hock gooi hainanese curry rice, golden shoe food centre.

Saturday, October 24, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

it was purely by chance that i discovered this stall. needed a quick lunch in the CBD area, so we settled for hawker food. the layout of the hawker itself makes it difficult to discover new places- it has two levels, and each level is segmented in such a way that you'd be disinclined to venture beyond where you're seated to look at other stalls.

my friend chose a particular row, because she wanted wanton mee, so i just went with it. didn't have the luxury of time to be picky, anyway. i was first tempted by the dumpling soup at another stall, so i got that, but then the curry rice stall, with its perpetual queue, lured me in. so... i decided to be greedy and got a plate.



it was two-thirty, so they'd run out of their more popular items, including the char siew and the cabbage. i don't usually eat curry rice, so i didn't mind. i got the pork chop, beansprouts, beancurd skin and a generous ladle of curry over rice ($2.80).

it was pretty satisfying, especially considering how cheap it was. the pork chop was still crisp, though it was prepared a while earlier. also liked the curry, especially paired with the beansprouts. i could understand why there was a queue.



came back for a takeaway for my dad the next morning. at nine-thirty in the morning, they had all of their stuff available. 




managed to get the char siew this time, along with the braised cabbage. only tried the char siew, but i liked it. i can absolutely understand it'd be sold out. it was lean yet not tough, and well marinated.



nothing fancy. it was simple food done well. i'll be back if i need a quick lunch in the area.

hock gooi curry rice
#02-35 golden shoe food centre

london fat duck, scotts square.

Friday, October 23, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

to be honest, london fat duck has never been on my to-try list, as reviews online have been mixed. but my friends tried it previously and loved it, so we came by for dinner on a weeknight.

no reservations allowed, but thankfully we didn't have to wait long for seats (probably five minutes or so), even though the restaurant was crowded.

the menu consisted of roasts and the usual dim sum items. we ticked the items that we wanted on an order chit and passed it to the waitress (it was only later that my friend remembered that there were ipads available to do ordering on). food came really quickly- like within five minutes, which was awesome!

i was most excited by the black pepper london duck buns ($4.80), which my friends had had previously and raved about.


didn't look like much, but it was awesome. it came piping hot, with a crispy, sugary crust that reminded me of tim ho wan's. i would come back just for this. 


that's not to say that the rest of the items weren't good. they were, too. i found the rest of the items to be pretty competent. standouts were the char siew ($14.80), the dumpling soup ($8) and the crispy london duck snow bun ($4.80). the snow bun was essentially a black pepper-less version of the black pepper duck bun, so of course i liked it, especially since it had the same crackly crust. we didn't get the duck to share, because my friend and i aren't fans of fatty duck, but my other friend who wanted to try got the london roast duck noodle ($7.80), which he enjoyed well enough. 



perhaps the only item i didn't like was the golden custard bun ($4.80). as promised, it did flow, but the filling had none of the fragrant saltiness i love about salted egg custard. 


i don't eat dim sum often, but i found the prices to be quite reasonable given the quality and the location. we ordered freely and were stuffed at the end of the meal, yet the bill came up to only about $85 for three people, including chinese tea at $1 per person. it was a pretty satisfying meal, and i'll be back for the buns. 

london fat duck
#b1-16/17 scotts square

aloha poke, amoy street.

Thursday, October 22, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

i've been tempted by their concept ever since i saw on instagram that they were opening. sashimi + rice + vegetables- right up my alley.



so i swung by for a takeaway, since i was going to be in the area. picked up the standard nalu ($15.90, but i only paid $12.80 because they were having a 20% off opening promotion), which comes with two scoops of poké. for my two scoops, i got one scoop each of the original ahi tuna and salmon. three other add-ons were included too, so i picked the flying fish roe, edamame and pomegranate.



it certainly was a pretty bowl, with bursts of colour from the pomegranate seeds, pineapple chunks and flying fish roe. the bottommost layer was brown rice, followed by the greens, then the various toppings.



thankfully it wasn't just pretty, but also tasty. i loved the marination of the sashimi cubes- reminded me of teppei's, but not quite as salty (which is a good thing since i find teppei's way too heavy-handed). the variety of toppings added much texture and flavour to the entire bowl. it was kind of like a chirashi, just with much more vegetables. they were also quite generous with the sashimi, so i didn't end up with just rice. would've liked them to be more heavy-handed with the other toppings though- especially the edamame and pomegranate, especially with that kind of prices.

it was also quite a good portion. i felt generally satisfied with the bowl, though i don't know if i'll come back, especially when i compare it to the daily cut, which still seems to offer better value for money.

aloha poke
92 amoy street
https://www.facebook.com/alohapoke

gyuu+ yakiniku grill, emporium shokuhin, marina square.

Saturday, October 17, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

the power of social media is incredible- i saw an instagram post on this place, and promptly got tempted into trying it the next day. i've walked past the restaurant while checking out emporium shokuhin, even scrutinised its menu, but ultimately didn't try it as i was alone and yakiniku isn't exactly the kind of thing one eats alone. didn't even realise that they had bibimbap until the instagram post, actually.

so i was craving something hot for lunch, and a sizzling bibimbap sounded like a good idea. i'd briefly toyed the idea of with trying sushi murasaki over at millenia walk (also thanks to instagram...) but shelved that for another day (when i feel like indulging myself).

it was a friday afternoon, but emporium shokuhin was buzzing with people (so many people on a weekday afternoon... do they not need to work?!) senmi sushi and the ramen place was particularly busy, but gyuu+ was quiet, with only a few tables occupied. i attributed that to yakiniku not being a popular choice for lunch and just went ahead.

i got the ishiyaki bibimbap ($16), requesting for less rice and more vegetables. not sure if they acceded, since i've never eaten there, but the portion of rice was just right.

the bibimbap came in its full sizzling glory- always a good sign. i love it when the rice at the bottom gets a nice golden crisp from the hot stone bowl, and this did exactly that.


the toppings included mushrooms, green vegetables, julienned carrots, kimchi, a raw egg and beef cubes. mixed up together with the sauce, it made for a yummy eat. but the star was definitely the beef- so so good. then again, they ARE a yakiniku place after all. i wish they were more generous with the beef though. 


quite a satisfying meal. i left happy because of the beef. might be worth coming back for the yakiniku sometime. 

gyuu+ yakiniku grill
#01-18 marina square

grain traders, market street.

Friday, October 16, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

came by for lunch a few weeks ago, when they'd just opened. was excited to try, because it's opened by the people behind kilo (which i've been meaning to try for SUCH a long time), and also because i like their concept.

what i didn't expect, though, was how crowded it was. i figured that because they'd just opened, the lunch crowd wouldn't be that bad. i underestimated the power of the raffles lunch crowd. i managed to snag a seat, but only because i was alone, and managed to share a table with three guys.

i decided to build my own bowl ($16) instead of choosing one of their creations.


loved how they displayed the toppings available! super fresh and appetising, and i got to see what i was picking before picking it. it was slightly stressful trying to decide what to pick though, because the queue was so fast moving. (most people are obviously more decisive than i am...) 


the sauces available were super vibrant and tempting as well, though i'm not a sauce kind of person. the bright pink beetroot feta yogurt was especially alluring, but in the end i still just got the coconut curry, because i heard good things about it. 


i picked the brown rice, topped with wild mushrooms, pulled pork, bean sprout salad, mixed bean pico de gallo and crushed peanuts.


so glad i got the coconut curry sauce. it was awesomely thick and rich, which went well with the brown rice. even though i'd just picked everything on a whim, they made for a yummy combination. 


it was a yummy bowl, but my only complaint is that portions are on the small side. i remember feeling hungry even after i'd finished the entire bowl (but maybe because i just came from the gym...?) still, for $16, i would think that they are capable of scooping more of each item into the bowl. i couldn't help but compare them with my go-to clean-eating places- wafuken and the daily cut. for the same price i would get a more filling portion, with more protein to boot. 

not sure if i'd be back, mostly because of it's questionable value-for-money-ness. still, it would make for a great light lunch. 

grain traders
#01-01/02/03 
138 market street

&sons bacaro, china square central.

Saturday, October 10, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

i've been eyeing their big plates lunch menu for a while now- in fact, every time i walk past on my way to the gym. i've heard good things about their small plates. my friend particularly recommended the sea urchin sabayon (mm...). did want to try it when i went for lunch, but the friend who went with me wasn't particularly hungry, so sharing was out of the question.

in the end we both just got stuff off the lunch menu. i was initially eyeing the grilled beef sirloin steak, but it didn't look very appealing on our neighbours' table. their pasta, on another table, did look really yum, but i wasn't in a carbs kind of mood, so i ended up with the slow cooked beef stew ($12.90).

our food arrived after a short wait. my friend got the salmon escalopes with grilled mushrooms ($12.90), which i tried bits of. the salmon skin was super crisp- really really good. the plate also came with grilled mushrooms and a salad.

mine came slightly later. i expected it to be more... stew-like. the plate that came, though, was more mashed potato than stew.



it wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything spectacular as well. the stew was tasty enough, as was the mashed potato, but i would've liked the beef to be cooked till tender. it wasn't tough, but it had more bite than i would prefer.

wouldn't go out of my way to come back for the beef stew, but the pasta looked really good, so might come back to try those instead. should've gone with my instinct and chosen the pasta- they are an italian place, after all.

&sons bacaro
#01-19 china square central
http://www.sons.com.sg

paddington house of pancakes, city square.

Thursday, October 08, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

haven't actually really been to city square mall before. we were hunting down some food for dinner after the gym. after doing a bit of exploring, chanced upon the restaurant, which looked promising. it was a sunday night, and the place was pretty packed. we just barely got seats, and pretty crap ones at that.

the menu was HUGE. i've never seen so many varieties of pancakes all jammed into one menu before. both savoury and sweet options were available for each type of pancake. there were so many choices (crepes, galettes, pannekoeks, pancakes etc.) that we were stumped. we ended up flipping through the menu for at least ten minutes (doesn't help that both of us are equally indecisive...) 

ended up ordering the nice crepe ($14) and classic buckleberry ($13) as our mains. the food came after what seemed like quite a long wait (or maybe we were just hungry and impatient). 

the nice crepe was generous with the chicken filling- looked like an entire piece of boneless chicken thigh. it also came filled with prawns, ham and cheese, with a mushroom cream sauce on the side. while the filling was tasty on its own, the crepe itself was a letdown. it was bland and limp. i gave up after a while and ended up just eating the filling on its own. 


the classic buckleberry fared better. it came with fluffy blueberry pancakes, omelette and ham, with maple syrup served on the side. the blueberry pancakes were absolutely the star. we were pleasantly surprised to find that it even had cream cheese filling in the centre.


being greedy, of course we got dessert. just from glancing at the menu, we were tempted by the coconut and peach pancake stack ($12). because... coconut! the pancakes had the fragrance of the grated coconut, and were fluffy, just like the blueberry ones. they certainly do their namesake justice. 


since we're going to be at city square every week now, it's highly likely that we'll be back to try their other stuff. just not the crepes. we had food envy spying on other tables' food, so that in itself is good motivation to return. 

paddington house of pancakes
#02-35/36 city square mall

sumiya, suntec city.

Tuesday, October 06, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

tried sumiya's chirashi for the first time at its orchard central outlet. i remember being blown away by how value for money it was- very generous serving of sashimi cubes, accompanied by a variety of sides. so when the suntec city outlet opened, i was excited to see what they had to offer. but then i realised that somehow, the suntec outlet's prices were higher for the same thing. that was the reason why i didn't try it, until recently when they started offering set lunches at a comparably competitive price point.


went for the kaisen bara don set ($18.80). it came with a variety of sides- edamame, salad, potato salad and miso soup.





all the sides were competently done, but of course the main focus was the kaisen don. it was beautifully presented, but i wish i could say the same for how it tasted. the sashimi cubes were cut way too small (i remember the orchard central outlet's offering to be bigger cubes), and the avocado was on the raw side, adding nothing to the experience. while eating, i had a nagging feeling that something was missing, and halfway through the bowl, i realised what it was. they'd completely left out salmon roe from my bowl! i consulted the menu again to make sure that salmon roe was included before asking the waiter, who then questioned, oh, is it included? ... okay... i persisted and was presented with a separate dish filled with salmon roe.


the salty kick of the salmon roe made the kaisen don more palatable, but it was quite confounding that they actually managed to completely forget one element of the dish. the kaisen don also came with a variety of dips- truffle paste and some sesame sauce. interesting, but it covered the taste of the sashimi, which is missing the point. 

the set also came with dessert, with a choice of either mochi or fruit. 


really wanted to like this place, given how much i enjoyed the one at orchard central. unfortunately it doesn't quite measure up. doubt i'll be back for the chirashi, though perhaps i'll return for one of the fish sets. 

sumiya
#03-332/333 suntec city

senmi sushi, emporium shokuhin, marina square.

Friday, October 02, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

i'm always excited when new things open- especially so when it's something japanese. emporium shokuhin had opened at marina square, so since X and i were in the area, we popped by to grab dinner. there were quite a number of new restaurants, so we made a loop first before deciding which to eat at. 

i was actually quite surprised at the number of people there were at emporium shokuhin. it was a thursday night after all, and marina square itself appeared quite empty. what caught our attention, though, was the small queue at senmi sushi- while the other restaurants were crowded too, none of them had a queue. i have to admit that it was partly why we decided on senmi sushi. haha. 

thankfully the wait wasn't very long, probably because there was only two of us. we got counter seats, but i didn't mind. i like counter seats, actually, because i get to watch the chefs at work. (also i get to spy on what comes out of the kitchen, which makes deciding what to eat much easier. 


after perusing the ipad menu, we both decided to get the premium aburi chirashi ($26). i have to say that the ipad menu wasn't very helpful though. no description of the food, plus the picture was so tiny we had to squint to try to guess what was actually inside the bowl. after a while we gave up, and X asked the waiter about the difference between the normal chirashi ($18) and the aburi one. (apparently there's no difference, aside from the fact that one is torched, and the normal one includes ebi.)

on hindsight, probably should've gotten the chirashi, since it is the same fish. but then i got tempted when i saw the chef torching the sashimi- the smell was intoxicating. i probably wouldn't feel that cheated if i'd paid $18 for it. or perhaps we're just spoilt by thick cut sashimi. the slices in this chirashi were thin, and the number of slices for the price was just measly. the tuna, surprisingly, was meaty and fresh, but the rest were just meh. especially the torched mekajiki, which was just tough to eat. for this price, give me manzoku any day. 


we probably should've gotten the maki instead. saw people having gorgeous looking maki and totally had food envy. oh well... 

don't know if i'll be back. paying $30 (after taxes) for subpar chirashi is not my idea of a good meal. also, no tea was provided (extra $2) and water would cost 50 cents. why so stingy? aren't we already paying a 10% for service already, anyway? 

senmi sushi
#01-18 marina square