Sweetly Nice - Singa 坡の Makan

Island Cafe at Tangs Orchard

2014-02-01T14:47:00.000+08:00

Island Cafe at Tangs Orchard

Tucked away on the fourth floor of Tangs Orchard, is a rather unknown and definitely underrated gem of a cafe - the Island Cafe.

At first thought, it might seem random that this cafe is named Island Cafe. But upon savouring the menu, one did quickly find out the meaning behind its name. Island Cafe's greatest draw is its wonderful selection of Singapore's multicultural tastes. Every key Singaporean dish, from Briyani and Chicken Rice, to Claypot Stew and Laksa, you name it, it's there.

The best part of the deal is that Island Cafe offers all of these at many notches higher than what you would get along the streets, topped with delightful teas and house wines.

Here, I have with me their Crayfish Laksa. It was served to me with a big paper napkin. The napkin caught me off-guard, and definitely increased my good impression of this place - very thoughtful.

The crayfish was just the right size for me. And I truly enjoyed the well-balanced Laksa gravy. The gravy feels rich enough with coconut milk, yet not overwhelming. I was surprised by the quality of the sambal chill provided because it felt of pure shrimps. This Laksa easily looked this good when I randomly snapped a photo!

I also ordered a Morrocan mint tea. It is teabag tea that they imported, but with their own mint leaves added.

I had to try the white wine because of an offer going on, and it did not disappoint as well. The white wine tasted surprisingly smooth, leaning just a tad fruity-sour (suiting my taste bud).

All these good food and wine while enjoying the quiet view of Orchard Road from here, was quite a surreal experience for me, in Singapore.

You could have balcony-deck meals if you asked for them to sit you outside.

The indoors decor is pretty, and a real welcome, once you step in from the shopping mall side of Tangs Plaza.

The only gripe I have with this place, after visiting it a second time, is that I really do not enjoy the weird music played in the shopping mall outside. It is way to loud, leaning on punk, and very unsuitable for this sanctuary.

Rating: 9/10.
This is probably the ONLY place in Singapore where you can find the Top 10 Local Favourites of All Time, in restaurant-standard cooking and restaurant-standard setting. It is well-worth the price and the dishes I have tried have not disappoint. I will go back to try the other dishes, and I'd love to bring my overseas friends here to try out the local food.

If the Tangs Management ever reads this, then my suggestion would be for them to somehow change the music from outside. It is not very feasible because they sell speakers and games, bags and shoes for youths, on the 4th floor. But still, they have to find a way as it is really affecting the atmosphere in this beautiful cafe!

Average cost per person: $30.

Ma Maison at The Central Clarke Quay

2013-06-24T05:37:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone!

It's not that I have not been out eating, it's just that I have been too busy to blog! But I am back on Sweetly Nice, bringing to you Ma Maison!

Ma Maison @ The Central Clarke Quay

Ma Maison menu. Was this deliberately designed to look like a Singaporean passport?

Location: The Central #03-96, Clarke Quay MRT Station.

Opening Hours: 11.30am - 3pm (lunch), 6pm - 10pm (dinner).

Cuisine: Fusion, Japanese-based.

Price: ~$50/couple

Ambience: Rustic, country.

View: Singapore river along Clarke Quay.

(I figured it is easier for you to read if I put all the quick facts first before the photos, so the sub-sections may seem a little split because the words don't come with the photos. But I will caption all my photos, so you know. I will also go through the review in chronological order, according to how I actually saw the place from when I stepped in.)

Ambience
I am in love with down-to-earth country decor, so you can imagine, when I stepped in, I was awe-struck. This IS my cup of tea. =D

Inside of Ma Maison@The Central.

I don't open bottles outside, but I thought the wine shelf is really pretty, and adds well to that rustic feel. All those drinks also makes part of the wall decor.

The wine shelf.

One of the things that I always notice about a restaurant is how much effort (or sometimes lack of effort) that the management puts into these table side necessities.

Here, you can see that beautiful stain glass lamp, the vintage-style porcelain sugar holder, the little straw basket that contains the chill and pepper.

You can also glimpse a bit of the curtains. The curtains have floral prints and are absolutely in tune with the entire country-style decor of Ma Maison.

Table top decor, sauces and necessities.

View
This Ma Maison has the view of Singapore river, and by the river, are colourful old shophouses. This part actually reminds me of those world heritage sites like Cinque Terre, Italy, and the colourful streets of Mexico.

Of course, Singapore's colourful shophouses are quite far when compared to Cinque Terre, Italy (but I secretly hope some part of Singapore can make the UNESCO World Heritage List).

Regardless, our shophouses by the Singapore river, do carry our colonial past with us; it is our heritage. And if you are down by this part of the Singapore river, you need to get out there, into the sun, and take a walk across (just right across The Central), to visit what is now known as the MICA Building. It is part of our national heritage conservation list (google or Trip Advisor it). It's superbly beautiful, and trust me, MICA building is picture perfect, and will be pretty sitting in your honeymoon album or FB page.

View of a stretch of Singapore River with colourful shophouses on an unfortunately cloudy day, from my seat at Ma Maison.

On to the food!
The first that arrived were the drinks. This is ice tea (no lemon) that comes free with the dessert we ordered. It is very normal, but I took a picture anyway.

My free ice tea with order of dessert.

Next came soup! This is corn soup that comes with an Omu-Rice set.

This is worth getting envious or jealous over! =P You've got to try how smooth and tasty the soup is. As I am typing, I can still taste that balanced sweetness in my mouth. Oh, I am drooling too. I want another bowl.

Fabulous corn soup. Must try.

The next one is a simple bowl of salad. Nothing special. Raw vegetables with standard Japanese sesame dressing, but nevertheless nice enough, and I love it all the same. Again, this came with Omu-Rice set.

Small bowl of salad.

Then they placed this set of sauces on our table.

Sauces for Tonkatsu set.

Both of us were wondering what this is. Turns out, it is sauce for my Tonkatsu and that yellow one is some kind of Japanese mustard. They taste homemade, and yes, you need to try this!

Here comes the main!
This is Omu-Rice. And I am sure you've noticed that flower pattern going on in the brown sauce. The omelette also look oo-lala gorgeous. The omelette is flowy, curvy, just the right shade of yellow, yummy!

Omu-Rice. This Omu-Rice set costs $15.50.

That brown sauce is to-die-for. It is gently sour, well-balanced by a little salt. It does not overwhelms the taste of the omelette, unlike the sauces from some other restaurants. I always find that the other Japanese restaurants use supermarket mass manufactured one that is just way too sour. The best part of Ma Maison brown sauce, really, is that little work of art. Who would have thought that brown sauce can look like milk in latte?

And the egg, oh my, the egg. Speechless. It is fluffy, and not overly-seasoned till too salt.

Next up, Tonkatsu.

Gosh, you will find yourself slurping up this pork chop!

Juicy and soft Tonkatsu (pork chop) but with crispy skin and delicious homemade sauce, $19.50.

I say "slurping" because this is heavenly soft and juicy inside! The crust is crispy, not oily, and it tastes good too. You can eat this plain, or with those special homemade sauces I introduced earlier on, it will taste equally good.

You NEED to try this.

It is by far the best pork chop I've ever eaten.

And I think I have to show you the miso soup that comes with the Tonkatsu set too, because it is so enjoyable. This soup, is what I call, real-brewed. You know, like real-brewed tea? This is real-brew miso soup.

Miso soup that came with Tonkatsu set.

What I mean by real-brewed, is that this is cooked from real ingredients, so you actually get chunks of good soft meat inside, carrots, big pieces of seaweed, etc.

If you go to fast food style Japanese restaurants, they will serve you miso soup that comes out of a machine. Meaning to say, your miso soup comes from a premix packet, kind of like instant noodles, and all you need to do is pump boiling water in, to serve. The ingredients will be minimal, a little bit of tofu, a little bit of seaweed.

But this one by Ma Maison is different. You get what you think Miso Soup is.

And when you're serve high-quality real-brewed miso soup, you drink it up, to the last drop. Don't waste.

Japanese drink miso very often, and the miso and seaweed in the soup is part of what keeps them healthy. It is said that seaweed is so deep green and full of wonderful nutrients that a bit of seaweed beats one serving of your normal vegetables.

Dessert!
Last but not least, it is my Mont Blanc. This Mont Blanc is not the pen, it is a cake. =D

See that thick crust at the bottom? I love it!

Okay, I must be one of those slightly insane people who prefers biscuit to cream, but this is homemade! It is not your normal factory-made thin crust (that you get with most mass market cheesecakes).

Mont Blanc homemade dessert, $8.80.

Actually, this whole thing is homemade. And I love everything (particularly the biscuit), especially that funny fruit on top. I don't know what it is, but it is good.

The best part about this cake is that it is not overly sweet.

Everything at Ma Maison is just so well-balanced and gentle on your tongue.

Service
I did not run into any problems with the service, so I am giving it full marks. I really liked that they clear plates fast, it felt like they secretly keep an eye on you as you eat. And so, they were able to serve your next course right on time. I never had to raise my hand to ask, because everything was done automatically.

My Bill
$51.55. Great price tag! Both of us were amazed at how affordable this was, considering the standard of the food we got. Don't forget, we had dessert! It is way below what we expected, because we have done food trips at many other places that just aren't as good, and the bill always add up to some $70-$80 (it's crazy eating in Japanese restaurants in Singapore).

My take? 10/10.
I will go back again, just to try other things on the menu. And I also want to visit the other outlets because I heard that every Ma Maison outlet in Singapore has a different theme. This one that we visited has a Western theme, so the food is Japanese mixed with European style.

I definitely recommend it to others, perhaps for Mother's Day, Father's Day, anniversaries, and tourists! If you are don't have Ma Maison in your country, come here. It will be a convenient part of the tour if you have the Singapore River (boat cruise), and Clarke Quay night scene on your itinerary.

I would limit the number of people to 4-5, because this place really isn't big, and the tables aren't made to accommodate gatherings or parties. So I wouldn't recommend this for class reunions, unless of course, you reserve the whole restaurant.

Robert Timms

2011-12-08T23:19:00.001+08:00

I have been seeing this name on the shelves of supermarkets for some time now, since I started shopping for my own groceries.

I am not a coffee drinker, so when I do get the occasional cuppa cafe, I want to drink better ones. I have been frequenting Oriole Cafe & Bar that was recommended by ieatishootipost a long time ago, and even attempt to bring friends there if they ask me where I want to go (but they tend to turn the place down because it is more pricey, and has a lack of vegetarian dishes).

However, Oriole seems to have become a bit too popular and noisy for my liking. In addition, the very poor service is just still not making sense to me.

So the other day, I spotted this new cafe a tiny walk away from Oriole, and tadaa! It's my second time in there now, and I intend to go back to try other dishes.

Okay, so the first thing I ordered was my drink. It's Ginger Herbal Tea, at $7.

I was surprised at the way this is being served even though the menu "forewarned" that it comes in a pot. haha. My idea of a pot is well, literally an English teapot.

It makes me want to buy this!

I have been thinking of buying a pot like this for a few years now, but never really saw the point of it in my house, so I've been procrastinating since.

And I love transparent cups.

I realise I didn't photograph the tea in the cup. haha.

The taste of the tea was good, I will not say great because I feel that Chinese tea always have better tastes. Please don't tell me about comparing apples with oranges, because Ginger Herbal tea exists in Chinese tea culture. I can even make my own.

I think the ginger taste here is on the mild side, but nevertheless detectable, because English customers are not into taking really strong ginger flavour. I like the extremely strong and "hot" taste that Indian Teh Halia has.

---
Next, it's my food, and I ordered Kangaroo meat.

Yes, it's Kangaroo meat. It's so exotic that I just had to order it.

What can I say? It's nice!

I love the presentation, I love the buttery taste of the biscuits, I love the small caramelised purple onions, I love the soft and tender, yet still springy kangaroo meat.

That's kangaroo meat for you.

It doesn't tastes like lamb, not like deer, not like beef, much less like pork. It's just special, has a different taste from all the other common meats I've eaten before.

So it's definitely worth your trip here should you require a cup of coffee, a different taste, and a place for celebration. Or maybe, like me, just a deserted place to chill. =)

Rating: 10/10
Yes, so far, the service has been great, and so are drinks and food.

Bakerzin The Moon Rabbits Truffle Snow Skin Mooncakes

2011-08-14T13:51:00.000+08:00

Food is never just food in modern Singapore. I admit that I am attracted to packaging, provided the food is good. And alas, I found that Bakerzin's Truffle Snow Skin mooncakes are nice!

This year, Bakerzin's mooncake comes in good quality plastic bags of pink, orange and yellow, with beautiful rabbit printed on it. I was so attracted because of the rabbit. I like rabbit signs, because I think they have a special meaning for me.

In addition, the rabbit theme goes down to being embossed on the mooncake itself. What more can I ask for?

The bag that I actually bought.

The silver foil keep-warm bag that is equally attractive.

Oh my gosh! This drawer, I could reuse it to put my makeup or stationery. I am already using it on my study table.

The rabbit-embossed mooncakes in 4 flavours, two of each.

Rabbits, close-up.

The deal is sweeter, because there is discount for all DBS/POSB card members. At $41.75, I really feel as though I am just buying a bag.

I have opened, cut, and eaten the mooncakes, because I was told they would not last more than two weeks. I thought I cannot finish them, but I feel I can, because they are so small! I cut each of them into eighths, and take a small nibble when I need a sweet treat.

Not wanting to overeat these things, I have also used it as an excuse to invite family and friends over for a tea! Love it. (Now that I am living away from my family, I really feel a real need to be socially active. Otherwise, I think I will go crazy from loneliness.)

PS: I am already planning to get the black and gold durian mooncake. On my plans since last year!

Cocoa Green Tea

2011-08-13T18:26:00.000+08:00

I think this blog may come to a new phase in life, just as I have come to a new phase in my real life. You may not see as much reviews of "outside" food as you like anymore.

Sometimes, reality sets in, and instead of eating out all day and going back when I feel I need a food break (from "outside" food to homecooked), I have to report home everyday, and provide for others in the house. And that's when the place is called home.

Nevertheless, the basis of my blog is still the same, Sweetly Nice. I stand by eating good, eating well, to feel good and look good. Be it "outside" food or homemade, I will not forget that this blog stems from Positively Nice, which is written with the mentality to share anything that makes you feel and look good. Only difference? Sweetly Nice is about food. Food I eat, recipes, all the edibles.

******

What I wish to share today is from a book I have been trying to devour, because it is much thicker, and heavier in hard knowledge than Harry Potter 7. I am presenting my concoction of an antioxidant drink from the book, Full Life Repair Kit - How to undo the damage already done, and keep you sailing on for many years to come, published by Reader's Digest.

Cocoa Green Tea

On page 120, under Choice 1, to "Make more than half of your diet beans, fruits, and vegetables", it say, "just 100g serving of dark chocolate significantly inhibited platelet aggregation, a measure of blood-clotting potential -whereas white or milk chocolate had no effect". Then it suggests, "pair your chocolate with the right red wine or a steaming cup of tea for even more phytochemical prowess". Phytochemicals is the collective term given to thousands of beneficial compounds, including antioxidants.

That's how I was inspired to make the following drink for my post-workout drink.

Large enough cup/mug (preferably tall)

1 green tea bag (I use Pokka Sencha.)

1 tsp cocoa powder (I use Vanhoutten.)

1 long enough spoon to stir

Boililng water

The ingredients.

Simply put the tea bag in the cup together with 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder, pour in the boiling water, stir to dissolve cocoa powder, and get the tea taste, wait for it to cool a bit and drink.

The end product.

******

PS: I think that I have never posted openly what I have really been doing, so many may not understand my lifestyle, and where I am coming from. As such, I hope to provide some background information that will fill the gap to this article.

My BMI has been at as high as 30 - 32 before. I am now at 20, which for a non-bodybuilder, this does falls perfectly into the healthy range. I am not aiming to be underweight, even though I have dropped to 17.5. I know, I know, it's horrid, it's bad, and I can swear and tell you the story of how bad it is. All I hope for now, at this stage in life, is to achieve what the title of this book advocates, a Full Life. I need my lifestyle to be sustainable, because I also know what it feels like to have BMI way up there. So I am now in the process of building this sustainability. It will involve a lot of changes, and you may find contradiction here and there because of change. I ask for understanding on this.

The routine now, is to basically move around everyday. 20 min strength (weights) training, followed by 30 min aerobic, and 10 min stretching.

On top of that, I have successfully cut all sugared drinks 7 years ago. I have started eating vegeatbles 7 years ago. I have started eating REAL food 3 years ago. I feel I am now in the phase of eating GOOD food, rather than just REAL food. This means superfoods, food that give maximum nutrient in minimum calories. They are things like strawberries, brocolli, almonds/walnuts, wholegrains. Definitely, this goes down to dark chocolate and green tea, which brings us to back to the point of this article. Why Cocoa? Why Green Tea? Why Hot not iced?

Now that I have answered the food part, I will turn to the point of post-workout drink. Basically, this drink can come in anytime of the day. Good for breakfast, good for tea-time. But I'd just like to add that, after a good workout, we need water, water, and more water. (In another book, it says 4 glasses. Personally, I can only swallow 2.) Followed by good protein, like chicken breast, milk, yoghurt.

P/S/S: I am not sure who else out there is on the same page as me right now. I do feel like a lot of things I say is pointless. But if you are in the same phase of life as I am, you would have seen everything I say a dozen times already. In fact, I think I have read 75% of this book elsewhere, but in bits and pieces. The thing about this book, is that it does not only gives me information. It gives me Scientific backing, loads of it (this is the 25% I don't know). And it structures EVERYTHING in one book. I dare say, it's the single most advanced and comprehensive life wellness book, including tests. It builds you from your past to your future. It is idiot-proof.

***I paid for everything I have mentioned here.***

Sakura International Buffet @ Dhoby Ghuat + My Day Out

2010-09-03T18:29:00.001+08:00

This is the second time I am dining at Sakura International, even though I have heard lots of good things about this buffet place.

I had my first time at Safra Tampines's branch, and it wasn't as good enough to make me want to go back. However, this time, it is an invitation by my brother to spend lunch time with him, and is to go to a different branch, at which he thinks will fair well in my books.

I also agreed to give Sakura another chance, because I have not eaten Japanese, nono, I mean I have not eaten LOADS of Japanese food for a while now. hahaha. I really, really like Japanese cuisine, and will always be game for a day out to go Jap.

I am not a buffet person though, as I can never make the amount of food I eat quite match up to the cost. LOL.

I am so glad I took time and calories on this as Dhoby Ghuat branch really changed my impression of the Sakura Internation Buffet! Read on to find out... ... (invitation by bro to spend lunch with him, but I paid my share alright. haha. We are both students... ...)

Sakura International Buffet @ Dhoby Ghuat

Picture courtesy of Suki Group of Restaurants

Location
One other reason I agreed to go out for lunch was because I find that this particular branch of Sakura is exceptionally accessible. The others I know of are all at some far flung places not within reach from school or home. This Dhoby Ghaut one is centralized and looks like a city garden, reminding me of Fish & Co. glasshouse branch. =) I like the tranquil there.

Mode of Operation
At Sakura, all the diners will pay first, then be led to a table, where you get 4 tiny number clips. The number clips are for clipping onto a stand, to indicate which cooked food you'd like to be served, like Shishamo, Skewered Squid, Grilled Squid etc.

As buffets are, the rest are all self-service, with tissue and cutlery pre-arranged on the tables.

The bill for two was a standard $51.60 for two adults.

Food

Scallops, mussels and kueh pie tee.

I went for this first, which were found at the back of the restaurant, opposite the Sakura Desserts shelves. I really love mussels! haha. And the kueh pie tee is DIY, so you can choose to load your tiny cup full of fresh prawns, or do it the standard way of filling the bottom with bang guang, then eggs, a bit of chili and the prawn on top to make it look nice, like I did. =)

The scallops are not as fresh as I'd like them, but the mussels are pretty good, and the kueh pie tee is worth your calorie and stomach space too! That prawn on the kueh pie tee is really tender and fresh. =)

Mentai sauce (salmon eggs & mayo mix) mussels, crab, oyster, yakitori, and tempura prawns.

I like the mentai sauce from Sakura! The crab meat and oyster are both mixed with flour batter and placed back into the shells. The crab tastes good, but I don't like the oyster. The flour will make you fill full faster, and waste your calories, so I'd say limit your intake of things like these and the tempura... ...

The prawn of the tempura is good, but the tempura batter is tasteless.

The yakitori is not bad! My brother likes it.

Salmon sashimi!

This is what we really came for! hahaha. Yup, both of us really like salmon sashimi a lot, and wanted to "kill" this. The other one, the swordfish sashimi is not that good.

At Safra Tampines, the sashimi wasn't really fresh. But I am glad to say that this is good! This one we got yesterday is pretty much as good as it gets in Singapore for the normal price. So eat more!

Lotus slices, mentai scallop, egg mayo, meat, mentai salmon and black fish egg sushi, seaweed.

I love the seaweed! The rest are okay. I think for the sushi, just choose those that you can't eat the meat separately, as the rice will be filling. And the rice here is not particularly delicious... ... It also doesn't has vinegar which I like.

Desserts and Fruits! Skewered mochi balls with azuki topping, mochi, white chocolate, kueh lapis, orange, pineapple, guava, longan and dragonfruit.

I like the spread of fruits that they have. I took the fruits before starting on the other foods, to aid digestion and try not to eat so much. hahaha.

Of the desserts, I don't think it's very worth it, except for the white chocolates! LOVE that. And go for the konyaku too, because konyaku jellies are zero calories food, but they do make you fill full. The cakes are nice. Go for the durian green tea one and the cheesecakes. Surprisingly, their cheesecake passes my standards.

Skewered squid.

Nice! This is really worth it. And having more of it will make your buffet very, very worth the $26.15. hahaha.

I like squids anyway. =)

Jing Yu.

I have forgotten the name of this fish in English. But this is good! It's one of those cooked foods where you clip the clips for.

Shishamo (Pregnant Fish)

GOod! You can eat the whole thing! This is my first time trying something like that out. My bro says that this is not the best, but I am satisfied that it is crispy, tasty, and reminds me of Kuning fish in Nasi Lemak.

Chicken Satay

This is good! The chicken is very tender, and definitely much much nicer than all the standard coffeeshops ones! Eat more, eat more.

Green Tea ice cream with peanuts chips.

I love this. My brother thinks it's nice too. Of all the ice creams, I think the durian is not bad, the sherbets are good. The rest are nice too, but you can get it outside.

Yoghurt Jelly

There are many of these packed jellies, or konyaku, as the Japanese know it, and I like them all! Feast on konyaku if you are a fan as well. These are not cheap outside, so it is another thing to make your buffet worth the money.

Drinks
There are hot drinks from the Nescafe vending machine, so you can get your hot cappaucino, milo, plain green tea, plain hot water there.

The cold drinks are pretty good too! With options such as Sjora in Mango Peach, Nestle Green Tea, Blackcurrent, Sakura's own Soya Bean Milk.

Not bad at all. I ended off the meal with the plain hot green tea. =)

Overall Rating: 8/10
I love the place, tranquil and good for a warm talk, sit down, relax, discussions. Plus really not bad food at such a great price. Can go back!

******

We went to Comex for about 3-4 hours after food stroll, and then walked to Esplanade to take the bus home. Below are some pictures along the way.

Art display at Esplanade

Stage lights.

These are really working, but I thought they make good art in a photo. haha. Not sure if anyone appreciates my sense of style.

Digital boy skating.

Digital Lady Ballet.

******

Just want to share with you a bit of hip hop dressing. haha, I went to watch Step Up 3 in 3D, and I must say, it's good! Real good in 3D. It's my best 3D movie so far. Up was rubbish. So was Avatar.

Step Up 3 is made for the 3D, so the director uses the effect and deliberately put in scenes that can be played up by 3D, making it a really good experience for viewers.

Hip hop. Baggy clothes, designer canvas shoes, a cap.

Mr Bean Singapore Swirl: Happy National Day!

2010-08-09T23:57:00.002+08:00

I am quite a fan of Mr Bean's food because I find them all very reasonably priced for the quality. I even think that the best tang yuan comes from there, and also the best soya ice cream, and one of the best pineapple tarts, and best honeydew soy milk, best pancake (cheese, tuna and red bean), most balanced etc. haha, look how long my list is.

Recently, Mr Bean seemed to have realized that it has a loyal fan base of not just mature customers, but also young adults like myself. And to keep young people going, amidst competition from cafes like Starbucks and Coffee Bean, they also started doing periodic marketing, which is to churn out limited edition items one after another. Yes, VERY gimmicky. But we like it. haha.

So the latest, after I tried things like Rum & Raisin (OMG, this is sooooo good it should be added to the standard menu), next up is Singapore Swirl and Chocolate Coated Ice Cream.

Singapore Swirl

hahaha, for those of you who have seen the promotion card on the counters of Mr Bean, you'd exclaim that this totally doesn't looks like that in the picture at all! How very true!

I myself felt a little bit cheated as this is obviously just bandung water with something like two servings of the standard soya ice cream on top!

But okay. If you take this as a meal, it's still arguable okay. Since I really love that soya ice cream a lot.

Rating: 3.5/5
Not bad, not too sweet, and really, that ice cream is one of my favourite. And I hand it to the creator for thinking of such a simple way to celebrate National Day. Literally red and white. But feels a little bit cheated, you know, Mr Bean.

Chocolate Coated Ice Cream

Looks mad yummy right!

But the chocolate is not nice... so yup, still the normal one better. Skip the calories too.

Rating: 3.5/5
Don't like the chocolate.

Overall rating: 7/10
Sorry Mr Bean, I still love you, but really, the Singapore promo items are not nice. :( Total waste of calories you know... ... haha.

Ah Hock Fried Oyster Hougang - Sorry, I can't help writing this.

2010-07-30T21:12:00.000+08:00

haha, this post is pretty simple... just a few liners... ...

Fried Oyster, $5.

The oyster is small and only counted 4. Not very well cook. Flour was also not of good taste.

I find that the or jian at Kopitiam are better... So no excuses for this.

Please don't bother about the accolades on the signboard. Probably just some gimmick because business has been going down, according to comments at ieatishootipost, over the years, from 2007.

Anyway, I learned something that day... ... Go for food with old signboards. These people are less commercialized and truly have been there for as long as I've lived, probably.

One example of the old signboard is a duck rice... ... But I didn't take photo of that duck... It's in the front row, right side.

BUT BUT BUT, please, that duck rice is still not nice. It's probably one of the better foods at Whompoa FC as my father says that it's quite impossible to battle the queue and get it during lunch time. But I swear that You Ji's one at every Koufu is BETTER! WOW, I really love You Kee's one... super good. The soup, to the yam rice, to the duck itself, and service at the stalls I visit often (Tampines, Toa Payoh).

Oyster rating: 3/10.
Sorry, FAIL. Don't waste your hard earned money on this so called extra, so called treat, as I understand that most people eat or jian on top of another main dish, or just order it as a "share-share" one. Go get a cheesecake, chocolate cake or muffin from McCafe!

DOME

2010-06-09T09:19:00.000+08:00

Recently, I have grown a bit obsessed with the cakes from a cafe in Subang Parade called DOME. Found the best cheesecake ever there. =)

Here are just some of the food that I've tried:

Espreski RM18++

Honeycomb

Espreski is a range of drinks at DOME that is made of milk and ice cream, with shaved ice made of mineral water, and having cute chocolate things on top, such as Crunche Honeycomb, Nestle Chocolate frogs and such.

This, to my disappointment, isn't much to rave about. For its price, one can easily get ice cream-blended drinks of the same taste elsewhere. The part that I don't like about this range of drinks is the fact that whatever is placed on the dome of cream can be bought at supermarket at a much lower price.

Rating: 2.5/5
Overly-priced drink without a wow.

Chicken Foccacia with Avocado sauce RM22++

This is an extremely disappointing food, given that my hopes about the quality and taste of their main course grew so much over the week, after tasting their bakery products.

The bread is rather hard, although it tastes pretty good. I think it may be the type of bread (flat bread, foccacia, etc), rather than bad baking. I like the wedges, really crispy and tasty without being overly salted, in fact, I think they make their own wedges, because it feels rather bland.

However, the main part, the chicken, was so dry and hard, it tasted like cardboard, and I just couldn't finish it. I could find much wow in the avocado sauce spread on the bread as well.

Rating: 2.5/5
Kind of just liked the wedges. I would fail everything else, apart from the fact that this is a most healthy meal. Extremely healthy.

Meanwhile (while my handphone is down, and no pictures), I must say their Marble Cheesecake IS a clear winner in my pursuit of the best cheesecake. I swear it beats Hilton Hotel's, Bakerzin's, Ippudo's Japanese, McCafe, and light Cedele's one, ALL hands down. The way there is thought put into every corner of Dome's cheesecake is clear as crystal, and it not only made me want to take a second mouth, but want to try every single cake out of their bakery. The gap between Dome's bakery and others is so large that I'd gladly pay some RM13 for a slice. Superbly satisfying yet feels healthy. Strange. But no, don't trust my blinded judgment. Cake, by any measure can never be all that healthy, especially not if you eat one after a full meal everyday. Dome's is just too nice that I am blinded. haha. If you are a cheesecake fanatic like me, must try should you spot DOME in Malaysia.

And the other thing is the Heavenly Scones. Yes, they are heavenly. Extreme good since I first tasted scones at Nanyang Cafe. This must be the taste ieat talks about when he visited Europe. I am sure. This one, yes, I can say that it's a value for money, healthy and tasteful breakfast.

Esquire Kitchen @Subang

2010-05-27T13:50:00.000+08:00

I thought that it would hard to find a good place for Chinese food in this Muslim country, but strangely enough, there is one in a mall near my place, and I found it within the first week. =)

Esquire Kitchen - Sze Chuan & Shanghai style dishes

The menu.

Ambience & Setting
I find it quite normal. No specials done up to create any particular mood. Wooden furniture, and some hanging lamps.

The array of circular hanging lamps reminds me of the ramen restaurant, O-An in Singapore.

The general setting of furniture.

It's quite a large restaurant for me, because I seldom see places of this scale anymore is land scarce Singapore. The greatest contrast is that none of the eateries in Malaysia can be packed till you see a snaking queue outside. Not even during meal times. But the restaurants still earn enough to survive.

In Singapore, if the food is not good enough or if nobody knows about the place, and it doesn't get queues at meal times, that eatery can say byebye in a month's time.

Table setting. Can see that it's strangely quite bright at dinner time.

I am still not very used to having ultra long days here. The sky starts to bright at 8am, but remains like noon is never going to come. It is still cold and feels of early morning at 10am (the hottest in Singapore), feels warm at 12pm, and sun peaks at 2pm. The sun doesn't goes down until 8pm.

Service

To be honest, I am not sure if there is over here... ... I am okay with no smiling, plate banging etc. But food coming slowly is something my partner and I are really trying to get used to. I think the standards in general are quite equal on both sides of the causeway. It's the speed of food being ready that is quite different.

Our drinks.

This is how drinks and the sauces were served at first. Tea, hot or cold, is free flow.

Food

Mapo Tofu

I think this mapo tofu is okay. I was expecting it to be spicier since it's Sze Chuan style, and I also know mapo tofu dishes in Singapore to be on the chili hot side.

Huge plate.

I think it tastes pretty good and balance, but it is almost exactly like the sauce my mum uses for mapo tofu at home, those bottled ones from Lee Kum Kee etc. So if you are there to try food, not eat things you like, this is not something that needs to be looked out for.

Rating: 4/5
I make it a point to have some tofu now and then for my meals, and I like mapo sauce, so this is something I would normally call for.

Sze Chuan Sour & Spicy Soup

This totally looks like fish maw soup or shark fin's soup right??? hahahaha. And I can tell you it tastes the same too! LOL. But for those who do not take sour stuff, this is not for you. It is on the vinegary side, but is too my liking.

That's some hei mu er inside, which I like. =)

Rating: 4/5
It is well-balanced, with good texture.

Eggplant Sze Chuan Style

This is my favourite dish of all! I think this is a must try. It tastes sweet and salty at the same times, like a good plate of char kway teow, Singaporean style.

The eggplants are cooked to squishy soft, easy to eat and doesn't feels or taste like eggplants at all.

Rating: 5/5

Shanghai Mee

This is basically fried mee as we know it. It is not as sweet as the eggplant, but basically char kway teow as well. Pretty okay and Singaporean style.

Rating: 4/5

Dong Bo Rou

This is the star of the day that we really came for. =) Both partner and I walked round and round and round the mall trying to find the Sze Chuan restaurant that his colleagues brought him to on Day 1 here, just for this Dong Bo Rou.

And indeed, it is very nice as my partner told me.

The sauce is sweet salty kind, but not the same as that for the eggplant. The meat is so well cooked together with the fats in between (this is pork belly), that melts in your mouth.

Rating: 5/5
This is worth the trip!

Xiao Long Bao

Xiao Long Baos are one of my favourite Chinese snacks, and I'd try it as long as I see it on the menu. But this one is really disappointing. The skin breaks very easily, and is still sticky, as if not cooked well. The minced meat does not tastes too good either.

Rating: 2.5/5
I wouldn't order it again even if I were dying for xiao long bao.

Tau Fu Hwar

I am still in the Singapore mode, and reading ieatishootipost's post on tau huay all the time is really making me crave it every now and then. I have eaten two tau huays in Subang so far, and none of them are close to what we have in Singapore. I think the people here just don't go for the same tastes, are not as food crazy, do not demand so high standards, and face weaker competition too (like I said, if an eatery does not have business in Singapore, it closes, if an eatery does not have business in M'sia, they can still scrape by).

Anyway, this tau huay does have the bean taste and is smooth, but it is firm till it feels more like pudding or jelly, rather than the creamy or dissolvable ones I have back home.

Rating: 4/5
It would do for a tau huay crave.

Overall food rating: 9.4/10
The eggplant and dong bo rou are must-tries. The other dishes are generally nice and above average as well, and very Singaporean style, so this place is a good one to satisfy some Chinese taste craving.

I have also subsequently tried a number of their takeaway dian xin, and they are very nice! Do buy the char siew bao and walnut cookie!

French Toast & Lemon Tea @ OTWC

2010-05-19T12:31:00.000+08:00

So it's another day of better internet connection at Old Town White Coffee across the street... ...

The decor here.

I like the view and feel of the 2nd floor. Reminds me of the kiddie days at standalone MacDonalds. Ah, that was when there was still enough land in Singapore to have standalone two storey buildings.

Love, love the feel. 古色古香.

Today, I decided to try yet another thing on the menu that I haven't eaten, and those are French Toast and Fresh Lemon Tea.

French Toast

Enticing.

Yuuuuummmm, wow, this must be the nicest French Toast I've had so far. It looks delicious, cuts down like Tofu, eats like crispy tofu, and is very well, not overly salted. Makes me want to take one bite, after another, and another.

It is also very soft white bread. And I like the way the serving is always rather generous at Old Town.

Tofu-like soft white bread soaked in egg and milk probably, like the usual French Toast recipe.

Between the slices, hides fragrant peanut butter, which is really a tasty surprise. And it gets even better when I cut towards the center, where the honey and butter is.

Surprise and delicious peanut butter.

Altogether, this makes for a nutritious and balanced breakfast, with a good amount of carbohydrates, some fats to kick start the fat metabolism, and honey to top it off. Some times, there is wisdom in traditional breakfast.

Rating: 5/5

Fresh Lemon Tea

wow.

I was actually a little doubtful if they'd really give me fresh lemon tea, and not from the canned drinks... ... But yes, it is real unsugared, unmilked tea with a fresh slice of lemon floating . Truly just my cup of tea.

Very nice balance there again. Now, I think, apart from the White Coffee, this has to be my other favourite drink. Much healthier than the Rose Float. haha, I felt so guilty with that one.

Rating: 5/5
This comes in cold one too.

Overall rating: 10/10
These two things are absolutely the kind of breakfast that will get you licking off the fork and knife, and teacup. :PPP

PS: Having tried the other breads from Old Town, I would say, just skip them if you don't dine here often. Go straight for this French Toast. Get your value and money's worth. =)

Ben & Nick's Diner @ Subang

2010-05-17T15:52:00.001+08:00

haha, I actually managed to find good food on the first day here! Thanks to the introduction from my SO who has been here about two weeks.

We had tealight dinner at a bar called Ben & Nick's Diner, which is super convenient, and just under the building we live at. Pretty lucky that good food is at a stone's throw away!

B & N

I like the motto "Love Food, Hate Waste". Hard to disagree with it. =)

Settings

This place is quite the bar, with outdoors sitting, tealights, half pulled down blinds, romantic for a good date. =) It's also quiet enough for a small business talk, friend meetup, anything.

It also has well-set tables.

The standard Western cutlery setting.

Rating: 4.5/5

Mango Juice

Niceee! =)

This is thick, and felt like real juice, even though I think they still do add sugar. Definitely the drink if you like mango as much as we do.

Rating: 4.25/5

Fish 'N' Chips

Love it.

I was delighted though not exceedingly surprised to find good Fish 'n' Chips here, because I know that this dish generally tastes better in Malaysia (have no idea why).

The fish is crispy, and has a tasty batter, unlike the many plain and normally soggy ones in Singapore. The fish is also soft and yummy.

The fries are really well-cooked, but not salty at all. (It does seems that Malaysians do not salt their fries.) But I am fine with it, since I am not that fond of overly salted ones in kopitiams back home. If any flavoured is wanted, all you have to do is dip it in the tartar sauce, which is the standard tartar sauce taste.

I really like the fish a lot. Definitely better than Fish & Co., of which, I have not eaten a second time after I failed it on the first try. (I only recommend the Swordfish there... ..., and Sharkie Freeze.)

Rating: 4.5/5
At RM 13.90, this is one of the cheaper items on the menu of B & N. The pricing is Singapore standard.

Lamb Shank, ~RM 40... ...

My hp is not doing justice to the lamb shank.

This is yummy, this is a must try. My SO loves it so much. And true enough, when I tasted it, it was wow, since I know that lamb meat is not easy to cook deliciously.

The meat of this tears off really well, is soft yet cooked, and tasty without the fishy smell that lamb meat normally has.

This lamb shank also comes with homemade mashed potato, which I really like. The potato still has small cubes of potato inside the mashed bits, and tastes purely of potato with some butter. Good!

In fact, this tastes exactly like what my mum taught me to make. Basically, just boil the potatoes, peel it, mash it with a fork/spoon etc, then add butter/magarine, add some salt, pepper, cheese accordingly to suit your taste, mix well, and tadaa! Tasty and real mashed potatoes, not from powder like 7-eleven's or KFC, or perhaps, even Popeyes'. =)

Homemade. I don't really like powder mash potatoes. So this is good.

Rating: 5/5
This is a must try, and easily the star of B&N.

Overall rating: 9.25/10
Visit for good ambience and good food if you're in the area!

Old Town White Coffee @ Subang Jaya

2010-05-17T13:52:00.001+08:00

I was so excited to learn that there is not only Carrefour, but also the familiar Old Town White Coffee just a short walk from my temporary stay place in KL, Malaysia.

It is always heart-warming to be eating and buying from a name that sounds closer to home, i.e. Singapore.

I thought it'd be nice to start my food blogging in Subang with a very simple task of comparing the OTWC chain across the two countries. And I am really glad to say that standards are the same!

Everything from the decor, the waiters' uniform, the ordering system, the utensils, cup, and food are the same! Much to my relief. haha.

I have eaten quite a lot from the menu, and today, I decided to try the Javanese Mee, Plain Thick Toast and Organic Spirlina Orange Juice.

Javanese Mee, RM 6.80

The display of this mee reminds me of Cold Ramen from Kado Man. It consists of dry mee served on a large round plate, in Javanese mee style sweet mee goreng-like sauce, with toppings of half an egg, crispy you tiao, baked potato cubes, chopped peanuts, green onions, spring onions, with a lime to enhance.

I especially like the taste of slightly sour lime juice mixed into the sweet sauce. It coats the noodles very well, and really made me feel like this is a well-round balanced bowl of ramen. hahaha, I still can't get out of the ramen life.

The baked potato cubes also tasted delightful, with slightly crispy, on-the-verge-of-burnt feel, yet bites in as rather soft. However, it tasted a bit bland, although I am fine with this, since I feel eating pure food is healthier than soaking in butter etc.

The crispy you tiao are no so to my liking though. It may taste good to people who like crispy toast bread and biscuit like food. But for me, I prefer you tiao to still be dough soft on the inside.

The chopped peanuts are also self-cooked, probably either roasted or fried till fragrant. Very nutty and adds dimension to the mee.

The mee is not bad, but nothing too special.

Rating: 4/5
I think the best main course from OTWC is still Ipoh Hor Fun.

Organic Spirulina Orange Juice, RM 5.20

I like this!! It has just the right intensity of sourness, yet retains the tea feeling. I think so far, all the beverages from OTWC are really good, apart from Si Mut Milk Tea and Nanyang Kopi 'C', which are strange to me.

Rating: 4.5/5

Plain Thick Toast, RM 1.50
As with the normal toast bread, I don't really like this. I feel that the skin though toasted to the right level of crisp, is bitter. I much rather prefer the moisturized inner portions of the bread.

Rating: 3.5/5

Overall rating: 8/10
I still like this place as much as ever. haha. It is affordable in Singapore and really cheap in Malaysia. I think my favourite cold drink here is the Organic Spirulina Orange Juice!! Why hadn't I tried that earlier? I like the Rose Float, Black Currant Yoghurt Smoothie, and Organic Wheat Grass Honey too. Not to mention OTWC original, Hazelnut White Coffee and Iced Mocha White Coffee.

There are two outlets in Subang, both are within walking distance (~15 min):

Subang Avenue
Lot SG-08, Subang Avenue, SS16,
47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: 603-5636 8988
Fax: 603-5636 8788
(On sight of Carrefour, walk/drive further down, OTWC is the middle of 3 block of condos, ground floor, easily spotted.)

Subang Jaya SS15
No. 92 Jalan SS15/4,
47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: 603-5621 0092
Fax: 603-5621 0092

(From Carrefour, cross the overhead bridge, walk till the end corner, turn left, walk straight up the slight slope, OTWC is easily spotted along the shophouses on your left, with the brown canopy and Old Taste printed on it.)

PS: They have free wifi here with really good connection and speed. Makes it real good to blog their food. =)

P/S/S: I totally hate addresses. Seriously, how many of you can spot places using plainly addresses? At most times, the place is right in front of you, and you're still looking for that door number!! LOL. Landmarks and walking directions are definitely easier. Much easier still if you're driving, since one can't possibly crawl in the car at one foot per second! All websites need to do is show some pictures of landmarks around or describe the landmarks.

Waffle Pancake (Chinese) @ Prima Deli Jurong Point Branch: Why the queue? Is it better than famous NTU's?

2010-05-09T19:44:00.000+08:00

It really intrigues me to see the long queues everyday at the Jurong Point branch of Prima Deli. I have not spotted similar queues at any other Prima Deli branches.

I know that Prima Deli's waffles are good because I myself really like the one at Tampines Mart's branch, besides KFC. It's soft, tastes of a lot of egg whites, and superbly tasty. But the big drawback is that that one is never going to be crispy because the formula of the batter isn't tailored for crisp, and I still prefer skin crispy waffles no matter what. So it's like 美中不足 (it's beautiful, but not perfect).

Having only eaten from that one Prima Deli, I was inclined to think that all branches have the same recipe. But as you would soon find out in my review, this is absolutely not true.

Waffle Pancake (Chinese) @ Prima Deli Jurong Point Branch

Available: Prima Deli at Jurong Point

Volume: Bigger than both NTU's and Prima Deli Tampines Mart

Star Properties: Totally white batter

Looks
This is the best waffle pancake look that I've ever come across. Waffle makers are basically standard, and anyone can get them. Most people would get the smallest size one, but with big squares, like NTU's. Even Prima Deli Tampines Mart is using a mould with larger squares than this. So you see, there is already a difference in the waffle maker between two polar branches at opposite ends of the island.

Plus, this looks really clean because of the all white/cream colour batter versus the standard pandan flavoured ones around. Nice, and extremely even browning, and slight crisp on the edges.

Rating: 5/5

Pancake Taste
This does not have any pandan at all, neither the fragrance nor the taste. It's just sweet, but it's not flatly sweet. There is a nice feel of well-balanced butter etc.

However, being very used to having pandan in waffle pancakes, I was quite sad that this one has chosen to skip it altogether.

Rating: 4.8/5

Spreads

I ordered Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Original. All the spreads are great!! The chocolate, though not artisan's chocolate or Belgium chocolate or Cadbury, etc, is real chocolate, not Nutella! The peanut butter is the chunky one, with obvious crunches in between bites. So that's very nice to chew, since the waffle is soft.

Rating: 5/5

Amount of Spread

Okay, it's still half the waffle... In this case, the strength of the spread taste is not very strong, so I'd like them to put more spread. And they actually do state that add spread costs something like $0.20 more??

Rating: 3.5/5

Crisp

It is really crispy when hot. But too bad, it goes totally nua/chui/soft very quickly, while NTU's one still has its crispy skin.

Rating: 4.5/5

Don't think there is much secret here, as the buckets are not kept in the refrigerator. It's just a matter of getting the mix right, and cooking for the right time at the correct temperature. =)

Overall Rating: 8.7/10
There are many pancake machines, so the wait is not as long as it looks. Buy if you are in the area! =) I'd definitely prefer it to be pandan flavoured though.

PS: I think the Tampines Mart one is a lot better, and a match for NTU's. Just that it's tofu soft. =)

Waffle Pancake (Chinese) @ NTU Canteen 2 - Worth Your Trip In!

2010-05-07T00:33:00.000+08:00

This is a day of mixed feelings for me. It's the kind of time that you feel so happy to be leaving and looking forward to the next phase in life, yet so sad to leave because you've spent time and effort at some place, thus find it maddening hard to say goodbye. Alas, we are all too familiar with it!

So for the 3rd time in my life, I made my way over to Canteen 2, one of the oldest, and arguably the most famous canteen on campus, if not most popular, due to its inconvenient location after the school expanded decades ago. My exam hall was just a stone's throw away, kind of opposite from Can 2, as we affectionately know our canteens as.

So what's so great about Can 2? Why did I make a special "last day" trip there?

All the simplest things in life. =)

Canteen 2. I can never understand why canteens bother to give names in school. We still know them by numbers and alphabets no matter what pattern they come out with.

Every freshmen would hear of the legendary waffles, half-boiled egg breakfast, Western and Beef Ball Noodles. And having eaten them all before, except for beef balls, since I don't eat beef, I can vouch that they do live up to the accolade, other than the Western, which is supposedly from Old Airport Road.

Here is my parting meal, in toast to the school, the friends, the professors, the greenery, the bus drivers. That's all! haha, I am NOT going to say the "and finally, thank you EVERYBODY" Star Award speech. hahaha.

Waffle Pancake

Deliciously green, nicely browned and crispy sides.

Flavours: peanut butter, kaya, chocolate, blueberry, cheese, lemon, orange, and many more!

Price: flavoured ones are all $1.50. Ice cream ones is up to $3.70 for 3 scoops (the scoops are huge).

Other popular order from aunty: Hotdog bun, Ice Cream Waffle

Looks
If you watch Aunty making this, you would already be drawn in by the mint green colour of her batter. A lot of pandan and a lot of egg whites.

When you see her taking your waffle out of the pan, you will WOW! at how hard it looks, because of the way she handles it with the food thongs. This waffle can't even bend and close up properly when just cooked.

And then you sit down, open up the white paper bag in anticipation, and there is what you see. =) Green, nicely 50% browned large squares with ultra crispy edges.

Rating: 5/5

Taste
Depending on what flavour you buy, you may or may not like yours. But so far, I've tried plain, peanut butter, cheese, blueberry, strawberry, chocolate and orange. The lemon was sold out at tea time, so I guess that should be quite the best seller.

While the cheese is just a slice of cheese from the packet kind, the chocolate is real chocolate and not Nutella, the orange, blueberry and strawberry are all well-flavoured spreads that do not taste like your normal supermarket jam. (Nutella is not chocolate as it only has a relatively small amount of cocoa powder by mass, and its heaviest weight component is none other than the hazelnut spread.)

Also, the waffle plain is already very nice, because of the thin crisp on the skin, and strong pandan flavour. It is slightly oily, but just a bit. Without oil, a lot of taste would be gone.

Orange spread, and notice that ultra crispy edge at the end?

Amount
I actually don't like the way hawkers scrimp on the spreads nowadays by only applying them on one side. =( They didn't use to do that a few years ago. But oh well, policemen wore trousers in the past... Times really have changed.

However, this compensated well for the less than desirable amount because it is still tasty enough. And we should have a healthier lifestyle. haha.

Rating: 4.5/5

Crisp
This is the ONE thing that I believe Singaporeans are looking out for. It's kind of strange how we became so fussy about crisp in everything from the charred edges of char siew to the golden brown of roast pork, the caramelized skin of roast duck, Belgium waffles, French Fries, traditional toast (till the point of biscuit), burger bun bread... ... (Does this list ever ends??? haha.)

And yes, the reason why I put this waffle on pedestal, almost worship status (nah, I wouldn't worship a waffle. Just maybe my holy grail waffle... lol.), is because of the unbeatable crisp. I hardly think something this good can be found outside, where the commercialized world is, and hawkers are about how many pieces of waffles at the lowest costs rather than good tasting food.

Rating: 5/5
Can I give 6?

The thing about this waffle, is that Aunty herself knows it's hugely popular! She was asking me why no queue today. As she normally sees the snaking queue coming in after the exams, when people just want to eat. At night, slightly after dinner time, you really have to wait looong looong for this. It's like the "I can't pass by Can 2 without buying that, or else it's wasted walk all the way here" kind of mentality.

Such is the status of this waffle, that it gets invited to our on-campus carnivals/fairs. And if you advertise your event with complimentary Canteen 2 waffles, you can bet people will turn up. =)

The Secret
To honestly tell, this is no secret. All decent bakers or cooking-lovers would have somehow heard of the hot-cold and/or cold-hot transition that always seems to be the key to an extra *bling* to your delicacy. All you have to do for a crispier waffle, is to mix your batter with cold water if you need to add water, then refrigerate it.

What I saw Aunty did was to leave two tubs of batter outside, one for scooping, the other, just leave it. She doesn't finishes her batter. When she has used it to half-full, she refilled it with the batter from the 2nd tub. Then she opens the refrigerator, sitting inside are another handful of tubs, she takes a cold one out. From this cold one, she refilled the 2nd tub. Now, this 3rd tub would only be left with half. Then from the 1st now-full tub, she refilled the 3rd cold tub. She left the 1st and 2nd tub aside, mix the batter of the 3rd cold tub well, and she now scoops from that 3rd tub!

2nd stall on the left of the entrance.

Of course this is not the entire secret. It still has got to do with the ingredients ratio, and all, since hers is superbly generously tasty. I just thought that the sight I describe above is like a wonderful confirmation of the open secret I have long heard of.

Overall rating: 10/10

When I first ate this, I know there is not going to be something else that will beat it... It's that kind of feeling of when you found a Holy Grail skincare product or foundation, and you just know you will stick to it for years and years.

West-side foodies should definitely make a trip in. It's not that difficult if you go to Jurong Point enough. Just a bus in, plus the cheaper meals on campus too...

In fact, I think waffles are like the pandan cakes of Gen-Y. We seriously are obsessed about waffles. There is cafe restaurant that actually sells waffles and waffles alone! It's waffles buffet some more. And waffles are so easy to make they have become a standard fixture at your neighbourhood bakery. Everybody is buying one, they even sell the single pan at Harvey Norman for home use. But to make a good waffles, that's really few and far between. One can only make good food if one cares and has the heart to.

******

I didn't buy the Western, as I tried the also-famous fish and chips once, really no good. My friend says the beef balls are normal only as well. I'd recommend non-students who go in for food, to ride the shuttle bus up to North Spine, MacDonald's air-con canteen for Inodnesian BBQ or Japanese Eel Don, or Tom Yum Ban Mian, or Chicken Chop rice. The Indo BBQ is THE one. The rest are about 4/5 with my ratings.

If you take the bus alllll the way down to Canteen B/Business School Canteen, the chicken rice and yong tau foo are the good ones by canteen standards. The single steamboat meal is also hot hot favourite amongst the students. We like to celebrate good days with a filling meal in a self-cook Seoul Garden style, except that this is steamboat. You could always get a cup of good soymilk from Mr Bean there too. Don't forget sugarcane juice if you go early. This sells like hotcakes, always out of stock too. (It's just sugarcane, but you can't really get sugarcane nowadays unless you live around old old markets like Bedok Interchange.)

Wow, so I managed a good 2 paragraphs on what to eat in school!

Will continue with 1-minute reviews on the rest of the food today:

Chicken Rice + Char Siew

The chicken is really soft, and has no trace of blood. This alone scores very well with me, even though it's bland on the inside. The rice is on the whole tasty, but not the absolutely chicken oil coated and fragrance kind. The char siew is not bad, has a good balanced sweet taste, but isn't crispy, and has quite a lot of fats as well. The chili is spicy, but too sour.

Close up to look at the rice. Non-yellow = will not be so nice. But you can see the glistening char siew.

Rating: 6/10

Next up, is my obsession with cheesecake, the tendency to buy no matter how bad I feel it will be... Not really. This one looks really good, and the texture IS good.

Bailey's Cheesecake $3

Amazingly nice cheesecake from school. The other two, at Nanyang Auditorium cafe, and Executive's Cafe are horrible. Very good tofu texture, with spongey look but feels very smooth, with enough chew. However, the cheese taste is close to zero, with a hue of Bailey's... Well, I guess, I really can't expect that guy to pour a shot of Bailey's inside a $3 cake! haha. But I wouldn't buy this again.

Rating: 3/5

Double Chocolate Muffin

I am not a fan of muffins, as I find that always too buttery, and bland in flavour. This is not buttery, but only looks very black, without much chocolate taste. There are a few chocolate chips here and there, which feels good when you find them. Other than that, it was a disappointment, because it really looked so brownie and chocolate-y. =(

Rating: 2.5/5
It would pass as a food.

CK Tangs Mdm Cynthia's Pandan Chiffon Cake - Trip to find THE one

2010-05-05T20:54:00.001+08:00

After a rave by one of ieat's readers about a hidden not-for-sale heavenly Pandan Chiffon Cake, I just had to check it out. The tip-off says that cooking tips are guaranteed, with the sweet bonus that THE cake is free.

Cynthia a bit paiseh (shy) when I first asked if I could take photos. haha.

Pouring the batter for Banana Marble Swirl Chiffon Cake into the chiffon cake mold.

Making paper thin egg omelette with anionized Super-B pot, while we waited for the cake to be ready.

Yay! Cutting the cake.

I adore the mold to bits. It has those waves, so you get a jelly shape. Look at how smooth and nicely-brown the skin is. Not to mention the marble pattern she created with chocolate.

Plump and standing tall.

PS: I lost my last photo of the cake slice I took. Sigh. My handphone is a little cranky.

But the cake is to die for! I have no idea how it compares to ieat's one (only him and family would know...). All I can say is that, on my side, I feel that her cake is everything I want of a chiffon.

As you can see, it looks so good. It has a thin layer of crispy skin, with spongy looking, beautifully and naturally coloured inside, and mashes into a cream texture the moment you bite and chew. It has the toughness to give you a slight kick when biting, unlike Bengawan Solo's, that basically breaks with a touch and crumbles into nothingness in your mouth, only to leave the boring taste of plain sugar.

It is a little bit oily, but definitely still on the safe side, since it's homemade. And sweet, but not diabetic. I know that it might be mild and perhaps even tasteless for older people, who somehow prefer heavy tastes. But for modern Singaporeans, who are getting more health conscious, one really can't fault this cake. Moreover, if you home make your own, you are free to adjust the sweetness. This is just a demo for the pots.

Rating: 5/5
Try it while she is still there making cakes and demos. She also gives tips along the way, like to sort of carry/hug it in two forearms, and swirl it to release the bubbles, then tap gently a few times if you really think there are bubbles still, instead of knocking the tin hard. I guess you could still knock the tin hard, but for her jelly mold, you did dent the jelly shape badly!! Doesn't matters for those flat top ones we normally see on the market. haha.

******

At the end of it all, I did make a purchase, as I need a set of cooking wares quite soon. Thought no harm getting it now, since it was supposedly on promotion for Mother's Day. LOL, promos... :P

I also like the way this cake would only take 15 min to cook in that pot, while Cynthia said that you'd have to set your oven to 180 deg C for 45 min if you want to use an oven.

(Please note that business is still business, and Mdm Cynthia and assistants are honestly making a decent living, so please be kind enough not to go everyday for free cakes without buying. Although, she does gives them out to fellow workers/friends at Tangs, out of goodwill. I stood there for the whole time the cake was cooking, so I was a little pressurized to buy, as one of the assistants kept asking if I intended to get anything. Suggest you take a walk and return if you feel you really will not be interested at all, but still want a taste of the cake. Don't say I say one. hahahaha.

On another note, practically all the viewers who stood a good while bought! Quite amazing. We were all impressed by the cake, and popcorn. The popcorn is good too, if you are not for diabetic ones from the likes of GV. Her cutey mould can be used for oven too, so no worries if you don't want that pot. I just like the jelly shape... haha. Pardon me.)

Ippudo - The Restaurant That Does & The Ramen That Doesn't - Part I: Ramen

2010-05-02T04:40:00.000+08:00

I went back a second time to try another flavour of ramen, to eat the gyoza that was sold out on my first visit, to fan off opinions that my marking for Ippudo is strict and unfair, and to reaffirm myself that I had not made the wrong judgment on the first time.

My mission is to answer the burning question, as the queue gets longer and the hype gets larger by the day, does Ippudo deserves the snaking queue every night and every weekend?

The answer, as in title is simple, and really fair enough, the restaurant does, and the ramen does not. Here's why:

Ambience & Setting
The moment I step under the draping Japanese style "curtains" at the doorway, I felt quite overwhelmed, as the place is really dim, with a huge but definitely mesmerizing chandelier hanging down the middle of the ceiling to light up the entire area. Only a place as large as Ippudo can balance the mass of light so grand (in interior designing terms).

Only the word "chi-chi" (rich wife) is befitting of the atmosphere.

I decided to take a larger picture of this table, as I find it rather cute that so many strangers would be sharing a long table. haha. Not a bad idea. And really very good if you're organizing a gathering for lots of people.

Rating: 4.75/5
Bringing in my sense of hearing, the place was in reality rather noisy due to the full house on my first night. I did not quite enjoy it as I personally prefer a more peaceful dining setting. I do not think the noise level is suitable for first dates or romance, so this is not so the place for couples, anniversaries etc, unless two people just want to go for ramen testing, and have known each other for very long.

It is also not very kid-friendly because of the chi-chi-ness, as with feedback from a couple of forumers.

Full-house on Fri and weekend nights!

This would be the place for colleagues to gather after work and reward themselves as part of T.G.I.F though. A lot of freedom for loud voices and chit-chat, sharing grouses and happiness.

Hence my point deduction.

The kitchen, noodle-cooking portion where the main chefs probably are. This is right in front of the bar-counter seats.

Service
Service was pretty different on both times because of the crowd.

On the first time, when I started queuing at around 8.30pm, and left only when the shop close at past 10pm, service was not satisfactory, as they were a little short-staffed to take care of a full house. There were so many other customers blocking me that it was a challenge to signal a waiter.

However, when they do come and serve you, the attentiveness is wonderful. The same standard of attentiveness, politeness, smiles and thank-yous was delivered on my second visit, even though I could tell that many are rather young and inexperienced in this line. So good one. =)

Nevertheless, they do have a decent SOP, which says that the table should be done this way:

First time.

Second time. LOL. I am not trying to be funny. Just wanted to show the table setting. And I thought I should take it slanting this time. :PPP

Rating: 4.5/5
There are a number of Japanese or Chinese who are not very familiar with English, so if you do come across someone who doesn't understands you, try to signal for a Singaporean.

Shiromara Classic

I ordered this on my first trip because it is the classic.

Looks
I guess you can tell from the photo. Not very impressive if I were to compare with many others, as the pork is for some reason covered under the broth. But since Ippudo was really my first, this presentation still struck me as acceptable, clean, neat and nice, in reality. So yup, at that time, I was eager to dig in actually. =)

Rating: 4/5

Pork
So I lifted the spoon and gave it a slight stir, to pick out a slice of chashu. This one looks good, and tastes really nice too! Now that I've tasted a handful of other bowls of ramen, I can safely say the pork here is really one of the best-cooked around.

It is soft, tasteful, non-fatty, non-oily. Very good balance in that piece of meat.

The disappointment came when I found it so nice, and put back my spoon to look for more. I stirred and stirred, and it ended up that there were only 1 and a half piece (s??) of chashu. So I set my spoon down in defeat and decided not to eat the bowl of noodles altogether. =( Great pity that this bowl is really not generous enough for the price.

After all the ramen eating thus far, I think 3 is a great number to put in a bowl of noodles, as this will provide the right amount of fats in a meal, not over for ladies, looks good, and also signifies "a great amount". In the Chinese tradition (unfortunately I do not know if Japanese believe in numbers and their meanings), 3 and multiples of 3 means "a lot". Using 72 rounds of battle as with Monkey God in Journey to the West, of 72 years etc, is really a lot, hence you'd always hear of 民国七十二周年. There is no other reason why people celebrate the 72nd year from the birth of a nation other than the meaning of "a lot" and "long" etc.

Rating: 4.75/5
Really a great piece of pork to savour.

Soup
The soup looks oily as with all ramen soups, but tastes rather light to my delight. It also tastes clear and well-filtered though it doesn't looks so. Very flavourful yet balanced one. I think this will not offend any, but failed to catch my tummy though. It's good and nice but there are more addictive ones around. It did get me to eat quite a lot more noodles than I had planned to. (Didn't want to eat or drink too much soup because I know I had ordered a lot even though I was alone.)

Rating: 4/5
On the scale, I like this as much as Santouka's broth, even though they fall into different catergories, one being so strong, and one being so delicate. Both I like.

Noodles
On my first visit, I had wanted to fail the noodles as they really are not Q. I do not think that you will ever get a bowl of Q noodles there. So if you are like me, who prefer a mild chew, you will not be 100% satisfied.

However, on second thought after my second visit, I've decided that Ippudo cooks the noodles very well! They use the type that is extremely straight and smooth, and oil it just right so that you can slurp, and slurp, and slurp, and slurp. Yes, that's the word.

If I am not wrong, a lot of ramen houses are what young Singaporeans would call dingy, as they really are houses of the owners, as you might have seen in movies like Handsome Suit and Ramen Girl. So ramen is like the gong zai mian you find in Hong Kong cafes, basically meant for workers. And by imagination (quite like Bangladeshi in Singapore when they eat), the workers just sort of want to eat to fill their tummy, and will slurp up the noodles one mouthful after another without stopping much, and drink the soup if light enough.

Nevertheless, in my first bowl, I got undercooked noodles (which are actually authentically Japanese, but doesn't goes well with Singaporeans) that didn't quite agree with my tummy. Quite hard.

So for this bowl, my rating is not so good.

Rating: 3.8/5
You might like to make it a point to ask for cooked noodles when ordering, just in case the chef decides to do it authentic Japanese style. Unless of course, you'd like to try undercooked noodles, and prefer it this way.

Overall rating: 8.2/10
One of the better ones around. I feel that there is still a lot of room for better ramen in Singapore.

Spicy Ramen

I didn't want to give Ippudo another chance, at least not in the short term. But I caved in when I saw the spicy ramen that has nuts on it. (My tummy almost died on me in Beijing because there is very little chili there. Really can't live without chili.)

Looks
Hmmm, I guess what's wrong with Ippudo's ramen is that the pork always gets pitifully covered up. Don't you think so?

Spicy ramen looks a little bit nicer than Shiomaru, but gave me an overly oily feeling.

Rating: 4/5

Pork
I didn't like the pork this time. I though chashu means that round piece as seen in Shiomaru above... But this time I got what Chinese call san ceng rou (3-layered pork/roast pork as in roast pork rice). This is probably the belly part, and is extremely fat. The most tasty if you use it for bak kwa (use the buttocks for mid-fat mid-tough bak kwa.)

This is okay... ...

So yucks, I don't like it. If you're a fan of zhu jiao cu (Hakka Vingarized Pork Leg), pork skin or kway chup, I think you will appreciate the "chashu" I got a lot better.

Also, I have the firm belief that chi-chi restaurants should give more meat and weed out the fats. Fats are junk (other than omega 3 and 6), when it comes to food. You only need minimal amount of good fats to maintain good skin, build lipoproteins, coat certain cell components and line your heart, so on and so forth. Moreover, all nutrients, be it carbohydrates or proteins eventually gets converted into fats if you don't need them, so you actually have a lot, a lot of fat sources without eating much fats. I shall not nag about the cholesterol, blocked arteries etc.

This is really not okay.

In any case, apart from health reasons, the "chashu" this time was really too fat to maintain the texture balance in your mouth. So yup, taste-wise, this wasn't too good.

Rating: 3/5

Soup
Okay. I don't know how else to talk about this, because it is neither nice nor not nice. All I can say is that this is not spicy at all. So don't waste your calories if you are looking for chili, like I was on that day.

I honestly can't taste the presence of secret in this soup, unlike in the Shiomaru. At least I could tell it wasn't that simple.

Rating: 3/5
Really okay lorz.

Noodles
The noodles here are like that at Tampopo's. Basically, they break extremely cleanly, with little strength, upon a light bite. Like I have described for the Shiomaru, every strand breaks together in one mouthful, and the rest all falls back into the soup. Clean.

Just to add on, the noodles from Ippudo take up the sauce rather well, so they are fragrant and tasty. But I just do not have the habit of biting and slurping noodles so quickly as if I haven't eaten in 10 years, hence the penchant for a bit chewy/QQ ones that would last a wee bit longer in my mouth. Perhaps I should revise Tampopo's rating for noodles... They are good if you do not ask for chewiness.

Rating: 4/5
I only came to appreciate Ippudo's noodles a bit more because this time, they gave me cooked ones instead of undercooked. Thus the slightly higher rating.

Egg
I ordered the egg this time.

As can be seen in the photo below, it's not bad, as the uncooked portion takes up some 30% of the egg's volume, so I could still slurp out the "juice", which would consist of some uncooked white and some just cooked but still creamy yolk.

However, this is not the best I've tasted as the taste of the "braised-ness" is lacking, so it wouldn't be full marks.

Rating: 4/5
Suddenly decided that it was not all that good as I see lots of fingerprints on my egg, and quite badly cracked. Taste-wise, I had wanted to type 4.25.

Overall Ramen Rating: 7.5/10
This type of marks means it's good, but not all that good as hyped or advertised etc.

It's really not worth your time queuing. Try to catch weekdays if you need to go at night, otherwise, go between lunch and 7pm.

I spent about 1 hour on the first time... ...

Good Morning Nanyang Cafe - A Fusion of Time

2010-04-30T20:32:00.001+08:00

早安南洋 - 时光的撮合

人说:
往事已去不能重回,
将来未是只能期待,
今日眼前必要紧珍.

时光阶段真的无法并存吗?

那倒未必.

身座在唐城坊三楼的一间小型咖啡厅, 早安南洋, 就恰恰具备了时光桥梁的条件, 巧妙而几乎完美地撮合了过去与现在, 成功地赢得我的心.

如果说菜单是平面, 原汁原味摆在面前的食物是 3D, 意大利式 Ciabatta 白面包涂上香厚的加椰酱的混合种类食品是 4D, 那综合六十年代浓郁咖啡和千喜鲜橙味的情感必定是梦寐以求的 5D 佳肴.

Orange Ciabatta
The look of a toasted white bread is delightful as the colour white always is. When I accidentally shifted my head nearer to the bread for a sip of the coffee (which was served first), the strong kaya fragrance whiffed past my nose. I couldn't help but quickly put down the coffee so that I could taste the ciabatta.

On the first bite, I tasted orange. On the second, I tasted the light salt of the bread. On the third bite, I noticed the crunch of the toast. There was a gleeful new joy on the senses with each new mouthful. This is what I call effective layering, a basic to pave the way for tip top good food.

For those who like spreads, you will be glad that the kaya is served in very generous amount.

Rating: 4.9/5
Very close to perfection. But I was wondering if slightly tastier kaya (like more coconut ones or a teeny bit sweeter ones), would work better. I have no idea why, but this is quite the same as Ya Kun, which are both on the mild side of taste. The bread is perfect, so have to be careful that whatever kaya is used does not takes over the bread's pure taste.

Kopi
The Kopi is surprisingly unique. This is my first taste of slight charred java. This could be due to over-roasted coffee beans, of which, some purists might say that Good Morning Nanyang's Kopi is not good and blah blah. However, I think I have had quite enough of so-called perfect coffees, and I more than welcome something this special on the local kopi scene.

Moreover, I have a weak spot for food on the verge of "chao tar" (burnt/charred). So nice!!! (I just tasted "chao tar" ramen chashu today. Soooo Shiiiok ah!) I think the barbecue level is quite a challenging one to achieve in culinary terms, because when food burns, it burns QUICKLY, which is why cake is so easily spoiled in an un-monitored oven and cranky oven.

Apart from the bbq fragrance of their Kopi, my cuppa also tasted strong and thick enough, yet not over (as in espresso level). I also must applaud Good Morning Nanyang for not overpouring the milk and sugar. I hate cheap coffeeshop/hawker centre coffees because they all don't seem to care about what the cup of coffee tastes like, and simply add milk and sugar as if no need money. Super diabetic. *shivers* can't stand the sweetness outside. But Good Morning Nanyang absolutely tasted like a thoughtful cup. =) Really love everything about this coffee. I do not compare this with places like Oriole Cafe & Bar or Starbucks etc, because it's just different. I wouldn't even compare it with Old Town White Coffee, which is my personal No.1 and also one of my family's favourites (apart from Nescafe, Gold Kili, Indocafe, Cafe Nova, Japan UCC etc.) Good Morning Nanyang is truly one of a kind, and now, I find it quite on par with Old Town White Coffee. Really, really like the mild burnt taste.

Rating: 5/5
5/5 basically means my favourites or No.1s.

Synergy
Now, it comes to the point where I should explain my rave (in Chinese) above. I am super, duper inspired and always write in Chinese when I have a strong positive feelings for something.

I have the bad habit (or is it good habit?) of dipping bread, biscuits, and almost anything and everything (like French fries) into my drinks. So since I get 4 quarters of ciabatta, of course I couldn't let the chance run. hahaha. There goes the 2nd quarter of ciabatta into my coffee! (Don't dunk it like Oreo, bread is not firm enough, just dip lightly and remove immediately.) And WOW! When I tasted the orange and then the coffee, whoa, wow, whoa, orange really goes well with coffee. Especially since Good Morning Nanyang's Kopi is not espresso-strong, it doesn't kills the ciabatta.

For those of you who were as crazy as me during CNY, you would have tasted all the orange coffee/chocolate offerings by McCafe, Starbucks, Coffee Bean etc. And you would have already learnt that orange coffee/chocolate/mocha etc is an excellent combination if you can balance them. Otherwise, I would like to suggest trying Starbucks one. It's the best. Coffee Bean was not very nice. Haagen Dazs's orange chocolate ice cream was quite a failure as well.

Yes, that's why my poetic dedicated writing for Good Morning Nanyang. I do hope it's befitting enough. =) (Look out for my Ippudo one, I am shamelessly saying that it's good. haha.)

Raisin Scone
According to comments on ieatishootipost about Good Morning Nanyang, the scone is quite a popular item, and some are bent on waking up early and reaching there right on time (10.30am) to catch the freshly baked scones.

I personally am not fond of scones or things like muffins. Have always been quite disgusted by butter smells and butter tastes, and I will not eat butter creamed cakes, only fresh cream. But since the good reviews, I thought I should just give it a go.

And it turns out that like what they say, the scones at Good Morning Nanyang are not buttery at all. They are equally perfectly layered such that there is the scent of maple on smelling, and the sweetness of raisins on eating. It also has a biscuit-like crust but bread/cake-like soft layers inside. This makes for excellent texture in your mouth.

I also like the way this rather more Chinese style cafe serving butter and solid jam and a spread knife! Quite amazing, as Chinese are a bit stubborn when it comes to things like this. I find the butter really healthy as it's not those salty super yellow ones, but really quite the Western light ones you get on planes or hotel breakfast buffets. I am very happy with the solid jam that tastes so similar to McDonald's grape jam for Big Breakfast. Again, this is also like the hotel buffet kind. So thumbs up for Good Morning Nanyang on giving some healthy quality for traditional Singaporean Chinese breakfast/tea.

Rating: 4/5
Tasted not bad to a person who dislikes scones.

******

I couldn't help it but decided to order a Set Meal as there really is no excuse to not taste traditional bread from a traditional 60's style cafe.

Took Set A, which comprises of the olden day rectangular bread, 2 half-boiled eggs and a tea/kopi.

Teh-O
I deliberately chose Teh-O as I feel that there is no other way to taste a tea than pure blend. By rights, I should take Teh-O-Kosong, which means no sugar no milk, but it's not on the menu, so I didn't want to make a special request for it. I believe it would be possible though. (Kopi is normally a lot stronger, so one should still be able to sniff out the blend unless milk and sugar is added in diabetic amounts. It's not the same with teas which are more delicate, especially if it's Chinese Tea, Floral or Fruit Tea.)

According to comments, the Teh here is brewed from Lipton, so I don't think there is going to be much surprise. And true enough, there wasn't. I was slightly disappointed by the sugar smell when I accidentally shifted my head near the cup while eating the egg.

The moment I detected sugar, I knew the teh taste would be gone. =( Don't get me wrong, Good Morning Nanyang still does it very thoughtful by not being over with the sugar. It's probably the blend of tea to start with. I am rather sensitive with sweet and saltiness. My mum would probably call this level mild, and okay only, but I am calling it slightly sweet, since I only smell sugar, not tea. But this is Teh-O, not Teh-O-Kosong, so I may be over-expecting.

Rating: 3.5/5
Will do.

I'd love 'BOH' tea Cameroninan Blend to be on. But quite stupid since I can buy and boil a teabag myself. Also, this blend would cost quite a bit more. Not sure if people (most of Good Morning Nanyang's customers are uncles/aunties like Old Town) will pay for it. But for tea lovers out there, you do want to stock a box of this blend in your house! =))) Swept me off my feet, and snatched the 20 consecutive years crown from Lipton Yellow Label as my No.1 home tea. Gosh. Love Cameronian Blend so much. Nothing ever came quite close to Lipton over the two decades, due to the fact that I grew up on it.

Half-boiled Eggs
Again, I am not a fan of half-boiled eggs. haha, so you can really tell that, me, the Gen-Y is quite anti-60s breakfast. :PPP I think I only like white bread. No habit of drinking caffeine. Grew up learning that caffeine is BaD.

(Favourite is Western style sunny-side-up. LOL.)

So Good Morning Nanyang would be glad to know that I think their half-boiled eggs are good! Better than the ones my mum can achieve at home. It's really not easy to make good half-boiled eggs. Most people either get it too raw or too boiled, which is why I don't like it.

Seriously, how many times have you bought half-boiled and got something you'd rather not eat? Apart from the one at Canteen 2, NTU, there really is no other good half-boiled egg that I've eaten. (Canteen 2 is extremely famous for the breakfast bread and eggs, and also the waffles. Not sure if the standard is still there, but if any student goes in 4 years and haven't eaten them, really is lost out on food.)

I am so glad to know that I can now get my half-boiled egg fix from Good Morning Nanyang if I do for some weird reason crave them. (Really not a fan yeah.)

Some more ramblings: Those half-boiled you get at house downstairs coffeeshops are mostly bad because they give it to you in a plastic mug of hot water. For goodness sake, eggs cook easily, but they are never going to cook in 40-60 deg C water, which cools at a rate of maybe 1 deg/min? You can do a simple experiment by timing how long it takes when the water feels like room temperature water. And also, for goodness sake, putting a red plate over that plastic mug really isn't going to help keep the heat in, because the water is not boiling, hence no steam to simmer it, and most of the heat would escape from the biggest surface area, that is, the sides of that PLASTIC mug. It might help if they give you a wooden one, or thick ceramic (which is commercially unviable).

I didn't spy how Good Morning Nanyang cook their eggs, but whatever they do, they are able to control the heat well and get the timing right. =) The eggs crack very well into my plate, with a nice round shape, yet breaks easily upon slicing with the teaspoon, and flows without leaving solid yolk. This means it's all creamy inside. Excellent. There is a thin thin layer of white left on the shell, but it's really minimal, and I find it not worth me picking on, although some people may insist they want every single bit to flow out. Maybe I not a half-boiled egg fan, so I wouldn't really care about this detail...

The egg was also fresh, as it stays together good.

Rating: 4.75/5
I'd go for Good Morning Nanyang should I want a half-boiled egg fix.

Traditional Bread Toasted
Here comes the star that everybody is probably most interested in. (Sorry, I was quite full from ramen, so I didn't rush into eating this first.)

Like very a lot. Normally I only get 2 pieces cut in half with other set meals. Here, I get 4 slices, and 4 halves. Set A is $3.80, worth it. =)

BEWARE! One paragraph of me ranting. Skip it if you wish.
I think the biggest question is how does this compares with Ya Kun. To be honest, I am anti-Ya Kun. I am not going to pretend I am not biased and stuff. I am really anti-Ya Kun, because I find them too commercialized, and many outlets have probably lost the essence of Ah Kun along the way. I find them too overrated, as I was at no point in time smitten by their kopi, teh or roti. It's pretty much like Old Chang Kee. What 1956? Are you sure their curry pok tastes like that since 1956? It tastes like yucks right now, and a dozen other shops have better curry pok than OCK. Moreover, it's so unhealthy. I don't get the crowd.

Nevertheless, I have no choice but to admit that the bread at Ya Kun is crispier. Ya Kun's break into two cleanly like biscuits. BUT Good Morning Nanyang has an equal crisp in the mouth, if you don't try to break it in two.

As for the kaya, both are the same. Both are mild, non-coconutty, non-pandanny, not so sweet type. Those who are into nonya will find it bland. But non-nonya is definitely healthier.

Roti, Guyu, and Kaya.

Good Morning Nanyang spread the butter on the left, and the kaya on the right of the bread, while Ya Kun is that slab of butter one. Old Town White Coffee also does it in slabs of butter method, that leaves it to melt rather than spread the butter. Or you can open the pieces and spread it on your own. Not much difference to me though.

Serving is generous, be assured that your whole bread will get the spreads. If you are super into health, remember to ask for lesser. Otherwise the standard is very generous proportions. haha.

Rating: 4.5/5
Despite the unhealthiness, I do prefer slightly tastier kaya.

Service
Service is really good for a small scale family business. A lot better than some Japanese restaurants I've been to. I am impressed by their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), as they periodically check and clear the tables. They also smile, even though I've grown quite accustomed to non-smiles by now. It's really a bonus to me.

Settings
As usual, I like marble top tables when it comes to old kopi. One of the good places to be at (other than 5 times more expensive Starbucks) in Chinatown! I don't quite like that place lah... Hard to walk, weird shops. So now I know where to go when I want to take a break if I go to Chinatown.

Overall
I really like the way they fuse time with youthful orange ciabatta and strong kopi. I walked from Raffles Place MRT, walk like crazy in the hot sun (because it looks near on the map). And all I want from the walk is good food. I got it! Thank you Good Morning Nanyang. I must repeat, the 5D Time Fusion dish! Must try Orange Ciabatta and Kopi.

At Delifrance Chinatown MRT exit (Chinatown Point), go into the aircon, turn to the left, and there, at the arrowed position. =)

Will I recommend it?
I already am. =)

Will I go back?
Yes, of course. Very convenient actually. Chinatown Point is just directly outside one of the exits (the one with Delifrance), and in fact visible the moment you enter the aircon of Chinatown Point. Can't miss it.

Overall rating: 9.5/10
Very good standards of food, service, and generous proportions, plus convenient location if you are in Chinatown.

PS: Seriously, where else can I get Starbucky ideas like orange ciabatta, cheap, good, and a lot, and sit in nostalgic kopi settings... ... haha. (Only other place I've eaten ciabatta is Bakerzin.)

If only there is nice tau huay and pandan cake there... hahahaha. I think I am very demanding. But it's a good idea since ieat has quite the perfect recipe for these, I heard.

Yummy Wanton Mee at Tampines Round Market

2010-04-26T18:09:00.002+08:00

Considering that ieat of ieatishootipost is a doctor, then I must be the evil witch. I am seriously beginning to sound like some sort of myth buster, going around counter-checking all the food, reevaluating them, and often killing the queue with a razor sharp exam-style checklist as some may call it. Well not yet, probably never will. The more someone tells you no, the more you're going to try. Human nature, hence the saying, curiosity kills the cat.

The saying is pretty true, as I have often taken up the role of the cat, and then ended up being killed by my curiosity. Especially when reviews are mixed, be it beauty wise or food wise. And then you just get so frustrated at all the raves that you set up a blog. Hahahaha.

Okay, enough story for this post. Basically, I had a craving for Wanton Mee for the last one week, so I couldn't help it and went to Tampines Round Market in an attempt to settle my craving. And to my horror, I found out that Singapore style Sarawak Kolo Mee is nothing like my idea of kolo mee. Different nevermind, not nice to eat is what matters. =( So here's why:

Yummy Wanton Mee - Mushroom Char Siew Dumpling Noodles + Egg

Available: Blk 137 Tampines Round Market & Food Center #01-45

Opening time: 5am - 3pm daily

Star properties: Rows and rows of awards.

I ordered Set A, Mushroom Char Siew Dumpling Noodles, and added egg, because this seemed like the one with the most number of ingredients, a bit of everything, so that I can write my review.

Personally, I also like mushrooms and char siew, so it was killing two birds with one stone. =))

Mushroom
Not well cooked, as it has that bitter taste. Softness wise, I would say it's okay. Can bite, of course can bite. But it can be a lot softer and better.

Sauce, which is actually the star, not the mushroom, is not nice at all. Just some sort of anyhow mixture of dark sauce, oil, and seasoning. Nothing special.

Rating: 3/5
Which again, means okay only.

Dumpling
The taste is good! Towards the salty side, but not over. Enough crunchiness and prawn taste, and the dumpling is quite big and well-filled by today's standards.

Only gripe is that the skin is still slightly cold and plastic from the freeze. Yes, they use frozen dumplings that I saw taken out from the refrigerator. Don't think it's handmade.

Rating: 4.25/5

Vegetables
Bitter and miserably few. Nothing much to say.

Rating: 3/5
Really just normal. I don't expect much from coffeeshops as well. Most coffeeshop food would fall under the "okay" label, meaning, can eat, cheap, to just fill your stomach.

Char Siew
This is good! The meat is well cooked such that it's not too hard or too soft. Serving amount is little, but expected, and with quite a lot of fats.

But the sweetness is just right.

Rating: 4.25/5

Egg
Horrible. The skin is rubberized, so it forms a layer that almost cannot be eaten, or rather that I really don't want to eat. According to what I am studying, this sort of feeling essentially means that there have been molecular chemical changes, in which the proteins somehow re-bonds in another pattern, or disintegrate into another structure etc, so much such that you detect a macromolecular change in visible properties. Very bad. Don't know what I am eating.

In any case, even discounting the chemical changes, the flavour isn't good! That egg yolk is so hard and dry I really couldn't bring myself to finish it. =( Don't know how to swallow.

The auntie did dip the egg into that mushroom black sauce before serving. But I can honestly tell you, it made no difference because the sauce is not nice, and did not add any taste to enhance.

Rating: 0/5
No point adding $0.50 for the egg.

Noodles
Now, about the main thing, noodles. I really don't know... I don't even think my noodles look the same as those posted in ieatishootipost. =( Much less smelling fragrant like ieat describes. To fill your tummy, it's okay. But seriously, if you were me, looking for a nice bowl of wanton mee to satisfy the week long craving, it's not okay. It's so not okay.

The noodles were overcooked, soggy, no fragrance, no looks, nothing. I really could have got that at the nearest Kopitiam.

And I think one of the greatest secrets to Wanton Mee is the sauce. I don't really care what sauce they put, because I know of a bowl that uses ketchup and chili which is really nice! So all they have to do is get the combination right. And this stall certainly couldn't. Trust me, there is NO secret in their recipe. With your eyes blind folded, take the soy sauce bottle, salt, sugar, pepper, oil, throw a pinch here and there, you'd probably get something like this.

I do not even think they bother to try their sauce or use a constant ratio. You know what hawkers always say, "agar agar". It's this "agar agar" and this "agar agar" attitude that makes the difference between the stalls with queues and those without.

The sauce here is pretty much tasteless even though it looks really dark, and thick enough, and nice. I'd suggest a bit more sweetness, and slightly less oil.

Rating: 3/5

Hawker Attitude
For some reason, the auntie is telling the cook (maybe husband) how to do what! Amazing for a stall that has been around for some time and won so many awards. I got the idea that the cook doesn't knows how to cook. Maybe that explains the mediocre food.

Overall rating: 5.8/10
Not worth coming specially at all. Not even worth even though this time I only traveled 5 busstops. Seriously. Can I remove all that awards? =((((( I wish the food award administrator would periodically go back to check. Things like Ch U and Ch 8 are getting way out of hand.

Even my brother who is not a foodie can tell me the logic. Here's what a non-21 said, "you know right, if the program has to go around saying something is nice (for viewership to hold) once a week, that means that over time, every stall in Singapore will have an award what!".

Yup, so don't believe so quickly when you see Kym Ng's face or Quan Yifeng etc pasted on signboards. And from my experiences, don't believe extremely old newspaper cuttings as well. They are really too outdated, and food standards DO drop because most hawkers just cannot be bothered. They are just there to sell as many bowls as possible in a day and rake in the $$$.

Walking Directions
At the round market, from the Hakka Yong Tau Foo stall (which is right opposite a small goldsmith shop outside the hawker center), Yummy Wanton Mee is right behind Yong Tau Foo.

As for Tampines Round Market, I got there by taking bus 28 from Tampines Interchange, past a church, Holy Trinity, and Shell Station, drop one busstop after Shell station. If you overshot, get down at Safra Tampines before it goes too far. It's a slightly longer walk backwards.

PS: As ieat suggests, the dumpling is worth buying a bowl to add ingredients if you are having porridge or mixed rice etc.

P/S/S: If you are looking for nice tasting wanton mee, and kolo mee at the same time, try the one at Toa Payoh Central a.k.a HDB Hub. Look for gaps in between the shops like SK Jewelery, Hock Hua Chinese Tonic, Hang Ten etc. Go into the back alley, Kolo Mee is at the end of the row from the obvious roast pork rice stall.

I do not have stock pictures to post right now. But that one is the delicious one with secret in the transparent sauce they coat every bowl of noodles in. I may just go there to get my wanton mee craving fixed.

I have eaten there for a whole year when I did part-time, and the quality is extremely consistent.

Bengawan Solo Pandan Chiffon Cake - No idea why it's hyped + Recommend Me A Cake =)

2010-04-23T14:03:00.002+08:00

I think I am going to get kicked for this one again. It seems that everything I post about is bad. But that's because I haven't yet posted about all my delicious adventures and favourite foods! I should link in the post on Watami Singapore. I can be impressed, and very easily impressed. Give me some time, will definitely roll out aaaallll the goodies in Singapore. Now, it's dispelling the hype time, so naturally the foods are not so nice.

[I am just being truthful. I always get that, "hey, actually I also think this is normal" response, when I speak up and pound that hot food.]

Bengawan Solo Pandan Chiffon Cake

I have not eaten this before because my mum stopped buying from Bengawan Solo a long time ago after we all agreed that their foods are not that good and overpriced. I used to have their egg tarts and onion sausage rolls quite often.

However, when I heard that their pandan cake is good, I felt like trying, since my mum really likes this. I myself have never been quite so in love with pandan cakes or chiffon cakes. I guess this belongs to the previous generation. What I thought was, if this is truly one of the best in Singapore, no harm buying a few pieces back for my family.

It then so happened that I had to pass by a Bengawan Solo outlet today, so I walked in to get a piece. Thank goodness I decided on the single piece first before plunging in to grab that box of 5. (I am always quite kan chiong, and will rush to pick things up, without trying.)

So here goes:

Looks

No point talking about food without talking about looks because it is a fact that people eat with their eyes. So yes, like they all say, the one at Bengawan Solo has got a really, really evenly browned skin. And has pattern from the container on top. Pretty cake I must say. And stands well.

While the green on the inside is so green, so green. I don't know it's colouring or they really put in so much pandan extract, but again, it's appealing.

Then the holes. This is one of those really dense chiffon cake in which you don't see big holes. Very well beaten batter (they probably use industrial/business grade machine), even tiny pores rather than holes, making it look all the more perfect.

Rating: 5/5

Feel

Call me psychotic or what, but how could I not press this chiffon cake when I can hold it in my hands? Moreover, it's so soft like those comfort pillow one may have at home.

I know, it makes it ugly, but I just wanted to feel the texture, that's all. I didn't like squeeze my entire cake, that would be quite stupid.

Okay, so the feel is sweet and nice as well. hehe.

Rating: 5/5

Fragrance

And then after buying it out of the display, the first thing to always do with food is to take in the fragrance! =)) You can bet this is super nice from the colour. =)

I don't think it's just pandan. I can't tell because the smell is too mixed up to me. But it's fragrant and made me keep indulging on the smell like one would to one's favourite perfume. It's like when you hug your lover... ... haha, that kind of sniff.

Rating: 5/5
I do give 5/5 when I can't find anything to fault.

Taste & 口感/Texture

It's flatly sweet. I don't really like the texture as well, because I prefer my chiffon cake to the sort that can be bitten down to say, 0.5cm? Then another bite and yes, it breaks!! Gives a great deal of satisfaction, and layering in terms of texture, rather than just one flat, oh-bite-down-and-it-will-break feeling.

Frankly speaking, this did not give me that ooo-aah and eye light-up sensation as I expect from a food that is highly raved about. In fact, I'd rather prefer the pandan cake that sells at Shop & Save because of that resistance.

Rating: 3/5
It means okay lor... ...

Would I buy again?
No. $0.90 a piece for a non-favourite food that I feel I can find better at the supermarket is a tad expensive to me.

Would I recommend?
No. Have no idea why the hype. From Bengawan Solo, still the thousand layered cake is the best. =) If you have to eat sinful cakes and have to buy Bengawan Solo, spend the $$ on that.

Overall rating: 6/10
Really okay lor.

Recommend Me A Cake
I wouldn't mind traveling for good food, so if you also think that there are better Pandan Chiffon than Bengawan Solo's, recommend it. =) However, please also state why you think it's better. I have been cheated into all that long journeys so many times because of baseless raves. Thanks in advance!

Tampopo Part II - The Side Dishes

2010-04-22T13:16:00.000+08:00

I am slightly more satisfied with the side dishes in general, although there are some I really would not order again.

Light Cheese Chiffon Cake

This is an easy one to review. It is just as its name suggest. Light, a bit of cheese on top, no cheese taste in the cake, ultra holey and spongy = chiffon, and in the shape of a cake.

The crust was not crispy, and it didn't have resistance. I am not sure if chiffon cakes should have resistance, but the pandan cake that I can get from no name shops at the neighbourhood market has resistance, so I don't see why others shouldn't. What I mean is you bite the cake all the way down to something like 0.5cm, and feel a sort of stop because all that sponge packs up to a point, like when you squeeze a dish sponge, you can't squeeze it all down till 0.00001 mm right. Then you give a final bite, and it breaks.

Rating: 0/5
Have no idea what this is supposed to be. A creation to waste your money. I ordered because I saw that this only left one in the display refrigerator, while the others had more left. I know Hokkaido steam cakes are a delicacy, but light chiffon cake??? More like a modern creation.

Red Bean Green Tea Ice Cream

Ah, yes, this is good. I quite like to see the red bean in whole (even though I like prefer red bean to be slightly mashed because the best red bean desserts around all have slightly mashed beans, such as Toa Payoh ice kachang).

I like the way the red bean doesn't taste like sugar soaked, because it is unhealthy and also void of any bean taste. Well, if you had the misfortune of venturing so far as to eat the red bean glutinous rice ball green tea ice cream at Ramen Play, a spin-off of BreadTalk, you'd get what I mean by sugar soaked. If you haven't tried that, then thank your lucky stars, because it's not nice.

The green tea ice cream is very strong with green tea taste! I always say bringing out the matcha green tea taste is another culinary art. Green tea taste in green tea is already not easy to bring out, and lots of times, you will find that tea bag green teas are bland. Trying to make that taste into the main character and bloom is a challenge especially when Singaporeans are lovers of strong tastes, because it means you get your money worth and the ingredient is what we call 真才实料, real and truthful, not just out to make $$$.

The consistency of this ice cream is more Westernized, and closer to cream than ice. Japanese ice cream is actually more towards ice than cream. In fact, you'd find that most Japanese ice creams are close to 100% ice, like Azabu Sabo's. So this really depends on whether you're a purist or just want to eat ice cream.

I like both, and I think if want to make an ice cream, either you make it ice, or cream. If the quality is somewhere in between, then the review marks given will also only be somewhere in between. Yup, this is nice. I really don't mind going in to Tampopo and sit down with some friends for chit chat, just eating this. =)

Rating: 4.5/5
I think Haagen Dazs is still the best for cream green tea ice cream, so no full marks.

Pan-fried Gyoza

I ordered pan-fried because the waitress said it's better, even though they have deep fried, which is the latest.

I think this is okay. It passes, but okay. The juice doesn't squirts out, and it's kind of really, really tiny. The taste is quite nice.

Rating: 3/5
Eat if you die-die must have gyoza that day. But not a must-try. And it's tiny, so not worth it. You can get better ones at the same price nearby.

Salmon Sashimi Sushi

This looks very appealing. I think I can announce that gone are the days when you get tiny pieces of ingredients, especially salmon, like those at Sakae. I have been seeing more and more and more of sushi with size of ingredients like this and little rice (preferably in the range of 250 - 300 grains).

However, the salmon wasn't quite as fresh as I'd like it. I think Watami has the freshest seafood so far, and Itacho is above average too.

Also, the rice wasn't really vinergarized. And even if it was, it is not the sweet that should be. Try Itacho for this feeling.

Rating: 3/5
Okay. Again, no need to order unless you are craving for salmon sashimi.

Will I go back?

Maybe, merely for trying the rice dishes. However, there are too many Japanese restaurants in the Clarke Quay area that it is highly unlikely.

Will I recommend this place to people?

No. Despite the commendable service, and big space, I find it hard to give a reason to people to come here. It's like Yoshinoya. I tell my friends, go there during peak hour when you can't find seats no matter how, because it's always empty.

Overall Restaurant Rating: 5.5/10

Tampopo Part I: The Ramen - Net voted best. Really the best?

2010-04-22T03:40:00.101+08:00

The hunt for best ramen in Singapore continues with Tampopo, a must try since it's hungrygowhere's voted best thus far.

I was stunned to see the results, because I expected Ippudo at Mandarin Gallery to garner the most votes after reading Daniel's Blog, and having tried it myself. My own review of Ippudo on hungrygowhere.com is here. For a summary, yes, I find it overrated and no need for a queue, HOWEVER, I was very satisfied with the quality and taste of the food as I've rated.

My quest at Tampopo was really to find out if it is truly better or if the votes are unfairly swayed for whatever reason (maybe people just wanted to win the top prize from Standard Chartered Bank, or it could be internal voting for all we know).

Prior to my visit, I already had an inkling of what I would taste since there are truthful feedback on the post from ieatishootipost. I did not go with high expectations just to make sure I don't get disappointed the way I got with Ippudo, and thereby weeding out possible bias while making room for myself to be impressed. (Well, I rated their food very good despite the disappointment.)

Tampopo

Location

This place was easy to find as it is the Level 1 tenant at Liang Court, which is a mall famous for great food. The space is also overwhelmingly big and therefore has enough wall area of huge signs/posters.

Huge wall area.

Tampopo

Setting & Ambience

Being an enclosed ground floor space, this didn't have the location advantage to give a good view that Santouka has. It doesn't matters that much to me, since I believe there is a time and place for every setting.

First step into the restaurant gave me a slight wow due to the size and extreme spaciousness. Lighting is pretty much the same as many other Japanese restaurants, that dark room with hanging lights thing. I don't know why, but you'd find similar backdrops in Sushi Tei Ang Mo Kio branch, Ippudo, and Watami. Or perhaps, it's just a popular interior design right now... ...

Although so, I do like these dark settings because it makes the meal more romantic by eliminating your sense of time, and it somehow allows extremely good photos to be taken. You can really forget whether it's day or night in places like these. Trust me, especially if the food is good, you wouldn't want to leave.

Service

Service is very good throughout as they are obviously well-staffed. They have to be with a gigantic restaurant by today's standard, because of the space constraints and land pricing in Singapore.

They always make it a point to take note of me, gave me time to look through the menu, and came up at the right moment.

Table setting. Cup of hot tea served almost immediately.

Even while going about the daily chores, such as packing the chopsticks in the paper wrapper, the waitress mainly on duty made sure she sat in a position that she would not miss me if I looked up and signal.

Every dish was set down with an "enjoy your meal", and when I asked for takeaway, it was gladly done, and the waitress even asked if I wanted takeaway for my ramen even though I didn't ask for it. I appreciate the extra consideration, as good service is few and far between in modern day Singapore.

Rating: 4.75/5
I am taking away marks for not so authentic way, as in Japanese service, such as that you can find at Watami Singapore. But I was very much impressed, and this is probably one of the best you can find in mass market restaurants. Ippudo, being slightly more upmarket, doesn't even comes quite close.

Food

I ordered the "biggest" bowl of ramen on the menu, the Black Pig Ramen with Dragon Ball, which even has poster cards of it hanging from the ceiling as if you're in MacDonalds. LOL. A bit strange for a restaurant. But okay, I am not complaining since it does serves its purpose of giving new patrons like me an idea of what to order.

I was sufficiently curious about Dragon Ball to go for it although I did detect gimmick in it. Dragon Ball is my childhood favourite comic series, and it has also spun-off a movie by the Westerners! Furthermore, the movie is good! hahahaha.

I also ordered some things that I more often than not use as benchmarks for a Japanese restaurants, since Tampopo is not a dedicated ramen restaurant. And these items were Light Cheese Chiffon Cake, Red Bean Green Tea Ice Cream, Pan-fried Gyoza, and Salmon Sashimi Sushi.

I will start of with the ramen since that's what this post should be about. Although I will eventually evaluate Tampopo as a whole restaurant like I have done for all the previous posts. Do just keep your eye on the ramen if you are also on the search for best ramen.

Ramen

Dragon Ball
I tested the Dragon Ball first, since the bowl of ramen costs more if you choose to add this.

The ball is huge, like the size of a large egg, except round, or a good big scoop of Haagen Dazs ice cream. Good impression since it costs $1 more. Can't be paying for a quail egg size right, it's not fish roe or foie gras.

Taste is okay. It's not those super tasty pork some people might like. So if you are looking for pork taste, perhaps not this. However, based on the lack of fats and salt, I'd actually qualify this minced meat ball as good. Reason being, you are cheated if you are sold more than 50% fats. Even Bak Kut Teh lovers and Vinegar-ed Pig Leg lovers would agree that the meat needs to has meat rather than just bone coated with fats or fats in sour black sauce.

This entire issue of being sold fats deserves a separate post, which I will do as soon as possible.

Texture wise, the meat ball is also rather firm, okay, in fact very firm, yet highly breakable with your teeth. Not hard, just firm.

Overall, this is a good meat ball that for meat ball lovers, you might just want to try. You might also want to try if your quest is to look for the best meat ball in Singapore. Yet due to the lack of real taste, as in unique taste that can make your eyes gleam, I do not see the need for the mass market to pay for it. Based on this, I find the entire Dragon Ball and poster card on the ceiling a gimmick. Don't fall for it, since you wouldn't be missing out any great taste if your Black Pig Ramen comes without it.

Rating: 3.5/5
Marks given because I don't want to kill the person who in the kitchen who makes this, and on second thought, it does makes my photos of Black Pig Ramen quite a lot better. Added element. lol. Moreover, it was really just a dollar more, not like $2.50, which people would crazily pay for tiny macarons, yeah?

Soup
Okay, the disappointment kicks in from here. In the course of eating and taking picture of Dragon Ball, I accidentally tasted some soup, and my face changed immediately.

What would you say if a bowl of ramen tasted like instant noodles from any brand you can make at home?

I don't know about you, but I don't want to pay for overly-seasoned instant noodles!! I swear this tastes like what you get when you pour the whole packet of that seasoning in. Extremely salty as layerless.

I would definitely forgive the salt and give credit for layer in flavour like I did with Santouka, whose soup was salty but kept reminding me of miso, and made me take more scoops to find the secret. In culinary terms, the Chinese know it as 层次感. It is detectable when you put something into your mouth, first get an initial taste, then another, and another, and some main taste slowly creeps in, even leaving what is called an aftertaste at the back of your throat after swallowing, much like a good cup of kopi for the Chinese or fine wine and chocolate for the Westerners.

Rating: 0/5
Fails miserably, since I wouldn't even make the mistake of pouring in all the seasoning for my instant noodles. I can't stomach it.

Noodles
The noodle sealed the impression that this bowl of ramen is instant noodles.

It was not Q. It isn't bad. Not overly soaked and squishy or undercooked and hard. It breaks easily with a bite. But that's it. It doesn't have the resistance.

The reason why I emphasize so much on Q (spring or bounce) is because even people who make instant noodles for themselves to eat at home ask that of themselves.

The first time I came across this term was 5 years ago, when a friend reviewed to me that she can make the noodles Q by dipping it in cold water, hot water then cold water again, right after it has been cooked in the boiling water. So you see, if a normal person bothers to go through these steps to make instant noodles at home, what excuse does it gives restaurants? Unless of course, one claims that the cook doesn't knows of such thing as Q noodles.

Rating: 3/5
Good just bite and break noodles, but lack that bounce that I would like to be paying for. I have also given a little bit more marks since Tampopo is not a dedicated ramen restaurant.

Pork
I am glad to say that the pork did not disappoint. =)

I couldn't taste if this is really black pig or white pig or what, but the slices of pork I could scoop up from underneath was quite a lot, and every piece was delightfully soft and tender. This is an art that hawkers somehow fail to grasp.

Yet, the taste was lacking. Great texture and feel in the mouth, but there was no real pork taste or any unique seasoning taste. Just good feel pork. All I ask for is that I can at least tell it's pork rather than super tender piece of flour or something.

Rating: 3.8/5

Overall Ramen Rating: 2.55/5
Based on a pass and fail system that I used for commenting on ieatishootipost, I actually failed this, since everything fails from the purely ramen point of view. Like I wrote there, as a ramen, fail, as a bowl of instant noodles, barely pass. I have gotten over an initial disappointment (even though I came with not much expectations!), and use a rating system instead, which gives credit to things like the person cooking, how something would add looks to the dish etc. So I guess, this rating system goes in line with it being an extremely normal bowl of noodles which you can cook at home, rather than a contender for Top 10 ramen in Singapore.

I tried, and I cannot find a reason for those who haven't visited Tampopo to try their ramen. =( Considering the large variety of food in the much, much more accessible Orchard Belt, and a lot, a lot that are nice, I really don't want to make people run down to Liang Court for something that can be left to the last to try.

(To be continued... ...)

Santouka 山头火 Ramen - A Recommendation by ieatishootipost & gang

2010-04-21T20:09:00.000+08:00

I have no idea why I am only blogging about ieatishootipost now, given that I have been reading it for a few years and also own a handful of blogs prior to this. Moreover, I always recommend my friends to read it if they really wanted to find something good to eat in Singapore, because that blog seriously only blogs about good food, and nothing else.

This time round, ieat has gone on the search for the best ramen in Singapore to list down the Top 10, and I, being a Japanese lover, just had to get into the fun and excitement of the search! Enjoying the adrenaline rush that builds up. =)

[Since History was my most-hated subject in school, after Literature, I shall not post much on beginnings and whatnot. Furthermore, I think the writeup on all food at ieatishootipost is already so perfect! Read Santouka on ieatishootipost here. I prefer to focus on the entirety of the restaurant, as we all know we are paying for it in cosmopolitan Singapore. Yes, so don't waste your $$$ on yucky food.]

Santouka 山头火 Ramen

Setting & Ambience

First step in Santouka was delightful with the wide-open view of Singapore river and very much unblocked blue sky, together soft sunlight setting in on the entire restaurant.

It's always nice seeing greenery and water during mealtimes.

The furniture is well-spaced despite the narrow and not very big place, unlike many Chinese restaurants which squeezes me up at too close a proximity to the next diner, for comfort, and no space to place my belongings.

The surroundings certainly goes into my book as a place that couples can have a good meal at.

However, the decoration is slightly sparse in contrast to glitzy restaurants like Ippudo and Watami. Perhaps not the first date, but yes for a regular hangout.

On a side note, there is a long line of cushioned sofas outside the restaurant, so that people may queue in comfort during peak hours. I really take my hat of that as most places would give you a row of single chairs, and strange ones like Ippudo give you a big waiting table to stand around at.

Rating: 4/5

Service

I was greeted nicely by a new staff, who very promptly brought me a jug of water, the menu and a basket to be placed on the floor and hold my bags.

I wanted to change seats for more lighting, and she gladly shifted everything to the next table. In the process, she was also well-aided by the more experienced staff, which was heart-warming, since I know that this kind of peer help do not exists in many restaurants.

Throughout, service was prompt, polite, and pleasant, with a lot of thank you as the cashier.

Rating: 4.5/5

Food

Menu

The menu is sparse in the sense that this is a dedicated ramen restaurant, so you do not get the dizzying array of sashimi, rice dishes and dessert, as you would as chains like Sakae, Sushi Tei or Watami.

All you see will be the different types of ramen.

Ramen - Toro Niku Kara (Spicy) Miso Ramen

As the title goes, I ordered the Toro Niku Kara (Spicy) Miso Ramen, as the pork cheeks are highly recommended by one of ieat's gang.

I put them all together and decorated it myself! hehe.

I didn't really like the way that you have to order the pork cheeks separately and then the noodles, as it ups the price this way. =(

The Pork Cheeks

The pork cheeks are good, such that I could finish them despite having eaten two other ramen meals right before visiting Santouka. Also, normally, no matter how great the taste is, I'd still control myself and don't eat so much fattening meat. So pork cheeks is one of the exceptions.

The serving is quite a lot, with 6 big pieces, and I only bite about 1/4 of the piece for each mouthful of noodles I take. So by the time it finishes, I ate enough noodles and drank enough soup to be very full.

The taste, though good, was a little bit disappointing, as it reminded me of Narcissus brand canned stew pork. I was a little surprised at the quite normal taste since I have eaten this from 20 years ago. It is a good taste, and I do not compromise on the taste of my canned stew pork. I only buy Narcissus. So yes, the pork cheeks tastes good, but not unique for me.

Besides that, I like the taste of pork neck in teppanyaki better than cheeks.

However, the texture and amount of fats (which is little and not visible, so is good grade meat) is definitely something you would not get outside Santouka. =) So yes, I do like the taste, and the meat as a whole.

As far as I know, on the mass market, Santouka is the only place that serves pork cheeks.

Supposedly, for maximum taste and best texture, you dip the cheek in the boiling hot soup and melt the interwoven fats, so that the cheeks would melt in your mouth. However, I enjoyed the plain version as much, so I basically soaked half in the soup and ate half plain.

Rating: 4/5

Soup

The soup is strong and tasty, and has that special slightly herb-y taste. It was so refreshing that I drank 1/3 the bowl until I finally figured out the secret behind that great taste.

It is miso, as I ordered of course! haha, but I sort of forgotten because I was taken aback by the shot of eye-gleaming (which is a grade lower than eye-PoPpInG. hahaha.) curry-lookalike soup.

It is on the salty side and I would advise not to drink it, since Japanese also do not usually drink ramen soup. They use it as flavouring for the noodles and ingredients.

See! Got sesame one! Cute.

Also, I need to point out that I felt very thirsty after that, and so it could be an overdose of MSG.

The part that wasn't satisfying for me is the apparent lack of spiciness despite the menu calling it spicy. I take that as failure to do as promised, which I feel is very important for products.

If you are looking for the same taste of soup (in fact, I think better), Beppu Japanese Noodles at Tiong Bahru Plaza is better. I drank up every drop, and if you choose spicy, it is really spicy. However, the meat and noodles are definitely no match for Santouka (which is also expectedly more expensive). =)

Rating: 4.5/5

Noodles

Yes, the noodles pass the QQ-test. =)

I would set this as the minimum pass benchmark for Q ramen, and I'd expect all ramen joints/chains/restaurants to produce this grade of standard round and long noodles.

Rating: 4/5

Drink

The green tea here is good, because you get a whole boiling teapot to yourself with the tea bag. I guess that means no free flow. But the two cups that the one pot poured was more than enough for me.

Side - Egg

The half-cooked hard-boiled egg is good too, with very flowy yolk, which can be a bit messy if held slantedly. I'd prefer slightly more cooked yolk, and slightly less salty, yet more flavourful egg though.

For egg only, I recommend O-An Japanese Restaurant, which I will blog about in later posts.

Rating: 4/5

Price/ Value-for-money

The normal ramen are reasonably priced at around $14 before service charge. However, the pork cheeks really ups the ante quite a bit. So I am posting to psychological prep anyone who needs it.

1 Japanese Tea $2
1 Toro Niku Kara (Spicy) Miso Ramen $20.50
1 Komi-Tamago (Half-cooked Hard-boiled Japanese style ramen egg)
10% Svc Charge $2.35
7% GST $1.81
Total $27.65

I find it a tad expensive, as this is not a 5/5 dish for me. However, this is the best bowl of ramen for holydrummer of ieat makan buddies. So, go try. It is good, and probably wouldn't garner complains.

Rating: 4.8/5

Would I go back?

Yes, to try the other styles. But I am not in love, and so maybe not so soon. I do not really find the cheeks die-die must eat, and I must have it again. But I feel, yes, they are must-tries in your life. And once in a while. =)

Would I recommend?
Yes, but no need to rush, no need to make special trips. For the next time the girlfriend complains nothing to eat since the location is quite central, or a friend reunion, yes. =)

Overall rating: 8/10

RAMEN SANTOUKA
6 Eu Tong Sen St S'pore 059817
#02-76 The Central
Tel 62240668

Walking Directions:
From Clark Quay MRT Station, turn left on exiting the barricades, and left again to the exit saying "To Central" (besides the flight of 90 steps staircase). Seeing Subway at the end of the escalators, turn to Azabu Sabo's side, take the one level escalator to 2nd floor, you should see lots of banners and Japanese words already. Walk all the way pass Manhatten Fish Market and Billy Bombers, it's the tiny shop at the end! =)

PS: Quite sad that the pictures are not very good for this. Sat at the wrong place. I actually feel like going back for better pictures that will do Santouka justice. So tired after long walks that day. haha, just felt like pouncing on the food due to the recommendation.

Wendy's: Quality is Our Recipe Part II (Lunch)

2010-04-19T22:19:00.000+08:00

haha, so I stayed from 10am breakfast time till 11am lunch time, just to wait for the menu change and get a taste of the famous fried chicken.

The standard menu look really delicious, unlike Popeye's Chicken. I've always felt that there is a lack of variety there. Unfortunately, I can't try the signature beef burger.

Sumptuous non-breakfast menu. So colourful!

When I saw the Frosty and milkshakes, I just knew I had to try them because the comeback milkshake from McD is lousy. 18 years ago, it was so thick, creamy and good. Food nowadays always gets worse.

Frosty ($1.30 for the small cup)

This is a cup of... ... hmmm, half milkshake drink, half ice cream??? hahaha. I actually exchanged my drink in the burger meal for this. So I sort of expected a drink. But when they served it to me in the cup, it looks more like an ice cream. Funnily, I took a straw and a spoon for this!

I used the spoon and ate it like an ice cream in the end.

Frosty, small.

So you see, it actually looks like McD soft-serve cone ice cream. At a few tens of cents more, you do get slightly more than the cone ice cream.

This tastes like soft-serve cone ice cream as well, just quite a bit more milky. It really is in between soft-serve ice cream and milkshake! lol! It is also very smooth and creamy as Wendy's promise.

Rating: 5/5
I do like the flavour of it, and I like milk ice cream taste, so I like this. And I think there was really nothing for me to pick on even though I was a little disappointed that it wasn't more of a milkshake. But well, I have decided to order the Frosty Milkshake the next time.

Spicy Chicken Burger Meal ($6.85)

Burger and fries.

haha, I do like the way this photo has turned out. It's sooo cuuute. The two of them, burger and fries, best friend side by side.

Burger

Spicy chicken burger.

Such the cutest flower bread this has. So lovely.

But I was a little sad that this burger looks so ordinary on the outside. It's just two buns, the normal looking chicken and cabbage, and tomatoes. I feel that the other joints like KFC Zinger Burger, Subway, Mos Burger has so much more interesting outlook than this.

Ordinary-looking handful of chicken meat too.

However, the magical moment came when I put this ordinary-looking burger into my mouth. The moment I bit down, the juices just all went, SPLASH! into my mouth, like I were eating Xiao Long Bao (Shanghai -style flour-wrapped minced meat, to look like a tiny bun, often containing the soup stock)!! Whoa-oWow! I love it. The juice.

And so I thought, it might be the oil. But when I look at the chicken, it's like, NO FATS at all! It's like those really well-cooked, pure, pure chicken, and it does reminds me of kampung chicken, of which, I ate in Malaysia, and it has that only meat, no fats, but super juicy feel too.

Ultra tender, firm and resistive bounce smooth, soft, juicy meat.

At this moment, I think I realised what Wendy's logo means by "Quality is Our Recipe". It's just amazing.

I took one more bite, and another bite, and another, and another. It was gone. I love this thing. There is no such chicken burger in Singapore. Firm, soft, tender, smooth, no fat, and so juicy, it squirts out like Xiao Long Bao.

And then there is the bun.

Besides the cute flower shape, it is also slightly buttered.

Special, buttered, flower-shaped bun with sesame on top. Love this!

Actually, the chicken ate alone is very salty, but when ate with the bun and vegetables altogether, the tastes just comes through as really refreshing with the juice. Not the full chicken taste anymore, they just blended altogether. =) First time I've eaten a burger whose tastes really blends.

Rating: 5/5
Must try!

I also ordered the nugget and fried chicken wing as this was a special out of the way trip down, so I am not sure when I would go back and have the chance to try Wendy's again.

Nuggets

I chose the 4 piece nugget. They look very cute with all that seasoning on top, but slightly smaller than McD's.

They are very soft! And has meat that looks and feels more real than the minced fats in McD's nuggets. However, probably also because of the more healthy parts, less seasoning and all, this is not as tasty as many would like.

Nuggets, my favourite from fast food!

I feel that these are very healthy nuggets with really good texture in the mouth, so yes, I would choose it over McD's about 50% of the time.

Rating: 4/5

Last but not least, the much-awaited famous chicken!

Ah, the box reminds me of 20-pieces nugget from McD.

I asked for takeaway for the chicken and the nuggets, as I know I can't possibly finish breakfast and lunch by myself, and I wouldn't want to throw them away.

Fried Chicken

I am not sure if you can request parts like KFC allows, but I didn't. I think I did briefly mention wings though. So they gave me one wing and one breast part.

Breast and wing portions.

These are good! They really, really do remind of the kampong chicken I had in Malaysia! The skin is not exceedingly crispy or anything, but crispy enough. The real good part comes with the juice and firm yet tender smooth and soft white meat you feel after the crispy crunch. I'd say, these taste better than Popeye's!

Tender juicy meat.

Not really THE best chicken wings ever, ever, but they are one of a kind. And you probably will not find similarly juicy one from Chinese coffeeshop stalls, nor Popeye's, much less KFC!

I also like the way it perfectly cooked. Not too hard, not bloody. However, I was disappointed that despite them having the option of spicy or original, this spicy wings that I chose is not spicy at all. Same goes for the burger. Not spicy at all.

Rating: 5/5 Must experience the juice and tenderness. Love this.

Overall

Something else worth mentioning are the chili and ketchup. They are self-service, so stored in dispense units, and I couldn't see what brand they are. But the chili is amazing. It's sweet on first taste, but as you swallow it down, it has that spicy spicy near your throat. Great chili that doesn't makes me tear, yet has that spice taste. The ketchup has some sort of herb taste too. Quite strange.

In my takeaway, they gave Heinz brand sauces. So it might be Heinz.

Rating: 7/10
I'd definitely go back for the main courses again. I still want to try the baked potato and the Frosty milkshake. But I deducted marks for the not so charming breakfast and houseflies. So yes, buy the coffee, chicken burger and fried chicken!

Wendy's: Quality is Our Recipe Part I (Breakfast) - Americanization in Action

2010-04-19T19:58:00.001+08:00

Americanization is a term that first appeared to me in one of my General Paper (GP) articles for A' levels. I vividly remember that this term came along with synonyms such as McDonaldization and consumerism. Basically, it is Westernization as we all already know it.

Westernization has inevitably been around since Singapore was a former British Colony, and we couldn't have stopped McDonald's from coming in during the 1970s. From then on, the local food scene has not stopped seeing new fast food chains, like KFC, Burger King, Long John Silver, and fondly remembered A&W.

In recent years, the emergence of new malls has seen more and more Western fast food chains opening. One of the most popular one being Subway. And now, there is lesser known Quiznos Sub, still yet to really expand Popeye's Chicken. And Singaporeans do love it, from the way Subway has expanded, and the queues at Popeye's.

The latest edition then, would be Wendy's in December 2009. Apparently, as report in the news here, there were queues then. I think the buzz has pretty much died down now because I did not quite see the lunchtime working crowd coming in when I was there this morning.

I always like restaurants with outdoors seats. Enjoy the sunshine. =)

Wendy's has been around since 1969, and they were in Singapore more than 10 years ago, but pulled out. This time, they are brought in my Kopitiam, which plans to open up to 35 branches in the years to come. You may read more of Wendy's history and its founder, Dave, on their official website here. There, you will also find the pdf files of the nutrition values in each of the food items.

Since Wendy's is opening their 2nd branch at Jurong Point soon, I decided that it's time I make a special trip down to Lau Pa Sat to try it out! =)

The Breakfast

I chose the McDonald's Big Breakfast style of course, which is called the Turkey Whole Breakfast at Wendy's, because that's my favourite, and the others, like the burger and wrap are basically the "mini" version of the Big Breakfast.

It comes in the standard English breakfast style, as we all probably already know it, that is, an egg, bread, some sort of fat, like bacon, sausage or ham, and coffee or tea. In Singapore, we have hash browns as well.

English-style breakfast with custom coffee.

From a health point of view, the English breakfast is definitely very well-balanced and nutritious. Only, I'd substitute the fat with unsaturated fat like olive oil on the toast bread, nuts or salmon instead. Bacon is just... ... Not to my liking. It reminds me of kian he, which is salted fish.

The real problem only comes when you overload it with oil, like in McDonald's (of which I am still a loyal fan of). KFC is slightly better. But really not much. LJS is a LOT better in terms of health, but so lacking in taste nobody can palate it. I do believe in the existence of nice-tasting healthy food.

That said, I'd like evaluate to this from a slightly different perspective of health and quality real food, rather than just whether it's tasty or not, because I believe that in terms of taste, nothing can beat McDonald's, for me. So if I only look at that, it'd be very biased. I am more looking out for a unique proposition that can make me choose this new fast food over my childhood McDonald's. (Nothing beats childhood memories and tastes that one grows up with.)

The Egg

I attacked the egg first because I can't live without my daily dose of the nutritious yellow cutie pie. Yellow just brightens your Monday like the sunshine. Don't you think? Especially when I was sitting by the almost full-length glass window of an air-conditioned place, watching the soft sunlight streaming in after days of thunderstorm that roared way into my dreams, that gleaming breakfast looked all the more welcoming in contrast of black days before.

Folded omelette that is achievable at home.

I really like the texture of this omelette. It squishes up in my mouth, rather than crumbles like the scrambled eggs from McD. This was a surprise as the holey rolled-up piece of yellow didn't half look like anything silky or smooth or creamy.

It tasted blend, as I couldn't even detect a pinch of salt. This very much reminded me of the days when McD had tasteless eggs as well, that was a good 18 years ago. However, the difference is that Wendy's gave that home-cooked feeling because of the oh-so-normal look. I mean, to be honest, which part of my photo makes it look super tasty to you? I just wanted to convey that sense of no-frills, no patterns, that clean and neatness that would come from my mum's breakfast, if she were to make omelette with toast bread and bacon.

McD obviously looks ultra spiced up to appeal with all that oil. I only have to roll the scrambled egg away, and I can see those liquid underneath. This doesn't happens with Wendy's at all. It's just that plain-cooked simple egg. Therefore, very, very healthy I'd say.

Health Point of View (POV): 5/5.
Taste Point of View (POV): 2.5/5. I only pass it because of the good texture.

Bacon

I hit the bacon next because it reminded me of Burger King, whose breakfast I do miss because of the tiny round hash browns. LOL!

This pretty much tasted like bacon should. What else but salt? It wasn't fried till ultra crispy, but it really didn't matter to me, because I would still be eating salty fat anyway.

I was actually impressed with the leanness of the bacon they choose. No thick white strips of fat at all! I'd say, yes, very quality food. Seriously, if any eatery sells you more fats than meat, it's selling you rubbish. Please do not waste your money on that. Unless of course, the dish is pork belly or pork leg.

Bacon with no clear thick white fatty strips.

I remember eating pork ribs in China that were cut into tiny cubes, and 98% fats. My friends and I were so disgusted we learned our lesson never ever to order pork ribs anywhere. Beijing is weird. That's just the way they sell food.

Rating: 5/5
Given that this bacon tastes like all other bacon, I feel that the distinguishing point to it is the well-chosen lack of fat part. So much better than Burger King's, which shows no effort to weed fat bacon out at all.

Bread

Looks nice. As a bread lover, I can't say no to soft white bread.

Clean and neat soft white slightly grilled bread that looks appealing to me.

This was slightly disappointing as it tasted pretty normal. It gives me the feel of supermarket bread being toasted lightly, that's all. It is, a bit, teeny teeny bit buttery, and had a little little little bit of fragrance. But it is definitely far from nice to eat. Just a normal bread.

Rating: 3/5
I do like that homely plainness. But for this, I really did rather choose McD's special airy toasted breakfast burger buns that I have not seen replicated anywhere else in this world!

Hash Brown

I love this hash brown! I really do love it. This is so healthy, well crisped, yet with that hue of butter infused inside rather than spread on top. The others just feels like salt-loaded or MSG-loaded potatoes when put besides this.

Crispy with a hue of butter. Just a hue. Feel healthy enough for me to eat.

Rating: 5/5
Give me another Wendy's Hash Brown any time!

Coffee

I was pretty excited over this because I saw the word "custom" printed on their cup. I really love brand-unique coffees, and I wasn't disappointed.

Custom Bean, as they call it.

Wendy's cup has that pure espresso feeling. Just purely coffee kind of bitter. Thick enough yet not over-powering for people who do not like coffee. I think this is very much drinkable by everybody, as I myself do not like bitter tastes, and I cannot take Nescafe pure dark coffee, but I did manage the whole pure cup of this, no sugar, no creamer added. (I always feel forced to add sugar to the bottled Nescafe, because as mentioned, I cannot take it.)

Dark, and thick enough pure coffee.

It actually really reminds me of Oriole Cafe & Bar. Really. It's the same taste. I just know it's that same espresso taste. However, the Piccolo Latte has more milk. (Of course, because Piccolo Latte means a bit of milk added.)

Yup, so coffee lovers, if you want a big, big cup of that kind of pure not so thick espresso (that you can only can a tiny tequila shot of), here's the one. And cheaper too! It's nothing like supermarket. Supermarket coffee, no matter how pure, will not yield this taste. Strange, but that is just so.

Rating: 5/5 *** Can I give this 6/5? haha.
If you work in the Lau Pa Sat area, this is the cuppa java to go to. =)

Restaurant Ambience/Condition

It is well-lit, well-spaced, has nice paintings and all, but unfortunately, I'd choose not to dine in if I had to go again. I'd rather takeaway, and go sit in some non-airconditioned tables in LPS, because there are houseflies ALL over. I was actually trying to find a seat without those flies, and I failed, even though I was one of the 5 customers there early in the morning, and I had pretty much every seat to myself.

Well-lit all over, with relevant posters framed up and hung on the wall.

I have half a mind to write in to NEA for them to check and rate this fast food joint again. The flies landed on my bread, my coffee, my... ... everything. =(((( This is when I bring in the dialect, "sian", which here means sickening and tiring.

Rating: 0.5/5
I cannot emphasize how important it is to provide a clean and hygiene dining place, especially when there is air-con.

Service

Many of the staffs were new to service line, and don't quite know how to even take orders and pack the food etc. So I will try to find fault. Generally, they are okay, they follow standard operating procedures (SOPs), greet, take your order etc.

Rating: 3/5 Can be improved.

To be continued in Part II, LUNCH! =))

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Wendy's: Quality is Our Recipe Part II (Lunch)

Wendy's: Quality is Our Recipe Part I (Breakfast) - Americanization in Action

Sweetly Nice - Singa 坡の Makan