This is the place I will go when I need a quick fix for coffee, tea and snacks!
The service at all outlets especially the one at Ngee Ann City is usually fast, good and friendly.
There is a lot of drinks, both coffee or tea, hot or cold to choose from. There is a lso a range of cakes to choose form as well. Most of them are very good.
Personally I loved to eat my breakfast there as their selection is a lot and generous in their portion as well.
Go to their website, they got special offer on Cake of the month where they got $10 discount of the whole cake when ordered online. They also got a coffeebean card where can accumulate points to be used to redeem their items or to convert into cash.
This is the first place that I will think of when I have the craving for Dim Sum. This place although small and usually packed to the brim, serves the dim sum in the old Hong Kong Style where you got waitress pushing or carrying carts with dim sum on it going around and shouting out what they have.
How hot is this place? Well Jz say that if you dun make reservations and go down hoping to get a table. Prepare to wait for some time ok! Hee... Of cos they will try to make your waiting time as short as possible.
The food there especially the dim sum is very good and fresh. Other than the normal dim sum they also got traditional teochew food which is also good!
The price is average and definitely worth to give it a try if you are a dim sum lover!
I only been to this place once and I have to say that I am not going back again!
The service is slow and hard to get the attention of the “busy” waiters.
The waiting time for the food is also quite slow even though I told the waiter to hasten as we got a show to catch soon!
The food. Well jz say I prefer Fish and Co better!
So overall, to me it is jz another copycat of Fish and Co.
***Updated on 12 Mar 08***
Decided to head to The Manhattan Fish Market @ Plaza Singapura for dinner since there are great reviews in Yebber and while waiting for my movie to start. So with slightly high expectation, we headed towards the restaurant. Well it took sometime for us to decide between this or Fish & Co, as we did not have a very nice time when we first visited it ages ago.
We are surprised to see that there was no queue, as from past experience, when it was dinner time; there was always a small queue outside. Maybe we were lucky to reach the place slightly before dinner time. When we reached the entrance, we were ushered to our seats. The decoration of the place is pretty much like Fish & Co. Not surprised to find it that way, as their bosses used to be from Fish & Co in the first place (if I am not wrong). Even the pans they served their seafood in, used to be the same as Fish & Co, until Fish & Co took action on it then they replaced it with square pans. They also have large LCD showing people scuba diving and underwater scenes. All these just make me want to go scuba diving now.
Back to the dinner, so when we were seated, we were given the menu and nothing else. While we were deciding what to eat, they did not even serve us ice water. Minus points for their service. The place also started to get crowded at the same and they seem understaffed as well, all the waiters and waitresses, including the managers are running around. Took us 5 mins before we can get attention of one waiter to place our order. The irony thing is we are seated right next to the service counter and the kitchen where all of them are running in and out. Minus point again.
So we decided to order the following:
Fried Country Mushroom @ $9.90: This is the only good thing out of the whole meal. The portion is generous. The mushrooms are light coated with a thin layer of batter. It is not over-fried and does not have an oily after taste. The mushroom is full of its natural flavor and juicy as well. The dip provided compliments the mushroom well. I am quite surprised that they served such good mushroom here. To me, this is a must try.
Manhattan Seafood Platter @ $29.90: I always like to order platter as it would have consist of everything that you must try in the restaurant. This platter consists of their fish fillet, oyster, prawns, calamari, fries and garlic rice. Before they placed the pan on the table, the staff attempted to do a stunt, by torching the prawns (to make if flaming) before your very eyes. BY doing so, it will sort of melt the sauce on the prawn and burnt the rest of the seafood around the prawns as well. Personally, this step can be removed as it does more harm to the platter, especially the food, then to get me impressed. After that stunt, there is a burnt smell. Now I understand why there is a burnt smell in the restaurant as they kept doing the torching again and again.
Back to the platter, everything in front of me was fried. Very sinful! The prawns tasted very sweet, too sweet to be its original flavor, even my partner also agrees with me. Think either they added some artificial sweetener to make it sweet or the sauce on the prawns makes it sweet. It is too sweet for my liking, so much so that I named them the fake prawns. Next the oysters, well after being deep fried; it does not taste like oyster any more. The batter is too thick and it is too oily for my liking. Calamari and the fish tasted usual (complain same as the oyster), nothing to wow about but by then I was really sick of the platter already, reason being of all the deep fried stuff. The only think I quite like it is the rice but it was partial ruined by the flaming prawns during the torching process.
Before this, I ordered a set meal or they called it Perfect Catch @ $4.90 which comes with a drink and a soup. I forgot if the soup is cream of mushroom or clam chowder. All I remember was the soup was a straight out of a can.
Somehow the service was quite good when they automatically topped up my ice water, my tartar sauce without asked for and that did added back some points in their service. However they are back to square one when I asked for the bill and waited for them to return me the bill. It took ages and I nearly missed the show because of it. Sigh…. The bill comes up to $52.60. To me it is totally so not worth it. I don’t think I will go back to this place for seafood ever again.
To me the competition between Fish & Co and Manhattan Fish Market, in terms of the food, Fish & Co won by a comfortable mile (as Simon Cowell would have put it).
Located in the middle (almost) of Purvis Street which is teeming with eateries, you might just miss out on Garibaldi if you are unaware because the exterior is rather plain and discreet, save for the vertical signboard hanging by the side of the building. Now this is the first time that I've been to a restaurant which utilizes heavy sliding doors in favour of push/pull doors and that really says something about their target market - well heeled individuals/executives. The sliding doors act as a natural filter to "sieve" out your average Joe. Well lets just leave it at that. As you are being ushered into the small main dining area, which can probably seat about 30 people or so, the solemness of the interior weighs down on you. Decor is sombre and minimalistic, with racks of wine displayed prominently in the foreground. Seats are plush and comfortable, but can be taxing on your back if you don't lean backwards.
I certainly feel that the complimentary servings of bread warrant a section all by itself. The bread was fragrant with a slightly crispy exterior that belied its soft and fluffy interior. However, what sets it apart from other breads is its taste. It had this slightly cheesy aftertaste which would melt the hearts of even the most ardent detractors. I attribute this great taste to the bits of Mozzarella cheese that I noticed on the bread crust. It would be a shame if you visit Garibaldi and not have second or third servings of this bread.
Compared to the veal I had at PaPi, which was laden with sauce, Garibaldi's Roast Veal in Tuna Sauce exercised more constrain and the tuna sauce was used sparingly. The result? A much better tasting veal with more bite which didn't look lost in a sea of sauce. However, having said that, I find it rather sad because tuna was the dominant flavour instead of veal.
Its funny how you order chicken in an Italian restaurant and wonder how its going to turn out. Well, my Chicken Breast with Zucchini Smoked Cheese and Spicy Tomato turned out just fine. The chicken breast was extremely tender and had some sort of buoyancy in it, which tasted a wee bit unnatural. Come to think of it, the chicken was so smooth and tender that I couldn't detect any fibrous shreds. Work of a master or something else? Taste wise, it was great, with the chicken absorbing the smoky flavours perfectly and with lots of succulent juices to boot. But it did tend towards the salty side. The zucchini with cheese was done right, as evidenced by the grill marks on the zucchini.
There wasn't a choice with the desserts, so everyone had the same thing, which was a scoop of Pistachio ice cream and one of Hazelnut. Personally I prefered the Hazelnut ice cream as it tasted familiarly like Ferraro Roche chocolates. The Pistachio ice cream, on the other hand, didn't taste quite like Pistachio and had a slightly creamy taste. Both ice creams were quite smooth, but I detected ice chips in them, which might have been due to poor handling.
Set lunch with a bottle of still water came up to about $38.50/pax, which is rather expensive for the quantity of food. Honestly, we wouldn't have been full if not for the multiple servings of the wonderful bread. Quality wise, it is commendable and I find it comparable to Senso. However there is a sense that Garibaldi's food offers more finesse, albeit in smaller portions. Service is very professional and attentive but lacks friendliness.
As you stroll through Ritz Carlton's grand lobby, hotel staff greet you affably and even offer to show you to the door of the restaurant. Once inside, a moderate sized room with floor to ceiling windows greet you, with a view of a typical ancient Chinese garden complete with walls and bamboo shoots on one side and the magnificent lobby entrance on the other. And let me assure you that it is nothing short of breathtaking, especially when you get a table thats flanked by both the lobby and the garden. Well we were lucky enough to get such a table.
The only other place that I had the delectable appetiser of Deep Fried Yam Slices was Li Bai. Crisp yet fragrant, a great way to start off any meal.
Now when I ordered the Double Boiled Shark's Fin Soup with Chicken, Ham and Chinese Cabbage, I was expecting it to be full of anything but Shark's Fin for its price ($16). Boy, was I wrong. It had enough Shark's Fin in it to put other restaurants $30 rendition to shame. And mind you, the fins were of very decent quality. The soup was light, not too starchy and flavourful due to the addition of chicken, ham and Chinese cabbage which also gave it that extra chew. But I did find the ham a little weird tasting though.
Shark cartilage soup is supposed to be good for the bones and old people like me need quite a bit of it. The Double Boiled Shark's Cartilage Soup with Fish Maw looked and tasted milky with a slightly salty aftertaste. But somehow I found it a wee bit too heavy on the taste. Certainly not the best shark's cartilage soup I've ever tried, but certainly a very commendable offering.
The Wok-Fried stuffed King Prawn in Japanese Style came as the surprise of the night. When it was first served, both my gf and I thought that it was fish, but upon closer inspection, it was actually a gigantic prawn covered in thick gravy. For us to erroneously believe that it was a slice of fish, you can imagine how huge it was (its called king prawn for a reason). The prawn was covered in a garlic infused gravy and tasted very fresh and crunchy, with the garlicky taste complementing the natural sweetness of the prawn very well.
For those who have never tried fish noodles, Summer Pavilion gives you a reason to try. The Poached Fish Noodle Soup with Lobster have a very springy and chewy texture, allowing for more sensation as you chomp through it. The soup tastes suspiciously like that of prawn noodles, albeit a much lighter and soothing version, with little chunks of lobster meat swimming around in it. Best of all, it doesn't cost you an arm or a leg for a bowl ($8).
You might be wondering, whats zucchini doing in a Chinese restaurant? Well, as the name suggests, the Steamed Zucchini Flower stuffed with Prawn, Chicken and Mushroom is a whole zucchini flower stuffed with prawn, chicken and mushroom and then steamed. The result? A nice crunchy stem and a rather delightful paste of prawn, chicken and mushroom with a slight zucchini taste. Interesting dish to say the least and I fancy it quite a bit. Pity about the single flower serving though.
The Baked Marinated Silver Cod Fish with Champagne Sauce was excellently executed. The cod fish was very fresh, soft and tender, with the Champagne sauce being a little strong and sweet. Certainly not strong enough to knock your socks off, but strong enough for you to appreciate its presence. Savour the richness of the champagne and the delicate flesh of the fish with every mouthful. Certainly a dish to tantalise your tastebuds.
The Red Bean Paste Pancake came slightly different from the usual ones that I've tried. The crust wasn't flaky and looked like it had been deep fried instead of pan fried. The difference is obvious from the first bite. The deep fried crust is very thin and crispy and certainly ups the enjoyment factor (for me at least). The red bean paste isn't too sweet, but other than that, comes across as normal. I personally find this one of the best, if not the best Red Bean Paste Pancake that I've ever tried. If you are a fan of this dish, be sure not to miss it.
Shaw Lido used to be my fav cinema as it is located right smack in the middle of orchard road. Lido 1,2 and 3 is big at that time. Erhh.... I jz dun like Lido 4,5, 6 and 7. Too small with a very small screen. They should have jz combined Lido 5,6 and 7 into a cinema.
I can bring in any food that I buy from Subway, Mac or KFC and eat while enjoying the show. When they first started internet booking, they are the 1st cinema to allow to choose seats when booking as well.
However, now I dun like to go back as they dun have any credit card discount for the tickets unlike GV or Cathay. Less Lido 1 and 2, the rest of the cinemas are old and smelly. Dun get me starting on the leg space.
They should buck up in oder to catch up with GV or Cathay. Have more leg room. Change their seats. Have some discount with some credit card company. When all these happens, I will be back to Lido!
Italian food was on the cards on Saturday night as my gf had a craving for pasta. Settling for OSO Ristorante along Tanjong Pagar Road, we were dismayed to discover that it was full when I called in to make reservations. Nevertheless, some kind soul gave up his/her seat and we managed to squeeze our reservation through. Just a little insight into OSO. They fall under the same umbrella as PaPi, but prices are higher and food is decidedly finer.
From the moment you step in, the staff at OSO treat you with due respect. The interior is kept simple and modern, but rather haphazard if you ask me, owing to the dabs of Chinese New Year decorations around. But all in all a rather nice and comfortable place except for the fact that the tables are way to close to each other. It's still alright if there's no one seating beside you, but unfortunately for us, there were these 2 guys who were literally too close for comfort. Anyways, on to the food.
The Pan Fried Eggs "Tegamino" with Black Truffle Puree and Mixed Cheese Fondue was a rather interesting dish and came served up in a hot pan. It certainly didn't look the least bit appetising due to the huge portholes on the surface of the egg. Taste wise, I found it pretty unusual due to the mixture of the cheese, egg and black truffle. It tasted eggy and cheesy with a slightly salty and bitter presence due to the black truffle, which was not too bad actually. My gf found it gross though, so the verdict's still out.
My gf was all applause for the "Spaghetti" with Mixed Seafood, Garlic, Peperoncino and Tomato Sauce and I tend to veer in that direction too. The spaghetti was cooked to perfection - chewy and firm with a wonderful tomato sauce which didn't come across as too overwhelming. Pepperoncino adds that tinge of spiciness and garlic brings out the aroma. Add in fresh seafood and viola, you have a dish which speaks true to your tastebuds. Honestly, this is probably one of the few tomato based pastas that I have eaten and not feel overwhelmed by the tomato taste.
With the rather impressive quality of food so far, I had high hopes for the Ossobuco, having had the chance to experience a wonderful rendition at Senso some months back. My expectations were probably over the roof and OSO's Ossobuco didn't quite match up. Sure the meat was soft and fall off the bone tender, but it lacked that firm texture. Ironically, the star of this dish was not the veal, but the potato puree. The puree tasted so smooth that at a certain point, I was wondering if it was butter or puree.
The Oven Baked "Banana" Cake and Cardamom Caramel was a decent effort, but I found it a little under baked as the cake was still a little too moist and sticky. Real bananas were used in the making, not essence, which was definitely a plus. However, I wonder about the type of bananas used as the taste was a little flat. Using Ang Ba Jio would probably have been better.
I like the Hot Dark Chocolate Tart "Crostata" with Milk Ice Cream. Period. The semi molten dark chocolate is enclosed by a ring of fresh oven baked tart which is gloriously baked till golden brown and crumbly with a strong oven baked taste. Once the enclosure is compromised, the dark chocolate wobbles out and is best eaten together with the sweet milk ice cream and tart. The amalgamation is one step short of stupendous (alright I might be biased because I like chocolate and I like tarts).
A very filling dinner for 2 pax cost $99.05 (after 15% discount), which is rather reasonable for Italian restaurants of this calibre. Service is good, but can be less uptight at times, which would make for a relaxing dining experience. But then again, they are probably trying to portray an image that is in line with OSO's semi fine dining concept. I'll probably revisit if and only if they do something about the lack of personal space. My gf and I certainly do not appreciate being gawked at when we are eating or trying to have a conversation nor are we interested in hearing other people's conversations. Oh and yes, if you do want to visit during the weekends, please please please make reservations.
Cotton On is a reputable Australian brand that sells plenty of basics at low prices! It had a super long queue in its store on a sleepy Monday afternoon, so you can take my word for it.
Plenty of basics and a good number of printed Tees to go too. They have all styles : spaghetti tops, tanks, short sleeves, dresses, bermudas, shorts, etc. ANd don't be mistaken, they have stuff for guys too.
You know what I love most about them? Their tops are LONG. Absolutely perfect for low waist/ hipster jeans. And they have plenty of promotions like 2 for $20 tops, and even $10 dresses and $5 slippers!
And every style comes in a good number of colours to suit everyone.
I was telling myself to save money... but I went in bought myself two tops for $20, another for $12 and a dress for $20 !! And no regrets really. I love all of them. :)
I'll definitely be back and hope you'll be there too!
Tonkichi Restaurant is a Japanese Restie situated in Isetan Scotts itself. It's on Level 4 where you find the household items. :) It was a little tricky to locate at first.
The ambience Pretty much normal. It was quiet this Monday afternoon. So I was really comfortable with that. The decor is the conventional Jap sorts, though it doesn't require you to kneel on the floor. Better for gatherings than romantic dates I'd say though. Good for business meetings where they have booths at the side for more privacy.
Food Ordered (All listed below were sets served with rice) Oyster Fry Prawn and Crab Chicken Teriyaki Ju (mine) Shoyu Rosu (pork) Katsu Dory (Fried fish curry)
I had the Chicken Teriyaki Ju. Honestly I didn't find it fantastic. It was better than some places I've been to but not the best certainly. The rice was good, soft and sticky. Just the way it should be. The chicken was crisp and well covered in the teriyaki sauce. The sauce was pretty much like those you find in the supermarkets but it wasn't diluted (at least). It was going for $18 complete with the appetizer which I refused to try because the meat didn't look like chicken ( I only eat chicken and fish) and miso soup (of course.)
My other companions didn't have any problems with their food. I tried some of the pork tenderloin. It was ok, but had some fatty bits in it which is the reason why I try to stay away from pork. They all loved the oyster fry though. Could see that it looked really good though I couldn't have it today as my skin was acting up.
The service The staff was quite alert, filling up our cups time and again. But then the restaurant was pretty empty so that would have been expected. The tea was barely warm so it turned cold really fast. But everyone was all smiles and they were very polite so that was good.
The damage $111 for 5 people. I would say reasonable at about $22 per person.
I have eaten at a lot of Ya Kun outlets but ahve to say that this is the ORGINIAL YA KUN outlet and everything was done to prefection, from the eggs to the toast to the drinks.
This is the place I will go when I need a quick fix for coffee, tea and snacks!
The service at all outlets especially the one at Ngee Ann City is usually fast, good and friendly.
There is a lot of drinks, both coffee or tea, hot or cold to choose from. There is a lso a range of cakes to choose form as well. Most of them are very good.
Personally I loved to eat my breakfast there as their selection is a lot and generous in their portion as well.
Go to their website, they got special offer on Cake of the month where they got $10 discount of the whole cake when ordered online. They also got a coffeebean card where can accumulate points to be used to redeem their items or to convert into cash.
Rating given:
This is the first place that I will think of when I have the craving for Dim Sum. This place although small and usually packed to the brim, serves the dim sum in the old Hong Kong Style where you got waitress pushing or carrying carts with dim sum on it going around and shouting out what they have.
How hot is this place? Well Jz say that if you dun make reservations and go down hoping to get a table. Prepare to wait for some time ok! Hee... Of cos they will try to make your waiting time as short as possible.
The food there especially the dim sum is very good and fresh. Other than the normal dim sum they also got traditional teochew food which is also good!
The price is average and definitely worth to give it a try if you are a dim sum lover!
Rating given:
I only been to this place once and I have to say that I am not going back again!
The service is slow and hard to get the attention of the “busy” waiters.
The waiting time for the food is also quite slow even though I told the waiter to hasten as we got a show to catch soon!
The food. Well jz say I prefer Fish and Co better!
So overall, to me it is jz another copycat of Fish and Co.
***Updated on 12 Mar 08***
Decided to head to The Manhattan Fish Market @ Plaza Singapura for dinner since there are great reviews in Yebber and while waiting for my movie to start. So with slightly high expectation, we headed towards the restaurant. Well it took sometime for us to decide between this or Fish & Co, as we did not have a very nice time when we first visited it ages ago.
We are surprised to see that there was no queue, as from past experience, when it was dinner time; there was always a small queue outside. Maybe we were lucky to reach the place slightly before dinner time. When we reached the entrance, we were ushered to our seats. The decoration of the place is pretty much like Fish & Co. Not surprised to find it that way, as their bosses used to be from Fish & Co in the first place (if I am not wrong). Even the pans they served their seafood in, used to be the same as Fish & Co, until Fish & Co took action on it then they replaced it with square pans. They also have large LCD showing people scuba diving and underwater scenes. All these just make me want to go scuba diving now.
Back to the dinner, so when we were seated, we were given the menu and nothing else. While we were deciding what to eat, they did not even serve us ice water. Minus points for their service. The place also started to get crowded at the same and they seem understaffed as well, all the waiters and waitresses, including the managers are running around. Took us 5 mins before we can get attention of one waiter to place our order. The irony thing is we are seated right next to the service counter and the kitchen where all of them are running in and out. Minus point again.
So we decided to order the following:
Fried Country Mushroom @ $9.90: This is the only good thing out of the whole meal. The portion is generous. The mushrooms are light coated with a thin layer of batter. It is not over-fried and does not have an oily after taste. The mushroom is full of its natural flavor and juicy as well. The dip provided compliments the mushroom well. I am quite surprised that they served such good mushroom here. To me, this is a must try.
Manhattan Seafood Platter @ $29.90: I always like to order platter as it would have consist of everything that you must try in the restaurant. This platter consists of their fish fillet, oyster, prawns, calamari, fries and garlic rice. Before they placed the pan on the table, the staff attempted to do a stunt, by torching the prawns (to make if flaming) before your very eyes. BY doing so, it will sort of melt the sauce on the prawn and burnt the rest of the seafood around the prawns as well. Personally, this step can be removed as it does more harm to the platter, especially the food, then to get me impressed. After that stunt, there is a burnt smell. Now I understand why there is a burnt smell in the restaurant as they kept doing the torching again and again.
Back to the platter, everything in front of me was fried. Very sinful! The prawns tasted very sweet, too sweet to be its original flavor, even my partner also agrees with me. Think either they added some artificial sweetener to make it sweet or the sauce on the prawns makes it sweet. It is too sweet for my liking, so much so that I named them the fake prawns. Next the oysters, well after being deep fried; it does not taste like oyster any more. The batter is too thick and it is too oily for my liking. Calamari and the fish tasted usual (complain same as the oyster), nothing to wow about but by then I was really sick of the platter already, reason being of all the deep fried stuff. The only think I quite like it is the rice but it was partial ruined by the flaming prawns during the torching process.
Before this, I ordered a set meal or they called it Perfect Catch @ $4.90 which comes with a drink and a soup. I forgot if the soup is cream of mushroom or clam chowder. All I remember was the soup was a straight out of a can.
Somehow the service was quite good when they automatically topped up my ice water, my tartar sauce without asked for and that did added back some points in their service. However they are back to square one when I asked for the bill and waited for them to return me the bill. It took ages and I nearly missed the show because of it. Sigh…. The bill comes up to $52.60. To me it is totally so not worth it. I don’t think I will go back to this place for seafood ever again.
To me the competition between Fish & Co and Manhattan Fish Market, in terms of the food, Fish & Co won by a comfortable mile (as Simon Cowell would have put it).
Rating given:
Located in the middle (almost) of Purvis Street which is teeming with eateries, you might just miss out on Garibaldi if you are unaware because the exterior is rather plain and discreet, save for the vertical signboard hanging by the side of the building. Now this is the first time that I've been to a restaurant which utilizes heavy sliding doors in favour of push/pull doors and that really says something about their target market - well heeled individuals/executives. The sliding doors act as a natural filter to "sieve" out your average Joe. Well lets just leave it at that. As you are being ushered into the small main dining area, which can probably seat about 30 people or so, the solemness of the interior weighs down on you. Decor is sombre and minimalistic, with racks of wine displayed prominently in the foreground. Seats are plush and comfortable, but can be taxing on your back if you don't lean backwards.
I certainly feel that the complimentary servings of bread warrant a section all by itself. The bread was fragrant with a slightly crispy exterior that belied its soft and fluffy interior. However, what sets it apart from other breads is its taste. It had this slightly cheesy aftertaste which would melt the hearts of even the most ardent detractors. I attribute this great taste to the bits of Mozzarella cheese that I noticed on the bread crust. It would be a shame if you visit Garibaldi and not have second or third servings of this bread.
Compared to the veal I had at PaPi, which was laden with sauce, Garibaldi's Roast Veal in Tuna Sauce exercised more constrain and the tuna sauce was used sparingly. The result? A much better tasting veal with more bite which didn't look lost in a sea of sauce. However, having said that, I find it rather sad because tuna was the dominant flavour instead of veal.
Its funny how you order chicken in an Italian restaurant and wonder how its going to turn out. Well, my Chicken Breast with Zucchini Smoked Cheese and Spicy Tomato turned out just fine. The chicken breast was extremely tender and had some sort of buoyancy in it, which tasted a wee bit unnatural. Come to think of it, the chicken was so smooth and tender that I couldn't detect any fibrous shreds. Work of a master or something else? Taste wise, it was great, with the chicken absorbing the smoky flavours perfectly and with lots of succulent juices to boot. But it did tend towards the salty side. The zucchini with cheese was done right, as evidenced by the grill marks on the zucchini.
There wasn't a choice with the desserts, so everyone had the same thing, which was a scoop of Pistachio ice cream and one of Hazelnut. Personally I prefered the Hazelnut ice cream as it tasted familiarly like Ferraro Roche chocolates. The Pistachio ice cream, on the other hand, didn't taste quite like Pistachio and had a slightly creamy taste. Both ice creams were quite smooth, but I detected ice chips in them, which might have been due to poor handling.
Set lunch with a bottle of still water came up to about $38.50/pax, which is rather expensive for the quantity of food. Honestly, we wouldn't have been full if not for the multiple servings of the wonderful bread. Quality wise, it is commendable and I find it comparable to Senso. However there is a sense that Garibaldi's food offers more finesse, albeit in smaller portions. Service is very professional and attentive but lacks friendliness.
See all my photos here
Rating given:
As you stroll through Ritz Carlton's grand lobby, hotel staff greet you affably and even offer to show you to the door of the restaurant. Once inside, a moderate sized room with floor to ceiling windows greet you, with a view of a typical ancient Chinese garden complete with walls and bamboo shoots on one side and the magnificent lobby entrance on the other. And let me assure you that it is nothing short of breathtaking, especially when you get a table thats flanked by both the lobby and the garden. Well we were lucky enough to get such a table.
The only other place that I had the delectable appetiser of Deep Fried Yam Slices was Li Bai. Crisp yet fragrant, a great way to start off any meal.
Now when I ordered the Double Boiled Shark's Fin Soup with Chicken, Ham and Chinese Cabbage, I was expecting it to be full of anything but Shark's Fin for its price ($16). Boy, was I wrong. It had enough Shark's Fin in it to put other restaurants $30 rendition to shame. And mind you, the fins were of very decent quality. The soup was light, not too starchy and flavourful due to the addition of chicken, ham and Chinese cabbage which also gave it that extra chew. But I did find the ham a little weird tasting though.
Shark cartilage soup is supposed to be good for the bones and old people like me need quite a bit of it. The Double Boiled Shark's Cartilage Soup with Fish Maw looked and tasted milky with a slightly salty aftertaste. But somehow I found it a wee bit too heavy on the taste. Certainly not the best shark's cartilage soup I've ever tried, but certainly a very commendable offering.
The Wok-Fried stuffed King Prawn in Japanese Style came as the surprise of the night. When it was first served, both my gf and I thought that it was fish, but upon closer inspection, it was actually a gigantic prawn covered in thick gravy. For us to erroneously believe that it was a slice of fish, you can imagine how huge it was (its called king prawn for a reason). The prawn was covered in a garlic infused gravy and tasted very fresh and crunchy, with the garlicky taste complementing the natural sweetness of the prawn very well.
For those who have never tried fish noodles, Summer Pavilion gives you a reason to try. The Poached Fish Noodle Soup with Lobster have a very springy and chewy texture, allowing for more sensation as you chomp through it. The soup tastes suspiciously like that of prawn noodles, albeit a much lighter and soothing version, with little chunks of lobster meat swimming around in it. Best of all, it doesn't cost you an arm or a leg for a bowl ($8).
You might be wondering, whats zucchini doing in a Chinese restaurant? Well, as the name suggests, the Steamed Zucchini Flower stuffed with Prawn, Chicken and Mushroom is a whole zucchini flower stuffed with prawn, chicken and mushroom and then steamed. The result? A nice crunchy stem and a rather delightful paste of prawn, chicken and mushroom with a slight zucchini taste. Interesting dish to say the least and I fancy it quite a bit. Pity about the single flower serving though.
The Baked Marinated Silver Cod Fish with Champagne Sauce was excellently executed. The cod fish was very fresh, soft and tender, with the Champagne sauce being a little strong and sweet. Certainly not strong enough to knock your socks off, but strong enough for you to appreciate its presence. Savour the richness of the champagne and the delicate flesh of the fish with every mouthful. Certainly a dish to tantalise your tastebuds.
The Red Bean Paste Pancake came slightly different from the usual ones that I've tried. The crust wasn't flaky and looked like it had been deep fried instead of pan fried. The difference is obvious from the first bite. The deep fried crust is very thin and crispy and certainly ups the enjoyment factor (for me at least). The red bean paste isn't too sweet, but other than that, comes across as normal. I personally find this one of the best, if not the best Red Bean Paste Pancake that I've ever tried. If you are a fan of this dish, be sure not to miss it.
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Shaw Lido used to be my fav cinema as it is located right smack in the middle of orchard road. Lido 1,2 and 3 is big at that time. Erhh.... I jz dun like Lido 4,5, 6 and 7. Too small with a very small screen. They should have jz combined Lido 5,6 and 7 into a cinema.
I can bring in any food that I buy from Subway, Mac or KFC and eat while enjoying the show. When they first started internet booking, they are the 1st cinema to allow to choose seats when booking as well.
However, now I dun like to go back as they dun have any credit card discount for the tickets unlike GV or Cathay. Less Lido 1 and 2, the rest of the cinemas are old and smelly. Dun get me starting on the leg space.
They should buck up in oder to catch up with GV or Cathay. Have more leg room. Change their seats. Have some discount with some credit card company. When all these happens, I will be back to Lido!
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Italian food was on the cards on Saturday night as my gf had a craving for pasta. Settling for OSO Ristorante along Tanjong Pagar Road, we were dismayed to discover that it was full when I called in to make reservations. Nevertheless, some kind soul gave up his/her seat and we managed to squeeze our reservation through. Just a little insight into OSO. They fall under the same umbrella as PaPi, but prices are higher and food is decidedly finer.
From the moment you step in, the staff at OSO treat you with due respect. The interior is kept simple and modern, but rather haphazard if you ask me, owing to the dabs of Chinese New Year decorations around. But all in all a rather nice and comfortable place except for the fact that the tables are way to close to each other. It's still alright if there's no one seating beside you, but unfortunately for us, there were these 2 guys who were literally too close for comfort. Anyways, on to the food.
The Pan Fried Eggs "Tegamino" with Black Truffle Puree and Mixed Cheese Fondue was a rather interesting dish and came served up in a hot pan. It certainly didn't look the least bit appetising due to the huge portholes on the surface of the egg. Taste wise, I found it pretty unusual due to the mixture of the cheese, egg and black truffle. It tasted eggy and cheesy with a slightly salty and bitter presence due to the black truffle, which was not too bad actually. My gf found it gross though, so the verdict's still out.
My gf was all applause for the "Spaghetti" with Mixed Seafood, Garlic, Peperoncino and Tomato Sauce and I tend to veer in that direction too. The spaghetti was cooked to perfection - chewy and firm with a wonderful tomato sauce which didn't come across as too overwhelming. Pepperoncino adds that tinge of spiciness and garlic brings out the aroma. Add in fresh seafood and viola, you have a dish which speaks true to your tastebuds. Honestly, this is probably one of the few tomato based pastas that I have eaten and not feel overwhelmed by the tomato taste.
With the rather impressive quality of food so far, I had high hopes for the Ossobuco, having had the chance to experience a wonderful rendition at Senso some months back. My expectations were probably over the roof and OSO's Ossobuco didn't quite match up. Sure the meat was soft and fall off the bone tender, but it lacked that firm texture. Ironically, the star of this dish was not the veal, but the potato puree. The puree tasted so smooth that at a certain point, I was wondering if it was butter or puree.
The Oven Baked "Banana" Cake and Cardamom Caramel was a decent effort, but I found it a little under baked as the cake was still a little too moist and sticky. Real bananas were used in the making, not essence, which was definitely a plus. However, I wonder about the type of bananas used as the taste was a little flat. Using Ang Ba Jio would probably have been better.
I like the Hot Dark Chocolate Tart "Crostata" with Milk Ice Cream. Period. The semi molten dark chocolate is enclosed by a ring of fresh oven baked tart which is gloriously baked till golden brown and crumbly with a strong oven baked taste. Once the enclosure is compromised, the dark chocolate wobbles out and is best eaten together with the sweet milk ice cream and tart. The amalgamation is one step short of stupendous (alright I might be biased because I like chocolate and I like tarts).
A very filling dinner for 2 pax cost $99.05 (after 15% discount), which is rather reasonable for Italian restaurants of this calibre. Service is good, but can be less uptight at times, which would make for a relaxing dining experience. But then again, they are probably trying to portray an image that is in line with OSO's semi fine dining concept. I'll probably revisit if and only if they do something about the lack of personal space. My gf and I certainly do not appreciate being gawked at when we are eating or trying to have a conversation nor are we interested in hearing other people's conversations. Oh and yes, if you do want to visit during the weekends, please please please make reservations.
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Cotton On is a reputable Australian brand that sells plenty of basics at low prices! It had a super long queue in its store on a sleepy Monday afternoon, so you can take my word for it.
Plenty of basics and a good number of printed Tees to go too. They have all styles : spaghetti tops, tanks, short sleeves, dresses, bermudas, shorts, etc. ANd don't be mistaken, they have stuff for guys too.
You know what I love most about them? Their tops are LONG. Absolutely perfect for low waist/ hipster jeans. And they have plenty of promotions like 2 for $20 tops, and even $10 dresses and $5 slippers!
And every style comes in a good number of colours to suit everyone.
I was telling myself to save money... but I went in bought myself two tops for $20, another for $12 and a dress for $20 !! And no regrets really. I love all of them. :)
I'll definitely be back and hope you'll be there too!
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Tonkichi Restaurant is a Japanese Restie situated in Isetan Scotts itself. It's on Level 4 where you find the household items. :) It was a little tricky to locate at first.
The ambience
Pretty much normal. It was quiet this Monday afternoon. So I was really comfortable with that. The decor is the conventional Jap sorts, though it doesn't require you to kneel on the floor. Better for gatherings than romantic dates I'd say though. Good for business meetings where they have booths at the side for more privacy.
Food Ordered (All listed below were sets served with rice)
Oyster Fry
Prawn and Crab
Chicken Teriyaki Ju (mine)
Shoyu Rosu (pork)
Katsu Dory (Fried fish curry)
I had the Chicken Teriyaki Ju. Honestly I didn't find it fantastic. It was better than some places I've been to but not the best certainly. The rice was good, soft and sticky. Just the way it should be. The chicken was crisp and well covered in the teriyaki sauce. The sauce was pretty much like those you find in the supermarkets but it wasn't diluted (at least). It was going for $18 complete with the appetizer which I refused to try because the meat didn't look like chicken ( I only eat chicken and fish) and miso soup (of course.)
My other companions didn't have any problems with their food. I tried some of the pork tenderloin. It was ok, but had some fatty bits in it which is the reason why I try to stay away from pork. They all loved the oyster fry though. Could see that it looked really good though I couldn't have it today as my skin was acting up.
The service
The staff was quite alert, filling up our cups time and again. But then the restaurant was pretty empty so that would have been expected. The tea was barely warm so it turned cold really fast. But everyone was all smiles and they were very polite so that was good.
The damage
$111 for 5 people. I would say reasonable at about $22 per person.
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I have eaten at a lot of Ya Kun outlets but ahve to say that this is the ORGINIAL YA KUN outlet and everything was done to prefection, from the eggs to the toast to the drinks.
I will always drop by if I am around the area.
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