If you are into retro themed hotels, Hotel Re!, a rather new addition to the boutique hotel scene in Singapore, might just be what you are looking for. However, I'm not so much a hotel person and I'm actually more interested in what the restaurant (in this case, Re!Fill) has to offer.
Personally I think the cafe's decor is clean and cozy but I don't quite see signs or indications of a retro theme. Well, except maybe for the psychedelic strips of wallpaper that adorn the L boxes. There is a different lunch menu each day and you get to choose 1 of 2 main courses that are available each day. Everything else (appetisers and dessert) is pre decided, which can be good or bad, depending on your personal preferences.
Complimentary Bread - Decent but tasted not unlike a packaged loaf of bread off the supermarket shelf, nicely toasted and served up with a small container of SCS salted butter. Simple but satisfying.
Seasoned Baby Octopus, Egg Foo Yong, Sweet Potato & Taro Fritter - I liked how everything was presented in one long platter in bite sized portions. The baby octopus was a tad sweet and chewy whilst the Egg Foo Yong tasted savoury and all but had so much oil in it that it made my heart beat faster. Just imagine the oil from the egg sitting in a shooter glass. Gross. Luckily the fritter didn't turn out to be an oil sponge as well but I did find the flour a little too thick. Still crisp and enjoyable in small quantities though.
Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crabmeat - Although I could make out respectable slivers of shark's fin and crab meat, the soup was too starchy and rather bland. But for the price of the set lunch, I really shouldn't be complaining.
Salted Egg Prawn, Parisienne of Fruits & Almond Flake, Garlic Fried Rice, Sauteed Asparagus - I'm usually a fan of salted egg prawns but this one seemed a little too moist and soggy for my liking. Flavour was also lacking and honestly, the salted egg coating was aesthetically unpleasing. But at least it was edible.
Wok Fried Duck Breast with Olive Vegetable, Garlic Fried Rice, Sauteed Asparagus - At first glance, I thought the duck slices looked uncannily like beef. Even the texture was similar to the beef slices you would find at a typical beef hor fun stall - chewy from the addition of lots of flour. Compounding matters was the fact that the duck just tasted salty with a dash of pepper. No inherent fowl taste whatsoever.
Hotel Re! Temptation Delight - It sounded grand but came as a flop. I liked the presentation but the taste left much to be desired. In short, everything tasted out of sorts and even something as basic as the lychee agar agar tasted artificial. Ditto the apple crumble.
I have read rave reviews online about the food at Re!Fill but unfortunately, mine turned out to be a disaster. Honestly, $49 nett for 2 pax for set lunch isn't over the top and service was decent. However, food quality really needs to buck up in my humble opinion. And the number of customers the cafe had that day was testament to that. We were pretty much the only table that afternoon. Only when we were about to leave did a couple drop by.
The opening of myVillage @ Serangoon Gardens has added a variety of new restaurants to the area, with mostly established brands like Da Paolo, Shin Kushiya and Old Hong Kong vying for pole position in this vibrant dining scene. Enthralled by the prospect of having dim sum in the neighbourhood, we dropped by Old Hong Kong Taste (OHKT for short) - one of the 4 restaurants under the Old Hong Kong Group.
OHKT's open kitchen greeted us as we took the escalator up to the 2nd floor of the mall, allowing us a peek at the culinary maestros ( I hope!) who would be whipping up our orders soon.
There is a variety of tea, ranging from Rose Tea to Longan Tea, all served up in a glass kettle atop a glass stove with a candle to keep the tea warm.
The appetiser was simple yet satisfying. Anchovies dotted the beancurd cubes alongside sweet chopped chilli - would have loved seconds or a bigger serving.
Dim Sum in The Cage - I was intrigued by the name, however gimmicky it may have sounded. This dim sum platter had a combination of various items such as -
Bird Nest Egg Tart - The custard was quivery and not too sweet with strands of birds nest. Couldn't make out any taste or texture from the birds nest so it's really just a gimmick. Crust was a tad too soft for my liking.
Deep Fried Prawn Wanton - A little too oily but prawns were plentiful. Best eaten with the bowl of accompanying soup.
Deep Fried Prawn Roll with Cheese - Lots of prawns but lacking in cheese, which made it rather similar in taste to the prawn wanton. Best eaten with Mayonnaise.
Siew Mai - Full of bite without too much fatty meat. Prawns fresh and crunchy.
Har Gao - The skin was a little too thick for my liking but the generous serving of crunch prawns made up for it.
Steamed Mushroom Wrap - As with the Har Gao, the wrap was a wee bit too thick for comfort but I did appreciate the mushrooms which didn't come across as too overwhelming.
Marinated Duck - A signature dish of OHKT, the duck came across as rather gamy but tender with a bit of roughage for a nice chewing sensation. The accompanying beancurd slices were very smooth and overall, quite a good dish.
Braised Homemade Beancurd with Scallops & Mushrooms - I loved this dish. Not because it's beancurd but because it was very well executed. Topped with generous servings of sliced scallops and mushrooms, the beancurd was silky and had a nice savoury charred taste to it.
Bo Lo Bun with Barbecued Pork - Served up piping hot, the Bo Lo Bun was decent with the BBQ pork pieces soaking in the mildly sweet and viscous gravy. Only gripe? The flour was a tad too thick and dry.
Steamed Egg Yolk Custard Bun - Now this was rather disappointing. Sure, it had molten custard oozing out with a breach in the shell but the custard was a tad overwhelming and I couldn't make out any traces of egg yolk sediment. I've had better.
Lunch cost the both of us about $83 after taxes which honestly isn't cheap for the amount/type of dishes we ordered and the location. However I must admit that overall, food quality was above average and this meal was worth it (well, except for the Bo Lo buns and the Custard buns). I will definitely be back but this time I'll be more inclined towards ordering from the ala carte menu rather than the dim sum menu.
The Paradise group is expanding rapidly nowadays, extending on its brand name to create various eateries in an attempt to cater to practically everybody and anybody who eats Chinese food. Paradise Inn is one such entity, being marketed as an affordable restaurant, tea house and dessert house all rolled into one.
We had a go at the Bedok Point outlet of Paradise Inn, which sported large windows framed by wooden partitions and interesting looking wood cage lamps. Bright sunlight flittered in, giving rise to a cheery atmosphere sans the heat.
Thai Baby Kailan with Salted Fish - This dish came across as rather slip shod as the Kailan failed to absorb the gravy and came across as lightly sourish and raw. And the little bits of salted fish weren't salty enough to make much of a difference.
Prawns with Salted Egg - I'm a big fan of this dish but somehow Paradise Inn's rendition left much to be desired. For starters, it didn't look freshly prepared and the amount of oil was a turn off. Adding to the woes was the rather watery salted egg coating and thicker than ideal batter. However, taste wise it was still decent.
Sweet and Sour Pork - Restaurants tend to use quite a bit of fat meat in their sweet and sour pork dish and Paradise Inn was no exemption. The miniscule amount of meat tended towards the fatty side and the flour was too thick in my humble opinion. Average at best.
Mini Wok Tofu - Seafood Paradise has the exact same dish, just under a different name (and with significantly more ingredients) that's all. The tofu was soft but not exactly smooth and lacked the hint of smokiness that the one at Seafood Paradise offered. The portion of meat floss atop was found wanting as well. Still very palatable though.
Honestly, $65 for a 3 pax lunch isn't really expensive but quite a few of the dishes are similar to that of Seafood Paradise, albeit with a decrease in portion size and utilisation of inferior ingredients. Food overall is still decent though and so is the service. However I am not comfortable with the dilution of the Paradise brand name, one that I've always associated with above average quality food (save for the less than stellar experience at Taste Paradise Ion). Is the Paradise group really biting off more than it can chew? Only time will tell.
The Paradise group of restaurants recently added a Hong Kong style cafe, Kungfu Paradise, to its ever expanding stable of restaurants which include well known outlets like Taste Paradise and Seafood Paradise. To mark the opening of Kungfu Paradise's first outlet at Bedok Point, invites were sent out for a tasting lunch, which I had the opportunity to attend.
Located on the first level of Bedok Point, Kungfu Paradise enjoys relatively higher human traffic by virtue of it being situated right next to the main doors of the mall. The interior is typical of any cafe with its wooden tables and plastic chairs. Funny how they aim to target the youth but are playing songs by Bon Jovi (which happens to fall smack into my era).
Kungfu Disciple Frappe ($6.80) - I have no idea how kungfu relates to peanut butter but this drink had a nice hint of it - smooth and creamy. Great for a soothing afternoon drink. But at $6.80 a pop, it's honestly quite expensive to be drinking on a regular basis.
Flying Kungfu Wings ($5.80 for 3pcs) - The wings were said to have been marinated in a special secret sauce but after chomping through one whole wing, it tasted to me like a deep fried chicken wing with a nice crispy layer of skin and no marination whatsoever. Special sauce you say?
Balls On Mash ($9.80) - As the name of this dish suggests, its basically meat balls on mashed potato. Decent with not too much flour and a tart tomato sauce which helped to balance out the mashed potatoes.
French Toast with Chicken Floss & Condensed Milk ($5.80) - I personally am not a fan of condensed milk on my bread so I didn't quite take to the french toast, which was a little too moist and sticky for my liking.
Chicken Chop "Babe" Rice with Tomato Sauce ($9.80) - Too salty was what came to mind when I had a spoonful of the cheese and rice. The tomato sauce was also a bit too overwhelming which grossed me out to a certain extent. It would have been better if they diluted it a little.
Soup Noodles with Braised Beef Brisket ($8.80) - How bad can instant noodles get? Doesn't take a chef to pry open a packet of instant noodles, add the seasoning and throw in pieces of beef and an egg. To give it credit though, the beef cubes were quite tasty and fibrous.
Flaming Crab Pasta ($10.80) - Spicy. And not being really adept at taking on spicy stuff, I am in no position to comment on this dish, save for the fact that the pasta wasn't al dente. Actually my taste buds were numb from the chilli and I was busy trying to douse the flames with water to even register anything besides hot, hot hot!
Be Hooked! ($9.80) - Simple fish and chips. Smooth and tender flesh coupled with an almost artificial sweetness encrusted by a not too thick layer of batter. Decent.
Mango Thai Chilli Chicken with Rice & Egg ($8.80) - The chicken was way too deep fried (look at the colour of the batter), resulting in a nausea inducing end product. Other than that, everything was, well, normal.
Nippon Power & Crushing Sesame ($6.80 each) - A nice cold dessert of shaved ice to end off the meal. Nothing too different from what you are able to get from other places.
I am not sure the quirky names appealed to me but the food certainly didn't. It was average food at best and I hope Kungfu Paradise will work towards improving their quality of food especially with the higher than average prices (as compared to other Hong Kong style cafes) they are charging for their food.
Finally got down to posting about the 2nd edition of Restaurant Week Singapore, which happened from the 21st to 27th March 2011 (Yes I know it's long overdue). With all the prominent restaurants (think Les Amis, St Julien, The Cliff etc) fully booked even before reservations were open to public, I had to settle (with some luck and fast fingers) for Capricci - the best of the remaining lot in my personal opinion.
And so we made our way down on a cool Tuesday evening and were ushered to a table smacked in the middle of the dining room and sandwiched between 2 others. So much for a romantic evening, especially since we were within earshot of the other tables and vice versa. But I've got to give it to Capricci. The place was tastefully done up with ambient lighting and oozed a serene sort of comfort - great for winding down after work, if only the table placements were better.
Complimentary Bread & Cream of Tomato - I honestly have no idea if the cream of tomato was meant to be consumed as a standalone but I had it with the complimentary bread, which had a positive effect of elevating the boring, bland piece of dough to one that had a nice creaminess with a lightly tart bearing.
Seafood Burger of Crabmeat and Salmon and Mix Salad - Personally I wasn't a fan of the seafood burger as it was way too fishy for my liking due to the combination of crab and salmon. So no comments.
John Dee Beef Tenderloin Tartar with Truffle Oil, Shaved Parmesan and Arugula - The beef tartar was soft and overly salty in my humble opinion. But when paired together with the parmesan and arugula, it was great as the saltiness wasn't so apparent. Nice way to kick start the dinner.
Oven Baked Suckling Pig Sardinia Style with Portobello Mushroom - I certainly didn't expect the suckling pig to come looking like something out of a Sci Fi movie. Sitting on a huge piece of mushroom was a bed of pork and sheltered by what looked like a warped piece of cracker, which was actually a piece of crackling crispy pig skin! The meat was a little too gamy for my liking but the drizzled sweet sauce helped mask it a little. Not something I would go for seconds though.
Gnocchi with Slow Cooked Kurobuta Pork Ragout - Yearning for flour, I had the gnocchi with slow cooked kurobuta pork ragout, which came across as above average. The not overly thick dumplings were stuffed with cheese but didn't threaten to overwhelm. And honestly, I wasn't able to tell if the pork ragout was really kurobuta as the shreds were too fine. But hey they provided a nice mildly chewy texture.
White Chocolate Mousse with Maraschino Cherries - This dessert turned totally different from what I was expecting. I envisioned a mould of white mousse but what I got was a mini popsicle lookalike. And it was all cherry and no chocolate taste. Way too strong.
Cocoa Cream Caramel Pudding with Amaretti - The cream caramel pudding was quivery and tasted quite a fair bit like almond jelly with toppings of crispy caramel bits. Interesting but nothing really outstanding.
Owing to the restaurant week deal, both of us only had to fork out $70 or $82.40 after tax in total, which is a reasonable amount in quantitative terms. However, food quality wasn't up to my personal expectations and that might have had something to do with the discounted prices but I am unable to say for sure as I've never dined at Capricci prior to this. But I guess I'll never know as the menu somehow lacks that pull for a revisit.
Singapore's hectic pace of life has led many in search of a respite in the few remaining green lungs of our concrete city state. And I was no exception, jumping at the opportunity to take refuge one weekend morning in the lush greenery surrounding Mimo (formerly known as Mimolette) just off Bukit Timah Saddle Club.
If it's your first time to Mimo, it can get a little tricky as Fairways Drive is a small slip road off Eng Neo Ave and to get to Mimo, you need to go through the saddle club so watch out for the horses! The interior and furnishing is reminiscent of a quirky black and white pop up book (where the pictures pop up when you flip the pages). Most interesting.
Poached Egg & Crispy Bacon Salad - Stiff bacon, fresh greens and an overly cooked poached egg - nothing impressive, coming across as average at best and something I could easily whip up at home myself.
Streaky Bacon - As with the bacon found in the salad, this was grilled to a stiff crisp. From the looks and taste of it, it probably came straight from a packet off the supermarket shelf.
Sauteed Mushrooms - Served up with onions, the mushrooms were tasty but overly oily. Kinda icky to be chowing down slicker than normal mushrooms honestly.
Croque Madame - Yet another lacklustre dish, the brioche wasn't flaky or buttery enough and the whole thing tasted like McDonald's egg Mcmuffin. Not that I dislike egg Mcmuffins or anything but 15 bucks is a little too much to pay for fast food wouldn't you think so?
Mimo Beef Burger - I had high hopes for the burger but as pretty as it looked, it failed to impress. Topped with sun dried tomatoes and a layer of parmesan crisp, that's where the compliments end. The patty seemed to be machine chopped from its texture and was a little dry and bland. The buns were run off the mill but I personally took to the side of sweet potato and purple potato chips, which were lightly seasoned with salt for an undeniable indulgence.
French Toasts - I secretly hoped that desserts would salvage the situation and they did, to a certain extent. The french toasts were rather spongy on the inside yet a little crisp along the edges with a hint of cinnamon. Add a dollop of butter and some honey and you are all set! Far from being the best I've had, but relatively a gem at Mimo.
Coconut Pancakes - The pancakes were nicely crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside with coconut shreds in attendance. The honey was decent but a little too watered down in my humble opinion.
The respite, albeit brief, was much appreciated. I can't say the same for the food and price though, having spent just over $160 for brunch for 3. Food in general was average at best but desserts performed a little better, weighing in at just slightly above average. Service was okay but a little clueless at times. With such a value proposition, I can hardly find any reason to return. Can you?
Arranged to meet up with a friend over dinner at Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine (or ITFCC for short), purportedly the crème de la crème of the Imperial Treasure group of restaurants, which of course explains the choice of location - Marina Bay Sands.
Situated alongside the celebrity restaurants on the second floor of the Marina Bay Sands shopping arcade, ITFCC's decor is reminiscent of its sister restaurant, Imperial Treasure Cantonese - modern classical with lots of glass and sombre colours.
Roasted Pork - We started off with a well known dish from the Imperial Treasure group - roasted pork, which had a good fat to meat ratio with a crisp top. Unfortunately, it wasn't served warm and that marred the experience quite a bit.
Roasted Duck - Roast goose wasn't in the menu so we had to make do with duck instead. Lean crisp skin coupled with succulent and not too gamy flesh made for a good eat. I still prefer goose though.
Sauteed Prawns with Italian White Truffle Oil - My usual order of scallops was out so the wait staff recommended substituting with prawn balls, which on paper, sounded equally enticing. But in reality, the truffle oil just didn't gel that well with the prawns however huge and crunchy they were.
Four Types of Vegetables with Oyster Sauce - Basically the kitchen chooses what four varieties of vegetables you will be getting based on what's available on that particular day. Served up with slightly starchy oyster sauce. Decent.
Yong Chow Fried Rice - Apart from the plentiful prawns and char siew (BBQ pork), I couldn't find any other reasons to like this dish. Lacking in wok hei and tasting flat throughout, the fried rice looked the part but failed to deliver.
Durian Pudding - A sweet and smooth ending to the meal and probably the highlight of the dinner. At least the quality was consistent with what I had at Imperial Treasure Cantonese.
We could barely walk after the meal. Heck, we could barely even finish the meal, all at a cost of about $130 for 2. Going by what we ordered, that's not exactly cheap and I certainly wouldn't consider it value for money for the quality of food. Don't get me wrong, the meal wasn't bad. In fact it was above average but personally I just felt it didn't warrant such a price tag. Especially since Imperial Treasure Cantonese @ Crowne Plaza can produce better food at that price point.
Michelin starred Daniel Boulud recently opened a branch of his award winning DB Bistro Moderne (originally from New York), at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore. This top rated French- American bistro, in the words of Daniel Boulud, aims to provide Singaporeans with a "convivial, delicious and affordable" experience.
The place is reminiscent of a typical Parisian bistro with its "sidewalk" seating and striking red booth seats at the corner. Coupled with dark tones and cream backed chairs, the whole setting presented itself as soothing with a tinge of formalness. And tables are spaced far apart enough to ensure privacy during conversation, but get the booth seats if you can or the "sidewalk" seats if you are somewhat of a voyeur or enjoy being gawked at.
The Original DB Burger - Is it just me or is the size of the patty a little on the large side? Alright, large is a ridiculous understatement. The entire burger looked absolutely lopsided in favour of the beef (no complaints though!) and the buns, nothing more than puny pieces of window dressing. I asked for my patty to be done medium and it honestly looked rare but I attribute that to the sirloin short ribs being braised in red wine. Taste wise, the patty had the makings of a good burger - inherent beefy taste, juicy with bits of fat and a nice mildly uneven texture. It's only pitfall(s)? The absence of any foie gras taste (I see it, but I don't taste it) and the copious amount of salt that went into it. I like salt but trust me, this was salty. Not salty enough to keep me and my continuously refilled glass of iced water from polishing up every last morsel of it though. Ironically, the fries could have done with some salt but I guess the serving of mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup sufficed.
Profiteroles au Cafe - I am quite a fan of this classic French dessert and when I learnt that it was going to be drenched in chocolate syrup, I was sold instantly! And boy oh boy, was it drenched in chocolate. The profiteroles were stuffed with coffee rocky road ice cream, marshmallows, nuts and covered with a thin layer of chocolate. Hot chocolate sauce was then poured slowly over to melt the chocolate and coat the profiteroles were a thick layer of decadent, happiness inducing chocolate syrup. The richness of chocolate coupled with a smooth strong coffee taste - very good. Just don't consume too much as it might prove overwhelming hence the magic number of 3 per serving (I ate 4 and it really got to me).
On my part, I paid about $62 for a belly bursting brunch in a nice environment, great company and great service. My burger was decent, just too salty but the profiteroles were sinfully good. I'm not sure the burger warrants the hefty price tag of $38 though, seeing that I can probably get similar quality at Mortons and Spruce at a lower price or a significantly higher value ratio at Smokinn Frogz. However, if you are of the opinion that $38 is small change, you are more than welcome to indulge in it and for something more luxurious, there is the black truffle variant, which costs a cool $88 and is available only during dinner.
Amici, which means friends in Italian, has been around for quite a while but we've never really gotten down to trying it even though there have been quite a number of favourable reviews circulating around on the internet. That changed when we popped by the Holland Village area to buy some baking supplies and decided to give Amici a shot.
Finding the place takes some navigation skills as the place around it seems to be under construction which makes it hard to see the place until you actually walk near it. There is a small al fresco area but I wouldn't recommend that especially if you go in the afternoon and with all the construction going on. The seemingly narrow air conditioned interior lets loose a cosy vibe but watch out for the too close for comfort table spacing and the unforgiving air circulation system which will have you smelling of food within minutes.
Complimentary Bread - We got off to a nice start with the warm and crusty complimentary bread that had pockets of what seemed like cranberries. Mildly sweet and comforting.
Carbonara - The carbonara wasn't al dente but on the upside, it didn't come across as too rich which toned down the nausea inducing factor. The plentiful bacon pieces were a plus as well.
Squid Ink Pasta - Apparently a specialty at Amici, the squid ink pasta was the drenched in squid ink variant, not the made from squid ink kind, of which the latter I personally prefer. I could make out a noticeable tartness in the pasta ( I assume they probably tossed the pasta in tomato sauce first before dunking it in squid ink) which did make it more appetising. What caught my attention was the delectable pieces of cod fish that were crisp on the outside and exuded a natural sweetness from within. There was also a generous serving of squid rings which served to up the chewy factor.
Tiramisu - The desserts were certainly the stars of the evening and it started with tiramisu, which had a great sponge to mascarpone ratio. The sponge wasn't overly soaked in coffee but where's the alcohol?! Still very good though and if there's any reason I'll return to Amici, this would be it!
Cappuccino Cake - I'm no big fan of coffee but this dessert surprised me. 5 layers of sponge compacted with a thin layer of wafer in between - firm in texture with a sweet hint of coffee. The ice cream that came alongside didn't gel with me though, seeing that it was literally milk solidified and came across as overpowering.
Through the use of a voucher, we had the cheaper main course free, which brought our bill to a more manageable $56 for a 2 pax lunch. Reasonable I may say, but I'll probably only be back for the desserts. Service was decent but then again, the place wasn't packed so it's probably not a good gauge.
Had dinner at Ootoya, a casual Japanese restaurant chain with outlets in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, HK, Indonesia and more recently, Singapore. I've seen the outlets in Tokyo, but it never really occurred to me to try them out, especially with no dearth of excellent food options there.
With its discreet and minimalistic frontage, Ootoya could well be mistaken for an upclass Japanese restaurant. But walk in and be greeted by a casual, almost cafe like amostphere complete with shouts of Japanese greeting and a long U shape table (a little like a teppanyaki table except that this one doesn't have a chef standing in front of you preparing food) and small "semi private" rooms for those who have a bigger group (which we were lucky to get).
Charcoal Grilled Pork with Special Sauce ($16) - To be honest, how exciting can grilled pork get? But I was quite taken aback by how well Ootoya grilled its generous pieces of hog - Relatively tender with grilled lines to show for it and a flittering taste of charcoal smokiness. Coupled with plump, mildly sticky rice grains, it made for a wonderful combination.
Banana Parfait ($8) - I am rather skeptical about Japanese desserts as they always seem to prefer form (aesthetics) over substance (might be a misconception). Ootoya's Banana Parfait sought to realign that misconception with a surprisingly good and sweet ending to my meal. The parfait didn't come across as too gelatin and sat on a bed of azuki beans which hinted of coffee. 2 small slices of banana and sponge completed the picture.
Overall I spent about $28 for a wonderful dinner inclusive of free flow green tea. Well worth the money in my humble opinion and definitely worth a revisit.
If you are into retro themed hotels, Hotel Re!, a rather new addition to the boutique hotel scene in Singapore, might just be what you are looking for. However, I'm not so much a hotel person and I'm actually more interested in what the restaurant (in this case, Re!Fill) has to offer.
Personally I think the cafe's decor is clean and cozy but I don't quite see signs or indications of a retro theme. Well, except maybe for the psychedelic strips of wallpaper that adorn the L boxes. There is a different lunch menu each day and you get to choose 1 of 2 main courses that are available each day. Everything else (appetisers and dessert) is pre decided, which can be good or bad, depending on your personal preferences.
Complimentary Bread - Decent but tasted not unlike a packaged loaf of bread off the supermarket shelf, nicely toasted and served up with a small container of SCS salted butter. Simple but satisfying.
Seasoned Baby Octopus, Egg Foo Yong, Sweet Potato & Taro Fritter - I liked how everything was presented in one long platter in bite sized portions. The baby octopus was a tad sweet and chewy whilst the Egg Foo Yong tasted savoury and all but had so much oil in it that it made my heart beat faster. Just imagine the oil from the egg sitting in a shooter glass. Gross. Luckily the fritter didn't turn out to be an oil sponge as well but I did find the flour a little too thick. Still crisp and enjoyable in small quantities though.
Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crabmeat - Although I could make out respectable slivers of shark's fin and crab meat, the soup was too starchy and rather bland. But for the price of the set lunch, I really shouldn't be complaining.
Salted Egg Prawn, Parisienne of Fruits & Almond Flake, Garlic Fried Rice, Sauteed Asparagus - I'm usually a fan of salted egg prawns but this one seemed a little too moist and soggy for my liking. Flavour was also lacking and honestly, the salted egg coating was aesthetically unpleasing. But at least it was edible.
Wok Fried Duck Breast with Olive Vegetable, Garlic Fried Rice, Sauteed Asparagus - At first glance, I thought the duck slices looked uncannily like beef. Even the texture was similar to the beef slices you would find at a typical beef hor fun stall - chewy from the addition of lots of flour. Compounding matters was the fact that the duck just tasted salty with a dash of pepper. No inherent fowl taste whatsoever.
Hotel Re! Temptation Delight - It sounded grand but came as a flop. I liked the presentation but the taste left much to be desired. In short, everything tasted out of sorts and even something as basic as the lychee agar agar tasted artificial. Ditto the apple crumble.
I have read rave reviews online about the food at Re!Fill but unfortunately, mine turned out to be a disaster. Honestly, $49 nett for 2 pax for set lunch isn't over the top and service was decent. However, food quality really needs to buck up in my humble opinion. And the number of customers the cafe had that day was testament to that. We were pretty much the only table that afternoon. Only when we were about to leave did a couple drop by.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
The opening of myVillage @ Serangoon Gardens has added a variety of new restaurants to the area, with mostly established brands like Da Paolo, Shin Kushiya and Old Hong Kong vying for pole position in this vibrant dining scene. Enthralled by the prospect of having dim sum in the neighbourhood, we dropped by Old Hong Kong Taste (OHKT for short) - one of the 4 restaurants under the Old Hong Kong Group.
OHKT's open kitchen greeted us as we took the escalator up to the 2nd floor of the mall, allowing us a peek at the culinary maestros ( I hope!) who would be whipping up our orders soon.
There is a variety of tea, ranging from Rose Tea to Longan Tea, all served up in a glass kettle atop a glass stove with a candle to keep the tea warm.
The appetiser was simple yet satisfying. Anchovies dotted the beancurd cubes alongside sweet chopped chilli - would have loved seconds or a bigger serving.
Dim Sum in The Cage - I was intrigued by the name, however gimmicky it may have sounded. This dim sum platter had a combination of various items such as -
Bird Nest Egg Tart - The custard was quivery and not too sweet with strands of birds nest. Couldn't make out any taste or texture from the birds nest so it's really just a gimmick. Crust was a tad too soft for my liking.
Deep Fried Prawn Wanton - A little too oily but prawns were plentiful. Best eaten with the bowl of accompanying soup.
Deep Fried Prawn Roll with Cheese - Lots of prawns but lacking in cheese, which made it rather similar in taste to the prawn wanton. Best eaten with Mayonnaise.
Siew Mai - Full of bite without too much fatty meat. Prawns fresh and crunchy.
Har Gao - The skin was a little too thick for my liking but the generous serving of crunch prawns made up for it.
Steamed Mushroom Wrap - As with the Har Gao, the wrap was a wee bit too thick for comfort but I did appreciate the mushrooms which didn't come across as too overwhelming.
Marinated Duck - A signature dish of OHKT, the duck came across as rather gamy but tender with a bit of roughage for a nice chewing sensation. The accompanying beancurd slices were very smooth and overall, quite a good dish.
Braised Homemade Beancurd with Scallops & Mushrooms - I loved this dish. Not because it's beancurd but because it was very well executed. Topped with generous servings of sliced scallops and mushrooms, the beancurd was silky and had a nice savoury charred taste to it.
Bo Lo Bun with Barbecued Pork - Served up piping hot, the Bo Lo Bun was decent with the BBQ pork pieces soaking in the mildly sweet and viscous gravy. Only gripe? The flour was a tad too thick and dry.
Steamed Egg Yolk Custard Bun - Now this was rather disappointing. Sure, it had molten custard oozing out with a breach in the shell but the custard was a tad overwhelming and I couldn't make out any traces of egg yolk sediment. I've had better.
Lunch cost the both of us about $83 after taxes which honestly isn't cheap for the amount/type of dishes we ordered and the location. However I must admit that overall, food quality was above average and this meal was worth it (well, except for the Bo Lo buns and the Custard buns). I will definitely be back but this time I'll be more inclined towards ordering from the ala carte menu rather than the dim sum menu.
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Rating given:
The Paradise group is expanding rapidly nowadays, extending on its brand name to create various eateries in an attempt to cater to practically everybody and anybody who eats Chinese food. Paradise Inn is one such entity, being marketed as an affordable restaurant, tea house and dessert house all rolled into one.
We had a go at the Bedok Point outlet of Paradise Inn, which sported large windows framed by wooden partitions and interesting looking wood cage lamps. Bright sunlight flittered in, giving rise to a cheery atmosphere sans the heat.
Thai Baby Kailan with Salted Fish - This dish came across as rather slip shod as the Kailan failed to absorb the gravy and came across as lightly sourish and raw. And the little bits of salted fish weren't salty enough to make much of a difference.
Prawns with Salted Egg - I'm a big fan of this dish but somehow Paradise Inn's rendition left much to be desired. For starters, it didn't look freshly prepared and the amount of oil was a turn off. Adding to the woes was the rather watery salted egg coating and thicker than ideal batter. However, taste wise it was still decent.
Sweet and Sour Pork - Restaurants tend to use quite a bit of fat meat in their sweet and sour pork dish and Paradise Inn was no exemption. The miniscule amount of meat tended towards the fatty side and the flour was too thick in my humble opinion. Average at best.
Mini Wok Tofu - Seafood Paradise has the exact same dish, just under a different name (and with significantly more ingredients) that's all. The tofu was soft but not exactly smooth and lacked the hint of smokiness that the one at Seafood Paradise offered. The portion of meat floss atop was found wanting as well. Still very palatable though.
Honestly, $65 for a 3 pax lunch isn't really expensive but quite a few of the dishes are similar to that of Seafood Paradise, albeit with a decrease in portion size and utilisation of inferior ingredients. Food overall is still decent though and so is the service. However I am not comfortable with the dilution of the Paradise brand name, one that I've always associated with above average quality food (save for the less than stellar experience at Taste Paradise Ion). Is the Paradise group really biting off more than it can chew? Only time will tell.
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The Paradise group of restaurants recently added a Hong Kong style cafe, Kungfu Paradise, to its ever expanding stable of restaurants which include well known outlets like Taste Paradise and Seafood Paradise. To mark the opening of Kungfu Paradise's first outlet at Bedok Point, invites were sent out for a tasting lunch, which I had the opportunity to attend.
Located on the first level of Bedok Point, Kungfu Paradise enjoys relatively higher human traffic by virtue of it being situated right next to the main doors of the mall. The interior is typical of any cafe with its wooden tables and plastic chairs. Funny how they aim to target the youth but are playing songs by Bon Jovi (which happens to fall smack into my era).
Kungfu Disciple Frappe ($6.80) - I have no idea how kungfu relates to peanut butter but this drink had a nice hint of it - smooth and creamy. Great for a soothing afternoon drink. But at $6.80 a pop, it's honestly quite expensive to be drinking on a regular basis.
Flying Kungfu Wings ($5.80 for 3pcs) - The wings were said to have been marinated in a special secret sauce but after chomping through one whole wing, it tasted to me like a deep fried chicken wing with a nice crispy layer of skin and no marination whatsoever. Special sauce you say?
Balls On Mash ($9.80) - As the name of this dish suggests, its basically meat balls on mashed potato. Decent with not too much flour and a tart tomato sauce which helped to balance out the mashed potatoes.
French Toast with Chicken Floss & Condensed Milk ($5.80) - I personally am not a fan of condensed milk on my bread so I didn't quite take to the french toast, which was a little too moist and sticky for my liking.
Chicken Chop "Babe" Rice with Tomato Sauce ($9.80) - Too salty was what came to mind when I had a spoonful of the cheese and rice. The tomato sauce was also a bit too overwhelming which grossed me out to a certain extent. It would have been better if they diluted it a little.
Soup Noodles with Braised Beef Brisket ($8.80) - How bad can instant noodles get? Doesn't take a chef to pry open a packet of instant noodles, add the seasoning and throw in pieces of beef and an egg. To give it credit though, the beef cubes were quite tasty and fibrous.
Flaming Crab Pasta ($10.80) - Spicy. And not being really adept at taking on spicy stuff, I am in no position to comment on this dish, save for the fact that the pasta wasn't al dente. Actually my taste buds were numb from the chilli and I was busy trying to douse the flames with water to even register anything besides hot, hot hot!
Be Hooked! ($9.80) - Simple fish and chips. Smooth and tender flesh coupled with an almost artificial sweetness encrusted by a not too thick layer of batter. Decent.
Mango Thai Chilli Chicken with Rice & Egg ($8.80) - The chicken was way too deep fried (look at the colour of the batter), resulting in a nausea inducing end product. Other than that, everything was, well, normal.
Nippon Power & Crushing Sesame ($6.80 each) -
A nice cold dessert of shaved ice to end off the meal. Nothing too different from what you are able to get from other places.
I am not sure the quirky names appealed to me but the food certainly didn't. It was average food at best and I hope Kungfu Paradise will work towards improving their quality of food especially with the higher than average prices (as compared to other Hong Kong style cafes) they are charging for their food.
Thanks for the invite!
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Finally got down to posting about the 2nd edition of Restaurant Week Singapore, which happened from the 21st to 27th March 2011 (Yes I know it's long overdue). With all the prominent restaurants (think Les Amis, St Julien, The Cliff etc) fully booked even before reservations were open to public, I had to settle (with some luck and fast fingers) for Capricci - the best of the remaining lot in my personal opinion.
And so we made our way down on a cool Tuesday evening and were ushered to a table smacked in the middle of the dining room and sandwiched between 2 others. So much for a romantic evening, especially since we were within earshot of the other tables and vice versa. But I've got to give it to Capricci. The place was tastefully done up with ambient lighting and oozed a serene sort of comfort - great for winding down after work, if only the table placements were better.
Complimentary Bread & Cream of Tomato - I honestly have no idea if the cream of tomato was meant to be consumed as a standalone but I had it with the complimentary bread, which had a positive effect of elevating the boring, bland piece of dough to one that had a nice creaminess with a lightly tart bearing.
Seafood Burger of Crabmeat and Salmon and Mix Salad - Personally I wasn't a fan of the seafood burger as it was way too fishy for my liking due to the combination of crab and salmon. So no comments.
John Dee Beef Tenderloin Tartar with Truffle Oil, Shaved Parmesan and Arugula -
The beef tartar was soft and overly salty in my humble opinion. But when paired together with the parmesan and arugula, it was great as the saltiness wasn't so apparent. Nice way to kick start the dinner.
Oven Baked Suckling Pig Sardinia Style with Portobello Mushroom - I certainly didn't expect the suckling pig to come looking like something out of a Sci Fi movie. Sitting on a huge piece of mushroom was a bed of pork and sheltered by what looked like a warped piece of cracker, which was actually a piece of crackling crispy pig skin! The meat was a little too gamy for my liking but the drizzled sweet sauce helped mask it a little. Not something I would go for seconds though.
Gnocchi with Slow Cooked Kurobuta Pork Ragout - Yearning for flour, I had the gnocchi with slow cooked kurobuta pork ragout, which came across as above average. The not overly thick dumplings were stuffed with cheese but didn't threaten to overwhelm. And honestly, I wasn't able to tell if the pork ragout was really kurobuta as the shreds were too fine. But hey they provided a nice mildly chewy texture.
White Chocolate Mousse with Maraschino Cherries - This dessert turned totally different from what I was expecting. I envisioned a mould of white mousse but what I got was a mini popsicle lookalike. And it was all cherry and no chocolate taste. Way too strong.
Cocoa Cream Caramel Pudding with Amaretti - The cream caramel pudding was quivery and tasted quite a fair bit like almond jelly with toppings of crispy caramel bits. Interesting but nothing really outstanding.
Owing to the restaurant week deal, both of us only had to fork out $70 or $82.40 after tax in total, which is a reasonable amount in quantitative terms. However, food quality wasn't up to my personal expectations and that might have had something to do with the discounted prices but I am unable to say for sure as I've never dined at Capricci prior to this. But I guess I'll never know as the menu somehow lacks that pull for a revisit.
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Singapore's hectic pace of life has led many in search of a respite in the few remaining green lungs of our concrete city state. And I was no exception, jumping at the opportunity to take refuge one weekend morning in the lush greenery surrounding Mimo (formerly known as Mimolette) just off Bukit Timah Saddle Club.
If it's your first time to Mimo, it can get a little tricky as Fairways Drive is a small slip road off Eng Neo Ave and to get to Mimo, you need to go through the saddle club so watch out for the horses! The interior and furnishing is reminiscent of a quirky black and white pop up book (where the pictures pop up when you flip the pages). Most interesting.
Poached Egg & Crispy Bacon Salad - Stiff bacon, fresh greens and an overly cooked poached egg - nothing impressive, coming across as average at best and something I could easily whip up at home myself.
Streaky Bacon - As with the bacon found in the salad, this was grilled to a stiff crisp. From the looks and taste of it, it probably came straight from a packet off the supermarket shelf.
Sauteed Mushrooms - Served up with onions, the mushrooms were tasty but overly oily. Kinda icky to be chowing down slicker than normal mushrooms honestly.
Croque Madame - Yet another lacklustre dish, the brioche wasn't flaky or buttery enough and the whole thing tasted like McDonald's egg Mcmuffin. Not that I dislike egg Mcmuffins or anything but 15 bucks is a little too much to pay for fast food wouldn't you think so?
Mimo Beef Burger - I had high hopes for the burger but as pretty as it looked, it failed to impress. Topped with sun dried tomatoes and a layer of parmesan crisp, that's where the compliments end. The patty seemed to be machine chopped from its texture and was a little dry and bland. The buns were run off the mill but I personally took to the side of sweet potato and purple potato chips, which were lightly seasoned with salt for an undeniable indulgence.
French Toasts - I secretly hoped that desserts would salvage the situation and they did, to a certain extent. The french toasts were rather spongy on the inside yet a little crisp along the edges with a hint of cinnamon. Add a dollop of butter and some honey and you are all set! Far from being the best I've had, but relatively a gem at Mimo.
Coconut Pancakes - The pancakes were nicely crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside with coconut shreds in attendance. The honey was decent but a little too watered down in my humble opinion.
The respite, albeit brief, was much appreciated. I can't say the same for the food and price though, having spent just over $160 for brunch for 3. Food in general was average at best but desserts performed a little better, weighing in at just slightly above average. Service was okay but a little clueless at times. With such a value proposition, I can hardly find any reason to return. Can you?
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Arranged to meet up with a friend over dinner at Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine (or ITFCC for short), purportedly the crème de la crème of the Imperial Treasure group of restaurants, which of course explains the choice of location - Marina Bay Sands.
Situated alongside the celebrity restaurants on the second floor of the Marina Bay Sands shopping arcade, ITFCC's decor is reminiscent of its sister restaurant, Imperial Treasure Cantonese - modern classical with lots of glass and sombre colours.
Roasted Pork - We started off with a well known dish from the Imperial Treasure group - roasted pork, which had a good fat to meat ratio with a crisp top. Unfortunately, it wasn't served warm and that marred the experience quite a bit.
Roasted Duck - Roast goose wasn't in the menu so we had to make do with duck instead. Lean crisp skin coupled with succulent and not too gamy flesh made for a good eat. I still prefer goose though.
Sauteed Prawns with Italian White Truffle Oil - My usual order of scallops was out so the wait staff recommended substituting with prawn balls, which on paper, sounded equally enticing. But in reality, the truffle oil just didn't gel that well with the prawns however huge and crunchy they were.
Four Types of Vegetables with Oyster Sauce - Basically the kitchen chooses what four varieties of vegetables you will be getting based on what's available on that particular day. Served up with slightly starchy oyster sauce. Decent.
Yong Chow Fried Rice - Apart from the plentiful prawns and char siew (BBQ pork), I couldn't find any other reasons to like this dish. Lacking in wok hei and tasting flat throughout, the fried rice looked the part but failed to deliver.
Durian Pudding - A sweet and smooth ending to the meal and probably the highlight of the dinner. At least the quality was consistent with what I had at Imperial Treasure Cantonese.
We could barely walk after the meal. Heck, we could barely even finish the meal, all at a cost of about $130 for 2. Going by what we ordered, that's not exactly cheap and I certainly wouldn't consider it value for money for the quality of food. Don't get me wrong, the meal wasn't bad. In fact it was above average but personally I just felt it didn't warrant such a price tag. Especially since Imperial Treasure Cantonese @ Crowne Plaza can produce better food at that price point.
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Michelin starred Daniel Boulud recently opened a branch of his award winning DB Bistro Moderne (originally from New York), at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore. This top rated French- American bistro, in the words of Daniel Boulud, aims to provide Singaporeans with a "convivial, delicious and affordable" experience.
The place is reminiscent of a typical Parisian bistro with its "sidewalk" seating and striking red booth seats at the corner. Coupled with dark tones and cream backed chairs, the whole setting presented itself as soothing with a tinge of formalness. And tables are spaced far apart enough to ensure privacy during conversation, but get the booth seats if you can or the "sidewalk" seats if you are somewhat of a voyeur or enjoy being gawked at.
The Original DB Burger -
Is it just me or is the size of the patty a little on the large side? Alright, large is a ridiculous understatement. The entire burger looked absolutely lopsided in favour of the beef (no complaints though!) and the buns, nothing more than puny pieces of window dressing. I asked for my patty to be done medium and it honestly looked rare but I attribute that to the sirloin short ribs being braised in red wine. Taste wise, the patty had the makings of a good burger - inherent beefy taste, juicy with bits of fat and a nice mildly uneven texture. It's only pitfall(s)? The absence of any foie gras taste (I see it, but I don't taste it) and the copious amount of salt that went into it. I like salt but trust me, this was salty. Not salty enough to keep me and my continuously refilled glass of iced water from polishing up every last morsel of it though. Ironically, the fries could have done with some salt but I guess the serving of mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup sufficed.
Profiteroles au Cafe - I am quite a fan of this classic French dessert and when I learnt that it was going to be drenched in chocolate syrup, I was sold instantly! And boy oh boy, was it drenched in chocolate. The profiteroles were stuffed with coffee rocky road ice cream, marshmallows, nuts and covered with a thin layer of chocolate. Hot chocolate sauce was then poured slowly over to melt the chocolate and coat the profiteroles were a thick layer of decadent, happiness inducing chocolate syrup. The richness of chocolate coupled with a smooth strong coffee taste - very good. Just don't consume too much as it might prove overwhelming hence the magic number of 3 per serving (I ate 4 and it really got to me).
On my part, I paid about $62 for a belly bursting brunch in a nice environment, great company and great service. My burger was decent, just too salty but the profiteroles were sinfully good. I'm not sure the burger warrants the hefty price tag of $38 though, seeing that I can probably get similar quality at Mortons and Spruce at a lower price or a significantly higher value ratio at Smokinn Frogz. However, if you are of the opinion that $38 is small change, you are more than welcome to indulge in it and for something more luxurious, there is the black truffle variant, which costs a cool $88 and is available only during dinner.
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Amici, which means friends in Italian, has been around for quite a while but we've never really gotten down to trying it even though there have been quite a number of favourable reviews circulating around on the internet. That changed when we popped by the Holland Village area to buy some baking supplies and decided to give Amici a shot.
Finding the place takes some navigation skills as the place around it seems to be under construction which makes it hard to see the place until you actually walk near it. There is a small al fresco area but I wouldn't recommend that especially if you go in the afternoon and with all the construction going on. The seemingly narrow air conditioned interior lets loose a cosy vibe but watch out for the too close for comfort table spacing and the unforgiving air circulation system which will have you smelling of food within minutes.
Complimentary Bread - We got off to a nice start with the warm and crusty complimentary bread that had pockets of what seemed like cranberries. Mildly sweet and comforting.
Carbonara - The carbonara wasn't al dente but on the upside, it didn't come across as too rich which toned down the nausea inducing factor. The plentiful bacon pieces were a plus as well.
Squid Ink Pasta - Apparently a specialty at Amici, the squid ink pasta was the drenched in squid ink variant, not the made from squid ink kind, of which the latter I personally prefer. I could make out a noticeable tartness in the pasta ( I assume they probably tossed the pasta in tomato sauce first before dunking it in squid ink) which did make it more appetising. What caught my attention was the delectable pieces of cod fish that were crisp on the outside and exuded a natural sweetness from within. There was also a generous serving of squid rings which served to up the chewy factor.
Tiramisu - The desserts were certainly the stars of the evening and it started with tiramisu, which had a great sponge to mascarpone ratio. The sponge wasn't overly soaked in coffee but where's the alcohol?! Still very good though and if there's any reason I'll return to Amici, this would be it!
Cappuccino Cake - I'm no big fan of coffee but this dessert surprised me. 5 layers of sponge compacted with a thin layer of wafer in between - firm in texture with a sweet hint of coffee. The ice cream that came alongside didn't gel with me though, seeing that it was literally milk solidified and came across as overpowering.
Through the use of a voucher, we had the cheaper main course free, which brought our bill to a more manageable $56 for a 2 pax lunch. Reasonable I may say, but I'll probably only be back for the desserts. Service was decent but then again, the place wasn't packed so it's probably not a good gauge.
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Had dinner at Ootoya, a casual Japanese restaurant chain with outlets in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, HK, Indonesia and more recently, Singapore. I've seen the outlets in Tokyo, but it never really occurred to me to try them out, especially with no dearth of excellent food options there.
With its discreet and minimalistic frontage, Ootoya could well be mistaken for an upclass Japanese restaurant. But walk in and be greeted by a casual, almost cafe like amostphere complete with shouts of Japanese greeting and a long U shape table (a little like a teppanyaki table except that this one doesn't have a chef standing in front of you preparing food) and small "semi private" rooms for those who have a bigger group (which we were lucky to get).
Charcoal Grilled Pork with Special Sauce ($16) - To be honest, how exciting can grilled pork get? But I was quite taken aback by how well Ootoya grilled its generous pieces of hog - Relatively tender with grilled lines to show for it and a flittering taste of charcoal smokiness. Coupled with plump, mildly sticky rice grains, it made for a wonderful combination.
Banana Parfait ($8) - I am rather skeptical about Japanese desserts as they always seem to prefer form (aesthetics) over substance (might be a misconception). Ootoya's Banana Parfait sought to realign that misconception with a surprisingly good and sweet ending to my meal. The parfait didn't come across as too gelatin and sat on a bed of azuki beans which hinted of coffee. 2 small slices of banana and sponge completed the picture.
Overall I spent about $28 for a wonderful dinner inclusive of free flow green tea. Well worth the money in my humble opinion and definitely worth a revisit.
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