I was sick for a week and was really wrecking my brains for something to eat. A friend suggested Vietnamese food and we went to Le Viet. I'd walked past this place many times and never stepped in to try the food.
Simple and modern decor. It had this nice water tank running along the side of the restaurant. There were guppies and goldfish swimming about it. When we got there, they had just put fresh food in so all the fish were coming to the surface. It was certainly nice to look at.
There were few people there that weekday evening. So it wasn't too noisy. Just right with a few tables occupied.
There was quite a variety and being a noob to vietnamese food, I spent a lot of time poring over the descriptions....
Food Ordered:
Goi Cuon - Fresh Rice Paper Roll ($6) There were 3 rolls and you had a choice of chicken or pork. We picked chicken. The shredded chicken was wrapped in a paper thin translucent skin with vermicelli, beansprouts and basil. I liked this very much. It was light yet savoury. Bun Ga Nuong - Dry Vietnamese Vermicelli w Chicken ($8.50) This arrived looking like your regular Kueh Tiao with Grilled Chicken. But flip it and you'll find a host of crunchy vegetables right underneath! Toss it well and you have yourself a savoury noodle salad! Yummy!!
Pho Bo Thap Cam - 3-in-1 Mixed Noodles ($8.50) My friend had this with slices and beef balls. You can choose 2 out of 3 options and those were his choices. I didn't eat this because I'm not a fan of beef. But the soup was very very tasty!
Including drinks our bill came u to about $30 (and a little more) which I find pretty reasonable. Every thing was served fast cos it's not too hard to prepare... and the service was satisfactory.
This is one place where I'll return often for the cheap salmon don and yummilicious desserts! It was the cheapest I’ve seen so far! When the Salmon Don was served, I was pretty shocked. It didn’t looked like it cost just $3.80! I wondered if they’d served a wrong order! It was also served with miso soup and pickles. There were lots of rice and the number of slices of salmon served was more than those you get from sushi belt where you paid $6.50 for. Although its not as thick, it was still fresh and nice. I’m not a chosey eater, so this entire set for $3.80 was definitely very value for money. CHEAP!!
Their showcase of desserts outside the restaurants attracts the most attention and this is one of their pull factors for customers. Whoever walks by their showcase will be tempted by their mouth-watering display of plastic/rubber/clay food that's made to look so so real and good! (Beauty of the crafty craftman)
I tried their mango ice cream dessert that cost about $6.80. (I pay lesser for the salmon don! HA!) But still, this dessert is very nice. Freshly diced mango with soft vanilla ice-cream on top of a pile of cornflakes! *droooooling* Just thinking about it makes me want to go back for more!
Tried other dishes too like the cheese tofu, karage chicken and others which I can't remember. Next time I go again, I'll make sure I write more about them k.
It is always not too good to have too high expectations of a place because the expectations the bigger the disappointment will be. Having saying that, it happens to this place. I have heard a lot of people telling me this place has one of the best Japanese buffet in town and it is worth the money, and it has been one of the places that I wanted to go and give it a try. The chance came when my partner invited me to join her colleagues for dinner there. So a big group of us went, not to say that one of her colleagues is a big fan of that place.
The restaurant is hidden in the first level of the hotel, if not for the Japanese style of door way, it is a blink and miss place. Once walked inside, I was surprise by how small the whole place is. It looks like those Japanese old cottages. There is a few traditional tables where you have to take off your shoes and sit. A number of small tables with small sets and the rest of the seats are bar counter seats. For a big group of people like us, we have to squeeze as well. If you are big sized like me, you will definitely knock to the person sitting next to you. Advice is to go in a group less than 10 people.
Next, is the food. The menu is cramped with words, no pictures. So if you expect to order by pictures, you will be sorely disappointed. At times, I just go by my guts to order as well. There is a lot of food to offer from sushi to sashimi to bento to soba etc. Lots of them in wide and different variety as well. They also served a few items as starters first, like smoked salmon. A mini seafood paper steamboat where the soup base is too salty. A miso soup that came in a tea pot and have to squeeze in lime juice as well, quite refreshing for that.
In a big group, there is confusion over ordering of food as the waitress just came with the food and we also not sure if we had ordered the food. Since it is a buffet, we just eat whatever is placed on our table. In other words, it can be a mess!
Sashimi’s lover would loved this place! Their variety is a lot and they came in big portions, not to mention that the slices came in very thick slices. Hmm… but not very fresh. Too bad I m not really a big fan of it. They got limited sushi chooses but I am not too impressed with their sushi as well. I have tasted better ones elsewhere. The rest of the food can be quite forgettable. Their tempera, again a lot of variety, from prawns to mushrooms, was quite ok nothing to wow off.
One funny thing did happen when I was ordering chicken cutlet, they asked me how many cuts I want. I thought in terms of how many full cutlets they mean. In the end, it turn out their cuts means how many slices I want. A bit … …
Their service can be quite slow and there was periods of time that we got no food and when we tried to order, their waitress always seem busy with other things or other people. As their tables are quite small, they also slow to clear the plates as well. Think they could have done with more help.
Seems that the place is quite popular as it was packed by 8pm and even the counter seats are packed like sardines. Like they say it is always better to make reservation for the place.
At a cost of $33 plus plus plus, in the end it was $38.80 per person. Personally, I think it is not worth the money and I would rather spend the money on other sushi places. Not to say because of my high expectations of the place, I was sorely disappointed and dun think I will be back to this place unless someone is giving me a treat. Hmm… so Sushi Teh any one?
I had always been a fan of their la main. I personally do find theirs better than others. However recently, they went through a revamp, or more like “Honey I shrank Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao”! I wonder this only happen to the Ngee Ann City outlet or to the rest of the outlets as well.
The long queue to wait for a table and the number tag is still the same
Nothing much changes in the menu.
The changes:
Xiao Long Bao – There used to be four xiao long baos per order but now they shrinked the xiao long bao into a smaller size and increase the number to five per order. Hmm…. It still taste pretty much the same but the size difference is really too much. Not very happy with it. Smaller xiao long bao means there is lesser fillings and lesser soup in each bao and this makes a lot of difference.
Shanghai Pan Fried Bao - There used to be three per order but now there are four. Same case as xiao long bao, the size shrinked a bit too much.
Their la mian is still pretty much the same in the variety but what changes is the type of la mian they are offering. From dragon whiskers to dao siao main to even ban mian, there are 7 types of la mian to choose from. Hmm… From what we have ordered, we still conlude that the old type of la mian still works wonder. Hee…. Nothing much changes from the rest. The portion of the food also shrank a bit.
The changes do not really impressed me and I think they are better going back to the old ones.
The service is still as good and attentive as ever, that is one thing I like when dining there. The place is still as packed as ever. Overheard one customer complaining how come there are only 3 pcs of beef in the la mian when there is supposed to be 4 slices. Hmm…. The supervisior also cannot answer that question but then she just brushed off the comment like that. Sigh……
I need the old Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao back!
Dough Culture, looking at the name, thought that they are actually selling bread or donuts. Neh! They are actually selling a very traditional breakfast favorite item with a new twist.
They are selling…. YOU TIAO! Haa….. Not the normal kind though, they actually treat you tiao as the base then they add different kind of toppings on top of it! They got apple, chocolate and a lot of different types.
I bought 2 to try it out, one apple and one white almond (sorry I forgot their actual names). For the apply one, it is apple fillings on top of the you tiao, and topped with some rasins and sugar toppings. It is too sweet for my liking and the you tiao is kinda of cold. I think it is supposed to be eaten cold. Yet when the you tiao is cold, it is still crispy. The size of the you tiao is pathetic. Personally, I dun really like it.
For white almond, this is different, instead of the normal you tiao shape, they actually use the same dough but rolled it into a bun shaped, with custard inside the bun and the top covered with white chocolate and almonds flakes. I like this as it does not really taste like you tiao at all, more like eating a bun.
At the moment they got limited variety but I think they will introduce new ones as time goes by. Personally, I still prefer you tiao in the originally way they are, and they have to be hot and crispy. With each priced at $1.30, I do consider they are over priced. If I want to eat such things for sugar rush, I would rather turn to donuts.
I had heard of this place some time ago that actually serves quite good Japanese BBQ food, however it always looks very classy from outside and dare not walk in and give it a try. On a special day (and well someone giving me a treat), and since I am in the area, decided to walk in and give this place a try regardless of the price. Hee…. Feeling brave huh? You can say that. Haha……
On outside, the decoration of the place reminds of those old Japanese restaurants in Japan. It does have a old tradition touch to it. Once we walked through the door, we were immediately greeted with the normal kind of Japanese greetings and echoes of it were heard throughout of the place. We were ushered to our seats. Inside the decoration were the same as outside, traditional kind of decoration. There are small little sections that can seat up 4 to 6 people and also large sections that can hold up big groups as well. They got private rooms as well.
Once we were seated, menus were served and we were sort of overwhelmed by the variety of food, from different kind of meat from beef to chicken and to seafood and vegetables as well. There are also set meals with wine included but these were kind of out of our budget. It seems that all the food are to be BBQed and there are no cooked food on the menu.
In the end, we ordered a seafood assorted set, a plate of chicken, a plate of sirloin beef and a plate of assorted vegetables.
Once the order is done, also immediately, they will serve up a pot of hot burning charcoal in front of you. The special thing about this charcoal is it is smokeless so it will not really be smoky for the whole place while cooking and it does not leave a burning smell on you when you leave the place as well. They are hot but they do not have any lit fire. Sitting near them can actually feel the heat already.
Next came the food, please note that the food came raw as we have to cooked them ourselves.
Assorted vegetables - A big plate of vegetables are served up. They include, corn on cob, leeks, asparagus, mushroom, green pepper, carrots. The portions are quite big and fresh as well. It is interesting to cook them on the stove and have to keep in mind that the stove is very hot, therefore the vegetables actually get cooked very fast, leave them any longer on the stove, they will be burnt. Well that happened to the first few anyway. Haa…. With a little burnt on the outer, they actually tasted quite good, especially with the green pepper and corn. The mushroom actually managed to retain its juice inside, making it crispy outside but full of juice inside.
Chicken – The chicken came marinated and cut into smaller but thick pieces. It will take some time to cook due to the thick slices. However once they are cooked, they are very good. The meat is tender and will not lost its flavour when BBQ. It is cooked to a bit burnt on the outer side.
Beef – This came in cube slices and it is also marinated as well. Beef is easier to cook as they no need to be fully cooked. However the stove being very hot, it will take a very short time to cook the meat. The beef here although not being the top grade, it is tender as well and juicy as well, with the fats slightly melted.
Assorted seafood set – This came as a surprised as the portions are really huge! It got big tiger prawns, scallops, a big full sotong, and two big slices of salmon. It was great! The seafood is really fresh as if they just got out of water. Cooking them is a breeze. The hard one is the sotong, as it is in full size and need them to cut up into smaller pieces as the outside is cooked but the inner is still not cooked. They provided butter for the salmon, and they are placed in the aluminum foils as well, it is like frying them instead. This is really worth the money especially on the big portions on seafood, even they only come in 2 pieces each.
The service of the crew is good and very detailed. They are always on the look out of the stove every time they walked past. They will either change the grill (if it turns black) or they will add in charcoal. They are also pro active, like the case of the sotong, they offered to cut it into smaller pieces for me so that it will be easier to cook as well. They do serve ice water and never fails to top up the water as well. When they served the food, they will also advise on how long to cook the food. Good for first timers like us. Hee…
Oh yes, don't worry, tongs will be provided to make yr bbqing easier and more fun. It is like bbqing inside a room.
Overall the meal; cost around $90 for 2 pax if my memory did not failed me. A bit on the expensive side but then it is a good experience. I am quite happy with the experience except that I dun think I will return soon because fo the price.
The place does get packed rather soon during meal times so if possible make a reservation before going down. it does save you from not getting a table and being disappointed.
Between this and Korean BBQ, well of course there are difference and each got its own pros and cons. However, if they are like the Koreans, able to cook it right in front of us, it will be better. Especially for lazy people like me. Haha….. Korean BBQ also have a lot of small side dishes whereas this does not have. For me, both are as good, just depends what I feel like having then. Hee….. What about you?
Al Dento at Great World is an open concept cafe you can't miss if you're there. Its central location (Great World City) makes it not-too-inconvenient yet nice and quiet.
Popped by for dinner with 3 other Yebbers that fateful Tuesday. Armed with the well-mentioned coupon, we were tempted to order almost everything on the menu.
Of course we didn't... so here goes!
Tomato Basil Brushetta @ $5 Our little starter was served pretty quickly. 8 pieces of thin toast... Well-buttered but the diced tomatoes were a tad too little. But it was relatively well-presented. A good number for the 4 of us which made me wonder briefly if it were done on purpose.
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms @ $12 2 pieces... what did I expect right? Well it was a little small for Portobello but we made do. The sauce that came with it was just right, not too overpowering. The mushrooms were still juicy with good bite. But I still think it's too expensive at its original price.
Pan-seared Butterfish @ $20 This dish was served with lumps of potato which really looked like Cheezels to me as they were very orange in colour. The fish didn't have too much of a fishy smell to me but the texture could be improved. The potatoes tasted like they were frozen... much like Tater Tots for those who remember what they are.
Char-grilled Sirloin Steak @ $20 This dish was to be served medium rare but it was more well done than expected. I didn't taste this dish really so let my companions do the talking for ya.
Arragosta Pasta @ $20 This is the pasta served with lobster meat. We could choose between two sauces, tomato and garlic. We had garlic sauce and the sauce sure came with a garlicky smell. I think this dish is pretty average. I had the joy of having more lobster meat though (thanks to Claudie).
Smoked Chicken Pizza @ $17 I liked this one. The pizza was about 10". It didn't seem so impressive when it arrived but all the chicken was hidden beneath the cheese. It's been a long time since I've had pizza with that much meat. I like the crust which was thin and crisp at the edges but not thin enough to be charred. :)
Macadamia scented Creme Brulee @ $8 I was the one who ordered this and I did regret a little after the first spoonful. The taste of the custard wasn't very strong. The texture of the custard wasn't smooth enough too. The caramelised top was too thin to add any taste to the dessert.
Tiramisu @ $9 This is better than the Creme Brulee but still not good enough I guess. The top portion was too "tough" and the bottom was too soggy. That made it a little gross to swallow but the overall taste was fine.
This meal would have cost the 4 of us $120 if not for the coupon. The service provided was satisfactory I guess. But unless I'm in the area and I don't fancy anything else, I don't think I would specially head there for this again.
Have you ever go into a Italiano restaurant, and all of a sudden feel ordering ALL the food available on the menu?
All you look is at the food, without even giving the price tag a glance?
Feeling excited, we might as well tell the waiter to serve EVERY dish they have on the menu!
That’s precisely what happen to us when we went to Al Dente Pronto.
Ahh.. You are confuse now right? Is the food so good that we wanted to order all the dishes? Alas, that’s not quite the raison d’être.
The explication for our extravagant & exaggerated behavior is because … …
We had a 50% discount coupon from OCBC. Yes, you didn’t see wrongly, half price for a la carte items during lunch & dinner, up to a table of 4 persons. Dinner was with the Yebbers. So everything we look at, we can only see half the price, and of course this makes it affordable and worry-free to order whatever we like. So we ordered mostly the more expensive dishes : )
Tomato Basil Bruschetta ($5.0)
We kick start our dinner with the Tomato Basil Bruschettra. Diced Tomato, Garlic, Basil, Oregano and olive oil formulate the starter. We were uncertain whether they gave 8 pieces because there are four of us, or it always come in 8 pieces irregardless of the number of people dining. All the same, we felt the starter could do with more tomato, mayb its because of the rising price in agriculture products in China. Think think. First bite into the Bruschettra was crispy and the garlic taste was done just nice. At $2.50 after discount, it was a real good deal.
Grilled Portobello mushrooms ($12.0)
Our second starter was the Grilled Portobello Mushrooms. Served with rocket salad and diced tomatos. The presentation of the dish was done beautifully, but sadly to sad i felt that at $12 it was definitely not worth the price. Even at half price i won’t order it again.
Char-Grilled Sirloin Steak ($20.0)
Finishing our starter, the waiter note our cue to start our Main course for the night. Our first main was the Char-Grilled Sirloin Steak. We requested for medium-rare, but then when the steak was served it was a tad tougher than what we expected from a medium-rare steak. I guess they sort of make it into medium-well instead. Well, its Italiano and not a steakhouse after all. Nevertheless, i felt that the steak was pretty decent, and at half the price of $10, it was value. Oh yes, we liked the potato that came with it, pretty much reminds us of our childhood.
Pan-Seared Butterfish ($20.0)
Served with potatos, sautèed vegetables and topped with a lemon dill butter glace. Al Dente Pronto actually only have three main course available, the other one being roasted corn fed chicken which we didn’t order. I suppose the raison d’être was because the mains are not really their area of specialty. Al Dente Pronto’s extensive variety of Italian Pizzas and Pastas are where they fare better.
Smoked Chicken Pizza ($17.0)
This is the star of tonight’s show. The Smoked Chicken Pizza might not look very special, but then they are undeniably scrumptious, with large chunks of chicken meat beneath the cheesy cheese. Pizza comes flat, thin and crispy
Arragosta Pasta ($20.0)
Spaghetti with Lobster meat, zucchini and mushrooms, with tomato stew or garlic sauce. We opted for garlic sauce with the belief that garlic can compliment Lobster meat better. And i thought the Arragosta Pasta comes out quite well, mayb except for the fact that it was slightly too dry. I like the lobster meat, which was quite generously furnish on top of the pasta. And i think zucchini (cucumbers) are rather a rare sight in pasta cuisine. Nonetheless, at half price of $10 i think its quite good for money, we are talking about Lobster meat after all.
Tiramisu ($9.0)
To end off the meal, we had Tiramisu as our first dessert. Layers of mascarpone with sponge fingers soaked in coffee and brandy, served with bittersweet chocolate powder The presentation was all right, but the cake was too tough, we had to literally dig inside it to get the tiramisu out.
Macadamia Scented Crème Brulèe ($8.0)
Caramelized custard, infused with Macadamia nut oil served with strawberries on the Macadamia Scented Crème Brulèe.
Total Bill was $122.50 before discount, the amount that we paid for 4 person was $71.20 after discount. The calulations are kind of complicated because the 50% discount does not includes GST and service charge, so they had to count the total price without including them, half the price, and add on the 17% additional charges. Poof! Its comes down to around $18 for per person which i think is reasonably cheap.
All in all, Al Dente Pronto is not really expensive (even without the promotion), the price ranges are mostly in the 10s to 20s. I wont say the food is excellent, in fact some are not. But then i suppose they are still acceptable to me. No you wont go all the way to the forgotton-Great-World-City just for Al Dente Pronto, but i guess if you are in the region you might just want to give it a try. And it certainly helps if you have the OCBC promotion, p.s: it last until end feb.
We had a great night chatting around, there was laughter all over the place, and at times i thought the waiter will just kick us out of the place. It was fun fun & fun! Looking forward to the next Yebber gathering! Cheers!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
First impression from afar... wow! Nice place. Second impression when I saw the namecard... wow! Nice namecard! Third impression when I stepped into the place... interesting furnishing and cutlery!
We adjoined to Tong Shui Cafe behind Great World City before we head home. The menu was a little hard to read. Typical Singapore "Hongkong style cafe" menu. Although the place is call Tong Shui Cafe (Sweet Water Cafe aka Dessert Cafe) There's only 1 page on the dessert drinks and 1 page on desserts... not much choice. We settled for the TSC's Tuttii Frutti Summit $11-something.
It consists of 3 types of pudding mixed with konnyaku jelly. Texture was not bad. The Mango flavored was the best. The other two were strawberry and kiwi. There were accompanying tiny diced fruits of the 3 kind and tiny crunchy pearls (or jelly). Overall this dessert was quite nice. Nothing to "wow" about.
Will go back to try the other stuff one day if I ever pass by one.
Met up with fellow members for dinner. Thanks to LIC for the 50% discount coupon and my OCBC card, we ordered the most expensive of each category to try.
For starters, we had Tomato Basil Bruschetta and Grilled Portobello Mushrooms. Mains we ordered Pan-seared Butterfish, Char-grilled Sirloin Steak, Arragosta Pasta and Smoked Chicken Pizza. Desserts were Macadamia scented Creme Brulee and Tiramisu. Drinks ordered were Ice Rasberry Tea, Ice Peach Tea, Shirley Temple and Lime Juice. All the above totaled to $71.20! (including GST and Service Charge)
I shall keep mine short and sweet. (Partly because my eyes are already half-close now.)
Tomato Basil Brushetta @ $5 Its either the bread was too big, or the tomatoes were too expensive. Serving wise looks sad. Taste was alright. I like the way they infused the garlic into the bread. Crispy and nice. $2.50 after discount. Cheap lah!
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms @ $12 First bite was yummy. After that it just started like any other mushrooms. The rocket on this was too bitter. Unlike those I had at Absolute Haven.
Pan-seared Butterfish @ $20 Too fishy for me. Sauce was tad too saltish.
Char-grilled Sirloin Steak @ $20 There was nothing charred about this steak. Taste was alright. Meat was too tough. Like the potatoes that was served at the side.
Arragosta Pasta @ $20 Pasta was too dry, lobster meat was quite fresh and plentiful. First time I saw what I call cucumbers (zucchini) on pasta.
Smoked Chicken Pizza @ $17 This is perhaps the only thing that I'll order if I ever go back again. The Pizza on photo seems to be plain and boring. But underneath those cheese are chunks of chicken meat. I like the blend of tomatoes and cheese and chicken. Could be better if there were thicker layer of cheese.
Macadamia scented Creme Brulee @ $8 Taste like custard. Ha! Nothing special about this. Couldn't really taste the macadamia thou.
Tiramisu @ $9 Texture was too tough and sponge fingers were over soaked in the coffee and brandy. Don't really like it.
Overall the food was forgettable. I'll not be going back again unless there's 50% discount or someone's treating.
1=SGD 0.0587
I was sick for a week and was really wrecking my brains for something to eat. A friend suggested Vietnamese food and we went to Le Viet. I'd walked past this place many times and never stepped in to try the food.
Simple and modern decor. It had this nice water tank running along the side of the restaurant. There were guppies and goldfish swimming about it. When we got there, they had just put fresh food in so all the fish were coming to the surface. It was certainly nice to look at.
There were few people there that weekday evening. So it wasn't too noisy. Just right with a few tables occupied.
There was quite a variety and being a noob to vietnamese food, I spent a lot of time poring over the descriptions....
Food Ordered:
Goi Cuon - Fresh Rice Paper Roll ($6)
There were 3 rolls and you had a choice of chicken or pork. We picked chicken. The shredded chicken was wrapped in a paper thin translucent skin with vermicelli, beansprouts and basil. I liked this very much. It was light yet savoury.
Bun Ga Nuong - Dry Vietnamese Vermicelli w Chicken ($8.50)
This arrived looking like your regular Kueh Tiao with Grilled Chicken. But flip it and you'll find a host of crunchy vegetables right underneath! Toss it well and you have yourself a savoury noodle salad! Yummy!!
Pho Bo Thap Cam - 3-in-1 Mixed Noodles ($8.50)
My friend had this with slices and beef balls. You can choose 2 out of 3 options and those were his choices. I didn't eat this because I'm not a fan of beef. But the soup was very very tasty!
Including drinks our bill came u to about $30 (and a little more) which I find pretty reasonable. Every thing was served fast cos it's not too hard to prepare... and the service was satisfactory.
Rating given:
Cheapest Salmon Don and Nice desserts!
This is one place where I'll return often for the cheap salmon don and yummilicious desserts! It was the cheapest I’ve seen so far! When the Salmon Don was served, I was pretty shocked. It didn’t looked like it cost just $3.80! I wondered if they’d served a wrong order! It was also served with miso soup and pickles. There were lots of rice and the number of slices of salmon served was more than those you get from sushi belt where you paid $6.50 for. Although its not as thick, it was still fresh and nice. I’m not a chosey eater, so this entire set for $3.80 was definitely very value for money. CHEAP!!
Their showcase of desserts outside the restaurants attracts the most attention and this is one of their pull factors for customers. Whoever walks by their showcase will be tempted by their mouth-watering display of plastic/rubber/clay food that's made to look so so real and good! (Beauty of the crafty craftman)
I tried their mango ice cream dessert that cost about $6.80. (I pay lesser for the salmon don! HA!) But still, this dessert is very nice. Freshly diced mango with soft vanilla ice-cream on top of a pile of cornflakes! *droooooling* Just thinking about it makes me want to go back for more!
Tried other dishes too like the cheese tofu, karage chicken and others which I can't remember. Next time I go again, I'll make sure I write more about them k.
Anyone want to go with me? :P
Rating given:
It is always not too good to have too high expectations of a place because the expectations the bigger the disappointment will be. Having saying that, it happens to this place. I have heard a lot of people telling me this place has one of the best Japanese buffet in town and it is worth the money, and it has been one of the places that I wanted to go and give it a try. The chance came when my partner invited me to join her colleagues for dinner there. So a big group of us went, not to say that one of her colleagues is a big fan of that place.
The restaurant is hidden in the first level of the hotel, if not for the Japanese style of door way, it is a blink and miss place. Once walked inside, I was surprise by how small the whole place is. It looks like those Japanese old cottages. There is a few traditional tables where you have to take off your shoes and sit. A number of small tables with small sets and the rest of the seats are bar counter seats. For a big group of people like us, we have to squeeze as well. If you are big sized like me, you will definitely knock to the person sitting next to you. Advice is to go in a group less than 10 people.
Next, is the food. The menu is cramped with words, no pictures. So if you expect to order by pictures, you will be sorely disappointed. At times, I just go by my guts to order as well. There is a lot of food to offer from sushi to sashimi to bento to soba etc. Lots of them in wide and different variety as well. They also served a few items as starters first, like smoked salmon. A mini seafood paper steamboat where the soup base is too salty. A miso soup that came in a tea pot and have to squeeze in lime juice as well, quite refreshing for that.
In a big group, there is confusion over ordering of food as the waitress just came with the food and we also not sure if we had ordered the food. Since it is a buffet, we just eat whatever is placed on our table. In other words, it can be a mess!
Sashimi’s lover would loved this place! Their variety is a lot and they came in big portions, not to mention that the slices came in very thick slices. Hmm… but not very fresh. Too bad I m not really a big fan of it. They got limited sushi chooses but I am not too impressed with their sushi as well. I have tasted better ones elsewhere. The rest of the food can be quite forgettable. Their tempera, again a lot of variety, from prawns to mushrooms, was quite ok nothing to wow off.
One funny thing did happen when I was ordering chicken cutlet, they asked me how many cuts I want. I thought in terms of how many full cutlets they mean. In the end, it turn out their cuts means how many slices I want. A bit … …
Their service can be quite slow and there was periods of time that we got no food and when we tried to order, their waitress always seem busy with other things or other people. As their tables are quite small, they also slow to clear the plates as well. Think they could have done with more help.
Seems that the place is quite popular as it was packed by 8pm and even the counter seats are packed like sardines. Like they say it is always better to make reservation for the place.
At a cost of $33 plus plus plus, in the end it was $38.80 per person. Personally, I think it is not worth the money and I would rather spend the money on other sushi places. Not to say because of my high expectations of the place, I was sorely disappointed and dun think I will be back to this place unless someone is giving me a treat. Hmm… so Sushi Teh any one?
Rating given:
I had always been a fan of their la main. I personally do find theirs better than others. However recently, they went through a revamp, or more like “Honey I shrank Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao”! I wonder this only happen to the Ngee Ann City outlet or to the rest of the outlets as well.
The long queue to wait for a table and the number tag is still the same
Nothing much changes in the menu.
The changes:
Xiao Long Bao – There used to be four xiao long baos per order but now they shrinked the xiao long bao into a smaller size and increase the number to five per order. Hmm…. It still taste pretty much the same but the size difference is really too much. Not very happy with it. Smaller xiao long bao means there is lesser fillings and lesser soup in each bao and this makes a lot of difference.
Shanghai Pan Fried Bao - There used to be three per order but now there are four. Same case as xiao long bao, the size shrinked a bit too much.
Their la mian is still pretty much the same in the variety but what changes is the type of la mian they are offering. From dragon whiskers to dao siao main to even ban mian, there are 7 types of la mian to choose from. Hmm… From what we have ordered, we still conlude that the old type of la mian still works wonder. Hee…. Nothing much changes from the rest. The portion of the food also shrank a bit.
The changes do not really impressed me and I think they are better going back to the old ones.
The service is still as good and attentive as ever, that is one thing I like when dining there. The place is still as packed as ever. Overheard one customer complaining how come there are only 3 pcs of beef in the la mian when there is supposed to be 4 slices. Hmm…. The supervisior also cannot answer that question but then she just brushed off the comment like that. Sigh……
I need the old Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao back!
Rating given:
Dough Culture, looking at the name, thought that they are actually selling bread or donuts. Neh! They are actually selling a very traditional breakfast favorite item with a new twist.
They are selling…. YOU TIAO! Haa….. Not the normal kind though, they actually treat you tiao as the base then they add different kind of toppings on top of it! They got apple, chocolate and a lot of different types.
I bought 2 to try it out, one apple and one white almond (sorry I forgot their actual names). For the apply one, it is apple fillings on top of the you tiao, and topped with some rasins and sugar toppings. It is too sweet for my liking and the you tiao is kinda of cold. I think it is supposed to be eaten cold. Yet when the you tiao is cold, it is still crispy. The size of the you tiao is pathetic. Personally, I dun really like it.
For white almond, this is different, instead of the normal you tiao shape, they actually use the same dough but rolled it into a bun shaped, with custard inside the bun and the top covered with white chocolate and almonds flakes. I like this as it does not really taste like you tiao at all, more like eating a bun.
At the moment they got limited variety but I think they will introduce new ones as time goes by. Personally, I still prefer you tiao in the originally way they are, and they have to be hot and crispy. With each priced at $1.30, I do consider they are over priced. If I want to eat such things for sugar rush, I would rather turn to donuts.
Rating given:
I had heard of this place some time ago that actually serves quite good Japanese BBQ food, however it always looks very classy from outside and dare not walk in and give it a try. On a special day (and well someone giving me a treat), and since I am in the area, decided to walk in and give this place a try regardless of the price. Hee…. Feeling brave huh? You can say that. Haha……
On outside, the decoration of the place reminds of those old Japanese restaurants in Japan. It does have a old tradition touch to it. Once we walked through the door, we were immediately greeted with the normal kind of Japanese greetings and echoes of it were heard throughout of the place. We were ushered to our seats. Inside the decoration were the same as outside, traditional kind of decoration. There are small little sections that can seat up 4 to 6 people and also large sections that can hold up big groups as well. They got private rooms as well.
Once we were seated, menus were served and we were sort of overwhelmed by the variety of food, from different kind of meat from beef to chicken and to seafood and vegetables as well. There are also set meals with wine included but these were kind of out of our budget. It seems that all the food are to be BBQed and there are no cooked food on the menu.
In the end, we ordered a seafood assorted set, a plate of chicken, a plate of sirloin beef and a plate of assorted vegetables.
Once the order is done, also immediately, they will serve up a pot of hot burning charcoal in front of you. The special thing about this charcoal is it is smokeless so it will not really be smoky for the whole place while cooking and it does not leave a burning smell on you when you leave the place as well. They are hot but they do not have any lit fire. Sitting near them can actually feel the heat already.
Next came the food, please note that the food came raw as we have to cooked them ourselves.
Assorted vegetables - A big plate of vegetables are served up. They include, corn on cob, leeks, asparagus, mushroom, green pepper, carrots. The portions are quite big and fresh as well. It is interesting to cook them on the stove and have to keep in mind that the stove is very hot, therefore the vegetables actually get cooked very fast, leave them any longer on the stove, they will be burnt. Well that happened to the first few anyway. Haa…. With a little burnt on the outer, they actually tasted quite good, especially with the green pepper and corn. The mushroom actually managed to retain its juice inside, making it crispy outside but full of juice inside.
Chicken – The chicken came marinated and cut into smaller but thick pieces. It will take some time to cook due to the thick slices. However once they are cooked, they are very good. The meat is tender and will not lost its flavour when BBQ. It is cooked to a bit burnt on the outer side.
Beef – This came in cube slices and it is also marinated as well. Beef is easier to cook as they no need to be fully cooked. However the stove being very hot, it will take a very short time to cook the meat. The beef here although not being the top grade, it is tender as well and juicy as well, with the fats slightly melted.
Assorted seafood set – This came as a surprised as the portions are really huge! It got big tiger prawns, scallops, a big full sotong, and two big slices of salmon. It was great! The seafood is really fresh as if they just got out of water. Cooking them is a breeze. The hard one is the sotong, as it is in full size and need them to cut up into smaller pieces as the outside is cooked but the inner is still not cooked. They provided butter for the salmon, and they are placed in the aluminum foils as well, it is like frying them instead. This is really worth the money especially on the big portions on seafood, even they only come in 2 pieces each.
The service of the crew is good and very detailed. They are always on the look out of the stove every time they walked past. They will either change the grill (if it turns black) or they will add in charcoal. They are also pro active, like the case of the sotong, they offered to cut it into smaller pieces for me so that it will be easier to cook as well. They do serve ice water and never fails to top up the water as well. When they served the food, they will also advise on how long to cook the food. Good for first timers like us. Hee…
Oh yes, don't worry, tongs will be provided to make yr bbqing easier and more fun. It is like bbqing inside a room.
Overall the meal; cost around $90 for 2 pax if my memory did not failed me. A bit on the expensive side but then it is a good experience. I am quite happy with the experience except that I dun think I will return soon because fo the price.
The place does get packed rather soon during meal times so if possible make a reservation before going down. it does save you from not getting a table and being disappointed.
Between this and Korean BBQ, well of course there are difference and each got its own pros and cons. However, if they are like the Koreans, able to cook it right in front of us, it will be better. Especially for lazy people like me. Haha….. Korean BBQ also have a lot of small side dishes whereas this does not have. For me, both are as good, just depends what I feel like having then. Hee….. What about you?
Rating given:
Al Dento at Great World is an open concept cafe you can't miss if you're there. Its central location (Great World City) makes it not-too-inconvenient yet nice and quiet.
Popped by for dinner with 3 other Yebbers that fateful Tuesday. Armed with the well-mentioned coupon, we were tempted to order almost everything on the menu.
Of course we didn't... so here goes!
Tomato Basil Brushetta @ $5
Our little starter was served pretty quickly. 8 pieces of thin toast... Well-buttered but the diced tomatoes were a tad too little. But it was relatively well-presented. A good number for the 4 of us which made me wonder briefly if it were done on purpose.
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms @ $12
2 pieces... what did I expect right? Well it was a little small for Portobello but we made do. The sauce that came with it was just right, not too overpowering. The mushrooms were still juicy with good bite. But I still think it's too expensive at its original price.
Pan-seared Butterfish @ $20
This dish was served with lumps of potato which really looked like Cheezels to me as they were very orange in colour. The fish didn't have too much of a fishy smell to me but the texture could be improved. The potatoes tasted like they were frozen... much like Tater Tots for those who remember what they are.
Char-grilled Sirloin Steak @ $20
This dish was to be served medium rare but it was more well done than expected. I didn't taste this dish really so let my companions do the talking for ya.
Arragosta Pasta @ $20
This is the pasta served with lobster meat. We could choose between two sauces, tomato and garlic. We had garlic sauce and the sauce sure came with a garlicky smell. I think this dish is pretty average. I had the joy of having more lobster meat though (thanks to Claudie).
Smoked Chicken Pizza @ $17
I liked this one. The pizza was about 10". It didn't seem so impressive when it arrived but all the chicken was hidden beneath the cheese. It's been a long time since I've had pizza with that much meat. I like the crust which was thin and crisp at the edges but not thin enough to be charred. :)
Macadamia scented Creme Brulee @ $8
I was the one who ordered this and I did regret a little after the first spoonful. The taste of the custard wasn't very strong. The texture of the custard wasn't smooth enough too. The caramelised top was too thin to add any taste to the dessert.
Tiramisu @ $9
This is better than the Creme Brulee but still not good enough I guess. The top portion was too "tough" and the bottom was too soggy. That made it a little gross to swallow but the overall taste was fine.
This meal would have cost the 4 of us $120 if not for the coupon. The service provided was satisfactory I guess. But unless I'm in the area and I don't fancy anything else, I don't think I would specially head there for this again.
Rating given:
Have you ever go into a Italiano restaurant, and all of a sudden feel ordering ALL the food available on the menu?
All you look is at the food, without even giving the price tag a glance?
Feeling excited, we might as well tell the waiter to serve EVERY dish they have on the menu!
That’s precisely what happen to us when we went to Al Dente Pronto.
Ahh.. You are confuse now right? Is the food so good that we wanted to order all the dishes? Alas, that’s not quite the raison d’être.
The explication for our extravagant & exaggerated behavior is because … …
We had a 50% discount coupon from OCBC. Yes, you didn’t see wrongly, half price for a la carte items during lunch & dinner, up to a table of 4 persons. Dinner was with the Yebbers. So everything we look at, we can only see half the price, and of course this makes it affordable and worry-free to order whatever we like. So we ordered mostly the more expensive dishes : )
Tomato Basil Bruschetta ($5.0)
We kick start our dinner with the Tomato Basil Bruschettra. Diced Tomato, Garlic, Basil, Oregano and olive oil formulate the starter. We were uncertain whether they gave 8 pieces because there are four of us, or it always come in 8 pieces irregardless of the number of people dining. All the same, we felt the starter could do with more tomato, mayb its because of the rising price in agriculture products in China. Think think. First bite into the Bruschettra was crispy and the garlic taste was done just nice. At $2.50 after discount, it was a real good deal.
Grilled Portobello mushrooms ($12.0)
Our second starter was the Grilled Portobello Mushrooms. Served with rocket salad and diced tomatos. The presentation of the dish was done beautifully, but sadly to sad i felt that at $12 it was definitely not worth the price. Even at half price i won’t order it again.
Char-Grilled Sirloin Steak ($20.0)
Finishing our starter, the waiter note our cue to start our Main course for the night. Our first main was the Char-Grilled Sirloin Steak. We requested for medium-rare, but then when the steak was served it was a tad tougher than what we expected from a medium-rare steak. I guess they sort of make it into medium-well instead. Well, its Italiano and not a steakhouse after all. Nevertheless, i felt that the steak was pretty decent, and at half the price of $10, it was value. Oh yes, we liked the potato that came with it, pretty much reminds us of our childhood.
Pan-Seared Butterfish ($20.0)
Served with potatos, sautèed vegetables and topped with a lemon dill butter glace. Al Dente Pronto actually only have three main course available, the other one being roasted corn fed chicken which we didn’t order. I suppose the raison d’être was because the mains are not really their area of specialty. Al Dente Pronto’s extensive variety of Italian Pizzas and Pastas are where they fare better.
Smoked Chicken Pizza ($17.0)
This is the star of tonight’s show. The Smoked Chicken Pizza might not look very special, but then they are undeniably scrumptious, with large chunks of chicken meat beneath the cheesy cheese. Pizza comes flat, thin and crispy
Arragosta Pasta ($20.0)
Spaghetti with Lobster meat, zucchini and mushrooms, with tomato stew or garlic sauce. We opted for garlic sauce with the belief that garlic can compliment Lobster meat better. And i thought the Arragosta Pasta comes out quite well, mayb except for the fact that it was slightly too dry. I like the lobster meat, which was quite generously furnish on top of the pasta. And i think zucchini (cucumbers) are rather a rare sight in pasta cuisine. Nonetheless, at half price of $10 i think its quite good for money, we are talking about Lobster meat after all.
Tiramisu ($9.0)
To end off the meal, we had Tiramisu as our first dessert. Layers of mascarpone with sponge fingers soaked in coffee and brandy, served with bittersweet chocolate powder The presentation was all right, but the cake was too tough, we had to literally dig inside it to get the tiramisu out.
Macadamia Scented Crème Brulèe ($8.0)
Caramelized custard, infused with Macadamia nut oil served with strawberries on the Macadamia Scented Crème Brulèe.
Total Bill was $122.50 before discount, the amount that we paid for 4 person was $71.20 after discount. The calulations are kind of complicated because the 50% discount does not includes GST and service charge, so they had to count the total price without including them, half the price, and add on the 17% additional charges. Poof! Its comes down to around $18 for per person which i think is reasonably cheap.
All in all, Al Dente Pronto is not really expensive (even without the promotion), the price ranges are mostly in the 10s to 20s. I wont say the food is excellent, in fact some are not. But then i suppose they are still acceptable to me. No you wont go all the way to the forgotton-Great-World-City just for Al Dente Pronto, but i guess if you are in the region you might just want to give it a try. And it certainly helps if you have the OCBC promotion, p.s: it last until end feb.
We had a great night chatting around, there was laughter all over the place, and at times i thought the waiter will just kick us out of the place. It was fun fun & fun! Looking forward to the next Yebber gathering! Cheers!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Italiano delights, Companion enjoyment ”
Rating given:
First impression from afar... wow! Nice place.
Second impression when I saw the namecard... wow! Nice namecard!
Third impression when I stepped into the place... interesting furnishing and cutlery!
We adjoined to Tong Shui Cafe behind Great World City before we head home. The menu was a little hard to read. Typical Singapore "Hongkong style cafe" menu. Although the place is call Tong Shui Cafe (Sweet Water Cafe aka Dessert Cafe) There's only 1 page on the dessert drinks and 1 page on desserts... not much choice. We settled for the TSC's Tuttii Frutti Summit $11-something.
It consists of 3 types of pudding mixed with konnyaku jelly. Texture was not bad. The Mango flavored was the best. The other two were strawberry and kiwi. There were accompanying tiny diced fruits of the 3 kind and tiny crunchy pearls (or jelly). Overall this dessert was quite nice. Nothing to "wow" about.
Will go back to try the other stuff one day if I ever pass by one.
Rating given:
Nice clean place, with ok service and ok food.
Met up with fellow members for dinner. Thanks to LIC for the 50% discount coupon and my OCBC card, we ordered the most expensive of each category to try.
For starters, we had Tomato Basil Bruschetta and Grilled Portobello Mushrooms. Mains we ordered Pan-seared Butterfish, Char-grilled Sirloin Steak, Arragosta Pasta and Smoked Chicken Pizza. Desserts were Macadamia scented Creme Brulee and Tiramisu. Drinks ordered were Ice Rasberry Tea, Ice Peach Tea, Shirley Temple and Lime Juice.
All the above totaled to $71.20! (including GST and Service Charge)
I shall keep mine short and sweet. (Partly because my eyes are already half-close now.)
Tomato Basil Brushetta @ $5
Its either the bread was too big, or the tomatoes were too expensive. Serving wise looks sad. Taste was alright. I like the way they infused the garlic into the bread. Crispy and nice. $2.50 after discount. Cheap lah!
Grilled Portobello Mushrooms @ $12
First bite was yummy. After that it just started like any other mushrooms. The rocket on this was too bitter. Unlike those I had at Absolute Haven.
Pan-seared Butterfish @ $20
Too fishy for me. Sauce was tad too saltish.
Char-grilled Sirloin Steak @ $20
There was nothing charred about this steak. Taste was alright. Meat was too tough. Like the potatoes that was served at the side.
Arragosta Pasta @ $20
Pasta was too dry, lobster meat was quite fresh and plentiful. First time I saw what I call cucumbers (zucchini) on pasta.
Smoked Chicken Pizza @ $17
This is perhaps the only thing that I'll order if I ever go back again. The Pizza on photo seems to be plain and boring. But underneath those cheese are chunks of chicken meat. I like the blend of tomatoes and cheese and chicken. Could be better if there were thicker layer of cheese.
Macadamia scented Creme Brulee @ $8
Taste like custard. Ha! Nothing special about this. Couldn't really taste the macadamia thou.
Tiramisu @ $9
Texture was too tough and sponge fingers were over soaked in the coffee and brandy. Don't really like it.
Overall the food was forgettable. I'll not be going back again unless there's 50% discount or someone's treating.
Rating given: