Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice is situated between the famous Sin Hoi Zhi Cha Restaurant and Boon Tong Kee along East Coast Road. With these two on its sides, Five Star still manages a full house every night. This, of course, renders a try doesn't it?
Chicken rice is the same everywhere right? Wrong! I've had those with hard tasteless bits they dare to call rice and rubbery white pieces of meat they call chicken. It's been a long time since I've had a plate of good chicken rice so I was all ready to attack.
The staff were fast to seat people, quick to take orders and even faster at clearing tables. The food came really fast which was good for 5 hungry souls.
Food Ordered: Kampung Chicken This is suppose to be leaner than the usual "white" chicken but it is smaller. I'm a fan of roasted meat so I was quite apprehensive when I only had these two choices. But my worries were unfounded as the chicken was delicious and not with fatty bits as I had imagined. I, of course, attacked my favourite part, the breast meat, which was smooth with lots of bite. Rice (Chicken rice style) The rice was not oily and still tasty. HOwever the serving was not very big. It was enough for me and I'm not much of an eater.
Youtiao with Salad Sauce This came a little over-fried so it was quite dry and hard. But it wasn't too oily so it was still ok.
Sambal Kangkong It was a little spicy for my brother but the rest of us found it fine. A little oily for my taste though. Cereal Prawn The cereal was nice but the prawns were not fresh and I had a hard time with it. The prawns were also quite small.
Stir Fried Vegetables Your average Kailan with oyster sauce dish. Nothing special.
We spent about $70 for the 5 of us which is pretty reasonable considering how full we were. Worth coming for your chicken rice fix, but not the rest of the dishes though.
Good place for family gatherings and large groups though.
One major gripe though, parking is horrendous along East Coast Road. Luckily we took the bus :)
Bi Feng Tang is this little place serving chinese food at CS's basement. It's been there for a while and this is my second trip to the place with my colleague. I had vague memories of a pretty good experience the first time so I was game for the second trip.
We were greeted politely and led to our seats. It was a Sunday afternoon but there weren't many people. About 4-5 tables were occupied and they had a total seating area of about 50 people.
After ordering, I wanted to take pictures of the menu so that I can remember what I ordered, but was stopped by the lady who said that I cannot take pictures of the menu. Both my colleague and I heard that so I did stop. But when the food came and I wanted to take pictures, I was stopped again. I think they should have been clear the first time and just say that no photography was allowed. I didn't appreciate feeling like I was being a nuisance. had 3 dishes altogether but I can only remember two.
One was the Yee Mian which we got a medium sized serving, thanks to my ambitious friend. It had plenty of mushroom and vegetables with it so it was pretty delicious. The serving can easily fill 2 without any side dishes.
The second one is the Pan Fried Beancurd Sheet with Mushroom and Carrot ($4). This one was quite crunchy and the vegetables wrapped in the sheet gave it a nice fresh flavour. HOwever it was quite oily so it didn't feel so healthy after all.
We did order a 4th dish, which they forgot to cook and we cancelled in the end.
We spent about $20 for the two of us and were suitably filled. The food is fine and the ambience was good too. However I didn't quite enjoy myself, no thanks to the service.
*Apologies for not giving the usual detailed review as the staff spoilt my mood for collecting "data"*
Black Canyon has been on East Coast Road for the last 5 years and I finally step foot into this place one quiet evening, not knowing what to expect. It was late on a weekday so there were only 2 other tables occupied. In fact when we walked in, they were going to take last orders in 15 minutes. But the staff were still smiling and welcomed us warmly which is rare when one arrives so near closing time.
The place is modern looking, great for friends to hang out, families to gather and casual business meetings. It's quite spacious too with plenty of seats in 3 sections; outside, dining area with proper tables and chilling area with more cushion like seats.
Taking our time ordering (the staff didn't rush us and didn't hover around us) we came up with the following.
Food Ordered: Spicy Glass Noodles Salad $7.95 Our little starter which was delicious. Two of us shared this dish but we were a little full by the time we were done with it. It was certainly spicy but not overly done. The crunchy nuts were a nice addition to the dish. What I liked most was that it wasn't oily despite having all that spice.
Spicy Stir Fried Seafood and Basil with Rice $8.95 This was my friend's order. It was really spicy though he didn't have any other complaints about it. I liked how the rice came in cubes. Fish Fillet Steak $9.95 My dory was served with chips and some toast. The toast was a little dry but it was the wholemeal (wheat) sort which I pretty much liked so that was fine. The outside of the dory was a little dry but still quite tasty.
We spent about $30 for the two of us which included a drink. I think it's pretty reasonable since we were famished when we got in and really full when we staggered out. Worth a try!
*Please excuse the horrid pictures - the perils of using the camera phone when one forgets her cammie*
This trip to Nul Bom Korean Restaurant marks my foray into Korean cuisine, with my prior experiences with Korean food limited to those at food courts and probably the stuff they sell at Seoul's Incheon airport.
Situated amongst a row of shophouses along Telok Ayer street, this nondescript eatery houses a small and simply done up interior. Tables are limited and although there are private rooms available, capacity probably wouldn't exceed 30 pax all in all.
The bean sprouts, Kimchi and anchovies are pretty much staple in any Korean restaurants where the other dishes vary from eatery to eatery. I didn't find any of the sides outstanding but I appreciated the variety as well as the seemingly complimentary gesture (the cost is all factored into the price of the dishes of course).
Kim Chi Chi Gae - Kim Chi with Rice - This dish was quite spicy and looked the part as well. However, it wasn't anything to shout about either. But thats coming from someone who has almost zero knowledge about kim chi or Korean food in general.
So Bul Go Gi - Beef BBQ - I'm at a loss as to how and where to begin describing the averageness of this dish. It tasted exactly like the ones I've have had from pseudo Korean stalls at food courts. This was much sweeter though through the addition of sugar(?) and had golden mushrooms to top it off.
I guess $39 for 2 pax isn't really expensive but I seriously doubt I'll be back in a hurry, especially when the food failed to impress. Did I mention that service wasn't very good as well?
Made a reservation at for 1930hrs at Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine for our yearly reunion dinner. Surprisingly, Imperial Treasure only had 2 seatings, one at 6pm and the other at 730pm, which of course gave us plenty of time to finish up our food.
Stepping into the restaurant, the interior struck me as rather haphazard and cramp. Fortunately for us, we managed to snag a semi private booth seat which was rather cosy with pretty overhanging lights and wooden paneling.
Salmon Yu Sheng - For one, I must admit that I'm not exactly a fan of Yu Sheng but this one was quite well done. Slightly heavy on the sesame taste with fresh thinly sliced salmon and lots of other condiments, it didn't make me cringe like so many other Yu Shengs that I've tried.
Double Boiled Superior Shark's Fin - The quality in this dish was evident. The fins were quite a size (Bao Qi) and held quite a bit of bite while the broth was light and tantalizing. Simple yet tastefully done.
Roasted Crispy Goose - Although I honestly prefer my goose braised Teochew style, the roasted goose was nothing short of excellent. Succulent and tender meat beneath a layer of crispy skin that crackled with every bite. It was sheer goodness.
Poached Live "Soon Hock" Fish with Chinese Rice Wine - The flesh was firm and sweet without the fishy undertones - an indication of freshness. There was a strong, almost overwhelming presence of rice wine in the milky gravy but when drizzled over the fish, it mellowed subtly and complemented the fish very well.
Sauteed Australian Lobster with Ginger & Shallot - I doubt the lobster weighed in more than a kilogram. In fact, I suspect its weight hovered in the range of a mere 600-800 grams. Size aside, execution was commendable with the meat fresh and sweet with a nice and light ginger overtone.
Sweet & Sour Pork - This dish was in addition to our set menu and rather average if I may say. The flour coating was a tad too thick while the sauce was too sweet for our liking. Predictably, there was quite a bit of left over when we were done.
Stewed South African Sliced Abalone with Dried Oyster & Fish Maw - Presentation wise, this dish was awful, with everything looking mashed together under a blanket of really starchy gravy. But as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. It was a treasure pot of sorts with a respectable amount of abalone slices, fresh (not the usual dried ones) fish maw and a few dried oysters. The only gripe I had was that the oysters were a tad undercooked.
Stir Fried Vegetables with Mushrooms - Another addition to the menu and a most average dish. True, the mushrooms were nice but the vegetables were lacking in the quintessential wok hei taste.
Fried Glutinous Rice with Dried Meat & Mushroom - This was probably the only low in the otherwise excellent set menu. The rice was tasteless and a tad too dry. Ingredients were minimal as well.
Chinese New Year Pastries & Yam Paste with Pumpkin and Gingko nuts - The cookies were decent whereas the yam paste aka Orh Nee was a tad too watery for my liking. But I guess it all boils down to personal preference as my parents found it quite decent.
With a dinner for 5 hitting $930 without any drinks save for tea, its almost breaching the insanity mark. But well, its Chinese New Year and the food is really quite good. If such standard of food can be attained even during the CNY period where the food quality in most places would dip, then its a reasonable assumption that it would be better on normal days. I'll be eagerly awaiting.
Heard about 2am:dessert bar and did read that it was pretty good, so when I was asked to go along, I was happy to.
Upon reaching Holland V, we did have a bit of trouble locating it. Thank goodness for friends who live in the West and frequent Holland V, we found this little place near the multi-storey carpark. It's at the end of the row where you can find the popular bakery Provence. BTW you have to look up because it's on the second floor.
At the entrance to the stairs leading upstairs, we were "greeted" by a small group of people who were on their way out. Apparently there were seats for them but the woman was complaining that it was way too noisy for her to eat anything. Surprised, we stepped in to experience it for ourselves.
She was right! The music was way too loud and distasteful for a dessert bar meant for chilling. They were playing house music as if it were a club and everyone was talking at the top of their voices so that they could be heard. It certainly didn't help that there was one huge group of 10 people there that day.
That said the colours and design of the interior looks good but it was a little too cramp for me. Also the chairs and sofas chosen were not very comfortable. Maybe they are trying to make their patrons uncomfortable so that they wouldn't stay too long. Despite maximizing seating capacity by making it cramp, there still weren't enough seats that night.
The selection was a little limited for me. As a dessert bar I don't expect it to have many food items so the number (about 5-6) of food items was fine. But there weren't many dessert items too. I believe there were about 8-9 items which some of which are not very different from each other.
Food Ordered: Chocolate Tart $14 The most popular one that night and it certainly made sense why. The chocolate was reasonably tasty. The crust had some orange in it which gave a zesty taste when you have it with the chocolate. Presented beautifully, this was the only item which received some nods that night.
Twix $13 Tasteless. Truly tasteless. I was wondering what it was suppose to be and I picked up the menu to read again. It certainly didn't taste like caramel mousse to me. Only the peanut crumble (little peanut bits) served with it had some taste. Even the ice cream wasn't even satisfactory. Tiramisu $15 This is the worst Tiramisu I've ever tasted. I've had some weird ones before but this one was in a class of its own. The texture was very soggy and it irked me to have to swallow it anyway.
2am Meatballs $14 6 little meatballs served on a few pieces of veg. Presentation wise, this was the least attractive. No doubt the meatballs weren't just taken out from a frozen pack but it certainly didn't justify the price tag. I don't relish eating some of the fatty bits in it too.
The above plus a glass of wine, ginger beer and some peppermint tea cost 3 of us $78 (after 10% discount).
How did we get the 10% discount? Well after taking our orders, we were OFFERED by the staff to change to the sofa seats by the side. Attracted by the novelty of sitting on the sofa seats we were excited and moved over immediately. After which the server who took our orders, saw that we were no longer at our places, threw our order away. He walked past us a few times when we were at our new seats but still didn't realise his mistake. Only after we noticed people who came later were getting their food before us, then we raised the issue. After some clarification, the lady (whom we suppose to be the manager) apologised and explained to us that the order was thrown away. Sigh.
By then the music was making me nauseous. Bad ambience, bad food, high prices and service requires improvement. What rating did you expect?
2am: dessertbar, a recently opened cafe at Holland Village that focuses primarily on desserts. It was through sheer luck and a little guidance that we managed to find it, tucked in a remote corner of the area, on the second floor no less.
The interior was tastefully designed, oozing contemporary chic coupled with matching sofa beds for that upmarket chill out ambience. However, the first thing that hit us was that the music was a tad too loud, forcing us to raise our voices to be heard over the din. We were lucky to have managed to get a sofa seat, seeing that they were all in hot demand. The sad thing was that the sofas were hard and whenever anyone from the adjourning table got on or off the sofa, we could feel it which got really irritating after a while.
2am Meatballs - 2 words. Rip off. 6 beef balls for $14. How's that for value? And the beef balls weren't even good to begin with. I could have bought the frozen ones from any supermarket and those would probably have tasted the same, if not better. Oh and the few vegetable leafs just don't cut it as salad.
Chocolate Tart - The tart was tiny and I'm not exaggerating. Beautifully presented, it would have been very normal if not for the infused orange twist. Add the chocolate granules and delightful orange sorbet to the mix and this is a definite crowd pleaser. Theres the problem about size though.
Twix - Billed as a specialty, the Twix got us all intrigued by its form. It didn't quite measure up in the taste department though, with the home made valrhona chocolate ice cream rich but not the least bit outstanding. The caramel mousse was almost tasteless and the texture was a little odd - soft yet firm. Probably the only thing that was good was the peanut crumble. Fragrant and crunchy, it breathed life into this otherwise lifeless and not to mention expensive dessert.
Tiramisu - Yet another aesthetically pleasing dessert but with no substance to back it up. The tiramisu was very bland save for a very slight hint of espresso. The sponge fingers were also a tad too soggy and it reminded me of eating pandan cake with water. Not that the accompanying espresso ice cream was any better, coming across as very bland as well.
$78 (after a 10% discount) for 3 desserts, 3 drinks and 1 finger food is really over the hill especially when I could have easily polished off everything without even breaking a sweat. Read. Minute portions. Service was generally quite good but more needs to be done about everything else.
Wah Lok is a Cantonese restaurant which has been on the 2nd floor of Carlton for a long time. The interior is quite lavish and traditional looking with a nice dome shaped main dining hall at the end which overlooks Chjimes.
We ordered SO MUCH I just can't list them all. Also the receipt is with my companion and I forgot to take a picture of it. haha Some of the food we ordered:
Century Egg Porridge This was one nice small bowl for me. I enjoyed it really. But it wasn't anything special. The serving was just right for one and the texture of the porridge was just right. It wasn't the watery sort one sometimes gets. Egg Tarts They were cute mini dim sum egg tarts. The filling was not tasty enough for me. The crust was a little too crumbly which forced me to put the entire thing in my mouth and I couldn't take my time with it. Average I guess.
Steamed Prawn Dumplings - Har Gao Har gao is one dish I always look forward to when I eat dim sum. This one was not really what I like though. Although I attacked right after all the photo taking, it was already pretty dry and the edges were a tad hard. The prawn was pretty fresh but the skin wasn't what I would prefer. Sigh.
Roasted Pork Bun - Char Siew Bao I like that the filling wasn't too sweet and there weren't fatty bits. But the dough portion was a little too thick. I like those that are thinner and open up more. Not bad really. Beancurd Skin with Prawn It was oily (as usual) but very crisp. I'm not a fan of beancurd skin but this was one I pretty much liked.
It cost us about $28-$29 each. There were three of us that day. Service was pretty good though I didn't get my water filled at all throughout. My friend's warm water did get filled though. I find Wah Lok's dim sum too "heavy" for me... get full very easily. I guess, in a way, that's more traditional.
Very nice atmosphere, spacious and comfy chair. Live performances of piano and pop songs. A great place to hang out with a small group of close friends, your lover for a romantic wedding anniversary or just to sit and relax, enjoy your drink and the scenery outside of the Esplanade. Had Singapore Sling, Lychee Martini and one I forgot the name but its strawberry. While the prices are above average, the drinks are also above average so its still a value. Service is good though a bit slow. On the whole, I can't think of anything bad about the place except it burnt my wallet.
Lovely atmosphere with a mix of jazz and zen style. Extensive menu that left us with a hard choice of what to order. We ordered chicken and mushroom Linguine, King Prawn quarter chicken and pork rib, Steak, Lamb chop, Caesar salad, garlic bread, Mussels and mushroom soup. Dessert was Rich Choc truffle. The
Linguine was great with the tomato and herb sauce just right and chicken sweet.
King prawn dish on the other hand, tasted too dry, chicken was overcooked hence tough. and the portion was just too much.
Steak tasted alright though I think the sauce some what covered the taste of the beef and make the taste below the line.
Lamp chop was fine without the strong smell of lamp meat and the blend of the mint sauce was well done.
Caesar salad was what we found to be the best dish of the night with crisp fresh vege and sweet chicken in delicious mayo. Portion was very big for a starter.
Rich Choc Truffle was indeed very rich. It needs to be taken together with the cranberry/mango sauce provided to be great tasting.
A great place to chill out though the price is a bit above average but the taste of the food is valued for money. Serves liqueur as well as some house pours though we did not order any as we are going off elsewhere to drink.
Cons:
Had a hard time trying to get the waiter (should be a Pakistani?) who served us to understand what we are talking about. Does not serve cold water unless you order their drinks.
Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice is situated between the famous Sin Hoi Zhi Cha Restaurant and Boon Tong Kee along East Coast Road. With these two on its sides, Five Star still manages a full house every night. This, of course, renders a try doesn't it?
Chicken rice is the same everywhere right? Wrong! I've had those with hard tasteless bits they dare to call rice and rubbery white pieces of meat they call chicken. It's been a long time since I've had a plate of good chicken rice so I was all ready to attack.
The staff were fast to seat people, quick to take orders and even faster at clearing tables. The food came really fast which was good for 5 hungry souls.
Food Ordered:
Kampung Chicken
This is suppose to be leaner than the usual "white" chicken but it is smaller. I'm a fan of roasted meat so I was quite apprehensive when I only had these two choices. But my worries were unfounded as the chicken was delicious and not with fatty bits as I had imagined. I, of course, attacked my favourite part, the breast meat, which was smooth with lots of bite.
Rice (Chicken rice style)
The rice was not oily and still tasty. HOwever the serving was not very big. It was enough for me and I'm not much of an eater.
Youtiao with Salad Sauce
This came a little over-fried so it was quite dry and hard. But it wasn't too oily so it was still ok.
Sambal Kangkong
It was a little spicy for my brother but the rest of us found it fine. A little oily for my taste though.
Cereal Prawn
The cereal was nice but the prawns were not fresh and I had a hard time with it. The prawns were also quite small.
Stir Fried Vegetables
Your average Kailan with oyster sauce dish. Nothing special.
We spent about $70 for the 5 of us which is pretty reasonable considering how full we were. Worth coming for your chicken rice fix, but not the rest of the dishes though.
Good place for family gatherings and large groups though.
One major gripe though, parking is horrendous along East Coast Road. Luckily we took the bus :)
Rating given:
Bi Feng Tang is this little place serving chinese food at CS's basement. It's been there for a while and this is my second trip to the place with my colleague. I had vague memories of a pretty good experience the first time so I was game for the second trip.
We were greeted politely and led to our seats. It was a Sunday afternoon but there weren't many people. About 4-5 tables were occupied and they had a total seating area of about 50 people.
After ordering, I wanted to take pictures of the menu so that I can remember what I ordered, but was stopped by the lady who said that I cannot take pictures of the menu. Both my colleague and I heard that so I did stop. But when the food came and I wanted to take pictures, I was stopped again. I think they should have been clear the first time and just say that no photography was allowed. I didn't appreciate feeling like I was being a nuisance.
had 3 dishes altogether but I can only remember two.
One was the Yee Mian which we got a medium sized serving, thanks to my ambitious friend. It had plenty of mushroom and vegetables with it so it was pretty delicious. The serving can easily fill 2 without any side dishes.
The second one is the Pan Fried Beancurd Sheet with Mushroom and Carrot ($4). This one was quite crunchy and the vegetables wrapped in the sheet gave it a nice fresh flavour. HOwever it was quite oily so it didn't feel so healthy after all.
We did order a 4th dish, which they forgot to cook and we cancelled in the end.
We spent about $20 for the two of us and were suitably filled. The food is fine and the ambience was good too. However I didn't quite enjoy myself, no thanks to the service.
*Apologies for not giving the usual detailed review as the staff spoilt my mood for collecting "data"*
Rating given:
Black Canyon has been on East Coast Road for the last 5 years and I finally step foot into this place one quiet evening, not knowing what to expect. It was late on a weekday so there were only 2 other tables occupied. In fact when we walked in, they were going to take last orders in 15 minutes. But the staff were still smiling and welcomed us warmly which is rare when one arrives so near closing time.
The place is modern looking, great for friends to hang out, families to gather and casual business meetings. It's quite spacious too with plenty of seats in 3 sections; outside, dining area with proper tables and chilling area with more cushion like seats.
Taking our time ordering (the staff didn't rush us and didn't hover around us) we came up with the following.
Food Ordered:
Spicy Glass Noodles Salad $7.95
Our little starter which was delicious. Two of us shared this dish but we were a little full by the time we were done with it. It was certainly spicy but not overly done. The crunchy nuts were a nice addition to the dish. What I liked most was that it wasn't oily despite having all that spice.
Spicy Stir Fried Seafood and Basil with Rice $8.95
This was my friend's order. It was really spicy though he didn't have any other complaints about it. I liked how the rice came in cubes.
Fish Fillet Steak $9.95
My dory was served with chips and some toast. The toast was a little dry but it was the wholemeal (wheat) sort which I pretty much liked so that was fine. The outside of the dory was a little dry but still quite tasty.
We spent about $30 for the two of us which included a drink. I think it's pretty reasonable since we were famished when we got in and really full when we staggered out. Worth a try!
*Please excuse the horrid pictures - the perils of using the camera phone when one forgets her cammie*
Rating given:
This trip to Nul Bom Korean Restaurant marks my foray into Korean cuisine, with my prior experiences with Korean food limited to those at food courts and probably the stuff they sell at Seoul's Incheon airport.
Situated amongst a row of shophouses along Telok Ayer street, this nondescript eatery houses a small and simply done up interior. Tables are limited and although there are private rooms available, capacity probably wouldn't exceed 30 pax all in all.
The bean sprouts, Kimchi and anchovies are pretty much staple in any Korean restaurants where the other dishes vary from eatery to eatery. I didn't find any of the sides outstanding but I appreciated the variety as well as the seemingly complimentary gesture (the cost is all factored into the price of the dishes of course).
Kim Chi Chi Gae - Kim Chi with Rice - This dish was quite spicy and looked the part as well. However, it wasn't anything to shout about either. But thats coming from someone who has almost zero knowledge about kim chi or Korean food in general.
So Bul Go Gi - Beef BBQ - I'm at a loss as to how and where to begin describing the averageness of this dish. It tasted exactly like the ones I've have had from pseudo Korean stalls at food courts. This was much sweeter though through the addition of sugar(?) and had golden mushrooms to top it off.
I guess $39 for 2 pax isn't really expensive but I seriously doubt I'll be back in a hurry, especially when the food failed to impress. Did I mention that service wasn't very good as well?
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Made a reservation at for 1930hrs at Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine for our yearly reunion dinner. Surprisingly, Imperial Treasure only had 2 seatings, one at 6pm and the other at 730pm, which of course gave us plenty of time to finish up our food.
Stepping into the restaurant, the interior struck me as rather haphazard and cramp. Fortunately for us, we managed to snag a semi private booth seat which was rather cosy with pretty overhanging lights and wooden paneling.
Salmon Yu Sheng - For one, I must admit that I'm not exactly a fan of Yu Sheng but this one was quite well done. Slightly heavy on the sesame taste with fresh thinly sliced salmon and lots of other condiments, it didn't make me cringe like so many other Yu Shengs that I've tried.
Double Boiled Superior Shark's Fin - The quality in this dish was evident. The fins were quite a size (Bao Qi) and held quite a bit of bite while the broth was light and tantalizing. Simple yet tastefully done.
Roasted Crispy Goose - Although I honestly prefer my goose braised Teochew style, the roasted goose was nothing short of excellent. Succulent and tender meat beneath a layer of crispy skin that crackled with every bite. It was sheer goodness.
Poached Live "Soon Hock" Fish with Chinese Rice Wine - The flesh was firm and sweet without the fishy undertones - an indication of freshness. There was a strong, almost overwhelming presence of rice wine in the milky gravy but when drizzled over the fish, it mellowed subtly and complemented the fish very well.
Sauteed Australian Lobster with Ginger & Shallot - I doubt the lobster weighed in more than a kilogram. In fact, I suspect its weight hovered in the range of a mere 600-800 grams. Size aside, execution was commendable with the meat fresh and sweet with a nice and light ginger overtone.
Sweet & Sour Pork - This dish was in addition to our set menu and rather average if I may say. The flour coating was a tad too thick while the sauce was too sweet for our liking. Predictably, there was quite a bit of left over when we were done.
Stewed South African Sliced Abalone with Dried Oyster & Fish Maw - Presentation wise, this dish was awful, with everything looking mashed together under a blanket of really starchy gravy. But as the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. It was a treasure pot of sorts with a respectable amount of abalone slices, fresh (not the usual dried ones) fish maw and a few dried oysters. The only gripe I had was that the oysters were a tad undercooked.
Stir Fried Vegetables with Mushrooms - Another addition to the menu and a most average dish. True, the mushrooms were nice but the vegetables were lacking in the quintessential wok hei taste.
Fried Glutinous Rice with Dried Meat & Mushroom - This was probably the only low in the otherwise excellent set menu. The rice was tasteless and a tad too dry. Ingredients were minimal as well.
Chinese New Year Pastries & Yam Paste with Pumpkin and Gingko nuts - The cookies were decent whereas the yam paste aka Orh Nee was a tad too watery for my liking. But I guess it all boils down to personal preference as my parents found it quite decent.
With a dinner for 5 hitting $930 without any drinks save for tea, its almost breaching the insanity mark. But well, its Chinese New Year and the food is really quite good. If such standard of food can be attained even during the CNY period where the food quality in most places would dip, then its a reasonable assumption that it would be better on normal days. I'll be eagerly awaiting.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Heard about 2am:dessert bar and did read that it was pretty good, so when I was asked to go along, I was happy to.
Upon reaching Holland V, we did have a bit of trouble locating it. Thank goodness for friends who live in the West and frequent Holland V, we found this little place near the multi-storey carpark. It's at the end of the row where you can find the popular bakery Provence. BTW you have to look up because it's on the second floor.
At the entrance to the stairs leading upstairs, we were "greeted" by a small group of people who were on their way out. Apparently there were seats for them but the woman was complaining that it was way too noisy for her to eat anything. Surprised, we stepped in to experience it for ourselves.
She was right! The music was way too loud and distasteful for a dessert bar meant for chilling. They were playing house music as if it were a club and everyone was talking at the top of their voices so that they could be heard. It certainly didn't help that there was one huge group of 10 people there that day.
That said the colours and design of the interior looks good but it was a little too cramp for me. Also the chairs and sofas chosen were not very comfortable. Maybe they are trying to make their patrons uncomfortable so that they wouldn't stay too long. Despite maximizing seating capacity by making it cramp, there still weren't enough seats that night.
The selection was a little limited for me. As a dessert bar I don't expect it to have many food items so the number (about 5-6) of food items was fine. But there weren't many dessert items too. I believe there were about 8-9 items which some of which are not very different from each other.
Food Ordered:
Chocolate Tart $14
The most popular one that night and it certainly made sense why. The chocolate was reasonably tasty. The crust had some orange in it which gave a zesty taste when you have it with the chocolate. Presented beautifully, this was the only item which received some nods that night.
Twix $13
Tasteless. Truly tasteless. I was wondering what it was suppose to be and I picked up the menu to read again. It certainly didn't taste like caramel mousse to me. Only the peanut crumble (little peanut bits) served with it had some taste. Even the ice cream wasn't even satisfactory.
Tiramisu $15
This is the worst Tiramisu I've ever tasted. I've had some weird ones before but this one was in a class of its own. The texture was very soggy and it irked me to have to swallow it anyway.
2am Meatballs $14
6 little meatballs served on a few pieces of veg. Presentation wise, this was the least attractive. No doubt the meatballs weren't just taken out from a frozen pack but it certainly didn't justify the price tag. I don't relish eating some of the fatty bits in it too.
The above plus a glass of wine, ginger beer and some peppermint tea cost 3 of us $78 (after 10% discount).
How did we get the 10% discount? Well after taking our orders, we were OFFERED by the staff to change to the sofa seats by the side. Attracted by the novelty of sitting on the sofa seats we were excited and moved over immediately. After which the server who took our orders, saw that we were no longer at our places, threw our order away. He walked past us a few times when we were at our new seats but still didn't realise his mistake. Only after we noticed people who came later were getting their food before us, then we raised the issue. After some clarification, the lady (whom we suppose to be the manager) apologised and explained to us that the order was thrown away. Sigh.
By then the music was making me nauseous. Bad ambience, bad food, high prices and service requires improvement. What rating did you expect?
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2am: dessertbar, a recently opened cafe at Holland Village that focuses primarily on desserts. It was through sheer luck and a little guidance that we managed to find it, tucked in a remote corner of the area, on the second floor no less.
The interior was tastefully designed, oozing contemporary chic coupled with matching sofa beds for that upmarket chill out ambience. However, the first thing that hit us was that the music was a tad too loud, forcing us to raise our voices to be heard over the din. We were lucky to have managed to get a sofa seat, seeing that they were all in hot demand. The sad thing was that the sofas were hard and whenever anyone from the adjourning table got on or off the sofa, we could feel it which got really irritating after a while.
2am Meatballs - 2 words. Rip off. 6 beef balls for $14. How's that for value? And the beef balls weren't even good to begin with. I could have bought the frozen ones from any supermarket and those would probably have tasted the same, if not better. Oh and the few vegetable leafs just don't cut it as salad.
Chocolate Tart - The tart was tiny and I'm not exaggerating. Beautifully presented, it would have been very normal if not for the infused orange twist. Add the chocolate granules and delightful orange sorbet to the mix and this is a definite crowd pleaser. Theres the problem about size though.
Twix - Billed as a specialty, the Twix got us all intrigued by its form. It didn't quite measure up in the taste department though, with the home made valrhona chocolate ice cream rich but not the least bit outstanding. The caramel mousse was almost tasteless and the texture was a little odd - soft yet firm. Probably the only thing that was good was the peanut crumble. Fragrant and crunchy, it breathed life into this otherwise lifeless and not to mention expensive dessert.
Tiramisu - Yet another aesthetically pleasing dessert but with no substance to back it up. The tiramisu was very bland save for a very slight hint of espresso. The sponge fingers were also a tad too soggy and it reminded me of eating pandan cake with water. Not that the accompanying espresso ice cream was any better, coming across as very bland as well.
$78 (after a 10% discount) for 3 desserts, 3 drinks and 1 finger food is really over the hill especially when I could have easily polished off everything without even breaking a sweat. Read. Minute portions. Service was generally quite good but more needs to be done about everything else.
See all my pictures here
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Wah Lok is a Cantonese restaurant which has been on the 2nd floor of Carlton for a long time. The interior is quite lavish and traditional looking with a nice dome shaped main dining hall at the end which overlooks Chjimes.
We ordered SO MUCH I just can't list them all. Also the receipt is with my companion and I forgot to take a picture of it. haha
Some of the food we ordered:
Century Egg Porridge
This was one nice small bowl for me. I enjoyed it really. But it wasn't anything special. The serving was just right for one and the texture of the porridge was just right. It wasn't the watery sort one sometimes gets.
Egg Tarts
They were cute mini dim sum egg tarts. The filling was not tasty enough for me. The crust was a little too crumbly which forced me to put the entire thing in my mouth and I couldn't take my time with it. Average I guess.
Steamed Prawn Dumplings - Har Gao
Har gao is one dish I always look forward to when I eat dim sum. This one was not really what I like though. Although I attacked right after all the photo taking, it was already pretty dry and the edges were a tad hard. The prawn was pretty fresh but the skin wasn't what I would prefer. Sigh.
Roasted Pork Bun - Char Siew Bao
I like that the filling wasn't too sweet and there weren't fatty bits. But the dough portion was a little too thick. I like those that are thinner and open up more. Not bad really.
Beancurd Skin with Prawn
It was oily (as usual) but very crisp. I'm not a fan of beancurd skin but this was one I pretty much liked.
It cost us about $28-$29 each. There were three of us that day. Service was pretty good though I didn't get my water filled at all throughout. My friend's warm water did get filled though. I find Wah Lok's dim sum too "heavy" for me... get full very easily. I guess, in a way, that's more traditional.
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Pros:
Very nice atmosphere, spacious and comfy chair. Live performances of piano and pop songs. A great place to hang out with a small group of close friends, your lover for a romantic wedding anniversary or just to sit and relax, enjoy your drink and the scenery outside of the Esplanade. Had Singapore Sling, Lychee Martini and one I forgot the name but its strawberry. While the prices are above average, the drinks are also above average so its still a value. Service is good though a bit slow. On the whole, I can't think of anything bad about the place except it burnt my wallet.
Rating given:
Pros:
Lovely atmosphere with a mix of jazz and zen style. Extensive menu that left us with a hard choice of what to order.
We ordered chicken and mushroom Linguine, King Prawn quarter chicken and pork rib, Steak, Lamb chop, Caesar salad, garlic bread, Mussels and mushroom soup. Dessert was Rich Choc truffle. The
Linguine was great with the tomato and herb sauce just right and chicken sweet.
King prawn dish on the other hand, tasted too dry, chicken was overcooked hence tough. and the portion was just too much.
Steak tasted alright though I think the sauce some what covered the taste of the beef and make the taste below the line.
Lamp chop was fine without the strong smell of lamp meat and the blend of the mint sauce was well done.
Caesar salad was what we found to be the best dish of the night with crisp fresh vege and sweet chicken in delicious mayo. Portion was very big for a starter.
Rich Choc Truffle was indeed very rich. It needs to be taken together with the cranberry/mango sauce provided to be great tasting.
A great place to chill out though the price is a bit above average but the taste of the food is valued for money. Serves liqueur as well as some house pours though we did not order any as we are going off elsewhere to drink.
Cons:
Had a hard time trying to get the waiter (should be a Pakistani?) who served us to understand what we are talking about. Does not serve cold water unless you order their drinks.
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