First things first! 50% OFF SELECTED SLICES OF CAKES ON WEEKDAYS AFTER 5PM! Woohoooo! Ok if this is nothing new to you, bear with me. It's not everyday that I see this at Coffee Bean! But unfortunately, it's only at this outlet that I saw this.
If you happen to be around the area, I think it's really worth dropping by after 5pm! Obviously, it's because you get cheaper cakes, but it's also because of the ambience there. As it normally is at food outlets in the business district, it's very quiet after the lunch hour and it makes it very nice to be sitting around alone, reading a book or just having some time for yourself.
In addition, the waiters and waitresses there are really nice too. They're very friendly people and I feel that when I take my orders, they don't seem to be uninterested in any way. It may be just a small gesture, however I find this friendly gesture is actually quite significant as it actually does affect the subsequent part of my experience there.
On the whole, of all the coffee bean outlets I've been to, I really like my experience at the CPF Building. If there's anyone looking for a nice coffee place to sit at, try here! (:
Had dinner over there on Sat with a fren of mine. Was expecting a crowd as we went during dinner time but was surprised to see that it was almost empty with only a few tables occupied only. Maybe after Octoberfest, everyone need a rest.
We were led to a table and immediately I find the service very on the ball alr. Hee.... Within 5 mins after I was seated, I was asked 2 times by 2 different waiters for my order. Maybe too free, as there is no one else alr. Haa....
In the end we ordered a sauage platter, a pork knuckle and 2 x 0.5l light beer.
After ordering, the waiteress brought out some bread, in fact it is slices of different kind of bread with butter.
Food also came pretty fast, like after a 5 min wait.
1. Pork Knuckle, have to say that after tasting the pork knuckle @ Marche last weekend, I am a bit disappointed with this version. It is not as crispy as I expected to be, and it appeared to be smaller as well. However, it is still consider one of the better onces I have tasted. It also came with the usual side dishes as well.
2. The sausage platter came with 5 different types of sauage. All tasted good, the flavour is there and juicy as well. Haa... I like it a lot.
3. I also like their beer, like Brewerks, their beer does not have a bitter after taste.
Whenever I think of German food, I would go there to settle my craving and have to say that it is one of my fav drinking hole as well.
As The BIG MATCH is going on when we are having dinner, thje bar downstairs is packed with people and can hear their cheers going on as well. Haa...
I’ve been to Robertson Walk many times, but this was my first at the second level. With so many pubs and resturants on the ground floor, one might not discover what’s hidden at the upper floor. Sage, The Resturant is the product of the determination of husband and wife team Jusman So and Kimberly Chew. With Jusman cooking up delicious creation and Kimberly’s warm service, Sage is warm and welcoming.
We had a special dinner menu designed for us. It includes Scallops, Foie Gras, Cod & Bouillabaisse and Creme Brulee.
The scallop was fresh and well-packed. Its different from the ordinary one where the meat splits up when you cut into it. The squid ink capellini was something that I would want to try again. Cavier was alittle too saltish for my liking. The leek and potato vichyssoise was very yummy. Everyone was asking for more bread so that they can clean off the very last drop of it from their plate.
This was my second time having foie gras. As compared to the one I ate at My Humble House anniversary cocktail dinner, this was so much better. In fact, this was heavenly (and super sinful too!). The pistachio crust makes the entire experience different. Crispy exterior with moist and soft interior. However, after the entire piece, I could feel the fats wrapped around my entire heart! Yes! It was that sinful!
The Cod & Bouillabaisse was the best for the entire night! Cod was cooked to perfection. It melts immediately when it reaches your tongue. I could still remember the feeling and taste of the cod in my mouth as I typed this. The sauce complimented well with prawns and vegetables. The toast was again used to clear the plate. I would love to have this again, but sadly, its not on their menu. This was specially created just for our dinner that night.
The dessert was a sweet-sour-sorbet with not-so-well-received-jelly. I had just half of the serving and gave up. I’m not a sour sorbet fan, so I sure not comment much. However, the Lavender creme brulee and Navel orange meringue was nice. Although a little too sweet, but I finished them both eventually. The meringue tasted like hard and crispy candyfloss. The creme brulee was a great ending for the night.
Overall the dinner was nice and quite an experience for me. However, due to the setting and the many new faces around, I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as I hope to. The food was nice but not something which I would return for more, due to the price. (Total for 10 of us came up to $1022, incl. a bottle of New Zealand Red wine.)
For those who have lived in Siglap long enough you would know that this is the old family-run cake shop next to old Siglap Market (which is now NTUC). It boasts of award winning cakes, namely their Chocolate Truffle Cake and Tiramisu.
They closed at their original location months ago, to reopen as a cafe in the basement of Siglap Centre. It now has a small seating area for 6-7 patrons and is tastefully designed with a chic modern look.
I bought a 500g Chocolate Truffle Cake off the shelf for $20. The price has increased and I'm not surprised. However the quality has dropped. The cake does not have that strong chocolate taste it used to have. It's now a lot of cake and less chocolate. It's still fine just not award winning anymore.
I also bought a few chocolate chip cookies and regretted it. The cookies are just flat pieces of plain sugar. It took me, a junk foodie, a long time to finish it. And they weren't cheap at $2.50 each.
This particular outlet is situated in the bustling Parkway Parade. It's relatively new, since it opened a few months after the major revamp. It's in the basement right next to the food court. Not a cosy ambience with all the noise and bright lights from the surroundings. It has a very casual atmosphere though, which makes it good for family outings and friends.
We ordered the following...
Black Olive Fried Rice with Chickens and Cashew Nuts The rice was fragrant and was tasty on its own. However for a one-dish meal it didn't have enough ingredients. There were only a few measly pieces of chicken. The rice was not cooked with the cashew nuts as the nuts was served on the side. It certainly didn't justify its price of $9... It was also really oily, leaving oil marks all over the plate when I was done.
Pineapple Fried Rice with Seafood The picture on their website/menu and the one we saw were worlds apart. There wasn't any pineapple in the dish, so it's highly likely they used powder mixtures which can be bought cheap from supermarkets. There was only 1 prawn and 2 sotongs in the whole thing... which kinda made treasure hunting for them a challenge.
The service was not as good as I had expected. We were the only ones there at first on a weekday afternoon. Later on another table became occupied. Yet they took pretty long 20min to serve us and 10min to bring us the bill. Slow service despite few patrons is a bad thing. No smiles could be seen anywhere too.
The only thing that interested me was the ala carte buffet which had quite a variety of dishes. We watched the neighbouring table order and it came in nice small dishes which made ordering a variety easy. But judging from the quality we had, I seriously doubt we would be back for more.
Went there for lunch with my colleagues today. I had been to other outlets but some of my colleagues had not step in Pepper lunch before, therefore they are very interested to see how the whole thing works. Haa....
While waiting at the entrance, there is a big menu to choose from, all the different combos they have and at the same time there is a TV screening they way that you should "do" to your food when they arrive to ur table. Hee.... We were given our table number and order at the cashier while the waiter put the table number on our table.
So we ordered:
Combo Chicken and Steak with egg (Mine)
Combo Chicken and Lamd with egg
Chicken Pepper Rice with cheese
Curry Beef Pepper Rice
Mine came 1st so I can show what they can do with their food. All of them are quite excited of what they can do with their food. Haa.... Soon all of them arrived and they managed to cook their food before the heat dies off. Haa....
Adding the egg is quite interested as you can determine how you wanna ur egg to be like. Mine ended up scrambled egg. I like to add the Honey Brown sauce to my meat and the Garlic Soy sauce to my veges. Haa... The chicken is tender and juicy even though some of it are stuck to the hot plate, while the beef I managed to cook it to medium rare, which is also good.
One of my colleagues who had the lamb say that there is no "yang siao wei". The meat is very tender as well. Quite surprising as it seems that they did not do anything to the lamb at all. Haa....
Overall, my colleagues like the idea and their food. In fact they say they will come back to try some other dishes next time.
The service there is quite fast and good. From the cashier to the waitress who served us our food are prompt and polite.
One thing, I dun like is after the meal, tend to smell like the food. Haa... Well there is nothing they can do about this as well.
Total bill came up ot be $50, whihc is considered decent. Seem like we will be back to try other of their dishes sooner than expected.
This coffee club is one of the places I always loved to hang out @ Orchard Road. The whole place is open air concept so no air con. There is smoking area and non smoking area. It is also a bit nosiy as you can heard the cars going by and the noise from the birds etc.
There are a lot of mist fans in the place so dun worry about feeling hot in a place without air con. In fact, it is a good place to go in a lazy afternoon to read. Haa....
Went there after a movie at Cathay Orchard for a simple snack. Not really feeling in a mood for dinner.
We ordered Chicken Pie, Spicy Chicken Wings, Ice Tea and Strawberry Smoothie. Lastly Apple crumble for dessert.
Their chicken pie is good. It came with hot fillings and the pie is crispy. When eaten together, it is a good mix.
This is the first time I tried their spicy wings. The wings came in a pyrimid shape, stack on one another. Fried, crispy and not oily coated with a layer of their spicy sauce. This is good!
For their drinks, icea tea ok, but the strawberry smoothie tasted like cough mixture. Of cos my fav drink there is still morning dew tea. I also ordered a pot of mornng dew to pamper myself as well. One of my happy food.
Their apple crumble comes with huge chunks of apple, with a layer of crust and topped with a big scoop of ice cream. It is how I like my apple crumble to be. Hot with a cold mixture! Great!
Of cos their mudpie is also famous. Should give it a try. Personally I prefer the "other place" mudpie. Hee.....
The service is prompt and polite. We were seated when we reached the door. I dun like the original seat and requested another seat, the waitress immdefiatly jz bring me to the seat I requested for. No questions asked.
After ordering the food also came pretty fast. Except when they are processing my bill, it took some time, but it is fine with me. Haa...
Overall, I like the atmosphere of the place. It is like a calm spot in the middle of Orchard Road. My peace heaven.
Had dinner with LSD and a few other makan khakis at Magma German Wine Bistro. As the name suggests, it serves German food. Heard about this place quite some time back through some TV Chinese variety show so after much postponement, we finally got down to it on a wet Friday evening.
Magma occupies 2 units right at the start of Bukit Pasoh Road. Locating it proved to be a problem as it was discreetly hidden from view with no outstanding features or signs. But find it and you will be welcomed into a cosy and homely dining area with an open kitchen concept and racks of wine bottles. Though sparsely finished, the restaurant exudes warmth (literally as well. It was a little warm that day) and makes you feel right at home. They could do with bigger tables though. It was honestly a little cramp, which hampered eating and relaxed conversation quite a bit.
Wurstplatte mit 5 oder Wursten - Sausage Platter with 5 Sausages - We started off with the sausage platter consisting of 5 different types of sausages. Frankly, I probably have only eaten 2 or 3 of the varieties that were served, so I pretty much can't identify any of them except for one which was Cheese Sausage. Overall a rather pleasing dish with the sausages being crunchy and not too pressing.
Kasseler, Knoblauch und Sauerkraut - Smoked Pork Loin, Garlic and Sauerkraut Pizza - Interestingly, the German's do their pizza differently. Sour cream is added in place of cheese or tomato sauce. Our Kasseler, Knoblauch und Sauerkraut came with generous toppings of Sauerkraut and had this garlicky taste although I couldn't detect any visible signs of garlic. The crust was amazingly thin (I certainly didn't expect such a thin crust from a German restaurant) and the pork loin was relatively well smoked, trapping in the smoky flavours. A unique dish, but I personally found the Sauerkraut topping a little too overwhelming.
Gemischte Schlachtplatte fur 3 Personen - Mixed Butcher's Platter of all our Pork Specialities for 3 Persons - Words escape me when I try to describe the platter that was set before us. Humongous would probably come close. Just staring at the all pork dish sent shivers down my spine. I really couldn't imagine eating that. Well, we did anyway. I would very much like to go into details about the various cuts and items in the platter, but that would take too much time (there are about 8 different items?) and I honestly can't remember whats what. Only thing I can remember is the Pork Knuckle, which did seem a little too soft with the skin not being as crispy as I would have liked it (read my entry on ABOF for good pork with crackling skin). Overall, the whole dish tended towards the salty side. Actually, all the dishes were a little too heavy on the salt, not just this one.
Gebackene Apfelscheiben mit Zimthonig - Baked Apple Slices in Puff Pastry with Honey and Cinnamon. - Ever wondered how Goreng Pisang with apple instead of banana would taste like? Well, this is your answer. A very interesting rendition of the conventional Apple Pie. The honey added a sweet twist to the dish but I couldn't quite make out the taste from the cinnamon powder. Also, the apple slices had their citrus flavour removed which was probably for the better.
Baked Cheese stuffed with Gooseberries - I'm just guessing the name of this dish because its a daily special and not anywhere in the menu, so please forgive me if I get it wrong. Another very interesting dish. The whole thing actually tastes like pudding with a slight cheesy aftertaste, very much like the cheesecake kind of cheesy and not the right in your face kind. But I didn't think too much of it as it got quite sick after too much, probably due to the soft and wet cake like pastry.
Chocolate Mousse - Interestingly, the Chocolate Mousse had but a faint resemblance to the normal ones you can get outside. There were 2 scoops(or is it moulds?) of Chocolate Mousse, one White Chocolate and one Dark Chocolate, sitting on a bed of Marzipan sauce. In all honesty, the White Chocolate Mousse didn't quite taste like White Chocolate. Instead it tasted creamy and had this mild spicy aftertaste. But as with the Chocolate Mousse, the texture was smooth and thick. From our conversation with the waiter later, the spiciness behind the White Chocolate Mousse was attributed to the type of Chocolate used
We chalked up a bill of $173.66 for a filling dinner for 6 pax. The general consensus is that its genuinely value for money. The food is of above average quality and service is great and the waiters actually know what they are talking about with regard to the food. The place could do with bigger tables(mentioned earlier) and a slightly better ventilation system because the open concept kitchen isn't seperated by a glass panel. Also, it would be nice if the food adopted a lower salt policy. That aside, a revisit is on the cards.
This is one of the place that I will think of when I need a quick fix for some "Hong Kong" food.
The usual stuff for me will be the Ice Milk Tea, Puo Luo ban and some of their dim xin, toast and of cos the Mango Ice.
On average their food is quite good and usually came quite promptly. I loved their ice milk tea, they did it in a way I loved it, milkly with a scent of tea.
Their Puo luo bao is crispy with a thick slice of butter in it. Nice.
Their toast is think and nice. I like the normal one with honey and butter. Sinful but good. Haa....
Mango Ice Mountain, something like ice kachang but everything with mango, topped with a scoop of mango ice cream. Loved it as well. They use real mango chucks for it.
I have not tried for their baked rice and "instant noodles" but fromt he pics the crab porridge really looks good. Maybe shall give it a try soon.
Their service is good and prompt.
Their seating though, sometimes a bit squeezed. Especially for table of two, you can hear what the other table are toking about as well. Haa... Of cos they got couch seats whihc are pretty good for big groups as well.
All in all, it might not the be the best of all, but then like what I started, it is a good place for quick fix of Hong Kong food.
This is the place where I will go and swim, rock climb, bowling and many other things.
It is within walking distance from Yishun Mrt as well.
The place is sort of like a country club where there are a lot of things to do. Most often I will go and swim in their pool. They have a wading pool, an olympic size pool and a relaxing pool with jacuzzi in it. The main thing is the pool is not really that crowded during weekend. After swimming my laps, I always like to go and chill out in the relaxing pool. Haa.... I have to say that it is also a great place to sun tan as well. Their shower also come with hot and cold water. Haa.....
The place also have a adventure area where there is rock climbing, bloundering etc.
Of cos still got bowling, jackpot room, billard, etc.
Of cos they also have food where there is a different version of jack place (I think it is halal), and a chinese restaurant where they sure pretty decent food. That is for another review.
There is also a spa in it, and I m intending to try it soon.
To me, I can spend an whole afternoon there relaxing. It is a great place.
1=SGD 0.0587
First things first!
50% OFF SELECTED SLICES OF CAKES ON WEEKDAYS AFTER 5PM!
Woohoooo! Ok if this is nothing new to you, bear with me. It's not everyday that I see this at Coffee Bean! But unfortunately, it's only at this outlet that I saw this.
If you happen to be around the area, I think it's really worth dropping by after 5pm! Obviously, it's because you get cheaper cakes, but it's also because of the ambience there. As it normally is at food outlets in the business district, it's very quiet after the lunch hour and it makes it very nice to be sitting around alone, reading a book or just having some time for yourself.
In addition, the waiters and waitresses there are really nice too. They're very friendly people and I feel that when I take my orders, they don't seem to be uninterested in any way. It may be just a small gesture, however I find this friendly gesture is actually quite significant as it actually does affect the subsequent part of my experience there.
On the whole, of all the coffee bean outlets I've been to, I really like my experience at the CPF Building. If there's anyone looking for a nice coffee place to sit at, try here! (:
Rating given:
Had dinner over there on Sat with a fren of mine. Was expecting a crowd as we went during dinner time but was surprised to see that it was almost empty with only a few tables occupied only. Maybe after Octoberfest, everyone need a rest.
We were led to a table and immediately I find the service very on the ball alr. Hee.... Within 5 mins after I was seated, I was asked 2 times by 2 different waiters for my order. Maybe too free, as there is no one else alr. Haa....
In the end we ordered a sauage platter, a pork knuckle and 2 x 0.5l light beer.
After ordering, the waiteress brought out some bread, in fact it is slices of different kind of bread with butter.
Food also came pretty fast, like after a 5 min wait.
1. Pork Knuckle, have to say that after tasting the pork knuckle @ Marche last weekend, I am a bit disappointed with this version. It is not as crispy as I expected to be, and it appeared to be smaller as well. However, it is still consider one of the better onces I have tasted. It also came with the usual side dishes as well.
2. The sausage platter came with 5 different types of sauage. All tasted good, the flavour is there and juicy as well. Haa... I like it a lot.
3. I also like their beer, like Brewerks, their beer does not have a bitter after taste.
Whenever I think of German food, I would go there to settle my craving and have to say that it is one of my fav drinking hole as well.
As The BIG MATCH is going on when we are having dinner, thje bar downstairs is packed with people and can hear their cheers going on as well. Haa...
Rating given:
I’ve been to Robertson Walk many times, but this was my first at the second level. With so many pubs and resturants on the ground floor, one might not discover what’s hidden at the upper floor. Sage, The Resturant is the product of the determination of husband and wife team Jusman So and Kimberly Chew. With Jusman cooking up delicious creation and Kimberly’s warm service, Sage is warm and welcoming.
We had a special dinner menu designed for us. It includes Scallops, Foie Gras, Cod & Bouillabaisse and Creme Brulee.
The scallop was fresh and well-packed. Its different from the ordinary one where the meat splits up when you cut into it. The squid ink capellini was something that I would want to try again. Cavier was alittle too saltish for my liking. The leek and potato vichyssoise was very yummy. Everyone was asking for more bread so that they can clean off the very last drop of it from their plate.
This was my second time having foie gras. As compared to the one I ate at My Humble House anniversary cocktail dinner, this was so much better. In fact, this was heavenly (and super sinful too!). The pistachio crust makes the entire experience different. Crispy exterior with moist and soft interior. However, after the entire piece, I could feel the fats wrapped around my entire heart! Yes! It was that sinful!
The Cod & Bouillabaisse was the best for the entire night! Cod was cooked to perfection. It melts immediately when it reaches your tongue. I could still remember the feeling and taste of the cod in my mouth as I typed this. The sauce complimented well with prawns and vegetables. The toast was again used to clear the plate. I would love to have this again, but sadly, its not on their menu. This was specially created just for our dinner that night.
The dessert was a sweet-sour-sorbet with not-so-well-received-jelly. I had just half of the serving and gave up. I’m not a sour sorbet fan, so I sure not comment much. However, the Lavender creme brulee and Navel orange meringue was nice. Although a little too sweet, but I finished them both eventually. The meringue tasted like hard and crispy candyfloss. The creme brulee was a great ending for the night.
Overall the dinner was nice and quite an experience for me. However, due to the setting and the many new faces around, I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as I hope to. The food was nice but not something which I would return for more, due to the price. (Total for 10 of us came up to $1022, incl. a bottle of New Zealand Red wine.)
Rating given:
For those who have lived in Siglap long enough you would know that this is the old family-run cake shop next to old Siglap Market (which is now NTUC). It boasts of award winning cakes, namely their Chocolate Truffle Cake and Tiramisu.
They closed at their original location months ago, to reopen as a cafe in the basement of Siglap Centre. It now has a small seating area for 6-7 patrons and is tastefully designed with a chic modern look.
I bought a 500g Chocolate Truffle Cake off the shelf for $20. The price has increased and I'm not surprised. However the quality has dropped. The cake does not have that strong chocolate taste it used to have. It's now a lot of cake and less chocolate. It's still fine just not award winning anymore.
I also bought a few chocolate chip cookies and regretted it. The cookies are just flat pieces of plain sugar. It took me, a junk foodie, a long time to finish it. And they weren't cheap at $2.50 each.
Rating given:
This particular outlet is situated in the bustling Parkway Parade. It's relatively new, since it opened a few months after the major revamp. It's in the basement right next to the food court. Not a cosy ambience with all the noise and bright lights from the surroundings. It has a very casual atmosphere though, which makes it good for family outings and friends.
We ordered the following...
Black Olive Fried Rice with Chickens and Cashew Nuts
The rice was fragrant and was tasty on its own. However for a one-dish meal it didn't have enough ingredients. There were only a few measly pieces of chicken. The rice was not cooked with the cashew nuts as the nuts was served on the side. It certainly didn't justify its price of $9... It was also really oily, leaving oil marks all over the plate when I was done.
Pineapple Fried Rice with Seafood
The picture on their website/menu and the one we saw were worlds apart. There wasn't any pineapple in the dish, so it's highly likely they used powder mixtures which can be bought cheap from supermarkets. There was only 1 prawn and 2 sotongs in the whole thing... which kinda made treasure hunting for them a challenge.
The service was not as good as I had expected. We were the only ones there at first on a weekday afternoon. Later on another table became occupied. Yet they took pretty long 20min to serve us and 10min to bring us the bill. Slow service despite few patrons is a bad thing. No smiles could be seen anywhere too.
The only thing that interested me was the ala carte buffet which had quite a variety of dishes. We watched the neighbouring table order and it came in nice small dishes which made ordering a variety easy. But judging from the quality we had, I seriously doubt we would be back for more.
Rating given:
Went there for lunch with my colleagues today. I had been to other outlets but some of my colleagues had not step in Pepper lunch before, therefore they are very interested to see how the whole thing works. Haa....
While waiting at the entrance, there is a big menu to choose from, all the different combos they have and at the same time there is a TV screening they way that you should "do" to your food when they arrive to ur table. Hee.... We were given our table number and order at the cashier while the waiter put the table number on our table.
So we ordered:
Combo Chicken and Steak with egg (Mine)
Combo Chicken and Lamd with egg
Chicken Pepper Rice with cheese
Curry Beef Pepper Rice
Mine came 1st so I can show what they can do with their food. All of them are quite excited of what they can do with their food. Haa.... Soon all of them arrived and they managed to cook their food before the heat dies off. Haa....
Adding the egg is quite interested as you can determine how you wanna ur egg to be like. Mine ended up scrambled egg. I like to add the Honey Brown sauce to my meat and the Garlic Soy sauce to my veges. Haa... The chicken is tender and juicy even though some of it are stuck to the hot plate, while the beef I managed to cook it to medium rare, which is also good.
One of my colleagues who had the lamb say that there is no "yang siao wei". The meat is very tender as well. Quite surprising as it seems that they did not do anything to the lamb at all. Haa....
Overall, my colleagues like the idea and their food. In fact they say they will come back to try some other dishes next time.
The service there is quite fast and good. From the cashier to the waitress who served us our food are prompt and polite.
One thing, I dun like is after the meal, tend to smell like the food. Haa... Well there is nothing they can do about this as well.
Total bill came up ot be $50, whihc is considered decent. Seem like we will be back to try other of their dishes sooner than expected.
Rating given:
This coffee club is one of the places I always loved to hang out @ Orchard Road. The whole place is open air concept so no air con. There is smoking area and non smoking area. It is also a bit nosiy as you can heard the cars going by and the noise from the birds etc.
There are a lot of mist fans in the place so dun worry about feeling hot in a place without air con. In fact, it is a good place to go in a lazy afternoon to read. Haa....
Went there after a movie at Cathay Orchard for a simple snack. Not really feeling in a mood for dinner.
We ordered Chicken Pie, Spicy Chicken Wings, Ice Tea and Strawberry Smoothie. Lastly Apple crumble for dessert.
Their chicken pie is good. It came with hot fillings and the pie is crispy. When eaten together, it is a good mix.
This is the first time I tried their spicy wings. The wings came in a pyrimid shape, stack on one another. Fried, crispy and not oily coated with a layer of their spicy sauce. This is good!
For their drinks, icea tea ok, but the strawberry smoothie tasted like cough mixture. Of cos my fav drink there is still morning dew tea. I also ordered a pot of mornng dew to pamper myself as well. One of my happy food.
Their apple crumble comes with huge chunks of apple, with a layer of crust and topped with a big scoop of ice cream. It is how I like my apple crumble to be. Hot with a cold mixture! Great!
Of cos their mudpie is also famous. Should give it a try. Personally I prefer the "other place" mudpie. Hee.....
The service is prompt and polite. We were seated when we reached the door. I dun like the original seat and requested another seat, the waitress immdefiatly jz bring me to the seat I requested for. No questions asked.
After ordering the food also came pretty fast. Except when they are processing my bill, it took some time, but it is fine with me. Haa...
Overall, I like the atmosphere of the place. It is like a calm spot in the middle of Orchard Road. My peace heaven.
Rating given:
Had dinner with LSD and a few other makan khakis at Magma German Wine Bistro. As the name suggests, it serves German food. Heard about this place quite some time back through some TV Chinese variety show so after much postponement, we finally got down to it on a wet Friday evening.
Magma occupies 2 units right at the start of Bukit Pasoh Road. Locating it proved to be a problem as it was discreetly hidden from view with no outstanding features or signs. But find it and you will be welcomed into a cosy and homely dining area with an open kitchen concept and racks of wine bottles. Though sparsely finished, the restaurant exudes warmth (literally as well. It was a little warm that day) and makes you feel right at home. They could do with bigger tables though. It was honestly a little cramp, which hampered eating and relaxed conversation quite a bit.
Wurstplatte mit 5 oder Wursten - Sausage Platter with 5 Sausages - We started off with the sausage platter consisting of 5 different types of sausages. Frankly, I probably have only eaten 2 or 3 of the varieties that were served, so I pretty much can't identify any of them except for one which was Cheese Sausage. Overall a rather pleasing dish with the sausages being crunchy and not too pressing.
Kasseler, Knoblauch und Sauerkraut - Smoked Pork Loin, Garlic and Sauerkraut Pizza - Interestingly, the German's do their pizza differently. Sour cream is added in place of cheese or tomato sauce. Our Kasseler, Knoblauch und Sauerkraut came with generous toppings of Sauerkraut and had this garlicky taste although I couldn't detect any visible signs of garlic. The crust was amazingly thin (I certainly didn't expect such a thin crust from a German restaurant) and the pork loin was relatively well smoked, trapping in the smoky flavours. A unique dish, but I personally found the Sauerkraut topping a little too overwhelming.
Gemischte Schlachtplatte fur 3 Personen - Mixed Butcher's Platter of all our Pork Specialities for 3 Persons - Words escape me when I try to describe the platter that was set before us. Humongous would probably come close. Just staring at the all pork dish sent shivers down my spine. I really couldn't imagine eating that. Well, we did anyway. I would very much like to go into details about the various cuts and items in the platter, but that would take too much time (there are about 8 different items?) and I honestly can't remember whats what. Only thing I can remember is the Pork Knuckle, which did seem a little too soft with the skin not being as crispy as I would have liked it (read my entry on ABOF for good pork with crackling skin). Overall, the whole dish tended towards the salty side. Actually, all the dishes were a little too heavy on the salt, not just this one.
Gebackene Apfelscheiben mit Zimthonig - Baked Apple Slices in Puff Pastry with Honey and Cinnamon. -
Ever wondered how Goreng Pisang with apple instead of banana would taste like? Well, this is your answer. A very interesting rendition of the conventional Apple Pie. The honey added a sweet twist to the dish but I couldn't quite make out the taste from the cinnamon powder. Also, the apple slices had their citrus flavour removed which was probably for the better.
Baked Cheese stuffed with Gooseberries - I'm just guessing the name of this dish because its a daily special and not anywhere in the menu, so please forgive me if I get it wrong. Another very interesting dish. The whole thing actually tastes like pudding with a slight cheesy aftertaste, very much like the cheesecake kind of cheesy and not the right in your face kind. But I didn't think too much of it as it got quite sick after too much, probably due to the soft and wet cake like pastry.
Chocolate Mousse - Interestingly, the Chocolate Mousse had but a faint resemblance to the normal ones you can get outside. There were 2 scoops(or is it moulds?) of Chocolate Mousse, one White Chocolate and one Dark Chocolate, sitting on a bed of Marzipan sauce. In all honesty, the White Chocolate Mousse didn't quite taste like White Chocolate. Instead it tasted creamy and had this mild spicy aftertaste. But as with the Chocolate Mousse, the texture was smooth and thick. From our conversation with the waiter later, the spiciness behind the White Chocolate Mousse was attributed to the type of Chocolate used
We chalked up a bill of $173.66 for a filling dinner for 6 pax. The general consensus is that its genuinely value for money. The food is of above average quality and service is great and the waiters actually know what they are talking about with regard to the food. The place could do with bigger tables(mentioned earlier) and a slightly better ventilation system because the open concept kitchen isn't seperated by a glass panel. Also, it would be nice if the food adopted a lower salt policy. That aside, a revisit is on the cards.
See all my pictures here
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This is one of the place that I will think of when I need a quick fix for some "Hong Kong" food.
The usual stuff for me will be the Ice Milk Tea, Puo Luo ban and some of their dim xin, toast and of cos the Mango Ice.
On average their food is quite good and usually came quite promptly. I loved their ice milk tea, they did it in a way I loved it, milkly with a scent of tea.
Their Puo luo bao is crispy with a thick slice of butter in it. Nice.
Their toast is think and nice. I like the normal one with honey and butter. Sinful but good. Haa....
Mango Ice Mountain, something like ice kachang but everything with mango, topped with a scoop of mango ice cream. Loved it as well. They use real mango chucks for it.
I have not tried for their baked rice and "instant noodles" but fromt he pics the crab porridge really looks good. Maybe shall give it a try soon.
Their service is good and prompt.
Their seating though, sometimes a bit squeezed. Especially for table of two, you can hear what the other table are toking about as well. Haa... Of cos they got couch seats whihc are pretty good for big groups as well.
All in all, it might not the be the best of all, but then like what I started, it is a good place for quick fix of Hong Kong food.
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This is the place where I will go and swim, rock climb, bowling and many other things.
It is within walking distance from Yishun Mrt as well.
The place is sort of like a country club where there are a lot of things to do. Most often I will go and swim in their pool. They have a wading pool, an olympic size pool and a relaxing pool with jacuzzi in it. The main thing is the pool is not really that crowded during weekend. After swimming my laps, I always like to go and chill out in the relaxing pool. Haa.... I have to say that it is also a great place to sun tan as well. Their shower also come with hot and cold water. Haa.....
The place also have a adventure area where there is rock climbing, bloundering etc.
Of cos still got bowling, jackpot room, billard, etc.
Of cos they also have food where there is a different version of jack place (I think it is halal), and a chinese restaurant where they sure pretty decent food. That is for another review.
There is also a spa in it, and I m intending to try it soon.
To me, I can spend an whole afternoon there relaxing. It is a great place.
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