Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice is situated between the famous Sin Hoi Zhi Cha Restaurant and Boon Tong Kee along East Coast Road. With these two on its sides, Five Star still manages a full house every night. This, of course, renders a try doesn't it?
Chicken rice is the same everywhere right? Wrong! I've had those with hard tasteless bits they dare to call rice and rubbery white pieces of meat they call chicken. It's been a long time since I've had a plate of good chicken rice so I was all ready to attack.
The staff were fast to seat people, quick to take orders and even faster at clearing tables. The food came really fast which was good for 5 hungry souls.
Food Ordered: Kampung Chicken This is suppose to be leaner than the usual "white" chicken but it is smaller. I'm a fan of roasted meat so I was quite apprehensive when I only had these two choices. But my worries were unfounded as the chicken was delicious and not with fatty bits as I had imagined. I, of course, attacked my favourite part, the breast meat, which was smooth with lots of bite. Rice (Chicken rice style) The rice was not oily and still tasty. HOwever the serving was not very big. It was enough for me and I'm not much of an eater.
Youtiao with Salad Sauce This came a little over-fried so it was quite dry and hard. But it wasn't too oily so it was still ok.
Sambal Kangkong It was a little spicy for my brother but the rest of us found it fine. A little oily for my taste though. Cereal Prawn The cereal was nice but the prawns were not fresh and I had a hard time with it. The prawns were also quite small.
Stir Fried Vegetables Your average Kailan with oyster sauce dish. Nothing special.
We spent about $70 for the 5 of us which is pretty reasonable considering how full we were. Worth coming for your chicken rice fix, but not the rest of the dishes though.
Good place for family gatherings and large groups though.
One major gripe though, parking is horrendous along East Coast Road. Luckily we took the bus :)
Bi Feng Tang is this little place serving chinese food at CS's basement. It's been there for a while and this is my second trip to the place with my colleague. I had vague memories of a pretty good experience the first time so I was game for the second trip.
We were greeted politely and led to our seats. It was a Sunday afternoon but there weren't many people. About 4-5 tables were occupied and they had a total seating area of about 50 people.
After ordering, I wanted to take pictures of the menu so that I can remember what I ordered, but was stopped by the lady who said that I cannot take pictures of the menu. Both my colleague and I heard that so I did stop. But when the food came and I wanted to take pictures, I was stopped again. I think they should have been clear the first time and just say that no photography was allowed. I didn't appreciate feeling like I was being a nuisance. had 3 dishes altogether but I can only remember two.
One was the Yee Mian which we got a medium sized serving, thanks to my ambitious friend. It had plenty of mushroom and vegetables with it so it was pretty delicious. The serving can easily fill 2 without any side dishes.
The second one is the Pan Fried Beancurd Sheet with Mushroom and Carrot ($4). This one was quite crunchy and the vegetables wrapped in the sheet gave it a nice fresh flavour. HOwever it was quite oily so it didn't feel so healthy after all.
We did order a 4th dish, which they forgot to cook and we cancelled in the end.
We spent about $20 for the two of us and were suitably filled. The food is fine and the ambience was good too. However I didn't quite enjoy myself, no thanks to the service.
*Apologies for not giving the usual detailed review as the staff spoilt my mood for collecting "data"*
Black Canyon has been on East Coast Road for the last 5 years and I finally step foot into this place one quiet evening, not knowing what to expect. It was late on a weekday so there were only 2 other tables occupied. In fact when we walked in, they were going to take last orders in 15 minutes. But the staff were still smiling and welcomed us warmly which is rare when one arrives so near closing time.
The place is modern looking, great for friends to hang out, families to gather and casual business meetings. It's quite spacious too with plenty of seats in 3 sections; outside, dining area with proper tables and chilling area with more cushion like seats.
Taking our time ordering (the staff didn't rush us and didn't hover around us) we came up with the following.
Food Ordered: Spicy Glass Noodles Salad $7.95 Our little starter which was delicious. Two of us shared this dish but we were a little full by the time we were done with it. It was certainly spicy but not overly done. The crunchy nuts were a nice addition to the dish. What I liked most was that it wasn't oily despite having all that spice.
Spicy Stir Fried Seafood and Basil with Rice $8.95 This was my friend's order. It was really spicy though he didn't have any other complaints about it. I liked how the rice came in cubes. Fish Fillet Steak $9.95 My dory was served with chips and some toast. The toast was a little dry but it was the wholemeal (wheat) sort which I pretty much liked so that was fine. The outside of the dory was a little dry but still quite tasty.
We spent about $30 for the two of us which included a drink. I think it's pretty reasonable since we were famished when we got in and really full when we staggered out. Worth a try!
*Please excuse the horrid pictures - the perils of using the camera phone when one forgets her cammie*
Heard about 2am:dessert bar and did read that it was pretty good, so when I was asked to go along, I was happy to.
Upon reaching Holland V, we did have a bit of trouble locating it. Thank goodness for friends who live in the West and frequent Holland V, we found this little place near the multi-storey carpark. It's at the end of the row where you can find the popular bakery Provence. BTW you have to look up because it's on the second floor.
At the entrance to the stairs leading upstairs, we were "greeted" by a small group of people who were on their way out. Apparently there were seats for them but the woman was complaining that it was way too noisy for her to eat anything. Surprised, we stepped in to experience it for ourselves.
She was right! The music was way too loud and distasteful for a dessert bar meant for chilling. They were playing house music as if it were a club and everyone was talking at the top of their voices so that they could be heard. It certainly didn't help that there was one huge group of 10 people there that day.
That said the colours and design of the interior looks good but it was a little too cramp for me. Also the chairs and sofas chosen were not very comfortable. Maybe they are trying to make their patrons uncomfortable so that they wouldn't stay too long. Despite maximizing seating capacity by making it cramp, there still weren't enough seats that night.
The selection was a little limited for me. As a dessert bar I don't expect it to have many food items so the number (about 5-6) of food items was fine. But there weren't many dessert items too. I believe there were about 8-9 items which some of which are not very different from each other.
Food Ordered: Chocolate Tart $14 The most popular one that night and it certainly made sense why. The chocolate was reasonably tasty. The crust had some orange in it which gave a zesty taste when you have it with the chocolate. Presented beautifully, this was the only item which received some nods that night.
Twix $13 Tasteless. Truly tasteless. I was wondering what it was suppose to be and I picked up the menu to read again. It certainly didn't taste like caramel mousse to me. Only the peanut crumble (little peanut bits) served with it had some taste. Even the ice cream wasn't even satisfactory. Tiramisu $15 This is the worst Tiramisu I've ever tasted. I've had some weird ones before but this one was in a class of its own. The texture was very soggy and it irked me to have to swallow it anyway.
2am Meatballs $14 6 little meatballs served on a few pieces of veg. Presentation wise, this was the least attractive. No doubt the meatballs weren't just taken out from a frozen pack but it certainly didn't justify the price tag. I don't relish eating some of the fatty bits in it too.
The above plus a glass of wine, ginger beer and some peppermint tea cost 3 of us $78 (after 10% discount).
How did we get the 10% discount? Well after taking our orders, we were OFFERED by the staff to change to the sofa seats by the side. Attracted by the novelty of sitting on the sofa seats we were excited and moved over immediately. After which the server who took our orders, saw that we were no longer at our places, threw our order away. He walked past us a few times when we were at our new seats but still didn't realise his mistake. Only after we noticed people who came later were getting their food before us, then we raised the issue. After some clarification, the lady (whom we suppose to be the manager) apologised and explained to us that the order was thrown away. Sigh.
By then the music was making me nauseous. Bad ambience, bad food, high prices and service requires improvement. What rating did you expect?
Wah Lok is a Cantonese restaurant which has been on the 2nd floor of Carlton for a long time. The interior is quite lavish and traditional looking with a nice dome shaped main dining hall at the end which overlooks Chjimes.
We ordered SO MUCH I just can't list them all. Also the receipt is with my companion and I forgot to take a picture of it. haha Some of the food we ordered:
Century Egg Porridge This was one nice small bowl for me. I enjoyed it really. But it wasn't anything special. The serving was just right for one and the texture of the porridge was just right. It wasn't the watery sort one sometimes gets. Egg Tarts They were cute mini dim sum egg tarts. The filling was not tasty enough for me. The crust was a little too crumbly which forced me to put the entire thing in my mouth and I couldn't take my time with it. Average I guess.
Steamed Prawn Dumplings - Har Gao Har gao is one dish I always look forward to when I eat dim sum. This one was not really what I like though. Although I attacked right after all the photo taking, it was already pretty dry and the edges were a tad hard. The prawn was pretty fresh but the skin wasn't what I would prefer. Sigh.
Roasted Pork Bun - Char Siew Bao I like that the filling wasn't too sweet and there weren't fatty bits. But the dough portion was a little too thick. I like those that are thinner and open up more. Not bad really. Beancurd Skin with Prawn It was oily (as usual) but very crisp. I'm not a fan of beancurd skin but this was one I pretty much liked.
It cost us about $28-$29 each. There were three of us that day. Service was pretty good though I didn't get my water filled at all throughout. My friend's warm water did get filled though. I find Wah Lok's dim sum too "heavy" for me... get full very easily. I guess, in a way, that's more traditional.
Chicken rice is the same everywhere right? Wrong! I've had those with hard tasteless bits they dare to call rice and rubbery white pieces of meat they call chicken. It's been a long time since I've had a plate of good chicken rice so I was all ready to attack.
The staff were fast to seat people, quick to take orders and even faster at clearing tables. The food came really fast which was good for 5 hungry souls.
Food Ordered:
Kampung Chicken
This is suppose to be leaner than the usual "white" chicken but it is smaller. I'm a fan of roasted meat so I was quite apprehensive when I only had these two choices. But my worries were unfounded as the chicken was delicious and not with fatty bits as I had imagined. I, of course, attacked my favourite part, the breast meat, which was smooth with lots of bite.
Rice (Chicken rice style)
The rice was not oily and still tasty. HOwever the serving was not very big. It was enough for me and I'm not much of an eater.
Youtiao with Salad Sauce
This came a little over-fried so it was quite dry and hard. But it wasn't too oily so it was still ok.
Sambal Kangkong
It was a little spicy for my brother but the rest of us found it fine. A little oily for my taste though.
Cereal Prawn
The cereal was nice but the prawns were not fresh and I had a hard time with it. The prawns were also quite small.
Stir Fried Vegetables
Your average Kailan with oyster sauce dish. Nothing special.
We spent about $70 for the 5 of us which is pretty reasonable considering how full we were. Worth coming for your chicken rice fix, but not the rest of the dishes though.
Good place for family gatherings and large groups though.
One major gripe though, parking is horrendous along East Coast Road. Luckily we took the bus :)
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We were greeted politely and led to our seats. It was a Sunday afternoon but there weren't many people. About 4-5 tables were occupied and they had a total seating area of about 50 people.
After ordering, I wanted to take pictures of the menu so that I can remember what I ordered, but was stopped by the lady who said that I cannot take pictures of the menu. Both my colleague and I heard that so I did stop. But when the food came and I wanted to take pictures, I was stopped again. I think they should have been clear the first time and just say that no photography was allowed. I didn't appreciate feeling like I was being a nuisance.
had 3 dishes altogether but I can only remember two.
One was the Yee Mian which we got a medium sized serving, thanks to my ambitious friend. It had plenty of mushroom and vegetables with it so it was pretty delicious. The serving can easily fill 2 without any side dishes.
The second one is the Pan Fried Beancurd Sheet with Mushroom and Carrot ($4). This one was quite crunchy and the vegetables wrapped in the sheet gave it a nice fresh flavour. HOwever it was quite oily so it didn't feel so healthy after all.
We did order a 4th dish, which they forgot to cook and we cancelled in the end.
We spent about $20 for the two of us and were suitably filled. The food is fine and the ambience was good too. However I didn't quite enjoy myself, no thanks to the service.
*Apologies for not giving the usual detailed review as the staff spoilt my mood for collecting "data"*
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The place is modern looking, great for friends to hang out, families to gather and casual business meetings. It's quite spacious too with plenty of seats in 3 sections; outside, dining area with proper tables and chilling area with more cushion like seats.
Taking our time ordering (the staff didn't rush us and didn't hover around us) we came up with the following.
Food Ordered:
Spicy Glass Noodles Salad $7.95
Our little starter which was delicious. Two of us shared this dish but we were a little full by the time we were done with it. It was certainly spicy but not overly done. The crunchy nuts were a nice addition to the dish. What I liked most was that it wasn't oily despite having all that spice.
Spicy Stir Fried Seafood and Basil with Rice $8.95
This was my friend's order. It was really spicy though he didn't have any other complaints about it. I liked how the rice came in cubes.
Fish Fillet Steak $9.95
My dory was served with chips and some toast. The toast was a little dry but it was the wholemeal (wheat) sort which I pretty much liked so that was fine. The outside of the dory was a little dry but still quite tasty.
We spent about $30 for the two of us which included a drink. I think it's pretty reasonable since we were famished when we got in and really full when we staggered out. Worth a try!
*Please excuse the horrid pictures - the perils of using the camera phone when one forgets her cammie*
genesis said: Bobo said: ladyironchef said: - 1 more comment »
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!haha. camera phone resolution really bad. lol.
11 Feb 2008 at 9:35 pm
*scrambles to buy new phone with 5MP Cammie* lol
11 Feb 2008 at 9:41 pm
hahahah! somebody forgot the cam. lol
18 Feb 2008 at 9:30 pm
Upon reaching Holland V, we did have a bit of trouble locating it. Thank goodness for friends who live in the West and frequent Holland V, we found this little place near the multi-storey carpark. It's at the end of the row where you can find the popular bakery Provence. BTW you have to look up because it's on the second floor.
At the entrance to the stairs leading upstairs, we were "greeted" by a small group of people who were on their way out. Apparently there were seats for them but the woman was complaining that it was way too noisy for her to eat anything. Surprised, we stepped in to experience it for ourselves.
She was right! The music was way too loud and distasteful for a dessert bar meant for chilling. They were playing house music as if it were a club and everyone was talking at the top of their voices so that they could be heard. It certainly didn't help that there was one huge group of 10 people there that day.
That said the colours and design of the interior looks good but it was a little too cramp for me. Also the chairs and sofas chosen were not very comfortable. Maybe they are trying to make their patrons uncomfortable so that they wouldn't stay too long. Despite maximizing seating capacity by making it cramp, there still weren't enough seats that night.
The selection was a little limited for me. As a dessert bar I don't expect it to have many food items so the number (about 5-6) of food items was fine. But there weren't many dessert items too. I believe there were about 8-9 items which some of which are not very different from each other.
Food Ordered:
Chocolate Tart $14
The most popular one that night and it certainly made sense why. The chocolate was reasonably tasty. The crust had some orange in it which gave a zesty taste when you have it with the chocolate. Presented beautifully, this was the only item which received some nods that night.
Twix $13
Tasteless. Truly tasteless. I was wondering what it was suppose to be and I picked up the menu to read again. It certainly didn't taste like caramel mousse to me. Only the peanut crumble (little peanut bits) served with it had some taste. Even the ice cream wasn't even satisfactory.
Tiramisu $15
This is the worst Tiramisu I've ever tasted. I've had some weird ones before but this one was in a class of its own. The texture was very soggy and it irked me to have to swallow it anyway.
2am Meatballs $14
6 little meatballs served on a few pieces of veg. Presentation wise, this was the least attractive. No doubt the meatballs weren't just taken out from a frozen pack but it certainly didn't justify the price tag. I don't relish eating some of the fatty bits in it too.
The above plus a glass of wine, ginger beer and some peppermint tea cost 3 of us $78 (after 10% discount).
How did we get the 10% discount? Well after taking our orders, we were OFFERED by the staff to change to the sofa seats by the side. Attracted by the novelty of sitting on the sofa seats we were excited and moved over immediately. After which the server who took our orders, saw that we were no longer at our places, threw our order away. He walked past us a few times when we were at our new seats but still didn't realise his mistake. Only after we noticed people who came later were getting their food before us, then we raised the issue. After some clarification, the lady (whom we suppose to be the manager) apologised and explained to us that the order was thrown away. Sigh.
By then the music was making me nauseous. Bad ambience, bad food, high prices and service requires improvement. What rating did you expect?
ladyironchef said: Bobo said: ladyironchef said:
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!wow! u got a longer review than fz. hahaha! well, at least there's the 10% discount. lol
07 Feb 2008 at 11:32 am
Huh but if you calculate ah... $80 is really ex lor.
07 Feb 2008 at 10:04 pm
yea, ex for eating nothing much.
18 Feb 2008 at 9:30 pm
We ordered SO MUCH I just can't list them all. Also the receipt is with my companion and I forgot to take a picture of it. haha
Some of the food we ordered:
Century Egg Porridge
This was one nice small bowl for me. I enjoyed it really. But it wasn't anything special. The serving was just right for one and the texture of the porridge was just right. It wasn't the watery sort one sometimes gets.
Egg Tarts
They were cute mini dim sum egg tarts. The filling was not tasty enough for me. The crust was a little too crumbly which forced me to put the entire thing in my mouth and I couldn't take my time with it. Average I guess.
Steamed Prawn Dumplings - Har Gao
Har gao is one dish I always look forward to when I eat dim sum. This one was not really what I like though. Although I attacked right after all the photo taking, it was already pretty dry and the edges were a tad hard. The prawn was pretty fresh but the skin wasn't what I would prefer. Sigh.
Roasted Pork Bun - Char Siew Bao
I like that the filling wasn't too sweet and there weren't fatty bits. But the dough portion was a little too thick. I like those that are thinner and open up more. Not bad really.
Beancurd Skin with Prawn
It was oily (as usual) but very crisp. I'm not a fan of beancurd skin but this was one I pretty much liked.
It cost us about $28-$29 each. There were three of us that day. Service was pretty good though I didn't get my water filled at all throughout. My friend's warm water did get filled though. I find Wah Lok's dim sum too "heavy" for me... get full very easily. I guess, in a way, that's more traditional.
ladyironchef said: feizhu said: Bobo said: - 1 more comment »
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!total how many u all ordered? each dim sum cost how much?
05 Feb 2008 at 12:42 am
we ordered a lot. I also forgot how many dishes haha
05 Feb 2008 at 9:46 am
Wah... think 13? definitely more than 10. Even the guru can't tell you how much we ate le.
06 Feb 2008 at 12:27 am