Nara, with its original location at Goldhill Centre, has opened up a new outlet at Serangoon Gardens, to tap onto the revitalisation of the dining scene in the area. Helmed by Chef Ben Teo, who has almost 20 years of experience serving Japanese cuisine, Nara apparently has its fair share of loyal supporters.
The outlet at Serangoon Gardens is hidden in the back row of shophouses just a door or two away from Ministry of Steak. The place isn't big and can probably accomodate 30 odd people or so. Seats are spaced a little too close for comfort but at least you won't get to elbow your neighbour or eavesdrop on their conversation.
Nara Special Maki - This came at the recommendation of the manager (I believe) of the restaurant and with toppings of flying fish roe (tobiko) draped over soft, sticky sushi rice flanked by pieces of anago (which is alot finer then unagi), I found it delightful, especially with the light mayonnaise sauce that harboured a hint of wasabi.
California Maki - Usually the simplest stuff pose the most difficulty in making and California Maki is one such dish and I have had my fair share of really bad ones in Japanese restaurants in various countries. Nara's rendition was surprisingly decent (to me at least), with the rice very light and hinting of vinegar, coupled with the crunchiness of the cucumber and of course the flying fish roe (tobiko).
Shake Teppan - I'm not a big fan of salmon but at least this one was well grilled without the strong fishiness that I personally dislike. Of course the not cloyingly sweet sauce helped as well.
Nara Special Beef - Granted, the tenderloin was tender and definitely a pleasure to chew on, especially with the bits of fried garlic sprinkled all about. However I did find the sauce a little too sweet for my liking so perhaps they could cut down a little on the sugar. And $18 for a rather small plate of beef isn't exactly cheap.
Sukiyaki Nabe - Though chock full of ingredients, I wasn't too taken with this Japanese version of steamboat as it didn't seem out of the ordinary. The stock was flavourful but a little too sweet for my liking. I guess it all boils down to personal preference.
Tempura Soba - I didn't try the soba, but from what I gathered, it was, well, soba. I did try the tempura though and found the flour a wee bit too thick though it didn't retain much oil and seemed relatively light on the palate.
Gyo Somen - This is the first time I'm having fish noodles in a Japanese restaurant. I usually have them in Chinese restaurants that they come in a much thicker variant. Nara's rendition looked like mee kia, albeit way more springy with tons of bite. I appreciated the pieces of smoked duck breast that provided the necessary salt intake as well as the lingering smokey taste. Very good! A pity $15 doesn't get you much so you might want to order 2 bowls if you are hungry.
It has been quite some time since I last had Japanese food and Nara was a decently good choice to begin the plunge back in. Dinner for 3 cost almost $119, which isn't too expensive, considering the quality of food and the decent service (which did seem a little inexperienced at times). Nearby Sushi Tei now has a serious rival to contend with.
Just been to this Japanese eating place at Illuma. This was an eating outlet which consisted of several small Japanese shops housed under one roof. On the outlook, it looks pretty much the same as most other Japanese eating places. But the most fascinating in this place was not the food (thou it was nice), but rather the way one orders their food.
Each table comes with an electronic pen, which is a scanner to scan the food codes on the electronic menu. This saves much time as the waiters need only serve the food and clear the table accordingly. As I went with a group of friends, we managed to taste a variety of food. These includes the hotpan rice set, which consists of a hotpan of beansprouts, beef and salmon, coupled with miso soup and white rice. We also tasted their Maki and curry rice, as well as pork ramen and bento sets. The food was generally tasty and portions were about right. We also tasted their desserts, which were some slices of cakes. They were not sweet , but were quite average in terms of taste and looks.
Nonetheless, the pricing was fair and it is indeed a great place for groups of friends to gather for a nice meal. However, the place can be slightly small and thus it would be wise to get there early or make a booking should you have a big group going there. So do try it out and see for yourself!
Fully decorated to look like a Japanese Food Amusement street, it did attract me. The first waitress gave us a table with chairs that had low backing. She didn't hear us calling out, fortunately, another who was nearby heard us and gave us another table as requested.
The menu is designed in a different way, we were given some instructions on how to order using a handheld scanner that would detect the item that we had picked and selected the quantity. All the waiters and waitresses had to do were to serve the food and clear the empty plates. Only one menu required ordering via the waitresses and waiters.
The food arrived within 15 minutes, an acceptable time. The udon tasted good while the mushroom and soup were too salty. It would have been better with less salty or seasoning.
As time was a constraint, we didn't order any desserts that looked tempting. The experience was rather good. The tables would be a tight squeeze for a group of four people.
Was wandering around Thomson road after some grocery shopping at NTUC finest and chanced upon Hooked!, which has another outlet located at Rail Mall in the western part of Singapore. With Hooked! evidently being a seafood restaurant, I, as a meat lover and occasional fish consumer, had my reservations.
The interior is a cheerful yellow and blue with sketches and ornaments of sea creatures plastered onto the walls - very in tune with the seafood aspect of the restaurant. Some background music would have been appreciated though, as the place did seem a little too quiet and every whisper could potentially be echoed around.
Baked Rice - From my personal experience, not many places whip up a mean baked rice and Hooked! wasn't about to prove me wrong. Having said that, I would say Hooked! still managed to do some decent work on the rice, with the cheese gooey, a little chewy and of course, the relatively generous serving of seafood entrenched within.
Snapper Wrapped with Bacon - Although I am no big fan of snapper, I surprisingly took to this dish quite a fair bit. The delicate fish was nicely wrapped around in bacon, which had a nice crisp to it and contrasted very well with the texture of the fish. It would have been great if the fish had more natural sweetness though. A serving of rice and asparagus completed the dish.
Personally, I feel prices are quite reasonable at $33 for a 2 pax dinner, which came with 2 drinks. Having no service charge was definitely a plus and service was good, though it could have been due to the lack of crowds. Still, I would give them the benefit of the doubt.
As of 01 Jan 2010, tvmobile is no longer broadcasting.. And matter of fact i kind of missed it.. Missed its rumbling in the surrounding. It make bus riding not so boring and quiet. Though sometimes i hope it is not there and stop buzzing creating extra noise in the already noisy world, however, when i was bored or was trying to catch the 7 o'clock TV Mobile was always the other alternative or sometimes they are broadcasting my episode i missed...
Perhaps its really a good idea as bus rides are long and sometimes you just enjoy being occupied by something else rather then watching angry drivers trying to cut into another angry driver's lane. It is also a good distraction when somebody with a stinky and sweaty armpit stood so near to your seat with his arm balancing himself on the pole just above you.
Perhaps TV Mobile is not such a bad thing afterall it brought many some entertainment or leisure browsing... To think about it... Theres this one advertisement that was drilled into me by TV Mobile. Its by this steamboat restaurant in bugis and the slogan goes: 這個湯鎮的很好喝!!!
To the TV Mobile Team.. Good EFFORT and A WONDERFUL IDEA.. I miss you guys!!!
Do you know that there is a RED DOT Museum in Singapore?
Do you know it is walking distance from tanjong pagar MRT?
Do you know that the prestigious buildin they are housed in is a former Singapore Traffic Police Headquaters?
Do you know that it is all AWARD WINNING STUFFS inside?
DO you know that you could rest your legs at an exquisite coffee place in the museum itself?
Do you know that after the sun set you can hang around there for a drink too?
If you want to know.. all it takes is a couple of hours an $5 for an entry to the museum... Breath in all the creative air inside the museum and chill out outside or reflect on a cup of wine while gazing at the busy buzzing road......
Its one of the theatres i have a love hate relationship about. Its very far lor.. if you walk from MRT.... You must first walk from City Hall Mrt Station to Marina square then you got to walk straight straight straight until you see John Little... Then up and then straight straight straight again pass the bowling alleys then you see you theatre.... The only thing i love about the place is that it is not usually crowded like the rest of the other cinemas... However do get your tickets early too as during weekends.... It will be still crowded.. because everybody will start thinking that everybody will not be going there to watch a movie and ended up... everybody is there.
The seats unlike the newer VIVO GV or GREAT WORLD GV that the centre divider can be shifted up... most of the seats in marina GV cannot remove the centre divider hand rest however they have a row of the LOVERS SEATS at the last row.. Don't ask me why removing the dividers are important ok... Its just...... MORE COMFY..........
As it is not a very new cinema, the cinemas are larger in size.. and I totally enjoy the bigger screen and bigger space..... Especially when there are very few people watching the movie or you are the only one watching the movie.. You would feel totally value for money lor.... Human are the bigger the better right? The sound systems and levels are quite balanced unlike some cinemas when i realise the volume is too high and I get the ringing sound after that..
However one thing i really dislike about cinemas.... The entrance is always a nice escalator with beautiful soft carpets and spacious toilets with attentive attendants and movie preview screenings while the EXIT is always the FIRE EXIT.. with dreadful smelling bare staircases that nobody dwells in and even a rubbish bin is hard to find.. on top of that no toilets...... until you walk back into the mall which is a long journey.. Its a bad icon to the service and entertainment industry.. Like after you have earned my hard earned money and screened your movie.... you can disregard me already. Oh comeon... what makes you think I won't buy a drink on my way out or but another ticket to watch another movie later... comeon....this is an area which much improvement must be done....
I like our science centre.. Matter of fact i was quite an astronomical fan when i was a few years younger then now. Though now i am still young, but i kind of relived my younger days everytime i step into science centre.
First I like the fact that parking is free.. on top of that you have a good array of affordable food like the Macdonalds, Suki Sushi, etc.... The entrance fee is reasonable as there are many features inside the centre itself. There is also a water play ground making use of physics and other science themes which is environmentally friendly and very engaging.
I totally agree that play is the best way to educate children and youths and with the environment the singapore science centre had set up. It was indeed a great place to teach students on primary and secondary school science. I perhaps am most intrigued by the lighting room. Where they will conduct some real lightnings for demo. It is fun yet exciting and not many can get to experience a lightning strike up close and personal yet still remain alive.
The centre itself is well catagorised and have a wide array of themes which is fun and creative. There are many hands-on experiments and science is all about working on stuffs.. making use of your 5 senses and discovering more about our world and ourselves.
You might also want to catch a glimpse and watch a movie at the omnimax theatre.. Where 3D movies brings dinosaurs to live. With the rounded screen and steep sitting. Getting into your seat is an excitement all by itself. Check out also the astronomy shop whereby you can get stargazing equipments and some tips to venture into the mysterious outer space.
Many do not know.. Matter of fact, there is a huge telescope in the vacinity of the science centre itself and it is open for star enthusiaste. There is a interest club you can join and activities held there in the event of a prominent meteor showers.
Its a wonderful place to hang around when you just have nothing to do. Most important, I can never stop myself from learning new stuffs there... Its a place though old but knowledge so generous that you can never learn them all in a day.... Discover something you thought you already know today.
See You Around!!!
Thai Food - $10 Dollars
Ang Mo Food - $20 Dollars
ATAS Chinese Food at the top level - $100 Dollars
A sit in Ootoya during Dinner Hours - Priceless
The sits outside Ootoya are not for resting your feet, but they are for prospective customers with rumbling stomachs and black black faces. Now we know why it always feels like being in a thunderstorm in orchard central. The temperature so low and freezing, atmosphere dark and gloomy and the roar of the thunder reigning in my ears.
Ootoya is like a little gem in this cosmopolitan like mall. They serve food i should say pretty different from other restaurants. I catagorise them..."Home-Cooked Jap Food". They don't serve funky affairs like raw lobster sashimi or tappenyaki with the fliping saucers and flying eggs; but casual yet chic home affairs like fried chicken with egg plant, scallop on rice, and many more tantalizing saliva dripping stuffs which are super duper delicious. I could not really recall the complicated jap names of these dishes but I could recall the yummy taste and the soothing aroma, which BTW is flashing through my senses now....
The Dessert is FAB...... especially the mochi or whatever sticky yummy think they call it... You can have a choice of it with coffee, green tea or vanilla ice cream. Its always important to conclude your meal with a fabulously fantastic dessert as no one would enjoy a movie without a good ending...
Now we talk about the most important part.. Will it burn a hole in your pocket.. I can tell you... judging by my weight, size and the amount of burnt marks on my tongue I get savoury piping hot food.. It is super affordable. Considering the venue, ambience, super attentive service, wonderful setting, generous portions and great tasting food. It is very value for money. On top of that... the green tea is free lor.. no need 2 dollars or $1.50.. not even 50 cents... and no need to buy mineral water from them lor.....
Then got BONUS.....
They have this tatami sitting.. in as the centre piece. Great for big groups, single diners or just for 2. You get to sit with strangers, altogether totally jap style lor.. Matter of fact, I didn't manage to sit there even though i went there to eat many times. I always wonder how they get in and out. If they will kick anybody's head when they get in/out.... Anyway.. this is something very interesting that I love...
You can also sit on normal tables for 2 or 4. They are spacious and comfortable and I love the window sits as I do get to see the miserable and impatient faces waiting outside to rush in for dinner. Its not a huge place and theres almost no reservation services available. Be early to secure a good seat or be in the midst of a thunderstorm.
Personally, i feel that Ah Chew's desserts are one of the few best desserts that i have ever tasted. Located along Liang Seah Street, Ah Chew originally occupies only one store space. It has since expanded into two store space to accommodate more customers. The overall feel of this store gives one a very warm yet traditional feel. This is likely attributed to the warm lighting as well as the oriental designed glass table and stools.
Ah Chew employed a slightly different ordering system. Basically, one will have to find a seat first before he / she can order at the counter personally. Of course, bill will also be paid upon ordering. With only a single cash counter, this ordering system has somehow introduced a long queue at the counter, especially during the peak hours.
Ah Chew has quite a wide variety of hot or cold desserts. Beside the desserts, they have also introduced a few add-ons option for one to customize their own dessert. Take for example, one can even add on ice cream for their mango sago and pomelo dessert.
Out of their varieties of desserts, I liked their mango sago and pomelo the best. Beside the substantial amount of mango cubes, sago and pomelo, its mango base is also thick and creamy. The mango base is something which i think it’s important for the mango sago and pomelo dessert to taste good and nice. Believe they may have mixed in real mango puree to form this mango base texture.
However, there is one thing which i think they can improve on their version of mango sago and pomelo dessert. That is to make use shaved ice instead of ice cubes. As the ice cubes do not melt fast enough, one would often taste the ice cubes when eating this dessert. Believe this will no longer be an issue if shaved ice is used instead. :)
All in all, Ah Chew's dessert, especially the mango sago and pomelo is worth giving a try.
1=SGD 0.0587
Nara, with its original location at Goldhill Centre, has opened up a new outlet at Serangoon Gardens, to tap onto the revitalisation of the dining scene in the area. Helmed by Chef Ben Teo, who has almost 20 years of experience serving Japanese cuisine, Nara apparently has its fair share of loyal supporters.
The outlet at Serangoon Gardens is hidden in the back row of shophouses just a door or two away from Ministry of Steak. The place isn't big and can probably accomodate 30 odd people or so. Seats are spaced a little too close for comfort but at least you won't get to elbow your neighbour or eavesdrop on their conversation.
Nara Special Maki - This came at the recommendation of the manager (I believe) of the restaurant and with toppings of flying fish roe (tobiko) draped over soft, sticky sushi rice flanked by pieces of anago (which is alot finer then unagi), I found it delightful, especially with the light mayonnaise sauce that harboured a hint of wasabi.
California Maki - Usually the simplest stuff pose the most difficulty in making and California Maki is one such dish and I have had my fair share of really bad ones in Japanese restaurants in various countries. Nara's rendition was surprisingly decent (to me at least), with the rice very light and hinting of vinegar, coupled with the crunchiness of the cucumber and of course the flying fish roe (tobiko).
Shake Teppan - I'm not a big fan of salmon but at least this one was well grilled without the strong fishiness that I personally dislike. Of course the not cloyingly sweet sauce helped as well.
Nara Special Beef - Granted, the tenderloin was tender and definitely a pleasure to chew on, especially with the bits of fried garlic sprinkled all about. However I did find the sauce a little too sweet for my liking so perhaps they could cut down a little on the sugar. And $18 for a rather small plate of beef isn't exactly cheap.
Sukiyaki Nabe - Though chock full of ingredients, I wasn't too taken with this Japanese version of steamboat as it didn't seem out of the ordinary. The stock was flavourful but a little too sweet for my liking. I guess it all boils down to personal preference.
Tempura Soba - I didn't try the soba, but from what I gathered, it was, well, soba. I did try the tempura though and found the flour a wee bit too thick though it didn't retain much oil and seemed relatively light on the palate.
Gyo Somen - This is the first time I'm having fish noodles in a Japanese restaurant. I usually have them in Chinese restaurants that they come in a much thicker variant. Nara's rendition looked like mee kia, albeit way more springy with tons of bite. I appreciated the pieces of smoked duck breast that provided the necessary salt intake as well as the lingering smokey taste. Very good! A pity $15 doesn't get you much so you might want to order 2 bowls if you are hungry.
It has been quite some time since I last had Japanese food and Nara was a decently good choice to begin the plunge back in. Dinner for 3 cost almost $119, which isn't too expensive, considering the quality of food and the decent service (which did seem a little inexperienced at times). Nearby Sushi Tei now has a serious rival to contend with.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Just been to this Japanese eating place at Illuma. This was an eating outlet which consisted of several small Japanese shops housed under one roof. On the outlook, it looks pretty much the same as most other Japanese eating places. But the most fascinating in this place was not the food (thou it was nice), but rather the way one orders their food.
Each table comes with an electronic pen, which is a scanner to scan the food codes on the electronic menu. This saves much time as the waiters need only serve the food and clear the table accordingly. As I went with a group of friends, we managed to taste a variety of food. These includes the hotpan rice set, which consists of a hotpan of beansprouts, beef and salmon, coupled with miso soup and white rice. We also tasted their Maki and curry rice, as well as pork ramen and bento sets. The food was generally tasty and portions were about right. We also tasted their desserts, which were some slices of cakes. They were not sweet , but were quite average in terms of taste and looks.
Nonetheless, the pricing was fair and it is indeed a great place for groups of friends to gather for a nice meal. However, the place can be slightly small and thus it would be wise to get there early or make a booking should you have a big group going there. So do try it out and see for yourself!
Rating given:
Fully decorated to look like a Japanese Food Amusement street, it did attract me. The first waitress gave us a table with chairs that had low backing. She didn't hear us calling out, fortunately, another who was nearby heard us and gave us another table as requested.
The menu is designed in a different way, we were given some instructions on how to order using a handheld scanner that would detect the item that we had picked and selected the quantity. All the waiters and waitresses had to do were to serve the food and clear the empty plates. Only one menu required ordering via the waitresses and waiters.
The food arrived within 15 minutes, an acceptable time. The udon tasted good while the mushroom and soup were too salty. It would have been better with less salty or seasoning.
As time was a constraint, we didn't order any desserts that looked tempting. The experience was rather good. The tables would be a tight squeeze for a group of four people.
Rating given:
Was wandering around Thomson road after some grocery shopping at NTUC finest and chanced upon Hooked!, which has another outlet located at Rail Mall in the western part of Singapore. With Hooked! evidently being a seafood restaurant, I, as a meat lover and occasional fish consumer, had my reservations.
The interior is a cheerful yellow and blue with sketches and ornaments of sea creatures plastered onto the walls - very in tune with the seafood aspect of the restaurant. Some background music would have been appreciated though, as the place did seem a little too quiet and every whisper could potentially be echoed around.
Baked Rice - From my personal experience, not many places whip up a mean baked rice and Hooked! wasn't about to prove me wrong. Having said that, I would say Hooked! still managed to do some decent work on the rice, with the cheese gooey, a little chewy and of course, the relatively generous serving of seafood entrenched within.
Snapper Wrapped with Bacon - Although I am no big fan of snapper, I surprisingly took to this dish quite a fair bit. The delicate fish was nicely wrapped around in bacon, which had a nice crisp to it and contrasted very well with the texture of the fish. It would have been great if the fish had more natural sweetness though. A serving of rice and asparagus completed the dish.
Personally, I feel prices are quite reasonable at $33 for a 2 pax dinner, which came with 2 drinks. Having no service charge was definitely a plus and service was good, though it could have been due to the lack of crowds. Still, I would give them the benefit of the doubt.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
As of 01 Jan 2010, tvmobile is no longer broadcasting.. And matter of fact i kind of missed it.. Missed its rumbling in the surrounding. It make bus riding not so boring and quiet. Though sometimes i hope it is not there and stop buzzing creating extra noise in the already noisy world, however, when i was bored or was trying to catch the 7 o'clock TV Mobile was always the other alternative or sometimes they are broadcasting my episode i missed...
Perhaps its really a good idea as bus rides are long and sometimes you just enjoy being occupied by something else rather then watching angry drivers trying to cut into another angry driver's lane. It is also a good distraction when somebody with a stinky and sweaty armpit stood so near to your seat with his arm balancing himself on the pole just above you.
Perhaps TV Mobile is not such a bad thing afterall it brought many some entertainment or leisure browsing... To think about it... Theres this one advertisement that was drilled into me by TV Mobile. Its by this steamboat restaurant in bugis and the slogan goes: 這個湯鎮的很好喝!!!
To the TV Mobile Team.. Good EFFORT and A WONDERFUL IDEA.. I miss you guys!!!
Rating given:
Do you know that there is a RED DOT Museum in Singapore?
Do you know it is walking distance from tanjong pagar MRT?
Do you know that the prestigious buildin they are housed in is a former Singapore Traffic Police Headquaters?
Do you know that it is all AWARD WINNING STUFFS inside?
DO you know that you could rest your legs at an exquisite coffee place in the museum itself?
Do you know that after the sun set you can hang around there for a drink too?
If you want to know.. all it takes is a couple of hours an $5 for an entry to the museum... Breath in all the creative air inside the museum and chill out outside or reflect on a cup of wine while gazing at the busy buzzing road......
Put it into your 2010 wish list today....
Rating given:
Its one of the theatres i have a love hate relationship about. Its very far lor.. if you walk from MRT.... You must first walk from City Hall Mrt Station to Marina square then you got to walk straight straight straight until you see John Little... Then up and then straight straight straight again pass the bowling alleys then you see you theatre.... The only thing i love about the place is that it is not usually crowded like the rest of the other cinemas... However do get your tickets early too as during weekends.... It will be still crowded.. because everybody will start thinking that everybody will not be going there to watch a movie and ended up... everybody is there.
The seats unlike the newer VIVO GV or GREAT WORLD GV that the centre divider can be shifted up... most of the seats in marina GV cannot remove the centre divider hand rest however they have a row of the LOVERS SEATS at the last row.. Don't ask me why removing the dividers are important ok... Its just...... MORE COMFY..........
As it is not a very new cinema, the cinemas are larger in size.. and I totally enjoy the bigger screen and bigger space..... Especially when there are very few people watching the movie or you are the only one watching the movie.. You would feel totally value for money lor.... Human are the bigger the better right? The sound systems and levels are quite balanced unlike some cinemas when i realise the volume is too high and I get the ringing sound after that..
However one thing i really dislike about cinemas.... The entrance is always a nice escalator with beautiful soft carpets and spacious toilets with attentive attendants and movie preview screenings while the EXIT is always the FIRE EXIT.. with dreadful smelling bare staircases that nobody dwells in and even a rubbish bin is hard to find.. on top of that no toilets...... until you walk back into the mall which is a long journey.. Its a bad icon to the service and entertainment industry.. Like after you have earned my hard earned money and screened your movie.... you can disregard me already. Oh comeon... what makes you think I won't buy a drink on my way out or but another ticket to watch another movie later... comeon....this is an area which much improvement must be done....
Rating given:
I like our science centre.. Matter of fact i was quite an astronomical fan when i was a few years younger then now. Though now i am still young, but i kind of relived my younger days everytime i step into science centre.
First I like the fact that parking is free.. on top of that you have a good array of affordable food like the Macdonalds, Suki Sushi, etc.... The entrance fee is reasonable as there are many features inside the centre itself. There is also a water play ground making use of physics and other science themes which is environmentally friendly and very engaging.
I totally agree that play is the best way to educate children and youths and with the environment the singapore science centre had set up. It was indeed a great place to teach students on primary and secondary school science. I perhaps am most intrigued by the lighting room. Where they will conduct some real lightnings for demo. It is fun yet exciting and not many can get to experience a lightning strike up close and personal yet still remain alive.
The centre itself is well catagorised and have a wide array of themes which is fun and creative. There are many hands-on experiments and science is all about working on stuffs.. making use of your 5 senses and discovering more about our world and ourselves.
You might also want to catch a glimpse and watch a movie at the omnimax theatre.. Where 3D movies brings dinosaurs to live. With the rounded screen and steep sitting. Getting into your seat is an excitement all by itself. Check out also the astronomy shop whereby you can get stargazing equipments and some tips to venture into the mysterious outer space.
Many do not know.. Matter of fact, there is a huge telescope in the vacinity of the science centre itself and it is open for star enthusiaste. There is a interest club you can join and activities held there in the event of a prominent meteor showers.
Its a wonderful place to hang around when you just have nothing to do. Most important, I can never stop myself from learning new stuffs there... Its a place though old but knowledge so generous that you can never learn them all in a day.... Discover something you thought you already know today.
See You Around!!!
Rating given:
Thai Food - $10 Dollars
Ang Mo Food - $20 Dollars
ATAS Chinese Food at the top level - $100 Dollars
A sit in Ootoya during Dinner Hours - Priceless
The sits outside Ootoya are not for resting your feet, but they are for prospective customers with rumbling stomachs and black black faces. Now we know why it always feels like being in a thunderstorm in orchard central. The temperature so low and freezing, atmosphere dark and gloomy and the roar of the thunder reigning in my ears.
Ootoya is like a little gem in this cosmopolitan like mall. They serve food i should say pretty different from other restaurants. I catagorise them..."Home-Cooked Jap Food". They don't serve funky affairs like raw lobster sashimi or tappenyaki with the fliping saucers and flying eggs; but casual yet chic home affairs like fried chicken with egg plant, scallop on rice, and many more tantalizing saliva dripping stuffs which are super duper delicious. I could not really recall the complicated jap names of these dishes but I could recall the yummy taste and the soothing aroma, which BTW is flashing through my senses now....
The Dessert is FAB...... especially the mochi or whatever sticky yummy think they call it... You can have a choice of it with coffee, green tea or vanilla ice cream. Its always important to conclude your meal with a fabulously fantastic dessert as no one would enjoy a movie without a good ending...
Now we talk about the most important part.. Will it burn a hole in your pocket.. I can tell you... judging by my weight, size and the amount of burnt marks on my tongue I get savoury piping hot food.. It is super affordable. Considering the venue, ambience, super attentive service, wonderful setting, generous portions and great tasting food. It is very value for money. On top of that... the green tea is free lor.. no need 2 dollars or $1.50.. not even 50 cents... and no need to buy mineral water from them lor.....
Then got BONUS.....
They have this tatami sitting.. in as the centre piece. Great for big groups, single diners or just for 2. You get to sit with strangers, altogether totally jap style lor.. Matter of fact, I didn't manage to sit there even though i went there to eat many times. I always wonder how they get in and out. If they will kick anybody's head when they get in/out.... Anyway.. this is something very interesting that I love...
You can also sit on normal tables for 2 or 4. They are spacious and comfortable and I love the window sits as I do get to see the miserable and impatient faces waiting outside to rush in for dinner. Its not a huge place and theres almost no reservation services available. Be early to secure a good seat or be in the midst of a thunderstorm.
Rating given:
Personally, i feel that Ah Chew's desserts are one of the few best desserts that i have ever tasted. Located along Liang Seah Street, Ah Chew originally occupies only one store space. It has since expanded into two store space to accommodate more customers. The overall feel of this store gives one a very warm yet traditional feel. This is likely attributed to the warm lighting as well as the oriental designed glass table and stools.
Ah Chew employed a slightly different ordering system. Basically, one will have to find a seat first before he / she can order at the counter personally. Of course, bill will also be paid upon ordering. With only a single cash counter, this ordering system has somehow introduced a long queue at the counter, especially during the peak hours.
Ah Chew has quite a wide variety of hot or cold desserts. Beside the desserts, they have also introduced a few add-ons option for one to customize their own dessert. Take for example, one can even add on ice cream for their mango sago and pomelo dessert.
Out of their varieties of desserts, I liked their mango sago and pomelo the best. Beside the substantial amount of mango cubes, sago and pomelo, its mango base is also thick and creamy. The mango base is something which i think it’s important for the mango sago and pomelo dessert to taste good and nice. Believe they may have mixed in real mango puree to form this mango base texture.
However, there is one thing which i think they can improve on their version of mango sago and pomelo dessert. That is to make use shaved ice instead of ice cubes. As the ice cubes do not melt fast enough, one would often taste the ice cubes when eating this dessert. Believe this will no longer be an issue if shaved ice is used instead. :)
All in all, Ah Chew's dessert, especially the mango sago and pomelo is worth giving a try.
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