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Arts & Entertainment
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1=SGD 0.0587
A member of the Starling Group of restaurants which include Dragon Gate, Orient Ocean, River City and the 88 Restaurant, this is the choice my dad made after a prior good experience he had with his friends.
Judging by the shots, its obvious to see that the restaurant is geared towards huge banquets and events. It says as much on their website touting their huge capacity and being a 'Perfect choice of perfect venue for any occasion.' The interior also masks the fact that the main entrance of the restaurant is actually at the carpark, convenient but in direct contrast to the posh oldies interior.
The menu we had was the cheapest of 3 sets offered. Standing at $22.80 per head, there were five limited items to order and 45 other items we could try. Everything has to be ticked and ordered and it will be served throughout the buffet.
Deep Fried Breaded Prawn Fritters - The first item i had were these fritters and i must say they tasted good. Lightly breaded, crispy and sweet. It was pretty oily though.
Chilli Crab and Black Pepper Crab - These crabs were just plain bad. The meat was thin and powdery to the point that even the sauces couldn't enhance its taste. Now i know why the crab was free flow, it simply isn't good.
Sweet and sour pork - This was decent. The meat was slightly crunchy without losing its inner tenderness. It was also lightly sweet and sour without being overwhelming.
Pan Fried Salmon in Teriyaki Sauce - The salmon was overly fried such that the meat tasted too dry. The sauce did not help as it was overly sweet and not appetizing in the least.
Deep Fried Chicken in Beancurd Skin - Crispy, hot and oily describes this dish. The freshness of the chicken is debatable of course but for what its worth. Everyone enjoyed it.
Baby Kai lan and Mushrooms - Bland and tasteless, the only redeeming factor to this dish is the crunchy and fresh baby kai lans.
Japanese Egg Beancurds - You can practically buy and cook this at home. The beancurds are typical supermarket quality with nothing truly special. The serving for this was huge but whats the point of big servings when no one wants to eat it?
Shark's Fin (1 serving per customer) - This is a joke through and through. I could hardly make out the shark's fin and the broth is simply too thick for its own good.
Char Siew (Roast BBQ Pork) - As nice as it looks, the roast pork is simply too dry and tough to chew on for its own good. I'm surprised they managed to mess up on something this widely available actually.
Garlic Steamed Fresh Prawns (1 Serving per customer) -A far cry from HTL but thats unfair to compare here i suppose. Their version was decent and the aroma and sauce does have a certain charm, the only gripe here is the size of the prawns, which were too small to leave a good impression.
Zhi Bao Ji(Steamed Paper Wrapped Chicken)- The meat was tender, sweet and juicy. Pretty nicely done and worth a try.
Cereal Prawns - A staple dish in almost any Chinese eatery. The cereal was strangely lacking the sweet and fragrant taste that is the norm for this dish. The prawns were adequately fresh this time around and was crunchy with the cereal. Taste was overall subdued compared to others i've had before.
Scallops and assorted veggies - To put it simply, we finished all the scallops and left all the greens intact. I'm please to say the scallops tasted fresh and thats about all i can say. =P
Deep fried Buns - A popular dish that night, we went for 3 to 4 helpings of these delectable but oily buns. There is absolutely nothing much special about them. Its your run-of-the-mill deep fried buns available for 50 cents outside but it somehow got us to have seconds and thirds of it. Go figure.
Sze Chuan Fish - This was so salty and spicy that none of us had the stomach to finish. We practically left it untouched and thats quite a waste because beneath the salty exterior, the fish inside was actually fresh.
Honeydew Sago - Pretty much stuffed with food by this point, the sago came as a relief. It wasn't sweet, which is a surprise, as the coconut milk practically robbed it of any other taste whatsoever.
The total bill for 8 people came up to $226.45 which, to me, is not worth the money given the quality of the food.
I suppose taste does vary for each individual, because my dad still felt the restaurant was good value for money while i feel its best if i don't step into it again. The food is passable though hardly memorable and the money could have been spent on healthier and better choices. Buffets that serve good Chinese food is just few and far between.
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Nestled in the midst of Bishan Park 2, Acacia looks from afar a nice place to dine in. Stepping into the place and sitting down by the full glass windows, it is hard to imagine that you are in AMK. The lush surroundings makes you feel like you are in the middle of some "exotic" location or maybe it is just me.
The first page of the menu was the set lunch at $15. Looking at the menu and servings it looks like a good price. The set dinner is $32 nett. Yes they do not charge GST or service charge. So we opted for the set dinner 2. Here is what the set dinner comes with:-
(1) Mango Salad - This was a good starter. The smell and taste of the balsamic vinegar was not too overpowering. It sort of tickled our taste buds and was an appetizing appetizer. There were also sliced papayas and mangos which made the dish both colorful and complete.
(2) Mushroom soup - This is definitely not cambells mushroom soup. It was thick, creamy with visible chunks of mushroom found in the soup itself. One of the thickest mushroom soup I have eaten and definitely one of the tastiest. The texture of the soup is just right and is also not too thick. As you guessed, the bowl was emptied and "cleaned" in no time.
(3) Main course A - Balsamic Chicken - This is a delight to savour. The sauce has the right tinge of sweetness and saltiness, each not overpowering the other. Together with the grilled chicken, the taste is truly complimentary. One just cannot get enough of the sauce. It has a strawberry like taste and yet it is not strawberry. I have never eaten chicken so effortlessly, without thinking that it is chicken. Again maybe it is just me. haha. The potato wedges were also quickly "gobbled" up.
Main course B - Pan fried Dory with Mango sauce - The Dory was nicely fried and was fresh. Together with the mango sauce, it was a nice blend between the slight saltiness of the fish and the sour sweet taste of the mango sauce. When you get a good blend of sweet, sour, saltiness in food, it always taste good. At least for us.
(4) Blueberry cheese cake - Nicely done up with no overpowering cheesy taste in it. There is also a nice crisps layer of biscuit right at the base of the cake, which adds to a changed texture upon savoring the cake.
(5) Fruit punch - to complete the meal
We felt that it was a reasonable price to pay for a 5 course set meal at $32 nett. The ambience and surroundings also are pleasant. Looking at the size of the place, it seems like a suitable venue for a small private function of 60-100 people with the outdoors available also for use. Perhaps a small wedding reception? With the glass windows with ample natural lighting, it is a plus for the photographer, which also is good for the bride. :)
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I've been told quite a few times that there was a nice restaurant in the middle of bishan park but i've never personally been there. Upon arrival, i noticed there were 2 such restaurants side by side and was forced to make a choice, feeling a wee bit exotic, i opted for the Green Room cafe instead of the Acacia which i will revisit at a later time. The Green Room cafe is a concept cafe from Asmara Spas to promote healthy eating habits which inexorably links back to the spa treatments they offer. How good is the food there though?
The location in the middle of the park is reminiscent of Bliss which is located a Punggol Park. Its interior was decent and casual with the exception of 2 rather large trees located right smack in the middle of the restaurant, making it an interesting decoration of sorts.
Vegetarian Mutton Curry with organic brown rice ($12.80) - Vegetarian mutton curry has been done many times and i have never had a good opinion of it since i perceive such foods to be filled with artificial flavorings and being totally unhealthy. This rendition was quite decent however, with the flavorings kept to a minimal and still having slight hints of mutton in it. It was not very spicy despite the use of curry leaves, cinnamon and ginger but complimented the organic brown rice really well. That said, the rice is very different. Thick, moist and chewy, this is akin to japanese rice only bigger. Interestingly good.
Indochinese Spring Rolls ($6.80) - Spring rolls. Why did i order this? Well, i figured they simply can't go wrong with spring rolls in vegetarian cuisine and i was proven right. Served piping hot, with a tangy lime, ginger and red chilli dipping sauce, this was easily enjoyable as finger food. Crunchy vegetables, spicy and sourish sauce, whats there not to like?
Portebello Field Mushroom ($12.80) - Ever since my first introduction to this big fungus, i have grown quite fond of it and its various permutations. This time, it was served with aged balsamic vinegar, homemade potato relish on a warm baked bun. The nachos went well with it as well along with the fresh salad that gave it an sweet, raw and healthy feeling experience. I was only disappointed with the size of the mushroom which really could have been bigger.
The bill for this meal came up to $38.13 which is quite a big sum to pay for the amount of food we had.
After all the good things i have said about the place, why is the score so low? Well, the fact that the food is easily prepared and the contrast between the offerings and the price is the reason, it simply doesn't feel like value for money even though the food is actually quite nicely done. Reduce the price by 30 or 40% and i'll probably return. Moving forward, if anyone wants to try the place, it might be a good idea to go during noon to enjoy the casual surroundings better.
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One day, I had this craving. Yeah… craving again… This time was for Billy Bombers. I was at Bugis with my Dear, thought that Billy Bombers was still there after renovation. Instead of Billy Bombers, we found Hip Diners by Billy Bombers. So we decided to give it a try since its by “Billy Bombers”.
We order the puffy soup which I first ate it at Country Manna.Not too bad, just a bit oily. The clam chowder is a bit diluted though.
Spicy wings. Marinated in Soya Sauce. Nice.
Onion Rings & Fries. Still prefer A&W onion rings, which is really ONION RING inside, and not mashed onion paste. Fries - ok. Normal.
Couple’s Trio. Good. I am not a fried fish person, but I quite like their fish.
Pricing wise, I find that is a bit on a high side. :p
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Minds café is one of the first places that I will think of when I want to play board games or simply need a place to chill out with friends. Recently (slightly more than 1 month ago), they opened their 3rd outlet in the town area. This time round they are jz mins away from both City Hall and Bugis MRT.
The new place is quite easy to find, along the same street as Miss Clarity. To me, the new place is as big as Boat Quay outlet. However inside is much more spacious and brighter. New place mah. Since it is a new location, I think not much people still know of the new location unless they are walking past it or they are being to the new place when the other outlets are packed.
Although, the design and the setting of the place is still pretty much the same as other 2 outlets, I like the spacious, more space and the lighting of the new place, brighter. More space means big groups no need to squeeze together like sardines and there is more space to walk about and to do forfeits so that everyone in the room can see you. Haa….
There are both sofa seats and normal table seats. Sofa seats are more for big groups can seat up to 8 people. Table seats can seat up to 6 people but then tables can be combined for more seats. Those who want to have a decent meal before playing; I would suggest the table seats. Haa….
Since it is a new outlet, of cos they got limited games as compared to the other two outlets. However the more popular games still can be found there and to say that the games sets there are newer. Hee…
The menu there same as the other outlets not much changes but have to say that the food there is still as good as before. There is a wide variety of their drinks as well. Hee….
Depends on the size of your group, there are different packages to optimized your money and time. You can combine different packages to get the most out of it as well. Haa….. Packages usually come with 2 hours of playing time, some snacks and drinks.
They got quite a number of staff there to serve and advise, teach how to play the newer board games as well. They are quite on the ball and polite as well. They definitely got the patience to teach people how to play the games as well. If you are challenging enough you can always ask them for a challenge, be warned that they are quite good in some of the games ok! Hee….. On the average I can easily spend 4 hours there jz to play games.
This place serves quite a good place for gatherings or birthday parties as well. Not to mention affordable as well.
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It’s an interesting place. Not very big. I feel like I am a Giant there. The chairs are more for kids to sit. They serve mainly Pizza, ice-cream, fruit blends. Healthy food!
Their pizza is very different. The crust has spinach bits added and the shape is in ‘Mouse’ head shape! Haaaaa… It’s delicious!!! I tried the macaroni cheese, not too cheesy, think they added eggs. Not too salty, very healthy, not too bad. The ice blend need improvement though. The ice are crashed and too coarse. Hard to drink.
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Hong Kong food in Singapore is more or less dominated by a few names which i feel personally, still have not done the subject matter much justice. Wan Zhai Hong Kong Tea Room is a new addition which has yet to be highly commercialized but is it any good or does it fall into the same trappings as all its predecessors?
Peanut Ginseng Soup (Free with Baked Rice) - I have to say, i'm totally surprised at how tasty this soup is. It doesn't look like much but its packed with taste. The ingredients inside are plentiful (peanuts and some chicken meat) for a free item. No points for presentation but looks can be deceiving indeed.
Wasabi Seafood Baked Rice ($8.20) - The serving of baked rice is reasonable though hardly big. The reason i ordered this was because i've never tasted wasabi baked rice before so it was a novel concept for me, plus the fact that i quite keen of wasabi. The ingredients used are exactly the same as the HK Signature Hor Fan featured below, 2 mussels, 2 prawns and a smattering of fish. The unfortunate thing is that the ingredients definitely did not taste fresh to me. Prawns were powdery and lacks any crunch whatsoever, fish wasn't sweet and the mussels were a tad rubbery. The rice was normal and the wasabi was toned down for local tastes so it didn't have the kick i wanted. Average at best.
HK Signature Hor Fan ($6.30) - As mentioned above, the ingredients are the same 2 mussels, 2 prawns and some fish and the freshness is still below average. Taste-wise, the hor fan looked blackish and had a lot of pepper in it. My gf didn't finish this so thats a testament of how 'good' it is. To me, it wasn't worthy of the word 'signature' at all with its not-too-fresh ingredients, bad looks and worst of all, simple inadequate, salty and overly oily taste. The baked rice was better and that was already only an average offering.
The bill came up to $14.50 for 2 people but somehow, i still found it too expensive. The only good thing for this place is the soup sadly.
Hong Kong food is just not getting the attention and franchises over in sunny Singapore. To date, i've tried a few Hong Kong cafes and honestly, they are either too expensive, food offerings average or just plain bad. If anybody knows of a good place i can review, please let me know. Till then, my word on Hong Kong food in Singapore is that there is yet to be one worthy of the name yet.
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I thought that they have closed down for good since they closed the outlet at Hereens. However, we were looking for some place to hang out until over movie starts, we were surprised to see this outlet hidden in behind the food court. Seem like they are making a comeback since there are some crepes shops making their appearance in some shopping centres as well.
Since we are only there to wait, we ordered one of their desserts crepes, Mango Mania Crepe. The got warm crepes and cold crepes (each with a choice of 4 to 5 types), cost at $3.90 each. Quite cheap I must say.
Jz in case you are wondering what is warm crepes and cold crepes, warm crepes are those like ham with cheese etc and cold crepes are like those with fruits and ice cream.
So how they work? Make your choice and pay for the crepe at the counters. Take a seat while your crepe is being made. They will make the crepe when you order, so that the crepe comes to you hot and fresh. They will call out to you when your order is ready. Yes, you need to collect your order from the counter. Since their place is small, unless you sitting somewhere else, they sure can call out to you.
So now back to my Mango Mania Crepe. Seems like they are cutting down cost, everything used is disposable, from the plate to the forks and knives are all plastic. A bit sian alr. Look so food court style, a far cry from what they used to be. The crepe lies flat on the base of the plate with a scoop of mango ice cream on top with little cubes of mangoes spread by the the ice cream. Oh yes, it seems that they did not asked what ice cream I want and jz assumed that I asked for mango mania crepe, they give me mango ice cream. They should have a t least asked me.
After tasting it, to us, it is normal, nothing to wow or rave about. It is decent crepe la. Haa…. Luckily it came to us with the crepe is still hot if not…. …. Do find the portion a little small lah.
Maybe I will give their warm crepes a try, if not I think I rather go to food court and order dessert alr.
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Had dinner with my gf at Bab Noodle. Have been patronising this eatery for about 5 years since 2002 (if I remember correctly).
Located within Millenia Walk, Bab Noodle provides a nice and relaxing place for you to slowly enjoy your food during meal times - a far cry from the mad crowds that throng every eating outlet at within the vicinity.
Tori Katsu - I personally didn't quite like the Tori Katsu because the flour was a little too thick and overall the chicken had an slight oil residue taste. But then again, it wasn't half as bad as I described it to be.
Tofu Donburi -
I'm a sucker for tofu with minced meat and I never fail to order this dish whenever I patronise. To be honest, there's nothing special about this dish. Its just that I can't seem to find something like that anywhere else. A huge chunk of agedashi tofu topped with lots of minced meat and gravy - now that's something close to my heart.
Tori Karaage -
This dish came across as a little too dry and hard, making chewing a tad challenging. Portions were quite small as well. Overall very average tasting.
Well the food's nothing spectacular, coming across as average at best. However, factor in the good service and the relaxing atmosphere and $24 for 2 pax is a steal in the heart of town.
See all my pictures here
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Chanced upon Icekimo as I was wandering through the Thomson area and since it was a warm afternoon, a scoop or two of ice cream seemed like a pretty fantastic idea.
Tucked in a quiet corner of Sin Ming Centre, Icekimo stands out from the other shops along the row with its cutesy pictures and interior. However, you would really have to know that this place existed as its not visible from any major road, which is a pity actually, given its comfy laid back environment.
Crepe with Ice Cream & Waffle with Ice Cream ($4.80) - The crepes and waffles weren't very good, coming across as flat and lacking in texture but the ice creams were noticeably quite good. Rich yet not overwhelming. I personally liked the blueberry cheesecake ice cream as it had grounded peanuts within and was reminiscent of the cheesecakes I used to buy from KFC when I was a kid. Just in case you are wondering, Icekimo serves up other interesting flavours of ice cream as well, like Cempedek, Teh Tarik, Badung etc.
See all my pictures here
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