I totally agree with Natsu, the queuing system at IKEA Restaurant & Cafe made me felt like I was in National Service again! Queuing up and picking up food along the way just feels so much like NS.
In case you are wondering, no that is not a compliment. :)
The food is pretty decent, but the price is a little on the high side. I tried their Chicken Chop Rice.
Finally, getting seats might prove to be difficult with the amount of people there. So be prepared to spend a little time waiting.
This is not a copy of Aroy Thai as we thought. We were wondering how come the prices are so much cheaper compared to Aroy and discovered that it was Ah Loy and not Aroy.
Food is above average. So far we have been there twice and they have a wide selection of items all at reasonable prices. A plate of Phad Thai is about $3 which makes it even cheaper than some mass produced Phad Thai found at some food courts...so it definitely a must try for Phad Thai lovers.
They have all the regular Thai fares and must say that the portions are tasty and just right for 2 persons. The total bill came up to be less than $20 for 4 dishes and dessert. So it really is budget. Also they do not charge GST and Service charge.
What's more, Tom's Palette is just next door, so you can hop to the next shop to get your home made ice cream after a hearty meal.
Was at Millenia Walk with two girlfriends and I wanted to try out Abof, but the price was alittle high for a casual dinner. So we went to Bab Noodle. Although the name suggested that they serves noodle, but I saw my rice on the menu. To change the rice to noodles is an additional $2. Shouldn't they call it Bab Rice then?
Anyway, the 3 of us ordered 2 starters to share and a main each with iced lychee tea for all of us. There were 3 lady staff at work. And as it was late already, the place was rather empty. We were given all the attention we needed. So this was great. Except for my missing straw in my drink, and the fallen spoon from my table. Other than that, the service was great.
Now the food... the starters - Pidan with cold tofu and Seafood tofu were great! Love the taste. As for the main, I was contemplating between the Sukiyaki Beef Set and the Stew Beef with Karrage Chicken Set. I asked the lady who took our order which she recommends, and Sukiyaki was her choice. So I gave that a try. The serving was rather big for me. I was too full only half way through the set. But then the main problem came when I reached home couple of hours later... yap... had a "blasting" time in the loo... perhaps its the beef. As there were some that I thought looked weird. Or again, might be due to the combo of food I had for dinner. Lucky for me, I feel better now after the blasting.
Total spent by the 3 of us was $58.40.
For the service and attention, I give 2 stars and for the value-for-money set meals I'm giving another. Not going to rate the food as my experience was probably uncalled for.
Had dinner with my parents at Borshch Steakhouse, a Russian restaurant run by a Hainanese (How weird) and just a mere 10 minute walk from our house. Not much is known about Borshch (I tried googling!) except for the fact that its been around since god knows when. I probably wasn't even in existence then!
Going to Borshch for a meal is akin to stepping into an air conditioned grilling area as you walk out of it reeking strongly of cooking fumes. It certainly doesn't help that the place is rather small and crampish which only serves to contain the fumes.
Whats a meal without soup? The cream of mushroom soup was thick and starchy and tasted exactly like the can of Campbell soup I have sitting in my kitchen cabinet. In the same vein, the garlic bread was unremarkable and was merely slices of unevenly toasted but crispy baguettes spread with a thin layer of butter atop.
Shrimp Cocktail - I honestly don't know what to make of this appetiser as the shrimps were really tiny! Not that they tasted fresh either, masked by the overwhelming and over generous salad dressing.
Grilled Pork Chop - For a Hainanese run eatery, I would have expected a reasonably good dish of pork chop and Borshch didn't disappoint. The grilled pork chop was evenly grilled with a nice slightly chewy texture to boot. I did find the slab of meat to be a little too fatty though
Sirloin Steak - I was rather skeptical about ordering a steak in such a place, especially when Astons was just next door. However, skepticism soon turned to mild appreciation as I subjected the steak to the taste test. First of all, the steak was done as per my request, medium rare. Second, the meat was fibrous and a tad tasty even without the accompanying gravy. Portions were also quite respectable for the price. I also personally like this dish for the fact that a small mold of butter was allowed to sizzle in the hotplate to give the meat an added boost in terms of taste and smell.
Fancy Pancake and Peach Melba - The desserts were lousy. I couldn't see or taste what was so fancy about the pancake save for a tiny slice of banana wrapped up in the middle. The ice cream in the Peach Melba had ice chips in it and tasted familiarly like Wall's tub ice cream. Four words. I can do better.
A decently satisfying dinner for 3 cost almost $60, which isn't too expensive to pay considering that the mains were decent and so was the Baked Alaska. Service is practically nonexistent though so please do not expect any. Now, they really should do something about the ventilation.
Page One @ Vivo doesn't have any special theme. I'm not quite sure whether if it's an upscale book store like Kinokuniya or Borders, it wasn't really close to any.
The first thing I observed from the entrance was the small walkways leading into the store. Perhaps more space should be allocated there, since the entrance is the place with the highest human traffic. Imagine that you haven't even start your search for the books, you have to squeeze through the shelves and people clogged at the entrance.
The other thing I observed, they allocated a small area with seats for talk-shows. In fact, when we were there there was indeed a talk-show going on. It is propped right at the side of the entrance and I guess that is a sign that there will be regular talk-shows on book reviews etc. Isn't it great?
The decor of the place wasn't anything fantastic I guess. The usual huge bookshelves where every book is lined up side by side. One thing though, I didn't really see any displays of special featured publication. Maybe there are, but they are not eye-catching at all.
Usually at a bookstore, I would only gun for two topics. Religious and Marketing/PR books. I was surprised that alot of popular titles and publications are not available here. I did a very quick scan around these two topics, I didn't really see much publications from famous marketing writers like Philip Kotler or once popular Naked Marketing. Religiously, I scouted for one of the top selling book titled The Decline & Fall of Church of Rome... again to no avail.
The staffs were helpful and polite though. When I couldn't find the religious section, I was answered in a way I have never experienced in famous bookstores. "Sir, can you follow me please? I will lead you there," he answered with a smile. Some bookstores employees I encountered probably gonna point in a general direction and tell me it's there.
My verdict? An average bookstore, if you look hard enough you might find some gems in there. However, I wished their topics can be arranged in a better way. What I didn't like for sure is the layout of the shelves, which makes crossing over to another shelf "complicated". I was almost trying to play "maze" in some part of the store.
Xi Yan first opened in Singapore in 2005, bringing along a whole new concept of dining to Singapore with the introduction of private dining whereby tables are extremely limited (think 3-5 tables), reservations are definitely necessary and the chef decides what you eat for that day. It does sound draconian, but the upside is that the menu changes daily, save for a few specialties and dining is exclusive!
Nestled amongst the old shop houses along Craig Road, Xi Yan, as mentioned earlier, is by reservations only and you need a minimum of 6 pax to dine there (exceptions can be made if you do not meet the required number of people, but you need to order the pricier menu. Rule of thumb is - You need to spend about $500-$600/table). The entrance to Xi Yan is discreet, without even a hint of its presence (That explains the difficulty we had in trying to locate it). Here's a clue though. It shares the premises with Sui Japanese Restaurant.
The interior is cosy and modernly furnished with hues of red and brown. Abstract paintings don the sides and ambient lighting is practised. Simplicity at its finesse .
Greenhouse Tomatoes in Sesame Sauce - As the name suggests, the tomatoes are grown in a greenhouse aka organic tomatoes and are much bigger than your average tomato. Not to mention that they cost ridiculously more as well. According to the waiter, these organic tomatoes are juicier and taste better. I am inclined to agree. The tomatoes were juicy and full of bite. With the wasabi infused sesame sauce, the tomato was refreshing and truly an appetizer.
Cold Tofu Pork Floss - Interesting dish with the tofu topped with pork floss, salted egg yolk, dried shrimps and deep fried shallot.A nice combination with the saltiness of the dried shrimp complementing the sweetness of the pork floss with the shallot to give it fragrance. However, the tofu which was supposedly imported from Japan, lacked the silky smoothness which good tofu should have.
Shrimp and Crab Paste on Baguette Toast - A fanciful presentation and preparation method, but tasted nothing out of this world. It is Hong Kong's version of our Heh Bi Hiam. I did find it weird eating bread during a Chinese dinner, but maybe thats just me.
Sichuan Pickles in Spicy Sauce - This dish came with pickles (or jerkins if thats what you know them by) and radish soaked in a spicy concoction of Sichuan peppercorn and a wee bit of sugar. I took a bite of the radish and sweared off it as it was way too sour for my liking. If you like sour and spicy stuff, then this might suit your tastebuds.
Deep Fried Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk - A few grievances about this dish. First of all, the prawns were only averaged sized. For the price we were paying, I had expected huge prawns. Second, the prawns weren't cleaned properly. The innards(or shit if you prefer) could still be seen. The good thing was, the salted egg yolk coating on the prawn shells tasted better with every mouth. It did come across as a little too mild at first though, but the more you suck at the shell, the better the taste.
Stewed Beef Shin with Tangerine Peel - The beef shin was quite good, soft and tender from simmering in the pot for 2 hrs. I could detect a tinge of sweetness as well, probably from the tangerine peel. However, the raw beef taste can be quite overwhelming at times and thats coming from someone who likes steak medium rare.
Sichuan Salivating Chicken - Please do not be mislead by the odd sounding name of this dish. The chicken does not salivate. The sauce is supposed to be so good that it makes the consumer salivate. Quite an audacious claim I must say. Ingredients in this dish are quite interesting actually, with chicken slices, yam noodles, roasted peanuts, chilli, coriander and century egg. I personally found everything normal except for the yam noodles which were surprisingly chewy and full of bite. I've never tried anything like it. Just for the record, this dish did make me salivate, but not from the goodness of the sauce, but from the chilli in it. An underhand method? You decide.
Fried Lemongrass Shrimp Paste Grouper - According to our waiter, many other restaurants would actually steam a good fish in order to exhibit its freshness. But not Xi Yan. What they have done is to deep fry the fish first till its 70% cooked and then coat it with the lemongrass shrimp paste and then deep fry again. The result? A crispy exterior with a soft and moist interior. I laud the skill in the preparation of this dish, but denigrate the quality of the fish. The flesh came across as rather bland, not sweet as I would have expected it to be.
Furong Chicken Soup - This soup was supposedly boiled for 4 hrs before serving. Though relatively long, it still doesn't qualify as double boiled soup and it certainly can't match the other superior soups that I've tried. But still very decent without a doubt.
Young and Old Happy News - Interesting name, uninteresting dish. The young referred to the Dou Miao while the old referred to the preserved vegetables. Lightly fried and beautifully presented, but nothing outstanding.
Tofu Ice Cream on Pandan Glutinous Rice - This was probably the best dish of the day. The ice cream was quite well done but in no way reminded me of tofu. The base of pandan glutinous rice was not too sticky and just right on the texture, tasting pleasantly of pandan. Does this remind you of the Thai style mango atop glutinous rice?
The 6 of us chalked up a hefty bill of $630, which we felt was grossly expensive given the quality of food and ingredients used. Sure its an exclusive novelty, but novelties can only last so long. Service was excellent though and the cooking process of every dish was explained to us by our waiter in great detail. However, that alone is not enough to entice us to return. Not unless the price drops to about $50-$60 per pax down from the $88 .
For a start, I looked forward to this lunch meetup with Claudia and Bobo very much. Feizhu's arrival was a pleasant surprise, but one more friend is never too much.
I was pretty surprised that Earle Swensen’s was pretty empty when Bobo and I stepped in. Hey, it's a Sunday... we see plenty of people... it's lunchtime! Why shouldn't it be packed? As we made our way to the table, it's pretty evident of the spacious floor area, and the scenery overlooking the Sentosa was great. Like I was telling the rest, it would be absolutely stunning to have outdoor seats after the sun sets. I wouldn't mind bringing my own candles.
Let me leave the other food reviews to the individual rapists. (The criminals know what they did...)
Let me touch on my first order, the cappuccino... lousy! It tasted just like any coffee I can rip off in food courts, to the point I feel stupid trying to have my coffee fix there. Why on earth did I even spend more than what I paid for in CoffeeBean, and yet get a cup half the size of CoffeeBean's serving? Secondly, the cappuccino was almost cold. There is air-con but I doubt the air-con is that powerful? You can never bluff your way through with a coffee addict!
My main dish was Sirloin Steak with mashed potato. I have other options to go along with like french fries, but I always thought mashed potato is more appropriate to go along with steaks. For steaks, I often swear by Swensen@Orchard. Therefore, my obvious choice was to try their Sirloin Steak. One word - HORRIBLE!
To put it simply, it was small. I had wanted my steak done medium-rare, and any steak enthusiast should know how bloodied it should be. The very second my knife sunk into the steak, I know I'm in for a big disappointment. The feel of slicing into medium-rare steak just wasn't there. In fact, it took me quite some strength to slice it open for everyone to see. No kidding! Everyone could see that the steak was cooked right down to the center. Not a trace of blood and I'm sorry, that is not medium-rare! For a while, I thought I ordered Lamb Chop.
If you know it's a thin slice of steak, control the cooking time. This is really dependent on the chef and his experience.
However, the sauce was tasting good but too bad the steak spoilt the entire dish totally. Salvaging the dish was the mash potato, or so I thought. Tasted good, but it wasn't mashed properly. I could still bite little chunks of potato. My last hope for some form of compensation just got cruxified.
I'm convinced of my preference of Swensen steak outlet. Earle Swensen @ Vivocity definitely does not make the mark for my tastebuds.
My verdict? I'm sorry, but this place is not worth the money they charged. And I think it's slightly higher than other Swensen's branches? Avoid at all cost if you can, there are plenty more eateries along the whole stretch to satisfy your hunger. 2 stars for the generally friendly staffs, comfortable seats, clean environment and great scenery, that's about it.
Like the rest of them, if not for the great company I would have walked out of that place frowning. You just can't bluff your way through with sub-standard (if not horrendous) food, can you?
Hidden in an obscure corner on the third floor of the hotel, Wan Hao doesn't look like much from the outside. However, step in and be wowed by the luxurious and solemn interior which exudes pure unadulterated sophistication and charm. If dining in a party of 4 or less, do try for one of the 4 cosy corner tables that come complete with curtains.
The Wok Fried Fresh Scallop Cubes with Tropical Mango in Fresh Milk and Egg Topped with Crab Roe served on a bed of Vermicelli tasted uncannily like the excellent Shredded Scallop with Fish & Egg White from Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant, except that it was smoother and richer in taste due to the fresh milk. However, the scallop cubes were rather bland and didn't add any life to the dish. Not that this dish wasn't good though. In fact I like it enough to want to order it again when I return.
The Poached Live Prawns came deshelled, with the exception of the head. The prawns were bigger than your usual ones and were extremely fresh, crunchy and juicy. Add that to the fact that they were perfectly cooked and drenched in a garlic concoction which served to complement the natural sweetness of the prawns. Definitely a winner! But at $90/kg, you might want to think long and hard before placing your order.
The Homemade Seaweed Beancurd Topped with Shredded Abalone, Dried Seafood and Vegetables didn't quite meet expectations. The tofu, though soft, was flat in taste and lacked the natural wholesome goodness of the one I had at Li Bai. The vegetables were cooked in a way that I personally dislike - soft with thick gravy.
The Crispy Boneless Chicken Stir Fried with Fresh Strawberry in Honey and Lemon Sauce was a bummer. I thought this dish would be interesting with the use of fruits to enhance the taste of the chicken, but oh boy, was I wrong. The chicken tasted exactly like Sweet and Sour Pork, albeit of a softer texture. The sweetness from the honey didn't exactly go well with the chicken. It tasted a little too strong and the strawberries didn't really make much of an impact on the dish. But having said that, its still an above average dish.
With a name like Chilled Coconut with Sea Coconut, I had expected fresh chilled Coconut meat served with Sea Coconut, but that was not to be. It is actually a layer of Coconut jelly and a few slices of Sea Coconut served in a small Coconut husk on a bed of ice. This is one dish that would score high marks for presentation. I guess you can tell why just from looking at the picture. And it was rather pleasing to boot. The coconut jelly had a strong coconut taste and coupled with the thick and sweet syrup, it was a pleasure to consume. The Sea Coconut tasted rather normal though.
Well of course that can't be my review, so let me elaborate more.
Firstly, I would say they have excellent service! They have 2 really friendly salesperson, especially one very outspoken lady, Margaret. She may not be the person with the best fashion sense, but she's good enough to suggest what are more suitable clothes for yourself. She is a salesperson after all, and so of course she has to push her products. But I like the way she does it, in a manner that's not too much that scares people away.
Secondly, this place has really uniquely designed clothes (and for women of all age groups!). I did hear that all these were self-designed. Local products I guess. But it's nothing inferior at all. Wonderfully designed, with tops, bottoms and skirts. For people who look for exquisite sequences, they have it. Wear sequences in a fashionable way! They've got skirts too, with or without sequences. Unique designs, not something I'd say is very common. They've got pants too. What I really like about these pants are that they are (ok, really easy to wear. No zips nothing. Just wear it!) made of really soft material that suits people with different body shape. Big hips small butt whatever it is, you will suit this pants for sure. The cottony feel is soft on your skin and falls down nicely. It's pretty heavy material, but that is why it covers little "flaws" in your body (women will understand this.. ;) )!
Thirdly, the price! I'd say it's not too expensive, with almost everything ranging from 20 to 60, but most of their items are in the 30 range. A good buy I'd say.
For people looking for a different trend, a diversion away from that princess-like dresses or long-tops with leggings etc, this place would be good. It could be said to be like wearing traditional clothes in a fashionable way. I love it!
I remember visiting the now defunct Haw Par Villa when I was still a kid in primary school. At that time, Haw Par Villa had opened with much fanfare and I remember paying an exorbitant amount (in the $20 range I believe) just to gain entry. Those days are long gone and all that is left of the sprawling theme park are the forgotten statues and a recently opened Chinese restaurant called Made In China which is managed by the Singapore Explorer group, the very group that manages Pier Eleven. Now who in the right mind would open a restaurant in the middle of a deserted theme park that is not really accessible without a vehicle? Parking is a breeze because you can literally park anywhere you want along the slope that leads up to the restaurant. It all depends on how much you are willing to walk. As I stepped into the restaurant compound, everything seemed so surreal. The building and its surroundings seemed to have come out straight from some ancient martial arts flick that I used to watch. The interior of the restaurant brought me back to reality though. Sparsely furnished, this is one place that believes in spacing out its tables for the comfort of its guests and I appreciate it.
The Peking duck was both good and bad. The skin was crackling crispy and had minimal fats under it. This is probably the crispiest Peking duck skin that I've ever eaten. Such a delightful skin was only let down by the rather lacklustre skin which was thin but tasteless. The meat on the other hand, was a total letdown. A tad dry and not as tender as I had expected. There was also a discernible, albeit faint, fowl taste.
For the price ($25) , the shark's fin and fish maw soup was good. First looks, it actually reminded me of curry because of the yellowish soup base. The soup was rather intense in flavour and came across as thick and starchy while the fins and fish maw were aplenty and pretty decent. According to the waitress, the soup base is boiled for 42 hours using old chicken, old duck (literal translation) and some other stuff that are supposed to be beneficial to the body.
The Fried Golden Butter Prawns came looking rather messy and not the least bit like prawns, more like chunks of fried stuff. The batter was lightly salted and crispy with a lingering buttery aftertaste while the prawns were fresh but none too succulent. I did find this dish a little disappointing because the butter batter came across as bland, unlike the egg yolk variations I've eaten before which were decidedly more savoury. But then again, its quite decent.
Pan Grilled Miso Marinated Beef Tenderloin - Honestly, I didn't think too much of this dish. It looked like it had been drenched in oil and the black pepper taste was overwhelming, so much so that I couldn't really make out if it was beef or pork. The doneness of the beef didn't help either.
Desserts weren't fantastic but decent nevertheless. The crust of the Red Bean Paste Pancake was a little too thick for my liking and the red bean filling seemed a little runny and low on the sugar content. The Yam Paste in Coconut fared better. It's actually Orh Nee served in a coconut. The yam was very smooth, not too coagulated and mildy sweet. Only bone I had was that too much coconut milk was added and it didn't gel very well with the yam paste. The Black Glutinous Rice with Ice Cream derived its sweetness from the scoop of vanilla ice cream in its midst but was average tasting.
I'll be lying if I said that I could walk up straight after such a hearty meal because I simply couldn't, try as hard as I might. And it didn't exactly cost me a bomb either. Standing just shy of $120 for 2 pax, it's certainly not cheap but definitely a notch or two down the price scale relative to restaurants that serve up a similar quality of food.
1=SGD 0.0587
I totally agree with Natsu, the queuing system at IKEA Restaurant & Cafe made me felt like I was in National Service again! Queuing up and picking up food along the way just feels so much like NS.
In case you are wondering, no that is not a compliment. :)
The food is pretty decent, but the price is a little on the high side. I tried their Chicken Chop Rice.
Finally, getting seats might prove to be difficult with the amount of people there. So be prepared to spend a little time waiting.
Rating given:
This is not a copy of Aroy Thai as we thought. We were wondering how come the prices are so much cheaper compared to Aroy and discovered that it was Ah Loy and not Aroy.
Food is above average. So far we have been there twice and they have a wide selection of items all at reasonable prices. A plate of Phad Thai is about $3 which makes it even cheaper than some mass produced Phad Thai found at some food courts...so it definitely a must try for Phad Thai lovers.
They have all the regular Thai fares and must say that the portions are tasty and just right for 2 persons. The total bill came up to be less than $20 for 4 dishes and dessert. So it really is budget. Also they do not charge GST and Service charge.
What's more, Tom's Palette is just next door, so you can hop to the next shop to get your home made ice cream after a hearty meal.
Rating given:
Was at Millenia Walk with two girlfriends and I wanted to try out Abof, but the price was alittle high for a casual dinner. So we went to Bab Noodle. Although the name suggested that they serves noodle, but I saw my rice on the menu. To change the rice to noodles is an additional $2. Shouldn't they call it Bab Rice then?
Anyway, the 3 of us ordered 2 starters to share and a main each with iced lychee tea for all of us. There were 3 lady staff at work. And as it was late already, the place was rather empty. We were given all the attention we needed. So this was great. Except for my missing straw in my drink, and the fallen spoon from my table. Other than that, the service was great.
Now the food... the starters - Pidan with cold tofu and Seafood tofu were great! Love the taste. As for the main, I was contemplating between the Sukiyaki Beef Set and the Stew Beef with Karrage Chicken Set. I asked the lady who took our order which she recommends, and Sukiyaki was her choice. So I gave that a try. The serving was rather big for me. I was too full only half way through the set. But then the main problem came when I reached home couple of hours later... yap... had a "blasting" time in the loo... perhaps its the beef. As there were some that I thought looked weird. Or again, might be due to the combo of food I had for dinner. Lucky for me, I feel better now after the blasting.
Total spent by the 3 of us was $58.40.
For the service and attention, I give 2 stars and for the value-for-money set meals I'm giving another. Not going to rate the food as my experience was probably uncalled for.
Rating given:
Had dinner with my parents at Borshch Steakhouse, a Russian restaurant run by a Hainanese (How weird) and just a mere 10 minute walk from our house. Not much is known about Borshch (I tried googling!) except for the fact that its been around since god knows when. I probably wasn't even in existence then!
Going to Borshch for a meal is akin to stepping into an air conditioned grilling area as you walk out of it reeking strongly of cooking fumes. It certainly doesn't help that the place is rather small and crampish which only serves to contain the fumes.
Whats a meal without soup? The cream of mushroom soup was thick and starchy and tasted exactly like the can of Campbell soup I have sitting in my kitchen cabinet. In the same vein, the garlic bread was unremarkable and was merely slices of unevenly toasted but crispy baguettes spread with a thin layer of butter atop.
Shrimp Cocktail - I honestly don't know what to make of this appetiser as the shrimps were really tiny! Not that they tasted fresh either, masked by the overwhelming and over generous salad dressing.
Grilled Pork Chop - For a Hainanese run eatery, I would have expected a reasonably good dish of pork chop and Borshch didn't disappoint. The grilled pork chop was evenly grilled with a nice slightly chewy texture to boot. I did find the slab of meat to be a little too fatty though
Sirloin Steak - I was rather skeptical about ordering a steak in such a place, especially when Astons was just next door. However, skepticism soon turned to mild appreciation as I subjected the steak to the taste test. First of all, the steak was done as per my request, medium rare. Second, the meat was fibrous and a tad tasty even without the accompanying gravy. Portions were also quite respectable for the price. I also personally like this dish for the fact that a small mold of butter was allowed to sizzle in the hotplate to give the meat an added boost in terms of taste and smell.
Fancy Pancake and Peach Melba - The desserts were lousy. I couldn't see or taste what was so fancy about the pancake save for a tiny slice of banana wrapped up in the middle. The ice cream in the Peach Melba had ice chips in it and tasted familiarly like Wall's tub ice cream. Four words. I can do better.
Baked Alaska - No visit to a Russian eatery is complete without an order of the famous Baked Alaska, which is essentially ice cream and sponge cake encased within a thick layer of meringue which is then briefly placed in an extremely hot oven to firm the meringue. Borshch's rendition was a slight variation of the original concept, opting to pour a small quantity of rum onto the meringue and flambéing it till it turned a shade of burnt. I personally found it quite good, with the meringue frothy and blending well with the sponge cake and ice cream. Then again, not many places in Singapore do up this dish so its hard to form any basis for comparison. Please note that this dessert is meant to be shared.
A decently satisfying dinner for 3 cost almost $60, which isn't too expensive to pay considering that the mains were decent and so was the Baked Alaska. Service is practically nonexistent though so please do not expect any. Now, they really should do something about the ventilation.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Page One @ Vivo doesn't have any special theme. I'm not quite sure whether if it's an upscale book store like Kinokuniya or Borders, it wasn't really close to any.
The first thing I observed from the entrance was the small walkways leading into the store. Perhaps more space should be allocated there, since the entrance is the place with the highest human traffic. Imagine that you haven't even start your search for the books, you have to squeeze through the shelves and people clogged at the entrance.
The other thing I observed, they allocated a small area with seats for talk-shows. In fact, when we were there there was indeed a talk-show going on. It is propped right at the side of the entrance and I guess that is a sign that there will be regular talk-shows on book reviews etc. Isn't it great?
The decor of the place wasn't anything fantastic I guess. The usual huge bookshelves where every book is lined up side by side. One thing though, I didn't really see any displays of special featured publication. Maybe there are, but they are not eye-catching at all.
Usually at a bookstore, I would only gun for two topics. Religious and Marketing/PR books. I was surprised that alot of popular titles and publications are not available here. I did a very quick scan around these two topics, I didn't really see much publications from famous marketing writers like Philip Kotler or once popular Naked Marketing. Religiously, I scouted for one of the top selling book titled The Decline & Fall of Church of Rome... again to no avail.
The staffs were helpful and polite though. When I couldn't find the religious section, I was answered in a way I have never experienced in famous bookstores. "Sir, can you follow me please? I will lead you there," he answered with a smile. Some bookstores employees I encountered probably gonna point in a general direction and tell me it's there.
My verdict? An average bookstore, if you look hard enough you might find some gems in there. However, I wished their topics can be arranged in a better way. What I didn't like for sure is the layout of the shelves, which makes crossing over to another shelf "complicated". I was almost trying to play "maze" in some part of the store.
Rating given:
Xi Yan first opened in Singapore in 2005, bringing along a whole new concept of dining to Singapore with the introduction of private dining whereby tables are extremely limited (think 3-5 tables), reservations are definitely necessary and the chef decides what you eat for that day. It does sound draconian, but the upside is that the menu changes daily, save for a few specialties and dining is exclusive!
Nestled amongst the old shop houses along Craig Road, Xi Yan, as mentioned earlier, is by reservations only and you need a minimum of 6 pax to dine there (exceptions can be made if you do not meet the required number of people, but you need to order the pricier menu. Rule of thumb is - You need to spend about $500-$600/table). The entrance to Xi Yan is discreet, without even a hint of its presence (That explains the difficulty we had in trying to locate it). Here's a clue though. It shares the premises with Sui Japanese Restaurant.
The interior is cosy and modernly furnished with hues of red and brown. Abstract paintings don the sides and ambient lighting is practised. Simplicity at its finesse .
Greenhouse Tomatoes in Sesame Sauce - As the name suggests, the tomatoes are grown in a greenhouse aka organic tomatoes and are much bigger than your average tomato. Not to mention that they cost ridiculously more as well. According to the waiter, these organic tomatoes are juicier and taste better. I am inclined to agree. The tomatoes were juicy and full of bite. With the wasabi infused sesame sauce, the tomato was refreshing and truly an appetizer.
Cold Tofu Pork Floss - Interesting dish with the tofu topped with pork floss, salted egg yolk, dried shrimps and deep fried shallot.A nice combination with the saltiness of the dried shrimp complementing the sweetness of the pork floss with the shallot to give it fragrance. However, the tofu which was supposedly imported from Japan, lacked the silky smoothness which good tofu should have.
Shrimp and Crab Paste on Baguette Toast - A fanciful presentation and preparation method, but tasted nothing out of this world. It is Hong Kong's version of our Heh Bi Hiam. I did find it weird eating bread during a Chinese dinner, but maybe thats just me.
Sichuan Pickles in Spicy Sauce - This dish came with pickles (or jerkins if thats what you know them by) and radish soaked in a spicy concoction of Sichuan peppercorn and a wee bit of sugar. I took a bite of the radish and sweared off it as it was way too sour for my liking. If you like sour and spicy stuff, then this might suit your tastebuds.
Deep Fried Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk - A few grievances about this dish. First of all, the prawns were only averaged sized. For the price we were paying, I had expected huge prawns. Second, the prawns weren't cleaned properly. The innards(or shit if you prefer) could still be seen. The good thing was, the salted egg yolk coating on the prawn shells tasted better with every mouth. It did come across as a little too mild at first though, but the more you suck at the shell, the better the taste.
Stewed Beef Shin with Tangerine Peel - The beef shin was quite good, soft and tender from simmering in the pot for 2 hrs. I could detect a tinge of sweetness as well, probably from the tangerine peel. However, the raw beef taste can be quite overwhelming at times and thats coming from someone who likes steak medium rare.
Sichuan Salivating Chicken - Please do not be mislead by the odd sounding name of this dish. The chicken does not salivate. The sauce is supposed to be so good that it makes the consumer salivate. Quite an audacious claim I must say. Ingredients in this dish are quite interesting actually, with chicken slices, yam noodles, roasted peanuts, chilli, coriander and century egg. I personally found everything normal except for the yam noodles which were surprisingly chewy and full of bite. I've never tried anything like it. Just for the record, this dish did make me salivate, but not from the goodness of the sauce, but from the chilli in it. An underhand method? You decide.
Fried Lemongrass Shrimp Paste Grouper - According to our waiter, many other restaurants would actually steam a good fish in order to exhibit its freshness. But not Xi Yan. What they have done is to deep fry the fish first till its 70% cooked and then coat it with the lemongrass shrimp paste and then deep fry again. The result? A crispy exterior with a soft and moist interior. I laud the skill in the preparation of this dish, but denigrate the quality of the fish. The flesh came across as rather bland, not sweet as I would have expected it to be.
Furong Chicken Soup - This soup was supposedly boiled for 4 hrs before serving. Though relatively long, it still doesn't qualify as double boiled soup and it certainly can't match the other superior soups that I've tried. But still very decent without a doubt.
Young and Old Happy News - Interesting name, uninteresting dish. The young referred to the Dou Miao while the old referred to the preserved vegetables. Lightly fried and beautifully presented, but nothing outstanding.
Tofu Ice Cream on Pandan Glutinous Rice - This was probably the best dish of the day. The ice cream was quite well done but in no way reminded me of tofu. The base of pandan glutinous rice was not too sticky and just right on the texture, tasting pleasantly of pandan. Does this remind you of the Thai style mango atop glutinous rice?
The 6 of us chalked up a hefty bill of $630, which we felt was grossly expensive given the quality of food and ingredients used. Sure its an exclusive novelty, but novelties can only last so long. Service was excellent though and the cooking process of every dish was explained to us by our waiter in great detail. However, that alone is not enough to entice us to return. Not unless the price drops to about $50-$60 per pax down from the $88 .
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For a start, I looked forward to this lunch meetup with Claudia and Bobo very much. Feizhu's arrival was a pleasant surprise, but one more friend is never too much.
I was pretty surprised that Earle Swensen’s was pretty empty when Bobo and I stepped in. Hey, it's a Sunday... we see plenty of people... it's lunchtime! Why shouldn't it be packed? As we made our way to the table, it's pretty evident of the spacious floor area, and the scenery overlooking the Sentosa was great. Like I was telling the rest, it would be absolutely stunning to have outdoor seats after the sun sets. I wouldn't mind bringing my own candles.
Let me leave the other food reviews to the individual rapists. (The criminals know what they did...)
Let me touch on my first order, the cappuccino... lousy! It tasted just like any coffee I can rip off in food courts, to the point I feel stupid trying to have my coffee fix there. Why on earth did I even spend more than what I paid for in CoffeeBean, and yet get a cup half the size of CoffeeBean's serving? Secondly, the cappuccino was almost cold. There is air-con but I doubt the air-con is that powerful? You can never bluff your way through with a coffee addict!
My main dish was Sirloin Steak with mashed potato. I have other options to go along with like french fries, but I always thought mashed potato is more appropriate to go along with steaks. For steaks, I often swear by Swensen@Orchard. Therefore, my obvious choice was to try their Sirloin Steak. One word - HORRIBLE!
To put it simply, it was small. I had wanted my steak done medium-rare, and any steak enthusiast should know how bloodied it should be. The very second my knife sunk into the steak, I know I'm in for a big disappointment. The feel of slicing into medium-rare steak just wasn't there. In fact, it took me quite some strength to slice it open for everyone to see. No kidding! Everyone could see that the steak was cooked right down to the center. Not a trace of blood and I'm sorry, that is not medium-rare! For a while, I thought I ordered Lamb Chop.
If you know it's a thin slice of steak, control the cooking time. This is really dependent on the chef and his experience.
However, the sauce was tasting good but too bad the steak spoilt the entire dish totally. Salvaging the dish was the mash potato, or so I thought. Tasted good, but it wasn't mashed properly. I could still bite little chunks of potato. My last hope for some form of compensation just got cruxified.
I'm convinced of my preference of Swensen steak outlet. Earle Swensen @ Vivocity definitely does not make the mark for my tastebuds.
My verdict? I'm sorry, but this place is not worth the money they charged. And I think it's slightly higher than other Swensen's branches? Avoid at all cost if you can, there are plenty more eateries along the whole stretch to satisfy your hunger. 2 stars for the generally friendly staffs, comfortable seats, clean environment and great scenery, that's about it.
Like the rest of them, if not for the great company I would have walked out of that place frowning. You just can't bluff your way through with sub-standard (if not horrendous) food, can you?
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Hidden in an obscure corner on the third floor of the hotel, Wan Hao doesn't look like much from the outside. However, step in and be wowed by the luxurious and solemn interior which exudes pure unadulterated sophistication and charm. If dining in a party of 4 or less, do try for one of the 4 cosy corner tables that come complete with curtains.
The Wok Fried Fresh Scallop Cubes with Tropical Mango in Fresh Milk and Egg Topped with Crab Roe served on a bed of Vermicelli tasted uncannily like the excellent Shredded Scallop with Fish & Egg White from Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant, except that it was smoother and richer in taste due to the fresh milk. However, the scallop cubes were rather bland and didn't add any life to the dish. Not that this dish wasn't good though. In fact I like it enough to want to order it again when I return.
The Poached Live Prawns came deshelled, with the exception of the head. The prawns were bigger than your usual ones and were extremely fresh, crunchy and juicy. Add that to the fact that they were perfectly cooked and drenched in a garlic concoction which served to complement the natural sweetness of the prawns. Definitely a winner! But at $90/kg, you might want to think long and hard before placing your order.
The Homemade Seaweed Beancurd Topped with Shredded Abalone, Dried Seafood and Vegetables didn't quite meet expectations. The tofu, though soft, was flat in taste and lacked the natural wholesome goodness of the one I had at Li Bai. The vegetables were cooked in a way that I personally dislike - soft with thick gravy.
The Crispy Boneless Chicken Stir Fried with Fresh Strawberry in Honey and Lemon Sauce was a bummer. I thought this dish would be interesting with the use of fruits to enhance the taste of the chicken, but oh boy, was I wrong. The chicken tasted exactly like Sweet and Sour Pork, albeit of a softer texture. The sweetness from the honey didn't exactly go well with the chicken. It tasted a little too strong and the strawberries didn't really make much of an impact on the dish. But having said that, its still an above average dish.
With a name like Chilled Coconut with Sea Coconut, I had expected fresh chilled Coconut meat served with Sea Coconut, but that was not to be. It is actually a layer of Coconut jelly and a few slices of Sea Coconut served in a small Coconut husk on a bed of ice. This is one dish that would score high marks for presentation. I guess you can tell why just from looking at the picture. And it was rather pleasing to boot. The coconut jelly had a strong coconut taste and coupled with the thick and sweet syrup, it was a pleasure to consume. The Sea Coconut tasted rather normal though.
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I just have one word: EXCELLENT!
Well of course that can't be my review, so let me elaborate more.
Firstly, I would say they have excellent service! They have 2 really friendly salesperson, especially one very outspoken lady, Margaret. She may not be the person with the best fashion sense, but she's good enough to suggest what are more suitable clothes for yourself. She is a salesperson after all, and so of course she has to push her products. But I like the way she does it, in a manner that's not too much that scares people away.
Secondly, this place has really uniquely designed clothes (and for women of all age groups!). I did hear that all these were self-designed. Local products I guess. But it's nothing inferior at all. Wonderfully designed, with tops, bottoms and skirts. For people who look for exquisite sequences, they have it. Wear sequences in a fashionable way! They've got skirts too, with or without sequences. Unique designs, not something I'd say is very common. They've got pants too. What I really like about these pants are that they are (ok, really easy to wear. No zips nothing. Just wear it!) made of really soft material that suits people with different body shape. Big hips small butt whatever it is, you will suit this pants for sure. The cottony feel is soft on your skin and falls down nicely. It's pretty heavy material, but that is why it covers little "flaws" in your body (women will understand this.. ;) )!
Thirdly, the price! I'd say it's not too expensive, with almost everything ranging from 20 to 60, but most of their items are in the 30 range. A good buy I'd say.
For people looking for a different trend, a diversion away from that princess-like dresses or long-tops with leggings etc, this place would be good. It could be said to be like wearing traditional clothes in a fashionable way. I love it!
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I remember visiting the now defunct Haw Par Villa when I was still a kid in primary school. At that time, Haw Par Villa had opened with much fanfare and I remember paying an exorbitant amount (in the $20 range I believe) just to gain entry. Those days are long gone and all that is left of the sprawling theme park are the forgotten statues and a recently opened Chinese restaurant called Made In China which is managed by the Singapore Explorer group, the very group that manages Pier Eleven. Now who in the right mind would open a restaurant in the middle of a deserted theme park that is not really accessible without a vehicle?
Parking is a breeze because you can literally park anywhere you want along the slope that leads up to the restaurant. It all depends on how much you are willing to walk. As I stepped into the restaurant compound, everything seemed so surreal. The building and its surroundings seemed to have come out straight from some ancient martial arts flick that I used to watch. The interior of the restaurant brought me back to reality though. Sparsely furnished, this is one place that believes in spacing out its tables for the comfort of its guests and I appreciate it.
The Peking duck was both good and bad. The skin was crackling crispy and had minimal fats under it. This is probably the crispiest Peking duck skin that I've ever eaten. Such a delightful skin was only let down by the rather lacklustre skin which was thin but tasteless. The meat on the other hand, was a total letdown. A tad dry and not as tender as I had expected. There was also a discernible, albeit faint, fowl taste.
For the price ($25) , the shark's fin and fish maw soup was good. First looks, it actually reminded me of curry because of the yellowish soup base. The soup was rather intense in flavour and came across as thick and starchy while the fins and fish maw were aplenty and pretty decent. According to the waitress, the soup base is boiled for 42 hours using old chicken, old duck (literal translation) and some other stuff that are supposed to be beneficial to the body.
The Fried Golden Butter Prawns came looking rather messy and not the least bit like prawns, more like chunks of fried stuff. The batter was lightly salted and crispy with a lingering buttery aftertaste while the prawns were fresh but none too succulent. I did find this dish a little disappointing because the butter batter came across as bland, unlike the egg yolk variations I've eaten before which were decidedly more savoury. But then again, its quite decent.
Pan Grilled Miso Marinated Beef Tenderloin - Honestly, I didn't think too much of this dish. It looked like it had been drenched in oil and the black pepper taste was overwhelming, so much so that I couldn't really make out if it was beef or pork. The doneness of the beef didn't help either.
Desserts weren't fantastic but decent nevertheless. The crust of the Red Bean Paste Pancake was a little too thick for my liking and the red bean filling seemed a little runny and low on the sugar content. The Yam Paste in Coconut fared better. It's actually Orh Nee served in a coconut. The yam was very smooth, not too coagulated and mildy sweet. Only bone I had was that too much coconut milk was added and it didn't gel very well with the yam paste. The Black Glutinous Rice with Ice Cream derived its sweetness from the scoop of vanilla ice cream in its midst but was average tasting.
I'll be lying if I said that I could walk up straight after such a hearty meal because I simply couldn't, try as hard as I might. And it didn't exactly cost me a bomb either. Standing just shy of $120 for 2 pax, it's certainly not cheap but definitely a notch or two down the price scale relative to restaurants that serve up a similar quality of food.
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