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

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

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

Canopy

2nd September, Wednesday

Beef Tenderloin

I must have been dreaming when I was ordering this, because I missed the description that says "blue cheese on top of the beef". So when I ate a bit of the blue cheese, I thought it tasted funny. Unlike most people, I didn't think that it stinks, but the taste was very strong and personally, I thought that it didn't go well with the beef. But many other places do pair beef with blue cheese, so it's just my taste.

So I scraped the blue cheese off the beef. The potatoes were pan-fried and were absolutely delicious! The sauce used was also quite good - thick and tasty. The beef itself was not bad, though I expected tenderloin to be a bit more tender. The natural beef flavour was there, but a pity it wasn't stronger.

V's verdict: 7/10


Seafood chowder soup

Their soup of the day for today. I thought that this was not bad.

V's verdict: 7/10
K'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.

Kim San Leng Food Court

12th August, Wednesday

Bought these as takeaway, and used my own bowls and plates to hold them.

Pig organs (You Kee Duck Rice . Porridge . Kway Chiap)


I dunno about their eggs and fishcake, since I told them I didn't want those. But the tau pok was on the verge of spoiling, since it had a sour taste. I threw away almost all of it. The pork and pig skin were still all right. Intestines were decent. But the sauce was a bit too sticky and not to my liking.

V's verdict: 5/10


Fishball noodles (Million Fish Ball Noodles)

I wonder if this had any relation to the fishball noodle stall at Mei Xuan Food Court? Because their chinese names were almost the same. This one is called 隆兴百万鱼圆面 while Mei Xuan's is called 隆兴百万鱼圆. Just a difference of one word. Hmm...

From the picture, it looks quite moist. But I don't know why it was so dry after I have stirred it. Probably only one side was moist; the bottom was totally dry. So once I mixed it, it was generally still dry. It's a pity, since the taste was quite all right. And their fishballs were not bad too. If it weren't so dry I would have given it a higher score.

V's verdict: 6/10

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

Food Junction (Junction 8)

9th July, Thursday

Sorry for the lousy pictures... the lighting at the food court was poor.

Curry beef pepper rice (Pepper Lunch Express)

The only difference between this and their normal beef pepper rice is the curry powder on top. Not bad, but I still think the normal version is nicer.

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


Chicken chop (Western Food)

The mushroom soup they gave was horrible. It tasted like... tasteless cream? The garlic bread and coleslaw were decent. The chicken was so-so only. But I must admit, their service was good. Now, if only they can improve on their food...

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

Crystal Jade Kitchen (Junction 8)

12th July, Sunday

Compared to Din Tai Fung, their business isn't really good. At 8pm, there were more than 20 people queueing outside Din Tai Fung, while we got a table immediately at Crystal Jade Kitchen.

Mixed mushrooms with fried beancurd

This was quite good. The fried beancurd was delicious!

V's verdict: 7/10


Vegetables with salted egg and century egg

This was not bad, though I thought the taste of the salted egg didn't really seep into the vegetables and gravy.

V's verdict: 7/10


Minced pork with prawn and salted fish

This was quite all right too. A bit salty of course, so make sure you eat it with something else.

V's verdict: 7/10

Fei Siong (肥雄), Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks

8th July, Wednesday

Fishball noodles (Fei Siong)

I ordered mee kia, dry, takeaway. But they added so much sauces and soup that it seemed almost like fishball noodles soup! I was even doubting myself whether I ordered correctly or not.

But when I reached home and opened it, the noodles had absorbed all the soup. And it was surprisingly good, though the noodles were a bit too soggy. They added some vinegar too, and it did contribute to the overall taste. $3 + $0.20

V's verdict: 7/10


Handmade Oyster Mee Sua (Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks)

The last time I tried it, their shredded chicken tasted so horrible (defrosted taste) that I threw all of it away. This time it was all right, and the mee sua seemed to taste better than the last time I had it! Hmm... let's just give them the benefit of doubt. The oysters were quite good too. Quite expensive though, for just a small bowl. $3.50

V's verdict: 7.5/10

Food Junction (Junction 8)

7th July, Tuesday

Beef noodle (soup)

I ordered this as takeaway, so I didn't bother taking a picture. Anyway it's quite lousy. The beef is tough, the soup is bland and doesn't have the taste of beef. Not gonna try this again. $4 + $0.20

V's verdict: 4/10

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

Block 514 Bishan Place Food Court

14th June, Sunday

A food court at Block 514 Bishan Place, right behind Junction 8. It was always very empty on weekend mornings, so today we decided to give it a try.

Fishball noodles (顺兴鱼圆面）



Okay, this was quite funny. The uncle boasted to me about how good his fishball noodles were, and how popular he was at something-something plaza (I couldn't catch it and couldn't be bothered to clarify).

When I brought my noodles back to my table, my mother took one look and said critically, "One look and I know that it's not good. The colour is already wrong."

True enough, one bite and I was like, URGH. Why was it so sour? It had tomato ketchup, but ketchup alone wouldn't make it that sour. And the noodles were apparently cooked too long and were too soggy. The fishballs tasted okay, but the texture was far from bouncy.

Well uncle, I don't know (and don't care) where you came, but I think you should go back to your old place and sell your sour fishball noodles to your old customers. I don't appreciate it at all, and I don't expect anyone else to. K and my mother both tasted it and disliked it as well. (K says that it tasted... mouldy!) In fact, the best part of the meal was the soup! $3/$4

V's verdict: 3.5/10
K's verdict: 1/10


Nasi Lemak (SJ Nasi Campur)



See how tiny this nasi lemak is? Before you start condemning it, I should state how much it costs first --- $1. All it had was rice, cucumber, and a chicken wing. And some chilli, of course.

I didn't try this, but K's description of it was "cannot make it".

K's verdict: 3.5/10


Fried bee hoon (Tong Luck Economical Mixed Rice)



This was not bad. The bee hoon wasn't too oily, and the vegetables were decent. The luncheon meat was a bit too dry, but their chilli was quite good. I don't mind trying this again next time. K said that it was tasteless and wasn't special at all, though.

V's verdict: 7/10
K's verdict: 5/10

Food Junction (Junction 8)

9th June, Tuesday

Pepper steak (Pepper lunch Express)



This was on offer ($7.90 instead of $8.90) so I decided to give it a try. It was not bad, especially since I love bean sprouts. The steak was quite all right, though you have to be careful not to overcook it. But compared to Pepper Lunch, they obviously used lower quality beef (not surprising, since it's around 50% cheaper). Still, I was quite satisfied.

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


Cheese roti prata



Prata with cheese. It was prepared very nicely, and the dough was crispy. Cheese prata isn't really my type though; I still prefer it plain (kosong). The gravy could be thicker too.

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

Cafe Galilee (sigh)

5th June, Friday

Roastary Chicken Leg



(I finished the chips and salad before remembering to take the picture... that explains the poor presentation)

Okay, I used my student card again (my NTU student EZ link card is priceless. It has granted me access to student meals from Seoul Garden, McDonald's, Burger King, and now Cafe Galilee). The price of this dish is usually around $7, I think. With the student promotion, it is only $4.90. With a can of coke on top of it!

I was surprised when the dish came. The chicken leg was HUGE, with lots of sauce. They added some chips (Pringles, sour cream and onion) and some salad garnished with cheese powder.

But one bite into the chicken leg and everything fell apart. The chicken was tasteless and had absolutely no flavour at all. It was dry, and the texture was like... a mix between tough and chewy? I wasn't expecting much for this price, so I wasn't too disappointed. They obviously used frozen chicken legs, though how long it has been frozen is a mystery to me.

The sauce managed to save them a bit, because it covered a bit of the (lack of) chicken taste. If this was a main course without any discounts at all, I would definitely complain. But since it's so cheap (and I am not a student actually) I thought I had better refrain from doing that.

OK, NO MORE CAFE GALILEE --- until my next exam, that is.

V's verdict: 3.5/10

Ya Kun Kaya Toast

5th June, Friday

Half boiled eggs

As usual, Ya Kun has the best half boiled eggs around. I have tried half boiled eggs from several places --- Ah Mei, Wang Jiao, normal coffeeshops --- and none can compare to theirs. Their half boiled eggs are just nice and taste good not only to the stomach but to the eye. Just look at how beautifully it is prepared! And their standards are quite consistent too.

V's verdict: 8/10


Kaya toast

Some other factors would determine whether kaya toast suits a person's taste --- thickness of the toast, and amount of butter? I know I like my toast to be thin, but my parents prefer thicker toasts. And obviously some people just love a lot of butter on their toast, but I prefer just a moderate amount (for health reasons as well).

The kaya toast here is the thin kind. The kaya tastes all right, though I think I wouldn't mind them to spread a bit more. The butter is one big chunk, but you can inform them beforehand not to put so much butter.

V's verdict: 7/10

Canopy, Cafe Galilee

4th June, Thursday

Steak sandwich (Canopy)



After the fabulous bacon sandwich I had here last week, this was a total let down. A different chef prepared this today, so that could be part of the reason. The bread was dry and tough. The onion sauce used tasted a bit too sweet and didn't suit me. And the ribeye steak they used wasn't too good too; it didn't have that kind of fresh beef flavour. At least the fries were good. $16

V's verdict: 6/10


Fish and Chips (Cafe Galilee)



The $5.90 meal again that came with a drink. Once again, how bad can deep fried stuff get? This was okaaaay, although the pasta still had the same yucky hard carrots and the artificial-tasting sauce.

I am starting to get quite sick of the food here. Tomorrow will be my last visit to Bishan Library; my exams will be over on Sunday. So there will be one more update tomorrow on Cafe Galilee again.

V's verdict: 5.5/10

Cafe Galilee

3rd June, Wednesday

Galilee Special



Spent the whole afternoon at Cafe Galilee, inside Bishan Library. This was one of their lunch specials, which was pretty worth it. It cost $7 usually, but if you order it during lunchtime (12pm to 2pm) it only costs $5.90, and they give you a drink on top of that.

Taste wise, the sauce tasted a bit artificial and wasn't too good. The carrots were too hard. The chicken... well, it was deep fried, and deep fried food usually taste quite okay. (If deep fried food tastes horrible, it just shows that either the chef is terrible, the food quality is terrible, or both the chef and food quality are terrible.)

Conclusion: Not too good. But for the price, it's arguably okay.

V's verdict: 5/10

Kim San Leng Food Court

1st June, Monday

Steamed Chicken [ (Bugis St) Ming Kee Chicken Rice - Porridge ]



Ok, this is the supposedly famous steamed chicken from Kim San Leng. I went at 520pm, and true enough, this was the only stall that had a queue of 5 to 6 people. The other stalls had either no one or just 1 person queueing.

Well, I must say this wasn't as good as I expected. The chicken was tender and smooth, but it wasn't so good that I was bowled over. The flesh was okay, but not sweet enough. They were saved mainly by their sauce, but it had a tinge of sweetness inside which my father didn't like. I didn't taste it at first, but as I ate more it started to become more obvious.

Overall it was not bad, but I would take Pow Sing's steamed chicken anytime over this. $22 (whole chicken), $11 (half chicken)

V's verdict: 7/10