Strolling down the Singapore River, we found ourselves mesmerised by the scenery, the cool evening air, the group of angmohs enjoying some beer before the sun sets, and the occasional harass from a few of the “eateries” which touted free drinks to entice us.
History has it that this beautiful watershed was the place where the myths and legends conjured up memories of the lighters, bumboats, tongkangs with their painted eyes to see the danger ahead and sampans of yesteryear. This is the place where the Chinese, Malay, and Indian once lived. This is the the place where Sir Stamford Raffles once sailed through to land on Singapore.
The charming Boat quay offers a magnificent view of the Singapore River, with the Fullerton hotel as the backdrop, and the towering skyscrapers in the buzzing CDB just behind. Since the area is famous for its vibrant night life, one will certainly not associate the place with food, I had the same impression, that is, until I visited Dallas restaurant.
Entering the second level, it was a complete stunner as we experienced the hundred & eighty change in environment. From the blasting pub, we stepped into a room befitting of a semi-formal dining restaurant. With nice furnitures, carpeting, and the natural lighting from the windows, this room was ideal for a quiet and romantic dinner.
And if you think that is the end, you are in for a surprise. The bar and restaurant concept was fully displayed in the third level of Dallas. With a slightly tone down attitude compared with the second level, this one was all about the causal and relax approach for a hearty dinner. And the smoothing lounge music overhead certainly helps too.
To begin the long dinner which we realised in the aftermaths, lasting almost three hours, we started off with the Dallas platter ($12 for 2 person). The succulent mushroom immediately made an impact as the juices gushed out when we took a bite.
Chicken wings, and the Cheese Quesedillas completes the platter. There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the wings, but the garlic mayonnaise that came along was everything about garlic. On the other hand, the popular cheese quesedillas fared reasonably on my score sheet. Tasting almost like a Mexican taco, there was chicken bits soaked with tomato in chicken broth, but I lamented the fact that it wasn’t cheesy enough.
My dining companion is a big fan of prawns, and the Salad of green mango & prawns ($16) definitely worked its magic. While I felt prices did seem slightly steep for a bowl of greens, but there was a generous portions of the fresh & juicy prawns. And the crisp, tart green mango reminded me of the refreshing Thai-style salad.
Our first main course was the BBQ Barramunudi fillet ($20), one of Dallas’s signature dish. The watercress that accompanied the dish caught my attention, since it wasn’t that common to see this vegetable as a choice of green for salad.
Gigantic, huge, enormous are probably some of the terms you will link the baby back ribs ($22 for 1/2 rack, $28 for full rack) with. I’m a sucker for pork ribs, and the sight of this ginormous baby aroused the carnivore in me. Man, I can still clearly recalled the sweet and juiciness of the ribs now, and if it wasn’t for the fact that we had other food after this, I’ll gladly go for the full ribs instead.
I could only stared at the Tenderloin with shitake mushroom sauce ($28) when it arrived. Being almost full by the previous ribs, the thickness of the steak did shocked me for a bit. While some people would insist on medium well to prevent seeing red, I felt that it would not do any justice to the piece of tender meat.
By the time the Roast chicken and Penne pasta ($16) navigated its way to our table, we were completely stuffed by the multi course dinner. Nonetheless, we did a sampling, and since I’m not a fan of penne, maybe it wouldn’t be a completely fair comment. I found the pasta pretty plain in taste, but the restaurant manager Kenneth, told us that it was a favourite among his angmoh customers, Acquired taste perhaps. And not to forget the roast chicken did wonders for me, it was akin to our roast pork, or more affectionately known as, sio bak.
We were told frankly by the manager that Dallas is still working on their desserts, and there was nothing to rave about. But being the dessert enthusiasts we were, a meal wouldn’t be complete without any sweets, so we decided to go for the Dallas Cheesecake ($8). It could be due to the fact that we had zero expectations, the cheesecake actually didn’t turn out to be as bad as we thought. We couldn’t resist the rich and cheesy dessert. But for the price, I wouldn’t exactly recommend trying the desserts, just get another appetiser!
Dallas Restaurant & Bar stands out as one of the few gems among the food outlets in Boat Quay. I certainly changed my mind about the impression I had of the area, and Dallas proves that there can be a good place for you to dine and drink at the same time. Their set lunches are pulling in all the office crowds, with the 2 course lunch at $18 , and 3 course dinner at $28 .
I would like to thank Rayner from creative partner for inviting me for this food tasting session, and Kenneth the restaurant manager for hosting us for dinner. And oh yes, for you guys who are looking for a venue to have your birthday bash, or a group outing, Dallas has their function room on the third level with a private bar, and a balcony for this. For more information, email to [email protected]
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!
Situated right in the centre of Palais Renaissance, you can find this place easily as it's at the foot of the escalator. My galfriend and I went there on a weekday afternoon just before lunch hours so we had the luxury of choosing any seat we wanted. I had expected it to remain quiet save for a few tai-tais but BOY was I wrong. At noon, the whole place filled up.
We sat for quite a bit, chatting and taking a long time going through the menu. Throughout that time, no iced water was served. I thought that this is one of those that refuse to serve water so I commented about it to my friend. She laughed and replied that you have to ASK for it though it's free. That really puzzled me.
Food ordered:
Linguini with crabmeat tomato chllis and pinenuts $22 I had this dish. Don't be fooled but that little lump. It really is quite a filling portion. The pinenuts added a nice crunchy texture to the pasta and the pasta was suitably done. The downside of this dish was the sauce. It tasted fine on the first few bites but halfway I really couldn't stand the fishy taste of the crabmeat anymore. It was also unbearably salty after a while and I didn't finish my pasta.
Scrambled Eggs with Sausage on Toast and Field Mushrooms $18 The description forgot to add that it had fries too. My friend ordered it, thinking it sounded like a great brunch only to be surprised by the large serving of fries that came with it. The combination was a little odd but each item tasted fine on their own. I didn't relish putting them altogether in one mouthful though.
Deluxe Chocolate Pecan Brownie Again, the description failed to include that there was ice cream served with this brownie (although I do know that most places have ice cream but it's not quite polite to assume.) If I had known this, I would have requested for the ice cream to placed on a separate dish. Not to mention if you take a good look at my picture, the ice cream was already melting when it arrived. Since my friend and I had no intention of having the ice cream in the first place we didn't ask for a change. I found the brownie a little too dry for my taste and the chocolate taste wasn't strong enough. It was more like a cake with a hard crust. We chatted for 3 hours and managed to finish this in the end. No easy feat though.
The staff were quite efficient in taking orders and serving but they lack a certain warmth. I guess that's their style.
Would I go back again? Only if a good friend suggested it.
It’s all about you. It’s all about you baby. Yesterday you asked me something I thought you knew. So I told you with a smile, ‘It’s all about you‘. Say ‘if you made my life worthwhile it’s all about you’. It’s all about the company, it’s all about the cakes, it’s all about the laughter, it’s all about the fun, it’s all about the sugar-rush, from the desserts.
It’s all about pistachio and strawberry. The fraisier ($6.90 ) was the first one we started with. The very subtle & mild pistachio butter cream, worked for me, but it might just disappoint the pistachio purists. A simple dessert, with the almond sponge cake enveloping the butter cream. I’ll pick this again, yes I will.
On my first time trying the Strawberry shortcake ($6.50 ), I was disappointed by Canele’s rendition. Well still basically a shortcake sponge with cream and strawberry, Bakerzin’s version appealed more to me. But, for people with stronger taste buds, go for other highly-flavoured cakes instead of this.
It’s all about New York. No, you do not need to go all the way to NY just for a slice of the famous New York cheesecake ($6.50 ). Possibility one of the most popular cheesecake, this one here came with a coat of tangy strawberry glaze, topped with a sole berry. Light and airy, a few of us preferred this to the stronger lemon cheesecake.
Lemon, cheese, and cake. I’m talking about the Bloom cheesecake ($6.50 ) of course. Cheesy flavour with a strong hint of lemon. In the battle between the supporters of the heavy-cheesy, and the light subtle dessert, I’m leaning towards the light airy camp in this case. It’s not that I do not like the cheesy type, but the bloom somehow was overwhelming, although I like the lemon zest.
It’s all about the love of coffee, and chocolate. The Sumatra ($6.50 ) coffee mousse with the combination of dark and white chocolate. I ain’t a coffee lover, so it didn’t quite worked out for me.
It’s all about childhood, birthday, and nostalgia. I remember the time when I was a kid, eating my black forest cake to celebrate the-day-I-was-borne. The Foret Noir ($6.90 ) was the biggest in slice, with chocolate flakes showered all over the chocolate almond sponge cake soaked in kirsch. You know, the only reason why I detested eating black forest cake was the presence of brandied cherries within. Why can’t we do a black forest without them inside!
It’s all about chocolate. It’s all about chocolate baby. The sweet, o so sweet chocolate mousse with the flourless chocolate sponge. The “oomph” and “ahh” all came out. Heavenly chocolate. I can’t imagine somebody who will dislike this, and chocolate. The Chocolate Amer ($6.20 ) was by far, one of the best cakes among the 10 that we tried.
With crunchy walnuts, chocolate ganache, and caramelised bananas. Ambrosia ($6.50 ). I’m always against the marriage of banana and cakes. And now, there’s even a third party, walnut involved. Not my cup, or rather slice of cake.
I called this the cousin of Foret Noir. Having similar ingredients like chocolate mousse, and brandied cherries, the Coeur Noir ($6.50 ) has dark chocolate glaze instead of the chocolate flakes, and a hazelnut dacquoise base.
Bakerzin’s signature, warm chocolate cake ($4.90, usual price $9.80). The chocolate ooze out like lava erupting from volcano. Like I mentioned before, when you eat the warm chocolate with the cold ice cream. The chemical process between the two combined together, was magic. At the current promotional price, i’ll agree its a good deal to try this out.
I must say the arrays of cakes Bakerzin offered, make them one of the leaders for gourmet cakes. But I still think that in terms of appeals, Bakerzin loses out, with Canele having stronger marketing and branding. I’ll like to thank the warm hospitality of area manager, Miss Janet Chua, who was around at the Novena branch.
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!
They are call ice cream. They are call gelato. They are call sorbet.
They come in scoops. They come in pints. They come in sticks.
They have all sorts of flavours. They are our happy-booster.
I like nuts, just hazelnuts anyway.
I see myself trying Pistachio,
well it’s just another type of nut anyway.
Whole natural nuts. Intense, pure, nutty.
There’s two types; pears and Chinese white pears.
This one, was pear, sorbet.
No milk, no cream, a fruit puree.
Akin to eating, the real pear.
O, what creative use of the wall. What better ways to improve,
than to get customers to vote, for the new flavours.
Yakult, White chocolate with Macademia liqeuer, choya, & Ribena
are the flavours under R&D right now.
A Note: Pure Pistachio & Pear sorbet
Classic single scoop $3.20, double scoop $4.90
Premium (liqueur) single scoop $3.90, double scoop $5.90
Freezing the bowl for the ice cream to last longer, well done!
U.d.d.e.r.s ice cream 155 Thomson road Goldhill Shopping Centre
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!
On the stretch of road right in the middle of town, at Singapore’s very own Fifth Avenue. Our shopping paradise. Before the new contender Ion takes over, the crown belongs to Paragon. Standing at the cross junction, we found ourselves lost, clearly it seems the journey to finding the spice wasn’t as easy as we thought. Heading up towards Mount E, we scaled on, in search of our final destination, Blue Basil.
Addiction for salmon. We ordered the Norwegian Salmon ($19.90) almost spilt seconds after seeing it on the menu. With the choice of sauce being their signature blue basil pesto, bonquet of vegetables and roasted baby potatoes as companions. The Norwegian salmon was fresh, the sweetness of the fish twittered on our tongue. The blue basil pesto did not completely brought out the freshness of the salmon, something was amiss, I couldn’t make out what.
Addiction for pasta. My cravings for the Italian staple saw us ordering the Linguini Ragout Pollo ($15.90). While there wasn’t any exotic ingredients, a good home-made chicken Bolognese was always a welcome. The taste of fresh tomatoes, not those cans type was a relief. The pasta section at Blue basil isn’t very comprehensive, but this one, have done enough.
Addiction for ice cream & baileys. A close fight between the raspberry cream bruleé and the Baileys gelato served on crushed ice & baileys liqueur ($9.90), with the latter winning of course. The baileys and ice-cream expert gave her verdict that this was good stuff, so it was. The baileys gelato, were pure, and the baileys used were generous, unlike some places which served diluted versions. And eating crushed ice with gelato brought the novelty to another level. Your happy booster.
Total bill was $48.90 for the food with a 7% GST, and no service charge. Blue basil met my expectations, with its use of the spice in almost all their dishes. Prices are affordable for the range of variety it provided, and being right in the middle of town, they offered you with a very good option, albeit you must take a 10minutes walk from Paragon. Actually i like their location because although it’s in town, but not many people know about the place, and it eludes the your-own-place-feel. Well, it’s certainly not a bad place for an romantic dinner, but for taking photo-wise, it isn’t very friendly. I’ll probably make a perennial visit for lunch instead. 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!
My heart skipped a beat when i saw it from afar. Deep down, I thought “no way man!”, it couldn’t be. As i approached it nearer and nearer, the sight of the two pure white kitchenaid further excited me. And the name was just the perfect icing on the cake, The icing room! The pinkish-white colour domination which so reminded me of Twelve one, with the adorable ornament, everything was perfect, until i spotted the name Breadtalk on one of the cake box.
Boy, the coup de grâce was performed when i then noticed the Chinese name, Dan gao si yu, which was so Breadtalk (mian bao wu yu), and a branch of Breadtalk and toastbox just beside it. Now don’t get me wrong, I have totally nothing against Breadtalk. It’s just that i wasn’t expecting Breadtalk to behind the icing room concept.
When i thought the stagnant Breadtalk is down and out, they managed to turn the table around and pulled a rabbit from the hat. Voilà! You’ve to give credit to Mr. George Quek and his team for coming out with this, although the icing room has yet to prove itself, they managed to capture me on the first impression, and that’s all it mattered.
The idea which i always had in mind, a place to do-it-yourself cakes. This, is one very good idea. The crowd surrounding the store gave a very good indicator, for just $11.90, they provided you with a small cream cake, and you get the pleasure to decorate your very own cake on the spot. Its that simple, no need to buy ingredients, no need to get your hands dirty, and no need to wash up.
Like what the chef there mentioned, “It’s like fulfilling a child’s dream”. I’ll like to add something to that, i bet adults would also love to play with the cake, a very nice gift for your loved ones.
Now to put everything to test, i picked the Apricotte ($3.80). A layer of caramel on top, with apricot mousse in between the cake. I couldn’t get the taste on my first try, so i took another bite. And this was followed by eating the different layers separately. Everything, just tasted so, ordinary! I must admit i’m fairly disappointed with the cake, not that i was expecting much though. And the berry was sour.
If you thought that everything was a surprise so far, wait until you see this. Lo & behold, Macarons! And this is Breadtalk which we are talking about. Bread alright, but macarons?
I couldn’t resist buying a few to try out, not when they are only $1.50 each. There’s five different flavours available, matcha, strawberry, chocolate, passion fruit, and yam. However, i wasn’t adventurous enough to try out the yam option. Play safe, think baby steps.
And when it was time to try them out, my first bite went to the strawberry macaron ($1.50). The opening nibble was still alright. But as time goes on as it surely will, the whole taste becomes overly sweet. Well I’m not exactly a macaron expert, the brittle shell wasn’t chewy enough, and the slightly sour strawberry fillings wasn’t to my liking.
Well if I’m not wrong, macaron does not involve the use of milk in the process. But for some strange reasons, there’s a strong milk taste which covered the matcha, or maybe it’s just my taste bud). Needless to say, the matcha flavour was weak, and this one was out as well. Their macarons are all small (not as tiny as Carousel though), and everything was just too sweet.
So when everything fails, you go to your comfort zone, the safe option yes? The chocolate macaron was what i’ve in mind just in case everything else don’t work out. And the results were played out in a totally unfashionable manner, somebody forgot to tell the jam within the macaron to follow the script. It gave a sour-sweet contrast with the chocolate macaron, but it wasn’t what i was looking for.
Now, the conclusion. Interesting concept, with a fascinating set-up, and i was surprised they didn’t incorporate a dine-in area, which would provide some competition in this Canele-dominated area. Well, Breadtalk clearly has the financial muscles to provide some fight, but first, they need to improve, make changes to their bakes. Otherwise, everything is just talk. And my dear, talk is cheap.
Oh yes, in my excitement, i forgot to mention the icing room is located at the new building of Jurong Point (JP2). Lots of new stores, plenty of boring old faces, but there are some concepts which caught my attention. So do check it out for yourself!
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 love roasted duck. I really do. When it comes to their other half, braised duck, its a different story all together. Roasted ducks are really good, and i always craved for them, but when it comes to braise duck, i didn’t have them for very long already! It’s case when it comes to choosing between roasted and braised duck, i’ll definitely go for the former.
Since there aren’t any roasted duck stalls at the Whampoa market that caught my attention, for once i decided to have the braised duck instead. And i’m fairly surprised. The yam rice was very fragrant, and i thought that the portion was quite generous, althought i’ll never say no to more duck meat.
You know whenever we brought half a duck home, my mom will always use the leftover meats and the bones to cook with porridge, and its fantastic! I didn’t really try duck porridge outside before, so the next time, i’m probably going for duck porridge instead of rice. There’s always a first time for everything.
Its impossible to roast your own duck at home, but with some good recipe, braising duck is certainly do-able. I tried many home-made braised duck before, and i must say most of them are better than the ones i’ve outside. While it could also be due to the possibility that there’s no limit to how much duck meat i can eat. Well i’m always on the lookout for roasted duck that i really have no idea about which places serve excellent braised ducks, let me know won’t you?
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!
If you remember, I wrote on the Joo Chiat wanton mee saga in Whampoa market before, with the two stalls claiming that they are the original from Joo Chiat. This time round, I saw this Long Ji stall which is on the outside row of the market. Since i’ve both the Joo Chiat stalls (middle row of market), I decided to give this a try.
The wanton mee was disappointing. The pictures looked nice yes, this was my first time testing out my new macro lens back then, so I had this way back in November! The two key factors in a good wanton, the springy noodle, and the good char siew were sorely missing. To be frank, the wanton mee was so mediocre that I couldn’t really remember how it tasted like.
There’s another wanton mee stall in the market if i’m not mistaken, will try that the next time! I think you’ll be better off trying either one of the Joo Chiat stalls than Long Ji’s. Well, i may be wrong, since it’s my personal preference, if you’ve try this one before let me hear from you!
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!
Rojak is a very special type of food, and certainly warrants a place as one of Singapore local food, alongside chicken rice, white pepper crab, laksa and the rest. Just like how our local culture, where the different religion and races mixed in harmony with each other, the perfect mixture between the different ingredients in a rojak brings about the perfect balance. Uniquely Singapore.
Hoover Rojak’s my personal favourite place for rojak in Singapore. Well if i may say so, i’ll consider it as one of the best i tried so far, not that i tried a lot, but i’ve the other famous Brothers rojak at Clementi and wasn’t too impressed with it. Hoover’s rendition always uses fresh and juicy fruits, with the crispy you tiao. But that’s not the reason why Hoover rojak is so good. The key lies in their sauce, there’s a slightly sourish tang which other rojaks don’t have, and that’s the beauty of a simple lime.
’ll eat Hoover rojak whenever i visited Whampoo market, countless times to the extent that i always forgot that they do not open on Tuesday, and i made three fruitless visits so far. Well to visit Whampoo market without trying Hoover, please don’t tell anybody that you been 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!
Esplanade we were at, yet it certainly didn’t feel anything like Esplanade. The al fresco area was within the ground floor, yet while sitting there and people-grazing, the mood was out away from this world.
Service was almost impeccable. Since most of the tapas were off-the-menu, we wanted to know what we were eating and started asking the staff a lot of questions. Initially when they served us the first few appetisers, they were not sure of the names, and the ingredients in it. But they got used to us asking questions, and when they served the rest of the tapas, they made sure they checked the names and ingredients. Well we did make them stress that day, akin like taking a spelling test. Nonetheless, the staffs were always cheerful and friendly.
In the time of recession where people cut down on their expedition, it takes a brave soul to come out with interesting dining concept. The idea that the chef serves whatever he wants, is actually not new. But there just isn’t much places doing it, most people after all, aren’t adventurous enough and want to have a say in what they are eating. 7atenine. Catchy name, check. Unique concept, check. Ambience, check.
There’s something about Salmon which makes them irresistible to ladies. For some unknown reasons which continue to elude me, most ladies seem to love them. The salmon tartare. For the ladies! Fresh crunchy salmon in lemon cream sauce, with walnuts & some leafy greens providing the crunch. What impressed me was the effort entailed in preparing the cucumber. Instead of short slices, the cucumber was peel off vertically, in a long string. This, surely warrant our praise.
What I liked about the Taco cerbice was the simplicity of the dish. The crunchy sour dough plus the smooth octopus meat. Topped with greens, it further beautify and added balance to the appetiser.
Like couples who are always together, ham always comes with cheese. The dish is a basically an appetiser of ham & cheese. Cubes of green apple, cheese, and ham. While there’s nothing intriguing about the combination, it’s a simple dish to kick-start the meal.
I always remember the significant and special food that I’ve before. Like the best mushroom soup, the best dim sum, all those are deeply engraved in my memory. And the Beef roll on hot stone, would definitely be the latest addition to my memorable list. Putting the thinly-sliced beef rolls on the heated up stone, a brilliant idea! The usage of salt to bring out the natural taste of the beef, with the hot stone keeping the beef warm at optimum temperature. Divine.
Tangy, was the best way to describe the lobster gaspach. Shredded lobster fried was good on its own. But having left it too long in the slightly sourish sauce, it was soggy when we tried it. And did I mention I loved the way 7atenine decorated the bowls with a brush of the sauce. A stroke of genius.
With the pairing of cheese and anchovies, the Mozzarella cheese with anchovies certainly let our imagination ran wild. Just exactly what does the humble small salt-water fish and cheese have in common. Well nothing, but that’s what makes the pairing unique. The presence of bell pepper and tomato brighten up the aesthetic aspect. Much as I’m for creative cooking, this dish didn’t exactly impress.
The best. Mushroom Risotto. 7atenine rendition was done close to the porridge form, quite unlike the harder glutinous-rice like version I had before. Boiling several types of mushrooms to get the stock, the end result was a strong mushroom infused flavour in the risotto. The presence of strong cheese taste was a plus. I do not think words alone can describe the goodness of the risotto. Comfort food.
Again, we see the use of raw salt to bring out the natural flavour of food. Poached lightly, the Salmon with potato wrapped bacon was another worth mentioning dish. Even when eaten on its own, the salmon was fresh, but when you dip it with the sauce, it brought it to a brand new level. The bacon bits, by the side, was salty and flavourful. My date enjoyed her roast mini potatoes, although I didn’t quite fancy that.
When ocean meets farm, the Seabass in celery cream. Sprinkled with bits of salt, the seabass reminded me of my mom’s home-cook fish. The fish was better eaten alone, rather than together with the brown sauce. The mesh celery represented the farm.
At first look, we were guessing the ingredient used to “dye” the calamari black. Guess guess, squid ink! An interesting twist to the otherwise boring calamari. The tomato salsa was refreshing, but other than that, there wasn’t much wow factor. The crusted calamari.
A cheesy pasta. The spaghetti with ham symbolised every aspect of the cheese pasta. A simple dish done right. We were wondering what ham was used though.
If 7atenine is all about interesting new dining concept, then the sizzling wings would definitely be the best representative. Using the pegs (for hanging clothes) to hold the chicken wings so that diners were not dirty their hands. Bravo! While the effectiveness of the peg remained to be questioned, we should applause the innovation. On the other hand, the chicken wings were nothing to shout about. I was pretty astonished when they served the wings, since nothing in my dictionary told me that wings were classified under tapas.
The beef flank was the last main course that we had before serving desserts. The meat was tough and inelastic actually. I didn’t touch much of it. Well, a disappointing anti-climax for the main course.
Caffe latte trifle was the first of the three desserts we started with. Everything coffee. From the ice cream, meringue, to the thin layer of sponge, all of them are coffee flavoured. There’s rice krispies on top too.
With a base of berries, there’s the strawberry ice cream and vanilla bean on top. The execution of the simple strawberry gazpacho was enough, for us to end the meal on a sweet note.
We were surprised by the inclusion of vanilla bean ice cream since the sight of the normal walls ice cream was so common everywhere else. I liked the fact that they spreaded some Oreo crust by the side. I can taste vanilla bean, and with some help from the crust, it turned into Oreo ice cream. And oh yes, warm chocolate brownies must always be eaten together with chilled, cold ice cream.
Total bill was $86.58 for 2, lunch unlimited buffet. In my humble opinion, my date and I agreed that 7atenine is the best new restaurant in 2009, that is until i try a better one. Although not all the tapas impressed me, but the food taste is more on the extreme ends, it’s a case of whether you love it or hate it. Personally, I felt food lovers will generally accept this concept better than the rest, especially so if you are the type that are adventurous and love to try new creations.
It is definitely fun to be keep in the suspense, and wondering what is coming next. Of course, with expectations there will be disappointment. I’m sorry if you do not agree with me. But I love this type of dining concept, the playful presentation of food, the friendly services, bold creations, the ambience and the amazing value. Of course, the company of my date plays a vital part as well. This year, the best meal I had so far, 7atenine!
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
Strolling down the Singapore River, we found ourselves mesmerised by the scenery, the cool evening air, the group of angmohs enjoying some beer before the sun sets, and the occasional harass from a few of the “eateries” which touted free drinks to entice us.
History has it that this beautiful watershed was the place where the myths and legends conjured up memories of the lighters, bumboats, tongkangs with their painted eyes to see the danger ahead and sampans of yesteryear. This is the place where the Chinese, Malay, and Indian once lived. This is the the place where Sir Stamford Raffles once sailed through to land on Singapore.
The charming Boat quay offers a magnificent view of the Singapore River, with the Fullerton hotel as the backdrop, and the towering skyscrapers in the buzzing CDB just behind. Since the area is famous for its vibrant night life, one will certainly not associate the place with food, I had the same impression, that is, until I visited Dallas restaurant.
Entering the second level, it was a complete stunner as we experienced the hundred & eighty change in environment. From the blasting pub, we stepped into a room befitting of a semi-formal dining restaurant. With nice furnitures, carpeting, and the natural lighting from the windows, this room was ideal for a quiet and romantic dinner.
And if you think that is the end, you are in for a surprise. The bar and restaurant concept was fully displayed in the third level of Dallas. With a slightly tone down attitude compared with the second level, this one was all about the causal and relax approach for a hearty dinner. And the smoothing lounge music overhead certainly helps too.
To begin the long dinner which we realised in the aftermaths, lasting almost three hours, we started off with the Dallas platter ($12 for 2 person). The succulent mushroom immediately made an impact as the juices gushed out when we took a bite.
Chicken wings, and the Cheese Quesedillas completes the platter. There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the wings, but the garlic mayonnaise that came along was everything about garlic. On the other hand, the popular cheese quesedillas fared reasonably on my score sheet. Tasting almost like a Mexican taco, there was chicken bits soaked with tomato in chicken broth, but I lamented the fact that it wasn’t cheesy enough.
My dining companion is a big fan of prawns, and the Salad of green mango & prawns ($16) definitely worked its magic. While I felt prices did seem slightly steep for a bowl of greens, but there was a generous portions of the fresh & juicy prawns. And the crisp, tart green mango reminded me of the refreshing Thai-style salad.
Our first main course was the BBQ Barramunudi fillet ($20), one of Dallas’s signature dish. The watercress that accompanied the dish caught my attention, since it wasn’t that common to see this vegetable as a choice of green for salad.
Gigantic, huge, enormous are probably some of the terms you will link the baby back ribs ($22 for 1/2 rack, $28 for full rack) with. I’m a sucker for pork ribs, and the sight of this ginormous baby aroused the carnivore in me. Man, I can still clearly recalled the sweet and juiciness of the ribs now, and if it wasn’t for the fact that we had other food after this, I’ll gladly go for the full ribs instead.
I could only stared at the Tenderloin with shitake mushroom sauce ($28) when it arrived. Being almost full by the previous ribs, the thickness of the steak did shocked me for a bit. While some people would insist on medium well to prevent seeing red, I felt that it would not do any justice to the piece of tender meat.
By the time the Roast chicken and Penne pasta ($16) navigated its way to our table, we were completely stuffed by the multi course dinner. Nonetheless, we did a sampling, and since I’m not a fan of penne, maybe it wouldn’t be a completely fair comment. I found the pasta pretty plain in taste, but the restaurant manager Kenneth, told us that it was a favourite among his angmoh customers, Acquired taste perhaps. And not to forget the roast chicken did wonders for me, it was akin to our roast pork, or more affectionately known as, sio bak.
We were told frankly by the manager that Dallas is still working on their desserts, and there was nothing to rave about. But being the dessert enthusiasts we were, a meal wouldn’t be complete without any sweets, so we decided to go for the Dallas Cheesecake ($8). It could be due to the fact that we had zero expectations, the cheesecake actually didn’t turn out to be as bad as we thought. We couldn’t resist the rich and cheesy dessert. But for the price, I wouldn’t exactly recommend trying the desserts, just get another appetiser!
Dallas Restaurant & Bar stands out as one of the few gems among the food outlets in Boat Quay. I certainly changed my mind about the impression I had of the area, and Dallas proves that there can be a good place for you to dine and drink at the same time. Their set lunches are pulling in all the office crowds, with the 2 course lunch at $18 , and 3 course dinner at $28 .
I would like to thank Rayner from creative partner for inviting me for this food tasting session, and Kenneth the restaurant manager for hosting us for dinner. And oh yes, for you guys who are looking for a venue to have your birthday bash, or a group outing, Dallas has their function room on the third level with a private bar, and a balcony for this. For more information, email to [email protected]
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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Situated right in the centre of Palais Renaissance, you can find this place easily as it's at the foot of the escalator. My galfriend and I went there on a weekday afternoon just before lunch hours so we had the luxury of choosing any seat we wanted. I had expected it to remain quiet save for a few tai-tais but BOY was I wrong. At noon, the whole place filled up.
We sat for quite a bit, chatting and taking a long time going through the menu. Throughout that time, no iced water was served. I thought that this is one of those that refuse to serve water so I commented about it to my friend. She laughed and replied that you have to ASK for it though it's free. That really puzzled me.
Food ordered:
Linguini with crabmeat tomato chllis and pinenuts $22
I had this dish. Don't be fooled but that little lump. It really is quite a filling portion. The pinenuts added a nice crunchy texture to the pasta and the pasta was suitably done. The downside of this dish was the sauce. It tasted fine on the first few bites but halfway I really couldn't stand the fishy taste of the crabmeat anymore. It was also unbearably salty after a while and I didn't finish my pasta.
Scrambled Eggs with Sausage on Toast and Field Mushrooms $18
The description forgot to add that it had fries too. My friend ordered it, thinking it sounded like a great brunch only to be surprised by the large serving of fries that came with it. The combination was a little odd but each item tasted fine on their own. I didn't relish putting them altogether in one mouthful though.
Deluxe Chocolate Pecan Brownie
Again, the description failed to include that there was ice cream served with this brownie (although I do know that most places have ice cream but it's not quite polite to assume.) If I had known this, I would have requested for the ice cream to placed on a separate dish. Not to mention if you take a good look at my picture, the ice cream was already melting when it arrived. Since my friend and I had no intention of having the ice cream in the first place we didn't ask for a change. I found the brownie a little too dry for my taste and the chocolate taste wasn't strong enough. It was more like a cake with a hard crust. We chatted for 3 hours and managed to finish this in the end. No easy feat though.
The staff were quite efficient in taking orders and serving but they lack a certain warmth. I guess that's their style.
Would I go back again? Only if a good friend suggested it.
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It’s all about you. It’s all about you baby. Yesterday you asked me something I thought you knew. So I told you with a smile, ‘It’s all about you‘. Say ‘if you made my life worthwhile it’s all about you’. It’s all about the company, it’s all about the cakes, it’s all about the laughter, it’s all about the fun, it’s all about the sugar-rush, from the desserts.
It’s all about pistachio and strawberry. The fraisier ($6.90 ) was the first one we started with. The very subtle & mild pistachio butter cream, worked for me, but it might just disappoint the pistachio purists. A simple dessert, with the almond sponge cake enveloping the butter cream. I’ll pick this again, yes I will.
On my first time trying the Strawberry shortcake ($6.50 ), I was disappointed by Canele’s rendition. Well still basically a shortcake sponge with cream and strawberry, Bakerzin’s version appealed more to me. But, for people with stronger taste buds, go for other highly-flavoured cakes instead of this.
It’s all about New York. No, you do not need to go all the way to NY just for a slice of the famous New York cheesecake ($6.50 ). Possibility one of the most popular cheesecake, this one here came with a coat of tangy strawberry glaze, topped with a sole berry. Light and airy, a few of us preferred this to the stronger lemon cheesecake.
Lemon, cheese, and cake. I’m talking about the Bloom cheesecake ($6.50 ) of course. Cheesy flavour with a strong hint of lemon. In the battle between the supporters of the heavy-cheesy, and the light subtle dessert, I’m leaning towards the light airy camp in this case. It’s not that I do not like the cheesy type, but the bloom somehow was overwhelming, although I like the lemon zest.
It’s all about the love of coffee, and chocolate. The Sumatra ($6.50 ) coffee mousse with the combination of dark and white chocolate. I ain’t a coffee lover, so it didn’t quite worked out for me.
It’s all about childhood, birthday, and nostalgia. I remember the time when I was a kid, eating my black forest cake to celebrate the-day-I-was-borne. The Foret Noir ($6.90 ) was the biggest in slice, with chocolate flakes showered all over the chocolate almond sponge cake soaked in kirsch. You know, the only reason why I detested eating black forest cake was the presence of brandied cherries within. Why can’t we do a black forest without them inside!
It’s all about chocolate. It’s all about chocolate baby. The sweet, o so sweet chocolate mousse with the flourless chocolate sponge. The “oomph” and “ahh” all came out. Heavenly chocolate. I can’t imagine somebody who will dislike this, and chocolate. The Chocolate Amer ($6.20 ) was by far, one of the best cakes among the 10 that we tried.
With crunchy walnuts, chocolate ganache, and caramelised bananas. Ambrosia ($6.50 ). I’m always against the marriage of banana and cakes. And now, there’s even a third party, walnut involved. Not my cup, or rather slice of cake.
I called this the cousin of Foret Noir. Having similar ingredients like chocolate mousse, and brandied cherries, the Coeur Noir ($6.50 ) has dark chocolate glaze instead of the chocolate flakes, and a hazelnut dacquoise base.
Bakerzin’s signature, warm chocolate cake ($4.90, usual price $9.80). The chocolate ooze out like lava erupting from volcano. Like I mentioned before, when you eat the warm chocolate with the cold ice cream. The chemical process between the two combined together, was magic. At the current promotional price, i’ll agree its a good deal to try this out.
I must say the arrays of cakes Bakerzin offered, make them one of the leaders for gourmet cakes. But I still think that in terms of appeals, Bakerzin loses out, with Canele having stronger marketing and branding. I’ll like to thank the warm hospitality of area manager, Miss Janet Chua, who was around at the Novena branch.
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:
They make you smile. They make you blissful.
They are call ice cream. They are call gelato. They are call sorbet.
They come in scoops. They come in pints. They come in sticks.
They have all sorts of flavours. They are our happy-booster.
I like nuts, just hazelnuts anyway.
I see myself trying Pistachio,
well it’s just another type of nut anyway.
Whole natural nuts. Intense, pure, nutty.
There’s two types; pears and Chinese white pears.
This one, was pear, sorbet.
No milk, no cream, a fruit puree.
Akin to eating, the real pear.
O, what creative use of the wall. What better ways to improve,
than to get customers to vote, for the new flavours.
Yakult, White chocolate with Macademia liqeuer, choya, & Ribena
are the flavours under R&D right now.
A Note: Pure Pistachio & Pear sorbet
Classic single scoop $3.20, double scoop $4.90
Premium (liqueur) single scoop $3.90, double scoop $5.90
Freezing the bowl for the ice cream to last longer, well done!
U.d.d.e.r.s ice cream
155 Thomson road
Goldhill Shopping Centre
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:
On the stretch of road right in the middle of town, at Singapore’s very own Fifth Avenue. Our shopping paradise. Before the new contender Ion takes over, the crown belongs to Paragon. Standing at the cross junction, we found ourselves lost, clearly it seems the journey to finding the spice wasn’t as easy as we thought. Heading up towards Mount E, we scaled on, in search of our final destination, Blue Basil.
Addiction for salmon. We ordered the Norwegian Salmon ($19.90) almost spilt seconds after seeing it on the menu. With the choice of sauce being their signature blue basil pesto, bonquet of vegetables and roasted baby potatoes as companions. The Norwegian salmon was fresh, the sweetness of the fish twittered on our tongue. The blue basil pesto did not completely brought out the freshness of the salmon, something was amiss, I couldn’t make out what.
Addiction for pasta. My cravings for the Italian staple saw us ordering the Linguini Ragout Pollo ($15.90). While there wasn’t any exotic ingredients, a good home-made chicken Bolognese was always a welcome. The taste of fresh tomatoes, not those cans type was a relief. The pasta section at Blue basil isn’t very comprehensive, but this one, have done enough.
Addiction for ice cream & baileys. A close fight between the raspberry cream bruleé and the Baileys gelato served on crushed ice & baileys liqueur ($9.90), with the latter winning of course. The baileys and ice-cream expert gave her verdict that this was good stuff, so it was. The baileys gelato, were pure, and the baileys used were generous, unlike some places which served diluted versions. And eating crushed ice with gelato brought the novelty to another level. Your happy booster.
Total bill was $48.90 for the food with a 7% GST, and no service charge. Blue basil met my expectations, with its use of the spice in almost all their dishes. Prices are affordable for the range of variety it provided, and being right in the middle of town, they offered you with a very good option, albeit you must take a 10minutes walk from Paragon. Actually i like their location because although it’s in town, but not many people know about the place, and it eludes the your-own-place-feel. Well, it’s certainly not a bad place for an romantic dinner, but for taking photo-wise, it isn’t very friendly. I’ll probably make a perennial visit for lunch instead. 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:
My heart skipped a beat when i saw it from afar. Deep down, I thought “no way man!”, it couldn’t be. As i approached it nearer and nearer, the sight of the two pure white kitchenaid further excited me. And the name was just the perfect icing on the cake, The icing room! The pinkish-white colour domination which so reminded me of Twelve one, with the adorable ornament, everything was perfect, until i spotted the name Breadtalk on one of the cake box.
Boy, the coup de grâce was performed when i then noticed the Chinese name, Dan gao si yu, which was so Breadtalk (mian bao wu yu), and a branch of Breadtalk and toastbox just beside it. Now don’t get me wrong, I have totally nothing against Breadtalk. It’s just that i wasn’t expecting Breadtalk to behind the icing room concept.
When i thought the stagnant Breadtalk is down and out, they managed to turn the table around and pulled a rabbit from the hat. Voilà! You’ve to give credit to Mr. George Quek and his team for coming out with this, although the icing room has yet to prove itself, they managed to capture me on the first impression, and that’s all it mattered.
The idea which i always had in mind, a place to do-it-yourself cakes. This, is one very good idea. The crowd surrounding the store gave a very good indicator, for just $11.90, they provided you with a small cream cake, and you get the pleasure to decorate your very own cake on the spot. Its that simple, no need to buy ingredients, no need to get your hands dirty, and no need to wash up.
Like what the chef there mentioned, “It’s like fulfilling a child’s dream”. I’ll like to add something to that, i bet adults would also love to play with the cake, a very nice gift for your loved ones.
Now to put everything to test, i picked the Apricotte ($3.80). A layer of caramel on top, with apricot mousse in between the cake. I couldn’t get the taste on my first try, so i took another bite. And this was followed by eating the different layers separately. Everything, just tasted so, ordinary! I must admit i’m fairly disappointed with the cake, not that i was expecting much though. And the berry was sour.
If you thought that everything was a surprise so far, wait until you see this. Lo & behold, Macarons! And this is Breadtalk which we are talking about. Bread alright, but macarons?
I couldn’t resist buying a few to try out, not when they are only $1.50 each. There’s five different flavours available, matcha, strawberry, chocolate, passion fruit, and yam. However, i wasn’t adventurous enough to try out the yam option. Play safe, think baby steps.
And when it was time to try them out, my first bite went to the strawberry macaron ($1.50). The opening nibble was still alright. But as time goes on as it surely will, the whole taste becomes overly sweet. Well I’m not exactly a macaron expert, the brittle shell wasn’t chewy enough, and the slightly sour strawberry fillings wasn’t to my liking.
Well if I’m not wrong, macaron does not involve the use of milk in the process. But for some strange reasons, there’s a strong milk taste which covered the matcha, or maybe it’s just my taste bud). Needless to say, the matcha flavour was weak, and this one was out as well. Their macarons are all small (not as tiny as Carousel though), and everything was just too sweet.
So when everything fails, you go to your comfort zone, the safe option yes? The chocolate macaron was what i’ve in mind just in case everything else don’t work out. And the results were played out in a totally unfashionable manner, somebody forgot to tell the jam within the macaron to follow the script. It gave a sour-sweet contrast with the chocolate macaron, but it wasn’t what i was looking for.
Now, the conclusion. Interesting concept, with a fascinating set-up, and i was surprised they didn’t incorporate a dine-in area, which would provide some competition in this Canele-dominated area. Well, Breadtalk clearly has the financial muscles to provide some fight, but first, they need to improve, make changes to their bakes. Otherwise, everything is just talk. And my dear, talk is cheap.
Oh yes, in my excitement, i forgot to mention the icing room is located at the new building of Jurong Point (JP2). Lots of new stores, plenty of boring old faces, but there are some concepts which caught my attention. So do check it out for yourself!
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 love roasted duck. I really do. When it comes to their other half, braised duck, its a different story all together. Roasted ducks are really good, and i always craved for them, but when it comes to braise duck, i didn’t have them for very long already! It’s case when it comes to choosing between roasted and braised duck, i’ll definitely go for the former.
Since there aren’t any roasted duck stalls at the Whampoa market that caught my attention, for once i decided to have the braised duck instead. And i’m fairly surprised. The yam rice was very fragrant, and i thought that the portion was quite generous, althought i’ll never say no to more duck meat.
You know whenever we brought half a duck home, my mom will always use the leftover meats and the bones to cook with porridge, and its fantastic! I didn’t really try duck porridge outside before, so the next time, i’m probably going for duck porridge instead of rice. There’s always a first time for everything.
Its impossible to roast your own duck at home, but with some good recipe, braising duck is certainly do-able. I tried many home-made braised duck before, and i must say most of them are better than the ones i’ve outside. While it could also be due to the possibility that there’s no limit to how much duck meat i can eat. Well i’m always on the lookout for roasted duck that i really have no idea about which places serve excellent braised ducks, let me know won’t you?
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:
If you remember, I wrote on the Joo Chiat wanton mee saga in Whampoa market before, with the two stalls claiming that they are the original from Joo Chiat. This time round, I saw this Long Ji stall which is on the outside row of the market. Since i’ve both the Joo Chiat stalls (middle row of market), I decided to give this a try.
The wanton mee was disappointing. The pictures looked nice yes, this was my first time testing out my new macro lens back then, so I had this way back in November! The two key factors in a good wanton, the springy noodle, and the good char siew were sorely missing. To be frank, the wanton mee was so mediocre that I couldn’t really remember how it tasted like.
There’s another wanton mee stall in the market if i’m not mistaken, will try that the next time! I think you’ll be better off trying either one of the Joo Chiat stalls than Long Ji’s. Well, i may be wrong, since it’s my personal preference, if you’ve try this one before let me hear from you!
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:
Rojak is a very special type of food, and certainly warrants a place as one of Singapore local food, alongside chicken rice, white pepper crab, laksa and the rest. Just like how our local culture, where the different religion and races mixed in harmony with each other, the perfect mixture between the different ingredients in a rojak brings about the perfect balance. Uniquely Singapore.
Hoover Rojak’s my personal favourite place for rojak in Singapore. Well if i may say so, i’ll consider it as one of the best i tried so far, not that i tried a lot, but i’ve the other famous Brothers rojak at Clementi and wasn’t too impressed with it. Hoover’s rendition always uses fresh and juicy fruits, with the crispy you tiao. But that’s not the reason why Hoover rojak is so good. The key lies in their sauce, there’s a slightly sourish tang which other rojaks don’t have, and that’s the beauty of a simple lime.
’ll eat Hoover rojak whenever i visited Whampoo market, countless times to the extent that i always forgot that they do not open on Tuesday, and i made three fruitless visits so far. Well to visit Whampoo market without trying Hoover, please don’t tell anybody that you been 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:
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Ate. Nine. Ten.
Esplanade we were at, yet it certainly didn’t feel anything like Esplanade. The al fresco area was within the ground floor, yet while sitting there and people-grazing, the mood was out away from this world.
Service was almost impeccable. Since most of the tapas were off-the-menu, we wanted to know what we were eating and started asking the staff a lot of questions. Initially when they served us the first few appetisers, they were not sure of the names, and the ingredients in it. But they got used to us asking questions, and when they served the rest of the tapas, they made sure they checked the names and ingredients. Well we did make them stress that day, akin like taking a spelling test. Nonetheless, the staffs were always cheerful and friendly.
In the time of recession where people cut down on their expedition, it takes a brave soul to come out with interesting dining concept. The idea that the chef serves whatever he wants, is actually not new. But there just isn’t much places doing it, most people after all, aren’t adventurous enough and want to have a say in what they are eating. 7atenine. Catchy name, check. Unique concept, check. Ambience, check.
There’s something about Salmon which makes them irresistible to ladies. For some unknown reasons which continue to elude me, most ladies seem to love them. The salmon tartare. For the ladies! Fresh crunchy salmon in lemon cream sauce, with walnuts & some leafy greens providing the crunch. What impressed me was the effort entailed in preparing the cucumber. Instead of short slices, the cucumber was peel off vertically, in a long string. This, surely warrant our praise.
What I liked about the Taco cerbice was the simplicity of the dish. The crunchy sour dough plus the smooth octopus meat. Topped with greens, it further beautify and added balance to the appetiser.
Like couples who are always together, ham always comes with cheese. The dish is a basically an appetiser of ham & cheese. Cubes of green apple, cheese, and ham. While there’s nothing intriguing about the combination, it’s a simple dish to kick-start the meal.
I always remember the significant and special food that I’ve before. Like the best mushroom soup, the best dim sum, all those are deeply engraved in my memory. And the Beef roll on hot stone, would definitely be the latest addition to my memorable list. Putting the thinly-sliced beef rolls on the heated up stone, a brilliant idea! The usage of salt to bring out the natural taste of the beef, with the hot stone keeping the beef warm at optimum temperature. Divine.
Tangy, was the best way to describe the lobster gaspach. Shredded lobster fried was good on its own. But having left it too long in the slightly sourish sauce, it was soggy when we tried it. And did I mention I loved the way 7atenine decorated the bowls with a brush of the sauce. A stroke of genius.
With the pairing of cheese and anchovies, the Mozzarella cheese with anchovies certainly let our imagination ran wild. Just exactly what does the humble small salt-water fish and cheese have in common. Well nothing, but that’s what makes the pairing unique. The presence of bell pepper and tomato brighten up the aesthetic aspect. Much as I’m for creative cooking, this dish didn’t exactly impress.
The best. Mushroom Risotto. 7atenine rendition was done close to the porridge form, quite unlike the harder glutinous-rice like version I had before. Boiling several types of mushrooms to get the stock, the end result was a strong mushroom infused flavour in the risotto. The presence of strong cheese taste was a plus. I do not think words alone can describe the goodness of the risotto. Comfort food.
Again, we see the use of raw salt to bring out the natural flavour of food. Poached lightly, the Salmon with potato wrapped bacon was another worth mentioning dish. Even when eaten on its own, the salmon was fresh, but when you dip it with the sauce, it brought it to a brand new level. The bacon bits, by the side, was salty and flavourful. My date enjoyed her roast mini potatoes, although I didn’t quite fancy that.
When ocean meets farm, the Seabass in celery cream. Sprinkled with bits of salt, the seabass reminded me of my mom’s home-cook fish. The fish was better eaten alone, rather than together with the brown sauce. The mesh celery represented the farm.
At first look, we were guessing the ingredient used to “dye” the calamari black. Guess guess, squid ink! An interesting twist to the otherwise boring calamari. The tomato salsa was refreshing, but other than that, there wasn’t much wow factor. The crusted calamari.
A cheesy pasta. The spaghetti with ham symbolised every aspect of the cheese pasta. A simple dish done right. We were wondering what ham was used though.
If 7atenine is all about interesting new dining concept, then the sizzling wings would definitely be the best representative. Using the pegs (for hanging clothes) to hold the chicken wings so that diners were not dirty their hands. Bravo! While the effectiveness of the peg remained to be questioned, we should applause the innovation. On the other hand, the chicken wings were nothing to shout about. I was pretty astonished when they served the wings, since nothing in my dictionary told me that wings were classified under tapas.
The beef flank was the last main course that we had before serving desserts. The meat was tough and inelastic actually. I didn’t touch much of it. Well, a disappointing anti-climax for the main course.
Caffe latte trifle was the first of the three desserts we started with. Everything coffee. From the ice cream, meringue, to the thin layer of sponge, all of them are coffee flavoured. There’s rice krispies on top too.
With a base of berries, there’s the strawberry ice cream and vanilla bean on top. The execution of the simple strawberry gazpacho was enough, for us to end the meal on a sweet note.
We were surprised by the inclusion of vanilla bean ice cream since the sight of the normal walls ice cream was so common everywhere else. I liked the fact that they spreaded some Oreo crust by the side. I can taste vanilla bean, and with some help from the crust, it turned into Oreo ice cream. And oh yes, warm chocolate brownies must always be eaten together with chilled, cold ice cream.
Total bill was $86.58 for 2, lunch unlimited buffet. In my humble opinion, my date and I agreed that 7atenine is the best new restaurant in 2009, that is until i try a better one. Although not all the tapas impressed me, but the food taste is more on the extreme ends, it’s a case of whether you love it or hate it. Personally, I felt food lovers will generally accept this concept better than the rest, especially so if you are the type that are adventurous and love to try new creations.
It is definitely fun to be keep in the suspense, and wondering what is coming next. Of course, with expectations there will be disappointment. I’m sorry if you do not agree with me. But I love this type of dining concept, the playful presentation of food, the friendly services, bold creations, the ambience and the amazing value. Of course, the company of my date plays a vital part as well. This year, the best meal I had so far, 7atenine!
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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