Brewerkz is the place to go for drinks in the afternoon. Why the afternoon? Because the last i know. A jug of beer in the afternoon cost less then a glass of beer at night.
Its with this information that i visited Brewerkz 3 times and each time. Its was a different experience.
First time i was there was with the guys. Being little boys, we wanted a liltte of everything and ordered the sampler platter which costs somewhere between $21-28 dollars. you get to try every single beer they have on offer and needless to say, some were winners and some tasted horrible. Honorable mentions include their golden ale and fruitbrews which changes everyday.
We also ordered the chilli cheese fries which were really really big.And honestly, it tasted good. Very much better then i thought. Thick creamy melting cheese accompanied with red hot chilli sauce and thick french fries. It was good enough to recommend.
Second time and third time around, we were there just to drink and have a meal. My gf had the beer braised salmon which was terribly bitter and just plain bad with a fishy aftertaste and i had a beer braised beef which was also....quite badly done. But the golden ale and fruit beer saved the day and heck, they were cheaper then the darn main course.
I don't see that offer on the website anymore though. So i'm not sure if they still have the happy hour charges for noon. Give them a call though. I remembered that a JUG of beer, cost my $9.90 when i went. Now thats value for money.
Ever since it started selling Nasi Lemak, you hear it everywhere with people saying how tasty the chicken wings are. How wonderful the ikan billis is and even how special and fragrant the rice is. Is it even justified to do so i wonder.
Living pretty close to the store, i've patronized is a few times with my parents in tow to get a few packets of the coveted Nasi Lemak. The problem is the horrendous queue that never seems to diminish regardless of the time. So its wait wait wait and finally eat. Something i detest doing by the way.
When we finally did get to eat the Nasi lemak. My only question is: How did they ever get a reputation that good? the rice is fragrant but not too special. The chicken wing is normal enough to find somewhere else and basically, the only thing to justify the long wait is the sheer number of packets bought by people in front and the slow movement of the staff...
The prices aren't cheap either. Calling @ $6 for a simple packet of coconut rice. I'm amazed people still throng the place.
As for me, i'd rather settle for the Kovan market across the street if i need food. You readers can try and make your own conclusion.
Been to Gmax to try the ride out when i was getting super bored with what i could do in Singapore. Basically, its just a little too boring.
So it was this fine day when a few friends and myself stepped out to visit the place after having some food at Sushi Tei and some drinks and cheese fries at Brewerkz when the crazy idea hit us to try the Gmax experience which was simply nearby.
Me, being a timid freak in terms of rides, was forced to go on it so that i could commit to my oath of changing my life. Haha. Well, it wasn't that serious but it was a start.
Anyway, it wasn't cheap. The ride costs somewhere between $35-50 depending on what kind of package you wanted to take up. And thats on a per person basis. You get the choice to either do a ride with the video of yourself and a T shirt and other memorabilia depending on your preference. either way, i think its just fun.
The ride is short. Lasting only 5 mins but slightly more due to the safety precautions and such. Its quite a rush and its different for everybody. But for my and my friend, we screamed like girls, not to mention expletives galore. My take is that it was fun as hell.
Especially when you are plummeting to earth and feels like dying. Damn its fun!!
Try it now. There are new rides which look like a swing and stuff. Try it with friends and maybe after beer. Either way, try it to escape from the oh so mundane lives.
Dome or Olio Dome held many memories for me because when i was a kid, the most expensive meal i could afford was either Swenson's or Olio Dome with a friend. Being kindred souls, we also only liked a few things in those places. Basically, all we liked were the fries and potato wedges and that was all we frequented the place for. Now, he's a manager so he can obviously afford better but its because of a coupon i got from purchasing books that i decided to have my lunch at this nostalgic place.
Chocolate Cake ($5.90) - The first item i ordered was the chocolate cake because thats what the voucher said, order any cake and get a complimentary coffee. And honestly, the reason why i used the voucher was because i was pretty darn sure i'll never make a trip simply to Dome just to use it again and also factor in the fact that it was lunch time. On to the cake, this was a recommendation from the waitress who was quite friendly. The cake was average at best though. The top layer was really hard while the sponge and cream layer was quite lackluster. There's a certain bitterness to the cake that hints at either coffee or good cocoa beans but i'm going with the former. Not too bad since it was served before the main meal but i wouldn't recommend it as a must order when visiting the place.
Long Black (Complimentary) - The complimentary coffee is a long black (espresso plus water) which was decidedly bitter but not as fragrant as i would like. Almost definitely not premium beans used but a grade above general coffee in coffee shops.
Beef burger with Bacon, Cheese and Egg With Fries ($13.90) - And since it was lunch time, my order was completed with a beef burger yet again. This version is a no nonsense and totally huge beef patty that turned out to be surprisingly tough. Its like the beef is squashed to the point there was little or no moisture within. More or less, it means the patty wasn't freshly made but ordered. However, i honestly found it a whee bit above acceptable. It came with melted cheese and a sunny side up and some stringy fried bacon for good effect. The overall appearance was nice but the bread was just bad. It was also hard, maybe because it was toasted, but its hardly suitable for a burger of this size. Overall, i found this edible but probably will not repeat my order again.
Surprise surprise. A lazy afternoon alone at the bookstore left me poorer by $90 worth of Science Fiction novels and an additional $23.30 more for a supposedly 'cheap' lunch. I happened to be one of the few scoundrels who sipped a coffee for 1 hour just to read my books as well.
Its not a bad place per se. The feeling is decent for a book cum cafe combination and nobody chases you out of the place when you simply sit and read and drink coffee. They could do with better coffee and cakes however and the mains need to have freshly made patties. Once they get that down, we may get a little bit of France's reading atmosphere and culture in Singapore after all.
Dian Xiao Er literally means "Stall Waiter". The humble restaurant has been around since 2003 and has made a name for itself for have a periodic Chinese theme in its staff and the restaurant environment reminiscent of Chinese sword fighting flicks which the owner, Mr Samuel Yik takes his inspiration from. Having never eaten here before, my first impression was that its just like Soup Restaurant but i was quite wrong. Read on.
The interior is reminiscent of ancient martial arts flicks with its bamboo roofs, wooden tables and chairs and ordinated display of select furniture and vases. The branch i went to was also quite dark which meant that my photos suffered from the lack of light. However, i can't say i dislike the feeling. Service was surprisingly good for a place which i've figured to be more run of the mill then most. The waiter would introduce and recommend items based on the number of people around and also provide a description of why it is his recommendation. This alone is better then some of the other restaurants i've been to.
Angelica Herbal Roasted Duck ($11.80) - It is said that no visit to Dian Xiao Er would be complete without trying their famous herbal duck. I would raise both hands to agree with that statement simply because, it tastes really good. Honestly, the stock or broth it comes with is absolutely fragrant and filled with the herbs that the menu promised. Thats not all, the taste seeps into the duck meat and the following is just good. If i had to be picky, i'd say one serving of this is never enough as the portion is rather small and the meat is though not scarce, a little lanky.
Dian Xiao Er Special Beancurd ($7.50) - Beancurds are yet again on my menu. This is one of their special beancurds bearing their namesake. How did it taste? Well, if i didn't order this item myself, i would have thought they were fishcake. Thats not to say it tasted bad though. Its easy enough to taste prawns, fish paste and even some celery mixed into the beancurd. Its also slightly crispy and a tad salty but surprisingly, the best thing about this is, the broccoli, which complimented the saltiness with a dash of green sweetness. An average dish.
Seafood Fried Rice With XO Sauce ($10.80) - After many failed attempts to get good seafood fried rice at crystal jade, Dian Xiao Er finally managed to satisfy my craving for a good plate of fried rice. Extremely fragrant and a filled with a generous amount of prawns, eggs, squid and even tiny bits of scallops, this rice wins Crystal Jade and Ding Tai Fung hands down for me. The rice is also interesting. Instead of the usual fluffy and moisture filled rice, this one was thin, small and a little dry but strangely, it works.
Total bill for this little endeavor came to $38.50 for 2 people. Its a satisfying and filling dinner to be sure.
Who would have thought that the place i've ignored for so long to turn out this good? Now i understand the reason behind the huge queues and number taking to have food here. Definitely a place to return to for new items. Try it yourself and judge!
Melvados is the first and only specialty brownie café in Singapore. The brownie menu offers several unique brownie creations such as ‘Nuts about Bananas’ and ‘Sizzling Brownie Sensation’.
Apart from brownies, the food menu features appetizers like fresh salads and finger food. Their main course selections ranges from sandwiches at $6, baked rice, lasagnes, to spaghetti, bread bowls, pizza, chicken and fish.
The drinks menu offers Gourmet coffee, organic juices, and specialty drinks such as flavoured coffee, ice blends and fizzies. Retail items includes condiments such as basil pesto, sundried tomato pesto as well as gourmet cookies such as hazelnut cookie, blackforest cookie and many more. Samplings available for all cookies and brownies.
After lunch at Relish for their gourmet burgers, we decided to skip the wild rocket signature cheesecakes for the ‘gourmet desserts’ at Melvados which was just across a street away from Relish.
Stepping into Melvados, it was definitely smaller than what i had expected, the interior can accommodate at most 20 seaters, with the al fresco adding another 8 or thereabouts.
The walls are done in bright colors, with a cozy corner for the sofa seats. But the granite floor looks out-of-place for a cafe interior. Furthermore, there is a large fridge displayed openly and looks messy.
Rich Chocolate Madness ($4.80) & triple choc ice cream ($1) Rich Chocolate brownie with chunky walnuts, served warm with a layer of chocolate sauce. Pure indulgence for chocolate lovers. The whole taste about this brownie is chocolate-ty! Even though i love sweet things and chocolates, it’s still way too sweet for me.
But not mention i had the triple choc ice cream to go along with it. The vanilla ice cream was sold out, and the other brownie had cookie & cream so i thought i had something different.
Surprisingly the triple choc ice cream does not taste sweet when we eat it together with the brownie, i guess the sweetness of the brownie overwhelmed the triple choc and in contrast the ice-cream did not taste very sweet.
Black & White Kisses ($4.80) cookie & cream gelato ($1) Dark chocolate brownie topped with black and white Hershey’s kisses, accompanied with Cookie & Cream gelato. If you ordered the brownie, an additional scoop of ice cream is a dollar, while ordering the ice cream on its own is $3.20 for single scoop and $4.50 for double scoop.
Touted as Melvados signature brownie, the black & white kisses did not disappoint. We preferred it to the Rich Chocolate Madness. The dark chocolate was not very sweet, but coupled with the black & white Hershey’s kisses, the taste blended in perfectly.
A scoop of the cold cookie & cream gelato, on top of the warm chocolate brownie, the result was an instant melt in the mouth effect.
Total Bill for 2 brownies come up to $13.6, not very expensive for 2 desserts. There are plenty of other desserts selection which looks interesting to me. Most of the food items at Melvados are reasonably priced, with the most expensive at $12 for the pizza. Desserts like brownies and cakes are mostly going at $5 each.
While I have not tried the food, but Melvados is billed as a brownie specialty cafe after all. I doubt the food quality will be that fantastic, but given the price i guess there’s no harm trying it. Located at King’s Arcade (besides Coronation plaza), it is not very convenient by people not living in the west, but there are a lot of buses which goes through the area. And its about 20min bus ride from Orchard.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Dropped by Ben and Jerry's at White Sands one day and decided to get myself 2 tubs of ice cream to last through the hot summer (that means forever btw, since Singapore is always in summer) thats about to set in.
$25 for 2 tubs - Known and famous for mixing ingredients into their ice cream, Ben and Jerry's have since been famous for providing ice cream with a difference and full of indulgence. Pick any flavor from their stall and be greeted with an over the top, drop dead creamy and sinfully chocolatey experience. This time around, we played around with the Chocolate chip cookie dough affair which was a mixture of vanilla ice cream swirled with chocolate chips and soft cookie dough. This is immediately apparent when you dip your first scoop into the ice cream. Its not in-your-face sweet but rather mild since its vanilla. The cookie dough exists in soft and fluffy form in the ice cream but the one thing i had trouble with was the lack of huge chunks of chocolate in the ice cream. This is unlike other flavors i've had from them before. Its a decent flavor but not quite satisfying.
Now don't let the picture fool you. Of the 2 tubs of ice cream, this was definitely the better of the 2. Vanilla malt ice cream is a more robust version of vanilla ice cream and has a decidedly rough texture when eating, throw in some peanut butter and the taste jumps to a new level. (i love peanut butter btw) For me, if the ice cream was served as such, it would have already been a wonderfully tasty treat but throw in big chocolate fudge covered peanut butter pretzels and its an experience to be remembered. This takes wonderful to me but i'm a sucker for peanut butter so you were warned. The only downside to this is that the malt ice cream melts really fast and the huge pretzels really get in the way of scooping the ice cream out. Otherwise, this is my second favorite ice cream from Ben And Jerry's. (My first is the mint chocolate chip flavor i've yet to find in a tub.)
The ice cream is creamy, filled with surprises and never fails to tantalize your taste buds. What can i say? One of the better ice cream places out there. If only Singapore could have a place that makes great fresh ice cream. Now that would really turn heads.
Lana cake is a tried and true tradition of chocolate cake that has been getting rave reviews everywhere and i finally got my hands on one of them at my grandmother's birthday recently when my aunt ordered one just for the occasion.
$75 for a 2kg Lana Cake - Weighing a hefty 2kg and fetching a price of $75, this takes the crown as the priciest cake i've ever had thus far. That is why i was quite surprised when the cake was cut open, it seemed extremely ordinary with no additional embellishments which i can identify with for the high price.
Even the exterior was rather normal looking, a few words with colored icing and cream and a smoothed and wavy chocolate fudge is all that you get. Nothing fancy at all.
The cake slice you see above best describes why i was surprised. A thin layer of chocolate fudge covers the sponge and its only....one thin layer of chocolate fudge with a whole load of sponge cake. I believe the shop charges these exorbitant prices based on the promise of using top grade chocolate on their cakes, which is probably why it is used so sparingly in this cake.
Now for the actual taste. First bites basically didn't impress. It tasted like something choc a bloc could have done and at a cheaper price too. Subsequent tastes did not change my impression. Sure, the cake is rich and the chocolate is definitely not your everyday chocolate but they sure could have added some chocolate mousse or something to make the cake a little more bang for the buck...but thats the first impression of course.
Then i took a second piece and chomped it down slower, which is when i realised then despite this being a chocolate fudge cake, it is surprisingly light and yet packed with taste from the chocolate fudge. This is probably the little difference that makes a big difference in the end.
Decent and strong, the simplicity of the cake belies a hidden promise of quality chocolate that will not present itself immediately. It takes time (and money) to understand why this cake is so sought after but once you do, it may be difficult to see other cakes in the same light. That said, the chocolate quality does shine out albeit a little slower than i would have liked. Try it yourself to judge.
This time, my parents bought the cake from yet another outlet of Four Leaves. As always, the cakes are of a certain standard and this being my own birthday cake. Its definitely something i don't take lightly.
$24 for 15 x 15 inch - By now, i'm sure everyone is more or less well acquainted with this brand of cake? Well, its a humble shop thats found in almost every shopping mall selling decent pastry but the main draw of the place is still going to be the cakes they have on store.
The Mango Tropicana is comes in a cheery yellow color with loads of mango mousse, sponge cake and bits of mango strewn meticulously within. I like the fact that its not too heavy on taste and instead, is a little sour. Somehow this gives me the impression that it is at least authentic and not just sugar coated for effect. The mango pieces themselves add a good dimension to the cake and is pleasing overall. The sugar can really be felt only on the sponge cake surprisingly, which is still airy, light and soft enough to warrant a try.
Can the cakes here do no wrong? I'm not sure about that but i've been introduced to alot of the more....high end cakes which i'll go along to try soon. More cakes coming on this cake filled weekend. Cheers!
Cakes, every single year is a chance to try as many cakes as is humanly possible. And yet again, its four leaves cake that we went to. This time, for my GF's birthday (hence the shape). I'll reiterate that i've so far not had a bad cake from them yet.
$26 for 15 inch cake - First off, i'm not a fan of heart shaped cakes, secondly, i'm also not a fan of strawberry cakes. With that out of the way, on to the cake and how it tastes.
Unlike the usual chocolate cakes i'm used to, this version of strawberry cake actually has a strong and slightly bitter taste in the mousse to my surprise. It also lacks a somewhat "girly" feeling which usually accompanies cakes of this flavor. In fact, the soft chocolate sponge is of a stronger and better caliber then most. What it does is it compliments the strawberry mousse to a satisfying degree.
The cake is also very soft and creamy without overwhelming such that seconds and thirds can be easily stomached.
As far as strawberry mousse cakes go, this is one of the better ones i've had. Yet again, Four Leaves has not disappointed me my expectations. A reasonably good cake for your loved ones and strawberry lovers alike.
1=SGD 0.0587
Brewerkz is the place to go for drinks in the afternoon. Why the afternoon? Because the last i know. A jug of beer in the afternoon cost less then a glass of beer at night.
Its with this information that i visited Brewerkz 3 times and each time. Its was a different experience.
First time i was there was with the guys. Being little boys, we wanted a liltte of everything and ordered the sampler platter which costs somewhere between $21-28 dollars. you get to try every single beer they have on offer and needless to say, some were winners and some tasted horrible. Honorable mentions include their golden ale and fruitbrews which changes everyday.
We also ordered the chilli cheese fries which were really really big.And honestly, it tasted good. Very much better then i thought. Thick creamy melting cheese accompanied with red hot chilli sauce and thick french fries. It was good enough to recommend.
Second time and third time around, we were there just to drink and have a meal. My gf had the beer braised salmon which was terribly bitter and just plain bad with a fishy aftertaste and i had a beer braised beef which was also....quite badly done. But the golden ale and fruit beer saved the day and heck, they were cheaper then the darn main course.
I don't see that offer on the website anymore though. So i'm not sure if they still have the happy hour charges for noon. Give them a call though. I remembered that a JUG of beer, cost my $9.90 when i went. Now thats value for money.
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This food stall is legendary.
Ever since it started selling Nasi Lemak, you hear it everywhere with people saying how tasty the chicken wings are. How wonderful the ikan billis is and even how special and fragrant the rice is. Is it even justified to do so i wonder.
Living pretty close to the store, i've patronized is a few times with my parents in tow to get a few packets of the coveted Nasi Lemak. The problem is the horrendous queue that never seems to diminish regardless of the time. So its wait wait wait and finally eat. Something i detest doing by the way.
When we finally did get to eat the Nasi lemak. My only question is: How did they ever get a reputation that good? the rice is fragrant but not too special. The chicken wing is normal enough to find somewhere else and basically, the only thing to justify the long wait is the sheer number of packets bought by people in front and the slow movement of the staff...
The prices aren't cheap either. Calling @ $6 for a simple packet of coconut rice. I'm amazed people still throng the place.
As for me, i'd rather settle for the Kovan market across the street if i need food. You readers can try and make your own conclusion.
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Been to Gmax to try the ride out when i was getting super bored with what i could do in Singapore. Basically, its just a little too boring.
So it was this fine day when a few friends and myself stepped out to visit the place after having some food at Sushi Tei and some drinks and cheese fries at Brewerkz when the crazy idea hit us to try the Gmax experience which was simply nearby.
Me, being a timid freak in terms of rides, was forced to go on it so that i could commit to my oath of changing my life. Haha. Well, it wasn't that serious but it was a start.
Anyway, it wasn't cheap. The ride costs somewhere between $35-50 depending on what kind of package you wanted to take up. And thats on a per person basis. You get the choice to either do a ride with the video of yourself and a T shirt and other memorabilia depending on your preference. either way, i think its just fun.
The ride is short. Lasting only 5 mins but slightly more due to the safety precautions and such. Its quite a rush and its different for everybody. But for my and my friend, we screamed like girls, not to mention expletives galore. My take is that it was fun as hell.
Especially when you are plummeting to earth and feels like dying. Damn its fun!!
Try it now. There are new rides which look like a swing and stuff. Try it with friends and maybe after beer. Either way, try it to escape from the oh so mundane lives.
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Dome or Olio Dome held many memories for me because when i was a kid, the most expensive meal i could afford was either Swenson's or Olio Dome with a friend. Being kindred souls, we also only liked a few things in those places. Basically, all we liked were the fries and potato wedges and that was all we frequented the place for. Now, he's a manager so he can obviously afford better but its because of a coupon i got from purchasing books that i decided to have my lunch at this nostalgic place.
Chocolate Cake ($5.90) - The first item i ordered was the chocolate cake because thats what the voucher said, order any cake and get a complimentary coffee. And honestly, the reason why i used the voucher was because i was pretty darn sure i'll never make a trip simply to Dome just to use it again and also factor in the fact that it was lunch time. On to the cake, this was a recommendation from the waitress who was quite friendly. The cake was average at best though. The top layer was really hard while the sponge and cream layer was quite lackluster. There's a certain bitterness to the cake that hints at either coffee or good cocoa beans but i'm going with the former. Not too bad since it was served before the main meal but i wouldn't recommend it as a must order when visiting the place.
Long Black (Complimentary) - The complimentary coffee is a long black (espresso plus water) which was decidedly bitter but not as fragrant as i would like. Almost definitely not premium beans used but a grade above general coffee in coffee shops.
Beef burger with Bacon, Cheese and Egg With Fries ($13.90) - And since it was lunch time, my order was completed with a beef burger yet again. This version is a no nonsense and totally huge beef patty that turned out to be surprisingly tough. Its like the beef is squashed to the point there was little or no moisture within. More or less, it means the patty wasn't freshly made but ordered. However, i honestly found it a whee bit above acceptable. It came with melted cheese and a sunny side up and some stringy fried bacon for good effect. The overall appearance was nice but the bread was just bad. It was also hard, maybe because it was toasted, but its hardly suitable for a burger of this size. Overall, i found this edible but probably will not repeat my order again.
Surprise surprise. A lazy afternoon alone at the bookstore left me poorer by $90 worth of Science Fiction novels and an additional $23.30 more for a supposedly 'cheap' lunch. I happened to be one of the few scoundrels who sipped a coffee for 1 hour just to read my books as well.
Its not a bad place per se. The feeling is decent for a book cum cafe combination and nobody chases you out of the place when you simply sit and read and drink coffee. They could do with better coffee and cakes however and the mains need to have freshly made patties. Once they get that down, we may get a little bit of France's reading atmosphere and culture in Singapore after all.
Rating given:
Dian Xiao Er literally means "Stall Waiter". The humble restaurant has been around since 2003 and has made a name for itself for have a periodic Chinese theme in its staff and the restaurant environment reminiscent of Chinese sword fighting flicks which the owner, Mr Samuel Yik takes his inspiration from. Having never eaten here before, my first impression was that its just like Soup Restaurant but i was quite wrong. Read on.
The interior is reminiscent of ancient martial arts flicks with its bamboo roofs, wooden tables and chairs and ordinated display of select furniture and vases. The branch i went to was also quite dark which meant that my photos suffered from the lack of light. However, i can't say i dislike the feeling. Service was surprisingly good for a place which i've figured to be more run of the mill then most. The waiter would introduce and recommend items based on the number of people around and also provide a description of why it is his recommendation. This alone is better then some of the other restaurants i've been to.
Angelica Herbal Roasted Duck ($11.80) - It is said that no visit to Dian Xiao Er would be complete without trying their famous herbal duck. I would raise both hands to agree with that statement simply because, it tastes really good. Honestly, the stock or broth it comes with is absolutely fragrant and filled with the herbs that the menu promised. Thats not all, the taste seeps into the duck meat and the following is just good. If i had to be picky, i'd say one serving of this is never enough as the portion is rather small and the meat is though not scarce, a little lanky.
Dian Xiao Er Special Beancurd ($7.50) - Beancurds are yet again on my menu. This is one of their special beancurds bearing their namesake. How did it taste? Well, if i didn't order this item myself, i would have thought they were fishcake. Thats not to say it tasted bad though. Its easy enough to taste prawns, fish paste and even some celery mixed into the beancurd. Its also slightly crispy and a tad salty but surprisingly, the best thing about this is, the broccoli, which complimented the saltiness with a dash of green sweetness. An average dish.
Seafood Fried Rice With XO Sauce ($10.80) - After many failed attempts to get good seafood fried rice at crystal jade, Dian Xiao Er finally managed to satisfy my craving for a good plate of fried rice. Extremely fragrant and a filled with a generous amount of prawns, eggs, squid and even tiny bits of scallops, this rice wins Crystal Jade and Ding Tai Fung hands down for me. The rice is also interesting. Instead of the usual fluffy and moisture filled rice, this one was thin, small and a little dry but strangely, it works.
Total bill for this little endeavor came to $38.50 for 2 people. Its a satisfying and filling dinner to be sure.
Who would have thought that the place i've ignored for so long to turn out this good? Now i understand the reason behind the huge queues and number taking to have food here. Definitely a place to return to for new items. Try it yourself and judge!
Rating given:
Melvados is the first and only specialty brownie café in Singapore. The brownie menu offers several unique brownie creations such as ‘Nuts about Bananas’ and ‘Sizzling Brownie Sensation’.
Apart from brownies, the food menu features appetizers like fresh salads and finger food. Their main course selections ranges from sandwiches at $6, baked rice, lasagnes, to spaghetti, bread bowls, pizza, chicken and fish.
The drinks menu offers Gourmet coffee, organic juices, and specialty drinks such as flavoured coffee, ice blends and fizzies. Retail items includes condiments such as basil pesto, sundried tomato pesto as well as gourmet cookies such as hazelnut cookie, blackforest cookie and many more. Samplings available for all cookies and brownies.
After lunch at Relish for their gourmet burgers, we decided to skip the wild rocket signature cheesecakes for the ‘gourmet desserts’ at Melvados which was just across a street away from Relish.
Stepping into Melvados, it was definitely smaller than what i had expected, the interior can accommodate at most 20 seaters, with the al fresco adding another 8 or thereabouts.
The walls are done in bright colors, with a cozy corner for the sofa seats. But the granite floor looks out-of-place for a cafe interior. Furthermore, there is a large fridge displayed openly and looks messy.
Rich Chocolate Madness ($4.80) & triple choc ice cream ($1)
Rich Chocolate brownie with chunky walnuts, served warm with a layer of chocolate sauce. Pure indulgence for chocolate lovers. The whole taste about this brownie is chocolate-ty! Even though i love sweet things and chocolates, it’s still way too sweet for me.
But not mention i had the triple choc ice cream to go along with it. The vanilla ice cream was sold out, and the other brownie had cookie & cream so i thought i had something different.
Surprisingly the triple choc ice cream does not taste sweet when we eat it together with the brownie, i guess the sweetness of the brownie overwhelmed the triple choc and in contrast the ice-cream did not taste very sweet.
Black & White Kisses ($4.80) cookie & cream gelato ($1)
Dark chocolate brownie topped with black and white Hershey’s kisses, accompanied with Cookie & Cream gelato. If you ordered the brownie, an additional scoop of ice cream is a dollar, while ordering the ice cream on its own is $3.20 for single scoop and $4.50 for double scoop.
Touted as Melvados signature brownie, the black & white kisses did not disappoint. We preferred it to the Rich Chocolate Madness. The dark chocolate was not very sweet, but coupled with the black & white Hershey’s kisses, the taste blended in perfectly.
A scoop of the cold cookie & cream gelato, on top of the warm chocolate brownie, the result was an instant melt in the mouth effect.
Total Bill for 2 brownies come up to $13.6, not very expensive for 2 desserts. There are plenty of other desserts selection which looks interesting to me. Most of the food items at Melvados are reasonably priced, with the most expensive at $12 for the pizza. Desserts like brownies and cakes are mostly going at $5 each.
While I have not tried the food, but Melvados is billed as a brownie specialty cafe after all. I doubt the food quality will be that fantastic, but given the price i guess there’s no harm trying it. Located at King’s Arcade (besides Coronation plaza), it is not very convenient by people not living in the west, but there are a lot of buses which goes through the area. And its about 20min bus ride from Orchard.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Brownie Specialty Cafe “
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Dropped by Ben and Jerry's at White Sands one day and decided to get myself 2 tubs of ice cream to last through the hot summer (that means forever btw, since Singapore is always in summer) thats about to set in.
$25 for 2 tubs - Known and famous for mixing ingredients into their ice cream, Ben and Jerry's have since been famous for providing ice cream with a difference and full of indulgence. Pick any flavor from their stall and be greeted with an over the top, drop dead creamy and sinfully chocolatey experience. This time around, we played around with the Chocolate chip cookie dough affair which was a mixture of vanilla ice cream swirled with chocolate chips and soft cookie dough. This is immediately apparent when you dip your first scoop into the ice cream. Its not in-your-face sweet but rather mild since its vanilla. The cookie dough exists in soft and fluffy form in the ice cream but the one thing i had trouble with was the lack of huge chunks of chocolate in the ice cream. This is unlike other flavors i've had from them before. Its a decent flavor but not quite satisfying.
Now don't let the picture fool you. Of the 2 tubs of ice cream, this was definitely the better of the 2. Vanilla malt ice cream is a more robust version of vanilla ice cream and has a decidedly rough texture when eating, throw in some peanut butter and the taste jumps to a new level. (i love peanut butter btw) For me, if the ice cream was served as such, it would have already been a wonderfully tasty treat but throw in big chocolate fudge covered peanut butter pretzels and its an experience to be remembered. This takes wonderful to me but i'm a sucker for peanut butter so you were warned. The only downside to this is that the malt ice cream melts really fast and the huge pretzels really get in the way of scooping the ice cream out. Otherwise, this is my second favorite ice cream from Ben And Jerry's. (My first is the mint chocolate chip flavor i've yet to find in a tub.)
The ice cream is creamy, filled with surprises and never fails to tantalize your taste buds. What can i say? One of the better ice cream places out there. If only Singapore could have a place that makes great fresh ice cream. Now that would really turn heads.
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Lana cake is a tried and true tradition of chocolate cake that has been getting rave reviews everywhere and i finally got my hands on one of them at my grandmother's birthday recently when my aunt ordered one just for the occasion.
$75 for a 2kg Lana Cake - Weighing a hefty 2kg and fetching a price of $75, this takes the crown as the priciest cake i've ever had thus far. That is why i was quite surprised when the cake was cut open, it seemed extremely ordinary with no additional embellishments which i can identify with for the high price.
Even the exterior was rather normal looking, a few words with colored icing and cream and a smoothed and wavy chocolate fudge is all that you get. Nothing fancy at all.
The cake slice you see above best describes why i was surprised. A thin layer of chocolate fudge covers the sponge and its only....one thin layer of chocolate fudge with a whole load of sponge cake. I believe the shop charges these exorbitant prices based on the promise of using top grade chocolate on their cakes, which is probably why it is used so sparingly in this cake.
Now for the actual taste. First bites basically didn't impress. It tasted like something choc a bloc could have done and at a cheaper price too. Subsequent tastes did not change my impression. Sure, the cake is rich and the chocolate is definitely not your everyday chocolate but they sure could have added some chocolate mousse or something to make the cake a little more bang for the buck...but thats the first impression of course.
Then i took a second piece and chomped it down slower, which is when i realised then despite this being a chocolate fudge cake, it is surprisingly light and yet packed with taste from the chocolate fudge. This is probably the little difference that makes a big difference in the end.
Decent and strong, the simplicity of the cake belies a hidden promise of quality chocolate that will not present itself immediately. It takes time (and money) to understand why this cake is so sought after but once you do, it may be difficult to see other cakes in the same light. That said, the chocolate quality does shine out albeit a little slower than i would have liked. Try it yourself to judge.
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This time, my parents bought the cake from yet another outlet of Four Leaves. As always, the cakes are of a certain standard and this being my own birthday cake. Its definitely something i don't take lightly.
$24 for 15 x 15 inch - By now, i'm sure everyone is more or less well acquainted with this brand of cake? Well, its a humble shop thats found in almost every shopping mall selling decent pastry but the main draw of the place is still going to be the cakes they have on store.
The Mango Tropicana is comes in a cheery yellow color with loads of mango mousse, sponge cake and bits of mango strewn meticulously within. I like the fact that its not too heavy on taste and instead, is a little sour. Somehow this gives me the impression that it is at least authentic and not just sugar coated for effect. The mango pieces themselves add a good dimension to the cake and is pleasing overall. The sugar can really be felt only on the sponge cake surprisingly, which is still airy, light and soft enough to warrant a try.
Can the cakes here do no wrong? I'm not sure about that but i've been introduced to alot of the more....high end cakes which i'll go along to try soon. More cakes coming on this cake filled weekend. Cheers!
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Cakes, every single year is a chance to try as many cakes as is humanly possible. And yet again, its four leaves cake that we went to. This time, for my GF's birthday (hence the shape). I'll reiterate that i've so far not had a bad cake from them yet.
$26 for 15 inch cake - First off, i'm not a fan of heart shaped cakes, secondly, i'm also not a fan of strawberry cakes. With that out of the way, on to the cake and how it tastes.
Unlike the usual chocolate cakes i'm used to, this version of strawberry cake actually has a strong and slightly bitter taste in the mousse to my surprise. It also lacks a somewhat "girly" feeling which usually accompanies cakes of this flavor. In fact, the soft chocolate sponge is of a stronger and better caliber then most. What it does is it compliments the strawberry mousse to a satisfying degree.
The cake is also very soft and creamy without overwhelming such that seconds and thirds can be easily stomached.
As far as strawberry mousse cakes go, this is one of the better ones i've had. Yet again, Four Leaves has not disappointed me my expectations. A reasonably good cake for your loved ones and strawberry lovers alike.
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