feizhu's Reviews
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Hidden in the secluded enclave of Dempsey Village, The White Rabbit (TWR for short) is a restaurant cum watering hole that is housed in a beautifully restored church. The interior is sparse yet cosy with booth seats lining the edges of the restaurant. Natural sunlight (if you go in the day) flitters in through the huge arched shaped windows and creates a relaxing, welcoming atmosphere. It definitely helped that the place wasn't operating at full capacity. As a matter of fact, it was probably only a quarter full on a Saturday morning.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was served warm and served as a nice hunger management tool while we patiently waited for our orders.
Truffle Mac & Cheese - Apparently this is one of the signature dishes of TWR and I am most inclined to agree. The Mac & Cheese was probably one of the best I've had in ages. What stood out was the topmost layer of cheese, which was baked till a nice crisp, oozing a strong cheesy taste. This dish also featured bits of black truffle intermixed with the cheese and slivers of asparagus to combat any "over cheesiness". In short, excellent!
Wagyu Quarter Pounder - Although I've always reiterated that it is a terrible waste to use wagyu to make beef patties, somehow or rather, I am always tempted to prove my own perception wrong (which usually just ends up in more disappointment). TWR's wagyu patty straddled the fine line between proving me right or wrong. It didn't seem hand chopped because of its smooth texture but brought with it a certain tenderness and flavour, not to mention an overly generous salt influx (just a tad). The bun did seem a little too burnt but was unbelievably crispy with a tinge of sweetness. Nice! Chips were thinly sliced and deep fried with an adequate amount of salt. Another plus point.
Lobster Omelette - What's brunch without eggs? A relatively generous serving of lobster meat entrenched within the moist and smooth omelette that had hints of cheese. Simple yet decadent. Thumbs up to the chips as well.
Mars Bars Souffle - Here's when our brunch started sliding downwards, with the introduction of our first dessert, the Mars Bars Souffle. The souffle wasn't fluffy enough and the sugar residue clung on tightly to my teeth. There was the problem of a overly strong egg taste as well. I did like the ice cream though, which boasted a rich mars bars flavour with bits of mars bars stuffed in it for authenticity.
Profiteroles - The profiteroles continued the dismal slide by coming across as average at best. The pastry was too hard and the chocolate sauce, hardly sufficient. Sandwiched between was vanilla bean ice cream that did seem a little too creamy for my liking.
Belgian Waffles - I found the waffles rather dense and chewy, which wasn't exactly my cup of tea as I personally prefer lighter and crispier waffles. The maple syrup was a little runny as well.
At $155 for a 2 pax brunch, it certainly isn't cheap. Mains were of a certain standard but desserts didn't quite make the mark in my humble opinion. Throw in decent service, a great environment and chances are, I'll return for the food, minus the desserts of course.
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Located in a corner on the 2nd floor of Great World City, it honestly didn't ooze as much finesse as its cousin in Changi in my humble opinion. And being a Sunday afternoon, it was packed so reservations are highly recommended.
Roasted Pork - What was to have been the highlight of our meal fell short of expectations with an overdose of fat meat. It was literally 50% fat, 50% meat. Sure, the skin was crisp with nary a hint of salt but did seem a little too thick for my liking. Portions were ridiculously tiny as well.
Shark Bone Soup with Fish Maw - Aside from the crunchy pieces of fish maw, I couldn't find any reason to like this soup. It was a little too coagulated which left an uncomfortable residue on the tongue and it lacked any oomph. So disappointing that I gave up after a few mouthfuls.
Deep Fried Beancurd Skin - The beancurd skin was light and crisp with a nice smooth filling of prawn paste. However, it was drenched in oil which did come across as quite a turn off honestly.
Roasted Goose - I was eagerly anticipating this dish as my previous experiences with it had been nothing short of excellent. Alas, it wasn't as good as we envisioned it to be. To be fair, the roast goose here was meaty with a thin layer of crisp skin sans the overwhelming foul taste. However, the meat was a little too dry, which marred the experience a little.
Steamed Minced Pork Dumpling - It's the first time I'm having xiao long bao at Imperial Treasure and I must say that its really quite decent. Smooth and silky skin enveloping a generous amount of stock and a pork filling that was fairly mild on the hog taste. Just watch out for the high salt content.
Deep Fried Pig's Intestines - I am a big fan of deep fried pig intestines so naturally I was delighted to see it on the menu. However delight turned to disappointment when I realised that the intestines were a little too oily and tasteless. The crisp exterior did nothing to salvage this dish.
BBQ Pork Pastry - Flaky but lacking the buttery goodness that I personally like. The char siew filling wasn't sweet or starchy though.
Bo Lo Bao - Another disappointment, the bo lo bao had a crusty top with a chewy and soft base. However, the fragrance was sorely lacking and the char siew filling was rather bland.
Claypot Goose Web - The claypot goose web was the only dish which I thought was comparable to what I had at the Changi Airport outlet previously. Done up Thai style, the vermicelli was very flavourful with a rather heavy dose of Szechuan and black pepper for good measure. Not recommended if you are allergic to too much oil and salt though.
Fried Kailan - How bad can stir fried vegetables get? Flavoured with a light touch of salt without being overcooked. Nice and simple.
Steamed Custard Bun - Soft and fluffy bun coupled with salty sweet custard egg yolk filling - very good. Pity about the lack of yolk sediment though.
Durian Pudding - Too coagulated was the first thing that hit me as I sampled a spoonful of what I had expected to be a delightful ending to our lunch. The whole pudding felt stiff and overly sweet. Thankfully the durian taste was still quite prominent. Palatable but not very nice.
A rather disappointing lunch cost us just shy of $285 for 5 pax, which was definitely not worth the money in my humble opinion. The disparity between the food quality at the Changi Airport outlet and the Great World City outlet is just too huge to ignore and I really wonder why. Nonetheless, moving forward, I'll definitely be giving Imperial Treasure Great World City a miss.
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The air conditioned interior is smallish but rather simple and homely. For those who prefer the open spaces, there is a small al fresco sitting area just outside the cafe along the side of a road, which allows you to soak you in the vibrancy of the area. Do note that it can get quite warm though.
Rosemary Chicken - Apparently one of the highlights of B Bakery, the rosemary chicken was honestly quite decent. The meat was tender and juicy with a strong hint of rosemary, which definitely helped to accentuate the taste. The only thing that bugged me was the pool of oil the chicken was sitting in. Yes, it's olive oil but somehow there is still a nagging doubt about the health implications somewhere at the back of my head.
Penne, Prawns, Tomato Sauce Cream, Vodka - The penne was al dente with the tomato base lightly tart. I counted 9 average sized prawns which was really quite generous but on the flipside, they weren't exactly fresh.
Chocolate Fudge - Plain old chocolate fudge. Sweet but not very rich and topped with a petite, poor excuse of a macaron. Void of any characteristics worth mentioning. Palatable though.
Tiramisu - A teetotaler version of one of my favourite desserts, the tiramisu carried a rather strong coffee presence in between alternating layers of rather dry sponge and light mascarpone. Decent but not really my cup of tea.
Dinner for 2 stood at $45, which stood somewhere in the overlapping pricing zones of reasonable and expensive. Quality of food is decent but I wouldn't make the trip down just to eat here. Service was acceptable but a little spotty at times.
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The hotel is beautiful, with vast sea views through windows that seem to stretch on forever. And the restaurant itself is no exception. Designed by Andre Fu, who is apparently one of Asia's highly sought after architect, the interior boasts high columns and ceilings, tall drapery and classic wood furnishing. In two words, awe inspiring. Throw in views of the sea and you are all set for a wonderful atmosphere.
Complimentary Bread - Imagine my surprise when our complimentary bread came with a small dish of pork rillette. Though not as moist or exquisite as Aronia De Takazawa's Okinawan pork rendition, it was still much appreciated, especially with the warm, crusty and chewy baguette. Very good start.
3 Hr Homemade Duck Confit - You get a choice of either truffle mashed potatoes or pommes sarladaise (potatoes sauteed in duck fat and garlic). I chose the former although it is said that the latter goes best with duck confit. No regrets though as the mashed potato was very smooth with a nice truffle taste and fragrance at the top layer. The duck confit was of the crisp variant and I must say I enjoyed it quite a fair bit. Crispy roasted skin and tender meat without the excessive salt. But as you know, duck confit is essentially duck cooked in its own fat, so watch out for the oil.
Truffle Fries - At $9 a pop (we ordered 2), this is some seriously expensive fries for its portion size (imagine a packet of small fries from MacDonalds). But hey, anything with truffle is nice (I'm biased!) and the fries went like hotcakes (proves my point). It definitely helped that the fries were fresh and not reeking of rancid oil.
Dessert Sample - There is a grand total of 5 desserts on the menu and if you are hard pressed to pick one or are dying to try everything, just go for the dessert sample, which includes a sample of everything - namely, Dark Chocolate Fondant, Passion Fruit Rum Baba, Sugar Crusted Profiteroles, Creme Brulee and Lemon Tart.
The chocolate fondant had a nice crisp shell that crumbled under pressure from a spoon, revealing a rather thin and not too viscous filling of molten chocolate. However, the chocolate was surprisingly quite rich and overall, I thought it was quite good.
This is honestly my first time eating rum baba (a small yeast cake soaked in rum) and I liked it quite a fair bit. Soft, moist and rather sourish(from the infusion of passion fruit) with a very strong rum taste. Served up with mango tartar and yogurt sorbert, with the latter being sublimely smooth and good.
I like my profiteroles drenched in molten chocolate sauce and this one met that criteria, well almost. The pastry held up well against the chocolate sauce and didn't come across as limp. Quite good.
Beautifully torched on the surface, coupled with a smooth and creamy texture, the creme brulee had nothing going against it. Well, maybe except for the less than generous use of vanilla beans.
Last but not least, the lemon tart, which was surprisingly quite good to me, given that I am not exactly a big fan of sour stuff. The tart base was nice and crumbly with a wholesome baked taste attached to it but more importantly (to me at least), the tartness of the lemon filling was pleasantly mild.
Petit Fours - A nice simple gesture to end off our meal. But how are we suppose to split 2 pieces of cookies and marshmallows between the 5 of us?
With 2 bottles of still water, the bill for the 5 of us came up to about $318, which isn't too expensive if you ask me. Especially when the food is decent and the ambience, great. Service could have been better as the wait staff did seem a little withdrawn and cold though executing their duties perfectly. I would love to be back, especially for dinner. And yes, they do serve ice water. ;)
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Located along the inner fringe of Big Splash towards the sea, 1TwentySix boasts an al fresco sitting area that is rich in nature and certainly great for chilling out. The "air conditioned" interior is actually a small area with some form of feeble air conditioning. The problem is, the area isn't enclosed and there is no air curtain to stop the cool air from escaping. There is a huge glass partition but it is apparently only used in the afternoons. And yes, it did get a little too warm that evening.
Complimentary Bread - Crusty exterior with bits of wheat and corn amidst the soft and warm dough - good bread never fails to start a meal off on the right foot.
Tuna Nicoise in Two Styles, Seared Tuna Tataki and Tuna Confit with French Beans, Cherry Tomatoes and Soft Boiled Quails Eggs - The tuna tataki was good - well seared on the outside while retaining its smooth yet firm texture on the inside. A lingering smokey taste accompanied by a dash of saltiness. Can't really fault it.
The tuna confit, on the other hand, was lost amongst the salad, masked by a rather saline solution. I could still make out the tuna though, but barely.
Tartare of Scallop, Ocean Trout and Tuna Loin with Foie Gras Parfait and Caramelised Shallots - I had thought that the tartare of scallop, ocean trout and tuna loin would certainly be a very fishy combination, but I was wrong. It was actually nice and to a certain extent, refreshing, without coming across as overly raw. Topped with a raw egg.
Please let me qualify that even though I like foie gras, I am not a big fan of it done parfait (75% foie gras) or pate (50% foie gras) style simply because I like my liver whole. So the chilled, smooth foie gras parfait simply didn't appeal to me.
150 Day Grain Fed Beef Tenderloin with Roast Bone Marrow with Chilli and Shallots -
Although 1TwentySix's menu seemingly focuses on produce from the sea, I took a gamble and went with the 150 day grain fed tenderloin. And I was suitably impressed. The tenderloin was nicely char grilled on the surface and done to a perfect medium rare. Add to the fact that the meat was tender and flavourful and you have a clear winner. One thing odd was the mushroom sauce, which had a strong mushroom taste but did seem a little overly sweet.
The side of fries were decent and didn't turn soggy when cold. What I thought was interesting was the broccolini, which was cooked with garlic and ginger - a very Chinese style of cooking, just way too oily.
Black Cod Fillet with Fennel, Blood Orange and Pistachio Salad served with Beaujolais Sauce - Fresh, firm yet flaky but outright bland. The fish wasn't sweet nor the sauce flavourful. All I could make out was a faint taste of fish and an initial sugar induced sweetness. Decent by any standards but could have been a lot better.
Frozen 'Deconstructed' Strawberry Shortcake with Home Churned Strawberry Ice Cream -
A recommendation from our waitress, I didn't quite take to the strawberry shortcake at first due to the seemingly excessive strawberry ice cream. However, as I dug deeper, I could make out a mish mash of sponge and flaky pastry, making the dessert quite enjoyable after all. If only I had 2 stomachs.
Valrhona Dark & White Chocolate Fondant with Coconut Praline Ice Cream - Most chocolate fondants come in only the dark variant, but 1TwentySix's offering combines both white and dark chocolate. Rather gimmicky if you ask me, because its just white chocolate oozing out together with the dark chocolate when you crack open the surface. But something different nonetheless. Texture wise, the crust was a little soft but at least it wasn't gelatin like. Coupled with a rich viscous chocolate filling and a creamy coconut ice cream, this dessert held promise for a sweet ending.
Fine Apple and Frangipane Tart with Calvados Ice Cream - The tart had a thin, flaky and crisp base with a nice oven baked taste to it. The apple slices weren't overly tart and I could make out a tinge of sweetness from the frangipane (sweet almond filling). It probably helped that the tart was sprinkled with icing sugar. The calvados (French apple brandy) ice cream didn't really make an impact though. Easily forgettable.
I would have had a wonderful meal if not for the less than cool dining environment. And the price for such an indulgence? Approximately $202 (before the use of discount voucher). Expensive? Arguably yes. But with very few other "fine dining" options in the east, 1TwentySix could probably be a consideration for your next special occasion or celebration.
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