Idyllic brunches are what I often look forward to and they can essentially dictate the pace of the day's subsequent activities. On this beautiful Saturday morning, my gf and I set out to conquer the Italian buffet brunch at Pontini. I have never tried Italian buffets and it got me thinking as to how badly the quality of food would be compromised in the face of mass reproduction. We reached there slightly before 12pm and were told it was fully booked. Thank god we had made reservations(The buffet hadn't started so I did manage to take some decent interior shots without much people).
A short walk through the passageway with water trickling down both sides of the walls will see you at a cellar which also doubles up as a private function room. Walk on and you will notice that the interior is simple yet elegant, with wood as the main element. Homely and comfortable are words I would use to associate with such surroundings.
The buffet variety wasn't extensive. I estimated it to be about 30 odd, probably 40 inclusive of desserts. There was everything from Parma Ham with Rock Melon to Cus Cus to Pizzas and Pasta which were cooked on the spot for you, Cheeses, Roasted Lamb, Oysters etc. Drinks like Champagne, Red and White Wine and Fruit Juices were also free flow. I tried almost everything on offer except for a few of the Cheeses.
I personally liked the pizzas and the pasta. Wafer thin and crispy crusts led the way for the Pizzas and it really was a pleasure eating them. Subtle flavouring, the freshest ingredients and excellent culinary skill resulted in an absolutely tantalising pasta creation. I attribute the excellent culinary skills to Pontini's Executive Chef, Laurent Perez, who whipped up pasta after pasta for me. And so, let me just cut the review short because there are just too many things to write about. Almost everything was good or at least above average, with the exception of a couple, like the mushroom soup, which I found a tad too bitter and some of the cheeses which reeked strongly of gee. Oh and yes, I did like some of the desserts as well, namely the Hazelnut Pannacotta and the shot of Tiramisu, which had a potent coffee taste.
It cost us $116.55/- for 2 pax ($66.55 after $50 discount)which I find to be pretty worth it even without the discount because champagne and wines can already cover quite a huge part of your bill. Service is great and everyone's friendly. Plates are cleared and drinks are refilled promptly. There's even a 3 piece ensemble going to each individual table to belt out songs or individual requests. Food wise, I wouldn't go as far as to rate it Excellent, but most of it are a Good. With such good food, good atmosphere and a individual band to boot, whats not to like? I'm recommending this as a must try.
Cafe Le Pastry has been in existence for over 50 years and my mum occasionally buys a box or two of its Pineapple tarts home because I'm quite crazy over it.
Located at a nondescript shophouse just next to a Chicken Rice stall, it lies near the junction of Middle Road and Selegie Road, along the outskirts of town. Newspaper cuttings and photographs of celebrities and its specialties adorn the stall front, making for a rather cluttered and comical looking shop. Step through the narrow space and be greeted by a friendly lady who promptly informs you that all of their specialties are sold out and they have to be booked a day in advance. Lucky for me, they were in the midst of making a fresh batch and I only had to wait an hour to get my hands on their famous pineapple tarts and beancurd tarts.
Golf Balls aka Pineapple Tarts ($7 for 10) - My all time favourite Chinese New Year goodie, pineapple tarts! (Ok I like Bak Kwa as well) The balls were quite a size and came stuffed with copious amounts of not too sweet pineapple filling. The pastry itself was fluffy and a little buttery, making for an excellent dessert. To be honest, my auntie makes better pineapple tarts but Le Cafe probably sells one of the best commercially made pineapple tarts in the market.
Bean Curd Tarts ($5.50 for 6) - First looks at the tarts and I was suitably impressed by the homogeneous texture of the filling and the crust as well the aroma emitted. I wasn't too impressed in the taste department though. True, it was smooth and lightly sweet but the pastry wasn't firm enough for one. Also, it didn't taste out of the ordinary. Pretty much like eating Tao Huey, albeit of a slightly denser form. Having said that (I'm rather contradictory am I not?), it is still something new to me and I do like it enough to want to buy it again.
There is this new stall selling Vietnamese food near my house and it being a lull and rainy Saturday afternoon, my gf and I checked it out, not so much so for the food, but because we were plain lazy and didn't feel like going anywhere far.
The above mentioned restaurant lies along a row of shophouses in a rather secluded part of Serangoon Gardens, where most people don't actually walk to unless you are looking for the OCBC bank. A rather weird choice for location if you ask me. The shop announces its presence via a huge red signboard on the outside and the interior is decidedly simple Asian.
Cha Gio - Crispy Pork Spring Roll - This dish came highly recommended in the menu and by the waiter, so we had an order of the pork variation (there's chicken as well). Honestly, I didn't think too highly of this dish as it wasn't the least bit interesting. I found it rather average, not that I've tried it before though. The exterior was deep fried until crispy and the filling of pork, shrimps and yam was bland. You probably have to dip it into the sweetish spicy sauce to get any flavour (actually, most of the dishes came with that sauce. Maybe its a staple?)
Chao Tom - Sugar Cane Prawn - This was also recommended and I fairly liked it. A most interesting concept of mincing prawn and fish into a paste and wrapping it over sugar cane. The paste alone was normal but when eaten together with the sugar cane (you have to chew on the sugar cane to get the juice. I don't really think you can swallow the pulp though), you get something which is a mixture of tastes - a perfect blend of salty and sweet. But chewing on the sugar cane can be quite a chore, especially for lazy people like me.
Pho Bo Tai - Beef Slice Noodles - I'm no stranger to Pho, having eaten it through my college years in North America at the dozens of Vietnamese stalls there. However, ever since coming back to Singapore, I've not been able to find one which matches up to what I used to have. Le Viet's rendition comes fairly close, but still lacks the stronger soup base with a more natural and stronger beef taste. The beef slices were medium rare but not as chewy as I would have liked it to be. Quite a generous serving of beef slices though.
Com Tam Suon Nuong - Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop - I had expected broken rice (ie. normal rice broken into smaller bits), but all I got was normal rice. So much for the name. The grilled pork chop tasted familiarly like Char Siew except for the fact that this one seemed a lot fattier. However, the garnishing of spring onion and fried garlic proved to be a winner for this dish. Pleasantly fragrant, it added another angle of taste to the grilled pork chop.
A very filling lunch for 2 came up to about $30 because of a 10% discount (promotion period I believe), which is a little on the high side considering what we had ordered. Bring it down to below $25 and I'll have reason to go back often. Other than that, it will probably be just a once in a blue moon thing. And service is quite good by the way.
I just can't get enough of muffins, good ones that is. Nestled in the market in the tiny Shunfu precinct, the original branch of Chocolat N' Spice is well known for its freshly baked muffins and the long snaking queues at both its Shunfu and Tanjong Pagar outlets are testament to that. I had one of their famed Chocolate Chip muffin and Blueberry muffin to try.
The muffins were freshly made and very fragrant. The outer layer is a little crispy around the edges yet soft and moist within. The muffin itself was a little sweet when eaten alone. Overall, I found the muffins rather pleasing, but my parents found them a little too sweet.
Each fondue set came with a small saucer of melted White Chocolate, melted Milk Chocolate and melted Dark Chocolate served over a small flame to heat the liquid chocolate up. Dip items consisted of Marshmallows, Strawberries, cubes of bread and Bananas. The Dark Chocolate was nice and thick without being too sweet. The Milk Chocolate was acceptable but a little too milky for my taste. The White Chocolate was way to sweet for my taste and tasted a little creamy. The unanimous winner for the night was the Dark Chocolate, with everyone voting in favour of it.
At $20 for 1 fondue set (serves 2), I feel it’s quite a rip off. But I’m a sucker for chocolate, so I don’t see an end to me visiting such places, or Max Brenner for that matter – if they buck up on their slow service that is.
1=SGD 0.0587
A short walk through the passageway with water trickling down both sides of the walls will see you at a cellar which also doubles up as a private function room. Walk on and you will notice that the interior is simple yet elegant, with wood as the main element. Homely and comfortable are words I would use to associate with such surroundings.
The buffet variety wasn't extensive. I estimated it to be about 30 odd, probably 40 inclusive of desserts. There was everything from Parma Ham with Rock Melon to Cus Cus to Pizzas and Pasta which were cooked on the spot for you, Cheeses, Roasted Lamb, Oysters etc. Drinks like Champagne, Red and White Wine and Fruit Juices were also free flow. I tried almost everything on offer except for a few of the Cheeses.
I personally liked the pizzas and the pasta. Wafer thin and crispy crusts led the way for the Pizzas and it really was a pleasure eating them. Subtle flavouring, the freshest ingredients and excellent culinary skill resulted in an absolutely tantalising pasta creation. I attribute the excellent culinary skills to Pontini's Executive Chef, Laurent Perez, who whipped up pasta after pasta for me. And so, let me just cut the review short because there are just too many things to write about. Almost everything was good or at least above average, with the exception of a couple, like the mushroom soup, which I found a tad too bitter and some of the cheeses which reeked strongly of gee. Oh and yes, I did like some of the desserts as well, namely the Hazelnut Pannacotta and the shot of Tiramisu, which had a potent coffee taste.
It cost us $116.55/- for 2 pax ($66.55 after $50 discount)which I find to be pretty worth it even without the discount because champagne and wines can already cover quite a huge part of your bill. Service is great and everyone's friendly. Plates are cleared and drinks are refilled promptly. There's even a 3 piece ensemble going to each individual table to belt out songs or individual requests. Food wise, I wouldn't go as far as to rate it Excellent, but most of it are a Good. With such good food, good atmosphere and a individual band to boot, whats not to like? I'm recommending this as a must try.
See all my pictures here.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!... Hmm free flow champagne and wine.. I guess the price is justified then.
14 Jan 2008 at 6:46 am
Located at a nondescript shophouse just next to a Chicken Rice stall, it lies near the junction of Middle Road and Selegie Road, along the outskirts of town. Newspaper cuttings and photographs of celebrities and its specialties adorn the stall front, making for a rather cluttered and comical looking shop. Step through the narrow space and be greeted by a friendly lady who promptly informs you that all of their specialties are sold out and they have to be booked a day in advance. Lucky for me, they were in the midst of making a fresh batch and I only had to wait an hour to get my hands on their famous pineapple tarts and beancurd tarts.
Golf Balls aka Pineapple Tarts ($7 for 10) - My all time favourite Chinese New Year goodie, pineapple tarts! (Ok I like Bak Kwa as well) The balls were quite a size and came stuffed with copious amounts of not too sweet pineapple filling. The pastry itself was fluffy and a little buttery, making for an excellent dessert. To be honest, my auntie makes better pineapple tarts but Le Cafe probably sells one of the best commercially made pineapple tarts in the market.
Bean Curd Tarts ($5.50 for 6) - First looks at the tarts and I was suitably impressed by the homogeneous texture of the filling and the crust as well the aroma emitted. I wasn't too impressed in the taste department though. True, it was smooth and lightly sweet but the pastry wasn't firm enough for one. Also, it didn't taste out of the ordinary. Pretty much like eating Tao Huey, albeit of a slightly denser form. Having said that (I'm rather contradictory am I not?), it is still something new to me and I do like it enough to want to buy it again.
See all my pictures here
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The above mentioned restaurant lies along a row of shophouses in a rather secluded part of Serangoon Gardens, where most people don't actually walk to unless you are looking for the OCBC bank. A rather weird choice for location if you ask me. The shop announces its presence via a huge red signboard on the outside and the interior is decidedly simple Asian.
Cha Gio - Crispy Pork Spring Roll - This dish came highly recommended in the menu and by the waiter, so we had an order of the pork variation (there's chicken as well). Honestly, I didn't think too highly of this dish as it wasn't the least bit interesting. I found it rather average, not that I've tried it before though. The exterior was deep fried until crispy and the filling of pork, shrimps and yam was bland. You probably have to dip it into the sweetish spicy sauce to get any flavour (actually, most of the dishes came with that sauce. Maybe its a staple?)
Chao Tom - Sugar Cane Prawn - This was also recommended and I fairly liked it. A most interesting concept of mincing prawn and fish into a paste and wrapping it over sugar cane. The paste alone was normal but when eaten together with the sugar cane (you have to chew on the sugar cane to get the juice. I don't really think you can swallow the pulp though), you get something which is a mixture of tastes - a perfect blend of salty and sweet. But chewing on the sugar cane can be quite a chore, especially for lazy people like me.
Pho Bo Tai - Beef Slice Noodles - I'm no stranger to Pho, having eaten it through my college years in North America at the dozens of Vietnamese stalls there. However, ever since coming back to Singapore, I've not been able to find one which matches up to what I used to have. Le Viet's rendition comes fairly close, but still lacks the stronger soup base with a more natural and stronger beef taste. The beef slices were medium rare but not as chewy as I would have liked it to be. Quite a generous serving of beef slices though.
Com Tam Suon Nuong - Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop - I had expected broken rice (ie. normal rice broken into smaller bits), but all I got was normal rice. So much for the name. The grilled pork chop tasted familiarly like Char Siew except for the fact that this one seemed a lot fattier. However, the garnishing of spring onion and fried garlic proved to be a winner for this dish. Pleasantly fragrant, it added another angle of taste to the grilled pork chop.
A very filling lunch for 2 came up to about $30 because of a 10% discount (promotion period I believe), which is a little on the high side considering what we had ordered. Bring it down to below $25 and I'll have reason to go back often. Other than that, it will probably be just a once in a blue moon thing. And service is quite good by the way.
See all my pictures here
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The muffins were freshly made and very fragrant. The outer layer is a little crispy around the edges yet soft and moist within. The muffin itself was a little sweet when eaten alone. Overall, I found the muffins rather pleasing, but my parents found them a little too sweet.
See all my pictures here
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At $20 for 1 fondue set (serves 2), I feel it’s quite a rip off. But I’m a sucker for chocolate, so I don’t see an end to me visiting such places, or Max Brenner for that matter – if they buck up on their slow service that is.
See all my pictures here
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Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!dark choc is the normal choc they use for most fondues... no wonder the rest didn't taste good. :P
13 Jan 2008 at 5:52 pm
Hmm... I am a BIG fan of this place leh.
14 Jan 2008 at 10:17 am
Er their choc not very good actually. haha.
14 Jan 2008 at 10:41 am