I myself had just had a late lunch at Fig & Olive at the Vivocity branch yesterday. I guess the 1 for 1 main courses are pretty worth it. The portion was good and they have a good variety of chicken, fish and pasta to choose from. I would agree that the service was not much, but i guess they made up for it by their very reasonably priced promotions.
We had a Maghribi Chicken w Olive Rice
which is Herbs grilled chicken with Mediterranean style sauce served with olive rice and fresh greens ($16.10) and a Chicken Pesto Carbonara which is a
Herb grilled chicken topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese, potato cilantro and served with choice pasta carbonara ($16.10). Both dishes are yummy. The Maghribi Chicken has got an exotic spanish sauce and I simply love the herbed infused taste to it, coupled with a colourful heap of vegetables which is tantalizing to me. The olive rice in comparison is not so yummy, i perfer it a little softer with more olives as it does appear to be too dry and hard.
The chicken pesto carbonara is great too, melted cheese and tomato sauce goes well with the grilled chicken and i would say a great dish to share with children as it is not too spicy yet has got everything a kid loves.
Service I should say could be better and was better last time. Perhaps there is a change in management, however i kinda feel that the service industry in Singapore is somewhat underperformed... I won't use the word deteriorated because it was not really good before. Rather our culture has been transformed. Service standards has been improving vastly globally and people's expectations for service has been soaring, time for yourself is limited, stress is high, patience is like a thinly spread butter on an already dried up toast, money is like 'Now you see it Now its GONE!'
So sometimes when we meet some bad services or bad food or bad attitude, we just remind ourselves.... of the many hungry children in Africa and start planning in your mind how you are going to review this restaurant......
UBeau is a nail, face, body salon located in LiangSeah Street just a few steps away from 7/11, a place where great food and bustling wedding gown shops resides.
Huge signboards and serene looking spa pictures grace the pillars at the ground floor near the entrance and while i walk up the narrow stairway, i expect to see a small little haven tucked away in the bustling city life.
When i entered the small glass door, all I could see are nail artists busy buffling away and a few great looking ladies waiting by the small sitting area. For a weekday afternoon, I thought that was good business. As I sat there like nobody's child waiting... suddenly one of the nail artist looked up and asked me... are you who and who... I said.. no... I'm here for BRAZILIAN WAXING.. she said Oooh.... You have her number, please call her....
I was pretty puzzled.... since it is 15 minutes pass my appointment time, isn't she suppose to be here waiting for me already? So I was given a number to call and I was told by the aesthetician that she is on her way up... Another 15 mins crawled by... When she finally arrived, there is no signs of apology or even the slightest embarassment for being late and she just proceeded to explain to me the different prices for the different kinds of waxing available and I opted to pay a little extra for the 3D Wax.. which is suppose to be less painful. While I rejected her much convincing sales pitch on IPL brazilian, I could see disappointment in her eyes, however she proceeded to lead me to the room.
On the other side of the salon, there are 3 rooms and another table, apparently there is another lady sitting at the table offering massage services and an outsourced maintainance guy repairing light bulbs. As the rooms are just half partitioned, I started to feel a little worried as if he is on the ladder, he could basically see everything going on inside. I was let passed into one of the partitioned rooms and Liz the aesthetician just told me to undress my bottom and get on the massage table. I got on the lightly cushioned massage table with a piece of brown paper beneath it and covered myself with the towel provided. I thought to myself, I've been to worse NO FRILLS waxing, so this is still not too bad. However I never thought anything could be worse then my past experiences.
She then started to do the waxing and IT IS SUPER PAINFUL... For a seasoned brazilian waxer.. I would say it hurts way too much. Every blow is like tears shooting out of your eyes..
Firstly, no numbing or antiseptic lotion was applied, all you get is a little powder and your bare skin.
Second, the wax patches applied is too huge, this will cut down time but takes off much of your skin as well. IT HURTS.
Third, in delicate areas she just applied in huge patches left and right stuck together and proceeded to rip them off.
Fourth.. Expect no soothing words.. matter of fact halfway through she picked up her mobile phone and started TALKING WITH HER FRIEND.... Oh GOODNESS......
Five.. Don't expect it to be too clean because after the entire gruesome experience she will not help you remove the stray hairs or any other stuffs stucked there.
Its a mere.. I've finished.... get dressed and come out and pay for it....
On top of that... she asked me if I wanted to buy a package and the price is ridiculous. I could get better service and attitude plus more skillful aesthetician for a cheaper package.
This is unbelievable.... I only can speak for the brazilian waxing.. however i think that the nail parlour part is quite okay as i see alot of happy customers and friendly nail artist. They are most likely under the same company however individually managed.... So please try the other services.. just watch out if you want some waxing done... OUCH!!!!
Taking advantage of a free Saturday evening, we decided to have dinner at Pierside - a rather well established eatery under the Marmalade group of restaurants.
Just across the shore from the towering Marina Bay Sands, Pierside Kitchen occupies a corner of One Fullerton, playing neighbour to Chinese restaurant, Jing. There is an option of alfresco dining or a rather dim air conditioned interior. We opted for the former as the weather held out fine but it was the view that proved to be the deal clincher.
Complimentary Bread - Served piping hot, the complimentary bread was small but simple. And the butter melted effortlessly, which made for a nice stop gap measure against hunger pangs.
Hokkaido Corn Chowder - Smooth and creamy with a light hint of corn and a dash of pepper to accentuate the flavour, the chowder had bits of sweet corn in it to give it that nice crunchy texture. Pretty decent if you ask me.
Pan Roasted Foie Gras - It's been a while since I've had decent foie gras and Pierside didn't disappoint. While I wouldn't go as far as saying that it was great, the foie gras was respectable by many measures. A little crisp on the outside with a relatively smooth and quivery inside sans the overpowering gamy taste. Best eaten with the accompanying prune.
Crispy Duck Confit with Celeriac Puree - Crisp skin coupled with pinkish, chewy meat - no complaints really. But somehow the duck confit came up short in taste, coming across as a little pedestrian. Still a decent eat nonetheless.
300 Day Grain Fed Braised Beef Cheeks - I personally didn't quite take to the risotto that came alongside the beef cheeks, finding it a little too soft for my liking. The beef cheeks however, were reasonably tender and flavourful, with the only issue lying in the small portion size. The obligatory greens came in the form of a single stalk of asparagus chopped into half and topped with pepper and salt. Overall a decent eat.
Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Mousse - What I liked about this dessert was the fact that it tasted like one of my favourite snacks, Reese's peanut butter cups! The mousse had a very strong taste of peanut butter (not so much salted caramel) and sat on a crunchy hazelnut base. Accompanying it was a nice dollop of vanilla bean ice cream and a few slices of caramalised bananas. Only recommended for those who really like peanut butter.
Banana Creme Brulee - The banana creme brulee looked different from your regular creme brulee in a bowl/cup. It was rectangular and flat, with the less than quivery custard sandwiched between 2 layers of perfectly torched caramel. Adding weight to the dish were banana slices that were a little charred along the edges and a scoop of mascarpone ice cream. All in all a rather nice dessert!
With dinner for 2 hitting about $190, I wouldn't say it's anywhere near cheap or reasonable. And I am not sure the quality and quantity of food justifies the pricing. For me, it's probably going to be a one time off meal at Pierside.
Enticed by the AMEX 1 for 1 set menu at Tung Lok and the prospect of catching up, a couple of us met up for dinner at The Central's Signatures (TLS for short) outlet for dinner one evening. I've actually never been a fan of Tung Lok as I've yet to experience really good food at any of their outlets, including their much touted Humble House.
Located on the 2nd floor of The Central and immaculately done up to exude an air of oriental poshness, Tung Lok Signatures stands out from the crowd of eateries that crowd the area. Tables are spaced at a relatively comfortable distance and full length windows allow a great view of Clarke Quay and the Singapore river.
Flame Traditional-style Boiled Shark’s Fin Soup with Chicken - Gimmicky flames aside (due to the lighting of wax at the side of the bowl), I thought that the broth was excellent - flavourful yet light on the palate. Fin portions were reasonably substantial with bits of chicken to balance out the texture.
Pan-fried French Foie Gras with Crispy Beancurd Skin served on Pancake - Playing on the concept of Peking Duck, TLS's take on the pan fried foie gras involved serving the foie gras (with a layer of peking duck sauce on top) together with a crackling piece of beancurd skin and wrapped over using a rectangular piece of thick crepe. I honestly thought that it was an interesting concept but I did find the foie gras way too gamy for my liking. And that honestly killed this dish for me.
Steamed Soon Hock Belly with Minced Ginger - The soon hock was fresh but a little lacking in natural sweetness. One other gripe too. Being the belly, it had tons of bones which made it a pain to consume.
Crispy Kurobuta Pork Cartilage in Chili Sauce served with Deep-fried Bun - This dish seemed promisingly at the onset but didn't quite dazzle. The pork cartilage was coated with flour, deep fried and drenched in chilli sauce that was similar to chilli crab gravy, just a lot less spicy. The meat was tender but somehow I couldn't get past my psychological barrier to stomach the gelatinous cartilage. I liked the deep fried bun though.
Braised Japanese Handmade Noodles with Lobster Meat and Vegetable - Alongside the shark's fin soup, this was probably the best dish of the evening. Springy and robust noodles with minimal portions of lobster meat and a nice, savoury gravy. And of course, the obligatory 2 stalks of vegetables.
Chilled Grapefruit Shaven Ice topped with Ice-cream served in Pomelo - I was hoping for a sweet ending to my meal. But what I got was a cold, bitter dessert, which pretty much sums up how we felt at the end of the meal. But to be fair to the grapefruit, I'm just not a fan.
With the AMEX 1 for 1 promotion, 6 of us clocked in at almost $352 for dinner. Service was good but food left much to be desired. Even with the promotion, I'm not sure I would want to fork out almost $60 a head for food of such quality and portions. And with this meal, I have officially closed the chapter on Tung Lok, never to return.
Went to this hotel for Christmas, a retro-themed boutique hotel which is quite fun to visit once in a while for Staycation.
The lobby and lounge is striking with Fushia Pink as the primary colour, the only problem we had was, we were unsure where the queue at the counter was.
Can be quite inaccessible for tourists who are unsure of the bus system. Though the hotel provides shuttle bus, we are not sure of where to board it and had to rely on cabs to and fro places.
Rooms were cleanly and retro-ly decorated (even in the bathrooms!). Smaller than a normal hotel room but extremely clean and well kept. With Star Chinese Movie channel, a basket of complimentary soft drinks and tidbits. Best, with free Wifi.
Went to this restaurant for brunch on Christmas day, the retro themed made our groggy morning/noon brighten up.
Order Laksa, Wings, Sandwiches, Steak, mushroom soup and desserts consisted of Tiramisu and Longan with Grass Jelly.
Laksa smelt nice, not too spicy, with eggs and prawns in it. But the prawns were not that fresh, unpeeled and not washed very cleanly as sand can still be found in the Laksa itself.
Wings were tad too oily and could have been marinated better with a bit of lime.
Steak was ordered as well done and indeed it came well done but not too much so the meat remained tender. The sauce though, was a mixture of black pepper and something VERY salty like soy sauce. Quite disappointing.
Their Tiramisu doesn't use Kahlua, the name of the wine I've forgotten, maybe we are not used to it so the Tiramisu tasted weird to us.
Pro: Went to Nirwana Gardens Beach Club (Huts, 2 rooms to 1 hut) for my first trip to Bintan. Rooms are clean and big enough for 2 or 3 pax to stay comfortably in. Toilet and floor are clean. Towels provided are clean. The air con is working very well and seems to be new too. Staff relatively friendly, can speak and understand English. The best thing about this place is, there's a beach attached to it and it's almost deserted most of the 2 days we were there. I believe this is because most of the guests went to the beach at the Nirwana Garden Hotel. The sports centre is very nearby so accessible if you want to play Banana Boat, Ski Jets but you'll need to go to the Hotel area for ATV. The Club is also very accomodating and allowed us to extend our stay by 1.5 hours with no extra charges.
Con: Don't buy anything from the cafe at the beach club. It's about 10 times more expensive than the prices in Singapore. A bottle of 1.5litres mineral water costs $10 and fruit platter at $8. Don't go for the packaged massage sessions offered by the beach club. We went for 1 at SGD 75 each that includes massage, choice between sampan or private beach, ride to shopping area and lunch. In the end, we travelled an hr plus of dizzy and nausating dangerous ride to some other resort. Massage was ok but we weren't given a choice of beach or Sampan, we were directly taken to the Sampan, no notifications at all! Lunch consisted of measly nasi lemak at 4pm! We were also told that the package doesn't include shopping when it actually does. If you want massage, just go to the nearby shopping area where they offer $50 for 2 hours massage.
Popped by Cova Pasticceria for dinner one evening since we were in the vicinity and everywhere else was packed. Started in 1819 in Milan and originally patronised by the crème de la crème of society, Cova has expanded to a few countries in Asia to cater to those who seek "the high life" (albeit if only temporary). And the decor is telling. Dark wood coupled with European style overhanging lamps that throw off warm light and well designed cornices greet you as you step into the cozy space that Cova occupies. Simple yet elegant.
Mushroom Risotto - For $30 , I had expected something more substantial than a miserly thin layer of risotto which I finished in 2 mouthfuls. And to compound matters, the risotto was a little overcooked for my liking.
Seafood Spaghetti - The seafood spaghetti fared a little better though I did think that the spaghetti wasn't al dente. I liked the light tomato based sauce and the fresh seafood but as with the risotto, portions were pathetic.
Lamb Rack - I didn't get to try this but from observation, portions were still small.
Peanut Feuilletine - And for dessert, a tiny piece of peanut feuilletine about a third the size of a regular slice of cake you would get at the likes of Starbucks, Coffeebean etc. To give it credit, the feuillentine was nicely thin and crisp while the chopped peanuts provided a nice crunch to the whole dessert. There wasn't much to go around though.
A miserable meal for 3 cost to the tune of $130, which is ridiculously expensive in my humble opinion. Portions were pathetic and two people with average appetites would have been able to polish off all the dishes with ease (we resorted to MacDonalds after the meal). Food quality hovered around average to slightly above average but the prices (and portion size) definitely do not warrant a revisit. Also, service lacked warmth and I didn't feel invited at times. Maybe we are just the wrong target audience.
Another long overdue post. Caught up with a couple of friends over dinner at Mong Hing, a Teochew restaurant at Keypoint and where I once had a pretty good dinner before.
Prawn Rolls - The heh zhor was decent - Lean meat with pockets of fats and bits of prawn. Crisp but not too oily. Good for many bites, especially with the sweet plum sauce.
Homemade Beancurd - This certainly didn't look like beancurd, not with the circular shaped, golden brown exterior. And honestly it didn't quite taste like tofu. The texture was more like Thai prawn cakes, just a lot less dense and "fluffier" so to speak. Definitely not smooth and silky, the way I like it. The only giveaway was the taste, which had a distinctive beancurd taste. Although I like tofu, this is something I will definitely not order again.
Prawns with Deep Fried Pumpkin - At $24 for 6 prawns and 6 pieces of pumpkin coated with flour and deep fried, this was a joke. The prawns were drenched in sweet and sour sauce, which masked the natural flavour of the prawns. Total waste of prawns. The pumpkin however, were sweet and not too bad as a filler.
Stir Fried HK Kailan - Decent with a tinge of wok hei but lacking in dried sole fish. Wouldn't hurt to give a little more, would it?
Braised Goose - The goose was good - not too dry and well braised with the sauce not coming across as too salty.
We ended the meal with yam paste (orh nee) but I failed to get a shot of it. It was good but could have done with a little more fragrance. The infrequent bits of unevenness made for a nice smooth, yet inconsistent texture.
The 5 of us chalked up a bill of about $133. Not too expensive but quality of food seems to have dropped since my last visit. Maybe I should just stick to the likes of Huat Kee or Liang Kee or maybe I should give Mong Hing another chance.
I've always been a fan of Timbre's pizzas so when they came a knocking with an invitation to try out their latest offering, 12 Inch Pizzas & Records, I gladly jumped at the opportunity.
The restaurant is located on the 4th floor or V Hotel, a newly opened hotel directly above Lavender MRT and opposite the ICA. Getting up to the 4th floor can pose quite a problem as the hotel requires you to scan your card in the lift before you can select your desired floor. However, there is apparently a fireman's lift which doesn't have such requirements so you might want to consider utilising it.
The alfresco dining area occupies a huge section; one that's at least twice as large as the indoor dining area (which is very noisy and not conducive for conversations in my humble opinion). Sitting alfresco allows you a view of the neighbouring and distant buildings (ICA is one of them) and the blue skies that pervade the emptiness in between.
Interestingly, the menu comes in the form of a record, back from the days when gramophones were still in vogue. Catchy, really.
Seafood Chowder - Nothing like a bowl of good soup to get things going. But unfortunately, the soup was lacklustre. A little too diluted without the creaminess of chowder and richness of seafood. Forgettable.
Cheese Fries - I actually love cheese fries but this was disappointing as well. The cheese was a little too watery for my liking and lacked the "gooeyness" I was expecting. Credits to the fries though, which were of a nice thickness and decently done.
The Cranbellies - With absolutely no affiliation to the Irish pop group, "The Cranberries", this pizza was one of the many with names playing on various song titles and group names. What I particularly liked about this pizza was the nice comforting taste it brought to the table. Mild cranberry sauce coupled with pork belly, cheese and a nice thin and chewy pita like base and topped with slivers of crunchy green apple. Not your conventional pizza but I love it!
Goodfellas - Shrimps, sweet garlic butter, curry leave sauce, cheese and topped with crispy egg and cereals - sounds like a mish mash of ingredients but in reality, a combination that worked well! Sandwiched between the cheese and pita like base was a generous layer of sweet garlic butter while the crunchy shrimps (probably soaked in alkaline water) were topped with crunchy cereal and fluffy egg swirls (just like the kind you would find in fried fish soups). Delicious! However, too much of it made me nauseous because it did come across as very oily. So eat in moderation or share!
Tutti Frutti - Our first dessert came in the form of a 12 inch pizza as well but well, I'm not complaining. A layer of chocolate sauce beneath the cheese, sprinkled with fruits and topped with copious amounts of whipped cream. Not exactly the healthiest dessert, but it tasted interesting - Slightly savoury from the cheese but predominantly chocolatey. If you can't accept chocolate together with cheese, I would suggest you not to try this.
Deep Fried Ice Cream - Our other dessert and the only one in the current dessert menu that wasn't a pizza, the kid friendly deep fried ice cream. I didn't think too much of it though as the flour was too thick and hard for my liking. Also, the coconut ice cream encased within tasted really artificial. I would skip this in a heartbeat.
Overall, I had a wonderful and belly bursting lunch. Though the sides were merely pedestrian, the focus should be on the wonderful pizzas, which Timbre has grown to be associated with. On this note, I would like to thank Timbre for the invitation once again!
1=SGD 0.0587
I myself had just had a late lunch at Fig & Olive at the Vivocity branch yesterday. I guess the 1 for 1 main courses are pretty worth it. The portion was good and they have a good variety of chicken, fish and pasta to choose from. I would agree that the service was not much, but i guess they made up for it by their very reasonably priced promotions.
We had a Maghribi Chicken w Olive Rice
which is Herbs grilled chicken with Mediterranean style sauce served with olive rice and fresh greens ($16.10) and a Chicken Pesto Carbonara which is a
Herb grilled chicken topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese, potato cilantro and served with choice pasta carbonara ($16.10). Both dishes are yummy. The Maghribi Chicken has got an exotic spanish sauce and I simply love the herbed infused taste to it, coupled with a colourful heap of vegetables which is tantalizing to me. The olive rice in comparison is not so yummy, i perfer it a little softer with more olives as it does appear to be too dry and hard.
The chicken pesto carbonara is great too, melted cheese and tomato sauce goes well with the grilled chicken and i would say a great dish to share with children as it is not too spicy yet has got everything a kid loves.
Service I should say could be better and was better last time. Perhaps there is a change in management, however i kinda feel that the service industry in Singapore is somewhat underperformed... I won't use the word deteriorated because it was not really good before. Rather our culture has been transformed. Service standards has been improving vastly globally and people's expectations for service has been soaring, time for yourself is limited, stress is high, patience is like a thinly spread butter on an already dried up toast, money is like 'Now you see it Now its GONE!'
So sometimes when we meet some bad services or bad food or bad attitude, we just remind ourselves.... of the many hungry children in Africa and start planning in your mind how you are going to review this restaurant......
Rating given:
UBeau is a nail, face, body salon located in LiangSeah Street just a few steps away from 7/11, a place where great food and bustling wedding gown shops resides.
Huge signboards and serene looking spa pictures grace the pillars at the ground floor near the entrance and while i walk up the narrow stairway, i expect to see a small little haven tucked away in the bustling city life.
When i entered the small glass door, all I could see are nail artists busy buffling away and a few great looking ladies waiting by the small sitting area. For a weekday afternoon, I thought that was good business. As I sat there like nobody's child waiting... suddenly one of the nail artist looked up and asked me... are you who and who... I said.. no... I'm here for BRAZILIAN WAXING.. she said Oooh.... You have her number, please call her....
I was pretty puzzled.... since it is 15 minutes pass my appointment time, isn't she suppose to be here waiting for me already? So I was given a number to call and I was told by the aesthetician that she is on her way up... Another 15 mins crawled by... When she finally arrived, there is no signs of apology or even the slightest embarassment for being late and she just proceeded to explain to me the different prices for the different kinds of waxing available and I opted to pay a little extra for the 3D Wax.. which is suppose to be less painful. While I rejected her much convincing sales pitch on IPL brazilian, I could see disappointment in her eyes, however she proceeded to lead me to the room.
On the other side of the salon, there are 3 rooms and another table, apparently there is another lady sitting at the table offering massage services and an outsourced maintainance guy repairing light bulbs. As the rooms are just half partitioned, I started to feel a little worried as if he is on the ladder, he could basically see everything going on inside. I was let passed into one of the partitioned rooms and Liz the aesthetician just told me to undress my bottom and get on the massage table. I got on the lightly cushioned massage table with a piece of brown paper beneath it and covered myself with the towel provided. I thought to myself, I've been to worse NO FRILLS waxing, so this is still not too bad. However I never thought anything could be worse then my past experiences.
She then started to do the waxing and IT IS SUPER PAINFUL... For a seasoned brazilian waxer.. I would say it hurts way too much. Every blow is like tears shooting out of your eyes..
Firstly, no numbing or antiseptic lotion was applied, all you get is a little powder and your bare skin.
Second, the wax patches applied is too huge, this will cut down time but takes off much of your skin as well. IT HURTS.
Third, in delicate areas she just applied in huge patches left and right stuck together and proceeded to rip them off.
Fourth.. Expect no soothing words.. matter of fact halfway through she picked up her mobile phone and started TALKING WITH HER FRIEND.... Oh GOODNESS......
Five.. Don't expect it to be too clean because after the entire gruesome experience she will not help you remove the stray hairs or any other stuffs stucked there.
Its a mere.. I've finished.... get dressed and come out and pay for it....
On top of that... she asked me if I wanted to buy a package and the price is ridiculous. I could get better service and attitude plus more skillful aesthetician for a cheaper package.
This is unbelievable.... I only can speak for the brazilian waxing.. however i think that the nail parlour part is quite okay as i see alot of happy customers and friendly nail artist. They are most likely under the same company however individually managed.... So please try the other services.. just watch out if you want some waxing done... OUCH!!!!
Rating given:
Taking advantage of a free Saturday evening, we decided to have dinner at Pierside - a rather well established eatery under the Marmalade group of restaurants.
Just across the shore from the towering Marina Bay Sands, Pierside Kitchen occupies a corner of One Fullerton, playing neighbour to Chinese restaurant, Jing. There is an option of alfresco dining or a rather dim air conditioned interior. We opted for the former as the weather held out fine but it was the view that proved to be the deal clincher.
Complimentary Bread - Served piping hot, the complimentary bread was small but simple. And the butter melted effortlessly, which made for a nice stop gap measure against hunger pangs.
Hokkaido Corn Chowder - Smooth and creamy with a light hint of corn and a dash of pepper to accentuate the flavour, the chowder had bits of sweet corn in it to give it that nice crunchy texture. Pretty decent if you ask me.
Pan Roasted Foie Gras - It's been a while since I've had decent foie gras and Pierside didn't disappoint. While I wouldn't go as far as saying that it was great, the foie gras was respectable by many measures. A little crisp on the outside with a relatively smooth and quivery inside sans the overpowering gamy taste. Best eaten with the accompanying prune.
Crispy Duck Confit with Celeriac Puree - Crisp skin coupled with pinkish, chewy meat - no complaints really. But somehow the duck confit came up short in taste, coming across as a little pedestrian. Still a decent eat nonetheless.
300 Day Grain Fed Braised Beef Cheeks - I personally didn't quite take to the risotto that came alongside the beef cheeks, finding it a little too soft for my liking. The beef cheeks however, were reasonably tender and flavourful, with the only issue lying in the small portion size. The obligatory greens came in the form of a single stalk of asparagus chopped into half and topped with pepper and salt. Overall a decent eat.
Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Mousse - What I liked about this dessert was the fact that it tasted like one of my favourite snacks, Reese's peanut butter cups! The mousse had a very strong taste of peanut butter (not so much salted caramel) and sat on a crunchy hazelnut base. Accompanying it was a nice dollop of vanilla bean ice cream and a few slices of caramalised bananas. Only recommended for those who really like peanut butter.
Banana Creme Brulee - The banana creme brulee looked different from your regular creme brulee in a bowl/cup. It was rectangular and flat, with the less than quivery custard sandwiched between 2 layers of perfectly torched caramel. Adding weight to the dish were banana slices that were a little charred along the edges and a scoop of mascarpone ice cream. All in all a rather nice dessert!
With dinner for 2 hitting about $190, I wouldn't say it's anywhere near cheap or reasonable. And I am not sure the quality and quantity of food justifies the pricing. For me, it's probably going to be a one time off meal at Pierside.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Enticed by the AMEX 1 for 1 set menu at Tung Lok and the prospect of catching up, a couple of us met up for dinner at The Central's Signatures (TLS for short) outlet for dinner one evening. I've actually never been a fan of Tung Lok as I've yet to experience really good food at any of their outlets, including their much touted Humble House.
Located on the 2nd floor of The Central and immaculately done up to exude an air of oriental poshness, Tung Lok Signatures stands out from the crowd of eateries that crowd the area. Tables are spaced at a relatively comfortable distance and full length windows allow a great view of Clarke Quay and the Singapore river.
Flame Traditional-style Boiled Shark’s Fin Soup with Chicken - Gimmicky flames aside (due to the lighting of wax at the side of the bowl), I thought that the broth was excellent - flavourful yet light on the palate. Fin portions were reasonably substantial with bits of chicken to balance out the texture.
Pan-fried French Foie Gras with Crispy Beancurd Skin served on Pancake - Playing on the concept of Peking Duck, TLS's take on the pan fried foie gras involved serving the foie gras (with a layer of peking duck sauce on top) together with a crackling piece of beancurd skin and wrapped over using a rectangular piece of thick crepe. I honestly thought that it was an interesting concept but I did find the foie gras way too gamy for my liking. And that honestly killed this dish for me.
Steamed Soon Hock Belly with Minced Ginger - The soon hock was fresh but a little lacking in natural sweetness. One other gripe too. Being the belly, it had tons of bones which made it a pain to consume.
Crispy Kurobuta Pork Cartilage in Chili Sauce served with Deep-fried Bun - This dish seemed promisingly at the onset but didn't quite dazzle. The pork cartilage was coated with flour, deep fried and drenched in chilli sauce that was similar to chilli crab gravy, just a lot less spicy. The meat was tender but somehow I couldn't get past my psychological barrier to stomach the gelatinous cartilage. I liked the deep fried bun though.
Braised Japanese Handmade Noodles with Lobster Meat and Vegetable - Alongside the shark's fin soup, this was probably the best dish of the evening. Springy and robust noodles with minimal portions of lobster meat and a nice, savoury gravy. And of course, the obligatory 2 stalks of vegetables.
Chilled Grapefruit Shaven Ice topped with Ice-cream served in Pomelo - I was hoping for a sweet ending to my meal. But what I got was a cold, bitter dessert, which pretty much sums up how we felt at the end of the meal. But to be fair to the grapefruit, I'm just not a fan.
With the AMEX 1 for 1 promotion, 6 of us clocked in at almost $352 for dinner. Service was good but food left much to be desired. Even with the promotion, I'm not sure I would want to fork out almost $60 a head for food of such quality and portions. And with this meal, I have officially closed the chapter on Tung Lok, never to return.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Went to this hotel for Christmas, a retro-themed boutique hotel which is quite fun to visit once in a while for Staycation.
The lobby and lounge is striking with Fushia Pink as the primary colour, the only problem we had was, we were unsure where the queue at the counter was.
Can be quite inaccessible for tourists who are unsure of the bus system. Though the hotel provides shuttle bus, we are not sure of where to board it and had to rely on cabs to and fro places.
Rooms were cleanly and retro-ly decorated (even in the bathrooms!). Smaller than a normal hotel room but extremely clean and well kept. With Star Chinese Movie channel, a basket of complimentary soft drinks and tidbits. Best, with free Wifi.
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Went to this restaurant for brunch on Christmas day, the retro themed made our groggy morning/noon brighten up.
Order Laksa, Wings, Sandwiches, Steak, mushroom soup and desserts consisted of Tiramisu and Longan with Grass Jelly.
Laksa smelt nice, not too spicy, with eggs and prawns in it. But the prawns were not that fresh, unpeeled and not washed very cleanly as sand can still be found in the Laksa itself.
Wings were tad too oily and could have been marinated better with a bit of lime.
Steak was ordered as well done and indeed it came well done but not too much so the meat remained tender. The sauce though, was a mixture of black pepper and something VERY salty like soy sauce. Quite disappointing.
Their Tiramisu doesn't use Kahlua, the name of the wine I've forgotten, maybe we are not used to it so the Tiramisu tasted weird to us.
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Pro: Went to Nirwana Gardens Beach Club (Huts, 2 rooms to 1 hut) for my first trip to Bintan. Rooms are clean and big enough for 2 or 3 pax to stay comfortably in. Toilet and floor are clean. Towels provided are clean. The air con is working very well and seems to be new too. Staff relatively friendly, can speak and understand English. The best thing about this place is, there's a beach attached to it and it's almost deserted most of the 2 days we were there. I believe this is because most of the guests went to the beach at the Nirwana Garden Hotel. The sports centre is very nearby so accessible if you want to play Banana Boat, Ski Jets but you'll need to go to the Hotel area for ATV. The Club is also very accomodating and allowed us to extend our stay by 1.5 hours with no extra charges.
Con: Don't buy anything from the cafe at the beach club. It's about 10 times more expensive than the prices in Singapore. A bottle of 1.5litres mineral water costs $10 and fruit platter at $8. Don't go for the packaged massage sessions offered by the beach club. We went for 1 at SGD 75 each that includes massage, choice between sampan or private beach, ride to shopping area and lunch. In the end, we travelled an hr plus of dizzy and nausating dangerous ride to some other resort. Massage was ok but we weren't given a choice of beach or Sampan, we were directly taken to the Sampan, no notifications at all! Lunch consisted of measly nasi lemak at 4pm! We were also told that the package doesn't include shopping when it actually does. If you want massage, just go to the nearby shopping area where they offer $50 for 2 hours massage.
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Popped by Cova Pasticceria for dinner one evening since we were in the vicinity and everywhere else was packed. Started in 1819 in Milan and originally patronised by the crème de la crème of society, Cova has expanded to a few countries in Asia to cater to those who seek "the high life" (albeit if only temporary).
And the decor is telling. Dark wood coupled with European style overhanging lamps that throw off warm light and well designed cornices greet you as you step into the cozy space that Cova occupies. Simple yet elegant.
Mushroom Risotto - For $30 , I had expected something more substantial than a miserly thin layer of risotto which I finished in 2 mouthfuls. And to compound matters, the risotto was a little overcooked for my liking.
Seafood Spaghetti - The seafood spaghetti fared a little better though I did think that the spaghetti wasn't al dente. I liked the light tomato based sauce and the fresh seafood but as with the risotto, portions were pathetic.
Lamb Rack - I didn't get to try this but from observation, portions were still small.
Peanut Feuilletine - And for dessert, a tiny piece of peanut feuilletine about a third the size of a regular slice of cake you would get at the likes of Starbucks, Coffeebean etc. To give it credit, the feuillentine was nicely thin and crisp while the chopped peanuts provided a nice crunch to the whole dessert. There wasn't much to go around though.
A miserable meal for 3 cost to the tune of $130, which is ridiculously expensive in my humble opinion. Portions were pathetic and two people with average appetites would have been able to polish off all the dishes with ease (we resorted to MacDonalds after the meal). Food quality hovered around average to slightly above average but the prices (and portion size) definitely do not warrant a revisit. Also, service lacked warmth and I didn't feel invited at times. Maybe we are just the wrong target audience.
See all my pictures here.
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Another long overdue post. Caught up with a couple of friends over dinner at Mong Hing, a Teochew restaurant at Keypoint and where I once had a pretty good dinner before.
Prawn Rolls - The heh zhor was decent - Lean meat with pockets of fats and bits of prawn. Crisp but not too oily. Good for many bites, especially with the sweet plum sauce.
Homemade Beancurd - This certainly didn't look like beancurd, not with the circular shaped, golden brown exterior. And honestly it didn't quite taste like tofu. The texture was more like Thai prawn cakes, just a lot less dense and "fluffier" so to speak. Definitely not smooth and silky, the way I like it. The only giveaway was the taste, which had a distinctive beancurd taste. Although I like tofu, this is something I will definitely not order again.
Prawns with Deep Fried Pumpkin - At $24 for 6 prawns and 6 pieces of pumpkin coated with flour and deep fried, this was a joke. The prawns were drenched in sweet and sour sauce, which masked the natural flavour of the prawns. Total waste of prawns. The pumpkin however, were sweet and not too bad as a filler.
Stir Fried HK Kailan - Decent with a tinge of wok hei but lacking in dried sole fish. Wouldn't hurt to give a little more, would it?
Braised Goose - The goose was good - not too dry and well braised with the sauce not coming across as too salty.
We ended the meal with yam paste (orh nee) but I failed to get a shot of it. It was good but could have done with a little more fragrance. The infrequent bits of unevenness made for a nice smooth, yet inconsistent texture.
The 5 of us chalked up a bill of about $133. Not too expensive but quality of food seems to have dropped since my last visit. Maybe I should just stick to the likes of Huat Kee or Liang Kee or maybe I should give Mong Hing another chance.
See all my pictures here.
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I've always been a fan of Timbre's pizzas so when they came a knocking with an invitation to try out their latest offering, 12 Inch Pizzas & Records, I gladly jumped at the opportunity.
The restaurant is located on the 4th floor or V Hotel, a newly opened hotel directly above Lavender MRT and opposite the ICA. Getting up to the 4th floor can pose quite a problem as the hotel requires you to scan your card in the lift before you can select your desired floor. However, there is apparently a fireman's lift which doesn't have such requirements so you might want to consider utilising it.
The alfresco dining area occupies a huge section; one that's at least twice as large as the indoor dining area (which is very noisy and not conducive for conversations in my humble opinion). Sitting alfresco allows you a view of the neighbouring and distant buildings (ICA is one of them) and the blue skies that pervade the emptiness in between.
Interestingly, the menu comes in the form of a record, back from the days when gramophones were still in vogue. Catchy, really.
Seafood Chowder - Nothing like a bowl of good soup to get things going. But unfortunately, the soup was lacklustre. A little too diluted without the creaminess of chowder and richness of seafood. Forgettable.
Cheese Fries - I actually love cheese fries but this was disappointing as well. The cheese was a little too watery for my liking and lacked the "gooeyness" I was expecting. Credits to the fries though, which were of a nice thickness and decently done.
The Cranbellies - With absolutely no affiliation to the Irish pop group, "The Cranberries", this pizza was one of the many with names playing on various song titles and group names. What I particularly liked about this pizza was the nice comforting taste it brought to the table. Mild cranberry sauce coupled with pork belly, cheese and a nice thin and chewy pita like base and topped with slivers of crunchy green apple. Not your conventional pizza but I love it!
Goodfellas - Shrimps, sweet garlic butter, curry leave sauce, cheese and topped with crispy egg and cereals - sounds like a mish mash of ingredients but in reality, a combination that worked well! Sandwiched between the cheese and pita like base was a generous layer of sweet garlic butter while the crunchy shrimps (probably soaked in alkaline water) were topped with crunchy cereal and fluffy egg swirls (just like the kind you would find in fried fish soups). Delicious! However, too much of it made me nauseous because it did come across as very oily. So eat in moderation or share!
Tutti Frutti - Our first dessert came in the form of a 12 inch pizza as well but well, I'm not complaining. A layer of chocolate sauce beneath the cheese, sprinkled with fruits and topped with copious amounts of whipped cream. Not exactly the healthiest dessert, but it tasted interesting - Slightly savoury from the cheese but predominantly chocolatey. If you can't accept chocolate together with cheese, I would suggest you not to try this.
Deep Fried Ice Cream - Our other dessert and the only one in the current dessert menu that wasn't a pizza, the kid friendly deep fried ice cream. I didn't think too much of it though as the flour was too thick and hard for my liking. Also, the coconut ice cream encased within tasted really artificial. I would skip this in a heartbeat.
Overall, I had a wonderful and belly bursting lunch. Though the sides were merely pedestrian, the focus should be on the wonderful pizzas, which Timbre has grown to be associated with. On this note, I would like to thank Timbre for the invitation once again!
See all my pictures here.
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