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Sport & Recreation
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1=SGD 0.0587
What used to be the famous Sin Leong Restaurant is now renamed as Roland Restaurant and apparently its original owner and the god father of current owner Roland Lim, Chef Sin Leong, was one of the "four heavenly kings" in the culinary world who created yusheng as we know it today. And to add to that history, Roland's family was the "founder" of chilli crab as well as the esteemd Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant, which was sold off in the 80's when the family moved to New Zealand for 15 years.
The restaurant is located at the most unlikely of places, on the top floor of a multi story carpark next to Parkway Parade Shopping Centre - reminiscent of another old time restaurant, Red Star, whose owner was also one of the four "heavenly kings". Roland's interior, however, is more modernised and even boasts a water wall feature at the entrance.
Asparagus with Japanese Mushrooms - An excellent first dish augured well for our dinner. The asparagus were crunchy without being undercooked and in the midst of the mushrooms were generous bits of dried shrimp (虾米) that imparted a distinct unami taste. Most delightful! Look out for chopped chilli in the mix though, because it can get quite spicy.
USA Duck - Purportedly one of the signature dishes of Roland, the USA duck was nothing but a let down. Dry and bland meat led to the conclusion/belief that the duck was frozen. Sure, the skin was a little crisp but that's probably the only positive. And the sauce, which tasted a little like plum sauce - sweet with a little sourish contrast, certainly didn't make things any better.
Prawns with Salted Egg - The prawns were a pretty sight - sizeable and coated with tons of egg frills. But when it came down to what mattered most, the taste test, they faltered. For starters, the prawns were huge and crunchy but not sweet (we couldn't make out any taste of prawn actually). Add to the fact that anything coated with too much soft and paste like egg yolk is a sure recipe for nausea, this dish left us feeling queasy after a few bites.
Owing to Chinese New Year, I am presuming the prices have been marked up (the menu stated CNY menu). Nonetheless, $83 for dinner for 3 pax isn't exactly reasonable, considering that it was still a week before CNY when we patronised. Food quality was average at best, saved only by the asparagus. Some people might argue that Roland is best known for their chilli crab, but with such average dishes, I find it hard to justify a return trip for their crabs, or anything else for that matter.
See all my pictures here.
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Apparently one of the owners of Ministry of Steak had a disagreement with his partners and left to open his own steak house in town. Lured by the prospect of having good and inexpensive steak for lunch, I popped by the eatery one afternoon with my colleague.
Occupying a slightly spruced up shop lot on the ground level of Victoria Hotel which used to house a Chinese eatery that sold mixed rice for lunch, the eatery focuses mainly on steak, with the obligatory pork, chicken and fish dishes to cater to non beef eaters. One thing to note is that prices are seemingly steeper then Ministry of Steak, but if my memory serves me well, there seems to be slightly more variety.
Cream of Mushroom - This came complimentary while I waited for my steak to be recooked. I didn't think too much of it as the soup seemed a little too starchy/coagulated for my liking but at least the mushroom bits were plentiful.
Chicken & Sausage Combo - The chicken was nicely grilled with charred bits providing a nice burnt taste and texture while the grilled sausages were pretty decent - a little juicy but a overly oily. I took issue with the mushroom sauce though, which came across as rather limp and failed to provide the extra oomph I was looking for.
Cowboy Sirloin - The sirloin had 2 variations - one for the guys and one for the ladies, with 2 different weights and price points. I had requested for steak to be done medium rare but it came out rare instead. The official explanation was that the meat had been sitting in the freezer truck and should have been thawed first before putting it on the grill. Nonetheless, it was sent back to get the doneness right. Unfortunately, meat when recooked, becomes a little dry and rubbery and loses flavour, which was the case with my steak. Fortunately, the boss practiced excellent service recovery and apologized, presenting me a complimentary soup (above) as well as a "voucher" for a complimentary steak on my next visit, with the promise that he would personally grill my steak.
Overall I thought that the lunch was a little lacklustre, probably due to the disappointment from my steak. However, I am heartened by the good service rendered by the boss and with a complimentary steak in hand, I would be hard pressed to find a reason not to give them one more chance. Let's just hope things get better.
See all my pictures here.
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We were wondering around Suntec City on a weekday evening, surprised by how empty most restaurants were. A certain craving for pork led us to Tonkichi, owned and operated by the Pokka group, which also has the Domani and Rive Gauche brand under its fold. And to think I only associated Pokka with their namesake line of drinks!
Tonkichi is one of the many restaurants that surround the fountain of wealth at the basement of Suntec City. Occupying a reasonably large space, the restaurant's decor is simple and definitely catered to the masses.
Kuro Cheese Katsu - My initial plan was to order the Kurobuta Hire Katsu but they were out of it so I had to settle for the Kuro Cheese Katsu, which turned out to be a mistake. Sure, the katsu was nicely breaded and deep fried without coming across as overly oily, but being minced up meant that the texture was left wanting. To me, mincing beef kurobuta up is akin to mincing wagyu beef up to make patties - a total waste. Not even the very elastic cheese could save this dish.
Prawn & Hire - On the contrary, I thought that this "normal" pork (and prawn) dish fared a great deal better than its more illustrious cousin. The pork was tender, juicy and nicely breaded without the oily residue. Personally I preferred the prawns though, which were relatively large and bursting with natural sweetness that there was no need for any tartar sauce to give it taste.
I see promise in Tonkichi's food. And at about $50 for 2 pax , it would be a great place to have a nice tonkatsu dinner without bursting your wallet. Service was good and I'll be sure not to order any minced pork tonkatsu or the likes.
See all my pictures here.
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A new steak house has set up shop around my neighbourhood recently in an attempt to loosen Aston's stranglehold on the steak market for low to mid tier pricing steaks. Named Ministry of Steak (MOS), the name sounds like a rip off of the now defunct Ministry of Sound (also MOS for short) in Singapore.
Tucked away along the row of shophouses at Serangoon Gardens where the new NTUC is and just a stones throw away from Astons, MOS suffers from low visibility as the entire row of shops face away from the central bus stop. This particular unit has changed hands quite a few times due to low human traffic so it remains to be seen if MOS can thrive in such an obscure location.
Mushroom Soup - You have the option of adding $3 and getting a calamansi drink a soup, which happened to be mushroom soup. The soup was rather watered down but at least it was decently creamy and had bits of mushroom in it. Not too bad for the price.
Pork Chops - With a name like Ministry of Steak, pork chops probably aren't their forte but this dish didn't turn out half as bad as I expected it to be. Sure, the meat was a little too chewy in certain areas and the garlic sauce a little too runny, but portions were generous and it beats eating tough pork chops served at some places.
Prime Sirloin - Cheapo me chose the cheapest steak on the menu - the prime sirloin. I must say that I was quite impressed by the handling and preparation of the meat. Beautifully grilled to medium rare as per my request and harbouring a moderate hint of salt, the steak was succulent and boasted natural beefy sweetness. You get 2 sides with every main course and my coleslaw and fries tasted decently fresh. Nothing to holler about though.
Black Pepper Steak - This was essentially the same cut as the prime sirloin, except that it came with black pepper instead of garlic sauce. And if it looks darker, yes it is, due to the fact that it was done medium well. A little drier and tougher, but still good for those who can't stand really stand the sight of blood.
The emergence of MOS in the area is sure to give Astons a terrific run for its money, given its quality and competitive pricing (3 of us spent $35). Throw in air conditioning and decent service and I know where I'll be satisfying my steak cravings again. This time I might just be tempted to try out the grade 5 wagyu for $30.
See all my pictures here.
EDIT as of 7th Feb 2010: I have received notification that the owner of MOS has left to open up a new steakhouse else.
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Walking around the place with nothing much to choose for 3 hungry people's lunch, we finally walked into this shop(?) that did not look too catching but yet interesting.
Decorated in a manner that is sure to look inviting to students, we do see a lot of polaroids from past visitors (with their faces doodled).
As mentioned by the previous reviewers, you'll have to order and pay over the counter and wait for your number to be called. What we did not like was the hard to figure menu written in chalk above the counter and the noisy sound system which often interrupts our conversations.
Looking at the menu, seems to be fusion kind of burger joint where we ordered the Katsu burger, Mushroom swiss burger where I changed the bun for their "fluffy~ garlic butter rice" True to the description, the rice was so fluffy~~~ I thought they put a hamster in my plate! (nah~~) I do feel the taste of garlic can come out more instead of being over taken by the smell of butter. Perhaps its the side effects of doing away with the buns, the meat patty tasted too salty. And it was quite strange to eat scattered mushroom, meat patty and rice together.
Couldn't comment on the Katsu burger as I did not try it but my companion mentioned that the meat was "katsu" too much that it became too tough. He didn't like the idea of having the katsu between sesamed buns too.
An additional compliment to Burger Shack was that, our order was late. Lolx~ how was that a compliment? Well, our number was called way after it should and the cashier had sent us complimentary ice cream voluntarily. (Note: We didn't even noticed our order was late -.-") Good customer service I would say.
And so great tasting was their ice cream that we decided to be gluttony and ordered their brownie and apple pie. Brownie was a disappointment although it will be unfair of me to say that as its my personal preference towards crispy brownies and theirs was not. However, I do love the smell of the buttery crust and its texture of .. of ... pineapple tarts?
It will not be a place I'll frequent since its rather out of my way. With its limited menu, it will be difficult to choose as a venue for gatherings nor for frequent dining (will get sick of the food).
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Was the first time that we order food as in food at MOF. The previous time we had desserts there. Since there were only 2 of us, we couldn't try much of their menu. I ordered the ever safe dish, chicken curry pasta. And I fell in love with it. Haha~ Simply because the curry was not like those in other Japanese restaurants. Their curry was not sweet. Getting tired from all the sweet and sama sama ingredients curry from other Jap restaurants, this was a nice change. The "chunks" of tender chicken with the pasta added marks to the dish and I never regretted ordering this.
Dar ordered Chicken Teriyaki Pasta and incomparison, this dish is not as nice as the curry. Not sure whether its the chicken or the teriyaki sauce they used but there was a "fishy smell" to the dish that puts me off trying it after 1 bite.
We got free drinks as we ordered pasta dishes. We chose ice lemon tea which we all agreed that it doesn't taste nice at all but the macha tea tasted great.. With me, dessert is of course a must. Haha.... I chose light soft serve that goes easy on my stomach and digestion. Of course the desserts came out satisfying as even the passive Dar persuaded me to sign for the MOF citizen card so that we will enjoy discounts and rebates the next time we visit. Its $10 for member fees and if you show your UOB card, the member fees reduces to $6 for 2 years.
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We finally decided to take the plunge and revisit Ion Orchard after so many months in the hope that the crazy crowds would have abated. But I guess our hope was in vain. Nonetheless, we decided on dinner at Imperial Treasure Noodle & Congee House (ITNCH for short), seeing that it was the only eatery that still had space to accommodate us.
Located at B3 of the swanky shopping mall, ITNCH utilises an electronic queue system, which seems to be more rampant nowadays. The interior is seemingly cramp and reminiscent of your typical casual dining Chinese restaurant.
BBQ Combination - We opted for a roast pork/BBQ pork combination which was quite decent. The roasted pork had a thin layer of crisp skin coupled with a nice proportion of fat whereas the BBQ pork was mildly fibrous without coming across as overly sweet.
Fried Hor Fun with Egg and Prawn - Carrying a fleeting hint of wok hei, the hor fun was smooth without clumping together. The gravy was a little lacklustre even though it was flush with egg strands. I did like the prawns though, which were relatively big in size with a nice crunch to them.
Beancurd with Oyster Sauce - An average dish, the beancurd wasn't silky smooth nor savoury but the oyster sauce did help though. Came served with mushrooms and vegetables.
Yang Chow Fried Rice - I personally thought that this was quite well done. The rice had a comforting wok hei taste with a nice homogenous egg coating and little bits of BBQ pork and prawns that made for a rather enjoyable plate of fried rice. Then again, maybe we were hungry.
The bill totaled about $61 for the 3 of us, which wasn't too unreasonable given the decent service and food. This place beats any of the lower end Crystal Jade outlets that I've tried and I'll certainly be looking out for the Imperial Treasure brand name the next time I'm searching for a casual, convenient and inexpensive Chinese restaurant option.
See all my pictures here.
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Tried this when we went for movie at iluma. As I've heard that its 100% fat free and suitable for lactose intolerant people. I'm lactose intolerant though not very serious, I still get diarroeas when I take milk items. In any case, the bright and cute small store at illuma caught our eyes when we came out of a restaurant after having an unsatisfying lunch.
The number of types of toppings really amazed me. Toppings like pormegranate, nata de coco, pomelo and the various cereals which are not common in yogurt houses. Toppings were fresh and the yogurt soft, a tinee bit too strong of the "cultured" taste for me but besides that, its quite a great choice if you would like something different and light after meals.
If you work near iluma, its even better as you get to taste different flavours of yogurt everyday, take fruits and healthy cultures~
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This is a place where we certainly won't visit again. We decided to enter this restaurant as we have never tried it before and all the other restaurants had long queue at the door. Food focusing on fig & olives is of course not common.
We ordered Crisscut fries, Grilled Dory with Mushroom sauce, Figo Grilled Seafood (or seafood platter for 1). the mushroom sauce (note: the sauce only) and the crisscut fries were at least decent to taste though we have some reservations on the taste of the rice. Even though this place was called fig&olives, the olive rice was nothing much but spiced/buttered rice with a few pickled olives on top with not much of a taste too. The fish were cooked too oily though the texture was tender and well done.
The seafood platter for 1 cost a whopping $21.30 and contained only 4 prawns and 3 mussels with a whole heap of rice. Certainly not worth the price. Not to mention that the waiters there took the wrong order, failed to respond to our calls and proceeded to bill us for the wrong order. They were certainly in a hurry and is only able to refill the plain water for whichever cup we gestured to even though all the rest of the cups beside it were empty too.
I repeat again, definitely not worth a visit again. At least not this branch.
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After our disappointing dim sum session at The Dining Room, it was decided that we would give Resorts World another chance by patronising their specialty dessert cafe, Boulangerie, located level two of Festive Hotel.
Boulangerie turned out to be a disaster as well. I will not say much except that the macarons were Bakerzin quality and retailed for $2.30 instead of a dollar. The shells weren't crisp and tasted very stale. The other desserts purportedly had an Asian "twist" to them but some of them just turned out plain weird. Case in point, the Satin, a coconut cream dessert topped with pineapple. It tasted like Thai salad to me, which was just unnerving considering that its dessert. The raspberry tarte had a base that reminded me of compressed Danish cookies which would have been fine until you consider how hard it was. It was literally steel against rock as I tried to spear a piece of the tart with my fork.
Only consolation of this place? They serve complimentary sky juice.
See all my pictures here.
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