Cafe de Amigo relocated to Funan in 2006. Chef Foo Wah Ann is the man behind this very nice place. Having heard about him when he was at the renown La Brasserie (Marco Polo Hotel), we thought a visit to this place was a must. The ambience is pretty cosy. There is a live band singing jazzy tunes throughout the night. The crowd there is consists largely of those working in the area.
Food Ordered:
Deep-fried Cheese - 3pc ($16.50) 3 types of cheese melted together and deep fried, served with fresh basil and tomato sauce. I like the cheese which was firm and not oozing out of its shell. Soft Shell Crab ($13.50) The batter was a little too light and it was too oily for my taste. Small serving just enough for one person.
Escargot A la Bourguignon (6 for $16.50) Served in a garlic and butter sauce, I found nothing spectacular about this dish. If anything, the serving was really small. Lobster Bisque ($9.50) "Bisque of Bisques" was its description in the menu. Thus we had to try this. It was flavourful however it's pretty hard to find lobster nor taste any lobster in this dish.
Not the same Potato ($7.50) It is actually supposed to be creamy potato soup but the taste of potato was weak and overpowered by the cheese that was blended into it.
Salad de Amis ($14.50) A huge serving of salad which you'll be able to see anywhere, served with olive oil vinegar dressing. Which I think wasn't enough as it was dry and a little bland.
Chicken chop ($20.50) Grilled boneless chicken drumstick served in black pepper sauce and fries. Sadly you can get a good taste of this dish at hawker centres at a quarter of its price. Although boneless, the chicken had a fair share of fatty bits and it wasn't as succulent as I had expected. The black pepper sauce wasn't thick enough too.
Ox-Tail ($24.50) One of the inhouse specialties. A generous serving of stewed oxtail served with boiled potato and broccoli. My companion commented that it was very tender and juicy. I did think that it was the one of the best dishes on the table that night Duck Breast ($26.50) Also one of the recommended dishes. Roasted duck slices in red wine sauce, served with boiled spinach. The combination seemed a little odd to me at first. But my companion has full of compliments for it so I guess it was really good.
Normandy Apple Pie ($7.50) One of the recommended desserts. It was served with wild honey and vanilla ice-cream. I loved the crumbly crust which was light and tasty. One would find it hard to be sick of this. The inside was not overly sweet. Frezzie Tiramisu ($7.90) It was a regular ice cream cake. Certainly not worth the money.
The presentation of the food was not good. More like they were all haphazardly put together. The service is alright. I don't think I will be back anytime soon...
Its been a long time since i had Claypot Rice, somehow, it seems to have disappeared from mainstream cuisine so much so that its difficult to locate a decent place to have this old tradition. I have, however, long heard of a shop that specializes in claypot cuisine somewhere along East Coast Road and that's where we went.
Simple, unassuming and boring would most probably describe the restaurant. The tables were sparsely located using a yellowish color scheme and round tables of different sizes. Clearly a place designed for big gatherings and get-togethers as there were only a handful of tables designed for less then 4 people. The impression was also not helped by the fact that at dinner time, there was only a handful of patrons in the restaurant, a clear sign of decline? Nevertheless, we pressed on.
Pickles ($1) - Complimentary starters or should i say compulsory starters? Either way, the pickles were sour and did their job of whetting my appetite. Paying for it didn't help my impression though.
Handmade Beancurd with Seaweed, Mushrooms and Vegetables ($8) - The bean curb was soft but not smooth on the inside, it didn't help that the only taste it had came from the soy sauce base below which made it extremely salty. The same goes for the tasteless mushrooms and horribly cut vegetables. Its pretty obvious they did not spend alot of time getting this to the table.
Yam Ring ($12) - Yam rings are one of my favourite dishes when its done right and their rendition is the perfect example of a yam ring done seriously wrong. The cashew nuts were a little soggy, prawns were not fresh enough to be sweet nor crunchy and the chicken meat was tasteless. However, mediocre fillings aside, the greatest disappointment of the day is the yam ring itself. Notice the second shot depicting the insides of the yam ring? The was no yam. The ring has obviously been fried so many times that the yam has charred and disappeared, even then, they dared to serve it to the customers. Horrible.
Claypot Rice ($10) - The star of the day, the claypot rice i came for. This was at least decent. Fragrant and soft rice cooked in claypot and stirred in our presence. The chicken was also decidedly tender and sweet which helped ease my unhappiness a little. The best part of the rice is the wok hei present near the bottom of the claypot. Unhealthy yet delectable. This dish is at least worthy of the commercial review it garnered.
The bill came up to $34 for 2 people which is alot more then i was willing to pay for given the horrible quality of the initial offerings.
I would have enjoyed the meal if all i ordered was the claypot rice. In fact, i would say going for the rice alone is worth it but anything else is a serious waste of money. That said, my recommendation is still, not to visit because the money is better spent elsewhere.
Sakae sushi recently branched out to the Teppenyaki business in their first all out table top cooking outlet at Tampines Century Square. Boasting 33 outlets all over Singapore, the green frog logo has more or less solidified its presence and made a handsome profit. So how does the Teppenyaki outlet fare?
Located directly opposite Sakae sushi, the new outlet is surrounded by tanks carrying live lobster, oysters and crayfish. There were about 3 cooking counters which can hold up to 24 customers at any one time. Everything looks clean and well distributed.
Classic Juice ($4) - Ordering drinks usually come across as a big no-no for me when i visit restaurants due to cut-throat prices and generally bad tasting drinks. Not this time though, the juice is delightfully refreshing with the stronger taste of peach complimenting the lighter tasting apple juice. I have been scouring department stores ever since for this beverage, anyone with information on this please let me know.
Vegetable salad with crab meat, seaweed and assorted greens - The complimentary appetizer was light and fresh with crunchy greens like lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage. Not too bad but nothing special either
Normal Japanese Rice - This is just simple sticky Japanese rice. However, it is possible to ask for garlic fried rice which would prove to be a much better choice as we witnessed it fried with butter, garlic, bean sprouts and eggs. The result was pretty pleasing for the nose but we unfortunately did not have that. Oh! This is at additional charge of course.
Pan Fried Salmon and Garlic Fried Beef Tenderloin, Mayonnaise Oyster and Pan Fried Foie Gras (Goose Liver), Chawan Mushi and Toufu, Pan Fried Chicken Cubes in Teriyaki Sauce and Wild Shittake Mushrooms.
The Completed Chicken Set ($17.90) - My gf had the chicken set and basically, i got to try almost everything. The chicken cubes were sweet and fragrant but a little on the tough side when chewing. The salmon is really hard and hardly held much taste which is a stark contrast from the toufu which was a tad too salty and the oyster, which is the most delightful of the lot, fresh and sweet. The mushrooms compensated the lack of bean sprouts and were soft, fragrant and chewy at the some time.
The Completed Beef Set ($19.90) - The beef set came with a generous helping of beef which i perceive as tenderloin since there is a distinct layer of fat present in it. The goose liver is smooth and evenly pan fried to goodness but compared to Humble house and Zambuca, they have a long way to go. Toufu and mushrooms are the same as the above and the Chawan Mushi was very good. It was smooth, fresh and sweet because we saw the ingredients as it was prepared. Nicely done.
A rather satisfying Teppenyaki meal if i do say so myself only came at the cost of $51.32. Not too expensive but if the location could be improved on a little more, this might be worth another look.
The variety it offers in the set meals are a refreshing take on a tired Teppenyaki menu. Still, you can't fault them for being innovative. I would describe this as a fusion of old school cooking with new world tastes. The question to be had is whether this gives them an edge over the competition who relies on not changing to meet demands. My answer to that is: Wait and see. I can't say i didn't enjoy the meal but somehow it still feels like something is lacking. Probably the posh feeling or maybe i just prefer ala carte ordering. Still, worth a look for budget consumers.
I love The Soup Spoon! The last time I went was a few years ago and I was happy to go again recently to find that it has expanded! There's more seating area now although it's really cramped cos they tried to put as many seats as possible. On weekday evenings, the place was absolutely brimming with people! It was sheer luck that my friend and I managed to get a table!
Food Ordered: Seafood Clam Chowder in Bread Bowls - 2 servings Tuna Mayo Sandwich A bottle of Snapple
I love the clam chowder ($8.20) because it's so thick and flavourful! And it's fun eating up the whole bowl with it. One serving of this is actually enough for two people so my friend and I were absolutely full after...
The Tuna Mayo Sandwich was tasty but not extraordinarily. Serving is just right for one person, provided you don't order anything else much.
The total bill came up to about $25, which I find very reasonable since we ordered enough to feed 3 people. Definitely worth many more visits!
Having heard about this place being good for its desserts, naturally being a dessert-lover, I was drawn to it. My friend and I went on a quiet weekday afternoon so there wasn't anyone, which is great! I was awed by the selection of desserts and simply didn't know which to pick! After a long long time we managed to decide.
As it was tea time, there was a tea time special. A choice of dessert and a drink for $9.50.
Food Ordered: Arabella Sweet Pleasure Strawberry Italian Soda Iced Lime Mint Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich
Arabella is the dome-shaped chocolate cake with Jivara mousse with caramelised bananas, fruity ginger and passion fruit puree. I'm not a fan of caramelised bananas but was attracted to the presentation of the cake... the taste of bananas wasn't as strong as I thought it would be so that was good for me. I loved the outer covering.
Sweet Pleasure was made of layers of hazelnut praline dacquoise, Jivara milk chocolate ganache with fleur de sel, topped with chocolate mousse. I loved this cake. Except for the fact that it was difficult to eat, thanks to the hard top layer, it was delicious. Not overly sweet, the hazelnut taste was strong and made it really different from other cakes.
The Lemon Mint was a strange unappetizing green colour but nonetheless it was good. You can taste both flavours nicely.
The only one that disappointed was the Italian Soda. All Soda no strawberry. Made me extremely bloated after that.
The Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich was adequate in taste. It was quite big and more than enough for a lady like me. The ingredients were sufficient. It wasn't fantastic but at $12.50 I guess it's alright.
The bill came up to $36.40 for five items between two of us. Really a good deal I must say. Please note that this price is only during Tea time Specials.. weekday afternoons only.
On Christmas Day .... a second trip, we tried: Macarons - Chocolate with Raspberry Macarons - Chocolate with Lemon Forest Noir Ambrosia Lychee Tea
To keep it short, the macarons are good but not fantastic. You really have to pick the flavours carefully. The Chocolate and Lemon one was too sticky for me whereas the Raspberry one was good in texture but slightly too sweet in taste.
Forest Noir was very much your average Blackforest cake but the Ambrosia was fantastic. lol my friend kept stealing mine!
And the Lychee tea is definitely a huge improvement from the Italian Soda I picked the last time. Good Drink.
This time we spent about $30 for 4 items. (See the difference minus the tea time special? Pity we're not all tai-tais.)
Anyway I'll definitely be back for more desserts and Lambourghini/Ferrari-watching. :)
Tamon is a small Japanese eatery located along East Coast Road near 928 Laksa. It had been sitting quietly in its corner for years and I was really tempted to try. Its opening hours are quite limited. They are open from 12-2pm (weekdays) and 6-10pm (weekdays and weekends). They aren't open on Public Holidays. Finally after one failed attempt (reached there and they weren't open), we managed to enter this place, frequented by Japanese in the area.
Seating for this place is for about 30-40, with about 4 tables of 4 outside. It is pretty cramped with the seats very close to each other. You can't have two larger sized people sitting back to back otherwise they would have a really hard time getting out.
They have a variety of items however they only have 5 dinner sets to choose from. Dinner sets are the best bargain at about $20 . The rest of the items are at normal prices which aren't very cheap.
Food Ordered: Tamon Bento Dinner Set A
The Tamon Bento ($26) consisted of sashimi,tempura, saba shioyaki, chawanmushi served with miso soup and rice. Both sets had a variety of sashimi and tempura which were sizeable and fresh (sashimi). The batter for the tempura was pretty good and it wasn't oily. The saba shioyaki (grilled mackerel) was well done, retaining its taste without being too "fishy". The best item here was the chawanmushi. Its texture was very smooth. One of the best I've tasted really.
Dinner Set A ($26) consisted of sashimi,tempura, chicken teriyaki served with miso soup and rice. The extra item here would be the Chicken teriyaki. It was a pretty sizeable serving so I shared it with my friend. Nicely done with very little fatty bits which is what I like.
In terms of service they were slow to respond at times even when there were only a few people. They were quick to tend to regulars though.
So I took one star off due to the service and limited opening hours. Parking isn't too easy too in the area.
Ice cream, who doesn't love a good ice cream in the middle of a hot day to soothe the heat and calm our high strung nerves? This is exactly what i was hoping to achieve when i tried out this little ice cream outlet at Plaza Singapura on this hot and humid day.
Tiramisu and Green Mint with Chocolate - Different is how i would describe the experience i had. The green mint tasted very strong and strangely 'clean', meaning it tastes pretty much like toothpaste which hits the spot for me since its such a hot day. Tiramisu, on the other hand tasted like a mixture of fat free chocolate and coffee together which did not reconcile with my idea of how tiramisu should taste like. The cone was horrible and very bland, lacking in flavors or any taste whatsoever. These were my initial impressions along with my gf.
After i got home and did some research however, i realized the reason why the ice cream tasted so different is due to the focus on health instead of taste. That is why the ice cream tastes wierd, because of the minimal use of milk or cream in them. Azabu Soba is a health based tea house concept developed in Japan and currently spread throughout the Asian region. The main outlet at Marina Square is said to serve good and healthy food according to online reviews which i just might try out again one day.
Health concept shops are all the rage these days since people are realizing that a huge variety of food outlets are serving junk food in order to cash in on the growing food industry. Though the ice cream does not cater to the majority in terms of taste, i still applaud their aim to bring a healthier dimension to the food industry. That is the only reason for me to dine at their main outlet one day. Hopefully, the food there is off a better standard then their ice cream.
Yar Claud is right.. The mussels are good.. But i love the fresh oysters the best... I wonder if they still serve that... The last i've been there they say no stock... Oysters all die coz Oil Spill.. heehee I just made that up!!!! The oysters are so value for money, if i'm not wrong its like $10 or $12 for half a dozen and boy the Oysters are HUGE.... Very fresh and good...... drizzzle some TOBASCO sauce. lagi SHIOKA DOO DOO.......
The baked mussels is very nice also. I like the baked stuffs just not the deep fried stuffs.. I got a body to maintain ok.... Though not much left.. but still......
Other then that.. this place is nice because its one of the least crowded restaurant usually...
Gosh.... Where does all these shoppers come from man.. Its crowded in Orchard Road, Suntec City, All the other Heartland Malls...... and now VIVO CITY.. Gosh........
Please Bring back the oysters....................................
Its like flying they say.. Well... I do feel light enough to fly after the ride. heehee!
Aeroline unlike other coaches to KL are safer I feel. Judging by their stringent requirements for their drivers. The coach is somewhat comfortable with TV to watch and onboard meals to fill your hunger pangs. They also serve beverages like coffee, tea, milo and others..... Plus plus plus... A super small toilet for the Pee Wee....... The flushing system is super good and its the only thing that resembles the FLYING.....
If you happen to get on the double deck, you have a lounge on the lower level. It is especially good for travelling with grannies or older people who have difficulty getting on the high steps of the bus.. The lounge equipped with comfy couches and a special boarding entrance with lower steps to accommodate their requirements. If there are no such travellers then normal healthy and strong travellers like us can enjoy the luxury of the lounge with more leg space and a choice of the movie u wanna watch.
The beautiful thing about Aeroline is that it stops in Corus hotel in KL unlike the rest which is usually at the Bus Terminals which is rather less safe and convenient. You might wanna choose to stay in Corus hotel or you can conveniently take a train or a cab to the destination you desire. Corus hotel is but within their Commercial Distric. If you want to eat something before u travel further, you can always drop by KLCC which is like 10 mins walk from corus hotel.
Thats what I call travel in Style.. Its not pricy either... $67 for a non-stop one way trip to KL and cheaper if you book the return from Corus hotel as it is in RM. On top of that to make your trip lagi worth you can charge your lap top , phones and everything else with the 240V wall plugs on board.. Super Duper Right......
IT Feels so Embarrassing when somebody wears the same outfit as i am at this so glam party the other day. Matter of fact i think she looks nicer in that silver top... Grr...........
I mean... its so Difficult to find unique pieces of fashionable items. The shops just repeat themselves in every shopping mall and if you want something special... its DEFINITELY going to BURN A HOLE in my Pocket. I cannot imagine one new skirt in 3 months.....
So, i promise myself to keep a look out for interesting and unique shops that sells fashionable items at a reachable damage. AND I found B.Zone...........
Its a very unique shop. Looks pretty regular on the outside but spend sometime looking at the items there and you can find many interesting items. The one things that WOWed me is the interior design of the shop. The clever owner managed to hide a store and changing room in that tiny area. And boy.. u must really check that out... Its not visible to the naked eye, so if you must really find out, ask the shop keeper to show you or try some pretty dresses there.
Talking about the clothings... One thing i super like about this shop is the concept. They work with independent artist and so, their items are truely unique. There are only few pieces for each design and colour, Its hard to meet somebody carrying or wearing something similar.
The accessories are so special... It makes me wanna puncture my ears to wear these special ear BoBs.... The shop keeper 'Priscilla' showed me this special piece. 'Handmade cane wond ear BoBs' So Special So cute... I must have it......
Priscilla herself was wearing these very cute furry but not kiddy looking slippers..... They kind of gave this warm and cosy feeling for an especially cold christmas. I ended up buying myself loads of christmas presents.
I've got a nice bag for work.... ITs a pretty Hue of YELLOW... very clean looking.... and a matching Long Neckless to match with the bag. Neckless meaning wear already no neck? heehee! what a wierd term.....
Oh yar. i bought a piggy bag for my niece... thats her christmas present.. A piggy bag for her to PIGGYBAG.. heehee! And i bought all these for about $50.. can u imagine how good the prices are. Join them as a member and you can get 10% discount on your purchases plus plus plus....
I've got alot of wrapping paper from the information counter next door in which i dun need to queue or BEG.... the nice lady just asked.... Do you want wrapping paper... I say ok... maybe 2 and she went.. i wrapped them up in 6... How GENEROUS!!!!!... i am beginning to love shopping in the xchange. I hate it when I look like a Yao GUI queing for the wrapping papers... I mean i queue so long they only give like 1 or 2... so kiam siap right.....
Then i've got a lucky dip n got one free ticket to the ALIEN AND PREDATORS plus plus 2 lucky draw tickets to fill in.... Reallly so WORTH LOR..........
FOr First time i am TOTALLY SATISFIED and GUILT FREE for a Shopping Spree...
Will post photos later of my Shopping... Shops like B.Zones are like little Gems for that fashionable you.......
1=SGD 0.0587
Cafe de Amigo relocated to Funan in 2006. Chef Foo Wah Ann is the man behind this very nice place. Having heard about him when he was at the renown La Brasserie (Marco Polo Hotel), we thought a visit to this place was a must. The ambience is pretty cosy. There is a live band singing jazzy tunes throughout the night. The crowd there is consists largely of those working in the area.
Food Ordered:
Deep-fried Cheese - 3pc ($16.50)
3 types of cheese melted together and deep fried, served with fresh basil and tomato sauce. I like the cheese which was firm and not oozing out of its shell.
Soft Shell Crab ($13.50)
The batter was a little too light and it was too oily for my taste. Small serving just enough for one person.
Escargot A la Bourguignon (6 for $16.50)
Served in a garlic and butter sauce, I found nothing spectacular about this dish. If anything, the serving was really small.
Lobster Bisque ($9.50)
"Bisque of Bisques" was its description in the menu. Thus we had to try this. It was flavourful however it's pretty hard to find lobster nor taste any lobster in this dish.
Not the same Potato ($7.50)
It is actually supposed to be creamy potato soup but the taste of potato was weak and overpowered by the cheese that was blended into it.
Salad de Amis ($14.50)
A huge serving of salad which you'll be able to see anywhere, served with olive oil vinegar dressing. Which I think wasn't enough as it was dry and a little bland.
Chicken chop ($20.50)
Grilled boneless chicken drumstick served in black pepper sauce and fries. Sadly you can get a good taste of this dish at hawker centres at a quarter of its price. Although boneless, the chicken had a fair share of fatty bits and it wasn't as succulent as I had expected. The black pepper sauce wasn't thick enough too.
Ox-Tail ($24.50)
One of the inhouse specialties. A generous serving of stewed oxtail served with boiled potato and broccoli. My companion commented that it was very tender and juicy. I did think that it was the one of the best dishes on the table that night
Duck Breast ($26.50)
Also one of the recommended dishes. Roasted duck slices in red wine sauce, served with boiled spinach. The combination seemed a little odd to me at first. But my companion has full of compliments for it so I guess it was really good.
Normandy Apple Pie ($7.50)
One of the recommended desserts. It was served with wild honey and vanilla ice-cream. I loved the crumbly crust which was light and tasty. One would find it hard to be sick of this. The inside was not overly sweet.
Frezzie Tiramisu ($7.90)
It was a regular ice cream cake. Certainly not worth the money.
The presentation of the food was not good. More like they were all haphazardly put together. The service is alright. I don't think I will be back anytime soon...
Rating given:
Its been a long time since i had Claypot Rice, somehow, it seems to have disappeared from mainstream cuisine so much so that its difficult to locate a decent place to have this old tradition. I have, however, long heard of a shop that specializes in claypot cuisine somewhere along East Coast Road and that's where we went.
Simple, unassuming and boring would most probably describe the restaurant. The tables were sparsely located using a yellowish color scheme and round tables of different sizes. Clearly a place designed for big gatherings and get-togethers as there were only a handful of tables designed for less then 4 people. The impression was also not helped by the fact that at dinner time, there was only a handful of patrons in the restaurant, a clear sign of decline? Nevertheless, we pressed on.
Pickles ($1) - Complimentary starters or should i say compulsory starters? Either way, the pickles were sour and did their job of whetting my appetite. Paying for it didn't help my impression though.
Handmade Beancurd with Seaweed, Mushrooms and Vegetables ($8) - The bean curb was soft but not smooth on the inside, it didn't help that the only taste it had came from the soy sauce base below which made it extremely salty. The same goes for the tasteless mushrooms and horribly cut vegetables. Its pretty obvious they did not spend alot of time getting this to the table.
Yam Ring ($12) - Yam rings are one of my favourite dishes when its done right and their rendition is the perfect example of a yam ring done seriously wrong. The cashew nuts were a little soggy, prawns were not fresh enough to be sweet nor crunchy and the chicken meat was tasteless. However, mediocre fillings aside, the greatest disappointment of the day is the yam ring itself. Notice the second shot depicting the insides of the yam ring? The was no yam. The ring has obviously been fried so many times that the yam has charred and disappeared, even then, they dared to serve it to the customers. Horrible.
Claypot Rice ($10) - The star of the day, the claypot rice i came for. This was at least decent. Fragrant and soft rice cooked in claypot and stirred in our presence. The chicken was also decidedly tender and sweet which helped ease my unhappiness a little. The best part of the rice is the wok hei present near the bottom of the claypot. Unhealthy yet delectable. This dish is at least worthy of the commercial review it garnered.
The bill came up to $34 for 2 people which is alot more then i was willing to pay for given the horrible quality of the initial offerings.
I would have enjoyed the meal if all i ordered was the claypot rice. In fact, i would say going for the rice alone is worth it but anything else is a serious waste of money. That said, my recommendation is still, not to visit because the money is better spent elsewhere.
Rating given:
Sakae sushi recently branched out to the Teppenyaki business in their first all out table top cooking outlet at Tampines Century Square. Boasting 33 outlets all over Singapore, the green frog logo has more or less solidified its presence and made a handsome profit. So how does the Teppenyaki outlet fare?
Located directly opposite Sakae sushi, the new outlet is surrounded by tanks carrying live lobster, oysters and crayfish. There were about 3 cooking counters which can hold up to 24 customers at any one time. Everything looks clean and well distributed.
Classic Juice ($4) - Ordering drinks usually come across as a big no-no for me when i visit restaurants due to cut-throat prices and generally bad tasting drinks. Not this time though, the juice is delightfully refreshing with the stronger taste of peach complimenting the lighter tasting apple juice. I have been scouring department stores ever since for this beverage, anyone with information on this please let me know.
Vegetable salad with crab meat, seaweed and assorted greens - The complimentary appetizer was light and fresh with crunchy greens like lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage. Not too bad but nothing special either
Normal Japanese Rice - This is just simple sticky Japanese rice. However, it is possible to ask for garlic fried rice which would prove to be a much better choice as we witnessed it fried with butter, garlic, bean sprouts and eggs. The result was pretty pleasing for the nose but we unfortunately did not have that. Oh! This is at additional charge of course.
Pan Fried Salmon and Garlic Fried Beef Tenderloin, Mayonnaise Oyster and Pan Fried Foie Gras (Goose Liver), Chawan Mushi and Toufu, Pan Fried Chicken Cubes in Teriyaki Sauce and Wild Shittake Mushrooms.
The Completed Chicken Set ($17.90) - My gf had the chicken set and basically, i got to try almost everything. The chicken cubes were sweet and fragrant but a little on the tough side when chewing. The salmon is really hard and hardly held much taste which is a stark contrast from the toufu which was a tad too salty and the oyster, which is the most delightful of the lot, fresh and sweet. The mushrooms compensated the lack of bean sprouts and were soft, fragrant and chewy at the some time.
The Completed Beef Set ($19.90) - The beef set came with a generous helping of beef which i perceive as tenderloin since there is a distinct layer of fat present in it. The goose liver is smooth and evenly pan fried to goodness but compared to Humble house and Zambuca, they have a long way to go. Toufu and mushrooms are the same as the above and the Chawan Mushi was very good. It was smooth, fresh and sweet because we saw the ingredients as it was prepared. Nicely done.
A rather satisfying Teppenyaki meal if i do say so myself only came at the cost of $51.32. Not too expensive but if the location could be improved on a little more, this might be worth another look.
The variety it offers in the set meals are a refreshing take on a tired Teppenyaki menu. Still, you can't fault them for being innovative. I would describe this as a fusion of old school cooking with new world tastes. The question to be had is whether this gives them an edge over the competition who relies on not changing to meet demands. My answer to that is: Wait and see. I can't say i didn't enjoy the meal but somehow it still feels like something is lacking. Probably the posh feeling or maybe i just prefer ala carte ordering. Still, worth a look for budget consumers.
Rating given:
I love The Soup Spoon! The last time I went was a few years ago and I was happy to go again recently to find that it has expanded! There's more seating area now although it's really cramped cos they tried to put as many seats as possible. On weekday evenings, the place was absolutely brimming with people! It was sheer luck that my friend and I managed to get a table!
Food Ordered:
Seafood Clam Chowder in Bread Bowls - 2 servings
Tuna Mayo Sandwich
A bottle of Snapple
I love the clam chowder ($8.20) because it's so thick and flavourful! And it's fun eating up the whole bowl with it. One serving of this is actually enough for two people so my friend and I were absolutely full after...
The Tuna Mayo Sandwich was tasty but not extraordinarily. Serving is just right for one person, provided you don't order anything else much.
The total bill came up to about $25, which I find very reasonable since we ordered enough to feed 3 people. Definitely worth many more visits!
Rating given:
Having heard about this place being good for its desserts, naturally being a dessert-lover, I was drawn to it. My friend and I went on a quiet weekday afternoon so there wasn't anyone, which is great! I was awed by the selection of desserts and simply didn't know which to pick! After a long long time we managed to decide.
As it was tea time, there was a tea time special. A choice of dessert and a drink for $9.50.
Food Ordered:
Arabella
Sweet Pleasure
Strawberry Italian Soda
Iced Lime Mint
Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich
Arabella is the dome-shaped chocolate cake with Jivara mousse with caramelised bananas, fruity ginger and passion fruit puree. I'm not a fan of caramelised bananas but was attracted to the presentation of the cake... the taste of bananas wasn't as strong as I thought it would be so that was good for me. I loved the outer covering.
Sweet Pleasure was made of layers of hazelnut praline dacquoise, Jivara milk chocolate ganache with fleur de sel, topped with chocolate mousse. I loved this cake. Except for the fact that it was difficult to eat, thanks to the hard top layer, it was delicious. Not overly sweet, the hazelnut taste was strong and made it really different from other cakes.
The Lemon Mint was a strange unappetizing green colour but nonetheless it was good. You can taste both flavours nicely.
The only one that disappointed was the Italian Soda. All Soda no strawberry. Made me extremely bloated after that.
The Chicken and Mushroom Sandwich was adequate in taste. It was quite big and more than enough for a lady like me. The ingredients were sufficient. It wasn't fantastic but at $12.50 I guess it's alright.
The bill came up to $36.40 for five items between two of us. Really a good deal I must say. Please note that this price is only during Tea time Specials.. weekday afternoons only.
On Christmas Day .... a second trip, we tried:
Macarons - Chocolate with Raspberry
Macarons - Chocolate with Lemon
Forest Noir
Ambrosia
Lychee Tea
To keep it short, the macarons are good but not fantastic. You really have to pick the flavours carefully. The Chocolate and Lemon one was too sticky for me whereas the Raspberry one was good in texture but slightly too sweet in taste.
Forest Noir was very much your average Blackforest cake but the Ambrosia was fantastic. lol my friend kept stealing mine!
And the Lychee tea is definitely a huge improvement from the Italian Soda I picked the last time. Good Drink.
This time we spent about $30 for 4 items. (See the difference minus the tea time special? Pity we're not all tai-tais.)
Anyway I'll definitely be back for more desserts and Lambourghini/Ferrari-watching. :)
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Tamon is a small Japanese eatery located along East Coast Road near 928 Laksa. It had been sitting quietly in its corner for years and I was really tempted to try. Its opening hours are quite limited. They are open from 12-2pm (weekdays) and 6-10pm (weekdays and weekends). They aren't open on Public Holidays. Finally after one failed attempt (reached there and they weren't open), we managed to enter this place, frequented by Japanese in the area.
Seating for this place is for about 30-40, with about 4 tables of 4 outside. It is pretty cramped with the seats very close to each other. You can't have two larger sized people sitting back to back otherwise they would have a really hard time getting out.
They have a variety of items however they only have 5 dinner sets to choose from. Dinner sets are the best bargain at about $20 . The rest of the items are at normal prices which aren't very cheap.
Food Ordered:
Tamon Bento
Dinner Set A
The Tamon Bento ($26) consisted of sashimi,tempura, saba shioyaki, chawanmushi served with miso soup and rice. Both sets had a variety of sashimi and tempura which were sizeable and fresh (sashimi). The batter for the tempura was pretty good and it wasn't oily. The saba shioyaki (grilled mackerel) was well done, retaining its taste without being too "fishy". The best item here was the chawanmushi. Its texture was very smooth. One of the best I've tasted really.
Dinner Set A ($26) consisted of sashimi,tempura, chicken teriyaki served with miso soup and rice. The extra item here would be the Chicken teriyaki. It was a pretty sizeable serving so I shared it with my friend. Nicely done with very little fatty bits which is what I like.
In terms of service they were slow to respond at times even when there were only a few people. They were quick to tend to regulars though.
So I took one star off due to the service and limited opening hours. Parking isn't too easy too in the area.
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Ice cream, who doesn't love a good ice cream in the middle of a hot day to soothe the heat and calm our high strung nerves? This is exactly what i was hoping to achieve when i tried out this little ice cream outlet at Plaza Singapura on this hot and humid day.
Tiramisu and Green Mint with Chocolate - Different is how i would describe the experience i had. The green mint tasted very strong and strangely 'clean', meaning it tastes pretty much like toothpaste which hits the spot for me since its such a hot day. Tiramisu, on the other hand tasted like a mixture of fat free chocolate and coffee together which did not reconcile with my idea of how tiramisu should taste like. The cone was horrible and very bland, lacking in flavors or any taste whatsoever. These were my initial impressions along with my gf.
After i got home and did some research however, i realized the reason why the ice cream tasted so different is due to the focus on health instead of taste. That is why the ice cream tastes wierd, because of the minimal use of milk or cream in them. Azabu Soba is a health based tea house concept developed in Japan and currently spread throughout the Asian region. The main outlet at Marina Square is said to serve good and healthy food according to online reviews which i just might try out again one day.
Health concept shops are all the rage these days since people are realizing that a huge variety of food outlets are serving junk food in order to cash in on the growing food industry. Though the ice cream does not cater to the majority in terms of taste, i still applaud their aim to bring a healthier dimension to the food industry. That is the only reason for me to dine at their main outlet one day. Hopefully, the food there is off a better standard then their ice cream.
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Yar Claud is right.. The mussels are good.. But i love the fresh oysters the best... I wonder if they still serve that... The last i've been there they say no stock... Oysters all die coz Oil Spill.. heehee I just made that up!!!! The oysters are so value for money, if i'm not wrong its like $10 or $12 for half a dozen and boy the Oysters are HUGE.... Very fresh and good...... drizzzle some TOBASCO sauce. lagi SHIOKA DOO DOO.......
The baked mussels is very nice also. I like the baked stuffs just not the deep fried stuffs.. I got a body to maintain ok.... Though not much left.. but still......
Other then that.. this place is nice because its one of the least crowded restaurant usually...
Gosh.... Where does all these shoppers come from man.. Its crowded in Orchard Road, Suntec City, All the other Heartland Malls...... and now VIVO CITY.. Gosh........
Please Bring back the oysters....................................
Plea from:
Oyster Girl....
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Its like flying they say.. Well... I do feel light enough to fly after the ride. heehee!
Aeroline unlike other coaches to KL are safer I feel. Judging by their stringent requirements for their drivers. The coach is somewhat comfortable with TV to watch and onboard meals to fill your hunger pangs. They also serve beverages like coffee, tea, milo and others..... Plus plus plus... A super small toilet for the Pee Wee....... The flushing system is super good and its the only thing that resembles the FLYING.....
If you happen to get on the double deck, you have a lounge on the lower level. It is especially good for travelling with grannies or older people who have difficulty getting on the high steps of the bus.. The lounge equipped with comfy couches and a special boarding entrance with lower steps to accommodate their requirements. If there are no such travellers then normal healthy and strong travellers like us can enjoy the luxury of the lounge with more leg space and a choice of the movie u wanna watch.
The beautiful thing about Aeroline is that it stops in Corus hotel in KL unlike the rest which is usually at the Bus Terminals which is rather less safe and convenient. You might wanna choose to stay in Corus hotel or you can conveniently take a train or a cab to the destination you desire. Corus hotel is but within their Commercial Distric. If you want to eat something before u travel further, you can always drop by KLCC which is like 10 mins walk from corus hotel.
Thats what I call travel in Style.. Its not pricy either... $67 for a non-stop one way trip to KL and cheaper if you book the return from Corus hotel as it is in RM. On top of that to make your trip lagi worth you can charge your lap top , phones and everything else with the 240V wall plugs on board.. Super Duper Right......
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IT Feels so Embarrassing when somebody wears the same outfit as i am at this so glam party the other day. Matter of fact i think she looks nicer in that silver top... Grr...........
I mean... its so Difficult to find unique pieces of fashionable items. The shops just repeat themselves in every shopping mall and if you want something special... its DEFINITELY going to BURN A HOLE in my Pocket. I cannot imagine one new skirt in 3 months.....
So, i promise myself to keep a look out for interesting and unique shops that sells fashionable items at a reachable damage. AND I found B.Zone...........
Its a very unique shop. Looks pretty regular on the outside but spend sometime looking at the items there and you can find many interesting items. The one things that WOWed me is the interior design of the shop. The clever owner managed to hide a store and changing room in that tiny area. And boy.. u must really check that out... Its not visible to the naked eye, so if you must really find out, ask the shop keeper to show you or try some pretty dresses there.
Talking about the clothings... One thing i super like about this shop is the concept. They work with independent artist and so, their items are truely unique. There are only few pieces for each design and colour, Its hard to meet somebody carrying or wearing something similar.
The accessories are so special... It makes me wanna puncture my ears to wear these special ear BoBs.... The shop keeper 'Priscilla' showed me this special piece. 'Handmade cane wond ear BoBs' So Special So cute... I must have it......
Priscilla herself was wearing these very cute furry but not kiddy looking slippers..... They kind of gave this warm and cosy feeling for an especially cold christmas. I ended up buying myself loads of christmas presents.
I've got a nice bag for work.... ITs a pretty Hue of YELLOW... very clean looking.... and a matching Long Neckless to match with the bag. Neckless meaning wear already no neck? heehee! what a wierd term.....
Oh yar. i bought a piggy bag for my niece... thats her christmas present.. A piggy bag for her to PIGGYBAG.. heehee! And i bought all these for about $50.. can u imagine how good the prices are. Join them as a member and you can get 10% discount on your purchases plus plus plus....
I've got alot of wrapping paper from the information counter next door in which i dun need to queue or BEG.... the nice lady just asked.... Do you want wrapping paper... I say ok... maybe 2 and she went.. i wrapped them up in 6... How GENEROUS!!!!!... i am beginning to love shopping in the xchange. I hate it when I look like a Yao GUI queing for the wrapping papers... I mean i queue so long they only give like 1 or 2... so kiam siap right.....
Then i've got a lucky dip n got one free ticket to the ALIEN AND PREDATORS plus plus 2 lucky draw tickets to fill in.... Reallly so WORTH LOR..........
FOr First time i am TOTALLY SATISFIED and GUILT FREE for a Shopping Spree...
Will post photos later of my Shopping... Shops like B.Zones are like little Gems for that fashionable you.......
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