Hua Yu Wee Seafood Restaurant

This unpretentious seafood restaurant is located in a quaint old bungalow along Upper East Coast Road.

A few of my friends dragged me to this restaurant when they heard that I didn't even know of this place. I think there's not many of such restaurants with the same setting around. It is surrounded by lush greenery of old trees at the back. It's super casual and the service is good without being intrusive.

We tried the chili crab, you tiao, crispy squid and kailan with oyster sauce.

The chilli crab was good though I find the sauce to be a tad sweet. One of my friends thinks that it used to be better. The crispy squid was crispy :) and it was one of those that you cannot stop once you start munching on one. The you tiao was excellent! I enjoyed it very much. It was crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. I will definitely come back for these.

On the whole, I think it is a great place for seafood and I like the place as it has an "old-school" feel about it. The prices are reasonable too.

Rating:
Chilli Crab: 8/10
Yu Tiao: 8/10
Crispy Squid: 8/10

462 Upper East Coast Road
Tel: (65) 241 1709

Cheng Teng

This refreshing dessert is a fab suggestion when the weather is scorching hot. One of my foodie friends dragged me to try out this particular Cheng Teng venue.

It is indeed delish and the gingko nuts were boiled just right (I love Gingko :) The Cheng Teng is not too sweet and you can smell the longan even before you sink your teeth into one.... It is good :)

Rating: 8.5/10

Bedok Corner
Singapore

Forlino

On a Sunday afternoon, a friend from KL wanted to meet up for lunch. I couldn't decide where to go and some restaurants are shut during Sunday lunch. So we decided on Forlino as it was open.

We were given a table with a view of the Merlion and the river, so I think this would be good if you are entertaining visitors. We shared an appetiser as I wasn't that hungry and I ordered a roast pigeon while my friend ordered a prawn dish.

The roast pigeon tasted slightly "gamey", so I think it could do with a little more seasoning or marinate. It was perfectly cook on the outside but it was slightly underdone inside. The sauce was also a tad sweet for my liking. My friend's plate of prawns looked good and he polished off his plate clean.

Roast Pigeon Rating: 6/10
Prawn's Rating: 7.5/10

Service: Good

Forlino
One Fullerton
Singapore
http://www.forlino.com/

Chicken Rice at Five Star

We were out furniture shopping one afternoon and my "makan kakis" (eating buddies) suggested having chicken rice to appease our growling stomachs. They decided to bring me to Five Star Chicken Rice.

We ordered chicken rice (half roast and half steam), kailan and you tiao, my fave :P...The steam chicken was silky smooth and the roast chicken was tasty and tender. The rice was fragrant and tasted fablicious. My you tiao was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. That tasted good too. The chicken rice chilli was excellent and enhanced our flavourful rice.

Next time if you around East Coast, head there. You won't regret it.. :)

Chicken Rice Rating: 9/10
You Tiao Rating: 9/10
Kailan Rating: 8.5/10
Five Star
191/193 East Coast Road
http://www.fivestarchickenrice.com/

Mee Rebus

A friend brought me here one morning for breakfast when I told him that I fancied Mee Rebus. I had never been here nor heard of this place before (where have I been?!?). First of all, Selera Kita only starts around 9.30 am in the morning and as soon as they ran out of Mee Rebus, they close shop. That would normally be around 11.30 am. He was telling me how delish the Mee Rebus here, and I couldn't wait :p...

There was a loooong queue, so he joined the line and I "chopped" the seat. When I finally took a spoonful of the sauce, I fell in love at first taste. It was tasty and the sauce consistency is just right, not too thick and not too runny. I don't think they use any "thickening" agent like starch so it was really really good. The base of the sauce made up of those tiny prawns that brings the flavour of the taucho and the other ingredients.

The most "expensive" bowl is at $2. The owner said she doesn't have a bowl big enough to charge more! :)) This is a must go place for mee rebus and it is definitely worth the queue.

*Halal

Hygiene rating : A
Rating: 9.5/10

Selera Kita
Bedok South Hawker Centre
(opp Bedok Stadium)

Roast Duck at Imperial Treasure

I was running some errands and suddenly I realised that I was actually really hungry. It was around 5pm, in between lunch and dinner time. With absolutely no idea what I felt like having, I decided to drive in to a shopping mall as I was certain that I will be able to find something that I would fancy.

After parking at Tampines 1, I took the lift to the 2nd floor. As I was walking along, an image which was upfront a restaurant caught my eye: roast duck.

I quickly got myself a table and ordered braised e-fu noodles (my fave) , braised tofu with mushrooms and vegetables and of course half a roast duck. The e-fu noodles could have been better with a little more seasoning, tastier broth and a little more scallions. The tofu was soft and delish... it melted in my mouth. However, the best dish I ordered was the roast duck. The meat was done just right as it was tender and moist. There were no "duck smell" or anything like that. The skin was crispy and simply yummy. In short, the roast duck was really really fablicious! You must definitely go and have it!

They have many outlets located islandwide.

Roast duck rating: 9.5/10
Braised Tofu rating: 8/10
Braised e-fu noodles: 6/10

Imperial Treasure
Tampines 1
#02-04
Tel: 6484 3323

Nasi Lemak Adam Road

Heard from everyone that this Nasi Lemak is one of the best in Singapore but I decided to try it out for myself. There was a looooong queue when I got there so I was anxiously waiting to try out what is so special about it.

The food was piping hot when it arrived, so that was good. The basmati rice was cooked just right. However, I find it a bit lacking in the taste department. The sambal was too sweet for me (bear in mind that I don't have a sweet tooth, so probably ANYTHING is too sweet for me :) The fried chicken came out from the frying pan straight to the plate, so it was juicy and fresh. The otak-otak was spicy and the fish was rather substantial.

On the whole, it's acceptable but I was expecting it to blow my mind ...

*Halal

Rating: 6.5/10

Adam Road Food Court

Watami, Singapore. Raffles City

We went to the outlet in Raffles City after a friend recommended the place. He told me that the Sukiyaki was excellent. So, I decided to try it out.

Luckily, I made a reservation. It was full when I got there and there were people waiting for their tables even at 8.45pm!

Of course, I ordered the Sukiyaki Nabe and it was really good. The beef cubes is a must! It is yummy and it has this smoky after taste :P... The Sushi Platter Grandeur was nice too. The Hot Pot Unagi was slightly unusual as the rice was cooked with mushroom broth (I think). It took about 25 mins to cook on the table. I expected it to be tastier but personally I think it's just ok... Oh! The ice lemon tea was refreshing and we think it is home made... or should I say, restaurant made... On the whole, I think it is a great casual dining experience for families and friends at reasonable prices. Just make sure you call for a reservation...

Rating: 8.5/10

B1-06 Raffles City
Singapore

Porta Porta

On Christmas Eve, my friends and I decided to find a restaurant that is a) not in the city as we do not want to fight with the crowd b) a cosy restaurant. We decided on Porta Porta.

It is a smallish restaurant run by their own family members. I was told that the owner is a Singaporean Malay lady and her Italian husband is the chef.

It was perfect for us as we did not want to be in a busy and "commercial" restaurant for Christmas Eve. All of us enjoyed everything that was served: the antipasti, soup, cheese rice balls, lamb, salmon... the list goes on. A vegetarian friend of ours, enjoyed her meal tremendously too. They served honest good food, not much frills but definitely worth going. We had such a great time that I had forgotten to take any food shots :) Will definitely take more shots on my next visit...

*No pork, no lard

Rating: 8/10


971 Upper Changi Road North
Singapore

Apollo Fish Head Curry

My "makan kakis" (eating buddies) decided to have Fish Head Curry one Sunday afternoon. And where else but at Apollo Restaurant.

Even before we entered the restaurant, the smell of fish curry wafted out from the restaurant. I think it is one of the best Fish Head Curry in Singapore. We polished off the whole fish head, lamb curry and fried fish roe. Obviously, it was fab as we folded the banana leave inwards after our meal :)

*Halal

Rating: 9/10

54/56 Race Course Road
Singapore

Barossa

I heard about Barossa Restaurant from a friend of mine who told me that they do all-you-can-eat buffet for Australian meats. So, a group of us decided to try it out. It cost SGD$49.90++ and you have a choice of Ribeye, T-Bone or Wagyu. In fact, you can have it all. It comes with a choice of vegetable and a choice of potato to go with it.

My friends and I ordered different vegetables to taste. The creamed spinach was watery instead of creamy, so this was rather tasteless. We kept in mind that we will order the asparagus next time. The Bearnaise sauce was very good and we kept asking for more. The meat was tender and I got the biggest potion even though I was the smallest person there :). I was too full to order another one. I picked the Wagyu and it was nice and juicy with just the right amount of marbled fats on it :P

Their buffet is available on Wednesdays and Sundays from 6pm. On Thursdays, they have a ribs buffet which I have yet to try :P

Rating: 8/10

8 Raffles Avenue
Esplanade Mall
#01-11
Singapore

Zam Zam Murtabak

The other day, my friend who is now living in KL, was chatting with me on FB and she was mentioning how she missed Zam Zam murtabak. Immediately, I had a craving as I have not had it for nearly a year. I was on a mission on one Saturday afternoon and I was not disappointed. The meat was tasty, the dough was crispy and it wasn't too oily.

We also ordered the Soup Kambing. It looks strange and does not look like the normal Soup Kambing. I decided not to put the photo up as it actually looks rather unappetising. It tasted different too. It was spicy, like chilli spicy and I could even see bits of red chillies floating in it which was strange. Although it doesn't look great, it actually taste ok but let me warn you it does not taste like the normal Soup Kambing.

This "old-school" eating place also serves Lamb, Chicken and Venison Briyani.

*Halal

Murtabak rating: 9/10
Soup Kambing rating: 5.5/10

Zam Zam Restaurant is located at:
697/699 North Bridge Road
Singapore

Laksa

I have friends asking me where's the best place to eat this or that. Sometimes, a place can be good one day and not really on the other. The places that are consistently good, are usually the ones that attract the crowd. However, I noticed, even if it is not that good but just because they HAD a reputation to be good, they still get the crowd.

Anyway, I found two places so far with very good Malay Laksa. Malay Laksa has a different sauce as it is actually made from Tenggiri fish. I love Tenggiri :) I like it as it does not have that fishy smell and it tastes great. The garnishes are usually some beansprouts, cucumber and Thai basil with a dollop of sambal (chilli paste) on the side. It is a refreshing dish and I found the two that is worth your visit.

One is at Bedok Corner at the Oleh-Oleh stall and the other is at Mukmin in Bedok North, Block 129 opposite the Bedok Stadium.

The Laksa at Bedok Corner has a slightly thicker gravy and the sambal is very spicy. While the Laksa from Mukmin has a slightly lighter consistency but equally tasty.

Will definitely update when I discover others worth mentioning... :)

*Halal

Oleh-Oleh Stall Rating: 9/10
Mukmin Stall Rating: 8.5/10