feizhu's Reviews
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Located smack in the middle of Bishan Park, Canopy is managed by Asmara spa and the cosiness is apparent from the minute you step in. Comfortable padded chairs coupled with huge wooden trim glass doors that allow sunlight to peer in make for a nice resort feel. The arched ceilings add a touch of colonial class and best of all, the interior is airconditioned. Canopy offers al fresco seating as well but unless you don't mind sweating it out on a hot day then by all means go ahead.
Eggs Benedict - One of the items on the breakfast/lunch menu, the eggs benedict was a rip off in my humble opinion. $12 for 2 slices of bread, 2 slices of ham and 2 poached eggs drizzled with Hollandaise sauce just screams expensive. And to top it off, it wasn't exactly outstanding. The egg yolk wasn't the least bit runny and the bread was a tad too dry.
Wagyu Steak with Skinny Fries & Herb Butter - A daily special that was scribbled on an overhanging chalkboard, the wagyu beef weighed in at about 300g(according to the waitress) and came as per requested - medium rare. However that's where the complimentaries end. The wagyu didn't taste like wagyu at all. The meat wasn't as tender or succulent as I had expected it to be and it was pretty much tasteless. I know of places which can put this dish to shame with their normal beef. And in case you are wondering, the herb butter was pretty bland as well.
Linguine Tossed with Lobster - As tantalizing as this dish may sound, it was a disappointment really. For starters, the linguine wasn't al dente and came across as very bland. The small lobster cubes (yes cubes), though crunchy and fresh, were bland as well and overall the whole dish was rather dry.
ps: I could count the number of lobster cubes with 2 hands. I suspect all the cubes combined can barely form one whole medium sized prawn.
Disappointment would be an understatement, not when I had to fork out over $75 for a less than satisfying lunch. Service was a tad slow and the food was so average that I didn't have the heart nor the wallet to stay on for dessert. The good thing about this place is its setting, but unless the management decides to lower the prices or buck up on the quality, the neighbouring joint shows more promise.
See all my pictures here.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!haha, but sometimes ambience make up for the lack in quality, except in this case its expensive also. brunch eat steak seems a bit sinful. lol
27 Jun 2008 at 8:48 pm
Located at the unlikelinesses of places, in a small shop unit along Pasir Panjang Road just next to a motorcycle repair shop and Manhill Restaurant, Bistro 103 offers a simple and unpretentious dining area filled with wooden furniture and daily specials scribbled on a chalkboard. From what I understand, the menu is rotated monthly and corkage stands at $5 .
Breaded Seafood Tofu with Wasabi Mayo - This was something unique which I have never tried anywhere else before. The tofu was coated with bread crumbs and deep fried till a crisp. There was a slight hint of tofu taste but the texture seemed a little too firm for my liking. Also, the bread crumbs came across as a little too thick as well.
Bacon, Ham and Mushrooms - We chose to have this dish done with a tomato base for a change and I must say it was quite well executed. The tomato sauce was lightly sweet with a mild tomato undertone, which is vastly different from the usual zesty type of tomato sauce that I'm used to. The pasta was a little too overcooked though, as evident by its limpness. The quantity of mushrooms was also found lacking but the generous servings of ham and bacon made up for it somewhat. Maybe they should just omit the mushrooms in the title altogether.
Oven Baked Barbeque Pork Ribs - This came as a recommendation and though huge in serving size, I found the execution a little wanting. The marination was not thorough enough and some parts tasted bland. On the upside, the meat fell off the bone with minimal resistance yet retained a certain degree of firmness. Nice but could have been better.
Chocolate Panna Cotta - Usually chocolate and panna cotta in the same dish would do the trick for me but not in this case. The panna cotta wasn't firm enough and I couldn't quite make out the taste of it as the layer of chocolate syrup and cocoa powder above proved a tad too overwhelming. So much for a $5 dessert.
Brownie with Ice Cream - A staple personal favourite, the brownie was served steaming hot (literally!) as evident by the steam it emitted when I cut through it. Moist(a little too moist actually) and not too sweet. Coupled with the normal tasting ice cream, it made for a sweet and not too expensive ($5) ending.
Dinner for 2 cost about $62 which does stretch the value for money notion a little thin. But hey, its $62 for an appetiser, 2 mains and 2 desserts - a value proposition that can hardly be found elsewhere, not for the quality of food nor the service. And if you need that extra nudge, try patriotism. Its after all, local.
See all my pictures here.
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Located on the 3rd floor of Central just further down from Wakashachiya, Waraku seems to be rather popular with Singaporeans judging from the long queues that form during meal times at alot of their outlets and the relatively good comments online. The interior at this particular outlet was decked out in shades of white and brown with wood featuring prominently in the decor. As with most of the other restaurants at Central, the window seats look out into the picturesque clarke quay for a more enjoyable dining experience.
California Ura Maki - Uramaki differs from other types of maki(rolled sushi) in that the rice is on the outside and the nori(layered sheets of seaweed) on the inside. Preparation methods aside, the california maki barely made it past the average mark. The rice was a little too dry and loose and the copious amounts of roe did nothing to enhance the taste, preferring to remain as decorative pieces.
Sashimi 5 Kinds - The huge platter of sashimi came with prawns, salmon, tuna, squid and yellow tail served atop a bed of ice and garnished with leaves and flowers to up the visual appeal. I don't know if the standard for sashimi is consistent throughout all the Waraku outlets but the sashimi at this particular outlet was bad. Nothing was fresh and I kid you not, I spit out the prawn and salmon as soon as I took the first bite. Maybe I'm just being picky and overreacting but it happens that I'm very sensitive to seafood which aren't fresh. But I wasn't the only one. Most of the sashimi was left untouched save for the polite gesture of a few pieces.
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Located just a few units down from Wakashachiya on the third floor, Ma Maison's interior is reminiscent of a quaint little European cottage with lots of wood, overhanging crockery and shelves of various liquids. The cozy cottage feel is further reinforced by replica ornaments of yesteryear placed along the wooden window sill. If you are lucky enough, you can get a window seat which overlooks Clarke Quay and the river, but there's probably only 5 such tables or so.
Doteni Hamburger - A signature dish of Ma Maison, the Doteni Hamburger was essentially a beef and pork patty covered with a fried egg, topped with beef tendons and draped with a demi glaze sauce that has been left to simmer for 28 days. And I liked it. The beef, though almost well done, was moist and juicy with a slightly uneven texture. The egg was perfectly done while the gelatinous beef tendon came across as a little chewy and not overly soft. Coupled with the robust sauce, it set the right note for our lunch.
Tonakatsu - After the horrendous tonkatsu experience at Wakashachiya just a couple of hours before, I was rather skeptical about the tonkatsu at Ma Maison. Those fears were put to rest as the pork cutlet turned out fine and surpassed expectations. Sure the meat wasn't kurobuta like Tampopo's, but it was still decently tender while retaining moisture and bite. There was no evident taste of oily residue either. The breaded batter could have been a wee bit thinner though, which would have made it crispier and less oily.
Beef Stroganoff with Omu Rice - My personal favourite. Who can resist tender beef slices served up in a thick savoury sauce coupled with smooth milky omelette enveloping fragrant and tasty buttery rice? If I'm coming back to Ma Maison, its definitely going to be for this dish. I would prefer a little more butter to go into the rice though, which would make it heartier and of course more artery clogging.
Squid Ink Spaghetti - Honestly I didn't quite take to the spaghetti. It wasn't al dente and came across rather bland. Maybe thats the way Japanese spaghettis are supposed to taste like, unlike the richer and more robust renditions from the Italians. If you like light stuff then this dish would probably suit you but do note that squid ink leaves a dark stain on your teeth so remember to rinse!
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Located on the third floor of Central, Wakashachiya originates from Nagoya city and specialises in Japanese curry udon noodles. The paneled simply done up interior is smallish and can probably squeeze in about 30 pax or so.
Tebasaki - Nagoya city is well known for its Tebasaki, which is essentially deep fried batterless chicken wings with a coating of sweet and spicy sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds and black pepper. And being from Nagoya, Wakashachiya serves this delicacy as well. The wings, though small, packed a savoury punch from the myriad of different flavours all fused together. Sublimely sweet, salty and spicy. A pity the wings were so small and oily. Its $5 for 4 wings by the way.
Hitsu-mabushi - This dish was seriously a case of aesthetics over taste. Served up in a huge pot lookalike container, the lid went off to reveal neatly sliced pieces of unagi, cooked to a beautiful crisp as evident by the charred bits on the shimmery surface. However taste wise, I personally felt that it could have been better. For one, the unagi was too soft and disintegrated easily, lacking the firm and crisp texture that I personally like. The daishi soup (fish stock made from bonito flakes) and the plump chewy rice was good though.
Curry Udon with sides of Tonkatsu, Chicken, Tomatoes and Ebi Tempura
- The dish that Wakashachiya apparently is known for - Japanese curry udon. Wakashachiya's curry tended towards the bland side and didn't seem coagulated enough for my liking. The udon was good though, thick and chewy without making me feel like I'm chomping down on flour. Some work needs to be done on the sides though, with the Tonkatsu coming across as hard and dry while the batter encrusting the chicken was overly salty and oily. Same goes for the ebi tempura, with the batter leaning towards the thick side. The tomatoes were, well, just diced fresh tomatoes.
See all my pictures here.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!ah, at one shot go 4 diff jap restaurant? sph one ar, no wonder no price stated. haha
21 Jun 2008 at 11:54 am