kormmandos's Reviews
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So there is this "trend" of putting iconic local dishes into a cafe or restaurant setting. Hainan Kor is one of these places.
Unfortunately, for a place that is supposed to have Hainanese Chicken Rice for its signature dish, the chicken was over-cooked, tough and rather dry, unlike the elusive, but much talked about perfection of tender juicy meat with glistening, slippery skin. While the rice was quite decent and warrants credits to the chef, I have to say the chicken rice dish as a whole is likely to disappoint many here.
Other dishes like the fish maw soup and vegetables with oyster sauce were ok, though nothing much to shout about. Still, I personally liked the soup for being simple, where light taste of the broth from cooking the chicken is clearly recognised.
The marked up pricing here is probably not going to make it a popular choice among the residents here since it is in close proximity to a kopi tiam and a hawker centre, where one can get more variety and better value.
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It was surprisingly light on the palate for a dish with a huge chunk of ox-tail, stewed vegetables, cheese and rice.
I liked it when the meat came off the bone so effortlessly. The texture of the meat was extremely moist and tender while the fibre and gelatinous tendons melted slowly in my mouth.
The rice was probably imported from Australia, judging from the significantly shorter but broader kernel that glistened on the plate. It went really well with the gravy from the stew.
On a separate occasion, I managed to try its pork cutlet with pineapple sauce ($6) which was refreshing, though not exactly as impressive as the ox-tail stew.
From the menu, the stall apparently serves up prime beef at competitive prices. Though that actually means paying over $30 for a piece of meat at a kopi tiam, which does require a lot of self-convincing. Has any Yebber already taken the plunge to try it out?
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Red Star is pretty much like an old guard of the Hong Kong Yum Cha culture in Singapore with the waitresses pushing carts loaded with dim sum dishes aplenty.
I have to say that this review is probably biased thanks to these factors:
1. My friends and I went arrived early at about 8.30am, so we didn't have to queue up for our tables.
2. We were prepared for an extravagant session of yum cha, so that bill of $64 for 3 hungry guys wasn't too rude a shock.
3. We ordered Red Star's big pau for a friend who horlanded while trying to find his way over and realised how good a joke it could get. (Godzilla pau would be a more appropriate name.)
4. Not a lot of shouting across the place, despite it being somewhat of an old school yum cha place. (I readily stand corrected if I made a wrong assumption)
5. The lack of menus sort of added to the surprise of what the kitchen could offer and allowed for interaction with the wait staff.
6. They had a lot of interesting items coming from the kitchen, like banana and prawn fritters.
7. Other minor surprises came in the form of somewhat unconventional yum cha items like paper-wrapped chicken.
8. The quintessential yum cha items like har gow, siew mai, chicken feet, pork ribs and century egg porridge were perfectly made and tasted perfect.
9. It is gratifying to make people envious by retelling how good the food and experience was at Red Star.
One not-so-good point though:
1. The billing process was rather slow.
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Some time back I visited this quaint little restaurant (less than 10 tables inside and 4 outside) in Bussorah Street which is within the Arab Street network for a friend's birthday dinner. The food was pretty decent and I liked the fact that the owners took effort to ask for the group's (10 of us) food order in advance so that they can handle the orders, as well as providing a non-public menu for our selection. Not too sure if this menu is now printed, so when you do go, ask the staff about it.
The food was served rather quickly thanks to good planning by the restaurant even for such a small group. These are what I managed to try.
Grilled Vegetables & Hummus Platter - $5
A very interesting starter. Deceptively simple in preparation. All the vegetables used were grilled just right for that soft mashable texture. Though some of the vegetables were quite badly charred, like the onion on the 9 o'clock position. But still worth the mention was its surprising sweetness and the absence of spiciness. The hummus in the middle was great with the default basket of bread. A colourful, cheerful, healthy appetiser. I do wish that the portion would be larger. But at $5, maybe I will order 2.
Water Melon, Feta Cheese & Rocket Salad - $5
I almost forgotten about photographing this! Nevertheless, I must say is is a wonderful salad that cleverly combined watermelon with feta cheese. The strong taste of the former was nicely complimented by the refreshing crunch and sweetness of the latter. Both together made the salad eating extra enjoyable and fun. Clearly another happy and comforting dish.
Braised lamb shank in wine sauce, mashed potato, sauteed vegetables - $20
What's this thing about braised lamb shank that every restaurant seems to be serving? Not that I am complaining, though. Anyway, the one here tasted pretty much like every other decent braised lamb shank with exception to the wine sauce which tasted sharper and might take a little getting used to. The fibres of meat could have been more tender and moist, but if the texture is your thing, it was done just right. I do wish the lamb shank had a little bit more of the tendons though.
Salmon papilote (oven baked in paper), vegetables, capers - $18
The salmon was nice, moist and flaky thanks to the way it was prepared. Unfortunately, zesty sauce used was not necessarily the best thing to go along with it, in my opinion. The saltiness from the pickled capers masked taste the fish by a bit too.
As for ambience, I like it for being small, quiet and personal. Perhaps the name, B Bakery also wanted to suggest its humility.
Lastly, the recommendation is to make reservations and order in advance as their inventory for dinner is quite limited.
Also note that they are open for dinner from Thursdays to Saturdays, 6pm - 10pm only.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!Oh... At first I thought this place only sell bread. Wahahaha
03 Apr 2008 at 8:57 am
The girlfriend and I managed to give Absolute Haven a try. I was expecting something refreshing, cheerful and something close to "fireworks-on-the-palate" after so many positive reviews.
The menu of the day was a revamped one, so in a way we were all guinea pigs sent into an experiment. Which is actually more fun actually, as there would not be any references. Best of all, we get to dine at a fraction of the usual price.
Anyway, on with the food review.
Soup - Cream of Rocket
We started off with cream of rocket which was quite nicely done. The soup was not overly smooth so that bits of its potato base (my assumption) could be felt. It is a nice thoughtful touch to have added that dimension in the texture. For me, perhaps lacking was a tinge of the rocket's bitterness to authenticate the dish itself. Maybe a bit of minced or chopped rocket might have added a little character to the soup?
Starter - I tried Panchetta Ham & Smoked Salmon Roll
I like the combination of the smoky panchetta ham and salmon with the greens wrapped in them. The textures of the meat and leafy greens stood out for themselves with every bite and distinctive flavours complimented each other really well. The smoky meats provided the punch while the greens cleared the palate for the next piece. My only grouse is the saltiness from the ham, but I am sure it can be easily neutralised with more of the salad greens.
Starter - The Girlfriend tried Duck Breast Salad with Berry Sauce
I liked the sweet and tangy taste, but foresee it may be too overpowering as one progresses to consume more of this salad. This is perhaps catered to those with a sweet tooth.
Main Course - I tried the Pan-seared Seabass with Poached Egg, Miso Braised Daikon and Olive Pilaf Rice, served with Lemon Cream Sauce
High scores on the presentation, but average in taste. The fish wasn't exactly fresh and was over-cooked with edges totally burnt and bitter. Rest of the fish was tough and dry by my standards. Taste-wise, the fish was very plain with the minuscule amount of lemon cream sauce. Overall, it felt like the dish was conjured by a randomised process where you pick cards for every accompanying item and a poor excuse for a fusion dish. Every item did nothing to each other or for each other in terms of taste.
Main Course - The Girlfriend tried the Oven-Roasted Yorkshire Pork Rack with Herb Potato, Vegetables Ratatouille, Fresh Mesclum Salad, served with Coffee Chocolate Sauce
The pork rack was nicely done with a tinge of pink in the centre and tender to the bite. The marinate was done just right to allow the freshness of the pork to be tasted. However, the coffee chocolate sauce with meat combination reminded me too much about the coffee ribs available from the tze char stalls. The girlfriend mentioned that the pork could have been better used, i.e. prepared in better ways.
The ratatouille seemed out of place because of its "heavy" flavour was more of a clash with the pork and it just felt additionally pretentious thanks to the movie. The use of fresh cut fruits like lychees, longans, dragonfruits, pears would have provided a refreshing edge and balance to the dish.
Dessert - I tried Victorian Creme Brulee
I liken this to the Hong Kong steamed egg pudding, but mushier. Well done for that important crusty top layer of caramelised sugar. Unfortunately it tasted pretty plain for a place where I expected more of. No exciting layers of surprised or infused floral scents. Or perhaps that was what the "Victorian" stood for - old, traditional and outdated.
Dessert - The Girlfriend tried Passionfruit Panna Cotta
Here at Absolute Haven, Panna Cotta has a texture of curdled cheese and plenty of zesty punch from passionfruit, orange peel and berries. I can't be sure if I like this dessert as it didn't taste bad, but neither did it taste fantastic.
Overall, the food just didn't wow me as I had expected more thoughtful, cleverer, refreshing combinations in ingredients.
Service
The staff was friendly but rather slow with service and response and lacking in initiative. However the worst part has to be their failure to prioritise. The girlfriend and I had to run off for another appointment, so we asked for the food to be served slightly faster. Our expectation was only to be served with the first batch of the dish we ordered, but they weren't even able to do that. Worst, for a group of over 20 people, they failed badly at coordinating for the food to be served together, making patrons without their food stare blankly at those who do. Some had even finished their food before their partner's had arrived. That is totally unacceptable.
- 8 more comments »
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!1 star cos of their service?
31 Mar 2008 at 10:48 am
1 star for everything and for being a pretentious restaurant.
31 Mar 2008 at 10:51 am
Hmm.... Well different ppl different views.
31 Mar 2008 at 10:58 am