In the same coffeeshop that houses the famous Eng Seng Black Pepper Crabs lies a small nondescript corner stall that sells Wanton Mee. My colleague had raved about it so thought I would pop by to try it during lunch.
For $3, I got a huge bowl of kway teow with 4 relatively huge deep fried wantons and 3 boiled wantons. Each fried wanton had a generous serving of meat in it and was very crispy. The steamed wantons were rather normal though. However, count in the fact that you get a generous serving of char siew as well and this dish is really bang for the buck. Do try it if you happen to be in the area during lunch.
According to the television program, Makan Places Lost and Found, the famous Hong Kee Beef Noodles, which used to be at the old Cuppage Centre, has relocated to the ground floor of Amoy Food Centre. I love beef noodles and I make it a point to eat this dish whenever possible. And so there I was, literally running towards Amoy Food Centre during my lunch hour, to try and beat the lunch crowd.
I opted for the $4 version of beef slices and beef balls. Imagine my disappointment when I saw the miserable amount of beef slices that came with it. 4 beef balls were given, but they were your average sized beef balls that you could buy from the supermarket. Taste wise, the beef balls tasted like the supermarket ones except that they were very much tastier. Texture wise was slightly rougher and more chewy. The beef slices were a little chewy as well, but lacked the strong beef taste that I like. The soup was noticeably bland, just like the beef slices. Maybe its just the Hainanese way of cooking, I'm not sure. If you like bland stuff, then maybe this is the one for you. As for me, I'll stick to the cheaper and better (in my opinion) Teochew Beef Kway Teow located on the same level.
Had breakfast with my parents at Toa Payoh on a late Sunday morning. Read somewhere that Fong Kee's Duck Rice at Lorong 1 was pretty good so decided to give it a try. Fong Kee is situated in a small coffeeshop just right under a block of flats and across from the spanking new market and food centre. We ordered the Roast Duck, Roasted Pork and Shui Jiao(Dumpling) Soup for 3 pax.
The Roast Duck had a slightly crispy skin which is quite rare in most places that I've tried (with the exception of restaurants). The gravy was plentiful and Seaseme Seeds were sprinkled all over. Honestly, the gravy didn't add much flavour to the duck. I found the duck slightly above average in terms of taste, but a minus point would be the minimal meat. I like my ducks to be meaty with a crispy skin and not just a crispy skin with not much meat.
The Roasted Pork was a little too salty and pretty fat, which was quite a turn off. The Shui Jiao Soup was average and the Shui Jiao itself tasted slightly above average with its nice filling of diced shrimps, prawns and other stuff.
The meal for 3 cost $13.90. Not exactly cheap for Duck Rice, especially for one which fails to wow and with average sized portions. But it certainly is above average and should you be around, you are most welcome to try it out. Look out for some other stalls which serve excellent food in this old neighbourhood.
Passed by 933 Roast Duck and saw many photographs of celebrities gracing the walls of this small eating house with tables spilling all over the sidewalks and decided to try it out since my gf and I were both hungry. We ordered 2 plates of Roasted Duck Rice and a bowl of Bak Kut Teh to share.
For a stall that has received many good reviews and is purportedly one of the best roasted duck rice stalls in Singapore, it certainly didn't meet my gf's or my expectations. The duck was merely average. No crispy skin, no flavourful meat. Just plain old simple duck meat and it came with a lot of bones to boot, even though I had ordered duck breast meat. The secret to the duck rice lies in the chilli I believe. Concentrated and packing a punch, it is good enough for my gf to like it. The Bak Kut in the Bak Kut Teh was a little too soft in my opinion, probably a result of cooking too long. However, I found the soup very much to my liking. It was clear with lots of pepper in it (Teochew style). Flavourful yet peppery! But I would have liked some more pepper though.
Total for the meal was $13.40, which included 2 glasses of barley. Relatively reasonable if you ask me.
Following my virgin taste testing session that took place at Persimmon, HFB was honoured to be invited to another launch at TETSU ("哲"), which has just opened its doors at Tanglin Mall.
Japanese cuisine aficionados will rejoice a first of its kind authentic Kushi-style Tempura along with Tonkatsu menu, prepared “LIVE” before their eyes. Seated at specially designed counter bars that are in close proximity to the chef who deftly prepares their Tempura and Tonkatsu, diners get to enjoy a visual feast right before their eyes.
Diners can have a choice from a wide array of freshest seafood, meats and vegetables prepared either Kushi-age style (Skewered with Breaded Batter) or Kushi-tem style (Skewered with Tempura Batter).
In order to recreate the most authentic Japanese dining experience, TETSU has partnered up with one of the most established restaurant groups in Japan with 48 restaurants and employing over 1400 people.
The Hana Group, renowned for their authentic Japanese cuisine and has been advising TETSU in all aspects of their restaurant.
The night was kick-started with an appetiser off the menu, the Cold Tofu with Century Egg and Ebi Roe. It was surprisingly a good dish to start off with as the combination of the heavy century egg and soft tofu attempts to tickle your palate along with the salty exploding sensation of the ebi roe when one bites into it.
The Edamame ($4.00) like others are nothing to shout about, but something that stood out was the aestheticism of the dish, which is visually evident in all the subsequent dishes – it is only then that I found out that TETSU prides itself on offering the most authentic Japanese dining experience, taking it down even to the smallest of details.
The layout of the Kaiseki sets and even the art of serving up these gourmet sets are specially formulated in Japan, to ensure that diners can get the full “LIVE” experience, at the best value. In addition, much of the restaurant’s tableware are all specially flown in from Japan.
Moreover, the good thing about the Kushi-age Soft Shell Crab ($3.00 per serving) is that it does not come oil soaked, although I would prefer it to be slightly meatier.
One might also be intrigued to know that in TETSU, one also get a choice of three dips for their deep-fried food – Tonkutsu sauce, Japanese Mayo and Curry Salt.
Onsentamago To Tofu Salad, or Half-boiled (Hot Spring-styled) Egg & Tofu Salad ($13.50) is another dish that is dedicatedly prepared by the chef – using their bare hands to measure the temperature of the water cooking the eggs, and the eggs only taken out of the cooking water when the water is too hot for their hands to handle.
The only non-authentic dish that we tried that night was probably their Salmon Carpaccio with French Dressing ($18.00). Although the salmon was very fresh and comes with a very nice bite, I feel that the dressing was slightly too sour for me – let’s just say that I prefer sashimi the way it is.
Highly recommended was their Rosu Katsu (A set served with Salad, Pickles, Rice, Miso Soup and Dessert cost $24.50). Similar to Tonkichi, one is also given a bowl of Roasted Sesame Seeds to grind and add to the Tonkutsu sauce.
The sampling of their second deep-fried dish convinced me that their cooking and preparation technique is indeed accomplished. Although I pride Tampopo’s Black Pork Katsu to be the best in taste of texture due to its marbling fats, TETSU’s version comes a close second - one do not really sample the oily aftertaste in the batter.
It was then I was told that TETSU’s chefs have undergone intensive training in the chain’s headquarters in Japan. The attention paid to the preparation of Tempura and Tonkatsu is meticulous – TETSU chefs strictly ensure that all preparation techniques, from marination, to the type of batter and oil, to the time of frying, adhere to their timeless traditional Japanese recipes.
The Roll Sushi ($18.00 for 6 pieces) was another item that was painstaking prepared in many process. One would probably mistook it for a salmon roll sushi if one weren’t told that the filling also consists of scallop and tuna, as the saltiness of the cooked salmon seeks to over-whelmed it. However having said that, it was still a pretty enjoyable sushi roll due to the crunchy batter and the aromatic Sesame Seeds and pairing of Ebi Roe.
The Kushi-style cuisine is very popular in Japan because the skewer-style makes it easy for customers eat and enjoy their sake, shoju or wine at the same time.
However to be honest, by the time the Kaiseki Set Course B ($45.00) consisting of 4 Assorted Appetisers, Stick Vegetables, Kani-Suki (Paper Pot Crab Sukiyaki), Kushi-age or Kushi-Tem, Udon and Dessert arrived, I was pretty much filled up and my palate started to fail me. So I shall let the pictures speak for themselves.
However, one thing I remembered clearly was the very unique Japan-imported Udon that gives one a very chewy bite – one has to try it to truly understand what I mean.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Pris and TETSU for their generous hospitality.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Heard many good things about Santouka or らーめん 山頭火 since its opening at Central a couple of months back so popped by for dinner one weekend. Santouka originates from Hokkaido and has a chain of about 50 stores in Japan. Their shio (salted) ramen has been praised by many as one of the best around.
Hidden in an obscure corner of Central just behind Grains, Santouka occupies a small dining area which overlooks Clarke Quay and the river. Sitting capacity probably peaks at about 30 pax so queues are a common sight. Just for the record, I had to wait for a good 25 mins for a table at 745pm on a Saturday evening.
Char Siew Rice Shio - This came as a set consisting of char siew rice, char siew ramen (shio) and an egg. Honestly, the ramen looked like instant noodles to me but thankfully, it tasted a whole lot better - springy and light. The milky pork base broth was rather rich and intense in flavour and had a very distinctive pork taste. Not that its really a good thing though because it made me nauseous after a while. The char siew slices were a little too soft for my liking and it didn't help that they were salty.
The char siew rice was average, but at least the rice helped to neutralise the saltiness of the char siew. As for the egg, I've never eaten such stuff before but I didn't quite take to it as the texture of the egg white was a little jelly like, which turned me off.
Toro Niku Shio Ramen - Toro Niku is precious cheek meat from a pig and is said to have the right amount of fat and tenderness. I agree to a certain extent. Right amount of fat, yes. Tenderness, a little too tender if you ask me. And it was plain salty which made me uneasy after a while. It definitely didn't help that the broth was rich. Salty and milky equals a recipe for nausea, for me at least. As with the char siew shio ramen, the ramen itself was springy and light.
Tokusen Toroniku - This was a side order of the beef cheek, which did seem like a mistake after all. A little too tender and salty, just like the ones that came with the Toro Niku Shio Ramen. And $8 for 6 slices of meat isn't exactly value for money honestly.
Dinner for 2 came up to a nice round figure of $50 and we walked out feeling nauseous. That's too much milky and salty stuff for you. In all fairness, the ramen was actually very decent but I still prefer Tampopo's rendition, if anything, for the pork. For me, once is enough. I really don't fancy queuing up for 30 mins just to have a go at Santouka again.
Singapore Airlines is truly a great way to fly! I agree with Feizhu that they offer excellent in-flight entertainment. I commute to Australia pretty often over the past few yrs and compared to Qantas, their movies and games on offering are very good.
Although leg space is always a problem for me in budget flight, it is not same for me in SQ. One thing I particularly look forward to when I board SQ each time is that they dished out local newspaper on board - TNA and ST!!! Oh and not forgetting local delights like Mee Goreng for return flight.
Sad to say, standard of the Singapore Girl has fallen over the years from looks to service - Blah - but nevertheless they are still a looker compared to the aunties in BA.
Singapore airlines ranks first in my choice of airlines partially because I'm Singaporean! However there's more to Singapore airlines than blind patriotism. Its one of the few airlines that offer inflight entertainment consisting of dozens of movies and games which is guaranteed to occupy you even for the longest of journeys (I used to commute between Canada and Singapore - a 17 hr journey!) Service is decent but leg space loses out to other European/American airlines. I Like the fact that I can custom my meals as well. But do note that it costs quite a bit more than other airlines.
Social Media Breakfast 2: Singapore is held at Cafe Domus, a very cool cafe which operates only when the sun goes down, and party till late night. Luckily for us, SMB main organizer Daryl managed to get the owner of the place to open the place for us.
Cafe Domus is located at 124 Owen Road, the nearest Mrt Station is Farrer Park (NEL). The other shop houses along Owen Road is definitely not what you will expect a cafe like Domus will be located at, the area is more like a industrial area.
From the outside, this is certainly not what i had imagined the place to be like. So imagine the suprise that i got when i stepped to the back of the cafe. Wow! is the word to describe.
It seems that we have been transported into a different world all together, from the bright pink wallpaper of the cafe front with its chandelier, welcome to the natural open-space garden!
The seats are logs in case you didn’t notice, and the small bamboo shoots provided cover from the blazing sun. Mosquito coils are prepared on hand, to prevent any “unpleasant” incidents.
I must admit the place is really quite an eye-opener for me, its unique Al fresco area will be even better during the night, with small candles lit up all over the place, can you imagine how it will be like?
I even climb up the stairs to the upper area where there’s this small area which can seat about 4-5. Great place if you want to spend some time with your love ones and friends.
We had catered food, which was not on the usual menu. But a quick glance at their menu, they have finger food, and also home-made desserts like brownies and cakes.
Cafe Domus also serve alcohol drinks like vodka and martinis, and a wide range of other drinks. Its really a very cool place to chill out with your friends.
And if you are staying nearby, or alone the NEL, there's totally no reason for not visiting the place! Go on check them out, and do remember they only start operations at 7pm till late night.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Coffee Club @ Holland Village is located right at the end of Lorong Mambong, the street that is the heart and soul of Holland Village. Having live in Holland when i was young, the street has since undergo many transformations, and i think most of the shops back then are not there anymore.
After reading Coffee Club’s website, i then realized that they had actually opened their first gourmet coffee house in Holland Village in 1991. But to be honest, i didn’t have any memories of Coffee Club back then.
Today Coffee Club has 21 outlets island-wide, and this is actually the first time i’m stepping into Coffee Club. Can you believe it? Well i been to Coffee Bean, Starbucks, but not Coffee Club.
And i have not went to The Coffee Connoisseur (TCC) before either, looks like a visit to TCC is on the cards.
The interior of the Coffee Club at Holland Village is relaxing, and looks great for a chill-out place. Thats exactly the reason that prompted my friend and i here.
There’s also al fresco area for those who like to stay out of the air-condition.
Iced Mocha ($6.90) My friend had the iced mocha, like i mentioned previously in the Cedele post, i’m not a big fan of mocha, i rather spend the money on desserts, but my friend find the mocha to be all right.
Vienna Chocolate Cake ($5) This, is what i’ll spend on my money on when i frequent coffee houses and cafes. Seriously i wont spend 6-7 bucks on a cup of coffee, partly because i don’t drink much coffee also. I love desserts, give me desserts everyday!
The Vienna Chocolate cake by its account, isn’t that great, there’s nothing special about the cake, well except its chocolate.
But to be fair, at 5 bucks a slice, it is really quite worth the money if you often have cravings for cakes, like me.
Total Bill was $14 for one mocha and one cake after the 17% you-know-what. The ambience of Coffee Club at Holland Village branch was excellent for a chill-out place, my friend and i were there chatting for about two hours, and there wasn’t much crowd around.
The menu for their main course looks tempting, in the dollar sense its quite reasonable. But i’m quite skeptical about the quality of the food in coffee houses. We’ll see how it goes then. Maybe when i’m low on budget, i’ll give their mains a try. Until then, chill-out!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
1=SGD 0.0587
In the same coffeeshop that houses the famous Eng Seng Black Pepper Crabs lies a small nondescript corner stall that sells Wanton Mee. My colleague had raved about it so thought I would pop by to try it during lunch.
For $3, I got a huge bowl of kway teow with 4 relatively huge deep fried wantons and 3 boiled wantons. Each fried wanton had a generous serving of meat in it and was very crispy. The steamed wantons were rather normal though. However, count in the fact that you get a generous serving of char siew as well and this dish is really bang for the buck. Do try it if you happen to be in the area during lunch.
Rating given:
According to the television program, Makan Places Lost and Found, the famous Hong Kee Beef Noodles, which used to be at the old Cuppage Centre, has relocated to the ground floor of Amoy Food Centre. I love beef noodles and I make it a point to eat this dish whenever possible. And so there I was, literally running towards Amoy Food Centre during my lunch hour, to try and beat the lunch crowd.
I opted for the $4 version of beef slices and beef balls. Imagine my disappointment when I saw the miserable amount of beef slices that came with it. 4 beef balls were given, but they were your average sized beef balls that you could buy from the supermarket. Taste wise, the beef balls tasted like the supermarket ones except that they were very much tastier. Texture wise was slightly rougher and more chewy. The beef slices were a little chewy as well, but lacked the strong beef taste that I like. The soup was noticeably bland, just like the beef slices. Maybe its just the Hainanese way of cooking, I'm not sure. If you like bland stuff, then maybe this is the one for you. As for me, I'll stick to the cheaper and better (in my opinion) Teochew Beef Kway Teow located on the same level.
Rating given:
Had breakfast with my parents at Toa Payoh on a late Sunday morning. Read somewhere that Fong Kee's Duck Rice at Lorong 1 was pretty good so decided to give it a try. Fong Kee is situated in a small coffeeshop just right under a block of flats and across from the spanking new market and food centre. We ordered the Roast Duck, Roasted Pork and Shui Jiao(Dumpling) Soup for 3 pax.
The Roast Duck had a slightly crispy skin which is quite rare in most places that I've tried (with the exception of restaurants). The gravy was plentiful and Seaseme Seeds were sprinkled all over. Honestly, the gravy didn't add much flavour to the duck. I found the duck slightly above average in terms of taste, but a minus point would be the minimal meat. I like my ducks to be meaty with a crispy skin and not just a crispy skin with not much meat.
The Roasted Pork was a little too salty and pretty fat, which was quite a turn off. The Shui Jiao Soup was average and the Shui Jiao itself tasted slightly above average with its nice filling of diced shrimps, prawns and other stuff.
The meal for 3 cost $13.90. Not exactly cheap for Duck Rice, especially for one which fails to wow and with average sized portions. But it certainly is above average and should you be around, you are most welcome to try it out. Look out for some other stalls which serve excellent food in this old neighbourhood.
Rating given:
Passed by 933 Roast Duck and saw many photographs of celebrities gracing the walls of this small eating house with tables spilling all over the sidewalks and decided to try it out since my gf and I were both hungry. We ordered 2 plates of Roasted Duck Rice and a bowl of Bak Kut Teh to share.
For a stall that has received many good reviews and is purportedly one of the best roasted duck rice stalls in Singapore, it certainly didn't meet my gf's or my expectations. The duck was merely average. No crispy skin, no flavourful meat. Just plain old simple duck meat and it came with a lot of bones to boot, even though I had ordered duck breast meat. The secret to the duck rice lies in the chilli I believe. Concentrated and packing a punch, it is good enough for my gf to like it. The Bak Kut in the Bak Kut Teh was a little too soft in my opinion, probably a result of cooking too long. However, I found the soup very much to my liking. It was clear with lots of pepper in it (Teochew style). Flavourful yet peppery! But I would have liked some more pepper though.
Total for the meal was $13.40, which included 2 glasses of barley. Relatively reasonable if you ask me.
Rating given:
Following my virgin taste testing session that took place at Persimmon, HFB was honoured to be invited to another launch at TETSU ("哲"), which has just opened its doors at Tanglin Mall.
Japanese cuisine aficionados will rejoice a first of its kind authentic Kushi-style Tempura along with Tonkatsu menu, prepared “LIVE” before their eyes. Seated at specially designed counter bars that are in close proximity to the chef who deftly prepares their Tempura and Tonkatsu, diners get to enjoy a visual feast right before their eyes.
Diners can have a choice from a wide array of freshest seafood, meats and vegetables prepared either Kushi-age style (Skewered with Breaded Batter) or Kushi-tem style (Skewered with Tempura Batter).
In order to recreate the most authentic Japanese dining experience, TETSU has partnered up with one of the most established restaurant groups in Japan with 48 restaurants and employing over 1400 people.
The Hana Group, renowned for their authentic Japanese cuisine and has been advising TETSU in all aspects of their restaurant.
The night was kick-started with an appetiser off the menu, the Cold Tofu with Century Egg and Ebi Roe. It was surprisingly a good dish to start off with as the combination of the heavy century egg and soft tofu attempts to tickle your palate along with the salty exploding sensation of the ebi roe when one bites into it.
The Edamame ($4.00) like others are nothing to shout about, but something that stood out was the aestheticism of the dish, which is visually evident in all the subsequent dishes – it is only then that I found out that TETSU prides itself on offering the most authentic Japanese dining experience, taking it down even to the smallest of details.
The layout of the Kaiseki sets and even the art of serving up these gourmet sets are specially formulated in Japan, to ensure that diners can get the full “LIVE” experience, at the best value. In addition, much of the restaurant’s tableware are all specially flown in from Japan.
Moreover, the good thing about the Kushi-age Soft Shell Crab ($3.00 per serving) is that it does not come oil soaked, although I would prefer it to be slightly meatier.
One might also be intrigued to know that in TETSU, one also get a choice of three dips for their deep-fried food – Tonkutsu sauce, Japanese Mayo and Curry Salt.
Onsentamago To Tofu Salad, or Half-boiled (Hot Spring-styled) Egg & Tofu Salad ($13.50) is another dish that is dedicatedly prepared by the chef – using their bare hands to measure the temperature of the water cooking the eggs, and the eggs only taken out of the cooking water when the water is too hot for their hands to handle.
The only non-authentic dish that we tried that night was probably their Salmon Carpaccio with French Dressing ($18.00). Although the salmon was very fresh and comes with a very nice bite, I feel that the dressing was slightly too sour for me – let’s just say that I prefer sashimi the way it is.
Highly recommended was their Rosu Katsu (A set served with Salad, Pickles, Rice, Miso Soup and Dessert cost $24.50). Similar to Tonkichi, one is also given a bowl of Roasted Sesame Seeds to grind and add to the Tonkutsu sauce.
The sampling of their second deep-fried dish convinced me that their cooking and preparation technique is indeed accomplished. Although I pride Tampopo’s Black Pork Katsu to be the best in taste of texture due to its marbling fats, TETSU’s version comes a close second - one do not really sample the oily aftertaste in the batter.
It was then I was told that TETSU’s chefs have undergone intensive training in the chain’s headquarters in Japan. The attention paid to the preparation of Tempura and Tonkatsu is meticulous – TETSU chefs strictly ensure that all preparation techniques, from marination, to the type of batter and oil, to the time of frying, adhere to their timeless traditional Japanese recipes.
The Roll Sushi ($18.00 for 6 pieces) was another item that was painstaking prepared in many process. One would probably mistook it for a salmon roll sushi if one weren’t told that the filling also consists of scallop and tuna, as the saltiness of the cooked salmon seeks to over-whelmed it. However having said that, it was still a pretty enjoyable sushi roll due to the crunchy batter and the aromatic Sesame Seeds and pairing of Ebi Roe.
The Kushi-style cuisine is very popular in Japan because the skewer-style makes it easy for customers eat and enjoy their sake, shoju or wine at the same time.
However to be honest, by the time the Kaiseki Set Course B ($45.00) consisting of 4 Assorted Appetisers, Stick Vegetables, Kani-Suki (Paper Pot Crab Sukiyaki), Kushi-age or Kushi-Tem, Udon and Dessert arrived, I was pretty much filled up and my palate started to fail me. So I shall let the pictures speak for themselves.
However, one thing I remembered clearly was the very unique Japan-imported Udon that gives one a very chewy bite – one has to try it to truly understand what I mean.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Pris and TETSU for their generous hospitality.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
Heard many good things about Santouka or らーめん 山頭火 since its opening at Central a couple of months back so popped by for dinner one weekend. Santouka originates from Hokkaido and has a chain of about 50 stores in Japan. Their shio (salted) ramen has been praised by many as one of the best around.
Hidden in an obscure corner of Central just behind Grains, Santouka occupies a small dining area which overlooks Clarke Quay and the river. Sitting capacity probably peaks at about 30 pax so queues are a common sight. Just for the record, I had to wait for a good 25 mins for a table at 745pm on a Saturday evening.
Char Siew Rice Shio - This came as a set consisting of char siew rice, char siew ramen (shio) and an egg. Honestly, the ramen looked like instant noodles to me but thankfully, it tasted a whole lot better - springy and light. The milky pork base broth was rather rich and intense in flavour and had a very distinctive pork taste. Not that its really a good thing though because it made me nauseous after a while. The char siew slices were a little too soft for my liking and it didn't help that they were salty.
The char siew rice was average, but at least the rice helped to neutralise the saltiness of the char siew. As for the egg, I've never eaten such stuff before but I didn't quite take to it as the texture of the egg white was a little jelly like, which turned me off.
Toro Niku Shio Ramen - Toro Niku is precious cheek meat from a pig and is said to have the right amount of fat and tenderness. I agree to a certain extent. Right amount of fat, yes. Tenderness, a little too tender if you ask me. And it was plain salty which made me uneasy after a while. It definitely didn't help that the broth was rich. Salty and milky equals a recipe for nausea, for me at least. As with the char siew shio ramen, the ramen itself was springy and light.
Tokusen Toroniku - This was a side order of the beef cheek, which did seem like a mistake after all. A little too tender and salty, just like the ones that came with the Toro Niku Shio Ramen. And $8 for 6 slices of meat isn't exactly value for money honestly.
Dinner for 2 came up to a nice round figure of $50 and we walked out feeling nauseous. That's too much milky and salty stuff for you. In all fairness, the ramen was actually very decent but I still prefer Tampopo's rendition, if anything, for the pork. For me, once is enough. I really don't fancy queuing up for 30 mins just to have a go at Santouka again.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Singapore Airlines is truly a great way to fly! I agree with Feizhu that they offer excellent in-flight entertainment. I commute to Australia pretty often over the past few yrs and compared to Qantas, their movies and games on offering are very good.
Although leg space is always a problem for me in budget flight, it is not same for me in SQ. One thing I particularly look forward to when I board SQ each time is that they dished out local newspaper on board - TNA and ST!!! Oh and not forgetting local delights like Mee Goreng for return flight.
Sad to say, standard of the Singapore Girl has fallen over the years from looks to service - Blah - but nevertheless they are still a looker compared to the aunties in BA.
Rating given:
Singapore airlines ranks first in my choice of airlines partially because I'm Singaporean! However there's more to Singapore airlines than blind patriotism. Its one of the few airlines that offer inflight entertainment consisting of dozens of movies and games which is guaranteed to occupy you even for the longest of journeys (I used to commute between Canada and Singapore - a 17 hr journey!)
Service is decent but leg space loses out to other European/American airlines. I Like the fact that I can custom my meals as well.
But do note that it costs quite a bit more than other airlines.
Rating given:
Social Media Breakfast 2: Singapore is held at Cafe Domus, a very cool cafe which operates only when the sun goes down, and party till late night. Luckily for us, SMB main organizer Daryl managed to get the owner of the place to open the place for us.
Cafe Domus is located at 124 Owen Road, the nearest Mrt Station is Farrer Park (NEL). The other shop houses along Owen Road is definitely not what you will expect a cafe like Domus will be located at, the area is more like a industrial area.
From the outside, this is certainly not what i had imagined the place to be like. So imagine the suprise that i got when i stepped to the back of the cafe. Wow! is the word to describe.
It seems that we have been transported into a different world all together, from the bright pink wallpaper of the cafe front with its chandelier, welcome to the natural open-space garden!
The seats are logs in case you didn’t notice, and the small bamboo shoots provided cover from the blazing sun. Mosquito coils are prepared on hand, to prevent any “unpleasant” incidents.
I must admit the place is really quite an eye-opener for me, its unique Al fresco area will be even better during the night, with small candles lit up all over the place, can you imagine how it will be like?
I even climb up the stairs to the upper area where there’s this small area which can seat about 4-5. Great place if you want to spend some time with your love ones and friends.
We had catered food, which was not on the usual menu. But a quick glance at their menu, they have finger food, and also home-made desserts like brownies and cakes.
Cafe Domus also serve alcohol drinks like vodka and martinis, and a wide range of other drinks. Its really a very cool place to chill out with your friends.
And if you are staying nearby, or alone the NEL, there's totally no reason for not visiting the place! Go on check them out, and do remember they only start operations at 7pm till late night.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
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Coffee Club @ Holland Village is located right at the end of Lorong Mambong, the street that is the heart and soul of Holland Village. Having live in Holland when i was young, the street has since undergo many transformations, and i think most of the shops back then are not there anymore.
After reading Coffee Club’s website, i then realized that they had actually opened their first gourmet coffee house in Holland Village in 1991. But to be honest, i didn’t have any memories of Coffee Club back then.
Today Coffee Club has 21 outlets island-wide, and this is actually the first time i’m stepping into Coffee Club. Can you believe it? Well i been to Coffee Bean, Starbucks, but not Coffee Club.
And i have not went to The Coffee Connoisseur (TCC) before either, looks like a visit to TCC is on the cards.
The interior of the Coffee Club at Holland Village is relaxing, and looks great for a chill-out place. Thats exactly the reason that prompted my friend and i here.
There’s also al fresco area for those who like to stay out of the air-condition.
Iced Mocha ($6.90)
My friend had the iced mocha, like i mentioned previously in the Cedele post, i’m not a big fan of mocha, i rather spend the money on desserts, but my friend find the mocha to be all right.
Vienna Chocolate Cake ($5)
This, is what i’ll spend on my money on when i frequent coffee houses and cafes. Seriously i wont spend 6-7 bucks on a cup of coffee, partly because i don’t drink much coffee also. I love desserts, give me desserts everyday!
The Vienna Chocolate cake by its account, isn’t that great, there’s nothing special about the cake, well except its chocolate.
But to be fair, at 5 bucks a slice, it is really quite worth the money if you often have cravings for cakes, like me.
Total Bill was $14 for one mocha and one cake after the 17% you-know-what. The ambience of Coffee Club at Holland Village branch was excellent for a chill-out place, my friend and i were there chatting for about two hours, and there wasn’t much crowd around.
The menu for their main course looks tempting, in the dollar sense its quite reasonable. But i’m quite skeptical about the quality of the food in coffee houses. We’ll see how it goes then. Maybe when i’m low on budget, i’ll give their mains a try. Until then, chill-out!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Chill, chill, chill-out! “
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