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Food & Beverage
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I love that look, as I loved the look on your face when you grazed upon the slab of peanut butter chocolate, the same look on my face when I slurped down a cup of hot chocolate, the slice of rich chocolate truffle cake. It’s a gaze of wonder: the same look you see on children’s faces when they are given chocolate, and it is always a joy to see the happy smiles. Down memory lane one ninety one, one of the finest there is, Laurent Bernard Chocolatier.
The problem with eating good food means that after you tried the best, there’s no way you can accept something inferior. Tiny specks of real vanilla seeds imparted a fragrance that no artificial flavouring can match. I loved vanilla bean ice cream ($4.50 one scoop), and what am I going to do with those King’s ice cream in the fridge?
We eyed the Chocolate tart ($7.80 ). After some hasty shots, I gave up in my attempts to take a perfect shot. The thinly pastry crust, the layer of hazelnut praline above it, the rich and sweet chocolate - what’s there not to like? It would be perfect if the whipped cream is replaced with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!
The density of the chocolate. I just kept going and going, I don’t want to share this with anyone else. So simple, yet so, so good. Chocolate truffle ($6.80 ).
It was unfortunate that we did not get to try the highly acclaimed Chocolate soufflé - the very one that prompted our visit to Laurent’s. And even though I only tried two of their desserts, I must say the array of chocolate desserts look very tempting, and I will certainly come back to try some of the other cakes.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
It was a long time coming and I finally made a trip to try out Eden Sanctuary, the younger sibling of Eden Cafe at Club Street, which has since ceased operations. Like its sibling, Eden Sanctuary promises simple healthy cuisine with floral and herbal influences.
Wedged right at the end of the upmarket Rochester Park, Eden shares the compound with Body with Soul, a health care centre that offers physiotherapy treatment, nutrition advice and the likes. So in a certain sense, both outfits complement each other. Eden comprises mostly al fresco seating with probably about 3 -4 tables indoor. The entire place exudes laid back comfort amidst the shadow of the HDB flat towering behind, a small oasis next to the urban jungle.
Creamless Mushroom Soup - This has got to be the healthiest mushroom soup that I've ever drank. Its essentially 4 types of mushroom and chicken stock blended together and served with 2 small strips of wholemeal bread. Not that it tasted bad. In fact, I found it very satisfying with chunks of mushroom and the pure unadulterated mushroom taste sans the creaminess.
Pear Rocket Salad - The salad was huge and could have passed off as a main for a relatively moderate eater. Its a simple salad with slices of pear, orange, arugula, feta cheese and drizzled with a calamansi, apple cider vinegar, olive oil and honey concoction. The sauce was noticeably light and all in all the salad was a good way to start off.
Ginger Leek Peanut Butter Fish - To be honest, the fish didn't look the least bit appetising. However, it was actually quite good even though I really hate ginger to the core. At least the ginger wasn't too prominent in the peanut butter sauce. Whats interesting is that the sauce is coated onto the butter fish and baked, leaving a semi solid paste that hinted of ginger and peanut butter.
Tarragon Garlic Chicken - Tarragon is actually a relative of the sunflower family and carries a somewhat bitter anise flavour to it. This was not very evident in the chicken and I couldn't quite make out any garlic as well. But to give credit where its due, the chicken was deboned thigh meat that came across as very tender and juicy. Great execution but probably a little too light for my preference.
Tofu Cheesecake - The sour cream in this cheesecake is replaced by tofu, which gives it an interesting tofu taste and ups the health factor. Throw in a base made solely from digestive biscuits and you have a light yet tasty cheesecake that wouldn't pose too much of a problem to your health.
Chocolate Banana Oreo Cheesecake - As sinful as this dessert sounds, its actually not that rich. On the contrary, it was rather light on the palate even with the bananas and chocolate. You get the nice soft texture of banana coupled with a mild chocolaty sweetness amidst layers of foamy light cheesecake. Very good!
With a 10% discount, the bill came up to almost $109 for a soup, a salad, 2 mains and 3 desserts, which is a little on the high side but take away the cost of the teas and the price drops to a more manageable $90. Food quality is decent and I can forsee future visits when my health conscious side appeals to me.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Hands up if you don’t like kaya toast! From the freshly baked white bread toasted to perfection, the sweet and fragrant home-made kaya and the slightly melted butter, it was a combination of everything so simple. The truth to be told, this was one my first time trying Killiney’s toast, and I have not tried Ya Kun’s one yet. I know, i know.
Logically speaking, we can just buy their bread, the kaya, and the butter to make ourselves at home. But, somehow it is impossible to replicate the same slice of toast when we d-i-y. So I will like to think that it is their skills and the toaster that makes the difference. Killiney’s famous bread toast ($0.80 per piece).
For those who prefer to have more substantial portion for breakfast, the French loaf toast ($1.80) might be a better option. More kaya, more kaya!
I was surprised by the revelation of eating French toast with kaya ($1.60 per piece). I have never, ever tried eating French toast with kaya before, and I did not even harboured the thought that it could be done. Oh-my! This is one which you either love it, or hate it.
Unfortunately both of us do not drink coffee, and we chose the ice barley over hot tea due to the weather conditions. All along I thought that Killiney is famous for their kaya toast and kopi. But they also served food like curry chicken, mee siam, and mee rubus.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Mention PS Cafe and not many people would associate it with quality food especially when the chain is owned and operated by Project Shop Blood Brothers, an Australian fashion label. After all, what has food got to do with fashion? Interestingly though, PS Cafe has made a name for itself with its repertoire of seemingly quality desserts.
PS cafe @ Dempsey is set amidst the hip enclave of Dempsey where thousands throng the multitude of restaurants and bars in the evenings and weekends. The interior boasts full length glass windows that offers a view of the lush greenery that surrounds it complete with wooden flooring and a nice al fresco area for days when the heat and mosquitoes take a vacation. The only downside to this pretty little place is the lack of a good noise dispersion system. When I was there for dinner, the place was packed withthe decibel level ridiculously high from all the chatter, very much like your typical hawker centre.
Chicken Rossa Penne - The penne tasted like it came straight out of the pasta packet you can find at any supermarket. But to their credit, it was done al dente. The chicken pieces were rather generous while the sauce was just bottled tomato sauce at the very best. All in all a flat and uninspiring pasta dish.
Miso Cod - The fish was a joke. It was definitely the worst dish of the evening. For starters, it wasn't fresh and had a gross fishy aftertaste. There was no taste of miso whatsoever. It didn't help that portions were tiny for the rather hefty price tag ($35) as well.
Banana Mango Crumble - Desserts were highly recommended at PS Cafe and the banana mango crumble is apparently one of the best. I wasn't too wowed by it though. Sure, the crumble was nice with the scoop of vanilla bean ice cream but I just thought that the flavours of the mango and banana could have been more pronounced. Everything tasted like a soft mashed up mixture with no distinct taste.
Flourless Orange Cake - I didn't have the stomach to try much of the orange cake but it tasted quite decent with its mild orangey and nutty taste. I'm sure the sauce had a part to play as well.
Blowing almost close to $98 for 2 disappointing mains and 2 average desserts hardly qualifies as reasonable. On the contrary, I thought that my money was well spent during a desserts only visit to the Palais outlet (See my pictures below). Service at Dempsey was spotty as the place seemed rather short handed due to the large crowd, but definitely better then its Palais counterpart. Bottomline is, go to the Palais branch and stick to desserts.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I want a day out with you,
To catch up and have some good food.
I want somewhere green & green,
where we can sit all day and talk.
No, I don’t even know where this place is.
It doesn’t matter.
We will find it somehow, so long we follow our heart,
Or just go along with our legs.
Spaghetti Vongole ($18)
Among the many ones out there, you somehow caught our attention. Maybe this is what they call fate. No matter, it’s my pleasure knowing you. Clams, plenty of them. The lovely seashells, with the simple-yet-important garlic. And oh yes, there was chilli with white wine & olive oil sauce too.
Sfilatino Casa Verde ($23)
You are sexy, you are hot. Thin is the in-thing, and you are slim. This is one pizza which I will willingly fork out my wallet for. The fillings, oh my, they were generous. Just look at the amount of ham, mushrooms, and mozzarella on top of the thin-crust pizza.
I know this is wrong,
But i am a sucker for ambience.
I always choose a nice place to dine at,
And it is ok even if the food is not that fantastic.
But luckily for me, you were great.
I will come back again, yes I will.
For brunch, for lunch, and for dinner.
***
Total bill was $41 for one pizza and spaghetti. The pizza was big enough to share among the 3 of us. I’ve always wanted to go to Casa Verde after hearing so much about the wonderful ambience. It is after all, located within the beautiful Botanic Gardens. I will definitely go back for brunch again, the prices for breakfast look good.
Its about a 15 minutes walk from the main entrance, otherwise cab in to the visitors centre, the fare is about $4. Well, i took the latter as it was raining. All right, it’s just a bloody excuse for being lazy. See you there!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Harbour Grill & Oyster Bar has been around for quite a while yet little has been mentioned about it in the media. Its probably one of those more reclusive restaurants around. And by a stroke of impulse, I had dinner there one evening.
Unassumingly located in a corner on the third level of Hilton Hotel, Harbour Grill looks almost foreboding with its tall dark tinted glass doors that are always kept shut. Only when approaching them would the impeccably dressed counter staff swing it inwards to welcome you. Decor is classic chic with hints of victorian complete with parquet flooring, exposed brick walls and lovely booth seats.
Complimentary Bread -
The basket of complimentary bread consisted of a variety of different breads - cheese bread, bread sticks, multigrain and olive bread. Interestingly, the cheese bread was soft and fluffy with a mild curry taste. That's not to say that I could really stomach the cheese curry combination though. The olive bread had small pockts of olive in it. Quite decent.
Amuse Bouche - A simple yet well done amuse bouche of smoked salmon with pomelo. Nice and chilled sans the overwhelming raw taste of smoked salmon. Salty yet sweet.
Pan Fried Foie Gras - Most places would just pan fry foie gras, but not at Harbour Grill. The foie gras is first boiled and then pan fried till a little crisp on the outside (reminded me of Inagiku's). The only downside to this is the absence of the quivery texture that graces most well done pan seared foie gras. That is not to say that Harbour Grill's rendition was no good. In fact, I found it quite tasteful in its own way. There was no overwhelming liver taste and when coupled with the cold pineapple sorbet, it made for a very interesting and light appetiser.
Hokkaido Scallops - I thought that the scallops were nothing short of excellent. Pan seared till a little charred on the surface yet retaining its moisture, sweetness and tenderness on the inside. Just watch out for the small portions (2 pcs) and the high price tag. $35 (small) and $48 (large). Ouch!
Roasted Prime Rib - The ribs were done medium rare as per request and lightly seasoned with salt and a drizzling of wine. Tender with a nice beefy taste but a tad too salty for my liking. The accompanying home made potatoes were purportedly cooked confit style but I honestly didn't quite take to them.
Steamed Cod Fish - The cod fish had charred edges, which hinted of possible pan frying after being steamed. And this was real cod fish, not chilean sea bass or the likes. The flesh was firm and sweet and honestly tasted like miso cod to me. Very nice.
White Chocolate Creme Brulee - I liked this dessert quite a bit. The pudding was smooth and creamy with a hint of chocolaty overtones. It was topped with pineapple sorbet that provided a nice zesty twang. Think sweet and mildly sour.
Grand Marnier Souffle - Apparently one of Harbour Grill's signature desserts, the grand marnier souffle came with a scoop of orange sorbet that was nice but seemed a little out of place. The souffle itself had a high egg content and the alcohol was apparent. However, I understand that a good souffle isn't suppose to be that firm though.
A 3 course dinner for 2 pax respectively cost just over $210, which catapults it into the expensive terrain. If 3 courses isn't enough, there is the 4 course option at $120 . Service is excellent and non intrusive while food quality is evident as well. Throw in a nice charming environment and Harbour Grill automatically makes it to the "special occasion" list. Definitely a place to impress.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Slumdog millionaire made an big impact on me; millions of people living in poverty while here we are, fretting about the hot weather, how long the bus took to arrive. I, want to learn more about their culture. I, want to visit the Taj Mahal. I, want to experience their food; their cuisine which has stood against the test of time.
With a glass of mango lassi, we toasted to the world, to good health, and to the glorious food. The sea. The sea. Facing the calm and still of the blue, we feasted. We ate, and ate; a feast for the king.
And so, my adventure with Indian cuisine started. The first to arrive was the Lamb Kakori Malai kebab ($20). And frankly speaking, it looked more like otah to me - but it tasted much better than that. The sensational melt-in-the-mouth-lamb was enough for me to dig several times.
It’s all about prawn, prawn, prawn, daddy-o. You like prawn? You’ll love the Prawns with garlic butter ($24). The distinct garlic butter taste, the teppanyaki style, oh my. But it was slightly salty, more lemon would have solve the problem. But then again, the tone-down version wouldn’t be the real deal, so I say, keep it that way!
And besides the prawn, we have a fish as well. If there was a dish which piped my curiosity, it ought to be the Fish three pepper ($22). With its unique name, and the exotic Indian herbs & spices, I enjoyed every bite, it was good.
Street-food. Read: what the locals eat. Crisp papris topped with chopped potatoes, the crust was awesome; crunch, crunch. One of my favourite, Aloo Papri Delhi Chat ($10).
Slightly sourish, with Indian spices filled within the semolina baked cups. I preferred the Aloo Papri Delhi Chat to the Raj Kachori Chat ($10). , but I enjoyed using my spoon to break down the potato crust; destroyed the wall, and the Indian prince conquered the city!
And how can we not have biryani when eating Indian food; rice is a staple for us Asians after all. We had two different types of biryani, the dum biryani lamb and the Hyderabadi chicken biryani ($18). The chunks of chicken bites were good, but to shelve out eighteen bucks for a bowl of rice? I don’t think so.
Tangy, creamy coconut sauce, with crab patties. Massala crab cake ($24)
The Indian bread, Garlic Nann ($7). It was my first time trying it of course, and the nann was good to go with almost all the dishes; a bite of nann, a mouth of meat. Or simply dipped the nann into the curries!
This was another of my favourite! Compared with the lamb Kakori Malai kebab, the Lagan Ke lamb ($14) was better seasoned with the spices; which resulted in a less gamy taste.
The Lalla Mussa Dal ($18) was Black lentil, speciality of the house. But it wasn’t my type; I'm just not that into you.
By and large I couldn’t remember the Dum Methi prawn ($24) much. It was prawns tossed wth methi, cashew nut onion paste. But somehow after I noticed its presense on our elongated table, there wasn’t a single prawn in sight. Everybody finished it - without even leaving a prawn for me!
As much as I appreciated that the restaurant provided some sweets to complete the meal, but the Tutti Frutti ($10) didn’t pretty much fit into what I had in mind for Indian desserts.
Neither was the Hot chocolate brownie ($8), which was not made in-house.
But luckily there was the Kulfis ($10) - traditional pistachio Indian ice cream to save the day! There’s always a first time for everything, and it’s my first time trying Indian ice cream. The texture was very different; solid and dense - it took forever to melt.
It was, oh-my-god, so sweet. I did not bother to ask what is it; it is enough, to taste it. But I wasn’t about to let Cinderella leave without asking for her name, just before the clock struck twelve, Garam Gulab Jamun ($8).
* * *
I always wanted to try other cuisines other than the-usual-western-Jap-Chinese-food. Having taken the first step out of my comfort zone, it’s time to try more exotic food, and this meal has certainly aroused me to try some of the other Indian places that I’ve heard so much of.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
April's monthly dinner was decided at Mietta's, which literally translates to Sweet Little One. Owned by Angelo Sanelli, who was one half of the business partnership of the popular Michelangelo's and helmed by the former executive chef of Zambuca, Dennis Sim, Mietta opened with little fanfare just a few months ago.
Located towards the end of Arab Street, just opposite Golden Landmark Hotel, Mietta takes up 3 units of shop space in this predominantly Muslim neighbourhood, which is why no pork is served as a form of respect (though alcohol is still sold). The interior is rather homely and cozy with ambient lighting and tables spaced decently far apart for a nice quiet dinner.
Complimentary Bread - This was the exact same bread I had at Zambuca. I enjoyed it back then but this time round it failed to wow me, probably because it was left sitting in the cold for quite a substantial period of time. My fault though. I was late.
Blueberry Gnocchi, Served with Braised Venison in a Red Wine, Bitter Chocolate Jus - I had this at Zambuca the last time as well and Chef Dennis graciously agreed to do this dish just for us that evening. The gnocchi was interesting and soft but I thought that the venison wasn't flavourful enough, which was attributed by Chef Dennis as not having enough time to allow the venison to rest and absorb the jus. The jus itself was a tad bitter from the chocolate but the blueberries didn't seem to feature or contribute much to the taste.
Squid Ink Ravioli - According to the chef, the ravioli is made in house and daily servings are limited. We therefore jumped at the chance to try it out. In all honesty, I didn't think too much of it. The ravioli skin was thin but the filling of scallop and prawn mousse tasted too smooth and bland. The saffron and dill jus was of the light variant and overall this dish lacked flavours.
Penne Vodka - I opted to have prawns to go with my penne and it was a great decision in my humble opinion. The crystal prawns were huge, fresh and sweet. I counted 5 large prawns with my penne which I thought was pretty generous. The penne itself was al dente without the tomato sauce being too overwhelming but there was no taste of vodka. I know its evaporated but whats the point of using vodka if there is not going to be any vodka taste? Nevertheless, I enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Cinnamon Panna Cotta with Girottine Cherry - The panna cotta was a disaster honestly. The pudding was way too firm and had a gingery taste that I personally didn't like. Needless to say, I took 1 mouthful and left the rest to stand.
Strawberry Ice Cream - What made this ice cream stand out was that it was for diabetics. And it was ordered on purpose, as a comparison to the normal ones that we usually eat. And honestly, I thought it was good. The texture was more like frozen yogurt and it was still sweet probably from the frutose.
Tiramisu - Comparisons were inevitable between Mietta's rendition of this classic Italian dessert and that of Zanotti's, as both offerings fell into the generously covered with mascarpone category. Though good, Mietta's mascarpone cheese was a little too bland in comparison while the sponge was a little too wet. But interestingly, chocolate chips were added for a nice bitter twist.
The 9 of us chalked up a bill of about $665, which bordered on the expensive range. Food is a case of hits and misses and I understand that stuff like the lamb rack is good so take your chances. Service staff were very friendly and humourous and definitely one of the highlights of the restaurant.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
The-sight-of-it is enough to excite me. The flowing chocolate - like water plunging down from a magnificent waterfall: wonderful, sweet. The cute white marshmallows beckon to me. The puffs - baked for the sole reunion with the delicious chocolate. The big juicy strawberries, oh my. What’s there not to like about a chocolate fondue? I love it!
Now, I famously don’t like buffets. When I see food laying out, exposed, I see food dying. I see the ocean trout that every passing diner can feel free to squeeze at. I see food left out in the open air unprotected from the passing fancies of everybody. BUT, but, the current Citibank credit card 50% promotion for 10 @ Claymore is simply too good a deal to miss, so I decided to go for it after all.
How does $29 for buffet lunch sounds? On top of it with a 1-for-1 promotion, and we are talking about Pan Pacific Hotel, not some dubious twenties-odd range buffet (you-know-where-I-am-referring-to). Given, the variety here cannot compare with other international buffets who have more spread, but what I like about 10 @ Claymore is the focus.
Instead of giving a lot items to choose from, they decided to give just enough. For those who inherited our Singapore-kiasu-genes, my apologies. But this is one buffet where I actually don’t feel guilty trying to gorge myself silly. I ate a bit of everything, and rushed to have my desserts.
The chocolate truffle was terrific - sweet, smooth, refined, yet unbelievably simple. I had mutiple helpings of it, until my stomach decided to do a red-shirt-alike-protest to me.
Total bill was $34 for 2 person after the citibank credit card promotion. The current good deal last until 30 April, 2 person are entitled to a 50% discount. For $17 bucks per person, buffet lunch at a classy environment, enough said! And oh yes, I forgot to mention that the service was top-notch; the staffs were attentive and always happy to help out when you need anything
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Foie Gras is in my blood. Having said that, I’m more beef than Foie Gras, really. Wedges here, is my awesome assistant, The new Spring fashion is so passé, sun-dried tomato is the latest in-thing now! Marmalade Pantry’s famous, Sun-dried tomato Foie Gras Burger ($26).
My name is Chocolate, Chocolate Truffe ($7.80). I’m the ladies man, smooth is my texture, sweet is my nature. Try me, and you are sold. No one can resist my temptations, the thick, oh-so-thick chocolate which is so rich and good.
Hello everybody, eh, my name is Chocolate Tart ($4.20). I don’t have anything to say about myself. I’m a simple guy, but they say my chocolate is wondeful, I will rather keep a low profile. Please, don’t tell anybody else. Thank you.
They call me little miss rose ($4.2). I’m very girly and feminine in nature, but most people just judged me by my appearances. I snub those pretentious of my kind who can only face the world with their frosting make-ups. Simple is beautiful, once you get to know me, the ladies worship me and the guys adore me.
The spokesperson for Marmalade, everybody calls for me when they are here. It will be impossible if you have not heard about Sticky Date toffee pudding ($12) by now. My companion, the lovely Vanilla bean ice cream compliments me perfectly.
***
Having heard so much about Marmalade Pantry Foie Gras burger, the few of us were rather disappointed by it because there just wasn’t much foie gras taste. But the wedges that accompanied the burger was very good.
The chocolate truffle cake, and chocolate tart was wonderful, with the chocolate being very sweet yet not overly heavy. By now having tried two of Toast (under the same group as Marmalade) cupcakes and another one today, I must say their cupcakes are the better ones around. Moist and rich, there wasn’t any pretty frosting, just a solid good cupcake.
The sticky date toffee pudding also did not impressed us. Perhaps it was undone by its famous reputation, we were somewhat expecting more from it, but it never came. Nonetheless, nobody could resist having cold icy vanilla bean ice cream with the warm pudding.
Total bill was $64.15 for 6 person. Even though the burger and pudding did not exactly wow me, but I will definitely come back to try the array of desserts available, and of course their cupcakes.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given: