One of the more belated posts, this was taken during the Yebber gathering for the New Year...Yes its very late in fact. Nonetheless, HotPot culture was the choice of the day with its everyday prices and rather extensive selection of food, both cooked and raw. Knowing next to nothing of the place, me and my gf braved the cold hard night and thronged towards the defunct location where maniacal cameras and loud speech is a norm.
The location was rather odd because it was situated in the middle of a large number of competitors ranging from Secret Recipe, Kenny Rogers to Genki Sushi and some chinese restaurant. Talk about a "hostile location" and "friendly competition". Still, i have to say the place was simplistically clean in a good way and though filled with normal furniture, managed to hover between boring and acceptable.
The service is simple. Once you have settled in, the immediate step is to be acquainted to your own personal mini pot. This pot will stay with you till the end of your meal until dessert is served so it is prudent to ensure you pick the best pot for your needs. For my case, i picked the herbal ginseng hot pot and it was a good choice in my opinion as the stock definitely adds taste to the food and simply tastes good. A little on the salty side though. The other complaint would have to be the fumes emitted from the pot, it stings your eyes and noses for the first....10 minutes or so until you get used it but these are small grouses in the scale of things.
In terms of food selection for the uncooked portion where you get to pick and choose whatever you like, it was sufficient. There are upwards of 30 different items you can cook in your hotpot and each item was, to my impression, treated with equal cleanliness and hygiene. To me, its extremely important that the food looks and is clean and this they have managed to convey. On the items, there are lots of greens, vermicelli, bean related items, eggs, chicken meat, dory fish, fish cakes, crab meat and fish balls to choose from. Each are chilled with ice and tasted pretty good in each respect. Springy fishballs, reasonably fresh meat and fish round out the experience. In short, the items on selection may be rather small portioned but does not disappoint. This brings us to the next point which is the 'distinct' difference between HotPot Culture and other would be restaurants, they also serve a selection of close to 40 cooked food items.
Prawns and Bacon Wrap - This was our first order for the day in the cooked food section and to be honest, it was rather disappointing but its not the fault of the chef in this case, it was the ingredients. Prawns and bacon wraps are as easy as one, two, three in making it good. Simple have a nicely sauteed king prawn, wrap it in quality salty bacon, slap on a layer or 2 of additional garnishes while grilling and its basically a winner. What went wrong here, was the rather small prawn used which failed to bring out its true flavor. In retrospect, even Eden Cafe didn't get this right...maybe it isn't as easy as i though after all.
Tahu Goreng - A favorite dish of mine which hearkens back to my army days. This rendition was pleasing to the eye but did not live up to expectations in the taste department. The nuts and garnishing is definitely spot on but the tahu (beancurd) itself was just a little too hard. The skin took quite and effort to break and the beancurd within needed to be softer to be palatable.
Chicken Wings - Chicken wings, what could go wrong with it? Over frying apparently. There was some marinate used on the wings which rendered it too salty but the nail in the coffin was how dry the wings were. The only saving grace was that it was not oily, which was perplexing in a good way. The newest update i had was that the owner got my comment through the video yebber made with me commenting on the items out loud, and have since improved on the wings and other items.
Pan fried battered fish - Didn't get to try this but i was told it was pretty good by KK and his gf. So i'll take it as it was good.
Chicken and mushroom wrap - I had only a piece of this and its was a little dry but the mushroom sauce managed to compensate that little problem. This was salty as well though.
Ngor Hiang - One of my favorite dishes when done right. This was below average by me but maybe my views are biased on this dish. This was rather thin and actually over fried with the paste inside lacking much taste nor ingredients. Needs improvement.
Stir Fried Bean Sprouts - You just can't go wrong with this dish. Its easy enough with the only thing to look out for being to stir fry it long enough to rid it of the "greenish" taste and short enough to retain the crunchiness. Once again, it was a tad too salty for me.
Golden Mushroom - Sukiyaki Beef - Fish Paste - The above are 3 items which needed to be ordered before it can be cooked. The beef was fresh and succulent enough to be ordered a minimal of 3 times, the golden mushrooms need to be cooked thoroughly before being eaten but gets the job done while the fish paste is a weird combination of tastes in its own right but simply didn't sit well with me.
Sweet and sour fish - Sweet and Sour Chicken - Both these dishes taste the same to me. With the exception of the fish being more tender while the chicken being more chewy, the overall taste is the same. Not to say that its bad but the sauce certainly overwhelms after awhile.
Deep Fried Meat Balls - Remember the mushroom chicken? Well, the sauce is the same while the meat balls were unfortunately too dry yet again.
The final course of the day was the chocolate fondue which comes in its own little hotpot for each person. Choices to go with the fondue range from marshmallows to fruits like papayas, apples, pears, watermelons and honeydews. The fondue is of the bitter sweet variety which means its more bitter and has a higher cocoa content then some other such fondues offered in similar places. A good ending i'd say.
A decent place for a buffet hotpot meal with a rather extensive variety of of items to choose from. The owner's willingness to listen to feedback and improve is a plus. I'd recommend visiting it as the overall experience has not been a bad one.
claudsaid: Yap, they've improved on their fried chicken and now its crispy on the outside and fragrant inside. Their sliced fried fish (any flavors) seem to have improved to. Next time I must try e herbal soup. 14 Apr 2008 at 11:49 pm
Bobosaid: After reading your post... I somehow feel like going again though I dun like steamboat in the first place. haha 15 Apr 2008 at 7:41 pm
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Its been an extremely long time since i've had any wine or beer introduced into my system and honestly, i'm missing the feeling of being slightly woozy and laughing like an idiot. So it was with this intention that i brought my gf to visit Scruffy Murphy's one quiet Friday evening after work. Part of a group of pubs under the Gaelic Inns company which includes mainstays like "The Penny Black" and "Dirty Nellys". This company is definitely no stranger to the pub scene but i was a hungry for dinner as well, so lets see if they have decent grub as well.
KilKenny ($11.80 per pint) - Beer on tap and beer in a bottle. What would you choose? I'm not an expert on beer and basically, i've not had enough beer to be a judge but conversation has lead to the belief that beer on tap has a magically transformed effect of making it smoother and better. $11.80 for one pint of beer is rather expensive by any standards but i have to say, Kilkenny on tap is rather smoother and lighter then the bottled iterations.
Simplicity is the best policy in the case of this pub. Single seatings near the bar and small uncomfortable rattan chairs abound. There's a small private room at the back with air con but the rest of the pub is non air conditioned. Its still a nice, cosy setting with no one bothering you regardless of where you sit. Service is attentive as well.
Scruffy's Irish Roast Beef ($16.80) - Bearing the namesake of the pub, i expected this to be of reasonably good quality. And i was not disappointed. Judging by its namesake, i was expecting small cubic portions akin to pot roast but what came looked very promising indeed. Huge slices of beef cooked medium rare with a pinkish tint on the sides. Drenched in mushroom sauce, the meat was undeniably tender and appetizing. You could taste the marinate in eat slice and it never overwhelms. Of special mention, the yorkshire pudding on the side was excellent as well. Soft and served warm, its fragrance elevated the dish even more. Well done.
French Fries ($4.80) - Alright, this was a stupid order because we didn't know the beef came with fries. For what its worth, the fries were rather dry and bland due to the lack of salt.
Crispy Pork with Mustard and Mayonnaise ($10) - We ordered this after ordering our second pint and thought it would go well with the beer. Anyhow, the description on the menu belies its actual appearance. These few pieces of roasted crispy pork is hardly worth $10. Not that it tastes bad though. It actually tastes pretty good if not for the 2 of us being health conscious lately. Chewy thick meat and fats dominate the crispy pork belly while the mustard definitely complemented it well. Still, it was too far a departure from our expectations to make it worth our while.
Total bill came up to $55.20 for a meal and drink for 2 people. Given the excellent main we had, i'm inclined to say it was worth it.
In all fairness, the place is still worth a visit and the ambiance is pretty relaxing in the later parts of the day. Food served is decent (for the main) while service is relaxed and slow. The music is soft and conversation can be easily carried out if you require it. Otherwise, its nice to chill out and watch some matches, listen to the waves or simply drink a few beers. Now if they could lower their prices per pint, i would frequent it that much more.
Its been quite some time since i've had decent dim sum in Singapore and it was with deepest pleasure when i was invited to join a couple of friends to try out Royal China at Raffles hotel. Having passed by the place a few times, i had never been interested enough to visit until this day. Interestingly, the first restaurant for this little gem actually started in London. And just before all of you read the review and wish to visit it, please note that it is now under renovation.
The decor consists of mainly wood furniture and red livery carpets. This will probably change though since the restaurant is going through a makeover session at the moment. Either way, the restaurant projects a positive and lively energy when you enter.
Chili and Roasted Honey Cashew Nuts - Why am i showing this? Well, i got pretty acquainted with the nuts and basically want to tell everyone that the nuts were great. Well roasted and sweet without losing any of its crunchiness. The fragrance and sweetness of it is simply appetising as well. A sign of good things to come i believe.
Char Siew Sor (5 for $6.50) - Thin and moderately crispy pastry surrounds the thick stuffed filling of char siew that is bursting at the seams. The char siew is moist, sweet and thick with lots of taste. The only gripe here is that some of the meat was slightly burnt in my serving but otherwise, a good dish.
Crispy Pork Belly with Mustard ($12) - A small serving like this is actually worth $12. I was astonished actually but upon tasting it, i guess its somewhat justified. Extremely crispy skin contrasts with the thick juicy meat that is found below. Dip it in mustard sauce and you'll know exactly what sinful good food tastes like. The thing you have to get over is the fact that you are eating fatty meat and the fact that one plate is never enough.
Chee Cheong Fan ($10) - We had 2 different Cheong Fan's here. One with the basic char siew and 2 with the shrimps. The shrimp version actually tasted alot better then the usual char siew version because of the extremely fresh and crunchy shrimps. One good thing is that although there's an entire layer of soy sauce beneath, it never got overwhelmingly salty. Definitely worth a try.
Char Siew Bao (5 for $6) - How can one reinvent the wheel for an item already done to death and found everywhere? Well, they either provide better stuffings or reinvent the dough used to wrap the stuffings in this case. They did neither but it was still a cut above the rest. The char siew was sweet and fulfilling as the pieces were rather thick. The bun itself is very fluffy and light while also being mildly sweet for good effect.
Fu Pi Juan (Deep Fried Beancurd with Shrimp) (5 for $10) - The one thing surprising about this item is that its actually not oily. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely oil used to deep fry it, but it doesn't overwhelm nor coat your mouth with oil. Taste wise though, the shrimps are generously big and crunchy but the beancurd skin was unfortunately lacklustre and failed to instill any feeling of gratification.
Beancurd with Fish Paste (5 for $6.50) - The fish paste is springy and had a mild 'fishy' taste to it while the beancurd felt like run-of-the-mill varieties. A disappointing dish.
Crystal Dumplings (5 for $7) - Ordered this because we were hoping to find out whats the reason behind the whole craze on crystal dumplings. It wasn't answered however and the skin, though translucent, was sticky and stuck to the teeth. The fillings were normal to say the least and the overall comment was that it was salty.
Custard Bun (5 for $6.50) - Now this is a simple bun that is bound to turn heads. Served piping hot, this little bun seems quite insignificant until you take a bite at it. Immediately, you will realize that you have something very special. The bun itself is soft and light as a feather while the filling of custard is literally bursting at the seems. Add the fact that the custard is only mildly sweet with hints of egg still noticeable and basically, you got the winner of the day (for me at least).
Shark's Fin with Dumpling Soup ($44 for 5) - This is the most expensive item we had that day and its easy to see why. At $8.80 a portion, its amazing that you can actually see an entire piece of shark's fin in the broth. Chicken broth by the looks of it, this isn't the usual starchy shark's fin that is the norm elsewhere. This is clear broth with vegetables and a pork dumpling and a portion of fin. The experience however, is a little bland and the dumpling is rather simple. Nonetheless, its a good dish.
Beef Ball (3 for $3.80) - Juicy, thick balls of minced beef, radish and vegetables aren't enough to save this dish from mediocrity. Its basically too salty to be liked and lacked any other discerning factors to lift its score.
Siew Mai (10 for $10) - Small, fresh and relentlessly juicy, this is a siew mai above the rest. You can taste the sweetness of pork, the freshness of mushrooms and the crunchiness of shrimp all in one package. What is there not to like?
Prawn and asparagus (5 for $10) - This is a rather......mixed bag because firstly, it isn't too special. Secondly, the sauce is too salty. Thirdly, i still love the shrimp and finally, its difficult to feel anything for it after eating because at best, its only average. Save your money for another custard bun.
Har Gao (10 for $10) - Crunchy shrimps anyone? Because if thats what you want, thats what you'll get. Ask for anything more however, and you'll be disappointed. The shrimp filling is definitely generous but the skin is a little too sticky and thick for my liking. Improvement needed.
Red Bean Pancake ($8) - I did myself the horror of ordering this. Why is it a horror you may ask? Because A: i've just had all the above B: this pancake is huge C: its a little over fried on some parts and D: its a little too sweet to be totally likeable. Its not bad actually, just not as good as i hoped and its definitely too filling for dessert.
Pomelo Sago ($4) - Yam Paste ($6) - Mango Pudding ($4) - I didn't get to try any of the above so i'll reserve my comments.
The final bill came up to $204.09 for 5 people on a lazy afternoon. It took us 3 hours to finish our dim sum foray which meant we had way too much food and little time to rest before dinner.
Its a wonderful place to have dim sum and honestly, the quality does justify its price. The only gripe i have is that its not without its misses. But i'll still gladly return any day for its custard buns. In fact, once the renovation is done, i'm going back for my little saintly buns for sure. Cheers!
Bobosaid: was it that time we all ate together? Wah it was A LOT! 09 Apr 2008 at 10:30 pm
feizhusaid: ya.. that was the time.. and that was months back ahaha 09 Apr 2008 at 10:47 pm
Lucardiasaid: Yeah yeah, very late post i know. lol 09 Apr 2008 at 10:48 pm
ruffnookasaid: WHen are they re-opening? 09 Apr 2008 at 11:23 pm
ladyironchefsaid: woo..luc and fz review keep on getting longer, and the use of words also beautiful, i'll have to buck up. lol 13 Apr 2008 at 10:17 am
Recently, i had the honor of being invited to a friend's Wedding that was held at Qian Xi. Having never heard of the place, i was quite surprised at its location. Civil service club in far off Bukit Batok.
On the wedding invitation card, you can see the address written as Hilltop and i was quite surprised when it really meant hilltop since you had to traverse a rather steep slope just to get to the location.
The surroundings were rather picturesque with plenty of greenery and a pool along with lots of Woody buildings. Check out the pictures to see what i mean.
The ballroom itself is the biggest ballroom in the club. The crystal ballroom with a seating capacity of 57 tables. And the amazing thing is, it was filled to the brim that day with her friends, family and church friends. Quite a sight actually.
For the wedding, we had 9 dishes and free flow of wine and beer.
Lobster Cold Dish - The usual chinese cold dish with squid, fried beancurd wrapped fish cake, lobster with fruits and mayo dressing and meat balls. The lobster was pretty stale but was saved by the dressing. Not really appetising actually.
Braised Shark's Fin With Crab meat - Average, the shark's fin was practically non existent and the soup was simply too starchy to be liked. Nothing vinegar and pepper can't fix but if i needed to resort to that, its already too late.
Roasted Crispy Chicken - Another average dish with the chicken being overly dry and lacking taste. In fact, it tasted like beancurd at some points which was astonishing... The crispy skin was quite fragrant though.
Fried Prawn with Cereal - The cereal was very well done i should say. Sweet, fragrant and very tasty, i could eat the cereal and be happy with it. The prawn was quite big but felt grossly overcooked. Dry and without much taste.
Steamed Red Grouper - The grouper was huge, nicely steamed in the cooking sauce i've always liked. It wasn't overly salty but the freshness of the fish is open to question. The meat had a powdery taste near the middle but otherwise was firm and sweet.
Fresh Scallop with Broccoli - The scallops were mini scale and miserly portioned. In fact, i barely had 2 pieces before everything was swept up by the family next to us. For what its worth, the scallops were fresh and springy to the taste.
Yam Ring with Meat - The yam lacked taste and so did the assorted stuffings present in it. Very obviously pork. It was still too bland for my liking despite the multitude of ingredients served.
Fried rice in lotus leaf - As it turned out, the rice was the best. Fragrant and filling. It had alot of ingredients and even had a little wok hei in it. I have no idea how thats possible though.
Yam Paste with Gingko nut - The yam paste was extremely sweet and while the coconut milk was too little. Thus rendering the dish difficult to swallow. After all the above, i wasn't expecting much in the end anyway.
Wine - the wine served was a cornerstone 2006 cabernet sauvignon. I've been seeing this brand alot and finally got to taste it. Its extremely dry and reeked of spices yet not strong enough to be memorable. Aftertaste is spicy.
Overall, the meal went without hitches but was definitely not in the high end in terms of food quality. Honestly, i think paying $563 for this meal might not be worth it at all.
Bobosaid: 563 per 10 pax for wedding dinner is quite cheap you know.. 07 Apr 2008 at 8:59 pm
Lucardiasaid: It was $563 for 12 pax per table. I know its cheap. The reason for disliking is because of the food quality and the fact that my ang bao wasn't small per se. 07 Apr 2008 at 9:08 pm
claudsaid: The environment and setting looks quite nice wor. Too bad the food is not up to par. 07 Apr 2008 at 9:22 pm
Lucardiasaid: Yep, thats right. I kena faked by the environment so my ang bao very big. lol. Regret regret. haha 07 Apr 2008 at 9:34 pm
feizhusaid: eh the qian xi at city plaza quite good leh. That time CNY 3rd day I went with my dad and his friends to eat. 07 Apr 2008 at 9:46 pm
Lucardiasaid: Eh bro, thats ala carte versus mass production on a budget le. And this is not city plaza. haha 07 Apr 2008 at 9:52 pm
Jeslyn Teesaid: I had my wedding here.The actual name is Hilltop Garden its under Qianxi grp.I did review on it.Nt bad for me ;D 07 Apr 2008 at 11:07 pm
Lucardiasaid: Ah yes. Lol. Hilltop Garden Restaurant. Nice place, pity about the food. 08 Apr 2008 at 8:51 am
Photos, what would life and blogging be without them? Snapz offers everything from weddings packages to outing shots to make overs and photo editing and splicing services to clients to ensure they look as good looking and pretty as they can ever be on print. Well, life's not perfect, so why not let your memories in print be isn't it?
How i learned of the place was a rather mundane one. I received a call while at work claiming i've be chosen for a free makeover and photo shot session courtesy of "paying sponsors" and i would be entitled to "choose my 2 favorite shots" upon completing the shot without any commitment nor package. In fact, Frederick and Alex both assured me that there would be no commitment whatsoever and it was simply a privilege i have the "honor" of being chosen. Well, i've been kinda bored so i thought:"There's no way things are gonna be that good. But hey, lets go take a look and see how it goes." I even roped in my gf to join me in the shoot since i'm not much of a looker. And so we went.
Upon traversing the extremely ulu lane to find the shop in the blazing hot sun, i was glad that the place was thankfully air conditioned. I told them my name and filled a form so that i could get my shoot ready. Anyway, i was surprised there were quite a few people in the vicinity including myself. Seems like i wasn't the only person who was "privileged". Still, why not? This was definitely a marketing tactic from the get go so i wasn't too surprised.
Counter staff was pleasant until we were introduced to this lady by the name of Valerie. She wasn't unpleasant as she led us up the steps to the makeover room but the way she spoke definitely did not sit well with me even then. More on the lady later.
The makeover room was rather small with approximately 12 seats for guests to have attended to. We were greeted by a couple of people who were to be our make up artists and was told to select and change into our desired costumes for the shoot. Everything there was fine and the service of the costume designer and the make up artists were quite pleasant. At the end of a 40 minute makeover, my gf looked Japanese and i looked....like dragonball characters. I felt they made up my gf too much because i liked her better without it but well, the lighting and camera and such needed it so what the hey. The artists were a real sport, telling us how nice the hair was and how good my gf looked which was a rather professional move i thought. Always make the customer feel good and comfortable.
Next up, we met the photographer who invited us to the area for the shot which was sadly...just a black backdrop. Nonetheless, we had fun posing for the shots and upon viewing, there were a few pretty good shots in the 50 that were taken. The camera man was pleasant and encouraging which was also a good and necessary move.
Now things turn for the worse. We then returned the borrowed costumes and tried to get rid of the now dry and stiff hair but was told there was no room to wash up. Upon asking to remove the make up on our faces, the lady simply dabbed a little off mine and told me she was done. That was rubbish because the concealer was still all over my face... and leaving that on would be a bad idea. My gf didn't get much attention too in removing make up, asking to remove it only met with comments of, it looks good on you and blah blah blah. Is the company running out of make up remover? I don't know but this is not good service when we've made our requests known.
When we were led downstairs again, we waited for another 30 minutes before we were told we could see the shots. Apparently, they were uploading the shots to the computer....well, last i checked, computers were plug and play in terms of photos but maybe i just haven't had a DSLR before so i may be wrong.
Valerie came out to meet us again and blatantly asked us if we felt if there was anything to complain about. Well, politely we said no because though there were hitches, the experience was still pleasant so far. As we were led into the viewing area, which were basically Apple Macs and shown our photos. Valerie spoke non stop about how we needed their services and touch up because "our eye bags were too obvious" and said to my gf as she removed my blemishes "there, so much better now, don't you wish your boyfriend looked like this?" Talk about saying the wrong things.
Heck, we were just getting started. Well, i knew there was a catch and here it is. Snapz actually has a VIP membership system that basically requires you to sign up for a lifetime membership to be their VIP. It sounds pretty good too and may save you alot of money on photos in the long run if you and your entire family loves taking photographs. Thats not a bad thing i feel but with a sales pitch like that, the membership is definitely in the $4-6k category since they were giving loads of freebies every year. All service and photograph related of course. Free makeovers, free photoshoots, free outdoor service, one on one photography and make up classes and better yet, guaranteed employment by the company. Talk about a full package.
Well, that was an interesting package but Valerie unfortunately, delivered the message over 40 minutes and amidst the whole time, reiterating that we needed the service because they could make us look a whole lot better then we really are. (i'm quite happy with my flawed look though, thank you very much.) Now, here's the kicker of the day: read on for the actual reason i said no.
When asked if i could have a private discussion with my gf, she said: "what is there to discuss when you don't know the price?" (point taken) so i followed up by asking her: "Ok, so how about we cut the chase and you tell me how much a membership costs?" Which was met by: "Are you really interested? Because if you aren't then we shouldn't waste each others time. I can't tell you the price as i'll need someone else to illustrate to you."
So i said: "I see, but i'm in a bit of a rush as i have an appointment. Can we just get the photos and i could consider before letting you know?"
Her response: "I'm afraid not, if you miss this chance then you will not be allowed to enjoy our package again."
My response: " I'm sure i can find a way to come back."
Her respone: "What do you mean by that? What do you think this place is? Anyway, i can assure you that you cannot join us again because we can track and prevent double entry."
My response: " Are you saying that if my friend refers me back and i come with the intention to join a membership after i've had more time to think, your company will not let me join?"
Her response: " Yes."
My response: "So you will refuse me time to think and i must sign today to get the deal. If i refuse to do so, if i do return, your company will turn away my business, is this what you are saying?"
Her response: "Yes"
My response: "In that case, i am not interested in the deal anymore, please allow us to choose the photos and leave."
Her response: "Sure"
After which, we signed a form stating that we received the photos and a feedback form where i thanked the company. But suddenly, we were given a disc with photos we have not chosen.
I queried: "Excuse me, i thought we could choose our own 2 best shots?"
Her response: " I'm afraid not. Over here, we choose the shots for you when you don't sign."
My response: " I see....May i have your name again?"
Her response: " Valerie."
And thats that. I wouldn't say the entire experience was bad but the sales person definitely needed a lot more training. And the policy of having to sign immediately? Bah, i work in sales, i know the tactics. And this is the hardest force selling i've come across thus far. I would have considered but unfortunately, the lady simply was not pleasant and quite obviously, cared less of clients than she did her own wallet.
In sales, what people buy is not the company, not the product when a saleperson is selling. People buy what the sales person represents of the company. If she is anything to go by, i'm never giving them a chance again. That, my friends is what brings companies and overall experiences down.
sleepydayssaid: OMG...that reminds me of yet another terrible force selling I've ever encountered. That's why in Japan, customer sercvice is more important than product itself. 06 Apr 2008 at 12:49 am
His Food Blogsaid: Totally agree!! I have bought sweets that weren't fantastic but I bought it anyhow because the packaging was just THAT great! 06 Apr 2008 at 4:44 am
claudsaid: I got a call from them too. But rejected right away. Anyway, the thing about offering lifetime membership is one will never know when that company's going to pack up n close down wor! 06 Apr 2008 at 2:45 pm
Bobosaid: OMG. vomit blood... 06 Apr 2008 at 3:20 pm
ladyironchefsaid: lol! long long review on them? must have been one of yr longest. hard sell don't works 06 Apr 2008 at 6:31 pm
Polarbearsaid: Thks for the review. Will reject them everytime they call. Hee.... 06 Apr 2008 at 8:24 pm
Seraphimsaid: I totally understand. I went there and when they know they cant get your business, they were rude, unprofessional and unethical. 16 Apr 2009 at 10:29 pm
Lucardiasaid: Hi Seraphim, welcome to the club. Its been one year and still their on this path. I guess alot of people got pressured into it. 26 Apr 2009 at 11:13 am
1=SGD 0.0587
The location was rather odd because it was situated in the middle of a large number of competitors ranging from Secret Recipe, Kenny Rogers to Genki Sushi and some chinese restaurant. Talk about a "hostile location" and "friendly competition". Still, i have to say the place was simplistically clean in a good way and though filled with normal furniture, managed to hover between boring and acceptable.
The service is simple. Once you have settled in, the immediate step is to be acquainted to your own personal mini pot. This pot will stay with you till the end of your meal until dessert is served so it is prudent to ensure you pick the best pot for your needs. For my case, i picked the herbal ginseng hot pot and it was a good choice in my opinion as the stock definitely adds taste to the food and simply tastes good. A little on the salty side though. The other complaint would have to be the fumes emitted from the pot, it stings your eyes and noses for the first....10 minutes or so until you get used it but these are small grouses in the scale of things.
In terms of food selection for the uncooked portion where you get to pick and choose whatever you like, it was sufficient. There are upwards of 30 different items you can cook in your hotpot and each item was, to my impression, treated with equal cleanliness and hygiene. To me, its extremely important that the food looks and is clean and this they have managed to convey. On the items, there are lots of greens, vermicelli, bean related items, eggs, chicken meat, dory fish, fish cakes, crab meat and fish balls to choose from. Each are chilled with ice and tasted pretty good in each respect. Springy fishballs, reasonably fresh meat and fish round out the experience. In short, the items on selection may be rather small portioned but does not disappoint. This brings us to the next point which is the 'distinct' difference between HotPot Culture and other would be restaurants, they also serve a selection of close to 40 cooked food items.
Prawns and Bacon Wrap - This was our first order for the day in the cooked food section and to be honest, it was rather disappointing but its not the fault of the chef in this case, it was the ingredients. Prawns and bacon wraps are as easy as one, two, three in making it good. Simple have a nicely sauteed king prawn, wrap it in quality salty bacon, slap on a layer or 2 of additional garnishes while grilling and its basically a winner. What went wrong here, was the rather small prawn used which failed to bring out its true flavor. In retrospect, even Eden Cafe didn't get this right...maybe it isn't as easy as i though after all.
Tahu Goreng - A favorite dish of mine which hearkens back to my army days. This rendition was pleasing to the eye but did not live up to expectations in the taste department. The nuts and garnishing is definitely spot on but the tahu (beancurd) itself was just a little too hard. The skin took quite and effort to break and the beancurd within needed to be softer to be palatable.
Chicken Wings - Chicken wings, what could go wrong with it? Over frying apparently. There was some marinate used on the wings which rendered it too salty but the nail in the coffin was how dry the wings were. The only saving grace was that it was not oily, which was perplexing in a good way. The newest update i had was that the owner got my comment through the video yebber made with me commenting on the items out loud, and have since improved on the wings and other items.
Pan fried battered fish - Didn't get to try this but i was told it was pretty good by KK and his gf. So i'll take it as it was good.
Chicken and mushroom wrap - I had only a piece of this and its was a little dry but the mushroom sauce managed to compensate that little problem. This was salty as well though.
Ngor Hiang - One of my favorite dishes when done right. This was below average by me but maybe my views are biased on this dish. This was rather thin and actually over fried with the paste inside lacking much taste nor ingredients. Needs improvement.
Stir Fried Bean Sprouts - You just can't go wrong with this dish. Its easy enough with the only thing to look out for being to stir fry it long enough to rid it of the "greenish" taste and short enough to retain the crunchiness. Once again, it was a tad too salty for me.
Golden Mushroom - Sukiyaki Beef - Fish Paste - The above are 3 items which needed to be ordered before it can be cooked. The beef was fresh and succulent enough to be ordered a minimal of 3 times, the golden mushrooms need to be cooked thoroughly before being eaten but gets the job done while the fish paste is a weird combination of tastes in its own right but simply didn't sit well with me.
Sweet and sour fish - Sweet and Sour Chicken - Both these dishes taste the same to me. With the exception of the fish being more tender while the chicken being more chewy, the overall taste is the same. Not to say that its bad but the sauce certainly overwhelms after awhile.
Deep Fried Meat Balls - Remember the mushroom chicken? Well, the sauce is the same while the meat balls were unfortunately too dry yet again.
The final course of the day was the chocolate fondue which comes in its own little hotpot for each person. Choices to go with the fondue range from marshmallows to fruits like papayas, apples, pears, watermelons and honeydews. The fondue is of the bitter sweet variety which means its more bitter and has a higher cocoa content then some other such fondues offered in similar places. A good ending i'd say.
A decent place for a buffet hotpot meal with a rather extensive variety of of items to choose from. The owner's willingness to listen to feedback and improve is a plus. I'd recommend visiting it as the overall experience has not been a bad one.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Yap, they've improved on their fried chicken and now its crispy on the outside and fragrant inside. Their sliced fried fish (any flavors) seem to have improved to. Next time I must try e herbal soup.
14 Apr 2008 at 11:49 pm
After reading your post... I somehow feel like going again though I dun like steamboat in the first place. haha
15 Apr 2008 at 7:41 pm
KilKenny ($11.80 per pint) - Beer on tap and beer in a bottle. What would you choose? I'm not an expert on beer and basically, i've not had enough beer to be a judge but conversation has lead to the belief that beer on tap has a magically transformed effect of making it smoother and better. $11.80 for one pint of beer is rather expensive by any standards but i have to say, Kilkenny on tap is rather smoother and lighter then the bottled iterations.
Simplicity is the best policy in the case of this pub. Single seatings near the bar and small uncomfortable rattan chairs abound. There's a small private room at the back with air con but the rest of the pub is non air conditioned. Its still a nice, cosy setting with no one bothering you regardless of where you sit. Service is attentive as well.
Scruffy's Irish Roast Beef ($16.80) - Bearing the namesake of the pub, i expected this to be of reasonably good quality. And i was not disappointed. Judging by its namesake, i was expecting small cubic portions akin to pot roast but what came looked very promising indeed. Huge slices of beef cooked medium rare with a pinkish tint on the sides. Drenched in mushroom sauce, the meat was undeniably tender and appetizing. You could taste the marinate in eat slice and it never overwhelms. Of special mention, the yorkshire pudding on the side was excellent as well. Soft and served warm, its fragrance elevated the dish even more. Well done.
French Fries ($4.80) - Alright, this was a stupid order because we didn't know the beef came with fries. For what its worth, the fries were rather dry and bland due to the lack of salt.
Crispy Pork with Mustard and Mayonnaise ($10) - We ordered this after ordering our second pint and thought it would go well with the beer. Anyhow, the description on the menu belies its actual appearance. These few pieces of roasted crispy pork is hardly worth $10. Not that it tastes bad though. It actually tastes pretty good if not for the 2 of us being health conscious lately. Chewy thick meat and fats dominate the crispy pork belly while the mustard definitely complemented it well. Still, it was too far a departure from our expectations to make it worth our while.
Total bill came up to $55.20 for a meal and drink for 2 people. Given the excellent main we had, i'm inclined to say it was worth it.
In all fairness, the place is still worth a visit and the ambiance is pretty relaxing in the later parts of the day. Food served is decent (for the main) while service is relaxed and slow. The music is soft and conversation can be easily carried out if you require it. Otherwise, its nice to chill out and watch some matches, listen to the waves or simply drink a few beers. Now if they could lower their prices per pint, i would frequent it that much more.
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The decor consists of mainly wood furniture and red livery carpets. This will probably change though since the restaurant is going through a makeover session at the moment. Either way, the restaurant projects a positive and lively energy when you enter.
Chili and Roasted Honey Cashew Nuts - Why am i showing this? Well, i got pretty acquainted with the nuts and basically want to tell everyone that the nuts were great. Well roasted and sweet without losing any of its crunchiness. The fragrance and sweetness of it is simply appetising as well. A sign of good things to come i believe.
Char Siew Sor (5 for $6.50) - Thin and moderately crispy pastry surrounds the thick stuffed filling of char siew that is bursting at the seams. The char siew is moist, sweet and thick with lots of taste. The only gripe here is that some of the meat was slightly burnt in my serving but otherwise, a good dish.
Crispy Pork Belly with Mustard ($12) - A small serving like this is actually worth $12. I was astonished actually but upon tasting it, i guess its somewhat justified. Extremely crispy skin contrasts with the thick juicy meat that is found below. Dip it in mustard sauce and you'll know exactly what sinful good food tastes like. The thing you have to get over is the fact that you are eating fatty meat and the fact that one plate is never enough.
Chee Cheong Fan ($10) - We had 2 different Cheong Fan's here. One with the basic char siew and 2 with the shrimps. The shrimp version actually tasted alot better then the usual char siew version because of the extremely fresh and crunchy shrimps. One good thing is that although there's an entire layer of soy sauce beneath, it never got overwhelmingly salty. Definitely worth a try.
Char Siew Bao (5 for $6) - How can one reinvent the wheel for an item already done to death and found everywhere? Well, they either provide better stuffings or reinvent the dough used to wrap the stuffings in this case. They did neither but it was still a cut above the rest. The char siew was sweet and fulfilling as the pieces were rather thick. The bun itself is very fluffy and light while also being mildly sweet for good effect.
Fu Pi Juan (Deep Fried Beancurd with Shrimp) (5 for $10) - The one thing surprising about this item is that its actually not oily. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely oil used to deep fry it, but it doesn't overwhelm nor coat your mouth with oil. Taste wise though, the shrimps are generously big and crunchy but the beancurd skin was unfortunately lacklustre and failed to instill any feeling of gratification.
Beancurd with Fish Paste (5 for $6.50) - The fish paste is springy and had a mild 'fishy' taste to it while the beancurd felt like run-of-the-mill varieties. A disappointing dish.
Crystal Dumplings (5 for $7) - Ordered this because we were hoping to find out whats the reason behind the whole craze on crystal dumplings. It wasn't answered however and the skin, though translucent, was sticky and stuck to the teeth. The fillings were normal to say the least and the overall comment was that it was salty.
Custard Bun (5 for $6.50) - Now this is a simple bun that is bound to turn heads. Served piping hot, this little bun seems quite insignificant until you take a bite at it. Immediately, you will realize that you have something very special. The bun itself is soft and light as a feather while the filling of custard is literally bursting at the seems. Add the fact that the custard is only mildly sweet with hints of egg still noticeable and basically, you got the winner of the day (for me at least).
Shark's Fin with Dumpling Soup ($44 for 5) - This is the most expensive item we had that day and its easy to see why. At $8.80 a portion, its amazing that you can actually see an entire piece of shark's fin in the broth. Chicken broth by the looks of it, this isn't the usual starchy shark's fin that is the norm elsewhere. This is clear broth with vegetables and a pork dumpling and a portion of fin. The experience however, is a little bland and the dumpling is rather simple. Nonetheless, its a good dish.
Beef Ball (3 for $3.80) - Juicy, thick balls of minced beef, radish and vegetables aren't enough to save this dish from mediocrity. Its basically too salty to be liked and lacked any other discerning factors to lift its score.
Siew Mai (10 for $10) - Small, fresh and relentlessly juicy, this is a siew mai above the rest. You can taste the sweetness of pork, the freshness of mushrooms and the crunchiness of shrimp all in one package. What is there not to like?
Prawn and asparagus (5 for $10) - This is a rather......mixed bag because firstly, it isn't too special. Secondly, the sauce is too salty. Thirdly, i still love the shrimp and finally, its difficult to feel anything for it after eating because at best, its only average. Save your money for another custard bun.
Har Gao (10 for $10) - Crunchy shrimps anyone? Because if thats what you want, thats what you'll get. Ask for anything more however, and you'll be disappointed. The shrimp filling is definitely generous but the skin is a little too sticky and thick for my liking. Improvement needed.
Red Bean Pancake ($8) - I did myself the horror of ordering this. Why is it a horror you may ask? Because A: i've just had all the above B: this pancake is huge C: its a little over fried on some parts and D: its a little too sweet to be totally likeable. Its not bad actually, just not as good as i hoped and its definitely too filling for dessert.
Pomelo Sago ($4) - Yam Paste ($6) - Mango Pudding ($4) - I didn't get to try any of the above so i'll reserve my comments.
The final bill came up to $204.09 for 5 people on a lazy afternoon. It took us 3 hours to finish our dim sum foray which meant we had way too much food and little time to rest before dinner.
Its a wonderful place to have dim sum and honestly, the quality does justify its price. The only gripe i have is that its not without its misses. But i'll still gladly return any day for its custard buns. In fact, once the renovation is done, i'm going back for my little saintly buns for sure. Cheers!
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!was it that time we all ate together? Wah it was A LOT!
09 Apr 2008 at 10:30 pm
ya.. that was the time.. and that was months back ahaha
09 Apr 2008 at 10:47 pm
Yeah yeah, very late post i know. lol
09 Apr 2008 at 10:48 pm
On the wedding invitation card, you can see the address written as Hilltop and i was quite surprised when it really meant hilltop since you had to traverse a rather steep slope just to get to the location.
The surroundings were rather picturesque with plenty of greenery and a pool along with lots of Woody buildings. Check out the pictures to see what i mean.
The ballroom itself is the biggest ballroom in the club. The crystal ballroom with a seating capacity of 57 tables. And the amazing thing is, it was filled to the brim that day with her friends, family and church friends. Quite a sight actually.
For the wedding, we had 9 dishes and free flow of wine and beer.
Lobster Cold Dish - The usual chinese cold dish with squid, fried beancurd wrapped fish cake, lobster with fruits and mayo dressing and meat balls. The lobster was pretty stale but was saved by the dressing. Not really appetising actually.
Braised Shark's Fin With Crab meat - Average, the shark's fin was practically non existent and the soup was simply too starchy to be liked. Nothing vinegar and pepper can't fix but if i needed to resort to that, its already too late.
Roasted Crispy Chicken - Another average dish with the chicken being overly dry and lacking taste. In fact, it tasted like beancurd at some points which was astonishing... The crispy skin was quite fragrant though.
Fried Prawn with Cereal - The cereal was very well done i should say. Sweet, fragrant and very tasty, i could eat the cereal and be happy with it. The prawn was quite big but felt grossly overcooked. Dry and without much taste.
Steamed Red Grouper - The grouper was huge, nicely steamed in the cooking sauce i've always liked. It wasn't overly salty but the freshness of the fish is open to question. The meat had a powdery taste near the middle but otherwise was firm and sweet.
Fresh Scallop with Broccoli - The scallops were mini scale and miserly portioned. In fact, i barely had 2 pieces before everything was swept up by the family next to us. For what its worth, the scallops were fresh and springy to the taste.
Yam Ring with Meat - The yam lacked taste and so did the assorted stuffings present in it. Very obviously pork. It was still too bland for my liking despite the multitude of ingredients served.
Fried rice in lotus leaf - As it turned out, the rice was the best. Fragrant and filling. It had alot of ingredients and even had a little wok hei in it. I have no idea how thats possible though.
Yam Paste with Gingko nut - The yam paste was extremely sweet and while the coconut milk was too little. Thus rendering the dish difficult to swallow. After all the above, i wasn't expecting much in the end anyway.
Wine - the wine served was a cornerstone 2006 cabernet sauvignon. I've been seeing this brand alot and finally got to taste it. Its extremely dry and reeked of spices yet not strong enough to be memorable. Aftertaste is spicy.
Overall, the meal went without hitches but was definitely not in the high end in terms of food quality. Honestly, i think paying $563 for this meal might not be worth it at all.
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!563 per 10 pax for wedding dinner is quite cheap you know..
07 Apr 2008 at 8:59 pm
It was $563 for 12 pax per table. I know its cheap. The reason for disliking is because of the food quality and the fact that my ang bao wasn't small per se.
07 Apr 2008 at 9:08 pm
The environment and setting looks quite nice wor. Too bad the food is not up to par.
07 Apr 2008 at 9:22 pm
How i learned of the place was a rather mundane one. I received a call while at work claiming i've be chosen for a free makeover and photo shot session courtesy of "paying sponsors" and i would be entitled to "choose my 2 favorite shots" upon completing the shot without any commitment nor package. In fact, Frederick and Alex both assured me that there would be no commitment whatsoever and it was simply a privilege i have the "honor" of being chosen. Well, i've been kinda bored so i thought:"There's no way things are gonna be that good. But hey, lets go take a look and see how it goes." I even roped in my gf to join me in the shoot since i'm not much of a looker. And so we went.
Upon traversing the extremely ulu lane to find the shop in the blazing hot sun, i was glad that the place was thankfully air conditioned. I told them my name and filled a form so that i could get my shoot ready. Anyway, i was surprised there were quite a few people in the vicinity including myself. Seems like i wasn't the only person who was "privileged". Still, why not? This was definitely a marketing tactic from the get go so i wasn't too surprised.
Counter staff was pleasant until we were introduced to this lady by the name of Valerie. She wasn't unpleasant as she led us up the steps to the makeover room but the way she spoke definitely did not sit well with me even then. More on the lady later.
The makeover room was rather small with approximately 12 seats for guests to have attended to. We were greeted by a couple of people who were to be our make up artists and was told to select and change into our desired costumes for the shoot. Everything there was fine and the service of the costume designer and the make up artists were quite pleasant. At the end of a 40 minute makeover, my gf looked Japanese and i looked....like dragonball characters. I felt they made up my gf too much because i liked her better without it but well, the lighting and camera and such needed it so what the hey. The artists were a real sport, telling us how nice the hair was and how good my gf looked which was a rather professional move i thought. Always make the customer feel good and comfortable.
Next up, we met the photographer who invited us to the area for the shot which was sadly...just a black backdrop. Nonetheless, we had fun posing for the shots and upon viewing, there were a few pretty good shots in the 50 that were taken. The camera man was pleasant and encouraging which was also a good and necessary move.
Now things turn for the worse. We then returned the borrowed costumes and tried to get rid of the now dry and stiff hair but was told there was no room to wash up. Upon asking to remove the make up on our faces, the lady simply dabbed a little off mine and told me she was done. That was rubbish because the concealer was still all over my face... and leaving that on would be a bad idea. My gf didn't get much attention too in removing make up, asking to remove it only met with comments of, it looks good on you and blah blah blah. Is the company running out of make up remover? I don't know but this is not good service when we've made our requests known.
When we were led downstairs again, we waited for another 30 minutes before we were told we could see the shots. Apparently, they were uploading the shots to the computer....well, last i checked, computers were plug and play in terms of photos but maybe i just haven't had a DSLR before so i may be wrong.
Valerie came out to meet us again and blatantly asked us if we felt if there was anything to complain about. Well, politely we said no because though there were hitches, the experience was still pleasant so far. As we were led into the viewing area, which were basically Apple Macs and shown our photos. Valerie spoke non stop about how we needed their services and touch up because "our eye bags were too obvious" and said to my gf as she removed my blemishes "there, so much better now, don't you wish your boyfriend looked like this?" Talk about saying the wrong things.
Heck, we were just getting started. Well, i knew there was a catch and here it is. Snapz actually has a VIP membership system that basically requires you to sign up for a lifetime membership to be their VIP. It sounds pretty good too and may save you alot of money on photos in the long run if you and your entire family loves taking photographs. Thats not a bad thing i feel but with a sales pitch like that, the membership is definitely in the $4-6k category since they were giving loads of freebies every year. All service and photograph related of course. Free makeovers, free photoshoots, free outdoor service, one on one photography and make up classes and better yet, guaranteed employment by the company. Talk about a full package.
Well, that was an interesting package but Valerie unfortunately, delivered the message over 40 minutes and amidst the whole time, reiterating that we needed the service because they could make us look a whole lot better then we really are. (i'm quite happy with my flawed look though, thank you very much.) Now, here's the kicker of the day: read on for the actual reason i said no.
When asked if i could have a private discussion with my gf, she said: "what is there to discuss when you don't know the price?"
(point taken) so i followed up by asking her: "Ok, so how about we cut the chase and you tell me how much a membership costs?" Which was met by: "Are you really interested? Because if you aren't then we shouldn't waste each others time. I can't tell you the price as i'll need someone else to illustrate to you."
So i said: "I see, but i'm in a bit of a rush as i have an appointment. Can we just get the photos and i could consider before letting you know?"
Her response: "I'm afraid not, if you miss this chance then you will not be allowed to enjoy our package again."
My response: " I'm sure i can find a way to come back."
Her respone: "What do you mean by that? What do you think this place is? Anyway, i can assure you that you cannot join us again because we can track and prevent double entry."
My response: " Are you saying that if my friend refers me back and i come with the intention to join a membership after i've had more time to think, your company will not let me join?"
Her response: " Yes."
My response: "So you will refuse me time to think and i must sign today to get the deal. If i refuse to do so, if i do return, your company will turn away my business, is this what you are saying?"
Her response: "Yes"
My response: "In that case, i am not interested in the deal anymore, please allow us to choose the photos and leave."
Her response: "Sure"
After which, we signed a form stating that we received the photos and a feedback form where i thanked the company. But suddenly, we were given a disc with photos we have not chosen.
I queried: "Excuse me, i thought we could choose our own 2 best shots?"
Her response: " I'm afraid not. Over here, we choose the shots for you when you don't sign."
My response: " I see....May i have your name again?"
Her response: " Valerie."
And thats that. I wouldn't say the entire experience was bad but the sales person definitely needed a lot more training. And the policy of having to sign immediately? Bah, i work in sales, i know the tactics. And this is the hardest force selling i've come across thus far. I would have considered but unfortunately, the lady simply was not pleasant and quite obviously, cared less of clients than she did her own wallet.
In sales, what people buy is not the company, not the product when a saleperson is selling. People buy what the sales person represents of the company. If she is anything to go by, i'm never giving them a chance again. That, my friends is what brings companies and overall experiences down.
Stay as far away as possible. You were warned.
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!OMG...that reminds me of yet another terrible force selling I've ever encountered. That's why in Japan, customer sercvice is more important than product itself.
06 Apr 2008 at 12:49 am
Totally agree!! I have bought sweets that weren't fantastic but I bought it anyhow because the packaging was just THAT great!
06 Apr 2008 at 4:44 am
I got a call from them too. But rejected right away. Anyway, the thing about offering lifetime membership is one will never know when that company's going to pack up n close down wor!
06 Apr 2008 at 2:45 pm