Been to this Japanese Food Bazzar a couple of times, Basically I would say that this place's concept is quite similar and in some ways identical to that of Marche's. Only difference would be that this places serves mostly Japanese food instead of Western, which suits me fine.
I have tried the egg omelette, seafood pizza, sashimi, grilled food ( squid, bacon and asparagus on skewer, beef on skewer, fried vegetable,etc). And I must say that they taste much much better than those I have eaten before at Marche's. It is likely due to the sauces that they used in teh grilling. As for the sashimi, it is fresh and melts in your mouth. But the price is a bit steep for only a few slices of the sashimi. But I personally feel that it is worth the money.
It can get quite crowded on weekends and as such the waiting time for your fo dcan get a bit long as well as the queuing up time to get into the restaurant. Therefore do be prepared to wait. All in all, this is a great place to eat when you are with a big group of friends. But do watch your orders to avoid racking up a hefty bill.
Was at this outlet of the Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe at Plaza Singapura a couple of weeks ago. Ordered the prok floss fried rice, beef horfun as well as the deep fried spring rolls. Inaddition , ordered two drinks, namely the Honey Green Tea and Iced Lime Tea. For the drinks, felt that they were a bit tad too sweet. So had to ask the waiteress to add more ice to the drinks to dilute them to make them more drinkable.
As for the food, the pork floss rice was quite average, with the amount of pork floss deemed to be quite measly. As for the beef horfun, it was ok but the taste was not really superb. At best, it was comparable to those you eat at hawker centers. The only good thing was perhaps the spring rolls, which were considered the best amongst the three dishes.
To conculde, the food there is only average and does not justify the slightly high price. Unlikely to go back there again in the near future
This shop is at the basement of Tampines Mall, loacted just opposite the NTUC Fairprice supermarket. It sells nice cakes such as chocolate truffle, Tiramisu, Banana chocolate cake and many more, It also sells nyona kuehs and cookies during festive seasons. Everytime I go there, I never fail to buy some back for my family. And everytime the quality of the cakes have never failed to impress me. The cakes are neither too sweet nor too creamy for those who are more health conscious and yet like to eat cakes.
The prices are quite affordable and if you wanna try the cakes, they have samples or you can buy a single slice of the flavour you want before buying one log of the cake. In addition, if you are a SAFRA member,you can get 10% off the total bill. All in all, this cake shop though having a limited selection of variety of cakes, is one that is worthwhile to pay a visit to.
Been to this cafe a couple of times for their dinner buffet. The spread was quite pleasant, with sashimi (tuna, salmon), nice fried stuff and teppanyaki (beef, pork, prawns, mushrooms, etc on a skewer). In addition, on weekends, there is also Bejing duck served at the hot dishes counter, which tasted very nice. That was my favourite dish, as well as the sashimi, which was very fresh.
The service there was very good as well with the staff being attentive and helpful whenever you need them. Overall, I would say that this is a relatively nice place to have a meal, though the spread may be slightly lesser as compared to other places and the also being in a hotel, the price may be slightly higher as well. Still, I would recommend people to go there to have a try and see for yourself if you like it.
Why is it that Starbucks is able to open a few outlets at a single location, and yet every cafe is still packed fully with customers? They must have some secrets that we don’t know? Anyway, Marutama ra-men seems to get the idea, with their one week old new restaurant at Liang court, it’s only a stone throw away from their original branch at The Central.
Ramen lovers have been raving about Marutama, and with some even proclaiming it as the best in Singapore, the new location, like their first outlet, also has a small interior which at best can seat 30 thereabouts. You can choose to seat at their counter area where you can have the bird’s eye view of the chef at work.
When we chanced upon it during a weekday afternoon, they are closed in between 3.30pm to 4.30pm, we came back just on time for their dinner operation hours, and within ten minutes of opening, the petite restaurant was almost full filled with customers craving for their ramen.
I asked the person-in-charge why didn’t they expand their new outlet since their original one is already a hit with its customers, and she explained that their stove could only cook that many bowl of ramen at one time, so it isn’t feasible to have more seats. And besides, some queue outside does make the restaurant look more popular isn’t it?
The spicy chicken soup ra-men with toppings, or Nama karashi ra-men ($12) is one of the three choices available at Marutama. A lone slice of char siu, seaweed, spring onions with the noodles, that’s it. The char siu was really excellent, thinly sliced, with the fats being just adequate. The meat was tasty and with the fatty portions, it did seem perfect, except for the fact there’s only a single slice of it. You can add the sliced roast pork for an additional $4 though.
The noodles were springy, but the chicken soup base was really salty. A tad heavy on the MSG, we needed to drink lots of water to drench our thirst.
Total bill was $14.04 for a bowl of ramen, a rather hefty price to pay when you consider the fact that the ramen only had a slice of char siu and noodles.The char siu was definitely good, but i’m not really a big fan of Japanese food, so it should take some time before i’m back for another bowl of ramen.
There are obviously fans and critics of Marutama ra-men. Fans whom rave about the authetic noodles, and critics who cite the salty soup and expensive bowl of ra-men. Nonetheless, Marutama must be doing something right with its long queue at the restaurants everyday. So who’s a fan and who’s not? Let me know with your comments!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
I’ve always love my cakes and desserts, so it also came as a surprise to me that i only visited Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge now. Furthermore, it helped that the place is located in town area, right in the middle of level 2, Takashimaya. I went to the second level all right, but couldn’t find the place until my companion told me it’s beside Burberry. And it’s until then i realised i been passing by the place last time but didn’t notice it.
The restaurant interior surprised me as i thought it was bigger on the outside. With an elongated L shape area, customers enjoying their meal can look out to the busy street of Orchard road. While others are rushing around, you’re enjoying your cup of tea with some light desserts. Life’s bliss.
Having the other tables so closed to each other, and with no walls in the whole area, the place was very noisy with all the chatterings and crying sound of the kids. This on the whole, dampened the relaxing mood slightly.
High Tea is served from 2.30pm to 6.30pm. There’s their high tea set for one person at $20.90, and two person at $ 26.90. Obviously the set for one person isn’t worth the price, so if you’re going alone, you’ll be better off ordering a la carte instead. We had the high tea set for two person since it’s our first time there.
The tea that came along with the set was really just, your normal lipton tea. The porcelain tableware with its blue foral prints had a very English feel.
A blueberry cheesecake ($4.90 a la carte) that didn’t taste like blueberry. I usually didn’t quite fancy blueberry but this one was very good. The blueberry was very sweet and flavourful, layering on top of the slice of cake. The taste was very similar to the one that i’ve at Caffe Beviamo.
Cheesy yet not to the extent overwhelming. The biscuit crumb layer underneath the cake added the crunch to the soft and fluffy cheese cake. The “oomph” taste immediately announced its presence. It’s light and airy, and unlike some cheesecakes which are really heavy, you won’t feel sick of eating this one.
Another dessert which we selected for one of the two home-made pastries was the bakewell tart. I didn’t have much similar tarts before, but i must say the tart was excellent by its own standards. The crispy texture of the top, together with the soft body provided a nice compliment to each other. And there was a layer of jam in between which also added flavour to the tart. A good try if you are going to Royal Copenhagen.
The shrimp sandwich was one of the two mini opened face sandwich ($10.90 a la carte) of the chef’s choice. Basically a sandwich without any top, it consisted of shrimps, caviar and lettuces. Coupled with the mayo sauce, the opened face sandwich reminded me of the one I’ve at Caffe Cova. The shrimps serving was generous all right, the caviar added intense flavour to it, but the lettuce wasn’t very crunchy, and somehow I don’t think I really enjoyed the dainty petite sandwich. After finishing it, i was wondering, was that it?
The big slice of smoked salmon was a surprise, but again opened face sandwich and me just don’t click. My friend enjoyed the popular shrimp sandwich more than this. The thing about opened face sandwich is you feel that you are just eating the fillings without any bread, which doesn’t have the sandwich-feel.
It was the famous Copenhagen scones ($6.90 a la carte) that we eyed for. The one which got everybody talking about. Royal Copenhagen chef’s speciality, fresh daily baked scones served with butter, whipped cream and jam.
There were five types of Danish fruit spread selection, namely blackcurrent, raspberry, strawberry, orange marmalade, and rosehip with apples. We were contemplating between the safe choice of raspberry or the adventurous rosehip with apples. In the end the spirit won, and we chose the latter.
This was the very first time both of us tried scones, while i spread my cream, jam, and butter in the middle of the scones, my companion preferred to tear bits of the scones and dipped them into the jam and butter to eat. The scones were very fragrant, slightly hard on the exterior, soft & fluffy inside. The only gripe - it wasn’t warm! It would be prefect if the scones were warm and freshly baked from the oven.
Total bill was $31.65 after the extra charges for the 2 person high tea set. The experience was a pleasant one, although it was blotch by the rather noisy atmosphere. Service wise was still acceptable, there were a couple of staff which we thought wasn’t very happy serving people, but there was one staff whom was the saving graces with her friendly smile and services.
I’ve called up beforehand to make a reservation, but the staff told me there was no need to for a weekday high tea. And when we reached the place at around 4pm, it’s packed to the house, but luckily there was still seats for us. Which made me wonder whether was it coincidence that they saw a rush in crowd that day, or it was always busy everytime but the staff didn’t want to take the reservations.
Frankly speaking, i didn’t fancy the opened face sandwich, so chances are if i come back again, i probably won’t order the high tea set. The cakes and pastries are really good, and at $4.90 they are a lot cheaper than patisserie like Canele, even though they are not as attractive looking, but it’s the inside that counts isn’t it?
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Ah Mei, nurtured by Banquet, to vie a share of the market. There’s Ya Kun, with the tradition on their side. And Toastbox, with the Breadtalk group backing them. Not to forget Oldtown, the new kid on the block which hailed from faraway Kuala Lumpur. With competition that tough, they went Halal.
Waking up on a sleepy Sunday morning, slowly enjoying your breakfast away from the hectic lifestyle, sipping a cup of coffee, nibbling on a piece of kaya toast, and slurping down the runny half-boiled eggs. The set A ($3.20) to be exact.
Cracked the shells, we were greeted with a portrait of the rising sun. It was not just about the main character only, together with its sidekicks, the pepper and black sauce, the rising sun was slurped down in two seconds.
And finally, the one that all of us were waiting for. Slightly toasted, the bread was golden brown. The kaya was the one which would have make all the difference in the world. Sadly, there was something missing. The lack of a signature taste in the kaya, the whole thing was not bad but failed to cast its mark on my memory.
There were pratas, done on the spot by their very own in-house prata man. The taste however, failed to justify the higher price tag. You could have walk in to any other prata shops and got better yet cheaper ones. Nonetheless, the curry sauce which accompanied the prata, was the saving grace. You could get it a la carte, or as a set with tea or coffee.
With both Ah Mei and Oldtown positioned within the high district at Bukit timah, i half suspect Ya Kun might just want to open a branch there to join in the party. Which can only be good news for the residents. Ah Mei, didn’t really impress dme. The widely diversified menu which also included muslim food like nasi lemek & mee rebus, didn’t appeal to the kaya-seeking fan in me.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Heard many rave reviews about Thai Pan, a Thai style cze char restaurant located at the eastern tip of Singapore so made the long trek down to give it a shot. Apparently its claim to fame is its quality food at coffeeshop cze char prices.
Located in a charming colonial style clubhouse within the Civil Service Club's premises at Changi Village, Thai Pan's interior boasts a sloping ceiling with wooden arches, parquet flooring and views of lush greenery through the checkered windows. The place does seem susceptible to echos though, because of the lack of sound dampening/absorbing materials like carpets.
Jade Tofu with Chicken Floss - I thought that the name sounded promising. Jade tofu conjures images of silken tofu with a nice savoury taste. However that wasn't quite the case unfortunately. The skin was a little crisp and the inside was soft but not exactly silky. I struggled to make out the mild savoury taste that the tofu carried but to be fair, it was decent, just nowhere in the league of Pow Sing.
Broccoli with Crab Meat - Personally I thought that this was quite good. There was egg white and small chunks of crab meat in the not too starchy and mildly appetising gravy that layered the crunchy and not overcooked broccoli.
Phad Thai - I didn't quite take this Thai Pan's rendition of this Thai street dish as the ketchup taste was just too overwhelming. I would have prefered a kaleidoscope of flavours and of course the ubiquitous dried shrimps. This one only had egg and chicken cubes.
Olive Rice - At $1 a pop, this was a great deal. But please note that its a promotion so I can't say if it will be a good deal in future. The rice was sufficient for 1 pax and had a nice wok hei taste with egg and cashew nuts. Accompanying alongside was a small serving of slightly sweet minced meat sauce that went well with the rice. The only minor gripe i had was that the rice did seem a little too damp for my liking.
The food was quite decent and the pricing relatively reasonable, at about $24 for 2 pax - a value proposition that comes close to or on par with what the coffeeshop cze char stalls are offering, albeit in a much better environment with better service.
It was a normal weekday lunch and my colleagues and boss decided to go out for a simple lunch. I suggested Botak Jones just because it was nearby and i've yet to try the branch in Bedok.
However, that proved to be a big boo boo in many ways.
First of all, my Botak Burger was hilariously small, came with no cheese and minimal fries and basically was a joke to look at. Then the burger itself, meaning the beef patty was mashed badly and cooked badly as well. Resulting in a overly dried, grass like tasting beef patty that simply isn't what i expected. The fries were alright but definitely alot lesser then when i had the same thing in the AMK branch.
My boss and colleagues seperately had cajun chicken and fish and chips which were all the same in one way. They all shrank. I don't know if its a sign of times that they've cut down on fries and ingredients in their food but for me, since i've eaten at the original branch before, this is just not acceptable.
If the boss is reading, this is where you should visit for a re education on what the franchise is about. No offense.
Sourcing for more good food at affordable prices. This quest led me to a place i have passed by on a lunch meal with my colleagues. The irony of it all is, this is located in the exact same cafeteria as Botak Jones in Bedok. And the second interesting part of it is, its appeared on television before and their not shy to air it too, as evidenced by the constant looping of the episode on the television housed in front. I've always been skeptical about television reviews and so far, little to none has been accurate. I wonder if this is any different.
Chocolate Mousse ($3) Panna Cotta($2.50) Tiramisu($3) - This was actually the last part of our first meal there but i'll write about it first. Basically, having the dessert meant we were pretty satisfied with the mains. The Panna cotta is overly overly overly sweet and had an overwhelming milky taste to it that simply didn't agree with me. The tiramisu has too little cake and too much mascaponi cheese which also gave an overwhelming taste. The only dessert that was vaguely good was the chocolate mousse which was thick and slightly bitter and sweet for a good finish. In terms of dessert, there's definitely room for improvement.
Seafood Baked Rice ($8.50) - The seafood baked rice came rather quickly and the memorable thing about it is its sourish tomato based sauce which made the rice very very appetising. Not to mention the clams, mussels and squid were pretty generous, as can be seen from above, and that the seafood used is very very fresh and sweet. In fact, its one of the few places with extremely fresh seafood ingredients i've came across. And at a budget price no less.
Il Piccolo Pizza ($15 for the bigger version) - I'll just go out on a limb and say this pizza is worth it. For $15, i'd say this is a steal. Simply check out the generous smattering of cheese and ingredients to know what i mean. Pepperoni, beef, ham, olives, pineapples and some onions round up the roster. However, its the stretch of the cheese and the crust that really made it a winner. Normally, the worst part of the pizza is its crust, but over here, the crust is soft and crunchy in all the right places. Not to mention the fragrant dough its made from simply compliments the ingredients so well, its perfect. The cheese is worth mentioning as well. We have all seen commercials of pizza with cheese that stretches for a long a savoury journey into our mouths, however, few places have managed that feat. This here, manages that well even when its cold. Its awesome.
Bruschetta ($3) - The bruschetta is rather normal but for $3, i was surprised at the quantity and size of the serving. $3 nets you enough bruschetta for 4 people to share a piece each. The bread is lightly toasted and soft on the inside unlike other bruschettas i've had before. The chopped tomatos were lightly drizzled with olive oil and assort condiments for a light and fresh taste. Pretty good.
Vongole ($7) - The vongole was surprisingly good. Al dente spagghetti, ultra fresh and sweet clams and a nice, light white wine sauce that hooks you in and never lets go. A light and enjoyable main course.
Amattricia ($6) - Mf gf's order, the amattricia is basically tomato based spagghetti with ham. I had a little and it was an authentic sourish taste with again, very springy and chewy pasta. Likeable but not perfect.
I have to say, i'm surprised and impressed with this place. In fact, i'm definitely returning for more. My only gripe is that almost everyone came to the coffeeshop for Botak Jones which i've had and found the quality of food wanting. Its sad to see a less worthy franchise getting all the attention when a gem like this is left in the dust and underappreciated. I highly recommend a try to judge this place yourself. I'm sure it'll be a surprise for you as well.
1=SGD 0.0587
Been to this Japanese Food Bazzar a couple of times, Basically I would say that this place's concept is quite similar and in some ways identical to that of Marche's. Only difference would be that this places serves mostly Japanese food instead of Western, which suits me fine.
I have tried the egg omelette, seafood pizza, sashimi, grilled food ( squid, bacon and asparagus on skewer, beef on skewer, fried vegetable,etc). And I must say that they taste much much better than those I have eaten before at Marche's. It is likely due to the sauces that they used in teh grilling. As for the sashimi, it is fresh and melts in your mouth. But the price is a bit steep for only a few slices of the sashimi. But I personally feel that it is worth the money.
It can get quite crowded on weekends and as such the waiting time for your fo dcan get a bit long as well as the queuing up time to get into the restaurant. Therefore do be prepared to wait. All in all, this is a great place to eat when you are with a big group of friends. But do watch your orders to avoid racking up a hefty bill.
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Was at this outlet of the Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe at Plaza Singapura a couple of weeks ago. Ordered the prok floss fried rice, beef horfun as well as the deep fried spring rolls. Inaddition , ordered two drinks, namely the Honey Green Tea and Iced Lime Tea. For the drinks, felt that they were a bit tad too sweet. So had to ask the waiteress to add more ice to the drinks to dilute them to make them more drinkable.
As for the food, the pork floss rice was quite average, with the amount of pork floss deemed to be quite measly. As for the beef horfun, it was ok but the taste was not really superb. At best, it was comparable to those you eat at hawker centers. The only good thing was perhaps the spring rolls, which were considered the best amongst the three dishes.
To conculde, the food there is only average and does not justify the slightly high price. Unlikely to go back there again in the near future
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This shop is at the basement of Tampines Mall, loacted just opposite the NTUC Fairprice supermarket. It sells nice cakes such as chocolate truffle, Tiramisu, Banana chocolate cake and many more, It also sells nyona kuehs and cookies during festive seasons. Everytime I go there, I never fail to buy some back for my family. And everytime the quality of the cakes have never failed to impress me. The cakes are neither too sweet nor too creamy for those who are more health conscious and yet like to eat cakes.
The prices are quite affordable and if you wanna try the cakes, they have samples or you can buy a single slice of the flavour you want before buying one log of the cake. In addition, if you are a SAFRA member,you can get 10% off the total bill. All in all, this cake shop though having a limited selection of variety of cakes, is one that is worthwhile to pay a visit to.
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Been to this cafe a couple of times for their dinner buffet. The spread was quite pleasant, with sashimi (tuna, salmon), nice fried stuff and teppanyaki (beef, pork, prawns, mushrooms, etc on a skewer). In addition, on weekends, there is also Bejing duck served at the hot dishes counter, which tasted very nice. That was my favourite dish, as well as the sashimi, which was very fresh.
The service there was very good as well with the staff being attentive and helpful whenever you need them. Overall, I would say that this is a relatively nice place to have a meal, though the spread may be slightly lesser as compared to other places and the also being in a hotel, the price may be slightly higher as well. Still, I would recommend people to go there to have a try and see for yourself if you like it.
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Why is it that Starbucks is able to open a few outlets at a single location, and yet every cafe is still packed fully with customers? They must have some secrets that we don’t know? Anyway, Marutama ra-men seems to get the idea, with their one week old new restaurant at Liang court, it’s only a stone throw away from their original branch at The Central.
Ramen lovers have been raving about Marutama, and with some even proclaiming it as the best in Singapore, the new location, like their first outlet, also has a small interior which at best can seat 30 thereabouts. You can choose to seat at their counter area where you can have the bird’s eye view of the chef at work.
When we chanced upon it during a weekday afternoon, they are closed in between 3.30pm to 4.30pm, we came back just on time for their dinner operation hours, and within ten minutes of opening, the petite restaurant was almost full filled with customers craving for their ramen.
I asked the person-in-charge why didn’t they expand their new outlet since their original one is already a hit with its customers, and she explained that their stove could only cook that many bowl of ramen at one time, so it isn’t feasible to have more seats. And besides, some queue outside does make the restaurant look more popular isn’t it?
The spicy chicken soup ra-men with toppings, or Nama karashi ra-men ($12) is one of the three choices available at Marutama. A lone slice of char siu, seaweed, spring onions with the noodles, that’s it. The char siu was really excellent, thinly sliced, with the fats being just adequate. The meat was tasty and with the fatty portions, it did seem perfect, except for the fact there’s only a single slice of it. You can add the sliced roast pork for an additional $4 though.
The noodles were springy, but the chicken soup base was really salty. A tad heavy on the MSG, we needed to drink lots of water to drench our thirst.
Total bill was $14.04 for a bowl of ramen, a rather hefty price to pay when you consider the fact that the ramen only had a slice of char siu and noodles.The char siu was definitely good, but i’m not really a big fan of Japanese food, so it should take some time before i’m back for another bowl of ramen.
There are obviously fans and critics of Marutama ra-men. Fans whom rave about the authetic noodles, and critics who cite the salty soup and expensive bowl of ra-men. Nonetheless, Marutama must be doing something right with its long queue at the restaurants everyday. So who’s a fan and who’s not? Let me know with your comments!
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
Rating given:
I’ve always love my cakes and desserts, so it also came as a surprise to me that i only visited Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge now. Furthermore, it helped that the place is located in town area, right in the middle of level 2, Takashimaya. I went to the second level all right, but couldn’t find the place until my companion told me it’s beside Burberry. And it’s until then i realised i been passing by the place last time but didn’t notice it.
The restaurant interior surprised me as i thought it was bigger on the outside. With an elongated L shape area, customers enjoying their meal can look out to the busy street of Orchard road. While others are rushing around, you’re enjoying your cup of tea with some light desserts. Life’s bliss.
Having the other tables so closed to each other, and with no walls in the whole area, the place was very noisy with all the chatterings and crying sound of the kids. This on the whole, dampened the relaxing mood slightly.
High Tea is served from 2.30pm to 6.30pm. There’s their high tea set for one person at $20.90, and two person at $ 26.90. Obviously the set for one person isn’t worth the price, so if you’re going alone, you’ll be better off ordering a la carte instead. We had the high tea set for two person since it’s our first time there.
The tea that came along with the set was really just, your normal lipton tea. The porcelain tableware with its blue foral prints had a very English feel.
A blueberry cheesecake ($4.90 a la carte) that didn’t taste like blueberry. I usually didn’t quite fancy blueberry but this one was very good. The blueberry was very sweet and flavourful, layering on top of the slice of cake. The taste was very similar to the one that i’ve at Caffe Beviamo.
Cheesy yet not to the extent overwhelming. The biscuit crumb layer underneath the cake added the crunch to the soft and fluffy cheese cake. The “oomph” taste immediately announced its presence. It’s light and airy, and unlike some cheesecakes which are really heavy, you won’t feel sick of eating this one.
Another dessert which we selected for one of the two home-made pastries was the bakewell tart. I didn’t have much similar tarts before, but i must say the tart was excellent by its own standards. The crispy texture of the top, together with the soft body provided a nice compliment to each other. And there was a layer of jam in between which also added flavour to the tart.
A good try if you are going to Royal Copenhagen.
The shrimp sandwich was one of the two mini opened face sandwich ($10.90 a la carte) of the chef’s choice. Basically a sandwich without any top, it consisted of shrimps, caviar and lettuces. Coupled with the mayo sauce, the opened face sandwich reminded me of the one I’ve at Caffe Cova. The shrimps serving was generous all right, the caviar added intense flavour to it, but the lettuce wasn’t very crunchy, and somehow I don’t think I really enjoyed the dainty petite sandwich. After finishing it, i was wondering, was that it?
The big slice of smoked salmon was a surprise, but again opened face sandwich and me just don’t click. My friend enjoyed the popular shrimp sandwich more than this. The thing about opened face sandwich is you feel that you are just eating the fillings without any bread, which doesn’t have the sandwich-feel.
It was the famous Copenhagen scones ($6.90 a la carte) that we eyed for. The one which got everybody talking about. Royal Copenhagen chef’s speciality, fresh daily baked scones served with butter, whipped cream and jam.
There were five types of Danish fruit spread selection, namely blackcurrent, raspberry, strawberry, orange marmalade, and rosehip with apples. We were contemplating between the safe choice of raspberry or the adventurous rosehip with apples. In the end the spirit won, and we chose the latter.
This was the very first time both of us tried scones, while i spread my cream, jam, and butter in the middle of the scones, my companion preferred to tear bits of the scones and dipped them into the jam and butter to eat. The scones were very fragrant, slightly hard on the exterior, soft & fluffy inside. The only gripe - it wasn’t warm! It would be prefect if the scones were warm and freshly baked from the oven.
Total bill was $31.65 after the extra charges for the 2 person high tea set. The experience was a pleasant one, although it was blotch by the rather noisy atmosphere. Service wise was still acceptable, there were a couple of staff which we thought wasn’t very happy serving people, but there was one staff whom was the saving graces with her friendly smile and services.
I’ve called up beforehand to make a reservation, but the staff told me there was no need to for a weekday high tea. And when we reached the place at around 4pm, it’s packed to the house, but luckily there was still seats for us. Which made me wonder whether was it coincidence that they saw a rush in crowd that day, or it was always busy everytime but the staff didn’t want to take the reservations.
Frankly speaking, i didn’t fancy the opened face sandwich, so chances are if i come back again, i probably won’t order the high tea set. The cakes and pastries are really good, and at $4.90 they are a lot cheaper than patisserie like Canele, even though they are not as attractive looking, but it’s the inside that counts isn’t it?
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Ah Mei, nurtured by Banquet, to vie a share of the market. There’s Ya Kun, with the tradition on their side. And Toastbox, with the Breadtalk group backing them. Not to forget Oldtown, the new kid on the block which hailed from faraway Kuala Lumpur. With competition that tough, they went Halal.
Waking up on a sleepy Sunday morning, slowly enjoying your breakfast away from the hectic lifestyle, sipping a cup of coffee, nibbling on a piece of kaya toast, and slurping down the runny half-boiled eggs. The set A ($3.20) to be exact.
Cracked the shells, we were greeted with a portrait of the rising sun. It was not just about the main character only, together with its sidekicks, the pepper and black sauce, the rising sun was slurped down in two seconds.
And finally, the one that all of us were waiting for. Slightly toasted, the bread was golden brown. The kaya was the one which would have make all the difference in the world. Sadly, there was something missing. The lack of a signature taste in the kaya, the whole thing was not bad but failed to cast its mark on my memory.
There were pratas, done on the spot by their very own in-house prata man. The taste however, failed to justify the higher price tag. You could have walk in to any other prata shops and got better yet cheaper ones. Nonetheless, the curry sauce which accompanied the prata, was the saving grace. You could get it a la carte, or as a set with tea or coffee.
With both Ah Mei and Oldtown positioned within the high district at Bukit timah, i half suspect Ya Kun might just want to open a branch there to join in the party. Which can only be good news for the residents. Ah Mei, didn’t really impress dme. The widely diversified menu which also included muslim food like nasi lemek & mee rebus, didn’t appeal to the kaya-seeking fan in me.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words. Food, my dear, is what they call an adventure!
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Heard many rave reviews about Thai Pan, a Thai style cze char restaurant located at the eastern tip of Singapore so made the long trek down to give it a shot. Apparently its claim to fame is its quality food at coffeeshop cze char prices.
Located in a charming colonial style clubhouse within the Civil Service Club's premises at Changi Village, Thai Pan's interior boasts a sloping ceiling with wooden arches, parquet flooring and views of lush greenery through the checkered windows. The place does seem susceptible to echos though, because of the lack of sound dampening/absorbing materials like carpets.
Jade Tofu with Chicken Floss - I thought that the name sounded promising. Jade tofu conjures images of silken tofu with a nice savoury taste. However that wasn't quite the case unfortunately. The skin was a little crisp and the inside was soft but not exactly silky. I struggled to make out the mild savoury taste that the tofu carried but to be fair, it was decent, just nowhere in the league of Pow Sing.
Broccoli with Crab Meat - Personally I thought that this was quite good. There was egg white and small chunks of crab meat in the not too starchy and mildly appetising gravy that layered the crunchy and not overcooked broccoli.
Phad Thai - I didn't quite take this Thai Pan's rendition of this Thai street dish as the ketchup taste was just too overwhelming. I would have prefered a kaleidoscope of flavours and of course the ubiquitous dried shrimps. This one only had egg and chicken cubes.
Olive Rice - At $1 a pop, this was a great deal. But please note that its a promotion so I can't say if it will be a good deal in future. The rice was sufficient for 1 pax and had a nice wok hei taste with egg and cashew nuts. Accompanying alongside was a small serving of slightly sweet minced meat sauce that went well with the rice. The only minor gripe i had was that the rice did seem a little too damp for my liking.
The food was quite decent and the pricing relatively reasonable, at about $24 for 2 pax - a value proposition that comes close to or on par with what the coffeeshop cze char stalls are offering, albeit in a much better environment with better service.
See all my pictures here.
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It was a normal weekday lunch and my colleagues and boss decided to go out for a simple lunch. I suggested Botak Jones just because it was nearby and i've yet to try the branch in Bedok.
However, that proved to be a big boo boo in many ways.
First of all, my Botak Burger was hilariously small, came with no cheese and minimal fries and basically was a joke to look at. Then the burger itself, meaning the beef patty was mashed badly and cooked badly as well. Resulting in a overly dried, grass like tasting beef patty that simply isn't what i expected. The fries were alright but definitely alot lesser then when i had the same thing in the AMK branch.
My boss and colleagues seperately had cajun chicken and fish and chips which were all the same in one way. They all shrank. I don't know if its a sign of times that they've cut down on fries and ingredients in their food but for me, since i've eaten at the original branch before, this is just not acceptable.
If the boss is reading, this is where you should visit for a re education on what the franchise is about. No offense.
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Sourcing for more good food at affordable prices. This quest led me to a place i have passed by on a lunch meal with my colleagues. The irony of it all is, this is located in the exact same cafeteria as Botak Jones in Bedok. And the second interesting part of it is, its appeared on television before and their not shy to air it too, as evidenced by the constant looping of the episode on the television housed in front. I've always been skeptical about television reviews and so far, little to none has been accurate. I wonder if this is any different.
Chocolate Mousse ($3) Panna Cotta($2.50) Tiramisu($3) - This was actually the last part of our first meal there but i'll write about it first. Basically, having the dessert meant we were pretty satisfied with the mains. The Panna cotta is overly overly overly sweet and had an overwhelming milky taste to it that simply didn't agree with me. The tiramisu has too little cake and too much mascaponi cheese which also gave an overwhelming taste. The only dessert that was vaguely good was the chocolate mousse which was thick and slightly bitter and sweet for a good finish. In terms of dessert, there's definitely room for improvement.
Seafood Baked Rice ($8.50) - The seafood baked rice came rather quickly and the memorable thing about it is its sourish tomato based sauce which made the rice very very appetising. Not to mention the clams, mussels and squid were pretty generous, as can be seen from above, and that the seafood used is very very fresh and sweet. In fact, its one of the few places with extremely fresh seafood ingredients i've came across. And at a budget price no less.
Il Piccolo Pizza ($15 for the bigger version) - I'll just go out on a limb and say this pizza is worth it. For $15, i'd say this is a steal. Simply check out the generous smattering of cheese and ingredients to know what i mean. Pepperoni, beef, ham, olives, pineapples and some onions round up the roster. However, its the stretch of the cheese and the crust that really made it a winner. Normally, the worst part of the pizza is its crust, but over here, the crust is soft and crunchy in all the right places. Not to mention the fragrant dough its made from simply compliments the ingredients so well, its perfect. The cheese is worth mentioning as well. We have all seen commercials of pizza with cheese that stretches for a long a savoury journey into our mouths, however, few places have managed that feat. This here, manages that well even when its cold. Its awesome.
Bruschetta ($3) - The bruschetta is rather normal but for $3, i was surprised at the quantity and size of the serving. $3 nets you enough bruschetta for 4 people to share a piece each. The bread is lightly toasted and soft on the inside unlike other bruschettas i've had before. The chopped tomatos were lightly drizzled with olive oil and assort condiments for a light and fresh taste. Pretty good.
Vongole ($7) - The vongole was surprisingly good. Al dente spagghetti, ultra fresh and sweet clams and a nice, light white wine sauce that hooks you in and never lets go. A light and enjoyable main course.
Amattricia ($6) - Mf gf's order, the amattricia is basically tomato based spagghetti with ham. I had a little and it was an authentic sourish taste with again, very springy and chewy pasta. Likeable but not perfect.
I have to say, i'm surprised and impressed with this place. In fact, i'm definitely returning for more. My only gripe is that almost everyone came to the coffeeshop for Botak Jones which i've had and found the quality of food wanting. Its sad to see a less worthy franchise getting all the attention when a gem like this is left in the dust and underappreciated. I highly recommend a try to judge this place yourself. I'm sure it'll be a surprise for you as well.
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