Picked this place for a post-meeting early weekday lunch but I wished I never did.
The place was rather empty but granted it was only about 1130am when we stepped in. A strange smell hit us when we walked in but we ignored it as it wasnt smelly or anything but just a strong smell lingering in the air. Poor ventilation perhaps?
The interior looked authentic, complete with matronly waitresses who hovers around to chit chat at leisure when the crowd is not here yet.
Claypot rice ($9) - their signature dish which was my colleague's choice. Looked and smelt nice but a tad too heavy on the dark soy sauce and too little vegetables.
Claypot Yee Mee ($7) - I had this as wanted something soupy. Obviously salt overload in the soup, and it didnt help that yee mee itself is a little salty. The egg and small-ish but fresh prawns didnt do much to distract me from all that salt. (you can choose to have chicken or seafood with the yee mee).
Chye Sim ($4) - The vegetables were steamed but it came in a pool of what must have been a ton of salt and light soy sauce added to water as the gravy. Absolutely mad. I had to ask to please take it back and re-do one less salty. The waitress was a little reluctant and told us we should have told her to do the dish less salty when we ordered it. Well, I wouldnt know that it is so salty unless I tasted it right? Portions were generous for the price though, and the veg came with over-fried minced garlic on top.
Barley ($1.50) - Not too and, wasnt expecting much for the price.
Old school place and old school service but the sodium overload can kill an elephant. Not going back for the sake of my kidneys.
Enticed by the AMEX 1 for 1 set menu at Tung Lok and the prospect of catching up, a couple of us met up for dinner at The Central's Signatures (TLS for short) outlet for dinner one evening. I've actually never been a fan of Tung Lok as I've yet to experience really good food at any of their outlets, including their much touted Humble House.
Located on the 2nd floor of The Central and immaculately done up to exude an air of oriental poshness, Tung Lok Signatures stands out from the crowd of eateries that crowd the area. Tables are spaced at a relatively comfortable distance and full length windows allow a great view of Clarke Quay and the Singapore river.
Flame Traditional-style Boiled Shark’s Fin Soup with Chicken - Gimmicky flames aside (due to the lighting of wax at the side of the bowl), I thought that the broth was excellent - flavourful yet light on the palate. Fin portions were reasonably substantial with bits of chicken to balance out the texture.
Pan-fried French Foie Gras with Crispy Beancurd Skin served on Pancake - Playing on the concept of Peking Duck, TLS's take on the pan fried foie gras involved serving the foie gras (with a layer of peking duck sauce on top) together with a crackling piece of beancurd skin and wrapped over using a rectangular piece of thick crepe. I honestly thought that it was an interesting concept but I did find the foie gras way too gamy for my liking. And that honestly killed this dish for me.
Steamed Soon Hock Belly with Minced Ginger - The soon hock was fresh but a little lacking in natural sweetness. One other gripe too. Being the belly, it had tons of bones which made it a pain to consume.
Crispy Kurobuta Pork Cartilage in Chili Sauce served with Deep-fried Bun - This dish seemed promisingly at the onset but didn't quite dazzle. The pork cartilage was coated with flour, deep fried and drenched in chilli sauce that was similar to chilli crab gravy, just a lot less spicy. The meat was tender but somehow I couldn't get past my psychological barrier to stomach the gelatinous cartilage. I liked the deep fried bun though.
Braised Japanese Handmade Noodles with Lobster Meat and Vegetable - Alongside the shark's fin soup, this was probably the best dish of the evening. Springy and robust noodles with minimal portions of lobster meat and a nice, savoury gravy. And of course, the obligatory 2 stalks of vegetables.
Chilled Grapefruit Shaven Ice topped with Ice-cream served in Pomelo - I was hoping for a sweet ending to my meal. But what I got was a cold, bitter dessert, which pretty much sums up how we felt at the end of the meal. But to be fair to the grapefruit, I'm just not a fan.
With the AMEX 1 for 1 promotion, 6 of us clocked in at almost $352 for dinner. Service was good but food left much to be desired. Even with the promotion, I'm not sure I would want to fork out almost $60 a head for food of such quality and portions. And with this meal, I have officially closed the chapter on Tung Lok, never to return.
Picked this unlikely place for my Xmas eve dinner as I was tired of fighting with half if Spore anywhere in town.I had thought the place was air-conditioned but turned out to be all alfresco, which wasn't so bad considering the cool weather these days.
At 6:30pm, the place was barely filled, but then again the seating is only about maybe 30-40pax? The crowd started to stream in only about 7:30pm.
We decided against the Xmas set dinner and settled on ala carte:
Chicken combo ($12.50) - chicken thigh meat and a 130gsm German sausage lightly grilled over a hot plate - quite nice, although the chicken thigh was a little too fatty. The sausage is actually a cheese sausage and I wish it was more grilled actually. But taste wise, it was not too bad. Mexico chicken ($10.50) - delicious chicken thigh lightly grilled over a hot plate. Sprinkled with onions and our special cheesy mexico sauce - not too bad too, but the cheese made it look a little je lart for me. Mashed potato / fries / coleslaw - each order of a main course comes with your choice of 2 side dishes. The coleslaw was surprisingly tasty without being too mushy; nor was there an overload of dressing. The mashed potao was average, but the fries were nice - they added this sprinkling of what tasted like BBQ powder and it was quite addictive (the other sides we didnt have were steamed vegetables, onion rings, nuggets).
Service was basic and serving of food was efficient. Really more of a family place from the nearby residences and a place for a quick nice affordable western meal. Small seating so I recommend making reservations even though it may be a quick affair.
Chanced upon this place while we were stuck in Far East Plaza due to heavy rain, thus thought might as well have dinner since the aroma was seriously attractive whenever we walked by.
Its a self-service system where you order at the counter and pay, then take your number standee and wait for them to serve you at your table. But a small seating so do take your seats before you go to the counter - there's a menu at each table so not a problem at all.
Gado Gado ($4.50) - Bigger portion that I thought. Nicely done with plenty of veg (french beans and cabbage) but the sauce was not as peanut-ty as I would have preferred - seemed that something like lemongrass or some spice was added to it too. An acquired taste although it definitely taste healthier than the traditional version.
Drumlets ($3.90) - Not too bad but the marinade did not seem to penetrate the meat so the meat itself is a little bland. Sotong Goreng ($4.50) - I liked this one! The batter was had a golden crunch to it and the basket was not too oily in fact.
(The accompanying chilli oil gives quite a kick, so beware)
Overall, prices are reasonable and taste was nothing bad, so yup will return. Saw alot of people having the mains which looks quite apprising too.
Popped by Cova Pasticceria for dinner one evening since we were in the vicinity and everywhere else was packed. Started in 1819 in Milan and originally patronised by the crème de la crème of society, Cova has expanded to a few countries in Asia to cater to those who seek "the high life" (albeit if only temporary). And the decor is telling. Dark wood coupled with European style overhanging lamps that throw off warm light and well designed cornices greet you as you step into the cozy space that Cova occupies. Simple yet elegant.
Mushroom Risotto - For $30 , I had expected something more substantial than a miserly thin layer of risotto which I finished in 2 mouthfuls. And to compound matters, the risotto was a little overcooked for my liking.
Seafood Spaghetti - The seafood spaghetti fared a little better though I did think that the spaghetti wasn't al dente. I liked the light tomato based sauce and the fresh seafood but as with the risotto, portions were pathetic.
Lamb Rack - I didn't get to try this but from observation, portions were still small.
Peanut Feuilletine - And for dessert, a tiny piece of peanut feuilletine about a third the size of a regular slice of cake you would get at the likes of Starbucks, Coffeebean etc. To give it credit, the feuillentine was nicely thin and crisp while the chopped peanuts provided a nice crunch to the whole dessert. There wasn't much to go around though.
A miserable meal for 3 cost to the tune of $130, which is ridiculously expensive in my humble opinion. Portions were pathetic and two people with average appetites would have been able to polish off all the dishes with ease (we resorted to MacDonalds after the meal). Food quality hovered around average to slightly above average but the prices (and portion size) definitely do not warrant a revisit. Also, service lacked warmth and I didn't feel invited at times. Maybe we are just the wrong target audience.
Picked this place for a work-related lunch as I've been there for a quiet dinner and thought it was really a nice place and I came to know they had a set lunch going for $28 which was a steal compared to their ala carte dinner selection and prices. Food was good during my dinner visit previously so couldn't resist trying out their lunch.
Their weekday set lunch goes for $28 for 4-course of modern jap cuisine which they specialise in. What we had included:
Entree selection
Tartare of Salmon - served with wafu and rayu dressing, sprinkled with crispy garlic chips - my favorite of the meal! I like salmon everything and the dressing was really nice, although I have no idea what is rayu. Thoughtful for the salmon pieces to be cut into bite-sized pieces and the accompanying greens are fresh too.
Fruits and berries salad - served with homemade apple dressing salad and cashew nuts - didnt have this but it looked very tempting with all the colours! It looked better than on paper~
Warm dish
Kabocha Soup - puree of japanese pumpkin with cinanmon, honey and grated parsley - pure comfort food. Almost non-sweetened with the puree having just the right texture to 'feel' the pumpkin bits. I like!
Kani Chawamushi - topped with century egg dressing and fish roe - those who did not order this half-regretted their choices when we saw this. And tasted it. Should have known to order chawamushi in a Jap place! The dressing was very uniquely tasty and the roe provided a nice crunch to the otherwise mushy dish.
Main course
Salmon fillet - baked salmon with goat cheese stuffing, served with hollandaise sauce - Didnt have this but it looked really stuffed with cheese. There's also an option of having this without the goat cheese.
Char-broiled chicken teriyaki - served with garlic chahan and chives by the side - The chicken was huge and the teriyaki sauce done very nicely without being cloyingly sweet. The only regret was I dont take chicken skin but all the essence of the char-broiled was in the skin. Sigh. The accompanying fried rice was nicely garlicky but too big a portion for me, couldnt finish it.
Dessert (no choices to select from)
Lime sorbet - served with passionfruit puree, pomegranate, blueberries and pomelo - what could otherwise be a boring dessert turned out to be quite interesting with the different texture thrown in. A good ending to a good meal.
I had a coffee too which was freshly pressed from a neat-looking machine behind the main area.
Ambience is appropriately quiet during lunch with a few tables occupied but it also means staff is quite attentive throughout, without being intrusive. Hot tea was topped up frequently and service was efficient.
The only gripe is this is really hard to get to without a car but a cab from Buona Vista MRT will work just fine I guess.
Wanted a quiet weekday high tea and this place came recommended, plus I've never dined at the hotel before.
The ambience at The Landing Point was actually quite lovely, all lux and grandeur which is a perfect setting for tai tai high teas. Staff was attentive and nothing to complain about; tea cups were refilled very quickly.
The high tea came in a traditional 3-tier stand and it contained more bites than other high teas I've been to. But sadly none was memorable. If my memory serves me correct, they include:
Savories - cucumber sandwich, cheese cracker, smoked salmon cone, egg mayo sandwich, quiche, smoked ham roll.
Nothing was wow, which we expected as it added up to almost $50 per pax. It was definitely an experience but just not value for money. But they serve TWG tea which is always a good thing.
Another long overdue post. Caught up with a couple of friends over dinner at Mong Hing, a Teochew restaurant at Keypoint and where I once had a pretty good dinner before.
Prawn Rolls - The heh zhor was decent - Lean meat with pockets of fats and bits of prawn. Crisp but not too oily. Good for many bites, especially with the sweet plum sauce.
Homemade Beancurd - This certainly didn't look like beancurd, not with the circular shaped, golden brown exterior. And honestly it didn't quite taste like tofu. The texture was more like Thai prawn cakes, just a lot less dense and "fluffier" so to speak. Definitely not smooth and silky, the way I like it. The only giveaway was the taste, which had a distinctive beancurd taste. Although I like tofu, this is something I will definitely not order again.
Prawns with Deep Fried Pumpkin - At $24 for 6 prawns and 6 pieces of pumpkin coated with flour and deep fried, this was a joke. The prawns were drenched in sweet and sour sauce, which masked the natural flavour of the prawns. Total waste of prawns. The pumpkin however, were sweet and not too bad as a filler.
Stir Fried HK Kailan - Decent with a tinge of wok hei but lacking in dried sole fish. Wouldn't hurt to give a little more, would it?
Braised Goose - The goose was good - not too dry and well braised with the sauce not coming across as too salty.
We ended the meal with yam paste (orh nee) but I failed to get a shot of it. It was good but could have done with a little more fragrance. The infrequent bits of unevenness made for a nice smooth, yet inconsistent texture.
The 5 of us chalked up a bill of about $133. Not too expensive but quality of food seems to have dropped since my last visit. Maybe I should just stick to the likes of Huat Kee or Liang Kee or maybe I should give Mong Hing another chance.
This was a natural choice of a weekend high tea for a friend having her birthday as we both were wishing for a leisurely afternoon, plus they were having a special Xmas selection, at $48 per pax.
The ambience here has always been good, plus they have their regular 2-men band playing super nice music too.
The food selection was not huge but very exquisitely laid out - the desserts especially basically shouts XMAS. Savories - Poached chicken roll with apricot, Japanese endamame, smoked chicken with tomato and cucumber in almond roll, Marinated prawn with thai mango and chilli salsa, Beef pastrami with iceberg lettuce and gherkins in parmesan roll, Baby eggplant and avocado herb salsa, dumplings, seafood fritters - The savories were all quite good, especially the poached chicken roll and marinated prawns. A couple of rounds will be quite satisfying. I wish they had at least a soup though.
Sweets - Logcake, macaroons, raspberry cream, peanut butter cheesecake, chocolate tart, marshmallow bears - They look better than they taste honestly. All very cute to look at but disappointingly unmemorable.
Service was very good, with us being shown our seats very quickly and were brought the tea menu. The price includes as much tea and coffee as you can drink, and you can switch in between choices of tea too.
They also presented a complimentary birthday cake for my birthday friend, complete with a birthday song. Cute touch :)
I voted unsure really because of the disappointing desserts but of course its a nice experience in general. Come here to feel like a tai-tai :)
I've always been a fan of Timbre's pizzas so when they came a knocking with an invitation to try out their latest offering, 12 Inch Pizzas & Records, I gladly jumped at the opportunity.
The restaurant is located on the 4th floor or V Hotel, a newly opened hotel directly above Lavender MRT and opposite the ICA. Getting up to the 4th floor can pose quite a problem as the hotel requires you to scan your card in the lift before you can select your desired floor. However, there is apparently a fireman's lift which doesn't have such requirements so you might want to consider utilising it.
The alfresco dining area occupies a huge section; one that's at least twice as large as the indoor dining area (which is very noisy and not conducive for conversations in my humble opinion). Sitting alfresco allows you a view of the neighbouring and distant buildings (ICA is one of them) and the blue skies that pervade the emptiness in between.
Interestingly, the menu comes in the form of a record, back from the days when gramophones were still in vogue. Catchy, really.
Seafood Chowder - Nothing like a bowl of good soup to get things going. But unfortunately, the soup was lacklustre. A little too diluted without the creaminess of chowder and richness of seafood. Forgettable.
Cheese Fries - I actually love cheese fries but this was disappointing as well. The cheese was a little too watery for my liking and lacked the "gooeyness" I was expecting. Credits to the fries though, which were of a nice thickness and decently done.
The Cranbellies - With absolutely no affiliation to the Irish pop group, "The Cranberries", this pizza was one of the many with names playing on various song titles and group names. What I particularly liked about this pizza was the nice comforting taste it brought to the table. Mild cranberry sauce coupled with pork belly, cheese and a nice thin and chewy pita like base and topped with slivers of crunchy green apple. Not your conventional pizza but I love it!
Goodfellas - Shrimps, sweet garlic butter, curry leave sauce, cheese and topped with crispy egg and cereals - sounds like a mish mash of ingredients but in reality, a combination that worked well! Sandwiched between the cheese and pita like base was a generous layer of sweet garlic butter while the crunchy shrimps (probably soaked in alkaline water) were topped with crunchy cereal and fluffy egg swirls (just like the kind you would find in fried fish soups). Delicious! However, too much of it made me nauseous because it did come across as very oily. So eat in moderation or share!
Tutti Frutti - Our first dessert came in the form of a 12 inch pizza as well but well, I'm not complaining. A layer of chocolate sauce beneath the cheese, sprinkled with fruits and topped with copious amounts of whipped cream. Not exactly the healthiest dessert, but it tasted interesting - Slightly savoury from the cheese but predominantly chocolatey. If you can't accept chocolate together with cheese, I would suggest you not to try this.
Deep Fried Ice Cream - Our other dessert and the only one in the current dessert menu that wasn't a pizza, the kid friendly deep fried ice cream. I didn't think too much of it though as the flour was too thick and hard for my liking. Also, the coconut ice cream encased within tasted really artificial. I would skip this in a heartbeat.
Overall, I had a wonderful and belly bursting lunch. Though the sides were merely pedestrian, the focus should be on the wonderful pizzas, which Timbre has grown to be associated with. On this note, I would like to thank Timbre for the invitation once again!
1=SGD 0.0587
Picked this place for a post-meeting early weekday lunch but I wished I never did.
The place was rather empty but granted it was only about 1130am when we stepped in. A strange smell hit us when we walked in but we ignored it as it wasnt smelly or anything but just a strong smell lingering in the air. Poor ventilation perhaps?
The interior looked authentic, complete with matronly waitresses who hovers around to chit chat at leisure when the crowd is not here yet.
Claypot rice ($9) - their signature dish which was my colleague's choice. Looked and smelt nice but a tad too heavy on the dark soy sauce and too little vegetables.
Claypot Yee Mee ($7) - I had this as wanted something soupy. Obviously salt overload in the soup, and it didnt help that yee mee itself is a little salty. The egg and small-ish but fresh prawns didnt do much to distract me from all that salt. (you can choose to have chicken or seafood with the yee mee).
Chye Sim ($4) - The vegetables were steamed but it came in a pool of what must have been a ton of salt and light soy sauce added to water as the gravy. Absolutely mad. I had to ask to please take it back and re-do one less salty. The waitress was a little reluctant and told us we should have told her to do the dish less salty when we ordered it. Well, I wouldnt know that it is so salty unless I tasted it right? Portions were generous for the price though, and the veg came with over-fried minced garlic on top.
Barley ($1.50) - Not too and, wasnt expecting much for the price.
Old school place and old school service but the sodium overload can kill an elephant. Not going back for the sake of my kidneys.
Rating given:
Enticed by the AMEX 1 for 1 set menu at Tung Lok and the prospect of catching up, a couple of us met up for dinner at The Central's Signatures (TLS for short) outlet for dinner one evening. I've actually never been a fan of Tung Lok as I've yet to experience really good food at any of their outlets, including their much touted Humble House.
Located on the 2nd floor of The Central and immaculately done up to exude an air of oriental poshness, Tung Lok Signatures stands out from the crowd of eateries that crowd the area. Tables are spaced at a relatively comfortable distance and full length windows allow a great view of Clarke Quay and the Singapore river.
Flame Traditional-style Boiled Shark’s Fin Soup with Chicken - Gimmicky flames aside (due to the lighting of wax at the side of the bowl), I thought that the broth was excellent - flavourful yet light on the palate. Fin portions were reasonably substantial with bits of chicken to balance out the texture.
Pan-fried French Foie Gras with Crispy Beancurd Skin served on Pancake - Playing on the concept of Peking Duck, TLS's take on the pan fried foie gras involved serving the foie gras (with a layer of peking duck sauce on top) together with a crackling piece of beancurd skin and wrapped over using a rectangular piece of thick crepe. I honestly thought that it was an interesting concept but I did find the foie gras way too gamy for my liking. And that honestly killed this dish for me.
Steamed Soon Hock Belly with Minced Ginger - The soon hock was fresh but a little lacking in natural sweetness. One other gripe too. Being the belly, it had tons of bones which made it a pain to consume.
Crispy Kurobuta Pork Cartilage in Chili Sauce served with Deep-fried Bun - This dish seemed promisingly at the onset but didn't quite dazzle. The pork cartilage was coated with flour, deep fried and drenched in chilli sauce that was similar to chilli crab gravy, just a lot less spicy. The meat was tender but somehow I couldn't get past my psychological barrier to stomach the gelatinous cartilage. I liked the deep fried bun though.
Braised Japanese Handmade Noodles with Lobster Meat and Vegetable - Alongside the shark's fin soup, this was probably the best dish of the evening. Springy and robust noodles with minimal portions of lobster meat and a nice, savoury gravy. And of course, the obligatory 2 stalks of vegetables.
Chilled Grapefruit Shaven Ice topped with Ice-cream served in Pomelo - I was hoping for a sweet ending to my meal. But what I got was a cold, bitter dessert, which pretty much sums up how we felt at the end of the meal. But to be fair to the grapefruit, I'm just not a fan.
With the AMEX 1 for 1 promotion, 6 of us clocked in at almost $352 for dinner. Service was good but food left much to be desired. Even with the promotion, I'm not sure I would want to fork out almost $60 a head for food of such quality and portions. And with this meal, I have officially closed the chapter on Tung Lok, never to return.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Picked this unlikely place for my Xmas eve dinner as I was tired of fighting with half if Spore anywhere in town.I had thought the place was air-conditioned but turned out to be all alfresco, which wasn't so bad considering the cool weather these days.
At 6:30pm, the place was barely filled, but then again the seating is only about maybe 30-40pax? The crowd started to stream in only about 7:30pm.
We decided against the Xmas set dinner and settled on ala carte:
Chicken combo ($12.50) - chicken thigh meat and a 130gsm German sausage lightly grilled over a hot plate - quite nice, although the chicken thigh was a little too fatty. The sausage is actually a cheese sausage and I wish it was more grilled actually. But taste wise, it was not too bad.
Mexico chicken ($10.50) - delicious chicken thigh lightly grilled over a hot plate. Sprinkled with onions and our special cheesy mexico sauce - not too bad too, but the cheese made it look a little je lart for me.
Mashed potato / fries / coleslaw - each order of a main course comes with your choice of 2 side dishes. The coleslaw was surprisingly tasty without being too mushy; nor was there an overload of dressing. The mashed potao was average, but the fries were nice - they added this sprinkling of what tasted like BBQ powder and it was quite addictive (the other sides we didnt have were steamed vegetables, onion rings, nuggets).
Ice soursop ($4.50) - disappointingly chemical-ish. Skip this.
Service was basic and serving of food was efficient. Really more of a family place from the nearby residences and a place for a quick nice affordable western meal. Small seating so I recommend making reservations even though it may be a quick affair.
Rating given:
Chanced upon this place while we were stuck in Far East Plaza due to heavy rain, thus thought might as well have dinner since the aroma was seriously attractive whenever we walked by.
Its a self-service system where you order at the counter and pay, then take your number standee and wait for them to serve you at your table. But a small seating so do take your seats before you go to the counter - there's a menu at each table so not a problem at all.
Gado Gado ($4.50) - Bigger portion that I thought. Nicely done with plenty of veg (french beans and cabbage) but the sauce was not as peanut-ty as I would have preferred - seemed that something like lemongrass or some spice was added to it too. An acquired taste although it definitely taste healthier than the traditional version.
Drumlets ($3.90) - Not too bad but the marinade did not seem to penetrate the meat so the meat itself is a little bland.
Sotong Goreng ($4.50) - I liked this one! The batter was had a golden crunch to it and the basket was not too oily in fact.
(The accompanying chilli oil gives quite a kick, so beware)
Overall, prices are reasonable and taste was nothing bad, so yup will return. Saw alot of people having the mains which looks quite apprising too.
Rating given:
Popped by Cova Pasticceria for dinner one evening since we were in the vicinity and everywhere else was packed. Started in 1819 in Milan and originally patronised by the crème de la crème of society, Cova has expanded to a few countries in Asia to cater to those who seek "the high life" (albeit if only temporary).
And the decor is telling. Dark wood coupled with European style overhanging lamps that throw off warm light and well designed cornices greet you as you step into the cozy space that Cova occupies. Simple yet elegant.
Mushroom Risotto - For $30 , I had expected something more substantial than a miserly thin layer of risotto which I finished in 2 mouthfuls. And to compound matters, the risotto was a little overcooked for my liking.
Seafood Spaghetti - The seafood spaghetti fared a little better though I did think that the spaghetti wasn't al dente. I liked the light tomato based sauce and the fresh seafood but as with the risotto, portions were pathetic.
Lamb Rack - I didn't get to try this but from observation, portions were still small.
Peanut Feuilletine - And for dessert, a tiny piece of peanut feuilletine about a third the size of a regular slice of cake you would get at the likes of Starbucks, Coffeebean etc. To give it credit, the feuillentine was nicely thin and crisp while the chopped peanuts provided a nice crunch to the whole dessert. There wasn't much to go around though.
A miserable meal for 3 cost to the tune of $130, which is ridiculously expensive in my humble opinion. Portions were pathetic and two people with average appetites would have been able to polish off all the dishes with ease (we resorted to MacDonalds after the meal). Food quality hovered around average to slightly above average but the prices (and portion size) definitely do not warrant a revisit. Also, service lacked warmth and I didn't feel invited at times. Maybe we are just the wrong target audience.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Picked this place for a work-related lunch as I've been there for a quiet dinner and thought it was really a nice place and I came to know they had a set lunch going for $28 which was a steal compared to their ala carte dinner selection and prices. Food was good during my dinner visit previously so couldn't resist trying out their lunch.
Their weekday set lunch goes for $28 for 4-course of modern jap cuisine which they specialise in. What we had included:
Entree selection
Tartare of Salmon - served with wafu and rayu dressing, sprinkled with crispy garlic chips - my favorite of the meal! I like salmon everything and the dressing was really nice, although I have no idea what is rayu. Thoughtful for the salmon pieces to be cut into bite-sized pieces and the accompanying greens are fresh too.
Fruits and berries salad - served with homemade apple dressing salad and cashew nuts - didnt have this but it looked very tempting with all the colours! It looked better than on paper~
Warm dish
Kabocha Soup - puree of japanese pumpkin with cinanmon, honey and grated parsley - pure comfort food. Almost non-sweetened with the puree having just the right texture to 'feel' the pumpkin bits. I like!
Kani Chawamushi - topped with century egg dressing and fish roe - those who did not order this half-regretted their choices when we saw this. And tasted it. Should have known to order chawamushi in a Jap place! The dressing was very uniquely tasty and the roe provided a nice crunch to the otherwise mushy dish.
Main course
Salmon fillet - baked salmon with goat cheese stuffing, served with hollandaise sauce - Didnt have this but it looked really stuffed with cheese. There's also an option of having this without the goat cheese.
Char-broiled chicken teriyaki - served with garlic chahan and chives by the side - The chicken was huge and the teriyaki sauce done very nicely without being cloyingly sweet. The only regret was I dont take chicken skin but all the essence of the char-broiled was in the skin. Sigh. The accompanying fried rice was nicely garlicky but too big a portion for me, couldnt finish it.
Dessert (no choices to select from)
Lime sorbet - served with passionfruit puree, pomegranate, blueberries and pomelo - what could otherwise be a boring dessert turned out to be quite interesting with the different texture thrown in. A good ending to a good meal.
I had a coffee too which was freshly pressed from a neat-looking machine behind the main area.
Ambience is appropriately quiet during lunch with a few tables occupied but it also means staff is quite attentive throughout, without being intrusive. Hot tea was topped up frequently and service was efficient.
The only gripe is this is really hard to get to without a car but a cab from Buona Vista MRT will work just fine I guess.
Rating given:
Wanted a quiet weekday high tea and this place came recommended, plus I've never dined at the hotel before.
The ambience at The Landing Point was actually quite lovely, all lux and grandeur which is a perfect setting for tai tai high teas. Staff was attentive and nothing to complain about; tea cups were refilled very quickly.
The high tea came in a traditional 3-tier stand and it contained more bites than other high teas I've been to. But sadly none was memorable. If my memory serves me correct, they include:
Sweets - Xmas cookie, creme brulee, minced pie, chesnut sponge cake, chocolate log cake (swiss roll), almond choux puff with coffee cream.
Savories - cucumber sandwich, cheese cracker, smoked salmon cone, egg mayo sandwich, quiche, smoked ham roll.
Nothing was wow, which we expected as it added up to almost $50 per pax. It was definitely an experience but just not value for money. But they serve TWG tea which is always a good thing.
Rating given:
Another long overdue post. Caught up with a couple of friends over dinner at Mong Hing, a Teochew restaurant at Keypoint and where I once had a pretty good dinner before.
Prawn Rolls - The heh zhor was decent - Lean meat with pockets of fats and bits of prawn. Crisp but not too oily. Good for many bites, especially with the sweet plum sauce.
Homemade Beancurd - This certainly didn't look like beancurd, not with the circular shaped, golden brown exterior. And honestly it didn't quite taste like tofu. The texture was more like Thai prawn cakes, just a lot less dense and "fluffier" so to speak. Definitely not smooth and silky, the way I like it. The only giveaway was the taste, which had a distinctive beancurd taste. Although I like tofu, this is something I will definitely not order again.
Prawns with Deep Fried Pumpkin - At $24 for 6 prawns and 6 pieces of pumpkin coated with flour and deep fried, this was a joke. The prawns were drenched in sweet and sour sauce, which masked the natural flavour of the prawns. Total waste of prawns. The pumpkin however, were sweet and not too bad as a filler.
Stir Fried HK Kailan - Decent with a tinge of wok hei but lacking in dried sole fish. Wouldn't hurt to give a little more, would it?
Braised Goose - The goose was good - not too dry and well braised with the sauce not coming across as too salty.
We ended the meal with yam paste (orh nee) but I failed to get a shot of it. It was good but could have done with a little more fragrance. The infrequent bits of unevenness made for a nice smooth, yet inconsistent texture.
The 5 of us chalked up a bill of about $133. Not too expensive but quality of food seems to have dropped since my last visit. Maybe I should just stick to the likes of Huat Kee or Liang Kee or maybe I should give Mong Hing another chance.
See all my pictures here.
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This was a natural choice of a weekend high tea for a friend having her birthday as we both were wishing for a leisurely afternoon, plus they were having a special Xmas selection, at $48 per pax.
The ambience here has always been good, plus they have their regular 2-men band playing super nice music too.
The food selection was not huge but very exquisitely laid out - the desserts especially basically shouts XMAS.
Savories - Poached chicken roll with apricot, Japanese endamame, smoked chicken with tomato and cucumber in almond roll, Marinated prawn with thai mango and chilli salsa, Beef pastrami with iceberg lettuce and gherkins in parmesan roll, Baby eggplant and avocado herb salsa, dumplings, seafood fritters - The savories were all quite good, especially the poached chicken roll and marinated prawns. A couple of rounds will be quite satisfying. I wish they had at least a soup though.
Sweets - Logcake, macaroons, raspberry cream, peanut butter cheesecake, chocolate tart, marshmallow bears - They look better than they taste honestly. All very cute to look at but disappointingly unmemorable.
Service was very good, with us being shown our seats very quickly and were brought the tea menu. The price includes as much tea and coffee as you can drink, and you can switch in between choices of tea too.
They also presented a complimentary birthday cake for my birthday friend, complete with a birthday song. Cute touch :)
I voted unsure really because of the disappointing desserts but of course its a nice experience in general. Come here to feel like a tai-tai :)
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I've always been a fan of Timbre's pizzas so when they came a knocking with an invitation to try out their latest offering, 12 Inch Pizzas & Records, I gladly jumped at the opportunity.
The restaurant is located on the 4th floor or V Hotel, a newly opened hotel directly above Lavender MRT and opposite the ICA. Getting up to the 4th floor can pose quite a problem as the hotel requires you to scan your card in the lift before you can select your desired floor. However, there is apparently a fireman's lift which doesn't have such requirements so you might want to consider utilising it.
The alfresco dining area occupies a huge section; one that's at least twice as large as the indoor dining area (which is very noisy and not conducive for conversations in my humble opinion). Sitting alfresco allows you a view of the neighbouring and distant buildings (ICA is one of them) and the blue skies that pervade the emptiness in between.
Interestingly, the menu comes in the form of a record, back from the days when gramophones were still in vogue. Catchy, really.
Seafood Chowder - Nothing like a bowl of good soup to get things going. But unfortunately, the soup was lacklustre. A little too diluted without the creaminess of chowder and richness of seafood. Forgettable.
Cheese Fries - I actually love cheese fries but this was disappointing as well. The cheese was a little too watery for my liking and lacked the "gooeyness" I was expecting. Credits to the fries though, which were of a nice thickness and decently done.
The Cranbellies - With absolutely no affiliation to the Irish pop group, "The Cranberries", this pizza was one of the many with names playing on various song titles and group names. What I particularly liked about this pizza was the nice comforting taste it brought to the table. Mild cranberry sauce coupled with pork belly, cheese and a nice thin and chewy pita like base and topped with slivers of crunchy green apple. Not your conventional pizza but I love it!
Goodfellas - Shrimps, sweet garlic butter, curry leave sauce, cheese and topped with crispy egg and cereals - sounds like a mish mash of ingredients but in reality, a combination that worked well! Sandwiched between the cheese and pita like base was a generous layer of sweet garlic butter while the crunchy shrimps (probably soaked in alkaline water) were topped with crunchy cereal and fluffy egg swirls (just like the kind you would find in fried fish soups). Delicious! However, too much of it made me nauseous because it did come across as very oily. So eat in moderation or share!
Tutti Frutti - Our first dessert came in the form of a 12 inch pizza as well but well, I'm not complaining. A layer of chocolate sauce beneath the cheese, sprinkled with fruits and topped with copious amounts of whipped cream. Not exactly the healthiest dessert, but it tasted interesting - Slightly savoury from the cheese but predominantly chocolatey. If you can't accept chocolate together with cheese, I would suggest you not to try this.
Deep Fried Ice Cream - Our other dessert and the only one in the current dessert menu that wasn't a pizza, the kid friendly deep fried ice cream. I didn't think too much of it though as the flour was too thick and hard for my liking. Also, the coconut ice cream encased within tasted really artificial. I would skip this in a heartbeat.
Overall, I had a wonderful and belly bursting lunch. Though the sides were merely pedestrian, the focus should be on the wonderful pizzas, which Timbre has grown to be associated with. On this note, I would like to thank Timbre for the invitation once again!
See all my pictures here.
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