Was introduced to this place by my colleagues and was there for a celebration for "da boss" on this weekday noon. Porta Porta apparently has 2 outlets, one in Changi and the other in Stanley Street, we went to the Changi branch since it was nearer to our office. Its location is somewhat obscure and according to a friend, the buildings have already been enbloc so i'm not too sure about the fate of this restaurant as of now. The following is a rather late post of my previous visit there and my thoughts on the food.
Despite the rather lacklustre appearance of the shop front, this restaurant exudes a laid back and quiet charm which is easy to like. Cozy sofas adorn the 2nd level and simple tables in a soft lit dining level. All this gives it a rustic and homely feeling which is both comfortable and relaxing.
Bruschetta - This was served hot and straight out of the oven. Its a little different then the usual bruschetta in that the tomato is not chopped and served as a whole slice on top of the focacia bread. This results in a squishy texture and might not be for everybody since you really need to like tomatoes to enjoy this. For me, i prefer the diced tomatoes version.
Complementary bread with Olive Oil and Vinaigrette - Simple, serviceable and nothing extraordinary. The only thing worth mentioning is the dip which is still an appetising treat with its sourish and saltish taste.
Tomato and Crab Meat Pasta - Despite the small portion size, this was nicely done. I liked the strong crab taste and tomato combination and the pasta was done al dente. The problem with this is that the tomatoes were watery and thus resulted in a visually less appetising presentation.
Calamari - The calamari is probably the best thing i had at the restaurant that day. It was lightly battered and retained most of its springy texture without the overwhelming taste of batter. The batter itself is rather salty but went well with the calamari which is lightly sweet.
Tiramisu - This was.....average at best. There was too much cream and not enough cake. Also, instead of a chocolatey taste, it had a strange strawberry-like taste instead and there was no rum.
Service: 7.5/10 Ambiance: 6.5/10 Food: 6/10 Value for money: 6/10 Overall Score: 6/10 (not an average)
Last word: I can't quite confirm if the restaurant is certified halal but my Malay colleagues were able to enjoy the food without worry. I can thus say safely that our Malay compatroits should be able to enjoy the food here without incident. Service is good and the ambiance is decent but the food and value for money-wise could do better for me. Overall, still an enjoyable meal but i'd not bet on it being a hit with everybody.
No introductions needed for this group of restaurants. Basically met up with a group of friends over the weekend to have some dim sum and was recommended this because it is known to be kind to the wallet and serve quality dim sum as well.
Simple carpet floors and wide open spaces are the order of the day. Tables are spaced well and give plenty of leg room without the claustrophobic trappings of other Chinese restaurants. Orders are taken ala carte style and it is recommended to order as many as possible because they do take some time before the food is served.
Buffets buffets, always a little difficult to comment on since everything is en mass. So i'll just split this into the usual categories: Service: In terms of service, the staff are proficient and fast but has a slight attitude edge to them. Maybe its due to the good turnout of people and their reputation, the impression i got was that they are always in a rush and will not wait around for our orders proper. And my group of people are big eaters, so we had many mutliple orders which were met with looks of frustration and impatience. Not a very good experience on this part. Food: The food is as you see above. We ordered quite a decent selection from the $19.80 menu and in terms of overall quality, the best i can give is average. For the usual items like shrimp dumplings and char siew bao, i've had better from the likes of Yan Ting , Royal China and even Imperial Nan Bei Restaurant. From the entire selection that day, the items that caught our tastebuds were the Ji Bao Gai, which was surprisingly fragrant and tasty, fried chicken wings in shrimp paste, we liked the size and how it was served piping hot, the sweet and sour diced sea perch, which was crispy, sweet and warranted 2 orders and the egg tarts, which were small, bite sized and had an extremely crispy and flaky crust. The other items were forgettable and average IMHO. Value: When the bill came, it actually totalled up to be about $26-30 per person. Although we ate alot, the quality of most of the food wasn't really up to par. The feeling we got at the end was unsatisfactory.
Ambience: 5.5/10 Service: 5/10 Food: 6/10 Value for money: 6/10 Overall score: 5.5/10 (not an average)
Last word: I'd expected a little more from this restaurant since it belongs to quite a prestigious group. So far in my journey, i've only eaten at Tung Lok Seafood, Zhou's Kitchen and My Humble House and honestly, i have to say that i'm not impressed yet with any of their offerings. Maybe its just me but everytime i try their stuff, the only words that surface in the end is "overpriced" "bad service" and "could be so much better". I really want to like them but i'm sorry, it hasn't happened yet.
We are all old friends, yet we never met before. We visit each other on the web, that is how we “meet” everybody. Food brings us together, finally we can put a face to each other instead of just a nickname. From online, to offline, our food blogger outing.
While waiting for everybody to arrive, we ordered some fried dim sum for the photo shoot first. Hua Ting have more steamed items than fried ones, and the baked chicken & mango tart ($3.90) headed the list. This reminded me of the one that I had at Man Fu Yuan, and personally I felt it was well executed with the sweet mango zing and crust pastry.
I am not a big fan of bean skin roll dim sum, but since this was one of the few fried item and came highly recommended by the staff, we ordered the Deep-fried bean skin with prawn ($4.80).
Oh, the prawns were fresh. Yes they were. But, but the skin was too thick, and well they are not the best Steamed crystal prawn dumpling ($4.80) I had before.
There was the option of doing it steamed or pan-fried. But who could resist yummy-sinful fried food? Not us, we went for the pan-fried carrot cake with canopy ($3.90). Eat first, worry later! For some unknown reasons that continue to evade us, we are seeing restaurants not frying their carrot cake enough. Is it for the health conscious customers, or is it because it requires more oil? I wished they will just pan-fried it longer.
The first page of the menu comprises of the signature dim sum Hua ting serves, yet i was surprised not to find the Steamed siew mai with shrimp roe ($4.80) there. I felt that it was better than their har gau. And oh yes, there was also mushroom mixed within the siew mai.
There was nothing to fault for their Steamed BBQ pork bun ($3.90). I love my char siew bun, and when there was no char siew sou, I comforted myself by indulging in every moment of this.
Drum roll! Announcing the award for the best performer for the meal, I presented to you, Deep fried scallop pastry with onion and garlic ($4.50). My personal favourite out of the 12 dim sum that we tried that day. The pastry literally melted in my month when I took a bite. And I simple love the strong garlic taste within.
I will also like to mention the good service of the staffs at Hua Ting. While I was causally asking my friend what was inside the Steamed dumpling in Teow Chew style ($3.90), one waitress who was walking by overheard us and stopped to explain. While she couldn’t get all the ingredients in it, she went to the kitchen to ask and came back to tell us. So here it is, peanut, turnip, mushroom & celery.
You definitely will have tried char siew and prawn cheong fun before. Okay, how about scallop? Aye most restaurants have that too! All right, I give you Steamed cheong fun with sliced fish ($4.80). Now that’s something new isn’t it? It was a unique and bold creation, and while personally I still preferred char siew and prawn for my cheong fun, you need to give credits to the chef for trying something new.
Steamed soya bean skin rolls with chicken and mushroom in superior oyster sauce ($4.20). With such a long name, I was caught dumbfound and the staff had to kindly explained a few times what it was. It was actually the same as the deep fried bean skin we had earlier. But somehow I like this one more, the oozing out of the oyster sauce when I took a bite into the bean skin rolls. Oh my.
The others wanted lo mai gai, but there was none. We just have to make do with the Steamed glutinous rice with abalone ($5.20) and it was competent enough. There was the grimicky tiny abalone on top to up the prestige level, but I felt it would be better to give me Taiwanese sausages instead of that.
Not many restaurants use duck for their dim sum, it is always like what I mentioned, char siew, prawn & scallop. Therefore we chose the Pan fried shredded duck rolls ($4.20) out of curiosity.
I never like ordering Steamed pork ribs ($3.90) in dim sum restaurants. I felt they were overpriced, and under-portion. Honestly I will rather order another steamed char siew bun to give me more meat. I’m a carnivore!
Total bill was $120 after a 15% credit card discount for 6 person. We tried 14 out of the 20 dim sum available, and that’s quite a lot! I was confused between Orchard hotel with Orchard Parade hotel, so do check your maps before going down. In my personal opinion, the staffs at Hua Ting merit the good service tag, all of them were friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Atlantic dining room resides within the prestigious and exclusive Tower Club on the 62nd floor of Republic Plaza. The club itself deserves mention as its members are only allowed to register "by invitation" only. Its rather simple to sum up the criteria though, millionaires, CEOs and ministers would probably fall within the invitation list. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who had access to the premises and was thus able to attend a special dinner this night. The chef's at the helm for the night are worth mentioning as well, Chef Edward Voon and Chef Paco Roncero (the king of olive oil and Chef Voon's mentor). In any normal circumstance, a meal by Paco Roncero would have meant flying to Spain and being on a waiting list for 3 months. As such, i chose this night to propose to my fair lady as well but only food will be shown here. And without further ado, let us move on...
The waiting area and the first view that greets you at Tower Club is a rather intimidating one. Perched on the 62nd floor, you'll get an unimpeded view of the work-in-progress Marina Bay Sands project and the sea. The club spared no expense for the decor as well, you'll notice art pieces, comfortable sofas and splendid carpets that will awaken the monarch in you.
One of my favorite shots that night, outlining the setting sun in the background with the lamps and tables in view.
To start off, this special dinner was prepared and designed by the collective efforts of Chef Paco and Chef Voon. Both of which has won a special place in my heart after this meal. The service is impeccable and attentive for the waiting staff and in particular, the floor manager who helped in the final proposal. So here's a big thank you for everyone that night.
Frozen Daiquiri - The first item to be served is well liked by the ladies but received a lukewarm reception by the guys. The frozen daiquiri has a layer of warm egg white outlining the top with the cool daiquiri itself settling below it. The daiquiri itself is very sour, albeit refreshingly so when taken together with the egg white which itself has a very smooth texture not unlike smooth beancurd. The end result is it gets you very hungry for the main meal, which is its sole duty.
Complimentary Bread - Before our next dish, the much talked and praised complimentary bread is served. I took an instead liking to one particular version which on first bite, tasted like pizza bread with a little spicy tinge to it but slowly gives off an aromatic mint aftertaste which is unlike any bread i've had before. Needless to say, the four of us managed to clear 3 baskets worth of bread.
Olive oil butter, Foie Gras with Red Wine, Sesame Sponge with Miso, Liquid Chicken "croquette", Raspberry Fondant with Wasabi, Tomato Biscuit with Basil - The dish had a particular sequence for finishing beginning with the Liquid Chicken "Croquette" with bread crumbs which was fantastic. The moment you pop the entire ball into your mouth, it literally melts and leaves a taste of chicken in your mouth which is further enhanced by the fried bread crumbs. Superb! The tomato biscuit had a very very strong tomato taste but i couldn't taste the basil. Next up, the raspberry fondant with wasabi is strange to me because the raspberry fondant has a caramelized layer over it which crackles and pops when you bite into it while the wasabi gives it an added kick of surprise. The sesame sponge with miso is a fluffy concoction that gives the impression of eating solidified miso soup with sesame. Foie gras with red wine is surprising in that the red wine is the thin layer surrounding the foie gras and this layer will melt in your mouth to produce a strong fragrance of red wine. I didn't quite like the taste of foie gras in it though because it tasted pretty raw and i prefer my goose liver cooked and hot. The final item is a simple biscuit with olive oil butter served in a tub. The butter is smooth and rich but nothing else i could say about it. Overall, this starter was very interesting indeed with loads of stuff i've never tried before.
21st Century Spanish Omelette - I was surprised when another liquid item was served up and was stumped when i was told it was a spanish omelette from the 21st century no less. True enough, it was very interesting with its foamy layer of egg white and even more so when you mix it with the yellowish tinge which was salty and the layer of onions which really did give it the impression of being an omelette. Its pretty good but i still prefer my omelettes in solid form.
Lobster, Grapefruit and Virgin Olive Oil Soup - The grapefruits in this were surprisingly sweet and very satisfying while the lobster was sweet and springy. The olive oil soup was subtle and a little bland but otherwise served to bring out the sweetness of the lobster even more. I enjoyed this.
Brittany Sea Bass in "Salmorejo" - I don't know what Brittany sea bass means but this is one of the best fish dishes i've had. Pan seared to perfection with its superbly crispy outer layer which is still not over cooked and a wonderfully hot (read: hot!) and soft meat on the inside. I'm amazed at how they managed to cook the fish so thoroughly and keep the dish so warm on the inside when served. Not to mention as well, the seemingly simple dressing you see on the sea bass is awesome. Sweet and slightly sourish with pepper overtones, it just works. Perfectly executed in my book.
Wagyu Beef with Lemon Puree - Another perfectly executed main dish. The wagyu is soft, chewy and done medium rare throughout. The lemon puree is sourish with some red wine (i think) and works really well with the already perfectly executed beef. I was fortunate enough to have 2 servings because my gf was already rather full and for the record, i finished all of it. It's just something you need to try.
Orange Sorbet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Once again, olive oil is used in ways i cannot fathom. The sorbet, however, is moderately sweet and once again, a little sour but is suitably refreshing after the heavy meal we just went through. The nuts and jelly-like items (which is suspect are infused with red and white wine) only serve to refresh the palatte even more.
Fizzy Sweets and Virgin Olive Oil Gummies - This really reminds me of childhood with the popping and crackling of the fizzy sweet chocolates in my mouth. The gummies were also very interesting as they taste more and more like lychee as you chew on them. A suitable and light ending to a wonderful meal.
Of course, after all the wonderful food, its time to face the music and it doesn't come cheap. A superb meal for 4 made us $602.62 poorer altogether.
Ambience: 8.5/10 Service: 8.5/10 Food: 8.5/10 Value for money: 7/10 Overall score: 8.5/10 (not an average)
Last word: The food is excellent. The service is great and the ambience is wonderful. At the end of this meal, a new couple is born. Apart from that, a new respect and admiration for the chefs that concocted this meal was also born. Do give this a try if you can. Cheers and this will always be a happy memory for me.
I went to this outlet on a few occasions, but this time it wasn’t the best of occasions. I had one of my worst dining experience in terms of service. Today I went there together with 2 of my friends. I haven’t had any meal for the day so I was already feeling gorgeously hungry.
All in all, I had waited for more than 30 minutes and my order has yet to be served. My 2 friend’s orders had already been served and yet my order of Ee Fu Noodle with shredded meat in spicy sauce has not been served. I felt bad that my friends waited for me to tuck in together even when I told them to go ahead.
I asked one of the supervisor in-charge about my order, and said she would check my order. Instead, she blatantly walked off to serve other customers and failing to keep to her words. Infuriated, I called upon the manager and demanded my food to be served. Finally some response came and nobody in the restaurant realises that my order has been omitted even though it was keyed into the POS.
I simply don’t understand why it takes so long to whip up a Ee Fu Noodle than the Congee and Wanton Mee that my friends ordered, and why can such mistake be made even when the order is keyed into the system clearly. In the end I changed my order to a Noodle with minced meat and mushroom served with spicy sauce after the manager could not assure me that my order can be served immediately.
To put in words, it tasted sour (like overnight food) as if it was done in haste and the portion was much smaller than the Wanton Mee. I called the manager and told her I would not pay the service charge for total dissatisfactory experience.
Really bad experience and will boycott this outlet. I would never had thought that renowned Crystal Jade, using a Point-of-Sale system, would actually omit my order and leave me waiting in disgruntlement.
It has become one of the main stay when it comes to breakfast and even quick bites among the bustle and hustle of the modern society. A number of outlets have sprawled across the sunny island, and it all started out at this outlet.
In particular, the China Street outlet has been around for decades. I have stayed in the area previously, and vividly remember my visits to this coffeeshop in the olden days. Till today, the stall has remained pretty much the same way as it is in the past.
Ya Kun is famous for its Kaya Toast, together with a serving of half-boiled egg and coupled with a cup of traditional coffee (not the ones from Starbucks or Coffee Bean). The good old method to drink the coffee is to pour it into the cup saucer. The older generation argues that with a larger surface area, the coffee will cool itself quicker for easier consumption. The egg is best consumed with condiments, namely pepper and black soy sauce.
You might think this outlet is the same as its other outlets, but let me fill you in on this. Till date, this stall preserves its handmade approach in making its Kaya jam for its toast, which is different from the machine-made Kaya in the franchises. The handmade Kaya jam produces a much fragrant and smooth taste that complements the perfectly toasted bread.
The typical old style manner of service is their shouting of orders across the shop. And notice that their plates and saucers are green, different from the red ones you see in the franchises. So don't be caught by surprise as this is different from what you experience in the other outlets.
This is about the most value for money steamboat I've tried before.
There are 2 branches which are located just a few shops apart. The orange colour themed branch seems to be the more popular choice which I supposed was due to the atmosphere and the fact that its newer.
Variety was wide. but only limited to a portion of the menu if you order buffet. There are about 5 types of soup base and you can choose a max of 2. We chose the satay and scallop soup base. Satay was so so though it was said to be the more popular choice there. Though I felt its more like because Satay wasn't so common at other steamboat eateries. A bit spicy and full of peanut taste. Scallop based soup taste great enough without cooking the ingredients. Soup base not too salty so we don't feel uneasy after eating a lot which should be the case for steamboat soup base.
Foodstuffs fresh and in "happy" portions (lolx). Though I don't eat prawns but my friends commented that the prawns were very fresh and they ordered 5 plates of them. The "tou kee" was fresh and chewy without the oily smell that tou kee at many places have. They also have items like Golden mushroom, fish slices, fish paste, all kinds of meat and vegetables, cutter fish, prawns and "hum".
Drinks not free, we ordered the home made lime juice @ $6 per jug which was about just right for 5 pax. This drink is real good~ Must try~~ The taste of lime is very distinctive and not diluted.
What we don't like was the service there. Firstly we wanted to sit inside in the air con-ed area but was told that its better we sit outside as its better atmosphere to eat steamboat outside. But I guess the more obvious reason was we had only 5 pax and the only table inside was for more than 8 pax. The person who serviced us keep trying to coax us to order the Ala Cart (and we kept saying no) which was way more expensive and limited than the steamboat buffet. Our second order did not come at all. The person who changed the gas fuel for us accidentally touched our food with the gas can and her hands and don't even bother to change the food for us. Our bill didn't come when we asked twice for it. (We had to stare at the counter for some attention)
We were introduced to this old traditional Teochew restaurant by some friends. We had a hard time locating the place because it is situated between rows of landed houses. By now, there were different “music” made by our stomachs. Alas, we found it at one tiny corner of shop houses.
We were greeted by a friendly staff and as we sat down to decide what to order, we realized that almost 90% of the diners were old-time customers who walked in leisurely and started to order their favourite dishes without even looking at the menu.
We then decide to ask the elderly lady boss for her recommendation. She was very considerate by asking us whether we prefer spicy, fried, steam or soupy stuff since she noticed that two of our friends are not feeling well. For a group of 7, she recommended 6 items and 1 dessert. She even suggested the food to be served in smallest portion so that we can taste and enjoy each dish.
Steamed fish tail – very smooth flesh and no fishy smell. The fish was steamed with very light gravy which will not make it taste too salty.
Fried Prawns Rolls – lots of prawns bits and fragrant with crunchy meat mixture
Fried Sambal Tapicoa Leaves – not so spicy ( because of unwell friends ) but with generous dried prawns and fried to perfect taste. Not so soggy, oily or dried.
Fried Beancurd – This item was exceptionally smooth in texture and goes well with the sour plum sauce.
Chillie Crayfish – The fleshly crayfish were very tender and can be easily removed from their shell. The gravy was just delicious when mix with the white rice.
Braised Meat with Buns – Chef’s recommendation. The meat were very soft and tender ( though a bit fatty ) but we mananged to remove the fats easily with our chopsticks. Wrapped into the steamed hot bun, it was a perfect match with extra gravy oozing out with each bite.
Yam Paste with Gingko nuts – Surprisingly it was not so sweet with bits of fresh yam in the paste. We prefer this coarsely bits as compared to the usual smooth paste because we can bite and taste each spoonful of yam.
When we paid the bill ( about $100 ), we were all full with satisfaction and no regrets. Even our unwell friends ate almost everything…
The soft patter of raindrops. Light jazz music amidst the soft incessant buzz of the place. Sipping tea with finger food at a leisurely pace while time flittered by. This was the life I had envisioned at Marmalade Pantry and the dream proliferates at TWG.
Cleverly perched on a "suspended" standalone area within Republic Plaza, you have to walk up a short flight of stairs from the first floor which will lead you to the sales area with its shelves of gourmet tea as well as the restaurant. TWG can only take about 30 people or so and oozes cosy warmth with its intimate dining area, huge glass windows with translucent curtains coupled with a glass ceiling.
Imperial Rose - I am honestly not a tea connoisseur but the Imperial Rose, which is a specialty brew of TWG, tasted very much like a Chinese tea, 铁观音.
Sandwiches - This came as part of my tea time "Celebration Set". 8 half slices of bread sandwiching prawns, crab meat, foie gras and smoked salmon respectively, it appealed to my visual senses with its presentation. However, even though the bread was nicely toasted, I didn't quite take to them. The crab meat and prawns sandwiches were passable but the smoked salmon was way too salty and the foie gras just didn't come across as appetising, both in smell and taste.
Salmon A La Russ - I can't say much about the smoked salmon except that it was salty and came topped roe. However, the brioche that was served alongside was interestingly good. It actually tasted like croissant - flaky and buttery.
Macarons - Another component of my tea time set, we chose praline, lemon and napolean tea macarons from the 6 or so varieties TWG carries. Personally I still prefer their vanilla macaron, something which they didn't have at that point in time.
Strawberry Tart - Insipid as it looked, the strawberry tart came highly recommended by the staff. And I was rather impressed. It was essentially vanilla bean creme brulee sans the caramelised layer with bits of strawberries sandwiched in between and served on a tart base. A stellar example of never judging a book by its cover. Best of all, it was part of my set as well.
Crumble - I didn't have much of the crumble so I shall reserve my comments. The ice cream sounded interesting though - Napolean Tea cheesecake ice cream, which was apparently very well received by the aspiring tai tai who sat across from me.
A 3.5 hr tea session cost us about $82, which probably isn't the cheapest place to chill out but for the delightful ambience and earnest service, its probably worth it to dig deep into your pockets just for a relaxing afternoon at this place with your partner or alone with a book. As the first signs of dusk seeped through the windows and I played observer to the throngs of working people frantically crossing the street to catch the next train home, I was reminded of my own reality - one that had no affinity with this almost surreal lifestyle.
I've always loved Swensen's Omelette. However, my first visit wasn't a good impression as they mixed up my orders for another filling.
Subsequent visits were quite alright although the food was slow to arrive. During my first few visits, the air-con wasn't working that well and the staff couldn't do a thing because it was linked to the hotel's main unit.
I feel that since this restaurant is opened for 24 hours, it should have its own air-con unit. My recent visit was quite a pleasure as it wasn't too warm.
I was rather disappointed with the state of the omelette when it arrived during my recent visit. It was a cooked for slightly longer than usual was rather dry.
As for the salmon chicken that is on a promotion for the High School Musical 3, the chicken was a tad overcooked. The results of the food that night felt as if the chef wasn't in a good mood.
Update (19 Mar 2009): I had a craving for eggs but when I got there, no one bothered to serve us and treated as if we were invisible. For 5 minutes. When asked to talk to the manager, the manager replied, "I know" in a nonchalant way.
1=SGD 0.0587
Was introduced to this place by my colleagues and was there for a celebration for "da boss" on this weekday noon. Porta Porta apparently has 2 outlets, one in Changi and the other in Stanley Street, we went to the Changi branch since it was nearer to our office. Its location is somewhat obscure and according to a friend, the buildings have already been enbloc so i'm not too sure about the fate of this restaurant as of now. The following is a rather late post of my previous visit there and my thoughts on the food.
Despite the rather lacklustre appearance of the shop front, this restaurant exudes a laid back and quiet charm which is easy to like. Cozy sofas adorn the 2nd level and simple tables in a soft lit dining level. All this gives it a rustic and homely feeling which is both comfortable and relaxing.
Bruschetta - This was served hot and straight out of the oven. Its a little different then the usual bruschetta in that the tomato is not chopped and served as a whole slice on top of the focacia bread. This results in a squishy texture and might not be for everybody since you really need to like tomatoes to enjoy this. For me, i prefer the diced tomatoes version.
Complementary bread with Olive Oil and Vinaigrette - Simple, serviceable and nothing extraordinary. The only thing worth mentioning is the dip which is still an appetising treat with its sourish and saltish taste.
Tomato and Crab Meat Pasta - Despite the small portion size, this was nicely done. I liked the strong crab taste and tomato combination and the pasta was done al dente. The problem with this is that the tomatoes were watery and thus resulted in a visually less appetising presentation.
Calamari - The calamari is probably the best thing i had at the restaurant that day. It was lightly battered and retained most of its springy texture without the overwhelming taste of batter. The batter itself is rather salty but went well with the calamari which is lightly sweet.
Tiramisu - This was.....average at best. There was too much cream and not enough cake. Also, instead of a chocolatey taste, it had a strange strawberry-like taste instead and there was no rum.
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 6.5/10
Food: 6/10
Value for money: 6/10
Overall Score: 6/10 (not an average)
Last word:
I can't quite confirm if the restaurant is certified halal but my Malay colleagues were able to enjoy the food without worry. I can thus say safely that our Malay compatroits should be able to enjoy the food here without incident. Service is good and the ambiance is decent but the food and value for money-wise could do better for me. Overall, still an enjoyable meal but i'd not bet on it being a hit with everybody.
Rating given:
No introductions needed for this group of restaurants. Basically met up with a group of friends over the weekend to have some dim sum and was recommended this because it is known to be kind to the wallet and serve quality dim sum as well.
Simple carpet floors and wide open spaces are the order of the day. Tables are spaced well and give plenty of leg room without the claustrophobic trappings of other Chinese restaurants. Orders are taken ala carte style and it is recommended to order as many as possible because they do take some time before the food is served.
Buffets buffets, always a little difficult to comment on since everything is en mass. So i'll just split this into the usual categories:
Service: In terms of service, the staff are proficient and fast but has a slight attitude edge to them. Maybe its due to the good turnout of people and their reputation, the impression i got was that they are always in a rush and will not wait around for our orders proper. And my group of people are big eaters, so we had many mutliple orders which were met with looks of frustration and impatience. Not a very good experience on this part.
Food: The food is as you see above. We ordered quite a decent selection from the $19.80 menu and in terms of overall quality, the best i can give is average. For the usual items like shrimp dumplings and char siew bao, i've had better from the likes of Yan Ting , Royal China and even Imperial Nan Bei Restaurant. From the entire selection that day, the items that caught our tastebuds were the Ji Bao Gai, which was surprisingly fragrant and tasty, fried chicken wings in shrimp paste, we liked the size and how it was served piping hot, the sweet and sour diced sea perch, which was crispy, sweet and warranted 2 orders and the egg tarts, which were small, bite sized and had an extremely crispy and flaky crust. The other items were forgettable and average IMHO.
Value: When the bill came, it actually totalled up to be about $26-30 per person. Although we ate alot, the quality of most of the food wasn't really up to par. The feeling we got at the end was unsatisfactory.
Ambience: 5.5/10
Service: 5/10
Food: 6/10
Value for money: 6/10
Overall score: 5.5/10 (not an average)
Last word:
I'd expected a little more from this restaurant since it belongs to quite a prestigious group. So far in my journey, i've only eaten at Tung Lok Seafood, Zhou's Kitchen and My Humble House and honestly, i have to say that i'm not impressed yet with any of their offerings. Maybe its just me but everytime i try their stuff, the only words that surface in the end is "overpriced" "bad service" and "could be so much better". I really want to like them but i'm sorry, it hasn't happened yet.
Rating given:
We are all old friends, yet we never met before. We visit each other on the web, that is how we “meet” everybody. Food brings us together, finally we can put a face to each other instead of just a nickname. From online, to offline, our food blogger outing.
While waiting for everybody to arrive, we ordered some fried dim sum for the photo shoot first. Hua Ting have more steamed items than fried ones, and the baked chicken & mango tart ($3.90) headed the list. This reminded me of the one that I had at Man Fu Yuan, and personally I felt it was well executed with the sweet mango zing and crust pastry.
I am not a big fan of bean skin roll dim sum, but since this was one of the few fried item and came highly recommended by the staff, we ordered the Deep-fried bean skin with prawn ($4.80).
Oh, the prawns were fresh. Yes they were. But, but the skin was too thick, and well they are not the best Steamed crystal prawn dumpling ($4.80) I had before.
There was the option of doing it steamed or pan-fried. But who could resist yummy-sinful fried food? Not us, we went for the pan-fried carrot cake with canopy ($3.90). Eat first, worry later! For some unknown reasons that continue to evade us, we are seeing restaurants not frying their carrot cake enough. Is it for the health conscious customers, or is it because it requires more oil? I wished they will just pan-fried it longer.
The first page of the menu comprises of the signature dim sum Hua ting serves, yet i was surprised not to find the Steamed siew mai with shrimp roe ($4.80) there. I felt that it was better than their har gau. And oh yes, there was also mushroom mixed within the siew mai.
There was nothing to fault for their Steamed BBQ pork bun ($3.90). I love my char siew bun, and when there was no char siew sou, I comforted myself by indulging in every moment of this.
Drum roll! Announcing the award for the best performer for the meal, I presented to you, Deep fried scallop pastry with onion and garlic ($4.50). My personal favourite out of the 12 dim sum that we tried that day. The pastry literally melted in my month when I took a bite. And I simple love the strong garlic taste within.
I will also like to mention the good service of the staffs at Hua Ting. While I was causally asking my friend what was inside the Steamed dumpling in Teow Chew style ($3.90), one waitress who was walking by overheard us and stopped to explain. While she couldn’t get all the ingredients in it, she went to the kitchen to ask and came back to tell us. So here it is, peanut, turnip, mushroom & celery.
You definitely will have tried char siew and prawn cheong fun before. Okay, how about scallop? Aye most restaurants have that too! All right, I give you Steamed cheong fun with sliced fish ($4.80). Now that’s something new isn’t it? It was a unique and bold creation, and while personally I still preferred char siew and prawn for my cheong fun, you need to give credits to the chef for trying something new.
Steamed soya bean skin rolls with chicken and mushroom in superior oyster sauce ($4.20). With such a long name, I was caught dumbfound and the staff had to kindly explained a few times what it was. It was actually the same as the deep fried bean skin we had earlier. But somehow I like this one more, the oozing out of the oyster sauce when I took a bite into the bean skin rolls. Oh my.
The others wanted lo mai gai, but there was none. We just have to make do with the Steamed glutinous rice with abalone ($5.20) and it was competent enough. There was the grimicky tiny abalone on top to up the prestige level, but I felt it would be better to give me Taiwanese sausages instead of that.
Not many restaurants use duck for their dim sum, it is always like what I mentioned, char siew, prawn & scallop. Therefore we chose the Pan fried shredded duck rolls ($4.20) out of curiosity.
I never like ordering Steamed pork ribs ($3.90) in dim sum restaurants. I felt they were overpriced, and under-portion. Honestly I will rather order another steamed char siew bun to give me more meat. I’m a carnivore!
Total bill was $120 after a 15% credit card discount for 6 person. We tried 14 out of the 20 dim sum available, and that’s quite a lot! I was confused between Orchard hotel with Orchard Parade hotel, so do check your maps before going down. In my personal opinion, the staffs at Hua Ting merit the good service tag, all of them were friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Atlantic dining room resides within the prestigious and exclusive Tower Club on the 62nd floor of Republic Plaza. The club itself deserves mention as its members are only allowed to register "by invitation" only. Its rather simple to sum up the criteria though, millionaires, CEOs and ministers would probably fall within the invitation list. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who had access to the premises and was thus able to attend a special dinner this night. The chef's at the helm for the night are worth mentioning as well, Chef Edward Voon and Chef Paco Roncero (the king of olive oil and Chef Voon's mentor). In any normal circumstance, a meal by Paco Roncero would have meant flying to Spain and being on a waiting list for 3 months. As such, i chose this night to propose to my fair lady as well but only food will be shown here. And without further ado, let us move on...
The waiting area and the first view that greets you at Tower Club is a rather intimidating one. Perched on the 62nd floor, you'll get an unimpeded view of the work-in-progress Marina Bay Sands project and the sea. The club spared no expense for the decor as well, you'll notice art pieces, comfortable sofas and splendid carpets that will awaken the monarch in you.
One of my favorite shots that night, outlining the setting sun in the background with the lamps and tables in view.
To start off, this special dinner was prepared and designed by the collective efforts of Chef Paco and Chef Voon. Both of which has won a special place in my heart after this meal. The service is impeccable and attentive for the waiting staff and in particular, the floor manager who helped in the final proposal. So here's a big thank you for everyone that night.
Frozen Daiquiri - The first item to be served is well liked by the ladies but received a lukewarm reception by the guys. The frozen daiquiri has a layer of warm egg white outlining the top with the cool daiquiri itself settling below it. The daiquiri itself is very sour, albeit refreshingly so when taken together with the egg white which itself has a very smooth texture not unlike smooth beancurd. The end result is it gets you very hungry for the main meal, which is its sole duty.
Complimentary Bread - Before our next dish, the much talked and praised complimentary bread is served. I took an instead liking to one particular version which on first bite, tasted like pizza bread with a little spicy tinge to it but slowly gives off an aromatic mint aftertaste which is unlike any bread i've had before. Needless to say, the four of us managed to clear 3 baskets worth of bread.
Olive oil butter, Foie Gras with Red Wine, Sesame Sponge with Miso, Liquid Chicken "croquette", Raspberry Fondant with Wasabi, Tomato Biscuit with Basil - The dish had a particular sequence for finishing beginning with the Liquid Chicken "Croquette" with bread crumbs which was fantastic. The moment you pop the entire ball into your mouth, it literally melts and leaves a taste of chicken in your mouth which is further enhanced by the fried bread crumbs. Superb! The tomato biscuit had a very very strong tomato taste but i couldn't taste the basil. Next up, the raspberry fondant with wasabi is strange to me because the raspberry fondant has a caramelized layer over it which crackles and pops when you bite into it while the wasabi gives it an added kick of surprise. The sesame sponge with miso is a fluffy concoction that gives the impression of eating solidified miso soup with sesame. Foie gras with red wine is surprising in that the red wine is the thin layer surrounding the foie gras and this layer will melt in your mouth to produce a strong fragrance of red wine. I didn't quite like the taste of foie gras in it though because it tasted pretty raw and i prefer my goose liver cooked and hot. The final item is a simple biscuit with olive oil butter served in a tub. The butter is smooth and rich but nothing else i could say about it. Overall, this starter was very interesting indeed with loads of stuff i've never tried before.
21st Century Spanish Omelette - I was surprised when another liquid item was served up and was stumped when i was told it was a spanish omelette from the 21st century no less. True enough, it was very interesting with its foamy layer of egg white and even more so when you mix it with the yellowish tinge which was salty and the layer of onions which really did give it the impression of being an omelette. Its pretty good but i still prefer my omelettes in solid form.
Lobster, Grapefruit and Virgin Olive Oil Soup - The grapefruits in this were surprisingly sweet and very satisfying while the lobster was sweet and springy. The olive oil soup was subtle and a little bland but otherwise served to bring out the sweetness of the lobster even more. I enjoyed this.
Brittany Sea Bass in "Salmorejo" - I don't know what Brittany sea bass means but this is one of the best fish dishes i've had. Pan seared to perfection with its superbly crispy outer layer which is still not over cooked and a wonderfully hot (read: hot!) and soft meat on the inside. I'm amazed at how they managed to cook the fish so thoroughly and keep the dish so warm on the inside when served. Not to mention as well, the seemingly simple dressing you see on the sea bass is awesome. Sweet and slightly sourish with pepper overtones, it just works. Perfectly executed in my book.
Wagyu Beef with Lemon Puree - Another perfectly executed main dish. The wagyu is soft, chewy and done medium rare throughout. The lemon puree is sourish with some red wine (i think) and works really well with the already perfectly executed beef. I was fortunate enough to have 2 servings because my gf was already rather full and for the record, i finished all of it. It's just something you need to try.
Orange Sorbet with Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Once again, olive oil is used in ways i cannot fathom. The sorbet, however, is moderately sweet and once again, a little sour but is suitably refreshing after the heavy meal we just went through. The nuts and jelly-like items (which is suspect are infused with red and white wine) only serve to refresh the palatte even more.
Fizzy Sweets and Virgin Olive Oil Gummies - This really reminds me of childhood with the popping and crackling of the fizzy sweet chocolates in my mouth. The gummies were also very interesting as they taste more and more like lychee as you chew on them. A suitable and light ending to a wonderful meal.
Of course, after all the wonderful food, its time to face the music and it doesn't come cheap. A superb meal for 4 made us $602.62 poorer altogether.
Ambience: 8.5/10
Service: 8.5/10
Food: 8.5/10
Value for money: 7/10
Overall score: 8.5/10 (not an average)
Last word:
The food is excellent. The service is great and the ambience is wonderful. At the end of this meal, a new couple is born. Apart from that, a new respect and admiration for the chefs that concocted this meal was also born. Do give this a try if you can. Cheers and this will always be a happy memory for me.
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I went to this outlet on a few occasions, but this time it wasn’t the best of occasions. I had one of my worst dining experience in terms of service. Today I went there together with 2 of my friends. I haven’t had any meal for the day so I was already feeling gorgeously hungry.
All in all, I had waited for more than 30 minutes and my order has yet to be served. My 2 friend’s orders had already been served and yet my order of Ee Fu Noodle with shredded meat in spicy sauce has not been served. I felt bad that my friends waited for me to tuck in together even when I told them to go ahead.
I asked one of the supervisor in-charge about my order, and said she would check my order. Instead, she blatantly walked off to serve other customers and failing to keep to her words. Infuriated, I called upon the manager and demanded my food to be served. Finally some response came and nobody in the restaurant realises that my order has been omitted even though it was keyed into the POS.
I simply don’t understand why it takes so long to whip up a Ee Fu Noodle than the Congee and Wanton Mee that my friends ordered, and why can such mistake be made even when the order is keyed into the system clearly. In the end I changed my order to a Noodle with minced meat and mushroom served with spicy sauce after the manager could not assure me that my order can be served immediately.
To put in words, it tasted sour (like overnight food) as if it was done in haste and the portion was much smaller than the Wanton Mee. I called the manager and told her I would not pay the service charge for total dissatisfactory experience.
Really bad experience and will boycott this outlet. I would never had thought that renowned Crystal Jade, using a Point-of-Sale system, would actually omit my order and leave me waiting in disgruntlement.
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It has become one of the main stay when it comes to breakfast and even quick bites among the bustle and hustle of the modern society. A number of outlets have sprawled across the sunny island, and it all started out at this outlet.
In particular, the China Street outlet has been around for decades. I have stayed in the area previously, and vividly remember my visits to this coffeeshop in the olden days. Till today, the stall has remained pretty much the same way as it is in the past.
Ya Kun is famous for its Kaya Toast, together with a serving of half-boiled egg and coupled with a cup of traditional coffee (not the ones from Starbucks or Coffee Bean). The good old method to drink the coffee is to pour it into the cup saucer. The older generation argues that with a larger surface area, the coffee will cool itself quicker for easier consumption. The egg is best consumed with condiments, namely pepper and black soy sauce.
You might think this outlet is the same as its other outlets, but let me fill you in on this. Till date, this stall preserves its handmade approach in making its Kaya jam for its toast, which is different from the machine-made Kaya in the franchises. The handmade Kaya jam produces a much fragrant and smooth taste that complements the perfectly toasted bread.
The typical old style manner of service is their shouting of orders across the shop. And notice that their plates and saucers are green, different from the red ones you see in the franchises. So don't be caught by surprise as this is different from what you experience in the other outlets.
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This is about the most value for money steamboat I've tried before.
There are 2 branches which are located just a few shops apart. The orange colour themed branch seems to be the more popular choice which I supposed was due to the atmosphere and the fact that its newer.
Variety was wide. but only limited to a portion of the menu if you order buffet. There are about 5 types of soup base and you can choose a max of 2. We chose the satay and scallop soup base. Satay was so so though it was said to be the more popular choice there. Though I felt its more like because Satay wasn't so common at other steamboat eateries. A bit spicy and full of peanut taste. Scallop based soup taste great enough without cooking the ingredients. Soup base not too salty so we don't feel uneasy after eating a lot which should be the case for steamboat soup base.
Foodstuffs fresh and in "happy" portions (lolx). Though I don't eat prawns but my friends commented that the prawns were very fresh and they ordered 5 plates of them. The "tou kee" was fresh and chewy without the oily smell that tou kee at many places have. They also have items like Golden mushroom, fish slices, fish paste, all kinds of meat and vegetables, cutter fish, prawns and "hum".
Drinks not free, we ordered the home made lime juice @ $6 per jug which was about just right for 5 pax. This drink is real good~ Must try~~ The taste of lime is very distinctive and not diluted.
What we don't like was the service there. Firstly we wanted to sit inside in the air con-ed area but was told that its better we sit outside as its better atmosphere to eat steamboat outside. But I guess the more obvious reason was we had only 5 pax and the only table inside was for more than 8 pax. The person who serviced us keep trying to coax us to order the Ala Cart (and we kept saying no) which was way more expensive and limited than the steamboat buffet. Our second order did not come at all. The person who changed the gas fuel for us accidentally touched our food with the gas can and her hands and don't even bother to change the food for us. Our bill didn't come when we asked twice for it. (We had to stare at the counter for some attention)
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We were introduced to this old traditional Teochew restaurant by some friends. We had a hard time locating the place because it is situated between rows of landed houses. By now, there were different “music” made by our stomachs. Alas, we found it at one tiny corner of shop houses.
We were greeted by a friendly staff and as we sat down to decide what to order, we realized that almost 90% of the diners were old-time customers who walked in leisurely and started to order their favourite dishes without even looking at the menu.
We then decide to ask the elderly lady boss for her recommendation. She was very considerate by asking us whether we prefer spicy, fried, steam or soupy stuff since she noticed that two of our friends are not feeling well. For a group of 7, she recommended 6 items and 1 dessert. She even suggested the food to be served in smallest portion so that we can taste and enjoy each dish.
Steamed fish tail – very smooth flesh and no fishy smell. The fish was steamed with very light gravy which will not make it taste too salty.
Fried Prawns Rolls – lots of prawns bits and fragrant with crunchy meat mixture
Fried Sambal Tapicoa Leaves – not so spicy ( because of unwell friends ) but with generous dried prawns and fried to perfect taste. Not so soggy, oily or dried.
Fried Beancurd – This item was exceptionally smooth in texture and goes well with the sour plum sauce.
Chillie Crayfish – The fleshly crayfish were very tender and can be easily removed from their shell. The gravy was just delicious when mix with the white rice.
Braised Meat with Buns – Chef’s recommendation. The meat were very soft and tender ( though a bit fatty ) but we mananged to remove the fats easily with our chopsticks. Wrapped into the steamed hot bun, it was a perfect match with extra gravy oozing out with each bite.
Yam Paste with Gingko nuts – Surprisingly it was not so sweet with bits of fresh yam in the paste. We prefer this coarsely bits as compared to the usual smooth paste because we can bite and taste each spoonful of yam.
When we paid the bill ( about $100 ), we were all full with satisfaction and no regrets. Even our unwell friends ate almost everything…
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The soft patter of raindrops. Light jazz music amidst the soft incessant buzz of the place. Sipping tea with finger food at a leisurely pace while time flittered by. This was the life I had envisioned at Marmalade Pantry and the dream proliferates at TWG.
Cleverly perched on a "suspended" standalone area within Republic Plaza, you have to walk up a short flight of stairs from the first floor which will lead you to the sales area with its shelves of gourmet tea as well as the restaurant. TWG can only take about 30 people or so and oozes cosy warmth with its intimate dining area, huge glass windows with translucent curtains coupled with a glass ceiling.
Imperial Rose - I am honestly not a tea connoisseur but the Imperial Rose, which is a specialty brew of TWG, tasted very much like a Chinese tea, 铁观音.
Sandwiches - This came as part of my tea time "Celebration Set". 8 half slices of bread sandwiching prawns, crab meat, foie gras and smoked salmon respectively, it appealed to my visual senses with its presentation. However, even though the bread was nicely toasted, I didn't quite take to them. The crab meat and prawns sandwiches were passable but the smoked salmon was way too salty and the foie gras just didn't come across as appetising, both in smell and taste.
Salmon A La Russ - I can't say much about the smoked salmon except that it was salty and came topped roe. However, the brioche that was served alongside was interestingly good. It actually tasted like croissant - flaky and buttery.
Macarons - Another component of my tea time set, we chose praline, lemon and napolean tea macarons from the 6 or so varieties TWG carries. Personally I still prefer their vanilla macaron, something which they didn't have at that point in time.
Strawberry Tart - Insipid as it looked, the strawberry tart came highly recommended by the staff. And I was rather impressed. It was essentially vanilla bean creme brulee sans the caramelised layer with bits of strawberries sandwiched in between and served on a tart base. A stellar example of never judging a book by its cover. Best of all, it was part of my set as well.
Crumble - I didn't have much of the crumble so I shall reserve my comments. The ice cream sounded interesting though - Napolean Tea cheesecake ice cream, which was apparently very well received by the aspiring tai tai who sat across from me.
A 3.5 hr tea session cost us about $82, which probably isn't the cheapest place to chill out but for the delightful ambience and earnest service, its probably worth it to dig deep into your pockets just for a relaxing afternoon at this place with your partner or alone with a book.
As the first signs of dusk seeped through the windows and I played observer to the throngs of working people frantically crossing the street to catch the next train home, I was reminded of my own reality - one that had no affinity with this almost surreal lifestyle.
See all my pictures here.
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I've always loved Swensen's Omelette. However, my first visit wasn't a good impression as they mixed up my orders for another filling.
Subsequent visits were quite alright although the food was slow to arrive. During my first few visits, the air-con wasn't working that well and the staff couldn't do a thing because it was linked to the hotel's main unit.
I feel that since this restaurant is opened for 24 hours, it should have its own air-con unit. My recent visit was quite a pleasure as it wasn't too warm.
I was rather disappointed with the state of the omelette when it arrived during my recent visit. It was a cooked for slightly longer than usual was rather dry.
As for the salmon chicken that is on a promotion for the High School Musical 3, the chicken was a tad overcooked. The results of the food that night felt as if the chef wasn't in a good mood.
Update (19 Mar 2009): I had a craving for eggs but when I got there, no one bothered to serve us and treated as if we were invisible. For 5 minutes. When asked to talk to the manager, the manager replied, "I know" in a nonchalant way.
The service at this branch has dropped to none.
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