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claud's Reviews

    901. Decorette   
       07 Mar 2009 at 11:40 am
    Bobo Bobo says:

    After renovation, the walls in our house looked so empty so we looked into ways of getting them spruced up. My parents weren't a fan of getting paintings as holes had to be made in order to hang the paintings up.

    So I thought of wall decals. After looking at many local decal websites, I found Decorette! I liked a few of the designs on the website and was ready to order them. However, at that point, I could find one that I liked for the living room. I wanted something which was family related but there weren't any of those. So I decided to have one customised.

    I emailed Amanda of Decorette about my plans and she replied in a couple of days. With a couple of emails to and fro, we had the design finalised and I paid through paypal. In 3 days after paying, the decals were on my doorstep! That's fast isn't it? Especially since she needed to customise mine and cut it up, etc... Not to mention the customised one cost $50 only! She also threw in little swirly designs for me free... and I made little changes to my chandelier one without additional charges.

    The decals came well packed and protected by the hard tube, so they were in mint condition.
    The decals were easy to put up and the instructions were easy to understand. Amanda even included a little cute birdie for us, first-timers, to try putting up before we put our actual decal. But we loved the birdie so much we put it together with the family decal!

    Though easy to put up, it still took us some time about 1 and a half hours to put two up. But it was well worth the effort!


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

    902. Eestilo de Vida   
       07 Mar 2009 at 11:05 am
    Bobo Bobo says:

    I was shopping along Geylang for my sanitary fittings and came across this shop. We were looking specifically for one-piece toilet bowls as they are known to have less leakage problems but the one-piece bowls at other shops were really expensive, some going up to $800 when a two-piece one goes for $100 .

    We went into Eestilo and was happy to find that they had a package for the one-piece bowl and a sink for $299. There were also other sinks available and one has to just top up a little on the package.

    What I was most impressed with was the level of service provided. Sunny, the sales guy there, moved the two sinks we wanted to where they had the taps. At my father's request, he detached the taps from the display and place them on the sinks we chose to let us see if it was satisfactory. He did that for 7-8 taps without any grumble and with a smile, in fact!

    Though the taps weren't as cheap as we had hope for it to be but I guess the promotion for the one-piece toilet bowl and the service made up for all that. :)


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

       06 Mar 2009 at 11:59 pm
    Category: Japanese
    ladyironchef ladyironchef says:

    Confession of a non-Japanese food lover. Right, I admit. I’m not the biggest fan of Jap food, while others rave about the freshness of the sashimi, I stared at them and wondered why they like to eat raw seafood. When others sipped and finished their bowl of ramen, I’m quietly thinking of my wanton mee. But, I can’t stop myself eating Tonkatsu, whenever I enter a Japanese restaurant.

    The inevitable thing happened when I stepped into Tonkichi, thoughts of the excellent Kurobuta pork cutlet that I had at Tampopo, flowed into my mind. And of course, the visit here was because friends have always recommended Tonkichi for their famous tonkatsu. The interior is very simple, smaller than what I expected from the outside, with a comprehensive menu to showcase their speciality.

    And this is where the main difference between Tonkichi and Tampopo lies. The latter offers a wide range of Japanese food, with Katsu and ramen as their signatures, the former does what they’re best in, Tonkatsu. They have the hire and rosu katsu of course, but there are also other set combinations to try their prawn, oyster, crab with their katsu.

    Eggs are my favourite, and fried eggs with white rice can satisfied me. I’m a simple person with a simple taste bud, really. But somehow I do not fancy the Chawanmushi ($3.50). I guess the problem is steamed eggs and I simply do not get along. Nonetheless, my friend enjoyed the starter, and finished it fast enough.

    Somebody once told me that Japanese potato salad ($3.50) is very good. It surely represented what an appetiser was about, light and simple, something to get your engines, or rather stomach going.

    We were expecting the tonkatsu to be the star since Tonkichi is famous for it. But instead, we found ourselves falling in love with this instead. Man, the simmered pork belly was just so, so good! Well it tasted akin to our Chinese braised pork belly, everything was perfect. My friend was contemplating to order another serving, but we decided to come back to Tonkichi again, just for the divine Buta Kakuni ($6.50).

    I was somewhat disappointed by the supposedly signature dish, Rosu Katsu ($20). There was the option of going for the premium tonkatsu set, but since I tried the normal grade pork loin at Tampopo last time, I wanted to give them a equal footing for the comparison. Sadly to say, I felt that the rosu katsu here didn’t quite match up to the one I had before. While there was a layer of fats underneath the crispy exterior, but the katsu somehow just lacked the oomph factor.

    Adding a few more bucks, gets you the Oyster & Rosu Katsu set ($24.50). The same goes for the rosu katsu, while my friend who is a big fan of oyster dutifully chomped down both oysters while leaving the katsu unfinished.

    Total bill was $68.25 for two person. The conclusion was quite clear-cut, I’ll like to think that Tampopo serves a meaner and better Tonkatsu, well the best I ever tried so far. But I’ll certainly come back to Tonkichi, just for their Buta Kakuni.

    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!


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

    904. The Singapore Flyer   
       06 Mar 2009 at 12:40 pm
    mystery mystery says:

    I bought my tickets even before The Flyer launched but only went on Wednesday.

    I have heard alot of stories when people up there, slow, boring, nothing to see also excited, kids have fun.

    When I jump board the capsule, i am excited coz it's not station waiting for you to board, it's moving. The views are great, as it goes higher and higher, even better. I boarded at 5.30pm just after drizzling and caught a rainbow in view.

    As the capsule goes real high, i start to feel my legs weak especially when i look down to see the tiny cars and buses and human beneath me. It was great but really not for weak heart ya.

    Just as you approach the tiptop, they will annonce to tell you that you are at the highest point.

    I enjoy the ride and find it too fast, only around 20minutes i touch down on earth again.

    Will sure go again when RI is completed, by then might have much nicer scenery and will head straight to Kenko after the ride for foot massage to strength my weaken legs, :)


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

       05 Mar 2009 at 9:48 pm
    Category: American
    PuNiaoPuNiao PuNiaoPuNiao says:

    Finally I've decided to give Cafe Cartel a try and since this is my first time going to Cafe Cartel for dinner, I expected to be overwhelmed by what they have, judging from the food posters displayed outside their shop entrance. I'd say the choices in their menu wasn't that spectacular as I had expected more choices inside though.

    My mother and I chose the Sirloin Steak with Texas Ranch Mushroom Sauce, though the serving doesn't seem like what my mother had described to me (she had went there before with her friends and mentioned that the portions were quite a lot), the Texas Ranch Mushroom Sauce was quite a fresh taste compared to Delifrance.

    Then we each ordered an Oreo Espresso and a Cartel Special (coffee drink) respectively and I would dare say the Oreo Espresso was a nice touch, compared to the regular espressos you can find elsewhere although the Cartel Special is just really plain latte with whipped cream and it just seems a little lacklustre since this drink is called the "Cartel Special".

    We ended off the meal with a slice of Bitter Chocolate Fudge Cake (I wanted the Jamaican Banana Rum but they were sold out), though I find it weird that they serve the cake on a plate with some weird yellow stain on it. And as expected, the chocolate is bitter, but the bitterness is still within control and tastes quite good. The only grouse here is that the fudge seems a tad too much, but then less fudge means you won't taste the "bitterness" in the chocolate cake.

    The only one main complaint I have? That they presumed every customer wanted a complimentary ice cold water. I'd prefer to have a cup of warm water and I would have preferred it if they would ask if I would want ice cold or warm water. But still, service is prompt in a sense that they serve water and bread as soon as you sat down.

    I'd still go back to Cafe Cartel again for a good meal, but I figured I have to request for warm water instead.

    We ordered:

    1) Bread: Freeflow
    2) Sirloin Steak with Texas Ranch Mushroom Sauce @ SGD17.80
    3) Oreo Espresso @ SGD3.80
    4) Cartel Special @ SGD4.20
    5) Bitter Chocolate Fudge Cake @ SGD5.20


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

       05 Mar 2009 at 11:07 am
    Category: American
    mystery mystery says:

    I love Ribs especially Tony Roma's at Suntec.

    And of course my favourite window seat, viewing the koi pond and my favourite Carolina Honeys Baby Ribs.

    Their service and food is good and fast and I must admit at peak hours dinner time on weekends or public holidays, you might have to wait a little bit longer then usual for seats, ordered or even refilled of water but overall their staffs are friendly and fast.

    The environment is very soothing and comfortable, with no loud music.

    I have never go to Orchard outlet yet, will go try it out. :)


    Rating given:Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

       05 Mar 2009 at 11:04 am
    ladyironchef ladyironchef says:

    Three. It is the natural number following two, and preceding four. It also represents the three of us, the memories; of the fun, joy and laughter that we shared throughout the years. No, although we didn’t meet frequently, but somehow our conservation always continue smoothly from the previous meeting which was a few months ago, as though we just met yesterday.

    Friends, are like the macarons you see. They come in all shapes and flavours, just like friends who has different characters and personality. And how long have we all known each other; with each finger representing a year, I count almost nine out of the ten fingers I could afford on both of my hands.

    Friends. There isn’t a need to contact with each other all the time. A simple greeting, uncomplicated chit-chats, and a sincere well-wishes, are the ingredients needed, just like how a good macaron is defined by having chewy shells, with flavourful fillings.

    Friends, we automatically updated and filled in on each others life, the gossips and chit-chats that make a whole afternoon passed by in a blink of the eye. A place to sit, some desserts to go along with a cup of tea, are all we need.

    She giggled, you chuckled, and we smiled. Much as we used to complain about dragging ourselves out of bed on a Saturday morning just for the practice, thinking of the silly times we had, those were the days.

    All of us had moved on, to new pasture, and a different world. But we still managed to meet up even though the rest often had excuses to miss our gatherings. Yes, always the three of us.

    Bakerzin is currently having their Macarons promotions, selling at a dollar for each macaron (usual price $1.60 ). And since it is a promotion, their usual flavours will not available, instead there’s ten different flavours to choose from. We had seven out of the ten, namely; lemon, coffee, Peach, Pistachio, Sakura, Blueberry, and Chocolate.

    In short, not all the macarons impressed. We like the coffee, with the strong after-taste lingering on our tongue. The pistachio was chewy and sticky. The first bite of the chocolate was overwhelming bitter, but the taste became sweeter for the second bite. The different macarons have different texture, the lemon and the blueberry’s shell crumbled easily, while pistachio and chocolate have slightly crispy ones. But still, a dollar a macaron is cheap, and you can’t complain.

    I was sceptical about choosing the Mango mousse ($6.20) initially. But since I’ve try most of the other cakes available at Bakerzin, we decided to take a risk and go ahead with it. And I must say the mango cake, or rather mousse was better than what we thought. Two layers of thin sponge with thick layer of mango mousse in between. The mango mousse, was naturally fulsome with mango.

    With a name like Lavande ($6.90), we were perhaps expecting something more of the lavender flower, but it never came. Instead, the cake was very rich, with the goodness of dark chocolate fudge, and the velvety lavender-infused chocolate mousse. The very subtle lavender flavour in the cake meant that it was simply a chocolate cake, with a slight hint of flower.

    As with most tastings, we always leave the strongest for the last. Sweet Pleasure ($6.90) is what my friend call it, my-kind-of-cake. How very true. A top layer of chocolate, jivara milk chocolate ganache, a layer of chocolate mousse, and hazelnut praline dacquoise. All in all, it did seem like a ferrero rocher cake. And having tried about thirteen of Bakerzin’s cake so far, sweet pleasure together with the chocolate amer are two of my favourites.

    Friends are one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. One year technically isn’t very long, and with the advancement in technology, there’s always msn and email to bridge the gap of the two countries. Have fun in the coming months, my friend, my senior, my big sister. The three of us, yes as always, three, will meet once you got back.

    ***

    Total Bill was $37.25 for 3 cakes, 7 macarons, and 3 drinks. With the promotion of getting a drink at $1.90 each with the purchase of each slice of cake during tea time. As you will know by now, I don’t like to repeat visits, but the one-dollar a macaron was too tempting for me to resist. Having tried thirteen cakes on two visits, it is unlikely that i will visit Bakerzin in the near future, but yeah, you shouldn’t missed their current promotion until end of Feburary.

    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!


    Rating given:Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

       05 Mar 2009 at 10:51 am
    Category: Coffee Shops
    ladyironchef ladyironchef says:

    I read on the Sunday Times that Fish & Co is coming out with Fish & Co Express, and I must admit the revelation of the news hit me. Much as I don’t like Fish & Co (too commercialise), they are still a restaurant to me. But with the idea of having fast-food associating together with them, I will definitely think twice before dining there again. While it’s good for businesses to diversify, it can be a double-edge sword if not handle properly.

    And this brings us to Aston Riding on the popularity of Aston specialist, the owner introduced Aston Prime which offered finer and of course pricer meats. And Aston express, the coffee-shop version, into the local heartlands. The result, immediate success, given the number of express outlets springing up all over Singapore.

    The fisherman’s pride. Grill fish with herb ($6.50), of which we chose tasty rice and house salad. Express or no express, the standard in quality wasn’t really apparent. But given my last visit to Aston Specialist was over a year ago, my failing memory might not be a good judge. And quite unlike the name, the tasty rice wasn’t very tasty. I called it the fried-rice-without-eggs. And i love eggs, so it was a no-no for me.

    Tempted as I was to get the beefy jack burger, I ended up with the char-grilled chicken ($5.90) instead since the latter came with two side dishes, and the former none. The French fries were all about ordinary Joe & plain June. With the onion rings proving to be better. Given the price, I thought that the char-grilled chicken was pretty good.

    Total bill was $13.2 for two mains. While it really depends on what you are comparing with. With hawker-fare or restaurant/cafe food? Given the accessibility of Aston Express, and the shallowness of my pockets, I dare say you will be seeing this post again. Although i’ll have no qualms revisiting them, but I seriously doubt anybody will spend $59.90 on the burgundy roast beef from their menu.

    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!


    Rating given:Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

    909. Da Mario Pizzeria   
       05 Mar 2009 at 12:10 am
    Category: Italian
    feizhu feizhu says:

    Organised a dinner at Da Mario after reading a couple of relatively good reviews about it online. This small Italian restaurant, which is helmed by Chef Mario from Abruzzo, Italy, promises an authentic Italian dinner by using the freshest ingredients as well as by making sauces and certain pastas from scratch.

    Located at The Quayside just diagonally opposite from The Gallery Hotel, Da Mario is a small outfit that can sit probably 30 pax tops. Seating is mainly al fresco with the exception of a couple of small tables in the air conditioned interior. If you are worried about rising temperatures from sitting in the open, worry not. The restaurant has a couple of fans and blowers to keep you cool.

    Calamari - The calamari's batter was a tad too thick for my liking while being overly generous on the salt. I'm not sure that this is my idea of a good calamari. The dip and lemon sauce did help a bit though.

    Bruschetta Al Pomodoro - I can't believe how much olive oil went into this dish. The bread was literally soaked in olive oil, which made it rather gross to consume. Credit goes to the fresh and tangy tomatoes though.

    Portobello Gratinato - Finally something that's worth mentioning - the Portobello mushroom. Served up in one humongous piece, the mushroom was tasty and succulent with a light hint of cheese. Black olives added a nice sourish twist to it while the sun dried tomatoes contributed a natural sweetness.

    Capellini Regina - I only had a small sampling portion of this dish but what struck me was the excessive olive oil present, resulting in a soggy and rather oily rendition of angel hair pasta. My friend even went so far as to term it as a wetter/oilier version of "fried beehoon", which I am most inclined to agree given the resemblence in taste.

    Tortelli - This was reminiscent of the lobster and crab meat ravioli I had at Bistro Senso about 2 months back. Taste of crab meat was predominant and the lobster, if any, was forgotten. I also thought that the tortelli was done up a little too thick, which resulted in a chewier then usual texture.

    Omega 3 Pizza - In other words, smoked salmon pizza. Comparisons with Parma's offering is inevitable but its a totally different take on the same dish. Parma uses a mayonnaise base and rawer tasting salmon whereas for Da Mario, its tomato based and the rawness of the smoked salmon is very much subdued. I personally still prefer Parma's rendition but there are some who prefer otherwise.

    Tiramisu - I only had a cursory bite of this dessert and found it rather average. The mascarpone cheese was too soft which affected the texture of the whole cake and I couldn't quite make out any alcohol. The only upside was the generous portion, which could have been shared amongst 2 - 3 pax comfortably.

    Each of us forked out almost $35 for a filling, but not exactly satisfying dinner. Food quality is average but portion sizes are quite respectable. Service is very decent as well but the waiting time can vary, depending on the crowd. This is due to the lean kitchen that Da Mario operates (there's only Chef Mario and 1 assistant). Take your chances here.

    See all my pictures here.


    Rating given:Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5Rating: 3 out of 5

    910. A Lighting   
       04 Mar 2009 at 10:24 pm
    Category: Restaurants
    Bobo Bobo says:

    I got to know about this shop from a renovation forum while doing renovations in my home. I favoured this over the regular Jalan Besar shops cos it's away from all the light-shoppers AND it's much nearer to where I live. Moreover I'm more familiar with Geylang. But I hadn't shopped for lights before then and wasn't sure what to expect.

    I liked the shop instantly on sight. It was in a corner of a pretty rundown building. What I liked was that it wasn't one of those big snobbish looking lighting stores (like some others I passed along the way there). It looked exactly like what it was.. a family run business with nice warm friendly smiles. Alex is the young man in charge and he certainly knows his products well! If you see a light that you liked in another shop you can just describe it to him and he will know it instantly.

    The shop itself is quite small though they try to cramp as much as possible on display. He knows lights pretty well so he can source for lights which aren't on display in his shop. I think the prices in his shop are very competitive and certainly much cheaper than the bigger fancy stores I went to on the same stretch. He has the same designs too! I think Alex's resourcefulness really makes up for the lack of variety (his shop is small rem?).

    On top of that they have ceiling fans of almost every brand there and it's good to talk to Alex about ceiling fans because he can really advise on what size and brand to buy.

    I think the best part was that they weren't pushy. We went back three times and only bought on the third trip. AND Alex remembered us and our requirements even after a few days. In fact, he remembered my sister even after a few weeks!

    With good prices, prompt delivery and good service, I think this shop is really worth visiting if you're looking for lights!!


    Rating given:Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5

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