feizhu's Reviews
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Located along the outskirts of UE Square just opposite Double O, Bonta boasts a modern chic outlook coupled with warm colours, ambient lighting and soothing pipe music to give it that cosy and relaxed feel. There's also a semi private room for a few couples on the second floor complete with a showcase wine cellar for a more romantic rendezvous. However, do note that the room is all glass, so people can see you from the ground level. And in case you are wondering, Bonta is relatively small, with a sitting capacity probably maxing out at about 30 people or so.
The complimentary bread deserves a writeup devoted entirely to itself. Why so? Because its simply the best complimentary bread I've ever eaten so far (not that I've eaten alot though). The bread came served piping hot in a longish cup and when sliced open, emitted a fragrant and alluring aroma. Crispy on the outside yet soft and fluffy on the inside, the the pockets of cheese and walnuts within served to enhance its taste and bite. Really a most delightful bread. I understand that takeaway for the bread is available at $8/loaf for those who are interested (and can afford it). For cheapskates and financially struggling people like me, there's always the complimentary option.
I didn't get a chance to try out the trout rolls but I did have a go at the goose liver or Foie Gras as some people might know it. The liver was pan fried till a little crisp on the exterior yet retaining its softness within. Taste wise was pretty good, with the raw taste of liver subtle and a slight hint of smokiness. However, I did find the aftertaste a little too strong for my liking. Also, the liver wasn't as quivery as I would have expected it to be, falling short of the standards set by Ember and Il-Lido.
At $22, this dish was really expensive given that only 4 pieces of scallops were served. However, money aside, it was just a just a little short of excellent. The scallops were quite a size and came served with their shell. Pop one into your mouth and enjoy the sweetness of the scallops with the accompanying Hollandaise sauce. To best enjoy this dish (in my personal opinion), you have to consume the whole thing - lock, stock and barrel (minus the shell of course) at one go.
Ravioli with Goose Liver - Had a piece of the ravioli to try and didn't find it fantastic. I could barely make out the taste of the liver as it was almost entirely masked by the creamy sauce base.
Black Angus Beef Sirloin Tagliata - It came as requested, medium rare and nicely grilled for that subtle sweetness and char grilled flavour. However it did come across as a little weak on the natural beef taste, which was a pity really. On a side note, the accompanying Porcini mushrooms had this weird taste which I couldn't stomach.
Disappointment. The icy cold word that pierces through your heart. That was the exact emotion all of us were feeling after the dinner. It was so bad that none of us had the heart to order any desserts, preferring to head down elsewhere. Service was good and attentive except for one major blip. They got one of our orders wrong twice. In the end, my friend had to settle for something he didn't order, which really marred the entire experience for him.
The 7 of us forked out $451 for a totally unsatisfying dinner, be it quantity or quality wise. Will I be back? I'll toss a coin and let you know, but chances are, no.
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Inconveniently located along Jalan Besar Road just a few doors down from Pu Tien, getting there can pose quite a challenge for people unfamiliar with the area. If you are driving, it will be even more of a headache as parking lots are far and few. Strangely enough, this place seems to be very popular with Japanese folks for some reason beyond me.
A must have dish whenever I visit Hillman, the Chicken in Paper Bag aka Zi Bao Ji was very well executed with the chicken well seasoned, measuring in the right amounts of salt and sugar. The meat burst with flavoursome juices with every bite through the tender chicken meat. I'm not one to exaggerate, but this is probably one of the best Zi Bao Ji there is in the market now. Only downside to it was the difficulty in trying to seperate the chicken from the paper and of course the copious amount of oil involved.
Hillman has long been renowned for its claypot dishes or better known as Sar Poh. We ordered the Bright Stars Pot aka Yi Ping Wor which had a grand total of 8 different types of food in it. Namely mushrooms, chicken, pork, prawns, squid, carrot, vegetables and fried fish slices. Now thats a lot of variety in one dish and this is definitely one of the better claypot dishes I've ever had in Singapore with the food soaking in the essence of the wonderful gravy.
Sliced Fish with Kai Lan - The Kai Lan looked a little tired when it first arrived, probably due to overcooking. However, it surprised us with its crunchiness and light smoky taste. The accompanying fish slices were very decent, chewy and not too soft.
A great dinner for 3 pax set us back by about $46, which isn't too expensive really considering the quality of food. A pity it was rather quiet for a Sunday night probably due to its location and the spotlight its more prolific neighbour, Pu Tien, is enjoying. Just a warning, do not expect good service from this place though (Its still decent though).
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Doesn't it scare you when a restaurant is devoid of the usual mad crowd which throng food outlets during the weekend? But then again, Pearl River is hidden in a rather secluded area on the third floor of the Suntec convention area. The only trace of its presence is the huge neon light signboard plastered on the windows facing Marina Square. If you do manage to find it, a waitress greets you at the and ushers you into a huge hall which can seat at least 150pax upwards - only a tenth of which is taken up.
I don't know what they were thinking when they coined the name "The Washing Line". Sounds rather crude to me, but I must credit them for their innovation in presentation. Two chilled carrots sculptured into towers and joined by a thin pole, with thin slices of meat draped across the pole and thick garlic sauce drizzled over - this is probably one of the most innovative dish presentation I've seen in a Chinese restaurant in quite a long while. Taste wise, I found it fairly acceptable, just that the garlic taste in the syrup was a little too strong and too sweet.
Sauteed Fresh Prawn with Egg White & Pine Nuts - I really am a sucker for dishes with lots of egg white, which explains this dish. I personally found it not too bad, with the texture being a little sticky and dense probably due to the addition of milk or the prolonged beating of the egg white. It actually reminded me of MacDonald's scrambled eggs, but easier on the milky taste. The pines were a nice addition with their slightly nutty taste, but the wolfberries seemed rather redundant. Now we certainly can't forget the prawns, which were crunchy and larger than normal. By and large a fairly nice dish, but a little on the salty side.
Braised Beancurd with Enoki Mushrooms & Preserved Vegetables - Just another normal beancurd dish. Bland with an equally bland gravy. This pretty much sums it up. The Enoki Mushrooms did add a nice crunch to the dish though.
Desserts. You either love them or loathe them. They have this effect of expanding your already exploding waistlines and yet you can't seem to resist their seduction. Alright I'm exaggerating, but I love my desserts. Our dessert for the night was a bowl of bird's nest soup and a slice of Durian Pancake. The Double Boiled Bird's Nest with Rock Sugar was pleasant, but the bird's nest wasn't exactly of top quality. Then again, I can't expect much for the price. One gripe though. I could see bits of feather still embedded in the strands of bird nest, which meant that the staff didn't put in the extra effort to remove them before boiling - something which I would expect from a top grade restaurant, but probably not Pearl River. The Durian Pancake's skin was a little too dry and thick, but the Durian filling was thick and flavourful, signs of a good Durian. And its rather small for $2.
I certainly wasn't expecting to spend close to a hundred bucks($96.75/-) for this dinner, but I guess its all my fault. Me and my bird's nest, which added about $30 to the bill. Having said that, prices at Pearl River are on the higher end of the reasonable spectrum, but food quality is slightly above average. The service is above average, but could do better with increased attentiveness. Another point to note, they charge $1/head for ice water or tea, so go for the tea.
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Far from the maddening crowd, in a private space with a soaring ceiling on the second level of Raffles City, Cafe Swiss provides the perfect place to have that idyllic dinner as crowds are scarce and the ambience is one of contemporary elegance infused with soothing comfort.
The de facto opening dish - complimentary bread. Although Cafe Swiss serves up various varieties of bread in a neat napkin wrapped basket, none of them impressed me at all. Not to mention they weren't the least bit warm as well. So much for the purposeful napkin.
Veal Emince Zurichoise - Sliced veal and button mushroom on morel cream sauce with roesti potato. Interestingly, I never had veal done this way thus this dish proved to be an eye opener for me. Not that it tasted out of this world though. The veal was done medium well with the button mushrooms wedged between the rolled up veal. All of which was served on a bed of rice (Risotto? Sure tasted like it) with the morel(type of mushroom) cream sauce. Honestly, the veal was a tad too salty for my liking but I do like the texture and the flavour of the veal and this dish as a whole especially with the infusion of the cream sauce. Look out for the small portions though.
Papet Vaudois - Smoked pork sausage on leek and potato stew. Firstly, the sausage didn't taste smoked to me. Second, it lacked the exploding juices effect when popped into the mouth. However, having said that, it was nice and flavourful but could have been better. A plus point was its huge size.
Ignorant me has never eaten carrot cake before (Not chye tao kway!) so we got this to try. First looks didn't impress me much as the cake looked unevenly sliced with carrots protruding out from the sides. Taste wise was decent, with the sugar top not too sweet and the cake tasty from the walnuts, almonds and carrots within. However, it was a little too dry, which is a bummer really.
I would like to think that through this meal, I have learnt what Swiss cuisine is all about. Unfortunately I'm none the wiser even after spending about $70 for 2 pax (before discount).
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Tucked in a rather obscure corner of United Square, it is hidden from the crowds that descend upon the other more prominent food outlets in the area. This isn't a bad thing at all, considering that it provides a welcome respite from all the hustle and bustle. The interior of the place is simply charming. A high ceiling coupled with an overhanging chandelier against a red wall backdrop provides a feeling of space and relaxation. Add the comfy window seats and soft background music to the equation and viola, you have a nice chill out place.
Nicely presented with a slice of bread, the mushroom soup didn't quite meet expectations. It came across as a little runny and tasteless although it was made from grounded mushrooms. A little salt might have done wonders. And at $8 a bowl, it certainly didn't come cheap.
Long Fed Ribeye - According to the waiter who recommended this dish to me, long fed beef has its fats within the slab of meat, whereas normal beef has fats around the edges. Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I infer that its something similar to Wagyu then? The beef was served almost well done and strangely enough, the waiter didn't ask me how I wanted it to be done when he took my order. I wonder why. That aside, the ribeye was surprisingly tender for its doneness, but lacked the succulence that I would have enjoyed. Size wise was probably about 180g - 200g. The accompanying mushroom sauce was a little diluted and light on the flavours. I would have preferred a more robust sauce honestly.
The Coppa Noce sounded absolutely tempting but like the mushroom soup, fell a little short. The Maple Walnut ice cream had no hint of maple syrup whatsoever whereas the Straciatella had a slight tinge of coffee aftertaste. Nothing spectacular really.
$60 for 1 pax (I did all the eating) is pretty steep for the quantity and quality of food served. To top it off, I wasn't exactly stuffed up after the meal, which says pretty much about the quantity I guess. Service is good but food quality really needs to move up a notch or else all the good service and ambience will still amount to zilch.
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