was deep fried in a special batter but not very oily. The batter was delicious although not light.
The Beef Lasagne came next. It was pretty decent, served with potato salad.
The Schlachtplatte was the ultimate. There were a variety of sausages (German fare) and a huge pork knuckle. There were also two pretzels. It filled up the stomachs of 5 hungry adults.
They also serve a variety of German beers which was ordered at every table but ours. The ambience is pretty casual and cosy. The service was fine, though not fantastic.
Really worth a try. We spend about $100 which is about $16 per person.
Rating given:
Challenger is a popular chain with a few stores around Singapore. They sell computers, computer peripherals, mobile phones, televisions, etc.
Dropped by today to get a webcam for my sister. They have quite a selection there from those "branded" ones to the lesser known ones. Needless to say there's a range of prices to suit your budget.
I found what I needed then proceeded to look for Data transfer cables... I went over and saw a whole rack of it... I didn't see the kind that I needed and asked the salesperson about it. He then pointed to the same rack I had just walked from. He made no move to walk over and show me which one.
Thinking that I might have remembered wrongly, i just took one that said data transfer... and consulted him again (I walked over to where he was) then he said... 'ya ya this is the one." I explained my purpose to him again and he just nodded his head. Then I explained how I used to see that there was a box thingy... then he gave a puzzled expression, walked away without saying anything and consulted a lady nearby. The lady replied loudly, "no stock no stock"
I very nearly bought the wrong thing because he refused to listen properly and had poor product knowledge.
This outlet is not as well stocked as the rest as it's much smaller... it also seemed like it had more LCD TVs then computer stuff...
Rating given:
Kobayashi is a small fast food outlet tucked away on the second level of Eastpoint Shopping Mall (near the lift lobby).
It serves up cheap Jap food (priced between $5-$14). They have plenty of one dish meals and some bento sets, along with ala-carte side orders. Their system is really like a fast food restaurant where you have to go to the counter, order and get your food immediately.
Food we ordered
Chicken Katsudon (Fried chicken with rice and egg)
Chicken Katsu Ramen (Fried chicken with noodles in soup)
Beef Ramen (Beef with noodles in soup)
Ice Green Tea
The Chicken Katsu was very crisp and tasty. The rice was soft and slightly sticky, as what is expected of Jap food. As for the Chicken Katsu Ramen, the noodles was fine. But the serving was small so my companion ordered a Beef Ramen after finishing his first bowl. They had more people then and the food became nasty. The ramen in the second bowl was overcooked and all stuck together... The beef was almost non-existent.
We paid about $20 and finished our food in under 20 minutes. It was ok but not really value for money. Good alternative if you're sick of Macs or BK...
Rating given:
Sasa is a store known to many Singapore women. It has a wide variety of beauty products, cosmetics and fragrances. :) One stop for your beauty needs.
I read about the Nu Ren products retailing at Sasa and went there over on Monday to see if I can get my hands on the chilli hot slimming gel etc.
I walked in to a shop with 3 assistants and no other customers. It was a Monday afternoon after all. Quite awed and distracted by the array of things I proceeded to browse every shelf. This store is much smaller than the others though thus have less items.
After some time, I realised that no one has tended to me. I then remembered about my slimming gel and turned around to get the attention of the staff since I couldn't see it anywhere. The staff saw me wave but turned away! I had thought that I was imagining things so I milled around again till I saw that another staff was facing my direction and i waved... and she turned to talk to her colleague!
?! I walked out then.
Rating given:
Manhattan Fish Market at PS
Ambience - cosy with warm lighting, suitable for couples/ families and large groups.
Staff - Warm, friendly, alert and have initiative
Food - Lip-smackingly delicious (list of food ordered below)
Time taken to serve - Super speed
Prices - reasonable
******************************
My companion and I had an hour planned to have dinner at Manhattan Fish Market (MFM) yesterday. Thinking that 1 hour was sufficient, we strolled to MFM only to be confronted by a queue (on a weekday?!!) Sigh... we panicked for a bit as we had a movie in an hour. But the staff assured us that there was enough time so we lined up. We were pleasantly surprised when they handed everyone in the queue a menu so that the process of ordering will be sped up.
Amazingly we were seated in 10 minutes and had our orders taken immediately.
Our Order
2 Soups of the day - Cream of Mushroom
Garlic Bread
Fried Country Mushrooms
Garlic Lemon Mussels
Manhattan Fish & Chips
Mango Juice
Seeing a full restaurant we were afraid that our food would take some time... but the soup arrived before we could whip out our camera! The soup was fine. Not diluted like some places I know. Just nice for a cream soup but it does not have additional ingredients. The garlic bread which was served just minutes after the soup was great. It was done with real garlic not just the butter kind you find at NTUC. Very tasty indeed.
The Mushrooms and Mussels came next, just 3 minutes after the bread. The Mussels came in a creamy sauce and was served with more bread for us to dip in the sauce. The mussels were fresh and the sauce was just right. Not overly creamy. The highlight was the mushrooms. At first glance, they weren't very much to look at... fried little things... but when you bite down... the mushrooms were SO JUICY! It was amazing! I love mushrooms and would definitely order them if they were available everywhere i go and this is by far the most delicious mushroom dish I've ever tasted. A Must-Order!
Then came our Fish and Chips... One look and I knew it would be good. The light batter melted in my mouth thus wasn't too thick. The fish was a light pink with great texture and no fishy smell. The fries were well seasoned, not just with salt but some other spice which I couldn't make out. And they were the thick sort which I love and were not covered in oil. A great deal at $9.90 really.
Throughout the meal, our iced water was constantly topped up and when we finally managed to whip out our camera, one of the servers magically appeared to offer to take the picture for us. They had smiles on their faces throughout despite being so busy. It was a fantastic experience.
We paid $52 for the two of us (we ordered a lot le), got out of the restaurant in 35 minutes (in good time for our movie).
** My companion was full of praises for this place and mind you he would normally reject 9 out of 10 new places we try. :) Don't I deserve something for such a fantastic review written? hehe
Rating given:
Sakuraya Fish Mart located at the basement in the "new" section at the far end near Coffee Bean. It's a small shop selling authentic Japanese products and fresh food. There is a small seating area for about 15 people at the back of the shop.
Here you can find the usual sashimi fare and some premium sushi. My companion and I had fresh salmon picked and then the staff sliced it for us. We also ordered California Maki and Handroll, some miso soup and Ocha. The miso soup was not too diluted and tasted just right. The Maki and Handroll was acceptable. The salmon was very fresh and just the way we liked it.
There were also native Japanese dining there, and I always believe that if you find native Japanese at a particular Jap Joint then the place must be fantastic. And it was good. Although not as good as some of the joints you find at Taka but it's also not as expensive. The two of us paid $30 for our food which was reasonable for its quality. Recommended.
Rating given:
Andersen's of Denmark has been in the basement of Parkway for as long as I can remember. It used to just be a counter where you had to buy and have your ice cream on the go. But it recently revamped (along with the rest of Parkway) and now has some sitting area which is both interesting (for people watching) and annoying (when people peep over your shoulder to see your food).
Last week, I visited the place with friends on a quiet weekday afternoon. Parkway was still bustling with activity so there were people sneaking glances at our food. It's alright if you aren't the conscious type but if you are I would suggest to order takeaway.
Anyway we had the couple fondue. There were 3 of us and we couldn't finish it after a meal at Sakae... it was our dessert and one which was nice. The chocolate tasted good. There were 5 small scoops of icecream but there wasn't many flavours to choose from. There was a variety of fruits, wafer, marshmallows, etc.
It was cheap at $17, compared to some places that charge $25-$40 for the same serving.
Rating given: