Lee Kui has been around for a long time and to date is still a popular dining destination for families seeking out Teochew food.
The interior is nothing to hark about, coming across as simple with fold-able steel frame chairs that hark back to the 70s and 80s. Reservations are necessary unless you want to show up really early at maybe 530pm?
Stir Fried Kailan with Deep Fried Sole Fish - We started off with this simple but delicious dish. The vegetables had a nice tinge of wok hei without being overcooked while the sole fish were crisp and came in rather big pieces. Nice!
Braised Duck - The braised duck was served in large slices which I personally liked but it did come across as a tad too dry and lacking in fragrance. Kudos to the addition of braised peanuts though, which I thought was nicely tender and well simmered.
Prawn Balls - The heh zhors were decent - lean meat with prawns that wasn't excessively oily. Good for many bites! However I wouldn't rate it fantastic as I've had much better ones.
Yam Paste - One of the hallmarks of Teochew cuisine, the yam paste or orh nee, was smooth but inconsistencies could be made out in the texture, which probably meant it was hand made and not machine produced. Fragrant, topped with a huge chunk of pumpkin and didn't come across as overly sweet. Nice!
Dinner for the 3 of us including 3 coconut drinks cost almost $81, which is on the high side if you ask me. Food quality is above average but at this price point, I can easily have more portions of equally good food, if not better food, at other Teochew restaurants. And do note that this place is cash only. I probably won't be back, not when there are better and cheaper Teochew restaurants around.
Had the opportunity to drop by The Tastings Room one Saturday afternoon by virtue of an invitation. This newly minted restaurant's selling point is that it has suggested wine pairings (by the glass or bottle, if you so wish) on the menu to go along with each individual food item as well as an extensive wine collection that wouldn't cost you an arm or a leg to sample. And it's helmed by Executive Chef Elvin Chew, the current president of the Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC).
The Tastings Room is hidden along the perimeter of Marina Square, sandwiched between Qiji and a Vietnamese coffee house. Its location isn't what I would call prominent and it probably attracts more lunch time office crowds than weekend crowds in my personal opinion. The place is simply done up with a "cafeish" vibe and a seemingly well stocked wine cellar at one corner. Take the booth seats if you can.
Truffle Mushroom Puree Soup ($8.90) & Smoked Vine Tomato Soup with Seafood ($9.90) - We started off with the mushroom soup, which had loads of mushrooms and a rather heady taste due to the inclusion of truffle oil. However it did seem a little watered down and lacked any real oomph I would have liked in a mushroom soup. The tomato soup fared much better though. Light and not too tangy with a hint of smokiness coupled with morsels of fresh seafood. Rather appetising.
Heirloom Tomato Salad ($13.90) - Visually arresting with its vibrant colours but unfortunately didn't quite live up to expectations taste wise. The balsamic dressing was a little overwhelming while the buffalo cheese didn't come across as sufficiently soft yet firm.
White Truffle Salted House Fries ($9.90) - Nice and thick with a nice strong smell and taste of truffle oil. Pity about the frying inconsistency. Some were done just right while others tended towards the charred side.
Egg Royale ($15.90) - I'm honestly not a big fan of smoked salmon, or any variant of salmon for that matter. However, the egg royale was surprisingly good. Well smoked salmon (still a little too salty for my liking though) soaked in rich and buttery hollandaise sauce, sitting on a well toasted piece of bread. Very good!
Poached Eggs in Red Wine Hollandaise ($16.90) - I loved the fact that the egg yolk was liquid but bemoan its tastelessness! However, the sauce more than made up for the flaw - buttery goodness that was so familiar and comforting. Add a well toasted bread to the list as well as crispy bacon and you get something which I wouldn't hesitate to order again (But please work on the poached egg).
Sous Vide Pork Belly with Crackling Skin ($26.90) - Food preparation involving Sous vide, where food is vacuum packed in bags and cooked for a long period of time in a water bath, is seemingly the up and coming approach favoured by many professional restaurants in Singapore. The Tastings Room has hopped onto the bandwagon as well and to give it credit, the pork belly was good. Insanely crackling crispy skin coupled with tender but rather fatty meat for that heart stopping guilty indulgence. The rose wine apple sauce lent a gentle sweetness to the dish, which was rather refreshing in my humble opinion.
Confit of French Duck Leg (Price not available) - The duck confit came across as a little too dry and tough although the meat spotted a nice reddish hue. The sauce was a saver though - mildly sweet with tangy overtones. Overall still a decent dish.
Miso Glazed Sea Bass ($25.90) - The sea bass tasted a little overcooked and had a strong miso taste (probably too strong!) on top of a mild peppery intonation. Not exactly my cup of tea but decent nonetheless.
Vanilla Creme Brulee ($8.90) - We started our desserts with the vanilla creme brulee, which was less than ideal. The first thing that hit me when I took a mouthful of the pudding, was the strong egg taste. And it definitely didn't help that the layer of sugar was a tad too thin and came across as flimsy. The only consolation was that the creme brulee used real vanilla beans and not vanilla essence.
Chocolate D24 Durian Cake ($9.90) - I love durian but this dessert honestly didn't work for me. The durian, though rich and relatively fresh, was way too dominant in flavour and I couldn't make out any chocolate taste at all. The sponge was also a little too dry and I could make out ice chips in the durian puree, which definitely wasn't ideal.
Molten White Chocolate Fondant with Ice Cream (Price not available) - The white chocolate fondant wasn't quite what I was expecting as the texture seemed more like madeleines than your typical fondant. The oozing white chocolate was extremely sweet and the strong orange zest from the fondant itself wasn't enough to balance the sweetness out. The strawberries and blueberries did help a little though. Personally I didn't think that chocolate ice cream was a good pairing with the fondant. Rich chocolate more chocolate just makes me queasy. Maybe vanilla would have been a better bet.
Overall, I appreciate the effort by The Tastings Room to allow consumers easy and affordable access to wine pairings with their food which would be good for novices like myself. However, the quality of food was a case of hits and misses and generally, the brunch dishes fared better. I personally wouldn't go back for lunch or dinner but would consider doing brunch. Prices fall flatly in the mid range and a 3 course dinner for 2 would probably cost in the vicinity of $120 - $150 (inclusive of tax) with a glass or two of wine each.
My bro recommended this for a family dinner, despite the parking hassle as always. But luckily we found a lot on a weekday evening.
The menu looks quite grabbing with its use of colours and font, prices look okay too. Its more like a cosy place to have unpretentious thai food, and our experience lived quite up to that thankfully.
Tom Yam Soup - Served in a hotpot, this was the clear version but packed enough punch for me. The seafood in the soup was fresh too.
Mad Thai Chicken - Super nice. Flattened crispy chicken pieces served with a side sauce that is sour-ish and unfortunately also addictive. I can have seconds of this!
Steamed Prawns with Lemongrass - fresh good-sized prawns with refreshing minced lemongrass on top. You'd think it's a strange combi but its really not.
Pork knuckle - My first time eating so much pork knuckle. May not be too attractive for those who like the fatty bits as this was quite lean. But lean and deep fried to a crisp is attractive too!
Vege - simply done but good nonetheless.
Sticky Rice Mango - a disappointing end to the meal unfortunately. The rice was undercooked although the mango was not sour.
Service was quite okay despite them looking understaffed, and smiley faces too. Plus Asahi on draft as a bonus. But getting here with or without a car is similarly challenging so take your pick.
Saw and heard about Brunetti, plus after all, who doesnt like checking out yet another cafe / deli / dessert place haha. The place was filling up quite fast on a lazy Saturday afternoon but thankfully there were still seats.
The draw here are the sweets - cakes, macaroons, meringue - you get the picture. There are savoury stuff of course but only a handful and most of the crowd looked like they were there to get their caffeine and sugar fix anyway.
The sheer variety of sweets will make you want to OD on sugar and crawl out happy. But I managed to stay extremely focused and picked 2 sliced cakes between us 2 ladies:
Cheesecake - looks lovingly home-made because of its crumbly soft texture. The cheese actually taste refreshingly light, but the biscuit base was too soft for my liking. Big slice too, to big in fact.
Coffee something - I'm sorry for being senile but I really dont remember what its actual name is. What I do remember is that it had a really nice coffee taste and very nicely chilled. Some sort of coffee chocolate thingy too. Cappuccino - I like! Almost perfectly frothed milk and good coffee is always a good match.
The crowd can get quite mad with kids and monster prams so may not be such an ideal place for some people. And I just sprained by ankle at the indoor leading to the alfresco but PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A STEP. And so I voted 'not sure' because of this personal bias haha.
Again, I wondered why the crowd and thought $1.50 sushi cannot be that good and people must be queuing for a quick fix. I was wrong! But beware come before say 5:30pm or be prepared to wait.....
3 ladies looking for a chill but somewhat healthy early dinner made this a good choice. And seriously, where can you find $1.50 sushi nowadays? I wonder how they survive.
Sushi, sashimi, miso soup etc etc were all at $1.50 per plate. And the quality is not too bad, comparable to say Sakae which has been seeing dipping votes. We stuffed ourselves silly and paid only about $12 per pax. And that's a good deal.
I also did not expect the variety to be that much, but it surpassed my expectations. Service was kept simple with mostly self-service stuff.
Doesnt make sense to go sushi by sushi here but I'll say for sure this place beats Sakae hands down. And this is much more worth queuing for haha.
Passed by this many many times, saw the crowd, and wondered what's the draw. Finally decided to attempt a family dinner here on a early weekend morning when car park lots were still available~
Lotus Root Soup - The best dish of the meal. Full of flavor and served in a pretty big portion too.
Claypot Tofu - Not too bad although the tofu could have been more tender.
Kai Lan - simply stir fried with garlic, it was simple but lacking the oomph of the wok hei.
Roasted pork - supposedly a specialty but I couldnt appreciate it because of the strong smell of the meat. Stewed rice vermicelli with vegetables - FAIL. Bland vermicelli and bland vegetables in bland stock.
I still dont understand the crowd, and although this is a place for a simple zi char meal, I wouldnt brave the crowd for it. The dinner cost about $80 for 4 I think so still reasonable. Try it for yourself I guess?
And we finally got a table at the highlyy sought after and much talked about Pizzeria Mozza after calling in almost a month in advance for reservations. Yet we were relegated to a most uncomfortable table in the pizzeria where seating was tight and with the POS (point of sale) system right behind us (or me to be more specific).
Conversation was almost non existent with shouting the preferred method of communication. Simply put, you had to shout about the din to have someone sitting a mere 2 metres away to actually hear you. I attribute that to the ridiculously loud pipe music. For crying out loud, I'm in a pizzeria, not a bar and I definitely don't appreciate literally yelling at people and being yelled at to get a conversation going. And with the whole place trying to do their part for the environment by saving on electricity bills, the whole place had the pub vibe going for them. But wait.. isn't it suppose to be a pizzeria?
Potato Pizza - Egg, Bacon, Yukon Gold Potato & Bermuda Onions. Potatoes on a pizza? Double serving of carbohydrates? Seriously? But to give it credit, it was actually very decent as a whole. A hand full of toppings that synced well together on a thin and crisp yet chewy crust that gave my jaws a good workout (what do they put in there?!) .
Guanciale Pizza - Egg, Guanciale, Bitter Greens & Bagna Cauda. I've actually never tried guanciale (dried meat from pork cheeks) or bagna cauda (an Italian dip made from garlic, anchovies, olive oil and butter) and after tasting what this pizza had to offer, I am still clueless as to how both are suppose to taste like. Reason being, the bitter greens dominated my palate. And the whole pizza tended towards the "grassy" side. Most of us gave up after a slice each.
Meat Lover Pizza - Bacon, salami, fennel sausage, pancetta, tomato & mozzarella. With all the meat, I was hoping that this pizza would be a blast. But unfortunately, the converse turned out to be true. Very salty would probably be a good way to start off the description and the taste from the salami muscled its way in, overpowering virtually everything else. So essentially what you get is very salty salami on a bed of crisp but tough dough.
5 pax, $158. With 2 out of 3 of our pizzas almost hitting the $40 mark and not matching up in terms of quality and quantity, I'll definitely be hard pressed to find a reason to return. We were so disappointed that we didn't even bother ordering desserts. And the ambience definitely didn't help. This place is seriously over hyped in my humble opinion. Better pizzas at a more wallet friendly price can be found elsewhere.
Tai Hing Roast, one of the largest chain of Hong Kong style eateries in Hong Kong and China, has officially opened an outlet at Changi Airport's Terminal 2. There is a catch however. Tai Hing Roast is located within the transit section of the terminal, which means you will have to be flying in/out of Singapore before you get to dine there. Weird positioning if you ask me, but I guess the management would know better.
It isn't a restaurant per se, but more of a seemingly borderless area where you can dine at and watch planes (and people) go by.The menu is pretty much similar to what you get in a standard HK cafe in Singapore but prices do seem a little higher (think $10-$12 for roast duck noodles), taking into consideration the location as well as the middle to high positioning that is adopted by the eatery.
Based on the sampling of food I had, I honestly wouldn't say that the food was anything to shout about. But it does provide a good and "exclusive" alternative to the likes of Burger King, Subway and all the other run off the mill outlets in the T2 transit area. Best of all, it's round the clock.
I snapped up the Deal.sg deal for $3 per portion of either noodles or rice before I had the chance to see the reviews. Opps.
I've been around this area for meetings and have been curious about this place as honestly the setup is quite chic and nice. And since its been around for some time, the food should not be too bad, no?
Crispy Egg Noodles with shredded chicken and capsicum ($11.80) - This was not my main but I had a taste and it was actually not too bad with the noodles not soggy and the shredded chicken fresh. But I feel it is overpriced for its ala carte order as above. Wok-fried fragrant rice with chicken cubes and preserved vegetables in hot stone pot - Looked unappetizing and indeed, very bland. There was no effort to put some colour in the dish at all. The chicken cubes were alright but they were extremely stingy with the preserved vegetables - I couldnt see them and would randomly bite on one. No seasoning whatsoever resulting in basically a super bland rice rice, no fragrant to speak of, and because of the teeny presence of the preserved veg, not even remotely saltish. The only saving grace was that it was served in the hot stone pot which at least maintained its warmth. (this was not on the ala carte menu for some reason thus no price)
Deep fried eggplant with pork floss ($5.80) - Actually quite moreish but the egg plant pieces were too small resulting in the thick (although nice) batter covering any hint of the veg at all. The pork floss was an interesting addition.
They have a weekday promotion (Mon-Fri 5pm onwards) where a selection of bites (they call it chinese tapas), drinks, and cocktails are available at $5 per portion, which includes Heineken on tap for half pint. But even that, I feel they really need to buck up on the quality of food on offer, especially when these are items easily obtainable (and better too) elsewhere.
They also need a reality check on the pricing. I spotted one of their set lunches at $38 per pax. Granted that there are cheaper set lunch options but I will not risk a return visit if what I had was reflective of their standards.
Service was bad - staff who didnt see us when we entered the front door, staff who disappears randomly etc.
So, they're for sure, NOT Singapore's Finest Noodle Restaurant & Bar as they highlighted on their website.
Go elsewhere.
*Prices are reflective of what I paid on top of the $3 promo which includes the eggplant and 4 drinks from the $5 promotion.
Old School Delights, as it name might suggest, bases its idea on the school tuck shops of yesteryear. And it was this concept that had me hooked when the kind folks at the eatery invited me down for a simple lunch. In line with the theme, "fancy" dishes like foie gras and steak are missing from the menu and instead, simple local fare like macaroni, mee siam, laksa, nasi lemak etc are featured prominently.
The place is reminiscent of a classroom with its huge chalkboard, cement screed floors and quirky drawings which seemingly hark back to the days of "Mr Kiasu". There is even a paper table mat with an almost realistic imprint of an old school jotter book which I used when I was a kid. Lets not forget the pack of "Snap" cards and the erasers with country flags on them. Ahh the nostalgia.
Kueh Pie Tee - I've always had a penchant for Kueh Pie Tee, with its crisp shell and delectable filling of chopped egg and stewed vegetables (they are first fried with garlic then simmered in water). OSD's rendition was a little bland due to the lack of sweet sauce (I opted for no chilli). The shell (which isn't made in house) had a crunchy overtone to it but did seem a little too oily for my liking. I would have also appreciated the filling to be served piping hot instead of at room temperature.
Macaroni - What you get it pretty standard. A couple of slices of fishcake and some strands of shredded chicken as well as a couple of quail eggs, vegetables and of course macaroni in a tasty yet light broth. Although this dish wasn't spectacular, it did cover me in comfort and warm fuzziness. This was a dish that I loved to eat when I was kid and this one was simple and unpretentious - giving rise to a homely feeling (有家的感觉).
Chocolate Banana Cake - I ended off my lunch with a Chocolate Banana Cake, which wasn't quite the same as what I've had before. Think Choc a bloc. OSD's offering was the old fashioned banana cake with a layer of mashed bananas wedged in between and covered with a layer of molten (and shiny) chocolate. The cake came across as a little too dry for my liking but overall still a nice and sinful dessert (if you like bananas and chocolate)!
Overall, the food wasn't great but still very comforting in it's own way. Maybe it's just nostalgia and the chance to relive those happy and carefree moments, albeit for only a brief moment? Thanks to the folks at OSD for the invite!
1=SGD 0.0587
Lee Kui has been around for a long time and to date is still a popular dining destination for families seeking out Teochew food.
The interior is nothing to hark about, coming across as simple with fold-able steel frame chairs that hark back to the 70s and 80s. Reservations are necessary unless you want to show up really early at maybe 530pm?
Stir Fried Kailan with Deep Fried Sole Fish - We started off with this simple but delicious dish. The vegetables had a nice tinge of wok hei without being overcooked while the sole fish were crisp and came in rather big pieces. Nice!
Braised Duck - The braised duck was served in large slices which I personally liked but it did come across as a tad too dry and lacking in fragrance. Kudos to the addition of braised peanuts though, which I thought was nicely tender and well simmered.
Prawn Balls - The heh zhors were decent - lean meat with prawns that wasn't excessively oily. Good for many bites! However I wouldn't rate it fantastic as I've had much better ones.
Yam Paste - One of the hallmarks of Teochew cuisine, the yam paste or orh nee, was smooth but inconsistencies could be made out in the texture, which probably meant it was hand made and not machine produced. Fragrant, topped with a huge chunk of pumpkin and didn't come across as overly sweet. Nice!
Dinner for the 3 of us including 3 coconut drinks cost almost $81, which is on the high side if you ask me. Food quality is above average but at this price point, I can easily have more portions of equally good food, if not better food, at other Teochew restaurants. And do note that this place is cash only. I probably won't be back, not when there are better and cheaper Teochew restaurants around.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Had the opportunity to drop by The Tastings Room one Saturday afternoon by virtue of an invitation. This newly minted restaurant's selling point is that it has suggested wine pairings (by the glass or bottle, if you so wish) on the menu to go along with each individual food item as well as an extensive wine collection that wouldn't cost you an arm or a leg to sample. And it's helmed by Executive Chef Elvin Chew, the current president of the Singapore Junior Chefs Club (SJCC).
The Tastings Room is hidden along the perimeter of Marina Square, sandwiched between Qiji and a Vietnamese coffee house. Its location isn't what I would call prominent and it probably attracts more lunch time office crowds than weekend crowds in my personal opinion. The place is simply done up with a "cafeish" vibe and a seemingly well stocked wine cellar at one corner. Take the booth seats if you can.
Truffle Mushroom Puree Soup ($8.90) & Smoked Vine Tomato Soup with Seafood ($9.90) -
We started off with the mushroom soup, which had loads of mushrooms and a rather heady taste due to the inclusion of truffle oil. However it did seem a little watered down and lacked any real oomph I would have liked in a mushroom soup.
The tomato soup fared much better though. Light and not too tangy with a hint of smokiness coupled with morsels of fresh seafood. Rather appetising.
Heirloom Tomato Salad ($13.90) - Visually arresting with its vibrant colours but unfortunately didn't quite live up to expectations taste wise. The balsamic dressing was a little overwhelming while the buffalo cheese didn't come across as sufficiently soft yet firm.
White Truffle Salted House Fries ($9.90) - Nice and thick with a nice strong smell and taste of truffle oil. Pity about the frying inconsistency. Some were done just right while others tended towards the charred side.
Egg Royale ($15.90) - I'm honestly not a big fan of smoked salmon, or any variant of salmon for that matter. However, the egg royale was surprisingly good. Well smoked salmon (still a little too salty for my liking though) soaked in rich and buttery hollandaise sauce, sitting on a well toasted piece of bread. Very good!
Poached Eggs in Red Wine Hollandaise ($16.90) - I loved the fact that the egg yolk was liquid but bemoan its tastelessness! However, the sauce more than made up for the flaw - buttery goodness that was so familiar and comforting. Add a well toasted bread to the list as well as crispy bacon and you get something which I wouldn't hesitate to order again (But please work on the poached egg).
Sous Vide Pork Belly with Crackling Skin ($26.90) - Food preparation involving Sous vide, where food is vacuum packed in bags and cooked for a long period of time in a water bath, is seemingly the up and coming approach favoured by many professional restaurants in Singapore. The Tastings Room has hopped onto the bandwagon as well and to give it credit, the pork belly was good. Insanely crackling crispy skin coupled with tender but rather fatty meat for that heart stopping guilty indulgence. The rose wine apple sauce lent a gentle sweetness to the dish, which was rather refreshing in my humble opinion.
Confit of French Duck Leg (Price not available) - The duck confit came across as a little too dry and tough although the meat spotted a nice reddish hue. The sauce was a saver though - mildly sweet with tangy overtones. Overall still a decent dish.
Miso Glazed Sea Bass ($25.90) - The sea bass tasted a little overcooked and had a strong miso taste (probably too strong!) on top of a mild peppery intonation. Not exactly my cup of tea but decent nonetheless.
Vanilla Creme Brulee ($8.90) - We started our desserts with the vanilla creme brulee, which was less than ideal. The first thing that hit me when I took a mouthful of the pudding, was the strong egg taste. And it definitely didn't help that the layer of sugar was a tad too thin and came across as flimsy. The only consolation was that the creme brulee used real vanilla beans and not vanilla essence.
Chocolate D24 Durian Cake ($9.90) - I love durian but this dessert honestly didn't work for me. The durian, though rich and relatively fresh, was way too dominant in flavour and I couldn't make out any chocolate taste at all. The sponge was also a little too dry and I could make out ice chips in the durian puree, which definitely wasn't ideal.
Molten White Chocolate Fondant with Ice Cream (Price not available) - The white chocolate fondant wasn't quite what I was expecting as the texture seemed more like madeleines than your typical fondant. The oozing white chocolate was extremely sweet and the strong orange zest from the fondant itself wasn't enough to balance the sweetness out. The strawberries and blueberries did help a little though. Personally I didn't think that chocolate ice cream was a good pairing with the fondant. Rich chocolate more chocolate just makes me queasy. Maybe vanilla would have been a better bet.
Overall, I appreciate the effort by The Tastings Room to allow consumers easy and affordable access to wine pairings with their food which would be good for novices like myself. However, the quality of food was a case of hits and misses and generally, the brunch dishes fared better. I personally wouldn't go back for lunch or dinner but would consider doing brunch. Prices fall flatly in the mid range and a 3 course dinner for 2 would probably cost in the vicinity of $120 - $150 (inclusive of tax) with a glass or two of wine each.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
My bro recommended this for a family dinner, despite the parking hassle as always. But luckily we found a lot on a weekday evening.
The menu looks quite grabbing with its use of colours and font, prices look okay too. Its more like a cosy place to have unpretentious thai food, and our experience lived quite up to that thankfully.
Tom Yam Soup - Served in a hotpot, this was the clear version but packed enough punch for me. The seafood in the soup was fresh too.
Mad Thai Chicken - Super nice. Flattened crispy chicken pieces served with a side sauce that is sour-ish and unfortunately also addictive. I can have seconds of this!
Steamed Prawns with Lemongrass - fresh good-sized prawns with refreshing minced lemongrass on top. You'd think it's a strange combi but its really not.
Pork knuckle - My first time eating so much pork knuckle. May not be too attractive for those who like the fatty bits as this was quite lean. But lean and deep fried to a crisp is attractive too!
Vege - simply done but good nonetheless.
Sticky Rice Mango - a disappointing end to the meal unfortunately. The rice was undercooked although the mango was not sour.
Service was quite okay despite them looking understaffed, and smiley faces too. Plus Asahi on draft as a bonus. But getting here with or without a car is similarly challenging so take your pick.
Rating given:
Saw and heard about Brunetti, plus after all, who doesnt like checking out yet another cafe / deli / dessert place haha. The place was filling up quite fast on a lazy Saturday afternoon but thankfully there were still seats.
The draw here are the sweets - cakes, macaroons, meringue - you get the picture. There are savoury stuff of course but only a handful and most of the crowd looked like they were there to get their caffeine and sugar fix anyway.
The sheer variety of sweets will make you want to OD on sugar and crawl out happy. But I managed to stay extremely focused and picked 2 sliced cakes between us 2 ladies:
Cheesecake - looks lovingly home-made because of its crumbly soft texture. The cheese actually taste refreshingly light, but the biscuit base was too soft for my liking. Big slice too, to big in fact.
Coffee something - I'm sorry for being senile but I really dont remember what its actual name is. What I do remember is that it had a really nice coffee taste and very nicely chilled. Some sort of coffee chocolate thingy too.
Cappuccino - I like! Almost perfectly frothed milk and good coffee is always a good match.
The crowd can get quite mad with kids and monster prams so may not be such an ideal place for some people. And I just sprained by ankle at the indoor leading to the alfresco but PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A STEP. And so I voted 'not sure' because of this personal bias haha.
Rating given:
Again, I wondered why the crowd and thought $1.50 sushi cannot be that good and people must be queuing for a quick fix. I was wrong! But beware come before say 5:30pm or be prepared to wait.....
3 ladies looking for a chill but somewhat healthy early dinner made this a good choice. And seriously, where can you find $1.50 sushi nowadays? I wonder how they survive.
Sushi, sashimi, miso soup etc etc were all at $1.50 per plate. And the quality is not too bad, comparable to say Sakae which has been seeing dipping votes. We stuffed ourselves silly and paid only about $12 per pax. And that's a good deal.
I also did not expect the variety to be that much, but it surpassed my expectations. Service was kept simple with mostly self-service stuff.
Doesnt make sense to go sushi by sushi here but I'll say for sure this place beats Sakae hands down. And this is much more worth queuing for haha.
Rating given:
Passed by this many many times, saw the crowd, and wondered what's the draw. Finally decided to attempt a family dinner here on a early weekend morning when car park lots were still available~
Lotus Root Soup - The best dish of the meal. Full of flavor and served in a pretty big portion too.
Claypot Tofu - Not too bad although the tofu could have been more tender.
Kai Lan - simply stir fried with garlic, it was simple but lacking the oomph of the wok hei.
Roasted pork - supposedly a specialty but I couldnt appreciate it because of the strong smell of the meat.
Stewed rice vermicelli with vegetables - FAIL. Bland vermicelli and bland vegetables in bland stock.
I still dont understand the crowd, and although this is a place for a simple zi char meal, I wouldnt brave the crowd for it. The dinner cost about $80 for 4 I think so still reasonable. Try it for yourself I guess?
Rating given:
And we finally got a table at the highlyy sought after and much talked about Pizzeria Mozza after calling in almost a month in advance for reservations. Yet we were relegated to a most uncomfortable table in the pizzeria where seating was tight and with the POS (point of sale) system right behind us (or me to be more specific).
Conversation was almost non existent with shouting the preferred method of communication. Simply put, you had to shout about the din to have someone sitting a mere 2 metres away to actually hear you. I attribute that to the ridiculously loud pipe music. For crying out loud, I'm in a pizzeria, not a bar and I definitely don't appreciate literally yelling at people and being yelled at to get a conversation going. And with the whole place trying to do their part for the environment by saving on electricity bills, the whole place had the pub vibe going for them. But wait.. isn't it suppose to be a pizzeria?
Potato Pizza - Egg, Bacon, Yukon Gold Potato & Bermuda Onions. Potatoes on a pizza? Double serving of carbohydrates? Seriously? But to give it credit, it was actually very decent as a whole. A hand full of toppings that synced well together on a thin and crisp yet chewy crust that gave my jaws a good workout (what do they put in there?!) .
Guanciale Pizza - Egg, Guanciale, Bitter Greens & Bagna Cauda. I've actually never tried guanciale (dried meat from pork cheeks) or bagna cauda (an Italian dip made from garlic, anchovies, olive oil and butter) and after tasting what this pizza had to offer, I am still clueless as to how both are suppose to taste like. Reason being, the bitter greens dominated my palate. And the whole pizza tended towards the "grassy" side. Most of us gave up after a slice each.
Meat Lover Pizza - Bacon, salami, fennel sausage, pancetta, tomato & mozzarella. With all the meat, I was hoping that this pizza would be a blast. But unfortunately, the converse turned out to be true. Very salty would probably be a good way to start off the description and the taste from the salami muscled its way in, overpowering virtually everything else. So essentially what you get is very salty salami on a bed of crisp but tough dough.
5 pax, $158. With 2 out of 3 of our pizzas almost hitting the $40 mark and not matching up in terms of quality and quantity, I'll definitely be hard pressed to find a reason to return. We were so disappointed that we didn't even bother ordering desserts. And the ambience definitely didn't help. This place is seriously over hyped in my humble opinion. Better pizzas at a more wallet friendly price can be found elsewhere.
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Tai Hing Roast, one of the largest chain of Hong Kong style eateries in Hong Kong and China, has officially opened an outlet at Changi Airport's Terminal 2. There is a catch however. Tai Hing Roast is located within the transit section of the terminal, which means you will have to be flying in/out of Singapore before you get to dine there. Weird positioning if you ask me, but I guess the management would know better.
It isn't a restaurant per se, but more of a seemingly borderless area where you can dine at and watch planes (and people) go by.The menu is pretty much similar to what you get in a standard HK cafe in Singapore but prices do seem a little higher (think $10-$12 for roast duck noodles), taking into consideration the location as well as the middle to high positioning that is adopted by the eatery.
Based on the sampling of food I had, I honestly wouldn't say that the food was anything to shout about. But it does provide a good and "exclusive" alternative to the likes of Burger King, Subway and all the other run off the mill outlets in the T2 transit area. Best of all, it's round the clock.
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I snapped up the Deal.sg deal for $3 per portion of either noodles or rice before I had the chance to see the reviews. Opps.
I've been around this area for meetings and have been curious about this place as honestly the setup is quite chic and nice. And since its been around for some time, the food should not be too bad, no?
Crispy Egg Noodles with shredded chicken and capsicum ($11.80) - This was not my main but I had a taste and it was actually not too bad with the noodles not soggy and the shredded chicken fresh. But I feel it is overpriced for its ala carte order as above.
Wok-fried fragrant rice with chicken cubes and preserved vegetables in hot stone pot - Looked unappetizing and indeed, very bland. There was no effort to put some colour in the dish at all. The chicken cubes were alright but they were extremely stingy with the preserved vegetables - I couldnt see them and would randomly bite on one. No seasoning whatsoever resulting in basically a super bland rice rice, no fragrant to speak of, and because of the teeny presence of the preserved veg, not even remotely saltish. The only saving grace was that it was served in the hot stone pot which at least maintained its warmth.
(this was not on the ala carte menu for some reason thus no price)
Deep fried eggplant with pork floss ($5.80) - Actually quite moreish but the egg plant pieces were too small resulting in the thick (although nice) batter covering any hint of the veg at all. The pork floss was an interesting addition.
They have a weekday promotion (Mon-Fri 5pm onwards) where a selection of bites (they call it chinese tapas), drinks, and cocktails are available at $5 per portion, which includes Heineken on tap for half pint. But even that, I feel they really need to buck up on the quality of food on offer, especially when these are items easily obtainable (and better too) elsewhere.
They also need a reality check on the pricing. I spotted one of their set lunches at $38 per pax. Granted that there are cheaper set lunch options but I will not risk a return visit if what I had was reflective of their standards.
Service was bad - staff who didnt see us when we entered the front door, staff who disappears randomly etc.
So, they're for sure, NOT Singapore's Finest Noodle Restaurant & Bar as they highlighted on their website.
Go elsewhere.
*Prices are reflective of what I paid on top of the $3 promo which includes the eggplant and 4 drinks from the $5 promotion.
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Old School Delights, as it name might suggest, bases its idea on the school tuck shops of yesteryear. And it was this concept that had me hooked when the kind folks at the eatery invited me down for a simple lunch. In line with the theme, "fancy" dishes like foie gras and steak are missing from the menu and instead, simple local fare like macaroni, mee siam, laksa, nasi lemak etc are featured prominently.
The place is reminiscent of a classroom with its huge chalkboard, cement screed floors and quirky drawings which seemingly hark back to the days of "Mr Kiasu". There is even a paper table mat with an almost realistic imprint of an old school jotter book which I used when I was a kid. Lets not forget the pack of "Snap" cards and the erasers with country flags on them. Ahh the nostalgia.
Kueh Pie Tee - I've always had a penchant for Kueh Pie Tee, with its crisp shell and delectable filling of chopped egg and stewed vegetables (they are first fried with garlic then simmered in water). OSD's rendition was a little bland due to the lack of sweet sauce (I opted for no chilli). The shell (which isn't made in house) had a crunchy overtone to it but did seem a little too oily for my liking. I would have also appreciated the filling to be served piping hot instead of at room temperature.
Macaroni - What you get it pretty standard. A couple of slices of fishcake and some strands of shredded chicken as well as a couple of quail eggs, vegetables and of course macaroni in a tasty yet light broth. Although this dish wasn't spectacular, it did cover me in comfort and warm fuzziness. This was a dish that I loved to eat when I was kid and this one was simple and unpretentious - giving rise to a homely feeling (有家的感觉).
Chocolate Banana Cake - I ended off my lunch with a Chocolate Banana Cake, which wasn't quite the same as what I've had before. Think Choc a bloc. OSD's offering was the old fashioned banana cake with a layer of mashed bananas wedged in between and covered with a layer of molten (and shiny) chocolate. The cake came across as a little too dry for my liking but overall still a nice and sinful dessert (if you like bananas and chocolate)!
Overall, the food wasn't great but still very comforting in it's own way. Maybe it's just nostalgia and the chance to relive those happy and carefree moments, albeit for only a brief moment? Thanks to the folks at OSD for the invite!
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