Made a reservation for two at Vibe Restaurant, situated within Pan Pacific Orchard (formerly known as Hotel Negara along Claymore Road, behind Thai Embassy) when they were running the Premium Meat Extravaganza Promotion in July.
Priced at $78 before taxes, we were fortunate enough to be among the first 20 pax to make an advance reservation for that day, and thus enjoyed a 20% discount ($15.60), making it $62.40 per person.
And for that price, we were told that we could indulged in unlimited servings of premium cuts such as US Kobe beef, Wagyu beef, and Kurobuta Pork, Churrascaria style.
We were instructed by the manager to start off with some soup and bread for appetisers, but let me tell you that neither of them was fantastic and the polite gesture was probably a nice decoy to fill up our stomach before the meat takes centre stage.
That aside, they had a couple of other cold cuts and seafood items to distract us – and diverted my attention was, as the Oysters were really unsullied and burly and I had two helpings of it, along with other inconsequential items.
Once we were done with the obligatory appetisers, the manager finally signalled for the Passadors, who came arrived on our table with hot skewers of meat. First up – the Rump Steak, which is a lean cut and was moderately tough. The lacked of fats and marbling makes them dry out when cooked with dry-heat cooking methods like roasting or grilling. It tasted quite “beefy” and none of the delicate flavour one gets next.
What is so special about “Wagyu” is because this breed of cattle is genetically predisposed to intense marbling, and produces a higher percentage of monounsaturated fats than any other breed of cattle known in the world. However, I was utterly disappointed when I tasted it – although more delicate flavoured than the rump steak, it tasted more chewy than tender and the “melt in your mouth” effect was lost on me. In additional, I felt it was overcooked, as the meat wasn’t very juicy.
The difference between “Kobe” beef and Wagyu is that Kobe beef comes from Wagyu breed of cattle. But only after rigid production standards imposed in the prefecture of Kobe, Japan, will then the designation/appellation of “Kobe” Beef be bestowed upon the meat. However as land and grain in Japan are expensive, the cattle is now shipped overseas and raised to the exactingly specified Kobe standards – and that’s how US Kobe beef came about. Another meat, which I felt, was over-done; the Kobe beef surprisingly tasted finer and more tender than the Wagyu. This was probably the best meat I have eaten that evening, or was there more to come?
The Beef Rib was intense with smoky flavour, but was deplorably dry and slightly charred for my palate. Didn’t really enjoy this piece of meat very much.
The wrapping of Bacon around the Tenderloin was quite another catastrophe that night – the flavour of the bacon totally engulfed the beef, rendering it a piece of tasteless red meat – a pity I must say since its rather tender even though the “doneness” was well-done to medium well.
The Kurobuta Pork wasn’t as fantastic as I thought it would be. Fat was lacking, rendering the meat not as moist as it should be – not the best Kurobuta Pork I have tasted.
Undeterred by the experience, I gestured for the Passadors and appealed for a special request – Kobe Beef to be done in medium-rare – and boy was I charmed. Allow the picture below to speak a thousand words.
The Grilled Pineapple Coated with Cinnamon Powder and Brown Sugar was a pleasant surprise as a palate cleanser as well as a dessert. Even myself who is not a big fan of the fruit was enthralled by it.
For others, there are of course other choices to end the evening – by their delightful Chocolate Fountain for a treat of Chocolate Fondue, or the cheese plate, which serves a wonderful range of cheese as well as the many choices of cake, mousse or pudding.
Overall, I wasn’t exactly impressed with the quality of meat they served, and a pity that I enjoyed the Oysters more – which kinda defeats the purpose of a Premium Meat Extravaganza.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
A lazy weekend afternoon is spend at Starbucks @ Holland Village. What I like about Starbucks is their free WiFi via Wireless@SG which enables me to sip my coffee and blog at the same time.
Not being a coffee lover didn't deter me from this place as I fell in love with their Cafe Mocha (less whip) since poly days. The coffee is smooth and the chocolate syrup adds a dimension that seeks to satisfy the non-coffee lover in me.
I have also recently fell in love with their Banana Nut Muffin that is made from banana puree and chopped walnuts. Do remember to ask them to heat it up for you - that's when you will be overwhelmed by the flavoursome banana aroma when you have a bite to it!
With over 60 tanks of ‘LIVE’ seafood and almost 100 kinds of seafood to choose from – chefs will prepare your meal on the spot, in your preferred style, with no extra charge – this place is a dream come true for all authentic seafood lovers!
What’s more, dine on a weekday (except PH and eve) and you will enjoy a 50% discount off the seafood, and 30% off on weekends, PH and Eves of PH.
Despite the big dining area spreading across two levels, Owen Seafood Restaurant's décor is simple without much fanfare.
Since ‘LIVE’ and ‘FRESH’ was the order of the evening, we decided to go raw that night – by that I meant the dozen Canada Oysters ($1.60 each after 50%), the Geoduck Clam ($84/kg after 50%) and the Lobsters ($52/kg after 50%) prepared 'Sashimi' style.
“Sweet”, “Taste of the Sea” and “Succulent” was some of the adjectives used to describe these dishes that evening. However for the daunted ones, we also ordered a Soup Broth ($8) for them to cook the geoduck and the lobster meat.
The next round of dishes were prepared steamed – Sea White Prawns ($34.50/kg after 50%), Bamboo Clams ($4.40 each after 50%), French Giant Scallops ($4.40 each after 50%) and Marby Goby, or Soon Hock ($42.50/kg after 50%). This is where you are able to distinguish the skills of the chef.
The prawns were straightforward, thus nothing much to comment about, but the shell dishes were rather disdain. The bean paste that accompanied the bamboo clams overwhelmed its natural sweetness – and not that there was much to begin with, as the clams were overcooked that its flesh kinda turned rubbery.
A mixture of fried and very minced garlic also fails to bring out the natural flavour of the scallops. I would prefer a stronger, aromatic tang from the fresh garlic – less chopped up of course, as compared to the fried garlic, which seeks to steal the thunder from the main lead with its oily aftertaste.
Most of us also found the Soon Hock a tad disappointing, as its meat were flaky when served – a sign of over-steamed – but otherwise we did enjoy the freshness of its flesh.
The Flower Clam ($22.50/kg) we ordered that night was a total waste of money. Fried with the pathetic minced garlic, it was very oily and very tasteless. Being a shell-food lover, even I didn’t eat much of those that evening.
The only non-seafood dish that evening, the Fried Spinach with Garlic ($12.00) was another similar case of too oily and too bland. The only positive note was that the veggies were very fresh.
The Cereal Prawns ($34.50/kg after 50%) was average to say the least. The cereal itself was not as crunchy as I thought it should be, it also lacked that bit of the curry leaves whiff. Not much complains to the prawns itself though since they were fresh and its meat firm.
We ended the night with how we started – the Lobster – with its head, legs, shells, and feelers fried with E-fu Noodle in Broth ($15.00). We all thought it was not too bad except it could have been enhanced if the noodles were simmered a little longer to entrap the natural flavour of the crustacean better.
Overall, we thought it was still kinda costly for ‘live’ seafood even with the gimmicky 50% discount on seafood items as the food served wasn’t exactly of high standard.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
This is one of my fav "hidden find" especially on a busy weekend evening. As we all know, orchard road is usually packed with crowds especially at all the coffee joints and chill out cafe - therefore Marriott Hotel enables me to chill away at night with my friends away from all the buzz. At the same time, it also provides me with good service and delicious looking pastries.
My all time favourite would have to be their New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Jam. Light and not too sweet, the jam goes is also well paired with the cake.
Go along with a pot of Earl Grey and what you get is a relax and chill out environment at similar cost.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
It was one of those occasion that I travelled all the way down to Serangoon Gardens for desserts. It was the first time I visited Ice³(Ice Cube) and it didn't exactly WOW me.
Firstly, it was noisy and packed with kids on a weekend such that we have to end up sitting on the high chairs at the bar top table that were uncomfortable to sit on, although we did eventually managed to find a table.
4 of us have a dessert each and ordered Apple Crumble w Cinnamon Ice Cream & Caramel Syrup, Choc Brownie w Choc Ice Cream, Choc Fudge & Choc Chunks, Waffle w Vanilla Ice Cream & Choc Fudge and Rum & Raisin Ice Cream on Oreo Crust w Raisins, Almond Flakes & Butterscotch Syrup.
To be honest none of the dessert won me over except for their signatured Rum & Raisin Ice Cream on Oreo Crust w Raisins, Almond Flakes & Butterscotch Syrup. The ice cream was fully flavoured with Rum and the topping of 'REAL' Raisins sealed the deal (Not that I am a big fan of raisins though). Coupled with a nice Butterscotch Syrup at the top and you have an award winning deserving dessert!
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
1=SGD 0.0587
Priced at $78 before taxes, we were fortunate enough to be among the first 20 pax to make an advance reservation for that day, and thus enjoyed a 20% discount ($15.60), making it $62.40 per person.
And for that price, we were told that we could indulged in unlimited servings of premium cuts such as US Kobe beef, Wagyu beef, and Kurobuta Pork, Churrascaria style.
We were instructed by the manager to start off with some soup and bread for appetisers, but let me tell you that neither of them was fantastic and the polite gesture was probably a nice decoy to fill up our stomach before the meat takes centre stage.
That aside, they had a couple of other cold cuts and seafood items to distract us – and diverted my attention was, as the Oysters were really unsullied and burly and I had two helpings of it, along with other inconsequential items.
Once we were done with the obligatory appetisers, the manager finally signalled for the Passadors, who came arrived on our table with hot skewers of meat. First up – the Rump Steak, which is a lean cut and was moderately tough. The lacked of fats and marbling makes them dry out when cooked with dry-heat cooking methods like roasting or grilling. It tasted quite “beefy” and none of the delicate flavour one gets next.
What is so special about “Wagyu” is because this breed of cattle is genetically predisposed to intense marbling, and produces a higher percentage of monounsaturated fats than any other breed of cattle known in the world. However, I was utterly disappointed when I tasted it – although more delicate flavoured than the rump steak, it tasted more chewy than tender and the “melt in your mouth” effect was lost on me. In additional, I felt it was overcooked, as the meat wasn’t very juicy.
The difference between “Kobe” beef and Wagyu is that Kobe beef comes from Wagyu breed of cattle. But only after rigid production standards imposed in the prefecture of Kobe, Japan, will then the designation/appellation of “Kobe” Beef be bestowed upon the meat. However as land and grain in Japan are expensive, the cattle is now shipped overseas and raised to the exactingly specified Kobe standards – and that’s how US Kobe beef came about. Another meat, which I felt, was over-done; the Kobe beef surprisingly tasted finer and more tender than the Wagyu. This was probably the best meat I have eaten that evening, or was there more to come?
The Beef Rib was intense with smoky flavour, but was deplorably dry and slightly charred for my palate. Didn’t really enjoy this piece of meat very much.
The wrapping of Bacon around the Tenderloin was quite another catastrophe that night – the flavour of the bacon totally engulfed the beef, rendering it a piece of tasteless red meat – a pity I must say since its rather tender even though the “doneness” was well-done to medium well.
The Kurobuta Pork wasn’t as fantastic as I thought it would be. Fat was lacking, rendering the meat not as moist as it should be – not the best Kurobuta Pork I have tasted.
Undeterred by the experience, I gestured for the Passadors and appealed for a special request – Kobe Beef to be done in medium-rare – and boy was I charmed. Allow the picture below to speak a thousand words.
The Grilled Pineapple Coated with Cinnamon Powder and Brown Sugar was a pleasant surprise as a palate cleanser as well as a dessert. Even myself who is not a big fan of the fruit was enthralled by it.
For others, there are of course other choices to end the evening – by their delightful Chocolate Fountain for a treat of Chocolate Fondue, or the cheese plate, which serves a wonderful range of cheese as well as the many choices of cake, mousse or pudding.
Overall, I wasn’t exactly impressed with the quality of meat they served, and a pity that I enjoyed the Oysters more – which kinda defeats the purpose of a Premium Meat Extravaganza.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!thank goodness i didn't go for it. lol
19 Aug 2008 at 11:42 am
LOL - well we all learn from experience don't we?
19 Aug 2008 at 1:22 pm
Not being a coffee lover didn't deter me from this place as I fell in love with their Cafe Mocha (less whip) since poly days. The coffee is smooth and the chocolate syrup adds a dimension that seeks to satisfy the non-coffee lover in me.
I have also recently fell in love with their Banana Nut Muffin that is made from banana puree and chopped walnuts. Do remember to ask them to heat it up for you - that's when you will be overwhelmed by the flavoursome banana aroma when you have a bite to it!
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!lol. Short and sweet.
29 Aug 2008 at 2:07 pm
What’s more, dine on a weekday (except PH and eve) and you will enjoy a 50% discount off the seafood, and 30% off on weekends, PH and Eves of PH.
Despite the big dining area spreading across two levels, Owen Seafood Restaurant's décor is simple without much fanfare.
Since ‘LIVE’ and ‘FRESH’ was the order of the evening, we decided to go raw that night – by that I meant the dozen Canada Oysters ($1.60 each after 50%), the Geoduck Clam ($84/kg after 50%) and the Lobsters ($52/kg after 50%) prepared 'Sashimi' style.
“Sweet”, “Taste of the Sea” and “Succulent” was some of the adjectives used to describe these dishes that evening. However for the daunted ones, we also ordered a Soup Broth ($8) for them to cook the geoduck and the lobster meat.
The next round of dishes were prepared steamed – Sea White Prawns ($34.50/kg after 50%), Bamboo Clams ($4.40 each after 50%), French Giant Scallops ($4.40 each after 50%) and Marby Goby, or Soon Hock ($42.50/kg after 50%). This is where you are able to distinguish the skills of the chef.
The prawns were straightforward, thus nothing much to comment about, but the shell dishes were rather disdain. The bean paste that accompanied the bamboo clams overwhelmed its natural sweetness – and not that there was much to begin with, as the clams were overcooked that its flesh kinda turned rubbery.
A mixture of fried and very minced garlic also fails to bring out the natural flavour of the scallops. I would prefer a stronger, aromatic tang from the fresh garlic – less chopped up of course, as compared to the fried garlic, which seeks to steal the thunder from the main lead with its oily aftertaste.
Most of us also found the Soon Hock a tad disappointing, as its meat were flaky when served – a sign of over-steamed – but otherwise we did enjoy the freshness of its flesh.
The Flower Clam ($22.50/kg) we ordered that night was a total waste of money. Fried with the pathetic minced garlic, it was very oily and very tasteless. Being a shell-food lover, even I didn’t eat much of those that evening.
The only non-seafood dish that evening, the Fried Spinach with Garlic ($12.00) was another similar case of too oily and too bland. The only positive note was that the veggies were very fresh.
The Cereal Prawns ($34.50/kg after 50%) was average to say the least. The cereal itself was not as crunchy as I thought it should be, it also lacked that bit of the curry leaves whiff. Not much complains to the prawns itself though since they were fresh and its meat firm.
We ended the night with how we started – the Lobster – with its head, legs, shells, and feelers fried with E-fu Noodle in Broth ($15.00). We all thought it was not too bad except it could have been enhanced if the noodles were simmered a little longer to entrap the natural flavour of the crustacean better.
Overall, we thought it was still kinda costly for ‘live’ seafood even with the gimmicky 50% discount on seafood items as the food served wasn’t exactly of high standard.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
My all time favourite would have to be their New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Jam. Light and not too sweet, the jam goes is also well paired with the cake.
Go along with a pot of Earl Grey and what you get is a relax and chill out environment at similar cost.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
Firstly, it was noisy and packed with kids on a weekend such that we have to end up sitting on the high chairs at the bar top table that were uncomfortable to sit on, although we did eventually managed to find a table.
4 of us have a dessert each and ordered Apple Crumble w Cinnamon Ice Cream & Caramel Syrup, Choc Brownie w Choc Ice Cream, Choc Fudge & Choc Chunks, Waffle w Vanilla Ice Cream & Choc Fudge and Rum & Raisin Ice Cream on Oreo Crust w Raisins, Almond Flakes & Butterscotch Syrup.
To be honest none of the dessert won me over except for their signatured Rum & Raisin Ice Cream on Oreo Crust w Raisins, Almond Flakes & Butterscotch Syrup. The ice cream was fully flavoured with Rum and the topping of 'REAL' Raisins sealed the deal (Not that I am a big fan of raisins though). Coupled with a nice Butterscotch Syrup at the top and you have an award winning deserving dessert!
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!