This is my friend's business and no, I'm not being biased here. All those people who tried the Rocky Road cake at Bobo's birthday can bear testament to that. The cake was very pretty with little heart shapes and marshmellows wedged in between. The chocolate didn't come across as too rich or sweet for that matter. The only thing which I felt could have been better was that it could have been more moist, but the dryness could be due to putting in the fridge for too long. Lilfoot has other cakes too which are quite decent, like his fever! and signature chocolate cheesecake.
I tried this courtesy of Team Singapore quite a few years back. The ride lasted probably about 5 mins with most of the anticipation/fear coming during the waiting to be launched off period. I can't remember the exact costs for 1 ride but it definitely isn't cheap. You can also buy a dvd of yourself in the air from the counter after the ride for a few bucks.
Just went for lunch at this latest TCC outlet. Its situated in the rather inaccessible Keppel Bay, which also boasts fine dining restaurant Prive. Located on the 2nd floor of the clubhouse, the view is excellent through the mostly glass facade. The food is very average though, almost to the point of being lousy and prices aren't cheap (2 of us ate about $40). But the ambience is great, especially at night where you can view the twinkling lights of the city as well as enjoy the serenity of the sea dotted with bobbing yachts. A poor man's answer to a romantic night out. ;)
Peach Garden @ 33 was the venue for our dim sum lunch today. The brainchild of two ladies, Angela Ho and Veronica Tan, this latest outlet resides within the 33rd storey of the Executives’ Club of OCBC Centre at Chulia Street (the flagship being at Novena Gardens and their second outlet at Thomson Plaza), and exudes modern sophistication while preserving an oriental charm vis-à-vis Chinese wooden furnishing, paintings and valued objet d'art.
Diners should also reserve beforehand to grab one of the limited tables beside the windowpane that offers a sight of the central business district and panoramic view of the Singapore River.
Food came fast and furious and before we knew it, our table was filled with the many baskets and plates. The Fried Carrot Cake with XO Sauce ($8.00) was well done – unlike those crispy ones you get from hawker centre, the outside was just slightly crisp and the inside, malleable. The flavour of the XO sauce was also captured nicely in the cake, however it should do better if it came less oily.
Since it should only be eaten when it’s piping hot, I took a bite into the Steamed Yolk Cream Bun ($1.20 each) – be warn though as before I knew it, hot steamy cream from the bun came squirting all over my fingers – another well executed dish! Their bun was definitely much better than the ones I tried at Victor’s Kitchen, however what I found missing was the lacked of bite of the salted egg yolk, which I can find at the latter.
The Steamed Rice Roll with Char Siew ($4.00) was up next but however it was disappointing – the texture of the skin was not as smooth and silky as I thought it should be.
To grade whether a dim sum restaurant is good or not, personally I feel that there are two tests it must pass – the Har Kaw, or Steamed Fresh Prawn Dumpling ($1.60 each) and the Siew Mai, or Steamed Pork Dumpling ($1.60 each).
While the prawn dumping was above average, the grading for the pork dumplings was disputed – most of us felt that it tasted more of prawn than pork, and it was hard to compare to the many we have sampled before.
The Baked Mini Egg Tart came with the flaky crust – the type I preferred compared to those that are hard and sturdy. However, for $1.30 each, I do not think they are value for money.
However, if you think that was bad, for $3.80 per (small) bowl, what you get is a very salty bowl of Boiled Porridge with Century Egg and Pork (as stated in the menu). Strangely enough, many of us thought that the meat tasted like chicken – not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing though.
Another disappointing item was the Steamed Xiao Long Bao with Dried Scallop ($1.30 each). A couple of us thought the skin were not as thin and smooth as those found in Ding Tai Fung and the soup was not as succulent as well.
The meal was rounded off with the highlight for the day – Baked Spare Rib with BBQ Sauce. For $7.00 each, expectations were high and everyone was looking forward to it. Presentation-wise, it was dished out fine-dining style like a piece of steak. Taste wise – the essence of the BBQ sauce is captured nicely in the meat – and for those who were luckier, where the meat came in fact with the layer of fatty meat, the marbling meat was a joy to behold (despite a step closer to having a heart attack)! However, for such a price, it would probably be a one-off dish I would try.
Overall, I felt that the expectations weren’t matched and Peach Garden is merely just a slightly above-average place for dim sum. Coupled by the fact that they missed out our order of Xiao Long Bao and the Spare Rib and also didn’t served us our additional order of Prawn Dumplings, I would probably not venture this place again unless by the coaxing of my makan buddies.
You can view all the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Its been a while since I last ate at Ellenborough Cafe, probably about 3 years or so. Just for the record, Ellenborough used to be the buffet venue of my choice when they still were charging something to the tune of $26/pax for dinner. Had the opportunity to revisit when one of my friends initiated a get together dinner there (It helped that she could get a 50% discount as well).
Well, since I dislike buffets and I am rather inapt at doing a writeup on it, I shall leave it to my amateur photographs to tell the story. Please pardon my photos, both quality and quantity wise, as it was a bad field trip for me.
Honestly, I think the standard of the food has gone south while the prices have steadily gone north. The shark's fin soup used to be decent but now its just a bowl of salty watered down starch serving with a couple of strands of shark's fin. The famous Durian Pengat, which used to have me going back for more (think 5-6 helpings), is now ridiculously sweet and diluted. Variety of food has stayed constant and I'm pretty sure that they have been serving up the same few dishes throughout the years. The additional outdoor counters are only there due to the restaurant having some anniversary promotion and even then, the food is really not up to the mark.
$223 for 5 pax (before discount) is pure madness for some common and average tasting fare. However factor in the 50% discount ($22/pax) and it will probably be worth it. No prizes for guessing if I'll be back.
Dian Xiao Er literally means "Stall Waiter". The humble restaurant has been around since 2003 and has made a name for itself for have a periodic Chinese theme in its staff and the restaurant environment reminiscent of Chinese sword fighting flicks which the owner, Mr Samuel Yik takes his inspiration from. Having never eaten here before, my first impression was that its just like Soup Restaurant but i was quite wrong. Read on.
The interior is reminiscent of ancient martial arts flicks with its bamboo roofs, wooden tables and chairs and ordinated display of select furniture and vases. The branch i went to was also quite dark which meant that my photos suffered from the lack of light. However, i can't say i dislike the feeling. Service was surprisingly good for a place which i've figured to be more run of the mill then most. The waiter would introduce and recommend items based on the number of people around and also provide a description of why it is his recommendation. This alone is better then some of the other restaurants i've been to.
Angelica Herbal Roasted Duck ($11.80) - It is said that no visit to Dian Xiao Er would be complete without trying their famous herbal duck. I would raise both hands to agree with that statement simply because, it tastes really good. Honestly, the stock or broth it comes with is absolutely fragrant and filled with the herbs that the menu promised. Thats not all, the taste seeps into the duck meat and the following is just good. If i had to be picky, i'd say one serving of this is never enough as the portion is rather small and the meat is though not scarce, a little lanky.
Dian Xiao Er Special Beancurd ($7.50) - Beancurds are yet again on my menu. This is one of their special beancurds bearing their namesake. How did it taste? Well, if i didn't order this item myself, i would have thought they were fishcake. Thats not to say it tasted bad though. Its easy enough to taste prawns, fish paste and even some celery mixed into the beancurd. Its also slightly crispy and a tad salty but surprisingly, the best thing about this is, the broccoli, which complimented the saltiness with a dash of green sweetness. An average dish.
Seafood Fried Rice With XO Sauce ($10.80) - After many failed attempts to get good seafood fried rice at crystal jade, Dian Xiao Er finally managed to satisfy my craving for a good plate of fried rice. Extremely fragrant and a filled with a generous amount of prawns, eggs, squid and even tiny bits of scallops, this rice wins Crystal Jade and Ding Tai Fung hands down for me. The rice is also interesting. Instead of the usual fluffy and moisture filled rice, this one was thin, small and a little dry but strangely, it works.
Total bill for this little endeavor came to $38.50 for 2 people. Its a satisfying and filling dinner to be sure.
Who would have thought that the place i've ignored for so long to turn out this good? Now i understand the reason behind the huge queues and number taking to have food here. Definitely a place to return to for new items. Try it yourself and judge!
Had dinner at Equinox Restaurant - the much acclaimed restaurant perched right at the top of Swissotel The Stamford, on the 69th storey no less, which at 226m, gives it one of the highest vantage points in Singapore. Famed more for its bird's eye view than its Asian and Western cuisines, Equinox has consistently made it to various Singapore restaurant publications as one of the top restaurants in Singapore nevertheless.
From the moment you step out of the express elevator, the panoramic backdrop of Singapore's urban landscape greets you through floor to ceiling windows. The amphitheatre styled restaurant is tastefully designed with subtle oriental influences through the use of wood and overhanging red Chinese lanterns. The world slows to a crawl in this elegant restaurant, giving one a sense of space and serenity, perfect for a laid back dinner.
The complimentary bread looked really appetising with lots of variety but the truth of the matter was, it was lousy. Most of the bread was dry and hard and probably the only decent one was the bun with sugar and cheese but even then, it was too sweet. It definitely didn't help that the accompanying butter was rock hard as well.
Cappucino of Wild Mushrooms - The soup sure didn't look enticing, especially with the seemingly charred black slice of toast atop. But to give it credit, it tasted decent but did come across as a tad too oily for my liking. There was definitely nothing wild about the taste and I can probably get better mushroom soup elsewhere at a fraction of the price. (I'm not sure how much it costs because it comes with my degustation menu, but being Equinox, you can be sure it isn't going to be cheap).
Roasted Japanese Scallops - Plain bland would be most apt in describing the scallops. Huge as they were, they were neither sweet nor juicy. Interestingly, straddled in between pieces of scallops were scallop lookalike soft and wobbly pieces of Boudin Blanc, white sausages made from pork without the blood, which had a faint liver taste. So in actual fact, there were only 3 pieces of scallops, all for a whopping $28.
Tian of Mud Crab and Avocado - Just a little background on the word Tian. Its actually a square or rectangular French casserole dish originally used for baking. Fanciful names and aesthetics aside, the mud crab and avocado was decent, with the rawness of the crab not overpowering. The bits of avocado in between provided a refreshing change from the monotony of the crab.
Roast Foie Gras Escalope - I shuddered as I took my first bite of the foie gras. First there came shock and then disappointment started to set in. It was neither soft nor wobbly! I am really appalled at such standards. However, I must say that the honey cake that came alongside was spongy and actually made the foie gras bearable.
White Miso Glazed Cod - I've always liked cod fish and Equinox's rendition of the cod was quite good, with the flesh being soft and smooth yet firm enough to retain its form. However I did find the drizzled white miso sauce a little too sweet which made me nauseous after a while. Thank god for the greens that came with it!
Tenderloin of Beef 'Rossini' - Done up medium rare as per my request, the beef was absolutely disappointing. Dry and tough doesn't even begin to describe it. Portions were small and it lacked the sweetness and beefy taste that all decent beef should have. What more can I say?
Hazelnut Chocolate Bar - I liked this quite a bit. The chocolate bar was quite smooth yet not too rich with a nice crunchy biscuit base. Accompanying the chocolate bar was a nice scoop of mint ice cream which I don't usually like, but this one was light and sat very well with me.
Sweet Temptation - Milk Chocolate Orange Gateau, Fig and Sangria Gelee & Yoghurt Sorbet, Contemporary Apple Tart & Nougat Chips, Araguani Chocolate Cream & Vanilla Chantilly & Coffee Granite - Overall the dessert platter was decent. For starters, the milk chocolate orange gateau was rather interesting with the chocolate gateau hinting strongly of orange. Quite a nice combination in my humble opinion.
I didn't quite take to the fig and sangria gelee though, as I'm not exactly a fan of fig or sangria. And the texture of the gelee (jello) reminded me of hardened "kuay" then anything else. The yoghurt sorbert was alright though but nothing fantastic.
The contemporary apple tart's biscuit was a tad too hard and dry but the apple cubes were nice without being too sweet or sour. Having said that, it wasn't exactly wow for me.
The highlight of the dessert platter has to be the Araguani chocolate cream. Topped with vanilla chantilly (cream) and coffee granite, this combination proved to be rather interesting when everything was mixed together. Bitter and sweet altogether. The addition of chocolate balls to this dessert gave it a nice crunchy texture as well.
Expectations, expectations, expectations. That's what it all boils down to. Seriously, the food isn't bad, just that I had high expectations of it with all the hype and of course the steep pricing, standing at just over $310 ($177 after 50% discount) for 2 pax. Service is good but honestly, the food's not worth returning for. For the view and ambience, maybe.
Melvados is the first and only specialty brownie café in Singapore. The brownie menu offers several unique brownie creations such as ‘Nuts about Bananas’ and ‘Sizzling Brownie Sensation’.
Apart from brownies, the food menu features appetizers like fresh salads and finger food. Their main course selections ranges from sandwiches at $6, baked rice, lasagnes, to spaghetti, bread bowls, pizza, chicken and fish.
The drinks menu offers Gourmet coffee, organic juices, and specialty drinks such as flavoured coffee, ice blends and fizzies. Retail items includes condiments such as basil pesto, sundried tomato pesto as well as gourmet cookies such as hazelnut cookie, blackforest cookie and many more. Samplings available for all cookies and brownies.
After lunch at Relish for their gourmet burgers, we decided to skip the wild rocket signature cheesecakes for the ‘gourmet desserts’ at Melvados which was just across a street away from Relish.
Stepping into Melvados, it was definitely smaller than what i had expected, the interior can accommodate at most 20 seaters, with the al fresco adding another 8 or thereabouts.
The walls are done in bright colors, with a cozy corner for the sofa seats. But the granite floor looks out-of-place for a cafe interior. Furthermore, there is a large fridge displayed openly and looks messy.
Rich Chocolate Madness ($4.80) & triple choc ice cream ($1) Rich Chocolate brownie with chunky walnuts, served warm with a layer of chocolate sauce. Pure indulgence for chocolate lovers. The whole taste about this brownie is chocolate-ty! Even though i love sweet things and chocolates, it’s still way too sweet for me.
But not mention i had the triple choc ice cream to go along with it. The vanilla ice cream was sold out, and the other brownie had cookie & cream so i thought i had something different.
Surprisingly the triple choc ice cream does not taste sweet when we eat it together with the brownie, i guess the sweetness of the brownie overwhelmed the triple choc and in contrast the ice-cream did not taste very sweet.
Black & White Kisses ($4.80) cookie & cream gelato ($1) Dark chocolate brownie topped with black and white Hershey’s kisses, accompanied with Cookie & Cream gelato. If you ordered the brownie, an additional scoop of ice cream is a dollar, while ordering the ice cream on its own is $3.20 for single scoop and $4.50 for double scoop.
Touted as Melvados signature brownie, the black & white kisses did not disappoint. We preferred it to the Rich Chocolate Madness. The dark chocolate was not very sweet, but coupled with the black & white Hershey’s kisses, the taste blended in perfectly.
A scoop of the cold cookie & cream gelato, on top of the warm chocolate brownie, the result was an instant melt in the mouth effect.
Total Bill for 2 brownies come up to $13.6, not very expensive for 2 desserts. There are plenty of other desserts selection which looks interesting to me. Most of the food items at Melvados are reasonably priced, with the most expensive at $12 for the pizza. Desserts like brownies and cakes are mostly going at $5 each.
While I have not tried the food, but Melvados is billed as a brownie specialty cafe after all. I doubt the food quality will be that fantastic, but given the price i guess there’s no harm trying it. Located at King’s Arcade (besides Coronation plaza), it is not very convenient by people not living in the west, but there are a lot of buses which goes through the area. And its about 20min bus ride from Orchard.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Dropped by Ben and Jerry's at White Sands one day and decided to get myself 2 tubs of ice cream to last through the hot summer (that means forever btw, since Singapore is always in summer) thats about to set in.
$25 for 2 tubs - Known and famous for mixing ingredients into their ice cream, Ben and Jerry's have since been famous for providing ice cream with a difference and full of indulgence. Pick any flavor from their stall and be greeted with an over the top, drop dead creamy and sinfully chocolatey experience. This time around, we played around with the Chocolate chip cookie dough affair which was a mixture of vanilla ice cream swirled with chocolate chips and soft cookie dough. This is immediately apparent when you dip your first scoop into the ice cream. Its not in-your-face sweet but rather mild since its vanilla. The cookie dough exists in soft and fluffy form in the ice cream but the one thing i had trouble with was the lack of huge chunks of chocolate in the ice cream. This is unlike other flavors i've had from them before. Its a decent flavor but not quite satisfying.
Now don't let the picture fool you. Of the 2 tubs of ice cream, this was definitely the better of the 2. Vanilla malt ice cream is a more robust version of vanilla ice cream and has a decidedly rough texture when eating, throw in some peanut butter and the taste jumps to a new level. (i love peanut butter btw) For me, if the ice cream was served as such, it would have already been a wonderfully tasty treat but throw in big chocolate fudge covered peanut butter pretzels and its an experience to be remembered. This takes wonderful to me but i'm a sucker for peanut butter so you were warned. The only downside to this is that the malt ice cream melts really fast and the huge pretzels really get in the way of scooping the ice cream out. Otherwise, this is my second favorite ice cream from Ben And Jerry's. (My first is the mint chocolate chip flavor i've yet to find in a tub.)
The ice cream is creamy, filled with surprises and never fails to tantalize your taste buds. What can i say? One of the better ice cream places out there. If only Singapore could have a place that makes great fresh ice cream. Now that would really turn heads.
Lana cake is a tried and true tradition of chocolate cake that has been getting rave reviews everywhere and i finally got my hands on one of them at my grandmother's birthday recently when my aunt ordered one just for the occasion.
$75 for a 2kg Lana Cake - Weighing a hefty 2kg and fetching a price of $75, this takes the crown as the priciest cake i've ever had thus far. That is why i was quite surprised when the cake was cut open, it seemed extremely ordinary with no additional embellishments which i can identify with for the high price.
Even the exterior was rather normal looking, a few words with colored icing and cream and a smoothed and wavy chocolate fudge is all that you get. Nothing fancy at all.
The cake slice you see above best describes why i was surprised. A thin layer of chocolate fudge covers the sponge and its only....one thin layer of chocolate fudge with a whole load of sponge cake. I believe the shop charges these exorbitant prices based on the promise of using top grade chocolate on their cakes, which is probably why it is used so sparingly in this cake.
Now for the actual taste. First bites basically didn't impress. It tasted like something choc a bloc could have done and at a cheaper price too. Subsequent tastes did not change my impression. Sure, the cake is rich and the chocolate is definitely not your everyday chocolate but they sure could have added some chocolate mousse or something to make the cake a little more bang for the buck...but thats the first impression of course.
Then i took a second piece and chomped it down slower, which is when i realised then despite this being a chocolate fudge cake, it is surprisingly light and yet packed with taste from the chocolate fudge. This is probably the little difference that makes a big difference in the end.
Decent and strong, the simplicity of the cake belies a hidden promise of quality chocolate that will not present itself immediately. It takes time (and money) to understand why this cake is so sought after but once you do, it may be difficult to see other cakes in the same light. That said, the chocolate quality does shine out albeit a little slower than i would have liked. Try it yourself to judge.
1=SGD 0.0587
This is my friend's business and no, I'm not being biased here. All those people who tried the Rocky Road cake at Bobo's birthday can bear testament to that. The cake was very pretty with little heart shapes and marshmellows wedged in between. The chocolate didn't come across as too rich or sweet for that matter. The only thing which I felt could have been better was that it could have been more moist, but the dryness could be due to putting in the fridge for too long.
Lilfoot has other cakes too which are quite decent, like his fever! and signature chocolate cheesecake.
Rating given:
I tried this courtesy of Team Singapore quite a few years back. The ride lasted probably about 5 mins with most of the anticipation/fear coming during the waiting to be launched off period. I can't remember the exact costs for 1 ride but it definitely isn't cheap. You can also buy a dvd of yourself in the air from the counter after the ride for a few bucks.
Rating given:
Just went for lunch at this latest TCC outlet. Its situated in the rather inaccessible Keppel Bay, which also boasts fine dining restaurant Prive. Located on the 2nd floor of the clubhouse, the view is excellent through the mostly glass facade. The food is very average though, almost to the point of being lousy and prices aren't cheap (2 of us ate about $40). But the ambience is great, especially at night where you can view the twinkling lights of the city as well as enjoy the serenity of the sea dotted with bobbing yachts.
A poor man's answer to a romantic night out. ;)
Rating given:
Peach Garden @ 33 was the venue for our dim sum lunch today. The brainchild of two ladies, Angela Ho and Veronica Tan, this latest outlet resides within the 33rd storey of the Executives’ Club of OCBC Centre at Chulia Street (the flagship being at Novena Gardens and their second outlet at Thomson Plaza), and exudes modern sophistication while preserving an oriental charm vis-à-vis Chinese wooden furnishing, paintings and valued objet d'art.
Diners should also reserve beforehand to grab one of the limited tables beside the windowpane that offers a sight of the central business district and panoramic view of the Singapore River.
Food came fast and furious and before we knew it, our table was filled with the many baskets and plates. The Fried Carrot Cake with XO Sauce ($8.00) was well done – unlike those crispy ones you get from hawker centre, the outside was just slightly crisp and the inside, malleable. The flavour of the XO sauce was also captured nicely in the cake, however it should do better if it came less oily.
Since it should only be eaten when it’s piping hot, I took a bite into the Steamed Yolk Cream Bun ($1.20 each) – be warn though as before I knew it, hot steamy cream from the bun came squirting all over my fingers – another well executed dish! Their bun was definitely much better than the ones I tried at Victor’s Kitchen, however what I found missing was the lacked of bite of the salted egg yolk, which I can find at the latter.
The Steamed Rice Roll with Char Siew ($4.00) was up next but however it was disappointing – the texture of the skin was not as smooth and silky as I thought it should be.
To grade whether a dim sum restaurant is good or not, personally I feel that there are two tests it must pass – the Har Kaw, or Steamed Fresh Prawn Dumpling ($1.60 each) and the Siew Mai, or Steamed Pork Dumpling ($1.60 each).
While the prawn dumping was above average, the grading for the pork dumplings was disputed – most of us felt that it tasted more of prawn than pork, and it was hard to compare to the many we have sampled before.
The Baked Mini Egg Tart came with the flaky crust – the type I preferred compared to those that are hard and sturdy. However, for $1.30 each, I do not think they are value for money.
However, if you think that was bad, for $3.80 per (small) bowl, what you get is a very salty bowl of Boiled Porridge with Century Egg and Pork (as stated in the menu). Strangely enough, many of us thought that the meat tasted like chicken – not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing though.
Another disappointing item was the Steamed Xiao Long Bao with Dried Scallop ($1.30 each). A couple of us thought the skin were not as thin and smooth as those found in Ding Tai Fung and the soup was not as succulent as well.
The meal was rounded off with the highlight for the day – Baked Spare Rib with BBQ Sauce. For $7.00 each, expectations were high and everyone was looking forward to it. Presentation-wise, it was dished out fine-dining style like a piece of steak. Taste wise – the essence of the BBQ sauce is captured nicely in the meat – and for those who were luckier, where the meat came in fact with the layer of fatty meat, the marbling meat was a joy to behold (despite a step closer to having a heart attack)! However, for such a price, it would probably be a one-off dish I would try.
Overall, I felt that the expectations weren’t matched and Peach Garden is merely just a slightly above-average place for dim sum. Coupled by the fact that they missed out our order of Xiao Long Bao and the Spare Rib and also didn’t served us our additional order of Prawn Dumplings, I would probably not venture this place again unless by the coaxing of my makan buddies.
You can view all the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
Its been a while since I last ate at Ellenborough Cafe, probably about 3 years or so. Just for the record, Ellenborough used to be the buffet venue of my choice when they still were charging something to the tune of $26/pax for dinner. Had the opportunity to revisit when one of my friends initiated a get together dinner there (It helped that she could get a 50% discount as well).
Well, since I dislike buffets and I am rather inapt at doing a writeup on it, I shall leave it to my amateur photographs to tell the story. Please pardon my photos, both quality and quantity wise, as it was a bad field trip for me.
Honestly, I think the standard of the food has gone south while the prices have steadily gone north. The shark's fin soup used to be decent but now its just a bowl of salty watered down starch serving with a couple of strands of shark's fin. The famous Durian Pengat, which used to have me going back for more (think 5-6 helpings), is now ridiculously sweet and diluted. Variety of food has stayed constant and I'm pretty sure that they have been serving up the same few dishes throughout the years. The additional outdoor counters are only there due to the restaurant having some anniversary promotion and even then, the food is really not up to the mark.
$223 for 5 pax (before discount) is pure madness for some common and average tasting fare. However factor in the 50% discount ($22/pax) and it will probably be worth it. No prizes for guessing if I'll be back.
Rating given:
Dian Xiao Er literally means "Stall Waiter". The humble restaurant has been around since 2003 and has made a name for itself for have a periodic Chinese theme in its staff and the restaurant environment reminiscent of Chinese sword fighting flicks which the owner, Mr Samuel Yik takes his inspiration from. Having never eaten here before, my first impression was that its just like Soup Restaurant but i was quite wrong. Read on.
The interior is reminiscent of ancient martial arts flicks with its bamboo roofs, wooden tables and chairs and ordinated display of select furniture and vases. The branch i went to was also quite dark which meant that my photos suffered from the lack of light. However, i can't say i dislike the feeling. Service was surprisingly good for a place which i've figured to be more run of the mill then most. The waiter would introduce and recommend items based on the number of people around and also provide a description of why it is his recommendation. This alone is better then some of the other restaurants i've been to.
Angelica Herbal Roasted Duck ($11.80) - It is said that no visit to Dian Xiao Er would be complete without trying their famous herbal duck. I would raise both hands to agree with that statement simply because, it tastes really good. Honestly, the stock or broth it comes with is absolutely fragrant and filled with the herbs that the menu promised. Thats not all, the taste seeps into the duck meat and the following is just good. If i had to be picky, i'd say one serving of this is never enough as the portion is rather small and the meat is though not scarce, a little lanky.
Dian Xiao Er Special Beancurd ($7.50) - Beancurds are yet again on my menu. This is one of their special beancurds bearing their namesake. How did it taste? Well, if i didn't order this item myself, i would have thought they were fishcake. Thats not to say it tasted bad though. Its easy enough to taste prawns, fish paste and even some celery mixed into the beancurd. Its also slightly crispy and a tad salty but surprisingly, the best thing about this is, the broccoli, which complimented the saltiness with a dash of green sweetness. An average dish.
Seafood Fried Rice With XO Sauce ($10.80) - After many failed attempts to get good seafood fried rice at crystal jade, Dian Xiao Er finally managed to satisfy my craving for a good plate of fried rice. Extremely fragrant and a filled with a generous amount of prawns, eggs, squid and even tiny bits of scallops, this rice wins Crystal Jade and Ding Tai Fung hands down for me. The rice is also interesting. Instead of the usual fluffy and moisture filled rice, this one was thin, small and a little dry but strangely, it works.
Total bill for this little endeavor came to $38.50 for 2 people. Its a satisfying and filling dinner to be sure.
Who would have thought that the place i've ignored for so long to turn out this good? Now i understand the reason behind the huge queues and number taking to have food here. Definitely a place to return to for new items. Try it yourself and judge!
Rating given:
Had dinner at Equinox Restaurant - the much acclaimed restaurant perched right at the top of Swissotel The Stamford, on the 69th storey no less, which at 226m, gives it one of the highest vantage points in Singapore. Famed more for its bird's eye view than its Asian and Western cuisines, Equinox has consistently made it to various Singapore restaurant publications as one of the top restaurants in Singapore nevertheless.
From the moment you step out of the express elevator, the panoramic backdrop of Singapore's urban landscape greets you through floor to ceiling windows. The amphitheatre styled restaurant is tastefully designed with subtle oriental influences through the use of wood and overhanging red Chinese lanterns. The world slows to a crawl in this elegant restaurant, giving one a sense of space and serenity, perfect for a laid back dinner.
The complimentary bread looked really appetising with lots of variety but the truth of the matter was, it was lousy. Most of the bread was dry and hard and probably the only decent one was the bun with sugar and cheese but even then, it was too sweet. It definitely didn't help that the accompanying butter was rock hard as well.
Cappucino of Wild Mushrooms - The soup sure didn't look enticing, especially with the seemingly charred black slice of toast atop. But to give it credit, it tasted decent but did come across as a tad too oily for my liking. There was definitely nothing wild about the taste and I can probably get better mushroom soup elsewhere at a fraction of the price. (I'm not sure how much it costs because it comes with my degustation menu, but being Equinox, you can be sure it isn't going to be cheap).
Roasted Japanese Scallops - Plain bland would be most apt in describing the scallops. Huge as they were, they were neither sweet nor juicy. Interestingly, straddled in between pieces of scallops were scallop lookalike soft and wobbly pieces of Boudin Blanc, white sausages made from pork without the blood, which had a faint liver taste. So in actual fact, there were only 3 pieces of scallops, all for a whopping $28.
Tian of Mud Crab and Avocado - Just a little background on the word Tian. Its actually a square or rectangular French casserole dish originally used for baking. Fanciful names and aesthetics aside, the mud crab and avocado was decent, with the rawness of the crab not overpowering. The bits of avocado in between provided a refreshing change from the monotony of the crab.
Roast Foie Gras Escalope - I shuddered as I took my first bite of the foie gras. First there came shock and then disappointment started to set in. It was neither soft nor wobbly! I am really appalled at such standards. However, I must say that the honey cake that came alongside was spongy and actually made the foie gras bearable.
White Miso Glazed Cod - I've always liked cod fish and Equinox's rendition of the cod was quite good, with the flesh being soft and smooth yet firm enough to retain its form. However I did find the drizzled white miso sauce a little too sweet which made me nauseous after a while. Thank god for the greens that came with it!
Tenderloin of Beef 'Rossini' - Done up medium rare as per my request, the beef was absolutely disappointing. Dry and tough doesn't even begin to describe it. Portions were small and it lacked the sweetness and beefy taste that all decent beef should have. What more can I say?
Hazelnut Chocolate Bar - I liked this quite a bit. The chocolate bar was quite smooth yet not too rich with a nice crunchy biscuit base. Accompanying the chocolate bar was a nice scoop of mint ice cream which I don't usually like, but this one was light and sat very well with me.
Sweet Temptation - Milk Chocolate Orange Gateau, Fig and Sangria Gelee & Yoghurt Sorbet, Contemporary Apple Tart & Nougat Chips, Araguani Chocolate Cream & Vanilla Chantilly & Coffee Granite - Overall the dessert platter was decent. For starters, the milk chocolate orange gateau was rather interesting with the chocolate gateau hinting strongly of orange. Quite a nice combination in my humble opinion.
I didn't quite take to the fig and sangria gelee though, as I'm not exactly a fan of fig or sangria. And the texture of the gelee (jello) reminded me of hardened "kuay" then anything else. The yoghurt sorbert was alright though but nothing fantastic.
The contemporary apple tart's biscuit was a tad too hard and dry but the apple cubes were nice without being too sweet or sour. Having said that, it wasn't exactly wow for me.
The highlight of the dessert platter has to be the Araguani chocolate cream. Topped with vanilla chantilly (cream) and coffee granite, this combination proved to be rather interesting when everything was mixed together. Bitter and sweet altogether. The addition of chocolate balls to this dessert gave it a nice crunchy texture as well.
Expectations, expectations, expectations. That's what it all boils down to. Seriously, the food isn't bad, just that I had high expectations of it with all the hype and of course the steep pricing, standing at just over $310 ($177 after 50% discount) for 2 pax. Service is good but honestly, the food's not worth returning for. For the view and ambience, maybe.
See all my pictures here.
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Melvados is the first and only specialty brownie café in Singapore. The brownie menu offers several unique brownie creations such as ‘Nuts about Bananas’ and ‘Sizzling Brownie Sensation’.
Apart from brownies, the food menu features appetizers like fresh salads and finger food. Their main course selections ranges from sandwiches at $6, baked rice, lasagnes, to spaghetti, bread bowls, pizza, chicken and fish.
The drinks menu offers Gourmet coffee, organic juices, and specialty drinks such as flavoured coffee, ice blends and fizzies. Retail items includes condiments such as basil pesto, sundried tomato pesto as well as gourmet cookies such as hazelnut cookie, blackforest cookie and many more. Samplings available for all cookies and brownies.
After lunch at Relish for their gourmet burgers, we decided to skip the wild rocket signature cheesecakes for the ‘gourmet desserts’ at Melvados which was just across a street away from Relish.
Stepping into Melvados, it was definitely smaller than what i had expected, the interior can accommodate at most 20 seaters, with the al fresco adding another 8 or thereabouts.
The walls are done in bright colors, with a cozy corner for the sofa seats. But the granite floor looks out-of-place for a cafe interior. Furthermore, there is a large fridge displayed openly and looks messy.
Rich Chocolate Madness ($4.80) & triple choc ice cream ($1)
Rich Chocolate brownie with chunky walnuts, served warm with a layer of chocolate sauce. Pure indulgence for chocolate lovers. The whole taste about this brownie is chocolate-ty! Even though i love sweet things and chocolates, it’s still way too sweet for me.
But not mention i had the triple choc ice cream to go along with it. The vanilla ice cream was sold out, and the other brownie had cookie & cream so i thought i had something different.
Surprisingly the triple choc ice cream does not taste sweet when we eat it together with the brownie, i guess the sweetness of the brownie overwhelmed the triple choc and in contrast the ice-cream did not taste very sweet.
Black & White Kisses ($4.80) cookie & cream gelato ($1)
Dark chocolate brownie topped with black and white Hershey’s kisses, accompanied with Cookie & Cream gelato. If you ordered the brownie, an additional scoop of ice cream is a dollar, while ordering the ice cream on its own is $3.20 for single scoop and $4.50 for double scoop.
Touted as Melvados signature brownie, the black & white kisses did not disappoint. We preferred it to the Rich Chocolate Madness. The dark chocolate was not very sweet, but coupled with the black & white Hershey’s kisses, the taste blended in perfectly.
A scoop of the cold cookie & cream gelato, on top of the warm chocolate brownie, the result was an instant melt in the mouth effect.
Total Bill for 2 brownies come up to $13.6, not very expensive for 2 desserts. There are plenty of other desserts selection which looks interesting to me. Most of the food items at Melvados are reasonably priced, with the most expensive at $12 for the pizza. Desserts like brownies and cakes are mostly going at $5 each.
While I have not tried the food, but Melvados is billed as a brownie specialty cafe after all. I doubt the food quality will be that fantastic, but given the price i guess there’s no harm trying it. Located at King’s Arcade (besides Coronation plaza), it is not very convenient by people not living in the west, but there are a lot of buses which goes through the area. And its about 20min bus ride from Orchard.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Brownie Specialty Cafe “
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Dropped by Ben and Jerry's at White Sands one day and decided to get myself 2 tubs of ice cream to last through the hot summer (that means forever btw, since Singapore is always in summer) thats about to set in.
$25 for 2 tubs - Known and famous for mixing ingredients into their ice cream, Ben and Jerry's have since been famous for providing ice cream with a difference and full of indulgence. Pick any flavor from their stall and be greeted with an over the top, drop dead creamy and sinfully chocolatey experience. This time around, we played around with the Chocolate chip cookie dough affair which was a mixture of vanilla ice cream swirled with chocolate chips and soft cookie dough. This is immediately apparent when you dip your first scoop into the ice cream. Its not in-your-face sweet but rather mild since its vanilla. The cookie dough exists in soft and fluffy form in the ice cream but the one thing i had trouble with was the lack of huge chunks of chocolate in the ice cream. This is unlike other flavors i've had from them before. Its a decent flavor but not quite satisfying.
Now don't let the picture fool you. Of the 2 tubs of ice cream, this was definitely the better of the 2. Vanilla malt ice cream is a more robust version of vanilla ice cream and has a decidedly rough texture when eating, throw in some peanut butter and the taste jumps to a new level. (i love peanut butter btw) For me, if the ice cream was served as such, it would have already been a wonderfully tasty treat but throw in big chocolate fudge covered peanut butter pretzels and its an experience to be remembered. This takes wonderful to me but i'm a sucker for peanut butter so you were warned. The only downside to this is that the malt ice cream melts really fast and the huge pretzels really get in the way of scooping the ice cream out. Otherwise, this is my second favorite ice cream from Ben And Jerry's. (My first is the mint chocolate chip flavor i've yet to find in a tub.)
The ice cream is creamy, filled with surprises and never fails to tantalize your taste buds. What can i say? One of the better ice cream places out there. If only Singapore could have a place that makes great fresh ice cream. Now that would really turn heads.
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Lana cake is a tried and true tradition of chocolate cake that has been getting rave reviews everywhere and i finally got my hands on one of them at my grandmother's birthday recently when my aunt ordered one just for the occasion.
$75 for a 2kg Lana Cake - Weighing a hefty 2kg and fetching a price of $75, this takes the crown as the priciest cake i've ever had thus far. That is why i was quite surprised when the cake was cut open, it seemed extremely ordinary with no additional embellishments which i can identify with for the high price.
Even the exterior was rather normal looking, a few words with colored icing and cream and a smoothed and wavy chocolate fudge is all that you get. Nothing fancy at all.
The cake slice you see above best describes why i was surprised. A thin layer of chocolate fudge covers the sponge and its only....one thin layer of chocolate fudge with a whole load of sponge cake. I believe the shop charges these exorbitant prices based on the promise of using top grade chocolate on their cakes, which is probably why it is used so sparingly in this cake.
Now for the actual taste. First bites basically didn't impress. It tasted like something choc a bloc could have done and at a cheaper price too. Subsequent tastes did not change my impression. Sure, the cake is rich and the chocolate is definitely not your everyday chocolate but they sure could have added some chocolate mousse or something to make the cake a little more bang for the buck...but thats the first impression of course.
Then i took a second piece and chomped it down slower, which is when i realised then despite this being a chocolate fudge cake, it is surprisingly light and yet packed with taste from the chocolate fudge. This is probably the little difference that makes a big difference in the end.
Decent and strong, the simplicity of the cake belies a hidden promise of quality chocolate that will not present itself immediately. It takes time (and money) to understand why this cake is so sought after but once you do, it may be difficult to see other cakes in the same light. That said, the chocolate quality does shine out albeit a little slower than i would have liked. Try it yourself to judge.
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