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Food & Beverage
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1=SGD 0.0587
Popped by Bistro Du Vin's original outlet one sunny weekday afternoon for lunch with a couple of my colleagues. Promising to serve up honest to goodness classical French food, the restaurant is one of the many brand names under the Les Amis umbrella.
Located on the 2nd floor of Shaw Centre, Bistro Du Vin plays neighbour to a Vietnamese Restaurant and of course it's upmarket sibling, Les Amis. The interior is reminiscent of a typical French brasserie, from the red walls right down to the tiled floor. However, tables are spaced a little too close for comfort which makes normal conversations a tad difficult. Proper sound proofing is also lacking and the entire place sounds like a market when running at full capacity.
Complimentary Bread - The bread was a simple and simple crusty baguette served with orange butter. Pretty nice and a great way to stave off the hunger pangs.
White Asparagus Velouté - I honestly didn't quite take to the white asparagus veloute, which was a little too runny for my liking. There was also a bitter aftertaste to it - something which I certainly didn't appreciate.
Char Grilled Australian Angus Ribeye - This required a top up of $10 to the price of the set lunch but it was well worth it in my humble opinion. Done up medium as per my request, the meat was flavourful and juicy with hints of smokiness from the char grilling. The accompanying truffle mash ( $3 ) was smooth and fragrant as well and the truffle honestly helped elevate what would have been a boring, bland side of mash.
However, in a subsequent visit, I had the exact same thing and it was still good, just that the salt content was a little too high for my liking.
Walnut Tart - And for desserts I had a pretty good walnut tart - solid tart base with walnuts set amidst rich chocolate and caramel filling. Between this and the Pink Tiramisu which I had on my subsequent visit, I honestly preferred this (though the pink tiramisu was something different). Served up with a scoop of real vanilla bean ice cream.
The standard lunch set is a reasonable $30 but it is the top ups that really "upsize" the bill. Still, food quality is pretty decent and I especially like their steaks. Service is rather clinical and lacks warmth though - an area that the restaurant might want to look into.
See my pictures here.
Rating given:
Twas the weekend before Mother's day so we decided to beat the crowds (not to mention the ridiculously priced menus) and celebrate beforehand. A decision was made to try out Majestic Restaurant this year and honestly, my expectations were high as many people have raved about it.
The place wasn't big and the interior leaned towards western influences rather than Chinese, with a huge open kitchen and booth seats. We had a corner booth to ourselves which was pretty nice and cosy although I must say that the air conditioning that evening was underwhelming.
Wasabi Chips - Things got off to a good start with the wasabi chips - lightly salted, thin and crisp chips with a mild wasabi kick. Pretty addictive.
Pan Seared Foie Gras - Served up on a slice of watermelon, the foie gras's crisp, well seared exterior belied a soft quivery composition whose sweetness was complemented by that of the watermelon. One of the best foie gras dishes I've ever eaten in a Chinese restaurant.
Double Boiled Sea Treasures with Superior Shark's Fin and Black Truffle - I thought that the soup was deliciously sweet yet light. It definitely helped that there was a plethora of ingredients, from baby abalone to sea cucumber, fish maw, dried scallops, chicken etc. I'm usually not much of a soup person but this was one soup that had me yearning for more. One question though, where is the truffle taste?
Deep Fried Brinjal with Pork Floss - I actually dislike brinjal but this dish was surprisingly quite palatable, with a crisp coating of flour and pork floss, very much like tempura. What I didn't quite take to was the oil content though.
Scallops Wrapped with Bacon - Looks can be deceiving and the scallops wrapped with bacon was one prime example of that. The scallops were huge and the bacon looked like it had nice charred bits along the edges. Alas, the scallops weren't sweet and had a flour like texture whilst the bacon came across as soft and limp. Seriously seriously disappointing.
Salted Egg Yolk Prawn - A seemingly common dish in most Chinese restaurants these days, Majestic's variation came with slices of watermelon and chopped mango. The prawns were quite a size but I couldn't make out any taste or texture of egg yolk. Decent but there are probably loads of restaurants that do this dish better.
Zhejiang Spare Ribs - This was another disappointing dish, with the meat coming across as too hard. But at least the zhejiang vinegar was nicely tart with a hint of sweetness.
Signature Stewed Mee Sua with Baby Abalone - As much as I would like to understand the hype behind this signature dish, I am afraid I fail to comprehend. For starters, the baby abalone was, well, tiny and the soup base wasn't flavourful enough nor was the Mee Sua (面线) silky enough. Overall, a rather average dish in my humble opinion.
Signature Claypot Chicken Rice - Another signature dish from Majestic - the Claypot Chicken Rice. I can't say that I was wowed by it as it was evidently high class chicken rice. Sure, the rice was more fragrant than usual and less oily while the chicken was tender and reasonably plentiful. But seriously?
Durian Paste - We opted for the Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) durian paste to end off our meal and whilst rich, it didn't taste any different from eating straight out of the fruit as the gula melaka taste was non existent. Maybe I should have gone for the fried durian ice cream instead.
One word. Overrated. Dinner was a case of more misses than hits and wasn't cheap by any yardstick, standing at about $577 for 6 pax ($96/pax). Service was very good but I don't think that justifies the high price tag and less than stellar quality of food. I am pretty sure with $96/pax, I can get seriously better food elsewhere. Also, the choice of music played in the restaurant is pretty weird. Why would you play English pop music in a Chinese restaurant?
See my entire review here.
Rating given:
Popped by Canton Paradise @ I12 Katong one weekday afternoon for some dim sum to chase away the weekday blues. I honestly would have preferred Wah Lok but didn't quite fancy jostling with the CBD crowd and it definitely helped that the porridge at Canton Paradise had a certain allure. Just for the record, as at time of writing, I've been to Canton Paradise a total of 9 times in 3 months, but this is probably going to be my only post on Canton Paradise (I am usually too famished during lunch to bother taking photos). And yes, I'm that crazy about dim sum.
The place is huge and sports a rather "ancient Chinese" decor with its uneven brick walls and wooden decorative panels. If you can stand the cold air conditioning, ask for a booth seat (2-4 pax) because the other tables are spaced a tad too close for comfortable conversation.
BBQ Combination - We had the combination platter of BBQ pork belly with honey sauce and roasted pork, of which the former was sinfully better with a high fat to meat ratio and smothered in gooey honey marinade. I personally like to eat the BBQ pork belly with the salted peanuts that are served alongside. Makes for a nice contrast in both areas of taste and texture. Unfortunately, the BBQ pork's skin wasn't crisp enough and I think they need to add in a wee bit more salt for flavouring.
Steamed Cheong Fun with BBQ Pork - The cheong fun featured translucent but rather limp skin with a reasonable amount of BBQ pork filling. Decent but no great shakes. And remember to eat immediately when served, lest it turns cold and clammy.
Steamed Prawn Dumplings - Fresh, crunchy prawns coupled with translucent but mildly elastic skin. Pretty decent.
Steamed Pork Dumplings - The "porkyness" of the siew mai wasn't too overwhelming and the fat to lean meat ratio was reasonable. As with most dim sum items, eat them while they are hot.
Century Egg Porridge with Lean Meat - I personally think the porridge, especially the 皮蛋瘦肉粥, at Canton Paradise is quite good and this is one of the main reasons why I keep coming back. Consistently sticky with visible rice grains and a subtle, savoury aftertaste. And that's coming from someone who doesn't take century egg. The meatball porridge is nice as well but a little on the bland side.
Baked BBQ Honey Pork Bun - This is reminiscent of the one I had at Tim Ho Wan in HK. Unfortunately, the standards did not quite match up. For starters, the base was overly oily and the BBQ pork wasn't gooey enough. Decent but try the real thing from Tim Ho Wan when it opens in Singapore!
If my memory serves me correct, the bill for this lunch came up to around $50, which is pretty much the range you pay for decent quality dim sum these days. However the staff did seem a little overwhelmed with the place running at almost full capacity, which naturally led to slower service and forgotten requests.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Popped by &Made by Bruno Menard for brunch one late Saturday morning since we were in the area. Read pretty good reviews about it and coupled with the fact that it is 3 Michelin Starred Chef Bruno Menard's (owner of the now defunct 3 star L'Osier in Tokyo) first restaurant in Singapore under his own name, we were pretty psyched about dining there.
&Made occupies one corner of the ground floor at Pacific Plaza and has a rather quirky (a cross between a typical 80's video game and Alice in wonderland) feel to it. Seating capacity isn't extensive, probably about 60 pax or so and the best pick seems to be that of the booth seats if you have no more than 4 pax. Interestingly, with all the hype surrounding the restaurant, it was practically empty, save for 2 tables.
The 'B' Burger - The 'B' Burger was a tad tinier than expected whilst the patty, though done a perfect medium well, came across as tender but a little dry. The onion confit atop also proved a little overwhelming and I could hardly make out any beefy taste from the patty. I did like the bread though, soft and lightly toasted. For sides, the truffle fries ( $3) was definitely a good choice, lightly salted with the strong fragrance of truffle oil. Overall still a pretty decent burger.
Viking Toastoo - It's the first time I'm seeing a Toastoo on a menu and apparently it is a new generation sandwich made with French buckwheat crepes (according to the menu). The viking version spotted smoked salmon, cream cheese, curry and broccoli, which sounded really interesting. Alas, it was nothing out of the ordinary. The sandwich had a crisp exterior with a stuffing of salmon (couldn't taste the smokiness unfortunately) and broccoli. The curry taste was hardly existent and honestly, the whole sandwich tasted healthily (probably due to all the broccoli) normal.
Lollipop Waffle - One of the rather quirky desserts on offer at &Made, the lollipop waffle. In actual fact, it is nothing more than a waffle cooked in a huge lollipop mold and served on a stick with 3 cylindrical containers of white, dark chocolate and caramel sauce respectively. But I did appreciate the visual creativity and the dessert looked almost too good to be eaten. However, the waffle did seem a little limp but credit goes to the consistency in cooking and the crisp edges. Not something I would personally order again for dessert though.
Hot Caramel Lava Cake - This, in my humble opinion, is the star of the entire evening, the pièce de résistance, if you may. Warm, not cloyingly sweet caramel oozing out of a fissure in the soft shell and served with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream coated with crispy flakes. Simply decadent! If you like your chocolate fondants, you should definitely try this.
The both of us literally stuffed ourselves and even had 2 smoothies to round up the meal, all at a cost of about $95. Cheap? Definitely not. The prices of individual items aren't really expensive per se but add everything up and the bill can be a tad alarming. After all, food quality is only slightly above average at best, save for the caramel lava cake. Service wasn't quite up to scratch with periods of inattentiveness.
To sum up, I think &Made offers a decent meal proposition in a nice setting but lacks actual finesse in its food (bar desserts) and service can definitely be improved.
See my pictures here.
Rating given:
The idea was to do a comparison between our long time favourite steak house, Morton's, and the relatively new entrant to Singapore's F&B scene, Ruth's Chris. And so one Saturday evening saw the both of us dropping by Ruth's Chris for dinner.
Located where Restaurant Bologna used to be at Marina Mandarin Singapore, the interior hasn't changed much since the days of Bologna - crisp table clothes coupled with leather backed seats and wooden panels adorned with art. The window seats offer you a view of a huge water feature wall and of course the warmth of natural sunlight (if you arrive early enough). This place is decidedly more "upclass" and stifling than Mortons, which I personally like for its casual, convivial atmosphere.To be fair, the place was pretty much empty save for another 2 tables besides ours. So that could be a contributing factor to the "over attention" from the wait staff.
Complimentary Bread - Just your regular soft baguette served warm, nothing like the onion loaf from Mortons. But still something decent to keep your hunger pangs at bay whilst you await your orders. Morton's 1, RC 0.
Sizzlin Blue Crab Cakes - A little dry on the outside but moist within, the crab cake was chock full of crab meat and topped with capsicum, which gave it a nice contrasting flavour and texture. Personally I thought it was nice just that the crab taste was a little lacking. I'll rate this as a tie with Morton's as I really liked the use of capsicum here. Morton's 1, RC 0.
Petit Filet Oscar Style - The petit filet was 210g, which was a decent size considering I ordered it "Oscar Style", which simply meant an addition of asparagus and a lump of crab cake smothered in Bearnaise sauce (all for a mere $15 extra). Now if only Morton's had such an option. That aside, the steak boasted tender, juicy meat that was a little crisp along the edges and well seasoned with salt. Very good! I'm gonna have to go with RC on this one as the filet marginally edges out the filet mignon from Morton's. And it definitely helps that RC has the option of an add on at a reasonable price. Morton's 1, RC 1.
Barbecued Shrimp - The BBQ shrimp were crunchy and decent sized but still a little smaller than what Morton's serves up (even after the downgrade in size). But what it lacks in size, it makes up in quantity (10 shrimps vs 6 from Morton's). The sauce reminds me of a creamy, garlicky concoction that has a mild burning sensation towards the end probably due to the copious amounts of garlic. In short, either you love it or you hate. And we loved it. But as Morton's Shrimp Alexander is vastly different, I am hard pressed to determine which dish has the edge. Morton's 1, RC 1.
Crème Brûlée - This is apparently a signature of Ruth's Chris. Though good, it wasn't anything I would go out of my way to order again. The vanilla bean custard base came across as creamily smooth whilst the caramel top was nicely and evenly torched. Portions are good for 2.
Warm Apple Crumb Tart - Huge, nicely sweet yet tart Granny Smith apple slices encrusted by a moist, fragrant tart shell and topped with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. Only minor gripes I had was that the tart was a little too soft for my liking and that the apple slices were a little too big for comfort. Having said that, this was still an excellent dessert and we preferred this over Morton's Upside Down Apple Pie. Morton's 1, RC 2.
Portions are a bit smaller at Ruth's Chris but prices are slightly cheaper, as compared to Morton's. Even so, dinner for the both of us (without any drinks) cost to the tune of $285. Food wise, based on the dishes we tried, Ruth's Chris has a slight edge. However, factor in the more casual, laid back ambience and service of Morton's and its a tie. But maybe you think otherwise?
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I went on a Saturday afternoon and was glad to see the café not packed like the rest of the Orchard Road. The first impression of the place was nice and quiet. It is part of the book store so it does make sense to have a café there where people can read and relax over a cup of coffee. The decoration pretty much used books to decorate; you can see books on the wall and above the light bulbs. This should enable people to get into a reading mood fast.
Next to the food, since it is our first time there, we decided to go for the chef recommendations. Below was our order: Soup of the Day (Cream of Mushroom), Norwegian Smoked Salmon Sandwich Ultimate Beef Meatball Pasta, Cappuccino and Iced Lemon Tea.
Soup of the day (Cream of Mushroom): The accompanying bread was cold and hard. Personally I prefer them to be warm and soft. Although the soup was supposed to be cream of mushroom, but it tasted more of potato and celery soup to me. Nothing out of extraordinary.
Norwegian Smoked Salmon Sandwich: This came in a generous portion and looks good in presentation as well. One bite into it, it makes me want to eat more. The bread is warm and soft, with the thick smoked salmon slices, lettuce and mayo makes a prefect combination. I would recommend this to everyone.
Ultimate Beef Meatball Pasta: With such a name, I was disappointed when the dish was served, three small meatballs on a small serving of pasta. I do wish the meatballs do come in a larger portion since its name has Ultimate in it. The meatballs are a bit dry for my liking even thought they are quite flavorful. The sauce and pasta tasted like any normal pasta. Nothing wow about this dish.
Overall the food can be pretty much hit and miss, of course there are other mains and desserts which I have yet to taste. I might be back to try some other mains. However, I would remember this place if I need a quiet place to relax and read a book, with food and drink to accompany me through an afternoon. After all, where can you find such a peaceful place to read in Orchard Road.
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Brunch on a busy Saturday at Wild Honey's Scotts Square outlet as we didn't fancy standing in line for a table at the Mandarin Gallery store.
Thankfully this outlet takes reservations but do book early as I overheard a wait staff informing a dejected walk in customer that 1 week advance reservations are recommended. And the full house, coupled with a 90 minute per table dining window proves her point.
The place isn't big and certain tables are placed quite close to each other (go for those at the side if possible), which makes for hush conversation. Oh wait, I forgot. The whole place is so noisy that I probably wouldn't be able to hear myself shout. Okay, that's an exaggeration but by golly, it sounded like a marketplace! You can basically throw any notion of a peaceful and relaxing brunch out of the window!
Scandinavian - I'm no big fan of salmon and this dish wasn't about to convert me. The grilled fish was pedestrian, if I may say. And the hollandaise sauce atop was just too mild to be of much use. I did like the bed of crisp rosti though.
English - I didn't quite take to this dish either as I thought that the scrambled eggs could have been milkier and the bacon, a little less charred at the corner. The potato cubes could have also been a little more crisp instead of coming across as limp and soggy. And the signature brioche left me sorely disappointed. I had envisioned something along the lines of Guy Savoy's Brioche Feuilletée aux Champignons et Truffes but this was just a dense block of bread which I certainly couldn't appreciate.
Caribbean - Greedy us had the "Caribbean" for afters as it seemed like the only dish that qualified as dessert on the menu. As much as I hate to say it, it would have been a pleasant ending to the meal if only there weren't consistency issues. For example, some of the waffles were noticeably darker than the others and some mango slices made me cringe with their sourness. To be fair, I loved the passion fruit syrup/cream and the idea of combining fresh mangoes and bananas with crispy edged waffles. Now if only they worked on their consistency...
I don't know about you, but $82 for a 2 pax brunch in a less than soothing setting coupled with average quality food, does seem quite over the top. I seriously fail to understand the hype. Herd mentality at work, maybe?
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I came across a couple of strong recommendations about the burgers at 2 Blur Guys so with an unintentionally free Saturday morning, we decided to give it a shot. Apparently the place is helmed by Chef Jimmy Chok, who used to be from Bistro Soori.
The shop occupies a tiny unit along the fringe of Orchid Hotel and is easy to miss because of its unassuming decor. So keep a look out for it. Seats are a premium at the place and you are looking at probably 5-6 two person tables tops. That's about 12-15 people. Talk about uncomfortable dining.
Prime Beef Hamburger - The highly raved about prime beef burger. To be be honest, I thought it was average at best. The patty had plenty of fluids but the meat was chopped way too fine (machine perhaps?), which resulted in a dry, unsatisfying texture. To compound matters, the patty was seriously lacking in brovine flavour - a definite must for a good beef burger in my humble opinion. Don't even get me started on the buns, which were insipid and tasted like off the shelf stuff. However, I did like the gruyère cheese and truffle mayo, though I did think that they could be a little more generous with the truffle mayo. Oh and did I mention that the burger was small aka fillet o fish size?
Grilled Spice Chicken Burger - I didn't quite take to this burger as well as the thigh meat was a little too oily for my liking. I could make out some form of asian/indian spice (special spice mix according to their website) which didn't quite sit well with the curry mayo sauce in my humble opinion. It made the whole burger feel extremely greasy and I felt uneasy after finishing it.
What can I say? $23 nett for 2 burgers isn't really that expensive if you take it quantitatively. But quality was average at best and portions weren't exactly generous. I don't know about you but sorry, I definitely won't be back.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
We dropped by Hyang To Gol one Sunday evening and the place was packed with Koreans and a couple of Singaporeans. Initial service was great but started to go downhill after we placed our orders. Iced water was not refilled, the wait staff had a sour expression on their faces (most of them at least) and alot of them had difficulty understanding what we were saying. It even took a long time for the bill to come. Food wise was decent and reasonably priced. Just that portions can be a little underwhelming so chow down on the plentiful side dishes or simply order more.
If the service can be improved, I'll definitely be happy to go back.
Rating given:
Popped by Chinois by Susur Lee one Saturday afternoon for a quick dim sum fix since we had errands to run in the vicinity. Honestly, I've heard so much about Chinois while it was at Orchard Parade Hotel but never really got down to trying it. And now with the move to Resorts World Sentosa, Chinois has tied up with famed Canadian chef, Susur Lee, to up its offering a notch. What I find ironic (and hilarious) is that I've lived in Toronto for quite a few years but have never tried Susur lee's famed restaurant, Lee. And yet, I'm doing so in Singapore. Duh!
Chinois is hidden in a scheduled corner of Hotel Michel, past the concierge and just after the washrooms. There, a life sized decal of Chef Susur Lee greets you from the huge glass panel that fronts the restaurant. Decked out mainly in black with a few window tables that allow you a view of the activities outside, Chinois exudes an understated elegance that is common place in quite a fair bit of modern Chinese restaurants nowadays.
Cheese Burger Spring Roll - I had heard so much about the Cheese Burger Spring Rolls and it was imperative that i tried it. Interestingly, the spring rolls tasted exactly like a normal cheeseburger that you would get in a fast food joint, albeit with a crisp exterior instead of fluffy buns. For a more "authentic" taste, don't forget the mustard! Be sure to share though as the oil does get to you after the second roll.
Duo BBQ Pork Bun - As the name suggests, you get 2 variants of BBQ pork bun - 1 steamed and 1 deep fried. I personally preferred the greasier version as the bun had a soft and almost smooth texture coupled with a nice crisp exterior. The BBQ pork didn't come across as cloyingly sweet as well. Ditto for the steamed version, which boasted a nice fluffy but marginally thicker bun.
Steamed Beancurd Skin Rolls with Crab Roe - Although I am not exactly a fan of steamed beancurd skin (I prefer the deep fried ones), this was honestly quite decent with a tinge of spiciness, presumably from the crab roe sauce. And the skin had bits of crispiness along the edges with fresh pieces of shrimp stuffed within.
Kurobuta Pork Rib with Vinaigrette - This is definitely not the best roasted pork I've had but it's still pretty good. Crackling crisp skin belying a nice fat to pork ratio. Only minor gripes I had were that the skin was a little too thick for my liking and the meat wasn't salty enough. Best eaten with the accompanying plum sauce.
Baby Abalone Siew Mai - The baby abalones didn't quite feature in the overall taste of the siew mai, which was a little too salty for my liking. Well at least the usage of fatty meat was kept to a minimal which helped keep the nausea at bay.
Homemade Beancurd with Monkey Head Mushrooms - As much as I love beancurd, I would be hard pressed to rate this dish anything more than slightly above average. Don't get me wrong. This dish isn't bad. In fact, it is technically very sound and checks most of the boxes. However the beancurd, though silky smooth, lacked the savoury taste that I personally use to differentiate between good and excellent. Also, it is the first time I've trying out monkey head mushrooms and honestly, I didn't quite take to the somewhat limp texture. So it all boils down to personal preference I guess.
Pan Fried Carrot Cakes with Preserved Meat - Now this was interesting. At first glance, each individual piece of carrot cake looked like a piece of roast pork sitting on it's head. However pop one into your mouth and be pleasantly surprised by its smooth texture and that of the crisp preserved meat which acted as a nice contrasting counterbalance.
The total bill (without discount) for 2 came up to about $89, which is by no means cheap but hey, it's at Resorts World Sentosa and food quality is decidedly above average overall. Throw in good service and a 50% discount and I'll definitely be dining at Chinois again.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given: