Sorry for the lack of updates - there was some major upheaval in my life... and before I can settle down, I'm now off to spend Christmas and New Year in Italy and Switzerland. There's quite a bit of backlog so I'll be back in 2008 with a vengence :)
Here's wishing Everyone a Happy Christmas & A Very Happy New Year! See you in 2008!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
La Pizzaiola
Yet another recommendation from ieatishootipost that sounded good enough for me to hunt down. It turned out to be a real hole in the wall place with just enough seating for at most 8 people. Take away is an option though. Being another "ang mo chef in the heartlands" story, it's likely to attract a lot of attention... so be prepared for a crowd.
The pizzas here are just $13.90 for a 12" pizza, great price! I tried the Quattro Formaggi (blue cheese, mozzarella, emmental and parmesan cheese) -
The base was thin but not the kind of thin we are used to - there was about 1cm of bread. As mentioned by ieatishootipost, the tomato sauce was a bit tangy but went well with the cheese.
The Vegetable Lasagne $6 looked a real mess...
But tasted much better than it looked. And at $6, it's quite a bargain.
It's a relatively good option for cheap and good pizza. Come here when you have a pizza craving!
La Pizzaiola
43 Holland Drive #01-63
Tel : 67795502
Operating Hours : 10am to 10pm
Closed every Tuesday
www.lapizzaiola.com.sg
The pizzas here are just $13.90 for a 12" pizza, great price! I tried the Quattro Formaggi (blue cheese, mozzarella, emmental and parmesan cheese) -
The base was thin but not the kind of thin we are used to - there was about 1cm of bread. As mentioned by ieatishootipost, the tomato sauce was a bit tangy but went well with the cheese.
The Vegetable Lasagne $6 looked a real mess...
But tasted much better than it looked. And at $6, it's quite a bargain.
It's a relatively good option for cheap and good pizza. Come here when you have a pizza craving!
La Pizzaiola
43 Holland Drive #01-63
Tel : 67795502
Operating Hours : 10am to 10pm
Closed every Tuesday
www.lapizzaiola.com.sg
Monday, December 03, 2007
Green Room Café
Sorry for the lack of posts! I misplaced the cradle for my camera and could not download any photos since the last post... then remembered I had the photo for this in my handphone - so here's a half-baked post to keep my regular readers happy :)
Meips, the birthday girl, wanted to try out this place so we came here for tea on a Sunday afternoon. It's located in Bishan Park and that meant it was nestled among lush greenery... perfect ambience for a lazy afternoon tea. Best of all, there's plenty of lots so parking is not an issue at all!
Already had lunch so I ordered the Daily Baked Apple Strudel $6.80++ for dessert :
Small chunks of Granny Smith apples (i.e. green apples) wrapped in filo pastry... tasted pretty ok, and I guess it's worth the price coz at least they had to bake it on the spot.
Matt had one of the main courses here (soba?) but wasn't terribly impressed. The vegetarian laksa here costs $12.80++ which I'm so not paying for considering I had vegetarian laksa at a food court a few streets away for just $2.50!
A nice place to chill out with friends over afternoon tea but not so sure if the food is good or worth the price.
Green Room Café
1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
Bishan Park II
Singapore 569931
Tel: 6456 6556
http://www.aramsaspas.com/greenroomcafe.html
Meips, the birthday girl, wanted to try out this place so we came here for tea on a Sunday afternoon. It's located in Bishan Park and that meant it was nestled among lush greenery... perfect ambience for a lazy afternoon tea. Best of all, there's plenty of lots so parking is not an issue at all!
Already had lunch so I ordered the Daily Baked Apple Strudel $6.80++ for dessert :
Small chunks of Granny Smith apples (i.e. green apples) wrapped in filo pastry... tasted pretty ok, and I guess it's worth the price coz at least they had to bake it on the spot.
Matt had one of the main courses here (soba?) but wasn't terribly impressed. The vegetarian laksa here costs $12.80++ which I'm so not paying for considering I had vegetarian laksa at a food court a few streets away for just $2.50!
A nice place to chill out with friends over afternoon tea but not so sure if the food is good or worth the price.
Green Room Café
1382 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
Bishan Park II
Singapore 569931
Tel: 6456 6556
http://www.aramsaspas.com/greenroomcafe.html
Friday, November 23, 2007
Lingzhi Vegetarian Restaurant (Far East Square)
At the birthday boy's request, we came here for dinner recently. Yes, the birthday boy is a vegetarian :) I've only had the Dim Sum and Hot Pot Buffet here, so was quite glad to try the ala carte menu...
I've been having vegetarian bee hoon for breakfast every weekend for as long as I can remember, and one of my favourite dishes is the deep fried beancurd - which is known here as Vegetarian Duck $24++ :
Seeing how there was a big group and it was a pretty small portion, and there were plenty other dishes, AND it's so damn unhealthy... I only took one piece. Mmmmm... deep fried bean curd... yummy!
First time I saw the name 'monkey head mushrooms', I thought it sounded very unappetizing, but really it's just mushrooms :) The Monkey Head Mushoom $24.00++ was cooked in a Szechuan style with chilli and cashew nuts :
I didn't like this much - the mushrooms were too hard, maybe overcooked? I've had much better monkey head mushrooms at much lower prices at other veggie places.
The Crispy Fried Mushroom Rolls $21.00++ was not too bad but such a mess to eat (well, for me at least)...
Coz the mushrooms totally fall out!
We also ordered the Yam Basket $27.00++ but it wasn't what I expected -
It's not quite like the traditional yam basket... but as I'm not a fan of yam, but a big fan of fried crispy stuff, I was quite pleased coz I had lots of fried crispy stuff to pick at :)
We also ordered the Steamed Eggplant $14.00++ :
which came arranged really pretty. It was a simple tasty dish - and yay, more fried crispy stuff! :)
I was quite opposed to ordering the Crispy Vegetarian Eel $14.00++ as I'm not a fan of eel - I don't like the way it tastes and the way it looks. Yes, I know this is not actual eel but just could not shake off the negative impressions...
It looks ugly! But tastes better than it looks - must concede and agree that it was worth ordering...
And I made sure we ordered my all time favourite noodle dish - E-fu Noodles $15.00++ :
Yums! I could have bowls and bowls of E-fu noodles!!! But I exercised self-restraint and only had... erm, two I think :)
I wasn't all that impressed with the food here - it was just mediocre and a bit over priced. Service wasn't that great either - they weren't very helpful or friendly. If I come back here, it will likely be for the dim sum and steamboat buffet coz that's real good value for money.
Lingzhi Vegetarian Restaurant
7-10 Amoy Street
#01-01 Far East Square
S049949
Tel : 6538 2992
I've been having vegetarian bee hoon for breakfast every weekend for as long as I can remember, and one of my favourite dishes is the deep fried beancurd - which is known here as Vegetarian Duck $24++ :
Seeing how there was a big group and it was a pretty small portion, and there were plenty other dishes, AND it's so damn unhealthy... I only took one piece. Mmmmm... deep fried bean curd... yummy!
First time I saw the name 'monkey head mushrooms', I thought it sounded very unappetizing, but really it's just mushrooms :) The Monkey Head Mushoom $24.00++ was cooked in a Szechuan style with chilli and cashew nuts :
I didn't like this much - the mushrooms were too hard, maybe overcooked? I've had much better monkey head mushrooms at much lower prices at other veggie places.
The Crispy Fried Mushroom Rolls $21.00++ was not too bad but such a mess to eat (well, for me at least)...
Coz the mushrooms totally fall out!
We also ordered the Yam Basket $27.00++ but it wasn't what I expected -
It's not quite like the traditional yam basket... but as I'm not a fan of yam, but a big fan of fried crispy stuff, I was quite pleased coz I had lots of fried crispy stuff to pick at :)
We also ordered the Steamed Eggplant $14.00++ :
which came arranged really pretty. It was a simple tasty dish - and yay, more fried crispy stuff! :)
I was quite opposed to ordering the Crispy Vegetarian Eel $14.00++ as I'm not a fan of eel - I don't like the way it tastes and the way it looks. Yes, I know this is not actual eel but just could not shake off the negative impressions...
It looks ugly! But tastes better than it looks - must concede and agree that it was worth ordering...
And I made sure we ordered my all time favourite noodle dish - E-fu Noodles $15.00++ :
Yums! I could have bowls and bowls of E-fu noodles!!! But I exercised self-restraint and only had... erm, two I think :)
I wasn't all that impressed with the food here - it was just mediocre and a bit over priced. Service wasn't that great either - they weren't very helpful or friendly. If I come back here, it will likely be for the dim sum and steamboat buffet coz that's real good value for money.
Lingzhi Vegetarian Restaurant
7-10 Amoy Street
#01-01 Far East Square
S049949
Tel : 6538 2992
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Restaurant Hoshigaoka
We meet at Wheelock / Lido so often that we are running out of places to eat at... which is how we ended up eating here one Wednesday evening. While outside the restaurant, we realised that there was lots of discounts for eating here on Wednesday nights - 50% off the special Sushi Menu and for Ladies, 20% of the ala carte menu. Lucky us!
I had the Tenju $13.80++ (price before 20% discount) :
Gerry will of course order Sashimi Mori $20++ (price before 20% discount) - that woman loves sashimi to death :
And we ordered the Ebi Tempura Roll $11.80++ (price before 50% discount) to share :
The food was just ok but at those prices, I thought it was a pretty good deal. The place was strangely empty though...
Restaurant Hoshigaoka
Shaw House
350 Orchard Road
Level 4 Isetan Scotts
Tel : 6734 9725
I had the Tenju $13.80++ (price before 20% discount) :
Gerry will of course order Sashimi Mori $20++ (price before 20% discount) - that woman loves sashimi to death :
And we ordered the Ebi Tempura Roll $11.80++ (price before 50% discount) to share :
The food was just ok but at those prices, I thought it was a pretty good deal. The place was strangely empty though...
Restaurant Hoshigaoka
Shaw House
350 Orchard Road
Level 4 Isetan Scotts
Tel : 6734 9725
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily
I have been here once before, about 2 years ago when this place first opened... the food was not as memorable as the fact that the waitress spilled a Lychee Martini on me and I felt icky all through lunch :S Have not been back here since, not that I was avoiding it or anything - was meeting Gerry and Meips for dinner and this seemed like a nice venue for a "Girls Nite Out" Dinner.
We ordered two starters to share - Roast Pumpkin & Feta Salad $11.50++ :
and Deep Fried Tofu $9.50++ :
I quite liked the Roast Pumpkin & Feta Salad but I hardly ever not like any salad with rocket leaves. The roasted pumpkin was yummy. The Tofu was just ok, nothing special about it.
For the main course, I had the Soft Bone Pork Risotto $23.00++ :
Ok not quite what I expected... the soft bone was edible! The risotto itself was a little on the salty side but totally filling. Could barely finish it. Would probably not order it again though - the soft bone is really not my thing.
Gerry had the Crabmeat Linguini $19.80++ which is one of their famous dishes :
which was interesting - the sauce was very much like chilli crab sauce. I had a taste of it and quite liked it.
Meips had the Stuffed Quail $29.00++ :
I was kinda expecting a whole quail (with head and wings and all) but thank goodness it ended up like this instead. It was filled with ham if I remember correctly - which made it a very filling main course too. It was quite a meat fest :)
Girls cannot get together without having dessert... so of course we ordered two to try - Dark Lava Chocolate Gateau $10.00++ :
and their famous Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake $9.80++
The chocolate cake was baked well - with just the right amount of chocolate oozing out... and I just love how the strawberry cheesecake is served in a martini glass - more for the novelty and presentation than anything else, coz it's quite a pain to eat from.
The food was consistently good, with some interesting creations that are worth trying... Service was much improved from the last time I was here (the waiter was very earnest about filling up our glasses of water).
A nice place for a Girl's Nite Out or a romantic dinner :)
Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily
10A Upper Wilkie Road
S228819
Tel : 6339 9448
www.wildrocket.com.sg
We ordered two starters to share - Roast Pumpkin & Feta Salad $11.50++ :
and Deep Fried Tofu $9.50++ :
I quite liked the Roast Pumpkin & Feta Salad but I hardly ever not like any salad with rocket leaves. The roasted pumpkin was yummy. The Tofu was just ok, nothing special about it.
For the main course, I had the Soft Bone Pork Risotto $23.00++ :
Ok not quite what I expected... the soft bone was edible! The risotto itself was a little on the salty side but totally filling. Could barely finish it. Would probably not order it again though - the soft bone is really not my thing.
Gerry had the Crabmeat Linguini $19.80++ which is one of their famous dishes :
which was interesting - the sauce was very much like chilli crab sauce. I had a taste of it and quite liked it.
Meips had the Stuffed Quail $29.00++ :
I was kinda expecting a whole quail (with head and wings and all) but thank goodness it ended up like this instead. It was filled with ham if I remember correctly - which made it a very filling main course too. It was quite a meat fest :)
Girls cannot get together without having dessert... so of course we ordered two to try - Dark Lava Chocolate Gateau $10.00++ :
and their famous Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake $9.80++
The chocolate cake was baked well - with just the right amount of chocolate oozing out... and I just love how the strawberry cheesecake is served in a martini glass - more for the novelty and presentation than anything else, coz it's quite a pain to eat from.
The food was consistently good, with some interesting creations that are worth trying... Service was much improved from the last time I was here (the waiter was very earnest about filling up our glasses of water).
A nice place for a Girl's Nite Out or a romantic dinner :)
Wild Rocket @ Mount Emily
10A Upper Wilkie Road
S228819
Tel : 6339 9448
www.wildrocket.com.sg
Friday, November 09, 2007
Kashmir Restaurant
I always get to satisfy my craving for Indian (vegetarian) food when I'm out with K&M :)
This place was pretty quiet when we got there, but filled up soon after - apparently Indians eat dinner pretty late. K&M had been here before so I left the ordering up to them.
The meal started with the waiter bringing over a bowl and poured some water over our hands to wash it before what was surely going to be a "no utensils" meal.
The Wazul Chaman $9+ wasn't very tasty -
Only near the end of the meal did I realise that this was cottage cheese! I thought it was tofu - cottage cheese would explain why it didn't absorb the curry well...
The Tandoori Aloo $6+ was not bad -
Looks like potato skins right? Tasty, not quite sure what the filling actually was though...
The Mixed Vegetables $7+ was the best dish of the night!
Deceptively simple but so yummy! Must have been a million spices in it that gave it the amazing mix of flavour.
K, the pescatarian, wanted some fish so we ordered A. Tali Macchi $9+
And no Indian vegetarian meal is complete without Naan. We ordered 5 to share for $15+ but was way too much for us to finish.
Oops sorry for the blur photo :P
A satisfying meal that was flavourful but not overwhelmingly spicy. Always glad to have K&M to venture with me into Little India :)
Kashmir Restaurant
52 Race Course Road
Singapore 218563
Tel: 6293 6003 / 9666 5329
This place was pretty quiet when we got there, but filled up soon after - apparently Indians eat dinner pretty late. K&M had been here before so I left the ordering up to them.
The meal started with the waiter bringing over a bowl and poured some water over our hands to wash it before what was surely going to be a "no utensils" meal.
The Wazul Chaman $9+ wasn't very tasty -
Only near the end of the meal did I realise that this was cottage cheese! I thought it was tofu - cottage cheese would explain why it didn't absorb the curry well...
The Tandoori Aloo $6+ was not bad -
Looks like potato skins right? Tasty, not quite sure what the filling actually was though...
The Mixed Vegetables $7+ was the best dish of the night!
Deceptively simple but so yummy! Must have been a million spices in it that gave it the amazing mix of flavour.
K, the pescatarian, wanted some fish so we ordered A. Tali Macchi $9+
And no Indian vegetarian meal is complete without Naan. We ordered 5 to share for $15+ but was way too much for us to finish.
Oops sorry for the blur photo :P
A satisfying meal that was flavourful but not overwhelmingly spicy. Always glad to have K&M to venture with me into Little India :)
Kashmir Restaurant
52 Race Course Road
Singapore 218563
Tel: 6293 6003 / 9666 5329
Monday, November 05, 2007
Galbiati Gourmet Deli
Gerry had been here before and really wanted me to try the food... after one failed attempt, we finally made it here one hot Saturday afternoon. A bit out of the way but have car, will travel :)
I was expecting it to be relatively crowded but it was only half empty. Gerry had raved about the Squid Ink Pasta $18 so I had to try it - the last time I had really good squid ink pasta was... with Gerry in Barcelona!
Any dish with squid ink can only be had with good girlfriends coz the squid ink gets all over your mouth, teeth and lips... you can easily use up a whole napkin with the constant wiping. Or maybe I'm just a messy eater :) I digress... the Squid Ink pasta lacked a certain sweetness that I remember from the Squid Ink Pasta in Barcelona. But without that basis of comparison, this was a reasonably tasty pasta. In case you're wondering, the chunky bits is pieces of squid.
Gerry had the Seafood Marinara $18 which was brimming full of seafood -
We also ordered some Antipasti $16 to share -
I love antipasti but it just seems so wrong to pay that much for a simple dish of marinated grilled vegetables... but they just taste so good! I especially love grilled tomatoes and eggplant.
We were pretty stuffed after that carb heavy meal, but could not leave without trying something from their range of desserts. We ended up ordering the Profiteroles $5 -
which were just ok. I should have learnt my lesson by now - everything I see profiteroles, I just have to order it and it never quite meets my expectations. Sigh. The other desserts look good though... I ended up taking away some meringues which were heavenly.
A option when you feel like Italian deli food but want to be served (Da Paolo Deli is great but you can't sit down and eat a full meal there). Service was attentive and prices are pretty reasonable... if only it wasn't so out of the way...
Galbiati Gourmet Deli
400 Upper Bukit Timah Road
The Rail Mall S678050
Tel: 6462 0926
I was expecting it to be relatively crowded but it was only half empty. Gerry had raved about the Squid Ink Pasta $18 so I had to try it - the last time I had really good squid ink pasta was... with Gerry in Barcelona!
Any dish with squid ink can only be had with good girlfriends coz the squid ink gets all over your mouth, teeth and lips... you can easily use up a whole napkin with the constant wiping. Or maybe I'm just a messy eater :) I digress... the Squid Ink pasta lacked a certain sweetness that I remember from the Squid Ink Pasta in Barcelona. But without that basis of comparison, this was a reasonably tasty pasta. In case you're wondering, the chunky bits is pieces of squid.
Gerry had the Seafood Marinara $18 which was brimming full of seafood -
We also ordered some Antipasti $16 to share -
I love antipasti but it just seems so wrong to pay that much for a simple dish of marinated grilled vegetables... but they just taste so good! I especially love grilled tomatoes and eggplant.
We were pretty stuffed after that carb heavy meal, but could not leave without trying something from their range of desserts. We ended up ordering the Profiteroles $5 -
which were just ok. I should have learnt my lesson by now - everything I see profiteroles, I just have to order it and it never quite meets my expectations. Sigh. The other desserts look good though... I ended up taking away some meringues which were heavenly.
A option when you feel like Italian deli food but want to be served (Da Paolo Deli is great but you can't sit down and eat a full meal there). Service was attentive and prices are pretty reasonable... if only it wasn't so out of the way...
Galbiati Gourmet Deli
400 Upper Bukit Timah Road
The Rail Mall S678050
Tel: 6462 0926
Friday, November 02, 2007
Kelong Seafood & BBQ
I've been coming to Holland Village for years but only ever eaten at this corner coffeeshop once. Met Audrey at Holland V one evening and was craving tze char so we ended up eating here.
Both of us have never had Beef Sheng Mian $8 before so we decided to give it a try -
and it was pretty good! A huge portion that the two of us could not finish - or maybe our stomachs were particularly small that day.
With the display of Wu Xiang staring at us, we just had to order some -
My fav is the prawn cracker thing :)
Reasonably priced food and tastes pretty good too. An option when you're craving tze char in Holland Village...
Both of us have never had Beef Sheng Mian $8 before so we decided to give it a try -
and it was pretty good! A huge portion that the two of us could not finish - or maybe our stomachs were particularly small that day.
With the display of Wu Xiang staring at us, we just had to order some -
My fav is the prawn cracker thing :)
Reasonably priced food and tastes pretty good too. An option when you're craving tze char in Holland Village...
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Ming Kee Live Seafood
The trip here was at Sandy's request - she read about this place on Chubby Hubby's blog. This place is supposed to be famous for it's crab bee hoon but Sandy was leaving for the UK and just could not leave the country for a year without having Chilli Crab one last time -
At $38 per kg, this 1.3kg crab cost $49.40. It was fresh with lots of flesh so can't complain... the chilli sauce was unremarkable though. But we still had it with fried buns (man tou) :)
We also had Sweet and Sour Fish $12 -
and Home-style Tofu $8 -
Seemed a bit of a waste to deep fry such fresh fish to make the sweet and sour fish... the beancurd was pretty soft and very tasty. Way way WAY too much food for two girls, but we did a pretty decent job of finishing up most of it :)
The food was pretty decent, but after reading Chubby Hubby's post on how good the Crab Bee Hoon was, I think I'll have to make a trip back here to try it soon...
Ming Kee Live Seafood
556 Macpherson Road
Tel: 6747 4075
At $38 per kg, this 1.3kg crab cost $49.40. It was fresh with lots of flesh so can't complain... the chilli sauce was unremarkable though. But we still had it with fried buns (man tou) :)
We also had Sweet and Sour Fish $12 -
and Home-style Tofu $8 -
Seemed a bit of a waste to deep fry such fresh fish to make the sweet and sour fish... the beancurd was pretty soft and very tasty. Way way WAY too much food for two girls, but we did a pretty decent job of finishing up most of it :)
The food was pretty decent, but after reading Chubby Hubby's post on how good the Crab Bee Hoon was, I think I'll have to make a trip back here to try it soon...
Ming Kee Live Seafood
556 Macpherson Road
Tel: 6747 4075
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Margarita's (Dempsey)
It was Ennie's birthday and she requested to eat at Margarita's at Dempsey... which made it the 4th place I tried at Tanglin Village.
The punctual ones (including me, of course) were getting hungry so ordered Nachos $15.90++ and Potato Wedges $5.00++ to snack on first -
I love nachos - a huge cheesy mess! And the wedges were good too - but that's likely coz we were hungry :)
We also ordered for starters Deep Fried Jalapeno Peppers $18.00++ -
I went for the smallest one, thinking I didn't want a big portion... and boy, did I regret it! The smallest jalapeno pepper was also the hottest one! :O While everyone else ate their's without much trouble, my mouth was on fire the moment I had a bite of mine. I had Uncle Leong taste a bit of mine to verify that mine was hotter than everyone else's... but it was really good though! Just don't ever take the smallest one.
For the main course, I had the Fish Burrito $19.90++ which came recommended by some reviewers on hungrygowhere -
And it was as good as they raved about... never had fish burrito before and it's a nice change from the usual meaty burritos - it was tasty and went well with all the usual stuff that goes in a burrito :)
The Kitchen Sink Burrito $19.90++ -
well, not that you can see it, but it had everything including the kitchen sink in it :) I love that name!
The many bad reviews in hungrygowhere are totally true - it was not easy getting service (but the food came pretty fast), and the place gets amazingly noisy. The food was not too bad but I think I prefer the food at Café Iguana - and it's got better ambience and service too!
Do make reservations if you intend to try this place, they are packed even on a weekday night.
Margarita's (Dempsey)
11 Dempsey Road
#01-19 Tanglin Village
S249673
Tel: 6471 3228
The punctual ones (including me, of course) were getting hungry so ordered Nachos $15.90++ and Potato Wedges $5.00++ to snack on first -
I love nachos - a huge cheesy mess! And the wedges were good too - but that's likely coz we were hungry :)
We also ordered for starters Deep Fried Jalapeno Peppers $18.00++ -
I went for the smallest one, thinking I didn't want a big portion... and boy, did I regret it! The smallest jalapeno pepper was also the hottest one! :O While everyone else ate their's without much trouble, my mouth was on fire the moment I had a bite of mine. I had Uncle Leong taste a bit of mine to verify that mine was hotter than everyone else's... but it was really good though! Just don't ever take the smallest one.
For the main course, I had the Fish Burrito $19.90++ which came recommended by some reviewers on hungrygowhere -
And it was as good as they raved about... never had fish burrito before and it's a nice change from the usual meaty burritos - it was tasty and went well with all the usual stuff that goes in a burrito :)
The Kitchen Sink Burrito $19.90++ -
well, not that you can see it, but it had everything including the kitchen sink in it :) I love that name!
The many bad reviews in hungrygowhere are totally true - it was not easy getting service (but the food came pretty fast), and the place gets amazingly noisy. The food was not too bad but I think I prefer the food at Café Iguana - and it's got better ambience and service too!
Do make reservations if you intend to try this place, they are packed even on a weekday night.
Margarita's (Dempsey)
11 Dempsey Road
#01-19 Tanglin Village
S249673
Tel: 6471 3228
Monday, October 22, 2007
Marmalade Pantry (Hitachi Tower)
I've never actually had a proper meal at Marmalade Pantry, just brunch and desserts... so was quite pleased to finally get a chance to try the food here.
One of the most popular dishes here is the Linguini with Crabmeat Tomato Chilli & Pinenuts (all six people at the next table ordered it) but I decided to buck the trend and ordered the Ultimate Beef Burger $19.00+++ instead :
The burger was not as juicy as I would have liked it but the fries were yummy, the other gals just could not stop picking them off my plate :)
Of course, someone at our table also had to order the Linguini with Crabmeat Tomato Chilli & Pinenuts $19.00+++, so I managed to sneak a try -
It was ok, I guess... don't really see why it's so popular. Maybe I'll feel differently when I'm having a carb craving...
The Sticky Date Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream $10.00+++ was not too bad -
but I think the one at Brown Sugar Bistro Café is still the best I've had.
Service was pretty attentive but the place tends to get a bit noisy during lunchtime. A welcomed alternative lunch venue for the people working down at Raffles Place.
Marmalade Pantry
16 Collyer Quay
Unit 01-04 Hitachi Tower
Singapore 049318
Tel : 6438 5015
One of the most popular dishes here is the Linguini with Crabmeat Tomato Chilli & Pinenuts (all six people at the next table ordered it) but I decided to buck the trend and ordered the Ultimate Beef Burger $19.00+++ instead :
The burger was not as juicy as I would have liked it but the fries were yummy, the other gals just could not stop picking them off my plate :)
Of course, someone at our table also had to order the Linguini with Crabmeat Tomato Chilli & Pinenuts $19.00+++, so I managed to sneak a try -
It was ok, I guess... don't really see why it's so popular. Maybe I'll feel differently when I'm having a carb craving...
The Sticky Date Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream $10.00+++ was not too bad -
but I think the one at Brown Sugar Bistro Café is still the best I've had.
Service was pretty attentive but the place tends to get a bit noisy during lunchtime. A welcomed alternative lunch venue for the people working down at Raffles Place.
Marmalade Pantry
16 Collyer Quay
Unit 01-04 Hitachi Tower
Singapore 049318
Tel : 6438 5015
Friday, October 19, 2007
Hooters
Yes, I went to Hooters of my own free will :)
The problem with Clarke Quay is that the restaurants there are not particularly good and not particularly cheap. Dining at Clarke Quay is more about experience / theme dining than good food. Decided to go to Hooters coz I haven't eaten here in a looong time and well, it's relatively cheap compared to the other places in Clarke Quay...
We weren't that hungry so just ordered the Sampler Platter $34.90+++ and Curly Fries $3.90+++ to share :
The Sampler Platter didn't look like much but we were pretty stuffed when we were done - it had prawns (relatively big and fresh), crab legs (I always feel it's not worth the effort), buffalo shrimps (supposed to be in some special sauces but it was pretty plain) and some wings... the wings were pretty plain tasting, I kinda expected something spicy. I nearly always order curly fries when I see it, but these were plain too - drowned them in chilli sauce.
All in all, the food is nothing to shout about but it was a decent meal. Just try not to get too annoyed with the girls in tight tops and short shorts speaking unintelligibly...
Hooters
3D River Valley Road
#01-03 Shophouse Row
Clarke Quay Singapore 179023
Tel : 63321090
www.hooters.com.sg
The problem with Clarke Quay is that the restaurants there are not particularly good and not particularly cheap. Dining at Clarke Quay is more about experience / theme dining than good food. Decided to go to Hooters coz I haven't eaten here in a looong time and well, it's relatively cheap compared to the other places in Clarke Quay...
We weren't that hungry so just ordered the Sampler Platter $34.90+++ and Curly Fries $3.90+++ to share :
The Sampler Platter didn't look like much but we were pretty stuffed when we were done - it had prawns (relatively big and fresh), crab legs (I always feel it's not worth the effort), buffalo shrimps (supposed to be in some special sauces but it was pretty plain) and some wings... the wings were pretty plain tasting, I kinda expected something spicy. I nearly always order curly fries when I see it, but these were plain too - drowned them in chilli sauce.
All in all, the food is nothing to shout about but it was a decent meal. Just try not to get too annoyed with the girls in tight tops and short shorts speaking unintelligibly...
Hooters
3D River Valley Road
#01-03 Shophouse Row
Clarke Quay Singapore 179023
Tel : 63321090
www.hooters.com.sg
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Barracks
G could not think of a place to go for X's birthday tea so I suggested trying this place out... also giving me the opportunity to blog about a new place :) G made reservations in advance and were given a greenhouse-type room with floor to ceiling glass windows all around. But G&X decided that it would be too noisy coz it's enclosed (and we tend to talk really loudly sometimes), so we moved to a table in the main dining area instead.
The wait staff here are dressed in school uniforms - cute idea for the girls, but the guys looked too bizarre as some of them are a bit on the old side... but some of the girls actually look like there were of school-going age. In case you are thinking of going there to perv, the latest review said that they are no longer in school uniforms...
Forgot to bring my camera so had to use K's handphone camera - thanks, K! We were there for tea so only managed to try the desserts. The desserts all came served in mess tins - I had the Peanut Butter Cake $11+++ (right) and that's the Bergamot Pound Cake $7+++ on the left :
The Peanut Butter Cake was good, but not quite enough peanut butter to satisfy my peanut butter craving. A bit disturbing to have childish hundreds and thousands on a elegant, grown-up Bergamot Pound Cake, but the cake was good with just a hint of earl grey tea.
Also tried the Green Tea Tofu Tiramisu $9.50+++,
Big Barracks Strawberry Shortcake $9.50+++ and Carrot Cake $8+++ :
Nothing spectacular about the Green Tea Tiramisu and I'm so not a fan of Carrot Cake. The Strawberry Shortcake was my 2nd choice for dessert so I was glad I managed to take a bite of it - it was pretty good!
Plenty of other desserts on the menu that I wanted to try but didn't have enough stomach room for - Chendol Pannacotta, Chocolate Almond Cake, Triple Chocolate Brownie... and the rest of the menu sounds really interesting and will probably be back to try more stuff.
Service was a bit inconsistent - the staff (especially the younger ones) didn't know the menu as well as they should, but they were extremely attentive with topping up our glasses of water.
Nice ambience with a creative menu, worth a visit.
Barracks
8D Dempsey Road
#01-01 to 06 Tanglin Village (Dempsey Road)
Singapore 249672
Tel: 6475 7787 / 6479 9212
www.dempseyhouse.com
The wait staff here are dressed in school uniforms - cute idea for the girls, but the guys looked too bizarre as some of them are a bit on the old side... but some of the girls actually look like there were of school-going age. In case you are thinking of going there to perv, the latest review said that they are no longer in school uniforms...
Forgot to bring my camera so had to use K's handphone camera - thanks, K! We were there for tea so only managed to try the desserts. The desserts all came served in mess tins - I had the Peanut Butter Cake $11+++ (right) and that's the Bergamot Pound Cake $7+++ on the left :
The Peanut Butter Cake was good, but not quite enough peanut butter to satisfy my peanut butter craving. A bit disturbing to have childish hundreds and thousands on a elegant, grown-up Bergamot Pound Cake, but the cake was good with just a hint of earl grey tea.
Also tried the Green Tea Tofu Tiramisu $9.50+++,
Big Barracks Strawberry Shortcake $9.50+++ and Carrot Cake $8+++ :
Nothing spectacular about the Green Tea Tiramisu and I'm so not a fan of Carrot Cake. The Strawberry Shortcake was my 2nd choice for dessert so I was glad I managed to take a bite of it - it was pretty good!
Plenty of other desserts on the menu that I wanted to try but didn't have enough stomach room for - Chendol Pannacotta, Chocolate Almond Cake, Triple Chocolate Brownie... and the rest of the menu sounds really interesting and will probably be back to try more stuff.
Service was a bit inconsistent - the staff (especially the younger ones) didn't know the menu as well as they should, but they were extremely attentive with topping up our glasses of water.
Nice ambience with a creative menu, worth a visit.
Barracks
8D Dempsey Road
#01-01 to 06 Tanglin Village (Dempsey Road)
Singapore 249672
Tel: 6475 7787 / 6479 9212
www.dempseyhouse.com
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Mango Onde Onde from Hui Lau San
On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I discovered what I have since renamed Mango Onde Onde. Hui Lau San is a mango dessert place that I go to at least once every day when I'm in Hong Kong. Victor recommended that we try this new creation, and I have to admit I was really hesistant about it...
but it is heavenly.
I'm a huge mango fan, and I love onde onde (anything the same consistency as tangyuan, remember? :) so I totally fell in love with this. The filling is fresh mango puree and the kueh itself is also mango flavoured. I'm so going to have an insane amount of it the next time I'm in Hong Kong...
Thanks Jovie, for bringing this box back for me! :)
but it is heavenly.
I'm a huge mango fan, and I love onde onde (anything the same consistency as tangyuan, remember? :) so I totally fell in love with this. The filling is fresh mango puree and the kueh itself is also mango flavoured. I'm so going to have an insane amount of it the next time I'm in Hong Kong...
Thanks Jovie, for bringing this box back for me! :)
Friday, October 05, 2007
Food For Thought
Yet another place that I read on ieatishootipost that I just had to check out... so arranged to meet S here for dinner one evening.
It's easy to miss this place if you're not looking out for it... and it's tiny, can fit all of maybe 20 plus people, but the size does add to the cosiness of the place.
We figured the Sampler Platter for two was the best option. For $19.90, you get 3 sandwiches, 2 soups and 1 salad.
For the salad, we went with the Chinese Chicken Caesar -
which we both loved! All the little details make this caesar salad one of the best I've ever had - the crispy anchovies, hard boiled eggs with soft yolks, the little slivers of deep fried garlic which imparts a delicate taste to the salad... and the sesame ginger soya sauce dressing puts the ultimate final touch to this yummy salad. Oh, and there was chicken and some greens too! :)
So we're supposed to get two soups but I only remember having one... maybe they ran out of the other soup we wanted? In any case we had this Pumpkin soup (at least I think it was pumpkin) -
Huge portion even for two persons... but the soup itself, I didn't like all that much.
For the sandwiches, we went with Chorizo Sausages (left), Slow Roasted Pulled Pork (top right) and Roast Beef (bottom right) -
I love how the sandwich is deconstructed... I normally eat my sandwiches that way anyway :) I was expecting to be wowed by the fillings, but while they were pretty good, they were not memorable.
Their philosophy on dessert is to source from cottage industries in the community, which means it's all homemade goodies! We were totally spoiled for choice and got a sugar rush from just looking at the array of desserts... we eventually settled on these two : Nutella Cupcake and some form of Rocky Road -
The (huge) amount of sugar made the small portions just right :)
We felt really comfortable despite it being our first time there... there was just such a welcoming and warm atmosphere here. And with the reasonable prices and good food, this is surely a place to revisit over and over again.
Food for Thought
420 North Bridge Road
North Bridge Centre #01-06
Singapore 188727
Tel : 6338 8724
www.foodforthought.com.sg
It's easy to miss this place if you're not looking out for it... and it's tiny, can fit all of maybe 20 plus people, but the size does add to the cosiness of the place.
We figured the Sampler Platter for two was the best option. For $19.90, you get 3 sandwiches, 2 soups and 1 salad.
For the salad, we went with the Chinese Chicken Caesar -
which we both loved! All the little details make this caesar salad one of the best I've ever had - the crispy anchovies, hard boiled eggs with soft yolks, the little slivers of deep fried garlic which imparts a delicate taste to the salad... and the sesame ginger soya sauce dressing puts the ultimate final touch to this yummy salad. Oh, and there was chicken and some greens too! :)
So we're supposed to get two soups but I only remember having one... maybe they ran out of the other soup we wanted? In any case we had this Pumpkin soup (at least I think it was pumpkin) -
Huge portion even for two persons... but the soup itself, I didn't like all that much.
For the sandwiches, we went with Chorizo Sausages (left), Slow Roasted Pulled Pork (top right) and Roast Beef (bottom right) -
I love how the sandwich is deconstructed... I normally eat my sandwiches that way anyway :) I was expecting to be wowed by the fillings, but while they were pretty good, they were not memorable.
Their philosophy on dessert is to source from cottage industries in the community, which means it's all homemade goodies! We were totally spoiled for choice and got a sugar rush from just looking at the array of desserts... we eventually settled on these two : Nutella Cupcake and some form of Rocky Road -
The (huge) amount of sugar made the small portions just right :)
We felt really comfortable despite it being our first time there... there was just such a welcoming and warm atmosphere here. And with the reasonable prices and good food, this is surely a place to revisit over and over again.
Food for Thought
420 North Bridge Road
North Bridge Centre #01-06
Singapore 188727
Tel : 6338 8724
www.foodforthought.com.sg
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