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fin1710's Reviews

    581. Hong Kee Beef Noodle   
       29 May 2008 at 3:02 pm
    Category: Hawker Centres
    feizhu feizhu says:

    According to the television program, Makan Places Lost and Found, the famous Hong Kee Beef Noodles, which used to be at the old Cuppage Centre, has relocated to the ground floor of Amoy Food Centre. I love beef noodles and I make it a point to eat this dish whenever possible. And so there I was, literally running towards Amoy Food Centre during my lunch hour, to try and beat the lunch crowd.

    I opted for the $4 version of beef slices and beef balls. Imagine my disappointment when I saw the miserable amount of beef slices that came with it. 4 beef balls were given, but they were your average sized beef balls that you could buy from the supermarket. Taste wise, the beef balls tasted like the supermarket ones except that they were very much tastier. Texture wise was slightly rougher and more chewy. The beef slices were a little chewy as well, but lacked the strong beef taste that I like. The soup was noticeably bland, just like the beef slices. Maybe its just the Hainanese way of cooking, I'm not sure. If you like bland stuff, then maybe this is the one for you. As for me, I'll stick to the cheaper and better (in my opinion) Teochew Beef Kway Teow located on the same level.


    Rating given:Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

       29 May 2008 at 2:35 pm
    Category: Coffee Shops
    feizhu feizhu says:

    Had breakfast with my parents at Toa Payoh on a late Sunday morning. Read somewhere that Fong Kee's Duck Rice at Lorong 1 was pretty good so decided to give it a try. Fong Kee is situated in a small coffeeshop just right under a block of flats and across from the spanking new market and food centre. We ordered the Roast Duck, Roasted Pork and Shui Jiao(Dumpling) Soup for 3 pax.

    The Roast Duck had a slightly crispy skin which is quite rare in most places that I've tried (with the exception of restaurants). The gravy was plentiful and Seaseme Seeds were sprinkled all over. Honestly, the gravy didn't add much flavour to the duck. I found the duck slightly above average in terms of taste, but a minus point would be the minimal meat. I like my ducks to be meaty with a crispy skin and not just a crispy skin with not much meat.

    The Roasted Pork was a little too salty and pretty fat, which was quite a turn off. The Shui Jiao Soup was average and the Shui Jiao itself tasted slightly above average with its nice filling of diced shrimps, prawns and other stuff.

    The meal for 3 cost $13.90. Not exactly cheap for Duck Rice, especially for one which fails to wow and with average sized portions. But it certainly is above average and should you be around, you are most welcome to try it out. Look out for some other stalls which serve excellent food in this old neighbourhood.


    Rating given:Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

    583. 933 Duck Rice   
       29 May 2008 at 2:19 pm
    Category: Coffee Shops
    feizhu feizhu says:

    Passed by 933 Roast Duck and saw many photographs of celebrities gracing the walls of this small eating house with tables spilling all over the sidewalks and decided to try it out since my gf and I were both hungry. We ordered 2 plates of Roasted Duck Rice and a bowl of Bak Kut Teh to share.

    For a stall that has received many good reviews and is purportedly one of the best roasted duck rice stalls in Singapore, it certainly didn't meet my gf's or my expectations. The duck was merely average. No crispy skin, no flavourful meat. Just plain old simple duck meat and it came with a lot of bones to boot, even though I had ordered duck breast meat. The secret to the duck rice lies in the chilli I believe. Concentrated and packing a punch, it is good enough for my gf to like it. The Bak Kut in the Bak Kut Teh was a little too soft in my opinion, probably a result of cooking too long. However, I found the soup very much to my liking. It was clear with lots of pepper in it (Teochew style). Flavourful yet peppery! But I would have liked some more pepper though.

    Total for the meal was $13.40, which included 2 glasses of barley. Relatively reasonable if you ask me.


    Rating given:Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

    584. Ramen Santouka   
       27 May 2008 at 10:55 pm
    Category: Japanese
    feizhu feizhu says:

    Heard many good things about Santouka or らーめん 山頭火 since its opening at Central a couple of months back so popped by for dinner one weekend. Santouka originates from Hokkaido and has a chain of about 50 stores in Japan. Their shio (salted) ramen has been praised by many as one of the best around.

    Hidden in an obscure corner of Central just behind Grains, Santouka occupies a small dining area which overlooks Clarke Quay and the river. Sitting capacity probably peaks at about 30 pax so queues are a common sight. Just for the record, I had to wait for a good 25 mins for a table at 745pm on a Saturday evening.

    Char Siew Rice Shio - This came as a set consisting of char siew rice, char siew ramen (shio) and an egg. Honestly, the ramen looked like instant noodles to me but thankfully, it tasted a whole lot better - springy and light. The milky pork base broth was rather rich and intense in flavour and had a very distinctive pork taste. Not that its really a good thing though because it made me nauseous after a while. The char siew slices were a little too soft for my liking and it didn't help that they were salty.
    The char siew rice was average, but at least the rice helped to neutralise the saltiness of the char siew. As for the egg, I've never eaten such stuff before but I didn't quite take to it as the texture of the egg white was a little jelly like, which turned me off.

    Toro Niku Shio Ramen - Toro Niku is precious cheek meat from a pig and is said to have the right amount of fat and tenderness. I agree to a certain extent. Right amount of fat, yes. Tenderness, a little too tender if you ask me. And it was plain salty which made me uneasy after a while. It definitely didn't help that the broth was rich. Salty and milky equals a recipe for nausea, for me at least. As with the char siew shio ramen, the ramen itself was springy and light.

    Tokusen Toroniku - This was a side order of the beef cheek, which did seem like a mistake after all. A little too tender and salty, just like the ones that came with the Toro Niku Shio Ramen. And $8 for 6 slices of meat isn't exactly value for money honestly.

    Dinner for 2 came up to a nice round figure of $50 and we walked out feeling nauseous. That's too much milky and salty stuff for you. In all fairness, the ramen was actually very decent but I still prefer Tampopo's rendition, if anything, for the pork. For me, once is enough. I really don't fancy queuing up for 30 mins just to have a go at Santouka again.

    See all my pictures here.


    Rating given:Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

    585. Singapore Airlines   
       27 May 2008 at 1:08 pm
    feizhu feizhu says:

    Singapore airlines ranks first in my choice of airlines partially because I'm Singaporean! However there's more to Singapore airlines than blind patriotism. Its one of the few airlines that offer inflight entertainment consisting of dozens of movies and games which is guaranteed to occupy you even for the longest of journeys (I used to commute between Canada and Singapore - a 17 hr journey!)
    Service is decent but leg space loses out to other European/American airlines. I Like the fact that I can custom my meals as well.
    But do note that it costs quite a bit more than other airlines.


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

    586. Cafe Domus   
       26 May 2008 at 8:31 pm
    Category: Bars and Pubs
    ladyironchef ladyironchef says:

    Social Media Breakfast 2: Singapore is held at Cafe Domus, a very cool cafe which operates only when the sun goes down, and party till late night. Luckily for us, SMB main organizer Daryl managed to get the owner of the place to open the place for us.

    Cafe Domus is located at 124 Owen Road, the nearest Mrt Station is Farrer Park (NEL). The other shop houses along Owen Road is definitely not what you will expect a cafe like Domus will be located at, the area is more like a industrial area.

    From the outside, this is certainly not what i had imagined the place to be like. So imagine the suprise that i got when i stepped to the back of the cafe. Wow! is the word to describe.

    It seems that we have been transported into a different world all together, from the bright pink wallpaper of the cafe front with its chandelier, welcome to the natural open-space garden!

    The seats are logs in case you didn’t notice, and the small bamboo shoots provided cover from the blazing sun. Mosquito coils are prepared on hand, to prevent any “unpleasant” incidents.

    I must admit the place is really quite an eye-opener for me, its unique Al fresco area will be even better during the night, with small candles lit up all over the place, can you imagine how it will be like?

    I even climb up the stairs to the upper area where there’s this small area which can seat about 4-5. Great place if you want to spend some time with your love ones and friends.

    We had catered food, which was not on the usual menu. But a quick glance at their menu, they have finger food, and also home-made desserts like brownies and cakes.

    Cafe Domus also serve alcohol drinks like vodka and martinis, and a wide range of other drinks. Its really a very cool place to chill out with your friends.

    And if you are staying nearby, or alone the NEL, there's totally no reason for not visiting the place! Go on check them out, and do remember they only start operations at 7pm till late night.

    You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

       26 May 2008 at 8:08 pm
    Category: Coffee and Tea
    ladyironchef ladyironchef says:

    Coffee Club @ Holland Village is located right at the end of Lorong Mambong, the street that is the heart and soul of Holland Village. Having live in Holland when i was young, the street has since undergo many transformations, and i think most of the shops back then are not there anymore.

    After reading Coffee Club’s website, i then realized that they had actually opened their first gourmet coffee house in Holland Village in 1991. But to be honest, i didn’t have any memories of Coffee Club back then.

    Today Coffee Club has 21 outlets island-wide, and this is actually the first time i’m stepping into Coffee Club. Can you believe it? Well i been to Coffee Bean, Starbucks, but not Coffee Club.

    And i have not went to The Coffee Connoisseur (TCC) before either, looks like a visit to TCC is on the cards.

    The interior of the Coffee Club at Holland Village is relaxing, and looks great for a chill-out place. Thats exactly the reason that prompted my friend and i here.

    There’s also al fresco area for those who like to stay out of the air-condition.

    Iced Mocha ($6.90)
    My friend had the iced mocha, like i mentioned previously in the Cedele post, i’m not a big fan of mocha, i rather spend the money on desserts, but my friend find the mocha to be all right.

    Vienna Chocolate Cake ($5)
    This, is what i’ll spend on my money on when i frequent coffee houses and cafes. Seriously i wont spend 6-7 bucks on a cup of coffee, partly because i don’t drink much coffee also. I love desserts, give me desserts everyday!

    The Vienna Chocolate cake by its account, isn’t that great, there’s nothing special about the cake, well except its chocolate.

    But to be fair, at 5 bucks a slice, it is really quite worth the money if you often have cravings for cakes, like me.

    Total Bill was $14 for one mocha and one cake after the 17% you-know-what. The ambience of Coffee Club at Holland Village branch was excellent for a chill-out place, my friend and i were there chatting for about two hours, and there wasn’t much crowd around.

    The menu for their main course looks tempting, in the dollar sense its quite reasonable. But i’m quite skeptical about the quality of the food in coffee houses. We’ll see how it goes then. Maybe when i’m low on budget, i’ll give their mains a try. Until then, chill-out!

    You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )

    ” Chill, chill, chill-out! “


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

       26 May 2008 at 1:37 am
    Category: Bakeries
    ladyironchef ladyironchef says:

    Cedele by The Bakery Depot was founded by Ms Yeap Cheng Guat in July 1997. After spending many years in the multi-nationals, Ms Yeap decided to put her baking passion to test.

    The flagship store in East Coast is the first of many more to come, till date Cedele has 14 outlets island-wide.

    Cedele Bakery is known for their wide range of sandwiches, delicious repertoire of bread, and cakes.

    There are two outlets in Raffles City (I didn’t know until later), one in basement and another in level 3. A friend and i visited the one at basement of raffles city.

    I like their concept of self pick-up for some of the pastries and bread.

    For the sandwiches, you get to choose from different type of bread, milk bap, oatbran, country white, wholemeal linseed, and organic wholewheat.

    Tuna Salad Sandwich ($6)
    Savory tuna sandwich with chopped red bell pepper and celery, and finished with a lot of cold fresh lettuce.

    My friend chose country white for his bread, but he found it a tad too dry and hard. The fresh lettuces are refreshing and there’s a generous spread of the tuna.

    Mocha ($3.50)
    I’m not really a big fan of mocha, but my friend find it to be all right. And at $3.50, its really cheaper than your Star Bucks and Coffee Bean.

    The emphasis for Cedele is more on their bread, sandwiches and pastries. I applause them for their affordable price range for their coffees.

    Chocolate Banana Espresso Cake ($6)
    Melts in your mouth, this is a soft chocolate cake sandwiched with fresh caramelized banana, topped with espresso chocolate frosting, and finished with crunchy walnut strussel, oat strussel.

    The banana taste is evident in the Chocolate Banana Espresso cake, and the walnut adds a crunchy bite to the cake. But I’m still not quite convince by chocolate banana cakes. Not that the ones here aren’t good, just that chocolate and banana doesn’t really suits my taste bud.

    Total Bill was $18.13 for one sandwich, one drink and one cake. Cedele looks promising with its wide range of sandwiches, and cakes. Furthermore, the drinks like mocha and latte isn’t very expensive, price ranging from 2 bucks to 4-5 bucks. I think i will be back to give their sandwiches and pastries another try.

    Just for your information, LIC usually does not like to repeat going to a same restaurant or cafe because he’ll rather spend the money trying out new stuff at other places.

    But in the case of Cedele, their prices are quite reasonable and affordable, so yeah, look out for Cedele II!

    You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )

    ” The Bread bakery cafe “


    Rating given:Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

    589. Tampopo Restaurant   
       25 May 2008 at 1:42 pm
    Category: Japanese
    feizhu feizhu says:

    Popped by Tampopo (タンポポ) for dinner one evening since I was in the vicinity. Tampopo, which means dandelion(a kind of flower) in English, shares the same name with a popular culinary movie in Japan in the mid eighties. The movie focuses on Ramen, which incidentally, is what Tampopo is known for.
    Located within Liang Court, Tampopo portrays itself as a casual Japanese diner and shares the premises with Tomton, its sister restaurant which specialises in Kurobuta pork.

    Shabu Ramen - Billed as THE ramen to try, as featured in the Straits Times, the shabu ramen had a flavourful soup base with a strong hint of pork yet didn't come across as too overwhelming. According to the menu, the soup is made by boiling pork bones for 2 days, which I guess explains its rich flavour. The ramen was springy with lots of bite while the thinly sliced pork was tender and a tad chewy.

    Omelette Rice - The omelette rice, or Omurice, was quite well done in my humble opinion (not that I've tried alot though). Moist and fluffy Japanese rice with a few token pieces of chicken wrapped up in a nice thick layer of soft and milky scrambled eggs.

    Special Loin - This is Tomton's specialty and I am most inclined to agree. The meat was lightly breaded and very crispy on the outside yet retaining its tenderness and moisture inside. It tasted fresh with not a bit of the oily residue taste that tends to plague deep fried pork cutlets. Really excellent piece of pork but rather small for $17.

    Cheese Chiffon - I ordered this dessert because the other chiffons were sold out. And I actually regretted it as it spoilt what would have been a satisfying meal. The chiffon, though light, was practically tasteless and I certainly didn't appreciate sporadic gratings of cheese which did nothing more than allow the chiffon to live up to its name? Maybe it just didn't do it for me.

    I liked the food and $55 for 2 pax isn't too expensive a price to pay. There is a wee bit of a ventilation problem there so you might walk out faintly smelling of food. The place can get crowded so going early especially on weekends is recommended.

    See all my pictures here.


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

       24 May 2008 at 8:50 pm
    Category: Blog Stores
    ladyironchef ladyironchef says:

    Lil’ Foot Pâtisserie, an online blog pastisserie selling exclusive gourmet pastry. Most of the pastries there are in limited quantity, but they definitely do not lose out in quality.

    We had the chance to sample the Rocky Road Mousse Cake as one of my friend ordered it from Lil’ Foot Pâtisserie for Petrina’s birthday while we were at Peach Garden celebrating.

    Crunchy walnuts and chewy marshmallow in every bite awashed with thick creamy chocolate ganache!

    Our Rocky Road Mousse cake is the round 7 inch which can serve 8-10 people and it comes at a price of $38. There are even different flavours of marshmallows inside the cake!

    Maybe i’m a little behind time, but this is actually the first time that i had a cake which is filled with marshmallows in between, and the result is wow!

    Lil’ Foot Pâtisserie doesn’t have many variety of cakes available, but for the lack in choices, the ones that they offer certainly are excellent and is priced reasonably. I’ll be looking to get other cakes from them soon. So stop getting your cakes from boring places you-know-where (i’m not naming the bakeries)

    You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

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