The beautiful, each piece: Oh-so-dainty, Oh-so-refine. Almost like art, delicately crafted.
O’ my dear, I love you so. Never in my heart, I stopped thinking of you. Miss sushi, and Miss tapas: both seemed to be more popular than you, but I will always put you in the first place.
It was big, no, huge! This was, one of the many, different renditions of har gau we would see today. Essentially a har gau without the skin; the crab meat dumpling. It was prawny, with a nice bite - but crabby (no pun intended) it was not, well who cares?
Rather than an-overly-thick-skin, give me a dumpling without skin.
The well-admired Steamed Prawn Dumplings had an injection of carrot purée which only served to beautify the appearance of the har gau skin.
“We protested! We protested!”
The purist camp did a demonstration on the streets, crying for the restoration of the conventional har gau which they were so used to. But for the ladies; the boost in vitamin A. What was missing however, was the carrot taste.
The novelty. The inclusion of preserved vegetables was a brilliant stroke of art; the saltiness enhanced the flavour of the pork, which brought us to the question: why didn’t anybody thought of this before? Steamed pork dumpling with preserved vegetables, siew mai.
Now this was a not-so-simple bun that was bound to turn heads. Served piping hot, the bun seemed quite insignificant until you took a bite at it. Immediately, you would realize that you just had something very special. The bun itself was soft, fluffy and light as a feather while the fillings were so, so sweet and juicy. The Steamed kurobuta char siew pork fluffy bao, was the winner for the day.
The humble har gau did an open-faced sandwich; with shark’s fin on top. Luxury, it was, wealth, it symbolized, and prestige, it presented. Sorry sharky! Steamed shark’s fin dumplings with dried scallops and shrimp.
The tinge of pink, at the top of the tri-top; pretty and so pretty. Another piece of art we seen, at the gallery of Cherry Garden. However, the Scallop and spinach crystal dumpling did came across as slightly dry.
Truffled Essence Crystal Dumplings stuffed with Assorted Fresh Mushrooms. This, was a beauty; the translucent skin, the jelly texture, the array of mushrooms, almost perfect - but it was too large!
Prawn was the main lead, and mango was the second lead. There was the accompany of the green, hot wasabi! Netted rice crispy turnover. I held you, in my arms, into the late wee wee hour: without the wasabi! My dear, the netted rice crispy turnover.
And there was the famous XLB. The voluptuous folds, the goodness of the soup stock, everything, gushing out.
Like a peacock spreading his feathers, the netted rice crispy did a peacock effect: it caught everybody’s attention. Oh my, so beautiful, was this meant to be eaten?
And oh wait, there’s something hiding below the feathers; the netted rice crispy I meant. Ah, that’s the pan-fried chives and chicken dumplings!
Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of chives - I would leave the taste of the dumpling to your own imagination. This was, a piece of art! Why don’t we turn it upside down?
This was the umpteenth time we had a make-over of the har gau, they called it, Steamed Chinese spinach dumplings. The spinach, provided the lovely lines, just like how a painting adorned the wall. The egg yolk, provided the oomph, so, so good.
This, was a poisonous pear, for snow white. The wicked witch threw in some pumpkin, a pinch of jicama, stirred stirred, mixed mixed, and finally, some vegetarian ham.
Poof! With a wave of her wand, the deep-fried potato “pear” appeared. Crispy texture checked, mesmerizing appearance checked, vegetarian (snow white is on a diet) checked. Sticky innards (to stick the mouth together) checked. Everything was present, and OH, where’s the poison?
And we took a plunge, into the deep, deep blue sea. From the land to the sea, the Symphony of live pacific grouper prepared in three different ways. The first: we have a soup, grouper fish broth with ginger, onion and Silken tofu.
Steamed grouper crystal fish dumpling. Was this a dim sum, or was this a fish? It was both, with a twist. Brilliant it was, bravo we shouted. Grouper fish meat inside a dumpling of the fish skin. It was beautiful, too beautiful to eat.
It was not all smooth-sailing, nothing was. As much as I loved the creativity, there was a snag. The use of fish skin, for the translucent was great for the eyes, but not for the mouth. It was chewy, and slightly fishy: non fish lovers, would say, no no!
Prawn and pork, were absent. I give you fish, fish for dim sum. The very first, I believed. Let there be more, say fish siew mai? This, surely, would be a great day for all the fish lovers.
One price, one fish, for the value of three. Worthy, indeed. Sautéed grouper fillet with asparagus, no parts of the fish were wasted, from the meat, to the skin.
I have always wanted to go to Cherry Garden. And I’m glad I finally did. It was a feast, for the visual senses. The dim sum, so delicately craft piece by piece, was an art, for all to enjoyed. Creativity was certainly in the air, the adventurous use of different ingredients, the details to attention for the tiniest things, the emphasize of making it look as good as it tasted. I’m sold. Praises, have to be reserved for the savvy and charismatic executive Chinese chef, Mr Hiew Gun Khong.
Cherry Garden has the weekend dim sum ala carte buffet at $45 per head, which has a selections of 20 over dim sum, and other Chinese food as well. My appreciation to Kelly, the PR relations manager for hosting us, and Cuisine & Wine Asia for the invitation.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Fancy some place in town with all the dishes on the menu priced at $15 or less? Apparently Oriole, a newly opened cafe/restaurant in town, offers such a value proposition. The name Oriole is interesting because it is also the name of a bird.
Located at Pan Pacific Serviced Suites in Somerset Road, Oriole is owned by the same owner of Aerin's, Bedrock Grill & Bar (next door to Oriole) and Whitebait & Kale and boasts Singapore's number 1 and number 3 baristas, which makes their coffee a must try! The interior of the place is rather cafeish with dim lighting and floor to ceilings windows. Currently the area surrounding Oriole is undergoing construction so there isn't much of a view to speak of.
Coffee Crust Cod Fish ($25.50++)- This was a daily special so the $15/dish cap didn't apply, which was rather regrettable really. The fish was smooth but a wee bit fishy and lacked sweetness. There was the problem of the missing coffee taste as well.
Prawn Spaghetti ($15++) - The pasta was tossed in olive oil and came across as a little too soft. I counted 5 crystal prawns to that were crunchy albeit a little small. But at least the whole dish was still palatable, though probably not something that I would order again.
Honey Crumble Affogato ($7++) - This dessert came with a shot of espresso and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which unfortunately had ice chips in it. I didn't quite take to the honeycomb crunch as bits of it got stuck onto my teeth. Overall this dessert was nothing too fancy or fantastic in my humble opinion.
Chocolate Fudge Cake ($5.50++) - Apparently one of Oriole's popular desserts, the chocolate fudge cake was quite decent in my humble opinion. Warm with pockets of molten chocolate within, it came across as rich and decadent - a sure fire recipe for nausea in the likely event of over consumption. Pity about the lack of ice cream though.
The total bill came up to $62.40 for 2 mains and 2 desserts, which would put Oriole in the Swensens, NYDC etc price range. Food quality is average but the lack of crowds in the middle of Orchard road is definitely a plus. Service was decent to boot.
This place is more like being called the Pets Safari however the anchor outlet of Pet Lovers Centre. Here, you can find everything you need for every kind of your pet. Be it the cute little puppy, meowie cat, small hamsters or even pet goldfish... They have everything to suit everybody's needs.
The cages come in many trendy designs and colours as well as sizes for adult german sheperds down to the smallest hamster carrier, not forgetting the handy sling tank.. Now you can bring your fishes for pet walks :).....
All sorts of food, treats and vitamin supplements are available for your pet... Fully Edible Toy Houses made from organic and dye free materials for the comfort of your small hamsters.... I mean they really do have a wide range of everything. Take rabbit food for example, they have various kinds of pallets and hays for their staple food and treats including the carrot lookalike vitamin supplied toy carrot that could last you for at least a week. On top of that your pet rabbit's teeth will be nice and trimmed after playing with that toy...
If your dog's is having a bad hair and is feeling depressed because of that, you could bring him to the grooming centre in this outlet and your babe will appear looking cool with a nice hairstyle and confident to attract new friends.
If you don't have a pet.. You could buy one here... They have small animals such as hamsters of various species, rabbits so fat you can cuddle them, guinea pigs so fluffy you can't wait to bring one home. If you prefer something bigger.. Check out the puppies on sale.. They are so adorable, I just can't stand the doggie eyes they give me.. You can ask the friendly staff to let you carry them for a while.. Bond for awhile before you decide if you want to buy them.. However.. Its important never to buy on IMPULSE... Taking care of a pet is a pretty time consuming activity... Unlike buying a car or the Wii when you can ignore them when you have no time or don't feel like it.. Getting a pet is commiting yourself to taking care of them :)
You could join Pet Lovers Centre's membership to get a 10 to 15% discount on everything except live animals... Sometimes they do have some other member perks which can be useful... I love this shop as the staff are so friendly and helpful to attend to my every need. Most importantly, the 'bad hair day' guinea pigs are only going for $80 for one and i'm definitely looking for a girlfriend for my darling 'CASH!'
However I am sad about one thing.. There's no place at vivo for the pets to wander about.... I've been to many countries and even in countries like taiwan, they allow their pets in the mall.. as long as you could handcarry them or put them in a pram.. they are fine... Even in malls like our PARAGON / KLCC kind.. people bring their full grown overweight golden retriever for lunch at the food court with them... Its something I hope we could get there soon....
Meanwhile, enjoy your walk in pets safari which by the way is next to the DaiSo... It could be really educational for your children too...
Dinner was a pleasant affair at Si Chuan Dou Hua. There are actually 3 outlets and we chose the one perched way at the top of UOB Plaza(60th floor) right in the heart of the Central Business District. You don't really need a rocket scientist to figure out why though. The view from the 60th floor is breathtaking. Need I say more?
Any hopes of an awesome aerial view slowly dissipates when you step into the restaurant. The windows are not floor to ceiling windows and offer a very limited view of the surroundings. However, any disappointment is soon placated by the sombre wood themed interior with its indulgent setting and classy finish. But do not write off those windows just yet. Peer through them and you get a magnificent view of the area, complete with shimmering lights of the city below. Its just a little more troublesome thats all.
Now Si Chuan Dou Hua is famous for its artful method of tea pouring. There will be a guy and a lady who will be dressed in traditional martial arts attire and armed with a kettle/teapot that has a very long snout. Water from this kettle/teapot will be skillfully poured into your tea cup containing the ingredients for the Eight Treasures Tea. Just a little background on this Eight Treasures Tea because I'm a huge fan of it. It consists of Red Dates, Wolf Berries, Dried Logans, Chrysanthemum, Rock Sugar, Dried Lily Buds, Jasmine Tea Leaves and Mai Dong, which is believed to reduce cholesterol, stimulate blood circulation and increase immunity. On a sidenote, we had the executive set dinner menu at $78.80 for 2 pax.
Two Delicacies Combination - The two delicacies in this dish refers to a serving of Dried Tau Kwa with Cashew Nuts and a serving of sliced pork with what tasted and looked like Belachan. This dish really whetted our appetites although it was way too spicy for us and we had to resort to downing glasses and glasses of iced water just polish it off. The meat was thinly sliced and had a slightly rubbery texture, which made chewing a pleasure. I did find the Dried Tau Kwa a little too hard though.
Eight Treasure Shark's Fin and Seafood Soup - This didn't really fit the bill of traditional shark's fin soup. It was almost greenish for starters due to the excessive amount of an unknown type of vegetable sprinkled on top (I couldn't really taste what kind of vegetable it was though) and the soup tasted more like tofu soup with seafood. But don't get me wrong, it was actually very tasty while not coming across as too heavy at the same time, probably due to the less starchy texture. There was a sprinkling of shark's fin but they weren't of superior quality. Then again, no complaints for the price.
Silver Cod Fish in Sweet Wine Sauce - I personally fancied this dish pretty much. The fish was fresh, sweet and nicely fried with an almost crispy exterior. Drizzle the sweet wine sauce on it and you get a burst of sweetness from the sauce melding with the natural sweetness of the fish. A simple but delightful dish to say the least.
Fried Rice with Crab Meat - How many times have you ordered crab meat fried rice only to find miniscule portions of crab meat hidden within? Si Chuan Dou Hua's version has large chunks of crab meat embedded within throughly fried grains of rice which have a distinctive Wok Hei aura. Eating too much of it also doesn't render one nauseous, which is a refreshing change from the usual MSG laden ones.
Stir Fried French Bean with Minced Meat - This is a rather uncommon dish in Singapore and many places that I've patronised don't serve it(maybe I'm just unlucky). Naturally I was excited to see that this dish came along with the set menu. Alas, excitement turned to disappointment when I had my first taste of it. The french bean was way too soft and soggy, probably a result of frying for too long. The minced meat topping was rather salty and tasted like dried shrimps actually, but it was the only thing that gave flavour to this dish.
With a name like Si Chuan Dou Hua, it isn't hard to guess what they are famous for - their Dou Hua. I'm not kidding, the Dou Hua is really a cut above the rest. Extremely smooth and quivery, the Dou Hua literally slitters down your throat with every spoonful. The syrup isn't too sweet, but sweet enough to carry the Dou Hua.
The bill came up to $103.50($83.50 after the usage of my $20 voucher), which does push the meaning of reasonable a little, but for the experience, it is still justifiable. Service is reasonably good as well, so it all adds up to a rather pleasant dining experience.
60. The number could refer to almost anything; age, weight, people, money, time - Si Chuan Dou Hua restaurant on the sixty level of UOB plaza. 100 - a century figure of dishes at weekend lunch, offering dim sum, tea and Szechuan cuisine. 38.8 - the unbeatable price of under forty dollars. Numbers are magic: they tell a thousand things too.
The kidney, I have to say, was lovely: chewy and pinkish-coloured, swelled-looking, with the clever use of spices covered the porky smell which made so many people avoided the delicious pig kidney.
The question of authenticity popped up during the tasting session, and Linda the director of SCDH was quick to point out although there were some minor tweaks of the dishes to suit local palates, the Chilled chicken in spicy bean paste was done exactly like the Szechuan favourite. The spicy bean paste caused a storm; hot, fiery, and simply so Szechuan!
SCDH served us many cold dishes for starters, and the Sliced beef and tripe in chilli sauce was one of them.
At first glance, it was not difficult to mistaken the Sliced duck in Teow chew style for the more commonly seen drunken chicken. Thinly sliced, I could never resist duck meat!
This one caught me by surprise - the crispy chicken puff. I wasn’t expecting something so, small and tiny, to be so good. The crispy fried skin had chicken within: it was a reminiscent of cream puff, except the pastry was fried instead of baked, and the fillings were chicken instead of cream.
Perfect. One of the best carrot cake I’ve had; every bite was flavourful with radish. The only correct thing to make a good carrot cake is to just add more radish, it’s so simple, yet many fail to get the gist of it.
The purist would protest at the sight of the Steamed siew mai with quill egg. The additional of quill egg was an innovation, and credits had to be given to the chefs for experimenting with different ingredients.
No, it definitely wasn’t St Valentine’s the last time I checked. Nonetheless, the heart shape was pretty enough to gorge at - Pan-fried shredded yam pancake with waxed meat.
I ain’t a big fan of mince meat balls, but the Steamed beef balls with seasonal vegetables won me over with the chewy and bouncy texture.
I eyed the golden dumpling, not knowing what to do. Should I, or should I not? I took up my pair of chopsticks, and dove right in, secretly praying in my heart: Sharky, rest in peace, you’d not die in vain. Steamed shark’s fin and chicken dumpling.
Despite the scary-looking-thick-oily-layer of chilli, the Dumpling with chilli oil was surprisingly, not that spicy. I had called the fire brigade to be prepared to put out any fire, and after one tiny nibble of the dumpling, it was safe. And I ate some more, of the thick and generous filling, which almost busted out of the dumpling skin.
This one was interesting. The Pan-fried fish pancake with parsley, the crispy firm pastry-like texture was evident, but I couldn’t quite make out what actually constituted in the fish pancake.
For the best creative award, I presented to you the, Pan-fried sweet corn pancake. The inclusion of sweet corn in a dim sum was a first for me: needless to say, it worked. The sweet corn, like its name, enhanced the sweetness of the pancake.
The Steamed prawn dumpling, or Har gau, had fresh succulent prawns, but I found the skin slightly too thick from what I had in mind.
Instead of the streetfood in Szechuan, SCDH decided to upmarket the Fried pumpkin cake by scoring on presentation and refining it. The delicate-lovely-looking miniature pumpkin; it was too pretty to eat.
If there was one memorable dish I had to choose from SCDH, it had to be the Steamed lotus paste bun with egg yolk. The egg yolk within the lotus bun, oh my. It was indescribable. The combination of lotus paste and egg yolk, was akin to mooncake, with a bun skin.
Balancing my chopsticks, I took a glance at the noodles. This should be easy, I thought. I grabbed some noodles using my less-than-perfect chopstick skills, and slurped the tan tan noodle. The world seemed to froze in time; I took another mouthful of noodles, putting in as much as my mouth would fit. The noodles, how should I put it: bouncy, springy, smooth, well it seems my vocabulary would be exhausted soon. It was good!
We had the following desserts: herbal jelly, mango & pamelo cream, glutinous rice with coconut milk, almond cream with fungus, chilled strawberry jelly, chilled coconut & jackfruit cream, red bean paste with lotus seed, and yam paste with ginko nuts.
Si Chuan Dou Hua has certainly opened up my narrow view of Szechuan cuisine; the impression of only hot and spicy food is wrong, there are many more variety available. Linda, the director of SCDH, who hosted us for the tasting session. And I have to conclude that Linda was the best host among the 4 restaurants which we had went to; her passion for food, and her warm & friendly smile, made our meal more enjoyable.
The 40 items which we tried for the tasting session were part of their weekend lunch which had a mind-blowing 100 items, priced at another unbelievable figure $38.8. My appreciation to Linda for hosting us, and Cuisine & Wine Asia for the invitation.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Had been hearing excellent things about Goodwood Park Hotel's English high tea buffet so made it a point to try it out one weekend afternoon. Apparently the buffet is highly sought after so reservations in advance are recommended.
Ambience
Not much to speak of as L'Espresso is actually a lobby lounge that's located just next to the deli where crowds form to buy its signature durian desserts. But on the upside, it offers a view of the charming pool through full length glass windows and there's the pianist too, if you are lucky. Did I mention that Goodwood Park itself exudes a certain colonial charm that is priceless?
Variety
The variety was quite an eyeful. Scones, sandwiches, tarts and other sweets formed the bulk of the food. I didn't do an exact count but you are probably looking at about 20 odd different items. Would have liked some savoury stuff but overall thought the spread was good for an English high tea. You get 2 pots of tea with your buffet as well.
Quality
I must say that I'm quite impressed with the overall quality of the buffet. Everything was daintily and intricately presented, very much like what you would find in more upscale high tea sessions which serve their items on a 3 tier stand. Make a beeline for the scones, which I personally like quite a fair bit, especially with a huge dollop of jam. You might want to skip the foie gras pate sandwiches though as I honestly thought that pate was just gross. But that's just me.
Service
Professional but a little stiff. They did seem a little short handed as well but to give the place credit, our plates were cleared promptly.
Value for money
At 33 (about $39 after tax) per pax, I am most inclined to recommend this place to anyone in search of a nice place to chill out with friends for a couple of hours on a weekend or public holiday with great finger food and desserts to boot. This is honestly one of the very few buffets that I can actually revisit. In short, I loved it.
The first of the many to come, Wan Hao Chinese restaurant at Marriott hotel.
Now what can I say? I totally love roast pork belly! The dish is often an indicator of the standard of a Chinese restaurant; Wan Hao’s rendition was nicely done - crispy top with a thin-and-nice layer of fats. “One cube definitely wasn’t enough”, I protested! But hey, there’s still thirty more dish to go!
Although I couldn’t exactly tasted which seven spices were use, but the combination was seductive to the palate, the Seven spices sea perch fillet.
And just before you are thinking Chinese restaurants are boring and served the usual-you-know-what food, the Hokkigai and salmon sashimi would certainly prove you wrong! Just look at the thickly-and-generous slices of the fresh sashimi. It-is-to-die-for.
For the tasting at Wan Hao, only Catherine of Camemberu fame and myself was present among the five of us. And she absolutely loved the Jelly fish with cucumber. Tangy and Q, it was a refreshing appetiser.
Like the no-smoking campaign slogon which asked you to say ‘No‘ to cigarettes, I could never say no to roast duck. My interpretation of a good roast duck: crispy skin with a layer of fats and tasty duck meat. This one had it all, and say it with me, Oomph-la-la!
Vermicelli with pork fillet. There wasn’t anything spectacular but this is just one, good, comfort food, which stood out among the delicacies we tried.
In my humble opinion, Wan Hao has the best Ha Gau among the four places that we tried. All of them used top-quality fresh prawns, but what made the one here stood out was the the skin; some places would do it too thick, and some too thin - it was done perfectly here. Bravo!
I actually preferred the spring roll filled with smoked duck meat to the roasted duck. The smoked duck meat lived up to its name - the very smoky taste within the crispy spring roll.
While some people found that the addition of fish roe to the top only served as an adornment; I thought that it’s fine so long the tiny orange eggs wasn’t in excessive to overwhelm the taste of the siew mai.
I ain’t a big fan of asparagus - the word alone put me off; but I had to try this translucent pretty-looking asparagus dumpling, which tasted decent.
The sea perch fillet with garlic appeared squeaky-fresh; it seemed to be flipping on my plate! The golden mushrooms and tofu were integrated with the sea perch, and I love it!
I knew it was close. I could smell it. The strong alcohol scent. You can smell it from far away. The drunken prawns were as suspected, very strong in liqueur taste; the prawns were big and fresh. I must emphasized, the quality and freshness of the ingredients at Wan Hao was really what set them aside.
The mere presence of duck shreds greatly enhanced the flavour of the congee. And not to mention there’s sliced fish maw, squid too! All the natural goodness in the bowl of Congee.
It was sensational. Tender, let me tell you, the whole experience: the chewing and swallowing, we couldn’t speak. There was a lump stuck in my throat; I just allowed myself to quietly finished the meat, and inside I was secretly hoping there was more of this. I was struck in awe of the flavour and texture of the meat, this was certainly my most memorable and favourite dish of the meal. And I couldn’t bear to speak of its name, Kurabuta pork, all the way from Americaaa!
The meal was a late boomer. Just when I thought that the few dishes in front were all good, it got better and better. Or maybe they were saving the best for the last, either way, the Chilli prawns with crispy buns had the “made in Singapore” brand stamped all over it. Spicy, fresh, with the mini mantao bun to dip in to the sauce, it was a superb interpretation of prawns done in our local favourite Chilli crab. A Singapore classic.
I could not, believe how tender the meat actually was. It literally melted in my mouth - I know this phase sounded exaggerating and often over-used, but trust me, it’s true for the Beef tenderloin with black peppercorns. Oh my! I would gladly go back another time just for the kurobuta pork, chilli prawns, and the beef tenderloin alone.
All right, back to the basics. Not many places can do a mean version of the Ee-fu noodles. All of us agreed that this one was just right in terms of the oilyness and bite. Not too oily, not too dry, just exactly how we liked it.
For the first time, I was actually sorry to see the desserts coming - for it signalled the end of the wonderful meal. But Wan Hao dessert did not disappoint as well, the first to arrive, the Lemongrass jelly with lime sherbet was equally pleasing in aesthetic senses. Very refreshing, and a fine finish for us.
There was a big fan of the mango pudding among us, and he was right! I took a nibble without adding in any milk for the original taste; even eaten alone the smooth and creamy texture of the aroma mango was evident.
If you know me, you must know that I’m an anti-durian person. For the sake of sharing with everybody, I popped one durian mochi inside - the mochi was very sticky, the smell of the fabled durian king of the fruits wasn’t very apparent until I took a bite of it, and that’s when I say, Shit!
I love egg tarts, and I always questioned the fact why Chinese restaurants always do their egg tarts in mini sizes. And like the manager of Wan Hao put it, the small bite was just right, anything bigger it would be too much. Crisp golden brown pastry with equally good egg fillings.
* * *
I must admit, I’m impressed with Wan Hao Chinese restaurant. The freshness in the quality ingredients, with the management’s emphasis on this, plus the service of the staff, were all top-notch. I’m not talking about their good service because it was a tasting session, after we finished our meal, we went down to their bakery; the staff was very knowledgeable about their bakes and was very professional.
The 31 items which we tried for this tasting session was half of their weekend brunch buffet which had 70 items, priced at $55 per head. For the sheer quality and variety, the sum is fair, will I be back? Definitely, See you there!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Keong Saik Road. A road synonymous with red lanterns and ladies of the night in the past. Now all that are left are old Chinese shophouses which have been restored to their former character with a number being made into boutique hotels - an up and coming trend in the hotel industry. One such boutique hotel is Hotel 1929, which sits smack in the middle of Keong Saik Road. Our restaurant of review today happens to be housed under it, right next to the main entrance. It was fortunate that I had made a reservation, as it got quite packed soon after. Reservations also got us a nice corner table for 5. Ambience wise, it was really cozy with soft lighting and limited seating. The placement of mirrors at strategic locations also made the place look bigger. However, it was a little cramp in reality and noisy as well due to the incessant chatter.
We were really spoilt for choice with regard to the menu. Everything just seemed great and we actually relied on the friendly waitress's recommendations for our order. We had appetizers of Pan Seared Scallops with Parma Ham, Orange and Tarragon Vinaigrette, Tuna Tempura with Goma Wakame, Mustard Dressing and Pan Seared Foie Gras with Caramelized Apple and Clove Port and Raspberry Glaze. Mains included Pan Seared Chilean Seabass with Mushroom and Smoked Bacon Ragout, Truffle-Yuzu Butter Sauce, 2 sets of Char Grilled Angus Beef Ribeye with Fava Beans, Braised Stockyard Beef Cheek with Merlot, Seasonal Vegetables and Slow Roasted Rack of Lamb with Tamarind Reduction. Apple Tart Tartin with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Flavoured Panna Cotta with Chilled Mango Soup, Warm Banana Tart with Homemade Lavender Ice Cream and Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream rounded up our dinner.
A small serving of complimentary bread(refillable) started us off on the right track. The bread was warm and fluffy with a tinge of cheesy aftertaste and went very well with the accompanying butter. Appetizers followed suit soon after.
The Pan Seared Scallops with Parma Ham, Orange and Tarragon Vinaigrette came with huge scallops wrapped with Parma ham. And I mean really HUGE. For one, I've never seen such a huge scallop in my life. Serious. A pity about the taste though. It lacked the sweetness in good scallops and was way too soft in the middle portion. Scallops are supposed to be crunchy, not soft! The accompanying veggies were plain normal, which makes you wonder about the fancy name. On to the next appetizer, the Tuna Tempura with Goma Wakame, Mustard Dressing. I had a good experience with something similar at Sage so I kind of upped my expectations a little. I personally found the tempura batter a little too overwhelming. It masked the taste of the middle raw Tuna a little too much. I could only detect a slight tinge of the Tuna after chewing for some time. Although I appreciate the apparent lack of fishiness, but it kinda defeats the purpose of eating Tuna if there is hardly any Tuna taste. The Pan Seared Foie Gras with Caramelized Apple and Clove Port and Raspberry Glaze probably takes the cake in the appetizer segment. Soft and quivery, it literally melts in your mouth with no distinct and overpowering aftertaste. The caramelized apples added quite a twist to the dish by infusing a certain sweetness into the Foie Gras.
Mains were a mixture of average and above average, with none even closing in on spectacular. The Pan Seared Chilean Seabass with Mushroom and Smoked Bacon Ragout was one of the above average dish. Sweet flesh with a slightly crispy exterior and buttery texture made for a pleasant dish. However, too much butter makes you queasy after a while and that was what my friend experienced.
Getting a steak done right requires a lot of skill. The Char Grilled Angus Beef Ribeye with Fava Beans fell flat in this aspect. Prepared with just salt and pepper, it was supposed to showcase the quality of the cut and the skill of the chef. Neither happened. The taste of the meat was rather flat with no full bodied texture, which is very important for good steaks for that extra oomph. Ok its not as bad I as make it out to be. Its still decent and can probably give a few steakhouses a run for their money. The dubious honour of "worst dish of the day" went to the Braised Stockyard Beef Cheek with Merlot, Seasonal Vegetables. Someone please tell me why this dish is worth the $40 I paid for it because I honestly can't think of any. The beef cheek was so soft that it because gross after a while. Taste wise was merely average with no evident presence of Merlot.
Oh and before I forget, the Slow Roasted Rack of Lamb with Tamarind Reduction was one of the highlights of the mains. It didn't reek strongly of lamb, so that was a relieve for me for I simply abhor the lamb aftertaste. The side of mashed sweet potato was an interesting variation of the more common mashed potato. Smooth, sweet and starchy. Nice! On a sidenote, I am not a lamb person, so I may not be the best person to give you an opinion on this dish.
We had ordered our desserts together with the appetizers and mains as many of them required quite a bit of lead time (About 20-30mins). With such a long advance period, we were expecting some really stupendous and out of this world desserts. That was when reality hit us real bad. In all honesty, none of the desserts were exceptional. The Apple Tart Tartin with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was probably the best dessert. Creatively shaped into a pie like structure, the apples were not too sweet, but the base was a let down with its soft pastry. The Flavoured Panna Cotta with Chilled Mango Soup was supposed to be a dish where east meets west. Sadly, the west never quite made it. The mango soup, which was essentially mango with sago and pomelo pudding, overpowered the taste of the Panna Cotta. Total whitewash.
I have always wondered how lavender ice cream would taste like and I found out yesterday. It was plain weird and really tasted like lavender scented shampoo or soap, not that I've tried either. Its just that the smell and the taste are the same! So imagine the countless images of shampoo and soap running through my mind while I was eating the Warm Banana Tart with Homemade Lavender Ice Cream. Maybe lavender ice cream just isn't my cup of tea. The banana tart was alright though. It tasted like pastry with banana.
Doesn't Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream sound really good? Imagine breaking into the crust of the chocolate cake and warm chocolate oozing out. Sure the chocolate did ooze out, but the taste was just not up to expectations. The cake tasted too floury, if there's such a word. Too much flour if there isn't. The oozing chocolate was pathetic as compared to the one I had at Morton's of Chicago. The only credit I can think of is the vanilla bean ice cream, which was smooth with a fine texture.
Dinner for 5 cost about $320/-. Terribly expensive if you ask me. Maybe I just have higher expectations about the quality of food than what was given. But wouldn't most people be the same considering the premium price tag? Price aside, I personally found the food at Ember very decent, but not decent enough to warrant another visit with the relatively high prices. Credit goes to the service crew though, who really go the extra mile to make you feel welcomed.
Attended the annual food bloggers lunch at Gunthers, the eponymous modern fine dining French restaurant helmed by Chef Gunther Hubrechsen, who trained under Chef Alain Passard at the 3 Michelin star L’Arpège in Paris and had a 5 year stint with Les Amis. Opened in August 2007, Gunthers has consistently garnered rave reviews from various media for its refreshing twist to classical French food.
The whole place isn't big actually, even more so the private dining room, which was slated to accomodate 24 of us. And because it was a long table, there wasn't much room to manoeuvre around which made it quite cramp (for me at least). Decor came across as simple and minimalist with dark wall tones and carefully placed spotlights - not so much the romantic ambience, but more for business.
Amuse Bouche - I didn't quite take to the amuse bouche, which was a slice of tomato drizzled with a vanilla bean foam served with fava beans and a slice of ciabatta. The foam and vanilla beans seemed more for decoration then anything else and the tomato taste overwhelmed.
Cold Angel Hair Pasta, Oscietra Caviar - One of Gunther's signature dishes, this was quite tasty but I would have preferred my pasta to be more al dente. The chopped chives and truffle oil gave it a smooth savoury taste coupled with a fragrant truffle aroma while the chilliness of the pasta contributed a nice refreshing sensation. Apparently this dish goes for $60 in the ala carte menu, but portions are definitely much much bigger.
Poached White Asparagus, Bouchot Mussels - White asparagus is essentially asparagus that comes from the process of etiolation, which is the deprivation of light. No chlorophyll can be produced without sunlight hence there is no green colouring in the plant. As such, it is slightly milder in flavour and a little more tender then normal green asparagus. I thought that Gunther's rendition of this vegetable was a little lacking. The single stalk of asparagus was poached until it became overly soft and mashy. The accompanying sauce was excellent though, with a hint of cinammon that went very well with the tiny morsels of seafood.
Grilled Cote de Boeuf, Japanese sweet-corn, sauce Bordelaise - The beef was done to a perfect medium rare with a nice slightly charred exterior that hinted strongly of salt. There was one small fault though. The red wine/vinegar reduction seemed a little too rushed, resulting in a lightly sour note as you chew on the meat. I liked the grilled sweet corn that came alongside. It provided a sweet refreshing punctuation in between intakes of beef.
Roasted Black Pig from Spain (Pata Negra) - The pork was a substitute for the Grilled Cote de Boeuf in case anyone didn't take beef. But that's not to say that this dish was lacklustre in comparison. On the contrary, this was one quality piece of meat from the Black Iberian Pig, which is known for its ability to accumulate fat under its skin and between the muscular fibres. Read. Exorbitant prices. Execution wise, I thought that the pork was evenly roasted to produce a tender yet succulent piece of meat that literally left me wanting for more. The only complaint I had was that the meat was overly salty.
Fine Apple Tart a la Dragées, Havana Rum Raisin Ice Cream - Apparently Gunther's signature dessert, the apple tart's crust reminded me of the crust found in the Chinese red bean paste pancake, save for the toppings of nuts on top. The stuffing of apple chunks weren't too soft but lacked the sourish aftertaste in my humble opinion. The rum and raisin ice cream was interesting but somehow I don't remember rum and raisin tasting anything like this, or am I just a die hard alcoholic?
As this was a special arrangement by Gunther's for this particular event, we were fortunate to have been able to try out so many dishes for $45 nett/pax. I would like to end off with a thank you to the organisers for the invite. Cheers.
Diandin Leluk, the well known budget Thai restaurant at Golden Mile and owner of the Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen chain, recently opened up a new upmarket branch around my area so thought it would be good to give it a shot.
Taking over the space vacated by a chicken rice stall just next to Sushi Tei, Diandin boasts two levels of seating in a brightly lighted comfortable looking interior with heavy wooden chairs and tables. Nice place for casual family dinners or gatherings.
Pork Beancurd Soup - I quite fancied this soup as it came across as light yet tasty from the addition of tong cai. There were balls of prawn paste peppered with bits of meat and steamed egg tofu in it. Very traditional Teochew styled soup.
Pandan Chicken - This was one of the better pandan chickens that I've eaten as it wasn't too oily or cloyingly sweet. The meat was tender and fibrous and of quite a sizeable chunk.
Stir Fried Broccoli with Scallops - A very simple dish and decently executed one at that. The broccoli wasn't overcooked while the thin silvers of scallop didn't carry the fishy aftertaste. However, I thought that the gravy was a little too bland for my liking. But on the upside, at least it wasn't too starchy.
Pineapple Fried Rice - A most mundane rendition of this Thai favourite. There were lots of meat floss, a few slices of shrimp, dried sausages and raisins but lacked the pineapple twang as well as the fragrance. Decent but I've definitely had better.
Phad Thai - The phad thai was of the dryer variant which I personally prefer and the noodles had a nice springy texture. It didn't come across as overly sweet as well and you had a choice of drowning the noodles in grounded peanuts, which I did. Pity about the small portions.
Durian Glutinous Rice - This dessert looked different from others that I've eaten elsewhere. The rice was seperated from the durian (which was real durian meat, not puree) and looked a total mess. Aesthetics aside, the durian was sweet while the glutinous rice wasn't overwhelmed by coconut milk. I did think that the rice was a little undercooked though because it came across as a little hard.
1=SGD 0.0587
The beautiful, each piece: Oh-so-dainty, Oh-so-refine. Almost like art, delicately crafted.
O’ my dear, I love you so. Never in my heart, I stopped thinking of you. Miss sushi, and Miss tapas: both seemed to be more popular than you, but I will always put you in the first place.
It was big, no, huge! This was, one of the many, different renditions of har gau we would see today. Essentially a har gau without the skin; the crab meat dumpling. It was prawny, with a nice bite - but crabby (no pun intended) it was not, well who cares?
Rather than an-overly-thick-skin, give me a dumpling without skin.
The well-admired Steamed Prawn Dumplings had an injection of carrot purée which only served to beautify the appearance of the har gau skin.
“We protested! We protested!”
The purist camp did a demonstration on the streets, crying for the restoration of the conventional har gau which they were so used to. But for the ladies; the boost in vitamin A. What was missing however, was the carrot taste.
The novelty. The inclusion of preserved vegetables was a brilliant stroke of art; the saltiness enhanced the flavour of the pork, which brought us to the question: why didn’t anybody thought of this before? Steamed pork dumpling with preserved vegetables, siew mai.
Now this was a not-so-simple bun that was bound to turn heads. Served piping hot, the bun seemed quite insignificant until you took a bite at it. Immediately, you would realize that you just had something very special. The bun itself was soft, fluffy and light as a feather while the fillings were so, so sweet and juicy. The Steamed kurobuta char siew pork fluffy bao, was the winner for the day.
The humble har gau did an open-faced sandwich; with shark’s fin on top. Luxury, it was, wealth, it symbolized, and prestige, it presented. Sorry sharky! Steamed shark’s fin dumplings with dried scallops and shrimp.
The tinge of pink, at the top of the tri-top; pretty and so pretty. Another piece of art we seen, at the gallery of Cherry Garden. However, the Scallop and spinach crystal dumpling did came across as slightly dry.
Truffled Essence Crystal Dumplings stuffed with Assorted Fresh Mushrooms. This, was a beauty; the translucent skin, the jelly texture, the array of mushrooms, almost perfect - but it was too large!
Prawn was the main lead, and mango was the second lead. There was the accompany of the green, hot wasabi! Netted rice crispy turnover. I held you, in my arms, into the late wee wee hour: without the wasabi! My dear, the netted rice crispy turnover.
And there was the famous XLB. The voluptuous folds, the goodness of the soup stock, everything, gushing out.
Like a peacock spreading his feathers, the netted rice crispy did a peacock effect: it caught everybody’s attention. Oh my, so beautiful, was this meant to be eaten?
And oh wait, there’s something hiding below the feathers; the netted rice crispy I meant. Ah, that’s the pan-fried chives and chicken dumplings!
Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of chives - I would leave the taste of the dumpling to your own imagination. This was, a piece of art! Why don’t we turn it upside down?
This was the umpteenth time we had a make-over of the har gau, they called it, Steamed Chinese spinach dumplings. The spinach, provided the lovely lines, just like how a painting adorned the wall. The egg yolk, provided the oomph, so, so good.
This, was a poisonous pear, for snow white. The wicked witch threw in some pumpkin, a pinch of jicama, stirred stirred, mixed mixed, and finally, some vegetarian ham.
Poof! With a wave of her wand, the deep-fried potato “pear” appeared. Crispy texture checked, mesmerizing appearance checked, vegetarian (snow white is on a diet) checked. Sticky innards (to stick the mouth together) checked. Everything was present, and OH, where’s the poison?
And we took a plunge, into the deep, deep blue sea. From the land to the sea, the Symphony of live pacific grouper prepared in three different ways. The first: we have a soup, grouper fish broth with ginger, onion and Silken tofu.
Steamed grouper crystal fish dumpling. Was this a dim sum, or was this a fish? It was both, with a twist. Brilliant it was, bravo we shouted. Grouper fish meat inside a dumpling of the fish skin. It was beautiful, too beautiful to eat.
It was not all smooth-sailing, nothing was. As much as I loved the creativity, there was a snag. The use of fish skin, for the translucent was great for the eyes, but not for the mouth. It was chewy, and slightly fishy: non fish lovers, would say, no no!
Prawn and pork, were absent. I give you fish, fish for dim sum. The very first, I believed. Let there be more, say fish siew mai? This, surely, would be a great day for all the fish lovers.
One price, one fish, for the value of three. Worthy, indeed. Sautéed grouper fillet with asparagus, no parts of the fish were wasted, from the meat, to the skin.
I have always wanted to go to Cherry Garden. And I’m glad I finally did. It was a feast, for the visual senses. The dim sum, so delicately craft piece by piece, was an art, for all to enjoyed. Creativity was certainly in the air, the adventurous use of different ingredients, the details to attention for the tiniest things, the emphasize of making it look as good as it tasted. I’m sold. Praises, have to be reserved for the savvy and charismatic executive Chinese chef, Mr Hiew Gun Khong.
Cherry Garden has the weekend dim sum ala carte buffet at $45 per head, which has a selections of 20 over dim sum, and other Chinese food as well. My appreciation to Kelly, the PR relations manager for hosting us, and Cuisine & Wine Asia for the invitation.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Fancy some place in town with all the dishes on the menu priced at $15 or less? Apparently Oriole, a newly opened cafe/restaurant in town, offers such a value proposition. The name Oriole is interesting because it is also the name of a bird.
Located at Pan Pacific Serviced Suites in Somerset Road, Oriole is owned by the same owner of Aerin's, Bedrock Grill & Bar (next door to Oriole) and Whitebait & Kale and boasts Singapore's number 1 and number 3 baristas, which makes their coffee a must try! The interior of the place is rather cafeish with dim lighting and floor to ceilings windows. Currently the area surrounding Oriole is undergoing construction so there isn't much of a view to speak of.
Coffee Crust Cod Fish ($25.50++)- This was a daily special so the $15/dish cap didn't apply, which was rather regrettable really. The fish was smooth but a wee bit fishy and lacked sweetness. There was the problem of the missing coffee taste as well.
Prawn Spaghetti ($15++) - The pasta was tossed in olive oil and came across as a little too soft. I counted 5 crystal prawns to that were crunchy albeit a little small. But at least the whole dish was still palatable, though probably not something that I would order again.
Honey Crumble Affogato ($7++) - This dessert came with a shot of espresso and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, which unfortunately had ice chips in it. I didn't quite take to the honeycomb crunch as bits of it got stuck onto my teeth. Overall this dessert was nothing too fancy or fantastic in my humble opinion.
Chocolate Fudge Cake ($5.50++) - Apparently one of Oriole's popular desserts, the chocolate fudge cake was quite decent in my humble opinion. Warm with pockets of molten chocolate within, it came across as rich and decadent - a sure fire recipe for nausea in the likely event of over consumption. Pity about the lack of ice cream though.
The total bill came up to $62.40 for 2 mains and 2 desserts, which would put Oriole in the Swensens, NYDC etc price range. Food quality is average but the lack of crowds in the middle of Orchard road is definitely a plus. Service was decent to boot.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
This place is more like being called the Pets Safari however the anchor outlet of Pet Lovers Centre. Here, you can find everything you need for every kind of your pet. Be it the cute little puppy, meowie cat, small hamsters or even pet goldfish... They have everything to suit everybody's needs.
The cages come in many trendy designs and colours as well as sizes for adult german sheperds down to the smallest hamster carrier, not forgetting the handy sling tank.. Now you can bring your fishes for pet walks :).....
All sorts of food, treats and vitamin supplements are available for your pet... Fully Edible Toy Houses made from organic and dye free materials for the comfort of your small hamsters.... I mean they really do have a wide range of everything. Take rabbit food for example, they have various kinds of pallets and hays for their staple food and treats including the carrot lookalike vitamin supplied toy carrot that could last you for at least a week. On top of that your pet rabbit's teeth will be nice and trimmed after playing with that toy...
If your dog's is having a bad hair and is feeling depressed because of that, you could bring him to the grooming centre in this outlet and your babe will appear looking cool with a nice hairstyle and confident to attract new friends.
If you don't have a pet.. You could buy one here... They have small animals such as hamsters of various species, rabbits so fat you can cuddle them, guinea pigs so fluffy you can't wait to bring one home. If you prefer something bigger.. Check out the puppies on sale.. They are so adorable, I just can't stand the doggie eyes they give me.. You can ask the friendly staff to let you carry them for a while.. Bond for awhile before you decide if you want to buy them.. However.. Its important never to buy on IMPULSE... Taking care of a pet is a pretty time consuming activity... Unlike buying a car or the Wii when you can ignore them when you have no time or don't feel like it.. Getting a pet is commiting yourself to taking care of them :)
You could join Pet Lovers Centre's membership to get a 10 to 15% discount on everything except live animals... Sometimes they do have some other member perks which can be useful... I love this shop as the staff are so friendly and helpful to attend to my every need. Most importantly, the 'bad hair day' guinea pigs are only going for $80 for one and i'm definitely looking for a girlfriend for my darling 'CASH!'
However I am sad about one thing.. There's no place at vivo for the pets to wander about.... I've been to many countries and even in countries like taiwan, they allow their pets in the mall.. as long as you could handcarry them or put them in a pram.. they are fine... Even in malls like our PARAGON / KLCC kind.. people bring their full grown overweight golden retriever for lunch at the food court with them... Its something I hope we could get there soon....
Meanwhile, enjoy your walk in pets safari which by the way is next to the DaiSo... It could be really educational for your children too...
Rating given:
Dinner was a pleasant affair at Si Chuan Dou Hua. There are actually 3 outlets and we chose the one perched way at the top of UOB Plaza(60th floor) right in the heart of the Central Business District. You don't really need a rocket scientist to figure out why though. The view from the 60th floor is breathtaking. Need I say more?
Any hopes of an awesome aerial view slowly dissipates when you step into the restaurant. The windows are not floor to ceiling windows and offer a very limited view of the surroundings. However, any disappointment is soon placated by the sombre wood themed interior with its indulgent setting and classy finish. But do not write off those windows just yet. Peer through them and you get a magnificent view of the area, complete with shimmering lights of the city below. Its just a little more troublesome thats all.
Now Si Chuan Dou Hua is famous for its artful method of tea pouring. There will be a guy and a lady who will be dressed in traditional martial arts attire and armed with a kettle/teapot that has a very long snout. Water from this kettle/teapot will be skillfully poured into your tea cup containing the ingredients for the Eight Treasures Tea. Just a little background on this Eight Treasures Tea because I'm a huge fan of it. It consists of Red Dates, Wolf Berries, Dried Logans, Chrysanthemum, Rock Sugar, Dried Lily Buds, Jasmine Tea Leaves and Mai Dong, which is believed to reduce cholesterol, stimulate blood circulation and increase immunity. On a sidenote, we had the executive set dinner menu at $78.80 for 2 pax.
Two Delicacies Combination - The two delicacies in this dish refers to a serving of Dried Tau Kwa with Cashew Nuts and a serving of sliced pork with what tasted and looked like Belachan. This dish really whetted our appetites although it was way too spicy for us and we had to resort to downing glasses and glasses of iced water just polish it off. The meat was thinly sliced and had a slightly rubbery texture, which made chewing a pleasure. I did find the Dried Tau Kwa a little too hard though.
Eight Treasure Shark's Fin and Seafood Soup - This didn't really fit the bill of traditional shark's fin soup. It was almost greenish for starters due to the excessive amount of an unknown type of vegetable sprinkled on top (I couldn't really taste what kind of vegetable it was though) and the soup tasted more like tofu soup with seafood. But don't get me wrong, it was actually very tasty while not coming across as too heavy at the same time, probably due to the less starchy texture. There was a sprinkling of shark's fin but they weren't of superior quality. Then again, no complaints for the price.
Silver Cod Fish in Sweet Wine Sauce - I personally fancied this dish pretty much. The fish was fresh, sweet and nicely fried with an almost crispy exterior. Drizzle the sweet wine sauce on it and you get a burst of sweetness from the sauce melding with the natural sweetness of the fish. A simple but delightful dish to say the least.
Fried Rice with Crab Meat - How many times have you ordered crab meat fried rice only to find miniscule portions of crab meat hidden within? Si Chuan Dou Hua's version has large chunks of crab meat embedded within throughly fried grains of rice which have a distinctive Wok Hei aura. Eating too much of it also doesn't render one nauseous, which is a refreshing change from the usual MSG laden ones.
Stir Fried French Bean with Minced Meat - This is a rather uncommon dish in Singapore and many places that I've patronised don't serve it(maybe I'm just unlucky). Naturally I was excited to see that this dish came along with the set menu. Alas, excitement turned to disappointment when I had my first taste of it. The french bean was way too soft and soggy, probably a result of frying for too long. The minced meat topping was rather salty and tasted like dried shrimps actually, but it was the only thing that gave flavour to this dish.
With a name like Si Chuan Dou Hua, it isn't hard to guess what they are famous for - their Dou Hua. I'm not kidding, the Dou Hua is really a cut above the rest. Extremely smooth and quivery, the Dou Hua literally slitters down your throat with every spoonful. The syrup isn't too sweet, but sweet enough to carry the Dou Hua.
The bill came up to $103.50($83.50 after the usage of my $20 voucher), which does push the meaning of reasonable a little, but for the experience, it is still justifiable. Service is reasonably good as well, so it all adds up to a rather pleasant dining experience.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
60. The number could refer to almost anything; age, weight, people, money, time - Si Chuan Dou Hua restaurant on the sixty level of UOB plaza. 100 - a century figure of dishes at weekend lunch, offering dim sum, tea and Szechuan cuisine. 38.8 - the unbeatable price of under forty dollars. Numbers are magic: they tell a thousand things too.
The kidney, I have to say, was lovely: chewy and pinkish-coloured, swelled-looking, with the clever use of spices covered the porky smell which made so many people avoided the delicious pig kidney.
The question of authenticity popped up during the tasting session, and Linda the director of SCDH was quick to point out although there were some minor tweaks of the dishes to suit local palates, the Chilled chicken in spicy bean paste was done exactly like the Szechuan favourite. The spicy bean paste caused a storm; hot, fiery, and simply so Szechuan!
SCDH served us many cold dishes for starters, and the Sliced beef and tripe in chilli sauce was one of them.
At first glance, it was not difficult to mistaken the Sliced duck in Teow chew style for the more commonly seen drunken chicken. Thinly sliced, I could never resist duck meat!
This one caught me by surprise - the crispy chicken puff. I wasn’t expecting something so, small and tiny, to be so good. The crispy fried skin had chicken within: it was a reminiscent of cream puff, except the pastry was fried instead of baked, and the fillings were chicken instead of cream.
Perfect. One of the best carrot cake I’ve had; every bite was flavourful with radish. The only correct thing to make a good carrot cake is to just add more radish, it’s so simple, yet many fail to get the gist of it.
The purist would protest at the sight of the Steamed siew mai with quill egg. The additional of quill egg was an innovation, and credits had to be given to the chefs for experimenting with different ingredients.
No, it definitely wasn’t St Valentine’s the last time I checked. Nonetheless, the heart shape was pretty enough to gorge at - Pan-fried shredded yam pancake with waxed meat.
I ain’t a big fan of mince meat balls, but the Steamed beef balls with seasonal vegetables won me over with the chewy and bouncy texture.
I eyed the golden dumpling, not knowing what to do. Should I, or should I not? I took up my pair of chopsticks, and dove right in, secretly praying in my heart: Sharky, rest in peace, you’d not die in vain. Steamed shark’s fin and chicken dumpling.
Despite the scary-looking-thick-oily-layer of chilli, the Dumpling with chilli oil was surprisingly, not that spicy. I had called the fire brigade to be prepared to put out any fire, and after one tiny nibble of the dumpling, it was safe. And I ate some more, of the thick and generous filling, which almost busted out of the dumpling skin.
This one was interesting. The Pan-fried fish pancake with parsley, the crispy firm pastry-like texture was evident, but I couldn’t quite make out what actually constituted in the fish pancake.
For the best creative award, I presented to you the, Pan-fried sweet corn pancake. The inclusion of sweet corn in a dim sum was a first for me: needless to say, it worked. The sweet corn, like its name, enhanced the sweetness of the pancake.
The Steamed prawn dumpling, or Har gau, had fresh succulent prawns, but I found the skin slightly too thick from what I had in mind.
Instead of the streetfood in Szechuan, SCDH decided to upmarket the Fried pumpkin cake by scoring on presentation and refining it. The delicate-lovely-looking miniature pumpkin; it was too pretty to eat.
If there was one memorable dish I had to choose from SCDH, it had to be the Steamed lotus paste bun with egg yolk. The egg yolk within the lotus bun, oh my. It was indescribable. The combination of lotus paste and egg yolk, was akin to mooncake, with a bun skin.
Balancing my chopsticks, I took a glance at the noodles. This should be easy, I thought. I grabbed some noodles using my less-than-perfect chopstick skills, and slurped the tan tan noodle. The world seemed to froze in time; I took another mouthful of noodles, putting in as much as my mouth would fit. The noodles, how should I put it: bouncy, springy, smooth, well it seems my vocabulary would be exhausted soon. It was good!
We had the following desserts: herbal jelly, mango & pamelo cream, glutinous rice with coconut milk, almond cream with fungus, chilled strawberry jelly, chilled coconut & jackfruit cream, red bean paste with lotus seed, and yam paste with ginko nuts.
Si Chuan Dou Hua has certainly opened up my narrow view of Szechuan cuisine; the impression of only hot and spicy food is wrong, there are many more variety available. Linda, the director of SCDH, who hosted us for the tasting session. And I have to conclude that Linda was the best host among the 4 restaurants which we had went to; her passion for food, and her warm & friendly smile, made our meal more enjoyable.
The 40 items which we tried for the tasting session were part of their weekend lunch which had a mind-blowing 100 items, priced at another unbelievable figure $38.8. My appreciation to Linda for hosting us, and Cuisine & Wine Asia for the invitation.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Had been hearing excellent things about Goodwood Park Hotel's English high tea buffet so made it a point to try it out one weekend afternoon. Apparently the buffet is highly sought after so reservations in advance are recommended.
Ambience
Not much to speak of as L'Espresso is actually a lobby lounge that's located just next to the deli where crowds form to buy its signature durian desserts. But on the upside, it offers a view of the charming pool through full length glass windows and there's the pianist too, if you are lucky. Did I mention that Goodwood Park itself exudes a certain colonial charm that is priceless?
Variety
The variety was quite an eyeful. Scones, sandwiches, tarts and other sweets formed the bulk of the food. I didn't do an exact count but you are probably looking at about 20 odd different items. Would have liked some savoury stuff but overall thought the spread was good for an English high tea. You get 2 pots of tea with your buffet as well.
Quality
I must say that I'm quite impressed with the overall quality of the buffet. Everything was daintily and intricately presented, very much like what you would find in more upscale high tea sessions which serve their items on a 3 tier stand. Make a beeline for the scones, which I personally like quite a fair bit, especially with a huge dollop of jam. You might want to skip the foie gras pate sandwiches though as I honestly thought that pate was just gross. But that's just me.
Service
Professional but a little stiff. They did seem a little short handed as well but to give the place credit, our plates were cleared promptly.
Value for money
At 33 (about $39 after tax) per pax, I am most inclined to recommend this place to anyone in search of a nice place to chill out with friends for a couple of hours on a weekend or public holiday with great finger food and desserts to boot. This is honestly one of the very few buffets that I can actually revisit. In short, I loved it.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
The first of the many to come, Wan Hao Chinese restaurant at Marriott hotel.
Now what can I say? I totally love roast pork belly! The dish is often an indicator of the standard of a Chinese restaurant; Wan Hao’s rendition was nicely done - crispy top with a thin-and-nice layer of fats. “One cube definitely wasn’t enough”, I protested! But hey, there’s still thirty more dish to go!
Although I couldn’t exactly tasted which seven spices were use, but the combination was seductive to the palate, the Seven spices sea perch fillet.
And just before you are thinking Chinese restaurants are boring and served the usual-you-know-what food, the Hokkigai and salmon sashimi would certainly prove you wrong! Just look at the thickly-and-generous slices of the fresh sashimi. It-is-to-die-for.
For the tasting at Wan Hao, only Catherine of Camemberu fame and myself was present among the five of us. And she absolutely loved the Jelly fish with cucumber. Tangy and Q, it was a refreshing appetiser.
Like the no-smoking campaign slogon which asked you to say ‘No‘ to cigarettes, I could never say no to roast duck. My interpretation of a good roast duck: crispy skin with a layer of fats and tasty duck meat. This one had it all, and say it with me, Oomph-la-la!
Vermicelli with pork fillet. There wasn’t anything spectacular but this is just one, good, comfort food, which stood out among the delicacies we tried.
In my humble opinion, Wan Hao has the best Ha Gau among the four places that we tried. All of them used top-quality fresh prawns, but what made the one here stood out was the the skin; some places would do it too thick, and some too thin - it was done perfectly here. Bravo!
I actually preferred the spring roll filled with smoked duck meat to the roasted duck. The smoked duck meat lived up to its name - the very smoky taste within the crispy spring roll.
While some people found that the addition of fish roe to the top only served as an adornment; I thought that it’s fine so long the tiny orange eggs wasn’t in excessive to overwhelm the taste of the siew mai.
I ain’t a big fan of asparagus - the word alone put me off; but I had to try this translucent pretty-looking asparagus dumpling, which tasted decent.
The sea perch fillet with garlic appeared squeaky-fresh; it seemed to be flipping on my plate! The golden mushrooms and tofu were integrated with the sea perch, and I love it!
I knew it was close. I could smell it. The strong alcohol scent. You can smell it from far away. The drunken prawns were as suspected, very strong in liqueur taste; the prawns were big and fresh. I must emphasized, the quality and freshness of the ingredients at Wan Hao was really what set them aside.
The mere presence of duck shreds greatly enhanced the flavour of the congee. And not to mention there’s sliced fish maw, squid too! All the natural goodness in the bowl of Congee.
It was sensational. Tender, let me tell you, the whole experience: the chewing and swallowing, we couldn’t speak. There was a lump stuck in my throat; I just allowed myself to quietly finished the meat, and inside I was secretly hoping there was more of this. I was struck in awe of the flavour and texture of the meat, this was certainly my most memorable and favourite dish of the meal. And I couldn’t bear to speak of its name, Kurabuta pork, all the way from Americaaa!
The meal was a late boomer. Just when I thought that the few dishes in front were all good, it got better and better. Or maybe they were saving the best for the last, either way, the Chilli prawns with crispy buns had the “made in Singapore” brand stamped all over it. Spicy, fresh, with the mini mantao bun to dip in to the sauce, it was a superb interpretation of prawns done in our local favourite Chilli crab. A Singapore classic.
I could not, believe how tender the meat actually was. It literally melted in my mouth - I know this phase sounded exaggerating and often over-used, but trust me, it’s true for the Beef tenderloin with black peppercorns. Oh my! I would gladly go back another time just for the kurobuta pork, chilli prawns, and the beef tenderloin alone.
All right, back to the basics. Not many places can do a mean version of the Ee-fu noodles. All of us agreed that this one was just right in terms of the oilyness and bite. Not too oily, not too dry, just exactly how we liked it.
For the first time, I was actually sorry to see the desserts coming - for it signalled the end of the wonderful meal. But Wan Hao dessert did not disappoint as well, the first to arrive, the Lemongrass jelly with lime sherbet was equally pleasing in aesthetic senses. Very refreshing, and a fine finish for us.
There was a big fan of the mango pudding among us, and he was right! I took a nibble without adding in any milk for the original taste; even eaten alone the smooth and creamy texture of the aroma mango was evident.
If you know me, you must know that I’m an anti-durian person. For the sake of sharing with everybody, I popped one durian mochi inside - the mochi was very sticky, the smell of the fabled durian king of the fruits wasn’t very apparent until I took a bite of it, and that’s when I say, Shit!
I love egg tarts, and I always questioned the fact why Chinese restaurants always do their egg tarts in mini sizes. And like the manager of Wan Hao put it, the small bite was just right, anything bigger it would be too much. Crisp golden brown pastry with equally good egg fillings.
* * *
I must admit, I’m impressed with Wan Hao Chinese restaurant. The freshness in the quality ingredients, with the management’s emphasis on this, plus the service of the staff, were all top-notch. I’m not talking about their good service because it was a tasting session, after we finished our meal, we went down to their bakery; the staff was very knowledgeable about their bakes and was very professional.
The 31 items which we tried for this tasting session was half of their weekend brunch buffet which had 70 items, priced at $55 per head. For the sheer quality and variety, the sum is fair, will I be back? Definitely, See you there!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Keong Saik Road. A road synonymous with red lanterns and ladies of the night in the past. Now all that are left are old Chinese shophouses which have been restored to their former character with a number being made into boutique hotels - an up and coming trend in the hotel industry. One such boutique hotel is Hotel 1929, which sits smack in the middle of Keong Saik Road. Our restaurant of review today happens to be housed under it, right next to the main entrance. It was fortunate that I had made a reservation, as it got quite packed soon after. Reservations also got us a nice corner table for 5. Ambience wise, it was really cozy with soft lighting and limited seating. The placement of mirrors at strategic locations also made the place look bigger. However, it was a little cramp in reality and noisy as well due to the incessant chatter.
We were really spoilt for choice with regard to the menu. Everything just seemed great and we actually relied on the friendly waitress's recommendations for our order. We had appetizers of Pan Seared Scallops with Parma Ham, Orange and Tarragon Vinaigrette, Tuna Tempura with Goma Wakame, Mustard Dressing and Pan Seared Foie Gras with Caramelized Apple and Clove Port and Raspberry Glaze. Mains included Pan Seared Chilean Seabass with Mushroom and Smoked Bacon Ragout, Truffle-Yuzu Butter Sauce, 2 sets of Char Grilled Angus Beef Ribeye with Fava Beans, Braised Stockyard Beef Cheek with Merlot, Seasonal Vegetables and Slow Roasted Rack of Lamb with Tamarind Reduction. Apple Tart Tartin with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Flavoured Panna Cotta with Chilled Mango Soup, Warm Banana Tart with Homemade Lavender Ice Cream and Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream rounded up our dinner.
A small serving of complimentary bread(refillable) started us off on the right track. The bread was warm and fluffy with a tinge of cheesy aftertaste and went very well with the accompanying butter. Appetizers followed suit soon after.
The Pan Seared Scallops with Parma Ham, Orange and Tarragon Vinaigrette came with huge scallops wrapped with Parma ham. And I mean really HUGE. For one, I've never seen such a huge scallop in my life. Serious. A pity about the taste though. It lacked the sweetness in good scallops and was way too soft in the middle portion. Scallops are supposed to be crunchy, not soft! The accompanying veggies were plain normal, which makes you wonder about the fancy name. On to the next appetizer, the Tuna Tempura with Goma Wakame, Mustard Dressing. I had a good experience with something similar at Sage so I kind of upped my expectations a little. I personally found the tempura batter a little too overwhelming. It masked the taste of the middle raw Tuna a little too much. I could only detect a slight tinge of the Tuna after chewing for some time. Although I appreciate the apparent lack of fishiness, but it kinda defeats the purpose of eating Tuna if there is hardly any Tuna taste. The Pan Seared Foie Gras with Caramelized Apple and Clove Port and Raspberry Glaze probably takes the cake in the appetizer segment. Soft and quivery, it literally melts in your mouth with no distinct and overpowering aftertaste. The caramelized apples added quite a twist to the dish by infusing a certain sweetness into the Foie Gras.
Mains were a mixture of average and above average, with none even closing in on spectacular. The Pan Seared Chilean Seabass with Mushroom and Smoked Bacon Ragout was one of the above average dish. Sweet flesh with a slightly crispy exterior and buttery texture made for a pleasant dish. However, too much butter makes you queasy after a while and that was what my friend experienced.
Getting a steak done right requires a lot of skill. The Char Grilled Angus Beef Ribeye with Fava Beans fell flat in this aspect. Prepared with just salt and pepper, it was supposed to showcase the quality of the cut and the skill of the chef. Neither happened. The taste of the meat was rather flat with no full bodied texture, which is very important for good steaks for that extra oomph. Ok its not as bad I as make it out to be. Its still decent and can probably give a few steakhouses a run for their money. The dubious honour of "worst dish of the day" went to the Braised Stockyard Beef Cheek with Merlot, Seasonal Vegetables. Someone please tell me why this dish is worth the $40 I paid for it because I honestly can't think of any. The beef cheek was so soft that it because gross after a while. Taste wise was merely average with no evident presence of Merlot.
Oh and before I forget, the Slow Roasted Rack of Lamb with Tamarind Reduction was one of the highlights of the mains. It didn't reek strongly of lamb, so that was a relieve for me for I simply abhor the lamb aftertaste. The side of mashed sweet potato was an interesting variation of the more common mashed potato. Smooth, sweet and starchy. Nice! On a sidenote, I am not a lamb person, so I may not be the best person to give you an opinion on this dish.
We had ordered our desserts together with the appetizers and mains as many of them required quite a bit of lead time (About 20-30mins). With such a long advance period, we were expecting some really stupendous and out of this world desserts. That was when reality hit us real bad. In all honesty, none of the desserts were exceptional.
The Apple Tart Tartin with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream was probably the best dessert. Creatively shaped into a pie like structure, the apples were not too sweet, but the base was a let down with its soft pastry. The Flavoured Panna Cotta with Chilled Mango Soup was supposed to be a dish where east meets west. Sadly, the west never quite made it. The mango soup, which was essentially mango with sago and pomelo pudding, overpowered the taste of the Panna Cotta. Total whitewash.
I have always wondered how lavender ice cream would taste like and I found out yesterday. It was plain weird and really tasted like lavender scented shampoo or soap, not that I've tried either. Its just that the smell and the taste are the same! So imagine the countless images of shampoo and soap running through my mind while I was eating the Warm Banana Tart with Homemade Lavender Ice Cream. Maybe lavender ice cream just isn't my cup of tea. The banana tart was alright though. It tasted like pastry with banana.
Doesn't Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream sound really good? Imagine breaking into the crust of the chocolate cake and warm chocolate oozing out. Sure the chocolate did ooze out, but the taste was just not up to expectations. The cake tasted too floury, if there's such a word. Too much flour if there isn't. The oozing chocolate was pathetic as compared to the one I had at Morton's of Chicago. The only credit I can think of is the vanilla bean ice cream, which was smooth with a fine texture.
Dinner for 5 cost about $320/-. Terribly expensive if you ask me. Maybe I just have higher expectations about the quality of food than what was given. But wouldn't most people be the same considering the premium price tag? Price aside, I personally found the food at Ember very decent, but not decent enough to warrant another visit with the relatively high prices. Credit goes to the service crew though, who really go the extra mile to make you feel welcomed.
See my pictures here
Rating given:
Attended the annual food bloggers lunch at Gunthers, the eponymous modern fine dining French restaurant helmed by Chef Gunther Hubrechsen, who trained under Chef Alain Passard at the 3 Michelin star L’Arpège in Paris and had a 5 year stint with Les Amis. Opened in August 2007, Gunthers has consistently garnered rave reviews from various media for its refreshing twist to classical French food.
The whole place isn't big actually, even more so the private dining room, which was slated to accomodate 24 of us. And because it was a long table, there wasn't much room to manoeuvre around which made it quite cramp (for me at least). Decor came across as simple and minimalist with dark wall tones and carefully placed spotlights - not so much the romantic ambience, but more for business.
Amuse Bouche - I didn't quite take to the amuse bouche, which was a slice of tomato drizzled with a vanilla bean foam served with fava beans and a slice of ciabatta. The foam and vanilla beans seemed more for decoration then anything else and the tomato taste overwhelmed.
Cold Angel Hair Pasta, Oscietra Caviar - One of Gunther's signature dishes, this was quite tasty but I would have preferred my pasta to be more al dente. The chopped chives and truffle oil gave it a smooth savoury taste coupled with a fragrant truffle aroma while the chilliness of the pasta contributed a nice refreshing sensation. Apparently this dish goes for $60 in the ala carte menu, but portions are definitely much much bigger.
Poached White Asparagus, Bouchot Mussels - White asparagus is essentially asparagus that comes from the process of etiolation, which is the deprivation of light. No chlorophyll can be produced without sunlight hence there is no green colouring in the plant. As such, it is slightly milder in flavour and a little more tender then normal green asparagus. I thought that Gunther's rendition of this vegetable was a little lacking. The single stalk of asparagus was poached until it became overly soft and mashy. The accompanying sauce was excellent though, with a hint of cinammon that went very well with the tiny morsels of seafood.
Grilled Cote de Boeuf, Japanese sweet-corn, sauce Bordelaise - The beef was done to a perfect medium rare with a nice slightly charred exterior that hinted strongly of salt. There was one small fault though. The red wine/vinegar reduction seemed a little too rushed, resulting in a lightly sour note as you chew on the meat. I liked the grilled sweet corn that came alongside. It provided a sweet refreshing punctuation in between intakes of beef.
Roasted Black Pig from Spain (Pata Negra) -
The pork was a substitute for the Grilled Cote de Boeuf in case anyone didn't take beef. But that's not to say that this dish was lacklustre in comparison. On the contrary, this was one quality piece of meat from the Black Iberian Pig, which is known for its ability to accumulate fat under its skin and between the muscular fibres. Read. Exorbitant prices. Execution wise, I thought that the pork was evenly roasted to produce a tender yet succulent piece of meat that literally left me wanting for more. The only complaint I had was that the meat was overly salty.
Fine Apple Tart a la Dragées, Havana Rum Raisin Ice Cream - Apparently Gunther's signature dessert, the apple tart's crust reminded me of the crust found in the Chinese red bean paste pancake, save for the toppings of nuts on top. The stuffing of apple chunks weren't too soft but lacked the sourish aftertaste in my humble opinion. The rum and raisin ice cream was interesting but somehow I don't remember rum and raisin tasting anything like this, or am I just a die hard alcoholic?
As this was a special arrangement by Gunther's for this particular event, we were fortunate to have been able to try out so many dishes for $45 nett/pax. I would like to end off with a thank you to the organisers for the invite. Cheers.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Diandin Leluk, the well known budget Thai restaurant at Golden Mile and owner of the Tuk Tuk Thai Kitchen chain, recently opened up a new upmarket branch around my area so thought it would be good to give it a shot.
Taking over the space vacated by a chicken rice stall just next to Sushi Tei, Diandin boasts two levels of seating in a brightly lighted comfortable looking interior with heavy wooden chairs and tables. Nice place for casual family dinners or gatherings.
Pork Beancurd Soup - I quite fancied this soup as it came across as light yet tasty from the addition of tong cai. There were balls of prawn paste peppered with bits of meat and steamed egg tofu in it. Very traditional Teochew styled soup.
Pandan Chicken -
This was one of the better pandan chickens that I've eaten as it wasn't too oily or cloyingly sweet. The meat was tender and fibrous and of quite a sizeable chunk.
Stir Fried Broccoli with Scallops - A very simple dish and decently executed one at that. The broccoli wasn't overcooked while the thin silvers of scallop didn't carry the fishy aftertaste. However, I thought that the gravy was a little too bland for my liking. But on the upside, at least it wasn't too starchy.
Pineapple Fried Rice - A most mundane rendition of this Thai favourite. There were lots of meat floss, a few slices of shrimp, dried sausages and raisins but lacked the pineapple twang as well as the fragrance. Decent but I've definitely had better.
Phad Thai - The phad thai was of the dryer variant which I personally prefer and the noodles had a nice springy texture. It didn't come across as overly sweet as well and you had a choice of drowning the noodles in grounded peanuts, which I did. Pity about the small portions.
Durian Glutinous Rice - This dessert looked different from others that I've eaten elsewhere. The rice was seperated from the durian (which was real durian meat, not puree) and looked a total mess. Aesthetics aside, the durian was sweet while the glutinous rice wasn't overwhelmed by coconut milk. I did think that the rice was a little undercooked though because it came across as a little hard.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given: