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

Serangoon Garden Market

17th August, Monday

Braised duck rice (Ah Seng Braised Duck Rice)

I haven't eaten here in years, and I regret not having visited this stall earlier. Their duck was so good! The duck breast was sliced thinly, and it was tender and succulent. Excellent!

V's verdict: 8.5/10

Princess Terrace Cafe

16th August, Sunday

Well known for their Penang hawker fare, this cafe is located at Copthorne King's Hotel, at Havelock Road.

I must say I haven't had such a great buffet in ages. People may think that "hawker fare" is cheap stuff and not worth the $38++, but I have to say that their food is really fantastic! The stuff that really caught my attention was their prawn mee (the soup was so strong and delicious; K said that this is the real Penang prawn mee), herbal duck thigh soup, deep fried crab, and fried kway teow. Other good dishes include their otak otak, braised pork, and pig stomach soup.

Penang laksa was something I have disliked for years. K tried their Penang laksa and said it was good, only a bit below Penang's standards. I tried a sip and actually found it quite... edible!

There was BBQ stingray too, which K liked but I found it a bit too sweet and not hot enough. For desserts, the only thing that caught my attention was ice kachang, since they don't serve ice cream. But ice kachang was a welcome change, so I was all right with it.

I thought that the days of stuffing myself with food beyond a certain level of comfort were over (around 7 years ago?). But I found myself trying to eat more even though I was full, because the food was simply too delicious. I forced myself to down one last bowl of prawn mee so that I won't regret it later. And I am glad I did.

V's verdict: 9/10
K's verdict: 8.5/10

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

Canopy

1st July, Wednesday

Seafood tomato soup

Ah, this was fabulous! The blended taste of seafood and tomatoes was done just nice, and it was really, really good. By the way, this isn't on the menu yet; I think it will be on the new menu which is coming out this month.

V's verdict: 9/10


Baked brown rice with mushrooms

A vegetarian dish which is actually from the Greenroom. The vegetables on top seemed to clash with the baked rice, and the cheese and rice weren't very good too. I know it's a vegetarian dish, but it's still too bland.

V's verdict: 5.5/10


Smoked duck salad

This is also not on the menu yet. The vegetables were okay, but the smoked duck was absolutely delicious!

V's verdict: 8/10


Sticky red dates with ice cream

I have never been particularly fond of red dates, so...

V's verdict: 5/10


Apple crumble with ice cream

The apple crumble wasn't very good. The one at Lao Pa Sat was much better (and costs only $2!). So far the desserts at Canopy haven't been really attention-grabbing.

V's verdict: 5.5/10

Akashi

28th June, Sunday

A Japanese restaurant at the basement of Paragon Shopping Centre, right beside Din Tai Fung.

Oyako Don


This is still the best Oyako Don I have ever tasted. I tried the Oyako Don at their Tanglin outlet, but didn't find it as good. This was delicious! The rice had just enough gravy and egg, and the chicken was tender and fresh. No hint of the "defrosted" taste at all. The chicken skin is full of fat though, so don't eat it if you are health conscious.

It comes with some pickles, soup, and 2 slices of watermelon. $13

V's verdict: 9/10
K's verdict: 8/10


Kitsune Soba

Nothing special about this at all, just some soba in plain soup, and with some kitsune floating around. Too bland for me, but K found it okay as she wasn't feeling very hungry. $12

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

Thye Hong Cafe

16th June, Tuesday

Thye Hong Cafe is a small coffee shop along Philip Street.

Tom yam sliced fish bee hoon (旺盛)



Okay, I am glad I had an early lunch at 1130am today. Because by 12pm, the queue at this stall was so long that I probably wouldn't have bothered trying. Apparently, this stall has built some sort of reputation already for serving delicious sliced fish bee hoon.

And I was not disappointed. The tom yam soup was delicious; just spicy enough and yet not too sour. The best part was its fish; I don't know what kind of fish they used, but it was so smooth, sweet and delicious!

I can't believe that I only tried this after working around this area for almost 4 years. Definitely coming back to try their normal sliced fish bee hoon next time. $4

V's verdict: 8.5/10

Ah Seah Eating House

13th June, Saturday

Ah Seah Eating House is a small food court at 9 Yio Chu Kang Road, at Kovan Centre.

Roast duck



Bought this as takeaway for lunch. As usual, this was fantastic. The duck meat is delicious and juicy, and there's a herbal taste to its seasoning. This is definitely recommended!

V's verdict: 8.5/10
K's verdict: 8/10

River South (Hoe Nam) Prawn Noodles

30th May, Saturday

Prawn mee



Located at 31 Tai Thong Crescent (Potong Pasir), beside the old Jackson's. This is still my favourite prawn mee; I still haven't eaten any other prawn mee that can beat this!

I ordered it with pork ribs and intestines. They serve small prawns or big prawns, but I didn't choose either because small prawns don't taste as sweet, while it's so troublesome to eat big prawns.

The pork ribs are good, without any of the frozen taste which I abhor. But the most important part is the soup --- the soup was simply superb. They apparently use lots of prawns and pork bones to cook their stock, so it's thick and full of natural flavour. Add some of their chilli powder in and you get an irresistable bowl of prawn noodles.

V's verdict: 9/10

Maxwell Food Centre

15th May, Friday

After Wednesday's porridge, I was really craving for some good porridge. So I went to Maxwell Market with some of my colleagues.

Century egg porridge (Zhen Zhen Porridge)



(Ack, I should have taken a picture of it before stirring)

This is still the best porridge I have ever tasted. The porridge is thick to the point of being described as creamy. But that's the way I like my porridge! I don't like watery porridge; it doesn't even fill the stomach for more than an hour.

The porridge came full of ingredients --- chicken slices and century egg. I have asked them before, and they confirmed that they do not serve pork. That probably explains the Malay that was queuing in front of me.

There weren't a lot of people in front of me, but I still took almost half an hour to order my porridge. They have 3 people in the stall --- one cooks the porridge and prepares the 鱼生, one washes the dishes and cuts the fish, and the other takes orders, collects money, and serves the porridge. Each bowl takes quite a long time to prepare; the cook will scoop the plain porridge from his giant stove, pour it into a saucepan, add in the ingredients, and cook it separately. Add the fact that he is also preparing the 鱼生, and it pretty much explains the long waiting time.

Still, to me, it's worth the wait. Definitely coming back for more. Do remember to stir the porridge well though, or the taste won't be homogeneous. And unless you are a huge eater, don't you dare order the biggest bowl --- you are gonna get stuffed beyond measure. The porridge is thick enough, and a big bowl gives an over-generous serving of ingredients that you will practically unmovable after eating! $2.50/$3/$4

V's verdict: 9/10


鱼生 (Zhen Zhen Porridge)



This gets really popular during CNY for obvious reasons. But I always order it when I queue up for their porridge (might as well, right?).

It's quite simple, as they add mainly fried onions, ginger, spring onion, and of course, fish. I don't know what kind of fish it is though (my knowledge of fish is woefully limited).

Anyway, this tasted quite good, and the fish is fresh. The ingredients go well together, and it's value for money too. $2/$3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 7/10

Hong Lim Food Centre, Aglio Olio

29th April, Wednesday

Hong Lim Food Centre:

Laksa (Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa)

Forgot to take a picture of this, damn it. Anyway, this stall is on the 2nd floor. The laksa tastes way lighter than other laksa. It may be good for those who don't like their laksa to be too thick and filling, but it didn't really suit my tastebuds. I prefer my laksa to be thick and tasty. K gave it a total thumbs down. Maybe it's because I didn't add the chilli? But the chilli tasted sour, so I didn't dare to put any of it into the soup.

But the service was good; the stallkeeper was friendly and even apologized that she had a lot of orders to prepare first for the previous customer. I will consider ordering their mee siam next time. $2.50/$3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 5.5/10
K's verdict: 2/10


Chicken rice (Boon Tiong Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice)

Also located on the 2nd floor. Okay, I found the name quite amusing. It's obviously a lame attempt at confusing people with Boon Tong Kee. K found it decent, but I didn't like it. The meat wasn't tender enough, and the chicken flavour wasn't strong enough. The rice tasted a bit... weird too, I dunno how to describe it.

V's verdict: 4.5/10
K's verdict: 6.5/10


Curry chicken noodles (Heng Kee)



From the famous stall on the ground floor. They claim to be the "one and only stall" in Singapore, and I believe that they are the original, since all the other curry chicken noodles I have tried elsewhere don't even come close to their standard. Everytime I go there, I queue for at least 15 minutes and always order the biggest bowl ($6, to justify my queueing time). Their chilli was also fantastic, though a bit on the salty side, so take care not to add too much into the noodles. I added too much before and ruined my whole bowl.

The chicken they use puts some restaurants or stalls specialising in chicken to shame. I don't know where they get their chicken from, but it was so tender and sweet! Finally, if you don't like your food to be too oily, tell the uncle not to add oil into your noodles. Part of the cooking process is that he scoops some curry oil and pours it over the noodles! $4/$5/$6

V's verdict: 9.5/10
K's verdict: 9/10


Aglio Olio:



Soup

The soup was honestly quite lousy. In fact, I think Campbell soup tastes better. At least the prices were reasonable --- $2.20 for soup and lemonade.

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


Garlic bread

Not too good, but not too bad either. $2.90

V's verdict: 5/10
K's verdict: 4/10


Sotong Olio



Ok, my main dish saved the day. I ordered spicy -- 3 chillies out of the maximum 4 --- and it was not bad. The sotong was fresh and tender too. The reason why it didn't get a higher rating is because aglio olio style isn't really my favourite. $10.90

V's verdict: 7/10


Cream Bacon Olio



This was done very well! The bacon wasn't too fat, and the cream was delicious and in the right amounts. K loved this dish so much that she gave it full marks! $10.90

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

Serangoon Garden Market

25th April, Saturday

Pig organ soup (Soon Huat Pig's Organ Soup)



This stall is quite generous with its ingredients, with lots of pork, fatty meat, pig intestines etc. The soup tastes strongly of pickled vegetables without the overpowering smell of the pig innards, as they were washed clean. $3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 8.5/10
K's verdict: 7/10


Pig innards (Soon Huat Pig's Organ Soup)



I ordered intestines, tau pok, pig skin, and dried beancurd. I asked for a little bit of pig skin only, but they still gave me too much. =/ The gravy was delicious, and because the intestines were washed clean, they didn't smell and tasted great. The price is a bit on the steep side though; this plate alone costs $7.60.

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


Fishball noodles (Hao Hoe Siang Noodles Soup)



Another dish which I have been eating since I was small. Interestingly, it tastes better if you da bao --- there's more time for the noodles to immersed in the gravy and for the taste to settle in. I had it at the market today, and it didn't taste as good. $3

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


Fried hokkien mee (Stall 10)



From the stall right beside the side entrance. This is the wet kind with lots of gravy, so it may not suit some people's tastes. I would admit that my judgement is a bit biased, since I have been eating it since I was young, for around 20 years. Their standard isn't that consistent though, and depends largely on who fries the noodles. $3/$4/$5

V's verdict: 7.5/10

Other places

21st April, Tuesday

Some other places we have visited before.

Serangoon Garden Market:

Roti prata (V.K.S Indian Food)



The only roti prata stall there. Ordered their kosong, it tasted average. My mother doesn't dare to order from them though, because she doesn't like them to place the plates with curry onto the prata itself.

Interestingly, they received an "A" in hygiene, despite the indian using his bare hands to put the prata onto the plate and to collect money.

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


Curry chicken noodles (Heng Kee)

How dare they use the same name as the famous curry chicken noodles from Hong Lim? I gave it a try, and it was way below Hong Lim's standards, as expected. Copying a product is one thing, but copying a name or trying to make people think it's the same product is another matter. *snorts in contempt*

That aside, the taste really cannot compare to Hong Lim's. The ingredients were quite similar --- the type of chilli used, the tao pok, the chicken, etc. But the taste cannot be more different. Just one sip of the gravy and disappointment set in.

V's verdict: 5/10


Wanton noodles (Traditional Hand Made Wanton Noodle)

A new stall at the market. Tried it with my mother around 2-3 weeks ago, and we declared that we will never try it again. The char siew was dry and tasted... artificial. The wanton also tasted weird.

V's verdict: 3.5/10


Hong Lim Food Centre:

Curry chicken noodles (Ah Heng Curry Chicken Bee Hoon)

From the stall on the 2nd floor. I think it's the same outlet as the one at Mei Xuan. I haven't tried it before, but K says that it tasted all right. $3.50/$4.50/$5.50

K's verdict: 7.5/10


Fried Kway Teow (Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee)



Fantastic, one of the best fried kway teow I have ever tasted. Be prepared for a long wait though. They are especially generous with their hum (a bit too generous, in my opinion... I eat hum but still ended up throwing half away).

V's verdict: 8.5/10
K's verdict: 8/10


Beef horfun (Hao Jie Claypot Delights)

I had this quite long ago, but the impression was still deep in my head. It... sucks. The worst horfun I have ever tasted in my life. It's practically tasteless, and the texture was soggy and... urgh. The beef wasn't fresh, but was still arguably edible. I couldn't stomach the whole plate and threw almost ¾ of it away.

V's verdict: 2/10