I love to go to Carrefour because it has anything & everything! Despite it being a hypermart, all its things are neatly arranged and organised which makes it really an ease to look for things I want.
I was with my friend looking around for luggage that day and we were really lucky to meet a friendly and helpful salesperson. She assisted us in picking a suitable luggage and offered advices which really helped us in making our decision on the luggage to buy.
The only complaint that I have is their super long queue at the payment counters. Probably things can be sped up a little faster if they have 2 persons at the counter, 1 cashier & 1 packer.
I was the first to review about Cotton On in Yebber and the first outlet was in Wisma. I had loved it then and was very excited when I saw them having an outlet in Parkway.
I went the week they opened and also the following week.
The first time I went the place was rather messy and I forgave them since they had just opened.
But it was still pretty messy the second time and I was rather upset. Also the prices of the items seem higher now. I guess it's because more people are buying. That aside I still love their long tops.
There are two major gripes I have about this outlet. One is that the lighting is much too dim to see some colours properly.
The second is that the customer service people are too busy chatting to each other and they don't tend to the customers very much. This is part of the reason why the place becomes messy as the customers ransack to look for the right size.
MMmmM I guess I will still pop by if I'm in the area but I wouldn't go there specially to buy. :P
The newly renovated basement of Plaza Singapura has seen many new tenants providing all sorts of quirky and creative food. Bratwurst Shop is one of the original stores which has been there for quite a long period of time.
Just in case you have no idea, Bratwurst is a sausage composed of pork, beef and/or veal and the name is from Germany.
For the sausages, you get to choose from different toppings, the original, bacon & cheese, mushroom& cheese are some of the popular ones.
After choosing the toppings, you’ll get to choose the type of bratwurst that you fancy, swiss cheese pork, spicy beef & pork, black pepper pork, italian pork, mild beef & pork are all available.
There are also a wide range of sandwiches available at pretty decent prices.
I remember the old Bratwurst shop was located on the other side of the basement, nearer to the escalator outside Carrefour, but they have since shift to this corner which provides them with a larger seating area.
The theme for Bratwurst shop is apparently red, with their furnitures and shop signboard in bright red.
Swiss cheese pork, original with mustard & sauerkraut ($4.95) I had the original with mustard & sauerkraut for my choice of topping, and the swiss cheese pork for the main.
The sausage was really huge, i must say its quite value for money as one will fill you up if you finish it together with the bun. However i disliked the sauerkraut as i find it to be too salty and sour, and does not compliments the taste of the sausage.
And just in case you are wondering, sauerkraut is finely sliced cabbage fermented by various lactic acid.
Tuna Sandwich ($5.50) On first sight the tuna sandwich certainly does not looks appealing, the bread looks dry, and the tuna well doesn’t looks attractive to me.
But my friend say the tuna sandwich actually taste not bad, and at $5.50 i guess you can’t really complain.
Total bill was $10.45 for two, we didn’t order any drinks because we went to Carrefour to buy mineral water beforehand. Well, we were on a budget, had waffles at Gelare before coming here, and besides mineral water is healthier!
Drop by Bratwurst shop for a hassle-free, quick bite if you are in Plaza Singapura, and do not want to spend too much money on a meal before going to the theaters!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
I had this plan for my "other" home. After much discussion when this plan was introduced, we decided to sign up since the mobile phones, telephone lines and internet were all under Singnet anyway.
We did save a lot in the long run... but...
Setting up triggered a lot of problems and we were without our phone lines and internet for 2 weeks. The MIO box gave quite a bit of problems. The repairman had to come 3-4 times and we had the box changed twice. We live in a private estate and were told that things will be fine in our particular estate. After the initial hiccups we were finally able to use the phone lines and the internet.
BTW you have to purchase a different kind of phone to be used with the MIO system.
Once we started to use it, we noticed that at times the phone doesn't detect the incoming call. Everything is working (when the repairman came to test it) but it just doesn't ring every single time we call. It would miss a couple of times. And there would be quite a bit of static on the line, which disrupts the call.
It could possibly be a line connection thing but Singtel should also be responsible for checking our lines when we had them install the system. I guess this one might take some time to settle.
FYI, Maxonline cannot be installed in my estate, according to their customer service rep.
My friend treated a few of us to dinner at Seafood Paradise (Singapore Flyer) a few weeks back and I have to admit that the interior decor of the place is much classier than their flagship outlet in Defu Lane.
Ordered the few notable dishes like their Handmade Tofu, Honey Pork Ribs, Cereal Prawns and Asparagus with Mushrooms, Chilli Crab, Creamy Crab and their Fried Man Tous
Taste wise it was good for all the dishes, but their prawns used were notably smaller compared to my experience in Defu and I remembered their Creamy Crab came packed with more punch! Oh, and the Man Tou was still as wonderful!
Overall, the food is still above average for the price we paid (comparing that to the overpriced No Sign Board). And do call to make reservations as there was a long queue outside when we left the place.
Last Wednesday, I had the honour of being invited by Helena Lim, co-owner of Persimmon (as well as Epicurious at Robertson Quay) to partake in the taste testing session.
Located in the quaint neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru, one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore, Persimmon can be found within the premises of The Link Hotel, the largest boutique style hotel in Singapore.
The name “Persimmon” was chosen as suggested by Sharon, the other co-owner, because it is a often misunderstood and curious type of fruit, something that aligns with the type of cuisine they served in Persimmon – Fusion – European dishes with a hint of Singapore flair.
Entering into the restaurant is reminiscent of stepping into a swanky Kopi-tiam (or coffee-shop) – the décor of checker-tiled floors, white tabletop and wooden chair offers one a sense of nostalgia, in an Atas (or high class) way of course!
My dining partner and me ordered the Apple Infusion ($10) drink to share, consisting of Red apple, Lemon Grass, and Ginger, to start off the night. It was a refreshing fruit juice with a twist, if I may put it that way – as the lemongrass, a herb often used in Asian cooking, along with ginger, another Asian spice, tantalised the taste buds with their aromatic oil leaving one with a sweet spicy taste. I have to underscore that this drink was not part of the taste test and was in fact on the house as I found out later.
The first item up for tasting was the Amuse Bouche: Mushroom with Shao-Hsing Soup. Served in a shot glass, the soup was concentrated and full of mushroom flavour.
Great if you ask me, and it would be well received in other restaurants – but unfortunately not here in Persimmon, as the Asian element of Shao-Hsing flavour is evidently missing in the soup, a hint of it would definitely topped the cake.
The starter was a Salad of Pan-Seared Scallop, Glass Noodles, Cherry Apple & Starfruit Drizzled with Citrus Vinaigrette. This was one dish that the owner kept emphasising that it is in the process of being fine-tuned i.e. a show in weakness that they weren’t very confident about this dish, and I have to agree that they have every reason to be so. For once, I couldn’t see how the pairing would work, as I foresee people would be eating the scallop separately from the rest of the salad instead of with it. Also, the generous drizzling of the citrus vinaigrette, consisting of orange juice and olive oil, on my plate was way too sour for me to consume – it was the only dish that was left half eaten that evening. Perhaps the missing ingredient – shredded crab meat – which Helena apologise profusely that the chef had forgotten to add, was suppose to balance out the sourness in this dish, but I would never find out.
What was Kway Teow that was used in an earlier tasting session two weeks ago, that my fellow foodie attended, was replaced with Fettucine this time round. The Wagyu Beef "Char" Fettucine With Truffle Oil and Honshimeiji Mushrooom was an interesting rendition of our famous local delight. To be honest, I like this dish pretty much as the pasta was done al dente and I have to highlight that the truffle oil really makes a HUGE difference to this dish (I manage to steal a bite before it was added). Although the beef was tender, I would prefer it to be a slice bigger and thicker. It was too small a piece for my taste buds to discern it as Wagyu beef. The Poached Egg lacked seasoning and tasted of olive oil instead, which kinda makes it hard to stomach. However, with slight twitching, I believe this dish will do well in the long run.
Giant Prawn Chinchalok Thermidor was undoubtedly the crowd’s favourite that evening. Most who are usually turn off by the Chinchalok from the bottle were delighted to find out that the combination between that and the cheese on a giant prawn works wonder! What you get is a very savoury, lip-smacking tasty prawn that although a tad salty too consume on its own, but would made an excellent pairing to a bowl of rice (wild rice or brown rice would give it the fusion branding).
A shot of Orange and Pink Guava Sorbet refreshed our taste bud before we embarked on our final item of the day, and although a smidgen too sweet, I like the pairing very much as the flavours harmonises perfectly with one another.
The Ice Kachang “Eight Treasure” Sundae is another interesting twirl to our famous local dessert. Using Coconut Ice Cream instead of the usual coconut milk, this replica produces a surprise with every spoonful – as every dip give one a different ingredient of White Fungus, Wolfberry, Date, Kidney Bean among many others but most interesting, Dried Persimmon Strip was used to give it a pleasant final touch.
In conclusion, although I am not a big fan of fusion fare, if given time for fine-tuning in most of the dishes, I might just be back for the quiet and nice ambience presented that evening as well as the attentive service of this place.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Helena and Sharon for their generous hospitality.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Wednesday is for the ladies, party all night long!
Thursday we have people queuing up to buy Toto
Friday its one more day to the weekends
Saturday its finally weekends!
Sunday 4D 4D & 4D
So what do we have on Tuesday? Make a guess?!?
Yep, Tuesdays are Waffles Day!
For every Tuesday, its waffles day at Gelare, where you get to enjoy 50% discount on their waffles (actually for their plain waffles only, the rest less than 50%).
But who bothers! Its waffles day, and personally i do think its quite a good sales tactic. I mean even though i have never try Gelare before, but i heard of their promotions before. It works.
A friend and i went down to Gelare @ Plaza Singapura, 3pm and the place’s almost full house. For every tuesday, plain Waffle with syrup & cream is half price at $3.90, and the single scoop ice cream waffle is $6.90 (original price being $9.90)
There’s this promotion which they are having for their main course. But after seeing that their pastas are actually those frozen ready-packed one, which they heat up in the microwave, no thanks!
I was tempted to try their cheesecakes which at $5 a slice seems reasonable. Anyone try before mind letting me know whether it’s good?
Waffle with single scoop Tiramisu ice cream ($6.90) Just stick to what Geláre is good at, waffles. There was a choice whether you want to add on 20 cents to change the waffle to chocolate chip waffles, but we sticked with the normal ones.
The choice of toppings will be either chocolate sauce or maple syrup, and the option for having cream or no cream.
I liked my Ti-ra-mi-su ice cream waffles. But its actually quite soft, i’m not sure whether good waffles are meant to be soft, but i have a penchant for crispier waffles, like the one i had at Haato’s
Waffle with single scoop Pistachio gelare ($6.90) The Pistachio gelare here wasn’t to my friend’s liking. Pistachio is a kind of nut just in case you have no idea, like me. My friend like the soft waffles though, i guess everybody has different preference.
And we concluded that the waffles will taste much nicer without the whipped cream, and the chocolate sauce only hinder the taste of the ice cream.
Total Bill for 2 waffles is $13.80, on tuesday the waffles single scoop ice cream at $6.90 are considered reasonable i guess, but even the normal price ten bucks for it, i won’t touch it.
Haato’s waffle with single scoop ice cream is at $6, everyday. I guess thats the place to fulfill my waffles cravings until a better place comes about.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Brown Sugar - A tiny little cafe/bistro that opened up in November 2006 and the brainchild of a former fund manager turned chef, Yuan Oeij. Following in the footsteps of yet another local restaurateur, lawyer turned chef Willin Low of Wild Rocket fame, Oeij was a part time chef for hire before deciding to give up his job to open a restaurant.
Nestled in a nook just off River Valley Road within the StarDus clubhouse premises, Brown Sugar is a small cafe that can probably seat about 30 pax. Its limited capacity means that reservations are highly recommended especially for dinners on Fridays and Saturdays. The decor is kept simple yet cosy through the use of ambient lighting.
Complimentary Bread - The bread was served warm and interestingly, had a slightly spicy aftertaste. Though crisp, I found it a tad too dry for my liking, which is where the olive oil comes into play.
Deconstructed Apple Salad - The salad consisted of apple slices, rocket leaves, walnuts and not to forget, cheese, which was cleverly hidden from view between the layers of apple slices. I personally liked this harmonious combination of flavours with the sweetness of the apple complimenting the contrasting flavours of the cheese and the rocket leaves. But its small and its $13.
Linguine of Organic Mushrooms in Cream Sauce with Sliced Parma Ham - According to the wait staff, the organic mushrooms in this dish are sourced from a local farm which ensures its freshness. True enough, the mushrooms were fresh and plentiful. However, the linguine was a tad too overcooked and the parma ham, though nice, did seem a little too thickly sliced. On the upside, the cream sauce wasn't overwhelming hence you can easily stuff more down without feeling nauseous.
Hand Chopped Wagyu Burger, Truffled Mushroom Sauce, Salad and Fries - As mentioned in my entry on Iggy's sometime back, its a total waste of good beef if you chop wagyu up and make it into a beef patty. Brown Sugar's rendition wasn't just about to change my view on that. The beef, though evidently hand chopped from the unevenness of the patty, didn't taste much different from other beef patties that I've eaten. It could have been normal beef and I honestly wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Sure, the meat was more tender with more fats but lacked the beefy taste and the texture seemed more more like minced pork than beef. It definitely didn't help that the patty was done medium well instead of medium rare as per my request. All in all a very decent burger but not exactly one to bowl me over. Oh and the fries were a tad dry and overcooked.
Tarte Tatin of Pears with Honey & Fig Ice Cream - A rather interesting dessert if I may say. The pastry was flaky but did seem a little too hard from the hardened caramel glaze. The pears were firm and not too sweet, providing a nice crunch to the flimsy looking pastry.When paired with the honey and fig ice cream, it was truly enjoyable. Order this before hand because there is a wait time of 15 minutes.
Molten 100% Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Coulis, Vanilla Ice Cream - I think I'm just a sucker for chocolate cakes, especially ones with the word molten chocolate attached to them. Brown Sugar's offering had a rather soft crust which I personally dislike, but the decadent molten chocolate more than made up for it. The vanilla ice cream was made from vanilla beans, not extract, as evident by the black dots on the ice cream. Together with the chocolate cake, it made for a nice and not too sweet ending. Please note that this dessert has a wait time of 15 minutes as well.
An appetiser, 2 mains and 2 desserts cost something to the tune of $98 which does seem a little high for a cafe hidden in a small government building. Quality of food is of a reasonably high standard and service is quite good. Add the nice homely environment to the mix and Brown Sugar is worth a revisit. For those who wish to experience Brown Sugar for less, there is the set lunch option, at $23 for 2 courses and $27 for 3 courses.
In a less than 4 minutes ride, one can be transported quickly and comfortably from the Sentosa Station at Vivocity to the resort island, Sentosa.
Yes! It is this light rail way system called Sentosa Express, which provides a convenient link to the island. With the purchase of a Sentosa pass (which is a contactless smart access pass) at $3 a person a day, not only can one ride on the Sentosa Express but also gain entry into Sentosa.
The Sentosa Express is just a two-cabin long train. However, at the frequency that it comes, you don't have to worry about the train getting too packed.
The staff at the stations are very friendly too. They will smile and wave to you when your train passes the stations. It really makes me feel like a tourist. Haha...
This is the newest outlet opened by Planet Fitness to replace the one at Far East Square. So naturally, one will compare it with the FES outlet.
It is located at the basement of China Square Central but can be easily spotted by its black, white & blue signboard.
Just one quick peek through the glass doors, I can easily see the entire interior of the club. In othe words, the place is pretty small. The equipments are neatly arranged according to the type of fitness training, a little cramped though. However, I'm not so much of a gym equipment workout person, so I am more concerned with the group exercise studios.
Sadly, the number of such studios have been down from the previous three at FES to two over here. Not only that the variety of classes has been reduced, the size of the studio was much smaller too.
As expected, the locker room was just as cramped. Locker was small but still of reasonable size for me to put in all my belongings. There isn't many shower rooms, but the hardest part for me to get used to is the nearly transparent glass separating the shower cubicles. It just feels awkward.
Well, this place is just disappointing. I guess I'll just stick to the other clubs for classes.
1=SGD 0.0587
I love to go to Carrefour because it has anything & everything! Despite it being a hypermart, all its things are neatly arranged and organised which makes it really an ease to look for things I want.
I was with my friend looking around for luggage that day and we were really lucky to meet a friendly and helpful salesperson. She assisted us in picking a suitable luggage and offered advices which really helped us in making our decision on the luggage to buy.
The only complaint that I have is their super long queue at the payment counters. Probably things can be sped up a little faster if they have 2 persons at the counter, 1 cashier & 1 packer.
Other than that, I really love shopping here! :)
Rating given:
I was the first to review about Cotton On in Yebber and the first outlet was in Wisma. I had loved it then and was very excited when I saw them having an outlet in Parkway.
I went the week they opened and also the following week.
The first time I went the place was rather messy and I forgave them since they had just opened.
But it was still pretty messy the second time and I was rather upset. Also the prices of the items seem higher now. I guess it's because more people are buying. That aside I still love their long tops.
There are two major gripes I have about this outlet. One is that the lighting is much too dim to see some colours properly.
The second is that the customer service people are too busy chatting to each other and they don't tend to the customers very much. This is part of the reason why the place becomes messy as the customers ransack to look for the right size.
MMmmM I guess I will still pop by if I'm in the area but I wouldn't go there specially to buy. :P
Rating given:
The newly renovated basement of Plaza Singapura has seen many new tenants providing all sorts of quirky and creative food. Bratwurst Shop is one of the original stores which has been there for quite a long period of time.
Just in case you have no idea, Bratwurst is a sausage composed of pork, beef and/or veal and the name is from Germany.
For the sausages, you get to choose from different toppings, the original, bacon & cheese, mushroom& cheese are some of the popular ones.
After choosing the toppings, you’ll get to choose the type of bratwurst that you fancy, swiss cheese pork, spicy beef & pork, black pepper pork, italian pork, mild beef & pork are all available.
There are also a wide range of sandwiches available at pretty decent prices.
I remember the old Bratwurst shop was located on the other side of the basement, nearer to the escalator outside Carrefour, but they have since shift to this corner which provides them with a larger seating area.
The theme for Bratwurst shop is apparently red, with their furnitures and shop signboard in bright red.
Swiss cheese pork, original with mustard & sauerkraut ($4.95)
I had the original with mustard & sauerkraut for my choice of topping, and the swiss cheese pork for the main.
The sausage was really huge, i must say its quite value for money as one will fill you up if you finish it together with the bun. However i disliked the sauerkraut as i find it to be too salty and sour, and does not compliments the taste of the sausage.
And just in case you are wondering, sauerkraut is finely sliced cabbage fermented by various lactic acid.
Tuna Sandwich ($5.50)
On first sight the tuna sandwich certainly does not looks appealing, the bread looks dry, and the tuna well doesn’t looks attractive to me.
But my friend say the tuna sandwich actually taste not bad, and at $5.50 i guess you can’t really complain.
Total bill was $10.45 for two, we didn’t order any drinks because we went to Carrefour to buy mineral water beforehand. Well, we were on a budget, had waffles at Gelare before coming here, and besides mineral water is healthier!
Drop by Bratwurst shop for a hassle-free, quick bite if you are in Plaza Singapura, and do not want to spend too much money on a meal before going to the theaters!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Not your normal small sausages “
Rating given:
I had this plan for my "other" home. After much discussion when this plan was introduced, we decided to sign up since the mobile phones, telephone lines and internet were all under Singnet anyway.
We did save a lot in the long run... but...
Setting up triggered a lot of problems and we were without our phone lines and internet for 2 weeks. The MIO box gave quite a bit of problems. The repairman had to come 3-4 times and we had the box changed twice. We live in a private estate and were told that things will be fine in our particular estate. After the initial hiccups we were finally able to use the phone lines and the internet.
BTW you have to purchase a different kind of phone to be used with the MIO system.
Once we started to use it, we noticed that at times the phone doesn't detect the incoming call. Everything is working (when the repairman came to test it) but it just doesn't ring every single time we call. It would miss a couple of times. And there would be quite a bit of static on the line, which disrupts the call.
It could possibly be a line connection thing but Singtel should also be responsible for checking our lines when we had them install the system. I guess this one might take some time to settle.
FYI, Maxonline cannot be installed in my estate, according to their customer service rep.
Rating given:
My friend treated a few of us to dinner at Seafood Paradise (Singapore Flyer) a few weeks back and I have to admit that the interior decor of the place is much classier than their flagship outlet in Defu Lane.
Ordered the few notable dishes like their Handmade Tofu, Honey Pork Ribs, Cereal Prawns and Asparagus with Mushrooms, Chilli Crab, Creamy Crab and their Fried Man Tous
Taste wise it was good for all the dishes, but their prawns used were notably smaller compared to my experience in Defu and I remembered their Creamy Crab came packed with more punch! Oh, and the Man Tou was still as wonderful!
Overall, the food is still above average for the price we paid (comparing that to the overpriced No Sign Board). And do call to make reservations as there was a long queue outside when we left the place.
Rating given:
Last Wednesday, I had the honour of being invited by Helena Lim, co-owner of Persimmon (as well as Epicurious at Robertson Quay) to partake in the taste testing session.
Located in the quaint neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru, one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore, Persimmon can be found within the premises of The Link Hotel, the largest boutique style hotel in Singapore.
The name “Persimmon” was chosen as suggested by Sharon, the other co-owner, because it is a often misunderstood and curious type of fruit, something that aligns with the type of cuisine they served in Persimmon – Fusion – European dishes with a hint of Singapore flair.
Entering into the restaurant is reminiscent of stepping into a swanky Kopi-tiam (or coffee-shop) – the décor of checker-tiled floors, white tabletop and wooden chair offers one a sense of nostalgia, in an Atas (or high class) way of course!
My dining partner and me ordered the Apple Infusion ($10) drink to share, consisting of Red apple, Lemon Grass, and Ginger, to start off the night. It was a refreshing fruit juice with a twist, if I may put it that way – as the lemongrass, a herb often used in Asian cooking, along with ginger, another Asian spice, tantalised the taste buds with their aromatic oil leaving one with a sweet spicy taste. I have to underscore that this drink was not part of the taste test and was in fact on the house as I found out later.
The first item up for tasting was the Amuse Bouche: Mushroom with Shao-Hsing Soup. Served in a shot glass, the soup was concentrated and full of mushroom flavour.
Great if you ask me, and it would be well received in other restaurants – but unfortunately not here in Persimmon, as the Asian element of Shao-Hsing flavour is evidently missing in the soup, a hint of it would definitely topped the cake.
The starter was a Salad of Pan-Seared Scallop, Glass Noodles, Cherry Apple & Starfruit Drizzled with Citrus Vinaigrette. This was one dish that the owner kept emphasising that it is in the process of being fine-tuned i.e. a show in weakness that they weren’t very confident about this dish, and I have to agree that they have every reason to be so. For once, I couldn’t see how the pairing would work, as I foresee people would be eating the scallop separately from the rest of the salad instead of with it. Also, the generous drizzling of the citrus vinaigrette, consisting of orange juice and olive oil, on my plate was way too sour for me to consume – it was the only dish that was left half eaten that evening. Perhaps the missing ingredient – shredded crab meat – which Helena apologise profusely that the chef had forgotten to add, was suppose to balance out the sourness in this dish, but I would never find out.
What was Kway Teow that was used in an earlier tasting session two weeks ago, that my fellow foodie attended, was replaced with Fettucine this time round. The Wagyu Beef "Char" Fettucine With Truffle Oil and Honshimeiji Mushrooom was an interesting rendition of our famous local delight. To be honest, I like this dish pretty much as the pasta was done al dente and I have to highlight that the truffle oil really makes a HUGE difference to this dish (I manage to steal a bite before it was added). Although the beef was tender, I would prefer it to be a slice bigger and thicker. It was too small a piece for my taste buds to discern it as Wagyu beef. The Poached Egg lacked seasoning and tasted of olive oil instead, which kinda makes it hard to stomach. However, with slight twitching, I believe this dish will do well in the long run.
Giant Prawn Chinchalok Thermidor was undoubtedly the crowd’s favourite that evening. Most who are usually turn off by the Chinchalok from the bottle were delighted to find out that the combination between that and the cheese on a giant prawn works wonder! What you get is a very savoury, lip-smacking tasty prawn that although a tad salty too consume on its own, but would made an excellent pairing to a bowl of rice (wild rice or brown rice would give it the fusion branding).
A shot of Orange and Pink Guava Sorbet refreshed our taste bud before we embarked on our final item of the day, and although a smidgen too sweet, I like the pairing very much as the flavours harmonises perfectly with one another.
The Ice Kachang “Eight Treasure” Sundae is another interesting twirl to our famous local dessert. Using Coconut Ice Cream instead of the usual coconut milk, this replica produces a surprise with every spoonful – as every dip give one a different ingredient of White Fungus, Wolfberry, Date, Kidney Bean among many others but most interesting, Dried Persimmon Strip was used to give it a pleasant final touch.
In conclusion, although I am not a big fan of fusion fare, if given time for fine-tuning in most of the dishes, I might just be back for the quiet and nice ambience presented that evening as well as the attentive service of this place.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Helena and Sharon for their generous hospitality.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
Monday everyone have the standard Mondays blue
Wednesday is for the ladies, party all night long!
Thursday we have people queuing up to buy Toto
Friday its one more day to the weekends
Saturday its finally weekends!
Sunday 4D 4D & 4D
So what do we have on Tuesday? Make a guess?!?
Yep, Tuesdays are Waffles Day!
For every Tuesday, its waffles day at Gelare, where you get to enjoy 50% discount on their waffles (actually for their plain waffles only, the rest less than 50%).
But who bothers! Its waffles day, and personally i do think its quite a good sales tactic. I mean even though i have never try Gelare before, but i heard of their promotions before. It works.
A friend and i went down to Gelare @ Plaza Singapura, 3pm and the place’s almost full house. For every tuesday, plain Waffle with syrup & cream is half price at $3.90, and the single scoop ice cream waffle is $6.90 (original price being $9.90)
There’s this promotion which they are having for their main course. But after seeing that their pastas are actually those frozen ready-packed one, which they heat up in the microwave, no thanks!
I was tempted to try their cheesecakes which at $5 a slice seems reasonable. Anyone try before mind letting me know whether it’s good?
Waffle with single scoop Tiramisu ice cream ($6.90)
Just stick to what Geláre is good at, waffles. There was a choice whether you want to add on 20 cents to change the waffle to chocolate chip waffles, but we sticked with the normal ones.
The choice of toppings will be either chocolate sauce or maple syrup, and the option for having cream or no cream.
I liked my Ti-ra-mi-su ice cream waffles. But its actually quite soft, i’m not sure whether good waffles are meant to be soft, but i have a penchant for crispier waffles, like the one i had at Haato’s
Waffle with single scoop Pistachio gelare ($6.90)
The Pistachio gelare here wasn’t to my friend’s liking. Pistachio is a kind of nut just in case you have no idea, like me. My friend like the soft waffles though, i guess everybody has different preference.
And we concluded that the waffles will taste much nicer without the whipped cream, and the chocolate sauce only hinder the taste of the ice cream.
Total Bill for 2 waffles is $13.80, on tuesday the waffles single scoop ice cream at $6.90 are considered reasonable i guess, but even the normal price ten bucks for it, i won’t touch it.
Haato’s waffle with single scoop ice cream is at $6, everyday. I guess thats the place to fulfill my waffles cravings until a better place comes about.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Only on Tuedays, Waffles day! “
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Brown Sugar - A tiny little cafe/bistro that opened up in November 2006 and the brainchild of a former fund manager turned chef, Yuan Oeij. Following in the footsteps of yet another local restaurateur, lawyer turned chef Willin Low of Wild Rocket fame, Oeij was a part time chef for hire before deciding to give up his job to open a restaurant.
Nestled in a nook just off River Valley Road within the StarDus clubhouse premises, Brown Sugar is a small cafe that can probably seat about 30 pax. Its limited capacity means that reservations are highly recommended especially for dinners on Fridays and Saturdays. The decor is kept simple yet cosy through the use of ambient lighting.
Complimentary Bread - The bread was served warm and interestingly, had a slightly spicy aftertaste. Though crisp, I found it a tad too dry for my liking, which is where the olive oil comes into play.
Deconstructed Apple Salad - The salad consisted of apple slices, rocket leaves, walnuts and not to forget, cheese, which was cleverly hidden from view between the layers of apple slices. I personally liked this harmonious combination of flavours with the sweetness of the apple complimenting the contrasting flavours of the cheese and the rocket leaves. But its small and its $13.
Linguine of Organic Mushrooms in Cream Sauce with Sliced Parma Ham - According to the wait staff, the organic mushrooms in this dish are sourced from a local farm which ensures its freshness. True enough, the mushrooms were fresh and plentiful. However, the linguine was a tad too overcooked and the parma ham, though nice, did seem a little too thickly sliced. On the upside, the cream sauce wasn't overwhelming hence you can easily stuff more down without feeling nauseous.
Hand Chopped Wagyu Burger, Truffled Mushroom Sauce, Salad and Fries - As mentioned in my entry on Iggy's sometime back, its a total waste of good beef if you chop wagyu up and make it into a beef patty. Brown Sugar's rendition wasn't just about to change my view on that. The beef, though evidently hand chopped from the unevenness of the patty, didn't taste much different from other beef patties that I've eaten. It could have been normal beef and I honestly wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Sure, the meat was more tender with more fats but lacked the beefy taste and the texture seemed more more like minced pork than beef. It definitely didn't help that the patty was done medium well instead of medium rare as per my request. All in all a very decent burger but not exactly one to bowl me over. Oh and the fries were a tad dry and overcooked.
Tarte Tatin of Pears with Honey & Fig Ice Cream - A rather interesting dessert if I may say. The pastry was flaky but did seem a little too hard from the hardened caramel glaze. The pears were firm and not too sweet, providing a nice crunch to the flimsy looking pastry.When paired with the honey and fig ice cream, it was truly enjoyable. Order this before hand because there is a wait time of 15 minutes.
Molten 100% Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Coulis, Vanilla Ice Cream - I think I'm just a sucker for chocolate cakes, especially ones with the word molten chocolate attached to them. Brown Sugar's offering had a rather soft crust which I personally dislike, but the decadent molten chocolate more than made up for it. The vanilla ice cream was made from vanilla beans, not extract, as evident by the black dots on the ice cream. Together with the chocolate cake, it made for a nice and not too sweet ending. Please note that this dessert has a wait time of 15 minutes as well.
An appetiser, 2 mains and 2 desserts cost something to the tune of $98 which does seem a little high for a cafe hidden in a small government building. Quality of food is of a reasonably high standard and service is quite good. Add the nice homely environment to the mix and Brown Sugar is worth a revisit. For those who wish to experience Brown Sugar for less, there is the set lunch option, at $23 for 2 courses and $27 for 3 courses.
See all my pictures here.
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In a less than 4 minutes ride, one can be transported quickly and comfortably from the Sentosa Station at Vivocity to the resort island, Sentosa.
Yes! It is this light rail way system called Sentosa Express, which provides a convenient link to the island. With the purchase of a Sentosa pass (which is a contactless smart access pass) at $3 a person a day, not only can one ride on the Sentosa Express but also gain entry into Sentosa.
The Sentosa Express is just a two-cabin long train. However, at the frequency that it comes, you don't have to worry about the train getting too packed.
The staff at the stations are very friendly too. They will smile and wave to you when your train passes the stations. It really makes me feel like a tourist. Haha...
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This is the newest outlet opened by Planet Fitness to replace the one at Far East Square. So naturally, one will compare it with the FES outlet.
It is located at the basement of China Square Central but can be easily spotted by its black, white & blue signboard.
Just one quick peek through the glass doors, I can easily see the entire interior of the club. In othe words, the place is pretty small. The equipments are neatly arranged according to the type of fitness training, a little cramped though. However, I'm not so much of a gym equipment workout person, so I am more concerned with the group exercise studios.
Sadly, the number of such studios have been down from the previous three at FES to two over here. Not only that the variety of classes has been reduced, the size of the studio was much smaller too.
As expected, the locker room was just as cramped. Locker was small but still of reasonable size for me to put in all my belongings. There isn't many shower rooms, but the hardest part for me to get used to is the nearly transparent glass separating the shower cubicles. It just feels awkward.
Well, this place is just disappointing. I guess I'll just stick to the other clubs for classes.
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