Minds café is one of the first places that I will think of when I want to play board games or simply need a place to chill out with friends. Recently (slightly more than 1 month ago), they opened their 3rd outlet in the town area. This time round they are jz mins away from both City Hall and Bugis MRT.
The new place is quite easy to find, along the same street as Miss Clarity. To me, the new place is as big as Boat Quay outlet. However inside is much more spacious and brighter. New place mah. Since it is a new location, I think not much people still know of the new location unless they are walking past it or they are being to the new place when the other outlets are packed.
Although, the design and the setting of the place is still pretty much the same as other 2 outlets, I like the spacious, more space and the lighting of the new place, brighter. More space means big groups no need to squeeze together like sardines and there is more space to walk about and to do forfeits so that everyone in the room can see you. Haa….
There are both sofa seats and normal table seats. Sofa seats are more for big groups can seat up to 8 people. Table seats can seat up to 6 people but then tables can be combined for more seats. Those who want to have a decent meal before playing; I would suggest the table seats. Haa….
Since it is a new outlet, of cos they got limited games as compared to the other two outlets. However the more popular games still can be found there and to say that the games sets there are newer. Hee…
The menu there same as the other outlets not much changes but have to say that the food there is still as good as before. There is a wide variety of their drinks as well. Hee….
Depends on the size of your group, there are different packages to optimized your money and time. You can combine different packages to get the most out of it as well. Haa….. Packages usually come with 2 hours of playing time, some snacks and drinks.
They got quite a number of staff there to serve and advise, teach how to play the newer board games as well. They are quite on the ball and polite as well. They definitely got the patience to teach people how to play the games as well. If you are challenging enough you can always ask them for a challenge, be warned that they are quite good in some of the games ok! Hee….. On the average I can easily spend 4 hours there jz to play games.
This place serves quite a good place for gatherings or birthday parties as well. Not to mention affordable as well.
Hong Kong food in Singapore is more or less dominated by a few names which i feel personally, still have not done the subject matter much justice. Wan Zhai Hong Kong Tea Room is a new addition which has yet to be highly commercialized but is it any good or does it fall into the same trappings as all its predecessors?
Peanut Ginseng Soup (Free with Baked Rice) - I have to say, i'm totally surprised at how tasty this soup is. It doesn't look like much but its packed with taste. The ingredients inside are plentiful (peanuts and some chicken meat) for a free item. No points for presentation but looks can be deceiving indeed.
Wasabi Seafood Baked Rice ($8.20) - The serving of baked rice is reasonable though hardly big. The reason i ordered this was because i've never tasted wasabi baked rice before so it was a novel concept for me, plus the fact that i quite keen of wasabi. The ingredients used are exactly the same as the HK Signature Hor Fan featured below, 2 mussels, 2 prawns and a smattering of fish. The unfortunate thing is that the ingredients definitely did not taste fresh to me. Prawns were powdery and lacks any crunch whatsoever, fish wasn't sweet and the mussels were a tad rubbery. The rice was normal and the wasabi was toned down for local tastes so it didn't have the kick i wanted. Average at best.
HK Signature Hor Fan ($6.30) - As mentioned above, the ingredients are the same 2 mussels, 2 prawns and some fish and the freshness is still below average. Taste-wise, the hor fan looked blackish and had a lot of pepper in it. My gf didn't finish this so thats a testament of how 'good' it is. To me, it wasn't worthy of the word 'signature' at all with its not-too-fresh ingredients, bad looks and worst of all, simple inadequate, salty and overly oily taste. The baked rice was better and that was already only an average offering.
The bill came up to $14.50 for 2 people but somehow, i still found it too expensive. The only good thing for this place is the soup sadly.
Hong Kong food is just not getting the attention and franchises over in sunny Singapore. To date, i've tried a few Hong Kong cafes and honestly, they are either too expensive, food offerings average or just plain bad. If anybody knows of a good place i can review, please let me know. Till then, my word on Hong Kong food in Singapore is that there is yet to be one worthy of the name yet.
I thought that they have closed down for good since they closed the outlet at Hereens. However, we were looking for some place to hang out until over movie starts, we were surprised to see this outlet hidden in behind the food court. Seem like they are making a comeback since there are some crepes shops making their appearance in some shopping centres as well.
Since we are only there to wait, we ordered one of their desserts crepes, Mango Mania Crepe. The got warm crepes and cold crepes (each with a choice of 4 to 5 types), cost at $3.90 each. Quite cheap I must say.
Jz in case you are wondering what is warm crepes and cold crepes, warm crepes are those like ham with cheese etc and cold crepes are like those with fruits and ice cream.
So how they work? Make your choice and pay for the crepe at the counters. Take a seat while your crepe is being made. They will make the crepe when you order, so that the crepe comes to you hot and fresh. They will call out to you when your order is ready. Yes, you need to collect your order from the counter. Since their place is small, unless you sitting somewhere else, they sure can call out to you.
So now back to my Mango Mania Crepe. Seems like they are cutting down cost, everything used is disposable, from the plate to the forks and knives are all plastic. A bit sian alr. Look so food court style, a far cry from what they used to be. The crepe lies flat on the base of the plate with a scoop of mango ice cream on top with little cubes of mangoes spread by the the ice cream. Oh yes, it seems that they did not asked what ice cream I want and jz assumed that I asked for mango mania crepe, they give me mango ice cream. They should have a t least asked me.
After tasting it, to us, it is normal, nothing to wow or rave about. It is decent crepe la. Haa…. Luckily it came to us with the crepe is still hot if not…. …. Do find the portion a little small lah.
Maybe I will give their warm crepes a try, if not I think I rather go to food court and order dessert alr.
Had dinner with my gf at Bab Noodle. Have been patronising this eatery for about 5 years since 2002 (if I remember correctly).
Located within Millenia Walk, Bab Noodle provides a nice and relaxing place for you to slowly enjoy your food during meal times - a far cry from the mad crowds that throng every eating outlet at within the vicinity.
Tori Katsu - I personally didn't quite like the Tori Katsu because the flour was a little too thick and overall the chicken had an slight oil residue taste. But then again, it wasn't half as bad as I described it to be.
Tofu Donburi -
I'm a sucker for tofu with minced meat and I never fail to order this dish whenever I patronise. To be honest, there's nothing special about this dish. Its just that I can't seem to find something like that anywhere else. A huge chunk of agedashi tofu topped with lots of minced meat and gravy - now that's something close to my heart.
Tori Karaage -
This dish came across as a little too dry and hard, making chewing a tad challenging. Portions were quite small as well. Overall very average tasting.
Well the food's nothing spectacular, coming across as average at best. However, factor in the good service and the relaxing atmosphere and $24 for 2 pax is a steal in the heart of town.
Chanced upon Icekimo as I was wandering through the Thomson area and since it was a warm afternoon, a scoop or two of ice cream seemed like a pretty fantastic idea.
Tucked in a quiet corner of Sin Ming Centre, Icekimo stands out from the other shops along the row with its cutesy pictures and interior. However, you would really have to know that this place existed as its not visible from any major road, which is a pity actually, given its comfy laid back environment.
Crepe with Ice Cream & Waffle with Ice Cream ($4.80) - The crepes and waffles weren't very good, coming across as flat and lacking in texture but the ice creams were noticeably quite good. Rich yet not overwhelming. I personally liked the blueberry cheesecake ice cream as it had grounded peanuts within and was reminiscent of the cheesecakes I used to buy from KFC when I was a kid. Just in case you are wondering, Icekimo serves up other interesting flavours of ice cream as well, like Cempedek, Teh Tarik, Badung etc.
Being attracted to the cosy and modern looking cafe, my friends and I decided to have dinner there. There was a queue outside, but the waitress was friendly and handed each of us a menu to decide on what we would like to have.
Soon, we were ushered to comfortable sofa seats at a corner beside the entrance, which was cosy and not too open due to the translucent purple curtain separating us and the crowd walking along outside. Ambience was quite nice. :)
After we were seated, we were given a bottle of water and 4 glasses. It was really quite disappointing when we're paying the 10% service charge, and we have to serve ourselves.
The menu was quite extensive, with a variety of items that looked really delicious. 4 of us were quite spoilt for choice. :P Hmm..but the downside of things were that, some food were unavailable in kitchen and some drinks were also unavailable.
I ordered some seafood pasta, and when it came, it looked really appealing due to the presentation of the dish. The seafood were fresh, and all in all it was quite good. :) Hmm..the portion of the pasta was a little too small though. My friend's mango-chicken dish was also quite special, as the mango was in the chicken and it was quite nice..
Dessert was fine too. Hmm..just average and a little pricey in my opinion.
Giraffe does indeed have fabulous ambience, being situated admist the greenery at the Istana Park opposite Plaza Singapura. And regardless if you were sitting indoors or outdoors, the ambience is just as nice. :)
Some people may not opt for outdoor seats, for the fear of rain or humidity, yet don't fret just yet. Giraffe has great comfortable seats outdoors, that are sheltered and generally cooling, especially at night.
I had a gathering with friends on the 2nd level, and the waitresses were all quite friendly and polite..though, not exactly very professional. Some orders were mixed up and they seemed quite confused at some point in time, but all in all, it was fine.
However, one thing that would prevent me from going to Giraffe, would be their limited list of food in the menu. Each of the section in the menu seemed to only have less than 8 choices, well..except for the drinks.
Oh! They do not serve water, by the way. Either you order their sparkling/distilled water at $3.90 (if i'm not wrong), or that u simply are forced to order a drink.
Food wise, I had their Seafood Ricotti and..it was okay. The seafood didn't taste that fresh, but it was alright. Just average I guess. There was nothing special in the dishes..
All in all, I guess Giraffe is only worth going if you are looking for a nice place with fabulous ambience, to just chill and relax over a drink or two.
Phin's beerhaus and grille is an unassuming, open concept eating place set on the 4th floor of Tampines mall. First looks did not impress and honestly, i've passed by this place so many times but never had the urge to try it till today. An offshoot of its bigger upmarket cousin, Phin's steakhouse, how does this lone restaurant fare? Read on.
The first thing i need to say about this restaurant is the service. We were served by a waiter jovial and professional waiter who required nothing to jote down our orders while being able to tell us exactly what they had and did not have for the day. He was also kind enough to introduce a different cut of meat which turned out rather well in my opinion. If only waiters in other establishments could be as good as him, i'd gladly pay service charges. (La Noce is another place where the service staff is simply excellent.)
Australian Grain Fed Tenderloin ($28.90) - As recommended by the waiter, i took the Australian grain fed tenderloin which was a time limited offer. According to him, the meat is superior, better marbled and contains less fat as compared to the normal offerings. I don't presume myself an expert on this matter, but i must say the meat was pretty good. Done medium rare, slightly charred on the edges with a small lump of butter sizzling atop, this reminds me of the good days when Jack's place was still making good food. That said, the meat was juicy and the butter added much to the already succulent and tasty steak. Pity about the portion size which i felt was rather small (even though it took me 15 minutes to finish.)
Soup of the Day, Garlic Bread and Salad ($19.90 set meal) - My gf's set meal, which means i got to try everything a little again, no prizes for guessing if my girth is increasing. The salad was fresh, sweet and crunchy while the garlic bread fragrant and went well with the accompanying creamy mushroom soup. A good starter.
Seafood Pesto Carbonara - This came as a surprise. The serving was quite generous with 2 huge scallops, 1 pan fried dory fillet and half slipper lobster set atop a bed of fettucinne cooked with pesto carbonara and mushrooms. The serving alone is worth commending and this is further accented by the fact that it tasted pretty good. It was quite spicy and tasted simple at the same time, allowing for an appetizing feeling without being overwhelming. The ingredients used were also equally fresh and everything tasted juicy and sweet. Nicely done.
Brownie Surprise ($8.90) - The brownie surprise really did come as a surprise because i saw more ice cream on the dish then brownies which were actually cut into small pieces and served as an accompaniment rather then the main draw. The ice cream was creamy and and smooth. The flavors served were cookies and cream, mocha and one which i can't quite make out. The brownie was rather dry but the melting ice cream made up for that oversight.
Dessert of the day (Mango Pudding with sugar icing) - The final part to the set meal was this mango pudding. Light, refreshing and sweet, this was a good ending for the meal.
The final bill came up to $67.90 for 2 people, its not cheap but the service and food quality made up for it.
I'm really quite surprised with how good this place is. I went in with very little expectations and was pleasantly surprised with the service and quality of food given its unassuming and rather small outlet. The lack of customers was also a plus for me since i dislike jostling with people when i dine, and that is difficult in a place like Tampines mall. Nonetheless, i'd recommend a try for people in the vicinity. Try it once to see if you like the place. (Though i'll say it first, the place definitely needs a cosmetic makeover and location change. *winks*)
Phin’s steakhouse isn’t the usual steakhouse you will expect with classy environment, expensive decor, pretty plates. Situated at Liang Seah place (behind Bugis Parco Junction), its on a street with small eatery and restaurants around. The place itself does not have air-con, decor are average, but they serve good steaks at good price.
Steaks in the hand of less-skillful chefs will turn out to be catastrophe, but not at Phin’s. Although i am not a great fan of red meat, but Phin’s steak won me over. The irresistable succulent nz air flown steaks are serve on signature hot plate with baked potato and seasonal vegetables.
Diners can choose from Sirlon, Ribeye, Tenderloin, with different sizes like ladies cut, gentlemen cut, humongous cut (with ladies cut cheapest & humongous cut most expensive). In addition, the choice of sauces on the steak is also accord to each delight, with the usual sauce like pepper, mushroom, to some unique sauce like garlic, sambal, honey mustard, and wild mushroom.
Although Phin’s a steakhouse, but it also offer other western food like chicken fillet, fish & chips, lamb, seafood. There is the combo set for 2 person, i saw a particular set which interest me, there is a combo of chicken, fish, lamb and steak serving for two. But maz and i decided on ordering two sirlon steak (gentlemen cut) at $14.90 each. Not feeling too adventurous, i had the safe yet good pepper sauce, while maz tried the wild mushroom.
For starters. we had Escargot baked in cheese and wine ($9.90), coming in servings of half a dozen. There is another escargot with garlic ($7.90), but we decided to try the more expensive one. Hmm.. this is the second time i had escargot and the feeling is exactly as the first time. Not very snail-like, rather it taste quite like the shell-type food? O well
Sirlon steak with pepper sauce (medium raw). The steak was good, meat was succulent and tender. It came with healthy servings of sides like vege, corn and a whole potato. Boy o boy, just eating the potato makes me full ( :
Sirlon steak with wild mushroom sauce (medium raw). N’uff say, only difference was the sauce, quality is the same. The wild mushroom sauce is quite unique as we didn’t expect it to be in this colour. 4.5 out of 5
Maz had new zealand natural mango ice-cream ($2.90) for desserts, i was too full so i skipped desserts. By and large, Phin’s is a good place for good and affordable steak. Well, being a steakhouse, its steak can’t be that bad right? Not too sure about the other dishes beside steak, but i saw the other diners having the combo and it looks good. Service-wise i suppose it is quite good, the waitress are friendly and re-filled our iced water very fast. I always felt that Bugis junction does not have much to eat, now knowing Liang Seah place is just behind, rest assured the next time you go Bugis. Total bill comes up to $49.20 for two person.
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 : )
The time: 7pm. The diners: Me, Wee hong, Hong yi & friends. The place: Fisherman’s Wharf. The food: Fish & Chips
Well well, i had great expectations for Fisherman’s wharf, having heard rave reviews on its fish & chips, we were left slightly disappointed when we left the place. Fisherman wharf is directly opposite the new Central Mall. From Central u can see the signboard of fisherman wharf because the current construction of the overhead bridge is blocking the view of the restaurant. The place do not have air-con, its free seating and pls self-service by going to the counter to order.
The thing with fisherman wharf is that all the fish are priced at different price, but most of them looks the same. Try comparing all the fish we ordered and see whether you can spot which is which. All the fish comes with generous servings of chips or fries, but i would prefer for some salad, vege or coleslaw. On a note, 2 of us had fries, while the other 3 had chips. In the end, only 2 of us enjoy the side dish, so you know what to order huh? ( :
Silver Cod Fillet ( $14.00) with fries.
North. Atlantic Cod Loin ($16.00) with fries. Its the most ex fish at Fisherman Wharf, but the tastes and the looks quite similar to silver cod fillet.
Garoupa Fillet ($12.50) with chips. Snow Fish ($15.00) with chips. Comment was not very nice, try something else.
Snow Fish ($15.00) with chips. Comment was not very nice, try something else.
Lemon Sole Fillet ($14.00) with chips. Very similar to silver cod fillet and north atlantic cod, but the taste is a bit different. The fish crumbed very easily, making it difficult to eat.
I am not lying, all the fishes look about the same, with the generous helping of chips, fries ana tartar sauce. Seriously if they didn’t tell us which is which, we wont know the fishes. I read that someone compared Greenwood Bistro to Fisherman Wharf, in my personal opinion, there is totally no way to compare. Greenwood bistro fish albeit being more expensive at the range of $17 to $20 , but it offers a lot more different quality fish, different style of cooking the fish, and a healthy servings of chips and vege. Furthermore, the ambience at Greenwood and Fisherman Wharf is different. Greenwood is a restaurant, while Fisherman’s is more like Long John Silver - fast food outlet. Mayb its because my expectation is too high before i went, therefore i am more disapointed.
But our conclusion is, go for the set lunch at $9.50 which comes with fish & chips, and drink. If not, for dinner just order the normal cream dory fillet at $6.50. No offend to any Fisherman’s Wharf lovers out there, this is just my personal opinion.
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 : )
1=SGD 0.0587
Minds café is one of the first places that I will think of when I want to play board games or simply need a place to chill out with friends. Recently (slightly more than 1 month ago), they opened their 3rd outlet in the town area. This time round they are jz mins away from both City Hall and Bugis MRT.
The new place is quite easy to find, along the same street as Miss Clarity. To me, the new place is as big as Boat Quay outlet. However inside is much more spacious and brighter. New place mah. Since it is a new location, I think not much people still know of the new location unless they are walking past it or they are being to the new place when the other outlets are packed.
Although, the design and the setting of the place is still pretty much the same as other 2 outlets, I like the spacious, more space and the lighting of the new place, brighter. More space means big groups no need to squeeze together like sardines and there is more space to walk about and to do forfeits so that everyone in the room can see you. Haa….
There are both sofa seats and normal table seats. Sofa seats are more for big groups can seat up to 8 people. Table seats can seat up to 6 people but then tables can be combined for more seats. Those who want to have a decent meal before playing; I would suggest the table seats. Haa….
Since it is a new outlet, of cos they got limited games as compared to the other two outlets. However the more popular games still can be found there and to say that the games sets there are newer. Hee…
The menu there same as the other outlets not much changes but have to say that the food there is still as good as before. There is a wide variety of their drinks as well. Hee….
Depends on the size of your group, there are different packages to optimized your money and time. You can combine different packages to get the most out of it as well. Haa….. Packages usually come with 2 hours of playing time, some snacks and drinks.
They got quite a number of staff there to serve and advise, teach how to play the newer board games as well. They are quite on the ball and polite as well. They definitely got the patience to teach people how to play the games as well. If you are challenging enough you can always ask them for a challenge, be warned that they are quite good in some of the games ok! Hee….. On the average I can easily spend 4 hours there jz to play games.
This place serves quite a good place for gatherings or birthday parties as well. Not to mention affordable as well.
Rating given:
Hong Kong food in Singapore is more or less dominated by a few names which i feel personally, still have not done the subject matter much justice. Wan Zhai Hong Kong Tea Room is a new addition which has yet to be highly commercialized but is it any good or does it fall into the same trappings as all its predecessors?
Peanut Ginseng Soup (Free with Baked Rice) - I have to say, i'm totally surprised at how tasty this soup is. It doesn't look like much but its packed with taste. The ingredients inside are plentiful (peanuts and some chicken meat) for a free item. No points for presentation but looks can be deceiving indeed.
Wasabi Seafood Baked Rice ($8.20) - The serving of baked rice is reasonable though hardly big. The reason i ordered this was because i've never tasted wasabi baked rice before so it was a novel concept for me, plus the fact that i quite keen of wasabi. The ingredients used are exactly the same as the HK Signature Hor Fan featured below, 2 mussels, 2 prawns and a smattering of fish. The unfortunate thing is that the ingredients definitely did not taste fresh to me. Prawns were powdery and lacks any crunch whatsoever, fish wasn't sweet and the mussels were a tad rubbery. The rice was normal and the wasabi was toned down for local tastes so it didn't have the kick i wanted. Average at best.
HK Signature Hor Fan ($6.30) - As mentioned above, the ingredients are the same 2 mussels, 2 prawns and some fish and the freshness is still below average. Taste-wise, the hor fan looked blackish and had a lot of pepper in it. My gf didn't finish this so thats a testament of how 'good' it is. To me, it wasn't worthy of the word 'signature' at all with its not-too-fresh ingredients, bad looks and worst of all, simple inadequate, salty and overly oily taste. The baked rice was better and that was already only an average offering.
The bill came up to $14.50 for 2 people but somehow, i still found it too expensive. The only good thing for this place is the soup sadly.
Hong Kong food is just not getting the attention and franchises over in sunny Singapore. To date, i've tried a few Hong Kong cafes and honestly, they are either too expensive, food offerings average or just plain bad. If anybody knows of a good place i can review, please let me know. Till then, my word on Hong Kong food in Singapore is that there is yet to be one worthy of the name yet.
Rating given:
I thought that they have closed down for good since they closed the outlet at Hereens. However, we were looking for some place to hang out until over movie starts, we were surprised to see this outlet hidden in behind the food court. Seem like they are making a comeback since there are some crepes shops making their appearance in some shopping centres as well.
Since we are only there to wait, we ordered one of their desserts crepes, Mango Mania Crepe. The got warm crepes and cold crepes (each with a choice of 4 to 5 types), cost at $3.90 each. Quite cheap I must say.
Jz in case you are wondering what is warm crepes and cold crepes, warm crepes are those like ham with cheese etc and cold crepes are like those with fruits and ice cream.
So how they work? Make your choice and pay for the crepe at the counters. Take a seat while your crepe is being made. They will make the crepe when you order, so that the crepe comes to you hot and fresh. They will call out to you when your order is ready. Yes, you need to collect your order from the counter. Since their place is small, unless you sitting somewhere else, they sure can call out to you.
So now back to my Mango Mania Crepe. Seems like they are cutting down cost, everything used is disposable, from the plate to the forks and knives are all plastic. A bit sian alr. Look so food court style, a far cry from what they used to be. The crepe lies flat on the base of the plate with a scoop of mango ice cream on top with little cubes of mangoes spread by the the ice cream. Oh yes, it seems that they did not asked what ice cream I want and jz assumed that I asked for mango mania crepe, they give me mango ice cream. They should have a t least asked me.
After tasting it, to us, it is normal, nothing to wow or rave about. It is decent crepe la. Haa…. Luckily it came to us with the crepe is still hot if not…. …. Do find the portion a little small lah.
Maybe I will give their warm crepes a try, if not I think I rather go to food court and order dessert alr.
Rating given:
Had dinner with my gf at Bab Noodle. Have been patronising this eatery for about 5 years since 2002 (if I remember correctly).
Located within Millenia Walk, Bab Noodle provides a nice and relaxing place for you to slowly enjoy your food during meal times - a far cry from the mad crowds that throng every eating outlet at within the vicinity.
Tori Katsu - I personally didn't quite like the Tori Katsu because the flour was a little too thick and overall the chicken had an slight oil residue taste. But then again, it wasn't half as bad as I described it to be.
Tofu Donburi -
I'm a sucker for tofu with minced meat and I never fail to order this dish whenever I patronise. To be honest, there's nothing special about this dish. Its just that I can't seem to find something like that anywhere else. A huge chunk of agedashi tofu topped with lots of minced meat and gravy - now that's something close to my heart.
Tori Karaage -
This dish came across as a little too dry and hard, making chewing a tad challenging. Portions were quite small as well. Overall very average tasting.
Well the food's nothing spectacular, coming across as average at best. However, factor in the good service and the relaxing atmosphere and $24 for 2 pax is a steal in the heart of town.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Chanced upon Icekimo as I was wandering through the Thomson area and since it was a warm afternoon, a scoop or two of ice cream seemed like a pretty fantastic idea.
Tucked in a quiet corner of Sin Ming Centre, Icekimo stands out from the other shops along the row with its cutesy pictures and interior. However, you would really have to know that this place existed as its not visible from any major road, which is a pity actually, given its comfy laid back environment.
Crepe with Ice Cream & Waffle with Ice Cream ($4.80) - The crepes and waffles weren't very good, coming across as flat and lacking in texture but the ice creams were noticeably quite good. Rich yet not overwhelming. I personally liked the blueberry cheesecake ice cream as it had grounded peanuts within and was reminiscent of the cheesecakes I used to buy from KFC when I was a kid. Just in case you are wondering, Icekimo serves up other interesting flavours of ice cream as well, like Cempedek, Teh Tarik, Badung etc.
See all my pictures here
Rating given:
Being attracted to the cosy and modern looking cafe, my friends and I decided to have dinner there. There was a queue outside, but the waitress was friendly and handed each of us a menu to decide on what we would like to have.
Soon, we were ushered to comfortable sofa seats at a corner beside the entrance, which was cosy and not too open due to the translucent purple curtain separating us and the crowd walking along outside. Ambience was quite nice. :)
After we were seated, we were given a bottle of water and 4 glasses. It was really quite disappointing when we're paying the 10% service charge, and we have to serve ourselves.
The menu was quite extensive, with a variety of items that looked really delicious. 4 of us were quite spoilt for choice. :P Hmm..but the downside of things were that, some food were unavailable in kitchen and some drinks were also unavailable.
I ordered some seafood pasta, and when it came, it looked really appealing due to the presentation of the dish. The seafood were fresh, and all in all it was quite good. :) Hmm..the portion of the pasta was a little too small though. My friend's mango-chicken dish was also quite special, as the mango was in the chicken and it was quite nice..
Dessert was fine too. Hmm..just average and a little pricey in my opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed my meal :)
Rating given:
Giraffe does indeed have fabulous ambience, being situated admist the greenery at the Istana Park opposite Plaza Singapura. And regardless if you were sitting indoors or outdoors, the ambience is just as nice. :)
Some people may not opt for outdoor seats, for the fear of rain or humidity, yet don't fret just yet. Giraffe has great comfortable seats outdoors, that are sheltered and generally cooling, especially at night.
I had a gathering with friends on the 2nd level, and the waitresses were all quite friendly and polite..though, not exactly very professional. Some orders were mixed up and they seemed quite confused at some point in time, but all in all, it was fine.
However, one thing that would prevent me from going to Giraffe, would be their limited list of food in the menu. Each of the section in the menu seemed to only have less than 8 choices, well..except for the drinks.
Oh! They do not serve water, by the way. Either you order their sparkling/distilled water at $3.90 (if i'm not wrong), or that u simply are forced to order a drink.
Food wise, I had their Seafood Ricotti and..it was okay. The seafood didn't taste that fresh, but it was alright. Just average I guess. There was nothing special in the dishes..
All in all, I guess Giraffe is only worth going if you are looking for a nice place with fabulous ambience, to just chill and relax over a drink or two.
Rating given:
Phin's beerhaus and grille is an unassuming, open concept eating place set on the 4th floor of Tampines mall. First looks did not impress and honestly, i've passed by this place so many times but never had the urge to try it till today. An offshoot of its bigger upmarket cousin, Phin's steakhouse, how does this lone restaurant fare? Read on.
The first thing i need to say about this restaurant is the service. We were served by a waiter jovial and professional waiter who required nothing to jote down our orders while being able to tell us exactly what they had and did not have for the day. He was also kind enough to introduce a different cut of meat which turned out rather well in my opinion. If only waiters in other establishments could be as good as him, i'd gladly pay service charges. (La Noce is another place where the service staff is simply excellent.)
Australian Grain Fed Tenderloin ($28.90) - As recommended by the waiter, i took the Australian grain fed tenderloin which was a time limited offer. According to him, the meat is superior, better marbled and contains less fat as compared to the normal offerings. I don't presume myself an expert on this matter, but i must say the meat was pretty good. Done medium rare, slightly charred on the edges with a small lump of butter sizzling atop, this reminds me of the good days when Jack's place was still making good food. That said, the meat was juicy and the butter added much to the already succulent and tasty steak. Pity about the portion size which i felt was rather small (even though it took me 15 minutes to finish.)
Soup of the Day, Garlic Bread and Salad ($19.90 set meal) - My gf's set meal, which means i got to try everything a little again, no prizes for guessing if my girth is increasing. The salad was fresh, sweet and crunchy while the garlic bread fragrant and went well with the accompanying creamy mushroom soup. A good starter.
Seafood Pesto Carbonara - This came as a surprise. The serving was quite generous with 2 huge scallops, 1 pan fried dory fillet and half slipper lobster set atop a bed of fettucinne cooked with pesto carbonara and mushrooms. The serving alone is worth commending and this is further accented by the fact that it tasted pretty good. It was quite spicy and tasted simple at the same time, allowing for an appetizing feeling without being overwhelming. The ingredients used were also equally fresh and everything tasted juicy and sweet. Nicely done.
Brownie Surprise ($8.90) - The brownie surprise really did come as a surprise because i saw more ice cream on the dish then brownies which were actually cut into small pieces and served as an accompaniment rather then the main draw. The ice cream was creamy and and smooth. The flavors served were cookies and cream, mocha and one which i can't quite make out. The brownie was rather dry but the melting ice cream made up for that oversight.
Dessert of the day (Mango Pudding with sugar icing) - The final part to the set meal was this mango pudding. Light, refreshing and sweet, this was a good ending for the meal.
The final bill came up to $67.90 for 2 people, its not cheap but the service and food quality made up for it.
I'm really quite surprised with how good this place is. I went in with very little expectations and was pleasantly surprised with the service and quality of food given its unassuming and rather small outlet. The lack of customers was also a plus for me since i dislike jostling with people when i dine, and that is difficult in a place like Tampines mall. Nonetheless, i'd recommend a try for people in the vicinity. Try it once to see if you like the place. (Though i'll say it first, the place definitely needs a cosmetic makeover and location change. *winks*)
Rating given:
Phin’s steakhouse isn’t the usual steakhouse you will expect with classy environment, expensive decor, pretty plates. Situated at Liang Seah place (behind Bugis Parco Junction), its on a street with small eatery and restaurants around. The place itself does not have air-con, decor are average, but they serve good steaks at good price.
Steaks in the hand of less-skillful chefs will turn out to be catastrophe, but not at Phin’s. Although i am not a great fan of red meat, but Phin’s steak won me over. The irresistable succulent nz air flown steaks are serve on signature hot plate with baked potato and seasonal vegetables.
Diners can choose from Sirlon, Ribeye, Tenderloin, with different sizes like ladies cut, gentlemen cut, humongous cut (with ladies cut cheapest & humongous cut most expensive). In addition, the choice of sauces on the steak is also accord to each delight, with the usual sauce like pepper, mushroom, to some unique sauce like garlic, sambal, honey mustard, and wild mushroom.
Although Phin’s a steakhouse, but it also offer other western food like chicken fillet, fish & chips, lamb, seafood. There is the combo set for 2 person, i saw a particular set which interest me, there is a combo of chicken, fish, lamb and steak serving for two. But maz and i decided on ordering two sirlon steak (gentlemen cut) at $14.90 each. Not feeling too adventurous, i had the safe yet good pepper sauce, while maz tried the wild mushroom.
For starters. we had Escargot baked in cheese and wine ($9.90), coming in servings of half a dozen. There is another escargot with garlic ($7.90), but we decided to try the more expensive one. Hmm.. this is the second time i had escargot and the feeling is exactly as the first time. Not very snail-like, rather it taste quite like the shell-type food? O well
Sirlon steak with pepper sauce (medium raw). The steak was good, meat was succulent and tender. It came with healthy servings of sides like vege, corn and a whole potato. Boy o boy, just eating the potato makes me full ( :
Sirlon steak with wild mushroom sauce (medium raw). N’uff say, only difference was the sauce, quality is the same. The wild mushroom sauce is quite unique as we didn’t expect it to be in this colour. 4.5 out of 5
Maz had new zealand natural mango ice-cream ($2.90) for desserts, i was too full so i skipped desserts. By and large, Phin’s is a good place for good and affordable steak. Well, being a steakhouse, its steak can’t be that bad right? Not too sure about the other dishes beside steak, but i saw the other diners having the combo and it looks good. Service-wise i suppose it is quite good, the waitress are friendly and re-filled our iced water very fast. I always felt that Bugis junction does not have much to eat, now knowing Liang Seah place is just behind, rest assured the next time you go Bugis. Total bill comes up to $49.20 for two person.
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 : )
" Phin's - We'll make it Well-Done "
Rating given:
The time: 7pm. The diners: Me, Wee hong, Hong yi & friends. The place: Fisherman’s Wharf. The food: Fish & Chips
Well well, i had great expectations for Fisherman’s wharf, having heard rave reviews on its fish & chips, we were left slightly disappointed when we left the place. Fisherman wharf is directly opposite the new Central Mall. From Central u can see the signboard of fisherman wharf because the current construction of the overhead bridge is blocking the view of the restaurant. The place do not have air-con, its free seating and pls self-service by going to the counter to order.
The thing with fisherman wharf is that all the fish are priced at different price, but most of them looks the same. Try comparing all the fish we ordered and see whether you can spot which is which. All the fish comes with generous servings of chips or fries, but i would prefer for some salad, vege or coleslaw. On a note, 2 of us had fries, while the other 3 had chips. In the end, only 2 of us enjoy the side dish, so you know what to order huh? ( :
Silver Cod Fillet ( $14.00) with fries.
North. Atlantic Cod Loin ($16.00) with fries. Its the most ex fish at Fisherman Wharf, but the tastes and the looks quite similar to silver cod fillet.
Garoupa Fillet ($12.50) with chips.
Snow Fish ($15.00) with chips. Comment was not very nice, try something else.
Snow Fish ($15.00) with chips. Comment was not very nice, try something else.
Lemon Sole Fillet ($14.00) with chips. Very similar to silver cod fillet and north atlantic cod, but the taste is a bit different. The fish crumbed very easily, making it difficult to eat.
I am not lying, all the fishes look about the same, with the generous helping of chips, fries ana tartar sauce. Seriously if they didn’t tell us which is which, we wont know the fishes. I read that someone compared Greenwood Bistro to Fisherman Wharf, in my personal opinion, there is totally no way to compare. Greenwood bistro fish albeit being more expensive at the range of $17 to $20 , but it offers a lot more different quality fish, different style of cooking the fish, and a healthy servings of chips and vege. Furthermore, the ambience at Greenwood and Fisherman Wharf is different. Greenwood is a restaurant, while Fisherman’s is more like Long John Silver - fast food outlet. Mayb its because my expectation is too high before i went, therefore i am more disapointed.
But our conclusion is, go for the set lunch at $9.50 which comes with fish & chips, and drink. If not, for dinner just order the normal cream dory fillet at $6.50. No offend to any Fisherman’s Wharf lovers out there, this is just my personal opinion.
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 : )
" Aren't the fishes all the same? "
Rating given: