LokKee 樂記
Cousin and I had been eyeing this restaurant for a while. We saw many interesting posts on Instagram and good reviews about their food. We made a reservation and headed down on a Friday evening. Sometimes I feel that cousin and I behave like Michelin judges. Haha!
The egg was very tender in the egg drop soup. Crab meat was chunky and corn was sweet making the soup tasty.
Lokkee Egg Drop Soup $6
This fish fries had no trace of spiciness. I had to eat it with the peppercorns to give it more kick.
Sichuan “Mala” Fish Fries $14
The egg yolk look-alike are actually mango puree meant to extinguish the fiery spiciness in your mouth from eating the chicken. The mango puree was good. Eat it as a whole and the mango juice burst inside your mouth leaving a sweet cooling sensation. However I found it unnecessary as there was no flames in my mouth, not even a spark. Again, I had to pick up the peppercorns to eat with the chicken.
We saw a couple at the next table dipping the chicken into the mango puree. -_-” Perhaps the serving staff may like to let their customers knew about the mango puree.
For any customers who ordered some spicy dishes, the serving staff would recommend them order some cool icy beverages or beer. Luckily we didn’t. Nothing was near spicy.
Firecracker Chicken Nest $24
This uni pasta was a total disappointment. The noodles were slightly hard and though the sauce was creamy, the uni flavour was too faint. Where was the umami that it was supposed to have? The lonely piece of uni on top of the pasta was cooked and lost its creamy sea flavour.
Uni Pasta $24
Cousin was crazy over this flaming pineapple beef. No doubt it was spectacular seeing it on fire, beef was infused with pineapple fragrance and very tender and the pineapple balls sweet, there was no “wow” factor in this dish.
Awesome Flaming Pineapple Beef $28
Our dessert was served when we were eating our mains. We already requested it to be served after our mains. So they brought it back into the kitchen. When we finally finished our mains and asked for our dessert, guess what? They brought out the same dessert which they put into the freezer just now!! Hence the buns were frozen! Firstly, would you serve dessert to your customers while they are eating their mains? Secondly, does it make sense to serve the dessert with frozen mantou when it should be piping hot? Hence, cousin asked for the dessert to be replaced.
We got the mantou hot but the ice-cream melted very quickly. I would have preferred not to have the caramel sauce as it made it too sweet. The mantou was slightly too hard.
Fried Mantou with Vanilla Ice-Cream $8
After eating is to wipe our mouths with wet tissue. Is this packaging even relevant?
This bottle of chilli sauce was put on our table before our dishes came. Then it was removed. We had wanted to try this chilli sauce. But look at the bottle label, it seems to be Vietnamese chilli sauce? I am really confused by this restaurant’s identity.
Overall, food was tasty but nothing special. Being one of the higher end restaurants, we expected much more flavour from them. Not forgetting to mention, service staff need more training.
Menu: http://lokkee.com.sg/wp-content/themes/lokkee/pdf/menu.pdf
Wet towels are complimentary. Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST. Reservations are recommended.
Restaurant: LokKee 樂記
Address: 68 Orchard Road, #03-01 Plaza Singapura, Singapore 238839
Tel: 6884 4566
Website: http://lokkee.com.sg/
Mookata Traditional Thai BBQ
Mum suggested going to Mookata for lunch today! Ah, finally something different! So I Googled for Mookata and this place was one of the few that opens for lunch. Most Mookatas are only opened from 5pm or 6pm. I wonder why.
The restaurant was surprisingly not crowded at 1pm. It was clean and aircon was chilling. And fume hoods to minimise the smelly smoke from the cooking. The mookata pot was huge. It was placed on a metal tray.
Flaming hot charcoal burns underneath the pot. I was quite scared that the sparks might hit my face or eyes. Luckily it didn’t happen.
We ordered the set for four people. It is a combination of marinated chicken (thigh), pork (collar), prawns, squid, suriyaki, streaky bacon, pork belly, fishball, meatball, crabsticks, otah fishcake, round cabbage, chinese cabbage, kang kong, xiao bai cai, corn, golden mushroom, eggs, tung hoon and tofu, for $68.90. IT WAS EXPENSIVE! Dad was all disappointed with the portion. However, the marinate of the meat was tasty and mum enjoyed it very much. We even ordered an additional 200g of the yummy chicken thigh ($7.50). Needless to say, the soup was very yummy and I liked that it wasn’t too salty.
The chilli came in three levels – mild, spicy and hot. I tried all three and yes, they were really different. The hot was still not too hot but had a punch! The chilli dip was good!
The bbq area was made too round, mum kept complaining about the food sliding off. The pot became charred very quickly. This set for four didn’t really fill our stomachs.
Will I visit this place again? Yes, the place was comfortable and food was fresh and tasty. They were much more tasty than other steamboat or mookata food that I have eaten. No, food was on the pricey side.
Rice is at 90 cents per bowl. Plain water is complimentary. Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Restaurant: Mookata Traditional Thai BBQ
Address: 103/105 East Coast Road, Singapore 428797
Tel: 6344 2985
Opening Hours: Mon – Wed 5pm to 12am; Thur – Fri 5pm to 1am; Sat – Sun 12pm to 12am
Website: http://mookata.com/en/index.php?id_cms=8&controller=cms&id_lang=1
Hoshino Coffee 星乃珈琲店
The new extension of Plaza Singapura was opened a while ago. A colleague recommended me to visit this place for their parfait.
The curry rice contained bits of beef, a sausage and an egg. It was quite yummy but got a little gelah after a while. I would have preferred if the beef bits come in bigger slices. Otherwise I felt I was eating rice with the curry gravy every mouthful of it.
Curry Rice $15
The iced cafe latte was served in a golden colour thermal cup (meant to keep the coffee remain chilled longer) was fragrant.
Iced Cafe Latte $7.50
The fruits parfait was refreshing. Within the cold ice-cream, there were crunchy cereals, banana, strawberry, peach and a fragrant piece of sesame biscuit.
Fruits Parfait $12
They do not have much variety in their menu but there was a long queue when I left the restaurant. The prices are a little steep. Nonetheless, it’s worth a try.
7 Jun 2013
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Updated: 2 Dec 2015
Second visit to Hoshino Coffee is more than two years later! I found the variety of food has increased and taste has become better! My orchestra friends and I met up for lunch at the new Suntec outlet and we ordered their lunch sets that comes with a free drink.
Browse through their menu here.
Iced Coffee
Look at the cute tiny metal cups that contain milk and syrup. I just can’t resist miniatures!
The wasabi was only put on top of the salmon. I thought it was a wasabi infused cream sauce. No, it wasn’t, sadly. I wished there was more salmon.
Salmon with Wasabi Cream Sauce Spaghetti (Set) $16
Not cheesy. It was just normal spaghetti with tomato cream sauce.
Shrimp, Avocado, Mozzarella with Tomato Cream Sauce Spaghetti (Set) $15
Pescatora with Tomato Cream Sauce Spaghetti (Set) $15
Hoshino Pot-Baked Curry Rice (Set) $15
Curry was slight sweet and thick. The tonkatsu was nice!
Tonkatsu Curry Rice (Set) $17
Lobster bisque was not bad though it could contain more seafood flavour.
Lobster Bisque Soup Spaghetti (Set) $16
The top caramelised layer didn’t have the “cracking” sound. The creme was not bad but it was short of that vanilla kick. The ice cream went well with the creme brulee.
Creme Brulee with Ice-Cream $9.80
This pancake souffle was very soft and I love it! However I would order this for breakfast rather than as a dessert.
Double Pancake Souffle Style $12
Not bad but it was quite moist inside, wonder if it was caused by the chocolate sauce that we poured over.
Vanilla Souffle with Chocolate Sauce $10.80
This french toast with maple syrup couldn’t go any wrong. 🙂
French Toast with Sugar and Cream $9.80
Prices exclude 7% GST and 10% service charges.
Restaurant: Hoshino Coffee 星乃珈琲店
Addresses:
68 Orchard Road, #03-84, Plaza Singapura, Singapore 238839
3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-651, Suntec City Mall, Singapore 038983
Opening Hours: Weekdays: 0800 – 2200; Weekends: 10oo – 2200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hoshinocoffee/
JPOT Steamboat
Steamboat in the comfort of aircon and individual hygienic pot! No more arguing over the type of soup base or busy cooking and serving others in the same table. If you want to eat, you better cook on your own!
Choose your soup base from a choice of: JPOT Superior Broth, Bak Kut Teh, Herbal, Laksa, Silky Porridge, Tom Yum and Vegetarian. Top up a few dollars for free-flow of drinks!
One of my favourites is ordering this crispy tau kee and fish skin.
Though slightly pricey, you are sure that the food you are eating is of quality. The seafood are fresh and beef is very sweet. The fish paste noodles and dim sum are tasty. There is a good variety of meat balls, seafood, vegetables and comfort carbohydrates.
Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST. Jumbo membership rewards available!
Restaurant: JPOT
Address: 10 Tampines Central 1, Tampines 1 #03-16, Singapore 529536
Website: http://www.jpot.com.sg/index.html
Lao Beijing
Cousin and I wanted to visit Lokkee but it was closed for a company event. Disappointed, we walked into Lao Beijing. It was a small restaurant but was comfortable as we got a big table with just the two of us. The crowd at Plaza Singapura was not normal. Probably because of the school holidays, people are all out travelling.
It was small bowl of seafood soup that was not worth this $8. The seafood consisted of a piece of squid, fish, prawn and half a slice of scallop. The soup was not spicy nor sour.
Hot and Sour Seafood Soup $8
This wanton in vinegarette was good. A whole prawn was wrapped inside with fungus that gave it an additional crunch. But it wasn’t spicy or sour.
Wanton in Vinegar Chilli $8
This sliced fish was the most value for money as it was not some cheap dory fish. The pepper taste was not very significant. It was more garlicky that being pepperish.
Salt and Pepper Deep-Fried Fish Fillet $10
We ordered this beef brisket requesting for it to be more spicy and numbing. However the waitress said the soup had already been prepared and there was no way they could alter it. When this bowl of noodles was served, the first thing I did was to drink the soup. The first thing I told my cousin, “How come it isn’t spicy or numbing? Did they give us the braised version instead?” Cousin asked the waitress and the waitress said it was correct. There was a layer of oil which the braised version would not have. It took four or five sips of soup before I could taste that faint tint of spiciness. It was not numbing at all. On a good note, the beef was tender and noodles were al dente.
Beef Brisket Noodle $11.80
Fried rice was cousin’s favourite food. It was quite ok but it was supposed to be XO sauce right? I couldn’t taste any of it. However I was quite glad I could bite some small cubes of prawns.
Fried Rice in XO Sauce $14
This was the worst custard buns I’ve ever eaten. The custard didn’t flow and it was a solid mash of salty custard. The skin was dry and a tad too hard. Cousin said maybe it was not meant to flow. Lol!
Creamy Custard Bun $5
Although food was palatable, they didn’t taste like what they should have been. Food was under-seasoned and didn’t taste anything like Beijing. Please level up, up, UP, the spices!!! We don’t want to eat kids’ food! Paradise Dynasty does a MUCH better job.
Prices exclude 7% GST and 10% service charges.
Restaurant: Lao Beijing
Address: 68 Orchard Road, Plaza Singapura, #03-01/02, Singapore 238839
Tel: 67387207
Website: http://www.laobeijing.com.sg/
Manzoku Japanese Restaurant
My colleague has been raving to me about this affordable and delicious sashimi rice bowl and brought my friends here for a birthday dinner. It was fully packed and luckily we had made a reservation. The interior was not big and the table to table space was very small. You can hear the next table’s conversation easily.
Food was not bad and grill items were priced cheaper than other Japanese restaurants. As for the sashimi rice bowl (chirashi don), the sashimi were thickly-sliced and was value for money.
Chawanmushi $5
Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce $10
I would have preferred the fish skin not to be drizzled with the savoury sauce.
Salmon Fish Skin
Grilled Squid with Teriyaki Sauce $15
Tendon $14
Chirashi Don $25
Reservations recommended. Prices exclude 7% GST and 10% service charge.
Restaurant: Manzoku Japanese Restaurant
Address: 18 Purvis St, Singapore 188597
Tel: 6734 4436
Opening Hours: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM, 6:00 – 10:00 PM
Tomo Izakaya
This is undeniably the BEST sashimi bowl rice I have EVER eaten. It is not cheap and I can’t exactly remember how much it cost. I think it was $48? But it was worth every cent of it as every slice of the sashimi was thick and fresh and almost overflowed the bowl.
The waiting time was very very long, about an hour or so, but every anger evaporated when I put the fresh slices into my mouth. Mmmmm!
Restaurant: Tomo Izakaya
Address: 8 Raffles Avenue, #01-09 Esplanade Art Centre, Singapore
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun: 12pm-2.30pm; Sun-Thu: 5pm-11pm; Fri, Sat: 6pm-1am
Tel: 63330012
Bistro 1855
I was loitering around Suntec City one evening and had to decide on a dinner place before my next appointment. I was craving for some meat and I walked into this nice restaurant.
This Australian beef patty topped with onion jam and guacamole was really tender, juicy and utmost delicious. The guacamole was a little bland compared to the onion jam. The fries were crunchy and yet not oily. The patty was really so good I could devour another one any moment!
1855 Burger $22
Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Restaurant: Bistro 1855
Address: 3 Temasek Boulevard, Suntec City, Tower 4 #01-643, Singapore 038983
Opening Hours: Sat-Tue: 11am to 11pm; Wed-Fri: 11am to 12am
Tel: 6836 5994
Website: http://onionrestaurant.sg/bistro1855.html
Curious Palette
This was birthday dinner for Von and CP. I made a reservation and was pleased with the clean and white furnishings. I was given a sofa seat on the second level and it was a real comfortable setting.
Soon the place became packed and I was glad I made a booking. However, it took more than an hour for our food to be served. The servers were apologetic and I must commend them for their patient service to the many hungry diners there.
The huge bowl of truffled sweet potato ($12.90) was something special on the menu. The sweet potato tasted very well but the truffle oil was too insignificant. The mayonnaise had split as shown in the picture.
Next up is the stuffed boneless wings ($10.90). Not too oily but could be better seasoned. The dip added much more flavour to the wings.
The magic mushrooms ($14.90) were gigantic. However it was deep-fried and became too gelah after two pieces.
Seafood Spaghetti $19.50
Konbu Spaghetti $18.90
As for me, I ordered this wagyu burger ($22.50). By the time it arrived on the table, I was already full from the starters. So I only ate the beef patty but still did not manage to finish it. It was quite fatty and under-seasoned.
We were so full, we did not order their beautiful waffles.
In a nutshell, the servings were all huge but food was disappointing.
All prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST. However, due to the slow service today, they gave us a 10% discount.
Restaurant: Curious Palette
Address: 64 Prinsep Street Singapore 188667
Tel: 6238 1068
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curiouspalette
Opening Hours:
| Friday | 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Saturday | 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM |
| Sunday | 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
| Monday | 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
| Thursday | 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM |
Canton Paradise
Another restaurant by the Paradise Group! This is Canton Paradise, serving authentic Cantonese and all day dim sum!
Wanton with Chilli Oil $5.80
Xiao Long Bao $4.60
Custard Bun $4.90 and Prawn Dumpling $5.80
Scallop, Prawns and Garoupa Porridge $11.80
Beef Brisket Noodles $10.30
Fried Rice with Salted Fish $11.80
Chinese Tea $1.50 per pax
Towel – $0.30 each
Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Restaurant: Canton Paradise
Address: #B2-10 Mall, 311 New Upper Changi Rd, Singapore 467360
Tel: 6844 9244
Opening Hours: Weekdays: 11am to 10pm. Weekends: 1030am to 10pm
Paradise Dynasty
This Chinese restaurant by Paradise Dynasty serves both northern and southern Chinese cuisine. Yes, trusty Paradise Group always make sure I leave the restaurant more than satisfied.
Daddy discovered this restaurant in the newly opened OneKM mall that serves Sze Chuan noodles and our favourite poached sliced fish in Sze Chuan chilli oil. Ever since our visit to Beijing more than ten years ago, we have grown to love this numbing and spicy sensation caused by Sze Chuan peppercorns. When the mouth feels numb, the saliva glands starts to flush saliva into your mouth provided a “sweet” sensation. Both lips go numb and felt like sausages. It is really a confusing sensation but so so so addictive.
Pork Dumpling with Hot Chilli Vinaigrette $6.40
La Mian with Poached Marbled Beef in Spicy Szechuan Soup
La Mian with Pork Dumplings $8.80
Spicy Szechuan Crispy Chicken $12.80
You can request for mild, medium or hot spiciness level. Looking at this picture is enough to make me salivate!
Poached Sliced Fish in Szechuan Chilli Oil
Look at those peppercorns! Yummy!!!
Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Restaurant: Paradise Dynasty
Address: 11 Tanjong Katong Road, #02-33 OneKM, 437157
Tel: 6702 2540
Opening Hours: Weekdays: 11am to 10 pm. Weekends: 1030am to 10pm.
Seafood Paradise
I like eating at the Paradise group because I am assured of their quality and taste.
Tom Yum Seafood Soup $8.90
Love the bite of this thickly-sliced Garoupa! Sweet and tender fish meat!!!
Garoupa Fillet with Spring Onion $18.90
Poached Baby Spinach $14.90
Deep-fried Buns (4 pieces) $2.50
I must say this must be the best crab I have ever eaten! The sauce is thick and savoury and yet it doesn’t coagulate even after a long while. The curry leaves bring out the flavour of the butter and it was really difficult to resist not dipping my crab into this savoury gravy. The crab meat was succulent and full of flavour.
Signature Creamy Butter Crab $102
Chinese tea – $1.50 per pax
Towel – $0.30
Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Restaurant: Seafood Paradise at Changi Airport Terminal 2
Address: 60 Airport Boulevard, #036-059 Level 3 Terminal 2, Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore 819643
Tel: 6214 9655
Fax: 6214 9693
Business Hours: Daily 10.30am – 10.30pm (Last order at 10.00pm)
The Assembly Ground
A nice quiet place to chill out with palatable food.
Popcorn Chicken $10
Popcorn chicken was normal though it could have some spices mixed into its batter for a more distinct flavour. The truffle fries were not spectacular. Fries were wet from oil and truffle oil could be more generously sprinkled on.
Truffle Fries $12.50
Flat White $6
Spicy Sausage and Bacon $18
Fish and Chips $17
I had this beef rosti, The beef was tough and chewy and the gravy was too salty. The rosti was not bad though a bit more crisp would be more perfect.
Ragout of Beef with Rosti $23.50
Address: 2 Handy Road, #01-21 The Cathay, 229233
Miam Miam
“Miam Miam brings the best out of French Artisanal Cuisine & Techniques and traditional Japanese preparation & cooking arts.” ~Miam Miam
Actually, I don’t really know what I’m eating, not totally Italian and nothing Japanese. The seafood tomato cream was a tad too thin, I expected it to be more bisque. The prawns were disappointingly small. Should it had a more generous seafood serving, I would have given it a higher rating.
Seafood Tomato Cream Spaghetti $17.80
Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé $13.80
The souflle was why I walked into the restaurant. The Valrhona chocolate was rich but could be more. I don’t feel satisfied after eating this.
Iced Cafe Au Lait $6.20
Generally, I think it was tad too expensive. Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Restaurant: Miam Miam
Address: 10 Tampines Central 1 #B1-05 Tampines One Singapore 529536
Opening hours: Weekdays: 11:30 am to 10:00pm. Weekends: 11:30 am to 10:00pm
Website: http://miam.sg/
Tenkaichi Japanese Restaurant
My cousin and I saw this promotion and decided to whack this! So we make a reservation and went down on a weekday! And of course, we chose the buffet with the wagyu menu. We are there to whack the wagyu beef! We topped up another $10 for free-flow of drinks and Haagen-Dazs ice-cream! For their full menu click here.
The restaurant was neat and tidy but they need to install more fume hoods perhaps. We were all smelling of smoke and I took two days to wash the smell away.
Wagyu Beef Ox Tongue
The ox tongue was crunchy but the thought that it was from the tongue kind of puts me off.
Sashimi – White tuna, salmon, sea bream , shime saba, tuna, octopus
Sashimi was really fresh and it was my first time tasting the white tuna. From Wikipedia, I learnt that white tuna is not tuna, but butterfish or snake mackeral. The shime saba was very sweet, totally out of my expectations. I once ate saba sashimi at sushi restaurants but never liked them because they were too fishy.
Marinated Wagyu Beef Sashimi with egg yolk
Sorry, I have read so many people go woooos and wows about this marinated beef sashimi but raw beef? No thanks. I took at bite but didn’t swallow it. The rest of it went to the BBQ stove and we fried them.
Wagyu Beef Sashimi and Lightly Grilled Sashimi
Similarly, raw beef is not for me.
Giant Scallops
The scallops were so good I wished I could eat more of them but we were so full from the plates of wagyu beef. It was pretty fun bbq-ing them as I tried to sear them according to what I learnt from MasterChef.
Pork Cheek Fillet
Giant scallops (again) and prawns (really huge)
Prawns were huge. As a result, bbq-ing them is usually overcooking them due to their size. But nonetheless, they were succulent and sweet. Next up is the show of the BBQ! Look at that marbling! It just takes less than 15 seconds to cook each slice. As you place them onto the hot stove, it sizzles in its own fat and when you put them into your mouth, they just melt. So tender… We had three plates of these.
Wagyu Beef Short Rib and Wagyu Beef Rib Eye Cap
Sizzling
Besides the BBQ section, they have a variety of cooked food such as garlic fried rice, chawanmushi, soba, shisamo, salad, etc. The service was pretty good. One waitress said we have to quickly bbq out beef because it was changing colour. The beef was actually freshly cut upon order. And indeed, after leaving it for a while, it oxidised and turn into a darker red colour.
Don’t forget to leave some space for Haagen Dazs ice-cream! There were vanilla, chocolate, yuzu and macha flavours.
My cousin and I unanimously agreed that one visit is sufficient. The good memories can remain in photos and videos format.
Restaurant: Tenkaichi Japanese Restaurant
Address: 6 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square Shopping Mall, #03-129, Singapore 039594
Opening hours: Weekdays: 11:30am – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 10:00pm. Weekends: 11:30am – 10:00pm
Website: http://tenkaichi.com.sg/
Phone: +65 – 6250 8918
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/TenkaichiRestaurant/
Reservation: Via website
Little Hiro
This Hawaiian-Japanese restaurant is really a budget place for some comfort food! Food quality is well-above the value of the price that you are paying for and it is definitely worth a visit! Their calamari, chicken wings and onion rings were already sold out when we were there at 8pm. This place closes early so you can’t really sit and chill with your friends till late.
Spam Fries
Hawaiian Grilled Chicken with sauteed mushrooms
Ramen burger (Waikiki Deluxe)
Mushroom Suisse burger
Nacho Chips Supreme
Menu (taken from their website):
One thing to point out is the indoor seats smell of food fumes and you may not be comfortable walking out feeling and smelling like oil.
Cafe: Little Hiro
Address: #01-01, King’s Arcade, 559 Bukit Timah Road, 269695
Tel: +65 64663477
Opening Hours: Mon – Thu: 11:30 – 21:30; Fri – Sat: 11:30 – 22:00; Sun: 11:30 – 21:30
Website: http://www.hirobbq.com/#about-1
Chicken Up
Riding the wave with Korean fried chicken craze!!!!
I was impressed with its fried chicken that is so crispy, so juicy and full of flavour! It adapts the Korean methods of removing the fat from the skin and double-frying. This is the reason why its chicken is tender and succulent!
The japchae we had was good. The glass noodles were cooked al dente and flavour and seasoning was just the right amount.
Japchae $12
I must comment on this onion bomb that we had. It had the most awesome onion taste, and was not too greasy. I particular like the mustard sauce that comes with it. It has a nice spicy flavour that complemented the onion bomb.
Yangpa (onion) bomb $12
Original crispy up $18
Makgeolli $25
Truffle fries $8
Service was good and they have a good system of order and payment. Its visible kitchen looks clean and feels pretty well-organised. Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Restaurant: Chicken Up
Address: 2 Tampines Central 5, #01-44 to 47, Singapore 529509 (in between Tampines Mall and Century Square)
Tel: 65880308
Website: http://www.chicken-up.com
Saveur
So much hooha about this budget fine dining fusion French restaurant! Finally got a chance to try out at the Far East Plaza branch. Not a big fan of French food but some of the food did leave an impression.
The foie gras with lentils was so good that we did not hesitate to order a second one. It was firm on the outside but soft inside and the taste was not too “liver-y”. The truffle mash was good too but I thought the one I had at Poulet was better. The tenderloin was seasoned very well and cooked to how I liked it. Yummy!
Mushroom Soup $4.90
Pasta (main size) $7.90
Foie gras with lentils $7.90
Duck confit $13.90
Seabass $15.90
Beef Bourguignon $17.90
Tenderloin $24.90
Gratin $3
Mushroom ragout $5
Truffle mash $4
Salmon $19.90
Pork belly
Pierre Jean Merlot Bottle $35
I had another occasion to dine at Concetto (also by Saveur) at The Cathay (2 Handy Road) and ordered the pan-seared wagyu shoulder tender served with roasted portobello mushroom, foie gras and beef jus. I must say the taste still lingers in my mouth.
It’s deconstructed tiramisu was also worth a try!
Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Restaurant: Saveur
Address: Far East Plaza, 14 Scotts Road, #01-07B, Singapore 188584
Tel: 67361121
Website: http://www.saveur.sg/
Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory
This korean fried chicken place was opened not long ago replacing the previous Sushi Tei lot at Bedok Point.
We bought the Groupon voucher and had our dinner here last night. The queue was very long but we managed to be there early before the queue started.
The waiting time for the food was surprisingly short. The delicious corn cup ($0.50 per pax) is refillable! The chicken we ordered was awesome! They use fresh chickens!!!! The roasted chicken with rosemary is the best I have ever eaten! The meat is tender and seasoned to perfection. The spicy chicken was brilliant too, meat was juicy and its spicyness was not overpowering. The salad with chicken was made great by its sauce. However the fries were not warm enough when served.
The portions were big and luckily there were five of us to share all these food!
Cheese French Fries $9.90
To start eating your chicken, you can use these pair of “tongs” to tear the chicken meat apart without dirtying your hands. So innovative!
Cajun Chicken Salad $13.90
Rosemary Chicken $29.90
Spicy Chicken $28.90
Mac and cheese $9.90
My first mac and cheese! It was cheesy and the macaroni was al dente. Lovely!
Garlicky chicken $28.90
Spicy BBQ Roast Chicken $32.90
I will award this spicy chicken a Michelin star!!! The meat is so tender and moist, so well-cooked!!! The spice level really gives punches and kicks!!!
Crispy Fried Chicken $32.90
Not the kind of garlic taste that you will expect. It was quite a letdown. I think the chicken was sprinkled with some garlic spicies powder and some seasoned garlic soy sauce sprinked over the top. Wished there was more garlic flavour to this.
Plain water is complimentary.
All in all, we have bought more Groupon vouchers and can’t wait for return visits to try other items on its menu!!!
Ask me which korean fried chicken place is the best? I have tried Nene Chicken, 4 Fingers, Chicken Up and I think every restaurant has its own uniqueness. All are nice!
Drinking water is complimentary! Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
Restaurant: Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory
Address: Bedok Point, 799 Upper Changi Road, #02-05/06, Singapore 467351
Opening Hours: 11am to 11pm daily
Website: click here
Khmer (Cambodian) Food (Siem Reap)
I just got back from Cambodia yesterday and I should do a long post after my last post two years ago! I was basically too busy with work and life.
Cambodia was really hot and humid, 99% of its people depend on tourists to survive. Tuk-tuks are everywhere waiting for that fateful someone to get on and eateries are everywhere too. Hygiene may pose a problem but as long as you use your experienced judgement, you shouldn’t get any upset tummy. Food are also priced very reasonably from USD1 (low-end) to USD14 (high-end).
We stayed in The Villa, Siem Reap, situated within walking distance to the Night Market, Central Market, Pub Street and to many of eateries all around. TripAdvisor’s Genevieve Restaurant, Haven Training Restaurant and Bugs Cafe are all nearby. If you are bored of Khmer food, there is KFC and Sarpino’s Pizza. It is a very convenient and comfortable budget place to stay in!
The most common food you will see on menus are Lok Lak, fried MaMa noodles, Amok, Khmer curry and ginger chicken. Cambodians use fish sauce as a main seasoning that makes every dish delicious. We had our first meal at a place near our hotel called Lilypop Restaurant.
Website: http://www.lilypop-restaurant.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilypoprestaurant
Beef Lok Lak
Beef is both marinated and stir-fried in fragrant peppery sauces that is very appeitizing.
Deep-fried pork
Stir-fried mee
This stir-fried mee looked so plain but once you get started on it, you simply can’t stop! The noodles were surprisingly springy and full of flavour! It is a fusion of pepper, fish sauce and chilli sauce! I finished the whole plate and I must mention that this plate of mee cost only USD1.50!
On one of the evenings, we had our dinner at this well-acclaimed The Sugar Palm restaurant. Nice ambience but food was over-rated.
Website: http://www.thesugarpalm.com/spsr/
Fish Amok that needed 45 minutes of preparation time
Khmer Crispy Noodles
Ginger with chicken
This ginger fish was taken at Fusion Kitchen (part of Soria Moria Boutique Hotel) along Wat Bo Road. We were there on a Thursday and happened to be “Oh My Buddha” day. So every food item was on 50% discount and drinks were one for one. I really liked the ginger and fish. It was much better than the ginger with chicken I ate at Sugar Palm.
Address: Soria Moria Boutique Hotel, Wat Bo Road, Salakamrouk, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Website: http://thesoriamoria.com/
Fried, baked or charcoal-grilled chicken are also common on the menu. The chicken meat is tougher because they are reared locally and chickens run around the residents’ houses. You will find that the chickens have little fats. We really prefer this texture and the meat is more flavourful too. The chickens are usually marinated with lemongrass and ginger.
Before I arrived in Cambodia, my friend has been telling me to eat tarantulas!! We chanced upon Bugs Cafe outside our hotel. Wanting to fused culturally, we stepped in and ordered the Mixed Insects (tarantula, scorpion, giant waterbug, crickets and silkworms wok-fried in chilli). OMG, it was an experience of my lifetime! And ONCE is ENOUGH!
Website: http://bugs-cafe.e-monsite.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bugscafesr
On our way taking the tuk-tuk 70 km out of Siem Reap, we saw many villagers selling bamboo sticky rice. So Daddy bought one and tried. It is made of glutinous rice, red bean, coconut and some sugar, cooked over heat for 20 minutes.
TripAdvisor recommended this Genevieve’s Restaurant, quoting it has the best fish amok and many other Khmer dishes at a very affordable price. We went there two days in a row!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenevievesRestaurant#_=_
Address: Sok San Street, Siem Reap, Siem Reap 3058, Cambodia
Tom Yum Gong
We suggested the chef to make it much more spicy for us, as their original is said to be sweet. It turned out spicy enough for us and the tom yum tasted very authentic! A pity there was too little soup for the three of us to share.
Sweet and Sour Fish
Sweet and Sour Fish (with sauce separated)
Their freshwater fish – Red Fish, deep-fried and drenched on with sweet and sour sauce. The fish was very very meaty and well fried. A little muddy taste for those who are sensitive to it, otherwise, very delicious.
Fish Amok
Every cube in that banana leaf wrap is fish. Not too sweet and not too coconut-ty. The fish had a good texture. What amazed me was the flavourful vegetables at the side.
Khmer Beef
Tenderloin beef was used in this beef dish cooked to the level of your choice. We had them medium and it turned out perfect. Garlic was the main garnishing and the side sauce was a mixture of black pepper, fish sauce and lime (I think). It was very appetizing.
Khmer Fish Curry
The Khmer Fish Curry was also very good, not too spicy and with a little bit of sweetness.
Picture taken from Central Market showing where the locals eat. There wasn’t any foul smell from the wet market or smelly fumes from the cooking surprisingly. But we still did not want to put our stomachs to risk here.
cooking with charcoal underneath
looks like our niang tou fu, don’t they?
sweet desserts, with lots of houseflies above
Cooking just at the side of her business
cai-fan look-alike stall. Many many houseflies!!!
no idea what this is…
We also saw crickets and grasshoppers being sold in markets. Do you dare to eat them?
steamed quails eggs
We also bought some Jasmine Rice home. It was really cheap. USD0.80 for 1 kg.
That almost summed up all the food we have tried in our six days of stay in Siem Reap. Goodbye Siem Reap, and to all the dust and heat too.
Jade Restaurant – The Fullerton Hotel Singapore
This post has been long overdued. By the time I post this, I have already eaten twice at this place.
The quality of food is good and for a place like this AND buffet dim sum, the price is really reasonable. The number of pieces of dim sum is according to the number of people in the table. So there is no worry about too much or insufficient servings.
$36+++ for Adult and $18+++ for 6 – 11 year old child
Restaurant: Jade Restaurant
Address: Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square, Singapore 049178
Opening Hours:
Weekend A La Carte Dim Sum Buffet Lunch:
1st seating : 11.00am – 12.45pm (last order 12.15pm)
2nd seating : 1.15pm – 3.00pm (last order 2.30pm)
For reservations, please call (65) 6877 8188 or email dining-rsvp@fullertonhotel.com
PS Cafe
After an event photo shoot today, we went down to Paragon for late brunch. It was a shop selling bags and half the shop was this cafe. PS stands for Project Shop. I always enjoy Paragon because the crowd there is relatively smaller compared to the other parts of Orchard Road.
We got our table quite quickly although there were eight of us. Here’s what we had:
Menu
truffle fries
Chicken Tau Kwa
Eggs Benedict
Laksa Pesto
Turkey Cranberry Sandwich
Eggs Benedict $20
Turkey Cranberry Sandwich $23
Laksa Pesto $20
Chicken Tau Kwa $20
Truffle Shoestring Fries $15
Fresh Soursop $10.50
Ice Latte $6.50
Honey Lemon $7.50
Long Black $6
Ice Lemon Grass Tea $7
Root Beer Float $7.50
The truffle fries came in a generous portion just nice for us to share. I had the laksa pesto which was very fragrant. But after a few mouthfuls, I felt the noodles getting jelak and dry.
I like the cafe, a suitable place for small gathering with friends.
Prices exclude 7% GST and 10% service charges.
Restaurant: PS Cafe
Address: Paragon Shopping Centre #03-41/42, 290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859
Tel: 6735 6765
Website: http://www.pscafe.com/paragonmenu/
Red House Seafood Restaurant
It has always been on my wish list to eat here. Dad used to meet clients at this restaurant ever since I was in Primary School and he would pack leftover crabs for us. But because it is pricey for the family, he didn’t bring us there for meals. I finally got a chance to dine there with my buddies for their birthdays. Here’s what we had:
Drunken Prawns $30 (400g)
We were first served with drunken prawns. The wine and herb based soup was fragrant. There was also sweetness from the prawns! The prawns were bigger than a medium-sized prawn. The meat was very succulent and fresh. We finished every drop of soup.
Boston Lobster noodles $68 (usual price $98)
Next came our Boston Lobster noodles. The lobster was meaty and each of the four of us had a good portion of the lobster. The noodles were cooked well to a springy texture that had properly absorbed the best of the broth. One could top up $10 for additional noodles.
Black Pepper Crab (1kg @ $50)
Black pepper crab came next. We all thought that this was one of the best black pepper crabs we had eaten. Our crabs were from Sri Lanka and they were full of succulent meat.
Chilli Crab (1kg @ $50)
Singapore’s well-known chilli crab was served next. Frankly, I’m not a chilli crab lover. I totally see no reason why it is a “must eat” dish when one visits Singapore except for the sweetly-flavoured man tou. We thought that this dish wasn’t really good. A pity the restaurant does not serve crabs cooked with salted egg yolk.
Baby Kai Lan $10
The baby kai lan was crunchy and it wasn’t oily although being stir-fried with garlic.
Service was a little slow on a Wednesday evening. We had to remind them to serve us our man tou and baby kai lan. However, it was a good meal overall.
Pickle $2.50
Tea, water and towel $1.50 per pax
Fried Man Tou $0.70 each
Prices exclude 10% service charges and 7% GST.
10% discount using OCBC credit cards.
Restaurant: Red House Seafood
Address: Blk 1204 East Coast Parkway #01-05 East Coast Seafood Centre Singapore 449882
Tel: 64423112
Website: http://www.redhouseseafood.com
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 12pm – 11.30pm; Sat, Sun & Public Holidays: 11.30am – 11.30pm
The Marmalade Pantry
A sweet cafe located in the quiet side of ION Orchard, this place serves a quiet get-together with your close buddies. I like the cafe’s decorations and it’s open concept. If you’re looking for a place to rest your feet while shopping in Orchard or want to get out of the bustling crowd, this is a really good choice.
Marmalade Party
Seared Scallop Linguini
Steak Sandwich
Seasalt Caramel Cheese Cake
Seared Scallop Linguini $24
Steak Sandwich $24
Seasalt Caramel Cheese Cake $8
Berries Smoothies $9
Flat White Coffee $6.50
Peony Jade White Tea $7
Prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST.
DBS credit card gets 10% off.
Restaurant: The Marmalade Pantry
Address: ION Orchard, #03-22/28, 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801
Tel: 67342700
Website: http://www.themarmaladepantry.com.sg/
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