Yoguru, Yo guru or maybe just a fun wordplay between yogurt and guru. Analyze and break the word however you want, the fact is, I've found a new addiction and thankfully, it is a rather healthy one (taken in moderation of course).
(**A little note on the pictures above, as this blogger is not used to being questioned when taking photographs, the rare event that the owner actually required explaination of my actions kinda took me aback and thus, resulted in less quality photos due to nervousness. In future, if you see a guy taking photos and ordering food from your outlet, please, leave him be for better photographic results. )
Located in the revamped and renovated Kallang Leisure park, Yoguru is a spot of purplish red in a predominantly white mall. Scrounging some information from the net yielded that this little gem has been operating for a year or more by now and has garnered a strong following of dessert lovers. Positioned as a "true yogurt" experience. Yoguru's main selling points are its fresh ingredients and yogurt made fresh on site in their outlet. It is said that this is the only way, the probiotic cultures may survive to actually provide the health benefits yogurt is supposed to impart. Equally intrigueing is the fact that yogurt is non fat and contains calcium and minerals which are of benefit to the body. Sounds a little too good to be true isn't it? The good news is, the yogurt is definitely smoother and better then anything i've tasted. I chose the original flavored yogurt with 2 toppings, mango and strawberry. The fruit toppings are indeed fresh and comes with all natural flavor, which means they were either sour or sweet depending on your luck. The yogurt itself is the star. On first glance, it reminds me of vanilla ice cream but it doesn't melt as quickly so it can be enjoyed slowly. Taste wise, its slightly sour with a firm texture when compared to other yogurts and ice cream. Its also refreshingly light and appetising even to the last scoop. Even for someone who has had a rather filling lunch, having this will not make you feel overloaded, which is rather surprising for me.
Overall score: 8/10
Last word: For the record, i don't like yogurt. Never liked the sourish taste and jelly like texture which i always get from supermarket and restaurant yogurts. This, however, has me convinced and converted. I like it because its low fat, healthy and most of all, because its light and tasty. Which is exactly what desserts should be. For the uninitiated, please do drop by for at least a try. If this outlet is too far out of the way, there's a new outlet opening in Raffles City Mall for more yogurt goodness. Lets just hope franchising doesn't kill the quality like so many other franchises.
I love Body Shop Product... Not only that they are anti animal cruelity, the are also EcoFriendly. We can totally see that by the ugly brown crumpled paper bag they always give away with expensive merchendises. Why i say expensive.. one shimmering eye shadow merely 25gm in kawaii shades of pastel blue goes for nearly $30...
Yes we girls are not cheap to maintain......
If you want to get the value for money options... go for the nice fruity smelling bath gels... They are with all natural ingredients and perfumed with so much fruit essence.. you'll get that overwhelming effect after you had taken your bath.. You basically could be the walking giant Promagranate...
The scrubs and polish are definitely a must buy... if you want smooth flawless skin..... I love the seaweed facial wash... Its easy on the skin and a little cooling after you rinse it out...
There are so many things i love.. I just don't know where to stop....
Now about this outlet.. Its spacious and the ladies won't hassle you with their 5 cents worth of comments... Its good if you need something and late for an appointment.. But i rather prefer to walk n browse, test and smell by myself... Yet if they hassle me.. I will feel indebted as though after i tried, i have to buy something...
This is a nice outlet to hang out and they sure do have the most latest products :)
The-sight-of-it is enough to excite me. The flowing chocolate - like water plunging down from a magnificent waterfall: wonderful, sweet. The cute white marshmallows beckon to me. The puffs - baked for the sole reunion with the delicious chocolate. The big juicy strawberries, oh my. What’s there not to like about a chocolate fondue? I love it!
Now, I famously don’t like buffets. When I see food laying out, exposed, I see food dying. I see the ocean trout that every passing diner can feel free to squeeze at. I see food left out in the open air unprotected from the passing fancies of everybody. BUT, but, the current Citibank credit card 50% promotion for 10 @ Claymore is simply too good a deal to miss, so I decided to go for it after all.
How does $29 for buffet lunch sounds? On top of it with a 1-for-1 promotion, and we are talking about Pan Pacific Hotel, not some dubious twenties-odd range buffet (you-know-where-I-am-referring-to). Given, the variety here cannot compare with other international buffets who have more spread, but what I like about 10 @ Claymore is the focus.
Instead of giving a lot items to choose from, they decided to give just enough. For those who inherited our Singapore-kiasu-genes, my apologies. But this is one buffet where I actually don’t feel guilty trying to gorge myself silly. I ate a bit of everything, and rushed to have my desserts.
The chocolate truffle was terrific - sweet, smooth, refined, yet unbelievably simple. I had mutiple helpings of it, until my stomach decided to do a red-shirt-alike-protest to me.
Total bill was $34 for 2 person after the citibank credit card promotion. The current good deal last until 30 April, 2 person are entitled to a 50% discount. For $17 bucks per person, buffet lunch at a classy environment, enough said! And oh yes, I forgot to mention that the service was top-notch; the staffs were attentive and always happy to help out when you need anything
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!
Mention the name Jumbo Seafood and the first image that pops to mind is the gigantic boat against a backdrop of neon glowing lights as you are taking a motorboat to the floating palace-like restaurant in Hong Kong. In Singapore, however, its a restaurant with the sign of a boat and the attitude of Hong Kong in that, everything needs to be done fast. Order fast, reach on time and serve fast. The restaurant started back in 1987, this home grown business has since opened 9 outlets with 2 in Japan over the last 22 years. I'm not able to determine if there is any connection between this and the Hong Kong restaurant but i guess in the end, its the food that counts. So without further ado, lets dive in.
Personally, i've never been to the Safra Resort and i must say, i was quite impressed. It looked just like a country club, at discount prices for our guys serving the nation. Its a shame if they didn't make good use of the place. The restaurant, on the other hand, was packed with people and as you can see from the shots, quite huge. Simple carpetted floors with multiple big round tables spread evenly throughout the floor. I like the fact that the layout was simple and no nonsense. The following will be the food we had. We ordered 2 set meals to feed 20 people at $437.80 per set.
Jumbo Appetiser Platter - Surprisingly, the appetiser platter contains rather heavy food items like deep fried dough with squid paste and mayonnaise, braised duck, donut with seafood paste and jellyfish. Everything on this was hot apart from the jellyfish. Everything is a little oily but otherwise good. The appetising items were the duck and and jellyfish which were predominantly sour and appetite rousing.
Steamed Live Prawns - Big, scrumptious and crunchy fresh prawns always get me in a good mood. This really isn't about cooking, simply boil fresh and huge prawns for a good time. And i have to say, their prawns were sweet and huge. Good stuff.
Shark's Fin with Seafood Soup - Do not let the name fool you. I'm suspecting this is seafood soup with some shark's fin thrown in. Why so? There's so much seafood in the soup, its difficult to ignore. Shrimp, mushrooms, fish, shark's fin and even beancurd. Add the fact that its less starchy and the shark's fin is rather difficult you can see why i suspect the above. However, i'm not saying its bad by any means, its just not shark's fin soup per se.
Scallops and Asparagus - Scallops were rather plump and springy but otherwise a very standard dish.
Jumbo Chilli Crab - Jumbo Pepper Crab - Finally, something done right. Huge Sri Lankan crabs, about 4 crabs prepared in different styles per set. Out of this, the favored style will be the chili crab which went well with the fried buns as usual. The crabs were definitely fresh and wasn't overcooked since the meat does not stick to the shell and were sweet. The chili style however, felt more like tomato since it wasn't spicy in the least bit. The black pepper version had the same trademark freshness and was more spicy and fragrant then the chili version. Of the 2 i'd say the black pepper version was done better.
Groupa done HK Style - Once again ,this was fresh, sweet and cooked just right. The meat literally melts in your mouth. Consistency is suspect though since the other table had a fish that was overcooked.
Longevity Noodles - After having all the items above, the noodles arrived to finish everyone off. Having had bad noodles before, i had a phobia for these things. The upside is, this is actually done well. The noodles were chewy yet soft. The flavor is apparent and fragrant. I managed to finish this bowl but couldn't stuff anymore even though i wanted to.
Honey sea coconut with longan.....i guess this says it all doesn't it?
The bill knocked my socks off at a whooping $1009.09 for 20 people.
Ambiance: 6/10 Service: 7/10 Food: 6.5/10 Value for money: 6/10 Final score: 6/10
Last word: I find the bill to be a little too much for the quality of food we had. Is the food bad? Definitely not! The ingredients were fresh and the cook had a good grasp of the timing for the dishes. The only problem is, i could find this at a coffee shop for less then 1/4 of the price minus air conditioning and service. Still, i had a good time meeting most of my family again during this occasion so it wasn't all bad. Could be better though.
Foie Gras is in my blood. Having said that, I’m more beef than Foie Gras, really. Wedges here, is my awesome assistant, The new Spring fashion is so passé, sun-dried tomato is the latest in-thing now! Marmalade Pantry’s famous, Sun-dried tomato Foie Gras Burger ($26).
My name is Chocolate, Chocolate Truffe ($7.80). I’m the ladies man, smooth is my texture, sweet is my nature. Try me, and you are sold. No one can resist my temptations, the thick, oh-so-thick chocolate which is so rich and good.
Hello everybody, eh, my name is Chocolate Tart ($4.20). I don’t have anything to say about myself. I’m a simple guy, but they say my chocolate is wondeful, I will rather keep a low profile. Please, don’t tell anybody else. Thank you.
They call me little miss rose ($4.2). I’m very girly and feminine in nature, but most people just judged me by my appearances. I snub those pretentious of my kind who can only face the world with their frosting make-ups. Simple is beautiful, once you get to know me, the ladies worship me and the guys adore me.
The spokesperson for Marmalade, everybody calls for me when they are here. It will be impossible if you have not heard about Sticky Date toffee pudding ($12) by now. My companion, the lovely Vanilla bean ice cream compliments me perfectly.
***
Having heard so much about Marmalade Pantry Foie Gras burger, the few of us were rather disappointed by it because there just wasn’t much foie gras taste. But the wedges that accompanied the burger was very good.
The chocolate truffle cake, and chocolate tart was wonderful, with the chocolate being very sweet yet not overly heavy. By now having tried two of Toast (under the same group as Marmalade) cupcakes and another one today, I must say their cupcakes are the better ones around. Moist and rich, there wasn’t any pretty frosting, just a solid good cupcake.
The sticky date toffee pudding also did not impressed us. Perhaps it was undone by its famous reputation, we were somewhat expecting more from it, but it never came. Nonetheless, nobody could resist having cold icy vanilla bean ice cream with the warm pudding.
Total bill was $64.15 for 6 person. Even though the burger and pudding did not exactly wow me, but I will definitely come back to try the array of desserts available, and of course their cupcakes.
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!
Taste paradise is run by none other then the Paradise group of restaurants and has been raved by my friends in their blogs as well as commercial reviews. See here and here. My wife-to-be was having her birthday as well and that's when i decided to bring her there for a meal. Its a risk since i've never personally tried their food and seafood paradise wasn't exactly mind blowing but its what she has been asking for, so i figured it would be a good birthday present.
The interior is slick with heavily carpeted floors, padded leather chairs and corner booths for comfort and intimacy. Its also one of the more colorful restaurants i've been to with emphasis mainly on red, yellow and white. Lighting was dim and sleep inducing with mild instrumental chinese music in the background for added ambiance. Everything felt perfectly synchronised and well thought. Service is personalized and impeccable. The staff will remember you by name and provide commentaries and recommendations on the food if you are lost. Advise them on your preferences and they will remember it for you next visit. Simply outstanding.
Signature XO Carrot Cake ($7) - For a $7 carrot cake, it arrived with little fanfare. However, pop a piece in your mouth and you'll be treated to an explosion of taste and texture unlike any $3 carrot cake could ever dream of giving. Crispy and clear wok hei taste on the outside and quivery smooth on the inside with a fragrant XO aftertaste. This is definitely something everyone should try.
Peking duck: Fragrant herb taste, crispy and minimal fats make this a winner. Wasabi Mayonaise Prawn: The prawns is generally big, juicy and well battered with a subtle wasabi mayo coating. The wasabi is strong enough to exert its presence, yet mild enough to not overwhelm. Add the fact that the prawn is crunchy and sweet and pair that up with a palatte cleansing watermelon and this is simply perfect. Pan Seared Foie Gras: Having heard good thing about the foie gras, i'm glad to report that it is at least as good as they say. Soft and quivery on the inside and seared to a crisp on the outside. It doesn't feel overly oily as well but still, take in moderation.
Double Boiled Shark's Fin with Bacon Onion Roll - Designed to be another signature dish by the restaurant, this traditional Beijing broth is double boiled to perfection and served in a japanese claypot to keep the broth warm all the way to the last drop. The broth is light and not starchy with generous amounts of shark's fin, scallops and dried conpoy. The accompanying bacon onion roll is also worth a mention as it is extremely crispy, fragrant and goes really well with the broth. This is most definitely the best item we had that day.
Baked Rack of Lamb in Lamb Stock - Smooth tender, medium rack of lamb with a delectable sauce. I'm not really into lamb but this is very very good.
Baked Cod Fish with Chef's Recipe - Sweet, soft cod fish marinated in chef's special sauce. The sauce gave the impression of being a little like teriyaki and honey which gave the fish its golden color. Its also lightly charred on the outside and still moist and quivery on the inside. Wonderful.
Baby Abalone, Hoshimeiji mushrooms and hand made noodles - I was pleasantly surprised when this final dish was served, to find a decent sized abalone sitting atop the noodles. The noodles were very springy and yet surprisingly soft just as the abalone is and the sauce it was done in reminded me of Sze Chuan spicy soup which is perfect since we were already pretty stuffed by this time. Excellent.
The desserts were nothing short of excellent as well. Especially so when one of them was given free via the recommendation of the captain. Sweet, sourish and palate cleansing, its the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
The total bill for this meal came up to $222.45.
Ambiance: 8/10 Service: 9/10 Food: 8.5/10 Value for money: 7/10 Overall Score: 8/10
Last word: Good food, good service, new experiences and good ambiance. To me, this place has won me and my girl over quite simply and i'll definitely be back. No doubt about it. If i really need to complain about something, it would be the location. Driving is very much recommended to hae a meal here. To those who have not tried it yet, i heartily recommend giving it a chance. Go in with an open heart and it will warm up to your expectations.
For all your Golfing needs.. Nike by B.I.R.D is one of the best choice you can get in terms of style, user friendliness, range of items and most importantly, its endorsed by the famous world No.1 Golfer.... Matter of fact.. they had an entire range of merchandisers named after him...
I like NIKE GOLF stuffs.. They are really chich and stylo-milo..... I mean.. apart from looking good, these apparals and comfortable to wear and very breathable.... Its important to have good airy clothes yet can shield some UV rays as well as block some wind when it gets a little chilly out there in the course....
I went to this shop the other evening to do some shopping and i came across the beautiful cap that i've decided to buy almost immediately.. Seldom do i do that.... but this cap is just so special... Made of a silky light material.. this cap comes in 3 colours.. Light Blue, Black and Brown... The design of the cap is most thrilling.... The outside is just a simple smooth solid black colour with a durable short velcro for that pony tail of mine... Most importantly.. underneath the tongue of the cap.. is covered with a checked printed fabric in which made the cap totally sleek with a tinge of retro....
Its a beautiful cap.. though not cheap, however.. I love it alot.. The service is pretty ok.. though the shop is not huge, but it does hold alot of stuffs... The lady serving me is nice and gave me a new piece when i asked.... I love the fact that she gave me space to shop.. instead of hanging so close to me wherever i go and try to delibrately strike conversation with me.
My shopping ritual is that.... "IF i need something I will ASK... Please don't hog me or disrupt my thoughts with your irritating Questions" :)
We're all farmiliar with the brand Timberland.. We see it all the time and it pratically grew up with me....
I am most amazed by its LOGO.. A TREE on a SLOPE..... It simply represents ECOFriendly..... and I believe that Timberland products are environmentally friendly - judging by this name card i hold... is printed specially on the front that its 100% Recycled Paper...
Expect Recycled Tags, Paperbags, Packaging as well as bottled water....
Talk about bottled water.. I simply love the idea of them giving away TIMBERLAND bottled water to every customer that walks into their shops.. Its a clever idea to make me feel indebted to them somehow and I simple love the attentive gesture.... I mean who is not thirsty.... Moreover you could also recycle the bottles and it also act as free advertisements..... How SWEET :)
Lets talk about the merchandises now.. The clothes are great for trekking, fishing and other outdoor sports. Made of great range of materials with breathing fabrics... I would especially recommend the Jackets.. I love the jackets.. they are user friendly.. does not stink with time and most importantly.. some repels water and keeps you warm and cosy on the inside.... Even its winter on the outside... You are sure its always summer on the inside....
The leather boots are the next best thing you can ever find in this shop. Timberland are almost mainly famous for their boots.... Made of leather of different kinds as well as breathable technology and sturdy soles.. These shoes are pratically to die for.... What more.. You could design your own shoe.. customizing every part of the shoe with the colour coding you want yourself for just a mere $299. There is a assembler's desk where u can mix and match every single part of your boot with the demo sets there.. both fun and intriguing...
Its a nice place to go to.. and nice merchandises to buy :)
Was introduced to this place by my colleagues and was there for a celebration for "da boss" on this weekday noon. Porta Porta apparently has 2 outlets, one in Changi and the other in Stanley Street, we went to the Changi branch since it was nearer to our office. Its location is somewhat obscure and according to a friend, the buildings have already been enbloc so i'm not too sure about the fate of this restaurant as of now. The following is a rather late post of my previous visit there and my thoughts on the food.
Despite the rather lacklustre appearance of the shop front, this restaurant exudes a laid back and quiet charm which is easy to like. Cozy sofas adorn the 2nd level and simple tables in a soft lit dining level. All this gives it a rustic and homely feeling which is both comfortable and relaxing.
Bruschetta - This was served hot and straight out of the oven. Its a little different then the usual bruschetta in that the tomato is not chopped and served as a whole slice on top of the focacia bread. This results in a squishy texture and might not be for everybody since you really need to like tomatoes to enjoy this. For me, i prefer the diced tomatoes version.
Complementary bread with Olive Oil and Vinaigrette - Simple, serviceable and nothing extraordinary. The only thing worth mentioning is the dip which is still an appetising treat with its sourish and saltish taste.
Tomato and Crab Meat Pasta - Despite the small portion size, this was nicely done. I liked the strong crab taste and tomato combination and the pasta was done al dente. The problem with this is that the tomatoes were watery and thus resulted in a visually less appetising presentation.
Calamari - The calamari is probably the best thing i had at the restaurant that day. It was lightly battered and retained most of its springy texture without the overwhelming taste of batter. The batter itself is rather salty but went well with the calamari which is lightly sweet.
Tiramisu - This was.....average at best. There was too much cream and not enough cake. Also, instead of a chocolatey taste, it had a strange strawberry-like taste instead and there was no rum.
Service: 7.5/10 Ambiance: 6.5/10 Food: 6/10 Value for money: 6/10 Overall Score: 6/10 (not an average)
Last word: I can't quite confirm if the restaurant is certified halal but my Malay colleagues were able to enjoy the food without worry. I can thus say safely that our Malay compatroits should be able to enjoy the food here without incident. Service is good and the ambiance is decent but the food and value for money-wise could do better for me. Overall, still an enjoyable meal but i'd not bet on it being a hit with everybody.
No introductions needed for this group of restaurants. Basically met up with a group of friends over the weekend to have some dim sum and was recommended this because it is known to be kind to the wallet and serve quality dim sum as well.
Simple carpet floors and wide open spaces are the order of the day. Tables are spaced well and give plenty of leg room without the claustrophobic trappings of other Chinese restaurants. Orders are taken ala carte style and it is recommended to order as many as possible because they do take some time before the food is served.
Buffets buffets, always a little difficult to comment on since everything is en mass. So i'll just split this into the usual categories: Service: In terms of service, the staff are proficient and fast but has a slight attitude edge to them. Maybe its due to the good turnout of people and their reputation, the impression i got was that they are always in a rush and will not wait around for our orders proper. And my group of people are big eaters, so we had many mutliple orders which were met with looks of frustration and impatience. Not a very good experience on this part. Food: The food is as you see above. We ordered quite a decent selection from the $19.80 menu and in terms of overall quality, the best i can give is average. For the usual items like shrimp dumplings and char siew bao, i've had better from the likes of Yan Ting , Royal China and even Imperial Nan Bei Restaurant. From the entire selection that day, the items that caught our tastebuds were the Ji Bao Gai, which was surprisingly fragrant and tasty, fried chicken wings in shrimp paste, we liked the size and how it was served piping hot, the sweet and sour diced sea perch, which was crispy, sweet and warranted 2 orders and the egg tarts, which were small, bite sized and had an extremely crispy and flaky crust. The other items were forgettable and average IMHO. Value: When the bill came, it actually totalled up to be about $26-30 per person. Although we ate alot, the quality of most of the food wasn't really up to par. The feeling we got at the end was unsatisfactory.
Ambience: 5.5/10 Service: 5/10 Food: 6/10 Value for money: 6/10 Overall score: 5.5/10 (not an average)
Last word: I'd expected a little more from this restaurant since it belongs to quite a prestigious group. So far in my journey, i've only eaten at Tung Lok Seafood, Zhou's Kitchen and My Humble House and honestly, i have to say that i'm not impressed yet with any of their offerings. Maybe its just me but everytime i try their stuff, the only words that surface in the end is "overpriced" "bad service" and "could be so much better". I really want to like them but i'm sorry, it hasn't happened yet.
1=SGD 0.0587
Yoguru, Yo guru or maybe just a fun wordplay between yogurt and guru. Analyze and break the word however you want, the fact is, I've found a new addiction and thankfully, it is a rather healthy one (taken in moderation of course).
(**A little note on the pictures above, as this blogger is not used to being questioned when taking photographs, the rare event that the owner actually required explaination of my actions kinda took me aback and thus, resulted in less quality photos due to nervousness. In future, if you see a guy taking photos and ordering food from your outlet, please, leave him be for better photographic results. )
Located in the revamped and renovated Kallang Leisure park, Yoguru is a spot of purplish red in a predominantly white mall. Scrounging some information from the net yielded that this little gem has been operating for a year or more by now and has garnered a strong following of dessert lovers.
Positioned as a "true yogurt" experience. Yoguru's main selling points are its fresh ingredients and yogurt made fresh on site in their outlet. It is said that this is the only way, the probiotic cultures may survive to actually provide the health benefits yogurt is supposed to impart. Equally intrigueing is the fact that yogurt is non fat and contains calcium and minerals which are of benefit to the body. Sounds a little too good to be true isn't it?
The good news is, the yogurt is definitely smoother and better then anything i've tasted. I chose the original flavored yogurt with 2 toppings, mango and strawberry. The fruit toppings are indeed fresh and comes with all natural flavor, which means they were either sour or sweet depending on your luck. The yogurt itself is the star.
On first glance, it reminds me of vanilla ice cream but it doesn't melt as quickly so it can be enjoyed slowly. Taste wise, its slightly sour with a firm texture when compared to other yogurts and ice cream. Its also refreshingly light and appetising even to the last scoop. Even for someone who has had a rather filling lunch, having this will not make you feel overloaded, which is rather surprising for me.
Overall score: 8/10
Last word:
For the record, i don't like yogurt. Never liked the sourish taste and jelly like texture which i always get from supermarket and restaurant yogurts. This, however, has me convinced and converted. I like it because its low fat, healthy and most of all, because its light and tasty. Which is exactly what desserts should be. For the uninitiated, please do drop by for at least a try. If this outlet is too far out of the way, there's a new outlet opening in Raffles City Mall for more yogurt goodness. Lets just hope franchising doesn't kill the quality like so many other franchises.
Rating given:
I love Body Shop Product... Not only that they are anti animal cruelity, the are also EcoFriendly. We can totally see that by the ugly brown crumpled paper bag they always give away with expensive merchendises. Why i say expensive.. one shimmering eye shadow merely 25gm in kawaii shades of pastel blue goes for nearly $30...
Yes we girls are not cheap to maintain......
If you want to get the value for money options... go for the nice fruity smelling bath gels... They are with all natural ingredients and perfumed with so much fruit essence.. you'll get that overwhelming effect after you had taken your bath.. You basically could be the walking giant Promagranate...
The scrubs and polish are definitely a must buy... if you want smooth flawless skin..... I love the seaweed facial wash... Its easy on the skin and a little cooling after you rinse it out...
There are so many things i love.. I just don't know where to stop....
Now about this outlet.. Its spacious and the ladies won't hassle you with their 5 cents worth of comments... Its good if you need something and late for an appointment.. But i rather prefer to walk n browse, test and smell by myself... Yet if they hassle me.. I will feel indebted as though after i tried, i have to buy something...
This is a nice outlet to hang out and they sure do have the most latest products :)
Rating given:
The-sight-of-it is enough to excite me. The flowing chocolate - like water plunging down from a magnificent waterfall: wonderful, sweet. The cute white marshmallows beckon to me. The puffs - baked for the sole reunion with the delicious chocolate. The big juicy strawberries, oh my. What’s there not to like about a chocolate fondue? I love it!
Now, I famously don’t like buffets. When I see food laying out, exposed, I see food dying. I see the ocean trout that every passing diner can feel free to squeeze at. I see food left out in the open air unprotected from the passing fancies of everybody. BUT, but, the current Citibank credit card 50% promotion for 10 @ Claymore is simply too good a deal to miss, so I decided to go for it after all.
How does $29 for buffet lunch sounds? On top of it with a 1-for-1 promotion, and we are talking about Pan Pacific Hotel, not some dubious twenties-odd range buffet (you-know-where-I-am-referring-to). Given, the variety here cannot compare with other international buffets who have more spread, but what I like about 10 @ Claymore is the focus.
Instead of giving a lot items to choose from, they decided to give just enough. For those who inherited our Singapore-kiasu-genes, my apologies. But this is one buffet where I actually don’t feel guilty trying to gorge myself silly. I ate a bit of everything, and rushed to have my desserts.
The chocolate truffle was terrific - sweet, smooth, refined, yet unbelievably simple. I had mutiple helpings of it, until my stomach decided to do a red-shirt-alike-protest to me.
Total bill was $34 for 2 person after the citibank credit card promotion. The current good deal last until 30 April, 2 person are entitled to a 50% discount. For $17 bucks per person, buffet lunch at a classy environment, enough said! And oh yes, I forgot to mention that the service was top-notch; the staffs were attentive and always happy to help out when you need anything
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:
Mention the name Jumbo Seafood and the first image that pops to mind is the gigantic boat against a backdrop of neon glowing lights as you are taking a motorboat to the floating palace-like restaurant in Hong Kong. In Singapore, however, its a restaurant with the sign of a boat and the attitude of Hong Kong in that, everything needs to be done fast. Order fast, reach on time and serve fast.
The restaurant started back in 1987, this home grown business has since opened 9 outlets with 2 in Japan over the last 22 years. I'm not able to determine if there is any connection between this and the Hong Kong restaurant but i guess in the end, its the food that counts. So without further ado, lets dive in.
Personally, i've never been to the Safra Resort and i must say, i was quite impressed. It looked just like a country club, at discount prices for our guys serving the nation. Its a shame if they didn't make good use of the place. The restaurant, on the other hand, was packed with people and as you can see from the shots, quite huge. Simple carpetted floors with multiple big round tables spread evenly throughout the floor. I like the fact that the layout was simple and no nonsense.
The following will be the food we had. We ordered 2 set meals to feed 20 people at $437.80 per set.
Jumbo Appetiser Platter - Surprisingly, the appetiser platter contains rather heavy food items like deep fried dough with squid paste and mayonnaise, braised duck, donut with seafood paste and jellyfish. Everything on this was hot apart from the jellyfish. Everything is a little oily but otherwise good. The appetising items were the duck and and jellyfish which were predominantly sour and appetite rousing.
Steamed Live Prawns - Big, scrumptious and crunchy fresh prawns always get me in a good mood. This really isn't about cooking, simply boil fresh and huge prawns for a good time. And i have to say, their prawns were sweet and huge. Good stuff.
Shark's Fin with Seafood Soup - Do not let the name fool you. I'm suspecting this is seafood soup with some shark's fin thrown in. Why so? There's so much seafood in the soup, its difficult to ignore. Shrimp, mushrooms, fish, shark's fin and even beancurd. Add the fact that its less starchy and the shark's fin is rather difficult you can see why i suspect the above. However, i'm not saying its bad by any means, its just not shark's fin soup per se.
Scallops and Asparagus - Scallops were rather plump and springy but otherwise a very standard dish.
Jumbo Chilli Crab - Jumbo Pepper Crab - Finally, something done right. Huge Sri Lankan crabs, about 4 crabs prepared in different styles per set. Out of this, the favored style will be the chili crab which went well with the fried buns as usual. The crabs were definitely fresh and wasn't overcooked since the meat does not stick to the shell and were sweet. The chili style however, felt more like tomato since it wasn't spicy in the least bit. The black pepper version had the same trademark freshness and was more spicy and fragrant then the chili version. Of the 2 i'd say the black pepper version was done better.
Groupa done HK Style - Once again ,this was fresh, sweet and cooked just right. The meat literally melts in your mouth. Consistency is suspect though since the other table had a fish that was overcooked.
Longevity Noodles - After having all the items above, the noodles arrived to finish everyone off. Having had bad noodles before, i had a phobia for these things. The upside is, this is actually done well. The noodles were chewy yet soft. The flavor is apparent and fragrant. I managed to finish this bowl but couldn't stuff anymore even though i wanted to.
Honey sea coconut with longan.....i guess this says it all doesn't it?
The bill knocked my socks off at a whooping $1009.09 for 20 people.
Ambiance: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Food: 6.5/10
Value for money: 6/10
Final score: 6/10
Last word:
I find the bill to be a little too much for the quality of food we had. Is the food bad? Definitely not! The ingredients were fresh and the cook had a good grasp of the timing for the dishes. The only problem is, i could find this at a coffee shop for less then 1/4 of the price minus air conditioning and service. Still, i had a good time meeting most of my family again during this occasion so it wasn't all bad. Could be better though.
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Foie Gras is in my blood. Having said that, I’m more beef than Foie Gras, really. Wedges here, is my awesome assistant, The new Spring fashion is so passé, sun-dried tomato is the latest in-thing now! Marmalade Pantry’s famous, Sun-dried tomato Foie Gras Burger ($26).
My name is Chocolate, Chocolate Truffe ($7.80). I’m the ladies man, smooth is my texture, sweet is my nature. Try me, and you are sold. No one can resist my temptations, the thick, oh-so-thick chocolate which is so rich and good.
Hello everybody, eh, my name is Chocolate Tart ($4.20). I don’t have anything to say about myself. I’m a simple guy, but they say my chocolate is wondeful, I will rather keep a low profile. Please, don’t tell anybody else. Thank you.
They call me little miss rose ($4.2). I’m very girly and feminine in nature, but most people just judged me by my appearances. I snub those pretentious of my kind who can only face the world with their frosting make-ups. Simple is beautiful, once you get to know me, the ladies worship me and the guys adore me.
The spokesperson for Marmalade, everybody calls for me when they are here. It will be impossible if you have not heard about Sticky Date toffee pudding ($12) by now. My companion, the lovely Vanilla bean ice cream compliments me perfectly.
***
Having heard so much about Marmalade Pantry Foie Gras burger, the few of us were rather disappointed by it because there just wasn’t much foie gras taste. But the wedges that accompanied the burger was very good.
The chocolate truffle cake, and chocolate tart was wonderful, with the chocolate being very sweet yet not overly heavy. By now having tried two of Toast (under the same group as Marmalade) cupcakes and another one today, I must say their cupcakes are the better ones around. Moist and rich, there wasn’t any pretty frosting, just a solid good cupcake.
The sticky date toffee pudding also did not impressed us. Perhaps it was undone by its famous reputation, we were somewhat expecting more from it, but it never came. Nonetheless, nobody could resist having cold icy vanilla bean ice cream with the warm pudding.
Total bill was $64.15 for 6 person. Even though the burger and pudding did not exactly wow me, but I will definitely come back to try the array of desserts available, and of course their cupcakes.
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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Taste paradise is run by none other then the Paradise group of restaurants and has been raved by my friends in their blogs as well as commercial reviews. See here and here. My wife-to-be was having her birthday as well and that's when i decided to bring her there for a meal. Its a risk since i've never personally tried their food and seafood paradise wasn't exactly mind blowing but its what she has been asking for, so i figured it would be a good birthday present.
The interior is slick with heavily carpeted floors, padded leather chairs and corner booths for comfort and intimacy. Its also one of the more colorful restaurants i've been to with emphasis mainly on red, yellow and white. Lighting was dim and sleep inducing with mild instrumental chinese music in the background for added ambiance. Everything felt perfectly synchronised and well thought.
Service is personalized and impeccable. The staff will remember you by name and provide commentaries and recommendations on the food if you are lost. Advise them on your preferences and they will remember it for you next visit. Simply outstanding.
Signature XO Carrot Cake ($7) - For a $7 carrot cake, it arrived with little fanfare. However, pop a piece in your mouth and you'll be treated to an explosion of taste and texture unlike any $3 carrot cake could ever dream of giving. Crispy and clear wok hei taste on the outside and quivery smooth on the inside with a fragrant XO aftertaste. This is definitely something everyone should try.
Peking duck: Fragrant herb taste, crispy and minimal fats make this a winner.
Wasabi Mayonaise Prawn: The prawns is generally big, juicy and well battered with a subtle wasabi mayo coating. The wasabi is strong enough to exert its presence, yet mild enough to not overwhelm. Add the fact that the prawn is crunchy and sweet and pair that up with a palatte cleansing watermelon and this is simply perfect.
Pan Seared Foie Gras: Having heard good thing about the foie gras, i'm glad to report that it is at least as good as they say. Soft and quivery on the inside and seared to a crisp on the outside. It doesn't feel overly oily as well but still, take in moderation.
Double Boiled Shark's Fin with Bacon Onion Roll - Designed to be another signature dish by the restaurant, this traditional Beijing broth is double boiled to perfection and served in a japanese claypot to keep the broth warm all the way to the last drop. The broth is light and not starchy with generous amounts of shark's fin, scallops and dried conpoy. The accompanying bacon onion roll is also worth a mention as it is extremely crispy, fragrant and goes really well with the broth. This is most definitely the best item we had that day.
Baked Rack of Lamb in Lamb Stock - Smooth tender, medium rack of lamb with a delectable sauce. I'm not really into lamb but this is very very good.
Baked Cod Fish with Chef's Recipe - Sweet, soft cod fish marinated in chef's special sauce. The sauce gave the impression of being a little like teriyaki and honey which gave the fish its golden color. Its also lightly charred on the outside and still moist and quivery on the inside. Wonderful.
Baby Abalone, Hoshimeiji mushrooms and hand made noodles - I was pleasantly surprised when this final dish was served, to find a decent sized abalone sitting atop the noodles. The noodles were very springy and yet surprisingly soft just as the abalone is and the sauce it was done in reminded me of Sze Chuan spicy soup which is perfect since we were already pretty stuffed by this time. Excellent.
The desserts were nothing short of excellent as well. Especially so when one of them was given free via the recommendation of the captain. Sweet, sourish and palate cleansing, its the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.
The total bill for this meal came up to $222.45.
Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Food: 8.5/10
Value for money: 7/10
Overall Score: 8/10
Last word:
Good food, good service, new experiences and good ambiance. To me, this place has won me and my girl over quite simply and i'll definitely be back. No doubt about it. If i really need to complain about something, it would be the location. Driving is very much recommended to hae a meal here. To those who have not tried it yet, i heartily recommend giving it a chance. Go in with an open heart and it will warm up to your expectations.
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For all your Golfing needs.. Nike by B.I.R.D is one of the best choice you can get in terms of style, user friendliness, range of items and most importantly, its endorsed by the famous world No.1 Golfer.... Matter of fact.. they had an entire range of merchandisers named after him...
I like NIKE GOLF stuffs.. They are really chich and stylo-milo..... I mean.. apart from looking good, these apparals and comfortable to wear and very breathable.... Its important to have good airy clothes yet can shield some UV rays as well as block some wind when it gets a little chilly out there in the course....
I went to this shop the other evening to do some shopping and i came across the beautiful cap that i've decided to buy almost immediately.. Seldom do i do that.... but this cap is just so special... Made of a silky light material.. this cap comes in 3 colours.. Light Blue, Black and Brown... The design of the cap is most thrilling.... The outside is just a simple smooth solid black colour with a durable short velcro for that pony tail of mine... Most importantly.. underneath the tongue of the cap.. is covered with a checked printed fabric in which made the cap totally sleek with a tinge of retro....
Its a beautiful cap.. though not cheap, however.. I love it alot.. The service is pretty ok.. though the shop is not huge, but it does hold alot of stuffs... The lady serving me is nice and gave me a new piece when i asked.... I love the fact that she gave me space to shop.. instead of hanging so close to me wherever i go and try to delibrately strike conversation with me.
My shopping ritual is that.... "IF i need something I will ASK... Please don't hog me or disrupt my thoughts with your irritating Questions" :)
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We're all farmiliar with the brand Timberland.. We see it all the time and it pratically grew up with me....
I am most amazed by its LOGO.. A TREE on a SLOPE..... It simply represents ECOFriendly..... and I believe that Timberland products are environmentally friendly - judging by this name card i hold... is printed specially on the front that its 100% Recycled Paper...
Expect Recycled Tags, Paperbags, Packaging as well as bottled water....
Talk about bottled water.. I simply love the idea of them giving away TIMBERLAND bottled water to every customer that walks into their shops.. Its a clever idea to make me feel indebted to them somehow and I simple love the attentive gesture.... I mean who is not thirsty.... Moreover you could also recycle the bottles and it also act as free advertisements..... How SWEET :)
Lets talk about the merchandises now.. The clothes are great for trekking, fishing and other outdoor sports. Made of great range of materials with breathing fabrics... I would especially recommend the Jackets.. I love the jackets.. they are user friendly.. does not stink with time and most importantly.. some repels water and keeps you warm and cosy on the inside.... Even its winter on the outside... You are sure its always summer on the inside....
The leather boots are the next best thing you can ever find in this shop. Timberland are almost mainly famous for their boots.... Made of leather of different kinds as well as breathable technology and sturdy soles.. These shoes are pratically to die for.... What more.. You could design your own shoe.. customizing every part of the shoe with the colour coding you want yourself for just a mere $299. There is a assembler's desk where u can mix and match every single part of your boot with the demo sets there.. both fun and intriguing...
Its a nice place to go to.. and nice merchandises to buy :)
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Was introduced to this place by my colleagues and was there for a celebration for "da boss" on this weekday noon. Porta Porta apparently has 2 outlets, one in Changi and the other in Stanley Street, we went to the Changi branch since it was nearer to our office. Its location is somewhat obscure and according to a friend, the buildings have already been enbloc so i'm not too sure about the fate of this restaurant as of now. The following is a rather late post of my previous visit there and my thoughts on the food.
Despite the rather lacklustre appearance of the shop front, this restaurant exudes a laid back and quiet charm which is easy to like. Cozy sofas adorn the 2nd level and simple tables in a soft lit dining level. All this gives it a rustic and homely feeling which is both comfortable and relaxing.
Bruschetta - This was served hot and straight out of the oven. Its a little different then the usual bruschetta in that the tomato is not chopped and served as a whole slice on top of the focacia bread. This results in a squishy texture and might not be for everybody since you really need to like tomatoes to enjoy this. For me, i prefer the diced tomatoes version.
Complementary bread with Olive Oil and Vinaigrette - Simple, serviceable and nothing extraordinary. The only thing worth mentioning is the dip which is still an appetising treat with its sourish and saltish taste.
Tomato and Crab Meat Pasta - Despite the small portion size, this was nicely done. I liked the strong crab taste and tomato combination and the pasta was done al dente. The problem with this is that the tomatoes were watery and thus resulted in a visually less appetising presentation.
Calamari - The calamari is probably the best thing i had at the restaurant that day. It was lightly battered and retained most of its springy texture without the overwhelming taste of batter. The batter itself is rather salty but went well with the calamari which is lightly sweet.
Tiramisu - This was.....average at best. There was too much cream and not enough cake. Also, instead of a chocolatey taste, it had a strange strawberry-like taste instead and there was no rum.
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 6.5/10
Food: 6/10
Value for money: 6/10
Overall Score: 6/10 (not an average)
Last word:
I can't quite confirm if the restaurant is certified halal but my Malay colleagues were able to enjoy the food without worry. I can thus say safely that our Malay compatroits should be able to enjoy the food here without incident. Service is good and the ambiance is decent but the food and value for money-wise could do better for me. Overall, still an enjoyable meal but i'd not bet on it being a hit with everybody.
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No introductions needed for this group of restaurants. Basically met up with a group of friends over the weekend to have some dim sum and was recommended this because it is known to be kind to the wallet and serve quality dim sum as well.
Simple carpet floors and wide open spaces are the order of the day. Tables are spaced well and give plenty of leg room without the claustrophobic trappings of other Chinese restaurants. Orders are taken ala carte style and it is recommended to order as many as possible because they do take some time before the food is served.
Buffets buffets, always a little difficult to comment on since everything is en mass. So i'll just split this into the usual categories:
Service: In terms of service, the staff are proficient and fast but has a slight attitude edge to them. Maybe its due to the good turnout of people and their reputation, the impression i got was that they are always in a rush and will not wait around for our orders proper. And my group of people are big eaters, so we had many mutliple orders which were met with looks of frustration and impatience. Not a very good experience on this part.
Food: The food is as you see above. We ordered quite a decent selection from the $19.80 menu and in terms of overall quality, the best i can give is average. For the usual items like shrimp dumplings and char siew bao, i've had better from the likes of Yan Ting , Royal China and even Imperial Nan Bei Restaurant. From the entire selection that day, the items that caught our tastebuds were the Ji Bao Gai, which was surprisingly fragrant and tasty, fried chicken wings in shrimp paste, we liked the size and how it was served piping hot, the sweet and sour diced sea perch, which was crispy, sweet and warranted 2 orders and the egg tarts, which were small, bite sized and had an extremely crispy and flaky crust. The other items were forgettable and average IMHO.
Value: When the bill came, it actually totalled up to be about $26-30 per person. Although we ate alot, the quality of most of the food wasn't really up to par. The feeling we got at the end was unsatisfactory.
Ambience: 5.5/10
Service: 5/10
Food: 6/10
Value for money: 6/10
Overall score: 5.5/10 (not an average)
Last word:
I'd expected a little more from this restaurant since it belongs to quite a prestigious group. So far in my journey, i've only eaten at Tung Lok Seafood, Zhou's Kitchen and My Humble House and honestly, i have to say that i'm not impressed yet with any of their offerings. Maybe its just me but everytime i try their stuff, the only words that surface in the end is "overpriced" "bad service" and "could be so much better". I really want to like them but i'm sorry, it hasn't happened yet.
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