With its own on-site coffee roasting facilities in its flagship gourmet coffee house at Holland Village, Coffee Club took the coffee culture by storm and set a new standard in the industry in 1991. However, even with 21 outlets today, this flagship outlet remains close to my heart, even as a non-coffee lover. I like the impeccable service and aromatic coffee there and recently, its newly launched menu gave me more enticement to visit this place. I gave the NEW Banana Butterscotch Latte ($6.20) a try and what you get is an interesting blend of a very rich and sweet latte that is of acquired taste. Don’t get me wrong, the coffee was still aromatic, but I find the butterscotch flavour too overwhelming and with the addition of the banana in it, the drink was just too sweet for my liking – perhaps someone with a sweeter tooth will appreciate it better!
The NEW Spice Chicken Wings ($8.50) marinated with lemon juice was a delight. So much so that we devoured it within minutes. The skin was well marinated and the savoury & sour combination was truly pleasurable. The only flaw was that the greens that accompanied with it was all dried and wrinkled, and the texture was too rough for consumption – the least I expected was some olive oil drizzled on it – as I found out later that they only served salad dressing to their specialty salad dishes.
Thankfully, the NEW dessert in town saved the night – Chocolate Delice ($7.00), consisting of bittersweet chocolate mousse with chocolate syrup drenched over it and vanilla ice cream on a base of crisp, flaky puff pastry accompanied by crunchy Valrhona rice crispies, this dessert is a winner in many ways. Presentation wise – it was brilliant, taste wise – the chocolate mousse is beyond description, one simply has to taste it to know what I mean. If one enjoys Bakerzin’s signatured Warm Chocolate Cake, then this cold dessert is the one for you!
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Ever since Marutama entered the ramen scene, there hadn’t been a new entrant that created such a wave of euphoria as one like Ramen Santouka. Touted as the 1st place winner in the most delicious ramen noodle salt-flavoured soup category by the popular magazine “Hokkaido Walker” in the year 2006, this place is also famous for its house speciality of Tokusen Toroniku, or Choice Pork that is said to be limited to 60 servings per day! This is because only 200 to 300 grams of this highly coveted pork cheek, known for its taste and tenderness, can be found per pig.
After hearing so much rave reviews of this place, my cousin and I set off for dinner at The Central. Finding this outlet is a little tricky – hidden away in the corner of 2nd floor, one would need to cut through Grains, which occupy both sides of the passageway to get to it. What greeted us was a nice frontage that grants one a view of the Singapore River, but inside was a pretty small outlet that I suspect, sit not more than 20 pax.
Beside their award winning Shio, or Salt Flavoured Ramen, Ramen Santouka also offers Shoyu, or Soy Sauce Flavoured Ramen and Miso, Soybean Paste Flavoured Ramen, along with Kara-Miso, or spicy version of the Miso. We pick the Shoyu and Miso ($12.00 each), along with sides of Tokusen Toroniku ($8.00), Gyoza ($5.00) and Komi-Tamago, or Flavoured Egg ($1.00). The Choice Pork was the first to arrive and I was surprise by its tenderness despite the lacked of marbling fats. This result in a texture that provides one with a bite before the meat disintegrates into the mouth. However, Marutama’s Char Siu is still the one to beat in terms of tenderness IMHO.
The Flavoured Egg was next to arrived and to say I was disappointed was an understatement. In fact it was done so badly that ‘disgust’ would be a better word to describe it. The yolk was way too overcooked till the side has hardened, and there was hardly any flavour on the white. It was so bad that I did not even finished it and definitely not even worth the dollar I have paid for it.
The Ramen was served next and the first remark my cousin made was “Oh, certainly looks like Maggie Mee to me”. The noodle was fat and curly, similar to Miharu, though texture wise a tad rougher. My bet on why people are coming back lies on the milky Tonkotsu soup based. However, before one complains that the soup does not come piping hot enough, be made known that it is intentionally done so that elderly and child can enjoy it better and reassured that it is also within this temperature that their soup is most delicious. The soup was so rich and intense, that I rate it slightly better than Ichiban-Tei, but too much of it and one might find it greasy. Both of us agree that the Shoyu was also slightly better than the Miso.
The Gyoza eventually arrived after a wait but it was nothing to shout about. Not that it was bad, but nothing noteworthy to mention really.
Overall, my preference is still Marutama on the 3rd level, despite its not so intense soup. The only reason I can see why I should be back is to sample the award winning Shio version, otherwise it would not merit a re-visit especially after the explicitly outrageous experience of its Tamago.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Managed to book myself in for a special dessert tasting session at Rogues one weekday evening all thanks to its pastry chef, Gerard. During my previous visit to Rogues when it first opened a year and a half back, only lunch was served and come nightfall, the place transformed into a watering hole. However I'm pleased to note that such an arrangement has since changed and Rogues now serves food in the evening as well.
The interior was as I remembered it, opulent with plush sofas and floor to ceiling windows. A nice place to chill out after a day's work if I may say.
Starter - Warm Granny Smith Crumble, Chilled Cream of Mango Sago, Lychee Air, Cranberry Reduction - I liked the apple crumble quite a bit. Very crusty without being too hard or too sweet and filled with cubes of delicious Granny Smith apples. I didn't quite appreciate the lychee air though, tasteless and probably present solely for aesthetic purposes.
Most places do a very thick rendition of the cream of mango sago so it came as a mild surprise that this one was relatively smooth and a little runny, harbouring a tinge of sweetness within. However it will still render you nauseous if you take too much of it. Hence the shot glass serving.
Entree - Satin Pistachio Praline Mousse, Home Made Zabayone Gelato, Liquorise Orange Candy Shot, Summer Berry Coulis - I've never really been a fan of pistachio so the praline mousse didn't exactly wow me although I must admit that it was quite good. Creamily smooth with a heart of crunchy pistachio which had a texture similar to biscuit wafer.
Alcoholics would like the Liquorise Orange Candy but personally, I found the alcohol taste in the jelly too strong for my liking.
The zabayone gelato was a little tiny but rather pleasing with a sweet undertone. Just for the record, zabayone is a custard made by whipping egg whites with muscato and finishing it with a little cointreau.
Curtains - Warm Cuban Chocolate Cake, Heart of Hot Hazelnut Lava, Home Made Chocolate Mint Gelato, Hazelnut Truffle - Interestingly, Cuban chocolate was used to make the cake. Not that I could taste any difference from the usual valrhona ones though. The crust was a tad too dry but I liked the hazelnut lava, which came across as savoury instead of sweet - a deviation from the norm.
The mint gelato came served in a nice cubic glass and wasn't too strong on the mint taste. Appetising yet reserved. Not too shabby and that's coming from someone who has a moderate dislike for mint.
The hazelnut truffle came served atop a shot glass of sesame seeds with a slice of hardened candy acting as a divider. Honestly, the truffle looked and tasted like a piece of Ferraro Rocher chocolate, which was obviously nothing too spectacular.
In case you were wondering. No, the dessert tasting wasn't free. It came at a price. $50 for 2 pax to be exact, which might seem a tad too expensive for only 3 desserts and a drink. However I must point out that the desserts are of reasonably good quality and do not feature on the menu, which in some way, gives it a novelty status.
ps: I'm still thinking of the Chocolate Paradise I had during my first visit.
Bakerzin is a well-known name in the local desserts scenes. Touted for their pastries and desserts, Bakerzin started in 1998 and has since open 4 outlets in our island. Dinner was at the branch at Paragon, the place was rather small but it was packed to the house.
The desserts are all available at the counter, not found in their menus. So you’ll have to come to the counter and make your picks.
Assam Prawns with linguini ($14.80) The owner chef Daniel paired up our local favourites Assam prawns with linguini to create a marriage between east and west. The overall taste of the fusion dish was not too bad.
Braised Pork Belly with Japanese rice ($13.80) This was the fatal mistake of the night. At $13.80 for like six pieces of braised pork belly, the dish is clearly a rip-off. Gods know what my friend was thinking when he ordered this dish. And yes he didn’t finish the dish.
Aglio olio spaghetti with ham & bacon ($11.80) Aglio olio spaghetti sauteed with olive oil, garlic, chili padi. The simple dish was not up to the mark, for a start its not hot enough with the chili padi. There wasn’t much texture in the spaghetti and I struggled to finish off the dish basically sums up everything.
Ham, bacon & mushroom flaky pizza ($12.80) With popular ingredients like ham, bacon and mushroom, I guess nothing can go wrong with the Pizza. Mozzarella cheese spread on thin crispy pizza and the serving is pretty decent.
Warm Chocolate lava cake with scoop of ice cream Complimentary dessert from using Citibank credit card, with spendings above $50. A dip into the warm chocolate lava cake, all the chocolate came rushing out like a volcano. Coupled with the cold vanilla ice-cream, its a delighful combination
For desserts, we also had Sumatra, which is a combination of dark chocolate & white chocolate mousse with Sumatra coffee. And a slice of the cookies & cream cheesecake. Both are $6.50. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos because my dear friends actually ordered the two cakes while waiting for me.
Total bill was $99.57 for 4 person. We spent a large portion on drinks, around $20 bucks for three drinks, the violet lime ($5.80), ice hazelnut blend ($6.80), and ice latte ($6.80). I always do not like ordering drinks from restaurants as they tend to mark up the price by a very significant amount. And Bakerzin does not serves ice-water.
The experience at Bakerzin was flat, I was quite stunned by the bill when it arrived given the quality of food we had. To be fair the main course isn’t that expensive going in the range of 10s. But the quality of the mains really leave no rooms for desire.
The desserts are all in the $6-$10 repertoire. And i must say they are excellent, if you were to ask me to go back Bakerzin for a meal, i’ll leave a flat no. But if you ask me back for desserts, no problems there.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Just ignore the mains, and get stuck in with the desserts. You have been warned. “
The Brazilian Churrascaria-craze hit our local shores a few years back, and the list of restaurants have spring up quite a few others to have a share of the pie. Think Brazil Churrascaria, Samba Brazil Steakhouse Churrascaria, Vibe Restaurant @ Pan Pacific, Mamma Lucia Brazilian Churrascaria and now we have Rio Brazilian Restaurant
I was rather fascinated by the Brazilian Churrascaria concept. Churrascaria is Portuguese for barbecue restaurant, and it works as buffet style where the passadors (meat waiter) will bring the whole skewer of grilled meat to your table and wield their knife to cut the meat onto your plate.
The main reason for delaying a trip to a Churrascaria restaurant until now was mainly because of the price. I admit the price for Churrascaria are rather on the high side, with lunch going at $30 range, and dinner for $40 range at most Churrascaria restaurants here.
But Rio Brazilian restaurant is having a promotion, and its freaking cheap. $18.90 for its lunch buffet, with 5 churrasco meat, salad bar, soup, hot dishes and desserts. Think $18.90 is cheap already right? Their promotion is 1-for-1, which means $18.90 for two person!
You must thinking whats the catch right? I didn’t found any, but i think the main reason they are able to offer at cheaper rates because their churrasco meat are lesser, the usual standards for lunch will be around 7-8 items, but they have just 5 items.
There’s the al fresco area which was beside a mini-lake. For people who don’t perspire, or for you to sweat it out and enjoy the sun.
The salad bar offers a few types of salad, and they are life-savers, you will need them when you start on the meat. We didn’t bother touching the hot dishes buffet, first thing first they don’t look appealing to us, and better save your stomach for the meats.
Chicken Drumstick There you have it, the passadors (meat waiters) bring the skewer of meat to your table and served. And the number of meat you want is unlimited!
Pork Sausage The pork sausage was not bad too, both of us had a total of 6 sausages.
Honey Baked ham The honey baked ham was too salty, really in excess of salt. We only had 4 slices of the ham, drink lots of water!
Dory Fish The dory fish failed too, a bite into it and thats the end. We took 2 pieces and couldn’t finish it. What do you think?
Beef Hump The beef hump was slightly better, if you love beef then this must be the one for you. We had 8 slices of beef.
Total bill was $22.11 for 2 person, which works out to be around $11 for a person? For the quantity and amount of meat that we had, its definitely value for money. But the quality-wise, not so i guess. The meat wasn’t excellent, but they should suffice in stuffing your stomach up.
One thing to note, all the churrsaco are really salty in taste, we had a lot helpings of the salad bar to quench our thirst. And they don’t served ice water, i suppose another reason why they offer the food so cheap is because they have to earn from the drinks section.
One can of drink cost 4 bucks, we didn’t had any since i “prepared” and brace for the storm since before i went there i found out that they don’t served ice water, so i brought a couple of bottles of water along.
A bit cheapo i guess, but one can of drink at 4 bucks is definitely not enough to quench the thirst. The location is quite ulu if you don’t know the place, its at Queenstown, beside the National Library there’s this golf range. If you need help finding the place, drop me a email [email protected]
And oh ya, i’m not sure whether the promotion still last now, because i went during march, which was like two months ago? Do give them a call before going down.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
Preceding my previous visit to Chef Chan almost a year back just before it closed to go private, I was back again after its reopening to sample what private dining had to offer. Of course it helped that Chef Chan was offering a promotion which showcased its signature dishes from all 23 years it has been in business.
Located in a nondescript section of the posh and grand National Museum, Chef Chan takes quite a bit of luck to find. There are no signs whatsoever as to where the restaurant is and even the signboard faces inwards into the restaurant. Asking around would probably be a better option. The place is small, filled mainly with antiques Chef Chan has amassed over the years and of course 4 private rooms and a large dining area which seats up to 46 pax by reservations only (No walk in customers are allowed). Honestly I didn't find the rooms too private as we were only seperated from the next table by a peusdo wall partition.
Melon Strips Enlivened with Orange Juice - Probably melon strips soaked with orange juice would be more apt in describing this dish. The melon strips were crunchy but was completely overwhelmed by the excessively sweet orange taste. I would have suspected that the melon strips were dipped into F&N Fanta orange juice if not for the fact that there was visible pulp on the melons.
Prawn Balls Stuffed with Pate and Wine - Each of us had 1 prawn ball to our name and that was insufficient to say the least. The prawn balls were crispy but a tad too salty with a very strong prawn taste which overwhelmed any taste from the pate and probably the wine as well.
Stir Fried Shark's Fin with Eggs, Bean Sprouts and Spring Onion Served in Lettuce Leaves - This dish was actually very similar to what I had at Joo Heng sometime back except that Joo Heng's rendition probably cost much less than this one, with noticeably less shark's fin as well (Not that theres much to start with anyway). Paired up with lettuce, this dish was lightly salty and nice but failed to wow me. I reckon you don't really need much culinary skill to whip up such a dish.
Steamed Lobster with Garlic - Each of us got a lobster probably weighing in at about 300g or so. Fresh and sweet, this should have been one of the highlights of our meal. Unfortunately, the copious amount of garlic over parts of the lobster threatened to kill my tastebuds, rendering me almost immune to whatever succulent sweetness the lobster had to offer.
Steamed Sliced Garoupa in Village Style - The fish was freshly sweet with the flesh firm yet tender. Complementing it was a lightly savoury but a tad too starchy gravy. Portions were ridiculously small and each of us probably got only 4-5 slices of fish.
Sauteed Vegetable with Shredded Mushroom - This dish was greeted with much dismay and comments that anyone could have whipped up such a simple dish. I agree. The vegetables were a little too drenched in the gravy and didn't taste out of the ordinary. I'm pretty sure I've eaten better vegetable dishes at the coffeeshop cze char stall near my place.
Chef Chan's Famous Crispy Roast Chicken - Undisputedly the Pièce de résistance of the entire meal and probably the most well known dish of Chef Chan, the Crispy Roast Chicken. The last time I had it, it was lacking in flavours so I didn't quite get my expectations too high this time round. I don't know if my low expectations were the reason but the chicken blew me away. It was, if I may say, nothing short of excellent. Crispy skin that crackled with every bite coupled with tender, moist and flavourful meat. A gem indeed! The only tiny gripe I had was that the meat tended towards the salty side closer to the bone.
Papaya with White Fungus & Herbal Jelly with Glutinous Rice & Mango - We had the option of 2 desserts, 1 warm and 1 cold. I chose the latter which was the herbal jelly and promptly regretted it. The mango pieces that came with it seemed very unripe, crunchy and sour. It definitely didn't go well with the sweet glutinous rice or the slightly bitter herbal jelly. All in all a total disaster.
I had a taste of the papaya with white fungus and it was quite decent, sweet yet very light on the palate. But nothing fantastic.
The 9 of us chalked up a bill of about $860, which works out to be about $96 per person and the truth is, I wasn't even full after that. Food quality overall was decent with only the chicken shining through. For the price, I had really expected more. Especially when most of the dishes are supposedly Chef Chan's signature dishes and being private dining, most, if not all dishes should be prepared by Chef Chan himself.
I can only take cold comfort in the fact that service was good and we had a 10% discount off the bill. I really cannot fathom paying anymore.
The shoe boutique, which find its new home to 44 Haji Lane, Level 2, moving from its original place at Far East Plaza.
The boutique is done up in a lush, intimate setting, perfect for trying on your shoes in unhurried comfort.
In conceptualising the designs of the shoes, Bianca’s team of designers have came up with effortlessly stylish shoes that are practical for everyday wear, with designs that can take women from work to play.
And if you think only women get to shop here, fear not gentlemen, besides the one-of-a-kind accessories you can get for your girlfriends, watch out for their upcoming launch of men’s label, Jacques, from the designers of Bianca.
Tucked in the corner of the eclectic Haji Lane, there lies a café in a simply refurbished shophouse that you may seek harmony, peacefulness and bliss within the confines.
Set up by Mr Barry Tan and Mr Oliver Pang, Going Om is a café with a western subculture concept of New Age, where besides food, fun and activities (Flow toys performers e.g. movement artists, spinners, twirlers, circus freaks, martial artists, jugglers, object manipulators gather every Thursday nights) patrons can also get to indulge in intuitive card readings, crystal healing and meditation classes, the latter to be held every Sunday evening at 7pm where one can learn to focus on visualisation and manifestation techniques amongst other skills. The place offers a two-storey option.
One gets to sit on an out of the ordinary wooden platform with small tables on the ground level, and as you make your way up a very steep flight of stairs, you will be greeted by a huge Buddha rug hung on the wall and a very spacious room, where customers can have a choice of sitting on the wooden sofa set at the corner or the many mattresses strewn all over – as for me, I definitely prefer the latter.
One of the many interesting feature you will find at Going Om is a trap door on the 2nd floor that opens up to a wooden staircase, that leads you back to the outside of the café on the ground level, the other is the pet parakeets that Barry and Oliver will bring around on their shoulder as they make their rounds to chat up with you.
Besides the usual finger food, Going Om dishes out interesting homemade desserts at $4.50 each that leave you craving for more. The Strawberry Surprise, a creation from Barry, is a warm savoury dessert of cheese and cream, where the delightful surprise is the chilled refreshing strawberries found in the middle of it. This pleasurable mix of sweet and savoury, hot versus cold leaves one wonder for more.
The Apple and Pear Crumble is another excellent homemade creation, this time by Oliver, who picked up this recipe while he was living in UK. What I like about this dessert was the fruits are sliced thickly, still retaining the crunch, unlike the usual cubes you get from outside. The sweet and sour combination of the fruits was enjoyable, plus the generous topping of cereal gives the dessert a fulfilling ending.
We also enjoyed the interesting Chakra drinks ($11.00), an alcoholic beverage that is made of Advocaat, a rich and creamy liqueur from Holland that is made from eggs, sugar and brandy – it is smooth to the throat and leaves an almond aftertaste when one drinks it.
There are 7 colours or choices to choose from and each a different flavour and symbolises a different meaning, which Barry and Oliver will be delighted to share them with you (it was just too complex for me to remember actually). I truly enjoyed my time spent there and before I knew it, 5 hours past quickly.
So Have You Gone Om Lately?!
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
I've been to the new Kallang Leisure Park quite a few times since its reopening. There's a cinema, a KBox, a supermarket, an ice skating rink as well as some other shops. The place still seems quite dead when I went to the Kbox there a couple of weeks back. But the place has potential when the new kallang stadium is completed. Question remains to be seen if the tenants can last that long in the first place.
Had the opportunity to partake in a tasting session at Persimmon one Wednesday evening, courtesy of its co owner, Helena, who also co owns the casual eatery Epicurious at Roberston Quay. Persimmon bills itself as a fusion restaurant, incorporating both chinese and western food to blend up its own variety of fusion. Think somewhere along the lines of another Singapore fusion restaurant, Wild Rocket.
Stepping into Persimmon is reminiscent of stepping into a high class coffeeshop, with its checkered tile floors, white top tables and wooden chairs. What it lacks is the spinning ceiling fans which have been replaced by air conditioning units but I'm definitely not complaining. Not with Singapore's heat and humidity. Coupled with a low ceiling and retro music, it made for a soothing and laid back atmosphere.
Mushroom & Sesame Shooter - I liked this inconspicuous little shot glass of warm mushroom soup. Savoury with a hint of sesame and bits of mushroom. There was suppose to be 绍兴酒 in it but that was apparently not evident.
Fisherman's Pie - Persimmon's rendition of the fisherman's pie took a different twist from the norm. Instead of the usual seafood ingredients enveloped within a mould of pastry, this one was more of a soup bowl covered with a puff pastry lid. Another interesting thing was the choice of soup, which was a less oily version of the ubiquitous Laksa gravy. Honestly, I didn't find the soup or the ingredients very outstanding, coming across as decent at best. The pastry also needed some reworking in my humble opinion, probably through the addition of more butter to make it more fragrant and creamier to the tastebuds.
Fried Kway Teow with Wagyu Beef - I'm sorry to say this, but as fragrant and tasty as the kway teow may be, it is still CKT (Char Kway Teow), albeit of a less oily version than the ones you find in hawker centres outside. It came with a poached quail egg and mushrooms but lacked the discernible wok hei taste due to it being pan fried I believe. Did I mention that it was a tad too salty as well?
The accompanying wagyu beef came served atop a bed of beansprouts and was tender, juicy and almost mouthwatering. But being too thinly sliced, it was a little overcooked and I honestly couldn't tell that it was wagyu beef. So much for such an expensive breed of beef.
On a side note, it would definitely be funny if someone called it 牛肉河粉.
Wagyu Beef - As with the wagyu beef from the CKT, this dish of wagyu was thinly sliced and a tad overcooked, but at least portions were more significant and each slice held more bite. I just wonder how much would such a dish cost.
White Pepper Crab Cake with Tunghoon Salad & Scallop - I've never really been a fan of crab cakes and Persimmon's offering wasn't just about to change that. But thats not to say it wasn't good. As a matter of fact, it was quite decent, with lots of shredded crab, but just not outstanding.
The tunghoon salad held quite a few surprises with its overly zesty taste harbouring a spicy aftermath that hits you slowly but surely. And the lone fleshy scallop that came alongside was a little too undercooked, soft and bland.
Pineapple Tart - Now this was one huge unconventional pineapple tart. A scoop of ice cream atop a sweet pineapple ring, covering a layer of caramelised pineapple, all on a huge tart base. I'm a sucker for pineapple tarts so I liked it quite a fair bit with the nice and smooth ice cream but I did think that it could have been better. The tart base lacked the oven baked taste which I personally like and it wasn't crumbly enough. That aside, its really quite worth the eat.
Overall I think the food is pretty decent and probably a few minor tweaks here and there would suffice. As mentioned earlier, it was a complimentary tasting session hence I am unsure of the prices but a quick glance at the regular menu shows most main courses to be in the $20 range. I might do a revisit, just as soon as I am able to ascertain the food prices.
To end, please allow me to extend my thanks to Helena for the invite and for being an excellent host.
1=SGD 0.0587
With its own on-site coffee roasting facilities in its flagship gourmet coffee house at Holland Village, Coffee Club took the coffee culture by storm and set a new standard in the industry in 1991. However, even with 21 outlets today, this flagship outlet remains close to my heart, even as a non-coffee lover. I like the impeccable service and aromatic coffee there and recently, its newly launched menu gave me more enticement to visit this place. I gave the NEW Banana Butterscotch Latte ($6.20) a try and what you get is an interesting blend of a very rich and sweet latte that is of acquired taste. Don’t get me wrong, the coffee was still aromatic, but I find the butterscotch flavour too overwhelming and with the addition of the banana in it, the drink was just too sweet for my liking – perhaps someone with a sweeter tooth will appreciate it better!
The NEW Spice Chicken Wings ($8.50) marinated with lemon juice was a delight. So much so that we devoured it within minutes. The skin was well marinated and the savoury & sour combination was truly pleasurable. The only flaw was that the greens that accompanied with it was all dried and wrinkled, and the texture was too rough for consumption – the least I expected was some olive oil drizzled on it – as I found out later that they only served salad dressing to their specialty salad dishes.
Thankfully, the NEW dessert in town saved the night – Chocolate Delice ($7.00), consisting of bittersweet chocolate mousse with chocolate syrup drenched over it and vanilla ice cream on a base of crisp, flaky puff pastry accompanied by crunchy Valrhona rice crispies, this dessert is a winner in many ways. Presentation wise – it was brilliant, taste wise – the chocolate mousse is beyond description, one simply has to taste it to know what I mean. If one enjoys Bakerzin’s signatured Warm Chocolate Cake, then this cold dessert is the one for you!
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Rating given:
Ever since Marutama entered the ramen scene, there hadn’t been a new entrant that created such a wave of euphoria as one like Ramen Santouka. Touted as the 1st place winner in the most delicious ramen noodle salt-flavoured soup category by the popular magazine “Hokkaido Walker” in the year 2006, this place is also famous for its house speciality of Tokusen Toroniku, or Choice Pork that is said to be limited to 60 servings per day! This is because only 200 to 300 grams of this highly coveted pork cheek, known for its taste and tenderness, can be found per pig.
After hearing so much rave reviews of this place, my cousin and I set off for dinner at The Central. Finding this outlet is a little tricky – hidden away in the corner of 2nd floor, one would need to cut through Grains, which occupy both sides of the passageway to get to it. What greeted us was a nice frontage that grants one a view of the Singapore River, but inside was a pretty small outlet that I suspect, sit not more than 20 pax.
Beside their award winning Shio, or Salt Flavoured Ramen, Ramen Santouka also offers Shoyu, or Soy Sauce Flavoured Ramen and Miso, Soybean Paste Flavoured Ramen, along with Kara-Miso, or spicy version of the Miso. We pick the Shoyu and Miso ($12.00 each), along with sides of Tokusen Toroniku ($8.00), Gyoza ($5.00) and Komi-Tamago, or Flavoured Egg ($1.00). The Choice Pork was the first to arrive and I was surprise by its tenderness despite the lacked of marbling fats. This result in a texture that provides one with a bite before the meat disintegrates into the mouth. However, Marutama’s Char Siu is still the one to beat in terms of tenderness IMHO.
The Flavoured Egg was next to arrived and to say I was disappointed was an understatement. In fact it was done so badly that ‘disgust’ would be a better word to describe it. The yolk was way too overcooked till the side has hardened, and there was hardly any flavour on the white. It was so bad that I did not even finished it and definitely not even worth the dollar I have paid for it.
The Ramen was served next and the first remark my cousin made was “Oh, certainly looks like Maggie Mee to me”. The noodle was fat and curly, similar to Miharu, though texture wise a tad rougher. My bet on why people are coming back lies on the milky Tonkotsu soup based. However, before one complains that the soup does not come piping hot enough, be made known that it is intentionally done so that elderly and child can enjoy it better and reassured that it is also within this temperature that their soup is most delicious. The soup was so rich and intense, that I rate it slightly better than Ichiban-Tei, but too much of it and one might find it greasy. Both of us agree that the Shoyu was also slightly better than the Miso.
The Gyoza eventually arrived after a wait but it was nothing to shout about. Not that it was bad, but nothing noteworthy to mention really.
Overall, my preference is still Marutama on the 3rd level, despite its not so intense soup. The only reason I can see why I should be back is to sample the award winning Shio version, otherwise it would not merit a re-visit especially after the explicitly outrageous experience of its Tamago.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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Managed to book myself in for a special dessert tasting session at Rogues one weekday evening all thanks to its pastry chef, Gerard. During my previous visit to Rogues when it first opened a year and a half back, only lunch was served and come nightfall, the place transformed into a watering hole. However I'm pleased to note that such an arrangement has since changed and Rogues now serves food in the evening as well.
The interior was as I remembered it, opulent with plush sofas and floor to ceiling windows. A nice place to chill out after a day's work if I may say.
Starter - Warm Granny Smith Crumble, Chilled Cream of Mango Sago, Lychee Air, Cranberry Reduction - I liked the apple crumble quite a bit. Very crusty without being too hard or too sweet and filled with cubes of delicious Granny Smith apples. I didn't quite appreciate the lychee air though, tasteless and probably present solely for aesthetic purposes.
Most places do a very thick rendition of the cream of mango sago so it came as a mild surprise that this one was relatively smooth and a little runny, harbouring a tinge of sweetness within. However it will still render you nauseous if you take too much of it. Hence the shot glass serving.
Entree - Satin Pistachio Praline Mousse, Home Made Zabayone Gelato, Liquorise Orange Candy Shot, Summer Berry Coulis - I've never really been a fan of pistachio so the praline mousse didn't exactly wow me although I must admit that it was quite good. Creamily smooth with a heart of crunchy pistachio which had a texture similar to biscuit wafer.
Alcoholics would like the Liquorise Orange Candy but personally, I found the alcohol taste in the jelly too strong for my liking.
The zabayone gelato was a little tiny but rather pleasing with a sweet undertone. Just for the record, zabayone is a custard made by whipping egg whites with muscato and finishing it with a little cointreau.
Curtains - Warm Cuban Chocolate Cake, Heart of Hot Hazelnut Lava, Home Made Chocolate Mint Gelato, Hazelnut Truffle - Interestingly, Cuban chocolate was used to make the cake. Not that I could taste any difference from the usual valrhona ones though. The crust was a tad too dry but I liked the hazelnut lava, which came across as savoury instead of sweet - a deviation from the norm.
The mint gelato came served in a nice cubic glass and wasn't too strong on the mint taste. Appetising yet reserved. Not too shabby and that's coming from someone who has a moderate dislike for mint.
The hazelnut truffle came served atop a shot glass of sesame seeds with a slice of hardened candy acting as a divider. Honestly, the truffle looked and tasted like a piece of Ferraro Rocher chocolate, which was obviously nothing too spectacular.
In case you were wondering. No, the dessert tasting wasn't free. It came at a price. $50 for 2 pax to be exact, which might seem a tad too expensive for only 3 desserts and a drink. However I must point out that the desserts are of reasonably good quality and do not feature on the menu, which in some way, gives it a novelty status.
ps: I'm still thinking of the Chocolate Paradise I had during my first visit.
See all my pictures here.
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Bakerzin is a well-known name in the local desserts scenes. Touted for their pastries and desserts, Bakerzin started in 1998 and has since open 4 outlets in our island. Dinner was at the branch at Paragon, the place was rather small but it was packed to the house.
The desserts are all available at the counter, not found in their menus. So you’ll have to come to the counter and make your picks.
Assam Prawns with linguini ($14.80)
The owner chef Daniel paired up our local favourites Assam prawns with linguini to create a marriage between east and west. The overall taste of the fusion dish was not too bad.
Braised Pork Belly with Japanese rice ($13.80)
This was the fatal mistake of the night. At $13.80 for like six pieces of braised pork belly, the dish is clearly a rip-off. Gods know what my friend was thinking when he ordered this dish. And yes he didn’t finish the dish.
Aglio olio spaghetti with ham & bacon ($11.80)
Aglio olio spaghetti sauteed with olive oil, garlic, chili padi. The simple dish was not up to the mark, for a start its not hot enough with the chili padi. There wasn’t much texture in the spaghetti and I struggled to finish off the dish basically sums up everything.
Ham, bacon & mushroom flaky pizza ($12.80)
With popular ingredients like ham, bacon and mushroom, I guess nothing can go wrong with the Pizza. Mozzarella cheese spread on thin crispy pizza and the serving is pretty decent.
Warm Chocolate lava cake with scoop of ice cream
Complimentary dessert from using Citibank credit card, with spendings above $50. A dip into the warm chocolate lava cake, all the chocolate came rushing out like a volcano. Coupled with the cold vanilla ice-cream, its a delighful combination
For desserts, we also had Sumatra, which is a combination of dark chocolate & white chocolate mousse with Sumatra coffee. And a slice of the cookies & cream cheesecake. Both are $6.50. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos because my dear friends actually ordered the two cakes while waiting for me.
Total bill was $99.57 for 4 person. We spent a large portion on drinks, around $20 bucks for three drinks, the violet lime ($5.80), ice hazelnut blend ($6.80), and ice latte ($6.80). I always do not like ordering drinks from restaurants as they tend to mark up the price by a very significant amount. And Bakerzin does not serves ice-water.
The experience at Bakerzin was flat, I was quite stunned by the bill when it arrived given the quality of food we had. To be fair the main course isn’t that expensive going in the range of 10s. But the quality of the mains really leave no rooms for desire.
The desserts are all in the $6-$10 repertoire. And i must say they are excellent, if you were to ask me to go back Bakerzin for a meal, i’ll leave a flat no. But if you ask me back for desserts, no problems there.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Just ignore the mains, and get stuck in with the desserts. You have been warned. “
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The Brazilian Churrascaria-craze hit our local shores a few years back, and the list of restaurants have spring up quite a few others to have a share of the pie. Think Brazil Churrascaria, Samba Brazil Steakhouse Churrascaria, Vibe Restaurant @ Pan Pacific, Mamma Lucia Brazilian Churrascaria and now we have Rio Brazilian Restaurant
I was rather fascinated by the Brazilian Churrascaria concept. Churrascaria is Portuguese for barbecue restaurant, and it works as buffet style where the passadors (meat waiter) will bring the whole skewer of grilled meat to your table and wield their knife to cut the meat onto your plate.
The main reason for delaying a trip to a Churrascaria restaurant until now was mainly because of the price. I admit the price for Churrascaria are rather on the high side, with lunch going at $30 range, and dinner for $40 range at most Churrascaria restaurants here.
But Rio Brazilian restaurant is having a promotion, and its freaking cheap. $18.90 for its lunch buffet, with 5 churrasco meat, salad bar, soup, hot dishes and desserts. Think $18.90 is cheap already right? Their promotion is 1-for-1, which means $18.90 for two person!
You must thinking whats the catch right? I didn’t found any, but i think the main reason they are able to offer at cheaper rates because their churrasco meat are lesser, the usual standards for lunch will be around 7-8 items, but they have just 5 items.
There’s the al fresco area which was beside a mini-lake. For people who don’t perspire, or for you to sweat it out and enjoy the sun.
The salad bar offers a few types of salad, and they are life-savers, you will need them when you start on the meat. We didn’t bother touching the hot dishes buffet, first thing first they don’t look appealing to us, and better save your stomach for the meats.
Chicken Drumstick
There you have it, the passadors (meat waiters) bring the skewer of meat to your table and served. And the number of meat you want is unlimited!
Pork Sausage
The pork sausage was not bad too, both of us had a total of 6 sausages.
Honey Baked ham
The honey baked ham was too salty, really in excess of salt. We only had 4 slices of the ham, drink lots of water!
Dory Fish
The dory fish failed too, a bite into it and thats the end. We took 2 pieces and couldn’t finish it. What do you think?
Beef Hump
The beef hump was slightly better, if you love beef then this must be the one for you. We had 8 slices of beef.
Total bill was $22.11 for 2 person, which works out to be around $11 for a person? For the quantity and amount of meat that we had, its definitely value for money. But the quality-wise, not so i guess. The meat wasn’t excellent, but they should suffice in stuffing your stomach up.
One thing to note, all the churrsaco are really salty in taste, we had a lot helpings of the salad bar to quench our thirst. And they don’t served ice water, i suppose another reason why they offer the food so cheap is because they have to earn from the drinks section.
One can of drink cost 4 bucks, we didn’t had any since i “prepared” and brace for the storm since before i went there i found out that they don’t served ice water, so i brought a couple of bottles of water along.
A bit cheapo i guess, but one can of drink at 4 bucks is definitely not enough to quench the thirst. The location is quite ulu if you don’t know the place, its at Queenstown, beside the National Library there’s this golf range. If you need help finding the place, drop me a email [email protected]
And oh ya, i’m not sure whether the promotion still last now, because i went during march, which was like two months ago? Do give them a call before going down.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written above are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Please do not feel emotional or distress should you have any violent objections. Kindly click the little X at the upper, extreme right of your screen if negative adjectives would be derived. Otherwise, feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” Meat, meat and meat “
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Preceding my previous visit to Chef Chan almost a year back just before it closed to go private, I was back again after its reopening to sample what private dining had to offer. Of course it helped that Chef Chan was offering a promotion which showcased its signature dishes from all 23 years it has been in business.
Located in a nondescript section of the posh and grand National Museum, Chef Chan takes quite a bit of luck to find. There are no signs whatsoever as to where the restaurant is and even the signboard faces inwards into the restaurant. Asking around would probably be a better option. The place is small, filled mainly with antiques Chef Chan has amassed over the years and of course 4 private rooms and a large dining area which seats up to 46 pax by reservations only (No walk in customers are allowed). Honestly I didn't find the rooms too private as we were only seperated from the next table by a peusdo wall partition.
Melon Strips Enlivened with Orange Juice - Probably melon strips soaked with orange juice would be more apt in describing this dish. The melon strips were crunchy but was completely overwhelmed by the excessively sweet orange taste. I would have suspected that the melon strips were dipped into F&N Fanta orange juice if not for the fact that there was visible pulp on the melons.
Prawn Balls Stuffed with Pate and Wine - Each of us had 1 prawn ball to our name and that was insufficient to say the least. The prawn balls were crispy but a tad too salty with a very strong prawn taste which overwhelmed any taste from the pate and probably the wine as well.
Stir Fried Shark's Fin with Eggs, Bean Sprouts and Spring Onion Served in Lettuce Leaves - This dish was actually very similar to what I had at Joo Heng sometime back except that Joo Heng's rendition probably cost much less than this one, with noticeably less shark's fin as well (Not that theres much to start with anyway). Paired up with lettuce, this dish was lightly salty and nice but failed to wow me. I reckon you don't really need much culinary skill to whip up such a dish.
Steamed Lobster with Garlic - Each of us got a lobster probably weighing in at about 300g or so. Fresh and sweet, this should have been one of the highlights of our meal. Unfortunately, the copious amount of garlic over parts of the lobster threatened to kill my tastebuds, rendering me almost immune to whatever succulent sweetness the lobster had to offer.
Steamed Sliced Garoupa in Village Style - The fish was freshly sweet with the flesh firm yet tender. Complementing it was a lightly savoury but a tad too starchy gravy. Portions were ridiculously small and each of us probably got only 4-5 slices of fish.
Sauteed Vegetable with Shredded Mushroom - This dish was greeted with much dismay and comments that anyone could have whipped up such a simple dish. I agree. The vegetables were a little too drenched in the gravy and didn't taste out of the ordinary. I'm pretty sure I've eaten better vegetable dishes at the coffeeshop cze char stall near my place.
Chef Chan's Famous Crispy Roast Chicken - Undisputedly the Pièce de résistance of the entire meal and probably the most well known dish of Chef Chan, the Crispy Roast Chicken. The last time I had it, it was lacking in flavours so I didn't quite get my expectations too high this time round. I don't know if my low expectations were the reason but the chicken blew me away. It was, if I may say, nothing short of excellent. Crispy skin that crackled with every bite coupled with tender, moist and flavourful meat. A gem indeed! The only tiny gripe I had was that the meat tended towards the salty side closer to the bone.
Papaya with White Fungus & Herbal Jelly with Glutinous Rice & Mango - We had the option of 2 desserts, 1 warm and 1 cold. I chose the latter which was the herbal jelly and promptly regretted it. The mango pieces that came with it seemed very unripe, crunchy and sour. It definitely didn't go well with the sweet glutinous rice or the slightly bitter herbal jelly. All in all a total disaster.
I had a taste of the papaya with white fungus and it was quite decent, sweet yet very light on the palate. But nothing fantastic.
The 9 of us chalked up a bill of about $860, which works out to be about $96 per person and the truth is, I wasn't even full after that. Food quality overall was decent with only the chicken shining through. For the price, I had really expected more. Especially when most of the dishes are supposedly Chef Chan's signature dishes and being private dining, most, if not all dishes should be prepared by Chef Chan himself.
I can only take cold comfort in the fact that service was good and we had a 10% discount off the bill. I really cannot fathom paying anymore.
See all my pictures here.
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The shoe boutique, which find its new home to 44 Haji Lane, Level 2, moving from its original place at Far East Plaza.
The boutique is done up in a lush, intimate setting, perfect for trying on your shoes in unhurried comfort.
In conceptualising the designs of the shoes, Bianca’s team of designers have came up with effortlessly stylish shoes that are practical for everyday wear, with designs that can take women from work to play.
And if you think only women get to shop here, fear not gentlemen, besides the one-of-a-kind accessories you can get for your girlfriends, watch out for their upcoming launch of men’s label, Jacques, from the designers of Bianca.
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Tucked in the corner of the eclectic Haji Lane, there lies a café in a simply refurbished shophouse that you may seek harmony, peacefulness and bliss within the confines.
Set up by Mr Barry Tan and Mr Oliver Pang, Going Om is a café with a western subculture concept of New Age, where besides food, fun and activities (Flow toys performers e.g. movement artists, spinners, twirlers, circus freaks, martial artists, jugglers, object manipulators gather every Thursday nights) patrons can also get to indulge in intuitive card readings, crystal healing and meditation classes, the latter to be held every Sunday evening at 7pm where one can learn to focus on visualisation and manifestation techniques amongst other skills. The place offers a two-storey option.
One gets to sit on an out of the ordinary wooden platform with small tables on the ground level, and as you make your way up a very steep flight of stairs, you will be greeted by a huge Buddha rug hung on the wall and a very spacious room, where customers can have a choice of sitting on the wooden sofa set at the corner or the many mattresses strewn all over – as for me, I definitely prefer the latter.
One of the many interesting feature you will find at Going Om is a trap door on the 2nd floor that opens up to a wooden staircase, that leads you back to the outside of the café on the ground level, the other is the pet parakeets that Barry and Oliver will bring around on their shoulder as they make their rounds to chat up with you.
Besides the usual finger food, Going Om dishes out interesting homemade desserts at $4.50 each that leave you craving for more. The Strawberry Surprise, a creation from Barry, is a warm savoury dessert of cheese and cream, where the delightful surprise is the chilled refreshing strawberries found in the middle of it. This pleasurable mix of sweet and savoury, hot versus cold leaves one wonder for more.
The Apple and Pear Crumble is another excellent homemade creation, this time by Oliver, who picked up this recipe while he was living in UK. What I like about this dessert was the fruits are sliced thickly, still retaining the crunch, unlike the usual cubes you get from outside. The sweet and sour combination of the fruits was enjoyable, plus the generous topping of cereal gives the dessert a fulfilling ending.
We also enjoyed the interesting Chakra drinks ($11.00), an alcoholic beverage that is made of Advocaat, a rich and creamy liqueur from Holland that is made from eggs, sugar and brandy – it is smooth to the throat and leaves an almond aftertaste when one drinks it.
There are 7 colours or choices to choose from and each a different flavour and symbolises a different meaning, which Barry and Oliver will be delighted to share them with you (it was just too complex for me to remember actually). I truly enjoyed my time spent there and before I knew it, 5 hours past quickly.
So Have You Gone Om Lately?!
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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I've been to the new Kallang Leisure Park quite a few times since its reopening. There's a cinema, a KBox, a supermarket, an ice skating rink as well as some other shops. The place still seems quite dead when I went to the Kbox there a couple of weeks back. But the place has potential when the new kallang stadium is completed. Question remains to be seen if the tenants can last that long in the first place.
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Had the opportunity to partake in a tasting session at Persimmon one Wednesday evening, courtesy of its co owner, Helena, who also co owns the casual eatery Epicurious at Roberston Quay. Persimmon bills itself as a fusion restaurant, incorporating both chinese and western food to blend up its own variety of fusion. Think somewhere along the lines of another Singapore fusion restaurant, Wild Rocket.
Stepping into Persimmon is reminiscent of stepping into a high class coffeeshop, with its checkered tile floors, white top tables and wooden chairs. What it lacks is the spinning ceiling fans which have been replaced by air conditioning units but I'm definitely not complaining. Not with Singapore's heat and humidity. Coupled with a low ceiling and retro music, it made for a soothing and laid back atmosphere.
Mushroom & Sesame Shooter - I liked this inconspicuous little shot glass of warm mushroom soup. Savoury with a hint of sesame and bits of mushroom. There was suppose to be 绍兴酒 in it but that was apparently not evident.
Fisherman's Pie - Persimmon's rendition of the fisherman's pie took a different twist from the norm. Instead of the usual seafood ingredients enveloped within a mould of pastry, this one was more of a soup bowl covered with a puff pastry lid. Another interesting thing was the choice of soup, which was a less oily version of the ubiquitous Laksa gravy. Honestly, I didn't find the soup or the ingredients very outstanding, coming across as decent at best. The pastry also needed some reworking in my humble opinion, probably through the addition of more butter to make it more fragrant and creamier to the tastebuds.
Fried Kway Teow with Wagyu Beef - I'm sorry to say this, but as fragrant and tasty as the kway teow may be, it is still CKT (Char Kway Teow), albeit of a less oily version than the ones you find in hawker centres outside. It came with a poached quail egg and mushrooms but lacked the discernible wok hei taste due to it being pan fried I believe. Did I mention that it was a tad too salty as well?
The accompanying wagyu beef came served atop a bed of beansprouts and was tender, juicy and almost mouthwatering. But being too thinly sliced, it was a little overcooked and I honestly couldn't tell that it was wagyu beef. So much for such an expensive breed of beef.
On a side note, it would definitely be funny if someone called it 牛肉河粉.
Wagyu Beef - As with the wagyu beef from the CKT, this dish of wagyu was thinly sliced and a tad overcooked, but at least portions were more significant and each slice held more bite. I just wonder how much would such a dish cost.
White Pepper Crab Cake with Tunghoon Salad & Scallop - I've never really been a fan of crab cakes and Persimmon's offering wasn't just about to change that. But thats not to say it wasn't good. As a matter of fact, it was quite decent, with lots of shredded crab, but just not outstanding.
The tunghoon salad held quite a few surprises with its overly zesty taste harbouring a spicy aftermath that hits you slowly but surely. And the lone fleshy scallop that came alongside was a little too undercooked, soft and bland.
Pineapple Tart - Now this was one huge unconventional pineapple tart. A scoop of ice cream atop a sweet pineapple ring, covering a layer of caramelised pineapple, all on a huge tart base. I'm a sucker for pineapple tarts so I liked it quite a fair bit with the nice and smooth ice cream but I did think that it could have been better. The tart base lacked the oven baked taste which I personally like and it wasn't crumbly enough. That aside, its really quite worth the eat.
Overall I think the food is pretty decent and probably a few minor tweaks here and there would suffice. As mentioned earlier, it was a complimentary tasting session hence I am unsure of the prices but a quick glance at the regular menu shows most main courses to be in the $20 range. I might do a revisit, just as soon as I am able to ascertain the food prices.
To end, please allow me to extend my thanks to Helena for the invite and for being an excellent host.
See all pictures here.
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