Royal China @ Raffles exudes the prestige and grandeur as the famous colonial Raffles Hotel. Housed in the 3rd level of the hotel, Royal China definitely strikes out to be a cut-above-the-rest with its impressive name, and location. Having heard rave reviews about Royal China’s dim sum, it was about time that I patronised the restaurant, and boy I was charmed.
I decided to go against the norm this time round, usually i’ll write out my conclusion at the end, but Royal China isn’t any normal restaurant serving run-of-the-mill dim sum. I’ll rate them in the same league as Yan Ting, but definitely cheaper. Given the varsity in prices, I say Royal China certainly serves the best dim sum among the places i tried so far.
You can be forgiven if you think that Royal China comes with some Chinese background since the name China indirectly implied the meaning. In fact, The Royal China group is eminent in London, and the foray into Shanghai was just a recent event. Royal China @ Raffles remains the exclusive restaurant in the whole of South-east Asia.
Stepping into Royal China, the contemporary interior which comes in wave of ocean blue makes it a swanky restaurant. No doubt you wouldn’t believe this was actually a Chinese restaurant, and i must say I enjoyed the ambience as it’s very different from the traditional red and gold setting which you find in Chinese restaurants. The blue and white backdrop ooze a certain calm and tranquil, which made you feel right at home.
Baked Barbecued pork puff ($4 for 3) The baked barbecued pork puff or char siew sou, was definitely the must-order dim sum at Royal China. Within the flaky, crispy pastry skin was the most delicious, sweet and juicy char siew that you could find. I regretted not having second serving of this, the next time round, i’ll have one basket for myself!
The best char siew sou that i tried so far was at Yan Ting, and Royal China’s rendition is certainly on-par with that. The thought of the excellent BBQ pork puff is enough for me to make a perennial return.
Steamed pork dumpling ($4.80 for 4) Making a strong case for Royal China, the steamed pork dumpling, or siew mai was also another staple in the menu. Like most siew mai, the beautiful red roe adorns the top, and how can you not order this when you are having dim sum!
Steamed prawn dumpling ($4.80 for 4) As with most, if not all good steamed prawn dumplings, a whole fresh and luscious prawn shroud within the thin and light skin had the right amount of bite. And at $1.20 each, they are really worth the money, compared with the ones at Peach Garden which are higher in price.
Steamed BBQ pork buns ($3.60 for 3) Like i mentioned before, I love to eat char siew buns from Chinese restaurants because they are usually in three parts which have gaps to tease you with the char siew fillings. And at $1.20 each, I’ll rather have one of these any time over the sub-standard buns elsewhere.
Steamed seafood roll with minced garlic ($4.80 for 2) Coming on the recommendation of the staff, the steamed seafood roll with minced garlic was one of the more expensive dim sum at Royal China. Each basket only serves two person, nevertheless, each serving came in the form of a huge crunchy prawn wrapped around wisp of noodles. An interesting and novelty take.
Carrot cake with preserved meat ($4 for 1) There wasn’t anything fantastic with the carrot cake here, No complications of XO sauce, no carrot cake wannabe cheong fun just a good and reliable portion of the dish which we are all familiar with.
Glutinous rice in lotus leaf ($4.80 for 2) We decided to have just one basket of the Glutinous rice not because it wasn’t good, but rice makes you full easily, and we wanted to keep our stomach for the other delectable dim sum. The rice was enhanced with the fragrant emitted by the lotus leaf.
Royal China Cheong fun ($4.80 for 3 rolls) We had the Royal China Cheong fun, which was a combination of the three different ingredients, namely, prawn, char siew and scallop. You can also get just one of the ingredient in a serving, but since we wanted to try all three, this was a good choice.
The cheong fun rice rolls were silky-smooth, and encompassing within were fresh scallops, crunchy prawns and juicy char siew. I couldn’t quite decide which ingredient was better, but i’m leaning towards the crunchy prawns.
String beans crystal dumpling in chilli oil ($3.6 for 1) This was the only upset from the otherwise perfect meal at Royal China. Coming as a last minute before the last order at 2.45pm (lunch’s from 12-3pm), the staff told us this was special because not many places uses string beans in dim sum. And i agreed, only with the part that you seldom see string beans.
The string bean crystal dumplings had fillings of string beans, and soaked in chilli oil. We did not like the combination, the chilli oil was too spicy and oily. But being the nice people, we didn’t want to waste food, so we took one each and gulped it down.
Deep fried prawn dumpling served with Mayo ($4.80 for 3) Another of the last minute order, the deep fried prawn dumpling fared better than the string bean crystal dumpling. Covered with almonds, the inside was minced prawn. My friend was looking out for the big prawn which was evident in the prawn dumpling, and the seafood roll. But the prawn here was minced nicely and filled in the dumpling instead.
Baked duck meat roll in Portuguese sauce ($4.80 for 3) The baked duck meat roll was also on the recommendations of the staff, it came as a surprise to us when it arrived, looking like meat roll dipped in curry-like colour sauce. In fact, it was Portuguese sauce, now i’m not too sure what exactly was Portuguese sauce, but the flavour was too strong, and overwhelmed the duck meat roll.
But eaten without the Portuguese sauce, the duck meat roll on its roll was actually quite good. The fillings were generous within the roll, pity the Portuguese sauce though.
Total Bill was $95.10 for 5 people. Most of the earlier dim sum that we ordered came in 6 portions because another friend didn’t come in the eleventh minute. I listed out the normal pricing for the standard pieces of dim sum available so as not to confuse you. You could also do it like us, say you have 5 people order 5 pieces instead of getting two basket of 3 each.
Prices are reasonable given the quality of the dim sum. We paid about $19 per person, definitely not expensive, but we didn’t exactly eat a lot, one of each dim sum. I preferred to appreciate each piece of quality dim sum than to gorge myself silly with a lot of sub-standards one.
Dim sum at Royal China was an excellent one, standards are comparable to Yan Ting, yet prices are cheaper than the latter. There are some other dim sum which i haven’t try, and a perennial return looks to be a certainty, and I’ll definitely recommend Royal China if you are looking for good dim sum. The restaurant’s also famous for their lobster noodles, but unless you got deep pockets, i suggest you stick to the dim sum. 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!
We had so many tries, that I overlook your existance.
Still, I believe, we should remain separately.
For I have since found my new love, the lovely in pink.
We, Banana and chocolate should never have got together.
For I realise, the lovely in pink watermelon’s better for me.
Now do you remember?
Water melon sorbet and banana chocolate gelato!
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!
Life’s simple pleasures. I liked Mr bean’s tagline, it’s easy enough, and i thought it conveyed the message quite well. I never really noticed it before since i didn’t try them. Have you felt the beauty of a smile, the warmth of a touch or the bliss of simply watching the world go by, the goodness of Mr bean soya milk’s a life simple pleasure.
The branch at Raffles Place MRT is always packed with the office crowd, a light breakfast before starting a new day at work, some beverage for after-lunch, or also a quick bite before going home. My partner thinks that Mr Bean’s definitely better than Jollibean, well it won’t be fair to comment on that since i haven’t try both Mr bean and jolli bean soya milk.
Bandung soya milk My partner’s a fan of their bandung soya milk. I had a sip of it, and although i didn’t really like bandung, the taste was quite all right, not as sweet as i thought it’ll be. In fact it’s quite light, and there’s a subtle hint of soya milk combined with the bandung, certainly a healthier drink compared to having bandung alone.
Taking a quick glance at Mr bean’s menu, they have a wider variety of soya milk, 14 if you included the icy versions, and i am quite intrigued by their honeydew soya milk. Given the wide-spread locations of Mr bean islandwide, it won’t be a problem picking up one of them next time!
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!
Another store which stood out at Lau Pa Sat for its unique name, was Souper! Like the name implied, the food couldn’t be far off from soup, and it did slightly remind me of our Chinese steamed soup with rice. Well except for Souper they had baguette instead of rice to go along with the soup.
There’s four choices, the mushroom, clam chowder, garden salad, and maryland crab soup, which all came in two sizes, the 12oz, and 15oz.
Souper! Value Meal ($6.50) There’s a souper value meal which consisted of a choice soup, baguette, meatballs and bashed potatoes. It’s more worthwhile to get this rather than just the soup and baguette alone. The meatballs were not too bad, and they strike a cord with Ikea’s Swedish meatballs, which also had strawberry jams to accompany the meatballs.
My friend tried the maryland crab soup for the value meal. But somehow we didn’t particularly enjoy the soup, like i always mentioned, i’m not a soup person (other than my mom’s soup of course).
Total cost was $6.50 for the Souper! value meal, which i felt was quite worth the money since there’s a soup, baguette, meatballs, and also bashed potatoes. Nothing fantastic, but it’ll do for a simple lunch. Even though i don’t really like the soup that we had, Souper! does deserved a praise for being the outstanding one in the midst of the many stalls in Lau Pa Sat, for coming out with something different from the norm.
'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!
Sits within the lush of its own thousand square foot garden, surrounded by trees and foliage, one can either choose to dine al fresco at Cicada’s charming outdoor patio and enjoy the serenity of its garden setting, or a spacious indoor dining area amid candle-lit, soft music environment for a more cooling dining experience.
Situated just a stone’s throw away from Pietrasanta, The Italian Restaurant and the iconic Colbar Eating House, this marketed and positioned as a French-Californian restaurant is another lovechild of nightclub boss-turned restaurateur Mr Michel Lu, after alfresco bars Hacienda at Dempsey, and Superfamous in Boat Quay. 1-for-1 Happy Hours are from 12pm to 9pm; as such ½ pint of Heineken Draft Beer at $10 is essentially $5 each.
Appetiser was Pan Seared Blue Fin Tuna Salad ($15.90). Considered the prized-catch among tunas, the fish was seared adeptly and came with a nice firm bite but otherwise, it was lacklustre in taste and balsamic vinaigrette seeks to engulf the flavour all the more.
Personally, HFB thought the Sautéed Organic Mushrooms ($6.90) was probably the best dish for that night. Infused with the aromatic flavours of White Cooking Wine and a tint of sweetness from the Cherry Tomatoes, the mushrooms topped with fresh herbs was palatable and produced a nice texture for nibble. However a question looms – HFB wonders there is any different in taste and texture between normal or organic mushrooms?
If you have yet to know, Cicada is famously known to serve a wicked burger dish, which goes by the name of “The Infamous Cicada Burger” priced at $28.90. Served with thick-cut fries, which was slightly dry for me – sandwiched in between two pieces of bread are lip-smacking ingredients consisting of Caramelised Onions, Mushrooms, Gorgonzola & Gruyere Cheese and none other than the marbled Wagyu Beef as patty.
However, joy soon dissipated in frustration as my requested doneness of medium-rare for the beef came well done (again!). A request for change was pretty redundant as the patty was just slightly better – done medium well perhaps. Tired of waiting (and be disappointed yet again), HFB grudgingly finished his food and paid his bill without ordering desserts.
Overall, HFB wasn’t impressed by the food – which seemingly reminded him of PS Café at Dempsey – cosy ambience suitable for couples on first date, but no depth in terms of the fare served.
You can view all the photos and other reviews here.
Had been meaning to try out Vittles for quite a while and the opportunity finally presented itself one rainy afternoon. Apparently this small heartland cafe has been featured in quite a few media vehicles as well as in various prominent food blogs. Whats seemingly interesting about this place is the free flow of popcorn that you can help yourself to.
Vittles sits among a short stretch of shops along Sembawang Road and can be difficult to spot especially if you are not alert, which was precisely what happened to me and I had to circle the area a couple of times before I finally spotted it. The place offers an alfresco sitting as well as a smaller air conditioned interior and comes across as very "cafeish" with its white plastic chairs and laminted menus.
Julius Caesar Salad - As great as Julius Caesar was in Roman history, this salad bearing the namesake wasn't the least impressive, coming across as average and run off the mill. And just to set the record straight, no, Julius Caesar didn't invent the caesar salad.
Moo Moo II Burger - One of the signature dishes of Vittles, the Moo Moo Burger looked a tad smaller then what I had seen in photographs, which was a bummer really. Texture wise, the patty was relatively smooth with patches of roughness throughout (an indication of slip shod hand chopping?) and managed to retain some moisture even though it was cooked till well done. My major grouse came in the taste section. The patty was covered/drowned with BBQ sauce which greatly overwhelmed whatever taste the beef patty had to offer as well as that of the bacon and cheese.
Durian Mousse - I couldn't resist ordering the durian mousse even though it cost something to the tune of $7. I must say that it was quite decent - smooth and not too sweet although the mousse was a tad too dry. Not something that I'll order again though, simply because of its small portions.
While its comforting to know that $29 can buy you a soup, salad, main and dessert at Vittles, its not exactly value for money as food quality is a whisker above average at best. A return seems highly improbable for me as Carl's Junior does seem like a cheaper option.
Started way back in 1921 at Hock Lam Street, this brand of authentic Teochew Beef Kway Teow recipe was brought in by a certain Mr Tan from Swatow, China, and the rest, as they say, is history. So famous (or popular as stated on their signboard), is Hock Lam Street Beef Kway Teow that it is seen as the benchmark for the rest of the beef noodle stalls – or at least that is what HFB thinks.
What is so special about their soup-based, said to be boiled for at least 18 hours, is the additional of Preserved Salted Vegetables that gave it an extra ‘kick’ to the fairly light flavoured soup, or ‘Cheng’ as how the Teochews described it, although HFB finds it inconsistently salty at times having tried it on separate occasions. Prices ranges from $4.50 (small), $5.50 (medium) to $6.50 (large), and one has a choice of Kway Teow, Bee Hoon and Mee. One can also have a combination of Sliced Beef, Beef Tripe (Stomach), Beef Brisket (Cooked Meat), Beef Liver, Beef Ball, and for an additional of $1.00 – Beef Tendon.
The small portion of Sliced Beef with Beef Ball Kway Teow Soup was pretty pathetic in my opinion – unless one is not very hungry during lunchtime, braving the crowd for such a small serving is simply not worth the effort. Besides, the beef ball is definitely factory produced and not handmade, which is a disappointment considering the legacy of this eatery.
The medium portion of Sliced Beef, Beef Ball and Beef Brisket Kway Teow was slightly more adequate and the brisket was palatable – it is intense with flavour and malleable to consume.
The thin version of kway teow used was also something HFB is happy about - it was pretty smooth to slurp, although compared to Tuck Kee Sar Hor Fun, it was nowhere close in standard.
Hardcore Teochew Beef Kway Teow fans would also be delighted to discover that their original dry version comes with an additional topping of Grinded Peanuts to give it an extra crunch, the familiar Chinchaluk (shrimp paste sauce), and a pretty ‘solid’ chilli to go with.
You can view the all photos and other reviews here.
Had dinner at Seafood Paradise @ Defu, the original and mass market seafood offering from Paradise Group, which has another outlet bearing the same name at the Singapore Flyer and also runs the excellent fine dining restaurant, Taste Paradise ,at Mosque Street. This wildly popular restaurant started out as a humble 25 seater cze char stall in 2002 and has since expanded its premises to accommodate more then 200 people, which is by no means a small feat.
Hidden within the Defu industrial estate, Seafood Paradise @ Defu isn't exactly located at the most convenient of places and people who are unfamiliar with the area might have quite a bit of difficulty trying to get there. The restaurant offers both alfresco and air conditioned dining and please be warned that turning up without reservations at prime time slots like 7pm to 830pm would probably leave you without a table.
Wasabi Prawns - A signature dish of Seafood Paradise, the wasabi prawns certainly lived up to its hype in my humble opinion. The prawns were fresh and huge with a nice crunchy texture beneath its slightly crispy exterior. Topped with sweet mango slices, pine nuts and dragon fruit seeds, I did think that the wasabi was a tad strong this time round, giving me a minor headache. But all in all a very good eat.
Homemade Beancurd in Seafood Sauce - The small serving of beancurd was quite a size (for 3-4 pax) and came across as silkily smooth with a very faint hint of the smokey aftertaste that I personally like. The generous meat floss atop gave it a nice sweet bearing while the savoury gravy had cubes of prawns, sea cucumber and squid. Very satisfying, to me at least.
Egg White and Scallop on Broccoli - I thought that this simple vegetable dish was very well executed with the broccoli not too soft from overcooking while the gravy had a very nice savoury taste. The scallops weren't overcooked as well and the egg white was plentiful sans the raw and mildy nauseating aftertaste that plague most such dishes. Probably the only fault I can find with this dish is the excessive oil in it, which would probably scare off the more health conscious folks.
Whole Ribs in Honey Pepper Sauce - Another signature dish of Seafood Paradise, the ribs were well seasoned without being the meat being too hard and carried with it a light sweetness from the honey with a placid pepperish undertone. But some might find it a tad too sweet for their liking, ie, my gf.
A dinner that costs close to $70 for 2 pax isn't what I would call cheap but I cannot deny the quality of food that Seafood Paradise offers. Just for the record, we had to doggy bag most of the ribs (3 out of 4 pieces) as both of us were too stuffed to eat anymore. Service was excellent as well although they could have been a little more organised in the reservations. People waiting up to 30 mins for a table even with reservations is definitely a big no no.
MmM I feel a little weird reading everyone else's review on Jetstar. I've taken Jetstar to Thailand, Siem Reap and Taipei.
Funnily I remember the planes I took to Thailand and Siem Reap were newer and better compared to the one I took recently to Taipei. Odd huh.
Anyways, Jetstar is comparatively cheaper. And compared to other budget carriers, it takes off from the main terminals at Changi so that makes it more convenient to get on. If you book your tickets earlier or during promotional periods you can get $38 / $69 tickets easily. A bargain if you ask me. Early booking can also save $200-$300. I guess if you're taking a short flight of 3-4 hours it's a good deal.
Since it's cheaper (provided you dun buy tickets last minute), there's no inflight entertainment and no free meals. Bottled water costs $3 for a 400ml bottle which is REALLY expensive. A sandwich costs $8 and there isn't much inside. No cool free gifts in the compartment waiting for you and no free blankets if you're cold. Seats are alright, the usual crammed economy seats but a good number may not be able to recline at all.
So I guess to really make most of your flight on Jetstar, eat just before you board, load videos into your lappie, bring newspapers/books for entertainment.
Hua Yu Wee (华友园) is the last standing seafood restaurant along Upper East Coast Road, an area that used to be populated by many seafood restaurants which have now all shifted to East Coast Park, save for this sole survivor. I remember eating at this restaurant with my relatives from time to time as a kid when there were occasions for celebration.
Hua Yu occupies an old colonial bunglow that has been converted into a restaurant and offers both al fresco and airconditioned dining areas. The interior is homely with its white washed walls but noise is a big problem here as the area is enclosed and with so many conversations going on at the same time, you might really have to raise your voice a little to be heard.
Homemade Tofu - The tofu was quite good. A little crisp on the outside yet soft and quivery on the inside. The layer of compacted spinach and dried scallop shreds atop provided a nice savoury taste to the tofu while the golden mushrooms and enoki gave it that extra bite.
Stir Fried Dou Miao - I thought that the dou miao fried with garlic was a little too bland and a dash of salt would have been much appreciated. On the upside, it wasn't overcooked, which sealed in the flavour and texture of this vegetable.
Salted Egg Pork Ribs - Interestingly, this is the first time I've eaten pork ribs coated with salted egg yolk and deep fried. And it didn't really impress me much. For starters, the taste of the egg yolk was rather faint and overall the ribs were bland. To compound matters, the ribs didn't taste fresh, more like frozen products really. Judging from the colour of the ribs (red), I believe duck eggs were used.
Black Pepper Crayfish - $14 for 2 small crayfish halved up into 4 pieces is definitely a no go. But to give it credit, the crayfish was fresh and the meat firm. However I did think that the pepper taste was overwhelming, threatening to numb my tastebuds.
The 3 of us chalked up a bill of $53 which is decent enough for the food quality. Standards seemed to have dropped significantly since the last time I visited about 10 years ago but that seems to be the trend everywhere! I doubt I'll be back though. Adiós my old friend.
1=SGD 0.0587
Royal China @ Raffles exudes the prestige and grandeur as the famous colonial Raffles Hotel. Housed in the 3rd level of the hotel, Royal China definitely strikes out to be a cut-above-the-rest with its impressive name, and location. Having heard rave reviews about Royal China’s dim sum, it was about time that I patronised the restaurant, and boy I was charmed.
I decided to go against the norm this time round, usually i’ll write out my conclusion at the end, but Royal China isn’t any normal restaurant serving run-of-the-mill dim sum. I’ll rate them in the same league as Yan Ting, but definitely cheaper. Given the varsity in prices, I say Royal China certainly serves the best dim sum among the places i tried so far.
You can be forgiven if you think that Royal China comes with some Chinese background since the name China indirectly implied the meaning. In fact, The Royal China group is eminent in London, and the foray into Shanghai was just a recent event. Royal China @ Raffles remains the exclusive restaurant in the whole of South-east Asia.
Stepping into Royal China, the contemporary interior which comes in wave of ocean blue makes it a swanky restaurant. No doubt you wouldn’t believe this was actually a Chinese restaurant, and i must say I enjoyed the ambience as it’s very different from the traditional red and gold setting which you find in Chinese restaurants. The blue and white backdrop ooze a certain calm and tranquil, which made you feel right at home.
Baked Barbecued pork puff ($4 for 3)
The baked barbecued pork puff or char siew sou, was definitely the must-order dim sum at Royal China. Within the flaky, crispy pastry skin was the most delicious, sweet and juicy char siew that you could find. I regretted not having second serving of this, the next time round, i’ll have one basket for myself!
The best char siew sou that i tried so far was at Yan Ting, and Royal China’s rendition is certainly on-par with that. The thought of the excellent BBQ pork puff is enough for me to make a perennial return.
Steamed pork dumpling ($4.80 for 4)
Making a strong case for Royal China, the steamed pork dumpling, or siew mai was also another staple in the menu. Like most siew mai, the beautiful red roe adorns the top, and how can you not order this when you are having dim sum!
Steamed prawn dumpling ($4.80 for 4)
As with most, if not all good steamed prawn dumplings, a whole fresh and luscious prawn shroud within the thin and light skin had the right amount of bite. And at $1.20 each, they are really worth the money, compared with the ones at Peach Garden which are higher in price.
Steamed BBQ pork buns ($3.60 for 3)
Like i mentioned before, I love to eat char siew buns from Chinese restaurants because they are usually in three parts which have gaps to tease you with the char siew fillings. And at $1.20 each, I’ll rather have one of these any time over the sub-standard buns elsewhere.
Steamed seafood roll with minced garlic ($4.80 for 2)
Coming on the recommendation of the staff, the steamed seafood roll with minced garlic was one of the more expensive dim sum at Royal China. Each basket only serves two person, nevertheless, each serving came in the form of a huge crunchy prawn wrapped around wisp of noodles. An interesting and novelty take.
Carrot cake with preserved meat ($4 for 1)
There wasn’t anything fantastic with the carrot cake here, No complications of XO sauce, no carrot cake wannabe cheong fun just a good and reliable portion of the dish which we are all familiar with.
Glutinous rice in lotus leaf ($4.80 for 2)
We decided to have just one basket of the Glutinous rice not because it wasn’t good, but rice makes you full easily, and we wanted to keep our stomach for the other delectable dim sum. The rice was enhanced with the fragrant emitted by the lotus leaf.
Royal China Cheong fun ($4.80 for 3 rolls)
We had the Royal China Cheong fun, which was a combination of the three different ingredients, namely, prawn, char siew and scallop. You can also get just one of the ingredient in a serving, but since we wanted to try all three, this was a good choice.
The cheong fun rice rolls were silky-smooth, and encompassing within were fresh scallops, crunchy prawns and juicy char siew. I couldn’t quite decide which ingredient was better, but i’m leaning towards the crunchy prawns.
String beans crystal dumpling in chilli oil ($3.6 for 1)
This was the only upset from the otherwise perfect meal at Royal China. Coming as a last minute before the last order at 2.45pm (lunch’s from 12-3pm), the staff told us this was special because not many places uses string beans in dim sum. And i agreed, only with the part that you seldom see string beans.
The string bean crystal dumplings had fillings of string beans, and soaked in chilli oil. We did not like the combination, the chilli oil was too spicy and oily. But being the nice people, we didn’t want to waste food, so we took one each and gulped it down.
Deep fried prawn dumpling served with Mayo ($4.80 for 3)
Another of the last minute order, the deep fried prawn dumpling fared better than the string bean crystal dumpling. Covered with almonds, the inside was minced prawn. My friend was looking out for the big prawn which was evident in the prawn dumpling, and the seafood roll. But the prawn here was minced nicely and filled in the dumpling instead.
Baked duck meat roll in Portuguese sauce ($4.80 for 3)
The baked duck meat roll was also on the recommendations of the staff, it came as a surprise to us when it arrived, looking like meat roll dipped in curry-like colour sauce. In fact, it was Portuguese sauce, now i’m not too sure what exactly was Portuguese sauce, but the flavour was too strong, and overwhelmed the duck meat roll.
But eaten without the Portuguese sauce, the duck meat roll on its roll was actually quite good. The fillings were generous within the roll, pity the Portuguese sauce though.
Total Bill was $95.10 for 5 people. Most of the earlier dim sum that we ordered came in 6 portions because another friend didn’t come in the eleventh minute. I listed out the normal pricing for the standard pieces of dim sum available so as not to confuse you. You could also do it like us, say you have 5 people order 5 pieces instead of getting two basket of 3 each.
Prices are reasonable given the quality of the dim sum. We paid about $19 per person, definitely not expensive, but we didn’t exactly eat a lot, one of each dim sum. I preferred to appreciate each piece of quality dim sum than to gorge myself silly with a lot of sub-standards one.
Dim sum at Royal China was an excellent one, standards are comparable to Yan Ting, yet prices are cheaper than the latter. There are some other dim sum which i haven’t try, and a perennial return looks to be a certainty, and I’ll definitely recommend Royal China if you are looking for good dim sum. The restaurant’s also famous for their lobster noodles, but unless you got deep pockets, i suggest you stick to the dim sum. 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:
After meeting you once,
I could never forget the encounter.
We had so many tries, that I overlook your existance.
Still, I believe, we should remain separately.
For I have since found my new love, the lovely in pink.
We, Banana and chocolate should never have got together.
For I realise, the lovely in pink watermelon’s better for me.
Now do you remember?
Water melon sorbet and banana chocolate gelato!
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:
Life’s simple pleasures. I liked Mr bean’s tagline, it’s easy enough, and i thought it conveyed the message quite well. I never really noticed it before since i didn’t try them. Have you felt the beauty of a smile, the warmth of a touch or the bliss of simply watching the world go by, the goodness of Mr bean soya milk’s a life simple pleasure.
The branch at Raffles Place MRT is always packed with the office crowd, a light breakfast before starting a new day at work, some beverage for after-lunch, or also a quick bite before going home. My partner thinks that Mr Bean’s definitely better than Jollibean, well it won’t be fair to comment on that since i haven’t try both Mr bean and jolli bean soya milk.
Bandung soya milk
My partner’s a fan of their bandung soya milk. I had a sip of it, and although i didn’t really like bandung, the taste was quite all right, not as sweet as i thought it’ll be. In fact it’s quite light, and there’s a subtle hint of soya milk combined with the bandung, certainly a healthier drink compared to having bandung alone.
Taking a quick glance at Mr bean’s menu, they have a wider variety of soya milk, 14 if you included the icy versions, and i am quite intrigued by their honeydew soya milk. Given the wide-spread locations of Mr bean islandwide, it won’t be a problem picking up one of them next time!
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:
Another store which stood out at Lau Pa Sat for its unique name, was Souper! Like the name implied, the food couldn’t be far off from soup, and it did slightly remind me of our Chinese steamed soup with rice. Well except for Souper they had baguette instead of rice to go along with the soup.
There’s four choices, the mushroom, clam chowder, garden salad, and maryland crab soup, which all came in two sizes, the 12oz, and 15oz.
Souper! Value Meal ($6.50)
There’s a souper value meal which consisted of a choice soup, baguette, meatballs and bashed potatoes. It’s more worthwhile to get this rather than just the soup and baguette alone. The meatballs were not too bad, and they strike a cord with Ikea’s Swedish meatballs, which also had strawberry jams to accompany the meatballs.
My friend tried the maryland crab soup for the value meal. But somehow we didn’t particularly enjoy the soup, like i always mentioned, i’m not a soup person (other than my mom’s soup of course).
Total cost was $6.50 for the Souper! value meal, which i felt was quite worth the money since there’s a soup, baguette, meatballs, and also bashed potatoes. Nothing fantastic, but it’ll do for a simple lunch. Even though i don’t really like the soup that we had, Souper! does deserved a praise for being the outstanding one in the midst of the many stalls in Lau Pa Sat, for coming out with something different from the norm.
'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!
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Sits within the lush of its own thousand square foot garden, surrounded by trees and foliage, one can either choose to dine al fresco at Cicada’s charming outdoor patio and enjoy the serenity of its garden setting, or a spacious indoor dining area amid candle-lit, soft music environment for a more cooling dining experience.
Situated just a stone’s throw away from Pietrasanta, The Italian Restaurant and the iconic Colbar Eating House, this marketed and positioned as a French-Californian restaurant is another lovechild of nightclub boss-turned restaurateur Mr Michel Lu, after alfresco bars Hacienda at Dempsey, and Superfamous in Boat Quay. 1-for-1 Happy Hours are from 12pm to 9pm; as such ½ pint of Heineken Draft Beer at $10 is essentially $5 each.
Appetiser was Pan Seared Blue Fin Tuna Salad ($15.90). Considered the prized-catch among tunas, the fish was seared adeptly and came with a nice firm bite but otherwise, it was lacklustre in taste and balsamic vinaigrette seeks to engulf the flavour all the more.
Personally, HFB thought the Sautéed Organic Mushrooms ($6.90) was probably the best dish for that night. Infused with the aromatic flavours of White Cooking Wine and a tint of sweetness from the Cherry Tomatoes, the mushrooms topped with fresh herbs was palatable and produced a nice texture for nibble. However a question looms – HFB wonders there is any different in taste and texture between normal or organic mushrooms?
If you have yet to know, Cicada is famously known to serve a wicked burger dish, which goes by the name of “The Infamous Cicada Burger” priced at $28.90. Served with thick-cut fries, which was slightly dry for me – sandwiched in between two pieces of bread are lip-smacking ingredients consisting of Caramelised Onions, Mushrooms, Gorgonzola & Gruyere Cheese and none other than the marbled Wagyu Beef as patty.
However, joy soon dissipated in frustration as my requested doneness of medium-rare for the beef came well done (again!). A request for change was pretty redundant as the patty was just slightly better – done medium well perhaps. Tired of waiting (and be disappointed yet again), HFB grudgingly finished his food and paid his bill without ordering desserts.
Overall, HFB wasn’t impressed by the food – which seemingly reminded him of PS Café at Dempsey – cosy ambience suitable for couples on first date, but no depth in terms of the fare served.
You can view all the photos and other reviews here.
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Had been meaning to try out Vittles for quite a while and the opportunity finally presented itself one rainy afternoon. Apparently this small heartland cafe has been featured in quite a few media vehicles as well as in various prominent food blogs. Whats seemingly interesting about this place is the free flow of popcorn that you can help yourself to.
Vittles sits among a short stretch of shops along Sembawang Road and can be difficult to spot especially if you are not alert, which was precisely what happened to me and I had to circle the area a couple of times before I finally spotted it.
The place offers an alfresco sitting as well as a smaller air conditioned interior and comes across as very "cafeish" with its white plastic chairs and laminted menus.
Julius Caesar Salad - As great as Julius Caesar was in Roman history, this salad bearing the namesake wasn't the least impressive, coming across as average and run off the mill. And just to set the record straight, no, Julius Caesar didn't invent the caesar salad.
Moo Moo II Burger - One of the signature dishes of Vittles, the Moo Moo Burger looked a tad smaller then what I had seen in photographs, which was a bummer really. Texture wise, the patty was relatively smooth with patches of roughness throughout (an indication of slip shod hand chopping?) and managed to retain some moisture even though it was cooked till well done. My major grouse came in the taste section. The patty was covered/drowned with BBQ sauce which greatly overwhelmed whatever taste the beef patty had to offer as well as that of the bacon and cheese.
Durian Mousse - I couldn't resist ordering the durian mousse even though it cost something to the tune of $7. I must say that it was quite decent - smooth and not too sweet although the mousse was a tad too dry. Not something that I'll order again though, simply because of its small portions.
While its comforting to know that $29 can buy you a soup, salad, main and dessert at Vittles, its not exactly value for money as food quality is a whisker above average at best. A return seems highly improbable for me as Carl's Junior does seem like a cheaper option.
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Started way back in 1921 at Hock Lam Street, this brand of authentic Teochew Beef Kway Teow recipe was brought in by a certain Mr Tan from Swatow, China, and the rest, as they say, is history. So famous (or popular as stated on their signboard), is Hock Lam Street Beef Kway Teow that it is seen as the benchmark for the rest of the beef noodle stalls – or at least that is what HFB thinks.
What is so special about their soup-based, said to be boiled for at least 18 hours, is the additional of Preserved Salted Vegetables that gave it an extra ‘kick’ to the fairly light flavoured soup, or ‘Cheng’ as how the Teochews described it, although HFB finds it inconsistently salty at times having tried it on separate occasions. Prices ranges from $4.50 (small), $5.50 (medium) to $6.50 (large), and one has a choice of Kway Teow, Bee Hoon and Mee. One can also have a combination of Sliced Beef, Beef Tripe (Stomach), Beef Brisket (Cooked Meat), Beef Liver, Beef Ball, and for an additional of $1.00 – Beef Tendon.
The small portion of Sliced Beef with Beef Ball Kway Teow Soup was pretty pathetic in my opinion – unless one is not very hungry during lunchtime, braving the crowd for such a small serving is simply not worth the effort. Besides, the beef ball is definitely factory produced and not handmade, which is a disappointment considering the legacy of this eatery.
The medium portion of Sliced Beef, Beef Ball and Beef Brisket Kway Teow was slightly more adequate and the brisket was palatable – it is intense with flavour and malleable to consume.
The thin version of kway teow used was also something HFB is happy about - it was pretty smooth to slurp, although compared to Tuck Kee Sar Hor Fun, it was nowhere close in standard.
Hardcore Teochew Beef Kway Teow fans would also be delighted to discover that their original dry version comes with an additional topping of Grinded Peanuts to give it an extra crunch, the familiar Chinchaluk (shrimp paste sauce), and a pretty ‘solid’ chilli to go with.
You can view the all photos and other reviews here.
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Had dinner at Seafood Paradise @ Defu, the original and mass market seafood offering from Paradise Group, which has another outlet bearing the same name at the Singapore Flyer and also runs the excellent fine dining restaurant, Taste Paradise ,at Mosque Street. This wildly popular restaurant started out as a humble 25 seater cze char stall in 2002 and has since expanded its premises to accommodate more then 200 people, which is by no means a small feat.
Hidden within the Defu industrial estate, Seafood Paradise @ Defu isn't exactly located at the most convenient of places and people who are unfamiliar with the area might have quite a bit of difficulty trying to get there. The restaurant offers both alfresco and air conditioned dining and please be warned that turning up without reservations at prime time slots like 7pm to 830pm would probably leave you without a table.
Wasabi Prawns - A signature dish of Seafood Paradise, the wasabi prawns certainly lived up to its hype in my humble opinion. The prawns were fresh and huge with a nice crunchy texture beneath its slightly crispy exterior. Topped with sweet mango slices, pine nuts and dragon fruit seeds, I did think that the wasabi was a tad strong this time round, giving me a minor headache. But all in all a very good eat.
Homemade Beancurd in Seafood Sauce - The small serving of beancurd was quite a size (for 3-4 pax) and came across as silkily smooth with a very faint hint of the smokey aftertaste that I personally like. The generous meat floss atop gave it a nice sweet bearing while the savoury gravy had cubes of prawns, sea cucumber and squid. Very satisfying, to me at least.
Egg White and Scallop on Broccoli - I thought that this simple vegetable dish was very well executed with the broccoli not too soft from overcooking while the gravy had a very nice savoury taste. The scallops weren't overcooked as well and the egg white was plentiful sans the raw and mildy nauseating aftertaste that plague most such dishes. Probably the only fault I can find with this dish is the excessive oil in it, which would probably scare off the more health conscious folks.
Whole Ribs in Honey Pepper Sauce - Another signature dish of Seafood Paradise, the ribs were well seasoned without being the meat being too hard and carried with it a light sweetness from the honey with a placid pepperish undertone. But some might find it a tad too sweet for their liking, ie, my gf.
A dinner that costs close to $70 for 2 pax isn't what I would call cheap but I cannot deny the quality of food that Seafood Paradise offers. Just for the record, we had to doggy bag most of the ribs (3 out of 4 pieces) as both of us were too stuffed to eat anymore. Service was excellent as well although they could have been a little more organised in the reservations. People waiting up to 30 mins for a table even with reservations is definitely a big no no.
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MmM I feel a little weird reading everyone else's review on Jetstar. I've taken Jetstar to Thailand, Siem Reap and Taipei.
Funnily I remember the planes I took to Thailand and Siem Reap were newer and better compared to the one I took recently to Taipei. Odd huh.
Anyways, Jetstar is comparatively cheaper. And compared to other budget carriers, it takes off from the main terminals at Changi so that makes it more convenient to get on. If you book your tickets earlier or during promotional periods you can get $38 / $69 tickets easily. A bargain if you ask me. Early booking can also save $200-$300. I guess if you're taking a short flight of 3-4 hours it's a good deal.
Since it's cheaper (provided you dun buy tickets last minute), there's no inflight entertainment and no free meals. Bottled water costs $3 for a 400ml bottle which is REALLY expensive. A sandwich costs $8 and there isn't much inside. No cool free gifts in the compartment waiting for you and no free blankets if you're cold. Seats are alright, the usual crammed economy seats but a good number may not be able to recline at all.
So I guess to really make most of your flight on Jetstar, eat just before you board, load videos into your lappie, bring newspapers/books for entertainment.
Hey. You pay for what you get right? :)
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Hua Yu Wee (华友园) is the last standing seafood restaurant along Upper East Coast Road, an area that used to be populated by many seafood restaurants which have now all shifted to East Coast Park, save for this sole survivor. I remember eating at this restaurant with my relatives from time to time as a kid when there were occasions for celebration.
Hua Yu occupies an old colonial bunglow that has been converted into a restaurant and offers both al fresco and airconditioned dining areas. The interior is homely with its white washed walls but noise is a big problem here as the area is enclosed and with so many conversations going on at the same time, you might really have to raise your voice a little to be heard.
Homemade Tofu - The tofu was quite good. A little crisp on the outside yet soft and quivery on the inside. The layer of compacted spinach and dried scallop shreds atop provided a nice savoury taste to the tofu while the golden mushrooms and enoki gave it that extra bite.
Stir Fried Dou Miao - I thought that the dou miao fried with garlic was a little too bland and a dash of salt would have been much appreciated. On the upside, it wasn't overcooked, which sealed in the flavour and texture of this vegetable.
Salted Egg Pork Ribs - Interestingly, this is the first time I've eaten pork ribs coated with salted egg yolk and deep fried. And it didn't really impress me much. For starters, the taste of the egg yolk was rather faint and overall the ribs were bland. To compound matters, the ribs didn't taste fresh, more like frozen products really. Judging from the colour of the ribs (red), I believe duck eggs were used.
Black Pepper Crayfish - $14 for 2 small crayfish halved up into 4 pieces is definitely a no go. But to give it credit, the crayfish was fresh and the meat firm. However I did think that the pepper taste was overwhelming, threatening to numb my tastebuds.
The 3 of us chalked up a bill of $53 which is decent enough for the food quality. Standards seemed to have dropped significantly since the last time I visited about 10 years ago but that seems to be the trend everywhere! I doubt I'll be back though. Adiós my old friend.
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