feizhu's Reviews
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The AMK Hub outlet is located at the basement of the suburban mall and operates on a partially open concept, very much like the main branch at Citylink. The walls are plastered with scenes from New York City and there are semi private booths at a corner for a cosier dining experience. I did think that the tables in the middle are spaced too close to each other, very much like fast food restaurants, which makes for an uncomfortable dining experience.
Cheese Freedom Fries - Corny names aside, the fries tasted as bad as they sounded. Soft, soggy and drizzled with cheese that tasted like Twisties (the snack). The fact that it was served hot provided scant comfort.
Chicken & Prawn Combo - I don't know what to make of this dish as the prawn batter was too thick and soaked in oil while the chicken tasted rather average - something any mom and pop stall can churn out sans the relatively higher prices. Ironically, the wedges that came alongside were the better deal - not overly fried and piping hot.
Juicy Burger - I must admit that the burger was quite a size but the patty tasted rather "macdonaldish" albeit being alot thicker. The texture also suggested it was machine processed rather than hand chopped/made. I didn't appreciate the mustard and ketchup atop the patty as well.
$46 for a 2 pax lunch of such average quality certainly isn't going to win me over and I am pretty sure that amount can be better utilized elsewhere. Service, or lack of, didn't extend beyond taking our orders and serving them to us. Our requests for ice water took a long time to arrive and after repeated reminders. Even the manager had a nonchalent attitude when showing us to our seat. Average food plus lousy service (which I have to pay a 10% service charge for) is definitely a no go for me.
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Very inflexible service staff. Took the family to have lunch there and they were practically empty but refused to sit us at the fancy tables, insisting that for 4, we have to sit at the front tables.
13 Jul 2009 at 12:26 pm
Vittles sits among a short stretch of shops along Sembawang Road and can be difficult to spot especially if you are not alert, which was precisely what happened to me and I had to circle the area a couple of times before I finally spotted it.
The place offers an alfresco sitting as well as a smaller air conditioned interior and comes across as very "cafeish" with its white plastic chairs and laminted menus.
Julius Caesar Salad - As great as Julius Caesar was in Roman history, this salad bearing the namesake wasn't the least impressive, coming across as average and run off the mill. And just to set the record straight, no, Julius Caesar didn't invent the caesar salad.
Moo Moo II Burger - One of the signature dishes of Vittles, the Moo Moo Burger looked a tad smaller then what I had seen in photographs, which was a bummer really. Texture wise, the patty was relatively smooth with patches of roughness throughout (an indication of slip shod hand chopping?) and managed to retain some moisture even though it was cooked till well done. My major grouse came in the taste section. The patty was covered/drowned with BBQ sauce which greatly overwhelmed whatever taste the beef patty had to offer as well as that of the bacon and cheese.
Durian Mousse - I couldn't resist ordering the durian mousse even though it cost something to the tune of $7. I must say that it was quite decent - smooth and not too sweet although the mousse was a tad too dry. Not something that I'll order again though, simply because of its small portions.
While its comforting to know that $29 can buy you a soup, salad, main and dessert at Vittles, its not exactly value for money as food quality is a whisker above average at best. A return seems highly improbable for me as Carl's Junior does seem like a cheaper option.
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Hidden within the Defu industrial estate, Seafood Paradise @ Defu isn't exactly located at the most convenient of places and people who are unfamiliar with the area might have quite a bit of difficulty trying to get there. The restaurant offers both alfresco and air conditioned dining and please be warned that turning up without reservations at prime time slots like 7pm to 830pm would probably leave you without a table.
Wasabi Prawns - A signature dish of Seafood Paradise, the wasabi prawns certainly lived up to its hype in my humble opinion. The prawns were fresh and huge with a nice crunchy texture beneath its slightly crispy exterior. Topped with sweet mango slices, pine nuts and dragon fruit seeds, I did think that the wasabi was a tad strong this time round, giving me a minor headache. But all in all a very good eat.
Homemade Beancurd in Seafood Sauce - The small serving of beancurd was quite a size (for 3-4 pax) and came across as silkily smooth with a very faint hint of the smokey aftertaste that I personally like. The generous meat floss atop gave it a nice sweet bearing while the savoury gravy had cubes of prawns, sea cucumber and squid. Very satisfying, to me at least.
Egg White and Scallop on Broccoli - I thought that this simple vegetable dish was very well executed with the broccoli not too soft from overcooking while the gravy had a very nice savoury taste. The scallops weren't overcooked as well and the egg white was plentiful sans the raw and mildy nauseating aftertaste that plague most such dishes. Probably the only fault I can find with this dish is the excessive oil in it, which would probably scare off the more health conscious folks.
Whole Ribs in Honey Pepper Sauce - Another signature dish of Seafood Paradise, the ribs were well seasoned without being the meat being too hard and carried with it a light sweetness from the honey with a placid pepperish undertone. But some might find it a tad too sweet for their liking, ie, my gf.
A dinner that costs close to $70 for 2 pax isn't what I would call cheap but I cannot deny the quality of food that Seafood Paradise offers. Just for the record, we had to doggy bag most of the ribs (3 out of 4 pieces) as both of us were too stuffed to eat anymore. Service was excellent as well although they could have been a little more organised in the reservations. People waiting up to 30 mins for a table even with reservations is definitely a big no no.
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!wah sounds good. esp the wasabi prawn.. mmm
05 Oct 2008 at 11:45 pm
yea its not bad. Should try!
06 Oct 2008 at 10:14 am
Hua Yu occupies an old colonial bunglow that has been converted into a restaurant and offers both al fresco and airconditioned dining areas. The interior is homely with its white washed walls but noise is a big problem here as the area is enclosed and with so many conversations going on at the same time, you might really have to raise your voice a little to be heard.
Homemade Tofu - The tofu was quite good. A little crisp on the outside yet soft and quivery on the inside. The layer of compacted spinach and dried scallop shreds atop provided a nice savoury taste to the tofu while the golden mushrooms and enoki gave it that extra bite.
Stir Fried Dou Miao - I thought that the dou miao fried with garlic was a little too bland and a dash of salt would have been much appreciated. On the upside, it wasn't overcooked, which sealed in the flavour and texture of this vegetable.
Salted Egg Pork Ribs - Interestingly, this is the first time I've eaten pork ribs coated with salted egg yolk and deep fried. And it didn't really impress me much. For starters, the taste of the egg yolk was rather faint and overall the ribs were bland. To compound matters, the ribs didn't taste fresh, more like frozen products really. Judging from the colour of the ribs (red), I believe duck eggs were used.
Black Pepper Crayfish - $14 for 2 small crayfish halved up into 4 pieces is definitely a no go. But to give it credit, the crayfish was fresh and the meat firm. However I did think that the pepper taste was overwhelming, threatening to numb my tastebuds.
The 3 of us chalked up a bill of $53 which is decent enough for the food quality. Standards seemed to have dropped significantly since the last time I visited about 10 years ago but that seems to be the trend everywhere! I doubt I'll be back though. Adiós my old friend.
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Located on the second level of this prestigious Four Seasons hotel, Basilico's interior is designed by renowned Japanese architect Yasuhiro Koichi and dazzles with its centrepiece crystal chandelier and circular open space dining concept which houses three open kitchens - antipasto, the hot kitchen and pasticceria (desserts). For those who wish to dine al fresco, there is the option of dining by the pool.
Complimentary Bread - I thought that the focaccia was quite decent, just a tad cold when served, which made it a little dry and hard on the outside. But I did like the slightly chewy texture it carried and of course the interesting repertoire of dips that came alongside, with the most notable one being mascarpone cheese, which can usually be found in tiramisu. The sheets of cheese crackers came across as rather average though.
Cacciucco di Pesce (Fresh Seafood in Lobster and Tomato Stew) - The lobster and tomato stew was rich in flavours yet did not overwhelm, making for a nice savoury soup with a tinge of spice. The servings of scallops, prawns and squid cubes were relatively generous as a whole, which was definitely a step in the right direction.
Focaccia Pita - I couldn't quite catch the name of this dish but it is, beyond a doubt, the shining star of the evening. Made with focaccia and stuffed with black truffle and mascarpone cheese, it looked anything but asthetically pleasing. However, the charmer came in the form of its considerably thin crust that had a nice chewy texture to it. Throw in a nice and light creamily cheesy undertone sans the nausea and you get an excellent pita dish.
Pizza Prosciutto - To be very honest, I thought the pizza was quite good but certainly not to the extent of outstanding. Granted, the crust was thin and baked to a crisp golden brown with the parma ham lightly smokey. But the pizza did seem a little bland overall. There was a harmonious cohesion amongst the ingredients but that failed to ignite any sparks (aka boring).
Risotto alla Pugliese - The risotto didn't quite do it for me as the arborio rice came across as a tad too hard for my liking. If its any consolation, the servings of diced lobster, prawn, scallop and asparagus were generous to say the least. I do wonder about the green foam atop though.
Wagyu Beef - Grilled to medium rare as per my request, the wagyu failed to impress. That's not to say it wasn't any good, just that I'm rather picky when it comes to steak. The beef carried an oily aftertaste that was quite prominent and invoked nausea. The steak sauce that came alongside wasn't really effective in masking the oily taste even though it carried a noticable amount of alcohol. On the upside, this was a quality piece of meat, which was naturally sweet and succulent with a proportionate amount of fats.
Semifreddo al Torroncino - I thought that the almond parfait was quite good with a consistently smooth and creamy texture which had bits of almond in it. The stewed sour cherries below provided a much needed jolt to tingle my jaded senses.
Apple Tart with Marsala Cream - Personally I felt that the apple tart was rather normal as the crust was a bit too dry but lightly buttery. The apple slices were bland and the marsala cream provided the alcoholic content.
Fig Tart - I dislike figs but surprisingly the crust was different from that of the apple tart, coming across as moist and leaning a little towards crumble. Personally I prefered this crust over that of the apple tart.
Raspberry Panna Cotta - One of the more unusual panna cottas I've come across so far, Basilico's rendition tasted more like mousse with an almond jelly aftertaste. Certainly not what I would expect from a good panna cotta.
The meal ended with a glass of groppino, which is essentially a lemon sorbet, champagne, mint and vodka concoction that is supposed to help you digest. I'm not sure it did the trick for me though.
All in all the meal was rather satisfying except for the desserts, which fell rather flat in my humble opinion. I'm not exactly sure how prices are like because the meal was complimentary, courtesy of HGW. I'm sure that in time, with some tweaks here and there, Basilico will be able to hold its own against the likes of other well know Italian restaurants like Senso, Garibaldi, Il Lido etc.
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