I found the fillings of the Paus rather normal, but the Da Bao didn't have ginger inside, which I personally prefer because I simply dislike ginger. The Pau skin was soft and not too thick, with lots of bite. Its really a cut above the rest. Little wonder about the long queues. Try it!
Went to my friend's wedding dinner at Hilton Grand Ballroom. Never went there before and was thinking the place, food and class should be very impressive. However, we are quite disappointed as the food was so so. The only item on the menu I liked was the 佛提飘香or whatever that was one of the photos. Crispy outer rim of yam and well cooked vegetables in the center.
There was nothing special about the decoration of the ballroom and the place was quite cramped. As for service, I won't be able to give a fair comment as we were served by someone new. The person keep mixing up our drinks order like my neighbor wanted white wine and the person gave him red wine. Another wanted Sprite and I wanted no drinks but I was given the Sprite and she wasn't given anything. Other things like spraying me with coke while he served my husband's drinks.
Beautifully decorated with big screens, nice stage and crystal chandeliers. Service crew are polite and react fast to request. Service crew is 1 per 2 table. Food is above average, ingredients fresh and unique in terms of menu. Their fish dishes are delicious. Very suitable for family dinner outing and wedding dinner. Ballroom and restaurant are pillar-less and size is customizable by their sound proof wall panel according to the size of your event. Sound system is great though you will need to bring your laptop for the wedding dinner as their computer is only use for their own lighting. Open to negotiation. Clean environment.
Cons:
Difficult for planning and communication if you are the type who needs to take charge of your wedding dinner. The restaurant goes by the "last minute" policy and the lady boss Suzanna encourages people not to check things with them too early a date. Questions asked and things decided are not taken down. There is nobody assigned to our event and instead whoever is available will do it. (I had to explain myself so many times) Small bridal room for brides to do make up in.
Flower bouquets and gifts are categorized by flower type, budget range and occasions. Pictures of bouquets are large and sharp hence its easier to choose what you would like to purchase. Fast and efficient customer service which reply your email and orders withing 24 hours. Wide range of flowers, gifts and plants to choose from and many of them are designed to be something unique. They even provide a summary of the meaning of the flowers as well as the number of flowers chosen. I ordered some for a friend's birthday and it was received on time. So far, I'm very satisfied with their services.
Con:
Colour of website should be of neutral colour and not dull pink. Hence colour of the flowers are unable to show out well in the pictures.
Stepping into the restaurant, my colleagues and I were greeted by the friendly wait staff. We were very impressed with the interior decor and its laid back ambience. A definite far cry from the hustle and bustle outside of the restaurant.
We could see the chef at work through a glass window, tending to his creations with care as they sizzled over the charcoal grill.
The well-trained wait staff easily impressed us with their attentiveness and quick response to every minor detail. Glasses and cups were always refilled with corresponding beverages even without prompting.
We ordered the set meals as it looked like it was value for money. I settled for the restaurant's signature set meal which was supposed to have all their recommended stuff, mainly consisting of charcoal-grilled skewers or kushiyaki.
I was pretty impressed by the taste of each of the items in my set meal. The difference in taste and texture is so well-defined in very bite, it is almost mind-blowing. I could literally taste every facet of the skewer. First, the marinade covering the food spreads through the palate. Then, the bite and texture of the ingredients, the tenderness of the meat, the crunchiness of the prawn, the crispiness of the asparagus and the juices and oil in between the flesh and skin of the grilled fish. Finally, the unique taste that can only be created by a charcoal fire.
A meal for 2 here would probably set you back by $70 to $80. I can't say it affordable by my standards, but it is definitely worth the whole experience of dining.
Here at Geylang Prawn Noodle, they like to do it this way:
The soup has a robust body without being overpowering, full of flavour without the need for any MSG.
The ingredients are cooked just right. Prawns cooked to the right texture and bite, the pork to be ribs soft, tender and easily slips off the bone and the pig's tail cooked long enough to be soft and chewy.
The noodles come soaked in the soup variety or laid on a pool of potent blend of their signature chilli, ready to be mixed. I particularly like the texture of the vermicelli (bee hoon) they use as it comes in a unique thickness.
On top of all that, the bowl of prawn noodle must come with some chilli powder ready to be sprinkled on according to the fancy of the consumer. Fresh cut chilli option is also available.
A novelty they have at the tables is a stack of origami boxes made with magazine pages for collecting the prawn shells and bones. It's a great idea as it makes it easier for clearing up.
The place also serves ngoh hiang. However, I would not recommend it as the items tend to come soaked in oil.
The crowd is manageable during lunchtime on weekdays, but I am not certain if it is the same on weekends.
Its been a while since I last stepped into Tao's, with my last visit being about one and a half years ago. Since I was in the vicinity, I couldn't resist dropping by to renew my acquaintance with this small humble eatery.
Occupying a space big enough for about 50 pax at the basement of Paradiz Centre, Tao's retains its clean lines and bright lighting to give the wholesome family dining feel. Tao's dining concept is rather different as the menu is fixed and you get to choose a dish for each course. There are 7 courses in total for dinner (I believe its 6 for lunch) but choices are rather limited.
Mushroom & Cheese Gratin and Toasted Bread - I personally like the gratin quite a bit, tasty yet not nausea inducing. It did come across as a little more watery this time round but portion size seemed to have grown slightly. When eaten with the lightly toasted bread, the combination really got me craving for more.
Curry Yogurt Prawn Salad - The prawn salad was a joke really. 3 thin slivers of prawns covering asparagus, cherry tomatoes and golden mushrooms. I could have easily stuffed all 3 into my mouth at one go. It didn't help that the accompanying curry sauce was rather strong and sweet.
Farm Boy Splendor - Having ordered the farm boy splendor on previous occasions, it certainly didn't impress me very much, coming across as very average. On a positive note, the pieces of chicken in it were sizable and the vegetables were relatively fresh.
Cream of Mushroom Soup - A most decent rendition of the humble cream of mushroom, with bits of mushroom in it and obviously not tasting like a straight out of the can variation. It would have been better if it was slightly more coagulated (less watery) though.
Wild Mushrooms - This has to be the only time that I found the wild mushrooms more enjoyable because they didn't taste too wild for me nor were there the irritating little hard bits present, unlike previous occasions. Not that I really fancy it that much still.
Slow Cooked Pork Back Ribs - The pork ribs is Tao's signature dish which has apparently won an award in some competition. The meat was fall of the bone tender but did come across as a tad too sweet, which made me rather sick after a while.
Tao's Oven Roasted Steak - The steak came almost well done although I had asked for medium rare. The presence of excessive tenderizer was also evident as the meat did seem a little too tender by normal standards. Probably the only positive thing about this dish was the gravy, which was a little peppery and relatively tasty.
Creme Brulee - Good Creme Brulees are made from real vanilla beans, not vanilla extract. Tao's rendition was made from the latter. Not that it tasted bad though, just that the layer of sugar atop was too thin and not even hard. Talk about poor execution.
Home Made Chocolate Mousse - Homemade stuff usually entail a certain standard, but the chocolate mousse was just plain weird by any standards. It tasted like a 2 layer cake with the mousse on top and kueh at the bottom. Definitely not for me.
Ice Grass Jelly Mint Tea - An excellent way to end off dinner, with a choice of teas. I personally like the grass jelly mint tea because its sweet and cool with a dash of freshness from the mint.
Prices at Tao's have not gone up since more than a year back, which is really commendable given the rising costs. $61 for 2 set dinners is rather reasonable for the quality and quantity of food if you ask me. Service is excellent and friendly as well. I can't find a reason not to return.
A simply great place to go for a short trip overseas. The best time to go will be mid April where weather is good and crowd is little. Redang is one of the few untainted (comparatively) beach area in the region.
We stayed in Laguna Redang Beach Resort. It's the resort that took over the wooden chalet in the movie 夏日摸摸茶 by Sammi Cheng and Someone (I forgot)
3 days and 2 nights are sufficient for a normal snorkeling/sun-tanning trip. You can opt to extend (if available) if you are learning diving there. Snorkeling equipments are going for RM25 for the 3 days we went there with complimentary trips to beyond Redang beach for snorkel.
One of the places we went to was the Marine Center for the marine life and corals. One of the rules however, is to refrain from bringing any coral/animals/etc back from the Marine Center. This is one of the rules to prevent corrosion of the marine life there.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were international buffet. The amount of food was so great, there was no need to fight ;D Besides snorkeling and diving, one can also go for walks on the beach, beach volley-ing, swim in the pool, canoe and pubbing. Other facilities include KTV/Disco and Internet room (was RM10 per hr)
The only negative part of the trip was in the transportation. For us was a 5 hrs trip to KL then 45 mins of plane to Trengganu then 1 hr trip by bus from Trengganu to Jetty and another 1 hr or so to reach Redang. There are other alternatives like a 7hr trip by bus from Singapore to the jetty.
Very cosy and interestingly designed place for a gathering and fun night with friends. Games menu is very well organized and informative as it includes information like a short description and the number of people to play the game. Food is average in taste. Interactive and polite staffs who know their stuffs well enough to ask queries and teach first timers how to go about playing the games.
Cons:
Rather cramped for bigger groups. Limited drink menu and limited space to put food and play game at the same time.
Went shopping and stopped by the bridal studio to look through the photo album outside. We were sort of dragged into the studio by the photographer who stood outside to wait for anyone who flipped through the album they put outside the shop. We were impressed by the number of gowns they hold and it seems like the collection at the Suntec branch are all from Europe.
The lady boss greeted us and sat us down to explain things out. Sounds like a good deal where couples are allowed to sign for the contract and it holds for up to 10 years. Alot of freebies and total up to $3999. However, I was reluctant to give in as my husband (that time) hasn't proposed and I highly suspected the lady boss was proposing things that she can't give.
So I made an excuse that I want to go to toilet and went off. WhenI came back, my husband ask me to sign the contract. I wondered what did she tell my husband. We were asked pay a deposit of $500. I was reluctant and say I will come back another day to pay or I wanted to quit the contract. Then the lady boss just grab the card I was holding and swiped it before I could say anything.
When I got back home, I did some research on the studio and what came out was alot of people trying to sell off the contract they had with that bridal studio. Reason being they all had unpleasant experiences. E.g MTM gowns were passed to other customers to try and use for photo shoot even before the first customers used it. Promises were broken on the excuse that it was not written clearly. Turnover rate was so high that promises made by sales people are not upheld.
I remember there was an inccident by someone, who arranged for photoshoot. However, when she reached there, she found out that day was the official closed day for the studio and no one informed her.
I haven gone through these inccidents however, there was once I called the studio to ask something and I mentioned my invoice/contract number. The lady boss can't remember and don't even bother to go check it up and just promise on the phone that she will provide for me. However, when I ask her about it 2 days later, she claimed there was no such thing.
In the end I forfeited by deposit as I didn't want any glitches and spoil the whole wedding.
1=SGD 0.0587
I found the fillings of the Paus rather normal, but the Da Bao didn't have ginger inside, which I personally prefer because I simply dislike ginger. The Pau skin was soft and not too thick, with lots of bite. Its really a cut above the rest. Little wonder about the long queues. Try it!
Rating given:
Went to my friend's wedding dinner at Hilton Grand Ballroom.
Never went there before and was thinking the place, food and class should be very impressive. However, we are quite disappointed as the food was so so. The only item on the menu I liked was the 佛提飘香or whatever that was one of the photos. Crispy outer rim of yam and well cooked vegetables in the center.
There was nothing special about the decoration of the ballroom and the place was quite cramped.
As for service, I won't be able to give a fair comment as we were served by someone new. The person keep mixing up our drinks order like my neighbor wanted white wine and the person gave him red wine. Another wanted Sprite and I wanted no drinks but I was given the Sprite and she wasn't given anything. Other things like spraying me with coke while he served my husband's drinks.
Rating given:
Pros:
Beautifully decorated with big screens, nice stage and crystal chandeliers. Service crew are polite and react fast to request. Service crew is 1 per 2 table. Food is above average, ingredients fresh and unique in terms of menu. Their fish dishes are delicious. Very suitable for family dinner outing and wedding dinner. Ballroom and restaurant are pillar-less and size is customizable by their sound proof wall panel according to the size of your event. Sound system is great though you will need to bring your laptop for the wedding dinner as their computer is only use for their own lighting. Open to negotiation. Clean environment.
Cons:
Difficult for planning and communication if you are the type who needs to take charge of your wedding dinner. The restaurant goes by the "last minute" policy and the lady boss Suzanna encourages people not to check things with them too early a date. Questions asked and things decided are not taken down. There is nobody assigned to our event and instead whoever is available will do it. (I had to explain myself so many times) Small bridal room for brides to do make up in.
Rating given:
Pros:
Flower bouquets and gifts are categorized by flower type, budget range and occasions. Pictures of bouquets are large and sharp hence its easier to choose what you would like to purchase. Fast and efficient customer service which reply your email and orders withing 24 hours. Wide range of flowers, gifts and plants to choose from and many of them are designed to be something unique. They even provide a summary of the meaning of the flowers as well as the number of flowers chosen. I ordered some for a friend's birthday and it was received on time. So far, I'm very satisfied with their services.
Con:
Colour of website should be of neutral colour and not dull pink. Hence colour of the flowers are unable to show out well in the pictures.
Rating given:
Experience a charcoal-grilled artform
Stepping into the restaurant, my colleagues and I were greeted by the friendly wait staff. We were very impressed with the interior decor and its laid back ambience. A definite far cry from the hustle and bustle outside of the restaurant.
We could see the chef at work through a glass window, tending to his creations with care as they sizzled over the charcoal grill.
The well-trained wait staff easily impressed us with their attentiveness and quick response to every minor detail. Glasses and cups were always refilled with corresponding beverages even without prompting.
We ordered the set meals as it looked like it was value for money. I settled for the restaurant's signature set meal which was supposed to have all their recommended stuff, mainly consisting of charcoal-grilled skewers or kushiyaki.
I was pretty impressed by the taste of each of the items in my set meal. The difference in taste and texture is so well-defined in very bite, it is almost mind-blowing. I could literally taste every facet of the skewer.
First, the marinade covering the food spreads through the palate.
Then, the bite and texture of the ingredients, the tenderness of the meat, the crunchiness of the prawn, the crispiness of the asparagus and the juices and oil in between the flesh and skin of the grilled fish.
Finally, the unique taste that can only be created by a charcoal fire.
A meal for 2 here would probably set you back by $70 to $80. I can't say it affordable by my standards, but it is definitely worth the whole experience of dining.
Rating given:
What makes a good bowl of prawn noodle?
Here at Geylang Prawn Noodle, they like to do it this way:
The soup has a robust body without being overpowering, full of flavour without the need for any MSG.
The ingredients are cooked just right. Prawns cooked to the right texture and bite, the pork to be ribs soft, tender and easily slips off the bone and the pig's tail cooked long enough to be soft and chewy.
The noodles come soaked in the soup variety or laid on a pool of potent blend of their signature chilli, ready to be mixed. I particularly like the texture of the vermicelli (bee hoon) they use as it comes in a unique thickness.
On top of all that, the bowl of prawn noodle must come with some chilli powder ready to be sprinkled on according to the fancy of the consumer. Fresh cut chilli option is also available.
A novelty they have at the tables is a stack of origami boxes made with magazine pages for collecting the prawn shells and bones. It's a great idea as it makes it easier for clearing up.
The place also serves ngoh hiang. However, I would not recommend it as the items tend to come soaked in oil.
The crowd is manageable during lunchtime on weekdays, but I am not certain if it is the same on weekends.
Rating given:
Its been a while since I last stepped into Tao's, with my last visit being about one and a half years ago. Since I was in the vicinity, I couldn't resist dropping by to renew my acquaintance with this small humble eatery.
Occupying a space big enough for about 50 pax at the basement of Paradiz Centre, Tao's retains its clean lines and bright lighting to give the wholesome family dining feel. Tao's dining concept is rather different as the menu is fixed and you get to choose a dish for each course. There are 7 courses in total for dinner (I believe its 6 for lunch) but choices are rather limited.
Mushroom & Cheese Gratin and Toasted Bread - I personally like the gratin quite a bit, tasty yet not nausea inducing. It did come across as a little more watery this time round but portion size seemed to have grown slightly. When eaten with the lightly toasted bread, the combination really got me craving for more.
Curry Yogurt Prawn Salad - The prawn salad was a joke really. 3 thin slivers of prawns covering asparagus, cherry tomatoes and golden mushrooms. I could have easily stuffed all 3 into my mouth at one go. It didn't help that the accompanying curry sauce was rather strong and sweet.
Farm Boy Splendor - Having ordered the farm boy splendor on previous occasions, it certainly didn't impress me very much, coming across as very average. On a positive note, the pieces of chicken in it were sizable and the vegetables were relatively fresh.
Cream of Mushroom Soup - A most decent rendition of the humble cream of mushroom, with bits of mushroom in it and obviously not tasting like a straight out of the can variation. It would have been better if it was slightly more coagulated (less watery) though.
Wild Mushrooms - This has to be the only time that I found the wild mushrooms more enjoyable because they didn't taste too wild for me nor were there the irritating little hard bits present, unlike previous occasions. Not that I really fancy it that much still.
Slow Cooked Pork Back Ribs - The pork ribs is Tao's signature dish which has apparently won an award in some competition. The meat was fall of the bone tender but did come across as a tad too sweet, which made me rather sick after a while.
Tao's Oven Roasted Steak - The steak came almost well done although I had asked for medium rare. The presence of excessive tenderizer was also evident as the meat did seem a little too tender by normal standards. Probably the only positive thing about this dish was the gravy, which was a little peppery and relatively tasty.
Creme Brulee - Good Creme Brulees are made from real vanilla beans, not vanilla extract. Tao's rendition was made from the latter. Not that it tasted bad though, just that the layer of sugar atop was too thin and not even hard. Talk about poor execution.
Home Made Chocolate Mousse - Homemade stuff usually entail a certain standard, but the chocolate mousse was just plain weird by any standards. It tasted like a 2 layer cake with the mousse on top and kueh at the bottom. Definitely not for me.
Ice Grass Jelly Mint Tea - An excellent way to end off dinner, with a choice of teas. I personally like the grass jelly mint tea because its sweet and cool with a dash of freshness from the mint.
Prices at Tao's have not gone up since more than a year back, which is really commendable given the rising costs. $61 for 2 set dinners is rather reasonable for the quality and quantity of food if you ask me. Service is excellent and friendly as well. I can't find a reason not to return.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
A simply great place to go for a short trip overseas. The best time to go will be mid April where weather is good and crowd is little. Redang is one of the few untainted (comparatively) beach area in the region.
We stayed in Laguna Redang Beach Resort. It's the resort that took over the wooden chalet in the movie 夏日摸摸茶 by Sammi Cheng and Someone (I forgot)
3 days and 2 nights are sufficient for a normal snorkeling/sun-tanning trip. You can opt to extend (if available) if you are learning diving there. Snorkeling equipments are going for RM25 for the 3 days we went there with complimentary trips to beyond Redang beach for snorkel.
One of the places we went to was the Marine Center for the marine life and corals. One of the rules however, is to refrain from bringing any coral/animals/etc back from the Marine Center. This is one of the rules to prevent corrosion of the marine life there.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were international buffet. The amount of food was so great, there was no need to fight ;D
Besides snorkeling and diving, one can also go for walks on the beach, beach volley-ing, swim in the pool, canoe and pubbing. Other facilities include KTV/Disco and Internet room (was RM10 per hr)
The only negative part of the trip was in the transportation. For us was a 5 hrs trip to KL then 45 mins of plane to Trengganu then 1 hr trip by bus from Trengganu to Jetty and another 1 hr or so to reach Redang. There are other alternatives like a 7hr trip by bus from Singapore to the jetty.
Rating given:
Pros:
Very cosy and interestingly designed place for a gathering and fun night with friends. Games menu is very well organized and informative as it includes information like a short description and the number of people to play the game. Food is average in taste. Interactive and polite staffs who know their stuffs well enough to ask queries and teach first timers how to go about playing the games.
Cons:
Rather cramped for bigger groups. Limited drink menu and limited space to put food and play game at the same time.
Rating given:
Went shopping and stopped by the bridal studio to look through the photo album outside. We were sort of dragged into the studio by the photographer who stood outside to wait for anyone who flipped through the album they put outside the shop. We were impressed by the number of gowns they hold and it seems like the collection at the Suntec branch are all from Europe.
The lady boss greeted us and sat us down to explain things out. Sounds like a good deal where couples are allowed to sign for the contract and it holds for up to 10 years. Alot of freebies and total up to $3999. However, I was reluctant to give in as my husband (that time) hasn't proposed and I highly suspected the lady boss was proposing things that she can't give.
So I made an excuse that I want to go to toilet and went off. WhenI came back, my husband ask me to sign the contract. I wondered what did she tell my husband. We were asked pay a deposit of $500. I was reluctant and say I will come back another day to pay or I wanted to quit the contract. Then the lady boss just grab the card I was holding and swiped it before I could say anything.
When I got back home, I did some research on the studio and what came out was alot of people trying to sell off the contract they had with that bridal studio. Reason being they all had unpleasant experiences. E.g MTM gowns were passed to other customers to try and use for photo shoot even before the first customers used it. Promises were broken on the excuse that it was not written clearly. Turnover rate was so high that promises made by sales people are not upheld.
I remember there was an inccident by someone, who arranged for photoshoot. However, when she reached there, she found out that day was the official closed day for the studio and no one informed her.
I haven gone through these inccidents however, there was once I called the studio to ask something and I mentioned my invoice/contract number. The lady boss can't remember and don't even bother to go check it up and just promise on the phone that she will provide for me. However, when I ask her about it 2 days later, she claimed there was no such thing.
In the end I forfeited by deposit as I didn't want any glitches and spoil the whole wedding.
Rating given: