This is a long overdue post. It's been so long that I even got rid of the pictures I took at this place unknowingly.
I dropped by one weekday afternoon with two other friends for an early lunch and was pretty excited to try out the more upmarket version of Aston's Specialties.
I ordered the King Salmon Steak ($22.90) whilst my two friends had steak. You can get their opinion of the steaks above. I tried a couple of bites from their steak and wasn't impressed. They asked for their steaks to be done medium rare... but didn't get medium rare....
My Salmon turned out to be medium rare instead. One end was even uncooked. I've never tasted salmon so horribly done really. Somewhere in between the salmon was mushy and I couldn't tell whether it's because of the way it was done or that it wasn't fresh. I struggled to finish and in the end I couldn't bear to finish it anymore.
The only thing I really liked was the fries. They were the fat sort I liked and were lightly seasoned, making them tasty on their own without sauces. *yums*
The service was reasonable with the people talking to us before the cameras were whipped out. But when they did notice the cameras, I reckoned we got more attention than other patrons.
I seriously think I would really consder before going back again.
I'd never really been a fan of U.R.S but I was on a hunt for shoes that day and have exhausted all other options. So into this shop I went looking for the right shoes.
I was surprised to see the very similiar designs... almost identical to the ones I've seen in the other shops. They also have the designs I wanted in more acceptable colours like white brown and black. They also seem to have a larger range of working class shoes.
At first when I walked in, I was ignored by the staff nearest to the door. We looked at each other eye to eye and she turned away quickly. I had expected at least a smile or a "welcome" but was given none. I was tempted to walk out but knowing that I didn't have any other shops to go, I stayed a bit more.
Then I spotted them. The shoes I wanted in simple brown colour and they were on sale! I picked up the shoes and immediately a sweet young sales assistant appeared by my side. She offered to get the shoes in two different sizes as I wasn't sure what size I would wear. She also recommended some others which were similiar and I happily agreed to try.
After trying on about 7-9 pairs of shoes I finally bought three. The same lady served me throughout while serving some other customers. I found her to be very approachable, unlike her colleague. But later on when I was paying I found out that all of them were trainees. Apparently they are all studying and this is like attachment for them. So the other girl was very nervous which was why she turned away. I guess it's relatively forgivable then. The prices of the shoes are reasonable. An alternative to Charles and Keith I guess... despite U.R.S being around much longer than them.
Sweet Indulgence is a quaint little place found in the CBD maze. It was a challenge for a few of us that night but everyone managed to turn up in the end.
Due to the way the restaurant is built (lengthwise) our table had to be long and the area inside was pretty crammed. People sitting inside daren't move about too much for the fear of being too troublesome.
But the decor of the place was quite nice. I was initially worried it would be a little warm for some but it wasn't. The lighting was a little dim for photo-taking but we still managed. I like the bar counter and the little piano at the side. The boss even invited people to play on the piano in exchange for a glass of wine.
Food Served:Complimentary bread I was hungry when I had this so I'm probably not a very good judge. It had a slight taste of herbs to it but that was all. It wasn't warm nor soft enough. But it's reasonable I guess.
Salad A very simple salad. period.
Cream of Broccoli Most of the others said it was salty but my brother and I felt it was fine. Odd isn't it. We actually finished everything and were quite pleased with it. Maybe it's because we're broccoli lovers. The odd thing about this soup was that it was served AFTER the main course.
Garlic Prawns Thank goodness for the prawns. 4 bowls of prawns were plonked on the table to be shared by the people surrounding iit. Ours were shared by 5. The prawns came the same time as the salad and saved the day. They were fresh and had just enough bite. They were also in a flavourful dressing/sauce which I found to be quite special.
Poached Salmon with White Sauce & Herbs, served with Pasta and Seasonal Vegetables Firstly, I have to say that every plate of salmon was different. Ours was without the fishy taste/smell though my neighbour's had. We thought it could be due to the fact that ours was slightly smaller. The pasta was slightly overcooked and tasteless.
Oven Baked Chicken Thigh Steak with Crisp Skin served with Chef Sauce & Potato Mash infused with Vanilla and Cream I only liked the potato mash really. The chicken wasn't fantastic. I refused to eat the skin as it was quite soggy not crisp and the meat inside though marinated, wasn't very tasty.
Strawberry Cheesecake I didn't even know what it was when I was eating it. We were arguing about what it was. Some said it was Strawberry shortcake whilst others said it was just a cake. I didn't like it at all and didn't finish mine. It had a very odd smell to it, which I wasn't accustomed to.
Warm Choco Lava Indulgence We had to share this among the 5 of us as a complimentary dessert. Although I liked the taste of the chocolate oozing out and the taste of the crust but I can't help but dislike the texture of the crust. I don't like the whole thing to crumble into bits the moment one takes a stab at it.
Each of us paid $33 that night. We were full but weren't overly so. I guess it's reasonable as it includes a drink but I had certainly expected more. Not worth a planned visit but if you're nearby I guess it's alright.
I was thinking that they were very unprepared for a mini-crowd like us and maybe they would do better if there were less people? I was just thinking. Ah well.
An afternoon tea date with the girlfriends brought me to Zhou's Kitchen at Far East Square. I don't quite know what possessed us to be so brave to as to travel all the way to the CBD area with a newborn baby, but we did. Not to mention we weren't sure where it was and was initially mistakened that it was the one situated above the food court.
After some walking, we caught sight of the lime green bamboos and found ourselves on the doorstep of the restaurant that weekday afternoon. Even at 2pm, the place was still bustling with activity and we were glad we made reservations.
The decor of the place was quite modern with an oriental touch to it. Quite pleasing to the eye really and the lighting was comfortable without being too dim for photo-taking.
Once settled, we took a look at the menu and were a little disappointed that the list was quite short. There wasn't much variety though they seemed to have most of the items we want... except one - the conventional chee cheong fun.
Food ordered: BBQ Pork Buns - Char Siew Bao ($3.20 for 3) The highlight of our meal. We had two servings of this. I liked the fluffiness of the outside and the filling wasn't too sweet. It was just right and it didn't have much fatty meat. My companions enjoyed this one too. But sadly that was all....
Steamed Pork Dumplings ($3.50 for 3) I'm not really a fan of pork dumplings so I guess I shouldn't comment on this. But I really found the skin a little too thick and dry for me. The filling was average and it wasn't juicy enough inside.
Steamed Shrimp Dumplings - Har Gao ($4.20 for 3) Same problem here. The skin was a tad too thick and dry. I wonder if it was because we were there close to the end of lunch time. But it really shouldn't be that way. The prawn inside was ok. It wasn't very fresh but it wasn't "stale" either.
Fried Rice Roll in XO Sauce - Fried Chee Cheong Fun ($4.20) They didn't have steamed chee cheong fun. Not even a single kind. This is the only one they have and apparently it's their signature dish. Well, we thought it tasted like Char Kway Tiao. It was quite oily and didn't have much liquor taste in case you're wondering. We were quite sad we can't have our regular rice rolls really.
Banana Roll with Shrimp ($3.80) We didn't order this but it appeared and we ate absent-mindedly. The taste of the banana was quite strong and it went pretty well with the shrimp I guess though I found it a little weird at first.
Fried Carrot Cake ($3.20) It was pretty oily and wasn't very smooth. I've had much smoother ones and 3 pieces for this price is a tad expensive.
Beancurd Roll with Shrimp- Fu Pi Juan ($3.50) I found that the skin wasn't crisp enough for my liking.
Mango Pomelo Cream ($4) A small serving at this price, I'd expected much more. But the taste of the mango was lacking and finding pomelo is like a mini treasure hunt in this bowl. It was served cold but but quite chilled enough. I would have preferred it if it were sweeter.
Hashima Jelly ($6) My companions had this and I didn't try it. They said it was average though...
Inclusive of tea, towels, pickles, service charge and GST, it cost 3 of us $53.80. The service is alright with them topping up the tea often and they took extra care with the baby around (except one absent minded lady) However I don't think this is worth another visit.... unless I'm in the area and there isn't much of anything else.
Being a dessert (chocolate) fan, no one could stop me from Melvados once I knew they were famous for their brownies. Totally psyched, I travelled all the way to the other end of Singapore for a lazy Sunday afternoon tea with a friend.
Situated in King's Arcade, I couldn't help but notice that the exterior is a little run-down looking. But I guess what was more important to me was the inside since it was a really hot day and I needed a good dose of cool air....
..which I didn't get... for the first time I actually asked my companion if he felt hot. I'm usually the one who doesn't complain about the temperature of the place but this one is an exception. There's a first to everything right? We were sitting pretty far from the window so we weren't subjected to the heat from outside. So it really must be the lack of air-conditioning.
That aside, I found the decor alright. Just a little sparse though. They could have more seats to make the place look more full. But as my companion pointed out, two more tables (like I suggested) could make it look crammed. But I guess they could switch to smaller tables. Nonetheless the tables and chairs didn't quite match though the sofas looked nice. I say look cos there were very few and we didn't get a chance to sit on them.
After much pondering, we ordered:
Mixed Platter Your usual mix of fried calamari, fries, onion rings and seafood cakes. I didn't like any of it. The fries were the thin sort which is pretty much oil and little potato. The onion rings lacked onion flavour. The calamari are the sort straight from the freezer and the seafood cakes were just weird. The batter used wasn't tasty and honestly I was quite sick of it after the first two pieces. And yes they seemed to have used the same batter (or at least similiar) for all 3 items, except the fries.
Black & White Kisses This is the recommended brownie on the menu. It's a brownie topped with dark and white chocolate Hershey's kisses. This brownie was the more moist one of the two we had but it's still not rich enough in my opinion. It was still a little crumbly (like a cake) and I prefer brownies which are more on the sticky side. There is a good bit of flavour though.
Sizzling Brownies Sensation This is the brownie above, served on a hot plate with your choice of ice-cream. We had expected something more and certainly didn't expect to be served the same brownie. Also the hot plate was just heated up in the microwave and cooled down pretty fast after it arrived. I guess that's just as well since the ice cream was melting at super speed, resulting in a brownish puddle around the brownie after a while. Just a novelty but nothing to rave about really.
Chocolate Madness This was your regular brownie, just much drier. My little mistake.
We paid $25 in total I think and although it wasn't very much but I didn't find it worth my while after all. Service was alright and the staff wasn't exceptionally alert despite the fact that there were so few tables occupied.
Leonardsaid: After reading this, i doubt i would even visit Melvados! 19 Apr 2008 at 9:11 pm
Bobosaid: haha :) There are better ways to spend the money I guess. :) 19 Apr 2008 at 9:47 pm
ladyironchefsaid: hahaha! when i went it wasn't hot, mayb the air-con break down when u all went. and ya, the interior really quite run-down. but i guess the brownie okay la, not that bad 20 Apr 2008 at 1:13 am
Bobosaid: :) to each their own. I just like richer brownies 20 Apr 2008 at 9:28 am
I dropped by one weekday afternoon with two other friends for an early lunch and was pretty excited to try out the more upmarket version of Aston's Specialties.
I ordered the King Salmon Steak ($22.90) whilst my two friends had steak. You can get their opinion of the steaks above. I tried a couple of bites from their steak and wasn't impressed. They asked for their steaks to be done medium rare... but didn't get medium rare....
My Salmon turned out to be medium rare instead. One end was even uncooked. I've never tasted salmon so horribly done really. Somewhere in between the salmon was mushy and I couldn't tell whether it's because of the way it was done or that it wasn't fresh. I struggled to finish and in the end I couldn't bear to finish it anymore.
The only thing I really liked was the fries. They were the fat sort I liked and were lightly seasoned, making them tasty on their own without sauces. *yums*
The service was reasonable with the people talking to us before the cameras were whipped out. But when they did notice the cameras, I reckoned we got more attention than other patrons.
I seriously think I would really consder before going back again.
Polarbear said: Bobo said:
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Still waiting to go there! Sigh....
21 Apr 2008 at 9:31 am
mmmm you sure you want to wor? haha Jio me le I can eat fries. :P
21 Apr 2008 at 1:25 pm
I was surprised to see the very similiar designs... almost identical to the ones I've seen in the other shops. They also have the designs I wanted in more acceptable colours like white brown and black. They also seem to have a larger range of working class shoes.
At first when I walked in, I was ignored by the staff nearest to the door. We looked at each other eye to eye and she turned away quickly. I had expected at least a smile or a "welcome" but was given none. I was tempted to walk out but knowing that I didn't have any other shops to go, I stayed a bit more.
Then I spotted them. The shoes I wanted in simple brown colour and they were on sale! I picked up the shoes and immediately a sweet young sales assistant appeared by my side. She offered to get the shoes in two different sizes as I wasn't sure what size I would wear. She also recommended some others which were similiar and I happily agreed to try.
After trying on about 7-9 pairs of shoes I finally bought three. The same lady served me throughout while serving some other customers. I found her to be very approachable, unlike her colleague. But later on when I was paying I found out that all of them were trainees. Apparently they are all studying and this is like attachment for them. So the other girl was very nervous which was why she turned away. I guess it's relatively forgivable then. The prices of the shoes are reasonable. An alternative to Charles and Keith I guess... despite U.R.S being around much longer than them.
Lucardia said: Bobo said:
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Wah....you added alot of business wor. lol
20 Apr 2008 at 12:02 pm
haha it's not me. I added URS only cos I want to review it :) the rest not me... :) See who climb above me liao
20 Apr 2008 at 6:44 pm
Due to the way the restaurant is built (lengthwise) our table had to be long and the area inside was pretty crammed. People sitting inside daren't move about too much for the fear of being too troublesome.
But the decor of the place was quite nice. I was initially worried it would be a little warm for some but it wasn't. The lighting was a little dim for photo-taking but we still managed. I like the bar counter and the little piano at the side. The boss even invited people to play on the piano in exchange for a glass of wine.
Food Served:Complimentary bread
I was hungry when I had this so I'm probably not a very good judge. It had a slight taste of herbs to it but that was all. It wasn't warm nor soft enough. But it's reasonable I guess.
Salad
A very simple salad. period.
Cream of Broccoli
Most of the others said it was salty but my brother and I felt it was fine. Odd isn't it. We actually finished everything and were quite pleased with it. Maybe it's because we're broccoli lovers. The odd thing about this soup was that it was served AFTER the main course.
Garlic Prawns
Thank goodness for the prawns. 4 bowls of prawns were plonked on the table to be shared by the people surrounding iit. Ours were shared by 5. The prawns came the same time as the salad and saved the day. They were fresh and had just enough bite. They were also in a flavourful dressing/sauce which I found to be quite special.
Poached Salmon with White Sauce & Herbs, served with Pasta and Seasonal Vegetables
Firstly, I have to say that every plate of salmon was different. Ours was without the fishy taste/smell though my neighbour's had. We thought it could be due to the fact that ours was slightly smaller. The pasta was slightly overcooked and tasteless.
Oven Baked Chicken Thigh Steak with Crisp Skin served with Chef Sauce & Potato Mash infused with Vanilla and Cream
I only liked the potato mash really. The chicken wasn't fantastic. I refused to eat the skin as it was quite soggy not crisp and the meat inside though marinated, wasn't very tasty.
Strawberry Cheesecake
I didn't even know what it was when I was eating it. We were arguing about what it was. Some said it was Strawberry shortcake whilst others said it was just a cake. I didn't like it at all and didn't finish mine. It had a very odd smell to it, which I wasn't accustomed to.
Warm Choco Lava Indulgence
We had to share this among the 5 of us as a complimentary dessert. Although I liked the taste of the chocolate oozing out and the taste of the crust but I can't help but dislike the texture of the crust. I don't like the whole thing to crumble into bits the moment one takes a stab at it.
Each of us paid $33 that night. We were full but weren't overly so. I guess it's reasonable as it includes a drink but I had certainly expected more. Not worth a planned visit but if you're nearby I guess it's alright.
I was thinking that they were very unprepared for a mini-crowd like us and maybe they would do better if there were less people? I was just thinking. Ah well.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
After some walking, we caught sight of the lime green bamboos and found ourselves on the doorstep of the restaurant that weekday afternoon. Even at 2pm, the place was still bustling with activity and we were glad we made reservations.
The decor of the place was quite modern with an oriental touch to it. Quite pleasing to the eye really and the lighting was comfortable without being too dim for photo-taking.
Once settled, we took a look at the menu and were a little disappointed that the list was quite short. There wasn't much variety though they seemed to have most of the items we want... except one - the conventional chee cheong fun.
Food ordered:
BBQ Pork Buns - Char Siew Bao ($3.20 for 3)
The highlight of our meal. We had two servings of this. I liked the fluffiness of the outside and the filling wasn't too sweet. It was just right and it didn't have much fatty meat. My companions enjoyed this one too. But sadly that was all....
Steamed Pork Dumplings ($3.50 for 3)
I'm not really a fan of pork dumplings so I guess I shouldn't comment on this. But I really found the skin a little too thick and dry for me. The filling was average and it wasn't juicy enough inside.
Steamed Shrimp Dumplings - Har Gao ($4.20 for 3)
Same problem here. The skin was a tad too thick and dry. I wonder if it was because we were there close to the end of lunch time. But it really shouldn't be that way. The prawn inside was ok. It wasn't very fresh but it wasn't "stale" either.
Fried Rice Roll in XO Sauce - Fried Chee Cheong Fun ($4.20)
They didn't have steamed chee cheong fun. Not even a single kind. This is the only one they have and apparently it's their signature dish. Well, we thought it tasted like Char Kway Tiao. It was quite oily and didn't have much liquor taste in case you're wondering. We were quite sad we can't have our regular rice rolls really.
Banana Roll with Shrimp ($3.80)
We didn't order this but it appeared and we ate absent-mindedly. The taste of the banana was quite strong and it went pretty well with the shrimp I guess though I found it a little weird at first.
Fried Carrot Cake ($3.20)
It was pretty oily and wasn't very smooth. I've had much smoother ones and 3 pieces for this price is a tad expensive.
Beancurd Roll with Shrimp- Fu Pi Juan ($3.50)
I found that the skin wasn't crisp enough for my liking.
Mango Pomelo Cream ($4)
A small serving at this price, I'd expected much more. But the taste of the mango was lacking and finding pomelo is like a mini treasure hunt in this bowl. It was served cold but but quite chilled enough. I would have preferred it if it were sweeter.
Hashima Jelly ($6)
My companions had this and I didn't try it. They said it was average though...
Inclusive of tea, towels, pickles, service charge and GST, it cost 3 of us $53.80. The service is alright with them topping up the tea often and they took extra care with the baby around (except one absent minded lady) However I don't think this is worth another visit.... unless I'm in the area and there isn't much of anything else.
ladyironchef said: Bobo said:
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!hm, mayb go for their weekend buffet dim sum? around 17 per person i think
20 Apr 2008 at 1:24 am
all the way there? ... mmm 17 dollars but must have standard ma. their stuff dun really appeal to me :)
20 Apr 2008 at 9:28 am
Situated in King's Arcade, I couldn't help but notice that the exterior is a little run-down looking. But I guess what was more important to me was the inside since it was a really hot day and I needed a good dose of cool air....
..which I didn't get... for the first time I actually asked my companion if he felt hot. I'm usually the one who doesn't complain about the temperature of the place but this one is an exception. There's a first to everything right? We were sitting pretty far from the window so we weren't subjected to the heat from outside. So it really must be the lack of air-conditioning.
That aside, I found the decor alright. Just a little sparse though. They could have more seats to make the place look more full. But as my companion pointed out, two more tables (like I suggested) could make it look crammed. But I guess they could switch to smaller tables. Nonetheless the tables and chairs didn't quite match though the sofas looked nice. I say look cos there were very few and we didn't get a chance to sit on them.
After much pondering, we ordered:
Mixed Platter
Your usual mix of fried calamari, fries, onion rings and seafood cakes. I didn't like any of it. The fries were the thin sort which is pretty much oil and little potato. The onion rings lacked onion flavour. The calamari are the sort straight from the freezer and the seafood cakes were just weird. The batter used wasn't tasty and honestly I was quite sick of it after the first two pieces. And yes they seemed to have used the same batter (or at least similiar) for all 3 items, except the fries.
Black & White Kisses
This is the recommended brownie on the menu. It's a brownie topped with dark and white chocolate Hershey's kisses. This brownie was the more moist one of the two we had but it's still not rich enough in my opinion. It was still a little crumbly (like a cake) and I prefer brownies which are more on the sticky side. There is a good bit of flavour though.
Sizzling Brownies Sensation
This is the brownie above, served on a hot plate with your choice of ice-cream. We had expected something more and certainly didn't expect to be served the same brownie. Also the hot plate was just heated up in the microwave and cooled down pretty fast after it arrived. I guess that's just as well since the ice cream was melting at super speed, resulting in a brownish puddle around the brownie after a while. Just a novelty but nothing to rave about really.
Chocolate Madness
This was your regular brownie, just much drier. My little mistake.
We paid $25 in total I think and although it wasn't very much but I didn't find it worth my while after all. Service was alright and the staff wasn't exceptionally alert despite the fact that there were so few tables occupied.
I don't think I would be back.
Leonard said: Bobo said: ladyironchef said: - 1 more comment »
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!After reading this, i doubt i would even visit Melvados!
19 Apr 2008 at 9:11 pm
haha :) There are better ways to spend the money I guess. :)
19 Apr 2008 at 9:47 pm
hahaha! when i went it wasn't hot, mayb the air-con break down when u all went. and ya, the interior really quite run-down. but i guess the brownie okay la, not that bad
20 Apr 2008 at 1:13 am