I have heard about this place from my colleague and such a coincident that one of my friends was nice enough to suggest Ikoi as the venue for my birthday treat (yes I know, I have been procrastinating about it). Apparently, this place is so well known that bookings have to be made 1-2 weeks in advance – talk about Kiasu Singaporeans! Located at the ground floor of Hotel Miramar, the outside of the entrance looks impressive, but a step into the restaurant revealed a cramped seating arrangement – definitely not a decent place to have your meals if you are the sort who wish to have conversation over dinner.
It did not help also that we were assigned to counter seats, as there were inadequate space for all the dishes we had ordered. Service was pretty inefficient that night as the place was packed with tons of hungry and noisy souls, and waiting time for certain dishes were slow as I suspect orders were consolidated before the food were prepared.
It was said Ikoi is the place for people who craves for Sashimi, as the serving they dished out was indeed generous.
However, I was not blown away by it. In fact I was left so unimpressed with the quality that I did not even ordered a second helping. Other dishes that left me indifferent were the Tempura and Shisamo.
Even though it was served hot, the batter for the Tempura was rough – not the best you would expect from a Japanese restaurant.
The Shisamo was dried up when it was served, and this I am pretty sure that they were prepared earlier and re-grilled when orders come in - the inside was also cold and the outside full of smoky flavour. The Yakitori was also slightly chewy for consumption.
To be fair, they have a decent number of dishes to order from but none really make an impression except for the Stewed Salmon Head that I ordered by accident.
Foodies would know that the flesh from the Salmon Head close to its belly is of course the most tender and delicious.
Occasionally, they would also dished out complimentary dishes like the Kaminabe and Salmon Sashimi – items that we did not request for.
However, only one out of many items that was of standard is just not good enough.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
After hearing much fanfare about Shangri-La’s The Line buffet – formerly the old Coffee Garden – a hip eatery designed by US-based Adam Tihany, my family and I finally set foot at this chic white restaurant set against orange lighting for Daddy’s birthday dinner.
Well-known as the mother of all buffets, The Line is famous for the variety of food it dishes out. However, it is often the display of yummy, succulent cold seafood counter that captures the heart of the patrons.
From Lobsters to Oysters, Prawns to Mussels, Crabs to Sushi, Yabbies (fresh water crustacian found in Australia) to Sashimi (remember to request for Salmon Belly), almost each and every serving was fresh and of high quality.
So much so that I have an extended appetiser, that went on...and on...and on...and on...and on...And if you are counting, I gobbled down 20 frisky oysters that night, and boy, were they excellent! Besides that, they also had the grilled and carving stations where you could see the chefs grilling behind a big glass enclosure.
This is the place where the Grilled Fish and Prawns were served, as well as the very tender cuts of the Roast Beef were sliced up.
Other stations include the Asian counters such as the Indian and Chinese cuisine, where you could find yummilicious Satays that were tender and slides off the satay sticks effortlessly with a gentle pull.
While many considered the dessert station the highlight of the restaurant – with its 1 metre tall Chocolate Fountain for its fondue and many other cakes and pastries – I was personally not overwhelmed with it. The filling for the Crêpe was way too sweet/sour for consumption and the 3 desserts that I picked up were not fantastic either.
Overall, paying $65 per pax to stuff yourself silly (simply because you have the tendency to try all the varieties available) is not worth it.
But if I were to come back again, I would be sure to find a table next to the cold seafood counter, and do the extended appetiser all over again.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Being tucked in the secluded top of Dempsey Road, I finally found my way to PS Café for a dinner. A café it might be, it is housed in a standalone pretty colonial bungalow away from the main thoroughfare.
PS, which stands for Project Shop - a local mid-market casual clothing chain, attracts a surprisingly upmarket crowd. It is perhaps the glass façade and high ceiling that adds a touch of grandeur to the already nice ambience you get whilst sitting inside the restaurant. The staffs were also friendly and approachable.
However, the food did not seek to impress me that very night. The starter of salad was merely greens and some roasted eggplants that were zealously drizzled in olive oil – straightforward, nothing fanciful, nothing captivating.
The Thick Fries were surprisingly the best dish for the night. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, it went well with the 2 dips that came with it – a BBQ flavour and the other, I perceived to be Sour Cream based.
The Tubular Pasta though was the letdown of the night. It seriously lacked flavour and was under-cooked – a couple more minutes would have achieved the Al-dente texture. However I would admit that I am beginning to like the idea of having snow peas in my pasta dish.
The dessert was also tortuously too rich for me. Profiteroles, or Small Cream Puffs filled with Ice Cream; served with Thick, Dark, Chocolate Syrup, is just not my kind of dessert after a heavy dinner.
Overall, a nice place to go for a first date, but skipped the pasta if you have to and go for the seafood and their famous brownie for dessert instead.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
That’s right. Friends and colleagues working near my area have been telling me about this particular supposedly famous chicken rice stall – Wee Nam Kee – lined up along Thomson Road @ Novena Ville.
Read a few food reviews and indeed some were raving about it. Make a trip there and there was a crowd during lunchtime – surely this is a good sign! Alas, everything else went downhill from there onwards. The rice was fragrant enough, but a tad under-cooked, making it difficult to shallow.
The Roasted Chicken was pretty dry and tough as well and nowhere near the standard of Tian Tian Chicken Rice @ Maxwell Food Centre, which is known for it’s smooth and tender meat (although I have to highlight that they only serves Hainanese-styled Steamed Chicken).
We also order the side dishes like the Stir-fried Dou Miao with Garlic and Deep-fried Toufu and I was not impressed at all. The Dou Miao were seriously under-cooked, and chewing the stem of the veggies proved to be a struggle.
The Toufu was just as bad, as it came thickly coated with flour – more like toufu fritters to me, unlike those find in Boon Tong Kee – that comes in small cubes that is easy to eat. Along with drinks, the meal added up to $25.40, miscellaneous included – definitely not good value for money for 2 people.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Themed as the café “where happy people meets” – Miss Clarity Café certainly lives up to it, with its loud and colourful interior décor, along with the tinge of ambience with candles on every table.
There is a wide range of food selection to choose from – Shelled Appetisers, Sides, Pasta, Risotto, Mains, Burger, Pizza, and more recently, Black Angus Prime Sirloin & Ribeye, as well as the prized Wagyu Beef. My group of friends order a few dishes to share and we had the NZ Mussels immersed in Tomato Gravy as appetiser.
The mussels were big and juicy but regrettably the gravy was thin and lacked in flavour. The Glutton’s Platter was just an assortment of Spicy Wings, Chicken Nuggets, Onion Rings, Crispy Wedges and Chipolatas – straightforward deep-fried finger food.
For my main, I had the chef-recommended Whole Roasted Chicken Leg, served with mouth-watering Mushroom & Potato Fricassee. I had to say for $9.80, this is the best Roasted Chicken Leg that I have even tried. The flavour was captured nicely in its meat and despite not being a big fan of potato – I was won over by the aromatic starch.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
1=SGD 0.0587
It did not help also that we were assigned to counter seats, as there were inadequate space for all the dishes we had ordered. Service was pretty inefficient that night as the place was packed with tons of hungry and noisy souls, and waiting time for certain dishes were slow as I suspect orders were consolidated before the food were prepared.
It was said Ikoi is the place for people who craves for Sashimi, as the serving they dished out was indeed generous.
However, I was not blown away by it. In fact I was left so unimpressed with the quality that I did not even ordered a second helping. Other dishes that left me indifferent were the Tempura and Shisamo.
Even though it was served hot, the batter for the Tempura was rough – not the best you would expect from a Japanese restaurant.
The Shisamo was dried up when it was served, and this I am pretty sure that they were prepared earlier and re-grilled when orders come in - the inside was also cold and the outside full of smoky flavour. The Yakitori was also slightly chewy for consumption.
To be fair, they have a decent number of dishes to order from but none really make an impression except for the Stewed Salmon Head that I ordered by accident.
Foodies would know that the flesh from the Salmon Head close to its belly is of course the most tender and delicious.
Occasionally, they would also dished out complimentary dishes like the Kaminabe and Salmon Sashimi – items that we did not request for.
However, only one out of many items that was of standard is just not good enough.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!I totally agree with you on the review. Hee....
19 Feb 2008 at 12:27 am
Thanks. I believe Hanabi is so much better... wonder why the hype about this place?
19 Feb 2008 at 12:31 am
Well-known as the mother of all buffets, The Line is famous for the variety of food it dishes out. However, it is often the display of yummy, succulent cold seafood counter that captures the heart of the patrons.
From Lobsters to Oysters, Prawns to Mussels, Crabs to Sushi, Yabbies (fresh water crustacian found in Australia) to Sashimi (remember to request for Salmon Belly), almost each and every serving was fresh and of high quality.
So much so that I have an extended appetiser, that went on...and on...and on...and on...and on...And if you are counting, I gobbled down 20 frisky oysters that night, and boy, were they excellent! Besides that, they also had the grilled and carving stations where you could see the chefs grilling behind a big glass enclosure.
This is the place where the Grilled Fish and Prawns were served, as well as the very tender cuts of the Roast Beef were sliced up.
Other stations include the Asian counters such as the Indian and Chinese cuisine, where you could find yummilicious Satays that were tender and slides off the satay sticks effortlessly with a gentle pull.
While many considered the dessert station the highlight of the restaurant – with its 1 metre tall Chocolate Fountain for its fondue and many other cakes and pastries – I was personally not overwhelmed with it. The filling for the Crêpe was way too sweet/sour for consumption and the 3 desserts that I picked up were not fantastic either.
Overall, paying $65 per pax to stuff yourself silly (simply because you have the tendency to try all the varieties available) is not worth it.
But if I were to come back again, I would be sure to find a table next to the cold seafood counter, and do the extended appetiser all over again.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
PS, which stands for Project Shop - a local mid-market casual clothing chain, attracts a surprisingly upmarket crowd. It is perhaps the glass façade and high ceiling that adds a touch of grandeur to the already nice ambience you get whilst sitting inside the restaurant. The staffs were also friendly and approachable.
However, the food did not seek to impress me that very night. The starter of salad was merely greens and some roasted eggplants that were zealously drizzled in olive oil – straightforward, nothing fanciful, nothing captivating.
The Thick Fries were surprisingly the best dish for the night. Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, it went well with the 2 dips that came with it – a BBQ flavour and the other, I perceived to be Sour Cream based.
The Tubular Pasta though was the letdown of the night. It seriously lacked flavour and was under-cooked – a couple more minutes would have achieved the Al-dente texture. However I would admit that I am beginning to like the idea of having snow peas in my pasta dish.
The dessert was also tortuously too rich for me. Profiteroles, or Small Cream Puffs filled with Ice Cream; served with Thick, Dark, Chocolate Syrup, is just not my kind of dessert after a heavy dinner.
Overall, a nice place to go for a first date, but skipped the pasta if you have to and go for the seafood and their famous brownie for dessert instead.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
Read a few food reviews and indeed some were raving about it. Make a trip there and there was a crowd during lunchtime – surely this is a good sign! Alas, everything else went downhill from there onwards. The rice was fragrant enough, but a tad under-cooked, making it difficult to shallow.
The Roasted Chicken was pretty dry and tough as well and nowhere near the standard of Tian Tian Chicken Rice @ Maxwell Food Centre, which is known for it’s smooth and tender meat (although I have to highlight that they only serves Hainanese-styled Steamed Chicken).
We also order the side dishes like the Stir-fried Dou Miao with Garlic and Deep-fried Toufu and I was not impressed at all. The Dou Miao were seriously under-cooked, and chewing the stem of the veggies proved to be a struggle.
The Toufu was just as bad, as it came thickly coated with flour – more like toufu fritters to me, unlike those find in Boon Tong Kee – that comes in small cubes that is easy to eat. Along with drinks, the meal added up to $25.40, miscellaneous included – definitely not good value for money for 2 people.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
There is a wide range of food selection to choose from – Shelled Appetisers, Sides, Pasta, Risotto, Mains, Burger, Pizza, and more recently, Black Angus Prime Sirloin & Ribeye, as well as the prized Wagyu Beef. My group of friends order a few dishes to share and we had the NZ Mussels immersed in Tomato Gravy as appetiser.
The mussels were big and juicy but regrettably the gravy was thin and lacked in flavour. The Glutton’s Platter was just an assortment of Spicy Wings, Chicken Nuggets, Onion Rings, Crispy Wedges and Chipolatas – straightforward deep-fried finger food.
For my main, I had the chef-recommended Whole Roasted Chicken Leg, served with mouth-watering Mushroom & Potato Fricassee. I had to say for $9.80, this is the best Roasted Chicken Leg that I have even tried. The flavour was captured nicely in its meat and despite not being a big fan of potato – I was won over by the aromatic starch.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!