I shall begin my traumatized review by quoting what CA California says on their website:
"CA* California was inspired by the rustic old-world beauty of Dempsey Hill, reminding the owner of his happy days at California and the fresh unpretentious good food he enjoyed there. In his bid to share that wonderful gourmet experience with Singapore, CA* California was started, capturing the spirit of food that is all Californian casual, laid back and wholesome.
Affectionately called the “Ranch Home” by our fans, CA* California at Dempsey provides customers with a homely and comfortable setting complete with high ceilings, antique brickwork and even a living room area with a faux fireplace where fans can mingle. Above all, CA* hopes to bring that friendly and casual CA-style of service to our customers and regulars with a place where you can find real fuss-free good food and warm friendly service.
From our Sandwich Board to our Grills and Oven menu, each dish was designed not just to be a sure hit with your taste buds but also to make an impact on your soul. We aim to serve food that are simple, unpretentious and fresh as we believe that sauces, salt and pepper should be used in moderation so that the freshness of the food stands out.
Our Ranch Home is designed with an open kitchen concept and we love it as it allows diners to make individual requests and also allows us to engage with them since at CA*, we believe in our philosophy that the kitchen is yours as much as it is ours"
NOT TRUE.
I made the unfortunate decision to dine here for a Friday dinner due to The Entertainer App vouchers which entitled us to a 1-4-1 main course.
To be fair, when I called to make a reservation (which turned out to be really unnecessary), they did highlight that they had reduced the menu (but please update your website!), but I didnt expect it to be that small a selection - 6 main courses: 3 pastas and 3 wraps a couple of random sides.
Sides - We picked onion rings - $12. About 10 rings obviously from a frozen pack served in a basket with a side of mayonnaise. Crappy value.
Pastas - 2 out of the 3 pastas were cold - fusilli and macoroni 1 hot mac & cheese. Portion was really small for a plate that cost $12.80 and while the accompanying chopped chicken breast and capsicum with dressing were edible, the pasta was strangely very doughy, nothing like what a cold pasta should taste like. Suspected it was frozen and not thawed properly before they popped it in the microwave. So I returned it and asked them to make another one. They came back to say their fusilli are all the same batch so a new order would taste the same (!). They offered to do the same but with macaroni - but same problem again. I returned it again. They offered to exchange it for a wrap.
The Mac & Cheese which the other guys ordered while was the only edible thingy of the night, was very average and very pricey for the $19.90 price tag.
Wraps - I choose the turkey wrap ($12.80) after failing to eat pasta. This was wrong too - cold tasteless wrap with a whole bundle of low-end turkey ham which left me with an overdose of sodium. Left it aside after 2 bites. Accompanying corn chips was a distraction.
Drinks - no happy hour and relatively expensive drinks here - 1 pint of Erdinger at $15.90. In dempsey, that's pricing suicide.
Service - the staff was at least genuinely nice about whether I was able to actually eat that night and said its good to have feedback. However, she also implied that the chef was off that day thus the bad quality (!?). Bad excuse! They didnt have to do any cooking at all: just assemble, deep fry, or mircrowave the hot stuff (we know because the Mac&Cheese came at uneven times and we realized it was because their microwave can only do one portion at a time).
They should really just focus on serving overpriced ice cream.
The kind folks at District 10 extended an invitation to try out a couple of their signature dishes and since I was in town, I appreciatively made my way down to their outlet @ UE Square one weekday evening.
District 10 is both a bar and a restaurant and offers both indoor and al fresco seating at a rather prominent corner of UE Square. I personally like the wooden interior and high ceilings but the vibe is actually more of a pub than a restaurant. Good for a casual dinner but probably not so much for a romantic date.
Complimentary Bread - This used to be one of the best complimentary bread in my dictionary (back in 2007 when I first tried Bonta). Unfortunately the bread now is but a shadow of its former self. The bread was burnt which gave it a slightly bitter taste whilst the feta cheese within came across as a tad sour. How the quality has deteriorated!
Green Asparagus, Fried Egg Sunny Side Up, Sage Butter - I honestly didn't know what to make of this dish. Asparagus, sunny side up and cheese? $18 ? Seriously?
Pan-fried Goose Liver, Wild Berries Sauce & Balsamic Syrup - The foie gras lacked a well seared crust and wasn't as smooth or quivery as I had expected to be. But at least the wild berry sauce did help to cut down a little on the nausea.
Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, Mustard Dressing, Sauteed Wild Mushrooms - This was a waste of wagyu beef in my humble opinion as it didn't elevate this dish past the average mark. Normal beef would have done the trick. And I personally dislike mustard.
Homemade Angel Hair Pasta with Lobster, Peperoncino, Basil & Fresh Tomatoes - I was looking forward to this but unfortunately it didn't quite pan out. The angel hair pasta was way too soft and stodgy from all the gravy that it was plain unappetising. Even the crunchy lobster pieces failed to lift this dish out of the mess. ps: the presentation needs working on as well.
Homemade Foie Gras Ravioli, Light Parmesan Sauce & Scamorza Cheese - This was probably the best dish of the evening in my humble opinion. The ravioli did come across as a tad too thick but the taste of the foie gras was noticeable and not overwhelmed by the light parmesan sauce. Just watch out for the wooziness.
Crispy Goose Leg Confit, Roasted Garlic, Soft Potato Mousse - Mildly crisp skin but overly salty and dry. Pretty much sums up the goose confit.
Signature Black Angus Beef Striploin, Fried Eggs & Black Truffle - I appreciated the black truffle but I fail to comprehend the sunny side up. Nonetheless, the beef was done to a nice medium rare but came across as rather bland and a tad tough. Average dish overall.
Roasted Atlantic Cod Medallion, Spanish Smoked Paprika & Herbs Oil - The cod was decently executed without much fanfare - tender flesh with a hint of sweetness. Lacked the oomph to elevate it past the average mark.
Cinnamon Apple Fritters with Icing Sugar - And finally, desserts. I found the cinnamon apple fritters a pretty interesting concept except that there was way too much cinnamon powder sprinkled over the fritters that it was unnerving (for me at least). I was expecting a sweet finish but it ended up slightly sourish because of the apple. Can't say I'm a fan.
Traditional Italian Tiramisu - My absolute favourite Italian dessert. Unfortunately District 10's rendition didn't quite excite. The mascarpone to sponge ratio was a little lopsided in favour of the former whilst the latter came across as a tad dry. Acceptably average.
Nuvo was offering an irresistible deal on their set lunch @ $13 (apparently until end February 2014) so we dropped by for lunch one Saturday afternoon since we were in the vicinity. Helmed by Chef Mark Richards, former chef de cuisine of Keystone Restaurant, Nuvo falls under the same management (Caerus Holdings) as that of Lady M (which I personally like) in Singapore.
Hidden from plain sight in a corner of the newly opened "The Dining Edition" in Marina Square, Nuvo's interior utilises quite a bit of wood, which gives it a more down to earth feel. The open concept kitchen offers diners an opportunity to watch their food being prepared if they so wish but honestly, it would be weird hanging around the serving counter.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was warm and crusty with hints of Parmesan. Pretty decent especially with a thin spread of the accompanying Nori butter. A pity each person was only accorded one roll.
Warm Japanese Mushroom Salad - This dish honestly didn't look like much but it sure was nice. Tossed up with pine nuts, asparagus, shallots and Japanese mushroom, the salad (baby spinach) had a pleasing, savoury sweet note to it. I have honestly never been so enamoured with a salad. And I say this from having the salad on 3 separate occasions @ Nuvo.
Angel Hair Wakame pasta with Lobster Essence and Rayu Oil - One of the signature dishes at Nuvo, the angel hair pasta had a nice firm bite to it, soaking in the mild spiciness of the rayu oil (chilli oil) and the sweet saltiness of the wakame (seaweed). Overall a very flavourful pasta dish that had me reaching for my glass of water a little more frequently due to the higher than acceptable (apparently only to me) salt content. And strangely enough, it is marked as a vegetarian pasta dish (how about the lobster essence?).
Lobster Risotto - Another signature dish and one that is close to my heart (and mouth). The lobster risotto is only available on the ala carte menu and a small serving (as per my picture) will set you back by $28 while the larger one is about $36 if my memory serves me right. It was a simple yet well executed dish. The risotto was nicely al dente, cooked in a rich lobster broth with small chunks of lobster and edamame - creamily good! Well worth the money in my humble opinion.
Pocky Ricotta Cheese Cake - This dessert was rather interesting, with the top of the cheese cake adorned with chocolate swirls and the base made from crushed Pocky (yes, the $1 box of Pocky you can get from supermarkets). But all the bells and whistles aside, it just tasted like a light, decently made cheesecake that provided a nice, sweet ending to our meal.
With a price tag of $13 for an appetiser, main and dessert of above average quality, what's not to like? Service was good as well but intervals between the dishes could have been shorter. Also, the website states opening hours from 11am to 11pm but they didn't open until 12pm during this particular visit. And such things definitely don't leave good impressions. But having said that, I'll definitely return to indulge in the lobster risotto and to sample other offerings.
I've not tried Mouth Restaurant for a long time and ended up at this outlet after being down on my luck at a couple of Soup Restaurant outlets.
It was a mistake.
(no pics, sorry for this one!)
Beef tenderloin in bbq sauce ($38) - it was too fatty for us and a really teeny weeny portion for its price. Nothing really bad with the taste but for the price, it needs to be twice as much!
Lotus root, celery, mixed vegetables ($14) - Blandly stir fried together. The lotus roots slices were pathetic and not fresh.
Roast chicken *half)($16) - best dish of the night, with nice crispy skin and a accompanying salt as a condiment.
Salmon Yu Sheng ($49.90) - fresh but again really small for its portion. Tsk tsk.
Other things we had include: 1x rice @ $1.30, 9x beers @ $9 each, tea @ $2 per pax, towels @ $0.80 per pax.
The total bill was $250 - granted the beers were already $80 but its still a no-no food wise as I simply cannot stomach having so little value for the prices.
There was also a $3.90 promotion stated on its website but the staff there said there was none and that it was only for a specific beer which they didnt have (how convenient). I feedback via their website about this and their manager called back, but only to sound defensive and sarcastic about how I am finding fault with everything he said.
It was the F1 weekend again and we didn't fancy going into town for our dim sum fix. And so we decided on Ba Xian, the flagship Chinese restaurant at Tower Club. It helped that they were offering a 50% discount on dim sum for weekends only.
The lifts take you up to the entrance of Tower Club on the 62nd floor. From there, you take an internal lift from the club's lobby to the 63rd floor where Ba Xian is located. The furnishing is plush with full length windows that look out into the South China Sea. There are capsule like seats for 2 that offer a somewhat quirky dining experience.
Crispy Cuttlefish - Nicely seasoned but the flour coating was a tad too thick for my liking and so was the oil content. Makes you sick after a while.
Pork Belly Char Siew - The BBQ pork belly had a proportionate fat to meat ratio which made for great texture. However, the meat was rather bland and lacked any sweetness that I would usually associate with char siew.
Roasted Pork Belly - Although I love my sio bak, this was honestly a little hard to stomach and both of us were struggling to finish all 12 cubes of it. Sure, the skin was crispy but it was a tad too thick and dry for my liking. Also, as with the char siew, the meat was almost tasteless. A little more salt perhaps?
Pork & Century Egg Congee - Apart from the sticky texture of porridge that I personally like, this dish was average tasting with quantity of ingredients bordering on miserly.
Prawn with Crab Meat - Generous serving of prawns and crab meat stuffed within the crispy deep fried shell but strangely enough, there was a rather strong ginger aftertaste which I didn't like. Thank god for mayonnaise.
Sweet Corn Cake - This was the first time seeing sweet corn cake on a dim sum menu so thought it would be interesting to give it a go. Alas, it tasted like normal carrot cake with sweet corn and tiny bits of Chinese sausage embedded within. Texture wasn't exactly smooth but overall still palatable.
Chee Cheong Fun -The chee cheong fun came in 3 varieties of filling - char siew, scallop and prawn. For starters, the cheong fun was a little too thick but I was impressed by the generous amounts of scallop and char siew within. This was one of the rare occasions where I could actually make out the texture and taste of the scallop wrapped within. That said, the prawn filling was rather underwhelming though.
Siew Mai - Served with a slice of topshell, the siew mai was decent without coming across as too oily.
Har Gao - Instead of the de facto prawn taste that I was expecting, the har gao tasted overwhelming of vegetables instead. And the thicker than expected skin didn't help matters.
Mini Egg Tartlets - After the repertoire of dismal dim sum items, we almost gave up but decided to give the egg tarts a shot. It was decent without the custard being cloyingly sweet whilst the pastry had a nice flaky texture but lacked the oven baked taste that I personally like.
Even with 7 items at 50% off, the two of us still managed to chalk up a bill of $94, which is terribly expensive for the quality of food. Service and ambience is great but that hardly justifies the ridiculous price tag. So much for the positive online reviews.
Dropped by HY California @ Marina Bay Sands for lunch one weekday afternoon. This visit was prompted in part due to my previous visit to Hide Yamamoto and my curiosity was piqued when I learnt of the existence of a cheaper alternative - HY California.
HY California offers indoor seating with a couple of counter seats and tables as well as al fresco dining along the pathway. Full length panels offer patrons who decide to sit indoors, a view of the pathway outside and plenty of natural light if you happen to dine during the day - a win win situation.
Chicken Bento Set - There are various bento sets available for lunch but the sirloin beef bento set that I was aiming for had only 1 portion left so I went gave it up to my colleague and went for the chicken option instead. The presentation was aesthetically pleasing with small plates of sushi, sashimi, chicken, salad and tempura neatly placed within compartments in a wooden tray. Taste wise, everything came across as average and wouldn't seem out of place at "lower end" eateries like Sakae Sushi or Ichiban Sushi.
Lunch for the 4 of us cost about $96, which isn't really expensive but the general consensus is that food quality hovers around the average mark at best. I can understand that HY California is a casual eatery but the service level, food quality and pricing somehow fails to convince me why I should choose it over the likes of Sushi Tei or Ichiban Sushi/Boshi.
Restaurant week was upon us again and we finally had the opportunity to try out Salt Grill & Sky Bar for lunch during the weekend. Having stayed at Hilton Sydney and dined at Luke Mangan's Glass Brasserie slightly over a year back, we were excited as to how his restaurant would fare in Singapore.
Perched on the 55th floor of the iconic Ion shopping mall along Orchard Road, Salt offers a panoramic view of the surrounding area through floor to ceiling windows that culminate in an arced top that allows natural sunlight to flow in, which makes the place a lot cheerier. I personally like the expanse of space that the restaurant offers, just perfect for that lazy weekend brunch.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary raisin bread wasn't anything to shout about but it was decent - warm and crusty with a lingering aroma.
Truffle Fries - This was an additional side and boy oh boy, was it sinfully delicious. Hot crispy fries topped with a generous serving of grated Parmesan cheese and doused with truffle oil. What's not to like?
Crab Omelette, Enoki Mushroom and Herb Salad, Miso Mustard Broth - The omelette was stuffed with shreds of crab meat and topped with enoki, fried shallots and parsley whilst sitting prettily in a pool of miso mustard broth. What was nice about this dish was the oriental feel from the shallots and parsley coupled with the salty tinge from the miso broth and of course the creaminess of the omelette.
Pan Fried Gnocchi, Corn, Asparagus, Zucchini, Parmesan, Thyme, Truffle, Verjuice Dressing - This is honestly the first time I'm trying out a seemingly vegetarian gnocchi dish and it was surprisingly tasty. The corn provided a natural sweetness whilst the shaved Parmesan topped it off with a nice cheesy aftertaste and fragrance. Overall a rather light dish and only gripe I had was that the gnocchi did come across as a tad too soft for my liking.
Grass Fed Beef Tenderloin, Mash, Pumpkin, Grains and Seeds, Red Wine Jus - Contrary to what I had requested for, the beef came almost well done instead of medium well. However the meat was still relatively juicy and tender but lacked the beefy goodness that I personally like. Grains and seeds added a nice crunchy texture to the dish with the pumpkin puree providing a touch of sweetness.
Warm Hazelnut Cake, Hazelnut Biscotti, Praline Ice Cream - And finally, the finale - an excellent warm hazelnut cake that looked uncannily like Bengawan Solo's banana cake, just alot crustier and drier with hints of hazelnut. When paired with the toffee sauce, biscuit crumbs and of course a scoop of ice cream, it was comfortingly good and ended the meal on a relatively positive note.
It being Restaurant Week, prices are $40 /pax for lunch with the truffle fries contributing $13 to the bill for a total of almost $110 for 2 pax. Pretty reasonable in my humble opinion but at this price point, I still prefer Ember's food. However Salt has the distinct advantage of ambience and a great view to boot. I will probably return for lunch in the not so near future.
It is with much trepidation that I have decided to blog about my favourite eatery in town - Imperial Treasure Windows of Hong Kong or ITWHK for short. But it's probably already an open secret, judging by the ever increasing crowd size everytime I drop by for dinner. I'm still delusional though and am crossing my fingers that the crowds don't continue growing.
Nestled on the ground floor of TripleOneSomerset (former PUB building) in between the Imperail Treasure Bakery and the Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant (which isn't that great in my humble opinion), ITWHK offers an open, rather expansive seating area that doesn't feel cluttered or claustrophobic. Think al fresco dining with air conditioning. Really great for a nice quiet dinner on a weekday night (parking is expensive though so watch it). How the place works is this. You order at the counter, take a number tag to your choice of seat and your food will be delivered to you shortly.
奶油猪仔包 - We started off with the 奶油猪仔包, loosely translated as "cream piglet bun" and a perennial favourite of mine whenever I visit Tsui Wah in Hong Kong or Shanghai. This is essentially a toasted bun lathered with butter and condensed milk - sinfully crisp and delicious. Though ITWHK's rendition pales a little in comparison to that of Tsui Wah's, it is definitely worth a try, especially when consumed whilst hot!
Meat Platter - Our meat platter consisted of roast duck, roast pork and BBQ pork. To be honest, they were all very decent. In particular, the BBQ pork stood out - tender meat with bits of chewy fat and a nice, mildly sweet glace. The roast duck had a crisp skin and didn't come across as too gamy whilst the roast pork spotted mildly crackling skin with a good proportion of fats. Only gripe I had was that the duck was a little dry while the roast pork lacked adequate salt and the oomph factor.
滑蛋蝦仁河粉 - I can be quite a sucker for 河粉 so I'm probably biased on this. Rice noodles with a tinge of wok hei drowned in a smooth, not too starchy egg gravy and topped with a generous amount of bean sprouts and reasonably sized, crunchy prawns. Good! There is a slight issue of consistency though as on a subsequent visit, the gravy was a wee bit too starchy for my liking.
Above average food, great environment (to have a peaceful dinner) at wallet friendly prices. What's not to like? Well, maybe the sad reality that the place is going to be more crowded in the near future.
We were craving for Japanese food after an afternoon musical at the Mastercard Theatres @ Marina Bay Sands so popped by Hide Yamamoto for an early dinner on a Saturday evening.
There are a total of 4 seating areas within Hide Yamamoto - Sushi bar, Teppanyaki counter, Robata counter and the Ramen & Dining area. We opted for the Ramen & Dining area as it would allow us to order from all the counters. Not too sure if you are entitled to the same flexibility if you sit at one of the specialised areas. Do note that tables are spaced quite close to each other (unless you manage to snag the red velvet booth seat) so private conversations can pose quite a challenge.
Grilled Hokkaido Scallop - At $35 a pop, I was desperately hoping for more than the solitary scallop to start us off. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. However the lone scallop that made it to our table was huge, boasting a natural sweetness that was complemented by the mild saltiness from the roe that came alongside. The accompanying side salad had seaweed strips in it and came across as zesty.
Tuna Sushi Combination - The tuna combination consisted of 3 slices of tuna (Fatty, medium and normal) apparently flown in straight from Tsukiji in Tokyo and served atop blocks of sushi rice. Goes without saying that the tuna was fresh and the rice lightly tart without coming across as too loose or sticky. Only thing that I didn't like was the heavy handedness of the wasabi layer wedged between the tuna and the rice. And of course the price tag ($50 ).
Kurobuta Collar - Weighing in at 150g, the kurobuta collar was from the Teppanyaki counter and came across as sufficiently tender without the overwhelming pork taste. A sesame based dipping sauce completed the picture.
Soy Seafood Ramen - If I may, the soy based seafood ramen was very good with the broth light yet refreshingly tasty probably due in part to the addition of sweet corn. The ramen itself was springy (apparently the ramen is made in house from a 110 year old recipe) and full of bite whilst the seafood was fresh.
Portions are slightly smaller than your average ramen bowl though.
Soy Cha Shu Ramen - The cha shu ramen's broth was comparatively heavier than that of the seafood ramen but the noodles were excellent as well. Cha shu pieces were tender and overall portion size was just right to keep nausea at bay. I am definitely sticking to the seafood ramen the next time round.
A pretty satisfying dinner for 2 cost us in excess of $200, which is honestly a little on the high side. Service was good and food quality was definitely above average but I wouldn't rate it as excellent overall. I'll probably be back again, if only for the ramen.
Had been meaning to try out Hippopotamus for the longest time, after reading about and seeing an outlet in Paris a couple of years back. And so we dropped by for an early dinner on a Saturday evening. Apparently the eatery's selling point is its wide range of beef cuts at affordable prices. Honestly, I am not too hung up on the variety of cuts because I am not picky but I do like the sound of affordable.
Because the restaurant is located along a rather quiet stretch on the ground floor of Marina Square Shopping Mall, it offers an "al fresco" dining area alongside the pedestrian walkway as well as seating in the inner chambers which offer more privacy. Exposed brick walls with red, square lights complete the cafe like setup.
Complimentary Chips - This was served alongside a basket of dry, hard and mildly sourish bread (skip it!). No surprise the chips were the first to go - crisp and a great way to start off.
US Pork Chops - A very flavourful and well grilled piece of pork that threatened to put alot of "western" restaurants to shame.A pity the meat was a little too dry and tough for my liking. Also, some of the accompanying fries came a little too charred as well.
Tenderloin "Chateaubriand" - The crème de la crème of the cuts and the tenderest of them all, the Chateaubriand tenderloin (Chateaubriand is actually a recipe involving a particular thick cut of beef) was a little overcooked to medium well, contrary to my request for medium rare. Nonetheless, it was still tender with nuances of bovine flavour seeping through with every bite. I would have liked the flavours to be more pronounced though. Served alongside 2 sides of your choice.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake - Coming across as a little dense and dry and tasting overwhelmingly of chocolate with a nuance of hazelnut, the cake had tiny crumbs of hazelnut etched atop and sat in a shallow pool of vanilla cream. Brownies, anyone?
With a 50% discount courtesy of my palate card, dinner was relatively inexpensive at about $34 for 2 pax. I know it's not a fair comparison but at this price point (50% off) and quality, it beats the likes of Astons or any other budget steak house hands down in my humble opinion. However, take the discount away and the value ratio decreases quite a bit. Service was decent but could be a little more attentive (my glass of water was never refilled). All in all, a place I would only return with the 50% off.
1=SGD 0.0587
I shall begin my traumatized review by quoting what CA California says on their website:
"CA* California was inspired by the rustic old-world beauty of Dempsey Hill, reminding the owner of his happy days at California and the fresh unpretentious good food he enjoyed there. In his bid to share that wonderful gourmet experience with Singapore, CA* California was started, capturing the spirit of food that is all Californian casual, laid back and wholesome.
Affectionately called the “Ranch Home” by our fans, CA* California at Dempsey provides customers with a homely and comfortable setting complete with high ceilings, antique brickwork and even a living room area with a faux fireplace where fans can mingle. Above all, CA* hopes to bring that friendly and casual CA-style of service to our customers and regulars with a place where you can find real fuss-free good food and warm friendly service.
From our Sandwich Board to our Grills and Oven menu, each dish was designed not just to be a sure hit with your taste buds but also to make an impact on your soul. We aim to serve food that are simple, unpretentious and fresh as we believe that sauces, salt and pepper should be used in moderation so that the freshness of the food stands out.
Our Ranch Home is designed with an open kitchen concept and we love it as it allows diners to make individual requests and also allows us to engage with them since at CA*, we believe in our philosophy that the kitchen is yours as much as it is ours"
NOT TRUE.
I made the unfortunate decision to dine here for a Friday dinner due to The Entertainer App vouchers which entitled us to a 1-4-1 main course.
To be fair, when I called to make a reservation (which turned out to be really unnecessary), they did highlight that they had reduced the menu (but please update your website!), but I didnt expect it to be that small a selection - 6 main courses: 3 pastas and 3 wraps a couple of random sides.
Sides - We picked onion rings - $12. About 10 rings obviously from a frozen pack served in a basket with a side of mayonnaise. Crappy value.
Pastas - 2 out of the 3 pastas were cold - fusilli and macoroni 1 hot mac & cheese. Portion was really small for a plate that cost $12.80 and while the accompanying chopped chicken breast and capsicum with dressing were edible, the pasta was strangely very doughy, nothing like what a cold pasta should taste like. Suspected it was frozen and not thawed properly before they popped it in the microwave. So I returned it and asked them to make another one. They came back to say their fusilli are all the same batch so a new order would taste the same (!). They offered to do the same but with macaroni - but same problem again. I returned it again. They offered to exchange it for a wrap.
The Mac & Cheese which the other guys ordered while was the only edible thingy of the night, was very average and very pricey for the $19.90 price tag.
Wraps - I choose the turkey wrap ($12.80) after failing to eat pasta. This was wrong too - cold tasteless wrap with a whole bundle of low-end turkey ham which left me with an overdose of sodium. Left it aside after 2 bites. Accompanying corn chips was a distraction.
Drinks - no happy hour and relatively expensive drinks here - 1 pint of Erdinger at $15.90. In dempsey, that's pricing suicide.
Service - the staff was at least genuinely nice about whether I was able to actually eat that night and said its good to have feedback. However, she also implied that the chef was off that day thus the bad quality (!?). Bad excuse! They didnt have to do any cooking at all: just assemble, deep fry, or mircrowave the hot stuff (we know because the Mac&Cheese came at uneven times and we realized it was because their microwave can only do one portion at a time).
They should really just focus on serving overpriced ice cream.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. FAR FAR AWAY.
Rating given:
The kind folks at District 10 extended an invitation to try out a couple of their signature dishes and since I was in town, I appreciatively made my way down to their outlet @ UE Square one weekday evening.
District 10 is both a bar and a restaurant and offers both indoor and al fresco seating at a rather prominent corner of UE Square. I personally like the wooden interior and high ceilings but the vibe is actually more of a pub than a restaurant. Good for a casual dinner but probably not so much for a romantic date.
Complimentary Bread - This used to be one of the best complimentary bread in my dictionary (back in 2007 when I first tried Bonta). Unfortunately the bread now is but a shadow of its former self. The bread was burnt which gave it a slightly bitter taste whilst the feta cheese within came across as a tad sour. How the quality has deteriorated!
Green Asparagus, Fried Egg Sunny Side Up, Sage Butter - I honestly didn't know what to make of this dish. Asparagus, sunny side up and cheese? $18 ? Seriously?
Pan-fried Goose Liver, Wild Berries Sauce & Balsamic Syrup - The foie gras lacked a well seared crust and wasn't as smooth or quivery as I had expected to be. But at least the wild berry sauce did help to cut down a little on the nausea.
Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, Mustard Dressing, Sauteed Wild Mushrooms - This was a waste of wagyu beef in my humble opinion as it didn't elevate this dish past the average mark. Normal beef would have done the trick. And I personally dislike mustard.
Homemade Angel Hair Pasta with Lobster, Peperoncino, Basil & Fresh Tomatoes - I was looking forward to this but unfortunately it didn't quite pan out. The angel hair pasta was way too soft and stodgy from all the gravy that it was plain unappetising. Even the crunchy lobster pieces failed to lift this dish out of the mess. ps: the presentation needs working on as well.
Homemade Foie Gras Ravioli, Light Parmesan Sauce & Scamorza Cheese - This was probably the best dish of the evening in my humble opinion. The ravioli did come across as a tad too thick but the taste of the foie gras was noticeable and not overwhelmed by the light parmesan sauce. Just watch out for the wooziness.
Crispy Goose Leg Confit, Roasted Garlic, Soft Potato Mousse - Mildly crisp skin but overly salty and dry. Pretty much sums up the goose confit.
Signature Black Angus Beef Striploin, Fried Eggs & Black Truffle - I appreciated the black truffle but I fail to comprehend the sunny side up. Nonetheless, the beef was done to a nice medium rare but came across as rather bland and a tad tough. Average dish overall.
Roasted Atlantic Cod Medallion, Spanish Smoked Paprika & Herbs Oil - The cod was decently executed without much fanfare - tender flesh with a hint of sweetness. Lacked the oomph to elevate it past the average mark.
Cinnamon Apple Fritters with Icing Sugar - And finally, desserts. I found the cinnamon apple fritters a pretty interesting concept except that there was way too much cinnamon powder sprinkled over the fritters that it was unnerving (for me at least). I was expecting a sweet finish but it ended up slightly sourish because of the apple. Can't say I'm a fan.
Traditional Italian Tiramisu - My absolute favourite Italian dessert. Unfortunately District 10's rendition didn't quite excite. The mascarpone to sponge ratio was a little lopsided in favour of the former whilst the latter came across as a tad dry. Acceptably average.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Nuvo was offering an irresistible deal on their set lunch @ $13 (apparently until end February 2014) so we dropped by for lunch one Saturday afternoon since we were in the vicinity. Helmed by Chef Mark Richards, former chef de cuisine of Keystone Restaurant, Nuvo falls under the same management (Caerus Holdings) as that of Lady M (which I personally like) in Singapore.
Hidden from plain sight in a corner of the newly opened "The Dining Edition" in Marina Square, Nuvo's interior utilises quite a bit of wood, which gives it a more down to earth feel. The open concept kitchen offers diners an opportunity to watch their food being prepared if they so wish but honestly, it would be weird hanging around the serving counter.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was warm and crusty with hints of Parmesan. Pretty decent especially with a thin spread of the accompanying Nori butter. A pity each person was only accorded one roll.
Warm Japanese Mushroom Salad - This dish honestly didn't look like much but it sure was nice. Tossed up with pine nuts, asparagus, shallots and Japanese mushroom, the salad (baby spinach) had a pleasing, savoury sweet note to it. I have honestly never been so enamoured with a salad. And I say this from having the salad on 3 separate occasions @ Nuvo.
Angel Hair Wakame pasta with Lobster Essence and Rayu Oil - One of the signature dishes at Nuvo, the angel hair pasta had a nice firm bite to it, soaking in the mild spiciness of the rayu oil (chilli oil) and the sweet saltiness of the wakame (seaweed). Overall a very flavourful pasta dish that had me reaching for my glass of water a little more frequently due to the higher than acceptable (apparently only to me) salt content. And strangely enough, it is marked as a vegetarian pasta dish (how about the lobster essence?).
Lobster Risotto - Another signature dish and one that is close to my heart (and mouth). The lobster risotto is only available on the ala carte menu and a small serving (as per my picture) will set you back by $28 while the larger one is about $36 if my memory serves me right. It was a simple yet well executed dish. The risotto was nicely al dente, cooked in a rich lobster broth with small chunks of lobster and edamame - creamily good! Well worth the money in my humble opinion.
Pocky Ricotta Cheese Cake - This dessert was rather interesting, with the top of the cheese cake adorned with chocolate swirls and the base made from crushed Pocky (yes, the $1 box of Pocky you can get from supermarkets). But all the bells and whistles aside, it just tasted like a light, decently made cheesecake that provided a nice, sweet ending to our meal.
With a price tag of $13 for an appetiser, main and dessert of above average quality, what's not to like? Service was good as well but intervals between the dishes could have been shorter. Also, the website states opening hours from 11am to 11pm but they didn't open until 12pm during this particular visit. And such things definitely don't leave good impressions. But having said that, I'll definitely return to indulge in the lobster risotto and to sample other offerings.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
I've not tried Mouth Restaurant for a long time and ended up at this outlet after being down on my luck at a couple of Soup Restaurant outlets.
It was a mistake.
(no pics, sorry for this one!)
Beef tenderloin in bbq sauce ($38) - it was too fatty for us and a really teeny weeny portion for its price. Nothing really bad with the taste but for the price, it needs to be twice as much!
Lotus root, celery, mixed vegetables ($14) - Blandly stir fried together. The lotus roots slices were pathetic and not fresh.
Roast chicken *half)($16) - best dish of the night, with nice crispy skin and a accompanying salt as a condiment.
Salmon Yu Sheng ($49.90) - fresh but again really small for its portion. Tsk tsk.
Other things we had include: 1x rice @ $1.30, 9x beers @ $9 each, tea @ $2 per pax, towels @ $0.80 per pax.
The total bill was $250 - granted the beers were already $80 but its still a no-no food wise as I simply cannot stomach having so little value for the prices.
There was also a $3.90 promotion stated on its website but the staff there said there was none and that it was only for a specific beer which they didnt have (how convenient). I feedback via their website about this and their manager called back, but only to sound defensive and sarcastic about how I am finding fault with everything he said.
I personally have blacklisted this place.
Rating given:
It was the F1 weekend again and we didn't fancy going into town for our dim sum fix. And so we decided on Ba Xian, the flagship Chinese restaurant at Tower Club. It helped that they were offering a 50% discount on dim sum for weekends only.
The lifts take you up to the entrance of Tower Club on the 62nd floor. From there, you take an internal lift from the club's lobby to the 63rd floor where Ba Xian is located. The furnishing is plush with full length windows that look out into the South China Sea. There are capsule like seats for 2 that offer a somewhat quirky dining experience.
Crispy Cuttlefish - Nicely seasoned but the flour coating was a tad too thick for my liking and so was the oil content. Makes you sick after a while.
Pork Belly Char Siew - The BBQ pork belly had a proportionate fat to meat ratio which made for great texture. However, the meat was rather bland and lacked any sweetness that I would usually associate with char siew.
Roasted Pork Belly - Although I love my sio bak, this was honestly a little hard to stomach and both of us were struggling to finish all 12 cubes of it. Sure, the skin was crispy but it was a tad too thick and dry for my liking. Also, as with the char siew, the meat was almost tasteless. A little more salt perhaps?
Pork & Century Egg Congee - Apart from the sticky texture of porridge that I personally like, this dish was average tasting with quantity of ingredients bordering on miserly.
Prawn with Crab Meat - Generous serving of prawns and crab meat stuffed within the crispy deep fried shell but strangely enough, there was a rather strong ginger aftertaste which I didn't like. Thank god for mayonnaise.
Sweet Corn Cake - This was the first time seeing sweet corn cake on a dim sum menu so thought it would be interesting to give it a go. Alas, it tasted like normal carrot cake with sweet corn and tiny bits of Chinese sausage embedded within. Texture wasn't exactly smooth but overall still palatable.
Chee Cheong Fun -The chee cheong fun came in 3 varieties of filling - char siew, scallop and prawn. For starters, the cheong fun was a little too thick but I was impressed by the generous amounts of scallop and char siew within. This was one of the rare occasions where I could actually make out the texture and taste of the scallop wrapped within. That said, the prawn filling was rather underwhelming though.
Siew Mai - Served with a slice of topshell, the siew mai was decent without coming across as too oily.
Har Gao - Instead of the de facto prawn taste that I was expecting, the har gao tasted overwhelming of vegetables instead. And the thicker than expected skin didn't help matters.
Mini Egg Tartlets - After the repertoire of dismal dim sum items, we almost gave up but decided to give the egg tarts a shot. It was decent without the custard being cloyingly sweet whilst the pastry had a nice flaky texture but lacked the oven baked taste that I personally like.
Even with 7 items at 50% off, the two of us still managed to chalk up a bill of $94, which is terribly expensive for the quality of food. Service and ambience is great but that hardly justifies the ridiculous price tag. So much for the positive online reviews.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Dropped by HY California @ Marina Bay Sands for lunch one weekday afternoon. This visit was prompted in part due to my previous visit to Hide Yamamoto and my curiosity was piqued when I learnt of the existence of a cheaper alternative - HY California.
HY California offers indoor seating with a couple of counter seats and tables as well as al fresco dining along the pathway. Full length panels offer patrons who decide to sit indoors, a view of the pathway outside and plenty of natural light if you happen to dine during the day - a win win situation.
Chicken Bento Set - There are various bento sets available for lunch but the sirloin beef bento set that I was aiming for had only 1 portion left so I went gave it up to my colleague and went for the chicken option instead. The presentation was aesthetically pleasing with small plates of sushi, sashimi, chicken, salad and tempura neatly placed within compartments in a wooden tray. Taste wise, everything came across as average and wouldn't seem out of place at "lower end" eateries like Sakae Sushi or Ichiban Sushi.
Lunch for the 4 of us cost about $96, which isn't really expensive but the general consensus is that food quality hovers around the average mark at best. I can understand that HY California is a casual eatery but the service level, food quality and pricing somehow fails to convince me why I should choose it over the likes of Sushi Tei or Ichiban Sushi/Boshi.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Restaurant week was upon us again and we finally had the opportunity to try out Salt Grill & Sky Bar for lunch during the weekend. Having stayed at Hilton Sydney and dined at Luke Mangan's Glass Brasserie slightly over a year back, we were excited as to how his restaurant would fare in Singapore.
Perched on the 55th floor of the iconic Ion shopping mall along Orchard Road, Salt offers a panoramic view of the surrounding area through floor to ceiling windows that culminate in an arced top that allows natural sunlight to flow in, which makes the place a lot cheerier. I personally like the expanse of space that the restaurant offers, just perfect for that lazy weekend brunch.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary raisin bread wasn't anything to shout about but it was decent - warm and crusty with a lingering aroma.
Truffle Fries - This was an additional side and boy oh boy, was it sinfully delicious. Hot crispy fries topped with a generous serving of grated Parmesan cheese and doused with truffle oil. What's not to like?
Crab Omelette, Enoki Mushroom and Herb Salad, Miso Mustard Broth - The omelette was stuffed with shreds of crab meat and topped with enoki, fried shallots and parsley whilst sitting prettily in a pool of miso mustard broth. What was nice about this dish was the oriental feel from the shallots and parsley coupled with the salty tinge from the miso broth and of course the creaminess of the omelette.
Pan Fried Gnocchi, Corn, Asparagus, Zucchini, Parmesan, Thyme, Truffle, Verjuice Dressing - This is honestly the first time I'm trying out a seemingly vegetarian gnocchi dish and it was surprisingly tasty. The corn provided a natural sweetness whilst the shaved Parmesan topped it off with a nice cheesy aftertaste and fragrance. Overall a rather light dish and only gripe I had was that the gnocchi did come across as a tad too soft for my liking.
Grass Fed Beef Tenderloin, Mash, Pumpkin, Grains and Seeds, Red Wine Jus - Contrary to what I had requested for, the beef came almost well done instead of medium well. However the meat was still relatively juicy and tender but lacked the beefy goodness that I personally like. Grains and seeds added a nice crunchy texture to the dish with the pumpkin puree providing a touch of sweetness.
Warm Hazelnut Cake, Hazelnut Biscotti, Praline Ice Cream - And finally, the finale - an excellent warm hazelnut cake that looked uncannily like Bengawan Solo's banana cake, just alot crustier and drier with hints of hazelnut. When paired with the toffee sauce, biscuit crumbs and of course a scoop of ice cream, it was comfortingly good and ended the meal on a relatively positive note.
It being Restaurant Week, prices are $40 /pax for lunch with the truffle fries contributing $13 to the bill for a total of almost $110 for 2 pax. Pretty reasonable in my humble opinion but at this price point, I still prefer Ember's food. However Salt has the distinct advantage of ambience and a great view to boot. I will probably return for lunch in the not so near future.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
It is with much trepidation that I have decided to blog about my favourite eatery in town - Imperial Treasure Windows of Hong Kong or ITWHK for short. But it's probably already an open secret, judging by the ever increasing crowd size everytime I drop by for dinner. I'm still delusional though and am crossing my fingers that the crowds don't continue growing.
Nestled on the ground floor of TripleOneSomerset (former PUB building) in between the Imperail Treasure Bakery and the Imperial Treasure Steamboat Restaurant (which isn't that great in my humble opinion), ITWHK offers an open, rather expansive seating area that doesn't feel cluttered or claustrophobic. Think al fresco dining with air conditioning. Really great for a nice quiet dinner on a weekday night (parking is expensive though so watch it). How the place works is this. You order at the counter, take a number tag to your choice of seat and your food will be delivered to you shortly.
奶油猪仔包 - We started off with the 奶油猪仔包, loosely translated as "cream piglet bun" and a perennial favourite of mine whenever I visit Tsui Wah in Hong Kong or Shanghai. This is essentially a toasted bun lathered with butter and condensed milk - sinfully crisp and delicious. Though ITWHK's rendition pales a little in comparison to that of Tsui Wah's, it is definitely worth a try, especially when consumed whilst hot!
Meat Platter - Our meat platter consisted of roast duck, roast pork and BBQ pork. To be honest, they were all very decent. In particular, the BBQ pork stood out - tender meat with bits of chewy fat and a nice, mildly sweet glace. The roast duck had a crisp skin and didn't come across as too gamy whilst the roast pork spotted mildly crackling skin with a good proportion of fats. Only gripe I had was that the duck was a little dry while the roast pork lacked adequate salt and the oomph factor.
滑蛋蝦仁河粉 - I can be quite a sucker for 河粉 so I'm probably biased on this. Rice noodles with a tinge of wok hei drowned in a smooth, not too starchy egg gravy and topped with a generous amount of bean sprouts and reasonably sized, crunchy prawns. Good! There is a slight issue of consistency though as on a subsequent visit, the gravy was a wee bit too starchy for my liking.
Above average food, great environment (to have a peaceful dinner) at wallet friendly prices. What's not to like? Well, maybe the sad reality that the place is going to be more crowded in the near future.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
We were craving for Japanese food after an afternoon musical at the Mastercard Theatres @ Marina Bay Sands so popped by Hide Yamamoto for an early dinner on a Saturday evening.
There are a total of 4 seating areas within Hide Yamamoto - Sushi bar, Teppanyaki counter, Robata counter and the Ramen & Dining area. We opted for the Ramen & Dining area as it would allow us to order from all the counters. Not too sure if you are entitled to the same flexibility if you sit at one of the specialised areas. Do note that tables are spaced quite close to each other (unless you manage to snag the red velvet booth seat) so private conversations can pose quite a challenge.
Grilled Hokkaido Scallop - At $35 a pop, I was desperately hoping for more than the solitary scallop to start us off. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. However the lone scallop that made it to our table was huge, boasting a natural sweetness that was complemented by the mild saltiness from the roe that came alongside. The accompanying side salad had seaweed strips in it and came across as zesty.
Tuna Sushi Combination - The tuna combination consisted of 3 slices of tuna (Fatty, medium and normal) apparently flown in straight from Tsukiji in Tokyo and served atop blocks of sushi rice. Goes without saying that the tuna was fresh and the rice lightly tart without coming across as too loose or sticky. Only thing that I didn't like was the heavy handedness of the wasabi layer wedged between the tuna and the rice. And of course the price tag ($50 ).
Kurobuta Collar - Weighing in at 150g, the kurobuta collar was from the Teppanyaki counter and came across as sufficiently tender without the overwhelming pork taste. A sesame based dipping sauce completed the picture.
Soy Seafood Ramen - If I may, the soy based seafood ramen was very good with the broth light yet refreshingly tasty probably due in part to the addition of sweet corn. The ramen itself was springy (apparently the ramen is made in house from a 110 year old recipe) and full of bite whilst the seafood was fresh.
Portions are slightly smaller than your average ramen bowl though.
Soy Cha Shu Ramen - The cha shu ramen's broth was comparatively heavier than that of the seafood ramen but the noodles were excellent as well. Cha shu pieces were tender and overall portion size was just right to keep nausea at bay. I am definitely sticking to the seafood ramen the next time round.
A pretty satisfying dinner for 2 cost us in excess of $200, which is honestly a little on the high side. Service was good and food quality was definitely above average but I wouldn't rate it as excellent overall. I'll probably be back again, if only for the ramen.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given:
Had been meaning to try out Hippopotamus for the longest time, after reading about and seeing an outlet in Paris a couple of years back. And so we dropped by for an early dinner on a Saturday evening. Apparently the eatery's selling point is its wide range of beef cuts at affordable prices. Honestly, I am not too hung up on the variety of cuts because I am not picky but I do like the sound of affordable.
Because the restaurant is located along a rather quiet stretch on the ground floor of Marina Square Shopping Mall, it offers an "al fresco" dining area alongside the pedestrian walkway as well as seating in the inner chambers which offer more privacy. Exposed brick walls with red, square lights complete the cafe like setup.
Complimentary Chips - This was served alongside a basket of dry, hard and mildly sourish bread (skip it!). No surprise the chips were the first to go - crisp and a great way to start off.
US Pork Chops - A very flavourful and well grilled piece of pork that threatened to put alot of "western" restaurants to shame.A pity the meat was a little too dry and tough for my liking. Also, some of the accompanying fries came a little too charred as well.
Tenderloin "Chateaubriand" - The crème de la crème of the cuts and the tenderest of them all, the Chateaubriand tenderloin (Chateaubriand is actually a recipe involving a particular thick cut of beef) was a little overcooked to medium well, contrary to my request for medium rare. Nonetheless, it was still tender with nuances of bovine flavour seeping through with every bite. I would have liked the flavours to be more pronounced though. Served alongside 2 sides of your choice.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake - Coming across as a little dense and dry and tasting overwhelmingly of chocolate with a nuance of hazelnut, the cake had tiny crumbs of hazelnut etched atop and sat in a shallow pool of vanilla cream. Brownies, anyone?
With a 50% discount courtesy of my palate card, dinner was relatively inexpensive at about $34 for 2 pax. I know it's not a fair comparison but at this price point (50% off) and quality, it beats the likes of Astons or any other budget steak house hands down in my humble opinion. However, take the discount away and the value ratio decreases quite a bit. Service was decent but could be a little more attentive (my glass of water was never refilled). All in all, a place I would only return with the 50% off.
See all my pictures here.
Rating given: