Garibaldi

This is one of my favourite restaurants.  Decided to have lunch with some friends and since I've not been there recently, decided to head there this time.

As usual, the staff was extremely welcoming when we arrived.  I picked the carrot and crabmeat soup and roast turkey.  The carrot and crabmeat soup came with bits of crab meat which was lovely but I think it could do with slightly more seasoning.  Alas, I had forgotten to take any photos... The roast turkey was done just right.  It was tender and the sauce that went with it was delicious.  I think it's perfect for lunch as I didn't want something too heavy.  The prawn linguine that my friends ordered were very good though I think the herb was a tad too strong for my liking.  The linguine was al dente and it has just the right amount of sauce. As usual, I only ordered a gelato for dessert and it was creamy in texture and milky in taste.  The chocolate dessert (I can't remember the name) was fabulous and the rest of my friends who ordered it enjoyed it very much.

The Italian waiter who served us was very friendly and helpful.  In fact, all the staff are well trained and has the right personality.  This is one restaurant that I would not mind going again and again...

Ratings:
Roast Turkey: 9/10
Prawn Linguine: 8.5/10
Chocolate dessert: 9.5/10

Service rating: 9.5/10


Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar
36 Purvis Street #01-02
Singapore 188613
Tel: (65) 6837 1468

Akashi Japanese Restaurant

When I entered this restaurant, it was rather full of "ladies-who-lunch" and professionals.  Fortunately, there was a table for us as I was just passing by this place and it was lunchtime.  We were greeted by friendly servers who were prompt and I was glad.

When the Sukiyaki came, I thought that the pot was not hot enough but my egg cooked nicely when I slipped it in.  It was very tasty and came with soft tofu, loads of veges and a rather generous amount of sliced beef.  I really enjoyed it very much as it was not too sweet with all the right flavours.

The tempura was crunchy and the sushi was as expected but we were disappointed with the chawan mushi and the miso soup.  The chawan mushi was runny and rather bland.  The miso soup had a strange smell and a funny aftertaste.  So we left it.

The Gyu Teriyaki Set was nice.  The beef portion could be 50gms more.  It was good and it was marinated well and was coated with a thin layer of flour which I find interesting from a Japanese restaurant for beef teriyaki.  Again, it was not too sweet, which is good.

The servers were attentive and kept topping up our tea.  All in all, I think it's an ok restaurant but don't expect the food to be  too "refined"...

Ratings:
Miso Soup: 1/10
Chawan Mushi: 4/10
Sukiyaki: 8/10
Gyu Beef Teriyaki Set:  7/10
Tempura: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Price range: Medium

1 Tanglin Road
#01-01A
Orchard Parade Hotel
Tel: 6732 4438

Indo Padang

My search for good Indonesian food in Singapore is an ongoing process.  I was in Cathay Building during one lunchtime and decided to try this place.  Surprisingly, Cathay Building is quiet during lunchtime so I guess if you are looking for somewhere that's not chaotic in the city, head there.  

Indo Padang serves ala carte and also set lunches.  You can enjoy a 4-course set meal from just $25.90++ for 2, and choose dishes such as Oxtail Soup, Beef Rendang, Mutton Curry and Sayur Lodeh.  So, price wise it's very reasonable.  When I got there, there were only one other table occupied at 1pm and I waited nearly 30 minutes for the food.  Probably some dishes were freshly cooked, so I wasn't complaining.

The Beef Rendang was the more Indonesian type but I think they tweak it slightly to suit the local palate.  I must say that it's quite nice but wished that the meat could have been slightly more tender.  The sauce was not too sweet and has all the flavourful spices.  The Sayur Lodeh has just a dash of coconut milk, which is great as it's light and has a slight sourish taste.  I suspect there's a bit of asam (tamarind) in it.  It does not taste like the conventional Singapore type Sayur Lodeh but personally I think it's rather good. 

The Daging Belado was good but sooo spicy!  I was tearing!  Again, it could do with the meat being more tender.  This dish consists of green chillies being pounded to a paste and mix with the beef.  It was seriously too hot for me.  The Egg Sambal was ordinary and the Begedil (potato patties)  was average.  The Sambal Kangkung was freshly fried, so it was crunchy and very tasty too.

There were quite a number of people who walked in later to have a meal or to take away.  I noticed the two staff was friendly and helpful.  Generally, I think the food is decent though not outstanding. 

*Halal

Ratings:
Beef Rendang: 8/10
Sayur Lodeh:  7/10
Daging Belado: 8/10
Sambal Telur:  5/10
Begedil: 5.5/10
Sambal Kangkung: 8/10


B1-19 Cathay Building

Tel: +65 6732 1679

Operating Hours: 12.00pm – 10pm

Perle Noire

One evening, I decided to give this place a try as one of my friends fancied foie gras that day.  This cosy french restaurant has a very nice ambience.  I think that it could also be a good venue to hold a small private party in the future.

The Natural Fresh Oyster were very, well.... fresh and I really enjoyed it.  We had the medium oysters  (1/2 dozen for $18).  Lobster Bisque was very good and came with 3 decent chunks of lobster pieces.  It had just the right amount of cream.  The pan seared foie gras was done perfectly and a few of us who were having it was very happy.  Although I like mine to be slightly more seared, I still think it was more than acceptable.  The scallops that came with the Seafood Pasta was huge, this item was a request by one of us and not in the menu.  The tomato based pasta was nice and light and not too "tomatoey".  The Braised Australian Lamb Shank served with pomme puree, aubergines, zucchini & tomato confit ($28) was tender, fell off the bone and tasty.  Fromage Bleu Ribeye with wok toss vegetable & sweet corn croquette topped with a slice of blue cheese and mushroom onion sauce ($28) could do with a bit more sides.  Otherwise, the meat is tender and well seasoned.  We shared desserts,  Lychee Caramel with sorbet on the side and Apple Crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Both desserts were yummy and if I say that about desserts, that means it's really delicious...

I feel that the quality of the seafood very good, fresh and portions were generous.  Our server, Amin, was excellent.  He was attentive and although he was manning other tables as well, he was alert and did an excellent job.  Another lady server, now that's another story.  When the three of us arrived first and were seated at our table of 8, she asked me, "The rest coming?".  Would anyone book a table of 8 if there were only the three of us???


Ratings:
Fresh Oysters: 9/10
Lobster Bisque: 9/10
Seafood Pasta:  8/10
Foie Gras: 8.5/10
Rib Eye:  8/10
Lamb Shank:  8.5/10
Lychee Caramel: 9/10
Apple Crumble: 8.5/10

Service rating: 8.5/10

687 East Coast Rd
459055
Tel: +65 6448 1732

Open Sun 5pm-11pm