Its one of the theatres i have a love hate relationship about. Its very far lor.. if you walk from MRT.... You must first walk from City Hall Mrt Station to Marina square then you got to walk straight straight straight until you see John Little... Then up and then straight straight straight again pass the bowling alleys then you see you theatre.... The only thing i love about the place is that it is not usually crowded like the rest of the other cinemas... However do get your tickets early too as during weekends.... It will be still crowded.. because everybody will start thinking that everybody will not be going there to watch a movie and ended up... everybody is there.
The seats unlike the newer VIVO GV or GREAT WORLD GV that the centre divider can be shifted up... most of the seats in marina GV cannot remove the centre divider hand rest however they have a row of the LOVERS SEATS at the last row.. Don't ask me why removing the dividers are important ok... Its just...... MORE COMFY..........
As it is not a very new cinema, the cinemas are larger in size.. and I totally enjoy the bigger screen and bigger space..... Especially when there are very few people watching the movie or you are the only one watching the movie.. You would feel totally value for money lor.... Human are the bigger the better right? The sound systems and levels are quite balanced unlike some cinemas when i realise the volume is too high and I get the ringing sound after that..
However one thing i really dislike about cinemas.... The entrance is always a nice escalator with beautiful soft carpets and spacious toilets with attentive attendants and movie preview screenings while the EXIT is always the FIRE EXIT.. with dreadful smelling bare staircases that nobody dwells in and even a rubbish bin is hard to find.. on top of that no toilets...... until you walk back into the mall which is a long journey.. Its a bad icon to the service and entertainment industry.. Like after you have earned my hard earned money and screened your movie.... you can disregard me already. Oh comeon... what makes you think I won't buy a drink on my way out or but another ticket to watch another movie later... comeon....this is an area which much improvement must be done....
I like our science centre.. Matter of fact i was quite an astronomical fan when i was a few years younger then now. Though now i am still young, but i kind of relived my younger days everytime i step into science centre.
First I like the fact that parking is free.. on top of that you have a good array of affordable food like the Macdonalds, Suki Sushi, etc.... The entrance fee is reasonable as there are many features inside the centre itself. There is also a water play ground making use of physics and other science themes which is environmentally friendly and very engaging.
I totally agree that play is the best way to educate children and youths and with the environment the singapore science centre had set up. It was indeed a great place to teach students on primary and secondary school science. I perhaps am most intrigued by the lighting room. Where they will conduct some real lightnings for demo. It is fun yet exciting and not many can get to experience a lightning strike up close and personal yet still remain alive.
The centre itself is well catagorised and have a wide array of themes which is fun and creative. There are many hands-on experiments and science is all about working on stuffs.. making use of your 5 senses and discovering more about our world and ourselves.
You might also want to catch a glimpse and watch a movie at the omnimax theatre.. Where 3D movies brings dinosaurs to live. With the rounded screen and steep sitting. Getting into your seat is an excitement all by itself. Check out also the astronomy shop whereby you can get stargazing equipments and some tips to venture into the mysterious outer space.
Many do not know.. Matter of fact, there is a huge telescope in the vacinity of the science centre itself and it is open for star enthusiaste. There is a interest club you can join and activities held there in the event of a prominent meteor showers.
Its a wonderful place to hang around when you just have nothing to do. Most important, I can never stop myself from learning new stuffs there... Its a place though old but knowledge so generous that you can never learn them all in a day.... Discover something you thought you already know today.
See You Around!!!
Thai Food - $10 Dollars
Ang Mo Food - $20 Dollars
ATAS Chinese Food at the top level - $100 Dollars
A sit in Ootoya during Dinner Hours - Priceless
The sits outside Ootoya are not for resting your feet, but they are for prospective customers with rumbling stomachs and black black faces. Now we know why it always feels like being in a thunderstorm in orchard central. The temperature so low and freezing, atmosphere dark and gloomy and the roar of the thunder reigning in my ears.
Ootoya is like a little gem in this cosmopolitan like mall. They serve food i should say pretty different from other restaurants. I catagorise them..."Home-Cooked Jap Food". They don't serve funky affairs like raw lobster sashimi or tappenyaki with the fliping saucers and flying eggs; but casual yet chic home affairs like fried chicken with egg plant, scallop on rice, and many more tantalizing saliva dripping stuffs which are super duper delicious. I could not really recall the complicated jap names of these dishes but I could recall the yummy taste and the soothing aroma, which BTW is flashing through my senses now....
The Dessert is FAB...... especially the mochi or whatever sticky yummy think they call it... You can have a choice of it with coffee, green tea or vanilla ice cream. Its always important to conclude your meal with a fabulously fantastic dessert as no one would enjoy a movie without a good ending...
Now we talk about the most important part.. Will it burn a hole in your pocket.. I can tell you... judging by my weight, size and the amount of burnt marks on my tongue I get savoury piping hot food.. It is super affordable. Considering the venue, ambience, super attentive service, wonderful setting, generous portions and great tasting food. It is very value for money. On top of that... the green tea is free lor.. no need 2 dollars or $1.50.. not even 50 cents... and no need to buy mineral water from them lor.....
Then got BONUS.....
They have this tatami sitting.. in as the centre piece. Great for big groups, single diners or just for 2. You get to sit with strangers, altogether totally jap style lor.. Matter of fact, I didn't manage to sit there even though i went there to eat many times. I always wonder how they get in and out. If they will kick anybody's head when they get in/out.... Anyway.. this is something very interesting that I love...
You can also sit on normal tables for 2 or 4. They are spacious and comfortable and I love the window sits as I do get to see the miserable and impatient faces waiting outside to rush in for dinner. Its not a huge place and theres almost no reservation services available. Be early to secure a good seat or be in the midst of a thunderstorm.
Personally, i feel that Ah Chew's desserts are one of the few best desserts that i have ever tasted. Located along Liang Seah Street, Ah Chew originally occupies only one store space. It has since expanded into two store space to accommodate more customers. The overall feel of this store gives one a very warm yet traditional feel. This is likely attributed to the warm lighting as well as the oriental designed glass table and stools.
Ah Chew employed a slightly different ordering system. Basically, one will have to find a seat first before he / she can order at the counter personally. Of course, bill will also be paid upon ordering. With only a single cash counter, this ordering system has somehow introduced a long queue at the counter, especially during the peak hours.
Ah Chew has quite a wide variety of hot or cold desserts. Beside the desserts, they have also introduced a few add-ons option for one to customize their own dessert. Take for example, one can even add on ice cream for their mango sago and pomelo dessert.
Out of their varieties of desserts, I liked their mango sago and pomelo the best. Beside the substantial amount of mango cubes, sago and pomelo, its mango base is also thick and creamy. The mango base is something which i think it’s important for the mango sago and pomelo dessert to taste good and nice. Believe they may have mixed in real mango puree to form this mango base texture.
However, there is one thing which i think they can improve on their version of mango sago and pomelo dessert. That is to make use shaved ice instead of ice cubes. As the ice cubes do not melt fast enough, one would often taste the ice cubes when eating this dessert. Believe this will no longer be an issue if shaved ice is used instead. :)
All in all, Ah Chew's dessert, especially the mango sago and pomelo is worth giving a try.
My friend told me that this stall sells good 'Bak Ku Teh' and has an almost signature hot spicy peppery 'Bak Ku' Soup. I have always preferred 'Bak Ku Teh' that are of a much peppery taste, thus i purposely made my way down to Jurong East and try them out.
Hidden in a hawker centre in Jurong East, this shop was located at the circumferences of the hawker centre. So, one simply needs to walk round that hawker centre and you will be able to locate this store. It should be considered as one of the biggest 'Bak Ku Teh' store in that entire hawker center as it occupies two shop spaces instead of a normal one.
They have quite a few certificates (makansutra, where the queue starts, etc) pasted on the store, this indirectly indicate that their 'Bak Ku Teh' would be of a certain standard. Of course, this had also increase my expectation on this store.
Their varieties found on the menu was pretty similar compared to other 'Bak Ku Teh' store. Beside pork ribs, it also have intestines and pork trotters. The 'Bak Ku Teh' comes in two different portion and starts from 4 bucks for the smalles portion.
I ordered the smallest portion of the 'Bak Ku Teh' and it comes with three pork ribs. This portion was pretty similar as compared to other 'Bak Ku Teh' store. However, i find that their pork ribs were bit too small and have much fats in them. Perhaps, pork ribs with fats would made the 'Bak Ku Teh' more tasty but still, i would prefer those of a leaner pork.
As for the 'Bak Ku' soup, it was indeed peppery, however this peppery taste may be too much for those who cannot accept spicy stuffs. Combined with the garlic, it forms a pretty tasty soup overall. But still, i wish that the garlic taste would be bit stronger. :)
They were pretty generous when it comes to refilling the 'Bak Ku' soup where they would refill it up to the rim of the bowl. Although, they only refill the 'Bak Ku' soup for once, they are still willing to refill the soup for me when i asked for the second time. Pretty customer oriented in this case.
The ION orchard food hall was like a maze to me. Every food store looks so similar (in terms of exterior decoration) to me. After several turns, we still can't decide what to have. In the end, we decided to just settle with the store right in front of us. This store is non other than “The Taiyaki”.
"The Taiyaki” food store basically made use of the ‘see-through’ idea to allow customers to have a closer distance with the chef. In this case, customers will be able to see how their food is being prepared and at the same time, be assured that the chef will not short change them in terms of quantity and hygiene. Personally, I feel that such ‘see-through’ concept is a pretty good idea as one will not need to ask the chef what they are cooking or how it was being prepared, etc.
“The Taiyaki” sells Japanese style crispy pancakes and these pancakes were all shaped as a fish. Wonder why the Japanese liked the ‘Fish’ shape so much as I have saw similar ‘fish’ shape pancakes selling elsewhere. Perhaps the ‘fish’ shape is a pretty simple shape to mould or perhaps it holds some special meaning for the Japanese themselves.
This store sells about six different varieties of crispy pancakes, which can be divided into two categories – the sweet and the savory ones. The sweet pancakes include the red bean, the banana chocolate and the apple cinnamon. As for the savory ones, there are bacon and egg, Italian and german potato. Recently, they also came out a new curry flavor of crispy pancake.
We ordered the Italian flavor crispy pancake. It consists of tuna, cheese, corn, tomato sauce and sausage. Can you imagine how a small size pancakes can packed so many ingredients inside? Well, it sure did and the end product was a big fat fish pancake. :) At first, I was pretty wary that the taste may be weird as each of these ingredients has its own unique taste. After the first taste, I realized that these thoughts were unnecessary. When savoring the mixed product of these ingredients, I find it pretty alright and am still able to taste each ingredients unique taste.
I liked the special batter that they used, making the pancake to taste very crispy. The amount of ingredients was pretty substantial, making the entire pancake to be very filling. For a cost of less than 3 bucks for each pancake, I feel that this pancake is pretty worth the price. To compare with those of very thick batter, I still prefer this pancake over those. However, I dislike the fact that the pancake gets burnt easily with few black patches on the pancake. Perhaps, the temperature of the oven was pretty high that day to accommodate faster time to make the pancakes. However, it would definitely be better if they would slowly bake the pancakes at an optimal temperature.
This store should have existed for a very long time now. I can still vaguely remember how my mom would buy their tau kwa for me to eat when i am just a kid. Yes, am indeed surprised that this store still exists after so many years. Perhaps, its special and unique recipe can indeed satisfy the taste buds of many people here.
Mary corner is located in a coffeeshop near the traffic junction. Although the coffeeshop is a pretty small one but still there is some difficulties in locating this store. Thanks to its numerous signs, notices and newspaper cuttings that shed some light to me. I managed to find this store at an un-noticeable corner of the coffeeshop.
Mary corner sell quite a few items but their 'tau kwa' seems to be the most popular item of all. As such, we decided to order their 'tau kwa'. Afraid that its portion may not be filling enough, we also ordered a bowl of laksa. The total cost of a plate of 'tau kwa' and a bowl of laksa is 8 bucks. A pretty acceptable pricing, i can say.
One plate of their 'tau kwa' hold two big pieces of bean curd. On top of this deeply fried bean curd were sprinkled with some bits of ingredients. From what i can see, these ingredients consist of boiled egg, cucumber and some form of crispy cracker. To top it off, theses 'tau kwa' were drizzled with some special sauce. The overall 'tau kwa' tasted pretty average, but i do like the big portion of the bean curd and the chopped ingredients. Also, if they managed to make the whole dish slightly warmer, it will definitely taste nicer. ;)
Their chilli is also worth abit of mentioning as i find it’s to be rather special. Their chilli is a special blend, besides the chilli sauce, they have also added in the green chopped chillies. It does not taste like the normal chilli sauce as it appears to be rather watery. Also, it does not have an extremely spicy taste. In fact, i can actually taste some sweetness in them. However, if you would like to have an additional spicy shot, you can taste the green chopped chilli provided in their bowl of chilli.
As for their laksa, it’s pretty normal. Their laksa is normal, in the sense that it does not have any extraordinary ingredients. Only the normal ingredients such as prawns and 'tau pok' are seen. Personally, find that their laksa gravy is bit too watery for my liking. I would definitely prefer a thicker version of the gravy. A point worth mentioning for their laksa is the substantial amount of prawns. One would be able to find at least 4 prawns in a single bowl of laksa. Believe that this is the most number of prawns that i have eaten in a normal bowl of laksa.
If you are sick of the normal plain fried ‘tau kwa’, you may wish to try out Mary corner famous ‘tau kwa’.
I admit, I’m spoil. And I blame everything on Yanting. If I have not had better dim sum before, the ones at Wen Dao Shi might be consider pretty decent, but the truth is – they are not.
They need not be anyway, people come here for the nostaglic feeling of sitting by the roadside in the red district area. People come all the way here because there’s not much options when you suddenly have a craving for dim sum in the middle of the night. And people like it here because it’s unpretentious and affordable.
This is not a food review, it’s a night where old friends come together and have fun. I will tell you absolutely nothing about the food here, because on this night the food becomes secondary. But I can’t do that can I? You are after all here to find out more about the place, so here’s a few snippets about the dim sum:
For around ten dollars per person, we had quite a lot of food. There was the usual Siew mai & Har gau, the former was pretty decent while the latter did not impress. The skin of the shrimp dumpling cracked even before we picked it up.
You probably want to go with the fried stuff instead. The fried prawn dumpling that came with the mayo dip was pretty competent and the xiaolongbao was fairly average.
We had the steamed pork-ribs, and also the cheong fun. The rice roll came with a different type of sauce that I couldn’t make out, and there’s too little fillings inside.
If you are there, don’t bother to get the Char siew sou, the taste was completely flat – the puff lacked the crispy buttery flakes, and the char siew did not have the attributes to earn the rights to be inside the char siew sou. But I was surprised by the char siew bao, the buns were fluffy and soft, and it came pipping hot.
Since most places do not serve dim sum at night, and even for places that have dim sum for dinner, they close early and Wen Dao Shi is probably one of the few places that can satisfy your dim sum cravings in the middle of the night. While there are others who felt that the dim sum here is over-priced, on the contrary I thought that the pricing is pretty reasonable.
But the next time I have a dim sum craving? I will sulk, go to bed with an empty stomach, dream about it and wait till the next day for my favorite dim sum.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
It was down to Chinese cuisine and at Changi airport, choices were far and few. I was generally sick of Crystal Jade Shanghai Kitchen so Imperial Treasure it was. It definitely helped that I had a positive experience at Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine before.
Located in the main lobby of Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport, the restaurant utilizes a dark wooden paneled facade to portray an air of exclusivity and class. Plush cushion seats amidst a carpeted flooring complete the picture.
Roasted Goose - Geese are a scarce commodity nowadays, especially after the banning of birds from China and Taiwan during the bird flu outbreak a couple of months back. And I baulked at paying $30 for probably just a quarter of a goose. But I did so nonetheless and am glad that it turned out splendid. A thin layer of fat sandwiched between crackling crisp skin and succulent meat, lying in a shallow pool of oily fluid. If you are the sort to squirm in the presence of excessive oil, it would be in your best interests to steer clear of this dish.
Sauteed Scallops with Truffle Oil - I loved this dish, especially with the aroma of truffle oil. The four scallops were huge, juicy and came served on a bed of lip smacking egg white. There is actually an option of having this dish without the truffle oil (its quite a fair bit cheaper too) but my advice would be to stick to truffle oil.
Broccoli with Mushroom - I personally thought that the broccoli was a little undercooked, rendering it a tad too hard for my liking. However the plentiful mushrooms more then made up for it and overall a very decent dish.
A most gratifying dinner for 2 didn't make it past the century mark, standing at a shade over $90, which was still reasonable in my context. I did think that $3 for a bowl of rice was a little over the top though. Service was good and I can't really find any reason not to return.
Come to think of it, I have been using the word feast very frequently, for a lack of better word. I mean when you are having a scrumptious seafood platter, tasty prawns, big crabs, fresh sashimi, gigantic clams – you can’t possibly say, oh I have a normal dinner can you?
We started with Tung Lok’s signature Seafood platter ($68, portion for 4), it had everything you wished for: cold crabs, sashimi, oysters. Okay maybe not, it would be perfect if there’s lobster too. Under our persuasion, we managed to convince one of us who never like oysters to give it a shot – the thing with oysters is you either love or hate it. The scene of her slurping down the cold raw oysters? Priceless.
How can a seafood platter be without sashimi? The raw fish was generously sliced, and ready to be savour. But the wasabi that came along with it was quite disappointing.
Luckily, we also had the Wasabi prawns ($24) which was excellent; fresh crunchy prawn balls coated with a thin layer of wasabi mayo sauce. I like how the wasabi provided the subtle flavor without the choking sensation.
The Roast pork shoulder ($24) was gorgeous in every way, beneath the char-grilled surface was the tender pork shoulder. I wouldn’t go as far to say it melted in my mouth, but it was pretty close. And having some fats once in a while won’t kill you.
This was the dish that all of us were there for – Singapore’s famous Chili Crab ($45 per kg). I was sexcited by the thought of dipping the deep-fried mantou buns into the thick spicy-sweet gravy. But the crab failed to impose its aura with the less-than-satisfying chili gravy which just wasn’t good enough. None of which, I should note, makes this the chili crab to die for. Maybe the mantou, but definitely not the crab nor the gravy.
I’m always a chili/salted egg yoke crab person, so I’m afraid you probably will not get a very fair rating about the Black Pepper crab ($45 per kg) from me. I’m happy to tell you that the others felt it was much better than the chili crab, however it was too salty for my liking. But then again, I’m not a crab-lover, so what do I know?
It was my first time having Steamed Razor Clam ($8 each) with garlic, and it was big/huge/enormous/gigantic! The vermicelli absorbed the essence of the sauce, and it was pretty rewarding to dig out the clam meat. Fine, I exaggerated – what I merely did was just to fork it inside my mouth.
* * *
This is part of a series that I’m doing with Standard Chartered, I will like to thank Claudia from 24seven Communications, and Standard Chartered Bank for the invitation.
Just a quick note about their new credit card campaign, I’m sure most of you will have seen their latest Barry and Fin advertisement; first you get 15% off total food bill (click here for the list of restaurant), and at the end of the month if you have charged more than the minimum amount of $500 (which can be anything, not just dining), you are entitled to an additional 15% cashback which applies to all restaurant in Singapore.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
1=SGD 0.0587
Its one of the theatres i have a love hate relationship about. Its very far lor.. if you walk from MRT.... You must first walk from City Hall Mrt Station to Marina square then you got to walk straight straight straight until you see John Little... Then up and then straight straight straight again pass the bowling alleys then you see you theatre.... The only thing i love about the place is that it is not usually crowded like the rest of the other cinemas... However do get your tickets early too as during weekends.... It will be still crowded.. because everybody will start thinking that everybody will not be going there to watch a movie and ended up... everybody is there.
The seats unlike the newer VIVO GV or GREAT WORLD GV that the centre divider can be shifted up... most of the seats in marina GV cannot remove the centre divider hand rest however they have a row of the LOVERS SEATS at the last row.. Don't ask me why removing the dividers are important ok... Its just...... MORE COMFY..........
As it is not a very new cinema, the cinemas are larger in size.. and I totally enjoy the bigger screen and bigger space..... Especially when there are very few people watching the movie or you are the only one watching the movie.. You would feel totally value for money lor.... Human are the bigger the better right? The sound systems and levels are quite balanced unlike some cinemas when i realise the volume is too high and I get the ringing sound after that..
However one thing i really dislike about cinemas.... The entrance is always a nice escalator with beautiful soft carpets and spacious toilets with attentive attendants and movie preview screenings while the EXIT is always the FIRE EXIT.. with dreadful smelling bare staircases that nobody dwells in and even a rubbish bin is hard to find.. on top of that no toilets...... until you walk back into the mall which is a long journey.. Its a bad icon to the service and entertainment industry.. Like after you have earned my hard earned money and screened your movie.... you can disregard me already. Oh comeon... what makes you think I won't buy a drink on my way out or but another ticket to watch another movie later... comeon....this is an area which much improvement must be done....
Rating given:
I like our science centre.. Matter of fact i was quite an astronomical fan when i was a few years younger then now. Though now i am still young, but i kind of relived my younger days everytime i step into science centre.
First I like the fact that parking is free.. on top of that you have a good array of affordable food like the Macdonalds, Suki Sushi, etc.... The entrance fee is reasonable as there are many features inside the centre itself. There is also a water play ground making use of physics and other science themes which is environmentally friendly and very engaging.
I totally agree that play is the best way to educate children and youths and with the environment the singapore science centre had set up. It was indeed a great place to teach students on primary and secondary school science. I perhaps am most intrigued by the lighting room. Where they will conduct some real lightnings for demo. It is fun yet exciting and not many can get to experience a lightning strike up close and personal yet still remain alive.
The centre itself is well catagorised and have a wide array of themes which is fun and creative. There are many hands-on experiments and science is all about working on stuffs.. making use of your 5 senses and discovering more about our world and ourselves.
You might also want to catch a glimpse and watch a movie at the omnimax theatre.. Where 3D movies brings dinosaurs to live. With the rounded screen and steep sitting. Getting into your seat is an excitement all by itself. Check out also the astronomy shop whereby you can get stargazing equipments and some tips to venture into the mysterious outer space.
Many do not know.. Matter of fact, there is a huge telescope in the vacinity of the science centre itself and it is open for star enthusiaste. There is a interest club you can join and activities held there in the event of a prominent meteor showers.
Its a wonderful place to hang around when you just have nothing to do. Most important, I can never stop myself from learning new stuffs there... Its a place though old but knowledge so generous that you can never learn them all in a day.... Discover something you thought you already know today.
See You Around!!!
Rating given:
Thai Food - $10 Dollars
Ang Mo Food - $20 Dollars
ATAS Chinese Food at the top level - $100 Dollars
A sit in Ootoya during Dinner Hours - Priceless
The sits outside Ootoya are not for resting your feet, but they are for prospective customers with rumbling stomachs and black black faces. Now we know why it always feels like being in a thunderstorm in orchard central. The temperature so low and freezing, atmosphere dark and gloomy and the roar of the thunder reigning in my ears.
Ootoya is like a little gem in this cosmopolitan like mall. They serve food i should say pretty different from other restaurants. I catagorise them..."Home-Cooked Jap Food". They don't serve funky affairs like raw lobster sashimi or tappenyaki with the fliping saucers and flying eggs; but casual yet chic home affairs like fried chicken with egg plant, scallop on rice, and many more tantalizing saliva dripping stuffs which are super duper delicious. I could not really recall the complicated jap names of these dishes but I could recall the yummy taste and the soothing aroma, which BTW is flashing through my senses now....
The Dessert is FAB...... especially the mochi or whatever sticky yummy think they call it... You can have a choice of it with coffee, green tea or vanilla ice cream. Its always important to conclude your meal with a fabulously fantastic dessert as no one would enjoy a movie without a good ending...
Now we talk about the most important part.. Will it burn a hole in your pocket.. I can tell you... judging by my weight, size and the amount of burnt marks on my tongue I get savoury piping hot food.. It is super affordable. Considering the venue, ambience, super attentive service, wonderful setting, generous portions and great tasting food. It is very value for money. On top of that... the green tea is free lor.. no need 2 dollars or $1.50.. not even 50 cents... and no need to buy mineral water from them lor.....
Then got BONUS.....
They have this tatami sitting.. in as the centre piece. Great for big groups, single diners or just for 2. You get to sit with strangers, altogether totally jap style lor.. Matter of fact, I didn't manage to sit there even though i went there to eat many times. I always wonder how they get in and out. If they will kick anybody's head when they get in/out.... Anyway.. this is something very interesting that I love...
You can also sit on normal tables for 2 or 4. They are spacious and comfortable and I love the window sits as I do get to see the miserable and impatient faces waiting outside to rush in for dinner. Its not a huge place and theres almost no reservation services available. Be early to secure a good seat or be in the midst of a thunderstorm.
Rating given:
Personally, i feel that Ah Chew's desserts are one of the few best desserts that i have ever tasted. Located along Liang Seah Street, Ah Chew originally occupies only one store space. It has since expanded into two store space to accommodate more customers. The overall feel of this store gives one a very warm yet traditional feel. This is likely attributed to the warm lighting as well as the oriental designed glass table and stools.
Ah Chew employed a slightly different ordering system. Basically, one will have to find a seat first before he / she can order at the counter personally. Of course, bill will also be paid upon ordering. With only a single cash counter, this ordering system has somehow introduced a long queue at the counter, especially during the peak hours.
Ah Chew has quite a wide variety of hot or cold desserts. Beside the desserts, they have also introduced a few add-ons option for one to customize their own dessert. Take for example, one can even add on ice cream for their mango sago and pomelo dessert.
Out of their varieties of desserts, I liked their mango sago and pomelo the best. Beside the substantial amount of mango cubes, sago and pomelo, its mango base is also thick and creamy. The mango base is something which i think it’s important for the mango sago and pomelo dessert to taste good and nice. Believe they may have mixed in real mango puree to form this mango base texture.
However, there is one thing which i think they can improve on their version of mango sago and pomelo dessert. That is to make use shaved ice instead of ice cubes. As the ice cubes do not melt fast enough, one would often taste the ice cubes when eating this dessert. Believe this will no longer be an issue if shaved ice is used instead. :)
All in all, Ah Chew's dessert, especially the mango sago and pomelo is worth giving a try.
Rating given:
My friend told me that this stall sells good 'Bak Ku Teh' and has an almost signature hot spicy peppery 'Bak Ku' Soup. I have always preferred 'Bak Ku Teh' that are of a much peppery taste, thus i purposely made my way down to Jurong East and try them out.
Hidden in a hawker centre in Jurong East, this shop was located at the circumferences of the hawker centre. So, one simply needs to walk round that hawker centre and you will be able to locate this store. It should be considered as one of the biggest 'Bak Ku Teh' store in that entire hawker center as it occupies two shop spaces instead of a normal one.
They have quite a few certificates (makansutra, where the queue starts, etc) pasted on the store, this indirectly indicate that their 'Bak Ku Teh' would be of a certain standard. Of course, this had also increase my expectation on this store.
Their varieties found on the menu was pretty similar compared to other 'Bak Ku Teh' store. Beside pork ribs, it also have intestines and pork trotters. The 'Bak Ku Teh' comes in two different portion and starts from 4 bucks for the smalles portion.
I ordered the smallest portion of the 'Bak Ku Teh' and it comes with three pork ribs. This portion was pretty similar as compared to other 'Bak Ku Teh' store. However, i find that their pork ribs were bit too small and have much fats in them. Perhaps, pork ribs with fats would made the 'Bak Ku Teh' more tasty but still, i would prefer those of a leaner pork.
As for the 'Bak Ku' soup, it was indeed peppery, however this peppery taste may be too much for those who cannot accept spicy stuffs. Combined with the garlic, it forms a pretty tasty soup overall. But still, i wish that the garlic taste would be bit stronger. :)
They were pretty generous when it comes to refilling the 'Bak Ku' soup where they would refill it up to the rim of the bowl. Although, they only refill the 'Bak Ku' soup for once, they are still willing to refill the soup for me when i asked for the second time. Pretty customer oriented in this case.
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The ION orchard food hall was like a maze to me. Every food store looks so similar (in terms of exterior decoration) to me. After several turns, we still can't decide what to have. In the end, we decided to just settle with the store right in front of us. This store is non other than “The Taiyaki”.
"The Taiyaki” food store basically made use of the ‘see-through’ idea to allow customers to have a closer distance with the chef. In this case, customers will be able to see how their food is being prepared and at the same time, be assured that the chef will not short change them in terms of quantity and hygiene. Personally, I feel that such ‘see-through’ concept is a pretty good idea as one will not need to ask the chef what they are cooking or how it was being prepared, etc.
“The Taiyaki” sells Japanese style crispy pancakes and these pancakes were all shaped as a fish. Wonder why the Japanese liked the ‘Fish’ shape so much as I have saw similar ‘fish’ shape pancakes selling elsewhere. Perhaps the ‘fish’ shape is a pretty simple shape to mould or perhaps it holds some special meaning for the Japanese themselves.
This store sells about six different varieties of crispy pancakes, which can be divided into two categories – the sweet and the savory ones. The sweet pancakes include the red bean, the banana chocolate and the apple cinnamon. As for the savory ones, there are bacon and egg, Italian and german potato. Recently, they also came out a new curry flavor of crispy pancake.
We ordered the Italian flavor crispy pancake. It consists of tuna, cheese, corn, tomato sauce and sausage. Can you imagine how a small size pancakes can packed so many ingredients inside? Well, it sure did and the end product was a big fat fish pancake. :) At first, I was pretty wary that the taste may be weird as each of these ingredients has its own unique taste. After the first taste, I realized that these thoughts were unnecessary. When savoring the mixed product of these ingredients, I find it pretty alright and am still able to taste each ingredients unique taste.
I liked the special batter that they used, making the pancake to taste very crispy. The amount of ingredients was pretty substantial, making the entire pancake to be very filling. For a cost of less than 3 bucks for each pancake, I feel that this pancake is pretty worth the price. To compare with those of very thick batter, I still prefer this pancake over those. However, I dislike the fact that the pancake gets burnt easily with few black patches on the pancake. Perhaps, the temperature of the oven was pretty high that day to accommodate faster time to make the pancakes. However, it would definitely be better if they would slowly bake the pancakes at an optimal temperature.
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This store should have existed for a very long time now. I can still vaguely remember how my mom would buy their tau kwa for me to eat when i am just a kid. Yes, am indeed surprised that this store still exists after so many years. Perhaps, its special and unique recipe can indeed satisfy the taste buds of many people here.
Mary corner is located in a coffeeshop near the traffic junction. Although the coffeeshop is a pretty small one but still there is some difficulties in locating this store. Thanks to its numerous signs, notices and newspaper cuttings that shed some light to me. I managed to find this store at an un-noticeable corner of the coffeeshop.
Mary corner sell quite a few items but their 'tau kwa' seems to be the most popular item of all. As such, we decided to order their 'tau kwa'. Afraid that its portion may not be filling enough, we also ordered a bowl of laksa. The total cost of a plate of 'tau kwa' and a bowl of laksa is 8 bucks. A pretty acceptable pricing, i can say.
One plate of their 'tau kwa' hold two big pieces of bean curd. On top of this deeply fried bean curd were sprinkled with some bits of ingredients. From what i can see, these ingredients consist of boiled egg, cucumber and some form of crispy cracker. To top it off, theses 'tau kwa' were drizzled with some special sauce. The overall 'tau kwa' tasted pretty average, but i do like the big portion of the bean curd and the chopped ingredients. Also, if they managed to make the whole dish slightly warmer, it will definitely taste nicer. ;)
Their chilli is also worth abit of mentioning as i find it’s to be rather special. Their chilli is a special blend, besides the chilli sauce, they have also added in the green chopped chillies. It does not taste like the normal chilli sauce as it appears to be rather watery. Also, it does not have an extremely spicy taste. In fact, i can actually taste some sweetness in them. However, if you would like to have an additional spicy shot, you can taste the green chopped chilli provided in their bowl of chilli.
As for their laksa, it’s pretty normal. Their laksa is normal, in the sense that it does not have any extraordinary ingredients. Only the normal ingredients such as prawns and 'tau pok' are seen. Personally, find that their laksa gravy is bit too watery for my liking. I would definitely prefer a thicker version of the gravy. A point worth mentioning for their laksa is the substantial amount of prawns. One would be able to find at least 4 prawns in a single bowl of laksa. Believe that this is the most number of prawns that i have eaten in a normal bowl of laksa.
If you are sick of the normal plain fried ‘tau kwa’, you may wish to try out Mary corner famous ‘tau kwa’.
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I admit, I’m spoil. And I blame everything on Yanting. If I have not had better dim sum before, the ones at Wen Dao Shi might be consider pretty decent, but the truth is – they are not.
They need not be anyway, people come here for the nostaglic feeling of sitting by the roadside in the red district area. People come all the way here because there’s not much options when you suddenly have a craving for dim sum in the middle of the night. And people like it here because it’s unpretentious and affordable.
This is not a food review, it’s a night where old friends come together and have fun. I will tell you absolutely nothing about the food here, because on this night the food becomes secondary. But I can’t do that can I? You are after all here to find out more about the place, so here’s a few snippets about the dim sum:
For around ten dollars per person, we had quite a lot of food. There was the usual Siew mai & Har gau, the former was pretty decent while the latter did not impress. The skin of the shrimp dumpling cracked even before we picked it up.
You probably want to go with the fried stuff instead. The fried prawn dumpling that came with the mayo dip was pretty competent and the xiaolongbao was fairly average.
We had the steamed pork-ribs, and also the cheong fun. The rice roll came with a different type of sauce that I couldn’t make out, and there’s too little fillings inside.
If you are there, don’t bother to get the Char siew sou, the taste was completely flat – the puff lacked the crispy buttery flakes, and the char siew did not have the attributes to earn the rights to be inside the char siew sou. But I was surprised by the char siew bao, the buns were fluffy and soft, and it came pipping hot.
Since most places do not serve dim sum at night, and even for places that have dim sum for dinner, they close early and Wen Dao Shi is probably one of the few places that can satisfy your dim sum cravings in the middle of the night. While there are others who felt that the dim sum here is over-priced, on the contrary I thought that the pricing is pretty reasonable.
But the next time I have a dim sum craving? I will sulk, go to bed with an empty stomach, dream about it and wait till the next day for my favorite dim sum.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
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It was down to Chinese cuisine and at Changi airport, choices were far and few. I was generally sick of Crystal Jade Shanghai Kitchen so Imperial Treasure it was. It definitely helped that I had a positive experience at Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine before.
Located in the main lobby of Crowne Plaza Hotel at Changi Airport, the restaurant utilizes a dark wooden paneled facade to portray an air of exclusivity and class. Plush cushion seats amidst a carpeted flooring complete the picture.
Roasted Goose - Geese are a scarce commodity nowadays, especially after the banning of birds from China and Taiwan during the bird flu outbreak a couple of months back. And I baulked at paying $30 for probably just a quarter of a goose. But I did so nonetheless and am glad that it turned out splendid. A thin layer of fat sandwiched between crackling crisp skin and succulent meat, lying in a shallow pool of oily fluid. If you are the sort to squirm in the presence of excessive oil, it would be in your best interests to steer clear of this dish.
Sauteed Scallops with Truffle Oil - I loved this dish, especially with the aroma of truffle oil. The four scallops were huge, juicy and came served on a bed of lip smacking egg white. There is actually an option of having this dish without the truffle oil (its quite a fair bit cheaper too) but my advice would be to stick to truffle oil.
Broccoli with Mushroom - I personally thought that the broccoli was a little undercooked, rendering it a tad too hard for my liking. However the plentiful mushrooms more then made up for it and overall a very decent dish.
A most gratifying dinner for 2 didn't make it past the century mark, standing at a shade over $90, which was still reasonable in my context. I did think that $3 for a bowl of rice was a little over the top though. Service was good and I can't really find any reason not to return.
See all my pictures here.
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Come to think of it, I have been using the word feast very frequently, for a lack of better word. I mean when you are having a scrumptious seafood platter, tasty prawns, big crabs, fresh sashimi, gigantic clams – you can’t possibly say, oh I have a normal dinner can you?
We started with Tung Lok’s signature Seafood platter ($68, portion for 4), it had everything you wished for: cold crabs, sashimi, oysters. Okay maybe not, it would be perfect if there’s lobster too. Under our persuasion, we managed to convince one of us who never like oysters to give it a shot – the thing with oysters is you either love or hate it. The scene of her slurping down the cold raw oysters? Priceless.
How can a seafood platter be without sashimi? The raw fish was generously sliced, and ready to be savour. But the wasabi that came along with it was quite disappointing.
Luckily, we also had the Wasabi prawns ($24) which was excellent; fresh crunchy prawn balls coated with a thin layer of wasabi mayo sauce. I like how the wasabi provided the subtle flavor without the choking sensation.
The Roast pork shoulder ($24) was gorgeous in every way, beneath the char-grilled surface was the tender pork shoulder. I wouldn’t go as far to say it melted in my mouth, but it was pretty close. And having some fats once in a while won’t kill you.
This was the dish that all of us were there for – Singapore’s famous Chili Crab ($45 per kg). I was sexcited by the thought of dipping the deep-fried mantou buns into the thick spicy-sweet gravy. But the crab failed to impose its aura with the less-than-satisfying chili gravy which just wasn’t good enough. None of which, I should note, makes this the chili crab to die for. Maybe the mantou, but definitely not the crab nor the gravy.
I’m always a chili/salted egg yoke crab person, so I’m afraid you probably will not get a very fair rating about the Black Pepper crab ($45 per kg) from me. I’m happy to tell you that the others felt it was much better than the chili crab, however it was too salty for my liking. But then again, I’m not a crab-lover, so what do I know?
It was my first time having Steamed Razor Clam ($8 each) with garlic, and it was big/huge/enormous/gigantic! The vermicelli absorbed the essence of the sauce, and it was pretty rewarding to dig out the clam meat. Fine, I exaggerated – what I merely did was just to fork it inside my mouth.
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This is part of a series that I’m doing with Standard Chartered, I will like to thank Claudia from 24seven Communications, and Standard Chartered Bank for the invitation.
Just a quick note about their new credit card campaign, I’m sure most of you will have seen their latest Barry and Fin advertisement; first you get 15% off total food bill (click here for the list of restaurant), and at the end of the month if you have charged more than the minimum amount of $500 (which can be anything, not just dining), you are entitled to an additional 15% cashback which applies to all restaurant in Singapore.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
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