Do you still remember the pipping hot coffee bun with melted buttery filling inside? Well, this is the famous bun brought in by Rotiboy and many people were crazy over this then with long long queues just to get their hands on to this buns. Now, the craze for Roti boy may have long gone but people still crave for this bun at times. So, where do they satisfy this craving?
Well, its none other than Rotimum. Rotimum do share some resemblence with Rotiboy. The most obvious one would be none other than that they both uses 'Roti' as their shop name and they both made coffee buns which became their most popular buns.
Rotimum only have one outlet in Singapore. It is located at level 1 and just by following the fragrant coffee bun smell, it would not be difficult to locate this store. Rotimum is certainly not a cafe style where one can seat down and enjoy the bun in their shop premise. Instead, they employed a 'take and go' strategy where they would pack the buns in individual bag to allow customers to eat it on the go.
Beside the coffee buns, Rotimum have much more varieties in their menus. One of them would be the chocolate buns whereby buns were inserted with chocolate fillings instead. They also have buns in mini version and these are suitable for those who are small eaters. However, i find that the mini version buns are always not enough to satisfy my craving for coffee bun. :)
Tastewise, both Rotiboy and Rotimum's coffee bean managed to achieve the crispy outer coffee layer with soft chewy inner bun. However, i still feel that Rotiboy's coffee bun is still much more fragrant. Perhaps this is due to the large amount of butter filling that is being used. As for Rotimum's coffee bun, although it may not be as fragrant, but it is definitely healthier. This can be seen by the lesser oil that seeps through the paper bag.
As for the services, i do think that there is still room for improvements. Take for example, when taking the customer's order, they should do the very least to acknowledge it. Without this acknowledgment, i would think that he do not understand what i mean. As a result, I have to repeat my orders again and again to make sure that he understand what i want. Not too good from a customer point of view.
Overall, the shorter queues and the healthier recipe would be a great motivator for one to try their coffee bun. Not forgetting, each bun is priced slightly above a dollar. Another reason to try out their buns. :)
Perhaps is the massive rain that makes me crave for something hot and spicy. So, when i saw the signage indicating that there's a thai restuarant nearby, my legs start to walk towards that direction almost immediately.
Perhaps it is the structure of the building (very much taller than most of the shopping center), i will need to go through numerous escalator turns before arriving at the restuarant. This do make me feel bit giddy and definitely its not for those who are afraid of height. :) As it is also a relatively new building and some shop spaces are still left as unoccupied or are currently under renovation. This inevitablly makes me think that i am heading towards the wrong direction during my search for the restuarant. Never the less, locating the restuarant can be much more simple if you go by the lift.
"Central thai" is located in the midst of the restuarants alley. Its exterior somehow blend quite well with its surrounding and without the use of any eye-attracting colour, one may easy miss this restuarant. As for its interior, it is quite well lighted and has reasonabley sized table and chairs for its guests to have their meals comfortably.
"Central thai" is currently having a 'one for one' promotion and this includes staple food like curry, rice and noodles. However, beware of some item exclusion that they have. Before we start to order our food, we were then told that for the curry category the 'one for one' promotion is not applicable for yellow curry. As for the noodle category, the 'one for one' promotion is only applicable for 'phad thai'. With these exclusion, it seems like that issn't much variety to choose anymore. :(
Not wanting to waste the 'promotion' and our effort to come up to eight storey, we decided to just settle for few simple dishes. These include the pineapple rice and green curry, which falls under the 'one for one' promotion. At the same time, we also order a plate of vegetables and tom yam soup. The pineapple rice though smells quite fragrant but it has a significant lack of ingredients. Beside the usual peas and corns that i can find in the fried rice, i do not seem to see any pineapple chunks in it. Luckily, there are still some shredded pork floss at the top of the rice, making this dish more presentable.
The green curry is definitely not my cup of tea. Perhaps is the way that it is being cooked, which have a very strong taste of herb, making it very different from the yellow curry. Having ordered a chicken green curry, the number of chicken pieces should be more than any other ingredients as it is deem as the main ingredient. However, we only managed to find few miserable pieces of chicken slices. Of course, this dish would taste better if it was much hotter. Personally, i feel that both the pineapple rice and green curry are not really up to my expectation. I wonder if its due to the 'one for one' promotion?
The other two dishes fare much better with more side ingredients like carrots and mushrooms in the vegetable dish and more obvious fish slices and mushrooms in the tom yam soup. However, i find that the tom yam soup lacks a fragrant smell.
As for their service, i find that they are pretty attentive and fast towards customer response. Take for example, one we are seated, they would immediately serve us with water without us having to remind them. As for the order and bill payment wise, they are equally quick and fast, we would not need to wait for long before all these were settled.
Overall, this is a pretty decent place to have some thai food. Although they do not have much variety in their menu, one can still find the normal thai food available, like phad thai and pineapple rice. As for the price, i find it quite reasonable for a restuarant fare with slightly less than 10 bucks for a phad thai. Of course, with the now promotion of 'one for one' as well as a 10% off for citibank member, you may wish to give this restuarant a try.
The plan was simple. We would go to Ah Yat Tian Xia at Orchard Central on its opening weekend to take advantage of its seemingly value for money premium sets (abalone and the likes). Alas, it was not meant to be as the place was fully booked. Not wanting to abandon our abalone plans, we settled for Rama Thai instead, which was also offering premium items at a discount.
The restaurant is located amongst a row of shophouses along the winding Tanjong Pagar Road. Decor is simple and reminds me more of a pub then a restaurant, but that may be due to the fact that there was a sizeable bar counter at the side. Capacity peaks at about 50 pax or so.
Australia Whole Abalone - The abalone was probably 8 head and quite well prepared if I may say. There wasn't the noticable raw taste that I personally dislike and carried lots of bite without coming across as too chewy or hard. The gravy didn't threaten to overwhelm either by being overly starchy.
Sharks Fin with Crabmeat - Apparently a signature of the restaurant (it's in the name), the soup was light without being too laden on the starch but could have done with a pinch less salt. The fins were decent size pieces (probably not dorsal fins) that came across as a wee bit too soft for my liking. The upside to it was the very generous portion size and the amount of crab meat that went into the soup. Decently nice and filling.
Asparagus with Prawns - The asparagus were of the larger variant, retaining its crunchiness by virtue of not being overcooked. Coupled with big, crunchy prawns and succulent mushrooms, I don't see anything to dislike about this dish.
Pork with Gingko Nuts - I liked this dish quite a fair bit. Simple yet tasty. The pork came in rather large slices and carried a mild chewy texture, dipped in light saltiness. The gingko nuts gave it a healthier connotation, not that they tasted bad or anything. Just a small lesser known fact that I thought I would share. Pork is actually white meat, not red meat as most people would think.
Rama Thai Fried Rice - A little too oily and bland was the first thought that came to mind after I popped a spoonful of rice into my mouth. However, credit has to be given for the mild wok hei (could have done with more though) that the rice emanated as well as the ingredients that went into the dish - cashew nuts, prawns and crab meat.
Birds Nest - There was a 1 for 1 promotion on the birds nest and we couldn't resist the temptation to treat ourselves with this sweet Chinese delicacy. Honestly, at $30/bowl ($15 after 1 for 1), I hardly think it was worth it. It was quite a small bowl and the nest came in bits and pieces, unlike the good quality ones which come in one huge piece. But as the old Chinese adage goes, 一汾钱一汾货, so no grouses.
It has been a long time since I last step foot here, my family used to refer Holiday Inn Atrium as “the black glass hotel”.
The air was sucked out of the room when the salad lobster ($9 per 100g) appeared; her sheer beauty took our breathe away, and for the next few second, we were wondering what to do, then one of us took a pair of chopstick and took a bite. And then the whole lobster was gone in a flash.
When in a Chinese restaurant, roasted pork is always a good indicator of the standard of the food. Unfortunately it was sold out when we went for dinner that night, but luckily we still had the suckling pig ($80 for half). Beneath the crispy skin, was the most delicious roasted pig ever, but it was the layer of fats in between that’s so sinful, but good!
I finally found a sweet & sour pork ($16) that’s good enough. I’ve been looking for one to satisfy the sweet-sour-pork-fan-in-me, and I must say Xin Cuisine’s rendition was done nicely; the crunchy pork was coated in the glossy sweet & sour sauce. The sweetness was further enhanced with the addition of lychee and apple instead of just the typical pineapple and cucumber.
And when we thought the salad lobster was good, the baked lobster with foie gras was even better. Thick, creamy mayonnaise sauce with generous chunks of foie gras, baked with the fresh, juicy crustacean. Just the thought of foie gras, and lobster, swoon! You get the idea.
Using the same sauce as the baked lobster with foie gras; the cod fish (not on the usual menu) was nicely seared on the outside and you could taste the freshness inside. We eyed it for a while and then we dug in. Removing the ginger garnish, I shoveled a corner of the fish into my mouth in one bite. The cod was perfect; it tasted good on its own, but it’s even better when we had it together with the sauce.
The Salted crusted baked Kampung chicken ($48 for whole chicken) was specially prepared in advance, and from what I understand, the difference between the normal bred chicken and kampung chicken was that while the former was caged up feeding on grains everyday, the latter gets to “run about” and exercise, which made the meat more tender and tasty.
And the main draw of the kampung chicken here was the infusion of the salted crusted into the chicken, and although it’s meant to be done this way, but we felt that it was slightly too salty for our liking.
First thoughts, the Braised 5-head abalone ($36) looks amazing. Drizzled with superior oyster sauce, there’s a reason why abalone is one of the top delicacy in Chinese cuisine. The abalone was braised until it was so soft, yet retaining a chewiness texture. It was good!
Since I had deep-fried ice cream before, I wasn’t so fascinated this time round. But still we couldn’t help not ordering it as it’s on the menu anyway. A split second into the pot of oil, was all it need for this beauty. Any longer and it would be ruin.
And since it’s the Mid-Autumn festival, we had some mooncakes too!
You like chocolate? You like mooncakes too? So how about some Mini snowskin mooncake with Champagne chocolate and pandan ($40 for 6 mini pcs)? Champagne chocolate centre with a pandan flavoured lotus paste – it’s one of those things that you either love it, or hate it.
On first look, I thought that this was the traditional mooncake with lotus paste, but it was not. Creamy moist custard filling is wrapped around a salted egg yolk and yum – I like custard! A sprinkle of edible gold flakes makes it irresistible, it’s a sin to eat something so pretty. Xin’s Mini special egg custard mooncake with egg yolk ($42 for 6 mini pcs)
The vibrant purplish blue snowskin made it very outstanding, and no, it’s not coloured flavourings. The blue pea flower was used to naturally infused and produce the beautiful colour. My family absolutely adored the Mini snowskin Peranakan mooncake with durian ($42 for 6 mini pcs); two mini mooncakes are definitely not enough for durian lovers.
My folks enjoyed the dinner of course; lobster with foie gras, suckling pig, abalone, I’m hungry now just by looking at the photos. I will probably go back to Xin Cuisine again, to try out their dim sum (it wasn’t available during dinner time).
My appreciation to Lynda from DBS, Cherylene & Seema from Eurorscg, and the Ivy & her staff from Xin Cuisine for the food tasting session.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
Did you know? When The Cathay Restaurant first opened in 1940, it served European fare and not Chinese cuisine. Its fame reached new heights when it re-opened in 1951 to serve mainly Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine.
The restaurant was close in 1964, but re-opened once again on 27 January 2007, as the choice venue for exquisite Chinese food set amidst an ambience of understated elegance. It is now located at the level 2 of The Cathay, with a capacity of 200.
HFB was greeted with a saucer of Deep-fried Silver Cod as a complimentary snack. Crispy with a hint of spiciness, it was a really addictive to nibble on.
Dinner proper was started with the introduction of Cathay Twin Combination – Baked Sea Perch done Japanese-style with Egg White, and Smoked Duck Roll ($14.80 ). While the former was well-executed – nicely baked and full-bodied with flavour, the latter paled in comparison – it was lacklustre and uninspiring.
The highlight of the evening surely belonged to the acclaimed Double-boiled Shark’s Bone Cartilage with Bamboo Pith plus Shark's Fin in Spaghetti Squash ($28.00 ). Painstakingly boiled for 8 hours to a milky white, the hearty soup came with big chunks of shark fins along with natural goodness of nutrients that are critical for bone and joint health (think glucosamine-like compounds). And if you thought that was all, feel free to shred the side of the hollowed spaghetti squash, which gave one strands of the fruit that resembled the Italian pasta. This soup alone is filling enough for a meal – so a portion to share might be ideal for two.
Next up, the Baked King Prawn with Minced Meat done “Portuguese Style” ($12.80 ) – and true to its cooking technique, the dish was characterised by its rich, filling and full-flavoured taste. However, HFB felt that the prawn was over-baked, thus the texture of its flesh was slightly dry.
The scallop was of substantial size from the Braised Stuff Fresh Scallop with Prawn Paste in Crabmeat Sauce ($10.80 ), and came coupled with a nice silky crab meat sauce. His only gripe was the prawn paste that tasted quite funky – which sparklette quite adequately described it as “those pseudo prawn/lobster balls you find at steamboat restaurants.” HFB agreed.
The staple for the evening was XO Fried Rice ($8.00 ) that came with generous servings of Scallops, Prawns, French Beans, Bean Sprouts and a dash of Ebiko, or Prawn Roe. The rice was thoroughly fried resulting in each grain being nicely coated with the XO sauce. HFB would prefer a stronger “Wok Hei” flavour, but otherwise still a respectable dish.
An exquisite dessert, the Chilled Pumpkin Puree with Yam Ice Cream came in a Young Coconut shell ($6.00 ). Nicely chilled with thick puree, HFB also thought the pumpkin and yam combined well.
A 50 seater brasserie sitting on the second storey of The Bellini Grande in Clarke Quay, B Restaurant, located at the former Crazy Horse, serves modern European cuisine daily.
With a dimly-lit, intimate interior with lush velvety furnishings the place looked suitably remarkable and alluring.
Helmed by the flair of Executive Chef Jeffrie Siew (formerly from the now defunct Corduroy & Finch), one thing that the establishment struck me was the service of the wait staffs. It was pretty obvious that they were well-trained – conscientious yet unimposing in a good way.
HFB found the complimentary bread elaborate, yes indeed, as it was an intricate roll of Foccacia stuffed with slivers of Zucchini, and topped with Parmesan Cheese and Wild Herbs. It helps that it was also served warm. Bravo!
Our shared appetisers consisted of one Salad of Seared Peppered Indonesian Yellow Fin Tuna Loin a la “nicoise” ($19.00), which HFB thought was nicely done – “clean” to the palate, with a hint of tanginess from the pepper.
The other being the Beef Carpaccio, Marinated Vegetables, Cucumber Spaghetti and Mini Greens ($18.00), nicely adored with spots of balsamic vinaigrette reduction at the side. The meat was really fresh and nicely sliced – but can’t they serve it in bigger slices? Anyhow, it also helped that HFB’s favourite rocket salad came with it.
HFB also had to himself, a serving of B Signature Cordon Bleu Crabmeat Soup with Tarragon ($14.00). Topped with a Sour Cream Foam, this was the highlight of the evening – probably one of the best soups that HFB had ever tasted! The fully flavoured bisque came with abundance of prized crabmeat that made the soup really appetising. In a blink of an eye, HFB generous bowl of soup was emptied. A quick check also revealed that everyone who ordered the soup mopped up theirs too! This is definitely a MUST TRY.
His main was that of Soy Glazed Fillet Atlantic Black Cod, Sauté Potatoes and Chardonnay Sauce, coupled with a Lasagne of Carrots, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Zucchini and Asparagus ($28.00). A little oxymoronic if HFB may sound, but the initial taste of the fish was fresh and smooth, yet rich and buttery on the aftertaste – everything good rolled into one at the same time. As of most cod fish dishes that leaned towards heavy on the palate, in this instance, the soy glazing helped to lighten it – thus making the dish pleasurable even towards the end. HFB hardly ordered a fish dish for main, but he was glad he did that night.
Since there were 7 of us at the dinner table, it wasn’t surprising that all 7 desserts found in the menu were fired away! French Cheeses with Grapes, Figs Compote & Biscuits ($18.00), would be an ideal dish to go with your wine, but unfortunately, HFB didn’t managed to sample any of it that evening.
Pineapple Raviolis, Pineapple Confit and Pineapple Sorbet ($12.00) – the fried pineapple ravioli was something interesting, however, HFB was misled that it was filled with Mango – turned out my portion was “stained” with the accompanied mango sauce, which he thought overwhelmed the dessert a little.
Another out of the ordinary dessert – B Signature Chocolate Chilli Tart & Butterscotch Almond Ice Cream ($12.00), came with a spicy smack at the end of it, which unfortunately HFB didn’t appreciate it.
A savoury plus sweet dessert, the Goat’s Cheese Brûlée, Fig Paste & Rosemary Ice Cream ($12.00) was another interesting concept. Nicely caramelised at the top with a tint of creamy goat’s cheese flavouring, it did just enough to separate itself from the boring norm.
Warm Sticky Dates Toffee Pudding & Toffee Ice Cream ($12.00) was a lovely marrying of hot and cold along with nicely executed texture of the pudding. It also helps that the euphoric sugar rush gave one great comfort!
Hot Liquid Chocolate Coulant with Passion Fruit Sorbet & Mango Sauce ($12.00) came with a lovely molten chocolate lava interior. Although it wasn’t bad, it was regrettably forgettable.
And for the fickle-minded, the restaurant even offered a B Brassiere Dessert Sampler ($15.00) where you can savour each and every dessert mentioned above.
Overall, taking into consideration all aspects – price, service, food and ambience, HFB strongly felt that B restaurant is seriously undervalued. Highly recommended for couples who are looking for a good place to dine at decent prices with great ambience and service – this place is probably the “Find of The Year” for HFB!
Stand, order, and eat – sushi that is, where the seafood are flown in from Japan everyday. This Japanese dining concept by Standing Sushi Bar is geared towards the fast-paced environment of Shenton Way, where professional desire quality food at a snap of their fingers.
However, come dinner time, out comes the high chairs and the shop is turned over for “by reservation only” Omakase dinner ($50 per pax) – where dinners leave the selection of the evening’s menu to the chef and expect him to be innovative and surprising in them – which usually also includes the day’s best offerings.
First up, Japanese Sea Snails that was served chill. HFB absolutely digs shell food and this dish was excellent in many ways. The cold temperature succeeded in drawing out the natural sweetness and the firm chewy texture of the flesh. He could probably finished dozens easily.
The Hokkaido King Crab Leg with Home-made Miso was yet another simple but outstanding dish. The crab eluded a natural “sea flavour” that was appetising and the miso sauce was robust with flavour. The only drawback was that the sauce tended to overwhelm the natural taste of the crab.
Sashimi Moriwase consisted of Maguro (Tuna), Sake (Salmon), Mekajiki (Swordfish), Hamachi (Yellow Tail) and Hotate (Scallop). Fresh and came with good thickness – there was really nothing bad to pinpoint on. Worthy mention goes to the Hamachi Belly that was all natural Omega 3 goodness!
By now, HFB wasn’t surprised that the Karubi Beef Tataki with Bonito Flakes and Spring Onions was well executed. The marbling was great and the meat was succulent. The bonito flakes also provided a nice salty touch to the dish.
Served chilled as a palate cleanser, the Egg Plant with Light Soya Sauce came with a hint of Grated Ginger. Unless one is a fan of egg plant, it probably would be too squashy for you. Otherwise, HFB thought it did a good job in clearing the palates.
HFB loved soup and the Steamed Hotate Soup with Tofu didn’t disappoint. However, if one expected the scallop to taste as good, you will be disappointed since its essences were all captured nicely in the clear soup.
A sushi bar ain’t worthy to be addressed as one if there weren’t sushi offerings during the Omakase. Trio of Maguro, Hirame (Flat Fish) and Anago (Boiled Salt-water Eel) were presented and they were nothing short of excellence in terms of freshness. The boiled eel was remarkably exquisite and was only prevailed by that of HFB Tsukiji’s Sushi Dai experience.
Matcha Ice-cream with Green Tea Cake Roll and Red Bean Paste was the last order of the evening. The red bean paste was enjoyable, although one can probably grab the cake and ice-cream off the shelves of some reputable Japanese supermarket.
They say good things come in small packages and the evening's pleasant surprise was the offering of 3 complimentary thick cubes of Otoro, or Tuna Belly that was what's left for the day. WOOT!
Overall, it was an unexpectedly enjoyable dinner. HFB was really filled by the end of the meal, and the personalise touch of Chef Roy explaining each and every dish sums up the lovely evening. Next up, braving the Shenton Way lunch crowd for the REAL standing sushi experience!
Mentioned about Imperial Cuisine, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall probably would be the first dish that comes to your mind – but thanks to Beijing Gong, one will be educated with the ‘real’ imperial dishes based on recipes once used in China’s imperial kitchen (FYI, the Royal Family do not consumed good food everyday).
Take a step into the restaurant, and one will find it sparsely decorated with original paintings and calligraphy art.
The place sits an estimate 30 pax, with a private room for another 10. The dinner (priced at $28, $38 and $48 per pax pending on the selection of the soup) started with the cold appetisers which could change daily.
Visually, the Fermented Fried Mung Beans didn’t look too appetising, but taste wise; it was clean, simple and light on the palate, with a slight “beany” (for a lack of a better word) taste – whoever thought this was one of the dishes that Empress Cixi is actually fond of!
Long Beans with Sesame Paste and Garlic was another simple dish made tasty. Cooked to a nice texture, however, HFB thought the sesame paste was slightly domineering.
Who could figure these Carrots were thinly sliced by hands? Lightly stir-fried, one could literally ‘taste’ the deftly techniques by the chef – the 刀功 (knife skill) gave the usually plain carrot an extra crunchy edge in terms of texture.
HFB found the Thin Sliced Pork Knuckle superbly executed. There was hardly a trance of oily aftertaste when one consumed this dish (the chef painstakingly steamed this dish numerous times, removing the layer of oil after each instance) and it disintegrated almost instantaneously upon touching one’s mouth.
The Cabbage with Mustard was more of a love-hate affair. One either appreciate it, or don’t – unfortunately in this case, it was too peculiar for HFB – the sourness was too overpowering, although he would credit it as an excellent dish to open up one’s palate for the hot dishes that are coming up next.
The Deep Fried Lotus Root with Chives was really enjoyable. The crunchy consistency coupled with the savoury chives (another love-hate ingredient) was a delight and if one enjoys 锅贴 (Chinese Pan-fried Dumplings), one will definitely love this!
The next dish was the exotic Fish Lip with Shredded Sea Cucumber and Bamboo Shoots in Premium Soup (Dry Cured Chinese Bacon and Old Mother Hen). Squeamishly as it sounded, the fish lips were actually thinly shredded in the soup, and looked pretty much like the sea cucumber, except it had a bit more bite and a slight fishy hint.
One of the non-authentic dishes that catered more to the enjoyment of our locals, the Deep Fried Sea-Prawns coated with Sweet and Sour Sauce was the crowd favourite. Nicely battered and immensely flavoured, the prawns were really fresh and retained that crunchy bite! Paired with the deep-fried thinly sliced veggies (hand-cut again), it provided a nice break from the lighter dishes earlier on.
Another flavoursome dish was the Braised Beef Brisket. It was intense and the meat was really tender, with slight fibrous bite. Delicious!
HFB loves Tofu, and their version was brilliant. The tofu was braised till it was soft and silky, and which its skin soaked up the flavours from the gravy. One could also taste the freshness of the tofu, and HFB loved it that the gravy was light on the palate and complemented the tofu really well.
土豆丝 or Thinly Sliced Potato was probably the “cheapest” dish to be featured that evening – how much could potato possibly cost? However lightly stirred fried, this dish turned up to be a real gem, the dark house for the evening, and perhaps even the most under-rated dish one could ever try. Again, one was savouring the exquisite 刀功 of the chef. The dish was so enticing after one mouthful, that pretty soon; everyone was helping themselves to seconds for this dish. The firm, crunchy texture of the potato provided that alluring factor – this dish is amazingly addictive!
And if one think such fare is too exotic for you during lunch time, Beijing Gong is currently offering a $10 lunch menu that consists of Chinese Dumplings and a bowl of Noodles (HFB tried the Braised Beef version). To be honest, HFB is not a big fan of Chinese noodles, but the beef was remarkably tender and the soup was intensely flavoured.
However, what he enjoyed most was the dumplings that exploded with broth when he took a nibble at the dumpling skin, which was done just right – not too thick, yet firm enough not to break when one picked it up with chopsticks.
To end of the night, we were introduced to Empress Dowager favourite dessert – the Imperial Yogurt. To be honest, HFB still couldn’t quite figure out why she even liked this dish – perhaps that’s why he remained a commoner. The smooth curd was slightly sour, but mostly tasteless and left a dry aftertaste on the palate.
Steamboat is usually an annual affair for me during the Chinese new year; it always reminded me of the reunion of family and friends.
There’s different packages for steamboat, but all of them are not exactly cheap, a family of four will probably need to spend 100 upwards for dinner, and besides steamboat, there’s also ala carte menu to order from. There’s the usual vegetables, prawns, crabs, and seafood ingredients, and we had chicken stock as our soup base. And we had the steamboat with chicken rice instead of just normal white rice
And there’s of course Hainanese chicken to go along; smooth tender meat with the fragrant chicken rice, this was the reason why we didn’t have much room left for the steamboat ingredients later.
And there’s of course Hainanese chicken to go along; smooth tender meat with the fragrant chicken rice, this was the reason why we didn’t have much room left for the steamboat ingredients later.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
Yo Kanye, I’m really happy for you, and I’m gonna let you finish, but Udders has one of the best waffles of all times…
At least for now, until I find a better one.
Until now, I have always been a big fan of haato’s waffles, but now that I’ve discover about Udders, I’m not so sure anymore. I remember my first visit to haato a year ago; it was one of the moments which changed my humble opinion of waffles, and ever since then I never look back. I had others, which were overly priced and not fantastic. So I kept going back to the secret hideout at Ridgewood for a few more time and I never shared the place with you for fear that it might get over-crowded until recently.
Well, to put it this way, Haato’s waffles are still above the rest, but the problem is Udders is even better, and cheaper at $2.50 compared to $4. My grumble is their waffles are too thick nowadays, if my memory didn’t failed me, it used to be thinner and crispier back in the good O’ days.
Waffles make me happy. I’m difficult to please. Whatever.
If specks of vanilla beans doesn’t excite you, I don’t know what else will. Like one of those things which you will never be able to explain – I’m damn excited each and every time I see the tiny specks of vanilla seeds. There’s this natural vanilla flavour which beats the articifical vanilla essence hands down. I love it!
Memories are the best thing about life, be it sad or happy, they will always be there, although some seem to fade away slowly. Well I had fond memories of the Pure Pistachio, so we resisted ordering hazelnut flavour, which would be overbearing with vanilla beans. You could feel the bits of grounded nuts within the robust pistachio ice cream!
Wow! I can’t believe the waffle is so good. This is awesome. Resist from ordering another one, I’m going to tell everybody about it. Oh, how about haato? And then ouch, my beautiful memory is fading away.
Desserts make me happy, at least temporary, until the magic worn off, and then it’s time to eat it again. They are your best friends, and will always be there for you.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
1=SGD 0.0587
Do you still remember the pipping hot coffee bun with melted buttery filling inside? Well, this is the famous bun brought in by Rotiboy and many people were crazy over this then with long long queues just to get their hands on to this buns. Now, the craze for Roti boy may have long gone but people still crave for this bun at times. So, where do they satisfy this craving?
Well, its none other than Rotimum. Rotimum do share some resemblence with Rotiboy. The most obvious one would be none other than that they both uses 'Roti' as their shop name and they both made coffee buns which became their most popular buns.
Rotimum only have one outlet in Singapore. It is located at level 1 and just by following the fragrant coffee bun smell, it would not be difficult to locate this store. Rotimum is certainly not a cafe style where one can seat down and enjoy the bun in their shop premise. Instead, they employed a 'take and go' strategy where they would pack the buns in individual bag to allow customers to eat it on the go.
Beside the coffee buns, Rotimum have much more varieties in their menus. One of them would be the chocolate buns whereby buns were inserted with chocolate fillings instead. They also have buns in mini version and these are suitable for those who are small eaters. However, i find that the mini version buns are always not enough to satisfy my craving for coffee bun. :)
Tastewise, both Rotiboy and Rotimum's coffee bean managed to achieve the crispy outer coffee layer with soft chewy inner bun. However, i still feel that Rotiboy's coffee bun is still much more fragrant. Perhaps this is due to the large amount of butter filling that is being used. As for Rotimum's coffee bun, although it may not be as fragrant, but it is definitely healthier. This can be seen by the lesser oil that seeps through the paper bag.
As for the services, i do think that there is still room for improvements. Take for example, when taking the customer's order, they should do the very least to acknowledge it. Without this acknowledgment, i would think that he do not understand what i mean. As a result, I have to repeat my orders again and again to make sure that he understand what i want. Not too good from a customer point of view.
Overall, the shorter queues and the healthier recipe would be a great motivator for one to try their coffee bun. Not forgetting, each bun is priced slightly above a dollar. Another reason to try out their buns. :)
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Perhaps is the massive rain that makes me crave for something hot and spicy. So, when i saw the signage indicating that there's a thai restuarant nearby, my legs start to walk towards that direction almost immediately.
Perhaps it is the structure of the building (very much taller than most of the shopping center), i will need to go through numerous escalator turns before arriving at the restuarant. This do make me feel bit giddy and definitely its not for those who are afraid of height. :) As it is also a relatively new building and some shop spaces are still left as unoccupied or are currently under renovation. This inevitablly makes me think that i am heading towards the wrong direction during my search for the restuarant. Never the less, locating the restuarant can be much more simple if you go by the lift.
"Central thai" is located in the midst of the restuarants alley. Its exterior somehow blend quite well with its surrounding and without the use of any eye-attracting colour, one may easy miss this restuarant. As for its interior, it is quite well lighted and has reasonabley sized table and chairs for its guests to have their meals comfortably.
"Central thai" is currently having a 'one for one' promotion and this includes staple food like curry, rice and noodles. However, beware of some item exclusion that they have. Before we start to order our food, we were then told that for the curry category the 'one for one' promotion is not applicable for yellow curry. As for the noodle category, the 'one for one' promotion is only applicable for 'phad thai'. With these exclusion, it seems like that issn't much variety to choose anymore. :(
Not wanting to waste the 'promotion' and our effort to come up to eight storey, we decided to just settle for few simple dishes. These include the pineapple rice and green curry, which falls under the 'one for one' promotion. At the same time, we also order a plate of vegetables and tom yam soup. The pineapple rice though smells quite fragrant but it has a significant lack of ingredients. Beside the usual peas and corns that i can find in the fried rice, i do not seem to see any pineapple chunks in it. Luckily, there are still some shredded pork floss at the top of the rice, making this dish more presentable.
The green curry is definitely not my cup of tea. Perhaps is the way that it is being cooked, which have a very strong taste of herb, making it very different from the yellow curry. Having ordered a chicken green curry, the number of chicken pieces should be more than any other ingredients as it is deem as the main ingredient. However, we only managed to find few miserable pieces of chicken slices. Of course, this dish would taste better if it was much hotter. Personally, i feel that both the pineapple rice and green curry are not really up to my expectation. I wonder if its due to the 'one for one' promotion?
The other two dishes fare much better with more side ingredients like carrots and mushrooms in the vegetable dish and more obvious fish slices and mushrooms in the tom yam soup. However, i find that the tom yam soup lacks a fragrant smell.
As for their service, i find that they are pretty attentive and fast towards customer response. Take for example, one we are seated, they would immediately serve us with water without us having to remind them. As for the order and bill payment wise, they are equally quick and fast, we would not need to wait for long before all these were settled.
Overall, this is a pretty decent place to have some thai food. Although they do not have much variety in their menu, one can still find the normal thai food available, like phad thai and pineapple rice. As for the price, i find it quite reasonable for a restuarant fare with slightly less than 10 bucks for a phad thai. Of course, with the now promotion of 'one for one' as well as a 10% off for citibank member, you may wish to give this restuarant a try.
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The plan was simple. We would go to Ah Yat Tian Xia at Orchard Central on its opening weekend to take advantage of its seemingly value for money premium sets (abalone and the likes). Alas, it was not meant to be as the place was fully booked. Not wanting to abandon our abalone plans, we settled for Rama Thai instead, which was also offering premium items at a discount.
The restaurant is located amongst a row of shophouses along the winding Tanjong Pagar Road. Decor is simple and reminds me more of a pub then a restaurant, but that may be due to the fact that there was a sizeable bar counter at the side. Capacity peaks at about 50 pax or so.
Australia Whole Abalone - The abalone was probably 8 head and quite well prepared if I may say. There wasn't the noticable raw taste that I personally dislike and carried lots of bite without coming across as too chewy or hard. The gravy didn't threaten to overwhelm either by being overly starchy.
Sharks Fin with Crabmeat - Apparently a signature of the restaurant (it's in the name), the soup was light without being too laden on the starch but could have done with a pinch less salt. The fins were decent size pieces (probably not dorsal fins) that came across as a wee bit too soft for my liking. The upside to it was the very generous portion size and the amount of crab meat that went into the soup. Decently nice and filling.
Asparagus with Prawns - The asparagus were of the larger variant, retaining its crunchiness by virtue of not being overcooked. Coupled with big, crunchy prawns and succulent mushrooms, I don't see anything to dislike about this dish.
Pork with Gingko Nuts - I liked this dish quite a fair bit. Simple yet tasty. The pork came in rather large slices and carried a mild chewy texture, dipped in light saltiness. The gingko nuts gave it a healthier connotation, not that they tasted bad or anything. Just a small lesser known fact that I thought I would share. Pork is actually white meat, not red meat as most people would think.
Rama Thai Fried Rice - A little too oily and bland was the first thought that came to mind after I popped a spoonful of rice into my mouth. However, credit has to be given for the mild wok hei (could have done with more though) that the rice emanated as well as the ingredients that went into the dish - cashew nuts, prawns and crab meat.
Birds Nest - There was a 1 for 1 promotion on the birds nest and we couldn't resist the temptation to treat ourselves with this sweet Chinese delicacy. Honestly, at $30/bowl ($15 after 1 for 1), I hardly think it was worth it. It was quite a small bowl and the nest came in bits and pieces, unlike the good quality ones which come in one huge piece. But as the old Chinese adage goes, 一汾钱一汾货, so no grouses.
See all my pictures here.
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It has been a long time since I last step foot here, my family used to refer Holiday Inn Atrium as “the black glass hotel”.
The air was sucked out of the room when the salad lobster ($9 per 100g) appeared; her sheer beauty took our breathe away, and for the next few second, we were wondering what to do, then one of us took a pair of chopstick and took a bite. And then the whole lobster was gone in a flash.
When in a Chinese restaurant, roasted pork is always a good indicator of the standard of the food. Unfortunately it was sold out when we went for dinner that night, but luckily we still had the suckling pig ($80 for half). Beneath the crispy skin, was the most delicious roasted pig ever, but it was the layer of fats in between that’s so sinful, but good!
I finally found a sweet & sour pork ($16) that’s good enough. I’ve been looking for one to satisfy the sweet-sour-pork-fan-in-me, and I must say Xin Cuisine’s rendition was done nicely; the crunchy pork was coated in the glossy sweet & sour sauce. The sweetness was further enhanced with the addition of lychee and apple instead of just the typical pineapple and cucumber.
And when we thought the salad lobster was good, the baked lobster with foie gras was even better. Thick, creamy mayonnaise sauce with generous chunks of foie gras, baked with the fresh, juicy crustacean. Just the thought of foie gras, and lobster, swoon! You get the idea.
Using the same sauce as the baked lobster with foie gras; the cod fish (not on the usual menu) was nicely seared on the outside and you could taste the freshness inside. We eyed it for a while and then we dug in. Removing the ginger garnish, I shoveled a corner of the fish into my mouth in one bite. The cod was perfect; it tasted good on its own, but it’s even better when we had it together with the sauce.
The Salted crusted baked Kampung chicken ($48 for whole chicken) was specially prepared in advance, and from what I understand, the difference between the normal bred chicken and kampung chicken was that while the former was caged up feeding on grains everyday, the latter gets to “run about” and exercise, which made the meat more tender and tasty.
And the main draw of the kampung chicken here was the infusion of the salted crusted into the chicken, and although it’s meant to be done this way, but we felt that it was slightly too salty for our liking.
First thoughts, the Braised 5-head abalone ($36) looks amazing. Drizzled with superior oyster sauce, there’s a reason why abalone is one of the top delicacy in Chinese cuisine. The abalone was braised until it was so soft, yet retaining a chewiness texture. It was good!
Since I had deep-fried ice cream before, I wasn’t so fascinated this time round. But still we couldn’t help not ordering it as it’s on the menu anyway. A split second into the pot of oil, was all it need for this beauty. Any longer and it would be ruin.
And since it’s the Mid-Autumn festival, we had some mooncakes too!
You like chocolate? You like mooncakes too? So how about some Mini snowskin mooncake with Champagne chocolate and pandan ($40 for 6 mini pcs)? Champagne chocolate centre with a pandan flavoured lotus paste – it’s one of those things that you either love it, or hate it.
On first look, I thought that this was the traditional mooncake with lotus paste, but it was not. Creamy moist custard filling is wrapped around a salted egg yolk and yum – I like custard! A sprinkle of edible gold flakes makes it irresistible, it’s a sin to eat something so pretty. Xin’s Mini special egg custard mooncake with egg yolk ($42 for 6 mini pcs)
The vibrant purplish blue snowskin made it very outstanding, and no, it’s not coloured flavourings. The blue pea flower was used to naturally infused and produce the beautiful colour. My family absolutely adored the Mini snowskin Peranakan mooncake with durian ($42 for 6 mini pcs); two mini mooncakes are definitely not enough for durian lovers.
My folks enjoyed the dinner of course; lobster with foie gras, suckling pig, abalone, I’m hungry now just by looking at the photos. I will probably go back to Xin Cuisine again, to try out their dim sum (it wasn’t available during dinner time).
My appreciation to Lynda from DBS, Cherylene & Seema from Eurorscg, and the Ivy & her staff from Xin Cuisine for the food tasting session.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
Rating given:
Did you know? When The Cathay Restaurant first opened in 1940, it served European fare and not Chinese cuisine. Its fame reached new heights when it re-opened in 1951 to serve mainly Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine.
The restaurant was close in 1964, but re-opened once again on 27 January 2007, as the choice venue for exquisite Chinese food set amidst an ambience of understated elegance. It is now located at the level 2 of The Cathay, with a capacity of 200.
HFB was greeted with a saucer of Deep-fried Silver Cod as a complimentary snack. Crispy with a hint of spiciness, it was a really addictive to nibble on.
Dinner proper was started with the introduction of Cathay Twin Combination – Baked Sea Perch done Japanese-style with Egg White, and Smoked Duck Roll ($14.80 ). While the former was well-executed – nicely baked and full-bodied with flavour, the latter paled in comparison – it was lacklustre and uninspiring.
The highlight of the evening surely belonged to the acclaimed Double-boiled Shark’s Bone Cartilage with Bamboo Pith plus Shark's Fin in Spaghetti Squash ($28.00 ). Painstakingly boiled for 8 hours to a milky white, the hearty soup came with big chunks of shark fins along with natural goodness of nutrients that are critical for bone and joint health (think glucosamine-like compounds). And if you thought that was all, feel free to shred the side of the hollowed spaghetti squash, which gave one strands of the fruit that resembled the Italian pasta. This soup alone is filling enough for a meal – so a portion to share might be ideal for two.
Next up, the Baked King Prawn with Minced Meat done “Portuguese Style” ($12.80 ) – and true to its cooking technique, the dish was characterised by its rich, filling and full-flavoured taste. However, HFB felt that the prawn was over-baked, thus the texture of its flesh was slightly dry.
The scallop was of substantial size from the Braised Stuff Fresh Scallop with Prawn Paste in Crabmeat Sauce ($10.80 ), and came coupled with a nice silky crab meat sauce. His only gripe was the prawn paste that tasted quite funky – which sparklette quite adequately described it as “those pseudo prawn/lobster balls you find at steamboat restaurants.” HFB agreed.
The staple for the evening was XO Fried Rice ($8.00 ) that came with generous servings of Scallops, Prawns, French Beans, Bean Sprouts and a dash of Ebiko, or Prawn Roe. The rice was thoroughly fried resulting in each grain being nicely coated with the XO sauce. HFB would prefer a stronger “Wok Hei” flavour, but otherwise still a respectable dish.
An exquisite dessert, the Chilled Pumpkin Puree with Yam Ice Cream came in a Young Coconut shell ($6.00 ). Nicely chilled with thick puree, HFB also thought the pumpkin and yam combined well.
You can view all the photos here.
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A 50 seater brasserie sitting on the second storey of The Bellini Grande in Clarke Quay, B Restaurant, located at the former Crazy Horse, serves modern European cuisine daily.
With a dimly-lit, intimate interior with lush velvety furnishings the place looked suitably remarkable and alluring.
Helmed by the flair of Executive Chef Jeffrie Siew (formerly from the now defunct Corduroy & Finch), one thing that the establishment struck me was the service of the wait staffs. It was pretty obvious that they were well-trained – conscientious yet unimposing in a good way.
HFB found the complimentary bread elaborate, yes indeed, as it was an intricate roll of Foccacia stuffed with slivers of Zucchini, and topped with Parmesan Cheese and Wild Herbs. It helps that it was also served warm. Bravo!
Our shared appetisers consisted of one Salad of Seared Peppered Indonesian Yellow Fin Tuna Loin a la “nicoise” ($19.00), which HFB thought was nicely done – “clean” to the palate, with a hint of tanginess from the pepper.
The other being the Beef Carpaccio, Marinated Vegetables, Cucumber Spaghetti and Mini Greens ($18.00), nicely adored with spots of balsamic vinaigrette reduction at the side. The meat was really fresh and nicely sliced – but can’t they serve it in bigger slices? Anyhow, it also helped that HFB’s favourite rocket salad came with it.
HFB also had to himself, a serving of B Signature Cordon Bleu Crabmeat Soup with Tarragon ($14.00). Topped with a Sour Cream Foam, this was the highlight of the evening – probably one of the best soups that HFB had ever tasted! The fully flavoured bisque came with abundance of prized crabmeat that made the soup really appetising. In a blink of an eye, HFB generous bowl of soup was emptied. A quick check also revealed that everyone who ordered the soup mopped up theirs too! This is definitely a MUST TRY.
His main was that of Soy Glazed Fillet Atlantic Black Cod, Sauté Potatoes and Chardonnay Sauce, coupled with a Lasagne of Carrots, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Zucchini and Asparagus ($28.00). A little oxymoronic if HFB may sound, but the initial taste of the fish was fresh and smooth, yet rich and buttery on the aftertaste – everything good rolled into one at the same time. As of most cod fish dishes that leaned towards heavy on the palate, in this instance, the soy glazing helped to lighten it – thus making the dish pleasurable even towards the end. HFB hardly ordered a fish dish for main, but he was glad he did that night.
Since there were 7 of us at the dinner table, it wasn’t surprising that all 7 desserts found in the menu were fired away! French Cheeses with Grapes, Figs Compote & Biscuits ($18.00), would be an ideal dish to go with your wine, but unfortunately, HFB didn’t managed to sample any of it that evening.
Pineapple Raviolis, Pineapple Confit and Pineapple Sorbet ($12.00) – the fried pineapple ravioli was something interesting, however, HFB was misled that it was filled with Mango – turned out my portion was “stained” with the accompanied mango sauce, which he thought overwhelmed the dessert a little.
Another out of the ordinary dessert – B Signature Chocolate Chilli Tart & Butterscotch Almond Ice Cream ($12.00), came with a spicy smack at the end of it, which unfortunately HFB didn’t appreciate it.
A savoury plus sweet dessert, the Goat’s Cheese Brûlée, Fig Paste & Rosemary Ice Cream ($12.00) was another interesting concept. Nicely caramelised at the top with a tint of creamy goat’s cheese flavouring, it did just enough to separate itself from the boring norm.
Warm Sticky Dates Toffee Pudding & Toffee Ice Cream ($12.00) was a lovely marrying of hot and cold along with nicely executed texture of the pudding. It also helps that the euphoric sugar rush gave one great comfort!
Hot Liquid Chocolate Coulant with Passion Fruit Sorbet & Mango Sauce ($12.00) came with a lovely molten chocolate lava interior. Although it wasn’t bad, it was regrettably forgettable.
And for the fickle-minded, the restaurant even offered a B Brassiere Dessert Sampler ($15.00) where you can savour each and every dessert mentioned above.
Overall, taking into consideration all aspects – price, service, food and ambience, HFB strongly felt that B restaurant is seriously undervalued. Highly recommended for couples who are looking for a good place to dine at decent prices with great ambience and service – this place is probably the “Find of The Year” for HFB!
You can view all the photos here.
Rating given:
Stand, order, and eat – sushi that is, where the seafood are flown in from Japan everyday. This Japanese dining concept by Standing Sushi Bar is geared towards the fast-paced environment of Shenton Way, where professional desire quality food at a snap of their fingers.
However, come dinner time, out comes the high chairs and the shop is turned over for “by reservation only” Omakase dinner ($50 per pax) – where dinners leave the selection of the evening’s menu to the chef and expect him to be innovative and surprising in them – which usually also includes the day’s best offerings.
First up, Japanese Sea Snails that was served chill. HFB absolutely digs shell food and this dish was excellent in many ways. The cold temperature succeeded in drawing out the natural sweetness and the firm chewy texture of the flesh. He could probably finished dozens easily.
The Hokkaido King Crab Leg with Home-made Miso was yet another simple but outstanding dish. The crab eluded a natural “sea flavour” that was appetising and the miso sauce was robust with flavour. The only drawback was that the sauce tended to overwhelm the natural taste of the crab.
Sashimi Moriwase consisted of Maguro (Tuna), Sake (Salmon), Mekajiki (Swordfish), Hamachi (Yellow Tail) and Hotate (Scallop). Fresh and came with good thickness – there was really nothing bad to pinpoint on. Worthy mention goes to the Hamachi Belly that was all natural Omega 3 goodness!
By now, HFB wasn’t surprised that the Karubi Beef Tataki with Bonito Flakes and Spring Onions was well executed. The marbling was great and the meat was succulent. The bonito flakes also provided a nice salty touch to the dish.
Served chilled as a palate cleanser, the Egg Plant with Light Soya Sauce came with a hint of Grated Ginger. Unless one is a fan of egg plant, it probably would be too squashy for you. Otherwise, HFB thought it did a good job in clearing the palates.
HFB loved soup and the Steamed Hotate Soup with Tofu didn’t disappoint. However, if one expected the scallop to taste as good, you will be disappointed since its essences were all captured nicely in the clear soup.
A sushi bar ain’t worthy to be addressed as one if there weren’t sushi offerings during the Omakase. Trio of Maguro, Hirame (Flat Fish) and Anago (Boiled Salt-water Eel) were presented and they were nothing short of excellence in terms of freshness. The boiled eel was remarkably exquisite and was only prevailed by that of HFB Tsukiji’s Sushi Dai experience.
Matcha Ice-cream with Green Tea Cake Roll and Red Bean Paste was the last order of the evening. The red bean paste was enjoyable, although one can probably grab the cake and ice-cream off the shelves of some reputable Japanese supermarket.
They say good things come in small packages and the evening's pleasant surprise was the offering of 3 complimentary thick cubes of Otoro, or Tuna Belly that was what's left for the day. WOOT!
Overall, it was an unexpectedly enjoyable dinner. HFB was really filled by the end of the meal, and the personalise touch of Chef Roy explaining each and every dish sums up the lovely evening. Next up, braving the Shenton Way lunch crowd for the REAL standing sushi experience!
You can view all the photos here.
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Mentioned about Imperial Cuisine, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall probably would be the first dish that comes to your mind – but thanks to Beijing Gong, one will be educated with the ‘real’ imperial dishes based on recipes once used in China’s imperial kitchen (FYI, the Royal Family do not consumed good food everyday).
Take a step into the restaurant, and one will find it sparsely decorated with original paintings and calligraphy art.
The place sits an estimate 30 pax, with a private room for another 10. The dinner (priced at $28, $38 and $48 per pax pending on the selection of the soup) started with the cold appetisers which could change daily.
Visually, the Fermented Fried Mung Beans didn’t look too appetising, but taste wise; it was clean, simple and light on the palate, with a slight “beany” (for a lack of a better word) taste – whoever thought this was one of the dishes that Empress Cixi is actually fond of!
Long Beans with Sesame Paste and Garlic was another simple dish made tasty. Cooked to a nice texture, however, HFB thought the sesame paste was slightly domineering.
Who could figure these Carrots were thinly sliced by hands? Lightly stir-fried, one could literally ‘taste’ the deftly techniques by the chef – the 刀功 (knife skill) gave the usually plain carrot an extra crunchy edge in terms of texture.
HFB found the Thin Sliced Pork Knuckle superbly executed. There was hardly a trance of oily aftertaste when one consumed this dish (the chef painstakingly steamed this dish numerous times, removing the layer of oil after each instance) and it disintegrated almost instantaneously upon touching one’s mouth.
The Cabbage with Mustard was more of a love-hate affair. One either appreciate it, or don’t – unfortunately in this case, it was too peculiar for HFB – the sourness was too overpowering, although he would credit it as an excellent dish to open up one’s palate for the hot dishes that are coming up next.
The Deep Fried Lotus Root with Chives was really enjoyable. The crunchy consistency coupled with the savoury chives (another love-hate ingredient) was a delight and if one enjoys 锅贴 (Chinese Pan-fried Dumplings), one will definitely love this!
The next dish was the exotic Fish Lip with Shredded Sea Cucumber and Bamboo Shoots in Premium Soup (Dry Cured Chinese Bacon and Old Mother Hen). Squeamishly as it sounded, the fish lips were actually thinly shredded in the soup, and looked pretty much like the sea cucumber, except it had a bit more bite and a slight fishy hint.
One of the non-authentic dishes that catered more to the enjoyment of our locals, the Deep Fried Sea-Prawns coated with Sweet and Sour Sauce was the crowd favourite. Nicely battered and immensely flavoured, the prawns were really fresh and retained that crunchy bite! Paired with the deep-fried thinly sliced veggies (hand-cut again), it provided a nice break from the lighter dishes earlier on.
Another flavoursome dish was the Braised Beef Brisket. It was intense and the meat was really tender, with slight fibrous bite. Delicious!
HFB loves Tofu, and their version was brilliant. The tofu was braised till it was soft and silky, and which its skin soaked up the flavours from the gravy. One could also taste the freshness of the tofu, and HFB loved it that the gravy was light on the palate and complemented the tofu really well.
土豆丝 or Thinly Sliced Potato was probably the “cheapest” dish to be featured that evening – how much could potato possibly cost? However lightly stirred fried, this dish turned up to be a real gem, the dark house for the evening, and perhaps even the most under-rated dish one could ever try. Again, one was savouring the exquisite 刀功 of the chef. The dish was so enticing after one mouthful, that pretty soon; everyone was helping themselves to seconds for this dish. The firm, crunchy texture of the potato provided that alluring factor – this dish is amazingly addictive!
And if one think such fare is too exotic for you during lunch time, Beijing Gong is currently offering a $10 lunch menu that consists of Chinese Dumplings and a bowl of Noodles (HFB tried the Braised Beef version). To be honest, HFB is not a big fan of Chinese noodles, but the beef was remarkably tender and the soup was intensely flavoured.
However, what he enjoyed most was the dumplings that exploded with broth when he took a nibble at the dumpling skin, which was done just right – not too thick, yet firm enough not to break when one picked it up with chopsticks.
To end of the night, we were introduced to Empress Dowager favourite dessert – the Imperial Yogurt. To be honest, HFB still couldn’t quite figure out why she even liked this dish – perhaps that’s why he remained a commoner. The smooth curd was slightly sour, but mostly tasteless and left a dry aftertaste on the palate.
You can view all the photos here.
Rating given:
Steamboat is usually an annual affair for me during the Chinese new year; it always reminded me of the reunion of family and friends.
There’s different packages for steamboat, but all of them are not exactly cheap, a family of four will probably need to spend 100 upwards for dinner, and besides steamboat, there’s also ala carte menu to order from. There’s the usual vegetables, prawns, crabs, and seafood ingredients, and we had chicken stock as our soup base. And we had the steamboat with chicken rice instead of just normal white rice
And there’s of course Hainanese chicken to go along; smooth tender meat with the fragrant chicken rice, this was the reason why we didn’t have much room left for the steamboat ingredients later.
And there’s of course Hainanese chicken to go along; smooth tender meat with the fragrant chicken rice, this was the reason why we didn’t have much room left for the steamboat ingredients later.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
Rating given:
Yo Kanye, I’m really happy for you, and I’m gonna let you finish, but Udders has one of the best waffles of all times…
At least for now, until I find a better one.
Until now, I have always been a big fan of haato’s waffles, but now that I’ve discover about Udders, I’m not so sure anymore. I remember my first visit to haato a year ago; it was one of the moments which changed my humble opinion of waffles, and ever since then I never look back. I had others, which were overly priced and not fantastic. So I kept going back to the secret hideout at Ridgewood for a few more time and I never shared the place with you for fear that it might get over-crowded until recently.
Well, to put it this way, Haato’s waffles are still above the rest, but the problem is Udders is even better, and cheaper at $2.50 compared to $4. My grumble is their waffles are too thick nowadays, if my memory didn’t failed me, it used to be thinner and crispier back in the good O’ days.
Waffles make me happy. I’m difficult to please. Whatever.
If specks of vanilla beans doesn’t excite you, I don’t know what else will. Like one of those things which you will never be able to explain – I’m damn excited each and every time I see the tiny specks of vanilla seeds. There’s this natural vanilla flavour which beats the articifical vanilla essence hands down. I love it!
Memories are the best thing about life, be it sad or happy, they will always be there, although some seem to fade away slowly. Well I had fond memories of the Pure Pistachio, so we resisted ordering hazelnut flavour, which would be overbearing with vanilla beans. You could feel the bits of grounded nuts within the robust pistachio ice cream!
Wow! I can’t believe the waffle is so good. This is awesome. Resist from ordering another one, I’m going to tell everybody about it. Oh, how about haato? And then ouch, my beautiful memory is fading away.
Desserts make me happy, at least temporary, until the magic worn off, and then it’s time to eat it again. They are your best friends, and will always be there for you.
Long story short, if you like my review please do come by ladyironchef . . . for the delicious in you
Rating given: