Orchid Country Club is located near the outskirts separating Yishun and Yio Chu Kang. More known for its golf courses and expensive membership fee, this place also houses a small albeit relatively well-known Zi Ca restuarant by the name of the picture you see below.
Dish 1: Deep Fried Chicken Wings with Sweet Sauce - This dish looks very simple but is special in the sense that it consists of only the portion of wings which contain the most tender meats. If you look closely, you'll find that you can eat the meat very easily without fussing too much about the bones due to the special care taken in preparing this dish. This is a great starting dish. The meat was tender and juicy and sweet at the same time with a tinge of sour. Its a hit with the kids and adults in the family alike. Definately try it.
Dish 2: Abalone with Spinach - This is abalone with some spinach hidden beneath. The taste here is awesome. Being the second dish, it really serves to whet your appetite. Minor gripe about the dish is on the abalone. It tasted fake for some reason or maybe i've had too many whole pieces to like sliced pieces now. The veggie and sauce was well done though, not too salty and quite crunchy even under all that thick tasty sauce.
Dish 3: Fried Tofu with Top Shell Clam - This is fried tofu with some top shell clam thrown together. Very delectable dish. The tofu was crispy and the accompanying clam and veggies totally decked out the dish. There's a little sour and sweet taste making it taste a little thai. The tofu was nice and hot throughout and was finished very quickly. A good 3rd dish.
Dish 4: Lobster Porridge - The star of the day. Lobster Porridge. This is a must try dish @ this place regardless of your budget. The serving we had was HUGE. We couldn't finish it. I counted and found there were 6 full sized lobsters thrown into this pot. The soup tasted superb and the lobster was fresh and simply delicious. I personally gulped down 4 bowls of the porridge and 2.5 lobsters. My dear girl also had a great time with this dish and had in excess of 3 bowls of the soup. Everyone else in the family also ate at least 2 bowls each. Its that good and even better, if you can't finish, bring it home. Heat it the next day, and it'll taste as good as it is now. Must try this dish.
Dish 5: Stir Fried Venison - This dish came after the porridge. So what this means is that everyone is pretty much stuffed by then. This dish is very normal tasting not unlike most run-of-the-mill stalls that serve the dish. The meat is tender and very chewy, a little too chewy perhaps. I felt it was acceptable but nothing special.
Dish 6: Sambal Sauce Mussels - Mussels in sambal sauce. The mussels were very fresh and very tasty but given the fact that we were too stuffed, we couldn't give it much attention. I only managed to get 4 down before i stopped on this dish. Still, the sambal was nicely done. I figured it wasn't too spicy nor too salty. Thus its a good dish IMHO.
Dish 7: Steamed Grouper - This fish came last. Its an awesomely big fish. You can practically see the freshness and the meat is just oozing out of the fish. Note: this is only half the fish. The other half was on another plate. My uncles had gripes about the fish being overcooked and thus making the meat very springy and less tender. Basically, they wanted fishes that melt (literally) in their mouth. So this failed according to them. To me, its a FISH! I love fish! And the meat tasted good enough for me. The salty base soy sauce enhanced the taste considerably as well. So i liked it.
I forgot to mention service and ambience in the above. Actually, its located next to a golf driving range. So unless your like me, who loves golf. Its not much of a view. The service isn't up to par either. You gotta scream and shout and remind for them to remember but it gets to you either way. Food is what this is all about and good seafood is what you get. If you prefer posh stuff, check my previous blogs. I'm still looking for a better posh eating establishment and the search will go on. For beer garden, please try it for the porridge. I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
Eden cafe is located along the chic little alley of 54th club street. Nestled in a small inconspicuous corner is a little culinary treasure that is helmed by an equally inconspicuous and unassuming man by the name of Clement Ronald Ng. Incidentally, he is also the head chef and owner of Helio cafe located at Marina Square.
Appetiser: Mushroom Soup with Otak - simple as this dish may sound and look. It actually contains a blend of 5 different mushrooms and contains no cream at all. The result is a surprisingly fresh concoction that fills your tastebuds with all things mushroom. Before my tasting i'd already heard good things about this dish from friends but i have to say, it does underwhelm a little maybe because i'm too used to cream mushroom soups. This is definitely the healthier choice though. The accompanying otak is very nicely done. The bread was toasted beforehand and was nicely crisp. The otak was not too spicy and had just enough 'oomph' to its taste to set it apart from normal run-of-the-mill otaks. The only complaint was that there was too little of it.
Main Dish 1: Lavender Rosemary Pastry Wrapped Seedless Grape Chicken - the first dish after appetisers to grace our table. This is actually one of chef Clement's Signature dishes and i've been pining to have a taste since the previous visit because my initial impression with Clements other chicken creation was very positive. The chicken was very tender and you can definitely taste the lavender and rosemary albeit a lot less significant then before. The lemon which was inside the chicken along with the grapes kinda gave the chicken a very uneven sour taste but i understand from my friends that the parts like the wings and breasts had the taste spread more evenly and was very good. Personally, i got the sour parts so i cannot speak for the rest. The pastry was surprisingly hard but had soaked up the taste of chicken and lemon and lavender pretty well. The verdict on that was that some liked it and some didn't. I liked it though.
Main Dish 2: Dory Fish Potato Gratin - The second main dish to appear on our table. I've tasted various potato gratins before but never a dory fish melded version. This dish disappeared within seconds of its appearance as everyone quickly took a piece. The greens were superb with their salad dressing, as is with all the greens in Eden Cafe, i'll make a statement: "All greens in Eden Cafe are fresh and taste totally great!" Paired with the gratin, i'd say most of the taste was solely on the potato more then the fish. I couldn't really tell where the dory fish taste came in but the gratin was good nonetheless. It was cooked just right which gave it a nice texture of being soft on the inside and firm on the outside.
Main Dish 3: Pork Wraps In Wild Pepper Leaves - This is one dish i can easily recommend. Clement was introducing it to me before we dug into the dish and apparently, the way to enjoy this dish is akin to having Peking Duck. And yes, its wrapped with the pepper leaves. This is a totally enjoyable dish because everything complements so well. The pork is nicely cooked and there are faint traces of spices in it. The leaf is surprisingly tasty. The four other ingredients you see here are actually, sugar syrup, sliced lime, i think its ground nuts and little dried salty shrimp. To enjoy this dish, put all the ingredients and wrap it with the pork and leaf. You can control how you want this dish to taste by moderating the portion of each ingredient. Comments from my friends include it having a slightly thai taste to being simply delectable and light. A side note is that the shrimp was used as turtle food sometimes but thats beside the point. Its great enjoyment to have this dish since everybody has a great time eating and having fun with this dish. Of course, its also simply delicious and light.
Main Dish 4: Saffron Cream Sauce Salmon and Portebello - undoubtedly the star of the day in the main course department. This dish was simply great. The saffron sauce does not overwhelm and complements well with the salmon and portebello mushroom accompaniment. For people who do not like salmon for its fishy taste, please rest assured that you will have no such problem with this dish. As Clement would reiterate during the meal, he uses only sashimi grade salmon for his dishes and it shows. If you were to just enjoy the salmon, you would be missing out on one of the best things about this dish, the portebello mushroom. I say this with much conviction because EVERYONE including the previous group i came with loved the mushroom to bits. It is succulent, juicy and oh so tasty its a must try even from reviewers in the Today paper on June 18th Monday 2007. Definitely a must-try dish at Eden or Helios if they offer it.
Main Dish 5: Tomato Based Spaghetti With Fresh Mussel - as Clement puts it, this dish was meant as a backup dish if our group was not full after the delightful dish before. The tomato base is specially made and blended by Clement himself and if my memory does not fail me. He quoted using mushrooms in his concoction as well for the base. The result is a well balanced base that does not overwhelm the taste buds and is just right. The accompanying spaghetti is well cooked and easily palatable, complementing the tomato base well. The mussel is fresh and sufficiently marinated by the base while still retaining its very own wild freshness. For lack of a better term to describe the feeling, you can actually taste the freshness of the sea from that one single mussel. A good ending to the main course department though not exactly spectacular but worthy nonetheless.
Dessert: Hibiscus Cheese Cake - A star dessert and best seller at Eden. This Hibiscus cheese cake is specially made so its much lighter on the tummy then regular cheese cakes sold outside. The cake had a smooth texture that allows it to easily melt in your mouth. Its not too sweet and the hibiscus gives it a slight sour taste from the layer above while the other cheese layers contain a distinct sweetness that offsets and balances everything. I've heard nothing but praises for this dish from my friends and even the newspaper reviewer of Today took to this dessert with nothing but delight. Add to the fact that it is Eden Cafe's bestseller dessert and you know you gotta try it at least once. Be warned not to expect flavors that burst in your mouth as i've already said, this is a light dish and the taste is balanced, not overwhelming.
Visit 2: The following is a reminiscence of my first visit with pictures taken from my friend's blog and thus the watermarks. Do pay his site a visit as well since it currently contains much more then mine. horts of the signboard and interior. As you can see, its not necessarily big but its not the size of the restuarant that matters, its the food, service and also, for this particular restuarant, its spirit.
Starters: Jumbo Prawns Wrapped In Bacon - As a starter, this was rather disappointing if attention was focused on the prawn and bacon alone. The prawns were rather small and the bacon was quite salty when both were paired together. I also detect a slight powdery texture in the prawn which does not bode well for this dish. The tomato salsa salad on the other hand is a wonderful starter. Everything inside is totally fresh and very appetizing. This would have sufficed as a starter if paired with something other than the prawns we had.
Saffron Cream Sauce Salmon - As I've already said in my "Eden Cafe Revisited" post, this is a must try dish no matter what the situation. The freshness of the salmon and the combination of the mushroom with saffron sauce and salad. Its a great dish that everyone can enjoy.
Beef & Mashed Potato in Red Wine - As the second main course of the day, this was excellent. I myself am an avid lover of beef and meat. Thus this hit the spot for me just right. General complaints for this dish from my friends were that the beef was too raw. This is actually a very valid complaint since the dish was cooked medium rare but maybe due to the thickness of the beef, the middle portion was essentially still rare and might turn off people who prefer their beef more cooked. However, I liked the dish the way it is and as Clement would educate before the meal, he only uses the freshest beef and cuts where i remember would be top side and tenderloin. He also said that this beef could have been eaten raw without any worries. My impression of the meat is that it is thick, succulent and although i could not taste any form of marinating, tasted good. The mashed potato and red wine combination is a first and is excellent. The mash potato compliments well with the red wine concoction and simply spurs you on to in indulge in more of it. Definitely a good thing and a dish worth trying out. Be wary of how raw it is though and advice Clement before the dish to ensure maximum satisfaction.
Rosemary Chicken - Unfortunately, we do not have photographs of this dish. However, this is also another dish i have to recommend heartily to all you readers. Essentially a floral dish, this chicken is excellent. You can detact strong traces of rose with each bite and the texture of the chicken is excellent. Its not too hard and tears easily without being overly soft. Overall, everything was balanced just right and is unique enough to warrant a try from everyone sick of the usual taste of chicken offered elsewhere.
Crème Brûlée - The first dessert of the day came with a performance all its own. Clement personally did the melting of the sugar on top as he informed us that his Crème Brûlée is made of pure vanilla beans instead of essence or extract which is available elsewhere. The melting was done evenly and resulted in a nice layer of sugar on top which was just right, neither too thick nor too thin. This is a very nice dessert to start with and makes the visit worthwhile in my opinion. Do try but note that if Clement does not do the melting himself, results may vary.
Tiramisu - The Tiramisu is available easily outside but i find that Clement's rendition packs more 'Oomph" for the buck. The top layer is made of chocolate which is very unusual and gives it a very dense taste. The cake below is soaked in rum and that could be either really good or really bad depending on how you like your tiramisu. I liked it strong even though my friend's think otherwise. Try and discern for yourself but do note the mxing is different with each rendition thus you might get a thicker or less dense version depending on your luck.
Brandy Chocolate - Our third dessert was essentially brandy chocolate. This is another very flavorful rendition by Clement and the chocolate is really thick and dense. However, i really couldn't taste the brandy so i'm not sure why this was called brandy chocolate. I wasn't really impressed with this particular dessert but its still better than average.
Hisbiscus Cheese Phyllo - The fourth and last dessert for the day is something unique to Eden Cafe at present. The Hibiscus cheese phyllo is looks a little like folded prata with cheese inside but it tastes totally different. As it is made during the visit, it tastes fresh, crispy and warm. The filling of hibiscus gives the cheese a unique sour taste. Take this in moderation as the taste of cheese begins to overwhelm after a time.
Food and value is consistently good at Eden Cafe. Thus, it is highly recommended. As per my previous introduction, do call up early for MTO meals instead of walk-ins as the place is now usually packed.
Visit 3: den Cafe, by now, you should have heard about it from either the television, the newspaper, the radio or from a variety of blogs online. Pioneered by Clement Ng for his passion for floral cuisine, Eden has gotten many rave reviews and some not-so-good ones as well. No matter, Yebber had its little gathering there and many were present to enjoy it. You can view my previous visits here and here.
Clement and Yebber obviously went through some effort to do up the place for a nice Christmas like feeling to suit the season. And i do applaud their effort for providing a nice atmosphere for the event. Complete with mistletoes and door gifts, the feeling was homely and just right.
Rose Petal Brownie with Cookies and Cream Ice Cream ($5.90) - Why is dessert the first dish? Simple, due to miscommunication and some really late comers, we had to settle for something to start the meal. I've an insatiable sweet tooth and that is why this comes in first. It came looking like a winner and it is a winner. The brownie is warm and moist with it being mildly sweet and a tad bitter. Add in rose petals and thick cream filled ice cream and it was enough to satisfy my day. I could have just had this and felt good actually.
Black Sesame Mushroom Pasta - As Clement puts it: "For this dish, you either love it or hate it." I have to say i lean towards the latter. Although i applaud the effort taken to prepare it (you actually see the service staff squeezing it out of some contraption) but taste-wise, it doesn't quite cut it for me. The texture was a mixed bag as well and i found the lemon based sauce and cheese didn't quite complement each other.
Tomato Based Seafood Soup - I was quite surprised this dish didn't receive further attention to its presentation but then again, how well can you make a tomato based soup look? The soup was thick with mashed vegetables and tomatoes and came with 1 mussel and 1 prawn each. Overall, i found it a little bland in taste this time around albeit i'm sure it is a reasonably healthy dish.
Endives With Mushroom and Bacon Canapes - Fresh, tasty and healthy. This is one refreshing appetiser that is easy to enjoy. Tasty fungi is difficult to find i think. Only gripe? Please upsize the serving for this please. One is never enough!
Seedless Grape Chicken - Another signature dish, this time in sampler portions. The dough casing is even harder then before and totally inedible. However, this chicken inside is definitely an improvement with its juices locked in well. As usual, more would have been better.
Rosemary Garlic Beef - I found the beef a little tough this time around, but the rosemary garlic sauce is delectable. Makes the dish still desirable in my books.
Lemon Garlic Snow Fish - Snow fish or Cod with pan fried with lemon and garlic. To me, cod by itself is already a delicacy so additional garnishing either enhance it to super stardom or spoils the dish. This, however, was neither. The cod was a tad dry but sweet nonetheless and the lemon garlic almost overwhelmed the taste of the prized fish. Good but not quite for me.
Balsamic Strawberry Beef - This i loved. Simple. Balsamic beef tastes a little like beef soaked in vinegar before it was cooked. What can i say? I love both beef and vinegar. And the best part? The beef was tender and of a respectable size. Definitely worth a try. The strawberry seems like an after thought though.
Hibiscus CheeseCake And Balsamic Black Pepper Mousse Cake - 've had both of these before so it wasn't too special to me. The balsamic mousse cake was Clement's 'mystery cake' which i had during the mooncake festival. It generally tastes like cheese cake with a little spice added to the taste. The hibiscus cheesecake retains its sourish and sweet taste that still makes it a hit in the restaurant.
Chocolate Brownie And Wine Tea Floral Fruit Jello With Strawberry- Chocolate brownie is the same one i had at the start of the meal but it wasn't heated and it didn't look as pretty. Taste wise, it just doesn't have as much impact as the full item in the beginning. The wine tea jello is pretty interesting, essentially combining the wine tea into a jello form for consumption. I personally didn't find it very appealing however.
The bill for 25 people came to $1100 dollars which is quite a fair bit but does feel justified somewhat since everyone generally had good time. The meal did take 5 hours to pan out though.
Is Eden any good? Yes it is. There are still some winners in the menu and Clement is constantly coming out with new items to add. His service is personalized and friendly as well as long as you are his customers. When all is said and done, Eden is still one of the better restaurants out there. Homely, cheerful, nonplussed and serves good food. Now if only Clement would lower the price and give bigger portions, i'll bring armies there for lunch and dinner.
I liked the fact that the chicken could be shared by up to 3 people and that we received 3 servings of half a chicken which meant the portions were adequate and very satisfying.
Just by looking at the queue outside this shop, one cannot deny the fact that it can be considered as one of the most popular resturant in vivo city. Luckily i was early that day so i only need to wait for 15 mins before i am welcomed into the shop.
Recently there are quite a few hongkong cafes springing into singapore and i should considered this as one of them. The arrangement of this restuarant can be considered as rather packed. Take for example, the person who is sit next to me has only the amount of space to place her two laptop bags.
As for their menu, they mainly sell stuff that are commonly found in the rest of the hong kong style cafe. For example, will be those popular toast and 'maggie mee'. After looking through the menu, i decided to order the macua pork bun and pork chop baked rice.
For the baked rice, one can request for a corn sauce or a tomato sauce. This is find it rather special as most of the time one is not allow to choose anything at all.
The baked rice arrived quite fast after i have ordered them and to my surprise, it comes in the form of bamboo container (like those container that stored dim sum). A rather interesting way to keep the food, i guess.
I simply loved their pork chop baked rice. First is the cheese that was spreaded across the entire top geneously. Hidden below are large pieces of pork chop, which are real soft and fragrant.
Their macua pork chop bun was equally nice, although same type of pork chop was being used.
This particular kopitiam has a very special store which I have not seen them in the other kopitiam outlets. Its signboard boosts the name of ‘Hong Kong Shao La’. Located somewhere in the middle of the Kopitiam, this particular store seems to have attracted the most number of customer during peak hour time.
I always think that the theory of ‘a lot of people queue means the food is good’ is true. Thus, here I am to try out their good food.
Thinking that Hong Kong is famous for their wanton noodles, so I decided to order just that. And since their char siew looks simply appetizing just hanging inside the ‘display window’, I decided to add them into my wanton noodles.
The first impression that the cooked wanton noodles gave me is that, it has real large wantons. These wantons basically have the size of a ping pong ball. Unbelievable? But, its true and this is my first time to have seen such a big dumpling.
Ok, please do not think that the big size of the wanton is due to its thick skin. There are really substantial amount of pork wrapped inside the wanton skin. The combination of the meat and skin is just nice that it will not give one a ‘enough’ taste.
Besides the ping pong size wanton, the noodle is the next big thing. Nice noodles tend to have a crispy crunch without having a kind of ‘raw’ taste. Their noodles give just this kind of texture. Lightly blended with some sauce, this noodles taste fabulous just eating them alone.
Not forgetting the Char Siew which is always the main character in any ‘Shao La’ store. Without being too dry to taste, this char siew taste as good as its wanton. With such a good combination, one will not need to fly over to Hong Kong is search for fabulous wanton noodles anymore.
I was walking inside PS sometime before noon - a perfect time for shopping as it basically has a significant less number of people. I took this opportunity to take a look at its newly lauched food space.
Rather interesting as they managed to upgrade the central portion of the entire floor to sell cooked food. One glance over the area, and this shop is the most happening - basically it has the most people in it as compared to the rest of the outlet.
Thinking that it will serve not too bad food, we decided to try them out. Ok, this cafe basically sells dimsum, noodles and porridge - a rather similar concept to those hong kong cafe.
We ordered chang fen, xia jiao, shark fins dumpling and some porridge plus chicken noodles. I especially loved its xia jiao the most,as it not only uses the real xia (prawn),it also tasted real nice.
Ok, i have ate those xia jiao that uses smashed prwan paste instead of the real prawn. So, to find a real prawn in each dumpling makes the entire dish real special.
One bite on to the xia jiao, makes me want to polish up the entire dish. This is because of its fresh prawn fillings used which gives it a rather crunchy taste. Never heard of prawn that can give a crunchy taste? Then, you should try out this dish.
Ok, i do not seems to recall of tasting any shark fins inside the dumpling. But its dumpling is packed fully with a rather substainial amount of meat. And every mouth of the dumplings will gives you like satisfying feel.
A non bad place to have dim sum but its rather constricted seating area will not make one seat there for too long.
This restaurant claims that it serves the number one fish and chips. Oh well, i seem to have heard lots of people calling themselves the number one fish and chips maker nowadays. Nevertheless, with not too bad reviews above, i decided to give this ' fish market ' a try.
This resturant does not look bit like a 'fish market' at all. Thats because it do not have a hint of fishy smell there. Well, i guess the fish market name probably means that it has a large variety of fishes sold there.
The specialtly of this restuarant is, beside the usual sofa seats, this restuarant also have an outdoor dining area. Though its not a very big area, they managed to spread each table quite spaciously. They even lit up small candles to create a cosy atmosphere during dusk. I think that its a rather thoughful move to serve its customers.
Then come the food, my first impression of the fish and chips is that it is real big. Well, perhaps the fish and chips that i have eaten before always disappoint me with thin dry fish fillet. But this is totally different. It has two very distinct tastes. The outside of the fillet tastes real crispy. Well, this may be the effect of their special batter. The inside gives a super soft taste and it could almost melt in my mouth.
When combined the fillet with the specially made mayo, the fillet tasted even more delicious. The mayo taste rather special to me as it has a very smooth and light texture and will not make me feel tired of it after taking too much. So, basically i dipped everything with the mayo. hee.
As for the chips, it has the similar appearance as the fillet -- big and chunky. Not only that, it also achieved the outside crispy and inside soft kind of texture. Sprinkle them with some salt and the fries will taste much much better.
Now, i finally realise why they dare to say that they make the number one fish and chips. This, i totally agree with them.
For those who have lived in Siglap long enough you would know that this is the old family-run cake shop next to old Siglap Market (which is now NTUC). It boasts of award winning cakes, namely their Chocolate Truffle Cake and Tiramisu.
They closed at their original location months ago, to reopen as a cafe in the basement of Siglap Centre. It now has a small seating area for 6-7 patrons and is tastefully designed with a chic modern look.
I bought a 500g Chocolate Truffle Cake off the shelf for $20. The price has increased and I'm not surprised. However the quality has dropped. The cake does not have that strong chocolate taste it used to have. It's now a lot of cake and less chocolate. It's still fine just not award winning anymore.
I also bought a few chocolate chip cookies and regretted it. The cookies are just flat pieces of plain sugar. It took me, a junk foodie, a long time to finish it. And they weren't cheap at $2.50 each.
This particular outlet is situated in the bustling Parkway Parade. It's relatively new, since it opened a few months after the major revamp. It's in the basement right next to the food court. Not a cosy ambience with all the noise and bright lights from the surroundings. It has a very casual atmosphere though, which makes it good for family outings and friends.
We ordered the following...
Black Olive Fried Rice with Chickens and Cashew Nuts The rice was fragrant and was tasty on its own. However for a one-dish meal it didn't have enough ingredients. There were only a few measly pieces of chicken. The rice was not cooked with the cashew nuts as the nuts was served on the side. It certainly didn't justify its price of $9... It was also really oily, leaving oil marks all over the plate when I was done.
Pineapple Fried Rice with Seafood The picture on their website/menu and the one we saw were worlds apart. There wasn't any pineapple in the dish, so it's highly likely they used powder mixtures which can be bought cheap from supermarkets. There was only 1 prawn and 2 sotongs in the whole thing... which kinda made treasure hunting for them a challenge.
The service was not as good as I had expected. We were the only ones there at first on a weekday afternoon. Later on another table became occupied. Yet they took pretty long 20min to serve us and 10min to bring us the bill. Slow service despite few patrons is a bad thing. No smiles could be seen anywhere too.
The only thing that interested me was the ala carte buffet which had quite a variety of dishes. We watched the neighbouring table order and it came in nice small dishes which made ordering a variety easy. But judging from the quality we had, I seriously doubt we would be back for more.
I am coming to eat you up.................................
Its another Gathering of the GAGA GIRLs..... and this time we've decided to visit Mr Crabs from Spongbob and friends......
The place was pretty out of the way, far from everywhere, situated in a funny set up of 3 coffee shops within 2 blocks of flats. However, the crowd was AMAZING... I've really never seen such a HUGE crowd in a Tiny coffeeshop... and the noise... Cracking of the crab shells, squirting of the crab juice, slurping the soup, licking the pot clean.... tells you everything you need to know about HOW GOOD THE CRABS REALLY ARE.......
My favourite is but of course the Mr Crabs...... The crab beehoon was very tasty. Its not the ajinamoto tasty kind but of the rich stock tasty taste.... Beehoon was soft n QQ and the crab was so MEATY.... I can sink my whole 2 front teeth i got last christmas into the fleshy meat..... Can you imagine that.... so juicy, soft and yummy. The soup was creamy and emits a sweet crab roe taste.
Thats not the best yet.. THE BUTTER CRABS was just like the ones i had in KL..... So CREAMY, So fleshy, So Delectable. *SLURP* Huge chunky crabs and creamy sauce.. can you imagine that.... HARD RIGHT.... But it sure is a POTENT COMBINATION.... It tasted so nice I almost wanted to lick up the plate... Order nice mini deep fried buns to pick up the sauce if you want to avoid spooning down the sauce. You simply cannot resist that.....
We had also the seafood tofu, It was soft and crispy on the outside. Very appetizing and kids surely loves it. It has got bits of everything in the tofu and very SHIOK if you eat it while its still Piping Hot.... The paper chicken was ok... Veg was ok.....
So if you are a crab lover... you must come and try this place out.. Can you imagine, I am still salivating? I must relocate to Ang Mo Kio.......
Don't EVER TRY IT..... If you are not planning to get HOOKED.........
My mum was the one who brought me to this place. Being a Korean fanatic, she knows what is GOOD, and what is not.
I've been to Korea for 2x, and she's been there 6x, and experienced all the seasons there. A foodie herself, she have had whatever as tourist and from a local's recommendation.
This restaurant that I am recommending is opened by a few Korean women whom I don't know what is their relationship, but their command of English and Chinese are both REALLY BAD. However, not to worry, their servers are all from China and speak fluent Chinese and Korean.
We had this dish in Chinese is "Shi Guo Fan" literally translates to stone pot rice. It is like Claypot rice but has a unique taste to it. This one is rather big and 2 person can share this.
And some other Korean Rice Cake with Dang Hoon (Rice Vermicelli) and it is spicy like kimchi. So remember to ask for lesser spiciness if you can't take it.
What is so nice is that they serve some organic heath tea instead of water, small korean dishes like towgay, beancurd, kimchi, ikan bilis and all, all well marinated. I honestly hate towgays but their towgay are sweet yet salty moderatly. Talking about this I am craving for it again.
They sell Korean Rice wine too...and their Korean traditional rice cake desert which I cannot appreciate.
Because this place is independent, I really hope it will not close down so soon...they only have regulars going and it is not reaching out. So I hope I am helping them a little on this aspect.
Comparing to stuff I had in Korea, their stuff is way better, and does not have that "modified for Singaporean's taste" thing. Truly authentic, everyone should give it a try.
1=SGD 0.0587
Orchid Country Club is located near the outskirts separating Yishun and Yio Chu Kang. More known for its golf courses and expensive membership fee, this place also houses a small albeit relatively well-known Zi Ca restuarant by the name of the picture you see below.
Dish 1: Deep Fried Chicken Wings with Sweet Sauce - This dish looks very simple but is special in the sense that it consists of only the portion of wings which contain the most tender meats. If you look closely, you'll find that you can eat the meat very easily without fussing too much about the bones due to the special care taken in preparing this dish. This is a great starting dish. The meat was tender and juicy and sweet at the same time with a tinge of sour. Its a hit with the kids and adults in the family alike. Definately try it.
Dish 2: Abalone with Spinach - This is abalone with some spinach hidden beneath. The taste here is awesome. Being the second dish, it really serves to whet your appetite. Minor gripe about the dish is on the abalone. It tasted fake for some reason or maybe i've had too many whole pieces to like sliced pieces now. The veggie and sauce was well done though, not too salty and quite crunchy even under all that thick tasty sauce.
Dish 3: Fried Tofu with Top Shell Clam - This is fried tofu with some top shell clam thrown together. Very delectable dish. The tofu was crispy and the accompanying clam and veggies totally decked out the dish. There's a little sour and sweet taste making it taste a little thai. The tofu was nice and hot throughout and was finished very quickly. A good 3rd dish.
Dish 4: Lobster Porridge - The star of the day. Lobster Porridge. This is a must try dish @ this place regardless of your budget. The serving we had was HUGE. We couldn't finish it. I counted and found there were 6 full sized lobsters thrown into this pot. The soup tasted superb and the lobster was fresh and simply delicious. I personally gulped down 4 bowls of the porridge and 2.5 lobsters. My dear girl also had a great time with this dish and had in excess of 3 bowls of the soup. Everyone else in the family also ate at least 2 bowls each. Its that good and even better, if you can't finish, bring it home. Heat it the next day, and it'll taste as good as it is now. Must try this dish.
Dish 5: Stir Fried Venison - This dish came after the porridge. So what this means is that everyone is pretty much stuffed by then. This dish is very normal tasting not unlike most run-of-the-mill stalls that serve the dish. The meat is tender and very chewy, a little too chewy perhaps. I felt it was acceptable but nothing special.
Dish 6: Sambal Sauce Mussels - Mussels in sambal sauce. The mussels were very fresh and very tasty but given the fact that we were too stuffed, we couldn't give it much attention. I only managed to get 4 down before i stopped on this dish. Still, the sambal was nicely done. I figured it wasn't too spicy nor too salty. Thus its a good dish IMHO.
Dish 7: Steamed Grouper - This fish came last. Its an awesomely big fish. You can practically see the freshness and the meat is just oozing out of the fish. Note: this is only half the fish. The other half was on another plate. My uncles had gripes about the fish being overcooked and thus making the meat very springy and less tender. Basically, they wanted fishes that melt (literally) in their mouth. So this failed according to them. To me, its a FISH! I love fish! And the meat tasted good enough for me. The salty base soy sauce enhanced the taste considerably as well. So i liked it.
I forgot to mention service and ambience in the above. Actually, its located next to a golf driving range. So unless your like me, who loves golf. Its not much of a view. The service isn't up to par either. You gotta scream and shout and remind for them to remember but it gets to you either way. Food is what this is all about and good seafood is what you get. If you prefer posh stuff, check my previous blogs. I'm still looking for a better posh eating establishment and the search will go on. For beer garden, please try it for the porridge. I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
Rating given:
Eden cafe is located along the chic little alley of 54th club street. Nestled in a small inconspicuous corner is a little culinary treasure that is helmed by an equally inconspicuous and unassuming man by the name of Clement Ronald Ng. Incidentally, he is also the head chef and owner of Helio cafe located at Marina Square.
Appetiser: Mushroom Soup with Otak - simple as this dish may sound and look. It actually contains a blend of 5 different mushrooms and contains no cream at all. The result is a surprisingly fresh concoction that fills your tastebuds with all things mushroom. Before my tasting i'd already heard good things about this dish from friends but i have to say, it does underwhelm a little maybe because i'm too used to cream mushroom soups. This is definitely the healthier choice though.
The accompanying otak is very nicely done. The
bread was toasted beforehand and was nicely crisp. The otak was not too spicy and had just enough 'oomph' to its taste to set it apart from normal run-of-the-mill otaks. The only complaint was that there was too little of it.
Main Dish 1: Lavender Rosemary Pastry Wrapped Seedless Grape Chicken - the first dish after appetisers to grace our table. This is actually one of chef Clement's Signature dishes and i've been pining to have a taste since the previous visit because my initial impression with Clements other chicken creation was very positive.
The chicken was very tender and you can definitely taste the lavender and rosemary albeit a lot less significant then before.
The lemon which was inside the chicken along with the grapes kinda gave the chicken a very uneven sour taste but i understand from my friends that the parts like the wings and breasts had the taste spread more evenly and was very good. Personally, i got the sour parts so i cannot speak for the rest.
The pastry was surprisingly hard but had soaked up the taste of chicken and lemon and lavender pretty well. The verdict on that was that some liked it and some didn't. I liked it though.
Main Dish 2: Dory Fish Potato Gratin - The second main dish to appear on our table. I've tasted various potato gratins before but never a dory fish melded version. This dish disappeared within seconds of its appearance as everyone quickly took a piece. The greens were superb with their salad dressing, as is with all the greens in Eden Cafe, i'll make a statement: "All greens in Eden Cafe are fresh and taste totally great!"
Paired with the gratin, i'd say most of the taste was solely on the potato more then the fish. I couldn't really tell where the dory fish taste came in but the gratin was good nonetheless. It was cooked just right which gave it a nice texture of being soft on the inside and firm on the outside.
Main Dish 3: Pork Wraps In Wild Pepper Leaves - This is one dish i can easily recommend. Clement was introducing it to me before we dug into the dish and apparently, the way to enjoy this dish is akin to having Peking Duck. And yes, its wrapped with the pepper leaves. This is a totally enjoyable dish because everything complements so well.
The pork is nicely cooked and there are faint traces of spices in it. The leaf is surprisingly tasty. The four other ingredients you see here are actually, sugar syrup, sliced lime, i think its ground nuts and little dried salty shrimp.
To enjoy this dish, put all the ingredients and wrap it with the pork and leaf. You can control how you want this dish to taste by moderating the portion of each ingredient.
Comments from my friends include it having a slightly thai taste to being simply delectable and light. A side note is that the shrimp was used as turtle food sometimes but thats beside the point. Its great enjoyment to have this dish since everybody has a great time eating and having fun with this dish. Of course, its also simply delicious and light.
Main Dish 4: Saffron Cream Sauce Salmon and Portebello - undoubtedly the star of the day in the main course department. This dish was simply great.
The saffron sauce does not overwhelm and complements well with the salmon and portebello mushroom accompaniment. For people who do not like salmon for its fishy taste, please rest assured that you will have no such problem with this dish. As Clement would reiterate during the meal, he uses only sashimi grade salmon for his dishes and it shows.
If you were to just enjoy the salmon, you would be missing out on one of the best things about this dish, the portebello mushroom. I say this with much conviction because EVERYONE including the previous group i came with loved the mushroom to bits. It is succulent, juicy and oh so tasty its a must try even from reviewers in the Today paper on June 18th Monday 2007. Definitely a must-try dish at Eden or Helios if they offer it.
Main Dish 5: Tomato Based Spaghetti With Fresh Mussel - as Clement puts it, this dish was meant as a backup dish if our group was not full after the delightful dish before.
The tomato base is specially made and blended by Clement himself and if my memory does not fail me. He quoted using mushrooms in his concoction as well for the base.
The result is a well balanced base that does not overwhelm the taste buds and is just right. The accompanying spaghetti is well cooked and easily palatable, complementing the tomato base well. The mussel is fresh and sufficiently marinated by the base while still retaining its very own wild freshness. For lack of a better term to describe the feeling, you can actually taste the freshness of the sea from that one single mussel. A good ending to the main course department though not exactly spectacular but worthy nonetheless.
Dessert: Hibiscus Cheese Cake - A star dessert and best seller at Eden. This Hibiscus cheese cake is specially made so its much lighter on the tummy then regular cheese cakes sold outside.
The cake had a smooth texture that allows it to easily melt in your mouth. Its not too sweet and the hibiscus gives it a slight sour taste from the layer above while the other cheese layers contain a distinct sweetness that offsets and balances everything.
I've heard nothing but praises for this dish from my friends and even the newspaper reviewer of Today took to this dessert with nothing but delight. Add to the fact that it is Eden Cafe's bestseller dessert and you know you gotta try it at least once. Be warned not to expect flavors that burst in your mouth as i've already said, this is a light dish and the taste is balanced, not overwhelming.
Visit 2:
The following is a reminiscence of my first visit with pictures taken from my friend's blog and thus the watermarks. Do pay his site a visit as well since it currently contains much more then mine.
horts of the signboard and interior. As you can see, its not necessarily big but its not the size of the restuarant that matters, its the food, service and also, for this particular restuarant, its spirit.
Starters: Jumbo Prawns Wrapped In Bacon - As a starter, this was rather disappointing if attention was focused on the prawn and bacon alone. The prawns were rather small and the bacon was quite salty when both were paired together. I also detect a slight powdery texture in the prawn which does not bode well for this dish.
The tomato salsa salad on the other hand is a wonderful starter. Everything inside is totally fresh and very appetizing. This would have sufficed as a starter if paired with something other than the prawns we had.
Saffron Cream Sauce Salmon - As I've already said in my "Eden Cafe Revisited" post, this is a must try dish no matter what the situation. The freshness of the salmon and the combination of the mushroom with saffron sauce and salad. Its a great dish that everyone can enjoy.
Beef & Mashed Potato in Red Wine - As the second main course of the day, this was excellent. I myself am an avid lover of beef and meat. Thus this hit the spot for me just right. General complaints for this dish from my friends were that the beef was too raw. This is actually a very valid complaint since the dish was cooked medium rare but maybe due to the thickness of the beef, the middle portion was essentially still rare and might turn off people who prefer their beef more cooked.
However, I liked the dish the way it is and as Clement would educate before the meal, he only uses the freshest beef and cuts where i remember would be top side and tenderloin. He also said that this beef could have been eaten raw without any worries.
My impression of the meat is that it is thick, succulent and although i could not taste any form of marinating, tasted good.
The mashed potato and red wine combination is a first and is excellent. The mash potato compliments well with the red wine concoction and simply spurs you on to in indulge in more of it. Definitely a good thing and a dish worth trying out. Be wary of how raw it is though and advice Clement before the dish to ensure maximum satisfaction.
Rosemary Chicken - Unfortunately, we do not have photographs of this dish. However, this is also another dish i have to recommend heartily to all you readers. Essentially a floral dish, this chicken is excellent. You can detact strong traces of rose with each bite and the texture of the chicken is excellent. Its not too hard and tears easily without being overly soft. Overall, everything was balanced just right and is unique enough to warrant a try from everyone sick of the usual taste of chicken offered elsewhere.
Crème Brûlée - The first dessert of the day came with a performance all its own. Clement personally did the melting of the sugar on top as he informed us that his Crème Brûlée is made of pure vanilla beans instead of essence or extract which is available elsewhere. The melting was done evenly and resulted in a nice layer of sugar on top which was just right, neither too thick nor too thin. This is a very nice dessert to start with and makes the visit worthwhile in my opinion. Do try but note that if Clement does not do the melting himself, results may vary.
Tiramisu - The Tiramisu is available easily outside but i find that Clement's rendition packs more 'Oomph" for the buck. The top layer is made of chocolate which is very unusual and gives it a very dense taste. The cake below is soaked in rum and that could be either really good or really bad depending on how you like your tiramisu. I liked it strong even though my friend's think otherwise. Try and discern for yourself but do note the mxing is different with each rendition thus you might get a thicker or less dense version depending on your luck.
Brandy Chocolate - Our third dessert was essentially brandy chocolate. This is another very flavorful rendition by Clement and the chocolate is really thick and dense. However, i really couldn't taste the brandy so i'm not sure why this was called brandy chocolate. I wasn't really impressed with this particular dessert but its still better than average.
Hisbiscus Cheese Phyllo - The fourth and last dessert for the day is something unique to Eden Cafe at present. The Hibiscus cheese phyllo is looks a little like folded prata with cheese inside but it tastes totally different. As it is made during the visit, it tastes fresh, crispy and warm. The filling of hibiscus gives the cheese a unique sour taste. Take this in moderation as the taste of cheese begins to overwhelm after a time.
Food and value is consistently good at Eden Cafe. Thus, it is highly recommended. As per my previous introduction, do call up early for MTO meals instead of walk-ins as the place is now usually packed.
Visit 3:
den Cafe, by now, you should have heard about it from either the television, the newspaper, the radio or from a variety of blogs online. Pioneered by Clement Ng for his passion for floral cuisine, Eden has gotten many rave reviews and some not-so-good ones as well. No matter, Yebber had its little gathering there and many were present to enjoy it. You can view my previous visits here and here.
Clement and Yebber obviously went through some effort to do up the place for a nice Christmas like feeling to suit the season. And i do applaud their effort for providing a nice atmosphere for the event. Complete with mistletoes and door gifts, the feeling was homely and just right.
Rose Petal Brownie with Cookies and Cream Ice Cream ($5.90) - Why is dessert the first dish? Simple, due to miscommunication and some really late comers, we had to settle for something to start the meal. I've an insatiable sweet tooth and that is why this comes in first. It came looking like a winner and it is a winner. The brownie is warm and moist with it being mildly sweet and a tad bitter. Add in rose petals and thick cream filled ice cream and it was enough to satisfy my day. I could have just had this and felt good actually.
Black Sesame Mushroom Pasta - As Clement puts it: "For this dish, you either love it or hate it." I have to say i lean towards the latter. Although i applaud the effort taken to prepare it (you actually see the service staff squeezing it out of some contraption) but taste-wise, it doesn't quite cut it for me. The texture was a mixed bag as well and i found the lemon based sauce and cheese didn't quite complement each other.
Tomato Based Seafood Soup - I was quite surprised this dish didn't receive further attention to its presentation but then again, how well can you make a tomato based soup look? The soup was thick with mashed vegetables and tomatoes and came with 1 mussel and 1 prawn each. Overall, i found it a little bland in taste this time around albeit i'm sure it is a reasonably healthy dish.
Endives With Mushroom and Bacon Canapes - Fresh, tasty and healthy. This is one refreshing appetiser that is easy to enjoy. Tasty fungi is difficult to find i think. Only gripe? Please upsize the serving for this please. One is never enough!
Seedless Grape Chicken - Another signature dish, this time in sampler portions. The dough casing is even harder then before and totally inedible. However, this chicken inside is definitely an improvement with its juices locked in well. As usual, more would have been better.
Rosemary Garlic Beef - I found the beef a little tough this time around, but the rosemary garlic sauce is delectable. Makes the dish still desirable in my books.
Lemon Garlic Snow Fish - Snow fish or Cod with pan fried with lemon and garlic. To me, cod by itself is already a delicacy so additional garnishing either enhance it to super stardom or spoils the dish. This, however, was neither. The cod was a tad dry but sweet nonetheless and the lemon garlic almost overwhelmed the taste of the prized fish. Good but not quite for me.
Balsamic Strawberry Beef - This i loved. Simple. Balsamic beef tastes a little like beef soaked in vinegar before it was cooked. What can i say? I love both beef and vinegar. And the best part? The beef was tender and of a respectable size. Definitely worth a try. The strawberry seems like an after thought though.
Hibiscus CheeseCake And Balsamic Black Pepper Mousse Cake - 've had both of these before so it wasn't too special to me. The balsamic mousse cake was Clement's 'mystery cake' which i had during the mooncake festival. It generally tastes like cheese cake with a little spice added to the taste. The hibiscus cheesecake retains its sourish and sweet taste that still makes it a hit in the restaurant.
Chocolate Brownie And Wine Tea Floral Fruit Jello With Strawberry- Chocolate brownie is the same one i had at the start of the meal but it wasn't heated and it didn't look as pretty. Taste wise, it just doesn't have as much impact as the full item in the beginning. The wine tea jello is pretty interesting, essentially combining the wine tea into a jello form for consumption. I personally didn't find it very appealing however.
The bill for 25 people came to $1100 dollars which is quite a fair bit but does feel justified somewhat since everyone generally had good time. The meal did take 5 hours to pan out though.
Is Eden any good? Yes it is. There are still some winners in the menu and Clement is constantly coming out with new items to add. His service is personalized and friendly as well as long as you are his customers. When all is said and done, Eden is still one of the better restaurants out there. Homely, cheerful, nonplussed and serves good food. Now if only Clement would lower the price and give bigger portions, i'll bring armies there for lunch and dinner.
I liked the fact that the chicken could be shared by up to 3 people and that we received 3 servings of half a chicken which meant the portions were adequate and very satisfying.
Rating given:
Just by looking at the queue outside this shop, one cannot deny the fact that it can be considered as one of the most popular resturant in vivo city. Luckily i was early that day so i only need to wait for 15 mins before i am welcomed into the shop.
Recently there are quite a few hongkong cafes springing into singapore and i should considered this as one of them. The arrangement of this restuarant can be considered as rather packed. Take for example, the person who is sit next to me has only the amount of space to place her two laptop bags.
As for their menu, they mainly sell stuff that are commonly found in the rest of the hong kong style cafe. For example, will be those popular toast and 'maggie mee'. After looking through the menu, i decided to order the macua pork bun and pork chop baked rice.
For the baked rice, one can request for a corn sauce or a tomato sauce. This is find it rather special as most of the time one is not allow to choose anything at all.
The baked rice arrived quite fast after i have ordered them and to my surprise, it comes in the form of bamboo container (like those container that stored dim sum). A rather interesting way to keep the food, i guess.
I simply loved their pork chop baked rice. First is the cheese that was spreaded across the entire top geneously. Hidden below are large pieces of pork chop, which are real soft and fragrant.
Their macua pork chop bun was equally nice, although same type of pork chop was being used.
Rating given:
This particular kopitiam has a very special store which I have not seen them in the other kopitiam outlets. Its signboard boosts the name of ‘Hong Kong Shao La’. Located somewhere in the middle of the Kopitiam, this particular store seems to have attracted the most number of customer during peak hour time.
I always think that the theory of ‘a lot of people queue means the food is good’ is true. Thus, here I am to try out their good food.
Thinking that Hong Kong is famous for their wanton noodles, so I decided to order just that. And since their char siew looks simply appetizing just hanging inside the ‘display window’, I decided to add them into my wanton noodles.
The first impression that the cooked wanton noodles gave me is that, it has real large wantons. These wantons basically have the size of a ping pong ball. Unbelievable? But, its true and this is my first time to have seen such a big dumpling.
Ok, please do not think that the big size of the wanton is due to its thick skin. There are really substantial amount of pork wrapped inside the wanton skin. The combination of the meat and skin is just nice that it will not give one a ‘enough’ taste.
Besides the ping pong size wanton, the noodle is the next big thing. Nice noodles tend to have a crispy crunch without having a kind of ‘raw’ taste. Their noodles give just this kind of texture. Lightly blended with some sauce, this noodles taste fabulous just eating them alone.
Not forgetting the Char Siew which is always the main character in any ‘Shao La’ store. Without being too dry to taste, this char siew taste as good as its wanton. With such a good combination, one will not need to fly over to Hong Kong is search for fabulous wanton noodles anymore.
Rating given:
I was walking inside PS sometime before noon - a perfect time for shopping as it basically has a significant less number of people. I took this opportunity to take a look at its newly lauched food space.
Rather interesting as they managed to upgrade the central portion of the entire floor to sell cooked food. One glance over the area, and this shop is the most happening - basically it has the most people in it as compared to the rest of the outlet.
Thinking that it will serve not too bad food, we decided to try them out. Ok, this cafe basically sells dimsum, noodles and porridge - a rather similar concept to those hong kong cafe.
We ordered chang fen, xia jiao, shark fins dumpling and some porridge plus chicken noodles. I especially loved its xia jiao the most,as it not only uses the real xia (prawn),it also tasted real nice.
Ok, i have ate those xia jiao that uses smashed prwan paste instead of the real prawn. So, to find a real prawn in each dumpling makes the entire dish real special.
One bite on to the xia jiao, makes me want to polish up the entire dish. This is because of its fresh prawn fillings used which gives it a rather crunchy taste. Never heard of prawn that can give a crunchy taste? Then, you should try out this dish.
Ok, i do not seems to recall of tasting any shark fins inside the dumpling. But its dumpling is packed fully with a rather substainial amount of meat. And every mouth of the dumplings will gives you like satisfying feel.
A non bad place to have dim sum but its rather constricted seating area will not make one seat there for too long.
Rating given:
This restaurant claims that it serves the number one fish and chips. Oh well, i seem to have heard lots of people calling themselves the number one fish and chips maker nowadays. Nevertheless, with not too bad reviews above, i decided to give this ' fish market ' a try.
This resturant does not look bit like a 'fish market' at all. Thats because it do not have a hint of fishy smell there. Well, i guess the fish market name probably means that it has a large variety of fishes sold there.
The specialtly of this restuarant is, beside the usual sofa seats, this restuarant also have an outdoor dining area. Though its not a very big area, they managed to spread each table quite spaciously. They even lit up small candles to create a cosy atmosphere during dusk. I think that its a rather thoughful move to serve its customers.
Then come the food, my first impression of the fish and chips is that it is real big. Well, perhaps the fish and chips that i have eaten before always disappoint me with thin dry fish fillet. But this is totally different. It has two very distinct tastes. The outside of the fillet tastes real crispy. Well, this may be the effect of their special batter. The inside gives a super soft taste and it could almost melt in my mouth.
When combined the fillet with the specially made mayo, the fillet tasted even more delicious. The mayo taste rather special to me as it has a very smooth and light texture and will not make me feel tired of it after taking too much. So, basically i dipped everything with the mayo. hee.
As for the chips, it has the similar appearance as the fillet -- big and chunky. Not only that, it also achieved the outside crispy and inside soft kind of texture. Sprinkle them with some salt and the fries will taste much much better.
Now, i finally realise why they dare to say that they make the number one fish and chips. This, i totally agree with them.
Rating given:
For those who have lived in Siglap long enough you would know that this is the old family-run cake shop next to old Siglap Market (which is now NTUC). It boasts of award winning cakes, namely their Chocolate Truffle Cake and Tiramisu.
They closed at their original location months ago, to reopen as a cafe in the basement of Siglap Centre. It now has a small seating area for 6-7 patrons and is tastefully designed with a chic modern look.
I bought a 500g Chocolate Truffle Cake off the shelf for $20. The price has increased and I'm not surprised. However the quality has dropped. The cake does not have that strong chocolate taste it used to have. It's now a lot of cake and less chocolate. It's still fine just not award winning anymore.
I also bought a few chocolate chip cookies and regretted it. The cookies are just flat pieces of plain sugar. It took me, a junk foodie, a long time to finish it. And they weren't cheap at $2.50 each.
Rating given:
This particular outlet is situated in the bustling Parkway Parade. It's relatively new, since it opened a few months after the major revamp. It's in the basement right next to the food court. Not a cosy ambience with all the noise and bright lights from the surroundings. It has a very casual atmosphere though, which makes it good for family outings and friends.
We ordered the following...
Black Olive Fried Rice with Chickens and Cashew Nuts
The rice was fragrant and was tasty on its own. However for a one-dish meal it didn't have enough ingredients. There were only a few measly pieces of chicken. The rice was not cooked with the cashew nuts as the nuts was served on the side. It certainly didn't justify its price of $9... It was also really oily, leaving oil marks all over the plate when I was done.
Pineapple Fried Rice with Seafood
The picture on their website/menu and the one we saw were worlds apart. There wasn't any pineapple in the dish, so it's highly likely they used powder mixtures which can be bought cheap from supermarkets. There was only 1 prawn and 2 sotongs in the whole thing... which kinda made treasure hunting for them a challenge.
The service was not as good as I had expected. We were the only ones there at first on a weekday afternoon. Later on another table became occupied. Yet they took pretty long 20min to serve us and 10min to bring us the bill. Slow service despite few patrons is a bad thing. No smiles could be seen anywhere too.
The only thing that interested me was the ala carte buffet which had quite a variety of dishes. We watched the neighbouring table order and it came in nice small dishes which made ordering a variety easy. But judging from the quality we had, I seriously doubt we would be back for more.
Rating given:
Oh MR Crabs..............
I am coming to eat you up.................................
Its another Gathering of the GAGA GIRLs..... and this time we've decided to visit Mr Crabs from Spongbob and friends......
The place was pretty out of the way, far from everywhere, situated in a funny set up of 3 coffee shops within 2 blocks of flats. However, the crowd was AMAZING... I've really never seen such a HUGE crowd in a Tiny coffeeshop... and the noise... Cracking of the crab shells, squirting of the crab juice, slurping the soup, licking the pot clean.... tells you everything you need to know about HOW GOOD THE CRABS REALLY ARE.......
My favourite is but of course the Mr Crabs...... The crab beehoon was very tasty. Its not the ajinamoto tasty kind but of the rich stock tasty taste.... Beehoon was soft n QQ and the crab was so MEATY.... I can sink my whole 2 front teeth i got last christmas into the fleshy meat..... Can you imagine that.... so juicy, soft and yummy. The soup was creamy and emits a sweet crab roe taste.
Thats not the best yet.. THE BUTTER CRABS was just like the ones i had in KL..... So CREAMY, So fleshy, So Delectable. *SLURP* Huge chunky crabs and creamy sauce.. can you imagine that.... HARD RIGHT.... But it sure is a POTENT COMBINATION.... It tasted so nice I almost wanted to lick up the plate... Order nice mini deep fried buns to pick up the sauce if you want to avoid spooning down the sauce. You simply cannot resist that.....
We had also the seafood tofu, It was soft and crispy on the outside. Very appetizing and kids surely loves it. It has got bits of everything in the tofu and very SHIOK if you eat it while its still Piping Hot.... The paper chicken was ok... Veg was ok.....
So if you are a crab lover... you must come and try this place out.. Can you imagine, I am still salivating? I must relocate to Ang Mo Kio.......
Don't EVER TRY IT..... If you are not planning to get HOOKED.........
Rating given:
My mum was the one who brought me to this place.
Being a Korean fanatic, she knows what is GOOD, and what is not.
I've been to Korea for 2x, and she's been there 6x, and experienced all the seasons there.
A foodie herself, she have had whatever as tourist and from a local's recommendation.
This restaurant that I am recommending is opened by a few Korean women whom I don't know what is their relationship, but their command of English and Chinese are both REALLY BAD. However, not to worry, their servers are all from China and speak fluent Chinese and Korean.
We had this dish in Chinese is "Shi Guo Fan" literally translates to stone pot rice. It is like Claypot rice but has a unique taste to it. This one is rather big and 2 person can share this.
And some other Korean Rice Cake with Dang Hoon (Rice Vermicelli) and it is spicy like kimchi. So remember to ask for lesser spiciness if you can't take it.
What is so nice is that they serve some organic heath tea instead of water, small korean dishes like towgay, beancurd, kimchi, ikan bilis and all, all well marinated. I honestly hate towgays but their towgay are sweet yet salty moderatly.
Talking about this I am craving for it again.
They sell Korean Rice wine too...and their Korean traditional rice cake desert which I cannot appreciate.
Because this place is independent, I really hope it will not close down so soon...they only have regulars going and it is not reaching out. So I hope I am helping them a little on this aspect.
Comparing to stuff I had in Korea, their stuff is way better, and does not have that "modified for Singaporean's taste" thing. Truly authentic, everyone should give it a try.
Rating given: