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Sport & Recreation
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Cafe Le Pastry has been in existence for over 50 years and my mum occasionally buys a box or two of its Pineapple tarts home because I'm quite crazy over it.
Located at a nondescript shophouse just next to a Chicken Rice stall, it lies near the junction of Middle Road and Selegie Road, along the outskirts of town. Newspaper cuttings and photographs of celebrities and its specialties adorn the stall front, making for a rather cluttered and comical looking shop. Step through the narrow space and be greeted by a friendly lady who promptly informs you that all of their specialties are sold out and they have to be booked a day in advance. Lucky for me, they were in the midst of making a fresh batch and I only had to wait an hour to get my hands on their famous pineapple tarts and beancurd tarts.
Golf Balls aka Pineapple Tarts ($7 for 10) - My all time favourite Chinese New Year goodie, pineapple tarts! (Ok I like Bak Kwa as well) The balls were quite a size and came stuffed with copious amounts of not too sweet pineapple filling. The pastry itself was fluffy and a little buttery, making for an excellent dessert. To be honest, my auntie makes better pineapple tarts but Le Cafe probably sells one of the best commercially made pineapple tarts in the market.
Bean Curd Tarts ($5.50 for 6) - First looks at the tarts and I was suitably impressed by the homogeneous texture of the filling and the crust as well the aroma emitted. I wasn't too impressed in the taste department though. True, it was smooth and lightly sweet but the pastry wasn't firm enough for one. Also, it didn't taste out of the ordinary. Pretty much like eating Tao Huey, albeit of a slightly denser form. Having said that (I'm rather contradictory am I not?), it is still something new to me and I do like it enough to want to buy it again.
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There is this new stall selling Vietnamese food near my house and it being a lull and rainy Saturday afternoon, my gf and I checked it out, not so much so for the food, but because we were plain lazy and didn't feel like going anywhere far.
The above mentioned restaurant lies along a row of shophouses in a rather secluded part of Serangoon Gardens, where most people don't actually walk to unless you are looking for the OCBC bank. A rather weird choice for location if you ask me. The shop announces its presence via a huge red signboard on the outside and the interior is decidedly simple Asian.
Cha Gio - Crispy Pork Spring Roll - This dish came highly recommended in the menu and by the waiter, so we had an order of the pork variation (there's chicken as well). Honestly, I didn't think too highly of this dish as it wasn't the least bit interesting. I found it rather average, not that I've tried it before though. The exterior was deep fried until crispy and the filling of pork, shrimps and yam was bland. You probably have to dip it into the sweetish spicy sauce to get any flavour (actually, most of the dishes came with that sauce. Maybe its a staple?)
Chao Tom - Sugar Cane Prawn - This was also recommended and I fairly liked it. A most interesting concept of mincing prawn and fish into a paste and wrapping it over sugar cane. The paste alone was normal but when eaten together with the sugar cane (you have to chew on the sugar cane to get the juice. I don't really think you can swallow the pulp though), you get something which is a mixture of tastes - a perfect blend of salty and sweet. But chewing on the sugar cane can be quite a chore, especially for lazy people like me.
Pho Bo Tai - Beef Slice Noodles - I'm no stranger to Pho, having eaten it through my college years in North America at the dozens of Vietnamese stalls there. However, ever since coming back to Singapore, I've not been able to find one which matches up to what I used to have. Le Viet's rendition comes fairly close, but still lacks the stronger soup base with a more natural and stronger beef taste. The beef slices were medium rare but not as chewy as I would have liked it to be. Quite a generous serving of beef slices though.
Com Tam Suon Nuong - Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop - I had expected broken rice (ie. normal rice broken into smaller bits), but all I got was normal rice. So much for the name. The grilled pork chop tasted familiarly like Char Siew except for the fact that this one seemed a lot fattier. However, the garnishing of spring onion and fried garlic proved to be a winner for this dish. Pleasantly fragrant, it added another angle of taste to the grilled pork chop.
A very filling lunch for 2 came up to about $30 because of a 10% discount (promotion period I believe), which is a little on the high side considering what we had ordered. Bring it down to below $25 and I'll have reason to go back often. Other than that, it will probably be just a once in a blue moon thing. And service is quite good by the way.
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I just can't get enough of muffins, good ones that is. Nestled in the market in the tiny Shunfu precinct, the original branch of Chocolat N' Spice is well known for its freshly baked muffins and the long snaking queues at both its Shunfu and Tanjong Pagar outlets are testament to that. I had one of their famed Chocolate Chip muffin and Blueberry muffin to try.
The muffins were freshly made and very fragrant. The outer layer is a little crispy around the edges yet soft and moist within. The muffin itself was a little sweet when eaten alone. Overall, I found the muffins rather pleasing, but my parents found them a little too sweet.
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Arriving at Binja park, my family walk from the bus stop to Ivin’s, which took around 5min or thereabouts. Ivins is a Peranakan/Nonya restaurant, and although it is located in Binja park off the main Bukit timah road, it was packed to the house when i arrived on a Sat evening.
The dishes Ivins offers are small in servings, but similarly they are cheaper in price. You can normal dishes for vegies, meats, and some other sides at around $4.50 to $6. For fishs, they come in $6.90 to $8, and there are also curry fish heads at $12. Because the servings are all very small, we committed the sin of ordering too many dishes, between the three of us, we ordered 7 dishes, some are good, while some are not. Mayb we are not too familiar with Peranakan food, so we ended up having some dishes which really aren’t to our liking.
Chilly Pomfret ($7.80)
The fish was rather good, it was deep fried, then spread with Ivins special-made chilli. The fish was kind of small though.
Ayam Buah Keluak ($5.90)
Signature dish of Peranakan cuisine. Chicken braised in thick spicy gravy with Buah kuluah nuts. We felt this dish was so-so only, chicken curry with the curry gravy different from our normal curry.
Sambal Kankong ($4.50)
Ahh.. All Kankong are well done when they are fried with Sambal, and when the kankong are not too over-cooked.
Duan Keledek ($4.80)
Sweet potato leaves and sweet potato slices in coconut gravy. This was our fatal mistake, we wanted to have Sweet potato leaves, but when we order this dish, we missed on out the “.. in coconut gravy” We thought the vegies was stir-fried, but in the end it came in the form of a soup? Anyway, the dish wasn’t to our taste.
Honey Pork ($4.60)
This should be the toast of the crown. By far the best dish we ordered, lean pork strips stir-fried in special honey sauce. The meat no doubt look over-burned, but it taste nice with the honey sauce absorbed into the meat.
Udang Sambal ($5)
This was a disappointment really, after we had the Chilly Pomfret, we thought Ivins chilli are good stuff, so we made this additional order for sambal prawn. The prawn is like cooked in water, then with the chilli over it only.
Babi Tauyu ($4.60)
Pork in sweet pepperish sauce. Again, this was a last-min-order. We never expected this to be our commonly known “ru-rou”.
Then mayb you will say, if you don’t know about Perankan cuisine its not the restaurant fault if you never ask right? Oh yea, we did ask the waitress, but many a times, they can’t really speak good english, and also cannot explain to us what are the dishes.
In addition, you will commit the same mistake of ordering too much dishes since the servings are small, and the dishes seem relatively cheap. Nevertheless, i believe Ivins are still a good place for Peranakan cuisine if you know your stuff well, judging from the crowd on a weekend evening. But i am not going back for now. Total bill was $43.70 for 3 person
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” My opinion, my views. If you don’t agree, thats not really a issue “
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Each fondue set came with a small saucer of melted White Chocolate, melted Milk Chocolate and melted Dark Chocolate served over a small flame to heat the liquid chocolate up. Dip items consisted of Marshmallows, Strawberries, cubes of bread and Bananas. The Dark Chocolate was nice and thick without being too sweet. The Milk Chocolate was acceptable but a little too milky for my taste. The White Chocolate was way to sweet for my taste and tasted a little creamy. The unanimous winner for the night was the Dark Chocolate, with everyone voting in favour of it.
At $20 for 1 fondue set (serves 2), I feel it’s quite a rip off. But I’m a sucker for chocolate, so I don’t see an end to me visiting such places, or Max Brenner for that matter – if they buck up on their slow service that is.
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Haato is a feeling, you don’t give or receive haato.
You just feel it. It comes to you so long you open your heart
Haato celebrates the Art of Giving from the heart … to the heart
you won’t See it, Smell it, Touch it, but you can Feel it, its always around you…
Every scoop of Haato is a special experience.
Haato is a unique brand of gelato based on traditional recipes from Japan. It is one of the first gelato counters in Singapore to offer freshly made gelato that is free from artificial colouring and preservatives.
With their flagship outlet (formerly known as Gelato di Crema) at Liang Court Shopping Centre has been serving gelato for more than 16 years and continues to earn rave reviews from people all over the world. Haato is perfect for any occasion. A premium quality treat to be shared with friends and loved ones.
For the hungry pack, Haato @ Ridgewood serves food ranging from Japanese pasta and Japanese don. For sweet delights, enjoy an affogato or waffles with gelato. So drop by this quaint cafe at Ridgewood Close (off Pandan Valley Condominium and Ridgewood Condominium) for a quiet afternoon and some savoury food. (And not to forget the gelato of course!)
Haato @ Ridgewood is rather inaccessible and difficult to find. For one, it is off Pandan Valley Condominium, and if you are coming by Public transport, you need to stop at Ulu Pandan Rd, with the walking distance about 10-15min. Lucky for us, my usual foodie companian Hong Yi and Wee Hong drive, we went there by car. Even so, we spent some time looking for the place as we went one round around Mount Sinai rise before we realise its the wrong way, and found Ridgewood Close. However, despite all the hassle, Haato @ Ridgewood greets me with a delightful surprise when i got there.
Located at Ridgewood Condominium, the place where Haato’s at is actually a row of shops below the Condo. The interior of Haato is actually smaller than i expected, there are also outdoor seats though. Well, if i were to compare with Island Creamery or The Daily Scoop, , i would say Haato win hands-down for its laid-back and chill-out environment. You can order Gelato and sit there chat with your friends whole day. Who says you need to go to Demspey to chill out?
Unagi Pasta ($6.50)
The Unagi Pasta ($6.50) is great value for money. A generous slice of unagi (eel) engulfed in homemade sauce is served with warm Japanese pasta. The taste is not too strong and subtle, very much like home-cooked food. However, the portion is a tad too small.
Chicken Katsudon ($7)
I like this one. Like all Katsudon, the egg cover the layer of chicken and rice underneath it. Nothing special you’ll say, but then sometimes ordinary food taste extraordinary in the company of good friends, and good environment.
Chicken Teriyaki Don ($7.50)
Not too bad, considering the price is relatively inexpensive, and the fact that you are here more for the Gelato than the Japanese Don. But really i think the portion could be a bit bigger : )
Double Cone Gelato chocolate banana & Sweet Potato with Honey chestnut ($4.50)
Chocolate Banana (left) was great, the chocolate Gelato with a hint of banana flavour within. The Sweet Potato with Honey & Chestnut was more disappointing though, relatively tasteless. The double scoop was very generously given by one of the staff. Definitely value for money at $4.50.
Waffle with single scoop Gelato chocolate hazelnut ($6)
Chocolate Hazelnut, my favourite! I always like to order hazelnut ice cream whenever i go to a ice-cream palour. Nutella! The waffle took about ten minutes or so. The Waffle mix is made in-house using an exclusive recipe. Toasted to perfection – crispy on the outside and warm and moist on the inside, it tastes heavenly even on its own. First bite of the waffle was cripsy and soft, and i would say this is one of the better waffles out there.
The Gelato simply melts on my tongue together with the waffle. However the scoop was not as generous as the one above (the double scoop), because this time it was another staff who scoop the Gelato. He gave much smaller scoops for both our waffle compare to the one who gave us the double scoop cone.
Waffle with single scoop Gelato milk tea ($6)
For something different, yet close to home, try the Milk Tea gelato, which tastes exactly like the “Teh Tarik” found in local coffee shops. Milk tea fanatics would like this very much on swelteringly warm days, instead of their usual hot cuppa.
Actually my conclusion of the waffles, they are wonderful, but don’t order Waffle with Gelato, just take waffle with melted butter and treacly maple syrup instead. Reason is simple, the waffle is so good on its own that you don’t need the Gelato to compliment it. Besides, its more worth it to take double scoop at $4.50 than a single scoop on waffle at $6. Furthermore, i found that you could taste the Gelato better on its own, than together with the waffle, because the hot waffle sort of cover the Gelato flavour. So just take Waffle with butter syrup, den a couple of double scoops to share around.
Haato @ Ridgewood is a delightful place to chill-out, will definitely go back again, i’ll take bus the next time if i have to. If you find it far, there are other outlets at Wheelock, Liang Court and Serangoon Gardens. Check em’ out! Their Japanese Don and Pastas might not be the best, but they are there to act as compliments to the Gelato. Total Bill of $37.50 for three person was really not expensive at all. Oh ya, there are board games around to play while you chill with friends. And always feel free to ask for sample of the Gelato if you are not sure which flavour are nice, the staff will always provide you with samplers if you ask.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
" From our heart to yours "
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In conjunction with their 30th anniversary, Business Times offered a set dinner for 2 pax at Jiang Nan Chun for only $30 NETT! Naturally I was excited and after much difficulty, managed to get a table for 2 pax last evening. I had initially wanted to try our One Ninety, but it was fully booked even though I had called at 0830hrs the day the advertisement was published in the newspapers. Imagine that!
Jiang Nan Chun is the flagship Cantonese restaurant of the posh Four Seasons Hotel just along Orchard Boulevard. Its entrance was done up in sombre black with an air of exclusivity. Inside, the main theme revolved around the use of wood, with the walls and partitions spotting wooden finishes. A rather nice place, but pales in comparison to other restaurants of similar standing, like Li Bai, Min Jiang @ One North or even Peach Blossoms.
Since we were there for the promotion, there was no choice of food, although we did add on a few items. The menu of the day included Consommé of Chicken with Chinese Mushrooms, Chinese Cabbage and Bamboo Pith, Steamed Fillet of Cod with Black Fungus Mushroom, Red Dates and Shredded Ginger, Braised Vermicelli with Salted Fish and Minced Pork and Chilled Mango Pudding. We added on a single serving of Yang Chow Fried Rice and Rice Flour Crisp coated with Maple Syrup and Sesame Seeds.
The Consommé of Chicken with Chinese Mushrooms, Chinese Cabbage and Bamboo Pith was very flavourful, probably due to it being double boiled, but too much flavour isn't always a good thing. I personally found the soup a little too overwhelming maybe because I like soups that are light and easy on the palates.
I like Cod Fish for its smooth flesh and minimal raw fishy taste and Jiang Nan Chun's offering didn't disappoint. The Steamed Fillet of Cod with Black Fungus Mushroom, Red Dates and Shredded Ginger was soft and tender, with the red dates giving it a slightly sweet taste, much like the mangoes in Hai Tien Lo's rendition. However I did find the gravy a little heavy on the sweetness.
Joke of the day best describes the Braised Vermicelli with Salted Fish and Minced Pork. It was too soft, a result of soaking the Vermicelli in water for too long and it was practically tasteless. I have eaten better fried Vermicelli in hawker centres. To think that it is listed as one of the Chef's specialties. Geez.
My extra order of Yang Chow Fried Rice was pretty normal. Sure the ingredients were generous and the rice evenly coated and fried, but it wasn't fragrant enough. Add the dryness of the rice and you get a lacklustre offering. Serving size is about a third of your neighbourhood kopitiam's $3 fried rice, but it goes for $8 instead.
In all honesty, I liked the desserts most of all. The Chilled Mango Pudding was very smooth and refreshing without being too sweet. Strands of Pomelo added bite to the dish. Accompanying the Chilled Mango Pudding was a small serving of Avocado Pudding and Almond Biscuit. While I found the Avocado Pudding a little bland, I did like the Almond Biscuit. It was freshly baked and not too dry or soggy, with a slight almond taste. Last up was my other additional order of Rice Flour Crisp coated with Maple Syrup and Sesame Seeds. It looked like Keropok (fish/prawn crackers) with a sprinkling of Sesame Seeds and god knows what. But I liked it! It tasted like Kellog's Honeystars, albeit a crispier, lighter and not so sweet version (For those who have never tried Honeystars, please go to your nearest supermarket and grab a box now).
A slightly above average dinner for 2 pax stood at $48.65/-. Cheap because of the promotion. If not, prices are rather steep and alot of the dishes are priced per head. Service is generally good, but could well do with a little genuine friendliness.
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Another long belated post, this chain of restaurants have been around since 1998 ever since a group of entrepreneurs decided to mine the niche that is the mid-level casual diners. Positioned as a casual and fun eating place at mid-level prices, Fish and Co has since opened multiple outlets throughout Singapore and overseas with new franchises such as "The Simple Life" opened to further boost their business. The question is, is the food really that great? I finally got this answered when my boss brought the crew out for a birthday lunch for a fellow team member. Thanks Boss!
Casual and slick best describes the interior of this restaurant with its soft lighting and wooden separators. Our group managed to get a personal function room all to ourselves which would have been great had the walls been soundproof. Unfortunately, that was not the case and the function room served little purpose in insulating our little gathering from the crowd that thronged outside.
Prawn Fettucini ($13.90), Salmon Cajun ($16.90), Grilled Seasonal Fish ($14.90), Swordfish Collar ($14.90), Mussels Penne ($12.90) and Peri Peri Prawns ($14.90) - The above are items had by my colleagues and boss. The food seems alright to me though a little too generic in preparation and the serving size has shrunk since i last remembered it. I did not get to try most of it so i'll be reserving my comments on these items. There is, however, a service issue with the company on this day. We kept getting wrong orders coming into our "private" room due to the fact that the entire of Fish and Co seemed to be booked by another company for their lunch function. Major points deducted on that hiccup because it didn't happen once, nor twice but as many as 4 times.
Seafood Platter for 1 ($18.90) - Aha! Finally something i had the honor to try. (In all honesty, i had a go at the fried calamari ($8.90) before this but i did not take any pictures. The calamari was pretty nicely fried and lightly battered but wasn't quite chewy nor fragrant as it should be. Decent, nothing more) This platter contained grilled herbal calamari, a healthy smattering of chips, grilled prawns, a dory fillet and rice. High points for variety and the fact that most of its items were grilled and not fried. I liked the calamari for its strong peppery taste and chewy texture but it chilled quickly in the strong air conditioned room. The prawns were quite forgettable while the dory tasted sweet but nothing too special. Overall, the seafood platter is passable but somehow did not quite satisfy my craving for good seafood.
Total bill for 7 people came to an astonishing $166.40. This is a shock to me as it certainly did not feel like we ordered enough to fill that amount.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to try out this restaurant but its probably going to be the last time i visit it or maybe second last since my gf has yet to try it. Service and room problems aside, i simply wasn't impressed with the food that was brought to the table. It came across as a underwhelming on many points. My previous impression of Fish and Co was years ago when my mom brought me there and i remembered bigger fish and smaller prices. Better yet, the fish tasted good. Guess i'm simply not "hooked" by their food anymore.
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On this particular day, the family was too lazy to step out of the house so we decided to try out a food caterer that shoved its pamphlet right under our doorstep. I never had a good impression of caterers but since i'm not paying, i can't say anything till much later.
Yam Ring ($15) - In a word, tasteless. Despite its rather nice outlook and the generous servings of prawn, chicken pieces and mushrooms, this yam ring did not have what it takes to make a good impression. The yam ring itself was soggy, the meat tasteless and hard and the prawns are a far cry from the word 'fresh'.
Fried Battered Prawns ($12) - Having a bad start with the yam ring, i didn't hold high hopes as i chowed down my first serving. Yet again, they have outdone themselves by serving a badly made dish. The prawns were powdery and the batter too thick for its own good. The word "terrible" doesn't quite pin the feeling down.
Coffee Pork Ribs ($8) - This dish was fouled up with it being overwhelming in its taste of coffee so much so that its bitter. In its defense, at least the meat was tender but still, something i would not order from them ever again.
Vegetables with fish ($5) - Yellowish vegetables, flour like fish and a sauce that tastes just like soy sauce. Need i say more?
Fish Soup ($10) - I'm beginning to find myself at a loss at how to describe the food we ordered. Alike with all the other offerings from this particular caterer. The soup's redeeming grace is that it was at least warm when i had it. Apart from that, it did not contain much taste and is simply a let down like the rest.
The bill came up to exactly $50 for this meal of 5 items.
In all honesty and in their defense, the food is still warm when it arrived which is quite an accomplishment for the kind of food they offer and i do applaud their brave attempt at stepping out. However, they definitely need a better cook and a better way to get their items to customers. I'm still not ordering from them ever again though. This is just not good enough to consider for a second chance.
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Don's was introduced to me recently by my gf after she bought me one to enjoy at my leisure. They tout themselves as being the one stop solution for chicken pies and have been around for quite a long time and currently have quite about 4 outlets selling their products. Is it good enough to warrant another purchase though? Read on.
A Slice of the Pie ($16.50) - I've always liked chicken pies but struggled to find one thats dependable or remotely worth a mention to recommend. Well, i guess the search is over for now. We actually bought the pie on take away on Friday night and ate it over the weekend as breakfast after heating it in the oven. What can i say? Its delicious.
The crust is of medium thickness, which means it feels just right without making you feel like you just paid for flour instead of a pie. It was also fragrant and very appetising, and thats only talking about the crust. The next thing you notice about the pie is how heavy it is. For something that small, its actually quite surprising how much weight it packs. And it is so because of the thick stuffings and ingredients they used for the pie.
For the ingredients, they used chicken meat, egg, potato, corn, green pea, mushroom, celery, peppercorn and spices and everything is halal so our Malay friends can have a slice of the pie (pun intended) and eat it as well. Everything in it tastes authentic and fresh which makes it definitely worth the price.
Try it to see if it is indeed worthwhile of being a pie specialist. Try it and let me know if you feel otherwise or if you know of anywhere better, but whatever your reason, try it!
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