Didn't fancy jostling with the crowds for a seat during dinner so popped by Oscar's for a relatively peaceful meal far from the maddening crowds.
Located on the ground floor of Conrad Centennial, this versatile cafe is known for its international buffet spreads, but we decided to go against the norm and opted for ala carte instead. Decor is rather "cafeish" with a good mix of wood and opulent lighting, complete with Birds of Paradise donning the place.
Personally, I thought the chicken & mango wrap was nicely done as the wrap was lightly toasted and not too thick. The filling of chicken and mango went well with what tasted like the peanut sauce found in Rojak - sweet yet not overwhelming. Fresh crunchy vegetables added zest and juiciness to the dish. Lest expectations shoot too high for this dish, let me just say that its decent, but not outstanding.
Conrad Burger - I've developed a penchant for burgers recently so got myself their signature burger to try. The finely grounded beef patty was a little too overdone but still relatively juicy and tasty without coming too strong on the raw beef taste. Bacon strips beneath a buttery toasted bun provided a nice salty taste.
Oscar's Profiteroles - The profiteroles were quite a bit of a let down. Firstly, they didn't come drenched in chocolate (unlike the ones in France), which would have made it so much nicer. You would have probably guessed that the chocolate syrup was woefully inadequate. On the upside, the ice cream was nice and smooth but strangely enough, the pistachio ice cream tasted more like almond to me.
Chocolate Royal Hazelnut Crunch - A most delightful (and not to mention sinful) dessert, the hazelnut crunch was light and not too rich, complete with a nice wafer biscuit base. Very much like eating a smooth rendition of Rocher, which I personally fancy quite a bit. I didn't quite take to the macaroon, cold Sauternes Sabayon or tropical fruit though.
$85 for 1 appetiser, 1 main and 2 desserts certainly doesn't qualify as value for money. However, food quality is arguably above average so that might just lessen the pain of forking out so much money a wee bit. Service, though professional, could have been friendlier.
Fans of the now defunct PaPi at Mohd Sultan road will be happy to know that Chef Salvatore, who headed the kitchens there, has ventured out to start a new Italian restaurant - La Noce.
Hidden in a secluded area just along Chu Lin Road, off the Hillview estate, La Noce, which means "Walnut", is a tiny eatery which can probably hold about 35 pax. The interior is simply furnished and instantly puts one at ease with its cosiness and warmth. Please be warned that its not an easy place to find but if you do find it, there's free valet parking available. And public transport is a big no no, unless you are willing to walk.
The complimentary bread was a joke. Charred on the outside and dry on the inside. It wasn't served warm as well. What else can I say?
Vitello Tonnato - For $18, I had honestly expected more. Sure, the veal was thinly sliced but the taste was overwhelmed by the tuna sauce so much so that you could have substituted the veal with ham and I wouldn't really be able to tell the difference. Still a decent dish though.
Ravioli White Truffle - You could have imagined my delight when I heard from our waiter that La Noce was actually doing a special of White Truffle Ravioli. Honestly, for $24 a pop, I certainly didn't expect much. However, what I got was way below expectations. The white truffle flakes, if any, were drowned by the cream sauce which was a pity really, considering that white truffles have to be eaten with something light to bring out its aroma and taste. The stuffing inside the Ravioli, which our waiter claimed was made from white truffles (a most unbelievable statement considering the prohibitive prices of white truffles), tasted like mashed up cheese and together with the cream sauce, made for a nausea inducing dish.
Quattro Stagioni - The Stagioni, or 4 seasons pizza as it's also known, was decent but not outstanding. The crust, though thin, was way too hard and I had problems cutting through it. Quantity of ingredients was sufficient though.
La Noce Souffle - This has got to be one of the lousier Chocolate Souffles that I've ever eaten. Minimal chocolate oozed out of the cake when I broke through the crust, which was a bummer really. The texture of the cake didn't taste like cake, but more of kueh, soft and a tad elastic. And $14 for this is a joke.
Dessert Platter - Tiramisu, pine nuts pie, Panna Cotta and Profiteroles made up the dessert platter and honestly, none were outstanding, all average at best. The tiramisu has no alcohol in it, which would still have been acceptable if it was fluffy and moist - both of which were lacking. The profiteroles were reminiscent of the ones in France, freshly drenched in chocolate and served. The only glaring difference was that the ones from La Noce were drenched in chocolate and then left to sit before serving, which made the pastry rather soft.
Sadly, even the quintessential panna cotta wasn't up to the mark. It wasn't very quivery or sweet enough. The pine nut pie was the best of the lot, with the pine but filling light yet tasty. But still not outstanding.
$490 for 7 pax is honestly a case of too little, too much. Too little in terms of quality/value and too much in terms of cost. Service is excellent and so is the hospitality of Chef Salvatore, but he needs to bring back the standards of PaPi before I'll even considering stepping in again.
Was invited for a dinner at Sketches last night. Never really wanted to try this place out, so I didn't know what to expect from this place. The first impression I got when I stepped in was the smell from the kitchen. It's open concept kitchen is right smack in the center of the restaurant. And the smell will get stuck to your clothes and hair after you're done dining. Hence not recommended if you're not heading home after meal at Sketches. Alternatively, try to sit outside away from the Kitchen. It might help reduce the lingering "Food court" after smell on you.
As we were late, the menu was cleared from the table as others had already ordered. We attempted couple of time to get someone to give us a menu, and only after thrice before we caught a waitress. (All of them seemed to be busy clustering somewhere behind the restaurant...)
We were presented 2 different menu. One with listing of all ala carte orders and the other one which looks like a giant notepad where you have boxes to tick and create your own "Designer" pasta. My bf choice to go for the pasta and I ordered the wild mushroom pizza.
First the pasta came, and after "digging" through the plate, we discovered that they got our order wrong. We choice 2 different pasta but they only used one. We told the waitress and she cleared the plate and got the kitchen to remake for us. (Yes we saw her dumping the entire plate of pasta into the bin when she walked back to the kitchen. Advantage of an open concept kitchen for customers.)
The right combination of pasta arrived shortly. The taste was pretty good. And the serving for the small size is already quite filling. Unless you're super hungry or sharing with friends, I'll not recommend you to tick the bigger servings.
They took quite a long time to serve my mushroom pizza. When it finally arrived, I was disappointed. The pizza was alittle too tough on the dough and the shrooms on it were tasteless. The cheese wasn't well spread and I was only able to taste the cheese on few slices of the entire pizza. The rest were just covered with few pieces of sliced shrooms. I had to whack quite abit of shredded cheese and tabasco sauce on the pizza to make it taste slightly better.
Overall the place was quite nice, pricing was reasonable. I'll probably go back for their pasta since I can choose what I want in it and I'll totally avoid the pizzas.
Dropped by Epicurious, one of the lesser known outfits dotting Roberton Quay, for a late dinner. Interestingly, the word epicurious stems from the words epicure, which is used to describe someone with refined taste, especially in food and wine and curious.
Occupying just a small unit along the bustling Roberston Walk, Epicurious does mostly al fresco seating with the exception of 3 small tables in its tiny interior which seem to suffer from cooling problems (read. Where's the airconditioning?) The al fresco area has big blower fans to cool the area though, which is probably why people usually choose to sit outside instead of inside (from my observations).
Epicurious Burger - Read many good things about the burger so thought I would give it a shot with the works ($4 for an addition of egg, cheese and bacon) First looks, it didn't come across as impressive as the one from Wild Rocket, especially in the size department. Taste wise was pretty decent though. The beef patty could have been a little less cooked but still managed to retain its juiciness and taste. Add the egg, cheese and bacon in and you get one hearty burger. I didn't like the bread though, which was a little too toasted, rendering it hard. The accompanying fries were just overfried and too salty.
Herb Roasted Half Chicken - The chicken was nice without being too strong on the herbs, a bane that most such dishes suffer from. However, the portions could have been bigger and I personally would have liked it to be a little more sour so as to bring out the contrast.
Hazelnut Cheesecake - Interestingly, the hazelnut cheesecake came topped with strawberries. That aside, it was actually quite good, with the cheese relatively light and airy without being too overwhelming. The base was a concoction of dark chocolate and orange peel, which was certainly something different.
$55 for 2 mains and 1 dessert might seem to be pushing the boundaries for reasonable pricing. But food is pretty decent and the place is rather cosy with good service. Worth a visit if you are in the vicinity and dont want to bust your budget dining at the fancier outfits.
Decided to watch Golden Compass on a weekday in Gold Class to pamper ourselves for once. Haa....
Surprised to see that it is almost fully booked on a weekday afternoon. Hmm... Seem like a lot of ppl really dun mind spending money for comfort. Haa...
Once in, we are greeted by very polite servers. There is a lounge for us to relax while waiting for our movie to start. The menu is very impressive as well where we can order set meals to snacks to even beer or while while watching the movies. Haa...
Once we are urshered to our seats, we are greeted by big plush red sofa chairs, with a blanket on the sides. The seats are very comfortable and with a push on the side button, the seat will slowly move into a flat bed position. So you can adjust to whatever position that you are comfortable with.
There is a small table in between the seats where you can place your snacks or food. There is a button on the table where you can press for service.
As there is only like 24 seats in the cinema, the space is really big and no way the person in front can block you. The screen is a wide large screen that fills the length of the room.
Paying $25 per ticket ($30 for weekends), is consider a luxruy to me. However if the movie is 2.5 hrs or even longer, I think the money is worth spending. At times, they will have special promotion for with food tied in with the movie and I think that is much more worth it.
What a way to pamper a movie lover like myself. Hee.....
So we changed before we started and the locker was well equiped with a robe, shorts, slippers and towels.
Before we started, we were served some tea, before we start our Jacuzzi. Since it was outdoor and it was raining, the hot Jacuzzi was a good welcome. Spent about 40 mins in it. We were given fresh towels to dry ourselves.
After which, we were urshered to our respective steamrooms.
While waiting for the scrubs, we were urshered into a holding area, where we can sit down and relax, with hot tea provided.
For our body scrubs, we chose sugar scrub with lavender scent. We were urshered into a room with smoothing music playing at the same time. While lying on the bed, they "forcefully" scrub the lavender scent sugar crystals on us. It is not painful but a little ticklish. Hee.... After which we were asked to shower off. Our bodies were smelling great after it.
After another cup of hot tea, we started our massage. I got the Traditional Indonesian Massage while my partner got Indulgent Aroma Massage. For mine, it was done in a good and forceful way. It did relax all my tensed muscles. The whole massage was smooth and relaxing. The massuer also used enough force as well.
After another quick shower, we lazed around with another hot cup of tea, relaxing.
The whole experience was very good and it was done in a professional way as well. It seems that we have the whole palce to us as there is no other people at the same time. This was great as we dun feel like rush to complete our package.
In fact the whole experience was so good that we signed up for another 3 more couple packages. Since the spa is located in Safra, the rpcie is also cheaper than those in town area or in hotels. So looking forward to our next spa experience. For those who have not tried it, should do so quick!
Was at a blogger event last night at Essential Brew. The place was cosy and nice. I like the way they did up the upper deck. But for those with smelly feet, you might want to stay on the lower deck. (Cos you need to remove your shoes if you dine at the upper floor.) And ladies in super mini skirt, please avoid too. Or bring a jacket. :)
I forgot to take a look at the menu, was busy taking photos of it but didn't flip it open.
I had the Cajun Dory and I enjoyed it. (Although it was already cold when I ate it.) The fish was still crispy outside and the softness inside is nice. There was no fishy smell and the cajun blended well with the fish. The rice that came with it was something unique. It looked like curry sauce at first but it was sweet. I lovee it so much I cleared off the entire plate! The rice has a sauce over it which tasted like Oolong tea. It gives a refreshing feeling.
The desserts were served complimentary. For my table it was a brownie like cake with ice-cream. It doesn't taste like brownie so I'm calling it chocolate cake. This one I would probably give it a miss as it was not to my liking.
Now that I've got their discount card, I'll most probably be going back when I have time to travel all the way to Holland Village. I want to try their other dishes! The Crispy Lemongrass Chicken and the Honey Mastard Chicken looks nice too.
Popped by the Siglap area for lunch one afternoon with my colleague and chanced upon Sushi Jiro while scouring the area for Japanese food.
Unpretentiously located along East Coast Road just before Siglap Centre, Sushi Jiro plays neighbour to the more illustrious Perle Noir, which incidentally, is never open for lunch. The decor is simple and you get to dine in private tatami rooms which can probably seat about 2-8 pax.
I've honestly not eaten enough Chawamushi to gauge whether Sushi Jiro's rendition was good, but I did like it for coming across as light on the palate. The addition of orange peel to the rather watery base was a nice touch as it introduced a slightly bitter dimension to the dish.
Wakadori Karaage - The chicken was nice and crispy but tasted like it had too much oil. Every bite brought forth a secretion of juices (oil water), which got me worrying for my health really.
Eihire - This dish piqued my curiosity quite a bit as I've never eaten stingray fins before. Lightly grilled, the fins were interesting but not something I would order again. It seemed rather salty for starters and when eaten with the mayonnaise, the flavours didn't seem to complement, to the extent of being weird.
Tempura Moriawase - Almost a staple regardless of which Japanese restaurant I patronise, the tempura batter was thin and light but a little too bland for my liking. I did like the prawns that came with it though, huge, fresh and sweet. The other stuff were rather average.
California Maki - I can't think of a better word than average to describe the California Maki. Rice was of the right texture but seemed a little too scattered. The only plus point was that it was covered with roe.
I would say that overall the meal was very average but the tatami rooms did make for a more private and enjoyable lunch. However, $58 for 2 pax might seem a little steep especially for the quality and quantity of food. That said, service is good and they have a rather novel system (at least in Singapore) of catching the wait staff's attention, which is to clap your hands.
After reading the recent reviews of sushi my craving for some brought me to this new branch at AMK today.
To me, sushi are all about the same. The element that separates the good and the average ones is the freshness and the rice grain used for the sushi. And Suki Sushi is just an average and at times below average kind of sushi.
But for the price of 99cents, who cares if the rice used is top notch or not. As long as the salmon and tako is fresh and edible, I'm good.
Decor of the place is simple and Jap like. If I didn't see wrongly, all the seats are around the belt. This is good cos everyone will be able to help themselves to the cheap sushi on the belt. The kitchen is right in the center of the belt and there's a little table on the same level as the belt, slightly above the dining table. This is where they'll place the food you ordered through the waiters. Great idea as this allow the waiters to concentrate on taking orders and clearing the plastic covers from the table. Serving is done by the kitchen helpers.
Am giving it a 4/5 cos of the value for money color plates at 99cents. Will surely go back for more. Maybe a Yebber Suki Sushi outing one day? Haha!
My friend recommended us to this place since we have no idea where to eat.
This cafe is well hidden and it is in between two small cafes as well. The cafe is small, very small. The tables are spilled out onto the walkway as well. There was a small queue going on. Seem like the place is really popular!
We were shown to our table fast. Simple table and chair, nothing fanciful about. The menu is simple with no pics. The got set meals which consist of Soup, Main (Pasta), Dessert and Drink. Set dinner cost $15.20 nett.
The mains mainly consist of pasta dishes, about 20 to choose form but no pics. In the end I ordered Teriyaki Chicken Meatball Pasta. It was ok, do quite like the meatball though.
The soup, drink as normal and the dessert nothing to wow about.
The service is a bit slow as I think only 1 manager and 2 waiters doing the serving, cleaning and ushering at the same time. Everything have to wait, even to top out water. When we asked for our desserts, only 2 came out and waited for the 3rd one, then to realised that they actually forgotten about it.
I start to wonder y so many ppl started to queue up as the food is passable, and to say that the place is quite ulu as well.
Well in the end I concluded that it is cheap and the portions are quite big. There is no service charge or GST which can be quite a big draw as well.
Didn't fancy jostling with the crowds for a seat during dinner so popped by Oscar's for a relatively peaceful meal far from the maddening crowds.
Located on the ground floor of Conrad Centennial, this versatile cafe is known for its international buffet spreads, but we decided to go against the norm and opted for ala carte instead. Decor is rather "cafeish" with a good mix of wood and opulent lighting, complete with Birds of Paradise donning the place.
Personally, I thought the chicken & mango wrap was nicely done as the wrap was lightly toasted and not too thick. The filling of chicken and mango went well with what tasted like the peanut sauce found in Rojak - sweet yet not overwhelming. Fresh crunchy vegetables added zest and juiciness to the dish. Lest expectations shoot too high for this dish, let me just say that its decent, but not outstanding.
Conrad Burger - I've developed a penchant for burgers recently so got myself their signature burger to try. The finely grounded beef patty was a little too overdone but still relatively juicy and tasty without coming too strong on the raw beef taste. Bacon strips beneath a buttery toasted bun provided a nice salty taste.
Oscar's Profiteroles - The profiteroles were quite a bit of a let down. Firstly, they didn't come drenched in chocolate (unlike the ones in France), which would have made it so much nicer. You would have probably guessed that the chocolate syrup was woefully inadequate. On the upside, the ice cream was nice and smooth but strangely enough, the pistachio ice cream tasted more like almond to me.
Chocolate Royal Hazelnut Crunch - A most delightful (and not to mention sinful) dessert, the hazelnut crunch was light and not too rich, complete with a nice wafer biscuit base. Very much like eating a smooth rendition of Rocher, which I personally fancy quite a bit. I didn't quite take to the macaroon, cold Sauternes Sabayon or tropical fruit though.
$85 for 1 appetiser, 1 main and 2 desserts certainly doesn't qualify as value for money. However, food quality is arguably above average so that might just lessen the pain of forking out so much money a wee bit. Service, though professional, could have been friendlier.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Fans of the now defunct PaPi at Mohd Sultan road will be happy to know that Chef Salvatore, who headed the kitchens there, has ventured out to start a new Italian restaurant - La Noce.
Hidden in a secluded area just along Chu Lin Road, off the Hillview estate, La Noce, which means "Walnut", is a tiny eatery which can probably hold about 35 pax. The interior is simply furnished and instantly puts one at ease with its cosiness and warmth. Please be warned that its not an easy place to find but if you do find it, there's free valet parking available. And public transport is a big no no, unless you are willing to walk.
The complimentary bread was a joke. Charred on the outside and dry on the inside. It wasn't served warm as well. What else can I say?
Vitello Tonnato - For $18, I had honestly expected more. Sure, the veal was thinly sliced but the taste was overwhelmed by the tuna sauce so much so that you could have substituted the veal with ham and I wouldn't really be able to tell the difference. Still a decent dish though.
Ravioli White Truffle - You could have imagined my delight when I heard from our waiter that La Noce was actually doing a special of White Truffle Ravioli. Honestly, for $24 a pop, I certainly didn't expect much. However, what I got was way below expectations. The white truffle flakes, if any, were drowned by the cream sauce which was a pity really, considering that white truffles have to be eaten with something light to bring out its aroma and taste. The stuffing inside the Ravioli, which our waiter claimed was made from white truffles (a most unbelievable statement considering the prohibitive prices of white truffles), tasted like mashed up cheese and together with the cream sauce, made for a nausea inducing dish.
Quattro Stagioni - The Stagioni, or 4 seasons pizza as it's also known, was decent but not outstanding. The crust, though thin, was way too hard and I had problems cutting through it. Quantity of ingredients was sufficient though.
La Noce Souffle - This has got to be one of the lousier Chocolate Souffles that I've ever eaten. Minimal chocolate oozed out of the cake when I broke through the crust, which was a bummer really. The texture of the cake didn't taste like cake, but more of kueh, soft and a tad elastic. And $14 for this is a joke.
Dessert Platter - Tiramisu, pine nuts pie, Panna Cotta and Profiteroles made up the dessert platter and honestly, none were outstanding, all average at best. The tiramisu has no alcohol in it, which would still have been acceptable if it was fluffy and moist - both of which were lacking. The profiteroles were reminiscent of the ones in France, freshly drenched in chocolate and served. The only glaring difference was that the ones from La Noce were drenched in chocolate and then left to sit before serving, which made the pastry rather soft.
Sadly, even the quintessential panna cotta wasn't up to the mark. It wasn't very quivery or sweet enough. The pine nut pie was the best of the lot, with the pine but filling light yet tasty. But still not outstanding.
$490 for 7 pax is honestly a case of too little, too much. Too little in terms of quality/value and too much in terms of cost. Service is excellent and so is the hospitality of Chef Salvatore, but he needs to bring back the standards of PaPi before I'll even considering stepping in again.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Was invited for a dinner at Sketches last night. Never really wanted to try this place out, so I didn't know what to expect from this place. The first impression I got when I stepped in was the smell from the kitchen. It's open concept kitchen is right smack in the center of the restaurant. And the smell will get stuck to your clothes and hair after you're done dining. Hence not recommended if you're not heading home after meal at Sketches. Alternatively, try to sit outside away from the Kitchen. It might help reduce the lingering "Food court" after smell on you.
As we were late, the menu was cleared from the table as others had already ordered. We attempted couple of time to get someone to give us a menu, and only after thrice before we caught a waitress. (All of them seemed to be busy clustering somewhere behind the restaurant...)
We were presented 2 different menu. One with listing of all ala carte orders and the other one which looks like a giant notepad where you have boxes to tick and create your own "Designer" pasta. My bf choice to go for the pasta and I ordered the wild mushroom pizza.
First the pasta came, and after "digging" through the plate, we discovered that they got our order wrong. We choice 2 different pasta but they only used one. We told the waitress and she cleared the plate and got the kitchen to remake for us. (Yes we saw her dumping the entire plate of pasta into the bin when she walked back to the kitchen. Advantage of an open concept kitchen for customers.)
The right combination of pasta arrived shortly. The taste was pretty good. And the serving for the small size is already quite filling. Unless you're super hungry or sharing with friends, I'll not recommend you to tick the bigger servings.
They took quite a long time to serve my mushroom pizza. When it finally arrived, I was disappointed. The pizza was alittle too tough on the dough and the shrooms on it were tasteless. The cheese wasn't well spread and I was only able to taste the cheese on few slices of the entire pizza. The rest were just covered with few pieces of sliced shrooms. I had to whack quite abit of shredded cheese and tabasco sauce on the pizza to make it taste slightly better.
Overall the place was quite nice, pricing was reasonable. I'll probably go back for their pasta since I can choose what I want in it and I'll totally avoid the pizzas.
Rating given:
Dropped by Epicurious, one of the lesser known outfits dotting Roberton Quay, for a late dinner. Interestingly, the word epicurious stems from the words epicure, which is used to describe someone with refined taste, especially in food and wine and curious.
Occupying just a small unit along the bustling Roberston Walk, Epicurious does mostly al fresco seating with the exception of 3 small tables in its tiny interior which seem to suffer from cooling problems (read. Where's the airconditioning?) The al fresco area has big blower fans to cool the area though, which is probably why people usually choose to sit outside instead of inside (from my observations).
Epicurious Burger - Read many good things about the burger so thought I would give it a shot with the works ($4 for an addition of egg, cheese and bacon) First looks, it didn't come across as impressive as the one from Wild Rocket, especially in the size department. Taste wise was pretty decent though. The beef patty could have been a little less cooked but still managed to retain its juiciness and taste. Add the egg, cheese and bacon in and you get one hearty burger. I didn't like the bread though, which was a little too toasted, rendering it hard. The accompanying fries were just overfried and too salty.
Herb Roasted Half Chicken - The chicken was nice without being too strong on the herbs, a bane that most such dishes suffer from. However, the portions could have been bigger and I personally would have liked it to be a little more sour so as to bring out the contrast.
Hazelnut Cheesecake - Interestingly, the hazelnut cheesecake came topped with strawberries. That aside, it was actually quite good, with the cheese relatively light and airy without being too overwhelming. The base was a concoction of dark chocolate and orange peel, which was certainly something different.
$55 for 2 mains and 1 dessert might seem to be pushing the boundaries for reasonable pricing. But food is pretty decent and the place is rather cosy with good service. Worth a visit if you are in the vicinity and dont want to bust your budget dining at the fancier outfits.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Decided to watch Golden Compass on a weekday in Gold Class to pamper ourselves for once. Haa....
Surprised to see that it is almost fully booked on a weekday afternoon. Hmm... Seem like a lot of ppl really dun mind spending money for comfort. Haa...
Once in, we are greeted by very polite servers. There is a lounge for us to relax while waiting for our movie to start. The menu is very impressive as well where we can order set meals to snacks to even beer or while while watching the movies. Haa...
Once we are urshered to our seats, we are greeted by big plush red sofa chairs, with a blanket on the sides. The seats are very comfortable and with a push on the side button, the seat will slowly move into a flat bed position. So you can adjust to whatever position that you are comfortable with.
There is a small table in between the seats where you can place your snacks or food. There is a button on the table where you can press for service.
As there is only like 24 seats in the cinema, the space is really big and no way the person in front can block you. The screen is a wide large screen that fills the length of the room.
Paying $25 per ticket ($30 for weekends), is consider a luxruy to me. However if the movie is 2.5 hrs or even longer, I think the money is worth spending. At times, they will have special promotion for with food tied in with the movie and I think that is much more worth it.
What a way to pamper a movie lover like myself. Hee.....
Rating given:
Went for my 1st Spa experience @ The Rainforest Spa. When 1st step in, the whole place gave a very calming and peaceful effect.
Since it is our 1st time there, the reception was patient to explain our package to us. Our package includes of
1. Outdoor Jacuzzi & Steam Bath
2. Body Scrub
3. Massage
So we changed before we started and the locker was well equiped with a robe, shorts, slippers and towels.
Before we started, we were served some tea, before we start our Jacuzzi. Since it was outdoor and it was raining, the hot Jacuzzi was a good welcome. Spent about 40 mins in it. We were given fresh towels to dry ourselves.
After which, we were urshered to our respective steamrooms.
While waiting for the scrubs, we were urshered into a holding area, where we can sit down and relax, with hot tea provided.
For our body scrubs, we chose sugar scrub with lavender scent. We were urshered into a room with smoothing music playing at the same time. While lying on the bed, they "forcefully" scrub the lavender scent sugar crystals on us. It is not painful but a little ticklish. Hee.... After which we were asked to shower off. Our bodies were smelling great after it.
After another cup of hot tea, we started our massage. I got the Traditional Indonesian Massage while my partner got Indulgent Aroma Massage. For mine, it was done in a good and forceful way. It did relax all my tensed muscles. The whole massage was smooth and relaxing. The massuer also used enough force as well.
After another quick shower, we lazed around with another hot cup of tea, relaxing.
The whole experience was very good and it was done in a professional way as well. It seems that we have the whole palce to us as there is no other people at the same time. This was great as we dun feel like rush to complete our package.
In fact the whole experience was so good that we signed up for another 3 more couple packages. Since the spa is located in Safra, the rpcie is also cheaper than those in town area or in hotels. So looking forward to our next spa experience. For those who have not tried it, should do so quick!
Time to feel relax in these stressful times!
Rating given:
Was at a blogger event last night at Essential Brew. The place was cosy and nice. I like the way they did up the upper deck. But for those with smelly feet, you might want to stay on the lower deck. (Cos you need to remove your shoes if you dine at the upper floor.) And ladies in super mini skirt, please avoid too. Or bring a jacket. :)
I forgot to take a look at the menu, was busy taking photos of it but didn't flip it open.
I had the Cajun Dory and I enjoyed it. (Although it was already cold when I ate it.) The fish was still crispy outside and the softness inside is nice. There was no fishy smell and the cajun blended well with the fish. The rice that came with it was something unique. It looked like curry sauce at first but it was sweet. I lovee it so much I cleared off the entire plate! The rice has a sauce over it which tasted like Oolong tea. It gives a refreshing feeling.
The desserts were served complimentary. For my table it was a brownie like cake with ice-cream. It doesn't taste like brownie so I'm calling it chocolate cake. This one I would probably give it a miss as it was not to my liking.
Now that I've got their discount card, I'll most probably be going back when I have time to travel all the way to Holland Village. I want to try their other dishes! The Crispy Lemongrass Chicken and the Honey Mastard Chicken looks nice too.
Anyone want to go give this place a try? ;)
Rating given:
Popped by the Siglap area for lunch one afternoon with my colleague and chanced upon Sushi Jiro while scouring the area for Japanese food.
Unpretentiously located along East Coast Road just before Siglap Centre, Sushi Jiro plays neighbour to the more illustrious Perle Noir, which incidentally, is never open for lunch. The decor is simple and you get to dine in private tatami rooms which can probably seat about 2-8 pax.
I've honestly not eaten enough Chawamushi to gauge whether Sushi Jiro's rendition was good, but I did like it for coming across as light on the palate. The addition of orange peel to the rather watery base was a nice touch as it introduced a slightly bitter dimension to the dish.
Wakadori Karaage - The chicken was nice and crispy but tasted like it had too much oil. Every bite brought forth a secretion of juices (oil water), which got me worrying for my health really.
Eihire - This dish piqued my curiosity quite a bit as I've never eaten stingray fins before. Lightly grilled, the fins were interesting but not something I would order again. It seemed rather salty for starters and when eaten with the mayonnaise, the flavours didn't seem to complement, to the extent of being weird.
Tempura Moriawase - Almost a staple regardless of which Japanese restaurant I patronise, the tempura batter was thin and light but a little too bland for my liking. I did like the prawns that came with it though, huge, fresh and sweet. The other stuff were rather average.
California Maki - I can't think of a better word than average to describe the California Maki. Rice was of the right texture but seemed a little too scattered. The only plus point was that it was covered with roe.
I would say that overall the meal was very average but the tatami rooms did make for a more private and enjoyable lunch. However, $58 for 2 pax might seem a little steep especially for the quality and quantity of food. That said, service is good and they have a rather novel system (at least in Singapore) of catching the wait staff's attention, which is to clap your hands.
See all my pictures here
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After reading the recent reviews of sushi my craving for some brought me to this new branch at AMK today.
To me, sushi are all about the same. The element that separates the good and the average ones is the freshness and the rice grain used for the sushi. And Suki Sushi is just an average and at times below average kind of sushi.
But for the price of 99cents, who cares if the rice used is top notch or not. As long as the salmon and tako is fresh and edible, I'm good.
Decor of the place is simple and Jap like. If I didn't see wrongly, all the seats are around the belt. This is good cos everyone will be able to help themselves to the cheap sushi on the belt. The kitchen is right in the center of the belt and there's a little table on the same level as the belt, slightly above the dining table. This is where they'll place the food you ordered through the waiters. Great idea as this allow the waiters to concentrate on taking orders and clearing the plastic covers from the table. Serving is done by the kitchen helpers.
Am giving it a 4/5 cos of the value for money color plates at 99cents. Will surely go back for more. Maybe a Yebber Suki Sushi outing one day? Haha!
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My friend recommended us to this place since we have no idea where to eat.
This cafe is well hidden and it is in between two small cafes as well. The cafe is small, very small. The tables are spilled out onto the walkway as well. There was a small queue going on. Seem like the place is really popular!
We were shown to our table fast. Simple table and chair, nothing fanciful about. The menu is simple with no pics. The got set meals which consist of Soup, Main (Pasta), Dessert and Drink. Set dinner cost $15.20 nett.
The mains mainly consist of pasta dishes, about 20 to choose form but no pics. In the end I ordered Teriyaki Chicken Meatball Pasta. It was ok, do quite like the meatball though.
The soup, drink as normal and the dessert nothing to wow about.
The service is a bit slow as I think only 1 manager and 2 waiters doing the serving, cleaning and ushering at the same time. Everything have to wait, even to top out water. When we asked for our desserts, only 2 came out and waited for the 3rd one, then to realised that they actually forgotten about it.
I start to wonder y so many ppl started to queue up as the food is passable, and to say that the place is quite ulu as well.
Well in the end I concluded that it is cheap and the portions are quite big. There is no service charge or GST which can be quite a big draw as well.
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