Was brought to this place by my colleague. Its basically a small shop, opened by a Taiwanese family. The boss, who is a middle-age uncle, was very hospitable and gave recommendations on what dishes to eat.
So the few of us ordered quite a fair bit, including beef noodles, 傻瓜面，盐酥鸡，烧饼， 锅贴 and A-菜。 The A-菜 was especially crunchy and tasty, unliek the normal type of vegetables that we normally eat at home.
As for the pricing, its very reasonable as well. Lastly like what spindoctor had mentioned in his review, it is best to park your vehicle opposite in the carpark. Do go there and try it yourself. You be the judge!!!
though this place had been around for quite some time, however, had never been there before till last Saturday.
This place is what we would term as 民歌餐厅。。Basically its a place whereby house singers would perform for the guests while yopu enjoy ur food and drinks. So to me, it was a relaxing place to chit-chat with your friends though it may be a tad noisy at times. In addition, I must say that the singers really do have very good vocals, but then maybe they lack a bit of 观众缘 at times.
Also, the pricing of the food and drinks there may be a bit steep as well. So do be prepared that you may pay between 10-13 bucks for a cup of bubble tea. Nevertheless, it is still a nice place to go should one run out of ideas to go with your friends.
Was having a set meal abt three days ago at this outlet of JUMBO. Perhaps due to its inaccessibility, the place was not very crowded even during lunch time as compared to its other outlets perhaps.
As there were ten of us, we orderd a set meal, that set us back about 388 . The dishes served included a cold dish appetizer (jellyfsh, prawns, springrools and fried squid), tofu, fish,chilli crabs,etc and dessert.
Overall, the food was okie, but the service of the staff was slightly below average. I was responsible for footing the bill but had to wait for a good whole 15minutes for the bill to be presented even though there were only a couple of tables filled when we left.
The name Tuck Shop rings a bell in your mind doesn’t it? To many of us it is the carefree times during our primary school time, where we run to the tuckshop for our recess break.
Located at the alley of Tanjong Pagar Road (5min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT), Tuckshop is actually a combination of a cafe and bar, i’ll say more of a place to chill out, but serving food that’s more than just finger food, they whipped out something more for a bar. The indoor decor is quite cool, blue-painted walls, with simple black furnitures, and the draw of the place will be its live music by the Singapore band “The Bandits” every Wed & Thu, and tuckshop residents Dean & J’Manuka every Fri.
My first encounter with Tuckshop didn’t go smoothly, it was during a sat evening with a group of 10, we set off happily to Tuckshop, but to our dismay, the place was fully booked. I didn’t make any prior reservations, so in the end we ended up at New Harbour Cafe.
So this time, i went there during lunch time with my lunch mates. When we arrived at 12, it was still empty, but the crowd starts to come in and i must say the crowd was not too bad considering a weekday lunch period.
Having heard plenty of good things and the hype about Tuckshop given several magazines and ieatishoot have written good comments about the place, i had high expectations about the place, but after the visit, i was disappointed.
Steak Sandwich ($12.50) Caramelised onions and a portobello mushroom mayo on a toasted focaccia. Much rave comments have been said about Tuckshop’s Steak sandwich, such as “tasty steak sandwich starring juicy beef & portobello mushroom”, “a juicy steak sandwich (the meat & mushroom nicely charred)”, “the steak sandwich - a big cut of juicy grilled beef, caramelised onions, and a portobello mushroom on crusty focaccia was highly succulent..”
Unfortunately, the steak sandwich did not give me any of those. I find the beef to be rather on the fat side, nothing special about the steak sandwich really. So much for hypes! I’m sorry if you are a fan of Tuckshop’s steak sandwich, but this is just my personal opinion, no offence taken.
Fish & Chips ($8.50) White fish in a tasty batter, served with rich tata sauce. The portion of the pacific dory was definitely generous, cripsy on the outside, and soft on the inside. I guess given the price and the serving size, there’s nothing much to complain about.
Lemon Butter Pan Fried Fish ($15) Fillet of pan seared cod fish served with lemon butter sauce, mash and a side of green salad. My friend commented that the Lemon Butter Pan Fried Fish was quite average, not really sufficient to warrent another visit. N’uff said already!
Ice Cream Chef single scoop ($3.50) You must be wondering, what’s Ice Cream Chef doing in Tuckshop? Well, Tuckshop thinks that Ice Cream Chef does their ice cream with the same passion as them, so explained the presence of Ice Cream Chef.
Personally i won’t order ice cream chef’s ice cream from tuckshop, i’ll go down to Ice Cream Chef shop to try them. But my friend is craving for some desserts, so here goes, Nutella ice cream single scoop. I had a taste, and i think it isn’t comparable to the nutella flavour that i had at Island Creamery, Daily Scoop, or Haato. (i am a huge fan of nutella just for the record). Tried any of the three and you can get better ice cream. but then again i can be wrong since i never try the ice cream from Ice Cream Chef’s shop.
Total bill was $43.10 for 3 person. Not expensive i’ll say, but mayb not enough to make me do a Tuckshop II review. More needs to be done to the menu, hype alone will only get you that far. Again, no offence, like i always say: Whatever written herein are my geniune feelings about my food adventure, expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias.
But to be fair, it’s a good place for friends to chillout i guess, given the relatively affordably-priced food, and the live music environment, and another plus point will be its just a stone throw away from the Central District Business area, so people working in the area can go for a drink after a work day of stress.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. 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 : )
I finally had the chance to dine at Ristorante De Parma, a small family run Italian restaurant, one wet weekday evening. Strangely enough, although its been around for quite a while and I've always gone past it, I never had the urge to try it out, till that fateful evening.
Quietly located towards the end of a row of shophouses at the fringe of the hustle and bustle of Serangoon Gardens, Ristorante De Parma cuts a contrasting figure to the exuberance of the area. Decor is kept simple and no frills with soft, warm lighting and classy table arrangement. Soft easy listening music wafts through the air, setting the tone right for a relaxing meal.
Complimentary Bread - I presume that each person was only entitled to one slice of bread, seeing that we were only served 2 slices. Though served warm, the bread was a tad too dry for my liking and neither the margarine or olive oil helped.
Funchi Triffolati al Moda Dello Chef ($12.90)- This dish is essentially a Portobello mushroom garnished with grilled bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes & olives with the house dressing. And notice I mentioned a mushroom, not mushrooms. The mushroom was huge, bigger than anything I've ever seen before, which of course doesn't say much because I haven't really seen a lot of mushrooms to begin with. Taste wise, it was juicy with a nice chewy texture to boot, but somehow it lacked the oomph factor. Not that it wasn't nice or anything, just not outstanding.
Calzone aka Folded Pizza ($24.90) - According to the menu, the Calzone is a Neapolitan specialty and means 'Trouser Leg', which honestly makes no sense to me. Introductions aside, I had a major grouse with it. The crust was a little too burnt, resulting in a rather hard exterior, which made slicing or chewing through it a chore. The filling of ham, bacon, onions, mushrooms, capsicums and smoked cheddar cheese was decent though.
Filetto Di Mento ($32.90) - For a change, I ordered my steak medium instead of medium rare this time round and it came as per instructions. Italian restaurants certainly aren't known for their steak so I was pleasantly surprised by the juiciness and texture of the meat as well as the beefy flavours which were complemented by the subtle red wine sauce. I would dare say the steak can give some of the more reputable steakhouses a run for their money. On a side note, the potato ball that came with it tasted weird.
Chocolate Fondant ($11.90) - Beautifully presented, the Chocolate Fondant was compact with a slightly hardened exterior, unlike the ones that many Italian restaurants have taken to doing nowadays. This made eating it all the more enjoyable especially when the molten chocolate started oozing out through a break in the crust. Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was really quite enjoyable. Pity about its small size though.
Tiramisu ($12.90) - High marks in the aesthetics department for the Tiramisu as well. The sponge to mascarpone cheese ratio was quite balanced and it came across as light and fluffy with a lingering taste of alcohol sans the wetness. Its probably one of the more notable tiramisus I've eaten in a long while.
I am most reluctant to admit, but $105 for 1 appetiser, 2 mains and 2 desserts definitely tends towards the expensive side. Food quality is particularly impressive for a restaurant that utilizes only local chefs and service is attentive yet non intrusive. If prices could drop a notch or two, I'll be more than happy to return for dinner. Until then, I'll have to content myself with their seemingly reasonably priced set lunches (starting from $12.90 I believe).
Popped by with Claudia, LIC and Tamago a few weeks (months) ago.. It's my first time at a Tong Shui place despite it having a few outlets at other places.
I loved the decor of the place. The bright colours are so cheery and yet go so well. The places has some of those crockery from old days and the furniture was basically in that style too. The lady who greeted us at the door was nice and polite and showed us to our seat. There weren't many people that night as it was a weekday I guess.
As we were already full, we ordered a dessert to share and it was the Tutti Frutti Summit at $11.90.
I felt that only the Mango was nice enough and that was the first one to finish too. The rest of it, the strawberry and the kiwi flavours were just too weird. The kiwi didn't taste like kiwi at all and I kept feeling as if it had a rubbery smell to it. The strawberry one was the sort with some milk in it and it's just not nice.
Nonetheless there were lots of other things on the menu and I think i would go back to try the others.
I had been on the hunt for jeans for a long long time and went through all my usual places with no luck. I chanced upon Gap and walked right in, not feeling too lucky.
When I went in, the place was organised and it was easy to locate the section I wanted. But that was where I started to get confused. Jeans of different styles were stacked together and they were not arranged according the size. Also there were very few jeans on display, forcing one to unfold the neatly stacked piles.
If there were a store assistant to offer help immediately it wouldn't have been a problem. But the staff were chatting loudly across the store, stacking already neat piles.
The styles were confusing. There were the usual bottleg, flare, straight cut, skinnies... but there were also variations to these with a whole host of descriptions under each heading.
After muddling around for about 20 minutes, I finally got someone to help me and he asked me what size I wanted. Here came an even bigger problem.... The sizes read like 1P, 2, 3... etc... HUH? I asked him what waist size would each of these equate to and he couldn't give me a clear answer. He said something like this is in between 25 and 27 (isn't that 26?) and this is between 27 and 29... THAT got me really confused... anyway I later figured I'm size 1.
I tried on a few pairs and finally found my dream pair. I paid for it. It cost me $75 after a 40% discount. I brought it home, only to realise that my hands turned blue after touching them for a while... the dye was coming off on my hands. I thought that a few washes would solve the problem.. well it's been 3 5 washes and the colour still runs.
I do like the style of the clothing... but they are really a tad too ex for the minimal design.
I went to the IT Show yesterday after 7pm, and as expected, everyone headed down on the first day too, in hope to avoid the even massive jam over the weekend.
I did a survival guide for those who's visiting IT Show. If you're keen to read, please go to my blog.
One concern I have at such a crowded event... what IF there's an emergency? I wonder how will they evacuate that many people within the shortest time possible. But I'm sure the organisers would have all these planned and ironed out long ago.
Everyone knew that the place is going to be packed, but still everyone still wants to go check out the prices. Why? Cos they always have very good bundles and discounts at the show. Especially for those who hate shopping and comparing prices at so many stalls around Sim Lim or Funan, shows like this is the easiest for them. Perhaps the price is not the cheapest, but with a little more, you get whole lot of goodies. So why not right?
Have you gone to the show too? Did you get anything there?
Izakaya literally means 'pub' in Japanese. My first impressions of the place was one of arrogance and a little over indulgence for actually calling themselves the "Ministry of Food" which meant they were the authority in food offerings and hence, had left me with nothing but high expectations before i even stepped into the place. Then i understood the word 'Izakaya' which meant pub, which in term meant relaxation. Its a little contradicting to say the least, but enough ramblings, on to the food!
The interior features red carpeted floors, white tables and chairs for different sections and a balcony seat overlooking the throng of shoppers below. Simple and nothing out of the ordinary. The front counter is adorned with Hokkaido ice cream and a board which showcases all the celebrities who have visited the place, with a few visiting the place more then 3 times (!!!).
Tip cards for eating salads - Something that did amuse me somewhat was the presence of tip cards which are given freely when you eat certain dishes. In this case, our wasabi seafood salad.
Wasabi Seafood Salad ($3.30) - I prefer starting my meals with a salad then a soup these days, so its another healthy day for me. The seafood salad consists of tossed squid, scallops, crab meat, cucumbers, nuts, tomatoes and even a little salmon. The dressing is made of their own homemade wasabi mayonnaise which seems extremely popular these days but hey, i'm not complaining. The ingredients tasted fresh and honestly, the wasabi did overwhelm a little but thats what i like about it. A recommended try for wasabi lovers.
Unagi Tofu ($4.80) - As Alvin always says: "Unagi! Anything with Unagi is good!!" or something along those lines when it comes to Japanese food. This time, however, he was wrong. The tofu had an unmistakable taste of being refrigeration which i detest but thats just one expect i dislike. The unagi itself tasted sweet and soft but strangely, i found a bone in it (!!!). And don't be fooled by the picture, the serving is really small.
Tip card for Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu - Sukiyaki Beef set ($19.80) -
And once again, i picked beef hotpot japanese style for my meal. No doubt its no longer a surprise to anyone. The entire set came with a generous serving of raw sliced New Zealand beef (sukiyaki), an egg which to my dismay, was still in its shell, a hotpot boiling with beancurd, cabbages, carrots, mushrooms, vermicelli and scallops. The soup turned out a little too sweet for my liking but i can't deny they ingredients generous and filling. The rice was traditional japanese rice albeit a little dry compared to others but still good. The beef itself, tasted sweet due to the stock and easily came apart as long as it isn't overcooked. Overall, this is a mixed bag of offerings which turned out average at best. One major gripe was that the egg came with its shell, which is a major no no for people like me, time to improve i believe.
Seafood Toji Set ($18.80) - My gf had the seafood toji set which is essentially mixed seafood in a hotpot with egg sauce. The set has yet again, a generous helping of seafood from prawns, squid, scallops. fish and beancurd. She commented that it was also a little too sweet for her liking and after trying, i second her opinion. The chicken katsu was average and the seafood in question, though plenty, was not quite up to par due to the overly sweet stock. One thing we noticed of the place was that the miso soup simply tasted bland. In contrast, Yoshinoya had a better tasting miso soup but maybe its just a lack of appreciation on our part.
Complimentary Coffee - Well, its normal coffee to me from as far as i can taste. The body and acidity is average with the aroma barely making the mark. Apart from presentation which came with the usual swirls and the presence of ground roast bits from careless filtering, there really isn't much as to say.
Macha Kakigori ($6.50) - Mango Kakigori ($6.50) - Despite the price shown, the actual price we paid was $3 for each kakigori as it was part of a set promotion and what would a meal be without a nice dessert to end it? My choice was the Macha Kakigori which is the chef's choice on the menu. I have to say, i liked it. The macha, which is essentially, green tea extract would not have tasted well itself, but mixed with vanilla ice cream, crushed ice and some Hokkaido red bean and you got a winner. I was skeptical about the whole imported read bean business but i have to say, it does taste different. Bigger then usual and definitely sweeter as well, its difficult not to like this dessert (unless you don't like the vanilla ice cream of course). My gf had the mango version which came with actual, sweet mango slices and homemade mango sauce. Everything felt balances and tasted well together but the Macha version was still better. Oh, both versions were HUGE so it might be a good idea to just share the dessert instead of getting one each.
This interesting meal for 2 came up to $63.91 which is quite expensive for the misses which turned out to be the main course.
I like the desserts and the salad but was disappointed with the main meals. Waraku had better wazen items when compared to MOF but this restaurant has some strengths in being simple and serving decent food as well. Maybe we just didn't order the correct items. Still, i'd return for the Macha Kakigori if i was in the vicinity. :)
My first trip back in Serangoon Gardens. I haven't been here for the last ten years. So many things have changed and many had remained. I found myself on the doorstep of this quaint little Italian restaurant. My friend and I were curious about it and decided that this would be our dinner place that Thursday evening.
Being a weekday evening, I guess it's perfectly understandable why it wasn't crowded. About 4-5 other tables were occupied while we were there. They have a seating area of about 40, including the two tables outside. They have soft warm lighting and earthy tones to create a cosy ambience. It has nice interior decor really.
The staff was warm and friendly. My friend came a little later than me. So the staff talked to me a bit, introducing the restaurant and telling me about the background of it,which was nice.
Food ordered: Funchi Triffolati al Moda Dello Chef - $12.90 Portobello Mushroom garnished with grilled bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes & olives with de Parma's house dressings. I love mushrooms and I'm so glad this dish didn't disappoint. I love the juiciness of the mushrooms as I bit down into it. In fact I loved it so much I was clearly happy to have more than my share. haha I also enjoyed eating it with the bell peppers.
Calzone (Folded Pizza) - $24.90 This Neapolitan speciality is filled with ham, bacon, onions, mushrooms, capsicums & smoked cheddar cheese. This folded pizza was pretty huge, so it sort of justified the price. Inside was filled with plenty of warm ingredients. It would have been more delicious if it were piping hot but then it would have been difficult to eat. So it's good as it is, just one gripe... the outer covering was a little too hard and we had to put quite a bit of effort into cutting it up. Good exercise.
Fileto Di Mento - $32.90 Air-flown, grain-fed beef tenderloin drizzled in red wine sauce & served with Portobello Mushrooms & sauteed vegetables. Let me say this for the record: I'm not a beef person. In fact I don't like beef, but only started eating it when I joined Yebber. Even so I only take one small slice to try each time. But this one? It was fantastic. Yummilicious! The meat wasn't tough and hard to chew. It was tender and the meat was well marinated. But the mushroom that came with it was visibly squashed and shrunken, though it still tasted nice with the sauce they had.
Chocolate Fondant Break the hard crust outside and the chocolate inside flows out nicely. A chocolate addict, I'd say this fondant is good! Not the best but certainly very good.
Tiramisu I think I was a tad biased when I had this Tiramisu. The last 4 Tiramisus I had simply didn't taste like Tiramisus... so when I had this one, I had the words "FINALLY...." going in my head. Nicely done with a tinge of liquor which my companion insisted didn't exist.
The total damage for two of us was $105. Good food, nice ambience, good service. It does seem a little ex but I think it was well worth it. TRY TRY TRY!
1=SGD 0.0587
Was brought to this place by my colleague. Its basically a small shop, opened by a Taiwanese family. The boss, who is a middle-age uncle, was very hospitable and gave recommendations on what dishes to eat.
So the few of us ordered quite a fair bit, including beef noodles, 傻瓜面，盐酥鸡，烧饼， 锅贴 and A-菜。 The A-菜 was especially crunchy and tasty, unliek the normal type of vegetables that we normally eat at home.
As for the pricing, its very reasonable as well. Lastly like what spindoctor had mentioned in his review, it is best to park your vehicle opposite in the carpark. Do go there and try it yourself. You be the judge!!!
Rating given:
though this place had been around for quite some time, however, had never been there before till last Saturday.
This place is what we would term as 民歌餐厅。。Basically its a place whereby house singers would perform for the guests while yopu enjoy ur food and drinks. So to me, it was a relaxing place to chit-chat with your friends though it may be a tad noisy at times. In addition, I must say that the singers really do have very good vocals, but then maybe they lack a bit of 观众缘 at times.
Also, the pricing of the food and drinks there may be a bit steep as well. So do be prepared that you may pay between 10-13 bucks for a cup of bubble tea. Nevertheless, it is still a nice place to go should one run out of ideas to go with your friends.
Rating given:
Was having a set meal abt three days ago at this outlet of JUMBO. Perhaps due to its inaccessibility, the place was not very crowded even during lunch time as compared to its other outlets perhaps.
As there were ten of us, we orderd a set meal, that set us back about 388 . The dishes served included a cold dish appetizer (jellyfsh, prawns, springrools and fried squid), tofu, fish,chilli crabs,etc and dessert.
Overall, the food was okie, but the service of the staff was slightly below average. I was responsible for footing the bill but had to wait for a good whole 15minutes for the bill to be presented even though there were only a couple of tables filled when we left.
Rating given:
The name Tuck Shop rings a bell in your mind doesn’t it? To many of us it is the carefree times during our primary school time, where we run to the tuckshop for our recess break.
Located at the alley of Tanjong Pagar Road (5min walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT), Tuckshop is actually a combination of a cafe and bar, i’ll say more of a place to chill out, but serving food that’s more than just finger food, they whipped out something more for a bar. The indoor decor is quite cool, blue-painted walls, with simple black furnitures, and the draw of the place will be its live music by the Singapore band “The Bandits” every Wed & Thu, and tuckshop residents Dean & J’Manuka every Fri.
My first encounter with Tuckshop didn’t go smoothly, it was during a sat evening with a group of 10, we set off happily to Tuckshop, but to our dismay, the place was fully booked. I didn’t make any prior reservations, so in the end we ended up at New Harbour Cafe.
So this time, i went there during lunch time with my lunch mates. When we arrived at 12, it was still empty, but the crowd starts to come in and i must say the crowd was not too bad considering a weekday lunch period.
Having heard plenty of good things and the hype about Tuckshop given several magazines and ieatishoot have written good comments about the place, i had high expectations about the place, but after the visit, i was disappointed.
Steak Sandwich ($12.50)
Caramelised onions and a portobello mushroom mayo on a toasted focaccia. Much rave comments have been said about Tuckshop’s Steak sandwich, such as “tasty steak sandwich starring juicy beef & portobello mushroom”, “a juicy steak sandwich (the meat & mushroom nicely charred)”, “the steak sandwich - a big cut of juicy grilled beef, caramelised onions, and a portobello mushroom on crusty focaccia was highly succulent..”
Unfortunately, the steak sandwich did not give me any of those. I find the beef to be rather on the fat side, nothing special about the steak sandwich really. So much for hypes! I’m sorry if you are a fan of Tuckshop’s steak sandwich, but this is just my personal opinion, no offence taken.
Fish & Chips ($8.50)
White fish in a tasty batter, served with rich tata sauce. The portion of the pacific dory was definitely generous, cripsy on the outside, and soft on the inside. I guess given the price and the serving size, there’s nothing much to complain about.
Lemon Butter Pan Fried Fish ($15)
Fillet of pan seared cod fish served with lemon butter sauce, mash and a side of green salad. My friend commented that the Lemon Butter Pan Fried Fish was quite average, not really sufficient to warrent another visit. N’uff said already!
Ice Cream Chef single scoop ($3.50)
You must be wondering, what’s Ice Cream Chef doing in Tuckshop? Well, Tuckshop thinks that Ice Cream Chef does their ice cream with the same passion as them, so explained the presence of Ice Cream Chef.
Personally i won’t order ice cream chef’s ice cream from tuckshop, i’ll go down to Ice Cream Chef shop to try them. But my friend is craving for some desserts, so here goes, Nutella ice cream single scoop. I had a taste, and i think it isn’t comparable to the nutella flavour that i had at Island Creamery, Daily Scoop, or Haato. (i am a huge fan of nutella just for the record). Tried any of the three and you can get better ice cream. but then again i can be wrong since i never try the ice cream from Ice Cream Chef’s shop.
Total bill was $43.10 for 3 person. Not expensive i’ll say, but mayb not enough to make me do a Tuckshop II review. More needs to be done to the menu, hype alone will only get you that far. Again, no offence, like i always say: Whatever written herein are my geniune feelings about my food adventure, expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias.
But to be fair, it’s a good place for friends to chillout i guess, given the relatively affordably-priced food, and the live music environment, and another plus point will be its just a stone throw away from the Central District Business area, so people working in the area can go for a drink after a work day of stress.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my geniune feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or bias. 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 : )
” Hype will only get you that far “
Rating given:
I finally had the chance to dine at Ristorante De Parma, a small family run Italian restaurant, one wet weekday evening. Strangely enough, although its been around for quite a while and I've always gone past it, I never had the urge to try it out, till that fateful evening.
Quietly located towards the end of a row of shophouses at the fringe of the hustle and bustle of Serangoon Gardens, Ristorante De Parma cuts a contrasting figure to the exuberance of the area. Decor is kept simple and no frills with soft, warm lighting and classy table arrangement. Soft easy listening music wafts through the air, setting the tone right for a relaxing meal.
Complimentary Bread - I presume that each person was only entitled to one slice of bread, seeing that we were only served 2 slices. Though served warm, the bread was a tad too dry for my liking and neither the margarine or olive oil helped.
Funchi Triffolati al Moda Dello Chef ($12.90)- This dish is essentially a Portobello mushroom garnished with grilled bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes & olives with the house dressing. And notice I mentioned a mushroom, not mushrooms. The mushroom was huge, bigger than anything I've ever seen before, which of course doesn't say much because I haven't really seen a lot of mushrooms to begin with. Taste wise, it was juicy with a nice chewy texture to boot, but somehow it lacked the oomph factor. Not that it wasn't nice or anything, just not outstanding.
Calzone aka Folded Pizza ($24.90) - According to the menu, the Calzone is a Neapolitan specialty and means 'Trouser Leg', which honestly makes no sense to me. Introductions aside, I had a major grouse with it. The crust was a little too burnt, resulting in a rather hard exterior, which made slicing or chewing through it a chore. The filling of ham, bacon, onions, mushrooms, capsicums and smoked cheddar cheese was decent though.
Filetto Di Mento ($32.90) - For a change, I ordered my steak medium instead of medium rare this time round and it came as per instructions. Italian restaurants certainly aren't known for their steak so I was pleasantly surprised by the juiciness and texture of the meat as well as the beefy flavours which were complemented by the subtle red wine sauce. I would dare say the steak can give some of the more reputable steakhouses a run for their money. On a side note, the potato ball that came with it tasted weird.
Chocolate Fondant ($11.90) - Beautifully presented, the Chocolate Fondant was compact with a slightly hardened exterior, unlike the ones that many Italian restaurants have taken to doing nowadays. This made eating it all the more enjoyable especially when the molten chocolate started oozing out through a break in the crust. Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it was really quite enjoyable. Pity about its small size though.
Tiramisu ($12.90) - High marks in the aesthetics department for the Tiramisu as well. The sponge to mascarpone cheese ratio was quite balanced and it came across as light and fluffy with a lingering taste of alcohol sans the wetness. Its probably one of the more notable tiramisus I've eaten in a long while.
I am most reluctant to admit, but $105 for 1 appetiser, 2 mains and 2 desserts definitely tends towards the expensive side. Food quality is particularly impressive for a restaurant that utilizes only local chefs and service is attentive yet non intrusive. If prices could drop a notch or two, I'll be more than happy to return for dinner. Until then, I'll have to content myself with their seemingly reasonably priced set lunches (starting from $12.90 I believe).
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Popped by with Claudia, LIC and Tamago a few weeks (months) ago.. It's my first time at a Tong Shui place despite it having a few outlets at other places.
I loved the decor of the place. The bright colours are so cheery and yet go so well. The places has some of those crockery from old days and the furniture was basically in that style too. The lady who greeted us at the door was nice and polite and showed us to our seat. There weren't many people that night as it was a weekday I guess.
As we were already full, we ordered a dessert to share and it was the Tutti Frutti Summit at $11.90.
I felt that only the Mango was nice enough and that was the first one to finish too. The rest of it, the strawberry and the kiwi flavours were just too weird. The kiwi didn't taste like kiwi at all and I kept feeling as if it had a rubbery smell to it. The strawberry one was the sort with some milk in it and it's just not nice.
Nonetheless there were lots of other things on the menu and I think i would go back to try the others.
Rating given:
I had been on the hunt for jeans for a long long time and went through all my usual places with no luck. I chanced upon Gap and walked right in, not feeling too lucky.
When I went in, the place was organised and it was easy to locate the section I wanted. But that was where I started to get confused. Jeans of different styles were stacked together and they were not arranged according the size. Also there were very few jeans on display, forcing one to unfold the neatly stacked piles.
If there were a store assistant to offer help immediately it wouldn't have been a problem. But the staff were chatting loudly across the store, stacking already neat piles.
The styles were confusing. There were the usual bottleg, flare, straight cut, skinnies... but there were also variations to these with a whole host of descriptions under each heading.
After muddling around for about 20 minutes, I finally got someone to help me and he asked me what size I wanted. Here came an even bigger problem.... The sizes read like 1P, 2, 3... etc... HUH? I asked him what waist size would each of these equate to and he couldn't give me a clear answer. He said something like this is in between 25 and 27 (isn't that 26?) and this is between 27 and 29... THAT got me really confused... anyway I later figured I'm size 1.
I tried on a few pairs and finally found my dream pair. I paid for it. It cost me $75 after a 40% discount. I brought it home, only to realise that my hands turned blue after touching them for a while... the dye was coming off on my hands. I thought that a few washes would solve the problem.. well it's been 3 5 washes and the colour still runs.
I do like the style of the clothing... but they are really a tad too ex for the minimal design.
Rating given:
Don't go if you don't have anything to buy!
I went to the IT Show yesterday after 7pm, and as expected, everyone headed down on the first day too, in hope to avoid the even massive jam over the weekend.
I did a survival guide for those who's visiting IT Show. If you're keen to read, please go to my blog.
One concern I have at such a crowded event... what IF there's an emergency? I wonder how will they evacuate that many people within the shortest time possible. But I'm sure the organisers would have all these planned and ironed out long ago.
Everyone knew that the place is going to be packed, but still everyone still wants to go check out the prices. Why? Cos they always have very good bundles and discounts at the show. Especially for those who hate shopping and comparing prices at so many stalls around Sim Lim or Funan, shows like this is the easiest for them. Perhaps the price is not the cheapest, but with a little more, you get whole lot of goodies. So why not right?
Have you gone to the show too? Did you get anything there?
Rating given:
Izakaya literally means 'pub' in Japanese. My first impressions of the place was one of arrogance and a little over indulgence for actually calling themselves the "Ministry of Food" which meant they were the authority in food offerings and hence, had left me with nothing but high expectations before i even stepped into the place. Then i understood the word 'Izakaya' which meant pub, which in term meant relaxation. Its a little contradicting to say the least, but enough ramblings, on to the food!
The interior features red carpeted floors, white tables and chairs for different sections and a balcony seat overlooking the throng of shoppers below. Simple and nothing out of the ordinary. The front counter is adorned with Hokkaido ice cream and a board which showcases all the celebrities who have visited the place, with a few visiting the place more then 3 times (!!!).
Tip cards for eating salads - Something that did amuse me somewhat was the presence of tip cards which are given freely when you eat certain dishes. In this case, our wasabi seafood salad.
Wasabi Seafood Salad ($3.30) - I prefer starting my meals with a salad then a soup these days, so its another healthy day for me. The seafood salad consists of tossed squid, scallops, crab meat, cucumbers, nuts, tomatoes and even a little salmon. The dressing is made of their own homemade wasabi mayonnaise which seems extremely popular these days but hey, i'm not complaining. The ingredients tasted fresh and honestly, the wasabi did overwhelm a little but thats what i like about it. A recommended try for wasabi lovers.
Unagi Tofu ($4.80) - As Alvin always says: "Unagi! Anything with Unagi is good!!" or something along those lines when it comes to Japanese food. This time, however, he was wrong. The tofu had an unmistakable taste of being refrigeration which i detest but thats just one expect i dislike. The unagi itself tasted sweet and soft but strangely, i found a bone in it (!!!). And don't be fooled by the picture, the serving is really small.
Tip card for Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu - Sukiyaki Beef set ($19.80) -
And once again, i picked beef hotpot japanese style for my meal. No doubt its no longer a surprise to anyone. The entire set came with a generous serving of raw sliced New Zealand beef (sukiyaki), an egg which to my dismay, was still in its shell, a hotpot boiling with beancurd, cabbages, carrots, mushrooms, vermicelli and scallops. The soup turned out a little too sweet for my liking but i can't deny they ingredients generous and filling. The rice was traditional japanese rice albeit a little dry compared to others but still good. The beef itself, tasted sweet due to the stock and easily came apart as long as it isn't overcooked. Overall, this is a mixed bag of offerings which turned out average at best. One major gripe was that the egg came with its shell, which is a major no no for people like me, time to improve i believe.
Seafood Toji Set ($18.80) - My gf had the seafood toji set which is essentially mixed seafood in a hotpot with egg sauce. The set has yet again, a generous helping of seafood from prawns, squid, scallops. fish and beancurd. She commented that it was also a little too sweet for her liking and after trying, i second her opinion. The chicken katsu was average and the seafood in question, though plenty, was not quite up to par due to the overly sweet stock. One thing we noticed of the place was that the miso soup simply tasted bland. In contrast, Yoshinoya had a better tasting miso soup but maybe its just a lack of appreciation on our part.
Complimentary Coffee - Well, its normal coffee to me from as far as i can taste. The body and acidity is average with the aroma barely making the mark. Apart from presentation which came with the usual swirls and the presence of ground roast bits from careless filtering, there really isn't much as to say.
Macha Kakigori ($6.50) - Mango Kakigori ($6.50) - Despite the price shown, the actual price we paid was $3 for each kakigori as it was part of a set promotion and what would a meal be without a nice dessert to end it? My choice was the Macha Kakigori which is the chef's choice on the menu. I have to say, i liked it. The macha, which is essentially, green tea extract would not have tasted well itself, but mixed with vanilla ice cream, crushed ice and some Hokkaido red bean and you got a winner. I was skeptical about the whole imported read bean business but i have to say, it does taste different. Bigger then usual and definitely sweeter as well, its difficult not to like this dessert (unless you don't like the vanilla ice cream of course). My gf had the mango version which came with actual, sweet mango slices and homemade mango sauce. Everything felt balances and tasted well together but the Macha version was still better. Oh, both versions were HUGE so it might be a good idea to just share the dessert instead of getting one each.
This interesting meal for 2 came up to $63.91 which is quite expensive for the misses which turned out to be the main course.
I like the desserts and the salad but was disappointed with the main meals. Waraku had better wazen items when compared to MOF but this restaurant has some strengths in being simple and serving decent food as well. Maybe we just didn't order the correct items. Still, i'd return for the Macha Kakigori if i was in the vicinity. :)
Rating given:
My first trip back in Serangoon Gardens. I haven't been here for the last ten years. So many things have changed and many had remained. I found myself on the doorstep of this quaint little Italian restaurant. My friend and I were curious about it and decided that this would be our dinner place that Thursday evening.
Being a weekday evening, I guess it's perfectly understandable why it wasn't crowded. About 4-5 other tables were occupied while we were there. They have a seating area of about 40, including the two tables outside. They have soft warm lighting and earthy tones to create a cosy ambience. It has nice interior decor really.
The staff was warm and friendly. My friend came a little later than me. So the staff talked to me a bit, introducing the restaurant and telling me about the background of it,which was nice.
Food ordered:
Funchi Triffolati al Moda Dello Chef - $12.90
Portobello Mushroom garnished with grilled bell peppers, sun dried tomatoes & olives with de Parma's house dressings.
I love mushrooms and I'm so glad this dish didn't disappoint. I love the juiciness of the mushrooms as I bit down into it. In fact I loved it so much I was clearly happy to have more than my share. haha I also enjoyed eating it with the bell peppers.
Calzone (Folded Pizza) - $24.90
This Neapolitan speciality is filled with ham, bacon, onions, mushrooms, capsicums & smoked cheddar cheese.
This folded pizza was pretty huge, so it sort of justified the price. Inside was filled with plenty of warm ingredients. It would have been more delicious if it were piping hot but then it would have been difficult to eat. So it's good as it is, just one gripe... the outer covering was a little too hard and we had to put quite a bit of effort into cutting it up. Good exercise.
Fileto Di Mento - $32.90
Air-flown, grain-fed beef tenderloin drizzled in red wine sauce & served with Portobello Mushrooms & sauteed vegetables.
Let me say this for the record: I'm not a beef person. In fact I don't like beef, but only started eating it when I joined Yebber. Even so I only take one small slice to try each time. But this one? It was fantastic. Yummilicious! The meat wasn't tough and hard to chew. It was tender and the meat was well marinated. But the mushroom that came with it was visibly squashed and shrunken, though it still tasted nice with the sauce they had.
Chocolate Fondant
Break the hard crust outside and the chocolate inside flows out nicely. A chocolate addict, I'd say this fondant is good! Not the best but certainly very good.
Tiramisu
I think I was a tad biased when I had this Tiramisu. The last 4 Tiramisus I had simply didn't taste like Tiramisus... so when I had this one, I had the words "FINALLY...." going in my head. Nicely done with a tinge of liquor which my companion insisted didn't exist.
The total damage for two of us was $105. Good food, nice ambience, good service. It does seem a little ex but I think it was well worth it. TRY TRY TRY!
Rating given: