I was extremely curious how their Strawberry Sorbet wax feels and most importantly, smells like! Most importantly, my usual wax lady was not in town, I was practically lured to try out Honeypot.
When I went for my appointment, I was welcomed by the ladies at the cozy parlour. I was hoping for more than a service, maybe treated like a real princess like how they claimed they will do. Well, not much of a princess treatment but the whole atmosphere was awesome. You know the pink everything, the pink products and sexy music. I was already half sold before I started my waxing!
The whole experience was needless to say, comfortable. It was done in less than half an hour. I wouldn't say it's painless throughout but the lady who did the waxing was friendly, chatty and very gentle with me. The hard wax smells delicious too. Totally relaxing in a zen way. To make it sound too good to be true, it has promotions now and then, and the ladies do not hard sell making the whole experience really wonderful.
If you're looking for a relaxing indulgence, Honeypot is highly recommended!
I always have a liking for collaborations. When I saw this collection(and the price!), I was sold(just like that..) Especially when I heard good reviews for it, I knew I have nothing to lose but to click the 'BUY' button.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON Brush Set
All the brushes especially the blush brush is extremely soft on the skin.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON Finishing Powder
This works as the pressed powder which is as light as loose powder. It kept my skin matte for around 5 hours which is good in my opinion. It has tiny micro shimmers that brightens the skin.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON Blush Stick
I have yet to use this but my dear friend who also has it says the turnout after using was natural and best of all, it was easier to apply.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON All-Over Face Powder
The blush colour turns out to be slightly mauve-pink which I felt won't go on nice on pink-toned skin. My yellow-toned skin takes it well so I have no complaints.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON Lipgloss
Ohh, I love love this!!! It goes on shimmery light pink and I'd buy another to stock up! It is the star buy out of all I bought! Must-have!
I would say the products work well and are value for money! Go online and buy yours if you haven't!
Tutu Kueh! Yummy! Guess I was lucky, as I was the last customer who ordered the Durian filling ones. So they stuffed all the remaining bits of fresh durian into my kueh!
As it was late, there were many diners at Food Republic. And many ordering their Tutu. Although I was very full, I couldn't resists trying the durian tutu. They're slightly more expensive, 3 for $2. But for me, I find that its surely worth it.
Can't compare the usual fillings with those in my photos as I was lucky to be the last customers. You can see that the filling was so much that it cracked the surface of the tutu!
I will surely go back for more durian tutus. Yummilicious!
Thanks to Great Sage for posting his reviews. It reminded me about my encounter with them! :)
"Looking for a budget eating corner? Lack of cash and still want big American portions of food such as Botak Jones beef burgers? Look no further! BlackBoard is your neighborhood friendly Western food fix!" At least, that is what i believe went through their minds when they started this franchise. Their actual tagline is : "We satisfy your cravings". Let's find out if thats true then.
I was introduced to this place by Adrain san, who happens to live nearby and swears that this is one of the best eating places he has found in Singapore at present. (He's Japanese and a Singapore Judo Representative. Really cool, really big guy.)
Hidden in a derelict corner of a small coffee shop, its still easy to spot this rather slick looking sign in the middle of nowhere. From what i heard, the place usually sells out its food but we were pretty fortunate both times to have been able to secure a good seat and to get all our orders available.
Mushroom Soup ($2.80) - Their rendition of mushroom soup had little bits of mushrooms which is evident by the tiny black bits you see scattered throughout the soup. The cream was milky and rather thin which reminded me of Campbell's soup but a little tastier and more fragrant. My gf enjoyed this quite alot (She's a Katsu and mushroom affectionado.)
Garlic Bread ($2) - Served piping hot, crispy and smelling simply heavenly. Available in 6 thin slices for $2, this rendition was a quite good if not for the it being overly crispy due to over toasting as can be seen from the charred edges in the picture above. I prefer garlic bread a little moist as well but this came a little too dry.
Tuscan Fries ($2.50) - I really don't know what constitutes Tuscan fries but i love french fries. Heck, i'll even settle for Mcdonald's fries if the craving is in, but i do like my fries thick and i do prefer wedges over fries. These fries were served hot and steaming with some chilli powder or i suspect, msg sprinkled over them and honestly, they were not bad at all. Thick, sweet and a little spicy, it becomes an obsession the moment you start eating it. A word of caution though, most of the mains come with the same portion of fries so you are better off simply ordering a main course.
Blackboard Burger 300 gm patty ($6.80) - Shown above is their signature dish, the Blackboard burger. Similar to the Botak Burger, it comes with huge beef patties but this rendition is slightly cheaper. Its not too difficult to see why either, from the first bite, you'll realise that the patty is made by mashing many things inside along with the beef. From the close ups, you can see carrots, radish and assorted other ingredients which give the burger a unique taste. The only problem is that this makes it taste drier than other beef burgers i've had before and diminishes the beef taste which i prefer. The double patty comes at a cheap top up of $3 and basically, this can be 2 meals instead of one. Its very filling to say the least. Taste wise, Botak burger and Changing appetites have the upper hand, but price wise, you'll be hard pressed to find another 300 gm beef patty at this price.
Buffalo Wings ($1.20 each) - Given the choice of spicy, extra spicy or mild, Blackboard's buffalo wings are definitely more fiery then the rest. (To me at least) We took the extra spicy option, which is basically spicy thai sauce. I'm pretty sure they had chili paddy in the concoction because your lips will burn long after the wings have settled in your stomach. Meat wise, this was tender and nicely marinated from the color and the reddish tinge of the meat inside. The skin was crispy as well making it a good appetizer. My gf easily took the spiciness while i struggled by drinking gallons of water, you have been warned.
Cajun Spice Chicken ($6.50) - Order this and you'll get a generous piece of chicken thigh or breast which is thoroughly marinated and lightly pan fried. You'll also get a generous dose of Tuscan fries and some coleslaw to round up the package. I'm assuming that Cajun spices are influenced by Indian spices since i believe there is curry powder in the marinating. The chicken is quite literally soaked in the spices and exudes a fragrant and appetizing aroma. Meat was tender and easily cut apart as well and i love the fact that there are no bones for me to pick off. The cheese layer however did not add much to the flavor of the chicken and i didn't like the sauce that came with the dish. Still pretty decent though.
Fish and Chips Large($9) - I ordered this for my gf because i wanted to see what large looks like. Well, it indeed is large with 4 thick slices of fish deep fried to a golden brown and served sporting a standing ovation. Taste wise, the batter used in frying is very thick, such that we had to dig the meat out instead of eating the entire thing after one piece. The meat isn't much to shout about either but you can't complain about the portion size. $9 for batter though is not my idea of good fish and chips.
Honestly, food wise, the place is not exactly splendid but does have a certain charm and also comes at a really budget price. Compare it to a whole host of mediocre kopitiam offerings and this is a sure winner, but compare it to other similar outlets like Botak Jones or Uno Beef house and it doesn't score as high. Try it with an open mind and a minimal budget to judge for yourselves.
I'll go there for meal whenever I got a huge appetite & cravings because the servings are big & there's a good variety of side dishes to choose from.
Although I'm not much into pork, I quite like their ribs, especially the BBQ sauce which really compliments the ribs. The roast chicken is good too! With a coating of glaze and herbs on the chicken skin and the chicken skin is roasted to almost fatless, it makes me feel less sinful to eat it. Haha...
As for the sides, my favourite is corn muffins followed by the corn nibbles. Other than the corn, they also have different potato side dishes like galic potato, mashed potato and potato salad. Of course there's the greens as well.
I've also noticed that most of the waiters and waitresses there are the elderly. Seems like it's quite a pro-elderly place, that's good!
On the overall, felt happily satisfied. Both with the food and the friendly waiters.
I decided to try this branch that's newly opened. The place was not cluttered while the aircon was too cold for my liking. Perhaps it was a rainy day.
I tried the soup of the day (tomato) and a half sandwich that contained mushrooms (my favourite). The wait wasn't that long as the place was not full. I liked the sandwich because it was just enough for me. However, my soup and tea got cold too easily due to the low temperature.
It would have been more enjoyable if the temperature wasn't too cold. Cost wise is about $15 per person.
Craving for more Japanese food after Waraku, i brought my sister and gf out for lunch this lazy weekend. And being a lazy weekend, going too far is out of the question. Instead, we opted to try out a Japanese restaurant in the Heartlands @ Compass Point.
Miso Soup - I would have expected better from Wasabi but it was not meant to be, the miso was bland and hardly appetizing. The seaweed came in big pieces however and the tofu is soft and melts in your mouth. Still, the soup just isn't what it could have been.
Beef Don Cold Cha Soba Agedashi Tofu ($15.80) - Beef is teriyaki seasoned as usual and tastes as it should. Chewy, sweet and tender with simple but fragrant Japanese rice. The cold cha soba here is springy and chewy with a slight bitter green tea taste which totally dissipates when you dip it into the accompanying sauce. It then becomes sweet, slightly heady and extremely tasty. Notice the agedashi tofu wasn't shown? Yeah, thats because it wasn't really that good to begin with.
Katsudon ($9) - The first was a wrong order which served beef instead of pork. The second bowl came after we asked a serving lady who kindly helped us correct the issue. The second bowl was the real deal. Pork cutlet was not too crispy due to the egg on top but retained many of the juices that makes it delectable. Guess who ordered this dish? None other then my gf of course.
Soft Shell Crab ($5.50) - The crab came in 2 pieces and was quite small. It was very crispy and hot but lacked sweetness in its meat.
Ebi Curry Don Fried Chicken Cold Soba ($15.80) - I was quite surprised when my sister's order appeared. For the price, i did not expect 2 big prawns to be on the bowl. The prawns were not very sweet tasting however. And the only difference between cold soba and cha soba is the green tea taste. But that difference means everything because this pales in comparison to cha soba. The fried chicken side dish was surprisingly generous and tasted hot, tender and sweet as well.
The total bill came up to $54.25 for 3 people for lunch. Which isn't too much and was reasonably satisfying.
Not too bad a restaurant though you can't compare it to Waraku, Inagiku or Keyaki on the same standing. Still, for a simple Japanese meal, you can't really go wrong with this place.
Other than Japanese food, I can only imagine myself enjoying delicious small bites that leave room for delectable desserts. When I know about Sugar Brown Cafe Bistro, their famous Wagyu Burger and spoilt for choice desserts, I know I have to make tummy space for them real soon.
So I made my reservation and finally hopped down last Sunday for brunch. The gem, tucked away in the quiet corner of River Valley inside Stardus Clubhouse, is suitable for quiet and laidback lunches.
I started off the course of the meal with the Organic Mushroom Soup. The button, oyster, abalone and shitake mushrooms were all extremely fresh. I especially love the creamy texture of the soup base. It was not filling at all and it actually opens up your appetite for more.
You have to try their Salad of Deconstructed Apple with Walnuts, Brie & Arugula tossed in Apple Dressing. It's their signature dish and I highly recommend this. It is thin slices of apples sandwiching all the rest of the goodness - brie cheese, bitter walnuts and arugula meld. Everything simply melts in my mouth and you will be truly intrigued by the entire taste.
It was when the much awaited Wagyu Beef Burgermade its arrival, I was left speechless. The generous serving of wagyu beef on top of foie gras and ciabatta bread definitely is worth every penny. Although I must say, I would prefer the beef as a whole slice instead of minced. The fries that accompanied the dish was hot and crispy. The price did came a bit hefty, 28 bucks a pop. But I didn't care less.
I ended the meal with the Sticky Date Pudding. This is quite similar to the one from Marmalade Pantry. Everything oozes in your mouth and the rest is heaven. Total indulgence. And this comes with a waiter's smile which the latter is lacking of.
So as I sat there wishing I could stomach up all the desserts, I was mentally making note of when I'm free to visit again. Definitely not a Monday. They are only opened from Tuesday to Saturday.
In the western region of Singapore lies a gem that is Restaurant Chako. Established in 1978 by Chako, the lady boss cum chef, the eatery boasts home cooked food that is cooked when you place your order and at prices that won't burst your pocket.
Located at a rather prominent row of shops along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), Chako is ironically hidden from sight and totally devoid of human traffic on a Tuesday evening. Not that I'm complaining though. The interior was tiny and oozed a homely feel made complete by a shelf full of Japanese comics and the motherly figure of Chako, who fussed over us and explained to us in detail the items on the menu (which happens to be in Japanese by the way).
The Occha deserves a mention on its own. Unlike the usual Occha served at most other Japanese eateries, the Occha here was particularly fragrant and carried a whiff of coffee aroma. It had a tinge of coffee taste as well which was delightful.
The sides of Miso Soup and Cold Tofu came with every order of a main course. What I liked about the Miso soup was that there were cockles in it, which was something different. However the soup did come across as a tad too salty for my liking. The tofu was soft and silky but nothing out of the ordinary.
My Hanburg steak was nice and thick but a little too soft for my liking. Meat was pan fried till well done instead of the usual medium/medium rare which would have been tastier and juicier. Simply done without the frills and very decent.
Served up with various vegetables like lettuce, carrots, egg plants etc, the Yakiniku Chicken was relatively well done. Crispy on the outside and not too heavy on the BBQ sauce. Add the fact that it was topped with a generous amount of crushed peanuts and you have a nice yet simple dish.
The vanilla soya bean ice cream came across as light, tasting of soya with a tinge of vanilla. It came with cut fruits which had been carefully prepared, ie. the grapes had the head cut off and the pear has its skin removed.
I'm not exactly a fan of yoghurt but the mango yoghurt wasn't half as bad as I made it out to be. Slightly sourish with a dash of mango. I understand that both desserts are hand made by Chako herself.
We were the only 2 customers in the restaurant that evening and it was a long dinner, standing at 2.5hrs and costing $55. Expensive? A little. Food quality? Decent. Satisfaction from a home cooked dinner? Priceless. On a side note, please be prepared to wait for your food as it is a one man show. If you can't understand Japanese, please bring along something to read to while away the long waiting times.
Something different for Singaporeans. I have heard of Trolley Noodles but this was the first time I tried one.
Owned by Old Hong Kong Tea House in Katong. Trolley Noodles first appeared in Hong Kong in the 1950's where the standard of living was much lower and many Chinese refugees were flooding into Hong Kong.
Each noodle stall was manned by one single boss who offered quick but yummy, cheap food. Their illegal stalls were constructed on wheels in order to run away from the law enforcement officers. Trolley Noodles was the staple of many locals who had limited spending power but still needed to fill their stomachs with yummy fare.
Noodle is bathed in a broth and you choose freely from a wide variety of tasty ingredients like curry fish balls, beef brisket, curry squid, pigskin, dried bean curd, vegetables ....etc. (It's like our local Yong Tau Foo 酿豆腐.) You can request for a bowl of rice instead of noodles. (It's like our Mixed Vegetable Rice 杂菜饭.)
Trolley Noodles costs S$4 (noodles with 5 ingredients). You can pick meat only or vegetarian or both. I love braised and stewed meats.
Try their Iced Blended Milk Tea (冰沙奶茶 S$2 ). The lady Boss thought of an ingenious way to retain the flavour of the drink, even though the ice has melted, the tea didn't taste diluted.
There is a selection of 6 specially concocted sauces to go with your noodles or as a dip!!
There is the Signature Spicy Chilli (spurt fire!!), Braised Brisket Sauce, Curry Sauce, Hong Kong Sha Cha Sauce, Special Sweet Sauce and Spicy Sauce. I love the first 4. The sauces were a treat!
Now, if Hong Kong immigrants and even Hong Kong chefs from hotels come to eat this Trolley Noodles, the flavour must be right!
Old Hong Kong Tea House
6 Raffles Boulevard #04-101/102 Marina Food Loft, Marina Square
1=SGD 0.0587
I was extremely curious how their Strawberry Sorbet wax feels and most importantly, smells like! Most importantly, my usual wax lady was not in town, I was practically lured to try out Honeypot.
When I went for my appointment, I was welcomed by the ladies at the cozy parlour. I was hoping for more than a service, maybe treated like a real princess like how they claimed they will do. Well, not much of a princess treatment but the whole atmosphere was awesome. You know the pink everything, the pink products and sexy music. I was already half sold before I started my waxing!
The whole experience was needless to say, comfortable. It was done in less than half an hour. I wouldn't say it's painless throughout but the lady who did the waxing was friendly, chatty and very gentle with me. The hard wax smells delicious too. Totally relaxing in a zen way. To make it sound too good to be true, it has promotions now and then, and the ladies do not hard sell making the whole experience really wonderful.
If you're looking for a relaxing indulgence, Honeypot is highly recommended!
Rating given:
I always have a liking for collaborations. When I saw this collection(and the price!), I was sold(just like that..) Especially when I heard good reviews for it, I knew I have nothing to lose but to click the 'BUY' button.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON Brush Set
All the brushes especially the blush brush is extremely soft on the skin.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON Finishing Powder
This works as the pressed powder which is as light as loose powder. It kept my skin matte for around 5 hours which is good in my opinion. It has tiny micro shimmers that brightens the skin.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON Blush Stick
I have yet to use this but my dear friend who also has it says the turnout after using was natural and best of all, it was easier to apply.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON All-Over Face Powder
The blush colour turns out to be slightly mauve-pink which I felt won't go on nice on pink-toned skin. My yellow-toned skin takes it well so I have no complaints.
CYNTHIA ROWLEY for AVON Lipgloss
Ohh, I love love this!!! It goes on shimmery light pink and I'd buy another to stock up! It is the star buy out of all I bought! Must-have!
I would say the products work well and are value for money! Go online and buy yours if you haven't!
Rating given:
Tutu Kueh! Yummy! Guess I was lucky, as I was the last customer who ordered the Durian filling ones. So they stuffed all the remaining bits of fresh durian into my kueh!
As it was late, there were many diners at Food Republic. And many ordering their Tutu. Although I was very full, I couldn't resists trying the durian tutu. They're slightly more expensive, 3 for $2. But for me, I find that its surely worth it.
Can't compare the usual fillings with those in my photos as I was lucky to be the last customers. You can see that the filling was so much that it cracked the surface of the tutu!
I will surely go back for more durian tutus. Yummilicious!
Thanks to Great Sage for posting his reviews. It reminded me about my encounter with them! :)
Rating given:
"Looking for a budget eating corner? Lack of cash and still want big American portions of food such as Botak Jones beef burgers? Look no further! BlackBoard is your neighborhood friendly Western food fix!" At least, that is what i believe went through their minds when they started this franchise. Their actual tagline is : "We satisfy your cravings". Let's find out if thats true then.
I was introduced to this place by Adrain san, who happens to live nearby and swears that this is one of the best eating places he has found in Singapore at present. (He's Japanese and a Singapore Judo Representative. Really cool, really big guy.)
Hidden in a derelict corner of a small coffee shop, its still easy to spot this rather slick looking sign in the middle of nowhere. From what i heard, the place usually sells out its food but we were pretty fortunate both times to have been able to secure a good seat and to get all our orders available.
Mushroom Soup ($2.80) - Their rendition of mushroom soup had little bits of mushrooms which is evident by the tiny black bits you see scattered throughout the soup. The cream was milky and rather thin which reminded me of Campbell's soup but a little tastier and more fragrant. My gf enjoyed this quite alot (She's a Katsu and mushroom affectionado.)
Garlic Bread ($2) - Served piping hot, crispy and smelling simply heavenly. Available in 6 thin slices for $2, this rendition was a quite good if not for the it being overly crispy due to over toasting as can be seen from the charred edges in the picture above. I prefer garlic bread a little moist as well but this came a little too dry.
Tuscan Fries ($2.50) - I really don't know what constitutes Tuscan fries but i love french fries. Heck, i'll even settle for Mcdonald's fries if the craving is in, but i do like my fries thick and i do prefer wedges over fries. These fries were served hot and steaming with some chilli powder or i suspect, msg sprinkled over them and honestly, they were not bad at all. Thick, sweet and a little spicy, it becomes an obsession the moment you start eating it. A word of caution though, most of the mains come with the same portion of fries so you are better off simply ordering a main course.
Blackboard Burger 300 gm patty ($6.80) - Shown above is their signature dish, the Blackboard burger. Similar to the Botak Burger, it comes with huge beef patties but this rendition is slightly cheaper. Its not too difficult to see why either, from the first bite, you'll realise that the patty is made by mashing many things inside along with the beef. From the close ups, you can see carrots, radish and assorted other ingredients which give the burger a unique taste. The only problem is that this makes it taste drier than other beef burgers i've had before and diminishes the beef taste which i prefer. The double patty comes at a cheap top up of $3 and basically, this can be 2 meals instead of one. Its very filling to say the least. Taste wise, Botak burger and Changing appetites have the upper hand, but price wise, you'll be hard pressed to find another 300 gm beef patty at this price.
Buffalo Wings ($1.20 each) - Given the choice of spicy, extra spicy or mild, Blackboard's buffalo wings are definitely more fiery then the rest. (To me at least) We took the extra spicy option, which is basically spicy thai sauce. I'm pretty sure they had chili paddy in the concoction because your lips will burn long after the wings have settled in your stomach. Meat wise, this was tender and nicely marinated from the color and the reddish tinge of the meat inside. The skin was crispy as well making it a good appetizer. My gf easily took the spiciness while i struggled by drinking gallons of water, you have been warned.
Cajun Spice Chicken ($6.50) - Order this and you'll get a generous piece of chicken thigh or breast which is thoroughly marinated and lightly pan fried. You'll also get a generous dose of Tuscan fries and some coleslaw to round up the package. I'm assuming that Cajun spices are influenced by Indian spices since i believe there is curry powder in the marinating. The chicken is quite literally soaked in the spices and exudes a fragrant and appetizing aroma. Meat was tender and easily cut apart as well and i love the fact that there are no bones for me to pick off. The cheese layer however did not add much to the flavor of the chicken and i didn't like the sauce that came with the dish. Still pretty decent though.
Fish and Chips Large($9) - I ordered this for my gf because i wanted to see what large looks like. Well, it indeed is large with 4 thick slices of fish deep fried to a golden brown and served sporting a standing ovation. Taste wise, the batter used in frying is very thick, such that we had to dig the meat out instead of eating the entire thing after one piece. The meat isn't much to shout about either but you can't complain about the portion size. $9 for batter though is not my idea of good fish and chips.
Honestly, food wise, the place is not exactly splendid but does have a certain charm and also comes at a really budget price. Compare it to a whole host of mediocre kopitiam offerings and this is a sure winner, but compare it to other similar outlets like Botak Jones or Uno Beef house and it doesn't score as high. Try it with an open mind and a minimal budget to judge for yourselves.
Rating given:
I'll go there for meal whenever I got a huge appetite & cravings because the servings are big & there's a good variety of side dishes to choose from.
Although I'm not much into pork, I quite like their ribs, especially the BBQ sauce which really compliments the ribs. The roast chicken is good too! With a coating of glaze and herbs on the chicken skin and the chicken skin is roasted to almost fatless, it makes me feel less sinful to eat it. Haha...
As for the sides, my favourite is corn muffins followed by the corn nibbles. Other than the corn, they also have different potato side dishes like galic potato, mashed potato and potato salad. Of course there's the greens as well.
I've also noticed that most of the waiters and waitresses there are the elderly. Seems like it's quite a pro-elderly place, that's good!
On the overall, felt happily satisfied. Both with the food and the friendly waiters.
Rating given:
I decided to try this branch that's newly opened. The place was not cluttered while the aircon was too cold for my liking. Perhaps it was a rainy day.
I tried the soup of the day (tomato) and a half sandwich that contained mushrooms (my favourite). The wait wasn't that long as the place was not full. I liked the sandwich because it was just enough for me. However, my soup and tea got cold too easily due to the low temperature.
It would have been more enjoyable if the temperature wasn't too cold. Cost wise is about $15 per person.
Rating given:
Craving for more Japanese food after Waraku, i brought my sister and gf out for lunch this lazy weekend. And being a lazy weekend, going too far is out of the question. Instead, we opted to try out a Japanese restaurant in the Heartlands @ Compass Point.
Miso Soup - I would have expected better from Wasabi but it was not meant to be, the miso was bland and hardly appetizing. The seaweed came in big pieces however and the tofu is soft and melts in your mouth. Still, the soup just isn't what it could have been.
Beef Don Cold Cha Soba Agedashi Tofu ($15.80) - Beef is teriyaki seasoned as usual and tastes as it should. Chewy, sweet and tender with simple but fragrant Japanese rice. The cold cha soba here is springy and chewy with a slight bitter green tea taste which totally dissipates when you dip it into the accompanying sauce. It then becomes sweet, slightly heady and extremely tasty. Notice the agedashi tofu wasn't shown? Yeah, thats because it wasn't really that good to begin with.
Katsudon ($9) - The first was a wrong order which served beef instead of pork. The second bowl came after we asked a serving lady who kindly helped us correct the issue. The second bowl was the real deal. Pork cutlet was not too crispy due to the egg on top but retained many of the juices that makes it delectable. Guess who ordered this dish? None other then my gf of course.
Soft Shell Crab ($5.50) - The crab came in 2 pieces and was quite small. It was very crispy and hot but lacked sweetness in its meat.
Ebi Curry Don Fried Chicken Cold Soba ($15.80) - I was quite surprised when my sister's order appeared. For the price, i did not expect 2 big prawns to be on the bowl. The prawns were not very sweet tasting however. And the only difference between cold soba and cha soba is the green tea taste. But that difference means everything because this pales in comparison to cha soba. The fried chicken side dish was surprisingly generous and tasted hot, tender and sweet as well.
The total bill came up to $54.25 for 3 people for lunch. Which isn't too much and was reasonably satisfying.
Not too bad a restaurant though you can't compare it to Waraku, Inagiku or Keyaki on the same standing. Still, for a simple Japanese meal, you can't really go wrong with this place.
Rating given:
Other than Japanese food, I can only imagine myself enjoying delicious small bites that leave room for delectable desserts. When I know about Sugar Brown Cafe Bistro, their famous Wagyu Burger and spoilt for choice desserts, I know I have to make tummy space for them real soon.
So I made my reservation and finally hopped down last Sunday for brunch. The gem, tucked away in the quiet corner of River Valley inside Stardus Clubhouse, is suitable for quiet and laidback lunches.
I started off the course of the meal with the Organic Mushroom Soup. The button, oyster, abalone and shitake mushrooms were all extremely fresh. I especially love the creamy texture of the soup base. It was not filling at all and it actually opens up your appetite for more.
You have to try their Salad of Deconstructed Apple with Walnuts, Brie & Arugula tossed in Apple Dressing. It's their signature dish and I highly recommend this. It is thin slices of apples sandwiching all the rest of the goodness - brie cheese, bitter walnuts and arugula meld. Everything simply melts in my mouth and you will be truly intrigued by the entire taste.
It was when the much awaited Wagyu Beef Burgermade its arrival, I was left speechless. The generous serving of wagyu beef on top of foie gras and ciabatta bread definitely is worth every penny. Although I must say, I would prefer the beef as a whole slice instead of minced. The fries that accompanied the dish was hot and crispy. The price did came a bit hefty, 28 bucks a pop. But I didn't care less.
I ended the meal with the Sticky Date Pudding. This is quite similar to the one from Marmalade Pantry. Everything oozes in your mouth and the rest is heaven. Total indulgence. And this comes with a waiter's smile which the latter is lacking of.
So as I sat there wishing I could stomach up all the desserts, I was mentally making note of when I'm free to visit again. Definitely not a Monday. They are only opened from Tuesday to Saturday.
Rating given:
In the western region of Singapore lies a gem that is Restaurant Chako. Established in 1978 by Chako, the lady boss cum chef, the eatery boasts home cooked food that is cooked when you place your order and at prices that won't burst your pocket.
Located at a rather prominent row of shops along the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), Chako is ironically hidden from sight and totally devoid of human traffic on a Tuesday evening. Not that I'm complaining though. The interior was tiny and oozed a homely feel made complete by a shelf full of Japanese comics and the motherly figure of Chako, who fussed over us and explained to us in detail the items on the menu (which happens to be in Japanese by the way).
The Occha deserves a mention on its own. Unlike the usual Occha served at most other Japanese eateries, the Occha here was particularly fragrant and carried a whiff of coffee aroma. It had a tinge of coffee taste as well which was delightful.
The sides of Miso Soup and Cold Tofu came with every order of a main course. What I liked about the Miso soup was that there were cockles in it, which was something different. However the soup did come across as a tad too salty for my liking. The tofu was soft and silky but nothing out of the ordinary.
My Hanburg steak was nice and thick but a little too soft for my liking. Meat was pan fried till well done instead of the usual medium/medium rare which would have been tastier and juicier. Simply done without the frills and very decent.
Served up with various vegetables like lettuce, carrots, egg plants etc, the Yakiniku Chicken was relatively well done. Crispy on the outside and not too heavy on the BBQ sauce. Add the fact that it was topped with a generous amount of crushed peanuts and you have a nice yet simple dish.
The vanilla soya bean ice cream came across as light, tasting of soya with a tinge of vanilla. It came with cut fruits which had been carefully prepared, ie. the grapes had the head cut off and the pear has its skin removed.
I'm not exactly a fan of yoghurt but the mango yoghurt wasn't half as bad as I made it out to be. Slightly sourish with a dash of mango. I understand that both desserts are hand made by Chako herself.
We were the only 2 customers in the restaurant that evening and it was a long dinner, standing at 2.5hrs and costing $55. Expensive? A little. Food quality? Decent. Satisfaction from a home cooked dinner? Priceless. On a side note, please be prepared to wait for your food as it is a one man show. If you can't understand Japanese, please bring along something to read to while away the long waiting times.
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Something different for Singaporeans. I have heard of Trolley Noodles but this was the first time I tried one.
Owned by Old Hong Kong Tea House in Katong. Trolley Noodles first appeared in Hong Kong in the 1950's where the standard of living was much lower and many Chinese refugees were flooding into Hong Kong.
Each noodle stall was manned by one single boss who offered quick but yummy, cheap food. Their illegal stalls were constructed on wheels in order to run away from the law enforcement officers. Trolley Noodles was the staple of many locals who had limited spending power but still needed to fill their stomachs with yummy fare.
Noodle is bathed in a broth and you choose freely from a wide variety of tasty ingredients like curry fish balls, beef brisket, curry squid, pigskin, dried bean curd, vegetables ....etc. (It's like our local Yong Tau Foo 酿豆腐.) You can request for a bowl of rice instead of noodles. (It's like our Mixed Vegetable Rice 杂菜饭.)
Trolley Noodles costs S$4 (noodles with 5 ingredients). You can pick meat only or vegetarian or both. I love braised and stewed meats.
Try their Iced Blended Milk Tea (冰沙奶茶 S$2 ). The lady Boss thought of an ingenious way to retain the flavour of the drink, even though the ice has melted, the tea didn't taste diluted.
There is a selection of 6 specially concocted sauces to go with your noodles or as a dip!!
There is the Signature Spicy Chilli (spurt fire!!), Braised Brisket Sauce, Curry Sauce, Hong Kong Sha Cha Sauce, Special Sweet Sauce and Spicy Sauce. I love the first 4. The sauces were a treat!
Now, if Hong Kong immigrants and even Hong Kong chefs from hotels come to eat this Trolley Noodles, the flavour must be right!
Old Hong Kong Tea House
6 Raffles Boulevard #04-101/102 Marina Food Loft, Marina Square
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