feizhu's Reviews
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Located in a charming colonial style clubhouse within the Civil Service Club's premises at Changi Village, Thai Pan's interior boasts a sloping ceiling with wooden arches, parquet flooring and views of lush greenery through the checkered windows. The place does seem susceptible to echos though, because of the lack of sound dampening/absorbing materials like carpets.
Jade Tofu with Chicken Floss - I thought that the name sounded promising. Jade tofu conjures images of silken tofu with a nice savoury taste. However that wasn't quite the case unfortunately. The skin was a little crisp and the inside was soft but not exactly silky. I struggled to make out the mild savoury taste that the tofu carried but to be fair, it was decent, just nowhere in the league of Pow Sing.
Broccoli with Crab Meat - Personally I thought that this was quite good. There was egg white and small chunks of crab meat in the not too starchy and mildly appetising gravy that layered the crunchy and not overcooked broccoli.
Phad Thai - I didn't quite take this Thai Pan's rendition of this Thai street dish as the ketchup taste was just too overwhelming. I would have prefered a kaleidoscope of flavours and of course the ubiquitous dried shrimps. This one only had egg and chicken cubes.
Olive Rice - At $1 a pop, this was a great deal. But please note that its a promotion so I can't say if it will be a good deal in future. The rice was sufficient for 1 pax and had a nice wok hei taste with egg and cashew nuts. Accompanying alongside was a small serving of slightly sweet minced meat sauce that went well with the rice. The only minor gripe i had was that the rice did seem a little too damp for my liking.
The food was quite decent and the pricing relatively reasonable, at about $24 for 2 pax - a value proposition that comes close to or on par with what the coffeeshop cze char stalls are offering, albeit in a much better environment with better service.
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Perched on the 39th floor of the hotel, the interior now sports bright red tables and pillars to give a very traditional coffeeshop feeling, yet still offering a panoramic view of the surroundings. Note that the restaurant doesn't revolve anymore, leaving that honour solely to Prima Tower.
Chicken Rice Set - Chatterbox has been known for its excellent chicken rice and of course its exorbitant prices. Consisting of only a bowl of rice, soup and a relatively generous serving of chicken meat, this dish is definitely not for the value conscious.The soup was very tasty probably due to the high MSG content while the chicken was sufficiently tender with an appropriate amount of bite. Personally I felt that the rice wasn't fluffy or tasty enough, coming across as a tad dry and limp.
Flowering Chinese leaf cabbage - The Cai Xin was as normal as it gets but portions were really small for the price ($9 ).
Apple & Raisin Tart - In all honesty, I was quite surprised to find a "western" dessert on a menu that featured mainly Chinese/local fare and since my initial choice of homemade coconut ice cream was out of stock, I settled for the tart. Which wasn't exactly a bad choice considering that the tart was quite crusty with a nice oven baked taste to it. Add a couple of sweet apple slices, raisins and a scoop of ice cream for a rather nice ending. But hey, its $12 .
I shudder to imagine the ridiculous price I would have to pay in the absence of my 1 for 1 chicken rice voucher. Even so, the bill for 2 pax came up to about $53 ($81 without voucher), which is really quite off the chart if you ask me. Service was decent but I seriously doubt I will return, not for the food and definitely not for the high prices.
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Why would anyone want to eat serious Hainanese Chicken rice there when for $53, you could have the same meal for 6 pax at Boon Tong Kee?
13 Jul 2009 at 12:23 pm
Interior, Complimentary Bread & Menu - The restaurant employs a more open concept interior, where the lift landing blends effortlessly into the restaurant and through the use of expansive floor to ceilings windows that overlook the traffic on a rather quiet stretch of road. The use of pink, blue and purple chair wraps give the whole place an almost playful intonation. Add to that the suspended glass tabletops that are supported by only by steel wires running from the ceiling to the floor.
Oven Baked Scallops & Prawns - This dish came served with rice and honestly I was quite taken by it. The scallops were rather big and fresh sans the overwhelming raw taste. Ditto for the prawns as well. Interestingly, the rice tasted more like paella to me and was firm yet mildly chewy. Capping off this simple yet satisfying dish was the thick gravy that came across as a tad milky and peppery.
Flambe Beef Medallion Steak - I call this the highlight of the evening, not so much for the taste of the beef, but the spectacular (well almost) performance that preceded. The supervisor wheeled out a trolley and proceeded to flambe my steak in front of my table (talk about cutting cost! Where's the chef?). However, to be fair, the tenderloin came medium rare as per request but I did find it a wee bit too chewy. There was no brandy/wine taste to speak off as well. The accompanying cubes of foie gras had a texture like that of tau kwa aka beancurd - not quivery or smooth but still edible.
Banana Split - What can I say? Supermarket grade ice cream topped with fruits instead of just banana and covered in whipped cream. As normal as it gets.
I had the cheaper main taken off my bill due to a promotion, which resulted in a total damage of about $48 ($72 without discount) for 2 pax. I am of the opinion that the food isn't expensive per se, especially when quality is decent and service is excellent. But on a side note, the place did seem a little short handed that evening. Special mention goes to the supervisor, Caron, who provided exceptional service throughout the evening, making our dining experience a truely enjoyable one.
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Located amongst a row of restored shophouses just opposite China Square, Village Wok is easy to miss especially if you are driving past because of the lack of prominent signage. The interior is simply furnished with parquet flooring and white washed walls.
Preserved Vegetable Soup - The preserved vegetable soup or 梅菜汤 came with the set and was rather normal but hey, its better then nothing.
Beancurd with Minced Meat - This was an extra order at $6 and honestly I was quite taken aback by the small portion. It was probably just enough for 2 pax - adequate but not exactly bang for the buck. To give it credit though, the beancurd was smooth and almost silky with a nice savoury taste to it while the topping of minced meat was generous.
Village Smoked Chicken and Char Siew Rice - The smoked chicken was purportedly an award winning dish hence I had to order it. While high expectations may have ruined the experience a little for me, I must admit that the chicken was actually quite decent. Faintly crispy skin with the meat harbouring a hint of smokiness without being too dry. I did find it a little too salty for my liking though and I do have a high tolerance for salt. As for the BBQ pork, lets just say that I've had better.
Hor Fun with Egg Sauce - Okay this dish was a tad disappointing honestly. It tasted average at best and the only upside to it was that the sauce wasn't too starchy or overwhelming. Still edible though.
$30 for a 2 pax lunch in a empty restaurant smack in the middle of Raffles place is not too expensive if you ask me. Food quality is decent but service was almost non existent save for the taking of our orders and serving of food. In conclusion, a relatively reasonable place for a nice relaxing lunch during the weekend. I can't say the same for weekdays though.
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Hai Xiang is situated on the second floor of the hotel, which is right smack in the middle of a really terrible traffic network. The restaurant's interior comes across as classy with a modern Chinese touch through its use of wood, concealed lighting and heavy carpets.
Deep Fried Soon Hock - The Soon Hock was crispy on the outside but the fish, though fresh, was rather bland and not even soy sauce could save it. Most disappointing.
Vegetables with Abalone and Mushroom - You only get one shot at this dish and the abalone turned really small and of inferior quality. But really, you get what you pay for so no complaints.
Baked Oysters in Cheese & Mustard - This dish gave me the bumps. Plain gross if you ask me. Cheese and mustard is a bad combination in my humble opinion and coupled with a soft and mushy piece of oyster, its a recipe for disaster.
Black Pepper Beef - I personally thought that the beef cubes suffered from an overdose of tenderizer. The meat was overly tender but on the upside, at least it was sweet.
Homemade Beancurd - Soft but not exactly silky on the inside (very much like supermarket grade), the beancurd had a mild savoury taste which would render it one of the better dishes that evening. I appreciated the generous handful of enoki mushrooms that came immersed in the gravy as well.
Broccoli with Crab Meat - This dish was decent but the crab meat sauce came across as rather bland. I would have expected it to be savoury.
Spring Chicken - First looks, the spring chicken appeared appetizing with its golden brown crispy looking skin. Taste wise, it was a totally different matter altogether. The meat wasn't exactly juicy and everything seemed rather bland. More salt would have been great. And it certainly didn't help that the chicken was a tad too oily.
Prawns with Salad Dressing - A perennial favourite of mine and often spotted in cold dishes, the relatively fresh prawns were thinly sliced and served atop cubes of honey dew and rock melon. As normal as it gets. To be fair though, I've never tried any that have remotely gotten close to blowing me away.
Claypot Rice with Chicken - An order for the claypot rice has to be made 30 mins in advance but from the looks of it, it probably took 15 mins max. The rice didn't stick to the bottom of the claypot and was drenched in black sauce, hence the lack of wok hei. I did like the chicken pieces though, which were tender with a moderate hint of rice wine.
Fried Pig Intestines - Another personal favourite, especially when I order kway chup, the intestines were very crispy on the exterior. However, there was an overwhelming raw taste which tasted outright gross. Add the taste of cinnamon and star anise to that and you get an awful combination. The accompanying pineapple slices did quite a good job in covering up the taste though.
Roast Duck & Soy Chicken - I almost laughed when I saw the dish. It had 4 pieces of duck and 4 slices of chicken - 2 per pax. The chicken was served warm but was very tasteless whereas the duck had more bone then meat. Gives a literal meaning to picking inbetween the bones doesn't it?
Scallops with Black Bean Sauce - The scallops were small but relatively crunchy while the vegetables were normal.
Steamed Prawns - There seems to be a prevalent trend in the food here. Everything is fresh but just not sweet. Ditto for the prawns as well.
Red Bean Paste Pancake - Choice of dessert was limited so I stuck to this dish, which sorely disappointed with its ridiculously thick skin. I felt like I was chomping down on fried flour. The red bean filling was decent though, but then again, how bad can red bean filling get?
With the 1 for 1 voucher, the total bill for 2 came up to a very reasonable $42. However, take that 50% discount away and the buffet loses its draw. To be honest, the food is average at best and portions are really tiny. Going for seconds might prove a little difficult as waiting time can stretch quite a bit and its rather difficult to get the attention of the service staff, who seem to be shorthanded.
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