I have eaten a few times at this cafe at different times of the day. The service was average while the lady boss was friendly. It would have been good to let us know before our entrance especially when the kitchen would be closed an hour earlier than the closing time.
Thus, we felt rushed to order our food. The food arrived soon after our orders as we were one of the last customers. I felt the wedges lacked in taste for the frying part. It was crispy but it lacked the spices.
The melted cheese was cool and not warm like what I usually get from other places. Since it was still soft, I didn't want to put up a fuss. No wow factor but a nice place for some finger food.
My friend brought me to this restaurant for dinner last weekend. She told me that the prices were quite reasonable and the portion of the food was quite big.
And what she said was true.
The restaurant looked bright and nice. We were welcomed by a polite waitress.
The table was kind of small. Nevertheless, we did not order much food that day.
I ordered a hot green tea and a Sukiyaki Gozen set. The Sukiyaki Gozen cost only $16.90. I used the word "only" because I found it very worth the price compared to other Japanese restaurants.
The set consisted of the Sukiyaki pot itself, plain udon, white rice, salmon sashimi, a small bowl of lotus roots, miso soup, and 2 pieces of fresh orange.
The beef in the pot was very sufficient for me (might be more than sufficient for some). And the soup in the pot was really nice and tasty. I added udon into the soup as well.
The salmon sashimi pieces were thick and fresh.
I was quite satisfied with my meal and was really very full after that.
Having heard much good things about the Indulge from online forums and websites, i decided to make a trip down that same day i had my anniversary with my gf. In fact, this came after Braise and was an early dinner for us. Touted as a reasonably priced and good gourmet food restaurant, it had alot to live up to. Did it meet expectations though?
Indulge Yourself ($6.50) - Indulge Special ($7.50) - The interior is decorated with art pieces, soft lighting and simple chairs for a simplistic yet comfortable touch. Fronting the door is the bar were drinks are prepared while the restaurant has a seating capacity of about 30 people. The drinks were recommended by the waiter who informed that the drinks were made using real juice. The Indulge Yourself drink is made of half mango and half strawberry juice which was actually decent but the novelty wears off after a while. The Indulge special has mango, watermelon and a blue coral mix which was also cooling but extremely sweet.
Crispy Prawn Tossed with garlic mayo and sunflower seeds - Quite a mouthful in terms of a name but in actuality, it has much in common with the wasabi prawn. The batter is thin and crispy while the mayo is decidedly fragrant enough to warrant a taste. I did find the prawns a tad too small and the serving size too little but thats also testament to me wanting to have more of the dish.
Szechuan Sweet and Spicy Soup - Having not gotten the mild pumpkin soup ready in the kitchen, the chef nicely told us of the alternative of having a special szechuan soup which i feel is actually pretty good. Sweet, sour and spicy, it has some of the Szechuan flavor one might come to expect. Its not very strong though so it comes across as just right. I could have a second bowl of this easily.
Pan Seared Salmon in Kung Po Sauce - We asked to change the lemon sauce salmon for the pan seared kung po salmon as it was one of the winning dishes this restaurant has produced for the Singapore excellent food awards. Alas, i beg to understand how this dish could ever win? The salmon was pan fried too dry with the meat being dry, hard and lacking taste. No doubt the kung po sauce is excellent but the salmon itself totally disappointed me and my gf. Not to mention the size of the salmon was decidedly small. Its quite a let down actually.
Grilled Ribeye With Braised Mushroom - Another award winning dish for excellent food awards, i was also disappointed as the meat was tasteless and could only pass for average at best. The presentation is pretty good but tastewise, it leaves much to be desired. In fact, i was constantly given the impression that these dishes were sold short as they were included in a budget set dinner menu but thats just me i suppose.
Passion Fruit Panna Cotta With Chocolate Ice Cream - The panna cotta is blurred off in the back of the picture. The ice cream is average at best. Supermarket quality if i'm not wrong but the panna cotta tasted fresh, sweet and smooth enough to recommend. Now if they could give a full cup of it instead of 1/3 cup, that would be great
The final bill clocked in at $72.75 for 2 people. Its a real mixed bag but to me, my hopes were built too high and the drop too steep to feel the meal justified.
Sage the restaurant, recently relocated to one of Mohamed Sultan’s historical conservation shophouse, just across the street from their previous place at a rather obscure location on the second front of Robertson Walk. Sage is one of the widely hype restaurant in our local food scene who has won acclaims from many foodies.
Sage the restaurant has just started their set lunch menu which offers 3 course at $38 , and 4 course meal at $45 . Given that the main course for their dinner menu ranges from 30s to the 40s individually, i’ll say that the set lunch do seems rather value. And note that lunch is only served from Wednesday to Friday.
The husband and wife combination works very well for Sage, with Chef-owner Jusman So helming the kitchen while his friendly wife, Kimberly taking charge of the service aspect. Chef Jusman So also recently won the choice title of rising chef of the year in the World Gourmet Summit (WGS).
The interior of the newly furnished restaurant speaks contemporary chic. With Black and grey being theme colour, the white simplistic tables strikes out bringing the simple-yet-elegant feel of the place. There is just a single picture frame to adorn the black wall, with the back of the room leading to the open kitchen
The open kitchen concept provides a insight of the chefs hard at work to provide a satisfactory meal for us. I do believe that having an open kitchen concept is a rather important aspect of a restaurant, for one, diners can have a look at the chefs at work, and also by doing an open concept, it shows that the restaurant has nothing to hide, and it does build a bridge linking the diners stomach and the chefs heart for their effort.
I applaused the fact that Sage chose to retain its seating capacity at 38, when they can actually have no problem expanding the place and filling it up every night. That for me, is a true sign of Sage’s intention, not to compromise the standards of the food quality with any increase in capacity.
Complimentary bread
The complimentary bread was very good, soft and fluffy, with the cheese spread that comes along together, i’ll have asked for second helpings if not for the fact that we still have a four course meal ($38 ) to finish.
Smoked Salmon ($12)
Scottish smoked salmon loin on cucumber relish with avruga caviar. Cauliflower couscous salad and dill infused leek & potato vichyssoise. The smoked salmon loin was tasty although i found it to be slightly salty. I didn't like the cauliflower couscous salad as i felt that its rather heavy for a salad but my friend thought that it was all right.
The avruga caviar, pearlescent black in colour, is a more sustainable alternative to its more expensive relative, Beluga caviar, completes the salmon loin.
Crab & tomato ($12)
Marinated crab salad topped with oven dried tomatoes and avocado mousseline, taggiasca olive tapenade and vine ripe tomato gazpacho. The oven dried tomatoes and the vine ripe tomato gazpacho, enhances the flavor of the crab meat. I couldn't quite make out the taggiasca olive tapenade, but it tastes nice to me. Same goes for the avocado mousseline, but then again i am not really a fan of avocado.
Overall a simple dish (maybe not that simple in cooking it) that packs a lot of different flavors into one. The cooking method do seems to be the trademark of Chef Jusman who use many different type of ingredients to blend into one.
Mushrooms soup ($12)
Cappuccino of wild mushrooms. My friend and i had no words to describe the soup after having a spoonful. The plain-looking mushroom soup has a make-over and the interpretation comes in the form of a cappuccino, not quite what you will picture for a soup.
Nevertheless, the mushrooms soup was nothing short of excellence. Like what i mentioned before, mushrooms are always a tricky task, cook it for too long and the mushroom becomes over-cooked, while finishing it too early the soup will fail to absorb the essence of the mushrooms.
The mushroom soup arrived in a cup of cappuccino, with foamy top layer, and creamy base. Some common mushroom soups might still have bits of mushrooms in it, but not this one. The wild mushrooms seem to blend together naturally, and every mouthful just tasted so flavorsome.
Personally i do not like mushroom soup, but the fact that one spoonful of soup leaded to the other, with me finishing the whole soup tells you how good the soup is. There are definitely better mushroom soups out there, but for now, this is the best mushroom soup i had before.
French Onion soup ($12)
Perhaps the mushroom soup was too good, that we actually find the French onion soup to be quite normal in contrast. Nonetheless, the soup was still very rich, with its strong onion taste.
Traditional French onion soup with crouton and melted gruyere cheese. Crouton is the small piece of sauteed bread that acted as a companion to the soup. However we did not really taste the melted gruyere cheese because the bread became rather soggy in a short while.
Cod ($42, with $15 supplement applies to set menu)
Roasted fillet of cod topped with prawn and cognac butter on salt cod brandade and bouillabaisse sauce. The Cod was definitely the star of the show. Both my friend and i arrived at the conclusion that the cod was class. The roasted fillet was wonderfully balanced, there were hints of the roasted element, but it did not shows on the fillet.
If the end product of the Cod was the magic produced, then the prawn and cognac butter was certainly the wand that produce the magic. The cod on its own did not warrant a perfect score yet, but wait until you tasted the cod together with the prawn and cognac butter layer, that was pure magic.
The mashed potato beneath the cod also tasted well together with the bouillabaisse sauce. The sauce which was made from a traditional provencal fish stew has a fulsome flavor, and when you have a piece of the roasted cod with the prawn and cognac butter on top, and dipped with the bouillabaisse sauce, there was nothing quite like to describe the taste.
Duck Confit ($28, with $10 supplement applies to set menu)
Duck leg confit on a savoy cabbage parcel stuffed with field mushroom, leek and red onion in pommery mustard sauce. We chose duck confit because it's always a dish that is difficult to handle, and can test the skills of the chef. The mark of a good duck confit obviously lies in the meat, if the duck is cooked for too long, the meat will become soggy and soft, while under-cook will make it becomes too tight and hard.
Poking a fork into the duck leg confit, we were glad to find that the duck meat remains firm while retaining its perfectly crispy skin. With the price tag, this was one expensive duck leg, which you otherwise could have a whole duck elsewhere, but made no mistake, the duck leg confit was certainly worth the money.
The pommery mustard sauce did come across to us as rather weird initially, but mixing it with the firm duck meat brought out the brilliance of it.
My friend enjoyed the Pernankan-inspired cabbage parcel stuffed with field mushroom, leek and red onion, but it did not works for me. I felt that the cabbage parcel was too salty for my liking, and the leek and red onion combination did not really suit my tastebud.
Strawberry Panna Cotta ($12)
Vanilla panna cotta topped with strawberry jelly and chocolate ganache, compote of strawberries and crunchy nougat. The sweet vanilla panna cotta and chocolate ganache striked a good balance with the slightly sourish strawberry.The panna cotta itself was quite thick and rich with the fragrant vanilla taste.
The serving size was quite adequate, and the strawberry panna cotta was quite good, until i try the Oreo Semifreddo, which is in a different league all together.
Oreo Semifreddo ($12)
Oreo cookie semifreddo with frozen raspberry mousse and soft coffee scented meringue. This, is the first time i am having a semifreddo, and i am already regretting why have i not try this earlier. The Oreo semifreddo was made up of three different compositions, with the top layer being the soft coffee scented meringue, the middle layer the oreo cookie semifreddo, and the base the frozen raspberry mousse.
The oreo semifreddo really, was playing with our scents, the soft coffee meringue was more to the bitter side, while the oreo cookie ice cream added the sweet touch, and the frozen raspberry mousse completed with a chilly sourish zang. Trying the three different parts separately yielded nothing special, but it was when you united the three layers together then you realised what the oreo semifreddo was about.
Total bill is a princely $135 for 2 person, and this is lunch, not dinner. This ought to be the most expensive lunch i ever had, but all the same, the best lunch. The amount is madness really, two set lunches at $45 each, we topped up $10 for the duck confit, $15 for the cod, and factor in the 17% additional charges, do your sums!
The way that Chef Jusman uses a combination of many different ingredients in one dish is one thing, but to blend all the tastes is another matter all together. There are of course positive and negative things for everything, and there is no exception here too. The slightly negative aspect will be every dish is too flavorsome and it really takes time to absorb and digest what you eat. However you can choose to look at that from a positive angle too.
One thing i ought to mention as well, before this visit to Sage i made a few attempts to go actually but on those few occasions i were held up in the very last minute and couldn’t make it. Each time i called up Sage to make another new reservation, and each time Kimberly picked up the phone and answer my every inquiry politely and patiently. There was never a time where i felt that she was frustrated by this guy here calling up a few times to keep on postponing the reservation. For that i applause her for her sincere altitude, which can be genuinely felt across the phone.
I rave about Sage the restaurant, I praise the way Chef Jusman uses his ingredients and play with his food. I appreciate the manner which Kimberly treats her customers, genuine, friendly yet professional which makes you totally free at home. Not to mention the other serving staff at Sage which i find are quite knowledgeable and know when’s the right time to approach us and when not to disturb us. The combination of all the factors make Sage the restaurant a strong contender to ladyironchef’s best restaurant 2008.
I do believe that there are certainly better restaurants out there, Les Amis, Saint Pierre, Iggy just to name a few, are all stronghold in their own rights, but since i have not try the other restaurants, i can only comment on what i have tried. And for the restaurants which i have been to, i say Sage is one of the best, until i experience a better one then, Sage the restaurant it is!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Competition is very tough in the Food & Beverage industry. Comparison is thus inevitable among the different competitors. In the cut-throat environment, we have to give credits to entrepreneurs who dare to be different, who dare to venture out, experiment with different food and put their creativity to use.
And this can only be good news to consumers like you and me, with competition will there then be improvements and innovations, and this can only mean there will be more variety and choices for us to choose from. Applause to the food entrepreneurs who make all these happen, and to do that, we need to support them by trying their food.
P.Osh is the brainchild between the two owners, Paul and Josh who both have a passion for brownies and cookies. Well they find most of the brownies to be fairly similar, and boring. Then through experimental, they came up with their own version of how a good brownie should be like, and hence the born of P.Osh.
P.Osh is located at the shopping belt of Dhoby Ghaut Mrt, where it is ideal in serving the shopping and the working crowd. It is the name P.Osh which stands out though. Remembering i seen the name before, i follow the trait to the little outlet and this leads to the brownie discovery!
The owners explained that there are currently about 11 types of brownies available, and you can get 5 in a box for $13, and 10 mini ones for $20. Like i said, comparison is inevitable in this line, and having tried brownies from the Brownie Factory recently, it’s no surprise really that i’ll compare both to give a big picture.
The folks at P.Osh says that each brownie tastes different, smells different, looks different, and feels different. Excitingly unique, and full of character. Some bake brownies, we give brownies life. Find a brownie that is so you, then fall in love with it. Some say, ‘you are what you eat’. We say, ‘you eat what you are’
Triple Earle C. ($3) “He has switched lines many times, and they simply love him wherever he goes. Jack of all trades, yet master of all. No surprise, he is everybody’s favourite dude”
The Triple Earle C. like the name implies, is make up of three different type of chocolates, namely dark, milk and white chocolate. However, it is not as sweet as the the name suggests, compare with the other few, i certainly don’t find the triple chocolate sweet, i guess the dark chocolate helps to balance the sweetness, which is quite similar to the triple choc which i had at Brownie Factory.
Mint E. Choc ($3.30) Mint mousse and dark chocolate constitutes the Mint E. Choc brownie. I like the refreshing mint mousse which coupled with the dark chocolate makes a good balance between the mint and chocolate taste.
The Mint E. Choc brownie is the newest creation of P.Osh, so if you brought their brownie before, it is likely you haven’t seen this one unless you been there recently.
Coff E. Choc ($2.90) “He always starts the day early and keeps it intense throughout. Driven and dashing, he never fails to keep everyone on the edge of their seats”
The coffee caramel brownie or Coff E. Choc is also one of the favourites at P.Osh. The strong hint of caramel is evident, but there isn’t much coffee taste. I guess it’s good news to non-coffee lovers like me, but a disaster if you would want the best of both worlds, your coffee and caramel.
Marsh E. Mellow ($2.80) “With such a colourful character, no one thought he would be so soft inside. Sensitive to everyone in need, he will put a smile on your face.”
Now, the Marsh E. Mellow is what we are looking for, this without a doubt, is my favourite brownie among the 5. The marsh mellow is slightly toasted to bring out the sweet flavor. And the staff actually designed this brownie on the spot, so you need to wait a while as they helped to make it pretty.
Wal Nutt B. ($3) “To some, he opens up and cracks nutty jokes. To others, it is hard to get past the wall to really know him. He likes to think those are the little light and dark sides he chooses to show them.”
This is actually the same as the Triple Earle C just that Wal Nutt B is triple chocolate on walnut. I preferred the triple earle c maybe because i don’t really fancy walnut. But i have to admit the walnut does help to reduce the sweetness level, that is if you don’t want your brownie to be that sweet.
Total bill for a box of 5 brownie is $13 with choice from 11 brownie selections. The brownies at P.Osh is creative and pretty to look at, but i have to point out one fact, the base of all the brownie here are actually the same, with the difference mainly in the toppings.
Whereas for Brownie Factory, the brownies there have brownie bases which differs in taste and looks with some being more chewy, some being softer and harder. But for the brownies at P.Osh, all of the brownie bases are the same, and i become a little sick after i try all the brownies, because all of the bases taste the same except for the exceptions of the toppings above.
The owners explained that their competitors actually add different fillings into the base, but for P.Osh they decided not to because they felt that by using toppings they will be able to match tastes which would not go well if infused. And infused tastes would go almost as well if done as a topping. And most importantly, the looks of the brownies are much better in terms of colour and design.
I do agree appearance wise, the brownies at P.Osh certainly are up a notch with their bright and vibrant colours as toppings. But i guess its really up to the individual, personally i’ll prefer to have more variety in the base, but if you are all right with it, the pretty brownies here certainly makes a good box of gift.
I’ll like to once again applause all the food entrepreneurs out there, for you all make our world of food more interesting. And to the folks at P.Osh, continue your brownie revolution!
Buy flowers as gift? That is so passe. A box of chocolate as present? That is so last season. Buy a box of brownies, from P.Osh!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
SLII Muffin is quite prominent in the Marina Square food loft, since its the only shop that looks rather empty and selling muffin in a food court certainly draws attention. Curiosity kills the cat, and i can’t help myself in buying a muffin and tart.
Prices are reasonable, with $1.50 being the highest. There’s the promotion of buy 5 get 1 free, however i wasn’t feeling very adventurous that day, and my friend ain’t a fan of muffin and tart, so there’s no way i can finish all 6.
There are quite many variety to choose from, and i find myself looking at strawberry, raisin, lemon, cranberry, even black sesame muffin! In the end LIC decided to go for the safe choice, chocolate chip muffin and chocolate cheese tart.
Chocolate Cheese tart ($1.50) I didn’t make a wrong choice on the chocolate cheese tart. The fillings were cheesy and coupled with chocolate, wins the thumbs up from me. The tart is cris, and not those soft type, the chocolate swirl does makes a pretty scene. And at $1.50 for quite a big tart, i think its rather worth the price.
Chocolate chip muffin ($1.20) The chocolate chips on the muffins are big and chocolaty, and the muffin body is soft and fluffy. Always a safe option if you are not feeling too adventurous. While not exactly a fan of muffins, i thought this one is rather all right, given i did not set high hopes since this is found in a food court.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
I always dislike eating at food courts. Reason is very simple, the food is not as nice as the hawker centre, selling the same type of food but the price maybe twice as higher. You can’t compare it with cafe neither. So food court are like nowhere there, just hanging in between.
Its no wonder that you don’t see me eating at food courts, even really no choice, i also won’t eat there. I rather go our local hawker centre for my all time favourite char kuay teow, the awesome hokkien mee, or fried oyster ommelette, and maybe a plate of wanton mee?
Bacon claypot rice ($4.50) You must be wondering since i dislike food court, why do i even bother posting on them. Well this is the first time i ever see claypot rice using bacon instead of chicken. So i guess its more of a novelty. Anyway, they also have ham, seafood claypot and a few others variety. But sad to say, the claypot doesn’t taste nice at all, i guess that vindicate what i had mention earlier.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
To put it plainly, I like the Durian Puff. The durian is rich and creamy, although the pastry is pretty normal. However, the pastry rides on the delicious taste of the durian and all in all, a good eat. However prices are a little steep and I personally still prefer the one from Puteri Mas.
My first impression of the Hokkien Mee was bad. The noodles looked like they were soaked in gravy. Even after leaving it to dry for a while, it was still very watery. Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good and light, unlike the usual Hokkien Mees that are heavy on the flavours and kicks you in the stomach if you consume too much. A very decent rendition at a affordable $3. Not cheap, but not expensive either.
PK Xpress fish & chips. This store is reputed for their Aussie Fish & chips, and selling at $6 per set in a “hawker centre environment” they really got quite a lot to live up to.
Aussie Fish & Chips ($6) The aussie fish & chips certainly does not fail to disappoint. Cripsy on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside. Plus the serving is quite huge. Another thing worth mentioning is the accompanying salad, there’s nothing special about the greens, the slices of mango mixed with the greens are really sweet!
I don’t like the fries though, its just like normal potato fried and served. Anyway we got 2 portions of it and cannot finish because we had other food as well.
Banana Walnut cake ($2.50) Besides having fish and chips, the store also serve some awesome home-made desserts and cakes. The banana cake may looks quite small at $2.50, but my friend finish it in a mouth-full!
Chocolate Cake ($2.80) The home-made chocolate cake is really a steal with such a large slice at $2.80. After eating so much food, we really struggle to finish the cake. The chocolate cake can be better if there’s more layer of thin chocolate in between the cake as i find it a tad on the dry side.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
1=SGD 0.0587
I have eaten a few times at this cafe at different times of the day. The service was average while the lady boss was friendly. It would have been good to let us know before our entrance especially when the kitchen would be closed an hour earlier than the closing time.
Thus, we felt rushed to order our food. The food arrived soon after our orders as we were one of the last customers. I felt the wedges lacked in taste for the frying part. It was crispy but it lacked the spices.
The melted cheese was cool and not warm like what I usually get from other places. Since it was still soft, I didn't want to put up a fuss. No wow factor but a nice place for some finger food.
Rating given:
My friend brought me to this restaurant for dinner last weekend. She told me that the prices were quite reasonable and the portion of the food was quite big.
And what she said was true.
The restaurant looked bright and nice. We were welcomed by a polite waitress.
The table was kind of small. Nevertheless, we did not order much food that day.
I ordered a hot green tea and a Sukiyaki Gozen set. The Sukiyaki Gozen cost only $16.90. I used the word "only" because I found it very worth the price compared to other Japanese restaurants.
The set consisted of the Sukiyaki pot itself, plain udon, white rice, salmon sashimi, a small bowl of lotus roots, miso soup, and 2 pieces of fresh orange.
The beef in the pot was very sufficient for me (might be more than sufficient for some). And the soup in the pot was really nice and tasty. I added udon into the soup as well.
The salmon sashimi pieces were thick and fresh.
I was quite satisfied with my meal and was really very full after that.
Will return again :)
Rating given:
Having heard much good things about the Indulge from online forums and websites, i decided to make a trip down that same day i had my anniversary with my gf. In fact, this came after Braise and was an early dinner for us. Touted as a reasonably priced and good gourmet food restaurant, it had alot to live up to. Did it meet expectations though?
Indulge Yourself ($6.50) - Indulge Special ($7.50) - The interior is decorated with art pieces, soft lighting and simple chairs for a simplistic yet comfortable touch. Fronting the door is the bar were drinks are prepared while the restaurant has a seating capacity of about 30 people. The drinks were recommended by the waiter who informed that the drinks were made using real juice. The Indulge Yourself drink is made of half mango and half strawberry juice which was actually decent but the novelty wears off after a while. The Indulge special has mango, watermelon and a blue coral mix which was also cooling but extremely sweet.
Crispy Prawn Tossed with garlic mayo and sunflower seeds - Quite a mouthful in terms of a name but in actuality, it has much in common with the wasabi prawn. The batter is thin and crispy while the mayo is decidedly fragrant enough to warrant a taste. I did find the prawns a tad too small and the serving size too little but thats also testament to me wanting to have more of the dish.
Szechuan Sweet and Spicy Soup - Having not gotten the mild pumpkin soup ready in the kitchen, the chef nicely told us of the alternative of having a special szechuan soup which i feel is actually pretty good. Sweet, sour and spicy, it has some of the Szechuan flavor one might come to expect. Its not very strong though so it comes across as just right. I could have a second bowl of this easily.
Pan Seared Salmon in Kung Po Sauce - We asked to change the lemon sauce salmon for the pan seared kung po salmon as it was one of the winning dishes this restaurant has produced for the Singapore excellent food awards. Alas, i beg to understand how this dish could ever win? The salmon was pan fried too dry with the meat being dry, hard and lacking taste. No doubt the kung po sauce is excellent but the salmon itself totally disappointed me and my gf. Not to mention the size of the salmon was decidedly small. Its quite a let down actually.
Grilled Ribeye With Braised Mushroom - Another award winning dish for excellent food awards, i was also disappointed as the meat was tasteless and could only pass for average at best. The presentation is pretty good but tastewise, it leaves much to be desired. In fact, i was constantly given the impression that these dishes were sold short as they were included in a budget set dinner menu but thats just me i suppose.
Passion Fruit Panna Cotta With Chocolate Ice Cream - The panna cotta is blurred off in the back of the picture. The ice cream is average at best. Supermarket quality if i'm not wrong but the panna cotta tasted fresh, sweet and smooth enough to recommend. Now if they could give a full cup of it instead of 1/3 cup, that would be great
The final bill clocked in at $72.75 for 2 people. Its a real mixed bag but to me, my hopes were built too high and the drop too steep to feel the meal justified.
Rating given:
Sage the restaurant, recently relocated to one of Mohamed Sultan’s historical conservation shophouse, just across the street from their previous place at a rather obscure location on the second front of Robertson Walk. Sage is one of the widely hype restaurant in our local food scene who has won acclaims from many foodies.
Sage the restaurant has just started their set lunch menu which offers 3 course at $38 , and 4 course meal at $45 . Given that the main course for their dinner menu ranges from 30s to the 40s individually, i’ll say that the set lunch do seems rather value. And note that lunch is only served from Wednesday to Friday.
The husband and wife combination works very well for Sage, with Chef-owner Jusman So helming the kitchen while his friendly wife, Kimberly taking charge of the service aspect. Chef Jusman So also recently won the choice title of rising chef of the year in the World Gourmet Summit (WGS).
The interior of the newly furnished restaurant speaks contemporary chic. With Black and grey being theme colour, the white simplistic tables strikes out bringing the simple-yet-elegant feel of the place. There is just a single picture frame to adorn the black wall, with the back of the room leading to the open kitchen
The open kitchen concept provides a insight of the chefs hard at work to provide a satisfactory meal for us. I do believe that having an open kitchen concept is a rather important aspect of a restaurant, for one, diners can have a look at the chefs at work, and also by doing an open concept, it shows that the restaurant has nothing to hide, and it does build a bridge linking the diners stomach and the chefs heart for their effort.
I applaused the fact that Sage chose to retain its seating capacity at 38, when they can actually have no problem expanding the place and filling it up every night. That for me, is a true sign of Sage’s intention, not to compromise the standards of the food quality with any increase in capacity.
Complimentary bread
The complimentary bread was very good, soft and fluffy, with the cheese spread that comes along together, i’ll have asked for second helpings if not for the fact that we still have a four course meal ($38 ) to finish.
Smoked Salmon ($12)
Scottish smoked salmon loin on cucumber relish with avruga caviar. Cauliflower couscous salad and dill infused leek & potato vichyssoise. The smoked salmon loin was tasty although i found it to be slightly salty. I didn't like the cauliflower couscous salad as i felt that its rather heavy for a salad but my friend thought that it was all right.
The avruga caviar, pearlescent black in colour, is a more sustainable alternative to its more expensive relative, Beluga caviar, completes the salmon loin.
Crab & tomato ($12)
Marinated crab salad topped with oven dried tomatoes and avocado mousseline, taggiasca olive tapenade and vine ripe tomato gazpacho. The oven dried tomatoes and the vine ripe tomato gazpacho, enhances the flavor of the crab meat. I couldn't quite make out the taggiasca olive tapenade, but it tastes nice to me. Same goes for the avocado mousseline, but then again i am not really a fan of avocado.
Overall a simple dish (maybe not that simple in cooking it) that packs a lot of different flavors into one. The cooking method do seems to be the trademark of Chef Jusman who use many different type of ingredients to blend into one.
Mushrooms soup ($12)
Cappuccino of wild mushrooms. My friend and i had no words to describe the soup after having a spoonful. The plain-looking mushroom soup has a make-over and the interpretation comes in the form of a cappuccino, not quite what you will picture for a soup.
Nevertheless, the mushrooms soup was nothing short of excellence. Like what i mentioned before, mushrooms are always a tricky task, cook it for too long and the mushroom becomes over-cooked, while finishing it too early the soup will fail to absorb the essence of the mushrooms.
The mushroom soup arrived in a cup of cappuccino, with foamy top layer, and creamy base. Some common mushroom soups might still have bits of mushrooms in it, but not this one. The wild mushrooms seem to blend together naturally, and every mouthful just tasted so flavorsome.
Personally i do not like mushroom soup, but the fact that one spoonful of soup leaded to the other, with me finishing the whole soup tells you how good the soup is. There are definitely better mushroom soups out there, but for now, this is the best mushroom soup i had before.
French Onion soup ($12)
Perhaps the mushroom soup was too good, that we actually find the French onion soup to be quite normal in contrast. Nonetheless, the soup was still very rich, with its strong onion taste.
Traditional French onion soup with crouton and melted gruyere cheese. Crouton is the small piece of sauteed bread that acted as a companion to the soup. However we did not really taste the melted gruyere cheese because the bread became rather soggy in a short while.
Cod ($42, with $15 supplement applies to set menu)
Roasted fillet of cod topped with prawn and cognac butter on salt cod brandade and bouillabaisse sauce. The Cod was definitely the star of the show. Both my friend and i arrived at the conclusion that the cod was class. The roasted fillet was wonderfully balanced, there were hints of the roasted element, but it did not shows on the fillet.
If the end product of the Cod was the magic produced, then the prawn and cognac butter was certainly the wand that produce the magic. The cod on its own did not warrant a perfect score yet, but wait until you tasted the cod together with the prawn and cognac butter layer, that was pure magic.
The mashed potato beneath the cod also tasted well together with the bouillabaisse sauce. The sauce which was made from a traditional provencal fish stew has a fulsome flavor, and when you have a piece of the roasted cod with the prawn and cognac butter on top, and dipped with the bouillabaisse sauce, there was nothing quite like to describe the taste.
Duck Confit ($28, with $10 supplement applies to set menu)
Duck leg confit on a savoy cabbage parcel stuffed with field mushroom, leek and red onion in pommery mustard sauce. We chose duck confit because it's always a dish that is difficult to handle, and can test the skills of the chef. The mark of a good duck confit obviously lies in the meat, if the duck is cooked for too long, the meat will become soggy and soft, while under-cook will make it becomes too tight and hard.
Poking a fork into the duck leg confit, we were glad to find that the duck meat remains firm while retaining its perfectly crispy skin. With the price tag, this was one expensive duck leg, which you otherwise could have a whole duck elsewhere, but made no mistake, the duck leg confit was certainly worth the money.
The pommery mustard sauce did come across to us as rather weird initially, but mixing it with the firm duck meat brought out the brilliance of it.
My friend enjoyed the Pernankan-inspired cabbage parcel stuffed with field mushroom, leek and red onion, but it did not works for me. I felt that the cabbage parcel was too salty for my liking, and the leek and red onion combination did not really suit my tastebud.
Strawberry Panna Cotta ($12)
Vanilla panna cotta topped with strawberry jelly and chocolate ganache, compote of strawberries and crunchy nougat. The sweet vanilla panna cotta and chocolate ganache striked a good balance with the slightly sourish strawberry.The panna cotta itself was quite thick and rich with the fragrant vanilla taste.
The serving size was quite adequate, and the strawberry panna cotta was quite good, until i try the Oreo Semifreddo, which is in a different league all together.
Oreo Semifreddo ($12)
Oreo cookie semifreddo with frozen raspberry mousse and soft coffee scented meringue. This, is the first time i am having a semifreddo, and i am already regretting why have i not try this earlier. The Oreo semifreddo was made up of three different compositions, with the top layer being the soft coffee scented meringue, the middle layer the oreo cookie semifreddo, and the base the frozen raspberry mousse.
The oreo semifreddo really, was playing with our scents, the soft coffee meringue was more to the bitter side, while the oreo cookie ice cream added the sweet touch, and the frozen raspberry mousse completed with a chilly sourish zang. Trying the three different parts separately yielded nothing special, but it was when you united the three layers together then you realised what the oreo semifreddo was about.
Total bill is a princely $135 for 2 person, and this is lunch, not dinner. This ought to be the most expensive lunch i ever had, but all the same, the best lunch. The amount is madness really, two set lunches at $45 each, we topped up $10 for the duck confit, $15 for the cod, and factor in the 17% additional charges, do your sums!
The way that Chef Jusman uses a combination of many different ingredients in one dish is one thing, but to blend all the tastes is another matter all together. There are of course positive and negative things for everything, and there is no exception here too. The slightly negative aspect will be every dish is too flavorsome and it really takes time to absorb and digest what you eat. However you can choose to look at that from a positive angle too.
One thing i ought to mention as well, before this visit to Sage i made a few attempts to go actually but on those few occasions i were held up in the very last minute and couldn’t make it. Each time i called up Sage to make another new reservation, and each time Kimberly picked up the phone and answer my every inquiry politely and patiently. There was never a time where i felt that she was frustrated by this guy here calling up a few times to keep on postponing the reservation. For that i applause her for her sincere altitude, which can be genuinely felt across the phone.
I rave about Sage the restaurant, I praise the way Chef Jusman uses his ingredients and play with his food. I appreciate the manner which Kimberly treats her customers, genuine, friendly yet professional which makes you totally free at home. Not to mention the other serving staff at Sage which i find are quite knowledgeable and know when’s the right time to approach us and when not to disturb us. The combination of all the factors make Sage the restaurant a strong contender to ladyironchef’s best restaurant 2008.
I do believe that there are certainly better restaurants out there, Les Amis, Saint Pierre, Iggy just to name a few, are all stronghold in their own rights, but since i have not try the other restaurants, i can only comment on what i have tried. And for the restaurants which i have been to, i say Sage is one of the best, until i experience a better one then, Sage the restaurant it is!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Competition is very tough in the Food & Beverage industry. Comparison is thus inevitable among the different competitors. In the cut-throat environment, we have to give credits to entrepreneurs who dare to be different, who dare to venture out, experiment with different food and put their creativity to use.
And this can only be good news to consumers like you and me, with competition will there then be improvements and innovations, and this can only mean there will be more variety and choices for us to choose from. Applause to the food entrepreneurs who make all these happen, and to do that, we need to support them by trying their food.
P.Osh is the brainchild between the two owners, Paul and Josh who both have a passion for brownies and cookies. Well they find most of the brownies to be fairly similar, and boring. Then through experimental, they came up with their own version of how a good brownie should be like, and hence the born of P.Osh.
P.Osh is located at the shopping belt of Dhoby Ghaut Mrt, where it is ideal in serving the shopping and the working crowd. It is the name P.Osh which stands out though. Remembering i seen the name before, i follow the trait to the little outlet and this leads to the brownie discovery!
The owners explained that there are currently about 11 types of brownies available, and you can get 5 in a box for $13, and 10 mini ones for $20. Like i said, comparison is inevitable in this line, and having tried brownies from the Brownie Factory recently, it’s no surprise really that i’ll compare both to give a big picture.
The folks at P.Osh says that each brownie tastes different, smells different, looks different, and feels different. Excitingly unique, and full of character. Some bake brownies, we give brownies life. Find a brownie that is so you, then fall in love with it. Some say, ‘you are what you eat’. We say, ‘you eat what you are’
Triple Earle C. ($3)
“He has switched lines many times, and they simply love him wherever he goes. Jack of all trades, yet master of all. No surprise, he is everybody’s favourite dude”
The Triple Earle C. like the name implies, is make up of three different type of chocolates, namely dark, milk and white chocolate. However, it is not as sweet as the the name suggests, compare with the other few, i certainly don’t find the triple chocolate sweet, i guess the dark chocolate helps to balance the sweetness, which is quite similar to the triple choc which i had at Brownie Factory.
Mint E. Choc ($3.30)
Mint mousse and dark chocolate constitutes the Mint E. Choc brownie. I like the refreshing mint mousse which coupled with the dark chocolate makes a good balance between the mint and chocolate taste.
The Mint E. Choc brownie is the newest creation of P.Osh, so if you brought their brownie before, it is likely you haven’t seen this one unless you been there recently.
Coff E. Choc ($2.90)
“He always starts the day early and keeps it intense throughout. Driven and dashing, he never fails to keep everyone on the edge of their seats”
The coffee caramel brownie or Coff E. Choc is also one of the favourites at P.Osh. The strong hint of caramel is evident, but there isn’t much coffee taste. I guess it’s good news to non-coffee lovers like me, but a disaster if you would want the best of both worlds, your coffee and caramel.
Marsh E. Mellow ($2.80)
“With such a colourful character, no one thought he would be so soft inside. Sensitive to everyone in need, he will put a smile on your face.”
Now, the Marsh E. Mellow is what we are looking for, this without a doubt, is my favourite brownie among the 5. The marsh mellow is slightly toasted to bring out the sweet flavor. And the staff actually designed this brownie on the spot, so you need to wait a while as they helped to make it pretty.
Wal Nutt B. ($3)
“To some, he opens up and cracks nutty jokes. To others, it is hard to get past the wall to really know him. He likes to think those are the little light and dark sides he chooses to show them.”
This is actually the same as the Triple Earle C just that Wal Nutt B is triple chocolate on walnut. I preferred the triple earle c maybe because i don’t really fancy walnut. But i have to admit the walnut does help to reduce the sweetness level, that is if you don’t want your brownie to be that sweet.
Total bill for a box of 5 brownie is $13 with choice from 11 brownie selections. The brownies at P.Osh is creative and pretty to look at, but i have to point out one fact, the base of all the brownie here are actually the same, with the difference mainly in the toppings.
Whereas for Brownie Factory, the brownies there have brownie bases which differs in taste and looks with some being more chewy, some being softer and harder. But for the brownies at P.Osh, all of the brownie bases are the same, and i become a little sick after i try all the brownies, because all of the bases taste the same except for the exceptions of the toppings above.
The owners explained that their competitors actually add different fillings into the base, but for P.Osh they decided not to because they felt that by using toppings they will be able to match tastes which would not go well if infused. And infused tastes would go almost as well if done as a topping. And most importantly, the looks of the brownies are much better in terms of colour and design.
I do agree appearance wise, the brownies at P.Osh certainly are up a notch with their bright and vibrant colours as toppings. But i guess its really up to the individual, personally i’ll prefer to have more variety in the base, but if you are all right with it, the pretty brownies here certainly makes a good box of gift.
I’ll like to once again applause all the food entrepreneurs out there, for you all make our world of food more interesting. And to the folks at P.Osh, continue your brownie revolution!
Buy flowers as gift? That is so passe. A box of chocolate as present? That is so last season. Buy a box of brownies, from P.Osh!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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SLII Muffin is quite prominent in the Marina Square food loft, since its the only shop that looks rather empty and selling muffin in a food court certainly draws attention. Curiosity kills the cat, and i can’t help myself in buying a muffin and tart.
Prices are reasonable, with $1.50 being the highest. There’s the promotion of buy 5 get 1 free, however i wasn’t feeling very adventurous that day, and my friend ain’t a fan of muffin and tart, so there’s no way i can finish all 6.
There are quite many variety to choose from, and i find myself looking at strawberry, raisin, lemon, cranberry, even black sesame muffin! In the end LIC decided to go for the safe choice, chocolate chip muffin and chocolate cheese tart.
Chocolate Cheese tart ($1.50)
I didn’t make a wrong choice on the chocolate cheese tart. The fillings were cheesy and coupled with chocolate, wins the thumbs up from me. The tart is cris, and not those soft type, the chocolate swirl does makes a pretty scene. And at $1.50 for quite a big tart, i think its rather worth the price.
Chocolate chip muffin ($1.20)
The chocolate chips on the muffins are big and chocolaty, and the muffin body is soft and fluffy. Always a safe option if you are not feeling too adventurous. While not exactly a fan of muffins, i thought this one is rather all right, given i did not set high hopes since this is found in a food court.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
I always dislike eating at food courts. Reason is very simple, the food is not as nice as the hawker centre, selling the same type of food but the price maybe twice as higher. You can’t compare it with cafe neither. So food court are like nowhere there, just hanging in between.
Its no wonder that you don’t see me eating at food courts, even really no choice, i also won’t eat there. I rather go our local hawker centre for my all time favourite char kuay teow, the awesome hokkien mee, or fried oyster ommelette, and maybe a plate of wanton mee?
Bacon claypot rice ($4.50)
You must be wondering since i dislike food court, why do i even bother posting on them. Well this is the first time i ever see claypot rice using bacon instead of chicken. So i guess its more of a novelty. Anyway, they also have ham, seafood claypot and a few others variety. But sad to say, the claypot doesn’t taste nice at all, i guess that vindicate what i had mention earlier.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
To put it plainly, I like the Durian Puff. The durian is rich and creamy, although the pastry is pretty normal. However, the pastry rides on the delicious taste of the durian and all in all, a good eat. However prices are a little steep and I personally still prefer the one from Puteri Mas.
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My first impression of the Hokkien Mee was bad. The noodles looked like they were soaked in gravy. Even after leaving it to dry for a while, it was still very watery. Surprisingly, it tasted pretty good and light, unlike the usual Hokkien Mees that are heavy on the flavours and kicks you in the stomach if you consume too much. A very decent rendition at a affordable $3. Not cheap, but not expensive either.
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PK Xpress fish & chips. This store is reputed for their Aussie Fish & chips, and selling at $6 per set in a “hawker centre environment” they really got quite a lot to live up to.
Aussie Fish & Chips ($6)
The aussie fish & chips certainly does not fail to disappoint. Cripsy on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside. Plus the serving is quite huge. Another thing worth mentioning is the accompanying salad, there’s nothing special about the greens, the slices of mango mixed with the greens are really sweet!
I don’t like the fries though, its just like normal potato fried and served. Anyway we got 2 portions of it and cannot finish because we had other food as well.
Banana Walnut cake ($2.50)
Besides having fish and chips, the store also serve some awesome home-made desserts and cakes. The banana cake may looks quite small at $2.50, but my friend finish it in a mouth-full!
Chocolate Cake ($2.80)
The home-made chocolate cake is really a steal with such a large slice at $2.80. After eating so much food, we really struggle to finish the cake. The chocolate cake can be better if there’s more layer of thin chocolate in between the cake as i find it a tad on the dry side.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given: