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

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

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!

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

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

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

tcc

15th September, Tuesday

Had breakfast at the tcc outlet at Raffles Place MRT (Raffles Xchange). I hate their normal seats. The table is so low then I can't even sit properly - I need to stretch my legs out or else they will bump the table. It's such an idiotic design that I wonder why they even used it in the first place. I mean, I know my legs are long, but they are not overly long - I am sure many other tall people will suffer the same problem.

But enough complaining about their tables and seats.

American Breakfast Sunny Side Up

This was nice! The bread was toasted just right, not too dry and just crispy enough. The sausages were quite okay too, but the ham was average. Of special mention is their tomatoes - 3 lightly baked tomatoes (linked to each other by the same stalk) which tasted sweet and juicy. It was as pleasant to the eyes as to the mouth.

V's verdict: 8/10

Coffee Club

11th September, Friday

Had to decide on a venue for a birthday dinner at the last minute, so I suggested the Coffee Club at Raffles Place. Most other places should already be fully packed on a Friday evening, so Raffles Place was a good choice - there's definitely empty seats. Besides, it was just 10 steps away from my office.

Smoked salmon garlic cream linguini

I ordered this because I was very hungry. This is another ultra creamy dish which guarantees that you are full, because it's just so thick. Comes with 3 generous chunks of smoked salmon arranged in the shape of roses, and the cream was garlic flavoured.

V's verdict: 7/10


Muddy mudpie

Coffee Club's most well known dish! Everytime I come here, I will order this to share. Fantastic! 9 of us shared 3 mudpies.

V's verdict: 8/10

Prego

1st September, Tuesday

Prego was surprisingly crowded during lunchtime today. Normally I don't have to make reservations and the restaurant will still be less than half-filled, but today it was totally full and I had to wait almost half an hour for a table.

Spaghetti ala Carbonara

So far this is still the best carbonara pasta I have ever tasted. Some may find it too creamy and filling, but which carbonara isn't creamy and filling? The cream was tasty but not overall thick, the bacon was great, and overall this dish rocks. $24

V's verdict: 8/10

Din Tai Fung

26th August, Wednesday

The outlet at Junction 8, forever with people queuing outside. Reached there at 7pm and had to wait half an hour for a seat.

Steamed pork dumplings (小笼包)

Din Tai Fung's famous trademark dish. This is also the only dish that is consistently good across all its outlets. As usual, it was good; the skin was of the right thickness, the pork was tasty, and the soup inside was sweet.

V's verdict: 8/10


Stir-fried spinach with garlic (蒜炒菠菜)

A simple dish. A bit bland though.

V's verdict: 6.5/10


Fried rice with pork strips and egg

The outlet at Wisma was better. This was not bad, but not as good.

V's verdict: 7/10


Steamed chicken soup with noodles

Disappointing. The noodles was average, the soup was not bad, but the chicken had the defrosted taste! And the weird thing was that only some pieces had that taste. Bah!

V's verdict: 5/10


Soup with vegetable dumplings

The soup tasted strongly of vegetables - the filling inside the dumplings. A bit bland, but otherwise quite okay.

V's verdict: 6.5/10


Noodles with minced pork in bean sauce (炸酱面）

Another of their well known dishes. I found this average only, though.

V's verdict: 6/10


My conclusion? It wasn't worth the 30 minutes wait for a seat. Perhaps it's the image they project? By utilising a queue system and having people hang around outside the restaurant to wait, they give onlookers the impression that their food was fantastic. Well, the food was only okay. I wouldn't mind going again, but not if I have to queue for another half an hour.

Kovan Food Centre

23rd August, Sunday

Wanton noodles (Pontian Wanton Noodles)

I must give credit to their signboard. Out of all the stalls, their signboard was the most prominent and most attractive. Pontian is actually a district in southwest Johor, so this stalls claims to sell Pontian-style wanton noodles, with 60 years of experience blah blah. The bowl sthey used to serve the noodles adds to the authenticity. It looks more original and traditional (and arguably more delicious).

They offer a variety of sauces for the noodles - black sauce, chilli sauce, black sauce & chilli sauce, and tomato sauce. The standard sauce is the black sauce, and the hawker will ask if you want chilli sauce to go with it.

Ingredients were quite plentiful - char siew, deep fried wanton, boiled wanton (that goes with the soup), and vegetables. Let's begin with the noodles.

The noodles had a good texture; smooth and goes down easily. It was also well mixed with the sauce as the hawker will help you mix it before serving. The sauce had a slight sweet tinge to it. Which was all right, but I thought it could be a bit saltier.

The char siew was decent at most. A bit dry too. The boiled wanton was not bad, but the deep fried wanton was good! Crispy and succulent.

Overall, this was quite good and I wouldn't mind trying it again. The portion was a bit small, though. $2.80

V's verdict: 7.5/10

Beng Thin Hoon Kee

21st August, Friday

My second trip to Beng Thin within a week, as one of our business partners insisted on treating our clients (different ones from Tuesday) to this place again. Once again, no pictures.

Fried oyster omelette

This was different from the usual oyster omelette we eat at hawker centres. For one thing, it had much more flour. I prefer more egg actually, but at least it was crispy and delicious. The oysters were also big, fresh and sweet. But quite filling because it's oily.

V's verdict: 8/10


Kong Ba Pau

Beng Thin is supposedly well known for this as well. I found it not bad but not as good as I expected. Their pork tasted a bit sweet, which didn't really agree with my taste buds. But when I brought some back to my colleagues, they LOVED it.

V's verdict: 7/10


Fried vegetables (豆苗)

Simple but delicious. It's just fried with garlic, I think.

V's verdict: 8/10

Beng Thin Hoon Kee (茗珍奋记)

18th August, Tuesday

A traditional Hokkien restaurant, Beng Thin has been around for many years. I even recall visiting it several times when I was small (>20 years ago).

No pictures taken as I was having a business lunch with some of my clients.


Beng Thin Duck Salad (鸭丝冷盘)

This was a good opening dish, which was very appetizing. A nice mixture of cucumber slices, chilli, roast duck, and rock melon topped with gravy. Unique and excellent!

V's verdict: 8/10


Crabmeat fishmaw soup (蟹肉鱼鳔羹)

This was also good. Thick soup with fish maw and crab meat. Add a bit of pepper and vinegar, and the dish is perfect.

V's verdict: 8/10


Crispy roast chicken (脆皮烧鸡）

The skin was crispy, the meat was slightly juicy. The breast meat wasn't too dry too. Nice!

V's verdict: 8/10


Venison with mushrooms

The venison was decent; nothing special. I must say the attractive part of this dish was the mushrooms. They were sliced thinly; me and my colleague even mistook them for ginger slices or onion slices. The mushrooms were slightly juicy and sweet.

V's verdict: 7/10


Fujian style ngo hiang

There were 3 types of ngo hiang served here - the traditional one, spring roll, and another oddly shaped one which I don't know how to describe. The traditional one tasted good, but the rest were average only.

V's verdict: 6/10


Fried hokkien mee (福建炒面)

Beng Thin is famous for their fried hokkien mee. It's the dark kind, with thick and rich gravy. This was quite fantastic!

V's verdict: 8/10


Sweet yam with pumpkin slices and gingko nuts (金瓜芋泥)

Well I am not really into orr nee, but this was still quite good. Not too heavy and not too light. Smooth and the sweet flavour of the pumpkin blended in quite well with the whole dish.

V's verdict: 7/10

Overall, I found this place to be quite good. They may not have any dishes that scored more than 8.5 from me, but they had a lot of dishes which were already very good (score 8). Will bring my parents here one day.

Lee Fun Nam Kee

17th August, Monday

Okay, I am not sure whether I got the name right. On their plastic bag it says "Lee Nam Kee", but below that it says LFNK and "李范“. And a search online yielded "Lee Fun Nam Kee". Oh well. It's located at Block 94 Toa Payoh Lorong 4, #01-04.

Soy chicken

Excellent soy chicken! One of the very few chicken dishes my mother truely enjoys and craves for once in a while. The chicken is tender and smooth. The thick sauce was a bit too sweet; I would prefer the normal juices that comes with the chicken. The sauce can be used with their noodles, however.

V's verdict: 8/10
K's verdict: 7/10

Chomp Chomp

12th August, Wednesday

Fried hokkien mee (车间炒福建虾面)

Tried the fried hokkien mee from a different stall, since the famous Ah Hock was closed today. This turned out quite okay. $3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 6.5/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Century egg and pork porridge (Chong Chong Pork Porridge & Macaroni)

This used to be my favourite porridge, until I tried the porridge at Maxwell Market's Zhen Zhen Porridge. Still, it's a good bowl of porridge, thick and tasty but not as thick as Zhen Zhen's, which some people think is too heavy for them. Comes with pork, century egg, pig liver, and egg. The egg costs $0.50 (!!!) and takeaway another $0.20.

$3.50 + $0.50 + $0.20

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


BBQ chicken wings (Xin Shi Dai)

Located at the back, right side. It's a relatively newer stall compared to Daily Fresh, but I found this to be slightly better. $1 per wing

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


Wanton noodles (Swee Heng Wanton Noodle)

I ordered this several years ago and loved it since. I always order their green noodles; it seems to taste better than their yellow noodles. Just moist enough, with wanton and small dumplings. The ingredients were average, but the chilli and seasoning mixed with the noodles makes this a great dish. $3/$4

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

Mango Tau Huay (Dinghao Sugarcane Juice)

I have never tried mango flavoured tau huay before. This was mixed with normal tau huay. The mango tau huay wasn't strong enough on its own, so you have to eat it with the chopped mango. Unique and interesting. $2.50

V's verdict: 7/10
K's verdict: 9/10

Posin Hainanese Chicken Rice

11th August, Tuesday

Bought this as takeaway from Serangoon Garden. Despite having a different 'english' name as Pow Sing, their chinese equivalent is the same - 报喜. Pow Sing serves steamed chicken whereas Posin serves roast chicken. And they are owned by the same boss.

I have been eating their roast chicken since I was young. The skin is delicious, and their chilli is especially good! The breast meat can be a bit dry sometimes, but that can be cured with chilli.

$11 for half-chicken

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

Xin Wang HK Cafe

9th August, Sunday

Luncheon meat & egg sandwich

Well in the picture this sandwich looked exactly the same as the cheese & ham sandwich. I thought that the bread was a bit too thick and dry, and it was difficult to cut properly. There was a sweet taste to it too, which K claimed to be from condensed milk.

V's verdict: 6/10


Cheese & ham sandwich

K ordered this. Basically it's the same as mine, except that it had cheese and ham instead of luncheon meat and egg. K loved this, though I found it decent only (just like my sandwich).

V's verdict: 6/10
K's verdict: 9/10


Half boiled eggs

Not as good as Ya Kun's, but then again, I haven't tasted any half-boiled eggs that can surpass Ya Kun's. The egg white was a bit too watery, and one of the egg yolks burst when I cracked the egg open. Their dark sauce was a bit too sweet and not salty enough.

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

Carrot cake

This was the best dish I had here today, in my opinion. The carrot cake is those HK dim sum types, not the usual fried carrot cake in hawker centres. It was not oily, and the taste was light and yet succulent.

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

Toa Payoh Lorong 4 Food Centre

19th July, Sunday

Oops, forgot to update this entry until I suddenly remembered it today. *sheepish* Everything here is from one stall - Gen Shu Mei Shi She Jia. (Can't remember the chinese name; this was taken from ieatishootipost)


Yam cake

I am not a fan of yam cake, but I still thought that this was good! Tasty with the right texture. One of the best yam cakes I have ever tasted.

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


Century egg porridge

This was thick and quite good, until I munched on some pork slices. To my dismay, it had the frozen taste which I detest! Very disappointed that they served such food.

V's verdict: 5.5/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Chee cheong fun

Chee cheong fun isn't really one my favourite dishes. I won't say I dislike it, but I definitely wouldn't order it by myself. But this one was not bad. The texture was good; neither too hard nor too soft, and it was quite flavoursome too.

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

Canopy

28th July, Tuesday

Ah, Canopy again. But this time my uncle promised that we can order some food which is off the menu, so I was quite looking forward to it.

Disclaimer: As my uncle was there, he ordered the head chef to personally cook for us, so the food was fantastic!

Prawn cocktail

The cold prawns are on the left side, while the deep fried prawns are on the right. The cold prawns were fresh, so they were not bad. But the deep fried prawns were excellent! Reminds me of the wasabi prawns in chinese restaurants, but even better.

V's verdict: 8.5/10


Braised veal cheek


2 pieces of veal, with some thick gravy and on top of mashed potatoes. Excellent! The veal was tender and tasty, and the gravy was delicious!

V's verdict: 8.5/10
K's verdict:


Pan-fried seabass

My mother ordered this. This was also great; the fish skin was slightly crispy and the taste of lime blended quite well with everything.

V's verdict: 7.5/10


Lemon sherbet

Damn, my phone went flat so I couldn't take a photo of this! This was superbly done, presented in half a baby pineapple. The natural pineapple flavour was so strong! A must-try!

V's verdict: 9/10


Profiterole

A profiterole is some kind of cream puff. According to Wikipedia:

"A profiterole or cream puff is a popular choux pastry. Choux paste is baked into small round puffs that are served cold with a sweet filling and sometimes a topping. The term profiterole refers to a filling of ice cream."

This was quite good too, with thick chocolate sauce on top of the pastry. Should try this as well!

V's verdict: 8/10


Strawberry panna cotta

Compared to the strong tasting profiterole, this turned out rather bland. Tasted strongly of pandan leaves. I think this should turn out decent if not for the contrast with the profiterole.

V's verdict: 6.5/10

Hong Lim Food Centre

24th July, Friday

Bak chor mee (Tai Wah Pork Noodle)

There were only 5 people in front of me, but I waited almost 15 minutes for my food. It's not that the hawker was slow in cooking; it seemed that he had a lot of things to do. Cook this, add that, etc etc. But this bowl turned out quite good. The taste was unique, very different from the usual bak chor mee, probably due to the vinegar. The ingredients were good too. Worth a try! $3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 8/10