After staying away from sweet and oily donuts for awhile, I decided that its time to try something new. Saw this store at IMM few times I was there and finally decides to try it.
I used to be a fan for egg tarts before the craze for donuts. And this little store serves sweet little tarts with quite a number of different fillings. The original one looks like the usual Portuguese's egg tarts but of a different shape. I bought two flavors, the Melting Chocolate (shown in photo) and the Strawberry one.
The tart is soft yet the texture is well maintained. It's not too buttery nor eggy. Taste is just right. Topped with chocolate chips and inside filled with melted chocolate. The piece I got, the chocolate was only visible when I bite off almost half of the tart. But once there, every bite into the tart is greeted with just the right amount of melted chocolate and egg. Great delight when ate while its still warm.
The strawberry filling one is a tad too sweet for my liking. Perhaps the next time I will give the savory choices a try. They've the Mushroom Chicken and Pepper Chicken tarts too. Pretty unique since most egg tarts sold in the market are usually sweet ones.
The only sad part is their pricing. Each tart goes at $1.20. And you'll only save $1.20 if you buy 12 pieces. Not that encouraging for customers to want to buy more at a go. 12 pieces is a tad too many, unless you're buying for a party or to share with friends at gatherings ya?
Met up with a few friends for an ad hoc dim sum lunch on the weekends at the St Regis restaurant called Yan Ting. St Regis is billed as a six star hotel with both the hotel and the restaurant run under the Starwood hotel management company. The executive chef of Yan Ting however, is Mr Chan Siu Kong, a Hong Konger who left his post as a chef with the Tung Lok group to helm this 6 month old restaurant. Reviews of the food has been mixed at best for its dinner and lunch offerings so we were there to find out how its dim sum held up to scrutiny instead.
The screen shots above should give you a rough idea of exactly what kind of place this is. It is definitely posh with its million dollar chandeliers and stained glass window ornaments. Even the table settings have a undeniable style to eat with its gold themed cutlery and cups. The service begins the moment you reach the hotel and extends to the lift, which has a seat inside should you be so inclined, to the impeccable attitude of the manager and the serving staff in the restaurant. Six star is definitely not exaggerating when you talk about this hotel and to cut the story short, i enjoyed my visit the moment i set foot into the place. Alas, the place also comes with obvious six star pricing and the same goes for Yan Ting and the dim sum. Everything is priced at per piece rates or per person rates with nothing in between. So its important to come with a well versed idea of what is good or bad and thats what this blog can help you with.
Premium Chinese Tea ($5 per person), Amuse Bouche - The tea, of which i've forgotten what kind it is, is conveniently light and palatable for washing down the food which we will be having in a while. At $5 a person, its pretty much on the expensive side for a simple offering though. The amuse bouche is made of small fried shrimps and chicken floss which yields a sweet and tangy flavor while the cucumber neutralizes and tones down the taste for a balanced flavor.
Har Gao aka Shrimp Dumplings ($2 per piece) - The shrimp dumplings that came were bigger then usual with a generous amount of shrimp stuffed into each dumpling, i count about 2 to 3 shrimps can fit into the dumpling (mashed up of course). The skin is light and surprisingly thin which means you'll get the shrimp taste immediately without delay. The price is still a little over the top though.
Char Siew Sor ($1.60 per piece) - Drop everything you are doing now and go out to Yan Ting to buy the char siew pastries aka char siew sor. I'm not kidding. This has to be the best tasting char siew sor i've ever had the privilege to eat. Succulent and sweet char siew wrapped in a wonderful pastry with a light butter undertone. What you get is an extremely fragrant and wonderfully tasty treat not to be missed. One is never enough so this is a must try!
XO Fried Chee Cheong Fun ($4 a serving) - Everyone would have heard about XO carrot cakes but this is the first time i've had an XO chee cheong fun. To sum up the taste, it basically tastes like our homely Char Kway Teow albeit a little more fragrant and less oily. I also could not discern the taste of the XO sauce in any way. It was interesting but really could be better.
Siew Mai ($2 per piece) - The siew mai is bigger then usual and is basically a more stuffed version of this common snack. The meat is lean and the prawn is very fresh and tasty but still, it hardly justifies the price.
Char Siew Bao ($1.60 per piece) - The pork bun was rather pleasing to me. I liked the tasty BBQ pork which has predominantly lean meat. No fatty meat here and the way it was prepared was with a slightly sweet sauce which is delectable. The fluffy bun itself was light and easily likable. Still too expensive though.
Chives Dumpling and Beancurd Roulette ($2 and $1.80 per piece) - The chives dumpling was quite a let down really. The dumpling itself is pan fried and has a crunchy and soft exterior while the chives within was strangely lacking in taste. Now, chives is something you either love or hate with a passion, i love chives but when a chives dumpling comes without a strong chives taste, something has to be wrong somewhere. The Beancurd roulette was a rather oily experience but there's no denying that its crunchy and fragrant. The fillings were pretty decent as well, being sweet and strangely juicy (probably due to the oil).
Custard Bun ($1.60 per piece) - Its more or less a given that i would order the custard buns whenever they serve the little addictions, but Yan Ting's rendition left me wanting, not in a good way though. I like the softness and fluffiness of the bun but the fillings were rather ordinary and left little impression.
Egg Tarts ($1.60 per piece) - The egg tarts were really small when served and had one major flaw in them. The filling simply wasn't good. I found the tart tasteless and it wasn't even sweet enough while the only thing that was good was the pastry, which had the same buttery taste the superb char siew sor had.
Radish Cake ($1.60 per piece) - The radish cake was simple enough, pan fried till slightly crispy and served. It was rather normal with the usual trappings of being smooth, slightly oily and had a nice touch of having carrot slices within but otherwise, it was rather normal. The one saving grace here was the chili, which was excellent and should be used whenever a chance is given.
Xiao Long Bao ($4 per piece) - The Xiao long Bao was ridiculously expensive at $4 a piece but was a rather big portion when it was served. In average, it was about the size of half a char siew bao if you need to know the proportion. It also turned out to be one of the better items that day, make no mistake, it was filled with soup and pork meat. The skin itself was a thicker version so that it could contain the bigger amount of soup and the soup itself was excellent without having a strong pork taste to it. Overall, i'd say this is one of the better Xiao Long Bao's i've had so far. Still ridiculously expensive though.
Chicken Wrapped in Glutinous Rice ($1.80 per serving) - This is without a doubt one of the biggest let downs that day. Served last as it was a last minute order, the glutinous rice was lacklustre and lacked much taste. An egg yolk can be found in the centre with there are portions of mushroom and chicken wrapped into the rice but it was still strangely lacking in the taste department. Leave this out when you visit.
HoneyDew Melon ($6 per serving) - What i had was a simple and cleansing honeydew melon dessert which was refreshing, mildly sweet and tasty. In fact, i found it very tasty and recommend it as a dessert if you visit.
The final bill for this little dim sum affair came up to $204.60 for 5 people which works out to be about $42 per head. I'd say that it was reasonable but certain orders can definitely be left out.
I can't say i didn't enjoy myself in the place. The service is faultless and the ambiance has to be experienced to be believed. Its the closest i could get to feeling like a king in a posh environment and not feel out of place. The manager was also kind to introduce us to the different rooms and offerings which was very professional. Food wise, though there were still misses, the misses were still above average and the hits are definitely worth your while to try. I'd return if only for the char siew sor alone.
One day, decided to pop by this outlet of Hanabi to try out their ala carte buffet with my gf as of yet to try it before.
As compared to the ala carte buffet at HONJIN, I find that the variety here is so much more and definitely more appealing in terms of taste and presentation. I especially liked teh sashimi platter, which had salmon, tuna, sea bream, hamachi, octopus and squid. Thinking of it just makes my saliva drool again.haha!!
As for the other foods, such as the Tori Karaage, skewed chicken, maki sushi, tempura and Kagiage, they were quite tasty as well. However, the chawamushi was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be. The taste was there but not the texture of the egg as I had ate at several other Japanese restaurants.
In addition, the air-conditioning seems a bit weak and we did perspire slightly. Nevertheless, I think that this is a place for a good Japanese buffet and the price is quite reasonable as well with us paying $77 for two adults. So do give it a try and see for yourself.
Chanced upon this place while walking hme one day. Decided to pop in for a look and found that this was a second-hand warehouse selling all kinds of furniture ranging from sofas, refrigerators, television sets, dining tables, study tables, mattresses,etc.
Took a brisk walk and found that the condition of most of the furniture were still quite good and before delivering to you, the staff would polish off any unwanted stains to the best they can and also give it a new coat of paint if deemed necessary. Of course, some of these additional works may offset you a bit more, but sometimes they may throw it in for free as well. So just ask and you may get it.
In the end, I got myself a computer chair for 80 bucks, which normally could have cost at least 90 bucks elsewhere such as VHIVE and COURTS. So if you happen to be in the area, do drop by to just take a look. Who noes, you may find a god deal for yourself, just like i found mine.
Singapore Airlines... one of the brands our country is identified with all the time in many countries all over the world.
I had the chance to travel on it *again* recently and was very satisfied. The flight I was on, was quite empty so my friend and I got a free seat between the two of us so we had plenty of space to move about in.
Boarding the plane we were nicely greeted and the blankets and pillows were already waiting patiently on our seats for us. The stewardess and stewards were eloquent enough and didn't bother passengers unneccessarily. And even when some of the passengers across the aisle made some irritating demands, the service didn't falter.
The flight was turbulent at a few points but I think it was thanks to the cloudy situation. The take off and landing was smooth which was great.
Definitely very satisfied with it but they ARE expensive. Luckily I didn't pay for this trip. haha :)
Mother's Day second week of the month of May, my family and I decided to buy a cake for my mum to celebrate with her after the dinner.
I went to White Sand outlet to purchase the cake as I plan to buy Coffee Cake for my mum as she love coffee but the outlet don't have the flavour so I choose mango cake for her.
Mango Tropicana - $24, Size 15cm X 15cm
Fruits topping, a layer of mango flavour jelly on top of the cake, mango mousse layered on the vanilla sponge in the middle and mango slice layered in between mango mousse, vanilla sponge on the base.
The cake were soft and light but the side of the cake were abit dry. Overall the cake was not bad. As my family always feel their cake were nice too.
Due to Mother's Day, My family decided to celebrate in advance as my mum don't really like to go out eat so we decided to order home delivery KFC.
My brother call in and choose the order of Mother's Day Meal, within 40 minutes the delivery has arrival. The food were hot when it has arrival.
Mother's Day Meal includes;
- 10 piece of Chicken
- 1 Large Popcorn Chicken
- 1 Large Whipped Potato
- 1 Med Coleslaw
- 1 Ladies Bag (*Free)
- My Spa package (*Free)
We request for 5 piece of Crispy and 5 piece of Orginal.
The crispy chicken were big and crispy but it wasn't spicy at all. A bit disappointed as I feel there didn't blend well with the spices.
The orginal chicken were blend of 11 herbs and spices. Sad to say I can't really taste the herbs and spices as I feel it kind of a bit oily.
The Popcorn chicken was ok. I feel nothing really special about it.
As for the wipped potato and coleslaw was still not bad as I have try from other fast food it was not really that good.
I still feel when I was young KFC taste much better.
Mother's Day Meal ($27.66), Delivery Charges ($1.87), GST (2.07)
Managed to book myself in for a special dessert tasting session at Rogues one weekday evening all thanks to its pastry chef, Gerard. During my previous visit to Rogues when it first opened a year and a half back, only lunch was served and come nightfall, the place transformed into a watering hole. However I'm pleased to note that such an arrangement has since changed and Rogues now serves food in the evening as well.
The interior was as I remembered it, opulent with plush sofas and floor to ceiling windows. A nice place to chill out after a day's work if I may say.
Starter - Warm Granny Smith Crumble, Chilled Cream of Mango Sago, Lychee Air, Cranberry Reduction - I liked the apple crumble quite a bit. Very crusty without being too hard or too sweet and filled with cubes of delicious Granny Smith apples. I didn't quite appreciate the lychee air though, tasteless and probably present solely for aesthetic purposes.
Most places do a very thick rendition of the cream of mango sago so it came as a mild surprise that this one was relatively smooth and a little runny, harbouring a tinge of sweetness within. However it will still render you nauseous if you take too much of it. Hence the shot glass serving.
Entree - Satin Pistachio Praline Mousse, Home Made Zabayone Gelato, Liquorise Orange Candy Shot, Summer Berry Coulis - I've never really been a fan of pistachio so the praline mousse didn't exactly wow me although I must admit that it was quite good. Creamily smooth with a heart of crunchy pistachio which had a texture similar to biscuit wafer.
Alcoholics would like the Liquorise Orange Candy but personally, I found the alcohol taste in the jelly too strong for my liking.
The zabayone gelato was a little tiny but rather pleasing with a sweet undertone. Just for the record, zabayone is a custard made by whipping egg whites with muscato and finishing it with a little cointreau.
Curtains - Warm Cuban Chocolate Cake, Heart of Hot Hazelnut Lava, Home Made Chocolate Mint Gelato, Hazelnut Truffle - Interestingly, Cuban chocolate was used to make the cake. Not that I could taste any difference from the usual valrhona ones though. The crust was a tad too dry but I liked the hazelnut lava, which came across as savoury instead of sweet - a deviation from the norm.
The mint gelato came served in a nice cubic glass and wasn't too strong on the mint taste. Appetising yet reserved. Not too shabby and that's coming from someone who has a moderate dislike for mint.
The hazelnut truffle came served atop a shot glass of sesame seeds with a slice of hardened candy acting as a divider. Honestly, the truffle looked and tasted like a piece of Ferraro Rocher chocolate, which was obviously nothing too spectacular.
In case you were wondering. No, the dessert tasting wasn't free. It came at a price. $50 for 2 pax to be exact, which might seem a tad too expensive for only 3 desserts and a drink. However I must point out that the desserts are of reasonably good quality and do not feature on the menu, which in some way, gives it a novelty status.
ps: I'm still thinking of the Chocolate Paradise I had during my first visit.
Hidden underground in the basement of Tampines Century square is a little restaurant serving up healthy organic food and still cashing in on the health craze that was ignited a few years ago. This alone should be testament that the restaurant serves food of a certain quality otherwise, it would have been removed from the food scene a long time ago. One fine afternoon, after passing by the restaurant countless times, i finally mastered enough drive to go in for a visit. Alone.
Now, most of the time, i do not care if the food is organic or not or if it was healthier if it was. In fact, as long as the taste of the food is good, i pretty much eat anything. The reason i was drawn into the restaurant this time is because i saw beef tenderloin at a rather attractive cost of only $14.90. Now that certainly looks like value for money. The meal itself is actually rather simple, nicely cut tenderloin steak with pasta done al dente with boiled broccoli and carrot with accompanying mushroom sauce. The steak itself is done medium rare and had a wonderful chewy texture with all the juices intact. The mushroom sauce that came with it was done well and not salty. All items in the dish was fresh and the greens were especially sweet. Nicely done.
Total bill for one person came up to $17.55 which is a little expensive but i still feel its worth the money.
For a place serving organic and healthy food. I'm surprised by the quality of the food. If anything, its definitely above average but the price of admission is also above average for a simply decorated joint. If they could get a place on their own while still maintaining their current price point, we'll have something special to look forward to.
Located at the rejuvenated Big Splash next to the likes of Starbucks, Old Town White coffee, Carl's Junior and 1twentysix, Mingles has somehow managed to differentiate itself from being overly casual nor being hinged on the fine dining bandwagon. What you do get, is a no frills dining area with a cosy atmosphere, excellent service and also value for money.
The interiors were well lit by the afternoon sun and strategically placed lighting for a cosy and appealing atmosphere. Air conditioning was optimal as it kept the heat out but didn't cool the food too quickly. Seating capacity looked to be somewhere between 50 to 60 people on cushioned chairs with a strong wooden back.
Pumpkin Soup - We ordered the set meal which basically consisted of a soup, a main course, ice cream and a choice of coffee, tea or soft drink. The cream of pumpkin soup came first and it tasted surprising to me. First of all, its sweet and creamy as pumpkin soup goes but there's also a rather strange hint of indian curry spices in the soup. As it turns out, it tastes like a cross between indian curry and pumpkin soup which is not unpleasant to me but too sweet for FZ.
Crispy Salmon with Couscous ($23.90) - The salmon came atop a bed of couscous which is basically coarsely ground wheat coated in wheat flour and steamed before serving. The salmon itself is well prepared and pan fried till its skin is fragrant and crispy. Its also worth noting that there is minimal fishy taste which is common in salmon as a whole while the meat was sweet with a rather nice layer of fats and juices left behind. Paired with sweet and slightly sourish mango sabayon and the salmon is a light treat for all lunch goers. The zucchini is basically done via steaming but has retained its crunchy nature for good chewy texture while lacking much taste. Overall, i'd still say the salmon was a good dish.
Crispy Chicken With Yogurt ($19.90) - FZ's order was the pan seared crispy chicken with mashed potatoes, cilantro yogurt and fennel salad. I didn't get to try the chicken so i'll just leave you with the picture with the closing comments that FZ did not finish the dish as he said the yogurt and mashed potato combination did not suit his tastes. The chicken he did finish however but he said it was average.
Lime Sorbet with Chocolate Indulgence - My ice cream was the lime sorbet and the chocolate indulgence ice cream. The lime sorbet was extremely sour, to the point that i had to cringe with each taste. The chocolate indulgence was pretty good and had a good balance of bitterness and sweetness in its creamy texture. Incidentally, they were using New Zealand ice cream here as well. Which is leagues better then the ones served on my visit to Miss U cafe.
Strawberry Cookies and Cream Ice cream - I didn't get to try this as well but it was all finished by the end of the conversation so i'll take it that is was acceptable at least.
Total bill for 2 people came up to $48.18 for a 3 course lunch. And there was no gst involved at all! Always a plus in my books.
Good service accompanied by a laid back atmosphere and a quiet indulging lunch definitely gives me strength to continue my journey foward in my work. The one thing about this place is that for a rather budget price during lunch, the food is surprisingly good (to me at least). I honestly wouldn't mind returning for lunch again sometime. A good place to visit.
1=SGD 0.0587
Mini delights to warm one's heart.
After staying away from sweet and oily donuts for awhile, I decided that its time to try something new. Saw this store at IMM few times I was there and finally decides to try it.
I used to be a fan for egg tarts before the craze for donuts. And this little store serves sweet little tarts with quite a number of different fillings. The original one looks like the usual Portuguese's egg tarts but of a different shape. I bought two flavors, the Melting Chocolate (shown in photo) and the Strawberry one.
The tart is soft yet the texture is well maintained. It's not too buttery nor eggy. Taste is just right. Topped with chocolate chips and inside filled with melted chocolate. The piece I got, the chocolate was only visible when I bite off almost half of the tart. But once there, every bite into the tart is greeted with just the right amount of melted chocolate and egg. Great delight when ate while its still warm.
The strawberry filling one is a tad too sweet for my liking. Perhaps the next time I will give the savory choices a try. They've the Mushroom Chicken and Pepper Chicken tarts too. Pretty unique since most egg tarts sold in the market are usually sweet ones.
The only sad part is their pricing. Each tart goes at $1.20. And you'll only save $1.20 if you buy 12 pieces. Not that encouraging for customers to want to buy more at a go. 12 pieces is a tad too many, unless you're buying for a party or to share with friends at gatherings ya?
Rating given:
Met up with a few friends for an ad hoc dim sum lunch on the weekends at the St Regis restaurant called Yan Ting. St Regis is billed as a six star hotel with both the hotel and the restaurant run under the Starwood hotel management company. The executive chef of Yan Ting however, is Mr Chan Siu Kong, a Hong Konger who left his post as a chef with the Tung Lok group to helm this 6 month old restaurant. Reviews of the food has been mixed at best for its dinner and lunch offerings so we were there to find out how its dim sum held up to scrutiny instead.
The screen shots above should give you a rough idea of exactly what kind of place this is. It is definitely posh with its million dollar chandeliers and stained glass window ornaments. Even the table settings have a undeniable style to eat with its gold themed cutlery and cups. The service begins the moment you reach the hotel and extends to the lift, which has a seat inside should you be so inclined, to the impeccable attitude of the manager and the serving staff in the restaurant. Six star is definitely not exaggerating when you talk about this hotel and to cut the story short, i enjoyed my visit the moment i set foot into the place.
Alas, the place also comes with obvious six star pricing and the same goes for Yan Ting and the dim sum. Everything is priced at per piece rates or per person rates with nothing in between. So its important to come with a well versed idea of what is good or bad and thats what this blog can help you with.
Premium Chinese Tea ($5 per person), Amuse Bouche - The tea, of which i've forgotten what kind it is, is conveniently light and palatable for washing down the food which we will be having in a while. At $5 a person, its pretty much on the expensive side for a simple offering though. The amuse bouche is made of small fried shrimps and chicken floss which yields a sweet and tangy flavor while the cucumber neutralizes and tones down the taste for a balanced flavor.
Har Gao aka Shrimp Dumplings ($2 per piece) - The shrimp dumplings that came were bigger then usual with a generous amount of shrimp stuffed into each dumpling, i count about 2 to 3 shrimps can fit into the dumpling (mashed up of course). The skin is light and surprisingly thin which means you'll get the shrimp taste immediately without delay. The price is still a little over the top though.
Char Siew Sor ($1.60 per piece) - Drop everything you are doing now and go out to Yan Ting to buy the char siew pastries aka char siew sor. I'm not kidding. This has to be the best tasting char siew sor i've ever had the privilege to eat. Succulent and sweet char siew wrapped in a wonderful pastry with a light butter undertone. What you get is an extremely fragrant and wonderfully tasty treat not to be missed. One is never enough so this is a must try!
XO Fried Chee Cheong Fun ($4 a serving) - Everyone would have heard about XO carrot cakes but this is the first time i've had an XO chee cheong fun. To sum up the taste, it basically tastes like our homely Char Kway Teow albeit a little more fragrant and less oily. I also could not discern the taste of the XO sauce in any way. It was interesting but really could be better.
Siew Mai ($2 per piece) - The siew mai is bigger then usual and is basically a more stuffed version of this common snack. The meat is lean and the prawn is very fresh and tasty but still, it hardly justifies the price.
Char Siew Bao ($1.60 per piece) - The pork bun was rather pleasing to me. I liked the tasty BBQ pork which has predominantly lean meat. No fatty meat here and the way it was prepared was with a slightly sweet sauce which is delectable. The fluffy bun itself was light and easily likable. Still too expensive though.
Chives Dumpling and Beancurd Roulette ($2 and $1.80 per piece) - The chives dumpling was quite a let down really. The dumpling itself is pan fried and has a crunchy and soft exterior while the chives within was strangely lacking in taste. Now, chives is something you either love or hate with a passion, i love chives but when a chives dumpling comes without a strong chives taste, something has to be wrong somewhere.
The Beancurd roulette was a rather oily experience but there's no denying that its crunchy and fragrant. The fillings were pretty decent as well, being sweet and strangely juicy (probably due to the oil).
Custard Bun ($1.60 per piece) - Its more or less a given that i would order the custard buns whenever they serve the little addictions, but Yan Ting's rendition left me wanting, not in a good way though. I like the softness and fluffiness of the bun but the fillings were rather ordinary and left little impression.
Egg Tarts ($1.60 per piece) - The egg tarts were really small when served and had one major flaw in them. The filling simply wasn't good. I found the tart tasteless and it wasn't even sweet enough while the only thing that was good was the pastry, which had the same buttery taste the superb char siew sor had.
Radish Cake ($1.60 per piece) - The radish cake was simple enough, pan fried till slightly crispy and served. It was rather normal with the usual trappings of being smooth, slightly oily and had a nice touch of having carrot slices within but otherwise, it was rather normal. The one saving grace here was the chili, which was excellent and should be used whenever a chance is given.
Xiao Long Bao ($4 per piece) - The Xiao long Bao was ridiculously expensive at $4 a piece but was a rather big portion when it was served. In average, it was about the size of half a char siew bao if you need to know the proportion. It also turned out to be one of the better items that day, make no mistake, it was filled with soup and pork meat. The skin itself was a thicker version so that it could contain the bigger amount of soup and the soup itself was excellent without having a strong pork taste to it. Overall, i'd say this is one of the better Xiao Long Bao's i've had so far. Still ridiculously expensive though.
Chicken Wrapped in Glutinous Rice ($1.80 per serving) - This is without a doubt one of the biggest let downs that day. Served last as it was a last minute order, the glutinous rice was lacklustre and lacked much taste. An egg yolk can be found in the centre with there are portions of mushroom and chicken wrapped into the rice but it was still strangely lacking in the taste department. Leave this out when you visit.
HoneyDew Melon ($6 per serving) - What i had was a simple and cleansing honeydew melon dessert which was refreshing, mildly sweet and tasty. In fact, i found it very tasty and recommend it as a dessert if you visit.
The final bill for this little dim sum affair came up to $204.60 for 5 people which works out to be about $42 per head. I'd say that it was reasonable but certain orders can definitely be left out.
I can't say i didn't enjoy myself in the place. The service is faultless and the ambiance has to be experienced to be believed. Its the closest i could get to feeling like a king in a posh environment and not feel out of place. The manager was also kind to introduce us to the different rooms and offerings which was very professional. Food wise, though there were still misses, the misses were still above average and the hits are definitely worth your while to try. I'd return if only for the char siew sor alone.
Rating given:
One day, decided to pop by this outlet of Hanabi to try out their ala carte buffet with my gf as of yet to try it before.
As compared to the ala carte buffet at HONJIN, I find that the variety here is so much more and definitely more appealing in terms of taste and presentation. I especially liked teh sashimi platter, which had salmon, tuna, sea bream, hamachi, octopus and squid. Thinking of it just makes my saliva drool again.haha!!
As for the other foods, such as the Tori Karaage, skewed chicken, maki sushi, tempura and Kagiage, they were quite tasty as well. However, the chawamushi was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be. The taste was there but not the texture of the egg as I had ate at several other Japanese restaurants.
In addition, the air-conditioning seems a bit weak and we did perspire slightly. Nevertheless, I think that this is a place for a good Japanese buffet and the price is quite reasonable as well with us paying $77 for two adults. So do give it a try and see for yourself.
Rating given:
Chanced upon this place while walking hme one day. Decided to pop in for a look and found that this was a second-hand warehouse selling all kinds of furniture ranging from sofas, refrigerators, television sets, dining tables, study tables, mattresses,etc.
Took a brisk walk and found that the condition of most of the furniture were still quite good and before delivering to you, the staff would polish off any unwanted stains to the best they can and also give it a new coat of paint if deemed necessary. Of course, some of these additional works may offset you a bit more, but sometimes they may throw it in for free as well. So just ask and you may get it.
In the end, I got myself a computer chair for 80 bucks, which normally could have cost at least 90 bucks elsewhere such as VHIVE and COURTS. So if you happen to be in the area, do drop by to just take a look. Who noes, you may find a god deal for yourself, just like i found mine.
Rating given:
Singapore Airlines... one of the brands our country is identified with all the time in many countries all over the world.
I had the chance to travel on it *again* recently and was very satisfied. The flight I was on, was quite empty so my friend and I got a free seat between the two of us so we had plenty of space to move about in.
Boarding the plane we were nicely greeted and the blankets and pillows were already waiting patiently on our seats for us. The stewardess and stewards were eloquent enough and didn't bother passengers unneccessarily. And even when some of the passengers across the aisle made some irritating demands, the service didn't falter.
The flight was turbulent at a few points but I think it was thanks to the cloudy situation. The take off and landing was smooth which was great.
Definitely very satisfied with it but they ARE expensive. Luckily I didn't pay for this trip. haha :)
Rating given:
Mother's Day second week of the month of May, my family and I decided to buy a cake for my mum to celebrate with her after the dinner.
I went to White Sand outlet to purchase the cake as I plan to buy Coffee Cake for my mum as she love coffee but the outlet don't have the flavour so I choose mango cake for her.
Mango Tropicana - $24, Size 15cm X 15cm
Fruits topping, a layer of mango flavour jelly on top of the cake, mango mousse layered on the vanilla sponge in the middle and mango slice layered in between mango mousse, vanilla sponge on the base.
The cake were soft and light but the side of the cake were abit dry. Overall the cake was not bad. As my family always feel their cake were nice too.
Rating given:
Due to Mother's Day, My family decided to celebrate in advance as my mum don't really like to go out eat so we decided to order home delivery KFC.
My brother call in and choose the order of Mother's Day Meal, within 40 minutes the delivery has arrival. The food were hot when it has arrival.
Mother's Day Meal includes;
- 10 piece of Chicken
- 1 Large Popcorn Chicken
- 1 Large Whipped Potato
- 1 Med Coleslaw
- 1 Ladies Bag (*Free)
- My Spa package (*Free)
We request for 5 piece of Crispy and 5 piece of Orginal.
The crispy chicken were big and crispy but it wasn't spicy at all. A bit disappointed as I feel there didn't blend well with the spices.
The orginal chicken were blend of 11 herbs and spices. Sad to say I can't really taste the herbs and spices as I feel it kind of a bit oily.
The Popcorn chicken was ok. I feel nothing really special about it.
As for the wipped potato and coleslaw was still not bad as I have try from other fast food it was not really that good.
I still feel when I was young KFC taste much better.
Mother's Day Meal ($27.66), Delivery Charges ($1.87), GST (2.07)
Total Bill: $31.60
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Managed to book myself in for a special dessert tasting session at Rogues one weekday evening all thanks to its pastry chef, Gerard. During my previous visit to Rogues when it first opened a year and a half back, only lunch was served and come nightfall, the place transformed into a watering hole. However I'm pleased to note that such an arrangement has since changed and Rogues now serves food in the evening as well.
The interior was as I remembered it, opulent with plush sofas and floor to ceiling windows. A nice place to chill out after a day's work if I may say.
Starter - Warm Granny Smith Crumble, Chilled Cream of Mango Sago, Lychee Air, Cranberry Reduction - I liked the apple crumble quite a bit. Very crusty without being too hard or too sweet and filled with cubes of delicious Granny Smith apples. I didn't quite appreciate the lychee air though, tasteless and probably present solely for aesthetic purposes.
Most places do a very thick rendition of the cream of mango sago so it came as a mild surprise that this one was relatively smooth and a little runny, harbouring a tinge of sweetness within. However it will still render you nauseous if you take too much of it. Hence the shot glass serving.
Entree - Satin Pistachio Praline Mousse, Home Made Zabayone Gelato, Liquorise Orange Candy Shot, Summer Berry Coulis - I've never really been a fan of pistachio so the praline mousse didn't exactly wow me although I must admit that it was quite good. Creamily smooth with a heart of crunchy pistachio which had a texture similar to biscuit wafer.
Alcoholics would like the Liquorise Orange Candy but personally, I found the alcohol taste in the jelly too strong for my liking.
The zabayone gelato was a little tiny but rather pleasing with a sweet undertone. Just for the record, zabayone is a custard made by whipping egg whites with muscato and finishing it with a little cointreau.
Curtains - Warm Cuban Chocolate Cake, Heart of Hot Hazelnut Lava, Home Made Chocolate Mint Gelato, Hazelnut Truffle - Interestingly, Cuban chocolate was used to make the cake. Not that I could taste any difference from the usual valrhona ones though. The crust was a tad too dry but I liked the hazelnut lava, which came across as savoury instead of sweet - a deviation from the norm.
The mint gelato came served in a nice cubic glass and wasn't too strong on the mint taste. Appetising yet reserved. Not too shabby and that's coming from someone who has a moderate dislike for mint.
The hazelnut truffle came served atop a shot glass of sesame seeds with a slice of hardened candy acting as a divider. Honestly, the truffle looked and tasted like a piece of Ferraro Rocher chocolate, which was obviously nothing too spectacular.
In case you were wondering. No, the dessert tasting wasn't free. It came at a price. $50 for 2 pax to be exact, which might seem a tad too expensive for only 3 desserts and a drink. However I must point out that the desserts are of reasonably good quality and do not feature on the menu, which in some way, gives it a novelty status.
ps: I'm still thinking of the Chocolate Paradise I had during my first visit.
See all my pictures here.
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Hidden underground in the basement of Tampines Century square is a little restaurant serving up healthy organic food and still cashing in on the health craze that was ignited a few years ago. This alone should be testament that the restaurant serves food of a certain quality otherwise, it would have been removed from the food scene a long time ago. One fine afternoon, after passing by the restaurant countless times, i finally mastered enough drive to go in for a visit. Alone.
Now, most of the time, i do not care if the food is organic or not or if it was healthier if it was. In fact, as long as the taste of the food is good, i pretty much eat anything. The reason i was drawn into the restaurant this time is because i saw beef tenderloin at a rather attractive cost of only $14.90. Now that certainly looks like value for money.
The meal itself is actually rather simple, nicely cut tenderloin steak with pasta done al dente with boiled broccoli and carrot with accompanying mushroom sauce. The steak itself is done medium rare and had a wonderful chewy texture with all the juices intact. The mushroom sauce that came with it was done well and not salty. All items in the dish was fresh and the greens were especially sweet. Nicely done.
Total bill for one person came up to $17.55 which is a little expensive but i still feel its worth the money.
For a place serving organic and healthy food. I'm surprised by the quality of the food. If anything, its definitely above average but the price of admission is also above average for a simply decorated joint. If they could get a place on their own while still maintaining their current price point, we'll have something special to look forward to.
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Located at the rejuvenated Big Splash next to the likes of Starbucks, Old Town White coffee, Carl's Junior and 1twentysix, Mingles has somehow managed to differentiate itself from being overly casual nor being hinged on the fine dining bandwagon. What you do get, is a no frills dining area with a cosy atmosphere, excellent service and also value for money.
The interiors were well lit by the afternoon sun and strategically placed lighting for a cosy and appealing atmosphere. Air conditioning was optimal as it kept the heat out but didn't cool the food too quickly. Seating capacity looked to be somewhere between 50 to 60 people on cushioned chairs with a strong wooden back.
Pumpkin Soup - We ordered the set meal which basically consisted of a soup, a main course, ice cream and a choice of coffee, tea or soft drink. The cream of pumpkin soup came first and it tasted surprising to me. First of all, its sweet and creamy as pumpkin soup goes but there's also a rather strange hint of indian curry spices in the soup. As it turns out, it tastes like a cross between indian curry and pumpkin soup which is not unpleasant to me but too sweet for FZ.
Crispy Salmon with Couscous ($23.90) - The salmon came atop a bed of couscous which is basically coarsely ground wheat coated in wheat flour and steamed before serving. The salmon itself is well prepared and pan fried till its skin is fragrant and crispy. Its also worth noting that there is minimal fishy taste which is common in salmon as a whole while the meat was sweet with a rather nice layer of fats and juices left behind. Paired with sweet and slightly sourish mango sabayon and the salmon is a light treat for all lunch goers. The zucchini is basically done via steaming but has retained its crunchy nature for good chewy texture while lacking much taste. Overall, i'd still say the salmon was a good dish.
Crispy Chicken With Yogurt ($19.90) - FZ's order was the pan seared crispy chicken with mashed potatoes, cilantro yogurt and fennel salad. I didn't get to try the chicken so i'll just leave you with the picture with the closing comments that FZ did not finish the dish as he said the yogurt and mashed potato combination did not suit his tastes. The chicken he did finish however but he said it was average.
Lime Sorbet with Chocolate Indulgence - My ice cream was the lime sorbet and the chocolate indulgence ice cream. The lime sorbet was extremely sour, to the point that i had to cringe with each taste. The chocolate indulgence was pretty good and had a good balance of bitterness and sweetness in its creamy texture. Incidentally, they were using New Zealand ice cream here as well. Which is leagues better then the ones served on my visit to Miss U cafe.
Strawberry Cookies and Cream Ice cream - I didn't get to try this as well but it was all finished by the end of the conversation so i'll take it that is was acceptable at least.
Total bill for 2 people came up to $48.18 for a 3 course lunch. And there was no gst involved at all! Always a plus in my books.
Good service accompanied by a laid back atmosphere and a quiet indulging lunch definitely gives me strength to continue my journey foward in my work. The one thing about this place is that for a rather budget price during lunch, the food is surprisingly good (to me at least). I honestly wouldn't mind returning for lunch again sometime. A good place to visit.
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