After our rather unsatisfying meal at Tanuki Raw, we popped by Lady M for some desserts to fill that gap in our stomachs. The funny thing is, I've never really been a fan of Lady M and my previous visit to the now defunct outlet at Marina Square (when it first opened in 2013) wasn't quite memorable.
Spanning 2 levels at Orchard Central, Lady M boasts lots of seating and soaring floor to ceiling glass panels to allow for plenty of natural light. Very comfortable in my humble opinion.
Signature Mille Crêpe - Lady M's signature mille crêpe. There's something rather soothing about chomping down on thin layers of not too soggy crepe filled with light pastry cream that didn't threaten to give me a toothache. Very delicate and rather delicious in my humble opinion.
Chocolate Mille Crêpe - The chocolate variant is apparently only available at Lady M's Orchard Central outlet. And it actually tastes similar to that of the signature, albeit filled with chocolate cream and topped with a chocolate ornament. I'm a little biased towards chocolate so I personally preferred this over the original.
Two crêpes cost us ~ $20, which isn't exactly cheap but still acceptable in my humble opinion, given the location and quality. However service came across as rather inconsistent probably due to the relatively young and inexperienced wait staff on duty that afternoon.
A little remote to locate this zi char stall which is tucked away at the corner of The Village @ Jurong Hill. From the side entrance, it seem to be at the walkway leading to the prawn fishing activity.
We were fascinated by the people leisurely waiting to catch their prawns while listening to the hyped radio music provide by the owner. There are families, couples and buddies all chatting with each other. Look like a good rustic kampong environment to make friends.
The stall was managed by a group of China staff who provided good service with courteous smiles. Food was served fast as there were only a few tables that they can occupy along the broad walkway.
Fried Onion Egg Omelette ( $6.00 ) – Fluffy and tasteful with the sweetness of the onions.
Prawn Paste Chicken Wings ( $10.00 ) – Well marinated crispy skin and juicy flesh.
Nai Bai Vegetables In Garlic ( $8.00 ) - The vegetables has a crunchy bite and stir fried to perfection.
Ngoh Hiang ( $10.00 ) – The ingredients consisting of pork, prawns, onions, chestnuts and five spice powder rolled by beancurd skin makes this a simple dish as bite sized portions are deep fried and easily accepted by young and old.
As we watched the sunset, we felt the need to have more of such environment for families to have bondage and to appreciate the simple leisure life that we once took for granted.
The wife and I were in Orchard Road running some errands on a Saturday late morning and decided to do lunch in the area. A quick search online for Donburi led us to the relatively new Japanese bar & restaurant, Tanuki Raw, started by the same guy who started the relatively successful Standing Sushi Bar, Howard Lo.
Located on the 2nd floor of Orchard Central, Tanuki offers rather closely packed tables amidst an industrial setting. Think cement screed floor, exposed ceiling and halogen lights; not my kind of style. Thankfully there wasn't a crowd when we dropped by.
Bara Chirashi Don - Cubes of reasonably fresh scallop, sea bream, tuna, swordfish, salmon, striped jack salmon roe and tamago served on rice with Tanuki's signature sauce; lacking in bite as the cubes were cut too small while the signature sauce came across as mildly salty with a hint of ginger. Overall a decent bowl of chirashi don but in comparison to that of Hana Hana's, a more expensive (~ $3 more) but less tasty version. In short, if you want value for money chirashi dons, stick with Hana Hana.
Truffle Yakiniku Don - Apparently Tanuki's pièce de résistance and the highly raved about dish (on social media at least), the truffle yakiniku don looked promising at the onset. Black angus short rib slices pan seared till medium that came across as tender with a slight hint of beefiness and topped with a creamy onsen egg. However the truffle soya sauce was way too salty for my liking (had to drink lots of water!) and I only tasted weak, random flashes of truffle oil (no fragrance to speak of). The presence of a rather distinct taste of ginger didn't quite do it for me as well (not a fan of ginger to be honest). All in all, still a decent but rather small serving of yakiniku don.
There is an option to top up $2 for a set lunch which includes a bowl of salad, miso soup and hot tea. The both of us went with this and chalked up a total bill of ~ $40; not too expensive but less than satisfied (ironic that Lady M a few shops down provided that satisfaction instead). Service was okay but I doubt I'll be returning anytime soon.
We had heard much about Hana Hana (an offshoot of the ever popular Teppei @ Tanjong Pagar) but never really fancied joining the queues (and the hype!) just to dine there. But as luck would have it, we were in the Tanjong Pagar area one Saturday late morning when we caught sight of an almost non existent queue just before opening hours and decided to give it a shot.
Located just next to Teppei at a corner of Orchid Hotel along Tanjong Pagar Road (actually they sorta share the premises and staff), Hana Hana is the cheaper sibling to Teppei and serves up a rather limited menu that includes Teppei's signature Bara Chirashi Don. Seating is restricted to counter seats only and you have a view of the chefs preparing your food.
Bara Chirashi Don ($17.60) - The famous Bara chirashi Don. A rather sizable bowl of fresh pieces of salmon, tuna and swordfish mixed in with a light soy sauce on a bed of rice, topped with roe and strips of seawood; certainly not wow or anything near the best chirashi I've eaten but definitely value for money.
Higawari ($17.60) - The higawari or daily special of grilled wagyu was relatively lacklustre in comparison to the don, coming across as a little overcooked but still tender and relatively juicy, doused in a mildly sweet sauce. The wagyu lacked beefiness and I honestly couldn't tell it was wagyu, not from the lack of marbling. Served with a bowl of rice. Decent but not something I would specially order again.
Advertised prices are nett (even though the bill breaks it down to include service charge and GST) and the both of us spent $35.20 on lunch. In my humble opinion, both the quality of ingredients and the taste aren't great so what draws the crowds and the rave reviews? My guess - very reasonable pricing, limited seating and herd/hype mentality.
This newly opened outlet was located next to Kopitiam foodcourt. A lot of people passed by but none was keen to dine as there were 2 standing fans circulating air inside their unit.
We thought their aircon system must have broke down and therefore no one wants to have meals under such conditions.
We enjoyed their signature dish ( 四大天王 ) previously and since it is dinner time, we ordered this dish together with their chicken mushroom claypot rice.
When the claypot arrived, it was a much smaller portion than we assumed and therefore we have to order additional bowl of rice to mix with the ingredients.
Their assorted vegetables in sambal sauce ( 四大天王 ) was below par as compared to the outlet at Suntec City. The sauce was salty and the egg plant was too soft. Other vegetables were also over-cooked.
This outlet was also under-staffed. We have difficulties asking for the bill and ended up standing near the paymentr counter for 10 mins before one of them noticed our presence. She apologised and informed us that their aircon was not working to full capacity for past few weeks.
After searching various website, this hotel serves one of the cheapest hi tea buffet. At $25.90 nett per person, it is relatively cheap as we are also not big eaters but just needed a place where we can rest our feet.
The spread of food was quite simple and we were pleased that majority of the dishes were to our liking. Besides usual small servings of laksa and mee siam, others that caught our attention was braised duck with beancurd, peanuts and salted vegetables. The helpful staff suggested a plate of mixed items so that we can try all the braised items.
Other food dishes are grilled chicken which was well marinated with honey and spices, soft tender bbq ribs, sweet & sour crispy coated fish fillets, fluffy yam rice and fried noodles plus DIY corners for rojak and kueh pie ti.
The pastry section served delicious durian mousse cake and dark chocolate cake. The kuehs on displayed include miniature ang ku kueh, traditional Malay kueh and 3 big containers of sugar coated twisted, colourful flower icing and wafer biscuits which our parents used to reward us for good behaviour during our childhood.
Overall, food was satisfactory and staff were attentive to clear our plates and refilled our water.
We also noticed that the displayed items both inside and outside the main entrance have nostalgic memory of our younger days like manual typewriter, a bicycle stacked with old newspapers, first generation handphone, manual camera, etc.
The Singapore outpost of the famed New York bakery, Clinton Street Baking Co, opened without much fanfare a couple of weeks ago in the heart of town. Having tried the original outlet in New York about a year ago, the wife and I were eager to give the outlet in Singapore a shot.
Occupying a small shophouse unit along Purvis Street and playing neighbours to a boutique hotel and a coffeeshop, Clinton Street Baking Co Singapore can seat ~ 60 people, albeit in a rather cramp seating arrangement (the NY outlet can only take 32 pax). The interior isn't much to shout about honestly, coming across as modern at best. No reservations are accepted but when we got there at about 10am on a Saturday morning, the wait was a very manageable 15 minutes.
Crispy Potato Pancakes - We opted for the house smoked salmon option, which came with caviar and lightly tart and refreshing lemon crème fraîche on the side. Taste wise, the potato pancakes had been on the grill for way too long; charred to a slightly uncomfortable degree of bitterness but otherwise bland. The thin slices of salmon were pretty good though; lightly smokey without coming across as too fishy. We gave up on the potato pancakes halfway through.
Pancakes with Warm Maple Butter - There is a choice of wild blueberries, banana walnut or chocolate chunk for your pancakes and we went with the banana walnut since we tried the blueberry variant in New York. Bits of banana and walnut wedged between fluffy pancakes and finished with more walnuts and banana atop. Very good. However, instead of being dusted with icing sugar, granulated sugar was used instead, which gave the whole dish a rather unpolished feel in my humble opinion. The coarseness of the sugar really didn't help with the texture either. But......... the pièce de résistance was definitely the warm maple butter (not so warm actually); smooth with the creamy saltiness of butter and the pleasant sweetness of maple syrup.
So how does it compare to the original? In my humble opinion, very close. The pancakes could do with a little more crustiness on the surface. Still #2 on my pancake list after Pancakes On The Rocks in Sydney.
Sugar Cured Bacon - I enjoyed this sinful side of sugar cured bacon but it did seem a little drier as compared to the one in NY. Delectable nonetheless; lightly sweet while retaining the mild saltiness of the bacon. I would envision bacon bak kwa to be of a similar taste and texture?
Prices at the Singapore branch are similar to those in NY (after factoring in forex) and both of us spent close to $52 for brunch, which is still reasonable in my humble opinion. I'll definitely be back for the pancakes and bacon, nothing else! Oh wait, maybe to try out the signature waffle with chicken (only available for lunch) as well.
Saw that this place was so crowded that there are people standing and waiting for empty seats. At a glance, majority of the diners are Malay but there are a few tables of Chinese diners. One look at the tables and we realised that everyone is busy enjoying the Western food from this stall which have diners occupying the whole coffee shop.
Similar to Kenny Rogers chicken, this halal outlet serves half, quarter or whole chicken grilled to perfection either in original spices or spicy version. Together with a wide selection of salads like cubed potatoes, coleslaw, fruits, cheese potatoes, fried potatoe wedges, etc, diners are really spoilt for choices.
We ordered different types of chicken with wide range of salads so that we can try each other’s food. The meat was moist and tender. The chicken skin was well marinated with the spices that it was deliciously flavourful as we chewed them.
The freshly prepared chilled salads are refreshing. The sweet grapes, honey dews and crunchy apples are cut into small bite sized that was easy to eat. The coleslaw was the best item as the lettuce, cabbage and carrots are thinly sliced and mixed well with the creamy dressing.
Besides grilled chicken, this coffee shop outlet also serves : 1. Barbequed Lamb Ribs served with either yellow rice, briyani or chips 2. Roasted Beef Ribs served the same as lamb ribs menu 3. Lamb or Chicken Kebabs or Wrapped Kebabs 4. Beef or Chicken Burgers
We were very satisfied with our meals and will come back again to try the rest of the items in their menu.
A colleague had recommended Montana Brew Bar (MBB for short) so the wife and I made a trip down after work one evening to give it a shot.
MBB occupies a small space on the first floor of PoMo and plays neighbour to an outlet of Ya Kun Kaya Toast. MBB attempts to distinguish itself by utilising earthy colours in its design and through the placement of warm lights. Seating is rather limited with space for approximately 20 pax or so. How the place works is you place your order and make payment at the counter and the food will be served to you. One small gripe I had was that I couldn't order everything at once and request for dessert to be served later; not particularly flexible in my humble opinion.
Southern Fried Chicken Waffle - This dish inevitably brought about comparisons with The Beast's offering of this classic Southern dish. First up, the chicken. MBB's chicken was a mess of spicy, a tad dry chicken pieces thrown together and topped with spicy mustard coleslaw; clearly in a totally different league from that of The Beast's juicy, flavourful rendition. The waffles were a totally different story altogether though. Whilst The Beast's waffles came across as hard and unpleasantly sourish, MBB's waffles were light and fluffy with a mildly crisp exterior. Maybe both eateries could contemplate working together?
Umami Burger - At $14, this was honestly quite small and came adorned with cheese, mushrooms and bonito flakes. Which was all good because of the various layers of flavour except that the basic beefy taste was a little lacking. I liked the overall flavour but mourned the absence of the beefiness. The bun (apparently it's made from sweet potato) came across as soft and mildly sweet; no great shakes honestly. You have the option of topping up $2 to "upgrade" your fries to truffle fries, which isn't such a great idea in my humble opinion as the quantity of fries is very limited and the fries I had came seriously drenched in truffle oil (where's the QC?) with loads of fragrance but not much of a truffle taste.
Chocolate Banana Waffles - As the waffles were good, we decided to have another waffle for dessert; the chocolate banana waffle. And it came across as decent. The waffle sported the same light, fluffy texture as the one that came with the chicken earlier on except that this was darker in colour and had bits of what seemed like oreo crumbs wedged in random spots within the waffle. No chocolate taste whatsoever. The vanilla bean ice cream was relatively smooth with no discernible ice chips whilst the banana slices could do with more caramelisation. What I found interesting was the Nutella truffle butter that was sprinkled sporadically throughout; in the form of tiny clumps and mildly sweet.
Moral of the story? Stick to the original waffles.
Overall we spent $38 for two waffles and a burger. Not too expensive and overall food quality is still decent. But I would skip the burgers in future and head straight for the waffles.
La Strada has been around for quite a while but after our rather uninspiring lunch at Les Amis (sister restaurant under the same umbrella) a few months back, I wasn't too keen on dining at La Strada. But as fate would have it, I had an errand to run in the vicinity so decided to drop by for a quick lunch, seeing that the place was relatively empty on a Monday afternoon.
Located just next to Bistro Du Vin (which serves great set lunches by the way), La Strada sports a compact, cosy interior with red tiled floors, wooden tables and chairs against a yellow backdrop. I opted for one of the 3 small tables by the window for a view of the adjourning walkway but do note that means the passersby see you as well.
Carbonara - La Strada's signature Carbonara; didn't look like much but every bit an excellent dish. Beneath the thin, al dente, homemade guitar string pasta lay a confit of egg yolk which added to the creaminess of the dish when the yolk broke. Sprinkled with crisp but a touch overly salty lardo crumble (salumi, an Italian cold cut made by curing strips of pork with herbs and spices) for that extra crunch, this dish also boasted a rich fragrance and earthiness courtesy of the truffle butter sauce. Delicious without coming across as nauseating. But to be fair, I guess that in part has to do with the portion size, which was really quite small. I would probably need at least 2 bowls to fill myself up but at $28 a pop, it's definitely not that affordable. One of the best Carbonara I've had to date.
Tiramisu - Served up in a bowl and dusted with chocolate flakes (not the usual cocoa powder), the mascarpone cheese to sponge ratio was pretty good but unfortunately, the bottom of the sponge came across as very soggy from soaking in too much of the Kahlua. Topped with coffee lookalike, chocolate beans. Decent but not outstanding.
Lunch cost me about $54 and prices are undeniably on the high side for a relatively casual restaurant and the small portions. In this aspect, the set lunch @ $35 does seem like a more viable alternative, just that you won't find the signature Carbonara listed as one of the options. Service came across as rather friendly and good. I'll definitely be happy to return for the Carbonara when the craving hits.
1=SGD 0.0587
After our rather unsatisfying meal at Tanuki Raw, we popped by Lady M for some desserts to fill that gap in our stomachs. The funny thing is, I've never really been a fan of Lady M and my previous visit to the now defunct outlet at Marina Square (when it first opened in 2013) wasn't quite memorable.
Spanning 2 levels at Orchard Central, Lady M boasts lots of seating and soaring floor to ceiling glass panels to allow for plenty of natural light. Very comfortable in my humble opinion.
Signature Mille Crêpe - Lady M's signature mille crêpe. There's something rather soothing about chomping down on thin layers of not too soggy crepe filled with light pastry cream that didn't threaten to give me a toothache. Very delicate and rather delicious in my humble opinion.
Chocolate Mille Crêpe - The chocolate variant is apparently only available at Lady M's Orchard Central outlet. And it actually tastes similar to that of the signature, albeit filled with chocolate cream and topped with a chocolate ornament. I'm a little biased towards chocolate so I personally preferred this over the original.
Two crêpes cost us ~ $20, which isn't exactly cheap but still acceptable in my humble opinion, given the location and quality. However service came across as rather inconsistent probably due to the relatively young and inexperienced wait staff on duty that afternoon.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
A little remote to locate this zi char stall which is tucked away at the corner of The Village @ Jurong Hill. From the side entrance, it seem to be at the walkway leading to the prawn fishing activity.
We were fascinated by the people leisurely waiting to catch their prawns while listening to the hyped radio music provide by the owner. There are families, couples and buddies all chatting with each other. Look like a good rustic kampong environment to make friends.
The stall was managed by a group of China staff who provided good service with courteous smiles. Food was served fast as there were only a few tables that they can occupy along the broad walkway.
Fried Onion Egg Omelette ( $6.00 ) – Fluffy and tasteful with the sweetness of the onions.
Prawn Paste Chicken Wings ( $10.00 ) – Well marinated crispy skin and juicy flesh.
Nai Bai Vegetables In Garlic ( $8.00 ) - The vegetables has a crunchy bite and stir fried to perfection.
Ngoh Hiang ( $10.00 ) – The ingredients consisting of pork, prawns, onions, chestnuts and five spice powder rolled by beancurd skin makes this a simple dish as bite sized portions are deep fried and easily accepted by young and old.
As we watched the sunset, we felt the need to have more of such environment for families to have bondage and to appreciate the simple leisure life that we once took for granted.
Rating given:
The wife and I were in Orchard Road running some errands on a Saturday late morning and decided to do lunch in the area. A quick search online for Donburi led us to the relatively new Japanese bar & restaurant, Tanuki Raw, started by the same guy who started the relatively successful Standing Sushi Bar, Howard Lo.
Located on the 2nd floor of Orchard Central, Tanuki offers rather closely packed tables amidst an industrial setting. Think cement screed floor, exposed ceiling and halogen lights; not my kind of style. Thankfully there wasn't a crowd when we dropped by.
Bara Chirashi Don - Cubes of reasonably fresh scallop, sea bream, tuna, swordfish, salmon, striped jack salmon roe and tamago served on rice with Tanuki's signature sauce; lacking in bite as the cubes were cut too small while the signature sauce came across as mildly salty with a hint of ginger. Overall a decent bowl of chirashi don but in comparison to that of Hana Hana's, a more expensive (~ $3 more) but less tasty version. In short, if you want value for money chirashi dons, stick with Hana Hana.
Truffle Yakiniku Don - Apparently Tanuki's pièce de résistance and the highly raved about dish (on social media at least), the truffle yakiniku don looked promising at the onset. Black angus short rib slices pan seared till medium that came across as tender with a slight hint of beefiness and topped with a creamy onsen egg. However the truffle soya sauce was way too salty for my liking (had to drink lots of water!) and I only tasted weak, random flashes of truffle oil (no fragrance to speak of). The presence of a rather distinct taste of ginger didn't quite do it for me as well (not a fan of ginger to be honest). All in all, still a decent but rather small serving of yakiniku don.
There is an option to top up $2 for a set lunch which includes a bowl of salad, miso soup and hot tea. The both of us went with this and chalked up a total bill of ~ $40; not too expensive but less than satisfied (ironic that Lady M a few shops down provided that satisfaction instead). Service was okay but I doubt I'll be returning anytime soon.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
We had heard much about Hana Hana (an offshoot of the ever popular Teppei @ Tanjong Pagar) but never really fancied joining the queues (and the hype!) just to dine there. But as luck would have it, we were in the Tanjong Pagar area one Saturday late morning when we caught sight of an almost non existent queue just before opening hours and decided to give it a shot.
Located just next to Teppei at a corner of Orchid Hotel along Tanjong Pagar Road (actually they sorta share the premises and staff), Hana Hana is the cheaper sibling to Teppei and serves up a rather limited menu that includes Teppei's signature Bara Chirashi Don. Seating is restricted to counter seats only and you have a view of the chefs preparing your food.
Bara Chirashi Don ($17.60) - The famous Bara chirashi Don. A rather sizable bowl of fresh pieces of salmon, tuna and swordfish mixed in with a light soy sauce on a bed of rice, topped with roe and strips of seawood; certainly not wow or anything near the best chirashi I've eaten but definitely value for money.
Higawari ($17.60) - The higawari or daily special of grilled wagyu was relatively lacklustre in comparison to the don, coming across as a little overcooked but still tender and relatively juicy, doused in a mildly sweet sauce. The wagyu lacked beefiness and I honestly couldn't tell it was wagyu, not from the lack of marbling. Served with a bowl of rice. Decent but not something I would specially order again.
Advertised prices are nett (even though the bill breaks it down to include service charge and GST) and the both of us spent $35.20 on lunch. In my humble opinion, both the quality of ingredients and the taste aren't great so what draws the crowds and the rave reviews? My guess - very reasonable pricing, limited seating and herd/hype mentality.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
This newly opened outlet was located next to Kopitiam foodcourt. A lot of people passed by but none was keen to dine as there were 2 standing fans circulating air inside their unit.
We thought their aircon system must have broke down and therefore no one wants to have meals under such conditions.
We enjoyed their signature dish ( 四大天王 ) previously and since it is dinner time, we ordered this dish together with their chicken mushroom claypot rice.
When the claypot arrived, it was a much smaller portion than we assumed and therefore we have to order additional bowl of rice to mix with the ingredients.
Their assorted vegetables in sambal sauce ( 四大天王 ) was below par as compared to the outlet at Suntec City. The sauce was salty and the egg plant was too soft. Other vegetables were also over-cooked.
This outlet was also under-staffed. We have difficulties asking for the bill and ended up standing near the paymentr counter for 10 mins before one of them noticed our presence. She apologised and informed us that their aircon was not working to full capacity for past few weeks.
Rating given:
After searching various website, this hotel serves one of the cheapest hi tea buffet. At $25.90 nett per person, it is relatively cheap as we are also not big eaters but just needed a place where we can rest our feet.
The spread of food was quite simple and we were pleased that majority of the dishes were to our liking. Besides usual small servings of laksa and mee siam, others that caught our attention was braised duck with beancurd, peanuts and salted vegetables. The helpful staff suggested a plate of mixed items so that we can try all the braised items.
Other food dishes are grilled chicken which was well marinated with honey and spices, soft tender bbq ribs, sweet & sour crispy coated fish fillets, fluffy yam rice and fried noodles plus DIY corners for rojak and kueh pie ti.
The pastry section served delicious durian mousse cake and dark chocolate cake. The kuehs on displayed include miniature ang ku kueh, traditional Malay kueh and 3 big containers of sugar coated twisted, colourful flower icing and wafer biscuits which our parents used to reward us for good behaviour during our childhood.
Overall, food was satisfactory and staff were attentive to clear our plates and refilled our water.
We also noticed that the displayed items both inside and outside the main entrance have nostalgic memory of our younger days like manual typewriter, a bicycle stacked with old newspapers, first generation handphone, manual camera, etc.
Rating given:
The Singapore outpost of the famed New York bakery, Clinton Street Baking Co, opened without much fanfare a couple of weeks ago in the heart of town. Having tried the original outlet in New York about a year ago, the wife and I were eager to give the outlet in Singapore a shot.
Occupying a small shophouse unit along Purvis Street and playing neighbours to a boutique hotel and a coffeeshop, Clinton Street Baking Co Singapore can seat ~ 60 people, albeit in a rather cramp seating arrangement (the NY outlet can only take 32 pax). The interior isn't much to shout about honestly, coming across as modern at best. No reservations are accepted but when we got there at about 10am on a Saturday morning, the wait was a very manageable 15 minutes.
Crispy Potato Pancakes - We opted for the house smoked salmon option, which came with caviar and lightly tart and refreshing lemon crème fraîche on the side. Taste wise, the potato pancakes had been on the grill for way too long; charred to a slightly uncomfortable degree of bitterness but otherwise bland. The thin slices of salmon were pretty good though; lightly smokey without coming across as too fishy. We gave up on the potato pancakes halfway through.
Pancakes with Warm Maple Butter - There is a choice of wild blueberries, banana walnut or chocolate chunk for your pancakes and we went with the banana walnut since we tried the blueberry variant in New York. Bits of banana and walnut wedged between fluffy pancakes and finished with more walnuts and banana atop. Very good. However, instead of being dusted with icing sugar, granulated sugar was used instead, which gave the whole dish a rather unpolished feel in my humble opinion. The coarseness of the sugar really didn't help with the texture either. But......... the pièce de résistance was definitely the warm maple butter (not so warm actually); smooth with the creamy saltiness of butter and the pleasant sweetness of maple syrup.
So how does it compare to the original? In my humble opinion, very close. The pancakes could do with a little more crustiness on the surface. Still #2 on my pancake list after Pancakes On The Rocks in Sydney.
Sugar Cured Bacon - I enjoyed this sinful side of sugar cured bacon but it did seem a little drier as compared to the one in NY. Delectable nonetheless; lightly sweet while retaining the mild saltiness of the bacon. I would envision bacon bak kwa to be of a similar taste and texture?
Prices at the Singapore branch are similar to those in NY (after factoring in forex) and both of us spent close to $52 for brunch, which is still reasonable in my humble opinion. I'll definitely be back for the pancakes and bacon, nothing else! Oh wait, maybe to try out the signature waffle with chicken (only available for lunch) as well.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Saw that this place was so crowded that there are people standing and waiting for empty seats. At a glance, majority of the diners are Malay but there are a few tables of Chinese diners. One look at the tables and we realised that everyone is busy enjoying the Western food from this stall which have diners occupying the whole coffee shop.
Similar to Kenny Rogers chicken, this halal outlet serves half, quarter or whole chicken grilled to perfection either in original spices or spicy version. Together with a wide selection of salads like cubed potatoes, coleslaw, fruits, cheese potatoes, fried potatoe wedges, etc, diners are really spoilt for choices.
We ordered different types of chicken with wide range of salads so that we can try each other’s food. The meat was moist and tender. The chicken skin was well marinated with the spices that it was deliciously flavourful as we chewed them.
The freshly prepared chilled salads are refreshing. The sweet grapes, honey dews and crunchy apples are cut into small bite sized that was easy to eat. The coleslaw was the best item as the lettuce, cabbage and carrots are thinly sliced and mixed well with the creamy dressing.
Besides grilled chicken, this coffee shop outlet also serves :
1. Barbequed Lamb Ribs served with either yellow rice, briyani or chips
2. Roasted Beef Ribs served the same as lamb ribs menu
3. Lamb or Chicken Kebabs or Wrapped Kebabs
4. Beef or Chicken Burgers
We were very satisfied with our meals and will come back again to try the rest of the items in their menu.
Rating given:
A colleague had recommended Montana Brew Bar (MBB for short) so the wife and I made a trip down after work one evening to give it a shot.
MBB occupies a small space on the first floor of PoMo and plays neighbour to an outlet of Ya Kun Kaya Toast. MBB attempts to distinguish itself by utilising earthy colours in its design and through the placement of warm lights. Seating is rather limited with space for approximately 20 pax or so. How the place works is you place your order and make payment at the counter and the food will be served to you. One small gripe I had was that I couldn't order everything at once and request for dessert to be served later; not particularly flexible in my humble opinion.
Southern Fried Chicken Waffle - This dish inevitably brought about comparisons with The Beast's offering of this classic Southern dish. First up, the chicken. MBB's chicken was a mess of spicy, a tad dry chicken pieces thrown together and topped with spicy mustard coleslaw; clearly in a totally different league from that of The Beast's juicy, flavourful rendition. The waffles were a totally different story altogether though. Whilst The Beast's waffles came across as hard and unpleasantly sourish, MBB's waffles were light and fluffy with a mildly crisp exterior. Maybe both eateries could contemplate working together?
Umami Burger - At $14, this was honestly quite small and came adorned with cheese, mushrooms and bonito flakes. Which was all good because of the various layers of flavour except that the basic beefy taste was a little lacking. I liked the overall flavour but mourned the absence of the beefiness. The bun (apparently it's made from sweet potato) came across as soft and mildly sweet; no great shakes honestly. You have the option of topping up $2 to "upgrade" your fries to truffle fries, which isn't such a great idea in my humble opinion as the quantity of fries is very limited and the fries I had came seriously drenched in truffle oil (where's the QC?) with loads of fragrance but not much of a truffle taste.
Chocolate Banana Waffles - As the waffles were good, we decided to have another waffle for dessert; the chocolate banana waffle. And it came across as decent. The waffle sported the same light, fluffy texture as the one that came with the chicken earlier on except that this was darker in colour and had bits of what seemed like oreo crumbs wedged in random spots within the waffle. No chocolate taste whatsoever. The vanilla bean ice cream was relatively smooth with no discernible ice chips whilst the banana slices could do with more caramelisation. What I found interesting was the Nutella truffle butter that was sprinkled sporadically throughout; in the form of tiny clumps and mildly sweet.
Moral of the story? Stick to the original waffles.
Overall we spent $38 for two waffles and a burger. Not too expensive and overall food quality is still decent. But I would skip the burgers in future and head straight for the waffles.
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Rating given:
La Strada has been around for quite a while but after our rather uninspiring lunch at Les Amis (sister restaurant under the same umbrella) a few months back, I wasn't too keen on dining at La Strada. But as fate would have it, I had an errand to run in the vicinity so decided to drop by for a quick lunch, seeing that the place was relatively empty on a Monday afternoon.
Located just next to Bistro Du Vin (which serves great set lunches by the way), La Strada sports a compact, cosy interior with red tiled floors, wooden tables and chairs against a yellow backdrop. I opted for one of the 3 small tables by the window for a view of the adjourning walkway but do note that means the passersby see you as well.
Carbonara - La Strada's signature Carbonara; didn't look like much but every bit an excellent dish. Beneath the thin, al dente, homemade guitar string pasta lay a confit of egg yolk which added to the creaminess of the dish when the yolk broke. Sprinkled with crisp but a touch overly salty lardo crumble (salumi, an Italian cold cut made by curing strips of pork with herbs and spices) for that extra crunch, this dish also boasted a rich fragrance and earthiness courtesy of the truffle butter sauce. Delicious without coming across as nauseating. But to be fair, I guess that in part has to do with the portion size, which was really quite small. I would probably need at least 2 bowls to fill myself up but at $28 a pop, it's definitely not that affordable. One of the best Carbonara I've had to date.
Tiramisu - Served up in a bowl and dusted with chocolate flakes (not the usual cocoa powder), the mascarpone cheese to sponge ratio was pretty good but unfortunately, the bottom of the sponge came across as very soggy from soaking in too much of the Kahlua. Topped with coffee lookalike, chocolate beans. Decent but not outstanding.
Lunch cost me about $54 and prices are undeniably on the high side for a relatively casual restaurant and the small portions. In this aspect, the set lunch @ $35 does seem like a more viable alternative, just that you won't find the signature Carbonara listed as one of the options. Service came across as rather friendly and good. I'll definitely be happy to return for the Carbonara when the craving hits.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given: