Conveniently located right next to the Paya Lebar MRT Station is this spanking new MOS BURGER residing outside the Paya Lebar Mall.
I would have gone to the grand looking outdoor alfresco dining except for the blaring sun hanging high in noon, though the fan and gazebo kinda cooled it off a bit , yet i was not willing to risk the clothes on my back with patches of perspiration.
Ordering is quick and theres also quite a few seats with air-conditioning and I managed to find one nicely hidden at the side. Place is not roomy yet well organised and noise control was not good as it tends to get noisy with the chatting.
I ordered my favourite Mos Cheese burger which was well made and arrived promptly together with my favourite crunchy croquette which is a mashed potato with mixed veg deep fried breaded fritter.
And for a change instead of the always yummy ice peach tea. i tried their hot chocolate which was surprising good. Chocolate was creamy, not milky and smooth... I was amazed at the quality of their hot chocolate and will be sure to order this again....
We dropped by Wildfire Kitchen for brunch one Saturday morning, in search of their highly raved about burgers. But alas, burgers weren't available till 12pm so we had to order off the breakfast menu.
Taking over the spot vacated by Hatched along the leafy stretch of Evans Road (just across the road from MOE), Wildfire Kitchen spots a cafe like amostphere with cement screed floors, metallic chairs, overhanging exposed tungsten light bulbs, free seating and a "pay and collect your food at the counter" ordering process.
Swiss Rösti - The rösti was deliciously crisp on the outside without coming across as overly charred whilst the scrambled eggs had a nice creaminess (a little less milk would be much appreciated though) to it. Best eaten with the chewy, mildly charred sourdough bread and the firm, savoury Toulouse pork sausage. Only gripe I had was that the salt content in the rösti seemed to be unevenly distributed; some parts were saltier than the others. Nonetheless, a pretty nice dish overall.
Wildfire Breakfast - Wildfire's namesake breakfast aka the big breakfast. Fresh tasting hash browns (no recycled oil taste), savoury Toulouse sausage, mushrooms, a choice of egg (I chose poached), crisp bacon, greens and toast. The eggs were mostly runny (a tad overcooked as a tiny part of the yolk had already hardened) and went well with the sourdough. Pretty decent as well.
Brunch for the both of us cost a relatively reasonable $52. Quality of food was a notch above average and I like that there's no service charge imposed. Do note that its cash or nets only so don't be caught unprepared like yours truly.
And I went back during lunch one weekday to specially try out their burgers.
The Works - This had everything thrown in (120 day grain fed beef patty, baby spinach, bacon, rösti, Parmesan crisp, onion rings, fried egg, tomatoes, beer caramelised onions, guacamole and signature sauce) and was it a feast for the eyes; the sheer monstrosity of all the ingredients stacked up layer by layer and culminating in a beautifully (but partially) glazed bun. Unfortunately it wasn't quite as good as it looked. By virtue of the many ingredients, there were too many competing flavours in every mouthful and it was difficult to have all the flavours gel together. Sometimes less really is more. That aside, the patty (done to a requested medium) was a little too mushy for my liking and the buns could do with a little more time on the griddle to achieve a nice crisp. Still a decent burger nonetheless but it definitely won't be near the top of my list that's for sure. Maybe their basic or specialty burgers might fare better.
And of course the bill. I'll probably return just to have another burger before coming to a conclusion. But for now, I still very much prefer Suprette.
It was a pretty good experience dining at Robert Timms, not to mention the efficient staff and the nice ambiance. Adore the alfresco dining area that faces the quieter side of orchard road.
The selection on the menu was pretty lacking, with only a few choice of Mains and Sides, however we were pleasantly surprised by what we saw... Braised Kangeroo stew and Kangeroo steak as one of the mains. We took quite alot of courage to try the stew which was presented in dark reddish cubes coupled by some sweet chunks of carrots, zuchinni and onions. The kangeroo meat tasted like a mix of beef and mutton. The texture was good and juicy with a slight muttony after taste. We were quite pleased to be able to boast of our courage to try exotic meat (thats if you consider that exotic.... i know the auzzies are laughing at me the Swar Ku 'mountain tortoise')
We also had the roasted chicken which was pretty well executed with breast meat not too tough and skin well marinated with plentiful herbs served with criss-cut fries which by the way was super yummy.
It was great to meet the buy 2 get 1 free promo as such our free main course was a mushroom and bacon fettuccine. Who can resist these broad chewy noodles in cream sauce.. yes we couldn't and slurped up every bit of it....
The selection of desserts were interesting and there were cakes as well but yet again we couldn't stop ourselves from cafe hopping as such... We would be sure to return to try out the dessert the next round.
We have visited Madam Kwan’s at KLCC Kuala Lumpur a few months ago. It was her authentic Malaysian food that caught our attention when we were there for a trade fair. So when we walking along Vivo City, we saw that she has opened a branch here in Singapore and immediately made our way to check out her signature nasi lemak.
We wanted to try her signature dishes but was told that it was sold out as we were there about 9pm. In the end, we settled for some light dishes.
Fried Kway Teow Noodles ( $14.90 ) – The dish was served piping hot and all that we could see were fat juicy prawns and crunchy bean sprouts. The portion for noodles was so little that we wondered whether we have ordered the last lot of their noodles. Anyway, the noodles were well fried with little oil and still maintained their standard.
Rendang Chicken ( $8.00 ) – There were two pricing for this item, mainly based on the pieces of meat. We ordered 2 pieces of meat. But when the dish was served, it looked more like Curry Chicken as we have expected lesser gravy for rendang dishes.
We verified with the staff but they did not return to our table for the confirmation.
Mixed Vegetables ( $12.90 ) - From their menu description, this dish consisted of lady’s fingers, long beans, brinjals and petai fried in sambal. It has a spicy kick and goes well with our rice which cost $1.50 for a small bowl.
Cendol ( $4.90 ) – This is one of the few good desserts that we have tasted. Generous amount of the ingredients were laid on top with fine shaved ice, coconut cream milk and authentic gula melaka nicely arranged at the bottom of dessert bowl.
Overall, food was good but service was below average as we have difficulties getting the attention of the staff. The place, though spacious was noisy as we could hear the chef cooking, the staff using the juice blender and the diners talking loudly as they could hardly hear themselves too.
We often drove/walked past Hatter Street Bakehouse & Cafe and the place used to be rather quiet until it got featured in a few publications as well as The Straits Times. Intrigued by the hype, we popped by one weekend afternoon for a dessert fix. And even at about 3pm, the place was still pretty full (it's actually pretty small and cramp) but we were lucky to snag two counter seats facing the pedestrian walkway.
Chocolate Hazelnut Tart ($6) - I love a good chocolate hazelnut tart and this was actually pretty good; Chilled, smooth richly yet not too sweet chocolate encased within a crumbly tart shell and topped with a hazelnut. Only gripe I had was that the shell was a tad too moist and could do with a little more stiffness.
Waffle With Pandan Ice Cream & Gula Melaka Sauce ($9.80) - This was a rather unique combination and it piqued our interest quite a fair bit. Crisp waffle (I found it a tad too hard for my liking though) coupled with a scoop of smooth, mildly flavoured pandan ice cream and drizzled over with a distinctive yet not cloyingly sweet gula melaka (palm sugar) sauce. Pleasantly nice local twist to a western dessert I must say.
Will I be back? Most probably, since I don't stay too far off. However Ciel Patisserie might still be my top choice for desserts in the same area as it's cheaper, has less crowds (although seating is even more limited) and quality as a whole is rather similar. Only downside is that they don't do waffles.
Quite an interesting concept of a claypot steamboat with a thick gravy like soup that is well spiced and full of flavor.
We stumbled upon this restaurant while exploring the higher levels of this brand new shopping mall and well the aroma of braised claypot chicken lured us in. The restaurant is of a good size and seating aplenty however the staffs were pretty adamant about not allowing you to occupy a larger seat and we kinda ended up with a tight dining table with butter finger me almost topple my drink and dropping stuffs on the floor.
We ordered a Chicken Hotpot which arrived in a claypot, smaller then what we expected but smelt amazingly yummy. When asked for spiciness, we opted for the minimal which is pretty acceptable to us. We suspected they added MALA (Chinese numbing chilli) to the soup and turned our taste-buds on.
There were plenty of chicken pieces in the claypot coupled with some veg and as we removed the chicken to avoid cooking it, the staff offered to top up with some soup and they did... We were then asked to pick some veg and other steamboat ingredients from the fridge nearby which we did and to be dunk into the now clearer soup to cook.
The meal was satisfying, while the chicken hotpot plus later steamboat was pretty fun and a fresh experience for us, however our clothes do stank a little as we exited.
The medium sized claypot chicken cost us $21.80, while the white plates we took from the fridge $2:80 and black plates $3:80. And there was this snack that was given to us when we first got settled in, which we didn't order and didn't eat that cost us $2:00...
Don't enjoy the snack and the idea behind it.. I mean if you wanna give it without consent, then give it for free... Why Charge somebody for something they didn't ask for... Next time i'm gonna make a big deal out of this *pissed*
It was restaurant week again and we decided to do Chinese for once. Since neither of us had ever been to Summer Palace, we decided to give their lunch a shot.
Located on the third floor of Regent Singapore, just a level above Basilico, Summer Palace houses a rather traditional Chinese interior complete with wooden chairs, golden pillars and a floor of red trim carpeting. We were lucky to be seated by the window (3 such tables available) but there was honestly no view to speak of except for the pool below and the hotel guests sunbathing by it. Still, I appreciated the serenity of the whole place.
Chef's Dim Sum Selection - Deep Fried Prawn Roll with Mango - I liked the crisp, deep fried rice noodles that encapsulated bits of crunchy prawn but unfortunately, the taste of mango was almost non existent. What was interesting was that the mayonnaise that came served alongside actually had hints of mango in it. Or was I imagining things?
Barbecued Pork Bun with Pine Nuts - Boasting a crusty, not too sweet top and a generous filling of sweet, mildly gooey BBQ pork, the bun was actually pretty respectable. However, unlike my personal favourite from Lung King Heen, the sweetness from the BBQ pork actually overwhelmed the nutty taste of the pine nuts and the bun itself wasn't as soft or chewy.
Steamed Prawn Dumpling with Bird's Nest -This was your typical 虾角 with a mere aesthetic upgrade aka tasteless shreds of birds nest. Throw in a relatively limp dumpling skin and you have an average prawn dumpling.
Double Boiled Ginseng with Fish Maw, Conpoy and Bamboo Piths - Although I'm personally not a fan of ginseng, this soup was quite good in my humble opinion. Tasty yet light with the mild taste of ginseng helping to keep the nausea at bay and the spongy fish maw coming across as crunchy.
Stir Fried Fish Cubes with Asparagus in Teriyaki Sauce - Flaky and smooth flesh coupled with a light sweetness from the teriyaki sauce and a mild savouriness from the stir fried garlic and ginger. Pretty good. Only issue I had was that the sweetness of the teriyaki dominated the natural sweetness of the cod fish, which I personally am quite a fan of.
Fried Glass Vermicelli with Crabmeat and Black Pepper - A tad chewy with an abundance of wok hei, crab meat shreds and black pepper for that mildly peppery kick, the glass vermicelli was pretty decent. And the beansprouts added a nice crunchiness to it.
Combination of Desserts - Osmanthus Jelly with Wolfberries - Nice and sweet with the wolfberries tasting very similar to raisins.
Mango Sago - Chilled and a tad runny but thankfully, not too sweet. Not as refreshing as I expected and could probably do with a little tartness and a little more time in the fridge.
Lemongrass Jelly - I absolutely dislike lemongrass but this turned out surprisingly acceptable. The lemongrass taste was rather faint and it tasted like your regular ice jelly dessert with crunchy bits of aloe vera. Very decent.
And so concluded our lunch, with two restaurant week lunch sets and a pot of 龙井 hitting the century mark. Pretty satisfactory lunch but I personally don't deem it wow enough for a return visit, not when the normal ala carte prices seem a tad steep for the quality of food. Service was excellent though; warm yet unintrusive.
Mooks, our late night mookata (thai BBQ/Steamboat) hangout. Yes, they are open till 3am on most nights especially weekends and eves of public holidays and well be sure to call to reserve seats before heading down as this cosy joint which is one of the uncommonly few air-conditioned mookata restaurants in Singapore keeps your food sizzling hot and you as cool as a basking polar bear.
Love the location as parking is just at your doorstep, especially when the night gets younger, the parking gets more convenient and well, taxis are easy to catch and public transport is just 5 mins walk away.
I enjoyed the simple no frills setting, no fancy corridor blockers, just simple, spacious and clean designs with spacy sitting and real fresh ingredients for the BBQ. We were quickly seated by the friendly staff and served a menu while she took orders for our drinks. The menu was simple, you could order ala cart or a set which comprises of seafood, poultry, noodles, eggs and many more item which 2 ladies are unable to complete. Yes we ordered the set and additional beef to go with.
We took fancy of the dome shaped mookata cooking equipment and loved it more when we were told to fry our own pork fats to oil the plate. It was fun and quite a new experience for both of us. Once an innovative invention of survivors in the jungle, turning soldier helmets into cooking utensils for fresh BBQ with well flavoured soup to finish the meal created today's hip combination of BBQ & Steamboat.
The ingredients were fresh and included fish, prawns and squid for seafood. I felt less guilty when i realised all ingredients were non seasoned and we were supposed to dunk them into a special bowl of dipping sauce. Well the dipping sauce was out of this world. I adored the burst of sweet, savoury and slightly spicy taste with hints of lingering fragrance of sesame from the special sauce.
We managed to cook some Tung Fen (Rice Vermicelli) and veg in the soup which tasted savoury with all the goodness of the grilled ingredients and we also managed to poach some eggs in the oh so rich soup.
Though we completed the meal smelling like BBQ ourselves, it was an extremely fun experience and is a very good bonding activity for friends. It was exciting to experiment different cooking styles together while chit-chatting and updating each other about our everyday mundane lives. Another great thing is that i didn't get any hot oil splattered on me like when i'm BBQing elsewhere.
Was a really fun experience with yummy food and the special concocted dipping sauce is just AWESOME... Love the late night dining concept especially friendly to night owls like me... Nice place to hang out and will invite more friends to visit it again... #SleeplessNightsInSG
I was in search of a good burger, having been recently disappointed by W39's over-hyped rendition and word on the street was that Suprette served up one of the best burgers in Singapore in current times. Since it wasn't too far from our place, the wife and I decided to drop by one Sunday morning for brunch (yay to free parking at the public carpark).
Suprette is actually housed in the heritage Kam Leng Hotel (first established in 1927 and later extensively refurbished and reopened in 2012), along the busy and sometimes chaotic Jalan Besar Road. The simply furnished eatery is quite small and can probably take up to about 30 customers in one sitting. As it is located on the ground floor, all the views you get are of cars and passers-by (relatively rare). But the place is cosy in it's own right, exuding an unhurried, small world charm amidst the hustle of the passing traffic. However, having said that, pray for quiet patrons. During our visit, there was a relatively loud table who held us hostage with their gossips and that marred our experience quite a fair bit.
Pasta Of The Day - Pasta of the day happened to be Carbonara so went for it. In a "tribute" to the local dining scene, the spaghetti is served on a water resistant brown foil (like those you would get at nasi lemak or economic beehoon stalls) placed in a old school tin plate. Or maybe they just wanted to save cost and do away with the fancy tableware. Anyways, the spaghetti was a little overcooked while the cream sauce came across as a tad runny. Throw in generous handful of porky, fat laden bacon bits and you end up with a rather uninspiring rendition of this Italian classic. I reckon I could get something similar at a random western food stall in Singapore, at a fraction of the cost.
Suprette Burger - The sole reason why we were here; Suprette's eponymous burger, with an additional topping of bacon and mushrooms ($3 apiece). Soft buns slathered with butter and toasted on the griddle till crisp and golden brown on the surface, sandwiching a juicy, beefy patty with bits of fat for that extra chewiness and topped with a layer of gruyere cheese which imbued it with a faintly sweet, nutty taste.The additional topping of mushrooms was worth it, adding an earthy perspective to the mix but the bacon did come across as a tad too crisp, dry and lacking in salt. Overall still a good burger and one of the best I've had in a while (last one was at Minetta Tavern in New York).
There is only 1 dessert available daily and we didn't fancy what was on offer that day (lemon meringue pie with vanilla ice cream) so we skipped it.
At $20 for a basic burger with fries, it is honestly a little on the pricey side but I reckon it's well worth the dough. Service was decent and I'll be happy to return just for the burger (and the nostalgia from the hotel), minus the bacon strips of course.
We were shocked when we received our bank statement for Apr 15. An amount of $25.00 was charged under “miscellaneous debit” for depositing cash into our corporate account. It seemed that any amount deposited above $25,000 over the counter will be charged 0.1% or minimum of $10 as account services fees. It is as good as you have done something charitable but was charged for being nosy.
The amount was originally intended to be deposited via internet banking but unfortunately the credit limit does not allow such a transfer.
This simple process involved deducting the amount from one account and depositing the same amount to our corporate account electronically. There was no physical handling or counting of cash. Therefore, we failed to understand the logic of such an exorbitant fee for performing a 10-minute transaction and submitting two banking slips to be verified by counter staff.
We felt cheated that the counter staff did not highlight to us on this “Account Services Fee “ and offered other options. After all, we are not talking to machines but humans that are obligated to serve the public. Although the bank can claimed that they have notified us in writing or it was stated in their website, the question is how many of us are truly aware or even remember since transactions like this are not daily affair.
Has our banking system becomes so cold and merciless? We have made everything so convenient by using electronic machines to deposit cash, withdraw cash and even updating our bank books. With internet banking, there are no more human interaction when we need to buy Cashier’s Order or bank draft. Even when we need to clarify any matter, all we hear is the automated machine telling us to press a long list of buttons before we finally get to talk to a human being.
And service fees charged by banks have been increasing. Look like our forefathers were wise when they kept their hard earned cash at home. At least, the banks have no chance of deducting their money.
1=SGD 0.0587
Conveniently located right next to the Paya Lebar MRT Station is this spanking new MOS BURGER residing outside the Paya Lebar Mall.
I would have gone to the grand looking outdoor alfresco dining except for the blaring sun hanging high in noon, though the fan and gazebo kinda cooled it off a bit , yet i was not willing to risk the clothes on my back with patches of perspiration.
Ordering is quick and theres also quite a few seats with air-conditioning and I managed to find one nicely hidden at the side. Place is not roomy yet well organised and noise control was not good as it tends to get noisy with the chatting.
I ordered my favourite Mos Cheese burger which was well made and arrived promptly together with my favourite crunchy croquette which is a mashed potato with mixed veg deep fried breaded fritter.
And for a change instead of the always yummy ice peach tea. i tried their hot chocolate which was surprising good. Chocolate was creamy, not milky and smooth... I was amazed at the quality of their hot chocolate and will be sure to order this again....
Rating given:
We dropped by Wildfire Kitchen for brunch one Saturday morning, in search of their highly raved about burgers. But alas, burgers weren't available till 12pm so we had to order off the breakfast menu.
Taking over the spot vacated by Hatched along the leafy stretch of Evans Road (just across the road from MOE), Wildfire Kitchen spots a cafe like amostphere with cement screed floors, metallic chairs, overhanging exposed tungsten light bulbs, free seating and a "pay and collect your food at the counter" ordering process.
Swiss Rösti - The rösti was deliciously crisp on the outside without coming across as overly charred whilst the scrambled eggs had a nice creaminess (a little less milk would be much appreciated though) to it. Best eaten with the chewy, mildly charred sourdough bread and the firm, savoury Toulouse pork sausage. Only gripe I had was that the salt content in the rösti seemed to be unevenly distributed; some parts were saltier than the others. Nonetheless, a pretty nice dish overall.
Wildfire Breakfast - Wildfire's namesake breakfast aka the big breakfast. Fresh tasting hash browns (no recycled oil taste), savoury Toulouse sausage, mushrooms, a choice of egg (I chose poached), crisp bacon, greens and toast. The eggs were mostly runny (a tad overcooked as a tiny part of the yolk had already hardened) and went well with the sourdough. Pretty decent as well.
Brunch for the both of us cost a relatively reasonable $52. Quality of food was a notch above average and I like that there's no service charge imposed. Do note that its cash or nets only so don't be caught unprepared like yours truly.
And I went back during lunch one weekday to specially try out their burgers.
The Works - This had everything thrown in (120 day grain fed beef patty, baby spinach, bacon, rösti, Parmesan crisp, onion rings, fried egg, tomatoes, beer caramelised onions, guacamole and signature sauce) and was it a feast for the eyes; the sheer monstrosity of all the ingredients stacked up layer by layer and culminating in a beautifully (but partially) glazed bun. Unfortunately it wasn't quite as good as it looked. By virtue of the many ingredients, there were too many competing flavours in every mouthful and it was difficult to have all the flavours gel together. Sometimes less really is more. That aside, the patty (done to a requested medium) was a little too mushy for my liking and the buns could do with a little more time on the griddle to achieve a nice crisp. Still a decent burger nonetheless but it definitely won't be near the top of my list that's for sure. Maybe their basic or specialty burgers might fare better.
And of course the bill. I'll probably return just to have another burger before coming to a conclusion. But for now, I still very much prefer Suprette.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
It was a pretty good experience dining at Robert Timms, not to mention the efficient staff and the nice ambiance. Adore the alfresco dining area that faces the quieter side of orchard road.
The selection on the menu was pretty lacking, with only a few choice of Mains and Sides, however we were pleasantly surprised by what we saw... Braised Kangeroo stew and Kangeroo steak as one of the mains. We took quite alot of courage to try the stew which was presented in dark reddish cubes coupled by some sweet chunks of carrots, zuchinni and onions. The kangeroo meat tasted like a mix of beef and mutton. The texture was good and juicy with a slight muttony after taste. We were quite pleased to be able to boast of our courage to try exotic meat (thats if you consider that exotic.... i know the auzzies are laughing at me the Swar Ku 'mountain tortoise')
We also had the roasted chicken which was pretty well executed with breast meat not too tough and skin well marinated with plentiful herbs served with criss-cut fries which by the way was super yummy.
It was great to meet the buy 2 get 1 free promo as such our free main course was a mushroom and bacon fettuccine. Who can resist these broad chewy noodles in cream sauce.. yes we couldn't and slurped up every bit of it....
The selection of desserts were interesting and there were cakes as well but yet again we couldn't stop ourselves from cafe hopping as such... We would be sure to return to try out the dessert the next round.
Rating given:
We have visited Madam Kwan’s at KLCC Kuala Lumpur a few months ago. It was her authentic Malaysian food that caught our attention when we were there for a trade fair. So when we walking along Vivo City, we saw that she has opened a branch here in Singapore and immediately made our way to check out her signature nasi lemak.
We wanted to try her signature dishes but was told that it was sold out as we were there about 9pm. In the end, we settled for some light dishes.
Fried Kway Teow Noodles ( $14.90 ) – The dish was served piping hot and all that we could see were fat juicy prawns and crunchy bean sprouts. The portion for noodles was so little that we wondered whether we have ordered the last lot of their noodles. Anyway, the noodles were well fried with little oil and still maintained their standard.
Rendang Chicken ( $8.00 ) – There were two pricing for this item, mainly based on the pieces of meat. We ordered 2 pieces of meat. But when the dish was served, it looked more like Curry Chicken as we have expected lesser gravy for rendang dishes.
We verified with the staff but they did not return to our table for the confirmation.
Mixed Vegetables ( $12.90 ) - From their menu description, this dish consisted of lady’s fingers, long beans, brinjals and petai fried in sambal. It has a spicy kick and goes well with our rice which cost $1.50 for a small bowl.
Cendol ( $4.90 ) – This is one of the few good desserts that we have tasted. Generous amount of the ingredients were laid on top with fine shaved ice, coconut cream milk and authentic gula melaka nicely arranged at the bottom of dessert bowl.
Overall, food was good but service was below average as we have difficulties getting the attention of the staff. The place, though spacious was noisy as we could hear the chef cooking, the staff using the juice blender and the diners talking loudly as they could hardly hear themselves too.
Rating given:
We often drove/walked past Hatter Street Bakehouse & Cafe and the place used to be rather quiet until it got featured in a few publications as well as The Straits Times. Intrigued by the hype, we popped by one weekend afternoon for a dessert fix. And even at about 3pm, the place was still pretty full (it's actually pretty small and cramp) but we were lucky to snag two counter seats facing the pedestrian walkway.
Chocolate Hazelnut Tart ($6) - I love a good chocolate hazelnut tart and this was actually pretty good; Chilled, smooth richly yet not too sweet chocolate encased within a crumbly tart shell and topped with a hazelnut. Only gripe I had was that the shell was a tad too moist and could do with a little more stiffness.
Waffle With Pandan Ice Cream & Gula Melaka Sauce ($9.80) - This was a rather unique combination and it piqued our interest quite a fair bit. Crisp waffle (I found it a tad too hard for my liking though) coupled with a scoop of smooth, mildly flavoured pandan ice cream and drizzled over with a distinctive yet not cloyingly sweet gula melaka (palm sugar) sauce. Pleasantly nice local twist to a western dessert I must say.
Will I be back? Most probably, since I don't stay too far off. However Ciel Patisserie might still be my top choice for desserts in the same area as it's cheaper, has less crowds (although seating is even more limited) and quality as a whole is rather similar. Only downside is that they don't do waffles.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Quite an interesting concept of a claypot steamboat with a thick gravy like soup that is well spiced and full of flavor.
We stumbled upon this restaurant while exploring the higher levels of this brand new shopping mall and well the aroma of braised claypot chicken lured us in. The restaurant is of a good size and seating aplenty however the staffs were pretty adamant about not allowing you to occupy a larger seat and we kinda ended up with a tight dining table with butter finger me almost topple my drink and dropping stuffs on the floor.
We ordered a Chicken Hotpot which arrived in a claypot, smaller then what we expected but smelt amazingly yummy. When asked for spiciness, we opted for the minimal which is pretty acceptable to us. We suspected they added MALA (Chinese numbing chilli) to the soup and turned our taste-buds on.
There were plenty of chicken pieces in the claypot coupled with some veg and as we removed the chicken to avoid cooking it, the staff offered to top up with some soup and they did... We were then asked to pick some veg and other steamboat ingredients from the fridge nearby which we did and to be dunk into the now clearer soup to cook.
The meal was satisfying, while the chicken hotpot plus later steamboat was pretty fun and a fresh experience for us, however our clothes do stank a little as we exited.
The medium sized claypot chicken cost us $21.80, while the white plates we took from the fridge $2:80 and black plates $3:80. And there was this snack that was given to us when we first got settled in, which we didn't order and didn't eat that cost us $2:00...
Don't enjoy the snack and the idea behind it.. I mean if you wanna give it without consent, then give it for free... Why Charge somebody for something they didn't ask for... Next time i'm gonna make a big deal out of this *pissed*
Rating given:
It was restaurant week again and we decided to do Chinese for once. Since neither of us had ever been to Summer Palace, we decided to give their lunch a shot.
Located on the third floor of Regent Singapore, just a level above Basilico, Summer Palace houses a rather traditional Chinese interior complete with wooden chairs, golden pillars and a floor of red trim carpeting. We were lucky to be seated by the window (3 such tables available) but there was honestly no view to speak of except for the pool below and the hotel guests sunbathing by it. Still, I appreciated the serenity of the whole place.
Chef's Dim Sum Selection - Deep Fried Prawn Roll with Mango - I liked the crisp, deep fried rice noodles that encapsulated bits of crunchy prawn but unfortunately, the taste of mango was almost non existent. What was interesting was that the mayonnaise that came served alongside actually had hints of mango in it. Or was I imagining things?
Barbecued Pork Bun with Pine Nuts - Boasting a crusty, not too sweet top and a generous filling of sweet, mildly gooey BBQ pork, the bun was actually pretty respectable. However, unlike my personal favourite from Lung King Heen, the sweetness from the BBQ pork actually overwhelmed the nutty taste of the pine nuts and the bun itself wasn't as soft or chewy.
Steamed Prawn Dumpling with Bird's Nest -This was your typical 虾角 with a mere aesthetic upgrade aka tasteless shreds of birds nest. Throw in a relatively limp dumpling skin and you have an average prawn dumpling.
Double Boiled Ginseng with Fish Maw, Conpoy and Bamboo Piths - Although I'm personally not a fan of ginseng, this soup was quite good in my humble opinion. Tasty yet light with the mild taste of ginseng helping to keep the nausea at bay and the spongy fish maw coming across as crunchy.
Stir Fried Fish Cubes with Asparagus in Teriyaki Sauce - Flaky and smooth flesh coupled with a light sweetness from the teriyaki sauce and a mild savouriness from the stir fried garlic and ginger. Pretty good. Only issue I had was that the sweetness of the teriyaki dominated the natural sweetness of the cod fish, which I personally am quite a fan of.
Fried Glass Vermicelli with Crabmeat and Black Pepper - A tad chewy with an abundance of wok hei, crab meat shreds and black pepper for that mildly peppery kick, the glass vermicelli was pretty decent. And the beansprouts added a nice crunchiness to it.
Combination of Desserts - Osmanthus Jelly with Wolfberries - Nice and sweet with the wolfberries tasting very similar to raisins.
Mango Sago - Chilled and a tad runny but thankfully, not too sweet. Not as refreshing as I expected and could probably do with a little tartness and a little more time in the fridge.
Lemongrass Jelly - I absolutely dislike lemongrass but this turned out surprisingly acceptable. The lemongrass taste was rather faint and it tasted like your regular ice jelly dessert with crunchy bits of aloe vera. Very decent.
And so concluded our lunch, with two restaurant week lunch sets and a pot of 龙井 hitting the century mark. Pretty satisfactory lunch but I personally don't deem it wow enough for a return visit, not when the normal ala carte prices seem a tad steep for the quality of food. Service was excellent though; warm yet unintrusive.
See all my pictures here.
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Mooks, our late night mookata (thai BBQ/Steamboat) hangout. Yes, they are open till 3am on most nights especially weekends and eves of public holidays and well be sure to call to reserve seats before heading down as this cosy joint which is one of the uncommonly few air-conditioned mookata restaurants in Singapore keeps your food sizzling hot and you as cool as a basking polar bear.
Love the location as parking is just at your doorstep, especially when the night gets younger, the parking gets more convenient and well, taxis are easy to catch and public transport is just 5 mins walk away.
I enjoyed the simple no frills setting, no fancy corridor blockers, just simple, spacious and clean designs with spacy sitting and real fresh ingredients for the BBQ. We were quickly seated by the friendly staff and served a menu while she took orders for our drinks. The menu was simple, you could order ala cart or a set which comprises of seafood, poultry, noodles, eggs and many more item which 2 ladies are unable to complete. Yes we ordered the set and additional beef to go with.
We took fancy of the dome shaped mookata cooking equipment and loved it more when we were told to fry our own pork fats to oil the plate. It was fun and quite a new experience for both of us. Once an innovative invention of survivors in the jungle, turning soldier helmets into cooking utensils for fresh BBQ with well flavoured soup to finish the meal created today's hip combination of BBQ & Steamboat.
The ingredients were fresh and included fish, prawns and squid for seafood. I felt less guilty when i realised all ingredients were non seasoned and we were supposed to dunk them into a special bowl of dipping sauce. Well the dipping sauce was out of this world. I adored the burst of sweet, savoury and slightly spicy taste with hints of lingering fragrance of sesame from the special sauce.
We managed to cook some Tung Fen (Rice Vermicelli) and veg in the soup which tasted savoury with all the goodness of the grilled ingredients and we also managed to poach some eggs in the oh so rich soup.
Though we completed the meal smelling like BBQ ourselves, it was an extremely fun experience and is a very good bonding activity for friends. It was exciting to experiment different cooking styles together while chit-chatting and updating each other about our everyday mundane lives. Another great thing is that i didn't get any hot oil splattered on me like when i'm BBQing elsewhere.
Was a really fun experience with yummy food and the special concocted dipping sauce is just AWESOME... Love the late night dining concept especially friendly to night owls like me... Nice place to hang out and will invite more friends to visit it again... #SleeplessNightsInSG
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I was in search of a good burger, having been recently disappointed by W39's over-hyped rendition and word on the street was that Suprette served up one of the best burgers in Singapore in current times. Since it wasn't too far from our place, the wife and I decided to drop by one Sunday morning for brunch (yay to free parking at the public carpark).
Suprette is actually housed in the heritage Kam Leng Hotel (first established in 1927 and later extensively refurbished and reopened in 2012), along the busy and sometimes chaotic Jalan Besar Road. The simply furnished eatery is quite small and can probably take up to about 30 customers in one sitting. As it is located on the ground floor, all the views you get are of cars and passers-by (relatively rare). But the place is cosy in it's own right, exuding an unhurried, small world charm amidst the hustle of the passing traffic. However, having said that, pray for quiet patrons. During our visit, there was a relatively loud table who held us hostage with their gossips and that marred our experience quite a fair bit.
Pasta Of The Day - Pasta of the day happened to be Carbonara so went for it. In a "tribute" to the local dining scene, the spaghetti is served on a water resistant brown foil (like those you would get at nasi lemak or economic beehoon stalls) placed in a old school tin plate. Or maybe they just wanted to save cost and do away with the fancy tableware. Anyways, the spaghetti was a little overcooked while the cream sauce came across as a tad runny. Throw in generous handful of porky, fat laden bacon bits and you end up with a rather uninspiring rendition of this Italian classic. I reckon I could get something similar at a random western food stall in Singapore, at a fraction of the cost.
Suprette Burger - The sole reason why we were here; Suprette's eponymous burger, with an additional topping of bacon and mushrooms ($3 apiece). Soft buns slathered with butter and toasted on the griddle till crisp and golden brown on the surface, sandwiching a juicy, beefy patty with bits of fat for that extra chewiness and topped with a layer of gruyere cheese which imbued it with a faintly sweet, nutty taste.The additional topping of mushrooms was worth it, adding an earthy perspective to the mix but the bacon did come across as a tad too crisp, dry and lacking in salt. Overall still a good burger and one of the best I've had in a while (last one was at Minetta Tavern in New York).
There is only 1 dessert available daily and we didn't fancy what was on offer that day (lemon meringue pie with vanilla ice cream) so we skipped it.
At $20 for a basic burger with fries, it is honestly a little on the pricey side but I reckon it's well worth the dough. Service was decent and I'll be happy to return just for the burger (and the nostalgia from the hotel), minus the bacon strips of course.
See all my pictures here.
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We were shocked when we received our bank statement for Apr 15. An amount of $25.00 was charged under “miscellaneous debit” for depositing cash into our corporate account. It seemed that any amount deposited above $25,000 over the counter will be charged 0.1% or minimum of $10 as account services fees. It is as good as you have done something charitable but was charged for being nosy.
The amount was originally intended to be deposited via internet banking but unfortunately the credit limit does not allow such a transfer.
This simple process involved deducting the amount from one account and depositing the same amount to our corporate account electronically. There was no physical handling or counting of cash. Therefore, we failed to understand the logic of such an exorbitant fee for performing a 10-minute transaction and submitting two banking slips to be verified by counter staff.
We felt cheated that the counter staff did not highlight to us on this “Account Services Fee “ and offered other options. After all, we are not talking to machines but humans that are obligated to serve the public. Although the bank can claimed that they have notified us in writing or it was stated in their website, the question is how many of us are truly aware or even remember since transactions like this are not daily affair.
Has our banking system becomes so cold and merciless? We have made everything so convenient by using electronic machines to deposit cash, withdraw cash and even updating our bank books. With internet banking, there are no more human interaction when we need to buy Cashier’s Order or bank draft. Even when we need to clarify any matter, all we hear is the automated machine telling us to press a long list of buttons before we finally get to talk to a human being.
And service fees charged by banks have been increasing. Look like our forefathers were wise when they kept their hard earned cash at home. At least, the banks have no chance of deducting their money.
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