Living in the East side of Singapore has its perks, being close to the East Coast is one of them. Thus it was that it was another random day after work that me and my gf visited the coast in search for food. Our choices were aplenty as Mingles, Sushi Teh, OldTown White coffee and many more are located at within the vicinity. However, we settled for some fast food instead. And do forgive me if i sound utterly weird as this is the first time i've eaten at Carl's Junior. To say the least, it surprised me.
Located at the Big Splash, this branch is the newest of the bunch and boasts a rather nice, quiet and relaxed atmosphere that is easy to appreciate. The relative lack of being totally packed during dinner time helped alot since squeezing and waiting for food is not something i can grow accustom to in a jiffy. Service was fast and friendly while the place looked spic and span.
The advertising campaign for Carl's Jr is totally hit or miss in my opinion. The tagline of "Its Gonna Get Messy" carries a pun which they have ran with to signify everything from sex to murder whereby the burger sauce is splattered across different mediums. Now that i've tried the burger, well, i must say, they aren't too far off the mark.
I had a Western Bacon Double Cheeseburger meal with my fries exchanged for onion rings. Now, the onion rings were huge compared to Burger Kings rendition and that's not supposed to be a good thing by the way. Why is that so? Because the upsize only gave me 6 onion rings in all. The rings themselves also felt overfried because it was way too dry and didn't have the same moist and fragrant onion ring taste from BK. The burger however, managed to redeem the situation because its definitely huge. Size wise, this is pretty much on par or bigger then BK's double whopper. The beef taste is extremely strong as well, thus you might either like it or hate it with a passion. Fillings were also generous as bacon slices, cucumbers, cheese and meat fight to gain control of your taste buds. And sooner or later, something will spill from the burger whether you like it or not.
My gf had the Portebello Mushroom Burger with cross cut fries. Her order was much better since the fries were infinitely better then my onion rings. The fries were thick, nicely fried till golden brown while still remaining moist inside. The only gripe is that you can practically see the oil you are consuming. Her burger also had a char broiled beef patty within which is accompanied by greens, cream, tomatoes and mushroom. She enjoyed it but wasn't a fan of the strong beef taste. I had a go and found it a little too salty due to the soaked mushrooms but otherwise, its decent as well.
The bill came to about $18 or $20.
Fast food is something that has permeated everyday life to the point that if a brainless food decision is needed. Any fast food joint will simply pop into mind. Carl's is more or less vying for the niche market that is currently dominated by BK and i must say, it is a pretty strong contender in that field. Price wise, its quite steep for fast food but the burger more or less blows away doubt of what you are paying for. Give it a go at least once to see for yourself.
With it being the oh-so-wonderful study season for us students, I recently chanced upon this relatively new TCC oulet at the airport! The day I sat in this place, I told myself I am going to frequent here from now on!
For starters, I really love the interior design of this place. It is pretty spacious and just looks really comfortable! As it's mostly real quiet and peaceful at T3, you can expect to get a comfortable couch seat (even if you're alone) which accommodates four people most of the time! I really like how they play with the colours of the furniture and wall, flooring and lightings as it makes it all very comfortable to be in.
Service wise, I find the waiters there very pleasant and polite. They seem to be very happy being where they are, thus making the place feel less "dead". Lively is good! But either that they are having too much fun among themselves or that the place is really too big, sometimes it does take awhile to catch the eye of one of them to make your orders.
Finally, TCC is not called the coffee connoisseur for no reason. From being a non-coffee person to a Starbucks/ Coffee Bean person (because they have less strong or bitter coffee - yes I don't quite know how to appreciate the coffee taste!) and now, I'm really into TCC! Even though I'm not a coffee connoisseur, I must say that the coffee beans/ powder (whichever) they use is of better quality than famous Coffee Bean/ Starbucks. It is more aromatic and the taste is definitely stronger and more whole.
Kudos to TCC for their large variety of coffee and creativity! You can get anything from the more traditional kind of, say, Blue Mountain Coffee to ice-blended stuff and even Coffee with liqour! (The last one leaves me wondering, though, whether this drink should be keeping me awake or knocking me out.) For non-coffee people, don't worry! TCC has an equally wide variety of drinks like tea, shakes and fruit juices to cater to your likes. If you're out for a little "adventure", so to speak, you can also find something exotic/ interesting from here.
Some drinks I've tried:
Kaffee-tini, $11 : vodka-spiked espresso with a tinge of mint (supposedly). I didn't quite taste the mint though.
Mint Choc Frappe, $7.50: Superb! I thought the whipped cream was wonderful with the chocolate and mint syrup drizzled on it.
Oreo-mocha Frappe, $7.50: I didn't quite like the what-seemed-like-Oreo-dust in the drink. It spoilt the texture of the drink, making it feel very "dirty" to drink =x Apart from the oreo, this drink is actually pretty much the same as all the other frappes.
Iced Minty Mocha: The triple-layered drink served in a tall glass looks too beautiful to drink. But, as though it was quite a bad mix of flavours, the drink turns out to taste a little salty or something. Somehow, as weird as it may seem, I actually feel that the drink tastes abit like some home-made clear soup.
(Guess what, the pictures of the drinks you see in their menu is exactly what they serve you! I'm rather impressed actually!)
This place is basically a coffee place, there are main courses but don't expect much from the menu. It's pretty limited and rather expensive. I had Macaroni Gratin at $10.80. Was a really small serving but tasted pretty good with mini macaroni, tasty mushroom slices and chicken bits, topped with a layer of mozzeralla cheese. Their cakes are not bad, with my personal favourite being the Marble Cheesecake ($5.50) (:
In addition, you could check out their monthly special concoction. They would have a different drink off the menu available each month, at a slightly lower-than-usual price. In the month of June, it's Strawberry Soy-tisfying. Basically strawberry flavoured soya bean. To me, it tastes a little weird actually.
I pretty much like the place, though a pity that TCC is rather over-priced =x It's like paying for the "brand". Nonetheless, it's a great place to chill and hang around with friends, or just to have a moment to yourself (: I give it 4 stars, because it's too expensive to frequent!
Oh and if you're looking for this exact oulet, it's the arrival hall, near Mac's, not the one upstairs! (Yes there's 2 at T3!)
Zouk, one of the most famous clubbing spots in Singapore and one of the best places to go to if you are too young and still wish to experience what the clubbing scene woo ha is all about.
I've only ever been to the place once and it was during the CNY celebrations a couple of years ago. What i can say is that the place is dark, dangy and lacks a certain finesse which should be the order of the day.
Drinks were hellishly expensive and the crowd consisted of little girls and army boys. And on that fateful day, the army boys outnumbered girls by 10 to 1. It was a scene to behold.
The positive notes would be that the songs were rather connectable and there were lots of people on the dance floor. Some were doing synchronised dances on the floor as well which was rather interesting but otherwise, i really don't see the draw for people to actually patronize the place.
Maybe i'm just a bar person but Zouk is just not for me.
It is mentioned somewhere that CHEF Eric Guilbert made all his male cooks shave bald the minute they showed up for work. Guests can easily check out the cooks’ botak heads by peering through the 'open concept' kitchen, although all of them still have their hats on - hee hee.
There’s a touch of perfectionist in the fare, but it seems more western/continental den your average standard French dish.
The dishes are classy but yet non fussy, and quite approachable - such as a duet of pan-seared scallops.
The presentation of the grilled beef tenderloin was mesmerising - a very tender, juicy thick steak, smack by a moat of creamy celery puree - DIVINE!
Some of the chef’s signature dishes, includes a seven-hour slowcooked leg of lamb served with a truffle potato puree. Entrees are roughly $30 and $40, and main courses are between $40 and $60.
In terms of decor, Cassis is loud with a touch of eclecticism: ’sunken’ outdoor seating surrounded by shimmering ‘pools’; a glass-covered patio with creepers trailing up on curved ladders; and a swanky indoor double-storey dining area complete with ornate modern chandeliers. This is surely one of those places to bring a girl if you wish to impress her.
This is probably the most famous club in Singapore and I would dare to say all clubbers have entered this place at least once. It is also this place where a certain famous "Mambo Jumbo" dance culture is popularise (Every Wed Night) - so much so that this culture is exported to many parts of the world where there is a Singaporean presence.
Not only would you get to experience synchronised dancing using mostly the upper torso of your body, one would probably bump in many NS boys and teens during one of these Mambo Nights.
The thing I love most in Zouk is their drinks - Vodka Ribena and Long Island Tea. Try it and you will know the difference.
Oh 1st 300 Citybank members get to enter for free!
This is my faithful partner I bring along whenever I am in the toilet - My life will never be the same without it. All my daily dosage of information from around the world comes from here.
Sections of it that I particularly look forward to are:
Life Section - Here is where I get all the juicy gossip news of celebrities, and all the relevant cinema timings.
Sports - EPL, Champions League, NBA, F1, S-League (ok not exactly in the same class, but you get my drift)
Money - Investment tips, oil prices, market and stocks movement
Urban - Latest fashion tips on what's hot and what's not. Sometimes you get good tips on what to get for your female species.
Job Classified (Saturdays especially) - Looking for a job? Nothing beats this edition where you find out which industry is actively looking for people.
To end it off, nothing beats a copy of Straits Time on board the plane every time I travel back from overseas. AHhh... the familiarity of having the world under my feet.
Dim sum frenzy or just a simple case of food loving brought 8 people together to celebrate Bobo's birthday one fine day. And we're pretty much determined to try all dim sum offerings at least once to have a feel for the best dim sum Singapore can offer. Thus far, we lag behind Hong Kong in terms of quality and value for money but hopefully one day, we'll find something that is at least on par. On a side note, Happy Belated Birthday Bobo! Sorry we turned your birthday into a blogging session but hey, thats what we do. Cheers!
The restaurant is sparsely decorated with a nice view of the CBD district if you can get the window seat. It is highly recommended to call in advance to book your seats so that you can get the window view. Otherwise, the location is unexciting and rather bland.
Cordyceps and Cucumber ($3) - When i saw this appetizer, it took my appetite away literally. Looking at the little worms on a plate with cucumbers are enough to scare many away. However, it proved quite harmless once you take the first leap to try it. Both the Cordyceps and the cucumber are sourish and surprisingly crunchy which was rather interesting.
Egg Tarts ($10.40 for 8) - Mini egg tarts they are called and mini egg tarts they are. Thin, flaky and crusty, the egg tarts actually lacked much taste which more or less disqualifies it from an order in future. At $1.30 a piece, "expensive" is the final verdict for this item.
Char Siew Pastry ($7.80 for 6) - The char siew pastry is sweet and succulent but came across as too sweet for me. The crust is also crispy and flaky which seems to be the main impression from the restaurants pastries but they lacked the same buttery fragrance from Yan Ting's pastries. Decent but could be better.
Xo Carrot Cake ($8) - The XO carrot cake here had a nice fragrance about it and was not oily but the portion size was extremely small and some felt that it was too salty.
Yolk Cream Bun ($9.60) - The yolk cream bun turned out rather well with a watery layer on the inside accompanied by firm custard yolk. The watery yolk flows out once broken open and emits a strong yolk taste once it is popped into your mouth. We did find the bun to be too thick and they could have stuffed the bun with more custard though. All in all, i wouldn't mind ordering this again.
Prawn and Pork Rice Roll ($4.50 each) - The rice roll came in 2 flavors, the BBQ pork flavor and the prawn stuffings. Both of the stuffings were rather inadequate in my opinion as we ended tasting more rice roll then the stuffings. That would have been acceptable if the rice roll was good but even that failed to live up to the test as the rice roll turned out a tad too thick and difficult to break.
Siew Mai ($11.20 for 7) - There's a general dispute on this particular dish because it was supposed to be pork dumplings. However, it turned out to taste very much like Har Gao due to the overwhelming presence of the prawn which is clearly visible here. That is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether you can accept its taste. For what its worth, the prawns were big, fresh, crunchy and succulent enough to be praised but it definitely doesn't taste like siew mai so take your chances and decide yourself.
Century Egg Porridge ($15.20 for 4) - The century porridge is simply too salty to warrant a taste. In fact, the porridge itself lacked much taste apart from the aforementioned saltiness. Skip this if you are here.
Xiao Long Bao ($9.10 for 7) - Xiao Long Bao's are a mixed bag to most as there will be discrepancies on accounts depending on preferences. However, most of us agreed that the XLB here was rather disappointing due to the thick skin and rather simple soup within. Its saving grace lie in the fact that the pork scent within was mild instead of being too strong in others which we've tasted before.
BBQ Pork Bun ($7.20) - The BBQ pork bun was sweet as this seems to be the characteristic of the restaurant. My main complaint on this only lie in the thick fluffiness of the bun which some liked but isn't to my taste.
Shrimp Dumplings ($12.80 for 8) - The Prawn dumplings were done rather well and were bigger then average. Within each dumpling is at least 2 prawns worth of meat and all were crunchy, succulent and fresh enough to be recommended. Try this.
BBQ Pork Rib ($49 for 7) - The meal rounded off with a go at the BBQ pork ribs introduced by FZ. In all fairness, the ribs were done rather well, crispy on the outside and succulently juicy on the inside. The BBQ sauce is sweet but acceptably so and the ribs exude a satisfying aroma. My gripe is that the serving size is not uniform as some ended up with bigger portions while others got much smaller servings. Otherwise, this is pretty good.
The bill came up to $178.20 for 8 people which is manageable but felt too expensive as it wasn't very satisfying.
The experience is generally ok apart from the fact that the meal was served with irritating speed once ordered. The service from the waitress was terrible and she had a black face throughout which didn't help matters. The food was average but price wise is redeemed since it wasn't too expensive to begin with.
Carrefour has to be one of the better supermarkets around if not the best. Its main competitors will be home grown NTUC Fairprice and Giant which have slowly caught up to the fact that big supermarkets with huge selections are more or less the craze nowadays.
Catering to the audience that no longer finds small supermarkets sufficient, Carrefour attempts to be an all in one department store with everything thrown in for good measure. Spanning 2 levels of Suntec, Carrefour provides everything from computers, to electronics, televsions, washing machines, food, wines, clothes and even cutting tools.
The brands and selection there is also excellent, having many that will be hard pressed to find in places outside of Carrefour.
Apart from that, the Japanese food selection there is mind boggling and fresh which more or less satisfies many people's hunger for the coveted culinary experience.
Above a certain limit of purchases, Carrefour also provides delivery services and from what i've heard from my relatives, their service thus far has been impeccable with only minor hitches here and there.
All in all, i'd say Carrefour is an excellent place to shop to find that elusive ingredient or wine.
The downside will be the premium prices they charge for most of their items so weigh your choices properly before committing.
The daily paper and holy grail of information. At least in Singapore, The Straits Times paper has been around for a rather long time, pretty much as old as Singapore itself. Now, this wouldn't be a big deal if the paper has not evolved throughout the years and basically, despite the information revolution and the internet, The Straits Times remains as relevant as ever.
The paper itself is seperated into multiple sections for easy reading. This basically seperates the paper into sections with Asean news, world news, Singapore, leisure and classifieds. All in all, its a wonderfully simple segregation which ultimately works well.
In particular interest to me will be the Money section, Life and the classifieds which more or less qualifies under the "actionable" category as opposed to the other sections which are mainly for information only.
Despite talks of the internet evolving the world into a paperless society, the Straits Times perservered and remains as ever, a necessity when having a nice cup of coffee in the morning.
Nestled inside a shop called Eclectic Attic, that sells all things vintage sorts of collectibles, antiques and clothes and accessories to furniture and knick-knacks, you will find Tea Cosy. At first glance, one may miss Tea Cosy as the whole shop décor here is intentionally messy, making the place feel like an attic. A little crammed and cluttered, the cafe area is barely noticeable amidst all the objects in the place. But when one takes the trouble to peer inside, you will realise that they had place settings at the tables. You will be astound to realise that everything in the cafe is for sale besides the food you dine – from the decorations on the table, including the bell to ring for service (and it doesn’t come cheap mind you), to the wooden chairs that we were sitting on – talk about experiential home furnish shopping!
Starter was the Home-made Creamy Mushroom Soup. Every spoonful comes with generous bits of mushrooms although I rather prefer them in thick and big slices – quality for quantity. Soup was also slightly on the salty side. Surprisingly what I felt was better was the piece of toast that went along with it. It was toasted with Mayonnaise that gave it a sweet creamy taste, something different from the normal toast that comes with soup.
The Decadent Salad consists of Foie Gras, Prawns and Eggs. One of Tea Cosy’s reputed dishes – my expectation of it was heightened – although it didn’t wow me, expectations of a salad was met. The vegetables were fresh and the dressing was a good compliment to it, but the prawns could have been juicier and foie gras bigger.
Not sinfully satisfied, I opted for the Signatured Pan-fried Foie Gras as the main. Topped with pineapples and aragula leaves and with what tasted like orange marmalade on the side, the foie gras goes well with the juices from the pineapple and aragula to create a bittersweet combination, but on its own, the oily aftertaste wasn’t exactly pleasant. This is not the best rendition I have tasted but Tea Cosy is the cheaper option if one does not have a big pocket to burn but still crave for some sinful delight.
Not filling enough, we ordered an extra serving of Laksa Pesto to share that comes with quite a few prawns, and is said to be of reminiscent to Wild Rockets rendition – amidst more watery. Coming to the end of the dish however, one will probably find the gravy extremely salty due to the residues of the dried shrimps used for it. To be honest I wasn’t impressed with this dish.
We wrapped up the night with some desserts that I felt the portion was more suitable for their High Tea – petite. They were nothing extraordinary, and probably the only thing that impresses me was the name used for the chocolate brownie with ice-cream combi – Ebony and Ivory.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
1=SGD 0.0587
Living in the East side of Singapore has its perks, being close to the East Coast is one of them. Thus it was that it was another random day after work that me and my gf visited the coast in search for food. Our choices were aplenty as Mingles, Sushi Teh, OldTown White coffee and many more are located at within the vicinity. However, we settled for some fast food instead. And do forgive me if i sound utterly weird as this is the first time i've eaten at Carl's Junior. To say the least, it surprised me.
Located at the Big Splash, this branch is the newest of the bunch and boasts a rather nice, quiet and relaxed atmosphere that is easy to appreciate. The relative lack of being totally packed during dinner time helped alot since squeezing and waiting for food is not something i can grow accustom to in a jiffy. Service was fast and friendly while the place looked spic and span.
The advertising campaign for Carl's Jr is totally hit or miss in my opinion. The tagline of "Its Gonna Get Messy" carries a pun which they have ran with to signify everything from sex to murder whereby the burger sauce is splattered across different mediums. Now that i've tried the burger, well, i must say, they aren't too far off the mark.
I had a Western Bacon Double Cheeseburger meal with my fries exchanged for onion rings. Now, the onion rings were huge compared to Burger Kings rendition and that's not supposed to be a good thing by the way. Why is that so? Because the upsize only gave me 6 onion rings in all. The rings themselves also felt overfried because it was way too dry and didn't have the same moist and fragrant onion ring taste from BK. The burger however, managed to redeem the situation because its definitely huge. Size wise, this is pretty much on par or bigger then BK's double whopper. The beef taste is extremely strong as well, thus you might either like it or hate it with a passion. Fillings were also generous as bacon slices, cucumbers, cheese and meat fight to gain control of your taste buds. And sooner or later, something will spill from the burger whether you like it or not.
My gf had the Portebello Mushroom Burger with cross cut fries. Her order was much better since the fries were infinitely better then my onion rings. The fries were thick, nicely fried till golden brown while still remaining moist inside. The only gripe is that you can practically see the oil you are consuming. Her burger also had a char broiled beef patty within which is accompanied by greens, cream, tomatoes and mushroom. She enjoyed it but wasn't a fan of the strong beef taste. I had a go and found it a little too salty due to the soaked mushrooms but otherwise, its decent as well.
The bill came to about $18 or $20.
Fast food is something that has permeated everyday life to the point that if a brainless food decision is needed. Any fast food joint will simply pop into mind. Carl's is more or less vying for the niche market that is currently dominated by BK and i must say, it is a pretty strong contender in that field. Price wise, its quite steep for fast food but the burger more or less blows away doubt of what you are paying for. Give it a go at least once to see for yourself.
Rating given:
(editted: 4th June 08)
With it being the oh-so-wonderful study season for us students, I recently chanced upon this relatively new TCC oulet at the airport! The day I sat in this place, I told myself I am going to frequent here from now on!
For starters, I really love the interior design of this place. It is pretty spacious and just looks really comfortable! As it's mostly real quiet and peaceful at T3, you can expect to get a comfortable couch seat (even if you're alone) which accommodates four people most of the time! I really like how they play with the colours of the furniture and wall, flooring and lightings as it makes it all very comfortable to be in.
Service wise, I find the waiters there very pleasant and polite. They seem to be very happy being where they are, thus making the place feel less "dead". Lively is good! But either that they are having too much fun among themselves or that the place is really too big, sometimes it does take awhile to catch the eye of one of them to make your orders.
Finally, TCC is not called the coffee connoisseur for no reason. From being a non-coffee person to a Starbucks/ Coffee Bean person (because they have less strong or bitter coffee - yes I don't quite know how to appreciate the coffee taste!) and now, I'm really into TCC! Even though I'm not a coffee connoisseur, I must say that the coffee beans/ powder (whichever) they use is of better quality than famous Coffee Bean/ Starbucks. It is more aromatic and the taste is definitely stronger and more whole.
Kudos to TCC for their large variety of coffee and creativity! You can get anything from the more traditional kind of, say, Blue Mountain Coffee to ice-blended stuff and even Coffee with liqour! (The last one leaves me wondering, though, whether this drink should be keeping me awake or knocking me out.) For non-coffee people, don't worry! TCC has an equally wide variety of drinks like tea, shakes and fruit juices to cater to your likes. If you're out for a little "adventure", so to speak, you can also find something exotic/ interesting from here.
Some drinks I've tried:
Kaffee-tini, $11 : vodka-spiked espresso with a tinge of mint (supposedly). I didn't quite taste the mint though.
Mint Choc Frappe, $7.50: Superb! I thought the whipped cream was wonderful with the chocolate and mint syrup drizzled on it.
Oreo-mocha Frappe, $7.50: I didn't quite like the what-seemed-like-Oreo-dust in the drink. It spoilt the texture of the drink, making it feel very "dirty" to drink =x Apart from the oreo, this drink is actually pretty much the same as all the other frappes.
Iced Minty Mocha: The triple-layered drink served in a tall glass looks too beautiful to drink. But, as though it was quite a bad mix of flavours, the drink turns out to taste a little salty or something. Somehow, as weird as it may seem, I actually feel that the drink tastes abit like some home-made clear soup.
(Guess what, the pictures of the drinks you see in their menu is exactly what they serve you! I'm rather impressed actually!)
This place is basically a coffee place, there are main courses but don't expect much from the menu. It's pretty limited and rather expensive. I had Macaroni Gratin at $10.80. Was a really small serving but tasted pretty good with mini macaroni, tasty mushroom slices and chicken bits, topped with a layer of mozzeralla cheese. Their cakes are not bad, with my personal favourite being the Marble Cheesecake ($5.50) (:
In addition, you could check out their monthly special concoction. They would have a different drink off the menu available each month, at a slightly lower-than-usual price. In the month of June, it's Strawberry Soy-tisfying. Basically strawberry flavoured soya bean. To me, it tastes a little weird actually.
I pretty much like the place, though a pity that TCC is rather over-priced =x It's like paying for the "brand". Nonetheless, it's a great place to chill and hang around with friends, or just to have a moment to yourself (: I give it 4 stars, because it's too expensive to frequent!
Oh and if you're looking for this exact oulet, it's the arrival hall, near Mac's, not the one upstairs! (Yes there's 2 at T3!)
Rating given:
Zouk, one of the most famous clubbing spots in Singapore and one of the best places to go to if you are too young and still wish to experience what the clubbing scene woo ha is all about.
I've only ever been to the place once and it was during the CNY celebrations a couple of years ago. What i can say is that the place is dark, dangy and lacks a certain finesse which should be the order of the day.
Drinks were hellishly expensive and the crowd consisted of little girls and army boys. And on that fateful day, the army boys outnumbered girls by 10 to 1. It was a scene to behold.
The positive notes would be that the songs were rather connectable and there were lots of people on the dance floor. Some were doing synchronised dances on the floor as well which was rather interesting but otherwise, i really don't see the draw for people to actually patronize the place.
Maybe i'm just a bar person but Zouk is just not for me.
Rating given:
It is mentioned somewhere that CHEF Eric Guilbert made all his male cooks shave bald the minute they showed up for work. Guests can easily check out the cooks’ botak heads by peering through the 'open concept' kitchen, although all of them still have their hats on - hee hee.
There’s a touch of perfectionist in the fare, but it seems more western/continental den your average standard French dish.
The dishes are classy but yet non fussy, and quite approachable - such as a duet of pan-seared scallops.
The presentation of the grilled beef tenderloin was mesmerising - a very tender, juicy thick steak, smack by a moat of creamy celery puree - DIVINE!
Some of the chef’s signature dishes, includes a seven-hour slowcooked leg of lamb served with a truffle potato puree. Entrees are roughly $30 and $40, and main courses are between $40 and $60.
In terms of decor, Cassis is loud with a touch of eclecticism: ’sunken’ outdoor seating surrounded by shimmering ‘pools’; a glass-covered patio with creepers trailing up on curved ladders; and a swanky indoor double-storey dining area complete with ornate modern chandeliers. This is surely one of those places to bring a girl if you wish to impress her.
Rating given:
This is probably the most famous club in Singapore and I would dare to say all clubbers have entered this place at least once. It is also this place where a certain famous "Mambo Jumbo" dance culture is popularise (Every Wed Night) - so much so that this culture is exported to many parts of the world where there is a Singaporean presence.
Not only would you get to experience synchronised dancing using mostly the upper torso of your body, one would probably bump in many NS boys and teens during one of these Mambo Nights.
The thing I love most in Zouk is their drinks - Vodka Ribena and Long Island Tea. Try it and you will know the difference.
Oh 1st 300 Citybank members get to enter for free!
Rating given:
This is my faithful partner I bring along whenever I am in the toilet - My life will never be the same without it. All my daily dosage of information from around the world comes from here.
Sections of it that I particularly look forward to are:
Life Section - Here is where I get all the juicy gossip news of celebrities, and all the relevant cinema timings.
Sports - EPL, Champions League, NBA, F1, S-League (ok not exactly in the same class, but you get my drift)
Money - Investment tips, oil prices, market and stocks movement
Urban - Latest fashion tips on what's hot and what's not. Sometimes you get good tips on what to get for your female species.
Job Classified (Saturdays especially) - Looking for a job? Nothing beats this edition where you find out which industry is actively looking for people.
To end it off, nothing beats a copy of Straits Time on board the plane every time I travel back from overseas. AHhh... the familiarity of having the world under my feet.
Rating given:
Dim sum frenzy or just a simple case of food loving brought 8 people together to celebrate Bobo's birthday one fine day. And we're pretty much determined to try all dim sum offerings at least once to have a feel for the best dim sum Singapore can offer. Thus far, we lag behind Hong Kong in terms of quality and value for money but hopefully one day, we'll find something that is at least on par. On a side note, Happy Belated Birthday Bobo! Sorry we turned your birthday into a blogging session but hey, thats what we do. Cheers!
The restaurant is sparsely decorated with a nice view of the CBD district if you can get the window seat. It is highly recommended to call in advance to book your seats so that you can get the window view. Otherwise, the location is unexciting and rather bland.
Cordyceps and Cucumber ($3) - When i saw this appetizer, it took my appetite away literally. Looking at the little worms on a plate with cucumbers are enough to scare many away. However, it proved quite harmless once you take the first leap to try it. Both the Cordyceps and the cucumber are sourish and surprisingly crunchy which was rather interesting.
Egg Tarts ($10.40 for 8) - Mini egg tarts they are called and mini egg tarts they are. Thin, flaky and crusty, the egg tarts actually lacked much taste which more or less disqualifies it from an order in future. At $1.30 a piece, "expensive" is the final verdict for this item.
Char Siew Pastry ($7.80 for 6) - The char siew pastry is sweet and succulent but came across as too sweet for me. The crust is also crispy and flaky which seems to be the main impression from the restaurants pastries but they lacked the same buttery fragrance from Yan Ting's pastries. Decent but could be better.
Xo Carrot Cake ($8) - The XO carrot cake here had a nice fragrance about it and was not oily but the portion size was extremely small and some felt that it was too salty.
Yolk Cream Bun ($9.60) - The yolk cream bun turned out rather well with a watery layer on the inside accompanied by firm custard yolk. The watery yolk flows out once broken open and emits a strong yolk taste once it is popped into your mouth. We did find the bun to be too thick and they could have stuffed the bun with more custard though. All in all, i wouldn't mind ordering this again.
Prawn and Pork Rice Roll ($4.50 each) - The rice roll came in 2 flavors, the BBQ pork flavor and the prawn stuffings. Both of the stuffings were rather inadequate in my opinion as we ended tasting more rice roll then the stuffings. That would have been acceptable if the rice roll was good but even that failed to live up to the test as the rice roll turned out a tad too thick and difficult to break.
Siew Mai ($11.20 for 7) - There's a general dispute on this particular dish because it was supposed to be pork dumplings. However, it turned out to taste very much like Har Gao due to the overwhelming presence of the prawn which is clearly visible here. That is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether you can accept its taste. For what its worth, the prawns were big, fresh, crunchy and succulent enough to be praised but it definitely doesn't taste like siew mai so take your chances and decide yourself.
Century Egg Porridge ($15.20 for 4) - The century porridge is simply too salty to warrant a taste. In fact, the porridge itself lacked much taste apart from the aforementioned saltiness. Skip this if you are here.
Xiao Long Bao ($9.10 for 7) - Xiao Long Bao's are a mixed bag to most as there will be discrepancies on accounts depending on preferences. However, most of us agreed that the XLB here was rather disappointing due to the thick skin and rather simple soup within. Its saving grace lie in the fact that the pork scent within was mild instead of being too strong in others which we've tasted before.
BBQ Pork Bun ($7.20) - The BBQ pork bun was sweet as this seems to be the characteristic of the restaurant. My main complaint on this only lie in the thick fluffiness of the bun which some liked but isn't to my taste.
Shrimp Dumplings ($12.80 for 8) - The Prawn dumplings were done rather well and were bigger then average. Within each dumpling is at least 2 prawns worth of meat and all were crunchy, succulent and fresh enough to be recommended. Try this.
BBQ Pork Rib ($49 for 7) - The meal rounded off with a go at the BBQ pork ribs introduced by FZ. In all fairness, the ribs were done rather well, crispy on the outside and succulently juicy on the inside. The BBQ sauce is sweet but acceptably so and the ribs exude a satisfying aroma. My gripe is that the serving size is not uniform as some ended up with bigger portions while others got much smaller servings. Otherwise, this is pretty good.
The bill came up to $178.20 for 8 people which is manageable but felt too expensive as it wasn't very satisfying.
The experience is generally ok apart from the fact that the meal was served with irritating speed once ordered. The service from the waitress was terrible and she had a black face throughout which didn't help matters. The food was average but price wise is redeemed since it wasn't too expensive to begin with.
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Carrefour has to be one of the better supermarkets around if not the best. Its main competitors will be home grown NTUC Fairprice and Giant which have slowly caught up to the fact that big supermarkets with huge selections are more or less the craze nowadays.
Catering to the audience that no longer finds small supermarkets sufficient, Carrefour attempts to be an all in one department store with everything thrown in for good measure. Spanning 2 levels of Suntec, Carrefour provides everything from computers, to electronics, televsions, washing machines, food, wines, clothes and even cutting tools.
The brands and selection there is also excellent, having many that will be hard pressed to find in places outside of Carrefour.
Apart from that, the Japanese food selection there is mind boggling and fresh which more or less satisfies many people's hunger for the coveted culinary experience.
Above a certain limit of purchases, Carrefour also provides delivery services and from what i've heard from my relatives, their service thus far has been impeccable with only minor hitches here and there.
All in all, i'd say Carrefour is an excellent place to shop to find that elusive ingredient or wine.
The downside will be the premium prices they charge for most of their items so weigh your choices properly before committing.
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The daily paper and holy grail of information. At least in Singapore, The Straits Times paper has been around for a rather long time, pretty much as old as Singapore itself. Now, this wouldn't be a big deal if the paper has not evolved throughout the years and basically, despite the information revolution and the internet, The Straits Times remains as relevant as ever.
The paper itself is seperated into multiple sections for easy reading. This basically seperates the paper into sections with Asean news, world news, Singapore, leisure and classifieds. All in all, its a wonderfully simple segregation which ultimately works well.
In particular interest to me will be the Money section, Life and the classifieds which more or less qualifies under the "actionable" category as opposed to the other sections which are mainly for information only.
Despite talks of the internet evolving the world into a paperless society, the Straits Times perservered and remains as ever, a necessity when having a nice cup of coffee in the morning.
Well done.
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Nestled inside a shop called Eclectic Attic, that sells all things vintage sorts of collectibles, antiques and clothes and accessories to furniture and knick-knacks, you will find Tea Cosy. At first glance, one may miss Tea Cosy as the whole shop décor here is intentionally messy, making the place feel like an attic. A little crammed and cluttered, the cafe area is barely noticeable amidst all the objects in the place. But when one takes the trouble to peer inside, you will realise that they had place settings at the tables. You will be astound to realise that everything in the cafe is for sale besides the food you dine – from the decorations on the table, including the bell to ring for service (and it doesn’t come cheap mind you), to the wooden chairs that we were sitting on – talk about experiential home furnish shopping!
Starter was the Home-made Creamy Mushroom Soup. Every spoonful comes with generous bits of mushrooms although I rather prefer them in thick and big slices – quality for quantity. Soup was also slightly on the salty side. Surprisingly what I felt was better was the piece of toast that went along with it. It was toasted with Mayonnaise that gave it a sweet creamy taste, something different from the normal toast that comes with soup.
The Decadent Salad consists of Foie Gras, Prawns and Eggs. One of Tea Cosy’s reputed dishes – my expectation of it was heightened – although it didn’t wow me, expectations of a salad was met. The vegetables were fresh and the dressing was a good compliment to it, but the prawns could have been juicier and foie gras bigger.
Not sinfully satisfied, I opted for the Signatured Pan-fried Foie Gras as the main. Topped with pineapples and aragula leaves and with what tasted like orange marmalade on the side, the foie gras goes well with the juices from the pineapple and aragula to create a bittersweet combination, but on its own, the oily aftertaste wasn’t exactly pleasant. This is not the best rendition I have tasted but Tea Cosy is the cheaper option if one does not have a big pocket to burn but still crave for some sinful delight.
Not filling enough, we ordered an extra serving of Laksa Pesto to share that comes with quite a few prawns, and is said to be of reminiscent to Wild Rockets rendition – amidst more watery. Coming to the end of the dish however, one will probably find the gravy extremely salty due to the residues of the dried shrimps used for it. To be honest I wasn’t impressed with this dish.
We wrapped up the night with some desserts that I felt the portion was more suitable for their High Tea – petite. They were nothing extraordinary, and probably the only thing that impresses me was the name used for the chocolate brownie with ice-cream combi – Ebony and Ivory.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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