This place had been hidden from my view since I first stepped foot on Serangoon Circle, until I saw the reviews here. The shop front looks rather run down and the signboard outside was too old for anyone to take notice of its existence. The windows were covered with white lace curtains, and if you don't take notice of the signboard, most probably you'll miss them too.
When I first stepped into the restaurant, I was amazed at how they managed to continue in such a retro unit. It looks as if you're dining in a run-down 70s restaurant. Even the staff there are retro.
Not knowing what to order, we ordered the set lunches. There were 2 types of pricing, one at $7 and the other above $12. We each ordered one from each of the menu. He got himself the grilled fish and chips set lunch that comes with dessert and drink. I ordered the pepper steak set that comes with soup of the day, ice cream and drink. (The drink served was in kiddo size. Luck they serve ice water too.)
When the soup was served, I knew we made a wrong choice for lunch. The soup was too diluted and it tasted more like water than thick soup.
My steak was served first. The serving was acceptable but the taste just didn't quite meet my expectation. The two other steakhouses around Serangoon Circle. Next came the fish and chips. Oh boy, was my boyfriend disappointed. One word to describe it - tasteless.
The only thing that somehow surprised us was the dessert that came with the cheaper set lunch. It's their own version of muah chee with coconut. Usually muah chee is eaten with chopped peanuts and sugar. So it's quite interesting to taste it with coconut instead.
I'm probably not going to return. There's just too many choices available around the area.
High quality mouth watering authentic Japanese Cuisine.
I've to agree with HisFoodBlog that EN Japanese Dining Bar is one of the best I'd been to by far. Serving the freshest sashimi and to-drool-for authentic cuisine.
This was the first time I tried the Beef Carpaccio. At first sight, I didn't dare touch it. But since its ordered, I just went ahead and dared myself. After the first slice of beef, I wanted more! It was thinly sliced and blended well with the seasoning on the beef. Although a tad too saltish, but still great one to devour on.
As the dishes ordered were more or less those recommended above by HisFoodBlog, I shall just share one more, which is another surprisingly yummilicious one.
The Unagi Fried Rice is most probably the only thing I will order if I should be going back there again. (Cos the price tag there is just not friendly enough for my thin wallet.) The fried rice is very fragrant and the rice grain is the real good stuff. Unlike the usual fried rice, I had at other Jap place, this is solid and slightly chewy too. The Unagi although cut to rather tiny pieces, I could still feel it when I chew on the mouthful of rice and unagi.
Great place to go for good quality Jap food.
(*Please take note that EN Jap dining bar is located along M.Sultan road, before reaching the left turn at Obar. Thanks to the incomplete directions given, when I was there, I couldn't find it within UE Square building. :S)
One of the more belated posts, this was taken during the Yebber gathering for the New Year...Yes its very late in fact. Nonetheless, HotPot culture was the choice of the day with its everyday prices and rather extensive selection of food, both cooked and raw. Knowing next to nothing of the place, me and my gf braved the cold hard night and thronged towards the defunct location where maniacal cameras and loud speech is a norm.
The location was rather odd because it was situated in the middle of a large number of competitors ranging from Secret Recipe, Kenny Rogers to Genki Sushi and some chinese restaurant. Talk about a "hostile location" and "friendly competition". Still, i have to say the place was simplistically clean in a good way and though filled with normal furniture, managed to hover between boring and acceptable.
The service is simple. Once you have settled in, the immediate step is to be acquainted to your own personal mini pot. This pot will stay with you till the end of your meal until dessert is served so it is prudent to ensure you pick the best pot for your needs. For my case, i picked the herbal ginseng hot pot and it was a good choice in my opinion as the stock definitely adds taste to the food and simply tastes good. A little on the salty side though. The other complaint would have to be the fumes emitted from the pot, it stings your eyes and noses for the first....10 minutes or so until you get used it but these are small grouses in the scale of things.
In terms of food selection for the uncooked portion where you get to pick and choose whatever you like, it was sufficient. There are upwards of 30 different items you can cook in your hotpot and each item was, to my impression, treated with equal cleanliness and hygiene. To me, its extremely important that the food looks and is clean and this they have managed to convey. On the items, there are lots of greens, vermicelli, bean related items, eggs, chicken meat, dory fish, fish cakes, crab meat and fish balls to choose from. Each are chilled with ice and tasted pretty good in each respect. Springy fishballs, reasonably fresh meat and fish round out the experience. In short, the items on selection may be rather small portioned but does not disappoint. This brings us to the next point which is the 'distinct' difference between HotPot Culture and other would be restaurants, they also serve a selection of close to 40 cooked food items.
Prawns and Bacon Wrap - This was our first order for the day in the cooked food section and to be honest, it was rather disappointing but its not the fault of the chef in this case, it was the ingredients. Prawns and bacon wraps are as easy as one, two, three in making it good. Simple have a nicely sauteed king prawn, wrap it in quality salty bacon, slap on a layer or 2 of additional garnishes while grilling and its basically a winner. What went wrong here, was the rather small prawn used which failed to bring out its true flavor. In retrospect, even Eden Cafe didn't get this right...maybe it isn't as easy as i though after all.
Tahu Goreng - A favorite dish of mine which hearkens back to my army days. This rendition was pleasing to the eye but did not live up to expectations in the taste department. The nuts and garnishing is definitely spot on but the tahu (beancurd) itself was just a little too hard. The skin took quite and effort to break and the beancurd within needed to be softer to be palatable.
Chicken Wings - Chicken wings, what could go wrong with it? Over frying apparently. There was some marinate used on the wings which rendered it too salty but the nail in the coffin was how dry the wings were. The only saving grace was that it was not oily, which was perplexing in a good way. The newest update i had was that the owner got my comment through the video yebber made with me commenting on the items out loud, and have since improved on the wings and other items.
Pan fried battered fish - Didn't get to try this but i was told it was pretty good by KK and his gf. So i'll take it as it was good.
Chicken and mushroom wrap - I had only a piece of this and its was a little dry but the mushroom sauce managed to compensate that little problem. This was salty as well though.
Ngor Hiang - One of my favorite dishes when done right. This was below average by me but maybe my views are biased on this dish. This was rather thin and actually over fried with the paste inside lacking much taste nor ingredients. Needs improvement.
Stir Fried Bean Sprouts - You just can't go wrong with this dish. Its easy enough with the only thing to look out for being to stir fry it long enough to rid it of the "greenish" taste and short enough to retain the crunchiness. Once again, it was a tad too salty for me.
Golden Mushroom - Sukiyaki Beef - Fish Paste - The above are 3 items which needed to be ordered before it can be cooked. The beef was fresh and succulent enough to be ordered a minimal of 3 times, the golden mushrooms need to be cooked thoroughly before being eaten but gets the job done while the fish paste is a weird combination of tastes in its own right but simply didn't sit well with me.
Sweet and sour fish - Sweet and Sour Chicken - Both these dishes taste the same to me. With the exception of the fish being more tender while the chicken being more chewy, the overall taste is the same. Not to say that its bad but the sauce certainly overwhelms after awhile.
Deep Fried Meat Balls - Remember the mushroom chicken? Well, the sauce is the same while the meat balls were unfortunately too dry yet again.
The final course of the day was the chocolate fondue which comes in its own little hotpot for each person. Choices to go with the fondue range from marshmallows to fruits like papayas, apples, pears, watermelons and honeydews. The fondue is of the bitter sweet variety which means its more bitter and has a higher cocoa content then some other such fondues offered in similar places. A good ending i'd say.
A decent place for a buffet hotpot meal with a rather extensive variety of of items to choose from. The owner's willingness to listen to feedback and improve is a plus. I'd recommend visiting it as the overall experience has not been a bad one.
Social Media Breakfast Singapore
March 29, 2008 (Saturday)
9 am — 12:30pm
Frujch @ SMU (Basement 1, School of Information Systems)
50 Stamford Road
The whole event was super fun, we mingled around talking with each other, a total of 40 people turned up for SMB! All righty, first we have to use the big sticker to write our name and blog address, or whatever website of stuff you want to let others know.
Anyway being a foodie, or rather I’ll coined myself as Gourmet Analyst, it is my moral obligation to present to you the food for the breakfast!
The “main course” for the breakfast. Sandwiches! There are not type of sandwich, one of which is ham, and the other being tuna. There are also the mini Choclate cakes
There were also orange juice to go along with the ’snacks’, and if you wanted any hot drink, you could always get it from the counter at Frujch (have to pay separately of course!)
See you all at the next SMB!
Btw, the 5 star rating is thumbs up for the Social Media Breakfast Event, not the food : )
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. 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 : )
Social Media Breakfast
” Where everything comes from online to offline “
Beauty, body and hair care at its cheapest! This is the place to go for cheap cheap toiletries, beauty products, hair and body products and even perfumes.
Located in the heart of Ang Mo Kio, you might missed this gem as its hidden among the rows of shops along the main shopping lanes. The only thing that might help make it stand out is the pink sign board and lots of bottled shampoos neatly arranged outside of the shop.
The shop carries most of the brands, such as Loreal, Biore, SK2, and many others. But their prices are the most competitive. Giving the bigger pharmacies and shops a chase for their money.
For instance, the Loreal Facial gel and toner I bought. Usual price for the gel is $6 and the toner is around 10 . At Pink Beauty, the gel cost $4.50 and the toner cost only $6.20! I also bought 2 tubes of Biore Facial Scrub. U.P. $6 at NTUC and Watsons. But at Pink Beauty, its only $2.10! REAL Cheap right?
So now you know where to go for your beauty products ya? ;)
I think everyone knows this lone building standing in the field next to the huge balloon in Bugis area. It has a pretty famous alfresco steamboat joint too.
I had the chance to go to this budget hotel when my friend from the US stayed there. Despite the exterior looking a little run-down, the inside was fine.
The walls of the small lobby were adorned with old photographs and old newspaper clippings about the hotel. The room my friend is staying in costs SGD60 a night. It is a little small but still comfortable with its double bed. However for that price he had to use the common bath which he found to be rather clean. (He's an expert when it comes to budget accomodation.)
In fact, he had so much confidence in the place, he told us that he wanted to switch to the SGD18 per night room where he would have to share with 3 other people. They had two bunk beds there and it's still very clean.
What he was most impressed with was the good condition of the lockers and the hot and cold showers in all the bathrooms. The service was also friendly and we had a good chat with the staff whilst we were visiting.
With the good location and reasonable prices, I really find this hostel worthwhile. Moreover, it wasn't sleazy and felt very safe to live there.
Yebber’s gathering at Hotpot was during the last day of Chinese New Year, which was like two months ago? I’m very sorry for this very late post, didn’t have the time to blog, and i’m eating way faster than the rate i’m blogging. Thus the delay, anyway i finally make time for this post because i wanna get it up before i make my next post on Yebber’s 1st Anniversary Party @ Mint Museum. Do watch out for that next post!
I didn’t have much photos to show, mainly because i was hoping to get some photos from the rest using their powerful DSLR, but in the end i decided to take some quick shots, and didn’t really get much nice shots.
Fried Garlic Chicken I like this one! It taste quite like “rojak”, except it got chicken instead of “you tiao”!
Sweet Sour Fish The Sweet Sour Fish here is not bad too. Being a huge fan of sweet sour food, think sweet sour pork, fish, chicken, i’m always on a lookout for good sweet sour food.
Chili Squid The Chili Squid is really spicy! Hot hot hot!
Yu Sheng At the end, we had Yu Sheng, it was fun having yu sheng with the yebbers!
One person at Hotpot Culture cost $19.80 (i think), with one person having mini-pot which entitles unlimited serving on the steamboat and cook food selection. And oh ya, they also have free-flow ice cream, and guess what? Chocolate Fondue!! Yeah, thats quite generous right? We had fruits to go along with the fondue, sweet! But one thing i didn’t like was one person can only have one free-drink, and after that you need to pay $2 for free-flow of drinks.
I’m not sure whether i’ll be back at Hotpot Culture again, partly because i’m not really a steamboat person, and also i’ll like to try more of other place. So your call, if you think they are worth a try, you can always find them at; Marina Square #02-138D Centre Stage
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. 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 : )
Have you tried the new Japanese selection at Pastamania? If you're looking for value for money and yummilicious pasta (and pizzas), head on down to Pastamania!
There's currently 6 Japanese style pasta available. But I heard, soon they'll be releasing new choices and also the pizzas! (Psss... the Unagi pizzas is very good! MUST TRY!)
I managed to try 2 of their current offerings... the Unagi Pasta and the Tako Pasta.
Unagi Pasta ($10.90) - pasta choice Fettucini This is cooked with Unagi (Eel), onions and lightly spiced up with chilli padi, top with seaweed flakes. If you're a fan of unagi and spicy pasta, this one is a die-die-must-try pasta! The Unagi pasta is flavorful and spiced up to the right level. After one mouthful of it, you'll just want to have more.
Tako Pasta ($10.90) - pasta choice Penne Octopus and garlic tossed in olive oil, drizzled with tonkatsu sauce and Japanese mayo topped with bonito flakes. This one is for the Tako lovers! (Like me!) First look at the serving, it reminded me of those tako balls you can get almost everywhere, but instead this is served with pasta. They are very generous with the amount of tako used. The fragrance is enough to tempt any hungry soul when you mixed the entire bowl of pasta, tako, sauces and bonito flakes.
Between the two, although I'm a tako lover, I would order the Unagi Pasta again the next time I go. Cause its spicy and more flavorful. Anyone wants to join me for Pastamania when they launch the new menu with the Japanese pizzas? :P
Its been an extremely long time since i've had any wine or beer introduced into my system and honestly, i'm missing the feeling of being slightly woozy and laughing like an idiot. So it was with this intention that i brought my gf to visit Scruffy Murphy's one quiet Friday evening after work. Part of a group of pubs under the Gaelic Inns company which includes mainstays like "The Penny Black" and "Dirty Nellys". This company is definitely no stranger to the pub scene but i was a hungry for dinner as well, so lets see if they have decent grub as well.
KilKenny ($11.80 per pint) - Beer on tap and beer in a bottle. What would you choose? I'm not an expert on beer and basically, i've not had enough beer to be a judge but conversation has lead to the belief that beer on tap has a magically transformed effect of making it smoother and better. $11.80 for one pint of beer is rather expensive by any standards but i have to say, Kilkenny on tap is rather smoother and lighter then the bottled iterations.
Simplicity is the best policy in the case of this pub. Single seatings near the bar and small uncomfortable rattan chairs abound. There's a small private room at the back with air con but the rest of the pub is non air conditioned. Its still a nice, cosy setting with no one bothering you regardless of where you sit. Service is attentive as well.
Scruffy's Irish Roast Beef ($16.80) - Bearing the namesake of the pub, i expected this to be of reasonably good quality. And i was not disappointed. Judging by its namesake, i was expecting small cubic portions akin to pot roast but what came looked very promising indeed. Huge slices of beef cooked medium rare with a pinkish tint on the sides. Drenched in mushroom sauce, the meat was undeniably tender and appetizing. You could taste the marinate in eat slice and it never overwhelms. Of special mention, the yorkshire pudding on the side was excellent as well. Soft and served warm, its fragrance elevated the dish even more. Well done.
French Fries ($4.80) - Alright, this was a stupid order because we didn't know the beef came with fries. For what its worth, the fries were rather dry and bland due to the lack of salt.
Crispy Pork with Mustard and Mayonnaise ($10) - We ordered this after ordering our second pint and thought it would go well with the beer. Anyhow, the description on the menu belies its actual appearance. These few pieces of roasted crispy pork is hardly worth $10. Not that it tastes bad though. It actually tastes pretty good if not for the 2 of us being health conscious lately. Chewy thick meat and fats dominate the crispy pork belly while the mustard definitely complemented it well. Still, it was too far a departure from our expectations to make it worth our while.
Total bill came up to $55.20 for a meal and drink for 2 people. Given the excellent main we had, i'm inclined to say it was worth it.
In all fairness, the place is still worth a visit and the ambiance is pretty relaxing in the later parts of the day. Food served is decent (for the main) while service is relaxed and slow. The music is soft and conversation can be easily carried out if you require it. Otherwise, its nice to chill out and watch some matches, listen to the waves or simply drink a few beers. Now if they could lower their prices per pint, i would frequent it that much more.
Its been quite some time since i've had decent dim sum in Singapore and it was with deepest pleasure when i was invited to join a couple of friends to try out Royal China at Raffles hotel. Having passed by the place a few times, i had never been interested enough to visit until this day. Interestingly, the first restaurant for this little gem actually started in London. And just before all of you read the review and wish to visit it, please note that it is now under renovation.
The decor consists of mainly wood furniture and red livery carpets. This will probably change though since the restaurant is going through a makeover session at the moment. Either way, the restaurant projects a positive and lively energy when you enter.
Chili and Roasted Honey Cashew Nuts - Why am i showing this? Well, i got pretty acquainted with the nuts and basically want to tell everyone that the nuts were great. Well roasted and sweet without losing any of its crunchiness. The fragrance and sweetness of it is simply appetising as well. A sign of good things to come i believe.
Char Siew Sor (5 for $6.50) - Thin and moderately crispy pastry surrounds the thick stuffed filling of char siew that is bursting at the seams. The char siew is moist, sweet and thick with lots of taste. The only gripe here is that some of the meat was slightly burnt in my serving but otherwise, a good dish.
Crispy Pork Belly with Mustard ($12) - A small serving like this is actually worth $12. I was astonished actually but upon tasting it, i guess its somewhat justified. Extremely crispy skin contrasts with the thick juicy meat that is found below. Dip it in mustard sauce and you'll know exactly what sinful good food tastes like. The thing you have to get over is the fact that you are eating fatty meat and the fact that one plate is never enough.
Chee Cheong Fan ($10) - We had 2 different Cheong Fan's here. One with the basic char siew and 2 with the shrimps. The shrimp version actually tasted alot better then the usual char siew version because of the extremely fresh and crunchy shrimps. One good thing is that although there's an entire layer of soy sauce beneath, it never got overwhelmingly salty. Definitely worth a try.
Char Siew Bao (5 for $6) - How can one reinvent the wheel for an item already done to death and found everywhere? Well, they either provide better stuffings or reinvent the dough used to wrap the stuffings in this case. They did neither but it was still a cut above the rest. The char siew was sweet and fulfilling as the pieces were rather thick. The bun itself is very fluffy and light while also being mildly sweet for good effect.
Fu Pi Juan (Deep Fried Beancurd with Shrimp) (5 for $10) - The one thing surprising about this item is that its actually not oily. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely oil used to deep fry it, but it doesn't overwhelm nor coat your mouth with oil. Taste wise though, the shrimps are generously big and crunchy but the beancurd skin was unfortunately lacklustre and failed to instill any feeling of gratification.
Beancurd with Fish Paste (5 for $6.50) - The fish paste is springy and had a mild 'fishy' taste to it while the beancurd felt like run-of-the-mill varieties. A disappointing dish.
Crystal Dumplings (5 for $7) - Ordered this because we were hoping to find out whats the reason behind the whole craze on crystal dumplings. It wasn't answered however and the skin, though translucent, was sticky and stuck to the teeth. The fillings were normal to say the least and the overall comment was that it was salty.
Custard Bun (5 for $6.50) - Now this is a simple bun that is bound to turn heads. Served piping hot, this little bun seems quite insignificant until you take a bite at it. Immediately, you will realize that you have something very special. The bun itself is soft and light as a feather while the filling of custard is literally bursting at the seems. Add the fact that the custard is only mildly sweet with hints of egg still noticeable and basically, you got the winner of the day (for me at least).
Shark's Fin with Dumpling Soup ($44 for 5) - This is the most expensive item we had that day and its easy to see why. At $8.80 a portion, its amazing that you can actually see an entire piece of shark's fin in the broth. Chicken broth by the looks of it, this isn't the usual starchy shark's fin that is the norm elsewhere. This is clear broth with vegetables and a pork dumpling and a portion of fin. The experience however, is a little bland and the dumpling is rather simple. Nonetheless, its a good dish.
Beef Ball (3 for $3.80) - Juicy, thick balls of minced beef, radish and vegetables aren't enough to save this dish from mediocrity. Its basically too salty to be liked and lacked any other discerning factors to lift its score.
Siew Mai (10 for $10) - Small, fresh and relentlessly juicy, this is a siew mai above the rest. You can taste the sweetness of pork, the freshness of mushrooms and the crunchiness of shrimp all in one package. What is there not to like?
Prawn and asparagus (5 for $10) - This is a rather......mixed bag because firstly, it isn't too special. Secondly, the sauce is too salty. Thirdly, i still love the shrimp and finally, its difficult to feel anything for it after eating because at best, its only average. Save your money for another custard bun.
Har Gao (10 for $10) - Crunchy shrimps anyone? Because if thats what you want, thats what you'll get. Ask for anything more however, and you'll be disappointed. The shrimp filling is definitely generous but the skin is a little too sticky and thick for my liking. Improvement needed.
Red Bean Pancake ($8) - I did myself the horror of ordering this. Why is it a horror you may ask? Because A: i've just had all the above B: this pancake is huge C: its a little over fried on some parts and D: its a little too sweet to be totally likeable. Its not bad actually, just not as good as i hoped and its definitely too filling for dessert.
Pomelo Sago ($4) - Yam Paste ($6) - Mango Pudding ($4) - I didn't get to try any of the above so i'll reserve my comments.
The final bill came up to $204.09 for 5 people on a lazy afternoon. It took us 3 hours to finish our dim sum foray which meant we had way too much food and little time to rest before dinner.
Its a wonderful place to have dim sum and honestly, the quality does justify its price. The only gripe i have is that its not without its misses. But i'll still gladly return any day for its custard buns. In fact, once the renovation is done, i'm going back for my little saintly buns for sure. Cheers!
1=SGD 0.0587
Mediocre set lunches.
This place had been hidden from my view since I first stepped foot on Serangoon Circle, until I saw the reviews here. The shop front looks rather run down and the signboard outside was too old for anyone to take notice of its existence. The windows were covered with white lace curtains, and if you don't take notice of the signboard, most probably you'll miss them too.
When I first stepped into the restaurant, I was amazed at how they managed to continue in such a retro unit. It looks as if you're dining in a run-down 70s restaurant. Even the staff there are retro.
Not knowing what to order, we ordered the set lunches. There were 2 types of pricing, one at $7 and the other above $12. We each ordered one from each of the menu. He got himself the grilled fish and chips set lunch that comes with dessert and drink. I ordered the pepper steak set that comes with soup of the day, ice cream and drink. (The drink served was in kiddo size. Luck they serve ice water too.)
When the soup was served, I knew we made a wrong choice for lunch. The soup was too diluted and it tasted more like water than thick soup.
My steak was served first. The serving was acceptable but the taste just didn't quite meet my expectation. The two other steakhouses around Serangoon Circle. Next came the fish and chips. Oh boy, was my boyfriend disappointed. One word to describe it - tasteless.
The only thing that somehow surprised us was the dessert that came with the cheaper set lunch. It's their own version of muah chee with coconut. Usually muah chee is eaten with chopped peanuts and sugar. So it's quite interesting to taste it with coconut instead.
I'm probably not going to return. There's just too many choices available around the area.
Rating given:
High quality mouth watering authentic Japanese Cuisine.
I've to agree with HisFoodBlog that EN Japanese Dining Bar is one of the best I'd been to by far. Serving the freshest sashimi and to-drool-for authentic cuisine.
This was the first time I tried the Beef Carpaccio. At first sight, I didn't dare touch it. But since its ordered, I just went ahead and dared myself. After the first slice of beef, I wanted more! It was thinly sliced and blended well with the seasoning on the beef. Although a tad too saltish, but still great one to devour on.
As the dishes ordered were more or less those recommended above by HisFoodBlog, I shall just share one more, which is another surprisingly yummilicious one.
The Unagi Fried Rice is most probably the only thing I will order if I should be going back there again. (Cos the price tag there is just not friendly enough for my thin wallet.) The fried rice is very fragrant and the rice grain is the real good stuff. Unlike the usual fried rice, I had at other Jap place, this is solid and slightly chewy too. The Unagi although cut to rather tiny pieces, I could still feel it when I chew on the mouthful of rice and unagi.
Great place to go for good quality Jap food.
(*Please take note that EN Jap dining bar is located along M.Sultan road, before reaching the left turn at Obar. Thanks to the incomplete directions given, when I was there, I couldn't find it within UE Square building. :S)
Rating given:
One of the more belated posts, this was taken during the Yebber gathering for the New Year...Yes its very late in fact. Nonetheless, HotPot culture was the choice of the day with its everyday prices and rather extensive selection of food, both cooked and raw. Knowing next to nothing of the place, me and my gf braved the cold hard night and thronged towards the defunct location where maniacal cameras and loud speech is a norm.
The location was rather odd because it was situated in the middle of a large number of competitors ranging from Secret Recipe, Kenny Rogers to Genki Sushi and some chinese restaurant. Talk about a "hostile location" and "friendly competition". Still, i have to say the place was simplistically clean in a good way and though filled with normal furniture, managed to hover between boring and acceptable.
The service is simple. Once you have settled in, the immediate step is to be acquainted to your own personal mini pot. This pot will stay with you till the end of your meal until dessert is served so it is prudent to ensure you pick the best pot for your needs. For my case, i picked the herbal ginseng hot pot and it was a good choice in my opinion as the stock definitely adds taste to the food and simply tastes good. A little on the salty side though. The other complaint would have to be the fumes emitted from the pot, it stings your eyes and noses for the first....10 minutes or so until you get used it but these are small grouses in the scale of things.
In terms of food selection for the uncooked portion where you get to pick and choose whatever you like, it was sufficient. There are upwards of 30 different items you can cook in your hotpot and each item was, to my impression, treated with equal cleanliness and hygiene. To me, its extremely important that the food looks and is clean and this they have managed to convey. On the items, there are lots of greens, vermicelli, bean related items, eggs, chicken meat, dory fish, fish cakes, crab meat and fish balls to choose from. Each are chilled with ice and tasted pretty good in each respect. Springy fishballs, reasonably fresh meat and fish round out the experience. In short, the items on selection may be rather small portioned but does not disappoint. This brings us to the next point which is the 'distinct' difference between HotPot Culture and other would be restaurants, they also serve a selection of close to 40 cooked food items.
Prawns and Bacon Wrap - This was our first order for the day in the cooked food section and to be honest, it was rather disappointing but its not the fault of the chef in this case, it was the ingredients. Prawns and bacon wraps are as easy as one, two, three in making it good. Simple have a nicely sauteed king prawn, wrap it in quality salty bacon, slap on a layer or 2 of additional garnishes while grilling and its basically a winner. What went wrong here, was the rather small prawn used which failed to bring out its true flavor. In retrospect, even Eden Cafe didn't get this right...maybe it isn't as easy as i though after all.
Tahu Goreng - A favorite dish of mine which hearkens back to my army days. This rendition was pleasing to the eye but did not live up to expectations in the taste department. The nuts and garnishing is definitely spot on but the tahu (beancurd) itself was just a little too hard. The skin took quite and effort to break and the beancurd within needed to be softer to be palatable.
Chicken Wings - Chicken wings, what could go wrong with it? Over frying apparently. There was some marinate used on the wings which rendered it too salty but the nail in the coffin was how dry the wings were. The only saving grace was that it was not oily, which was perplexing in a good way. The newest update i had was that the owner got my comment through the video yebber made with me commenting on the items out loud, and have since improved on the wings and other items.
Pan fried battered fish - Didn't get to try this but i was told it was pretty good by KK and his gf. So i'll take it as it was good.
Chicken and mushroom wrap - I had only a piece of this and its was a little dry but the mushroom sauce managed to compensate that little problem. This was salty as well though.
Ngor Hiang - One of my favorite dishes when done right. This was below average by me but maybe my views are biased on this dish. This was rather thin and actually over fried with the paste inside lacking much taste nor ingredients. Needs improvement.
Stir Fried Bean Sprouts - You just can't go wrong with this dish. Its easy enough with the only thing to look out for being to stir fry it long enough to rid it of the "greenish" taste and short enough to retain the crunchiness. Once again, it was a tad too salty for me.
Golden Mushroom - Sukiyaki Beef - Fish Paste - The above are 3 items which needed to be ordered before it can be cooked. The beef was fresh and succulent enough to be ordered a minimal of 3 times, the golden mushrooms need to be cooked thoroughly before being eaten but gets the job done while the fish paste is a weird combination of tastes in its own right but simply didn't sit well with me.
Sweet and sour fish - Sweet and Sour Chicken - Both these dishes taste the same to me. With the exception of the fish being more tender while the chicken being more chewy, the overall taste is the same. Not to say that its bad but the sauce certainly overwhelms after awhile.
Deep Fried Meat Balls - Remember the mushroom chicken? Well, the sauce is the same while the meat balls were unfortunately too dry yet again.
The final course of the day was the chocolate fondue which comes in its own little hotpot for each person. Choices to go with the fondue range from marshmallows to fruits like papayas, apples, pears, watermelons and honeydews. The fondue is of the bitter sweet variety which means its more bitter and has a higher cocoa content then some other such fondues offered in similar places. A good ending i'd say.
A decent place for a buffet hotpot meal with a rather extensive variety of of items to choose from. The owner's willingness to listen to feedback and improve is a plus. I'd recommend visiting it as the overall experience has not been a bad one.
Rating given:
Social Media Breakfast Singapore
March 29, 2008 (Saturday)
9 am — 12:30pm
Frujch @ SMU (Basement 1, School of Information Systems)
50 Stamford Road
The whole event was super fun, we mingled around talking with each other, a total of 40 people turned up for SMB! All righty, first we have to use the big sticker to write our name and blog address, or whatever website of stuff you want to let others know.
Anyway being a foodie, or rather I’ll coined myself as Gourmet Analyst, it is my moral obligation to present to you the food for the breakfast!
The “main course” for the breakfast. Sandwiches! There are not type of sandwich, one of which is ham, and the other being tuna. There are also the mini Choclate cakes
There were also orange juice to go along with the ’snacks’, and if you wanted any hot drink, you could always get it from the counter at Frujch (have to pay separately of course!)
See you all at the next SMB!
Btw, the 5 star rating is thumbs up for the Social Media Breakfast Event, not the food : )
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. 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 : )
Social Media Breakfast
” Where everything comes from online to offline “
Rating given:
Beauty, body and hair care at its cheapest! This is the place to go for cheap cheap toiletries, beauty products, hair and body products and even perfumes.
Located in the heart of Ang Mo Kio, you might missed this gem as its hidden among the rows of shops along the main shopping lanes. The only thing that might help make it stand out is the pink sign board and lots of bottled shampoos neatly arranged outside of the shop.
The shop carries most of the brands, such as Loreal, Biore, SK2, and many others. But their prices are the most competitive. Giving the bigger pharmacies and shops a chase for their money.
For instance, the Loreal Facial gel and toner I bought. Usual price for the gel is $6 and the toner is around 10 . At Pink Beauty, the gel cost $4.50 and the toner cost only $6.20! I also bought 2 tubes of Biore Facial Scrub. U.P. $6 at NTUC and Watsons. But at Pink Beauty, its only $2.10! REAL Cheap right?
So now you know where to go for your beauty products ya? ;)
Rating given:
I think everyone knows this lone building standing in the field next to the huge balloon in Bugis area. It has a pretty famous alfresco steamboat joint too.
I had the chance to go to this budget hotel when my friend from the US stayed there. Despite the exterior looking a little run-down, the inside was fine.
The walls of the small lobby were adorned with old photographs and old newspaper clippings about the hotel. The room my friend is staying in costs SGD60 a night. It is a little small but still comfortable with its double bed. However for that price he had to use the common bath which he found to be rather clean. (He's an expert when it comes to budget accomodation.)
In fact, he had so much confidence in the place, he told us that he wanted to switch to the SGD18 per night room where he would have to share with 3 other people. They had two bunk beds there and it's still very clean.
What he was most impressed with was the good condition of the lockers and the hot and cold showers in all the bathrooms. The service was also friendly and we had a good chat with the staff whilst we were visiting.
With the good location and reasonable prices, I really find this hostel worthwhile. Moreover, it wasn't sleazy and felt very safe to live there.
Rating given:
Yebber’s gathering at Hotpot was during the last day of Chinese New Year, which was like two months ago? I’m very sorry for this very late post, didn’t have the time to blog, and i’m eating way faster than the rate i’m blogging. Thus the delay, anyway i finally make time for this post because i wanna get it up before i make my next post on Yebber’s 1st Anniversary Party @ Mint Museum. Do watch out for that next post!
I didn’t have much photos to show, mainly because i was hoping to get some photos from the rest using their powerful DSLR, but in the end i decided to take some quick shots, and didn’t really get much nice shots.
Fried Garlic Chicken
I like this one! It taste quite like “rojak”, except it got chicken instead of “you tiao”!
Sweet Sour Fish
The Sweet Sour Fish here is not bad too. Being a huge fan of sweet sour food, think sweet sour pork, fish, chicken, i’m always on a lookout for good sweet sour food.
Chili Squid
The Chili Squid is really spicy! Hot hot hot!
Yu Sheng
At the end, we had Yu Sheng, it was fun having yu sheng with the yebbers!
One person at Hotpot Culture cost $19.80 (i think), with one person having mini-pot which entitles unlimited serving on the steamboat and cook food selection. And oh ya, they also have free-flow ice cream, and guess what? Chocolate Fondue!! Yeah, thats quite generous right? We had fruits to go along with the fondue, sweet! But one thing i didn’t like was one person can only have one free-drink, and after that you need to pay $2 for free-flow of drinks.
I’m not sure whether i’ll be back at Hotpot Culture again, partly because i’m not really a steamboat person, and also i’ll like to try more of other place. So your call, if you think they are worth a try, you can always find them at; Marina Square #02-138D Centre Stage
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. 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 : )
” Hotpot, one pot many cultures “
Rating given:
Pastamania Banzai!!!
Have you tried the new Japanese selection at Pastamania? If you're looking for value for money and yummilicious pasta (and pizzas), head on down to Pastamania!
There's currently 6 Japanese style pasta available. But I heard, soon they'll be releasing new choices and also the pizzas! (Psss... the Unagi pizzas is very good! MUST TRY!)
I managed to try 2 of their current offerings... the Unagi Pasta and the Tako Pasta.
Unagi Pasta ($10.90) - pasta choice Fettucini
This is cooked with Unagi (Eel), onions and lightly spiced up with chilli padi, top with seaweed flakes. If you're a fan of unagi and spicy pasta, this one is a die-die-must-try pasta! The Unagi pasta is flavorful and spiced up to the right level. After one mouthful of it, you'll just want to have more.
Tako Pasta ($10.90) - pasta choice Penne
Octopus and garlic tossed in olive oil, drizzled with tonkatsu sauce and Japanese mayo topped with bonito flakes. This one is for the Tako lovers! (Like me!) First look at the serving, it reminded me of those tako balls you can get almost everywhere, but instead this is served with pasta. They are very generous with the amount of tako used. The fragrance is enough to tempt any hungry soul when you mixed the entire bowl of pasta, tako, sauces and bonito flakes.
Between the two, although I'm a tako lover, I would order the Unagi Pasta again the next time I go. Cause its spicy and more flavorful. Anyone wants to join me for Pastamania when they launch the new menu with the Japanese pizzas? :P
Rating given:
Its been an extremely long time since i've had any wine or beer introduced into my system and honestly, i'm missing the feeling of being slightly woozy and laughing like an idiot. So it was with this intention that i brought my gf to visit Scruffy Murphy's one quiet Friday evening after work. Part of a group of pubs under the Gaelic Inns company which includes mainstays like "The Penny Black" and "Dirty Nellys". This company is definitely no stranger to the pub scene but i was a hungry for dinner as well, so lets see if they have decent grub as well.
KilKenny ($11.80 per pint) - Beer on tap and beer in a bottle. What would you choose? I'm not an expert on beer and basically, i've not had enough beer to be a judge but conversation has lead to the belief that beer on tap has a magically transformed effect of making it smoother and better. $11.80 for one pint of beer is rather expensive by any standards but i have to say, Kilkenny on tap is rather smoother and lighter then the bottled iterations.
Simplicity is the best policy in the case of this pub. Single seatings near the bar and small uncomfortable rattan chairs abound. There's a small private room at the back with air con but the rest of the pub is non air conditioned. Its still a nice, cosy setting with no one bothering you regardless of where you sit. Service is attentive as well.
Scruffy's Irish Roast Beef ($16.80) - Bearing the namesake of the pub, i expected this to be of reasonably good quality. And i was not disappointed. Judging by its namesake, i was expecting small cubic portions akin to pot roast but what came looked very promising indeed. Huge slices of beef cooked medium rare with a pinkish tint on the sides. Drenched in mushroom sauce, the meat was undeniably tender and appetizing. You could taste the marinate in eat slice and it never overwhelms. Of special mention, the yorkshire pudding on the side was excellent as well. Soft and served warm, its fragrance elevated the dish even more. Well done.
French Fries ($4.80) - Alright, this was a stupid order because we didn't know the beef came with fries. For what its worth, the fries were rather dry and bland due to the lack of salt.
Crispy Pork with Mustard and Mayonnaise ($10) - We ordered this after ordering our second pint and thought it would go well with the beer. Anyhow, the description on the menu belies its actual appearance. These few pieces of roasted crispy pork is hardly worth $10. Not that it tastes bad though. It actually tastes pretty good if not for the 2 of us being health conscious lately. Chewy thick meat and fats dominate the crispy pork belly while the mustard definitely complemented it well. Still, it was too far a departure from our expectations to make it worth our while.
Total bill came up to $55.20 for a meal and drink for 2 people. Given the excellent main we had, i'm inclined to say it was worth it.
In all fairness, the place is still worth a visit and the ambiance is pretty relaxing in the later parts of the day. Food served is decent (for the main) while service is relaxed and slow. The music is soft and conversation can be easily carried out if you require it. Otherwise, its nice to chill out and watch some matches, listen to the waves or simply drink a few beers. Now if they could lower their prices per pint, i would frequent it that much more.
Rating given:
Its been quite some time since i've had decent dim sum in Singapore and it was with deepest pleasure when i was invited to join a couple of friends to try out Royal China at Raffles hotel. Having passed by the place a few times, i had never been interested enough to visit until this day. Interestingly, the first restaurant for this little gem actually started in London. And just before all of you read the review and wish to visit it, please note that it is now under renovation.
The decor consists of mainly wood furniture and red livery carpets. This will probably change though since the restaurant is going through a makeover session at the moment. Either way, the restaurant projects a positive and lively energy when you enter.
Chili and Roasted Honey Cashew Nuts - Why am i showing this? Well, i got pretty acquainted with the nuts and basically want to tell everyone that the nuts were great. Well roasted and sweet without losing any of its crunchiness. The fragrance and sweetness of it is simply appetising as well. A sign of good things to come i believe.
Char Siew Sor (5 for $6.50) - Thin and moderately crispy pastry surrounds the thick stuffed filling of char siew that is bursting at the seams. The char siew is moist, sweet and thick with lots of taste. The only gripe here is that some of the meat was slightly burnt in my serving but otherwise, a good dish.
Crispy Pork Belly with Mustard ($12) - A small serving like this is actually worth $12. I was astonished actually but upon tasting it, i guess its somewhat justified. Extremely crispy skin contrasts with the thick juicy meat that is found below. Dip it in mustard sauce and you'll know exactly what sinful good food tastes like. The thing you have to get over is the fact that you are eating fatty meat and the fact that one plate is never enough.
Chee Cheong Fan ($10) - We had 2 different Cheong Fan's here. One with the basic char siew and 2 with the shrimps. The shrimp version actually tasted alot better then the usual char siew version because of the extremely fresh and crunchy shrimps. One good thing is that although there's an entire layer of soy sauce beneath, it never got overwhelmingly salty. Definitely worth a try.
Char Siew Bao (5 for $6) - How can one reinvent the wheel for an item already done to death and found everywhere? Well, they either provide better stuffings or reinvent the dough used to wrap the stuffings in this case. They did neither but it was still a cut above the rest. The char siew was sweet and fulfilling as the pieces were rather thick. The bun itself is very fluffy and light while also being mildly sweet for good effect.
Fu Pi Juan (Deep Fried Beancurd with Shrimp) (5 for $10) - The one thing surprising about this item is that its actually not oily. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely oil used to deep fry it, but it doesn't overwhelm nor coat your mouth with oil. Taste wise though, the shrimps are generously big and crunchy but the beancurd skin was unfortunately lacklustre and failed to instill any feeling of gratification.
Beancurd with Fish Paste (5 for $6.50) - The fish paste is springy and had a mild 'fishy' taste to it while the beancurd felt like run-of-the-mill varieties. A disappointing dish.
Crystal Dumplings (5 for $7) - Ordered this because we were hoping to find out whats the reason behind the whole craze on crystal dumplings. It wasn't answered however and the skin, though translucent, was sticky and stuck to the teeth. The fillings were normal to say the least and the overall comment was that it was salty.
Custard Bun (5 for $6.50) - Now this is a simple bun that is bound to turn heads. Served piping hot, this little bun seems quite insignificant until you take a bite at it. Immediately, you will realize that you have something very special. The bun itself is soft and light as a feather while the filling of custard is literally bursting at the seems. Add the fact that the custard is only mildly sweet with hints of egg still noticeable and basically, you got the winner of the day (for me at least).
Shark's Fin with Dumpling Soup ($44 for 5) - This is the most expensive item we had that day and its easy to see why. At $8.80 a portion, its amazing that you can actually see an entire piece of shark's fin in the broth. Chicken broth by the looks of it, this isn't the usual starchy shark's fin that is the norm elsewhere. This is clear broth with vegetables and a pork dumpling and a portion of fin. The experience however, is a little bland and the dumpling is rather simple. Nonetheless, its a good dish.
Beef Ball (3 for $3.80) - Juicy, thick balls of minced beef, radish and vegetables aren't enough to save this dish from mediocrity. Its basically too salty to be liked and lacked any other discerning factors to lift its score.
Siew Mai (10 for $10) - Small, fresh and relentlessly juicy, this is a siew mai above the rest. You can taste the sweetness of pork, the freshness of mushrooms and the crunchiness of shrimp all in one package. What is there not to like?
Prawn and asparagus (5 for $10) - This is a rather......mixed bag because firstly, it isn't too special. Secondly, the sauce is too salty. Thirdly, i still love the shrimp and finally, its difficult to feel anything for it after eating because at best, its only average. Save your money for another custard bun.
Har Gao (10 for $10) - Crunchy shrimps anyone? Because if thats what you want, thats what you'll get. Ask for anything more however, and you'll be disappointed. The shrimp filling is definitely generous but the skin is a little too sticky and thick for my liking. Improvement needed.
Red Bean Pancake ($8) - I did myself the horror of ordering this. Why is it a horror you may ask? Because A: i've just had all the above B: this pancake is huge C: its a little over fried on some parts and D: its a little too sweet to be totally likeable. Its not bad actually, just not as good as i hoped and its definitely too filling for dessert.
Pomelo Sago ($4) - Yam Paste ($6) - Mango Pudding ($4) - I didn't get to try any of the above so i'll reserve my comments.
The final bill came up to $204.09 for 5 people on a lazy afternoon. It took us 3 hours to finish our dim sum foray which meant we had way too much food and little time to rest before dinner.
Its a wonderful place to have dim sum and honestly, the quality does justify its price. The only gripe i have is that its not without its misses. But i'll still gladly return any day for its custard buns. In fact, once the renovation is done, i'm going back for my little saintly buns for sure. Cheers!
Rating given: