Cathay - a name synonymous with movies of the past era. What most people don't know is that Cathay actually operates a rather niche eatery in its premises which goes by the name of The Cathay Restaurant. Started in 1940, the restaurant served up European fare but switched to Chinese food in 1951 and was purportedly Singapore's finest Chinese restaurant at that time.
Situated on the 2nd floor of the spanking new Cathay building, The Cathay Restaurant embraces the modern with its unpretentiously upclass decor yet retains his heritage by showcasing portraits of movie stars from the golden era. Retro-ish (if there's such a word) I must say.
Doubled Boiled Shark's Bone Cartilage with Bamboo Fungus - I've always been a fan of shark bone soup and The Cathay Restaurant's rendition didn't disappoint. But then again, it wasn't outstanding either. The soup was tasty but did come across as a little too milky for my liking and left a slight starchy residue on my tongue after every mouthful, which I personally found a little unsettling.
Deep Fried Spring Rolls - This is not your usual spring rolls because it comes with fatty pork, mushrooms and turnip as ingredients. Found it rather normal in spite of all the ingredients, probably due to the overall blandness but the skin was nice and crisp though.
Siew Mai - Interestingly, the Siew Mai had this predominant mushroom taste owing to the fact that one of the ingredients in it was a sizable chunk of mushroom. This is something rather unique but I personally found it a little too "mushroomy", totally eclipsing the traditional pork taste that I associate with Siew Mai. Just an individual preference I guess.
Pan Fried Pork Chop with Special Sauce - The pork chop was very well marinated as evident by the lightly sweet flavours each bite held. However, the pork was a tad on the chewy side which made eating difficult and there was a slight overuse on the amount of Chinese celery as I found the taste pretty evident, to the extent of being a little overwhelming.
Poached Seasonal Vegetables - Funny how poached seasonal vegetables would turn out to have beancurd in it. Not that I'm complaining though. The beancurd was tasty but wasn't firm or silky enough to make the premium grade cut. The vegetables tasted like they had been blanched in boiling water and served up with gravy.
Special Homemade Noodles with Mixed Seafood - I honestly don't see or taste anything special about the homemade noodles. Sure, it was chewy but that was it. Beansprouts and fresh average sized prawns graced the dish which tasted to me a little like Hor Fun due to the slightly smoky and starchy gravy. Having said that, the gravy was really too weak to make much of a difference, especially when the noodles were practically tasteless. I had to resort to adding soya sauce.
Double Boiled Dried Apricot with Sea Coconut and Red Dates - If you get a kick out of having a sugar rush, then this dessert is probably for you. It was insanely sweet and I must say even for a sugar fanatic like me, I had a hard time trying to finish it. I attribute this to the extra sugar they added into the syrup on top of the sweetness from the already very sweet apricot.
With a 1 for 1 offer from Standard Chartered, I only had to fork out about $55 for 2 pax, which I feel is rather reasonable given the acceptable quantity and decent quality of food. If the standard of the dim sum is anything to go by, food quality at The Cathay isn't exactly top notch, but its refined enough to warrant another visit. Not without a high percentage discount though.
Does staring at donuts for long make you feel sick and all? Because this seems to be the feeling I get when I went to Munchy's today. Or at least from the person I was served.
It's the donut-craze in town, maybe that craze has piped down a little but nonetheless, it's still there. Donut Factory is out of the way and it's definitely ridiculous having to stand there for hours to queue for donuts that aren't super cheap or anything. A better alternative would be Munchy's Donuts I thought. They got place to sit down too, and the shop looks a little more professional than those little shops smacked in the middle of even more little shops.
One thing I really like about Munchy's is that they provide tables and chairs for you to sit there and enjoy your donuts. Plus, they've got drinks too. (And of course the fact that you don't have to queue at all during the off-peak hour...) But the fact that they put their donuts out on display like what you see at places like Breadtalk makes your donut a little less enjoyable as it doesn't have that fresh-out-of-the-oven taste.
So, I finally got myself my donuts! Munchy's really has some quite unique taste. A lot of chocolate flavoured stuff. But I was kinda disappointed. I think it could be because, generally, donuts are overrated in Singapore. The donuts were not warm nor were they extremely tasty that makes one crave for another. In fact, I got quite sick of it after awhile. I managed to try 4 different halves of donuts. They had one peanut with chocolate that had too much nuts, covering the chocolate taste. Of course if we wanna go into details, some of the flavours are not bad. visually appealing too.
But on the whole, I really must say I'm not very impressed with Singapore donuts..
If you like something different from the regular restaurant EAT OUTS, you should visit BORSHCH steak house. Its further down the shop houses after SuSHi Tei at the Serangoon Garden area. I was around there and I was captured by the outlook of the restaurant.
It look rather retro, kind of reminded me of english coffee houses during the eighties at low level flatted areas. They serve a good variety of normal and executive set lunches and dinners at very value for money prices. Written on a standing white board is the menu and the items for TODAY SPECIALS. While I entered the Restaurant, it emits a RUSSIAN Ambience. Not the Chic Russian kind of look rather the HOMELY Russian Feel. With the neatly layed table, I sat down with my friend at the corner.
The walls were adorned with some pictures which were pretty old, not exactly pretty but very vintage.... I order a Lamb Shank executive lunch and it comes with a beef soup, garlic toast, dessert and coffee, all for $12.80.
The soup arrived quickly and I happily tucked in. It was tomato based beef broth, very savoury and healthy with lots of Vegetables. I personally felt it was a little like the Campbell's ABC Vegetable soup but as i had it more and more, it got more and more delicious. Its not too blend but of the right taste and i don't feel thirsty as when i always do after canned soup.
My Lamb Shank looked HUGE... The meat was tender and the gravy is scrimptiously delicious.... It is not bloachy like when you over do the corn starch, rather, its watery but you could taste the richness of the many ingredients added. Not exactly chuncky as the ingredients have been boiled to melt inside the sauce. The potatoes and vegetables by the side is nicely poached to perfection and goes well with the sauce.
Later, the dessert was a scoop of ice cream and coffee and i put the ice cream on top of the coffee to reduce calories and to make my favourite Leenie's AFFAGATO.....
After the scrumptious meal I need not worry about exercising off the fats, as i felt preservatives free and healthy.. *heehee*
Perfect for a ROMANTIC, DOWN TO EARTH Dinner...... FAB....
Its been awhile since I had the XXL Chicken nor the Tempura. I used to be a fan of Shihlin's snack, everytime I passed by an outlet, I'll want to buy either of my favorite (and many times, both at the same time *sin sin*). Ever since I started dieting, I've stopped eating both of them.
I've to agree that it's oily and unhealthy, and yes, there's slight difference in the taste/texture from different outlets. Guess for me, as long as there's lots and lots of chilli and pepper powder, I don't really care. *LOL*
Shihlin's Tempura is yummy! Although its like chewing on flour or whatever it is, but I like the taste and texture when you chew on them. Just thinking of it now, makes my mouth itch for some hot and spicy Tempura!
Secrets at Eleven is a relaxing and very nice place to get your pretty nails. Located on the second level (above Happy Daze). The decor is simple and welcoming. I had my meni done at their balcony. Imagine, relaxing on a big arm chair, with open view of the happenings below me and the friendliest manicurist. 2 other friends can sit next to you by the balcony and together have your nails done up, drink a cup of nice warm tea and catch-up with the latest happenings in life.
The manicurists know their products very well and their service and skill is good. When come to choosing colors for the nails, they'll try on every color you want to see on each of your nails so that you can see exactly how it looks like on your hands. (I ended up with 10 different color on my fingers!) This is great cos you'll not regret only after all the nails were painted. They wouldn't rush you and they'll be more than glad to try on as many colors as you want so that you're happy with the decision.
For just $23 for a classic mani and $33 for a classic pedi, Secrets at Eleven is the place to go with your girlfriends!
Waking up hungry on a Saturday morning and travelling a long way on MRT is no easy feat. I arrived at Tiong Bahru Plaza wondering what I can have for breakfast but after looking at McDonald's long queue, I gave up and decided to browse around for other options.
I turned the corner and saw Ya Kun Kaya Toast outlet. There were little people and so I thought that would be a good fix. I pop over the counter, and was greeted cheerfully. Not just the cashier, but also the assistant in the background who bellowed out a loud "GOOD MORNING!" in Chinese. Okay, a little embarrassing but that's a good start to the day.
I ordered a Set A because I didn't want to eat too much. The coffee was quickly prepared, and the way it was served to me - surprising. It was also the first time someone offered this option to me... "Enjoy your breakfast mister, if your coffee is not sweet enough, come back to me for a little more sugar/milk". NICE! I always love my coffee slightly sweeter.
One thing that turns me off about Ya Kun is how hard the toasts are. I have already taken note of the varying differences of toasts among several branches, and I guess it boils down very much to the person preparing it.
Ya Kun @ Tong Bahru gives me my perfect toast just as I like it. A balanced toast ending with a crispy surface, BUT the interior of the bread is soft. I have tried Ya Kun toasts from elsewhere, biting into them feel more like cookies than toast bread. The fillings of butter slices and kaya were generous too.
The half-boiled eggs were a joy. Nicely done, not too much raw parts but yet, not too cooked too. Coffee was nice. It was thick and not diluted, the sweetness was just nice to my standard and preference of coffee so I didn't need to turn back to the kind offer I was told.
Nice things are said, now comes the critics. They weren't hot enough. Everything was warm, but not hot. Coffee drinkers like me enjoy having our coffee piping hot and that was a disappointment. Somehow, coffee don't taste as enjoyable as when it's just warm.
The half-boiled eggs were close to being cold. Literally I mean! As I held up the plate, I don't even feel a single bit of warmth until I slurped the eggs the good old style, it was only that little warm. What another disappointment! Thanks God the bread were freshly toasted and that saved the day.
My verdict? It's barely an acceptable for breakfast, if you do not mind the high price at Ya Kun. That's about it. Perhaps, not all traditional remains the same after franchising or branching.
If only everything were served really hot, I think the experience of having breakfast there will be even better. Tables were very small, too small for my liking so you had better grab another chair to place your bags or suitcases on. You don't actually expect much atmosphere in such a branch, do you?
Blue Mist is a small cafe/Restaurant/Bar situated near the end of AMARA at the back, facing the small road.
A perfectly cosy place to chill out with your friends or to meet your clients for a short drink. This cafe bar though small, provides a plentiful of choices of food. And what more, a more plentiful choices of wines to choose from the rack. These wines are thoughtfully priced with the price tag, obvious but not offensive. Besides beer and wine you can also get carefully crafted cocktails and house pours.
I love to order a nice pot of tea and have their dark cherry and almond pie. I love that pie very much as it is so delectable. With its buttery crust and soft creamy fillings, who would not like something so delectable. Every bite melts in your mouth yet you can crunch on bits of almond slices... Oooh.... Its not too sweet but savoury enough. Sip on a cup of hot mint tea from their extensive selections and enjoy the bliss.... These tea leaves are freshly kept in jars and the visual effect is just fab....
Nice place to hang out, day and night.. and the service is also pretty good. You may choose to sit in or alfresco style... but when you sit near the clear glass partitions, please beware of the protruding glass slabs that you might bump your head on.. Overall, its a nice place.....
If you like SteamBoat and Chicken Rice, This is the place to be. They have been in business since before i was born and till today, business is still thriving. You can Imagine how yummy.
Located at a not so glamourous shopping mall. This steamboat restaurant serves one of the best chicken rice I had ever tasted. The chicken meat is soft and tender but not too oily. Steamboat is about the same but the ingredients are pretty standard with veg, fishballs, a little meat, sea cucumber, fish skin..etc...
When both combined... Everything just went crazily YUMMY... The chicken rice went so well with the steamboat. With a nice cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, it is completely appetizing, especially on a rainy day. Seeping the hot hot soup with a half cooked egg is simply a dream come through.
On some evenings, they also serve Pork Satay. Can you find another Satay Stall in a fully air conditioned shopping mall? There is also roast pork and if you like hor fun and other kinds of noodle dishes. They are cooked OLD STYLE and very yummy.
Remember to call to book your sits, sometimes its rather difficult as it is pretty popular.
Traditional SteamBoat with CHICKY Rice...... YUM YUM......
Pepper Lunch , by now is a new popular fast food chain serving up set meals on a sizzling hot pot right up to your table. It's like an individual serving of BBQ food.
Each set has a good combination of meat, vegetables and rice. A nice well-balanced meal, served fast cos it cooks at your table. :) A nice alternative to the regular fast food, but it's at twice the price.
What we ordered at the Suntec Outlet: Teriyaki Chicken Set Beef Pepper Rice
The place was rather empty (as it was a weekday) when we went in at 11.30am... we ordered quickly. They adopted a new system of seating people. They give you a table number suitable for the number of patrons and the huge number tags are already on all the tables. I think this is much more efficient and it prevents people from hogging tables far too big for their group. The Teriyaki Chicken set is their latest promotion so it's not on their menu on their website. The lady introduced it to me and I gladly tried it. There's also the Teriyaki Salmon set and Teriyaki Beef Set.
Our food arrived quickly. The young man who served us patiently explained how to cook the food and what condiments we could add. He said it quickly, clearly and with a smile.
Both dishes were good. The food tasted fine, partly due to our cooking. haha
One gripe would be the presentation of the food. They were very innovative in having the paper around the hotplate so that patrons would not burn themselves against it. But the chopsticks and the bowls are of very poor material, and quite ugly in fact. Another thing is that the salt and pepper container at our table was virtually empty. Since it was the start of the day, I would have expected everything to be nicely filled up.
By the time we left at 12.10pm, the place was nicely filling up with the lunchtime crowd.
Now.. I would like to try the cheaper Pepper Lunch at Century Square Food court... haha
do not really understand why there is a change in my appetite recently. Used to like seafood, but now i don't dare to touch them? Mysterious? hahahah... Today, i have this sudden craving for dim sum, think of siew man, char siew bao will start to make me drool. So when i chanced upon this dim sum outlet, i was pretty happy.
This pick & bite cafe is no ordinary dim sum store. Besides selling those dim sum in the straw basket, you can find congee, rice dumplings, desserts, baos and more. A rather wide range of food to be found here right?
Baos and dim sum are probably easier to pack and eat on the go as compared to noodles and mixed rice. Thus, during lunch time, you get to see many people patronizing their outlet to pack some snacks. (A rather long queue can be seen)
Fear not that you will have to stand and eat their food as they have set up few tables and chairs to cater for those customers who wants to enjoy their food in the outlet itself. There have also set up some additional chairs outside of their store. (most probably for the smokers to smoke and eat at the same time?)
Tried their lotus leaf rice, one of their most popular item in the cafe (at least 50% of its customer will be seen eating this dish). However, i was not very impressed with this dish, as the rice (japanese rice) was rather dry and hard. Perhaps, the rice was overcooked? The ingredients in the rice was rather little too. (only a few piece of char siew and small cubes of mushrooms is seen) Patheic?
Tasted their dessert -- orh nee (yam paste), but it seems too diluted too taste. (makes me think of orh nee in a drink form?) Whats more? This is my very first time to eat orh nee without ginko nuts. (the version that i ate is totally different from the picture shown) Did they forgot to put it in or picture is deceiving? I really wonder.
Tried their baskets of dim sum as well, their har gia (shrimps wrapped in wanton skin) is not that great too. Rather dry, and small size. Not really worth the amount paid too.
Well, guess my experience with them is not really that marvellous after all. I would really have to ponder hard hard if i would like to step in and try their food again. :P
1=SGD 0.0587
Cathay - a name synonymous with movies of the past era. What most people don't know is that Cathay actually operates a rather niche eatery in its premises which goes by the name of The Cathay Restaurant. Started in 1940, the restaurant served up European fare but switched to Chinese food in 1951 and was purportedly Singapore's finest Chinese restaurant at that time.
Situated on the 2nd floor of the spanking new Cathay building, The Cathay Restaurant embraces the modern with its unpretentiously upclass decor yet retains his heritage by showcasing portraits of movie stars from the golden era. Retro-ish (if there's such a word) I must say.
Doubled Boiled Shark's Bone Cartilage with Bamboo Fungus - I've always been a fan of shark bone soup and The Cathay Restaurant's rendition didn't disappoint. But then again, it wasn't outstanding either. The soup was tasty but did come across as a little too milky for my liking and left a slight starchy residue on my tongue after every mouthful, which I personally found a little unsettling.
Deep Fried Spring Rolls - This is not your usual spring rolls because it comes with fatty pork, mushrooms and turnip as ingredients. Found it rather normal in spite of all the ingredients, probably due to the overall blandness but the skin was nice and crisp though.
Siew Mai - Interestingly, the Siew Mai had this predominant mushroom taste owing to the fact that one of the ingredients in it was a sizable chunk of mushroom. This is something rather unique but I personally found it a little too "mushroomy", totally eclipsing the traditional pork taste that I associate with Siew Mai. Just an individual preference I guess.
Pan Fried Pork Chop with Special Sauce - The pork chop was very well marinated as evident by the lightly sweet flavours each bite held. However, the pork was a tad on the chewy side which made eating difficult and there was a slight overuse on the amount of Chinese celery as I found the taste pretty evident, to the extent of being a little overwhelming.
Poached Seasonal Vegetables - Funny how poached seasonal vegetables would turn out to have beancurd in it. Not that I'm complaining though. The beancurd was tasty but wasn't firm or silky enough to make the premium grade cut. The vegetables tasted like they had been blanched in boiling water and served up with gravy.
Special Homemade Noodles with Mixed Seafood - I honestly don't see or taste anything special about the homemade noodles. Sure, it was chewy but that was it. Beansprouts and fresh average sized prawns graced the dish which tasted to me a little like Hor Fun due to the slightly smoky and starchy gravy. Having said that, the gravy was really too weak to make much of a difference, especially when the noodles were practically tasteless. I had to resort to adding soya sauce.
Double Boiled Dried Apricot with Sea Coconut and Red Dates -
If you get a kick out of having a sugar rush, then this dessert is probably for you. It was insanely sweet and I must say even for a sugar fanatic like me, I had a hard time trying to finish it. I attribute this to the extra sugar they added into the syrup on top of the sweetness from the already very sweet apricot.
With a 1 for 1 offer from Standard Chartered, I only had to fork out about $55 for 2 pax, which I feel is rather reasonable given the acceptable quantity and decent quality of food. If the standard of the dim sum is anything to go by, food quality at The Cathay isn't exactly top notch, but its refined enough to warrant another visit. Not without a high percentage discount though.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Does staring at donuts for long make you feel sick and all? Because this seems to be the feeling I get when I went to Munchy's today. Or at least from the person I was served.
It's the donut-craze in town, maybe that craze has piped down a little but nonetheless, it's still there. Donut Factory is out of the way and it's definitely ridiculous having to stand there for hours to queue for donuts that aren't super cheap or anything. A better alternative would be Munchy's Donuts I thought. They got place to sit down too, and the shop looks a little more professional than those little shops smacked in the middle of even more little shops.
One thing I really like about Munchy's is that they provide tables and chairs for you to sit there and enjoy your donuts. Plus, they've got drinks too. (And of course the fact that you don't have to queue at all during the off-peak hour...) But the fact that they put their donuts out on display like what you see at places like Breadtalk makes your donut a little less enjoyable as it doesn't have that fresh-out-of-the-oven taste.
So, I finally got myself my donuts! Munchy's really has some quite unique taste. A lot of chocolate flavoured stuff. But I was kinda disappointed. I think it could be because, generally, donuts are overrated in Singapore. The donuts were not warm nor were they extremely tasty that makes one crave for another. In fact, I got quite sick of it after awhile. I managed to try 4 different halves of donuts. They had one peanut with chocolate that had too much nuts, covering the chocolate taste. Of course if we wanna go into details, some of the flavours are not bad. visually appealing too.
But on the whole, I really must say I'm not very impressed with Singapore donuts..
Rating given:
If you like something different from the regular restaurant EAT OUTS, you should visit BORSHCH steak house. Its further down the shop houses after SuSHi Tei at the Serangoon Garden area. I was around there and I was captured by the outlook of the restaurant.
It look rather retro, kind of reminded me of english coffee houses during the eighties at low level flatted areas. They serve a good variety of normal and executive set lunches and dinners at very value for money prices. Written on a standing white board is the menu and the items for TODAY SPECIALS. While I entered the Restaurant, it emits a RUSSIAN Ambience. Not the Chic Russian kind of look rather the HOMELY Russian Feel. With the neatly layed table, I sat down with my friend at the corner.
The walls were adorned with some pictures which were pretty old, not exactly pretty but very vintage.... I order a Lamb Shank executive lunch and it comes with a beef soup, garlic toast, dessert and coffee, all for $12.80.
The soup arrived quickly and I happily tucked in. It was tomato based beef broth, very savoury and healthy with lots of Vegetables. I personally felt it was a little like the Campbell's ABC Vegetable soup but as i had it more and more, it got more and more delicious. Its not too blend but of the right taste and i don't feel thirsty as when i always do after canned soup.
My Lamb Shank looked HUGE... The meat was tender and the gravy is scrimptiously delicious.... It is not bloachy like when you over do the corn starch, rather, its watery but you could taste the richness of the many ingredients added. Not exactly chuncky as the ingredients have been boiled to melt inside the sauce. The potatoes and vegetables by the side is nicely poached to perfection and goes well with the sauce.
Later, the dessert was a scoop of ice cream and coffee and i put the ice cream on top of the coffee to reduce calories and to make my favourite Leenie's AFFAGATO.....
After the scrumptious meal I need not worry about exercising off the fats, as i felt preservatives free and healthy.. *heehee*
Perfect for a ROMANTIC, DOWN TO EARTH Dinner...... FAB....
Rating given:
Its been awhile since I had the XXL Chicken nor the Tempura. I used to be a fan of Shihlin's snack, everytime I passed by an outlet, I'll want to buy either of my favorite (and many times, both at the same time *sin sin*). Ever since I started dieting, I've stopped eating both of them.
I've to agree that it's oily and unhealthy, and yes, there's slight difference in the taste/texture from different outlets. Guess for me, as long as there's lots and lots of chilli and pepper powder, I don't really care. *LOL*
Shihlin's Tempura is yummy! Although its like chewing on flour or whatever it is, but I like the taste and texture when you chew on them. Just thinking of it now, makes my mouth itch for some hot and spicy Tempura!
Rating given:
"Oh nice nails! Where did you do it? "
'Sh... its a secret..."
Secrets at Eleven is a relaxing and very nice place to get your pretty nails. Located on the second level (above Happy Daze). The decor is simple and welcoming. I had my meni done at their balcony. Imagine, relaxing on a big arm chair, with open view of the happenings below me and the friendliest manicurist. 2 other friends can sit next to you by the balcony and together have your nails done up, drink a cup of nice warm tea and catch-up with the latest happenings in life.
The manicurists know their products very well and their service and skill is good. When come to choosing colors for the nails, they'll try on every color you want to see on each of your nails so that you can see exactly how it looks like on your hands. (I ended up with 10 different color on my fingers!) This is great cos you'll not regret only after all the nails were painted. They wouldn't rush you and they'll be more than glad to try on as many colors as you want so that you're happy with the decision.
For just $23 for a classic mani and $33 for a classic pedi, Secrets at Eleven is the place to go with your girlfriends!
Rating given:
Waking up hungry on a Saturday morning and travelling a long way on MRT is no easy feat. I arrived at Tiong Bahru Plaza wondering what I can have for breakfast but after looking at McDonald's long queue, I gave up and decided to browse around for other options.
I turned the corner and saw Ya Kun Kaya Toast outlet. There were little people and so I thought that would be a good fix. I pop over the counter, and was greeted cheerfully. Not just the cashier, but also the assistant in the background who bellowed out a loud "GOOD MORNING!" in Chinese. Okay, a little embarrassing but that's a good start to the day.
I ordered a Set A because I didn't want to eat too much. The coffee was quickly prepared, and the way it was served to me - surprising. It was also the first time someone offered this option to me... "Enjoy your breakfast mister, if your coffee is not sweet enough, come back to me for a little more sugar/milk". NICE! I always love my coffee slightly sweeter.
One thing that turns me off about Ya Kun is how hard the toasts are. I have already taken note of the varying differences of toasts among several branches, and I guess it boils down very much to the person preparing it.
Ya Kun @ Tong Bahru gives me my perfect toast just as I like it. A balanced toast ending with a crispy surface, BUT the interior of the bread is soft. I have tried Ya Kun toasts from elsewhere, biting into them feel more like cookies than toast bread. The fillings of butter slices and kaya were generous too.
The half-boiled eggs were a joy. Nicely done, not too much raw parts but yet, not too cooked too. Coffee was nice. It was thick and not diluted, the sweetness was just nice to my standard and preference of coffee so I didn't need to turn back to the kind offer I was told.
Nice things are said, now comes the critics. They weren't hot enough. Everything was warm, but not hot. Coffee drinkers like me enjoy having our coffee piping hot and that was a disappointment. Somehow, coffee don't taste as enjoyable as when it's just warm.
The half-boiled eggs were close to being cold. Literally I mean! As I held up the plate, I don't even feel a single bit of warmth until I slurped the eggs the good old style, it was only that little warm. What another disappointment! Thanks God the bread were freshly toasted and that saved the day.
My verdict? It's barely an acceptable for breakfast, if you do not mind the high price at Ya Kun. That's about it. Perhaps, not all traditional remains the same after franchising or branching.
If only everything were served really hot, I think the experience of having breakfast there will be even better. Tables were very small, too small for my liking so you had better grab another chair to place your bags or suitcases on. You don't actually expect much atmosphere in such a branch, do you?
Rating given:
Blue Mist is a small cafe/Restaurant/Bar situated near the end of AMARA at the back, facing the small road.
A perfectly cosy place to chill out with your friends or to meet your clients for a short drink. This cafe bar though small, provides a plentiful of choices of food. And what more, a more plentiful choices of wines to choose from the rack. These wines are thoughtfully priced with the price tag, obvious but not offensive. Besides beer and wine you can also get carefully crafted cocktails and house pours.
I love to order a nice pot of tea and have their dark cherry and almond pie. I love that pie very much as it is so delectable. With its buttery crust and soft creamy fillings, who would not like something so delectable. Every bite melts in your mouth yet you can crunch on bits of almond slices... Oooh.... Its not too sweet but savoury enough. Sip on a cup of hot mint tea from their extensive selections and enjoy the bliss.... These tea leaves are freshly kept in jars and the visual effect is just fab....
Nice place to hang out, day and night.. and the service is also pretty good. You may choose to sit in or alfresco style... but when you sit near the clear glass partitions, please beware of the protruding glass slabs that you might bump your head on.. Overall, its a nice place.....
Rating given:
If you like SteamBoat and Chicken Rice, This is the place to be. They have been in business since before i was born and till today, business is still thriving. You can Imagine how yummy.
Located at a not so glamourous shopping mall. This steamboat restaurant serves one of the best chicken rice I had ever tasted. The chicken meat is soft and tender but not too oily. Steamboat is about the same but the ingredients are pretty standard with veg, fishballs, a little meat, sea cucumber, fish skin..etc...
When both combined... Everything just went crazily YUMMY... The chicken rice went so well with the steamboat. With a nice cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, it is completely appetizing, especially on a rainy day. Seeping the hot hot soup with a half cooked egg is simply a dream come through.
On some evenings, they also serve Pork Satay. Can you find another Satay Stall in a fully air conditioned shopping mall? There is also roast pork and if you like hor fun and other kinds of noodle dishes. They are cooked OLD STYLE and very yummy.
Remember to call to book your sits, sometimes its rather difficult as it is pretty popular.
Traditional SteamBoat with CHICKY Rice...... YUM YUM......
Rating given:
Pepper Lunch , by now is a new popular fast food chain serving up set meals on a sizzling hot pot right up to your table. It's like an individual serving of BBQ food.
Each set has a good combination of meat, vegetables and rice. A nice well-balanced meal, served fast cos it cooks at your table. :) A nice alternative to the regular fast food, but it's at twice the price.
What we ordered at the Suntec Outlet:
Teriyaki Chicken Set
Beef Pepper Rice
The place was rather empty (as it was a weekday) when we went in at 11.30am... we ordered quickly. They adopted a new system of seating people. They give you a table number suitable for the number of patrons and the huge number tags are already on all the tables. I think this is much more efficient and it prevents people from hogging tables far too big for their group. The Teriyaki Chicken set is their latest promotion so it's not on their menu on their website. The lady introduced it to me and I gladly tried it. There's also the Teriyaki Salmon set and Teriyaki Beef Set.
Our food arrived quickly. The young man who served us patiently explained how to cook the food and what condiments we could add. He said it quickly, clearly and with a smile.
Both dishes were good. The food tasted fine, partly due to our cooking. haha
One gripe would be the presentation of the food. They were very innovative in having the paper around the hotplate so that patrons would not burn themselves against it. But the chopsticks and the bowls are of very poor material, and quite ugly in fact. Another thing is that the salt and pepper container at our table was virtually empty. Since it was the start of the day, I would have expected everything to be nicely filled up.
By the time we left at 12.10pm, the place was nicely filling up with the lunchtime crowd.
Now.. I would like to try the cheaper Pepper Lunch at Century Square Food court... haha
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do not really understand why there is a change in my appetite recently. Used to like seafood, but now i don't dare to touch them? Mysterious? hahahah... Today, i have this sudden craving for dim sum, think of siew man, char siew bao will start to make me drool. So when i chanced upon this dim sum outlet, i was pretty happy.
This pick & bite cafe is no ordinary dim sum store. Besides selling those dim sum in the straw basket, you can find congee, rice dumplings, desserts, baos and more. A rather wide range of food to be found here right?
Baos and dim sum are probably easier to pack and eat on the go as compared to noodles and mixed rice. Thus, during lunch time, you get to see many people patronizing their outlet to pack some snacks. (A rather long queue can be seen)
Fear not that you will have to stand and eat their food as they have set up few tables and chairs to cater for those customers who wants to enjoy their food in the outlet itself. There have also set up some additional chairs outside of their store. (most probably for the smokers to smoke and eat at the same time?)
Tried their lotus leaf rice, one of their most popular item in the cafe (at least 50% of its customer will be seen eating this dish). However, i was not very impressed with this dish, as the rice (japanese rice) was rather dry and hard. Perhaps, the rice was overcooked? The ingredients in the rice was rather little too. (only a few piece of char siew and small cubes of mushrooms is seen) Patheic?
Tasted their dessert -- orh nee (yam paste), but it seems too diluted too taste. (makes me think of orh nee in a drink form?) Whats more? This is my very first time to eat orh nee without ginko nuts. (the version that i ate is totally different from the picture shown) Did they forgot to put it in or picture is deceiving? I really wonder.
Tried their baskets of dim sum as well, their har gia (shrimps wrapped in wanton skin) is not that great too. Rather dry, and small size. Not really worth the amount paid too.
Well, guess my experience with them is not really that marvellous after all. I would really have to ponder hard hard if i would like to step in and try their food again. :P
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