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Sport & Recreation
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1=SGD 0.0587
After a whole day at VivoCity, it was time for dinner, and as expected, everywhere was packed with hungry people. And finally settled at The Mussel Guys as there wasn't any queue! But no queue doesn't been no good food.
The place was packed inside with people talking and children crying. Not quite the place to go for a romantic Xmas dinner. Can pass as a clean and comfortable place for friends to gather and enjoy fresh mussels.
We ordered Sauteed Mushrooms, Steamed Mussels (350g), Sausage Pasta and drinks.
The Sauteed Mushrooms, $4.50, was value for money. Serving was quite big for the price and the taste was just right. But if the mushrooms were not sliced that thinly, the taste would have been better.
Steamed Mussels, $15.90, with white wine and garlic arrived in their mussel pot, which you can purchase home at $180 . The mussels were fresh and there wasn't any fishy taste. At first we wanted to order the creamy or tomato base mussels as we were afraid that it'll taste fishy. But it didn't. Fresh and some were almost crunchy when bitten into. The white wine and garlic blended well with the mussels. I wouldn't say the taste was fantastics as I'd better ones before. But with the price, its still considered value for money.
I shan't comment much on the chicken Sausage Pasta, $12.90. I'll not order this again. It's not even average imo. Pay slightly more for another pot of mussels!
I'll go back there if I crave for mussels. Its value for money.
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Owing to a comment from Claudia who said she got addicted to a western food stall across the street instead of Aston's, i paid a visit to Serangoon gardens yet again to ascertain if it actually qualifies as a competitor to Aston's Specialties.
Milo Dinosaur ($2) - Ordered this on a whim to try it out but it turned out to be ridiculously expensive. The preparation process is rather simple as well. Get hot water, add milo and milk till it saturates, add ice and pile lots of milo on top. I have no idea what possessed me to pay $2 for this but it is definitely not worth it.
Tomato Soup with Garlic Toast (Free) - Free stuff is always good. And here we got ourselves some warm tomato soup and garlic bread. The bread was your run-of-the-mill garlic bread which really isn't worth mentioning and but pairing it with the soup does give it a decent taste. Not too bad but not good either.
Grilled Sirloin Steak ($8.80) - After the mediocre appetizer, the main course is served. At its price, the sirloin was a decent size and thickness but that is about all its redeeming features. I specifically asked for medium rare, which is the only way i have steak and what i got was undoubtedly a 'well done' steak. What this means is that the steak loses its fibrous texture and is overcome with a tougher meat texture that makes you chew that much more. Not that there was much taste to go with it, the pepper sauce covers just about everything and i can't taste much of my steak, it could be chicken for all i know. The sides, which are fixed, aren't worth mentioning.
Grilled Chicken Chop ($6.80) - My dad had a better choice. The chicken chop is slightly charred and had a smoky taste. The mushroom sauce added a certain dimension to the taste as well. The meat is tender and juicy enough to be worth a mention.
Fish and Chips ($5.80) - The fish and chips were lightly breaded and had a thin layer of batter, which is good. The meat however, lacked bite nor taste but the portion size is decent and worthwhile. It was also less oily then expected and for better or worse, its the most worthwhile item of the night and seriously, that isn't saying much.
At $22 for 3 people, this is a very affordable combination considering it came with free soup and garlic bread. We also walked away rather filled though taste wise, its more then a little forgettable.
Below average and not in contention for the western food title at Serangoon Gardens, Aston's Specialties, though looking less glamorous and costing a fair bit more, is still more worth a visit if taste matters to you as much as it does to me. Claudia, time to try Aston's out to find out what you have been missing.
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Finally, we get down to business and do a write up on none other then the coveted Donut Factory. Currently available in only 2 locations in town, this orange box means you've either lined up for 2 hours or more for your favorite little fried pastry. I'd like to reiterate once again, i am not a donut lover and asking me to line up for 2 hours for a donut is a suggestion bordering on insane. However, i did find a smaller queue on this very fortunate day and so, we queued, waited and scored!
After an astonishingly long wait of...... 15 minutes (!!!!), i got my hands on a huge assortment of donuts from this famous and much talk about pastry chain. That's right, 15 minutes was all it took and thats a far cry from what i've been told. Even better, most of the flavors were present, i bought 2 boxes of 12 and the other box had the Double Chocolate flavor, which is deemed one of the most popular items.
Anyway, as of present, i have tasted 2 flavors with the third gone before i could try. They are the peanut butter glazed donut, the Raspberry dark chocolate and the spicy cheese flavored donut.
Peanut butter glazed donut has a generous filling of peanut butter within and has a nice glazed surface of sugar which really enhances the taste but may come across as a tad too sweet for some.
The raspberry dark chocolate tasted normal in the beginning as i couldn't make out the dark chocolate nor raspberry taste. Its saving grace came about halfway through the donut when its thick, sweet and sour raspberry filling oozed out for a satisfying spin on the taste.
Finally, the spicy cheese flavored was devoured by my mom very quickly while she kept exclaiming how fragrant and tasty it was as compared to the other donut company i've been reviewing.
Across the board, i believe the main difference in their offerings is the quality of the dough. It was uniformly softer and less porous when compared to other donuts i've had at this point. The fillings it offers also packs a stronger punch as compared to other would be imitators. Delightful!
Does it live up to the hype? In terms of donuts, the answer is a resounding YES.
Can waiting 2 hours for its donuts be justified? Unfortunately, i would say no. At least not for the flavors i've had thus far. Donuts are known for being quick munchies and for stemming pangs of hunger, they are not known as a luxury item that demands a long waiting time. =P I suppose the next donut comparison will probably be the original Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme in USA. Till then, the Donut Factory can tide you over till you get the real thing.
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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
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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
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Hopped into Sketches with a friend for dinner one day. I 'd always wanted to try this place with its DIY pasta but I never had the chance till recently.
We were all excited to be able to make our own pastas. Much like creators of our own destines really. It was exciting to be able to put together your favourite ingredients in hope of making a great pasta dish.
We ordered:
Garlic Bread
2 Mushroom Soups
2 Pasta Dishes (custom made-Hungry size)
- Fusilli in Napoletana (Italian Tomato Sauce) with bacon,
ham, mushroom and green peas
- Fusilli and Spaghetti in Alfredo Sauce with garlic, carrots,
bacon, mushroom and chicken
The garlic bread was pretty normal, done with the store-bought garlic spreads. Not quite worth the money though but I like to have my soup with bread.
The Soups were served with smaller pieces of garlic bread. I enjoyed the soup as it was thick and flavourful. And very filling. Next time I'll probably share it so that I can leave more space for my creation.
Claudia was right to say that "Hungry size" which is the smaller size is definitely able to fill any regular eater and more. Quite a large portion really so I can't imagine what Starving Size looks like. Mine which is the one in the Napoletana Sauce was quite ... average. I'm obviously not a good pasta designer. The ingredients I picked were similiar in taste so there wasn't any variation, resulting in a edible but uninteresting dish. My companion's pasta was much better. It had garlic in it which made the dish very fragrant, a nice sharp contrast to the rest of the ingredients.
The service was generally good. Water was topped up and the people were patient with us as we asked about the items. The only thing is that the bill came really slowly which made me think that they had forgotten.
The damage was slightly under $45, which I think is pretty reasonable for sizeable servings. It was enough for 3 people, so the two of us couldn't finish.
I would be back for more... and will remember to have garlic next time :)
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I love their their portobello mushroom burger, crisscut fries, onion rings & of course their DIY ice lemon tea!
Yes, they serve very huge burgers which I can't finish by myself. Haha.... They are very generous with their mushrooms & it goes really well with the melted cheese. Yummy! Their fries are large and crispy too, especially their onion rings which is definitely worth a mention. In the thin crust of flour is not more flour but real onions! An of course fast food should come in a set. So the drink comes in free flow where the cashier will just give you an empty cup upon ordering. Then you can proceed to the drinks counter to get your drinks. I like their ice lemon tea as it is home-brewed tea & you can add the lemons, sugar syrup & ice according to your preference. My favourite task is to add as much lemon into it as possible. Haha....
Though it's fast food, it's worth the sins to have it sometimes. Haha....
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Somehow, I feel that their standard has dropped or probably I've ordered the wrong dish that day. I was browsing through the the menu for the oven-baked & the dish 'Posh Spice' just caught my eye as it's spicy pasta/rice dish topped with mushrooms (my favourite!) and lots of cheese. Hehe... But then, after eating it, I didn't quite like it. The pasta came with a cream base sauce & had mayonaise in it. In the end I could not finish the pasta.
Another thing to note about this outlet is that their eating area is just next to kitchen. So you'll have the smell of cooked food after dining in there. Service was average, need to wave a few times to get their attention.
Well, I think I'll go back again for my favourite mushroom madness pizza & the mushroom attack sphagetti but not their Posh Spice anymore.
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This is a bakery that my colleagues & I will never miss whenever we go Holland Village for lunch. The very first bread I bought from the bakery was their wassant & even till now, it remained as one of my favourites. More breads have been added to my favourites list since then. Haha....
Ok, start off with the wassant. It comes in 2 flavours, chocolate & custard. The wassants are sold in a pack of 10, costing $5, and it's really up to your preference whether you want all 10 to be chocolate or custard ones or a mix of the 2 flavours. So what's so special about their wassants? I think it's the soft texture of the bread and the rich chocolate/ custard taste which make them taste so good. As it is made up of a layer of bread rolled up into a small bun, I enjoy eating by unrolling the layers. Hee hee...
Besides their wassants, I like their Brazillian cheese (which some said it tasted like spoilt bread. Oh no! It doesn't!!), milk pan (rich creamy filling!) & blueberry cheese. But the cost of their bread is definitely on the higher side. Yet I've never walked out of the shop without spending like 10-20 bucks on just bread & not even my lunch yet. Haha...
Their service is also excellent. Very friendly staff who greet you very warmly.
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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.
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