feizhu's Reviews
1=SGD 0.058790 Yebbers Online!
Double Yebber Dollar Category for April:
Arts & Entertainment
Click here for future month
WELCOME TO YEBBER
You can use your Facebook Account to register in Yebber and start reviewing your favourite or least favourite businesses
Please click the login button below and proceed to create a new Yebber ID at the next step.
Conversation was almost non existent with shouting the preferred method of communication. Simply put, you had to shout about the din to have someone sitting a mere 2 metres away to actually hear you. I attribute that to the ridiculously loud pipe music. For crying out loud, I'm in a pizzeria, not a bar and I definitely don't appreciate literally yelling at people and being yelled at to get a conversation going. And with the whole place trying to do their part for the environment by saving on electricity bills, the whole place had the pub vibe going for them. But wait.. isn't it suppose to be a pizzeria?
Potato Pizza - Egg, Bacon, Yukon Gold Potato & Bermuda Onions. Potatoes on a pizza? Double serving of carbohydrates? Seriously? But to give it credit, it was actually very decent as a whole. A hand full of toppings that synced well together on a thin and crisp yet chewy crust that gave my jaws a good workout (what do they put in there?!) .
Guanciale Pizza - Egg, Guanciale, Bitter Greens & Bagna Cauda. I've actually never tried guanciale (dried meat from pork cheeks) or bagna cauda (an Italian dip made from garlic, anchovies, olive oil and butter) and after tasting what this pizza had to offer, I am still clueless as to how both are suppose to taste like. Reason being, the bitter greens dominated my palate. And the whole pizza tended towards the "grassy" side. Most of us gave up after a slice each.
Meat Lover Pizza - Bacon, salami, fennel sausage, pancetta, tomato & mozzarella. With all the meat, I was hoping that this pizza would be a blast. But unfortunately, the converse turned out to be true. Very salty would probably be a good way to start off the description and the taste from the salami muscled its way in, overpowering virtually everything else. So essentially what you get is very salty salami on a bed of crisp but tough dough.
5 pax, $158. With 2 out of 3 of our pizzas almost hitting the $40 mark and not matching up in terms of quality and quantity, I'll definitely be hard pressed to find a reason to return. We were so disappointed that we didn't even bother ordering desserts. And the ambience definitely didn't help. This place is seriously over hyped in my humble opinion. Better pizzas at a more wallet friendly price can be found elsewhere.
See all my pictures here.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
It isn't a restaurant per se, but more of a seemingly borderless area where you can dine at and watch planes (and people) go by.The menu is pretty much similar to what you get in a standard HK cafe in Singapore but prices do seem a little higher (think $10-$12 for roast duck noodles), taking into consideration the location as well as the middle to high positioning that is adopted by the eatery.
Based on the sampling of food I had, I honestly wouldn't say that the food was anything to shout about. But it does provide a good and "exclusive" alternative to the likes of Burger King, Subway and all the other run off the mill outlets in the T2 transit area. Best of all, it's round the clock.
See all my pictures here.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
The place is reminiscent of a classroom with its huge chalkboard, cement screed floors and quirky drawings which seemingly hark back to the days of "Mr Kiasu". There is even a paper table mat with an almost realistic imprint of an old school jotter book which I used when I was a kid. Lets not forget the pack of "Snap" cards and the erasers with country flags on them. Ahh the nostalgia.
Kueh Pie Tee - I've always had a penchant for Kueh Pie Tee, with its crisp shell and delectable filling of chopped egg and stewed vegetables (they are first fried with garlic then simmered in water). OSD's rendition was a little bland due to the lack of sweet sauce (I opted for no chilli). The shell (which isn't made in house) had a crunchy overtone to it but did seem a little too oily for my liking. I would have also appreciated the filling to be served piping hot instead of at room temperature.
Macaroni - What you get it pretty standard. A couple of slices of fishcake and some strands of shredded chicken as well as a couple of quail eggs, vegetables and of course macaroni in a tasty yet light broth. Although this dish wasn't spectacular, it did cover me in comfort and warm fuzziness. This was a dish that I loved to eat when I was kid and this one was simple and unpretentious - giving rise to a homely feeling (有家的感觉).
Chocolate Banana Cake - I ended off my lunch with a Chocolate Banana Cake, which wasn't quite the same as what I've had before. Think Choc a bloc. OSD's offering was the old fashioned banana cake with a layer of mashed bananas wedged in between and covered with a layer of molten (and shiny) chocolate. The cake came across as a little too dry for my liking but overall still a nice and sinful dessert (if you like bananas and chocolate)!
Overall, the food wasn't great but still very comforting in it's own way. Maybe it's just nostalgia and the chance to relive those happy and carefree moments, albeit for only a brief moment? Thanks to the folks at OSD for the invite!
See all my pictures here.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
Gattopardo is located at Fort Canning Hotel, a rather swanky looking hotel that sits at the top of, where else but Fort Canning Park? Probably not the most central place to get to if you don't drive and even if you do, road signs are misleading. There are a couple of carparks around Fort Canning but please do park at the hotel's basement carpark to save on the hassle.
The restaurant itself looks rather inviting with its simplistic layout and dim lighting. There is even a seafood counter where you get to take a look at the day's seafood, all laid out on mountains of ice behind acrylic covers (sashimi anyone?), very much like a Japanese restaurant. As there were quite a number of us, we managed to snag the private room, which can comfortably seat 10.
Complimentary Bread - We had multiple servings of the bread as it was honestly quite addictive, especially the thin and long wafer like biscuit. Crackling crispy and heavily salted with a tinge of spiciness, I was guilty of eating at least 6 slices of it. We were demanding refills of the bread so often that our waiter must have felt intimidated.
Grilled Calamari - The grilled calamari was a recommendation from the chef who manned the seafood counter (who incidentally was also a friend of someone at my table that evening). I have got to give it to him. This was an excellent recommendation and everyone around the table agreed in unison that the calamari was nicely grilled with a smokey, savoury aftertaste and a nice chewy texture.
Mozzarella di Bufala e Cuore di Bue - Nice and light but nothing too outstanding in my humble opinion. And $25 did seem a little too expensive for 4 slices of quivery cheese.
Gattopardo - This was the namesake pizza of the restaurant and was essentially white garlic focaccia with smoked mozzarella, Italian sausage, onion and potatoes - all in all it sounded like a smashing combination. Alas, reality is often harsh and the pizza tasted nothing more than your typical cheese prata with onions. Oh and yes, with a lingering hint of fishiness from god knows where.
Arrotolata - Divided up into small segments, the Arrotolata (Smoked mozzarella, suckling pig, porcini mushrooms, grape sauce & rucola salad) was another one of those pizzas that looked good on paper but came out as average in reality (like the Gattopardo). The crust was a little chewy and crisp with little bits of pork stuffed in between so no complaints about the crust. However taste wise, the pizza lacked the oomph and the harmonious blend of distinct flavours I was looking for. Sadly, the whole thing just tasted like bread with cheese. Also, the grape sauce wasn't evident and I had to resort to asking for a side serving of the grape jam.
Tiramisu - I was impressed by the huge portion of tiramisu which doesn't seem to be the norm at Italian restaurants nowadays. The mascarpone cheese was light but the sponge fingers did seem a little too "waterlogged". And I couldn't make out any alcohol taste. A teetotaler version or is it just my numbed tastebuds? Would have appreciated if the tiramisu was served a little more chilled as well as that would have enhanced the eating experience.
The 8 of us had a rather unsatisfying dinner to the tune of $422 (with a 10% discount). That works out to be an average of about $53 a head. Not too expensive but I don't think the quality of food corresponds to the price tag (save for the grilled calamari). Service was decent but that's hardly enough reason to make me go back.
See all my pictures here.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
Hummerston's interior features visible white bricks and warm lighting coupled with a bar counter and wooden furniture. Rather inviting I must admit but we chose to sit outside on the sidewalk instead, in acknowledgement of the beautiful weather.
Classic Poutine - Evenly cut fries with skin? Check. Brown gravy? Check. Cheese curds? Where's my cheese curds?! Apparently emmental cheese is used in Hummerston's rendition of this classic Canadian dish but honestly, the cheese was almost nonexistent - pathetic to say the least. Give me copious amounts of fresh cheese curds any day. The gravy tasted like the real deal although it did come across as a little too sweet for my liking. Having said that, I'll still recommend giving this dish a try, even if it costs $11 for a rather small portion (think Macdonalds regular fries portion).
Carbonara - This was a very different carbonara from what I'm used to. Al dente spaghetti with generous bacon bits and mushrooms but surprise surprise, no cream sauce. Lots of oil though, which reminded me more of aglio olio than carbonara. But the absence of the cream sauce meant that I could chug down more pasta without feeling nauseous. I sincerely hope, for everyone's health, that the oil Hummerston uses in this dish is olive oil.
Brunch Burger - I loved the burger bun to bits. I kid you not. It was probably the best I've had in eons. Warm, crusty, topped with sesame seeds and layered with a thin spread of mayonnaise. So good that I could just eat it on its own! The patty was done medium well as per request and had crisp bits on the surface with a nice grilled beefy taste. Topped with cheese, egg, bacon, caramelised onions and mushrooms. How's that for a mouth watering combination? A couple of gripes though. The meat had a nicely uneven texture but came across as a little too soft for my liking. Also, get a load on the amount of oil! The accompanying fries were a little too limp and oily for my liking as well. But I did like the tomato chili aioli dip, which had a sweet mild chilli taste sans the heat.
Flourless Chilli Chocolate Torte - Although we were stuffed through and through, we were adamant about trying out Hummerston's desserts. First up was the flourless chocolate torte - dense, rich and not too sweet. I couldn't make out any chili though even though I am quite sensitive to it. Still a decent eat though.
Blackforest Gateau - The blackforest cake was decent but not impressive. Light and airy but lacking in the taste of kirsch. Honestly it would have tasted like pure chocolate cake if not for the pockets of cherries.
A fantastic but heart seizing (oily!) brunch cost the both of us to the tune of $84 after taxes. Not ridiculously expensive if you ask me, especially for the quality of food (desserts are optional though). And service was warm and heart felt. I would definitely be back in a heartbeat for the burger or if I'm craving for poutine. Only condition? Less oil please.
See all my pictures here.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!