Archive for September 2015

the carvery, park hotel alexandra.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

had heard good things about this roast-centric buffet, so i wanted to try it. came by for lunch with L on a monday afternoon. i have to say that it isn't exactly in the most convenient of spots by public transport, though.



it was, however, a good spot for a leisurely, quiet lunch. the restaurant was spacious, overlooking the rooftop pool. i liked that the tables were spaced quite far apart- no accidental eavesdropping.



we got a table right next to the full length glass windows. great lighting, and it was a quiet corner. service wasn't compromised, too. our plates were cleared promptly, which i appreciated.



it being called the carvery, of course we hit up the meats first.


three roasts available that day- chicken, beef and ham. we tried a bit of each the first time, before concluding that the chicken was the best of the lot. i usually am quite into beef, but i didn't quite take to their rendition. the chicken, however, was juicy and flavoursome, and we went back for several other helpings later on. they had a huge variety of sauces and condiments to go with the roasts, right at the roast counter.


there was also a salad counter, which also included prawns and mussels. no complaints- the seafood was fresh and the salads were reasonably good. 


i was more excited by the hot sides, though! they had a long counter of hot sides, including interesting ones like polenta fries and sweet potato gratin. one gripe though- they had heating plates beneath the trays, but they don't seem to work very well. most of the food we got were lukewarm at best, which is quite a pity because i can imagine that the food would've tasted so much better hot. 



aside from the hot sides, two types of soup (mushroom soup and beef and barley soup) and cheeses were also available. the soups were surprisingly no afterthought- piping hot and delicious. the mushroom soup, especially, was full of mushroomy, umami goodness. 

then there was the pizza and pasta counter. they had an actual wood-fired oven, and they were making the pizzas on the spot! when i tried the pizza for the first time, i was disappointed, because with an oven like that, their pizzas should be good. then i realised that it was because, left out in the open, without any means of keeping warm other than a weak heating lamp above, the pizza had gone cold. so i kept a lookout and managed to nab a slice just as it came out of the oven. what a difference that made! the crust was crisp and fragrant, the cheese oozy and melty. they should really invest in better heating equipment, or make the pizzas a la minute. 


i'm always looking forward to dessert. to me, it's what makes or breaks a buffet experience. the dessert counter was a small one, but it did not disappoint. i particularly liked the bread and butter pudding (but then again i'm always partial to it). 



the buffet also came with a selection of coffee- lattes, cappuccinos and the like. it's a nice touch. it was the perfect ending to have coffee with desserts. 


in all, it was a pretty respectable buffet. we paid about $34 each, because they were having an opening promotion (50% off the second diner, original price $38++ each), which was a really good deal. not a wide variety of things, but i would rather go for quality than quantity. might come back to try their dinner, which has a wider selection of items, including yorkshire pudding. 

the carvery
park hotel alexandra
http://www.parkhotelgroup.com/alexandra/the-carvery-,dining_viewItem_392-en.html

alt pizza, suntec city, 2.0.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

didn't quite know what to have for dinner at suntec city. after some discussion, i suddenly recalled that there's alt pizza! always wanted to return to try their other pizzas, so that was as good a time as any. i tend to forget that there's alt pizza, because it's located not in the main restaurant stretch, but outside.

for a public holiday night, it was pretty quiet. at almost eight, there were only two other tables occupied besides us. then again, suntec is generally quiet.

we decided to share the philly fanatic ($19). we were both starving, having just come from the gym, so it was awesome that the pizza arrived within what seemed like ten minutes.


and it was just as awesome as i remembered! thin, crackly crust that makes me feel less guilty of a carb overdose, topped with just the right amount of ingredients. skirt steak, roasted mushrooms, caramelised onions, peppers, and a generous amount of cheeseeeee. so so good- especially when one is starving. 

was contemplating getting another pizza or burger to share, when i spied that they had a specials board. that day's special was a peanut butter bbq sauce burger ($16). they basically had me at peanut butter, because PEANUT BUTTER. the first time i had peanut butter burger was at relish, and i quite liked it, though i remember thinking that they should've been more generous with the peanut butter. 


alt pizza's version was generous with the peanut butter sauce. it made for an awesome, saucy burger, especially when combined with the cheese, bacon and fluffy bun. the beef patty was slightly overdone, but borderline enough to not annoy me. we also topped up an extra $4 to get calamari as a side for the burger, but it was so so. didn't finish it because it was way too greasy, and i didn't quite take to the batter. aside from that, i liked the items we ordered very much. 

they seem to have increased prices marginally though. then again, since the food was just as good, i didn't mind. will be back for more! 

alt pizza
suntec city tower 4 #01-602
www.altpizza.com.sg

doongji korean restaurant, east coast road.

Friday, September 25, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

usually not into korean food, and in fact, i was thinking of having chirashi at sumiya initially, but circumstances interfered with my plans. with chirashi taken out as an option, a sudden bibimbap craving kicked in.

not the first time i've been to doongji- my second lunch there, so i knew that they have good value for money set lunches. i've had dinner a couple of times there too, but that was a couple of years ago already, i think.

i ordered the dol sot bibimbap ($8.90) with chicken. i was served the korean banchan first. there were six in total- three types of korean pickles, beansprouts, potato salad, and a mix of anchovies and peanuts. i actually quite liked the banchan, especially the beansprouts and anchovies.


my bibimbap came shortly after, sizzling away in a hot stone bowl. it came with a generous amount of toppings- vegetables, mushrooms, egg, chicken, and crabstick (??? first time i've ever had crabstick in a bibimbap). 


loved that the rice became crispy and slightly burnt from the contact with the hot stone bowl- exactly how i like it. 


mixed up with all the other ingredients, it made for a good eat. i found myself enjoying the bowl, savouring every bite. in fact, i almost finished all of the rice, which hardly ever happens, especially when the amount of rice given is sizeable. 

one thing though- the set lunch doesn't come with refillable banchan. i tried to asked for a refill of the potato salad and beansprouts, but was informed that because it's part of the set lunch, there wouldn't be any refills. hmm... i remember when i went for lunch previously (quite a long time ago, it has to be admitted), they did offer refills. 

a good place for reliable korean food. wouldn't mind coming back for more. 

doongji korean restaurant
222 east coast road
http://www.doongji.com.sg

sunday folks, chip bee gardens.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

finally made it to sunday folks! it's been on my to-try list for ages now, simply because i love creamier's rendition of waffles. but sunday folks is just too inaccessible- all the way in the west. i'm rarely motivated to travel to the west, especially after graduating from university. so when i knew that i had to be at rochester mall, i jumped at the chance to finally head over to sunday folks. 

it was a sunday night, but because we arrived at almost eight, we didn't have to queue for a table. the place was pretty packed though. and when we left, there was a queue. 

we got two waffles to share ($9.90 each), because my friend wanted to try two flavours of the soft serve, while i wanted more waffles. so that worked out fine, because i could have more of my friend's waffle, while she could have most of my soft serve. 

two flavours of the soft serve jumped out at us- the earl grey lavender and the sea salt gula melaka. didn't get any toppings, because the one we wanted (gula melaka mochi) was sold out. the two waffles came beautifully presented, with a generous swirl of soft serve on top. there was a cookie thoughtfully sandwiched between the soft serve and the waffle so the soft serve wouldn't make the waffle soggy. didn't really work though, because the soft serve melted very quickly.  


i loved the waffle- exactly the same as creamier's. didn't really like the earl grey lavender soft serve though. it was way too perfumed. we both preferred the sea salt gula melaka, which was awesome- salty and sweet at the same time, with a strong gula melaka hit.


yum. i'll be back if i'm in the west.  

sunday folks
44 jalan merah saga 
chip bee gardens #01-52
http://sundayfolks.com

clinton st. baking company & restaurant, purvis street.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

super excited to find out that clinton st. was opening in singapore! plus, online reviews have been glowing so i made it down the earliest i could.

we reached at about 2.30 on a monday afternoon, and thankfully, there wasn't a queue in sight. we got seated immediately.

the menu was made up of basically breakfast items, with mains on another page. they had cakes on display too. we were initially planning to get two savoury dishes, plus share a pancake, but realised that that was probably too greedy (could probably finish, but... not a good idea). so in the end we got the spanish scramble ($19) and banana walnut pancakes with warm maple butter ($18).


the spanish scramble was pretty good- cheesy and fluffy, and filled with a generous amount of ingredients, including chorizo. i liked the sourdough toast that came with it too. i was undecided about the hash brown, though. it was kind of like pan-fried mashed potato, if that makes sense. but on the whole, we enjoyed the dish. 


of course we had to have the pancakes. they were awesome. one of the best pancakes that i've ever had. fluffy, yet it had a crisp outer. it was a bonus that there were banana bits in the pancake itself- i was expecting the banana to just be a topping. it was so good i had most of my share without the maple butter, but my friend cleaned the butter up anyway. 


it was good that we shared two dishes- three would have been overkill. portions were pretty generous for a cafe- enough to feed two girls even after the gym. prices were reasonable. it's good quality cafe food, at prices that don't feel like a ripoff. service was good as well. we got a discount on our bill, and i was wondering why. the explanation was that they were having some exhaust issues, so the restaurant was slightly smoky. i noticed but didn't mind it much, so it was a pleasant surprise that they'd bother with a discount. i'd easily come back any day. 

clinton st. baking company & restaurant
31 purvis street
https://www.facebook.com/clintonstsingapore

shibuya omakasei & sushi bar, seah street, 2.0.

Monday, September 14, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

second time back here- swung by for lunch some time ago, and the food was value for money enough to make me want to buy the groupon and come back for dinner. technically speaking, it wasn't my second time- it was actually the third. i made a reservation sometime end july and came by for dinner with L, just to be told that they were actually closing for the renovations the next day. as such, they didn't have enough ingredients. they were out of basically everything except for salmon, amaebi and a bit of other stuff, which meant that we couldn't order most things on the menu. naturally, we left and headed elsewhere in search of dinner. that didn't leave us with the most positive of impressions, to be honest. 

so it was with trepidation that we returned. we were the only customers there the entire time. hmm. they'd also changed the menu, and it seems that prices were higher than before. 

we got two bowls to share- the wagyu foie gras uni don ($45) and the chirashi ($35).


the wagyu beef slices were on the thin side, but it was perfectly cooked. weirdly enough, it had none of the char that i love about beef bowls, so the texture was slightly odd. the foie gras, too, while creamy, was missing a sear. the uni was quite meh- none of the sweetness that i associate with uni. it came with a sweet sauce that did complement the toppings pretty well. i liked the japanese rice, which was well cooked and seasoned. 


the chirashi was certainly a good looking bowl. it came with generous slices of sashimi, including salmon, tako, maguro, scallop and salmon roe. i liked the way the sashimi was cut. none of the thin, stingy slices that i dislike- these were fat, generous cuts. at $35, it definitely wasn't one of the cheaper chirashis, but i felt it was more value for money than the beef bowl.


we were also given complimentary aburi salmon unagi rolls, which was a nice touch. they were a bit heavy-handed with the mayo, but still yummy. 


was tempted by the handmade mochi ($4) on the menu, because handmade! but what a letdown. the skin was thick and hard, while we could barely discern what the filling was. 


according to the waitress, the place is still under the same owner, but the team running it had changed, which explains the change in menu. the food wasn't bad, but it was definitely overpriced- for $45 i could go to fat cow. with the groupon, we paid $49.90 for two people. they do need to do more marketing though. it's worth a try with the promotion. 

shibuya omakasei & sushi bar
39 seah street
https://www.facebook.com/SHIBUYAOMAKASEI

tuk tuk cha, suntec city.

Friday, September 11, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

wanted some dessert after a not very filling dinner, so L and i headed over to suntec. even at almost nine, there was a queue, not just for seats, but also for orders (they had separate queues for ordering and seats). granted, the space was pretty small, with just a communal table in the middle taking up most of the space, and a couple of bar seats. 

managed to get seats after probably fifteen minutes. the food came about ten minutes later, so the wait was surprisingly short given the number of customers they had versus the number of staff. 

the golden toast with thai tea kaya ($3.80) came first. i found the thai tea kaya to be on the bland side- could hardly taste the tea flavour. the toast cubes were crispy, but after eating two it got to be a bit much because of its oiliness. probably wouldn't be ordering this again. 


we also got the aloha coconut shibuya toast ($10.80), which fared better. the highlight was probably the creamy coconut ice-cream- really good. i don't like ice-cream in general, but i loved this one. it was so much like having an actual coconut. the toast was topped with shredded dried coconut and actual coconut flesh. given that i'm really into coconut... of course i liked this. the toast itself was not bad- buttered well, crisp on the outside and fluffy inside. it was a good vehicle for the ice-cream. this, i would get again if there wasn't a queue.


L also got a hot thai milk tea ($1.70) and i got a hot black coffee ($1.50). L liked hers- i tried it, and agreed. it had a strong tea taste, and was only mildly sweet. my black coffee, however, didn't have any kick at all. way too dilute. 


for the price, it was quite a satisfying dessert. i know $10.80 is quite a bit to pay for basically just ice-cream and toast (as L says) but it's one of the cheapest shibuya toasts around. no service charge as well, so that's a bonus. will be back if i want a carb fix. 

tuk tuk cha
#02-605A suntec city tower 3
https://www.facebook.com/tuktukchasg

shrove tuesday, toa payoh.

Tuesday, September 08, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

was in the area and my friend wanted some cafe food, so i did some googling and realised that shrove tuesday was pretty close to where we were. wasn't in the mood to be picky (because i was starving- it was three in the afternoon and we'd come from the gym) so we took the ten minute stroll over. 


their menu was compact- couple of mains, with the main focus on dessert. i needed something savoury, so we shared the beef lasagne ($8.50) and the chicken pie ($6.50). 





to be honest, i wasn't expecting much, since it was a cafe after all, and cafes aren't exactly known for their savoury dishes. but surprisingly enough the lasagne was a passable rendition, and we easily finished it. i didn't quite like the chicken pie though. too much cream and the crust wasn't nearly flaky and buttery enough, but we were hungry enough to finish it, too. 

then we moved on to desserts! they were having a promo on the waffles- 50% off between 3 pm and 6 pm, so we only paid $2.50 for the waffle. added on a scoop of rum and raisin ice-cream for an additional $3.80 (extra $0.80 for premium flavour).


my friend was also tempted by the array of cakes on display, particularly the 7 flavour rainbow cheesecake ($7.50) and the thai milk tea cheesecake. really pretty, but i've never been a fan of rainbow cakes, because the logical part of me knows that it's just colouring. but while we were at the counter and deciding what to order, the girl at the counter told us that the different layers were not just colouring- each layer was a different flavour. that kind of sealed the deal for us. 


it certainly was photogenic. i tasted each layer separately, and it was true that each layer was a different flavour! i was particularly enamoured with the yam flavoured purple bit. couldn't tell what the blue layer was supposed to be, but the taste of the other layers were prominent. in all, it was an interesting cheesecake, though i don't think i'd order it again.


their waffle was the light and crisp type. not my favourite type (creamier still takes the top spot) but it was alright. 


we were still feeling greedy (and tempted by the display of desserts) after finishing the cake and the waffle, we decided to try another one. it was a tossup between the profiteroles ($10) and the matcha tiramisu ($8)- the matcha won in the end. 

 

no regrets- it was a good decision. i especially liked the matcha crumble on top. it was a good play of textures- matcha crumble, creamy matcha-infused mascarpone and an alcohol-soaked cake layer beneath. the combination worked. it was probably my favourite dessert of the three. so glad we decided to be greedy (though it entails more jumping to work all the calories off).


not a very big cafe. quite liked the decor- all whimsical, with pretty prints. we were the only customers when we reached at three on a monday afternoon, but at about four, groups of people started streaming in. 




spent a leisurely afternoon with my friend, chatting away and just enjoying the food. prices were also quite reasonable. will probably be back if i'm in the area. too bad it's not near the train station, though. 

shrove tuesday
#01-32
94 lorong 4 toa payoh
http://shrovetuesday.sg

lady m, one fullerton.

Thursday, September 03, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

came by specially for the cakes. despite lady m having been opened for a couple of years now, it's my first time trying it, for some strange reason. i've bought their cakes as gifts, but somehow, just never got around to trying it on my own. 

my friend was aiming for the chocolate mille crepe, but then we realised that it was exclusive to the orchard central outlet. so he settled for the signature mille crepe ($8.50), while i got the green tea one ($9). 


i loved the combination of the infinite-looking layers of pastry cream and crepe. the green tea powder was strong enough, yet not too overpowering. especially liked that it was only subtly sweet. it was no difficult task for me to finish the cake in its entirety. 


the cakes are on the expensive side (and this is coming from a person who's used to paying a fair bit for desserts) but they are worth it. i want to try the checkers cake next. will probably pop by for a takeaway when i next have a cake craving. 

lady m
#01-10 one fullerton
http://www.ladym.com.sg

overeasy, one fullerton.

Thursday, September 03, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

never planned to eat at overeasy- my friend wanted cake at lady m, so we decided to just grab lunch nearby before going over for desserts. after walking along the stretch of restaurants, overeasy caught our eye for being one of the more crowded restaurants, so we took a chance and went in.

after a brief look through the menu, we both went for the two-course lunch set ($26). for the first course, two salads and a soup were available to choose from. my friend got the soup of the day, which happened to be cream of carrot, while i got the broccoli and quinoa salad.



the salad turned out to be quite nice. it had a good variety of ingredients- broccoli, quinoa, raisins, feta, avocado, tossed in a light roasted lemon dressing.

there were quite a few mains available, including a linguine, but we saw that most tables had burgers (which looked really good), so burgers it was. only two choices of burgers available- either the veggie portobello or the grilled chicken blt. no prizes for guessing which we both picked.



it was a sizeable portion, and even came with a mound of fries. the grilled chicken itself was juicy and tender, even though it was chicken breast. the buns were fluffy, the way all good burger buns should be. my only complaint is that they were too heavy-handed with the mayo- the bun was soaked with mayo. then again, i don't like mayo- i usually request for no mayo, but because the menu didn't list the burger as having mayo, it slipped my mind.

i went with no expectations, but it was a surprisingly good lunch. not somewhere i'll specially come back for, but if i wouldn't mind stopping by if i were in the area and needed a quick lunch. their service is pretty quick- we were done with our meal in probably half an hour or so.

overeasy
#01-06 one fullerton
https://www.facebook.com/OverEasySG

snowy village, prinsep street.

Tuesday, September 01, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

i've never been enamoured with bingsu, even with the current bingsu craze going around. for the price, give me cake any day. i never thought that i would be hunting down bingsu, but my friend really wanted bingsu for dessert after lunch that day (it'd been a particularly stressful day), so i complied.

didn't choose snowy village on purpose; she'd just googled and realised that it was most convenient spot. i vaguely recall reading about it a few months ago- something about it being located in a container.

we were lucky to get seats- it was a really small space. counter seats on tiny stools (i was half-afraid i would break it), facing the glass window. sitting outside was non-negotiable- it was blazingly hot.

i let my friend choose the flavour she wanted, since she was the one who wanted bingsu anyway. she deliberated between the black sesame bingsu ($12.90) and the mango one ($15), before finally picking the black sesame. (i was secretly pleased because i was rooting for the black sesame one.)


i wasn't expecting much, to be honest (it is after all an ice-based dessert). to find that i actually did enjoy it was a surprise in itself. it was adorable- black sesame ice-cream decorated with almond flakes for ears and chocolate bits (?) for eyes and a nose. there was a generous layer of black sesame powder, red bean, almond flakes, peanut bits and mochi over the milk based ice shavings. it also came with condensed milk on the side, but after having the bingsu on its own, we realised that it didn't need any extra sweetness. 






































its flavour was on the mild side, but it was precisely that that made it enjoyable and refreshing. i was pleasantly surprised to find that there were additional layers of black sesame powder in the bingsu itself, not just on top.

okay, maybe i don't dislike bingsus after all. wouldn't go out of the way to have this, but if i'm in the area and in need of a dessert, would probably stop by. no gst and service charge, so that was awesome. pretty reasonably priced.

snowy village
120a prinsep street
https://www.facebook.com/snowyvillagesingapore
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