For me, there is nothing more Italian than a piping hot & thin crusty slice of pizza. At Da Paolo, you find a stylish Pizza Bar like no other – with its long strip of dappled brown and white cow hide running along the ceiling and down one wall, bronze panels, a wall of wine-bottles and a stylish glass kitchen – Da Paolo’s choice of location for the Pizza Bar was premeditated – the bohemian status of Chip Bee Gardens lends itself to the Pizza Bar’s concept of providing a friendly and inspired environment to dine and wine. The Pizza Bar pursues closely to Da Paolo trademark cooking that is using fresh ingredients to elicit the taste. Ingredients to make the pizza dough are sourced directly from Italy and toppings are made from fresh ingredients only.
For starters, we decided on the Insalata di Spinaci con Avocado, Gamberetti e Mango, or Baby Spinach with Avocado, Shrimps and Mango Salad. A refreshing salad that comes with generous ingredients, this is a fine starter that really rouse the appetite for the mains – the savoury prawns along with the sweet and sourish mango and rich avocado really open up our palates for the mains.
For the pizzas, we chose two tomato-based pizzas – the first being Pizza Salmone, Funghi e Pesto, or the Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella, Smoked Salmon, Mushrooms and Pesto. The Smoked Salmon was really fresh and full of flavour and we really liked the addition of the mushrooms – the chewy bite of the shrooms adds a new twist to this dish.
For the second – Pizza Rucola, Prosciutto e Scaglie di Parmigiano, or Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella, Arugula Leaves, Parma Ham and Shaved Parmesan, the mild bitterness of the Rocket Salad is a perfect harmony with the saltiness of the Parma Ham. It also helps that I am a huge fan of the Arugula with Parmesan.
The thin crusts of both pizzas are also well executed and are definitely one of the best I have eaten in Singapore. And if you think the both of us are ambitious, you might be surprised to know that we managed to clean out a starter and 2 large pizzas in an hour or so. Service was generally attentive and most staffs were friendly except for a particular staff in which we felt was pretty unprofessional in taking orders. He was standing approximately 2 metres away from me and took the orders without writing down – something, which my dining partner felt was pretty rude as well.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Stepped into Oomphatico’s and you would imagine yourself transported to another world – lush and whimsical, the place was brightly and warmly lit with colours – a mixed of modern yet vintage feel.
Furniture were well spaced so one would not feel confined. The fixtures were very cosy with thick cushioned armchairs, in a myriad of colours and tones, and there's a stylish casualness about the place, without being pretentious, it gives customers a very peaceful ambience to dine in.
Pride itself of serving “Good Food”, the outlet comes with many interesting items on the menu – organic, Thai, noodles, Raw, gluten-free, raw and even ZEN to name some of them. You probably need time to scrutinise the menu to fully understand the kinds of items available to delight your palate. For starters, we order the Raw Deal, a Raw Vegetable Salad consisting of Beetroot, Apples and lots of Nuts and Seeds. I eat raw salad, but even I think this dish was too ambitious for me – perhaps because I am not a big fan of beetroot. The shredded apples though add a nice sweetness to it.
For the mains, we shared the Prawn and Spinach Brown Rice Risotto. It was a good balance between the spinach and the creamy-rich risotto, and the prawns add a delightful bite to this dish.
The other main we shared was the Rebelde Lina, an interesting Pizza topped with Spanish onions, Mushrooms, Bacon, Spinach and Tomatoes but most importantly – a whole EGG!!! Yes, at Oomphatico’s, all egg lovers will delighted to know that they have a pizza come served with an egg cracked all over it (Although this photo doesn't do justice to the pizza - trust me - it looks better in real).
Service was also a joy, with plenty of friendly staffs to attend to our needs. One lady (which I assume to be the boss) also made the effort to go around each table and chat with the guests, which made us feel very welcome. Overall I think this restaurant offers a refreshing experience from many others. From the food it offers to the service to the décor and furnishing, there will definitely be something you will be enticed by.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Tekka Centre, or 竹脚中心 located in the Little India area is a multi-use building complex comprising a wet market, food centre and shops, located along Bukit Timah Road, Race Course Road, Buffalo Road and Serangoon Road. It is said that at the wet market, you can find all sorts of spices, and traditional ingredients that you cannot find anywhere else in Singapore. And it is also at the food centre that you can find one of the most popular Indian Muslim Stall that dished out the best Original Chicken Dum Briyani – Yakader Muslim Food.
Cooked using long grain Basmati Rice and Glee, the Dum method of cooking stews food in a pot sealed with foil to prevent the steam from escaping. The food gradually steams in its own natural juices, captivating the subtle essence of the spices and herbs added at the start of the cooking process. I usually avoid this stall during lunchtime, as heavy lunch just doesn’t work for me. But the curiosity got over me, as day in day out, I always see a queue snaking outside this modest stall. At first glance, the serving doesn’t look appetising – everything looks orangey red (but then doesn’t all Briyani look like this?) but it was truly a heartily satisfying meal.
The rice was palatable and not as greasy as I thought it would be and the curry was a great complement to it. The spices captured by the chicken also gave it an aromatic and fragrant taste to it but at the end of the day, it was the texture of the flesh that won me over.
It was VERY tender and succulent unlike many others that I have tried before, so much so that it caught me by surprise!
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Their signature Warm Chocolate Cake is sinfully delectable. Described as the “melt-in-the-mouth chocolate cake oozing with rich Valrhona chocolate”, Valrhona, founded since 1924, focuses mainly on top-quality luxury chocolate marketed for professional as well as for private consumption. And I would say what a huge difference it made especially since I could evaluate it to the second-rated one I had at Friends@Jelita. Also the warmness of the cake prepared freshly by the chef harmonised perfectly with the cold Homemade Vanilla Ice-cream. What is also often overlooked is the Orange Confit at the bottom that amazingly complements the bittersweet chocolate cake giving it a subtle fruity flavour to it.
Finally rinse it off with the revitalising Lavender Violet Lime that comes in a romantic purple – an Italian soda with lavender flavoured syrup that tasted so refreshing. I like it as it wasn’t very sweet but however, I would prefer if peppermint leaf were used to give it a better lift instead of the lime, as the drink tends to turn bitter towards the end. My friend had the Strawberry Lavender Lime that is very much sweeter but still as good. Definitely a favourite with the ladies!
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
The good thing about working in a foreign company is you get to meet lots of people from different walks of life from different nationalities, discovering different cultures and traditions. In my company, I have worked with Americans, Dutch, Swiss, Japanese, Korean, Malaysians, Indians, Filipinos and Chinese to name a few. And it was one day that my Korean colleague introduced me to Korean food at this place. She said she find the standard of food served here similar, if not better, than most of the other Korean restaurant she has been to so far - for a fraction of the price.
Taking her word for it, we ventured to Le Meridien for one of our lunches. Lunch was Spicy Beef Soup with rice plus a choice of condiment between Kimchi, Cucumber, or Anchovies.
Serving was generous with the bowl filled to the brim with Beef, Tofu and stalks of Spring Onions (It helps that I love eating spring onions!). The soup with a dash of Sesame Seeds was served piping hot and although MSG laced, the hint of spiciness make the soup truly enjoyable to taste.
The beef slices could have been bigger but for a meal costing less than $10, I have no complains against the serving and standard of the food.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
On Friday, it was an honour to be invited to Yebber’s 1st anniversary event. The event was held in Mint (Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys) – Museum of Toys, across from Raffles Hotel. Showcasing an extensive collection of vintage toys from all over the world, it is regarded as one of the finest in the world and the largest in Southeast Asia. At the basement was Mint Café – Asia’s very first toy-themed café.
I arrived early and did a quick tour of the place before the event started at the 3rd Level and was greeted with toys and characters that I was familiar with – from Popeye to Ultraman, to retro Matchbox car collectibles, Kampung toys and even the Beatles.
All the guests were later treated to a sumptuous buffet dinner consisting of Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Seafood Platter (Calamari, Dory Fillet, & Scallops), Bruschetta (Wild Mushrooms, Tomato Checca & Salmon Cream), and Linguini with Crab Sauce.
Personally, I thought the Wild Mushroom Bruschetta was the best – the toast was crispy and the mushrooms were flavoursome. I bet the salmon cream ones were just as great but unfortunately, I didn’t managed to lay my hands on them before they were cleared out. Oh, the desserts were pretty lovely as well, especially the Strawberry Panna Cotta - the sourish berries was a delightful complement to the sweet pudding.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
It has been more than a year since my family last visited Guan Hin so a revisit was in order especially after Guan Hin had just undergone a facelift. The new Guan Hin now boasts a more spacious interior through efficient usage of space and whitewashed walls to go along with the spanking new carpet and furniture. The lingering nostalgia is gone as well, covered up by the fresh coat of paint that dons the walls.
Braised Goose - The goose was thinly sliced and tasted great with the not too salty gravy. Some work needs to be done on the beancurd though, coming across as a tad too rough for my liking. Comparisons are inevitable between Guan Hin's rendition and that of Hung Kang, with the latter taking the cake effortlessly with its polished rendition of this traditional Teochew dish.
Sauteed Kailan - Nicely stir fried without being overcooked. However it was a little too oily and watery. What I liked was that it came served with "Ti Po" or crispy fried sole fish, which gave the occasional crunch and added saltiness.
Steamed Pomfret - Fresh and steamed just right, with the flesh firm and sweet. Just the way a good dish of steamed pomfret should be. Paying compliments to the fish was the gravy, tasty from all the sour plums and tomatoes in it.
Liver Roll - The liver roll or "Ngoh Hiang" was honestly quite good. Thin crispy skin covering a mould of finely chopped liver but with only a slight hint of liver taste. Dipped in the sweet and sticky plum sauce, it made for a nice dish.
Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts - As mentioned before, I consider yam paste or Orh Nee as one of the hallmarks of Teochew food, which explains my high expectations of it. While I used to praise Guan Hin for their rather stellar rendition of this traditional Teochew dessert, the same compliments couldn't be extended that evening. Barely warm when served, it looked pre made and as though it had been sitting in a corner for quite a long period of time. Texture wise, it wasn't smooth, coming across as chunky and oily. Even the gingko nuts were too soft and bland. A total disappointment.
A rather filling dinner for 5 came up to about $90, which really isn't very expensive but somehow or rather, food standard has slided a little, especially in the case of the Orh Nee. Service was acceptable but could be better. Has the hype over Guan Hin resulted in a decline in its culinary standard - one that took decades to build?
Fortunate Xin Fu Yum Cha Restaurant should be quite a familar name with most people, largely due to their heavily advertisements on TV. The other being Yum Cha restaurant which also did a lot of TV advertisements. Their main branch is located at Toa Payoh, with a second added at Intenational Building, Orchard Road (beside Lido Scotts) which i say makes it easier for patrons to visit them because of the accessible location.
Anyway, Fortunate Yum Cha is currently having a promotion, 50% off Dim Sum during weekdays 3-5pm, and i must admit that’s the main reason which draws me to the place.
The restaurant is old-school traditional restaurant, with the decors your typical chinese restaurant style. When my buddy and I arrived at 245pm, we went into the place and browse through the menu until 3pm for the promotion to start.
We asked politely whether we can used the powerpoint for our laptop, but we were told they’ll charged us a fee of $5 per hour for the usage. This rather turn us off as we needed the laptop for some discussions, and we even contemplate leaving to find another place which allow us the use of powerpoint. But we decided to stay, have some dim-sum and get off.
Well, thats the main issue, if they had allowed us to use the powerpoint, I believe we’ll have stay longer and order more Dim Sum, but due to the fact that we aren’t allow to use, we order just about 7 Dim Sum between the two of us.
Another issue which we encountered was that the staff told us that the Dim Sum promotion from 3-5pm will be only 30% instead of 50% which we saw on the newspaper, because the 50% is for Dim Sum during 8-10am. We accepted it without much questioning because there was still 30% discount anyway.
But shortly after that, when the assistant manager passed by, I inquire her on the promotion and she told me it was 50% during 3-5pm also. Well, speak of double standards.
Oh ya, and as the place wasn’t really crowded, they didn’t have their usual staff pushing the trolley around to offer Dim Sum. Instead, we ordered the dim sum, and they bring it to our table.
Siew Mai ($4) Like i said before during my visit to Red Star previously, I always felt the true test for a dim sum restaurant will be its Siew Mai, and the ones here are good! The prawn in the siew mai is big, real big!
Prawn Dumplings ($4) The Prawn Dumplings or more commonly known as Har-Gau, is also excellent. The skin of the Har-Gau isn’t too sticky like some of the one available elsewhere, one bite into the prawn dumpling, and you will get the result below!
A big prawn inside the skin of the Har-Gau. Simply goodness!
Fried Carrot Cake ($3.80) The waitress came up with a stove and fried the carrot cake right in front of us. I suppose its not bad, at the orginal price of $3.80 i probably won’t take it again. But having 50% discount, i guess $1.90 isn’t that expensive considering we had 4 pieces of carrot cake.
Char Siew Chee Chong Fun ($3.50) Chee Chong Fun is always one Dim Sum which i’ll always order when I go to dim sum restaurant. No exceptions here, the chee chong fun is like your usual chinese restaurant one.
BBQ Pork Bun ($2.50) There is no problem with the char siew bun, the bun is good, but the only thing is if i’m not wrong, usually char siew buns come in 3 instead of 2? I got a feeling that because there was two of us so they served two buns instead of three? Maybe this is how Fortunate serve their char siew bun, can someone enlighten me on this?
Pork Ribs ($3.80) The pork ribs were not to my liking. N’uff said!
Century Egg Congee ($3) Usually i don’t really facny century egg congee, but since my buddy wanted some, so we order this to share. And to my surprise, the congee was not bad! But again, $3 for a bowl of congee is probably too high a price for me to order again, unless there’s a promotion again of course.
Mango Pudding ($5) The mango pudding was really ordinary like all normal mango pudding, and at $5 you can call me a miser, but I won’t pay the money for it. Simply its not worth the five bucks
Total Bill was $21.10 for 2 person, 7 dim sum, 1 dessert, chinese tea. The total price before the 50% discount was $30. I must say the dim sum at Fortunate Yum Cha is quite average, i’ll still prefer Red Star over Fortunate, but given there’s a 50% discount again, i won’t mind going back to Fortunate for some dim sum.
Service-wise you shouldn’t really be expecting any, and go during weekdays where there’s 50% discount. But then nowadays many other restaurants are offering 50% discount on their dim sum, such as Ah Yit abalone restaurant, and Tung Lok Seafood.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
My colleague and I were wandering along East Coast road wondering what to have for lunch when we stumbled upon Stewhaus - a nondescript cafe located just next to Sushi Jiro.
Stepping into the simple no frills interior made me feel all warm and fuzzy, with its wooden finishings and smallish interior - just like returning home. Service was cordial but a little inattentive that sunny weekday afternoon though.
I've never actually drank summer vegetable soup before so it was quite an experience for me. The soup was refreshing and light but I didn't quite take to the kidney beans (personal preference). Overall a decent soup, but not something I would order again. As for the mushroom soup, it was nice and thick with generous bits of mushroom. However I did find it a bit too salty for my liking.
Half Pork Knuckle - Pork Knuckles are usually grilled (at least those that I've eaten) so it came as a surprise that Stewhaus's rendition was baked instead. The pros of such a cooking method is that the pork knuckle turns out healthier (less oil) but the downside is that it sacrifices quite a bit on taste and texture. For one, the meat wasn't fibrous, coming across as gluten like and the nice grilled taste which I personally like was missing. Thumbs up for the skin still retaining its crispiness though.
Mixed Berry Stew - Another first for me. Zesty from all the berries yet sweet at the same time from the ice cream. Very contrasting flavours indeed but not exactly something to shout about.
$38 for 2 soups, 1 main and 1 dessert isn't exactly expensive but its not cheap either. Food quality falls just above the average mark and only service charge is levied (No GST). Would I be back? If I happen to be in that area, maybe.
Had its humble beginnings located at Tampines mall for about 3 years before shifting to the nearby Century Square. Being my first rating on gameshops, allow me to seperate the review into a few categories.
1. Staff and service 2. Timeliness of stock 3. Assortment of Titles 4. Price and competitiveness 5. Perks
1. Staff and service - I've known quite a few people from the shop since a long time ago. Approximately 7 years to be exact. Ever since the Tampines mall stint, one of the guys, Willy has been at the shop for a long long time. Well, what can i say? The guys there are great, always friendly and ready to help. And seeing that they remember me, i'd say they have pretty good service. No black faces or anything bad from this shop, just smiles and generally good service attitude. I guess the one reason they are nice is due to the fact they are gamers themselves and thus, talking is easy.
In a nutshell, service is good.
2. Timeliness of stock - Now this is a little difficult to judge. I'm a gamer so i know what games are great, what games are bad. And generally, if you don't reserve from the shop, the good games disappear real fast. And stock comes really slow when depleted. I mean reeeaalllyyy sllloooowww... I've also had experiences when i was anticipating a release but generally had to wait an additional week or 2 before it gets to the shop. Thus the timeliness is average at best.
3. Assortment of Titles - The shop is quite decent in this department. Stocking upwards of 1000 titles ranging from the DS, gameboy, Xbox360, PS2, PS3 and Nintendo Wii. The titles on sale are a mixed bag of hits and misses which most shops have to endure since to them, its just a guessing game.
4. Price and Competitiveness - Ah....now the most important part. The games, if new, range from $50 - 130. And they are smart to price the better games at high prices. And generally, all their games at priced at higher then average prices. This humble reviewer only bought the best hits and the second hand games so that he can maximize his dollar. And thats what everyone else should do.
5. Perks - Trade ins. I love trading in old stuff. Exchange it for cash or simply get a new game by topping up a minimal amount. This shop does it but definitely ain't giving your dollar any stretch however. There are bonus points for buying their stuff but it doesn't seem to translate into savings. So thats that.
In a pinch, a good shop with good service but definitely overpriced if you knew where else to look. (To the guys from the shop, no offense on your service but its just that i'm struggling financially thats all. lol)
1=SGD 0.0587
For me, there is nothing more Italian than a piping hot & thin crusty slice of pizza. At Da Paolo, you find a stylish Pizza Bar like no other – with its long strip of dappled brown and white cow hide running along the ceiling and down one wall, bronze panels, a wall of wine-bottles and a stylish glass kitchen – Da Paolo’s choice of location for the Pizza Bar was premeditated – the bohemian status of Chip Bee Gardens lends itself to the Pizza Bar’s concept of providing a friendly and inspired environment to dine and wine. The Pizza Bar pursues closely to Da Paolo trademark cooking that is using fresh ingredients to elicit the taste. Ingredients to make the pizza dough are sourced directly from Italy and toppings are made from fresh ingredients only.
For starters, we decided on the Insalata di Spinaci con Avocado, Gamberetti e Mango, or Baby Spinach with Avocado, Shrimps and Mango Salad. A refreshing salad that comes with generous ingredients, this is a fine starter that really rouse the appetite for the mains – the savoury prawns along with the sweet and sourish mango and rich avocado really open up our palates for the mains.
For the pizzas, we chose two tomato-based pizzas – the first being Pizza Salmone, Funghi e Pesto, or the Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella, Smoked Salmon, Mushrooms and Pesto. The Smoked Salmon was really fresh and full of flavour and we really liked the addition of the mushrooms – the chewy bite of the shrooms adds a new twist to this dish.
For the second – Pizza Rucola, Prosciutto e Scaglie di Parmigiano, or Pizza with Tomato, Mozzarella, Arugula Leaves, Parma Ham and Shaved Parmesan, the mild bitterness of the Rocket Salad is a perfect harmony with the saltiness of the Parma Ham. It also helps that I am a huge fan of the Arugula with Parmesan.
The thin crusts of both pizzas are also well executed and are definitely one of the best I have eaten in Singapore. And if you think the both of us are ambitious, you might be surprised to know that we managed to clean out a starter and 2 large pizzas in an hour or so. Service was generally attentive and most staffs were friendly except for a particular staff in which we felt was pretty unprofessional in taking orders. He was standing approximately 2 metres away from me and took the orders without writing down – something, which my dining partner felt was pretty rude as well.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
Stepped into Oomphatico’s and you would imagine yourself transported to another world – lush and whimsical, the place was brightly and warmly lit with colours – a mixed of modern yet vintage feel.
Furniture were well spaced so one would not feel confined. The fixtures were very cosy with thick cushioned armchairs, in a myriad of colours and tones, and there's a stylish casualness about the place, without being pretentious, it gives customers a very peaceful ambience to dine in.
Pride itself of serving “Good Food”, the outlet comes with many interesting items on the menu – organic, Thai, noodles, Raw, gluten-free, raw and even ZEN to name some of them. You probably need time to scrutinise the menu to fully understand the kinds of items available to delight your palate. For starters, we order the Raw Deal, a Raw Vegetable Salad consisting of Beetroot, Apples and lots of Nuts and Seeds. I eat raw salad, but even I think this dish was too ambitious for me – perhaps because I am not a big fan of beetroot. The shredded apples though add a nice sweetness to it.
For the mains, we shared the Prawn and Spinach Brown Rice Risotto. It was a good balance between the spinach and the creamy-rich risotto, and the prawns add a delightful bite to this dish.
The other main we shared was the Rebelde Lina, an interesting Pizza topped with Spanish onions, Mushrooms, Bacon, Spinach and Tomatoes but most importantly – a whole EGG!!! Yes, at Oomphatico’s, all egg lovers will delighted to know that they have a pizza come served with an egg cracked all over it (Although this photo doesn't do justice to the pizza - trust me - it looks better in real).
Service was also a joy, with plenty of friendly staffs to attend to our needs. One lady (which I assume to be the boss) also made the effort to go around each table and chat with the guests, which made us feel very welcome. Overall I think this restaurant offers a refreshing experience from many others. From the food it offers to the service to the décor and furnishing, there will definitely be something you will be enticed by.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
Tekka Centre, or 竹脚中心 located in the Little India area is a multi-use building complex comprising a wet market, food centre and shops, located along Bukit Timah Road, Race Course Road, Buffalo Road and Serangoon Road. It is said that at the wet market, you can find all sorts of spices, and traditional ingredients that you cannot find anywhere else in Singapore. And it is also at the food centre that you can find one of the most popular Indian Muslim Stall that dished out the best Original Chicken Dum Briyani – Yakader Muslim Food.
Cooked using long grain Basmati Rice and Glee, the Dum method of cooking stews food in a pot sealed with foil to prevent the steam from escaping. The food gradually steams in its own natural juices, captivating the subtle essence of the spices and herbs added at the start of the cooking process. I usually avoid this stall during lunchtime, as heavy lunch just doesn’t work for me. But the curiosity got over me, as day in day out, I always see a queue snaking outside this modest stall. At first glance, the serving doesn’t look appetising – everything looks orangey red (but then doesn’t all Briyani look like this?) but it was truly a heartily satisfying meal.
The rice was palatable and not as greasy as I thought it would be and the curry was a great complement to it. The spices captured by the chicken also gave it an aromatic and fragrant taste to it but at the end of the day, it was the texture of the flesh that won me over.
It was VERY tender and succulent unlike many others that I have tried before, so much so that it caught me by surprise!
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
Their signature Warm Chocolate Cake is sinfully delectable. Described as the “melt-in-the-mouth chocolate cake oozing with rich Valrhona chocolate”, Valrhona, founded since 1924, focuses mainly on top-quality luxury chocolate marketed for professional as well as for private consumption. And I would say what a huge difference it made especially since I could evaluate it to the second-rated one I had at Friends@Jelita. Also the warmness of the cake prepared freshly by the chef harmonised perfectly with the cold Homemade Vanilla Ice-cream. What is also often overlooked is the Orange Confit at the bottom that amazingly complements the bittersweet chocolate cake giving it a subtle fruity flavour to it.
Finally rinse it off with the revitalising Lavender Violet Lime that comes in a romantic purple – an Italian soda with lavender flavoured syrup that tasted so refreshing. I like it as it wasn’t very sweet but however, I would prefer if peppermint leaf were used to give it a better lift instead of the lime, as the drink tends to turn bitter towards the end. My friend had the Strawberry Lavender Lime that is very much sweeter but still as good. Definitely a favourite with the ladies!
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
The good thing about working in a foreign company is you get to meet lots of people from different walks of life from different nationalities, discovering different cultures and traditions. In my company, I have worked with Americans, Dutch, Swiss, Japanese, Korean, Malaysians, Indians, Filipinos and Chinese to name a few. And it was one day that my Korean colleague introduced me to Korean food at this place. She said she find the standard of food served here similar, if not better, than most of the other Korean restaurant she has been to so far - for a fraction of the price.
Taking her word for it, we ventured to Le Meridien for one of our lunches. Lunch was Spicy Beef Soup with rice plus a choice of condiment between Kimchi, Cucumber, or Anchovies.
Serving was generous with the bowl filled to the brim with Beef, Tofu and stalks of Spring Onions (It helps that I love eating spring onions!). The soup with a dash of Sesame Seeds was served piping hot and although MSG laced, the hint of spiciness make the soup truly enjoyable to taste.
The beef slices could have been bigger but for a meal costing less than $10, I have no complains against the serving and standard of the food.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
On Friday, it was an honour to be invited to Yebber’s 1st anniversary event. The event was held in Mint (Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys) – Museum of Toys, across from Raffles Hotel. Showcasing an extensive collection of vintage toys from all over the world, it is regarded as one of the finest in the world and the largest in Southeast Asia. At the basement was Mint Café – Asia’s very first toy-themed café.
I arrived early and did a quick tour of the place before the event started at the 3rd Level and was greeted with toys and characters that I was familiar with – from Popeye to Ultraman, to retro Matchbox car collectibles, Kampung toys and even the Beatles.
All the guests were later treated to a sumptuous buffet dinner consisting of Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Seafood Platter (Calamari, Dory Fillet, & Scallops), Bruschetta (Wild Mushrooms, Tomato Checca & Salmon Cream), and Linguini with Crab Sauce.
Personally, I thought the Wild Mushroom Bruschetta was the best – the toast was crispy and the mushrooms were flavoursome. I bet the salmon cream ones were just as great but unfortunately, I didn’t managed to lay my hands on them before they were cleared out. Oh, the desserts were pretty lovely as well, especially the Strawberry Panna Cotta - the sourish berries was a delightful complement to the sweet pudding.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
It has been more than a year since my family last visited Guan Hin so a revisit was in order especially after Guan Hin had just undergone a facelift. The new Guan Hin now boasts a more spacious interior through efficient usage of space and whitewashed walls to go along with the spanking new carpet and furniture. The lingering nostalgia is gone as well, covered up by the fresh coat of paint that dons the walls.
Braised Goose - The goose was thinly sliced and tasted great with the not too salty gravy. Some work needs to be done on the beancurd though, coming across as a tad too rough for my liking. Comparisons are inevitable between Guan Hin's rendition and that of Hung Kang, with the latter taking the cake effortlessly with its polished rendition of this traditional Teochew dish.
Sauteed Kailan - Nicely stir fried without being overcooked. However it was a little too oily and watery. What I liked was that it came served with "Ti Po" or crispy fried sole fish, which gave the occasional crunch and added saltiness.
Steamed Pomfret - Fresh and steamed just right, with the flesh firm and sweet. Just the way a good dish of steamed pomfret should be. Paying compliments to the fish was the gravy, tasty from all the sour plums and tomatoes in it.
Liver Roll - The liver roll or "Ngoh Hiang" was honestly quite good. Thin crispy skin covering a mould of finely chopped liver but with only a slight hint of liver taste. Dipped in the sweet and sticky plum sauce, it made for a nice dish.
Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts - As mentioned before, I consider yam paste or Orh Nee as one of the hallmarks of Teochew food, which explains my high expectations of it. While I used to praise Guan Hin for their rather stellar rendition of this traditional Teochew dessert, the same compliments couldn't be extended that evening. Barely warm when served, it looked pre made and as though it had been sitting in a corner for quite a long period of time. Texture wise, it wasn't smooth, coming across as chunky and oily. Even the gingko nuts were too soft and bland. A total disappointment.
A rather filling dinner for 5 came up to about $90, which really isn't very expensive but somehow or rather, food standard has slided a little, especially in the case of the Orh Nee. Service was acceptable but could be better. Has the hype over Guan Hin resulted in a decline in its culinary standard - one that took decades to build?
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Rating given:
Fortunate Xin Fu Yum Cha Restaurant should be quite a familar name with most people, largely due to their heavily advertisements on TV. The other being Yum Cha restaurant which also did a lot of TV advertisements. Their main branch is located at Toa Payoh, with a second added at Intenational Building, Orchard Road (beside Lido Scotts) which i say makes it easier for patrons to visit them because of the accessible location.
Anyway, Fortunate Yum Cha is currently having a promotion, 50% off Dim Sum during weekdays 3-5pm, and i must admit that’s the main reason which draws me to the place.
The restaurant is old-school traditional restaurant, with the decors your typical chinese restaurant style. When my buddy and I arrived at 245pm, we went into the place and browse through the menu until 3pm for the promotion to start.
We asked politely whether we can used the powerpoint for our laptop, but we were told they’ll charged us a fee of $5 per hour for the usage. This rather turn us off as we needed the laptop for some discussions, and we even contemplate leaving to find another place which allow us the use of powerpoint. But we decided to stay, have some dim-sum and get off.
Well, thats the main issue, if they had allowed us to use the powerpoint, I believe we’ll have stay longer and order more Dim Sum, but due to the fact that we aren’t allow to use, we order just about 7 Dim Sum between the two of us.
Another issue which we encountered was that the staff told us that the Dim Sum promotion from 3-5pm will be only 30% instead of 50% which we saw on the newspaper, because the 50% is for Dim Sum during 8-10am. We accepted it without much questioning because there was still 30% discount anyway.
But shortly after that, when the assistant manager passed by, I inquire her on the promotion and she told me it was 50% during 3-5pm also. Well, speak of double standards.
Oh ya, and as the place wasn’t really crowded, they didn’t have their usual staff pushing the trolley around to offer Dim Sum. Instead, we ordered the dim sum, and they bring it to our table.
Siew Mai ($4)
Like i said before during my visit to Red Star previously, I always felt the true test for a dim sum restaurant will be its Siew Mai, and the ones here are good! The prawn in the siew mai is big, real big!
Prawn Dumplings ($4)
The Prawn Dumplings or more commonly known as Har-Gau, is also excellent. The skin of the Har-Gau isn’t too sticky like some of the one available elsewhere, one bite into the prawn dumpling, and you will get the result below!
A big prawn inside the skin of the Har-Gau. Simply goodness!
Fried Carrot Cake ($3.80)
The waitress came up with a stove and fried the carrot cake right in front of us. I suppose its not bad, at the orginal price of $3.80 i probably won’t take it again. But having 50% discount, i guess $1.90 isn’t that expensive considering we had 4 pieces of carrot cake.
Char Siew Chee Chong Fun ($3.50)
Chee Chong Fun is always one Dim Sum which i’ll always order when I go to dim sum restaurant. No exceptions here, the chee chong fun is like your usual chinese restaurant one.
BBQ Pork Bun ($2.50)
There is no problem with the char siew bun, the bun is good, but the only thing is if i’m not wrong, usually char siew buns come in 3 instead of 2? I got a feeling that because there was two of us so they served two buns instead of three? Maybe this is how Fortunate serve their char siew bun, can someone enlighten me on this?
Pork Ribs ($3.80)
The pork ribs were not to my liking. N’uff said!
Century Egg Congee ($3)
Usually i don’t really facny century egg congee, but since my buddy wanted some, so we order this to share. And to my surprise, the congee was not bad! But again, $3 for a bowl of congee is probably too high a price for me to order again, unless there’s a promotion again of course.
Mango Pudding ($5)
The mango pudding was really ordinary like all normal mango pudding, and at $5 you can call me a miser, but I won’t pay the money for it. Simply its not worth the five bucks
Total Bill was $21.10 for 2 person, 7 dim sum, 1 dessert, chinese tea. The total price before the 50% discount was $30. I must say the dim sum at Fortunate Yum Cha is quite average, i’ll still prefer Red Star over Fortunate, but given there’s a 50% discount again, i won’t mind going back to Fortunate for some dim sum.
Service-wise you shouldn’t really be expecting any, and go during weekdays where there’s 50% discount. But then nowadays many other restaurants are offering 50% discount on their dim sum, such as Ah Yit abalone restaurant, and Tung Lok Seafood.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” I love dim sum, dim sum love me “
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My colleague and I were wandering along East Coast road wondering what to have for lunch when we stumbled upon Stewhaus - a nondescript cafe located just next to Sushi Jiro.
Stepping into the simple no frills interior made me feel all warm and fuzzy, with its wooden finishings and smallish interior - just like returning home. Service was cordial but a little inattentive that sunny weekday afternoon though.
I've never actually drank summer vegetable soup before so it was quite an experience for me. The soup was refreshing and light but I didn't quite take to the kidney beans (personal preference). Overall a decent soup, but not something I would order again. As for the mushroom soup, it was nice and thick with generous bits of mushroom. However I did find it a bit too salty for my liking.
Half Pork Knuckle - Pork Knuckles are usually grilled (at least those that I've eaten) so it came as a surprise that Stewhaus's rendition was baked instead. The pros of such a cooking method is that the pork knuckle turns out healthier (less oil) but the downside is that it sacrifices quite a bit on taste and texture. For one, the meat wasn't fibrous, coming across as gluten like and the nice grilled taste which I personally like was missing. Thumbs up for the skin still retaining its crispiness though.
Mixed Berry Stew - Another first for me. Zesty from all the berries yet sweet at the same time from the ice cream. Very contrasting flavours indeed but not exactly something to shout about.
$38 for 2 soups, 1 main and 1 dessert isn't exactly expensive but its not cheap either. Food quality falls just above the average mark and only service charge is levied (No GST). Would I be back? If I happen to be in that area, maybe.
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Rating given:
Mega multimedia.
Had its humble beginnings located at Tampines mall for about 3 years before shifting to the nearby Century Square. Being my first rating on gameshops, allow me to seperate the review into a few categories.
1. Staff and service 2. Timeliness of stock 3. Assortment of Titles 4. Price and competitiveness 5. Perks
1. Staff and service - I've known quite a few people from the shop since a long time ago. Approximately 7 years to be exact. Ever since the Tampines mall stint, one of the guys, Willy has been at the shop for a long long time. Well, what can i say? The guys there are great, always friendly and ready to help. And seeing that they remember me, i'd say they have pretty good service. No black faces or anything bad from this shop, just smiles and generally good service attitude. I guess the one reason they are nice is due to the fact they are gamers themselves and thus, talking is easy.
In a nutshell, service is good.
2. Timeliness of stock - Now this is a little difficult to judge. I'm a gamer so i know what games are great, what games are bad. And generally, if you don't reserve from the shop, the good games disappear real fast. And stock comes really slow when depleted. I mean reeeaalllyyy sllloooowww... I've also had experiences when i was anticipating a release but generally had to wait an additional week or 2 before it gets to the shop. Thus the timeliness is average at best.
3. Assortment of Titles - The shop is quite decent in this department. Stocking upwards of 1000 titles ranging from the DS, gameboy, Xbox360, PS2, PS3 and Nintendo Wii. The titles on sale are a mixed bag of hits and misses which most shops have to endure since to them, its just a guessing game.
4. Price and Competitiveness - Ah....now the most important part. The games, if new, range from $50 - 130. And they are smart to price the better games at high prices. And generally, all their games at priced at higher then average prices. This humble reviewer only bought the best hits and the second hand games so that he can maximize his dollar. And thats what everyone else should do.
5. Perks - Trade ins. I love trading in old stuff. Exchange it for cash or simply get a new game by topping up a minimal amount. This shop does it but definitely ain't giving your dollar any stretch however. There are bonus points for buying their stuff but it doesn't seem to translate into savings. So thats that.
In a pinch, a good shop with good service but definitely overpriced if you knew where else to look. (To the guys from the shop, no offense on your service but its just that i'm struggling financially thats all. lol)
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