feizhu's Reviews
1=SGD 0.058721 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.
Located on the second floor of Central, Grains practices an open dining concept whereby there are no walls between the restaurant and the walkway. Parquet flooring marks the boundary of the restaurant and the decor is simplistic, choosing to stick to the traditional wooden finish. There are actually pros and cons to such a dining concept. The pros are that you get a more open and spacious feel, not restricted by any boundaries. The cons are that people can walk by your table and stare at what you are eating. Hence, romantic dinners here are a definite big no no.
Spinach Tofu with Shimiji Mushroom & Dried Scallop - I simply love this dish and reckon its almost on par with what the top notch hotel Chinese restaurants serve. Soft but not too silky with a lingering smoky taste to it. Add the not too starchy gravy to it and you get a lip smacking dish of tofu. If only they would work on refining the texture of the beancurd a little.
The Sautéed Bean Sprouts with Salted Fish came across as very agreeable as the beansprouts were fresh, crunchy and not overcooked. The salted fish was crispy and not too salty, making for a very pleasant dish. Also, if you notice carefully, the restaurant has made an effort to remove the roots of the beansprouts, which is definitely a big plus point to me.
BBQ Trio Combination - Alright, this dish is definitely not healthy. One look at the gleaming layer of oil coating on the surface of the meats and you know. Health consciousness aside, the roast chicken was a little too soft while the roast duck skin wasn't crispy. The roast pork had just too big a bone and too little meat. All in all a decent tasting dish. Nothing more, nothing less.
Grain's very own version of the humble fried rice. Lightly fried with scallop cubes, brown rice and wolfberries thrown into the mixture - an idea which I personally find very refreshing. The wolfberries gave the rice a lingering sweet dimension while the brown rice gave the dish an uneven and rough texture. You might just want to try this dish if you ever drop by.
I was very much intrigued by the Baked Egg Custard as I had never eaten custard by itself before. To me, custard had always been associated with tarts, buns or puffs, but never as a stand alone. I just had to try it. On hindsight, that was probably the worst decision of the day as the baked custard proved a disaster from start to end. It tasted exactly like steamed egg with milk, albeit of a much rougher texture. Not exactly the sweet custard I was expecting. Also, being heavy on the egg and milk, it rendered me nauseous after a few mouthfuls.
Lychee Ice Cream in the form of a mochi is something new, to me at least. Novelties aside, it tasted familiarly like those Yeo's lychee packet drink that you can get from any supermart, except that it was in a solid ice cream form. Worth a try just for the sake of trying, but don't expect any surprises.
My gf and I enjoyed our dinner and we were struggling to finish up all our dishes. All for just $64, which isn't exactly cheap, considering the variety of food that we ordered. But then again, the quality of food is commendable and service is relatively good. So do they really serve healthier food without compromising on the taste? Somehow I'm inclined to think so, with the exception of the BBQ platter of course.
See all my pictures here
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!The tofu and mushroom and scallop dish looks yummy! Wonder if they can do one w/o the spinach.
14 Oct 2007 at 11:53 am
You can try asking them.. :D
14 Oct 2007 at 12:41 pm
Through the immaculate use of wood, water, crystals and lighting, the interior screams modern chic with a touch of class yet oozes a sublime old world charm. A contrast so glaring yet seductive. Candles are used alongside dim ceiling lights to set the mood right for a relaxing dinner, a secret rendezvous or a special night out. Definitely a place to bring that special someone.
I was actually looking forward to the Wagyu beef, but sadly, it fell seriously short of expectations. Thought done up medium rare, I couldn't see or taste any marbling that seperates Wagyu beef from normal beef. And to top it off, portions were meagre, which meant more rounds of queuing. However, to be fair, the beef was rather decent, sweet yet juicy.
Fresh with the memories of having the delightful Peking duck from Asia Grand Restaurant, I was subjected to an onslaught of a weird tasting dish of the same name. Humble House's rendition, unfortunately, was served up cold and the sauce came across as a little too strong. It didn't help that the skin wasn't the least bit crispy or that the crepe was limp.
One of the very difficult dishes to perfect in any restaurant, the Foie Gras was decent enough to warrant a second attempt at the ridiculously long queue. However, it didn't come across as quivery or smooth, leaving behinds bits of sediment when consumed. What I did like about it was that the accompanying blueberry sauce complemented the Foie Gras very well, strong yet not overpowering.
Crispy Chicken Rice - Interestingly, this dish fell under the desserts section. The crispy rice actually referred to the use of rice crispies which were naturally crispy. Add on some chicken shreds, wolfberries et al and top it up with soup to achieve a nice warm dish close to the heart. Reminded me uncannily of your normal noodle soup dish, albeit with an extra crunch.
Lobster Popiah - I must be getting on in age for my eyesight seems to be failing me. I could barely make out the ridiculously small portion of lobster embedded within each nicely sliced piece of popiah. I'm sure the pieces were much bigger, but I'm probably just myopic. Wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the lobster didn't taste like much either, coming across as bland.
Chocolate Fondant - Am I glad that I only took one piece of the fondant to try. The exterior was soft and tasted like kueh, which was a huge turnoff. Not even the oozing chocolate or blueberries could save this dessert.
In case you are wondering, no it isn't free and each of us forked out $80 just to get into the thick of it. I reckon I ate about $30 worth of food and took about $50 worth of pictures. Looking at the math, I'm at a crossroads as to whether I should laugh at my stupidity or cry at my foolishness.
On a side note, I've actually been to My Humble House on a previous occasion and I must say that the food at the buffet is definitely not on par with the regular offerings. However, I maintain my stand that its definitely not worth the price nor is it worthy of its top 100 ranking.
See all my pictures here
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Love your reviews! Great one on this!
14 Oct 2007 at 5:39 pm
Thanks! :D
14 Oct 2007 at 9:59 pm
Once you have registered your name at the counter, your orders will be taken and you have a choice of sitting in the artificially cooled interior or the naturally cooled exterior. Be prepared to wait longer if you want to sit in the air conditioned section.
The pineapple fried rice was a cut above average with its miniature shrimps, meat floss and deep fried onions. The rice was evenly fried and not too dry or moist. However, something very important was missing - the pineappletaste. Having said that, still decent and certainly bang for the buck.
I liked the fried fish quite a bit. The skin was crispy whereas the flesh was soft and a little sweet with a lingering aftertaste, albeit a little dry. The fish was quite a size for the price as well. Remember to try this one out!
The sweet potato leaves were not too shabby with the leaves fried with dried shrimps and a wee bit of chilli. Nicely spicy and fragrant with no sticky residue or aftertaste.
Deep Fried Squid - The Chinese version of Calamari. The batter covering the squid wasn't too thick and gave a nice texture but could do with a little more seasoning to improve the flavours. The squid was cooked just right and maintained a little chewiness. A very decent dish.
Prawn Paste Chicken - Although this dish seemed quite popular amongst the other patrons of the restaurant, I didn't quite take to it as the paste was a little too bland for my liking. The taste wasn't strong enough to invoke any salivation on my part nor was it fragrant enough.
The cereal prawns was a steal at just $15, with probably about 12-15 prawns or so. The prawns weren't the freshest of the lot, but fresh enough. The cereal was nicely fried but came across as a little too bland for my liking (probably lousy cereal). An addition of cut chilli might have injected a little more flavour into it.
I would be lying if I said that we weren't full after all the dishes. In reality, we were too stuffed to even make it to the car. All for a mere $75/- for 7 pax. Now lets see, that makes it about $11/pax for a 7 course dinner which includes seafood. This is probably as cheap as it gets for such a decent quality of food. Service was good and prompt too, which is an added bonus. If you haven't tried out this joint, I highly recommend that you do so.
See all my pictures here
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
Hidden at the tip of Marina South in the Marina South Pier, an area synonymous with cheap steamboat buffets, one would hardly expect to find any form of fine dining.
The restaurant honestly didn't look like much from the outside. It reminded me of normal cafe with translucent curtains at the front door acting as a veil against prying eyes. But as I stepped in, I was quite amazed by the transformation. The interior, though sparsely furnished, had a brightly lighted corner for art appreciation and funky wavy looking chairs that are not half as uncomfortable as they look. What impressed me most was the dim lighting and cosy corner tables, which my gf and I had the privilege to sit at (of course water side seats would have been better, but they were all taken up. Not to mention it was a little warm that evening, so air conditioning would have been preferred).
Looking like your ordinary Caesar salad with the exception of a poached egg atop, I really didn't expect too much out of the Chef's creation of Caesar Salad with Poached Egg, served warm. Surprise surprise, it was actually quite good. The poached egg added a tinge of rawness to the slightly salty salad gravy (I suspect its watered down soya sauce) while the cheese slices gave it a much needed cohesion. Think of it as a catalyst to harmonise the flavours. The vegetables do need a little sprucing up though, appearing tired and a shade dull at times.
A chef's recommendation, the Garlic Prawn Soba was clearly a winner in the making (for me at least). The larger than normal prawns were crunchy and carried a slightly grilled taste. Simply delicious. It helped that the chef was generous with the prawns. I didn't manage to try out the soba noodle as it was gone before I could try it. The dipping sauce tasted to me like a watered down version of Miso soup and it didn't quite make a difference. A stronger rendition might have done wonders.
The Fillet Mignon with Portabello Mushroom & Shallot Red Wine Sauce left me quite impressed. I guess that just about tells you how good it was. It certainly wasn't as good as Morton's, but definitely better than the one I had at Jaan and mind you, Jaan's rendition was really quite good (Okay there is really no basis for comparison as Jaan's is of a different cut. However, culinary skill wise, I'm more inclined towards Pier Eleven's). The meat was succulent and a little charred on the surface to give it that slightly burnt taste. Done just right. the meat thoroughly soaked in the shallot red wine sauce and exuded a certain sweetness without the noticeable taste of red wine. Not that I'm complaining though. The mushrooms were well, normal, as were the mashed potatos, which were grounded to a pulp.
Served on a pretty looking flat glass dish with inscriptions on it, the Baked Chocolate with Vanilla Gelati was an art in itself. Beautifully presented, it really looked too dainty to be eaten. The chocolate cake was moist on the outside and molten on the inside. Oozing thick chocolate broke forth as the outer shell succumbed to the external pressure from our spoon. A worthy rival to Morton's I dare say. The only let down was the ice cream, which was nothing to shout about. One peeve though. How do you eat a cake with molten chocolate in it on a flat plate? I think common sense should prevail over aesthetics.
See all my phots here. PS: sorry about my grainy photos
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!You Lick the plate.... Oooh.... Sounds So good.. must really go try it...
05 Oct 2007 at 12:47 pm
Licking is rather undignified lol
05 Oct 2007 at 2:28 pm
Nestled in a corner of serene Sunset Way, Peaberry & Pretzel is but a small eatery with an even smaller interior to boot. The smallish air conditioned interior can sit probably about 10 pax and gives the feeling of barrenness due to the cement floor and the over usage of mirrors. What I did like about it was the glass dessert cabinet and the open kitchen concept where you can view the chef preparing dessert. In case you are wondering about the limited capacity of the place, the restaurant also offers dining in its alfresco area, which has a couple more tables and is slightly elevated on wooden planks overlooking some greenery. Do note that there is no shade in the alfresco dining area, thus limiting meals there to only dinner.
Complimentary Bread- The bread was nothing to shout about, just your normal baguette but served warm with a serving of mass produced butter. Its complimentary though.
Warm Spinach Salad - How fantastic or interesting can a plate of spinach tossed in vinaigrette, bacon and served with hard boiled egg get? Not very interesting if you ask me. Sadly, the salad proved my point. The spinach were reasonably fresh although they could do with a little sprucing up while the half boiled egg was about 80% cooked, as evident by the slightly watery egg yolk and limp egg white. Not that I am complaining about this dish though. The bacon bits were plentiful and added a salty yet barbecued dimension to the faintly starchy yet sweet vinaigrette. Three flavours all rolled into one made for a very decent starter.
German Pork Knuckle - It is to my understanding that Peaberry only serves up 10 German pork knuckles a day so its best to call in to place your order for it in advance. Luckily for my gf and I, we got there early and managed to get ourselves one to try. Just for the record, all 10 pieces were sold out by 8pm.
Now then, does the pork knuckle live up to its hype? Unfortunately, not quite. True, the meat was fibrous and tender while the skin was crackling crispy. However, the knuckle wasn't homogeneously seasoned, resulting in some parts of the skin being extremely salty while others bland. The meat lacked a reddish hue as well, an indication of overcooking. I didn't find the accompanying Sauerkaut and potato salad too fantastic either, coming in as rather average.
Valrhona Warm Chocolate Pudding - How could I resist such a sinful dessert, especially when it was so aesthetically pleasing? The thought of warm and rich Valrhona chocolate in a spongy encasement oozing down my throat was enough to make me dribble all over my shirt. Unfortunately, I didn't quite take to this dessert as the chocolate was way too bitter for my liking. I know chocolate is supposed to be bitter but I prefer mine pleasantly sweet. A matter of preference I guess. That aside, the sponge was nice and moist with chocolate breaking forth with every bite.
Soufflé - Another pleasing on the eye dessert, the Soufflé was spongy and frothy, emphasizing heavily on the egg taste with bits of caramel wedged in between. Nice and sweet and a perfect end to a rather heavy meal.
I wouldn't exactly quantify spending $84 for 2 pax as cheap because it certainly isn't for such an area. The food is pretty decent on the whole but definitely better with the desserts. Service is good but they need to do something about their air conditioning and ventilation system. I walked out of the place reeking of fumes and perspiring. I hear that they serve up a mean Cuppa so I'll probably drop by just for that and nothing else.
See all my pictures here
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!