Carrefour has to be one of the better supermarkets around if not the best. Its main competitors will be home grown NTUC Fairprice and Giant which have slowly caught up to the fact that big supermarkets with huge selections are more or less the craze nowadays.
Catering to the audience that no longer finds small supermarkets sufficient, Carrefour attempts to be an all in one department store with everything thrown in for good measure. Spanning 2 levels of Suntec, Carrefour provides everything from computers, to electronics, televsions, washing machines, food, wines, clothes and even cutting tools.
The brands and selection there is also excellent, having many that will be hard pressed to find in places outside of Carrefour.
Apart from that, the Japanese food selection there is mind boggling and fresh which more or less satisfies many people's hunger for the coveted culinary experience.
Above a certain limit of purchases, Carrefour also provides delivery services and from what i've heard from my relatives, their service thus far has been impeccable with only minor hitches here and there.
All in all, i'd say Carrefour is an excellent place to shop to find that elusive ingredient or wine.
The downside will be the premium prices they charge for most of their items so weigh your choices properly before committing.
The daily paper and holy grail of information. At least in Singapore, The Straits Times paper has been around for a rather long time, pretty much as old as Singapore itself. Now, this wouldn't be a big deal if the paper has not evolved throughout the years and basically, despite the information revolution and the internet, The Straits Times remains as relevant as ever.
The paper itself is seperated into multiple sections for easy reading. This basically seperates the paper into sections with Asean news, world news, Singapore, leisure and classifieds. All in all, its a wonderfully simple segregation which ultimately works well.
In particular interest to me will be the Money section, Life and the classifieds which more or less qualifies under the "actionable" category as opposed to the other sections which are mainly for information only.
Despite talks of the internet evolving the world into a paperless society, the Straits Times perservered and remains as ever, a necessity when having a nice cup of coffee in the morning.
Opened by lifestyle and entrepreneur guru Michel Lu, Superfamous is located right smack in the heart of the CBD. Fully realised as a chic and trendy eating place, the restaurant is open to the elements in an al fresco setting before transforming into a bar in the evening. Even during the heat of the afternoon, the restaurant is generally cooling and suitable for patronizing even then. Lets go to the food to see how it fares then.
Apple and Orange Juice - Authentic juice best describes these 2 juices. In that i mean that they were both sour and depending on your tolerance to sour stuff, can either be a blessing or a curse. For me, i have a low tolerance to them and thus, it was a rather difficult experience to finish them. In all fairness though, they tasted very true to form.
Blue Swimmer Crab Caesar Salad ($13) - Crab meat, deep fried bread, salad, cheese flakes, boiled eggs and bacon bits. This simple looking salad was made very nicely indeed. The crab meat was fresh and sweet while the salad itself was crunchy to a fault. I particularly liked the boiled egg for no other reason then i love boiled eggs in a salad and the cheese lent a light salty taste to the dish. A great start to a meal.
Wild Mushroom Soup With Truffle Oil ($8) - The mushroom bits can be easily seen and the soup seems to be a grinded home made version of the mushroom soup which reminds me of the rendition at Eden Cafe. Taste wise, it was also quite similar with the mushroom bits providing texture to the soup and the truffle oil softening it somewhat. A little pepper did wonders for the soup as well. Worth a try.
Linguine with Seared Tiger Prawns in Tomato Chili Sauce ($16) -Spicy, tangy and a little sweet. The linguine was done al dente with the tiger prawns arranged at the top with the sauce and tomatoes. The prawns were reasonably big and crunchy but could have done with more. As i don't take much spicy stuff, i left this to my colleague to enjoy. What i gather was that it was not spicy enough but was good.
SuperFamous Wagyu Burger With Caramelized Onions, Fries and Salad ($23) - This original burger came looking delicious and the taste test revealed that it is delicious. Wagyu beef is mashed well with chunky bits to add variety to the texture while the caramelized onions gave the burger an overall sweet finish. The beef was also juicy and it was evident in each bite that the meat was fresh. The only gripe is that i couldn't tell if it was Wagyu or normal beef since it was mashed up.
SuperFamous Foie Gras Wagyu Burger ($32) - This was what i came to try. The foie gras wagyu beef burger. I have a tendency to go for artery clogging and heart stopping menu items and thus this was the choice of the day. Sadly, although the beef was nicely mashed as the SuperFamous burger, the foie gras did not manage to bring a different experience to the meal. The foie gras came at a respectable size with cheese meltings with it. It was also done nicely and taken on its own, it could have sufficed but when paired with the burger, it just feels like something is still missing. Maybe i held too high an expectation for this burger because otherwise, its pretty darn good. The wedges are the same for both, well done, not too oily and piping hot.
Sticky Date Pudding With Honey, Fig and Butterscotch Ice Cream ($8.50) - Recommended by the nice waitress of the restaurant, the sticky date pudding is a must try. Needless to say, this is the star of the day. Looking like glutinous rice, the warm sticky date is sweet and packs a punch in its aroma. Taken on its own, it would have overwhelmed but when paired with the honey fig and butterscotch ice cream, the taste was incredible. The waitress said that no visit is complete till you've had this as dessert and i totally agree. Try this!
Royal Chocolate Mousse With Crunchy Feulletine Base ($8.50) - The chocolate mousse on the other hand was rather lackluster as it was bitter and lacked any other taste. I did enjoy the crunchy base but it still doesn't warrant a second order.
Peppermint Green Tea (complimentary) - Finally, after all the rich food i've had, the waitress once again recommended the peppermint green tea to aid digestion and i'm so grateful she did. Its fabulous. The tea is absolutely fragrant and cooling which is wonderful for the current weather and for washing done all the oil from the burgers before. If any drink should be ordered here, this is it.
Given the food, good service and some wonderful items. This place is somewhere i could return to and recommend to my friends. I'd return for the dessert and tea any day and as for the burgers, i wouldn't mind clogging myself again but first of all, its time to shed what i've gained from this visit. Do give it a try if you are in the vicinity.
Had the good fortune to be treated once again by my nice boss when it was Secretaries Day. I'm not a secretary but i tagged along and shamelessly got myself a free meal. Ahhh....its the little things in life that make life beautiful doesn't it? Thanks boss!
Started in 1997, Siam kitchen is committed to bringing authentic Thai cuisine to Singapore without compromising the taste and quality of the transition. After 11 years, has their food been palatable for the majority of Singaporeans or are they going down the slippery slope marking the end?
Crackers - As with most meals, an appetizer begins the day and this time, its a bowl of crackers. Vegetable crackers if i'm not mistaken. Light, crispy and fragrant, it managed to set the mood for the meal to come. In fact, it was good enough for us to get it refilled at least once but maybe we're just cracker people.
Salad, Fish cake and Chicken Wings - Whilst waiting for the rest of the team to arrive, we went ahead to get ourselves a few ala carte items which you see above. Surprisingly, the best items turned out to be the salad of which i've forgotten the actual name. Either way, the salad was drenched in the usual sourish and sweet sauce that thai food is known for and the cold "cucumber?" and other items made for a refreshing and interesting taste. The wings were hot and tender while the fish cake was rather lackluster.
Buffet Lunch Set with free flow ice lemon tea($15.90 1.99) - The buffet spread came with a multitude of items which you will get to have at one go. These include, thai spicy squid salad, lemongrass chicken wings, prawn balls, tom yum prawn soup, thai fish cake, green curry chicken, chicken satay, fish fillet in yellow curry, sweet and sour prawn, beef massaman in dry curry, minced chicken in chili and basil, tofu in oyster sauce, baby kailan with garlic and mushroom, fried kangkong and pineapple rice. In all respects, that is a pretty big variety and everything is done ala carte. The catch is that they'll serve everything once and after that, you'll get to re order whatever else you wish to have seconds of. The tom yum is more sourish then spicy while the green curry had an overdose of coconut milk which isn't to my taste nor waistline. The only item good enough to mention was the chicken wing and thats at a discounted size from the actual ones that could be obtained from the ala carte menu. Still, the other items weren't all bad per se, just not up to the standard i would like. And anyway, its a buffet so this is more or less expected.
The above items were had by my colleagues who opted for the ala carte menu instead of the buffet. All of the guo tiao items received positive feedback which more or less confirms that the ala carte served much better food. The red ruby however, had too much coconut milk and was exceedingly salty, yep, salty is the word. The mango and glutinous rice also turned up too salty but was balanced by the mango and the ice cream in the end. Maybe thats how the authentic items tasted like in Thailand?
In terms of value for money, the buffet is generous and definitely filling enough although quality is compromised somewhat. The desserts and a few other items really felt like there was excess salt added which was quite disconcerting. Otherwise, the service was pretty good and no additional rules were enforced when the buffet customers and the ala carte customers sat together which i took to be a good sign. It wasn't terrible and the ala carte items definitely got better reviews.
Had a chance to gather around for a meal with the Yebbers on a fine Saturday to commemorate a rather interesting event which i will not go into specifics. Either way, the meal is free and i've always wanted to dine in Laguna Country Club for no apparent reason other then its a country club. So here we are and this is what we had. As i didn't pay for this meal, i'll only give my take on the food quality and service.
Laguna country club hosts a variety of golf tournaments throughout the year, including big name events like the Singapore Masters and the Women's Open nary a year ago. The location is scenic with lush green pastures and an air of luxury that extends beyond the greens and into the eating places housed within. Pine Valley is a relaxed, open and well air conditioned place for the inhabitants and club members and also a good place to reside for a nice chat as its sparsely populated even during the lunch hours.
Shark's Fin Soup with Fish Maw, Chicken and Mushrooms - Shark's fin soup is one of those dishes that i associate with wedding dinners and extremely wealthy individuals. This will likely fall into the latter category. The soup itself is quite starchy and has a really generous helping of ingredients, shark's fin and fish maw. Taken on its own, there's a sweet taste that emanates from the healthy does of crab and mushrooms in the mix but otherwise, tastes bland as most shark's fin soup tastes. Vinegar and pepper definitely ups the taste and texture department in this case.
Peking Duck - The beauty of the Peking Duck dish is undeniable. Order a whole duck and you'll get to eat it in a variety of ways for the skin and the meat. The only things standing between you and the dish is the knowledge of whether the duck skin is marinated and roasted well. In this case, the skin is quite fatty and crispy enough to warrant a try. The marinate feels non existant and the normal pancake is too dry. The egg version salvaged the situation though. The meat was cooked in black pepper and turned out surprisingly good. It was moist, succulent and sweet. It also helped that the portion size was rather big.
Wasabi Mayonnaise Prawns - Wasabi Mayonnaise prawns, a signature dish of the Tung Lok group, this version turned out too dry for me. The batter and frying process seemed to have been overdone which left the prawns tasting hard and dry instead of crunchy and juicy. No matter, the wasabi mayonnaise was mixed well and provided a small kick in the right direction since it was rather mild and easily acceptable.
Steamed Batang - This fish was huge. Simple steamed fish can be good as long as the fish itself was fresh and the process of cooking was not overdone. Sad to say however, the fish was overcooked and thus caused the meat to loss some of its sweetness which could have made it better. For what its worth, what is good is that the meat is plentiful, fresh and went well with the salty and sourish stock accompanying the dish.
Dried Chili Fried Prawns - Somehow, i don't think the restaurant handles prawns well. This dish was decent but the taste resides only within the portion of the shell. This means that once deshelled, which is a necessary procedure unless you are lazy like me, the prawn itself is rather bland. Otherwise, the spicy and fragrant dried chili is something spice lovers will easily take to.
Beancurd with Spinach - Finally, some greens. The spinach turned out too old and had the "greenish" taste which accompanies greens not cleaned properly. Although a tad salty, the spinach with all its flaws, ultimately tasted better then the beancurd atop it, which came across as being totally tasteless.
Fried Ee Fu Noodles - By the time this dish appeared, we'd pretty much been stuffed like a duck awaiting slaughter. So the taste buds have deteriorated to the point i couldn't taste much. Nonetheless, the noodles were fragrant and had some bacon bits strewn around it. It was also springy and soft enough to be bitten off which is always a good sign.
Almonds, Sea Coconut, Pine Apple and Longan Cocktail - The dessert is rather simple but definitely gets the job done. I like the almond which was very soft and strong (i'm biased because i love almond). Everything else was just detail though. The other good thing was that the sweetness was just right, thus it didn't overwhelm.
First of all, thank you for the meal boss, i probably couldn't afford having such a huge sumptuous meal all on my lonesome. The view was good, location is quiet, food is decent and the portions were huge. I'd say the place was pretty good but i still don't know how much it cost so thats an open topic. Based on the food alone, i would probably like to have the shark's fin again, Peking duck however, is still better at Hai Tien lo.
1=SGD 0.0587
Catering to the audience that no longer finds small supermarkets sufficient, Carrefour attempts to be an all in one department store with everything thrown in for good measure. Spanning 2 levels of Suntec, Carrefour provides everything from computers, to electronics, televsions, washing machines, food, wines, clothes and even cutting tools.
The brands and selection there is also excellent, having many that will be hard pressed to find in places outside of Carrefour.
Apart from that, the Japanese food selection there is mind boggling and fresh which more or less satisfies many people's hunger for the coveted culinary experience.
Above a certain limit of purchases, Carrefour also provides delivery services and from what i've heard from my relatives, their service thus far has been impeccable with only minor hitches here and there.
All in all, i'd say Carrefour is an excellent place to shop to find that elusive ingredient or wine.
The downside will be the premium prices they charge for most of their items so weigh your choices properly before committing.
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The paper itself is seperated into multiple sections for easy reading. This basically seperates the paper into sections with Asean news, world news, Singapore, leisure and classifieds. All in all, its a wonderfully simple segregation which ultimately works well.
In particular interest to me will be the Money section, Life and the classifieds which more or less qualifies under the "actionable" category as opposed to the other sections which are mainly for information only.
Despite talks of the internet evolving the world into a paperless society, the Straits Times perservered and remains as ever, a necessity when having a nice cup of coffee in the morning.
Well done.
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Apple and Orange Juice - Authentic juice best describes these 2 juices. In that i mean that they were both sour and depending on your tolerance to sour stuff, can either be a blessing or a curse. For me, i have a low tolerance to them and thus, it was a rather difficult experience to finish them. In all fairness though, they tasted very true to form.
Blue Swimmer Crab Caesar Salad ($13) - Crab meat, deep fried bread, salad, cheese flakes, boiled eggs and bacon bits. This simple looking salad was made very nicely indeed. The crab meat was fresh and sweet while the salad itself was crunchy to a fault. I particularly liked the boiled egg for no other reason then i love boiled eggs in a salad and the cheese lent a light salty taste to the dish. A great start to a meal.
Wild Mushroom Soup With Truffle Oil ($8) - The mushroom bits can be easily seen and the soup seems to be a grinded home made version of the mushroom soup which reminds me of the rendition at Eden Cafe. Taste wise, it was also quite similar with the mushroom bits providing texture to the soup and the truffle oil softening it somewhat. A little pepper did wonders for the soup as well. Worth a try.
Linguine with Seared Tiger Prawns in Tomato Chili Sauce ($16) -Spicy, tangy and a little sweet. The linguine was done al dente with the tiger prawns arranged at the top with the sauce and tomatoes. The prawns were reasonably big and crunchy but could have done with more. As i don't take much spicy stuff, i left this to my colleague to enjoy. What i gather was that it was not spicy enough but was good.
SuperFamous Wagyu Burger With Caramelized Onions, Fries and Salad ($23) - This original burger came looking delicious and the taste test revealed that it is delicious. Wagyu beef is mashed well with chunky bits to add variety to the texture while the caramelized onions gave the burger an overall sweet finish. The beef was also juicy and it was evident in each bite that the meat was fresh. The only gripe is that i couldn't tell if it was Wagyu or normal beef since it was mashed up.
SuperFamous Foie Gras Wagyu Burger ($32) - This was what i came to try. The foie gras wagyu beef burger. I have a tendency to go for artery clogging and heart stopping menu items and thus this was the choice of the day. Sadly, although the beef was nicely mashed as the SuperFamous burger, the foie gras did not manage to bring a different experience to the meal. The foie gras came at a respectable size with cheese meltings with it. It was also done nicely and taken on its own, it could have sufficed but when paired with the burger, it just feels like something is still missing. Maybe i held too high an expectation for this burger because otherwise, its pretty darn good. The wedges are the same for both, well done, not too oily and piping hot.
Sticky Date Pudding With Honey, Fig and Butterscotch Ice Cream ($8.50) - Recommended by the nice waitress of the restaurant, the sticky date pudding is a must try. Needless to say, this is the star of the day. Looking like glutinous rice, the warm sticky date is sweet and packs a punch in its aroma. Taken on its own, it would have overwhelmed but when paired with the honey fig and butterscotch ice cream, the taste was incredible. The waitress said that no visit is complete till you've had this as dessert and i totally agree. Try this!
Royal Chocolate Mousse With Crunchy Feulletine Base ($8.50) - The chocolate mousse on the other hand was rather lackluster as it was bitter and lacked any other taste. I did enjoy the crunchy base but it still doesn't warrant a second order.
Peppermint Green Tea (complimentary) - Finally, after all the rich food i've had, the waitress once again recommended the peppermint green tea to aid digestion and i'm so grateful she did. Its fabulous. The tea is absolutely fragrant and cooling which is wonderful for the current weather and for washing done all the oil from the burgers before. If any drink should be ordered here, this is it.
Given the food, good service and some wonderful items. This place is somewhere i could return to and recommend to my friends. I'd return for the dessert and tea any day and as for the burgers, i wouldn't mind clogging myself again but first of all, its time to shed what i've gained from this visit. Do give it a try if you are in the vicinity.
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Started in 1997, Siam kitchen is committed to bringing authentic Thai cuisine to Singapore without compromising the taste and quality of the transition. After 11 years, has their food been palatable for the majority of Singaporeans or are they going down the slippery slope marking the end?
Crackers - As with most meals, an appetizer begins the day and this time, its a bowl of crackers. Vegetable crackers if i'm not mistaken. Light, crispy and fragrant, it managed to set the mood for the meal to come. In fact, it was good enough for us to get it refilled at least once but maybe we're just cracker people.
Salad, Fish cake and Chicken Wings - Whilst waiting for the rest of the team to arrive, we went ahead to get ourselves a few ala carte items which you see above. Surprisingly, the best items turned out to be the salad of which i've forgotten the actual name. Either way, the salad was drenched in the usual sourish and sweet sauce that thai food is known for and the cold "cucumber?" and other items made for a refreshing and interesting taste. The wings were hot and tender while the fish cake was rather lackluster.
Buffet Lunch Set with free flow ice lemon tea($15.90 1.99) - The buffet spread came with a multitude of items which you will get to have at one go. These include, thai spicy squid salad, lemongrass chicken wings, prawn balls, tom yum prawn soup, thai fish cake, green curry chicken, chicken satay, fish fillet in yellow curry, sweet and sour prawn, beef massaman in dry curry, minced chicken in chili and basil, tofu in oyster sauce, baby kailan with garlic and mushroom, fried kangkong and pineapple rice.
In all respects, that is a pretty big variety and everything is done ala carte. The catch is that they'll serve everything once and after that, you'll get to re order whatever else you wish to have seconds of. The tom yum is more sourish then spicy while the green curry had an overdose of coconut milk which isn't to my taste nor waistline. The only item good enough to mention was the chicken wing and thats at a discounted size from the actual ones that could be obtained from the ala carte menu. Still, the other items weren't all bad per se, just not up to the standard i would like. And anyway, its a buffet so this is more or less expected.
The above items were had by my colleagues who opted for the ala carte menu instead of the buffet. All of the guo tiao items received positive feedback which more or less confirms that the ala carte served much better food. The red ruby however, had too much coconut milk and was exceedingly salty, yep, salty is the word. The mango and glutinous rice also turned up too salty but was balanced by the mango and the ice cream in the end. Maybe thats how the authentic items tasted like in Thailand?
In terms of value for money, the buffet is generous and definitely filling enough although quality is compromised somewhat. The desserts and a few other items really felt like there was excess salt added which was quite disconcerting. Otherwise, the service was pretty good and no additional rules were enforced when the buffet customers and the ala carte customers sat together which i took to be a good sign. It wasn't terrible and the ala carte items definitely got better reviews.
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Laguna country club hosts a variety of golf tournaments throughout the year, including big name events like the Singapore Masters and the Women's Open nary a year ago. The location is scenic with lush green pastures and an air of luxury that extends beyond the greens and into the eating places housed within. Pine Valley is a relaxed, open and well air conditioned place for the inhabitants and club members and also a good place to reside for a nice chat as its sparsely populated even during the lunch hours.
Shark's Fin Soup with Fish Maw, Chicken and Mushrooms - Shark's fin soup is one of those dishes that i associate with wedding dinners and extremely wealthy individuals. This will likely fall into the latter category. The soup itself is quite starchy and has a really generous helping of ingredients, shark's fin and fish maw. Taken on its own, there's a sweet taste that emanates from the healthy does of crab and mushrooms in the mix but otherwise, tastes bland as most shark's fin soup tastes. Vinegar and pepper definitely ups the taste and texture department in this case.
Peking Duck - The beauty of the Peking Duck dish is undeniable. Order a whole duck and you'll get to eat it in a variety of ways for the skin and the meat. The only things standing between you and the dish is the knowledge of whether the duck skin is marinated and roasted well. In this case, the skin is quite fatty and crispy enough to warrant a try. The marinate feels non existant and the normal pancake is too dry. The egg version salvaged the situation though. The meat was cooked in black pepper and turned out surprisingly good. It was moist, succulent and sweet. It also helped that the portion size was rather big.
Wasabi Mayonnaise Prawns - Wasabi Mayonnaise prawns, a signature dish of the Tung Lok group, this version turned out too dry for me. The batter and frying process seemed to have been overdone which left the prawns tasting hard and dry instead of crunchy and juicy. No matter, the wasabi mayonnaise was mixed well and provided a small kick in the right direction since it was rather mild and easily acceptable.
Steamed Batang - This fish was huge. Simple steamed fish can be good as long as the fish itself was fresh and the process of cooking was not overdone. Sad to say however, the fish was overcooked and thus caused the meat to loss some of its sweetness which could have made it better. For what its worth, what is good is that the meat is plentiful, fresh and went well with the salty and sourish stock accompanying the dish.
Dried Chili Fried Prawns - Somehow, i don't think the restaurant handles prawns well. This dish was decent but the taste resides only within the portion of the shell. This means that once deshelled, which is a necessary procedure unless you are lazy like me, the prawn itself is rather bland. Otherwise, the spicy and fragrant dried chili is something spice lovers will easily take to.
Beancurd with Spinach - Finally, some greens. The spinach turned out too old and had the "greenish" taste which accompanies greens not cleaned properly. Although a tad salty, the spinach with all its flaws, ultimately tasted better then the beancurd atop it, which came across as being totally tasteless.
Fried Ee Fu Noodles - By the time this dish appeared, we'd pretty much been stuffed like a duck awaiting slaughter. So the taste buds have deteriorated to the point i couldn't taste much. Nonetheless, the noodles were fragrant and had some bacon bits strewn around it. It was also springy and soft enough to be bitten off which is always a good sign.
Almonds, Sea Coconut, Pine Apple and Longan Cocktail - The dessert is rather simple but definitely gets the job done. I like the almond which was very soft and strong (i'm biased because i love almond). Everything else was just detail though. The other good thing was that the sweetness was just right, thus it didn't overwhelm.
First of all, thank you for the meal boss, i probably couldn't afford having such a huge sumptuous meal all on my lonesome. The view was good, location is quiet, food is decent and the portions were huge. I'd say the place was pretty good but i still don't know how much it cost so thats an open topic. Based on the food alone, i would probably like to have the shark's fin again, Peking duck however, is still better at Hai Tien lo.
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