feizhu's Reviews
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The interior is a cheerful yellow and blue with sketches and ornaments of sea creatures plastered onto the walls - very in tune with the seafood aspect of the restaurant. Some background music would have been appreciated though, as the place did seem a little too quiet and every whisper could potentially be echoed around.
Baked Rice - From my personal experience, not many places whip up a mean baked rice and Hooked! wasn't about to prove me wrong. Having said that, I would say Hooked! still managed to do some decent work on the rice, with the cheese gooey, a little chewy and of course, the relatively generous serving of seafood entrenched within.
Snapper Wrapped with Bacon - Although I am no big fan of snapper, I surprisingly took to this dish quite a fair bit. The delicate fish was nicely wrapped around in bacon, which had a nice crisp to it and contrasted very well with the texture of the fish. It would have been great if the fish had more natural sweetness though. A serving of rice and asparagus completed the dish.
Personally, I feel prices are quite reasonable at $33 for a 2 pax dinner, which came with 2 drinks. Having no service charge was definitely a plus and service was good, though it could have been due to the lack of crowds. Still, I would give them the benefit of the doubt.
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Located in the main lobby of Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport, the restaurant utilizes a dark wooden paneled facade to portray an air of exclusivity and class. Plush cushion seats amidst a carpeted flooring complete the picture.
Roasted Goose - Geese are a scarce commodity nowadays, especially after the banning of birds from China and Taiwan during the bird flu outbreak a couple of months back. And I baulked at paying $30 for probably just a quarter of a goose. But I did so nonetheless and am glad that it turned out splendid. A thin layer of fat sandwiched between crackling crisp skin and succulent meat, lying in a shallow pool of oily fluid. If you are the sort to squirm in the presence of excessive oil, it would be in your best interests to steer clear of this dish.
Sauteed Scallops with Truffle Oil - I loved this dish, especially with the aroma of truffle oil. The four scallops were huge, juicy and came served on a bed of lip smacking egg white. There is actually an option of having this dish without the truffle oil (its quite a fair bit cheaper too) but my advice would be to stick to truffle oil.
Broccoli with Mushroom - I personally thought that the broccoli was a little undercooked, rendering it a tad too hard for my liking. However the plentiful mushrooms more then made up for it and overall a very decent dish.
A most gratifying dinner for 2 didn't make it past the century mark, standing at a shade over $90, which was still reasonable in my context. I did think that $3 for a bowl of rice was a little over the top though. Service was good and I can't really find any reason not to return.
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Tucked in a bright and cheery corner on the 2nd level of this charming 5 star hotel, Man Fu Yuan's dining space is divided into 2 sections, separated by a short bridge. There is the main dining area which can probably house about 10 tables or so and the more exclusive portion where you have private rooms and semi private spaces for 2 pax or more. Decor is simple with a touch of class but other then that, not much differentiation from other upscale Chinese restaurants.
Baked Honey Glazed BBQ Pork Pie - We were off to a good start with the char siew sou, which had a crisp and sweet top crust, very much like bo luo bao. The BBQ pork filling was savoury while the flaky base made for delightful nibbling.
Roasted Platter - Things started going downhill pretty much with the roasted platter. The roast pork and BBQ pork had weight loss problems and were served cold while the roast duck's skin harboured no crispiness. But at least it didn't come across as too gamey.
Crystal Dumpling with Chicken and Pumpkin - Now this was interesting. Thin glutinous skin wrapped around crunchy pumpkin and chicken bits. First time I'm having it but too unexciting to probably have it again.
Prawn Dumpling with Asparagus - A quintessential dim sum order, the har gao had a sprinkling of chopped asparagus amidst fresh crunchy prawns. The skin did seem a little too elastic though.
Custard Bun - I have always used Peach Garden's custard buns as the yardstick to measure the characteristics of good custard buns. And that looks set to be displaced by Man Fu Yuan's. Small portions aside, the buns had a oozing egg yolk laden center with bits of sediment to show for it. And to top it off, it won't give you a toothache.
Honey Glazed Barbecued Pork Bun - Normal to say the least. And definitely a waste of stomach space and money. I remember quitting on it halfway through the chomping process.
Dumpling with Dried Scallop and Pea Shoot - I honestly don't remember much about this dish except that it tasted similar to the prawn dumpling, save for bits of vegetables (I don't remember the variant) that replaced the pea shoot. And I don't recall tasting or seeing any scallops.
Deep Fried Scallops and Prawns with Sugar Cane - To my limited knowledge, only the Vietnamese use sticks of sugarcane more commonly in their cooking so it was quite surprising/interesting to see it deep fried with scallops and prawns in a dim sum dish. That's not to say that this dish was any good. Overly salty and oily would be a good start in describing this nausea inducing deep fried lump of flour. Well at least the sugar cane was crunchy.
Beef Ball with Watercress - This has got to be one of, if not the worst beef ball I've eaten in a long long time. Cringingly soft without a trace of beefiness, almost to the extent of being gross. Way too much flour went into the beef and I could make out the taste of orange peel, which was probably the only reason why I didn't puke when I ate it.
Deep Fried Mango Prawn Roll with Wasabi - The mango prawn roll came across as flat. The mango slices weren't sweet and the wasabi sauce was weak. So that left the flour, which was well, fried.
Deep Fried Bean Curd Skin Roll with Shrimps - As with alot of previous dishes, the bean curd skin roll was drenched in oil and no the least bit crisp. I appreciated the generous serving of prawns though but thats just about it.
Minced Pork Dumpling with Shark's Fin - The siew mai didn't threaten to overwhelm with its porky taste which probably meant less fat meat. There was a hint of fishiness from the tiny fragment of shark's fin adorning the top. Very palatable.
Jin Chuan Dumpling - This honestly looked like jiaozi (饺子) to me and I personally thought that the skin was a wee bit too thick for my liking. The sauce was spicy, salty and slightly vinegary - rather appetising.
Baked Mini Fluffy Egg Tart - The egg tarts had sheer disappointment written all over them. For starters, the pastry wasn't flaky and seemed to be sorely lacking in butter. As for the custard, it had an oily aftertaste which was just plain distasteful.
Baked Lobster Cheese Balls - Strangely enough, the lobster cheese balls reminded me of very salty and crispy croutons. Did I mention oily as well? Definitely not something for the health conscious. And honestly I couldn't quite make out much lobster or cheese for that matter. Everything was just salty.
An unforgettably horrid lunch for 6 cost us to the tune of $250. The only scant consolation we could derive was the 20% discount on food given to us by virtue of a credit card promotion and of course the promise of a complimentary peking duck if we should ever return. Service was good but with such sub standard quality of food, I'll be hard pressed to find a reason to ever return.
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And living up to its casual billing, Pete's Place boasts brick walls coupled with checkered table cloths and an open kitchen where the chefs prepare your food. Being underground, there are no windows to speak off but the place oozes a nice comfortable feeling, one that evokes memories of sitting by a fireplace while having your meal.
You can help yourself to the limited variety of bread at the tiny bread station. None of the bread struck me as fantastic but gives you something to chew on while you wait for your food. There is of course the salad bar as well, which I thought to be pretty decent.
Seafood Pasta - The pasta wasn't al dente, coming across as a tad too soft while the tomato base sauce was a little too runny for my liking. I appreciated the generous serving of sweet, crunchy prawns as well as delectable and sizable scallops. A little less salt would have been ideal though.
Saltimbocca Alla Romana - This veal dish is apparently a classic Roman dish that counts fresh sage as one of its main ingredients. Honestly, this is the first time I've eating this and I can't say that I'm a big fan of it. Firstly, I thought that it was overly salty and though tender, the meat had a weird "coated with flour and steamed" like texture. I did like the mashed potato though - finely whipped with a seductively strong hint of butter. Nice.
Tiramisu - Well it was between this and a scoop of ice cream. It was a no brainer for me really. But the tiramisu turned out to be a flop, unfortunately. Too much sponge, too little mascarpone cheese. And a teetotaler version to boot. At least there was the vanilla bean sauce with the occasional sighting of a bean or two in it.
Thank god for the 50%, paring what would have been an unreasonable amount of money to pay ($153 after tax) for such average food to something more manageable ($77). Even then, I don't find it exactly value for money. On the upside, service was reliable, benefiting from the experience of the wait staff, most of whom seemed to be in the older age bracket.
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Currently located not too far from its original location, on the top floor of People's Park Centre, Tai Seng looks just like your typical nostalgic restaurant from yesteryear. Think Red Star or Yan Palace.
Prawn Roll - Our dinner trotted off to a good start with the prawn roll or Har Zhor, which was crisp without involving too much oil or fatty meat in the equation. Dipped into the plum sauce, it was a nice blend of sweet and salty.
Cabbage Braised with Mushroom - A traditional Teochew dish, the braised cabbage isn't exactly my cup of tea because of the way it is prepared - very soft from being soaked in the gravy. But that's just a personal preference. My parents liked it though.
Deep Fried Crayfish - I loved this dish for its flavour - salty carrying a hint of spiciness and its crisp and dry texture. The presence of fried garlic provided a whiff of fragrance as well as the nice garlicky after taste. Very good!
Braised Sea Cucumber with Fish Maw - The sea cucumber didn't come across as too gelatin or slimy, which upped the appetising factor (for me at least). Coupled with mushrooms and fish maw that didn't gross me out by being too slimy, it was simple yet good.
Goose Meat - One of the few yardsticks I use to measure Teochew cuisine and also one of my personal favourites, the goose failed to make the cut, to say the very least. It had a rather gamy taste and did seem a little dry. What piqued my interest was the inclusion of the neck, something which I rarely see nowadays. But its just a mere novelty.
Steamed Pomfret - Teochew cuisine is famed for its steamed pomfret, which is steamed with mushrooms, tomatos, sour plums and the likes. Tai Seng's rendition was excellent if I may say. The rather sizeable fish was very fresh, sweet and steamed to perfection. The gravy was nice and light and complemented the fish very well.
Yam & Pumpkin - My other yardstick for guaging Teochew food - the humble yet labouriously intensive to prepare, yam paste aka Orh Nee. Besides being a little too sweet for my liking, the yam paste lacked fragrance probably due to the reduced usage of lard. At least it was smooth and definitely palatable.
$216 for a dinner for 7 is relatively value for money considering the food that we got. Quality of food is a case of hits and misses and service is patchy but decent. Overall a decent place to try if you want Teochew food and are looking to avoid the crowds in the other more popular Teochew restaurants like Huat Kee and the likes.
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