The yoghurt craze is catching on in Singapore with the opening of yoghurt outlets like Frolick and Yoguru. The former currently has 3 outlets in Singapore whereas the latter only has one.
Located in the still sleepy Kallang Leisure Park, Yoguru has a steady following of fans who swear by the brand's fat free yoghurt which comes in 2 varieties - original and YoguBliss, with the latter comprising of dragonfruit and pomegranate in the mixture. Prices start at $3.30 for a regular cup of original yoghurt to $7.90 for a jumbo take home container. Prices for the YoguBliss are slightly higher, at $3.80 for a regular and $9.30 for a jumbo. Toppings start at $1.20 each. Definitely not cheap.
Not being a fan of dragonfruit or pomegranate, I had a go at the original with toppings of diced strawberries. To be honest, I'm never liked yoghurt because my tolerance for sour stuff is minimal so it came as quite a surprise that I could actually finish up a whole cup of Yoguru's yoghurt by myself. The yoghurt is much sweeter than any of the other brands of yoghurt that I've tried and the smooth creamy texture reminds me more of ice cream, which is totally different from what you can get from NTUC or Frolick for that matter.
I like the idea of fat free pseudo ice cream with a sourish tinge enough to continue my patronage.
For the aficionados of Lucky Plaza’s Famous Ayam Penyet Ria, or Indonesian-styled Smashed Fried Chicken, you would be thrilled to know that they have a latest outlet hidden somewhere in the corner of Novena Square 2. Located at basement one next to Harvey Norman, one may access it via the escalator hidden behind SK Jewellery.
To be honest, this is the first time I have eaten Ayam Penyet, as I am more a convert of Ayam Bakar. To order, one gets a slip from counter, look at menu and fill in your orders. Proceed to the counter to pay and food will be served to your table when ready. However, service was found wanting as food was served first to the table next to us even though we arrived much earlier.
It was only a good wait of 20 minutes and two reminders later did our food finally arrived. Nevertheless, all was forgotten as soon as we tucked into the Ayam Penyet Set ($6.50) that consist of the Rice, Fried Chicken, Fried Beancurd, Tempeh (or a popular Javanese Fermented Soybeans in Cake Form), and some serving of boiled Kang Kong along with Sambal Chilli on a Slice of Cucumber. The serving of the chicken thigh is of reasonable size and it’s well fried – the meat ain’t too dry and the skin is crisp.
The sambal chilli is spicily appetising and those that aren’t into zesty stuff however be forewarned – it is HIGHLY SPICED. Therefore, what better way to cool down your palate than to order a personal favourite of energising & sugar-high Happy Soda ($1.80) – a beverage consisting of Cherry-flavoured Soda with Condense Milk.
Fans of Teh Botol Sosro may also grab a bottle for the same price as well.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
After almost 3 years at the charming Robertson Walk, Sage, The Restaurant is now located at one of the conservation shophouses along Mohamed Sultan Road.
Established in May 2005, it is the brainchild of husband and wife team of Jusman So and Kimberly Chew.
To ensure the consistent standards of food quality and service, the restaurant only hosts a maximum of 38 seating an evening and avoids multiple turnovers in an evening and tries to keep to just one seating a night.
One thing that impressed me particularly that evening is the unpretentious and simplistic décor of Sage that comes with a hint of contemporary modish atmosphere. Ambient lighting coupled with candlelight is perfectly made for a romantic night out (but regrettably bad for photo-taking).
The restaurants’ open-kitchen concept has also been applied to their new premises, so diners can have better view of the chefs at work. To add the icing on the cake, Chef Jusman So also walked away with the title of Rising Chef of the Year 2008 at this year’s World Gourmet Summit.
Opting for the 6 courses Menu Degustation priced at $118 , the dinner was set in motion by the complimentary Bread and Butter, which I think was nothing to shout about – but do leave some for mopping up the gravy of the other dishes later.
The complimentary Amuse Bouche, a shotglass full of finely what tasted like tangy Tomato Puree with Avocado topped with Caviar, and a hint of Tobasco in it was refreshing. Served cold with a sourish-spicy taste, this was a perfect starter to open up my one’s palate.
The Beechwood Smoked Duck Breast with Granny Smith Apple Puree, Sorbet of Red Beets and Aged Balsamic Reduction was the first of the six courses that night. The smoked duck breast meat was very flavoursome, but salty to consume on its own – that’s what the sorbet was for, although personally I do not like the taste of beetroot.
Pan-seared Duck Foie Gras on Pear and Walnut Chutney, Muscat Poached Fig with Spiced Port Wine Glaze was one of the highlights of the night. Having heard rave reviews of this dish, my expectations were high and it was indeed worth the buzz – the outside was seared perfectly to a crisp and the inside creamy smooth. Surprisingly, one also does not get the oily aftertaste. The pairing of the walnut furthermore gave it a delightful extra bite – perfectly executed!
A personal favourite of Kimberly, the Seared Hokkaido Scallop on Belgium Endive Au Gratin with Avruga Caviar, Sauce Normandy and Parmigiano Reggiano Lace was also well seared. The thick scallop was fresh and succulently sweet and goes well with the Normandy sauce - and if you heed my advice about the complimentary bread, this is the sauce where remnant bread dips in.
Pan Roasted Swordfish Belly topped with Garlic Sabayon, Fork Crushed Potatoes and Essence of Wild Mushrooms was another excellent dish. The flesh of the fish is firm yet smooth and retains the “flavour of the sea” without hint of fishiness taste. This dish contains another gravy for one to mop up with the bread.
Kimberly was kind enough to accede to our request of replacing the Veal with the Beef Cheek. Another one of their acclaimed dish, the Caramelized Black Angus Beef Cheek coupled with Mousseline of Butternut Pumpkin and Natural Jus was fabulously bravura! The intense flavour of the beef was nicely captured in this dish and the beef cheek was amazingly well simmered until tender rendering one speechless.
Kudos to Kimberly for also recommending the perfect red wine ($12/glass) to go with it, although I didn’t manage to get the name for it.
To end of the night, we had the Chocolate Soufflé with Amaretto Ice Cream and Vanilla Bean Custard. This is one of the best versions of soufflé I have ever tried, far exceeding Bakerzin’s. What’s more, the ice cream that came with it was excellent and truly satisfying. However, the soufflé was slightly burnt towards the end, which was a pity.
Although we chalked up a pricey $306.00 for 2 pax, the service and the culinary excellence more than made up for it. This dinner was truly satisfying and I would definitely be back for more!
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Mind you, in my job we tend to get lots of backaches and stiff necks so a massage once in a while is absolutely necessary. Thank goodness I have some of these nearby. Don't be fooled by places of similiar names! This is one of the early ones boasting of traditional Javanese massage from ages ago.
I like to get the full body massage Ginger treatment. After a good massage the therapist would cover my body with ginger bits. I'd feel very very very hot and sometimes it even stings. I'd be covered with towels like a wrap, and it will be kept like that for 15-20 minutes. Trust me, it can be quite torturous... But after that your skin will be silky smooth. I have very sensitive skin and my skin was a wreck after my trip to China. It was covered with rash and dried bits all over but after the GInger treatment it was obviously much better! I think with another treatment next week it'll totally clear. Not only that my tummy will seem flatter after the treatment.
The staff is always polite and they don't make you feel uncomfortable. Also I've yet to meet anyone unskilled there. The prices start from $40 for non-members. Lifetime Membership is $150 and is transferable... Members can also sign two guests in and the guests are entitled to the same discounts.
Attended a wedding tasting lunch at Hilton courtesy of my friend who will be tying the knot later this year.
Well not much can be said about the interior because it was held in one of the function rooms which are named after countries, with this particular one being Singapore.
Complimentary Bread - It was a unanimous decision. The bread was good. Served up warm, it exuded a mild fragrance together with a nice crackling sound when I broke off a piece to savour. The soft yet fluffy dough complemented with a thin layer of salted butter was enough to make us request for seconds. And for the record, I had 5 buns, which is definitely a first for me in such situations.
Gazpacho - I'm honestly not a fan of tomato soup, even more so chilled tomato soup, so I didn't quite take to it. And neither did anyone else around the table. But I personally felt that it could have been stronger on the taste as it did seem a little runny to me.
Madras Long Grain Rice with Raisin and Almond - The good thing about long grain rice is that the grains stay seperate and fluffy after cooking, which was the case in this dish. When eaten with the almond slices and raisins, it made for a nice and light (healthy as well!) rice dish. A pity there weren't enough almonds or raisins to go around so there was quite a bit of rice leftover.
Roasted Stuffed Duck on Sauteed Sweet Cabbage with Mustad Cream - Ironically, the star of this dish wasn't the duck but the cabbage, which was sauteed to the right softness and flavourful. The duck on the other hand, wasn't exactly duck per se. According to the chef, a mixture of minced chicken, walnut and spinach were used to make the stuffing which was then rolled with a layer of fatty duck skin with some duck meat attached. The result? A highly chewy duck skin which was almost impossible to cut through, probably due to the amount of fats under the skin. The stuffing was still decent though but the skin really spoilt the whole dish.
Sea Bream with Roots Vegetables in Saffron Cream - The aesthetics of this dish proved to be the sole consolation for this dish, which is sad really. Huge portions aside, the fish meat was seriously tough and I was left wondering if it was really fish because the texture said otherwise. The saffron cream sauce was also a tad weak and it didn't help that the fish itself was rather bland.
Smoked Chicken Breast with Fresh Poached Prawn & Spicy Mango Salsa - I'm sorry but wheres the spice? The diced mangoes were sinfully sweet and had nary a taste of spice. As for the chicken breast, it had but an ever so faint trace of smokiness, which I would definitely have missed if I had eaten it with the mangoes. A longer smoking time would definitely be appreciated.
Hilton's Famous Cheesecake - Hilton has every right to be proud of its cheesecake because its really in a class of its own. Lightly moist and extremely cheesy, this classic American cheesecake is good enough to make me throw any diet plans out of the window. If you prefer the lighter chiffon variant, I would suggest you steer clear of Hilton's offering and head down to Cheesecake Cafe instead.
A good start and a good ending. Hilton just needs to fill up the hollow center. Thanks for the invite!
Tetsu, opening its doors at Tanglin Mall on January 17, 2008, pride themselves in serving Kushi-Tempura and Kushi-Katsu. Their concept is based on a “LIVE” preparation in front of you by their chefs, who have intensive training in their Japanese Headquarters.
The first impression upon stepping into Tetsu is really nice decorations. Contemporary yet not too modernize till the extend of losing the authentic Japanese feel. Chic furnishings like the curtains, and decors in the restaurant. The whole place exudes an elegant feel with its classy and clean look.
Tetsu certainly does not fits the bill with association to Food Junction, your local food courts isn’t it? But the truth is, Tetsu is actually owned and operate by Food Junction. Surprise surprise, i was quite astonished by this fact when i first heard of it. But i am pleased Food Junction is finally making full use to leverage on its experience and connections in the Food & Beverage Industry, to provide us the consumers with a wider variety of choices to dine at.
The counter bars in Tetsu are specially designed in such a way that diners can seat in close proximity to the chef, who will prepared their feast up for them, well its not just the stomach feast alone, there’s the visual feast right before you.
I was invited by Miss Pris Yap, who’s the consultant for Tetsu for a food tasting session. Here i will like to put Disclaimer first, the review written herein will not be influence simply because this is a food tasting session. Whatever written herein is the Frank and Honest opinions of my friend and i who went to Tetsu for the occasion.
We had the assurance from Miss Yap that they will seek our honest opinion to improve Tetsu, and that every visit to Tetsu will be the same, the food will not look or taste specially good just because this is a food tasting event.
My food dining partner joins me for Tetsu, and she’s a lover of Japanese food, so the review will be a combination of what both of us felt about the meal.
There’s also a VIP room which u can actually make a reservation to book it if you have a certain number of guests, around 10 at least if i’m not wrong.
At Tetsu, there are affordable set lunches from the Jubako, Katsu, Tempura,Sakana (fish) which are in the 20s to 30s price range. I’ll say the set meals are definitely value-for-money.
There is also the designer Kaiseki sets available. Kaiseki is an 5 course set, made up of 4 seasonal appetizers, designer salad, premium kushi-style main course, imported udon from Japan, and dessert at a mere $35. Of course there are more expensive options of the Kaiseki sets going at $45 and $55.
A wide range of Sake, Shoju, and wine are also available to go along with the food. We didn’t had any Sake because it was still early in the afternoon. Perhaps next time!
Salmon Carpaccio ($18) For appetizer to start off our meal at Tetsu, we had the Salmon Carpaccio with french dressing. Carpaccio originated from Italy, and its usually slices of beef, tuna, or veal traditionally thinly sliced or pounded thin, with olive oil or vinaigrette drizzled over it.
We’ll preferred the carpaccio to be slice thinner, the thick and generous slices of the carpaccio at Tetsu is almost akin to sashimi portions. For people who like sashimi, they will probably have mixed feelings for this dish because usually sashimi lovers like the clean and fresh taste of the fish, and its raw texture on its own, but for this salmon, it has a french dressing on it.
Nonetheless, the Salmon Carpaccio is quite fresh, and with the current Citibank promotion, receive this as a complimentary with a minimum spending of $50.
The Salmon Carpaccio is an interesting take on fusion japanese & italian appetizer (although this is done with french dressing). The french dressing helps to balances the richness of the salmon with the complex sweet and sour taste of the dressing, the contrast between the taste is definitely appealing.
Roll sushi 6 Pieces ($18) The roll sushi is covered with crunchy sesame seeds, but on the other end the sushis can actually can get quite dry. My friend thought that if the roll sushi comes with some sauce it will be perfect.
Traditionally sushi rolls are supposed to be eaten in one mouthful by putting the whole sushi inside. But the sushi here is a tad too big, so we couldn’t really fit it into our mouth.
Apparently it has salmon and scallops inside, though when mixed together the scallops taste can’t really be felt. The blend of crunchy sesame seeds and tobiko makes its quite yummy though. However at $18 for 6 pieces, it is considered rather expensive. Have this if you have the extra budget to spend on A la carte.
Onsentamago Tofu Salad ($13.50) Onsen Tamago is hot spring egg. The eggs here are cooked slowly in hot water, so the whites are still soft while the yolks just slightly cooked. Blended together with tofu and sesame sauce, the combination offers a very refreshing approach to the normal salad.
The salad is served by mixing the egg together with the greens and tofu. A good appetizer if you are like us, prefer runny eggs.
Thats all for our A la carte starters, just to recap, we had the Salmon Carpaccio, the roll sushi and the Onsentamago Tofu Salad. All these three appetizers are ordered from the A la carte menu and are not in the set meals which are coming up next.
Rosu Katsu Set ($24.50) The Rosu Katsu (Pork Loin) set is the actual main course that we are having for our lunch. There are two options for the Katsu set, you can choose from either the Rosu Katsu (pork loin) or the Hire Katsu (fillet katsu). Pork loin is fatter than fillet katsu in nature, which makes it more tender than Hire Katsu.
Another interesting point to note, besides the usual sauce that comes with the Katsu, Tetsu provides an alternative, the curry powder to go along with the pork loin. The curry powder is another option if you are sick of the usual sauce, however the powder here is quite on the salty side, so just dipped into it slightly.
The katsu is specially imported from Japan, lightly fried to produce a crust that is light but yet double the thickness of the usual katsu. The meat is marinated for 3 days to ensure its tasty and succulent texture.
Famed for their Katsu, the Kushi-age style (skewered with breaded batter) certainly lives up to expectations. The breaded style of the katsu is really good, the panko crumbs on it is very light which gives it a melt-in-your-mouth feel.
Furthermore, the katsu here has a generous cut, unlike some restaurants which cut the pork into very thin slices. At $24.50, the Rosu Katsu set is really a steal, definitely good value for money!
Fresh greens The fresh greens are the appetizer which comes along with the Katsu set. Basically its a run of the mill salad with japanese sesame salad dressing, ordinary but yummy.
My partner likes the dressing for its slightly tangy but yet salty taste, and the texture of the sauce is creamy. But for me, i’m more of a fan for oily italian salad dressings, so this salad didn’t quite work out for me.
Kaiseki Set Course B ($45) The Kaiseki Dinner course B comes with assorted 4 on a palatte as its appetizer, stick vegetable, Crab sukiyaki for the paper pot, with tempura as the main, and udon or rich, served with a dessert.
The main difference between course A ($35) and B ($45) is 10 bucks, with the addition of the Crab Sukiyaki. And the differiential between B ($45) and C ($55) is that C has an addition tuna carpaccio.
For our main course in the Kaiseki set B, the tempura is done kushi-tem style (tempura). It comes with six tempura, prawn, salmon, pork, beef, scallop and vegetables.
Tetsu is being known for its Katsu and Tempura aspects, and to tell the truth, we found the tempura to be quite a disappointment as we had expected better things from them. Right, the prawn was a bit small, not fat enough for a tempura, we didn’t get the “kick”from eating the prawn.
The Salmon (beside the prawn) was done better than the appetizer in the course.
My partner love the fresh air-flown scallop from Japan.
The seasonal vegetables are zuchinni and okra which my partner found it to be all right, but i didn’t like my vegetables to do it in this way, i prefer them green!
The pork and beef were quite average too. One thing that my partner concluded was if the mains are done in Kushi-age (breaded) rather than the one we had Kushi-tem (tempura), we felt that it will be definitely be better.
We felt that the tempura batter had nice texture, but it wasn’t seasoned enough, so it was quite tasteless for us. Nevertheless the batter is very light, not that oily and it didn’t leave any oily aftertaste that mediocre tempuras do.
The only reason we can conclude for the disappointment in the Tempura is because we had such high hopes for them, so even they are quite good, but they didn’t come out as well as we are expecting. You should try the Kushi-age (breaded) for this main!
Assorted 4 on palette This is the appetizer for the course B. One thing that i liked about the starters in Tetsu course meal is that they are changed regularly because the chef will always pick the freshest ingredient for the current season.
The appetizer is suppose to comes in the different flavors, sweet, salty, and sour. Specially designed to tantalize your taste buds and “prepared” them for the main course.
I like the zesty chicken too which comes with orange and lemon flavour to provide the sour-ish taste.
My partner didn’t like the Salmon teriyaki, she preferred the tamago and prawn which helps to the sweet flavoring of the salmon.
Cod is done with miso, to give the salty flavor.
Stick vegetables The Stick Vegetables also comes part of the Kaiseki set B. Its just your normal vegetables, but it comes with a soy-bean like sauce.
Kani-Suki (Crab Sukiyaki) The prelude to the main, there’s the snow crab legs which are filled with snowy sweet white meat. However we lamented the fact that there is only two crab legs.
The Japanese straw mushroom is always nice in sukiyaki. And the soup base here is nicer than the other sukiyaki we tried before. It tasted sweet but not excessively so till its artificial.
Inaniwa Udon (warm) The Inaniwa Udon is also imported from Japan. but the warm udon had a nice soup base so it’s good for rainy days.
Inaniwa Udon (cold) ($6.80) The udon is not the fat kind, and its sort of flat like ipoh hor fun, nice and slippery! One of the udon comes with the Kaiseki set, and we ordered another one to try both the cold and hot udon.
Banana Tempura & Ice ($7.80) In our frank opinion, the banana tempura is a ripped-off. For two pieces of banana tempura, we can get better ones at the hawker center at 50 cents each. Certainly not worth the price tag of $7.80!
Kisetsu ice & Warabimochi Monaka ($7.80) This dessert fares slightly better than the Banana tempura. The combination of the Japanese Mochi with one scoop of normal vanilla ice cream is quite good, but still not worth the hefty price that comes along with it.
Kokonatsu Milk Purin ($5.80) We concluded that the Kokonatsu milk purin, or coconut pudding is the best among the three desserts. This pudding is something new to us, not your usual run of the mill Japanese dessert which you commonly find in Singapore Japanese restaurants even though its supposed to be a classic Japanese dessert.
Coconut flavor wasnt that strong, we like the sublet flavor! hmm it was really pudding not creamy so i dont really like it
The coconut pudding is good to try for novelty, and it comes with the Kaiseki course set anyway, so there’s no need to order additional dessert.
Tetsu is certainly a nice place to try if you are looking for Japanese food. The set meals are really value-for-money, and the Kaisekis course meals, although heavier in price tag, but they provide more in variety and quality also. We felt that if its two person going to Tetsu, you can either order two set meals, or order one Kaisekis Course meals, and something from the A la carte menu.
The reasonable and affordable pricing at Tetsu means that you will no longer need to spend a bomb for your favourite Japanese food anymore. Tetsu offers a really chic environment, quite unlike your traditional Japanese restaurant. Its an excellent place to either bring a date for her cravings of Japanese food, or a group of friends where you can chill out with the selections of Sake, Shoju, and wine.
My friend and i, plus Miss Yap had a great afternoon enjoying and discussing about Japanese food, restaurants, and some off-topic conservations. We were so full from the meal! My thanks to Miss Yap for inviting us to a wonderful lunch experience at Tetsu.
And one other thing which I noticed, when we went in during 12 noon on a Monday afternoon, there wasn’t much people in the restaurant. But when the clock ticks towards two, the crowd starts coming in already. So you will be fine if you go during normal lunch hour, but still better to make a reservation.
I’ll certainly revisit Tetsu to try out their other stuff, maybe i will have the Kaisekis done in Kushi-age style (breaded) the next time! Tetsu’s at Tanglin Mall level 3, and remember to use your Citicard to get the free Salmon Carpaccio!
All in all, the Katsu is excellent! Its really a must-try if you visit Tetsu. The other fame of Tetsu, their Tempura leaves more to be desired, we felt that their Kushi-age style is better than the Kushi-Tem style. Nevertheless, the Kaisekis course meals are still value for quality. The desserts area is the part which i felt Tetsu must really improve on if i were to go back for a revisit. Being a big fan of any dessert, i must have a nice dessert after every meal. And the desserts selection there can’t quite make it for now.
I highly recommended and advise you to go to ladyironchef to read on this post, simply because the post is way too long, and there are many more nice photos of the food!
” Singapore’s First LIVE Kushi-style Tonkatsu & Tempura restaurant “
The donut craze in Singapore was kick-start by the emergent of the rivalry between Donut factory at raffles city, and Dippin’ Donut (of former Vinco fame) at Vivocity a few years back.
I remember when Donut factory and Dippin’ just started out, people will queue one two hours just to get that dozen of donuts. Now many more others have jumped into the wagon which includes the likes of Missy donut, Donut & Donuts, Munchy Donut, Summer house donut.
And of course, the latest and by far the one with the cafe concept to be found in our local shores, J Co Donut.
J Co Donut chooses Raffles city basement as their entrance to the Singapore market, of course where other than the battleground with Donut Factory. Since the opening of the donut cafe at Raffles city, the sales of Donut Factory has pale in comparison. And Donut factory isn’t really giving up the fight, with the cafe concept at Velocity@Novena, and Suntec city.
A couple of weeks ago, i wanted to try J Co Donut but the seats were all fully taken up, so we ended up at Cedele. This time when we go there was quite a lot of seats available, so i guess the timing must be right.
We were rather confuse because there are two counters inside J Co, one on the left which are where all the folks are queuing up for their donuts, and there’s another one on the right which we thought that its where the drinks counter is. We buy from the normal queue, but after that we saw people getting a menu from the drinks counter and ordering from there.
Furthermore, as we were having the donuts there, we were wondering whether will it be serve on plates or boxes, we saw people having it on plates, but ours are given in box. So i guess these are really some parts where J Co can do better to let us know, or perhaps the problem are just occurring to us and not ours.
Nonetheless, all the donuts look really really nice, and they are the sort that you know eating them will mean lots of calories, but you cant stop yourself from having them. O well, eat and exercise more!
Just for your info, I tried Dunkin Donuts when i were in KL last time, and i think i’ll preferred J Co Donut to Dunkin’s
I were rather surprised because they offer box for 3 donuts, and even when there are boxes for minimum of 2 donuts. If my memory didn’t fail me, it was at least half a dozen donuts for box last time.
Don Mochino ($1.30) Dark Belgian chocolate topping perfected with light cappucino cream filling. Pleasure you shouldn’t feel gulity about.
One thing i really like about J Co donut’s is that they come up with really fanciful descriptions for all their donuts.
Anyway, the Don Mochino looks really nice with the beautiful chocolate toppings, but somehow the cappuccino cream fillings are a tad too light to the tongue.
Choco Cavier Strawberry ($1.30) Sprinkle Premium chocolate with strawberry that will tickle your mouth.
The small chocolate balls on the choco cavier strawberry donut are quite nice, brings back a certain childhood memory.
Hazel Dazzle ($1.30) Be sexy with dazzling hazelnut chocolate and get surprised with coffee cream.
The Hazel Dazzle donut is one of the new additions to the J Co donuts. I always like hazelnut, so this always work for me.
Ice chocolate ($5) The ice chocolate comes in two sizes, $4.50 for the medium, and $5 for regular. We were discussing whether the regular is really a bigger size than the medium, because regular just sounds, regular. Smaller in size you know?
Tira Miss U ($1.30) Dear Tira, it’s been so long i haven’t meet you. Now, i really miss you.
The tiramisu donut is really nice, i come to love tiramisu and this one is definitely the one i’ll try again when i revisit J Co. Because we brought 3 donuts at first, when i go and get one more, this tiramisu, i tell the manager i want one, he stared at me, giving me the nobody-buy-one-donut look!
It was so funny, i guess, nobody really go in and buy one donut. But i guess i’ll do it often, just to get to see that expression on their face. You all should try also yeah! Alright, i’m joking, we shouldn’t do doing such things to the service staff who work so hard selling our favourite donuts.
Total bill for 4 donuts and one ice chocolate is $10.20. J Co Donut is certainly very impressive, their first outlet in Indonesia was open on 26 June 2005, and within three years of operations they have 39 outlets throughout Asia with presence in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
I think despite the sinful and guilty feeling after eating donuts, i think i will be back to try other donuts at J Co. It’ll be quite a good place to chill out with your friends, munching donuts and sipping a cup of coffee, while sitting down at the cozy couch.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Looking at this topic and review, the question undoubtedly in your mind is how can you differentiate between branches in a fast food chain?
Well, its basically done through the serving of the chicken, service, speed and the taste of the chicken of course.
Regardless, this branch managed to uphold the regular standards without going above board. Though the crowd is huge, the food is still prepared and served with speed even when the current batch of chicken is exhausted.
Seats are plentiful and you'll find many people clad in swim wear patronizing the food joint.
Service is decent and to the point while extra requests are taken with a smile and request to be patient while they process the request. The special order is then served to the residual table.
Located in Downtown east, i patronized this place some time ago with my gf to have a swim, get a tan and basically get some relaxation into the system from the daily grind.
Ticket charges are at $13.80 for the public and $10.80 for NTUC club members and basically, its a good place to remain half naked for half a day with no weird looks thrown your way.
The attractions include a suspended bicycle, an extremely fast and long slide, a shared 5 person float, a jucuzzi, a meandering pool and a wave simulated pool.
Overall, it wasn't a bad experience at the place but its definitely not enough to spend an entire day in just for the rides.
For what its worth though, the place is well maintained and relaxing with the exception of the floor which is strangely made of prickly stone designs when the majority of the people there are supposed to be walking bare feet. Its rather precarious and dangerous.
Singtel or Singapore telecom has been THE service to turn to since its inception in the beginning of Singapore itself. Started out with the use of land lines only, the service has evolved with time, faced competition and ushered in an era of the mobile phone. Thats what we'll be talking about.
Recently, i've been recommissioned to national service due to this program called Reservist and i was stationed at places so close to the sea and on the fringes of Singapore that its basically a test of how good the service of our "red umbrella" really is.
Well, sad to report, it didn't stand up to the test at all.. Service was intermittent and basically non existent where i stood (Still in Singapore). The service simply kept dislodging itself and even switched to roaming for Malaysia's service instead, which was ridiculous.
General consensus is that the quality of sound is also compromised as compared to the like of M1 service. Seems like it isn't as good as i thought.
1=SGD 0.0587
The yoghurt craze is catching on in Singapore with the opening of yoghurt outlets like Frolick and Yoguru. The former currently has 3 outlets in Singapore whereas the latter only has one.
Located in the still sleepy Kallang Leisure Park, Yoguru has a steady following of fans who swear by the brand's fat free yoghurt which comes in 2 varieties - original and YoguBliss, with the latter comprising of dragonfruit and pomegranate in the mixture. Prices start at $3.30 for a regular cup of original yoghurt to $7.90 for a jumbo take home container. Prices for the YoguBliss are slightly higher, at $3.80 for a regular and $9.30 for a jumbo. Toppings start at $1.20 each. Definitely not cheap.
Not being a fan of dragonfruit or pomegranate, I had a go at the original with toppings of diced strawberries. To be honest, I'm never liked yoghurt because my tolerance for sour stuff is minimal so it came as quite a surprise that I could actually finish up a whole cup of Yoguru's yoghurt by myself. The yoghurt is much sweeter than any of the other brands of yoghurt that I've tried and the smooth creamy texture reminds me more of ice cream, which is totally different from what you can get from NTUC or Frolick for that matter.
I like the idea of fat free pseudo ice cream with a sourish tinge enough to continue my patronage.
See all my pictures here.
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For the aficionados of Lucky Plaza’s Famous Ayam Penyet Ria, or Indonesian-styled Smashed Fried Chicken, you would be thrilled to know that they have a latest outlet hidden somewhere in the corner of Novena Square 2. Located at basement one next to Harvey Norman, one may access it via the escalator hidden behind SK Jewellery.
To be honest, this is the first time I have eaten Ayam Penyet, as I am more a convert of Ayam Bakar. To order, one gets a slip from counter, look at menu and fill in your orders. Proceed to the counter to pay and food will be served to your table when ready. However, service was found wanting as food was served first to the table next to us even though we arrived much earlier.
It was only a good wait of 20 minutes and two reminders later did our food finally arrived. Nevertheless, all was forgotten as soon as we tucked into the Ayam Penyet Set ($6.50) that consist of the Rice, Fried Chicken, Fried Beancurd, Tempeh (or a popular Javanese Fermented Soybeans in Cake Form), and some serving of boiled Kang Kong along with Sambal Chilli on a Slice of Cucumber. The serving of the chicken thigh is of reasonable size and it’s well fried – the meat ain’t too dry and the skin is crisp.
The sambal chilli is spicily appetising and those that aren’t into zesty stuff however be forewarned – it is HIGHLY SPICED. Therefore, what better way to cool down your palate than to order a personal favourite of energising & sugar-high Happy Soda ($1.80) – a beverage consisting of Cherry-flavoured Soda with Condense Milk.
Fans of Teh Botol Sosro may also grab a bottle for the same price as well.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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After almost 3 years at the charming Robertson Walk, Sage, The Restaurant is now located at one of the conservation shophouses along Mohamed Sultan Road.
Established in May 2005, it is the brainchild of husband and wife team of Jusman So and Kimberly Chew.
To ensure the consistent standards of food quality and service, the restaurant only hosts a maximum of 38 seating an evening and avoids multiple turnovers in an evening and tries to keep to just one seating a night.
One thing that impressed me particularly that evening is the unpretentious and simplistic décor of Sage that comes with a hint of contemporary modish atmosphere. Ambient lighting coupled with candlelight is perfectly made for a romantic night out (but regrettably bad for photo-taking).
The restaurants’ open-kitchen concept has also been applied to their new premises, so diners can have better view of the chefs at work. To add the icing on the cake, Chef Jusman So also walked away with the title of Rising Chef of the Year 2008 at this year’s World Gourmet Summit.
Opting for the 6 courses Menu Degustation priced at $118 , the dinner was set in motion by the complimentary Bread and Butter, which I think was nothing to shout about – but do leave some for mopping up the gravy of the other dishes later.
The complimentary Amuse Bouche, a shotglass full of finely what tasted like tangy Tomato Puree with Avocado topped with Caviar, and a hint of Tobasco in it was refreshing. Served cold with a sourish-spicy taste, this was a perfect starter to open up my one’s palate.
The Beechwood Smoked Duck Breast with Granny Smith Apple Puree, Sorbet of Red Beets and Aged Balsamic Reduction was the first of the six courses that night. The smoked duck breast meat was very flavoursome, but salty to consume on its own – that’s what the sorbet was for, although personally I do not like the taste of beetroot.
Pan-seared Duck Foie Gras on Pear and Walnut Chutney, Muscat Poached Fig with Spiced Port Wine Glaze was one of the highlights of the night. Having heard rave reviews of this dish, my expectations were high and it was indeed worth the buzz – the outside was seared perfectly to a crisp and the inside creamy smooth. Surprisingly, one also does not get the oily aftertaste. The pairing of the walnut furthermore gave it a delightful extra bite – perfectly executed!
A personal favourite of Kimberly, the Seared Hokkaido Scallop on Belgium Endive Au Gratin with Avruga Caviar, Sauce Normandy and Parmigiano Reggiano Lace was also well seared. The thick scallop was fresh and succulently sweet and goes well with the Normandy sauce - and if you heed my advice about the complimentary bread, this is the sauce where remnant bread dips in.
Pan Roasted Swordfish Belly topped with Garlic Sabayon, Fork Crushed Potatoes and Essence of Wild Mushrooms was another excellent dish. The flesh of the fish is firm yet smooth and retains the “flavour of the sea” without hint of fishiness taste. This dish contains another gravy for one to mop up with the bread.
Kimberly was kind enough to accede to our request of replacing the Veal with the Beef Cheek. Another one of their acclaimed dish, the Caramelized Black Angus Beef Cheek coupled with Mousseline of Butternut Pumpkin and Natural Jus was fabulously bravura! The intense flavour of the beef was nicely captured in this dish and the beef cheek was amazingly well simmered until tender rendering one speechless.
Kudos to Kimberly for also recommending the perfect red wine ($12/glass) to go with it, although I didn’t manage to get the name for it.
To end of the night, we had the Chocolate Soufflé with Amaretto Ice Cream and Vanilla Bean Custard. This is one of the best versions of soufflé I have ever tried, far exceeding Bakerzin’s. What’s more, the ice cream that came with it was excellent and truly satisfying. However, the soufflé was slightly burnt towards the end, which was a pity.
Although we chalked up a pricey $306.00 for 2 pax, the service and the culinary excellence more than made up for it. This dinner was truly satisfying and I would definitely be back for more!
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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I've been to this outlet a few times.
Mind you, in my job we tend to get lots of backaches and stiff necks so a massage once in a while is absolutely necessary. Thank goodness I have some of these nearby. Don't be fooled by places of similiar names! This is one of the early ones boasting of traditional Javanese massage from ages ago.
I like to get the full body massage Ginger treatment. After a good massage the therapist would cover my body with ginger bits. I'd feel very very very hot and sometimes it even stings. I'd be covered with towels like a wrap, and it will be kept like that for 15-20 minutes. Trust me, it can be quite torturous... But after that your skin will be silky smooth. I have very sensitive skin and my skin was a wreck after my trip to China. It was covered with rash and dried bits all over but after the GInger treatment it was obviously much better! I think with another treatment next week it'll totally clear. Not only that my tummy will seem flatter after the treatment.
The staff is always polite and they don't make you feel uncomfortable. Also I've yet to meet anyone unskilled there. The prices start from $40 for non-members. Lifetime Membership is $150 and is transferable... Members can also sign two guests in and the guests are entitled to the same discounts.
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Attended a wedding tasting lunch at Hilton courtesy of my friend who will be tying the knot later this year.
Well not much can be said about the interior because it was held in one of the function rooms which are named after countries, with this particular one being Singapore.
Complimentary Bread - It was a unanimous decision. The bread was good. Served up warm, it exuded a mild fragrance together with a nice crackling sound when I broke off a piece to savour. The soft yet fluffy dough complemented with a thin layer of salted butter was enough to make us request for seconds. And for the record, I had 5 buns, which is definitely a first for me in such situations.
Gazpacho - I'm honestly not a fan of tomato soup, even more so chilled tomato soup, so I didn't quite take to it. And neither did anyone else around the table. But I personally felt that it could have been stronger on the taste as it did seem a little runny to me.
Madras Long Grain Rice with Raisin and Almond -
The good thing about long grain rice is that the grains stay seperate and fluffy after cooking, which was the case in this dish. When eaten with the almond slices and raisins, it made for a nice and light (healthy as well!) rice dish. A pity there weren't enough almonds or raisins to go around so there was quite a bit of rice leftover.
Roasted Stuffed Duck on Sauteed Sweet Cabbage with Mustad Cream - Ironically, the star of this dish wasn't the duck but the cabbage, which was sauteed to the right softness and flavourful. The duck on the other hand, wasn't exactly duck per se. According to the chef, a mixture of minced chicken, walnut and spinach were used to make the stuffing which was then rolled with a layer of fatty duck skin with some duck meat attached. The result? A highly chewy duck skin which was almost impossible to cut through, probably due to the amount of fats under the skin. The stuffing was still decent though but the skin really spoilt the whole dish.
Sea Bream with Roots Vegetables in Saffron Cream - The aesthetics of this dish proved to be the sole consolation for this dish, which is sad really. Huge portions aside, the fish meat was seriously tough and I was left wondering if it was really fish because the texture said otherwise. The saffron cream sauce was also a tad weak and it didn't help that the fish itself was rather bland.
Smoked Chicken Breast with Fresh Poached Prawn & Spicy Mango Salsa - I'm sorry but wheres the spice? The diced mangoes were sinfully sweet and had nary a taste of spice. As for the chicken breast, it had but an ever so faint trace of smokiness, which I would definitely have missed if I had eaten it with the mangoes. A longer smoking time would definitely be appreciated.
Hilton's Famous Cheesecake - Hilton has every right to be proud of its cheesecake because its really in a class of its own. Lightly moist and extremely cheesy, this classic American cheesecake is good enough to make me throw any diet plans out of the window. If you prefer the lighter chiffon variant, I would suggest you steer clear of Hilton's offering and head down to Cheesecake Cafe instead.
A good start and a good ending. Hilton just needs to fill up the hollow center. Thanks for the invite!
See all my pictures here.
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Tetsu, opening its doors at Tanglin Mall on January 17, 2008, pride themselves in serving Kushi-Tempura and Kushi-Katsu. Their concept is based on a “LIVE” preparation in front of you by their chefs, who have intensive training in their Japanese Headquarters.
The first impression upon stepping into Tetsu is really nice decorations. Contemporary yet not too modernize till the extend of losing the authentic Japanese feel. Chic furnishings like the curtains, and decors in the restaurant. The whole place exudes an elegant feel with its classy and clean look.
Tetsu certainly does not fits the bill with association to Food Junction, your local food courts isn’t it? But the truth is, Tetsu is actually owned and operate by Food Junction. Surprise surprise, i was quite astonished by this fact when i first heard of it. But i am pleased Food Junction is finally making full use to leverage on its experience and connections in the Food & Beverage Industry, to provide us the consumers with a wider variety of choices to dine at.
The counter bars in Tetsu are specially designed in such a way that diners can seat in close proximity to the chef, who will prepared their feast up for them, well its not just the stomach feast alone, there’s the visual feast right before you.
I was invited by Miss Pris Yap, who’s the consultant for Tetsu for a food tasting session. Here i will like to put Disclaimer first, the review written herein will not be influence simply because this is a food tasting session. Whatever written herein is the Frank and Honest opinions of my friend and i who went to Tetsu for the occasion.
We had the assurance from Miss Yap that they will seek our honest opinion to improve Tetsu, and that every visit to Tetsu will be the same, the food will not look or taste specially good just because this is a food tasting event.
My food dining partner joins me for Tetsu, and she’s a lover of Japanese food, so the review will be a combination of what both of us felt about the meal.
There’s also a VIP room which u can actually make a reservation to book it if you have a certain number of guests, around 10 at least if i’m not wrong.
At Tetsu, there are affordable set lunches from the Jubako, Katsu, Tempura,Sakana (fish) which are in the 20s to 30s price range. I’ll say the set meals are definitely value-for-money.
There is also the designer Kaiseki sets available. Kaiseki is an 5 course set, made up of 4 seasonal appetizers, designer salad, premium kushi-style main course, imported udon from Japan, and dessert at a mere $35. Of course there are more expensive options of the Kaiseki sets going at $45 and $55.
A wide range of Sake, Shoju, and wine are also available to go along with the food. We didn’t had any Sake because it was still early in the afternoon. Perhaps next time!
Salmon Carpaccio ($18)
For appetizer to start off our meal at Tetsu, we had the Salmon Carpaccio with french dressing. Carpaccio originated from Italy, and its usually slices of beef, tuna, or veal traditionally thinly sliced or pounded thin, with olive oil or vinaigrette drizzled over it.
We’ll preferred the carpaccio to be slice thinner, the thick and generous slices of the carpaccio at Tetsu is almost akin to sashimi portions. For people who like sashimi, they will probably have mixed feelings for this dish because usually sashimi lovers like the clean and fresh taste of the fish, and its raw texture on its own, but for this salmon, it has a french dressing on it.
Nonetheless, the Salmon Carpaccio is quite fresh, and with the current Citibank promotion, receive this as a complimentary with a minimum spending of $50.
The Salmon Carpaccio is an interesting take on fusion japanese & italian appetizer (although this is done with french dressing). The french dressing helps to balances the richness of the salmon with the complex sweet and sour taste of the dressing, the contrast between the taste is definitely appealing.
Roll sushi 6 Pieces ($18)
The roll sushi is covered with crunchy sesame seeds, but on the other end the sushis can actually can get quite dry. My friend thought that if the roll sushi comes with some sauce it will be perfect.
Traditionally sushi rolls are supposed to be eaten in one mouthful by putting the whole sushi inside. But the sushi here is a tad too big, so we couldn’t really fit it into our mouth.
Apparently it has salmon and scallops inside, though when mixed together the scallops taste can’t really be felt. The blend of crunchy sesame seeds and tobiko makes its quite yummy though. However at $18 for 6 pieces, it is considered rather expensive. Have this if you have the extra budget to spend on A la carte.
Onsentamago Tofu Salad ($13.50)
Onsen Tamago is hot spring egg. The eggs here are cooked slowly in hot water, so the whites are still soft while the yolks just slightly cooked. Blended together with tofu and sesame sauce, the combination offers a very refreshing approach to the normal salad.
The salad is served by mixing the egg together with the greens and tofu. A good appetizer if you are like us, prefer runny eggs.
Thats all for our A la carte starters, just to recap, we had the Salmon Carpaccio, the roll sushi and the Onsentamago Tofu Salad. All these three appetizers are ordered from the A la carte menu and are not in the set meals which are coming up next.
Rosu Katsu Set ($24.50)
The Rosu Katsu (Pork Loin) set is the actual main course that we are having for our lunch. There are two options for the Katsu set, you can choose from either the Rosu Katsu (pork loin) or the Hire Katsu (fillet katsu). Pork loin is fatter than fillet katsu in nature, which makes it more tender than Hire Katsu.
Another interesting point to note, besides the usual sauce that comes with the Katsu, Tetsu provides an alternative, the curry powder to go along with the pork loin. The curry powder is another option if you are sick of the usual sauce, however the powder here is quite on the salty side, so just dipped into it slightly.
The katsu is specially imported from Japan, lightly fried to produce a crust that is light but yet double the thickness of the usual katsu. The meat is marinated for 3 days to ensure its tasty and succulent texture.
Famed for their Katsu, the Kushi-age style (skewered with breaded batter) certainly lives up to expectations. The breaded style of the katsu is really good, the panko crumbs on it is very light which gives it a melt-in-your-mouth feel.
Furthermore, the katsu here has a generous cut, unlike some restaurants which cut the pork into very thin slices. At $24.50, the Rosu Katsu set is really a steal, definitely good value for money!
Fresh greens
The fresh greens are the appetizer which comes along with the Katsu set. Basically its a run of the mill salad with japanese sesame salad dressing, ordinary but yummy.
My partner likes the dressing for its slightly tangy but yet salty taste, and the texture of the sauce is creamy. But for me, i’m more of a fan for oily italian salad dressings, so this salad didn’t quite work out for me.
Kaiseki Set Course B ($45)
The Kaiseki Dinner course B comes with assorted 4 on a palatte as its appetizer, stick vegetable, Crab sukiyaki for the paper pot, with tempura as the main, and udon or rich, served with a dessert.
The main difference between course A ($35) and B ($45) is 10 bucks, with the addition of the Crab Sukiyaki. And the differiential between B ($45) and C ($55) is that C has an addition tuna carpaccio.
For our main course in the Kaiseki set B, the tempura is done kushi-tem style (tempura). It comes with six tempura, prawn, salmon, pork, beef, scallop and vegetables.
Tetsu is being known for its Katsu and Tempura aspects, and to tell the truth, we found the tempura to be quite a disappointment as we had expected better things from them. Right, the prawn was a bit small, not fat enough for a tempura, we didn’t get the “kick”from eating the prawn.
The Salmon (beside the prawn) was done better than the appetizer in the course.
My partner love the fresh air-flown scallop from Japan.
The seasonal vegetables are zuchinni and okra which my partner found it to be all right, but i didn’t like my vegetables to do it in this way, i prefer them green!
The pork and beef were quite average too. One thing that my partner concluded was if the mains are done in Kushi-age (breaded) rather than the one we had Kushi-tem (tempura), we felt that it will be definitely be better.
We felt that the tempura batter had nice texture, but it wasn’t seasoned enough, so it was quite tasteless for us. Nevertheless the batter is very light, not that oily and it didn’t leave any oily aftertaste that mediocre tempuras do.
The only reason we can conclude for the disappointment in the Tempura is because we had such high hopes for them, so even they are quite good, but they didn’t come out as well as we are expecting. You should try the Kushi-age (breaded) for this main!
Assorted 4 on palette
This is the appetizer for the course B. One thing that i liked about the starters in Tetsu course meal is that they are changed regularly because the chef will always pick the freshest ingredient for the current season.
The appetizer is suppose to comes in the different flavors, sweet, salty, and sour. Specially designed to tantalize your taste buds and “prepared” them for the main course.
I like the zesty chicken too which comes with orange and lemon flavour to provide the sour-ish taste.
My partner didn’t like the Salmon teriyaki, she preferred the tamago and prawn which helps to the sweet flavoring of the salmon.
Cod is done with miso, to give the salty flavor.
Stick vegetables
The Stick Vegetables also comes part of the Kaiseki set B. Its just your normal vegetables, but it comes with a soy-bean like sauce.
Kani-Suki (Crab Sukiyaki)
The prelude to the main, there’s the snow crab legs which are filled with snowy sweet white meat. However we lamented the fact that there is only two crab legs.
The Japanese straw mushroom is always nice in sukiyaki. And the soup base here is nicer than the other sukiyaki we tried before. It tasted sweet but not excessively so till its artificial.
Inaniwa Udon (warm)
The Inaniwa Udon is also imported from Japan. but the warm udon had a nice soup base so it’s good for rainy days.
Inaniwa Udon (cold) ($6.80)
The udon is not the fat kind, and its sort of flat like ipoh hor fun, nice and slippery! One of the udon comes with the Kaiseki set, and we ordered another one to try both the cold and hot udon.
Banana Tempura & Ice ($7.80)
In our frank opinion, the banana tempura is a ripped-off. For two pieces of banana tempura, we can get better ones at the hawker center at 50 cents each. Certainly not worth the price tag of $7.80!
Kisetsu ice & Warabimochi Monaka ($7.80)
This dessert fares slightly better than the Banana tempura. The combination of the Japanese Mochi with one scoop of normal vanilla ice cream is quite good, but still not worth the hefty price that comes along with it.
Kokonatsu Milk Purin ($5.80)
We concluded that the Kokonatsu milk purin, or coconut pudding is the best among the three desserts. This pudding is something new to us, not your usual run of the mill Japanese dessert which you commonly find in Singapore Japanese restaurants even though its supposed to be a classic Japanese dessert.
Coconut flavor wasnt that strong, we like the sublet flavor! hmm it was really pudding not creamy so i dont really like it
The coconut pudding is good to try for novelty, and it comes with the Kaiseki course set anyway, so there’s no need to order additional dessert.
Tetsu is certainly a nice place to try if you are looking for Japanese food. The set meals are really value-for-money, and the Kaisekis course meals, although heavier in price tag, but they provide more in variety and quality also. We felt that if its two person going to Tetsu, you can either order two set meals, or order one Kaisekis Course meals, and something from the A la carte menu.
The reasonable and affordable pricing at Tetsu means that you will no longer need to spend a bomb for your favourite Japanese food anymore. Tetsu offers a really chic environment, quite unlike your traditional Japanese restaurant. Its an excellent place to either bring a date for her cravings of Japanese food, or a group of friends where you can chill out with the selections of Sake, Shoju, and wine.
My friend and i, plus Miss Yap had a great afternoon enjoying and discussing about Japanese food, restaurants, and some off-topic conservations. We were so full from the meal! My thanks to Miss Yap for inviting us to a wonderful lunch experience at Tetsu.
And one other thing which I noticed, when we went in during 12 noon on a Monday afternoon, there wasn’t much people in the restaurant. But when the clock ticks towards two, the crowd starts coming in already. So you will be fine if you go during normal lunch hour, but still better to make a reservation.
I’ll certainly revisit Tetsu to try out their other stuff, maybe i will have the Kaisekis done in Kushi-age style (breaded) the next time! Tetsu’s at Tanglin Mall level 3, and remember to use your Citicard to get the free Salmon Carpaccio!
All in all, the Katsu is excellent! Its really a must-try if you visit Tetsu. The other fame of Tetsu, their Tempura leaves more to be desired, we felt that their Kushi-age style is better than the Kushi-Tem style. Nevertheless, the Kaisekis course meals are still value for quality. The desserts area is the part which i felt Tetsu must really improve on if i were to go back for a revisit. Being a big fan of any dessert, i must have a nice dessert after every meal. And the desserts selection there can’t quite make it for now.
I highly recommended and advise you to go to ladyironchef to read on this post, simply because the post is way too long, and there are many more nice photos of the food!
” Singapore’s First LIVE Kushi-style Tonkatsu & Tempura restaurant “
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The donut craze in Singapore was kick-start by the emergent of the rivalry between Donut factory at raffles city, and Dippin’ Donut (of former Vinco fame) at Vivocity a few years back.
I remember when Donut factory and Dippin’ just started out, people will queue one two hours just to get that dozen of donuts. Now many more others have jumped into the wagon which includes the likes of Missy donut, Donut & Donuts, Munchy Donut, Summer house donut.
And of course, the latest and by far the one with the cafe concept to be found in our local shores, J Co Donut.
J Co Donut chooses Raffles city basement as their entrance to the Singapore market, of course where other than the battleground with Donut Factory. Since the opening of the donut cafe at Raffles city, the sales of Donut Factory has pale in comparison. And Donut factory isn’t really giving up the fight, with the cafe concept at Velocity@Novena, and Suntec city.
A couple of weeks ago, i wanted to try J Co Donut but the seats were all fully taken up, so we ended up at Cedele. This time when we go there was quite a lot of seats available, so i guess the timing must be right.
We were rather confuse because there are two counters inside J Co, one on the left which are where all the folks are queuing up for their donuts, and there’s another one on the right which we thought that its where the drinks counter is. We buy from the normal queue, but after that we saw people getting a menu from the drinks counter and ordering from there.
Furthermore, as we were having the donuts there, we were wondering whether will it be serve on plates or boxes, we saw people having it on plates, but ours are given in box. So i guess these are really some parts where J Co can do better to let us know, or perhaps the problem are just occurring to us and not ours.
Nonetheless, all the donuts look really really nice, and they are the sort that you know eating them will mean lots of calories, but you cant stop yourself from having them. O well, eat and exercise more!
Just for your info, I tried Dunkin Donuts when i were in KL last time, and i think i’ll preferred J Co Donut to Dunkin’s
I were rather surprised because they offer box for 3 donuts, and even when there are boxes for minimum of 2 donuts. If my memory didn’t fail me, it was at least half a dozen donuts for box last time.
Don Mochino ($1.30)
Dark Belgian chocolate topping perfected with light cappucino cream filling. Pleasure you shouldn’t feel gulity about.
One thing i really like about J Co donut’s is that they come up with really fanciful descriptions for all their donuts.
Anyway, the Don Mochino looks really nice with the beautiful chocolate toppings, but somehow the cappuccino cream fillings are a tad too light to the tongue.
Choco Cavier Strawberry ($1.30)
Sprinkle Premium chocolate with strawberry that will tickle your mouth.
The small chocolate balls on the choco cavier strawberry donut are quite nice, brings back a certain childhood memory.
Hazel Dazzle ($1.30)
Be sexy with dazzling hazelnut chocolate and get surprised with coffee cream.
The Hazel Dazzle donut is one of the new additions to the J Co donuts. I always like hazelnut, so this always work for me.
Ice chocolate ($5)
The ice chocolate comes in two sizes, $4.50 for the medium, and $5 for regular. We were discussing whether the regular is really a bigger size than the medium, because regular just sounds, regular. Smaller in size you know?
Tira Miss U ($1.30)
Dear Tira, it’s been so long i haven’t meet you. Now, i really miss you.
The tiramisu donut is really nice, i come to love tiramisu and this one is definitely the one i’ll try again when i revisit J Co. Because we brought 3 donuts at first, when i go and get one more, this tiramisu, i tell the manager i want one, he stared at me, giving me the nobody-buy-one-donut look!
It was so funny, i guess, nobody really go in and buy one donut. But i guess i’ll do it often, just to get to see that expression on their face. You all should try also yeah! Alright, i’m joking, we shouldn’t do doing such things to the service staff who work so hard selling our favourite donuts.
Total bill for 4 donuts and one ice chocolate is $10.20. J Co Donut is certainly very impressive, their first outlet in Indonesia was open on 26 June 2005, and within three years of operations they have 39 outlets throughout Asia with presence in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
I think despite the sinful and guilty feeling after eating donuts, i think i will be back to try other donuts at J Co. It’ll be quite a good place to chill out with your friends, munching donuts and sipping a cup of coffee, while sitting down at the cozy couch.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Munching donuts & sipping coffee - perfect! “
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Looking at this topic and review, the question undoubtedly in your mind is how can you differentiate between branches in a fast food chain?
Well, its basically done through the serving of the chicken, service, speed and the taste of the chicken of course.
Regardless, this branch managed to uphold the regular standards without going above board. Though the crowd is huge, the food is still prepared and served with speed even when the current batch of chicken is exhausted.
Seats are plentiful and you'll find many people clad in swim wear patronizing the food joint.
Service is decent and to the point while extra requests are taken with a smile and request to be patient while they process the request. The special order is then served to the residual table.
More or less the whole KFC experience here.
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Located in Downtown east, i patronized this place some time ago with my gf to have a swim, get a tan and basically get some relaxation into the system from the daily grind.
Ticket charges are at $13.80 for the public and $10.80 for NTUC club members and basically, its a good place to remain half naked for half a day with no weird looks thrown your way.
The attractions include a suspended bicycle, an extremely fast and long slide, a shared 5 person float, a jucuzzi, a meandering pool and a wave simulated pool.
Overall, it wasn't a bad experience at the place but its definitely not enough to spend an entire day in just for the rides.
For what its worth though, the place is well maintained and relaxing with the exception of the floor which is strangely made of prickly stone designs when the majority of the people there are supposed to be walking bare feet. Its rather precarious and dangerous.
Still, not too bad for a visit.
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Singtel or Singapore telecom has been THE service to turn to since its inception in the beginning of Singapore itself. Started out with the use of land lines only, the service has evolved with time, faced competition and ushered in an era of the mobile phone. Thats what we'll be talking about.
Recently, i've been recommissioned to national service due to this program called Reservist and i was stationed at places so close to the sea and on the fringes of Singapore that its basically a test of how good the service of our "red umbrella" really is.
Well, sad to report, it didn't stand up to the test at all.. Service was intermittent and basically non existent where i stood (Still in Singapore). The service simply kept dislodging itself and even switched to roaming for Malaysia's service instead, which was ridiculous.
General consensus is that the quality of sound is also compromised as compared to the like of M1 service. Seems like it isn't as good as i thought.
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