Over the weekend, my wife and I went on this Italian binge. However we were left somewhat disappointed. On Friday, we headed to Mama Lucia's at Robertson Walk. We didn't know what to eat that day and even though we were at Raffles City, the thought of eating at Prego's scared the "begeesus," out of me. We grabbed a cab and went straight to Roberston Walk. Its a small restaurant. I like the deco but I didn't understand why the chairs were plastic chairs. We were served promptly and abruptly. I thought I was experiencing some deja vu when I realized that I was seeing the same thing over and over again on pages of the menu. It took about 5 minutes before I figured out what it was. The restaurant served many types of pasta, but with the same sauces. For example, if they had tortolleni and fettuicine, they would have meat sauce on both. But they will be seen on 2 different pages of the menu because it was categorized by pasta types. The prices were decent and its the type of place to bring your kids there to enjoy some above average pasta and pizza. I won't go back there again simply because they don't serve cold water. Its THAT type of a restaurant where they insist you order a drink. The pasta was decent, the sauce was actually good by the way. The pizza we ordered was the quattro stagioni ( mushroom, ham, olives and artichokes.) It was average. Dare I say Pasta Fresca Pizza? But the quality of pasta is definitely above average.
On Sunday after a 5 hour "sabbathing," nap, my wife again said that she wanted some Italian food and so we headed to somewhere near. We headed to Al Forno along East Coast road. Before reading the pamphlet on the side, I never knew that it has been open for the last 11 years. WOW! I know that I have been there many times but 11 years. Man, I am old. We ordered a Calzone, and I have to say that they might have the best Calzone but that's about it. My wife ordered a dish that was Lagsana type dish and an Italian Antipasti. Average at best? I regretted not heading to Porta Porta at Changi Village. And the bill turned out to be $81! Oh my gosh, that's a lot to pay for a really average meal in which I only loved the Calzone!
Morale of the lesson, most Italian food in Singapore, very mediocre.
Thanksgiving Turkey
I celebrated Thanksgiving last week with a few of my friends, and I have to say the Turkey from Espirito Santo from Parkway is fantastic! Sure it was a tad bit pricey, but it was awesome! Highly recommended for Christmas parties too!
Just on an interesting note, every thanksgiving the President pardons a Turkey for Thanksgiving in the United States. I guess the rest just get eaten. That would be a great reality show!
Australia vs Switzerland (The sausage edition)
Before you think this is the title of the next porn movie that I am making. It is not. Before I carry on, let me just say to the millions and millions of fans out there for this site, I am sorry for not having to write for so long but I haven't been able to go to new places, I have been stuck going to my regular places! I have also been asked to write about places that are somewhat cheaper than Garibaldis. So here goes.
The missus and I were walking in Takashimaya on a weekend and we ventured deep into basement 2 when we spotted the Swiss German Sausage Bar. Okay, honestly it wasn't even our first choice because we wanted cheap Italian food right next to it because they were serving Illy coffee. (my wife's favorite) We hesitated for a second and I thought Swiss Sausages, how bad can it be? And the conclusion is that it is not bad at all. Mediocre at best but not bad at all. You can't go wrong with sausages! I love sausages. We ordered the same combo that I can't really remember the name of but it had 2 types of pretty big sausages plus a German meat loaf with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Not bad. The meats in the sausages are processed meat so its not the authentic types. But it was okay. I would recommend anyone who loves sausages and wants to sit down for a some what cheap meal. We paid about $25 for 2 and it even came with soft drinks.
On the other end, there is the Melbourne Bratwurst shop in the basement of Plaza Singapura. I have to say this is probably the best hot dog in Singapore. The bratwurst are thick and juicy. Sauerkraut is good. Service is decent and price is reasonable. For less than $5 a person, you get a great hot dog with ketchup and mustard on the side. Freaking fantastic. You have up to 5 types of bratwurst available and they have even expanded their sitting area! I have never been to Melbourne before but this is probably the best thing in Singapore for the hot dog scene, unless of course Gray's Papaya decides to open a chain here. But since this is not the case, this is the best place in Singapore for a good hot dog!
Mouthfuls of Weekend Gorging
My dear aunt rang today and wants to take us out to dinner!! Looks like we are headed to Au Petit Salut for some French on Saturday. The Cliff @ Sentosa Spa & Resort will be expecting us on Sunday for a quiet celebration to commemorate our 1st wedding anniversary. Tell you what, I'll be havin some of them fresh, divine oysters topped with a Martini Sorbet. To top it off, it's Arsenal vs Liverpool at midnight. I pick the Londoners to lose 2-1. WONDERFUL. I couldn't have planned it any better.
Wedding Dinner at The Regent, 28th October 2006
The ballroom is sufficiently large enough to comfortably hold about 40++ tables. I'm not sure if carpark space is adequate though! We came early and managed to get a nice spot near the exit.
The service throughout the event was pretty good. Distribution of waitstaff was optimal, one per table with prompt and courteous service. Beverages were constantly and politely topped up.
Food wise, I would have to say the menu for the evening ranks as one of the better places to throw your once in a lifetime party.
This was a traditional 10 course dinner with a twist right at the end. Instead of ending the meal with traditional Chinese desserts such tang yuan or orr nee, we had a nice slice of light pistachio cake dressed with a white chocolate stick and carefully spooned raspberry puree sauce.
There wasn't a crackingly good standout dish though I must give special mention to the steamed Canadian Sea Perch which tasted really fresh and cooked to perfection. It takes alot of experience to do a really good steamed fish dish for 500 hungry people.
Starting with the cold dish combination of roast pork, salad prawns and other tastybits *yeah yeah*, we progressed to a thick dried scallop flavoured soup. Roast chicken, shrooms and spinach??, broccolli..
The white & red wines were a good accompanyment to the food. Don't ask me if it's Australian. It's always a good thing the wines are nicely paired with the food. I think I had a beer, a glass and a half of wine and lots of chinese tea because I remember leaving the ballroom to take a pee which lasted a minute.
Good servce, good food. I'd say based on the menu, the cost per table was probably in the $1,200 - $1,400 region. Worth considering if you want to make a good impression. It certainly left us quite satisfied.
The service throughout the event was pretty good. Distribution of waitstaff was optimal, one per table with prompt and courteous service. Beverages were constantly and politely topped up.
Food wise, I would have to say the menu for the evening ranks as one of the better places to throw your once in a lifetime party.
This was a traditional 10 course dinner with a twist right at the end. Instead of ending the meal with traditional Chinese desserts such tang yuan or orr nee, we had a nice slice of light pistachio cake dressed with a white chocolate stick and carefully spooned raspberry puree sauce.
There wasn't a crackingly good standout dish though I must give special mention to the steamed Canadian Sea Perch which tasted really fresh and cooked to perfection. It takes alot of experience to do a really good steamed fish dish for 500 hungry people.
Starting with the cold dish combination of roast pork, salad prawns and other tastybits *yeah yeah*, we progressed to a thick dried scallop flavoured soup. Roast chicken, shrooms and spinach??, broccolli..
The white & red wines were a good accompanyment to the food. Don't ask me if it's Australian. It's always a good thing the wines are nicely paired with the food. I think I had a beer, a glass and a half of wine and lots of chinese tea because I remember leaving the ballroom to take a pee which lasted a minute.
Good servce, good food. I'd say based on the menu, the cost per table was probably in the $1,200 - $1,400 region. Worth considering if you want to make a good impression. It certainly left us quite satisfied.
Birthday at Le Bristrot
First of all, let me say that I am a couple of weeks late for this post. I should have written this one earlier but I didn't! A good friend of mine had his birthday, one half of the "Fantastic Gohs," was reluctantly turning 30 and we had to celebrate it! I planned for the dinner to be at Le Bristrot, and even though they did not have seats inside for us, we still had a great time! The service was good and the food excellent! Like every happy occasion, here are some of the pictures.
By the way, people were there too!
Raffles Bar and Billiard Room
At the end of each tiring week, I usually like to kick back, and relax with the wife. We go out to town. Have a good and nice dinner and last week was no exception. The only problem was where to go and we didn't know where to go at all. After much thought and consideration and since it might be near somebody's (yes, that's you Tasty Bites, its your wedding anniversary coming up!), I decided to have the buffet dinner at the Raffles Hotel Bar and Billiard room.
Its Raffles Hotel, so you expect good service. And I got it. This is the type of service that you want to be intentionally bad so that you can see how good the service is? But fortunately for all, I behaved! We made some reservations earlier that day and it wasn't full. We got a small table by the far away from the buffet and I like it. It was quiet and we had our privacy. The place was dimly lit and a small tea light on the table. I was just happy to be there because there are lots of good memories at the place!
It was an "All you can eat buffet," and we tried our best. The breads were top notch. The soup of the day was New England Clam Chowder. It was surprisingly good! You'd expect something so creamy looking and without the clam smell taste so " Clam Chowderish?" The spread was typical. The seafood which I attacked with force were all fresh. Lobster, shrimp, oysters, clams, fresh sashimi all tasted good. I even had time to start out with some salad and a small miniature glass cup of smoked tomato reduction to cleanse the pallet. I thought the secret of the buffet was the grilled food which was outside the restaurant. I don't think many people saw that! Anyway, the grilled, beef, chicken and shrimp all tasted good.
The only complaint if I really want to nit pick is the pasta bar. For all the money you are paying, you would think that the choice of ingredients for the pasta bar would be more. But it wasn't so. The pasta was good mind you. But I just felt that I couldn't, how you say, carbo load enough with the pasta?
My wife had to order a Singapore Sling because we were at Raffles hotel and I have to say I don't really know what the obsession is with the drink, it tastes like cough mixture. I don't really blame the bar tenders, I blame the 2 people drinking it. My wife and I!
I usually end the night with more seafood. But somehow, all the small little finger sized desserts drove me crazy. I ate probably the entire variety of desserts available except the healthy fruits? They were all good. Every piece a bite of what a buffet is supposed to be. Quality and Quantity. Raffles hotel had both.
The bill turned out to be about $150 SGD. I have no complaints. The only complaining that night was from the both of us, but it was about our work. Our dinner took over 2 hours. We sat there. Took our time and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. The music played from the live band was fantastic and it added so much more to the ambiance than the sounds of people laughing and talking or utensils knocking on plates.
A thoroughly enjoyable experience to relax. If you and your long time wife or girlfriend like to sit and talk and eat, I say this might be the place to do it.
Its Raffles Hotel, so you expect good service. And I got it. This is the type of service that you want to be intentionally bad so that you can see how good the service is? But fortunately for all, I behaved! We made some reservations earlier that day and it wasn't full. We got a small table by the far away from the buffet and I like it. It was quiet and we had our privacy. The place was dimly lit and a small tea light on the table. I was just happy to be there because there are lots of good memories at the place!
It was an "All you can eat buffet," and we tried our best. The breads were top notch. The soup of the day was New England Clam Chowder. It was surprisingly good! You'd expect something so creamy looking and without the clam smell taste so " Clam Chowderish?" The spread was typical. The seafood which I attacked with force were all fresh. Lobster, shrimp, oysters, clams, fresh sashimi all tasted good. I even had time to start out with some salad and a small miniature glass cup of smoked tomato reduction to cleanse the pallet. I thought the secret of the buffet was the grilled food which was outside the restaurant. I don't think many people saw that! Anyway, the grilled, beef, chicken and shrimp all tasted good.
The only complaint if I really want to nit pick is the pasta bar. For all the money you are paying, you would think that the choice of ingredients for the pasta bar would be more. But it wasn't so. The pasta was good mind you. But I just felt that I couldn't, how you say, carbo load enough with the pasta?
My wife had to order a Singapore Sling because we were at Raffles hotel and I have to say I don't really know what the obsession is with the drink, it tastes like cough mixture. I don't really blame the bar tenders, I blame the 2 people drinking it. My wife and I!
I usually end the night with more seafood. But somehow, all the small little finger sized desserts drove me crazy. I ate probably the entire variety of desserts available except the healthy fruits? They were all good. Every piece a bite of what a buffet is supposed to be. Quality and Quantity. Raffles hotel had both.
The bill turned out to be about $150 SGD. I have no complaints. The only complaining that night was from the both of us, but it was about our work. Our dinner took over 2 hours. We sat there. Took our time and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. The music played from the live band was fantastic and it added so much more to the ambiance than the sounds of people laughing and talking or utensils knocking on plates.
A thoroughly enjoyable experience to relax. If you and your long time wife or girlfriend like to sit and talk and eat, I say this might be the place to do it.
List of Restaurants to go to
This is the list of restaurants that I need to go to!
Enotria
Michelangelos
Portobelle
Esmirada
Da Paolo's Bristro
Valentinos
So I look forward to going to these restaurants pretty soon .... I hope.
Enotria
Michelangelos
Portobelle
Esmirada
Da Paolo's Bristro
Valentinos
So I look forward to going to these restaurants pretty soon .... I hope.
Surf and Turf at Suntec Basement
I have to admit that after beginning to write in this blog, I have a problem in knowing where to eat. You ask me everyday, and I swear to you that I probably can't tell you what I want to eat. Strange. So since I can't decide what to eat. I have let the powers that be to decide. AKA, when out with friends, they will tell me where to eat. Last week was an interesting ordeal. The wife and I met with some friends at Suntec Basement and we let the coupons in our hands decide where to eat. You see, OCBC credit card as well as Citibank credit cards have this food specials where they give you coupons for some special deals. So on this special day, we went for the 25% discount at Surf and Turf.
Surf and Turf is allegedly an American restaurant. That serves well, meat and seafood. I don't normally will walk into such a restaurant but what the hay? We walked in. the service was pretty good. They were polite and told us what our coupons could and could not do. As usual, I felt like a pasta and I ordered the few non surf and turf stuff on the menu, a seafood marinara sauce penne pasta. My wife ordered fish and chips. Our friends ordered their roast chicken and pan fried salmon together with some mixed platter for appetizer. It was pretty good. In the line of Billy Bombers type better than Jack's place. I was impressed.
Some of you might think, man, you have some low expectations, and you are right. I will probably not go there again, if I could make my own choice, but just for that night, it felt right. I think this is a New York Deli type restaurant. Its for the kids.
Surf and Turf is allegedly an American restaurant. That serves well, meat and seafood. I don't normally will walk into such a restaurant but what the hay? We walked in. the service was pretty good. They were polite and told us what our coupons could and could not do. As usual, I felt like a pasta and I ordered the few non surf and turf stuff on the menu, a seafood marinara sauce penne pasta. My wife ordered fish and chips. Our friends ordered their roast chicken and pan fried salmon together with some mixed platter for appetizer. It was pretty good. In the line of Billy Bombers type better than Jack's place. I was impressed.
Some of you might think, man, you have some low expectations, and you are right. I will probably not go there again, if I could make my own choice, but just for that night, it felt right. I think this is a New York Deli type restaurant. Its for the kids.
Pasta Brava and Writing Skills
On the train the other day, I heard that a blog is a pretty narcissistic thing to do. It is about yourself, your thoughts, and your world view. The world according to you. That sounds about right doesn't it? So I have to give some "biggie ups," to some guy from Hwa Chong Junior College for saying that and letting me hear what he said so loudly on the phone.
How does this relate to food? In a way it does, this blog is designed to educate. Not to eradicate. This blog is to inform. Not to deform. You get the drift? As much as I love to slam restaurants and tell you they suck, I have to say that you have to go and try the food at the restaurant. Don't let me ruin you dining experience!
So last week, the missus and I went to a nice Italian Restaurant. Its called Pasta Brava at Craig Road in the Duxton Hill area. The website was nice. It looked classy and there were some pretty good reviews. We made our dinner reservations at 8pm but we showed up early. My wife had a tinkering for Lagsana and as expected, we never touched the Lasagne.
We got in and the deco was nice. There's this very rustic feel to the place. It feels somewhat Italian? The servers were decked in an all black uniform and were prompt and polite. We asked for suggestions after being in countless Italian restaurants. I ended up ordering the Puttanesca, tomato sauce with capers, olives and chili. My wife ordered her Lagsana? Nope. She ordered the Manicotti Ripieni di Zucca - Moon-shaped ravioli with pumpkin and red capsicum sauce and cream a pumpkin ravioli. Our appetizer was the melon and prosciutto ham. And our dessert was an apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
It sucked. The servers seemed like they were in a rush and when asked about a dish to recommend, I swear there was a sigh and he simply broke down what was on the menu. And talking about the menu, for a nice looking rustic Italian restaurant, the menu was a paper menu that you could fold up and it looks like a newspaper but A5 size. A restaurant has to decide what it is. If it is a rustic place, don't play techno music! And my puttanesca sauce, had tons of olives, very little capers and 0 flavor. The base tomato sauce was good, but the pasta as a whole, I could make it better at home. The ham in my appetizer felt like it was taken from the ones that can be bought at cold storage and the apple pie, my gosh, it was this soft small thing and beared some semblance to an apple pie.
On a brigther note, it did have some UOB bank discounts and the total cost of the meal turned out to be only $71 which was pretty reasonable.
You might think I'm mean. But that's just what I think. You should go to the restaurant and try it yourself. I might be wrong!
How does this relate to food? In a way it does, this blog is designed to educate. Not to eradicate. This blog is to inform. Not to deform. You get the drift? As much as I love to slam restaurants and tell you they suck, I have to say that you have to go and try the food at the restaurant. Don't let me ruin you dining experience!
So last week, the missus and I went to a nice Italian Restaurant. Its called Pasta Brava at Craig Road in the Duxton Hill area. The website was nice. It looked classy and there were some pretty good reviews. We made our dinner reservations at 8pm but we showed up early. My wife had a tinkering for Lagsana and as expected, we never touched the Lasagne.
We got in and the deco was nice. There's this very rustic feel to the place. It feels somewhat Italian? The servers were decked in an all black uniform and were prompt and polite. We asked for suggestions after being in countless Italian restaurants. I ended up ordering the Puttanesca, tomato sauce with capers, olives and chili. My wife ordered her Lagsana? Nope. She ordered the Manicotti Ripieni di Zucca - Moon-shaped ravioli with pumpkin and red capsicum sauce and cream a pumpkin ravioli. Our appetizer was the melon and prosciutto ham. And our dessert was an apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
It sucked. The servers seemed like they were in a rush and when asked about a dish to recommend, I swear there was a sigh and he simply broke down what was on the menu. And talking about the menu, for a nice looking rustic Italian restaurant, the menu was a paper menu that you could fold up and it looks like a newspaper but A5 size. A restaurant has to decide what it is. If it is a rustic place, don't play techno music! And my puttanesca sauce, had tons of olives, very little capers and 0 flavor. The base tomato sauce was good, but the pasta as a whole, I could make it better at home. The ham in my appetizer felt like it was taken from the ones that can be bought at cold storage and the apple pie, my gosh, it was this soft small thing and beared some semblance to an apple pie.
On a brigther note, it did have some UOB bank discounts and the total cost of the meal turned out to be only $71 which was pretty reasonable.
You might think I'm mean. But that's just what I think. You should go to the restaurant and try it yourself. I might be wrong!
Eating Right : The Root Excuse of Failed Marriages
Tonight will mark the beginning of a series of wedding dinners in the coming months - which translates into hotel catered multi course dinners!! Expensive multi course dinners at that.
I believe formula for 2 seats for a table of 10 at a decent 4-5* hotel = 2 x 3 course dinner for 2 @ Saint Pierre inclusive of 15%+++ without wine.
This offshoot hopes to entertain and help couples make informed decisions.... if you trust our tongues.
First stop - The Regent
I believe formula for 2 seats for a table of 10 at a decent 4-5* hotel = 2 x 3 course dinner for 2 @ Saint Pierre inclusive of 15%+++ without wine.
This offshoot hopes to entertain and help couples make informed decisions.... if you trust our tongues.
First stop - The Regent
Ristorante da Valentino
I have a confession to make. I've been really lazy and haven't written a blog entry in ages. Truth be told, I've hardly been to an eatery in recent times serving decent grub enough to warrant a blog entry. *what a brilliant excuse*
Anyhow, I must write about this Ristorante. So we got Salvatore & Paolo with their outlets littered throughout our little island. Mr Valentino opened up this place a little more than a year ago in the quiet neighbourhood of Rifle Range Road. It's a small cozy place, sitting pretty on the first level of a 2 storey shophouse with a few tables set in the porch area for alfresco dining.
At least half the restaurant was patronized by European expatriates, some with their SPGs in tow. The walls were painted red which certainly added some warmth to the cosiness of the place.
We were greeted by a lady waitstaff and she promptly recited the specials available for that evening. The menu featured a range of staple italian antipasta like cold cuts, grilled veggies in olive oil, zuppa, calamari, pastas, pizzas and meat.
I didn't feel like thinking too much that evening because I had endured a long, long day at work!! You know how it is... So yeah, we got the attention of an Italian waiter, who I presume is related to Valentino (I read someone else's review that he brought his sister, momma and papa to help out), to help us out. I wanted to try the rabbit stew but unfortunately for me, that was sold out. I gave up and asked him to recommend something else.
You're probably thinking, what the heck!!! First time in a restaurant, don't know what to order and you're asking the waiter to rip them pockets off your pants. Mate I tell you this fella knew exactly what we needed.
He suggested 2 starters, a custom pasta combo and a meat for the main course. We had a cold cut combo weighing in at around $17something and a roasted vegetable combo also around the same price. The cold cuts were nice and fresh but a little too
skint for the money. The veggies were excellent! The red pepper was slithery n sweet, zucchinis n eggplants were also beautifully roasted. Oh I almost forgot, they serve some warm bread with a nice basil/coriander/garlic/olive oil dip!
Shortly after, the custom pasta combo arrived. We had Pumpkin Ravioli on one side of the plate and Fettucini ala god knows what the name... let's call it Fettucini ala Gobsmacked because it was that good!! The freshly handmade al dente cooked fettucini was tossed in a light cream sauce, shrimp and rucola leaves. The cream sauce was so light you could have hardly told that you ate a cream based sauce in your tummy. The Pumpkin Ravioli kinda looked like undersized Gyoza at first and that did set my expectation slightly lower *yeah I'm so superficial.. well good presentation does enhance the taste sometimes* but man was I ever so wrong to doubt Valentino!! As the warm, almond scented pumpkin filling oozed in my mouth, I thought I'd tasted nirvana/valhalla *that is so Christian-speak wrong*. It was piquantly pumpkin, sweet and salty, gorgeous combi with the ravioli skin.
The main course BLEW me away. We ordered an 800gm Bistecca alla Fiorentina, chargrilled to PERFECTION off the bone. It came on a round wooden platter, neatly sliced into a few pieces on a heap of fresh rucola leaves and 2 lemon wedges. The meat was very well seasoned and cooked just so the meat was pink on the inside and very very moist. I squeezed some lemon on the meat and skewed it on my fork with a couple of rucola leaves. So you think Morton's was good ? This will RIVAL Morton's anyday.
You've gotta try it to believe it folks! I was chewing the rare bits off the bone for goodness sakes!!
Dessert was wheeled to us on a nice glass trolley. They had a blueberry tart, lemon tart, panna cotta and something else which I can't seem to recall. Also available from the menu was a selection of sorbets and tiramisu. We ordered a blueberry tart, a slice of panna cotta and a tiramisu to round off our most excellent meal. The blueberry tart didn't go down too well with me because I didn't really like the smell of the semolina flour used to cook the base of the tart. Panna cotta is cooked
cream for the uninitiated and this one was DAMNED good. It was light, fresh and creamy. Most of all it wasn't overly sweet, just enough to enhance the natural sweetness of cream. Numero uno man. The tiramisu was excellent. To some traditionalists, the tiramisu is not recognized as a staple of Italian desserts but this one sure tasted like it had been done in the tradtition of mamma for a long time. Surrounded in thick luscious mascarpone cream and sponge cake soaking in coffee liquer, this was a long time coming. I haven't tasted tiramisu anywhere this good since the good old days in Australia.
It ain't cheap but it's worth the experience. Call in advance because these guys are packed!! Bon appetit.
Anyhow, I must write about this Ristorante. So we got Salvatore & Paolo with their outlets littered throughout our little island. Mr Valentino opened up this place a little more than a year ago in the quiet neighbourhood of Rifle Range Road. It's a small cozy place, sitting pretty on the first level of a 2 storey shophouse with a few tables set in the porch area for alfresco dining.
At least half the restaurant was patronized by European expatriates, some with their SPGs in tow. The walls were painted red which certainly added some warmth to the cosiness of the place.
We were greeted by a lady waitstaff and she promptly recited the specials available for that evening. The menu featured a range of staple italian antipasta like cold cuts, grilled veggies in olive oil, zuppa, calamari, pastas, pizzas and meat.
I didn't feel like thinking too much that evening because I had endured a long, long day at work!! You know how it is... So yeah, we got the attention of an Italian waiter, who I presume is related to Valentino (I read someone else's review that he brought his sister, momma and papa to help out), to help us out. I wanted to try the rabbit stew but unfortunately for me, that was sold out. I gave up and asked him to recommend something else.
You're probably thinking, what the heck!!! First time in a restaurant, don't know what to order and you're asking the waiter to rip them pockets off your pants. Mate I tell you this fella knew exactly what we needed.
He suggested 2 starters, a custom pasta combo and a meat for the main course. We had a cold cut combo weighing in at around $17something and a roasted vegetable combo also around the same price. The cold cuts were nice and fresh but a little too
skint for the money. The veggies were excellent! The red pepper was slithery n sweet, zucchinis n eggplants were also beautifully roasted. Oh I almost forgot, they serve some warm bread with a nice basil/coriander/garlic/olive oil dip!
Shortly after, the custom pasta combo arrived. We had Pumpkin Ravioli on one side of the plate and Fettucini ala god knows what the name... let's call it Fettucini ala Gobsmacked because it was that good!! The freshly handmade al dente cooked fettucini was tossed in a light cream sauce, shrimp and rucola leaves. The cream sauce was so light you could have hardly told that you ate a cream based sauce in your tummy. The Pumpkin Ravioli kinda looked like undersized Gyoza at first and that did set my expectation slightly lower *yeah I'm so superficial.. well good presentation does enhance the taste sometimes* but man was I ever so wrong to doubt Valentino!! As the warm, almond scented pumpkin filling oozed in my mouth, I thought I'd tasted nirvana/valhalla *that is so Christian-speak wrong*. It was piquantly pumpkin, sweet and salty, gorgeous combi with the ravioli skin.
The main course BLEW me away. We ordered an 800gm Bistecca alla Fiorentina, chargrilled to PERFECTION off the bone. It came on a round wooden platter, neatly sliced into a few pieces on a heap of fresh rucola leaves and 2 lemon wedges. The meat was very well seasoned and cooked just so the meat was pink on the inside and very very moist. I squeezed some lemon on the meat and skewed it on my fork with a couple of rucola leaves. So you think Morton's was good ? This will RIVAL Morton's anyday.
You've gotta try it to believe it folks! I was chewing the rare bits off the bone for goodness sakes!!
Dessert was wheeled to us on a nice glass trolley. They had a blueberry tart, lemon tart, panna cotta and something else which I can't seem to recall. Also available from the menu was a selection of sorbets and tiramisu. We ordered a blueberry tart, a slice of panna cotta and a tiramisu to round off our most excellent meal. The blueberry tart didn't go down too well with me because I didn't really like the smell of the semolina flour used to cook the base of the tart. Panna cotta is cooked
cream for the uninitiated and this one was DAMNED good. It was light, fresh and creamy. Most of all it wasn't overly sweet, just enough to enhance the natural sweetness of cream. Numero uno man. The tiramisu was excellent. To some traditionalists, the tiramisu is not recognized as a staple of Italian desserts but this one sure tasted like it had been done in the tradtition of mamma for a long time. Surrounded in thick luscious mascarpone cream and sponge cake soaking in coffee liquer, this was a long time coming. I haven't tasted tiramisu anywhere this good since the good old days in Australia.
It ain't cheap but it's worth the experience. Call in advance because these guys are packed!! Bon appetit.
Jubilicious Nasi Biryani
Growing up with a dad that loves Indian and Malay food, I was introduced to the Nasi Biryani when my parents threw a birthday party for me when I was 7 and instead of having it at Macdonald's like all the other cool kids, my parents insisted on having a party in the house and invited none of my friends. Wow! What a party. But I guess thats how growing up stories sound like most of the time. My parents catered from my Dad's then favorite Islamic Resturant at Arab Street. It was pretty fantastic, that meal.
As I got older, I developed my own taste in Nasi Biryani and picked the restaurant right next to Islamic called Jubilee. Back then, Jubilee was this all Indian restaurant with metal framed room dividers, and the Indian uncles would serve us as much food as we ate. I remember ordering so much once that the guy asked us if we were sure. I think on that day, me and my dad ordered close to a total 6 plates of chicken and mutton Nasi Biryani - a record in the family by the way.
So my mum decided to start buying Biryani again from Jubilee. I must say, that it hasn't changed a single bit. Its still fantastic tasting. I always order the chicken Biryani and the chicken and rice is a fantastic combination. Rice is fragrant and not too soft. The chicken is well cooked and the marintate is excellent. Its a deadly combination. People should go try it.
As I got older, I developed my own taste in Nasi Biryani and picked the restaurant right next to Islamic called Jubilee. Back then, Jubilee was this all Indian restaurant with metal framed room dividers, and the Indian uncles would serve us as much food as we ate. I remember ordering so much once that the guy asked us if we were sure. I think on that day, me and my dad ordered close to a total 6 plates of chicken and mutton Nasi Biryani - a record in the family by the way.
So my mum decided to start buying Biryani again from Jubilee. I must say, that it hasn't changed a single bit. Its still fantastic tasting. I always order the chicken Biryani and the chicken and rice is a fantastic combination. Rice is fragrant and not too soft. The chicken is well cooked and the marintate is excellent. Its a deadly combination. People should go try it.
Espirito Santo at Parkway
I had to buy some meats for a bbq this week and it was fun to walk into Espirito Santo at Parkway and be surprised by the meats they served and the service I got. The service wasn't great but it was more friendly than say a Cold Storage or a Shop and Save? The meats were great tasting and succulent and fresh. Honestly, even though their American meats looked some what questionable and I wouldn't recommend anybody to buy it but their Australian cut beef striploin and their pre-marinated were awesome. They tasted fresh, succulent and tender. Just the way, cows are supposed to taste.
I was about to go crazy because I couldn't find a good meat place in Singapore. I nearly went with tasty bites to JURONG to buy some meats! Thank goodness for a store like Espirito Santo.
I was about to go crazy because I couldn't find a good meat place in Singapore. I nearly went with tasty bites to JURONG to buy some meats! Thank goodness for a store like Espirito Santo.
The French are coming!!
Delifrance Parkway:
Spoiler Alert: Last Saturday, the wife and I went into Parkway Hungry. We couldn't decide what to eat and it was eastern or western day so we narrowed our bad choices to Delifrance and Sakae Sushi. We walked into Delifrance hoping for something good. We walked out after sitting down for 3 minutes and looking through the menu. I was hungry, but I never knew the Singaporean interpretation of "French," food was that bad. But it was.
Spoiler Alert: Last Saturday, the wife and I went into Parkway Hungry. We couldn't decide what to eat and it was eastern or western day so we narrowed our bad choices to Delifrance and Sakae Sushi. We walked into Delifrance hoping for something good. We walked out after sitting down for 3 minutes and looking through the menu. I was hungry, but I never knew the Singaporean interpretation of "French," food was that bad. But it was.
Long Jiang and Toh Kee
I had the exciting privilege over the last week to eat roasted meats. Yes. I do love my char siew and roast duck. My mum being Cantonese is proud of her roasted meat taste standards, and I think besides my dad, the whole family, even my American wife can taste and know how good char siew is. She is "ahem," well trained.
Toh Kee (TK) at People's Park food center has been there forever. I ordered a plate of assorted roasted meats that came up to $16 for 2 people.
Long Jiang (LJ) at Jalan Pari Burong along Upper Changi Road is a new place I traveled to last week. We ordered also a plate of roasted meats that came up to $0 because I didn't pay for it.
Like all fair and balanced comparison, lets have an apple to apple comparison, or in this case, a meat to meat comparison:
Char Siew: I thought that the char siew at TK was much less in serving. In fact, I would say the quantity served at LJ was much more. But besides quantity, the flavor at TK was excellent. They made burnt ends of char siew taste like the best worst cooked meat in the world. You could still taste the sweetness and moistness of the char siew. The char siew at LJ was somewhat dry, not overly dry and still taste somewhat porkish.
Duck: This I say is a push. Both the ducks were succulent and smooth to taste. The bones had the rhiney and juicy flavor that you just want to suck the juice out of the bone. The skin was both crispy and and damp and the fat between the skin and the meat was right. It is well with my soul.
Roast Pork: I would say a slight edge to TK. The roast pork at TK was phat, sweet and crispy. You know its bad for you but you just want to eat more and more. There was no excess fat, the meat and fat was of the right amount. The coloring was right. Its a light brown skin and an almost beige white meat .... drool..... The roast pork at LJ was good also. It had the good amount of fat and meat mix. But the slight sweet salty after taste was missing. The skin was crispy and meat tender, but it didn't leave an impression in the mouth.
I highly recommend Toh Kee. I have been there for several years now whenever I can or am in the area, and I have rarely been disappointed. Long Jiang is worth a try. I might be wrong in my deductions but I stick by what I say. TK rocks.
Toh Kee (TK) at People's Park food center has been there forever. I ordered a plate of assorted roasted meats that came up to $16 for 2 people.
Long Jiang (LJ) at Jalan Pari Burong along Upper Changi Road is a new place I traveled to last week. We ordered also a plate of roasted meats that came up to $0 because I didn't pay for it.
Like all fair and balanced comparison, lets have an apple to apple comparison, or in this case, a meat to meat comparison:
Char Siew: I thought that the char siew at TK was much less in serving. In fact, I would say the quantity served at LJ was much more. But besides quantity, the flavor at TK was excellent. They made burnt ends of char siew taste like the best worst cooked meat in the world. You could still taste the sweetness and moistness of the char siew. The char siew at LJ was somewhat dry, not overly dry and still taste somewhat porkish.
Duck: This I say is a push. Both the ducks were succulent and smooth to taste. The bones had the rhiney and juicy flavor that you just want to suck the juice out of the bone. The skin was both crispy and and damp and the fat between the skin and the meat was right. It is well with my soul.
Roast Pork: I would say a slight edge to TK. The roast pork at TK was phat, sweet and crispy. You know its bad for you but you just want to eat more and more. There was no excess fat, the meat and fat was of the right amount. The coloring was right. Its a light brown skin and an almost beige white meat .... drool..... The roast pork at LJ was good also. It had the good amount of fat and meat mix. But the slight sweet salty after taste was missing. The skin was crispy and meat tender, but it didn't leave an impression in the mouth.
I highly recommend Toh Kee. I have been there for several years now whenever I can or am in the area, and I have rarely been disappointed. Long Jiang is worth a try. I might be wrong in my deductions but I stick by what I say. TK rocks.
Shortest Review Ever!
Carl's Jr is the BEST fast food Burger Joint in Singapore. Nuff Said. And so says Alby. (The dog in the picture)
New thing at StarBucks
Even though some people think that Starbucks is the evil empire of coffee just like Chelsea is to the EPL and the Yankees are to Baseball, their variety of new products never cease to amaze me. My new craze is the huge oatmeal raisin cookie. Its the best cookie I have tasted in Singapore. Its $4.50 (abit too much for a cookie me thinks) but it tastes great. Its soft and chewy. It warms my heart to eat it. I never understand why most other cookies are always so tough.
Have a try. Go ahead. You know you want it.
Have a try. Go ahead. You know you want it.
D Cup better than C Cup
Bigger is better. My colleague prefers a handful of it and I believe we should milk it for what its worth. C Cup is in. C Cup might be the new D Cup.
What exactly am I talking about? It's simple. CUPCAKES!!!!. Some of my over "sugar-fied" colleagues have recently been on a sugar binge and have caught the craze of cup cakes. As some of you might know, I'm not much of a sugar person and cup cakes isn't really my thing. When one of my female colleagues came over without saying anything and typed it onto my Internet browser the website, I was like, "What the heck?" But thank goodness, it was a website for cup cakes.
Apparently the orders have been coming in so much that we had to wait 2 weeks for our delivery. I have since found out that this is not a store front. This is business from a home! And I got this forwarded email from one of the other cupcake co-conspirators that they even told us which items they did not have enough to make one of the cupcakes and suggested to us that we should order something else. But of course, they were more polite than that. I respect this kind of service.
When the cupcakes came and the time for tasting arose, it did not fail. I thought the cupcakes were delicate and not too sweet. Will I order it again? No. But I think I might order it for people as gifts. The biggest cup cake in the website isn't really a cupcake. It was more of a mini-cake by my definitions but I digress. Just a note, you have to order up to $80 for them to deliver.
You should probably order cup cakes for your moms that are not on diet, your skinny girlfriend or just wanting to appease that irritating customer of yours. Its a creative gift. Hey, its sweet.
A syllogistic question: If cupcakes is to C Cup then what is to D Cup?
What exactly am I talking about? It's simple. CUPCAKES!!!!. Some of my over "sugar-fied" colleagues have recently been on a sugar binge and have caught the craze of cup cakes. As some of you might know, I'm not much of a sugar person and cup cakes isn't really my thing. When one of my female colleagues came over without saying anything and typed it onto my Internet browser the website, I was like, "What the heck?" But thank goodness, it was a website for cup cakes.
Apparently the orders have been coming in so much that we had to wait 2 weeks for our delivery. I have since found out that this is not a store front. This is business from a home! And I got this forwarded email from one of the other cupcake co-conspirators that they even told us which items they did not have enough to make one of the cupcakes and suggested to us that we should order something else. But of course, they were more polite than that. I respect this kind of service.
When the cupcakes came and the time for tasting arose, it did not fail. I thought the cupcakes were delicate and not too sweet. Will I order it again? No. But I think I might order it for people as gifts. The biggest cup cake in the website isn't really a cupcake. It was more of a mini-cake by my definitions but I digress. Just a note, you have to order up to $80 for them to deliver.
You should probably order cup cakes for your moms that are not on diet, your skinny girlfriend or just wanting to appease that irritating customer of yours. Its a creative gift. Hey, its sweet.
A syllogistic question: If cupcakes is to C Cup then what is to D Cup?
Cedele at Wheelock Place
I once said not so long ago that one should only go to Cedele for soup and bread. I would just like to say now that I stand corrected. After going to Cedele at Wheelock Place twice in 3 weeks for me and the missus' late Sunday breakfast after church, I have to say that its pretty good. In fact, I would highly recommend this Cedele in particular more than the others.
Maybe its not a franchise or maybe it is. But there is something different with this Cedele. No longer is it a transient restaurant where you sit, eat and leave. Here, you seem somewhat invited to stay longer and order more food because the food selection is wider and I personally think that the food is better.
For the past 2 ventures, I have ordered the same thing. The big big breakfast, filled with 3 pieces of bacon, 2 sausages, scrambled eggs, a little side salad with balsamic vinegar sprinkled on as a mix and saut'ed mushrooms. It also comes with a cup of tea. All for $16.80. Some would think that how can you go wrong with bacon, sausages, mushroom, eggs and toast? It can. Trust me. It's not like I hate Macdonald's breakfast but that is almost the bottom of the barrel in terms of how breakfast should taste. The hotels kill the "American Breakfast," genre because they make it into an overkill, just too much stuff on a plate. And my wife who ordered her blue berry pancakes loved her pancakes. I might not be a connoisseur in pan cakes but readers should trust a person who ate pan cakes nearly all her childhood. So she knows good pan cakes.
The only times I have seen Diana Ser is when I am at Wheelock Place and the unfortunate thing is that I have not seen her the last 2 times. And that's the only down side of Cedele. I should write an ode to Diana.
Maybe its not a franchise or maybe it is. But there is something different with this Cedele. No longer is it a transient restaurant where you sit, eat and leave. Here, you seem somewhat invited to stay longer and order more food because the food selection is wider and I personally think that the food is better.
For the past 2 ventures, I have ordered the same thing. The big big breakfast, filled with 3 pieces of bacon, 2 sausages, scrambled eggs, a little side salad with balsamic vinegar sprinkled on as a mix and saut'ed mushrooms. It also comes with a cup of tea. All for $16.80. Some would think that how can you go wrong with bacon, sausages, mushroom, eggs and toast? It can. Trust me. It's not like I hate Macdonald's breakfast but that is almost the bottom of the barrel in terms of how breakfast should taste. The hotels kill the "American Breakfast," genre because they make it into an overkill, just too much stuff on a plate. And my wife who ordered her blue berry pancakes loved her pancakes. I might not be a connoisseur in pan cakes but readers should trust a person who ate pan cakes nearly all her childhood. So she knows good pan cakes.
The only times I have seen Diana Ser is when I am at Wheelock Place and the unfortunate thing is that I have not seen her the last 2 times. And that's the only down side of Cedele. I should write an ode to Diana.
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