have anyone ever tried buying pastry from bread talk (just beside toast box) at roughly 8:30am in the morning? you'll be surprised at how grouchy the cashier is, even though it might be different cashiers every day. as i worked mostly morning shift, i would go to bread talk to buy their raisin braid whenever on my way to work. first time, i tried a simple greeting of good morning and some P's and Q's, but all i got is this very sad, grouchy expression, like as if the cashiers wished they were still in bed, not working. despite being a regular morning customer at bread talk for quite a couple of months, i still get the sad, grouchy treatment. at least the good part is that there are always almost no queue in the morning, so i can't complained much either...
my family and i started going there for our nightly coffee fix like almost a year ago and we were not disappointed. previously, we always go to the kopitiam at level 3, but it was disappointing in a sense that those kopi ladies kept adding water despite my parents pleas not to as my parents and i don't like our kopi diluted with water, we like it strong and thick (also like the oriental version of espresso..). and the worst part? those kopi ladies insisted that they have to add water to dilute the kopi as it is too strong, and ironically, their kopi cup is so small that the kopi does not taste anything like kopi after water was added to it. luckily, we chanced upon pick & bite one particular night and decided to try their kopi. as usual, we asked for kopi-o/kopi-gao/kopi dee loh (kopi undiluted with water) and we were served by the lady who is in charge of running the shop. she gave us what we requested and from that night on, we were converts and patronise pick & bite whenever we pop down to BPJ for our kopi fix. (fret not, if you do not like your kopi too strong, as you can request for weaker kopi if you prefer). the lady who is in charge of running the shop actually recommend dim sum to us everytime we go, which are the tastier ones, which ones are not that good, really frank opinion shared to customers.
lately, a few months back, pick & bite customers should be aware of price hikes and their fried version of dim sum (like popiah, yam cake, etc) were sold @ 5 pcs for $3. realising that not much customers might want to buy so much or couldn't finish eating so many, they actually decided to sell it @ 3 pcs for $2, alongside the 5 pcs for $3 strategy, no doubt, by pick & bite boss. i dun know whether other pick & bite outlets are selling 3 pcs for $2 for customers who can't finish their dim sum, but the outlet at BPJ does. all in all, this is still where my family get our nightly kopi fix and i urge dim sum lovers not to miss this pick & bite outlet if good kopi is what you and your friends and family are looking for.
dessert wise, if it's too sweet or thick (undiluted), you can ask the aunties to add in some hot water to make it less thick if you prefer. to them, customer requests are not an issue to be ignored. whatever is possible and can be done for their customers, they will definitely try their best to do it. besides, which outlet actually gives you extra popiah when you are paying only $2 for 3pcs? just one plea: don't say protest vehemently when extra dim sum is given to you at no extra charge even though you only bought 3 pcs hor~ ~ there are nice aunties down there and we shouldn't "sabo" their kindness.
I had a craving for potato wedges. Not the first time. I love them!
Now, I was passing by the nearly empty Coffee Club and felt that it should be a good place for some finger food and a drink. So, I popped in and more customers came in after that.
Anyway, I digress. I ordered the soup of the day (broccoli) and felt that Ikea had better ones. Can't seem to understand why other places don't taste as good.
I had the $7 wedges but couldn't finish them. They came with sour cream and salsa sauce. I prefer the cream though. They were good.
I like the courteous staff. As for refilling of the ice water, I had to hint that my glass was nearly empty. Do ask for a glass of ice water since they don't automatically get one for you if you have just sat down.
Bollywood Veggies is a 10-acre organic farm owned by Ivy Singh-Lim, past president of Netball Association Singapore, and her husband Lim Ho Seng. There's also a bistro called Poison Ivy which is quite popular for its food. The vegetables and fruits used come straight from its farm.
Ivy Singh-Lim couldn't cook, so the bistro is thus named. But don't worry lah, the food is edible and tastes good, because she employed a qualified cook to cook mah! :)
It was raining heavily when I was there. I ordered tea and a plate of its assorted kuehs. When the rain slowed to a drizzle, we went to explore the farm.
It's a great place not only for the small kids to learn about nature and the vegetables and fruits we put in our mouths, we big kids learn a lot too.
There's an interesting eco toilet for you to leave your poo and a Mr Pee Wee for the little men! Relieve yourselves in a natural, green and free surrounding! hehehe.....
You have to find the lotus pond! Pose for uber sexy pictures or just act silly beside it .... but please don't try to impress the lady by jumping in to grab a lotus flower hor.
Oh.... forgot to mention... please go report to the bistro first if you are going to tour the farm, it costs S$2 per person. If any one is found not complying to the above rule, they will be used to cook Bollywood curry!!! *trembles*
I've seen a dragon fruit tree in Taiwan and was surprised to see a Dragon Fruit Farm in Singapore!
The Dragon fruit plant is a member of the cactus family. It is easy to grow, requires lots of sunlight and can also withstand long period without rain. Its huge, fragrant flowers bloom every 15 days and only a few hours in the night.
This Dragon Fruit farm grows a Taiwan species of Dragon Fruit which has red flesh. The Dragon Fruit sold in Singapore is usually the white flesh ones which come from Vietnam. One seldom finds this red flesh Dragon Fruit in Singapore. They are supposed to taste sweeter. The red flesh variety contains lycopene which is a natural antioxidant known to fight cancer, heart disease and lower blood pressure.
Besides the dragon fruit trees, there are a few rare plants like the Australian Passion Fruit, Thailand Passion Fruit, Red Long Beans (after frying, turn green colour wor!!)..... etc.
You are not allowed to pluck the fruits in this orchard but you can buy them. The day I went, dragon fruits were sold at S$4 a kilo. Expensive hor. The elderly lady seller said it was the cheapest price they had ever set because they had a big harvest then. After haggling, she agreed to sell 3kg for S$10. The fruits had been plucked for a few days and didn't look pretty. hehehe.....
The fruits were very ripe and when I cut them, there was lots of juice.... but not sweet leh. :( Since there were so many, I made Dragon Fruit jam and I'll try to bake a Dragon Fruit cake with it.
Warning : After eating the red dragon fruit, the next day when you go toilet ah, don't panic when you see the toilet bowl all red or the toilet paper stained red.... that's only the colouring from the red dragon fruit!! I almost died of shock the first time I saw 'red' in the toilet bowl!! hahaha.....
I went to the IT Show yesterday after 7pm, and as expected, everyone headed down on the first day too, in hope to avoid the even massive jam over the weekend.
I did a survival guide for those who's visiting IT Show. If you're keen to read, please go to my blog.
One concern I have at such a crowded event... what IF there's an emergency? I wonder how will they evacuate that many people within the shortest time possible. But I'm sure the organisers would have all these planned and ironed out long ago.
Everyone knew that the place is going to be packed, but still everyone still wants to go check out the prices. Why? Cos they always have very good bundles and discounts at the show. Especially for those who hate shopping and comparing prices at so many stalls around Sim Lim or Funan, shows like this is the easiest for them. Perhaps the price is not the cheapest, but with a little more, you get whole lot of goodies. So why not right?
Have you gone to the show too? Did you get anything there?
there was this time i went to hmv to buy some CDs (anime and J-pop). when it was time to pay, i used my debit card but told the cashier i wanted to pay by Nets. The cashier started to nod his head non-stop and i thought he heard what i say, but apparently, he was not listening to me but to the music that was playing in the store. and then, he charged my purchase to Mastercard debit, not Nets like what I initially told him to. makes me furious!! ended up, i was so angry that i wrote "I said I wanted to pay by Nets!" on the charge slip instead of signing it. when he say it, he didn't even say anything, much less an apology. he just simply 'destroyed" the charge slip, reprint one again and asked me to sign beside the "x". arrgghhh! *Banana* him lar!! now, i only shop for my J-pop and anime CDs on CDJapan liao...
Note: The fact that people signed up for a debit cum NETS card have a purpose and that purpose is not to show off the Mastercard logo and pretend to be some rich snob kid. Imagine being stuck overseas and you're unable to withdraw cash from overseas ATM due to service charge. The only thing that cay save your day and a$$ would be the debit card you're holding.
the first time I stepped into page one at vivo, i expected it to be similar like kinokuniya. true that initially the staffs there were a litlle "snob", but then, if you go back there now, the "snob" ones are no longer working. perhaps they are under-staffed, but still, it's a real pleasure to have an available staff attend to you if you do managed to grab hold of one. of course, if you ask a staff about a certain genre of books in which he or she doesn't have much knowledge on, it's quite frustrating. the good part is that, lately, the staffs are more than willing to go out of their counters to get your books for you liao. when i first did a book enquiry about a particular title which they didn't bring in, the staff simply checked on their own system and seeing that they don't carry that title, they simply told me: "sorry, we don't carry this title." but now, if you're looking for a title in which they happen not to carry, they actually suggest to you that you could place an order with no additional charge at all. and back to the topic about snobbish-ness, i personally think kino is gearing towards snobbish, blur and bo-chap lor...
Izakaya literally means 'pub' in Japanese. My first impressions of the place was one of arrogance and a little over indulgence for actually calling themselves the "Ministry of Food" which meant they were the authority in food offerings and hence, had left me with nothing but high expectations before i even stepped into the place. Then i understood the word 'Izakaya' which meant pub, which in term meant relaxation. Its a little contradicting to say the least, but enough ramblings, on to the food!
The interior features red carpeted floors, white tables and chairs for different sections and a balcony seat overlooking the throng of shoppers below. Simple and nothing out of the ordinary. The front counter is adorned with Hokkaido ice cream and a board which showcases all the celebrities who have visited the place, with a few visiting the place more then 3 times (!!!).
Tip cards for eating salads - Something that did amuse me somewhat was the presence of tip cards which are given freely when you eat certain dishes. In this case, our wasabi seafood salad.
Wasabi Seafood Salad ($3.30) - I prefer starting my meals with a salad then a soup these days, so its another healthy day for me. The seafood salad consists of tossed squid, scallops, crab meat, cucumbers, nuts, tomatoes and even a little salmon. The dressing is made of their own homemade wasabi mayonnaise which seems extremely popular these days but hey, i'm not complaining. The ingredients tasted fresh and honestly, the wasabi did overwhelm a little but thats what i like about it. A recommended try for wasabi lovers.
Unagi Tofu ($4.80) - As Alvin always says: "Unagi! Anything with Unagi is good!!" or something along those lines when it comes to Japanese food. This time, however, he was wrong. The tofu had an unmistakable taste of being refrigeration which i detest but thats just one expect i dislike. The unagi itself tasted sweet and soft but strangely, i found a bone in it (!!!). And don't be fooled by the picture, the serving is really small.
Tip card for Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu - Sukiyaki Beef set ($19.80) -
And once again, i picked beef hotpot japanese style for my meal. No doubt its no longer a surprise to anyone. The entire set came with a generous serving of raw sliced New Zealand beef (sukiyaki), an egg which to my dismay, was still in its shell, a hotpot boiling with beancurd, cabbages, carrots, mushrooms, vermicelli and scallops. The soup turned out a little too sweet for my liking but i can't deny they ingredients generous and filling. The rice was traditional japanese rice albeit a little dry compared to others but still good. The beef itself, tasted sweet due to the stock and easily came apart as long as it isn't overcooked. Overall, this is a mixed bag of offerings which turned out average at best. One major gripe was that the egg came with its shell, which is a major no no for people like me, time to improve i believe.
Seafood Toji Set ($18.80) - My gf had the seafood toji set which is essentially mixed seafood in a hotpot with egg sauce. The set has yet again, a generous helping of seafood from prawns, squid, scallops. fish and beancurd. She commented that it was also a little too sweet for her liking and after trying, i second her opinion. The chicken katsu was average and the seafood in question, though plenty, was not quite up to par due to the overly sweet stock. One thing we noticed of the place was that the miso soup simply tasted bland. In contrast, Yoshinoya had a better tasting miso soup but maybe its just a lack of appreciation on our part.
Complimentary Coffee - Well, its normal coffee to me from as far as i can taste. The body and acidity is average with the aroma barely making the mark. Apart from presentation which came with the usual swirls and the presence of ground roast bits from careless filtering, there really isn't much as to say.
Macha Kakigori ($6.50) - Mango Kakigori ($6.50) - Despite the price shown, the actual price we paid was $3 for each kakigori as it was part of a set promotion and what would a meal be without a nice dessert to end it? My choice was the Macha Kakigori which is the chef's choice on the menu. I have to say, i liked it. The macha, which is essentially, green tea extract would not have tasted well itself, but mixed with vanilla ice cream, crushed ice and some Hokkaido red bean and you got a winner. I was skeptical about the whole imported read bean business but i have to say, it does taste different. Bigger then usual and definitely sweeter as well, its difficult not to like this dessert (unless you don't like the vanilla ice cream of course). My gf had the mango version which came with actual, sweet mango slices and homemade mango sauce. Everything felt balances and tasted well together but the Macha version was still better. Oh, both versions were HUGE so it might be a good idea to just share the dessert instead of getting one each.
This interesting meal for 2 came up to $63.91 which is quite expensive for the misses which turned out to be the main course.
I like the desserts and the salad but was disappointed with the main meals. Waraku had better wazen items when compared to MOF but this restaurant has some strengths in being simple and serving decent food as well. Maybe we just didn't order the correct items. Still, i'd return for the Macha Kakigori if i was in the vicinity. :)
I had 2 lousy separate experiences at Mos Burger Taka and I urge readers to read my review to decide for yourself. The first involved this crew I had unluckily been served by. I placed my order and requested for less ice for my drink. And when the crew returned with my order, I noticed that my cup of coke was not filled to the brim. So I asked the crew why is this so and he replied smugly: "You say doe wan so much ice, so coke like that lor!" I was instantly taken aback, as he could have informed me that he was unable to top the drinks to the brim due to the less ice request. Not only wasn't there an apology, the crew gave me a "Take it or leave it!" expression. Not one to be bullied, I demanded my money back and told him he can keep his unfilled cup of coke for himself to drink.
The second incident involved a manager whom I was also unluckily served by. Initially, everything went well, I placed my order, he took my order, accept payment. But when it was time to gave me a number tag to wait, he didn't. I told him nicely that I don't have a number tag as he didn't give me one. In return and without listening to a word I said, he raised his voice at me and said: "Please hold on to your number tag and wait to be called once your order is ready!" Not to be outdone by his behaviour, I raised my voice at him and replied: "I wouldn't mind waiting, but you haven't even gave me a number tag when you raised your voice at me, a customer of this store!!" Embarassed, the manager just simply grabbed a number tag and swinged it across the counter towards me and walked off into the kitchen, most probably bitching about how "rude" I was. After an eternity of waiting (which I suppose must have been done on purpose as customers who came later than me actually got their food ealier than me instead.), my order was done and I simply paid him back for his service by swinging his number tag across the counter towards him and promptly replied: "Thanks for the lousy service you provided!"
And to be honest, a lot of customers were already curious as to why is there a shouting match at the cashier counter while they were enjoying their meal served rudely and lousily to them. At least, the Mos Burger at Bukit Panjang Plaza is a little better..
1=SGD 0.0587
have anyone ever tried buying pastry from bread talk (just beside toast box) at roughly 8:30am in the morning? you'll be surprised at how grouchy the cashier is, even though it might be different cashiers every day. as i worked mostly morning shift, i would go to bread talk to buy their raisin braid whenever on my way to work. first time, i tried a simple greeting of good morning and some P's and Q's, but all i got is this very sad, grouchy expression, like as if the cashiers wished they were still in bed, not working. despite being a regular morning customer at bread talk for quite a couple of months, i still get the sad, grouchy treatment. at least the good part is that there are always almost no queue in the morning, so i can't complained much either...
Rating given:
my family and i started going there for our nightly coffee fix like almost a year ago and we were not disappointed. previously, we always go to the kopitiam at level 3, but it was disappointing in a sense that those kopi ladies kept adding water despite my parents pleas not to as my parents and i don't like our kopi diluted with water, we like it strong and thick (also like the oriental version of espresso..). and the worst part? those kopi ladies insisted that they have to add water to dilute the kopi as it is too strong, and ironically, their kopi cup is so small that the kopi does not taste anything like kopi after water was added to it. luckily, we chanced upon pick & bite one particular night and decided to try their kopi. as usual, we asked for kopi-o/kopi-gao/kopi dee loh (kopi undiluted with water) and we were served by the lady who is in charge of running the shop. she gave us what we requested and from that night on, we were converts and patronise pick & bite whenever we pop down to BPJ for our kopi fix. (fret not, if you do not like your kopi too strong, as you can request for weaker kopi if you prefer). the lady who is in charge of running the shop actually recommend dim sum to us everytime we go, which are the tastier ones, which ones are not that good, really frank opinion shared to customers.
lately, a few months back, pick & bite customers should be aware of price hikes and their fried version of dim sum (like popiah, yam cake, etc) were sold @ 5 pcs for $3. realising that not much customers might want to buy so much or couldn't finish eating so many, they actually decided to sell it @ 3 pcs for $2, alongside the 5 pcs for $3 strategy, no doubt, by pick & bite boss. i dun know whether other pick & bite outlets are selling 3 pcs for $2 for customers who can't finish their dim sum, but the outlet at BPJ does. all in all, this is still where my family get our nightly kopi fix and i urge dim sum lovers not to miss this pick & bite outlet if good kopi is what you and your friends and family are looking for.
dessert wise, if it's too sweet or thick (undiluted), you can ask the aunties to add in some hot water to make it less thick if you prefer. to them, customer requests are not an issue to be ignored. whatever is possible and can be done for their customers, they will definitely try their best to do it. besides, which outlet actually gives you extra popiah when you are paying only $2 for 3pcs? just one plea: don't say protest vehemently when extra dim sum is given to you at no extra charge even though you only bought 3 pcs hor~ ~ there are nice aunties down there and we shouldn't "sabo" their kindness.
Rating given:
I had a craving for potato wedges. Not the first time. I love them!
Now, I was passing by the nearly empty Coffee Club and felt that it should be a good place for some finger food and a drink. So, I popped in and more customers came in after that.
Anyway, I digress. I ordered the soup of the day (broccoli) and felt that Ikea had better ones. Can't seem to understand why other places don't taste as good.
I had the $7 wedges but couldn't finish them. They came with sour cream and salsa sauce. I prefer the cream though. They were good.
I like the courteous staff. As for refilling of the ice water, I had to hint that my glass was nearly empty. Do ask for a glass of ice water since they don't automatically get one for you if you have just sat down.
Rating given:
Bollywood Veggies is a 10-acre organic farm owned by Ivy Singh-Lim, past president of Netball Association Singapore, and her husband Lim Ho Seng. There's also a bistro called Poison Ivy which is quite popular for its food. The vegetables and fruits used come straight from its farm.
Ivy Singh-Lim couldn't cook, so the bistro is thus named. But don't worry lah, the food is edible and tastes good, because she employed a qualified cook to cook mah! :)
It was raining heavily when I was there. I ordered tea and a plate of its assorted kuehs. When the rain slowed to a drizzle, we went to explore the farm.
It's a great place not only for the small kids to learn about nature and the vegetables and fruits we put in our mouths, we big kids learn a lot too.
There's an interesting eco toilet for you to leave your poo and a Mr Pee Wee for the little men! Relieve yourselves in a natural, green and free surrounding! hehehe.....
You have to find the lotus pond! Pose for uber sexy pictures or just act silly beside it .... but please don't try to impress the lady by jumping in to grab a lotus flower hor.
Oh.... forgot to mention... please go report to the bistro first if you are going to tour the farm, it costs S$2 per person. If any one is found not complying to the above rule, they will be used to cook Bollywood curry!!! *trembles*
Rating given:
I've seen a dragon fruit tree in Taiwan and was surprised to see a Dragon Fruit Farm in Singapore!
The Dragon fruit plant is a member of the cactus family. It is easy to grow, requires lots of sunlight and can also withstand long period without rain. Its huge, fragrant flowers bloom every 15 days and only a few hours in the night.
This Dragon Fruit farm grows a Taiwan species of Dragon Fruit which has red flesh. The Dragon Fruit sold in Singapore is usually the white flesh ones which come from Vietnam. One seldom finds this red flesh Dragon Fruit in Singapore. They are supposed to taste sweeter. The red flesh variety contains lycopene which is a natural antioxidant known to fight cancer, heart disease and lower blood pressure.
Besides the dragon fruit trees, there are a few rare plants like the Australian Passion Fruit, Thailand Passion Fruit, Red Long Beans (after frying, turn green colour wor!!)..... etc.
You are not allowed to pluck the fruits in this orchard but you can buy them. The day I went, dragon fruits were sold at S$4 a kilo. Expensive hor. The elderly lady seller said it was the cheapest price they had ever set because they had a big harvest then. After haggling, she agreed to sell 3kg for S$10. The fruits had been plucked for a few days and didn't look pretty. hehehe.....
The fruits were very ripe and when I cut them, there was lots of juice.... but not sweet leh. :( Since there were so many, I made Dragon Fruit jam and I'll try to bake a Dragon Fruit cake with it.
Warning : After eating the red dragon fruit, the next day when you go toilet ah, don't panic when you see the toilet bowl all red or the toilet paper stained red.... that's only the colouring from the red dragon fruit!! I almost died of shock the first time I saw 'red' in the toilet bowl!! hahaha.....
Rating given:
Don't go if you don't have anything to buy!
I went to the IT Show yesterday after 7pm, and as expected, everyone headed down on the first day too, in hope to avoid the even massive jam over the weekend.
I did a survival guide for those who's visiting IT Show. If you're keen to read, please go to my blog.
One concern I have at such a crowded event... what IF there's an emergency? I wonder how will they evacuate that many people within the shortest time possible. But I'm sure the organisers would have all these planned and ironed out long ago.
Everyone knew that the place is going to be packed, but still everyone still wants to go check out the prices. Why? Cos they always have very good bundles and discounts at the show. Especially for those who hate shopping and comparing prices at so many stalls around Sim Lim or Funan, shows like this is the easiest for them. Perhaps the price is not the cheapest, but with a little more, you get whole lot of goodies. So why not right?
Have you gone to the show too? Did you get anything there?
Rating given:
there was this time i went to hmv to buy some CDs (anime and J-pop). when it was time to pay, i used my debit card but told the cashier i wanted to pay by Nets. The cashier started to nod his head non-stop and i thought he heard what i say, but apparently, he was not listening to me but to the music that was playing in the store. and then, he charged my purchase to Mastercard debit, not Nets like what I initially told him to. makes me furious!! ended up, i was so angry that i wrote "I said I wanted to pay by Nets!" on the charge slip instead of signing it. when he say it, he didn't even say anything, much less an apology. he just simply 'destroyed" the charge slip, reprint one again and asked me to sign beside the "x". arrgghhh! *Banana* him lar!! now, i only shop for my J-pop and anime CDs on CDJapan liao...
Note: The fact that people signed up for a debit cum NETS card have a purpose and that purpose is not to show off the Mastercard logo and pretend to be some rich snob kid. Imagine being stuck overseas and you're unable to withdraw cash from overseas ATM due to service charge. The only thing that cay save your day and a$$ would be the debit card you're holding.
Rating given:
the first time I stepped into page one at vivo, i expected it to be similar like kinokuniya. true that initially the staffs there were a litlle "snob", but then, if you go back there now, the "snob" ones are no longer working. perhaps they are under-staffed, but still, it's a real pleasure to have an available staff attend to you if you do managed to grab hold of one. of course, if you ask a staff about a certain genre of books in which he or she doesn't have much knowledge on, it's quite frustrating. the good part is that, lately, the staffs are more than willing to go out of their counters to get your books for you liao. when i first did a book enquiry about a particular title which they didn't bring in, the staff simply checked on their own system and seeing that they don't carry that title, they simply told me: "sorry, we don't carry this title." but now, if you're looking for a title in which they happen not to carry, they actually suggest to you that you could place an order with no additional charge at all. and back to the topic about snobbish-ness, i personally think kino is gearing towards snobbish, blur and bo-chap lor...
Rating given:
Izakaya literally means 'pub' in Japanese. My first impressions of the place was one of arrogance and a little over indulgence for actually calling themselves the "Ministry of Food" which meant they were the authority in food offerings and hence, had left me with nothing but high expectations before i even stepped into the place. Then i understood the word 'Izakaya' which meant pub, which in term meant relaxation. Its a little contradicting to say the least, but enough ramblings, on to the food!
The interior features red carpeted floors, white tables and chairs for different sections and a balcony seat overlooking the throng of shoppers below. Simple and nothing out of the ordinary. The front counter is adorned with Hokkaido ice cream and a board which showcases all the celebrities who have visited the place, with a few visiting the place more then 3 times (!!!).
Tip cards for eating salads - Something that did amuse me somewhat was the presence of tip cards which are given freely when you eat certain dishes. In this case, our wasabi seafood salad.
Wasabi Seafood Salad ($3.30) - I prefer starting my meals with a salad then a soup these days, so its another healthy day for me. The seafood salad consists of tossed squid, scallops, crab meat, cucumbers, nuts, tomatoes and even a little salmon. The dressing is made of their own homemade wasabi mayonnaise which seems extremely popular these days but hey, i'm not complaining. The ingredients tasted fresh and honestly, the wasabi did overwhelm a little but thats what i like about it. A recommended try for wasabi lovers.
Unagi Tofu ($4.80) - As Alvin always says: "Unagi! Anything with Unagi is good!!" or something along those lines when it comes to Japanese food. This time, however, he was wrong. The tofu had an unmistakable taste of being refrigeration which i detest but thats just one expect i dislike. The unagi itself tasted sweet and soft but strangely, i found a bone in it (!!!). And don't be fooled by the picture, the serving is really small.
Tip card for Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu - Sukiyaki Beef set ($19.80) -
And once again, i picked beef hotpot japanese style for my meal. No doubt its no longer a surprise to anyone. The entire set came with a generous serving of raw sliced New Zealand beef (sukiyaki), an egg which to my dismay, was still in its shell, a hotpot boiling with beancurd, cabbages, carrots, mushrooms, vermicelli and scallops. The soup turned out a little too sweet for my liking but i can't deny they ingredients generous and filling. The rice was traditional japanese rice albeit a little dry compared to others but still good. The beef itself, tasted sweet due to the stock and easily came apart as long as it isn't overcooked. Overall, this is a mixed bag of offerings which turned out average at best. One major gripe was that the egg came with its shell, which is a major no no for people like me, time to improve i believe.
Seafood Toji Set ($18.80) - My gf had the seafood toji set which is essentially mixed seafood in a hotpot with egg sauce. The set has yet again, a generous helping of seafood from prawns, squid, scallops. fish and beancurd. She commented that it was also a little too sweet for her liking and after trying, i second her opinion. The chicken katsu was average and the seafood in question, though plenty, was not quite up to par due to the overly sweet stock. One thing we noticed of the place was that the miso soup simply tasted bland. In contrast, Yoshinoya had a better tasting miso soup but maybe its just a lack of appreciation on our part.
Complimentary Coffee - Well, its normal coffee to me from as far as i can taste. The body and acidity is average with the aroma barely making the mark. Apart from presentation which came with the usual swirls and the presence of ground roast bits from careless filtering, there really isn't much as to say.
Macha Kakigori ($6.50) - Mango Kakigori ($6.50) - Despite the price shown, the actual price we paid was $3 for each kakigori as it was part of a set promotion and what would a meal be without a nice dessert to end it? My choice was the Macha Kakigori which is the chef's choice on the menu. I have to say, i liked it. The macha, which is essentially, green tea extract would not have tasted well itself, but mixed with vanilla ice cream, crushed ice and some Hokkaido red bean and you got a winner. I was skeptical about the whole imported read bean business but i have to say, it does taste different. Bigger then usual and definitely sweeter as well, its difficult not to like this dessert (unless you don't like the vanilla ice cream of course). My gf had the mango version which came with actual, sweet mango slices and homemade mango sauce. Everything felt balances and tasted well together but the Macha version was still better. Oh, both versions were HUGE so it might be a good idea to just share the dessert instead of getting one each.
This interesting meal for 2 came up to $63.91 which is quite expensive for the misses which turned out to be the main course.
I like the desserts and the salad but was disappointed with the main meals. Waraku had better wazen items when compared to MOF but this restaurant has some strengths in being simple and serving decent food as well. Maybe we just didn't order the correct items. Still, i'd return for the Macha Kakigori if i was in the vicinity. :)
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I had 2 lousy separate experiences at Mos Burger Taka and I urge readers to read my review to decide for yourself. The first involved this crew I had unluckily been served by. I placed my order and requested for less ice for my drink. And when the crew returned with my order, I noticed that my cup of coke was not filled to the brim. So I asked the crew why is this so and he replied smugly: "You say doe wan so much ice, so coke like that lor!" I was instantly taken aback, as he could have informed me that he was unable to top the drinks to the brim due to the less ice request. Not only wasn't there an apology, the crew gave me a "Take it or leave it!" expression. Not one to be bullied, I demanded my money back and told him he can keep his unfilled cup of coke for himself to drink.
The second incident involved a manager whom I was also unluckily served by. Initially, everything went well, I placed my order, he took my order, accept payment. But when it was time to gave me a number tag to wait, he didn't. I told him nicely that I don't have a number tag as he didn't give me one. In return and without listening to a word I said, he raised his voice at me and said: "Please hold on to your number tag and wait to be called once your order is ready!" Not to be outdone by his behaviour, I raised my voice at him and replied: "I wouldn't mind waiting, but you haven't even gave me a number tag when you raised your voice at me, a customer of this store!!" Embarassed, the manager just simply grabbed a number tag and swinged it across the counter towards me and walked off into the kitchen, most probably bitching about how "rude" I was. After an eternity of waiting (which I suppose must have been done on purpose as customers who came later than me actually got their food ealier than me instead.), my order was done and I simply paid him back for his service by swinging his number tag across the counter towards him and promptly replied: "Thanks for the lousy service you provided!"
And to be honest, a lot of customers were already curious as to why is there a shouting match at the cashier counter while they were enjoying their meal served rudely and lousily to them. At least, the Mos Burger at Bukit Panjang Plaza is a little better..
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