Ah Hock Fried Oyster Hougang is another pretty famous stall in Whampoa Food centre also. I always like fried oyster omelette, but not because of the oyster, i just like to eat the eggs! So usually people who eat oyster omelette with me gets to eat the oyster while i targeted the egg.
Fried Oyster Omelette ($4) A good plate of Oyster Omelette always go together with good chili sauce, in this case their chili is just right, not too spicy and not too diluted. Its a expensive hobby for me if i were to spend 4 bucks and just eat the eggs, in that case eating fried carrot cake will be a better alternative.
While not really an expert on oyster omelette, i do know the way i like my eggs to be done, and i think Ah Hock rendition did a pretty good job, and the oyster is quite fresh too. Compared to other mediocre stores, i think Ah Hock can be considered the better one.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
” SINGAPORE - Singapore’s annual inflation rate hit a 25-year high of 6.6 percent in January, according to Department of Statistics (DOS) data released on Monday.
The inflation rate, as indicated by the consumer price index (CPI), was the highest since the 7.5 percent hit in March 1982… “
You must be thinking whether LIC has gone nuts writing food reviews, or you must have step into the wrong place, not quite like your impression of a food blog. Don’t just read the start, you need to finish the story!
Back to food, the point i am trying to bring across is, in this day where inflation rises like nobody’s business, and price of food soars, where can you even see food that just cost 2 bucks? Fishball noodle, Chicken rice, fried kuay teow, all your familiar local delights, $2.50 is the norm, with more selling at even higher prices in the hawkers nowadays.
The store we are looking today has a signboard with an ambiguous name of just Fried Kuay Teow Mee may be deceiving, and unknown to the rest. But this store at Seah Im food centre opposite Vivocity, cooks a mean plate of fried kuay teow, all for just 2 bucks.
Char Kuay Teow ($2) Walking past the stall, the fragrance of the char kuay teow already caught my attention, looking at the board, $2 for all their stuff, fried kuay teow, fried carrot cake, fried hokkien mee, mee goreng. Gosh!
The char kuay teow did not disappoint. Not the most good-looking one around, no fancy plates to go along. The greasy plate of char kuay teow may not looks welcoming to your calorie intake, but once in a while, you got to spoil yourself.
Not too soggy, and not too dry, the savouring plate of char kuay teow is simple, and at 2 bucks, you really can’t complaint.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
With over 60 tanks of ‘LIVE’ seafood and almost 100 kinds of seafood to choose from – chefs will prepare your meal on the spot, in your preferred style, with no extra charge – this place is a dream come true for all authentic seafood lovers!
What’s more, dine on a weekday (except PH and eve) and you will enjoy a 50% discount off the seafood, and 30% off on weekends, PH and Eves of PH.
Despite the big dining area spreading across two levels, Owen Seafood Restaurant's décor is simple without much fanfare.
Since ‘LIVE’ and ‘FRESH’ was the order of the evening, we decided to go raw that night – by that I meant the dozen Canada Oysters ($1.60 each after 50%), the Geoduck Clam ($84/kg after 50%) and the Lobsters ($52/kg after 50%) prepared 'Sashimi' style.
“Sweet”, “Taste of the Sea” and “Succulent” was some of the adjectives used to describe these dishes that evening. However for the daunted ones, we also ordered a Soup Broth ($8) for them to cook the geoduck and the lobster meat.
The next round of dishes were prepared steamed – Sea White Prawns ($34.50/kg after 50%), Bamboo Clams ($4.40 each after 50%), French Giant Scallops ($4.40 each after 50%) and Marby Goby, or Soon Hock ($42.50/kg after 50%). This is where you are able to distinguish the skills of the chef.
The prawns were straightforward, thus nothing much to comment about, but the shell dishes were rather disdain. The bean paste that accompanied the bamboo clams overwhelmed its natural sweetness – and not that there was much to begin with, as the clams were overcooked that its flesh kinda turned rubbery.
A mixture of fried and very minced garlic also fails to bring out the natural flavour of the scallops. I would prefer a stronger, aromatic tang from the fresh garlic – less chopped up of course, as compared to the fried garlic, which seeks to steal the thunder from the main lead with its oily aftertaste.
Most of us also found the Soon Hock a tad disappointing, as its meat were flaky when served – a sign of over-steamed – but otherwise we did enjoy the freshness of its flesh.
The Flower Clam ($22.50/kg) we ordered that night was a total waste of money. Fried with the pathetic minced garlic, it was very oily and very tasteless. Being a shell-food lover, even I didn’t eat much of those that evening.
The only non-seafood dish that evening, the Fried Spinach with Garlic ($12.00) was another similar case of too oily and too bland. The only positive note was that the veggies were very fresh.
The Cereal Prawns ($34.50/kg after 50%) was average to say the least. The cereal itself was not as crunchy as I thought it should be, it also lacked that bit of the curry leaves whiff. Not much complains to the prawns itself though since they were fresh and its meat firm.
We ended the night with how we started – the Lobster – with its head, legs, shells, and feelers fried with E-fu Noodle in Broth ($15.00). We all thought it was not too bad except it could have been enhanced if the noodles were simmered a little longer to entrap the natural flavour of the crustacean better.
Overall, we thought it was still kinda costly for ‘live’ seafood even with the gimmicky 50% discount on seafood items as the food served wasn’t exactly of high standard.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Attended a dinner at Tetsu one weekday evening with my gf. Tetsu, which is owned and operated by Food Junction (yes, the foodcourt operator), prides itself as the first Japanese restaurant to offer Kushi style (food is served in skewers) tempura and Tonkatsu menu which is prepared live in front of you (assuming you take the counter seats of course).
Located on the top level of Tanglin Mall, Tetsu stands out with its chic interior that oozes sublime class without the frills. A partial open concept kitchen coupled with white washed pillars, wooden beams and clever layering of light add to the sophistication. Seats are decidedly comfortable but the tables do seem a little too low for comfort (maybe its just my table).
Kami Tofu - The Kami tofu, or century egg with tofu, was rather easy on the palate and provided a good start to the meal. The tofu was silky yet firm through the addition of eggs (a tad too much egg though), while the finely diced century egg cubes had but a faint aftertaste, ideal for people like me who do not really fancy this variation of eggs. Parallels can be drawn to chawamushi in terms of taste, albeit being much lighter.
Kajiki Tataki - The Kajiki, also known as swordfish or Pacific blue marlin, was another excellent starter. Lightly seared till faintly charred along the edges, the fish, coupled with what I believe to be Ponzu (ポン酢) sauce and spicy radish atop, emanated a nice savoury taste. Only gripe I had was that the texture of the fish did seem a tad too hard and dry.
Salmon & Yellow Tail Sashimi - I'm not too big on sashimi so neither the salmon nor yellow tail wowed me. Both were fresh, but I've had fresher cuts before. The wasabi or わさび,ワサビ was probably just a mixture of horseradish, mustard seed and green colouring, tasting nothing like the real wasabi, which usually comes grated. But no complaints here as very very few places in Singapore actually serve up the real thing because of its prohibitive prices.
Yasai Takiawase - The Yasai Takiawase, or simmered seasonal vegetables, consisted of white radish, carrot, pumpkin & snow pea stewed in a pot for 3 hours straight. Honestly, this dish just didn't do it for me. Everything was soft to the extent of being mushy and nausea inducing. According to the chef, this dish is very popular with the Japanese and it tastes better with every try. I would like to give the chef the benefit of the doubt, but I seriously can't bring myself to try the same dish again.
Kushi Age Style Hotate, Soft Shell Crab, Hire Katsu & Ebi - This is an area where Tetsu differentiates itself through its live preparation of Kushi style food. I see it more as a marketing gimmick. Honestly, how difficult is it to prepare food on skewers live? For starters, the food wasn't served hot, not even warm. And I personally found the batter a tad too thick and oily for my liking. The soft shell crab had an overdose of salt while the scallop, though huge and purportedly flown in from Japan, was tasteless. The Hire (pork) Katsu's taste was overwhelmed by black pepper while the prawn didn't come across as sweet. All in all, definitely not my idea of a must try.
Consomme - The clear consomme tasted to me like egg drop soup. By and large there's nothing much to comment on it except that it was light and definitely something you can get anywhere else.
Salmon Sushi Roll - Served up with compliments from Tetsu, the salmon sushi roll was definitely one of the better dishes that evening. What was interesting was the usage of flakes of fried tempura batter to coat the sushi's exterior, resulting in a nice crunchy piece of sushi that carried a lightly sweet overtone from the drizzled teriyaki sauce. Couldn't quite make out the cooked salmon taste though, save for a very faint smokiness.
Udon & Kushi Tem Lotus Root, Mushroom, Green Capsicum - I found the udon quite decent, with the noodles chewy and not too "fat" and the broth lightly salty with lots of tempura flakes. The sides of mushroom, lotus root and capsicum provided some frills to this simple dish but proved to be rather flat.
Goma Ice Cream - Rock hard, straight from the freezer and totally uninspiring. My 3 adjectives to describe the Goma ice cream.
As it was a prearranged dinner, the cost was capped at $30nett per pax. Portions were sampling size and I personally felt that $30 for the stuff we ate wasn't exactly such a great deal as nothing on the menu seemed really expensive. Service was good, but then again thats subjective. Overall the dinner was an average affair for me and I seriously doubt that I'll be back.
Saw that Dian Xiao Er was rather empty one afternoon while I was at Vivocity so popped in for a quick lunch. Legend has it that a Xiao Er (waiter) at a roast duck restaurant combined herbs with roast duck to help his bedridden master recover. The master showed remarkable improvements in his condition and emerged even stronger than before, thus giving rise to the Herbal Roast Duck, which Dian Xiao Er is known for.
All of Dian Xiao Er's restaurants are painstakingly designed to replicate the teahouses of ancient China and the outlet at Vivo certainly looks the part with its wooden beams, grey brick walls and red Chinese lanterns. Tables and chairs were of the wooden variant as well and honestly I felt that everything was cramped too close for comfort. Overhearing the adjourning table's conversation proved too easy for comfort.
Soup of the Day - The soup of the day was lotus root soup, which came across as light and sweet with chunks of meat and lotus root inside. Definitely a great way to start off the meal.
Poached Spinach with Century and Salted Eggs - This method of cooking usually uses 3 types of eggs but I guess Dian Xiao Er decided to go without the normal egg, using only century and salted eggs. I found the vegetables a tad too soft for my liking and the taste struck me as rather ordinary.
Herbal Roast Duck - There have been many claims that a trip to Dian Xiao Er is never complete without ordering the legendary herbal roast duck. I didn't quite attest to those claims though, finding the duck to be less then extraordinary. Maybe I'm just picky but it was really way too sweet for my liking, even though the skin was crisp and the meat firm. Strangely enough, the duck tasted to me like 九层糕 or nine layered cake sans the texture.
Old Style Steamed Fish Slices - I don't know what does old style entail so I shall not comment, but the fish wasn't exactly fresh and that definitely didn't sit well with me. There was really alot of fish leftover when we were done.
Overall the lunch didn't impress me much and it wasn't cheap either, standing at about $49 for 2 pax. Quantity is sufficient but there is much room for improvement quality wise. Until then, I guess I won't be returning to Dian Xiao Er in a hurry.
Orange Julius has been around for as long i remember it, but never have i purchase anything from there before. Neither did i pay much attention to it. So it came to me as a surprise when my friend was buying their orange juice, and i saw that they were actually selling hotdogs also.
Orange Julius ($3.40) Freshly squeezed orange juice with Julius flavor enhancer blended with flaked ice to create a light, airy, and very refreshing drink which is also low in fat and contains no cholestrol.
Julius Originals come in three sizes, small ($3.40), medium ($4), and large ($4.70). And there’s also smoothies available.
Give me an orange, Julius!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rabbit Brand, rabbit brand. We are not talking about the rabbit brand sweet. I have heard about Rabbit Brand Seafood restaurant, but i have no idea that they got an outlet selling seafood delicacies, right in the middle of town, Lucky Plaza.
My friend introduce me to Rabbit Brand Seafood delicacies for a budget lunch, i don’t visit Lucky Plaza often, but Rabbit Brand does turns out to be quite a surprise.
A quick look at the menu actually tells you everything about Rabbit Brand, they offer seafood delicacies such as shark fin, abalone, at absolutely cheap prices, how authentic the seafood are remains to be seen, but then you can’t really to expect to have the real deal at a price as cheap as 5 bucks can you?
They have many sets, with the cheapest going at $5.50, to the most expensive at $12.50. Buddha over the wall, abalone, shark fin, sea cucumber, scallops are the seafood delicacies which Rabbit Brand serves.
Set B: Baby Abalone in sauce ($8.50) The set B option has the baby abalone in sauce, vegetables, rice and chinese tea, and not to mention the cheng tng (literally clear soup, a type of chinese dessert) which comes free with every set.
Whether the baby abalone is the real one or not isn’t really the question here, its the sauce which the baby abalone is cooked in that excites me. The essence of the mushroom and the abalone are clearly all absorbed into the sauce, and just having the sauce with white rice is good enough.
Set J: Shark fin, scallop and scrambled egg ($5.50) The set J has shark fin and scallop with the scrambled egg. I am skeptical about the shark fin, and scallop mention in the menu because its barely there, but then you can’t complain when the meal is only $5.50. What do you expect?
Nonetheless, i love scrambled eggs, and the one here does well for me. A simple and hearty meal.
Pak Choy Meow ($1.60) The pak choy meow, or white vegetables comes in four, and two mushroom. Evidently in the picture. The prices for their side dishes selections are cheap, with most under 2 bucks for each one. The white vegetables are good, crunchy and fresh.
Total bill is $16.69 for 2 person. I do think that the prices are rather reasonable for a meal in the heart of the town, Orchard. With normal food and drinks in a food court, prices are about the same, but i think the simple fare here definitely suits me better.
You cannot be expecting to have the real seafood delicacies with the cheap prices you are paying, but its quite a novice tasting such similar ones. Rather than buying you-know-what junk food, have your lunch today at Rabbit Brand seafood specialty!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
I realise that I've never written anything about Outback Steakhouse despite quite a few visits to to the restaurant both in Singapore and overseas, so here goes. Popped by with my gf on a not so quiet Thursday evening.
The interior is cosy and cheerful with wooden booth seats for extra privacy. Signs and stickers adorn the wall with overhanging lamp shades for a casual laid back atmosphere. Interestingly, while Outback is supposed to embody the spirit of the Australian outback - rugged, friendly and casual, this successful chain actually started out in the US and the owners have never stepped foot into Australia! So much for authenticity I guess.
Complimentary Bread & Cheese Fries - The complimentary bread was relatively huge and came served on a cutting board with a knife and butter. I thought it was rather average tasting though. I'm a sucker for fries and cheese so anything that combines these two ingredients together works magic for me. It definitely helped that the fries were chunky and crispy while the cheese was thick and had lots of bacon chips in it.
Prime Minister's Prime Rib - At 8oz, this is one of the smaller prime ribs that I've had (I usually prefer a 10oz or 12oz). Slow roasted in an oven, the medium rare rib was succulent and tender but I did find it a little too fatty. It could have done with a dash of salt and pepper as well to complement the natural beefy taste of the rib. There's an option to add on homemade mushroom sauce or peppercorn sauce, but at $6.90 a pop, I'd rather pass.
Sizzling Chicken - The sizzling chicken had me salivating at the fragrance it emitted at the table. However I did find this dish a little lacking. The boneless chicken came across as a tad too dry though still reasonably fibrous. Nothing special but still very palatable.
Chocolate Thunder from Down Under - Warm and rich chocolate sauce drizzled over soft and moist pecan brownie with a nice smooth scoop of vanilla ice cream. Whats not to like?However, at $15.90 for this dessert, I had expected a humongous slab of brownie topped with yet another humongous scoop of ice cream, enough to stuff 2 people. What I got was really disappointing, size wise. To be fair, the brownie and ice cream was bigger than usual, but only by that much. A very nice and sinful dessert!
$111 for 2 pax is certainly on the high side for a hearty but relatively unimpressive dinner. Food quality is above average at best but what I like is the casual setting and friendly service. Soft drinks are free flow if you order a glass, so please don't spend unnecessary money by ordering 2 glasses when you can order 1 glass to share, alongside free ice water.
This is one of my fav "hidden find" especially on a busy weekend evening. As we all know, orchard road is usually packed with crowds especially at all the coffee joints and chill out cafe - therefore Marriott Hotel enables me to chill away at night with my friends away from all the buzz. At the same time, it also provides me with good service and delicious looking pastries.
My all time favourite would have to be their New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Jam. Light and not too sweet, the jam goes is also well paired with the cake.
Go along with a pot of Earl Grey and what you get is a relax and chill out environment at similar cost.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
It was one of those occasion that I travelled all the way down to Serangoon Gardens for desserts. It was the first time I visited Ice³(Ice Cube) and it didn't exactly WOW me.
Firstly, it was noisy and packed with kids on a weekend such that we have to end up sitting on the high chairs at the bar top table that were uncomfortable to sit on, although we did eventually managed to find a table.
4 of us have a dessert each and ordered Apple Crumble w Cinnamon Ice Cream & Caramel Syrup, Choc Brownie w Choc Ice Cream, Choc Fudge & Choc Chunks, Waffle w Vanilla Ice Cream & Choc Fudge and Rum & Raisin Ice Cream on Oreo Crust w Raisins, Almond Flakes & Butterscotch Syrup.
To be honest none of the dessert won me over except for their signatured Rum & Raisin Ice Cream on Oreo Crust w Raisins, Almond Flakes & Butterscotch Syrup. The ice cream was fully flavoured with Rum and the topping of 'REAL' Raisins sealed the deal (Not that I am a big fan of raisins though). Coupled with a nice Butterscotch Syrup at the top and you have an award winning deserving dessert!
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
1=SGD 0.0587
Ah Hock Fried Oyster Hougang is another pretty famous stall in Whampoa Food centre also. I always like fried oyster omelette, but not because of the oyster, i just like to eat the eggs! So usually people who eat oyster omelette with me gets to eat the oyster while i targeted the egg.
Fried Oyster Omelette ($4)
A good plate of Oyster Omelette always go together with good chili sauce, in this case their chili is just right, not too spicy and not too diluted. Its a expensive hobby for me if i were to spend 4 bucks and just eat the eggs, in that case eating fried carrot cake will be a better alternative.
While not really an expert on oyster omelette, i do know the way i like my eggs to be done, and i think Ah Hock rendition did a pretty good job, and the oyster is quite fresh too. Compared to other mediocre stores, i think Ah Hock can be considered the better one.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
” SINGAPORE - Singapore’s annual inflation rate hit a 25-year high of 6.6 percent in January, according to Department of Statistics (DOS) data released on Monday.
The inflation rate, as indicated by the consumer price index (CPI), was the highest since the 7.5 percent hit in March 1982… “
You must be thinking whether LIC has gone nuts writing food reviews, or you must have step into the wrong place, not quite like your impression of a food blog. Don’t just read the start, you need to finish the story!
Back to food, the point i am trying to bring across is, in this day where inflation rises like nobody’s business, and price of food soars, where can you even see food that just cost 2 bucks? Fishball noodle, Chicken rice, fried kuay teow, all your familiar local delights, $2.50 is the norm, with more selling at even higher prices in the hawkers nowadays.
The store we are looking today has a signboard with an ambiguous name of just Fried Kuay Teow Mee may be deceiving, and unknown to the rest. But this store at Seah Im food centre opposite Vivocity, cooks a mean plate of fried kuay teow, all for just 2 bucks.
Char Kuay Teow ($2)
Walking past the stall, the fragrance of the char kuay teow already caught my attention, looking at the board, $2 for all their stuff, fried kuay teow, fried carrot cake, fried hokkien mee, mee goreng. Gosh!
The char kuay teow did not disappoint. Not the most good-looking one around, no fancy plates to go along. The greasy plate of char kuay teow may not looks welcoming to your calorie intake, but once in a while, you got to spoil yourself.
Not too soggy, and not too dry, the savouring plate of char kuay teow is simple, and at 2 bucks, you really can’t complaint.
You are always welcome to visit
ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
With over 60 tanks of ‘LIVE’ seafood and almost 100 kinds of seafood to choose from – chefs will prepare your meal on the spot, in your preferred style, with no extra charge – this place is a dream come true for all authentic seafood lovers!
What’s more, dine on a weekday (except PH and eve) and you will enjoy a 50% discount off the seafood, and 30% off on weekends, PH and Eves of PH.
Despite the big dining area spreading across two levels, Owen Seafood Restaurant's décor is simple without much fanfare.
Since ‘LIVE’ and ‘FRESH’ was the order of the evening, we decided to go raw that night – by that I meant the dozen Canada Oysters ($1.60 each after 50%), the Geoduck Clam ($84/kg after 50%) and the Lobsters ($52/kg after 50%) prepared 'Sashimi' style.
“Sweet”, “Taste of the Sea” and “Succulent” was some of the adjectives used to describe these dishes that evening. However for the daunted ones, we also ordered a Soup Broth ($8) for them to cook the geoduck and the lobster meat.
The next round of dishes were prepared steamed – Sea White Prawns ($34.50/kg after 50%), Bamboo Clams ($4.40 each after 50%), French Giant Scallops ($4.40 each after 50%) and Marby Goby, or Soon Hock ($42.50/kg after 50%). This is where you are able to distinguish the skills of the chef.
The prawns were straightforward, thus nothing much to comment about, but the shell dishes were rather disdain. The bean paste that accompanied the bamboo clams overwhelmed its natural sweetness – and not that there was much to begin with, as the clams were overcooked that its flesh kinda turned rubbery.
A mixture of fried and very minced garlic also fails to bring out the natural flavour of the scallops. I would prefer a stronger, aromatic tang from the fresh garlic – less chopped up of course, as compared to the fried garlic, which seeks to steal the thunder from the main lead with its oily aftertaste.
Most of us also found the Soon Hock a tad disappointing, as its meat were flaky when served – a sign of over-steamed – but otherwise we did enjoy the freshness of its flesh.
The Flower Clam ($22.50/kg) we ordered that night was a total waste of money. Fried with the pathetic minced garlic, it was very oily and very tasteless. Being a shell-food lover, even I didn’t eat much of those that evening.
The only non-seafood dish that evening, the Fried Spinach with Garlic ($12.00) was another similar case of too oily and too bland. The only positive note was that the veggies were very fresh.
The Cereal Prawns ($34.50/kg after 50%) was average to say the least. The cereal itself was not as crunchy as I thought it should be, it also lacked that bit of the curry leaves whiff. Not much complains to the prawns itself though since they were fresh and its meat firm.
We ended the night with how we started – the Lobster – with its head, legs, shells, and feelers fried with E-fu Noodle in Broth ($15.00). We all thought it was not too bad except it could have been enhanced if the noodles were simmered a little longer to entrap the natural flavour of the crustacean better.
Overall, we thought it was still kinda costly for ‘live’ seafood even with the gimmicky 50% discount on seafood items as the food served wasn’t exactly of high standard.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
Attended a dinner at Tetsu one weekday evening with my gf. Tetsu, which is owned and operated by Food Junction (yes, the foodcourt operator), prides itself as the first Japanese restaurant to offer Kushi style (food is served in skewers) tempura and Tonkatsu menu which is prepared live in front of you (assuming you take the counter seats of course).
Located on the top level of Tanglin Mall, Tetsu stands out with its chic interior that oozes sublime class without the frills. A partial open concept kitchen coupled with white washed pillars, wooden beams and clever layering of light add to the sophistication. Seats are decidedly comfortable but the tables do seem a little too low for comfort (maybe its just my table).
Kami Tofu - The Kami tofu, or century egg with tofu, was rather easy on the palate and provided a good start to the meal. The tofu was silky yet firm through the addition of eggs (a tad too much egg though), while the finely diced century egg cubes had but a faint aftertaste, ideal for people like me who do not really fancy this variation of eggs. Parallels can be drawn to chawamushi in terms of taste, albeit being much lighter.
Kajiki Tataki - The Kajiki, also known as swordfish or Pacific blue marlin, was another excellent starter. Lightly seared till faintly charred along the edges, the fish, coupled with what I believe to be Ponzu (ポン酢) sauce and spicy radish atop, emanated a nice savoury taste. Only gripe I had was that the texture of the fish did seem a tad too hard and dry.
Salmon & Yellow Tail Sashimi - I'm not too big on sashimi so neither the salmon nor yellow tail wowed me. Both were fresh, but I've had fresher cuts before. The wasabi or わさび,ワサビ was probably just a mixture of horseradish, mustard seed and green colouring, tasting nothing like the real wasabi, which usually comes grated. But no complaints here as very very few places in Singapore actually serve up the real thing because of its prohibitive prices.
Yasai Takiawase - The Yasai Takiawase, or simmered seasonal vegetables, consisted of white radish, carrot, pumpkin & snow pea stewed in a pot for 3 hours straight. Honestly, this dish just didn't do it for me. Everything was soft to the extent of being mushy and nausea inducing. According to the chef, this dish is very popular with the Japanese and it tastes better with every try. I would like to give the chef the benefit of the doubt, but I seriously can't bring myself to try the same dish again.
Kushi Age Style Hotate, Soft Shell Crab, Hire Katsu & Ebi - This is an area where Tetsu differentiates itself through its live preparation of Kushi style food. I see it more as a marketing gimmick. Honestly, how difficult is it to prepare food on skewers live? For starters, the food wasn't served hot, not even warm. And I personally found the batter a tad too thick and oily for my liking. The soft shell crab had an overdose of salt while the scallop, though huge and purportedly flown in from Japan, was tasteless. The Hire (pork) Katsu's taste was overwhelmed by black pepper while the prawn didn't come across as sweet. All in all, definitely not my idea of a must try.
Consomme - The clear consomme tasted to me like egg drop soup. By and large there's nothing much to comment on it except that it was light and definitely something you can get anywhere else.
Salmon Sushi Roll - Served up with compliments from Tetsu, the salmon sushi roll was definitely one of the better dishes that evening. What was interesting was the usage of flakes of fried tempura batter to coat the sushi's exterior, resulting in a nice crunchy piece of sushi that carried a lightly sweet overtone from the drizzled teriyaki sauce. Couldn't quite make out the cooked salmon taste though, save for a very faint smokiness.
Udon & Kushi Tem Lotus Root, Mushroom, Green Capsicum - I found the udon quite decent, with the noodles chewy and not too "fat" and the broth lightly salty with lots of tempura flakes. The sides of mushroom, lotus root and capsicum provided some frills to this simple dish but proved to be rather flat.
Goma Ice Cream - Rock hard, straight from the freezer and totally uninspiring. My 3 adjectives to describe the Goma ice cream.
As it was a prearranged dinner, the cost was capped at $30nett per pax. Portions were sampling size and I personally felt that $30 for the stuff we ate wasn't exactly such a great deal as nothing on the menu seemed really expensive. Service was good, but then again thats subjective. Overall the dinner was an average affair for me and I seriously doubt that I'll be back.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Saw that Dian Xiao Er was rather empty one afternoon while I was at Vivocity so popped in for a quick lunch. Legend has it that a Xiao Er (waiter) at a roast duck restaurant combined herbs with roast duck to help his bedridden master recover. The master showed remarkable improvements in his condition and emerged even stronger than before, thus giving rise to the Herbal Roast Duck, which Dian Xiao Er is known for.
All of Dian Xiao Er's restaurants are painstakingly designed to replicate the teahouses of ancient China and the outlet at Vivo certainly looks the part with its wooden beams, grey brick walls and red Chinese lanterns. Tables and chairs were of the wooden variant as well and honestly I felt that everything was cramped too close for comfort. Overhearing the adjourning table's conversation proved too easy for comfort.
Soup of the Day - The soup of the day was lotus root soup, which came across as light and sweet with chunks of meat and lotus root inside. Definitely a great way to start off the meal.
Poached Spinach with Century and Salted Eggs - This method of cooking usually uses 3 types of eggs but I guess Dian Xiao Er decided to go without the normal egg, using only century and salted eggs. I found the vegetables a tad too soft for my liking and the taste struck me as rather ordinary.
Herbal Roast Duck - There have been many claims that a trip to Dian Xiao Er is never complete without ordering the legendary herbal roast duck. I didn't quite attest to those claims though, finding the duck to be less then extraordinary. Maybe I'm just picky but it was really way too sweet for my liking, even though the skin was crisp and the meat firm. Strangely enough, the duck tasted to me like 九层糕 or nine layered cake sans the texture.
Old Style Steamed Fish Slices -
I don't know what does old style entail so I shall not comment, but the fish wasn't exactly fresh and that definitely didn't sit well with me. There was really alot of fish leftover when we were done.
Overall the lunch didn't impress me much and it wasn't cheap either, standing at about $49 for 2 pax. Quantity is sufficient but there is much room for improvement quality wise. Until then, I guess I won't be returning to Dian Xiao Er in a hurry.
See all my pictures here.
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Orange Julius has been around for as long i remember it, but never have i purchase anything from there before. Neither did i pay much attention to it. So it came to me as a surprise when my friend was buying their orange juice, and i saw that they were actually selling hotdogs also.
Orange Julius ($3.40)
Freshly squeezed orange juice with Julius flavor enhancer blended with flaked ice to create a light, airy, and very refreshing drink which is also low in fat and contains no cholestrol.
Julius Originals come in three sizes, small ($3.40), medium ($4), and large ($4.70). And there’s also smoothies available.
Give me an orange, Julius!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Rabbit Brand, rabbit brand. We are not talking about the rabbit brand sweet. I have heard about Rabbit Brand Seafood restaurant, but i have no idea that they got an outlet selling seafood delicacies, right in the middle of town, Lucky Plaza.
My friend introduce me to Rabbit Brand Seafood delicacies for a budget lunch, i don’t visit Lucky Plaza often, but Rabbit Brand does turns out to be quite a surprise.
A quick look at the menu actually tells you everything about Rabbit Brand, they offer seafood delicacies such as shark fin, abalone, at absolutely cheap prices, how authentic the seafood are remains to be seen, but then you can’t really to expect to have the real deal at a price as cheap as 5 bucks can you?
They have many sets, with the cheapest going at $5.50, to the most expensive at $12.50. Buddha over the wall, abalone, shark fin, sea cucumber, scallops are the seafood delicacies which Rabbit Brand serves.
Set B: Baby Abalone in sauce ($8.50)
The set B option has the baby abalone in sauce, vegetables, rice and chinese tea, and not to mention the cheng tng (literally clear soup, a type of chinese dessert) which comes free with every set.
Whether the baby abalone is the real one or not isn’t really the question here, its the sauce which the baby abalone is cooked in that excites me. The essence of the mushroom and the abalone are clearly all absorbed into the sauce, and just having the sauce with white rice is good enough.
Set J: Shark fin, scallop and scrambled egg ($5.50)
The set J has shark fin and scallop with the scrambled egg. I am skeptical about the shark fin, and scallop mention in the menu because its barely there, but then you can’t complain when the meal is only $5.50. What do you expect?
Nonetheless, i love scrambled eggs, and the one here does well for me. A simple and hearty meal.
Pak Choy Meow ($1.60)
The pak choy meow, or white vegetables comes in four, and two mushroom. Evidently in the picture. The prices for their side dishes selections are cheap, with most under 2 bucks for each one. The white vegetables are good, crunchy and fresh.
Total bill is $16.69 for 2 person. I do think that the prices are rather reasonable for a meal in the heart of the town, Orchard. With normal food and drinks in a food court, prices are about the same, but i think the simple fare here definitely suits me better.
You cannot be expecting to have the real seafood delicacies with the cheap prices you are paying, but its quite a novice tasting such similar ones. Rather than buying you-know-what junk food, have your lunch today at Rabbit Brand seafood specialty!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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I realise that I've never written anything about Outback Steakhouse despite quite a few visits to to the restaurant both in Singapore and overseas, so here goes. Popped by with my gf on a not so quiet Thursday evening.
The interior is cosy and cheerful with wooden booth seats for extra privacy. Signs and stickers adorn the wall with overhanging lamp shades for a casual laid back atmosphere. Interestingly, while Outback is supposed to embody the spirit of the Australian outback - rugged, friendly and casual, this successful chain actually started out in the US and the owners have never stepped foot into Australia! So much for authenticity I guess.
Complimentary Bread & Cheese Fries - The complimentary bread was relatively huge and came served on a cutting board with a knife and butter. I thought it was rather average tasting though.
I'm a sucker for fries and cheese so anything that combines these two ingredients together works magic for me. It definitely helped that the fries were chunky and crispy while the cheese was thick and had lots of bacon chips in it.
Prime Minister's Prime Rib - At 8oz, this is one of the smaller prime ribs that I've had (I usually prefer a 10oz or 12oz). Slow roasted in an oven, the medium rare rib was succulent and tender but I did find it a little too fatty. It could have done with a dash of salt and pepper as well to complement the natural beefy taste of the rib. There's an option to add on homemade mushroom sauce or peppercorn sauce, but at $6.90 a pop, I'd rather pass.
Sizzling Chicken - The sizzling chicken had me salivating at the fragrance it emitted at the table. However I did find this dish a little lacking. The boneless chicken came across as a tad too dry though still reasonably fibrous. Nothing special but still very palatable.
Chocolate Thunder from Down Under - Warm and rich chocolate sauce drizzled over soft and moist pecan brownie with a nice smooth scoop of vanilla ice cream. Whats not to like?However, at $15.90 for this dessert, I had expected a humongous slab of brownie topped with yet another humongous scoop of ice cream, enough to stuff 2 people. What I got was really disappointing, size wise. To be fair, the brownie and ice cream was bigger than usual, but only by that much. A very nice and sinful dessert!
$111 for 2 pax is certainly on the high side for a hearty but relatively unimpressive dinner. Food quality is above average at best but what I like is the casual setting and friendly service. Soft drinks are free flow if you order a glass, so please don't spend unnecessary money by ordering 2 glasses when you can order 1 glass to share, alongside free ice water.
See all my pictures here.
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This is one of my fav "hidden find" especially on a busy weekend evening. As we all know, orchard road is usually packed with crowds especially at all the coffee joints and chill out cafe - therefore Marriott Hotel enables me to chill away at night with my friends away from all the buzz. At the same time, it also provides me with good service and delicious looking pastries.
My all time favourite would have to be their New York Cheesecake with Strawberry Jam. Light and not too sweet, the jam goes is also well paired with the cake.
Go along with a pot of Earl Grey and what you get is a relax and chill out environment at similar cost.
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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It was one of those occasion that I travelled all the way down to Serangoon Gardens for desserts. It was the first time I visited Ice³(Ice Cube) and it didn't exactly WOW me.
Firstly, it was noisy and packed with kids on a weekend such that we have to end up sitting on the high chairs at the bar top table that were uncomfortable to sit on, although we did eventually managed to find a table.
4 of us have a dessert each and ordered Apple Crumble w Cinnamon Ice Cream & Caramel Syrup, Choc Brownie w Choc Ice Cream, Choc Fudge & Choc Chunks, Waffle w Vanilla Ice Cream & Choc Fudge and Rum & Raisin Ice Cream on Oreo Crust w Raisins, Almond Flakes & Butterscotch Syrup.
To be honest none of the dessert won me over except for their signatured Rum & Raisin Ice Cream on Oreo Crust w Raisins, Almond Flakes & Butterscotch Syrup. The ice cream was fully flavoured with Rum and the topping of 'REAL' Raisins sealed the deal (Not that I am a big fan of raisins though). Coupled with a nice Butterscotch Syrup at the top and you have an award winning deserving dessert!
You can view the all photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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