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Food & Beverage
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1=SGD 0.0587
My cousin picked this restaurant for my aunt’s birthday celebration last month. Since there are more old people in the group, I think it will be a good place for dinner and celebration as well. This restaurant is right in front of the hotel and next to the main road. It is directly opp parkway parade as well. Hard to miss it with a big white signboard outside the restaurant.
From the outlook of the restaurant, white grand old looking double story building that seems that it had been standing there since I know when. There is also a big carpark jz outside the restaurant, making parking an easy thing to do. If you are really that lazy, there is also valet parking as well. Haa…
When I stepped in, I was quite surprised to see that the restaurant has 3 levels, a basement, ground floor and 2nd floor. Since we have a reservation for 10 people, we were ushered to a private room. Hee… Cool! The main dining room is quite big all with tables able to host at least 10 people and not to mention that they are all full that day. So back to the private room, I think they had at least a few private rooms there.
Inside the room, they have a table for 10 (of cos!), a tv which can watch Ch 5, 8 or U and it is hook up to their KTV system as well. Haa… Can sing and eat at the same time, but then dun expect Kbox or Partyworld kind of songs ok. Hee…… Well at least the TV entertained my nephew, making all of us free to enjoy the dinner. Haa…
We decided to settle for buffet since it will be much more worth it than ordering a set meal for 10 people and at the same time we can order more dishes as well. Well it was a no brainer choice anyway. Looking at the menu there are altogether 52 items where 3 items can be ordered only once and the rest unlimited orders.
The 3 items are:
Mini Monk Jump Over The Wall (Limited to one serving per person). They came in small portions but have to say that we are all very impressed with what is inside the soup! Each bowl will consist of scallops, shark fin, a small little abalone, mushrooms and tons of other goodie stuff that made the soup really good! All natural flavors went into the soup and no MSG. It is a favorite among group. Too bad only 1 serving.
Beijing Roasted Duck (Served with Spring Onions, Cucumber & Sweet Sauce). This one came all ready made. That means the duck skin already all wrapped up in the crepe. I find the dish a little cold and the skin is not as crispy as I expected it to be. Only limited to 2 pcs per person, where got enough?
Live Prawns (Limited to 100g per person) which can be done by either Poached Live Prawns or Deep Fried Prawns with Almond Flake or Fried Prawns with Marmite Sauce. This one came as wrong order, as we had not ordered yet they sent other table prawns to us. Well, since we dig in already, they cannot take back as well. It was poached and has to say that it is one of the freshest prawns I have eaten from sometime. The sizes of the prawns are really huge as well. The prawns are really sweet and there is no “xing wei” at all.
Below are some of the items that I think is worth to give it a shot as well.
Salmon Sashimi – This came in big potions and thick slices as well. It was a hit with my cousin who loved to eat sashimi. Well I am not a big fan of it. However from the way they keep ordering this dish, I think they are really fresh (well I ate one slice), and it was as good as any common jap restaurant that you can find.
Crispy Vietnamese Spring Roll – This came as a surprised. It came to us hot and very crispy. They added in mango and cucmber in the roll which make it extra crunchy.
Cantonese Style Roasted Spring Chicken – I loved to eat chicken and this dish does not disappoint me. The skin is roasted to turn very crispy and have to say very little fats on the skin as well. The meat is juicy and tender not dry even when eating the breast meat. No need the help of the salt, the chicken is already very tasty on its own. Ordered this dish twice.
Barbecued Combination – It came with cha siew, soy sauce chicken and roasted duck. Not too impressed with this as the dish came cold, like in a cold platter. The cha siew tasted quite good on its own, not to sweet as well. Too bad it is cold.
Seafood Salad with Fresh Fruits – This came as a simple salad but because of the fruits used are very fresh, sweet and crunchy, it becomes the highlight of this dish instead of the seafood. Surprising even left on its own, it does not become very watery as well.
Crispy Fried Stuffed Dough Fritters Coated with Mayonnaise – This came in very small portion so we got to order more so that everyone could have at least one. Haa…. Usually this dish will be very oily, but then it turned out to be crispy but not oily. Together with the mayo, it is a prefect combination.
Sautéed Scallops with Celery in X.O Sauce – Well the combination of scallops and celery is enough. Plus the scallops are not over done, not to mention that they are huge! The celery is green and cruchy not overcooked. When both are combined with the sauce, it is so tasty that we had to order another one more.
Deep Fried Marble Goby Fish with Chef’s Special Sauce - According to my mum this fish is very expensive, and were quite surprised when they served us 2 fish. The fish is deep fried and therefore very crispy. It is slightly floured so when eating the fish on its own is able to taste the sweetness and have to say that it is fresh as well. The sauce jz heighten our taste buds and makes the fish taste even better. Haa….
Coffee Pork Ribs – This dish dun look appealing as it came dark brown and not appetizing at all. However looks can be deceiving. The coffee taste is strong enough to taste but not strong enough to overpower the taste of the pork ribs. The pork ribs are chewy and came with a little bit of fats making it melt in your mouth. Of course we have to order this the second time as well.
Sliced Ostrich Meat with Ginger and Onion in Clam Sauce - This one came in a claypot all sizzling. The meat is not over cooked and tender, with the sauce, I can eat this dish all by myself. Now someone pls hand a bowl of rice to me now.
Sweet and Sour Pork Served in Yam Ring – This came as surprise as well. Who will combine sweet and sour pork with yam ring? The sweet and sour pork tasted normal, nothing out of the ordinary. However it was the yam ring that made us asking for more! It is so soft and fluffy, and it is coated with a thin layer of flour before it was deep fried. It is not oily as well. In fact we all finished the yam ring instead of the pork. Haa….
Ice Cream Puff – Out of all the dessert, this one stand out! Reason being, the puff is light and fluffy with ice cream inside the mouth sized puff, prefect. We jz ordered more and more and keep throwing more and more into our mouth as well.
Some of the dish that you can give it a miss, well have to be fair down here right:
Crispy Soft Shell Crab with Salted Pepper – We all got high expectation for this dish but this is a major disappointment as it came to us cold and the soft shell crap going all soft on us. I wonder did they leave it in the counter for too long before serving or what. We can taste all the resuide oil in the crab. Disgusting. We rejected the first serving and when then second serving came back to us, at first no one touched it, so I took myself to the task and the result, it is still the same. I rejected it and told them no need to serve us this dish again.
Steamed Red Tilapia (thai style) – This fish somehow is not fresh and not really a lot of meat on it. Next!
Red Bean Pan Cake – This one is a different version from what I expected. The whole pan cake was covered with sesame seeds. I think with the overloading of the seeds, it downplays the appeal of the dish and the skin of the pancake seems to soaked in a lot of oil, so each bite of the pancake oozes out a lot of oil.
Service wise can say that it is very good. The tea cup is never left empy for long. However at one point, our tea pot did went missing. Haa… Wonder where it went? They also keep replacing our plates and clearing our empty dishes as well. The dishes are also served promptly as well. The waiter that served us also had a permanent simile on his face, making him more friendly as well.
Now the bad, as it is an ala carte buffet, you cannot expect me to remember what I have ordered. Of cos when you asked me if I ordered this dish, I will say yes. Hee…. If you have run out of the dish, you could have informed me earlier rather than when I remembered and I asked then you mention to me that the dish is out of stock.
The price is quite reasonable, you can refer to the above post. If we ordered a set meal, I think the price will be much more expensive and we will not able to each so many dishes again and again.
By the end of the meal, all of us are very full and very happy as well. So much so that we brought a birthday cake along, however at the end of the meal we only cut it and took it back home. Haa…. When they know it is ur birthday, they will also play the birthday song over their PA system. Haa… A bit like those old type of Chinese restaurant. Be prepared to hear someone sing using the KTV system, with the sleazy type of MTV that came along with it. Haa…
Overall, it was a very filling and great dinner especially got older people in the group and they always like these kind of traditional food. Everyone in my group is happy with the food. This is a good place for gathering where can have free flow of food and can chit chat at the same time. I will be back again when I got the chance.
Rating given:
Hidden treasure. Super Pizzas.
This tiny Italian restaurant, hidden behind a bus-stop and set within a rather rundown place, was pretty tricky to find. With the tinted glass doors and windows, if you didn't take notice of the signboards, you'll never that that's a restaurant.
Finalmente only opened recently, couple months ago. The place was nice and simple. However, the people running the place seemed abit cold tonight. Perhaps its due to the high volume of us, a group of 12, chatting and laughing non-stop when we stepped in. Before that, it was very peaceful and quiet.
The menu was printed on an A4 paper on double side. Perhaps they're still revamping it so keeping it simple for now. There wasn't that many choices of food, just mainly, Salads, Pizzas, Pastas, Sandwiches and Focaccia Breads.
The 12 of us ordered total of 10 pizzas to share. Out of the 9 flavors, I tried only 4 as the rest either were gone even before I managed to see it, or contains pork.
All the pizzas were thin and baked to perfection. The thin base makes it light to eat. Once can finish the entire pizza if you're not watching your weight. As the pizzas all comes on the same type of base, I'll just talk about the flavors for each.
Napoli Pizza $8 - Tomatoes, Anchovies, Capers and Black Olives
This was my least favorite out of the 4. The Anchovies was overpowering and too saltish for me (and everyone who tried it).
5 Cheese $12 - Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Emmenthal, Fontina, Parmesan
This was my favourite! Love the cheese! Unlike the normal cheese you find on the regular pizzas from elsewhere. The aroma makes one drool and want to grab a piece. These cheese were nicely spread and baked to the right texture. It was so good that we had to order another one! This will be the one that I'll return for more!
Calzone Gourmet $25 - Close pizza filled with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Ham and Ricotta Cheese, Mushroom and Boiled Egg
Ouch! I just realised that there's ham in this one! But I don't remember tasting any. Perhaps cos I took the corner which only few slices of mushroom were found. This is more like a huge curry puff instead of a pizza. The crust was light and crispy, and the mushrooms were nice. One thing interesting about this is the egg in the center. It's half cooked and so the yolk will spill out when you cut into it. But the mixed was heavenly.
Bosco $27.50 - Mix cheese, Porcini Mushroom, Grill eggplant, Parmesan shave, drizzled with Truffle Oil
I can't really remember the taste of this pizza. So I guess there's nothing quite nice about it. But if you like eggplant, you should give this one a try.
Overall, this place serves pretty nice pizzas. If you're a fan of pizzas, do go give this place a try. Maybe you'll enjoy it more than me. :)
Oh couple more things! They don't serve ice water. When you order ice water, they'll serve you bottled mineral water. So you might want to just order can drinks or wine instead. There's also no service charge nor GST.
Rating given:
Was taking a part time degree too at SIM, but quit 1/4way through due to unforseen reasons. Anyway, I've to agree that Mega Bites is a good place for students, since this is like the only place where you can go for food if one is in a rush for time.
During those time I was there, almost 2 years ago, I enjoyed eating dinner there and had almost looked forward to dinner on days where we've to attend tutorials. (Cos I don't attend lectures you see. HA!) Out of the times I had dinner there, I only tried the chinese cooked food once. And that's it. Prefer their western food and pasta. Have to say during that time, their serving was good and the taste was great. Presentation wise seems better too with their white plates during those days.
Few days ago, I was back with my bf to pay his school fees. So we went to Mega Bites to savor the taste of their chicken chops. We were there pretty late, at around 7.40pm. Although there wasn't as many students as it used to be when we were there for classes. But we still had to wait quite awhile for the food.
We sat down and waited, and after 5mins the chicken chops were ready. First I noticed was the change of plates. Black plates seem to have caused the serving to be visually shrank. And not as appetizing.
My bf requested for the rice to be changed to egg but ended given the rice still. When he asked them to change, they said there's no more egg! No choice but he just had to settle with the rice. The sides given were whipped potato, fries and rice. Just listing it here already make me full. All carbo-type food! Hence we were not able to finish everything.
As compared to 2 years ago, the standard has dropped. The food wasn't served hot, despite the wait, and the taste just doesn't seem the same as before. (Or perhaps our standard has raised.) No matter what, I don't think I'll be going back there anytime soon.
Rating given:
I had been studying in SIM for the past few years (Yes for quite some time) Haa…. I am very grateful of Mega Bites and the foodcourt opp. They are always there when I am hungry and late for my lectures or tutorials. Mega bites does serve a wide variety of food and did I mention that it was halal certified as well.
Mega Bites not really consider a food court but can be considered more of a café. How they work is to buy and eat first pay later, Marche style. A card will be passed to you once you step inside the café. This card will be used to record all your purchases. Theirs is not as high tech as Marche, they dun record your purchases by bar code but by stamps. Haa…. You will only need to pay before you the café. There are 2 cashiers at the door, so there is no way you will miss the cashiers.
Now some of my fav food there:
1. Chicken Chop: It is my fav dish there and I almost will order this every time unless they are sold out. They all use thigh meat, so it is quite a big piece of meat, with the meat, the side dishes are usually mashed potato and fries. However usually I will change my mash potato for coleslaw. Hee…. The chicken thigh is marinated before hand then when they pan fried it, they will add in BBQ sauce onto it, making it more tasty. I like when the skin is a little crispy or burnt. Hee…. Then the fat in the skin also burnt away. Hee…. The portion of the meat they give is usually 1.5 so it is one full thigh and half a pc. The side dishes also are given in generous portion as well. Not to mention that it came with a soup of the day as well. It always makes me a very happy man after eating it. It is very affordable as well, only $3.90.
They also served other western food like sirloin steak, fish and chips, chicken cutlet and combos as well.
2. Pizzas: They also sell pizzas, like marche, they only make the pizza upon order, so have to wait for a while before you can enjoy the pizza. They got a few types of default pizzas like Hawaiian but then you can also order your own fav toppings as well. It comes in the size of a personal pan so it is enough for 1 or 2 people. Quite tasty I must say especially when it comes to you pipping hot from the oven!
3. They also sell other things like pasta, spaghetti, fried noodles and hor fun etc. Tried their hor fun once but was not that impressed with it. It jz came with the normal stuff like fish cake, some squids, and a prawn. That was my last time ordering that as well. Haa….
4. They have a drinks corner where they sell all sorts of drinks from soya bean milk to soft drinks to lattes to herbal teas. Haa… I think what you wanna, they have it. As it is a self help station, you can determine how much ice you wanna in your drink. Hee….
5. There is also a sandwich corner outside the café. They serve all sorts of sandwiches from $2 to $2.50 depending on what you have order. This is a great help when you are late for lessons or jz need a quick bite. The sandwich is made with normal loaves of bread but then it comes with generous amount of veges and meat in it. It was also toasted making the sandwich hot. It came all wrapped up and making it easy to eat on the go as well.
As most of the students like to make go to the opp food court so during peak hours, it is quite easy to make to find a seat. It is also a good place to study cos they also got a study corner where it is conducive to study. Well at least better then the food court. Hee…. Overall I like to dine in this café when I am in school.
Rating given:
I've always been one to try out new places... and this one is no exception!! Its cosy ambience and good location (in Prinsep Place amongst all the funky eateries) is certainly a draw. I'm also a sucker for simple modern yet cosy decor and this place certainly fit the bill.
Some of the dishes I tried:
Spinach and Wild Mushroom Salad $7.50
This one came as a surprise. I had the idea of a bowl of tossed salad with mushrooms mixed up inside but this one was served on a plate all the ingredients carefully separated from each other. The mushrooms were nicely buttered and being a mushroom-lover I'd loved this!
Seafood Sampler $18.00
This one was quite disappointing. There was Calamari, fish, fries and prawns. But the batter used was too thick and I didn't really fancy it after two pieces from the plate. But the serving was large and can easily be a starter for 4-5 people.
Oriental Cod Fish $24.00
I loved this one. The codfish was served with bacon but the tastes were quite separate. I liked the taste of the fish, which was light and just right. The texture could improve though but no real complaints about this dish.
Chicken Roulade $20.00
I liked the herb taste in the chicken meat itself. The chicken was wrapped around some spinach and bacon. But I enjoyed eating the chicken itself more than the entire combination.
The service provided was really good. Our glasses were never empty and they were polite and tried to accede to our requests. Also they were always available but not breathing down our necks, which I think makes it really comfortable to just chill there without having to feel like you're taking up a seat in the place.
I'll definitely be back to try other things!
Rating given:
Romantic dinner for two that wouldn't hurt your wallet.
Couple months back, I passed by this place and was attracted by the dark blue and mustard colored signboard. Love the color and the place looks simple and nice. But as I already had my dinner, I didn't step in to try Absolute Haven out.
And recently, I found myself back and this time, touched by the warm service we received from the people at Absolute Haven. As there was another establishment above the restaurant, the waiter who saw me walking towards the building, wasn't sure whether I'm there for the food or going upstairs. So he waited, and when I walked closer towards the place, he greeted me with smile and opened the door for me. I was then lead to a table which I'd requested and served the menu. One thing that I would like to comment is that instead of walking away, the service staff will asked if I would like a glass of water. At some other places, they don't even serve water. Good thing they still do at Absolute Haven.
I requested for warm water and soon it was served. They'd added fresh strawberries in their water. (warm and chilled) That's a pleasant surprise. Places who do serve water, usually add lemon to it, but here they used strawberries! (and we all know strawberries are more expensive) The service staff will continue to top up your glass ensuring that there's always water for everyone in their glasses. This is something worth commenting too. Cos you'll never once have to wave your hands to request for refill.
List of items ordered include...
Starters
Spinach and Wild Mushroom Salad $7.50
Mushroom Soup $5.80
Seafood Sampler $18.00
Mains
Oriental Cod Fish $24.00
Chicken Roulade $20.00
Tenderloin Steak $28
Desserts
Victorian Creme Brulee $8.00
Tira Mi Su $9.00
The first that was served was the Spinach and Wild Mushroom Salad, it didn't turn out as we'd expected. There were 3 types of mushrooms and a handful of Spinach on the plate. The presentation of the salad could have been better. At first sight, it really didn't attract me to want to try it. But the fragrant was a strong magnet. I almost drooled even before I tasted it. I quite like the taste of the balsamic vinaigrette dressing on the mushrooms and spinach.
Overall I'll give this dish a 3.5 out of 5.
As a big fan of mushroom, I just had to order the very mushroom Mushroom Soup (as stated in the menu). It's not the usual creamy mushroom soup. This is a puree version of the soup. Its a mixture of portobello mushrooms, shitake mushrooms & button mushrooms. I'd tasted similar mushroom soup before, this wasn't as mushroom mushroom enough. Instead, it kinda taste like mutton soup, perhaps due to the layer of oil and the blend of the other ingredients. Didn't really enjoy it as much as I'd hope.
This I'll give it a 2.5 out of 5.
Next up the Seafood Platter. Looks good but taste could have been better. The platter consists of crispy squid rings, cod-fish nuggets, breaded prawns and their Chef's special dips. I'll leave this review for the others. Personally, I enjoyed the dips more than the seafood. And one thing for all to note, please do not attempt to finish this on your own. The serving is big enough to feed more than 4. So this platter is good for sharing. (But keep the dips to yourself! :D)
2 out of 5 for this. ( 1.5 more for the dips)
Out of the 3 mains, I only tried the Tenderloin Steak, as the other 2 contains bacon which I don't take. I did try the avocado salad on the side of Chicken Roulade. I like the way they mixed the avocado, corn, tomato and onion. It's a refreshing salad which compliments the chicken well.
Tenderloin Steak was not bad. The steak was cooked just right and was a little char at the outside. Presentation looks great, and the side was thinly layered and a blend of potatos, carrot and cheese. The sauce was a tad too saltish, but personally it works quite well for me. Just nice when blended with the stead and the sides.
This I'll award it with a 3.5 out of 5.
And finally, the desserts! Between the 2 ordered, I preferred the Victorian Creme Brulee more. Although some said it tasted of too much egg, but I like it. The Tira Mi Su was not bad but could have been.
3.5 for Creme Brulee and 3 for Tira Mi Su.
Will go back again, to try their other dishes (Salads, the dips and pasta). And to enjoy their great service and drink their strawberry ice water! :D
Giving 1.5 star more for the great service. They really deserve it! Thanks for the wonderful experience.
Rating given:
Here's mine then... I guess I really should save on niceties...
Ambience
The decor of the place was nice. It was quaint and certainly fit its surroundings in SAM. But the spotlights were unevenly placed and they were very bright at some areas and not so at others. The music that was filling the restaurant was also very inappropriate and at some point, made a couple of us nauseous.
Service
They didn't serve iced water. So I ordered a drink... the lemon tea was Season's (which is already bad) and they brought the CAN to the table and poured it in front of me... It certainly felt like a coffeeshop. And when we placed our orders, we said that we were going to share our pizzas and appetizers, then they kept asking each and every one if we wanted a starter. "Are you sure you don't want a starter?" I actually found that disgusting behaviour. And when our pizzas came, they didn't take initiative to clear all the silly things on the table or try to make space somehow. The pizzas were practically uncut and I was so afraid of causing little spaceships across the restaurant. No help was offered when we kept commenting how uncut the pizzas were.
Food
At first I thought that Italian pizzas were supposed to be like that... thin and topping-less. But it wasn't like that the next day when I had Italian pizza elsewhere... so Bleh for the pizzas.
And the taste of the rest just wasn't good.
The veal was really soft and for a moment I couldn't bear to swallow that little bit I'd put in my mouth.
The presentation of the food was really odd and certainly not appetizing...
Cost
Honestly... it wasn't expensive for Italian I guess. But where the food was of THIS standard, I found it overpriced.
Unless months later, someone writes a review that totally raves about this place... and swears that it is that good... I really don't think I will be back.
Rating given:
Prata? Everytime I head out for some Indian food people ask me if I had prata. The funny thing is that they don't serve prata at all here.
Bombay Cafe is an vegetarian eatery along Tanjong Katong Road which you can't miss. And I mean it. It's black with Fuchsia pink colours. Who can miss that shocking pink?
That fateful New Year's Day, we stepped into this dimly lit restaurant and were surrounded by Bollywood posters and MTVs playing at every corner. Sychronised Indian dancing has never failed to mesmerise me. So I entertained myself with the MTVs whilst my companion studied the menu.
Food Ordered:
Adraki Gobhi ($8)
Cauliflower cooked in spicy paste. The cauliflower is a little too mushy for my taste but I loved the paste. I also liked the way it went with the Naan. It was very flavourful. A great accompaniment but not to be eaten alone.
Garlic Naan ($4)
For those who don't know this is a bread, usually to go with masalas and curries. This one is quite thin and crisp, which is nice but I found it a tad too oily.
Kurkuri Mushroom ($12)
It looked ugly. Really ugly. But you have to put the entire piece into your mouth to get the burst of freshness from the vegetables in it. This was undoubtedly, the best dish of the night.
Masala Dosa ($6)
This is the one that looks like a large pancake foldover. The sides are slightly sweet and breadlike and there are potato fillings in the centre which are savoury and a little tangy. I loved it.
Ragda Patties ($7)
This was the puzzling and disappointing dish of the night. I ordered it thinking it was potatoes. But when it came, it looked like a whole plate of peas! This was a little cold and we managed to find the mashed up potato cakes in the centre... buried under all the peas. A very odd dish which didn't really go down too well with us.
Masala Tea ($2.50)
A hot tea of spices. I didn't drink it but my friend really enjoyed it so I'd say it was money well spent.
All in all we spent $46.50 for the two of us. I think it was a pretty cheap New Year's Day dinner. We were very full when we were done.
They provided great service, pretty good food and a nice ambience. The two things that made me take one star off was that there's little parking space around and that they didn't have a washroom. That's a big minus as they are not located in a shopping centre where there are public toilets nearby.
Definitely worth a try!
Rating given:
I found the fillings of the Paus rather normal, but the Da Bao didn't have ginger inside, which I personally prefer because I simply dislike ginger. The Pau skin was soft and not too thick, with lots of bite. Its really a cut above the rest. Little wonder about the long queues. Try it!
Rating given:
Farewell meetings and dinners are usually bittersweet affairs where affected parties are more or less torn between feelings of delight for having great friends and feelings of sadness of having to leave the hard earned connections behind to reach for the future. Nonetheless, its always wonderful to have a good meal with all these people who have been a big part of my life. The location was introduced by Emma who recommended the place to no end for its value for money and supposedly good food.
The interior is nothing to shout about but comfortable to be in with its soft lighting and open ambiance. The air conditioning is very powerful though, probably to diminish the discomfort of having a hot stove in front of you but unfortunately, we opted for the kitchen to cook for us, which made us end up feeling extremely cold.
Refillable Korean Side Dishes - These dishes are refillable and comes in small portions. Each refill is random and contains different sample dishes to excite your taste buds. Each is nicely done but some, like the bean sprouts and kimchi ended up being the main attractions in this selection. The problem with the refills is, it came too slowly and the serving staff had alot of problems attending to our needs. Their frustration is apparent as they struggled to keep pace with our speed of eating and the small but heavy bowls did not help their job one bit. Add the fact that the set menu for 8 is a first for them as nobody has ordered it before and you got a huge headache in terms of service.
Seafood Pancake with Spring Onion - This is very good. Fragrant, crispy and strangely juicy (its not because of the oil though), this dish gained sounds of "Oooo's" and "yums" from the all members of the group. Who would have figured beaten eggs with prawns, squid and fish cake thrown into the mix along with spring onions could make a pancake taste this good. Its available on ala carte and very much worth a try.
BBQ Beef?, BBQ Beef Short Rib? - The '?' you see behind both names are not there by accident. They are there because i can't tell which is which since they taste almost exactly the same. If not for the slight beef taste each dish contained, this could have been venison or pork and we wouldn't have been any the wiser. That said, both dishes tasted mediocre despite the tender and chewy beef pieces. Not recommended.
BBQ Chicken and BBQ Pork Collar - After tasting these 2, i'm beginning to feel they marinated everything and cooked everything in the exact same way because it sure doesn't taste any different from each other. Both were sweet, spicy and even had almost the same texture with the small difference of chicken meat being tougher and harder (that's not good by the way).
Authentic Ginseng Chicken Soup - Another mediocre dish. This started out with much promise as we noticed on ala carte, its costs between $3-5 for a refill of the ginseng stock. A sign of good things to come? Sadly, that is not to be. The ginseng soup tastes like it was only just prepared and was very bland, with only slight hints that ginseng had been used in the soup. The chicken was nothing spectacular but tore easily as it was very tender but not recommended.
Boiled Sliced Pork With Cabbage - Simple as this dish may seem, it actually tastes pretty good. The pork was firm and springy which contrasted with the cold crunchiness of the cabbage which is further enhanced by the sour balachan chilli. Nicely done but too bad about the portion size though, which was rather small.
Sauteed Vermicelli with Pork - Another nicely done dish. The vermicelli packed lots of taste and was very pleasing to consume with aromatic sesame sprinkled all over it and traces of pork spread throughout the dish. I can't quite describe why its good but it is, try it to find out.
Stone Bowl Rice - Served in a piping hot stone bowl and mixed by the customers themselves, this is an interesting and authentic Korean dish. As you can see, the bowl consists of a lone egg surrounded by bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage, sliced mushrooms, rice and minced pork. The trick is to mix the dish quickly before serving. So is this any good? For me, i liked it but i liked the cold rice version better, where everything was cold and somehow, it tasted better. This is still decent though.
Seafood and Vegetable in Claypot - Another simple yet nicely done dish. The seafood was fresh and added a dimension of sweetness to the seafood broth which tasted like seafood soup without too much salt like other offerings elsewhere. The ingredients include, mushrooms, fresh prawns, carrots, shittakes, bean curd and even scallops which we fought to have. There were even some clams thrown in for good measure. Good stuff.
Sauteed Crab Korean Style - First impressions was that the crab was small and subsequent tastes did not improve upon that impression. The sauce it was cooked in is a form of chilli which resembles kimchi and turned out overly salty. The crab meat was also minimal and not sweet nor firm which points questions at its freshness. This is something i won't try again.
Seafood Fried Rice - Simplicity is the best policy and this is apparent when this dish came out very well done yet again. Generous servings of squid and shrimp were given with its fragrant and very tasty egg fried rice. On a side note however, i myself can actually do a one up on their fried rice so maybe they should hire me instead?
Complimentary Fruit -
Looks can be deceiving as these pieces of fruit turned out to be very sweet and satisfying which i'm sure you'll agree that it simply is a huge contrast between the picture and the actual taste.
The total bill came up to $296.25 for a bittersweet hit and miss farewell dinner.
For a place with lots of service blunders, i've given them a benefit of the doubt since they admitted upfront that this was the first time anyone has ordered the set meal for 8 people. And food wise, like i've said, there are hits and misses on a pretty much 50-50 basis. I do however, recommend trying the hits on their own to see if you like it but deter on ordering via set menus. Try at your own risk because Korean food is an acquired taste and it certainly doesn't come cheap.
To the people who turned up for the meal. Thank you for all the good times we've had and for turning up. Hopefully we'll get together again soon. Cheers and all the best!
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