Went to this place with polarbear and a couple of other colleagues. And like what he had mentioned, the food there is really quite tasty and the queue was really long.
I can still remember seeing the queue form up as early as 6pm and even when we had left around 8plus, the queue was still as long as it had started. So you can really imagine the business there is extremely good.
And I liked the Crab Bee Hoon more. Cos' the creamy crab seems to be slightly overcooked and some of the meat was stuck on the shell, thus making it a bit harder to eat. In addition, the shells of the crab were not really "broken" and no crab pincers (nt sure if that's what they term), were given to us to help us break the shells. So in the end, we had to use our teeth to crack open the shells.
As for the Thai chicken and sambal kangkong (which Polarbear did not get to taste, haha!!), the former was really good, with equal sweetness and sourness while the latter was really spicy. For those who can't bear hot stuff, do be warned that the chilli is really powerful.
Overall, I would say that the food was good, but without a booking be prepared to wait for a long time. Therefore, my advice is : Always make your booking beforehand. Do not attempt to try your luck. You wil be disappointed.
This used to my family's favorite place for dinner or supper. For me, I can eat it everyday and will never get tired of it!
Alishan serves delicious Taiwan porridge and the wide variety of dishes just make eating porridge so much more delicious and satisfying. There are 2 types of porridge for selection, the normal plain one and the sweet potato porridge. Both at the same price - just 50cents. And the dishes price ranges from $1.50 to $12 each.
My usual order includes the steamed sotong and the chai poh egg. The steamed sotong is chewy and fresh. Dipped it into the accompanying sweet sauce and eat it together with a spoonful of porridge. Simply divine! (Just the thought of it makes my mouth water! And I'm craving for it now!)
And then there's the Chai Poh Egg. Just look at the size of the egg! It comes like a huge and thick pancake filled with chai poh and spring onion. The outside is slightly crispy and the inside is soft. Every bite of the egg gives you the crunch from the chai poh. Loveeee it!
With so many dishes for you to choose from, one bowl of porridge is never enough! My record was 4 bowls of piping hot sweet potato porridge. Can you beat that? Heee.
I did my Lasik operation at the Lasik Surgery Clinic in June this yr. The service there was really excellent. The staff there would first request you to fill up a simple questionnare on your history of your eye's conditions. After which, they would then dilate your eyes using a lotion to check on ur pupils as well as conduct several other tests to determine if you are suitable for undergoing the surgery.
Once you have been ascertained to be suitable, you would then be asked to see if you are willing to undergo the surgery. At no point in time,did they pester you to make a decision on the spot. For me, I made the decision there and then, partly due to the consideration that GST was still at 5% then.
In addition, they would also provide recommendation on the types of Lasik surgery that you would be suied for based on the condition of your eyes. And again, I must say that they will not coerce you into taking up a pricer package, but rather let you decide on your own.
Before the surgery, they would first conduct a talk to share with the patients on teh various aspects of Lasik surgery and what you would expect after the surgery.
As for the surgery and the follow-ups (3 in total), they were very professional as well and made you feel completely at ease. If you have any doubts, you can feel free to check with the doctors or optometrists on the spot. Also, you have the option of choosing your own doctor to perform the surgery for you if you have had recommendations from your friends or relatives. For me, I did not have anyone and was assigned DR. Yap Soo Keong. And I must say that he was a very nice person.
Lastly, I must say that their prices are very competitive and if you are a SAFRA member, you can get a discount of 10%( if i remembered correctly). All in all, I must say that the clinic gave me a very good experience and I would recommend this place for those considering Lasik surgery
Been to Night Safari last month as a surprise for someone special and at the same time Starhub is having a promotion as well. It has been a long time since I had been there as well.
So took 138 from AMK interchange to reach there, fast and easy. Direct to the gate of Night Safari.
Once we reach there, we head for the ticketing counter and it was a breeze to buy tickets from the efficient and friendly staff.
Even before we step into Night Safrai, there is already a tribal show going on in front of the main entrance gate. They were there literaly playing with fire. Attracted a lot of crowd to stand and see them. They perform 3 times a night and definitely do their best to warm up the crowd before entering Night Safrai.
There is a few options to go when we are in Night Safrai. Me being a planner, decided that we took the tram ride 1st. The tram ride is basically an hour ride around the park, some of the places in Night Safrai is only accessible by the tram only. The presenters on the tram are really good as they correctly managed to remember almost everything in the park and even the names of the animals as well. The ride was fun except for some people that keep letting go of their flashes despite numerous reminders.
We dropped off at the half way point @ Lepord Trail. Took abt 25 mins to complete and managed to see most of the cats in action (ie moving.) Then took the tram for the 2nd half of the ride. This time round, was brought through a tropical rainforest.
After reaching the starting point, we headed towards to join the queue for the animal show, Creatures of the Night. Be warned that you better be there 30 mins beore the show starts as the queue is pretty long. A lot of kaisu peopl there already started queueing an hour before the show starts.
The show was good as all the presenters are very professional and all their animals are well trained as well. OUr show dragged a bit of time as an owl did not cooperate and decided to not to fly down so it took a bit of time to coax him to fly down. It is a must watch show in Night Safari.
After which, we contiune to walk on the remaining two trails, the Forest Giant trail and walk through a suspension bridge and the Fishing cat trail. Each also can be completed within 25 mins as well.
We ended the whole trip ard midnight and still managed to take 138 back to AMK interchange.
It is definitely one of the best attraction in Singapore. Worth to go and check it out.
have been to the night safari a couple of times before. To me, the experiences were quite good. Over there, you can see the nocturnal animals coming out,actually it can be quite a challenge to see them moving around. This is manily attributed to the fact that the entire surroundings are very dim in order not to let the animals be disturbed by the lightings.
For the more adventurous ones, they can take a slow walk and venture around to take a look at the various animals. As for those who have kids or are the lazy type, you can also take the tram ride and enjoy the guide doing the explaining during each stop. For me, i have taken both approaches before and I like to do the trekkng one more. BUt do take note that it can get quite stuffy and I did perspire quite a fair bit.
In addition, there is also a perfomance by the "stars" of the night safari. It was a nice and enjoyable show which both kids and adults will enjoy. As the show times are quite limited, it is recommended that you go for the show before you go for your walk or tram ride.
So do go there for a visit one of these days and enjoy a nice evening at the night safari.
just had my dinner at the new Food JUnction at Bugis Junction. From first glance, it seems much more stylish and trendy as compared to the previous food court at the basement. Instead of those normal plastic seats that you normally find at food courts, now you get more sturdy wooden seats as well as nice sofa-like seats as well.
However, actually these new seats took up a lot more space as well and thus I had to spend a good whole ten minutes gettg my food. So perhaps for those planning to eat there, do be prepared for the slightly longer waiting time for your seats.
Notwithstanding that, there are actually more food stalls now in this revamped food court. The new stalls include a Pepper Lunch Express (where the queue is ever present), aN Omelette Rice stall (where they sell those 蛋包饭 style of food）, as well as a couple more stalls which I can't really remember their specialities as I only took a glance.
Therefore, for this new food court, I would say that indeed it is appealing in both the food and asethetics department. The only negative pt would be the lacking of ample seats to cater to the patrons during peak hours
Been there to watch Mr Woodcock over the weekend. Although the cinema is very near my house but then I seldom go there to watch movie unless I am with my sis or I am too lazy to go to town to watch movie.
One thing good about watching movie there, the tickets are cheaper by 50 cents compared to other cinemas.
There is also 8 cinema halls there so it offers a great variety of movies as well.
It used to have a very reception area, however after renovation, the ticketing office becomes very small and got to walk a long walkway before you can reach the ticketing office as the rest of the space is taken up by a food court.
The ticketing office is the saem as other cathay where you can get your tivkets and tibits at the same time. So might have to wait a little longer in the queue.
The seating in the cinema hall is quite spaced out but on the rather flat slope. However this does not mean that the person in front of you would be able to block you as the screen in placed higher than usual, compared to other cinemas. So when watching the movie, you might find yourself tilting your head slightly higher.
The air con is rather cold same as other cathay cinemas, so prepare yourself with a jacket if you are scare of cold.
Overall it is considered, to me, one of the better cinemas in the north region.
What can you eat for dinner at Raffles place with only $10 in your wallet? The choices seem limited, not only because of the limited eateries that are open in the evenings, but also because the eateries that stay open don't come cheap. In comes Pret A Manger, which is actually a French word for ready to eat. Newly opened and located at the ground floor of Ogilvy Centre along Robinson Road, this new kid in the sandwich scene serves up pre packed sandwiches that are freshly made every morning and thrown into the chiller to help preserve the freshness. Leftovers are donated to charity. This place works essentially like a fast food restaurant. You pick the sandwiches you want and proceed to the counter to make payment. There's quite a cozy dining area, so you can choose to eat in or take away.
There was hardly anyone around when I got there at about 1815hrs, so I made myself comfortable and grabbed two sandwiches - the Christmas Lunch and the Crayfish and Roquette. I had initially wanted to try out their specialty, the Coronation Chicken, but decided against it as I didn't want both sandwiches to have chicken in them. Actually I didn't really have much choice either as quite a few sandwiches were sold out.
First impressions of the sandwiches. Both looked rather small for the price - $3.80 for the Christmas Lunch and $3.90 for the Crayfish and Roquette. Having said that, I was impressed by the generous fillings. This is so unlike the normal sandwiches you buy from your neighbourhood bakeries. I particularly liked the Christmas Lunch, which had Turkey, Stuffing, Spinach, Crispy Onion, Cranberry Sauce and thick Mayonnaise. The Crispy Onion added a nice wholesome flavour to the sandwich, but overall I found it a little too sweet, probably because of the Mayo. The Crayfish and Roquette, as the name suggests, had Crayfish, Roquette, Lemon Juice, Mayonnaise and Yoghurt. In all honesty, the taste of the Roquette overpowered just about everything else. I was hoping for a nice and juicy crayfish, but what I got was a chilled tasteless one. But it was nice to chew on it though. Both sandwiches used wholemeal bread (I think) instead of the usual white bread, which is a plus I guess.
Overall I had a good experience there, primarily because of the very friendly and sociable staff there. The sandwiches were above average, but falls flat in the value for money segment as you would need at least 2 sandwiches to feel decently satisfied (I think I need 4). Throw in a drink and probably a soup and you would have breached the $10 mark. They do sell bigger sandwiches at $7.50 each, but its just a 10"-12"(very rough estimate, so please correct me if I am wrong) baguette with fillings, no drink, nothing. Compare that to Subway, which only charges about $7 for a sandwich with a drink and cookie. Now if Subway would just work on their variety....
Had our monthly group dinner at Bonta last evening. Opened in April this year and helmed by chef Luca Pezzera, who was formerly the executive chef at Hotel Intercontinental, Jakarta, Bonta has been garnering rather rave reviews with regard to its food and service, hence making it our choice of restaurant for the month.
Located along the outskirts of UE Square just opposite Double O, Bonta boasts a modern chic outlook coupled with warm colours, ambient lighting and soothing pipe music to give it that cosy and relaxed feel. There's also a semi private room for a few couples on the second floor complete with a showcase wine cellar for a more romantic rendezvous. However, do note that the room is all glass, so people can see you from the ground level. And in case you are wondering, Bonta is relatively small, with a sitting capacity probably maxing out at about 30 people or so.
The complimentary bread deserves a writeup devoted entirely to itself. Why so? Because its simply the best complimentary bread I've ever eaten so far (not that I've eaten alot though). The bread came served piping hot in a longish cup and when sliced open, emitted a fragrant and alluring aroma. Crispy on the outside yet soft and fluffy on the inside, the the pockets of cheese and walnuts within served to enhance its taste and bite. Really a most delightful bread. I understand that takeaway for the bread is available at $8/loaf for those who are interested (and can afford it). For cheapskates and financially struggling people like me, there's always the complimentary option.
I didn't get a chance to try out the trout rolls but I did have a go at the goose liver or Foie Gras as some people might know it. The liver was pan fried till a little crisp on the exterior yet retaining its softness within. Taste wise was pretty good, with the raw taste of liver subtle and a slight hint of smokiness. However, I did find the aftertaste a little too strong for my liking. Also, the liver wasn't as quivery as I would have expected it to be, falling short of the standards set by Ember and Il-Lido.
At $22, this dish was really expensive given that only 4 pieces of scallops were served. However, money aside, it was just a just a little short of excellent. The scallops were quite a size and came served with their shell. Pop one into your mouth and enjoy the sweetness of the scallops with the accompanying Hollandaise sauce. To best enjoy this dish (in my personal opinion), you have to consume the whole thing - lock, stock and barrel (minus the shell of course) at one go.
Ravioli with Goose Liver - Had a piece of the ravioli to try and didn't find it fantastic. I could barely make out the taste of the liver as it was almost entirely masked by the creamy sauce base.
Black Angus Beef Sirloin Tagliata - It came as requested, medium rare and nicely grilled for that subtle sweetness and char grilled flavour. However it did come across as a little weak on the natural beef taste, which was a pity really. On a side note, the accompanying Porcini mushrooms had this weird taste which I couldn't stomach.
Disappointment. The icy cold word that pierces through your heart. That was the exact emotion all of us were feeling after the dinner. It was so bad that none of us had the heart to order any desserts, preferring to head down elsewhere. Service was good and attentive except for one major blip. They got one of our orders wrong twice. In the end, my friend had to settle for something he didn't order, which really marred the entire experience for him.
The 7 of us forked out $451 for a totally unsatisfying dinner, be it quantity or quality wise. Will I be back? I'll toss a coin and let you know, but chances are, no.
Went to Cathay AMK to watch Balls of Fury last weekend.
Well have to say that the standard of the cinema is as good as the rest of the cathay cinemas.
I like the large reception area where to buy tickets and popcorns. One thing bad though, there are no seats to sit on while waiting for the show to start unlike other Cathays.
There are 8 cinema halls there so quite a number of shows showing there. Good.
Service wise, GREAT! The people there are very friendly. From the one selling the tickets to the usher. Even when I was walking into the cinema hall, the guy manning the tibits section manged to say "Welcome! Enjoy your show" to everyone walking past him.
The cinema seating is good and comfortable. The solpe is quite high so the guy in front of you can hardly block your view. They do not maximise the seast to the fron so even if you get 1st row seast, you will not get a neckache after the show.
The sound system is up to par as it is new and uses the best sound system.
So overall it is a good place to watch show in the north now other than Junction 8 and Causeway Point.
1=SGD 0.0587
Went to this place with polarbear and a couple of other colleagues. And like what he had mentioned, the food there is really quite tasty and the queue was really long.
I can still remember seeing the queue form up as early as 6pm and even when we had left around 8plus, the queue was still as long as it had started. So you can really imagine the business there is extremely good.
And I liked the Crab Bee Hoon more. Cos' the creamy crab seems to be slightly overcooked and some of the meat was stuck on the shell, thus making it a bit harder to eat. In addition, the shells of the crab were not really "broken" and no crab pincers (nt sure if that's what they term), were given to us to help us break the shells. So in the end, we had to use our teeth to crack open the shells.
As for the Thai chicken and sambal kangkong (which Polarbear did not get to taste, haha!!), the former was really good, with equal sweetness and sourness while the latter was really spicy. For those who can't bear hot stuff, do be warned that the chilli is really powerful.
Overall, I would say that the food was good, but without a booking be prepared to wait for a long time. Therefore, my advice is : Always make your booking beforehand. Do not attempt to try your luck. You wil be disappointed.
Rating given:
This used to my family's favorite place for dinner or supper. For me, I can eat it everyday and will never get tired of it!
Alishan serves delicious Taiwan porridge and the wide variety of dishes just make eating porridge so much more delicious and satisfying. There are 2 types of porridge for selection, the normal plain one and the sweet potato porridge. Both at the same price - just 50cents. And the dishes price ranges from $1.50 to $12 each.
My usual order includes the steamed sotong and the chai poh egg. The steamed sotong is chewy and fresh. Dipped it into the accompanying sweet sauce and eat it together with a spoonful of porridge. Simply divine! (Just the thought of it makes my mouth water! And I'm craving for it now!)
And then there's the Chai Poh Egg. Just look at the size of the egg! It comes like a huge and thick pancake filled with chai poh and spring onion. The outside is slightly crispy and the inside is soft. Every bite of the egg gives you the crunch from the chai poh. Loveeee it!
With so many dishes for you to choose from, one bowl of porridge is never enough! My record was 4 bowls of piping hot sweet potato porridge. Can you beat that? Heee.
Rating given:
I did my Lasik operation at the Lasik Surgery Clinic in June this yr. The service there was really excellent. The staff there would first request you to fill up a simple questionnare on your history of your eye's conditions. After which, they would then dilate your eyes using a lotion to check on ur pupils as well as conduct several other tests to determine if you are suitable for undergoing the surgery.
Once you have been ascertained to be suitable, you would then be asked to see if you are willing to undergo the surgery. At no point in time,did they pester you to make a decision on the spot. For me, I made the decision there and then, partly due to the consideration that GST was still at 5% then.
In addition, they would also provide recommendation on the types of Lasik surgery that you would be suied for based on the condition of your eyes. And again, I must say that they will not coerce you into taking up a pricer package, but rather let you decide on your own.
Before the surgery, they would first conduct a talk to share with the patients on teh various aspects of Lasik surgery and what you would expect after the surgery.
As for the surgery and the follow-ups (3 in total), they were very professional as well and made you feel completely at ease. If you have any doubts, you can feel free to check with the doctors or optometrists on the spot. Also, you have the option of choosing your own doctor to perform the surgery for you if you have had recommendations from your friends or relatives. For me, I did not have anyone and was assigned DR. Yap Soo Keong. And I must say that he was a very nice person.
Lastly, I must say that their prices are very competitive and if you are a SAFRA member, you can get a discount of 10%( if i remembered correctly). All in all, I must say that the clinic gave me a very good experience and I would recommend this place for those considering Lasik surgery
Rating given:
Been to Night Safari last month as a surprise for someone special and at the same time Starhub is having a promotion as well. It has been a long time since I had been there as well.
So took 138 from AMK interchange to reach there, fast and easy. Direct to the gate of Night Safari.
Once we reach there, we head for the ticketing counter and it was a breeze to buy tickets from the efficient and friendly staff.
Even before we step into Night Safrai, there is already a tribal show going on in front of the main entrance gate. They were there literaly playing with fire. Attracted a lot of crowd to stand and see them. They perform 3 times a night and definitely do their best to warm up the crowd before entering Night Safrai.
There is a few options to go when we are in Night Safrai. Me being a planner, decided that we took the tram ride 1st. The tram ride is basically an hour ride around the park, some of the places in Night Safrai is only accessible by the tram only. The presenters on the tram are really good as they correctly managed to remember almost everything in the park and even the names of the animals as well. The ride was fun except for some people that keep letting go of their flashes despite numerous reminders.
We dropped off at the half way point @ Lepord Trail. Took abt 25 mins to complete and managed to see most of the cats in action (ie moving.) Then took the tram for the 2nd half of the ride. This time round, was brought through a tropical rainforest.
After reaching the starting point, we headed towards to join the queue for the animal show, Creatures of the Night. Be warned that you better be there 30 mins beore the show starts as the queue is pretty long. A lot of kaisu peopl there already started queueing an hour before the show starts.
The show was good as all the presenters are very professional and all their animals are well trained as well. OUr show dragged a bit of time as an owl did not cooperate and decided to not to fly down so it took a bit of time to coax him to fly down. It is a must watch show in Night Safari.
After which, we contiune to walk on the remaining two trails, the Forest Giant trail and walk through a suspension bridge and the Fishing cat trail. Each also can be completed within 25 mins as well.
We ended the whole trip ard midnight and still managed to take 138 back to AMK interchange.
It is definitely one of the best attraction in Singapore. Worth to go and check it out.
Rating given:
have been to the night safari a couple of times before. To me, the experiences were quite good. Over there, you can see the nocturnal animals coming out,actually it can be quite a challenge to see them moving around. This is manily attributed to the fact that the entire surroundings are very dim in order not to let the animals be disturbed by the lightings.
For the more adventurous ones, they can take a slow walk and venture around to take a look at the various animals. As for those who have kids or are the lazy type, you can also take the tram ride and enjoy the guide doing the explaining during each stop. For me, i have taken both approaches before and I like to do the trekkng one more. BUt do take note that it can get quite stuffy and I did perspire quite a fair bit.
In addition, there is also a perfomance by the "stars" of the night safari. It was a nice and enjoyable show which both kids and adults will enjoy. As the show times are quite limited, it is recommended that you go for the show before you go for your walk or tram ride.
So do go there for a visit one of these days and enjoy a nice evening at the night safari.
Rating given:
just had my dinner at the new Food JUnction at Bugis Junction. From first glance, it seems much more stylish and trendy as compared to the previous food court at the basement. Instead of those normal plastic seats that you normally find at food courts, now you get more sturdy wooden seats as well as nice sofa-like seats as well.
However, actually these new seats took up a lot more space as well and thus I had to spend a good whole ten minutes gettg my food. So perhaps for those planning to eat there, do be prepared for the slightly longer waiting time for your seats.
Notwithstanding that, there are actually more food stalls now in this revamped food court. The new stalls include a Pepper Lunch Express (where the queue is ever present), aN Omelette Rice stall (where they sell those 蛋包饭 style of food）, as well as a couple more stalls which I can't really remember their specialities as I only took a glance.
Therefore, for this new food court, I would say that indeed it is appealing in both the food and asethetics department. The only negative pt would be the lacking of ample seats to cater to the patrons during peak hours
Rating given:
Been there to watch Mr Woodcock over the weekend. Although the cinema is very near my house but then I seldom go there to watch movie unless I am with my sis or I am too lazy to go to town to watch movie.
One thing good about watching movie there, the tickets are cheaper by 50 cents compared to other cinemas.
There is also 8 cinema halls there so it offers a great variety of movies as well.
It used to have a very reception area, however after renovation, the ticketing office becomes very small and got to walk a long walkway before you can reach the ticketing office as the rest of the space is taken up by a food court.
The ticketing office is the saem as other cathay where you can get your tivkets and tibits at the same time. So might have to wait a little longer in the queue.
The seating in the cinema hall is quite spaced out but on the rather flat slope. However this does not mean that the person in front of you would be able to block you as the screen in placed higher than usual, compared to other cinemas. So when watching the movie, you might find yourself tilting your head slightly higher.
The air con is rather cold same as other cathay cinemas, so prepare yourself with a jacket if you are scare of cold.
Overall it is considered, to me, one of the better cinemas in the north region.
Rating given:
What can you eat for dinner at Raffles place with only $10 in your wallet? The choices seem limited, not only because of the limited eateries that are open in the evenings, but also because the eateries that stay open don't come cheap. In comes Pret A Manger, which is actually a French word for ready to eat. Newly opened and located at the ground floor of Ogilvy Centre along Robinson Road, this new kid in the sandwich scene serves up pre packed sandwiches that are freshly made every morning and thrown into the chiller to help preserve the freshness. Leftovers are donated to charity. This place works essentially like a fast food restaurant. You pick the sandwiches you want and proceed to the counter to make payment. There's quite a cozy dining area, so you can choose to eat in or take away.
There was hardly anyone around when I got there at about 1815hrs, so I made myself comfortable and grabbed two sandwiches - the Christmas Lunch and the Crayfish and Roquette. I had initially wanted to try out their specialty, the Coronation Chicken, but decided against it as I didn't want both sandwiches to have chicken in them. Actually I didn't really have much choice either as quite a few sandwiches were sold out.
First impressions of the sandwiches. Both looked rather small for the price - $3.80 for the Christmas Lunch and $3.90 for the Crayfish and Roquette. Having said that, I was impressed by the generous fillings. This is so unlike the normal sandwiches you buy from your neighbourhood bakeries. I particularly liked the Christmas Lunch, which had Turkey, Stuffing, Spinach, Crispy Onion, Cranberry Sauce and thick Mayonnaise. The Crispy Onion added a nice wholesome flavour to the sandwich, but overall I found it a little too sweet, probably because of the Mayo. The Crayfish and Roquette, as the name suggests, had Crayfish, Roquette, Lemon Juice, Mayonnaise and Yoghurt. In all honesty, the taste of the Roquette overpowered just about everything else. I was hoping for a nice and juicy crayfish, but what I got was a chilled tasteless one. But it was nice to chew on it though. Both sandwiches used wholemeal bread (I think) instead of the usual white bread, which is a plus I guess.
Overall I had a good experience there, primarily because of the very friendly and sociable staff there. The sandwiches were above average, but falls flat in the value for money segment as you would need at least 2 sandwiches to feel decently satisfied (I think I need 4). Throw in a drink and probably a soup and you would have breached the $10 mark. They do sell bigger sandwiches at $7.50 each, but its just a 10"-12"(very rough estimate, so please correct me if I am wrong) baguette with fillings, no drink, nothing. Compare that to Subway, which only charges about $7 for a sandwich with a drink and cookie. Now if Subway would just work on their variety....
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Had our monthly group dinner at Bonta last evening. Opened in April this year and helmed by chef Luca Pezzera, who was formerly the executive chef at Hotel Intercontinental, Jakarta, Bonta has been garnering rather rave reviews with regard to its food and service, hence making it our choice of restaurant for the month.
Located along the outskirts of UE Square just opposite Double O, Bonta boasts a modern chic outlook coupled with warm colours, ambient lighting and soothing pipe music to give it that cosy and relaxed feel. There's also a semi private room for a few couples on the second floor complete with a showcase wine cellar for a more romantic rendezvous. However, do note that the room is all glass, so people can see you from the ground level. And in case you are wondering, Bonta is relatively small, with a sitting capacity probably maxing out at about 30 people or so.
The complimentary bread deserves a writeup devoted entirely to itself. Why so? Because its simply the best complimentary bread I've ever eaten so far (not that I've eaten alot though). The bread came served piping hot in a longish cup and when sliced open, emitted a fragrant and alluring aroma. Crispy on the outside yet soft and fluffy on the inside, the the pockets of cheese and walnuts within served to enhance its taste and bite. Really a most delightful bread. I understand that takeaway for the bread is available at $8/loaf for those who are interested (and can afford it). For cheapskates and financially struggling people like me, there's always the complimentary option.
I didn't get a chance to try out the trout rolls but I did have a go at the goose liver or Foie Gras as some people might know it. The liver was pan fried till a little crisp on the exterior yet retaining its softness within. Taste wise was pretty good, with the raw taste of liver subtle and a slight hint of smokiness. However, I did find the aftertaste a little too strong for my liking. Also, the liver wasn't as quivery as I would have expected it to be, falling short of the standards set by Ember and Il-Lido.
At $22, this dish was really expensive given that only 4 pieces of scallops were served. However, money aside, it was just a just a little short of excellent. The scallops were quite a size and came served with their shell. Pop one into your mouth and enjoy the sweetness of the scallops with the accompanying Hollandaise sauce. To best enjoy this dish (in my personal opinion), you have to consume the whole thing - lock, stock and barrel (minus the shell of course) at one go.
Ravioli with Goose Liver - Had a piece of the ravioli to try and didn't find it fantastic. I could barely make out the taste of the liver as it was almost entirely masked by the creamy sauce base.
Black Angus Beef Sirloin Tagliata - It came as requested, medium rare and nicely grilled for that subtle sweetness and char grilled flavour. However it did come across as a little weak on the natural beef taste, which was a pity really. On a side note, the accompanying Porcini mushrooms had this weird taste which I couldn't stomach.
Disappointment. The icy cold word that pierces through your heart. That was the exact emotion all of us were feeling after the dinner. It was so bad that none of us had the heart to order any desserts, preferring to head down elsewhere. Service was good and attentive except for one major blip. They got one of our orders wrong twice. In the end, my friend had to settle for something he didn't order, which really marred the entire experience for him.
The 7 of us forked out $451 for a totally unsatisfying dinner, be it quantity or quality wise. Will I be back? I'll toss a coin and let you know, but chances are, no.
See all my pictures here
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Went to Cathay AMK to watch Balls of Fury last weekend.
Well have to say that the standard of the cinema is as good as the rest of the cathay cinemas.
I like the large reception area where to buy tickets and popcorns. One thing bad though, there are no seats to sit on while waiting for the show to start unlike other Cathays.
There are 8 cinema halls there so quite a number of shows showing there. Good.
Service wise, GREAT! The people there are very friendly. From the one selling the tickets to the usher. Even when I was walking into the cinema hall, the guy manning the tibits section manged to say "Welcome! Enjoy your show" to everyone walking past him.
The cinema seating is good and comfortable. The solpe is quite high so the guy in front of you can hardly block your view. They do not maximise the seast to the fron so even if you get 1st row seast, you will not get a neckache after the show.
The sound system is up to par as it is new and uses the best sound system.
So overall it is a good place to watch show in the north now other than Junction 8 and Causeway Point.
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