Cova, which opened in 1817 beside the famous “La Scala” theatre, was founded by Antonio Cova, a soldier of Napoleon who first ‘campaigned’ as a pastry chef in the Galleria De Cristoforis.
Over the past 190 off years, Cova has built up a name for its authentic Italian culture , offering an espresso coffee or a tea savoured in the comfort of a neo-classical lounge in the mainstay of high-society life.
Outside of Italy, Cova can only be found in Japan and Hong Kong, so land ahoy! For Cova has finally opened on our shores. Choosing the ritzy Paragon Shopping centre where the likes of Prada, Gucci can be found, for the opening in Singapore certainly won’t go wrong for a premium brand like Cova.
Caffe Cova is spilt into a tea room and restaurant, with the open concept cafe having the space once taken by Dome, and the restaurant taking over the premise of Swarovski crystal shop.
The restaurant interior is done up splendidly, the lighting and the tone is set in majestic gold to reflect the ambience of the place. The serving waiters are dressed smartly, stepping inside the restaurant, think fashion and lifestyle.
They had quite a wide range of cakes available, but its not available on the menu because the cakes changes everyday. So you’ll need to go to the counter to order for it.
But, the big but, there’s only several cakes of the day, which you order in slices. The rest are all sold in whole, which makes it difficult if you want to try many different cakes, or unless you got a large group with you.
Prices in a posh restaurant like Cova is definitely not what you will describe as affordable. For their dinner menu, the mains are all in the 30 range.
For a swanky restaurant, you may ask 30 should seem rather reasonable, given there’s other places not in their league but charge around the same price. But Cova being famous for its coffee, cakes and pastries, i remain skeptical about paying 30 for their main course.
My secret food partner and I went for dinner, but we were after their cakes and pastries after all. So we didn’t ordered any main course, desserts are enough!
Unfortunately for us, Caffe Cova seems to be very popular during tea time, when we went during dinner time, quite a lot of their pastries are sold out, that includes their signature Sacher cake. And we went just one week into their opening.
Bigne Pistachio Cova has sets for their mini pastries, with assortment of 4 petite ones going for 9 bucks. For such a miniature pastry at 2 bucks, it will make Bread Papa’s cream puff seems a very good deal. The bigne Pistachio does not really have much of a pistachio taste. Period.
Mini Chocolate Raspberry Tart The chocolate shavings on the mini chocolate raspberry tart is what caught my attention, its done very exquisitely and pretty to look at.
The raspberry in the middle is rather sourish, but i guess it gives a compliment in taste to the sweet chocolate. But i’ll rather the raspberry to be slightly sweeter to perfect the overall taste.
Mini Chocolate Gooseberry Tart Chocolate toppings coupled with gooseberry in the middle to make up the tart. Personally i do felt that the mini chooclate gooseberry tart is my least-like among the 4 pastries.
The gooseberry is too sourish, and its not like the case of the raspberry. Not so sure whether thats how gooseberry should be, but i don’t like the mini chocolate gooseberry tart.
Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Tart The hazelnut tart is the best of the lot, with the other three being quite a letdown. I love hazelnut, eating nutella out of the container is a favourite pastime for me. The mini chocolate hazelnut tart is gone in a mouthful, you wish there is more.
Assortment of cookies ($5.50 per 100 gram) There’s quite a wide variety of cookies to choose from, but please don’t be mistaken by the picture, there’s more cookies from the 100gram than the seven shown in it.
Back to the point, the cookies are actually quite ordinary, like your normal butter cookies. I like the Krumiri (long banana shape-like), butter cookie with chocolate coating at the tip.
My partner preferred the star shape cookie with-a-hole-in-the-middle, which is covered with sugar.
The assortment of cookies at $5.50 per 100 gram isn’t very expensive, for a place like Cova where everything else is so expensive. But considering the fact that Famous Amos cookies are priced in the repotire of 4 plus, i do think buying famous amos is a better economic choice
Nevertheless, Cova cookies selections are placed in a nice bag, which makes a rather affordable and presentable gift for friends and family.
Gamberi ($14) A refreshing combination of prawn and mayonnaise. The bread was a soft brioche so credits for that. But the Gamberi sandwich wasn’t even hot and toasted.
Furthermore, the sandwich portions were meagres given the price, the shrimps were crunchy but there’s only 3 tiny ones in the sandwich.
Total Bill is $32.50 for the pastries, cookies and sandwich. All in all, Cova is a good place for novelty, if u havent been to better italian sidewalk cafes, or even tried da paolo’s sweet little treats, its a nice place to experience the tai-tai lifestyle. Otherwise, i do find it quite a rip-off, which Cova rides on its brand name and not really worth it.
There are certainly other places for better cakes and pastries, but i guess going to Cova is more than just that, its the overall glamorous experience seating in Cova that really attracts people there. Maybe i will go back again for their Sacher cake.
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!
Fresh with the memory of Bangkok's excellent Thai food and armed with a craving for Phad Thai, I headed down to First Thai at Purvis Street, which purportedly serves up authentic Thai food at reasonable prices.
The place sits right at the front of Purvis Street, making it easy to find and plays neighbours to Yet Con, which is next door and Chin Chin just across the road. Decor is very coffeeshop like save for the nice green olden style windows that look out to the main road. There is no airconditioning at this eatery so be prepared to sweat it out on a hot day. If the place is full, you'll probably have to share a table with someone or queue up outside the shop. Do note that you will not be seated until everyone in your group is present.
Tom Yam Soup Individual Serving - This is one of the better tom yam soups that I've tried in Singapore and at $7 a pop, it really isn't too expensive given the amount of ingredients in it. Light and sourish with a tinge of spiciness. But I would have preferred it a little spicier. And thats coming from someone whose spice tolerance level is rather low.
Pandan Chicken - Ok I got to admit that this isn't exactly cheap, at $8 for 4 bite sized pieces of pandan chicken. The chicken, though nice and juicy, didn't exactly wow me probably because of its rather mild taste. There was no burst in the mouth melody of flavours that I experienced while eating it in Bangkok. But still a nice eat nevertheless.
Phad Thai ($8)- One of the highly recommended dishes and purportedly one of the best in Singapore, the Phad Thai was actually quite good. Lightly sweet with a firm and chewy texture. However, it was a little too wet as compared to what I had in Bangkok. The ubiquitous dried shrimps were also missing. I know that dried shrimps are optional but they give an added texture and introduce a much appreciated salty dimension to the dish. Personally I still prefer the Phad Thai from Sweet Salty Spicy Food Market & Thai Canteen.
The cost of food sufficient for 1 pax stood at $23 (no GST, no service charge), which is still acceptable given the quality of food. However, drinks cost me an additional $8 which is terribly expensive. $3 for a glass of coconut juce, $4 if you want less ice. 50 cents for warm water and 50 cents for ice only. So technically if you wanted ice water, it will be $1/cup. Theres the more expensive option of bottled water though, starting at $2 (without ice). Sorry but I think its a rip off, especially when its only a coffeeshop. If I ever visit again, I'll be sure to bring my own water.
Had the opportunity to partake in a food tasting session at Fresh Bulggogi, courtesy of Benny, the marketing manager for Zingrill Holdings, which also owns and operates the Breeks, Seoul Garden and Zingdo chains of restaurants.
Located on level 3 of the viewing gallery at Changi Airport Terminal 2, Fresh Bulggogi spots a fresh lime green and black facade and plays immediate neighbour to Fish & Co. The interior (at least where I sat) consists of booth seats that can seat 4 pax very comfortably or 6 pax if you happen to be smaller in size. The concept of Fresh Bulggogi is built upon that of Seoul Garden save for 2 major differences. First, it only has an ala carte menu with no buffet option. Second, the food items sold are slightly more upmarket, with stuff like half shell scallops, sashimi grade salmon, just to name a few. It also serves up quick meals like Bibim Baps for time strapped customers who are in a hurry to catch their flights. For customers who dread perspiring while having steamboat, this place eliminates the problem by placing the pot in a dug in enclosure and installing cool air blowers right above the pot level. This prevents the heat from dissipating upwards and keeps the surroundings cool.
Pine Mushroom Salad with Prawns - Honestly the salad wasn't to my liking and was rather lacklustre in my humble opinion. The pine mushrooms tasted rather bland while the prawns were rather small in size and barely sweet. However there is one positive remark I must make and that is the effort put in to remove the prawn intestines. Not many places, even high class restaurants, bother doing so.
Deep Fried Assorted Mushrooms - This was actually comfort food for all of us. Assorted mushrooms coated with batter and deep fried till crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside. Very nice and chewy but I did find the batter a wee bit too thick. A little more moisture in the mushrooms would also be much appreciated.
Kimchi Jjigae with Sliced Salmon (김치찌개) - Unfortunately, none of us at the table could fully appreciate this humble Korean stew. It was essentially vegetables, mushrooms and rice cakes in a kimchi broth. According to wikipedia, Kimchi Jjigae is best cooked with older more fermented kimchi, which creates a much stronger taste and also contains more beneficial bacteria also found in yoghurt. The salmon slices were passably fresh but tasted rather weird with the kimchi broth.
Garlic Chicken Bap - A classic Korean dish and one that I've eaten a couple of times, the garlic chicken bap was surprisingly quite decent. For starters, the kimchi was lightly sour and spicy while the chicken was well marinated and you could actually taste the marination. Add the fact that the rice was moist and a little sticky and it made for a rather nice dish.
Premium Set C (Chicken Breast Meat, Beef Bulggogi, Chicken Bulggogi and Sliced Beef) - For our steamboat, we had a choice of 2 soup bases, kimchi and chicken, of which we chose the latter. I wouldn't go as far as to say the broth was great, but it was decently sweet yet light.
We had the premium set C for the sliced beef. Seriously, how bad can steamboat get? Everything tasted relatively fresh but the thinly sliced beef did look a darker shade of red as compared to what other tables were getting (this is based purely on our observations). The set is meant for 2 but in case the ingredients are insufficient, there is always the ala carte top up option.
Chicken Bulggogi & Korean Rice Cakes - 2 of our top up options, the chicken bulggogi, which the Koreans eat with lettuce and the rice cakes, which look like sliced fishcakes but tasted to me like chewy kueh when cooked.
Honestly, I know nuts to nothing about Korean food but personally I found the food overall to be rather decent, maybe not wholly authentic but certainly very edible. Prices are on the high side ( the damage for 4 pax was about $165 inclusive of 6 juices/soft drinks and 4 ice cream desserts) but thats to be expected since its at the airport. Oh and take note that they do not serve sky juice. Service was friendly but the place did seem a little short handed at times.
I am quite sad to say that even as a Singaporean, the first plane that I seat on was not a Singapore Airlines plane. Recently, I finally had the chance to sit on one. Hee….. Once step into the plane, it is pretty much like stepping into any other airlines plane, clean and tidy. Along the way, there will be friendly and smiling air steward or stewardess to guide and help you to get to your seat. After which, they would start serving hot towels to everyone as well. If I did not manage to get a copy of Straits Time before I board the plane, I would ask for a copy. Sad to say once in a while, the air stewardess would forget about it.
While on the plane, they did their best to keep us comfortable, and try to keep up with all our requests. Their service was really good when it comes to serving drinks and meals. This is definitely their plus point here. When it comes to their food, well it seems that they only changed their menu every two months, so in the end, I got to every dish in the menu over and over again. *Mental note: To request for special meals when booking tickets next time*
Next come to their entertainment system. Sad to say I am not very impressed with the system as it tends to fail me a few times or required a few times of reset. It is also a bit slow in reaction as well. At least they do change the movies every month so at least I got new movies to watch. It would be much better if they give better quality earphones. Once the system at the seat I was seating was defective, so they gave me a US$50 voucher to use for the KrisShop. Hee…. Too bad it can be only used on the plane.
All in all, I quite liked the service onboard the plane as they would make customers as comfortable as possible.
Heard that Friends was having a special promotion for dinner so popped down the Jelita outlet one weekday evening with my gf.
Located on the 2nd floor of Jelita Shopping Centre in the upclass residential area of Holland, Friends @ Jelita's interior was simply done up with nice leather seats. Very nice and clean feel till I spotted a table with empty plates and cutlery still on it and no one seemed to be taking the initiative to clear it. And no, the wait staff weren't busy. It wasn't until probably about 5 minutes after we had taken our seats were the plates unhurriedly cleared. Sadly, first impression speaks volumes.
Complimentary Bread - Served up in the folds of a napkin which obviously didn't do a good job of keeping it warm, the complimentary bread was average at best. Tasted like normal bread you could buy from any generic bakery in the heartlands.
Pan Seared Tuna with Nicoise Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette - The tuna was nicely seasoned with salt and pepper and pan seared till cooked on the outside but raw on the inside. Very nice and tasty. However I did find it a little too dry. And portions were rather dainty - 3 small slices of tuna.
Chicken Caesar Salad with Garlic Bread and Parmesan Biscuit - A most forgettable dish and one that relied soley on caesar salad dressing to give the whole dish taste. The chicken pieces were bland and rather soft.
Pan Seared Sakura Chicken Breast on Caramelised Pumpkin, Grilled Vegetables and Orange White Wine Reduction - As tantalising as the name may sound, the sakura chicken breast wasn't a big deal really. For one the meat tasted like normal chicken breast which you can get off the shelves at any supermarket. The caramelised pumpkin didn't exactly sit well with me as the sweetness of the pumpkin didn't blend well with the caramel in my humble opinion.
Peppered Sliced Beef Tenderloin with Sautéed Spaghetti & Vodka-Tomato Sauce - The spaghetti was overcooked, coming across as a tad too soft, which also happens to be the bane of the sliced beef. Taste but no texture. Probably the only saving grace was the tomato based sauce which was relatively light with a nice tinge of smoky after taste.
Chef Kenneth’s Gourmet Trio of Chocolate Desserts - This name bearing dessert was a letdown. Very very ordinary if you ask me. Put 3 small pieces of chocolate and mousse together and viola, you get Chef Kenneth's gourmet trio of chocolate desserts. Very chocolaty, which is good if you are a chocolate addict.
Coconut Panna Cotta - Another average dessert, the quivery but a little glutinous coconut panna cotta carried an evident taste of coconut without the raspberry sauce being too overwhelming. It should/could have been good but more work probably needs to be done on the texture first.
$47 for an average dinner for 2 isn't really that expensive honestly, especially when theres service and ambience thrown in as well. But quality of food here really needs to buck up and I believe I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Caffe Beviamo actually manages to catch LIC attention because of its apparent lack of signboard. The first time i know of this self-effacing and laid-back restaurant is during my visit to Tetsu at Tanglin Mall. The Caffe Beviamo there is located on the ground floor and i walked around the restaurant three times trying to spot its name but to no avail.
After knowing that Caffe Beviamo is also available at Paragon level 5, a visit looks to be on the cards. And after some “investigation”, LIC found the signboard for Caffe Beviamo!
Paragon level 5 is hardly a place i’ll go, not that i don’t visit Paragon, but that who goes to level 5? Its always at the first few levels that are most crowded. Therefore its rather a surprise when i reached level 5 and all the seats at Caffe Beviamo is taken.
The area isn’t very big, with rough estimates of at most 40 seaters. The light serene green of the woody seats coupled with white simple tables actually gives an unpretentious feel.
The most amazing thing about Caffe Beviamo is actually its simplicity. The whole cafe is so straightforward in the sense that it has a easy and pleasant ambience, the food they served are your simple and comfort food like sandwiches, toasts, salads and pasta. So much so that they bear a reminiscent of Epicurious.
Linguine ($11.50) Linguine with tomato, basil & bocconcini. There are only two type of pasta available on the menu, with the other being Torchietti. The linguine served here is very simple, not very flavorful in the sense that it does not packs too many type of different ingredients in. Just simple tomato and bocconcini with a hint of basil.
Its rather hard to describe the term “Australian cuisine” as there’s rather few of such places in Singapore. But Caffe Beviamo quintessentially categorize its food as Australian. I’m not sure how “Australian” is the pasta, but its comfort food to me, simple and good.
Chicken Sandwiches ($10.50) Basil pesto, zucchini, poached chicken breast and cheese makes up the chicken sandwich. The chicken sandwich is rather good too, nothing too complicated. I’m rather skeptical about the zucchini initially, but it actually taste quite well together with the chicken breast sandwich in between the bread.
Strawberry Shortcake ($3.5) The strawberry shortcake rendition at Caffe Beviamo is given a make-over, not quite like your usual ones. With a big red juicy strawberry sandwich in between the pastry, it does provides an inspiration with the “playing” of food by constructing them different from the norm.
The desserts are not on the menu, and its rather pick-your-own from the counter. So grab yours fast because once they are out, other different ones will be offered instead. I saw a carrot cake before we started our meal, but after we finished it’s gone!
Cheese Cake ($4) The normal cheese cake at Caffe Beviamo is real good! Cheesy yet not to the extent overwhelming. The biscuit crumb layer underneath the cake provides a different dimension to the soft and fluffy cheese cake. The “oomph” feel immediately make its presence known.
So good! And at 4 bucks, it’s really a steal. Appearance-wise it looks very ordinary, but the taste is definitely not!
Total bill is $31.55 for 2 person. The food and ambience at Caffe Beviamo is bona fide simple, but the simplicity is exactly the beauty of the place. Price-wise its certainly affordable in a cafe style, prices for pastas, sandwiches and salads ranges in the tens, and different varieties of toast at $4.5 each.
I’m not saying the food is excellent, it isn’t. However the comfort and simple food is exactly what you need sometimes after feeling jade from eating. The price won’t hurt you in the pocket, and the place’s nice to hang out with a couple of friends.
Desserts are excellent, although this can come to be rather a big tag since i have only tried two of their desserts. But given the prices, i think they are definitely worth a try, and i’ll be going to the other one at Tanglin Mall again. 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!
At the end of the winding South Buona Vista road off Pasir Panjang is Village Centre, a small building with Cold Storage its anchor tenant, and a mix of other restaurants like the familiar Lemongrass Thai restaurant. Besides that, there’s also a hidden gem in the form of Fish Mart Sakuraya, i’m not so sure whether its so much of a hidden find since there might be tons of people knowing its existence already.
Inside you can find groceries, not your normal ones, but with the made-in-japan tag, and on the wrappings you see a written language in the form of Japanese. Think Meidi-ya at Liang court, Isetan supermarket and you will pretty much get the idea.
Besides food stuff, Fish Mart Sakuraya also have cooking materials and seasonings imported from Japan.
Within Fish Mart Sakuraya, besides selling Japanese food stuff, they also have a dine-in area which offers real cheap Japanese food. I didn’t have any on that day but i will look to go back and try next time.
A wide range of fish available to choose from. The chef will cook them on the spot, maintaining the freshness of the fish.
Fish Mart Sakuraya is a gem for people staying in the west and provides an alternative for those who does not want to go all the way to places like Meidi-ya and Isetan supermarket in Town for their Japanese fixes. Besides the one at Village Centre, there’s also another one at Parkway Parade
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!
Thye Hong is well-known for their Hokkien fried noodles, and is a mainstay in Bread Talk’s Food Republic, with the honor of having the longest queue in the upscale food court. The joke around is if you want to find Thye Hong, just see which stall has the longest queue and there you go, Thye Hong.
The main thing that amaze me about Thye Hong is actually the cook’s ability to churn out so many plates of hokkien mee at one go. The cook will perform for the long queue visible through the transparent glass, dishing out the hokkien mee with the big wok.
It is not easy to get the right taste for a plate of dish, let alone such a big quantity of hokkien mee, which i mean is quite a feat. As always, if you happen to be there when they served finish one round, be prepared to wait up till 15 minutes. While the cook is preparing the noodles, the lines behind is gradually forming up ready for the next round of “assault”.
Thye Hong Hokkien Mee ($4) The renown Thye Hong hokkien mee, comes with different prices of $4, 6, 8. I quite like the hokkien mee here, and being not a fan of food court, the only time i’ll patronise Food Republic is for, well Thye Hong hokkien mee. My companion find the hokkien mee to be on the salty side while i thought it is all right.
There’s different opinion about the chili too, for me i find it quite hot, but as my companion is a chill-eater, the ones here aren’t any kick for her. I tried Thye Hong hokkien mee at other outlets, but sad to say the standards differ. The one at Wisma Food Republic is still the best for Thye Hong.
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!
It was a visit high strung with expectations. After hearing so much about the famed Wagyu burger from One Ninety, my gf and I popped down for dinner one weekday evening. Ironically, it wasn't the ala carte Wagyu burger option we settled for, but the dinner buffet, which serves up limitless portions of food from a variety of 40 dishes on the small bites dinner menu. Think tapas sizes. According to the manager, this is probably the only western buffet in town which prepares your orders when you place them.
Located at lobby level of the classy Four Seasons Hotel, One Ninety exudes casual chic with its open display kitchen and wooden floors yet retains its warmth and homeliness through the use of ambient lighting. Such a setting makes One Ninety ideal for that intimate dinner for two and group dinners alike.
Complimentary Bread - Its the first time I've seen bread dished up in a pan, or a square pan for that matter, whose main purpose was to keep the bread warm. The bread was of two different variants - the plain bun and the bun with sweet potato filling. Personally I prefered the sweet potato one as it was, well, sweet.
Chicken Consommé with Shrimp Dumplings & Mushroom Cappuccino with Roasted Porcini - Soups to start off our meal. The clear chicken consommé was light on the palate with a slight tinge of tomato after taste which I personally found refreshing. The shrimp dumpling that found its way into the soup was chock full of huge shrimps that were crunchy to the bite. Very good.
The relatively thick mushroom cappuccino hinted very heavily of mushroom (duh!) but did seem a little too bland for my liking. If you like lighter stuff, then this is probably for you. As for me, a dash of salt will do the trick.
Portobello Tempura Fries with Horseradish Dip - This is a rather interesting dish and is essentially portobello mushrooms coated with tempura batter and deep fried. The batter wasn't too thick which meant less oil absorbed and allowed the taste of the portobello to permeate through. Add a drizzle of sweet sauce (Terriyaki I believe) and you have a nice sweet crispy mushroom dish. Great as a snack!
Coriander Tuna with Sesame and Citrus Pea Salad - Cooked on the outside yet rare on the inside, the tuna slices were void of the overwhelming fishy aftertaste that usually plagues tuna dishes. A dash of sesame seeds give it aroma and a slightly oily texture. A nice dish but didn't exactly wow me because for one, I've had better.
Honey Glazed Duck Breast with Périgord Truffle Sauce - I like all things duck so I'm probably biased when I say this dish was quite good. The right amount of chewiness sans the strong fowl taste had me relishing the duck slices. A pity it was a tad too dry.
Risotto Balls with Kikorangi Cheese Dressing - The first disappointment of the day and it had to be the risotto balls. Risotto with Kikorangi cheese (a New Zealand blue cheese) encrusted with flour and deep fried I believe. Terribly bland with the risotto a tad too mashed up for my liking. Between the 2 of us, we finished half a ball. Guess that says a lot, doesn't it?
Angus Beef Cheek with Beetroot Mash and Shiraz Reduction - Melt in the mouth tender and served on a bed of beetroot mash that tasted like a sweet version of mashed potatoes. Whats not to like about the Angus beef cheek?
Green Lip Mussels Casino - The green lip mussel, which hails from New Zealand, was recommended to us by our wait staff. And although I don't really like mussels, I must say that it was a good recommendation. Coated with what seemed like garlic spread and baked till the spread hardened and turned a beautiful golden brown, the mussels had not so much a hint of the raw seafood taste. Only gripe I had was the excessive salt levels in it.
Black Soy Prawns with Pumpkin Confit - Undoubtedly the pièce de résistance of our mains, I am unsure where or how to begin complimenting this dish. The prawns were huge, succulent, sweet and carried tons of bite. And the accompanying sauce gave it a light artificial sweetness which complimented the inherent sweetness of the prawn. Second servings are highly recommended.
Organic Pork Belly on Tropical Asian Salad - The ubiquitous pork belly and a personal favourite of mine. The skin was crackling crispy without the meat being too salty and the fats gave it a nice chewy texture. However, the health conscious me would prefer a leaner cut. Talk about being 自相矛盾.
Crispy Crab Cakes with Black Pepper Sauce and Asian Greens - I'm rather partial towards crab cakes so it didn't bowl me over or anything. Made with real crab meat, the crab cakes were savoury without being too fishy. I guess thats how good crab cakes are supposed to be like, no?
Thinly Sliced Turkey Breast with Blueberry Vinaigrette - Salty. That was the first word that came to mind as I chewed on a slice of turkey breast (more like ham really). The taste of the blueberry vinaigrette was very faint and when eaten with the turkey, virtually non existent. Rocket leaves with walnuts are nice though.
Seared Foie Gras Celeriac Puree and Truffle Foam - Foie Gras is the epitome of sin in terms of food indulging due to its adverse impacts on the waistline and the heart. The seared foie gras offering had a slightly crispy exterior but was a little too soft for my liking. I would like to think that One Ninety's foie gras was worth it but sadly, though decent, it isn't something that I'll want to order again. The health and taste equation just doesn't tally.
Grilled Grain Fed Sirloin with Creamy Fondue and Guinness Sauce - Grilled to medium well instead of medium rare, the sirloin was still reasonably tender and tasty. But it did seem a tad too dry though. Overall a decent but forgettable dish.
Lobster Thermidor - The lobster was fresh and crunchy with a slight milky taste to it. Lacked the distinctive thermidor taste (derived mainly from mustard) though. I would have liked this member of the crustacean family better if it was bigger but hey, its a buffet, so I can order as many as I want, never mind the hassle.
Crispy Cod Fish with Oriental Mango Slaw and Wasabi Aioli - You can seldom go wrong with cod fish as the fish itself has a very smooth texture. This simple dish accentuates the smooth flesh by encrusting the fish in flour to contrast the soft slick smoothness of the flesh to the crispy exterior. Nicely done except that it was a wee bit too oily for my liking.
Seared Scallops with Avocado and Pimento Coulis - Topped with roe, the scallops were a tad too soft for my liking and could have done with more searing in my humble opinion. Honestly, I couldn't quite decide if the pimento coulis (cherry pepper sauce) added any flavour to the scallops.
Peanut Butter Chicken - A very interesting dish created by marrying peanut butter with chicken. The result? Tender chicken cuts dunked in a creamy concoction with the occasional peanut chunk that hinted very strongly of salty peanut butter. Not exactly my cup of tea really as I can't really accept the salt peanut butter combination.
Hazelnut Royaltine Cake - Excellent would be most apt in describing the hazelnut royaltine cake. Crunchy biscuit base with finely toasted hazelnut paste and rich chocolate just the way I like it, not too sweet. The accompanying scoop of ice cream was excellent as well, smooth and milky. As with the soy prawns, second helpings of this is strongly encouraged.
Raspberry Breton with Passion Fruit Sorbet - Another excellent dessert, the raspberry breton had nice smooth mousse slouching atop raspberries and a soft biscuit base with a milky undertone (ps: Can anyone tell me what breton is? I'm guessing its a brand of biscuits). The passion fruit sorbet was sour sour sour!
Traditional Vanilla Crème Brûlée with Wild Berry Compote - I couldn't quite make out the vanilla beans in the Crème Brûlée but I'll give it the benefit of a doubt due to its rather impressive quality. The layer of sugar wasn't too thick or overburnt and didn't stick to my teeth when chewed on while the pudding was smooth and light. On a side note, the wild berry compote tasted sweet.
Warm Chocolate Cake Served with Passion Fruit and Lemon Sorbet - I know of many people who are suckers for warm chocolate cake and yours truly falls within that category. However One Ninety's rendition failed to ignite any sparks. Vicious and not too sweet chocolate enveloped by a semi hard cake crust, the cake's texture tended a little more towards the pudding side which was a little discomforting to me. And yes, I've had better ones.
Folding Layer Mango Tiramisu - The second disappointment for the night and one of my well liked desserts, the humble tiramisu. For starters, the sponge was a little too hard and there was no trace of alcohol whatsoever (I'm an alcoholic). However, what was interesting was that the faint sweetness from the mangoes permeated through. If only the sponge had been moist.
Bitter Chocolate Mousse with Lemon Curd - An unremarkable but decent enough dessert. Smooth and lightly bitter mousse coupled with sour lemon curd which smacked strongly of what tasted like alcohol.
Strawberry and Tomato Cobbler with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream - Another most interesting dessert. The strawberry and tomato cobbler had a nice oven baked flaky pastry covering which revealed a warm mixture of strawberries and tomatoes when broken into. Overall it tasted like very well made apple pie except that it was tomato and strawberries in lieu of apples. I must point out that although I am not a fan of tomatoes, this dish really impressed me. And the icing on the cake came in the form of the smooth and wonderful vanilla ice cream which was made from vanilla beans.
Walnut Napoleon with Espresso Ice Cream - There are only 2 positive things that I can think of with regard to the walnut napoleon. First, the amount of walnuts present was generous. Second, the espresso ice cream was smooth and didn't come down too heavy on the coffee taste. Other then that, this whole dessert tasted normal.
Soy Bean Panna Cotta with Sesame Tuile - To be honest, the panna cotta would have tasted rather bland if not for the red beans, which fortunately, were a little sweet. But therein lies the problem. The taste of the red beans overwhelmed and suddenly, its like eating red bean with pudding! I liked the sweet sesame tuile that came atop the shooter glass of panna cotta though, but not the mochi wannabe that was stuffed with crushed nuts and came across as way too dry.
One of the best dinners I've had this year cost about $122 for 2 pax. I will make no attempts to hide my disdain for buffets but for this case, I'm more than happy to put my prohibitions and reservations aside. From my understanding, this buffet is still under evaluation and will run till the end of July before the management will decide whether to extend its run or take it off. In my humble opinion, with food, variety and aesthetics this good, the buffet is here to stay. Coupled with excellent and non condescending service (especially to a guy who was wearing shorts and flip flops), One Ninety has truly shown its mettle and ranks top on my return list.
The Brownie Factory, petite in size but big with brownies. Despite the rather small store at basement two of Takashimaya, do not underrate its brownie, with selections of up to 24 brownies at one go, its hell lots of brownies to choose from.
From what i understand from the person-in-charge, their total brownies assortments stands over 40, and they varies from different festivals. I think its really creative of the Brownie Factory to concoct different types of brownie to suit our fussy taste bud
The prices for the brownies ranges from 2 bucks to 4 bucks, with so many different types of brownies to pick from, its really a headache. Fortunately for my companion and me, we did not have this problem because there's a current promotion which offers us the brownie factory’s best four selling brownie all for the price of 11 bucks.
There’s some other unique brownies like peanut butter, very bitter fudgy chewy gooey brownie, tutti-frutti marshmallow brownie, peppermint brownie and many more.
Fudgy Chewy Gooey Brownie ($3.10) The Brownie Factory #1 bestseller! Fudgy chewy gooey chocolaty and full of walnuts. The name fudge chewy gooey brownie says it all already. The chewy part is true to its name, its the chewiest among the four brownie.
Initially my companion and i like this very much because its very chewy and we find the overall taste to be just right. But as it gets on, the brownie becomes too sweet and threatens to overwhelm the taste bud.
Triple Chocolate Brownie ($2.40) Dense moist chocolate brownie topped with little and semi sweet chocolate chips and walnuts. The name alone suggest the sweetness, being triple chocolate. And thats what we thought so at the outset.
But the triple chocolate brownie (#2 bestseller) is completely opposite to the fudge chewy gooey brownie. The first bite is very sweet, but after tasting all the brownie, we find this not really that sweet after all. And there’s a hint of dark chocolate within, the smooth texture together with the choclate chips and walnuts makes us conclude overall the best brownie among the four.
Original Chocolate Brownie ($2.70) Dense moist chocolate brownie topped with walnut and semi sweet chocolate chips. If you do not have a sweet tooth, then the Original Chocolate brownie (#3 bestseller) is surely the one for you.
The least sweet among the four brownie we had, texture wise and appearance its the most similar to the triple chocolate brownie, less the chocolaty taste.
Fudgy Wudgy Chewy Brownie I rather like the Fudgy wudgy chewy brownie (#4 bestseller) too. The freeze chocolate layer goes well together with the chewy brownie, albeit being rather hard to bite into. The sweetness level is on the high side too, but its a nice alternative to the rest because this one is a cold brownie.
Total bill is $11 for 4 of the bestselling brownies at The Brownie Factory. Brownies are actually meant to be sweet, i guess the main problem is because 2 of us eat 4 brownie at one go, therefore the sweetness rather overwhelm us a bit. But i think eaten each separately, they should be all right.Price wise is rather reasonable given the cheapest is about 2 bucks, with the most expensive ones going at around 4 bucks.
The Brownie Factory has been around for about 6 years already, yet everytime i passed by the area i totally missed out the store, which is really a pity until now. If you are in the area, do try out their brownie! I like the triple chocolate brownie the most, and will definitely look to try some other unique flavours the next time round.
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!
1=SGD 0.0587
Cova, which opened in 1817 beside the famous “La Scala” theatre, was founded by Antonio Cova, a soldier of Napoleon who first ‘campaigned’ as a pastry chef in the Galleria De Cristoforis.
Over the past 190 off years, Cova has built up a name for its authentic Italian culture , offering an espresso coffee or a tea savoured in the comfort of a neo-classical lounge in the mainstay of high-society life.
Outside of Italy, Cova can only be found in Japan and Hong Kong, so land ahoy! For Cova has finally opened on our shores. Choosing the ritzy Paragon Shopping centre where the likes of Prada, Gucci can be found, for the opening in Singapore certainly won’t go wrong for a premium brand like Cova.
Caffe Cova is spilt into a tea room and restaurant, with the open concept cafe having the space once taken by Dome, and the restaurant taking over the premise of Swarovski crystal shop.
The restaurant interior is done up splendidly, the lighting and the tone is set in majestic gold to reflect the ambience of the place. The serving waiters are dressed smartly, stepping inside the restaurant, think fashion and lifestyle.
They had quite a wide range of cakes available, but its not available on the menu because the cakes changes everyday. So you’ll need to go to the counter to order for it.
But, the big but, there’s only several cakes of the day, which you order in slices. The rest are all sold in whole, which makes it difficult if you want to try many different cakes, or unless you got a large group with you.
Prices in a posh restaurant like Cova is definitely not what you will describe as affordable. For their dinner menu, the mains are all in the 30 range.
For a swanky restaurant, you may ask 30 should seem rather reasonable, given there’s other places not in their league but charge around the same price. But Cova being famous for its coffee, cakes and pastries, i remain skeptical about paying 30 for their main course.
My secret food partner and I went for dinner, but we were after their cakes and pastries after all. So we didn’t ordered any main course, desserts are enough!
Unfortunately for us, Caffe Cova seems to be very popular during tea time, when we went during dinner time, quite a lot of their pastries are sold out, that includes their signature Sacher cake. And we went just one week into their opening.
Bigne Pistachio
Cova has sets for their mini pastries, with assortment of 4 petite ones going for 9 bucks. For such a miniature pastry at 2 bucks, it will make Bread Papa’s cream puff seems a very good deal. The bigne Pistachio does not really have much of a pistachio taste. Period.
Mini Chocolate Raspberry Tart
The chocolate shavings on the mini chocolate raspberry tart is what caught my attention, its done very exquisitely and pretty to look at.
The raspberry in the middle is rather sourish, but i guess it gives a compliment in taste to the sweet chocolate. But i’ll rather the raspberry to be slightly sweeter to perfect the overall taste.
Mini Chocolate Gooseberry Tart
Chocolate toppings coupled with gooseberry in the middle to make up the tart. Personally i do felt that the mini chooclate gooseberry tart is my least-like among the 4 pastries.
The gooseberry is too sourish, and its not like the case of the raspberry. Not so sure whether thats how gooseberry should be, but i don’t like the mini chocolate gooseberry tart.
Mini Chocolate Hazelnut Tart
The hazelnut tart is the best of the lot, with the other three being quite a letdown. I love hazelnut, eating nutella out of the container is a favourite pastime for me. The mini chocolate hazelnut tart is gone in a mouthful, you wish there is more.
Assortment of cookies ($5.50 per 100 gram)
There’s quite a wide variety of cookies to choose from, but please don’t be mistaken by the picture, there’s more cookies from the 100gram than the seven shown in it.
Back to the point, the cookies are actually quite ordinary, like your normal butter cookies. I like the Krumiri (long banana shape-like), butter cookie with chocolate coating at the tip.
My partner preferred the star shape cookie with-a-hole-in-the-middle, which is covered with sugar.
The assortment of cookies at $5.50 per 100 gram isn’t very expensive, for a place like Cova where everything else is so expensive. But considering the fact that Famous Amos cookies are priced in the repotire of 4 plus, i do think buying famous amos is a better economic choice
Nevertheless, Cova cookies selections are placed in a nice bag, which makes a rather affordable and presentable gift for friends and family.
Gamberi ($14)
A refreshing combination of prawn and mayonnaise. The bread was a soft brioche so credits for that. But the Gamberi sandwich wasn’t even hot and toasted.
Furthermore, the sandwich portions were meagres given the price, the shrimps were crunchy but there’s only 3 tiny ones in the sandwich.
Total Bill is $32.50 for the pastries, cookies and sandwich. All in all, Cova is a good place for novelty, if u havent been to better italian sidewalk cafes, or even tried da paolo’s sweet little treats, its a nice place to experience the tai-tai lifestyle. Otherwise, i do find it quite a rip-off, which Cova rides on its brand name and not really worth it.
There are certainly other places for better cakes and pastries, but i guess going to Cova is more than just that, its the overall glamorous experience seating in Cova that really attracts people there. Maybe i will go back again for their Sacher cake.
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:
Fresh with the memory of Bangkok's excellent Thai food and armed with a craving for Phad Thai, I headed down to First Thai at Purvis Street, which purportedly serves up authentic Thai food at reasonable prices.
The place sits right at the front of Purvis Street, making it easy to find and plays neighbours to Yet Con, which is next door and Chin Chin just across the road. Decor is very coffeeshop like save for the nice green olden style windows that look out to the main road. There is no airconditioning at this eatery so be prepared to sweat it out on a hot day. If the place is full, you'll probably have to share a table with someone or queue up outside the shop. Do note that you will not be seated until everyone in your group is present.
Tom Yam Soup Individual Serving - This is one of the better tom yam soups that I've tried in Singapore and at $7 a pop, it really isn't too expensive given the amount of ingredients in it. Light and sourish with a tinge of spiciness. But I would have preferred it a little spicier. And thats coming from someone whose spice tolerance level is rather low.
Pandan Chicken - Ok I got to admit that this isn't exactly cheap, at $8 for 4 bite sized pieces of pandan chicken. The chicken, though nice and juicy, didn't exactly wow me probably because of its rather mild taste. There was no burst in the mouth melody of flavours that I experienced while eating it in Bangkok. But still a nice eat nevertheless.
Phad Thai ($8)- One of the highly recommended dishes and purportedly one of the best in Singapore, the Phad Thai was actually quite good. Lightly sweet with a firm and chewy texture. However, it was a little too wet as compared to what I had in Bangkok. The ubiquitous dried shrimps were also missing. I know that dried shrimps are optional but they give an added texture and introduce a much appreciated salty dimension to the dish. Personally I still prefer the Phad Thai from Sweet Salty Spicy Food Market & Thai Canteen.
The cost of food sufficient for 1 pax stood at $23 (no GST, no service charge), which is still acceptable given the quality of food. However, drinks cost me an additional $8 which is terribly expensive. $3 for a glass of coconut juce, $4 if you want less ice. 50 cents for warm water and 50 cents for ice only. So technically if you wanted ice water, it will be $1/cup. Theres the more expensive option of bottled water though, starting at $2 (without ice). Sorry but I think its a rip off, especially when its only a coffeeshop. If I ever visit again, I'll be sure to bring my own water.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Had the opportunity to partake in a food tasting session at Fresh Bulggogi, courtesy of Benny, the marketing manager for Zingrill Holdings, which also owns and operates the Breeks, Seoul Garden and Zingdo chains of restaurants.
Located on level 3 of the viewing gallery at Changi Airport Terminal 2, Fresh Bulggogi spots a fresh lime green and black facade and plays immediate neighbour to Fish & Co. The interior (at least where I sat) consists of booth seats that can seat 4 pax very comfortably or 6 pax if you happen to be smaller in size. The concept of Fresh Bulggogi is built upon that of Seoul Garden save for 2 major differences. First, it only has an ala carte menu with no buffet option. Second, the food items sold are slightly more upmarket, with stuff like half shell scallops, sashimi grade salmon, just to name a few. It also serves up quick meals like Bibim Baps for time strapped customers who are in a hurry to catch their flights. For customers who dread perspiring while having steamboat, this place eliminates the problem by placing the pot in a dug in enclosure and installing cool air blowers right above the pot level. This prevents the heat from dissipating upwards and keeps the surroundings cool.
Pine Mushroom Salad with Prawns - Honestly the salad wasn't to my liking and was rather lacklustre in my humble opinion. The pine mushrooms tasted rather bland while the prawns were rather small in size and barely sweet. However there is one positive remark I must make and that is the effort put in to remove the prawn intestines. Not many places, even high class restaurants, bother doing so.
Deep Fried Assorted Mushrooms - This was actually comfort food for all of us. Assorted mushrooms coated with batter and deep fried till crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside. Very nice and chewy but I did find the batter a wee bit too thick. A little more moisture in the mushrooms would also be much appreciated.
Kimchi Jjigae with Sliced Salmon (김치찌개) - Unfortunately, none of us at the table could fully appreciate this humble Korean stew. It was essentially vegetables, mushrooms and rice cakes in a kimchi broth. According to wikipedia, Kimchi Jjigae is best cooked with older more fermented kimchi, which creates a much stronger taste and also contains more beneficial bacteria also found in yoghurt. The salmon slices were passably fresh but tasted rather weird with the kimchi broth.
Garlic Chicken Bap - A classic Korean dish and one that I've eaten a couple of times, the garlic chicken bap was surprisingly quite decent. For starters, the kimchi was lightly sour and spicy while the chicken was well marinated and you could actually taste the marination. Add the fact that the rice was moist and a little sticky and it made for a rather nice dish.
Premium Set C (Chicken Breast Meat, Beef Bulggogi, Chicken Bulggogi and Sliced Beef) - For our steamboat, we had a choice of 2 soup bases, kimchi and chicken, of which we chose the latter. I wouldn't go as far as to say the broth was great, but it was decently sweet yet light.
We had the premium set C for the sliced beef. Seriously, how bad can steamboat get? Everything tasted relatively fresh but the thinly sliced beef did look a darker shade of red as compared to what other tables were getting (this is based purely on our observations). The set is meant for 2 but in case the ingredients are insufficient, there is always the ala carte top up option.
Chicken Bulggogi & Korean Rice Cakes - 2 of our top up options, the chicken bulggogi, which the Koreans eat with lettuce and the rice cakes, which look like sliced fishcakes but tasted to me like chewy kueh when cooked.
Honestly, I know nuts to nothing about Korean food but personally I found the food overall to be rather decent, maybe not wholly authentic but certainly very edible. Prices are on the high side ( the damage for 4 pax was about $165 inclusive of 6 juices/soft drinks and 4 ice cream desserts) but thats to be expected since its at the airport. Oh and take note that they do not serve sky juice. Service was friendly but the place did seem a little short handed at times.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I am quite sad to say that even as a Singaporean, the first plane that I seat on was not a Singapore Airlines plane. Recently, I finally had the chance to sit on one. Hee….. Once step into the plane, it is pretty much like stepping into any other airlines plane, clean and tidy. Along the way, there will be friendly and smiling air steward or stewardess to guide and help you to get to your seat. After which, they would start serving hot towels to everyone as well. If I did not manage to get a copy of Straits Time before I board the plane, I would ask for a copy. Sad to say once in a while, the air stewardess would forget about it.
While on the plane, they did their best to keep us comfortable, and try to keep up with all our requests. Their service was really good when it comes to serving drinks and meals. This is definitely their plus point here. When it comes to their food, well it seems that they only changed their menu every two months, so in the end, I got to every dish in the menu over and over again. *Mental note: To request for special meals when booking tickets next time*
Next come to their entertainment system. Sad to say I am not very impressed with the system as it tends to fail me a few times or required a few times of reset. It is also a bit slow in reaction as well. At least they do change the movies every month so at least I got new movies to watch. It would be much better if they give better quality earphones. Once the system at the seat I was seating was defective, so they gave me a US$50 voucher to use for the KrisShop. Hee…. Too bad it can be only used on the plane.
All in all, I quite liked the service onboard the plane as they would make customers as comfortable as possible.
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Heard that Friends was having a special promotion for dinner so popped down the Jelita outlet one weekday evening with my gf.
Located on the 2nd floor of Jelita Shopping Centre in the upclass residential area of Holland, Friends @ Jelita's interior was simply done up with nice leather seats. Very nice and clean feel till I spotted a table with empty plates and cutlery still on it and no one seemed to be taking the initiative to clear it. And no, the wait staff weren't busy. It wasn't until probably about 5 minutes after we had taken our seats were the plates unhurriedly cleared. Sadly, first impression speaks volumes.
Complimentary Bread - Served up in the folds of a napkin which obviously didn't do a good job of keeping it warm, the complimentary bread was average at best. Tasted like normal bread you could buy from any generic bakery in the heartlands.
Pan Seared Tuna with Nicoise Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette - The tuna was nicely seasoned with salt and pepper and pan seared till cooked on the outside but raw on the inside. Very nice and tasty. However I did find it a little too dry. And portions were rather dainty - 3 small slices of tuna.
Chicken Caesar Salad with Garlic Bread and Parmesan Biscuit - A most forgettable dish and one that relied soley on caesar salad dressing to give the whole dish taste. The chicken pieces were bland and rather soft.
Pan Seared Sakura Chicken Breast on Caramelised Pumpkin, Grilled Vegetables and Orange White Wine Reduction - As tantalising as the name may sound, the sakura chicken breast wasn't a big deal really. For one the meat tasted like normal chicken breast which you can get off the shelves at any supermarket. The caramelised pumpkin didn't exactly sit well with me as the sweetness of the pumpkin didn't blend well with the caramel in my humble opinion.
Peppered Sliced Beef Tenderloin with Sautéed Spaghetti & Vodka-Tomato Sauce - The spaghetti was overcooked, coming across as a tad too soft, which also happens to be the bane of the sliced beef. Taste but no texture. Probably the only saving grace was the tomato based sauce which was relatively light with a nice tinge of smoky after taste.
Chef Kenneth’s Gourmet Trio of Chocolate Desserts - This name bearing dessert was a letdown. Very very ordinary if you ask me. Put 3 small pieces of chocolate and mousse together and viola, you get Chef Kenneth's gourmet trio of chocolate desserts. Very chocolaty, which is good if you are a chocolate addict.
Coconut Panna Cotta - Another average dessert, the quivery but a little glutinous coconut panna cotta carried an evident taste of coconut without the raspberry sauce being too overwhelming. It should/could have been good but more work probably needs to be done on the texture first.
$47 for an average dinner for 2 isn't really that expensive honestly, especially when theres service and ambience thrown in as well. But quality of food here really needs to buck up and I believe I'm not the only one who thinks so.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Caffe Beviamo actually manages to catch LIC attention because of its apparent lack of signboard. The first time i know of this self-effacing and laid-back restaurant is during my visit to Tetsu at Tanglin Mall. The Caffe Beviamo there is located on the ground floor and i walked around the restaurant three times trying to spot its name but to no avail.
After knowing that Caffe Beviamo is also available at Paragon level 5, a visit looks to be on the cards. And after some “investigation”, LIC found the signboard for Caffe Beviamo!
Paragon level 5 is hardly a place i’ll go, not that i don’t visit Paragon, but that who goes to level 5? Its always at the first few levels that are most crowded. Therefore its rather a surprise when i reached level 5 and all the seats at Caffe Beviamo is taken.
The area isn’t very big, with rough estimates of at most 40 seaters. The light serene green of the woody seats coupled with white simple tables actually gives an unpretentious feel.
The most amazing thing about Caffe Beviamo is actually its simplicity. The whole cafe is so straightforward in the sense that it has a easy and pleasant ambience, the food they served are your simple and comfort food like sandwiches, toasts, salads and pasta. So much so that they bear a reminiscent of Epicurious.
Linguine ($11.50)
Linguine with tomato, basil & bocconcini. There are only two type of pasta available on the menu, with the other being Torchietti. The linguine served here is very simple, not very flavorful in the sense that it does not packs too many type of different ingredients in. Just simple tomato and bocconcini with a hint of basil.
Its rather hard to describe the term “Australian cuisine” as there’s rather few of such places in Singapore. But Caffe Beviamo quintessentially categorize its food as Australian. I’m not sure how “Australian” is the pasta, but its comfort food to me, simple and good.
Chicken Sandwiches ($10.50)
Basil pesto, zucchini, poached chicken breast and cheese makes up the chicken sandwich. The chicken sandwich is rather good too, nothing too complicated. I’m rather skeptical about the zucchini initially, but it actually taste quite well together with the chicken breast sandwich in between the bread.
Strawberry Shortcake ($3.5)
The strawberry shortcake rendition at Caffe Beviamo is given a make-over, not quite like your usual ones. With a big red juicy strawberry sandwich in between the pastry, it does provides an inspiration with the “playing” of food by constructing them different from the norm.
The desserts are not on the menu, and its rather pick-your-own from the counter. So grab yours fast because once they are out, other different ones will be offered instead. I saw a carrot cake before we started our meal, but after we finished it’s gone!
Cheese Cake ($4)
The normal cheese cake at Caffe Beviamo is real good! Cheesy yet not to the extent overwhelming. The biscuit crumb layer underneath the cake provides a different dimension to the soft and fluffy cheese cake. The “oomph” feel immediately make its presence known.
So good! And at 4 bucks, it’s really a steal. Appearance-wise it looks very ordinary, but the taste is definitely not!
Total bill is $31.55 for 2 person. The food and ambience at Caffe Beviamo is bona fide simple, but the simplicity is exactly the beauty of the place. Price-wise its certainly affordable in a cafe style, prices for pastas, sandwiches and salads ranges in the tens, and different varieties of toast at $4.5 each.
I’m not saying the food is excellent, it isn’t. However the comfort and simple food is exactly what you need sometimes after feeling jade from eating. The price won’t hurt you in the pocket, and the place’s nice to hang out with a couple of friends.
Desserts are excellent, although this can come to be rather a big tag since i have only tried two of their desserts. But given the prices, i think they are definitely worth a try, and i’ll be going to the other one at Tanglin Mall again. 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:
At the end of the winding South Buona Vista road off Pasir Panjang is Village Centre, a small building with Cold Storage its anchor tenant, and a mix of other restaurants like the familiar Lemongrass Thai restaurant. Besides that, there’s also a hidden gem in the form of Fish Mart Sakuraya, i’m not so sure whether its so much of a hidden find since there might be tons of people knowing its existence already.
Inside you can find groceries, not your normal ones, but with the made-in-japan tag, and on the wrappings you see a written language in the form of Japanese. Think Meidi-ya at Liang court, Isetan supermarket and you will pretty much get the idea.
Besides food stuff, Fish Mart Sakuraya also have cooking materials and seasonings imported from Japan.
Within Fish Mart Sakuraya, besides selling Japanese food stuff, they also have a dine-in area which offers real cheap Japanese food. I didn’t have any on that day but i will look to go back and try next time.
A wide range of fish available to choose from. The chef will cook them on the spot, maintaining the freshness of the fish.
Fish Mart Sakuraya is a gem for people staying in the west and provides an alternative for those who does not want to go all the way to places like Meidi-ya and Isetan supermarket in Town for their Japanese fixes. Besides the one at Village Centre, there’s also another one at Parkway Parade
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:
Thye Hong is well-known for their Hokkien fried noodles, and is a mainstay in Bread Talk’s Food Republic, with the honor of having the longest queue in the upscale food court. The joke around is if you want to find Thye Hong, just see which stall has the longest queue and there you go, Thye Hong.
The main thing that amaze me about Thye Hong is actually the cook’s ability to churn out so many plates of hokkien mee at one go. The cook will perform for the long queue visible through the transparent glass, dishing out the hokkien mee with the big wok.
It is not easy to get the right taste for a plate of dish, let alone such a big quantity of hokkien mee, which i mean is quite a feat. As always, if you happen to be there when they served finish one round, be prepared to wait up till 15 minutes. While the cook is preparing the noodles, the lines behind is gradually forming up ready for the next round of “assault”.
Thye Hong Hokkien Mee ($4)
The renown Thye Hong hokkien mee, comes with different prices of $4, 6, 8. I quite like the hokkien mee here, and being not a fan of food court, the only time i’ll patronise Food Republic is for, well Thye Hong hokkien mee. My companion find the hokkien mee to be on the salty side while i thought it is all right.
There’s different opinion about the chili too, for me i find it quite hot, but as my companion is a chill-eater, the ones here aren’t any kick for her. I tried Thye Hong hokkien mee at other outlets, but sad to say the standards differ. The one at Wisma Food Republic is still the best for Thye Hong.
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 visit high strung with expectations. After hearing so much about the famed Wagyu burger from One Ninety, my gf and I popped down for dinner one weekday evening. Ironically, it wasn't the ala carte Wagyu burger option we settled for, but the dinner buffet, which serves up limitless portions of food from a variety of 40 dishes on the small bites dinner menu. Think tapas sizes. According to the manager, this is probably the only western buffet in town which prepares your orders when you place them.
Located at lobby level of the classy Four Seasons Hotel, One Ninety exudes casual chic with its open display kitchen and wooden floors yet retains its warmth and homeliness through the use of ambient lighting. Such a setting makes One Ninety ideal for that intimate dinner for two and group dinners alike.
Complimentary Bread - Its the first time I've seen bread dished up in a pan, or a square pan for that matter, whose main purpose was to keep the bread warm. The bread was of two different variants - the plain bun and the bun with sweet potato filling. Personally I prefered the sweet potato one as it was, well, sweet.
Chicken Consommé with Shrimp Dumplings & Mushroom Cappuccino with Roasted Porcini - Soups to start off our meal. The clear chicken consommé was light on the palate with a slight tinge of tomato after taste which I personally found refreshing. The shrimp dumpling that found its way into the soup was chock full of huge shrimps that were crunchy to the bite. Very good.
The relatively thick mushroom cappuccino hinted very heavily of mushroom (duh!) but did seem a little too bland for my liking. If you like lighter stuff, then this is probably for you. As for me, a dash of salt will do the trick.
Portobello Tempura Fries with Horseradish Dip - This is a rather interesting dish and is essentially portobello mushrooms coated with tempura batter and deep fried. The batter wasn't too thick which meant less oil absorbed and allowed the taste of the portobello to permeate through. Add a drizzle of sweet sauce (Terriyaki I believe) and you have a nice sweet crispy mushroom dish. Great as a snack!
Coriander Tuna with Sesame and Citrus Pea Salad - Cooked on the outside yet rare on the inside, the tuna slices were void of the overwhelming fishy aftertaste that usually plagues tuna dishes. A dash of sesame seeds give it aroma and a slightly oily texture. A nice dish but didn't exactly wow me because for one, I've had better.
Honey Glazed Duck Breast with Périgord Truffle Sauce - I like all things duck so I'm probably biased when I say this dish was quite good. The right amount of chewiness sans the strong fowl taste had me relishing the duck slices. A pity it was a tad too dry.
Risotto Balls with Kikorangi Cheese Dressing - The first disappointment of the day and it had to be the risotto balls. Risotto with Kikorangi cheese (a New Zealand blue cheese) encrusted with flour and deep fried I believe. Terribly bland with the risotto a tad too mashed up for my liking. Between the 2 of us, we finished half a ball. Guess that says a lot, doesn't it?
Angus Beef Cheek with Beetroot Mash and Shiraz Reduction - Melt in the mouth tender and served on a bed of beetroot mash that tasted like a sweet version of mashed potatoes. Whats not to like about the Angus beef cheek?
Green Lip Mussels Casino - The green lip mussel, which hails from New Zealand, was recommended to us by our wait staff. And although I don't really like mussels, I must say that it was a good recommendation. Coated with what seemed like garlic spread and baked till the spread hardened and turned a beautiful golden brown, the mussels had not so much a hint of the raw seafood taste. Only gripe I had was the excessive salt levels in it.
Black Soy Prawns with Pumpkin Confit - Undoubtedly the pièce de résistance of our mains, I am unsure where or how to begin complimenting this dish. The prawns were huge, succulent, sweet and carried tons of bite. And the accompanying sauce gave it a light artificial sweetness which complimented the inherent sweetness of the prawn. Second servings are highly recommended.
Organic Pork Belly on Tropical Asian Salad - The ubiquitous pork belly and a personal favourite of mine. The skin was crackling crispy without the meat being too salty and the fats gave it a nice chewy texture. However, the health conscious me would prefer a leaner cut. Talk about being 自相矛盾.
Crispy Crab Cakes with Black Pepper Sauce and Asian Greens - I'm rather partial towards crab cakes so it didn't bowl me over or anything. Made with real crab meat, the crab cakes were savoury without being too fishy. I guess thats how good crab cakes are supposed to be like, no?
Thinly Sliced Turkey Breast with Blueberry Vinaigrette - Salty. That was the first word that came to mind as I chewed on a slice of turkey breast (more like ham really). The taste of the blueberry vinaigrette was very faint and when eaten with the turkey, virtually non existent. Rocket leaves with walnuts are nice though.
Seared Foie Gras Celeriac Puree and Truffle Foam - Foie Gras is the epitome of sin in terms of food indulging due to its adverse impacts on the waistline and the heart. The seared foie gras offering had a slightly crispy exterior but was a little too soft for my liking. I would like to think that One Ninety's foie gras was worth it but sadly, though decent, it isn't something that I'll want to order again. The health and taste equation just doesn't tally.
Grilled Grain Fed Sirloin with Creamy Fondue and Guinness Sauce - Grilled to medium well instead of medium rare, the sirloin was still reasonably tender and tasty. But it did seem a tad too dry though. Overall a decent but forgettable dish.
Lobster Thermidor - The lobster was fresh and crunchy with a slight milky taste to it. Lacked the distinctive thermidor taste (derived mainly from mustard) though. I would have liked this member of the crustacean family better if it was bigger but hey, its a buffet, so I can order as many as I want, never mind the hassle.
Crispy Cod Fish with Oriental Mango Slaw and Wasabi Aioli - You can seldom go wrong with cod fish as the fish itself has a very smooth texture. This simple dish accentuates the smooth flesh by encrusting the fish in flour to contrast the soft slick smoothness of the flesh to the crispy exterior. Nicely done except that it was a wee bit too oily for my liking.
Seared Scallops with Avocado and Pimento Coulis - Topped with roe, the scallops were a tad too soft for my liking and could have done with more searing in my humble opinion. Honestly, I couldn't quite decide if the pimento coulis (cherry pepper sauce) added any flavour to the scallops.
Peanut Butter Chicken - A very interesting dish created by marrying peanut butter with chicken. The result? Tender chicken cuts dunked in a creamy concoction with the occasional peanut chunk that hinted very strongly of salty peanut butter. Not exactly my cup of tea really as I can't really accept the salt peanut butter combination.
Hazelnut Royaltine Cake - Excellent would be most apt in describing the hazelnut royaltine cake. Crunchy biscuit base with finely toasted hazelnut paste and rich chocolate just the way I like it, not too sweet. The accompanying scoop of ice cream was excellent as well, smooth and milky. As with the soy prawns, second helpings of this is strongly encouraged.
Raspberry Breton with Passion Fruit Sorbet - Another excellent dessert, the raspberry breton had nice smooth mousse slouching atop raspberries and a soft biscuit base with a milky undertone (ps: Can anyone tell me what breton is? I'm guessing its a brand of biscuits). The passion fruit sorbet was sour sour sour!
Traditional Vanilla Crème Brûlée with Wild Berry Compote - I couldn't quite make out the vanilla beans in the Crème Brûlée but I'll give it the benefit of a doubt due to its rather impressive quality. The layer of sugar wasn't too thick or overburnt and didn't stick to my teeth when chewed on while the pudding was smooth and light. On a side note, the wild berry compote tasted sweet.
Warm Chocolate Cake Served with Passion Fruit and Lemon Sorbet - I know of many people who are suckers for warm chocolate cake and yours truly falls within that category. However One Ninety's rendition failed to ignite any sparks. Vicious and not too sweet chocolate enveloped by a semi hard cake crust, the cake's texture tended a little more towards the pudding side which was a little discomforting to me. And yes, I've had better ones.
Folding Layer Mango Tiramisu - The second disappointment for the night and one of my well liked desserts, the humble tiramisu. For starters, the sponge was a little too hard and there was no trace of alcohol whatsoever (I'm an alcoholic). However, what was interesting was that the faint sweetness from the mangoes permeated through. If only the sponge had been moist.
Bitter Chocolate Mousse with Lemon Curd - An unremarkable but decent enough dessert. Smooth and lightly bitter mousse coupled with sour lemon curd which smacked strongly of what tasted like alcohol.
Strawberry and Tomato Cobbler with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream - Another most interesting dessert. The strawberry and tomato cobbler had a nice oven baked flaky pastry covering which revealed a warm mixture of strawberries and tomatoes when broken into. Overall it tasted like very well made apple pie except that it was tomato and strawberries in lieu of apples. I must point out that although I am not a fan of tomatoes, this dish really impressed me. And the icing on the cake came in the form of the smooth and wonderful vanilla ice cream which was made from vanilla beans.
Walnut Napoleon with Espresso Ice Cream - There are only 2 positive things that I can think of with regard to the walnut napoleon. First, the amount of walnuts present was generous. Second, the espresso ice cream was smooth and didn't come down too heavy on the coffee taste. Other then that, this whole dessert tasted normal.
Soy Bean Panna Cotta with Sesame Tuile - To be honest, the panna cotta would have tasted rather bland if not for the red beans, which fortunately, were a little sweet. But therein lies the problem. The taste of the red beans overwhelmed and suddenly, its like eating red bean with pudding! I liked the sweet sesame tuile that came atop the shooter glass of panna cotta though, but not the mochi wannabe that was stuffed with crushed nuts and came across as way too dry.
One of the best dinners I've had this year cost about $122 for 2 pax. I will make no attempts to hide my disdain for buffets but for this case, I'm more than happy to put my prohibitions and reservations aside. From my understanding, this buffet is still under evaluation and will run till the end of July before the management will decide whether to extend its run or take it off. In my humble opinion, with food, variety and aesthetics this good, the buffet is here to stay. Coupled with excellent and non condescending service (especially to a guy who was wearing shorts and flip flops), One Ninety has truly shown its mettle and ranks top on my return list.
See all my pictures here.
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The Brownie Factory, petite in size but big with brownies. Despite the rather small store at basement two of Takashimaya, do not underrate its brownie, with selections of up to 24 brownies at one go, its hell lots of brownies to choose from.
From what i understand from the person-in-charge, their total brownies assortments stands over 40, and they varies from different festivals. I think its really creative of the Brownie Factory to concoct different types of brownie to suit our fussy taste bud
The prices for the brownies ranges from 2 bucks to 4 bucks, with so many different types of brownies to pick from, its really a headache. Fortunately for my companion and me, we did not have this problem because there's a current promotion which offers us the brownie factory’s best four selling brownie all for the price of 11 bucks.
There’s some other unique brownies like peanut butter, very bitter fudgy chewy gooey brownie, tutti-frutti marshmallow brownie, peppermint brownie and many more.
Fudgy Chewy Gooey Brownie ($3.10)
The Brownie Factory #1 bestseller! Fudgy chewy gooey chocolaty and full of walnuts. The name fudge chewy gooey brownie says it all already. The chewy part is true to its name, its the chewiest among the four brownie.
Initially my companion and i like this very much because its very chewy and we find the overall taste to be just right. But as it gets on, the brownie becomes too sweet and threatens to overwhelm the taste bud.
Triple Chocolate Brownie ($2.40)
Dense moist chocolate brownie topped with little and semi sweet chocolate chips and walnuts. The name alone suggest the sweetness, being triple chocolate. And thats what we thought so at the outset.
But the triple chocolate brownie (#2 bestseller) is completely opposite to the fudge chewy gooey brownie. The first bite is very sweet, but after tasting all the brownie, we find this not really that sweet after all. And there’s a hint of dark chocolate within, the smooth texture together with the choclate chips and walnuts makes us conclude overall the best brownie among the four.
Original Chocolate Brownie ($2.70)
Dense moist chocolate brownie topped with walnut and semi sweet chocolate chips. If you do not have a sweet tooth, then the Original Chocolate brownie (#3 bestseller) is surely the one for you.
The least sweet among the four brownie we had, texture wise and appearance its the most similar to the triple chocolate brownie, less the chocolaty taste.
Fudgy Wudgy Chewy Brownie
I rather like the Fudgy wudgy chewy brownie (#4 bestseller) too. The freeze chocolate layer goes well together with the chewy brownie, albeit being rather hard to bite into. The sweetness level is on the high side too, but its a nice alternative to the rest because this one is a cold brownie.
Total bill is $11 for 4 of the bestselling brownies at The Brownie Factory. Brownies are actually meant to be sweet, i guess the main problem is because 2 of us eat 4 brownie at one go, therefore the sweetness rather overwhelm us a bit. But i think eaten each separately, they should be all right.Price wise is rather reasonable given the cheapest is about 2 bucks, with the most expensive ones going at around 4 bucks.
The Brownie Factory has been around for about 6 years already, yet everytime i passed by the area i totally missed out the store, which is really a pity until now. If you are in the area, do try out their brownie! I like the triple chocolate brownie the most, and will definitely look to try some other unique flavours the next time round.
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!
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