Was there on that fateful Valentine's Saturday. Not surprisingly, the place was packed. But I honestly reckon this is the kind of crowd to expect every weekend. I found this place on a particularly famous blog which rated the place 4.5/5 for steamboat and barbeque. Having that in mind, I went all the way to Clementi with high hopes and big appetite, and also hoping that I'd be able to get a table if I went there half an hour earlier.
Well, fat hope about the table. I had to wait approximately 15 minutes more that I expected to. I can understand that though, because people there were indulging in the free flow of barbeque, cooked food, steamboat and drinks (yes and drinks! Hotpot Culture/ the old Marina Bay doesn't give you that) so much that no one seemed to be leaving.
When I finally got my table, I couldn't do any barbequeing though, due to the fact that tables at Fortune Cuisine are divided into 2 sections, one with barbeque and one without. So their solution to this problem is that we get the meat hand it over to any friendly waiter who will barbeque them for us. Not bad an idea. At least your clothes don't get stinked up too bad. Judging from the crowd, I knew that we'd have to wait a long time to get our barbequed food, so the first thing we did, even before our steamboat soup came, was to grab a huge plate of meat for barbequeing.
After about 15 minutes, a waiter brought one plate to our table. Technically, it was only half a portion of what we ordered. Being there for the first time, we thought it probably isn't out yet. After awhile, we decided that perhaps they forgot (it's only normal, given the crowd that day), so we went to take another plate. And another plate. And another plate . . . . .
Ok, so nothing's coming. It's been an hour. And it has been 4 plates at least already. We highlighted this issue to quite a number of waiters around but our reply was: "Oh we're very busy today, it will be coming soon." And finally when we could wait no more, we told yet another waiter that our food has not come despite us being told so many times that it will be coming soon. Apparently, that statement drew some attention to our table. Not wanting to cause any more commotion, the waiter referred us to the manager. Upon hearing our unhappiness and how reluctant we are to pay the full price for 2, the manager gave us a discounted price and we left.
To put all that above in a nutshell, it was simply an outcome of poor organization skills.
1) The queue at the doorstep was disorganized - the manager himself didn't know who came first, who's doing the "walk-in", who has reserved a table.
2) The whole thing about giving the waiters your plate of meat and expecting it to come back is quite.. unpredictable too. You just never know if they got your table right (because they don't make it a point to label the plate with your table numbers before collecting another plate along the way) or if they'll even come for your plate (because you're supposed to leave it on a tray obscurely places beside your table) when they're all so busy and probably even under-staff.
Well, all that above was effectively just my complain of the "bad service" I received from my hour and a half or so there. Nonetheless, I will not totally discredit the place by subtly weaving the plus points of the restaurant amidst my complaints and unambiguously italicizing them.
I must say the food was good. The little meat I had was either marinated for a long time or MSG-ful, ie tasty. It was truly a spread - crispy salmon, bee hoon, curry, satay (chicken/mutton/pork), beef slices, pork slices, sausages, the usual steamboat ingredients, some sushi, tempura, free flow of juices/ soft drinks and more (I probably missed some out)! And I think it's $20ish/pax. Rather worth the money if you go there on an uber empty stomach.
I'd say worth a try. I'd give it 3.5/5 but since there isn't, I guess I'll round it off to 4 so that people (like me) who simply spot the stars will not think it's a bad place.
(though I won't be going back there in the near future since I live rather far away)
Positioned units away from the legendary Sik Wai Sin, Ding Feng Ge is a new entrant to the food business found along the eventful stretch of Geylang Road. It is difficult to miss Ding Feng Ge with its dazzling array of red and yellow lanterns hanging outside the eatery and the loud neon signage screaming along the main road. Derived out of true blue passion for food, sisters, Angeline and Christina, discovered various lip-smacking fares during their culinary adventures and decided to unite everything under one roof and offer the best of Steamboat, Chicken Rice and Cooked Food (think Tze Char)!
Reminiscent to 7th Storey Hotel Hainan Charcoal Steamboat, the dinner was set in motion with the Hainanese Steamed Chicken ($25.00 for whole chicken, $13.00 for half chicken). HFB found it slightly overcooked, rendering its flesh a tad tasteless due to the loss of natural juices and sweetness.
Those that enjoy their steamboat dinner with a stronger, robust soup base would enjoy their option of Chicken Herbal Soup or Spicy Tom Yam flavoured broth.
Other flavours include the Mala (a combined flavour of Sichuan Peppercorn and Chili) and the newly introduced Bak Kut Teh soup base. For 2-3 pax, one can opt for the $24.00 set that HFB reckons was very value for money. With a mixture of seafood and meat along with the usual balls of different sorts and what�s not, each and every ingredient was very fresh. In fact, it was so fresh that HFB questioned whether the price was set too low for the quality served.
What's more, HFB's personal favourite items of Cockles and Pig's Liver was offered in the menu as well! But of course one could opt to change the items if they wished to, but you can surely drop that idea if you are dining with HFB � Heh! FYI, HFB finished up all the cockles that evening *smug*.
The cooked food section did well too � the signature dish of Ribs with Fermented Beancurd ($12.00/$18.00) was lip smacking delicious. It was deep fried to a crusty crunch and the layer of fats gave the dish an added luscious touch. That was definitely HFB�s favourite dish that evening!
Another nice surprise was the Crispy Seafood Beancurd ($10.00/$15.00). HFB encountered horrible tofu before, but thankfully their version wasn�t. It was firm on the exterior crust and soft on the inside. The excellent contrasting texture along with the flavoursome core was great to go with the sweet dip.
The Sambal Kang Kong ($8.00/$12.00) wasn�t too overcooked and the sambal was spicy � awesome when you eat it with plain rice (or chicken rice). The generous serving of Dried Shrimps was very much welcomed too!
One of their favourite dishes between the two sisters, the Pork Rib with Mayonnaise Sauce ($12.00/$18.00) was another well-executed dish. Nicely coated with mayo on the exterior, the meat was juicy and nicely seasoned. HFB�s only gripe was that a mayo-based dish tended to be too heavy for a meal especially when you coupled it with steamboat and chicken rice.
The Indonesian Curry Prawn Claypot ($18.00) was another iconic fare that night! In fact the gravy was so good that HFB reckoned Ding Feng Ge should fashioned a watered-down version as a soup broth offering for their steamboat set. The gravy was full-bodied and savoury yet surprising light for the palate.
It would be unwarranted if HFB mentioned he didn't enjoyed the Stir-fried Butter Crab with Salted Egg Yolk (Market Price). The truth of the matter was he was too filled at that point in time to truly savour it. Plus by the time HFB got his hands to it, the dish had already turned cold. However, one thing he wished to underline was the crab came choke full of roe!
I love body shop.... I could remember when I was a little girl, I am always intrigued by the perfume oils that comes in delicate small little fat round bottles. They smell so nice and have a hundred and one uses. You can use them as perfumes or drop a few drop in your bowl of dried flowers or perhaps onto the edge of your pillow for a flowery dream.... I could say.. I grew up with The Body Shop....
As i grew, my love for beautiful and nice smelling things grew too.... I started loving fruitty soaps and flowery body wash..... Whats better then starting a day emerging from a hot shower smelling like a blooming garden in spring.....
Lately, I have been really crazy with their range of cosmetics. I find the blushers great to put on, eye-shadows having the most beautiful hues..... and the other thing i love is the shimmering stuffs they have.. Like shimmering body lotions and the shimmer powder that is laced with White Musk Fragrance.... It sure adds on the glam to your night gown.... The slight shimmer glowing on your skin sure makes you look more enchanting and less bare when you are dressed to kill, be it clubbing or attending a formal dinner.
Their range of products are good, useful and value for money. Most importantly they are enviromentally nuturing and supports a good cause. It makes the shopping spree much more justifiable.
Bring home useful products at a good Cost and for a good Cause
Brewbaker's is part of Jack's Place holdings but is an offshoot in the sense that unlike Jack's place, its not halal certified. Its concept is one of escapism and relaxation which is reflected in its rather decent bar selection but holds many similarities to its parent company in regards to areas like its interior design and overall service level. Me and my gf patronized this venue on Valentine's day this year because i found it in a rather decent and new community centre near my house. It took about 35 minutes for us to walk the distance but honestly, we needed the exercise. Was it worth our effort though?
Thoughts on the location and surroundings: Being in a community centre doesn't necessarily mean its a slipshod location. The restaurant had a rather laidback atmosphere and relaxing buzz as its next to an excellently under utilized yet beautiful public pool and is next to a canal/river which actually is rather pleasing. The interior is spacious but the design reminds me too much of Jack's place to be a good thing.
Its Valentines day, so what better way to celebrate then to have a decent meal with my girl? And there's even a menu that promises a "gift for the ladies" to every couple. Perfect. More on the gift at the end of the post.
Archipelago Travellers Wheat - Self brewed gourmet beer seems to be appearing everywhere these days. Not that its a bad thing. I ordered a complimentary sampler from their menu and honestly, it wasn't too bad. Travellers Wheat tastes like....golden ale from Brewerkz and i simply adore beer with that taste so this is good for me.
Mango Drink - This is definitely not made in house since it tastes just like something you can get from a concentrate with water added. Need some work here.
Terrine of Seafood - This was weird. It tastes like it has milk concentrate in it but dissipates in each taste. There's actual crab and fishcake-like taste in the pasty center as well. Its not a bad dish per se, its just weird.
Garlic Bread and Homemade Clam Chowder - This was a surprise. At first glance, i was thinking: "how dare they serve campbells soup when its stated as homemade clam chowder?" My fears were put to rest once i taste it though. There's actually a generous amount of seafood tucked beneath the surface and it provided a balanced palate for the meal to come. Helps that its not flooded with salt and other such nonsensical tastes as well.
True Love Platter - The "True Love Platter" for 2 feels more like "true fat platter" to me. However, it wasn't bad at all. The grilled salmon steak with dill sauce was a little salty and had a rather strong "fishy" taste which didn't sit well with me. The Sirloin steak did not come with black pepper sauce as per the menu and was well done, which means it was rather tough to eat. The grilled vegetable skewers were pretty good as is the chicken drumlets and potato salad. My gf didn't like the calamari rings due to the thick batter. The potato salad was supposed to be potato wedges but was switched without informing us and the steak was well done without asking the doneness we wanted it in. I attribute this to a service issue though.
Sweet Temptations - The dessert was basically strawberry and chocolate mousse cake with fruits. The white chocolate sticks and fruits were pretty good. Refreshing and sweet while the cake itself....is a little too creamy for our tastes. Otherwise, it was an ok ending to the meal. Coffee was served after this which helped as well.
The final bill for a simple valentine's lunch came up to $70.62. Rather steep for the quality of food served.
Cons: The "gift" mentioned in the menu was never given. We had to ask for it 3 times before being given something and it was not a valentines gift for the lady at all. It was a leftover scratch and win card from Chinese New Year which held no significance whatsoever. Needless to say, i was disappointed. At the very least, if there was no gift, i would have appreciated being warned beforehand and replaced with either an additional dish or a drink would suffice. Not this lame attempt at redeeming themselves with a useless item. The management needs to look into this. Not to mention, the lack of initiative to inform on the change of items and the courtesy to ask about the doneness of my steak.
Final Score: 6/10 (minus 1 due to the service lapses and problems with the "gift" that never was.)
Last word: I was disappointed with the gift problem and service but the food was actually decent and so was the beer. Actually, the beer and location is probably the only reason i'll consider returning to this place. 50% off beer and 1 for 1 offers for the beer is something i could live with. Otherwise, i'd say try the food sparingly and they really need to buck up on their service training. Oh, its still better then Jack's Place as far as i'm concerned. Just thought i'd end it with that.
Recently, i've been bestowed with a valuable gift of Takashimaya vouchers from my superbly wonderful company. I've thus been thronging Takashimaya with the intention of spending every single voucher away to no avail. Thus, i used it to the most important aspect of my being. My every growing tummy. It so happend that Bakerzin was having an offer for macarons and i just hopped to try it.
First off, a little background into why i wanted to try this.
1: My boss bought a nice sample of the best macarons back from France for the team to try during her trip and i have to say, they were excellent if a little pricey. I mean, 1 small macaron for $8? Ouch.
2: I've been told the Singapore renditions for macarons were no where near the true taste and standard of a France. And being a true blue Singaporean, i felt compelled to see if this was true.
The observation: The macarons from Bakerzin were smaller and the proportions were different. The original macaron i had was thick in the middle and thinner on the sides. The Bakerzin rendition had a thicker side and smaller middle with a generally smaller size as well. Taste wise, the Bakerzin rendition i bought had 6 flavors, chocolate, mint, strawberry, cherry, coffee and lemon. They all had a rather strong milky taste which is unusual because the actual french version had no such taste. The sides were are less fragrant and had a different texture and layer of crunchiness as compared to the french version. Overall, i felt this version highly inadequate. I only had 2 flavors from the ones my boss brought back and i can tell you, the ones you find here are no where near the real thing. For starters, there is absolutely no milky taste. The texture is highly different and the actual fillings were packed full of actual flavor as opposed to the ready made ones you see on offer here.
Last word: Sure, i may be overly harsh on this. After all, the real thing costs 700% more and has to be flown in but hey, i had more faith in our chefs then to produce this half baked effort. Maybe when the promotion is over the macarons will be of better quality. I wouldn't know for sure but honestly, they need to step up their game so that it tastes like a true macaron instead of looking the part. Just my personal opinion is all.
Note to readers:
If you are wondering why there are 2 shops - namely Chiang Mai Palace and AnyThai - under the address "18 Circular Road", it is because they have changed management, but the shop still sells Thai food.
This whole lane in Circular Road is rather amazing. If not for the fact that I work around the area, I doubt I'd ever know the existence of this place!
AnyThai is, among many others, a decent and cheap restaurant to go eat at. I would think they have even better deals during lunch hour so as to attract the lunch crowd.
I was eating at the restaurant with a Thai, and the comment made was that the food is rather authentic!
I had for myself a real good $6.90 deal. It came with rice (choice of white rice or pineapple rice), a small dish of oyster sauce vegetable, 2 spring rolls (not the tiny tiny one! It could have been 10cm long!), a bowl of tom yam soup and a lime juice. Yes, all that for only $6.90, believe it or not!
I thought everything in the set meal was really good, albeit a little too small a portion of soup. The soup came in a regular sized bowl (similar to rice bowls at chinese restaurants) with a nominal amount of fish and prawns. Not much ingredients so to speak. But apart from that, the other dishes came in a sizeable portion that was not too harmful to your stomach. I like it because it allows you a variety of dishes even if you are eating alone!
Apart from that, there are a few other variations of the $6.90 meal, as well as a $4.90 rice set that's basically just rice and a side dish (perhaps meat).
A friend ordered the Pineapple Rice, and to my (pleasant) surprise, the rice actually did come in a Pineapple! I understand that it is common practice, but look at it this way: a small shop that's not very eye-catching, serving food that's relatively cheap, actually serves pineapple rice in a pineapple!
It is pleasant all right, that people still do care about the authenticity of Thai food in Singapore.
Of course, there were many other things available, such as Black Pepper beef rice that was apparently very good, as the Thai who was having lunch with me said. I do not doubt those words even though I did not try it!
If you go there at lunch, bear with them sometimes if service is bad. The waiters there are very hospitable, thus making your dining experience much more enjoyable. But during lunch they do get rather busy and so are a little slow in bringing up your food.
I would go back there for lunch again, I think it's a really good deal. But I do wonder if they have such good dinner deals too or not. Anybody..?
I was looking for some Funky, Sporty and Young Gift for a Young Girl the other day.. I walked around everywhere in Plaza Sing yet.. theres nothing really nice and sporty..... until... I stepped into Flash n Splash..... Its a huge shop with everything trandy, auzzie and sporty.... especially beach and water sports...
A Haven for Teens, Youths and Young Adults like me.. You get all the famous beach wear brands like billabong, all in one roof...... What more... They have a good assortments of Bags, Slippers, Caps, Bikinis and other funky stuffs.... The prices are reasonably approachable and when i was there there was some discounts for some older designs...
I love the bags. They come in all sizes, trendy designs and for all occasions. There are bags for a beach picnic or for clubbing by the beach and they also throw in duffles for you to runaway.... *Just an expression.. not to be taken seriously* I am pretty surprised and excited with the assortments of stuffs you can buy in this one shop and yet I only got a useful funky velcro wallet that has many compartments for your coins, cards, notes, keys and your darling's photo as well as a lanyard that can be connected to the wallet to hang around your neck or fasten to your belt for safe keeping...
The stuffs there are made to be easy maintainence yet cool and casually stylish.... Nice place to shop to get pieces for islanders like US.....
I love it I love it I love it.. The TonKatsu or Rosu Katsu is super duper marvelicious......
It is one of the best pork cutlet I ever had.. the meat is tender and juicy what more the crust crispy and not oily... If you like something more heavy, try the cheesy tonkatsu.... Its super nice.. Melted Cheese atop a beautifully fried juicy loin with a glimming golden crust and sprinkled with some bright orange fish roe..... *Slurp*...... I love it best with alot of thick sourish sauce.. I don't know what its called but it do taste abit like plum sauce...... Wonderful dish to go with the yummy rice.
I think its an interesting place too, as i was never given roasted sesame in a grinding bowl for garnishing on top of my bowl of pearl grained rice. It comes with a bullish stick when u just move round and round the bamboo stricken bowl.. Be careful not too grind too much as you might want to retain a little crunchiness of the roasted sesame.. The wonderful aroma of sesame just made the whole dining more then perfect.
There is also a bed of cabbage underneath your fried pork... Its crunchy and does not have that wierd cabbage taste... I love to pour alot of the other sauce.. which is sourish like vinagratte, housed in a glass bottle... I love the cabbage with lots of sauce.. For a non-cabbage eater to a cabbage gobbler..... you can imagine how yummy it was....
For those who needs more fibre in their diet, this is the place to dine at as you can ask for unlimited servings of cabbage top ups..... Eat as much as you can.. and I love their genorisity as at every refill.... They give you a mountain of cabbage... Its just such a fullfilling thing to be served a great portion.....
If you can.. try the coffee jelly as well... Its something very exquisite.. Served in short glasses... These KOPI O Jello comes with a drizzle of sweeten milk ontop... As you scoop into the jello... you could taste the sweet milk yet the clashing bitterness of the jello. As you mix them in your mouth.. you will get to experience the extraordinaire of coffee with milk together yet apart.....
The set meals comes in huge servings.. good enough to serve 2 for average female diners... Its a must try for all those jap food lovers....
Brewerkz is one of my favourite hangouts.. It was one of the first few micro-breweries in town and it was there way before i learn how to club.... and way before i realise the need to pluck my eyebrows.... Nevermind about that.. Anyway.... me and my famous GAGA Gang.. Just celebrated DA YI MA's Birthday there....
It was pretty nice though they lost my phone booking.... They still gave us a nice long table... As usual we ordered their famous beers.. and I in particular enjoy the wheat beer.. Its light, refreshing and soothing to your throat and i believe anyone who tried brewerkz beers, may find it hard to accept canned beers. Unlike the normal local canned or bottled beer, freshly brewed beers are easy to drink and is not gassy yet not flat.... The indian brew is also nice... heavier and slightly bitter however.. still more preferred as to bottled beers....
Now to the food.. My favourite is the ASIAN SOBA NOODLE SALAD.. Its healthy, yummy and not to mention packed with full of zest. I particularly like the Vinagratte Sauce with crispy crackers sprinkled on top... Its do taste abit like YuSheng, the kind we eat during CNY, however.. coupled with good salad veg and soba noodles, the combination is just heavenly....
The pizza is OK... and I must mention that the BURGERS are great... I love the naked brewerkz burger the best.... The patty is just so so fresh and sweet.. however... such a great burger is partnered with machine cut fries.. which i felt quite a gourmet spoiler.... If it was coupled with freshly cut chips, i mean just use a potato cutter and slice them into strips.. It would be HEAVENLY....
The deserts are nice too.. however after much beer... everything does not taste as good as beer....
Oh yar.. the birthday cake.. The staff was very nice to freeze my cake before serving it with loads of singing waiteresses and of course the cute waiters.... with a large array of candles... some tall some shorts. and some I must say... pretty HUGE..... Though I very much HOPE for a cute dancing male striptease.. However.. that did not happen...
The singing and HOOHA... with the saliva splatterd all over the cake is good enough for DA YI MA's Birthday Celebration.
It is definitely a great place to chill with friends, catch up with long lost pals and drown your blues with good beer.. I mean anyway.. you're going to get drunk.... Get drunk with something nice...
PS... I went there for lunch on valentine's and i was given a rose by the staff there, which was in a sore state when i got home at night.. However.. with a swish of cool water in a bottle and my mum's magic sword to trim the stem the flower bloomed into a beautiful sight and was a GIANT ROSE..
So Boyfriends out there.. if you don't feel like kanna tok on V-Day, head down to brewerks.. Have a burger, free one rose.... :)
To be honest, I can't believe that I've never tried Din Tai Fung (鼎泰丰) even though its rather prolific and alot of people have actually tried it. I guess I've been put off by the ridiculously long queues at each of its outlets during meal times. So imagine my glee when I found the crowds wanting at one of its outlet one afternoon.
The place is reminiscent of a typical Chinese restaurant except that this outlet had most of its seating in the open atrium of the shopping mall, which poses a genuine threat of uninvited aerial missiles from the shoppers above.
Tofu - For $3.30, I honestly didn't expect much. But I certainly wasn't prepared for the onslaught of the minature tofu. I kid you not. The tofu looks small enough to be devoured in just 1 large mouth. Taste wise, it had a high egg content and tasted very normal.
Xiao Long Bao - The dish that Din Tai Fung is known for, its Xiao Long Bao. I can't say that I didn't like it, but it wasn't that much of a mind blowing experience that I had anticipated. The rather dry skin enveloped a mouthful of light broth that flowed out with every nibble. Also, the XLBs didn't carry the strong pork taste which I personally disdain.
Fried Rice with Prawns & Egg - The rice grains were plump and moist, which made for a nice texture. However it lacked the quintessential wok hei and portions were minute to say the least.
I was stuffed at the end of my $26 lunch, but prices here aren't cheap and probably higher then your basic Crystal Jade outlets for the portion sizes. Food quality is decent and service is efficient but rather curt. So much for the legend. But I might just have another go at this place if the crowds are nonexistent.
1=SGD 0.0587
Good food, I'd go back there again,
if not for this:
Was there on that fateful Valentine's Saturday. Not surprisingly, the place was packed. But I honestly reckon this is the kind of crowd to expect every weekend. I found this place on a particularly famous blog which rated the place 4.5/5 for steamboat and barbeque. Having that in mind, I went all the way to Clementi with high hopes and big appetite, and also hoping that I'd be able to get a table if I went there half an hour earlier.
Well, fat hope about the table. I had to wait approximately 15 minutes more that I expected to. I can understand that though, because people there were indulging in the free flow of barbeque, cooked food, steamboat and drinks (yes and drinks! Hotpot Culture/ the old Marina Bay doesn't give you that) so much that no one seemed to be leaving.
When I finally got my table, I couldn't do any barbequeing though, due to the fact that tables at Fortune Cuisine are divided into 2 sections, one with barbeque and one without. So their solution to this problem is that we get the meat hand it over to any friendly waiter who will barbeque them for us. Not bad an idea. At least your clothes don't get stinked up too bad. Judging from the crowd, I knew that we'd have to wait a long time to get our barbequed food, so the first thing we did, even before our steamboat soup came, was to grab a huge plate of meat for barbequeing.
After about 15 minutes, a waiter brought one plate to our table. Technically, it was only half a portion of what we ordered. Being there for the first time, we thought it probably isn't out yet. After awhile, we decided that perhaps they forgot (it's only normal, given the crowd that day), so we went to take another plate. And another plate. And another plate . . . . .
Ok, so nothing's coming. It's been an hour. And it has been 4 plates at least already. We highlighted this issue to quite a number of waiters around but our reply was: "Oh we're very busy today, it will be coming soon." And finally when we could wait no more, we told yet another waiter that our food has not come despite us being told so many times that it will be coming soon. Apparently, that statement drew some attention to our table. Not wanting to cause any more commotion, the waiter referred us to the manager. Upon hearing our unhappiness and how reluctant we are to pay the full price for 2, the manager gave us a discounted price and we left.
To put all that above in a nutshell, it was simply an outcome of poor organization skills.
1) The queue at the doorstep was disorganized - the manager himself didn't know who came first, who's doing the "walk-in", who has reserved a table.
2) The whole thing about giving the waiters your plate of meat and expecting it to come back is quite.. unpredictable too. You just never know if they got your table right (because they don't make it a point to label the plate with your table numbers before collecting another plate along the way) or if they'll even come for your plate (because you're supposed to leave it on a tray obscurely places beside your table) when they're all so busy and probably even under-staff.
Well, all that above was effectively just my complain of the "bad service" I received from my hour and a half or so there. Nonetheless, I will not totally discredit the place by subtly weaving the plus points of the restaurant amidst my complaints and unambiguously italicizing them.
I must say the food was good. The little meat I had was either marinated for a long time or MSG-ful, ie tasty. It was truly a spread - crispy salmon, bee hoon, curry, satay (chicken/mutton/pork), beef slices, pork slices, sausages, the usual steamboat ingredients, some sushi, tempura, free flow of juices/ soft drinks and more (I probably missed some out)! And I think it's $20ish/pax. Rather worth the money if you go there on an uber empty stomach.
I'd say worth a try. I'd give it 3.5/5 but since there isn't, I guess I'll round it off to 4 so that people (like me) who simply spot the stars will not think it's a bad place.
(though I won't be going back there in the near future since I live rather far away)
Rating given:
Positioned units away from the legendary Sik Wai Sin, Ding Feng Ge is a new entrant to the food business found along the eventful stretch of Geylang Road. It is difficult to miss Ding Feng Ge with its dazzling array of red and yellow lanterns hanging outside the eatery and the loud neon signage screaming along the main road. Derived out of true blue passion for food, sisters, Angeline and Christina, discovered various lip-smacking fares during their culinary adventures and decided to unite everything under one roof and offer the best of Steamboat, Chicken Rice and Cooked Food (think Tze Char)!
Reminiscent to 7th Storey Hotel Hainan Charcoal Steamboat, the dinner was set in motion with the Hainanese Steamed Chicken ($25.00 for whole chicken, $13.00 for half chicken). HFB found it slightly overcooked, rendering its flesh a tad tasteless due to the loss of natural juices and sweetness.
Those that enjoy their steamboat dinner with a stronger, robust soup base would enjoy their option of Chicken Herbal Soup or Spicy Tom Yam flavoured broth.
Other flavours include the Mala (a combined flavour of Sichuan Peppercorn and Chili) and the newly introduced Bak Kut Teh soup base. For 2-3 pax, one can opt for the $24.00 set that HFB reckons was very value for money. With a mixture of seafood and meat along with the usual balls of different sorts and what�s not, each and every ingredient was very fresh. In fact, it was so fresh that HFB questioned whether the price was set too low for the quality served.
What's more, HFB's personal favourite items of Cockles and Pig's Liver was offered in the menu as well! But of course one could opt to change the items if they wished to, but you can surely drop that idea if you are dining with HFB � Heh! FYI, HFB finished up all the cockles that evening *smug*.
The cooked food section did well too � the signature dish of Ribs with Fermented Beancurd ($12.00/$18.00) was lip smacking delicious. It was deep fried to a crusty crunch and the layer of fats gave the dish an added luscious touch. That was definitely HFB�s favourite dish that evening!
Another nice surprise was the Crispy Seafood Beancurd ($10.00/$15.00). HFB encountered horrible tofu before, but thankfully their version wasn�t. It was firm on the exterior crust and soft on the inside. The excellent contrasting texture along with the flavoursome core was great to go with the sweet dip.
The Sambal Kang Kong ($8.00/$12.00) wasn�t too overcooked and the sambal was spicy � awesome when you eat it with plain rice (or chicken rice). The generous serving of Dried Shrimps was very much welcomed too!
One of their favourite dishes between the two sisters, the Pork Rib with Mayonnaise Sauce ($12.00/$18.00) was another well-executed dish. Nicely coated with mayo on the exterior, the meat was juicy and nicely seasoned. HFB�s only gripe was that a mayo-based dish tended to be too heavy for a meal especially when you coupled it with steamboat and chicken rice.
The Indonesian Curry Prawn Claypot ($18.00) was another iconic fare that night! In fact the gravy was so good that HFB reckoned Ding Feng Ge should fashioned a watered-down version as a soup broth offering for their steamboat set. The gravy was full-bodied and savoury yet surprising light for the palate.
It would be unwarranted if HFB mentioned he didn't enjoyed the Stir-fried Butter Crab with Salted Egg Yolk (Market Price). The truth of the matter was he was too filled at that point in time to truly savour it. Plus by the time HFB got his hands to it, the dish had already turned cold. However, one thing he wished to underline was the crab came choke full of roe!
You can view all the photos here.
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I love body shop.... I could remember when I was a little girl, I am always intrigued by the perfume oils that comes in delicate small little fat round bottles. They smell so nice and have a hundred and one uses. You can use them as perfumes or drop a few drop in your bowl of dried flowers or perhaps onto the edge of your pillow for a flowery dream.... I could say.. I grew up with The Body Shop....
As i grew, my love for beautiful and nice smelling things grew too.... I started loving fruitty soaps and flowery body wash..... Whats better then starting a day emerging from a hot shower smelling like a blooming garden in spring.....
Lately, I have been really crazy with their range of cosmetics. I find the blushers great to put on, eye-shadows having the most beautiful hues..... and the other thing i love is the shimmering stuffs they have.. Like shimmering body lotions and the shimmer powder that is laced with White Musk Fragrance.... It sure adds on the glam to your night gown.... The slight shimmer glowing on your skin sure makes you look more enchanting and less bare when you are dressed to kill, be it clubbing or attending a formal dinner.
Their range of products are good, useful and value for money. Most importantly they are enviromentally nuturing and supports a good cause. It makes the shopping spree much more justifiable.
Bring home useful products at a good Cost and for a good Cause
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Brewbaker's is part of Jack's Place holdings but is an offshoot in the sense that unlike Jack's place, its not halal certified. Its concept is one of escapism and relaxation which is reflected in its rather decent bar selection but holds many similarities to its parent company in regards to areas like its interior design and overall service level. Me and my gf patronized this venue on Valentine's day this year because i found it in a rather decent and new community centre near my house. It took about 35 minutes for us to walk the distance but honestly, we needed the exercise. Was it worth our effort though?
Thoughts on the location and surroundings:
Being in a community centre doesn't necessarily mean its a slipshod location. The restaurant had a rather laidback atmosphere and relaxing buzz as its next to an excellently under utilized yet beautiful public pool and is next to a canal/river which actually is rather pleasing. The interior is spacious but the design reminds me too much of Jack's place to be a good thing.
Its Valentines day, so what better way to celebrate then to have a decent meal with my girl? And there's even a menu that promises a "gift for the ladies" to every couple. Perfect. More on the gift at the end of the post.
Archipelago Travellers Wheat - Self brewed gourmet beer seems to be appearing everywhere these days. Not that its a bad thing. I ordered a complimentary sampler from their menu and honestly, it wasn't too bad. Travellers Wheat tastes like....golden ale from Brewerkz and i simply adore beer with that taste so this is good for me.
Mango Drink - This is definitely not made in house since it tastes just like something you can get from a concentrate with water added. Need some work here.
Terrine of Seafood - This was weird. It tastes like it has milk concentrate in it but dissipates in each taste. There's actual crab and fishcake-like taste in the pasty center as well. Its not a bad dish per se, its just weird.
Garlic Bread and Homemade Clam Chowder - This was a surprise. At first glance, i was thinking: "how dare they serve campbells soup when its stated as homemade clam chowder?" My fears were put to rest once i taste it though. There's actually a generous amount of seafood tucked beneath the surface and it provided a balanced palate for the meal to come. Helps that its not flooded with salt and other such nonsensical tastes as well.
True Love Platter - The "True Love Platter" for 2 feels more like "true fat platter" to me. However, it wasn't bad at all. The grilled salmon steak with dill sauce was a little salty and had a rather strong "fishy" taste which didn't sit well with me. The Sirloin steak did not come with black pepper sauce as per the menu and was well done, which means it was rather tough to eat. The grilled vegetable skewers were pretty good as is the chicken drumlets and potato salad. My gf didn't like the calamari rings due to the thick batter. The potato salad was supposed to be potato wedges but was switched without informing us and the steak was well done without asking the doneness we wanted it in. I attribute this to a service issue though.
Sweet Temptations - The dessert was basically strawberry and chocolate mousse cake with fruits. The white chocolate sticks and fruits were pretty good. Refreshing and sweet while the cake itself....is a little too creamy for our tastes. Otherwise, it was an ok ending to the meal. Coffee was served after this which helped as well.
The final bill for a simple valentine's lunch came up to $70.62. Rather steep for the quality of food served.
Cons: The "gift" mentioned in the menu was never given. We had to ask for it 3 times before being given something and it was not a valentines gift for the lady at all. It was a leftover scratch and win card from Chinese New Year which held no significance whatsoever. Needless to say, i was disappointed. At the very least, if there was no gift, i would have appreciated being warned beforehand and replaced with either an additional dish or a drink would suffice. Not this lame attempt at redeeming themselves with a useless item. The management needs to look into this. Not to mention, the lack of initiative to inform on the change of items and the courtesy to ask about the doneness of my steak.
Final Score: 6/10 (minus 1 due to the service lapses and problems with the "gift" that never was.)
Last word:
I was disappointed with the gift problem and service but the food was actually decent and so was the beer. Actually, the beer and location is probably the only reason i'll consider returning to this place. 50% off beer and 1 for 1 offers for the beer is something i could live with. Otherwise, i'd say try the food sparingly and they really need to buck up on their service training. Oh, its still better then Jack's Place as far as i'm concerned. Just thought i'd end it with that.
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Recently, i've been bestowed with a valuable gift of Takashimaya vouchers from my superbly wonderful company. I've thus been thronging Takashimaya with the intention of spending every single voucher away to no avail. Thus, i used it to the most important aspect of my being. My every growing tummy. It so happend that Bakerzin was having an offer for macarons and i just hopped to try it.
First off, a little background into why i wanted to try this.
1: My boss bought a nice sample of the best macarons back from France for the team to try during her trip and i have to say, they were excellent if a little pricey. I mean, 1 small macaron for $8? Ouch.
2: I've been told the Singapore renditions for macarons were no where near the true taste and standard of a France. And being a true blue Singaporean, i felt compelled to see if this was true.
The observation:
The macarons from Bakerzin were smaller and the proportions were different. The original macaron i had was thick in the middle and thinner on the sides. The Bakerzin rendition had a thicker side and smaller middle with a generally smaller size as well.
Taste wise, the Bakerzin rendition i bought had 6 flavors, chocolate, mint, strawberry, cherry, coffee and lemon. They all had a rather strong milky taste which is unusual because the actual french version had no such taste. The sides were are less fragrant and had a different texture and layer of crunchiness as compared to the french version. Overall, i felt this version highly inadequate.
I only had 2 flavors from the ones my boss brought back and i can tell you, the ones you find here are no where near the real thing. For starters, there is absolutely no milky taste. The texture is highly different and the actual fillings were packed full of actual flavor as opposed to the ready made ones you see on offer here.
Last word:
Sure, i may be overly harsh on this. After all, the real thing costs 700% more and has to be flown in but hey, i had more faith in our chefs then to produce this half baked effort. Maybe when the promotion is over the macarons will be of better quality. I wouldn't know for sure but honestly, they need to step up their game so that it tastes like a true macaron instead of looking the part. Just my personal opinion is all.
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Note to readers:
If you are wondering why there are 2 shops - namely Chiang Mai Palace and AnyThai - under the address "18 Circular Road", it is because they have changed management, but the shop still sells Thai food.
This whole lane in Circular Road is rather amazing. If not for the fact that I work around the area, I doubt I'd ever know the existence of this place!
AnyThai is, among many others, a decent and cheap restaurant to go eat at. I would think they have even better deals during lunch hour so as to attract the lunch crowd.
I was eating at the restaurant with a Thai, and the comment made was that the food is rather authentic!
I had for myself a real good $6.90 deal. It came with rice (choice of white rice or pineapple rice), a small dish of oyster sauce vegetable, 2 spring rolls (not the tiny tiny one! It could have been 10cm long!), a bowl of tom yam soup and a lime juice. Yes, all that for only $6.90, believe it or not!
I thought everything in the set meal was really good, albeit a little too small a portion of soup. The soup came in a regular sized bowl (similar to rice bowls at chinese restaurants) with a nominal amount of fish and prawns. Not much ingredients so to speak. But apart from that, the other dishes came in a sizeable portion that was not too harmful to your stomach. I like it because it allows you a variety of dishes even if you are eating alone!
Apart from that, there are a few other variations of the $6.90 meal, as well as a $4.90 rice set that's basically just rice and a side dish (perhaps meat).
A friend ordered the Pineapple Rice, and to my (pleasant) surprise, the rice actually did come in a Pineapple! I understand that it is common practice, but look at it this way: a small shop that's not very eye-catching, serving food that's relatively cheap, actually serves pineapple rice in a pineapple!
It is pleasant all right, that people still do care about the authenticity of Thai food in Singapore.
Of course, there were many other things available, such as Black Pepper beef rice that was apparently very good, as the Thai who was having lunch with me said. I do not doubt those words even though I did not try it!
If you go there at lunch, bear with them sometimes if service is bad. The waiters there are very hospitable, thus making your dining experience much more enjoyable. But during lunch they do get rather busy and so are a little slow in bringing up your food.
I would go back there for lunch again, I think it's a really good deal. But I do wonder if they have such good dinner deals too or not. Anybody..?
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I was looking for some Funky, Sporty and Young Gift for a Young Girl the other day.. I walked around everywhere in Plaza Sing yet.. theres nothing really nice and sporty..... until... I stepped into Flash n Splash..... Its a huge shop with everything trandy, auzzie and sporty.... especially beach and water sports...
A Haven for Teens, Youths and Young Adults like me.. You get all the famous beach wear brands like billabong, all in one roof...... What more... They have a good assortments of Bags, Slippers, Caps, Bikinis and other funky stuffs.... The prices are reasonably approachable and when i was there there was some discounts for some older designs...
I love the bags. They come in all sizes, trendy designs and for all occasions. There are bags for a beach picnic or for clubbing by the beach and they also throw in duffles for you to runaway.... *Just an expression.. not to be taken seriously* I am pretty surprised and excited with the assortments of stuffs you can buy in this one shop and yet I only got a useful funky velcro wallet that has many compartments for your coins, cards, notes, keys and your darling's photo as well as a lanyard that can be connected to the wallet to hang around your neck or fasten to your belt for safe keeping...
The stuffs there are made to be easy maintainence yet cool and casually stylish.... Nice place to shop to get pieces for islanders like US.....
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I love it I love it I love it.. The TonKatsu or Rosu Katsu is super duper marvelicious......
It is one of the best pork cutlet I ever had.. the meat is tender and juicy what more the crust crispy and not oily... If you like something more heavy, try the cheesy tonkatsu.... Its super nice.. Melted Cheese atop a beautifully fried juicy loin with a glimming golden crust and sprinkled with some bright orange fish roe..... *Slurp*...... I love it best with alot of thick sourish sauce.. I don't know what its called but it do taste abit like plum sauce...... Wonderful dish to go with the yummy rice.
I think its an interesting place too, as i was never given roasted sesame in a grinding bowl for garnishing on top of my bowl of pearl grained rice. It comes with a bullish stick when u just move round and round the bamboo stricken bowl.. Be careful not too grind too much as you might want to retain a little crunchiness of the roasted sesame.. The wonderful aroma of sesame just made the whole dining more then perfect.
There is also a bed of cabbage underneath your fried pork... Its crunchy and does not have that wierd cabbage taste... I love to pour alot of the other sauce.. which is sourish like vinagratte, housed in a glass bottle... I love the cabbage with lots of sauce.. For a non-cabbage eater to a cabbage gobbler..... you can imagine how yummy it was....
For those who needs more fibre in their diet, this is the place to dine at as you can ask for unlimited servings of cabbage top ups..... Eat as much as you can.. and I love their genorisity as at every refill.... They give you a mountain of cabbage... Its just such a fullfilling thing to be served a great portion.....
If you can.. try the coffee jelly as well... Its something very exquisite.. Served in short glasses... These KOPI O Jello comes with a drizzle of sweeten milk ontop... As you scoop into the jello... you could taste the sweet milk yet the clashing bitterness of the jello. As you mix them in your mouth.. you will get to experience the extraordinaire of coffee with milk together yet apart.....
The set meals comes in huge servings.. good enough to serve 2 for average female diners... Its a must try for all those jap food lovers....
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Brewerkz is one of my favourite hangouts.. It was one of the first few micro-breweries in town and it was there way before i learn how to club.... and way before i realise the need to pluck my eyebrows.... Nevermind about that.. Anyway.... me and my famous GAGA Gang.. Just celebrated DA YI MA's Birthday there....
It was pretty nice though they lost my phone booking.... They still gave us a nice long table... As usual we ordered their famous beers.. and I in particular enjoy the wheat beer.. Its light, refreshing and soothing to your throat and i believe anyone who tried brewerkz beers, may find it hard to accept canned beers. Unlike the normal local canned or bottled beer, freshly brewed beers are easy to drink and is not gassy yet not flat.... The indian brew is also nice... heavier and slightly bitter however.. still more preferred as to bottled beers....
Now to the food.. My favourite is the ASIAN SOBA NOODLE SALAD.. Its healthy, yummy and not to mention packed with full of zest. I particularly like the Vinagratte Sauce with crispy crackers sprinkled on top... Its do taste abit like YuSheng, the kind we eat during CNY, however.. coupled with good salad veg and soba noodles, the combination is just heavenly....
The pizza is OK... and I must mention that the BURGERS are great... I love the naked brewerkz burger the best.... The patty is just so so fresh and sweet.. however... such a great burger is partnered with machine cut fries.. which i felt quite a gourmet spoiler.... If it was coupled with freshly cut chips, i mean just use a potato cutter and slice them into strips.. It would be HEAVENLY....
The deserts are nice too.. however after much beer... everything does not taste as good as beer....
Oh yar.. the birthday cake.. The staff was very nice to freeze my cake before serving it with loads of singing waiteresses and of course the cute waiters.... with a large array of candles... some tall some shorts. and some I must say... pretty HUGE..... Though I very much HOPE for a cute dancing male striptease.. However.. that did not happen...
The singing and HOOHA... with the saliva splatterd all over the cake is good enough for DA YI MA's Birthday Celebration.
It is definitely a great place to chill with friends, catch up with long lost pals and drown your blues with good beer.. I mean anyway.. you're going to get drunk.... Get drunk with something nice...
PS... I went there for lunch on valentine's and i was given a rose by the staff there, which was in a sore state when i got home at night.. However.. with a swish of cool water in a bottle and my mum's magic sword to trim the stem the flower bloomed into a beautiful sight and was a GIANT ROSE..
So Boyfriends out there.. if you don't feel like kanna tok on V-Day, head down to brewerks.. Have a burger, free one rose.... :)
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To be honest, I can't believe that I've never tried Din Tai Fung (鼎泰丰) even though its rather prolific and alot of people have actually tried it. I guess I've been put off by the ridiculously long queues at each of its outlets during meal times. So imagine my glee when I found the crowds wanting at one of its outlet one afternoon.
The place is reminiscent of a typical Chinese restaurant except that this outlet had most of its seating in the open atrium of the shopping mall, which poses a genuine threat of uninvited aerial missiles from the shoppers above.
Tofu - For $3.30, I honestly didn't expect much. But I certainly wasn't prepared for the onslaught of the minature tofu. I kid you not. The tofu looks small enough to be devoured in just 1 large mouth. Taste wise, it had a high egg content and tasted very normal.
Xiao Long Bao - The dish that Din Tai Fung is known for, its Xiao Long Bao. I can't say that I didn't like it, but it wasn't that much of a mind blowing experience that I had anticipated. The rather dry skin enveloped a mouthful of light broth that flowed out with every nibble. Also, the XLBs didn't carry the strong pork taste which I personally disdain.
Fried Rice with Prawns & Egg - The rice grains were plump and moist, which made for a nice texture. However it lacked the quintessential wok hei and portions were minute to say the least.
I was stuffed at the end of my $26 lunch, but prices here aren't cheap and probably higher then your basic Crystal Jade outlets for the portion sizes. Food quality is decent and service is efficient but rather curt. So much for the legend. But I might just have another go at this place if the crowds are nonexistent.
See all my pictures here.
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