Vien Thai, it doesn't get clearer then this i suppose. Vietnam and Thailand cuisine together in the same restaurant. For the love of me, i have no idea what differentiates normal cuisine from Vietnamese cuisine, all i know is the Thai cuisine are generally a combination of sweet, sour and spicy all in one. The location of this place isn't much to shout about either.
Crispy Beancurd - Forgive me if i seem to be simply belching out names on this post. It just so happened that all information i had of this place has been lost. Still not going to stop me from writing a post however. The beancurd skin was very thick and hard while the beancurd itself lack much taste. The only saving grace turned out to be the sweet and sour Thai garnishing and sauce that made it at least palatable. Overall, save yourself the trouble on this dish.
Clear Tom Yam Seafood Soup - The Tom Yam soup was barely passable. Not in the least spicy but not the least bit lacking in the sour department. The ingredients were generous as you can see but i wouldn't recommend trying it as well.
Vietnamese Beef Vermicelli - The only item that brought a refreshing taste. A little sour, a little spicy and very fresh. The beef turned out a little too tough for my liking. The vermicelli when mixed with everything ended up tasting significantly pleasant and refreshing. Thats not saying alot however, because the material for comparison are sub par items.
Simple and overly pricey sums up the experience and offerings here. For some reason, i couldn't taste much difference between what is offered here and similar offerings elsewhere. It could have been better of course. Much better.
I believe the place needs no introduction. Its already the third time i've visited this place so basically its just a different location with a different crew. Does it uphold the tradition though?
Well, what can i say? The balcony seats overlook the river with all its hustle and bustles going on below it. Low buildings and little tourist boats cramp the location, giving it an otherworldly feeling that is very relaxing. Service wise, i did get the impression that the people there didn't really want to be there however.
Burning Action - Some people call it showy, others say unnecessary, but i still find the whole process very interesting however. And most importantly, it gives the rice and prawn a wonderfully fragrant and interesting taste.
Soup of the day ($3.90) - Since its already the third time i'm having everything (fourth actually), i'll leave you to check out the older posts for comments on the soup. Nothing much has changed on that front.
Garlic Lemon Mussel ($8.90) - The bread and mussels are supposed to go well with each other and to the better of the experience, they do. The white sauce that the mussels were swimming in is the same as the sauce that comes with the mushrooms below and the oysters after. According to my dear friend, Andrew, the sauce is the best thing about the restaurant. I'm inclined to agree on that since it does add to the taste quite a bit. However, i must say the mussels are not one of the better items here and i would advice against having it.
Fried Country Mushrooms ($9.90) - I've had these mushrooms as many times as i've come to this restaurant. It is definitely one of the better things to have and still one i can heartily recommend.
Deep Fried Oysters ($11.90) - Essentially, this is the same cooking method as the mushrooms above. And sad to say, it tastes the same as well. The oysters themselves were reasonably fresh and sweet but i prefer the mushrooms as they are healthier.
Fisherman's Platter ($36.90) - We asked to switch one of the side items for the flaming prawns so the final deal we had consists of calamari, chips, mushrooms, prawns and fish. The best thing about this? It fed 4 people to the brim. The downside, health issues abound if you take this for protracted periods of time. The rice when added with sauce is still the best thing for me, personally of course. Everything else is as it should be, meaning its good but not necessarily impression making since i've had it this many times. Overall, this platter is good for big eaters and up to 3 people.
Tiramisu ($5) - The waiter heartily told us that we qualified for a $5 dessert special which we took without much thought. Tiramisu is a dessert that has been done to death and their rendition is interesting. Cocoa powder adorns the top while a small layer of cake fills the bottom. Cream and rum filled the rest. Its overwhelming actually and somehow, i didn't like it too much in the end. Not recommended.
The bill turned out to be $98 for 4 people. Lots of food and a full tummy later, reflection on the process doesn't bring much to mind since i paid for it in full. My treat to my friends and i'm happy for giving.
They say "too much of a good thing makes it bad". Well, in this case, its starting to sound pretty true. I've heard much about the branch in Central and somehow, there are parts that are true and some parts which are not. I found the normal service staff helpful and generally good but the supervisor level however, disappointed me when i asked what the sauce was. Maybe its a trade secret but repeating the same rubbish when i asked twice isn't my idea of good service. Food is simple and non elegant but gets the job done. All said, the mushrooms are still something i would pine for. If you have not had it before, it warrants a try at the least.
This is my second visit to Fish & Co, the first time being at the Glass house, on this occasion (quite some time ago) we went to the branch at Paragon. Fish & Co has grow from strength to strength since it started with their first store at Plaza Singapura in 1998, bring forward ten years and now they have 13 branches island-wide.
I believe most people know more or less about Fish & Co, so i shall skip the usual long-winded introduction and jump right into the food.
Swordfish Collar ($14.90) Chunky & juicy swordfish collar, fried & served with spicy mango vinaigrette. Given that Fish & Co specialise in fish & seafood, they got quite a list to choose from, so i thought i’ll get something special. Now now, how often do you see restaurants serve swordfish as a main course? Never or seldom right? Thats the idea!
Our first impression of the swordfish when the waitress served us the food, o-boy, the fish is huge! Seriously, there are three collar of swordfish, and its suppose to serve one person? Order this and share with your partner.
Fish & Chips ($13.90) The Fish & Co classic! Fried, topped with lemon butter sauce & served with chips. The lemon butter sauce is the life & soul of the fish, it added an extra dimension to the fish. But given the price is more or less as the other fishes, i rather try different type of fishes. But my mate wanted the safe option, so they had 2 of this.
Seafood Platter for 1 ($19.90) Platter of Seasonal fish, calamari & king prawn. Many people should have tried this one before i guess, the standard fish, calamari & the chips. Nothing new there, what i like it the rice from fish & co.
Seafood Platter for 2 ($35.90) You must be wondering why did we order the Seafood platter for 1, and then order another seafood platter for 2 right? Pardon me, but i didn’t know what were we thinking, we sort of over-ordered! Hahaha!
Nevertheless, Seafood platter for 2 is definitely more worth it than the platter for 1. Lets do some simple math, platter for 1 cost $19.90, so if you times by 2 it will come up to $40 right? But platter for 2 only cost $35.90, furthermore there is the addition of scallops which the platter for 1 didn’t have. Well, unless you are a small-eater, or eating alone, or refuses to eat scallop, Seafood platter is the choice.
Total bill for the 5 of us adds up to $122.90. Usually Fish & Co is relatively affordable, but i think in this instant we over-ordered, hence the bill seems a little expensive. But i think i won’t be going back to Fish & Co in just a while, having been there twice, what must try have been tried. There are more alternatives out there with the same price range. So don’t expect to see Fish & Co III unless somebody is giving me a treat. Like what i mentioned in the previous visit, there are other options if u really want to eat fish & co type of food, Manhattan Fish Market isn’t too bad, Hooked! provides many variety of fish, New York New York has some nice seafood platters around also, and Greenwood Fish Market is my favourite.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Happen to know that they had a one for one BBQ Courtyard Buffet and decided to give it a try. The only thing about this promotion is that it is from Friday to Sunday only, you have to print out the coupon and per table only 1 free diner buffet is allowed. Hmm… a bit weird right? Well so decided to give it a try and to call and make a booking to find out that they are fully booked until 2 weeks later. Wahahaha... Totally crazy leh. A few days before the buffet, they would actually called to confirm the reservation, nice touch right and at the same time to remind you of the buffet as well.
So on the day of reservation, we went down to find out that my name was not on the reservation list. However they decided to let us have a table. Since it is a BBQ buffet, they sort of set up a temporary restaurant at the courtyard, and there is no air con, open air concept. Quite interesting. The set up is actually quite interesting as the promotion is only valid for 1 diner per table so it attracted a lot of couples as well. In the end, it turn out that it looked like a mass speed dating event. Wahahaha… Really funny.
The BBQ pit is set in one corner of the area and the buffet line is set next to it. From the line it seems that they are offering limit items as it does not seen very long at all. The buffet started when someone announced the start of buffet and people started to walk towards the line.
For starters, there is only a few dishes like prawns, mussels, potato salad, green salad. My favorite here has to be the prawns. Big, fresh and sweet. There is no fishy smell and the meat is not mushy at all. Just great! Other then that, the rest of the starters are actually average.
Next to the main dishes, since it is a BBQ buffet, they got all sorts of BBQ items, chicken, pork, beef, mutton, seafood like prawns, mini lobsters and stingray, satay, otah. For satay (there is both chicken and mutton) and otah, it is pretty normal stuff. They also provide the peanut sauce for the satay as well. Now the meat, for me the one that impress me the most was the steak, it was grilled until it is medium cook. It is not too tough on the meat yet able to retain its natural juices inside the meat. It is grilled plain with some salt on top of it only. Great! The one that did not impress me too much is the prawns cos it does not turn out too good and lost all its natural flavor after BBQed.
There are still some cooked food like fried rice, noodles but quite limited as well. Everyone is aiming at the mini lobster, not me though, Sigh….. Whenever the chef put some in the tray, it is sure to attract a lot of people to it. So first come first serve, so if you are slow too bad none for you. There are some people that even walked up to the BBQ pit and ask the chef directly. Wahahaha…… Very KS leh. From my partner, the lobster although small but very good, sweet , meaty and juicy.
Now to the desserts, well by the time we got to desserts, there wasn’t a lot of choice. Got mango pudding, durian cake, cheng tng, fruits and a few kweks. Too bad nothing here impressed us too much. Or simply we are just too full to carry on already.
Even though with the temporary set up and the no air con, the dining environment was actually quite good.The service is actually good as well less the cock up on the reservation list. The water was always filled up and the plates are always cleared promptly. So usually the buffet cost $38 per person however with the promotion it cost about $17 per person only. Can consider quite cheap already. Writing this review is making me all hungry again! Hmm… Should I go back for another buffet before the promotion is over? Maybe I should!
My partner and I were invited for a Hi-Tea session on Valentine Day after a friend’s ROM ceremony. Well I have walked pass this place a few times but then it never left any impression for me that I have to feel this urge to go in and give it a try.
The location of the restaurant is just right next to the main door of the hotel, so it is kinds of hard to miss it. Once you step into it, you will see a mini bakery, where they are selling some cakes etc. The first impression of the place is quite big with seats all over. Have to say that one on a weekday, being Valentines Day, it is almost full. Seeing a crowd could mean that the food spread can be pretty good. So was I right? Hmm….
The buffet spread was spread over s few stations. First stop is the cold starters. So they got the usual stuff like prawns, mussels, sushi, sashimi, cold soba etc. Well. I tasted a bit of everything and concluded that nothing is special. To me, only the prawns sort of impressed me. They are cold, big and fresh, just the way I like it. For the rest of the items, hmm… forgettable. Interesting enough, next to the cold starters, is a mini toast your own bread counter, Ah Kun style, with the traditional brown and white bread and you can put them on a hot plate and roast it. Slices of butter, kaya and other jams are available. Good idea but does not taste that great.
Now to the main, nothing special, some of the usual stuff again. However they got a lot of small stations for popiah, laksa etc. Again none of the food impresses us again. Consider as normal food. Well at least they are hot. By now, I am already feeling very sian about the whole buffet alr. Sigh…. I think the only good thing is only the bread where there is a lot of variety and hot out from the oven. It is good enough to taste good.
Lastly Desserts. At first when I walked past the desserts sections, I was quite impressed with the variety that they are offering. When I walked over to the station, I was less impressed, as all the usual suspects are there, the cakes and pudding etc. There is also one big fountain of strawberry chocolate, have the say that the pink color does not make it appealing as it reminds me of cough syrup. At the other corner of the room hidden are two pots of hot desserts like dao suan etc. Hmm… How come they are not placed together in the first place?
Cost per person of Hi-Tea on weekdays is $25 and on weekends is $32 (if my memory has not failed me)
Overall the whole place and the food did not impress me at all. Therefore I think the crowd is there cost of the cheap price during weekends. The service there is quite bad, as we were sitting in a corner, my tea was only filled when I was first seated after which it remain empty throughout. The funny thing is when I was away; the plates will be cleared by them, then how come my tea is not refilled? Hmm…… So I dun think I will be back to this place for buffet unless someone can prove me otherwise.
Hanabi has a few other outlets in Bukit Timah and North Bridge Road.... this would be its new addition. I haven't been to the other outlets though my companions have. They have Japanese Buffet in ala carte style which was what brought us to the place during the CNY season. There were 5 adults and 2 kids and we managed to get a table despite not calling ahead. It was really crowded, being a weekend evening and during the festive season. Buffet prices for weekend dinner was about $30(adult) I believe.
Service was good, considering how busy they were. They topped up our tea and water regularly and tried to clear the plates whenever they could. Food was served relatively fast and orders were not forgotten.
However I've had better Japanese Buffets where the food is fresher and tastier. The menu which the food is listed on could be improved on as it is a little disorganised. The variety of food varies from outlet to outlet, according to my companions, who were a little upset that certain sashimi wasn't served in this outlet.
But I do think that a re-visit is possible... when I'm not with fussy people and there's nothing much else in the area to try.
Etna (East Coast) is the 3rd restaurant from this Italian chain. It opened just down the road from the busier section of Siglap just weeks ago. Fresh from my great experience at de Parma, I was game to try another Italian place so rallied people for a Sunday Lunch.
Stepping into the place, I found it dim but still comfortable. There was enough lighting for us to take photos. The seats were comfortable and the tables were comfortably spaced for people to move about.
The staff were friendly and warm. But it was a tad difficult to get their attention at times. Not to mention, our food arrived before our drinks. There was also one part which I felt really strange. We were asking for recommendations. The response we got was... "We are relatively new so there aren't any real chef recommendations. But if you really really want, then I think this one. " and the assistant manager proceeds to point to the most expensive pasta on the menu. I thought that was a really odd thing to say.
The complimentary bread served was a little too dry and hard.
Food Ordered: Bruschetta Etna Toasted Bread with 4 different toppings I was a little surprised when the dish came but I guess I should have expected it from the description. I thought that it would be a mixture of the 4 toppings on each and not 4 different toasts. The toppings on one or two of them didn't look too fresh. I picked one, the one with mushy green/orange vege and ate it. Well the toppings were ok. The bread was a little too hard and chewy though. Much like the complimentary bread.
Insalata di Gamberi Rocket salad with prawns, dressed with extra virgin olive oil This was really nice. I like Rocket and this came in a tasty dressing and the prawns were really fresh.
Quattro Stagioni Tomato, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, artichokes, cooked ham, olives No complaints about this pizza. The size was ok, the toppings were sufficient. But the base was thicker than the usual thin ones Italian places served but I'm alright with that.
Bistecca al Gorgonzola Grilled rib-eye steak with gorgonzola cheese in a light cream sauce I downright disliked this dish. The sauce had a very weird milky taste to it. I hate milk and this one really reeked. I only took one small bite and refused to try any more. Moreover it was very rare, the inside was really really red. The portion was very small too. Well maybe that part's a blessing in disguise.
Taglierini al Pesto di Bronte Homemade pasta in a Sicilian pesto sauce (with pistachio from Bronte in Sicily) Plain pasta in cream with nothing else. I'd expected the pasta to be superb to make up for the fact that it didn't have additional ingredients, but it wasn't, which kinda upsetted me. But this was average I guess, until you see its price tag.
Torta al Cioccolato Chocolate cake I love chocolate cakes and I guess because of that, this one really disappointed. It wasn't rich and moist like a chocolate cake should be. It was really dry and crumbly for the wrong reasons.
Tiramisu al Pistacchio Tiramisu with pistachio flavour (from Bronte in Sicily) This one does taste a little like Tiramisu, but where's the pistacchio? The colour looked the part but the taste wasn't there.
Panna Cotta Etna I think.... the red stuff on top was raspberry. The texture was a little weird but this was alright I guess.
The bill came up to about $160 for the 5 of us, including 3 drinks. Not all minuses... but I think it'll be a long time before I'm back. (Perhaps never.)
Was brought to this place by my colleague. Its basically a small shop, opened by a Taiwanese family. The boss, who is a middle-age uncle, was very hospitable and gave recommendations on what dishes to eat.
So the few of us ordered quite a fair bit, including beef noodles, 傻瓜面，盐酥鸡，烧饼， 锅贴 and A-菜。 The A-菜 was especially crunchy and tasty, unliek the normal type of vegetables that we normally eat at home.
As for the pricing, its very reasonable as well. Lastly like what spindoctor had mentioned in his review, it is best to park your vehicle opposite in the carpark. Do go there and try it yourself. You be the judge!!!
though this place had been around for quite some time, however, had never been there before till last Saturday.
This place is what we would term as 民歌餐厅。。Basically its a place whereby house singers would perform for the guests while yopu enjoy ur food and drinks. So to me, it was a relaxing place to chit-chat with your friends though it may be a tad noisy at times. In addition, I must say that the singers really do have very good vocals, but then maybe they lack a bit of 观众缘 at times.
Also, the pricing of the food and drinks there may be a bit steep as well. So do be prepared that you may pay between 10-13 bucks for a cup of bubble tea. Nevertheless, it is still a nice place to go should one run out of ideas to go with your friends.
Was having a set meal abt three days ago at this outlet of JUMBO. Perhaps due to its inaccessibility, the place was not very crowded even during lunch time as compared to its other outlets perhaps.
As there were ten of us, we orderd a set meal, that set us back about 388 . The dishes served included a cold dish appetizer (jellyfsh, prawns, springrools and fried squid), tofu, fish,chilli crabs,etc and dessert.
Overall, the food was okie, but the service of the staff was slightly below average. I was responsible for footing the bill but had to wait for a good whole 15minutes for the bill to be presented even though there were only a couple of tables filled when we left.
1=SGD 0.0587
Vien Thai, it doesn't get clearer then this i suppose. Vietnam and Thailand cuisine together in the same restaurant. For the love of me, i have no idea what differentiates normal cuisine from Vietnamese cuisine, all i know is the Thai cuisine are generally a combination of sweet, sour and spicy all in one. The location of this place isn't much to shout about either.
Crispy Beancurd - Forgive me if i seem to be simply belching out names on this post. It just so happened that all information i had of this place has been lost. Still not going to stop me from writing a post however. The beancurd skin was very thick and hard while the beancurd itself lack much taste. The only saving grace turned out to be the sweet and sour Thai garnishing and sauce that made it at least palatable. Overall, save yourself the trouble on this dish.
Clear Tom Yam Seafood Soup - The Tom Yam soup was barely passable. Not in the least spicy but not the least bit lacking in the sour department. The ingredients were generous as you can see but i wouldn't recommend trying it as well.
Vietnamese Beef Vermicelli - The only item that brought a refreshing taste. A little sour, a little spicy and very fresh. The beef turned out a little too tough for my liking. The vermicelli when mixed with everything ended up tasting significantly pleasant and refreshing. Thats not saying alot however, because the material for comparison are sub par items.
Simple and overly pricey sums up the experience and offerings here. For some reason, i couldn't taste much difference between what is offered here and similar offerings elsewhere. It could have been better of course. Much better.
Rating given:
I believe the place needs no introduction. Its already the third time i've visited this place so basically its just a different location with a different crew. Does it uphold the tradition though?
Well, what can i say? The balcony seats overlook the river with all its hustle and bustles going on below it. Low buildings and little tourist boats cramp the location, giving it an otherworldly feeling that is very relaxing. Service wise, i did get the impression that the people there didn't really want to be there however.
Burning Action - Some people call it showy, others say unnecessary, but i still find the whole process very interesting however. And most importantly, it gives the rice and prawn a wonderfully fragrant and interesting taste.
Soup of the day ($3.90) - Since its already the third time i'm having everything (fourth actually), i'll leave you to check out the older posts for comments on the soup. Nothing much has changed on that front.
Garlic Lemon Mussel ($8.90) - The bread and mussels are supposed to go well with each other and to the better of the experience, they do. The white sauce that the mussels were swimming in is the same as the sauce that comes with the mushrooms below and the oysters after. According to my dear friend, Andrew, the sauce is the best thing about the restaurant. I'm inclined to agree on that since it does add to the taste quite a bit. However, i must say the mussels are not one of the better items here and i would advice against having it.
Fried Country Mushrooms ($9.90) - I've had these mushrooms as many times as i've come to this restaurant. It is definitely one of the better things to have and still one i can heartily recommend.
Deep Fried Oysters ($11.90) - Essentially, this is the same cooking method as the mushrooms above. And sad to say, it tastes the same as well. The oysters themselves were reasonably fresh and sweet but i prefer the mushrooms as they are healthier.
Fisherman's Platter ($36.90) - We asked to switch one of the side items for the flaming prawns so the final deal we had consists of calamari, chips, mushrooms, prawns and fish. The best thing about this? It fed 4 people to the brim. The downside, health issues abound if you take this for protracted periods of time. The rice when added with sauce is still the best thing for me, personally of course. Everything else is as it should be, meaning its good but not necessarily impression making since i've had it this many times. Overall, this platter is good for big eaters and up to 3 people.
Tiramisu ($5) - The waiter heartily told us that we qualified for a $5 dessert special which we took without much thought. Tiramisu is a dessert that has been done to death and their rendition is interesting. Cocoa powder adorns the top while a small layer of cake fills the bottom. Cream and rum filled the rest. Its overwhelming actually and somehow, i didn't like it too much in the end. Not recommended.
The bill turned out to be $98 for 4 people. Lots of food and a full tummy later, reflection on the process doesn't bring much to mind since i paid for it in full. My treat to my friends and i'm happy for giving.
They say "too much of a good thing makes it bad". Well, in this case, its starting to sound pretty true. I've heard much about the branch in Central and somehow, there are parts that are true and some parts which are not. I found the normal service staff helpful and generally good but the supervisor level however, disappointed me when i asked what the sauce was. Maybe its a trade secret but repeating the same rubbish when i asked twice isn't my idea of good service. Food is simple and non elegant but gets the job done. All said, the mushrooms are still something i would pine for. If you have not had it before, it warrants a try at the least.
Rating given:
This is my second visit to Fish & Co, the first time being at the Glass house, on this occasion (quite some time ago) we went to the branch at Paragon. Fish & Co has grow from strength to strength since it started with their first store at Plaza Singapura in 1998, bring forward ten years and now they have 13 branches island-wide.
I believe most people know more or less about Fish & Co, so i shall skip the usual long-winded introduction and jump right into the food.
Swordfish Collar ($14.90)
Chunky & juicy swordfish collar, fried & served with spicy mango vinaigrette. Given that Fish & Co specialise in fish & seafood, they got quite a list to choose from, so i thought i’ll get something special. Now now, how often do you see restaurants serve swordfish as a main course? Never or seldom right? Thats the idea!
Our first impression of the swordfish when the waitress served us the food, o-boy, the fish is huge! Seriously, there are three collar of swordfish, and its suppose to serve one person? Order this and share with your partner.
Fish & Chips ($13.90)
The Fish & Co classic! Fried, topped with lemon butter sauce & served with chips. The lemon butter sauce is the life & soul of the fish, it added an extra dimension to the fish. But given the price is more or less as the other fishes, i rather try different type of fishes. But my mate wanted the safe option, so they had 2 of this.
Seafood Platter for 1 ($19.90)
Platter of Seasonal fish, calamari & king prawn. Many people should have tried this one before i guess, the standard fish, calamari & the chips. Nothing new there, what i like it the rice from fish & co.
Seafood Platter for 2 ($35.90)
You must be wondering why did we order the Seafood platter for 1, and then order another seafood platter for 2 right? Pardon me, but i didn’t know what were we thinking, we sort of over-ordered! Hahaha!
Nevertheless, Seafood platter for 2 is definitely more worth it than the platter for 1. Lets do some simple math, platter for 1 cost $19.90, so if you times by 2 it will come up to $40 right? But platter for 2 only cost $35.90, furthermore there is the addition of scallops which the platter for 1 didn’t have. Well, unless you are a small-eater, or eating alone, or refuses to eat scallop, Seafood platter is the choice.
Total bill for the 5 of us adds up to $122.90. Usually Fish & Co is relatively affordable, but i think in this instant we over-ordered, hence the bill seems a little expensive. But i think i won’t be going back to Fish & Co in just a while, having been there twice, what must try have been tried. There are more alternatives out there with the same price range. So don’t expect to see Fish & Co III unless somebody is giving me a treat. Like what i mentioned in the previous visit, there are other options if u really want to eat fish & co type of food, Manhattan Fish Market isn’t too bad, Hooked! provides many variety of fish, New York New York has some nice seafood platters around also, and Greenwood Fish Market is my favourite.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
“ I eat faster than i blog ”
Rating given:
Happen to know that they had a one for one BBQ Courtyard Buffet and decided to give it a try. The only thing about this promotion is that it is from Friday to Sunday only, you have to print out the coupon and per table only 1 free diner buffet is allowed. Hmm… a bit weird right? Well so decided to give it a try and to call and make a booking to find out that they are fully booked until 2 weeks later. Wahahaha... Totally crazy leh. A few days before the buffet, they would actually called to confirm the reservation, nice touch right and at the same time to remind you of the buffet as well.
So on the day of reservation, we went down to find out that my name was not on the reservation list. However they decided to let us have a table. Since it is a BBQ buffet, they sort of set up a temporary restaurant at the courtyard, and there is no air con, open air concept. Quite interesting. The set up is actually quite interesting as the promotion is only valid for 1 diner per table so it attracted a lot of couples as well. In the end, it turn out that it looked like a mass speed dating event. Wahahaha… Really funny.
The BBQ pit is set in one corner of the area and the buffet line is set next to it. From the line it seems that they are offering limit items as it does not seen very long at all. The buffet started when someone announced the start of buffet and people started to walk towards the line.
For starters, there is only a few dishes like prawns, mussels, potato salad, green salad. My favorite here has to be the prawns. Big, fresh and sweet. There is no fishy smell and the meat is not mushy at all. Just great! Other then that, the rest of the starters are actually average.
Next to the main dishes, since it is a BBQ buffet, they got all sorts of BBQ items, chicken, pork, beef, mutton, seafood like prawns, mini lobsters and stingray, satay, otah. For satay (there is both chicken and mutton) and otah, it is pretty normal stuff. They also provide the peanut sauce for the satay as well. Now the meat, for me the one that impress me the most was the steak, it was grilled until it is medium cook. It is not too tough on the meat yet able to retain its natural juices inside the meat. It is grilled plain with some salt on top of it only. Great! The one that did not impress me too much is the prawns cos it does not turn out too good and lost all its natural flavor after BBQed.
There are still some cooked food like fried rice, noodles but quite limited as well. Everyone is aiming at the mini lobster, not me though, Sigh….. Whenever the chef put some in the tray, it is sure to attract a lot of people to it. So first come first serve, so if you are slow too bad none for you. There are some people that even walked up to the BBQ pit and ask the chef directly. Wahahaha…… Very KS leh. From my partner, the lobster although small but very good, sweet , meaty and juicy.
Now to the desserts, well by the time we got to desserts, there wasn’t a lot of choice. Got mango pudding, durian cake, cheng tng, fruits and a few kweks. Too bad nothing here impressed us too much. Or simply we are just too full to carry on already.
Even though with the temporary set up and the no air con, the dining environment was actually quite good.The service is actually good as well less the cock up on the reservation list. The water was always filled up and the plates are always cleared promptly. So usually the buffet cost $38 per person however with the promotion it cost about $17 per person only. Can consider quite cheap already. Writing this review is making me all hungry again! Hmm… Should I go back for another buffet before the promotion is over? Maybe I should!
Rating given:
My partner and I were invited for a Hi-Tea session on Valentine Day after a friend’s ROM ceremony. Well I have walked pass this place a few times but then it never left any impression for me that I have to feel this urge to go in and give it a try.
The location of the restaurant is just right next to the main door of the hotel, so it is kinds of hard to miss it. Once you step into it, you will see a mini bakery, where they are selling some cakes etc. The first impression of the place is quite big with seats all over. Have to say that one on a weekday, being Valentines Day, it is almost full. Seeing a crowd could mean that the food spread can be pretty good. So was I right? Hmm….
The buffet spread was spread over s few stations. First stop is the cold starters. So they got the usual stuff like prawns, mussels, sushi, sashimi, cold soba etc. Well. I tasted a bit of everything and concluded that nothing is special. To me, only the prawns sort of impressed me. They are cold, big and fresh, just the way I like it. For the rest of the items, hmm… forgettable. Interesting enough, next to the cold starters, is a mini toast your own bread counter, Ah Kun style, with the traditional brown and white bread and you can put them on a hot plate and roast it. Slices of butter, kaya and other jams are available. Good idea but does not taste that great.
Now to the main, nothing special, some of the usual stuff again. However they got a lot of small stations for popiah, laksa etc. Again none of the food impresses us again. Consider as normal food. Well at least they are hot. By now, I am already feeling very sian about the whole buffet alr. Sigh…. I think the only good thing is only the bread where there is a lot of variety and hot out from the oven. It is good enough to taste good.
Lastly Desserts. At first when I walked past the desserts sections, I was quite impressed with the variety that they are offering. When I walked over to the station, I was less impressed, as all the usual suspects are there, the cakes and pudding etc. There is also one big fountain of strawberry chocolate, have the say that the pink color does not make it appealing as it reminds me of cough syrup. At the other corner of the room hidden are two pots of hot desserts like dao suan etc. Hmm… How come they are not placed together in the first place?
Cost per person of Hi-Tea on weekdays is $25 and on weekends is $32 (if my memory has not failed me)
Overall the whole place and the food did not impress me at all. Therefore I think the crowd is there cost of the cheap price during weekends. The service there is quite bad, as we were sitting in a corner, my tea was only filled when I was first seated after which it remain empty throughout. The funny thing is when I was away; the plates will be cleared by them, then how come my tea is not refilled? Hmm…… So I dun think I will be back to this place for buffet unless someone can prove me otherwise.
Rating given:
Hanabi has a few other outlets in Bukit Timah and North Bridge Road.... this would be its new addition. I haven't been to the other outlets though my companions have. They have Japanese Buffet in ala carte style which was what brought us to the place during the CNY season. There were 5 adults and 2 kids and we managed to get a table despite not calling ahead. It was really crowded, being a weekend evening and during the festive season. Buffet prices for weekend dinner was about $30(adult) I believe.
Service was good, considering how busy they were. They topped up our tea and water regularly and tried to clear the plates whenever they could. Food was served relatively fast and orders were not forgotten.
However I've had better Japanese Buffets where the food is fresher and tastier. The menu which the food is listed on could be improved on as it is a little disorganised. The variety of food varies from outlet to outlet, according to my companions, who were a little upset that certain sashimi wasn't served in this outlet.
But I do think that a re-visit is possible... when I'm not with fussy people and there's nothing much else in the area to try.
Rating given:
Etna (East Coast) is the 3rd restaurant from this Italian chain. It opened just down the road from the busier section of Siglap just weeks ago. Fresh from my great experience at de Parma, I was game to try another Italian place so rallied people for a Sunday Lunch.
Stepping into the place, I found it dim but still comfortable. There was enough lighting for us to take photos. The seats were comfortable and the tables were comfortably spaced for people to move about.
The staff were friendly and warm. But it was a tad difficult to get their attention at times. Not to mention, our food arrived before our drinks. There was also one part which I felt really strange. We were asking for recommendations. The response we got was... "We are relatively new so there aren't any real chef recommendations. But if you really really want, then I think this one. " and the assistant manager proceeds to point to the most expensive pasta on the menu. I thought that was a really odd thing to say.
The complimentary bread served was a little too dry and hard.
Food Ordered:
Bruschetta Etna
Toasted Bread with 4 different toppings
I was a little surprised when the dish came but I guess I should have expected it from the description. I thought that it would be a mixture of the 4 toppings on each and not 4 different toasts. The toppings on one or two of them didn't look too fresh. I picked one, the one with mushy green/orange vege and ate it. Well the toppings were ok. The bread was a little too hard and chewy though. Much like the complimentary bread.
Insalata di Gamberi
Rocket salad with prawns, dressed with extra virgin olive oil
This was really nice. I like Rocket and this came in a tasty dressing and the prawns were really fresh.
Quattro Stagioni
Tomato, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, artichokes, cooked ham, olives
No complaints about this pizza. The size was ok, the toppings were sufficient. But the base was thicker than the usual thin ones Italian places served but I'm alright with that.
Bistecca al Gorgonzola
Grilled rib-eye steak with gorgonzola cheese in a light cream sauce
I downright disliked this dish. The sauce had a very weird milky taste to it. I hate milk and this one really reeked. I only took one small bite and refused to try any more. Moreover it was very rare, the inside was really really red. The portion was very small too. Well maybe that part's a blessing in disguise.
Taglierini al Pesto di Bronte
Homemade pasta in a Sicilian pesto sauce (with pistachio from Bronte in Sicily)
Plain pasta in cream with nothing else. I'd expected the pasta to be superb to make up for the fact that it didn't have additional ingredients, but it wasn't, which kinda upsetted me. But this was average I guess, until you see its price tag.
Torta al Cioccolato
Chocolate cake
I love chocolate cakes and I guess because of that, this one really disappointed. It wasn't rich and moist like a chocolate cake should be. It was really dry and crumbly for the wrong reasons.
Tiramisu al Pistacchio
Tiramisu with pistachio flavour (from Bronte in Sicily)
This one does taste a little like Tiramisu, but where's the pistacchio? The colour looked the part but the taste wasn't there.
Panna Cotta Etna
I think.... the red stuff on top was raspberry. The texture was a little weird but this was alright I guess.
The bill came up to about $160 for the 5 of us, including 3 drinks. Not all minuses... but I think it'll be a long time before I'm back. (Perhaps never.)
Rating given:
Was brought to this place by my colleague. Its basically a small shop, opened by a Taiwanese family. The boss, who is a middle-age uncle, was very hospitable and gave recommendations on what dishes to eat.
So the few of us ordered quite a fair bit, including beef noodles, 傻瓜面，盐酥鸡，烧饼， 锅贴 and A-菜。 The A-菜 was especially crunchy and tasty, unliek the normal type of vegetables that we normally eat at home.
As for the pricing, its very reasonable as well. Lastly like what spindoctor had mentioned in his review, it is best to park your vehicle opposite in the carpark. Do go there and try it yourself. You be the judge!!!
Rating given:
though this place had been around for quite some time, however, had never been there before till last Saturday.
This place is what we would term as 民歌餐厅。。Basically its a place whereby house singers would perform for the guests while yopu enjoy ur food and drinks. So to me, it was a relaxing place to chit-chat with your friends though it may be a tad noisy at times. In addition, I must say that the singers really do have very good vocals, but then maybe they lack a bit of 观众缘 at times.
Also, the pricing of the food and drinks there may be a bit steep as well. So do be prepared that you may pay between 10-13 bucks for a cup of bubble tea. Nevertheless, it is still a nice place to go should one run out of ideas to go with your friends.
Rating given:
Was having a set meal abt three days ago at this outlet of JUMBO. Perhaps due to its inaccessibility, the place was not very crowded even during lunch time as compared to its other outlets perhaps.
As there were ten of us, we orderd a set meal, that set us back about 388 . The dishes served included a cold dish appetizer (jellyfsh, prawns, springrools and fried squid), tofu, fish,chilli crabs,etc and dessert.
Overall, the food was okie, but the service of the staff was slightly below average. I was responsible for footing the bill but had to wait for a good whole 15minutes for the bill to be presented even though there were only a couple of tables filled when we left.
Rating given: