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Sport & Recreation
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1=SGD 0.0587
Hanabi has a few other outlets in Bukit Timah and North Bridge Road.... this would be its new addition. I haven't been to the other outlets though my companions have. They have Japanese Buffet in ala carte style which was what brought us to the place during the CNY season. There were 5 adults and 2 kids and we managed to get a table despite not calling ahead. It was really crowded, being a weekend evening and during the festive season. Buffet prices for weekend dinner was about $30(adult) I believe.
Service was good, considering how busy they were. They topped up our tea and water regularly and tried to clear the plates whenever they could. Food was served relatively fast and orders were not forgotten.
However I've had better Japanese Buffets where the food is fresher and tastier. The menu which the food is listed on could be improved on as it is a little disorganised. The variety of food varies from outlet to outlet, according to my companions, who were a little upset that certain sashimi wasn't served in this outlet.
But I do think that a re-visit is possible... when I'm not with fussy people and there's nothing much else in the area to try.
Rating given:
Etna (East Coast) is the 3rd restaurant from this Italian chain. It opened just down the road from the busier section of Siglap just weeks ago. Fresh from my great experience at de Parma, I was game to try another Italian place so rallied people for a Sunday Lunch.
Stepping into the place, I found it dim but still comfortable. There was enough lighting for us to take photos. The seats were comfortable and the tables were comfortably spaced for people to move about.
The staff were friendly and warm. But it was a tad difficult to get their attention at times. Not to mention, our food arrived before our drinks. There was also one part which I felt really strange. We were asking for recommendations. The response we got was... "We are relatively new so there aren't any real chef recommendations. But if you really really want, then I think this one. " and the assistant manager proceeds to point to the most expensive pasta on the menu. I thought that was a really odd thing to say.
The complimentary bread served was a little too dry and hard.
Food Ordered:
Bruschetta Etna
Toasted Bread with 4 different toppings
I was a little surprised when the dish came but I guess I should have expected it from the description. I thought that it would be a mixture of the 4 toppings on each and not 4 different toasts. The toppings on one or two of them didn't look too fresh. I picked one, the one with mushy green/orange vege and ate it. Well the toppings were ok. The bread was a little too hard and chewy though. Much like the complimentary bread.
Insalata di Gamberi
Rocket salad with prawns, dressed with extra virgin olive oil
This was really nice. I like Rocket and this came in a tasty dressing and the prawns were really fresh.
Quattro Stagioni
Tomato, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, artichokes, cooked ham, olives
No complaints about this pizza. The size was ok, the toppings were sufficient. But the base was thicker than the usual thin ones Italian places served but I'm alright with that.
Bistecca al Gorgonzola
Grilled rib-eye steak with gorgonzola cheese in a light cream sauce
I downright disliked this dish. The sauce had a very weird milky taste to it. I hate milk and this one really reeked. I only took one small bite and refused to try any more. Moreover it was very rare, the inside was really really red. The portion was very small too. Well maybe that part's a blessing in disguise.
Taglierini al Pesto di Bronte
Homemade pasta in a Sicilian pesto sauce (with pistachio from Bronte in Sicily)
Plain pasta in cream with nothing else. I'd expected the pasta to be superb to make up for the fact that it didn't have additional ingredients, but it wasn't, which kinda upsetted me. But this was average I guess, until you see its price tag.
Torta al Cioccolato
Chocolate cake
I love chocolate cakes and I guess because of that, this one really disappointed. It wasn't rich and moist like a chocolate cake should be. It was really dry and crumbly for the wrong reasons.
Tiramisu al Pistacchio
Tiramisu with pistachio flavour (from Bronte in Sicily)
This one does taste a little like Tiramisu, but where's the pistacchio? The colour looked the part but the taste wasn't there.
Panna Cotta Etna
I think.... the red stuff on top was raspberry. The texture was a little weird but this was alright I guess.
The bill came up to about $160 for the 5 of us, including 3 drinks. Not all minuses... but I think it'll be a long time before I'm back. (Perhaps never.)
Rating given:
I finally had the chance to dine at Ristorante De Parma, a small family run Italian restaurant, one wet weekday evening. Strangely enough, although its been around for quite a while and I've always gone past it, I never had the urge to try it out, till that fateful evening.
Quietly located towards the end of a row of shophouses at the fringe of the hustle and bustle of Serangoon Gardens, Ristorante De Parma cuts a contrasting figure to the exuberance of the area. Decor is kept simple and no frills with soft, warm lighting and classy table arrangement. Soft easy listening music wafts through the air, setting the tone right for a relaxing meal.
Complimentary Bread - I presume that each person was only entitled to one slice of bread, seeing that we were only served 2 slices. Though served warm, the bread was a tad too dry for my liking and neither the margarine or olive oil helped.
Funchi Triffolati al Moda Dello Chef ($12.90)- This dish is essentially a Portobello mushroom garnished with grilled bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes & olives with the house dressing. And notice I mentioned a mushroom, not mushrooms. The mushroom was huge, bigger than anything I've ever seen before, which of course doesn't say much because I haven't really seen a lot of mushrooms to begin with. Taste wise, it was juicy with a nice chewy texture to boot, but somehow it lacked the oomph factor. Not that it wasn't nice or anything, just not outstanding.
Calzone aka Folded Pizza ($24.90) - According to the menu, the Calzone is a Neapolitan specialty and means 'Trouser Leg', which honestly makes no sense to me. Introductions aside, I had a major grouse with it. The crust was a little too burnt, resulting in a rather hard exterior, which made slicing or chewing through it a chore. The filling of ham, bacon, onions, mushrooms, capsicums and smoked cheddar cheese was decent though.
Filetto Di Mento ($32.90) - For a change, I ordered my steak medium instead of medium rare this time round and it came as per instructions. Italian restaurants certainly aren't known for their steak so I was pleasantly surprised by the juiciness and texture of the meat as well as the beefy flavours which were complemented by the subtle red wine sauce. I would dare say the steak can give some of the more reputable steakhouses a run for their money. On a side note, the potato ball that came with it tasted weird.
Chocolate Fondant ($11.90) - Beautifully presented, the Chocolate Fondant was compact with a slightly hardened exterior, unlike the ones that many Italian restaurants have taken to doing nowadays. This made eating it all the more enjoyable especially when the molten chocolate started oozing out through a break in the crust. Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was really quite enjoyable. Pity about its small size though.
Tiramisu ($12.90) - High marks in the aesthetics department for the Tiramisu as well. The sponge to mascarpone cheese ratio was quite balanced and it came across as light and fluffy with a lingering taste of alcohol sans the wetness. Its probably one of the more notable tiramisus I've eaten in a long while.
I am most reluctant to admit, but $105 for 1 appetiser, 2 mains and 2 desserts definitely tends towards the expensive side. Food quality is particularly impressive for a restaurant that utilizes only local chefs and service is attentive yet non intrusive. If prices could drop a notch or two, I'll be more than happy to return for dinner. Until then, I'll have to content myself with their seemingly reasonably priced set lunches (starting from $12.90 I believe).
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Popped by with Claudia, LIC and Tamago a few weeks (months) ago.. It's my first time at a Tong Shui place despite it having a few outlets at other places.
I loved the decor of the place. The bright colours are so cheery and yet go so well. The places has some of those crockery from old days and the furniture was basically in that style too. The lady who greeted us at the door was nice and polite and showed us to our seat. There weren't many people that night as it was a weekday I guess.
As we were already full, we ordered a dessert to share and it was the Tutti Frutti Summit at $11.90.
I felt that only the Mango was nice enough and that was the first one to finish too. The rest of it, the strawberry and the kiwi flavours were just too weird. The kiwi didn't taste like kiwi at all and I kept feeling as if it had a rubbery smell to it. The strawberry one was the sort with some milk in it and it's just not nice.
Nonetheless there were lots of other things on the menu and I think i would go back to try the others.
Rating given:
I had been on the hunt for jeans for a long long time and went through all my usual places with no luck. I chanced upon Gap and walked right in, not feeling too lucky.
When I went in, the place was organised and it was easy to locate the section I wanted. But that was where I started to get confused. Jeans of different styles were stacked together and they were not arranged according the size. Also there were very few jeans on display, forcing one to unfold the neatly stacked piles.
If there were a store assistant to offer help immediately it wouldn't have been a problem. But the staff were chatting loudly across the store, stacking already neat piles.
The styles were confusing. There were the usual bottleg, flare, straight cut, skinnies... but there were also variations to these with a whole host of descriptions under each heading.
After muddling around for about 20 minutes, I finally got someone to help me and he asked me what size I wanted. Here came an even bigger problem.... The sizes read like 1P, 2, 3... etc... HUH? I asked him what waist size would each of these equate to and he couldn't give me a clear answer. He said something like this is in between 25 and 27 (isn't that 26?) and this is between 27 and 29... THAT got me really confused... anyway I later figured I'm size 1.
I tried on a few pairs and finally found my dream pair. I paid for it. It cost me $75 after a 40% discount. I brought it home, only to realise that my hands turned blue after touching them for a while... the dye was coming off on my hands. I thought that a few washes would solve the problem.. well it's been 3 5 washes and the colour still runs.
I do like the style of the clothing... but they are really a tad too ex for the minimal design.
Rating given:
I had a craving for potato wedges. Not the first time. I love them!
Now, I was passing by the nearly empty Coffee Club and felt that it should be a good place for some finger food and a drink. So, I popped in and more customers came in after that.
Anyway, I digress. I ordered the soup of the day (broccoli) and felt that Ikea had better ones. Can't seem to understand why other places don't taste as good.
I had the $7 wedges but couldn't finish them. They came with sour cream and salsa sauce. I prefer the cream though. They were good.
I like the courteous staff. As for refilling of the ice water, I had to hint that my glass was nearly empty. Do ask for a glass of ice water since they don't automatically get one for you if you have just sat down.
Rating given:
Bollywood Veggies is a 10-acre organic farm owned by Ivy Singh-Lim, past president of Netball Association Singapore, and her husband Lim Ho Seng. There's also a bistro called Poison Ivy which is quite popular for its food. The vegetables and fruits used come straight from its farm.
Ivy Singh-Lim couldn't cook, so the bistro is thus named. But don't worry lah, the food is edible and tastes good, because she employed a qualified cook to cook mah! :)
It was raining heavily when I was there. I ordered tea and a plate of its assorted kuehs. When the rain slowed to a drizzle, we went to explore the farm.
It's a great place not only for the small kids to learn about nature and the vegetables and fruits we put in our mouths, we big kids learn a lot too.
There's an interesting eco toilet for you to leave your poo and a Mr Pee Wee for the little men! Relieve yourselves in a natural, green and free surrounding! hehehe.....
You have to find the lotus pond! Pose for uber sexy pictures or just act silly beside it .... but please don't try to impress the lady by jumping in to grab a lotus flower hor.
Oh.... forgot to mention... please go report to the bistro first if you are going to tour the farm, it costs S$2 per person. If any one is found not complying to the above rule, they will be used to cook Bollywood curry!!! *trembles*
Rating given:
I've seen a dragon fruit tree in Taiwan and was surprised to see a Dragon Fruit Farm in Singapore!
The Dragon fruit plant is a member of the cactus family. It is easy to grow, requires lots of sunlight and can also withstand long period without rain. Its huge, fragrant flowers bloom every 15 days and only a few hours in the night.
This Dragon Fruit farm grows a Taiwan species of Dragon Fruit which has red flesh. The Dragon Fruit sold in Singapore is usually the white flesh ones which come from Vietnam. One seldom finds this red flesh Dragon Fruit in Singapore. They are supposed to taste sweeter. The red flesh variety contains lycopene which is a natural antioxidant known to fight cancer, heart disease and lower blood pressure.
Besides the dragon fruit trees, there are a few rare plants like the Australian Passion Fruit, Thailand Passion Fruit, Red Long Beans (after frying, turn green colour wor!!)..... etc.
You are not allowed to pluck the fruits in this orchard but you can buy them. The day I went, dragon fruits were sold at S$4 a kilo. Expensive hor. The elderly lady seller said it was the cheapest price they had ever set because they had a big harvest then. After haggling, she agreed to sell 3kg for S$10. The fruits had been plucked for a few days and didn't look pretty. hehehe.....
The fruits were very ripe and when I cut them, there was lots of juice.... but not sweet leh. :( Since there were so many, I made Dragon Fruit jam and I'll try to bake a Dragon Fruit cake with it.
Warning : After eating the red dragon fruit, the next day when you go toilet ah, don't panic when you see the toilet bowl all red or the toilet paper stained red.... that's only the colouring from the red dragon fruit!! I almost died of shock the first time I saw 'red' in the toilet bowl!! hahaha.....
Rating given:
Don't go if you don't have anything to buy!
I went to the IT Show yesterday after 7pm, and as expected, everyone headed down on the first day too, in hope to avoid the even massive jam over the weekend.
I did a survival guide for those who's visiting IT Show. If you're keen to read, please go to my blog.
One concern I have at such a crowded event... what IF there's an emergency? I wonder how will they evacuate that many people within the shortest time possible. But I'm sure the organisers would have all these planned and ironed out long ago.
Everyone knew that the place is going to be packed, but still everyone still wants to go check out the prices. Why? Cos they always have very good bundles and discounts at the show. Especially for those who hate shopping and comparing prices at so many stalls around Sim Lim or Funan, shows like this is the easiest for them. Perhaps the price is not the cheapest, but with a little more, you get whole lot of goodies. So why not right?
Have you gone to the show too? Did you get anything there?
Rating given:
My first trip back in Serangoon Gardens. I haven't been here for the last ten years. So many things have changed and many had remained. I found myself on the doorstep of this quaint little Italian restaurant. My friend and I were curious about it and decided that this would be our dinner place that Thursday evening.
Being a weekday evening, I guess it's perfectly understandable why it wasn't crowded. About 4-5 other tables were occupied while we were there. They have a seating area of about 40, including the two tables outside. They have soft warm lighting and earthy tones to create a cosy ambience. It has nice interior decor really.
The staff was warm and friendly. My friend came a little later than me. So the staff talked to me a bit, introducing the restaurant and telling me about the background of it,which was nice.
Food ordered:
Funchi Triffolati al Moda Dello Chef - $12.90
Portobello Mushroom garnished with grilled bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes & olives with de Parma's house dressings.
I love mushrooms and I'm so glad this dish didn't disappoint. I love the juiciness of the mushrooms as I bit down into it. In fact I loved it so much I was clearly happy to have more than my share. haha I also enjoyed eating it with the bell peppers.
Calzone (Folded Pizza) - $24.90
This Neapolitan speciality is filled with ham, bacon, onions, mushrooms, capsicums & smoked cheddar cheese.
This folded pizza was pretty huge, so it sort of justified the price. Inside was filled with plenty of warm ingredients. It would have been more delicious if it were piping hot but then it would have been difficult to eat. So it's good as it is, just one gripe... the outer covering was a little too hard and we had to put quite a bit of effort into cutting it up. Good exercise.
Fileto Di Mento - $32.90
Air-flown, grain-fed beef tenderloin drizzled in red wine sauce & served with Portobello Mushrooms & sauteed vegetables.
Let me say this for the record: I'm not a beef person. In fact I don't like beef, but only started eating it when I joined Yebber. Even so I only take one small slice to try each time. But this one? It was fantastic. Yummilicious! The meat wasn't tough and hard to chew. It was tender and the meat was well marinated. But the mushroom that came with it was visibly squashed and shrunken, though it still tasted nice with the sauce they had.
Chocolate Fondant
Break the hard crust outside and the chocolate inside flows out nicely. A chocolate addict, I'd say this fondant is good! Not the best but certainly very good.
Tiramisu
I think I was a tad biased when I had this Tiramisu. The last 4 Tiramisus I had simply didn't taste like Tiramisus... so when I had this one, I had the words "FINALLY...." going in my head. Nicely done with a tinge of liquor which my companion insisted didn't exist.
The total damage for two of us was $105. Good food, nice ambience, good service. It does seem a little ex but I think it was well worth it. TRY TRY TRY!
Rating given: