We were looking for a place for coffee and decided to settle at Breeks. We sat at a corner table and was immediately given the menu. Our order came quite promptly. We didn't ask for ice water which we usually do, and I don't know why we didn't.
Anyway, the manager (i guess) saw that we didn't have any water, other than the coffee we ordered, she automatically served us warm water. Felt this was a nice gesture especially at cafe like Breeks. Some places don't even serve ice water. You've to pay 50cents for a mini bottled distilled water.
Great place to chill and rest. If you've no where to go over the weekends, I strongly recommend heading to Harbourfront. Especially with the $2/entry parking from 10am to 1am on Sat/Sun and PH!
Last evening I went over to the restaurant with my colleague & German boss. The place is nicely done & we took an outdoor seat which was great! It gives you a nice view of the sea and part of Sentosa. Heez...
Ok, coming back to the food, I have ordered the butter Dory fillet with mushroom, and the other 2 main dishes ordered by my colleagues were the braised veal and smoked pork loin. I quite like the main course which I've ordered, nice & thick cut of dory fillet, except that the mushroom sauce was abit too salty. As for the braised veal, it tasted not-too-bad to my German boss. The smoked pork loin was more of a disappointment to my colleague as it turned out to be 4 slices of ham on top of a heap of mashed potato.
However, I think their German beers had compensated for the disappointment in the food for the night. I had both the Paulaner Weissbier & Paulaner Weissbier Dunkel, served chilled in tall, elegant glasses. Personally, I have preference for Paulaner Weissbier as it tastes lighter and less bitter.
On the overall, it's a nice place to have a couple of drinks with your friends!
I just got back from a fruitful trip at Hong Kong! I was there a few years back, but I must say Hong Kong has changed a fair bit, and it is better now. I don't know if people still have the idea that HK is a dirty place with litter all over the floor or something, but if you do, I must say you have to change your perception. It wasn't too bad when I was there a few years back and it's even better now!
Like what tinkerbell said, their train system is very similar to what we have in Singapore. After coming back from HK, I realized that it does make a difference when instructions were given in 3 different languages, rather than just English (like in singapore). Also, it was very easy to figure out where you are by looking at the map on the train, which indicates where you are through little blinking lights.
On the whole, it's not just on the train where they give instructions. Even at the escalators in the train station, you will hear reminders to hold on to the handrail for your own safety, all given in Chinese, English and Cantonese. The lift of the hotel I stayed at would also tell you which floor you're at and all. I feel that much thought has been put in to create a user-friendly environment for everyone, even handicaps.
Nonetheless, I felt that the walking distance from the entrance to the MTR was pretty far for most places. I guess you can't help it when the place is big. And train stations were always packed, people had to really squeeze in the trains. It's worse than during the knock-off time in Singapore and it's harder to get seats.
Also, transportation is more expensive in HK. Could also be due to the location the train system covers. If you cross over to another island, it's like having to pay a toll fee, your ride could cost you more than S$2.20. Bus rides could be about S$1 too. But if you're going from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central, you could try taking the ferry instead. It's cheaper and you get to avoid the crowd at the train station.
As for shopping, there are many huuuuuge malls in HK. However, many of these malls are like Paragon - yes, the up-market place. But if you were to go during the November period, where they're clearing the summer clothes to make space for winter stuff, you might get quite a good buy at these shops. Unlike Singapore, you seldom get deals like 30% off at shops like Morgan or even up to 70% at other shops. I must say after the discount, it's a really good buy. Even certain shops like Nike and Esprit are cheaper there, probably also due to the exchange rate, putting us at an advantage.
Nonetheless, we're often looking for cheaper stuff when we're shopping right. And so, I don't suggest that you go to the big malls around. As mentioned above, Li Yuen Streetat Central would be a good place to go. But some other possible places to go would also be Stanley Market, near Repulse Bay. It's a bit more expensive than Li Yuen, but for some places bargaining is still possible. However, these places are mostly good for shopping for women only. Some other places to explore could be the little shop units along the street of Tsim Sha Tsui (for the slightly cheaper things) and Causeway Bay (definitely more expensive).
I used to hear that shop owners in HK don't like people touching their things unless they're going to buy. But I don't think that they are like that now. They're much friendlier, especially the younger people. The service of the sales people there are better than in Singapore too. Especially in shops with their own fitting room, they would offer to take your clothes to the fitting room while you're still scouting for other clothes. Frees your hands for more! And most places I went didn't seem to have a limit to how many clothes you could try. It's a little different though, because the malls are seldom fully packed like it is in Singapore, maybe that could be why it's not a common gesture in Singapore.
New Territories is a good place to go for sight seeing. It's a little more laid back, but I like it there. It's more relaxing. They've got their famous wishing tree there, as tinkerbell has mentioned above, along with many other places to visit.
One more place worth going would be the famous Ocean Park! For dolphin lovers, don't miss their dolphin show. It's my first time watching an animal show overseas and I find the dolphin show much more entertaining than shows you get in Singapore. Of course there are other shows which I didn't catch, as well as aquariums and a pseudo reef with many sea creatures, plus their new addition of the Giant Panda. Do go as early as 1030am to beat the tourist crowd. After about 330pm when there's no more animal shows, the place would be pretty packed. Think it'll be good to start early and leave early.
As for food, I did hear that the goose was good, but I didn't get to try. However, I suggest that you have a go at their seafood as it's mostly fresh and it's relatively cheaper there too! Things are much bigger there too, like their fish and crab. I'd say it's pretty worth the money too, for the quality and quantity you get.
On the whole, HK is rather similar to Singapore in terms of fashion and transportation. However the people there are friendlier. To me, I think it's worth the experience traveling and being exposed to different cultures in different countries (: I definitely did enjoy myself on this trip!
Monthly dinner was decided to be had at Bonta after much discussion with the group. Apparently, we were getting pretty tired of Chinese cuisine after our failed attempts with Golden Peony and Hua Ting and so Italian was on the cards this time. Opened in April this year, the restaurant has gotten many rave reviews for its food and service and is helmed by chef Luca Pezzera, formerly of Hotel Intercontinental fame.
The exterior housed a nice chill out space in an alfresco setting while the interior was small and cosy complete with soft lighting which they dimmed as time passed and a small wine chamber for those so inclined. Seating capacity was small however, and the maximum the restaurant could hold inside was probably around 40 people.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was served after much fanfare and bantering with the overly friendly waiter who took our order. Still, this is another one of those great-complimentary-breads-in -posh-places item. Its also one of the best i've had thus far. The bread was served warm in a longish cup and is crispy on the outside while soft and fluffy on the inside. Pockets of cheese and walnuts were also interspersed to enhance the experience. These are available for take away at a whooping $8 a loaf if you are interested.
Foie Gras (Pan fried goose liver $24) - I got to try one small piece of this and i must say it is surprisingly pleasing. I'm not a big fan of foie gras but this was done well. Slightly crispy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside. The aftertaste lingers long after you have swallowed it but is overpowering in bigger doses.
Oven Baked Scallops ($22) - I shared this item with a friend to minimize the damage. At $22 for 4 scallops, this came across as being overly expensive. The scallop was sweet and went well with the accompanying sauce to create a pretty good appetizer.
Home Made Angel Hair ($42), Ravioli with Goose Liver ($28)
- The angel hair was springy, soft and sweet making it a decent though not excellent dish. The baby lobster was overly cooked and lacked the fresh sweetness i hoped it would exhibit. I also had a piece of Ravioli and found the taste overpowered by the cream sauce instead of the goose liver present in it.
Black Angus Beef Sirloin ($42) - This dish i did get to try....twice because the first was ordered by my friend, while the other was a wrong order the waiter served to me....twice as well. The first wrong order being Angel Hair and the second being this dish. My main order was actually a Wagyu Beef steak. The beef was served medium rare but lacked the strong beef taste i would love to have. It also came with wierd, greenish tasting porcini mushrooms and foie gras which didn't really cut it for me since my mood was already spoiled by waiting without a main for 20 minutes while my friends finished their own mains before my main arrived with a wrong order again.
The bill came up to $451.96 for 7 people for an unsatisfying dinner and huge service blunders.
Commercial reviews are either overrated or over showcased in my opinion. I don't suppose a restaurant will make bad food for food critics and newspaper reviewers but if they could do it for the writers, at least have the capacity to do it during normal hours as well. The working staff here need retraining and learn to apologize when mistakes are made or at least have the presence of mind to offer a gesture of peace when an error is committed. Still, their snotty attitude and average food offerings brought down this experience very much where i am concerned. Even for my friends, nobody found it in them to order a dessert at the end and thats saying alot. Stay away, stay far far away.
I was celebrating a recent recuperation of funds when i decided to bring my gf for a simple dinner at Pasir Ris. I used to live at the place and this Chinese Zhi Ca stall has been there since i was a young boy. Thats at least 14 years of history and they are still going strong. I remember having many meals there with my family when i was younger and so, to relive that feeling a little, we visited it for an ad hoc dinner.
A point of interest is that right behind the eating place is a carpark you can drive into and the contact is for you to order first, then drive down later to collect your order for take aways. No more standing in queue and they even bring the orders right down to your car for you. Talk about great service!
Zao Pai Dou Fu (Signature Dish Beancurd) $8 - Like i said, a simple dinner. This is their signature dish beancurd which is really good. The beancurd has egg mixed into it giving it a smooth and springy texture which literally melts in your mouth. The sauce is quite salty and is scattered with fried minced pork, shrimps and mushrooms which really add to the taste of the dish overall. This goes well with rice and best taken together with a large group of people.
Jin Sha Xie (Golden Sand Crab) $32 per Kg - I came back for this dish as i was accidentally introduced to it during Andrew's birthday recently and neglected to bring my camera along for the trip. The sauce is where the taste really is and we tasted cheese, chilli, butter and mayonnaise used in the mixture. The crab was obviously fresh and went really well with the sauce. Oats were sprinkled atop for added fragrance and taste. I quote what Andrew said when we had this dish previously: "This is fit for a restaurant." My gf also said it was a good dish but this isn't the first time she's had it. The sauce goes well with rice and of course, deep fried buns which are also available. As usual, bring lots of friends and order this in bulk, i'm sure it'll be a great get together dish.
Bill: The total bill for dinner came up to simply $36. Quite reasonable for a crab meal.
I can see myself coming back to this place many times since its easily accessible (to me at least) and has good food at reasonable prices. The lady and general service here is almost always good and makes paying for their food that much easier. Do try this.
TCC @ The Atrium.The environment is cosy,with nice red comfy chairs. But because of the area,u will find a lot of students studying there.
We had :-
Beef Mozza Tofu…
It's excellent for a person who likes tofu. There is a layer of cheese on top of the tofu. In between the tofu, it's layered with minced beef. Every spoon we took, there was beef. Of course,a dish like this would have to served hot and it took a little more time for this dish to come. The meat was tasty and not too salty.
Charlotte Chocolate Cake Its just another cake. A simple chocolate cake. Plenty of sponge and little of anything else.I wouldn’t recommend it. We realized later on that we were the only ones that had the cake in the café.
Pepper Mint Tea I ordered a pot and regretted it. It was hardly fragrant and fell well below my expectations.
We paid $24 for the above with my pot of peppermint tea. I think they specialised in coffee, not so in tea.
The service was excellent. Remembering that I had warm water instead of the normal cold water although the place was crowded. The servers had a good memory.
Ate once at this outlet of Funan Mall some time back. I was there on a weekday and decided to try out the buffet lunch. Given the price and my hunger then, I thot it was the best deal for me. However, to my dismay, the range of food available was really quite limited. There were some items which were either not available or it took a long time to come. In addition, the food served were not even warm when it was supposed to be piping hot.
Overall, I find that this outlet's service ain't as good as the rest as I had gone before. And I definitely won't be going back to it in the near future.
Forget about the full-sized donuts! Marcial Kobe's mini ones are much more yummilicious!!
Happened to be at Central last week and decided to give these cute little donuts a try. Located at the corner of Central basement (where I usually get lost walking as it seems like a maze to me). There were about 10 flavors to choose from. Not sure if its on promo or the usual price, but I got 12 mini donuts at $4. Quite cheap lah!
These donuts are very crispy and are not too sweet. The size is just nice to pop into your mouth. But I had to bite them bit by bit to savor the different taste of each mini donuts. There were the sugared ones, caramelized ones, chocolate ones, and alot of others, which I can't recall! All are delicious lah! So go give it a try when you're around The Central ya!
One of the more popular Chinese Restaurant chains around, Ding Tai Fang is ranked by the New York Time's as one of the World's Top Ten Best Restaurants. The question is whether its really good enough for such a prestigious title.
I guess the first question that comes to mind is: "Why give a contact number if they can't accept reservations?" Maybe for business purposes or general complaints but it certainly doesn't facilitate me in the least.
You can get to the restaurant very easily, simply go up the escalator and voila! The restaurant is right in front of you. The question is if you should go in or hold out for a different location for food. In this situation, i chose to enter with my gf for a meal since she's never tried it before.
The place was actually packed when we came and so we had to take a number and wait outside. Apparently, in my absence, this place has become a choice location for many heartlanders to have their meals. Is it really that good?
Makes you wonder what these people are doing doesn't it? Their actually making Xiao Long Baos for our consumption but i'd like to liken their particular sneaky looking gesture to a dissection on an operating table. Oooo...whets your appetite no?
Appetiser - The appetizer is not free just in case you thought otherwise. This little dish is about $5 if i remember correctly and its a mixed bag of tastes. Its sour, spicy, sweet and salty all at the same time but surprisingly gave me a bigger appetite. Still, its a little too oily and a little too expensive for a starter.
Fried Rice with Prawns - I ordered fried rice for myself as i remembered it being pretty good in this restaurant and indeed, its still nicely done. It comes with a generous amount of prawns as you can see and still has the concentrated egg taste in the rice. Fragrant and tasty but my gf found it a little too salty for her tastes and that is true as well. At $10 for this dish, it does come off as overpriced though.
Dan Dan Mian - We were actually asking the waitress for a recommendation and she recommended their famous Dan Dan Mian which i have never tried before. It came as quite of a shock when we tasted it though, it was salty and the paste tasted like a mixture of peanuts, sweet sauce and chilli. The noodles (la mian) were springy but lacked any taste on their own. In short, not something i would order again.
Xiao Long Bao - Their famous Xiao Long Bao tasted as it should be but i did find the the gravy in the buns to be insufficient and not hot enough. The meat was average but good enough and the skin of the buns can be stretched without bursting open which are all the makings of a good dish. Coupled with vinegar, this tastes much better but i honestly expected better.
Bill: Total bill came up to about $35 for 2 people which is a little too much for the average food we had.
I could not say the food here was very bad but i have to say i am not impressed nor satisfied with their current food standards because i remembered them as offering better food at a much lower price. Now, i do believe i won't be back for a second try and my gf certainly expressed her disappointment at their lackluster 'delicacies' as well.
Dropped by Cafe Oliv, one of the many small eateries lining East Coast Road, for lunch. Its chef, Kevin Heng, used to work for Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa and the Emerald Hill Group but has since moved on to open up Cafe Oliv with his buddy, Patrick Ang.
Situated just next to the famous 328 Laksa and further down from Astons Specialties, Cafe Oliv is a tiny eatery which can probably seat about 20 pax. The interior is minimalistic with its clean lines and plastic tables and chairs.
Cream of Vegetable Soup - This came as part of the set lunch which means you don't get to choose anything except for the main course. I wouldn't say the soup was terrific or anything close to that, but it was decent - tasty yet not too coagulated or runny. Something should be done about the rock hard bread though, which was still too hard even after dipping it into the soup.
Grilled Half Shell Scallops with Basil Aglio Olio Linguine - As lip smacking as this dish may sound, it certainly had lots of room for improvement. The linguine wasn't al dente to begin with and came across as a tad too salty for my liking. The scallops were nicely grilled with a tinge of rawness but didn't seem particularly sweet.
Traditional Beef Stew with Fennel - I liked the thick gravy which came with this dish but the beef did seem a tad too soft for my liking though my friend found it just right. Nice warm dish to have on a cold rainy day. Just don't get your expectations too high.
Oliv Mini Trio Meat Burger - Made up of 3 different types of burger, namely BBQ sliced pork, cod fish steak and tenderloin steak, this dish was one of the more interesting dishes around. Personally I fancied the tenderloin burger the most as the patty was chewy with lots of bite. The BBQ sliced pork, which looked and tasted like Kong Ba incidentally, had its taste overwhelmed by the bacon. As for the salmon, I found it a tad too salty.
Brownie with Ice Cream - Its really difficult to go wrong with brownies, save for those that are hard and dry. Having said that, I did like the brownie quite a fair bit with its chocolaty overtones.
A relaxing and filling lunch for 2 came to the tune of $43, which isn't expensive considering that the set lunch itself is only $10.90 nett per person. No service charge or GST is imposed, which is a plus as well and not forgetting the good service rendered. I would say overall food quality is decent but don't expect too much.
1=SGD 0.0587
Great service! Makes one feel at home.
We were looking for a place for coffee and decided to settle at Breeks. We sat at a corner table and was immediately given the menu. Our order came quite promptly. We didn't ask for ice water which we usually do, and I don't know why we didn't.
Anyway, the manager (i guess) saw that we didn't have any water, other than the coffee we ordered, she automatically served us warm water. Felt this was a nice gesture especially at cafe like Breeks. Some places don't even serve ice water. You've to pay 50cents for a mini bottled distilled water.
Great place to chill and rest. If you've no where to go over the weekends, I strongly recommend heading to Harbourfront. Especially with the $2/entry parking from 10am to 1am on Sat/Sun and PH!
Rating given:
Last evening I went over to the restaurant with my colleague & German boss. The place is nicely done & we took an outdoor seat which was great! It gives you a nice view of the sea and part of Sentosa. Heez...
Ok, coming back to the food, I have ordered the butter Dory fillet with mushroom, and the other 2 main dishes ordered by my colleagues were the braised veal and smoked pork loin. I quite like the main course which I've ordered, nice & thick cut of dory fillet, except that the mushroom sauce was abit too salty. As for the braised veal, it tasted not-too-bad to my German boss. The smoked pork loin was more of a disappointment to my colleague as it turned out to be 4 slices of ham on top of a heap of mashed potato.
However, I think their German beers had compensated for the disappointment in the food for the night. I had both the Paulaner Weissbier & Paulaner Weissbier Dunkel, served chilled in tall, elegant glasses. Personally, I have preference for Paulaner Weissbier as it tastes lighter and less bitter.
On the overall, it's a nice place to have a couple of drinks with your friends!
Rating given:
I just got back from a fruitful trip at Hong Kong! I was there a few years back, but I must say Hong Kong has changed a fair bit, and it is better now. I don't know if people still have the idea that HK is a dirty place with litter all over the floor or something, but if you do, I must say you have to change your perception. It wasn't too bad when I was there a few years back and it's even better now!
Like what tinkerbell said, their train system is very similar to what we have in Singapore. After coming back from HK, I realized that it does make a difference when instructions were given in 3 different languages, rather than just English (like in singapore). Also, it was very easy to figure out where you are by looking at the map on the train, which indicates where you are through little blinking lights.
On the whole, it's not just on the train where they give instructions. Even at the escalators in the train station, you will hear reminders to hold on to the handrail for your own safety, all given in Chinese, English and Cantonese. The lift of the hotel I stayed at would also tell you which floor you're at and all. I feel that much thought has been put in to create a user-friendly environment for everyone, even handicaps.
Nonetheless, I felt that the walking distance from the entrance to the MTR was pretty far for most places. I guess you can't help it when the place is big. And train stations were always packed, people had to really squeeze in the trains. It's worse than during the knock-off time in Singapore and it's harder to get seats.
Also, transportation is more expensive in HK. Could also be due to the location the train system covers. If you cross over to another island, it's like having to pay a toll fee, your ride could cost you more than S$2.20. Bus rides could be about S$1 too. But if you're going from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central, you could try taking the ferry instead. It's cheaper and you get to avoid the crowd at the train station.
As for shopping, there are many huuuuuge malls in HK. However, many of these malls are like Paragon - yes, the up-market place. But if you were to go during the November period, where they're clearing the summer clothes to make space for winter stuff, you might get quite a good buy at these shops. Unlike Singapore, you seldom get deals like 30% off at shops like Morgan or even up to 70% at other shops. I must say after the discount, it's a really good buy. Even certain shops like Nike and Esprit are cheaper there, probably also due to the exchange rate, putting us at an advantage.
Nonetheless, we're often looking for cheaper stuff when we're shopping right. And so, I don't suggest that you go to the big malls around. As mentioned above, Li Yuen Street at Central would be a good place to go. But some other possible places to go would also be Stanley Market, near Repulse Bay. It's a bit more expensive than Li Yuen, but for some places bargaining is still possible. However, these places are mostly good for shopping for women only. Some other places to explore could be the little shop units along the street of Tsim Sha Tsui (for the slightly cheaper things) and Causeway Bay (definitely more expensive).
I used to hear that shop owners in HK don't like people touching their things unless they're going to buy. But I don't think that they are like that now. They're much friendlier, especially the younger people. The service of the sales people there are better than in Singapore too. Especially in shops with their own fitting room, they would offer to take your clothes to the fitting room while you're still scouting for other clothes. Frees your hands for more! And most places I went didn't seem to have a limit to how many clothes you could try. It's a little different though, because the malls are seldom fully packed like it is in Singapore, maybe that could be why it's not a common gesture in Singapore.
New Territories is a good place to go for sight seeing. It's a little more laid back, but I like it there. It's more relaxing. They've got their famous wishing tree there, as tinkerbell has mentioned above, along with many other places to visit.
One more place worth going would be the famous Ocean Park! For dolphin lovers, don't miss their dolphin show. It's my first time watching an animal show overseas and I find the dolphin show much more entertaining than shows you get in Singapore. Of course there are other shows which I didn't catch, as well as aquariums and a pseudo reef with many sea creatures, plus their new addition of the Giant Panda. Do go as early as 1030am to beat the tourist crowd. After about 330pm when there's no more animal shows, the place would be pretty packed. Think it'll be good to start early and leave early.
As for food, I did hear that the goose was good, but I didn't get to try. However, I suggest that you have a go at their seafood as it's mostly fresh and it's relatively cheaper there too! Things are much bigger there too, like their fish and crab. I'd say it's pretty worth the money too, for the quality and quantity you get.
On the whole, HK is rather similar to Singapore in terms of fashion and transportation. However the people there are friendlier. To me, I think it's worth the experience traveling and being exposed to different cultures in different countries (: I definitely did enjoy myself on this trip!
Rating given:
Monthly dinner was decided to be had at Bonta after much discussion with the group. Apparently, we were getting pretty tired of Chinese cuisine after our failed attempts with Golden Peony and Hua Ting and so Italian was on the cards this time. Opened in April this year, the restaurant has gotten many rave reviews for its food and service and is helmed by chef Luca Pezzera, formerly of Hotel Intercontinental fame.
The exterior housed a nice chill out space in an alfresco setting while the interior was small and cosy complete with soft lighting which they dimmed as time passed and a small wine chamber for those so inclined. Seating capacity was small however, and the maximum the restaurant could hold inside was probably around 40 people.
Complimentary Bread - The complimentary bread was served after much fanfare and bantering with the overly friendly waiter who took our order. Still, this is another one of those great-complimentary-breads-in -posh-places item. Its also one of the best i've had thus far. The bread was served warm in a longish cup and is crispy on the outside while soft and fluffy on the inside. Pockets of cheese and walnuts were also interspersed to enhance the experience. These are available for take away at a whooping $8 a loaf if you are interested.
Foie Gras (Pan fried goose liver $24) - I got to try one small piece of this and i must say it is surprisingly pleasing. I'm not a big fan of foie gras but this was done well. Slightly crispy on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside. The aftertaste lingers long after you have swallowed it but is overpowering in bigger doses.
Oven Baked Scallops ($22) - I shared this item with a friend to minimize the damage. At $22 for 4 scallops, this came across as being overly expensive. The scallop was sweet and went well with the accompanying sauce to create a pretty good appetizer.
Home Made Angel Hair ($42), Ravioli with Goose Liver ($28)
- The angel hair was springy, soft and sweet making it a decent though not excellent dish. The baby lobster was overly cooked and lacked the fresh sweetness i hoped it would exhibit. I also had a piece of Ravioli and found the taste overpowered by the cream sauce instead of the goose liver present in it.
Black Angus Beef Sirloin ($42) - This dish i did get to try....twice because the first was ordered by my friend, while the other was a wrong order the waiter served to me....twice as well. The first wrong order being Angel Hair and the second being this dish. My main order was actually a Wagyu Beef steak. The beef was served medium rare but lacked the strong beef taste i would love to have. It also came with wierd, greenish tasting porcini mushrooms and foie gras which didn't really cut it for me since my mood was already spoiled by waiting without a main for 20 minutes while my friends finished their own mains before my main arrived with a wrong order again.
The bill came up to $451.96 for 7 people for an unsatisfying dinner and huge service blunders.
Commercial reviews are either overrated or over showcased in my opinion. I don't suppose a restaurant will make bad food for food critics and newspaper reviewers but if they could do it for the writers, at least have the capacity to do it during normal hours as well. The working staff here need retraining and learn to apologize when mistakes are made or at least have the presence of mind to offer a gesture of peace when an error is committed. Still, their snotty attitude and average food offerings brought down this experience very much where i am concerned. Even for my friends, nobody found it in them to order a dessert at the end and thats saying alot. Stay away, stay far far away.
Rating given:
I was celebrating a recent recuperation of funds when i decided to bring my gf for a simple dinner at Pasir Ris. I used to live at the place and this Chinese Zhi Ca stall has been there since i was a young boy. Thats at least 14 years of history and they are still going strong. I remember having many meals there with my family when i was younger and so, to relive that feeling a little, we visited it for an ad hoc dinner.
A point of interest is that right behind the eating place is a carpark you can drive into and the contact is for you to order first, then drive down later to collect your order for take aways. No more standing in queue and they even bring the orders right down to your car for you. Talk about great service!
Zao Pai Dou Fu (Signature Dish Beancurd) $8 - Like i said, a simple dinner. This is their signature dish beancurd which is really good. The beancurd has egg mixed into it giving it a smooth and springy texture which literally melts in your mouth. The sauce is quite salty and is scattered with fried minced pork, shrimps and mushrooms which really add to the taste of the dish overall. This goes well with rice and best taken together with a large group of people.
Jin Sha Xie (Golden Sand Crab) $32 per Kg - I came back for this dish as i was accidentally introduced to it during Andrew's birthday recently and neglected to bring my camera along for the trip. The sauce is where the taste really is and we tasted cheese, chilli, butter and mayonnaise used in the mixture. The crab was obviously fresh and went really well with the sauce. Oats were sprinkled atop for added fragrance and taste. I quote what Andrew said when we had this dish previously: "This is fit for a restaurant." My gf also said it was a good dish but this isn't the first time she's had it. The sauce goes well with rice and of course, deep fried buns which are also available. As usual, bring lots of friends and order this in bulk, i'm sure it'll be a great get together dish.
Bill: The total bill for dinner came up to simply $36. Quite reasonable for a crab meal.
I can see myself coming back to this place many times since its easily accessible (to me at least) and has good food at reasonable prices. The lady and general service here is almost always good and makes paying for their food that much easier. Do try this.
Rating given:
TCC @ The Atrium.The environment is cosy,with nice red comfy chairs. But because of the area,u will find a lot of students studying there.
We had :-
Beef Mozza Tofu…
It's excellent for a person who likes tofu. There is a layer of cheese on top of the tofu. In between the tofu, it's layered with minced beef. Every spoon we took, there was beef. Of course,a dish like this would have to served hot and it took a little more time for this dish to come. The meat was tasty and not too salty.
Charlotte Chocolate Cake
Its just another cake. A simple chocolate cake. Plenty of sponge and little of anything else.I wouldn’t recommend it. We realized later on that we were the only ones that had the cake in the café.
Pepper Mint Tea
I ordered a pot and regretted it. It was hardly fragrant and fell well below my expectations.
We paid $24 for the above with my pot of peppermint tea. I think they specialised in coffee, not so in tea.
The service was excellent. Remembering that I had warm water instead of the normal cold water although the place was crowded. The servers had a good memory.
Rating given:
Ate once at this outlet of Funan Mall some time back. I was there on a weekday and decided to try out the buffet lunch. Given the price and my hunger then, I thot it was the best deal for me. However, to my dismay, the range of food available was really quite limited. There were some items which were either not available or it took a long time to come. In addition, the food served were not even warm when it was supposed to be piping hot.
Overall, I find that this outlet's service ain't as good as the rest as I had gone before. And I definitely won't be going back to it in the near future.
Rating given:
Forget about the full-sized donuts! Marcial Kobe's mini ones are much more yummilicious!!
Happened to be at Central last week and decided to give these cute little donuts a try. Located at the corner of Central basement (where I usually get lost walking as it seems like a maze to me). There were about 10 flavors to choose from. Not sure if its on promo or the usual price, but I got 12 mini donuts at $4. Quite cheap lah!
These donuts are very crispy and are not too sweet. The size is just nice to pop into your mouth. But I had to bite them bit by bit to savor the different taste of each mini donuts. There were the sugared ones, caramelized ones, chocolate ones, and alot of others, which I can't recall! All are delicious lah! So go give it a try when you're around The Central ya!
Rating given:
One of the more popular Chinese Restaurant chains around, Ding Tai Fang is ranked by the New York Time's as one of the World's Top Ten Best Restaurants. The question is whether its really good enough for such a prestigious title.
I guess the first question that comes to mind is: "Why give a contact number if they can't accept reservations?" Maybe for business purposes or general complaints but it certainly doesn't facilitate me in the least.
You can get to the restaurant very easily, simply go up the escalator and voila! The restaurant is right in front of you. The question is if you should go in or hold out for a different location for food. In this situation, i chose to enter with my gf for a meal since she's never tried it before.
The place was actually packed when we came and so we had to take a number and wait outside. Apparently, in my absence, this place has become a choice location for many heartlanders to have their meals. Is it really that good?
Makes you wonder what these people are doing doesn't it? Their actually making Xiao Long Baos for our consumption but i'd like to liken their particular sneaky looking gesture to a dissection on an operating table. Oooo...whets your appetite no?
Appetiser - The appetizer is not free just in case you thought otherwise. This little dish is about $5 if i remember correctly and its a mixed bag of tastes. Its sour, spicy, sweet and salty all at the same time but surprisingly gave me a bigger appetite. Still, its a little too oily and a little too expensive for a starter.
Fried Rice with Prawns - I ordered fried rice for myself as i remembered it being pretty good in this restaurant and indeed, its still nicely done. It comes with a generous amount of prawns as you can see and still has the concentrated egg taste in the rice. Fragrant and tasty but my gf found it a little too salty for her tastes and that is true as well. At $10 for this dish, it does come off as overpriced though.
Dan Dan Mian - We were actually asking the waitress for a recommendation and she recommended their famous Dan Dan Mian which i have never tried before. It came as quite of a shock when we tasted it though, it was salty and the paste tasted like a mixture of peanuts, sweet sauce and chilli. The noodles (la mian) were springy but lacked any taste on their own. In short, not something i would order again.
Xiao Long Bao - Their famous Xiao Long Bao tasted as it should be but i did find the the gravy in the buns to be insufficient and not hot enough. The meat was average but good enough and the skin of the buns can be stretched without bursting open which are all the makings of a good dish. Coupled with vinegar, this tastes much better but i honestly expected better.
Bill: Total bill came up to about $35 for 2 people which is a little too much for the average food we had.
I could not say the food here was very bad but i have to say i am not impressed nor satisfied with their current food standards because i remembered them as offering better food at a much lower price. Now, i do believe i won't be back for a second try and my gf certainly expressed her disappointment at their lackluster 'delicacies' as well.
Rating given:
Dropped by Cafe Oliv, one of the many small eateries lining East Coast Road, for lunch. Its chef, Kevin Heng, used to work for Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa and the Emerald Hill Group but has since moved on to open up Cafe Oliv with his buddy, Patrick Ang.
Situated just next to the famous 328 Laksa and further down from Astons Specialties, Cafe Oliv is a tiny eatery which can probably seat about 20 pax. The interior is minimalistic with its clean lines and plastic tables and chairs.
Cream of Vegetable Soup - This came as part of the set lunch which means you don't get to choose anything except for the main course. I wouldn't say the soup was terrific or anything close to that, but it was decent - tasty yet not too coagulated or runny. Something should be done about the rock hard bread though, which was still too hard even after dipping it into the soup.
Grilled Half Shell Scallops with Basil Aglio Olio Linguine - As lip smacking as this dish may sound, it certainly had lots of room for improvement. The linguine wasn't al dente to begin with and came across as a tad too salty for my liking. The scallops were nicely grilled with a tinge of rawness but didn't seem particularly sweet.
Traditional Beef Stew with Fennel - I liked the thick gravy which came with this dish but the beef did seem a tad too soft for my liking though my friend found it just right. Nice warm dish to have on a cold rainy day. Just don't get your expectations too high.
Oliv Mini Trio Meat Burger - Made up of 3 different types of burger, namely BBQ sliced pork, cod fish steak and tenderloin steak, this dish was one of the more interesting dishes around. Personally I fancied the tenderloin burger the most as the patty was chewy with lots of bite. The BBQ sliced pork, which looked and tasted like Kong Ba incidentally, had its taste overwhelmed by the bacon. As for the salmon, I found it a tad too salty.
Brownie with Ice Cream - Its really difficult to go wrong with brownies, save for those that are hard and dry. Having said that, I did like the brownie quite a fair bit with its chocolaty overtones.
A relaxing and filling lunch for 2 came to the tune of $43, which isn't expensive considering that the set lunch itself is only $10.90 nett per person. No service charge or GST is imposed, which is a plus as well and not forgetting the good service rendered. I would say overall food quality is decent but don't expect too much.
See all my pictures here
Rating given: