Didn't fancy jostling with the crowds for a seat during dinner so popped by Oscar's for a relatively peaceful meal far from the maddening crowds.
Located on the ground floor of Conrad Centennial, this versatile cafe is known for its international buffet spreads, but we decided to go against the norm and opted for ala carte instead. Decor is rather "cafeish" with a good mix of wood and opulent lighting, complete with Birds of Paradise donning the place.
Personally, I thought the chicken & mango wrap was nicely done as the wrap was lightly toasted and not too thick. The filling of chicken and mango went well with what tasted like the peanut sauce found in Rojak - sweet yet not overwhelming. Fresh crunchy vegetables added zest and juiciness to the dish. Lest expectations shoot too high for this dish, let me just say that its decent, but not outstanding.
Conrad Burger - I've developed a penchant for burgers recently so got myself their signature burger to try. The finely grounded beef patty was a little too overdone but still relatively juicy and tasty without coming too strong on the raw beef taste. Bacon strips beneath a buttery toasted bun provided a nice salty taste.
Oscar's Profiteroles - The profiteroles were quite a bit of a let down. Firstly, they didn't come drenched in chocolate (unlike the ones in France), which would have made it so much nicer. You would have probably guessed that the chocolate syrup was woefully inadequate. On the upside, the ice cream was nice and smooth but strangely enough, the pistachio ice cream tasted more like almond to me.
Chocolate Royal Hazelnut Crunch - A most delightful (and not to mention sinful) dessert, the hazelnut crunch was light and not too rich, complete with a nice wafer biscuit base. Very much like eating a smooth rendition of Rocher, which I personally fancy quite a bit. I didn't quite take to the macaroon, cold Sauternes Sabayon or tropical fruit though.
$85 for 1 appetiser, 1 main and 2 desserts certainly doesn't qualify as value for money. However, food quality is arguably above average so that might just lessen the pain of forking out so much money a wee bit. Service, though professional, could have been friendlier.
My mum just brought home a box of Triple Chocolate Brownie from The Brownie Factory as a gift from her colleague a day ago.
I was never much of a brownie fan (having had the bad luck of eating a particularly horrible brownie when I was young) but I was feeling particularly hungry. So I took a small slice of it. Imagine my surprise when it wasn't the horrible taste in which I remembered but it actually tasted good to me. It had a generous serving of chocolate on top of the moist cake and the chocolaty taste wasn't too overpowering. It tasted just right, not too bitter nor sweet.
It tasted even better when I heated it up in the microwave and ate it with a scoop of ice-cream on top.
Cheers!
P.S. I am not a brownie fan and my knowledge of brownies are rather limited so my review might not be the best one. Still, I encourage you guys to try the brownies baked by them and maybe you guys will enjoy it as much as I did. (",)
I wasn’t exactly thrilled when TV Mobile swarmed into our public buses.
Being a student, public buses are the perfect places to catch up on our sleep or to do some last minute studying. (yes, yes, I know... It doesn’t help) Thus, one can imagine my displeasure at having to deal with the noise in the bus.
Unfortunately, my other occupation was one of a TV junkie. I could watch virtually everything and it wasn’t long before I was glued onto the TV Mobile screen. If having TV in the buses was an inevitable thing, (our continuous progress in technology... good or bad thing? *shrugs*) perhaps they can make it better by making the signals less prone to disruptions.
Imagine your drama serial pausing just at the most inappropriate part - the climax of the whole show.
You feel the immense urge to curse and yell out loud in the bus. I wanted to tear out my hair as I glared at the frozen screen. (I still have enough hair, thankfully)
This is plea out there - I am already not complaining about the quality of the programs, just give me good strong satellite signals for the programs to run fluently.
If it fails, just stop TV Mobile to stop it from distracting me from studying and sleep.
I hate the way my eyebrows look like some unkempt overgrown bushes on my face. My face is not a garden.
I hate the way how cutting my eyebrows will only make it grow out even uglier.
I hate the way how plucking out my eyebrows that so much time.
I hate the way how waxing will leave redness at my eye area.
Thank god for Rupini's though.
$7 "ouch" factor = beautiful eyebrows brought about with efficient and professional service
I love my eyebrows.
I love how the natural and neat eyebrows frames my face.
I love how threading will make my eyebrows grow out slower.
I love how fast threading is.
I love how despite the "ouch" factor, the redness is almost immediately gone.
P.S. Personally I feel that Rupini's at Little India has much better service than the Midpoint Orchard one, so it is worth trying out. Both are still good though! =)
They have shifted to bigger premises at #B2-19A. Compared to previous outlet, it definitely has more room in between the aisles.
Their staff were very helpful, giving me suggestions and providing information on regards to my new pet chinchilla.. The lady (forgot to ask) who served me was very polite and not pushy as well.. Very happy not only with the purchases but also the service given.
Hey, guys, let's not be so hard on the taxi drivers will you?
They are just trying to earn their keep. And unlike the good old days, taxi drivers nowadays have to slog like a horse just to pay their rentals and for their diesel.
It is one job that the employees have to pay their employer just to start working. It is one job that does not provide paid medical leave, CPF and working benefits, as well as, a stable income. It sounds to me like a horrible job given the amount of money taxi drivers are earning now and the attitude they get from irate customers.
Even though I am not particularly glad about the increased taxi charges, I realized that it is only inevitable. How do you want taxi drivers to live if amongst all of these inflation and increased costs, they do not get to charge higher prices?
Spare a thought for them. If you want good taxi service, hop in the taxi with a smile, give clear directions and make polite conversation. Never forget to say thank you to the taxi driver once you reach the destination.
Being a huge mambo fan, I have been itching to try out the mambo night at Zouk KL, wondering what new surprises it could bring.
Surprise, surprise, it was more of a night of shocks for my clubbing mates and me. For those who intend to go clubbing at Zouk KL, please take notice of the following:
It is not ladies night on Wednesday night. It is ladies night on Thursday for them.
The entrance fee is RM35
Zouk is closed on Wednesday night. Only Velvet Underground is open. The age limit for females is 21 whereas the age limit for males is 25
After considering the above factors, then do you decide whether to go to Zouk KL or not. If you are below the age limit (like me), that isn't a problem foreign passports and a little persuasion can't solve.
However, the real surprise that awaited us was the music inside. Mambo night for them starts at 12 midnight and it wasn't much of a mambo night in my opinion.
I had a problem with the songs they played where there was a mix of R&B, hip hop and god-knows-what-other genre. Out of 10 songs, probably only 3 was mambo songs. There wasn't anyone that was demonstrating the actions and people were basically just dancing to the music. The only mambo-worthy song which got everyone dancing mambo moves was YMCA. The crowd was rather dead with the exceptions of a few foreigners dancing sexily to the music, gyrating for all their worth.
Give me my local original Singapore Zouk mambo without smoke anytime, any Wednesday.
Fans of the now defunct PaPi at Mohd Sultan road will be happy to know that Chef Salvatore, who headed the kitchens there, has ventured out to start a new Italian restaurant - La Noce.
Hidden in a secluded area just along Chu Lin Road, off the Hillview estate, La Noce, which means "Walnut", is a tiny eatery which can probably hold about 35 pax. The interior is simply furnished and instantly puts one at ease with its cosiness and warmth. Please be warned that its not an easy place to find but if you do find it, there's free valet parking available. And public transport is a big no no, unless you are willing to walk.
The complimentary bread was a joke. Charred on the outside and dry on the inside. It wasn't served warm as well. What else can I say?
Vitello Tonnato - For $18, I had honestly expected more. Sure, the veal was thinly sliced but the taste was overwhelmed by the tuna sauce so much so that you could have substituted the veal with ham and I wouldn't really be able to tell the difference. Still a decent dish though.
Ravioli White Truffle - You could have imagined my delight when I heard from our waiter that La Noce was actually doing a special of White Truffle Ravioli. Honestly, for $24 a pop, I certainly didn't expect much. However, what I got was way below expectations. The white truffle flakes, if any, were drowned by the cream sauce which was a pity really, considering that white truffles have to be eaten with something light to bring out its aroma and taste. The stuffing inside the Ravioli, which our waiter claimed was made from white truffles (a most unbelievable statement considering the prohibitive prices of white truffles), tasted like mashed up cheese and together with the cream sauce, made for a nausea inducing dish.
Quattro Stagioni - The Stagioni, or 4 seasons pizza as it's also known, was decent but not outstanding. The crust, though thin, was way too hard and I had problems cutting through it. Quantity of ingredients was sufficient though.
La Noce Souffle - This has got to be one of the lousier Chocolate Souffles that I've ever eaten. Minimal chocolate oozed out of the cake when I broke through the crust, which was a bummer really. The texture of the cake didn't taste like cake, but more of kueh, soft and a tad elastic. And $14 for this is a joke.
Dessert Platter - Tiramisu, pine nuts pie, Panna Cotta and Profiteroles made up the dessert platter and honestly, none were outstanding, all average at best. The tiramisu has no alcohol in it, which would still have been acceptable if it was fluffy and moist - both of which were lacking. The profiteroles were reminiscent of the ones in France, freshly drenched in chocolate and served. The only glaring difference was that the ones from La Noce were drenched in chocolate and then left to sit before serving, which made the pastry rather soft.
Sadly, even the quintessential panna cotta wasn't up to the mark. It wasn't very quivery or sweet enough. The pine nut pie was the best of the lot, with the pine but filling light yet tasty. But still not outstanding.
$490 for 7 pax is honestly a case of too little, too much. Too little in terms of quality/value and too much in terms of cost. Service is excellent and so is the hospitality of Chef Salvatore, but he needs to bring back the standards of PaPi before I'll even considering stepping in again.
I decided to try this place as it offered soup and I was craving for Japanese food. The service was friendly. There was free flow of Green tea for meals when you order a combo. Unfortunately, it was nearly closing time and I only got my one cup of Green tea.
I ordered Shitake Mushroom Sukiyaki. It arrived soon after. It came with a bowl of rice too. The fried tofu wasn't what I was used to. Perhaps because it came in a bowl and soaked in the sauce for too long.
The soup was too salty for my liking. The Shitake Mushrooms in the soup defied the soup's name. There was only one mushroom and the rest were straw mushrooms and lots of cabbages.
While I liked the seats provided, I may get my friends to meet there if the food saltiness can be improved.
Hopped into Sketches with a friend for dinner one day. I 'd always wanted to try this place with its DIY pasta but I never had the chance till recently.
We were all excited to be able to make our own pastas. Much like creators of our own destines really. It was exciting to be able to put together your favourite ingredients in hope of making a great pasta dish.
We ordered: Garlic Bread 2 Mushroom Soups 2 Pasta Dishes (custom made-Hungry size) - Fusilli in Napoletana (Italian Tomato Sauce) with bacon, ham, mushroom and green peas - Fusilli and Spaghetti in Alfredo Sauce with garlic, carrots, bacon, mushroom and chicken
The garlic bread was pretty normal, done with the store-bought garlic spreads. Not quite worth the money though but I like to have my soup with bread.
The Soups were served with smaller pieces of garlic bread. I enjoyed the soup as it was thick and flavourful. And very filling. Next time I'll probably share it so that I can leave more space for my creation.
Claudia was right to say that "Hungry size" which is the smaller size is definitely able to fill any regular eater and more. Quite a large portion really so I can't imagine what Starving Size looks like. Mine which is the one in the Napoletana Sauce was quite ... average. I'm obviously not a good pasta designer. The ingredients I picked were similiar in taste so there wasn't any variation, resulting in a edible but uninteresting dish. My companion's pasta was much better. It had garlic in it which made the dish very fragrant, a nice sharp contrast to the rest of the ingredients.
The service was generally good. Water was topped up and the people were patient with us as we asked about the items. The only thing is that the bill came really slowly which made me think that they had forgotten.
The damage was slightly under $45, which I think is pretty reasonable for sizeable servings. It was enough for 3 people, so the two of us couldn't finish.
I would be back for more... and will remember to have garlic next time :)
1=SGD 0.0587
Didn't fancy jostling with the crowds for a seat during dinner so popped by Oscar's for a relatively peaceful meal far from the maddening crowds.
Located on the ground floor of Conrad Centennial, this versatile cafe is known for its international buffet spreads, but we decided to go against the norm and opted for ala carte instead. Decor is rather "cafeish" with a good mix of wood and opulent lighting, complete with Birds of Paradise donning the place.
Personally, I thought the chicken & mango wrap was nicely done as the wrap was lightly toasted and not too thick. The filling of chicken and mango went well with what tasted like the peanut sauce found in Rojak - sweet yet not overwhelming. Fresh crunchy vegetables added zest and juiciness to the dish. Lest expectations shoot too high for this dish, let me just say that its decent, but not outstanding.
Conrad Burger - I've developed a penchant for burgers recently so got myself their signature burger to try. The finely grounded beef patty was a little too overdone but still relatively juicy and tasty without coming too strong on the raw beef taste. Bacon strips beneath a buttery toasted bun provided a nice salty taste.
Oscar's Profiteroles - The profiteroles were quite a bit of a let down. Firstly, they didn't come drenched in chocolate (unlike the ones in France), which would have made it so much nicer. You would have probably guessed that the chocolate syrup was woefully inadequate. On the upside, the ice cream was nice and smooth but strangely enough, the pistachio ice cream tasted more like almond to me.
Chocolate Royal Hazelnut Crunch - A most delightful (and not to mention sinful) dessert, the hazelnut crunch was light and not too rich, complete with a nice wafer biscuit base. Very much like eating a smooth rendition of Rocher, which I personally fancy quite a bit. I didn't quite take to the macaroon, cold Sauternes Sabayon or tropical fruit though.
$85 for 1 appetiser, 1 main and 2 desserts certainly doesn't qualify as value for money. However, food quality is arguably above average so that might just lessen the pain of forking out so much money a wee bit. Service, though professional, could have been friendlier.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
My mum just brought home a box of Triple Chocolate Brownie from The Brownie Factory as a gift from her colleague a day ago.
I was never much of a brownie fan (having had the bad luck of eating a particularly horrible brownie when I was young) but I was feeling particularly hungry. So I took a small slice of it. Imagine my surprise when it wasn't the horrible taste in which I remembered but it actually tasted good to me. It had a generous serving of chocolate on top of the moist cake and the chocolaty taste wasn't too overpowering. It tasted just right, not too bitter nor sweet.
It tasted even better when I heated it up in the microwave and ate it with a scoop of ice-cream on top.
Cheers!
P.S. I am not a brownie fan and my knowledge of brownies are rather limited so my review might not be the best one. Still, I encourage you guys to try the brownies baked by them and maybe you guys will enjoy it as much as I did. (",)
Rating given:
I wasn’t exactly thrilled when TV Mobile swarmed into our public buses.
Being a student, public buses are the perfect places to catch up on our sleep or to do some last minute studying. (yes, yes, I know... It doesn’t help) Thus, one can imagine my displeasure at having to deal with the noise in the bus.
Unfortunately, my other occupation was one of a TV junkie. I could watch virtually everything and it wasn’t long before I was glued onto the TV Mobile screen. If having TV in the buses was an inevitable thing, (our continuous progress in technology... good or bad thing? *shrugs*) perhaps they can make it better by making the signals less prone to disruptions.
Imagine your drama serial pausing just at the most inappropriate part - the climax of the whole show.
You feel the immense urge to curse and yell out loud in the bus. I wanted to tear out my hair as I glared at the frozen screen. (I still have enough hair, thankfully)
This is plea out there - I am already not complaining about the quality of the programs, just give me good strong satellite signals for the programs to run fluently.
If it fails, just stop TV Mobile to stop it from distracting me from studying and sleep.
Rating given:
I hate my eyebrows.
I hate the way my eyebrows look like some unkempt overgrown bushes on my face. My face is not a garden.
I hate the way how cutting my eyebrows will only make it grow out even uglier.
I hate the way how plucking out my eyebrows that so much time.
I hate the way how waxing will leave redness at my eye area.
Thank god for Rupini's though.
$7 "ouch" factor = beautiful eyebrows brought about with efficient and professional service
I love my eyebrows.
I love how the natural and neat eyebrows frames my face.
I love how threading will make my eyebrows grow out slower.
I love how fast threading is.
I love how despite the "ouch" factor, the redness is almost immediately gone.
P.S. Personally I feel that Rupini's at Little India has much better service than the Midpoint Orchard one, so it is worth trying out. Both are still good though! =)
Rating given:
They have shifted to bigger premises at #B2-19A. Compared to previous outlet, it definitely has more room in between the aisles.
Their staff were very helpful, giving me suggestions and providing information on regards to my new pet chinchilla.. The lady (forgot to ask) who served me was very polite and not pushy as well.. Very happy not only with the purchases but also the service given.
Rating given:
Hey, guys, let's not be so hard on the taxi drivers will you?
They are just trying to earn their keep. And unlike the good old days, taxi drivers nowadays have to slog like a horse just to pay their rentals and for their diesel.
It is one job that the employees have to pay their employer just to start working. It is one job that does not provide paid medical leave, CPF and working benefits, as well as, a stable income. It sounds to me like a horrible job given the amount of money taxi drivers are earning now and the attitude they get from irate customers.
Even though I am not particularly glad about the increased taxi charges, I realized that it is only inevitable. How do you want taxi drivers to live if amongst all of these inflation and increased costs, they do not get to charge higher prices?
Spare a thought for them. If you want good taxi service, hop in the taxi with a smile, give clear directions and make polite conversation. Never forget to say thank you to the taxi driver once you reach the destination.
It worked for me every single time.
Rating given:
Being a huge mambo fan, I have been itching to try out the mambo night at Zouk KL, wondering what new surprises it could bring.
Surprise, surprise, it was more of a night of shocks for my clubbing mates and me. For those who intend to go clubbing at Zouk KL, please take notice of the following:
It is not ladies night on Wednesday night. It is ladies night on Thursday for them.
The entrance fee is RM35
Zouk is closed on Wednesday night. Only Velvet Underground is open. The age limit for females is 21 whereas the age limit for males is 25
After considering the above factors, then do you decide whether to go to Zouk KL or not. If you are below the age limit (like me), that isn't a problem foreign passports and a little persuasion can't solve.
However, the real surprise that awaited us was the music inside. Mambo night for them starts at 12 midnight and it wasn't much of a mambo night in my opinion.
I had a problem with the songs they played where there was a mix of R&B, hip hop and god-knows-what-other genre. Out of 10 songs, probably only 3 was mambo songs. There wasn't anyone that was demonstrating the actions and people were basically just dancing to the music. The only mambo-worthy song which got everyone dancing mambo moves was YMCA. The crowd was rather dead with the exceptions of a few foreigners dancing sexily to the music, gyrating for all their worth.
Give me my local original Singapore Zouk mambo without smoke anytime, any Wednesday.
Rating given:
Fans of the now defunct PaPi at Mohd Sultan road will be happy to know that Chef Salvatore, who headed the kitchens there, has ventured out to start a new Italian restaurant - La Noce.
Hidden in a secluded area just along Chu Lin Road, off the Hillview estate, La Noce, which means "Walnut", is a tiny eatery which can probably hold about 35 pax. The interior is simply furnished and instantly puts one at ease with its cosiness and warmth. Please be warned that its not an easy place to find but if you do find it, there's free valet parking available. And public transport is a big no no, unless you are willing to walk.
The complimentary bread was a joke. Charred on the outside and dry on the inside. It wasn't served warm as well. What else can I say?
Vitello Tonnato - For $18, I had honestly expected more. Sure, the veal was thinly sliced but the taste was overwhelmed by the tuna sauce so much so that you could have substituted the veal with ham and I wouldn't really be able to tell the difference. Still a decent dish though.
Ravioli White Truffle - You could have imagined my delight when I heard from our waiter that La Noce was actually doing a special of White Truffle Ravioli. Honestly, for $24 a pop, I certainly didn't expect much. However, what I got was way below expectations. The white truffle flakes, if any, were drowned by the cream sauce which was a pity really, considering that white truffles have to be eaten with something light to bring out its aroma and taste. The stuffing inside the Ravioli, which our waiter claimed was made from white truffles (a most unbelievable statement considering the prohibitive prices of white truffles), tasted like mashed up cheese and together with the cream sauce, made for a nausea inducing dish.
Quattro Stagioni - The Stagioni, or 4 seasons pizza as it's also known, was decent but not outstanding. The crust, though thin, was way too hard and I had problems cutting through it. Quantity of ingredients was sufficient though.
La Noce Souffle - This has got to be one of the lousier Chocolate Souffles that I've ever eaten. Minimal chocolate oozed out of the cake when I broke through the crust, which was a bummer really. The texture of the cake didn't taste like cake, but more of kueh, soft and a tad elastic. And $14 for this is a joke.
Dessert Platter - Tiramisu, pine nuts pie, Panna Cotta and Profiteroles made up the dessert platter and honestly, none were outstanding, all average at best. The tiramisu has no alcohol in it, which would still have been acceptable if it was fluffy and moist - both of which were lacking. The profiteroles were reminiscent of the ones in France, freshly drenched in chocolate and served. The only glaring difference was that the ones from La Noce were drenched in chocolate and then left to sit before serving, which made the pastry rather soft.
Sadly, even the quintessential panna cotta wasn't up to the mark. It wasn't very quivery or sweet enough. The pine nut pie was the best of the lot, with the pine but filling light yet tasty. But still not outstanding.
$490 for 7 pax is honestly a case of too little, too much. Too little in terms of quality/value and too much in terms of cost. Service is excellent and so is the hospitality of Chef Salvatore, but he needs to bring back the standards of PaPi before I'll even considering stepping in again.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
I decided to try this place as it offered soup and I was craving for Japanese food. The service was friendly. There was free flow of Green tea for meals when you order a combo. Unfortunately, it was nearly closing time and I only got my one cup of Green tea.
I ordered Shitake Mushroom Sukiyaki. It arrived soon after. It came with a bowl of rice too. The fried tofu wasn't what I was used to. Perhaps because it came in a bowl and soaked in the sauce for too long.
The soup was too salty for my liking. The Shitake Mushrooms in the soup defied the soup's name. There was only one mushroom and the rest were straw mushrooms and lots of cabbages.
While I liked the seats provided, I may get my friends to meet there if the food saltiness can be improved.
Rating given:
Hopped into Sketches with a friend for dinner one day. I 'd always wanted to try this place with its DIY pasta but I never had the chance till recently.
We were all excited to be able to make our own pastas. Much like creators of our own destines really. It was exciting to be able to put together your favourite ingredients in hope of making a great pasta dish.
We ordered:
Garlic Bread
2 Mushroom Soups
2 Pasta Dishes (custom made-Hungry size)
- Fusilli in Napoletana (Italian Tomato Sauce) with bacon,
ham, mushroom and green peas
- Fusilli and Spaghetti in Alfredo Sauce with garlic, carrots,
bacon, mushroom and chicken
The garlic bread was pretty normal, done with the store-bought garlic spreads. Not quite worth the money though but I like to have my soup with bread.
The Soups were served with smaller pieces of garlic bread. I enjoyed the soup as it was thick and flavourful. And very filling. Next time I'll probably share it so that I can leave more space for my creation.
Claudia was right to say that "Hungry size" which is the smaller size is definitely able to fill any regular eater and more. Quite a large portion really so I can't imagine what Starving Size looks like. Mine which is the one in the Napoletana Sauce was quite ... average. I'm obviously not a good pasta designer. The ingredients I picked were similiar in taste so there wasn't any variation, resulting in a edible but uninteresting dish. My companion's pasta was much better. It had garlic in it which made the dish very fragrant, a nice sharp contrast to the rest of the ingredients.
The service was generally good. Water was topped up and the people were patient with us as we asked about the items. The only thing is that the bill came really slowly which made me think that they had forgotten.
The damage was slightly under $45, which I think is pretty reasonable for sizeable servings. It was enough for 3 people, so the two of us couldn't finish.
I would be back for more... and will remember to have garlic next time :)
Rating given: