Yar Claud is right.. The mussels are good.. But i love the fresh oysters the best... I wonder if they still serve that... The last i've been there they say no stock... Oysters all die coz Oil Spill.. heehee I just made that up!!!! The oysters are so value for money, if i'm not wrong its like $10 or $12 for half a dozen and boy the Oysters are HUGE.... Very fresh and good...... drizzzle some TOBASCO sauce. lagi SHIOKA DOO DOO.......
The baked mussels is very nice also. I like the baked stuffs just not the deep fried stuffs.. I got a body to maintain ok.... Though not much left.. but still......
Other then that.. this place is nice because its one of the least crowded restaurant usually...
Gosh.... Where does all these shoppers come from man.. Its crowded in Orchard Road, Suntec City, All the other Heartland Malls...... and now VIVO CITY.. Gosh........
Please Bring back the oysters....................................
Its like flying they say.. Well... I do feel light enough to fly after the ride. heehee!
Aeroline unlike other coaches to KL are safer I feel. Judging by their stringent requirements for their drivers. The coach is somewhat comfortable with TV to watch and onboard meals to fill your hunger pangs. They also serve beverages like coffee, tea, milo and others..... Plus plus plus... A super small toilet for the Pee Wee....... The flushing system is super good and its the only thing that resembles the FLYING.....
If you happen to get on the double deck, you have a lounge on the lower level. It is especially good for travelling with grannies or older people who have difficulty getting on the high steps of the bus.. The lounge equipped with comfy couches and a special boarding entrance with lower steps to accommodate their requirements. If there are no such travellers then normal healthy and strong travellers like us can enjoy the luxury of the lounge with more leg space and a choice of the movie u wanna watch.
The beautiful thing about Aeroline is that it stops in Corus hotel in KL unlike the rest which is usually at the Bus Terminals which is rather less safe and convenient. You might wanna choose to stay in Corus hotel or you can conveniently take a train or a cab to the destination you desire. Corus hotel is but within their Commercial Distric. If you want to eat something before u travel further, you can always drop by KLCC which is like 10 mins walk from corus hotel.
Thats what I call travel in Style.. Its not pricy either... $67 for a non-stop one way trip to KL and cheaper if you book the return from Corus hotel as it is in RM. On top of that to make your trip lagi worth you can charge your lap top , phones and everything else with the 240V wall plugs on board.. Super Duper Right......
IT Feels so Embarrassing when somebody wears the same outfit as i am at this so glam party the other day. Matter of fact i think she looks nicer in that silver top... Grr...........
I mean... its so Difficult to find unique pieces of fashionable items. The shops just repeat themselves in every shopping mall and if you want something special... its DEFINITELY going to BURN A HOLE in my Pocket. I cannot imagine one new skirt in 3 months.....
So, i promise myself to keep a look out for interesting and unique shops that sells fashionable items at a reachable damage. AND I found B.Zone...........
Its a very unique shop. Looks pretty regular on the outside but spend sometime looking at the items there and you can find many interesting items. The one things that WOWed me is the interior design of the shop. The clever owner managed to hide a store and changing room in that tiny area. And boy.. u must really check that out... Its not visible to the naked eye, so if you must really find out, ask the shop keeper to show you or try some pretty dresses there.
Talking about the clothings... One thing i super like about this shop is the concept. They work with independent artist and so, their items are truely unique. There are only few pieces for each design and colour, Its hard to meet somebody carrying or wearing something similar.
The accessories are so special... It makes me wanna puncture my ears to wear these special ear BoBs.... The shop keeper 'Priscilla' showed me this special piece. 'Handmade cane wond ear BoBs' So Special So cute... I must have it......
Priscilla herself was wearing these very cute furry but not kiddy looking slippers..... They kind of gave this warm and cosy feeling for an especially cold christmas. I ended up buying myself loads of christmas presents.
I've got a nice bag for work.... ITs a pretty Hue of YELLOW... very clean looking.... and a matching Long Neckless to match with the bag. Neckless meaning wear already no neck? heehee! what a wierd term.....
Oh yar. i bought a piggy bag for my niece... thats her christmas present.. A piggy bag for her to PIGGYBAG.. heehee! And i bought all these for about $50.. can u imagine how good the prices are. Join them as a member and you can get 10% discount on your purchases plus plus plus....
I've got alot of wrapping paper from the information counter next door in which i dun need to queue or BEG.... the nice lady just asked.... Do you want wrapping paper... I say ok... maybe 2 and she went.. i wrapped them up in 6... How GENEROUS!!!!!... i am beginning to love shopping in the xchange. I hate it when I look like a Yao GUI queing for the wrapping papers... I mean i queue so long they only give like 1 or 2... so kiam siap right.....
Then i've got a lucky dip n got one free ticket to the ALIEN AND PREDATORS plus plus 2 lucky draw tickets to fill in.... Reallly so WORTH LOR..........
FOr First time i am TOTALLY SATISFIED and GUILT FREE for a Shopping Spree...
Will post photos later of my Shopping... Shops like B.Zones are like little Gems for that fashionable you.......
After a whole day at VivoCity, it was time for dinner, and as expected, everywhere was packed with hungry people. And finally settled at The Mussel Guys as there wasn't any queue! But no queue doesn't been no good food.
The place was packed inside with people talking and children crying. Not quite the place to go for a romantic Xmas dinner. Can pass as a clean and comfortable place for friends to gather and enjoy fresh mussels.
We ordered Sauteed Mushrooms, Steamed Mussels (350g), Sausage Pasta and drinks.
The Sauteed Mushrooms, $4.50, was value for money. Serving was quite big for the price and the taste was just right. But if the mushrooms were not sliced that thinly, the taste would have been better.
Steamed Mussels, $15.90, with white wine and garlic arrived in their mussel pot, which you can purchase home at $180 . The mussels were fresh and there wasn't any fishy taste. At first we wanted to order the creamy or tomato base mussels as we were afraid that it'll taste fishy. But it didn't. Fresh and some were almost crunchy when bitten into. The white wine and garlic blended well with the mussels. I wouldn't say the taste was fantastics as I'd better ones before. But with the price, its still considered value for money.
I shan't comment much on the chicken Sausage Pasta, $12.90. I'll not order this again. It's not even average imo. Pay slightly more for another pot of mussels!
I'll go back there if I crave for mussels. Its value for money.
Owing to a comment from Claudia who said she got addicted to a western food stall across the street instead of Aston's, i paid a visit to Serangoon gardens yet again to ascertain if it actually qualifies as a competitor to Aston's Specialties.
Milo Dinosaur ($2) - Ordered this on a whim to try it out but it turned out to be ridiculously expensive. The preparation process is rather simple as well. Get hot water, add milo and milk till it saturates, add ice and pile lots of milo on top. I have no idea what possessed me to pay $2 for this but it is definitely not worth it.
Tomato Soup with Garlic Toast (Free) - Free stuff is always good. And here we got ourselves some warm tomato soup and garlic bread. The bread was your run-of-the-mill garlic bread which really isn't worth mentioning and but pairing it with the soup does give it a decent taste. Not too bad but not good either.
Grilled Sirloin Steak ($8.80) - After the mediocre appetizer, the main course is served. At its price, the sirloin was a decent size and thickness but that is about all its redeeming features. I specifically asked for medium rare, which is the only way i have steak and what i got was undoubtedly a 'well done' steak. What this means is that the steak loses its fibrous texture and is overcome with a tougher meat texture that makes you chew that much more. Not that there was much taste to go with it, the pepper sauce covers just about everything and i can't taste much of my steak, it could be chicken for all i know. The sides, which are fixed, aren't worth mentioning.
Grilled Chicken Chop ($6.80) - My dad had a better choice. The chicken chop is slightly charred and had a smoky taste. The mushroom sauce added a certain dimension to the taste as well. The meat is tender and juicy enough to be worth a mention.
Fish and Chips ($5.80) - The fish and chips were lightly breaded and had a thin layer of batter, which is good. The meat however, lacked bite nor taste but the portion size is decent and worthwhile. It was also less oily then expected and for better or worse, its the most worthwhile item of the night and seriously, that isn't saying much.
At $22 for 3 people, this is a very affordable combination considering it came with free soup and garlic bread. We also walked away rather filled though taste wise, its more then a little forgettable.
Below average and not in contention for the western food title at Serangoon Gardens, Aston's Specialties, though looking less glamorous and costing a fair bit more, is still more worth a visit if taste matters to you as much as it does to me. Claudia, time to try Aston's out to find out what you have been missing.
Finally, we get down to business and do a write up on none other then the coveted Donut Factory. Currently available in only 2 locations in town, this orange box means you've either lined up for 2 hours or more for your favorite little fried pastry. I'd like to reiterate once again, i am not a donut lover and asking me to line up for 2 hours for a donut is a suggestion bordering on insane. However, i did find a smaller queue on this very fortunate day and so, we queued, waited and scored!
After an astonishingly long wait of...... 15 minutes (!!!!), i got my hands on a huge assortment of donuts from this famous and much talk about pastry chain. That's right, 15 minutes was all it took and thats a far cry from what i've been told. Even better, most of the flavors were present, i bought 2 boxes of 12 and the other box had the Double Chocolate flavor, which is deemed one of the most popular items. Anyway, as of present, i have tasted 2 flavors with the third gone before i could try. They are the peanut butter glazed donut, the Raspberry dark chocolate and the spicy cheese flavored donut.
Peanut butter glazed donut has a generous filling of peanut butter within and has a nice glazed surface of sugar which really enhances the taste but may come across as a tad too sweet for some. The raspberry dark chocolate tasted normal in the beginning as i couldn't make out the dark chocolate nor raspberry taste. Its saving grace came about halfway through the donut when its thick, sweet and sour raspberry filling oozed out for a satisfying spin on the taste. Finally, the spicy cheese flavored was devoured by my mom very quickly while she kept exclaiming how fragrant and tasty it was as compared to the other donut company i've been reviewing. Across the board, i believe the main difference in their offerings is the quality of the dough. It was uniformly softer and less porous when compared to other donuts i've had at this point. The fillings it offers also packs a stronger punch as compared to other would be imitators. Delightful!
Does it live up to the hype? In terms of donuts, the answer is a resounding YES. Can waiting 2 hours for its donuts be justified? Unfortunately, i would say no. At least not for the flavors i've had thus far. Donuts are known for being quick munchies and for stemming pangs of hunger, they are not known as a luxury item that demands a long waiting time. =P I suppose the next donut comparison will probably be the original Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme in USA. Till then, the Donut Factory can tide you over till you get the real thing.
I had my second monthly outing with Kelvin (thanks for the invite!) and friends last Friday night, after the wonderful dinner at Sage. Expectations were high as I have read some rather good reviews about this restaurant on the internet.
We started off with the complimentary bread which was served warm and a crusty skin. The taste was rather unremarkable. Instead of the typical balsamic vinegar, a red wine vinagerette-like dipping (with olive oil) was served as condiment.
For my antipasto, I've chosen the Prosciutto e melone (S$18) which consisted of sweet melon (I'm not sure if it's cantaloupe) wrapped with strips of 18 month parma ham and topped with rockets (and balsamic vinegar). I enjoyed the soft texture of the ham lacing the melon but thought the taste was not contrasting enough to tantalise the tastebuds. The fruity garlic dressing was interesting but was, again, not distinctively sharp.
Next came the Ossobuco a la Milanese (S$34), the dish that got me excited over La Noce in the first place as I have seen some pictures of this dish (with good reviews to boost too). But to be sent back to the kitchen 3 times due to the toughness of the veal shank, I have to say disappointment was an understatement. The meat was way off the supposedly flaky texture that literally peels off from the bone. The apologetic Chef Salvatore explained that the veal shank was imported in bulk and the quality varies. The saffron-coloured risotto was soft but personally, I would have preferred the fluffy version.
After the unsuccessful third attempt, we had to let go. It was already quite late and we just don't see the how the fourth, fifth or sixth shank would make a significant difference. So, we opted for the grilled beef tenderloin (S$36) instead. Although not remarkably interesting, it was a much better alternative to the veal shank. The medium-rare cooked tenderloin was fresh and succulent while the mash potatoes complimented the meat well. A rather huge portion too.
The Quattro Stagioni (Four Seasons) Pizza arrived looking rather huge. Toppings included halved black olives, artichoke hearts, ham and button mushrooms. This pizza burst with natural flavours from the toppings, which overshadowed the tangy tomato base. Not a fan of olives and artichoke, the pizza was just alright for me.
Thanks to LiquidShadow, I had a piece of the Ravioli with White Truffle Stuffing. There was definitely a hint of white truffle in the stuffing and the cream but to think that the stuffing was completely filled with truffles (as explained by the staff) was only wishful thinking.
I also had a taste of Newbie Foodie 's bruschetta which was quite generic, with a hint of tanginess and pungent garlic scent.
For desserts, a sampler (S$30) was shared. It consisted of four different types of dolci. The panna cotta was smooth but lacked in subtlety while the raspberry sauce provided a tangy flavour to the milky gelatin. The relatively large profiterole (choux pastry coated with chocolate sauce and filled with cream) tasted rather generic. The pine nut pie was rather interesting as I never knew pine nuts could be used in desserts. Taste-wise, it was rather bland. The non-alcoholic Tiramisu was sweet with layers of coffee soaked sponge & mascarporne cream and dusted with a layer of cocoa powder. I wished it was more moist.
For the finale, a complimentary lemon shot (consisted of vodka (25% alcohol), lemoncello and sugar) was served. The friendly staff explained that this shot helps to ease digestion. I definitely needed this as I sampled quite some risotto that night. A rather strong tasting drink with a sweet layer at the bottom.
Apart from the extremely hospitable staff and chef, I thought the food was rather unimpressive. There were moderate hits like the parma ham and grilled tenderloin but major misses dominated the night, especially the Ossobuco. Bad luck perhaps but it will certainly take more than just good reviews to convince me to return.
A dinner with my ex colleagues and they had to bring me to a ulu place for dinner, out of all places. That is what I thought but the then place is within walking distance (5 mins) from Kallang MRT station.
The restaurant got air con and open air eating places. It was packed to brim. I started to have expectations for this place alr!
The waitress was good and recommended some of the dishes to us including their signatures CRABS!
So we ordered:
1. Fried Rice: It was pretty good on its own and very fragrant as well.
2. Signautre Tofu: This one is jz 2 big pcs of tofu with minced meat on them. Nothing special. Taste good though. Hee...
3. Mango Fried Fish: This is a special fried and crispy fish with sweet and sour sauce with thick slices of mango. I loved this dish!
4. Sambal kangkong: Normal. Hee...
We got 2 crabs and done in 2 different ways. Thei signature dishes! I have to say that I loved both dishes!
5. Chili Crab: The crab is freaking big and fresh. The meat jz slide off from the shell without much effort. The chili sauce is so good on its own and not really very hot as well. Use the man tuo to dip into the sauce is simply heaven!
6. Butter Salted Egg Crab: This is a special one. Nvr tasted it before. Surprised by the taste as the salted egg did not turn out to be really salted yet about to bring the tast of the butter crab to a higher level! Unqiue.
The service of the place is very good and prompt. They will served all the dishes less the crabs, after we are more or less done with the dishes, the crabs will appear in front of us. Well to me, this is good, after all eating crabs can be a bit of mess.
The price is also reasonable, coming to about $200 plus with drinks.
I found a new place from crabs and think will be going back more often!
Hopped into Sketches with a friend for dinner one day. I 'd always wanted to try this place with its DIY pasta but I never had the chance till recently.
We were all excited to be able to make our own pastas. Much like creators of our own destines really. It was exciting to be able to put together your favourite ingredients in hope of making a great pasta dish.
We ordered: Garlic Bread 2 Mushroom Soups 2 Pasta Dishes (custom made-Hungry size) - Fusilli in Napoletana (Italian Tomato Sauce) with bacon, ham, mushroom and green peas - Fusilli and Spaghetti in Alfredo Sauce with garlic, carrots, bacon, mushroom and chicken
The garlic bread was pretty normal, done with the store-bought garlic spreads. Not quite worth the money though but I like to have my soup with bread.
The Soups were served with smaller pieces of garlic bread. I enjoyed the soup as it was thick and flavourful. And very filling. Next time I'll probably share it so that I can leave more space for my creation.
Claudia was right to say that "Hungry size" which is the smaller size is definitely able to fill any regular eater and more. Quite a large portion really so I can't imagine what Starving Size looks like. Mine which is the one in the Napoletana Sauce was quite ... average. I'm obviously not a good pasta designer. The ingredients I picked were similiar in taste so there wasn't any variation, resulting in a edible but uninteresting dish. My companion's pasta was much better. It had garlic in it which made the dish very fragrant, a nice sharp contrast to the rest of the ingredients.
The service was generally good. Water was topped up and the people were patient with us as we asked about the items. The only thing is that the bill came really slowly which made me think that they had forgotten.
The damage was slightly under $45, which I think is pretty reasonable for sizeable servings. It was enough for 3 people, so the two of us couldn't finish.
I would be back for more... and will remember to have garlic next time :)
Was invited for a dinner at Sketches last night. Never really wanted to try this place out, so I didn't know what to expect from this place. The first impression I got when I stepped in was the smell from the kitchen. It's open concept kitchen is right smack in the center of the restaurant. And the smell will get stuck to your clothes and hair after you're done dining. Hence not recommended if you're not heading home after meal at Sketches. Alternatively, try to sit outside away from the Kitchen. It might help reduce the lingering "Food court" after smell on you.
As we were late, the menu was cleared from the table as others had already ordered. We attempted couple of time to get someone to give us a menu, and only after thrice before we caught a waitress. (All of them seemed to be busy clustering somewhere behind the restaurant...)
We were presented 2 different menu. One with listing of all ala carte orders and the other one which looks like a giant notepad where you have boxes to tick and create your own "Designer" pasta. My bf choice to go for the pasta and I ordered the wild mushroom pizza.
First the pasta came, and after "digging" through the plate, we discovered that they got our order wrong. We choice 2 different pasta but they only used one. We told the waitress and she cleared the plate and got the kitchen to remake for us. (Yes we saw her dumping the entire plate of pasta into the bin when she walked back to the kitchen. Advantage of an open concept kitchen for customers.)
The right combination of pasta arrived shortly. The taste was pretty good. And the serving for the small size is already quite filling. Unless you're super hungry or sharing with friends, I'll not recommend you to tick the bigger servings.
They took quite a long time to serve my mushroom pizza. When it finally arrived, I was disappointed. The pizza was alittle too tough on the dough and the shrooms on it were tasteless. The cheese wasn't well spread and I was only able to taste the cheese on few slices of the entire pizza. The rest were just covered with few pieces of sliced shrooms. I had to whack quite abit of shredded cheese and tabasco sauce on the pizza to make it taste slightly better.
Overall the place was quite nice, pricing was reasonable. I'll probably go back for their pasta since I can choose what I want in it and I'll totally avoid the pizzas.
1=SGD 0.0587
Yar Claud is right.. The mussels are good.. But i love the fresh oysters the best... I wonder if they still serve that... The last i've been there they say no stock... Oysters all die coz Oil Spill.. heehee I just made that up!!!! The oysters are so value for money, if i'm not wrong its like $10 or $12 for half a dozen and boy the Oysters are HUGE.... Very fresh and good...... drizzzle some TOBASCO sauce. lagi SHIOKA DOO DOO.......
The baked mussels is very nice also. I like the baked stuffs just not the deep fried stuffs.. I got a body to maintain ok.... Though not much left.. but still......
Other then that.. this place is nice because its one of the least crowded restaurant usually...
Gosh.... Where does all these shoppers come from man.. Its crowded in Orchard Road, Suntec City, All the other Heartland Malls...... and now VIVO CITY.. Gosh........
Please Bring back the oysters....................................
Plea from:
Oyster Girl....
Rating given:
Its like flying they say.. Well... I do feel light enough to fly after the ride. heehee!
Aeroline unlike other coaches to KL are safer I feel. Judging by their stringent requirements for their drivers. The coach is somewhat comfortable with TV to watch and onboard meals to fill your hunger pangs. They also serve beverages like coffee, tea, milo and others..... Plus plus plus... A super small toilet for the Pee Wee....... The flushing system is super good and its the only thing that resembles the FLYING.....
If you happen to get on the double deck, you have a lounge on the lower level. It is especially good for travelling with grannies or older people who have difficulty getting on the high steps of the bus.. The lounge equipped with comfy couches and a special boarding entrance with lower steps to accommodate their requirements. If there are no such travellers then normal healthy and strong travellers like us can enjoy the luxury of the lounge with more leg space and a choice of the movie u wanna watch.
The beautiful thing about Aeroline is that it stops in Corus hotel in KL unlike the rest which is usually at the Bus Terminals which is rather less safe and convenient. You might wanna choose to stay in Corus hotel or you can conveniently take a train or a cab to the destination you desire. Corus hotel is but within their Commercial Distric. If you want to eat something before u travel further, you can always drop by KLCC which is like 10 mins walk from corus hotel.
Thats what I call travel in Style.. Its not pricy either... $67 for a non-stop one way trip to KL and cheaper if you book the return from Corus hotel as it is in RM. On top of that to make your trip lagi worth you can charge your lap top , phones and everything else with the 240V wall plugs on board.. Super Duper Right......
Rating given:
IT Feels so Embarrassing when somebody wears the same outfit as i am at this so glam party the other day. Matter of fact i think she looks nicer in that silver top... Grr...........
I mean... its so Difficult to find unique pieces of fashionable items. The shops just repeat themselves in every shopping mall and if you want something special... its DEFINITELY going to BURN A HOLE in my Pocket. I cannot imagine one new skirt in 3 months.....
So, i promise myself to keep a look out for interesting and unique shops that sells fashionable items at a reachable damage. AND I found B.Zone...........
Its a very unique shop. Looks pretty regular on the outside but spend sometime looking at the items there and you can find many interesting items. The one things that WOWed me is the interior design of the shop. The clever owner managed to hide a store and changing room in that tiny area. And boy.. u must really check that out... Its not visible to the naked eye, so if you must really find out, ask the shop keeper to show you or try some pretty dresses there.
Talking about the clothings... One thing i super like about this shop is the concept. They work with independent artist and so, their items are truely unique. There are only few pieces for each design and colour, Its hard to meet somebody carrying or wearing something similar.
The accessories are so special... It makes me wanna puncture my ears to wear these special ear BoBs.... The shop keeper 'Priscilla' showed me this special piece. 'Handmade cane wond ear BoBs' So Special So cute... I must have it......
Priscilla herself was wearing these very cute furry but not kiddy looking slippers..... They kind of gave this warm and cosy feeling for an especially cold christmas. I ended up buying myself loads of christmas presents.
I've got a nice bag for work.... ITs a pretty Hue of YELLOW... very clean looking.... and a matching Long Neckless to match with the bag. Neckless meaning wear already no neck? heehee! what a wierd term.....
Oh yar. i bought a piggy bag for my niece... thats her christmas present.. A piggy bag for her to PIGGYBAG.. heehee! And i bought all these for about $50.. can u imagine how good the prices are. Join them as a member and you can get 10% discount on your purchases plus plus plus....
I've got alot of wrapping paper from the information counter next door in which i dun need to queue or BEG.... the nice lady just asked.... Do you want wrapping paper... I say ok... maybe 2 and she went.. i wrapped them up in 6... How GENEROUS!!!!!... i am beginning to love shopping in the xchange. I hate it when I look like a Yao GUI queing for the wrapping papers... I mean i queue so long they only give like 1 or 2... so kiam siap right.....
Then i've got a lucky dip n got one free ticket to the ALIEN AND PREDATORS plus plus 2 lucky draw tickets to fill in.... Reallly so WORTH LOR..........
FOr First time i am TOTALLY SATISFIED and GUILT FREE for a Shopping Spree...
Will post photos later of my Shopping... Shops like B.Zones are like little Gems for that fashionable you.......
Rating given:
After a whole day at VivoCity, it was time for dinner, and as expected, everywhere was packed with hungry people. And finally settled at The Mussel Guys as there wasn't any queue! But no queue doesn't been no good food.
The place was packed inside with people talking and children crying. Not quite the place to go for a romantic Xmas dinner. Can pass as a clean and comfortable place for friends to gather and enjoy fresh mussels.
We ordered Sauteed Mushrooms, Steamed Mussels (350g), Sausage Pasta and drinks.
The Sauteed Mushrooms, $4.50, was value for money. Serving was quite big for the price and the taste was just right. But if the mushrooms were not sliced that thinly, the taste would have been better.
Steamed Mussels, $15.90, with white wine and garlic arrived in their mussel pot, which you can purchase home at $180 . The mussels were fresh and there wasn't any fishy taste. At first we wanted to order the creamy or tomato base mussels as we were afraid that it'll taste fishy. But it didn't. Fresh and some were almost crunchy when bitten into. The white wine and garlic blended well with the mussels. I wouldn't say the taste was fantastics as I'd better ones before. But with the price, its still considered value for money.
I shan't comment much on the chicken Sausage Pasta, $12.90. I'll not order this again. It's not even average imo. Pay slightly more for another pot of mussels!
I'll go back there if I crave for mussels. Its value for money.
Rating given:
Owing to a comment from Claudia who said she got addicted to a western food stall across the street instead of Aston's, i paid a visit to Serangoon gardens yet again to ascertain if it actually qualifies as a competitor to Aston's Specialties.
Milo Dinosaur ($2) - Ordered this on a whim to try it out but it turned out to be ridiculously expensive. The preparation process is rather simple as well. Get hot water, add milo and milk till it saturates, add ice and pile lots of milo on top. I have no idea what possessed me to pay $2 for this but it is definitely not worth it.
Tomato Soup with Garlic Toast (Free) - Free stuff is always good. And here we got ourselves some warm tomato soup and garlic bread. The bread was your run-of-the-mill garlic bread which really isn't worth mentioning and but pairing it with the soup does give it a decent taste. Not too bad but not good either.
Grilled Sirloin Steak ($8.80) - After the mediocre appetizer, the main course is served. At its price, the sirloin was a decent size and thickness but that is about all its redeeming features. I specifically asked for medium rare, which is the only way i have steak and what i got was undoubtedly a 'well done' steak. What this means is that the steak loses its fibrous texture and is overcome with a tougher meat texture that makes you chew that much more. Not that there was much taste to go with it, the pepper sauce covers just about everything and i can't taste much of my steak, it could be chicken for all i know. The sides, which are fixed, aren't worth mentioning.
Grilled Chicken Chop ($6.80) - My dad had a better choice. The chicken chop is slightly charred and had a smoky taste. The mushroom sauce added a certain dimension to the taste as well. The meat is tender and juicy enough to be worth a mention.
Fish and Chips ($5.80) - The fish and chips were lightly breaded and had a thin layer of batter, which is good. The meat however, lacked bite nor taste but the portion size is decent and worthwhile. It was also less oily then expected and for better or worse, its the most worthwhile item of the night and seriously, that isn't saying much.
At $22 for 3 people, this is a very affordable combination considering it came with free soup and garlic bread. We also walked away rather filled though taste wise, its more then a little forgettable.
Below average and not in contention for the western food title at Serangoon Gardens, Aston's Specialties, though looking less glamorous and costing a fair bit more, is still more worth a visit if taste matters to you as much as it does to me. Claudia, time to try Aston's out to find out what you have been missing.
Rating given:
Finally, we get down to business and do a write up on none other then the coveted Donut Factory. Currently available in only 2 locations in town, this orange box means you've either lined up for 2 hours or more for your favorite little fried pastry. I'd like to reiterate once again, i am not a donut lover and asking me to line up for 2 hours for a donut is a suggestion bordering on insane. However, i did find a smaller queue on this very fortunate day and so, we queued, waited and scored!
After an astonishingly long wait of...... 15 minutes (!!!!), i got my hands on a huge assortment of donuts from this famous and much talk about pastry chain. That's right, 15 minutes was all it took and thats a far cry from what i've been told. Even better, most of the flavors were present, i bought 2 boxes of 12 and the other box had the Double Chocolate flavor, which is deemed one of the most popular items.
Anyway, as of present, i have tasted 2 flavors with the third gone before i could try. They are the peanut butter glazed donut, the Raspberry dark chocolate and the spicy cheese flavored donut.
Peanut butter glazed donut has a generous filling of peanut butter within and has a nice glazed surface of sugar which really enhances the taste but may come across as a tad too sweet for some.
The raspberry dark chocolate tasted normal in the beginning as i couldn't make out the dark chocolate nor raspberry taste. Its saving grace came about halfway through the donut when its thick, sweet and sour raspberry filling oozed out for a satisfying spin on the taste.
Finally, the spicy cheese flavored was devoured by my mom very quickly while she kept exclaiming how fragrant and tasty it was as compared to the other donut company i've been reviewing.
Across the board, i believe the main difference in their offerings is the quality of the dough. It was uniformly softer and less porous when compared to other donuts i've had at this point. The fillings it offers also packs a stronger punch as compared to other would be imitators. Delightful!
Does it live up to the hype? In terms of donuts, the answer is a resounding YES.
Can waiting 2 hours for its donuts be justified? Unfortunately, i would say no. At least not for the flavors i've had thus far. Donuts are known for being quick munchies and for stemming pangs of hunger, they are not known as a luxury item that demands a long waiting time. =P I suppose the next donut comparison will probably be the original Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme in USA. Till then, the Donut Factory can tide you over till you get the real thing.
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I had my second monthly outing with Kelvin (thanks for the invite!) and friends last Friday night, after the wonderful dinner at Sage. Expectations were high as I have read some rather good reviews about this restaurant on the internet.
We started off with the complimentary bread which was served warm and a crusty skin. The taste was rather unremarkable. Instead of the typical balsamic vinegar, a red wine vinagerette-like dipping (with olive oil) was served as condiment.
For my antipasto, I've chosen the Prosciutto e melone (S$18) which consisted of sweet melon (I'm not sure if it's cantaloupe) wrapped with strips of 18 month parma ham and topped with rockets (and balsamic vinegar). I enjoyed the soft texture of the ham lacing the melon but thought the taste was not contrasting enough to tantalise the tastebuds. The fruity garlic dressing was interesting but was, again, not distinctively sharp.
Next came the Ossobuco a la Milanese (S$34), the dish that got me excited over La Noce in the first place as I have seen some pictures of this dish (with good reviews to boost too). But to be sent back to the kitchen 3 times due to the toughness of the veal shank, I have to say disappointment was an understatement. The meat was way off the supposedly flaky texture that literally peels off from the bone. The apologetic Chef Salvatore explained that the veal shank was imported in bulk and the quality varies. The saffron-coloured risotto was soft but personally, I would have preferred the fluffy version.
After the unsuccessful third attempt, we had to let go. It was already quite late and we just don't see the how the fourth, fifth or sixth shank would make a significant difference. So, we opted for the grilled beef tenderloin (S$36) instead. Although not remarkably interesting, it was a much better alternative to the veal shank. The medium-rare cooked tenderloin was fresh and succulent while the mash potatoes complimented the meat well. A rather huge portion too.
The Quattro Stagioni (Four Seasons) Pizza arrived looking rather huge. Toppings included halved black olives, artichoke hearts, ham and button mushrooms. This pizza burst with natural flavours from the toppings, which overshadowed the tangy tomato base. Not a fan of olives and artichoke, the pizza was just alright for me.
Thanks to LiquidShadow, I had a piece of the Ravioli with White Truffle Stuffing. There was definitely a hint of white truffle in the stuffing and the cream but to think that the stuffing was completely filled with truffles (as explained by the staff) was only wishful thinking.
I also had a taste of Newbie Foodie 's bruschetta which was quite generic, with a hint of tanginess and pungent garlic scent.
For desserts, a sampler (S$30) was shared. It consisted of four different types of dolci. The panna cotta was smooth but lacked in subtlety while the raspberry sauce provided a tangy flavour to the milky gelatin. The relatively large profiterole (choux pastry coated with chocolate sauce and filled with cream) tasted rather generic. The pine nut pie was rather interesting as I never knew pine nuts could be used in desserts. Taste-wise, it was rather bland. The non-alcoholic Tiramisu was sweet with layers of coffee soaked sponge & mascarporne cream and dusted with a layer of cocoa powder. I wished it was more moist.
For the finale, a complimentary lemon shot (consisted of vodka (25% alcohol), lemoncello and sugar) was served. The friendly staff explained that this shot helps to ease digestion. I definitely needed this as I sampled quite some risotto that night. A rather strong tasting drink with a sweet layer at the bottom.
Apart from the extremely hospitable staff and chef, I thought the food was rather unimpressive. There were moderate hits like the parma ham and grilled tenderloin but major misses dominated the night, especially the Ossobuco. Bad luck perhaps but it will certainly take more than just good reviews to convince me to return.
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A dinner with my ex colleagues and they had to bring me to a ulu place for dinner, out of all places. That is what I thought but the then place is within walking distance (5 mins) from Kallang MRT station.
The restaurant got air con and open air eating places. It was packed to brim. I started to have expectations for this place alr!
The waitress was good and recommended some of the dishes to us including their signatures CRABS!
So we ordered:
1. Fried Rice: It was pretty good on its own and very fragrant as well.
2. Signautre Tofu: This one is jz 2 big pcs of tofu with minced meat on them. Nothing special. Taste good though. Hee...
3. Mango Fried Fish: This is a special fried and crispy fish with sweet and sour sauce with thick slices of mango. I loved this dish!
4. Sambal kangkong: Normal. Hee...
We got 2 crabs and done in 2 different ways. Thei signature dishes! I have to say that I loved both dishes!
5. Chili Crab: The crab is freaking big and fresh. The meat jz slide off from the shell without much effort. The chili sauce is so good on its own and not really very hot as well. Use the man tuo to dip into the sauce is simply heaven!
6. Butter Salted Egg Crab: This is a special one. Nvr tasted it before. Surprised by the taste as the salted egg did not turn out to be really salted yet about to bring the tast of the butter crab to a higher level! Unqiue.
The service of the place is very good and prompt. They will served all the dishes less the crabs, after we are more or less done with the dishes, the crabs will appear in front of us. Well to me, this is good, after all eating crabs can be a bit of mess.
The price is also reasonable, coming to about $200 plus with drinks.
I found a new place from crabs and think will be going back more often!
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Hopped into Sketches with a friend for dinner one day. I 'd always wanted to try this place with its DIY pasta but I never had the chance till recently.
We were all excited to be able to make our own pastas. Much like creators of our own destines really. It was exciting to be able to put together your favourite ingredients in hope of making a great pasta dish.
We ordered:
Garlic Bread
2 Mushroom Soups
2 Pasta Dishes (custom made-Hungry size)
- Fusilli in Napoletana (Italian Tomato Sauce) with bacon,
ham, mushroom and green peas
- Fusilli and Spaghetti in Alfredo Sauce with garlic, carrots,
bacon, mushroom and chicken
The garlic bread was pretty normal, done with the store-bought garlic spreads. Not quite worth the money though but I like to have my soup with bread.
The Soups were served with smaller pieces of garlic bread. I enjoyed the soup as it was thick and flavourful. And very filling. Next time I'll probably share it so that I can leave more space for my creation.
Claudia was right to say that "Hungry size" which is the smaller size is definitely able to fill any regular eater and more. Quite a large portion really so I can't imagine what Starving Size looks like. Mine which is the one in the Napoletana Sauce was quite ... average. I'm obviously not a good pasta designer. The ingredients I picked were similiar in taste so there wasn't any variation, resulting in a edible but uninteresting dish. My companion's pasta was much better. It had garlic in it which made the dish very fragrant, a nice sharp contrast to the rest of the ingredients.
The service was generally good. Water was topped up and the people were patient with us as we asked about the items. The only thing is that the bill came really slowly which made me think that they had forgotten.
The damage was slightly under $45, which I think is pretty reasonable for sizeable servings. It was enough for 3 people, so the two of us couldn't finish.
I would be back for more... and will remember to have garlic next time :)
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Was invited for a dinner at Sketches last night. Never really wanted to try this place out, so I didn't know what to expect from this place. The first impression I got when I stepped in was the smell from the kitchen. It's open concept kitchen is right smack in the center of the restaurant. And the smell will get stuck to your clothes and hair after you're done dining. Hence not recommended if you're not heading home after meal at Sketches. Alternatively, try to sit outside away from the Kitchen. It might help reduce the lingering "Food court" after smell on you.
As we were late, the menu was cleared from the table as others had already ordered. We attempted couple of time to get someone to give us a menu, and only after thrice before we caught a waitress. (All of them seemed to be busy clustering somewhere behind the restaurant...)
We were presented 2 different menu. One with listing of all ala carte orders and the other one which looks like a giant notepad where you have boxes to tick and create your own "Designer" pasta. My bf choice to go for the pasta and I ordered the wild mushroom pizza.
First the pasta came, and after "digging" through the plate, we discovered that they got our order wrong. We choice 2 different pasta but they only used one. We told the waitress and she cleared the plate and got the kitchen to remake for us. (Yes we saw her dumping the entire plate of pasta into the bin when she walked back to the kitchen. Advantage of an open concept kitchen for customers.)
The right combination of pasta arrived shortly. The taste was pretty good. And the serving for the small size is already quite filling. Unless you're super hungry or sharing with friends, I'll not recommend you to tick the bigger servings.
They took quite a long time to serve my mushroom pizza. When it finally arrived, I was disappointed. The pizza was alittle too tough on the dough and the shrooms on it were tasteless. The cheese wasn't well spread and I was only able to taste the cheese on few slices of the entire pizza. The rest were just covered with few pieces of sliced shrooms. I had to whack quite abit of shredded cheese and tabasco sauce on the pizza to make it taste slightly better.
Overall the place was quite nice, pricing was reasonable. I'll probably go back for their pasta since I can choose what I want in it and I'll totally avoid the pizzas.
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