Jacob's Cafe

I haven't been catching up with this friend of mine for at least seven months.  We decided to meet up for dinner on a Friday night and we were planning to head to Porta Porta.  When we got there, it was full so we had to find another restaurant.  We drove around Changi Village and saw a restaurant that looked ok, Jacob's Cafe.  Parking is a nightmare here but we were lucky to find the last spot at the public carpark behind it.  The cafe was rather full when we got there.

The food came and we noticed that the French Onion Soup does not come with the crusty cheese on top.  The soup was slightly watery and not as tasty as how we would like it to be.  When we were done with our soup, our main course was served, but our soup bowl was still on the table...

The Lamb Cutlets ($33.90) were seasoned well and tender.  It was indeed a safe choice.  It was served with some boiled vegetables and mashed potato.  The mashed potato could do with a bit more seasoning though.

The oxtail in the Oxtail Stew was tender while the soup was very thick.  My friend was saying that the sauce tasted "floury" and does not really have the "broth" flavour.  He did not finish his plate.

Oh! By the way, my lamb dish is a set and it includes the soup and a choice of coffee or tea.


French Onion Soup: 5.5/10
Lamb Cutlet: 7.5/10
Oxtail Stew: 6/10

Service: 6.5/10

#01-2049, 5 Changi Village Road
(S) 500005

Tel: 6542 7500

Vivitalia

I decided to try this restaurant after they posted their restaurant on my Singapore Restaurants, Singapore Food Facebook wall.  They are also a halal Italian venue.  I was curious so after picking my daughter up from school, I "conned" her into having lunch here because she does not really like to eat out as she prefers my cooking :)

Vivatalia must be rather new as they still have a few kitchen utensils on the table by the entrance.  It looks more like a casual cafe instead of a restaurant.  There are a few tables by the outdoor area/ balcony.  Some contractors were also seen doing some finishing touches.

My daughter ordered the Cream Chicken Spaghetti ($10.90) as she likes cream sauce pasta.  It was creamy and tasted ok.  Although they could have put a little bit more chicken as I had to look for it.  The ginger and mint drink was a tad sweet as they use cordial mint instead of fresh mint.

My Fish & Chips came in a rather big plate.  It was one big piece of fish and I was pleasantly surprised that the quality of the fish was good.  It was coated with a thin batter and it was not soggy.  The batter could do with a little more salt but it was fine as the fish was nice.  However, the coleslaw that came with it was too little. 

We were halfway through our meal when our order of garlic bread arrived.  They were bits of garlic and I must say it is good. 

When we were nearly done with our meal, a server came with two bowls of mushroom soup.  It was complimentary from the restaurant.  I find the mushroom soup a bit runny.  I think it's the first time I had main course- bread- soup in that order. 

I honestly think they could put some effort on presentation.  The food does not look appealing and looks like it's just slap on the plate.  It reminds me more of a canteen. Tastewise, I think it's not wow but decent.  They are obviously targeting the office lunchtime crowd.  It's also suitable for young children and if I am not mistaken, there's a play area just beside it.  The food should be out in proper order (unless advised otherwise) as I do find it strange finishing my meal with mushroom soup... well, perhaps they are still very new...

Spaghetti Chicken Cream Sauce 6/10
Fish & Chips 6.5/10
Garlic Bread: 8/10

50 Tampines North Drive 2
inside Courts Megastore
Level 2
Singapore 528766
Mon-Sun 10am to 10pm

Tel: 823 283 55

Tanjong Katong Cafe

My girlfriend and I was attending an event and since my English girlfriend does not own a kebaya (understandably so), we decided to head to Tanjong Katong Complex to find a nice piece for her.  To be honest, initially I was not sure where to go but another girlfriend told me there's one shop which could probably be worth a visit.

After we had a look at a couple of shops, we decided to head downstairs to the coffee shop to have a drink and think about it.

I heard from some friends that the food here is ok, although I've never tried.  This cafe had been here since the complex opened many many years ago.  Hence, the ultra retro deco :)... I decided to order myself a plate of Hong Kong noodles as a snack as I had my lunch earlier.  It was freshly fried although initially I thought it was the "gravy" kind.  There were loads of vegetables and it was crispy, just how I like it.  It was decent and rather tasty, very Chinese style.  I think the chefs are from China.  I noticed the the servers are still wearing the same "SQ-like" uniform and somehow, I find that quite funny...

Rating:  6.5/10

Service: 5.5/10

Tanjong Katong Cafe
Ground floor
Tanjong Katong Complex

Sunset Bay Bistro

I felt like having breakfast by the beach for my daughter's birthday and decided to head to Sunset Bay Bistro in East Coast. 

They have a few combinations and you can get them to do your eggs whatever way you like.  This one comes with chicken ham, baked beans, scrambled eggs, hash brown, warm toast with butter and marmalade.  The scrambled eggs were done well.  My daughter enjoyed it very much.

Mine was with scrambled eggs, chicken sausages, beef bacon and toast.  Next time I will have the other combination.  I think it is a pleasant change to have breakfast with the sea breeze on a Saturday morning.  I will definitely be back again soon...

Mushroom ommelette

Ratings: 8/10

Service: 7/10

1300 East Coast Park, Singapore 468964, Singapore 
+65 64489060

Private Affairs

I've been wanting to try out this restaurant for a while after I heard about it from a good friend last year.  So, I decided to head there for lunch one afternoon.

The frontage of the restaurant looks really nice.  I like the old shophouses around Joo Chiat as I think they have great character compared to all the swishy malls in town.  As I entered, there was no one at the "reception" and after about a good two minutes, a staff appeared and led us to our table. A group of guys were having business lunch but otherwise, no one else.

My foie gras appetiser was well done.  Crispy on the outside and soft in the inside.  However, it was slightly underdone in the centre, so I left it.  The salmon was fresh and tasted good but a bit on the small side.  The combination of seaweed and caviar was interesting to the palate. 

The snapper was fresh, with tasty crispy skin.  Although we find it a little salty but the slight turmeric taste (I think) is nice.  If they tone down slightly on the salt, it would've been perfect.  The oxtail was tender and had a good flavour together with the mushrooms.  The mash was light and the portion was just right for me but some may feel it's too little. 

I must say all the dishes were presented very well.  The staff were friendly and they were not too much "in your face".  The deco was nice and I think it's a suitable place for a business lunch or a leisurely meal with friends as you are not rushed.  I think it is a decent place though I was told that they will be moving to another venue in town this year.  That's quite a shame as it would be nice to have more choices of nice looking restaurants with decent food in the East Coast coast area...

Ratings:
Salmon: 8/10
Foie Gras: 8/10
Snapper: 7.5/10
Oxtail: 7.5/10

Service: 8/10

45 Joo Chiat Place
Singapore
Tel: +65 6440 0601

Opening Hours

Tue–Sat
Lunch: 11.30am – 2.30pm (Last sitting at 2pm)
Tue – Sun
Dinner: 6.30pm – 11.00pm (Last sitting at 10pm)
Sunday
Brunch: 11.30am – 3.30pm
(Closed on Mon)

Bistro Changi

Decided to try out this place by the beach just to have a casual snack.  The place was full and we were lucky to get the last table available. 

My fish & chips were ok, it was fine but I think the batter is not crispy enough.  The portion were decent and it came with some salad.

The Pizza Margarita was full of cheese and it was good.  My daughter was very happy with her choice.  It was fresh, the dough was good and they are not stingy with the toppings.

The place is rather pleasant but the service is not great.  You can come for a light snack or drinks but you should not expect too much attention from the staff.   I saw a sign that states that they serve breakfast as well so I may try that out one day...

Ratings: 

Fish & Chips 6/10

Pizza Margerita 8/10

Service 5/10

260 Nicoll Drive, Changi Beach Carpark 1, 

Tel: +65 6546 5229

Hasan Rabit & Hawa, Simpang Bedok

I fancied having a Nasi Briyani (again :)) and was told by my JJCM kaki that Hasan Rabit has a new outlet in Simpang Bedok.

We head there and ordered Briyani.  They served it in a huge plate for four people ($22).  I must say it's excellent.  The rice wasn't oily and the spices with the lamb was super tasty.  It was good enough to have it on it's own.  The Dalca gravy that came with it was a disappointment though.  It was very average even bordering on being tasteless.  Fortunately, the rice was fabulous so there was no need for the Dalca.  The lamb was tender and fell off the bone.  It was delicious!  I do think it's more of a Nasi Minyak than Nasi Briyani.  Regardless, I thought it was worth my visit here.  To be honest, I am not very big on Simpang Bedok as I find it chaotic and seems to have loads of men around.

Hasan Rabit Dalca

Hasan Rabit Lamb Briyani

We also ordered the You Tiao ($8) from Hawa.  It was oily and there was hardly any squid filling in it.  It was almost hollow inside.  I will definitely not have this here ever.

You Tiao from Hawa

Ratings: 
Hasan Rabit Lamb Briyani 9/10
Dalca: 3/10
Hawa You Tiao  3/10

Hasan Rabit
Simpang Bedok

Hawa
Simpang Bedok