My virgin trip to Hotpot Culture was with a bunch of mad Yebbers! The company certainly made the entire experience a great one. That aside... let's take a look at the restaurant itself.
Not too hard to realise that this is a steamboat restaurant but they give each patron their own little pots and soup of choice. There are 5 to pick from and I picked Chicken Soup. Sadly the Kimchi one seemed nicer but my throat was acting up again so Chicken it was for me. But the Chicken stock had very little taste and only started having some taste after I threw some chicken bits in.
For the steamboat there was enough variety for me though more would have been nice. But there was quite a bit of cooked items though. I thought it's quite special for a steamboat place to have so many cooked items. I liked the cooked items, especially the rojak chicken!! haha but it was a terror on my weak throat. Nonetheless i had a good share of that!
I think the best part was the chocolate fondue which they also have! Usually such places only serve fruit for dessert so this is a really nice conclusion to the dinner. :)
We dropped by at Charles Stefano at parkway after recommendations from another friend. It’s in a prominent area, right in the centre of near the escalator so there’s no way you can miss it.
It’s one of the few places (if not the only one) that sells stainless steel jewellery. I’m sure everyone’s heard of gold and silver… but this one is stainless steel. It feels more solid and nice to hold in comparison to silver. And it doesn’t tarnish like silver does. However, the designs are much chunkier. But some of the designs have Cubic Xirconia and diamonds on them which is a nice touch to the more expensive range.
We were very undecided when we got there as we didn’t even planned to get a pair of rings. But the lady was very patient with us, letting us try 10 designs and different sizes before we chose the ones we wanted. She also patiently offered advice on what sizes we should take to avoid discomfort.
We paid $40 for our pair of stainless steel rings.
I was very satisfied with the service and will probably head there to buy if I had to get a gift for my younger, funkier friends.
The cakes are of huge potion. These was 4 of us and we share 2 cakes which was enough to fill our 4 stomach…
Food Ordered: Carrot Carrot One of the best carrot cakes I have had. The texture was just right. It wasn’t hard like some but soft and spongy enough with the cream (whatever u call it ) on top. Highly recommended.
Mashmallow chocolate cake It is a just another dessert cake. Nothing special about it but it is rich.It is very rich in chocolate.I can’t really taste the sweetness of the mashmallows which is really weird. Pasta Pasta had lotsa of rockets on top..which I like. I thought it was quite unique as one wouldn’t normally find that much veg on a pasta
Ambience is good. We had chosen to sit outside the café instead of in the shop. The lighting is brighter. Although u are sitting in the midst of all shop, surprising it was not noisy. Maybe because we had gone on a weekday instead of the ends. The service was excellent with a little pot of water to refill our glasses of water.
Da Dong is a traditional Cantonese Restaurant suitably situated in the heart of Chinatown. A part of the Fatty Weng group, this restaurant has been operating for many decades.
There was some attempt to design the place like a old teahouse but I do think it looks like they are on a tight budget. They also tried to maximize seating space by having the tables quite close to each other. Occasionally when you stand your seat might just bump into the guy behind you which was quite irritating at times.
Food we ordered: Raw Fish Salad extra fish ($28) Quite obviously this is a seasonal dish – the Yu Sheng. It wasn’t very special, tasted the same, though it wasn’t overly sweet which was good. The staff said all the well wishes while preparing the dish which was a nice gesture. The additional plate of fish was quite pathetic (in terms of quantity).
Soon Hock Fish ($42 – seasonal) According to my dad, the fish-lover, it’s about 600g which is pretty small but reasonable for 5 people who have other dishes also. It was fried so I couldn’t really tell the freshness. The sauce it was doused in was regular. Nothing special and doesn’t quite justify the price.
Salad Prawns ($20 – s) There were only a few. It was quite nice but there was too much mayo on some which made it disgustingly sweet.
Peking Duck ($33) It was very small. They cut it up in front of us and served us the skin wrapped in the Popiah skin. There were only 7 pieces of those and there weren’t very big. The plate of duck meat that came after that was quite substantial tough.
Har Gao – Prawn dumpling ($2.50) The skin was a little too thick and dry. The prawn was quite fresh though. Reasonably good I guess. Chicken feet ($3.20) I didn’t taste this dish so I can’t say for sure. But my mom enjoyed it very much.
Including Chinese tea, rice, peanuts and towels, the total came up to $165 for the 5 of us. I think it was a tad ex, considering we didn’t eat much at all.
Unless necessary I don’t think I will be back at all.
Montreux Bistro is newly open about 1 month ago. It was a cake house along East coast road. I have always been an avid fan of their Chocolate Truffle cake. It is a must for any of my family members’ birthday. Now that this bakery has opened a café, nothing could stop us from trying it out. It’s a small café in black and white decor. A café that you could have a simple afternoon weekend lunch in.
We had :
Montreux Steak Sandwich ($14.90) Marinated Sirloin on Toasted Ciabatta with mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and melted cheese. Served with Wedges We had changed the beef to chicken. They were very flexible and did the change without fuss. Thus, there might be a change in the actual taste of the recommended dish . We were told that if it were beef then it would taste spicier. In this case, it was sweeter. Your average dish really. It had relatively good taste but wasn’t exceptional in any other ways.
Cilantro Prawns Cesar salad ($8.90) Romaine lettuce Cesar dressings topped with cilantro pesto infused tiger prawns. Served with garlic bread Good combination of the pesto with the tiger prawns. The crunchy succulent prawns goes very well. The bread is too bland in taste for my liking. But I will definitely come back for more salad.
Mango Tofu (s$7.50) This was one of the recommended desserts. It had a very refreshing taste with the citrus sauce. At first I was quite skeptical about this recommended dessert as I am not a fan of Mango desserts. I think it is hard to find good mango desserts, as they always taste very artificial. That said, this is a fantastic dessert. Really very good. The raspberry and the blueberry brings out the taste of the tofu very well. I would come back for more. Brandy Cherry Black Forest (s$4.50) Just your average black forest cake. I would say the amount of cherry u find in the small portion is generous.
Service was excellent. We were there on a sat afternoon. Inclusive of a latte and a peach soda, we paid s$50.05 in total. I found it reasonable, taking into consideration the food and service. I would recommended for desserts. Because they are so well presented and it taste good..
American brownie It’s just your regular brownie. There’s nothing special about it at all. I found it a bit dry even.
American carrot cake It was light and fluffy but the cream on top is not enough. The taste of the cake is not strong enough for my liking. Dark chocolate truffle This is the most recommended cake in the shop. Indeed it is the best out of all the 3 cakes I tasted that day. It is soft and was made with rich dark chocolate. However it wasn’t extraordinary.
Shepherd’s pie (beef) It would have been one of the best if it were hot enough. When it was served it was warm, lukewarm I should call it. Thus, it turns cold very fast. While eating the pie, the top part of the pie turn hard and stiff. The filling tasted good on the 1st bite but it wasn’t nice after that.
2 scoops of ice cream – banana chocolate & nutty nuts They say the ice cream is made of natural ingredients, but it didn’t taste that way.
The service was fantastic. The staff was nice enough to let me try a lot of the flavours of the ice cream. I tried the royal chocolate-it reminds me of the old magnolia ice cream before it was revamped. I tried many man flavours. In the end I chose the above flavours, the combination I chose was quite nice in fact.
We didn’t really have a great time sitting there as we were disturb by the 2 little flies bugging us as we were enjoying our cakes. The price was really reasonable. We paid $10.60 for the above.
Big Fish is a restaurant serving up fresh seafood dishes situated in the popular Siglap area. It’s been around for a few years and my family and I decided to try it out this CNY season.
We made reservations, as there were 6 of us and were promptly seated in the centre of the restaurant that night. The interior design of the place was comfortable with nice music and suitable lighting. It wasn’t too bright and yet just enough to take photos. The staff were friendly and served us iced water as we were ordering. They were also patient to explain the various dishes, though they had to repeat a few times as we had trouble understanding them (due to their accent).
The complimentary bread had herbs in it and was fresh. It was soft and fluffy. Too bad they gave only one for every person at the table.
Food Ordered:
Set Dinner - $29.95 This is a 4-course set that consisted of Corn Soup, Mahi-mahi, Chocolate Mousse and Coffee. The soup was pretty thick but not much ingredients in it. It IS corn soup after all.
Live Oysters - $2.60 per piece These were very fresh, served on ice. No fishy smell at all and it was quite sizeable. But even so it’s still expensive at this price… Well at least it was good. We ordered 6 which were finished in a jiffy. Softshell Crab - $12.95 I was a little disappointed by the quantity when it arrived. It’s lightly coated with some spices and served with mango salsa and a homemade dipping sauce. There was a lot of sauce but little crab. Nonetheless the crab was very tasty and not oily which is a big plus for me. Seafood Platter - $51.95 There were grilled scallops, Morton Bay Bug, fish skewers, BBQ squid, NZ mussels, chargrilled prawns, served with butter rice and chips. If you order this alone, it’s probably enough for 3 people to share. 5 of us shared this along with all the other stuff we ordered. The seafood was very fresh and not over done though it looked like it at first glance. But the juices are still retained so it wasn’t dry the way it looked. The fries were very nice and they are the fat sort I liked. The butter rice was not very tasty though, it could have been more fragrant. Fish and Chips - $15.95 I loved the fish! But I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t appeal to most people. The batter was light and the two pieces of fish were quite big. The fish was smooth and didn’t have any fishy smell even without lemon. But the batter wasn’t very heavy in taste which is why I said it probably wouldn’t appeal to most. There weren’t enough fries. (I’m a Fry lover)
Yu Sheng - $22.95 The restaurant’s version of the Raw Fish Salad gave us a nice surprise. This is the smallest serving, and they were not kidding when they said that it was SMALL. One mouthful for each of us and the plate was empty. Nonetheless there was a nice combination of different fish slices, though I’m not sure what fish was used. Obviously this is only available during the CNY season. Spaghetti Vongole- $18.95 I didn’t get the description for this dish but this was a spicy pasta dish served with clams. My mom was all praises for this dish, until she realised how much it cost. It is barely enough for one person really. If eaten alone, it’s definitely not enough. It would be, if it were part of a set. The clams were nicely seasoned and cooked and the pasta was just right.
Beef Tenderloin - $29.95 We were asked if how we wanted the steak so we were very curious how it would turn out…. It came in slices! A nice surprise indeed when the people eating it found that it was not overdone despite being cut up. But the serving was quite small too, certainly not enough for my brother. Raspberry Soda - $4.95 I didn’t order this but ended up drinking it as the person didn’t like sourish drinks. I liked how the ice was crushed up inside, so that it would melt quickly to dilute the drink and made it ice-cold throughout. Green Apple Soda - $4.95 This was not sourish as one would expect.. it was actually sweet. Really odd don’t you think?
We spent a total of $229 for the 6 of us. Honestly speaking, we weren’t very full. The amount of food was just right but not over the top. Which makes this meal a little expensive. But for the freshness of the food good taste good service, I’d say it was pretty worth it J
Kelson Betta is a small shop located in Roxy Square (opposite Parkway Parade) that houses many high quality Betta, aka Siamese Fighting Fish. These aren't the kind you put in little jars and bring around to challenge people. These are show quality fish, bred for viewing pleasure.
He has a large variety of Halfmoons, Crowntails, etc.
My bf had been frequenting his shop and I thought about buying him two Betta for companionship. We called Kelson on his mobile at 9pm, when most shops were closing. It was the day before CNY eve and we were praying hard that he would be around. He was in the vicinity of his shop when we called and he actually opened for us!
Once there, he took the time to show us his new stock and explain the differences between the breeds and colours. The fish were all healthy and very beautiful. Some of them in colours which are rarely seen elsewhere.
Kelson gave very good and economical advice about how to take care of the fish. Even when we asked the same questions repeatedly, he explained very patiently as he is very passionate about these fish. He also taught us how to transport the fish around if we wished to travel with them. He doesn't sell the accessories for the fish so he is not the kind who would hard-sell other stuff when one purchases fish from him.
Happily equipped with new-found knowledge and feeling secure with his assurance that we can call him anytime, we're now the proud parents of two male betta and one female one. The prices start from $40 onwards. There are very expensive ones which have won awards so those cost hundreds. Do drop by for a visit. But give Kelson a ring before you go ya?
Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice is situated between the famous Sin Hoi Zhi Cha Restaurant and Boon Tong Kee along East Coast Road. With these two on its sides, Five Star still manages a full house every night. This, of course, renders a try doesn't it?
Chicken rice is the same everywhere right? Wrong! I've had those with hard tasteless bits they dare to call rice and rubbery white pieces of meat they call chicken. It's been a long time since I've had a plate of good chicken rice so I was all ready to attack.
The staff were fast to seat people, quick to take orders and even faster at clearing tables. The food came really fast which was good for 5 hungry souls.
Food Ordered: Kampung Chicken This is suppose to be leaner than the usual "white" chicken but it is smaller. I'm a fan of roasted meat so I was quite apprehensive when I only had these two choices. But my worries were unfounded as the chicken was delicious and not with fatty bits as I had imagined. I, of course, attacked my favourite part, the breast meat, which was smooth with lots of bite. Rice (Chicken rice style) The rice was not oily and still tasty. HOwever the serving was not very big. It was enough for me and I'm not much of an eater.
Youtiao with Salad Sauce This came a little over-fried so it was quite dry and hard. But it wasn't too oily so it was still ok.
Sambal Kangkong It was a little spicy for my brother but the rest of us found it fine. A little oily for my taste though. Cereal Prawn The cereal was nice but the prawns were not fresh and I had a hard time with it. The prawns were also quite small.
Stir Fried Vegetables Your average Kailan with oyster sauce dish. Nothing special.
We spent about $70 for the 5 of us which is pretty reasonable considering how full we were. Worth coming for your chicken rice fix, but not the rest of the dishes though.
Good place for family gatherings and large groups though.
One major gripe though, parking is horrendous along East Coast Road. Luckily we took the bus :)
Bi Feng Tang is this little place serving chinese food at CS's basement. It's been there for a while and this is my second trip to the place with my colleague. I had vague memories of a pretty good experience the first time so I was game for the second trip.
We were greeted politely and led to our seats. It was a Sunday afternoon but there weren't many people. About 4-5 tables were occupied and they had a total seating area of about 50 people.
After ordering, I wanted to take pictures of the menu so that I can remember what I ordered, but was stopped by the lady who said that I cannot take pictures of the menu. Both my colleague and I heard that so I did stop. But when the food came and I wanted to take pictures, I was stopped again. I think they should have been clear the first time and just say that no photography was allowed. I didn't appreciate feeling like I was being a nuisance. had 3 dishes altogether but I can only remember two.
One was the Yee Mian which we got a medium sized serving, thanks to my ambitious friend. It had plenty of mushroom and vegetables with it so it was pretty delicious. The serving can easily fill 2 without any side dishes.
The second one is the Pan Fried Beancurd Sheet with Mushroom and Carrot ($4). This one was quite crunchy and the vegetables wrapped in the sheet gave it a nice fresh flavour. HOwever it was quite oily so it didn't feel so healthy after all.
We did order a 4th dish, which they forgot to cook and we cancelled in the end.
We spent about $20 for the two of us and were suitably filled. The food is fine and the ambience was good too. However I didn't quite enjoy myself, no thanks to the service.
*Apologies for not giving the usual detailed review as the staff spoilt my mood for collecting "data"*
1=SGD 0.0587
My virgin trip to Hotpot Culture was with a bunch of mad Yebbers! The company certainly made the entire experience a great one. That aside... let's take a look at the restaurant itself.
Not too hard to realise that this is a steamboat restaurant but they give each patron their own little pots and soup of choice. There are 5 to pick from and I picked Chicken Soup. Sadly the Kimchi one seemed nicer but my throat was acting up again so Chicken it was for me. But the Chicken stock had very little taste and only started having some taste after I threw some chicken bits in.
For the steamboat there was enough variety for me though more would have been nice. But there was quite a bit of cooked items though. I thought it's quite special for a steamboat place to have so many cooked items. I liked the cooked items, especially the rojak chicken!! haha but it was a terror on my weak throat. Nonetheless i had a good share of that!
I think the best part was the chocolate fondue which they also have! Usually such places only serve fruit for dessert so this is a really nice conclusion to the dinner. :)
More Photos here
Rating given:
We dropped by at Charles Stefano at parkway after recommendations from another friend. It’s in a prominent area, right in the centre of near the escalator so there’s no way you can miss it.
It’s one of the few places (if not the only one) that sells stainless steel jewellery. I’m sure everyone’s heard of gold and silver… but this one is stainless steel. It feels more solid and nice to hold in comparison to silver. And it doesn’t tarnish like silver does. However, the designs are much chunkier. But some of the designs have Cubic Xirconia and diamonds on them which is a nice touch to the more expensive range.
We were very undecided when we got there as we didn’t even planned to get a pair of rings. But the lady was very patient with us, letting us try 10 designs and different sizes before we chose the ones we wanted. She also patiently offered advice on what sizes we should take to avoid discomfort.
We paid $40 for our pair of stainless steel rings.
I was very satisfied with the service and will probably head there to buy if I had to get a gift for my younger, funkier friends.
Rating given:
The cakes are of huge potion. These was 4 of us and we share 2 cakes which was enough to fill our 4 stomach…
Food Ordered:
Carrot Carrot
One of the best carrot cakes I have had. The texture was just right. It wasn’t hard like some but soft and spongy enough with the cream (whatever u call it ) on top. Highly recommended.
Mashmallow chocolate cake
It is a just another dessert cake. Nothing special about it but it is rich.It is very rich in chocolate.I can’t really taste the sweetness of the mashmallows which is really weird.
Pasta
Pasta had lotsa of rockets on top..which I like. I thought it was quite unique as one wouldn’t normally find that much veg on a pasta
Ambience is good. We had chosen to sit outside the café instead of in the shop. The lighting is brighter. Although u are sitting in the midst of all shop, surprising it was not noisy. Maybe because we had gone on a weekday instead of the ends.
The service was excellent with a little pot of water to refill our glasses of water.
Rating given:
Da Dong is a traditional Cantonese Restaurant suitably situated in the heart of Chinatown. A part of the Fatty Weng group, this restaurant has been operating for many decades.
There was some attempt to design the place like a old teahouse but I do think it looks like they are on a tight budget. They also tried to maximize seating space by having the tables quite close to each other. Occasionally when you stand your seat might just bump into the guy behind you which was quite irritating at times.
Food we ordered:
Raw Fish Salad extra fish ($28)
Quite obviously this is a seasonal dish – the Yu Sheng. It wasn’t very special, tasted the same, though it wasn’t overly sweet which was good. The staff said all the well wishes while preparing the dish which was a nice gesture. The additional plate of fish was quite pathetic (in terms of quantity).
Soon Hock Fish ($42 – seasonal)
According to my dad, the fish-lover, it’s about 600g which is pretty small but reasonable for 5 people who have other dishes also. It was fried so I couldn’t really tell the freshness. The sauce it was doused in was regular. Nothing special and doesn’t quite justify the price.
Salad Prawns ($20 – s)
There were only a few. It was quite nice but there was too much mayo on some which made it disgustingly sweet.
Peking Duck ($33)
It was very small. They cut it up in front of us and served us the skin wrapped in the Popiah skin. There were only 7 pieces of those and there weren’t very big. The plate of duck meat that came after that was quite substantial tough.
Har Gao – Prawn dumpling ($2.50)
The skin was a little too thick and dry. The prawn was quite fresh though. Reasonably good I guess.
Chicken feet ($3.20)
I didn’t taste this dish so I can’t say for sure. But my mom enjoyed it very much.
Including Chinese tea, rice, peanuts and towels, the total came up to $165 for the 5 of us. I think it was a tad ex, considering we didn’t eat much at all.
Unless necessary I don’t think I will be back at all.
Rating given:
Montreux Bistro is newly open about 1 month ago. It was a cake house along East coast road. I have always been an avid fan of their Chocolate Truffle cake. It is a must for any of my family members’ birthday.
Now that this bakery has opened a café, nothing could stop us from trying it out. It’s a small café in black and white decor. A café that you could have a simple afternoon weekend lunch in.
We had :
Montreux Steak Sandwich ($14.90)
Marinated Sirloin on Toasted Ciabatta with mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and melted cheese. Served with Wedges
We had changed the beef to chicken. They were very flexible and did the change without fuss. Thus, there might be a change in the actual taste of the recommended dish . We were told that if it were beef then it would taste spicier. In this case, it was sweeter. Your average dish really. It had relatively good taste but wasn’t exceptional in any other ways.
Cilantro Prawns Cesar salad ($8.90)
Romaine lettuce Cesar dressings topped with cilantro pesto infused tiger prawns. Served with garlic bread
Good combination of the pesto with the tiger prawns. The crunchy succulent prawns goes very well. The bread is too bland in taste for my liking. But I will definitely come back for more salad.
Mango Tofu (s$7.50)
This was one of the recommended desserts. It had a very refreshing taste with the citrus sauce. At first I was quite skeptical about this recommended dessert as I am not a fan of Mango desserts. I think it is hard to find good mango desserts, as they always taste very artificial. That said, this is a fantastic dessert. Really very good. The raspberry and the blueberry brings out the taste of the tofu very well. I would come back for more.
Brandy Cherry Black Forest (s$4.50)
Just your average black forest cake. I would say the amount of cherry u find in the small portion is generous.
Service was excellent. We were there on a sat afternoon. Inclusive of a latte and a peach soda, we paid s$50.05 in total. I found it reasonable, taking into consideration the food and service.
I would recommended for desserts. Because they are so well presented and it taste good..
Rating given:
American brownie
It’s just your regular brownie. There’s nothing special about it at all. I found it a bit dry even.
American carrot cake
It was light and fluffy but the cream on top is not enough. The taste of the cake is not strong enough for my liking.
Dark chocolate truffle
This is the most recommended cake in the shop. Indeed it is the best out of all the 3 cakes I tasted that day. It is soft and was made with rich dark chocolate. However it wasn’t extraordinary.
Shepherd’s pie (beef)
It would have been one of the best if it were hot enough. When it was served it was warm, lukewarm I should call it. Thus, it turns cold very fast. While eating the pie, the top part of the pie turn hard and stiff. The filling tasted good on the 1st bite but it wasn’t nice after that.
2 scoops of ice cream – banana chocolate & nutty nuts
They say the ice cream is made of natural ingredients, but it didn’t taste that way.
The service was fantastic. The staff was nice enough to let me try a lot of the flavours of the ice cream. I tried the royal chocolate-it reminds me of the old magnolia ice cream before it was revamped. I tried many man flavours. In the end I chose the above flavours, the combination I chose was quite nice in fact.
We didn’t really have a great time sitting there as we were disturb by the 2 little flies bugging us as we were enjoying our cakes.
The price was really reasonable. We paid $10.60 for the above.
Rating given:
Big Fish is a restaurant serving up fresh seafood dishes situated in the popular Siglap area. It’s been around for a few years and my family and I decided to try it out this CNY season.
We made reservations, as there were 6 of us and were promptly seated in the centre of the restaurant that night. The interior design of the place was comfortable with nice music and suitable lighting. It wasn’t too bright and yet just enough to take photos. The staff were friendly and served us iced water as we were ordering. They were also patient to explain the various dishes, though they had to repeat a few times as we had trouble understanding them (due to their accent).
The complimentary bread had herbs in it and was fresh. It was soft and fluffy. Too bad they gave only one for every person at the table.
Food Ordered:
Set Dinner - $29.95
This is a 4-course set that consisted of Corn Soup, Mahi-mahi, Chocolate Mousse and Coffee. The soup was pretty thick but not much ingredients in it. It IS corn soup after all.
Live Oysters - $2.60 per piece
These were very fresh, served on ice. No fishy smell at all and it was quite sizeable. But even so it’s still expensive at this price… Well at least it was good. We ordered 6 which were finished in a jiffy.
Softshell Crab - $12.95
I was a little disappointed by the quantity when it arrived. It’s lightly coated with some spices and served with mango salsa and a homemade dipping sauce. There was a lot of sauce but little crab. Nonetheless the crab was very tasty and not oily which is a big plus for me.
Seafood Platter - $51.95
There were grilled scallops, Morton Bay Bug, fish skewers, BBQ squid, NZ mussels, chargrilled prawns, served with butter rice and chips. If you order this alone, it’s probably enough for 3 people to share. 5 of us shared this along with all the other stuff we ordered. The seafood was very fresh and not over done though it looked like it at first glance. But the juices are still retained so it wasn’t dry the way it looked. The fries were very nice and they are the fat sort I liked. The butter rice was not very tasty though, it could have been more fragrant.
Fish and Chips - $15.95
I loved the fish! But I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t appeal to most people. The batter was light and the two pieces of fish were quite big. The fish was smooth and didn’t have any fishy smell even without lemon. But the batter wasn’t very heavy in taste which is why I said it probably wouldn’t appeal to most. There weren’t enough fries. (I’m a Fry lover)
Yu Sheng - $22.95
The restaurant’s version of the Raw Fish Salad gave us a nice surprise. This is the smallest serving, and they were not kidding when they said that it was SMALL. One mouthful for each of us and the plate was empty. Nonetheless there was a nice combination of different fish slices, though I’m not sure what fish was used. Obviously this is only available during the CNY season.
Spaghetti Vongole- $18.95
I didn’t get the description for this dish but this was a spicy pasta dish served with clams. My mom was all praises for this dish, until she realised how much it cost. It is barely enough for one person really. If eaten alone, it’s definitely not enough. It would be, if it were part of a set. The clams were nicely seasoned and cooked and the pasta was just right.
Beef Tenderloin - $29.95
We were asked if how we wanted the steak so we were very curious how it would turn out…. It came in slices! A nice surprise indeed when the people eating it found that it was not overdone despite being cut up. But the serving was quite small too, certainly not enough for my brother.
Raspberry Soda - $4.95
I didn’t order this but ended up drinking it as the person didn’t like sourish drinks. I liked how the ice was crushed up inside, so that it would melt quickly to dilute the drink and made it ice-cold throughout.
Green Apple Soda - $4.95
This was not sourish as one would expect.. it was actually sweet. Really odd don’t you think?
We spent a total of $229 for the 6 of us. Honestly speaking, we weren’t very full. The amount of food was just right but not over the top. Which makes this meal a little expensive. But for the freshness of the food good taste good service, I’d say it was pretty worth it J
Rating given:
Kelson Betta is a small shop located in Roxy Square (opposite Parkway Parade) that houses many high quality Betta, aka Siamese Fighting Fish. These aren't the kind you put in little jars and bring around to challenge people. These are show quality fish, bred for viewing pleasure.
He has a large variety of Halfmoons, Crowntails, etc.
My bf had been frequenting his shop and I thought about buying him two Betta for companionship. We called Kelson on his mobile at 9pm, when most shops were closing. It was the day before CNY eve and we were praying hard that he would be around. He was in the vicinity of his shop when we called and he actually opened for us!
Once there, he took the time to show us his new stock and explain the differences between the breeds and colours. The fish were all healthy and very beautiful. Some of them in colours which are rarely seen elsewhere.
Kelson gave very good and economical advice about how to take care of the fish. Even when we asked the same questions repeatedly, he explained very patiently as he is very passionate about these fish. He also taught us how to transport the fish around if we wished to travel with them. He doesn't sell the accessories for the fish so he is not the kind who would hard-sell other stuff when one purchases fish from him.
Happily equipped with new-found knowledge and feeling secure with his assurance that we can call him anytime, we're now the proud parents of two male betta and one female one. The prices start from $40 onwards. There are very expensive ones which have won awards so those cost hundreds. Do drop by for a visit. But give Kelson a ring before you go ya?
Rating given:
Five Star Hainanese Chicken Rice is situated between the famous Sin Hoi Zhi Cha Restaurant and Boon Tong Kee along East Coast Road. With these two on its sides, Five Star still manages a full house every night. This, of course, renders a try doesn't it?
Chicken rice is the same everywhere right? Wrong! I've had those with hard tasteless bits they dare to call rice and rubbery white pieces of meat they call chicken. It's been a long time since I've had a plate of good chicken rice so I was all ready to attack.
The staff were fast to seat people, quick to take orders and even faster at clearing tables. The food came really fast which was good for 5 hungry souls.
Food Ordered:
Kampung Chicken
This is suppose to be leaner than the usual "white" chicken but it is smaller. I'm a fan of roasted meat so I was quite apprehensive when I only had these two choices. But my worries were unfounded as the chicken was delicious and not with fatty bits as I had imagined. I, of course, attacked my favourite part, the breast meat, which was smooth with lots of bite.
Rice (Chicken rice style)
The rice was not oily and still tasty. HOwever the serving was not very big. It was enough for me and I'm not much of an eater.
Youtiao with Salad Sauce
This came a little over-fried so it was quite dry and hard. But it wasn't too oily so it was still ok.
Sambal Kangkong
It was a little spicy for my brother but the rest of us found it fine. A little oily for my taste though.
Cereal Prawn
The cereal was nice but the prawns were not fresh and I had a hard time with it. The prawns were also quite small.
Stir Fried Vegetables
Your average Kailan with oyster sauce dish. Nothing special.
We spent about $70 for the 5 of us which is pretty reasonable considering how full we were. Worth coming for your chicken rice fix, but not the rest of the dishes though.
Good place for family gatherings and large groups though.
One major gripe though, parking is horrendous along East Coast Road. Luckily we took the bus :)
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Bi Feng Tang is this little place serving chinese food at CS's basement. It's been there for a while and this is my second trip to the place with my colleague. I had vague memories of a pretty good experience the first time so I was game for the second trip.
We were greeted politely and led to our seats. It was a Sunday afternoon but there weren't many people. About 4-5 tables were occupied and they had a total seating area of about 50 people.
After ordering, I wanted to take pictures of the menu so that I can remember what I ordered, but was stopped by the lady who said that I cannot take pictures of the menu. Both my colleague and I heard that so I did stop. But when the food came and I wanted to take pictures, I was stopped again. I think they should have been clear the first time and just say that no photography was allowed. I didn't appreciate feeling like I was being a nuisance.
had 3 dishes altogether but I can only remember two.
One was the Yee Mian which we got a medium sized serving, thanks to my ambitious friend. It had plenty of mushroom and vegetables with it so it was pretty delicious. The serving can easily fill 2 without any side dishes.
The second one is the Pan Fried Beancurd Sheet with Mushroom and Carrot ($4). This one was quite crunchy and the vegetables wrapped in the sheet gave it a nice fresh flavour. HOwever it was quite oily so it didn't feel so healthy after all.
We did order a 4th dish, which they forgot to cook and we cancelled in the end.
We spent about $20 for the two of us and were suitably filled. The food is fine and the ambience was good too. However I didn't quite enjoy myself, no thanks to the service.
*Apologies for not giving the usual detailed review as the staff spoilt my mood for collecting "data"*
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