feizhu's Reviews
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Ambience
The place has a typical Chinese restaurant setting and looks deceptively small from the outside. The interior however, can seat probably in excess of a hundred pax. Though the place was packed to the rafters with people, I appreciate the fact that tables are spaced adequately apart, which makes for more privacy.
Variety
There is a "live" station where service staff dish out carrot cake, fried chicken, ice cream and the likes. Usual suspects like porridge, fruits and desserts can also be found at the station. Dim sum trolleys are pushed around periodically and you merely have to inform the wait staff of the dishes you desire. I counted less then 20 different dim sum varieties off the trolley, which include both steamed and fried variants. I found it quite a pity that Peach Garden didn't include their much loved (by me) custard bun in the buffet lineup.
Quality
Personally, I thought that the quality was average at best. The best dishes were probably the Har Gao and the Walls ice cream served up between 2 wafer biscuits. Everything else either tasted out of sorts or was too oily. We threw in the towel after only about half an hour when the whole buffet was suppose to last for two. I guess that says a lot doesn't it?
Service
Service was quite acceptably decent. No big boo boos or anything and our tea got refilled quite constantly.
Value for money
At about $20/pax after taxes, the buffet is not expensive per se but factor in the quality and I'm better off having ala carte elsewhere. This deal is only good if quality isn't of the utmost priority and you just wish to gorge yourself silly.
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You can choose to have the burger either at The Bar at Mortons which is on the fourth and a half storey, or at the steakhouse itself on the fourth. However, if you choose the latter, you will be subjected to a compulsory extra $5 /pax surcharge because of the humongous onion loaf that is served.
USDA Prime Burger - If you make an order for the burger before 8pm, its $30 . After 8pm and its $25 . The beef patty weighed about 12oz or 340g, which dwarfs almost all of the current competition, served up on a nicely toasted sesame bun. Although I was never a proponent of quality beef (apparently its grain fed and aged) being minced up into burger patties, I have to admit that Mortons did a pretty good job with it. The medium rare patty was tender and carried plenty of juices without the natural beefy taste being too overwhelming. However, the texture was rather smooth, indicating that it was probably machine chop/minced rather then hand. Not that it mattered much though as this burger ranks as the one of the best burger I've eaten in Singapore so far. The sides are decent as well so make sure you ask for all of them (sauteed onions, bacon, mushrooms) but just don't get too excited over the hand cut idaho potatoes, which failed to wow.
Upside Down Apple Pie - The apple pie was as good as I remembered it to be - not too sourish with raisins for a light sweetness and a scoop of smooth vanilla ice cream. Prices remain the same ($20 ) as 2 years back, which is a rarity in restaurants nowadays.
Morton's Hot Chocolate Cake - The stuff that makes people throw all diet plans out of the window and another signature dish of Mortons - its decadent hot chocolate cake. The crust was a little hard and held up pretty well while the rich molten chocolate was viscous almost to a fault. Admittedly, it's expensive ($25 ) for its size and though good, I find it rather ridiculous to pay so much for it.
$30 sure isn't cheap for a burger, but given its quality, I would gladly pay. Service was lacking that evening and we had a hard time trying to get any wait staff's attention. To compound our woes, the wait for our burgers stretched to more then an hour - something which Mortons needs to look into. But hey, it was a great evening and great place to chill.
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Located on the second floor of the posh St Regis, La Brezza looks out into the hotel's swimming pool and boasts floor to ceilings windows to allow sunlight in. The bright and cheery ambience is accentuated through the use of white wicker chairs and striped blue/white curtains, which also give the place a laid back feel. The sofa couple seats are positioned with their back facing the wall, which allows both parties to have a full view of the pool.
I didn't think too much of the complimentary bread although there was quite a variety and it came served in a pretty white porcelain bowl with blue markings on it. And surprise surprise, we had bottled water with our set lunch, which makes me wonder if they even serve sky juice.
LaBrezza Salad - There was no mention of chicken in the description but I'm glad that they added it in. The generous serving of chicken breast slices were very well marinated and grilled, coming across as succulent and soft. The greens were fresh with a touch of light dressing and shaved cheese atop. Great way to start off!
Tomato Mozzarella - I am honestly not a big fan of raw tomatoes except when they come in the guise of bruschetta. But to be fair, this dish proved to be quite decent. The tomato slices were fresh and juicy and went well with the chilled and light burratina cheese, which helped to keep the acidity of the tomatoes in check.
Grilled Salmon - The chef's favourite for the day - grilled salmon. Well grilled till the skin boasted a nice crisp, the salmon did come across as a wee bit too dry for my liking. I did like the polenta on the side though - smooth and creamy .
Frutti Di Mare - Frutti Di Mare, or fruit of the sea, over risotto was my choice of main. The risotto was creamy and done al dente without the sauce being too overwhelming. Coupled with a generous serving of seafood, I must say I enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Paris Brest - This dessert was said to be created by a pastry chef in honour of a bicycle race between Paris and Brest in France. But La Brezza's rendition was a little lacking. The pastry wasn't fluffy and could have been a little softer as well. The hazelnut cream filling was decent though and the brown sorbet by the side was actually lime sorbet. Surprise surprise.
Chocolate Tart - The chocolate tart was rich with a tinge of bitterness and a layer of gooey caramel wedged inside, all held together by a thin yet solid tart base. Sadly, the caramel didn't quite feature in the taste though. And what better to complement a chocolate tart then with a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a piece of chocolate?
Without the 50% discount, I would be hard pressed to find a reason to return, especially when the 3 course set lunch is a whopping $52 ($61.20 nett). The bottle of Evian provides scant comfort for the price and so does the food quality, which is above average but still a few notches below outstanding.
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Located in a rather old shophouse at the beginning of Yio Chu Kang road, just opposite Serangoon Stadium, Koon Kee has a rather dated interior that would probably invoke nostalgia in the older generation. The walls are lined with interesting collectables that the owner has amassed over the years, which add to the retro effect. The place is not air conditioned by the way, but has plenty of fans to keep the heat at bay.
Hor Fun ($5) - The seafood hor fun had relatively generous servings of pork, fish slices and of course lots of greens to go along. The ingredients weren't exactly the freshest, but still palatable. The gravy didn't come across as too starchy and had a light garlicky taste to it while the hor fun had a stronger then usual wok hei taste but I would have preferred it to be a little more burnt. It all boils down to personal preference though.
Beef Hor Fun ($6) - Personally I am biased towards the beef hor fun as I am an avid fan of beef. The gravy was more robust (or is it a psychological thing?) with a heavier dosage of garlic and pepper. The beef slices tasted like they had been well soaked in tenderizer but I guess its common for most places that do this dish. And yes, I would have preferred the hor fun to carry a slightly stronger wok hei taste.
Special Tofu ($6) - There was nothing special about the tofu honestly. It carried a coating of flour on the outside which was fried to a crisp but a little too thick for my liking. And though soft, it was bland and had to be eaten with the accompanying sweet and mildly spicy sauce with crushed peanuts.
Egg Foo Yong ($6) - This dish was like your everyday fried egg save for bits of carrots, vegetables and strands of crab meat in it. Nothing like the ones I had in Hong Kong or Canada. Decent but probably not something I'll order again for $6.
All in all, I think prices are a wee bit steep for the hor fun, especially when the place is pretty much like a coffee shop. Price aside, quality is above average and worth a try. I understand that there are limited quantities of hor fun each day so please go early.
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The place isn't big, with a seating capacity of about 30 people or so, which probably explains the queue. Tables for 2 are spaced uncomfortably close, so any notions of having private conversations can be thrown right out of the window.
Fried Tofu - It was never my intention to order the fried tofu, but since it carried a 50% discount, cheapo/greedy me conveniently added that to the order. And it was average at best. The skin tasted limp but still palatable.
Ebi Mayonnaise - Small prawns coated with a thick layer of flour, deep fried and drizzled with copious amounts of mayonnaise - a recipe for unhealthy eating. But I'm a sucker for the prawn and mayo combo so this dish turned out fine. Decent but not outstanding. And pretty expensive at that (1 small prawn, $1).
Shoyu Tontoro Ramen - The ramen reminded me of the traditional Chinese yellow egg noodles, albeit a little thinner, chewier and sans the alkaline taste. The broth had a strong taste of pork but came across as a wee bit too salty and too much of it can make you woozy. The pork slices were relatively tender and soft while the egg was nicely done without the yolk being too soft. Portions are small for the price ($16.80 ) though.
Shio Scallop Ramen - The scallops were rather tasteless to begin with and while the ramen was of the same variant as my tontoro ramen, the broth was much lighter and free of any pork taste.
2 bowls of ramen and 2 small sides cost us to the tune of $47, which is rather expensive given the quality in my humble opinion. The long queues to get a table and to pay for our meal as well as cramp dining spaces definitely do not make things better. But for those who are interested in trying AOBA out, they have another outlet within Manpuku at Tampines One.
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