Rong Guang BBQ seafood has two outlets where you can enjoy your fix on barbecue seafood, one at Ulu Pandan road near Sunset way, and the other at Alexandre Village. Dinner was at the latter, and they are the only stall selling barbecue seafood in the whole food centre.
Alexandre Village like most food centres are divided into three parts, the right, centre and the left. When you got almost all the tables on one side of the food centre eating from a particular stall, you need not guess the popularity of it. BBQ seafood in hawker centres are always a common sight, especially in well-known ones like Chomp chomp, and Newton market, they always draw in the crowd, we just love our sambal chili don’t we!
BBQ stingray ($8) The obvious choice when ordering BBQ seafood, people just love their BBQ stingray, it almost seems like when you mentioned BBQ seafood, stingray will immediately spring to your mind. The sambal chili packs a whole punch, plus the accompanying sauce which is sourish, goes every well together with the hot spicy chili.
We regretted ordering the small portion at $8, with the medium and big is $10 and $13 respectively. My brother finish the stingray in double-quick time and i only managed to get two bites. And i craved for BBQ stingray now.
Sambal potato leaves ($6) I know people usually order sambal kangkong which is an extremly popular dish, and so do we. But this time we decided to have a change and ordered sambal potato leaves instead. I’m not exactly sure about the name of the vegetable, but potato leaves is the direct translation from Chinese.
The belachan, strong fried prawn sauce is hot and spicy, i’m not really a chili person, but i can’t help eating more of it while sweating profusely at the same time.
Fried rice ($3) Surprisingly, the fried rice was actually quite good. I wasn’t expecting much and just thought that its normal fried rice when i happened to see another table ordering it, so i thought we would have fried rice instead of plain rice. The fried rice was very fragrant, i felt that it wasn’t the ingredients that made it good, but more of the skill in cooking the fried rice in the wok.
Total bill was $18.19 for 2 person, the pricing is similar to most zi-char stalls, and is definitely good for your pocket. The BBQ seafood is excellent even though i only try one of them, but i guess most of them are the same since the sambal chili is the key, and the rest will only depends on the freshness of the seafood.
I’ll certainly go back to Rong Guang again for my BBQ seafood cravings, and the one at Ulu Pandan is so near to my place. Look out for the next post on it!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Met up with my gf and her family one lazy day for a meal at a restaurant in Pasir Ris Downtown East. Having passed by this place many times but have never gotten the urge or the reason to actually pop in to try it. Apparently, there are 4 branches for this brand already but it seems a rather muted popularity which has to date not gathered much attention.
The interior is the usual with round tables, a narrow walkway and a barely functioning air con. The good thing is that there weren't many people there when we were there which was a great plus for me. Service was those rendered by nice chinese nationals which more or less sets the tone for the meal.
6 Chicken Wings ($9) - The food was served shortly after ordering and the first to appear is this half a dozen of chicken wings and they were pretty good. It was well marinated for a slightly sweet taste throughout while the skin was thoroughly crispy and well done. It wasn't overfried as well which meant it stayed juicy and tender for a quick bite.
Pork Sparerib ($12) - The sweet and sour pork ribs were equally well done with the pork rib being crispy and fragrant while maintaining a wonderfully sweet taste with its outer covering.
Sambal Kang Kong ($10) - The sambal kangkong had an interesting sweet taste which i can't differentiate if it came from the msg or due to their prowess in cooking the greens. It wasn't too spicy which made it easy for me to stomach as well.
Seafood Hot Pot With Mixed Vegetables ($13) - The Seafood hot pot turned out rather well also being nicely starchy with a generous amount of seafood thrown in and some beacurd to go along. Its standard chinese fare though.
Steamed Fish ($16) - The steamed fish would be the item to bring the day down it seems. It was oily, less then fresh and simply tasted muddy. Not something anyone in their right mind would order again it seems.
Total bill for this meal came up to $76.80 for 6 people. The most unworthy item of the bill is the charge of $10.80 for ice lemon tea which is simply ridiculous.
Finally, i'd say it really wasn't as bad as i thought. The place was decent, service fast and the food is served piping hot. Some were actually rather pleasing although most that were good was fried. Still, its quite a decent place for a zhi ca meal. Not that i'll be returning however.
Fresh Bulgogi belongs in the same vein as Seoul Garden, Breeks and is part of a larger group of restaurants under Zingrill holdings. As ever, their commitment to bring a large array of food to the masses has given birth to yet another chain which specializes in Korean Food. And yet again, it was my colleague's birthday which brought us to gather round for a meal.
Chicken Bulgogi ($8.99),Beef Bulgogi ($9.99)- Going by its namesake, the bulgogi should be first rate and thankfully, it wasn't too bad. I had the beef bulgogi which consisted of pan fried beef, bean sprouts, greens, kimchi and an egg atop rice which were reminiscent of japanese rice in that it was more moist and had much texture and bite. From my limited knowledge of the food, the only way i know to enjoy this was to mix the ingredients till it was colorful and mashy. The mixture in the end tasted slightly spicy and sweet which bodes well for me.
Marinated Chicken ($5.99)- Do not let this extreme close up shot fool you, the chicken portion was so small it was laughable that they dared priced it as it is. The meat itself was the usual korean marinated, which meant it was sweet and tasted like honey coated barbeque meat. It was rather tender too but the price and portion screams "RIP OFF" so loud its difficult to ignore.
Marinated Beef Short $15.99 - 8 pieces of beef for $15.99. Shock has more or less abated since its becoming abundantly clear on how these little items cost so much. The sweet beef is strangely elastic as its almost impossible to chew and break.
Seafood Hot Pot ($26.99) - Just when i was about to give up on the restaurant, in came its saving grace. The hotpot was huge and all the seafood within it was served uncooked thus the view was one where you see the food slowly simmer to a boil. Mussells, clams, prawns, mushrooms and scallops in kimchi broth. The broth itself isn't as spicy as the color makes it out to be and had a rather pleasing chunky texture to it. The seafood itself was thankfully fresh. Now, this, i can recommend an order.
Fried Chicken ($5.99) - Crispy, hot and moderately spicy, this reminded me a little about Mcdonald's spicy drumlets but bigger. Nothing much else to say though.
The bill for this meal came up to $118.19 after a 10% discount.
For a korean food place, i'd say its not too bad although the price needs tweaking to ensure customers don't feel ripped off from some of its small serving items. Still, i'm not returning to this place for a second meal though.
Was out one recent rainy Friday night to meet up with a couple of friends to do some catch up on our lives. Somehow, i haven't been making much time for them lately. The stresses of life maybe.
Anyhow, we were supposed to eat at Founder's Bak Kut Teh but due to the notoriously famous long queue for a simple pork bone soup, we were forced to cross the road of death to get our food fix from Loy Kee Chicken Rice.
Upon arriving, we were shown the secret seats around a round table near the back of the shop but quickly decided against eating at a place that smelled like the toilet.
Outside, we ordered a barrage of food which included half a roast chicken, half white chicken, some kailan and deep fried beancurd to go with our chicken rice. the amazing thing is how the 6 of us chalked up a bill of $60 on chicken rice.
The rice felt and tasted like it was soaked in oil and its even to the point that you could see the oil after you've eaten. It was that obscene.
The half chicken which we ordered definitely did not feel like half a chicken at all. The meat that was present wasn't too bad. It was tender at the least and was pretty good with the soy sauce but you could get that pretty much everywhere else.
The beancurd was plain bad with the skin being overly thick and the beancurd itself lacking taste and texture, the only saving grace was the thai style sweet and sour sauce which managed to salvage or mask the taste somewhat.
The Kailan was normal at best. Overly oily and salty.
If given a choice, its somewhere i won't return to for sure.
Looking for something to satisfy that hunger pang and sweet tooth?
Look no further then Beard Papa.
Personally, i've only tried their Beard Papa cream puff one day out of curiousity and i'm glad to report. It tastes excellent!
Sweet and milky cream adorns the inside of the puff while the outer covering of dough is surprisingly fragrant, hard and yet, easily penetrated with your teeth. One taste is simply not enough.
I do have slight complaints about the choice of sprinkling those icing on the puff though. No doubt it adds to the aesthetics of the item but its so light and so easily inhaled that its a choking hazard. I've not once but 3 times choked on the aforementioned icing.
All said and done, the puff is still a must try and i'm hungering to try out their molten lava cake as well. A good dessert and snack for any occasion.
Beard Papa Sweets is famous for their cream puff from Japan, with a tagline similar to that of Carlsberg, “probably the best cream puff in the world!”. I think i am kind of slow here, since Beard Papa has landed on our shores for quite some time, but i am only trying it now.
Today you can find Beard Papa throughout Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Australia, US, Uk, and of course, Singapore. And there are currently 6 stores island-wide.
Besides their original vanilla cream puff, there’s also the cookie choux puff, strawberry puff, eclair puff, coronet, chocolate eclair, fondant chocolat, cheesecake stick, and tiramisu. All in the range of 2 dollar plus per piece.
It’s always a burden on the pocket eating and trying so many different type of food, so when i saw they are having a promotion of $1.60 for their original cream puff, i didn’t think twice before buying the cream puff. But pity they only have it for the original flavor, i wanted to try their strawberry and chocolate too!
Anyway there’s always this promotion coupon on Sunday times where a cream puff also cost $1.60 each, but i was lazy to cut it out everytime though.
Original Vanilla cream puff ($2.20) I’m a sucker for cream puff, so the following comment would certainly be bias, and even exaggerating. The first bite of the cream puff brought me to the heavens, the fluffy and airy filling was a perfect complement to the light, chewy and slightly crispy pastry.
And i think at even at the $2.20 usual price, where else can you get such a big and awesome cream puff? I can hardly think of any place else, the durian puffs at Goodwood park hotel is excellent, but i don’t eat durian, and they are not exactly cheap.
After tasting the cream puff, i was reluctant to pass it to my friend who also wanted a bite, and was tempted to get a few more if not for the fact that i had dinner afterwards. I think i won’t have any trouble eating a dozen of it anytime.
Cheesecake stick ($1.30) The cheesecake stick at $1.30 is the only item at Beard Papa sweet that sells for less than 2 bucks. And i think at #1.30, its definitely a good deal for a cheesecake stick that is cheesy in flavor, and has a biscuit crust base to go along with the cheesecake.
Total bill was $2.90 for two nice piece of desserts, and i won’t stop myself the next time i pass by another Beard Papa Sweets, oh the tiramisu, the chocolate and strawberry cream puffs, and the chocolate eclair!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Jollibean has been around for many years, and sometimes you tend to take things for granted when they are always there, so it is until now that i actually try something from them. Jollibean actually has 35 branches island-wide till date, so it’s no surprise seeing them in your heartland halls or even downtown.
Soyabeans are one of the world’s richest natural foods, high in quality, low in saturated fats, contains no cholestrerol, are a good source of soluble fiber, so how much more can you go?
Unfortunately, i only had eyes for pan cakes, or “mee chiang kueh” that day. The selections from Jollibean did pose quite a problem to me as there were four different kinds of pancakes to choose from. The traditional one, the round one, the crispy flat one or the twisted one. The traditional one is always steady and reliable, while the round one seems more like those Japanese pancakes, and the twisted one nearly got me there since i didn’t try any kind of those before.
Jolli pancake selections ($2.20) In the end i got the pancake box which comes with three different flavours, namely peanut, red bean and cheese.
Peanut pancake The peanut pancake is easily the best out of the 3 flavours, the peanuts fillings were generous, and who can resist the crunchy peanut? I guess i am more tradition when coming to pancake, stick to the peanut one!
Red bean pancake The red bean pancake was all right, but somehow i found their red bean to be too sweet for my liking. And i think i don’t quite fancy the pancake skin, i should have gone for the traditional pancake, but there’s always a first time for everything.
Cheese pancake This was a disaster. Okay maybe i’m exaggerating, but the cheese was too plain, not cheesy enough, and i think cheese isn’t a very suitable filling for pancake, unless they are those hot cheesy, and will melt-in-mouth kind.
Total bill was $2.20 for a box of pancake. I think i chose the wrong kind of pancake, will be trying the other types next time. And i didn’t have a drink of their famous soyabean milk which is $1.60 for the original flavor, and they have other special flavours available. There’s also Mr Bean around if you don’t fancy Jollibean, competition is always good for us.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Made the trip east to Chin Lee or 深利美食馆 for dinner with my parents after seeing it in appear in a couple of television programs and writeups with regard to its good food and reasonable prices.
Located just below a block of flats at Bedok North, Chin Lee's reputation was evident as the place was packed on a Sunday evening and families without reservations were asked to wait or turned away. The air conditioned interior was simply done up like any traditional Chinese restaurant except that they offer two private rooms which can be booked in advance.
Fish Maw Soup - Tasting suspiciously like shark's fin soup ( I wish!), the fish maw soup didn't come across as too starchy and had quite a sizeable amount of crab meat in it. The fish maw wasn't too soggy and overall I found it quite a good dish.
Stir Fried Kailan - Found the vegetables very normal but I did think that the restaurant was a little too generous with the garlic, which made the vegetables a little bitter. Still, I can't complain for $6 though.
Homemade Beancurd - I thought that the beancurd was comfort homely food, with its silkiness and softness and of course the copious amount of minced meat atop. However it lacked the smokey savoury taste that I like. Still a good eat nevertheless.
Coffee Pork Ribs - Served up in an aluminum foil, the coffee pork ribs was a recommendation by the waitress. The aroma of coffee was strong but surprisingly, the taste was rather mild. Honestly I thought that the pork ribs were a little too dry and hard for my liking. Very edible, but certainly not a must order dish.
Orh Nee -
Interestingly, Chin Lee's rendition of this ubiquitous Teochew dessert was a much darker shade of brown than what I usually eat, which I suppose is attributed to the addition of gula melaka or brown sugar. The texture was also compact and glue like, yet very smooth and not too sweet. Definitely one of the best Orh Nees I've tried so far.
A satisfying dinner for 3 set us back by almost $62, which is very reasonable for the quantity and quality of food. Service was efficient and I dare say that this is probably one of the better air conditioned cze char stalls around. Chin Lee is a gem indeed. Just remember to make your reservations.
Off the beaten track was the theme for the day and my gf and I found ourselves at Buckaroo BBQ & Grill at Andrews Ave near Sembawang Park. Nestled amongst private houses, it's not a difficult place to find if you drive or if you know the area well, because the surrounding area can be quite deserted at night.(Most of the houses don't look like there's anyone living in them). It looks like a cross between a tarven and a beach pub, with its alfresco open air dining, wooden tables and flooring and the jolly lightning. Luckily there were no mosquitoes last night(at least they didn't bite me or my gf), so it made for a rather pleasent dining experience. Service was attentive and very friendly. I even made small talk with one of the waiters, something that's almost unheard of in fine dining restaurants.
After a long look at the menu, we ordered half a dozen of the Combustion Wings(Buffalo wings @level 1 spiciness) and a Spaghetti Marinara(seafood) and a round of drinks of course. Food was served piping hot and the portions were huge. I was shocked by the size of the wings as well as the spaghetti. The wings were easily double the size of those you could get at the market. Seemed like a bohemian task trying to finish the dishes, especially since we were already quite stuffed from all the eating at the World Food Fair 2006.
The wings were a little sourish(something which had already been forewarned by our server when taking our order) which my gf didn't really like, but it whetted my tastebuds with its tangy taste. A pity we couldn't finish it though and had to do a take away. The spaghetti was nice without the sauce being too overwhelming, which is the case with many spaghettis that I have eaten. The prawns were fresh and so were the mussels. (I hate mussels though)The drinks are your normal soft drinks, but if you drink root beer, go for the dispenser one. It tastes a little like Sarsi, which I'm crazy about.
The owner of Buckaroo is the same guy who set up Sunset at Seletar Airbase. In my humble opinion, its worth a trip down. Portions are gigantic, so please go with an empty stomach. No service charge is imposed as well, which is a big plus point. The waiters there are friendly and non pretentious. Do try the level 10 spiciness wings if you are up for the challenge. Do note also that the entire place is non air conditioned, so it might be a little uncomfortable on a warm night, even with fans blowing at you. They close early as well(1030pm on a saturday night), so please keep that in mind. Overall, a nice place to hang out with a group of friends over decent grub without busting too big a hole in your pocket. There's also nothing nearby, just Sembawang park, so don't expect any night entertainment of any sort. Driving is recommended.
Decoders cafe is a name that hints at its intentions, more to the point, its about games, fun and most importantly about friends. I happened to have the pleasure of being invited to one such gathering with our beloved Yebber and boss, Claudia for her XX birthday. It was a nice gathering and meeting of new people. Thanks Claudia!
Cheese Sausage Spaghetti - I didn't get to try this but the birthday girl did. Not too sure how it tasted but somehow it looks normal to me.
Crackers - This was actually the best item that night in terms of food. Not that it was special or anything but it was at least decent.
Potato Wedges - It wasn't defrosted well. Thats the reason behind why the wedges, though thick and golden brown, were hot and yet soggy. Probably some items they got from the nearby minimart or NTUC by the taste of it as well.
Chicken Soup - Most definately and without a doubt, this has to be campbell's soup. Watery, salty and thinly flavored with very little chicken meat will sum this up pretty well.
Spicy Drumlets - Probably the next most decent item but thats not saying much. Also most possibly an NTUC purchase since i could have sworn i've eaten it before. Sadly, it was not defrosted well as usual and comes with all the usual sogginess.
Chicken Cubes - Absolutely no idea what they meant by cubes but its the usual items you'd find in NTUC fairprice again. Except that is badly defrosted and fried with so much oil you can practically see it in the picture. Pretty much losing all confidence in the cafe's cooking by now.
Chicken Burger with Cheese, Fries and Baked Beans - The same horrible wedges accompanied the burger which looked huge when served until you realize its the burger (bread) that is huge while the chicken patty was a miserably small piece. For what its worth, it wasn't too bad.
Seafood Pasta - Soggy seems to be the in thing in this cafe. So is this pasta. The squid, shrimp and other items were sprinkled sparingly with the watery sauce having minimal taste.
Cheesy Potato Wedges - A small upgrade from the wedges before it. This time with cheese. Its acceptable but still far from good.
Bite Sized Ham and Cheese Sandwiches - They couldn't go wrong with this one now could they? Apparently yes and no. Each bite contained no taste whatsoever so usually, you're just left wondering why you are eating it in the first place.
Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream - The brownie was hard but thankfully had the taste of chocolate. The vanilla ice cream was normal but at least this combination went well.
Games and services - Now if i reviewed this place only on the food, it would fail quite miserably. What would you expect from a place designed to let guys play board games? On the selection of games and service of the staff, this place definitely lives up to mark. The staff will gladly spend time to teach the games recommended and they make nice recommendations to suit the players. Sometimes demonstrating and teaching till the gang gets the hang of the games. There are hundreds of board games to choose from and each is unique in its own way. Pretty well done.
1=SGD 0.0587
Rong Guang BBQ seafood has two outlets where you can enjoy your fix on barbecue seafood, one at Ulu Pandan road near Sunset way, and the other at Alexandre Village. Dinner was at the latter, and they are the only stall selling barbecue seafood in the whole food centre.
Alexandre Village like most food centres are divided into three parts, the right, centre and the left. When you got almost all the tables on one side of the food centre eating from a particular stall, you need not guess the popularity of it. BBQ seafood in hawker centres are always a common sight, especially in well-known ones like Chomp chomp, and Newton market, they always draw in the crowd, we just love our sambal chili don’t we!
BBQ stingray ($8)
The obvious choice when ordering BBQ seafood, people just love their BBQ stingray, it almost seems like when you mentioned BBQ seafood, stingray will immediately spring to your mind. The sambal chili packs a whole punch, plus the accompanying sauce which is sourish, goes every well together with the hot spicy chili.
We regretted ordering the small portion at $8, with the medium and big is $10 and $13 respectively. My brother finish the stingray in double-quick time and i only managed to get two bites. And i craved for BBQ stingray now.
Sambal potato leaves ($6)
I know people usually order sambal kangkong which is an extremly popular dish, and so do we. But this time we decided to have a change and ordered sambal potato leaves instead. I’m not exactly sure about the name of the vegetable, but potato leaves is the direct translation from Chinese.
The belachan, strong fried prawn sauce is hot and spicy, i’m not really a chili person, but i can’t help eating more of it while sweating profusely at the same time.
Fried rice ($3)
Surprisingly, the fried rice was actually quite good. I wasn’t expecting much and just thought that its normal fried rice when i happened to see another table ordering it, so i thought we would have fried rice instead of plain rice. The fried rice was very fragrant, i felt that it wasn’t the ingredients that made it good, but more of the skill in cooking the fried rice in the wok.
Total bill was $18.19 for 2 person, the pricing is similar to most zi-char stalls, and is definitely good for your pocket. The BBQ seafood is excellent even though i only try one of them, but i guess most of them are the same since the sambal chili is the key, and the rest will only depends on the freshness of the seafood.
I’ll certainly go back to Rong Guang again for my BBQ seafood cravings, and the one at Ulu Pandan is so near to my place. Look out for the next post on it!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
Met up with my gf and her family one lazy day for a meal at a restaurant in Pasir Ris Downtown East. Having passed by this place many times but have never gotten the urge or the reason to actually pop in to try it. Apparently, there are 4 branches for this brand already but it seems a rather muted popularity which has to date not gathered much attention.
The interior is the usual with round tables, a narrow walkway and a barely functioning air con. The good thing is that there weren't many people there when we were there which was a great plus for me. Service was those rendered by nice chinese nationals which more or less sets the tone for the meal.
6 Chicken Wings ($9) - The food was served shortly after ordering and the first to appear is this half a dozen of chicken wings and they were pretty good. It was well marinated for a slightly sweet taste throughout while the skin was thoroughly crispy and well done. It wasn't overfried as well which meant it stayed juicy and tender for a quick bite.
Pork Sparerib ($12) - The sweet and sour pork ribs were equally well done with the pork rib being crispy and fragrant while maintaining a wonderfully sweet taste with its outer covering.
Sambal Kang Kong ($10) - The sambal kangkong had an interesting sweet taste which i can't differentiate if it came from the msg or due to their prowess in cooking the greens. It wasn't too spicy which made it easy for me to stomach as well.
Seafood Hot Pot With Mixed Vegetables ($13) - The Seafood hot pot turned out rather well also being nicely starchy with a generous amount of seafood thrown in and some beacurd to go along. Its standard chinese fare though.
Steamed Fish ($16) - The steamed fish would be the item to bring the day down it seems. It was oily, less then fresh and simply tasted muddy. Not something anyone in their right mind would order again it seems.
Total bill for this meal came up to $76.80 for 6 people. The most unworthy item of the bill is the charge of $10.80 for ice lemon tea which is simply ridiculous.
Finally, i'd say it really wasn't as bad as i thought. The place was decent, service fast and the food is served piping hot. Some were actually rather pleasing although most that were good was fried. Still, its quite a decent place for a zhi ca meal. Not that i'll be returning however.
Rating given:
Fresh Bulgogi belongs in the same vein as Seoul Garden, Breeks and is part of a larger group of restaurants under Zingrill holdings. As ever, their commitment to bring a large array of food to the masses has given birth to yet another chain which specializes in Korean Food. And yet again, it was my colleague's birthday which brought us to gather round for a meal.
Chicken Bulgogi ($8.99),Beef Bulgogi ($9.99)- Going by its namesake, the bulgogi should be first rate and thankfully, it wasn't too bad. I had the beef bulgogi which consisted of pan fried beef, bean sprouts, greens, kimchi and an egg atop rice which were reminiscent of japanese rice in that it was more moist and had much texture and bite. From my limited knowledge of the food, the only way i know to enjoy this was to mix the ingredients till it was colorful and mashy. The mixture in the end tasted slightly spicy and sweet which bodes well for me.
Marinated Chicken ($5.99)- Do not let this extreme close up shot fool you, the chicken portion was so small it was laughable that they dared priced it as it is. The meat itself was the usual korean marinated, which meant it was sweet and tasted like honey coated barbeque meat. It was rather tender too but the price and portion screams "RIP OFF" so loud its difficult to ignore.
Marinated Beef Short $15.99 - 8 pieces of beef for $15.99. Shock has more or less abated since its becoming abundantly clear on how these little items cost so much. The sweet beef is strangely elastic as its almost impossible to chew and break.
Seafood Hot Pot ($26.99) - Just when i was about to give up on the restaurant, in came its saving grace. The hotpot was huge and all the seafood within it was served uncooked thus the view was one where you see the food slowly simmer to a boil. Mussells, clams, prawns, mushrooms and scallops in kimchi broth. The broth itself isn't as spicy as the color makes it out to be and had a rather pleasing chunky texture to it. The seafood itself was thankfully fresh. Now, this, i can recommend an order.
Fried Chicken ($5.99) - Crispy, hot and moderately spicy, this reminded me a little about Mcdonald's spicy drumlets but bigger. Nothing much else to say though.
The bill for this meal came up to $118.19 after a 10% discount.
For a korean food place, i'd say its not too bad although the price needs tweaking to ensure customers don't feel ripped off from some of its small serving items. Still, i'm not returning to this place for a second meal though.
Rating given:
Was out one recent rainy Friday night to meet up with a couple of friends to do some catch up on our lives. Somehow, i haven't been making much time for them lately. The stresses of life maybe.
Anyhow, we were supposed to eat at Founder's Bak Kut Teh but due to the notoriously famous long queue for a simple pork bone soup, we were forced to cross the road of death to get our food fix from Loy Kee Chicken Rice.
Upon arriving, we were shown the secret seats around a round table near the back of the shop but quickly decided against eating at a place that smelled like the toilet.
Outside, we ordered a barrage of food which included half a roast chicken, half white chicken, some kailan and deep fried beancurd to go with our chicken rice. the amazing thing is how the 6 of us chalked up a bill of $60 on chicken rice.
The rice felt and tasted like it was soaked in oil and its even to the point that you could see the oil after you've eaten. It was that obscene.
The half chicken which we ordered definitely did not feel like half a chicken at all. The meat that was present wasn't too bad. It was tender at the least and was pretty good with the soy sauce but you could get that pretty much everywhere else.
The beancurd was plain bad with the skin being overly thick and the beancurd itself lacking taste and texture, the only saving grace was the thai style sweet and sour sauce which managed to salvage or mask the taste somewhat.
The Kailan was normal at best. Overly oily and salty.
If given a choice, its somewhere i won't return to for sure.
Rating given:
Looking for something to satisfy that hunger pang and sweet tooth?
Look no further then Beard Papa.
Personally, i've only tried their Beard Papa cream puff one day out of curiousity and i'm glad to report. It tastes excellent!
Sweet and milky cream adorns the inside of the puff while the outer covering of dough is surprisingly fragrant, hard and yet, easily penetrated with your teeth. One taste is simply not enough.
I do have slight complaints about the choice of sprinkling those icing on the puff though. No doubt it adds to the aesthetics of the item but its so light and so easily inhaled that its a choking hazard. I've not once but 3 times choked on the aforementioned icing.
All said and done, the puff is still a must try and i'm hungering to try out their molten lava cake as well. A good dessert and snack for any occasion.
Rating given:
Beard Papa Sweets is famous for their cream puff from Japan, with a tagline similar to that of Carlsberg, “probably the best cream puff in the world!”. I think i am kind of slow here, since Beard Papa has landed on our shores for quite some time, but i am only trying it now.
Today you can find Beard Papa throughout Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Australia, US, Uk, and of course, Singapore. And there are currently 6 stores island-wide.
Besides their original vanilla cream puff, there’s also the cookie choux puff, strawberry puff, eclair puff, coronet, chocolate eclair, fondant chocolat, cheesecake stick, and tiramisu. All in the range of 2 dollar plus per piece.
It’s always a burden on the pocket eating and trying so many different type of food, so when i saw they are having a promotion of $1.60 for their original cream puff, i didn’t think twice before buying the cream puff. But pity they only have it for the original flavor, i wanted to try their strawberry and chocolate too!
Anyway there’s always this promotion coupon on Sunday times where a cream puff also cost $1.60 each, but i was lazy to cut it out everytime though.
Original Vanilla cream puff ($2.20)
I’m a sucker for cream puff, so the following comment would certainly be bias, and even exaggerating. The first bite of the cream puff brought me to the heavens, the fluffy and airy filling was a perfect complement to the light, chewy and slightly crispy pastry.
And i think at even at the $2.20 usual price, where else can you get such a big and awesome cream puff? I can hardly think of any place else, the durian puffs at Goodwood park hotel is excellent, but i don’t eat durian, and they are not exactly cheap.
After tasting the cream puff, i was reluctant to pass it to my friend who also wanted a bite, and was tempted to get a few more if not for the fact that i had dinner afterwards. I think i won’t have any trouble eating a dozen of it anytime.
Cheesecake stick ($1.30)
The cheesecake stick at $1.30 is the only item at Beard Papa sweet that sells for less than 2 bucks. And i think at #1.30, its definitely a good deal for a cheesecake stick that is cheesy in flavor, and has a biscuit crust base to go along with the cheesecake.
Total bill was $2.90 for two nice piece of desserts, and i won’t stop myself the next time i pass by another Beard Papa Sweets, oh the tiramisu, the chocolate and strawberry cream puffs, and the chocolate eclair!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Jollibean has been around for many years, and sometimes you tend to take things for granted when they are always there, so it is until now that i actually try something from them. Jollibean actually has 35 branches island-wide till date, so it’s no surprise seeing them in your heartland halls or even downtown.
Soyabeans are one of the world’s richest natural foods, high in quality, low in saturated fats, contains no cholestrerol, are a good source of soluble fiber, so how much more can you go?
Unfortunately, i only had eyes for pan cakes, or “mee chiang kueh” that day. The selections from Jollibean did pose quite a problem to me as there were four different kinds of pancakes to choose from. The traditional one, the round one, the crispy flat one or the twisted one. The traditional one is always steady and reliable, while the round one seems more like those Japanese pancakes, and the twisted one nearly got me there since i didn’t try any kind of those before.
Jolli pancake selections ($2.20)
In the end i got the pancake box which comes with three different flavours, namely peanut, red bean and cheese.
Peanut pancake
The peanut pancake is easily the best out of the 3 flavours, the peanuts fillings were generous, and who can resist the crunchy peanut? I guess i am more tradition when coming to pancake, stick to the peanut one!
Red bean pancake
The red bean pancake was all right, but somehow i found their red bean to be too sweet for my liking. And i think i don’t quite fancy the pancake skin, i should have gone for the traditional pancake, but there’s always a first time for everything.
Cheese pancake
This was a disaster. Okay maybe i’m exaggerating, but the cheese was too plain, not cheesy enough, and i think cheese isn’t a very suitable filling for pancake, unless they are those hot cheesy, and will melt-in-mouth kind.
Total bill was $2.20 for a box of pancake. I think i chose the wrong kind of pancake, will be trying the other types next time. And i didn’t have a drink of their famous soyabean milk which is $1.60 for the original flavor, and they have other special flavours available. There’s also Mr Bean around if you don’t fancy Jollibean, competition is always good for us.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Made the trip east to Chin Lee or 深利美食馆 for dinner with my parents after seeing it in appear in a couple of television programs and writeups with regard to its good food and reasonable prices.
Located just below a block of flats at Bedok North, Chin Lee's reputation was evident as the place was packed on a Sunday evening and families without reservations were asked to wait or turned away. The air conditioned interior was simply done up like any traditional Chinese restaurant except that they offer two private rooms which can be booked in advance.
Fish Maw Soup - Tasting suspiciously like shark's fin soup ( I wish!), the fish maw soup didn't come across as too starchy and had quite a sizeable amount of crab meat in it. The fish maw wasn't too soggy and overall I found it quite a good dish.
Stir Fried Kailan - Found the vegetables very normal but I did think that the restaurant was a little too generous with the garlic, which made the vegetables a little bitter. Still, I can't complain for $6 though.
Homemade Beancurd - I thought that the beancurd was comfort homely food, with its silkiness and softness and of course the copious amount of minced meat atop. However it lacked the smokey savoury taste that I like. Still a good eat nevertheless.
Coffee Pork Ribs - Served up in an aluminum foil, the coffee pork ribs was a recommendation by the waitress. The aroma of coffee was strong but surprisingly, the taste was rather mild. Honestly I thought that the pork ribs were a little too dry and hard for my liking. Very edible, but certainly not a must order dish.
Orh Nee -
Interestingly, Chin Lee's rendition of this ubiquitous Teochew dessert was a much darker shade of brown than what I usually eat, which I suppose is attributed to the addition of gula melaka or brown sugar. The texture was also compact and glue like, yet very smooth and not too sweet. Definitely one of the best Orh Nees I've tried so far.
A satisfying dinner for 3 set us back by almost $62, which is very reasonable for the quantity and quality of food. Service was efficient and I dare say that this is probably one of the better air conditioned cze char stalls around. Chin Lee is a gem indeed. Just remember to make your reservations.
See all my pictures here.
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Off the beaten track was the theme for the day and my gf and I found ourselves at Buckaroo BBQ & Grill at Andrews Ave near Sembawang Park. Nestled amongst private houses, it's not a difficult place to find if you drive or if you know the area well, because the surrounding area can be quite deserted at night.(Most of the houses don't look like there's anyone living in them). It looks like a cross between a tarven and a beach pub, with its alfresco open air dining, wooden tables and flooring and the jolly lightning. Luckily there were no mosquitoes last night(at least they didn't bite me or my gf), so it made for a rather pleasent dining experience. Service was attentive and very friendly. I even made small talk with one of the waiters, something that's almost unheard of in fine dining restaurants.
After a long look at the menu, we ordered half a dozen of the Combustion Wings(Buffalo wings @level 1 spiciness) and a Spaghetti Marinara(seafood) and a round of drinks of course. Food was served piping hot and the portions were huge. I was shocked by the size of the wings as well as the spaghetti. The wings were easily double the size of those you could get at the market. Seemed like a bohemian task trying to finish the dishes, especially since we were already quite stuffed from all the eating at the World Food Fair 2006.
The wings were a little sourish(something which had already been forewarned by our server when taking our order) which my gf didn't really like, but it whetted my tastebuds with its tangy taste. A pity we couldn't finish it though and had to do a take away. The spaghetti was nice without the sauce being too overwhelming, which is the case with many spaghettis that I have eaten. The prawns were fresh and so were the mussels. (I hate mussels though)The drinks are your normal soft drinks, but if you drink root beer, go for the dispenser one. It tastes a little like Sarsi, which I'm crazy about.
The owner of Buckaroo is the same guy who set up Sunset at Seletar Airbase. In my humble opinion, its worth a trip down. Portions are gigantic, so please go with an empty stomach. No service charge is imposed as well, which is a big plus point. The waiters there are friendly and non pretentious. Do try the level 10 spiciness wings if you are up for the challenge. Do note also that the entire place is non air conditioned, so it might be a little uncomfortable on a warm night, even with fans blowing at you. They close early as well(1030pm on a saturday night), so please keep that in mind. Overall, a nice place to hang out with a group of friends over decent grub without busting too big a hole in your pocket. There's also nothing nearby, just Sembawang park, so don't expect any night entertainment of any sort. Driving is recommended.
See all my pictures here.
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Decoders cafe is a name that hints at its intentions, more to the point, its about games, fun and most importantly about friends. I happened to have the pleasure of being invited to one such gathering with our beloved Yebber and boss, Claudia for her XX birthday. It was a nice gathering and meeting of new people. Thanks Claudia!
Cheese Sausage Spaghetti - I didn't get to try this but the birthday girl did. Not too sure how it tasted but somehow it looks normal to me.
Crackers - This was actually the best item that night in terms of food. Not that it was special or anything but it was at least decent.
Potato Wedges - It wasn't defrosted well. Thats the reason behind why the wedges, though thick and golden brown, were hot and yet soggy. Probably some items they got from the nearby minimart or NTUC by the taste of it as well.
Chicken Soup - Most definately and without a doubt, this has to be campbell's soup. Watery, salty and thinly flavored with very little chicken meat will sum this up pretty well.
Spicy Drumlets - Probably the next most decent item but thats not saying much. Also most possibly an NTUC purchase since i could have sworn i've eaten it before. Sadly, it was not defrosted well as usual and comes with all the usual sogginess.
Chicken Cubes - Absolutely no idea what they meant by cubes but its the usual items you'd find in NTUC fairprice again. Except that is badly defrosted and fried with so much oil you can practically see it in the picture. Pretty much losing all confidence in the cafe's cooking by now.
Chicken Burger with Cheese, Fries and Baked Beans - The same horrible wedges accompanied the burger which looked huge when served until you realize its the burger (bread) that is huge while the chicken patty was a miserably small piece. For what its worth, it wasn't too bad.
Seafood Pasta - Soggy seems to be the in thing in this cafe. So is this pasta. The squid, shrimp and other items were sprinkled sparingly with the watery sauce having minimal taste.
Cheesy Potato Wedges - A small upgrade from the wedges before it. This time with cheese. Its acceptable but still far from good.
Bite Sized Ham and Cheese Sandwiches - They couldn't go wrong with this one now could they? Apparently yes and no. Each bite contained no taste whatsoever so usually, you're just left wondering why you are eating it in the first place.
Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream - The brownie was hard but thankfully had the taste of chocolate. The vanilla ice cream was normal but at least this combination went well.
Games and services - Now if i reviewed this place only on the food, it would fail quite miserably. What would you expect from a place designed to let guys play board games? On the selection of games and service of the staff, this place definitely lives up to mark. The staff will gladly spend time to teach the games recommended and they make nice recommendations to suit the players. Sometimes demonstrating and teaching till the gang gets the hang of the games. There are hundreds of board games to choose from and each is unique in its own way. Pretty well done.
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