Went to Golden Mile with my parents last night for steamboat at Thien Kee Steamboat, which was supposedly one of THE places to go for good steamboat. Thien Kee has been around at the basement of Golden Mile Complex for ages and the fading façade is testament to that. When we got there at about 1930hrs, the whole place was packed to the brim with people, with tables being set up in the isles and literally anywhere where there was an empty space, even right up to the lift and stair doors! With a little luck, we managed to get a good seat in the main restaurant itself near the aircon vent. We had the small steamboat order for 3 pax @ $23, 10 sticks of pork Satay, Hainanese Chicken @$8, drinks and chicken rice.
The ingredients for the steamboat were pretty miserable quantity wise. 2 small platters of meat mixed with liver, cockles, fish and fishballs with another 2 platters of vegetables and 2 eggs. Upon cooking, the food tasted normal, nothing fantastic. The Hainanese chicken was a little too cold and bloody for my liking and the chicken rice was a little cold as well. However, it wasn’t very oily which is a plus point to me. The Satay was the highlight, with hardly any visible charred parts, fat and juicy. The gravy was also good, with lots of crushed nuts in it and no visible layer of oil. Comparable to the wonderful Satay gravy that I had in Karjang, (Not sure about the spelling, but its in Malaysia and famous for its Satay) just that the one at Karjang is very much thicker.
Very filling dinner, but at about $42 for 3 pax, not exactly very cheap considering the quantity and quality of food. But then again, it’s not terribly expensive as well. The air conditioning is a good thing, as things tend to get sweaty during steamboats and service is fast and snappy. Although I feel that its way over hyped, I do recommend trying it before it goes the way of the Dodo. And oh yes, listen out for the cries of “Ma Pi Po”, something which I haven’t heard in a while. ;)
Idyllic brunches are what I often look forward to and they can essentially dictate the pace of the day's subsequent activities. On this beautiful Saturday morning, my gf and I set out to conquer the Italian buffet brunch at Pontini. I have never tried Italian buffets and it got me thinking as to how badly the quality of food would be compromised in the face of mass reproduction. We reached there slightly before 12pm and were told it was fully booked. Thank god we had made reservations(The buffet hadn't started so I did manage to take some decent interior shots without much people).
A short walk through the passageway with water trickling down both sides of the walls will see you at a cellar which also doubles up as a private function room. Walk on and you will notice that the interior is simple yet elegant, with wood as the main element. Homely and comfortable are words I would use to associate with such surroundings.
The buffet variety wasn't extensive. I estimated it to be about 30 odd, probably 40 inclusive of desserts. There was everything from Parma Ham with Rock Melon to Cus Cus to Pizzas and Pasta which were cooked on the spot for you, Cheeses, Roasted Lamb, Oysters etc. Drinks like Champagne, Red and White Wine and Fruit Juices were also free flow. I tried almost everything on offer except for a few of the Cheeses.
I personally liked the pizzas and the pasta. Wafer thin and crispy crusts led the way for the Pizzas and it really was a pleasure eating them. Subtle flavouring, the freshest ingredients and excellent culinary skill resulted in an absolutely tantalising pasta creation. I attribute the excellent culinary skills to Pontini's Executive Chef, Laurent Perez, who whipped up pasta after pasta for me. And so, let me just cut the review short because there are just too many things to write about. Almost everything was good or at least above average, with the exception of a couple, like the mushroom soup, which I found a tad too bitter and some of the cheeses which reeked strongly of gee. Oh and yes, I did like some of the desserts as well, namely the Hazelnut Pannacotta and the shot of Tiramisu, which had a potent coffee taste.
It cost us $116.55/- for 2 pax ($66.55 after $50 discount)which I find to be pretty worth it even without the discount because champagne and wines can already cover quite a huge part of your bill. Service is great and everyone's friendly. Plates are cleared and drinks are refilled promptly. There's even a 3 piece ensemble going to each individual table to belt out songs or individual requests. Food wise, I wouldn't go as far as to rate it Excellent, but most of it are a Good. With such good food, good atmosphere and a individual band to boot, whats not to like? I'm recommending this as a must try.
Cafe Le Pastry has been in existence for over 50 years and my mum occasionally buys a box or two of its Pineapple tarts home because I'm quite crazy over it.
Located at a nondescript shophouse just next to a Chicken Rice stall, it lies near the junction of Middle Road and Selegie Road, along the outskirts of town. Newspaper cuttings and photographs of celebrities and its specialties adorn the stall front, making for a rather cluttered and comical looking shop. Step through the narrow space and be greeted by a friendly lady who promptly informs you that all of their specialties are sold out and they have to be booked a day in advance. Lucky for me, they were in the midst of making a fresh batch and I only had to wait an hour to get my hands on their famous pineapple tarts and beancurd tarts.
Golf Balls aka Pineapple Tarts ($7 for 10) - My all time favourite Chinese New Year goodie, pineapple tarts! (Ok I like Bak Kwa as well) The balls were quite a size and came stuffed with copious amounts of not too sweet pineapple filling. The pastry itself was fluffy and a little buttery, making for an excellent dessert. To be honest, my auntie makes better pineapple tarts but Le Cafe probably sells one of the best commercially made pineapple tarts in the market.
Bean Curd Tarts ($5.50 for 6) - First looks at the tarts and I was suitably impressed by the homogeneous texture of the filling and the crust as well the aroma emitted. I wasn't too impressed in the taste department though. True, it was smooth and lightly sweet but the pastry wasn't firm enough for one. Also, it didn't taste out of the ordinary. Pretty much like eating Tao Huey, albeit of a slightly denser form. Having said that (I'm rather contradictory am I not?), it is still something new to me and I do like it enough to want to buy it again.
There is this new stall selling Vietnamese food near my house and it being a lull and rainy Saturday afternoon, my gf and I checked it out, not so much so for the food, but because we were plain lazy and didn't feel like going anywhere far.
The above mentioned restaurant lies along a row of shophouses in a rather secluded part of Serangoon Gardens, where most people don't actually walk to unless you are looking for the OCBC bank. A rather weird choice for location if you ask me. The shop announces its presence via a huge red signboard on the outside and the interior is decidedly simple Asian.
Cha Gio - Crispy Pork Spring Roll - This dish came highly recommended in the menu and by the waiter, so we had an order of the pork variation (there's chicken as well). Honestly, I didn't think too highly of this dish as it wasn't the least bit interesting. I found it rather average, not that I've tried it before though. The exterior was deep fried until crispy and the filling of pork, shrimps and yam was bland. You probably have to dip it into the sweetish spicy sauce to get any flavour (actually, most of the dishes came with that sauce. Maybe its a staple?)
Chao Tom - Sugar Cane Prawn - This was also recommended and I fairly liked it. A most interesting concept of mincing prawn and fish into a paste and wrapping it over sugar cane. The paste alone was normal but when eaten together with the sugar cane (you have to chew on the sugar cane to get the juice. I don't really think you can swallow the pulp though), you get something which is a mixture of tastes - a perfect blend of salty and sweet. But chewing on the sugar cane can be quite a chore, especially for lazy people like me.
Pho Bo Tai - Beef Slice Noodles - I'm no stranger to Pho, having eaten it through my college years in North America at the dozens of Vietnamese stalls there. However, ever since coming back to Singapore, I've not been able to find one which matches up to what I used to have. Le Viet's rendition comes fairly close, but still lacks the stronger soup base with a more natural and stronger beef taste. The beef slices were medium rare but not as chewy as I would have liked it to be. Quite a generous serving of beef slices though.
Com Tam Suon Nuong - Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop - I had expected broken rice (ie. normal rice broken into smaller bits), but all I got was normal rice. So much for the name. The grilled pork chop tasted familiarly like Char Siew except for the fact that this one seemed a lot fattier. However, the garnishing of spring onion and fried garlic proved to be a winner for this dish. Pleasantly fragrant, it added another angle of taste to the grilled pork chop.
A very filling lunch for 2 came up to about $30 because of a 10% discount (promotion period I believe), which is a little on the high side considering what we had ordered. Bring it down to below $25 and I'll have reason to go back often. Other than that, it will probably be just a once in a blue moon thing. And service is quite good by the way.
I just can't get enough of muffins, good ones that is. Nestled in the market in the tiny Shunfu precinct, the original branch of Chocolat N' Spice is well known for its freshly baked muffins and the long snaking queues at both its Shunfu and Tanjong Pagar outlets are testament to that. I had one of their famed Chocolate Chip muffin and Blueberry muffin to try.
The muffins were freshly made and very fragrant. The outer layer is a little crispy around the edges yet soft and moist within. The muffin itself was a little sweet when eaten alone. Overall, I found the muffins rather pleasing, but my parents found them a little too sweet.
Arriving at Binja park, my family walk from the bus stop to Ivin’s, which took around 5min or thereabouts. Ivins is a Peranakan/Nonya restaurant, and although it is located in Binja park off the main Bukit timah road, it was packed to the house when i arrived on a Sat evening.
The dishes Ivins offers are small in servings, but similarly they are cheaper in price. You can normal dishes for vegies, meats, and some other sides at around $4.50 to $6. For fishs, they come in $6.90 to $8, and there are also curry fish heads at $12. Because the servings are all very small, we committed the sin of ordering too many dishes, between the three of us, we ordered 7 dishes, some are good, while some are not. Mayb we are not too familiar with Peranakan food, so we ended up having some dishes which really aren’t to our liking.
Chilly Pomfret ($7.80)
The fish was rather good, it was deep fried, then spread with Ivins special-made chilli. The fish was kind of small though.
Ayam Buah Keluak ($5.90)
Signature dish of Peranakan cuisine. Chicken braised in thick spicy gravy with Buah kuluah nuts. We felt this dish was so-so only, chicken curry with the curry gravy different from our normal curry.
Sambal Kankong ($4.50)
Ahh.. All Kankong are well done when they are fried with Sambal, and when the kankong are not too over-cooked.
Duan Keledek ($4.80)
Sweet potato leaves and sweet potato slices in coconut gravy. This was our fatal mistake, we wanted to have Sweet potato leaves, but when we order this dish, we missed on out the “.. in coconut gravy” We thought the vegies was stir-fried, but in the end it came in the form of a soup? Anyway, the dish wasn’t to our taste.
Honey Pork ($4.60)
This should be the toast of the crown. By far the best dish we ordered, lean pork strips stir-fried in special honey sauce. The meat no doubt look over-burned, but it taste nice with the honey sauce absorbed into the meat.
Udang Sambal ($5)
This was a disappointment really, after we had the Chilly Pomfret, we thought Ivins chilli are good stuff, so we made this additional order for sambal prawn. The prawn is like cooked in water, then with the chilli over it only.
Babi Tauyu ($4.60)
Pork in sweet pepperish sauce. Again, this was a last-min-order. We never expected this to be our commonly known “ru-rou”.
Then mayb you will say, if you don’t know about Perankan cuisine its not the restaurant fault if you never ask right? Oh yea, we did ask the waitress, but many a times, they can’t really speak good english, and also cannot explain to us what are the dishes.
In addition, you will commit the same mistake of ordering too much dishes since the servings are small, and the dishes seem relatively cheap. Nevertheless, i believe Ivins are still a good place for Peranakan cuisine if you know your stuff well, judging from the crowd on a weekend evening. But i am not going back for now. Total bill was $43.70 for 3 person
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” My opinion, my views. If you don’t agree, thats not really a issue “
I have a favorite Japanese restaurant in Toa Payoh named "Ichiban Sushi" (Such a silly I am.. I just know that they also have other name like Ichiban Boshi, Kuishin Bo, etc.). Their company named RE&S. They are quite big. Please check out the site, you will see more restaurants. http://res.com.sg/restaurants.php?s=2
I usually spend my weekend and work near sushi bar inside the restaurant. Why? Nice place (with Aircon which I really need), nice food, and nice sushi in the color plates.
If you have time to grab a meal with them. I recommend "Salmon sushi" if you just want to have a light meal and "Tori Karakae Udon" if you need a main dish.
My English is not quite well, so, please be patience when I (try to) explain :-) .....Salmon sushi is really raw and tick but soft enough for you to chew in a few minute. The mayonnaise and the ebiko which top up on the top make the sushi is a lot more nice and nicer. I always have it with Sake.
For anyone of you who need the main dish. Please order Tori Karakae Udon. It's the udon mix with curry and fried chicken. Sometime, waiter may forget to give you the lemon, please ask from them. This is because the chicken is plenty of oil. You may order ice lemon tea too.
For the price, it is affordable ($20-$50). Today, I just pay $26 for Udon Salmon Sushi 2 special sushi Coke
Each fondue set came with a small saucer of melted White Chocolate, melted Milk Chocolate and melted Dark Chocolate served over a small flame to heat the liquid chocolate up. Dip items consisted of Marshmallows, Strawberries, cubes of bread and Bananas. The Dark Chocolate was nice and thick without being too sweet. The Milk Chocolate was acceptable but a little too milky for my taste. The White Chocolate was way to sweet for my taste and tasted a little creamy. The unanimous winner for the night was the Dark Chocolate, with everyone voting in favour of it.
At $20 for 1 fondue set (serves 2), I feel it’s quite a rip off. But I’m a sucker for chocolate, so I don’t see an end to me visiting such places, or Max Brenner for that matter – if they buck up on their slow service that is.
The reason that I went to this restaurant is to welcome new colleague. In that meal last week, everybody on the table said "Hey! Jak. It's Thai food. Please order them for us. We have no idea about them except Tom Yum Koong". (Oh, no! You choose the wrong guy. It doesn't mean that Thai people will always know Thai food very well. Anyway, ok...as you wish.. I will order.)
The waiter, waitress are well-trained. They have a good service mind. The place is clean. They can suggest Thai food to my friends very well. We order many dishes such as, Tom Yum Koong, Red Curry Chicken (Panang Kai), Fried Chicken and basil (Kai Pad Kapraw), Thai papaya salad (Som Tum) and serve with White rice. But I have to say that their menu is not really Thai. I found their food is a little bit mix up with Chinese food. When, I try their food. At that moment, I can feel that..."This is just another Thai restaurant which run by local people".
As a Thai people, I am not quite sure that Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen is a good restaurant for Singaporean or not, but for me it's good in terms of service but they are under average in terms of the taste. The price is also slightly high (Yes, it's in Suntec.)
Again, please note that this is my personal opinion. Perhaps, Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen may need to 'localised' their food for local people. Well, I just find that it's not an authentic taste.
However, among the strong critic. With the service and their politeness. I can rate them as an average restaurant. If you don't mind about the original taste of Thai food. They might good enough for you.
Haato is a feeling, you don’t give or receive haato.
You just feel it. It comes to you so long you open your heart
Haato celebrates the Art of Giving from the heart … to the heart
you won’t See it, Smell it, Touch it, but you can Feel it, its always around you…
Every scoop of Haato is a special experience.
Haato is a unique brand of gelato based on traditional recipes from Japan. It is one of the first gelato counters in Singapore to offer freshly made gelato that is free from artificial colouring and preservatives.
With their flagship outlet (formerly known as Gelato di Crema) at Liang Court Shopping Centre has been serving gelato for more than 16 years and continues to earn rave reviews from people all over the world. Haato is perfect for any occasion. A premium quality treat to be shared with friends and loved ones.
For the hungry pack, Haato @ Ridgewood serves food ranging from Japanese pasta and Japanese don. For sweet delights, enjoy an affogato or waffles with gelato. So drop by this quaint cafe at Ridgewood Close (off Pandan Valley Condominium and Ridgewood Condominium) for a quiet afternoon and some savoury food. (And not to forget the gelato of course!)
Haato @ Ridgewood is rather inaccessible and difficult to find. For one, it is off Pandan Valley Condominium, and if you are coming by Public transport, you need to stop at Ulu Pandan Rd, with the walking distance about 10-15min. Lucky for us, my usual foodie companian Hong Yi and Wee Hong drive, we went there by car. Even so, we spent some time looking for the place as we went one round around Mount Sinai rise before we realise its the wrong way, and found Ridgewood Close. However, despite all the hassle, Haato @ Ridgewood greets me with a delightful surprise when i got there.
Located at Ridgewood Condominium, the place where Haato’s at is actually a row of shops below the Condo. The interior of Haato is actually smaller than i expected, there are also outdoor seats though. Well, if i were to compare with Island Creamery or The Daily Scoop, , i would say Haato win hands-down for its laid-back and chill-out environment. You can order Gelato and sit there chat with your friends whole day. Who says you need to go to Demspey to chill out?
Unagi Pasta ($6.50)
The Unagi Pasta ($6.50) is great value for money. A generous slice of unagi (eel) engulfed in homemade sauce is served with warm Japanese pasta. The taste is not too strong and subtle, very much like home-cooked food. However, the portion is a tad too small.
Chicken Katsudon ($7)
I like this one. Like all Katsudon, the egg cover the layer of chicken and rice underneath it. Nothing special you’ll say, but then sometimes ordinary food taste extraordinary in the company of good friends, and good environment.
Chicken Teriyaki Don ($7.50)
Not too bad, considering the price is relatively inexpensive, and the fact that you are here more for the Gelato than the Japanese Don. But really i think the portion could be a bit bigger : )
Chocolate Banana (left) was great, the chocolate Gelato with a hint of banana flavour within. The Sweet Potato with Honey & Chestnut was more disappointing though, relatively tasteless. The double scoop was very generously given by one of the staff. Definitely value for money at $4.50.
Waffle with single scoop Gelato chocolate hazelnut ($6)
Chocolate Hazelnut, my favourite! I always like to order hazelnut ice cream whenever i go to a ice-cream palour. Nutella! The waffle took about ten minutes or so. The Waffle mix is made in-house using an exclusive recipe. Toasted to perfection – crispy on the outside and warm and moist on the inside, it tastes heavenly even on its own. First bite of the waffle was cripsy and soft, and i would say this is one of the better waffles out there.
The Gelato simply melts on my tongue together with the waffle. However the scoop was not as generous as the one above (the double scoop), because this time it was another staff who scoop the Gelato. He gave much smaller scoops for both our waffle compare to the one who gave us the double scoop cone.
Waffle with single scoop Gelato milk tea ($6)
For something different, yet close to home, try the Milk Tea gelato, which tastes exactly like the “Teh Tarik” found in local coffee shops. Milk tea fanatics would like this very much on swelteringly warm days, instead of their usual hot cuppa.
Actually my conclusion of the waffles, they are wonderful, but don’t order Waffle with Gelato, just take waffle with melted butter and treacly maple syrup instead. Reason is simple, the waffle is so good on its own that you don’t need the Gelato to compliment it. Besides, its more worth it to take double scoop at $4.50 than a single scoop on waffle at $6. Furthermore, i found that you could taste the Gelato better on its own, than together with the waffle, because the hot waffle sort of cover the Gelato flavour. So just take Waffle with butter syrup, den a couple of double scoops to share around.
Haato @ Ridgewood is a delightful place to chill-out, will definitely go back again, i’ll take bus the next time if i have to. If you find it far, there are other outlets at Wheelock, Liang Court and Serangoon Gardens. Check em’ out! Their Japanese Don and Pastas might not be the best, but they are there to act as compliments to the Gelato. Total Bill of $37.50 for three person was really not expensive at all. Oh ya, there are board games around to play while you chill with friends. And always feel free to ask for sample of the Gelato if you are not sure which flavour are nice, the staff will always provide you with samplers if you ask.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
1=SGD 0.0587
Went to Golden Mile with my parents last night for steamboat at Thien Kee Steamboat, which was supposedly one of THE places to go for good steamboat. Thien Kee has been around at the basement of Golden Mile Complex for ages and the fading façade is testament to that. When we got there at about 1930hrs, the whole place was packed to the brim with people, with tables being set up in the isles and literally anywhere where there was an empty space, even right up to the lift and stair doors! With a little luck, we managed to get a good seat in the main restaurant itself near the aircon vent. We had the small steamboat order for 3 pax @ $23, 10 sticks of pork Satay, Hainanese Chicken @$8, drinks and chicken rice.
The ingredients for the steamboat were pretty miserable quantity wise. 2 small platters of meat mixed with liver, cockles, fish and fishballs with another 2 platters of vegetables and 2 eggs. Upon cooking, the food tasted normal, nothing fantastic. The Hainanese chicken was a little too cold and bloody for my liking and the chicken rice was a little cold as well. However, it wasn’t very oily which is a plus point to me. The Satay was the highlight, with hardly any visible charred parts, fat and juicy. The gravy was also good, with lots of crushed nuts in it and no visible layer of oil. Comparable to the wonderful Satay gravy that I had in Karjang, (Not sure about the spelling, but its in Malaysia and famous for its Satay) just that the one at Karjang is very much thicker.
Very filling dinner, but at about $42 for 3 pax, not exactly very cheap considering the quantity and quality of food. But then again, it’s not terribly expensive as well. The air conditioning is a good thing, as things tend to get sweaty during steamboats and service is fast and snappy. Although I feel that its way over hyped, I do recommend trying it before it goes the way of the Dodo. And oh yes, listen out for the cries of “Ma Pi Po”, something which I haven’t heard in a while. ;)
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Idyllic brunches are what I often look forward to and they can essentially dictate the pace of the day's subsequent activities. On this beautiful Saturday morning, my gf and I set out to conquer the Italian buffet brunch at Pontini. I have never tried Italian buffets and it got me thinking as to how badly the quality of food would be compromised in the face of mass reproduction. We reached there slightly before 12pm and were told it was fully booked. Thank god we had made reservations(The buffet hadn't started so I did manage to take some decent interior shots without much people).
A short walk through the passageway with water trickling down both sides of the walls will see you at a cellar which also doubles up as a private function room. Walk on and you will notice that the interior is simple yet elegant, with wood as the main element. Homely and comfortable are words I would use to associate with such surroundings.
The buffet variety wasn't extensive. I estimated it to be about 30 odd, probably 40 inclusive of desserts. There was everything from Parma Ham with Rock Melon to Cus Cus to Pizzas and Pasta which were cooked on the spot for you, Cheeses, Roasted Lamb, Oysters etc. Drinks like Champagne, Red and White Wine and Fruit Juices were also free flow. I tried almost everything on offer except for a few of the Cheeses.
I personally liked the pizzas and the pasta. Wafer thin and crispy crusts led the way for the Pizzas and it really was a pleasure eating them. Subtle flavouring, the freshest ingredients and excellent culinary skill resulted in an absolutely tantalising pasta creation. I attribute the excellent culinary skills to Pontini's Executive Chef, Laurent Perez, who whipped up pasta after pasta for me. And so, let me just cut the review short because there are just too many things to write about. Almost everything was good or at least above average, with the exception of a couple, like the mushroom soup, which I found a tad too bitter and some of the cheeses which reeked strongly of gee. Oh and yes, I did like some of the desserts as well, namely the Hazelnut Pannacotta and the shot of Tiramisu, which had a potent coffee taste.
It cost us $116.55/- for 2 pax ($66.55 after $50 discount)which I find to be pretty worth it even without the discount because champagne and wines can already cover quite a huge part of your bill. Service is great and everyone's friendly. Plates are cleared and drinks are refilled promptly. There's even a 3 piece ensemble going to each individual table to belt out songs or individual requests. Food wise, I wouldn't go as far as to rate it Excellent, but most of it are a Good. With such good food, good atmosphere and a individual band to boot, whats not to like? I'm recommending this as a must try.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Cafe Le Pastry has been in existence for over 50 years and my mum occasionally buys a box or two of its Pineapple tarts home because I'm quite crazy over it.
Located at a nondescript shophouse just next to a Chicken Rice stall, it lies near the junction of Middle Road and Selegie Road, along the outskirts of town. Newspaper cuttings and photographs of celebrities and its specialties adorn the stall front, making for a rather cluttered and comical looking shop. Step through the narrow space and be greeted by a friendly lady who promptly informs you that all of their specialties are sold out and they have to be booked a day in advance. Lucky for me, they were in the midst of making a fresh batch and I only had to wait an hour to get my hands on their famous pineapple tarts and beancurd tarts.
Golf Balls aka Pineapple Tarts ($7 for 10) - My all time favourite Chinese New Year goodie, pineapple tarts! (Ok I like Bak Kwa as well) The balls were quite a size and came stuffed with copious amounts of not too sweet pineapple filling. The pastry itself was fluffy and a little buttery, making for an excellent dessert. To be honest, my auntie makes better pineapple tarts but Le Cafe probably sells one of the best commercially made pineapple tarts in the market.
Bean Curd Tarts ($5.50 for 6) - First looks at the tarts and I was suitably impressed by the homogeneous texture of the filling and the crust as well the aroma emitted. I wasn't too impressed in the taste department though. True, it was smooth and lightly sweet but the pastry wasn't firm enough for one. Also, it didn't taste out of the ordinary. Pretty much like eating Tao Huey, albeit of a slightly denser form. Having said that (I'm rather contradictory am I not?), it is still something new to me and I do like it enough to want to buy it again.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
There is this new stall selling Vietnamese food near my house and it being a lull and rainy Saturday afternoon, my gf and I checked it out, not so much so for the food, but because we were plain lazy and didn't feel like going anywhere far.
The above mentioned restaurant lies along a row of shophouses in a rather secluded part of Serangoon Gardens, where most people don't actually walk to unless you are looking for the OCBC bank. A rather weird choice for location if you ask me. The shop announces its presence via a huge red signboard on the outside and the interior is decidedly simple Asian.
Cha Gio - Crispy Pork Spring Roll - This dish came highly recommended in the menu and by the waiter, so we had an order of the pork variation (there's chicken as well). Honestly, I didn't think too highly of this dish as it wasn't the least bit interesting. I found it rather average, not that I've tried it before though. The exterior was deep fried until crispy and the filling of pork, shrimps and yam was bland. You probably have to dip it into the sweetish spicy sauce to get any flavour (actually, most of the dishes came with that sauce. Maybe its a staple?)
Chao Tom - Sugar Cane Prawn - This was also recommended and I fairly liked it. A most interesting concept of mincing prawn and fish into a paste and wrapping it over sugar cane. The paste alone was normal but when eaten together with the sugar cane (you have to chew on the sugar cane to get the juice. I don't really think you can swallow the pulp though), you get something which is a mixture of tastes - a perfect blend of salty and sweet. But chewing on the sugar cane can be quite a chore, especially for lazy people like me.
Pho Bo Tai - Beef Slice Noodles - I'm no stranger to Pho, having eaten it through my college years in North America at the dozens of Vietnamese stalls there. However, ever since coming back to Singapore, I've not been able to find one which matches up to what I used to have. Le Viet's rendition comes fairly close, but still lacks the stronger soup base with a more natural and stronger beef taste. The beef slices were medium rare but not as chewy as I would have liked it to be. Quite a generous serving of beef slices though.
Com Tam Suon Nuong - Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop - I had expected broken rice (ie. normal rice broken into smaller bits), but all I got was normal rice. So much for the name. The grilled pork chop tasted familiarly like Char Siew except for the fact that this one seemed a lot fattier. However, the garnishing of spring onion and fried garlic proved to be a winner for this dish. Pleasantly fragrant, it added another angle of taste to the grilled pork chop.
A very filling lunch for 2 came up to about $30 because of a 10% discount (promotion period I believe), which is a little on the high side considering what we had ordered. Bring it down to below $25 and I'll have reason to go back often. Other than that, it will probably be just a once in a blue moon thing. And service is quite good by the way.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
I just can't get enough of muffins, good ones that is. Nestled in the market in the tiny Shunfu precinct, the original branch of Chocolat N' Spice is well known for its freshly baked muffins and the long snaking queues at both its Shunfu and Tanjong Pagar outlets are testament to that. I had one of their famed Chocolate Chip muffin and Blueberry muffin to try.
The muffins were freshly made and very fragrant. The outer layer is a little crispy around the edges yet soft and moist within. The muffin itself was a little sweet when eaten alone. Overall, I found the muffins rather pleasing, but my parents found them a little too sweet.
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Arriving at Binja park, my family walk from the bus stop to Ivin’s, which took around 5min or thereabouts. Ivins is a Peranakan/Nonya restaurant, and although it is located in Binja park off the main Bukit timah road, it was packed to the house when i arrived on a Sat evening.
The dishes Ivins offers are small in servings, but similarly they are cheaper in price. You can normal dishes for vegies, meats, and some other sides at around $4.50 to $6. For fishs, they come in $6.90 to $8, and there are also curry fish heads at $12. Because the servings are all very small, we committed the sin of ordering too many dishes, between the three of us, we ordered 7 dishes, some are good, while some are not. Mayb we are not too familiar with Peranakan food, so we ended up having some dishes which really aren’t to our liking.
Chilly Pomfret ($7.80)
The fish was rather good, it was deep fried, then spread with Ivins special-made chilli. The fish was kind of small though.
Ayam Buah Keluak ($5.90)
Signature dish of Peranakan cuisine. Chicken braised in thick spicy gravy with Buah kuluah nuts. We felt this dish was so-so only, chicken curry with the curry gravy different from our normal curry.
Sambal Kankong ($4.50)
Ahh.. All Kankong are well done when they are fried with Sambal, and when the kankong are not too over-cooked.
Duan Keledek ($4.80)
Sweet potato leaves and sweet potato slices in coconut gravy. This was our fatal mistake, we wanted to have Sweet potato leaves, but when we order this dish, we missed on out the “.. in coconut gravy” We thought the vegies was stir-fried, but in the end it came in the form of a soup? Anyway, the dish wasn’t to our taste.
Honey Pork ($4.60)
This should be the toast of the crown. By far the best dish we ordered, lean pork strips stir-fried in special honey sauce. The meat no doubt look over-burned, but it taste nice with the honey sauce absorbed into the meat.
Udang Sambal ($5)
This was a disappointment really, after we had the Chilly Pomfret, we thought Ivins chilli are good stuff, so we made this additional order for sambal prawn. The prawn is like cooked in water, then with the chilli over it only.
Babi Tauyu ($4.60)
Pork in sweet pepperish sauce. Again, this was a last-min-order. We never expected this to be our commonly known “ru-rou”.
Then mayb you will say, if you don’t know about Perankan cuisine its not the restaurant fault if you never ask right? Oh yea, we did ask the waitress, but many a times, they can’t really speak good english, and also cannot explain to us what are the dishes.
In addition, you will commit the same mistake of ordering too much dishes since the servings are small, and the dishes seem relatively cheap. Nevertheless, i believe Ivins are still a good place for Peranakan cuisine if you know your stuff well, judging from the crowd on a weekend evening. But i am not going back for now. Total bill was $43.70 for 3 person
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” My opinion, my views. If you don’t agree, thats not really a issue “
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Great Japanese (Chain) Restaurant
I have a favorite Japanese restaurant in Toa Payoh named "Ichiban Sushi" (Such a silly I am.. I just know that they also have other name like Ichiban Boshi, Kuishin Bo, etc.). Their company named RE&S. They are quite big. Please check out the site, you will see more restaurants. http://res.com.sg/restaurants.php?s=2
I usually spend my weekend and work near sushi bar inside the restaurant. Why? Nice place (with Aircon which I really need), nice food, and nice sushi in the color plates.
If you have time to grab a meal with them. I recommend "Salmon sushi" if you just want to have a light meal and "Tori Karakae Udon" if you need a main dish.
My English is not quite well, so, please be patience when I (try to) explain :-) .....Salmon sushi is really raw and tick but soft enough for you to chew in a few minute. The mayonnaise and the ebiko which top up on the top make the sushi is a lot more nice and nicer. I always have it with Sake.
For anyone of you who need the main dish. Please order Tori Karakae Udon. It's the udon mix with curry and fried chicken. Sometime, waiter may forget to give you the lemon, please ask from them. This is because the chicken is plenty of oil. You may order ice lemon tea too.
For the price, it is affordable ($20-$50). Today, I just pay $26 for Udon Salmon Sushi 2 special sushi Coke
Okay...that's all.
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Each fondue set came with a small saucer of melted White Chocolate, melted Milk Chocolate and melted Dark Chocolate served over a small flame to heat the liquid chocolate up. Dip items consisted of Marshmallows, Strawberries, cubes of bread and Bananas. The Dark Chocolate was nice and thick without being too sweet. The Milk Chocolate was acceptable but a little too milky for my taste. The White Chocolate was way to sweet for my taste and tasted a little creamy. The unanimous winner for the night was the Dark Chocolate, with everyone voting in favour of it.
At $20 for 1 fondue set (serves 2), I feel it’s quite a rip off. But I’m a sucker for chocolate, so I don’t see an end to me visiting such places, or Max Brenner for that matter – if they buck up on their slow service that is.
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May be good for local people, not me.
The reason that I went to this restaurant is to welcome new colleague. In that meal last week, everybody on the table said "Hey! Jak. It's Thai food. Please order them for us. We have no idea about them except Tom Yum Koong". (Oh, no! You choose the wrong guy. It doesn't mean that Thai people will always know Thai food very well. Anyway, ok...as you wish.. I will order.)
The waiter, waitress are well-trained. They have a good service mind. The place is clean. They can suggest Thai food to my friends very well. We order many dishes such as, Tom Yum Koong, Red Curry Chicken (Panang Kai), Fried Chicken and basil (Kai Pad Kapraw), Thai papaya salad (Som Tum) and serve with White rice. But I have to say that their menu is not really Thai. I found their food is a little bit mix up with Chinese food. When, I try their food. At that moment, I can feel that..."This is just another Thai restaurant which run by local people".
As a Thai people, I am not quite sure that Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen is a good restaurant for Singaporean or not, but for me it's good in terms of service but they are under average in terms of the taste. The price is also slightly high (Yes, it's in Suntec.)
Again, please note that this is my personal opinion. Perhaps, Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen may need to 'localised' their food for local people. Well, I just find that it's not an authentic taste.
However, among the strong critic. With the service and their politeness. I can rate them as an average restaurant. If you don't mind about the original taste of Thai food. They might good enough for you.
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Haato is a feeling, you don’t give or receive haato.
You just feel it. It comes to you so long you open your heart
Haato celebrates the Art of Giving from the heart … to the heart
you won’t See it, Smell it, Touch it, but you can Feel it, its always around you…
Every scoop of Haato is a special experience.
Haato is a unique brand of gelato based on traditional recipes from Japan. It is one of the first gelato counters in Singapore to offer freshly made gelato that is free from artificial colouring and preservatives.
With their flagship outlet (formerly known as Gelato di Crema) at Liang Court Shopping Centre has been serving gelato for more than 16 years and continues to earn rave reviews from people all over the world. Haato is perfect for any occasion. A premium quality treat to be shared with friends and loved ones.
For the hungry pack, Haato @ Ridgewood serves food ranging from Japanese pasta and Japanese don. For sweet delights, enjoy an affogato or waffles with gelato. So drop by this quaint cafe at Ridgewood Close (off Pandan Valley Condominium and Ridgewood Condominium) for a quiet afternoon and some savoury food. (And not to forget the gelato of course!)
Haato @ Ridgewood is rather inaccessible and difficult to find. For one, it is off Pandan Valley Condominium, and if you are coming by Public transport, you need to stop at Ulu Pandan Rd, with the walking distance about 10-15min. Lucky for us, my usual foodie companian Hong Yi and Wee Hong drive, we went there by car. Even so, we spent some time looking for the place as we went one round around Mount Sinai rise before we realise its the wrong way, and found Ridgewood Close. However, despite all the hassle, Haato @ Ridgewood greets me with a delightful surprise when i got there.
Located at Ridgewood Condominium, the place where Haato’s at is actually a row of shops below the Condo. The interior of Haato is actually smaller than i expected, there are also outdoor seats though. Well, if i were to compare with Island Creamery or The Daily Scoop, , i would say Haato win hands-down for its laid-back and chill-out environment. You can order Gelato and sit there chat with your friends whole day. Who says you need to go to Demspey to chill out?
Unagi Pasta ($6.50)
The Unagi Pasta ($6.50) is great value for money. A generous slice of unagi (eel) engulfed in homemade sauce is served with warm Japanese pasta. The taste is not too strong and subtle, very much like home-cooked food. However, the portion is a tad too small.
Chicken Katsudon ($7)
I like this one. Like all Katsudon, the egg cover the layer of chicken and rice underneath it. Nothing special you’ll say, but then sometimes ordinary food taste extraordinary in the company of good friends, and good environment.
Chicken Teriyaki Don ($7.50)
Not too bad, considering the price is relatively inexpensive, and the fact that you are here more for the Gelato than the Japanese Don. But really i think the portion could be a bit bigger : )
Double Cone Gelato chocolate banana & Sweet Potato with Honey chestnut ($4.50)
Chocolate Banana (left) was great, the chocolate Gelato with a hint of banana flavour within. The Sweet Potato with Honey & Chestnut was more disappointing though, relatively tasteless. The double scoop was very generously given by one of the staff. Definitely value for money at $4.50.
Waffle with single scoop Gelato chocolate hazelnut ($6)
Chocolate Hazelnut, my favourite! I always like to order hazelnut ice cream whenever i go to a ice-cream palour. Nutella! The waffle took about ten minutes or so. The Waffle mix is made in-house using an exclusive recipe. Toasted to perfection – crispy on the outside and warm and moist on the inside, it tastes heavenly even on its own. First bite of the waffle was cripsy and soft, and i would say this is one of the better waffles out there.
The Gelato simply melts on my tongue together with the waffle. However the scoop was not as generous as the one above (the double scoop), because this time it was another staff who scoop the Gelato. He gave much smaller scoops for both our waffle compare to the one who gave us the double scoop cone.
Waffle with single scoop Gelato milk tea ($6)
For something different, yet close to home, try the Milk Tea gelato, which tastes exactly like the “Teh Tarik” found in local coffee shops. Milk tea fanatics would like this very much on swelteringly warm days, instead of their usual hot cuppa.
Actually my conclusion of the waffles, they are wonderful, but don’t order Waffle with Gelato, just take waffle with melted butter and treacly maple syrup instead. Reason is simple, the waffle is so good on its own that you don’t need the Gelato to compliment it. Besides, its more worth it to take double scoop at $4.50 than a single scoop on waffle at $6. Furthermore, i found that you could taste the Gelato better on its own, than together with the waffle, because the hot waffle sort of cover the Gelato flavour. So just take Waffle with butter syrup, den a couple of double scoops to share around.
Haato @ Ridgewood is a delightful place to chill-out, will definitely go back again, i’ll take bus the next time if i have to. If you find it far, there are other outlets at Wheelock, Liang Court and Serangoon Gardens. Check em’ out! Their Japanese Don and Pastas might not be the best, but they are there to act as compliments to the Gelato. Total Bill of $37.50 for three person was really not expensive at all. Oh ya, there are board games around to play while you chill with friends. And always feel free to ask for sample of the Gelato if you are not sure which flavour are nice, the staff will always provide you with samplers if you ask.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
" From our heart to yours "
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