The coffeeshops under the solitary block of flats in the Sin Ming Industrial Estate could have easily been passed off as just another neighbourhood coffeeshop that probably sold average food. But that is certainly not the case, for in the corner coffeeshop lies Hup Seng Duck Rice. Hup Seng's claim to fame is its Kiam Chye Arh, or Salted Vegetable Chicken and Braised Duck.
The Kiam Chye Arh was pretty good, but I found the soup a little too salty due to the excessive amounts of Kiam Chye in it. The duck itself was a little chewy and firm, which evidently showed that it was cooked just right. The strong fowl taste was rather evident though , which might be a turn off for some. One of the better Kiam Chye Arh I have eaten, but I prefer the lighter and not so salty version prepared by my grandmother ;)
As with the Kiam Chye Arh, the Braised Duck was firm and chewy, with a rougher texture to boot. The duck was rather lean and the soy gravy was fragrant yet subtle in taste with a herbal tinge. Pity about the excessive oil in the gravy though. The secret to his fragrant and tasty gravy? Not changing the gravy since day one. Water and herbs are replenished with each duck he cooks and the pot is sealed and locked every evening. Multiply that by 25 years. Ewwww. I wish I didn't know.
Heard from a friend that the original Blanco Court Fried Fish Soup had moved to China Square, which was a stones throw away from my office. Seeing an opportunity to try something that I like quite a bit, I joined the long queue which had formed in front of the stall during lunch. Luckily, service was fast and I got my food within 15mins.
$4.50 bought me a bowl of soup choke full with fried fish slices and a bowl of rice. The soup had strips of well beaten fried eggs which is rather rare in such dishes. In all honesty, the eggs, being rather tasteless themselves, didn't add much flavour to the soup. But it was nice to have that something extra. I personally found some pieces of the fish way too salty and some had this funny aftertaste. Signs of fish that weren't fresh? Overall, a rather average offering.
My gf and I spent the day exploring the newly open Vivo City and decided to have dinner at 88 Restaurant @ Harbourfront Tower 2 after looking through their promotional menu. At $19.80 per pax for a 6-course dinner, it seemed like a pretty good deal. The set menu included Chilled Homemade Beancurd with Tobiko and California Maki Combination, Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat, Sweet and Sour Chilli King Prawns, Sautéed Salmon Fillet with Teriyaki Sauce, Braised Ee Fu Noodles with Dried Sole Fish and Cream of Red Bean with Gingko Nuts.
The interior of the restaurant was similar to that of a ballroom, with its high ceilings and hanging chandeliers. The wait staffs were prompt and efficient, though they were less inclined to conversations. For a Monday night, it had quite a lot of customers. About half the restaurant was filled by about 1930hrs.
The chilled homemade tofu was essentially a heart shaped egg tofu with a sprinkling of century egg and roe on top. Tasted like chilled egg tofu. Nothing too fancy, but nice nevertheless. The accompanying California Maki was bad. It tasted a little milky and watery. A little gross if you ask me. There were no traces of Shark's Fin in the Shark's Fin soup at all. A chewy substitute was used in place of the Fins. Crabmeat was evident though. The soup itself was too starchy and too much of it made me sick. The Sweet and Sour Chilli King Prawn was ok. Note that it's Prawn, not Prawns, as the menu suggests. Served with a small slice of steamed man tou and deep fried man tou, it was of medium size and crunchy. The gravy was sweet but not too spicy.
I've never been a fan of salmon and the Sautéed Salmon Fillet with Teriyaki Sauce was unpleasant to my taste buds. The fishy taste from the Salmon was overpowering and the only saving grace was the Teriyaki Sauce, which strangely, didn't taste like Teriyaki Sauce. It was sweet nevertheless. The Braised Ee Fu Noodles was simply unappetizing. Soft, mushy and pretty tasteless, it has the dubious honour of worst dish of the night. To round things up, the Cream of Red Bean with Gingko Nuts was still acceptable, but a tad too sweet. Tasted like molten candy in some instances. The Gingko nuts tasted funny as well.
With taxes and tea, the final bill came up to $50.80 for 2 pax. Not worth it at all if you ask me. Food is at best average and portions are not very big. But it's filling if you finish all the dishes. An unsatisfying meal for me, but I'll stop short of recommending that it be avoided because it is still a decent enough place, with its ok service and not bad decor. Take your chances I must say. As for me, I won't be back in a hurry.
Yet another new eatery to have opened up in the dining belt along the popular East Coast/Upper East Coast Road. Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, which has another outlet at Raffles place, boasts Italian food with authentic Sicilian products. Interestingly, Etna also happens to be the name of the highest volcano in Sicily and Europe, standing at 10500 ft.
Located within a short row of shophouses along Upper East Coast Road, Etna is almost impossible to miss with its huge signboard that lights up brightly in the evening. The interior is simply furnished with huge windows to allow sunlight in. Music is high strung which is quite unsettling at times especially if you are there for a relaxing quiet lunch likes yours truly.
Complimentary Bread & Appetisers - The bread looked haphazardly drizzled with olive oil and was hopelessly hard. Biting into one was akin to biting into a dry rag. The appetiser bowl consisted of slices of cheese, pepperoni, olives and figs, which were nothing special honestly. It was still a nice gesture though.
Bruschetta Etna - In all honesty, I've never eaten anything like Etna's rendition of the Bruschetta at any Italian restaurants before and I do not mean it as a compliment. The bread was rock hard and presentation was slip shod. The toppings didn't look fresh as well. How's that for dismal?
Insalata Di Gamberi - Essentially this salad was rocket leaves with prawns and doused in extra virgin olive oil. Fresh and zesty with fresh and crunchy, albeit rather small prawns, the salad was ironically the best dish of the day.
Quattro Stagioni - Quattro Stagioni, otherwise known as the four seasons pizza, is so named because of the 4 different sections of the pizza that offers the diner contrasting tastes. Etna's version had all the ingredients mixed up, which was fine, just that it veers away from tradition. Taste wise, the crust was significantly thicker than the usual Italian pizzas but at least the dough was fluffy, which made eating it quite enjoyable. The ingredients weren't much to shout about and overall the pizza tasted rather mundane.
Bistecca Al Gorgonzola - Grilled ribeye steak with gorgonzola cheese in a light cream sauce. With such a lip smacking description, I had expected something different or special. What I got was a slap in the face. Firstly, we had asked for the steak to be done medium but it looked more medium rare. Secondly, the buttery cream sauce was so overwhelming that I couldn't even make out any beef taste. Thirdly, the beef was sorely lacking in texture - soft and seemingly over tenderized. It didn't help that the accompany mashed potatoes tasted overly creamy as well. Want to know how nausea inducing this dish can get? Try it.
Taglierini Al Pesto Di Bronte - One of the recommended dishes, the Taglierini was purportedly home made and topped with a Sicilian pesto sauce made with Pistachios from Bronte in Sicily. As impressive as that may sound, it was more hype than substance, to me at least. The taglierini was al dente but the sauce didn't impress me very much, subtly sweet with no hint of pistachio whatsoever. And for the price ($22), I had expected it to come with toppings, however meager they might be, but sadly there was none.
Tiramisu Al Pistacchio - Another pistachio dish but in the form of a dessert. Very unique as grounded pistachios replaced the layer of cocoa powder commonly found in Tiramisus. There was also this layer of greenish cream which I assume to be made from pistachio. Sadly, the whole thing didn't taste like Tiramisu at all, coming across as very nutty. Perfectly acceptable as a cake, but definitely not as Tiramisu.
Panna Cotta Etna - Honestly, the Panna Cotta didn't quite do it for me. It was a tad too sticky and coagulated and not to mention bland. Even with the raspberry sauce, it tasted flat.
Torta Al Cioccolato - The chocolate cake seemed to have sat in the fridge for quite an extended period of time as it was undeniably dry. The taste of rum was negligible and overall it tasted very normal. At $8 a pop, I can easily buy a few cakes of similar quality.
$161 for 5 pax is considered relatively cheap for Italian food, but quality really leaves much to be desired. Service is decent but thats not going to be enough to stop me from closing the chapter on Etna.
Cakes, cakes, cakes. Who can ever get enough of these soft, sweet tasting delicacies that come in a rich variety of flavors and mixed with different mediums? I for one, never feels a cake is enough. This post is a little late of course but hey, better late then never yeah?
After scouring for cakes for Christmas for a long time, and seeing the obscene prices each cake is being touted by in almost all the shops we visited, me and my gf finally settled on something very familiar and almost guaranteed to satisfy. The choice is none other than the Four Leaves cakes that we pretty much swear by for any occasion. Does it disappoint though?
Christmas, a season of giving and sharing. And also a season of eating, partying and generally getting fatter. Well, my success in that field is pretty much legendary i suppose. Back to the cake at hand.
Despite the rather cute appearance, the cake has its roots from an old favorite of mine. The much revered Cocoa Exotica. The main difference is on the icing and cream which adorns the outer layer and a distinctly smaller inner layer in terms of the usage of cream and chocolate. Nonetheless, the cake itself simply melts in your mouth, and the hazelnut cookie layer gives it much needed fragrance and taste. Do not be mislead by the thick icing and cream you see, it never gets overwhelming nor unpleasant as the icing itself is just a tad sweet and is strangely soft that it is easily taken in. I like this cake as much as the Cocoa Exotica, enough said.
So far, in terms of cakes, i haven't had a particularly disappointing experience with Four Leaves yet. And if they keep up the good work, this is one of the better cake shops out there despite its abundance in malls.
Fancy cakes with a strong chocolate twist? Tired of old and run-of-the-mill cakes available everywhere else? Want something reasonably affordable and yet packing in the taste department? Well, welcome to choc-a-bloc. Coincidentally, the word "bloc" actually means blissfully luscious orgasmic chocolate as is positioned on their website. I wouldn't go that far to say their cakes are the best but i do second the fact that they are less common then the rest thus far.
This is a customized version of the "Mom's coco fudge cake". One thing about the cake is that its generously big (though of course you have to pay for it to be big.) The cake is surprisingly simple and expensive. 2 layers of chocolate and 3 layers of sponge cake is pretty much all you get for the price and yet. It feels surprisingly worthwhile. For one thing, the dark chocolate used is tastefully chosen. Being just the right balance of sweetness and bitterness which it balances very well. So much so that despite the big portion, i had no difficulty in finishing the cake at all. Being a fudge cake, it is also nicely soft and filling. One of the simplest and better tasting cakes i've had actually. I have to say its pretty much on par with the renditions even in Secret Recipe and some french gourmet cakes i've had. (Maybe i just have not eaten enough cakes to have a cake that has a higher standard yet but i'm getting there.)
I'm interested in having more actually but i do feel the pricing is abit steep and seems to have increased. Anyone who has tried better cakes out there, do let me know so i can try others yeah?
Vien Thai, it doesn't get clearer then this i suppose. Vietnam and Thailand cuisine together in the same restaurant. For the love of me, i have no idea what differentiates normal cuisine from Vietnamese cuisine, all i know is the Thai cuisine are generally a combination of sweet, sour and spicy all in one. The location of this place isn't much to shout about either.
Crispy Beancurd - Forgive me if i seem to be simply belching out names on this post. It just so happened that all information i had of this place has been lost. Still not going to stop me from writing a post however. The beancurd skin was very thick and hard while the beancurd itself lack much taste. The only saving grace turned out to be the sweet and sour Thai garnishing and sauce that made it at least palatable. Overall, save yourself the trouble on this dish.
Clear Tom Yam Seafood Soup - The Tom Yam soup was barely passable. Not in the least spicy but not the least bit lacking in the sour department. The ingredients were generous as you can see but i wouldn't recommend trying it as well.
Vietnamese Beef Vermicelli - The only item that brought a refreshing taste. A little sour, a little spicy and very fresh. The beef turned out a little too tough for my liking. The vermicelli when mixed with everything ended up tasting significantly pleasant and refreshing. Thats not saying alot however, because the material for comparison are sub par items.
Simple and overly pricey sums up the experience and offerings here. For some reason, i couldn't taste much difference between what is offered here and similar offerings elsewhere. It could have been better of course. Much better.
I believe the place needs no introduction. Its already the third time i've visited this place so basically its just a different location with a different crew. Does it uphold the tradition though?
Well, what can i say? The balcony seats overlook the river with all its hustle and bustles going on below it. Low buildings and little tourist boats cramp the location, giving it an otherworldly feeling that is very relaxing. Service wise, i did get the impression that the people there didn't really want to be there however.
Burning Action - Some people call it showy, others say unnecessary, but i still find the whole process very interesting however. And most importantly, it gives the rice and prawn a wonderfully fragrant and interesting taste.
Soup of the day ($3.90) - Since its already the third time i'm having everything (fourth actually), i'll leave you to check out the older posts for comments on the soup. Nothing much has changed on that front.
Garlic Lemon Mussel ($8.90) - The bread and mussels are supposed to go well with each other and to the better of the experience, they do. The white sauce that the mussels were swimming in is the same as the sauce that comes with the mushrooms below and the oysters after. According to my dear friend, Andrew, the sauce is the best thing about the restaurant. I'm inclined to agree on that since it does add to the taste quite a bit. However, i must say the mussels are not one of the better items here and i would advice against having it.
Fried Country Mushrooms ($9.90) - I've had these mushrooms as many times as i've come to this restaurant. It is definitely one of the better things to have and still one i can heartily recommend.
Deep Fried Oysters ($11.90) - Essentially, this is the same cooking method as the mushrooms above. And sad to say, it tastes the same as well. The oysters themselves were reasonably fresh and sweet but i prefer the mushrooms as they are healthier.
Fisherman's Platter ($36.90) - We asked to switch one of the side items for the flaming prawns so the final deal we had consists of calamari, chips, mushrooms, prawns and fish. The best thing about this? It fed 4 people to the brim. The downside, health issues abound if you take this for protracted periods of time. The rice when added with sauce is still the best thing for me, personally of course. Everything else is as it should be, meaning its good but not necessarily impression making since i've had it this many times. Overall, this platter is good for big eaters and up to 3 people.
Tiramisu ($5) - The waiter heartily told us that we qualified for a $5 dessert special which we took without much thought. Tiramisu is a dessert that has been done to death and their rendition is interesting. Cocoa powder adorns the top while a small layer of cake fills the bottom. Cream and rum filled the rest. Its overwhelming actually and somehow, i didn't like it too much in the end. Not recommended.
The bill turned out to be $98 for 4 people. Lots of food and a full tummy later, reflection on the process doesn't bring much to mind since i paid for it in full. My treat to my friends and i'm happy for giving.
They say "too much of a good thing makes it bad". Well, in this case, its starting to sound pretty true. I've heard much about the branch in Central and somehow, there are parts that are true and some parts which are not. I found the normal service staff helpful and generally good but the supervisor level however, disappointed me when i asked what the sauce was. Maybe its a trade secret but repeating the same rubbish when i asked twice isn't my idea of good service. Food is simple and non elegant but gets the job done. All said, the mushrooms are still something i would pine for. If you have not had it before, it warrants a try at the least.
Had the opportunity to partake in a media dinner at the newly reopened The Seafood International Market & Restaurant, or TSIMR for short, courtesy of The New Paper. It was a reunion of sorts as I vaguely remember dining at its former premises at UDMC some years back. It has since transplanted to become the anchor tenant of Big Splash @ Playground.
TSIMR occupies an impressive 18,000 sq ft and can seat up to 700 people if my memory serves me right. The draw of this place is its live seafood market concept which allows you to choose your desired seafood from the tanks and it will be cooked and served to your table. This concept, though not unheard of, was pioneered in the early 1980s by TSIMC.
The live seafood section is reminiscent of a supermarket while the dining area is like your typical seafood restaurant - huge and noisy. I liked the private dining areas at the two extensions though, which offered a nice view of the park and pond in the day. What I didn't appreciate was the fact that when the sky turned dark, outside visibility became close to zero and passers by could look in aka fishtank. Did I mention that the partitions were nothing more than a facade? During the course of our dinner, I could hear the adjourning rooms' conversation and loud guffaws.
Assorted Mushrooms Deep Fried with Seven Spice Salt - Imagine my astonishment when I heard that the mushrooms were sold by weight. Its definitely a first for me and honestly, as preposterous as selling Tofu by weight. The seven spice salt was purportedly made from dried shrimp powder, curry powder, chilli, szechuan peppercorn, salt and two other secret spices. As impressive as this may sound, I found it nothing out of the ordinary, coming across merely as salty with a hint of spiciness. Ditto for the batter as well, which I personally found too thick and hinting subtly of oil residue.
Prawns Stir Fried with Chilli & Basil Leaves - Beautifully presented with ornamental garnishes, the prawns gave an illusion of being terribly spicy. In reality, even someone who can't really take chilli like me could handle it without much effort (and water of course!). I didn't quite take to it though as the flesh was a tad soft and not firm. My guess is that it was a little undercooked.
Sakura Chicken Braised with Tri - Sauce in Stonepot - I liked this dish the best even though it wasn't outstanding. Probably more of something that's close to my heart. Dished out in a huge stonepot, the chicken wasn't too dry and easy on the sweetness, carrying with it a light spice that made every bite rather enjoyable
Golden Platter - Stir Fried Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk - Aptly named the golden platter, this dish intrigued me as I've never actually seen pumpkin cooked this way before. Prawns/lobsters with salted egg yolk? Yes. But pumpkin? It didn't turn out to be very appealing after all as the pumpkin slices were a little too soft for my liking. Coupled with the strong overtones of salted egg yolk, it was a recipe for nausea.
Curry Crab & Bread - I didn't try the crabs so I shall not comment, but the curry tasted rather normal to me, albeit a little heavier on the coconut milk. I liked the bread that came with the crabs though, sinfully buttery and crispy. Guaranteed to increase your cholesterol!
Pad Thai - Call me ignorant or mountain tortise, but to my understanding, Pad Thai should be cooked with thin flat strips of glass noodles. TSIMR does a different rendition using thin vermicelli like noodles which I suppose are glass noodles as well. To be honest, the noodles were way too chewy and had the tendency to clump together, which made me feel like i was chewing on some kind of non sticky kueh.
Wonder Four on Ice - With such a fanciful name, who needs superheroes? Corny jokes and stunning aesthetics aside, this dessert was just red bean kueh, mango pudding, some fruits and lemon grass jelly served on a bed of ice. As normal as it gets.
A little bird told me that the above dinner for 6 pax would have cost about $40/pax, which to me is a tad pricey. Food quality is average and service could have been more attentive. With that, I would like to thank TNP for the dinner once again.
This is my second visit to Fish & Co, the first time being at the Glass house, on this occasion (quite some time ago) we went to the branch at Paragon. Fish & Co has grow from strength to strength since it started with their first store at Plaza Singapura in 1998, bring forward ten years and now they have 13 branches island-wide.
I believe most people know more or less about Fish & Co, so i shall skip the usual long-winded introduction and jump right into the food.
Swordfish Collar ($14.90) Chunky & juicy swordfish collar, fried & served with spicy mango vinaigrette. Given that Fish & Co specialise in fish & seafood, they got quite a list to choose from, so i thought i’ll get something special. Now now, how often do you see restaurants serve swordfish as a main course? Never or seldom right? Thats the idea!
Our first impression of the swordfish when the waitress served us the food, o-boy, the fish is huge! Seriously, there are three collar of swordfish, and its suppose to serve one person? Order this and share with your partner.
Fish & Chips ($13.90) The Fish & Co classic! Fried, topped with lemon butter sauce & served with chips. The lemon butter sauce is the life & soul of the fish, it added an extra dimension to the fish. But given the price is more or less as the other fishes, i rather try different type of fishes. But my mate wanted the safe option, so they had 2 of this.
Seafood Platter for 1 ($19.90) Platter of Seasonal fish, calamari & king prawn. Many people should have tried this one before i guess, the standard fish, calamari & the chips. Nothing new there, what i like it the rice from fish & co.
Seafood Platter for 2 ($35.90) You must be wondering why did we order the Seafood platter for 1, and then order another seafood platter for 2 right? Pardon me, but i didn’t know what were we thinking, we sort of over-ordered! Hahaha!
Nevertheless, Seafood platter for 2 is definitely more worth it than the platter for 1. Lets do some simple math, platter for 1 cost $19.90, so if you times by 2 it will come up to $40 right? But platter for 2 only cost $35.90, furthermore there is the addition of scallops which the platter for 1 didn’t have. Well, unless you are a small-eater, or eating alone, or refuses to eat scallop, Seafood platter is the choice.
Total bill for the 5 of us adds up to $122.90. Usually Fish & Co is relatively affordable, but i think in this instant we over-ordered, hence the bill seems a little expensive. But i think i won’t be going back to Fish & Co in just a while, having been there twice, what must try have been tried. There are more alternatives out there with the same price range. So don’t expect to see Fish & Co III unless somebody is giving me a treat. Like what i mentioned in the previous visit, there are other options if u really want to eat fish & co type of food, Manhattan Fish Market isn’t too bad, Hooked! provides many variety of fish, New York New York has some nice seafood platters around also, and Greenwood Fish Market is my favourite.
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 : )
1=SGD 0.0587
The coffeeshops under the solitary block of flats in the Sin Ming Industrial Estate could have easily been passed off as just another neighbourhood coffeeshop that probably sold average food. But that is certainly not the case, for in the corner coffeeshop lies Hup Seng Duck Rice. Hup Seng's claim to fame is its Kiam Chye Arh, or Salted Vegetable Chicken and Braised Duck.
The Kiam Chye Arh was pretty good, but I found the soup a little too salty due to the excessive amounts of Kiam Chye in it. The duck itself was a little chewy and firm, which evidently showed that it was cooked just right. The strong fowl taste was rather evident though , which might be a turn off for some. One of the better Kiam Chye Arh I have eaten, but I prefer the lighter and not so salty version prepared by my grandmother ;)
As with the Kiam Chye Arh, the Braised Duck was firm and chewy, with a rougher texture to boot. The duck was rather lean and the soy gravy was fragrant yet subtle in taste with a herbal tinge. Pity about the excessive oil in the gravy though. The secret to his fragrant and tasty gravy? Not changing the gravy since day one. Water and herbs are replenished with each duck he cooks and the pot is sealed and locked every evening. Multiply that by 25 years. Ewwww. I wish I didn't know.
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Heard from a friend that the original Blanco Court Fried Fish Soup had moved to China Square, which was a stones throw away from my office. Seeing an opportunity to try something that I like quite a bit, I joined the long queue which had formed in front of the stall during lunch. Luckily, service was fast and I got my food within 15mins.
$4.50 bought me a bowl of soup choke full with fried fish slices and a bowl of rice. The soup had strips of well beaten fried eggs which is rather rare in such dishes. In all honesty, the eggs, being rather tasteless themselves, didn't add much flavour to the soup. But it was nice to have that something extra. I personally found some pieces of the fish way too salty and some had this funny aftertaste. Signs of fish that weren't fresh? Overall, a rather average offering.
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My gf and I spent the day exploring the newly open Vivo City and decided to have dinner at 88 Restaurant @ Harbourfront Tower 2 after looking through their promotional menu. At $19.80 per pax for a 6-course dinner, it seemed like a pretty good deal. The set menu included Chilled Homemade Beancurd with Tobiko and California Maki Combination, Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat, Sweet and Sour Chilli King Prawns, Sautéed Salmon Fillet with Teriyaki Sauce, Braised Ee Fu Noodles with Dried Sole Fish and Cream of Red Bean with Gingko Nuts.
The interior of the restaurant was similar to that of a ballroom, with its high ceilings and hanging chandeliers. The wait staffs were prompt and efficient, though they were less inclined to conversations. For a Monday night, it had quite a lot of customers. About half the restaurant was filled by about 1930hrs.
The chilled homemade tofu was essentially a heart shaped egg tofu with a sprinkling of century egg and roe on top. Tasted like chilled egg tofu. Nothing too fancy, but nice nevertheless. The accompanying California Maki was bad. It tasted a little milky and watery. A little gross if you ask me. There were no traces of Shark's Fin in the Shark's Fin soup at all. A chewy substitute was used in place of the Fins. Crabmeat was evident though. The soup itself was too starchy and too much of it made me sick. The Sweet and Sour Chilli King Prawn was ok. Note that it's Prawn, not Prawns, as the menu suggests. Served with a small slice of steamed man tou and deep fried man tou, it was of medium size and crunchy. The gravy was sweet but not too spicy.
I've never been a fan of salmon and the Sautéed Salmon Fillet with Teriyaki Sauce was unpleasant to my taste buds. The fishy taste from the Salmon was overpowering and the only saving grace was the Teriyaki Sauce, which strangely, didn't taste like Teriyaki Sauce. It was sweet nevertheless. The Braised Ee Fu Noodles was simply unappetizing. Soft, mushy and pretty tasteless, it has the dubious honour of worst dish of the night. To round things up, the Cream of Red Bean with Gingko Nuts was still acceptable, but a tad too sweet. Tasted like molten candy in some instances. The Gingko nuts tasted funny as well.
With taxes and tea, the final bill came up to $50.80 for 2 pax. Not worth it at all if you ask me. Food is at best average and portions are not very big. But it's filling if you finish all the dishes. An unsatisfying meal for me, but I'll stop short of recommending that it be avoided because it is still a decent enough place, with its ok service and not bad decor. Take your chances I must say. As for me, I won't be back in a hurry.
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Yet another new eatery to have opened up in the dining belt along the popular East Coast/Upper East Coast Road. Etna Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, which has another outlet at Raffles place, boasts Italian food with authentic Sicilian products. Interestingly, Etna also happens to be the name of the highest volcano in Sicily and Europe, standing at 10500 ft.
Located within a short row of shophouses along Upper East Coast Road, Etna is almost impossible to miss with its huge signboard that lights up brightly in the evening. The interior is simply furnished with huge windows to allow sunlight in. Music is high strung which is quite unsettling at times especially if you are there for a relaxing quiet lunch likes yours truly.
Complimentary Bread & Appetisers - The bread looked haphazardly drizzled with olive oil and was hopelessly hard. Biting into one was akin to biting into a dry rag. The appetiser bowl consisted of slices of cheese, pepperoni, olives and figs, which were nothing special honestly. It was still a nice gesture though.
Bruschetta Etna - In all honesty, I've never eaten anything like Etna's rendition of the Bruschetta at any Italian restaurants before and I do not mean it as a compliment. The bread was rock hard and presentation was slip shod. The toppings didn't look fresh as well. How's that for dismal?
Insalata Di Gamberi - Essentially this salad was rocket leaves with prawns and doused in extra virgin olive oil. Fresh and zesty with fresh and crunchy, albeit rather small prawns, the salad was ironically the best dish of the day.
Quattro Stagioni - Quattro Stagioni, otherwise known as the four seasons pizza, is so named because of the 4 different sections of the pizza that offers the diner contrasting tastes. Etna's version had all the ingredients mixed up, which was fine, just that it veers away from tradition. Taste wise, the crust was significantly thicker than the usual Italian pizzas but at least the dough was fluffy, which made eating it quite enjoyable. The ingredients weren't much to shout about and overall the pizza tasted rather mundane.
Bistecca Al Gorgonzola - Grilled ribeye steak with gorgonzola cheese in a light cream sauce. With such a lip smacking description, I had expected something different or special. What I got was a slap in the face. Firstly, we had asked for the steak to be done medium but it looked more medium rare. Secondly, the buttery cream sauce was so overwhelming that I couldn't even make out any beef taste. Thirdly, the beef was sorely lacking in texture - soft and seemingly over tenderized. It didn't help that the accompany mashed potatoes tasted overly creamy as well. Want to know how nausea inducing this dish can get? Try it.
Taglierini Al Pesto Di Bronte - One of the recommended dishes, the Taglierini was purportedly home made and topped with a Sicilian pesto sauce made with Pistachios from Bronte in Sicily. As impressive as that may sound, it was more hype than substance, to me at least. The taglierini was al dente but the sauce didn't impress me very much, subtly sweet with no hint of pistachio whatsoever. And for the price ($22), I had expected it to come with toppings, however meager they might be, but sadly there was none.
Tiramisu Al Pistacchio - Another pistachio dish but in the form of a dessert. Very unique as grounded pistachios replaced the layer of cocoa powder commonly found in Tiramisus. There was also this layer of greenish cream which I assume to be made from pistachio. Sadly, the whole thing didn't taste like Tiramisu at all, coming across as very nutty. Perfectly acceptable as a cake, but definitely not as Tiramisu.
Panna Cotta Etna - Honestly, the Panna Cotta didn't quite do it for me. It was a tad too sticky and coagulated and not to mention bland. Even with the raspberry sauce, it tasted flat.
Torta Al Cioccolato - The chocolate cake seemed to have sat in the fridge for quite an extended period of time as it was undeniably dry. The taste of rum was negligible and overall it tasted very normal. At $8 a pop, I can easily buy a few cakes of similar quality.
$161 for 5 pax is considered relatively cheap for Italian food, but quality really leaves much to be desired. Service is decent but thats not going to be enough to stop me from closing the chapter on Etna.
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Cakes, cakes, cakes. Who can ever get enough of these soft, sweet tasting delicacies that come in a rich variety of flavors and mixed with different mediums? I for one, never feels a cake is enough. This post is a little late of course but hey, better late then never yeah?
After scouring for cakes for Christmas for a long time, and seeing the obscene prices each cake is being touted by in almost all the shops we visited, me and my gf finally settled on something very familiar and almost guaranteed to satisfy. The choice is none other than the Four Leaves cakes that we pretty much swear by for any occasion. Does it disappoint though?
Christmas, a season of giving and sharing. And also a season of eating, partying and generally getting fatter. Well, my success in that field is pretty much legendary i suppose. Back to the cake at hand.
Despite the rather cute appearance, the cake has its roots from an old favorite of mine. The much revered Cocoa Exotica. The main difference is on the icing and cream which adorns the outer layer and a distinctly smaller inner layer in terms of the usage of cream and chocolate. Nonetheless, the cake itself simply melts in your mouth, and the hazelnut cookie layer gives it much needed fragrance and taste. Do not be mislead by the thick icing and cream you see, it never gets overwhelming nor unpleasant as the icing itself is just a tad sweet and is strangely soft that it is easily taken in. I like this cake as much as the Cocoa Exotica, enough said.
So far, in terms of cakes, i haven't had a particularly disappointing experience with Four Leaves yet. And if they keep up the good work, this is one of the better cake shops out there despite its abundance in malls.
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Fancy cakes with a strong chocolate twist? Tired of old and run-of-the-mill cakes available everywhere else? Want something reasonably affordable and yet packing in the taste department? Well, welcome to choc-a-bloc. Coincidentally, the word "bloc" actually means blissfully luscious orgasmic chocolate as is positioned on their website. I wouldn't go that far to say their cakes are the best but i do second the fact that they are less common then the rest thus far.
This is a customized version of the "Mom's coco fudge cake". One thing about the cake is that its generously big (though of course you have to pay for it to be big.) The cake is surprisingly simple and expensive. 2 layers of chocolate and 3 layers of sponge cake is pretty much all you get for the price and yet. It feels surprisingly worthwhile. For one thing, the dark chocolate used is tastefully chosen. Being just the right balance of sweetness and bitterness which it balances very well. So much so that despite the big portion, i had no difficulty in finishing the cake at all. Being a fudge cake, it is also nicely soft and filling. One of the simplest and better tasting cakes i've had actually. I have to say its pretty much on par with the renditions even in Secret Recipe and some french gourmet cakes i've had. (Maybe i just have not eaten enough cakes to have a cake that has a higher standard yet but i'm getting there.)
I'm interested in having more actually but i do feel the pricing is abit steep and seems to have increased. Anyone who has tried better cakes out there, do let me know so i can try others yeah?
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Vien Thai, it doesn't get clearer then this i suppose. Vietnam and Thailand cuisine together in the same restaurant. For the love of me, i have no idea what differentiates normal cuisine from Vietnamese cuisine, all i know is the Thai cuisine are generally a combination of sweet, sour and spicy all in one. The location of this place isn't much to shout about either.
Crispy Beancurd - Forgive me if i seem to be simply belching out names on this post. It just so happened that all information i had of this place has been lost. Still not going to stop me from writing a post however. The beancurd skin was very thick and hard while the beancurd itself lack much taste. The only saving grace turned out to be the sweet and sour Thai garnishing and sauce that made it at least palatable. Overall, save yourself the trouble on this dish.
Clear Tom Yam Seafood Soup - The Tom Yam soup was barely passable. Not in the least spicy but not the least bit lacking in the sour department. The ingredients were generous as you can see but i wouldn't recommend trying it as well.
Vietnamese Beef Vermicelli - The only item that brought a refreshing taste. A little sour, a little spicy and very fresh. The beef turned out a little too tough for my liking. The vermicelli when mixed with everything ended up tasting significantly pleasant and refreshing. Thats not saying alot however, because the material for comparison are sub par items.
Simple and overly pricey sums up the experience and offerings here. For some reason, i couldn't taste much difference between what is offered here and similar offerings elsewhere. It could have been better of course. Much better.
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I believe the place needs no introduction. Its already the third time i've visited this place so basically its just a different location with a different crew. Does it uphold the tradition though?
Well, what can i say? The balcony seats overlook the river with all its hustle and bustles going on below it. Low buildings and little tourist boats cramp the location, giving it an otherworldly feeling that is very relaxing. Service wise, i did get the impression that the people there didn't really want to be there however.
Burning Action - Some people call it showy, others say unnecessary, but i still find the whole process very interesting however. And most importantly, it gives the rice and prawn a wonderfully fragrant and interesting taste.
Soup of the day ($3.90) - Since its already the third time i'm having everything (fourth actually), i'll leave you to check out the older posts for comments on the soup. Nothing much has changed on that front.
Garlic Lemon Mussel ($8.90) - The bread and mussels are supposed to go well with each other and to the better of the experience, they do. The white sauce that the mussels were swimming in is the same as the sauce that comes with the mushrooms below and the oysters after. According to my dear friend, Andrew, the sauce is the best thing about the restaurant. I'm inclined to agree on that since it does add to the taste quite a bit. However, i must say the mussels are not one of the better items here and i would advice against having it.
Fried Country Mushrooms ($9.90) - I've had these mushrooms as many times as i've come to this restaurant. It is definitely one of the better things to have and still one i can heartily recommend.
Deep Fried Oysters ($11.90) - Essentially, this is the same cooking method as the mushrooms above. And sad to say, it tastes the same as well. The oysters themselves were reasonably fresh and sweet but i prefer the mushrooms as they are healthier.
Fisherman's Platter ($36.90) - We asked to switch one of the side items for the flaming prawns so the final deal we had consists of calamari, chips, mushrooms, prawns and fish. The best thing about this? It fed 4 people to the brim. The downside, health issues abound if you take this for protracted periods of time. The rice when added with sauce is still the best thing for me, personally of course. Everything else is as it should be, meaning its good but not necessarily impression making since i've had it this many times. Overall, this platter is good for big eaters and up to 3 people.
Tiramisu ($5) - The waiter heartily told us that we qualified for a $5 dessert special which we took without much thought. Tiramisu is a dessert that has been done to death and their rendition is interesting. Cocoa powder adorns the top while a small layer of cake fills the bottom. Cream and rum filled the rest. Its overwhelming actually and somehow, i didn't like it too much in the end. Not recommended.
The bill turned out to be $98 for 4 people. Lots of food and a full tummy later, reflection on the process doesn't bring much to mind since i paid for it in full. My treat to my friends and i'm happy for giving.
They say "too much of a good thing makes it bad". Well, in this case, its starting to sound pretty true. I've heard much about the branch in Central and somehow, there are parts that are true and some parts which are not. I found the normal service staff helpful and generally good but the supervisor level however, disappointed me when i asked what the sauce was. Maybe its a trade secret but repeating the same rubbish when i asked twice isn't my idea of good service. Food is simple and non elegant but gets the job done. All said, the mushrooms are still something i would pine for. If you have not had it before, it warrants a try at the least.
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Had the opportunity to partake in a media dinner at the newly reopened The Seafood International Market & Restaurant, or TSIMR for short, courtesy of The New Paper. It was a reunion of sorts as I vaguely remember dining at its former premises at UDMC some years back. It has since transplanted to become the anchor tenant of Big Splash @ Playground.
TSIMR occupies an impressive 18,000 sq ft and can seat up to 700 people if my memory serves me right. The draw of this place is its live seafood market concept which allows you to choose your desired seafood from the tanks and it will be cooked and served to your table. This concept, though not unheard of, was pioneered in the early 1980s by TSIMC.
The live seafood section is reminiscent of a supermarket while the dining area is like your typical seafood restaurant - huge and noisy. I liked the private dining areas at the two extensions though, which offered a nice view of the park and pond in the day. What I didn't appreciate was the fact that when the sky turned dark, outside visibility became close to zero and passers by could look in aka fishtank. Did I mention that the partitions were nothing more than a facade? During the course of our dinner, I could hear the adjourning rooms' conversation and loud guffaws.
Assorted Mushrooms Deep Fried with Seven Spice Salt - Imagine my astonishment when I heard that the mushrooms were sold by weight. Its definitely a first for me and honestly, as preposterous as selling Tofu by weight. The seven spice salt was purportedly made from dried shrimp powder, curry powder, chilli, szechuan peppercorn, salt and two other secret spices. As impressive as this may sound, I found it nothing out of the ordinary, coming across merely as salty with a hint of spiciness. Ditto for the batter as well, which I personally found too thick and hinting subtly of oil residue.
Prawns Stir Fried with Chilli & Basil Leaves - Beautifully presented with ornamental garnishes, the prawns gave an illusion of being terribly spicy. In reality, even someone who can't really take chilli like me could handle it without much effort (and water of course!). I didn't quite take to it though as the flesh was a tad soft and not firm. My guess is that it was a little undercooked.
Sakura Chicken Braised with Tri - Sauce in Stonepot - I liked this dish the best even though it wasn't outstanding. Probably more of something that's close to my heart. Dished out in a huge stonepot, the chicken wasn't too dry and easy on the sweetness, carrying with it a light spice that made every bite rather enjoyable
Golden Platter - Stir Fried Pumpkin with Salted Egg Yolk - Aptly named the golden platter, this dish intrigued me as I've never actually seen pumpkin cooked this way before. Prawns/lobsters with salted egg yolk? Yes. But pumpkin? It didn't turn out to be very appealing after all as the pumpkin slices were a little too soft for my liking. Coupled with the strong overtones of salted egg yolk, it was a recipe for nausea.
Curry Crab & Bread - I didn't try the crabs so I shall not comment, but the curry tasted rather normal to me, albeit a little heavier on the coconut milk. I liked the bread that came with the crabs though, sinfully buttery and crispy. Guaranteed to increase your cholesterol!
Pad Thai - Call me ignorant or mountain tortise, but to my understanding, Pad Thai should be cooked with thin flat strips of glass noodles. TSIMR does a different rendition using thin vermicelli like noodles which I suppose are glass noodles as well. To be honest, the noodles were way too chewy and had the tendency to clump together, which made me feel like i was chewing on some kind of non sticky kueh.
Wonder Four on Ice - With such a fanciful name, who needs superheroes? Corny jokes and stunning aesthetics aside, this dessert was just red bean kueh, mango pudding, some fruits and lemon grass jelly served on a bed of ice. As normal as it gets.
A little bird told me that the above dinner for 6 pax would have cost about $40/pax, which to me is a tad pricey. Food quality is average and service could have been more attentive. With that, I would like to thank TNP for the dinner once again.
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This is my second visit to Fish & Co, the first time being at the Glass house, on this occasion (quite some time ago) we went to the branch at Paragon. Fish & Co has grow from strength to strength since it started with their first store at Plaza Singapura in 1998, bring forward ten years and now they have 13 branches island-wide.
I believe most people know more or less about Fish & Co, so i shall skip the usual long-winded introduction and jump right into the food.
Swordfish Collar ($14.90)
Chunky & juicy swordfish collar, fried & served with spicy mango vinaigrette. Given that Fish & Co specialise in fish & seafood, they got quite a list to choose from, so i thought i’ll get something special. Now now, how often do you see restaurants serve swordfish as a main course? Never or seldom right? Thats the idea!
Our first impression of the swordfish when the waitress served us the food, o-boy, the fish is huge! Seriously, there are three collar of swordfish, and its suppose to serve one person? Order this and share with your partner.
Fish & Chips ($13.90)
The Fish & Co classic! Fried, topped with lemon butter sauce & served with chips. The lemon butter sauce is the life & soul of the fish, it added an extra dimension to the fish. But given the price is more or less as the other fishes, i rather try different type of fishes. But my mate wanted the safe option, so they had 2 of this.
Seafood Platter for 1 ($19.90)
Platter of Seasonal fish, calamari & king prawn. Many people should have tried this one before i guess, the standard fish, calamari & the chips. Nothing new there, what i like it the rice from fish & co.
Seafood Platter for 2 ($35.90)
You must be wondering why did we order the Seafood platter for 1, and then order another seafood platter for 2 right? Pardon me, but i didn’t know what were we thinking, we sort of over-ordered! Hahaha!
Nevertheless, Seafood platter for 2 is definitely more worth it than the platter for 1. Lets do some simple math, platter for 1 cost $19.90, so if you times by 2 it will come up to $40 right? But platter for 2 only cost $35.90, furthermore there is the addition of scallops which the platter for 1 didn’t have. Well, unless you are a small-eater, or eating alone, or refuses to eat scallop, Seafood platter is the choice.
Total bill for the 5 of us adds up to $122.90. Usually Fish & Co is relatively affordable, but i think in this instant we over-ordered, hence the bill seems a little expensive. But i think i won’t be going back to Fish & Co in just a while, having been there twice, what must try have been tried. There are more alternatives out there with the same price range. So don’t expect to see Fish & Co III unless somebody is giving me a treat. Like what i mentioned in the previous visit, there are other options if u really want to eat fish & co type of food, Manhattan Fish Market isn’t too bad, Hooked! provides many variety of fish, New York New York has some nice seafood platters around also, and Greenwood Fish Market is my favourite.
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 : )
“ I eat faster than i blog ”
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