Dine there this past Monday to celebrate a friend's birthday.
The rest ordered various items from the menu, I didn't check with them whether their order was nice.
Anyway, I ordered Teriyaki Chicken don, the medium size, indeed it was very small but luckily I not a big eater and it's enough for me. Anyway, the photo looked very impressive but the served food wasn't as good as the photo!
I ordered hot green tea, it was not served. Tried to ordered iced green tea, also not served. Tried to order hot green tea, the manager checked the order and brought 2 hot green tea instead!!
I went to Pasta de Waraku with some colleagues some months back. It was my first time there as I generally prefer Italian pasta though.
Apparently, every order of a pasta dish here entitles you to a small bowl of salad. It was tossed in a Wafu dressing, which was very all right.
I order a Wafu Scallop & Asparagus Spaghetti (S$12.80). It was not too bad. Although the spaghetti was not al dente enough, this was nonetheless not too bad for a Japanese pasta dish.
This is worth a visit if one just wish to try out a Japanese interpretation of an Italian staple, but otherwise I would prefer to stick to the italians.
The distinguishing feature of Din Tai Fung's dumplings is that the chefs would make 18 folds to seal the dumplings.
A cautionary note about eating Xiao Long Bao is that the soup is usually so hot that an unsuspecting consumer might scald the tongue and throat if he/she popped the entire dumpling into the mouth without first allowing it to cool down a little.
The Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung were tasty and didn't have a strong porky odour (unlike the ones that I had at another popular establishment). In short, it met my expectations since my last visit to one of their outlets. I think its likely that the flagship at Paragon branch churns out better dumplings than the branches at Wisma Atria and Raffles City.
Surprisingly, the Fried Rice with Pork Chop is just as good - try it and you will be convince!
The extended wing of Centrepoint Shopping Centre has a basement lined with food stalls and restaurants. But it's like a maze quietly tucked away in the madness of Orchard Road. And out of this maze, I discovered Sumi Yakitori by pure luck.
The light dinner started off with a plate of raw veggies ($1/person including towels). I eat salad but shudder at the raw thick cabbage leaf. The dipping sauce, in which the waitress instructed us to squeeze the lemon into, was like a dark miso-shoyu paste- salty and savoury.
The Tonkutsu Ramen ($8) unfortunately brought a very comforting feel. It was so familiar - Uncannily like Chu Qian Yi Ding instant noodles with the aromatic sesame oil. But I would have preferred a richer broth and the ramen itself was too cooked for my liking.
Sumi seems more like a Japanese grill kind of place instead of ramen house. So we decided to order a few grilled items to see what it offers.
The Fresh Tiger Prawn ($3.50) had blackened legs but fortunately the flesh was protected by its shell. The flesh was sweet and firm but a tad too dry.
The saving grace was the Sweet Corn ($2.50)! Each kernel was plump and burst with sweet juices upon nibbling. The nice smokey aroma by the grilling was evident and complemented the natural sweetness of the corn well.
In a nutshell, don't expect ultra fine Japanese food here. It's more like a budget ramen place with a few stars from the yakitori menu. To put things in perspective, it almost felt like paying food court prices at a restaurant for the ramen.
Anthony Bourdain swears by their chicken rice and he only eats chicken rice from this stall.
Seriously, how can anyone resist chicken that's as succulent, juicy and tender as this!
Some say the Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice is better while some swear by Five Star Chicken Rice or even Boon Tong Kee. However, I beg to differ.
The texture of the chicken here is the best around. The skin is smooth and they always have that delicious layer of subcutaneous gelatine under the skin what is so wonderfully slurpy. The meat has just the right amount of tenderness and is so savoury. It is said the chicken are dipped into cold water before being served, and that's why the meat tend to be slightly cold when served.
I've been wanting to try ever since I saw it featured on television some time back. It's actually Hakka Lei Cha, a healthy rice dish made from the healthiest of ingredients - basil leaves, green tea leaves, mint leaves, Chinese parsley, coriander leaves, etc. And mind you that's just the stock. The rice itself is served with loads of good stuff like anchovies, okra, cabbage, tofu, long beans, and spinach
That's alot of green stuff! Full of fibre and lots of nutrients! This dish looks yucky but actually tastes ok. However, some people might be not be able to stand the potent smell of the green stock.
By the way, you can choose to have brown rice (which I did), instead of the normal white rice.
Opened by lifestyle and entrepreneur guru Michel Lu, Superfamous is located right smack in the heart of the CBD. Fully realised as a chic and trendy eating place, the restaurant is open to the elements in an al fresco setting before transforming into a bar in the evening. Even during the heat of the afternoon, the restaurant is generally cooling and suitable for patronizing even then. Lets go to the food to see how it fares then.
Apple and Orange Juice - Authentic juice best describes these 2 juices. In that i mean that they were both sour and depending on your tolerance to sour stuff, can either be a blessing or a curse. For me, i have a low tolerance to them and thus, it was a rather difficult experience to finish them. In all fairness though, they tasted very true to form.
Blue Swimmer Crab Caesar Salad ($13) - Crab meat, deep fried bread, salad, cheese flakes, boiled eggs and bacon bits. This simple looking salad was made very nicely indeed. The crab meat was fresh and sweet while the salad itself was crunchy to a fault. I particularly liked the boiled egg for no other reason then i love boiled eggs in a salad and the cheese lent a light salty taste to the dish. A great start to a meal.
Wild Mushroom Soup With Truffle Oil ($8) - The mushroom bits can be easily seen and the soup seems to be a grinded home made version of the mushroom soup which reminds me of the rendition at Eden Cafe. Taste wise, it was also quite similar with the mushroom bits providing texture to the soup and the truffle oil softening it somewhat. A little pepper did wonders for the soup as well. Worth a try.
Linguine with Seared Tiger Prawns in Tomato Chili Sauce ($16) -Spicy, tangy and a little sweet. The linguine was done al dente with the tiger prawns arranged at the top with the sauce and tomatoes. The prawns were reasonably big and crunchy but could have done with more. As i don't take much spicy stuff, i left this to my colleague to enjoy. What i gather was that it was not spicy enough but was good.
SuperFamous Wagyu Burger With Caramelized Onions, Fries and Salad ($23) - This original burger came looking delicious and the taste test revealed that it is delicious. Wagyu beef is mashed well with chunky bits to add variety to the texture while the caramelized onions gave the burger an overall sweet finish. The beef was also juicy and it was evident in each bite that the meat was fresh. The only gripe is that i couldn't tell if it was Wagyu or normal beef since it was mashed up.
SuperFamous Foie Gras Wagyu Burger ($32) - This was what i came to try. The foie gras wagyu beef burger. I have a tendency to go for artery clogging and heart stopping menu items and thus this was the choice of the day. Sadly, although the beef was nicely mashed as the SuperFamous burger, the foie gras did not manage to bring a different experience to the meal. The foie gras came at a respectable size with cheese meltings with it. It was also done nicely and taken on its own, it could have sufficed but when paired with the burger, it just feels like something is still missing. Maybe i held too high an expectation for this burger because otherwise, its pretty darn good. The wedges are the same for both, well done, not too oily and piping hot.
Sticky Date Pudding With Honey, Fig and Butterscotch Ice Cream ($8.50) - Recommended by the nice waitress of the restaurant, the sticky date pudding is a must try. Needless to say, this is the star of the day. Looking like glutinous rice, the warm sticky date is sweet and packs a punch in its aroma. Taken on its own, it would have overwhelmed but when paired with the honey fig and butterscotch ice cream, the taste was incredible. The waitress said that no visit is complete till you've had this as dessert and i totally agree. Try this!
Royal Chocolate Mousse With Crunchy Feulletine Base ($8.50) - The chocolate mousse on the other hand was rather lackluster as it was bitter and lacked any other taste. I did enjoy the crunchy base but it still doesn't warrant a second order.
Peppermint Green Tea (complimentary) - Finally, after all the rich food i've had, the waitress once again recommended the peppermint green tea to aid digestion and i'm so grateful she did. Its fabulous. The tea is absolutely fragrant and cooling which is wonderful for the current weather and for washing done all the oil from the burgers before. If any drink should be ordered here, this is it.
Given the food, good service and some wonderful items. This place is somewhere i could return to and recommend to my friends. I'd return for the dessert and tea any day and as for the burgers, i wouldn't mind clogging myself again but first of all, its time to shed what i've gained from this visit. Do give it a try if you are in the vicinity.
This Kway Chup stall on the second floor of Amoy Food Centre claiming to serve authentic Teochew Kway Chup (not that I actually know how thats supposed to taste like though) piqued my interest greatly and so I got down to giving it a shot.
$6.60 bought me a platter of Pig's Tongue, Pig's Intestine, Hard Boiled Egg, Tau Pok and Fishcake for 2 pax inclusive of 2 bowls of the Kway. I personally found the ingredients too soft from simmering in the huge pot of gravy for too long. The only highlight was the Kway and the accompanying gravy. The Kway had more bite and wasn't as soggy as the normal ones you get outside. The gravy had a slightly burnt taste with a rather sharp tinge of Cinnamon. Something different and worth a try for the novelty factor. Unfortunately, not even the superior Kway and unique gravy is enough to warrant another try.
Had a craving for Pig's Organ Soup so ordered a bowl to share from Soon Huat's Pig Organ Soup, which has a loyal following of customers, including myself.
$3 gets your a bowl of soup with a reasonable amount of ingredients thrown in. The ingredients in it are pretty normal, but what I like about this dish is the soup. It is slightly sourish and salty due to the salted vegetables and it is so good that it keeps me going back for more. Add a dash of pepper and you get a really great soup. Do try it!
In the same coffeeshop that houses the famous Eng Seng Black Pepper Crabs lies a small nondescript corner stall that sells Wanton Mee. My colleague had raved about it so thought I would pop by to try it during lunch.
For $3, I got a huge bowl of kway teow with 4 relatively huge deep fried wantons and 3 boiled wantons. Each fried wanton had a generous serving of meat in it and was very crispy. The steamed wantons were rather normal though. However, count in the fact that you get a generous serving of char siew as well and this dish is really bang for the buck. Do try it if you happen to be in the area during lunch.
1=SGD 0.0587
Dine there this past Monday to celebrate a friend's birthday.
The rest ordered various items from the menu, I didn't check with them whether their order was nice.
Anyway, I ordered Teriyaki Chicken don, the medium size, indeed it was very small but luckily I not a big eater and it's enough for me. Anyway, the photo looked very impressive but the served food wasn't as good as the photo!
I ordered hot green tea, it was not served. Tried to ordered iced green tea, also not served. Tried to order hot green tea, the manager checked the order and brought 2 hot green tea instead!!
Rating given:
I went to Pasta de Waraku with some colleagues some months back. It was my first time there as I generally prefer Italian pasta though.
Apparently, every order of a pasta dish here entitles you to a small bowl of salad. It was tossed in a Wafu dressing, which was very all right.
I order a Wafu Scallop & Asparagus Spaghetti (S$12.80). It was not too bad. Although the spaghetti was not al dente enough, this was nonetheless not too bad for a Japanese pasta dish.
This is worth a visit if one just wish to try out a Japanese interpretation of an Italian staple, but otherwise I would prefer to stick to the italians.
Rating given:
The distinguishing feature of Din Tai Fung's dumplings is that the chefs would make 18 folds to seal the dumplings.
A cautionary note about eating Xiao Long Bao is that the soup is usually so hot that an unsuspecting consumer might scald the tongue and throat if he/she popped the entire dumpling into the mouth without first allowing it to cool down a little.
The Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung were tasty and didn't have a strong porky odour (unlike the ones that I had at another popular establishment). In short, it met my expectations since my last visit to one of their outlets. I think its likely that the flagship at Paragon branch churns out better dumplings than the branches at Wisma Atria and Raffles City.
Surprisingly, the Fried Rice with Pork Chop is just as good - try it and you will be convince!
Rating given:
The extended wing of Centrepoint Shopping Centre has a basement lined with food stalls and restaurants. But it's like a maze quietly tucked away in the madness of Orchard Road. And out of this maze, I discovered Sumi Yakitori by pure luck.
The light dinner started off with a plate of raw veggies ($1/person including towels). I eat salad but shudder at the raw thick cabbage leaf. The dipping sauce, in which the waitress instructed us to squeeze the lemon into, was like a dark miso-shoyu paste- salty and savoury.
The Tonkutsu Ramen ($8) unfortunately brought a very comforting feel. It was so familiar - Uncannily like Chu Qian Yi Ding instant noodles with the aromatic sesame oil. But I would have preferred a richer broth and the ramen itself was too cooked for my liking.
Sumi seems more like a Japanese grill kind of place instead of ramen house. So we decided to order a few grilled items to see what it offers.
The Fresh Tiger Prawn ($3.50) had blackened legs but fortunately the flesh was protected by its shell. The flesh was sweet and firm but a tad too dry.
The saving grace was the Sweet Corn ($2.50)! Each kernel was plump and burst with sweet juices upon nibbling. The nice smokey aroma by the grilling was evident and complemented the natural sweetness of the corn well.
In a nutshell, don't expect ultra fine Japanese food here. It's more like a budget ramen place with a few stars from the yakitori menu. To put things in perspective, it almost felt like paying food court prices at a restaurant for the ramen.
Rating given:
Anthony Bourdain swears by their chicken rice and he only eats chicken rice from this stall.
Seriously, how can anyone resist chicken that's as succulent, juicy and tender as this!
Some say the Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice is better while some swear by Five Star Chicken Rice or even Boon Tong Kee. However, I beg to differ.
The texture of the chicken here is the best around. The skin is smooth and they always have that delicious layer of subcutaneous gelatine under the skin what is so wonderfully slurpy. The meat has just the right amount of tenderness and is so savoury. It is said the chicken are dipped into cold water before being served, and that's why the meat tend to be slightly cold when served.
Rating given:
I've been wanting to try ever since I saw it featured on television some time back. It's actually Hakka Lei Cha, a healthy rice dish made from the healthiest of ingredients - basil leaves, green tea leaves, mint leaves, Chinese parsley, coriander leaves, etc. And mind you that's just the stock. The rice itself is served with loads of good stuff like anchovies, okra, cabbage, tofu, long beans, and spinach
That's alot of green stuff! Full of fibre and lots of nutrients! This dish looks yucky but actually tastes ok. However, some people might be not be able to stand the potent smell of the green stock.
By the way, you can choose to have brown rice (which I did), instead of the normal white rice.
Rating given:
Opened by lifestyle and entrepreneur guru Michel Lu, Superfamous is located right smack in the heart of the CBD. Fully realised as a chic and trendy eating place, the restaurant is open to the elements in an al fresco setting before transforming into a bar in the evening. Even during the heat of the afternoon, the restaurant is generally cooling and suitable for patronizing even then. Lets go to the food to see how it fares then.
Apple and Orange Juice - Authentic juice best describes these 2 juices. In that i mean that they were both sour and depending on your tolerance to sour stuff, can either be a blessing or a curse. For me, i have a low tolerance to them and thus, it was a rather difficult experience to finish them. In all fairness though, they tasted very true to form.
Blue Swimmer Crab Caesar Salad ($13) - Crab meat, deep fried bread, salad, cheese flakes, boiled eggs and bacon bits. This simple looking salad was made very nicely indeed. The crab meat was fresh and sweet while the salad itself was crunchy to a fault. I particularly liked the boiled egg for no other reason then i love boiled eggs in a salad and the cheese lent a light salty taste to the dish. A great start to a meal.
Wild Mushroom Soup With Truffle Oil ($8) - The mushroom bits can be easily seen and the soup seems to be a grinded home made version of the mushroom soup which reminds me of the rendition at Eden Cafe. Taste wise, it was also quite similar with the mushroom bits providing texture to the soup and the truffle oil softening it somewhat. A little pepper did wonders for the soup as well. Worth a try.
Linguine with Seared Tiger Prawns in Tomato Chili Sauce ($16) -Spicy, tangy and a little sweet. The linguine was done al dente with the tiger prawns arranged at the top with the sauce and tomatoes. The prawns were reasonably big and crunchy but could have done with more. As i don't take much spicy stuff, i left this to my colleague to enjoy. What i gather was that it was not spicy enough but was good.
SuperFamous Wagyu Burger With Caramelized Onions, Fries and Salad ($23) - This original burger came looking delicious and the taste test revealed that it is delicious. Wagyu beef is mashed well with chunky bits to add variety to the texture while the caramelized onions gave the burger an overall sweet finish. The beef was also juicy and it was evident in each bite that the meat was fresh. The only gripe is that i couldn't tell if it was Wagyu or normal beef since it was mashed up.
SuperFamous Foie Gras Wagyu Burger ($32) - This was what i came to try. The foie gras wagyu beef burger. I have a tendency to go for artery clogging and heart stopping menu items and thus this was the choice of the day. Sadly, although the beef was nicely mashed as the SuperFamous burger, the foie gras did not manage to bring a different experience to the meal. The foie gras came at a respectable size with cheese meltings with it. It was also done nicely and taken on its own, it could have sufficed but when paired with the burger, it just feels like something is still missing. Maybe i held too high an expectation for this burger because otherwise, its pretty darn good. The wedges are the same for both, well done, not too oily and piping hot.
Sticky Date Pudding With Honey, Fig and Butterscotch Ice Cream ($8.50) - Recommended by the nice waitress of the restaurant, the sticky date pudding is a must try. Needless to say, this is the star of the day. Looking like glutinous rice, the warm sticky date is sweet and packs a punch in its aroma. Taken on its own, it would have overwhelmed but when paired with the honey fig and butterscotch ice cream, the taste was incredible. The waitress said that no visit is complete till you've had this as dessert and i totally agree. Try this!
Royal Chocolate Mousse With Crunchy Feulletine Base ($8.50) - The chocolate mousse on the other hand was rather lackluster as it was bitter and lacked any other taste. I did enjoy the crunchy base but it still doesn't warrant a second order.
Peppermint Green Tea (complimentary) - Finally, after all the rich food i've had, the waitress once again recommended the peppermint green tea to aid digestion and i'm so grateful she did. Its fabulous. The tea is absolutely fragrant and cooling which is wonderful for the current weather and for washing done all the oil from the burgers before. If any drink should be ordered here, this is it.
Given the food, good service and some wonderful items. This place is somewhere i could return to and recommend to my friends. I'd return for the dessert and tea any day and as for the burgers, i wouldn't mind clogging myself again but first of all, its time to shed what i've gained from this visit. Do give it a try if you are in the vicinity.
Rating given:
This Kway Chup stall on the second floor of Amoy Food Centre claiming to serve authentic Teochew Kway Chup (not that I actually know how thats supposed to taste like though) piqued my interest greatly and so I got down to giving it a shot.
$6.60 bought me a platter of Pig's Tongue, Pig's Intestine, Hard Boiled Egg, Tau Pok and Fishcake for 2 pax inclusive of 2 bowls of the Kway. I personally found the ingredients too soft from simmering in the huge pot of gravy for too long. The only highlight was the Kway and the accompanying gravy. The Kway had more bite and wasn't as soggy as the normal ones you get outside. The gravy had a slightly burnt taste with a rather sharp tinge of Cinnamon. Something different and worth a try for the novelty factor. Unfortunately, not even the superior Kway and unique gravy is enough to warrant another try.
Rating given:
Had a craving for Pig's Organ Soup so ordered a bowl to share from Soon Huat's Pig Organ Soup, which has a loyal following of customers, including myself.
$3 gets your a bowl of soup with a reasonable amount of ingredients thrown in. The ingredients in it are pretty normal, but what I like about this dish is the soup. It is slightly sourish and salty due to the salted vegetables and it is so good that it keeps me going back for more. Add a dash of pepper and you get a really great soup. Do try it!
Rating given:
In the same coffeeshop that houses the famous Eng Seng Black Pepper Crabs lies a small nondescript corner stall that sells Wanton Mee. My colleague had raved about it so thought I would pop by to try it during lunch.
For $3, I got a huge bowl of kway teow with 4 relatively huge deep fried wantons and 3 boiled wantons. Each fried wanton had a generous serving of meat in it and was very crispy. The steamed wantons were rather normal though. However, count in the fact that you get a generous serving of char siew as well and this dish is really bang for the buck. Do try it if you happen to be in the area during lunch.
Rating given: