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[Deal Share - Singapore] Happy Holi-deals @ Chili's

2011-12-16T09:31:00.000+08:00

Have you heard of the daily holiday deals that Chili's are offering this season?

Well, if you haven't, then now you have! Hahaha... Or rather Hohoho! :D

Simply print out these coupons and bring along during your Chili's visit at any of their branches. Don't forget to read the fine print so you don't miss out on the deals terms and conditions.

Enjoy!

[Deal Share - Singapore] Pre-Christmas Dining

2011-12-15T18:33:00.002+08:00

No plans lined up yet for the Christmas holidays? Well, these pre-Christmas dining offers might just give you something interesting to do this holiday break.

These deals are especially available to Starhub subscribers. Just flash your Starhub mobile logo, or bring along your Starhub subscription bill, and you'll be award 20% off on your meal bill!

Cafe Brios @ The Grand Copthorne Hotel

AquaMarine @ Marina Mandarin

You'll surely find the Cookies in these dining havens this Christmas holiday break. :)

Oh, and a word of advise... Be sure to make an advanced booking before you drive down to avoid disappointment. Places like these do get packed, especially with these irresistible offer from Starhub.

[Update] Spiral Restaurant Re-Opening

2011-10-07T21:38:00.000+08:00

After the great damage to property that typhoon Pedring caused the business establishments along the Manila Bay, 5-Star hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Manila has recently announced the re-opening of their popular Spiral Buffet Restaurant middle of 2012. Patrons are promised a better dining experience on its re-launch.

Read the full press release on the Cash Cash Pinoy website.

[Recipe Share] Ikea's Apple Pie

2011-10-03T14:04:00.000+08:00

October is apple month in Sweden. And when you think Sweden, of course you think Ikea! :)

Ikea is sharing a very simple Apple Pie recipe on their Singapore website.

Why not give it a try! :)

[Recipe Share] Steamed Black Pomfret

2011-09-22T13:25:00.001+08:00

Steamed Black Pomfret Recipe

by Wifey Cookie

Ingredients

Fresh black pomfret, cleaned

Ginger slices

Scallion stalks

Sesame Oil

Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper

Procedure

1. Make diagonal slashes on both sides of the fish.

2. Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the fish and set on a shallow dish.

3. Put ginger slices in the slashes of the fish.

4. Pour the soy sauce, vegetable oil, and sesame oil evenly over the fish.

5. Set the dish into a steamer, and steam the fish for about 15-20 minutes until it is cooked through.

6. When cooked, remove the dish from the steamer and garnish with the scallions.

7. Best served hot with steamed rice.

Download the recipe card to print and keep for your own recipe collection.

[Deal Share - Singapore] Chili's Gift Certificates

2011-08-16T13:03:00.001+08:00

Attention Chili's Fans... Here's a great deal for you to grab. Newly launched Chili's Gift Certificates. No more running out of gift ideas! ;)

[Deal Share - Manila] Sunset Buffet at Sofitel

2011-08-11T11:20:00.001+08:00

Nothing beats a sumptous buffet by the refreshing bayside. And to top it off, it is offered by one of the top hotels in Manila.

Grab this deal and you'll definitely have a memorable dining experience! :)

[Deal Share - Singapore] 1-for-1 Dining Deals with OCBC Credit Card

2011-08-10T10:56:00.000+08:00

Every once in a while, we deserve a break from the usual hawker and coffeeshop meals. What a treat it would be to dress up and dine in at fancy hotel restaurant. Of course, high cost is a usual deal breaker, but not with these great deals with your local OCBC Credit Card. So, enjoy!

[Deal Share - Manila] 50% Off Sofitel's Heavenly Spiral Buffet

2011-06-21T14:58:00.001+08:00

A pleasurable dining experience with a great spread of Asian, Italian, Indian, and Filipino delights at the Spiral @ Sofitel.

Grab this 50% promotional dining voucher from CashCash Pinoy!

In 2010, I have purchased vouchers through CashCash Pinoy for the same deal of a 50% Discount for Spiral's buffet, and it was worth the money.

Apart from the great spread of food, you'll have a blast hanging out at the relaxing breakwater and if you're lucky, you'll catch the sunset, too.

[Deal Share - Singapore] 30% Off International Seafood & Sushi Buffet @ TODAI Restaurant

2011-06-20T14:10:00.002+08:00

Grab this good deal on the Deal Guru website today!

We have dined here during the restaurant's soft opening on the ocassion of my birthday and it was a great dining experience. Great spread of Local, Japanese, and Korean foods. There's also a pizza and pasta station. Drinks also come free except for alcoholic beverages. A good deal indeed!

[Food] Tanoshi Teppanyaki

2011-06-18T18:32:00.002+08:00

THE SUBJECT

Tanoshi Teppanyaki

Food Republic, 313@Somerset

THE EXPERIENCE

It is a teppanyaki place so they only serve food cooked teppanyaki-style. They serve the food in "combo meals", so for your meal you get a bowl of steamed rice, miso soup, seasonal vegetables, and your choice of meat for teppanyaki.

For the vegetables, it's usually cabbage and bean sprouts. For the meat, they offer sliced beef, sliced pork, chicken, ribeye, dory fish, prawns, squid, and a few more I can't recall at the moment.

The drinks menu is quite limited, but you can order drinks from the juice bar and beverage counter of Food Republic and bring over to their booth.

After placing your order, the Teppanyaki Chef will prep up and start up the hot plate to prepare your food right in front of you. And that's the best part of your dining experience at this teppanyaki place.

The chef is quite friendly, too. And he'd usually ask how spicy you want your food. So be sure to let him know because it could really be hot with all the red and green chilis and groupd black pepper.

THE CONCLUSION

With 5 cookies as the top rating...

Food:

Since food is prepared as ordered and right before your eyes at that, they are guaranteed to be served steaming hot. The veggies and meat all taste the same though since they are all cooked the same way over the teppanyaki hot plate. But the miso soup is really nice.

Ambience:

It is just a booth at the Food Republic but they have their own cozy corner. The shop is well-lit and the teppanyaki hot plate at the centre gives an added appeal to the food place.

Service:

Staff is attentive. Customers are seated promptly, at least at the time of our visit (around 7pm on a Thursday night).

Value for Money:

The serving is quite filling. The basic meal which comprises of a bowl of steamed rice, miso soup, vegetables and a choice of meat for teppanyaki is priced at SGD 7.80. The meal with the rice, soup, veggie, meat and addtional dory fish and shrimp is priced at SGD 12.80. I say that's a good meal worth your dollar.

[Food] Kuishin Bo Authentic Japanese Buffet Restaurant

2011-06-18T15:28:00.001+08:00

THE SUBJECT

Kuishin Bo Authentic Japanese Buffet Restaurant

1 Jurong West Central 2
Jurong Point Shopping Centre #B1-47/51
Singapore 648886
Tel:6792 9286

INTRODUCTION

We are big fans of buffet dining and we are always on the look out for good buffets in town. One of the best buffets we have tried is at Kuishin Bo. We have brought family and friends to dine there and it's always been a good and satisfying experience.

Kuishin Bo has 3 branches across Singapore. And we have been to all 3 of them. But so far, our favorite is the one at Jurong Point. Not only is it nearer to our place, but the dining area is also the most spacious among all of their branches.

THE EXPERIENCE

After several times of dining at Kuishin Bo, we have learned a very good lesson, call in a booking! Every time you'll find a queue at the restaurant's entrance and if you're really willing to wait, you should brave through at least 1 hour of queueing. And you'll think if it's worth the wait, and really it is!

The Japanese spread is very good. From seafood, to sushi, to teppanyaki, to steamboat, to grilled and fried foods, as well as the hot foods, and of course the dessert. You'll literally leave the restaurant with a bulging tummy!

Sushi Station

I have never seen any other place with this much sushi dishes to offer. There was so much to choose from. Of course it comes with your usual condiments of soya sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.

And if you notice the presentation, it actually makes the food look even more appetising!

Seafood Station

This is what people really come for at Kuishin Bo. The fresh seafood. The star of the dinner buffet is the Spider Crab. The night when we were there for dinner, they also had some Mussels and Mud Crab. From a previous visit, I think they also had some Bamboo Clams, and Conch Snails. The fresh prawns are a staple. They also serve prawns during lunch service.

Salad Station

Teppanyaki Station

You can choose from beef, salmon, or chicken teppanyaki.

Just place your order with the Teppanyaki chef at the station and you can come back for your delicious dish after 5 minutes.

We'd usually have the beef teppanyaki. I believe they use Wagyu Beef. It literally melts in your mouth.

Grilled and Fried Station

You will find your fix of Ebi Tempura, Softshell Crabs, Takoyaki, Unagi, Yakitori, and other Japanese grilled and fried delicacies in this station.

The serving plates for this dishes sit on a hot plate and so they are kept warm throughout.

Dessert Station

During our visit they had Dorayaki in their dessert spread. They had 2 variants for the fillings. They also had new flavours for their Mochii. There were also some cakes, tarts, and financiers. I tried the coffee flavoured financier, it was too dry for me. I was expecting a moist and light cake, but it was very far from that.

I had my usual serving of fresh fruit slices - honeydew, watermelon, pineapple, and dragonfruit. The pineapple was quite disappointing being dry and tasteless. I just hope they won't serve fruit if it is not good enough.

RANTS, RAVES, KVETCH

For the Nth time that we've been to Kuishin Bo at Jurong Point, we were always seated at same table. And the best thing about it is we are nearest to the area where the queue is for the hourly specials.

This hourly special is something they'd hand out to dining guests straight out of the kitchen and are not offered on the buffet stations. By a signal of a bell and the restaurant's signature jingle, a staff will introduce the dish and diners queue to avail for the limited plates of the special dish.

During our last visit, we were able to avail of the 7pm special. It was baked oyster topped with cheese and mayonnaise. It's just so yummy! Too bad they only give 2 oysters in a serving. They will also serve it on a special plate, so the "exclusivity" of the dish is amped up further.

From what I know, they'd run this hourly special until 9pm.

THE CONCLUSION

With 5 cookies as the top rating...

Food:

A very impressive spread of Japanese food. Lots of options for sushi. Fresh seafood. Great choices for drinks and dessert.

Ambience:

The dining area at the Jurong Point branch is quite spacious compared to other branches. The tables are positioned with a good distance from each other. It is well ventilated, too. So it's quite cool when you dine there. The buffet lines are well lighted.

Service:

Staff is friendly. They will keep your tables cleared quickly of empty plates so you have more space on the table for more food. Each buffet station is manned by a staff so dishes are quickly refilled.

It is always best to call in a booking before coming to the restaurant. But in cases where you have to queue up, the staff always ensure that the queue is orderly and fast-moving.

Value for Money:

It is definitely worth every dollar! You can also check out the promotions they are running to receive discounts.

[Food] Window On The Park - Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre

2011-06-13T18:24:00.001+08:00

THE SUBJECT

Window on the Park Cafe Restaurant
Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre
Level 2, 11 Cavenagh Road, Singapore
229616, Tel: 6733 8333

INTRODUCTION

Christmas season of 2010, we dined with a few friends at Holiday Inn Atrium's Melting Pot Cafe. At the time, the restaurant was running a 1-for-1 Dinner Buffet promotion for PAssion Card members, so we went to check it out.

This time around, I was able to purchase a voucher off the Deal Guru website for a discounted Lunch Buffet at another Holiday Inn restaurant. This time at the Window on the Park Cafe Restaurant at the Holiday Inn Orchard City Centre.

THE EXPERIENCE
Upon arriving, we were immediately received by a service staff. As we have called in for a booking a day before, we were seated right away. However, they were not really good seats. As may lunch date tells it, it appears that the seats were just placed at the last moment to accommodate dining guests. I was a bit disappointed as we have called in a reservation and I was actually expecting to get a good table, and not one that is flushed against a wall.

Moving on, we checked out the buffet line. Well, first impression was - "Is this it?". It's not quite the spread one would expect for a Sgd 50++ lunch buffet. Having been to a lot of buffet restaurants around Singapore, I understand that it's typical to expect less seafood and specialties at buffet lines on the lunch hour, but this was just unimpressive to say the least.

Okay, on to the photos and a bit of commentary on each dish we have tried out.

Salad Station

The usual salad greens with the usual dressings. For the prepared salads, they had quite a few interesting ones I have never tried before. The cold chicken salad is quite nice. I usually like sour foods so the vinaigrette dressing on this one really did it for me. There was coleslaw and a cold pasta salad which I didn't try. There was also salmon salad. The salmon fillets in this one have been pan fried, so it's actually cooked through, and not the smoked kind which I have hoped for. I also liked that one. But I usually like fish dishes.

Sushi and Seafood Station

I am a big fan of seafood. Be it fish, crab, prawn, squid, mussel, I love them all. And I was quite happy, at least they have fresh plump prawns on their lunch spread.

Although they had very little selection for sushi, the standard ones are present - tuna and salmon sashimi. And of all the maki options, it's a plus that they had our favorite - California Maki. Which we find quite impressive. The rice is packed tightly, and there's a big chunk of crab meat right at the centre.

They also had Octopus Nigiri Sushi which I have never tried before. But I thought to myself, how bad could it be. I had takoyaki before, why not give another octopus dish a go. So I had my first Octopus Nigiri Sushi. It was an okay taste experience. I find the piece of octopus a bit tough and chewy, but I guess that's really how it's supposed to be. And the taste was that of the sea. I know fresh seafood should smell of the sea, but to taste of the sea, I don't really know. I know fresh seafood should be sweet. Fortunately, the octopus meat did behave in my tummy until the next day.

Bread and Soup Station

They had a good selection of breads and 2 choices for soup. There was Cream of Vegetable, which has a green color, and a Sharksfin Soup.

Our job is clear-cut, Sharksfin Soup it is! When there is Sharksfin Soup, we'd usually have it. So I was quite excited to try Window On The Park's rendition of the dish. It was disappointing for me. The consistency of the soup is very thick. Too much cornstarch in the broth perhaps? I just couldn't get it down. I've tried many Sharksfin Soup, so I know it's not supposed to be like that. The best one we've tried is from the Fullerton Hotel's Town Restaurant at Chinese New Year.

Local Delights Station

There was only option for dumplings, and it's a vegetarian one. I tried it and it was okay. The taste is still kind of meaty even if it's a veggie dumpling. Another one I tried for the first time is the Sambal Fried Rice. I have had lots of variations of shrimp paste fried rice, but I have not tried the Sambal one. So this is again good time to try it, and I honestly like it. The spicy and salty tastes are balanced.

Desserts Station

Bread Pudding is always a hit. Window On The Park serves this classic dessert and is first on the line at the dessert station. It comes with a vanilla sauce dressing which adds decadence to it. There were also a good number of options for Kueh (a local dessert), Tarts, and Durian sweets.

There were also sliced fresh fruits - honeydew, dragonfruit, watermelon, and pineapple. All were sweet, juicy and a delight to partake.

They also had what seems like home-made ice cream in coffee, strawberry, chocolate, and sweet corn flavours, plus a wide array of condiments - waffle, syrup, sprinkles, chocolate candies. I had a shot at trying the coffee ice cream scooped into a "waffle cone" with chocolate sprinkles.

I was actually excited preparing my little ice cream cone dessert. The ice cream is soft and the coffee taste is not so overpowering.

However, the waffle cone is not crunch as I have expected. It's quite tough probably because of the moisture from the ice cream, or it just has been sitting on the dessert counter for a while.

In short, I did not finish it. I had worked through most of the coffee ice cream. But I stopped after chewing on the tough waffle cone.

RANTS, RAVES, KVETCH

Window On The Park offers a unique experience of preparing your own food. They have a Rojak station and a Laksa Station.

I have heard of Rojak before, and I have seen it, but I have never tried it. Not today. It is a local delicacy of sour fruits like apple, guava, sometimes mango, some cucumber, and dressed with tamarind paste, garnished with chopped nuts. Looks appetizing really, but I just didn't feel like trying it at the time.

But I did try Laksa for the first time. At the Laksa Station, there is a slide of the steps on how to prepare your own laksa. It was a good experience. Only issue here is the space at the Laksa Station was a bit tight. Right behind it is the ice cream scooping station, and it is always a pathway to the back kitchen. So the area is quite busy. Imagine preparing your laksa with another person behind you preparing ice cream, and a service staff asking to pass your way. Chaotic much!

As for the Laksa, it's quite nice. We liked the spiciness in the creamy broth. I think I will try the one at Grand Hyatt's Straits Kitchen local delights buffet when we go there for lunch just for comparison.

One of the dishes I did not like was the Chicken Curry and Naan. They tasted like off the shelf curry paste and frozen naan. The curry was too oily. The naan was chewy and dead cold. Not nice at all. I took only small pieces of the chicken curry to try, and 2 quarters of the flat bread. I only had one bite off them and I gave up. Fortunately, I managed to swallow what I already had in my mouth, but I just couldn't get myself to finish the serving.

THE CONCLUSION
With 5 cookies as the top rating...

Food:

The good dishes were really good - Sambal Rice, Vegetarian Dumplings, Cold Chicken Salad, but the not so good dishes are a total flop. The spread was not impressive but should be enough for a lunch meal.

Ambience:

Dining area had a cozy decor. But at the time we went to dine, some tables seem to be out of place and flushed against the wall. I am not sure if they would normally have the table they had us seated. I can't really recall if they had any music playing then because the dining area was too noisy. The room's acoustic was bad so all you'll hear is a collective sound of chit-chat, and utensils touching the plates. If this is the same case as the dinner service, then it might not be too conducive for a date since you can hardly hear yourself think.

Service:

We we're immediately received and seated since I have called in a booking a day before. Water was also served. Empty plates were cleared off the table promptly. I also noticed that the chefs were attentive on checking if food was always available in the buffet line. We used Deal.com.sg vouchers for our meal. Upon checking out, they accepted the vouchers with no questions asked, just an invitation to visit again to try their dinner buffet. A friendly service staff is always a plus at any food establishment.

Value for Money:

For the spread they have for lunch buffet with a Sgd 50++ price tag, it is not worth your dollar.

[Food] Mad for Garlic Singapore

2011-06-08T17:01:00.001+08:00

THE SUBJECT

Mad for Garlic Singapore

3 Temasek Boulevard #01-039

Suntec City Mall (Galleria), Singapore 038983

Tel: (65) 6333 1507

THE EXPERIENCE

Our group dined at Mad for Garlic on a Tuesday night and surprisingly the place was a full house. It maybe the same case every other night, so you must remember to call in for a reservation when you decide to make a visit. We were offered a table in the outdoor area of the restaurant. Normally, I would turn it down, but since Singapore humidity on that day was fairly endurable we took the seats anyway.

The dining experience may be considered pleasant, especially if you are seated indoors. The interior of the restaurant is cozy. The ambience is quite conducive for a relaxing night out with friends, or even a romantic date. I liked the concept of bundles of garlic hanging from the ceiling for decoration. It would have been really nice had they chosen a more subtle playlist for the music instead of the pop genre they had on that night. Or at least that's what we were hearing from the outdoor dining area. Some jazzy tunes would be appropriate to further enhance the Italian Bistro feel of the place.

Upon seating us, the service staff immediately offered us the menu and glasses of water. As it was our first time to dine here, we took a while to place an order, but finally here's what we had for dinner.

Dracula Killer (SGD 9.90)

We found this to be an interesting twist to garlic bread. Instead of the bread being garlicky, the garlic is prepared separately. Upon service, the staff will grate cheese on top of the hot plate while you see the cheese melt away.

It's good for an appetizer, but you'd want to order more as one order serves only two especially for our appetite kind of people.

And just a caution when ordering this, the cooked garlic is pipping hot. We almost burned our tongues!

Gorgonzola Pizza (SGD 16.90)

At first glance at the menu and seeing this item, we immediately got curious. Why you say? Because this one is a pizza with Italian Gorgonzola cheese served with a honey dipping sauce. Seriously, does cheese and honey go together? We had to find out.

To our surprise, it actually does, and really well at that! The saltiness of the cheese and the sweetness of the honey had a great taste combination.

It was totally unexpected. And it was the best dish of our meal!

Garlic Snowing Pizza (SGD 18.90)

After the wonderful Gorgonzola Pizza we had, we had high expectations for this next pizza. After all it is Mad For Garlic's signature dish. It is a sweet garlic pizza topped with shrimp and pineapple dice. Upon service, the staff will grate cheese over it.

It didn't quite hit the mark for us. It's not bad, but it's just not as good as the first pizza. And I reckon there is mayonnaise it in. At least that's what we got by the taste. If ever we're returning for a meal at Mad For Garlic, this pizza would less likely make it into the order.

Garlicholic Rice (SGD 15.90)

This rice dish looked so delicious with all the colors it had from the asparagus, to the shrimp, and the chunks of garlic. And it actually was very tasty and yummy. The only let down is it was too darned hot from the chili. We know it would be hot since it had a chili icon right beside it on the menu. 1 chili icon. But we were in for a fiery surprise.

We managed to finish it, though, with the help of glasses (and glasses) of ice water. And the cream-based pasta dish that's coming up next.

There is another item on the menu named Suicide Rice with 3 chili icons. Now we're curious, by this rate, how hot could that dish be? It might be that whoever eats it will require an esophagus transplant after the meal.

Lobster Pasta (SGD 19.90)

Next up and the last course of our meal is a pasta dish. Lobster Pasta, a garlic cream sauce pasta rich in lobster meat and fish roe. It comes with spaghetti noodles.

It's a good contrast to the spicy rice dish we had. Upon service, the staff will ground some pepper over it. We asked for just very little pepper as our tastebuds were still trying to recover from last dish.

The lobster meat in the dish is generous. The fish roe provided a different texture. I get a nutty flavour from the sauce. I just couldn't figure out were it came from. It was a so-so dish. Acceptable but not outstanding.

We had to say pass on the sweets as the dessert menu was not really exciting.

Our bill for this meal was 95.95 SGD for 5 menu items shared by 4 adults. That's inclusive of the 10% Service Charge and 7% GST. Quite pricey for not-so-generous food servings. And we didn't even order for drinks.

THE CONCLUSION

Food:

For the dishes we have tried, it's quite nice. Apart from the fact that we love garlic, they served well prepared and creative food.

Ambience:

The decor and lighting inside the restaurant was really cozy. Too bad we had to sit outside. But by what we have seen, the restaurant interior offers a relaxing atmosphere for dining. A good place to go for a date. The only throw off was the music they had playing - too much pop, not quite appropriate for a classy bistro appeal.

Service:

Upon arriving at the restaurant, we we're immediately seated. Too bad we didn't not call for reservations so we had to be given seats outdoors. The service staff is attentive. We we're immediately served glasses of iced water. Just an observation, when we asked the staff if she could recommend any dish for us to try being first time guests at the restaurant, she just replied that we can try out the items marked as signature dishes from the menu. Not so insightful for a service personnel, I see.

Value for Money:

It was a bit too pricey for small serving sizes. The serving sizes are not for sharing.