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

Canopy, Greenroom

10th May, Sunday

Canopy (again)! Saw their Mother's Day set menu yesterday, so we decided to try it today. We ordered 2 sets from Canopy and 1 set from Greenroom, a neighbour vegetarian restaurant which was also run by the same management.

Rare Tuna Salad



This came with cucumber tagliatelle and soya mirin dressing. The tuna was done just nice, seared on the outside but still raw inside. The dressing was light and complemented the tuna instead of overpowering it.

V's verdict: 7.5/10


Spinach Salad



This was served with roasted pumpkin and feta cheese, sprinkled with almonds. The feta cheese was excellent, but there wasn't enough of it. Overall, not bad.

V's verdict: 6.5/10


Wild Mushroom Potatoes Gnocchi



My father ordered this. It came with sugar pea, brown butter and lemon. I tried it and didn't like it; it was too bland and light for me. Maybe it's because it's a vegetarian meal?

V's verdict: 5/10


Braised Pork Cheeks



My main course. The description said it came with "crispy croutons", but does that piece of toast on top count as crispy croutons (plural)?

The red wine sauce was great; thick and delicious. The pork cheek was also tender, but depending on the direction you bite it, it can be very tough. For such meat portions, you would have to eat it along the "lines", which you can see if you cut it open. Great dish!

V's verdict: 8/10


Crab Meat Linguine



A light pasta dish, sauteed with spring onion and chilli coriander. The crab was fresh and good too.

V's verdict: 7.5/10


Pandan Panna Cotta



Served with brandy snap. I am not too good at rating desserts, but this dish was quite good; light and not too sweet.

V's verdict: 6.5/10


Dark Chocolate Mousse



The chocolate mousse was very thick, and is definitely not for people who dislike thick chocolatey stuff. I found it quite all right though.

V's verdict: 6.5/10

Soup Spoon

5th May, Tuesday

Lunch today was at Soup Spoon, the outlet at Raffles Place MRT. Their soup was supposedly prepared beforehand from a central location, so I would assume their standard to be more or less consistent. In fact, a copycat has sprung up, also at Raffles Place MRT, but I can't remember the exact name now.

Beef Goulash



One of my favourites from Soup Spoon. Not too thick and yet full of flavour, mainly from the beef and vegetables inside. Today's soup seemed to have a disproportionate amount of vegetables inside, though. The sore point was the bread --- it didn't seem fresh and was a tad too hard. $8.20 for Grande

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


Caesar's salad



I only started loving Caesar's salad recently. Theirs was quite good, with the right amount of dressing. I ordered this as part of the Souper upgrade --- $3.90 for half salad and a drink. The bacon bits weren't too good though; I think they used artificial bacon. The croutons were crispy but not tasty enough. But everything else was all right.

V's verdict: 7.5/10
K's verdict: 9.5/10