Dinner was at Cafe De Hong Kong (CDHK for short), a small restaurant selling HK style cze char dishes that have garnered rave reviews from many sources, both mainstream media and blogs alike.
Inconveniently located at the beginning of Balestier Road, just off the junction of Thomson Road and Balestier Road, CDHK looks like just any eatery that dots the entire stretch of Balestier Road. Step in however and a HK cafe style decor greets you with its quirky design and white washed walls. Parking in the area can pose a problem so cabs or public transport might be a better alternative.
Pork Ribs - Looking beautifully charred around the edges, the ribs were fall of the bone tender but came across as bland even with the sauce. Could have done with a little more marination. Mildly disappointing to say the least.
Salad Dressing Prawn Ball - I couldn't see the reason why this dish came highly recommended by our waitress. The prawn balls didn't exactly wow any of us at the table though I must admit that it was still quite decent nonetheless - crunchy with a dollop of mayonnaise. Then again, how bad can anything with mayonnaise be? I did like the broccoli though, which was cooked just right.
Roasted Chicken - Apparently this dish is so popular that you have to make a booking for it when you make your table reservation and that's exactly what we did. The half chicken (for the 5 of us) was more then adequate, which is rather surprisingly considering that in some places, a whole chicken might not even be sufficient. Consistency is suspect here as some parts of the chicken were juicy and tender while other parts tiptoed into the dry region. There was a higher salt content in certain areas as well.
Supreme Tofu - The tofu came with a thin slice of scallop on top and was silky smooth but lacked savouriness. Decent but nothing fantastic. Makes me wonder about the supreme in the name.
Stir Fried You Mak Cai with Dace Fish - Personally I thought that the vegetables were a little limp - the result of overcooking. The slight saltiness from the dace fish was apparent and I appreciated it. Overall nothing too fancy or outstanding, but definitely palatable.
The bill for the 5 of us was just shy of $100, which isn't too expensive by any standards. However, I can't quite attest to the rave reviews that have been popping up ever so often. Still, food and service is decent so probably still worth a try.
My first visit was rather uneventful since there weren't many customers at the time. The waitress serving us was rather accommodating and friendly when we required a table with more chairs. It could be due to the various spare tables, hence our request was fulfilled.
Food took a bit of time and it was just average. As we were in a rush to catch a movie, we didn't stay too long and felt the place was just nice to have a meal. The seats were comfortable while the place had some places where I had to squeeze in between the chairs if the place were filled with customers.
Welcome to Cache Cache!!! WELCOME to Cache Cache!!! WELCOME TO CACHE CACHE!!!
I can't help but have this ringing in my ear all day... Eventhough i have a pet named CASH... But it was not why i had this slogan ringing all day... Its because I visited CACHE CACHE at Ion Orchard.. and what more.. i shopped there for the longest time i ever spent in any shop, per m2.
I should say its not a big shop, however, they are having a great sale of up to 70% off... The clothes were funky, trendy and funny... Really Totally My style!
I love the bright colours and the wonderful designs and the prices were so reasonable.. You can never find another place with price as reasonable as Cache Cache.. They have the bling bling stuffs for gala, the Country Country Stuff for your line dance, the CuteCute Stuffs for your teenage daughter and the everyday Casual wear for everybody.
On top of that, they also have some smart casual clothes and shirts with prices you can NEVER IMAGINE.. The materials were great, helms and stitches not medium raw, medium well but WELL DONE and they do have really special designed clothings that look too happening for the dance floor...
Especially look for the jeans and shorts.. They were greatly priced and have got the latest cuts and designs on sale...
Accessories were great too.. With great colours and designs to go with your selected outfits. Prices were reasonably affordable and you really can't stop at buying one....
Head down today before the sale ends... and be rewarded with a new wardrobe.. What do you do with the old ones? Keep lor.... 5 years down the road, there sure be a retro fever again! Heh Heh! Shopping Is GREAT!
I simply fell in love with this restaurant. Let me tell you why.....
First, the ambience was great, there were plenty of tables for couples or small groups of 4 friends as well as huge group setting up to 10 friends can sit at one table. The sits were great, deco chic japanese and light warm yet you could see your food well.
I particular light to mention the great service. I was personally impressed by the number of waiter and waitresses serving. I felt outnumbered, but i guess it was a good sign. They were nice, attentive and very polite. On top of that they really made me feel served.... Introduction to the menu were clear and helpful and even wet towels were being given personally by a rep waitress.
Now lets go to the food. The sashimi were great, with value for money prices and a good portion. Salmon Sashimi was fresh, succulent and shouts "EAT ME! EAT ME!" The placement of the sashimi on top of the a bed of sticks were a great visual contrast.
The tempura and fried stuffs were great too.. I personally love the portion they serve and you cannot imagine the prices they put on the menu.... Its definitely much more worth it then going for buffets. Noodles were great and soupy... another must try is the WATAMI salad. They come in such huge portion that it takes more then 1 to finish.
Another thing i love about this place is the free flow green tea and most importantly prompt refills of the cup with a GREAT BIG SMILE. I particular love this gesture as it really made me feel special. Boo!! to those who charge a mere $1 for a green tea bag and I have to fill up my own hot water via the tap that always leaks.... Something to learn and improve on..."Other Jap Restaurants!!!"
If you have a IPHONE version of the yebber, i will upload the great photos i have taken. Please Please Please create one!!!
Upmarket restaurant IL Lido at Sentosa has apparently gone mass market with its latest offering - Cafeteria IL Lido, located at Suntec City Mall. Although I didn't think too much about the upscale IL Lido, I was tempted to find out what its "mass consumer centric" eatery offered.
The eatery seats beside other mass market eateries around the mall's fountain area at B1 and boasts a seating capacity probably in excess of 80 pax. The place is rather "cafeish" and comes across as cheery and soothing with its bright wall tones and wooden furniture.
Spaghetti Carbonara - This honestly smacked of convenience. The pasta wasn't al dente while the cream sauce was rather watery without any presence of egg yolk and tasted like the pre made bottled cream sauces you could get off the shelves at any supermarket. The only saving grace was the generous amount of bacon chips which could have used a little more salt.
Ham and Mushroom Pizza - The pizza base was thin, almost to the extent of biscuit like. While I appreciate the gooey cheese and generous toppings atop, I didn't quite take to the pizza in general because everything tasted bland. The crust was way too thin (and hard) to absorb any flavours from the tomato sauce or the cheese and essentially you are just eating biscuit topped with ingredients, something which I can probably do myself without too much hassle.
Tiramisu - This tiramisu has the dubious honour of being the worst tiramisu I have ever eaten in my life (sometimes I wonder if it is even edible) . For starters, it was served at room temperature and that resulted in the mascarpone cheese being soft and almost watery. To cut cost, they probably didn't add eggs in it as well, which made the whole dessert very flat tasting. The sponge fingers were terrible - drowned in what tasted like instant coffee and grossly soft. It came to a point where I was almost "drinking" the whole dessert. And if you are thinking alcohol, there is none of it present.
Black Forest - I would say the black forest was at least palatable. The cherries were a little dry but rather tart and the cream to sponge ratio was quite lopsided in favour of the cream. At least it was sweet though.
I don't know about you but $36 for such mind blowingly lousy food irritates me to no end. Compound the fact that service was seriously lacking ( I had to gesture for about 10 mins before I could catch the attention of any service staff and I wasn't the only table facing such problems) and that I had to pay a 10% service charge for that, I will never go back, not even step near it. Honestly, IL Lido has never enjoyed a high standing in my books but with Cafeteria IL Lido, the entire brand name has just slipped a few rungs.
Had been meaning to try out Teochew City for quite a while now so made it a point to head down one weekend evening for dinner. Owned and operated by the Prima group, which also owns the historic Prima Towering Revolving Restaurant, Teochew City is one of the pioneers of Teochew fine dining in Singapore and apparently serves quite good Teochew food, if the hearsays are to be trusted.
Located in a corner at the top floor of Centrepoint Shopping Centre, the restaurant cuts a lone figure amidst the retail shops in the mall. A huge signboard makes known the restaurant as soon as the escalator takes you up but human traffic on that level is probably too scarce to make much of a difference. The restaurant's interior is rather spacious and offers a view of live seafood swimming around in huge tanks by the side - very typical Chinese restaurant decor.
Crab Meat & Fish Maw Soup - The soup was tasty and not overly starchy with relatively generous amounts of crab meat and fish maw. However, drinking too much still can make you woozy. And $8 gets you a decent sized bowl.
Braised Goose - I doubt the ban on fresh goose meat has been lifted so this is probably frozen meat. Not that it mattered though, because it was handled quite well and the only slip was the mild dryness of the meat. Portions were also generous for a small serving.
Hong Kong Kailan with Mushrooms - The vegetables weren't overcooked while the sauce didn't come across as too starchy. Mushroom servings were generous and though not the most exciting vegetable dish I've had, no complains really.
Lobster and Prawn Balls - This dish featured prawn paste and fresh prawn molded into balls and deep fried till crisp. Nice but a tad too oily for my liking. The pièce de résistance however, was the egg white with lobster meat served alongside. Savoury without any hint of rawness and a nice smooth texture, complemented by the shreds of lobster meat within. Could have done with a pinch less salt though.
Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts and Pumpkin - The hallmark of Teochew desserts and its most famous one yet - the humble yet time consuming to produce yam paste. Fragrant with a spoonful of not too sweet syrup atop, the paste was smooth and thick. And I like my yam paste without coconut milk.
After a 10% discount, the 3 of us chalked up a bill of almost $125 ($138 without discount), which isn't exactly cheap but consider the quality of food and I reckon it's still reasonable. Service was good and the place provided a nice respite from the mad Orchard Road crowds on a weekend.
I read with much interest the opening of yet another burger joint, this time by the owners of Island Creamery who decided that they wanted to do something else besides making ice cream. And with prices starting at about $5.70 for a beef burger, who could resist the lure to try it out?
Occupying the space that used to house Melvados at King's Arcade along Bukit Timah Road, Burger Shack boasts a white spartan cafe like interior with a couple of tables and chairs for dine in customers. How this place works is simple. You place your order at the counter, make payment and wait for your order number to be called out to collect your food.
Double Original Burger - Greedy me couldn't be satisfied with a single patty hence I opted for the double ($7.70) with an addition of sauteed mushrooms ($1.50) and bacon ($1.50). To be honest, it was smaller then what I had expected and the quality was downright disappointing. The beef patties didn't taste fresh and had quite a bit of fatty meat in it. On the upside, you could see it as the patty being hand chopped rather then machine processed. Apparently their buns are made from scratch, like Everything with Fries so comparisons might seem inevitable. Actually no comparisons are needed as Burger Shack's buns came across as dry and hard - worse then most buns I've had. I honestly can't bring myself to believe that the buns are made from scratch.
Grilled Chicken Burger - The grilled chicken burger was sandwiched between the hard and stale buns but at least the breast meat was relatively tender. It would have been better if the fatty skin had been removed and they had added some seasoning into the otherwise bland and flat piece of meat. The tomato puree atop didn't help matters much. Don't get me started with the shoestring fries, which were hard, dry and proved quite a chore to chomp through. But at least there was seasoning.
We paid about $22 for our dinner and walked out of the place smelling of food from head to toe. They really need to do something about the ventilation of the place. Food for thought - Success in one area of F&B doesn't guarantee success when diversifying into other branches of the everchanging culinary landscape. And that is something Island Creamery has to think about. Should it leverage on its core competency and continue to sell ice cream or should it move into offering burgers? If the latter, I suggest they relook into their burger recipes before Burger Shack dilutes the Island Creamery brand name.
I mean Singapore is such a tiny place.. and there's two IKEAs.. On top of that this one is much bigger then the other.. The Father of all DIY furnitures.. I should say what makes IKEA crowded all the time is not just the value for money furnitures.. but more of the Creative Ideas they Give you....
I mean its FUN to shop at Ikea.. First the parking is so considerate.. They actually have bigger parking space for families with children, prams and whatever Huge MPVs, SUVs, Monster Truck you have. Clean and huge toilets with children bowls for the small buttocks.. I mean its a pretty scary thing to fall into a Toilet bowl... I mean toilet bowl today are much bigger then before.. We have to accomodate the bigger personalities... Thanks to the fast food culture.....
The layout of the place are well thought off.. neat and not obstructive. Its easy to locate the big entrance/exit and wide areas for loading and unloading to prevent traffic obstruction.. To a female driver IKEA is such a SAINT.." WHY DO WE ALWAYS GET HORNED AT... AND STOP SHAKING YOUR HEAD AT ME, I'm only trying to PARK"
When you get there.. You can immediately Dump your kid at the enclosed playground for their leisure.. They have a great system to monitor your kids and HUGE number tags... Now you know who bullys who.... and you definitely won't lose your kid.. even if you want to.... Now you can start shopping in peace, without a constantly demanding little monster running around and banging into stuffs.
They have everything you need in a house, including that little candle stand or photo frame you frame your wonderful memories in. Items are packed logically with related things nearby. More then one area to find some handy items and creative slogans and ideas just simply pop about in your brain. Its fun and exciting to discover the many things you can put onto that one flimsy shelve and find fun from your mundane working weekday 9 to 5 life. If you happen to get lost in that big big space, you could always find a location map and before you know it, you're already on your way out.
Some of the items are really cheap and useful. Theres not restriction to the usage of any items.. only how you want to use them.... I love the lamps especially.. With many colours and wondeful shapes and sizes and most importantly, i find the lamps value for money. Though DIY is not my forte, they made it look so EASY... and I always renewed some DIY confidence when i shop at IKEA....
When you get hungry.. you could always stop by the cafe for some free flow coffee or yummy beef balls.. I mean so juicy yummy and a good portion for one... You will definitely have no left overs for this. If its too crowded then get downstairs for some HOTDOGs... they are cheap, tasty, quick and very fun to squeeze sauce on them. Its like trying to milk a cow.. try it and you will know...
I love to go to IKEA.... its all for the fun... and while having fun.. get some shopping done...
Leave the fixing to the men at home..... why bother.. buy first.......... then I also can shake my head at them....... *Fab!*
Before I start reviewing.. I would like to thank Essy and VO man for buying me dinner at this very classy chinese restaurant with such tasty and elegant looking food.........
Lets start with my favourite dishes...
1) Peking Duck
Its really half a duck... Skin so crispy and juicy... I mean who can resist peking duck... Wrap the crispy skin with fluffy thin skin, lace on some thick savoury sauce add on a fresh green onions stalks... You're ready to go....The first bite was all crunch and flavour from the Over Roasted Duck skin laced with herbs and spices... and then while u chew.. the fresh green onion flavoured with salty and sweet sauce emerges to tantalize your tongue and refreshes it.... Its simply perfect....................
Thats not all... the meat of the duck could be fried or served as it is.. you can choose fried with black pepper, ginger slices or in any way you like it to be.
We choose black pepper and it taste really great.. The duck flesh is usually pretty blend however fried it taste savoury and great with a good bowl of rice.
2) Triple Egg Spinich... Theres Salted Egg, Normal Egg and Pee Dan... "Black Black Egg"
This dish I am particular picky.. because first.. its alot of calories to bet on... and second, its a pretty wierd combination. If not properly done.. will really taste wierd.. however, Tung Lok did it Pretty Welll or i suppose more then well done.
Spinish itself is tasteless and the normal egg provides the smoothness in this dish. It is not fully cooked and made the accompanying sauce smooth and easy to eat. Salted egg is of the right combination and blended in correctly with the egg whites cut into tiny pieces as the whites are really salty and york in slightly bigger pieces so the dish is not too SANDY... The century egg PEEDAN.. is well inculcated to produce the Zest like a little surprise in this dish.. A wonderfully balanced dish.. I personally like the way they made this dish.
Without further boring everybody with details, i shall say... the PRAWN is Yummy, crispy and Savoury, I can't get enough of those! Crispy Pork Belly was CRISPY, Not too Fat and easy to eat!
Lets now go straight to the desserts....
They have a good range of traditionally brewed desserts which is both healthy and makes skin glow with great complextion, so they say... Items like white fungus with red dates, Shue Ge, etc are rather slimming and soothes one's throat Its great to finish your meal with something sweet so that IT WILL BE COMPLETE.
Now for the ambience.... For a chinese restaurant, I would say this place is more then chic... It has traditional elements however embedded into modern fixtures... I love the way they have a good balance of both and still be able to portray rich culture in their designs. The Service was great.... Waiters and Waitress many with great smiles and attention to all tables. Reasonable waiting time for dishes and refilling of tea pots efficient.
Besides the price, I would say this is a great place to dine in.. Its above average I must say but its so WORTH IT!!!! A must go for celebrations... I mean who needs a reason to celebrate? Celebrate everyday and Thank God You're Still ALIVE......
Essy.. If you see this please provide the pictures of the yummy food...
Old Girls???
Over Grown???
Odd Garments???
Ordinary Garments???
Old Gone?
Ohh!!! Girls!!!
Think about it.....
I thought about it for a long while when being thrown this question and after a long thought with all the idiotic funny answers I can think off... finally my not so dumb friend told me the answer....
Are you Ready???
OG.... actually stands.. for .....................
Oriental Garments.....
Now you know why you can really find alot of Cheee Naaa Cheee Naaa stuffs in OG.. Its suppose to be ORIENTAL...... Talk about the CNY traditional chinese Cheong Sam, they have it... the more trendy Cheee Naa.... Clothes they have it.....
Its a total middle aged woman's HEAVEN..... Talk about retro... and with the Nonya BABA wave..... You can find them all in OG.....
However, the OG at orchard point here have a good balance of traditional and trendy stuffs. I mean... just look at the interior design of the shop..... Large Clear Glass panals with a good array of modern popular perfume and skin care counters.... Expensive Bags from Popular Brands such as Bonia, Guess, Renoma, etc... as well as a good range of men's wear from Crocodile to Alligator to Levis.... Etc....
Here you can find almost everything even Japanese tit-bits and famous cartoon imprinted food stuffs.. Kids will love it here with the wide array of popular toys both for children, youths and even board games for adults.
You can join them as a member now for no membership fees with only a combined receipt of SGD75. You will not only get membership exclusive discounts, there are also freebies for redemption and special purchases just for members. On top of these, redeem points for special exchanges. Prices i should say is pretty average. Its not super low like some warehouses, however, the special discounted items, sales and certain items are really very value for money, or somewhat cheaper then what you can get outside.
Also check out good, traditional, reliable and reasonable pricing household and kitchen wares. My mum used to buy from OG as, some of them comes with warranty as well as good sales persons to explain to you how to use these wares and preserve them for extended life span..
Its a great place for the whole family and not usually crowded..
Dinner was at Cafe De Hong Kong (CDHK for short), a small restaurant selling HK style cze char dishes that have garnered rave reviews from many sources, both mainstream media and blogs alike.
Inconveniently located at the beginning of Balestier Road, just off the junction of Thomson Road and Balestier Road, CDHK looks like just any eatery that dots the entire stretch of Balestier Road. Step in however and a HK cafe style decor greets you with its quirky design and white washed walls. Parking in the area can pose a problem so cabs or public transport might be a better alternative.
Pork Ribs - Looking beautifully charred around the edges, the ribs were fall of the bone tender but came across as bland even with the sauce. Could have done with a little more marination. Mildly disappointing to say the least.
Salad Dressing Prawn Ball - I couldn't see the reason why this dish came highly recommended by our waitress. The prawn balls didn't exactly wow any of us at the table though I must admit that it was still quite decent nonetheless - crunchy with a dollop of mayonnaise. Then again, how bad can anything with mayonnaise be? I did like the broccoli though, which was cooked just right.
Roasted Chicken - Apparently this dish is so popular that you have to make a booking for it when you make your table reservation and that's exactly what we did. The half chicken (for the 5 of us) was more then adequate, which is rather surprisingly considering that in some places, a whole chicken might not even be sufficient. Consistency is suspect here as some parts of the chicken were juicy and tender while other parts tiptoed into the dry region. There was a higher salt content in certain areas as well.
Supreme Tofu - The tofu came with a thin slice of scallop on top and was silky smooth but lacked savouriness. Decent but nothing fantastic. Makes me wonder about the supreme in the name.
Stir Fried You Mak Cai with Dace Fish - Personally I thought that the vegetables were a little limp - the result of overcooking. The slight saltiness from the dace fish was apparent and I appreciated it. Overall nothing too fancy or outstanding, but definitely palatable.
The bill for the 5 of us was just shy of $100, which isn't too expensive by any standards. However, I can't quite attest to the rave reviews that have been popping up ever so often. Still, food and service is decent so probably still worth a try.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
My first visit was rather uneventful since there weren't many customers at the time. The waitress serving us was rather accommodating and friendly when we required a table with more chairs. It could be due to the various spare tables, hence our request was fulfilled.
Food took a bit of time and it was just average. As we were in a rush to catch a movie, we didn't stay too long and felt the place was just nice to have a meal. The seats were comfortable while the place had some places where I had to squeeze in between the chairs if the place were filled with customers.
Rating given:
Welcome to Cache Cache!!! WELCOME to Cache Cache!!! WELCOME TO CACHE CACHE!!!
I can't help but have this ringing in my ear all day... Eventhough i have a pet named CASH... But it was not why i had this slogan ringing all day... Its because I visited CACHE CACHE at Ion Orchard.. and what more.. i shopped there for the longest time i ever spent in any shop, per m2.
I should say its not a big shop, however, they are having a great sale of up to 70% off... The clothes were funky, trendy and funny... Really Totally My style!
I love the bright colours and the wonderful designs and the prices were so reasonable.. You can never find another place with price as reasonable as Cache Cache.. They have the bling bling stuffs for gala, the Country Country Stuff for your line dance, the CuteCute Stuffs for your teenage daughter and the everyday Casual wear for everybody.
On top of that, they also have some smart casual clothes and shirts with prices you can NEVER IMAGINE.. The materials were great, helms and stitches not medium raw, medium well but WELL DONE and they do have really special designed clothings that look too happening for the dance floor...
Especially look for the jeans and shorts.. They were greatly priced and have got the latest cuts and designs on sale...
Accessories were great too.. With great colours and designs to go with your selected outfits. Prices were reasonably affordable and you really can't stop at buying one....
Head down today before the sale ends... and be rewarded with a new wardrobe.. What do you do with the old ones? Keep lor.... 5 years down the road, there sure be a retro fever again! Heh Heh! Shopping Is GREAT!
Rating given:
I simply fell in love with this restaurant. Let me tell you why.....
First, the ambience was great, there were plenty of tables for couples or small groups of 4 friends as well as huge group setting up to 10 friends can sit at one table. The sits were great, deco chic japanese and light warm yet you could see your food well.
I particular light to mention the great service. I was personally impressed by the number of waiter and waitresses serving. I felt outnumbered, but i guess it was a good sign. They were nice, attentive and very polite. On top of that they really made me feel served.... Introduction to the menu were clear and helpful and even wet towels were being given personally by a rep waitress.
Now lets go to the food. The sashimi were great, with value for money prices and a good portion. Salmon Sashimi was fresh, succulent and shouts "EAT ME! EAT ME!" The placement of the sashimi on top of the a bed of sticks were a great visual contrast.
The tempura and fried stuffs were great too.. I personally love the portion they serve and you cannot imagine the prices they put on the menu.... Its definitely much more worth it then going for buffets. Noodles were great and soupy... another must try is the WATAMI salad. They come in such huge portion that it takes more then 1 to finish.
Another thing i love about this place is the free flow green tea and most importantly prompt refills of the cup with a GREAT BIG SMILE. I particular love this gesture as it really made me feel special. Boo!! to those who charge a mere $1 for a green tea bag and I have to fill up my own hot water via the tap that always leaks.... Something to learn and improve on..."Other Jap Restaurants!!!"
If you have a IPHONE version of the yebber, i will upload the great photos i have taken. Please Please Please create one!!!
Rating given:
Upmarket restaurant IL Lido at Sentosa has apparently gone mass market with its latest offering - Cafeteria IL Lido, located at Suntec City Mall. Although I didn't think too much about the upscale IL Lido, I was tempted to find out what its "mass consumer centric" eatery offered.
The eatery seats beside other mass market eateries around the mall's fountain area at B1 and boasts a seating capacity probably in excess of 80 pax. The place is rather "cafeish" and comes across as cheery and soothing with its bright wall tones and wooden furniture.
Spaghetti Carbonara - This honestly smacked of convenience. The pasta wasn't al dente while the cream sauce was rather watery without any presence of egg yolk and tasted like the pre made bottled cream sauces you could get off the shelves at any supermarket. The only saving grace was the generous amount of bacon chips which could have used a little more salt.
Ham and Mushroom Pizza - The pizza base was thin, almost to the extent of biscuit like. While I appreciate the gooey cheese and generous toppings atop, I didn't quite take to the pizza in general because everything tasted bland. The crust was way too thin (and hard) to absorb any flavours from the tomato sauce or the cheese and essentially you are just eating biscuit topped with ingredients, something which I can probably do myself without too much hassle.
Tiramisu - This tiramisu has the dubious honour of being the worst tiramisu I have ever eaten in my life (sometimes I wonder if it is even edible) . For starters, it was served at room temperature and that resulted in the mascarpone cheese being soft and almost watery. To cut cost, they probably didn't add eggs in it as well, which made the whole dessert very flat tasting. The sponge fingers were terrible - drowned in what tasted like instant coffee and grossly soft. It came to a point where I was almost "drinking" the whole dessert. And if you are thinking alcohol, there is none of it present.
Black Forest - I would say the black forest was at least palatable. The cherries were a little dry but rather tart and the cream to sponge ratio was quite lopsided in favour of the cream. At least it was sweet though.
I don't know about you but $36 for such mind blowingly lousy food irritates me to no end. Compound the fact that service was seriously lacking ( I had to gesture for about 10 mins before I could catch the attention of any service staff and I wasn't the only table facing such problems) and that I had to pay a 10% service charge for that, I will never go back, not even step near it. Honestly, IL Lido has never enjoyed a high standing in my books but with Cafeteria IL Lido, the entire brand name has just slipped a few rungs.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Had been meaning to try out Teochew City for quite a while now so made it a point to head down one weekend evening for dinner. Owned and operated by the Prima group, which also owns the historic Prima Towering Revolving Restaurant, Teochew City is one of the pioneers of Teochew fine dining in Singapore and apparently serves quite good Teochew food, if the hearsays are to be trusted.
Located in a corner at the top floor of Centrepoint Shopping Centre, the restaurant cuts a lone figure amidst the retail shops in the mall. A huge signboard makes known the restaurant as soon as the escalator takes you up but human traffic on that level is probably too scarce to make much of a difference. The restaurant's interior is rather spacious and offers a view of live seafood swimming around in huge tanks by the side - very typical Chinese restaurant decor.
Crab Meat & Fish Maw Soup - The soup was tasty and not overly starchy with relatively generous amounts of crab meat and fish maw. However, drinking too much still can make you woozy. And $8 gets you a decent sized bowl.
Braised Goose - I doubt the ban on fresh goose meat has been lifted so this is probably frozen meat. Not that it mattered though, because it was handled quite well and the only slip was the mild dryness of the meat. Portions were also generous for a small serving.
Hong Kong Kailan with Mushrooms - The vegetables weren't overcooked while the sauce didn't come across as too starchy. Mushroom servings were generous and though not the most exciting vegetable dish I've had, no complains really.
Lobster and Prawn Balls - This dish featured prawn paste and fresh prawn molded into balls and deep fried till crisp. Nice but a tad too oily for my liking. The pièce de résistance however, was the egg white with lobster meat served alongside. Savoury without any hint of rawness and a nice smooth texture, complemented by the shreds of lobster meat within. Could have done with a pinch less salt though.
Yam Paste with Gingko Nuts and Pumpkin - The hallmark of Teochew desserts and its most famous one yet - the humble yet time consuming to produce yam paste. Fragrant with a spoonful of not too sweet syrup atop, the paste was smooth and thick. And I like my yam paste without coconut milk.
After a 10% discount, the 3 of us chalked up a bill of almost $125 ($138 without discount), which isn't exactly cheap but consider the quality of food and I reckon it's still reasonable. Service was good and the place provided a nice respite from the mad Orchard Road crowds on a weekend.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I read with much interest the opening of yet another burger joint, this time by the owners of Island Creamery who decided that they wanted to do something else besides making ice cream. And with prices starting at about $5.70 for a beef burger, who could resist the lure to try it out?
Occupying the space that used to house Melvados at King's Arcade along Bukit Timah Road, Burger Shack boasts a white spartan cafe like interior with a couple of tables and chairs for dine in customers. How this place works is simple. You place your order at the counter, make payment and wait for your order number to be called out to collect your food.
Double Original Burger - Greedy me couldn't be satisfied with a single patty hence I opted for the double ($7.70) with an addition of sauteed mushrooms ($1.50) and bacon ($1.50). To be honest, it was smaller then what I had expected and the quality was downright disappointing. The beef patties didn't taste fresh and had quite a bit of fatty meat in it. On the upside, you could see it as the patty being hand chopped rather then machine processed. Apparently their buns are made from scratch, like Everything with Fries so comparisons might seem inevitable. Actually no comparisons are needed as Burger Shack's buns came across as dry and hard - worse then most buns I've had. I honestly can't bring myself to believe that the buns are made from scratch.
Grilled Chicken Burger - The grilled chicken burger was sandwiched between the hard and stale buns but at least the breast meat was relatively tender. It would have been better if the fatty skin had been removed and they had added some seasoning into the otherwise bland and flat piece of meat. The tomato puree atop didn't help matters much. Don't get me started with the shoestring fries, which were hard, dry and proved quite a chore to chomp through. But at least there was seasoning.
We paid about $22 for our dinner and walked out of the place smelling of food from head to toe. They really need to do something about the ventilation of the place. Food for thought - Success in one area of F&B doesn't guarantee success when diversifying into other branches of the everchanging culinary landscape. And that is something Island Creamery has to think about. Should it leverage on its core competency and continue to sell ice cream or should it move into offering burgers? If the latter, I suggest they relook into their burger recipes before Burger Shack dilutes the Island Creamery brand name.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Can it GET Bigger???
I mean Singapore is such a tiny place.. and there's two IKEAs.. On top of that this one is much bigger then the other.. The Father of all DIY furnitures.. I should say what makes IKEA crowded all the time is not just the value for money furnitures.. but more of the Creative Ideas they Give you....
I mean its FUN to shop at Ikea.. First the parking is so considerate.. They actually have bigger parking space for families with children, prams and whatever Huge MPVs, SUVs, Monster Truck you have. Clean and huge toilets with children bowls for the small buttocks.. I mean its a pretty scary thing to fall into a Toilet bowl... I mean toilet bowl today are much bigger then before.. We have to accomodate the bigger personalities... Thanks to the fast food culture.....
The layout of the place are well thought off.. neat and not obstructive. Its easy to locate the big entrance/exit and wide areas for loading and unloading to prevent traffic obstruction.. To a female driver IKEA is such a SAINT.." WHY DO WE ALWAYS GET HORNED AT... AND STOP SHAKING YOUR HEAD AT ME, I'm only trying to PARK"
When you get there.. You can immediately Dump your kid at the enclosed playground for their leisure.. They have a great system to monitor your kids and HUGE number tags... Now you know who bullys who.... and you definitely won't lose your kid.. even if you want to.... Now you can start shopping in peace, without a constantly demanding little monster running around and banging into stuffs.
They have everything you need in a house, including that little candle stand or photo frame you frame your wonderful memories in. Items are packed logically with related things nearby. More then one area to find some handy items and creative slogans and ideas just simply pop about in your brain. Its fun and exciting to discover the many things you can put onto that one flimsy shelve and find fun from your mundane working weekday 9 to 5 life. If you happen to get lost in that big big space, you could always find a location map and before you know it, you're already on your way out.
Some of the items are really cheap and useful. Theres not restriction to the usage of any items.. only how you want to use them.... I love the lamps especially.. With many colours and wondeful shapes and sizes and most importantly, i find the lamps value for money. Though DIY is not my forte, they made it look so EASY... and I always renewed some DIY confidence when i shop at IKEA....
When you get hungry.. you could always stop by the cafe for some free flow coffee or yummy beef balls.. I mean so juicy yummy and a good portion for one... You will definitely have no left overs for this. If its too crowded then get downstairs for some HOTDOGs... they are cheap, tasty, quick and very fun to squeeze sauce on them. Its like trying to milk a cow.. try it and you will know...
I love to go to IKEA.... its all for the fun... and while having fun.. get some shopping done...
Leave the fixing to the men at home..... why bother.. buy first.......... then I also can shake my head at them....... *Fab!*
Rating given:
Before I start reviewing.. I would like to thank Essy and VO man for buying me dinner at this very classy chinese restaurant with such tasty and elegant looking food.........
Lets start with my favourite dishes...
1) Peking Duck
Its really half a duck... Skin so crispy and juicy... I mean who can resist peking duck... Wrap the crispy skin with fluffy thin skin, lace on some thick savoury sauce add on a fresh green onions stalks... You're ready to go....The first bite was all crunch and flavour from the Over Roasted Duck skin laced with herbs and spices... and then while u chew.. the fresh green onion flavoured with salty and sweet sauce emerges to tantalize your tongue and refreshes it.... Its simply perfect....................
Thats not all... the meat of the duck could be fried or served as it is.. you can choose fried with black pepper, ginger slices or in any way you like it to be.
We choose black pepper and it taste really great.. The duck flesh is usually pretty blend however fried it taste savoury and great with a good bowl of rice.
2) Triple Egg Spinich... Theres Salted Egg, Normal Egg and Pee Dan... "Black Black Egg"
This dish I am particular picky.. because first.. its alot of calories to bet on... and second, its a pretty wierd combination. If not properly done.. will really taste wierd.. however, Tung Lok did it Pretty Welll or i suppose more then well done.
Spinish itself is tasteless and the normal egg provides the smoothness in this dish. It is not fully cooked and made the accompanying sauce smooth and easy to eat. Salted egg is of the right combination and blended in correctly with the egg whites cut into tiny pieces as the whites are really salty and york in slightly bigger pieces so the dish is not too SANDY... The century egg PEEDAN.. is well inculcated to produce the Zest like a little surprise in this dish.. A wonderfully balanced dish.. I personally like the way they made this dish.
Without further boring everybody with details, i shall say... the PRAWN is Yummy, crispy and Savoury, I can't get enough of those! Crispy Pork Belly was CRISPY, Not too Fat and easy to eat!
Lets now go straight to the desserts....
They have a good range of traditionally brewed desserts which is both healthy and makes skin glow with great complextion, so they say... Items like white fungus with red dates, Shue Ge, etc are rather slimming and soothes one's throat Its great to finish your meal with something sweet so that IT WILL BE COMPLETE.
Now for the ambience.... For a chinese restaurant, I would say this place is more then chic... It has traditional elements however embedded into modern fixtures... I love the way they have a good balance of both and still be able to portray rich culture in their designs. The Service was great.... Waiters and Waitress many with great smiles and attention to all tables. Reasonable waiting time for dishes and refilling of tea pots efficient.
Besides the price, I would say this is a great place to dine in.. Its above average I must say but its so WORTH IT!!!! A must go for celebrations... I mean who needs a reason to celebrate? Celebrate everyday and Thank God You're Still ALIVE......
Essy.. If you see this please provide the pictures of the yummy food...
Rating given:
Have you ever wondered WHAT DOES OG Stands For???
Come on.... Make a Guess!!!!
Old Girls???
Over Grown???
Odd Garments???
Ordinary Garments???
Old Gone?
Ohh!!! Girls!!!
Think about it.....
I thought about it for a long while when being thrown this question and after a long thought with all the idiotic funny answers I can think off... finally my not so dumb friend told me the answer....
Are you Ready???
OG.... actually stands.. for .....................
Oriental Garments.....
Now you know why you can really find alot of Cheee Naaa Cheee Naaa stuffs in OG.. Its suppose to be ORIENTAL...... Talk about the CNY traditional chinese Cheong Sam, they have it... the more trendy Cheee Naa.... Clothes they have it.....
Its a total middle aged woman's HEAVEN..... Talk about retro... and with the Nonya BABA wave..... You can find them all in OG.....
However, the OG at orchard point here have a good balance of traditional and trendy stuffs. I mean... just look at the interior design of the shop..... Large Clear Glass panals with a good array of modern popular perfume and skin care counters.... Expensive Bags from Popular Brands such as Bonia, Guess, Renoma, etc... as well as a good range of men's wear from Crocodile to Alligator to Levis.... Etc....
Here you can find almost everything even Japanese tit-bits and famous cartoon imprinted food stuffs.. Kids will love it here with the wide array of popular toys both for children, youths and even board games for adults.
You can join them as a member now for no membership fees with only a combined receipt of SGD75. You will not only get membership exclusive discounts, there are also freebies for redemption and special purchases just for members. On top of these, redeem points for special exchanges. Prices i should say is pretty average. Its not super low like some warehouses, however, the special discounted items, sales and certain items are really very value for money, or somewhat cheaper then what you can get outside.
Also check out good, traditional, reliable and reasonable pricing household and kitchen wares. My mum used to buy from OG as, some of them comes with warranty as well as good sales persons to explain to you how to use these wares and preserve them for extended life span..
Its a great place for the whole family and not usually crowded..
Rating given: