I was the first to review about Cotton On in Yebber and the first outlet was in Wisma. I had loved it then and was very excited when I saw them having an outlet in Parkway.
I went the week they opened and also the following week.
The first time I went the place was rather messy and I forgave them since they had just opened.
But it was still pretty messy the second time and I was rather upset. Also the prices of the items seem higher now. I guess it's because more people are buying. That aside I still love their long tops.
There are two major gripes I have about this outlet. One is that the lighting is much too dim to see some colours properly.
The second is that the customer service people are too busy chatting to each other and they don't tend to the customers very much. This is part of the reason why the place becomes messy as the customers ransack to look for the right size.
MMmmM I guess I will still pop by if I'm in the area but I wouldn't go there specially to buy. :P
I had this plan for my "other" home. After much discussion when this plan was introduced, we decided to sign up since the mobile phones, telephone lines and internet were all under Singnet anyway.
We did save a lot in the long run... but...
Setting up triggered a lot of problems and we were without our phone lines and internet for 2 weeks. The MIO box gave quite a bit of problems. The repairman had to come 3-4 times and we had the box changed twice. We live in a private estate and were told that things will be fine in our particular estate. After the initial hiccups we were finally able to use the phone lines and the internet.
BTW you have to purchase a different kind of phone to be used with the MIO system.
Once we started to use it, we noticed that at times the phone doesn't detect the incoming call. Everything is working (when the repairman came to test it) but it just doesn't ring every single time we call. It would miss a couple of times. And there would be quite a bit of static on the line, which disrupts the call.
It could possibly be a line connection thing but Singtel should also be responsible for checking our lines when we had them install the system. I guess this one might take some time to settle.
FYI, Maxonline cannot be installed in my estate, according to their customer service rep.
I love the National Museum and the romantic-ness of it all. To be very honest, I didn't really know about Chef Chan until my little Birdie friend told me. All to happy to have a chance to dine at the charming Museum, I jumped at this chance.
Arriving at the place, I wasn't disappointed by the place! I love the entire atmosphere. Chef Chan was tucked away in an obscure corner of the museum, but the restaurant was very appropriately designed. The entire oriental theme was soothing and not overly gaudy, which was often so with Chinese restaurants.
What we had that night:
Melon Strips Enlivened with Orange Juice You know the F&N Orange squash we used to drink during CNY? It tastes like that... with lots of crunch. I liked it but I didn't think I would have something like this in this restaurant. I'd have to agree with the rest that this was easy to make at home. But I guess it's a reasonable starter.
Prawn Balls Stuffed with Pate and Wine I could taste neither pate nor wine. We only had one ball each and mind you, it wasn't very big. It was salty and that was the only obvious taste I could get from the ball. The only thing it reminded me of was those balls you could microwave once you take them out from the freezer.
Stir Fried Shark’s Fin with Eggs, Bean Sprouts and Spring Onion Served in Lettuce Leaves Someone said it looked like a whole lot of Tunghoon. There was some shark's fin I guess and a mix of everything else. This dish was lightly flavoured and I liked it pretty much. But the cabbage I had below was a bit thick and had a contrasting bitter taste to the salad sitting on it. So I refused to eat it after a few bites.
Steamed Lobster with Garlic You could SMELL the garlic from a distance. Everyone had one half of the lobster which was a nice serving to have. Mine wasn't so covered in garlic so I was pretty happy with it. The lobster was pretty fresh I guess but the garlic really burned in my middle when I'd finished it.
Steamed Sliced Garoupa in Village Style I had 2-3 pieces of this (unlike some people). The fish bits had a nice texture but the gravy that came with it was horrid. It's was sickeningly sticky which made me baulk at the first taste. I rubbed it off at the side of the dish so that I didn't have to eat too much of it. Relatively acceptable dish I guess... They need to do something about the gravy.
Sauteed Vegetable with Shredded Mushroom A dish you can definitely find at your neighbourhood Chze Char stall.
Chef Chan’s Famous Crispy Roast Chicken This is a YUMMY! I loved this one. The skin was crisp and I ate it too, despite being the sort who usually peels it off. The meat was very tasty on its own. I liked the texture (cos I got the part I wanted) This was definitely the winning dish of the night that kept everyone very quiet.
Papaya with White Fungus & Herbal Jelly with Glutinous Rice & Mango Mistake Mistake Mistake. The texture of the glutinous rice did not go well with the Guilingao! Terrible... it took me a few tries before I figured I had to eat all the glutinous rice first then have the mango and the herbal jelly together. Any other way just made me quite sick really.
We chalked up a bill of about $860, which works out to be about $96 per person. It would have been more expensive but thanks to someone's credit card, we had a discount.
I wouldn't say this is below average... in actual fact I didn't think that the food "sucked". It was below expectations, thanks to its price. But it's not terrible food. Just expensive average food I guess. The chicken saved it from a 2-star.
Singapore Airlines... one of the brands our country is identified with all the time in many countries all over the world.
I had the chance to travel on it *again* recently and was very satisfied. The flight I was on, was quite empty so my friend and I got a free seat between the two of us so we had plenty of space to move about in.
Boarding the plane we were nicely greeted and the blankets and pillows were already waiting patiently on our seats for us. The stewardess and stewards were eloquent enough and didn't bother passengers unneccessarily. And even when some of the passengers across the aisle made some irritating demands, the service didn't falter.
The flight was turbulent at a few points but I think it was thanks to the cloudy situation. The take off and landing was smooth which was great.
Definitely very satisfied with it but they ARE expensive. Luckily I didn't pay for this trip. haha :)
I was excited when a friend asked me along to the new Persimmon opened by the same people from Epicurious. We had such a nice time at Epi that I was pretty sure that Persimmon would be good too! So despite my busy schedule I went down with my friend for the food-tasting session.
Armed with a street directory and a good navigator (moi) we managed to find the carpark behind the Link Hotel. By the way, I found Link Hotel quite interesting and am really thinking of giving it a try. But the parking was $4 per entry in an open air carpark which I found quite a rip-off. But this is the nearest carpark so there isn't much of a choice.
One wouldn't be able to miss Persimmon with its bright orange lights standing tall just outside of it.
After much discussion on how to take a good photo of the front of the restaurant, we finally stepped into the place, greeted by Helena, one of the owners. She introduced us to the rest of the crowd for the evening who were all very friendly people and got us some wine before seating us at this long table meant for large groups.
The black and white tiled flooring and the coffeeshop table and chairs gave it a local feel. But the modern white finishings of the counter and the sides complemented it nicely. I loved the antique-looking sofa sets and the live orchids which gave the place an artsy touch. Old Chinese tunes and jazz helped me relax here.
Food we had:
Mushroom and Sesame Shooter First up was this warm soup in a little glass. I loved the taste and thickness of it. We were told that there was some alcohol in it... but honestly? I couldn't taste it and was happy with that.
Tunghoon Salad with Crabcake This was served with scallop and the presentation was very nice. The Tunghoon had a sourish-spicy taste to it and I liked it very very much! I think it would be better with some cashew bits in it but then that would be very common in Thai salad dishes I guess. As for the crabcake, I would have liked it with more flavour as it was a little bland next to the salad.
Fried Kwayteow served with Wagyu Beef I wanted to write Char Kuay Teow... but then, it wasn't quite that either. I generally try not to eat both CKT and Beef actually. But I did like this version of CKT. It was still oily nonetheless (what is CKT without oil?!) but it did seem healthier somewhat. The noodles were not flimsy and drenched in oil like the hawker centre types but they still have some bite in them. But it was a little too salty but not over the top. I did enjoy the beef though, despite trying to stay away from it. But it was really good, very flavourful and the beansprouts that came with it gave the dish some crunch.
Fisherman's Pie This version had laksa swimming below the puff pastry. The puff pastry is nice but it would have been better with some butter as my friend suggested. I think it would have made it softer and more "fluffy". I wasn't really too concerned that it didn't puff up but I think some softness was missing. I liked the gravy mostly but not quite for drinking though. The ingredients were pretty much what you would expect and they tasted ok. But the potato had probably been floating inside for sometime and its texture was a little too soft.
Pineapple Tart For the first time, I had a giant pineapple tart for dessert. The top has your usual pineapple ring which I wasn't a fan of as it was a little sourish and hard to chew. Beneath it was sweet caramelised pineapple which was very tasty, especially when eaten with the crust! I loved the crust and tried to finish everything but I couldn't as I was too full.
I can't give a pricing for the items I had as I was there for food-tasting. But I took a glance at the menu and the prices are more or less like those in a cafe with mains going in the $20 range.
Not to mention, we took a surprise visit into THE KITCHEN! Helena was so nice to bring us around and show us different sections of the place and we soon realised how much effort was put into planning and designing a place like this! She also showed us a speciall little room that can seat 8 people. It's very cosy and there isn't a minimum spending amount before you can use the room!
Many would have known by now that I've been suffering from teeth problems for a few weeks now. I had been the patient of a popular dental chain until recently when the last job by them was poorly done and was very painful.
The last job started to give me problems and I asked around for recommendations. My colleague gave me the address of this clinic and I booked an appointment. There are four inhouse dentists so it's quite easy to get an appointment.
I went for my first visit which was pretty normal. A Dr. Chan (I think), a lady dentist, tended to me and she explained that she needed to do a re-filling. She was gentle and professional but certainly didn't waste any time with me. I was out in a jiffy so that she could move on to the next patient. No complaints I guess. But she did mention that the refilling might not help things as the damage might be too bad. So she told me to go back if the pain continues.
True enough, the pain came back fast and more furious. So I called them and managed to get an appointment with Dr. Leonard Tan in a few days.
Dr. Tan is the reason why I'm writing this review really. With the pain I was having I was really afraid when I went into the room as my gums and teeth were really sensitive at that point. But Dr. Tan was really gentle and I felt at ease in the chair. He was really careful when probing the affected area and didn't poke too hard until he was sure I wouldn't scream. (heh) Then he took me over for an X-ray and while waiting for the X-ray results, he patiently explained to me my options if the results were BAD.
He clearly explained what the root canal treatment was and told me exactly how much it cost. He didn't harp on it and told me I have other options like having the problem extracted.
When the results came back and were not conclusive, he advised me to tolerate the pain a bit and told me to do a number of things to see if they spark off unbearable pain which will point to damaged nerves.
What I really liked was how he wasn't money-minded and gave me my options and let me make the choice. He didn't charge me for this consultation and he gave me painkillers for free too. He only charged me $15 for the X-ray. Very reasonable isn't it?
Immensely happy with the service, I think I will make Dr. Tan my regular dentist. My colleague also recommended Dr. Zhou whom she said had plenty of experience.
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.
I was the first to review about Cotton On in Yebber and the first outlet was in Wisma. I had loved it then and was very excited when I saw them having an outlet in Parkway.
I went the week they opened and also the following week.
The first time I went the place was rather messy and I forgave them since they had just opened.
But it was still pretty messy the second time and I was rather upset. Also the prices of the items seem higher now. I guess it's because more people are buying. That aside I still love their long tops.
There are two major gripes I have about this outlet. One is that the lighting is much too dim to see some colours properly.
The second is that the customer service people are too busy chatting to each other and they don't tend to the customers very much. This is part of the reason why the place becomes messy as the customers ransack to look for the right size.
MMmmM I guess I will still pop by if I'm in the area but I wouldn't go there specially to buy. :P
Rating given:
I had this plan for my "other" home. After much discussion when this plan was introduced, we decided to sign up since the mobile phones, telephone lines and internet were all under Singnet anyway.
We did save a lot in the long run... but...
Setting up triggered a lot of problems and we were without our phone lines and internet for 2 weeks. The MIO box gave quite a bit of problems. The repairman had to come 3-4 times and we had the box changed twice. We live in a private estate and were told that things will be fine in our particular estate. After the initial hiccups we were finally able to use the phone lines and the internet.
BTW you have to purchase a different kind of phone to be used with the MIO system.
Once we started to use it, we noticed that at times the phone doesn't detect the incoming call. Everything is working (when the repairman came to test it) but it just doesn't ring every single time we call. It would miss a couple of times. And there would be quite a bit of static on the line, which disrupts the call.
It could possibly be a line connection thing but Singtel should also be responsible for checking our lines when we had them install the system. I guess this one might take some time to settle.
FYI, Maxonline cannot be installed in my estate, according to their customer service rep.
Rating given:
I love the National Museum and the romantic-ness of it all. To be very honest, I didn't really know about Chef Chan until my little Birdie friend told me. All to happy to have a chance to dine at the charming Museum, I jumped at this chance.
Arriving at the place, I wasn't disappointed by the place! I love the entire atmosphere. Chef Chan was tucked away in an obscure corner of the museum, but the restaurant was very appropriately designed. The entire oriental theme was soothing and not overly gaudy, which was often so with Chinese restaurants.
What we had that night:
Melon Strips Enlivened with Orange Juice
You know the F&N Orange squash we used to drink during CNY? It tastes like that... with lots of crunch. I liked it but I didn't think I would have something like this in this restaurant. I'd have to agree with the rest that this was easy to make at home. But I guess it's a reasonable starter.
Prawn Balls Stuffed with Pate and Wine
I could taste neither pate nor wine. We only had one ball each and mind you, it wasn't very big. It was salty and that was the only obvious taste I could get from the ball. The only thing it reminded me of was those balls you could microwave once you take them out from the freezer.
Stir Fried Shark’s Fin with Eggs, Bean Sprouts and Spring Onion Served in Lettuce Leaves
Someone said it looked like a whole lot of Tunghoon. There was some shark's fin I guess and a mix of everything else. This dish was lightly flavoured and I liked it pretty much. But the cabbage I had below was a bit thick and had a contrasting bitter taste to the salad sitting on it. So I refused to eat it after a few bites.
Steamed Lobster with Garlic
You could SMELL the garlic from a distance. Everyone had one half of the lobster which was a nice serving to have. Mine wasn't so covered in garlic so I was pretty happy with it. The lobster was pretty fresh I guess but the garlic really burned in my middle when I'd finished it.
Steamed Sliced Garoupa in Village Style
I had 2-3 pieces of this (unlike some people). The fish bits had a nice texture but the gravy that came with it was horrid. It's was sickeningly sticky which made me baulk at the first taste. I rubbed it off at the side of the dish so that I didn't have to eat too much of it. Relatively acceptable dish I guess... They need to do something about the gravy.
Sauteed Vegetable with Shredded Mushroom A dish you can definitely find at your neighbourhood Chze Char stall.
Chef Chan’s Famous Crispy Roast Chicken
This is a YUMMY! I loved this one. The skin was crisp and I ate it too, despite being the sort who usually peels it off. The meat was very tasty on its own. I liked the texture (cos I got the part I wanted) This was definitely the winning dish of the night that kept everyone very quiet.
Papaya with White Fungus & Herbal Jelly with Glutinous Rice & Mango
Mistake Mistake Mistake. The texture of the glutinous rice did not go well with the Guilingao! Terrible... it took me a few tries before I figured I had to eat all the glutinous rice first then have the mango and the herbal jelly together. Any other way just made me quite sick really.
We chalked up a bill of about $860, which works out to be about $96 per person. It would have been more expensive but thanks to someone's credit card, we had a discount.
I wouldn't say this is below average... in actual fact I didn't think that the food "sucked". It was below expectations, thanks to its price. But it's not terrible food. Just expensive average food I guess. The chicken saved it from a 2-star.
Rating given:
Singapore Airlines... one of the brands our country is identified with all the time in many countries all over the world.
I had the chance to travel on it *again* recently and was very satisfied. The flight I was on, was quite empty so my friend and I got a free seat between the two of us so we had plenty of space to move about in.
Boarding the plane we were nicely greeted and the blankets and pillows were already waiting patiently on our seats for us. The stewardess and stewards were eloquent enough and didn't bother passengers unneccessarily. And even when some of the passengers across the aisle made some irritating demands, the service didn't falter.
The flight was turbulent at a few points but I think it was thanks to the cloudy situation. The take off and landing was smooth which was great.
Definitely very satisfied with it but they ARE expensive. Luckily I didn't pay for this trip. haha :)
Rating given:
I was excited when a friend asked me along to the new Persimmon opened by the same people from Epicurious. We had such a nice time at Epi that I was pretty sure that Persimmon would be good too! So despite my busy schedule I went down with my friend for the food-tasting session.
Armed with a street directory and a good navigator (moi) we managed to find the carpark behind the Link Hotel. By the way, I found Link Hotel quite interesting and am really thinking of giving it a try. But the parking was $4 per entry in an open air carpark which I found quite a rip-off. But this is the nearest carpark so there isn't much of a choice.
One wouldn't be able to miss Persimmon with its bright orange lights standing tall just outside of it.
After much discussion on how to take a good photo of the front of the restaurant, we finally stepped into the place, greeted by Helena, one of the owners. She introduced us to the rest of the crowd for the evening who were all very friendly people and got us some wine before seating us at this long table meant for large groups.
The black and white tiled flooring and the coffeeshop table and chairs gave it a local feel. But the modern white finishings of the counter and the sides complemented it nicely. I loved the antique-looking sofa sets and the live orchids which gave the place an artsy touch. Old Chinese tunes and jazz helped me relax here.
Food we had:
Mushroom and Sesame Shooter
First up was this warm soup in a little glass. I loved the taste and thickness of it. We were told that there was some alcohol in it... but honestly? I couldn't taste it and was happy with that.
Tunghoon Salad with Crabcake
This was served with scallop and the presentation was very nice. The Tunghoon had a sourish-spicy taste to it and I liked it very very much! I think it would be better with some cashew bits in it but then that would be very common in Thai salad dishes I guess. As for the crabcake, I would have liked it with more flavour as it was a little bland next to the salad.
Fried Kwayteow served with Wagyu Beef
I wanted to write Char Kuay Teow... but then, it wasn't quite that either. I generally try not to eat both CKT and Beef actually. But I did like this version of CKT. It was still oily nonetheless (what is CKT without oil?!) but it did seem healthier somewhat. The noodles were not flimsy and drenched in oil like the hawker centre types but they still have some bite in them. But it was a little too salty but not over the top. I did enjoy the beef though, despite trying to stay away from it. But it was really good, very flavourful and the beansprouts that came with it gave the dish some crunch.
Fisherman's Pie
This version had laksa swimming below the puff pastry. The puff pastry is nice but it would have been better with some butter as my friend suggested. I think it would have made it softer and more "fluffy". I wasn't really too concerned that it didn't puff up but I think some softness was missing. I liked the gravy mostly but not quite for drinking though. The ingredients were pretty much what you would expect and they tasted ok. But the potato had probably been floating inside for sometime and its texture was a little too soft.
Pineapple Tart
For the first time, I had a giant pineapple tart for dessert. The top has your usual pineapple ring which I wasn't a fan of as it was a little sourish and hard to chew. Beneath it was sweet caramelised pineapple which was very tasty, especially when eaten with the crust! I loved the crust and tried to finish everything but I couldn't as I was too full.
I can't give a pricing for the items I had as I was there for food-tasting. But I took a glance at the menu and the prices are more or less like those in a cafe with mains going in the $20 range.
Not to mention, we took a surprise visit into THE KITCHEN! Helena was so nice to bring us around and show us different sections of the place and we soon realised how much effort was put into planning and designing a place like this! She also showed us a speciall little room that can seat 8 people. It's very cosy and there isn't a minimum spending amount before you can use the room!
Definitely worth another visit!
For more pictures, go to my blog
Rating given:
Many would have known by now that I've been suffering from teeth problems for a few weeks now. I had been the patient of a popular dental chain until recently when the last job by them was poorly done and was very painful.
The last job started to give me problems and I asked around for recommendations. My colleague gave me the address of this clinic and I booked an appointment. There are four inhouse dentists so it's quite easy to get an appointment.
I went for my first visit which was pretty normal. A Dr. Chan (I think), a lady dentist, tended to me and she explained that she needed to do a re-filling. She was gentle and professional but certainly didn't waste any time with me. I was out in a jiffy so that she could move on to the next patient. No complaints I guess. But she did mention that the refilling might not help things as the damage might be too bad. So she told me to go back if the pain continues.
True enough, the pain came back fast and more furious. So I called them and managed to get an appointment with Dr. Leonard Tan in a few days.
Dr. Tan is the reason why I'm writing this review really. With the pain I was having I was really afraid when I went into the room as my gums and teeth were really sensitive at that point. But Dr. Tan was really gentle and I felt at ease in the chair. He was really careful when probing the affected area and didn't poke too hard until he was sure I wouldn't scream. (heh) Then he took me over for an X-ray and while waiting for the X-ray results, he patiently explained to me my options if the results were BAD.
He clearly explained what the root canal treatment was and told me exactly how much it cost. He didn't harp on it and told me I have other options like having the problem extracted.
When the results came back and were not conclusive, he advised me to tolerate the pain a bit and told me to do a number of things to see if they spark off unbearable pain which will point to damaged nerves.
What I really liked was how he wasn't money-minded and gave me my options and let me make the choice. He didn't charge me for this consultation and he gave me painkillers for free too. He only charged me $15 for the X-ray. Very reasonable isn't it?
Immensely happy with the service, I think I will make Dr. Tan my regular dentist. My colleague also recommended Dr. Zhou whom she said had plenty of experience.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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