Epicurious, located on the banks of Robertson Quay, has been in operations for close to 6 years now. The restaurant is the brainchild of the duo owners, Helena and Sharon. The concept for the restaurant is like a neighbour joint, serving casual food where you can chill out and enjoy a meal without any qualms.
The interior of Epicurious is surprisingly small, from the outside i thought it will be bigger. There are only three tables inside, with most of the seats in the al fresco area.
Unpretentious and comfy, Epicurious is really a place where i can sit down there all day with my friends
The al fresco area offers a view of the river by Robertson Quay, its simple furniture make it seems as though you are having picnic out in the natural.
The food which Epicurious offers are simple and comfort food, like sandwiches, salads, pasta. On weekends from 9am to 1pm, they have the brunch menu which include choices like pancakes, toast, bagel, eggs, ommelette. And i am really tempted by their brunch menu, you’ll be seeing them here in the near future.
At Epicurious, there is the blackboard specials, which is not on the normal menu, and these are changed regularly to allow customers to experience different type of food.
The lunch menu does not have much selection of mains, in fact they only have three to choose from, with mostly sandwiches and pasta otherwise.
For dinner, the menu is a different one all together, with starters like beef carpaccio, smoked salmon tartare, to main course like their signature epicurious burger, and there are also quite a variety of grills to choose from. Price ranges from 10s to 20s.
Turkey Breast Sandwich ($9.50) Turkey Breast with roasted bell pepper and havarti cheese. The sandwiches are all freshly made with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, with choices of country-style white or wholemeal sunflower bread.
The turkey breast sandwich is fairly good, served with keropok.
Spaghetti vietnamese chicken bolognaise ($14) The chicken bolognaise spaghetti is served with cheese flakes, your good old reliable fix of pasta.
Asian Sloppy Joe ($12) Pork and beef mince with hoisin and lime. The Asian Sloppy Joe is under the blackboard special for sandwich. The unique name caught our attention, and the sandwich does not disappoint.
The pork and beef mince combination creates a rather distinctive taste, slightly sweet and spicy.
Epicurious Burger ($18) House-made beef patty with sautéed onions, mushrooms and fries. The Epicurious Burger is the signature dish of the restaurant, having heard many good things about the burger, it is inevitable that this is a must-try dish when you visit epicurious.
Although i just had burger at Seah Street Deli the previous day, but i have no qualms tasting the epicurious burger. And indeed, the Epicurious Burger is the star of the show, the beef done medium-rare, is tender and retains the juiciness of the meat.
And you can choose to add cheese, bacon or a fried egg for $2 each, or $4 for all three. But i choose to serve my burger the original way without any toppings.
I like the fries too, which comes with cheese flakes, the overall taste is buttery and cheesy!
Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream ($7) The Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream is recommended to us by Helena the owner of Epicurious. Now who can finish a meal without having desserts? Definitely not me! The apple crumble is sour-sweet, and the taste of it together with ice cream does it for us.
Bread and butter pudding with custard ($8) The bread and butter pudding is also another of their more popular desserts, the way to eat it is by dipping the pudding into the custard, but i preferred to taste the bread and butter pudding on its own.
Carrot Cake ($5) A slice of the Carrot cake is enough for anyone to end their meal on a high, and the cake certainly taste good here. With a layer of cheese on top of the carrot cake, the effect is a melt-in-your-month. The cheese is relatively light and does not overwhelms the carrot cake.
Total bill is $82.48 for 4 mains and 3 desserts. However, Helena kindly has the desserts on the house, so the total bill is $64.90 instead.
The owner Helena is friendly and warm, we had a chat and she explain the concept of Epicurious to us. So if you saw her at the restaurant, do not hesitate to have a chat with her!
The current location however is a tad too small, and cannot serve more customer. But then again this can be a double edge sword, more seats serves more customers, but in the process you might just lose the wonderful ambiance of the place.
And by the way, Helena and Sharon have recently opened another fusion western-local restaurant, Persimmion which is located at the Link Hotel. Do give them a try if you pass by Tiong Bahru area.
Epicurious is one place which i’ll gladly return again to try out their brunch and dinner menu. The reason is simple, Epicurious serves casual food, the price will not hurt your wallet, and the ambiance of the place is superb! Despite my usual practice of not repeating visits to a same restaurant, i’ll bend the rule this time, for Epicurious!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Cilantro - a chic modern asian eatery that closed its restaurant doors at Purvis Street to open up outlets in the heartlands, with the outlet at Old Airport Road Food Centre being the first. Prior to the closure, Cilantro had garnered relatively good reviews from the media for its modern asian cuisine. Therefore this new foray into the heartlands came as quite a surprise.
Smoked Duck Steak - $10 got me their signature smoked duck steak, which came highly recommended by a stall affiliate. Served up with rather tasteless rice and a scoop of equally unimpressive coleslaw, the smoked duck tasted to me a little like honey baked ham, albeit with a more distinctive fowl taste. Actually even the texture was similar, relatively smooth and slightly rubbery without any trace of fibre. On the upside, I could taste the smoky undertones and I guess that was the sole saving grace.
Chocolate Lava Cake - The chocolate lava cake was quite small and I could have probably devoured it in one big mouthful if I chose to. But its $4 and I'm sure you can't get something like this elsewhere for the price. The cake was a little too soft and pudding like for my liking but at least there was molten chocolate oozing out when I made a break in the crust. Don't expect thick decadent chocolate though. You get what you pay for. The chocolate is runny and rather weak but for the price, no complains.
I really don't know what to make of Cilantro. For one, the menu looks intriguing enough for me to want to try again but the relatively high prices (for hawker centres) are quite a turn off. Granted that the pastas do seem reasonable at about $5.50 per plate, but $4 for a bowl of mushroom soup doesn't quite cut it.
Balmoral Bakery is a very old-school bakery which is evident from the box they use for their bakes. Located at Sunset way, the bakery offers the type of breads and pastries which we grow up together with, but sadly are slowly disappearing from our sight.
Under the “undue” influence of my food partner, we jogged from our place to Sunset way, and pay the bakery a visit. She introduced me to Balmoral Bakery as she has been munching on their breads since young.
Egg tart ($1) The egg tart at Balmoral is those ‘watery’ type, my food partner love this type of egg tart, but i prefer those with crusty sides and firmer egg-fillings.
Custard Buns ($1.1) The custard buns are the star of the show! Billed as Balmoral Bakery’s signature item, the custard buns are really excellent! There are other customers who brought half a dozen or more at a go. Must try!!
Cake ($1) The cake is the very traditional type where you can only get at such bakeries, nowadays seldom do we still see such cakes around, well maybe if your neighbor still has such old-school bakeries around.
Char-siew Sau ($1) The char-siew sau is cripsy and the char siew inside sweet!
Cake with cream in centre ($1.20) I liked this one! The cake is very soft and fluffy, whipped cream in the center, and sugar white powder spread on top.
Total Bill for 5 items comes up to $5.50. I only brought 5 items as this is my first time there, but my food partner brought about more than 10 items!
The bread and pastries at Balmoral Bakery are mostly in the range of $0.80-$1.50, and there are really a lot of different types of traditional bakes which isn’t so commonly found nowadays. Go, and relieve your childhood memories!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Hankook Rice Cake House is under the same management with the popular Auntie Kim’s Korean Restaurant which is on the same stretch of road at Upper Thomson.
After finishing our meal at Chicken House, and Ritz Apple Strudel, my friend and i saw this shop across the street so we decided to venture there to check the place out.
Hankook Korean Rice Cakes are featured on the Business Times
The interior of the shop is very small and simple, with some Korean decorations
Hankook Rice Cake house sell quite a variety of rice cakes, there are also samples available on the table for tasting. We tried a few of them, but to tell the truth, Korean rice cakes are not really to our liking, or rather we can’t really appreciate the beauty of it.
But because we have tried their samples, we felt rather guilty if we just walk out of the shop, so my friend decided to buy a box of rice cake for take-away.
If i didn’t really remember wrongly, these are pumpkim with nuts, seeds, and raisins fillings. Please correct me if I’m wrong. One box is in the range of 6 bucks.
Hankook Rice Cake sell rather authentic korean rice cakes, even though i’m no fan of it, but to open a shop just to sell rice cake, we should applause the owner for that!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
This place is very much hidden, but I’m glad I managed to find them through Yebber.
There were 2 other customers when I reached. I sat down and was immediately served by Tim. We discussed about the type of haircut I want and he gave his suggestions and views.
Overall I like the service and the final look managed to “WOW” me. Tim gives very good head massage too! If you’re tired and needs a little boost in the head, you can pop by just for wash and blow service. It’s well worth it! I will be going back in a month or two to cover up the highlighted part and chop off more hair!
After getting cuts from female stylist all this while, its refreshing to get my hair done by a male stylist. And in fact, I find the guys more careful and he pays more attention to little details when cutting, washing and styling. Surely a plus for this!
During my 3 hours at Flhair Salon, I saw many other customers coming in with either messy hair or hair that’s way too long for their look. But they all left with great hair and better look! Being guy stylists themselves, they sure know what’s in and best suitable for the men. Many customers that came today were guys too.
They’re having a 20% discount now! (Till when I’m not sure. Can call them to check it out ya.)
The opening of Vivo City has seen many new restaurants/cafes popping up to capitalize on the crowds that throng Vivo City daily. One such new restaurant/cafe is White Dog Cafe.
Located just a few doors away from the much talked about Kim Gary, White Dog Cafe hosts its own steady stream of customers in its simple yet cosy interior with a view of Sentosa to boot. The menu is interestingly done up to mimic the spots of the Dalmatian. Other than that, nothing else seems to suggest why the outfit is named White Dog Cafe.
Soup of the day - This was plain lousy. The soup was way too salty and tasted like cabbage soup with some small balls of meat in it. The accompanying garlic bread was equally bad, coming across as slip shod and bland.
Deep Fried Breaded Beef with Japanese Mayo - This was recommended to me by the waiter and it sort of blew me away with its quality (this is not a compliment in case you are wondering). The bread coating was way too thick and the beef was tasteless. It was no different from eating deep fried crispy bread. Probably the only thing that was still okay was the rice. Ironical isn't it?
Etoile - My dessert of a specialty cake, the Etoile, which is essentially a dark chocolate cake with chocolate mousse. Sadly, it didn't meet expectations. The outer layer of dark chocolate did look like dark chocolate, but certainly didn't taste like it. I couldn't detect any bitterness or strong chocolate taste for that matter. The chocolate mousse was bland and the cake wasn't spongy. Terribly done if you ask me and I'm very sure the cakes aren't made in house. If they are, its time to change a new pastry chef.
A disappointing lunch for 2 pax cost $28.40. Not really expensive price wise, but factor in the quality of food and you have a no brainer conclusion. I will not be back. I guess that pretty much sums it all up doesn't it?
Along Club Street lies this quaint little colonial style building that houses one of Singapore's well known Italian Restaurant - Senso Ristorante & Bar. Established in 2000, Senso has received numerous awards and nominations for its ambience, food and wine. So it was imperative that we (my gf and I) tried out this place! Reservations weren't made as it was a rather last minute decision and we didn't think it would be too difficult to get a seat on a Sunday evening (Actually we were torn between eating at Senso and Grand Shanghai, but since the latter didn't answer my calls, we chose the former). We got there at about 645pm and were surprised to find that it only opened for dinner at 7pm. Anyway, it was but a short wait and at the stroke of 7, we were shown to our table in the courtyard. Please let me say this. We didn't opt to sit in the courtyard, but there wasn't a choice as we didn't meet the dress code.
It would be almost criminal not to dedicate at least a paragraph to the very pretty courtyard. From the moment I stepped in, it almost felt like I had been transported right into the heart of a warmly lit Tuscan courtyard in Italy, complete with a Greek statue that adorns the gardens. This is definitely one place you must see! There are strong fans around to help the customers keep cool whilst dining. However, it can get quite sticky because of the humid nature of Singapore's weather. The air conditioned interior was rather pleasing as well, with hues of orange and touches of elegance coupled with dim lighting. Decor aside, we had the Mozzarella for starters and the Frutti Di Mare and the Ossobuco for mains. On a side note, we had the chef divide everything up into 2 individual portions so that we could share.
The meal started off with a complementary serving of warm bread and bread sticks, with Chick Pea Puree as a dip. I personally found the bread sticks a little too hard for me, but it tasted quite good, especially with the Chick Pea Puree. The wheat bread was a little too dry for me. I couldn't make out the other bread, but it had onions on top and tasted soft and appetising. Following the bread was a tiny serving of Chick Pea Salad, complementary as well. I found this quite good as the chick peas had a tinge of zest coupled with the evident taste of the basil leaf. Small serving, but it sure packs a punch!
Our appetiser, the Mozzarella, was essentially pan fried Buffalo Mozzarella wrapped in Parma Ham, Marinated Raisins and Pine Kernels in Balsamico (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar). The huge chunk of cheese was a little chewy, yet didn't have too strong a cheese taste. Wrap a slice of Parma Ham around it and dip in the sauce (I think the sauce comes from the Marinated Raisins and Pine Kernels in Balsamico. It tasted a little alcoholic.) and you get nothing short of stupendous. It sure didn't look like cheese though, or anything related to it. Little wonder why this is one of Senso's signature dishes.
With such a wonderful appetiser, we thus looked forward to the mains. The Frutti Di Mare, Carnaroli Risotto with Octopus, Prawns, Mussels, Calamari, fresh Tomato and Basil, was very nicely done without being too heavy on the cream and with the rich texture of the Risotto. It was good, but not fantastic. The Ossobuco, braised Veal shank "Ossobuco" served with mashed Potatoes, Rosemary and Lemon Gremolata was very tender and fibrous, so much so that there was no need to even remove the meat from the bone. The natural Veal taste was very prevalent in this dish, which suited me fine, but people who don't like it might just want to stay away. The accompanying mashed potatoes were soft and had a tinge of butter, but nothing to shout about.
We racked up a total of $93.24 for a very satisfying meal (for me at least). I was stuffed up so much that I could barely walk, which explains the absence of dessert. This is definitely one place you should bring your date or that special someone to. The ambience alone puts many other fine dining restaurants to shame. Service is excellent and so is the food. What more do you need? Do note that prices are quite steep here, but hey, I reckon every dollar is well spent.
Ritz apple strudel & cafe has been around for quite some time, but it’s until now then i got the chance to actually try out their strudel which they are famous for.
We went to Ritz apple at Upper Thomson, the outlet is just a stone throw away from Chicken House
The interior of the place is very neat and clean, with simple white furniture.
Durian Strudel mini ($4.80) We made a mistake on this one, Ritz apple strudel is call apple after all, but we had the durian strudel which doesn’t quite make it. The durian is more on the sour side. Period.
Durian Crepe ($4.80) Another mistake since the durian is the same. Actually i heard their apple, or even strawberry is not bad, but my friend likes durian so we ordered durian flavor crepe.
Smoothies ($4.90) The smoothies is quite refreshing, and like the name implies, smoothes the throat!
Cashew Beef ($5.90) Beef isn’t very good when it goes along with nuts, in this case cashew as we find out. The cashew taste is too strong, which clashes with the beef. In the end we take out the beef and eat without the cashew. So much for cashew beef!
Total bill is $20.40 for the desserts. Ritz apple strudel isn’t that expensive considering the mini strudel is $4.80, i guess go for their apple or strawberry flavor and you will be alright, but please leave their durians alone.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Chicken is a very common dish in everybody’s meal table, there are so many different method of cooking it. I guess most people will have heard of Kampong chicken, which is quite unlike your typical chicken found in most places.
The normal chicken is usually injected with hormones, to make them grow faster so that the people who rear the chicken can get more profits. Most people thinks that it isn’t that healthy if the chickens are injected.
Kampong Chickens are different, they are usually rear in a manner where they are allowed to “run free”, instead of staying all day in the cages like the normal chicken. The “run free” manner of growing the chicken allows them to train and “strengthen” their legs and bodies, which make the chicken meat firmer and nicer to eat.
My friend had a craving for kampung chicken, so we went to Chicken House along the stretch of Upper Thomson road where they sell only Kampung chicken.
Half a chicken cost $11, and there are also other dishes like internal organs, vegetables, and thai style chicken feet available.
Apparently the store got featured in some publications as well.
Kampong chicken for 2 people ($8) I guess we can easily finish half a chicken as well, but we just ordered Kampong chicken for 2 servings. Unless you haven’t eaten Kampong chicken before, you should roughly know the texture and taste of it.
Kampong chicken is less meaty compared to the normal chicken, but in this way you won’t get so sick of eating too much meat. The chicken is firmer and nicer to eat!
Oyster sauce Kai Lan ($4) The oyster sauce kai lan is very normal, not very well stir-fried, we couldn’t really finish the vegetables.
Total Bill was $17.10 for 2 person, we had lime juice as well, which in my opinion is one of the beverage that goes well with many type of different food. The Kampong chicken is good, and i guess not that many places sell kampong chicken in Singapore.
So if you got a craving for Kampong chicken, you know where to go!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Ever since the demise of A&W in Singapore, Waffletown is probably the only fast food outlet in Singapore that serves up fried chicken and waffles in a small unit reminiscent of an old school American diner.
Located at Balmoral Plaza, the place isn't big and comes with brown table tops and orange chairs affixed to the ground just like A&W in the old days. A very serene sense of nostalgia sets in and one can't help but relish in the comfort it offers.
2 Piece Chicken Set - The chicken skin was crispy sans the layer of fats beneath, which of course is the lesser of two evils. Meat was moist and juicy and didn't come across as oily as those served up by KFC. Only downside was the seasoning of the chicken, which I personally felt was a little inadequate. The accompanying fries and coleslaw tasted like those ready made ones you can buy off the shelves from any supermarket.
Waffle with Blueberry and Vanilla Ice Cream & Waffle with Blackberry and Rum and Raisin Ice Cream - Since the place is called waffletown, its really a no brainer that waffles are their specialty. The waffles were very crispy but that in itself presents a problem, to me at least. Crispy waffles aren't moist and my idea of an ideal waffle should be crisp on the outside yet moist and full of bite on the inside. It must also be fragrant. Waffletown's waffles fulfilled the aroma criteria but they were crispy inside out, which made it a little like eating crackers. Fortunately, thats where the toppings and ice cream come into play, lending the waffles with additional flavour and moisture. All in all a good eat.
At about $6.70 for a 2 piece chicken set that comes with 2 sides and a drink, Waffletown goes for about the same price as KFC. Quality is much higher here though but there is the problem of location.
1=SGD 0.0587
Epicurious, located on the banks of Robertson Quay, has been in operations for close to 6 years now. The restaurant is the brainchild of the duo owners, Helena and Sharon. The concept for the restaurant is like a neighbour joint, serving casual food where you can chill out and enjoy a meal without any qualms.
The interior of Epicurious is surprisingly small, from the outside i thought it will be bigger. There are only three tables inside, with most of the seats in the al fresco area.
Unpretentious and comfy, Epicurious is really a place where i can sit down there all day with my friends
The al fresco area offers a view of the river by Robertson Quay, its simple furniture make it seems as though you are having picnic out in the natural.
The food which Epicurious offers are simple and comfort food, like sandwiches, salads, pasta. On weekends from 9am to 1pm, they have the brunch menu which include choices like pancakes, toast, bagel, eggs, ommelette. And i am really tempted by their brunch menu, you’ll be seeing them here in the near future.
At Epicurious, there is the blackboard specials, which is not on the normal menu, and these are changed regularly to allow customers to experience different type of food.
The lunch menu does not have much selection of mains, in fact they only have three to choose from, with mostly sandwiches and pasta otherwise.
For dinner, the menu is a different one all together, with starters like beef carpaccio, smoked salmon tartare, to main course like their signature epicurious burger, and there are also quite a variety of grills to choose from. Price ranges from 10s to 20s.
Turkey Breast Sandwich ($9.50)
Turkey Breast with roasted bell pepper and havarti cheese. The sandwiches are all freshly made with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, with choices of country-style white or wholemeal sunflower bread.
The turkey breast sandwich is fairly good, served with keropok.
Spaghetti vietnamese chicken bolognaise ($14)
The chicken bolognaise spaghetti is served with cheese flakes, your good old reliable fix of pasta.
Asian Sloppy Joe ($12)
Pork and beef mince with hoisin and lime. The Asian Sloppy Joe is under the blackboard special for sandwich. The unique name caught our attention, and the sandwich does not disappoint.
The pork and beef mince combination creates a rather distinctive taste, slightly sweet and spicy.
Epicurious Burger ($18)
House-made beef patty with sautéed onions, mushrooms and fries. The Epicurious Burger is the signature dish of the restaurant, having heard many good things about the burger, it is inevitable that this is a must-try dish when you visit epicurious.
Although i just had burger at Seah Street Deli the previous day, but i have no qualms tasting the epicurious burger. And indeed, the Epicurious Burger is the star of the show, the beef done medium-rare, is tender and retains the juiciness of the meat.
And you can choose to add cheese, bacon or a fried egg for $2 each, or $4 for all three. But i choose to serve my burger the original way without any toppings.
I like the fries too, which comes with cheese flakes, the overall taste is buttery and cheesy!
Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream ($7)
The Apple crumble with vanilla ice cream is recommended to us by Helena the owner of Epicurious. Now who can finish a meal without having desserts? Definitely not me! The apple crumble is sour-sweet, and the taste of it together with ice cream does it for us.
Bread and butter pudding with custard ($8)
The bread and butter pudding is also another of their more popular desserts, the way to eat it is by dipping the pudding into the custard, but i preferred to taste the bread and butter pudding on its own.
Carrot Cake ($5)
A slice of the Carrot cake is enough for anyone to end their meal on a high, and the cake certainly taste good here. With a layer of cheese on top of the carrot cake, the effect is a melt-in-your-month. The cheese is relatively light and does not overwhelms the carrot cake.
Total bill is $82.48 for 4 mains and 3 desserts. However, Helena kindly has the desserts on the house, so the total bill is $64.90 instead.
The owner Helena is friendly and warm, we had a chat and she explain the concept of Epicurious to us. So if you saw her at the restaurant, do not hesitate to have a chat with her!
The current location however is a tad too small, and cannot serve more customer. But then again this can be a double edge sword, more seats serves more customers, but in the process you might just lose the wonderful ambiance of the place.
And by the way, Helena and Sharon have recently opened another fusion western-local restaurant, Persimmion which is located at the Link Hotel. Do give them a try if you pass by Tiong Bahru area.
Epicurious is one place which i’ll gladly return again to try out their brunch and dinner menu. The reason is simple, Epicurious serves casual food, the price will not hurt your wallet, and the ambiance of the place is superb! Despite my usual practice of not repeating visits to a same restaurant, i’ll bend the rule this time, for Epicurious!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
” Epicure epicurious! “
Rating given:
Cilantro - a chic modern asian eatery that closed its restaurant doors at Purvis Street to open up outlets in the heartlands, with the outlet at Old Airport Road Food Centre being the first. Prior to the closure, Cilantro had garnered relatively good reviews from the media for its modern asian cuisine. Therefore this new foray into the heartlands came as quite a surprise.
Smoked Duck Steak - $10 got me their signature smoked duck steak, which came highly recommended by a stall affiliate. Served up with rather tasteless rice and a scoop of equally unimpressive coleslaw, the smoked duck tasted to me a little like honey baked ham, albeit with a more distinctive fowl taste. Actually even the texture was similar, relatively smooth and slightly rubbery without any trace of fibre. On the upside, I could taste the smoky undertones and I guess that was the sole saving grace.
Chocolate Lava Cake - The chocolate lava cake was quite small and I could have probably devoured it in one big mouthful if I chose to. But its $4 and I'm sure you can't get something like this elsewhere for the price. The cake was a little too soft and pudding like for my liking but at least there was molten chocolate oozing out when I made a break in the crust. Don't expect thick decadent chocolate though. You get what you pay for. The chocolate is runny and rather weak but for the price, no complains.
I really don't know what to make of Cilantro. For one, the menu looks intriguing enough for me to want to try again but the relatively high prices (for hawker centres) are quite a turn off. Granted that the pastas do seem reasonable at about $5.50 per plate, but $4 for a bowl of mushroom soup doesn't quite cut it.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Balmoral Bakery is a very old-school bakery which is evident from the box they use for their bakes. Located at Sunset way, the bakery offers the type of breads and pastries which we grow up together with, but sadly are slowly disappearing from our sight.
Under the “undue” influence of my food partner, we jogged from our place to Sunset way, and pay the bakery a visit. She introduced me to Balmoral Bakery as she has been munching on their breads since young.
Egg tart ($1)
The egg tart at Balmoral is those ‘watery’ type, my food partner love this type of egg tart, but i prefer those with crusty sides and firmer egg-fillings.
Custard Buns ($1.1)
The custard buns are the star of the show! Billed as Balmoral Bakery’s signature item, the custard buns are really excellent! There are other customers who brought half a dozen or more at a go. Must try!!
Cake ($1)
The cake is the very traditional type where you can only get at such bakeries, nowadays seldom do we still see such cakes around, well maybe if your neighbor still has such old-school bakeries around.
Char-siew Sau ($1)
The char-siew sau is cripsy and the char siew inside sweet!
Cake with cream in centre ($1.20)
I liked this one! The cake is very soft and fluffy, whipped cream in the center, and sugar white powder spread on top.
Total Bill for 5 items comes up to $5.50. I only brought 5 items as this is my first time there, but my food partner brought about more than 10 items!
The bread and pastries at Balmoral Bakery are mostly in the range of $0.80-$1.50, and there are really a lot of different types of traditional bakes which isn’t so commonly found nowadays. Go, and relieve your childhood memories!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Rating given:
Hankook Rice Cake House is under the same management with the popular Auntie Kim’s Korean Restaurant which is on the same stretch of road at Upper Thomson.
After finishing our meal at Chicken House, and Ritz Apple Strudel, my friend and i saw this shop across the street so we decided to venture there to check the place out.
Hankook Korean Rice Cakes are featured on the Business Times
The interior of the shop is very small and simple, with some Korean decorations
Hankook Rice Cake house sell quite a variety of rice cakes, there are also samples available on the table for tasting. We tried a few of them, but to tell the truth, Korean rice cakes are not really to our liking, or rather we can’t really appreciate the beauty of it.
But because we have tried their samples, we felt rather guilty if we just walk out of the shop, so my friend decided to buy a box of rice cake for take-away.
If i didn’t really remember wrongly, these are pumpkim with nuts, seeds, and raisins fillings. Please correct me if I’m wrong. One box is in the range of 6 bucks.
Hankook Rice Cake sell rather authentic korean rice cakes, even though i’m no fan of it, but to open a shop just to sell rice cake, we should applause the owner for that!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
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This place is very much hidden, but I’m glad I managed to find them through Yebber.
There were 2 other customers when I reached. I sat down and was immediately served by Tim. We discussed about the type of haircut I want and he gave his suggestions and views.
Overall I like the service and the final look managed to “WOW” me. Tim gives very good head massage too! If you’re tired and needs a little boost in the head, you can pop by just for wash and blow service. It’s well worth it! I will be going back in a month or two to cover up the highlighted part and chop off more hair!
After getting cuts from female stylist all this while, its refreshing to get my hair done by a male stylist. And in fact, I find the guys more careful and he pays more attention to little details when cutting, washing and styling. Surely a plus for this!
During my 3 hours at Flhair Salon, I saw many other customers coming in with either messy hair or hair that’s way too long for their look. But they all left with great hair and better look! Being guy stylists themselves, they sure know what’s in and best suitable for the men. Many customers that came today were guys too.
They’re having a 20% discount now! (Till when I’m not sure. Can call them to check it out ya.)
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The opening of Vivo City has seen many new restaurants/cafes popping up to capitalize on the crowds that throng Vivo City daily. One such new restaurant/cafe is White Dog Cafe.
Located just a few doors away from the much talked about Kim Gary, White Dog Cafe hosts its own steady stream of customers in its simple yet cosy interior with a view of Sentosa to boot. The menu is interestingly done up to mimic the spots of the Dalmatian. Other than that, nothing else seems to suggest why the outfit is named White Dog Cafe.
Soup of the day - This was plain lousy. The soup was way too salty and tasted like cabbage soup with some small balls of meat in it. The accompanying garlic bread was equally bad, coming across as slip shod and bland.
Deep Fried Breaded Beef with Japanese Mayo -
This was recommended to me by the waiter and it sort of blew me away with its quality (this is not a compliment in case you are wondering). The bread coating was way too thick and the beef was tasteless. It was no different from eating deep fried crispy bread. Probably the only thing that was still okay was the rice. Ironical isn't it?
Etoile - My dessert of a specialty cake, the Etoile, which is essentially a dark chocolate cake with chocolate mousse. Sadly, it didn't meet expectations. The outer layer of dark chocolate did look like dark chocolate, but certainly didn't taste like it. I couldn't detect any bitterness or strong chocolate taste for that matter. The chocolate mousse was bland and the cake wasn't spongy. Terribly done if you ask me and I'm very sure the cakes aren't made in house. If they are, its time to change a new pastry chef.
A disappointing lunch for 2 pax cost $28.40. Not really expensive price wise, but factor in the quality of food and you have a no brainer conclusion. I will not be back. I guess that pretty much sums it all up doesn't it?
See all my pictures here.
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Along Club Street lies this quaint little colonial style building that houses one of Singapore's well known Italian Restaurant - Senso Ristorante & Bar. Established in 2000, Senso has received numerous awards and nominations for its ambience, food and wine. So it was imperative that we (my gf and I) tried out this place! Reservations weren't made as it was a rather last minute decision and we didn't think it would be too difficult to get a seat on a Sunday evening (Actually we were torn between eating at Senso and Grand Shanghai, but since the latter didn't answer my calls, we chose the former). We got there at about 645pm and were surprised to find that it only opened for dinner at 7pm. Anyway, it was but a short wait and at the stroke of 7, we were shown to our table in the courtyard. Please let me say this. We didn't opt to sit in the courtyard, but there wasn't a choice as we didn't meet the dress code.
It would be almost criminal not to dedicate at least a paragraph to the very pretty courtyard. From the moment I stepped in, it almost felt like I had been transported right into the heart of a warmly lit Tuscan courtyard in Italy, complete with a Greek statue that adorns the gardens. This is definitely one place you must see! There are strong fans around to help the customers keep cool whilst dining. However, it can get quite sticky because of the humid nature of Singapore's weather. The air conditioned interior was rather pleasing as well, with hues of orange and touches of elegance coupled with dim lighting. Decor aside, we had the Mozzarella for starters and the Frutti Di Mare and the Ossobuco for mains. On a side note, we had the chef divide everything up into 2 individual portions so that we could share.
The meal started off with a complementary serving of warm bread and bread sticks, with Chick Pea Puree as a dip. I personally found the bread sticks a little too hard for me, but it tasted quite good, especially with the Chick Pea Puree. The wheat bread was a little too dry for me. I couldn't make out the other bread, but it had onions on top and tasted soft and appetising. Following the bread was a tiny serving of Chick Pea Salad, complementary as well. I found this quite good as the chick peas had a tinge of zest coupled with the evident taste of the basil leaf. Small serving, but it sure packs a punch!
Our appetiser, the Mozzarella, was essentially pan fried Buffalo Mozzarella wrapped in Parma Ham, Marinated Raisins and Pine Kernels in Balsamico (Traditional Balsamic Vinegar). The huge chunk of cheese was a little chewy, yet didn't have too strong a cheese taste. Wrap a slice of Parma Ham around it and dip in the sauce (I think the sauce comes from the Marinated Raisins and Pine Kernels in Balsamico. It tasted a little alcoholic.) and you get nothing short of stupendous. It sure didn't look like cheese though, or anything related to it. Little wonder why this is one of Senso's signature dishes.
With such a wonderful appetiser, we thus looked forward to the mains. The Frutti Di Mare, Carnaroli Risotto with Octopus, Prawns, Mussels, Calamari, fresh Tomato and Basil, was very nicely done without being too heavy on the cream and with the rich texture of the Risotto. It was good, but not fantastic. The Ossobuco, braised Veal shank "Ossobuco" served with mashed Potatoes, Rosemary and Lemon Gremolata was very tender and fibrous, so much so that there was no need to even remove the meat from the bone. The natural Veal taste was very prevalent in this dish, which suited me fine, but people who don't like it might just want to stay away. The accompanying mashed potatoes were soft and had a tinge of butter, but nothing to shout about.
We racked up a total of $93.24 for a very satisfying meal (for me at least). I was stuffed up so much that I could barely walk, which explains the absence of dessert. This is definitely one place you should bring your date or that special someone to. The ambience alone puts many other fine dining restaurants to shame. Service is excellent and so is the food. What more do you need? Do note that prices are quite steep here, but hey, I reckon every dollar is well spent.
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Ritz apple strudel & cafe has been around for quite some time, but it’s until now then i got the chance to actually try out their strudel which they are famous for.
We went to Ritz apple at Upper Thomson, the outlet is just a stone throw away from Chicken House
The interior of the place is very neat and clean, with simple white furniture.
Durian Strudel mini ($4.80)
We made a mistake on this one, Ritz apple strudel is call apple after all, but we had the durian strudel which doesn’t quite make it. The durian is more on the sour side. Period.
Durian Crepe ($4.80)
Another mistake since the durian is the same. Actually i heard their apple, or even strawberry is not bad, but my friend likes durian so we ordered durian flavor crepe.
Smoothies ($4.90)
The smoothies is quite refreshing, and like the name implies, smoothes the throat!
Cashew Beef ($5.90)
Beef isn’t very good when it goes along with nuts, in this case cashew as we find out. The cashew taste is too strong, which clashes with the beef. In the end we take out the beef and eat without the cashew. So much for cashew beef!
Total bill is $20.40 for the desserts. Ritz apple strudel isn’t that expensive considering the mini strudel is $4.80, i guess go for their apple or strawberry flavor and you will be alright, but please leave their durians alone.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Apple and strawberry, no durians! “
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Chicken is a very common dish in everybody’s meal table, there are so many different method of cooking it. I guess most people will have heard of Kampong chicken, which is quite unlike your typical chicken found in most places.
The normal chicken is usually injected with hormones, to make them grow faster so that the people who rear the chicken can get more profits. Most people thinks that it isn’t that healthy if the chickens are injected.
Kampong Chickens are different, they are usually rear in a manner where they are allowed to “run free”, instead of staying all day in the cages like the normal chicken. The “run free” manner of growing the chicken allows them to train and “strengthen” their legs and bodies, which make the chicken meat firmer and nicer to eat.
My friend had a craving for kampung chicken, so we went to Chicken House along the stretch of Upper Thomson road where they sell only Kampung chicken.
Half a chicken cost $11, and there are also other dishes like internal organs, vegetables, and thai style chicken feet available.
Apparently the store got featured in some publications as well.
Kampong chicken for 2 people ($8)
I guess we can easily finish half a chicken as well, but we just ordered Kampong chicken for 2 servings. Unless you haven’t eaten Kampong chicken before, you should roughly know the texture and taste of it.
Kampong chicken is less meaty compared to the normal chicken, but in this way you won’t get so sick of eating too much meat. The chicken is firmer and nicer to eat!
Oyster sauce Kai Lan ($4)
The oyster sauce kai lan is very normal, not very well stir-fried, we couldn’t really finish the vegetables.
Total Bill was $17.10 for 2 person, we had lime juice as well, which in my opinion is one of the beverage that goes well with many type of different food. The Kampong chicken is good, and i guess not that many places sell kampong chicken in Singapore.
So if you got a craving for Kampong chicken, you know where to go!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Kampong chicken, they run free! “
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Ever since the demise of A&W in Singapore, Waffletown is probably the only fast food outlet in Singapore that serves up fried chicken and waffles in a small unit reminiscent of an old school American diner.
Located at Balmoral Plaza, the place isn't big and comes with brown table tops and orange chairs affixed to the ground just like A&W in the old days. A very serene sense of nostalgia sets in and one can't help but relish in the comfort it offers.
2 Piece Chicken Set - The chicken skin was crispy sans the layer of fats beneath, which of course is the lesser of two evils. Meat was moist and juicy and didn't come across as oily as those served up by KFC. Only downside was the seasoning of the chicken, which I personally felt was a little inadequate. The accompanying fries and coleslaw tasted like those ready made ones you can buy off the shelves from any supermarket.
Waffle with Blueberry and Vanilla Ice Cream & Waffle with Blackberry and Rum and Raisin Ice Cream - Since the place is called waffletown, its really a no brainer that waffles are their specialty. The waffles were very crispy but that in itself presents a problem, to me at least. Crispy waffles aren't moist and my idea of an ideal waffle should be crisp on the outside yet moist and full of bite on the inside. It must also be fragrant. Waffletown's waffles fulfilled the aroma criteria but they were crispy inside out, which made it a little like eating crackers. Fortunately, thats where the toppings and ice cream come into play, lending the waffles with additional flavour and moisture. All in all a good eat.
At about $6.70 for a 2 piece chicken set that comes with 2 sides and a drink, Waffletown goes for about the same price as KFC. Quality is much higher here though but there is the problem of location.
See all my pictures here.
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