Me Me Me.. I ate here.. Since nobody review about it.. Hee Hee.. I'm going to be the first AGAIN!
Actually Frankly speaking, I still prefer the Outlet at Suntec City, the old deco looks great, though the tables and chairs look kopitiam like, but the food display is less cluttered, more jap look and seemed more exciting for me.
This new outlet accomodated the new interior deco. Food lined properly on the buffet table which is nothing more then a huge square centerpiece. At the sides there is a grilling and tappenyaki corner and on the other corner, you have pipping hot claypot noodles and other stuffs. What really interest me are these pot full of soups. They look exactly like a teapot with a cup as the cover.. Very interesting and with that a guaranteed funloving meal.
I was there for lunch and therefore no HUGE CRABS.. which I so long to have them. This outlet has got huge tables for big crowds as well as vertically louvered partitions for that more spacious look. Food is great as usual. I particularly like the assortment of tea bags the display.
First it feels good to be able to choose from those great display boxes. Secondly, I could never get to taste all types of the tea except for now. Thirdly, It was great fun with friends to be exchanging pointers on the different tasting teas.
The dessert counter was great as well. Me and my pals all had fun with the fondue.. contaminating the yummy chocolate with the juicy fruits, cakes and mushymellows..
In closing, I would say i would want to go back again, but certainly for dinner. I've calculated.. with this spread.. just eat more crabs and you'll get all the money's worth....
It was during one of the celebrating months for my gf that we finally decided to give Big Fish a try after numerous recommendations. My gf loved fish and so, this has been in our minds for quite some time. Honestly, we're just trying to see if there's another place as worthwhile as the Manhatten Fish market in terms of food offerings since this is pretty much of the same theme. So it was that we stepped in and had our first encounter.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was served warm and soft which is a plus but otherwise, nothing significant. Not too sure if it is made in house either since its rather bland and simple.
The interior is rather spacious with around 4-6 wall sofa seats and a seating capacity of about 40-50 when full. The thing is, when we arrived, there was nary a soul and when we left, there was still only one other customer apart from us. This was around 645 - 8 pm. If i were the owner, i'd find that rather worrying actually. Service was decent with recommendations, explainations and was generally pleasantenough to commend. They could improve on waiting time though, since we were the only people there, the waiting time of 15 minutes before our soup was served seemed rather obsessive.
Mushroom Soup ($8.95) - The mushroom soup reminded me of the rendition i had in Eden cafe under Clement. The taste and texture is packed with mushroom bits and had some cream in it as well. The overal feeling is that its creamy and starchy to good effect. The serving size was not exactly big however and at the price, this left me a little disappointed.
Seafood Chowder ($8.95) - The seafood chowder was packed with ingredients as well and had lots of squid, a few pieces of shrimp, scallop and carrots within. The end result is a pleasing soup that opens up the appetite for the meal to come. Again, the serving size is too small when comparing the price.
Seafood Platter ($51.95) - Not knowing what to order, we opted for a safe choice to try a huge amount of stuff at a "perceived" reasonable price. The platter for 2 isn't exactly full of stuff but it does have more then enough for the 2 of us to finish. Fries, fish skewers, mussels, crayfish, scallops and rice round up the platter offering. The mussels and scallops were of a decent size and there was 2 each which meant no fighting for the food. They were also reasonably fresh, as is the crayfish and the grilled fish skewers. The skewers were nicely done, not too dry despite the grilling, while the rice and fries ensured you will be full from the set. I did think $50 for this is still too steep a price to pay though.
Creme Brulee ($8.95) - Well, after a meal of overly expensive items, the dessert finally looked up to the task of living up to the price. The creme brulee came looking like a winner and in fact, it was the best item i had that night. The fruit and decor is a wonderful touch and it helps that the fruits were all sweet and complimented the dessert well. The sugar layer was a little too thick and sweet but nothing too big. The bottom layer, i suspect, is made from vanilla extract since i didn't see any vanilla residue in the texture but i'm not complaining.
Chocolate Souffle ($9.95) - I ordered this thinking it was a molten chocolate cake but i was wrong. A souffle is more akin to cakes with a springy and fluffy texture. In fact, Souffle means to "blow up" and is made of a combination of egg whites and various ingredients. Their rendition should be considered decent as the top was lightly hard while the lower portion is fluffy and a little wet with chocolate. If i'm not wrong, its supposed to come with some sauce but there wasn't any. Decent but not my kind of dessert.
Finally, this experimental meal came up to a whooping $97.65 for 2 people on a simple weekday night.
Well, to say the food is bad would be unfair but i couldn't help feeling a heavy pinch in my heart for the amount i spent on this meal. For what i had, i think a price tag of about $60 or 70 plus taxes might have made me felt better. For improvement, serving the food faster and more economical pricing would bring me back but not before then.
A long belated post which has lain dormant in my list for some time. However, the memory remains fresh nonetheless, fresh enough to provide a review and an accurate impression of the experience i've had here.
To be honest, i've been past this place so many times, its amazing how i've never felt the urge to actually step in for a meal. The exterior looks rather dull and dark but the interior is bright and cheery with clean wooden tables and nice black chairs for a zen-like feel.Service was brisk, attentive and rather pleasant as well, which makes me wonder why the place was so quiet. It was peak lunch period when we patronized it and somehow, space was aplenty with a rather abysmal clientele.
The usual compulsory crackers ($3 each) - This was rather pushing the envelope for the rip-off department at $3 per basket of crackers but i must say, i actually liked it. The crackers were good, fragrant, strong vegetable taste but add in the chili and its a whole new game. Spicy, sweet and just good. $3 is still too much for it though.
Tahu Telur ($8.50) - A rather hearty portion if i say so myself. The tahu telur was overly hard at places but managed to remain acceptable mostly due to yet another excellently fragrant sauce. Its just the normal peanut sweet sauce with a little chili but it really makes this average dish taste better then it really is.However, paying $8.50 for it is something i won't soon repeat however.
Garlic Stir Fried Kailan ($14) - Kailan stands as one of my favorite greens and its a relief that they managed to at least preserve its good tastes with this dish.Nothing outstanding, its the casual garlic stir fried version but its fragrant and very appetising.
BBQ Platter ($48) - Fried whole fish, 2 grilled prawns, generous bbq calamari and squid, chicken and satay rounds up this huge platter of food. This is good. I mean its really pretty good in terms of overal quality. The prawns are grilled till there's a little char on the bottom but manages to make the shell so brittle, you can simply eat the entire thing without much fuss. The fish is huge and deep fried on the outside with the inside still thankfully moist and soft with sweet spices. This went really well with the balachan-like chili. The chicken was overdone which resulted in tough and dry meat but the overal was still nicely fragrant and sweet. The calamari was also done just right and like the rest of the package, is sweet and fragrant. The satay is acceptable and rather bigger portioned then regular satays. Overal, this is a rather good buy to me.
Asam Fish Head ($22) - This was something i touched very little of because i didn't want to sweat like a pig before returning to work. However, i couldn't resist eating the tender and sweet fish meat that was left over by my colleagues. The asam was actually slightly spicy but not overwhelming. The curry taste was rather strong but the fish head was definitely worthwhile at the meaty portions. Fishy taste is apparent but minimal as well.
Tom Yum Seafood ($24) - Their version of the oh-so-famous tom yum seafood soup. This is the clear version and it came packed with seafood. I mean it was literally bursting with ingredients like squid, fish, mussels, prawns and scallop. Its definitely strong in terms of taste and moderately spicy but if i'm not mistaken, still milder then the actual tom yum soup in Thailand. A pretty good rendition and value for money however.
Finally, a pleasing meal for 7 came up to a total of $141.95. I'd say this is rather worthwhile given the food we had.
Last Word: A pretty decent setting and decent serving of food. The pluses are the fact it came with good service and that the price of entry is rather low. For improvement, i'd suggest having more set meal options and tie ups with companies for catering and such to boost visibility.
After the last dim sum at Zhou’s kitchen, it took some time before i regained my craving for our “Chinese tapas“. And this time round, i chose Kam Boat since my friends wanted a convenient location. Marina Square it is, how accessible. I must admit, when i first heard that Kam boat dim sum kitchen was in Marina Square, i was thinking where it was, since i never saw it everytime i went MS. Right, Kam boat location is very easy to find, if you are coming from the underground citylink. Upon coming up the escalator, they are at the entrance of MS, breeks cafe is also there.
The restaurant interior was smaller that what i expected from the outside, still it could seat about 50 thereabouts. Simple furnishings ooze a cosy feel, and we were quite surprise that the restaurant was barely filled on a Saturday afternoon. The lightning was very good, in fact one of the few places where i only took a few snaps and i’m happy with the photos.
Note that they have discount of 30% for dim sum on weekends 230-530pm. The prices i stated are all their original price before discount. Most of their dim sum are around 4 bucks, and after 30% discount, its around $2.80, which is rather cheap.
Steamed prawn dumpling ($4.20) I loved the jade-colour basket, which exuded a feel to enhance the flavour of the dim sum. The steamed prawn dumpling didn’t allow us to have the best of both worlds. The prawn within was crunchy and whole, but the skin was a tad thick, and sticked to the teeth. But with the discount, the har gau was barely a dollar each.
Steamed Xiao Long Bao ($4.20) I was never a big fan of Xiao Long Bao (XLB), this one here was all right, the soup stock gashed out of the skin when we took a bite, but having had one of the best and most expensive XLB before, this one paled in comparison.
Rice noodle roll with shrimp ($5.60) If it wasn’t for the 30% discount, i would feel that the shrimp cheong fun was too expensive. The shrimp, like the one in the har gau, was crunchy, rolled within the cheong fun, and together with the light sauce, made a good start for our meal.
Steamed siew mai with mushroom ($4.20) The notable difference between Kam Boat’s rendition and the norm was the addition of mushroom. Like the one i had at Zhou’s Kitchen, the mushroom didn’t really enhanced the flavour of the siew mai, since the porky and prawn taste was so strong. But it’s a nice change.
Steamed barbecued pork bun ($3.50) I think most kids don’t like char siew bun since they always had it for breakfast. But i always couldn’t resist ordering char siew bun from restaurants since theirs were always so good!
Steamed chives dumpling ($4) This was one of the more unpleasant choice, since nobody liked chives, i’ve no idea who went and ordered this.
Deep fried prawn dumpling with salad ($4.20) You know, deep fried prawn dumpling is always good, especially so when you dipped in the slightly sour salad sauce. Shiok!
Deep fried prawn with mango roll ($4.20) Besides salad, mango’s another good combination with fried prawn. The deep fried prawn with mango roll was crispy outside, crunchy with the prawns, and fruity with the mango.
Pan fried meat dumpling ($4) Meat dumpling or “wo tie” is often eaten together with ginger and vinegar. But since i didn’t like eating ginger and vinegar, i ate it on its own, and it was not bad.
Pan-fried carrot cake ($3.50) The pan fried carrot cake was nice, charred on the exterior, and soft inside. Personally, i felt that pan fried carrot cakes must show some char, if not the whole taste wouldn’t be there.
Deep fried seafood roll with mustard ($4.50) The bee hoon or whatever you called that, which wrapped around the deep fried seafood roll, provided the crisp crunchy bite. Although deep fried, the seafood roll didn’t lose its freshness. The usual scenario for deep fried stuff would be overly oily, but this one was not so.
Baked mini egg tart ($4.20) For some reason or the other, dim sum restaurants never seem to serve their egg tarts big. All came in mini size, how did they suppose we would be satisfied with the tiny, petite egg tart? Nonetheless, the mini egg tart was done exactly what i liked, the egg custard filling was soft, slightly “wet”, and the skin was crispy.
Steamed chicken feet ($3.50) I never ate chicken feet, so you need to try this one out yourself.
Steamed Glutinous rice ($3.50) The Chinese sausage or “la chang” injected the salty taste and enhanced the fragance of the glutinous rice. A vital ingredient for all glutinous rice. The mushroom, meat and rice portion was generous. Defintitely worth a try.
Total bill was $64.05 after a 30% discount for 4 person. There was some items like the steamed prawn dumpling and siew mai which we had two basket. We didn’t really order a lot since a friend was late and the last order was around 515pm. Still, Kam Boat was surprisingly good, much better than what i expected. The location is very accessible, the dim sum is cheap after the discount. And i think i’ll go back again.
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!
Right, sometimes there are so many stalls within a food centre that you don’t know which to order from. So being Singaporeans what do we do? We look at the Q, if that particular stall has long queue, we follow. The herd, or “kiasu” mentality. On my previous visit to Lau Pa Sat, it was during a weekday lunch crowd period, so the queue was ’super’ long. I didn’t order it back then, since i wasn’t really craving for char kway teow that time.
Thus, when i went back on my second visit on a Satarday afternoon, there was not a soul in sight, and despite wolfing down two burgers, and two fries, my friend and i couldn’t resist trying since there wasn’t any queue, and if you don’t try, you will find it a pity right?
Char Kuay Teow ($3) The serving of the char kuay teow was generous, in fact too much given its only $3. Not that i’m complaining anyway. The fried noodles were quite oily, the char kuay teow scent was definitely there. But somehow i felt it lack that particular “wow” factor. Well, there’s another reason to explain why i didn’t feel anything for it, perhaps the burgers and fries were blindfolding me!
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!
After all the miscellaneous posts and wonderful experiences overseas, its back to Singapore food for me and time to start talking about it again. Makes you wonder if its just food overseas thats good or simply that food in Singapore that's not up to standard. Anyway, it was one of those days my gf and i heard about a recommendation from friends and decided to try it out. This time, the main temptation is an $88 one for one set offer lobster meal. Sounds too good to be true and thus, we jumped at it to have a look.
I have passed by this place so many times but the sheer "atas" feeling it gave simply never appealed to me to eat within. So this time, with a tip off like this, i wouldn't miss it for the world. Problem is, does it live up to the anticipation i felt?
The color palate and theme of the restaurant belongs to a somber black and white with a minimalistic touch that is contrasted with its decorations such as bamboo and statues. The overal feeling is pleasing but comes with a flaw, the seats were not very comfortable and to me, the air conditioning simply didn't feel strong enough. Otherwise, it was rather pleasing. The place probably seats only 20 people inside and another 10 outside at max capacity making for a rather intimate experience with the staff.Thank goodness the service was decent.
Oyster ($1 for one) - I was curious how they managed to sell oysters at $1 each so i ordered a couple for kicks. The oysters were of a smaller variety but otherwise tasted pretty good to me. Sweet and smooth, it didn't bode too badly on the place but if you're looking for a huge Shangri-la style oyster standard, i'm afraid this is not where to look.
Sashimi "Revolution" - Seeing that it was a 4 course set menu, obviously the best choice would be to mix and match our choices to try the most items. My gf picked her favorite sashimi and i think it was done pretty well. You get all the usual cuts, salmon, swordfish and tuna in one aesthically pleasing plate. Its all good. It helps that the fish were fresh, sweet and went well with the wasabi soaked soy sauce. A good start to the meal for me.
Zen Foie Gras - My order was the always sinful Foie Gras (goose liver). Done equally well, this foie gras was a tad too oily but had a nicely charred top with tasty potato mash below which helped neutralize the oiliness. Portion size for this was rather small but given the amount of grease it adds into your system, this is already too much.
Drunken lobster soup - I was expecting a thick broth based soup but this was more akin to soup you get from normal prawn noodle soup in terms of texture. It was fragrant nonetheless and you can taste the alcohol with each spoonful. It also came with half a baby lobster which more or less is the reason why its called drunken lobster soup. The meat on the lobster wasn't too springy and came across as "old" to me. The soup, however, i could do with a bigger bowl.
Lobster mee sua and Thai Red Curry Lobster Laksa - Both iteration came be commented together since the differences only come in the broth base. The mee sua was the better of the 2 since it was more starchy and alike to shark's fin broth which is one of my favorites. It also helps that the mee sua is soft and nicely springy. The thai red curry laksa is just a long name for saying laksa with half lobster inside. The curry wasn't too good though, since it felt as though there was an overdose of coconut milk in it. And like the lobster soup above, the lobster just didn't feel fresh. In the end, all we got for our money was actually 2 baby lobsters, hardly worthy of being called a lobster set imho but thats to be expected with the price.
Double boiled birds nest soup - Aesthically please but a nightmare for the staff to serve, the double boiled birds nest came with a nice wire meshlike topping of sugar on top. This proves to be necessary as the bird's nest was extremely bitter. To top it off, i counted 2 wavy substances that might be bird's nest in it but i struggle to confirm. A case of overpromising and underdelivering i suppose.
This mixed meal cost me $102.08 in the end, which is still a tad too much for the quality and uncomfortable environment.
Was it bad? Well, not entirely. There were a few good items, but the overall feel didn't live up to the promise. And the mee sua and laksa certainly wasn't anything special because i felt like i could have had it in a food court with more prawns and cheaper prices. Rethink the menu and provide more lobsters and this meal would have felt alot better. Will i return? Not in the near future i'm afraid.
Never had a good impression about the TLG for their overpriced chinese fare. However, give them to me free and i'll probably fall head over heels for a bite. Zhou's kitchen happen to be one of those places where i got lucky and had the good fortune to eat for free due to work commitments. As everything is free, do note i may be more skewed to say their good then not.
The event was one that my company booked the whole restaurant for. This branch is near the road and has 2 stories. Seating capacity more or less maxes out at around 50-70 people but we invited 300-400 so it was quite a squeeze. The service staff were friendly and accomodating which made our jobs easier but even then, they weren't able to cope with the huge numbers.
In terms of food, what i had was a buffet spread of dim sum which pretty much sums it up.
In detail, i had the normal steamed shrimp dumplings which were generous in the dosage of crunchy shrimp which i liked. I also had the fried shrimp dumplings which were essentially the same but fried to a nice golden brown.
Beef slices were rather dry and not to my liking. The salad prawn with mixed fruits were rather delightful as well. Crunchy shrimp simply doesn't grow old for me.
BBQ pork pastry was rather average with the meat being overly hard and sweet. The pastry itself also lacked the aromatic fragrance which i like.
The steamed custard bun was rather disappointing since it tastes like those 50 cent per piece ones you can find in the hawker centers.
I also had a little fried rice and fried bee hoon to go with everything and the rice stood out with its salted fish rendition. The bee hoon was too oily for me.
To end it, i had mini egg tarts which had crispy and flaky pastry with less sweet egg fillings which was welcome.
All in all, it wasn't too bad so why 3 stars? For one, i still don't think its worth the price of admission and 2, i just don't have as good an impression of the group as before.
Have been patronizing this little stall for many years when i was working there during my national service. In the beginning, it was just due to convenience that i ate there, after all, a $1 curry puff is hardly expensive by today's standards and the fact that it was bursting with ingredients is a huge plus.
If you are the kind used to Old Chang Kee or just run of the mill curry puffs, this is something to try.
To put it in perspective, Old Chang Kee feels processed while this, which is made on the spot and sold, has a more down to earth taste with the added incentive of it being fresh.
For one, i like the potatos they used because its more crunchy then OCK. The chicken is also in bigger chunks as well but its irregular since its made by hand. Either way, the discerning factor is the more spicy curry and chilli used which really differentiates it from the others.
Good clean fun for the stomach and something to easily enjoy on the go. This is one curry puff to try. After all, the owner made millions from it so more or less you know its good.
While we have the restaurant setting a stall in the coffee shop (think Cilantro), and there’s also the restaurants invading the heartlands, and we can’t possibly forget about Angmohs, or Caucasians setting up a stall in the coffee shops selling western food. Botak Jones was the benchmark, and now we have our latest entrée, Crazy Angmo!
Crazy Angmo was featured in the papers, with the trend of more Angmohs selling western food in the local heartlands. Having their first stall in Bishan, the owner, Paul, had opened his second stall at Bukit Batok. Whether it’s coincidently or not, Botak Jones happened to just set up an outlet in Bukit Batok too, just one bus stop away.
Chicken Parmagian ($7.90) The chicken paramagian was one of the more expensive item on the menu, other than the steak and the lambchop. There’s cheaper options like the express meal chicken cutlet, chicken chop at $4.80. But for “higher-end” options, the rest are priced at $6.90-$7.90.
Coated with a thick layer of melty cheese and tomatos, the chicken paramagian was quite good, i especially like the melted cheese which tasted great with the crispy chicken. But i did find the layer of tomato sauce, which was in between the cheese and the chicken, a tad sour. You needed to eat the chicken fast as it became soggy after a while. Nonetheless, the generous sides like the mashed potatos, and salad provided a hearty meal.
Crazy Burger ($7.90) The crazy burger, being one of Crazy Angmo speciality, deserved a try. I think it’s better value for money than the Botak Jones burger, since this came with cheese and egg, while the latter at $8 only had the burger plus one additional topping of either cheese or egg. The Botak Jones burger was $7 at a set, and to add egg and cheese, it’ll be $9 already.
I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of pineapples within the burger, and the melty cheese together with the runny egg was excellent. However, i did find the beef patty being over marinated with pepper. The bun was rather hard and toasted to char. And the fries were simply ordinary and forgettable.
But overall, i did think that the crazy burger at $7.90 was not too bad, and definitely better than Botak burger. The owner Paul was very confident of his burger, “This is the best burger mate!“
Total bill was $15.80 for two western meal sets. Prices are a tad higher than your usual hawker centre western food, but like what i mentioned before, if you compared Botak Jones, Crazy Angmo with the normal western stalls, prices certainly will be more expensive. On the other hand, thinking it as a cafe western food, these stalls will be much cheaper than the cafes and restaurants.
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!
This is a tale about the chicken and the duck. Yesterday, we have discussed why chicken is more popular than duck. But if you asked me, i’ll tell you i love my ducks more than my chickens. Just ordering half a chicken, i can actually get a bit sick of eating finish the meat, but for duck, i can have the whole duck and i can still carry on.
My friends have always complaint my blog feature nice food from Bukit Batok, is there truly no delicious food around? Actually yes and no, since different people have different taste bud, its quite hard to determine what is considered nice and delicious. But since we are on the topic of chickens and ducks, let me show you what i think is one of the better duck rice in Bukit Batok.
This particular stall is no strangers to Bukit Batok-ians, and even foodies living elsewhere. Their duck is the toast of the crowd, and it always sold out pretty fast, and sometimes if you are there at the wrong time, you’ll need to wait for them to roast the duck as they didn’t roast all their ducks at one go.
Their duck meat was considerately fatter than the normal ones, with a thick layer of fats beneath the unhealthy, yet-so-good duck skin. The meat was tender, and you must eat it together with the fatty skin to get the “oomph” kick! The only gripe - the serving was rather small even for half a duck, you couldn’t get enough of the meat.
Roast pork I also enjoyed their roast pork, with a super crispy skin. This is no joking matter, biting into the roast pork, will give you the “crisp” sound, that alone would tell you the crunchiness.
Char siew Their char siew was actually the weaker of the three. Althought it’s rather juicy, but the char siew meat somehow lacked the “wow” factor, and the sight of the bright red colouring also put me off. They also sell soy sauce chicken, but it’s not good compared to the rest.
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!
1=SGD 0.0587
Me Me Me.. I ate here.. Since nobody review about it.. Hee Hee.. I'm going to be the first AGAIN!
Actually Frankly speaking, I still prefer the Outlet at Suntec City, the old deco looks great, though the tables and chairs look kopitiam like, but the food display is less cluttered, more jap look and seemed more exciting for me.
This new outlet accomodated the new interior deco. Food lined properly on the buffet table which is nothing more then a huge square centerpiece. At the sides there is a grilling and tappenyaki corner and on the other corner, you have pipping hot claypot noodles and other stuffs. What really interest me are these pot full of soups. They look exactly like a teapot with a cup as the cover.. Very interesting and with that a guaranteed funloving meal.
I was there for lunch and therefore no HUGE CRABS.. which I so long to have them. This outlet has got huge tables for big crowds as well as vertically louvered partitions for that more spacious look. Food is great as usual. I particularly like the assortment of tea bags the display.
First it feels good to be able to choose from those great display boxes. Secondly, I could never get to taste all types of the tea except for now. Thirdly, It was great fun with friends to be exchanging pointers on the different tasting teas.
The dessert counter was great as well. Me and my pals all had fun with the fondue.. contaminating the yummy chocolate with the juicy fruits, cakes and mushymellows..
In closing, I would say i would want to go back again, but certainly for dinner. I've calculated.. with this spread.. just eat more crabs and you'll get all the money's worth....
Rating given:
It was during one of the celebrating months for my gf that we finally decided to give Big Fish a try after numerous recommendations. My gf loved fish and so, this has been in our minds for quite some time. Honestly, we're just trying to see if there's another place as worthwhile as the Manhatten Fish market in terms of food offerings since this is pretty much of the same theme. So it was that we stepped in and had our first encounter.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was served warm and soft which is a plus but otherwise, nothing significant. Not too sure if it is made in house either since its rather bland and simple.
The interior is rather spacious with around 4-6 wall sofa seats and a seating capacity of about 40-50 when full. The thing is, when we arrived, there was nary a soul and when we left, there was still only one other customer apart from us. This was around 645 - 8 pm. If i were the owner, i'd find that rather worrying actually. Service was decent with recommendations, explainations and was generally pleasantenough to commend. They could improve on waiting time though, since we were the only people there, the waiting time of 15 minutes before our soup was served seemed rather obsessive.
Mushroom Soup ($8.95) - The mushroom soup reminded me of the rendition i had in Eden cafe under Clement. The taste and texture is packed with mushroom bits and had some cream in it as well. The overal feeling is that its creamy and starchy to good effect. The serving size was not exactly big however and at the price, this left me a little disappointed.
Seafood Chowder ($8.95) - The seafood chowder was packed with ingredients as well and had lots of squid, a few pieces of shrimp, scallop and carrots within. The end result is a pleasing soup that opens up the appetite for the meal to come. Again, the serving size is too small when comparing the price.
Seafood Platter ($51.95) - Not knowing what to order, we opted for a safe choice to try a huge amount of stuff at a "perceived" reasonable price. The platter for 2 isn't exactly full of stuff but it does have more then enough for the 2 of us to finish. Fries, fish skewers, mussels, crayfish, scallops and rice round up the platter offering. The mussels and scallops were of a decent size and there was 2 each which meant no fighting for the food. They were also reasonably fresh, as is the crayfish and the grilled fish skewers. The skewers were nicely done, not too dry despite the grilling, while the rice and fries ensured you will be full from the set. I did think $50 for this is still too steep a price to pay though.
Creme Brulee ($8.95) - Well, after a meal of overly expensive items, the dessert finally looked up to the task of living up to the price. The creme brulee came looking like a winner and in fact, it was the best item i had that night. The fruit and decor is a wonderful touch and it helps that the fruits were all sweet and complimented the dessert well. The sugar layer was a little too thick and sweet but nothing too big. The bottom layer, i suspect, is made from vanilla extract since i didn't see any vanilla residue in the texture but i'm not complaining.
Chocolate Souffle ($9.95) - I ordered this thinking it was a molten chocolate cake but i was wrong. A souffle is more akin to cakes with a springy and fluffy texture. In fact, Souffle means to "blow up" and is made of a combination of egg whites and various ingredients. Their rendition should be considered decent as the top was lightly hard while the lower portion is fluffy and a little wet with chocolate. If i'm not wrong, its supposed to come with some sauce but there wasn't any. Decent but not my kind of dessert.
Finally, this experimental meal came up to a whooping $97.65 for 2 people on a simple weekday night.
Well, to say the food is bad would be unfair but i couldn't help feeling a heavy pinch in my heart for the amount i spent on this meal. For what i had, i think a price tag of about $60 or 70 plus taxes might have made me felt better. For improvement, serving the food faster and more economical pricing would bring me back but not before then.
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A long belated post which has lain dormant in my list for some time. However, the memory remains fresh nonetheless, fresh enough to provide a review and an accurate impression of the experience i've had here.
To be honest, i've been past this place so many times, its amazing how i've never felt the urge to actually step in for a meal. The exterior looks rather dull and dark but the interior is bright and cheery with clean wooden tables and nice black chairs for a zen-like feel.Service was brisk, attentive and rather pleasant as well, which makes me wonder why the place was so quiet. It was peak lunch period when we patronized it and somehow, space was aplenty with a rather abysmal clientele.
The usual compulsory crackers ($3 each) - This was rather pushing the envelope for the rip-off department at $3 per basket of crackers but i must say, i actually liked it. The crackers were good, fragrant, strong vegetable taste but add in the chili and its a whole new game. Spicy, sweet and just good. $3 is still too much for it though.
Tahu Telur ($8.50) - A rather hearty portion if i say so myself. The tahu telur was overly hard at places but managed to remain acceptable mostly due to yet another excellently fragrant sauce. Its just the normal peanut sweet sauce with a little chili but it really makes this average dish taste better then it really is.However, paying $8.50 for it is something i won't soon repeat however.
Garlic Stir Fried Kailan ($14) - Kailan stands as one of my favorite greens and its a relief that they managed to at least preserve its good tastes with this dish.Nothing outstanding, its the casual garlic stir fried version but its fragrant and very appetising.
BBQ Platter ($48) - Fried whole fish, 2 grilled prawns, generous bbq calamari and squid, chicken and satay rounds up this huge platter of food. This is good. I mean its really pretty good in terms of overal quality. The prawns are grilled till there's a little char on the bottom but manages to make the shell so brittle, you can simply eat the entire thing without much fuss. The fish is huge and deep fried on the outside with the inside still thankfully moist and soft with sweet spices. This went really well with the balachan-like chili. The chicken was overdone which resulted in tough and dry meat but the overal was still nicely fragrant and sweet. The calamari was also done just right and like the rest of the package, is sweet and fragrant. The satay is acceptable and rather bigger portioned then regular satays. Overal, this is a rather good buy to me.
Asam Fish Head ($22) - This was something i touched very little of because i didn't want to sweat like a pig before returning to work. However, i couldn't resist eating the tender and sweet fish meat that was left over by my colleagues. The asam was actually slightly spicy but not overwhelming. The curry taste was rather strong but the fish head was definitely worthwhile at the meaty portions. Fishy taste is apparent but minimal as well.
Tom Yum Seafood ($24) - Their version of the oh-so-famous tom yum seafood soup. This is the clear version and it came packed with seafood. I mean it was literally bursting with ingredients like squid, fish, mussels, prawns and scallop. Its definitely strong in terms of taste and moderately spicy but if i'm not mistaken, still milder then the actual tom yum soup in Thailand. A pretty good rendition and value for money however.
Finally, a pleasing meal for 7 came up to a total of $141.95. I'd say this is rather worthwhile given the food we had.
Last Word: A pretty decent setting and decent serving of food. The pluses are the fact it came with good service and that the price of entry is rather low. For improvement, i'd suggest having more set meal options and tie ups with companies for catering and such to boost visibility.
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After the last dim sum at Zhou’s kitchen, it took some time before i regained my craving for our “Chinese tapas“. And this time round, i chose Kam Boat since my friends wanted a convenient location. Marina Square it is, how accessible. I must admit, when i first heard that Kam boat dim sum kitchen was in Marina Square, i was thinking where it was, since i never saw it everytime i went MS. Right, Kam boat location is very easy to find, if you are coming from the underground citylink. Upon coming up the escalator, they are at the entrance of MS, breeks cafe is also there.
The restaurant interior was smaller that what i expected from the outside, still it could seat about 50 thereabouts. Simple furnishings ooze a cosy feel, and we were quite surprise that the restaurant was barely filled on a Saturday afternoon. The lightning was very good, in fact one of the few places where i only took a few snaps and i’m happy with the photos.
Note that they have discount of 30% for dim sum on weekends 230-530pm. The prices i stated are all their original price before discount. Most of their dim sum are around 4 bucks, and after 30% discount, its around $2.80, which is rather cheap.
Steamed prawn dumpling ($4.20)
I loved the jade-colour basket, which exuded a feel to enhance the flavour of the dim sum. The steamed prawn dumpling didn’t allow us to have the best of both worlds. The prawn within was crunchy and whole, but the skin was a tad thick, and sticked to the teeth. But with the discount, the har gau was barely a dollar each.
Steamed Xiao Long Bao ($4.20)
I was never a big fan of Xiao Long Bao (XLB), this one here was all right, the soup stock gashed out of the skin when we took a bite, but having had one of the best and most expensive XLB before, this one paled in comparison.
Rice noodle roll with shrimp ($5.60)
If it wasn’t for the 30% discount, i would feel that the shrimp cheong fun was too expensive. The shrimp, like the one in the har gau, was crunchy, rolled within the cheong fun, and together with the light sauce, made a good start for our meal.
Steamed siew mai with mushroom ($4.20)
The notable difference between Kam Boat’s rendition and the norm was the addition of mushroom. Like the one i had at Zhou’s Kitchen, the mushroom didn’t really enhanced the flavour of the siew mai, since the porky and prawn taste was so strong. But it’s a nice change.
Steamed barbecued pork bun ($3.50)
I think most kids don’t like char siew bun since they always had it for breakfast. But i always couldn’t resist ordering char siew bun from restaurants since theirs were always so good!
Steamed chives dumpling ($4)
This was one of the more unpleasant choice, since nobody liked chives, i’ve no idea who went and ordered this.
Deep fried prawn dumpling with salad ($4.20)
You know, deep fried prawn dumpling is always good, especially so when you dipped in the slightly sour salad sauce. Shiok!
Deep fried prawn with mango roll ($4.20)
Besides salad, mango’s another good combination with fried prawn. The deep fried prawn with mango roll was crispy outside, crunchy with the prawns, and fruity with the mango.
Pan fried meat dumpling ($4)
Meat dumpling or “wo tie” is often eaten together with ginger and vinegar. But since i didn’t like eating ginger and vinegar, i ate it on its own, and it was not bad.
Pan-fried carrot cake ($3.50)
The pan fried carrot cake was nice, charred on the exterior, and soft inside. Personally, i felt that pan fried carrot cakes must show some char, if not the whole taste wouldn’t be there.
Deep fried seafood roll with mustard ($4.50)
The bee hoon or whatever you called that, which wrapped around the deep fried seafood roll, provided the crisp crunchy bite. Although deep fried, the seafood roll didn’t lose its freshness. The usual scenario for deep fried stuff would be overly oily, but this one was not so.
Baked mini egg tart ($4.20)
For some reason or the other, dim sum restaurants never seem to serve their egg tarts big. All came in mini size, how did they suppose we would be satisfied with the tiny, petite egg tart? Nonetheless, the mini egg tart was done exactly what i liked, the egg custard filling was soft, slightly “wet”, and the skin was crispy.
Steamed chicken feet ($3.50)
I never ate chicken feet, so you need to try this one out yourself.
Steamed Glutinous rice ($3.50)
The Chinese sausage or “la chang” injected the salty taste and enhanced the fragance of the glutinous rice. A vital ingredient for all glutinous rice. The mushroom, meat and rice portion was generous. Defintitely worth a try.
Total bill was $64.05 after a 30% discount for 4 person. There was some items like the steamed prawn dumpling and siew mai which we had two basket. We didn’t really order a lot since a friend was late and the last order was around 515pm. Still, Kam Boat was surprisingly good, much better than what i expected. The location is very accessible, the dim sum is cheap after the discount. And i think i’ll go back again.
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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Right, sometimes there are so many stalls within a food centre that you don’t know which to order from. So being Singaporeans what do we do? We look at the Q, if that particular stall has long queue, we follow. The herd, or “kiasu” mentality. On my previous visit to Lau Pa Sat, it was during a weekday lunch crowd period, so the queue was ’super’ long. I didn’t order it back then, since i wasn’t really craving for char kway teow that time.
Thus, when i went back on my second visit on a Satarday afternoon, there was not a soul in sight, and despite wolfing down two burgers, and two fries, my friend and i couldn’t resist trying since there wasn’t any queue, and if you don’t try, you will find it a pity right?
Char Kuay Teow ($3)
The serving of the char kuay teow was generous, in fact too much given its only $3. Not that i’m complaining anyway. The fried noodles were quite oily, the char kuay teow scent was definitely there. But somehow i felt it lack that particular “wow” factor. Well, there’s another reason to explain why i didn’t feel anything for it, perhaps the burgers and fries were blindfolding me!
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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After all the miscellaneous posts and wonderful experiences overseas, its back to Singapore food for me and time to start talking about it again. Makes you wonder if its just food overseas thats good or simply that food in Singapore that's not up to standard. Anyway, it was one of those days my gf and i heard about a recommendation from friends and decided to try it out. This time, the main temptation is an $88 one for one set offer lobster meal. Sounds too good to be true and thus, we jumped at it to have a look.
I have passed by this place so many times but the sheer "atas" feeling it gave simply never appealed to me to eat within. So this time, with a tip off like this, i wouldn't miss it for the world. Problem is, does it live up to the anticipation i felt?
The color palate and theme of the restaurant belongs to a somber black and white with a minimalistic touch that is contrasted with its decorations such as bamboo and statues. The overal feeling is pleasing but comes with a flaw, the seats were not very comfortable and to me, the air conditioning simply didn't feel strong enough. Otherwise, it was rather pleasing. The place probably seats only 20 people inside and another 10 outside at max capacity making for a rather intimate experience with the staff.Thank goodness the service was decent.
Oyster ($1 for one) - I was curious how they managed to sell oysters at $1 each so i ordered a couple for kicks. The oysters were of a smaller variety but otherwise tasted pretty good to me. Sweet and smooth, it didn't bode too badly on the place but if you're looking for a huge Shangri-la style oyster standard, i'm afraid this is not where to look.
Sashimi "Revolution" - Seeing that it was a 4 course set menu, obviously the best choice would be to mix and match our choices to try the most items. My gf picked her favorite sashimi and i think it was done pretty well. You get all the usual cuts, salmon, swordfish and tuna in one aesthically pleasing plate. Its all good. It helps that the fish were fresh, sweet and went well with the wasabi soaked soy sauce. A good start to the meal for me.
Zen Foie Gras - My order was the always sinful Foie Gras (goose liver). Done equally well, this foie gras was a tad too oily but had a nicely charred top with tasty potato mash below which helped neutralize the oiliness. Portion size for this was rather small but given the amount of grease it adds into your system, this is already too much.
Drunken lobster soup - I was expecting a thick broth based soup but this was more akin to soup you get from normal prawn noodle soup in terms of texture. It was fragrant nonetheless and you can taste the alcohol with each spoonful. It also came with half a baby lobster which more or less is the reason why its called drunken lobster soup. The meat on the lobster wasn't too springy and came across as "old" to me. The soup, however, i could do with a bigger bowl.
Lobster mee sua and Thai Red Curry Lobster Laksa - Both iteration came be commented together since the differences only come in the broth base. The mee sua was the better of the 2 since it was more starchy and alike to shark's fin broth which is one of my favorites. It also helps that the mee sua is soft and nicely springy. The thai red curry laksa is just a long name for saying laksa with half lobster inside. The curry wasn't too good though, since it felt as though there was an overdose of coconut milk in it. And like the lobster soup above, the lobster just didn't feel fresh. In the end, all we got for our money was actually 2 baby lobsters, hardly worthy of being called a lobster set imho but thats to be expected with the price.
Double boiled birds nest soup - Aesthically please but a nightmare for the staff to serve, the double boiled birds nest came with a nice wire meshlike topping of sugar on top. This proves to be necessary as the bird's nest was extremely bitter. To top it off, i counted 2 wavy substances that might be bird's nest in it but i struggle to confirm. A case of overpromising and underdelivering i suppose.
This mixed meal cost me $102.08 in the end, which is still a tad too much for the quality and uncomfortable environment.
Was it bad? Well, not entirely. There were a few good items, but the overall feel didn't live up to the promise. And the mee sua and laksa certainly wasn't anything special because i felt like i could have had it in a food court with more prawns and cheaper prices. Rethink the menu and provide more lobsters and this meal would have felt alot better. Will i return? Not in the near future i'm afraid.
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Never had a good impression about the TLG for their overpriced chinese fare. However, give them to me free and i'll probably fall head over heels for a bite. Zhou's kitchen happen to be one of those places where i got lucky and had the good fortune to eat for free due to work commitments. As everything is free, do note i may be more skewed to say their good then not.
The event was one that my company booked the whole restaurant for. This branch is near the road and has 2 stories. Seating capacity more or less maxes out at around 50-70 people but we invited 300-400 so it was quite a squeeze. The service staff were friendly and accomodating which made our jobs easier but even then, they weren't able to cope with the huge numbers.
In terms of food, what i had was a buffet spread of dim sum which pretty much sums it up.
In detail, i had the normal steamed shrimp dumplings which were generous in the dosage of crunchy shrimp which i liked. I also had the fried shrimp dumplings which were essentially the same but fried to a nice golden brown.
Beef slices were rather dry and not to my liking. The salad prawn with mixed fruits were rather delightful as well. Crunchy shrimp simply doesn't grow old for me.
BBQ pork pastry was rather average with the meat being overly hard and sweet. The pastry itself also lacked the aromatic fragrance which i like.
The steamed custard bun was rather disappointing since it tastes like those 50 cent per piece ones you can find in the hawker centers.
I also had a little fried rice and fried bee hoon to go with everything and the rice stood out with its salted fish rendition. The bee hoon was too oily for me.
To end it, i had mini egg tarts which had crispy and flaky pastry with less sweet egg fillings which was welcome.
All in all, it wasn't too bad so why 3 stars? For one, i still don't think its worth the price of admission and 2, i just don't have as good an impression of the group as before.
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Have been patronizing this little stall for many years when i was working there during my national service. In the beginning, it was just due to convenience that i ate there, after all, a $1 curry puff is hardly expensive by today's standards and the fact that it was bursting with ingredients is a huge plus.
If you are the kind used to Old Chang Kee or just run of the mill curry puffs, this is something to try.
To put it in perspective, Old Chang Kee feels processed while this, which is made on the spot and sold, has a more down to earth taste with the added incentive of it being fresh.
For one, i like the potatos they used because its more crunchy then OCK. The chicken is also in bigger chunks as well but its irregular since its made by hand. Either way, the discerning factor is the more spicy curry and chilli used which really differentiates it from the others.
Good clean fun for the stomach and something to easily enjoy on the go. This is one curry puff to try. After all, the owner made millions from it so more or less you know its good.
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While we have the restaurant setting a stall in the coffee shop (think Cilantro), and there’s also the restaurants invading the heartlands, and we can’t possibly forget about Angmohs, or Caucasians setting up a stall in the coffee shops selling western food. Botak Jones was the benchmark, and now we have our latest entrée, Crazy Angmo!
Crazy Angmo was featured in the papers, with the trend of more Angmohs selling western food in the local heartlands. Having their first stall in Bishan, the owner, Paul, had opened his second stall at Bukit Batok. Whether it’s coincidently or not, Botak Jones happened to just set up an outlet in Bukit Batok too, just one bus stop away.
Chicken Parmagian ($7.90)
The chicken paramagian was one of the more expensive item on the menu, other than the steak and the lambchop. There’s cheaper options like the express meal chicken cutlet, chicken chop at $4.80. But for “higher-end” options, the rest are priced at $6.90-$7.90.
Coated with a thick layer of melty cheese and tomatos, the chicken paramagian was quite good, i especially like the melted cheese which tasted great with the crispy chicken. But i did find the layer of tomato sauce, which was in between the cheese and the chicken, a tad sour. You needed to eat the chicken fast as it became soggy after a while. Nonetheless, the generous sides like the mashed potatos, and salad provided a hearty meal.
Crazy Burger ($7.90)
The crazy burger, being one of Crazy Angmo speciality, deserved a try. I think it’s better value for money than the Botak Jones burger, since this came with cheese and egg, while the latter at $8 only had the burger plus one additional topping of either cheese or egg. The Botak Jones burger was $7 at a set, and to add egg and cheese, it’ll be $9 already.
I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of pineapples within the burger, and the melty cheese together with the runny egg was excellent. However, i did find the beef patty being over marinated with pepper. The bun was rather hard and toasted to char. And the fries were simply ordinary and forgettable.
But overall, i did think that the crazy burger at $7.90 was not too bad, and definitely better than Botak burger. The owner Paul was very confident of his burger, “This is the best burger mate!“
Total bill was $15.80 for two western meal sets. Prices are a tad higher than your usual hawker centre western food, but like what i mentioned before, if you compared Botak Jones, Crazy Angmo with the normal western stalls, prices certainly will be more expensive. On the other hand, thinking it as a cafe western food, these stalls will be much cheaper than the cafes and restaurants.
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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This is a tale about the chicken and the duck. Yesterday, we have discussed why chicken is more popular than duck. But if you asked me, i’ll tell you i love my ducks more than my chickens. Just ordering half a chicken, i can actually get a bit sick of eating finish the meat, but for duck, i can have the whole duck and i can still carry on.
My friends have always complaint my blog feature nice food from Bukit Batok, is there truly no delicious food around? Actually yes and no, since different people have different taste bud, its quite hard to determine what is considered nice and delicious. But since we are on the topic of chickens and ducks, let me show you what i think is one of the better duck rice in Bukit Batok.
This particular stall is no strangers to Bukit Batok-ians, and even foodies living elsewhere. Their duck is the toast of the crowd, and it always sold out pretty fast, and sometimes if you are there at the wrong time, you’ll need to wait for them to roast the duck as they didn’t roast all their ducks at one go.
Their duck meat was considerately fatter than the normal ones, with a thick layer of fats beneath the unhealthy, yet-so-good duck skin. The meat was tender, and you must eat it together with the fatty skin to get the “oomph” kick! The only gripe - the serving was rather small even for half a duck, you couldn’t get enough of the meat.
Roast pork
I also enjoyed their roast pork, with a super crispy skin. This is no joking matter, biting into the roast pork, will give you the “crisp” sound, that alone would tell you the crunchiness.
Char siew
Their char siew was actually the weaker of the three. Althought it’s rather juicy, but the char siew meat somehow lacked the “wow” factor, and the sight of the bright red colouring also put me off. They also sell soy sauce chicken, but it’s not good compared to the rest.
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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