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Food & Beverage
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1=SGD 0.0587
Dropped by HY California @ Marina Bay Sands for lunch one weekday afternoon. This visit was prompted in part due to my previous visit to Hide Yamamoto and my curiosity was piqued when I learnt of the existence of a cheaper alternative - HY California.
HY California offers indoor seating with a couple of counter seats and tables as well as al fresco dining along the pathway. Full length panels offer patrons who decide to sit indoors, a view of the pathway outside and plenty of natural light if you happen to dine during the day - a win win situation.
Chicken Bento Set - There are various bento sets available for lunch but the sirloin beef bento set that I was aiming for had only 1 portion left so I went gave it up to my colleague and went for the chicken option instead. The presentation was aesthetically pleasing with small plates of sushi, sashimi, chicken, salad and tempura neatly placed within compartments in a wooden tray. Taste wise, everything came across as average and wouldn't seem out of place at "lower end" eateries like Sakae Sushi or Ichiban Sushi.
Lunch for the 4 of us cost about $96, which isn't really expensive but the general consensus is that food quality hovers around the average mark at best. I can understand that HY California is a casual eatery but the service level, food quality and pricing somehow fails to convince me why I should choose it over the likes of Sushi Tei or Ichiban Sushi/Boshi.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Restaurant week was upon us again and we finally had the opportunity to try out Salt Grill & Sky Bar for lunch during the weekend. Having stayed at Hilton Sydney and dined at Luke Mangan's Glass Brasserie slightly over a year back, we were excited as to how his restaurant would fare in Singapore.
Perched on the 55th floor of the iconic Ion shopping mall along Orchard Road, Salt offers a panoramic view of the surrounding area through floor to ceiling windows that culminate in an arced top that allows natural sunlight to flow in, which makes the place a lot cheerier. I personally like the expanse of space that the restaurant offers, just perfect for that lazy weekend brunch.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary raisin bread wasn't anything to shout about but it was decent - warm and crusty with a lingering aroma.
Truffle Fries - This was an additional side and boy oh boy, was it sinfully delicious. Hot crispy fries topped with a generous serving of grated Parmesan cheese and doused with truffle oil. What's not to like?
Crab Omelette, Enoki Mushroom and Herb Salad, Miso Mustard Broth - The omelette was stuffed with shreds of crab meat and topped with enoki, fried shallots and parsley whilst sitting prettily in a pool of miso mustard broth. What was nice about this dish was the oriental feel from the shallots and parsley coupled with the salty tinge from the miso broth and of course the creaminess of the omelette.
Pan Fried Gnocchi, Corn, Asparagus, Zucchini, Parmesan, Thyme, Truffle, Verjuice Dressing - This is honestly the first time I'm trying out a seemingly vegetarian gnocchi dish and it was surprisingly tasty. The corn provided a natural sweetness whilst the shaved Parmesan topped it off with a nice cheesy aftertaste and fragrance. Overall a rather light dish and only gripe I had was that the gnocchi did come across as a tad too soft for my liking.
Grass Fed Beef Tenderloin, Mash, Pumpkin, Grains and Seeds, Red Wine Jus - Contrary to what I had requested for, the beef came almost well done instead of medium well. However the meat was still relatively juicy and tender but lacked the beefy goodness that I personally like. Grains and seeds added a nice crunchy texture to the dish with the pumpkin puree providing a touch of sweetness.
Warm Hazelnut Cake, Hazelnut Biscotti, Praline Ice Cream - And finally, the finale - an excellent warm hazelnut cake that looked uncannily like Bengawan Solo's banana cake, just alot crustier and drier with hints of hazelnut. When paired with the toffee sauce, biscuit crumbs and of course a scoop of ice cream, it was comfortingly good and ended the meal on a relatively positive note.
It being Restaurant Week, prices are $40 /pax for lunch with the truffle fries contributing $13 to the bill for a total of almost $110 for 2 pax. Pretty reasonable in my humble opinion but at this price point, I still prefer Ember's food. However Salt has the distinct advantage of ambience and a great view to boot. I will probably return for lunch in the not so near future.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
It is with much trepidation that I have decided to blog about my favourite eatery in town - Imperial Treasure Windows of Hong Kong or ITWHK for short. But it's probably already an open secret, judging by the ever increasing crowd size everytime I drop by for dinner. I'm still delusional though and am crossing my fingers that the crowds don't continue growing.
Nestled on the ground floor of TripleOneSomerset (former PUB building) in between the Imperail Treasure Bakery and the Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant (which isn't that great in my humble opinion), ITWHK offers an open, rather expansive seating area that doesn't feel cluttered or claustrophobic. Think al fresco dining with air conditioning. Really great for a nice quiet dinner on a weekday night (parking is expensive though so watch it). How the place works is this. You order at the counter, take a number tag to your choice of seat and your food will be delivered to you shortly.
奶油猪仔包 - We started off with the 奶油猪仔包, loosely translated as "cream piglet bun" and a perennial favourite of mine whenever I visit Tsui Wah in Hong Kong or Shanghai. This is essentially a toasted bun lathered with butter and condensed milk - sinfully crisp and delicious. Though ITWHK's rendition pales a little in comparison to that of Tsui Wah's, it is definitely worth a try, especially when consumed whilst hot!
Meat Platter - Our meat platter consisted of roast duck, roast pork and BBQ pork. To be honest, they were all very decent. In particular, the BBQ pork stood out - tender meat with bits of chewy fat and a nice, mildly sweet glace. The roast duck had a crisp skin and didn't come across as too gamy whilst the roast pork spotted mildly crackling skin with a good proportion of fats. Only gripe I had was that the duck was a little dry while the roast pork lacked adequate salt and the oomph factor.
滑蛋蝦仁河粉 - I can be quite a sucker for 河粉 so I'm probably biased on this. Rice noodles with a tinge of wok hei drowned in a smooth, not too starchy egg gravy and topped with a generous amount of bean sprouts and reasonably sized, crunchy prawns. Good! There is a slight issue of consistency though as on a subsequent visit, the gravy was a wee bit too starchy for my liking.
Above average food, great environment (to have a peaceful dinner) at wallet friendly prices. What's not to like? Well, maybe the sad reality that the place is going to be more crowded in the near future.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
We were craving for Japanese food after an afternoon musical at the Mastercard Theatres @ Marina Bay Sands so popped by Hide Yamamoto for an early dinner on a Saturday evening.
There are a total of 4 seating areas within Hide Yamamoto - Sushi bar, Teppanyaki counter, Robata counter and the Ramen & Dining area. We opted for the Ramen & Dining area as it would allow us to order from all the counters. Not too sure if you are entitled to the same flexibility if you sit at one of the specialised areas. Do note that tables are spaced quite close to each other (unless you manage to snag the red velvet booth seat) so private conversations can pose quite a challenge.
Grilled Hokkaido Scallop - At $35 a pop, I was desperately hoping for more than the solitary scallop to start us off. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. However the lone scallop that made it to our table was huge, boasting a natural sweetness that was complemented by the mild saltiness from the roe that came alongside. The accompanying side salad had seaweed strips in it and came across as zesty.
Tuna Sushi Combination - The tuna combination consisted of 3 slices of tuna (Fatty, medium and normal) apparently flown in straight from Tsukiji in Tokyo and served atop blocks of sushi rice. Goes without saying that the tuna was fresh and the rice lightly tart without coming across as too loose or sticky. Only thing that I didn't like was the heavy handedness of the wasabi layer wedged between the tuna and the rice. And of course the price tag ($50 ).
Kurobuta Collar - Weighing in at 150g, the kurobuta collar was from the Teppanyaki counter and came across as sufficiently tender without the overwhelming pork taste. A sesame based dipping sauce completed the picture.
Soy Seafood Ramen - If I may, the soy based seafood ramen was very good with the broth light yet refreshingly tasty probably due in part to the addition of sweet corn. The ramen itself was springy (apparently the ramen is made in house from a 110 year old recipe) and full of bite whilst the seafood was fresh.
Portions are slightly smaller than your average ramen bowl though.
Soy Cha Shu Ramen - The cha shu ramen's broth was comparatively heavier than that of the seafood ramen but the noodles were excellent as well. Cha shu pieces were tender and overall portion size was just right to keep nausea at bay. I am definitely sticking to the seafood ramen the next time round.
A pretty satisfying dinner for 2 cost us in excess of $200, which is honestly a little on the high side. Service was good and food quality was definitely above average but I wouldn't rate it as excellent overall. I'll probably be back again, if only for the ramen.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Had been meaning to try out Hippopotamus for the longest time, after reading about and seeing an outlet in Paris a couple of years back. And so we dropped by for an early dinner on a Saturday evening. Apparently the eatery's selling point is its wide range of beef cuts at affordable prices. Honestly, I am not too hung up on the variety of cuts because I am not picky but I do like the sound of affordable.
Because the restaurant is located along a rather quiet stretch on the ground floor of Marina Square Shopping Mall, it offers an "al fresco" dining area alongside the pedestrian walkway as well as seating in the inner chambers which offer more privacy. Exposed brick walls with red, square lights complete the cafe like setup.
Complimentary Chips - This was served alongside a basket of dry, hard and mildly sourish bread (skip it!). No surprise the chips were the first to go - crisp and a great way to start off.
US Pork Chops - A very flavourful and well grilled piece of pork that threatened to put alot of "western" restaurants to shame.A pity the meat was a little too dry and tough for my liking. Also, some of the accompanying fries came a little too charred as well.
Tenderloin "Chateaubriand" - The crème de la crème of the cuts and the tenderest of them all, the Chateaubriand tenderloin (Chateaubriand is actually a recipe involving a particular thick cut of beef) was a little overcooked to medium well, contrary to my request for medium rare. Nonetheless, it was still tender with nuances of bovine flavour seeping through with every bite. I would have liked the flavours to be more pronounced though. Served alongside 2 sides of your choice.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake - Coming across as a little dense and dry and tasting overwhelmingly of chocolate with a nuance of hazelnut, the cake had tiny crumbs of hazelnut etched atop and sat in a shallow pool of vanilla cream. Brownies, anyone?
With a 50% discount courtesy of my palate card, dinner was relatively inexpensive at about $34 for 2 pax. I know it's not a fair comparison but at this price point (50% off) and quality, it beats the likes of Astons or any other budget steak house hands down in my humble opinion. However, take the discount away and the value ratio decreases quite a bit. Service was decent but could be a little more attentive (my glass of water was never refilled). All in all, a place I would only return with the 50% off.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Was rather intrigued by the name, "The Sleeping Rhino", so decided to drop by one evening with the missus for dinner. It definitely helped that there was a 50% discount courtesy of my palate card.
Located on the ground floor of Klapsons The Boutique Hotel at Tanjong Pagar, The Sleeping Rhino offers a view of the surrounding pedestrian walkway and vehicular roads through towering floor to ceiling windows. For a little more privacy, opt for the booth seats furthest away from the windows.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread roll came a little crusty and warm. Together with a small container of store bought butter, it made for a nice and simple way to start off.
Pomodoro Penne with Cajun Smoked Chicken - Al dente penne tossed in a mildly tart pomodoro sauce and topped with chunks of savoury cajun chicken - simple yet satisfying. The only gripe I had was the lack of smokiness in the chicken.
Wagyu Beef Burger - The beef patty was done up to medium well but seemed a little drier than expected. Flavours were decent and I liked the addition of the runny yolk sunny side up atop, which gave the burger an overall smooth and rich finish. Unfortunately the bun was crisp but dry and tasteless.
Tiramisu - Circular in shape, the tiramisu's portion was rather small with the sponge fingers a little too soaked in kahlua. The mascarpone cheese seemed a little diluted which definitely didn't help matters. All in all a very average rendition of this Italian classic dessert.
Dinner for 2 pax came to almost $38 with a 50% discount ($75.33 without). Overall food quality hovered around the average mark and prices were honestly on the high side for the corresponding quality. Service was good though but that could be due to the fact that we were the only table that evening (although another couple did come in when we were just about to leave).
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
A new steakhouse, Bull & Butcher, recently opened up in town and I had the opportunity to drop by to sample a couple of its signature dishes, courtesy of the restaurant. The eatery attempts to differentiate itself from the other steakhouses by offering diners a view of the butchers in the kitchen (dressed in traditional chain mail aprons, no less) slicing up their choice of meat. And in case you are wondering if it is in the same league as the big boys (Morton's, Ruth Chris etc), no it definitely isn't. Price wise at least.
Occupying a rather prominent unit just next to the main entrance of Plaza Singapura along Orchard Road, Bull & Butcher doesn't come across as very big but there is an outdoor alfresco area if you prefer Singapore's humidity and heat (not to mention cigarette smoke). Inside, tables are spaced decently apart which makes for relaxing conversation but the overall design isn't much to rave about - very much like your typical western restaurant.
Prawn Cocktail ($14) - Dinner kick started with a prawn cocktail, which featured huge, crunchy prawns amidst an avalanche of thousand island sauce. Decent.
Roast Whole Garlic ($8) - This was actually a side and although I do like garlic, I don't quite relish the experience of eating it whole with skin and all. But that's just a personal preference.
Crab Cake, Sundried Tomato Sauce ($16) - The crab cake had a generous amount of crab meat but the breaded coating probably wasn't the best way to encapsulate the crab meat due to the absorption of oil. And the sundried tomato sauce failed to capture the intense burst of tangy, mildly sweet flavour that I had hoped for. Instead, it had a mild curry tinge to it for an Asian slant. Fusion maybe? Personally I still prefer the renditions from Morton's and Ruth's Chris.
Australian Wagyu Bolognaise Pasta ($26) - I'm of the humble opinion that good beef should never be minced because it would affect the texture and taste of the beef. And this pasta dish wasn't about to change my mind. Minced beef coupled with a rather mild tomato based sauce and less than al dente tagliatelle made for an average, carbohydrate laden dish.
Braised Australian Wagyu Beef Cheek ($38) - Melt in the mouth tender beef cheek sitting on a bed of charmingly smooth mashed potato and a stock that's not overwhelmingly sweet - what's not to like? Well maybe the price to portion ratio. But that aside, this was easily one of the best dishes of the evening in my humble opinion.
Petit Tender - The petit tender or "beef shoulder tender" is a small centre cut beef tenderloin which lies below the flat iron steak and is known to be of similar quality to the filet mignon. This cut isn't used much as it apparently requires a certain level of skill to extract. And it is currently exclusive to Bull & Butcher (off the menu though!).
First looks, the medallion shaped piece of meat was of reasonable thickness and done up medium rare. Natural flavours were drool worthy and accentuated through the use of a little salt seasoning. The only gripe I had was that the meat came across as a tad too dry for my liking.
Pear and Chocolate Crumble, Vanilla Ice Cream ($12) - And for desserts, pear and chocolate crumble served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The crust lacked the oven baked taste whilst the chocolate came across as a little underwhelming. But on the bright side, I loved the little wayward chunks of crumble.
Thanks to Bull & Butcher for the invite!
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Popped by Bistro Du Vin's original outlet one sunny weekday afternoon for lunch with a couple of my colleagues. Promising to serve up honest to goodness classical French food, the restaurant is one of the many brand names under the Les Amis umbrella.
Located on the 2nd floor of Shaw Centre, Bistro Du Vin plays neighbour to a Vietnamese Restaurant and of course it's upmarket sibling, Les Amis. The interior is reminiscent of a typical French brasserie, from the red walls right down to the tiled floor. However, tables are spaced a little too close for comfort which makes normal conversations a tad difficult. Proper sound proofing is also lacking and the entire place sounds like a market when running at full capacity.
Complimentary Bread - The bread was a simple and simple crusty baguette served with orange butter. Pretty nice and a great way to stave off the hunger pangs.
White Asparagus Velouté - I honestly didn't quite take to the white asparagus veloute, which was a little too runny for my liking. There was also a bitter aftertaste to it - something which I certainly didn't appreciate.
Char Grilled Australian Angus Ribeye - This required a top up of $10 to the price of the set lunch but it was well worth it in my humble opinion. Done up medium as per my request, the meat was flavourful and juicy with hints of smokiness from the char grilling. The accompanying truffle mash ( $3 ) was smooth and fragrant as well and the truffle honestly helped elevate what would have been a boring, bland side of mash.
However, in a subsequent visit, I had the exact same thing and it was still good, just that the salt content was a little too high for my liking.
Walnut Tart - And for desserts I had a pretty good walnut tart - solid tart base with walnuts set amidst rich chocolate and caramel filling. Between this and the Pink Tiramisu which I had on my subsequent visit, I honestly preferred this (though the pink tiramisu was something different). Served up with a scoop of real vanilla bean ice cream.
The standard lunch set is a reasonable $30 but it is the top ups that really "upsize" the bill. Still, food quality is pretty decent and I especially like their steaks. Service is rather clinical and lacks warmth though - an area that the restaurant might want to look into.
See my pictures here.
Rating given:
Twas the weekend before Mother's day so we decided to beat the crowds (not to mention the ridiculously priced menus) and celebrate beforehand. A decision was made to try out Majestic Restaurant this year and honestly, my expectations were high as many people have raved about it.
The place wasn't big and the interior leaned towards western influences rather than Chinese, with a huge open kitchen and booth seats. We had a corner booth to ourselves which was pretty nice and cosy although I must say that the air conditioning that evening was underwhelming.
Wasabi Chips - Things got off to a good start with the wasabi chips - lightly salted, thin and crisp chips with a mild wasabi kick. Pretty addictive.
Pan Seared Foie Gras - Served up on a slice of watermelon, the foie gras's crisp, well seared exterior belied a soft quivery composition whose sweetness was complemented by that of the watermelon. One of the best foie gras dishes I've ever eaten in a Chinese restaurant.
Double Boiled Sea Treasures with Superior Shark's Fin and Black Truffle - I thought that the soup was deliciously sweet yet light. It definitely helped that there was a plethora of ingredients, from baby abalone to sea cucumber, fish maw, dried scallops, chicken etc. I'm usually not much of a soup person but this was one soup that had me yearning for more. One question though, where is the truffle taste?
Deep Fried Brinjal with Pork Floss - I actually dislike brinjal but this dish was surprisingly quite palatable, with a crisp coating of flour and pork floss, very much like tempura. What I didn't quite take to was the oil content though.
Scallops Wrapped with Bacon - Looks can be deceiving and the scallops wrapped with bacon was one prime example of that. The scallops were huge and the bacon looked like it had nice charred bits along the edges. Alas, the scallops weren't sweet and had a flour like texture whilst the bacon came across as soft and limp. Seriously seriously disappointing.
Salted Egg Yolk Prawn - A seemingly common dish in most Chinese restaurants these days, Majestic's variation came with slices of watermelon and chopped mango. The prawns were quite a size but I couldn't make out any taste or texture of egg yolk. Decent but there are probably loads of restaurants that do this dish better.
Zhejiang Spare Ribs - This was another disappointing dish, with the meat coming across as too hard. But at least the zhejiang vinegar was nicely tart with a hint of sweetness.
Signature Stewed Mee Sua with Baby Abalone - As much as I would like to understand the hype behind this signature dish, I am afraid I fail to comprehend. For starters, the baby abalone was, well, tiny and the soup base wasn't flavourful enough nor was the Mee Sua (面线) silky enough. Overall, a rather average dish in my humble opinion.
Signature Claypot Chicken Rice - Another signature dish from Majestic - the Claypot Chicken Rice. I can't say that I was wowed by it as it was evidently high class chicken rice. Sure, the rice was more fragrant than usual and less oily while the chicken was tender and reasonably plentiful. But seriously?
Durian Paste - We opted for the Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) durian paste to end off our meal and whilst rich, it didn't taste any different from eating straight out of the fruit as the gula melaka taste was non existent. Maybe I should have gone for the fried durian ice cream instead.
One word. Overrated. Dinner was a case of more misses than hits and wasn't cheap by any yardstick, standing at about $577 for 6 pax ($96/pax). Service was very good but I don't think that justifies the high price tag and less than stellar quality of food. I am pretty sure with $96/pax, I can get seriously better food elsewhere. Also, the choice of music played in the restaurant is pretty weird. Why would you play English pop music in a Chinese restaurant?
See my entire review here.
Rating given:
Popped by Canton Paradise @ I12 Katong one weekday afternoon for some dim sum to chase away the weekday blues. I honestly would have preferred Wah Lok but didn't quite fancy jostling with the CBD crowd and it definitely helped that the porridge at Canton Paradise had a certain allure. Just for the record, as at time of writing, I've been to Canton Paradise a total of 9 times in 3 months, but this is probably going to be my only post on Canton Paradise (I am usually too famished during lunch to bother taking photos). And yes, I'm that crazy about dim sum.
The place is huge and sports a rather "ancient Chinese" decor with its uneven brick walls and wooden decorative panels. If you can stand the cold air conditioning, ask for a booth seat (2-4 pax) because the other tables are spaced a tad too close for comfortable conversation.
BBQ Combination - We had the combination platter of BBQ pork belly with honey sauce and roasted pork, of which the former was sinfully better with a high fat to meat ratio and smothered in gooey honey marinade. I personally like to eat the BBQ pork belly with the salted peanuts that are served alongside. Makes for a nice contrast in both areas of taste and texture. Unfortunately, the BBQ pork's skin wasn't crisp enough and I think they need to add in a wee bit more salt for flavouring.
Steamed Cheong Fun with BBQ Pork - The cheong fun featured translucent but rather limp skin with a reasonable amount of BBQ pork filling. Decent but no great shakes. And remember to eat immediately when served, lest it turns cold and clammy.
Steamed Prawn Dumplings - Fresh, crunchy prawns coupled with translucent but mildly elastic skin. Pretty decent.
Steamed Pork Dumplings - The "porkyness" of the siew mai wasn't too overwhelming and the fat to lean meat ratio was reasonable. As with most dim sum items, eat them while they are hot.
Century Egg Porridge with Lean Meat - I personally think the porridge, especially the 皮蛋瘦肉粥, at Canton Paradise is quite good and this is one of the main reasons why I keep coming back. Consistently sticky with visible rice grains and a subtle, savoury aftertaste. And that's coming from someone who doesn't take century egg. The meatball porridge is nice as well but a little on the bland side.
Baked BBQ Honey Pork Bun - This is reminiscent of the one I had at Tim Ho Wan in HK. Unfortunately, the standards did not quite match up. For starters, the base was overly oily and the BBQ pork wasn't gooey enough. Decent but try the real thing from Tim Ho Wan when it opens in Singapore!
If my memory serves me correct, the bill for this lunch came up to around $50, which is pretty much the range you pay for decent quality dim sum these days. However the staff did seem a little overwhelmed with the place running at almost full capacity, which naturally led to slower service and forgotten requests.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given: