Swenson's is a property pretty much everyone would have heard about. Began since 1948 over in San Francisco, Swenson's has since grown to encompass the Middle East, Asia and USA. Their outlets can be found easily in shopping malls and other outlets alike. For a place that began as a humble ice cream shop, it now boasts a menu all its own. Has time been kind on this franchise though?
What i had that day: Strawberry Sundae Chicken Soup Prawn And Fruit Salad Chicken in a Jacket Omelette With Salad and Fries French Fries Pesto Salmon Saute Rodeo Wings Clam Chowder Ribeye Steak Cookies and Cream Ice Cream with Chipsmore Cookie
Of all the items above, the ones i did try are the soup, which was pasty and starchy and also quite salty. The prawn and fruit salad was pretty good albeit bland as it was only the taste of lettuce with prawns with little or no olive oil and vinegaritte. The good thing about it was that the prawns were crunchy. The fries turned out to be the best item for this visit IMHO. Hot, slightly thick and not oily. It went well with the tartar sauce and chilli/tomato mixture as usual. The rodeo wings came across as overfried and had too much flour thrown into the mix. The rodeo aka spicy chili sauce felt tagged on and not the authentic smoked rodeo wings it should be. My main course was the ribeye steak which i ordered medium rare but came well done. There was also an abundance of the fatty layer which meant a huge part of the meat could not be consumed. The meat tasted tough and lacked any form of beefy taste which i would have expected. The cookies and cream ice cream was another disappointment in it being close to tasteless. At least it was sweet though.
I'm quite disappointed frankly but at the very least, it did not deteriorate to the point of Jack's Place which i've completely sworn off. Also, i have to thank my 2 colleagues for giving me a treat for this as otherwise, i may not have had the chance to try it again. The way it stands now, its a safe bet to say that improvements are definitely needed but its still not beyond redemption.
Its more or less a quest for reasonably priced good japanese food in Singapore that drives my urge to consistently try weird Japanese restaurants. This is no exception. Located in the ulu and often unknown Elias mall, this restaurant is part of a community center which made me believe it had to be a simple, no frills eating place. Lets see if thats true.
Simple wooden chairs, spaciously placed amidst tables in a single line. The interior is nothing to shout about. In fact, its extremely simple. There wasn't any background music either. In a very real sense, i'm saying that the place is boring with nothing to occupy you as you wait for your meal.
Bento set with Salmon Sashimi, Chawanmushi, Grilled Saba Fish and Chicken Katsu ($15.90) - My gf ordered this set because it came with the usual salmon sashimi which is one of her favorite items. For $15, this wasn't too bad to be honest. 4 pieces of salmon, 1 piece of grilled Saba fish, fried chicken and chawanmushi along with rice. Seems like a good deal to me. The salmon was moderately fresh and sweet but rather small. The katsu was pretty good since it was served hot and juicy. The saba fish had too many bones to be easily enjoyed while the chawanmushi (steamed egg) was rather chunky and lacked taste.
Bento Set with Assorted Tempura, vegetable soup, chawanmushi and teriyaki beef ($15.90) - My order was pretty decent as well, i liked the assorted tempura which came across as fragrant but oily. The beef was tender and sweet but portion size was small, the vegetable soup was a little too bland but the overall package wasn't too bad.
Total Bill came up to $34.98 including service charge. Its nice to note that the tea is free and refillable.
For a place hidden in the middle of nowhere and selling Japanese food, this was rather decent. Although its more towards foodcourt decent as opposed to boutique Japanese food decent, its still somewhere i could probably visit again. There's a sushi buffet offered here as well which is probably worth a try.
Met up with my gf and her family one lazy day for a meal at a restaurant in Pasir Ris Downtown East. Having passed by this place many times but have never gotten the urge or the reason to actually pop in to try it. Apparently, there are 4 branches for this brand already but it seems a rather muted popularity which has to date not gathered much attention.
The interior is the usual with round tables, a narrow walkway and a barely functioning air con. The good thing is that there weren't many people there when we were there which was a great plus for me. Service was those rendered by nice chinese nationals which more or less sets the tone for the meal.
6 Chicken Wings ($9) - The food was served shortly after ordering and the first to appear is this half a dozen of chicken wings and they were pretty good. It was well marinated for a slightly sweet taste throughout while the skin was thoroughly crispy and well done. It wasn't overfried as well which meant it stayed juicy and tender for a quick bite.
Pork Sparerib ($12) - The sweet and sour pork ribs were equally well done with the pork rib being crispy and fragrant while maintaining a wonderfully sweet taste with its outer covering.
Sambal Kang Kong ($10) - The sambal kangkong had an interesting sweet taste which i can't differentiate if it came from the msg or due to their prowess in cooking the greens. It wasn't too spicy which made it easy for me to stomach as well.
Seafood Hot Pot With Mixed Vegetables ($13) - The Seafood hot pot turned out rather well also being nicely starchy with a generous amount of seafood thrown in and some beacurd to go along. Its standard chinese fare though.
Steamed Fish ($16) - The steamed fish would be the item to bring the day down it seems. It was oily, less then fresh and simply tasted muddy. Not something anyone in their right mind would order again it seems.
Total bill for this meal came up to $76.80 for 6 people. The most unworthy item of the bill is the charge of $10.80 for ice lemon tea which is simply ridiculous.
Finally, i'd say it really wasn't as bad as i thought. The place was decent, service fast and the food is served piping hot. Some were actually rather pleasing although most that were good was fried. Still, its quite a decent place for a zhi ca meal. Not that i'll be returning however.
Fresh Bulgogi belongs in the same vein as Seoul Garden, Breeks and is part of a larger group of restaurants under Zingrill holdings. As ever, their commitment to bring a large array of food to the masses has given birth to yet another chain which specializes in Korean Food. And yet again, it was my colleague's birthday which brought us to gather round for a meal.
Chicken Bulgogi ($8.99),Beef Bulgogi ($9.99)- Going by its namesake, the bulgogi should be first rate and thankfully, it wasn't too bad. I had the beef bulgogi which consisted of pan fried beef, bean sprouts, greens, kimchi and an egg atop rice which were reminiscent of japanese rice in that it was more moist and had much texture and bite. From my limited knowledge of the food, the only way i know to enjoy this was to mix the ingredients till it was colorful and mashy. The mixture in the end tasted slightly spicy and sweet which bodes well for me.
Marinated Chicken ($5.99)- Do not let this extreme close up shot fool you, the chicken portion was so small it was laughable that they dared priced it as it is. The meat itself was the usual korean marinated, which meant it was sweet and tasted like honey coated barbeque meat. It was rather tender too but the price and portion screams "RIP OFF" so loud its difficult to ignore.
Marinated Beef Short $15.99 - 8 pieces of beef for $15.99. Shock has more or less abated since its becoming abundantly clear on how these little items cost so much. The sweet beef is strangely elastic as its almost impossible to chew and break.
Seafood Hot Pot ($26.99) - Just when i was about to give up on the restaurant, in came its saving grace. The hotpot was huge and all the seafood within it was served uncooked thus the view was one where you see the food slowly simmer to a boil. Mussells, clams, prawns, mushrooms and scallops in kimchi broth. The broth itself isn't as spicy as the color makes it out to be and had a rather pleasing chunky texture to it. The seafood itself was thankfully fresh. Now, this, i can recommend an order.
Fried Chicken ($5.99) - Crispy, hot and moderately spicy, this reminded me a little about Mcdonald's spicy drumlets but bigger. Nothing much else to say though.
The bill for this meal came up to $118.19 after a 10% discount.
For a korean food place, i'd say its not too bad although the price needs tweaking to ensure customers don't feel ripped off from some of its small serving items. Still, i'm not returning to this place for a second meal though.
Was out one recent rainy Friday night to meet up with a couple of friends to do some catch up on our lives. Somehow, i haven't been making much time for them lately. The stresses of life maybe.
Anyhow, we were supposed to eat at Founder's Bak Kut Teh but due to the notoriously famous long queue for a simple pork bone soup, we were forced to cross the road of death to get our food fix from Loy Kee Chicken Rice.
Upon arriving, we were shown the secret seats around a round table near the back of the shop but quickly decided against eating at a place that smelled like the toilet.
Outside, we ordered a barrage of food which included half a roast chicken, half white chicken, some kailan and deep fried beancurd to go with our chicken rice. the amazing thing is how the 6 of us chalked up a bill of $60 on chicken rice.
The rice felt and tasted like it was soaked in oil and its even to the point that you could see the oil after you've eaten. It was that obscene.
The half chicken which we ordered definitely did not feel like half a chicken at all. The meat that was present wasn't too bad. It was tender at the least and was pretty good with the soy sauce but you could get that pretty much everywhere else.
The beancurd was plain bad with the skin being overly thick and the beancurd itself lacking taste and texture, the only saving grace was the thai style sweet and sour sauce which managed to salvage or mask the taste somewhat.
The Kailan was normal at best. Overly oily and salty.
If given a choice, its somewhere i won't return to for sure.
1=SGD 0.0587
What i had that day:
Strawberry Sundae
Chicken Soup
Prawn And Fruit Salad
Chicken in a Jacket
Omelette With Salad and Fries
French Fries
Pesto Salmon Saute
Rodeo Wings
Clam Chowder
Ribeye Steak
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream with Chipsmore Cookie
Of all the items above, the ones i did try are the soup, which was pasty and starchy and also quite salty.
The prawn and fruit salad was pretty good albeit bland as it was only the taste of lettuce with prawns with little or no olive oil and vinegaritte. The good thing about it was that the prawns were crunchy.
The fries turned out to be the best item for this visit IMHO. Hot, slightly thick and not oily. It went well with the tartar sauce and chilli/tomato mixture as usual.
The rodeo wings came across as overfried and had too much flour thrown into the mix. The rodeo aka spicy chili sauce felt tagged on and not the authentic smoked rodeo wings it should be.
My main course was the ribeye steak which i ordered medium rare but came well done. There was also an abundance of the fatty layer which meant a huge part of the meat could not be consumed. The meat tasted tough and lacked any form of beefy taste which i would have expected.
The cookies and cream ice cream was another disappointment in it being close to tasteless. At least it was sweet though.
I'm quite disappointed frankly but at the very least, it did not deteriorate to the point of Jack's Place which i've completely sworn off. Also, i have to thank my 2 colleagues for giving me a treat for this as otherwise, i may not have had the chance to try it again. The way it stands now, its a safe bet to say that improvements are definitely needed but its still not beyond redemption.
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Simple wooden chairs, spaciously placed amidst tables in a single line. The interior is nothing to shout about. In fact, its extremely simple. There wasn't any background music either. In a very real sense, i'm saying that the place is boring with nothing to occupy you as you wait for your meal.
Bento set with Salmon Sashimi, Chawanmushi, Grilled Saba Fish and Chicken Katsu ($15.90) - My gf ordered this set because it came with the usual salmon sashimi which is one of her favorite items. For $15, this wasn't too bad to be honest. 4 pieces of salmon, 1 piece of grilled Saba fish, fried chicken and chawanmushi along with rice. Seems like a good deal to me. The salmon was moderately fresh and sweet but rather small. The katsu was pretty good since it was served hot and juicy. The saba fish had too many bones to be easily enjoyed while the chawanmushi (steamed egg) was rather chunky and lacked taste.
Bento Set with Assorted Tempura, vegetable soup, chawanmushi and teriyaki beef ($15.90) - My order was pretty decent as well, i liked the assorted tempura which came across as fragrant but oily. The beef was tender and sweet but portion size was small, the vegetable soup was a little too bland but the overall package wasn't too bad.
Total Bill came up to $34.98 including service charge. Its nice to note that the tea is free and refillable.
For a place hidden in the middle of nowhere and selling Japanese food, this was rather decent. Although its more towards foodcourt decent as opposed to boutique Japanese food decent, its still somewhere i could probably visit again. There's a sushi buffet offered here as well which is probably worth a try.
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The interior is the usual with round tables, a narrow walkway and a barely functioning air con. The good thing is that there weren't many people there when we were there which was a great plus for me. Service was those rendered by nice chinese nationals which more or less sets the tone for the meal.
6 Chicken Wings ($9) - The food was served shortly after ordering and the first to appear is this half a dozen of chicken wings and they were pretty good. It was well marinated for a slightly sweet taste throughout while the skin was thoroughly crispy and well done. It wasn't overfried as well which meant it stayed juicy and tender for a quick bite.
Pork Sparerib ($12) - The sweet and sour pork ribs were equally well done with the pork rib being crispy and fragrant while maintaining a wonderfully sweet taste with its outer covering.
Sambal Kang Kong ($10) - The sambal kangkong had an interesting sweet taste which i can't differentiate if it came from the msg or due to their prowess in cooking the greens. It wasn't too spicy which made it easy for me to stomach as well.
Seafood Hot Pot With Mixed Vegetables ($13) - The Seafood hot pot turned out rather well also being nicely starchy with a generous amount of seafood thrown in and some beacurd to go along. Its standard chinese fare though.
Steamed Fish ($16) - The steamed fish would be the item to bring the day down it seems. It was oily, less then fresh and simply tasted muddy. Not something anyone in their right mind would order again it seems.
Total bill for this meal came up to $76.80 for 6 people. The most unworthy item of the bill is the charge of $10.80 for ice lemon tea which is simply ridiculous.
Finally, i'd say it really wasn't as bad as i thought. The place was decent, service fast and the food is served piping hot. Some were actually rather pleasing although most that were good was fried. Still, its quite a decent place for a zhi ca meal. Not that i'll be returning however.
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Chicken Bulgogi ($8.99),Beef Bulgogi ($9.99)- Going by its namesake, the bulgogi should be first rate and thankfully, it wasn't too bad. I had the beef bulgogi which consisted of pan fried beef, bean sprouts, greens, kimchi and an egg atop rice which were reminiscent of japanese rice in that it was more moist and had much texture and bite. From my limited knowledge of the food, the only way i know to enjoy this was to mix the ingredients till it was colorful and mashy. The mixture in the end tasted slightly spicy and sweet which bodes well for me.
Marinated Chicken ($5.99)- Do not let this extreme close up shot fool you, the chicken portion was so small it was laughable that they dared priced it as it is. The meat itself was the usual korean marinated, which meant it was sweet and tasted like honey coated barbeque meat. It was rather tender too but the price and portion screams "RIP OFF" so loud its difficult to ignore.
Marinated Beef Short $15.99 - 8 pieces of beef for $15.99. Shock has more or less abated since its becoming abundantly clear on how these little items cost so much. The sweet beef is strangely elastic as its almost impossible to chew and break.
Seafood Hot Pot ($26.99) - Just when i was about to give up on the restaurant, in came its saving grace. The hotpot was huge and all the seafood within it was served uncooked thus the view was one where you see the food slowly simmer to a boil. Mussells, clams, prawns, mushrooms and scallops in kimchi broth. The broth itself isn't as spicy as the color makes it out to be and had a rather pleasing chunky texture to it. The seafood itself was thankfully fresh. Now, this, i can recommend an order.
Fried Chicken ($5.99) - Crispy, hot and moderately spicy, this reminded me a little about Mcdonald's spicy drumlets but bigger. Nothing much else to say though.
The bill for this meal came up to $118.19 after a 10% discount.
For a korean food place, i'd say its not too bad although the price needs tweaking to ensure customers don't feel ripped off from some of its small serving items. Still, i'm not returning to this place for a second meal though.
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Anyhow, we were supposed to eat at Founder's Bak Kut Teh but due to the notoriously famous long queue for a simple pork bone soup, we were forced to cross the road of death to get our food fix from Loy Kee Chicken Rice.
Upon arriving, we were shown the secret seats around a round table near the back of the shop but quickly decided against eating at a place that smelled like the toilet.
Outside, we ordered a barrage of food which included half a roast chicken, half white chicken, some kailan and deep fried beancurd to go with our chicken rice. the amazing thing is how the 6 of us chalked up a bill of $60 on chicken rice.
The rice felt and tasted like it was soaked in oil and its even to the point that you could see the oil after you've eaten. It was that obscene.
The half chicken which we ordered definitely did not feel like half a chicken at all. The meat that was present wasn't too bad. It was tender at the least and was pretty good with the soy sauce but you could get that pretty much everywhere else.
The beancurd was plain bad with the skin being overly thick and the beancurd itself lacking taste and texture, the only saving grace was the thai style sweet and sour sauce which managed to salvage or mask the taste somewhat.
The Kailan was normal at best. Overly oily and salty.
If given a choice, its somewhere i won't return to for sure.
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