Mention PS Cafe and not many people would associate it with quality food especially when the chain is owned and operated by Project Shop Blood Brothers, an Australian fashion label. After all, what has food got to do with fashion? Interestingly though, PS Cafe has made a name for itself with its repertoire of seemingly quality desserts.
PS cafe @ Dempsey is set amidst the hip enclave of Dempsey where thousands throng the multitude of restaurants and bars in the evenings and weekends. The interior boasts full length glass windows that offers a view of the lush greenery that surrounds it complete with wooden flooring and a nice al fresco area for days when the heat and mosquitoes take a vacation. The only downside to this pretty little place is the lack of a good noise dispersion system. When I was there for dinner, the place was packed withthe decibel level ridiculously high from all the chatter, very much like your typical hawker centre.
Chicken Rossa Penne - The penne tasted like it came straight out of the pasta packet you can find at any supermarket. But to their credit, it was done al dente. The chicken pieces were rather generous while the sauce was just bottled tomato sauce at the very best. All in all a flat and uninspiring pasta dish.
Miso Cod - The fish was a joke. It was definitely the worst dish of the evening. For starters, it wasn't fresh and had a gross fishy aftertaste. There was no taste of miso whatsoever. It didn't help that portions were tiny for the rather hefty price tag ($35) as well.
Banana Mango Crumble - Desserts were highly recommended at PS Cafe and the banana mango crumble is apparently one of the best. I wasn't too wowed by it though. Sure, the crumble was nice with the scoop of vanilla bean ice cream but I just thought that the flavours of the mango and banana could have been more pronounced. Everything tasted like a soft mashed up mixture with no distinct taste.
Flourless Orange Cake - I didn't have the stomach to try much of the orange cake but it tasted quite decent with its mild orangey and nutty taste. I'm sure the sauce had a part to play as well.
Blowing almost close to $98 for 2 disappointing mains and 2 average desserts hardly qualifies as reasonable. On the contrary, I thought that my money was well spent during a desserts only visit to the Palais outlet (See my pictures below). Service at Dempsey was spotty as the place seemed rather short handed due to the large crowd, but definitely better then its Palais counterpart. Bottomline is, go to the Palais branch and stick to desserts.
I want a day out with you, To catch up and have some good food. I want somewhere green & green, where we can sit all day and talk.
No, I don’t even know where this place is. It doesn’t matter. We will find it somehow, so long we follow our heart, Or just go along with our legs.
Spaghetti Vongole ($18)
Among the many ones out there, you somehow caught our attention. Maybe this is what they call fate. No matter, it’s my pleasure knowing you. Clams, plenty of them. The lovely seashells, with the simple-yet-important garlic. And oh yes, there was chilli with white wine & olive oil sauce too.
Sfilatino Casa Verde ($23)
You are sexy, you are hot. Thin is the in-thing, and you are slim. This is one pizza which I will willingly fork out my wallet for. The fillings, oh my, they were generous. Just look at the amount of ham, mushrooms, and mozzarella on top of the thin-crust pizza.
I know this is wrong, But i am a sucker for ambience. I always choose a nice place to dine at, And it is ok even if the food is not that fantastic. But luckily for me, you were great. I will come back again, yes I will. For brunch, for lunch, and for dinner.
***
Total bill was $41 for one pizza and spaghetti. The pizza was big enough to share among the 3 of us. I’ve always wanted to go to Casa Verde after hearing so much about the wonderful ambience. It is after all, located within the beautiful Botanic Gardens. I will definitely go back for brunch again, the prices for breakfast look good.
Its about a 15 minutes walk from the main entrance, otherwise cab in to the visitors centre, the fare is about $4. Well, i took the latter as it was raining. All right, it’s just a bloody excuse for being lazy. See you there!
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!
Harbour Grill & Oyster Bar has been around for quite a while yet little has been mentioned about it in the media. Its probably one of those more reclusive restaurants around. And by a stroke of impulse, I had dinner there one evening.
Unassumingly located in a corner on the third level of Hilton Hotel, Harbour Grill looks almost foreboding with its tall dark tinted glass doors that are always kept shut. Only when approaching them would the impeccably dressed counter staff swing it inwards to welcome you. Decor is classic chic with hints of victorian complete with parquet flooring, exposed brick walls and lovely booth seats.
Complimentary Bread - The basket of complimentary bread consisted of a variety of different breads - cheese bread, bread sticks, multigrain and olive bread. Interestingly, the cheese bread was soft and fluffy with a mild curry taste. That's not to say that I could really stomach the cheese curry combination though. The olive bread had small pockts of olive in it. Quite decent.
Amuse Bouche - A simple yet well done amuse bouche of smoked salmon with pomelo. Nice and chilled sans the overwhelming raw taste of smoked salmon. Salty yet sweet.
Pan Fried Foie Gras - Most places would just pan fry foie gras, but not at Harbour Grill. The foie gras is first boiled and then pan fried till a little crisp on the outside (reminded me of Inagiku's). The only downside to this is the absence of the quivery texture that graces most well done pan seared foie gras. That is not to say that Harbour Grill's rendition was no good. In fact, I found it quite tasteful in its own way. There was no overwhelming liver taste and when coupled with the cold pineapple sorbet, it made for a very interesting and light appetiser.
Hokkaido Scallops - I thought that the scallops were nothing short of excellent. Pan seared till a little charred on the surface yet retaining its moisture, sweetness and tenderness on the inside. Just watch out for the small portions (2 pcs) and the high price tag. $35 (small) and $48 (large). Ouch!
Roasted Prime Rib - The ribs were done medium rare as per request and lightly seasoned with salt and a drizzling of wine. Tender with a nice beefy taste but a tad too salty for my liking. The accompanying home made potatoes were purportedly cooked confit style but I honestly didn't quite take to them.
Steamed Cod Fish - The cod fish had charred edges, which hinted of possible pan frying after being steamed. And this was real cod fish, not chilean sea bass or the likes. The flesh was firm and sweet and honestly tasted like miso cod to me. Very nice.
White Chocolate Creme Brulee - I liked this dessert quite a bit. The pudding was smooth and creamy with a hint of chocolaty overtones. It was topped with pineapple sorbet that provided a nice zesty twang. Think sweet and mildly sour.
Grand Marnier Souffle - Apparently one of Harbour Grill's signature desserts, the grand marnier souffle came with a scoop of orange sorbet that was nice but seemed a little out of place. The souffle itself had a high egg content and the alcohol was apparent. However, I understand that a good souffle isn't suppose to be that firm though.
A 3 course dinner for 2 pax respectively cost just over $210, which catapults it into the expensive terrain. If 3 courses isn't enough, there is the 4 course option at $120 . Service is excellent and non intrusive while food quality is evident as well. Throw in a nice charming environment and Harbour Grill automatically makes it to the "special occasion" list. Definitely a place to impress.
Slumdog millionaire made an big impact on me; millions of people living in poverty while here we are, fretting about the hot weather, how long the bus took to arrive. I, want to learn more about their culture. I, want to visit the Taj Mahal. I, want to experience their food; their cuisine which has stood against the test of time.
With a glass of mango lassi, we toasted to the world, to good health, and to the glorious food. The sea. The sea. Facing the calm and still of the blue, we feasted. We ate, and ate; a feast for the king.
And so, my adventure with Indian cuisine started. The first to arrive was the Lamb Kakori Malai kebab ($20). And frankly speaking, it looked more like otah to me - but it tasted much better than that. The sensational melt-in-the-mouth-lamb was enough for me to dig several times.
It’s all about prawn, prawn, prawn, daddy-o. You like prawn? You’ll love the Prawns with garlic butter ($24). The distinct garlic butter taste, the teppanyaki style, oh my. But it was slightly salty, more lemon would have solve the problem. But then again, the tone-down version wouldn’t be the real deal, so I say, keep it that way!
And besides the prawn, we have a fish as well. If there was a dish which piped my curiosity, it ought to be the Fish three pepper ($22). With its unique name, and the exotic Indian herbs & spices, I enjoyed every bite, it was good.
Street-food. Read: what the locals eat. Crisp papris topped with chopped potatoes, the crust was awesome; crunch, crunch. One of my favourite, Aloo Papri Delhi Chat ($10).
Slightly sourish, with Indian spices filled within the semolina baked cups. I preferred the Aloo Papri Delhi Chat to the Raj Kachori Chat ($10). , but I enjoyed using my spoon to break down the potato crust; destroyed the wall, and the Indian prince conquered the city!
And how can we not have biryani when eating Indian food; rice is a staple for us Asians after all. We had two different types of biryani, the dum biryani lamb and the Hyderabadi chicken biryani ($18). The chunks of chicken bites were good, but to shelve out eighteen bucks for a bowl of rice? I don’t think so.
The Indian bread, Garlic Nann ($7). It was my first time trying it of course, and the nann was good to go with almost all the dishes; a bite of nann, a mouth of meat. Or simply dipped the nann into the curries!
This was another of my favourite! Compared with the lamb Kakori Malai kebab, the Lagan Ke lamb ($14) was better seasoned with the spices; which resulted in a less gamy taste.
The Lalla Mussa Dal ($18) was Black lentil, speciality of the house. But it wasn’t my type; I'm just not that into you.
By and large I couldn’t remember the Dum Methi prawn ($24) much. It was prawns tossed wth methi, cashew nut onion paste. But somehow after I noticed its presense on our elongated table, there wasn’t a single prawn in sight. Everybody finished it - without even leaving a prawn for me!
As much as I appreciated that the restaurant provided some sweets to complete the meal, but the Tutti Frutti ($10) didn’t pretty much fit into what I had in mind for Indian desserts.
Neither was the Hot chocolate brownie ($8), which was not made in-house.
But luckily there was the Kulfis ($10) - traditional pistachio Indian ice cream to save the day! There’s always a first time for everything, and it’s my first time trying Indian ice cream. The texture was very different; solid and dense - it took forever to melt.
It was, oh-my-god, so sweet. I did not bother to ask what is it; it is enough, to taste it. But I wasn’t about to let Cinderella leave without asking for her name, just before the clock struck twelve, Garam Gulab Jamun ($8).
* * *
I always wanted to try other cuisines other than the-usual-western-Jap-Chinese-food. Having taken the first step out of my comfort zone, it’s time to try more exotic food, and this meal has certainly aroused me to try some of the other Indian places that I’ve heard so much of.
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!
April's monthly dinner was decided at Mietta's, which literally translates to Sweet Little One. Owned by Angelo Sanelli, who was one half of the business partnership of the popular Michelangelo's and helmed by the former executive chef of Zambuca, Dennis Sim, Mietta opened with little fanfare just a few months ago.
Located towards the end of Arab Street, just opposite Golden Landmark Hotel, Mietta takes up 3 units of shop space in this predominantly Muslim neighbourhood, which is why no pork is served as a form of respect (though alcohol is still sold). The interior is rather homely and cozy with ambient lighting and tables spaced decently far apart for a nice quiet dinner.
Complimentary Bread - This was the exact same bread I had at Zambuca. I enjoyed it back then but this time round it failed to wow me, probably because it was left sitting in the cold for quite a substantial period of time. My fault though. I was late.
Blueberry Gnocchi, Served with Braised Venison in a Red Wine, Bitter Chocolate Jus - I had this at Zambuca the last time as well and Chef Dennis graciously agreed to do this dish just for us that evening. The gnocchi was interesting and soft but I thought that the venison wasn't flavourful enough, which was attributed by Chef Dennis as not having enough time to allow the venison to rest and absorb the jus. The jus itself was a tad bitter from the chocolate but the blueberries didn't seem to feature or contribute much to the taste.
Squid Ink Ravioli - According to the chef, the ravioli is made in house and daily servings are limited. We therefore jumped at the chance to try it out. In all honesty, I didn't think too much of it. The ravioli skin was thin but the filling of scallop and prawn mousse tasted too smooth and bland. The saffron and dill jus was of the light variant and overall this dish lacked flavours.
Penne Vodka - I opted to have prawns to go with my penne and it was a great decision in my humble opinion. The crystal prawns were huge, fresh and sweet. I counted 5 large prawns with my penne which I thought was pretty generous. The penne itself was al dente without the tomato sauce being too overwhelming but there was no taste of vodka. I know its evaporated but whats the point of using vodka if there is not going to be any vodka taste? Nevertheless, I enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Cinnamon Panna Cotta with Girottine Cherry - The panna cotta was a disaster honestly. The pudding was way too firm and had a gingery taste that I personally didn't like. Needless to say, I took 1 mouthful and left the rest to stand.
Strawberry Ice Cream - What made this ice cream stand out was that it was for diabetics. And it was ordered on purpose, as a comparison to the normal ones that we usually eat. And honestly, I thought it was good. The texture was more like frozen yogurt and it was still sweet probably from the frutose.
Tiramisu - Comparisons were inevitable between Mietta's rendition of this classic Italian dessert and that of Zanotti's, as both offerings fell into the generously covered with mascarpone category. Though good, Mietta's mascarpone cheese was a little too bland in comparison while the sponge was a little too wet. But interestingly, chocolate chips were added for a nice bitter twist.
The 9 of us chalked up a bill of about $665, which bordered on the expensive range. Food is a case of hits and misses and I understand that stuff like the lamb rack is good so take your chances. Service staff were very friendly and humourous and definitely one of the highlights of the restaurant.
Headed here for dinner with a big group, so the chatter amongst us shattered whatever romantic feel this place has. Nice soft lightings with amply spaced out tables and attentive service was a good start to the evening.
Because we had to wait for the chairperson who was 45mins late, we had 2 rounds of their gorgeous bread. Fresh, warm, fluffy carb pillows~ Delish either on its own or with the balsamic vinegar set on the table.
So many starters and so many mains amongst us and so many I didn't try but here's what I did try:
Calamari fritti lightly dusted with with a 50/50 mix of plain and rice flour ($14) - Disappointing. Didn't know why the underside of the rings were soggy, but whatever they hope to achieve with the 50/50 mix didnt work at all.
Penne vodka with sauteed fresh prawns, translucent onions, sliced chilli, finished in a creamy rose vodka sauce ($26) - Perfectly al dente with fresh crunchy prawns in what tasted more like tomato sauce instead. I could taste no vodka at all :I It was a pretty big portion too :D
Desserts that were shared amongst us:
Tiramisu ($12) - one of the rare good ones left I think. Came a little de-constructed with chocolate chips on the side but high marks from me nonetheless!
Chocolate Delice ($14) - cold set chocolate caramel ganache on a muesli macadamia cookie dough topped with wild cherry sorbet - We all liked the sorbet but felt the ganache was way too je lat. I think the soury sorbet was supposed to cut the richness but erm, didn't work.
Orange, orange, and more orange ($14) - shot glass of blood orange jelly sided with crepes with grand marnier and orange zest, mandarin sorbet with candied orange peel - came highly recommended by the Executive Chef. Quite a refreshing change but its wasn't 'wow' for me.
Cinnamon panna cotta with girottine cherry garnished with ginger cream ($12) - We all wondered if it was meant to be hard but didnt find an answer. Tasted like your usual fare.
I have to say service was excellent. Plus, the staff were all very friendly and humorous to boot. Good choice for a date actually but erm just avoid nights with big groups like us haha~
Picked this for a family dinner coz we wanted Chinese. They have a very attractive ala carte buffet dinner for either $34 per pax and $39 , with the former inclusive of one portion of Peking Duck and Sharks Fin, and the latter Peking Duck and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. The choice was $34 in the end.
You can pick your dishes from quite a comprehensive selection of combination platter, seafood, vegetables, meat, noodles / rice, and desserts. Here's what we ordered:
Peking Duck - Very dry egg crepes with more duck meat than skin.
Sharks Fin Soup - Clear chicken soup with a pinch of fakey fins.
Corn and chicken soup - campbell-ish thickened with starch
Meat platter - Not good
Spinach with 3 treasures (egg) - very bland although healthy
Cereal prawns - surprisingly not bad but prawns seemed abit tempura than deep fried.
Chilli crab, white pepper crab, and steamed with chinese wine - came in mini-size crabs with each flavour. One of the better dishes of the evening.
Braised abalone - fakey abalone with chinese lettuce in light soya sauce.
Kung Pao chicken - mediocre
Steamed fish - Fresh but normal otherwise
Salmon sashimi - strange selection in a chinese buffet but quite refreshing for the palette.
Only the prawns and crabs were worthy of mention. Tung Lok really really really needs to buck up. Even the rather nice interior couldn't help lift up this review.
A quiet Saturday evening for an early dinner here~
Heard so much about Oriole, especially the fact that nothing on their menu is over $15. Actually, it is true. Just that they have 'specials' that are written on their glass panes instead, including pastas and other mains. Adds quite a nice feel to the whole place actually.
It actually feels a little like a place for drinks than dinner, with the small seating and warm lightings used. The very prominent bar right smack in the middle of the place helps too (you can adjourn to the bar seats after dinner for cool drinks :D).
The menu is a simple one pager, with the drinks on the other side of it. Reminds me of that of PS Cafe actually. Small selection of mains and more starters in fact.
Mushroom-on-toast ($10.50) - open face thick toast with poached egg. Came in a surprisingly big portion with many many nicely sauteed brown button mushrooms atop a huge square of toasted bread. A wobbly poached egg tops this all off. The combination tasted great! There's something I find very comforting about egg bread :D
Fish & Chips ($15) - lightly battered snapper loin with home-made chips. I had just a small bite of these but it tasted not too bad too. Home-made chips have that 'raw' taste which frozen ones just can't match up to.
My english breakfast came in a small presser which was pleasantly refillable. The other mocha milkshake we ordered tasted more ice-blended than milkshake actually.
The place seemed a little overstaffed with the small patronage, which is always better than being under-staffed I guess. A good alternative to the noisy crowd at Cineleisure. A small bird actually warned me it sucks but hey, maybe I ordered the right things :D
The-sight-of-it is enough to excite me. The flowing chocolate - like water plunging down from a magnificent waterfall: wonderful, sweet. The cute white marshmallows beckon to me. The puffs - baked for the sole reunion with the delicious chocolate. The big juicy strawberries, oh my. What’s there not to like about a chocolate fondue? I love it!
Now, I famously don’t like buffets. When I see food laying out, exposed, I see food dying. I see the ocean trout that every passing diner can feel free to squeeze at. I see food left out in the open air unprotected from the passing fancies of everybody. BUT, but, the current Citibank credit card 50% promotion for 10 @ Claymore is simply too good a deal to miss, so I decided to go for it after all.
How does $29 for buffet lunch sounds? On top of it with a 1-for-1 promotion, and we are talking about Pan Pacific Hotel, not some dubious twenties-odd range buffet (you-know-where-I-am-referring-to). Given, the variety here cannot compare with other international buffets who have more spread, but what I like about 10 @ Claymore is the focus.
Instead of giving a lot items to choose from, they decided to give just enough. For those who inherited our Singapore-kiasu-genes, my apologies. But this is one buffet where I actually don’t feel guilty trying to gorge myself silly. I ate a bit of everything, and rushed to have my desserts.
The chocolate truffle was terrific - sweet, smooth, refined, yet unbelievably simple. I had mutiple helpings of it, until my stomach decided to do a red-shirt-alike-protest to me.
Total bill was $34 for 2 person after the citibank credit card promotion. The current good deal last until 30 April, 2 person are entitled to a 50% discount. For $17 bucks per person, buffet lunch at a classy environment, enough said! And oh yes, I forgot to mention that the service was top-notch; the staffs were attentive and always happy to help out when you need anything
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!
Foie Gras is in my blood. Having said that, I’m more beef than Foie Gras, really. Wedges here, is my awesome assistant, The new Spring fashion is so passé, sun-dried tomato is the latest in-thing now! Marmalade Pantry’s famous, Sun-dried tomato Foie Gras Burger ($26).
My name is Chocolate, Chocolate Truffe ($7.80). I’m the ladies man, smooth is my texture, sweet is my nature. Try me, and you are sold. No one can resist my temptations, the thick, oh-so-thick chocolate which is so rich and good.
Hello everybody, eh, my name is Chocolate Tart ($4.20). I don’t have anything to say about myself. I’m a simple guy, but they say my chocolate is wondeful, I will rather keep a low profile. Please, don’t tell anybody else. Thank you.
They call me little miss rose ($4.2). I’m very girly and feminine in nature, but most people just judged me by my appearances. I snub those pretentious of my kind who can only face the world with their frosting make-ups. Simple is beautiful, once you get to know me, the ladies worship me and the guys adore me.
The spokesperson for Marmalade, everybody calls for me when they are here. It will be impossible if you have not heard about Sticky Date toffee pudding ($12) by now. My companion, the lovely Vanilla bean ice cream compliments me perfectly.
***
Having heard so much about Marmalade Pantry Foie Gras burger, the few of us were rather disappointed by it because there just wasn’t much foie gras taste. But the wedges that accompanied the burger was very good.
The chocolate truffle cake, and chocolate tart was wonderful, with the chocolate being very sweet yet not overly heavy. By now having tried two of Toast (under the same group as Marmalade) cupcakes and another one today, I must say their cupcakes are the better ones around. Moist and rich, there wasn’t any pretty frosting, just a solid good cupcake.
The sticky date toffee pudding also did not impressed us. Perhaps it was undone by its famous reputation, we were somewhat expecting more from it, but it never came. Nonetheless, nobody could resist having cold icy vanilla bean ice cream with the warm pudding.
Total bill was $64.15 for 6 person. Even though the burger and pudding did not exactly wow me, but I will definitely come back to try the array of desserts available, and of course their cupcakes.
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!
1=SGD 0.0587
Mention PS Cafe and not many people would associate it with quality food especially when the chain is owned and operated by Project Shop Blood Brothers, an Australian fashion label. After all, what has food got to do with fashion? Interestingly though, PS Cafe has made a name for itself with its repertoire of seemingly quality desserts.
PS cafe @ Dempsey is set amidst the hip enclave of Dempsey where thousands throng the multitude of restaurants and bars in the evenings and weekends. The interior boasts full length glass windows that offers a view of the lush greenery that surrounds it complete with wooden flooring and a nice al fresco area for days when the heat and mosquitoes take a vacation. The only downside to this pretty little place is the lack of a good noise dispersion system. When I was there for dinner, the place was packed withthe decibel level ridiculously high from all the chatter, very much like your typical hawker centre.
Chicken Rossa Penne - The penne tasted like it came straight out of the pasta packet you can find at any supermarket. But to their credit, it was done al dente. The chicken pieces were rather generous while the sauce was just bottled tomato sauce at the very best. All in all a flat and uninspiring pasta dish.
Miso Cod - The fish was a joke. It was definitely the worst dish of the evening. For starters, it wasn't fresh and had a gross fishy aftertaste. There was no taste of miso whatsoever. It didn't help that portions were tiny for the rather hefty price tag ($35) as well.
Banana Mango Crumble - Desserts were highly recommended at PS Cafe and the banana mango crumble is apparently one of the best. I wasn't too wowed by it though. Sure, the crumble was nice with the scoop of vanilla bean ice cream but I just thought that the flavours of the mango and banana could have been more pronounced. Everything tasted like a soft mashed up mixture with no distinct taste.
Flourless Orange Cake - I didn't have the stomach to try much of the orange cake but it tasted quite decent with its mild orangey and nutty taste. I'm sure the sauce had a part to play as well.
Blowing almost close to $98 for 2 disappointing mains and 2 average desserts hardly qualifies as reasonable. On the contrary, I thought that my money was well spent during a desserts only visit to the Palais outlet (See my pictures below). Service at Dempsey was spotty as the place seemed rather short handed due to the large crowd, but definitely better then its Palais counterpart. Bottomline is, go to the Palais branch and stick to desserts.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I want a day out with you,
To catch up and have some good food.
I want somewhere green & green,
where we can sit all day and talk.
No, I don’t even know where this place is.
It doesn’t matter.
We will find it somehow, so long we follow our heart,
Or just go along with our legs.
Spaghetti Vongole ($18)
Among the many ones out there, you somehow caught our attention. Maybe this is what they call fate. No matter, it’s my pleasure knowing you. Clams, plenty of them. The lovely seashells, with the simple-yet-important garlic. And oh yes, there was chilli with white wine & olive oil sauce too.
Sfilatino Casa Verde ($23)
You are sexy, you are hot. Thin is the in-thing, and you are slim. This is one pizza which I will willingly fork out my wallet for. The fillings, oh my, they were generous. Just look at the amount of ham, mushrooms, and mozzarella on top of the thin-crust pizza.
I know this is wrong,
But i am a sucker for ambience.
I always choose a nice place to dine at,
And it is ok even if the food is not that fantastic.
But luckily for me, you were great.
I will come back again, yes I will.
For brunch, for lunch, and for dinner.
***
Total bill was $41 for one pizza and spaghetti. The pizza was big enough to share among the 3 of us. I’ve always wanted to go to Casa Verde after hearing so much about the wonderful ambience. It is after all, located within the beautiful Botanic Gardens. I will definitely go back for brunch again, the prices for breakfast look good.
Its about a 15 minutes walk from the main entrance, otherwise cab in to the visitors centre, the fare is about $4. Well, i took the latter as it was raining. All right, it’s just a bloody excuse for being lazy. See you there!
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:
Harbour Grill & Oyster Bar has been around for quite a while yet little has been mentioned about it in the media. Its probably one of those more reclusive restaurants around. And by a stroke of impulse, I had dinner there one evening.
Unassumingly located in a corner on the third level of Hilton Hotel, Harbour Grill looks almost foreboding with its tall dark tinted glass doors that are always kept shut. Only when approaching them would the impeccably dressed counter staff swing it inwards to welcome you. Decor is classic chic with hints of victorian complete with parquet flooring, exposed brick walls and lovely booth seats.
Complimentary Bread -
The basket of complimentary bread consisted of a variety of different breads - cheese bread, bread sticks, multigrain and olive bread. Interestingly, the cheese bread was soft and fluffy with a mild curry taste. That's not to say that I could really stomach the cheese curry combination though. The olive bread had small pockts of olive in it. Quite decent.
Amuse Bouche - A simple yet well done amuse bouche of smoked salmon with pomelo. Nice and chilled sans the overwhelming raw taste of smoked salmon. Salty yet sweet.
Pan Fried Foie Gras - Most places would just pan fry foie gras, but not at Harbour Grill. The foie gras is first boiled and then pan fried till a little crisp on the outside (reminded me of Inagiku's). The only downside to this is the absence of the quivery texture that graces most well done pan seared foie gras. That is not to say that Harbour Grill's rendition was no good. In fact, I found it quite tasteful in its own way. There was no overwhelming liver taste and when coupled with the cold pineapple sorbet, it made for a very interesting and light appetiser.
Hokkaido Scallops - I thought that the scallops were nothing short of excellent. Pan seared till a little charred on the surface yet retaining its moisture, sweetness and tenderness on the inside. Just watch out for the small portions (2 pcs) and the high price tag. $35 (small) and $48 (large). Ouch!
Roasted Prime Rib - The ribs were done medium rare as per request and lightly seasoned with salt and a drizzling of wine. Tender with a nice beefy taste but a tad too salty for my liking. The accompanying home made potatoes were purportedly cooked confit style but I honestly didn't quite take to them.
Steamed Cod Fish - The cod fish had charred edges, which hinted of possible pan frying after being steamed. And this was real cod fish, not chilean sea bass or the likes. The flesh was firm and sweet and honestly tasted like miso cod to me. Very nice.
White Chocolate Creme Brulee - I liked this dessert quite a bit. The pudding was smooth and creamy with a hint of chocolaty overtones. It was topped with pineapple sorbet that provided a nice zesty twang. Think sweet and mildly sour.
Grand Marnier Souffle - Apparently one of Harbour Grill's signature desserts, the grand marnier souffle came with a scoop of orange sorbet that was nice but seemed a little out of place. The souffle itself had a high egg content and the alcohol was apparent. However, I understand that a good souffle isn't suppose to be that firm though.
A 3 course dinner for 2 pax respectively cost just over $210, which catapults it into the expensive terrain. If 3 courses isn't enough, there is the 4 course option at $120 . Service is excellent and non intrusive while food quality is evident as well. Throw in a nice charming environment and Harbour Grill automatically makes it to the "special occasion" list. Definitely a place to impress.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Slumdog millionaire made an big impact on me; millions of people living in poverty while here we are, fretting about the hot weather, how long the bus took to arrive. I, want to learn more about their culture. I, want to visit the Taj Mahal. I, want to experience their food; their cuisine which has stood against the test of time.
With a glass of mango lassi, we toasted to the world, to good health, and to the glorious food. The sea. The sea. Facing the calm and still of the blue, we feasted. We ate, and ate; a feast for the king.
And so, my adventure with Indian cuisine started. The first to arrive was the Lamb Kakori Malai kebab ($20). And frankly speaking, it looked more like otah to me - but it tasted much better than that. The sensational melt-in-the-mouth-lamb was enough for me to dig several times.
It’s all about prawn, prawn, prawn, daddy-o. You like prawn? You’ll love the Prawns with garlic butter ($24). The distinct garlic butter taste, the teppanyaki style, oh my. But it was slightly salty, more lemon would have solve the problem. But then again, the tone-down version wouldn’t be the real deal, so I say, keep it that way!
And besides the prawn, we have a fish as well. If there was a dish which piped my curiosity, it ought to be the Fish three pepper ($22). With its unique name, and the exotic Indian herbs & spices, I enjoyed every bite, it was good.
Street-food. Read: what the locals eat. Crisp papris topped with chopped potatoes, the crust was awesome; crunch, crunch. One of my favourite, Aloo Papri Delhi Chat ($10).
Slightly sourish, with Indian spices filled within the semolina baked cups. I preferred the Aloo Papri Delhi Chat to the Raj Kachori Chat ($10). , but I enjoyed using my spoon to break down the potato crust; destroyed the wall, and the Indian prince conquered the city!
And how can we not have biryani when eating Indian food; rice is a staple for us Asians after all. We had two different types of biryani, the dum biryani lamb and the Hyderabadi chicken biryani ($18). The chunks of chicken bites were good, but to shelve out eighteen bucks for a bowl of rice? I don’t think so.
Tangy, creamy coconut sauce, with crab patties. Massala crab cake ($24)
The Indian bread, Garlic Nann ($7). It was my first time trying it of course, and the nann was good to go with almost all the dishes; a bite of nann, a mouth of meat. Or simply dipped the nann into the curries!
This was another of my favourite! Compared with the lamb Kakori Malai kebab, the Lagan Ke lamb ($14) was better seasoned with the spices; which resulted in a less gamy taste.
The Lalla Mussa Dal ($18) was Black lentil, speciality of the house. But it wasn’t my type; I'm just not that into you.
By and large I couldn’t remember the Dum Methi prawn ($24) much. It was prawns tossed wth methi, cashew nut onion paste. But somehow after I noticed its presense on our elongated table, there wasn’t a single prawn in sight. Everybody finished it - without even leaving a prawn for me!
As much as I appreciated that the restaurant provided some sweets to complete the meal, but the Tutti Frutti ($10) didn’t pretty much fit into what I had in mind for Indian desserts.
Neither was the Hot chocolate brownie ($8), which was not made in-house.
But luckily there was the Kulfis ($10) - traditional pistachio Indian ice cream to save the day! There’s always a first time for everything, and it’s my first time trying Indian ice cream. The texture was very different; solid and dense - it took forever to melt.
It was, oh-my-god, so sweet. I did not bother to ask what is it; it is enough, to taste it. But I wasn’t about to let Cinderella leave without asking for her name, just before the clock struck twelve, Garam Gulab Jamun ($8).
* * *
I always wanted to try other cuisines other than the-usual-western-Jap-Chinese-food. Having taken the first step out of my comfort zone, it’s time to try more exotic food, and this meal has certainly aroused me to try some of the other Indian places that I’ve heard so much of.
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:
April's monthly dinner was decided at Mietta's, which literally translates to Sweet Little One. Owned by Angelo Sanelli, who was one half of the business partnership of the popular Michelangelo's and helmed by the former executive chef of Zambuca, Dennis Sim, Mietta opened with little fanfare just a few months ago.
Located towards the end of Arab Street, just opposite Golden Landmark Hotel, Mietta takes up 3 units of shop space in this predominantly Muslim neighbourhood, which is why no pork is served as a form of respect (though alcohol is still sold). The interior is rather homely and cozy with ambient lighting and tables spaced decently far apart for a nice quiet dinner.
Complimentary Bread - This was the exact same bread I had at Zambuca. I enjoyed it back then but this time round it failed to wow me, probably because it was left sitting in the cold for quite a substantial period of time. My fault though. I was late.
Blueberry Gnocchi, Served with Braised Venison in a Red Wine, Bitter Chocolate Jus - I had this at Zambuca the last time as well and Chef Dennis graciously agreed to do this dish just for us that evening. The gnocchi was interesting and soft but I thought that the venison wasn't flavourful enough, which was attributed by Chef Dennis as not having enough time to allow the venison to rest and absorb the jus. The jus itself was a tad bitter from the chocolate but the blueberries didn't seem to feature or contribute much to the taste.
Squid Ink Ravioli - According to the chef, the ravioli is made in house and daily servings are limited. We therefore jumped at the chance to try it out. In all honesty, I didn't think too much of it. The ravioli skin was thin but the filling of scallop and prawn mousse tasted too smooth and bland. The saffron and dill jus was of the light variant and overall this dish lacked flavours.
Penne Vodka - I opted to have prawns to go with my penne and it was a great decision in my humble opinion. The crystal prawns were huge, fresh and sweet. I counted 5 large prawns with my penne which I thought was pretty generous. The penne itself was al dente without the tomato sauce being too overwhelming but there was no taste of vodka. I know its evaporated but whats the point of using vodka if there is not going to be any vodka taste? Nevertheless, I enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Cinnamon Panna Cotta with Girottine Cherry - The panna cotta was a disaster honestly. The pudding was way too firm and had a gingery taste that I personally didn't like. Needless to say, I took 1 mouthful and left the rest to stand.
Strawberry Ice Cream - What made this ice cream stand out was that it was for diabetics. And it was ordered on purpose, as a comparison to the normal ones that we usually eat. And honestly, I thought it was good. The texture was more like frozen yogurt and it was still sweet probably from the frutose.
Tiramisu - Comparisons were inevitable between Mietta's rendition of this classic Italian dessert and that of Zanotti's, as both offerings fell into the generously covered with mascarpone category. Though good, Mietta's mascarpone cheese was a little too bland in comparison while the sponge was a little too wet. But interestingly, chocolate chips were added for a nice bitter twist.
The 9 of us chalked up a bill of about $665, which bordered on the expensive range. Food is a case of hits and misses and I understand that stuff like the lamb rack is good so take your chances. Service staff were very friendly and humourous and definitely one of the highlights of the restaurant.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Good comfy italian place~
Headed here for dinner with a big group, so the chatter amongst us shattered whatever romantic feel this place has. Nice soft lightings with amply spaced out tables and attentive service was a good start to the evening.
Because we had to wait for the chairperson who was 45mins late, we had 2 rounds of their gorgeous bread. Fresh, warm, fluffy carb pillows~ Delish either on its own or with the balsamic vinegar set on the table.
So many starters and so many mains amongst us and so many I didn't try but here's what I did try:
Calamari fritti lightly dusted with with a 50/50 mix of plain and rice flour ($14) - Disappointing. Didn't know why the underside of the rings were soggy, but whatever they hope to achieve with the 50/50 mix didnt work at all.
Penne vodka with sauteed fresh prawns, translucent onions, sliced chilli, finished in a creamy rose vodka sauce ($26) - Perfectly al dente with fresh crunchy prawns in what tasted more like tomato sauce instead. I could taste no vodka at all :I It was a pretty big portion too :D
Desserts that were shared amongst us:
Tiramisu ($12) - one of the rare good ones left I think. Came a little de-constructed with chocolate chips on the side but high marks from me nonetheless!
Chocolate Delice ($14) - cold set chocolate caramel ganache on a muesli macadamia cookie dough topped with wild cherry sorbet - We all liked the sorbet but felt the ganache was way too je lat. I think the soury sorbet was supposed to cut the richness but erm, didn't work.
Orange, orange, and more orange ($14) - shot glass of blood orange jelly sided with crepes with grand marnier and orange zest, mandarin sorbet with candied orange peel - came highly recommended by the Executive Chef. Quite a refreshing change but its wasn't 'wow' for me.
Cinnamon panna cotta with girottine cherry garnished with ginger cream ($12) - We all wondered if it was meant to be hard but didnt find an answer. Tasted like your usual fare.
I have to say service was excellent. Plus, the staff were all very friendly and humorous to boot. Good choice for a date actually but erm just avoid nights with big groups like us haha~
Rating given:
Tung Lok is getting from bad to worse.
Picked this for a family dinner coz we wanted Chinese. They have a very attractive ala carte buffet dinner for either $34 per pax and $39 , with the former inclusive of one portion of Peking Duck and Sharks Fin, and the latter Peking Duck and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. The choice was $34 in the end.
You can pick your dishes from quite a comprehensive selection of combination platter, seafood, vegetables, meat, noodles / rice, and desserts. Here's what we ordered:
Peking Duck - Very dry egg crepes with more duck meat than skin.
Sharks Fin Soup - Clear chicken soup with a pinch of fakey fins.
Corn and chicken soup - campbell-ish thickened with starch
Meat platter - Not good
Spinach with 3 treasures (egg) - very bland although healthy
Cereal prawns - surprisingly not bad but prawns seemed abit tempura than deep fried.
Chilli crab, white pepper crab, and steamed with chinese wine - came in mini-size crabs with each flavour. One of the better dishes of the evening.
Braised abalone - fakey abalone with chinese lettuce in light soya sauce.
Kung Pao chicken - mediocre
Steamed fish - Fresh but normal otherwise
Salmon sashimi - strange selection in a chinese buffet but quite refreshing for the palette.
Only the prawns and crabs were worthy of mention. Tung Lok really really really needs to buck up. Even the rather nice interior couldn't help lift up this review.
Rating given:
A quiet Saturday evening for an early dinner here~
Heard so much about Oriole, especially the fact that nothing on their menu is over $15. Actually, it is true. Just that they have 'specials' that are written on their glass panes instead, including pastas and other mains. Adds quite a nice feel to the whole place actually.
It actually feels a little like a place for drinks than dinner, with the small seating and warm lightings used. The very prominent bar right smack in the middle of the place helps too (you can adjourn to the bar seats after dinner for cool drinks :D).
The menu is a simple one pager, with the drinks on the other side of it. Reminds me of that of PS Cafe actually. Small selection of mains and more starters in fact.
Mushroom-on-toast ($10.50) - open face thick toast with poached egg. Came in a surprisingly big portion with many many nicely sauteed brown button mushrooms atop a huge square of toasted bread. A wobbly poached egg tops this all off. The combination tasted great! There's something I find very comforting about egg bread :D
Fish & Chips ($15) - lightly battered snapper loin with home-made chips. I had just a small bite of these but it tasted not too bad too. Home-made chips have that 'raw' taste which frozen ones just can't match up to.
My english breakfast came in a small presser which was pleasantly refillable. The other mocha milkshake we ordered tasted more ice-blended than milkshake actually.
The place seemed a little overstaffed with the small patronage, which is always better than being under-staffed I guess. A good alternative to the noisy crowd at Cineleisure. A small bird actually warned me it sucks but hey, maybe I ordered the right things :D
Oh, and go early to get the plushy booth seats.
Rating given:
The-sight-of-it is enough to excite me. The flowing chocolate - like water plunging down from a magnificent waterfall: wonderful, sweet. The cute white marshmallows beckon to me. The puffs - baked for the sole reunion with the delicious chocolate. The big juicy strawberries, oh my. What’s there not to like about a chocolate fondue? I love it!
Now, I famously don’t like buffets. When I see food laying out, exposed, I see food dying. I see the ocean trout that every passing diner can feel free to squeeze at. I see food left out in the open air unprotected from the passing fancies of everybody. BUT, but, the current Citibank credit card 50% promotion for 10 @ Claymore is simply too good a deal to miss, so I decided to go for it after all.
How does $29 for buffet lunch sounds? On top of it with a 1-for-1 promotion, and we are talking about Pan Pacific Hotel, not some dubious twenties-odd range buffet (you-know-where-I-am-referring-to). Given, the variety here cannot compare with other international buffets who have more spread, but what I like about 10 @ Claymore is the focus.
Instead of giving a lot items to choose from, they decided to give just enough. For those who inherited our Singapore-kiasu-genes, my apologies. But this is one buffet where I actually don’t feel guilty trying to gorge myself silly. I ate a bit of everything, and rushed to have my desserts.
The chocolate truffle was terrific - sweet, smooth, refined, yet unbelievably simple. I had mutiple helpings of it, until my stomach decided to do a red-shirt-alike-protest to me.
Total bill was $34 for 2 person after the citibank credit card promotion. The current good deal last until 30 April, 2 person are entitled to a 50% discount. For $17 bucks per person, buffet lunch at a classy environment, enough said! And oh yes, I forgot to mention that the service was top-notch; the staffs were attentive and always happy to help out when you need anything
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:
Foie Gras is in my blood. Having said that, I’m more beef than Foie Gras, really. Wedges here, is my awesome assistant, The new Spring fashion is so passé, sun-dried tomato is the latest in-thing now! Marmalade Pantry’s famous, Sun-dried tomato Foie Gras Burger ($26).
My name is Chocolate, Chocolate Truffe ($7.80). I’m the ladies man, smooth is my texture, sweet is my nature. Try me, and you are sold. No one can resist my temptations, the thick, oh-so-thick chocolate which is so rich and good.
Hello everybody, eh, my name is Chocolate Tart ($4.20). I don’t have anything to say about myself. I’m a simple guy, but they say my chocolate is wondeful, I will rather keep a low profile. Please, don’t tell anybody else. Thank you.
They call me little miss rose ($4.2). I’m very girly and feminine in nature, but most people just judged me by my appearances. I snub those pretentious of my kind who can only face the world with their frosting make-ups. Simple is beautiful, once you get to know me, the ladies worship me and the guys adore me.
The spokesperson for Marmalade, everybody calls for me when they are here. It will be impossible if you have not heard about Sticky Date toffee pudding ($12) by now. My companion, the lovely Vanilla bean ice cream compliments me perfectly.
***
Having heard so much about Marmalade Pantry Foie Gras burger, the few of us were rather disappointed by it because there just wasn’t much foie gras taste. But the wedges that accompanied the burger was very good.
The chocolate truffle cake, and chocolate tart was wonderful, with the chocolate being very sweet yet not overly heavy. By now having tried two of Toast (under the same group as Marmalade) cupcakes and another one today, I must say their cupcakes are the better ones around. Moist and rich, there wasn’t any pretty frosting, just a solid good cupcake.
The sticky date toffee pudding also did not impressed us. Perhaps it was undone by its famous reputation, we were somewhat expecting more from it, but it never came. Nonetheless, nobody could resist having cold icy vanilla bean ice cream with the warm pudding.
Total bill was $64.15 for 6 person. Even though the burger and pudding did not exactly wow me, but I will definitely come back to try the array of desserts available, and of course their cupcakes.
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: