I quite like this place.. Its full of the 60s Singapore feel. I mean where can you find authentic hawker food in an authentic setting such as this anywhere in town. Even the chairs and tables are wooden and made to look like street fair like in the movies.
This place is indeed a heaven for tourist who are looking for more cultural emphasis. The food is great. They have chup chye Png (Economy Rice) Why is it called ECONOMY? anyway, yong tou foo, the famous fried prawn noodles and other stuffs like 5 spices beehoon, etc. The variety is more then what you can have in one day, therefore return trips is a must.
The best thing i love is these aunties trolleying around a trolley of drinks to your table.. Just like the past, no more queing for your drinks.. as well as the dim sum dollies... whose pretty dim sum are still piping hot even after many repeatation of HAR KOW, SIEW MAI, LOR MAI KAI....
The food is not cheaper then our common hawker centres however, we must give credit to the beautiful city view as well as the fabulous interior deco. After a good meal, you can burn out all the calories by doing good shopping downstairs.
Its a fabulous place to bring your overseas friends as well as a good lunch out with friends.
Music is always associated with style and with that we must always buy in style, visit stylish Music Shops and act stylishly while browsing through the cds. Thats my STYLE....
I am no music guru, nor a critic. However, I know good music when i hear them. They should fit my style... Yeah! STYLE is important to me. Gramophones always fits my style. Just having a set of good speakers blasting at the entrance has already attracted people of my style. The speaker and amplifier system sounds more then fantastic, with the crispy high tones and full bodies mid tones as well as the powerful bass tones is enough to make anybody salivate.
As I entered the store, i felt more like entering a lounge. With soulful music blasting away and elegantly placed racks and racks of cds as well as beautiful interior deco. I mean I can laze here all day.. Looking through every CD while enjoying the free music.
They serve a good range of various genre of music as well as the not so famous and well known singers. I love these little gems when i find them. Beautiful Tones I call them, they are indeed not what we hear on our nominal radio yet strikes a farmiliar note with me.
You want movies, they have plenty of DVD titles to choose from. Sometimes you can get them at a bargain. They have some off the rack items which are really a steal.
You can get almost everything here in Gramophone without the crowd and with free great tones as well as great service.
A good place to hang out or perhaps pick some great titles to brighten up the monday blues.
Its is crowded.. and i mean CROWDED.. The sits are so close to each other, as much as the market place. The food served were of a great variety, however, they are not as fresh as I want them to be. I particularly love their deep fried stuffs; like tempura prawns, chicken and etc. as well as their paper pot, which never fails to amaze me.. How come the heat can boil the soup without burning a hole in the paper?
They have a good range of sashimi but i would prefer them to be colder for my delight. They do also serve a variety of drinks and coffee which i love to take my time to savour them, however, I don't have much time to savour them. I somehow feel too cluttered and wanted to leave as soon as I have had my fill.
I should say its a fabulous place to indulge in food if you're looking for quantity. Its not exactly cheap but fun to go to with friends as its really casual dining and have a good range of jap food. The dessert area was ok.. with some nice mochi, cakes and ice creams. I find the durian puffs nice.
Its is a beautiful place. Situated in the middle of NOWHERE as well as lush greenary. I could say its a hideout right smack in the city.
So much about the surroundings, the interior deco is great. Simple and Zen-ish... with beautifully placed furnitures. The glass house features indoor and outdoor dining. 2 places i love the best.
1. The level one open air bar... Its beautiful to hear the bustling of the traffic but yet can't see it. Surrounded with greenary one can expect mosquito bites but if you are the thick skinned kind.. thats the place for you. Very stylish and sexy to hang out at especially in the late evenings when it starts to get cool and dark and you have the beautiful lights illuminating the greenary around you.
2. The level 2 open air balcony dirnking area. Nice cosy couches with a plentiful comfy pillows. I particularly like the fans. Antique looking but boy they are strong fans... cools up the place quick and effective. Its quiet and comfy and stashed away. I always love the feeling of a hideout.
They serve a great deals of drinks and cocktails. The food was great and served beautifully. Service is great and waitress helpful, however the toilet is at the ground level, in which is not so good for tipsy friends, less they roll down the steps.. which then again is a much quicker and safer for us, their sane friends dragging them home. But they ain't heavy, their my sisters!
The price range i should say is mid high. However its a great experience. A must go to check out place.
Great place for that unforgettable Dinner for 2 or perhaps a lazy afternoon food indulgence with the girls after your christmas shopping session. Believe Me.. You deserve to be pampered.
This Lobby Restaurant serves us with a great view of the greenary outside as well as the relaxing man-made waterfall, buzzling away all our stress and anxiety. Full Length High Glass Windows leaves an unobstructed view of the outside and somehow removes all obstruction of speech and promotes the openess in conversation.
The food is great. With sets and of sets of delightful yummilicious food on one side and beautiful desserts on the other corner. They offer i quote "exquisite international, Asian and local favourites on the menu. Our must-try signature dishes are Soya glazed gindara with braised somen, Crabmeat fried rice and Sheraton Towers Laksa served either fried or gravy style. Mouth-watering desserts that we are famous for include Chilled aloe vera jelly, Strawberry mille feuille, Mud Pie and Sheraton Towers’ own Ice Burger."
I would love to mention their fabulous sashimi which is so fresh that it melts in your mouth and smoked salmon and salad appetizers. They have a great way of presenting their appetizers and desserts in which i cannot but have to worship them with my eyes first before indulging in every bit of them.
I particularly love their durian cake. In which is served in the lunch buffet bad sadly have been gobbled up by the diners within 10 minutes of serving. However a great waitress brought me a piece FOC, or should i say on the house with orders from the chef after i repeatedly begged her for it.
And boy its really nice....
There are light durian sponge cakes on top in small cubes as decoration and a little cream. The inside of the cake is 80% made of REAL CREAMY DURIAN. So smooth and the texture was great. I can never have enough of that cake and its one of the best i've tasted so far.
So if you're there.. don't forget to drop by the cake display cabinate at the entrance of the THE DINING ROOM.. and its a great experience for me and i'm sure for you too.
Walking distance from Newton MRT Station, Shereton Towers is a perfect place for seminars, wedding and other posh events. Setting of this hotel is elegant and exquisite with a touch of a cosy home. Situated away from the buzzing orchard road yet still near to town, this hotel is a great place to put your guest in.
They have 3 great restaurants in the hotel and i would like to highlight the one in the Lobby. The view is great and what more the assortment of food is lagi great in which I will review about it later.
I went there for seminars a couple of times. Rather i find the ballrooms a little too tight, but thats perhaps the organiser's not so good arrangement. The food was great. Snacks were delicious and have a good assortments of cakes and finger food.
The stationary they provide is the usual pens and thin notepads in which i find their pens particularly smooth to write.. Perhaps i'm too bored in class.
The toilets were great. I'm quite a toilet critic, like many girls I do spend more time in the toilet and I expect it to feel great, look great, smell great and have more then enough amenities.. I've been to the ladies at the lobby and at the ballroom levels and they are all above average.
A nice place to have your wedding dinner, cocktail and whatsoever events. Great because no jams yet near to town... So if anybody wants a part 2 late night partying, they can head on down to orchard road which is but 3 mins away.
Me Me Me.. I ate here.. Since nobody review about it.. Hee Hee.. I'm going to be the first AGAIN!
Actually Frankly speaking, I still prefer the Outlet at Suntec City, the old deco looks great, though the tables and chairs look kopitiam like, but the food display is less cluttered, more jap look and seemed more exciting for me.
This new outlet accomodated the new interior deco. Food lined properly on the buffet table which is nothing more then a huge square centerpiece. At the sides there is a grilling and tappenyaki corner and on the other corner, you have pipping hot claypot noodles and other stuffs. What really interest me are these pot full of soups. They look exactly like a teapot with a cup as the cover.. Very interesting and with that a guaranteed funloving meal.
I was there for lunch and therefore no HUGE CRABS.. which I so long to have them. This outlet has got huge tables for big crowds as well as vertically louvered partitions for that more spacious look. Food is great as usual. I particularly like the assortment of tea bags the display.
First it feels good to be able to choose from those great display boxes. Secondly, I could never get to taste all types of the tea except for now. Thirdly, It was great fun with friends to be exchanging pointers on the different tasting teas.
The dessert counter was great as well. Me and my pals all had fun with the fondue.. contaminating the yummy chocolate with the juicy fruits, cakes and mushymellows..
In closing, I would say i would want to go back again, but certainly for dinner. I've calculated.. with this spread.. just eat more crabs and you'll get all the money's worth....
It was during one of the celebrating months for my gf that we finally decided to give Big Fish a try after numerous recommendations. My gf loved fish and so, this has been in our minds for quite some time. Honestly, we're just trying to see if there's another place as worthwhile as the Manhatten Fish market in terms of food offerings since this is pretty much of the same theme. So it was that we stepped in and had our first encounter.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was served warm and soft which is a plus but otherwise, nothing significant. Not too sure if it is made in house either since its rather bland and simple.
The interior is rather spacious with around 4-6 wall sofa seats and a seating capacity of about 40-50 when full. The thing is, when we arrived, there was nary a soul and when we left, there was still only one other customer apart from us. This was around 645 - 8 pm. If i were the owner, i'd find that rather worrying actually. Service was decent with recommendations, explainations and was generally pleasantenough to commend. They could improve on waiting time though, since we were the only people there, the waiting time of 15 minutes before our soup was served seemed rather obsessive.
Mushroom Soup ($8.95) - The mushroom soup reminded me of the rendition i had in Eden cafe under Clement. The taste and texture is packed with mushroom bits and had some cream in it as well. The overal feeling is that its creamy and starchy to good effect. The serving size was not exactly big however and at the price, this left me a little disappointed.
Seafood Chowder ($8.95) - The seafood chowder was packed with ingredients as well and had lots of squid, a few pieces of shrimp, scallop and carrots within. The end result is a pleasing soup that opens up the appetite for the meal to come. Again, the serving size is too small when comparing the price.
Seafood Platter ($51.95) - Not knowing what to order, we opted for a safe choice to try a huge amount of stuff at a "perceived" reasonable price. The platter for 2 isn't exactly full of stuff but it does have more then enough for the 2 of us to finish. Fries, fish skewers, mussels, crayfish, scallops and rice round up the platter offering. The mussels and scallops were of a decent size and there was 2 each which meant no fighting for the food. They were also reasonably fresh, as is the crayfish and the grilled fish skewers. The skewers were nicely done, not too dry despite the grilling, while the rice and fries ensured you will be full from the set. I did think $50 for this is still too steep a price to pay though.
Creme Brulee ($8.95) - Well, after a meal of overly expensive items, the dessert finally looked up to the task of living up to the price. The creme brulee came looking like a winner and in fact, it was the best item i had that night. The fruit and decor is a wonderful touch and it helps that the fruits were all sweet and complimented the dessert well. The sugar layer was a little too thick and sweet but nothing too big. The bottom layer, i suspect, is made from vanilla extract since i didn't see any vanilla residue in the texture but i'm not complaining.
Chocolate Souffle ($9.95) - I ordered this thinking it was a molten chocolate cake but i was wrong. A souffle is more akin to cakes with a springy and fluffy texture. In fact, Souffle means to "blow up" and is made of a combination of egg whites and various ingredients. Their rendition should be considered decent as the top was lightly hard while the lower portion is fluffy and a little wet with chocolate. If i'm not wrong, its supposed to come with some sauce but there wasn't any. Decent but not my kind of dessert.
Finally, this experimental meal came up to a whooping $97.65 for 2 people on a simple weekday night.
Well, to say the food is bad would be unfair but i couldn't help feeling a heavy pinch in my heart for the amount i spent on this meal. For what i had, i think a price tag of about $60 or 70 plus taxes might have made me felt better. For improvement, serving the food faster and more economical pricing would bring me back but not before then.
A long belated post which has lain dormant in my list for some time. However, the memory remains fresh nonetheless, fresh enough to provide a review and an accurate impression of the experience i've had here.
To be honest, i've been past this place so many times, its amazing how i've never felt the urge to actually step in for a meal. The exterior looks rather dull and dark but the interior is bright and cheery with clean wooden tables and nice black chairs for a zen-like feel.Service was brisk, attentive and rather pleasant as well, which makes me wonder why the place was so quiet. It was peak lunch period when we patronized it and somehow, space was aplenty with a rather abysmal clientele.
The usual compulsory crackers ($3 each) - This was rather pushing the envelope for the rip-off department at $3 per basket of crackers but i must say, i actually liked it. The crackers were good, fragrant, strong vegetable taste but add in the chili and its a whole new game. Spicy, sweet and just good. $3 is still too much for it though.
Tahu Telur ($8.50) - A rather hearty portion if i say so myself. The tahu telur was overly hard at places but managed to remain acceptable mostly due to yet another excellently fragrant sauce. Its just the normal peanut sweet sauce with a little chili but it really makes this average dish taste better then it really is.However, paying $8.50 for it is something i won't soon repeat however.
Garlic Stir Fried Kailan ($14) - Kailan stands as one of my favorite greens and its a relief that they managed to at least preserve its good tastes with this dish.Nothing outstanding, its the casual garlic stir fried version but its fragrant and very appetising.
BBQ Platter ($48) - Fried whole fish, 2 grilled prawns, generous bbq calamari and squid, chicken and satay rounds up this huge platter of food. This is good. I mean its really pretty good in terms of overal quality. The prawns are grilled till there's a little char on the bottom but manages to make the shell so brittle, you can simply eat the entire thing without much fuss. The fish is huge and deep fried on the outside with the inside still thankfully moist and soft with sweet spices. This went really well with the balachan-like chili. The chicken was overdone which resulted in tough and dry meat but the overal was still nicely fragrant and sweet. The calamari was also done just right and like the rest of the package, is sweet and fragrant. The satay is acceptable and rather bigger portioned then regular satays. Overal, this is a rather good buy to me.
Asam Fish Head ($22) - This was something i touched very little of because i didn't want to sweat like a pig before returning to work. However, i couldn't resist eating the tender and sweet fish meat that was left over by my colleagues. The asam was actually slightly spicy but not overwhelming. The curry taste was rather strong but the fish head was definitely worthwhile at the meaty portions. Fishy taste is apparent but minimal as well.
Tom Yum Seafood ($24) - Their version of the oh-so-famous tom yum seafood soup. This is the clear version and it came packed with seafood. I mean it was literally bursting with ingredients like squid, fish, mussels, prawns and scallop. Its definitely strong in terms of taste and moderately spicy but if i'm not mistaken, still milder then the actual tom yum soup in Thailand. A pretty good rendition and value for money however.
Finally, a pleasing meal for 7 came up to a total of $141.95. I'd say this is rather worthwhile given the food we had.
Last Word: A pretty decent setting and decent serving of food. The pluses are the fact it came with good service and that the price of entry is rather low. For improvement, i'd suggest having more set meal options and tie ups with companies for catering and such to boost visibility.
Was roaming the Raffles place area one late Saturday morning and popped by Village Wok for an early lunch. Actually that was the only place that opened at 11 ish so I didn't have much of a choice honestly. It also helped that they were hawking a set lunch set reasonably priced at only $8.90.
Located amongst a row of restored shophouses just opposite China Square, Village Wok is easy to miss especially if you are driving past because of the lack of prominent signage. The interior is simply furnished with parquet flooring and white washed walls.
Preserved Vegetable Soup - The preserved vegetable soup or 梅菜汤 came with the set and was rather normal but hey, its better then nothing.
Beancurd with Minced Meat - This was an extra order at $6 and honestly I was quite taken aback by the small portion. It was probably just enough for 2 pax - adequate but not exactly bang for the buck. To give it credit though, the beancurd was smooth and almost silky with a nice savoury taste to it while the topping of minced meat was generous.
Village Smoked Chicken and Char Siew Rice - The smoked chicken was purportedly an award winning dish hence I had to order it. While high expectations may have ruined the experience a little for me, I must admit that the chicken was actually quite decent. Faintly crispy skin with the meat harbouring a hint of smokiness without being too dry. I did find it a little too salty for my liking though and I do have a high tolerance for salt. As for the BBQ pork, lets just say that I've had better.
Hor Fun with Egg Sauce - Okay this dish was a tad disappointing honestly. It tasted average at best and the only upside to it was that the sauce wasn't too starchy or overwhelming. Still edible though.
$30 for a 2 pax lunch in a empty restaurant smack in the middle of Raffles place is not too expensive if you ask me. Food quality is decent but service was almost non existent save for the taking of our orders and serving of food. In conclusion, a relatively reasonable place for a nice relaxing lunch during the weekend. I can't say the same for weekdays though.
1=SGD 0.0587
I quite like this place.. Its full of the 60s Singapore feel. I mean where can you find authentic hawker food in an authentic setting such as this anywhere in town. Even the chairs and tables are wooden and made to look like street fair like in the movies.
This place is indeed a heaven for tourist who are looking for more cultural emphasis. The food is great. They have chup chye Png (Economy Rice) Why is it called ECONOMY? anyway, yong tou foo, the famous fried prawn noodles and other stuffs like 5 spices beehoon, etc. The variety is more then what you can have in one day, therefore return trips is a must.
The best thing i love is these aunties trolleying around a trolley of drinks to your table.. Just like the past, no more queing for your drinks.. as well as the dim sum dollies... whose pretty dim sum are still piping hot even after many repeatation of HAR KOW, SIEW MAI, LOR MAI KAI....
The food is not cheaper then our common hawker centres however, we must give credit to the beautiful city view as well as the fabulous interior deco. After a good meal, you can burn out all the calories by doing good shopping downstairs.
Its a fabulous place to bring your overseas friends as well as a good lunch out with friends.
Rating given:
Music is always associated with style and with that we must always buy in style, visit stylish Music Shops and act stylishly while browsing through the cds. Thats my STYLE....
I am no music guru, nor a critic. However, I know good music when i hear them. They should fit my style... Yeah! STYLE is important to me. Gramophones always fits my style. Just having a set of good speakers blasting at the entrance has already attracted people of my style. The speaker and amplifier system sounds more then fantastic, with the crispy high tones and full bodies mid tones as well as the powerful bass tones is enough to make anybody salivate.
As I entered the store, i felt more like entering a lounge. With soulful music blasting away and elegantly placed racks and racks of cds as well as beautiful interior deco. I mean I can laze here all day.. Looking through every CD while enjoying the free music.
They serve a good range of various genre of music as well as the not so famous and well known singers. I love these little gems when i find them. Beautiful Tones I call them, they are indeed not what we hear on our nominal radio yet strikes a farmiliar note with me.
You want movies, they have plenty of DVD titles to choose from. Sometimes you can get them at a bargain. They have some off the rack items which are really a steal.
You can get almost everything here in Gramophone without the crowd and with free great tones as well as great service.
A good place to hang out or perhaps pick some great titles to brighten up the monday blues.
Rating given:
Its is crowded.. and i mean CROWDED.. The sits are so close to each other, as much as the market place. The food served were of a great variety, however, they are not as fresh as I want them to be. I particularly love their deep fried stuffs; like tempura prawns, chicken and etc. as well as their paper pot, which never fails to amaze me.. How come the heat can boil the soup without burning a hole in the paper?
They have a good range of sashimi but i would prefer them to be colder for my delight. They do also serve a variety of drinks and coffee which i love to take my time to savour them, however, I don't have much time to savour them. I somehow feel too cluttered and wanted to leave as soon as I have had my fill.
I should say its a fabulous place to indulge in food if you're looking for quantity. Its not exactly cheap but fun to go to with friends as its really casual dining and have a good range of jap food. The dessert area was ok.. with some nice mochi, cakes and ice creams. I find the durian puffs nice.
Rating given:
Its is a beautiful place. Situated in the middle of NOWHERE as well as lush greenary. I could say its a hideout right smack in the city.
So much about the surroundings, the interior deco is great. Simple and Zen-ish... with beautifully placed furnitures. The glass house features indoor and outdoor dining. 2 places i love the best.
1. The level one open air bar... Its beautiful to hear the bustling of the traffic but yet can't see it. Surrounded with greenary one can expect mosquito bites but if you are the thick skinned kind.. thats the place for you. Very stylish and sexy to hang out at especially in the late evenings when it starts to get cool and dark and you have the beautiful lights illuminating the greenary around you.
2. The level 2 open air balcony dirnking area. Nice cosy couches with a plentiful comfy pillows. I particularly like the fans. Antique looking but boy they are strong fans... cools up the place quick and effective. Its quiet and comfy and stashed away. I always love the feeling of a hideout.
They serve a great deals of drinks and cocktails. The food was great and served beautifully. Service is great and waitress helpful, however the toilet is at the ground level, in which is not so good for tipsy friends, less they roll down the steps.. which then again is a much quicker and safer for us, their sane friends dragging them home. But they ain't heavy, their my sisters!
The price range i should say is mid high. However its a great experience. A must go to check out place.
Rating given:
Great place for that unforgettable Dinner for 2 or perhaps a lazy afternoon food indulgence with the girls after your christmas shopping session. Believe Me.. You deserve to be pampered.
This Lobby Restaurant serves us with a great view of the greenary outside as well as the relaxing man-made waterfall, buzzling away all our stress and anxiety. Full Length High Glass Windows leaves an unobstructed view of the outside and somehow removes all obstruction of speech and promotes the openess in conversation.
The food is great. With sets and of sets of delightful yummilicious food on one side and beautiful desserts on the other corner. They offer i quote "exquisite international, Asian and local favourites on the menu. Our must-try signature dishes are Soya glazed gindara with braised somen, Crabmeat fried rice and Sheraton Towers Laksa served either fried or gravy style. Mouth-watering desserts that we are famous for include Chilled aloe vera jelly, Strawberry mille feuille, Mud Pie and Sheraton Towers’ own Ice Burger."
I would love to mention their fabulous sashimi which is so fresh that it melts in your mouth and smoked salmon and salad appetizers. They have a great way of presenting their appetizers and desserts in which i cannot but have to worship them with my eyes first before indulging in every bit of them.
I particularly love their durian cake. In which is served in the lunch buffet bad sadly have been gobbled up by the diners within 10 minutes of serving. However a great waitress brought me a piece FOC, or should i say on the house with orders from the chef after i repeatedly begged her for it.
And boy its really nice....
There are light durian sponge cakes on top in small cubes as decoration and a little cream. The inside of the cake is 80% made of REAL CREAMY DURIAN. So smooth and the texture was great. I can never have enough of that cake and its one of the best i've tasted so far.
So if you're there.. don't forget to drop by the cake display cabinate at the entrance of the THE DINING ROOM.. and its a great experience for me and i'm sure for you too.
Rating given:
Walking distance from Newton MRT Station, Shereton Towers is a perfect place for seminars, wedding and other posh events. Setting of this hotel is elegant and exquisite with a touch of a cosy home. Situated away from the buzzing orchard road yet still near to town, this hotel is a great place to put your guest in.
They have 3 great restaurants in the hotel and i would like to highlight the one in the Lobby. The view is great and what more the assortment of food is lagi great in which I will review about it later.
I went there for seminars a couple of times. Rather i find the ballrooms a little too tight, but thats perhaps the organiser's not so good arrangement. The food was great. Snacks were delicious and have a good assortments of cakes and finger food.
The stationary they provide is the usual pens and thin notepads in which i find their pens particularly smooth to write.. Perhaps i'm too bored in class.
The toilets were great. I'm quite a toilet critic, like many girls I do spend more time in the toilet and I expect it to feel great, look great, smell great and have more then enough amenities.. I've been to the ladies at the lobby and at the ballroom levels and they are all above average.
A nice place to have your wedding dinner, cocktail and whatsoever events. Great because no jams yet near to town... So if anybody wants a part 2 late night partying, they can head on down to orchard road which is but 3 mins away.
Rating given:
Me Me Me.. I ate here.. Since nobody review about it.. Hee Hee.. I'm going to be the first AGAIN!
Actually Frankly speaking, I still prefer the Outlet at Suntec City, the old deco looks great, though the tables and chairs look kopitiam like, but the food display is less cluttered, more jap look and seemed more exciting for me.
This new outlet accomodated the new interior deco. Food lined properly on the buffet table which is nothing more then a huge square centerpiece. At the sides there is a grilling and tappenyaki corner and on the other corner, you have pipping hot claypot noodles and other stuffs. What really interest me are these pot full of soups. They look exactly like a teapot with a cup as the cover.. Very interesting and with that a guaranteed funloving meal.
I was there for lunch and therefore no HUGE CRABS.. which I so long to have them. This outlet has got huge tables for big crowds as well as vertically louvered partitions for that more spacious look. Food is great as usual. I particularly like the assortment of tea bags the display.
First it feels good to be able to choose from those great display boxes. Secondly, I could never get to taste all types of the tea except for now. Thirdly, It was great fun with friends to be exchanging pointers on the different tasting teas.
The dessert counter was great as well. Me and my pals all had fun with the fondue.. contaminating the yummy chocolate with the juicy fruits, cakes and mushymellows..
In closing, I would say i would want to go back again, but certainly for dinner. I've calculated.. with this spread.. just eat more crabs and you'll get all the money's worth....
Rating given:
It was during one of the celebrating months for my gf that we finally decided to give Big Fish a try after numerous recommendations. My gf loved fish and so, this has been in our minds for quite some time. Honestly, we're just trying to see if there's another place as worthwhile as the Manhatten Fish market in terms of food offerings since this is pretty much of the same theme. So it was that we stepped in and had our first encounter.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was served warm and soft which is a plus but otherwise, nothing significant. Not too sure if it is made in house either since its rather bland and simple.
The interior is rather spacious with around 4-6 wall sofa seats and a seating capacity of about 40-50 when full. The thing is, when we arrived, there was nary a soul and when we left, there was still only one other customer apart from us. This was around 645 - 8 pm. If i were the owner, i'd find that rather worrying actually. Service was decent with recommendations, explainations and was generally pleasantenough to commend. They could improve on waiting time though, since we were the only people there, the waiting time of 15 minutes before our soup was served seemed rather obsessive.
Mushroom Soup ($8.95) - The mushroom soup reminded me of the rendition i had in Eden cafe under Clement. The taste and texture is packed with mushroom bits and had some cream in it as well. The overal feeling is that its creamy and starchy to good effect. The serving size was not exactly big however and at the price, this left me a little disappointed.
Seafood Chowder ($8.95) - The seafood chowder was packed with ingredients as well and had lots of squid, a few pieces of shrimp, scallop and carrots within. The end result is a pleasing soup that opens up the appetite for the meal to come. Again, the serving size is too small when comparing the price.
Seafood Platter ($51.95) - Not knowing what to order, we opted for a safe choice to try a huge amount of stuff at a "perceived" reasonable price. The platter for 2 isn't exactly full of stuff but it does have more then enough for the 2 of us to finish. Fries, fish skewers, mussels, crayfish, scallops and rice round up the platter offering. The mussels and scallops were of a decent size and there was 2 each which meant no fighting for the food. They were also reasonably fresh, as is the crayfish and the grilled fish skewers. The skewers were nicely done, not too dry despite the grilling, while the rice and fries ensured you will be full from the set. I did think $50 for this is still too steep a price to pay though.
Creme Brulee ($8.95) - Well, after a meal of overly expensive items, the dessert finally looked up to the task of living up to the price. The creme brulee came looking like a winner and in fact, it was the best item i had that night. The fruit and decor is a wonderful touch and it helps that the fruits were all sweet and complimented the dessert well. The sugar layer was a little too thick and sweet but nothing too big. The bottom layer, i suspect, is made from vanilla extract since i didn't see any vanilla residue in the texture but i'm not complaining.
Chocolate Souffle ($9.95) - I ordered this thinking it was a molten chocolate cake but i was wrong. A souffle is more akin to cakes with a springy and fluffy texture. In fact, Souffle means to "blow up" and is made of a combination of egg whites and various ingredients. Their rendition should be considered decent as the top was lightly hard while the lower portion is fluffy and a little wet with chocolate. If i'm not wrong, its supposed to come with some sauce but there wasn't any. Decent but not my kind of dessert.
Finally, this experimental meal came up to a whooping $97.65 for 2 people on a simple weekday night.
Well, to say the food is bad would be unfair but i couldn't help feeling a heavy pinch in my heart for the amount i spent on this meal. For what i had, i think a price tag of about $60 or 70 plus taxes might have made me felt better. For improvement, serving the food faster and more economical pricing would bring me back but not before then.
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A long belated post which has lain dormant in my list for some time. However, the memory remains fresh nonetheless, fresh enough to provide a review and an accurate impression of the experience i've had here.
To be honest, i've been past this place so many times, its amazing how i've never felt the urge to actually step in for a meal. The exterior looks rather dull and dark but the interior is bright and cheery with clean wooden tables and nice black chairs for a zen-like feel.Service was brisk, attentive and rather pleasant as well, which makes me wonder why the place was so quiet. It was peak lunch period when we patronized it and somehow, space was aplenty with a rather abysmal clientele.
The usual compulsory crackers ($3 each) - This was rather pushing the envelope for the rip-off department at $3 per basket of crackers but i must say, i actually liked it. The crackers were good, fragrant, strong vegetable taste but add in the chili and its a whole new game. Spicy, sweet and just good. $3 is still too much for it though.
Tahu Telur ($8.50) - A rather hearty portion if i say so myself. The tahu telur was overly hard at places but managed to remain acceptable mostly due to yet another excellently fragrant sauce. Its just the normal peanut sweet sauce with a little chili but it really makes this average dish taste better then it really is.However, paying $8.50 for it is something i won't soon repeat however.
Garlic Stir Fried Kailan ($14) - Kailan stands as one of my favorite greens and its a relief that they managed to at least preserve its good tastes with this dish.Nothing outstanding, its the casual garlic stir fried version but its fragrant and very appetising.
BBQ Platter ($48) - Fried whole fish, 2 grilled prawns, generous bbq calamari and squid, chicken and satay rounds up this huge platter of food. This is good. I mean its really pretty good in terms of overal quality. The prawns are grilled till there's a little char on the bottom but manages to make the shell so brittle, you can simply eat the entire thing without much fuss. The fish is huge and deep fried on the outside with the inside still thankfully moist and soft with sweet spices. This went really well with the balachan-like chili. The chicken was overdone which resulted in tough and dry meat but the overal was still nicely fragrant and sweet. The calamari was also done just right and like the rest of the package, is sweet and fragrant. The satay is acceptable and rather bigger portioned then regular satays. Overal, this is a rather good buy to me.
Asam Fish Head ($22) - This was something i touched very little of because i didn't want to sweat like a pig before returning to work. However, i couldn't resist eating the tender and sweet fish meat that was left over by my colleagues. The asam was actually slightly spicy but not overwhelming. The curry taste was rather strong but the fish head was definitely worthwhile at the meaty portions. Fishy taste is apparent but minimal as well.
Tom Yum Seafood ($24) - Their version of the oh-so-famous tom yum seafood soup. This is the clear version and it came packed with seafood. I mean it was literally bursting with ingredients like squid, fish, mussels, prawns and scallop. Its definitely strong in terms of taste and moderately spicy but if i'm not mistaken, still milder then the actual tom yum soup in Thailand. A pretty good rendition and value for money however.
Finally, a pleasing meal for 7 came up to a total of $141.95. I'd say this is rather worthwhile given the food we had.
Last Word: A pretty decent setting and decent serving of food. The pluses are the fact it came with good service and that the price of entry is rather low. For improvement, i'd suggest having more set meal options and tie ups with companies for catering and such to boost visibility.
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Was roaming the Raffles place area one late Saturday morning and popped by Village Wok for an early lunch. Actually that was the only place that opened at 11 ish so I didn't have much of a choice honestly. It also helped that they were hawking a set lunch set reasonably priced at only $8.90.
Located amongst a row of restored shophouses just opposite China Square, Village Wok is easy to miss especially if you are driving past because of the lack of prominent signage. The interior is simply furnished with parquet flooring and white washed walls.
Preserved Vegetable Soup - The preserved vegetable soup or 梅菜汤 came with the set and was rather normal but hey, its better then nothing.
Beancurd with Minced Meat - This was an extra order at $6 and honestly I was quite taken aback by the small portion. It was probably just enough for 2 pax - adequate but not exactly bang for the buck. To give it credit though, the beancurd was smooth and almost silky with a nice savoury taste to it while the topping of minced meat was generous.
Village Smoked Chicken and Char Siew Rice - The smoked chicken was purportedly an award winning dish hence I had to order it. While high expectations may have ruined the experience a little for me, I must admit that the chicken was actually quite decent. Faintly crispy skin with the meat harbouring a hint of smokiness without being too dry. I did find it a little too salty for my liking though and I do have a high tolerance for salt. As for the BBQ pork, lets just say that I've had better.
Hor Fun with Egg Sauce - Okay this dish was a tad disappointing honestly. It tasted average at best and the only upside to it was that the sauce wasn't too starchy or overwhelming. Still edible though.
$30 for a 2 pax lunch in a empty restaurant smack in the middle of Raffles place is not too expensive if you ask me. Food quality is decent but service was almost non existent save for the taking of our orders and serving of food. In conclusion, a relatively reasonable place for a nice relaxing lunch during the weekend. I can't say the same for weekdays though.
See all my pictures here.
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