Aston's is no newcomer to the food scene and i was delighted to see a new branch opened so close to my workplace and so close to the east. In true Aston's fashion, this is located in a the heartlands in a simple kopitiam.
Being my first visit, its only natural to go straight for the beef steak while my gf had the chargrilled chicken.
Prime Sirloin Steak ($10.90) - I had the sides of pasta salad and whipped potato which were rather below average this time. The pasta tasted a little hard and uncooked while the whipped potato had a pasty firm texture which is either liked or disliked easily. The steak itself was thankfully done well. Medium rare, juicy and at a decent size, this is still what Astons excel in.
Chargrill Chicken ($5.90) - This came with sides of seasonal veggie and potato salad. The seasonal veggie is uncooked and tasted raw while the potato salad is a little too soft. Lacking the crunchiness of the Seragoon branch outlet. The chicken itself was tender, juicy and quite fragrant with spices albeit having a little frozen taste within. It still clocks in at a decent size though.
Overall, i'd say the meal is still above average for a kopitiam but they really need to work out the kinks for the kitchen before they can really take off.
Second Visit - Well, we were running out of cheap good places to visit so it was back to Aston's again to try it out. Hopefully, the standard has risen.
This time, we ordered a grilled fish with herbs and a Astons, I eat Superburger. And to sum it up, this visit was a much better.
Grilled Fish with herbs ($6.50) - Now this is a classic, my gf had it the first time we visited Aston's and now she's having it again. Not as good as the first time around but still, it was done soft and fragrant as it should be. The sides this time included a potato salad and french fries which were both way better then out first visit here. Service is still bordering on bad though.
I-eat Superior Burger ($12.50) - Its my personal mission to always try a beef burger and i must say, i was not disappointed this time. The burger was huge for its price, neighboring tables were angling for a look at my burger. Yeah, its pretty big. And i had sides of the potato salad which retained its former glory of being slightly soft and yet crunchy. The burger itself had loads of stuff in it. Apart from a rather large beef patty which was done really well i might say. There were tomatoes, lettuce, bacon, cheese and including, an onion ring or crown which really just made the burger irresistible. The meat was done medium rare which let it retain its juices and chewiness while the rest gave off a beefy fragrance which i loved. Top stuff, i'd say try this once you are there.
Overall, the second visit made my confidence for this branch increase a little. Its still green in the service but otherwise, its definitely looking like a good new Astons for the east to me.
I had no clue that this place existed till I received this voucher for usage at this restaurant. I knew of this new extension, but it does not strike my mind that this particular restaurant lays there.
Decided to make use of the voucher, but eventually I regretted my decision. This would be my 1st review which scores only 1 star. Here’s why!
The location of the restaurant is not ideal at all. I could frankly say it is not visible to me and I will not know there was such a shop till I knew of it because of the voucher. There wasn’t any great view either; all you could overlook from the windows are rows of cars parked in the carpark. Not a great sight to behold.
The service staffs are all Chinese. Other than the chefs, the rest of them and the restaurant supervisor that took our order are all Chinese. One of the staffs could not understand what I said so the supervisor had to intervene. I felt that there could have been more Singaporeans employed on hand to handle sticky situation. The restaurant is so budget that they can’t even employ a local to do the job, not even on part-time basis.
They have this grilled charcoal concept whereby you could grill your own Yakitori. But to my disgust, they told me I have to make a reservation in order to do so. I find the concept interesting, but it just puts me off and really dissapointed. The guy at the other table also faced the same reply, and he was simply dumbfounded just like I do. He made a fuss out of it but still ended up like us, eventually having the chef to do the cooking for us.
The foods are not really great at all. I get sick chomping on the chewy Bacon Enoki, while the Salmon was below par. The Tiger Prawn was dry while the Chicken Skin was quite bad. I’m not joking here, but I think the best choice among all is the corn.
The voucher could only be utilised upon clocking $50 so we ordered a few more items. Ended up compounding my miseries instead. The Ramen was simply, ORDINARY! The Cha Soba and Foie Gras tasted pretty fair, while I could count myself lucky the Miso Soup was somewhat like the corn.
Ok now what is great? Nothing much except than complimenting the prompt service they provided our table due to the numbers in the restaurant (you get what I mean). Being more attentive, I also observed the difference in greeting. Upon entering, we were greeted in Japanese. It is a different case upon leaving as we were greeted in English instead. There was no proper standard or protocol that was followed. But it does not really matter at this point anymore.
Would I ever come back to patronise the restaurant? NO! Even if it was offered for free, I would not ill-treat my taste buds. Just my two-cent worth, whilst apologies for my long winded review of this 1 star rated restaurant.
For many, patronising Vivocity can be for various reasons such as shopping, dining and indulgence. But for me, Vivocity is pretty near my home so I would rather consider it a heartland mall in my own opinion.
So it is no wonder that I often frequent here for movies. There are many reviews already so I shall review it based on my honest opinions.
The cinema is often packed till the brim especially on weekends and the normal advice would be for users to make their bookings online before heading here to avoid the long queue or sold out situation.
Many plasma screens are available above and around the counter for easy access to movie sessions and availability. You would count yourself lucky if the movie you are planning to catch is shown in GV Max. The screen is huge and provides for greater viewing pleasure.
And obviously being a new cinema, it would naturally be clean. Sidetrack for a bit, the Gold Class cinema is really brilliant. It offers great service and really great movie going experience. I just wonder, why can't such good service be emphasized at the normal cinema area as well? But I am not saying the service is not up to standard. The other time I requested to keep my cake cool using their fridge, and they kindly agreed to do so.
Many would agree that the cinema has ample leg space for patrons. This would help alleviate the unpleasant ones who come in late, and often we have to shift from our already comfortable position to let them pass through. The sound systems are not a let down, unlike those bad ones which sounds muffled.
But I shall say that this place is pretty fair and square for the users. No big issues on my side of the field, but my personal preference would still be The Cathay.
I listen to this station almost every morning when i'm communing to work! Its a relaxing, funny and fun filled station with noteable morning shows with Ding Zhi Yong and company who usually talks about loads of issues close to the heart of Singaporeans. The good part is how they manage to make all this funny.
The evening show is equally good with Zhou Chong Qing and Zhou Tai Tai with their not-so-subtle jokes with double meanings.
The song selection is alright with some new songs gradually introduced on a weekly basis but sometimes it does feel repetitious after awhile. But its not a complaint really, there's really only so many songs available at times.
Either way, this is my most listened to Chinese Station. Cheers!
It was a day of celebration, a celebration of me and my gf's 1 year anniversary together that we decided to patronize a recommendation by my boss. The location was good, nestled in the middle of Sentosa with practically no one around to bother us. Still, it was with trepidation that we went since i've heard no other accounts of a good visit to the place due to its relatively infant start. Loving adventure and the unknown, we went ahead.
Here's a place that gives the impression of being miles away from your troubles and cares of the world. Calm, clean white covers most surfaces with glass walls and sleekly varnished tables and chairs. The view is equally enticing with the palawan beach spread before your eyes and your date. Its an ambiance that reinvigorates in the afternoon and energizes in the evening.
Its not in my thoughts or habit to order drinks in a swanky restaurant but then again, i couldn't stinge on a date like this i suppose. The end result is that we ordered 2 fruit punches which could have bought me about 6 fruit punches elsewhere. To be fair, it is rather good, being well balanced in sweetness and sourness but its still an expensive drink.
The complimentary bread was served warm with a nice aroma which reminds me fondly of pizza. Upon opening it, there are small granules of cheese and some chili thrown in for good measure. The crust is crispy while the inside was soft and warm. Not a bad start.
Pan seared foie gras, banana chutney and chocolate sauce - Doesn't this just look delightful? Who could resist foie gras anyway? Not me. This rendition was seared crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside. The gripe here is that the foie gras itself, had a layer of salt on it and the "chocolate sauce" tasted more like soya sauce which meant it was extremely salty overall. The banana managed to lessen the taste but i wonder if they actually poured the wrong sauce on this? It could have been so much better if the sauce was sweet. Even with this gripe, the foie gras was still done well.
Pamma Ham, Scallops and Rocket Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing - I had a piece of the scallop in pamma ham and it was delightful. Light, sweet and fresh tasting, its easily taken and liked. Though the scallop could have been more plentiful and the dressing as well. The lack of honey dressing left a bitter taste on the rocket salad actually.
Pan Roasted Pork Belly with Savoy Cabbage and Spiced Port Sauce - This is a worthy main course. Don't be fooled by its rather oily and fatty appearance. What you get with each bite is melt in your mouth tasty meat (and fats of course) but sinning has never felt better. Crispy pork belly that actually tastes salty and sweet at the same time. This is definitely something to try. The savoy cabbage is light and manages to neutralize a bit of the aftertaste that the pork leaves behind. Still, this was pretty darn good.
Roasted Cod with Ratatouille and Basil Dressing - My gf had this. Simply put, it looks amazing. 2 fine sized cod pieces between servings of ratatouille and sprinkled with basil sauce. Subject to the taste test however, and it falls flat. Amidst all the colors, i was unable to find much flavor in the roasted cod. In fact, it was also less tender and soft then any other cod dishes i've tried. The ratatouille was also lackluster in taste but at least it tasted fresh.
Cheese Platter - I was rather surprised with the menu when i saw the cheese platter as a choice for dessert. So, i decided to try it out just to know how it actually tastes like. The platter came with a variety of choices including blue cheese, cheddar and a few others i can't quite remember but the one thing i do remember is...i'll never have blue cheese...ever again. The taste is indescribably unpleasant. Stay away from this unless you have an acquired taste for it.
Cinnamon apple tart with cinnamon ice cream ($14) - Sweet! Sweet sweet and sweet! Sugar icing, mashed apples soaked in syrup and crumbles adorn this sweet dessert. The tart was served warm and crispy with a pleasant fragrance. In fact, it tastes pretty good until you mix it up with the cinnamon ice cream which tipped the scales from bearably sweet to excruciatingly so. Without the ice cream, this is one dessert thats easy to recommend.
Chocolate Lave Cake with Hazelnut Ice Cream - I expected this to be good but it turned out only average. The reason for this is the rather thick layer for the crust and the unmelted chocolate which definitely did not flow like lava. But bigger then this gripe is the weird pairing choice, chocolate lava (bitter) with hazelnut ice cream (equally bitter). And to add insult to injury, the hazelnut ice cream tasted more like coffee ice cream to me which thus resulted in one of the most bitter desserts i've ever had. Improvement definitely needed.
The total bill this time came to $131.85 for 2 people. Acceptable but not for the quality of food i had.
There's potential here for sure. The serene location and open space gives the customer a santuary away from the bustles of life. Yet, the pairing quality and the preparation of fish needs a definite improvement. Otherwise, this becomes perpetually, a place which has potential but lacks substance.
Attended a dinner at Tetsu one weekday evening with my gf. Tetsu, which is owned and operated by Food Junction (yes, the foodcourt operator), prides itself as the first Japanese restaurant to offer Kushi style (food is served in skewers) tempura and Tonkatsu menu which is prepared live in front of you (assuming you take the counter seats of course).
Located on the top level of Tanglin Mall, Tetsu stands out with its chic interior that oozes sublime class without the frills. A partial open concept kitchen coupled with white washed pillars, wooden beams and clever layering of light add to the sophistication. Seats are decidedly comfortable but the tables do seem a little too low for comfort (maybe its just my table).
Kami Tofu - The Kami tofu, or century egg with tofu, was rather easy on the palate and provided a good start to the meal. The tofu was silky yet firm through the addition of eggs (a tad too much egg though), while the finely diced century egg cubes had but a faint aftertaste, ideal for people like me who do not really fancy this variation of eggs. Parallels can be drawn to chawamushi in terms of taste, albeit being much lighter.
Kajiki Tataki - The Kajiki, also known as swordfish or Pacific blue marlin, was another excellent starter. Lightly seared till faintly charred along the edges, the fish, coupled with what I believe to be Ponzu (ポン酢) sauce and spicy radish atop, emanated a nice savoury taste. Only gripe I had was that the texture of the fish did seem a tad too hard and dry.
Salmon & Yellow Tail Sashimi - I'm not too big on sashimi so neither the salmon nor yellow tail wowed me. Both were fresh, but I've had fresher cuts before. The wasabi or わさび,ワサビ was probably just a mixture of horseradish, mustard seed and green colouring, tasting nothing like the real wasabi, which usually comes grated. But no complaints here as very very few places in Singapore actually serve up the real thing because of its prohibitive prices.
Yasai Takiawase - The Yasai Takiawase, or simmered seasonal vegetables, consisted of white radish, carrot, pumpkin & snow pea stewed in a pot for 3 hours straight. Honestly, this dish just didn't do it for me. Everything was soft to the extent of being mushy and nausea inducing. According to the chef, this dish is very popular with the Japanese and it tastes better with every try. I would like to give the chef the benefit of the doubt, but I seriously can't bring myself to try the same dish again.
Kushi Age Style Hotate, Soft Shell Crab, Hire Katsu & Ebi - This is an area where Tetsu differentiates itself through its live preparation of Kushi style food. I see it more as a marketing gimmick. Honestly, how difficult is it to prepare food on skewers live? For starters, the food wasn't served hot, not even warm. And I personally found the batter a tad too thick and oily for my liking. The soft shell crab had an overdose of salt while the scallop, though huge and purportedly flown in from Japan, was tasteless. The Hire (pork) Katsu's taste was overwhelmed by black pepper while the prawn didn't come across as sweet. All in all, definitely not my idea of a must try.
Consomme - The clear consomme tasted to me like egg drop soup. By and large there's nothing much to comment on it except that it was light and definitely something you can get anywhere else.
Salmon Sushi Roll - Served up with compliments from Tetsu, the salmon sushi roll was definitely one of the better dishes that evening. What was interesting was the usage of flakes of fried tempura batter to coat the sushi's exterior, resulting in a nice crunchy piece of sushi that carried a lightly sweet overtone from the drizzled teriyaki sauce. Couldn't quite make out the cooked salmon taste though, save for a very faint smokiness.
Udon & Kushi Tem Lotus Root, Mushroom, Green Capsicum - I found the udon quite decent, with the noodles chewy and not too "fat" and the broth lightly salty with lots of tempura flakes. The sides of mushroom, lotus root and capsicum provided some frills to this simple dish but proved to be rather flat.
Goma Ice Cream - Rock hard, straight from the freezer and totally uninspiring. My 3 adjectives to describe the Goma ice cream.
As it was a prearranged dinner, the cost was capped at $30nett per pax. Portions were sampling size and I personally felt that $30 for the stuff we ate wasn't exactly such a great deal as nothing on the menu seemed really expensive. Service was good, but then again thats subjective. Overall the dinner was an average affair for me and I seriously doubt that I'll be back.
Time for me to write a review in a long while, and I shall start with this since I have no clue what other places to review as yet.
Tucked at the very junction between the exit of Harbourfront Station and the basement walkway, lies this delightful place called Candy Empire.
The second branch since Millenia Walk, this place offers what the name suggest, CANDIESSS!! You can find all sorts of candies here. Products ranges from chocolates, gummies, lollipops, sweets, biscuits, chips and many more.
I am not pretty sure about the rest but I do know that most of their chocolates and sweets are imported from Australia. That explains the difference in price if comparing those that can be found in the supermarkets. Pricing could be a factor that drives people away, especially at such time with all that inflation going on. But for those who are candy lovers, pricing is thrown out of the windows. A must visit for all sweet toothed angels.
What I would comment is that if you are looking for the common products such as Mars, Snickers and Crunch commonly found in supermarkets, avoid purchasing here. I would come here to buy products that are not that common, or only available in Australia which is specially imported in. My favourite hunt here would be the Mars Pods, Smith's Potato Chips and the Mint Flavoured M&Ms.
Otherwise, just come by and take a look. You might end up finding that special something even if you may not come with the intention to buy. Happy Snacking!
Alright many of my friends told me that this place sucked, but I saw the waffle on the menu and went in nevertheless.
Service here is slightly raw, but hey, at least they tried. The feeling of the restaurant is like hongkong cafe, only that it feels like 'newyork cafe' but not really lol. They tried. They really tried.
Anyway, water refilling was prompt, I had cheese fondue vegetable fritters (tasted like tempura) and it was rather good. The cheese tasted like the cheese on KFC's Cheese fries, and I get the feeling it's the same kinda cheese. Though it's heated on tealights, when the light was gone, it didn't really harden so I don't see where the fondue part comes.
The waffle, I had chocolate waffle. It's accompanied by maple syrup, so the experience itself is like having macdonald's hotcake with syrup, PLUS chocolate ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup.
It was an orgasmic experience until you got tired of it halfway through the waffle. So lesson learnt, pls share your waffle.
The subsequent time I went, I shared salmon sandwich and bacon&ham sanwich with my friend, choice of bread was foccacia. It didn't really taste like foccacia, but it's toasted nicely...so it's forgiven. Salmon tasted not sashimi fresh, but fresh for smoked salmon, light, and tasty. Ham is normal picnic ham, bacon tasted like it was fried 3 hours ago. Verdict: Salmon Sandwich tasted better. (One thing I really like, is the extremely fresh green/purple veg that was drizzled with something sour. It's not only included in the sandwich, its like a side. Much better alternative than cliched coleslaw or boiled baby carrots etc. It was really fresh and crunchy. But my friends said it taste like grass and didn't like it.)
Meanwhile our male friend is trying to devour a whole chicken and he said he got tired of the taste, a quarter through it.
After that, we were served freeflow green apple flavoured candy floss, and then we got a 'Lake Chocolate', which is actually deep fried breaded bananas and sour strawberries, drowning in a 'lake' of chocolate fondue, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle.
As my friend describes, it feels like giving blow job with ice...right. Crude but the feeling is the warm fried bananas mixed with the ice cream coldness and the warm again with warm chocolate...wow the feeling....
Anyway I do not think it sucked, as long as u noe wad to order.
Been to this place for some desserts after a meal at ChompChomp. The place looked not bad. There was one section right inside the shop, which had some couches and the room was like purple colour.
The staff were quite polite. But we had to go to the counter to order the food.
My frd ordered an icecream he designed, which cost around $7plus.
I ordered a mango icecream with alcohol. But when the icecream came, I was kind of disappointed. The price was not cheap but the portion was only one scoop, too little in my opinion. And I did not taste any alcohol in it.
It's not a bad place to go for non-fussy ppl.
But I wouldn't really go back.
Desserts are guilty indulgence? Over here, guilty, yes. Indulgence, needs a little more work.
Most of the desserts there taste mediocre, no wow factor. Still a nice place to go and have long chit-chats with friends. Maybe its just me, or the sofa seats were too low and sinks in too much. Makes it difficult to get to your orders when it's serves at your table.
Tried their waffle ice-cream, say-cheese and mud pie with banana.
None of them tasted awful (since its ice-cream), but nothing that made a lasting impression.
The waffle wasn't warm enough, the home-made ice-creams were so-so. Had cookies and cream with mint choc. The mint choc was nicer, don't try their cookies and cream.
Say-cheese was freaking sweet initially, but this is the only one that grew on me.
The banana mud pie was just like those from push-cart ice-cream vendors, you know, those block ice-creams that gets sliced into rectangular pieces, with slices of banana spread over it. But banana and ice-cream combo never goes wrong.
Service wasn't fantastic. Just a nice place to chill and feel fat.
1=SGD 0.0587
Aston's is no newcomer to the food scene and i was delighted to see a new branch opened so close to my workplace and so close to the east. In true Aston's fashion, this is located in a the heartlands in a simple kopitiam.
Being my first visit, its only natural to go straight for the beef steak while my gf had the chargrilled chicken.
Prime Sirloin Steak ($10.90) - I had the sides of pasta salad and whipped potato which were rather below average this time. The pasta tasted a little hard and uncooked while the whipped potato had a pasty firm texture which is either liked or disliked easily. The steak itself was thankfully done well. Medium rare, juicy and at a decent size, this is still what Astons excel in.
Chargrill Chicken ($5.90) - This came with sides of seasonal veggie and potato salad. The seasonal veggie is uncooked and tasted raw while the potato salad is a little too soft. Lacking the crunchiness of the Seragoon branch outlet. The chicken itself was tender, juicy and quite fragrant with spices albeit having a little frozen taste within. It still clocks in at a decent size though.
Overall, i'd say the meal is still above average for a kopitiam but they really need to work out the kinks for the kitchen before they can really take off.
Second Visit - Well, we were running out of cheap good places to visit so it was back to Aston's again to try it out. Hopefully, the standard has risen.
This time, we ordered a grilled fish with herbs and a Astons, I eat Superburger. And to sum it up, this visit was a much better.
Grilled Fish with herbs ($6.50) - Now this is a classic, my gf had it the first time we visited Aston's and now she's having it again. Not as good as the first time around but still, it was done soft and fragrant as it should be. The sides this time included a potato salad and french fries which were both way better then out first visit here. Service is still bordering on bad though.
I-eat Superior Burger ($12.50) - Its my personal mission to always try a beef burger and i must say, i was not disappointed this time. The burger was huge for its price, neighboring tables were angling for a look at my burger. Yeah, its pretty big. And i had sides of the potato salad which retained its former glory of being slightly soft and yet crunchy. The burger itself had loads of stuff in it. Apart from a rather large beef patty which was done really well i might say. There were tomatoes, lettuce, bacon, cheese and including, an onion ring or crown which really just made the burger irresistible. The meat was done medium rare which let it retain its juices and chewiness while the rest gave off a beefy fragrance which i loved. Top stuff, i'd say try this once you are there.
Overall, the second visit made my confidence for this branch increase a little. Its still green in the service but otherwise, its definitely looking like a good new Astons for the east to me.
Rating given:
I had no clue that this place existed till I received this voucher for usage at this restaurant. I knew of this new extension, but it does not strike my mind that this particular restaurant lays there.
Decided to make use of the voucher, but eventually I regretted my decision. This would be my 1st review which scores only 1 star. Here’s why!
The location of the restaurant is not ideal at all. I could frankly say it is not visible to me and I will not know there was such a shop till I knew of it because of the voucher. There wasn’t any great view either; all you could overlook from the windows are rows of cars parked in the carpark. Not a great sight to behold.
The service staffs are all Chinese. Other than the chefs, the rest of them and the restaurant supervisor that took our order are all Chinese. One of the staffs could not understand what I said so the supervisor had to intervene. I felt that there could have been more Singaporeans employed on hand to handle sticky situation. The restaurant is so budget that they can’t even employ a local to do the job, not even on part-time basis.
They have this grilled charcoal concept whereby you could grill your own Yakitori. But to my disgust, they told me I have to make a reservation in order to do so. I find the concept interesting, but it just puts me off and really dissapointed. The guy at the other table also faced the same reply, and he was simply dumbfounded just like I do. He made a fuss out of it but still ended up like us, eventually having the chef to do the cooking for us.
The foods are not really great at all. I get sick chomping on the chewy Bacon Enoki, while the Salmon was below par. The Tiger Prawn was dry while the Chicken Skin was quite bad. I’m not joking here, but I think the best choice among all is the corn.
The voucher could only be utilised upon clocking $50 so we ordered a few more items. Ended up compounding my miseries instead. The Ramen was simply, ORDINARY! The Cha Soba and Foie Gras tasted pretty fair, while I could count myself lucky the Miso Soup was somewhat like the corn.
Ok now what is great? Nothing much except than complimenting the prompt service they provided our table due to the numbers in the restaurant (you get what I mean). Being more attentive, I also observed the difference in greeting. Upon entering, we were greeted in Japanese. It is a different case upon leaving as we were greeted in English instead. There was no proper standard or protocol that was followed. But it does not really matter at this point anymore.
Would I ever come back to patronise the restaurant? NO! Even if it was offered for free, I would not ill-treat my taste buds. Just my two-cent worth, whilst apologies for my long winded review of this 1 star rated restaurant.
Rating given:
For many, patronising Vivocity can be for various reasons such as shopping, dining and indulgence. But for me, Vivocity is pretty near my home so I would rather consider it a heartland mall in my own opinion.
So it is no wonder that I often frequent here for movies. There are many reviews already so I shall review it based on my honest opinions.
The cinema is often packed till the brim especially on weekends and the normal advice would be for users to make their bookings online before heading here to avoid the long queue or sold out situation.
Many plasma screens are available above and around the counter for easy access to movie sessions and availability. You would count yourself lucky if the movie you are planning to catch is shown in GV Max. The screen is huge and provides for greater viewing pleasure.
And obviously being a new cinema, it would naturally be clean. Sidetrack for a bit, the Gold Class cinema is really brilliant. It offers great service and really great movie going experience. I just wonder, why can't such good service be emphasized at the normal cinema area as well? But I am not saying the service is not up to standard. The other time I requested to keep my cake cool using their fridge, and they kindly agreed to do so.
Many would agree that the cinema has ample leg space for patrons. This would help alleviate the unpleasant ones who come in late, and often we have to shift from our already comfortable position to let them pass through. The sound systems are not a let down, unlike those bad ones which sounds muffled.
But I shall say that this place is pretty fair and square for the users. No big issues on my side of the field, but my personal preference would still be The Cathay.
Rating given:
I listen to this station almost every morning when i'm communing to work! Its a relaxing, funny and fun filled station with noteable morning shows with Ding Zhi Yong and company who usually talks about loads of issues close to the heart of Singaporeans. The good part is how they manage to make all this funny.
The evening show is equally good with Zhou Chong Qing and Zhou Tai Tai with their not-so-subtle jokes with double meanings.
The song selection is alright with some new songs gradually introduced on a weekly basis but sometimes it does feel repetitious after awhile. But its not a complaint really, there's really only so many songs available at times.
Either way, this is my most listened to Chinese Station. Cheers!
Rating given:
It was a day of celebration, a celebration of me and my gf's 1 year anniversary together that we decided to patronize a recommendation by my boss. The location was good, nestled in the middle of Sentosa with practically no one around to bother us. Still, it was with trepidation that we went since i've heard no other accounts of a good visit to the place due to its relatively infant start. Loving adventure and the unknown, we went ahead.
Here's a place that gives the impression of being miles away from your troubles and cares of the world. Calm, clean white covers most surfaces with glass walls and sleekly varnished tables and chairs. The view is equally enticing with the palawan beach spread before your eyes and your date. Its an ambiance that reinvigorates in the afternoon and energizes in the evening.
Its not in my thoughts or habit to order drinks in a swanky restaurant but then again, i couldn't stinge on a date like this i suppose. The end result is that we ordered 2 fruit punches which could have bought me about 6 fruit punches elsewhere. To be fair, it is rather good, being well balanced in sweetness and sourness but its still an expensive drink.
The complimentary bread was served warm with a nice aroma which reminds me fondly of pizza. Upon opening it, there are small granules of cheese and some chili thrown in for good measure. The crust is crispy while the inside was soft and warm. Not a bad start.
Pan seared foie gras, banana chutney and chocolate sauce - Doesn't this just look delightful? Who could resist foie gras anyway? Not me. This rendition was seared crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside. The gripe here is that the foie gras itself, had a layer of salt on it and the "chocolate sauce" tasted more like soya sauce which meant it was extremely salty overall. The banana managed to lessen the taste but i wonder if they actually poured the wrong sauce on this? It could have been so much better if the sauce was sweet. Even with this gripe, the foie gras was still done well.
Pamma Ham, Scallops and Rocket Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing - I had a piece of the scallop in pamma ham and it was delightful. Light, sweet and fresh tasting, its easily taken and liked. Though the scallop could have been more plentiful and the dressing as well. The lack of honey dressing left a bitter taste on the rocket salad actually.
Pan Roasted Pork Belly with Savoy Cabbage and Spiced Port Sauce - This is a worthy main course. Don't be fooled by its rather oily and fatty appearance. What you get with each bite is melt in your mouth tasty meat (and fats of course) but sinning has never felt better. Crispy pork belly that actually tastes salty and sweet at the same time. This is definitely something to try. The savoy cabbage is light and manages to neutralize a bit of the aftertaste that the pork leaves behind. Still, this was pretty darn good.
Roasted Cod with Ratatouille and Basil Dressing - My gf had this. Simply put, it looks amazing. 2 fine sized cod pieces between servings of ratatouille and sprinkled with basil sauce. Subject to the taste test however, and it falls flat. Amidst all the colors, i was unable to find much flavor in the roasted cod. In fact, it was also less tender and soft then any other cod dishes i've tried. The ratatouille was also lackluster in taste but at least it tasted fresh.
Cheese Platter - I was rather surprised with the menu when i saw the cheese platter as a choice for dessert. So, i decided to try it out just to know how it actually tastes like. The platter came with a variety of choices including blue cheese, cheddar and a few others i can't quite remember but the one thing i do remember is...i'll never have blue cheese...ever again. The taste is indescribably unpleasant. Stay away from this unless you have an acquired taste for it.
Cinnamon apple tart with cinnamon ice cream ($14) - Sweet! Sweet sweet and sweet! Sugar icing, mashed apples soaked in syrup and crumbles adorn this sweet dessert. The tart was served warm and crispy with a pleasant fragrance. In fact, it tastes pretty good until you mix it up with the cinnamon ice cream which tipped the scales from bearably sweet to excruciatingly so. Without the ice cream, this is one dessert thats easy to recommend.
Chocolate Lave Cake with Hazelnut Ice Cream - I expected this to be good but it turned out only average. The reason for this is the rather thick layer for the crust and the unmelted chocolate which definitely did not flow like lava. But bigger then this gripe is the weird pairing choice, chocolate lava (bitter) with hazelnut ice cream (equally bitter). And to add insult to injury, the hazelnut ice cream tasted more like coffee ice cream to me which thus resulted in one of the most bitter desserts i've ever had. Improvement definitely needed.
The total bill this time came to $131.85 for 2 people. Acceptable but not for the quality of food i had.
There's potential here for sure. The serene location and open space gives the customer a santuary away from the bustles of life. Yet, the pairing quality and the preparation of fish needs a definite improvement. Otherwise, this becomes perpetually, a place which has potential but lacks substance.
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Attended a dinner at Tetsu one weekday evening with my gf. Tetsu, which is owned and operated by Food Junction (yes, the foodcourt operator), prides itself as the first Japanese restaurant to offer Kushi style (food is served in skewers) tempura and Tonkatsu menu which is prepared live in front of you (assuming you take the counter seats of course).
Located on the top level of Tanglin Mall, Tetsu stands out with its chic interior that oozes sublime class without the frills. A partial open concept kitchen coupled with white washed pillars, wooden beams and clever layering of light add to the sophistication. Seats are decidedly comfortable but the tables do seem a little too low for comfort (maybe its just my table).
Kami Tofu - The Kami tofu, or century egg with tofu, was rather easy on the palate and provided a good start to the meal. The tofu was silky yet firm through the addition of eggs (a tad too much egg though), while the finely diced century egg cubes had but a faint aftertaste, ideal for people like me who do not really fancy this variation of eggs. Parallels can be drawn to chawamushi in terms of taste, albeit being much lighter.
Kajiki Tataki - The Kajiki, also known as swordfish or Pacific blue marlin, was another excellent starter. Lightly seared till faintly charred along the edges, the fish, coupled with what I believe to be Ponzu (ポン酢) sauce and spicy radish atop, emanated a nice savoury taste. Only gripe I had was that the texture of the fish did seem a tad too hard and dry.
Salmon & Yellow Tail Sashimi - I'm not too big on sashimi so neither the salmon nor yellow tail wowed me. Both were fresh, but I've had fresher cuts before. The wasabi or わさび,ワサビ was probably just a mixture of horseradish, mustard seed and green colouring, tasting nothing like the real wasabi, which usually comes grated. But no complaints here as very very few places in Singapore actually serve up the real thing because of its prohibitive prices.
Yasai Takiawase - The Yasai Takiawase, or simmered seasonal vegetables, consisted of white radish, carrot, pumpkin & snow pea stewed in a pot for 3 hours straight. Honestly, this dish just didn't do it for me. Everything was soft to the extent of being mushy and nausea inducing. According to the chef, this dish is very popular with the Japanese and it tastes better with every try. I would like to give the chef the benefit of the doubt, but I seriously can't bring myself to try the same dish again.
Kushi Age Style Hotate, Soft Shell Crab, Hire Katsu & Ebi - This is an area where Tetsu differentiates itself through its live preparation of Kushi style food. I see it more as a marketing gimmick. Honestly, how difficult is it to prepare food on skewers live? For starters, the food wasn't served hot, not even warm. And I personally found the batter a tad too thick and oily for my liking. The soft shell crab had an overdose of salt while the scallop, though huge and purportedly flown in from Japan, was tasteless. The Hire (pork) Katsu's taste was overwhelmed by black pepper while the prawn didn't come across as sweet. All in all, definitely not my idea of a must try.
Consomme - The clear consomme tasted to me like egg drop soup. By and large there's nothing much to comment on it except that it was light and definitely something you can get anywhere else.
Salmon Sushi Roll - Served up with compliments from Tetsu, the salmon sushi roll was definitely one of the better dishes that evening. What was interesting was the usage of flakes of fried tempura batter to coat the sushi's exterior, resulting in a nice crunchy piece of sushi that carried a lightly sweet overtone from the drizzled teriyaki sauce. Couldn't quite make out the cooked salmon taste though, save for a very faint smokiness.
Udon & Kushi Tem Lotus Root, Mushroom, Green Capsicum - I found the udon quite decent, with the noodles chewy and not too "fat" and the broth lightly salty with lots of tempura flakes. The sides of mushroom, lotus root and capsicum provided some frills to this simple dish but proved to be rather flat.
Goma Ice Cream - Rock hard, straight from the freezer and totally uninspiring. My 3 adjectives to describe the Goma ice cream.
As it was a prearranged dinner, the cost was capped at $30nett per pax. Portions were sampling size and I personally felt that $30 for the stuff we ate wasn't exactly such a great deal as nothing on the menu seemed really expensive. Service was good, but then again thats subjective. Overall the dinner was an average affair for me and I seriously doubt that I'll be back.
See all my pictures here.
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Time for me to write a review in a long while, and I shall start with this since I have no clue what other places to review as yet.
Tucked at the very junction between the exit of Harbourfront Station and the basement walkway, lies this delightful place called Candy Empire.
The second branch since Millenia Walk, this place offers what the name suggest, CANDIESSS!! You can find all sorts of candies here. Products ranges from chocolates, gummies, lollipops, sweets, biscuits, chips and many more.
I am not pretty sure about the rest but I do know that most of their chocolates and sweets are imported from Australia. That explains the difference in price if comparing those that can be found in the supermarkets. Pricing could be a factor that drives people away, especially at such time with all that inflation going on. But for those who are candy lovers, pricing is thrown out of the windows. A must visit for all sweet toothed angels.
What I would comment is that if you are looking for the common products such as Mars, Snickers and Crunch commonly found in supermarkets, avoid purchasing here. I would come here to buy products that are not that common, or only available in Australia which is specially imported in. My favourite hunt here would be the Mars Pods, Smith's Potato Chips and the Mint Flavoured M&Ms.
Otherwise, just come by and take a look. You might end up finding that special something even if you may not come with the intention to buy. Happy Snacking!
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Alright many of my friends told me that this place sucked, but I saw the waffle on the menu and went in nevertheless.
Service here is slightly raw, but hey, at least they tried.
The feeling of the restaurant is like hongkong cafe, only that it feels like 'newyork cafe' but not really lol. They tried. They really tried.
Anyway, water refilling was prompt, I had cheese fondue vegetable fritters (tasted like tempura) and it was rather good. The cheese tasted like the cheese on KFC's Cheese fries, and I get the feeling it's the same kinda cheese.
Though it's heated on tealights, when the light was gone, it didn't really harden so I don't see where the fondue part comes.
The waffle, I had chocolate waffle. It's accompanied by maple syrup, so the experience itself is like having macdonald's hotcake with syrup, PLUS chocolate ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup.
It was an orgasmic experience until you got tired of it halfway through the waffle. So lesson learnt, pls share your waffle.
The subsequent time I went, I shared salmon sandwich and bacon&ham sanwich with my friend, choice of bread was foccacia. It didn't really taste like foccacia, but it's toasted nicely...so it's forgiven. Salmon tasted not sashimi fresh, but fresh for smoked salmon, light, and tasty. Ham is normal picnic ham, bacon tasted like it was fried 3 hours ago.
Verdict: Salmon Sandwich tasted better.
(One thing I really like, is the extremely fresh green/purple veg that was drizzled with something sour. It's not only included in the sandwich, its like a side. Much better alternative than cliched coleslaw or boiled baby carrots etc. It was really fresh and crunchy. But my friends said it taste like grass and didn't like it.)
Meanwhile our male friend is trying to devour a whole chicken and he said he got tired of the taste, a quarter through it.
After that, we were served freeflow green apple flavoured candy floss, and then we got a 'Lake Chocolate', which is actually deep fried breaded bananas and sour strawberries, drowning in a 'lake' of chocolate fondue, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle.
As my friend describes, it feels like giving blow job with ice...right. Crude but the feeling is the warm fried bananas mixed with the ice cream coldness and the warm again with warm chocolate...wow the feeling....
Anyway I do not think it sucked, as long as u noe wad to order.
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Been to this place for some desserts after a meal at ChompChomp. The place looked not bad. There was one section right inside the shop, which had some couches and the room was like purple colour.
The staff were quite polite. But we had to go to the counter to order the food.
My frd ordered an icecream he designed, which cost around $7plus.
I ordered a mango icecream with alcohol. But when the icecream came, I was kind of disappointed. The price was not cheap but the portion was only one scoop, too little in my opinion. And I did not taste any alcohol in it.
It's not a bad place to go for non-fussy ppl.
But I wouldn't really go back.
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Desserts are guilty indulgence? Over here, guilty, yes. Indulgence, needs a little more work.
Most of the desserts there taste mediocre, no wow factor.
Still a nice place to go and have long chit-chats with friends.
Maybe its just me, or the sofa seats were too low and sinks in too much. Makes it difficult to get to your orders when it's serves at your table.
Tried their waffle ice-cream, say-cheese and mud pie with banana.
None of them tasted awful (since its ice-cream), but nothing that made a lasting impression.
The waffle wasn't warm enough, the home-made ice-creams were so-so. Had cookies and cream with mint choc. The mint choc was nicer, don't try their cookies and cream.
Say-cheese was freaking sweet initially, but this is the only one that grew on me.
The banana mud pie was just like those from push-cart ice-cream vendors, you know, those block ice-creams that gets sliced into rectangular pieces, with slices of banana spread over it. But banana and ice-cream combo never goes wrong.
Service wasn't fantastic. Just a nice place to chill and feel fat.
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