feizhu's Reviews
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Chinois is hidden in a scheduled corner of Hotel Michel, past the concierge and just after the washrooms. There, a life sized decal of Chef Susur Lee greets you from the huge glass panel that fronts the restaurant. Decked out mainly in black with a few window tables that allow you a view of the activities outside, Chinois exudes an understated elegance that is common place in quite a fair bit of modern Chinese restaurants nowadays.
Cheese Burger Spring Roll - I had heard so much about the Cheese Burger Spring Rolls and it was imperative that i tried it. Interestingly, the spring rolls tasted exactly like a normal cheeseburger that you would get in a fast food joint, albeit with a crisp exterior instead of fluffy buns. For a more "authentic" taste, don't forget the mustard! Be sure to share though as the oil does get to you after the second roll.
Duo BBQ Pork Bun - As the name suggests, you get 2 variants of BBQ pork bun - 1 steamed and 1 deep fried. I personally preferred the greasier version as the bun had a soft and almost smooth texture coupled with a nice crisp exterior. The BBQ pork didn't come across as cloyingly sweet as well. Ditto for the steamed version, which boasted a nice fluffy but marginally thicker bun.
Steamed Beancurd Skin Rolls with Crab Roe - Although I am not exactly a fan of steamed beancurd skin (I prefer the deep fried ones), this was honestly quite decent with a tinge of spiciness, presumably from the crab roe sauce. And the skin had bits of crispiness along the edges with fresh pieces of shrimp stuffed within.
Kurobuta Pork Rib with Vinaigrette - This is definitely not the best roasted pork I've had but it's still pretty good. Crackling crisp skin belying a nice fat to pork ratio. Only minor gripes I had were that the skin was a little too thick for my liking and the meat wasn't salty enough. Best eaten with the accompanying plum sauce.
Baby Abalone Siew Mai - The baby abalones didn't quite feature in the overall taste of the siew mai, which was a little too salty for my liking. Well at least the usage of fatty meat was kept to a minimal which helped keep the nausea at bay.
Homemade Beancurd with Monkey Head Mushrooms - As much as I love beancurd, I would be hard pressed to rate this dish anything more than slightly above average. Don't get me wrong. This dish isn't bad. In fact, it is technically very sound and checks most of the boxes. However the beancurd, though silky smooth, lacked the savoury taste that I personally use to differentiate between good and excellent. Also, it is the first time I've trying out monkey head mushrooms and honestly, I didn't quite take to the somewhat limp texture. So it all boils down to personal preference I guess.
Pan Fried Carrot Cakes with Preserved Meat - Now this was interesting. At first glance, each individual piece of carrot cake looked like a piece of roast pork sitting on it's head. However pop one into your mouth and be pleasantly surprised by its smooth texture and that of the crisp preserved meat which acted as a nice contrasting counterbalance.
The total bill (without discount) for 2 came up to about $89, which is by no means cheap but hey, it's at Resorts World Sentosa and food quality is decidedly above average overall. Throw in good service and a 50% discount and I'll definitely be dining at Chinois again.
See all my pictures here.
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Holed up on the ground level of Wanderlust Hotel along Dickson Road, Cocotte takes quite an effort to get to if you are driving. There are major constructions going around in that area and some streets are no through road or one way. Parking is a nightmare as street lots are limited and the unofficial extension of the Sungei Road flea market spills over.
The restaurant itself isn't big (probably 40 - 50 diners tops) and has a strange welcoming feel to it. I wouldn't describe it as homely but it had this certain appeal to make you want to just sit back and enjoy your meal in a very measured sort of way. Guess they don't want you to get too comfortable and hog the tables haha.
Croissants ($9) & Pain Au Chocolat ($10) - I can't begin expressing how good the croissants and pain au chocolat were. Served up warm, both pastries boasted a crusty exterior with puffy layers of soft, chewy goodness. Although I love chocolate, I personally preferred the croissant as it had a nice buttery finish to it. If you prefer it a little sweet, help yourself to the bottles of Alain Milliat jam that comes alongside. And I kid you not. It's probably one of the best I've had in Singapore so far. The secret behind it? The pastries are imported directly from France and baked to perfection in Cocotte's ovens.
Nicoise Salad ($18) - Fresh crunchy greens with a generous topping of tuna chunks and a smattering of anchovies, olives and hard boiled eggs - the answer to the problem of kids refusing to eat their greens. The anchovies were a little too salty though so make sure you eat them together with the greens.
Roast Herb Potatoes ($6) & Slow Roasted Vine Tomatoes and Garlic ($8) - Both of these were sides and although I didn't quite take to the tomatoes, I have to admit that they were pretty good - sweet yet mildly tart. My gf loves them though; that and the herb potatoes, which were infused with a slight herb taste and didn't come across as too soft.
Toulouse Sausages ($10) - Coming across as relatively thick, the sausages were a mixture of chicken and pork. Very flavourful and rather juicy. Only downside is that it's really quite oily and consuming too much will not only make you nauseous but send your cholesterol levels soaring.
Scrambled Eggs ($5) - Simplicity at its best. The eggs were nice with a hint of milkiness sans the wateriness. Now if only I had kept some of the croissant to go with it.
Creamed Leeks and Scallops Crepe ($22) - Honestly I'm not a big fan of the savoury crepes, being more partial towards it's sweet cousin. So this didn't quite work for me though I liked the huge piece of seared scallop atop.
Croque Madame ($18) - The croque madame ranked a close second to the croissants in my list of favourite dishes that afternoon. Crisp brioche heavy on the buttery goodness and topped with ham and a runny egg. Simply decadent! And not to mention unhealthy. But hey, for something so good, health concerns can always take a back seat for the moment ;)
See all my pictures here.
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28 May 2012 at 5:46 pm
The interior of the restaurant was a stark contrast to its surroundings. Soothing but a little gaudy versus partially smashed bare concrete, displaced steel wires/nails and loud drilling noises. Yes, the entire Turf City is under renovation and only a handful of units remain open ( I counted 3 - Owen Seafood, Ah Yat & Giant).
Shark's Fin Soup - Decently sized with slivers of shark's fin and crab meat, the broth was a little too starchy and salty for my liking. Thankfully the serving of fried, albeit overly oily bean sprouts helped to alleviate this dish by introducing water content as well as a wonderful crunch to it. It's interesting how sometimes the humblest of produce can help turn a dish around.
Oyster with Garlic - For our set, we had a choice of Bamboo Clam or Oyster and I chose the latter. And honestly, I couldn't quite make out any taste other than garlic because it was just so overwhelming.
Braised Abalone with Sea Cucumber - I am usually not a big fan of abalone and Ah Yat's well known dish just wasn't about to convert me. The abalone was of decent size (6 head) and a little chewy, though I did find it a little on the salty side. The accompanying sea cucumber and mushroom were decent but failed to leave much of an impression.
Peking Duck - The peking duck was an additional order we craved meat. And it didn't turn out to be a very wise decision. Though the skin was crisp, both the meat and crepe were too dry. Felt very much like eating roast duck - nothing special.
Fried Rice - Although the lack of ingredients was apparent (there was only egg yolk and dried scallop slivers), this dish had a nice wok hei to it and each individual grain was evenly coated and didn't come across as too oily. Be warned that the dried scallops should be eaten together with the rice as the salt content is rather high and might prove unbearable if eaten alone.
Overall the meal wasn't fantastic and even the more expensive ingredients didn't quite justify the price, at about $210 for 3 pax. Service was decent but I highly doubt I will ever return.
See all my pictures here.
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The place is quite a size and can easily fit up to 200 people. However, the interior is a little dated but still presentable nonetheless. Definitely more suited to family dining than business meals.
Homemade Beancurd with Spinach - Sitting on a bed of spinach and topped with mushrooms, this dish lacked consistency. Some pieces of beancurd had a nice savoury taste but some were just outright bland. Pity really.
Sweet and Sour Pork - While I will admit that the sweet and sour pork had a nice smoky taste to it, the meat to flour proportion was greatly skewed in favour of the flour, which was a real bummer. Not to mention that portions were tiny for $18 .
Stir Fried Kailan - Drenched in light, mildly salty gravy without being overcooked. Very decent.
Roast Chicken - Served with the de facto crackers, the roast chicken boasted razor thin crisp skin coupled with tender flesh and a generous splashing of salt. Only gripe I had was that the meat could have been juicier. Still good though but nothing compared to what I had at Lung King Heen of course.
Deep Fried Prawns with Wasabi Mayo Sauce - Apparently Tung Lok came up with this dish many years ago. I am not sure how accurate this piece of information is but the prawns were really quite good. Huge, crunchy and coated in a thin layer of flour with a mild tolerable level of wasabi. But it's $52 for a large serving for 9 pax.
Horfun with Prawns - Although each of us managed to snag a huge prawn each, the hor fun itself lacked wok hei but I did like the not too starchy gravy with generous amounts of egg. But at $40 for such a small portion, I'm inclined to think that it's quite overpriced.
Total bill for the 9 of us stood at $238 with a 20% discount. Sure, we were all stuffed at the end of it (courtesy of the ever reliable bowls of rice) and food quality was generally above average, but I wouldn't term it value for money. Portions were less than generous and honestly, none of the ingredients in our dishes were anywhere near expensive. But still, if a family dinner is at hand and you would like an "established" brand name with decent food and prices that won't break your bank, Tung Lok Seafood may just appeal to you. See all my pictures here.
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Bologna has a very generic restaurant layout with standard fittings and honestly doesn't come across as an Italian restaurant in my humble opinion. The sole redeeming factor is that one side of it faces the pool, which offers a temporary respite from the usual hustle and bustle. That's provided you manage to snag a table by the window.
Variety
I kid you not. The buffet variety during lunch was limited with about 6-8 cooked dishes, 2 varieties of pizza, a couple of cold appetisers/salads and another 5-6 types of dessert (mainly pastries).
Quality
For the most part, food quality was average at best. The chicken came across as dry and so did the seared tuna. Pizzas fared slightly better with a thin base topped with boring ingredients (ie. vegetarian pizza). Desserts were mundane and I gave up after a few nibbles.
Service
Generally attentive and professional but can be a little too attentive at times. Think someone standing beside your table and observing your every move. Uncomfortable.
Value for money
With a 50% discount, the lunch buffet for 2 cost to the tune of $54, which is cheap by hotel standards. But factor in quality and variety of food and it does come across as relatively expensive. I can't speak for the ala carte menu but the lunch buffet in my humble opinion, is a wash out. Definitely not a place I would patronise again, even @ 50% off.
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