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Food & Beverage
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What started out in 1953 at Jalan Hang Jebat (a mere 5 minutes from its present location) as a canteen and unofficial mess for the old British army troops in Portsdown Road – it was literally dismantled part-by-part, and reused for the reconstruction of the new COLBAR – Colonial Bar for short, further down along 9A Wessex Estate – to make way for the construction of Ayer Rajah Expressway.
To salvage this part of Singapore’s history, roof tiles, timber screens and solid timber swing doors were reused as treasures for this rejuvenated iconic eating place.
However, to redevelop means to inject new life, and consequently a new outdoor terrace evolve to provide diners with an alternative experience of alfresco dining.
Still a cult hit with the expatriates’ community, this place also seems to attract locals with a pendant for nostalgia.
Essentially a dining place that offers basic staple food in an enchanted setting of large field and colonial houses nearby – it even comes with an old-school tyre swing near a tree that we as kids used to see in our neighbourhood playground.
For $9, we ordered one of their most popular dishes, Chicken Curry (we swap the steam rice for 2 slices of White Bread instead) and honestly I wasn’t impressed. Although ‘lemak’ with coconut milk, it tasted slightly sweet for my liking and portion wise it was pathetic – and my favourite potato was nowhere in sight.
The other popular dish, Pork Chop with Chips and Mushroom ($9) was another disappointment. Although the fries were homemade, its mushrooms were normal canned mushrooms. The pork chops were also slightly tough and tasteless without the gravy except if you chew on the part near its bone – which my dad dutifully took care of it.
Undeterred, we figured the Pork Cutlet ($11) could be better and we would just about right – chips and mushrooms were still the same but taste wise the cutlet version was just slightly tastier. However, the outer layer of bread crumps was all puff up from the meat, which should not be the case as one end up eating the two separately.
We also ordered a few Asian dishes such as the Bee Hoon in Cantonese style ($6). It was bad to be honest as the vermicelli was tasteless and definitely no hint of ‘Wok Hei’ – I would rather eat my own brand of charred version anytime than this tasteless fare.
The Fried Rice Special ($5) was a total joke to be honest. A dollar more from the “normal” version that comes with additional ham and a sunny-side-up, the rice was served lukewarm and probably pre-fried. The only saving grace was probably the runny egg yolk.
The only thing I like about the Fried Bee Hoon ($5) was the generous servings of vegetables, however that is probably to compensate for this very oily dish.
In my opinion, if you can overlook the overpriced yet mediocre food, COLBAR actually provides a very nice environment for families with kids, as well as dog owners to chill in during a lazy Sunday afternoon.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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This Chi Zhar stall is very ulu lah! Hidden right at the corner of the estate, it's not easy to spot! There are many other coffee shops and eateries around that area, and every one of them were packed to the rim this evening. Hoping I got to the right place, finally I found this tiny stall hidden at the back of this quiet coffee shop.
It was Mum's birthday and we decided to give this place a try. Am glad that Mum enjoyed it, but I got "bitten" by the crab! My upper right lips hurts. Ok, nuff of whining, so what's good about this place?
We ordered "3 Glass Chicken", Claypot Seafood Tofu, Stout Pork Ribs, "Hei Zhou" (prawn roll like dish) and the highly recommended Jin Sha Xie (Golden Sand Crab) and fried Man Tou. Total bill came up to $108. All the dishes were the biggest portion one. (But it wasn't THAT big after all.)
The "3 Glass Chicken" was too dry and the meat was too tough. But the outside of the chicken was rather tasty.
Claypot Seafood Tofu was not bad. There were tofu, cuttlefish, sliced fish, vegetables and carrots. The sauce was not too thick nor diluted. Just nice to go with plain rice.
I didn't eat the pork ribs so I don't know how it tastes.
"Hei Zhou" was pretty good. Fried to the right texture and its crispy and flavorful.
Star of the night was the Golden Sand Crab. Dad picked up one bigger and one medium size crabs. The crab was not the freshiest, as there wasn't any sweetness to the meat. But there was plenty of meat in the crabs. The best part was the sauce! As described by Reiko and Lucardia, the sauce is very well prepared. It was creamy, milky and spicy! Great with man tou and I couldn't stop dipping my crab meat in the sauce before every mouthful. The entire plate was cleared (almost spotless) at the end of dinner! Will go back just for the crab when I'm around the area.
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Happened to be on the 4th floor of The Cathay yesterday. And happened to see a familiar sign at the corner. It was Astons Specialties! They've just opened this new outlet on Friday, 4 July 2008.
Am very happy to see that they had keep the price and no service charge policy at this new outlet although its in town. The place is very clean and simple. No fancy decor. Just monochromatic pictures on the walls, and simple and comfy tables and chairs neatly aligned. There is also outdoor sittings which wasn't set-up yet when I was there. (It's only day 2 of their operations!) There's also the familiar chalkboard with the day's special written on it.
Feeling hungry at 4pm, as I didn't eat anything since that morning, I ordered the Prime Ribeye X'tra Cut with fries and pasta salad ($16.50), and a glass of ice lemon tea ($1.80).
The fries was crispy and nice. Just like those I had at Astons Express. I love them! And the pasta salad was fresh and the pasta was cooked just right. The prime ribeye was cooked to the right medium-rare and the meat was tender, chewy and juicy. I cleared the entire plate (which was relatively huge) on my own!
If you're craving for good and reasonably priced steak in town, why not go to The Cathay for Astons Specialties?
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Opened since September 1995, Michelangelo's is the flagship restaurant of Chef Angelo Sanelli's Michelangelo's Restaurant Group. It is strategically located in Holland Village, which is an expatriate enclave, with its sister restaurants Bentfork Cooking School, Original Sin and Sistina Ristorante in close proximity. Zambuca Italian Restaurant and Bar at Pan Pacific Singapore also fall under the same group.
Having my office strategically located around Holland Village area really spoil us for choice when it comes to lunch. But of course, going to nice restaurant usually occur on special restaurant, that is for a birthday celebration & another colleague's farewell.
I guess the best picks in an Italian restaurant is pasta and there's acctually a handful of choices to pick from. Set lunches are available as well, as $25 , which came with either a soup of the day or a mushroom with egg kind of appetiser (sorry, didn't note down the exact name of it). I ordered the latter and it was pretty good, with huge chunks of mushrooms and it went perfectly well with the watercres and venegar dressing. However, choice of main course for the set was very limited, with either one type of pasta or another beef cheek dish. Mine was the pasta, serving was not very big, just nice for my small appetite. The set meal was then completed with a chocolate mouse with jelly and a cup of coffee. Somehow, I do find the combination of sweet chocolate mousse with citrous jelly a bit weird.
But well, considering that a typical main course on the ala carte menu goes in the range of $20 , the set meal is pretty worth it. It'll be even more of a good deal if you have an AMEX card or Citibank card because there's a 1-for-1 promotion for set lunches with AMEX card and for Citibank card, it's a 1-for-1 promotion for selected ala carte main course during lunch hour. But mind you, both card can't be used at the same time.
Other than the food, service was really good. My glass was constantly topped up with iced water!
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I heart threadless!! I'm now a fan!
After hearing so much about threadless, I've been wanting to get my hands on one! But was relunctant at first as I wasn't sure of the sizes I should get. But when I heard about the sale that was on a month ago, I quickly placed my order to test the sizes out!
As I only know about the sales on the very last day, in the very last few hours, I had to rush my purchase. Quickly went through the Size chart and took out my favorite tshirt to measure the sizes. By the time I was done, many of the designs I wanted were already sold out!!
Managed to place my order for 2 of the designs and paid for the express delivery service. In less than 2 weeks, I got my threadless in my mailbox!
I wore them both already and I'm loving it! The material is soft but not sloppish-type. Great for the humid weather here in Singapore!
If you've not tried threadless tee, you better do so soon!
I'm loving it!
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I literally watched this place renovate and prepare for opening. I looked forward to it as it seemed to offer more reasonable prices and was much nearer to my place than the coffeeshop.
The day it opened, I walked past pretty late and was dying to get some desserts. My sister and I stood there for a bit waiting. We didn't know if they had takeaways and wanted to ask if they had Yam Paste. They have some tubs of paste that looked like Yam paste on the counter but it wasn't available in the menu.
We waited and waited. 2 servers and 2 ladies whom we figured were the bosses looked at us in the eye but didn't say anything. They stood in front of us and instructed something to the counter people without acknowledging our presence... After a full 10 minutes of standing there, we went home without our desserts. We were really patient weren't we?
A few days after, my father suggested for us to go eat there. Thinking that they were just overly busy that first day I agreed. We were greeted as we approached the cafe and seated quickly. They gave us the menus which were strangely worn.
Food Ordered:
Chicken Rice Set B (Steamed) - $5.50
This set came with soup and a reasonable serving of vegetables. Chicken Rice happens to be "main dish" of this cafe. Most of the people I saw ordered at least a set. The meat was not too fatty and the rice was just slightly fragant and not too salty. The vegetables (thankfully) were not overcooked. I'd agree with my dad that there was slightly more rice than the usual at coffeeshops.
Thai Style Chicken Cutlet Rice - $5
I liked this one more than the chicken rice. The sauce was tangy and spicy. The Chicken Cutlet was very crisp. The rice was plain white rice but the sauce was flavourful enough for me.
Marmite Pork Ribs - $10
This one was surprisingly disappointing. The ribs were really small and there were about 5-6 pieces only. Mighty expensive if I had to say. Maybe I'm feeling a little disappointed because I just came back from Wuxi and the infamous dish there is Pork Ribs.... Tastewise it's alright with enough fatty bits. The sauce was pretty tasty but I still find it expensive. Moreover its presentation wasn't nice at all.
With no GST/service charge, the total came up to $20.50 for 3 people. Foodwise it is better than your regular coffeeshops. And in terms of pricing, it's pretty competitive in comparison to the food outlets in this area, esp the air-conditioned ones. Judging from the business it's been getting, I'd say this is here to stay... :)
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This blogstore is one I chanced upon while surfing around one day. The owners also have another called Black Sequin which sells clothing at reasonable prices.
They sell a special product from Japan and I was really curious when I went to see the website. The website had plenty of information like the ingredients of the product, a FAQ and it is very easy to read and navigate around.
Despite all the information, Kiasu Me still emailed them to find out more and their replies were friendly and prompt. They also reply via MSN and their chatbox so it's really good. I also like how they constantly update their customers regarding the status of the orders.
I have yet to receive my items (as the spree has not closed) but I'm already very satisfied with how they have lived up to their motto of *Service comes first*
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After conquering the hearts of many with their Holland Village outlet, Frolick has moved on to the North - Serangoon Gardens!!!
Just few units away from Ice3, it holds on to the same theme of white background and bright colourful slogans on one side of their wall and the other decked out with multiple of button pins (Note: 317 to be exact – the same number as the bus that brings one to Gardens – and in case you are wondering, I didn’t count – the girls at the counter did).
With that, Frolick retains the branding of being loud and edgy rolled into one. To recap, an Original Frozen Yogurt cost $3.50 for Cup A, $4.80 for Cup B ( 1 topping) & $6.30 for Cup C ( 2 toppings) and a Flavoured Frozen Yogurt cost $3.90, $5.30 & $6.90 respectively. Additional assorted toppings go for $1 each.
I ordered the Cup C of the Original Flavoured Yogurt with Granola and Vanilla Clodhoppers, or Crunchy Vanilla Fudge-covered Graham Clusters and it was lovely. The standard of the yogurt is consistent with their flagship outlet and the vanilla clodhoppers were a delightful topping to munch.
Seating is limited but the crowd was thin on a Friday night. And if guys out there haven’t yet noticed, Frolick employs the same policy as Ben & Jerry’s by hiring eye-candy as counter staff – girlfriends beware!
Frolick also has another outlet opening soon in Millienia Walk but I reckon it is not before long that you will find another one in Siglap – just to complete the trio (this is entirely my own conjecture and it does not represent the official statement and position of Frolick).
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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One Twenty Six is a relatively new and swanky restaurant located at the now half year old rejuvenated Big Splash. Run by the same team behind One Rochester, the waterfront restaurant has a lot to live up to if it is to impress. Situated directly in front of the East Coast coastline, One Twenty Six boasts 2 seating arrangements. One alfresco seating and the other which is the usual fine dining establishment. In other words, the place is chic and demands at least a visit to see what the woo ha is a all about.
First off, let me apologise for the badly taken photos of the restaurant, the place definitely looks much better when you actually see it. And it is advisable to visit it at night when it is cooler since afternoons tend to heat the primarily glass made restaurant up quite a bit.
Complimentary Bread - To its credit, the place serves good bread which is made in house. They are all served warm and definitely gives the impression of being in a fine dining restaurant with its soft, fluffy and fragrant bread. Some had hazelnuts baked into them while others had raisins and hints of coffee. Add a dash of butter and its practically a meal on its own, if you are here for lunch, my advice is to ask for as much bread as possible if you are a big eater. That's my advice, take it if you like, ignore it at your own peril.
Salmon Roll/Seasoned Baby Octopus On Bed of Mesclun Salad with Japanese Dressing/Mediterranean Caprese Salad - All of the above starters had a fresh and satisfying taste about it to usher in the actual meal. The seasoned baby octopus was soft and sweet while the salmon was light and fresh. The caprese salad tastes like a cross between fish cakes and cheese with its tangy texture and milky taste but is still pretty good in the grand scheme of things.
Capellini Arrabiatta With Prawns - This main course packs quite a punch as it is very spicy albeit still maintaining a sweet tomato taste. The pasta itself tastes like a cross between chinese bee hoon and pasta with its fine strands but is definitely softer and more springy then the usual bee hoon strands. The prawns are juicy, sweet and crunchy as well. Overall, its a good filling course for people who like it spicy.
Oven Roasted Spatchcock, fork mash potato with sage jus - Spatch cock actually refers to the way the chicken is prepared. In this sense, it means the chicken is spread flat and roasted. A taste reveals an aromatic peppery taste and tender juicy meat. Pity the serving size was rather small though.
Pan Fried Sea Bass with potatoes and foam - In all honesty, the sea bass was rather thin and small. It was pan fried rather well despite the small serving. Crispy skin with a cheesy tasting foam around it. The meat itself retained much of its natural flavors and was sweet.
Roasted Lamb Loin - The lamb was done medium rare and very nice indeed. My tasting reveals well marinated and juicy meat which went well with the stew-like bed of greens below. Due to some technical issues, the waitress accidentally gave too much pepper to the dish but still, it turned out to be my favorite item at the restaurant so far.
Tiramisu/Rum and raisin nougat - While the main courses and starters might be hit or miss items, the desserts definitely had no such issue. Made fresh and sold on the day, the desserts differ daily for the lunch menu. The tiramisu had a good balance of cheese, rum and cake which helped bring out the flavors of each section. One of the better tiramisu's i've had but thats my opinion while the nougat was an interesting mixture of raisins, rum and ice cream which is very different. Nougat being nougat, i'd expected a cake or cookie like texture but this tasted more like ice cream and it melts albeit slowly. The taste of rum is strong but thats the way i like it.
All set lunches come with a choice of coffee or tea and i must say, they serve rather good coffee. Without the sourish taste that accompanies most gourmet coffees, this one was sightly bitter, strong and quite high on the acidity scale if i'm not wrong. I had the impression that it was also smooth and its something i wouldn't miss ordering if i'm here.
Portion size aside, the lunches offer a nice variety of choices to choose from and differs weekly so you'll rarely get the same choices twice. Judging by the way the restaurant cooked the lamb, i'll brave the storm and say that they probably do good in their meats (lamb and beef) but thats to be decided after i do try their 200 day old aged wagyu beef. The view and location is nice but slightly warm during noon. The service is good and friendly and their desserts are above average. Looking forward to try their degustation menu.
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Heading back to Hong Lim Food Centre for lunch a few days later, I can’t help but pay another familiar stall a visit. Located at the once famous Ellenborough Market, one of the earlier wet markets available. While the Malays called it Pasar Bahru meaning “New Market”, the Chinese on the other hand named it “Seng Pa Sat”. Teochews populated the area, and with intent the market was located at Teochew Street (where The Central now stood). Ping Ping Curry Noodle was one of the few stalls I would visit for lunch when I was young, and I could still remember vividly bringing along $1 that I have saved up and specifically told my mum that I would like to add extra ingredients in my bowl of noodles.
Even though it was spicy for me then, I love everything that was within it – Chicken, Fishcake, Tau Pok or Beancurd Skin, Potato and the spicy curry soup. The same husband and wife team is still operating today in Hong Lim, but unfortunately the experience I had that day wasn’t as expected. Maybe nothing can beat the wonderful memories I had at Ellenborough Market but I remembered the soup to be much thicker and packed with more tang. Adding the chilli paste helps to bring out the flavour but sadly it still didn’t impress me. For a $4 version, the ingredients weren’t as plentiful as I expected it to have – or maybe I have just grown up. The “everyone’s favourite” potato was measly and I left the place feeling disappointed.
Perhaps I went with too high an expectation that day or perhaps good times doesn’t really last.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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