feizhu's Reviews
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Le Bistrot boasts a rather quaint yet cozy interior with wooden paneling and cushions to go along with the co joint seats. There are floor to ceiling windows and even part of the ceiling is made from glass, allowing sunlight to flow through. Very much like a homely greenhouse with bulbs hanging from the ceiling.
Toasted Bread - You get to choose your choice of spreads for the bread, ranging from apricot jam to chestnut jam, all self service from the wooden shelf thats sits in the centre of the room. I appreciate the choice of jams and certainly the quality of the bread, which had a muffin like texture - a tad chewy and porous. Only bone I had was that the crust was a little too hard, but at least it was served warm.
Marinated Artichoke Salad & Mixed Fruit Soup with Mango Sorbet -
Artichoke seriously isn't my cup of tea hence I didn't quite take to the salad. The mango sorbet was refreshing and came served with diced rock melon and pineapple cubes for added texture and taste.
Viennoiserie - Viennoiserie, or French for Viennese Specialities, include stuff like croissants, Danish pastries etc. This particular one was a chocolate croissant I believe. Nice and flaky without the lingering oil stains on the fingers. The chocolate filling wasn't too sweet or hard, which probably meant it hadn't been lying around in the open for too long - a good sign definitely.
Omelette with Smoked Spicy Pork Sausage & Omelette with Nurnberger Pork Sausage - The omelettes were a little runny yet smooth without being too heavy on the milk, which equates not nausea inducing, for me at least. The spicy pork sausage (addition of $3.50) didn't exactly wow me with its limp chilli taste and non existent smokiness. I thought better of the Nurnberger sausage(addition of $4) though, which was mildly salty with a slightly uneven texture, making it a nice accompainment to the omelette.
Hot Chocolate - Its one of the few times I order hot chocolate in favour of coffee/tea and I must say it came as a surprise to me when we were served a small pack of valhorna 61% cocoa chocolate, a pot of heated milk and one pot of molten chocolate. The idea is to place the piece of chocolate in your cup and pour in your desired amount of molten chocolate or milk to suit your tastebuds. Please remember to stir of course!
$57 for a 2 pax brunch tends towards the expensive side especially when there wasn't really much to eat. But I must admit that the environment is rather relaxing and no crowds are a big plus. Service is good as well but I doubt I'll be back for brunch, not unless they drop their prices.
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Located at lobby level of this highly regarded premium hotel, Shang Palace's recent facelift sees a more contemporary and posh interior with elements of tradition through the usage of red crystal chandeliers amidst flowery wall panels and black wooden door arches. Is it just me or are alot of the Chinese restaurants starting to look alike?
What I found rather ingenious was the tea menu. Instead of the usual book like menu, the names of the various teas were inscribed onto colour coded sticks and placed in a container. Merely a novelty, but at least it beats flipping through pages.
Custard Bun - Fast becoming one of the quintessential items on my dim sum list, the custard bun got the meal off to a great start with its piping hot and sinfully rich custard mixed with sediments of egg yolk, all contained within a soft and slightly chewy bun. I would have liked it better if the custard to bun ratio was lower, ie. decrease the amount of flour or increase the amount of custard. There's the issue of its minute size though.
Shanghai Pork Dumpling - I was utterly disappointed with Shang Palace's rendition of this classic Shanghainese dish. The skin was a tad too thick while the gravy came across as thick and oily. After popping one XLB into my mouth, I couldn't bear to eat another one.
Fried Spring Roll - This spring roll was rather different from the commonplace ones that you get elsewhere. Instead of vegetables, you get egg white and crab meat as a filling. Not that it made much of a difference honestly. The oil taste from the crisp skin overwhelmed everything. Not that egg white or crab meat had much taste to begin with though.
Shark's Fin Dumpling Soup - At $8 a bowl, the fins were ample but of very low quality. I like the fact that there were bits of scallops in the dumpling and that the soup was very light on the palate.
Deep Fried Beancurd Skin Roll with Prawns - The fried beancurd skin roll or 腐皮卷 came stuffed with prawns, spotting a nice crisp exterior that wasn't overly fried. However, it did come across as a tad too oily.
BBQ Pork Custard Bun - This dish was essentially pineapple bun stuffed with char siew (叉燒菠蘿包). I personally liked this quite a bit as the bun was soft and not too sweet while the char siew was plump and juicy. The sweetness from the char siew permeated through, which made for a nice but extremely high in calorie snack.
Siew Mai - Very much like the siew mai I had at Peach Garden, Shang Palace's offering had small chunks of prawns in it as well. There was a noticeable absence of the overwhelming pork taste that plagues alot of siew mais but I did find the salt level a little high.
Scallop & Lobster Roll - I don't quite remember the name of this dish but it tasted to me like Har Gao, which wasn't really what I was expecting. The lobster shreds were minimal, not to mention tasteless and the whole thing was mainly prawn paste (I believe) and a small piece of scallop.
Har Gao - The Har Gao skin was excessively thick and became gross when cold. Not even the crunchy prawn filling could save it after we left a piece to cool for about 10 minutes. However, when eaten hot, its still rather decent overall.
Four Treasure Flour Roll - Fancy names aside, the flour roll aka chee cheong fan, was smooth, silky and not too thick. I could only make out char siew and prawns in the filling so I'm not sure where did the 4 treasures come from. One of the better chee cheong fans I've had in a long long time.
Century Egg Porridge - $10 got me a bowl of congee that's probably three quarters the size of those you get for $3 at food centres. Topped with thin slices of crispy dough fritters, the porridge had a generous amount of chicken shreds and century egg. But I did think that the chef was a little too liberal with the salt.
A disappointment really. The mini egg tarts were, as the name suggests, mini and the pastry was a little too flaky. No buttery undertone that I personally like as well. The custard filling could also have done with more sugar. $4.90 for 3 is really a rip off.
It was really an expensive dim sum experience, at $113 before discount and $87 after a 30% early bird discount for 2 pax. Overall I thought that the dim sum lacked finesse, and pales in comparison to places like Royal China or Yan Ting. Service was good but pacing of the dishes would be much appreciated - all my dishes came in the space of 10 minutes. I highly doubt that I'll be back, not even with the discount.
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Yep, still the best is Royal China and Yan Ting.
28 Aug 2008 at 10:35 am
Located just below a block of flats at Bedok North, Chin Lee's reputation was evident as the place was packed on a Sunday evening and families without reservations were asked to wait or turned away. The air conditioned interior was simply done up like any traditional Chinese restaurant except that they offer two private rooms which can be booked in advance.
Fish Maw Soup - Tasting suspiciously like shark's fin soup ( I wish!), the fish maw soup didn't come across as too starchy and had quite a sizeable amount of crab meat in it. The fish maw wasn't too soggy and overall I found it quite a good dish.
Stir Fried Kailan - Found the vegetables very normal but I did think that the restaurant was a little too generous with the garlic, which made the vegetables a little bitter. Still, I can't complain for $6 though.
Homemade Beancurd - I thought that the beancurd was comfort homely food, with its silkiness and softness and of course the copious amount of minced meat atop. However it lacked the smokey savoury taste that I like. Still a good eat nevertheless.
Coffee Pork Ribs - Served up in an aluminum foil, the coffee pork ribs was a recommendation by the waitress. The aroma of coffee was strong but surprisingly, the taste was rather mild. Honestly I thought that the pork ribs were a little too dry and hard for my liking. Very edible, but certainly not a must order dish.
Orh Nee -
Interestingly, Chin Lee's rendition of this ubiquitous Teochew dessert was a much darker shade of brown than what I usually eat, which I suppose is attributed to the addition of gula melaka or brown sugar. The texture was also compact and glue like, yet very smooth and not too sweet. Definitely one of the best Orh Nees I've tried so far.
A satisfying dinner for 3 set us back by almost $62, which is very reasonable for the quantity and quality of food. Service was efficient and I dare say that this is probably one of the better air conditioned cze char stalls around. Chin Lee is a gem indeed. Just remember to make your reservations.
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Sounds cheap. Passed by it so many times but never stepped in though.
31 Aug 2008 at 8:44 am
After a long look at the menu, we ordered half a dozen of the Combustion Wings(Buffalo wings @level 1 spiciness) and a Spaghetti Marinara(seafood) and a round of drinks of course. Food was served piping hot and the portions were huge. I was shocked by the size of the wings as well as the spaghetti. The wings were easily double the size of those you could get at the market. Seemed like a bohemian task trying to finish the dishes, especially since we were already quite stuffed from all the eating at the World Food Fair 2006.
The wings were a little sourish(something which had already been forewarned by our server when taking our order) which my gf didn't really like, but it whetted my tastebuds with its tangy taste. A pity we couldn't finish it though and had to do a take away. The spaghetti was nice without the sauce being too overwhelming, which is the case with many spaghettis that I have eaten. The prawns were fresh and so were the mussels. (I hate mussels though)The drinks are your normal soft drinks, but if you drink root beer, go for the dispenser one. It tastes a little like Sarsi, which I'm crazy about.
The owner of Buckaroo is the same guy who set up Sunset at Seletar Airbase. In my humble opinion, its worth a trip down. Portions are gigantic, so please go with an empty stomach. No service charge is imposed as well, which is a big plus point. The waiters there are friendly and non pretentious. Do try the level 10 spiciness wings if you are up for the challenge. Do note also that the entire place is non air conditioned, so it might be a little uncomfortable on a warm night, even with fans blowing at you. They close early as well(1030pm on a saturday night), so please keep that in mind. Overall, a nice place to hang out with a group of friends over decent grub without busting too big a hole in your pocket. There's also nothing nearby, just Sembawang park, so don't expect any night entertainment of any sort. Driving is recommended.
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Wow a 2006 report leh. Wahahah
20 Aug 2008 at 10:26 am
Heh, pumping up the pipeline eh?
31 Aug 2008 at 8:45 am
If you never knew of its existence, the probability of chancing upon this place is slim as it is hidden on the 6th floor of Tiong Bahru Plaza, which is only accessible by lift (or stairs maybe?). Decor comes across as very typical old school Chinese save for a more contemporary arched ceiling.
Har Cheong Gai - Served up piping hot, the Har Cheong Gai aka Prawn Paste Chicken was nice and crispy on the outside without the batter being too thick. Would have prefered the taste of the shrimp paste to be a wee bit stronger though.
Broccoli with Scallops - A rather average dish with the vegetables not overly soft but the scallops a tad too bland. $20 does seem a wee bit expensive for such a dish though.
Homemade Beancurd with Katsobushi & Shinjii Mushrooms - Another simple dish, the homemade beancurd was relatively smooth and soft but lacked the smokey aftertaste that I hanker after. It came topped with katsobushi or bonito flakes which did seem a little too bland. All in all an average but palatable dish.
I can't say I enjoyed my meal but at least it was filling and decently palatable and I didn't have to contend with the crowds at the other food outlets in Tiong Bahru Plaza. Service was alright and being a traditional Chinese restaurant, you do not have to pay for your paper towels and peanuts if you return them.
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