Was recommended this place and I have to admit the chef's affiliation with Iggy's did slant my decision to go for the place. After all, its Iggy's right. Wrong.
At least the place was prominent enough, right next to TCC. The warm lightings and casual settings looked inviting enough, but the table that was reserved for us seemed like the polar's bear favorite spot; it was absolutely freezing!
Menu was smaller than I expected, but it made selection easier. I decided not to have soup and went for something which I later found out was quite a staple in other french places:
Poached egg ($12) - stir fried mushrooms below a nicely poached egg. The mushrooms tasted quite nice actually at 1st bite but later became an overload of salt on my palettes.
Salmon ($28) - for non-red meat and non-pork eaters like me, there's actually very little to choose from. The fish was came in a surprisingly big chunk ontop of asparagus and mashed potato (at least I remembered so). The only thing I remembered was the nicely crispy salmon skin but everything else was quite bland.
The other items that occupied the table were foie gras, lobster bisque, beef rossini etc, all of which were not fantastic according to what I hear.
To avoid yet another disappointment, we had to adjourn elsewhere for dessrts :D
Service was actually quite haphazard, but at least the lady who cleared my plate took the initiative to ask me if the fish was okay when she saw 1/4 uneaten. Because of a generously-careless gesture at the end, we walked away feeling sort of compensated for the disappointing quality of food. But that being said, I'm still not coming back.
The question of the night was: why were there malay staff when they have pork items on the menu? We never got to find out.
Needed a midday snack before I head home and heard my friends talk excitedly about this new place at The Central ~ But this place is a little hard to find if you're not familiar with the place: you should head out towards the bus stop along Eu Tong Sen Street and turn left --> its right beside Club Marc.
Its a much bigger place than I expected, and the place was very empty at 5pm on a weekday. There's 2 counters: 1 for cakes which didn't register much and another longish counter for bread~
I remembered reading about its raisin cream cheese, so I bypassed most of what's on display and bought 1 of that. Not very impressive outlook I must say, and erm, not very impressive taste actually :I I mean the bread was extremely thin and light and plenty of cream cheese filling dotted with raisins. But I failed to taste what's the 'wow' about it.
Chanced upon this very unique placing while exploring Orchard Central on a Sat night. The whole set up of the place makes you take a 2nd look at it, with its colourful dress up and cheery staff, plus its right there where the escalator ends.
A comfy place with a chill-out vibe, but unfortunately the much talked-about alfresco seating only applies if you order alcoholic drinks. Dessert was obviously in the plan:
Chocolate mud pie ($6) - very good and dense bitter chocolate that comes in a rectangle, horribly caloric I can imagine.
Cafe latte ($4.50) - average latte in a long glass.
The place is very comfortable for big groups to chill out and chat. Strangely empty on a Saturday night but I rather it remain this way than become packed like any other Bakerzin or Canele.
They have a small little section for retail of B&J products so shopaholics try their hand at it too.
Obviously worth another try at its extensive dessert menu :D
Had the opportunity to come here for a lunch meeting, but that means I didn't get any shots of what I ate or glimpse of how much it was :I
Simple dining chairs accompanied by mostly square tables occupied the basic-decorated place. Service was polite but can be inconsistent: our meeting kept being interrupted either by staff too eager to clear our plates or us trying to catch their eyes for top-up of water and the bill.
For such a nondescript place, the food I have to say was really good and totally changed my opinion of hotel F&B outlets serving local food, most of which I've tried are yucky and overpriced.
Here' what my boss ordered:
Stir fried long beans - came hot off the wok with just the right amount of crunch, topped with excellent shrimp paste.
Rendang beef - I am very sensitive to the 'beefy' smell but this announced itself only after my 2nd piece. Very tender and clean of whatever smell I didn't like - now one of my favorite beef dish!
Onion prawns - Generous sized prawns stir fried with onion strips in a tomato-ish sauce. Good!
Otah - Surprisingly average; and I would have liked chunkier pieces of fish in it instead of a fine mash.
Assam Fish Head - Came in a huge portion served in a buffet-style ware, this was simply excellent with rice. Very fresh fish, plenty of lady fingers, and a whole lot of the spicy-tangy sauce kept me happy.
(the names of the dishes may not be what is reflected on the menu because I didn't get to see the menu at all...)
The serving of rice was big but I finished everything :D Was sniffing my nose throughout lunch because of all the spices but it was worth every bit of it. I kept myself balanced with a side order of a young coconut.
Came to know that the place is more known for its nasi lemak, assam laksa etc....that will be my order on my next visit :D
One of those overhyped & overpriced place. Banking on its atas name and supposedly reputation. Bluff.
Coffee ($8) - Badly foamed milk with appalling coffee.
Mocha ($8) - Badly foamed milk, appalling coffee, and probably a drop of chocolate.
Rum & Raisin ($7.80) - To their credit, the taste of rum was rather strong and was much creamier than those I've tasted. Home-made I was told. Although true, still overpriced.
Raspberry sorbet ($4.80) - Too tart for my liking, although some may see it as refreshing.
The chocolate square that came along with our coffee reminded me of cheap milk chocolates. The display for the cakes etc was tacky and simply uninspiring.
Small place with limited seating for the cafe; the other part of Hediard being the retail for its products. There were a group of tourists being talked to when I was there and later exited with bags of Hediard stuff. This surprised me; didn't know Hediard was part of such a touristy affiliation.
Service was bad with la-di-da staff. Requests for ice water was forgotten although we were the 2nd occupied table that afternoon. Serviettes were not provided. Staff sat around and preferred to chit chat than pay attention to customers.
Braved the mad crowds to visit ION Orchard over the weekend to check out the various new to Singapore shops and more importantly, the gamut of eateries that this upscale shopping mall claims to offer. AOBA caught my attention because of the persistent queues forming even during after lunch hours plus the fact that my stomach was rumbling when we walked past it.
The place isn't big, with a seating capacity of about 30 people or so, which probably explains the queue. Tables for 2 are spaced uncomfortably close, so any notions of having private conversations can be thrown right out of the window.
Fried Tofu - It was never my intention to order the fried tofu, but since it carried a 50% discount, cheapo/greedy me conveniently added that to the order. And it was average at best. The skin tasted limp but still palatable.
Ebi Mayonnaise - Small prawns coated with a thick layer of flour, deep fried and drizzled with copious amounts of mayonnaise - a recipe for unhealthy eating. But I'm a sucker for the prawn and mayo combo so this dish turned out fine. Decent but not outstanding. And pretty expensive at that (1 small prawn, $1).
Shoyu Tontoro Ramen - The ramen reminded me of the traditional Chinese yellow egg noodles, albeit a little thinner, chewier and sans the alkaline taste. The broth had a strong taste of pork but came across as a wee bit too salty and too much of it can make you woozy. The pork slices were relatively tender and soft while the egg was nicely done without the yolk being too soft. Portions are small for the price ($16.80 ) though.
Shio Scallop Ramen - The scallops were rather tasteless to begin with and while the ramen was of the same variant as my tontoro ramen, the broth was much lighter and free of any pork taste.
2 bowls of ramen and 2 small sides cost us to the tune of $47, which is rather expensive given the quality in my humble opinion. The long queues to get a table and to pay for our meal as well as cramp dining spaces definitely do not make things better. But for those who are interested in trying AOBA out, they have another outlet within Manpuku at Tampines One.
There used to be a lord, who claimed his territory at the corner of one-one-seven; the people flocked to him, they worshipped and love all the food that were served, the place was basically packed with crowds every weekends. And as fate has it, the arrival of another overlord meant the decline of the former; the dethrone of the king at Commonwealth drive.
I, see it upon my sworn duties, that I’ll try out all the sweet & sour pork from all the places. And this often leads to disappointment when I couldn’t find one that’s equal to the best which I’ve before, in a deep corner of my memories.
The sambal kangkong was surely one of the weapons that the lord would have, to defend himself; red fiery hot and sizzling sambal were commonly associated with a plate of good sambal kangkong, but, I did not called for the fire brigade after having this: it wasn’t shiok enough.
The prawn roll, ngo hiang, or heh zhor; regardless of which name you called it by, was good. Fried till crispy golden brown, dipped into the sweet sauce, the first bite of it was so reminiscent of my childhood.
The butter pork was definitely one of the best, it was slightly sweet, coated with butter powder which had a uncanny resemblance to cheese; taking a bite of the boneless pork meat was a joy.
I love golden mushrooms, there wasn’t much inherited taste on its own; but I couldn’t stop myself from eating more of it. And similarly, there wasn’t anything fanciful about the golden mushrooms beancurd which came strongly recommended by their staff; it was plain tofu, with golden mushrooms in gravy, yet the result of something so simple was so good!
If sambal kangkong was the armour of the lord, then the prawn paste chicken, or Har Cheong Kai, would surely be his sword. But, it seems like a blunt one, the fried chicken lacked the oomph factor.
Note:
(1) The old overlord which I mentioned, was refering to the Hongkong Street zichar stall just at the other corner of block 117; in its heydays, they were full every night, but when I went that time, it was barely half filled. Talk about a reverse of fortune.
(2) If you want to eat at Two Chefs without waiting, you need to get there early, before six thirty. It’s crazy to see people actually queue up for zi-char when there’s other two zi-char stalls around the same area. The burst in popularity could be attributed to the article on the Sunday times which proclaimed Two Chefs as one of the best zi-char stall.
(3) Which brings me to the third point, I think that Two Chefs, is over hyped. The butter pork ribs were excellent, but the other dishes which I’ve tried, they wasn’t really worth the fifteen-minutes walk from Commonwealth mrt. And if you are thinking that’s because I did not order their other signatures, maybe, but they couldn’t give me a plate of good sambal kangkong, or sweet & sour pork.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
My eyes strayed to the corner as we walked in, the desserts section; I saw the chocolate cake waving to me, the dessert shooters like a lighthouse beaconing the direction. And not lest, the-sight-of-it again: the omnipresent chocolate fondue, my heart just flew over with hugs and kisses.
Not able to resist the seduction, I dropped every last bit of pretence in me and embraced the temptation; lets start with the desserts shall we? We took a bit of everything, and started tucking in. We decided just to have some, and come back for more later. It was a difficult decision; to stop after we started, it was akin to asking a vampire to stop after he started sucking blood from your neck.
And so, the cold seafood counter. There were prawns, there were crabs, and there were mussels & scallops.
A sniff of the icy chilled oyster, the sea breeze gusted into my nose. The hassle of opening up the clam creature was avoided, for it was already prepared nice and clean on the bed of ice. I squeezed a whole wedge of lemon onto it, careful not to spill any outside the shell; every drop of lemon was precious, to fully bring out the quintessence of it. I pitched it up with a fork, and slowly put it into my mouth, one swallow, one gulp, and it was gone.
Our stomach has served us well, and to reward it for the hard work, let’s start with some salad. We took a bit of all the different greens, and dressed it up with the many-variety of dressing available; I always preferred thousand island, while you went for the lighter Italian dressing, and also the adventurous yoghurt one too.
It was fun, the process of ‘playing’ with the Kueh pie tee; we took the shell, add in the typical popiah turnip fillings, sprinkled a bit of the crushed peanuts, drizzled the sweet sauce, beautify it with paisley, and had options of tuna, chicken, and prawns to top with. Boy, it was good! The crispy shell, with the turnip fillings, but it was the sweet sauce and peanut which provided the difference.
There was roasted meat selections, Indian food, Western & Asian mains to choose from too. Again, we ate some of each, and finally it could wait no longer! This time, for desserts, we shall try everything, one of everything. Two if we can help it!
At first glance, it looked like pandan cake. Then, the pistachio financier name tag appeared, in a concealed corner oblivious to the naked human eye. The green stuff, they called it the pistachio nut, it was a personal favourite of our friend; and surprisingly, the pandan-cake-lookalike had a flavourful pistachio taste!
I remembered the truffle berry compote cake for its smooth and silky chocolate, with composition of berries within.
For some unknown reason which continue to evade me, passion fruit seemed to be a popular choice for patissier, I did not have any nice experience with it so far; but I guess it’s the intriguing combination of that-something-sour with the strong cheesecake. I, however, did not like it. I like sweet stuff, something sweet please.
While it had became a common thing for buffets, the chocolate fondue still never failed to excite me, I dipped fruits, puffs, marshmallows, and everything I could find under the flowing chocolate lava.
This, was my favourite part of the buffet. There’s a chef specially preparing waffles and crepes on-the-spot. The waffles were excellent, but they used the same mixture for the crepes, which turned out to be overly thick. And the staffs actually delivered the waffles to our tables when we forgot to collect it, now my dear, that’s what you call service!
I used syrup and butter for my first waffle. Then I returned for more with a topping of all the ice creams available, creativity struck me as I poured some of the lava from the chocolate fondue over my piece of crispy waffles.
The weekend dinner buffet from Mon to Wed is $45 , while dinner from Thursday onwards to Sunday is $50 per head. We were too full to try all the food; we missed out on the Indian food, and the roasted duck selections. Eating a little of everything was almost enough to fill up the tiny stomach of ours. Plenty of tea and a long chat after the meal aided in the digestion too! My appreciation to Helen, the F&B manager of Traders Hotel, for the food tasting invitation.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
I read about Chef Suffian Zain, who relinquished his position as head chef of renowned fine dining restaurant, Iggy's,to join L'Entrepot, a new casual bistro by the Esmirada group serving up classical French food. And that was good enough reason to give the newly minted restaurant a shot.
Aptly located at Clarke Quay, along the Singapore river (entrepot is French for warehouse and is a place where import and export activities take place), L'Entrepot's al fresco and indoor dining area is seperated by a pedestrain walkway. While the al fresco area offers a venue to take in the sights and sounds of the Singapore river, the indoor area doesn't have much of a view to offer. It is however, a rather cozy place with a seemingly huge wine cellar showcasing dozens of bottles of wine.
Lobster Bisque - Apparently a must try at L'Entrepot and one that garnered rave reviews in a certain newspaper, the lobster bisque was disappointing to say the least. As with any lobster bisque, there were a few small cursory pieces of lobster flesh but the soup was rather watered down and lacked richness. The puff pastry, though flaky, wasn't buttery enough in my humble opinion.
Angus Rossini (Pan Roasted Angus Tenderloin, Mashed Potato, Duxell Mushroom, Pan Fried Foie Gras, Red Wine Sauce) - The tenderloin came in 2 chunks, both done medium rare as per request. Although the meat was relatively tender, it did seem a little dry and void of the beefy taste that most beef lovers would appreciate. The mushroom duxell(e) came sandwiched between the 2 blocks of beef and tasted rather bland and watery - not exactly ideal. As for the foie gras, it was thinly sliced and decently soft and quivery on the inside. I understand that it was better then the foie gras dish some of my dinner companions had ordered as appetisers.
On my part, the bill came up to about $47 after a 20% discount ($59 without discount), which is rather expensive for the quality of the food. We were so disappointed that we made the decision to adjorn elsewhere for desserts. Service was decent but that's not good enough reason for me to want to return. I had definitely expected more from Chef Suffian Zain.
Had a craving for ramen but didn't fancy jostling with the mad crowds at Santouka or Marutama nor was I particularly willing to pay in excess of $15 for a bowl of ramen. Enter Men Tei, which I came across while reading some forums online. Its selling point (to me at least)? All bowls of ramen go for $13 nett.
Located on the ground level of Robinson Centre along Robinson Road in the Central Business District (CBD), Men Tei occupys a small space that is simpley done up and seats probably about 20 pax tops. The menu occupies a single sheet of paper (6 different types of ramen) so if you are looking for variety, this place is probably out.
Shio Ramen - You have the option of specifying the "doneness" of your noodles, ranging from normal, hard or extra hard. I didn't know that until after my ramen was served so I am assuming they gave me the normal option. I thought that it was a little too soft but at least it retained a little chewiness. The ramen broth honestly wasn't very robust and I couldn't quite make out any pork taste. Simply put, it was just salty but light. The egg was quite well done - quivery without being overly soft while the yakibuta (3 slices) was tender and flavourful.
Spicy Tonkatsu Ramen - Although the spicy ramen looked the part, it actually wasn't that bad and that's coming from someone who has a low tolerance for spiciness. As with the Shio ramen, the broth wasn't very robust but the yakibuta and tamago were equally good.
For the price, I honestly think its value for money given the quality of the ramen. Service is decent as well and best of all, there is no queue when you dine there on weekday evenings (they do not open on weekends or public holidays). The same can't be said for weekday lunch though. Men Tei also provides a delivery service to nearby offices for those who crave ramen but are too busy to step out.
1=SGD 0.0587
Not fantastic~
Was recommended this place and I have to admit the chef's affiliation with Iggy's did slant my decision to go for the place. After all, its Iggy's right. Wrong.
At least the place was prominent enough, right next to TCC. The warm lightings and casual settings looked inviting enough, but the table that was reserved for us seemed like the polar's bear favorite spot; it was absolutely freezing!
Menu was smaller than I expected, but it made selection easier. I decided not to have soup and went for something which I later found out was quite a staple in other french places:
Poached egg ($12) - stir fried mushrooms below a nicely poached egg. The mushrooms tasted quite nice actually at 1st bite but later became an overload of salt on my palettes.
Salmon ($28) - for non-red meat and non-pork eaters like me, there's actually very little to choose from. The fish was came in a surprisingly big chunk ontop of asparagus and mashed potato (at least I remembered so). The only thing I remembered was the nicely crispy salmon skin but everything else was quite bland.
The other items that occupied the table were foie gras, lobster bisque, beef rossini etc, all of which were not fantastic according to what I hear.
To avoid yet another disappointment, we had to adjourn elsewhere for dessrts :D
Service was actually quite haphazard, but at least the lady who cleared my plate took the initiative to ask me if the fish was okay when she saw 1/4 uneaten. Because of a generously-careless gesture at the end, we walked away feeling sort of compensated for the disappointing quality of food. But that being said, I'm still not coming back.
The question of the night was: why were there malay staff when they have pork items on the menu? We never got to find out.
Rating given:
Hmmm.....
Needed a midday snack before I head home and heard my friends talk excitedly about this new place at The Central ~ But this place is a little hard to find if you're not familiar with the place: you should head out towards the bus stop along Eu Tong Sen Street and turn left --> its right beside Club Marc.
Its a much bigger place than I expected, and the place was very empty at 5pm on a weekday. There's 2 counters: 1 for cakes which didn't register much and another longish counter for bread~
I remembered reading about its raisin cream cheese, so I bypassed most of what's on display and bought 1 of that. Not very impressive outlook I must say, and erm, not very impressive taste actually :I I mean the bread was extremely thin and light and plenty of cream cheese filling dotted with raisins. But I failed to taste what's the 'wow' about it.
Sorry~
Rating given:
Dessert Heaven~
Chanced upon this very unique placing while exploring Orchard Central on a Sat night. The whole set up of the place makes you take a 2nd look at it, with its colourful dress up and cheery staff, plus its right there where the escalator ends.
A comfy place with a chill-out vibe, but unfortunately the much talked-about alfresco seating only applies if you order alcoholic drinks. Dessert was obviously in the plan:
Chocolate mud pie ($6) - very good and dense bitter chocolate that comes in a rectangle, horribly caloric I can imagine.
Cafe latte ($4.50) - average latte in a long glass.
The place is very comfortable for big groups to chill out and chat. Strangely empty on a Saturday night but I rather it remain this way than become packed like any other Bakerzin or Canele.
They have a small little section for retail of B&J products so shopaholics try their hand at it too.
Obviously worth another try at its extensive dessert menu :D
Rating given:
Excellent spot for local food~
Had the opportunity to come here for a lunch meeting, but that means I didn't get any shots of what I ate or glimpse of how much it was :I
Simple dining chairs accompanied by mostly square tables occupied the basic-decorated place. Service was polite but can be inconsistent: our meeting kept being interrupted either by staff too eager to clear our plates or us trying to catch their eyes for top-up of water and the bill.
For such a nondescript place, the food I have to say was really good and totally changed my opinion of hotel F&B outlets serving local food, most of which I've tried are yucky and overpriced.
Here' what my boss ordered:
Stir fried long beans - came hot off the wok with just the right amount of crunch, topped with excellent shrimp paste.
Rendang beef - I am very sensitive to the 'beefy' smell but this announced itself only after my 2nd piece. Very tender and clean of whatever smell I didn't like - now one of my favorite beef dish!
Onion prawns - Generous sized prawns stir fried with onion strips in a tomato-ish sauce. Good!
Otah - Surprisingly average; and I would have liked chunkier pieces of fish in it instead of a fine mash.
Assam Fish Head - Came in a huge portion served in a buffet-style ware, this was simply excellent with rice. Very fresh fish, plenty of lady fingers, and a whole lot of the spicy-tangy sauce kept me happy.
(the names of the dishes may not be what is reflected on the menu because I didn't get to see the menu at all...)
The serving of rice was big but I finished everything :D Was sniffing my nose throughout lunch because of all the spices but it was worth every bit of it. I kept myself balanced with a side order of a young coconut.
Came to know that the place is more known for its nasi lemak, assam laksa etc....that will be my order on my next visit :D
Rating given:
Bluff.
One of those overhyped & overpriced place. Banking on its atas name and supposedly reputation. Bluff.
Coffee ($8) - Badly foamed milk with appalling coffee.
Mocha ($8) - Badly foamed milk, appalling coffee, and probably a drop of chocolate.
Rum & Raisin ($7.80) - To their credit, the taste of rum was rather strong and was much creamier than those I've tasted. Home-made I was told. Although true, still overpriced.
Raspberry sorbet ($4.80) - Too tart for my liking, although some may see it as refreshing.
The chocolate square that came along with our coffee reminded me of cheap milk chocolates. The display for the cakes etc was tacky and simply uninspiring.
Small place with limited seating for the cafe; the other part of Hediard being the retail for its products. There were a group of tourists being talked to when I was there and later exited with bags of Hediard stuff. This surprised me; didn't know Hediard was part of such a touristy affiliation.
Service was bad with la-di-da staff. Requests for ice water was forgotten although we were the 2nd occupied table that afternoon. Serviettes were not provided. Staff sat around and preferred to chit chat than pay attention to customers.
Terribly overpriced. Do not go.
Rating given:
Braved the mad crowds to visit ION Orchard over the weekend to check out the various new to Singapore shops and more importantly, the gamut of eateries that this upscale shopping mall claims to offer. AOBA caught my attention because of the persistent queues forming even during after lunch hours plus the fact that my stomach was rumbling when we walked past it.
The place isn't big, with a seating capacity of about 30 people or so, which probably explains the queue. Tables for 2 are spaced uncomfortably close, so any notions of having private conversations can be thrown right out of the window.
Fried Tofu - It was never my intention to order the fried tofu, but since it carried a 50% discount, cheapo/greedy me conveniently added that to the order. And it was average at best. The skin tasted limp but still palatable.
Ebi Mayonnaise - Small prawns coated with a thick layer of flour, deep fried and drizzled with copious amounts of mayonnaise - a recipe for unhealthy eating. But I'm a sucker for the prawn and mayo combo so this dish turned out fine. Decent but not outstanding. And pretty expensive at that (1 small prawn, $1).
Shoyu Tontoro Ramen - The ramen reminded me of the traditional Chinese yellow egg noodles, albeit a little thinner, chewier and sans the alkaline taste. The broth had a strong taste of pork but came across as a wee bit too salty and too much of it can make you woozy. The pork slices were relatively tender and soft while the egg was nicely done without the yolk being too soft. Portions are small for the price ($16.80 ) though.
Shio Scallop Ramen - The scallops were rather tasteless to begin with and while the ramen was of the same variant as my tontoro ramen, the broth was much lighter and free of any pork taste.
2 bowls of ramen and 2 small sides cost us to the tune of $47, which is rather expensive given the quality in my humble opinion. The long queues to get a table and to pay for our meal as well as cramp dining spaces definitely do not make things better. But for those who are interested in trying AOBA out, they have another outlet within Manpuku at Tampines One.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
There used to be a lord, who claimed his territory at the corner of one-one-seven; the people flocked to him, they worshipped and love all the food that were served, the place was basically packed with crowds every weekends. And as fate has it, the arrival of another overlord meant the decline of the former; the dethrone of the king at Commonwealth drive.
I, see it upon my sworn duties, that I’ll try out all the sweet & sour pork from all the places. And this often leads to disappointment when I couldn’t find one that’s equal to the best which I’ve before, in a deep corner of my memories.
The sambal kangkong was surely one of the weapons that the lord would have, to defend himself; red fiery hot and sizzling sambal were commonly associated with a plate of good sambal kangkong, but, I did not called for the fire brigade after having this: it wasn’t shiok enough.
The prawn roll, ngo hiang, or heh zhor; regardless of which name you called it by, was good. Fried till crispy golden brown, dipped into the sweet sauce, the first bite of it was so reminiscent of my childhood.
The butter pork was definitely one of the best, it was slightly sweet, coated with butter powder which had a uncanny resemblance to cheese; taking a bite of the boneless pork meat was a joy.
I love golden mushrooms, there wasn’t much inherited taste on its own; but I couldn’t stop myself from eating more of it. And similarly, there wasn’t anything fanciful about the golden mushrooms beancurd which came strongly recommended by their staff; it was plain tofu, with golden mushrooms in gravy, yet the result of something so simple was so good!
If sambal kangkong was the armour of the lord, then the prawn paste chicken, or Har Cheong Kai, would surely be his sword. But, it seems like a blunt one, the fried chicken lacked the oomph factor.
Note:
(1) The old overlord which I mentioned, was refering to the Hongkong Street zichar stall just at the other corner of block 117; in its heydays, they were full every night, but when I went that time, it was barely half filled. Talk about a reverse of fortune.
(2) If you want to eat at Two Chefs without waiting, you need to get there early, before six thirty. It’s crazy to see people actually queue up for zi-char when there’s other two zi-char stalls around the same area. The burst in popularity could be attributed to the article on the Sunday times which proclaimed Two Chefs as one of the best zi-char stall.
(3) Which brings me to the third point, I think that Two Chefs, is over hyped. The butter pork ribs were excellent, but the other dishes which I’ve tried, they wasn’t really worth the fifteen-minutes walk from Commonwealth mrt. And if you are thinking that’s because I did not order their other signatures, maybe, but they couldn’t give me a plate of good sambal kangkong, or sweet & sour pork.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
My eyes strayed to the corner as we walked in, the desserts section; I saw the chocolate cake waving to me, the dessert shooters like a lighthouse beaconing the direction. And not lest, the-sight-of-it again: the omnipresent chocolate fondue, my heart just flew over with hugs and kisses.
Not able to resist the seduction, I dropped every last bit of pretence in me and embraced the temptation; lets start with the desserts shall we? We took a bit of everything, and started tucking in. We decided just to have some, and come back for more later. It was a difficult decision; to stop after we started, it was akin to asking a vampire to stop after he started sucking blood from your neck.
And so, the cold seafood counter. There were prawns, there were crabs, and there were mussels & scallops.
A sniff of the icy chilled oyster, the sea breeze gusted into my nose. The hassle of opening up the clam creature was avoided, for it was already prepared nice and clean on the bed of ice. I squeezed a whole wedge of lemon onto it, careful not to spill any outside the shell; every drop of lemon was precious, to fully bring out the quintessence of it. I pitched it up with a fork, and slowly put it into my mouth, one swallow, one gulp, and it was gone.
Our stomach has served us well, and to reward it for the hard work, let’s start with some salad. We took a bit of all the different greens, and dressed it up with the many-variety of dressing available; I always preferred thousand island, while you went for the lighter Italian dressing, and also the adventurous yoghurt one too.
It was fun, the process of ‘playing’ with the Kueh pie tee; we took the shell, add in the typical popiah turnip fillings, sprinkled a bit of the crushed peanuts, drizzled the sweet sauce, beautify it with paisley, and had options of tuna, chicken, and prawns to top with. Boy, it was good! The crispy shell, with the turnip fillings, but it was the sweet sauce and peanut which provided the difference.
There was roasted meat selections, Indian food, Western & Asian mains to choose from too. Again, we ate some of each, and finally it could wait no longer! This time, for desserts, we shall try everything, one of everything. Two if we can help it!
At first glance, it looked like pandan cake. Then, the pistachio financier name tag appeared, in a concealed corner oblivious to the naked human eye. The green stuff, they called it the pistachio nut, it was a personal favourite of our friend; and surprisingly, the pandan-cake-lookalike had a flavourful pistachio taste!
I remembered the truffle berry compote cake for its smooth and silky chocolate, with composition of berries within.
For some unknown reason which continue to evade me, passion fruit seemed to be a popular choice for patissier, I did not have any nice experience with it so far; but I guess it’s the intriguing combination of that-something-sour with the strong cheesecake. I, however, did not like it. I like sweet stuff, something sweet please.
While it had became a common thing for buffets, the chocolate fondue still never failed to excite me, I dipped fruits, puffs, marshmallows, and everything I could find under the flowing chocolate lava.
This, was my favourite part of the buffet. There’s a chef specially preparing waffles and crepes on-the-spot. The waffles were excellent, but they used the same mixture for the crepes, which turned out to be overly thick. And the staffs actually delivered the waffles to our tables when we forgot to collect it, now my dear, that’s what you call service!
I used syrup and butter for my first waffle. Then I returned for more with a topping of all the ice creams available, creativity struck me as I poured some of the lava from the chocolate fondue over my piece of crispy waffles.
The weekend dinner buffet from Mon to Wed is $45 , while dinner from Thursday onwards to Sunday is $50 per head. We were too full to try all the food; we missed out on the Indian food, and the roasted duck selections. Eating a little of everything was almost enough to fill up the tiny stomach of ours. Plenty of tea and a long chat after the meal aided in the digestion too! My appreciation to Helen, the F&B manager of Traders Hotel, for the food tasting invitation.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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I read about Chef Suffian Zain, who relinquished his position as head chef of renowned fine dining restaurant, Iggy's,to join L'Entrepot, a new casual bistro by the Esmirada group serving up classical French food. And that was good enough reason to give the newly minted restaurant a shot.
Aptly located at Clarke Quay, along the Singapore river (entrepot is French for warehouse and is a place where import and export activities take place), L'Entrepot's al fresco and indoor dining area is seperated by a pedestrain walkway. While the al fresco area offers a venue to take in the sights and sounds of the Singapore river, the indoor area doesn't have much of a view to offer. It is however, a rather cozy place with a seemingly huge wine cellar showcasing dozens of bottles of wine.
Lobster Bisque - Apparently a must try at L'Entrepot and one that garnered rave reviews in a certain newspaper, the lobster bisque was disappointing to say the least. As with any lobster bisque, there were a few small cursory pieces of lobster flesh but the soup was rather watered down and lacked richness. The puff pastry, though flaky, wasn't buttery enough in my humble opinion.
Angus Rossini (Pan Roasted Angus Tenderloin, Mashed Potato, Duxell Mushroom, Pan Fried Foie Gras, Red Wine Sauce) - The tenderloin came in 2 chunks, both done medium rare as per request. Although the meat was relatively tender, it did seem a little dry and void of the beefy taste that most beef lovers would appreciate. The mushroom duxell(e) came sandwiched between the 2 blocks of beef and tasted rather bland and watery - not exactly ideal. As for the foie gras, it was thinly sliced and decently soft and quivery on the inside. I understand that it was better then the foie gras dish some of my dinner companions had ordered as appetisers.
On my part, the bill came up to about $47 after a 20% discount ($59 without discount), which is rather expensive for the quality of the food. We were so disappointed that we made the decision to adjorn elsewhere for desserts. Service was decent but that's not good enough reason for me to want to return. I had definitely expected more from Chef Suffian Zain.
See all my pictures here.
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Had a craving for ramen but didn't fancy jostling with the mad crowds at Santouka or Marutama nor was I particularly willing to pay in excess of $15 for a bowl of ramen. Enter Men Tei, which I came across while reading some forums online. Its selling point (to me at least)? All bowls of ramen go for $13 nett.
Located on the ground level of Robinson Centre along Robinson Road in the Central Business District (CBD), Men Tei occupys a small space that is simpley done up and seats probably about 20 pax tops. The menu occupies a single sheet of paper (6 different types of ramen) so if you are looking for variety, this place is probably out.
Shio Ramen - You have the option of specifying the "doneness" of your noodles, ranging from normal, hard or extra hard. I didn't know that until after my ramen was served so I am assuming they gave me the normal option. I thought that it was a little too soft but at least it retained a little chewiness. The ramen broth honestly wasn't very robust and I couldn't quite make out any pork taste. Simply put, it was just salty but light. The egg was quite well done - quivery without being overly soft while the yakibuta (3 slices) was tender and flavourful.
Spicy Tonkatsu Ramen - Although the spicy ramen looked the part, it actually wasn't that bad and that's coming from someone who has a low tolerance for spiciness. As with the Shio ramen, the broth wasn't very robust but the yakibuta and tamago were equally good.
For the price, I honestly think its value for money given the quality of the ramen. Service is decent as well and best of all, there is no queue when you dine there on weekday evenings (they do not open on weekends or public holidays). The same can't be said for weekday lunch though. Men Tei also provides a delivery service to nearby offices for those who crave ramen but are too busy to step out.
See all my pictures here.
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