Small Potatoes Make The Steak Look Bigger

I got this packed for lunch just out of curiosity. You can see for yourself right here. I'm not picking on a low cost pasta place and complaining excessively because I enjoy the authentic dish. This is definitely fried rice. I don't know how I can be convinced that it is not, unless in the context of Pasta Mania, Riso = fried rice. The name attempts to suggest risotto, but this doesn't look or taste remotely like it. For fried rice, it's actually not too bad. Lol. There's a fair amount of mixed mushrooms and the rice is garlicky enough. If it had been a tad less oily with fluffier rice, Crystal Jade should watch out.

I have been down dinnering and drinking at this place for a couple of consecutive evenings. I know I mentioned repeated visits previously. But these were totally unplanned and I'm digging this place more than I expected. I swear it's the excellent selection of Belgian beer, Hoegaarden and Leffe Blond on tap and it gives me the excuse to try their other mains and mussels. Not the waitresses. For one, this is probably one of the drinking places that does at least decent food instead of the regular overpriced and poorly done pub grub or what is passed off as drinking snacks.

No I didn't find someone or something's feet lying in the subway. What I did was to uncharacteristically order a foot of double meat Subway Club in Parmesan Oregano for lunch, not realising that double + foot = much more enormous than usual of solids I had to ingest. I think I can skip dinner today already.

I saw these for the first time and never realised that Sun Maid's raisins actually come "flavored". These vanilla yoghurt actually don't taste anything like yoghurt. In fact, it's like white chocolate coated raisins. They're not too bad.

This elegant looking place piqued my curiosity from a long time back with their colonial styled decor decked out at the front with all white. That has been my primary curiosity about the place until I've been told that the food is pretty good. This very first visit brought forth a very good impression that exceeded my expectations in terms of service which I felt was truly excellent. From the sommeliers to the waiters, the staff at Senso do indeed make a more than visible effort to provide a very pleasant dining experience for the patrons in the restaurant. One of the noted things about Senso is a small (and subjectively romantic) courtyard in the middle of the restaurant which creates a dining sanctuary of a totally different ambience from the rest of the classy looking restaurant. And this place it seems has seen more than its fair share accolades from various presses and media. If you're looking for a nice place for good Italian cuisine or want to take your date out to a pleasant place for a nice dinner, this is one of them.

Themed by the peroxide blond Chef in Black, Emmanuel Stroobant of Saint Pierre, this is a relatively new place located along the river at Robertson Quay just within sighting distance from the courtyard at Frasier Place. It's just one unit away from Chocolate Factory actually. Brussels Sprouts in it's sparse and minimalist splendor appears to be a bar cum restaurant establishment whipping up Belgian food and importantly Norwegian mussels that gets served by the pots. The mussels are for me the major highlight of the place. I'm here bent on trying them if not anything else on the menu. These Norwegian mussels are smaller than the regular ones that are frequently found locally, but are decidedly much more tender and sweet. And because of their size, eating them by the pots isn't really as intimidating as it sounds. A starter portion comes with 300 grams of them mollusks and a main portion ups the portion to 700 grams. Minus the shells, it's really no that hefty. Plus it's really excellent with the large selection of Belgian beer on their menu. Hoegaarden white ($11.50 for the Magnum, $9.50 during happy hours. Yay!) and Leffe Blonde is on tap at this place too! This combination means that I will be back....and possibly back again....and again. Lol. This is actually my third visit here, but it is the first time I'm ordering food.



The mussels here are served with a variety of broths or methods of condiment. I don't know if that's an appropriate term for description, but it just means that there is quite a few different flavors you can get them in. That for mussels lovers should be incentive enough to visit. I've only tried the Brussels Sprouts Special where the shell fish is cooked in a buttery broth with celery and pepper. The broth is excellent with the mussels that I was drinking it from the pot after the shellfish were finished. Each order of the mussels comes with a free flow of Belgian fries which are pretty good. Totally hearty and heart clogging with the accompanied mayonnaise.

Apart from the mussels, Brussels Sprouts has a small menu of mains (ranging from $20-$30) and a generous one of sides portions which diners can select. The mains are supposedly Belgian styled, but I'm not exactly familiar with what's the signature of Belgian food apart from a mentioning of horse steak (which isn't in the menu by the way) from someone. We managed an order of the pork belly and unexciting chicken.

I've been recommended this place which I've walked past numerous times by a colleague. The bustling lunch crowd here looks indeed promising as there hasn't been a time that I recall seeing empty seats. Numbers do indeed bring about the semblance of a truth. But some truths are not as true as others and we're all subjected to opinions here. The food here is.....well, edible stuff. Which means that while I'm not doing major griping over that they serve, I'm not likely to come back to this place again. Feel free to disagree with me. Creation Cafe does set lunches at from $10.90 which includes soup (soup of the day), pasta and a drink. A top up of $4 gets you your dessert of choice from their menu. The choices of pasta are limited to fuscilli, linguine, spaghetti and mushroom ravioli.

Today's soup of the day was a carrot cream soup that has a cheesy taste to it. Immediately the cheese scores for me and honestly, I liked it. I'm also surprised that it's not another cream of mushroom number which seems so rampant in similar establishments. The side of fried calamari (an extra order for sharing outside of the set lunch) was mundane. It's not the worst of fried calamari I've eaten, but I didn't really think too much of it. Maybe I'm not so much into deep fried things. Just can't shake off the oily feel after too much of them.




The linguine vongole aglio looks a lot better in the picture than real life. It taste a tad "stir fried oily" with little garlic flavor. Which triggers memories of a couple of places that did pasta that way which I've sworn off. Lol. I'm really dissatisfied with the clams. Tiny shriveled looking pieces of meat that when put together doesn't make a half mouthful. And the mushroom succeeded in making the pasta more clam filled than it really is.

I've decided that after today, I won't be back here for the ramen again. I first visited this place years ago at the outlet at Far East Square when they were fairly new and the idea of sprucing up the ramen with chilli count was a novelty. I thought they weren't too bad. That was then. Today, they don't seem to be as good as I remember them to be. Things have changed, so it's either their method of preparation or it's me. And I cannot fathom why anyone who wants to enjoy their food would want to opt for the seven chilli option since it removes almost every trace of other flavour and drowns the whole bowl of noodles with chilli powder and it's flavor. It just doesn't make sense to go that far.

They menu has expanded since I last came and now they have beef char siew ramen. Granted that I've only had char siew of the pork or vegetarian variety, I have no idea what beef char siew is like. It certainly didn't turn out to be recognizable as char siew in any form. It's just marinated and sliced cooked beef which while wasn't poor, shouldn't really be called beef char siew. On a positive note, the grilled squid here is still good as I remember it. The slightly crispy charred surface and chewy flesh. Even that, I',m not sure I'll be back here just for the grilled squid. There're options aplenty and this place just doesn't quite do it for me anymore.

I definitely didn't plan to re-visit Muthu's Curry again so soon. It's all a result of lethargic spontaneity. Whatever it is that you make out of that term. Also it means that I liked enough of what I had here recently to be back again. And this time round, it was even better because I've found some really tasty offerings that can be described as pleasant surprises. Apart from the famous fish head curry which I've mentioned previously, there are a slew of other offerings in the menu that comes from both southern and northern Indian cuisine. That certain didn't deter us from getting a serving of the fish head curry again. This time round, the portions are noticeably less meaty, but fresher in taste.

And there was better cheese naan this time round. Somehow, in comparison with the previous visit, the naan exuded more fragrance, came warmer and had more cheese flavor. It seems that there will be some point in the future which I will be back again.

Jalan Legundi runs perpendicular and across from the main road from Sembawang Shopping Center. I was brought here once by a friend that told me that the owner here use to do roast duck in Hong Kong and it's a signature dish in this little restaurant. That time, we were here at about 8pm and we just managed to get the last of their roast duck for the day. Honestly, the duck is pretty good. Many of the roast ducks fall victim to dry and tough meat, especially meat from the breast. This place has roast duck breast meat that's tender, so it says something about how it is a cut above many places. Apart from the duck, the restaurant does serve other chinese cooked food from the kitchen. The menu is not large by any standards, but there's a decent choice of other offerings which diners pick from to accompany the main duck order most of the patrons opt for.






I was expecting plain fried bean curd for this one, with perhaps some flavoring or simply just salt on the surface of the skin. These crispy skinned bean curd (which comes really hot by the way) comes stuffed with a small variety of vegetables and some of which, made enemies with my tongue. Is that coriander I taste? Apart from the bits of carrot and mushroom in the mashed bean curd, I am positive that there is one of the green herbs that I detest in there. If not for them, this is actually not too bad in taste.

The cost for this dinner was almost $50 for 4 with rice and chinese tea. Service is relatively snappy, though curt during the hours before the bulk of the dining crowd arrives. Though relatively inexpensive, you can do with more for less at Taste of Thailand just across the main road at Sembawang Shopping Centre if you can forgo the duck.

Tucked away in the hustle and bustle of the crowded Chinatown district in Mosque Street just across the road from the Majestic is this innocuous little Korean place oft described as cosy. Which to me is the euphemism of small, crowded and noisy. The mildly warm shaded interior of Togi largely consists closely packed tables with chairs up to the glass doorway with several other seating spots located just outside the entrance. Seemingly, it's another place where one would probably have to stand in line for a long wait if reservations are not made in advance judging from the crowd on a Friday evening.

I'm still in the process of discovering Korean food. If you've been regularly reading this, you may have realised that this is the very first entry I have under the label Korean. I've been led with the impression that most of their cuisine are just really spicy, sweet or sour and it seems that I'm not too far off with that perception of the food that they have. Apart from Seoul Garden which I've had the misfortune to visit years back, I haven't really done anything Korean (I know Seoul Garden doesn't count) before, so here's a first go. Here I am, sifting through tongue twisting words that I have difficulty pronouncing and not understanding a single word of the names without translation. Which is worse than it is for me for Japanese. Incidentally, after this visit to Togi, I still maintain that Japanese food is by leaps and bounds, more exciting, more favorable to my palate than Korean. Things may change in the future of course, in the case that I happen upon more Korean restaurants. That much is for time to unfold.

Bao Today at Marina Square (#02-234-235/236) is a little dim sum place which presents their offerings with a difference in ingredients and style of delivery. So what you can expect from this establishment is something you probably are unlikely to see in the standard or traditional dim sum eateries which is interesting enough for me to drop by for lunch to see what they have. One noteable observation upon glancing on the menu of Bao Today is that, prices aren't at the roof. In fact, it's really affordable. If the difference and a value for money isn't incentive to be curious about the place, well, you can stop reading here and move on. I've personally been told that the food here isn't really special (euphemism for mediocre if you didn't catch the drift) by people that I know (and trust in terms of conversational food commentary). Still I didn't think that it's somewhere I would write off which is why, you're reading this entry. It's not too bad really. For the price of things, it's actually decent. But since I do not entirely agree with feedback from friends, it also says that you could likewise beg to differ from what I have to say. As I like to think it, taste, like art is subjective to individuals.

I didn't manage to sample all the signature items from this place like their deer meat and scallop baos since I did lunch with only one other person, but seeing how I feel about the place, I could possibly be back again just to try them.







With a name like Bao Today, I think that it would be great if there was some improvement in how their buns are done. The taste isn't bad, it does have room for improvement and what would really be appreciated is to have the buns not stick so much onto the surfaces of the serving baskets.

Lawry's is currently doing a promotion call The More the Merrier (it ends in a couple of days so hurry!) Basically it just subjects interested diners to a mind boggling formula which calculates a certain discount percentage based on the number of mains ordered which goes something like x = (total amount of mains X 10) - 10 where x is the said discount in percentage which only applies to mains. Phew, I'm sure it didn't boggle you there. What better time than now to take advantage of the deal for some solid juicy prime ribs... for a Diamond Jim Brady. On a side note, the promotion does cut some corners off the usual offerings that come with the meal. For one, the the servings of the Yorkshire pudding is reduced to a single piece per diner as compared to the usual entire pudding per person. How much can the cost be reduced in the context of their costing for some eggs and flour anyway?


The Diamond Jim Brady cut of Lawry's prime rib is the largest cut that you can get from the place, weighing 450g. For $94.80, you can land yourself one of the best, juiciest and most satisfying slab of meat. And yes, ouch! Satisfaction indeed does not come cheap. And I'll save myself the usual description and let the pictures do the teasing. This is the first time I'm actually eating this and on hindsight after the meal, I think nothing else smaller would do if I ever come back.

For $7.50 you can get yourself some chow at Cedele at the soup and bread bar. Which is essentially what soup they have for the day (6 kinds usually) and a free flow of bread servings that you can help yourself with from a basket near the counter. There a small variety of different breads like the regular baguette, walnut loaf, garlic foccacia and some other dark denser variety that looks like pumpernickel which I do not know what it's called. The soup here comes warm and is pretty decent, the bread however is hard and cold after being left there for some time. Despite the fact that the place always seems fairly crowded at lunchtime, the turnover for the loafs doesn't happen often. So that probably means that they're not a popular choice and understandably so, the carbs tend send us halfway through to the midday siesta as we struggle to pretend to stay awake at work. Lol. This option is probably not of the healthiest for your midday meal, but does pretty good for something light if you avoid the bread. Salads are an option at Cedele if you are so inclined.

So from Race Course Road, Muthu's Curry has expanded into the prime estate of the basement at Suntec City. I wasn't expecting the variety in the menu since everyone talks about their curry fish head and I had the assumption that it was mostly what they sold. Apparently, the menu is fairly comprehensive of most of the standard fare which I've seen in other Indian restaurants. Perhaps, lesser in the variety per dish, but they pretty much cover the basics.


This is the smallest order of the Curry Fish Head at $20. It can serve 3. Almost. The gravy as with most other fish curry is less viscuous and is also not as thick as other fish curries I've had. That's not to say that it was not good, but it's contains enough parts of water that you can actually drink it like soup. Which I did for most of the part after the dippers (the tandoori prata and cheese naan) ran out.

So far, my previous visits to this place has always been positive experiences. That would make this weekend lunch another one of them. From the food to the service, there's really nothing that one can complain about eating here. I mean, the food is great and the people here are well.....friendly and attentive. Hell, in comparison with the other restaurants down Mohd Sultan Road, Banoo is even relatively inexpensive. What's there not to like about here?

Lunch with sinquanon88. At the cost of how much Shiraishi charges, I had expected to leave lunch feeling much more satisfied than I actually did. I'm not sure if this is a bad day for the restaurant, but expensive places cannot afford bad days because you simply do not charge customers for bad days. No one comes in paying for your bad day service. And if that wasn't a bad day service and food which I've had, I'll should be telling everyone I know to avoid it like a plague. Ambience is something this tiny place at Ritz Carlton doesn't have and if the food and service doesn't cut it, I don't know what else are customers here to pay for.

The lunch menu here cost from $30 to $85. I ended up with a Hisago bento ($50) because of a mistake by the waitress and impressions kind of went downhill from there. Getting a wrong order on a manageable lunch crowd in a small restaurant is a bad move, especially when you still try to convince that customer that you had gotten it it right and that customer which is I, am sure as hell that I had asked for something else. I let the mistake slide because I had been waiting for some time and being hungry, the thought of having a change made didn't really appeal to me.

Shiraishi charges $5 for their otoshi (pickled vegetables). That looks to me to be hefty for a tiny amount of vegetables which could all fit in your mouth at a go. Lol. The Hisago bento comes with rice that's laid with tempura bits of prawn and sweet potato, a serving of sashimi, miso cod, soup (a choice of clear or miso) and a side containing a little salad, some fried tofu stuff and a fish liver. Lunch ends with a dessert of fruits (sliced watermelon and mango). Being here for the first time, I couldn't resist doing an uni test.





The overall impression of Shiraishi for lunch leans towards being very pricey and having food standards that are decently good, but not worth the prices which you have to pay for. To credit where it is due, the sashimi is of pretty good standards and the uni is better than some other place which I've paid more for, I left lunch slightly disappointed with the entire experience. For how much I'm paying I would very much rather re-visit Aoki which was really a much better deal in my opinion.