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Food & Beverage
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1=SGD 0.0587
Bright and eye catching, this Japanese Halal food chain caught my eye many times when i drove past Tampines Century Square and so, one day after work, me and my gf went straight down for dinner hoping to leave satisfied and happy. (Ain't that always the case when eating out?)
Interiors are nicely decorated and pleasing to the eye. The green. brown and red combination gives the illusion of elegance amidst normal settings. The plastic chairs did not add to the effect however and the dispersion of seats are minimal which means if the crowds set in, get ready for lots of knocking around and spilled items. The 'cushioned' seats are fared better but are limited.
Blue Lagoon ($3.90) - Sourish, gassy and overly sweet at the bottom. It doesn't quite fit the bill as a 'refreshment' and at its price, its way too over priced. I suppose its a trend that drinking almost anything outside of home is a way to get closer to poverty, iced water anyone? Oh! A point to note, they do not serve ice water as well. You need to pay $1 for Evian mineral water.
Tom Yam Chicken La Mian ($8.90) - On the menu, this showed 3 chilli's which is supposed to mean it is very spicy since the maximum number of chilli's awarded thus far is 3. My gf was greatly disappointed though since it was not spicy in the least (at least for her) and the stock wasn't much to shout about. The katsu was also not throughly crispy due to it being soaked in the soup and the Ramen was actually soggy which certainly doesn't bode well.
Beef Paper Steamboat Set ($13.90) - Mayo Prawns ($6.50) - The mayo prawns was an additional order and we given a grand total of 4 prawns for the price. That works out to be more then $1.50 per prawn which is very steep since the quality of it was only just passable. The prawns were small and nicely fried in a thin batter which didn't quite add much taste to the dish. The mayo was also of the normal variety but i would have appreciated the Wasabi Mayo prawns which would have been much better. Either way, still over priced for its quantity.
Chicken Karaage - The chicken karaage was actually quite generous and was served piping hot. The meat tasted tender and reminiscent of the seaweed wrapped chicken available at NTUC (thats not really a compliment is it?) and had a general sweetness to the meat that made it quite enjoyable but otherwise, utterly normal.
Beef Pot - The beef set actually came with rice as well and because the first order botched up since they sent me a salmon steamboat instead of my ordered beef steamboat, they made up for it by giving me a huge portion of beef which literally filled the paper steamboat to the brim. Given the choice of Tom Yam soup base or Miso, i picked Miso since Tom Yam to me meant sweating. The beef steamboat is very enjoyable as the portion i had was very generous. There was more then enough to go with the rice and much more left for simple enjoyment. The meat was quite fresh and added much taste to the normally bland miso. Another note on the miso was that it got better the longer the meat was boiled in it. The rice however, lacked any spring or taste but was serviceable to a certain degree.
The bill for 2 came up to $36.05 with a nice 10% discount for UOB card holders. Quite expensive given the quality of the food and environment.
I was generally surprised with the fact that this was a halal outlet but quite glad that it was since it means the market has changed to cater more for the masses. The service was pretty good with the manager offering additional meat for my pot and automatically deducting 10% off my bill without me asking for it but i did dislike the fact that the first order or serving was wrong. Interior wise, they should space out and provide better chairs since it feels too cramped at the moment and food wise, i felt everything was mediocre except for the beef steamboat but thats also because of the generous serving so that might change. Either way, i find this too expensive and will probably not return.
Rating given:
On my mother's 48th birthday, we brought her to her favorite vegetarian restaurant for a meal since she was vegetarian (that has changed though), and has been a pure vegan for 3 years. I do not claim to be well versed in this particular type of cuisine but i'll be doing my best to throw my prejudices away and give a relatively fair review.
As the location is somewhat of a humble coffeeshop in the vicinity of everyday housing blocks, i figured a snap shot of the location was unnecessary. However, being in such a location meant everyday low prices which does motivate somewhat. My mother does recommend the place and i have tried their spinach fried rice as well, which was really good.
Vegetarian Seafood Pot ($6-8) - This dish was an enigma of sorts because i couldn't quite understand what kind of seafood pot it was imitating. It contained assortments of bean curd ( the normal variety), button mushrooms, black fungi, snow peas and mini corns. The stock was quite salty and the bean curd which made up much of the dish really wasn't anything special. Serviceable but not something i'll order again.
Broccoli and Vegetarian Scallops and Fish Maw ($4-8) - Another lackluster dish, the broccoli was served in huge stalks and were difficult to chew on. The 'fish maw' was interesting because i couldn't make out what it was made of while the 'scallops' were made of 'dao gua' or 'dou gan' which did not taste the least bit the way it was supposed to. As a dish on its own, its rather bland and the broccoli could have been steamed longer before serving.
Sweet and Sour 'Pork' ($4-8) - The first item which actually tasted good. The sweet and sour 'pork' actually tasted authentic which is decidedly easy since the sauce is mostly vegetarian based in the first place. Being made of green peppers, tomatoes, pineapples, onions and tomato ketchup in general. The difference is the 'pork' which was deep fried as normal but is made of 'dou gan' instead. And even more surprising is that it actually works. This was quite easily enjoyable.
Vegetarian Shark's Fin Soup ($8-10) - It is a widely known fact that shark's fin itself has no taste, the real providers of taste in that department happens to be the stock or broth that houses it. So in this case, this doesn't taste much different from the actual thing. However, the broth used isn't up to par, probably due to the lack of chicken or seafood used in its stock. This resulted in a somewhat mild and bland tasting stew that has a long way to go before being a good sell.
Peking Duck ($8-10) - We called this out of curiosity and when it was served, it only resulted in even more questions as we struggle to understand why it was given its namesake in the first place. It tastes and looks nothing like Peking duck but that isn't to say it didn't taste good though. Similar to the sweet and sour 'pork' before it, this is made of beans and flour as usual and its seasoned with something akin to char siew sauce which makes it kind of sweet. The outer layer was thin and crispy with the inner layer actually having a texture very similar to chicken. Pretty nicely done.
Hot Plate Bean Curd ($4-8) - More bean curd again! This time, its done hot pate style with loads of spices and chilli thrown into the mix. The results are fiery hot and a little sweet at the same time in terms of the sauce used but the bean curd is sadly the same generic ones they used for almost every other dish. Average but could have been better.
Stir Fried Sweet Potato Leaf ($4-6) - This is interesting. How did they get the item to have the taste of dried shrimp when its a vegetarian restaurant? I guess i probably won't get to know. Either way, the dish tasted authentic yet again rivaling similar offerings fried with dried shrimp made outside but of course, thats about all that is good about it. So if you didn't like it when its made of shrimp, you wouldn't like it when its made here.
Fish Head Pot ($5-10) - This is also pretty nicely done, making it actually feel like i'm having fish soup with all the assorted sweet taste and even a fishy smell to go with it. Intriguing but apart from the vegetable, which turn out to be sweet potato leaf and cabbage again, the other ingredients and the fake fish failed to stir my taste buds.
"Shrimp" fritters ($4-6) - Yet another item that actually tasted pretty good. (I believe deep fried stuff tastes good easily because its not good for you.) The 'shrimp', which should be a mixture of radish and flour, was crunchy and appetising when paired with the salad cream and oddly enough, there's minimal oil to be found.
The bill was actually around $40 for this meal for 6 people. (I lost the bill, sorry) There's a multitude of items to try and many things you never thought could taste as alike as it does here. And if my mother's happy, thats fine with me.
I was quite surprised that quite a few items there were actually quite easy to stomach. This is because i largely assume vegetarian food to be the haven of artificial flavors and colors which does next to no good for my health. Still, i cannot deny that the food there wasn't too bad but i maintain my stand that as much as possible. Novelty aside, i would still prefer the natural stuff to something fabricated by man. If you are a vegan, you can give it a try because it does have some authentic stuff but if you are like me, a carnivore, stay away.
Rating given:
Monthly dinner was decided to be Sage's this time around and the group has swelled considerably since its inception. This time standing at 10 strong with bloggers and yebbers making the majority of the audience, we braved the horrible Friday night traffic to the second level of Double O for (hopefully) a good meal.
Sage is run by a husband and wife team who also helped prepare the menu you see here. As this menu was custom made for our group of 10, there are a few items you will not find in the ala carte menu at all times. So do be informed of this little detail.
Despite how bright some of these shots look, we struggled really hard to find a good light source for our photos. Its was very very dim inside and photo taking became a nightmare but we all managed to pull it off after many failed shots and lots of trial and error.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was served warm and soft but cooled quickly in the rather strong air con which rendered it pretty tasteless and simply bad. Servings were generous though and refills were readily given.
Amuse Bouche - Another complimentary item courtesy of the restaurants loving couple. This was basically minced pork with something akin to tomato puree atop which tasted pretty good but i dislike the taste it leaves in your mouth which is actually quite raw.
Huia Pinot Noir 2005 ($69) - Pinot noir belongs to a family of grapes which are generally of less body and contains more character. Huia from New Zealand was introduced by the serving staff for our meal which is strangely inadequate. Though i liked the bite the drink provided and the aftertaste which was sharp and slightly sourish, it did not fit the mood of the evening as the majority of our dishes were white meat or seafood. Even then, as a drink alone, this could be enjoyed easily and demands little appreciation for entry.
Seared King Scallops on a Salad of Homemade Squid Ink Capellini, Marinated Ocean Trout and Avruga Caviar, Braised Scallop Lips and Leek & Potato Vichyssoise - Heavenly. That about summarizes this dish. The scallops were pan seared to perfection with a slightly crisp exterior while retaining its fresh soft sweetness inside. The leek & potato Vichyssoise (the bed of sauce below) deserves specific mention since many of us soaked it up with the leftover complimentary bread just to get more of it. It was that good. A definite must try but its not available on normal menus though.
Pan Seared Duck Foie Gras with Pistachio Crust and Fig Compote, Granny Smith Apple Puree - Without a doubt, the best Foie Gras i have ever had. The pistachio nuts were included in the batter that pan seared the foie gras, resulting in a crispy crust with an aroma of ground nuts and a soft, melt-in-your-mouth layer inside. The sweet and sour apple puree only served to enhance the already wonderful taste it provides.
Effeuille of Cod and Grey Prawns in a Seafood Bouillabaisse with Ratte Potatoes and Garden Vegetables accompanied with Rouille on Toast - The star of the evening in an evening filled with stars. The prawns were fresh and totally sweet and crunchy with the additional basil adding dimension to the already splendid concoction. The cod was fine and so soft it literally melts away in your mouth. The seafood bouillabaisse tasted sharp amidst the fine ingredients and this added to an already perfect combination. An interesting item was the rouille on toast which was extremely hard and crispy but as with all items it already encompasses, only served to increase the amount of pleasure the dish generated.
Lavender Crème Brûlée with Blood Orange Sorbet on Redcurrant Jelly - I felt the only disappointment was its dessert. Thats not to say it was bad though. The creme brulee was fragrant, light and sweet enough to recommend but the coagulated sugar layer turned out thicker then it should. The white stick you see is meringue, which is a combination of sugar and egg white, which was great the first few bites and slowly degenerated to a fight for toothpicks as it began to stick to the teeth. The sorbet was nothing special as was the redcurrant jelly but they got the job done either way.
The bill for 10 people came up to a whooping $1022.80 dollars which shocked my teeth out the moment i saw it but i can't deny the wonderful experience their food and service managed to provide.
Despite my disdain for high priced and small servings, this restaurant proved my previous judgments unfounded and showed me a side of fine dining i have never experienced thus far into my little hobby. The food was packed with taste and didn't feel cheap or badly done in the least. Even the small servings did not manage to whip me out of my drunken stupor of praises for their food. This is one place to take note and come to if you have the dough to support your stomach. And with food this good, everybody should make an effort to be able to afford it.
Rating given:
Ice cream. A necessary sin, especially in Singapore where it is perpetually warm. And a wonderful indulgence after a good meal. That said, Ice Cream Chefs is an oasis in the desert, with a twist and i urge you to read on to see what this place offers.
Keep your eyes peeled as you drive to catch this purple signboard. Its easy to miss and the location is totally ulu and unexpected. There is free parking but you gotta press the bell to get in.
The location is difficult to find but price wise, 1 scoop goes for $3, 2 scoops for $4 and 3 scoops for $5 . I can't remember the exact prices but thats about a general price guide you can follow. Very competitive pricing i might say, and the idea is still novel enough to warrant some attention.
The ice cream used is of a pretty good quality. It is extremely easy to separate each taste from the next and durian taste is very very strong if you add it. It is also nicely smooth and taste as good as those served at other establishments like Anderson's or New Zealand ice cream. In other words, do try it!! Add in the fact that you can choose a large variety of toppings (oreos, fudge, marshmallows, M & Ms etc) and this is just a winner.
Good ice cream at a reasonable price with wonderful toppings and the option to try the entire process first hand. Apart from the secluded location, there is alot going for this place. Its definitely worth a visit just to mix the ice cream for yourself. Bring a date or friend along for added ambience *winks*.
Rating given:
Astons Prime is the upmarket version of the now-famous Astons Specialties. You can view my previous visit to Astons Specialties here. So how does this new venture fare in comparison to its lower priced cousin? Lets read on to find out.
The atmosphere it provides is definitely alot better then the coffee shop location of Specialties. The prices are also significantly higher in comparison as well. The good thing is that we did not need to line up for our meal as the place was quite deserted during lunch time. Astons Specialties, the Joo Chiat branch, was lined full of people when we passed by though, so the contrast is quite disconcerting.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread is served warm with garlic butter spread. The spread is fragrant but strangely lacked taste. Overall not too bad. Service to this point was good with a jovial young lady taking our orders.
Steakhouse Fries ($3.50 - The steakhouse fries were nicely done and not too oily. It was served piping hot and with minimal salt. Our choice of sauce was tartar and tomato ketchup which complimented the fries perfectly. At $3.50, the serving was also quite generous in comparison to other restaurants and bars for the same item.
Australian Grain Fed Sirloin ($24.90) - The main course of the day is an Australian grain fed sirloin steak which was recommended by the waitress. Weighing in at 250oz, the serving was pretty big and was an eye opener when it was served. My portion was slightly thicker then Fatpig's which his was longer and leaner. The meat was grilled well, such that you can easily discern the cross cut grilling by sight. The meat itself was pretty good but not exceptional. I asked for mine to be medium rare but it turned out undercooked due to the thick mid section and was very pink near the middle. The problem with sirloin is the thick layer of fat usually attached to the top portion of the meat and thankfully, mine was minimal. The meat did cool a little too quickly for my liking and the undercooked portion made me minus huge points from it.
King Salmon Steak ($22.90) - I got to try one small piece after loads of complaints from my friend. The salmon steak was strangely also cooked medium rare which is a first for me. And it didn't taste good because of that as the texture was overly soft and was just wrong for the dish.
The meal for 3 came up to $76.20 which is pretty expensive. No GST nor service charge is a plus.
For an upmarket version, you can be sure it looks a lot nicer and better then its lower priced cousin. But food and value wise, Specialties still wins hands down simply because the quality of the offerings, though similar, is greatly diminished by the upscaling of prices. This explains the long queues for Specialties and lack of customers for Prime. That said, Prime is still a decent place for a meal with good service and decent beef. I may visit again to judge it further.
Rating given:
Big O is a sister restaurant of N.Y.D.C and named after one of N.Y.D.C's popular items, namely the Big O cheesecake. The restaurant bares slight resemblances from N.Y.D.C in terms of food offerings and strangely, the decorations seems to opt for a canine dominant layout.
The restaurant is located directly opposite N.Y.D.C, how convenient. On the day i was there, N.Y.D.C was packed and Big O has significantly less customers. Color combinations were darker then necessary with brown and red being the mainstays, blue is used sparsely on backgrounds filled with dogs. Chairs were of the wood variation which is generally uncomfortable and spaces between tables were generous but still felt cramped.
Mozzarella Cheese Sticks - The mozzarella cheese sticks were simple and quite simply, badly made. The cheese was not melted properly and came across as being too sticky and too tough which made chewing it a chore. The batter was thin but had minimal to no taste which can be complimented upon. Not something i'll order again.
Platter For 2 ($34.95) - Having had great tasting platters at Manhatten fish Market, we expected to find similar greatness in Big O but that was not to be. At its price, the platter was surprisingly small. It came with the usual assortment of calamari rings, one crab cake, two salmon, two dory fish fillets and rice that tasted like Hainanese chicken rice. The calamari rings had too much batter and strangely lacked taste, the same goes for the fish fillets and even the salmon, which goes to show how fresh the items are. The sauces provided were also oddly contrasting with the food provided, which means they do not taste good when taken together. The only redemption is the rice, which was fragrant but still not outstanding. Big disappointment.
Oops I ate it again! ($9.95) - Having had a mediocre starter and a bad main, you would expect a restaurant named after a mudpie to serve excellent desserts at least. And yet, even that was not present. Mango ice cream on top of strawberry ice cream with an oreo base. The red sauce is cranberry jam and the way its put seems disgusting instead of pleasing. And honestly, it tastes like they just mashed the 2 ice creams together and called it a mudpie. Very bad tasting ice creams as well.
The bill came to $52.85 with them offering the cheese sticks as complimentary items after i wrote loads of comments for them to take note.
I'm not returning to this place, ever. The utensils used, as my gf pointed out, made us feel like we were eating out of dog bowls, and if that wasn't enough, the food was bad. Paying $50 for this kind of food makes me feel like an idiot and that is a mistake i will never repeat again. Stay away.
Rating given:
German food is something new for me and where better to start then one thats been commercially reviewed and touted about on television for their food and bread. This was done during a short lunch on a normal workday so naturally, we were a little pressed for time but nonetheless we did what we could.
Occupying an entire building by itself, it is not difficult to locate and parking space is provided for customers. I counted about 8 lots in its small enclosed compound. The layout is split into 2 partitions for the restaurant and 1 for the bread shop. Furniture choice is generally wooden with assorted German decorations and promotions laid out for the homesick expatriates. The feeling it exudes is casual, simple and otherwise, nothing out of the ordinary. There was no crowd when we arrived on this afternoon and less then 5 tables were occupied. We were also the last customers to leave.
Calamari Rings ($12.50) - Our first appetiser was served in a rattan basket and in surprisingly small portions. The calamari rings however, turned out much better then expected. The batter used was of a different kind from the usual found in most rings. The batter made the rings very fragrant and pleasing while offering a superb crunchiness to the otherwise simple item. There was a tinge of sweetness in the batter which i can't quite identify as well. A pretty good item if not for the ridiculous price.
Fried Camembert with Blueberry Jam ($8.80) - Fried camembert, which can also be call fried cheese. The cheese turned out tougher then it was supposed to be maybe due to it being fried without suitable defrosting. Of particular mention is the blueberry jam which should be made in house. It tasted sweet, fresh and strangely, went well with the salty cheese.
Schmorbraten/ Beef pot roast ($21.50) - Whatever the name is in german i do not know but this is basically beef pot roast. Serving was generous with lots of beef but i felt the beef was overcooked because its very tough and requires more chewing then is necessary. The purple stuff you see is actually marinated vegetables which reminded me of Korean Kimchi without the spice. Its sour and tastes pretty appetising but not in big portions. The potatoes were quite hard as well. Not a very good item for me.
German Meat Loaf ($17.50) - The name sounded interesting which is why my friend ordered this. It turned out to be a German version of our now familiar luncheon meat except that it costs nearly 3 times as much as well. The meat was quite salty but otherwise nothing interesting.
Rote Grutze/ Cream with Blueberry Jam ($6) - This tastes like pudding with the blueberry jam i mentioned in the second appetiser. Overall, interesting but not something i'll try again since i feel quite ripped off with the use of the same jam in 2 different items.
Baked Cheese Cake With ice Cream ($6.70) - The cheesecake does not feel like it was baked in house and is average at best. The ice-cream tasted like King's ice-cream which is ridiculous since they charged $2.50 a scoop. It seems every step of the way, rip-off is beginning to be the in word in this restaurant.
The bill for 3 came up to $78.10 which is ridiculous given the quality of the items and the lack of any innovation whatsoever in the dishes. This could have been western food for all it mattered.
The place was nice and obviously, there must be something good about it for people to recommend it. However, i found no such qualities during my visit and found their food offerings less then optimal. I'm no expert in German fare but i'm sure there are great items hidden in other German menus waiting to be discovered, such as restaurants like Magma which i've heard alot about. That said, i'm not returning for another visit here again and i hope you don't too.
Rating given:
Italian restaurants usually leave a bad taste in my mouth due to the fact that we are paying an awful lot for a paltry amount of food. Still, one does not deny that when Italian food is done well, the results very are often worth it. Romano Ristorante is strangely billed as a casual dining place for Italian fare which is a paradox of sorts since, casual and Italian are seldom used in tandem. Nonetheless, me and a recently promoted executive braved bad traffic and horrible directions to find this little corner for our little get together.
Located immediately to the right of Madam Q's, i'd say the 2 restaurants are direct competitors since they are both offering the same type of cuisine. However, i hope their level of offerings are not similar since my impression of the former was not something to shout about, you can read my impression of Madam Q here. The interior of Romano is bright, warm and cosy with an equally nice lady who offers wonderful service by providing small talk and general information about the food offerings. Simple but comfortable.
Bruschetta ($6.90) - Having read in my friend's blog about the bruschetta, i was tempted to try it out myself. And honest to goodness, it was very well done. Garlic based bread, lightly toasted till its crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, sweet juicy tomatoes complimented with peso sauce and assorted spices. The serving was generous but still felt as though it wasn't enough, always a good sign. Very nicely done.
Beef Lasagna ($14.90) - My order for a main course that day was none other then a lasagna. I've heard that if you wanted to know what the soul of an Italian restaurant is, you have to try out their lasagna. And so i did. My impression is that their soul is *drum roll* ----salty! I could barely make out the taste of the tomatoes as everything is overshadowed by a thick layer of salted beef. The cheese also seemed non present in this rendition and it basically seemed like they tipped the entrie bottle of salt into the dish. We did not get halfway through before we had to give up. Not recommended.
Fettucini Alfredo ($11.90) - The second best item that night after the bruschetta. The cream base was well done and had a good balance of cheese present in them. The turkey ham was slightly salty but was balanced by the sweet tasting cream base while the spaghetti was springy and chewy. Enjoyable but nothing outstanding.
Parmesan Ham Pizza ($13.90) - This pizza embodies the soul of the restaurant as well, which means its darn salty yet again. A good thing to note is that the crust was thin, pizza size was huge for the price and the parmesan cheese was fragrant. Other then that, its salty salty salty.
Tiramisu ($7.90) - Having had an excess of salt by now, we figured we'd give the place one more try at redemption since the lady was offering wonderful service. The tiramisu we ordered looked exactly like the one we had from Madam Q, but was decidedly better. The cake was readily apparent and sweet tasting. The cream was soft and fluffy but i couldn't taste the rum at all. Thus, the entire experience felt like i was eating a simple cake instead of Tiramisu. Passable but could be better.
The bill came up to $61.05, which is about $30 per person. Its not very expensive but not really value for money either.
I like the service rendered and the generally cheap price. We came away very full but felt overwhelmed with salt which seemed to be the main order that day. Overall, the experience was pleasant but the food was average. There may be a few more gems in the menu along the league of the Bruschetta or Fettucine which may warrant a revisit to try, but the bad items are truly something i wouldn't want to go through again. Mixed feelings about the restaurant but i'll probably brave it again to find the gems amidst the sea of salt.
Rating given:
Wild Rocket is the brainchild of lawyer turned chef, Mr Willin Low. After his stint as a lawyer, he promptly gave it up to take court in a different field, the kitchen. Singaporean at heart, his dishes are simple yet with a Singaporean twist. And this was our choice location for a lazy Sunday brunch.
Nestled on the top of Mount Emily, accessibility is a matter of driving the right vehicle up as walking is a terrible option when factoring the uphill climb with the ever growing sun. Parking was also a problem as the Wild Rocket carpark had only 4 to 5 lots which were easily taken up and the pathway is so narrow that certain vehicles simply cannot turn in them.
Complimentary Bread - The bread was served without much fanfare and tasted bland. It was served warm but not soft enough and was overly porous, giving it a fluffy and spongy taste that was not pleasing. Still, the place is not known for fine dining so this came as a surprise.
The Wild Rocket Burger ($17.80) - Signature dish that bears the restaurants name. This is billed as one of the must-try dishes at Wild Rocket and i'm inclined to agree. The beef burger is mashed well and comes at a decent size (approximately 3 mouthfuls for 3 people). The accompanying tomato salsa adds a tinge of sweet, sour and spicy to the fresh beefy taste, making it all the more delectable. I could complain about the fries though, which was served in little cubes which seems overly fried and had salt crystals easily apparent on the sides. Overall, the patty is of a pretty good quality though.
Ricotta Jack Fruit Pancake ($8.50) - n case you were wondering, no, this is not taken after we ate. This was taken the moment it arrived and yep, we paid $8.50 for a fried jack fruit and 2 pancakes. (ouch!) This came as quite a shock to me as the website shows a towering tray full of pancakes covered in savory cranberry sauce. Astonishment aside, the pancake was nicely done with small slices of jack fruit mixed into the pancake for added taste. It was also soft and emitted a fragrant aftertaste in your mouth. Pity about the portion size though.
Laksa Pesto Linguine with Tiger Prawns and Quail Egg ($17) - An interesting twist to a simple dish. As mentioned, Willin is a Singaporean and so, voila! this creation. By adding corianda and chilli flakes to bring out a decidedly laksa flavor, the dish was foreign yet familiar at the same time. However, the dish only came with 3 prawns and 1 and a half quail eggs which is rather miserly. An interesting deviation but overly pricey for its portion.
Scrambled Eggs, Fresh Beef Sausages and Toast ($15.50) - This can be summed into 2 words: Salty Mistake. We ordered this after noticing other tables with generous portions of the item but i suppose perceptual errors are evident here. The sausages were small and very salty as is the eggs. I can't quite agree with the word "fresh" beef sausages as well because it certainly didn't seem that way. Will i order this again? Well, i believe you know the answer.
Kueh Buloh Tiramisu ($8.50) - I'm unsure as to whether the Kueh Buloh refers to the ice cream beneath but this was pretty well done. A layer of cream, cake and ice cream all piled on top of the other. Surprisingly, i wonder how this can be called a tiramisu because i've certainly never seen the like of this before. That aside, the ice cream was flavorful and sweet with the cake (kueh?) layer adding needed texture to each spoonful.
Chocolate Gateau with Ice Cream ($13) - The dark chocolate gateau came across as expensive to me since its $13 a pop for a pretty small sized cake. This however, seems justified after the taste test because the cake had a slightly crispy outer shell and a thick molten chocolate core for added effect. The chocolate was just right being neither too sweet nor too bitter while the simple vanilla ice cream balanced out the overall experience.
The bill came up to $94.50 for 3 people which is rather expensive for the portion sizes of most of the items.
Nice, relaxed and laid back environment makes it a great place to just sit back and enjoy a simple decent meal. Price wise, it does strike me as a little too expensive and some items not worth the try but the overall quality of offerings are better then most i've had elsewhere. The Singaporean twist also adds variety which may warrant future visits but maybe after a significant raise in salary? =P
Rating given:
My Humble House, part of the prestigious Tung Lok Group and helmed by celebrity chef Sam Leong, is also one of the few restaurants in Singapore that made the top 100 list of British Food Magazine "Restaurant". The hype alone made a visit to the place necessary and we finally conquered the management to grant us photo taking rights during their 5th Anniversary celebration held recently. The celebration promised free flow buffets of Foie Gras, Scallops, Lobsters, Wagyu beef and wine which sounded way too tempting to decline, and so, we went.
The interior was impressive and nicely designed in a chic and slick way. Prepare for an assault on your visual senses as you step into a totally different environment filled with soft lighting, mainly white and black furniture and a combination of sensual candlelight with moving, colored displays. Relaxed would have been the word if not for the fact that the cocktail reception method required us to stand throughout our meals. The place was also packed with people as they mingled and networked throughout the reception, more interested in connections then the actual food prepared. That said, the reception was done such that portions were served for almost all items except dessert, which is either a boon or a bane depending or personal preferences, for this reviewer, it was a bane as the portions served were minuscule and requests for more servings were met with strange looks.
Peking Duck - I found the pancake tasting too much of egg and the skin a little too fatty for my tastes. Its also practically tasteless since i did not return for subsequent helpings and the long queue did not help one bit.
Shrimp, Chicken Meat and Pork - The moment you enter, you'll notice young ladies carrying trays of food asking you to try one of the items above. Each item was well made and tasted wonderful in bite sized portions. However, you need to be quick to catch them before they walk off again to serve others.
Foie Gras (Goose liver) - The item with the longest queue was the Foie Gras. Somehow, i was expecting a steady flow of this item from the kitchen but that was not to be. It was prepared piece by piece on a small grilling plate in plain view and everybody queued up for this. It also frequently ran out of stock and people had to wait even longer for them to prepare the item again. Taste wise, its average at best with the pan frying and batter being unevenly cooked at parts and the foie gras itself less smooth then other offerings i've had before. Decent but not worth waiting for.
A picture of the wines offered - Do not be deceived. You do not get to bring bottles of wine home. The 'free flow' is indeed true but limited to only small tastes at a time. There were a few really good wines distributed among the 6 counters, each touting wines of different origins but these were mostly commercial ventures instead of free providers. Basically, each tasting session is accompanied by a brief introduction of the wine and where you can get it, asking for more is possible but still nets you less then half a glass which may or may not be a good thing. For me, i love wine, be it red or white and i love champagne, so when i ask for more, i mean more. Not another few drops in my already diminishing glass. Nonetheless, i do not deny they had a few pretty good offerings.
Wagyu Beef - The wagyu beef, one of the main draws for attending the celebration. Its served in bite sized pieces yet again and done medium well. The above actually shows the beef in super zoom and after asking for bigger portions twice. It is that small and i'm not kidding. The counter also happens to be one of the least occupied which meant our group frequented it the a lot. I counted at least 10 trips to that counter alone and still it did not fill me up. Taste wise, i could not discern if it was indeed wagyu because the texture and meat quality seems average. The thai sauce also took plenty of focus away from the meat, leaving us wondering if it was beef or pork we just had. Its decent but debatable.
Chocolate Fondant - One of the few desserts prepared on the spot as the rest were cakes (Badly made ones too.) The fondant was nothing special as the cake was tasteless and quivery. The molten chocolate also felt rather tasteless as it was neither sweet nor bitter.
Space @ My Humble House - We adjourned to the second location after much disappointment wishing for a glimmer of hope and a glimpse of the promised lobster.
Crispy Chicken Rice - One of the better items for the day, the crispy chicken rice used rice crispies akin to Kellog's corn flakes and added chicken shreds with an assortment of wolfberries and greens. Soup was then added to the concoction and served. I've never had this before so it came as a surprise, a pleasant one at that. Crunchy and fragrant with the usual Hainanese chicken rice taste. Worth a try.
Lobster Po Piah - Wondering where the lobster was? Its right here! In the popiah. It didn't surprise me in the least that the portion of lobster meat present in them was pathetic since it seems to be the order of the day at Humble House so far. The popiah was nicely done but i could not taste much of the lobster even after we took out the lobster meat itself. Another attempt at cost cutting? Bravo!
After the event, all i could feel was the pinch at having spent $80 for this 'celebration'. Sure, we were full but i'm sure we didn't even come close to covering our cost for eating here. At best, the portions i had could have been $35 worth of food. Perhaps the hype was too much and we expected more from this prestigious place, but judging on this event alone, the food was average at best and the servings were meager and stingy. Also, having to queue for food when i've paid $80 is unheard of and silly. To be fair, i've heard that the normal offerings are of a higher quality and usually, mass production simply does not produce good results in terms of food.
However, that does not change the fact that the event could have been managed better and the guests taken better care of. Portions should have been bigger and given more readily when asked and seats should have been given. And although, everything promised by the marketing department was given, the should not give the impression of trying to scrimp and save on the offerings by cutting corners and making people wait. The overall experience has not been a good one and i will be hard pressed to find a reason to return.
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