Sunday, December 20, 2009
Merry Christmas...
and a Happy New Year! Am off for a holiday so no posts till 2010. To more good eats in the new year :)
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Freddie's Burger
I heard about this place and decided to try it out for lunch one day. The place itself was quite small and only had a few seats, but I didn't really care as I was buying back anyways ;)
I decided to go for the "Aussie" - grilled Australian beef burger with fried egg, cheddar cheese and smoked BBQ sauce. I'm a total sucker for curly fries so of course I had to order the combo meal at $6.50. There was a special promo for a dollar off a combo meal so that made the price palatable (sorry for the bad pun :P).
The burger itself was actually not bad. The burger and egg combination made it a substantial meal - my colleagues who ordered other burgers weren't as impressed with their burgers. The curly fries were just so-so.
Some Aussie colleagues were so inspired by our lunch that they went to buy them too!
Not great enough for me to want to eat it often, but a good alternative when I'm craving a burger but want something a little better than Burger King...
Freddie's Burger
1 Raffles Place
Unit B1-12 OUB Centre
www.freddiesburger.com
I decided to go for the "Aussie" - grilled Australian beef burger with fried egg, cheddar cheese and smoked BBQ sauce. I'm a total sucker for curly fries so of course I had to order the combo meal at $6.50. There was a special promo for a dollar off a combo meal so that made the price palatable (sorry for the bad pun :P).
The burger itself was actually not bad. The burger and egg combination made it a substantial meal - my colleagues who ordered other burgers weren't as impressed with their burgers. The curly fries were just so-so.
Some Aussie colleagues were so inspired by our lunch that they went to buy them too!
Not great enough for me to want to eat it often, but a good alternative when I'm craving a burger but want something a little better than Burger King...
Freddie's Burger
1 Raffles Place
Unit B1-12 OUB Centre
www.freddiesburger.com
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Cafe L'Espresso (Goodwood Hotel)
Was looking for somewhere to bring my mum for high tea for her birthday and decided on this place after having read quite a few good reviews on hungrygowhere.com. Was not disappointed at all.
I made reservations and we were given a table right next to the buffet spread - perfect coz it meant we didn't need to walk so far to get food :D Our orders for drinks were taken pretty quickly (tea of course!) then it was off to see what was on offer...
The spread was not very extensive but everything looked gorgeous! Plenty of little sandwiches, tortilla wraps and croissants. My first plate looked like this -
My favourite was the Salmon Mille Feuille with Caviar - I had quite a few of this. Just take a minute to think about the effort that went into preparing this, the layer after layer of smoked salmon in between layers of (possibly) cream cheese... and then topped with a delicate amount of caviar. It was exquisitely light that it felt like you were eating nothing. The foie gras one was quite good too...
For the second round, I tried more sandwiches and also a few of the deep fried munchies that was available -
Nothing on this plate stood out, but that is not to say that nothing was good :) Had a plate of repeats, hence the lack of a picture... and then it was on to dessert!
The spread of the desserts were inviting, but the tiny sandwiches filled up more space in my stomach then I expected so I only managed to try a few things. The Mango Pomelo Sago in the shot glass wasn't that great, but other than that, everything was yums.
Of course I had to try the scones and chocolate fountain too :)
The scones were good!
The place was packed despite it being a weekday afternoon, so reservations are definitely a must. Service was not particularly attentive, but I reckon my experience was more the exception than the norm here. I feel it's very good value despite the small spread, as the quality of the food is high and worth the price of S$33++ per person.
Cafe L'Espresso
22 Scotts Road
GF Goodwood Park Hotel
Tel : 6730 1743
I made reservations and we were given a table right next to the buffet spread - perfect coz it meant we didn't need to walk so far to get food :D Our orders for drinks were taken pretty quickly (tea of course!) then it was off to see what was on offer...
The spread was not very extensive but everything looked gorgeous! Plenty of little sandwiches, tortilla wraps and croissants. My first plate looked like this -
My favourite was the Salmon Mille Feuille with Caviar - I had quite a few of this. Just take a minute to think about the effort that went into preparing this, the layer after layer of smoked salmon in between layers of (possibly) cream cheese... and then topped with a delicate amount of caviar. It was exquisitely light that it felt like you were eating nothing. The foie gras one was quite good too...
For the second round, I tried more sandwiches and also a few of the deep fried munchies that was available -
Nothing on this plate stood out, but that is not to say that nothing was good :) Had a plate of repeats, hence the lack of a picture... and then it was on to dessert!
The spread of the desserts were inviting, but the tiny sandwiches filled up more space in my stomach then I expected so I only managed to try a few things. The Mango Pomelo Sago in the shot glass wasn't that great, but other than that, everything was yums.
Of course I had to try the scones and chocolate fountain too :)
The scones were good!
The place was packed despite it being a weekday afternoon, so reservations are definitely a must. Service was not particularly attentive, but I reckon my experience was more the exception than the norm here. I feel it's very good value despite the small spread, as the quality of the food is high and worth the price of S$33++ per person.
Cafe L'Espresso
22 Scotts Road
GF Goodwood Park Hotel
Tel : 6730 1743
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Ristorante de Parma
The usual carb / pizza craving brought me here. Nice ambience, tucked away in a quieter corner of Serangoon Gardens.
The starter - Fungo di Portobello $14.90++:
The mushroom was nice and 'meaty', but somehow paying over $15 for a single mushroom just seems wrong...
Went with the classic Margherita Pizza :
It was quite good - the crust was thin, the way I like it, and the tomato sauce was sweet without being overtly so. Think they used fresh and authentic ingredients and it shines through in the finished product. Can't remember the price, but was pretty sure it was reasonable.
Will probably come back again, but stick to the pizzas... and maybe try the pastas.
Ristorante de Parma
14B Kensington Park Road
Serangoon Garden Estate
Tel: 6281 3380
The starter - Fungo di Portobello $14.90++:
The mushroom was nice and 'meaty', but somehow paying over $15 for a single mushroom just seems wrong...
Went with the classic Margherita Pizza :
It was quite good - the crust was thin, the way I like it, and the tomato sauce was sweet without being overtly so. Think they used fresh and authentic ingredients and it shines through in the finished product. Can't remember the price, but was pretty sure it was reasonable.
Will probably come back again, but stick to the pizzas... and maybe try the pastas.
Ristorante de Parma
14B Kensington Park Road
Serangoon Garden Estate
Tel: 6281 3380
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Spruce
Came here for brunch during my birthday celebrations. C made a reservation so we got a private room that was long and narrow with nice photograph Pros of the private room - erm, the privacy. Cons - stuck with just one server, and he just so happens to be a really lousy one... more on this later.
Of course boring, old me will order The Spruce Big Brekkie $16 (Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Roasted Tomatoes, Grilled Vegetables, Roasted Mushrooms with Toast and Butter) -
Oh, it was just normal. I was probably just craving breakfast that day, but I should so order other things than my usual... luckily, we ordered a few more things to share...
I read somewhere that the Ahi Tuna Tartar with Toasted Ciabatta and Avocado $21 was good so I made it a point to order it as one of the sharing dishes -
And it really was very very good! The tuna was very fresh and went really well with the avocado on the ciabatta toast. A bit on the expensive side, but a definite must order if you come here.
Also tried the Waffle $5 -
And Banana Hotcakes, Honeycomb Butter and Blueberry Syrup $13 -
Both were not too bad, but not spectacular.
Also tried the Creamy Macaroni and Cheese $7 -
which was quite yummy. Not too rich, and at a good price too.
I tried the Arnold Palmer -
when we asked the waiter, he told us that it was half lemonade and half ice tea. Apparently, and obviously enough, invested by Arnold Palmer the golf player. A nice refreshing drink! And perfect for me as I love ice tea and anything sour :D
So back to the service that I talked about in the beginning of the post... the server we had was completely hopeless. He took forever to get our orders, then half an hour later, comes back to let us know that one of the orders were not available. We were damn hungry and horrified to find out that half an hour later, the kitchen had not even started preparing our food! We asked him for some bread as we were seriously starving by this point, but by the time he brought the bread, the food already came. Not that the food came that quickly, but that the waiter took that long to bring us some bread!
We all liked the food - well-prepared, tasty and decently priced and hope to come back again to try more dishes... and hope that we get a better waiter the next time?
Spruce
320 Tanglin Road
Phoenix Park
Tel : 6836 5528
Of course boring, old me will order The Spruce Big Brekkie $16 (Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Roasted Tomatoes, Grilled Vegetables, Roasted Mushrooms with Toast and Butter) -
Oh, it was just normal. I was probably just craving breakfast that day, but I should so order other things than my usual... luckily, we ordered a few more things to share...
I read somewhere that the Ahi Tuna Tartar with Toasted Ciabatta and Avocado $21 was good so I made it a point to order it as one of the sharing dishes -
And it really was very very good! The tuna was very fresh and went really well with the avocado on the ciabatta toast. A bit on the expensive side, but a definite must order if you come here.
Also tried the Waffle $5 -
And Banana Hotcakes, Honeycomb Butter and Blueberry Syrup $13 -
Both were not too bad, but not spectacular.
Also tried the Creamy Macaroni and Cheese $7 -
which was quite yummy. Not too rich, and at a good price too.
I tried the Arnold Palmer -
when we asked the waiter, he told us that it was half lemonade and half ice tea. Apparently, and obviously enough, invested by Arnold Palmer the golf player. A nice refreshing drink! And perfect for me as I love ice tea and anything sour :D
So back to the service that I talked about in the beginning of the post... the server we had was completely hopeless. He took forever to get our orders, then half an hour later, comes back to let us know that one of the orders were not available. We were damn hungry and horrified to find out that half an hour later, the kitchen had not even started preparing our food! We asked him for some bread as we were seriously starving by this point, but by the time he brought the bread, the food already came. Not that the food came that quickly, but that the waiter took that long to bring us some bread!
We all liked the food - well-prepared, tasty and decently priced and hope to come back again to try more dishes... and hope that we get a better waiter the next time?
Spruce
320 Tanglin Road
Phoenix Park
Tel : 6836 5528
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee
A second attempt at lunching in - someone suggested the very famous Hokkien mee at Old Airport Road, so we sent a colleague there in a cab to buy back for the rest of us :)
We were all a little disappointed by the lack of sambal chilli and the small portion... but the noodles were so tasty that we got over the lack of sambal chilli. I liked the fact that there was just the right amount of gravy - just enough to keep it moist but not watery. Decent number of liao (ingredients) and relatively big and fresh prawns.
As for the small portion, we decided that the next time we would order one and a half packets each :D did I mention that my colleagues are big eaters?...
Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee
Old Airport Road Food Centre
#01-32
We were all a little disappointed by the lack of sambal chilli and the small portion... but the noodles were so tasty that we got over the lack of sambal chilli. I liked the fact that there was just the right amount of gravy - just enough to keep it moist but not watery. Decent number of liao (ingredients) and relatively big and fresh prawns.
As for the small portion, we decided that the next time we would order one and a half packets each :D did I mention that my colleagues are big eaters?...
Nam Sing Hokkien Fried Mee
Old Airport Road Food Centre
#01-32
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Allaudin's Briyani
A bunch of us in the office decided to have a weekly regular lunch-in where we would have something special for lunch and we started with ordering Nasi Briyani $4.50 from this supposedly famous nasi briyani stall at Tekka Market. I was told the mutton one was better than the chicken so that was the one I ordered.
We were super excited when the delivery arrived...
It looks kinda sad huh? The piece of mutton was hidden under the briyani rice, and while it was tender and tasty, it was a really small piece. The curry and rice were ok, but not spectacular. A few of my colleagues have really big appetites (they are females, mind you) and were quite unsatisfied by this meal.
Not a great start to our weekly lunching-in sessions but we perservered :) most lunching-in posts to come!
Allauddin's Briyani
Block 665 Buffalo Road
#01-297 Tekka Centre
We were super excited when the delivery arrived...
It looks kinda sad huh? The piece of mutton was hidden under the briyani rice, and while it was tender and tasty, it was a really small piece. The curry and rice were ok, but not spectacular. A few of my colleagues have really big appetites (they are females, mind you) and were quite unsatisfied by this meal.
Not a great start to our weekly lunching-in sessions but we perservered :) most lunching-in posts to come!
Allauddin's Briyani
Block 665 Buffalo Road
#01-297 Tekka Centre
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Picotin
Haven't been blogging for ages - partly coz of all the stupid computer issues (couldn't upload pictures). Today is one of those days when it's miraculously working so here I am. Just a short post this time.
Was here with some girlfriends on the National Day weekend (yes, backlog of posts as usual) but we were too late for breakfast so ended up ordering a main. I ordered the Seared Tuna Steak -
The waiter asked me how I wanted my tuna steak done, which I was totally confused about (and he had to ask me twice) coz isn't it the chef who decides how "seared" the tuna steak is?? So I mumbled "medium well" and the tuna steak came pretty much cooked right through. Not quite the light and healthy meal that I originally wanted... The eggplant mush that the tuna steak was sitting on was lovely though!
Now that I'm blogging about this, I did a quick google and found that you actually are supposed to decide how done the tuna steak is. Oh well, so I'm a plebeian :D
The service here wasn't great - they weren't very helpful and got orders mixed up. A friend has actually witnessed the manager shrieking at the staff in full view of customers... nice atmosphere though, with the stables nearby. Not that keen on coming back.
Picotin
100 Turf Club Road
Singapore 287992
Tel: +65 6877 119
www.picotin.com.sg
Was here with some girlfriends on the National Day weekend (yes, backlog of posts as usual) but we were too late for breakfast so ended up ordering a main. I ordered the Seared Tuna Steak -
The waiter asked me how I wanted my tuna steak done, which I was totally confused about (and he had to ask me twice) coz isn't it the chef who decides how "seared" the tuna steak is?? So I mumbled "medium well" and the tuna steak came pretty much cooked right through. Not quite the light and healthy meal that I originally wanted... The eggplant mush that the tuna steak was sitting on was lovely though!
Now that I'm blogging about this, I did a quick google and found that you actually are supposed to decide how done the tuna steak is. Oh well, so I'm a plebeian :D
The service here wasn't great - they weren't very helpful and got orders mixed up. A friend has actually witnessed the manager shrieking at the staff in full view of customers... nice atmosphere though, with the stables nearby. Not that keen on coming back.
Picotin
100 Turf Club Road
Singapore 287992
Tel: +65 6877 119
www.picotin.com.sg
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Skinny Pizza
Wanted to try this place out for lunch - the churros displayed at the entrance caught my eye. They had a set lunch but it seemed like way too much food so we settled for just one pizza, the Salami & Pesto Pizza (salami, roast capsicum pesto, crumbled goat's cheese, chopped green olives, fresh basil) $18++ :
So the pizza's here are "skinny" in that the crust is really thin - more like crakers than pizza. A light meal, perfect to prevent the mid afternoon sleepies. I loved the very generous ingredients and the heaps and heaps of arugula leaves. Not the most substantial meal but perfect when you don't want to a heavy lunch.
We also tried the Spanish Donuts (Churros) with Chocolate Fondue $5.50++ -
which were pretty disappointing. The chocolate came in a fondue pot but the chocolate used was not that great...
Service was quite attentive and this is a nice place to chill out in. Wouldn't mind coming back again.
Skinny Pizza
3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-002 Suntec City Galleria
Tel: +65 6333 9774
So the pizza's here are "skinny" in that the crust is really thin - more like crakers than pizza. A light meal, perfect to prevent the mid afternoon sleepies. I loved the very generous ingredients and the heaps and heaps of arugula leaves. Not the most substantial meal but perfect when you don't want to a heavy lunch.
We also tried the Spanish Donuts (Churros) with Chocolate Fondue $5.50++ -
which were pretty disappointing. The chocolate came in a fondue pot but the chocolate used was not that great...
Service was quite attentive and this is a nice place to chill out in. Wouldn't mind coming back again.
Skinny Pizza
3 Temasek Boulevard
#01-002 Suntec City Galleria
Tel: +65 6333 9774
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Singapore Cricket Club - Chicken Rice
We came here for a colleague's farewell lunch - the chicken rice is the lunch special at the Veranday on Thursdays and it's really popular.
It was actually pretty good, very similar to the Chatterbox version. The chicken was tender, the rice flavourful and the chilli was yums. My colleagues are real chilli freaks - we asked for extra portions to share. The set lunch also came with a scoop of ice cream, which makes me feel like such a little kid eating it, but it was a real treat :)
We were the biggest group there but the restaurant really was packed. Guess there is good reason for this place being this popular... unfortunately, you can only go there with members... know any? :)
Singapore Cricket Club
Connaught Drive Singapore 179681
Telephone +65 6338 9271
It was actually pretty good, very similar to the Chatterbox version. The chicken was tender, the rice flavourful and the chilli was yums. My colleagues are real chilli freaks - we asked for extra portions to share. The set lunch also came with a scoop of ice cream, which makes me feel like such a little kid eating it, but it was a real treat :)
We were the biggest group there but the restaurant really was packed. Guess there is good reason for this place being this popular... unfortunately, you can only go there with members... know any? :)
Singapore Cricket Club
Connaught Drive Singapore 179681
Telephone +65 6338 9271
Sunday, August 16, 2009
KPO Cafe Bar
Outta nowhere, blogger suddenly started working again. Pure randomness. Grr.
Time to catch up on old posts... I've actually gotten quite a bit behind, and tried a few new places recently (due to the seemingly never-ending birthday feasting :).
A suggested trying this place out for dinner pretty soon after it first opened. This place got a bit of publicity in the news - part of the old Killiney Road Post Office got converted into this bar / cafe. Apparently it's called KPO not because its at the Killiney Post Office, but because its at the corner of Killiney, Penang and Orchard!
Anyways, I got there pretty early so it was no problem getting a seat. It was very unusual coz the post office and the cafe are actually connected so I was watching people buy stamps while waiting for A to arrive :) The outdoor area looked very chic and perfect for chilling out and having drinks, but it was a warm day and aircon seemed like a much better option...
And now for the food. The menu had a strange combination of normal pub grub as well as local favourites (roti john and hokkien mee). I decided to try the Steak Sandwich :
It was pretty ok - the bread is actually french loaf with a slice of steak in-between. What was really really yums was the potato chips... so we ordered another portion to share.
It's fried thinly sliced potatoes - we could not stop eating it and it took tremendous self control not to order another portion :)
A tried the Breakfast set -
which was pretty normal.
The service was relatively attentive but like many restaurants, they had non-English speaking staff who had to get their English speaking colleagues over when we tried to order something from them.
It was a pretty nice place to chill out, I'm sure it's quite nice to chill out at the outdoor area too. Just don't come here expecting good food - it's mostly a bar after all...
KPO Cafe Bar
1 Killiney Road
Killiney Post Office
Tel : 6733 3648
Time to catch up on old posts... I've actually gotten quite a bit behind, and tried a few new places recently (due to the seemingly never-ending birthday feasting :).
A suggested trying this place out for dinner pretty soon after it first opened. This place got a bit of publicity in the news - part of the old Killiney Road Post Office got converted into this bar / cafe. Apparently it's called KPO not because its at the Killiney Post Office, but because its at the corner of Killiney, Penang and Orchard!
Anyways, I got there pretty early so it was no problem getting a seat. It was very unusual coz the post office and the cafe are actually connected so I was watching people buy stamps while waiting for A to arrive :) The outdoor area looked very chic and perfect for chilling out and having drinks, but it was a warm day and aircon seemed like a much better option...
And now for the food. The menu had a strange combination of normal pub grub as well as local favourites (roti john and hokkien mee). I decided to try the Steak Sandwich :
It was pretty ok - the bread is actually french loaf with a slice of steak in-between. What was really really yums was the potato chips... so we ordered another portion to share.
It's fried thinly sliced potatoes - we could not stop eating it and it took tremendous self control not to order another portion :)
A tried the Breakfast set -
which was pretty normal.
The service was relatively attentive but like many restaurants, they had non-English speaking staff who had to get their English speaking colleagues over when we tried to order something from them.
It was a pretty nice place to chill out, I'm sure it's quite nice to chill out at the outdoor area too. Just don't come here expecting good food - it's mostly a bar after all...
KPO Cafe Bar
1 Killiney Road
Killiney Post Office
Tel : 6733 3648
Monday, August 10, 2009
i.hate.java
The continuing saga of IT issues. Javascript is giving me all sorts of problems again - managed to finally get facebook loading properly but still having issues with blogger.
Managed to add the hamster and fishes the other day when it was still working. Click in the box to give them food :)
Managed to add the hamster and fishes the other day when it was still working. Click in the box to give them food :)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Godiva (VivoCity)
Was at Vivo and feeling indulgent when I decided to try this -
Can't remember the exact name, it's an chocolate ice blended from Godiva. And it cost S$9.90. Yup, nearly twice the price of an ice blended from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
Was it worth the money? Well, every sip was filled with rich chocalate-y goodness with chocolate bits in it, but it wasn't overwhemingly rich... so I guess yeah, it's worth the once-in-a-blue-moon indulgence for the wallet and the waist :)
Plus you can nearly always get a seat here, despite the fact that there is just a few available. Don't see the point in eating the chocolate-coated strawberries... this is more worth it, I reckon.
Godiva (VivoCity)
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-116 VivoCity
Tel: 6273 1611
Can't remember the exact name, it's an chocolate ice blended from Godiva. And it cost S$9.90. Yup, nearly twice the price of an ice blended from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
Was it worth the money? Well, every sip was filled with rich chocalate-y goodness with chocolate bits in it, but it wasn't overwhemingly rich... so I guess yeah, it's worth the once-in-a-blue-moon indulgence for the wallet and the waist :)
Plus you can nearly always get a seat here, despite the fact that there is just a few available. Don't see the point in eating the chocolate-coated strawberries... this is more worth it, I reckon.
Godiva (VivoCity)
1 Harbourfront Walk
#01-116 VivoCity
Tel: 6273 1611
Monday, July 13, 2009
Tatsu Sushi (revisited)
Apologies for the silence - I've had trouble uploading photos the last two weeks. Decided to try today and it works! Yay! So back to the regular programming...
Gerry, Daphne and I met up for Daphne's birthday in May and I suggested this place for dinner. This was one of the first places I blogged about :)
We ordered the Omakase again but it's a much smaller one -
Hmm, my current phone actually takes worse pictures than the phone I had 3 years ago! The sushi itself was not too bad, but not fantastic, and it definitely didn't impress in terms of the presentation.
The birthday girl requested for urchin so we ordered this -
Erm, I didn't try any - it's totally not my thing.
And we also ordered some Tempura to share -
The food here is generally quite good, and the restaurant is small and has a nice quiet ambience so it's a good place to have dinner and catch up with friends. Just be prepared to spend a little more money than usual :)
Tatsu Sushi
30 Victoria Street
#01-16 CHIJMES
Tel : 63325868
Gerry, Daphne and I met up for Daphne's birthday in May and I suggested this place for dinner. This was one of the first places I blogged about :)
We ordered the Omakase again but it's a much smaller one -
Hmm, my current phone actually takes worse pictures than the phone I had 3 years ago! The sushi itself was not too bad, but not fantastic, and it definitely didn't impress in terms of the presentation.
The birthday girl requested for urchin so we ordered this -
Erm, I didn't try any - it's totally not my thing.
And we also ordered some Tempura to share -
The food here is generally quite good, and the restaurant is small and has a nice quiet ambience so it's a good place to have dinner and catch up with friends. Just be prepared to spend a little more money than usual :)
Tatsu Sushi
30 Victoria Street
#01-16 CHIJMES
Tel : 63325868
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Da Mario Pizzeria
I have the occasional carb craving which has to be satisfied with pizza and/or pasta, and it was one of these occasions when I tried this place at Robertson Quay. This place has grown from a hole in the wall restaurant to a relatively big outfit. I remember reading quite a few good reviews about this place when it first opened and was quite curious if the quality was sustained even with the expansion.
To satisfy part 1 of the carb craving, we ordered the Pizza Primavera (tomato, cheese, capsicum, artichoke, button mushrooms, olives) $17++ :
It was a decent pizza... I'm not a fan of olives but big pieces are easy to pick out so no complaints. The artichokes were a nice touch. This pizza was thin-crust, just the way I like it.
To satisfy part 2 of the carb craving, we also ordered one of the specials - Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola sauce and Truffle $18++ :
This was surprisingly yummy - I liked the sauce so much that I tried to wipe up as much of the sauce as I could :) Gorgonzola definitely is an acquired taste but this one wasn't too sharp. The truffle, despite the huge chunks, did not have a strong taste - I guess it was cheap stuff. But it all went together really well.
Ambience was nice, but service left much to be desired. Took forever to get their attention for anything. Not a bad place to have dinner if you are in the area but don't eat here if you have no time or patience for spotty service.
Da Mario Pizzeria
60 Robertson Quay
#01-05/06 The Quayside
Tel: 6235 7623
www.damariopizzeria.com
To satisfy part 1 of the carb craving, we ordered the Pizza Primavera (tomato, cheese, capsicum, artichoke, button mushrooms, olives) $17++ :
It was a decent pizza... I'm not a fan of olives but big pieces are easy to pick out so no complaints. The artichokes were a nice touch. This pizza was thin-crust, just the way I like it.
To satisfy part 2 of the carb craving, we also ordered one of the specials - Pumpkin Ravioli with Gorgonzola sauce and Truffle $18++ :
This was surprisingly yummy - I liked the sauce so much that I tried to wipe up as much of the sauce as I could :) Gorgonzola definitely is an acquired taste but this one wasn't too sharp. The truffle, despite the huge chunks, did not have a strong taste - I guess it was cheap stuff. But it all went together really well.
Ambience was nice, but service left much to be desired. Took forever to get their attention for anything. Not a bad place to have dinner if you are in the area but don't eat here if you have no time or patience for spotty service.
Da Mario Pizzeria
60 Robertson Quay
#01-05/06 The Quayside
Tel: 6235 7623
www.damariopizzeria.com
Monday, June 01, 2009
Shen Ji Seafood Garden
S and I tried this place earlier this year - we had a craving for crab and I did a quick search on ieatishootipost and feeling unadventurous, we decided to try this place at Holland V.
Service was seriously bad - it took forever for us to get any service despite us trying to get the attention of at least 3 different service staff.
The XO Crab Bee Hoon S$22 was pretty impressive when it turned up -
$22 for a whole crab and noodles - a one meal dish. Very worth it and the perfect serving size for two females, we had just this and a poh piah :) The crab had two good sized pincers and were very meaty. The soup was also quite tasty. The rest of the tze char looked pretty good too.
Worth a try if you try not to be too bothered by the really bad service.
Shen Ji Seafood Garden
Blk 40 Holland Drive #01-39
Tel : 63411737
Service was seriously bad - it took forever for us to get any service despite us trying to get the attention of at least 3 different service staff.
The XO Crab Bee Hoon S$22 was pretty impressive when it turned up -
$22 for a whole crab and noodles - a one meal dish. Very worth it and the perfect serving size for two females, we had just this and a poh piah :) The crab had two good sized pincers and were very meaty. The soup was also quite tasty. The rest of the tze char looked pretty good too.
Worth a try if you try not to be too bothered by the really bad service.
Shen Ji Seafood Garden
Blk 40 Holland Drive #01-39
Tel : 63411737
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Naive
Read about this place and decided to try it out. Nowhere on the outside of the restaurant or the menu does it say that it is a vegetarian restaurant - which kinda confuses some people... I think the point is so that people don't go with a preconceived idea of what vegetarian food is...
The decor of the restaurant was simple and chic. The long wooden bench in the middle of the restaurant brings a very earthy feel to the place.
Before the meal, customers are given a mortar and pestle and are invited to partake in the "bloss" ceremony. "Bloss" stands for "blessings of the sesame seeds" :)
So you're meant to grind the sesame seeds and add it to your food - the seeds represents the blessings you receive everyday. Kinda therapeutic to grind the seeds up and adds a nice touch to a bowl of white rice...
Not hungry enough for a full meal so ordered a few things just to sample the food here. Order the Penang Rendang (spicy pan-fried mushrooms with steamed buns) $9.80+:
Man, I LOVE steamed buns, especially this type - I could eat it everyday and not get sick of it :) The rendang that the mushrooms were cooked in was spicy, flavourful and tasted very Peranakan. Yummy!
Also ordered the Tamarind Tofu Cake $13.80+ -
Beancurd and seaweed fried into tofu cakes with a spicy tamarind sauce laden with lemon grass and fresh chilli. Tofu cakes are what some veggie stalls call "veggie fish" - one of my fav mock meat alternatives. The tamarind sauce is spicy and sour all at the same time - again with a very strong Peranakan influence.
The food was good but prices are too steep for the small portions. For vegetarian food with a Peranakan touch, you're probably better off trying Whole Earth Vegetarian.
Naive
99 East Coast Road
Tel: 6348 0668
www.naivecompany.com
The decor of the restaurant was simple and chic. The long wooden bench in the middle of the restaurant brings a very earthy feel to the place.
Before the meal, customers are given a mortar and pestle and are invited to partake in the "bloss" ceremony. "Bloss" stands for "blessings of the sesame seeds" :)
So you're meant to grind the sesame seeds and add it to your food - the seeds represents the blessings you receive everyday. Kinda therapeutic to grind the seeds up and adds a nice touch to a bowl of white rice...
Not hungry enough for a full meal so ordered a few things just to sample the food here. Order the Penang Rendang (spicy pan-fried mushrooms with steamed buns) $9.80+:
Man, I LOVE steamed buns, especially this type - I could eat it everyday and not get sick of it :) The rendang that the mushrooms were cooked in was spicy, flavourful and tasted very Peranakan. Yummy!
Also ordered the Tamarind Tofu Cake $13.80+ -
Beancurd and seaweed fried into tofu cakes with a spicy tamarind sauce laden with lemon grass and fresh chilli. Tofu cakes are what some veggie stalls call "veggie fish" - one of my fav mock meat alternatives. The tamarind sauce is spicy and sour all at the same time - again with a very strong Peranakan influence.
The food was good but prices are too steep for the small portions. For vegetarian food with a Peranakan touch, you're probably better off trying Whole Earth Vegetarian.
Naive
99 East Coast Road
Tel: 6348 0668
www.naivecompany.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Lavender Food Square
Was in the area so I decided to try out two of the famous stalls from this hawker centre.
The wanton mee from Kok Kee Wanton Noodle is very popular and normally has a long queue. No queue coz I was there at an odd time so I took the opportunity to try it out -
Very over-rated, I reckon. The noodles was a bit tough and the chilli not spicy at all. The guy in front of me asked for less chilli - can't imagine how tasteless his would be! Surprised it's so popular, don't think I'll bother to try it again, especially if I have to queue.
The carrot cake from the Long House Miow Sin Popiah & Carrot Cake is also quite well-known -
This looked unassuming but it was actually quite good!
If you happen to come here for supper, I vote you skip the wanton mee... but the carrot cake is worth a try :)
Long House Miow Sin Popiah & Carrot Cake
Lavender Food Square #01-04
380 Jalan Besar
Kok Kee Wanton Noodle
Lavender Food Square #01-06
380 Jalan Besar
12pm to 2am
Closed every three weeks on Wednesdays and Thursdays
The wanton mee from Kok Kee Wanton Noodle is very popular and normally has a long queue. No queue coz I was there at an odd time so I took the opportunity to try it out -
Very over-rated, I reckon. The noodles was a bit tough and the chilli not spicy at all. The guy in front of me asked for less chilli - can't imagine how tasteless his would be! Surprised it's so popular, don't think I'll bother to try it again, especially if I have to queue.
The carrot cake from the Long House Miow Sin Popiah & Carrot Cake is also quite well-known -
This looked unassuming but it was actually quite good!
If you happen to come here for supper, I vote you skip the wanton mee... but the carrot cake is worth a try :)
Long House Miow Sin Popiah & Carrot Cake
Lavender Food Square #01-04
380 Jalan Besar
Kok Kee Wanton Noodle
Lavender Food Square #01-06
380 Jalan Besar
12pm to 2am
Closed every three weeks on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Mayim Chinese Cuisine
Had a late lunch here with Mum. We had plenty of attention from the wait staff, but that might have been because we were there when it was near empty - but admittedly there were still a few other people there. Only Singaporeans eat at all times of the day :)
The menu is really extensive, but I settled on an old favourite - Braised E-fu noodle with shredded mushroom $8.50++ :
It wasn't too bad, but I will never understand why something so simple and with so little ingredients cost that much...
Mum had the Noodle with Stewed Beef Brisket in Soup $6.30++ :
Didn't have a chance to try it but it looked good :)
I ordered the Sauteed Sliced Fish Garnished with Ginger, Scallion and Dried Sliced Garlic $8.00++ :
I loved this! The garlic slices were fried perfectly - I'm not normally a garlic fan but sliced garlic I love :) The fish was also quite fresh, making this a very worth it dish.
We both ordered Mango & Pomelo Sago $3.50++ :
This was ok but I wished it had more chunks of mango.
The food here was surprisingly good, considering it's way out in the heartland, and it's the one and only outlet. Very extensive menu, and based on my mum's feedback, most of the stuff is good. And seeing how it's reasonably priced, this place it worth a try. If you happen to be in Bukit Batok :P
Mayim Chinese Cuisine
1 Bukit Batok Central Link
#02-04 West Mall
Tel: 6794 1590
www.mayimfood.com
The menu is really extensive, but I settled on an old favourite - Braised E-fu noodle with shredded mushroom $8.50++ :
It wasn't too bad, but I will never understand why something so simple and with so little ingredients cost that much...
Mum had the Noodle with Stewed Beef Brisket in Soup $6.30++ :
Didn't have a chance to try it but it looked good :)
I ordered the Sauteed Sliced Fish Garnished with Ginger, Scallion and Dried Sliced Garlic $8.00++ :
I loved this! The garlic slices were fried perfectly - I'm not normally a garlic fan but sliced garlic I love :) The fish was also quite fresh, making this a very worth it dish.
We both ordered Mango & Pomelo Sago $3.50++ :
This was ok but I wished it had more chunks of mango.
The food here was surprisingly good, considering it's way out in the heartland, and it's the one and only outlet. Very extensive menu, and based on my mum's feedback, most of the stuff is good. And seeing how it's reasonably priced, this place it worth a try. If you happen to be in Bukit Batok :P
Mayim Chinese Cuisine
1 Bukit Batok Central Link
#02-04 West Mall
Tel: 6794 1590
www.mayimfood.com
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Kopi Tiam 咖啡店
Ended up eating here by default - Auds was already here before we met for dinner and was too lazy to move elsewhere ;)
We really wanted to try the Curry Fish Head but looking at the curry fish head at the table nearby, we decided it was going to be too much for two people to share. So we ordered two things to share instead, Char Kway Teow -
and Carrot Cake.
The carrot cake was actually really good, quite a few prawns hidden in there. The char kway teow was quite yummy too, and not overly oily.
Each dish cost about $15 (sorry can't remember the actual price), which is not cheap compared to hawker centres but pretty reasonably priced considering this restaurant is in a hotel.
My two grouses about this place is that it was surprisingly crowded and noisy, and the staff can't seem to cope - took forever to get their attention.
Kopi Tiam 咖啡店
2 Stamford Road
2F Swissotel The Stamford
Tel: 6431 6156
We really wanted to try the Curry Fish Head but looking at the curry fish head at the table nearby, we decided it was going to be too much for two people to share. So we ordered two things to share instead, Char Kway Teow -
and Carrot Cake.
The carrot cake was actually really good, quite a few prawns hidden in there. The char kway teow was quite yummy too, and not overly oily.
Each dish cost about $15 (sorry can't remember the actual price), which is not cheap compared to hawker centres but pretty reasonably priced considering this restaurant is in a hotel.
My two grouses about this place is that it was surprisingly crowded and noisy, and the staff can't seem to cope - took forever to get their attention.
Kopi Tiam 咖啡店
2 Stamford Road
2F Swissotel The Stamford
Tel: 6431 6156
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Caffe Beviamo
This was a combination of two different visits, actually three but I only took pictures for two. I ended up eating at both branches (Tanglin Mall and Paragon) three times in a few months, and decided I quite like this place.
One trip here was for a girls' tea - which meant desserts galore :) I tried one of my fav Aussie desserts - Lamingtons!
A quick google describes Lamingtons as a sponge cake dipped in chocolate icing and then rolled in desiccated coconut - a totally traditional Australian dessert. I'm not a fan of coconut flesh or coconut juice but love desserts with desiccated coconut, like onde onde and lamingtons :) This one is pretty decent, but the one at Gloria Jean's is quite good too.
Another very Aussie dessert is Sticky Date Pudding -
I've blogged quite a few times about Sticky Date Pudding, and since my favourite one so far is now no more (Brown Sugar Bistro Cafe has closed down!), this will be my next choice when I want Sticky Date Pudding. It has a scoop of vanilla ice-cream sandwiched by two slices of the sticky date pudding and sitting in a pool of super sweet butterscotch sauce. Definitely for those with a sweet tooth, and don't even try to finish one by yourself :)
Selena ordered a Hummingbird Cake -
First time I've heard of it! It's mostly a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, but it's different in that it has nuts (pecans?) and bananas in it too. I'm not a fan of carrot cake so didn't really like it... but it was interesting to see a new cake that I've never heard of before.
I also tried the food here. On one occasion, I tried the Pear and Walnut Salad and it was yums. And if I remember correctly, it was about $8. On the other trip I tried the Ravioli (half portion)-
and a Pizza -
The ravioli was a small portion but ravioli being ravioli, it was pretty filling nonetheless. Loved the fresh brocollini that came with it. The pizza had a super thin crust and not all that filling and slightly on the oily side.
The food here has a somewhat healthy streak and is mostly very reasonably priced. I've heard that their lattes are really good too. The desserts are to die for and not even half as expensive as PS Cafe. Both branches have the perfect ambience for a girls' tea or a simple meal. Actually, you can almost imagine that you're in Melbourne or Sydney when you're here...
Caffe Beviamo (Tanglin Mall)
163 Tanglin Road
#02-K1 Tanglin Mall
Tel: 6738 7906
Caffe Beviamo (Paragon)
290 Orchard Road
#05-K3/K4 The Paragon
Tel: 6836 2535
One trip here was for a girls' tea - which meant desserts galore :) I tried one of my fav Aussie desserts - Lamingtons!
A quick google describes Lamingtons as a sponge cake dipped in chocolate icing and then rolled in desiccated coconut - a totally traditional Australian dessert. I'm not a fan of coconut flesh or coconut juice but love desserts with desiccated coconut, like onde onde and lamingtons :) This one is pretty decent, but the one at Gloria Jean's is quite good too.
Another very Aussie dessert is Sticky Date Pudding -
I've blogged quite a few times about Sticky Date Pudding, and since my favourite one so far is now no more (Brown Sugar Bistro Cafe has closed down!), this will be my next choice when I want Sticky Date Pudding. It has a scoop of vanilla ice-cream sandwiched by two slices of the sticky date pudding and sitting in a pool of super sweet butterscotch sauce. Definitely for those with a sweet tooth, and don't even try to finish one by yourself :)
Selena ordered a Hummingbird Cake -
First time I've heard of it! It's mostly a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, but it's different in that it has nuts (pecans?) and bananas in it too. I'm not a fan of carrot cake so didn't really like it... but it was interesting to see a new cake that I've never heard of before.
I also tried the food here. On one occasion, I tried the Pear and Walnut Salad and it was yums. And if I remember correctly, it was about $8. On the other trip I tried the Ravioli (half portion)-
and a Pizza -
The ravioli was a small portion but ravioli being ravioli, it was pretty filling nonetheless. Loved the fresh brocollini that came with it. The pizza had a super thin crust and not all that filling and slightly on the oily side.
The food here has a somewhat healthy streak and is mostly very reasonably priced. I've heard that their lattes are really good too. The desserts are to die for and not even half as expensive as PS Cafe. Both branches have the perfect ambience for a girls' tea or a simple meal. Actually, you can almost imagine that you're in Melbourne or Sydney when you're here...
Caffe Beviamo (Tanglin Mall)
163 Tanglin Road
#02-K1 Tanglin Mall
Tel: 6738 7906
Caffe Beviamo (Paragon)
290 Orchard Road
#05-K3/K4 The Paragon
Tel: 6836 2535
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Chilli Padi Nonya Café
S and I came here once a few months ago wanting to try the high tea buffet, but there was a decent queue outside and it was obvious that there was only a small number of seats in the place so we decided not to bother. This place was extremely popular then as it was featured in a local TV food show. So this time we decided to make reservations :)
I'm a huge fan of Kueh Pie Tee so it was in the first round of things I tried, together with a Samosa and a bowl of Laksa -
The laksa gravy looked really thin and unappetizing, but tasted much better than it looked. The kueh pie tees were pretty good, and the chilli fresh and spicy - but it was so much work to have to stand at the buffet line to fill up the little cups... yes, yes, I'm lazy :P
Second round was Chwee Kueh, Gado Gado and a bowl of Mee Siam -
The Chwee Kueh was surprisingly good and so was the chilli that went with it. The best thing about this kind of buffet is that you can make up anything you want... which meant that the Gado Gado was made up of stuff I liked - that means rice cake, cucumber and prawn crakers :) The mee siam was good - a must try!
For the dessert round, I tried Kueh Lopez (green triangular one), Kueh Kosui (small brown one), Kueh Dadar (green springroll one) and a bowl of Chng Tng -
The Kueh Lopez was not bad, went perfect with the Gula Melaka. I haven't had this many times before but decided I actually quite like it. I always like Kueh Kosui and this one was pretty good too. I've never actually had Kueh Dadar before so decided to try it, and found it just ok. The Chng Tng washed everything down nicely :)
This high tea buffet costs $7.90+ on weekdays and $8.80+ on weekends and public holidays. For less than $10, this was pretty good value. The place has next to no ambience but it's hard to complain when it's this cheap. A few decent dishes makes this worth it but do make an advance reservation coz there's normally a queue.
Chilli Padi Nonya Café
470 North Bridge Road
#01-02 North Bridge Commercial Complex
Tel: 6339 7745
Operating Hours:
Buffet Lunch: 11am - 2.30pm
Hi-Tea Set: 2.30pm - 5.30pm
Buffet Dinner: 6pm - 10.30pm
http://www.chillipadi.com.sg/
I'm a huge fan of Kueh Pie Tee so it was in the first round of things I tried, together with a Samosa and a bowl of Laksa -
The laksa gravy looked really thin and unappetizing, but tasted much better than it looked. The kueh pie tees were pretty good, and the chilli fresh and spicy - but it was so much work to have to stand at the buffet line to fill up the little cups... yes, yes, I'm lazy :P
Second round was Chwee Kueh, Gado Gado and a bowl of Mee Siam -
The Chwee Kueh was surprisingly good and so was the chilli that went with it. The best thing about this kind of buffet is that you can make up anything you want... which meant that the Gado Gado was made up of stuff I liked - that means rice cake, cucumber and prawn crakers :) The mee siam was good - a must try!
For the dessert round, I tried Kueh Lopez (green triangular one), Kueh Kosui (small brown one), Kueh Dadar (green springroll one) and a bowl of Chng Tng -
The Kueh Lopez was not bad, went perfect with the Gula Melaka. I haven't had this many times before but decided I actually quite like it. I always like Kueh Kosui and this one was pretty good too. I've never actually had Kueh Dadar before so decided to try it, and found it just ok. The Chng Tng washed everything down nicely :)
This high tea buffet costs $7.90+ on weekdays and $8.80+ on weekends and public holidays. For less than $10, this was pretty good value. The place has next to no ambience but it's hard to complain when it's this cheap. A few decent dishes makes this worth it but do make an advance reservation coz there's normally a queue.
Chilli Padi Nonya Café
470 North Bridge Road
#01-02 North Bridge Commercial Complex
Tel: 6339 7745
Operating Hours:
Buffet Lunch: 11am - 2.30pm
Hi-Tea Set: 2.30pm - 5.30pm
Buffet Dinner: 6pm - 10.30pm
http://www.chillipadi.com.sg/
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Mykii
It was Gerry's birthday and AO and I decided to celebrate it with her over dinner. It was up to me to suggest a place and while looking around on hungrygowhere, I saw an ad for this place. It seemed to have a Greek and Mediterranean theme and the girls were happy to try it out.
The decor of the place was definitely reminiscent of the Greek islands - not that I've ever been there but it's certainly what I imagined it would look like in the Greek islands, with the white walls and wooden chairs :)
Except for the Mezza Plate, most of the menu was neither Greek nor Mediterranean. None of the main courses sounded that great, and in any case none of us were very hungry so we each ordered a light appetizer instead. I had the Caesar Salad with Fritto Misto $10.80++ :
More Fritto Misto than Caesar Salad but it's hard to complain about lots of huge pieces of calamari. What I can gripe about is the fact that the crispy bowl that was sitting in was a bit hard to eat - breaking it made it pretty messy and a challenge to control.
Gerry had the Pissaladiere (an open-faced provencale tart perfectly dressed with a healthy wholesome selection of roasted capsicums, anchovies, olives and onion jam) $10.80++ :
I had just a bit of it to try and it didn't leave a lasting impression - i.e. I don't remember what it tastes like now :)
AO tried the Grilled Tofu & Pumpkin Stack, Sweet Basil & Tomato Coulis $9.80++ :
We all had the same thought about this dish - while it does look gorgeous (what a wonderful mix of vibrant colours!), we all felt that there was one too many flavours in it which ending up making just a little too much.
For dessert we ordered the Nutella Squares with salted caramel $7.80 ++
and Gula Melaka Creme Brulee with Pineapple $8.80++ to share.
The Nutella Square was just ok - I always have high expectatations for anything with Nutella in it and it never quite turns out as good as I expect. The Gula Melaka Creme Brulee with Pineapple was pretty weird and not in a very good way, an example of fusion not really working out.
The food here is definitely not Greek or Mediterranean in any way, shape or form. There are some items which are not too bad and a few more sound like they are worth trying. I guess the biggest selling point of this place is the decor and ambience. If you sit outdoors, it's quite the perfect place to chill out with friends and for a while, you can imagine that you're in the Greek Islands... just try not to mind the teenagers trying to pass off as waiters :) By the way, the name is pronounced "mee-kai".
Mykii
17d Lorong Liput
Holland Village
Tel: 6468 2838
www.mykii.com.sg
The decor of the place was definitely reminiscent of the Greek islands - not that I've ever been there but it's certainly what I imagined it would look like in the Greek islands, with the white walls and wooden chairs :)
Except for the Mezza Plate, most of the menu was neither Greek nor Mediterranean. None of the main courses sounded that great, and in any case none of us were very hungry so we each ordered a light appetizer instead. I had the Caesar Salad with Fritto Misto $10.80++ :
More Fritto Misto than Caesar Salad but it's hard to complain about lots of huge pieces of calamari. What I can gripe about is the fact that the crispy bowl that was sitting in was a bit hard to eat - breaking it made it pretty messy and a challenge to control.
Gerry had the Pissaladiere (an open-faced provencale tart perfectly dressed with a healthy wholesome selection of roasted capsicums, anchovies, olives and onion jam) $10.80++ :
I had just a bit of it to try and it didn't leave a lasting impression - i.e. I don't remember what it tastes like now :)
AO tried the Grilled Tofu & Pumpkin Stack, Sweet Basil & Tomato Coulis $9.80++ :
We all had the same thought about this dish - while it does look gorgeous (what a wonderful mix of vibrant colours!), we all felt that there was one too many flavours in it which ending up making just a little too much.
For dessert we ordered the Nutella Squares with salted caramel $7.80 ++
and Gula Melaka Creme Brulee with Pineapple $8.80++ to share.
The Nutella Square was just ok - I always have high expectatations for anything with Nutella in it and it never quite turns out as good as I expect. The Gula Melaka Creme Brulee with Pineapple was pretty weird and not in a very good way, an example of fusion not really working out.
The food here is definitely not Greek or Mediterranean in any way, shape or form. There are some items which are not too bad and a few more sound like they are worth trying. I guess the biggest selling point of this place is the decor and ambience. If you sit outdoors, it's quite the perfect place to chill out with friends and for a while, you can imagine that you're in the Greek Islands... just try not to mind the teenagers trying to pass off as waiters :) By the way, the name is pronounced "mee-kai".
Mykii
17d Lorong Liput
Holland Village
Tel: 6468 2838
www.mykii.com.sg
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