Han's Cafe

29th December, Tuesday

The outlet at Great Eastern Centre.


Chicken chop with mushroom sauce

Chicken is usually a safe dish, especially so for Han's. This was still edible, although the chicken had almost no chicken flavour at all. The fries were average at best, and the dessert that came with it (bread and butter pudding) tasted so artificial that I discarded it after a bite.

V's verdict: 5.5/10

ifreshco

28th December, Monday

A tiny Japanese cafe located at the basement of OUB Centre, Raffles Place. I ordered this bento set last week for a business lunch, and all their food turned out pretty good!


Grilled Salmon Belly with Herbs

This was delicious. The salmon belly was fresh and not too oily, and the sides were rather decent too. The only gripe was that the portion was a bit small. $9.80

V's verdict: 8/10


Salmon miso soup

This was good too! It tasted homemade and had lots of ingredients inside --- salmon cubes especially. It costs $2.50 a bowl but only $1.50 if you order it with a set lunch.

V's verdict: 8/10

Fish & Co (West Coast Plaza)

25th December, Friday

The outlet at the newly opened West Coast Plaza.

Seafood Platter for Two

As the name implies, this is a huge platter of seafood meant for 2 persons, and it comes with rice, grilled dory fillet, prawns, mussels, french fries, and grilled squid. Let's go through these one by one.

The rice was dry and not too fragrant. It had more sauce at other outlets, so maybe this is just an isolated incident? But my cousin and I didn't finish the rice in the end; it wasn't worth it.

The grilled dory fillet was all right. The prawns were another matter though. It was dry, tough, and not fresh, and the flesh was stuck to the shell, which made deshelling very difficult. Disappointing.

The mussels weren't too good as well; they weren't juicy and sweet enough.

The grilled squid and french fries probably saved the dish. The squid was so tender and delicious, and the fries were also not too thick and crunchy. $37.90

V's verdict: 6/10

Hip Diner USA

24th December, Thursday

Hip Diner USA is a diner by Billy Bombers, so the kind of food served is pretty similar. It's located at the basement of Bugis Junction.

Mushroom Burger
A beef burger with sauteed mushrooms, lettuce, and mayo. The bread was nicely toasted, and the beef was done medium rare - just as I asked for, so it was still juicy and not too cooked.

The fries were not bad, but I would prefer them not to be so thickly sliced. Overall, quite good. $14.90

V's verdict: 7/10

Serangoon Garden Market

20th December, Sunday

BBQ Stingray (Ah Liang BBQ Seafood)

The only seafood stall at Serangoon Garden Market. The sting ray itself wasn't too good; the flesh was a bit tough. The most important thing is the sambal chilli - and it wasn't good either.

V's verdict: 5.5/10

The Asian Kitchen

17th December, Thursday

Braised duck noodles with mushroom

I have came to this restaurant several times, and was never really impressed by their food. This dish was all right, but not outstanding. Everything was average.

V's verdict: 6/10

Kopi Tiam

16th December, Wednesday

Prawn Noodle Soup

The noodles and ingredients were all okay, especially the prawns, which were cut, deshelled and cleaned nicely (it's a hotel restaurant after all). But the prawns weren't really sweet, and the soup wasn't really tasty. It didn't have the thick taste of prawn heads, but tasted as if it needed some help from MSG.

V's verdict: 6/10

Chatterbox

15th December, Tuesday

Chatterbox is definitely most well known for its award winning chicken rice. But... the review for the chicken rice shall be on another day, because me and K didn't order it today. I suppose I should state that I only came here because I had the eat @ Meritus card, which entitles me to 50% discount for 2 pax. If not for the card, I would definitely not have come to eat overpriced food.

Nasi lemak

K ordered this. I took a few bites and thought it was a bit disappointing. The chicken rendang was average, but the otak tasted a bit... stale and spoilt? And the rice was a tad too sticky for my liking. The ikan bilis wasn't crispy too. $21

V's verdict: 5.5/10
K's verdict: 6/10


Lobster laksa

Initially, I wanted to order the fried hokkien mee, which cost $21. But their lobster laksa cost only $28, just around $3.50 difference after the 50% discount, so I ordered this instead.

The gravy was thick and probably chock full of coconut milk. I could still stomach the thickness (I was very hungry actually) but K thought that there was too much coconut milk. Tastewise, the soup was quite all right. The fishcake and taupok were okay too. The lobster was sweet; a pity it was rather tough.

V's verdict: 7/10
K's verdict: 7.5/10

Coffee Club

15th December, Tuesday

Roast Beef Sandwich

The fries were not bad. The sandwich was decent only. The roast beef wasn't tasty and juicy enough. $11.70

V's verdict: 6/10

Serangoon Garden Market

12th December, Saturday

Mee Goreng (Back 2 Ponggol)

A newly opened stall. It looked rather lonely (no customers) so I decided to give it a try.

This was average only. They were quite generous with the ingredients, but the cost justified it ($6 for small, $10 for large). The portion was quite big, but for $6 it wasn't really a lot actually. The squid was a bit too tough. Other than that, nothing special.

V's verdict: 6/10


BBQ Chicken Wings (Xin Zhong Bang 新忠邦)

This was not bad. It's not dry, but it could be it a bit juicier. I actually prefer this to Chomp Chomp's.

$1.10 per wing

V's verdict: 7/10


Fried Oyster Omelette (Fried Prawn Noodle.Fried Kway Teow.Fried Oyster.Carrot Cake)

Currently this is my favourite stall for oyster omelette. The dough was fried to a crisp and yet not too burned. My cousin said it was "total ownage".

V's verdict: 8/10

Kowloon HK Cafe

11th December, Friday

Fried rice with scallops and egg

I found this to be quite good! The portion was generous, with pieces of scallop, egg, and salted fish. And it wasn't too oily too.

V's verdict: 7.5/10

Ministry of Steak

8th December, Tuesday

A newly opened steak restaurant at Serangoon Garden. It came as a direct competitor to Aston's with its cheap and affordable steaks.

French Onion Soup

This was average. Nothing special, but still acceptable.

V's verdict: 6.5/10
K's verdict: 7.5/10


Wagyu Beef

(I didn't get a picture of this because the waiter asked me to check its done-ness. And without thinking, I sliced the beef... and the picture couldn't be taken anymore. -.-)

MOS was having a promotion on their Wagyu beef, so it cost only $29 instead of the usual $39. And it was Australian Wagyu ribeye! The beef was a bit thin, but it was still totally worth it. I ordered it medium rare, and it actually came a bit closer to rare. But nevertheless it was delicious and juicy.

V's verdict: 8/10
K's verdict: 10/10

To top things up, there was no service charge or GST. And their service was excellent. Definitely a recommended place!

Borsche Steakhouse

8th December, Tuesday

An extremely old Russian restaurant at Serangoon Garden. And evidently not much renovation was done, since the place looked exactly the same 10 years ago.

Hard boiled egg with caviar

I think I could count how many eggs there were on the egg! The caviar was okay (actually too little to really taste it). The hard boiled egg was hard and seemed to have been cooked too early and left in the fridge.

V's verdict: 5/10


Shrimp cocktail

Urgh, the shrimp they used was those small and stale ones! One bite and I refused to eat anymore of it.

V's verdict: 3/10
K's verdict: 5/10

Cream of mushroom soup

I think a more appropriate name for this would be 'Water of mushroom soup'. It was so diluted and tasted horrible!

V's verdict: 3.5/10
K's verdict: 3/10


Borsch soup

After tasting the real Borsch soup at Russia, this one doesn't come close. But still, if you ignore the fact that this isn't original, it still tasted decent.

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 5/10


Sirloin steak
K ordered this. It came on a sizzling hot plate. The seasoning and taste was quite good, but I found the beef a bit lacking in natural flavour. The beef was no doubt from New Zealand. But K found it quite good.

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Mixed grill

This was my main course. Mixed grill = Beef, pork, lamb, chicken. The beef was a small piece only, but it was a tenderloin so relatively it was better. The pork was a bit dry but still decent, and the lamb was ultra tough. I felt as if I was chewing a piece of rubber. The chicken was not bad though.

V's verdict: 6/10

Despite its ratings, the price was very affordable. K's set (sirloin steak) that comes with the starter, soup and a drink cost only $13.80, while my dinner set (mixed grill) costs $20.80, and it also comes with the same stuff. It's actually quite all right, if you don't mind the quality a bit.

Chomp Chomp

7th December, Monday

Lor mee (AMK 711 Penang Prawn Mee . Lor Mee)

A new stall. There were totally no customers, so I decided to give them a try.

I was pleasantly surprised. It was quite good! The garlic seemed to have been mixed in with the gravy, and it was just all right too --- not overwhelming. Will definitely give it a second try.

V's verdict: 7.5/10
K's verdict: 6/10

Brazil Churrascaria

2nd December, Wednesday

The ultimate meat eater's paradise. If I am correct, this restaurant (at 6th Avenue) was the first Brazillian restaurant to open in Singapore, and one of my favourite restaurants too! But I always end up too full and bloated after eating here, so I can't visit here so frequently.

Anyway it's a buffet, but you don't have to get food or order - their waiters will always walk around with chunks and slabs of meat for you. The main dishes are: beef tenderloin (a treasure - they won't serve this so often!), garlic beef, beef ribs, beef topside, chicken thigh, chicken breast wrapped with bacon, roasted pineapple (delicious!), roasted ham, chicken liver (my favourite), chicken hearts (not for the chicken-hearted), pork sausages, roasted lamb. It's all quite oily and sinful, but really delicious! For the quality and amount of food that you can get, $42 is definitely worth it.

V's verdict: 9/10

Suki Sushi

30th November, Monday

The outlet at Hougang Plaza, some ulu and run-down place near Hougang MRT. This was the only outlet that serves buffet during dinner, and since my cousins wanted buffet, we came here.

Well, the food is pretty horrible. Everything was of such low quality that I was a bit concerned whether I would get food poisoning after eating or not. The sashimi were all not fresh, and nothing really caught my attention.

Never coming here again. Never.

V's verdict: 4/10
K's verdict: 6.5/10

Kovan Food Centre

28th November, Saturday

Bak chor mee (发记)

There's perpetually a looooong queue at this stall. So when I passed by and there were less than 10 people, I quickly joined the queue.

Well, I didn't think it was that fantastic. The noodles were a bit too sticky. The ingredients were okay, but it definitely didn't justify the queue. $3

V's verdict: 6.5/10

Mei Xuan Food Court

16th November, Monday

Sliced fish bee hoon

Set up by the same owner of the handmade noodles stall (Xin Heng). Well this was not bad; the soup was quite tasty. Everything else was decent.

V's verdict: 6.5/10

Cookbook Asia

16th November, Monday

Located at the basement of OUB Centre, beside Spinelli.

Century egg porridge

Tasteless. That's it. I had to add light soya sauce (and quite a fair bit) for it to be edible.

V's verdict: 4/10

Brewerkz

14th November, Saturday

Buffalo wings

There was a choice of mild, hot, and suicide. Obviously we took the suicidal path, which, wasn't dangerous at all. The sauce was a tad too salty and sour, and totally lacking in terms of spiciness! The meat was also quite dry. Overall, quite a disappointment. $21.99

V's verdict: 5.5/10


Calamari rings

This was average. Honestly, I haven't tasted any uber-fantastic calamari rings before, and this was no exception. $19.99

V's verdict: 6/10


Volcano burger

This was supposed to be spicy, but the spiciness tasted... Indian! My friend was quite disgusted by it and didn't manage to finish it. I still found it quite bearable, though it wasn't what I had expected. The fries were not bad. $14.99

V's verdict: 6/10

Prego

12th November, Thursday

Pappardelle Sugo Di Salsicci

Ribbon pasta with mushrooms, minced meat, and cream sauce. First time I tried it, and I thought it was pretty good. The cream was just nice, not as heavy as their Carbonara's. The mushrooms and other ingredients were fresh too. $26

V's verdict: 7.5/10

Tai Dong Teochew Braised DUck Rice

10th November, Tuesday

Braised duck

Introduced to this by a colleague. Well I must say that this was really quite good. The duck was tender and not too dry, and the seasoning was good too. It must have been braised for quite some time, as the seasoning had really seeped into the meat. Nice!

V's verdict: 8/10

大路虾面

9th November, Monday

This used to be located opposite Far East Square, but they have shifted to China Square Central.

Prawn mee

I don't know why some of my colleagues like this prawn mee. The soup wasn't thick, and the pork ribs were tough. Even after adding chili powder, it still tasted disappointing. $4/$5/$8/$10

V's verdict: 5/10

Stock Pot

6th November, Friday

Boston Clam Chowder


This wasn't very good, in my opinion. The clams tasted weird and stale, and the soup just didn't have the natural seafood taste. $7.90 .

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 6.5/10

Botak Jones

1st November, Sunday

The Botak Jones outlet at Toa Payoh North.

Alaskan Pollock Fillet

I didn't know what kind of fish Alaskan Pollock is, and I just ordered it without thinking. Not surprisingly, it was deep fried. There was a choice of 2 sides and I took the cheese potato and spicy fries; both were quite good. The fish, however, wasn't very fresh (which explains why they deep fry it) and tasted average. Anyway, deep fried stuff all taste around the same. $9.50/$17.50

V's verdict: 6/10


Chicken Gumbo

This soup was a tad too oily. Had quite a lot of ingredients inside (chicken, chicken skin, sausages, vegetables) but they tasted rojak instead of blending well together.

The difference between regular and large was so huge that no one should even bother ordering regular. $5/$7

V's verdict: 5.5/10
K's verdict: 6/10


Caesar Salad
The vegetables didn't taste fresh, the croutons and bacon bits tasted artificial and stale. K found the dressing a bit too oily. $4/$6.50

V's verdict: 5.5/10
K's verdict: 5/10

Casa Verde

1st November, Sunday

At first I was confused over the name of the restaurant, because although the signboard says "Casa Verde", there were signs of "Lazy Gourmet" all over the place. But the receipt says "Casa Verde", so there.

Casa Verde is located at the Botanic Gardens, and business was pretty good. We reached there at around 820am and got a table. In less than half an hour, the whole place was already full. The ambience was quite good, but Canopy's was still better, partially because there weren't so many people at Canopy.

Western Set

Comes with 2 eggs (fried or scrambled), 2 sausages, 3 slices of bacon, some vegetables, and a baked tomato. A separate basket of 2 slices of toasted bread and a mini croissant was also given. There's also a choice of fruits or orange juice, and then coffee or tea. As you can see, this set really comes with everything and is a pretty good value for money. But if I were to compare it to Canopy's, Canopy's coffee, sausages and bacon were of better quality. Cost is a different matter though; this set costs $13.50 (inclusive of service charge and GST), but would have cost $17 at Canopy (and without orange juice/fruits).

V's verdict: 7/10

Swensen's

28th October, Wednesday

Swensen's had the 30% discount promotion, so I went to their Bugis Junction outlet with a few of my colleagues.

BBQ half chicken
My first impression when I saw this was: the presentation sucks. They can't even bother to put the chicken in the centre of the plate, or at least spread out the side dishes such that the plate didn't look so empty on one side!

Taste-wise, it was average only. The bbq sauce was decent; the breast meat was quite dry. $14.90

V's verdict: 5.5/10

Choon Seng Seafood (Jalan Riang)

25th October, Sunday

This outlet was located at some obscure place called Jalan Riang. It's actually right smack in the middle of residential landed property, so it's pretty much inaccessible to those without a car, and also pretty much unknown. My parents had eaten at their Bukit Timah outlet and said it was quite good. But the truth is that this outlet seemed to be totally unrelated to the Bukit Timah outlet, because the food were all not up to standard.


Fried sambal kang kong

It's quite easy for this dish to be quite tasty, but this tasted average only. The only good thing was that it wasn't too oily.

V's verdict: 6/10


Beancurd on hot plate (铁板豆腐）

This was average too. Nothing special.

V's verdict: 6/10


Mee Goreng

This was a big disappointment. It had too much gravy and tasted a bit sweet, so the "wok taste" of the mee goreng was gone. The ingredients weren't fresh too and were quite tasteless.

V's verdict: 5/10


Roasted chicken (not in picture)

Instead of saying that the chicken was roasted, I would say that it was deep-fried. Some places were so crispy that the bone could actually be consumed. But the chicken was quite tasteless and didn't have the natural chicken flavour.

V's verdict: 6.5/10


Conclusion? It ain't worth it.

Canopy

25th October, Sunday

Grilled chicken sandwich

The good thing was that they used chicken thigh instead of chicken breast or chicken fillet, so the meat wasn't that dry. However, the chicken itself was tasteless. The sauce was tomato -something; it tasted a quite unique but wasn't that good overall.

V's verdict: 6/10

Pastamania

20th October, Tuesday

Wanted to lunch at Swensen's with my colleagues for the 30% discount, but we arrived at Funan to realise that this particular outlet had closed down. So we settled for Pastamania instead.

Bacon Cheesy Crumble

This dish wasn't on the main menu but on a special menu. The cheese flakes were quite large and were chunky rather than shredded. Cheesy but not too filling, so it was quite all right. $7.40

V's verdict: 6.5/10

Tonkichi

19th October, Monday

The outlet at Shaw House. Most famous for their deep fried pork cutlets. I ordered their ramen set, which consists of a ramen, a katsu, and one more side dish. Everything costs $23. Very filling, I couldn't even finish the ramen.


Tonkotsu ramen

The soup was thick and yet not filling. A marvelous balance! I thought it could be a tad saltier, but my mother found it just nice. The ramen was quite okay, but the char siew had the stale and refridgerator taste.

Finally, it's a pity they gave normal hard boiled eggs. If the eggs were those 'phoenix eggs' where the egg white is cooked but the yolk is still runny, it would be better.

V's verdict: 7/10


Tori karaage

3 pieces of fried chicken. For their skill in deep frying the pork fillet, I am surprised by how poor their chicken is. It's not hot enough, and it's dry.

V's verdict: 5/10


Hire katsu

Ah, what Tonkichi is well known for. Indeed, the pork loin was deep fried just nice - not too oily and yet not too dry. The outer layer was also nice and crisp and didn't ooze oil. And it's a huge portion!

V's verdict: 8/10

Kovan Food Centre

18th October, Sunday

Fried bee hoon (Hup Lee Economical Bee Hoon)

This stall always has a long queue. Well, it is justified. Their fried bee hoon is good and yet not oily. The vegetables weren't good today, though. It was too soft and soggy. Nothing special with the other ingredients. But then, the bee hoon is still the main course here. $2.60 (Bee hoon alone costs $1)

V's verdict: 7.5/10


Pig organs, kway chiap (万 A1 龙)

Well, I don't think I will bother ordering this again. The tau pok was dry and stale, the pork was also dry and hard, and overall it just wasn't tasty.

Also, one irritating thing was that the auntie actually opened the stall without preparing any change. She didn't have any coins at all and demanded me to pay the exact amount! When I gave her $4 (it costs $3.50) she had to exchange with the nearby stall. What sort of stallowner starts business without change? $3.50

V's verdict: 5/10

Canopy

17th October, Saturday

Canopy B.L.T


Just in case you don't know, B.L.T stands for bacon, lettuce, tomato. That pretty much sums up everything about this sandwich. Back bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and garlic mayo. Quite good, and the portion was just right for breakfast. More garlic mayo could be added, though.

V's verdict: 7.5/10

Sushi Tei (China Square Central)

16th October, Friday

Beef Nabe Shabu Shabu

The menu said that this dish was for 2 to 3 pax, but to me it's definitely 2 pax max. The soup came with lots of mushrooms and vegetables, but the beef? 7 ultra thin slices. How can this be shared among 3 persons?

The soup tasted okay - it tastes healthy because it's basically vegetables, vegetables, and vegetables. The beef was so-so. The sauce they gave to dip was too sour though; I think it's mostly composed of vinegar. $18

V's verdict: 6/10


Deep fried salmon skin

This is my favourite dish at Sushi Tei, but it always gets sold out. Glad that I arrived before 12pm today and could order it. The skin was crispy and delicious, and without too much fish meat such that the crunchiness gets reduced. $4.50

V's verdict: 8.5/10


Ika sushi

Their squid was fresh, but the rice fell apart too easily. $1.80

V's verdict: 7/10

Uncle Sam's Claypot

14th October, Wednesday

Located at Afro-Asia Building, along Robinson Road. They seem to have a pro-elderly culture - practically all their waitresses were aunties! But the way our food was served was quite weird. 3 of us ordered the same dish - boneless chicken claypot. Waitress A came with 2 claypots, but only gave us one. While we were scratching our heads, Waitress B came with one more claypot. And the last claypot took another good 5 minutes to arrive.

Boneless chicken claypot

Well, this was not bad. As promised, the chicken was boneless and quite good - not too dry. The chinese sausages were quite good too, but the mushrooms, albeit juicy, were a little sour. The portions were quite generous. $8

V's verdict: 7/10


Herbal chicken soup

I usually scoff at herbal stuff sold outside because they are always too diluted. But this was quite good. The chicken drumstick was fresh and tender too. $5

V's verdict: 7/10


Duck with salted vegetable soup

Not bad, but nothing special.

V's verdict: 6.5/10

Prego

10th October, Saturday

Lasagne Al Forno

I find Prego's lasagne quite different from other Italian restaurants. The dish is prepared in a way such that it isn't as heavy as normal lasagne - there's not so much cheese that it's too filling, the beef isn't salty but retains its natural beef flavour, and just enough sauce. Nice! $25

V's verdict: 8/10
K's verdict: 7.5/10

Prego pizza

Their signature pizza; it is basically pizza topped with cheese, parma ham, and rocquet. The pizza's crust is the thin kind. I thought this wasn't special at all, actually. $27

V's verdict: 6/10

K's verdict: 7/10

Seah Street Deli

9th October, Friday

Potato Skin

My friend and I were too famished and so ordered this starter... which was a big mistake. For one thing, there was too much potato on the skin, so the skin wasn't as crunchy or crispy as I wished it to be. The cheese they topped it tasted like some cheap and tasteless cheese, and the bacon bits were also quite tasteless.

My impression was that this dish was heated up in the microwave rather than being baked in an oven. $12.65

V's verdict: 4.5/10


BroadWay

A combo of quarter chicken and pork ribs. The ribs were quite all right; the meat was so tender that you could scrap it off the bone with just a spoon. The chicken was good, however. It was baked just right, so that the skin was a bit crispy but the meat was still juicy.

It came with potato wedges which was seasoned with garlic, I think. This was excellent too. $22.55

V's verdict: 8/10


Turkey Burger


It's very easy for turkey to be dry, and this was no exception. The turkey patty was dry, the cheese was the same cheap-tasting cheese, so overall this dish couldn't make it. Fortunately their fries were good.

V's verdict: 5.5/10

Watami

8th October, Thursday

Was recommended here by a colleague, so I came here with my whole team. Watami's main outlet is at ION, and they just opened another one at Central. It's a Japanese casual restaurant.

I must say we were all quite pleased with the food here. Personally, I think they are better than Waraku, and their lunch sets are ridiculously worth it! They all came with a bowl of mini salad and a drink.


Hire Katsu Tamago Toji

This was my main course. It's basically pork cutlets served on a hot plate with some gravy. It came on a mini stove, and I was told that once it started boiling, I could crack the egg in.

This was delicious! The gravy was quite sweet and had onions, and the pork cutlets were done just right - not too dry too. $9.80

V's verdict: 8/10


Ika Maru Yaki


Grilled squid. Delicious! The squid was tender; not too tough and had the right amount of chew in it. It was quite a big portion too, and came with some mayonnaise for dipping. $7.80

V's verdict: 8.5/10

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

7th October, Wednesday

The outlet at Paragon. Before I even comment on the food, I must say I was very disappointed with this outlet. Was led here by a big sign that says "Breakfast served daily". But when I tried to order something, practically everything was sold out. They had around 6 kinds of bread, and all but one was sold out. I tried to order Eggs Ben, but guess what? They are out of sauce. As an outlet in the middle of Orchard Road, how could they allow such things to happen? I don't believe that all their bread ran out at the same time, and that they had no time to order more?

Egg Club Sandwich Set

This was a let-down. The eggs were overdone and the yolk was rock-hard. Fortunately the rest of the sandwich was still okay, but the eggs have done enough damage. $7.80

V's verdict: 5.5/10

Sashimi House Sakuraya

30th September, Wednesday

This Japanese restaurant is located at Anchorpoint.

Oyakodon

I was a bit hesitant in ordering this, because I was afraid that their chicken will have the defrosted taste. Fortunately, there was none of that taste. The chicken was a bit dry though, and the rice could have a bit more gravy and egg, but overall this was still acceptable.

V's verdict: 6/10

An extra point to add - my mother and I had diarrhea after our meal at this restaurant. We ordered different things; the only similar thing we ate was the watermelon that was served with each set. That should be the culprit... maybe their hands weren't clean when they cut the watermelon? Urgh.

Palm's Asian Brasserie

25th September, Friday

Located at Copthorne Orchid Hotel (214 Dunearn Road). Decided to give their buffet breakfast a try; anyway my mother had the a la carte card which gives 50% discount for 2 pax.

One word - disappointing. Practically nothing was good, and they don't even serve normal fried eggs - only scrambled eggs (which wasn't really good either). Only the ham and sausages were still arguably acceptable. Their prata was soggy, and I didn't like the gravy they gave, so that was a thumbs down as well.

V's verdict: 4/10

Canopy

21st September, Monday

Canopy Beef Burger

This seems to be a different version from the Canopy Beef Burger I tried last time. Appearances wise, this one looks better - it's presented nicely on a rectangular plate. But the food itself wasn't as good as before.

The salad and fries were quite all right. But the burger patty was dry, not at all like the delicious juicy version I had several months ago. I must say I was quite disappointed.

V's verdict: 6/10

Wan Chai (湾仔)

20th September, Sunday

Had breakfast at a small HK cafe located at Junction 8, opposite Swensen's and Din Tai Fung. My mother and I were the only customers at 830am. I don't rate drinks in this blog, but their coffee was so horrible that I almost wanted to scold them for serving me "black hot water". It was practically tasteless; I have never tasted such thin and bland coffee before in my whole life!

Century egg porridge with pork

This was the only decent dish. Their porridge is the HK kind, so it was brewed thick and tasty. The century egg was average. The pork, however, wasn't that good. It was quite tasteless.

V's verdict: 6.5/10


Half-boiled eggs

Not good; the egg yolk was a bit overcooked and the egg white was sticky and translucent.

V's verdict: 5/10

Soup Spoon

17th September, Thursday

The outlet at Raffles Xchange.


Tangy Tomato with Basil

One of my favourites from Soup Spoon. But today's didn't seem to taste as good. The soup was a bit too spicy, and the tomato flavour wasn't as strong as before.

V's verdict: 6.5/10
K's verdict: 8/10


Boston Clam Chowder

Chock full of potatoes, and quite filling (though not as filling as their mushroom soup!) .But it wasn't really as good as their other soups. For one thing, I don't really taste the clam.

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 7.5/10