Straits Cafe- Hotel Rendezvous

The Rendezvous Hotel has been refurbished and my memory of this hotel was the well known Nasi Padang restaurant on the ground floor.

Now, the hotel coffee shop is known for it's Singapore Laksa.  I think most of my friends love Laksa.  I have yet to meet one who doesn't.  I decided to try it out for myself one lunchtime.

Apparently, their laksa is freshly cooked when you place your order.  It comes with a reasonable portion of seafood and sliced chicken and it smells great :).  Surprisingly, the gravy is not as rich or thick as it looks.  Which is fine for me as I do not like the coconut milk taste to be too overpowering.  I think it strikes the right balance of spice and just enough of the coconut milk flavour.

If you would like to go for their lunch and high tea weekend buffet, you have to book early as it is fully booked on most days.  Try it if you are around the area or when you have people in town who would like to try this famous dish.

Rating: 7.5/10

Straits Cafe
Hotel Rendezvous
9 Bras Basah Road
Singapore 189559
Tel: +65 6336 0220

Indian House

My friend invited a few of us for lunch at Indian House in Boat Quay.  All of us had never been there before and we thought we will try it out.

The restaurant looks very simple with no fancy deco.  We chose to sit at the outdoor area facing the river with a wonderful view of the Singapore skyline.  We were lucky as the weather was great with a lovely breeze to go along...

We decided to order almost immediately as we were really hungry (it's great when everyone is pretty much punctual although there were six of us).  I could not remember the names of all the dishes, so I will just describe it as it is.

This starter is extremely tasty!  Deep fried spiced onions with curry leaves.  It was hot when it arrived at the table.  Tastewise, it was not spicy hot so it is suitable for everyone.  There's a slight crunch to it and the sweetness of the onions and spices really balance it off.  We enjoyed this dish very much that we ordered two portions :P

The pakoras were good too.  The pastry was firm and not too flaky.  The filling was packed with potatoes, peas and mince.  We ordered another portion of this as well :)

The naan bread was hot when it arrived with all the other dishes that we ordered.  I lost count of the number of portions that we ordered as we started with two baskets initially.  We did that as we wanted the naan to be hot instead of it sitting around waiting to be consumed.  We ordered a saffron rice as well but I had forgotten to take a shot.  One of us mentioned that the rice was rather tasteless but collectively we agreed that with all the dishes that we were having it with, it worked out fine.

This is a fish dish.  It was really tasty and the fish was tender.  The gravy is rich and thick so some people may not like it very much but I do ;)

Aloo Gobi

 

Lamb Kheema

The Aloo Gobi was decent, usually most places can't go wrong with this dish anyway.  The lamb kheema was delicious.  Again, just the right amount of spices and not too overpowering. I love it!  Well, maybe because I love lamb... 

I think this is Chicken Tikka.  The chicken was tender, the gravy was flavourful, creamy, thick and rich without being too spicy.  It was good.

This Palak Paneer (spinach and paneer cheese)  seems to be the favourite of one of my friends.  She really enjoyed it very much.  I had a taste and it was good too.  It was flavourful although it's just spinach.  However, another friend did not have it as she doesn't like the look.  I guessed it's due to the colour and consistency :D

Ah, the Rogan Josh is my favourite!  The lamb was tender, the gravy was delicious and it just tasted great.  I really enjoyed this with my naan.  A must order!

The Chicken Vindaloo was fortunately not as spicy and hot as the ones in the UK :).  It definitely did not burn our tongue and the chicken was tender and the gravy has just the right amount of spice.

I just had a taste of the dessert as I am not really a dessert person.  However, I was pleasantly surprised that it was not as sweet as what you would usually have in an Indian restaurant.  The dough was moist and not dry.  It was actually very decent that another friend finished her portion and mine :)

All in all, we had a fabulous lunch.  I think the food was very good and I guess having wonderful company helps to make the food tastes even better.  I would definitely come again to Indian House.

Ratings:

Starters
Deep fried spiced onions: 9/10
Pakoras: 8/10

Main dishes
Chicken Tikka 8.5/10
Aloo Gobi: 7/10
Lamb Kheema: 9/10
Fish Curry: 8/10
Chicken Tikka: 8.5/10
Palaak Paneer: 8/10
Rogan Josh: 9/10
Chicken Vindaloo: 8.5/10

 INDIAN HOUSE
- Authentic Indian Cuisine
49 Boat Quay Singapore 049838
Tel: +65 64384971 

CUT by Wolfgang Puck (Singapore)

Celebrating a very good friends' milestone birthday, we headed to CUT at Marina Bay Sands.  This Austrian celebrity chef opened the restaurant Spago on the Sunset Strip in the US in 1982. Fifteen years later, in 1997, Puck opened the award-winning Spago in Beverly Hills, which has been recognized as one of the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. since 2004.

We got there for our 7.30pm dinner and was seated promptly as we had a reservation.  The ambience of the place was great. It is a fine dining restaurant but not one of those too quiet where you can hear a pin drop.  Everyone around seems to be having a great time without being too noisy or intrusive.

We were given the menu and they showed us the various cuts on the trolley that's available for the day.  We decided to order a few starters to share as we were quite afraid that we would be too full to finish our mains.

The cheese breadstick, which I think is parmesan was fabulous.

There were about five choices of bread.  I had the onion bread that was very good.  There's just the right hint of onion without tasting too "oniony" :)

The crabmeat salad was really good too.  It was light, tasty and refreshing and I think the presentation's great too.

We ordered a few starters that we think is different from any other restaurants that we had been to.   Why order the same stuff as what you can get at other places right? This is the veal tongue.  I know it does not sound appetising but we thought, heck why not.  It was tender and it was not slimy or sticky.  It tastes almost like meat but lighter.  The dressing that went with it was also very good.  Even my teenage daughter likes it.

The carpaccio- style raw scallops were excellent!  Light and the wonderfully tasty dressing with a touch of fish roe really enhances the flavour of the scallops.  I enjoyed this very much.

This is my Japanese wagyu sirloin.  It was delicious! We ordered sweetcorn, wild mushrooms and broccoli as our sides.  The meat was done just right although I find the seasoning just a tad salty but then again, that's relative as I do not take a lot of salt.  However, another friend said that it's just right for her.  The sweetcorn was good and if I am not wrong, there's a slight lime flavour to it.  The wild mushrooms was fabulous too.  The brocolli was ok and I feel it was just slightly overdone for brocolli.  Another one of us ordered the USDA filet mignon and it was an excellent choice as well.  She said it melts in her mouth and it was tender, succulent and fabulous.  We ordered three different sauce to go with our steaks as well.  I had a cream horseradish sauce, it was fab.

Since I am not really a dessert person, I ordered a scoop of sorbet for dessert.  I LOVE sorbets :P.  It is good but then again, a restaurant of this standard should not go wrong with sorbets.

The service staff who was serving our table was excellent.  He had been working in other fine steak restaurants before and so he knows what he is talking about.  He also has a great personality and a good sense of humour which is refreshing.  With bad service, even the fabulous food could not make up for the bad experience.  We had a lovely time with great food, fabulous company, wonderful service and the superb ambience  All in all, it was a fantastic birthday celebration with my JJCM kaki.  I would definitely visit them again.

Ratings:

Crabmeat Salad: 9.5/10
Veal Tongue: 9.5/10
Raw Scallops: 10/10
Japanese Wagyu Sirloin Steak: 9.5/10
Fillet Mignon: 9/10
Sides
Brocolli: 7/10
Sweetcorn: 8/10
Wild Mushrooms: 9/10

Marina Bay Sands Hotel Singapore
10 Bayfront Avenue
Singapore
Tel: +65 6688 8517

Sarang (Korean Cuisine)

Hi friends!  Been a while since I updated my blog.  Partly because I've been rather busy and partly due to not discovering new "makan" places that's worth mentioning.

Anyway, I found one recently that I would like to share with you.  One of my BFFs suggested we have a Korean food appreciation evening and the rest of us thought what an excellent idea!  We headed to Sarang at Orchard Central.

We were greeted by their friendly staff and I left the ordering to my friends as I am no connoisseur of Korean cuisine.

We started with the Ojingeo Bokeum.  It was a tad spicy for me but it was very nice.  It's baby squid cooked in the chef's special sauce.  It's slightly tangy and has a good balance of sweet, sour and spicy combination.

Ojingue Bokeum ($9.80)

As we are meat lovers, we decided to focus on the meat dishes.  The Bulgogi ($16.80), marinated beef slices, Galbi Sal (19.80), marinated short ribs slices and the Dak Galbi ($16.80), marinated chicken slices.  I must say, it is all delish!  The meat was tender and marinated with just the right amount of sauce.  I lost count how many portions we ordered as we kept asking for more!

Uncooked marinated beef and chicken

You do your own cooking with this hot pot in front of you.  So, it is up to you how you would prefer the doneness of your meat.  It's served with lettuce and other condiments but I prefer mine straight up :)
 

The accompaniment to our meal was Makgeoli, a milky rice wine and of course Soju.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten to take any photos.  Soju is traditionally made from rice but it can be from potatoes, barley, wheat or other starch.  It tastes slightly like vodka but a little sweeter.

We were really stuffed to have any dessert but we relented as we decided to share.  The Pappa Pancake or Hotteok was superb!  The filling was not too sweet and the pastry was delightful.  It's a sweet cinnamon pancake and it's rather thin.  So, it was just right for us.

Hotteuk $5.80

We also decided to try the plum wine Bokbunja.  It's almost like a lighter version of port wine.  It's slightly sweet and very easy to drink.  Like the Soju, it's consumed neat.

We had a lovely evening and it helps when you are with friends who know more about Korean food than you do.  This family friendly venue is worth checking out if you would like to try or fancy a Korean (the food, I mean :).  Gun Bae!

Ratings:

Ojingue Bokeum: 8/10
Bulgogi: 9/10
Dak Galbi: 8/10
Galbi Sal: 9/10
Hotteuk:  9/10

Sarang

181 Orchard Central #07-01
Orchard Central Singapore 238896 

Reservations: +65 6773 1322

ask@sarang.com.sg

Sarang's Opening Hours
12pm - 10pm on Sunday to Thursday
12pm - 11pm on Friday and Saturday

 

Kashmir (East Coast)

I noticed there are now many eateries around Katong and Joo Chiat area.  I checked out this North Indian restaurant as I noticed they had quite a number of customers who looked clearly like they were enjoying their food.... and I felt like having a snack. :)

We were recommended a fish appetiser, and I agreed to try it out.  The burst of flavour from the spices were fabulous but it was not too overpowering.  Only that I find it a tad too salty for me, if they had tune the salt just a notch down it would have been perfect.

The fish was fresh and it was in chunks.  It was tender and moist and so flavourful.  I will order this again but I will request for less salt.  It is a little like fish and chips, only that, this is much better :)

I ordered my favourite Rogan Gosht  but the waiter recommended the Boneless Lamb Gosht and I thought why not?  Again, it was fabulous.  The lamb was tender and the gravy delicious!

When we were ordering the chicken dish, we asked the waiter for suggestions and he came up with this dish that I don't know the name.  Nevertheless, it was very very good.  It was a little sweet for me but it was very nice.  Again, the chicken was tender and moist and the spices were well put together.

The garlic and butter naan that we ordered was also freshly made and it was still lovely and hot when served.  The service was very good too.  They were extremely observant when we needed service although we were sitting outside.  They were also extremely polite.

I will definitely go back to try out other dishes with my other makan friends. :)

Ratings:
Fish with spices (appetiser) 9.5/10
Boneless Lamb Gosht 9/10
Chicken dish 9/10
Garlic and Butter Naan 9.5/10

Service: Excellent

19 East Coast Road (beside Odeon Katong)
Tel: 6344 9163

Ling Zhi Vegetarian Restaurant by Tung Lok

A very good friend suggested Ling Zhi for lunch as she had not been there for ages.  As for me, I have never been there at all so it was a good idea.

My girlfriend was the one who ordered the dishes and she mentioned luckily we like mushrooms as there's mushrooms in every dish :)


The first course was the salad.  The staff came with salad in a bottle, shaking it to coat the dressing evenly.  There was a bit of a showmanship there...

I had forgotten to take a shot of the salad as I was hungry.  The next course is supposed to be shark fin soup, only that it is from a melon, according to my friend.  It gives almost the same texture as the real thing.  It looks similar too and it was tasty.  Nowadays, I avoid having the real shark fin soup after finding out how they were treated...

Vegetarian shark fin soup

The next dish was spinach with truffles.  I thought the mushrooms on top look slightly like abalone.  Again, it's tasty with just the right seasoning.

 

Ah, the next dish is one of my favourite dish, though I had never had the vegetarian version, Kung Pao Chicken.  It looks similar to the real thing with the cashews and all.  The sauce was good.  Couldn't remember though what the "chicken" was made from but it was good.

The fried rice came and by now we were full.  It was ok but not outstanding.  I also had forgotten to take a shot of the ultra thin pancakes made to look like duck skin.  I guess we were too busy eating and talking :D

Generally, I think it was all very good and I may visit this restaurant again.  My only concern is that I suspect that there's some MSG as my body could feel when there's any.  However, I think it's an excellent choice for vegetarians.

"Kung Pao Chicken"   8/10
Spinach dish                8.5/10
"Sharkfin Soup"          8.5/10
Fried Rice                    7/10

Service:                       8.5/10

Lingzhi Vegetarian Restaurant
541 Orchard Road
#05-01 Liat Towers
Tel: (65) 6734 3788
Opening hours daily: 11.30am-3pm, 6pm -10pm

Prive

I have not been updating my blog for the past month as I had other priorities for the past month. 

When one of my friends suggested Prive one Friday evening, we thought it was a good idea.

The view

I had been there before for a friends' wedding cocktail and I think it's a nice chill out outdoor place with good view.  When we got there, it was full so we were lucky that we managed to get a table.

Full house on a Friday night

We placed our order and was told that it would take at least 30 minutes for the food to come.  Since it was going to take that long, the waitress asked if we would like to order some appetisers while waiting for the mains.  So we did.  To cut the story short, we still did not get our appetisers after 45 mins.  We asked the waitress and it then arrived about 10 minutes later.

I had forgotten to take the appetiser shots as we were really hungry. Very shortly after, my salmon was also served, so I started with my main course.  One grilled chicken arrived 5 minutes later, so we asked where's the other grilled chicken as we had ordered two of each.  They said it was coming.  About 25 minutes later, there were still no chicken.  We then called for the manager as we were about to finish our dinner while a friend of ours was just watching us as his chicken was nowhere in sight!  The manager came and apologised and told us that "their chef is rather moody" which we thought was a strange thing to say.  Anyway, eventually after about 10 more minutes, it finally arrived.

One of the appetisers but I didn't have any of this

The salmon was a safe bet.  It was well seasoned though I wished they had given a bit more vegetables.

Grilled Salmon

The grilled chicken was well cooked, taste- wise it was acceptable but not wow.

Grilled Chicken

 We then ordered two desserts to share just for taste.  The desserts were rather decent.

Prive is nice to go for sunset drinks and to chill out with friends.  However, it does get crowded over the weekends so service is not great.

I would prefer that all of us could have enjoyed our meal at the same time otherwise all of us should just have stayed at our own home and eat separately...

Grilled Salmon: 7.5/10
Grilled Chicken: 7/10
Desserts: 7.5/10

No. 2 Keppel Bay Vista
Marina At Keppel Bay
Singapore 098 382
Tel: +65 6776 0777

Le Parisien Bistro (2nd review)

Foie Gras

Second Review

This restaurant has introduced foie gras to its menu.  Naturally, I had to try it.  The foie gras was well cooked on the inside, smooth and buttery.  The apricots that came with it was lovely to cut the richness flavour from the foie gras.  Personally, I would like the foie gras to be more seared on the outside but it was fine.

Veal

The veal came in a generous portion.  It was tender and cooked very well.  The gravy was rich and tasty though the veal should be seasoned just a little more.  Though it's better to be slightly under than over salty. 

Creme brulee

I tried the creme brulee and definitely has improved on the texture since I was there the last time.  It is soft but firm, just the right texture.  It's tasty, creamy and what I like most is that I could see the tiny vanilla pods in it, delicious...

Ratings:
Foie gras 8/10
Veal: 8/10
Creme Brulee: 9/10

10 Haji Lane

Tel: 6396-6383

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun 11am-11pm

Gulf Beach Restaurant and Cafe

I was actually walking around Arab Street to look for very good briyani (my fave) one afternoon.  Saw what looks like could be an ok place and I was hungry, so decided to give this place a shot even though there's no briyani here.

We were given the menu and after placing our order, the waitress came back to inform me what I've ordered wasn't available on that day.  I ordered another dish and was told that wasn't available too.... So I ordered another dish and that was not available as well!!!  So I asked them what's available as it seems almost half of their main course selection was not available.  Anyway, decided on something they actually have and was observing the serving staff. 

The hummus was good... well, how can one go wrong with hummus?  The lamb that came with it was decent in taste,  even though it was a tad dry, but when you mixed it together with the hummus and the olive oil, it was palatable.

My main course of lamb and came with basmati rice was a disappointment.  The customers that afternoon were 90% middle easterners so one would expect it to be decent.  Unfortunately, it wasn't.  The lamb was very dry, not seasoned well and the basmati rice was rather tasteless.  I ate it as I was hungry.  As you can see, there's no slight "glisten" on the rice that have been cooked with ghee...  I am not suggesting that it has to be mega oily but it has to "look" the part.  Plus, when I saw chilli sauce being served, I knew they are not serious about their food.  Fine and well to have some available in case you have a customer asking for it, but to serve it as part of your condiment tells you a lot about the chef.

Well, the restaurant was full.  The Filipino servers were not well informed of what is available on the menu and kept going back and forth checking with the other staff.  There were not so many seats but the servers couldn't cope.  It is such a shame when you can pull in the crowd and doubt they will be back...

Ratings:
Hummus: 6.5/10
Lamb with Basmati Rice:  3/10

41 Arab Street
Tel: 292 2330

Service: 4/10

Ichiban Boshi at nex

All of us woke up after a very good friend's birthday celebration and was really hungry.  We needed food asap and picked the closest venue where we could walk to.

After trying to decide amongst what seems like 10, 000 food outlets there, we picked Ichiban Boshi before one of us fainted...

We ordered various set meals and while some picked sushi from the conveyor belt cum carousel thingy, my girlfriend and I ordered the same thing and our set came with unagi, tempura, teriyaki salmon, chawan mushi, salmon sashimi, miso soup and rice :)

The unagi was done well, the tempura crispy, the teriyaki salmon was not too sweet and the salmon sashimi was fresh.  Both of us really thought it tasted good.  Another friend of ours ordered a set which consists of chawan mushi, tempura, salmon and unagi fried rice.

It tasted good too though her portion of fried rice was too much for her.  Another friend ordered the  tempura udon noodles.  It's tasty though the portion could be a little bit more.

The salad came in a rather a big portion for 1 person.  Ask for the another salad dressing if you don't fancy the one that came with it.

I think it is a decent place for casual dining with family and friends.  My good friend who had tried all the Japanese eateries in NEX said this is the best one.  Come early for lunch as you may not be able to get any table...  lucky we did!

Ratings:
Tempura Set    8/10
Unagi Fried Rice Set 8/10
Udon 7/10


#B1-04 nex
23 Serangoon Central
Tel: 66340128
Daily: 11:00am -10:00pm
(Last order: 9.30pm)