Yet another new eatery to have opened up in the dining belt along the popular East Coast/Upper East Coast Road. Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, which has another outlet at Raffles place, boasts Italian food with authentic Sicilian products. Interestingly, Etna also happens to be the name of the highest volcano in Sicily and Europe, standing at 10500 ft.
Located within a short row of shophouses along Upper East Coast Road, Etna is almost impossible to miss with its huge signboard that lights up brightly in the evening. The interior is simply furnished with huge windows to allow sunlight in. Music is high strung which is quite unsettling at times especially if you are there for a relaxing quiet lunch likes yours truly.
Complimentary Bread & Appetisers - The bread looked haphazardly drizzled with olive oil and was hopelessly hard. Biting into one was akin to biting into a dry rag. The appetiser bowl consisted of slices of cheese, pepperoni, olives and figs, which were nothing special honestly. It was still a nice gesture though.
Bruschetta Etna - In all honesty, I've never eaten anything like Etna's rendition of the Bruschetta at any Italian restaurants before and I do not mean it as a compliment. The bread was rock hard and presentation was slip shod. The toppings didn't look fresh as well. How's that for dismal?
Insalata Di Gamberi - Essentially this salad was rocket leaves with prawns and doused in extra virgin olive oil. Fresh and zesty with fresh and crunchy, albeit rather small prawns, the salad was ironically the best dish of the day.
Quattro Stagioni - Quattro Stagioni, otherwise known as the four seasons pizza, is so named because of the 4 different sections of the pizza that offers the diner contrasting tastes. Etna's version had all the ingredients mixed up, which was fine, just that it veers away from tradition. Taste wise, the crust was significantly thicker than the usual Italian pizzas but at least the dough was fluffy, which made eating it quite enjoyable. The ingredients weren't much to shout about and overall the pizza tasted rather mundane.
Bistecca Al Gorgonzola - Grilled ribeye steak with gorgonzola cheese in a light cream sauce. With such a lip smacking description, I had expected something different or special. What I got was a slap in the face. Firstly, we had asked for the steak to be done medium but it looked more medium rare. Secondly, the buttery cream sauce was so overwhelming that I couldn't even make out any beef taste. Thirdly, the beef was sorely lacking in texture - soft and seemingly over tenderized. It didn't help that the accompany mashed potatoes tasted overly creamy as well. Want to know how nausea inducing this dish can get? Try it.
Taglierini Al Pesto Di Bronte - One of the recommended dishes, the Taglierini was purportedly home made and topped with a Sicilian pesto sauce made with Pistachios from Bronte in Sicily. As impressive as that may sound, it was more hype than substance, to me at least. The taglierini was al dente but the sauce didn't impress me very much, subtly sweet with no hint of pistachio whatsoever. And for the price ($22), I had expected it to come with toppings, however meager they might be, but sadly there was none.
Tiramisu Al Pistacchio - Another pistachio dish but in the form of a dessert. Very unique as grounded pistachios replaced the layer of cocoa powder commonly found in Tiramisus. There was also this layer of greenish cream which I assume to be made from pistachio. Sadly, the whole thing didn't taste like Tiramisu at all, coming across as very nutty. Perfectly acceptable as a cake, but definitely not as Tiramisu.
Panna Cotta Etna - Honestly, the Panna Cotta didn't quite do it for me. It was a tad too sticky and coagulated and not to mention bland. Even with the raspberry sauce, it tasted flat.
Torta Al Cioccolato - The chocolate cake seemed to have sat in the fridge for quite an extended period of time as it was undeniably dry. The taste of rum was negligible and overall it tasted very normal. At $8 a pop, I can easily buy a few cakes of similar quality.
$161 for 5 pax is considered relatively cheap for Italian food, but quality really leaves much to be desired. Service is decent but thats not going to be enough to stop me from closing the chapter on Etna.
Cakes, cakes, cakes. Who can ever get enough of these soft, sweet tasting delicacies that come in a rich variety of flavors and mixed with different mediums? I for one, never feels a cake is enough. This post is a little late of course but hey, better late then never yeah?
After scouring for cakes for Christmas for a long time, and seeing the obscene prices each cake is being touted by in almost all the shops we visited, me and my gf finally settled on something very familiar and almost guaranteed to satisfy. The choice is none other than the Four Leaves cakes that we pretty much swear by for any occasion. Does it disappoint though?
Christmas, a season of giving and sharing. And also a season of eating, partying and generally getting fatter. Well, my success in that field is pretty much legendary i suppose. Back to the cake at hand.
Despite the rather cute appearance, the cake has its roots from an old favorite of mine. The much revered Cocoa Exotica. The main difference is on the icing and cream which adorns the outer layer and a distinctly smaller inner layer in terms of the usage of cream and chocolate. Nonetheless, the cake itself simply melts in your mouth, and the hazelnut cookie layer gives it much needed fragrance and taste. Do not be mislead by the thick icing and cream you see, it never gets overwhelming nor unpleasant as the icing itself is just a tad sweet and is strangely soft that it is easily taken in. I like this cake as much as the Cocoa Exotica, enough said.
So far, in terms of cakes, i haven't had a particularly disappointing experience with Four Leaves yet. And if they keep up the good work, this is one of the better cake shops out there despite its abundance in malls.
Fancy cakes with a strong chocolate twist? Tired of old and run-of-the-mill cakes available everywhere else? Want something reasonably affordable and yet packing in the taste department? Well, welcome to choc-a-bloc. Coincidentally, the word "bloc" actually means blissfully luscious orgasmic chocolate as is positioned on their website. I wouldn't go that far to say their cakes are the best but i do second the fact that they are less common then the rest thus far.
This is a customized version of the "Mom's coco fudge cake". One thing about the cake is that its generously big (though of course you have to pay for it to be big.) The cake is surprisingly simple and expensive. 2 layers of chocolate and 3 layers of sponge cake is pretty much all you get for the price and yet. It feels surprisingly worthwhile. For one thing, the dark chocolate used is tastefully chosen. Being just the right balance of sweetness and bitterness which it balances very well. So much so that despite the big portion, i had no difficulty in finishing the cake at all. Being a fudge cake, it is also nicely soft and filling. One of the simplest and better tasting cakes i've had actually. I have to say its pretty much on par with the renditions even in Secret Recipe and some french gourmet cakes i've had. (Maybe i just have not eaten enough cakes to have a cake that has a higher standard yet but i'm getting there.)
I'm interested in having more actually but i do feel the pricing is abit steep and seems to have increased. Anyone who has tried better cakes out there, do let me know so i can try others yeah?
This small little cake shop was very well hidden in the lane of Jalan Kayu. I did not knew about the existence of the cake shop until one day when we are having lunch at the famous prata stall and one of my colleagues happened to mention about it. So me being curious, we decided to go. This shop is in between a prata shop and a mini mart if I am not wrong. From the exterior, the shop does not look like a cake shop anyway. It does reminds me of the 60s type of shop houses, and not much of a decoration as well.
Once inside, you only can see a display fridge, and boxes inside. There are two surprises down here. Firstly, this cake station ONLY sells cakes in full from 8” @ $30 onwards. So if you want to eat their cake, you have to buy the whole cake. Secondly, this cake station only sells chocolate fudge cake and durian cake. That all folks, if you want other cakes, please visit other cake shops ok! Therefore I was thinking, this cake station cake must be very good since it can survive by selling only full sized cakes and two types of cakes as well.
Since I don’t eat durian, I shall only review the chocolate fudge cake. The cake is a simple decorated chocolate fudge cake. I am not a big fan of chocolate but can tell you that looks can be deceiving. When a slice of cake is placed in front of me, I can see that there is very generous portion of chocolate fudge on the cake.
The cake itself is soft and fluffy, with small little holes in the cake. When I put the cake into my mouth, I can feel the chocolate fudge melting in my mouth, and mixed with the cake. Simply divine! I hate to eat chocolate because at times it seems that they will flow into my body, surrounds my heart and try to make it stop beating. However I don’t have this feeling when I am eating this cake. There is yet lots of chocolate taste in it. The chocolate also does not stick your teeth when eating it.
This has to be one of the best chocolate cakes that I have ever eaten. All my friends and family who had tasted this cake also said the same thing. Well if not for the ulu location I would have buy one cake once a week. Wahahahaha…..
So who wants to taste this chocolate fudge cake?
For those who had tried the durian cake, how was the cake? Care to share? Hee….
IT show was on over the past 4 days. Initially, I did not has any intention to step near the exhibition hall as I knew that tons and tons of people,from 8 months old to 80 years old, will be there! This time round there was nothing that I need to buy so in order for me not to have any temptation, I decided to stay clear of the area.
Maybe I spoke too soon! Hee....
Saturday, decided to pop in to see see look look. The crowd was really huge and there are a lot of choke points even before we stepped into the exhibition hall. This time round, the IT show occupied 4 floors, which means the whole area already!
Level 1: Canon Redemption Area.
Level 3: Starhub, Sony
Level 4: Major brands
Level 6: All other brands
This time round although the organisers said that they expanded the walkway to 4 m but I still think they could do better. The management of the place could be done better as well. There is a few bottlenecks especially the one at Food Republic, that one is a killer and with people moving carrying hot food etc. If any one want to do anything funny, they could do it there as there are large boxes lying around at any one time. It seems that they security guard are just minding their own business at the entrance.
I also notice a lot of people just go in and collect brochures. So what is the use of doing that when you dun intend to buy anything? Like to squeeze with the crowd? After collecting the brochure, I am 99% sure that they will land up in the dustbin, worse still on the floors of the exhibition area.
One last complaint, can we bar all the parents from bringing in their baby prams into the exhibition hall. It is already so packed and yet still push a pram along. Babies, young kids and pram should be left outside the hall and have someone to look after them. IT show is not the place for leisure shopping anyway. I gena a lot of time of prams pushed to my poor leg and feet. Not to mention if the kid or baby went missing. OMG!
To survive IT show, you need to decide what you going to buy even before you step into the hall. it is possible now as all the prices would be in the newspapers anyway. Then just stay focus, go in and buy what you want and get out of the place.
Looking at everyone leaving with LVD TVs, printer, laptops... Hmm.... who say Sporeans have no money?
Wanan to make a guess what I had bought on impulse? Wahahaha.....
My partner & I decided to try out this place after seeing several reviews with good feedback on the place. Somemore, with the 15% discount offered by Yebber, what are we waiting for??
We did not make any table reservation & but luckily the place was not packed with diners. Probably it’s because it’s a weekday and also that we were there pretty early, at about 6 pm. We were given a choice between the outdoor seats and the indoor ones. We chose the latter. The interior looks cosy & spacious. Each table came with a small tea light candle to brighten up the dim interior a little. Of course it did make the place more romantic too. Haha…
We were greeted by their friendly manager who even let us choose the seats since the place wasn’t packed with diners. Interestingly, the ice water they served had slices of strawberries in it. That’s really special, as most places at most serve lemon ice water. Strawberries in water? That’s really my 1st time trying it! Well, the strawberries did give the ice water a tint of sweetness & sourness. Pretty refreshing!
Here comes the food part! When we asked about certain dishes in the menu, the manager was very patient in her explanation & made some recommendations to us. These are what we have ordered.
Asparagus Roll with Bacon Dressing ($8.50) – This starter was great. I like it! The combination of asparagus & bacon was a perfect match! The asparagus was crunchy and a little sweet while the bacon was salty. So when the two came together, the taste & crunchiness made u crave for more. It will definitely improve your appetite & get you ready to indulge on the main course. Thumbs up!
Chef’s Special: “Rocket” Soup ($3.90) – “Rocket? What’s that??” That’s the first thought which came to our mind when the manager recommended the soup to us. Nevertheless, we decided to give it a try. Well, it looked like some blended spinach soup. But upon tasting it, it has this very unique taste which I quite like it. After checking with the manager, we realized that rocket is a kind of bitter vegetable. Yet the chef managed to cook it in such a way that the bitterness of the soup was gone. Wow!!
Prawn Bites ($9.50) – Quite a normal dish to me. Tasted just like the Japanese prawn tempura. But the light wasabi sauce which came with it was nice.
Stella Artois Battered Fish & Chips ($16) – This was my main course. It came with two big pieces of fish, deep fried and coated with the beer batter and a large serving of fries. The fish is fresh and tender, with a little beer taste. Find it quite a normal dish & I ended up attacking my partner’s main course which I am going to talk about next.
Tenderloin Steak ($28) – It’s my partner’s main course but I find it more yummy than mine. It came as a generous serving of steak. Looked good & smelt good. It was also served as requested – medium rare. Perfect! The sauce went well with the steak too.
Victorian Crème Brulee ($8) –I’m not a big fan of crème brulee and thus definitely not an expert in judging it. Yet I find it quite nice, with the milk taste not too overwhelming.
Crepes Haven ($12) – It was recommended by the manager. It did look good, with a flame over it when served. However, it did not taste up to our expectation. The sauce which went with the crepe was too sour for my liking.
On the overall, most of the dishes we have ordered were good. To add on, the service was excellent, with our glasses constantly topped up with ice water. The manager was warm and friendly too and was open to feedback on the food from us.
Touted as the Biggest Annual F&B event in town, it looks like a rojak fair to me. I see booths taken by beauty salons, kitchenware supplier, cleaning detergents manufacturer...., even got footwear wor! These products can eat and drink meh!? *scratch my head*
The irritating sales promoters from these 'others' category kept shoving their flyers and products at me.
I walked round the hall 3 times, bought some food and 3-in-1 coffee......, balik kampung. Less than one hour spent there.
One would expect new products to be launched at such fairs, I didn't see any. Some food items are sold at a discount. The food I bought from a Teochew restaurant tasted awful.
I bought a Blended Mango with Pomelo from a dessert stall and it wasn't up to standard. So expensive at S$3.50 some more! Most of the companies are not big-names.
Expect lots of people scrambling for free samples. It's going to be crowded during weekends. Personally, I find it not worth a visit.
At least they have lots of tables and chairs for the visitors to sit down and eat comfortably.
12th - 16th March 2008 Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre ( Suntec City ) Level 4 Halls 403 & 404 Opening Hours : 11am to 10pm Free Admission
Vien Thai, it doesn't get clearer then this i suppose. Vietnam and Thailand cuisine together in the same restaurant. For the love of me, i have no idea what differentiates normal cuisine from Vietnamese cuisine, all i know is the Thai cuisine are generally a combination of sweet, sour and spicy all in one. The location of this place isn't much to shout about either.
Crispy Beancurd - Forgive me if i seem to be simply belching out names on this post. It just so happened that all information i had of this place has been lost. Still not going to stop me from writing a post however. The beancurd skin was very thick and hard while the beancurd itself lack much taste. The only saving grace turned out to be the sweet and sour Thai garnishing and sauce that made it at least palatable. Overall, save yourself the trouble on this dish.
Clear Tom Yam Seafood Soup - The Tom Yam soup was barely passable. Not in the least spicy but not the least bit lacking in the sour department. The ingredients were generous as you can see but i wouldn't recommend trying it as well.
Vietnamese Beef Vermicelli - The only item that brought a refreshing taste. A little sour, a little spicy and very fresh. The beef turned out a little too tough for my liking. The vermicelli when mixed with everything ended up tasting significantly pleasant and refreshing. Thats not saying alot however, because the material for comparison are sub par items.
Simple and overly pricey sums up the experience and offerings here. For some reason, i couldn't taste much difference between what is offered here and similar offerings elsewhere. It could have been better of course. Much better.
I believe the place needs no introduction. Its already the third time i've visited this place so basically its just a different location with a different crew. Does it uphold the tradition though?
Well, what can i say? The balcony seats overlook the river with all its hustle and bustles going on below it. Low buildings and little tourist boats cramp the location, giving it an otherworldly feeling that is very relaxing. Service wise, i did get the impression that the people there didn't really want to be there however.
Burning Action - Some people call it showy, others say unnecessary, but i still find the whole process very interesting however. And most importantly, it gives the rice and prawn a wonderfully fragrant and interesting taste.
Soup of the day ($3.90) - Since its already the third time i'm having everything (fourth actually), i'll leave you to check out the older posts for comments on the soup. Nothing much has changed on that front.
Garlic Lemon Mussel ($8.90) - The bread and mussels are supposed to go well with each other and to the better of the experience, they do. The white sauce that the mussels were swimming in is the same as the sauce that comes with the mushrooms below and the oysters after. According to my dear friend, Andrew, the sauce is the best thing about the restaurant. I'm inclined to agree on that since it does add to the taste quite a bit. However, i must say the mussels are not one of the better items here and i would advice against having it.
Fried Country Mushrooms ($9.90) - I've had these mushrooms as many times as i've come to this restaurant. It is definitely one of the better things to have and still one i can heartily recommend.
Deep Fried Oysters ($11.90) - Essentially, this is the same cooking method as the mushrooms above. And sad to say, it tastes the same as well. The oysters themselves were reasonably fresh and sweet but i prefer the mushrooms as they are healthier.
Fisherman's Platter ($36.90) - We asked to switch one of the side items for the flaming prawns so the final deal we had consists of calamari, chips, mushrooms, prawns and fish. The best thing about this? It fed 4 people to the brim. The downside, health issues abound if you take this for protracted periods of time. The rice when added with sauce is still the best thing for me, personally of course. Everything else is as it should be, meaning its good but not necessarily impression making since i've had it this many times. Overall, this platter is good for big eaters and up to 3 people.
Tiramisu ($5) - The waiter heartily told us that we qualified for a $5 dessert special which we took without much thought. Tiramisu is a dessert that has been done to death and their rendition is interesting. Cocoa powder adorns the top while a small layer of cake fills the bottom. Cream and rum filled the rest. Its overwhelming actually and somehow, i didn't like it too much in the end. Not recommended.
The bill turned out to be $98 for 4 people. Lots of food and a full tummy later, reflection on the process doesn't bring much to mind since i paid for it in full. My treat to my friends and i'm happy for giving.
They say "too much of a good thing makes it bad". Well, in this case, its starting to sound pretty true. I've heard much about the branch in Central and somehow, there are parts that are true and some parts which are not. I found the normal service staff helpful and generally good but the supervisor level however, disappointed me when i asked what the sauce was. Maybe its a trade secret but repeating the same rubbish when i asked twice isn't my idea of good service. Food is simple and non elegant but gets the job done. All said, the mushrooms are still something i would pine for. If you have not had it before, it warrants a try at the least.
Qian Hu Ornamental Fish Farm operates a nail spa that is different. Instead of using conventional tools to remove the dead skin and cuticle of your feet, it uses the fish, garra rufa.
This fish is also known as Doctor Fish, Nibble Fish, Kangal Fish or Lickers Fish. It is found in the rivers of Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Turkey and Syria. It can live at a temperature around 37 degree Celsius in hot pools. They have a lifespan of 4 to 6 years.
At Qian Hu Fish Spa, customers are seated round a huge communal fish pool with their legs immersed in it. Scores of fish nibble away at the dead skin on their feet. I felt hundreds of tweezers pecking at my feet. It was ticklish, occasionally a bigger Nibble fish would take a big bite. eowwwww ........
I was told my skin would feel silky smooth and healthy after the dull and dead skin is removed. So I graciously endured for 30 minutes. Guys at the pool were giggling. A lady claimed her skin was smoother after the treatment and intends to have her whole body immersed the next session. Horrors!
This Doctor Fish therapy is said to heal Psoriasis. The fish nibble at the diseased skin until the upper skin is completely removed and release a small quantity of dithranol, an enzyme which results in skin rejuvenation.
Qian Hu sells these fish, so you can re-create the spa at home. A small Garra rufa costs $10 and a larger one is $20. Don't worry, these are not Pirahna fish, your kid would not turn into a skeleton should he accidentally fall into the pool. hehehe....
Charges : $10 for 30 minutes, with slippers and towels which you are free to take home.
Open Daily Mon - Thurs : 9 am to 6 pm Fri - Sun & Public Holiday : 9 am to 7 pm
1=SGD 0.0587
Yet another new eatery to have opened up in the dining belt along the popular East Coast/Upper East Coast Road. Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, which has another outlet at Raffles place, boasts Italian food with authentic Sicilian products. Interestingly, Etna also happens to be the name of the highest volcano in Sicily and Europe, standing at 10500 ft.
Located within a short row of shophouses along Upper East Coast Road, Etna is almost impossible to miss with its huge signboard that lights up brightly in the evening. The interior is simply furnished with huge windows to allow sunlight in. Music is high strung which is quite unsettling at times especially if you are there for a relaxing quiet lunch likes yours truly.
Complimentary Bread & Appetisers - The bread looked haphazardly drizzled with olive oil and was hopelessly hard. Biting into one was akin to biting into a dry rag. The appetiser bowl consisted of slices of cheese, pepperoni, olives and figs, which were nothing special honestly. It was still a nice gesture though.
Bruschetta Etna - In all honesty, I've never eaten anything like Etna's rendition of the Bruschetta at any Italian restaurants before and I do not mean it as a compliment. The bread was rock hard and presentation was slip shod. The toppings didn't look fresh as well. How's that for dismal?
Insalata Di Gamberi - Essentially this salad was rocket leaves with prawns and doused in extra virgin olive oil. Fresh and zesty with fresh and crunchy, albeit rather small prawns, the salad was ironically the best dish of the day.
Quattro Stagioni - Quattro Stagioni, otherwise known as the four seasons pizza, is so named because of the 4 different sections of the pizza that offers the diner contrasting tastes. Etna's version had all the ingredients mixed up, which was fine, just that it veers away from tradition. Taste wise, the crust was significantly thicker than the usual Italian pizzas but at least the dough was fluffy, which made eating it quite enjoyable. The ingredients weren't much to shout about and overall the pizza tasted rather mundane.
Bistecca Al Gorgonzola - Grilled ribeye steak with gorgonzola cheese in a light cream sauce. With such a lip smacking description, I had expected something different or special. What I got was a slap in the face. Firstly, we had asked for the steak to be done medium but it looked more medium rare. Secondly, the buttery cream sauce was so overwhelming that I couldn't even make out any beef taste. Thirdly, the beef was sorely lacking in texture - soft and seemingly over tenderized. It didn't help that the accompany mashed potatoes tasted overly creamy as well. Want to know how nausea inducing this dish can get? Try it.
Taglierini Al Pesto Di Bronte - One of the recommended dishes, the Taglierini was purportedly home made and topped with a Sicilian pesto sauce made with Pistachios from Bronte in Sicily. As impressive as that may sound, it was more hype than substance, to me at least. The taglierini was al dente but the sauce didn't impress me very much, subtly sweet with no hint of pistachio whatsoever. And for the price ($22), I had expected it to come with toppings, however meager they might be, but sadly there was none.
Tiramisu Al Pistacchio - Another pistachio dish but in the form of a dessert. Very unique as grounded pistachios replaced the layer of cocoa powder commonly found in Tiramisus. There was also this layer of greenish cream which I assume to be made from pistachio. Sadly, the whole thing didn't taste like Tiramisu at all, coming across as very nutty. Perfectly acceptable as a cake, but definitely not as Tiramisu.
Panna Cotta Etna - Honestly, the Panna Cotta didn't quite do it for me. It was a tad too sticky and coagulated and not to mention bland. Even with the raspberry sauce, it tasted flat.
Torta Al Cioccolato - The chocolate cake seemed to have sat in the fridge for quite an extended period of time as it was undeniably dry. The taste of rum was negligible and overall it tasted very normal. At $8 a pop, I can easily buy a few cakes of similar quality.
$161 for 5 pax is considered relatively cheap for Italian food, but quality really leaves much to be desired. Service is decent but thats not going to be enough to stop me from closing the chapter on Etna.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Cakes, cakes, cakes. Who can ever get enough of these soft, sweet tasting delicacies that come in a rich variety of flavors and mixed with different mediums? I for one, never feels a cake is enough. This post is a little late of course but hey, better late then never yeah?
After scouring for cakes for Christmas for a long time, and seeing the obscene prices each cake is being touted by in almost all the shops we visited, me and my gf finally settled on something very familiar and almost guaranteed to satisfy. The choice is none other than the Four Leaves cakes that we pretty much swear by for any occasion. Does it disappoint though?
Christmas, a season of giving and sharing. And also a season of eating, partying and generally getting fatter. Well, my success in that field is pretty much legendary i suppose. Back to the cake at hand.
Despite the rather cute appearance, the cake has its roots from an old favorite of mine. The much revered Cocoa Exotica. The main difference is on the icing and cream which adorns the outer layer and a distinctly smaller inner layer in terms of the usage of cream and chocolate. Nonetheless, the cake itself simply melts in your mouth, and the hazelnut cookie layer gives it much needed fragrance and taste. Do not be mislead by the thick icing and cream you see, it never gets overwhelming nor unpleasant as the icing itself is just a tad sweet and is strangely soft that it is easily taken in. I like this cake as much as the Cocoa Exotica, enough said.
So far, in terms of cakes, i haven't had a particularly disappointing experience with Four Leaves yet. And if they keep up the good work, this is one of the better cake shops out there despite its abundance in malls.
Rating given:
Fancy cakes with a strong chocolate twist? Tired of old and run-of-the-mill cakes available everywhere else? Want something reasonably affordable and yet packing in the taste department? Well, welcome to choc-a-bloc. Coincidentally, the word "bloc" actually means blissfully luscious orgasmic chocolate as is positioned on their website. I wouldn't go that far to say their cakes are the best but i do second the fact that they are less common then the rest thus far.
This is a customized version of the "Mom's coco fudge cake". One thing about the cake is that its generously big (though of course you have to pay for it to be big.) The cake is surprisingly simple and expensive. 2 layers of chocolate and 3 layers of sponge cake is pretty much all you get for the price and yet. It feels surprisingly worthwhile. For one thing, the dark chocolate used is tastefully chosen. Being just the right balance of sweetness and bitterness which it balances very well. So much so that despite the big portion, i had no difficulty in finishing the cake at all. Being a fudge cake, it is also nicely soft and filling. One of the simplest and better tasting cakes i've had actually. I have to say its pretty much on par with the renditions even in Secret Recipe and some french gourmet cakes i've had. (Maybe i just have not eaten enough cakes to have a cake that has a higher standard yet but i'm getting there.)
I'm interested in having more actually but i do feel the pricing is abit steep and seems to have increased. Anyone who has tried better cakes out there, do let me know so i can try others yeah?
Rating given:
This small little cake shop was very well hidden in the lane of Jalan Kayu. I did not knew about the existence of the cake shop until one day when we are having lunch at the famous prata stall and one of my colleagues happened to mention about it. So me being curious, we decided to go. This shop is in between a prata shop and a mini mart if I am not wrong. From the exterior, the shop does not look like a cake shop anyway. It does reminds me of the 60s type of shop houses, and not much of a decoration as well.
Once inside, you only can see a display fridge, and boxes inside. There are two surprises down here. Firstly, this cake station ONLY sells cakes in full from 8” @ $30 onwards. So if you want to eat their cake, you have to buy the whole cake. Secondly, this cake station only sells chocolate fudge cake and durian cake. That all folks, if you want other cakes, please visit other cake shops ok! Therefore I was thinking, this cake station cake must be very good since it can survive by selling only full sized cakes and two types of cakes as well.
Since I don’t eat durian, I shall only review the chocolate fudge cake. The cake is a simple decorated chocolate fudge cake. I am not a big fan of chocolate but can tell you that looks can be deceiving. When a slice of cake is placed in front of me, I can see that there is very generous portion of chocolate fudge on the cake.
The cake itself is soft and fluffy, with small little holes in the cake. When I put the cake into my mouth, I can feel the chocolate fudge melting in my mouth, and mixed with the cake. Simply divine! I hate to eat chocolate because at times it seems that they will flow into my body, surrounds my heart and try to make it stop beating. However I don’t have this feeling when I am eating this cake. There is yet lots of chocolate taste in it. The chocolate also does not stick your teeth when eating it.
This has to be one of the best chocolate cakes that I have ever eaten. All my friends and family who had tasted this cake also said the same thing. Well if not for the ulu location I would have buy one cake once a week. Wahahahaha…..
So who wants to taste this chocolate fudge cake?
For those who had tried the durian cake, how was the cake? Care to share? Hee….
Rating given:
IT show was on over the past 4 days. Initially, I did not has any intention to step near the exhibition hall as I knew that tons and tons of people,from 8 months old to 80 years old, will be there! This time round there was nothing that I need to buy so in order for me not to have any temptation, I decided to stay clear of the area.
Maybe I spoke too soon! Hee....
Saturday, decided to pop in to see see look look. The crowd was really huge and there are a lot of choke points even before we stepped into the exhibition hall. This time round, the IT show occupied 4 floors, which means the whole area already!
Level 1: Canon Redemption Area.
Level 3: Starhub, Sony
Level 4: Major brands
Level 6: All other brands
This time round although the organisers said that they expanded the walkway to 4 m but I still think they could do better. The management of the place could be done better as well. There is a few bottlenecks especially the one at Food Republic, that one is a killer and with people moving carrying hot food etc. If any one want to do anything funny, they could do it there as there are large boxes lying around at any one time. It seems that they security guard are just minding their own business at the entrance.
I also notice a lot of people just go in and collect brochures. So what is the use of doing that when you dun intend to buy anything? Like to squeeze with the crowd? After collecting the brochure, I am 99% sure that they will land up in the dustbin, worse still on the floors of the exhibition area.
One last complaint, can we bar all the parents from bringing in their baby prams into the exhibition hall. It is already so packed and yet still push a pram along. Babies, young kids and pram should be left outside the hall and have someone to look after them. IT show is not the place for leisure shopping anyway. I gena a lot of time of prams pushed to my poor leg and feet. Not to mention if the kid or baby went missing. OMG!
To survive IT show, you need to decide what you going to buy even before you step into the hall. it is possible now as all the prices would be in the newspapers anyway. Then just stay focus, go in and buy what you want and get out of the place.
Looking at everyone leaving with LVD TVs, printer, laptops... Hmm.... who say Sporeans have no money?
Wanan to make a guess what I had bought on impulse? Wahahaha.....
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After so long, my post is finally ready! Haha…
My partner & I decided to try out this place after seeing several reviews with good feedback on the place. Somemore, with the 15% discount offered by Yebber, what are we waiting for??
We did not make any table reservation & but luckily the place was not packed with diners. Probably it’s because it’s a weekday and also that we were there pretty early, at about 6 pm. We were given a choice between the outdoor seats and the indoor ones. We chose the latter. The interior looks cosy & spacious. Each table came with a small tea light candle to brighten up the dim interior a little. Of course it did make the place more romantic too. Haha…
We were greeted by their friendly manager who even let us choose the seats since the place wasn’t packed with diners. Interestingly, the ice water they served had slices of strawberries in it. That’s really special, as most places at most serve lemon ice water. Strawberries in water? That’s really my 1st time trying it! Well, the strawberries did give the ice water a tint of sweetness & sourness. Pretty refreshing!
Here comes the food part! When we asked about certain dishes in the menu, the manager was very patient in her explanation & made some recommendations to us. These are what we have ordered.
Asparagus Roll with Bacon Dressing ($8.50) – This starter was great. I like it! The combination of asparagus & bacon was a perfect match! The asparagus was crunchy and a little sweet while the bacon was salty. So when the two came together, the taste & crunchiness made u crave for more. It will definitely improve your appetite & get you ready to indulge on the main course. Thumbs up!
Chef’s Special: “Rocket” Soup ($3.90) – “Rocket? What’s that??” That’s the first thought which came to our mind when the manager recommended the soup to us. Nevertheless, we decided to give it a try. Well, it looked like some blended spinach soup. But upon tasting it, it has this very unique taste which I quite like it. After checking with the manager, we realized that rocket is a kind of bitter vegetable. Yet the chef managed to cook it in such a way that the bitterness of the soup was gone. Wow!!
Prawn Bites ($9.50) – Quite a normal dish to me. Tasted just like the Japanese prawn tempura. But the light wasabi sauce which came with it was nice.
Stella Artois Battered Fish & Chips ($16) – This was my main course. It came with two big pieces of fish, deep fried and coated with the beer batter and a large serving of fries. The fish is fresh and tender, with a little beer taste. Find it quite a normal dish & I ended up attacking my partner’s main course which I am going to talk about next.
Tenderloin Steak ($28) – It’s my partner’s main course but I find it more yummy than mine. It came as a generous serving of steak. Looked good & smelt good. It was also served as requested – medium rare. Perfect! The sauce went well with the steak too.
Victorian Crème Brulee ($8) –I’m not a big fan of crème brulee and thus definitely not an expert in judging it. Yet I find it quite nice, with the milk taste not too overwhelming.
Crepes Haven ($12) – It was recommended by the manager. It did look good, with a flame over it when served. However, it did not taste up to our expectation. The sauce which went with the crepe was too sour for my liking.
On the overall, most of the dishes we have ordered were good. To add on, the service was excellent, with our glasses constantly topped up with ice water. The manager was warm and friendly too and was open to feedback on the food from us.
I shall be back to try out other dishes!
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Touted as the Biggest Annual F&B event in town, it looks like a rojak fair to me. I see booths taken by beauty salons, kitchenware supplier, cleaning detergents manufacturer...., even got footwear wor! These products can eat and drink meh!? *scratch my head*
The irritating sales promoters from these 'others' category kept shoving their flyers and products at me.
I walked round the hall 3 times, bought some food and 3-in-1 coffee......, balik kampung. Less than one hour spent there.
One would expect new products to be launched at such fairs, I didn't see any. Some food items are sold at a discount. The food I bought from a Teochew restaurant tasted awful.
I bought a Blended Mango with Pomelo from a dessert stall and it wasn't up to standard. So expensive at S$3.50 some more! Most of the companies are not big-names.
Expect lots of people scrambling for free samples. It's going to be crowded during weekends. Personally, I find it not worth a visit.
At least they have lots of tables and chairs for the visitors to sit down and eat comfortably.
12th - 16th March 2008
Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre
( Suntec City )
Level 4 Halls 403 & 404
Opening Hours : 11am to 10pm
Free Admission
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Vien Thai, it doesn't get clearer then this i suppose. Vietnam and Thailand cuisine together in the same restaurant. For the love of me, i have no idea what differentiates normal cuisine from Vietnamese cuisine, all i know is the Thai cuisine are generally a combination of sweet, sour and spicy all in one. The location of this place isn't much to shout about either.
Crispy Beancurd - Forgive me if i seem to be simply belching out names on this post. It just so happened that all information i had of this place has been lost. Still not going to stop me from writing a post however. The beancurd skin was very thick and hard while the beancurd itself lack much taste. The only saving grace turned out to be the sweet and sour Thai garnishing and sauce that made it at least palatable. Overall, save yourself the trouble on this dish.
Clear Tom Yam Seafood Soup - The Tom Yam soup was barely passable. Not in the least spicy but not the least bit lacking in the sour department. The ingredients were generous as you can see but i wouldn't recommend trying it as well.
Vietnamese Beef Vermicelli - The only item that brought a refreshing taste. A little sour, a little spicy and very fresh. The beef turned out a little too tough for my liking. The vermicelli when mixed with everything ended up tasting significantly pleasant and refreshing. Thats not saying alot however, because the material for comparison are sub par items.
Simple and overly pricey sums up the experience and offerings here. For some reason, i couldn't taste much difference between what is offered here and similar offerings elsewhere. It could have been better of course. Much better.
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I believe the place needs no introduction. Its already the third time i've visited this place so basically its just a different location with a different crew. Does it uphold the tradition though?
Well, what can i say? The balcony seats overlook the river with all its hustle and bustles going on below it. Low buildings and little tourist boats cramp the location, giving it an otherworldly feeling that is very relaxing. Service wise, i did get the impression that the people there didn't really want to be there however.
Burning Action - Some people call it showy, others say unnecessary, but i still find the whole process very interesting however. And most importantly, it gives the rice and prawn a wonderfully fragrant and interesting taste.
Soup of the day ($3.90) - Since its already the third time i'm having everything (fourth actually), i'll leave you to check out the older posts for comments on the soup. Nothing much has changed on that front.
Garlic Lemon Mussel ($8.90) - The bread and mussels are supposed to go well with each other and to the better of the experience, they do. The white sauce that the mussels were swimming in is the same as the sauce that comes with the mushrooms below and the oysters after. According to my dear friend, Andrew, the sauce is the best thing about the restaurant. I'm inclined to agree on that since it does add to the taste quite a bit. However, i must say the mussels are not one of the better items here and i would advice against having it.
Fried Country Mushrooms ($9.90) - I've had these mushrooms as many times as i've come to this restaurant. It is definitely one of the better things to have and still one i can heartily recommend.
Deep Fried Oysters ($11.90) - Essentially, this is the same cooking method as the mushrooms above. And sad to say, it tastes the same as well. The oysters themselves were reasonably fresh and sweet but i prefer the mushrooms as they are healthier.
Fisherman's Platter ($36.90) - We asked to switch one of the side items for the flaming prawns so the final deal we had consists of calamari, chips, mushrooms, prawns and fish. The best thing about this? It fed 4 people to the brim. The downside, health issues abound if you take this for protracted periods of time. The rice when added with sauce is still the best thing for me, personally of course. Everything else is as it should be, meaning its good but not necessarily impression making since i've had it this many times. Overall, this platter is good for big eaters and up to 3 people.
Tiramisu ($5) - The waiter heartily told us that we qualified for a $5 dessert special which we took without much thought. Tiramisu is a dessert that has been done to death and their rendition is interesting. Cocoa powder adorns the top while a small layer of cake fills the bottom. Cream and rum filled the rest. Its overwhelming actually and somehow, i didn't like it too much in the end. Not recommended.
The bill turned out to be $98 for 4 people. Lots of food and a full tummy later, reflection on the process doesn't bring much to mind since i paid for it in full. My treat to my friends and i'm happy for giving.
They say "too much of a good thing makes it bad". Well, in this case, its starting to sound pretty true. I've heard much about the branch in Central and somehow, there are parts that are true and some parts which are not. I found the normal service staff helpful and generally good but the supervisor level however, disappointed me when i asked what the sauce was. Maybe its a trade secret but repeating the same rubbish when i asked twice isn't my idea of good service. Food is simple and non elegant but gets the job done. All said, the mushrooms are still something i would pine for. If you have not had it before, it warrants a try at the least.
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Qian Hu Ornamental Fish Farm operates a nail spa that is different. Instead of using conventional tools to remove the dead skin and cuticle of your feet, it uses the fish, garra rufa.
This fish is also known as Doctor Fish, Nibble Fish, Kangal Fish or Lickers Fish. It is found in the rivers of Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Turkey and Syria. It can live at a temperature around 37 degree Celsius in hot pools. They have a lifespan of 4 to 6 years.
At Qian Hu Fish Spa, customers are seated round a huge communal fish pool with their legs immersed in it. Scores of fish nibble away at the dead skin on their feet. I felt hundreds of tweezers pecking at my feet. It was ticklish, occasionally a bigger Nibble fish would take a big bite. eowwwww ........
I was told my skin would feel silky smooth and healthy after the dull and dead skin is removed. So I graciously endured for 30 minutes. Guys at the pool were giggling. A lady claimed her skin was smoother after the treatment and intends to have her whole body immersed the next session. Horrors!
This Doctor Fish therapy is said to heal Psoriasis. The fish nibble at the diseased skin until the upper skin is completely removed and release a small quantity of dithranol, an enzyme which results in skin rejuvenation.
Qian Hu sells these fish, so you can re-create the spa at home. A small Garra rufa costs $10 and a larger one is $20. Don't worry, these are not Pirahna fish, your kid would not turn into a skeleton should he accidentally fall into the pool. hehehe....
Charges :
$10 for 30 minutes, with slippers and towels which you are free to take home.
Open Daily
Mon - Thurs : 9 am to 6 pm
Fri - Sun & Public Holiday : 9 am to 7 pm
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