tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85516927833044463372024-03-13T10:51:02.512+08:00Fudz ListBig bites in small fonts.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-74293507083214679812016-12-13T02:34:00.001+08:002016-12-13T02:34:50.343+08:00Penang Bang Bang<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>In a nutshell</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Fudz:</b> Penang</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Cuisine:</b> Penang</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b>Location:</b> Penang</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>The story</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I wished I blogged about what we ate in Malacca, not Penang. However, I've foregone many write-ups about what I ate in 2015 due to mostly laziness, partly busy-ness. I was hold a few jobs to support my wanderlust.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">f I ever become a textbook figure in future, </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">'<i>How I became fat(ter)</i>' will remain a mystery forever. That chapter will be thin while it is filled with photos of me, fat. I don't think I want to be a textbook figure. I just want a great figure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As usual, I digressed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The five of us - Hamster, Mouse, Owl, Duwee and I decided to head to Penang in early September. Most of us had not been to Penang before. We attempted to research the night before we set off. Mouse did most of the research while the rest of us looked at maps and figured out the flow of the itinerary. I contacted Uncle Jeffrey - a driver and guide in Penang. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p_ZEPbf8Yvg/VfRXaADrD6I/AAAAAAAAH7I/Mstc9BO-Ey8/s1600/IMG_0615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p_ZEPbf8Yvg/VfRXaADrD6I/AAAAAAAAH7I/Mstc9BO-Ey8/s640/IMG_0615.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Uncle Jeffrey, I sneaked a photo of him as we 'lim' diabetic-inducing teh tahrik. RM$1.10 a cuppa. It's milky and perfect for anyone who is into sweet drinks. I could not finish mine, fine as it was.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Uncle Jeffrey is possibly the best driver in Penang, even though I only met one. He lives in Penang all his life and he knows the history of all the iconic building. He told us that during WWII, Japanese soldiers used to display heads of the beheaded on the blue spikes that run along the perimeters of the Police Station. I didn't want to look at the blue spikes after that. He also told us of a freak incident that involved a fallen part of a building and the poor car that was on the receiving end of it. The car was driven (no less) into the ground by the force of gravity and the driver was never found. Not all his stories are gory and nothing could dampen our appetites anyway. Uncle Jeffrey called us 'champions'. He hadn't had tourists who could practically eat non-stop throughout the day. We love making history that isn't too scary.</span>S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-86195598783251590902016-01-24T19:42:00.000+08:002018-06-17T20:36:39.776+08:00Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Long Phung<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Vietnamese<br />
<b>Location:</b> 159 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427436<br />
<b>Tiemz:</b> 1200-2200hrs, daily<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6440 6959<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.longphungvietrest.com/">https://www.facebook.com/Long-Phung-Vietnamese-Restaurant-358263040910561/</a><br />
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<i>The backstory</i><br />
2015 was a fruitful year of eating for me. I gained quite a bit of weight but unfortunately, that did not reflect on this weblog. I update regularly on <a href="https://instagram.com/fudzlist/">InstaGram</a> though because writing captions are wayyy easier than writing a review in prose. The Lazy Bum Award goes to me every year. Thanks everyone.<br />
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I picked up the keyboard again because this time, I'm writing about a <i>Vietnamese restaurant</i>. This is some sort of an abnormality. I was wondering if I would EVER write about Vietnamese food because the biased foodie in me is terribly averse to Vietnamese cuisine. I hate mint in my food. I hate parsley or whatever green stuff that they sprinkle on top of EVERYTHING generously. (Almost) Raw beansprouts are the bane of my life. I don't like sweet, sour, salty and minty things all roll into one. As you can tell by now, I had a very misguided impression of Vietnamese food.<br />
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I now stand corrected, with an apologetic hunch to show how sorry I am. Here's...<br />
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<i>The story</i><br />
Hammie texted that En En (Mouse) was finally able to meet up for dinner. En had been sick ever since she returned from her trip to Vietnam. We had been trying to fix a day to pig out because... that is what we only do.<br />
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"We are eating at that popular Vietnamese place in Joo Chiat."<br />
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Two alarm bells. (1) <i>Vietnamese</i>. (2) <i>Joo Chiat</i>.<br />
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I'm travelling all the way to the east to eat Vietnamese food!? And it has to be the one with a perpetual queue like how the sun always rises in the east? I was flummoxed.<br />
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"I don't really like Vietnamese food," I ventured at last.<br />
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"She said it's good. Let her pick," came the cool reply from the Hamster, who can be a real bitch at times.<br />
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I tarried on about how far Joo Chiat is and how I don't eat Vietnamese food unless there was a pistol aiming at my head and how the long queue may just cause a dramatic entrance by someone who faints from hunger at their doorstep.<br />
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The two rodents were firm. I couldn't fight against two baby rodents. I'm that weak.<br />
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I was first in line and we did not wait too long to get a seat. I did not get to do my fainting spell act but that was okay.<br />
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En knew what to order. She had been here before. Pho is probably a must-order in any self-respecting Vietnamese restaurant.<br />
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"Can you leave out all the vegetables in mine?" I asked the grouchy waitress plaintively. I like things plain. I was close to saying 'those weird green things' but I stopped myself in case they spit in my food.<br />
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"Okay," she said without contest. Maybe it was a common request.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aeVgftpZ7O4/VqSxRQFqeoI/AAAAAAAAL3U/QgwHRaVQmDw/s1600/IMG_2887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aeVgftpZ7O4/VqSxRQFqeoI/AAAAAAAAL3U/QgwHRaVQmDw/s640/IMG_2887.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">My beautiful pho WITHOUT green weird things.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mEqRwGemTRM/VqSxRV4VlXI/AAAAAAAAL3U/4hI0d3NxNpQ/s1600/IMG_2883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mEqRwGemTRM/VqSxRV4VlXI/AAAAAAAAL3U/4hI0d3NxNpQ/s640/IMG_2883.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Look at this mess. Who wants to waft through this sludge?</td></tr>
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The special bowl of pho (PHO DAC BLET) was very delicious. The pinkish beef (half cooked) was the juiciest. Not that I'm a good judge of Vietnamese food as I seldom have them - but I think this is way better than Nam Nam's.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SKpWho7-Lg0/VqSyhRHyKWI/AAAAAAAAL3c/k4k0pIgUKHM/s1600/IMG_2882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SKpWho7-Lg0/VqSyhRHyKWI/AAAAAAAAL3c/k4k0pIgUKHM/s640/IMG_2882.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">CHA GIO (top) or fried spring rolls. I like them. They tasted great while eaten hot.<br />
GOI CUON (bottom) have mint leaves in them. Apparently, they are very good for those who love Vietnamese food.</td></tr>
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Rolls are great appetisers. If you're a fan of GOI CUON, you must try theirs. Fresh shrimps help. I just did not understand the minty part of the deal but I don't know Vietnamese cuisine. You do. So you go and try them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rszcGmM9_2Y/VqSyhfW39iI/AAAAAAAAL3c/O1gTq8v7qwk/s1600/IMG_2885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rszcGmM9_2Y/VqSyhfW39iI/AAAAAAAAL3c/O1gTq8v7qwk/s640/IMG_2885.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">SO HUYET XAO SATE </td></tr>
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Just trying to pronounce the name makes me giggle. This dish made the three of us very happy. It's stir-fried cockles with awesome satay sauce. The pepper, salt and tangy citrusy condiments at the side brought out the flavour of the cockles even more. I think I can have one plate by myself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XxVPIE8VFy8/VqSyhfa7WfI/AAAAAAAAL3c/hugQfVJ7n0M/s1600/IMG_2886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XxVPIE8VFy8/VqSyhfa7WfI/AAAAAAAAL3c/hugQfVJ7n0M/s640/IMG_2886.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">CHIM CUT</td></tr>
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Fried quails. Very crispy. Very flavourful. It is an art to pick the bones clean.<br />
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We also ordered avocado milkshakes that were very creamy. While we are getting fat, we may as well try to absorb some good fats. Oh wait, En En is not capable of getting fat so we will leave her out of this. She's as small as a quail. I'm a full-grown turkey next to her.<br />
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I enjoyed what I ate that night and I believe there are more dishes that I can try for the next visit. Just look at all the great items on their menu! Seafood, soups and everything in between.<br />
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So here is another restaurant that the people living in the east can shout about. As always.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-57998093802768868602014-11-09T21:20:00.001+08:002014-11-12T04:27:09.005+08:00Potato Head Folk - Three Buns Kitchen<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Potato Head Folk - Three Buns Kitchen (Level 1)<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Gourmet burgers<br />
<b>Location:</b> 36 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089143 (Tong Ah)<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6327 1939<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.pttheadfolk.com/">http://www.pttheadfolk.com/</a><br />
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<i>The story</i><br />
I have not been posting. My job takes precedence when it comes to all other aspects of life, including my number of sleeping hours. This is a common situation for people who are at my age. Our life priorities are fucked up.<br />
<br />
More work lamentations ensue when I met Cheryl for a Friday lunch. We had not seen each other for days and it felt like weeks. We made very good one-to-one therapy for each other.<br />
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It was Cheryl's birthday eve and I wanted to give her a treat. The Lokal does not serve food after 3pm so we trotted a few streets down to Keong Saik from Neil Road, hoping for some signs of atas food joint. She usually asks for McDonald's but Keong Saik is too hip for fast food outlets. If you want fast food, you go to Parkway Parade. It's haps but it's not hips.<br />
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I was on the phone when we were ordering at the cashier and what happened next was that Cheryl ended up paying for everything. I scored a free meal from a birthday girl just by yakking on the phone. She said it's my belated birthday treat and she's not particularly time-sensitive.<br />
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I guess I have to treat her in December in order to get onto the program.<br />
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Tong Ah is one of the quaintest blocks of establishments you can find in Singapore. We can still get our good ol' kaya toasts down the same road but one can't help feeling a little nostalgic to see the business being replaced by a popular bar and restaurant that hailed from Bali.<br />
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The burger joint offers 10 types of burgers on their menu. Since it's our first time at the local outlet, we took tentative baby steps and opted for Baby Huey.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5eE_MRojmFs/VF8Aq7pgAKI/AAAAAAAABOY/ZESRziBfjGs/s1600/Photo%2B7-11-14%2B3%2B52%2B59%2Bpm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5eE_MRojmFs/VF8Aq7pgAKI/AAAAAAAABOY/ZESRziBfjGs/s1600/Photo%2B7-11-14%2B3%2B52%2B59%2Bpm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Huey S$20</td></tr>
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From the picture, you can tell that the bun was well-toasted for that gratifying sensation when I took the first bite. What pleased me even more was the beef patty that was grilled medium well and I could still see a bit of pink in the meat. With the combination of sweet onions, cheese, lettuce and spicy mayo, the burger is juicy and altogether delicious.<br />
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Sorry, no photo of the glorious beef patty. I could not take any photos after the second bite. My hands were covered with grease and sauce and I had mayo all over my face. I used at least five serviettes to finish this burger. Not exactly environmentally friendly but there was no way you can eat this burger with decorum. I feel like a Pamy at that point in time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-evIgbAlTuH0/VF9liqik09I/AAAAAAAABOo/wyjMsq6SLWI/s1600/Photo%2B7-11-14%2B3%2B51%2B43%2Bpm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-evIgbAlTuH0/VF9liqik09I/AAAAAAAABOo/wyjMsq6SLWI/s1600/Photo%2B7-11-14%2B3%2B51%2B43%2Bpm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House Fries</td></tr>
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No burger is complete without fries. We hardly finished half of it because the burger had dominated the bulk of our tummy. You can opt for Naughty Fries if you like chilli.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-90UYFM6Hbmo/VF9mPjEXr_I/AAAAAAAABOw/7qL3CHAVB44/s1600/Photo%2B7-11-14%2B3%2B51%2B33%2Bpm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-90UYFM6Hbmo/VF9mPjEXr_I/AAAAAAAABOw/7qL3CHAVB44/s1600/Photo%2B7-11-14%2B3%2B51%2B33%2Bpm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wing-Its</td></tr>
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The wings were a bit of a disappointment despite its beautiful appearance. The meat was tasteless and the sauced coated skin was tough and chewy. The cut chilli, spring onions and shallots did little to enhance the taste of the chicken wings.<br />
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So I have nine more burgers to go before I become a full-fledged Potato Head.<br />
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You can download their menu on their <a href="http://www.pttheadfolk.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-631937688056288622014-08-28T22:13:00.002+08:002014-08-28T22:21:07.609+08:00Dancing Crab Singapore by Tung Lok<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Dancing Crab by Tung Lok<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Creole and American influences<br />
<b>Location:</b> The Grandstand - 200 Turf Club Road #01-20/21 Singapore 287994<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6466 3303<br />
<b>Interweb: </b>http://www.dancingcrab.com.sg/<br />
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<i>The story</i><br />
<br />
Eating seafood is a happy occasion. The name itself sets you up on your feet and they will tap merrily away to the beat. Who worries about spiking cholesterol levels when you just want to put a piece of that seafood into your mouth? No one ever. You should always be ready for it.<br />
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We were ready for it when Xaviere wanted to go somewhere '<a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ulu" target="_blank">ulu</a>' for dinner. There are 'ulu' restaurants in Singapore where no birds would lay eggs but people would flock over for the love of food and being hippy. And happy. Whatever. Like where, Xaviere? Where is 'ulu'?<br />
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Xaviere is seldom at the loss of words. In fact, her replies often catch me unaware and they are blows to my heart and brain. Sneaky. And happy. Whatever. I've battle scars from her but I'm well-trained.<br />
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"Let's go to <i>The Grandstand</i>. I want to eat at Dancing Crab!"<br />
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For non-Singaporeans reading this, please do not be misled into thinking that The Grandstand is somewhere 'ulu'. In fact, it's already an establishment for restaurants, cafes and dessert shoppes for the past couple of years. If you have a car, it's not <i>that </i>'ulu'.<br />
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Sheena had the car that day. So we went.<br />
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Nobody questions Xaviere too much when her heart is set on something.<br />
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(By the way, where she lives is at the far end of Singapore lor. That's more 'ulu' to me. This is the matter of opinions and we shall leave it as that.)<br />
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We found a car who took up four lots at the car park. No, it's not a lorry. It's a normal sedan. Very impressive but I believe it is quite common there. Rogue drivers are always mentally chastised by other drivers. I wonder if all the mental negativity is ever strong enough to get to them. I hope so.<br />
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Dancing Crab sounds very cheerful. The image of a crab dancing in the head looks extremely adorable. I'm just sorry that their happiness will be short-lived because they would be eaten.<br />
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Here's the entrance with all the crab shells. If I'm a crab with human brains, it's like walking into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary#mediaviewer/File:Kostnice_Sedlec.JPG" target="_blank">Sedlec Ossuary</a> for a tour and you then find cannibals in there. Okay, too early for Halloween-infused posts.<br />
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You get to see some live ones at the window aquariums.<br />
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Once you enter the restaurant, you will find a very relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. Colourful flag streamers and fish nets hung low across the ceilings, dim lightings except on your dining table, comfortable chairs for your butts and enthusiastic servers with big smiles. I thought it is a good place for family dinners and rowdy friends' gatherings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QcVab3zHBmo/U_8y0wlTwfI/AAAAAAAABMo/Hu8wF4vQS0Q/s1600/Photo%2B26-8-14%2B6%2B58%2B07%2Bpm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QcVab3zHBmo/U_8y0wlTwfI/AAAAAAAABMo/Hu8wF4vQS0Q/s1600/Photo%2B26-8-14%2B6%2B58%2B07%2Bpm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobster Roll ($23)</td></tr>
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Their lobster rolls are famous. Xaviere wanted to eat them before we even looked at the menu. She still wanted to eat them after we spent quite some time looking at the menu. I think you will want to eat them after reading this post. Please do. Tell me what you think about it after eating it. I didn't eat it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebuMiVhNaYA/U_8zzUmOXkI/AAAAAAAABMw/5tP50KVZKJA/s1600/Photo%2B26-8-14%2B6%2B58%2B02%2Bpm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebuMiVhNaYA/U_8zzUmOXkI/AAAAAAAABMw/5tP50KVZKJA/s1600/Photo%2B26-8-14%2B6%2B58%2B02%2Bpm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlantic Cod Fish and Chips ($22)</td></tr>
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It's not just fish and chips. It's cod fish and chips. A generous serving of chips with three soft and succulent pieces of cod meat that allow you to chomp on even if you've just tightened your braces that day. Squeeze the lemon over the fish and chips for zest. The fish is fresh enough without the lemon but I like the taste of tang with it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xv_eZGnrsGM/U_8059-qs_I/AAAAAAAABM8/9pcvlaW6X9I/s1600/Photo%2B26-8-14%2B6%2B58%2B47%2Bpm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xv_eZGnrsGM/U_8059-qs_I/AAAAAAAABM8/9pcvlaW6X9I/s1600/Photo%2B26-8-14%2B6%2B58%2B47%2Bpm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Combo Bag #01 ($80)</td></tr>
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Combo Bag #01 comes with a Sri Lanka crab, prawns, mussels, potatoes, corn, sausages. It's good for two but on my good days, I may just want the whole bag for myself. You can choose the sauce - Dancing Crab Signature of mild, spicy or extra spicy, Herb Butter or Beurre Blanc. The server comes with the clear plastic bag of seafood and dumps it right in front of you on the table. You get down and dirty with the meal, bare-handed. I like that. Nobody should use utensils on a chicken wing too. It will not taste as good without licking your fingers as you eat.<br />
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If you order The Flaming Moonshine Tiger Prawns ($8 per 100g), you will get a show of flaming prawns right next to your table. We did not have that but I think it's worth a go. The name of the dish is romantic enough. Pictures of it from other food blogs are gorgeous. I love prawns more than I love lobsters.<br />
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Check their website for their full <a href="http://www.dancingcrab.com.sg/menu.php" target="_blank">menu</a>. There are a lot to choose from and prices are surprisingly reasonable.<br />
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Dancing Crab certainly satisfies seafood cravings and at the same time, you will get hooked for more.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-13855864122863057162014-08-12T11:50:00.004+08:002014-08-12T13:22:56.665+08:00Supply & Demand - Modern Italian Trattoria & Pizzeria<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Supply & Demand - Modern Italian Trattoria & Pizzeria<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Italian-Asian fusion<br />
<b>Location:</b> 277 Orchard Road, #02-13/14, Orchardgateway Singapore 238858 (Flagship is at Esplanade Mall)<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6702 6218<br />
<b>Email:</b> esp@cre8group.com.sg (for reservations)<br />
<b>Interweb: </b>https://www.facebook.com/supplydemandsin?fref=ts<br />
<b>Damage:</b> By the economics of scale, you do the balance yourself<br />
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<i>The story</i><br />
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Asians love Italian food. It could be the fact that Marco Polo brought back some of the Asian influences to his country after his travels and that was probably one of the first eastern-western fusions in the history of mankind. To this day, it is still a joy to meld the two together.<br />
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A Friday evening demands a good meal to unwind. A meal that erases the fatigue and stress for the entire week spent at your computer desk, talking to unnecessary people and being a useful lego piece to the society. An evening when you can be yourself, with your friends or family or alone, not a provider of answers to anyone's problem but your own.<br />
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The same gang gathered at the queue of Supply & Demand. My usual gang of sisters, you-know-who if you've been reading past posts. I eat with other people too but this is my favourite group of people to eat with. Probably because they are more patient with me whenever I want to snap a picture of the food before they can tuck in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vgTCpI4gZCM/U-mBlNVx0pI/AAAAAAAABKw/FglX0hfiGHo/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+8+39+43+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vgTCpI4gZCM/U-mBlNVx0pI/AAAAAAAABKw/FglX0hfiGHo/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+8+39+43+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garlic truffle fries $15</td></tr>
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It's hard to eat 'undressed' fries now without thinking it might be better with truffle or parmesan cheese or garlic shavings or sea salt. Check out the cloves of garlic. The thick-cut fries were perfect bases to smear the garlic on. The truffle aroma did not come in as strong. It could have been overpowered by the garlic. S&D also serve sweet potato fries ($9), something I'd really like to try the next time I visit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lF_X4BZ7UMM/U-mFQOp9gWI/AAAAAAAABLA/iCCkivsUOzk/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+8+52+19+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lF_X4BZ7UMM/U-mFQOp9gWI/AAAAAAAABLA/iCCkivsUOzk/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+8+52+19+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tartufo E Uovo / Truffle & Egg (9" inch - $18, 13" inch - $22)</td></tr>
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There's always something to look forward to whenever they leave a soft egg on top of your pizza or pasta. For anyone who likes to destroy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HkncasdhadU/U-mFP6GOgxI/AAAAAAAABLE/dsbGPHw1fT0/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+8+54+59+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HkncasdhadU/U-mFP6GOgxI/AAAAAAAABLE/dsbGPHw1fT0/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+8+54+59+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aglio olio with shrimps ($14/$18)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-puG8y7BI9sg/U-mFRBGrN4I/AAAAAAAABLQ/ZvCjGL-ZC4U/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+02+43+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-puG8y7BI9sg/U-mFRBGrN4I/AAAAAAAABLQ/ZvCjGL-ZC4U/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+02+43+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All'Arrabbiata with minced pork and pork chorizo ($14/$18)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kui0EsGyCBM/U-mFRaQaVrI/AAAAAAAABLY/9x2CfYgRj-g/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+04+06+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kui0EsGyCBM/U-mFRaQaVrI/AAAAAAAABLY/9x2CfYgRj-g/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+04+06+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ragu di Maiale, rich tomato sauce infused with red wine, bacon, minced pork and oregano ($14/$18)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOVoSqIZ5MM/U-mFRhOUhZI/AAAAAAAABLc/5i9ZdruOHSs/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+07+59+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOVoSqIZ5MM/U-mFRhOUhZI/AAAAAAAABLc/5i9ZdruOHSs/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+07+59+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frutti di Mare Alla Panna e Aglio, garlic infused cream sauce with mixed seafood ($17/$23)</td></tr>
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Pastas come in Tasting or Full sizes to cater to different stomach abilities. There are over 10 different cooking styles of pasta to choose from, with varying ingredients to add to the permutations. We only tried these four during our visit and the general consensus is that S&D does pastas really well. I'm really fond for Ragu di Maiale because of the sauce. It's rich in flavours and simple at the same time. A kind of pasta you like to go home to after a day of hard work.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLpEvJJ0xtk/U-mFP4gjwWI/AAAAAAAABLI/OseTpyU5g9Y/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+8+56+19+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qLpEvJJ0xtk/U-mFP4gjwWI/AAAAAAAABLI/OseTpyU5g9Y/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+8+56+19+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamb rack ($32)</td></tr>
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Succulent and tender. This dish is full of heart. I didn't appreciate lamb until this year. When you cut a piece and put it in your mouth, the teenage vocabulary that comes to mind is: AMAZEBALLS. After which, you revert to your adult self and begin to tackle the rest of the meat without words.<br />
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Note: I didn't eat anything from the S.E.A menu page. The dishes look exciting. I'm sorry that I missed it out completely. I'll do a follow-up on that. Sorry, no fusion reviews this time round.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tk55ADeVME/U-mFSGPPILI/AAAAAAAABLw/3H0RM7A1aRs/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+35+49+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7tk55ADeVME/U-mFSGPPILI/AAAAAAAABLw/3H0RM7A1aRs/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+35+49+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disaster in a jar, chocolate eclairs, brownie chunks, cookie crumble with vanilla cream and banana slices ($15)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2pXP0YOR8I/U-mFSjyeK-I/AAAAAAAABL4/GVq0FZZlcnA/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+38+16+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F2pXP0YOR8I/U-mFSjyeK-I/AAAAAAAABL4/GVq0FZZlcnA/s1600/Photo+4-7-14+9+38+16+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sinful homemade chocolate cake ($11)</td></tr>
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Please order Disaster In a Jar. It's absolutely divine. It's far from a disaster unless a disaster can be beautiful in a havoc way. I'm not a dessert person but it tasted so good. The chocolate cake is not half bad but the disaster took the lead and we followed. Other dessert items include Pandan Panna Cotta ($12), Molten Chocolate Cake ($13), S&D Italian Style Tiramisu ($12), gelatos in exciting flavours like pink guava ($7), avocado ($7) and bak kwa ($8), and many more.<br />
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This warrants a few more visits before my demands can be satisfied.<br />
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Service, presentation and ambience wise, all's good.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-64627230034722629492014-06-16T23:29:00.003+08:002014-08-12T13:10:02.445+08:004 Fingers Crispy Chicken<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Korean (inspired in NYC)<br />
<b>Location:</b> ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn #B4-06A Singapore 238801<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.gimme4fingers.com/">http://www.gimme4fingers.com/</a><br />
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<i>The story</i><br />
Four fingers and a thumb. Those are the most important digits in your life. They make things happen.<br />
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You can find out how 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken came about from the website (link above). It's hard to reject good fried chicken. After a day's of hard work, you deserve some fried chicken and an ice-cold coke. Take it from my friend, Ashley. She grows up eating fried chicken and drinking coke. The result? She ended up with good skin and shiny, silky hair. There is no fairness in this world... except well, her skin.<br />
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I suggested 4 Fingers to Ashley after a couple of hours' of hard shopping. We did serious damage to our wallets so it's good to avoid pricey restaurants. We also need to make sure that Ashley gets her daily dosage of fried chicken. The sparkly girl agreed immediately and we queued.<br />
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There is <i>always</i> a queue at 4 Fingers. It could be that it is the only outlet in town and the next nearest location is at Changi Airport. Supply and demand are inversely correlated.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3mCi3gb7714/U58KZQhnWfI/AAAAAAAABJ4/7A-51WQ6eYQ/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+7+42+06+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3mCi3gb7714/U58KZQhnWfI/AAAAAAAABJ4/7A-51WQ6eYQ/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+7+42+06+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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2 girls. 4 fingers. 18 pieces. Greed many, many.<br />
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We ordered wings and drumettes - a mix of soy garlic and hot.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drumette</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some seaweed fries to combat the spiciness</td></tr>
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The hot wings are REALLY HOT. After two wings, my snot is dribbling out of my nose and I can feel the perspiration kicking in big time.<br />
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Can you imagine me carrying three big bags of shopping and a tray piled with wing carcasses, snot and tears running amok around my face, my fat body squeezing past other chicken-eating patrons along the tight walkway... all because we wanted to clear the table for the next customer? She was standing behind me, staring daggers at us the entire time while we ate our chicken wings. It was so stressful eating at 4 Fingers. Can they open another 10 more outlets please? Diffuse the animosity.<br />
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Speaking of which, they are opening one at Westgate. The people in Jurong need not travel out of their country to eat 4 Fingers. Hooray!<br />
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Nine more to go, 4 Fingers. You can count with your fingers (and thumbs) up to 10.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-49788224121833226432014-06-15T23:31:00.001+08:002014-06-15T23:44:27.973+08:00Koh Grill & Sushi Bar<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Koh Grill & Sushi Bar<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Japanese<br />
<b>Location:</b> 435 Orchard Road Wisma Atria Shopping Centre #04-23 Singapore 238877<br />
<b>Note:</b> Opens at 1130hrs and does not accept reservations. You queue if you want to eat.<br />
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<i>The story</i><br />
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We crave freedom when we are in the middle of a terrible project. Okay, it was not terrible. It was hellish. We would look at each other, nod empathetically, pat on backs and say things like, "we will eat something good after this."<br />
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My inmates and I decided to go for Japanese food after breaking out of prison. Japanese food is usually a safe bet... unless you're one of those queueing up for Sakae Sushi. Nobody can help you.<br />
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Ashley raves about the Shiok Maki. Online reviews rave about the Shiok Maki. I think the people eating hokkien mee at Wisma Atria's Food Republic (where Koh Grill & Sushi Bar is) rave about the Shiok Maki too.<br />
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It took about 15 minutes just to get the server's attention to take our orders. What are 15 minutes when we had been eating prison food for months?<br />
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It took more than 45 minutes for three of the bento sets to arrive. These sets consisted of udon soup and sushi. I wasn't sure why it took so long. We checked on their statuses after the half-an-hour mark and the waitress could not give a reasonable reply. The rest of the team were already more or less done with their meals. All the sushi orders were nowhere near done.<br />
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And when they came, they looked like this.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UDoINDrovHI/U520N6Nv_4I/AAAAAAAABJE/IbpV4Zdx5AM/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+1+57+20+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UDoINDrovHI/U520N6Nv_4I/AAAAAAAABJE/IbpV4Zdx5AM/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+1+57+20+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check the bottom right maki. They look like they had just met with an accident.</td></tr>
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I'm not particular about how my food is presented as long as it still looks appetising. BUT this is a Japanese restaurant specialised in sushi. The picture above is a blasphemy to Japanese cuisine that prides itself on presentation as well as taste. Why did it take so long for them to make sushi that look like these? I think I can do a better job on the plating if I were in a sushi buffet, picking sushi for myself to eat.<br />
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They need a lot more skilful sushi chefs then. If they can't make the presentation decent, the least they can do is to serve up a lot quicker than 45 minutes.<br />
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Taste-wise, it's all good.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y-z0G95Fztk/U523eilozmI/AAAAAAAABJU/TjkiOf_odYs/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+1+46+26+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y-z0G95Fztk/U523eilozmI/AAAAAAAABJU/TjkiOf_odYs/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+1+46+26+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shiok maki come in either ebi or eel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HEyv0qMnjTg/U523f0msH0I/AAAAAAAABJo/4zHBgIVJNTI/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+2+16+44+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HEyv0qMnjTg/U523f0msH0I/AAAAAAAABJo/4zHBgIVJNTI/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+2+16+44+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one with ebi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I suspect that it tasted so good because it was heavily doused with mayo mentai cream. The downside was that the salmon and ebi drowned in the sea of mayonnaise. They could swim when they were alive. Now that they are cooked, they could not beat the cream flood.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UrsXmqPaEIc/U523emdGv1I/AAAAAAAABJc/7hl7MQH5J6s/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+1+11+23+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UrsXmqPaEIc/U523emdGv1I/AAAAAAAABJc/7hl7MQH5J6s/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+1+11+23+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tofu with century egg and roe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-un3qFPa33Mc/U523e7hYpBI/AAAAAAAABJk/b5bEY8V0Z1o/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+1+15+15+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-un3qFPa33Mc/U523e7hYpBI/AAAAAAAABJk/b5bEY8V0Z1o/s1600/Photo+10-6-14+1+15+15+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cha soba with quail egg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was a good meal despite the long wait and bad service.<br />
<br />
I wish restaurants will teach their servers NOT to stack patrons' plates on the table in front of them. I wish they do not have to 'transfer' leftovers from one plate to another while stacking them. Hawker cleaners can do that because they need to clear the tables fast for the next customer.<br />
<br />
Then again, I found out that Koh Grill & Sushi Bar does not charge customers' for service, only GST.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-63681357369740869212014-06-15T14:28:00.001+08:002014-06-15T14:28:04.470+08:00Social Media WhoreFudz List is now on <a href="http://instagram.com/fudzlist">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/fudzlist">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/fudzlist">Facebook</a>.<br />
<br />
You can even send love emails to fudzlist@gmail.com<br />
<br />
I did not want to set up accounts until I hit 100 posts but feeling a surge of inspiration and creeping paranoia, I wanted to make sure all my handles are secured.<br />
<br />
So here goes. Be kind.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-66315596031694356532014-06-11T02:18:00.001+08:002014-06-11T02:27:11.569+08:00Uncle Leong Seafood<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Uncle Leong Seafood (Toa Payoh) <- look out for Punggol and Jurong<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Chinese<br />
<b>Location:</b> 15 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh #01-01 Singapore 319262<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6554 3453<br />
<b>Email:</b> yongheng_1986@hotmail.com<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.uncleleongseafood.com/">http://www.uncleleongseafood.com/</a><br />
<b>Damage:</b> Your doctor's advice on your cholesterol levels. You decide.<br />
<br />
<i>The story</i><br />
<br />
It started with nobody.<br />
<br />
Nobody could decide what we should have for dinner. We threw in suggestions in our group chat. Some groan and moan. More suggestions came up, albeit more hesitantly. Yeah, not bad. We can eat that. I'm fine with anything. A few muted responses. There were lapses of silence when everyone was tired of getting nowhere.<br />
<br />
It went on for the entire Saturday afternoon until someone mentioned <i>crabs</i>.<br />
<br />
'Please' is no longer a magic word. The magic word is 'Crab'.<br />
<br />
It sparked off an entire debate on which seafood restaurant we should go and what time to meet. A few volunteered to call for reservations. Most places were fully booked, no surprise. Oh where oh where. Wanting to eat crabs should not be a pipe dream!<br />
<br />
Pearl Leong (in no relation whatsoever) called Uncle Leong Seafood and told us that she managed to reserve a table, but there was no guarantee. We thanked our lucky stars (the Cancer constellation in particular) and made our way down to Toa Payoh in great anticipation. The Leongs must had felt a familiar connection somehow.<br />
<br />
The non-crab dishes came first to line our stomachs.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJ2hO51acuU/U5dDSnTj8JI/AAAAAAAABHo/9Z-ozVkYqFg/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+38+36+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJ2hO51acuU/U5dDSnTj8JI/AAAAAAAABHo/9Z-ozVkYqFg/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+38+36+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep Fried Bean Curd</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The bean curd is homemade. Crispy and soft. The sweet sauce is really optional because it already tasted good on its own.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOnLsGSAN7s/U5dDSm-Y29I/AAAAAAAABHs/P25rWdK9TxI/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+39+59+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZOnLsGSAN7s/U5dDSm-Y29I/AAAAAAAABHs/P25rWdK9TxI/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+39+59+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cereal Prawns</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Frankly, I ate more shell than meat for this one. Your regular tze char place may give you a better version. Still tasty but it's not a must-have in my books.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ItFHbGYXqRc/U5dDSnaxB-I/AAAAAAAABHw/xDetW0aw5eA/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+43+12+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ItFHbGYXqRc/U5dDSnaxB-I/AAAAAAAABHw/xDetW0aw5eA/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+43+12+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese Spinach with Eggs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I wish there were more century egg and salted egg in this dish. Spinach has a rich source of iron that is good for your red blood cells and heart. It's our vain attempt to balance off the rich cholesterol-laden food that we were about to consume.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Xaviere and I were adamant to order four crabs for the dinner group of six. Mabel (the scrooge) stared at us in disbelief. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
'太夸张了你们!' (translates to, 'You people are exaggerating!')</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Mabel recounted that her family of four always order only <i>one crab</i> to share. Xaviere and I (the greedy pigs) stared at her in disbelief.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Are you sure?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Okay, maybe two but no more than that!" said the unreliable storyteller.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We insisted to order four because we need them in different cooking styles. If you take a look at Uncle Leong Seafood's menu for crabs, you will realise that these crabs come in more styles than the models from <i>Vogue.</i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DkSJAshtF7I/U5dHhdfM-yI/AAAAAAAABIQ/_Y_7gr-CKaQ/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+50+30+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DkSJAshtF7I/U5dHhdfM-yI/AAAAAAAABIQ/_Y_7gr-CKaQ/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+50+30+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shimmering Sand Crab Delight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The thick sauce is creamy. Butter, milk, cereal oats, salt, all rolled into one. It is one of their signature crab dishes, together with the Claypot Crab Bee Hoon Soup. The latter is a good contrast if you are feeling a little 'jer lat' from the creamy sauce.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZsLAcEL9wQ/U5dHsU-akgI/AAAAAAAABIc/s4OUAWPrVDE/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+50+24+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZsLAcEL9wQ/U5dHsU-akgI/AAAAAAAABIc/s4OUAWPrVDE/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+50+24+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claypot Crab Bee Hoon Soup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The soup is filled with crabby goodness. It is rich in flavour and you can really taste the essence of crab with every spoonful. Almost every table ordered a Claypot Crab Bee Hoon Soup. We were glad that we did too.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DvsEmyHxnYM/U5dHsSovbZI/AAAAAAAABIg/TLg90tV3waY/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+54+12+pm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DvsEmyHxnYM/U5dHsSovbZI/AAAAAAAABIg/TLg90tV3waY/s1600/Photo+7-6-14+8+54+12+pm.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chilli Crab</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Singapore is well known for many things. Chilli crab is one of the good things. Who knew crab and chilli sauce can go so well together?<br />
<br />
The crab feast made our weekend. Due to our current age, we will plan the next seafood dinner many months later to give ourselves some recovery time. However, crab cravings come soon after you have some. It's like coke.<br />
<br />
Till the next time we reach an impasse on what to eat.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">P.S - I would like to try the Black Pepper Crab the next time I visit. It is still my favourite style of crabs. </span></div>
S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-54335239453997279062014-06-07T11:46:00.001+08:002014-06-07T11:46:41.635+08:00Baskin Robbins<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-D_Xv6VSJPb4/U5KLHUGYndI/AAAAAAAABHQ/_Z6rKgFNt70/s640/blogger-image--653050689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-D_Xv6VSJPb4/U5KLHUGYndI/AAAAAAAABHQ/_Z6rKgFNt70/s640/blogger-image--653050689.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It's never too early for ice cream. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They speak of 'ribbons' in Baskin Robbins. Chocolate ribbons, caramel ribbons, and so on. A delightful way of telling you what added ingredients are in your average vanilla scoop. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There is always a good reason to eat ice cream. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Scratch that. You don't need any reason to have one. Have a great weekend!</div>S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-25653436887150025742014-06-05T23:07:00.000+08:002014-06-05T23:07:27.928+08:00Chye Seng Huat Hardware<i>In a nutshell</i><div>
<b>Fudz:</b> Chye Seng Huat Hardware</div>
<div>
<b>Cuisine:</b> Localatas</div>
<div>
<b>Location:</b> 150 Tyrwhitt Road Singapore 207563</div>
<div>
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6396 0609</div>
<div>
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChyeSengHuatHardware">https://www.facebook.com/ChyeSengHuatHardware</a></div>
<div>
<b>Damage:</b> How many cups of caffeine do you need?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>The story</i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S6-imiloBf8/U5CE0VuwqqI/AAAAAAAABG4/eolZXACSOzo/s1600/csh+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S6-imiloBf8/U5CE0VuwqqI/AAAAAAAABG4/eolZXACSOzo/s1600/csh+1.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
Xaviere feels that the coffee is too bitter and strong. Now Starbucks, see what you did?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For a non-coffee drinker, I'm quite taken by the coffees from CSHH. The delivery is always smooth and it hits the right spots. Tastebuds, throat, stomach and then to the brain. Tick, tick, tick.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'd forget my first love (earl grey tea) for a while and commit a fling with this one.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QTRX8u7ZpkY/U5CFtoYVAkI/AAAAAAAABHA/N4xEcyuZ_E8/s1600/csh+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QTRX8u7ZpkY/U5CFtoYVAkI/AAAAAAAABHA/N4xEcyuZ_E8/s1600/csh+2.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I did not have lunch so I decided to have a breakfast instead. This statement actually makes sense in a cafe-embracing culture in Singapore. We like our breakfasts at any time of the day. </div>
S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-19132764182780446472014-03-29T02:15:00.000+08:002014-03-29T12:18:46.949+08:00Perle Noire<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Perle Noire :: Oyster & Grill Bar<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Western<br />
<b>Location:</b> 85 Upper East Coast Road Singapore 455222<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6448 1732<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.perlenoire.com.sg/">http://www.perlenoire.com.sg</a><br />
<b>Damage:</b> $50 and above because you have to eat those oysters before you eat your mains<br />
<br />
<i>The story</i><br />
Pearl and Xaviere were in dresses. The general request was to dine somewhere so that their attire was made of good use. I don't know what purpose dresses serve except for salads.<br />
<br />
Food took a couple of light years to arrive. We can't fault them because good food takes time to prepare. To add, their service was impeccable. Nobody gave us a stink eye even though we were late. (Some websites still state that their restaurant location is at 687 East Coast Road and I alighted at the wrong stop.) Nobody minded that we giggled like prepubescent teenagers while taking photos of each other. We had to find something to occupy our time while waiting for the food to be upon us. The servers were smiley, cheerful and attentive.<br />
<br />
The name of the restaurant, Perle Noire Oyster and Grill Bar tells you two things. First, you can have wine. We heard loud guffaws from another table, someone who had a drop too many. Secondly, oysters. Nobody leaves without eating the oysters. Okay, except for Xaviere who is still a child when it comes to food. Otherwise, nobody.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xtO10D2s2gs/UzWz4G7kbgI/AAAAAAAABEI/Cmefo0p21JM/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+00+19+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xtO10D2s2gs/UzWz4G7kbgI/AAAAAAAABEI/Cmefo0p21JM/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+00+19+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oysters, dozen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are Natural Live Medium Oysters ($20/half dozen) and Natural Live Large Oysters ($24/half dozen). Naturally, I'd ask for Natural Live LARGE Oysters. The waiter apologetically told us that they ran out of large oysters. I gave an unnatural wince. Nature took over when everyone else said medium is okay. The waiter gave a good-natured smile and took down our orders.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rKubHOOSxsk/UzW1H4F7miI/AAAAAAAABEQ/WhgIkUhI8wc/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+03+01+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rKubHOOSxsk/UzW1H4F7miI/AAAAAAAABEQ/WhgIkUhI8wc/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+03+01+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I was not disappointed. Their Natural Live Medium Oysters looked large by my standards. I slurped three of them in a jiffy because they are naturally addictive.<br />
<br />
Their bread rolls ($1/each) were warm and comforting while we waited for the rest of the food to come.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-agSwnjT9I8Q/UzW2PEfI9PI/AAAAAAAABEY/yWnr22NLlfY/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+23+02+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-agSwnjT9I8Q/UzW2PEfI9PI/AAAAAAAABEY/yWnr22NLlfY/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+23+02+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seafood Capellini</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Scallop, squid, fish, prawn and mussel. I like it that they mean seafood when they say it's seafood. In some places, 'seafood' means only two types of seafood in puny amounts. I don't see their point. Seafood Capellini ($35) was also served with long beans and a pine nut paste that was unique in flavour. It tasted a little bit like Chinese fried seafood noodles but I believe that a lot of thought was put into the dish. Pearl and Xaviere cleaned up their plates because it tasted so good.<br />
<br />
Also because they are carb monsters.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GLYGg17j-6M/UzW4O7A9i2I/AAAAAAAABEg/IyS-xtzIzQY/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+28+33+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GLYGg17j-6M/UzW4O7A9i2I/AAAAAAAABEg/IyS-xtzIzQY/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+28+33+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ribeye ($36)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
So they got the 'Grill' in their name done right.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jUr8pGf4EC4/UzW4R7WuYqI/AAAAAAAABEs/LwVED6029Y8/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+30+37+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jUr8pGf4EC4/UzW4R7WuYqI/AAAAAAAABEs/LwVED6029Y8/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+30+37+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled Salmon with sweet potato mash and asparagus ($25)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Three items - salmon, sweet potato and asparagus. Three ticks. I love them all. I was afraid that the salmon might be dry because they tend to get overcooked. This one was about the juiciest slab of cooked salmon I ever had. The sweet potato mash was light and all the more delicious when it was soaked up with the salmon oil and juice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w9LzPBRmkys/UzW4UszrTsI/AAAAAAAABE0/NPsLulf4wck/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+24+49+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w9LzPBRmkys/UzW4UszrTsI/AAAAAAAABE0/NPsLulf4wck/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+24+49+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White truffled potato fries ($8) - snacks for the ones who need more carbohydrates in their lives</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WO_XBFcK7eM/UzW4WH-tp0I/AAAAAAAABFE/DIYgVn75nI8/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+10+01+30+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WO_XBFcK7eM/UzW4WH-tp0I/AAAAAAAABFE/DIYgVn75nI8/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+10+01+30+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earl Grey Creme Brûlée ($10)</td></tr>
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All of us wanted to save our stomachs for Udders (next door) except for Pearl who wanted a real dessert. Earl Grey Creme Brûlée had the earl grey taste that I need and more. It came with sweet berries on the top. Everything was sweet about this dessert except the part where Pearl demanded Sheena to try some of it in a very ferocious manner. We don't know where this Ms Hyde came from.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qaZLpCDYBkg/UzW4WWHJZDI/AAAAAAAABFA/PZf0lb-ewVY/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+55+17+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qaZLpCDYBkg/UzW4WWHJZDI/AAAAAAAABFA/PZf0lb-ewVY/s3200/Photo+28-3-14+9+55+17+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade cookies</td></tr>
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The smiley waitress offered us complimentary homemade cookies after our meal. We loved them, cookies, service and all.<br />
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We ended Dress Night by going to Sheena's place to watch 90s music videos on YouTube. Is that what old folks do nowadays?</div>
S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-48513051473535379102014-03-24T23:14:00.001+08:002014-06-11T02:58:43.329+08:00Chez Petit Salut<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Chez Petit Salut<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> French<br />
<b>Location: </b>44 Jalan Merah Saga, Singapore 278116<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6474 9788<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.chezpetitsalut.com/en/">http://www.chezpetitsalut.com/en/</a><br />
<b>Damage:</b> $35 - 3-Course Set Lunch (available from 1130-1430hrs)<br />
<br />
<i>The story</i><br />
I explicitly told Xaviere that I was on a tight budget. A few clicks on some online shopping websites had rendered me close to penniless until my next pay check... which was more than a fortnight away. Xaviere had nodded her pretty head in great understanding. I thought she was the most understanding friend in the world.<br />
<br />
She still is. Except that afternoon when I skipped work and met her at Holland Village. What to eat? I eyed at the hawker centre across the road. She said, "Shall we go to Bistro Petit Salut? Everyone who has been there said that it's really good." My eyes widened at her bold suggestion. French fine dining? What happened to the tight budget talk we had last night?<br />
<br />
Her big eyes looked so earnest and hopeful. I wonder how many boys got swayed by that soulful expression. I nodded dumbly as she led the way. So screwed.<br />
<br />
Bistro Petit Salut is now known as Chez Petit Salut. Pardon my French. I don't understand a word of it. You probably have a better idea why the need for the change.<br />
<br />
We took some time to decide what we want from the <a href="http://www.chezpetitsalut.com/en/holland-v/">3-course lunch menu</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OKlMZKuofpQ/UzBC0mJbM6I/AAAAAAAABCs/V0teP4Paba8/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+2+19+02+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OKlMZKuofpQ/UzBC0mJbM6I/AAAAAAAABCs/V0teP4Paba8/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+2+19+02+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean trout tartare with olive oil, lemon jus, petit salad and toast</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H6IYWG_-xIc/UzBC7wE9E6I/AAAAAAAABDA/mwMt8UR4CiQ/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+2+22+11+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H6IYWG_-xIc/UzBC7wE9E6I/AAAAAAAABDA/mwMt8UR4CiQ/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+2+22+11+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tartare on toast</td></tr>
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This had to be one of the most refreshing appetisers I had, despite being stuffed with a bread roll just before this was served. The dressing on the salad and tartare was tantalising to taste. I scooped copious amounts of tartare on each bite of the toast and still had tartare leftovers. This gave my mouth a good wake-up call for the main.</div>
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Xaviere had the soup of the day, which was tomato. She said it was decent.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dEKWKLnCvU8/UzBC8ACUSQI/AAAAAAAABDE/54_mII9T7c4/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+2+29+46+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dEKWKLnCvU8/UzBC8ACUSQI/AAAAAAAABDE/54_mII9T7c4/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+2+29+46+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poulet au vinaigre</td></tr>
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As pictured, this was a huge chicken thigh cooked to perfection in a broth made from vinegar, onions, carrots, and whatnots. A soft clove of garlic rested on top of the meat, daring you to pop it into your mouth if you are not a vamp. I'm no vamp but I learned some dining etiquette from James Bond movies and spread the garlic over the meat dutifully. I wished there was more than one clove. </div>
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That was the vamp in me speaking. </div>
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The polenta served as a bed for the soft chicken thigh, surrounded by a moat of broth. The combination of tender chicken and broth-soaked polenta brought some excitement in my mouth. It was so good that I finished the huge thigh to its bone.</div>
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Xaviere had the slow braised pork neck in mustard sauce with Pommes Purée, aka mashed potatoes. The pork neck was soft and easy to chew. Flavourful and delicious.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J_veFQZg-Co/UzBC8GT6LVI/AAAAAAAABDM/BcJpfmINKVs/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+2+30+07+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J_veFQZg-Co/UzBC8GT6LVI/AAAAAAAABDM/BcJpfmINKVs/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+2+30+07+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow braised pork neck in mustard sauce with Pomme Purée</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was not sure if I could eat another bite. Does anyone sane ever skip desserts?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4bybdlxoL1A/UzBC8610m-I/AAAAAAAABDU/ofl9bbwF394/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+3+05+25+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4bybdlxoL1A/UzBC8610m-I/AAAAAAAABDU/ofl9bbwF394/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+3+05+25+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crème Brûlée </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXx0THL7SBI/UzBC94gRlUI/AAAAAAAABDg/TE7tYmgaUOE/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+3+07+16+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXx0THL7SBI/UzBC94gRlUI/AAAAAAAABDg/TE7tYmgaUOE/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+3+07+16+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple crumble</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vEeiyx9IW1I/UzBC9mwt8YI/AAAAAAAABDc/gEJ14R1MOvM/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+3+10+45+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vEeiyx9IW1I/UzBC9mwt8YI/AAAAAAAABDc/gEJ14R1MOvM/s3200/Photo+17-3-14+3+10+45+PM.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A spoonful of apple crumble</td></tr>
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If there's apple crumble on the menu, I'm likely to choose it over any other dessert. The apple cubes still had their skins intact. Sweet, tart and warm. </div>
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The crème brûlée made Xaviere very happy that afternoon. It was the biggest dish of crème brûlée I'd ever seen.</div>
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$35 well spent. Here's to homemade sandwiches for the rest of the month.</div>
S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-69832459834996640912014-01-04T02:29:00.002+08:002014-06-16T00:03:55.859+08:00TWG Tea Set (Scones)<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> TWG Tea Salon at Takashimaya<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Teh<br />
<b>Location:</b> Takashimaya Department Store, 391 Orchard Road, Level 2, Singapore 238873<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6363 1837 (<a href="http://www.twgtea.com/aboutus.html">1837</a> is a special year)<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> http://www.twgtea.com/<br />
<b>Damage:</b> $22 ($19++ for <i><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><a href="http://www.twgtea.com/menus/Singapore/2013/F&B%20Menu/TAKA%20MENU%20WEEKDAYS%202013.pdf">Tea Time Set Menu - 1837</a></span></i>)<br />
<br />
<i>The story</i><br />
The number keys in my old MacBook Pro died. I died when I tried to book a flight and buy travel insurance online by copying and pasting numbers. After five years of good service, I was sorry to bid farewell to my trusty friend, Frederick. He's still around... I'm just not about to go through another session of copying and pasting digits, one by one.<br />
<br />
I was at the third EpiCentre before I painfully decided on which model to get. Monica was very patient throughout my internal struggles as I did not have much cash to spare. After getting Frederick II, I asked the sales assistant to help me to install Office. (I'm lazy like that.) We had half an hour to spare while she worked on it.<br />
<br />
Monica wanted scones. Nobody ever tries to stop Mon from eating something she really, really wants to eat.<br />
<br />
TWG, as you know, was established in Singapore but it looks totally foreign.<br />
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We studied the menu for a while. TWG's list of tea offerings can match the length of your GCE 'A' Levels' history textbook. Fortunately, my heart has always been set on ONE of the earl grey selection. I tried some other teas before but nothing beats French Earl Grey in my history textbook. Why go for something new and exciting when you've already found the one that suits you best?<br />
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Decision-making was the theme of that day, nonetheless.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-taXLiUXhn1M/Usb7jOe9VJI/AAAAAAAABBs/7e_BOpFgQUU/s1600/TWG+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-taXLiUXhn1M/Usb7jOe9VJI/AAAAAAAABBs/7e_BOpFgQUU/s640/TWG+3.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea, sans sugar and milk</td></tr>
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Most of the tea variety costs $11++ per pot. Some can be up to $24++ thereabouts.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ogpx7x74yNE/Usb7jVv8uXI/AAAAAAAABB8/fgq70y-DQx8/s1600/TWG+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ogpx7x74yNE/Usb7jVv8uXI/AAAAAAAABB8/fgq70y-DQx8/s640/TWG+1.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warm, buttery scones</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8u2melCwvHI/Usb7jAuMEVI/AAAAAAAABCA/dGmsFK4bjiA/s1600/TWG+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8u2melCwvHI/Usb7jAuMEVI/AAAAAAAABCA/dGmsFK4bjiA/s640/TWG+2.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black tea jelly and whipped cream to go with the scones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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There were three jellies to choose from that day - 1837 Black Tea, Red of Africa and Geisha Blossom. In the end, they told us that they ran out of Geisha Blossom. I had Black, Mon had Red.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VVhsSfFFfnc/Usb7kTJubAI/AAAAAAAABCI/zq5PS33t4tE/s1600/TWG+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VVhsSfFFfnc/Usb7kTJubAI/AAAAAAAABCI/zq5PS33t4tE/s640/TWG+8.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Tea Jelly on scone</td></tr>
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Black Tea Jelly tastes sweet and delicate. It's like a lite version of jam. Haha! Nobody spells 'lite' anymore. I'm trying it out. It feels good and appropriate. Mon found Red of Africa slightly bitter. I think tea-infused jelly is bound to have shades of bitterness. Mine was not at all bitter though. It melts on your tongue at the second of contact. </div>
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Scones are like sponges. They are small in size but they expand in your tummy while you down that cup of tea. I was pretty filled by one and a half scones.</div>
S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-58814831328950097732013-12-26T02:38:00.002+08:002013-12-26T02:48:52.345+08:00Skyve<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Skyve Wine Bistro<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> European<br />
<b>Code:</b> Orchard townies<br />
<b>Location:</b> 10 Winstedt Road Singapore 227977<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6225 6690<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.skyve.sg/">http://www.skyve.sg/</a><br />
<b>Email:</b> enquiry@skyve.sg<br />
<b>Damage:</b> $35 - $55<br />
<b>Taste:</b> Eggcellent (ok, sorry about the bad pun.)<br />
<b>Ambience:</b> Clean furniture, grills and tiles<br />
<b>Service:</b> Great. They greeted and bade with sunny smiles.<br />
<br />
<i>The story</i><br />
<br />
I had no concrete plans for Christmas this year so I begged for one. Pamy, Chew Yen and Esther had graciously agreed to brunch on Christmas Day. Saved! I'm saved from being sad and lonely on Christmas Day.<br />
<br />
Just to add, my all-time favourite Christmas song is 'Do They Know It's Christmas Time?' by Band Aid (1984). I keep the song on loop. <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1333921/Do-They-Know-Its-Christmas-worst-song-world-admits-Bob-Geldof.html">The original composer hates the song</a> but I don't. I still think it's lovely. Everyone needs to be fed.<br />
<br />
Skyve is tricky to spell on the keyboard. It messes with the spelling bee in my bonnet. I kept typing the name over and over again to see how many times I could get it wrong. So far the wrong percentage falls around 80%. I hope you have better luck with it.<br />
<br />
Pamy said 'brunch' so I shot daggers at anyone who attempted to flip to the 'mains' or 'pastas' pages. The dictator in me conceded with the 'beverages' and 'desserts'. Now I wonder why no one made Christmas plans with me.<br />
<br />
Although it's known as a wine bistro, it was too early for us to order wine at 11 am in the morning. We are not European ladies.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c8bSMlJgO24/UrsaNinjETI/AAAAAAAAA_4/q_SIY_TOHEU/s1600/skyve+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c8bSMlJgO24/UrsaNinjETI/AAAAAAAAA_4/q_SIY_TOHEU/s640/skyve+01.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">INT. Seating arrangements</td></tr>
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There's an old-school metal swing at the outdoor dining area. Kids love the space. We saw big groups of families with young children. Skyve is children-friendly.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DOi9R8hI_08/UrsaN-nVj9I/AAAAAAAAA_0/ungR_dFmUgk/s1600/skyve+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DOi9R8hI_08/UrsaN-nVj9I/AAAAAAAAA_0/ungR_dFmUgk/s640/skyve+02.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bartender/barista behind the tiled counter. He doesn't care for latte art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rSvpSLVoaE4/UrsaNputguI/AAAAAAAAA_w/PMJYwxjlvjE/s1600/skyve+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rSvpSLVoaE4/UrsaNputguI/AAAAAAAAA_w/PMJYwxjlvjE/s640/skyve+03.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This utensil placement style reminds me of Cocotte & Meng's <i>ba chor mee</i> shop. The latter holds chopsticks, minus the leaves and serviettes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--OMU42OoJZ4/UrsaPNLPlfI/AAAAAAAABAI/EVB6hn1mLyo/s1600/skyve+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--OMU42OoJZ4/UrsaPNLPlfI/AAAAAAAABAI/EVB6hn1mLyo/s640/skyve+04.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New way of studying papillae</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uwVMzhniroo/UrsaPW4iJUI/AAAAAAAABAQ/dGf0gY4ncjw/s1600/skyve+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uwVMzhniroo/UrsaPW4iJUI/AAAAAAAABAQ/dGf0gY4ncjw/s640/skyve+05.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Textbook placemat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WRJq-ynvtQ/UrsaPlmQuNI/AAAAAAAABAM/VRCqBoRTyKI/s1600/skyve+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WRJq-ynvtQ/UrsaPlmQuNI/AAAAAAAABAM/VRCqBoRTyKI/s640/skyve+06.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazelnut latte straight up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Coffee is good. I could drink it without making a face.<br />
<br />
We had the Skyving' Breakfast ($22++) in poached, overeasy and scrambled. Chew Yen had the Skyve Sous Vide Eggs Benedict ($19++).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Typing the 'Skyve' words is killing me. The typos and retypes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mf_d5sEtwsE/UrsaQWa0AYI/AAAAAAAABAc/jLytTzRn_Rk/s1600/skyve+08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mf_d5sEtwsE/UrsaQWa0AYI/AAAAAAAABAc/jLytTzRn_Rk/s640/skyve+08.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skyving' Breakfast - Poached Style</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WgJR4rVj_8c/UrsaQ0MUT6I/AAAAAAAABAk/YKbji7FfC2k/s1600/skyve+09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WgJR4rVj_8c/UrsaQ0MUT6I/AAAAAAAABAk/YKbji7FfC2k/s640/skyve+09.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poached eggs undressed... saved for a sprinkle of spring onions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zE3IF5EmeuI/UrsaRGHZ9jI/AAAAAAAABAo/y-g6gfTxoTw/s1600/skyve+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zE3IF5EmeuI/UrsaRGHZ9jI/AAAAAAAABAo/y-g6gfTxoTw/s640/skyve+12.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overeasy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DBjAsSHGkZ0/UrsaRihz0eI/AAAAAAAABAw/npsREcghb2E/s1600/skyve+15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DBjAsSHGkZ0/UrsaRihz0eI/AAAAAAAABAw/npsREcghb2E/s640/skyve+15.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alien head with yolk eyes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YIF_Qw1iXJ4/UrsaSHAuQII/AAAAAAAABBQ/aInWlRQeDOk/s1600/skyve+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YIF_Qw1iXJ4/UrsaSHAuQII/AAAAAAAABBQ/aInWlRQeDOk/s640/skyve+16.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skyve Sous Vide Eggs Benedict</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GSs2uLgKTIg/UrsaSLrVy_I/AAAAAAAABA8/y9rFubCSwxE/s1600/skyve+18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GSs2uLgKTIg/UrsaSLrVy_I/AAAAAAAABA8/y9rFubCSwxE/s640/skyve+18.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Mushroom Soup ($11++)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f7SC-gf4ayA/UrsaSqKR06I/AAAAAAAABBI/r8sUCtlamTc/s1600/skyve+19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f7SC-gf4ayA/UrsaSqKR06I/AAAAAAAABBI/r8sUCtlamTc/s640/skyve+19.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brownie. I've no idea where Chew Yen ordered from in the menu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eggs Ben + Soup + Brownie were consumed by Chew Yen. She liked them all. My attention was on the corn nibblets in the eggs ben dish. Looks like something I would eat even though I had never seen corn in eggs ben until now.<br />
<br />
The maitre d' offered white, circular blocks to put our bags next to our seats. They directed us to the unisex restroom patiently and two of them even held the door open as we left the bistro. All smiles and 'see you again's. They probably received some good things out of their stockings in the morning, I don't know. Maybe they just had a good foundation on how service is supposed to be. Anyhow, thank you, Skyve staff. We appreciate all that.<br />
<br />
I have been reading their menu on their webpage and I ought to pay Skyve a few more visits to sample their mains and wine for a well-rounded post. Their photos and descriptions are calling out to me.<br />
<br />
Skyve Wine Bistro is at a walkable distance from Newton MRT Station.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-24859899332395973872013-12-19T01:50:00.000+08:002013-12-19T01:50:06.059+08:00Oh mai!<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Omakase Burger<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> American<br />
<b>Code:</b> Layers?<br />
Location: <a href="http://www.omakaseburger.com/find-us/">200 Turf Club Road #01-05 Bukit Timah Singapore 287994</a><br />
Dial: +65 6763 2698<br />
Interweb: <a href="http://www.omakaseburger.com/">http://www.omakaseburger.com/</a><br />
Email: -<br />
Damage: $25<br />
Taste: Nice patties<br />
Ambience: Almost like a fast food joint but with more space<br />
Service: DIY - order and collection<br />
<br />
<i>The story</i><br />
Zu Wee and Rahmat are the strongest advocates when it comes to eating out of our staff canteen. We've been to Burger Shack a number of times and wanted to try somewhere new. I'm not a fan of burgers and sandwiches but I follow the two of them like a lost puppy when it comes to splurging on food.<br />
<br />
Most people do not get the name. Not because they didn't <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omakase">wiki</a> on it. Its meaning does not apply to how you order your food. The menu is there. You don't tell the order counter 'Omakase!' You have to make your own choices among the straightforward list of items on their <a href="http://www.omakaseburger.com/menu/">menu</a>. It could be an initial concept they thought before - for daredevil customers to leave it to the chef to prepare their burgers. Maybe it's too difficult to carry this out in Singapore because we are quite fussy when it comes to how we want our food. You decide. You eat it. Okay?<br />
<br />
Also the name misled me into thinking that the brand hailed from Japan. It's actually from America.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0svNpJrTYI/UrHdIRUrN3I/AAAAAAAAA_M/D78leiEbl6o/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t0svNpJrTYI/UrHdIRUrN3I/AAAAAAAAA_M/D78leiEbl6o/s640/photo+4.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deluxe Cheeseburger</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ENZ47JC2hQw/UrHdIo87L9I/AAAAAAAAA_I/6TUSgW3OFQk/s1600/photo+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ENZ47JC2hQw/UrHdIo87L9I/AAAAAAAAA_I/6TUSgW3OFQk/s640/photo+5.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After biting into it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I said that I want it medium rare, I had it medium rare. They did a great job with the beef patty. The layers of each burger fused together to create a sublime combination and every bite gives as awesome party in your mouth.<br />
<br />
Their burger costs approximately three times the price of any burger in a fast food joint but I think I can go without eating a burger twice to eat this one once.<br />
<br />
Their selection of fries made us a little excited. I love fries.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WXvG76JE204/UrHdHKxF4JI/AAAAAAAAA_A/cr65Oo9NPUY/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WXvG76JE204/UrHdHKxF4JI/AAAAAAAAA_A/cr65Oo9NPUY/s640/photo+1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese fries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qfpaGERSy4s/UrHdHC4R4pI/AAAAAAAAA_E/Xgjh40R-j74/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qfpaGERSy4s/UrHdHC4R4pI/AAAAAAAAA_E/Xgjh40R-j74/s640/photo+3.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truffle fries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-prZNb4wPdHA/UrHdHdVpGQI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/a0nqJLFkhVE/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-prZNb4wPdHA/UrHdHdVpGQI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/a0nqJLFkhVE/s640/photo+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet potato fries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The sweet potato fries surprised us by surpassing the regular favourites of cheese and truffle fries.<br />
<br />
I like it that they pay attention to the different components of a burger, which makes it a wonderful meal and not just another burger to fill the stomach.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-47415948575175670012013-12-17T01:59:00.002+08:002013-12-17T11:26:49.248+08:00A Coffee Education Addiction<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Penny University<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Cafe culture that originates from England<br />
<b>Code:</b> Weekend chic but you can still visit on weekdays except Mondays<br />
<b>Location:</b> 402 East Coast Road Singapore 428997<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 9008 9314<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.pennyuni.com/">http://www.pennyuni.com</a><br />
<b>Email:</b> <a href="mailto:pennyuniversity@gmail.com">pennyuniversity@gmail.com</a><br />
<b>Damage:</b> $13 - 19<br />
<b>Taste:</b> B+<br />
<b>Ambience:</b> B<br />
<b>Service:</b> D<br />
<br />
<i>The story</i><br />
Their coffee is decent and good. No strange aftertaste. A cup of coffee is a welcoming sight in the morning after a night of debauchery at Le Peranakan Hotel (located at the same block). However, the coffee at Chye Seng Huat is still better than theirs in my books. But then again, nobody is asking me to do a comparative essay...<br />
<br />
Oh wait. Back track. Why did we need coffee?<br />
<br />
A very good friend of mine, Xaviere, just turned 30. We spent the previous night drinking beers and BBQ-ing food - to be exact, we were drinking more than we were eating. Until the clock struck 1 am, we began to feel hungry. We started BBQ-ing again in the middle of the night and ate cheesy crabsticks and sausages until 3 am. We began to talk about life in general while lying three-on-a-bed. You can't possibly go straight to dreamland when you have your best buddies lying next to you in the dark. All inhibitions strip and girls just want to talk their hearts out.<br />
<br />
We concluded the night/morning around 5 am.<br />
<br />
Not a very smart move for a bunch of 30-year-olds. We are 30, not 13.<br />
<br />
It was half past 10 when we finally willed ourselves to open our eyes. Candy woke up hungry. At least our appetites remain like 13-year-olds'. (Too bad that the metabolism doesn't.)<br />
<br />
"There's Penny University downstairs..." someone remarked helpfully.<br />
<br />
You cannot make reservations and please be always present when you've left your name on the waiting list. Free tip for you. And because it's a free tip, it's also a no-brainer. Good things in life don't come free. That's a second free tip, by the way.<br />
<br />
With eye bags and overnight bags, we made our way down to the cafe and found it bustling with customers at 11 am. The world has been up and about way before we came to our senses.<br />
<br />
It was a Sunday morning. Everyone has the same thoughts about getting some brunch on a weekend. They have a good business going.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QGtm9LpOexs/Uq8l3UpLdkI/AAAAAAAAA90/c-IFBCYJpPU/s1600/Penny+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QGtm9LpOexs/Uq8l3UpLdkI/AAAAAAAAA90/c-IFBCYJpPU/s640/Penny+02.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7 oz of flat white</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Some personal exposition here. You've been forewarned.<br />
<br />
There are many, many cafes sprouting their roots in Singapore. There are many ways to differentiate themselves from one another. One of the best ways is to serve good coffee or tea. The coffee beans have to be well-chosen and you need experienced baristas to make cuppas after cuppas after cuppas. The food comes next. It's great that PU's menu is not extensive. Makes choosing a lot easier for the indecisive. I'm never into 10 pages of menu if 80% of the food items are below par. A one-page menu is great if 80% of the small selection is great-tasting food. Decor and themes are also part of the campaign to make one's cafe stands out. In my opinion, there are too many 'dime-in-the-dozen' cafes that makes the cafe culture in Singapore rather stale. I hope new cafes grow with character and not with cookie-cutters. Last but not least, service. I don't care how 'cool' or 'popular' your artisanal cafe is, but if you don't have staff who serves with smiles and genuine good cheer, all that well-brewed coffee will still leave a bitter taste in the mouth. Not the good kind of bitter from a coffee, is what I meant.<br />
<br />
To the waitress at Penny University: When I asked if that second cup of coffee was for my table number <i>or</i> for my friend's, it was not because I was overly anxious to get my caffeine fix despite what my dark eye circles said. The first cup of coffee was placed on our table by your colleague who did not properly specify to whom it was for. One order was a flat white and the other was a latte. It didn't help that we both ordered 7 oz and your cafe does not serve lattes in latte glasses. We don't work at PU like you do. We wouldn't know. Your sour reply that the cup you'd just placed on the table was for my friend, which was great. At least you know which order it was for. Except that your tone was not. Neither was your facial expression. You didn't have to sound as if I was asking for the obvious when you had placed the cup in front of her. FYI, your colleague placed <i>my order</i> in front of my friend too, thus my confusion.<br />
<br />
I do not have high expectations from the service industry in Singapore, therefore, I'm seldom peeved by bad service. I just wave it off like how I wave off an unfortunate fly who flies into my face. It could be your bad day. It could be that you were tired from seven days of non-stop working. It could be that you were having the mother of all PMS. It could be that you had just met a customer who demanded for his/her coffee right here right now, seconds after ordering. Many <i>could-bes</i>. But you know what? It <i>could be</i> my bad day. I don't give a damn. Nobody gives a damn. Especially not from a paying customer. Seek comfort from a friend but don't ever show your bad face to a customer. Poor service <i>is</i> poor service.<br />
<br />
Suffice to say, it was not my bad day so I did not bite anyone's head off that morning. It could be but it was not. It was in fact, a lovely day because it was Xaviere's birthday. Everyone was in a joyful mood that morning. All ready to eat breakfast like hungry ghostbusters.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NnYMTynCy54/Uq8zgrUtNeI/AAAAAAAAA-M/jmd9HOdnlAQ/s1600/Penny+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NnYMTynCy54/Uq8zgrUtNeI/AAAAAAAAA-M/jmd9HOdnlAQ/s640/Penny+05.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scone - only short of clotted cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xGX5pa_RdUo/Uq8ziH6N1OI/AAAAAAAAA-c/1-UNPA9bwQ4/s1600/Penny+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xGX5pa_RdUo/Uq8ziH6N1OI/AAAAAAAAA-c/1-UNPA9bwQ4/s640/Penny+12.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese toasties with marmite and poached eggs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Cheese and marmite go well together. Then again, cheese is like everyone's favourite friend. It goes well with anything. It can go anywhere it pleases.<br />
<br />
I'm about to show you more Eggs Ben pictures. Don't groan. I already tried to show less of them in this blog. There are more in my folder. I'm already holding them back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tXssDV13W1I/Uq8zghC10AI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/8jAFTv9W000/s1600/Penny+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tXssDV13W1I/Uq8zghC10AI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/8jAFTv9W000/s640/Penny+07.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Healthy-looking eggs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jfD9pQCDDms/Uq8ziE5KpdI/AAAAAAAAA-k/Voy1RASv1OE/s1600/Penny+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jfD9pQCDDms/Uq8ziE5KpdI/AAAAAAAAA-k/Voy1RASv1OE/s640/Penny+14.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's an art to pile one food on top of another. They are unapologetic about dumping the hollandaise sauce on top.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcRX-ck13hQ/Uq8zg0BBO5I/AAAAAAAAA-U/X_hiH4sIKkU/s1600/Penny+08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcRX-ck13hQ/Uq8zg0BBO5I/AAAAAAAAA-U/X_hiH4sIKkU/s640/Penny+08.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh the perfect roundness of it.</td></tr>
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The sourdough bread was not something to crow about because it tasted like normal, thick slices of white bread to me but their poached eggs were great. Large and shapely.<br />
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The rocket leaves on the side were alright... simple and straightforward with a dash of balsamic vinegar. I guess for the price of $12, this is decent Eggs Ben fare.<br />
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Coffee serves in 3, 5 and 7 ounces. They will ask you which size you want in these number terms. I'm used to small, medium, large. And thanks to Starbucks, tall, grande, venti, trenta. If I ever go back to Penny University, I will try to say the numbers. We have to learn something from this coffeehouse, yes?<br />
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And no, coffees are not available for a penny. It was a grand old time when a penny could give you good coffee in London, as what the board read at their door. Just like how our parents used to pay 10 cents for a bowl of wanton noodles in Singapore. Nevertheless, PU's prices are affordable and their items are value-for-money. You can easily get a hearty breakfast under $20.<br />
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Good as their coffee was, the earl grey tea that my friend ordered was weak. Sometimes, I rather they just hand us a teabag instead of a tea-press. The flavour of the earl grey tea leaves did not come through.<br />
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Note: Their Turkish eggs are popular and if you google, its reviews are stellar. It reminded me of the African-styled eggs Pearl had in Taiwan. Also reminded me of our local half-boiled eggs with kaya toasts. Same same but different. Eggcites.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-66920775844422122492013-12-10T22:34:00.001+08:002013-12-10T23:49:50.641+08:00Mitsuba, Not Mitsubishi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>In a nutshell</i><br />
<b>Fudz:</b> Mitsuba by Yurine Japanese Restaurant<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Nihon<br />
<b>Code:</b> Touristy, casual<br />
<b>Location:</b> 6 Eu Tong Sen Street #03-88 Singapore 059817<br />
<b>Dial:</b> +65 6227 0388 (So you can remember its unit number)<br />
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Mitsuba0388">https://www.facebook.com/Mitsuba0388</a> (So you can remember the number to call)<br />
<b>Email:</b> NA<br />
<b>Damage:</b> $40-$80, depends largely on your exquisite tastebuds and love for sake<br />
<b>Taste:</b> Fresh and hitting almost close to 'home', which is the land of the rising sun<br />
<b>Ambience:</b> Simple tables and chairs, leaving little to imagination.<br />
<b>Service:</b> Forgot some of our orders in a table of eight and looked pretty much unapologetic. Servers converse more comfortably in Mandarin, which is totally fine but I don't know about people who don't speak the language. We don't go for non-Japanese servers who warble in Japanese tongues anyway.<br />
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<i>The story</i><br />
It started with a Whatsapp group chat created by IH.<br />
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<i>Lunch or Dinner</i>, the title reads. At Mitsuba.<br />
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I went through the list of chat participants. Hmm, hrm, hmmm, erm hmm, they are people I know... but we have nothing in common except that we work in the same department. No recent common project. No particular upcoming birthday from one of us. Nobody has a promotion at this time of the year. No one strike the lottery last weekend. We would have heard.<br />
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Still, I was afraid to ask why. Why us. Why a sudden lunch invitation at a... Mitsuba? It sounds like a company that sells pens. A rival of Mitsubishi, perhaps.<br />
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I was in a loop that I did not know what the loop was about. The only action left to do was to say 'yes!' with as much vigour as electronic texting can convey.<br />
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Like how stories go, mysteries unravel themselves when you have the courage to live through the passage of time. You don't have to do much. Someone in the high order will get tired of your ignorance and will hand the answers to you on a sushi platter.<br />
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If you have heard of Chef Peter Teo, I don't have to tell you why we went to Mitsuba. Back in the Wasabi-Tei days, we would return to the small squarish restaurant regularly for our weekly dosage of yummy chawanmushi and verbal abuse from Chef Peter. He knows the secret ingredients in those cute bowls of steamed eggs that make people come back for more... and understands that humans are masochistic by nature.<br />
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It's almost unfair to bring up his grouchy days now. Chef Peter is nothing like what he used to be, temper-wise. On the other hand, his sashimi servings are still the same as what they used to be - fresh and generous slices of raw fish goodness.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sDxk9z8VOw/UqcRvVfJQuI/AAAAAAAAA7g/4438EcAaocY/s1600/Mitsuba+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--sDxk9z8VOw/UqcRvVfJQuI/AAAAAAAAA7g/4438EcAaocY/s640/Mitsuba+02.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sashimi that makes you shimmy</td></tr>
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If you're a fan of sashimi, the above makes you a happy child for about 48 hours before you start craving for more again. For some of us, the effect wears off after 15 min and I'd suggest that you check yourself into a rehab.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gCaL7XoUfZA/UqcRxa-H1JI/AAAAAAAAA8g/gCj7NGbcHBk/s1600/Mitsuba+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gCaL7XoUfZA/UqcRxa-H1JI/AAAAAAAAA8g/gCj7NGbcHBk/s640/Mitsuba+10.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dope aka the chawanmushi</td></tr>
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There are good and bad chawanmushi. There are exceptionally divine chawanmushi. Here is one. The piping hot steamed egg is flavourful and it melts like hot ice-cream over your tongue. The texture is so smooth, you roughly know how much hard work is put into a simple dish like this. $5 well-spent.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_XF-khlEarY/UqcRw9iKqVI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/dyBx3ncR6zE/s1600/Mitsuba+09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_XF-khlEarY/UqcRw9iKqVI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/dyBx3ncR6zE/s640/Mitsuba+09.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One half of my sushi and udon teishoku set.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ALJmY3O-3fA/UqcR1kpstEI/AAAAAAAAA9c/-tt7Jz27fRM/s1600/Mitsuba+21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ALJmY3O-3fA/UqcR1kpstEI/AAAAAAAAA9c/-tt7Jz27fRM/s640/Mitsuba+21.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second half of the sushi and udon teishoku set, which is well... the udon.</td></tr>
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I like raw sushi and I like udon. It did not take me too long to decide on the sushi and udon teishoku set, priced $24++. I had the best udon in my life at Melbourne so this did not come across as to die-for.<br />
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However, I am extremely happy with the sushi. I'm about to show you how large the fish slices are over the small dollops of perfectly vinegared rice.<br />
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Do not ask me to name the fish. I know there's the yellowtail, swordfish, salmon... and you can figure out the order yourself. I know you can.<br />
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I was very full after the chawanmushi and udon but I still tucked into these sushi with great relish. We don't have to always listen to our stomachs, especially when you're eating healthy food like fish.<br />
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I used to dislike wasabi. Now it gets exciting whenever I swallow a chunk that shoots some green puffs into my nostrils. I wrote this proudly in the list of Signs That You're Growing Up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3DGA6DkIfnw/UqcRvWZrB7I/AAAAAAAAA74/xN9WRevaZXE/s1600/Mitsuba+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3DGA6DkIfnw/UqcRvWZrB7I/AAAAAAAAA74/xN9WRevaZXE/s640/Mitsuba+03.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanese cucumber doused in sesame sauce</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d37257zthxw/UqcRx01dCAI/AAAAAAAAA8k/OaicMPkb7-8/s1600/Mitsuba+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d37257zthxw/UqcRx01dCAI/AAAAAAAAA8k/OaicMPkb7-8/s640/Mitsuba+12.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of a salmon set - salmon sashimi that are oilier than the slickest cowboy in the old west.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a1tyqiQ6YK0/UqcRwUhEGNI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/565YcvMqFL0/s1600/Mitsuba+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a1tyqiQ6YK0/UqcRwUhEGNI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/565YcvMqFL0/s640/Mitsuba+04.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gyozas or pot stickers - with cute 'hair' sticking out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KTNZCdEQb4w/UqcRyJIsDeI/AAAAAAAAA8w/WoXA5-Mxxnw/s1600/Mitsuba+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KTNZCdEQb4w/UqcRyJIsDeI/AAAAAAAAA8w/WoXA5-Mxxnw/s640/Mitsuba+13.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salmon don - they almost put a whole salmon on the bowl but thought better of it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-39Ov4dqyNUo/UqcRye8Zx-I/AAAAAAAAA9I/-DBRvco5jGg/s1600/Mitsuba+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-39Ov4dqyNUo/UqcRye8Zx-I/AAAAAAAAA9I/-DBRvco5jGg/s640/Mitsuba+14.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chirashi bowl</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sdd10fDezPI/UqcRvbfjEgI/AAAAAAAAA78/pZGJ5WyosMA/s1600/Mitsuba+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sdd10fDezPI/UqcRvbfjEgI/AAAAAAAAA78/pZGJ5WyosMA/s640/Mitsuba+01.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the Singapore River</td></tr>
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The window seats are a treat... but the rest of the restaurant is pretty dim.<br />
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On the whole, Mitsuba is a straightforward Japanese restaurant with no fuss, save for the swanky location. The prices are reasonable for the quality and quantity.<br />
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You can catch glimpses of the famous Chef Peter behind the sushi counter too. He looks well and we are glad that he has not given up on us yet.S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-73299561711857606182013-09-17T02:02:00.003+08:002014-03-29T12:18:21.924+08:00It could only mean an eclipse, right?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>In a nutshell</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Fudz:</b> Sun With Moon Japanese Dining & Cafe - Dinner Menu</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Cuisine:</b> Japanese</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Code:</b> Smart</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Location:</b> Sun @ Wheelock, 501 Orchard Road, #03-15, Singapore 238880</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Dial:</b> +65 6733 6636</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.sunwithmoon.com.sg/sun-with-moon-wheelock.html#">http://www.sunwithmoon.com.sg/sun-with-moon-wheelock.html#</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Email:</b> info@sfbi.com.sg</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Damage:</b> $30-50</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Taste:</b> Many more steps closer to Japan than Sakae Sushi</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Ambience:</b> Wood, bamboo, spacious, orderly, neat</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Service:</b> The service staff replenished our water supply diligently. We didn't wait long for our food to arrive as well.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>The story</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I don't get to see Audrey often. The few precious times I did, they always involved good food and tete-a-tete sessions. Wholesome and lovely girls attract these things. I'm speaking from personal experience and I've lived close to 30 years. More wholesomeness and loveliness from her than me though.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">We met for tea on a Monday afternoon. I need to visit Brunetti about 231875 more times before it warrants a post. The sweet selection will take me a few years to cover, thanks to my lack of a sweet tooth*. To counter toothless people like me, they offer 'cronuts'. Their poster of cronuts shouted suicidal cries like, 'Eat me! Eat me!'. I'll grant their death wish another day. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">We hanged out at Brunetti until Sebas could leave the office. Tea-time usually stretches till dinner-time. This way, you can never go hungry. My free tip for you today. You're welcomed.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Sebas wanted Japanese food. Specifically, he wanted Japanese food from Sun With Moon. I visited SWM twice before. Once at Wheelock and the other time at Central. All I remembered was their tofu cheesecake in a cage and it being pricey. Oh, and the cha soba. I usually order cha soba during my first visit to a Japanese restaurant. It's my litmus test to gauge how good a Japanese restaurant is with the quality of their cha soba. Only because fresh sashimi is likely to burn a hole in my wallet. Cha soba is a more economical litmus paper than sashimi. Like what my lecturer used to say, we work with what we have.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This time round, I had a better look at the dinner menu and I tried not to look at four digits next to each item to make my choices. Here are my choices:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CWQJMkxnwfs/Ujc-axWOt8I/AAAAAAAAA5o/Rmx67qXwuMk/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CWQJMkxnwfs/Ujc-axWOt8I/AAAAAAAAA5o/Rmx67qXwuMk/s640/photo+2.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef steak with foie gras</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Beef steak, medium rare. Done exactly medium rare on a hot plate, topped off with a thin slice of cooked apple and foie gras. A twirl of tomato-sauced spaghetti and five potato balls to fulfill the carbohydrates category. One stalk of broccoli to represent the greens. Every single item on the hot plate was delicious. The potato balls, which were likely frozen processed food before being dunked into sizzling oil, became exquisite fried balls of delight.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I'm not an expert in the field of foie gras but I think it's supposed to melt in your mouth. The same desired chemical reaction like candy floss. This one didn't but it was still enjoyable. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My biggest drawback of the night: The picture on the menu was deceptive. It looked like a big hot plate piled with food but it turned out to be pretty small. I should have placed my thumb in my photo to give you a scale for comparison but I didn't. Now you have to take my word for it. I tried to chew really slowly to make the meal last but </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I polished off the entire plate within 15 minutes</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">. My friends know how slowly I savour my food. This was a rare phenomenon.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I eyed at Sebas' soup. It looked really good.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"It's really good," he said. Audrey concurred after taking a few spoonfuls. This couple is the most encouraging people you can ever meet.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I ordered it to make my still-hungry-spoilt-brat of a stomach happy.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AQbGcrppEXc/UjdD4YlEd1I/AAAAAAAAA54/oJ-4mkF1oyM/s1600/photo+3-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AQbGcrppEXc/UjdD4YlEd1I/AAAAAAAAA54/oJ-4mkF1oyM/s640/photo+3-1.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salmon cheek soup</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This soup was so rich. I was so happy with the slices of radish, carrots, mushrooms and all kinds. It definitely took many salmon cheeks, bones, tails, whatever to boil for many hours. It is tough to pick meat off a salmon cheek though. If you eat the local Chinese fish head bee hoon soup often enough, you should not have a problem with this. I kept thinking about all the omega fats I'm absorbing from this bowl of soup as I ate. Good fats are hard to come by.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1U0ZjaEljQQ/UjdD8SIUcAI/AAAAAAAAA6A/b00eXIGakII/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1U0ZjaEljQQ/UjdD8SIUcAI/AAAAAAAAA6A/b00eXIGakII/s640/photo+4.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seared tuna on a bed of spinach</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Sweet and nicely done. The dark sauce complemented the spinach and tuna very well. This was another good recommendation from Sebas. To throw you more fool-proof recommendations, Sebas had <i>chirashi</i> don and Audrey had the restaurant's special rice bowl, <i>kamameshi</i>. See the restaurant's <a href="http://www.sunwithmoon.com.sg/sun-with-moon-wheelock.html#/Dinner-Menu">website</a> for pictures.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Prices are a bit steep if you don't usually pay more than $20 for a meal. Portions are small but I guess I have a bigger stomach to satisfy than most people's. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I have since struck off my first two experiences with Sun With Moon. You can buy good cha soba from supermarkets these days.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Third time is a charm, I'm sure. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">* Speaking of teeth, calcium and bones, I lack deep-set clavicles as well. </span></div>
S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-83507070169845098412013-09-09T00:20:00.002+08:002013-09-09T00:45:50.691+08:00The Letter P: Penang, Prawn Paste and Peanut<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In a nutshell</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Fudz:</b> Penang Hawkers' Fare at York Hotel</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Cuisine:</b> Malaysian</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Code:</b> Dress touristy, but really, nobody cares.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Location:</b> 21 Mount Elizabeth, Singapore 228516</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Dial:</b> +65 6737 0511</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.yorkhotel.com.sg/dining.php">http://www.yorkhotel.com.sg/dining.php</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Email:</b> enquiry@yorkhotel.com.sg</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Damage:</b> $34</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Taste:</b> Almost as good as being in Penang itself. Almost.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Ambience:</b> Screaming, heavy-footed kids running around while you carry two bowls of something. Two bowls because it's two servings limited to each diner per queue.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Service:</b> Moderate. They could have cleared the empty plates more promptly but no fuss.</span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The story</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">To be honest, I've never heard of York Hotel prior to this visit. It's tucked behind a few buildings along Orchard Road (<a href="http://www.yorkhotel.com.sg/location.php">http://www.yorkhotel.com.sg/location.php</a>). Same like how I wouldn't have found Nassim Hill Bakery if I wasn't in a cab. I'll save Nassim Hill for another post. I don't think you want to see another Eggs Ben picture for the next ten years.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Penang Hawkers' Fare come to York Hotel three times a year. If you miss this one, you won't miss it for too long. Not to worry if this post comes a little too late for your action. Let me entice you with the food pictures and you can wait for another four months to try them yourself. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(Note: Every March, September and December)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Xaviere had kindly invited me to join her friends and herself for this Penang foodventure. Uncontrollably, I started snapping photos of my food. One of her gamer friends, this really outspoken but humorous person called Jimmy, asked with straightforward curiosity, "Do you always take photos of your food? Do you have a food blog or something?"</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I know snapping food photos can be an annoying trait of a Singaporean. The biggest gripe is to wait for someone to take a 'perfect' shot of EVERYTHING EDIBLE on the table. Sometimes, you are really too hungry to be patient. Not patient enough to wait for someone to find ten angles of a strawberry shortcake.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"Yes. In fact, I do," I answered proudly, like a mother who was acknowledging a menace for a son. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Jimmy raised his perfectly-shaped eyebrows with an 'Oh'. Thereafter, Xaviere's friends were very helpful in helping me find the perfect angle of each dish for a shot. I would like to dedicate this post to them. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I would also like to confess that I seldom update my 'menace for a son'. I have more than 15 folders of food photos that are supposed to be reviewed but I did not. I had conveniently left out this important detail. Nobody needs to know what a bad mother I am.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">To get on with the story, I enjoyed most of the Penang delights in this hawkers' fare. I started with the Penang Laksa. It brought me good memories when Fanny's mom made this for us many moons ago.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xwg41TV8tjU/UiyVGJBjTsI/AAAAAAAAA3g/Wkx19xcjIao/s1600/Penang+York+Hotel+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xwg41TV8tjU/UiyVGJBjTsI/AAAAAAAAA3g/Wkx19xcjIao/s640/Penang+York+Hotel+01.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penang Laksa</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">People seldom register how spicy Penang Laksa is because it is not </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>just</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> spicy. It is sour (asam and tamarind), minty, spicy, refreshing (cucumber), sweet (pineapple) and salty (prawn paste). Have I covered all types of taste yet? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Laksa is my favourite food. Next to many other favourite foods. Thus, I have high standards for laksas. This isn't the best I've eaten. I wish the noodles were more Q. The assam laksas I had in Malacca were probably the best ones I had so far. Making comparisons is always a bad idea, especially when you do it to children. Comparisons are seldom fair. I'll just say that it could have been better with a steamier broth.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r77Sqc7HRfM/UiyYEtpwAGI/AAAAAAAAA3o/nMeFm7Zj5jg/s1600/Penang+York+Hotel+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r77Sqc7HRfM/UiyYEtpwAGI/AAAAAAAAA3o/nMeFm7Zj5jg/s640/Penang+York+Hotel+03.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prawn mee</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">One of Xaviere's friends had more than two servings of prawn mee. I didn't think I could eat another bowl of noodles so I skipped this. It could be one of the best things on the food list.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99d3kW0JKpo/UiyYGVlcytI/AAAAAAAAA3w/hsFKObxWOp4/s1600/Penang+York+Hotel+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99d3kW0JKpo/UiyYGVlcytI/AAAAAAAAA3w/hsFKObxWOp4/s640/Penang+York+Hotel+05.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orh Jian (Oyster Omelette)</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Very oily. Very good. The queue was perpetually long. Everyone likes to chew on fried flour with oysters. It has been written into our genetics for years. We didn't know it until someone invented <i>orh jian</i>. We can thank the hawker who invented it. Also, you cannot eat <i>orh jian</i> without the sour chilli sauce. Please don't commit a food crime. Like eating chicken rice without chilli sauce. Same offence.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tAuCfCUg2-U/UiyYNfJ0hcI/AAAAAAAAA4A/AE_lysQeHKQ/s1600/Penang+York+Hotel+08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tAuCfCUg2-U/UiyYNfJ0hcI/AAAAAAAAA4A/AE_lysQeHKQ/s640/Penang+York+Hotel+08.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kang Kong & Cuttlefish</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This unique mishmash of prawn paste, chilli paste, peanut bits and a dash of sesame oil creates a sublime dish that contains 'tasteless' foods like cuttlefish and kang kong.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lor Bak <br />
(Note: We call it 'Ngoh Hiang' or 五香 in Singapore.)</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's like tempura in Taiwan. Fry everything and create a sweet, tangy dip. Voila! Lor Bak for a snack. This is akin to Indian rojak. There are too many food relations out there.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VbiQlmmmAJo/Uiyb76LkwnI/AAAAAAAAA4M/vwMR2Oxptng/s1600/Penang+York+Hotel+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VbiQlmmmAJo/Uiyb76LkwnI/AAAAAAAAA4M/vwMR2Oxptng/s640/Penang+York+Hotel+10.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penang Chao Kway Teow</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Before the buffet officially began at 6.30pm, people already started queueing for this plate of fried noodles. It's good but it's nothing we haven't eaten before. I went to Genting for Penang CKT. I didn't have to queue and it tasted way more awesome than this one. Then again, we weren't in Genting. York Hotel is in Singapore. Back to reality please, Shups.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Ban Chang Kueh was the next popular dish in the buffet line. The queue snaked a few turns but it did not deter anyone of us who can wolfed down this crispy treat with a few bites. The pancake was wafer-thin and they were generous with their butter and sugared peanut bits. One of the must-haves.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Something so simple like a bowl of fishball noodles can be so tasty. I think the minced garlic helped. It's hearty to eat fishball noodles soup after so many plates of greasy foods. That's how we cleanse our palate. Hrm.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aIGDzr6inkQ/Uiyb-c6FPwI/AAAAAAAAA4g/OVE2J_6ZMR8/s1600/Penang+York+Hotel+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aIGDzr6inkQ/Uiyb-c6FPwI/AAAAAAAAA4g/OVE2J_6ZMR8/s640/Penang+York+Hotel+12.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice Kacang</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Speaking of cleansing palate, an ice kacang usually does the trick. This ruby red crushed ice is filled with red beans, corn bits and attap seeds. Adding a dash of evaporated milk, this is a very ice-cold bandung (rose-flavoured) drink with extra ingredients. I don't like bandung but this is so good. Full of syrupy goodness. You can skip your Gongcha fix for this any day.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FibKEURwLrY/UiycRY9KgiI/AAAAAAAAA5E/TLjxqb4fFGg/s1600/Penang+York+Hotel+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FibKEURwLrY/UiycRY9KgiI/AAAAAAAAA5E/TLjxqb4fFGg/s640/Penang+York+Hotel+16.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penang Rojak</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Penang Rojak is a plate of cut fruits with prawn paste and peanuts bits. Like again? Penang food is all about good prawn paste and peanut bits.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S3zbVze-I7I/UiycRePOKgI/AAAAAAAAA5I/u5kCwqFJatg/s1600/Penang+York+Hotel+19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S3zbVze-I7I/UiycRePOKgI/AAAAAAAAA5I/u5kCwqFJatg/s640/Penang+York+Hotel+19.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chendol</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I like the chendol in Malacca more. No surprise because chendol is about gula melaka, and boy, only Malacca knows the gula melaka game. It's named after Malacca, duh. Stick to the ice kacang if you want something sweet.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">***</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">We concluded the dinner feeling too full to move. We had so many bowls of noodles, we couldn't feel sorry for ourselves. We deserved it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Nonetheless, we walked to Centrepoint from York Hotel in hopes of feeling a bit better after some exercise. Unfortunately, I didn't feel better. I suffered a major food coma. I kept wanting to fall into the 1000-threadcount bedsheets in Robinsons'. Greed got me this time.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I hope you can still catch the Penang Hawkers' Fare this month. Aforementioned, the buffet starts at 6.30pm but queue early. Preferably by 6pm. They don't accept reservations and it's hugely popular.</span></div>
S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-25491454274740305852013-03-16T21:34:00.000+08:002013-09-17T02:43:52.731+08:00Wild Relish<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In a nutshell</span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Fudz</b>: Relish by Wildrocket</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Cuisine</b>: Mod Sin (coined by the founder), short for <i>Modern Singaporean</i>. Supposedly a focus on burgers but I got deviated.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Code</b>: Fine Casual</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Location</b>: 501, Bukit Timah Road, #02-01, Cluny Court; 1 Maju Avenue #02-07, myVillage, Serangoon Garden</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Dial</b>: 6763 1547 (Bukit Timah); 6634 3422 (Serangoon Garden)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Interweb</b>: <a href="http://www.wildrocket.com.sg/">http://www.wildrocket.com.sg/</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Email:</b> relishburger@gmail.com</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Damage</b>: $30-50 per pax</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Taste</b>: Old favourites with a Singaporean twist</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Ambience</b>: Wood and aluminium chairs... and very few vintage furniture</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Service</b>: Quick and good</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>The story</i></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... comes in three parts. I've been to Relish three times before I decided that it's time for a review. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>The 1st Visit</u></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">We were supposed to read in a cafe, an attempt to be bookworms outdoor. However, I left the Kindle in the car. I could only study the menu. Flo relegated her bookworm self to an iPhone game player. We stick to plans like expired post-its.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Due to the late, odd hour, we didn't order a real meal.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ySa-J9cUd8w/UURTJDVTteI/AAAAAAAAAy0/RG5x5pW1hX0/s1600/Relish+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ySa-J9cUd8w/UURTJDVTteI/AAAAAAAAAy0/RG5x5pW1hX0/s640/Relish+03.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate cointreau - one of the better milkshakes around</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jSpMIUymp60/UURTIBwe3AI/AAAAAAAAAys/PyKS5DwrF2A/s1600/Relish+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jSpMIUymp60/UURTIBwe3AI/AAAAAAAAAys/PyKS5DwrF2A/s640/Relish+02.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thick-cut fries that cut the chase</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Late night snacks should always be this good... even if you're not doing any serious reading.</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">***</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><u>The 2nd Visit</u></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">My perverted producer's birthday. She was on leave but we called her out to have a birthday lunch together anyway. We were about to finish eating when she finally arrived. It's the thought that counts.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-joPRzcPDahs/UURU1QE223I/AAAAAAAAAzM/hhhNQdaOEk0/s1600/Relish+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-joPRzcPDahs/UURU1QE223I/AAAAAAAAAzM/hhhNQdaOEk0/s640/Relish+04.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parmesan wings</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The parmesan wings are good for seconds. When you share a plate with a large group of hungry people, you're lucky if you can grab one. This calls for another order and another and...</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7UTCAMbaJkU/UURU0iTonKI/AAAAAAAAAzI/WI99htLwQtc/s1600/Relish+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7UTCAMbaJkU/UURU0iTonKI/AAAAAAAAAzI/WI99htLwQtc/s640/Relish+05.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ram-Lee burger</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">The Malays know exactly what they want in a burger. They came up with the hugely popular burger that is being replicated everywhere. It's usually saucy and greasy. Relish does a decent job in achieving that.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bzj_5O1rJPA/UURUvDULN2I/AAAAAAAAAzA/k2MOh3dGCwo/s1600/Relish+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bzj_5O1rJPA/UURUvDULN2I/AAAAAAAAAzA/k2MOh3dGCwo/s640/Relish+06.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portobello mushroom tofu burger. No carbs, except the fries!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dE_Xv1BgsCg/UURU5_Fy6yI/AAAAAAAAAzY/i5p4KdVkXaE/s1600/Relish+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dE_Xv1BgsCg/UURU5_Fy6yI/AAAAAAAAAzY/i5p4KdVkXaE/s640/Relish+07.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled chicken</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utx1Jjf2XHg/UURU_K7-uRI/AAAAAAAAAzg/X337ok2K0Dc/s1600/Relish+08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utx1Jjf2XHg/UURU_K7-uRI/AAAAAAAAAzg/X337ok2K0Dc/s640/Relish+08.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aubergine linguine</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Pine nuts usually go very well with pasta. It is something to crunch on amidst the softness of flavourful aubergines and tomatoied linguine. You know you've grown up when you learn to love eating eggplants. If you still hate it, really, it's time to grow up.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UjqPxmTp7G0/UURVFwek8JI/AAAAAAAAAzo/aItPcyo2a_0/s1600/Relish+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UjqPxmTp7G0/UURVFwek8JI/AAAAAAAAAzo/aItPcyo2a_0/s640/Relish+10.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hae bee hiam spaghetti</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I only eat hae bee hiam spring rolls during Chinese New Year. Yun Yun said that this is awesome stuff, so I'm giving her the benefit of a doubt and tell you that it is. It's time for me to grow up, you say, but meanwhile, I'll think about it.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WBCNarsPEZo/UURVHxJuY2I/AAAAAAAAAzw/1zkG0bnSUOA/s1600/Relish+09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WBCNarsPEZo/UURVHxJuY2I/AAAAAAAAAzw/1zkG0bnSUOA/s640/Relish+09.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mojito</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe3gWr_zioU/UURVI-Da68I/AAAAAAAAAz4/v7_AEaclQT8/s1600/Relish+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pe3gWr_zioU/UURVI-Da68I/AAAAAAAAAz4/v7_AEaclQT8/s640/Relish+11.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark lava chocolate gateau</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">If you're a non-chocolate lover like I am, there will be one day out of the entire year when you crave for something like this. It can be any day just before your menstruation period. Satisfy that craving before you turn into a chocolate-raging monster. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Just saying.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">***</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><u>The 3rd Visit</u></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">A friend who lives in the same neighbourhood as you do comes in handy for short-distance food ventures. In this occasion, she manifested as Amy Tan, an old school mate from my Mass Communication days.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast platter</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Relish serves all-day breakfast on weekends. Few people care about breakfasts on weekdays. The rest are preoccupied in beating the rush hour. I'm not keen about baked beans but in other words, the breakfast platter looks heavenly. (Note: Amy opted for mashed potatoes instead of sauteed mushrooms.)</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benedict</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Relish is generous with their servings. The rocket leaves in the eggs benedict come in harvestful. The waiter gave Amy two wedges of butter when she asked for some to slather on a single piece of muffin toast. Two very well-done poached eggs were on my favourite English muffins but unfortunately, I'm not a fan of crispy bacon. They taste like dry bak kwa after a while. It's my personal preference to smoked salmon. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I appreciate that the waiter asked me what sauce I wanted for my fries. Ketchup is the only way to go. Chilli sauce is for chicken rice, people.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Other good breakfast items include cream cheese bagels, homemade pork and apple sausage patty burger, etc.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z0oRXWWXEsE/UURs0Q2vMrI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/ClEcZtH16Dk/s1600/Relish+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z0oRXWWXEsE/UURs0Q2vMrI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/ClEcZtH16Dk/s640/Relish+14.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milo and horlicks marble cake</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Amy said this dessert tasted 'traditional'. We grew up drinking Milo, Horlicks and eating marble cake from the neighbourhood cake shop. Relish had brilliantly combined all the three items together. No brainer, you think. Bet you wish you thought of it first. Then again, how many of us know how to bake?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">I would like to think about what had happened to Milo and Horlicks' understated brother, Ovaltine.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">***</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Local flavours get entwined in this food establishment that is for once, not in a hawker/food centre setting.</span></span></div>
S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-50087858575099436232013-01-21T14:52:00.002+08:002013-03-16T19:12:32.792+08:00The therapeutic brunch<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Writer's note: <i>I realised I didn't post a single review in 2012.</i></span></span><i> </i></blockquote>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">First of all, how lazy. Where did my time go to?</span></span> </i></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Secondly, I didn't stop eating. Last year, I kind of turned into a eating monster. I'm almost proud to say that I'm the first person my friends think of whenever they want to have a steamboat buffet. It could be my famous fixation on tau kee (translate: beancurd skin), cooked soft and flavourful. No, I don't want to talk about steamboats. In 2012, I ate my first ever eggs benedict in NYC. I love it. I didn't understand why people eat poached eggs when they could eat half-boiled eggs or have them scrambled. Poached eggs sound messy and yolky. These are probably also the reasons why people like them. The next couple of reviews have a lot to do with eggs and brunches. Bear with me. I'll move on to other food types very soon. I mean, who doesn't know how a poached egg taste like?</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Me. Before April 2012. Like seriously. Get a move on.</i></span></span></blockquote>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In a nutshell</span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Fudz</b>: Group Therapy</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Cuisine</b>: Predominantly breakfast and coffee. Don't worry, they serve tea too.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Code</b>: Whatever that makes you feel like a breakfast champion</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Location</b>: 49 Duxton Road, #02-01</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Dial</b>: +65 6222 2554 (they don't accept reservations but you can call half an hour upon reaching to check if there are available spots)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Interweb</b>: <a href="http://www.gtcoffee.com/">http://www.gtcoffee.com/</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Damage</b>: Depends on how many cups of coffee you drink.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Taste</b>: Many hot favourite items remain the same but some main courses change frequently. You can see dates printed on their paper menus to ensure that you received the current copy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Ambience</b>: Cheery. Looks like you just visited a friend's living quarters. Couches and dining tables.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Service</b>: Staff are friendly but food takes long to arrive. They explained that they have a long queue for food to be prepared for their large throng of customers. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>The story</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">We studied psychology together in the mid-2000s. If I don't remember wrongly, all of us passed our exams. It could be apt that we are finding therapy as a group... Those years of studying abnormal behaviour and how we think with our brains could be the cause of this need.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Hazel brought her son, An An, a very sweet young boy about four years old. He grew pretty much attached to me, literally, by plopping himself on my laps and wriggled about for the entire second half match.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Everyone has to eat their Eggs Benedict at least once before moving to other pastures. </span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Their Eggs Ben is topped up with a generous amount of hollandaise sauce. It muffled the taste of the eggs but otherwise, most of us brighten up at the sight of the hollandaise that spread out far and beyond. My preferred choice of dough is English muffins but I understand the rationale of using a thick toast to mop up the overflowing yolk and hollandaise sauce. Its purpose is like an absorbent sponge. It's chewy and filling. The eggs are well-poached. People who love eggs, love egg yolks. People who only eat egg whites miss out a lot of things in life, like for examples, yummy Bombay toasts and high cholesterol levels.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">After a cup of JING's Earl Grey tea, I succumbed to a glass of iced chocolate. It should be pretty okay because my recollection of how the iced chocolate taste like is dimmed. Probably An An was kneeling on my laps and I was too busy in pain to notice. An iced chocolate is a drink to make you feel fuller than full when you feel like it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Lynx waited over half an hour for his shepherd's pie to be baked and served. Fortunately, it tasted good, so his impatience and annoyance wore off a little. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">We had a large group and many of them were late. Oh what's new about the waiting culture in Singapore? The waitress came over a few times to check if they were still coming as their influx of customers was high. Sheepishly, I told her that they WERE coming but I've no idea when.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Before the meet up, I called up the place and the nice lady on the phone gave good advice that we should pop by before 1100 or 1130hrs. That's the period when the place starts to get crowded.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Also, first-timers to the therapy are usually lost because most of us do not possess peripheral vision, contrary to biological claims of the human eye. The cafe is on the second floor, with only a small signboard and quaint staircase to lead the way on the ground floor. You can train your eyes to read numbers in order to track #49 along the row of shophouses. Surprisingly, there were quite many available parallel parking lots along the road. Taking a cab solves most of my commuting problems.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Brunch was brief and we disbanded right afterwards. Just like how a group therapy should go. We don't really know each other once we get out of the place, do we?</span>S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-40094464816418954892011-07-03T13:53:00.000+08:002011-07-03T13:53:24.875+08:00Brunch with the bunch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>In a nutshell</i></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Fudz: </b>Oriole Cafe & Bar</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Cuisine:</b> European</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Code:</b> Casual and smart</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Location:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> 96 Somerset Road, Pan Pacific Services Suites, #01-01, Singapore 238163</span></b></div></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Dial:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b>+65 6238 8348</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.oriolecoffee.com/" style="color: #a64d79; text-decoration: none;">http://www.oriolecoffee.com/</a></div></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Damage: </b>$30 per pax</div></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Taste:</b> To get your caffeine and alcohol fixes at the same time</div></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Ambience:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Dim lighting unless you choose to dine al fresco. Neighbouring patrons are a tad too close for comfort in case you want to whisper top trade secrets or sweet nothings.</span></b></div></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Service:</b> Good</div></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, FreeMono, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i>The story</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">To be honest, we only went for the breakfast menu that was displayed on the acrylic tabletop board for weekends (till 3pm). We need eggs - scrambled, poached and fried and nothing could deter us from having breakfast at midday when normal human beings are already thinking about lunches.<br />
<br />
Great coffee. So I heard from those who indulge in the black-brown liquid. I am not a coffee drinker so this pledge of thumbs-up come from everyone who had their coffee in Oriole. The owner is an award-winning barrister so we shall assume that he knows his coffee beans from the good and bad.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oqVbZ287obc/Tg_4Xb5mu3I/AAAAAAAAArw/MOfzjpHrUgw/s1600/Oriole+Brunch+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oqVbZ287obc/Tg_4Xb5mu3I/AAAAAAAAArw/MOfzjpHrUgw/s640/Oriole+Brunch+01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latte</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I did not intend to talk about Oriole's coffee. I only want to talk about their breakfasts. I am deeply in love with their Caesar Salad too but I have to save that for another day as well.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I am terrible with documenting.<br />
<br />
They have Moroccan styled lamb sausages that come in a bowl. Do Moroccans eat their breakfast out of bowls? I wonder, I wonder.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qekfHT6FAJY/Tg_531MfLPI/AAAAAAAAAr8/VgTaw5ybZMU/s1600/Oriole+Brunch+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qekfHT6FAJY/Tg_531MfLPI/AAAAAAAAAr8/VgTaw5ybZMU/s640/Oriole+Brunch+05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With fried egg, chick peas, feta cheese</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOJ04ol2268/Tg_5r4vcdZI/AAAAAAAAAr0/_9QfsbshidA/s1600/Oriole+Brunch+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOJ04ol2268/Tg_5r4vcdZI/AAAAAAAAAr0/_9QfsbshidA/s640/Oriole+Brunch+02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scrambled</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The portions look small for ravenous creatures like us. Our hunger subsided but we are used to being stuffed. I could have ordered that bowl of Caesar Salad... I dream about it all the time.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fIk1GKhzA5s/Tg_5xubvfNI/AAAAAAAAAr4/6eZGATXyj9Q/s1600/Oriole+Brunch+03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fIk1GKhzA5s/Tg_5xubvfNI/AAAAAAAAAr4/6eZGATXyj9Q/s640/Oriole+Brunch+03.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggs Benedict with ham topped off muffin buns</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DoDYojluZIM/Tg_6CUELqLI/AAAAAAAAAsE/G5rPjn3u-cY/s1600/Oriole+Brunch+08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DoDYojluZIM/Tg_6CUELqLI/AAAAAAAAAsE/G5rPjn3u-cY/s640/Oriole+Brunch+08.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full English Breakfast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The bacon strips are extremely salty. I am good at eating salty food but their bacon defeated my tongue without much of a fight. The eggs are done well but the sausages are either too porky or dry.<br />
<br />
Breakfast is definitely not its forte but <i>we asked for it</i>.<br />
<br />
I know, I really want to tell you how good the salad is.</div></div>S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-73114715321358289482011-03-12T12:24:00.002+08:002014-06-11T03:00:23.620+08:00The novelty and nobility<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<i>In a nutshell</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Fudz: </b>Paradise Dynasty</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Cuisine:</b> China to the Chinese to the Ching Chong Man</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Code:</b> Whatever you can bring yourself to wear to ION Orchard</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Location:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b>ION Orchard Singapore, 2 Orchard Turn, #04-12A</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Dial:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b>+65 6509 9118</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Interweb:</b> <a href="http://www.paradisegroup.com.sg/">http://www.paradisegroup.com.sg/</a></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Damage: </b>$30-$40 per pax</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Taste:</b> Chinese. You can also taste Chinese in a neighbourhood <i>zichar</i> stall too.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Ambience:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> You would also think you've stepped into royalty with all that gold</span></b></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>Service:</b> The feeling of being served by the chefs themselves is authentic... no?</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<i>The story</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
You can avoid the number queue if you arrive a tinge earlier than the dinner crowd. The trick in Singapore is to feel hungry before everyone does. Some call it <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiasu">kiasu-ism</a>. These some don't know how to plan an efficient timetable to save their lives.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
Food blogs have been spawning reviews of this 'not-so-new-anymore' Chinese restaurant who is giving Crystal Jade and Ding Tai Fung a run for their money. Locals have an unexplained fixation on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolongbao">xiao long baos</a>. I can explain it. I blame it on food documentaries that enjoy showing glistening buns that look pregnant with soup while being held up by a pair of chopsticks. Since then, fantasies of popping one of those soup buns into our mouths have lingered relentlessly on our minds. So much so that there are still ridiculous long queues outside DTF that I can <i>NEVER</i> comprehend.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xXwi0FniVsU/TXrt7GtVmYI/AAAAAAAAArA/FtmOZfWqE5Q/s1600/paradise+dynasty+05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xXwi0FniVsU/TXrt7GtVmYI/AAAAAAAAArA/FtmOZfWqE5Q/s640/paradise+dynasty+05.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chandeliers lining up the ceiling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SSodRiNk0T0/TXrt-3iGNQI/AAAAAAAAArE/y0lvFleQJT8/s1600/paradise+dynasty+08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SSodRiNk0T0/TXrt-3iGNQI/AAAAAAAAArE/y0lvFleQJT8/s640/paradise+dynasty+08.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eat it whole or suck up the soup first but I prefer the former because it saves time</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5ekbt8d8fDg/TXruCepd4eI/AAAAAAAAArI/N7FobI5CKnI/s1600/paradise+dynasty+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5ekbt8d8fDg/TXruCepd4eI/AAAAAAAAArI/N7FobI5CKnI/s640/paradise+dynasty+10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese equivalent of the Korean rice cakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hThff1Tc7pc/TXruGnAEqnI/AAAAAAAAArM/fVA0FVCOOR0/s1600/paradise+dynasty+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hThff1Tc7pc/TXruGnAEqnI/AAAAAAAAArM/fVA0FVCOOR0/s640/paradise+dynasty+11.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese equivalent of carbonara... a broth of crabmeat and egg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--8lH8s1Rj_A/TXruKsGIpDI/AAAAAAAAArQ/HaavvasHR-s/s1600/paradise+dynasty+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--8lH8s1Rj_A/TXruKsGIpDI/AAAAAAAAArQ/HaavvasHR-s/s640/paradise+dynasty+13.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shredded ginger and vinegar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8l3uajeFD8g/TXruPllNOjI/AAAAAAAAArU/zZtPi2k2dkM/s1600/paradise+dynasty+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8l3uajeFD8g/TXruPllNOjI/AAAAAAAAArU/zZtPi2k2dkM/s640/paradise+dynasty+17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iqCJUBUhYJY/TXrud2gz5BI/AAAAAAAAArg/i2eySfEB2Es/s1600/paradise+dynasty+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iqCJUBUhYJY/TXrud2gz5BI/AAAAAAAAArg/i2eySfEB2Es/s640/paradise+dynasty+20.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragon was hovering above us throughout dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NrnkUJaEId4/TXruUs3nGtI/AAAAAAAAArY/lvcLZZwlV0c/s1600/paradise+dynasty+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NrnkUJaEId4/TXruUs3nGtI/AAAAAAAAArY/lvcLZZwlV0c/s640/paradise+dynasty+18.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanghainese Fried Rice done well</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-by7R6wVbfuc/TXruZPlzOKI/AAAAAAAAArc/6zmUgqSx8_4/s1600/paradise+dynasty+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-by7R6wVbfuc/TXruZPlzOKI/AAAAAAAAArc/6zmUgqSx8_4/s640/paradise+dynasty+19.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stir-fried tofu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FJ2Poj78vw8/TXruioDTktI/AAAAAAAAArk/fDgTGgujKY4/s1600/paradise+dynasty+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FJ2Poj78vw8/TXruioDTktI/AAAAAAAAArk/fDgTGgujKY4/s640/paradise+dynasty+21.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straight from the kitchen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y-MfpKu6p50/TXrumz-dluI/AAAAAAAAAro/iz5BdSZyrjE/s1600/paradise+dynasty+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y-MfpKu6p50/TXrumz-dluI/AAAAAAAAAro/iz5BdSZyrjE/s640/paradise+dynasty+22.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kungfu Cha!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-p4jLH9KGqas/TXruqUtkboI/AAAAAAAAArs/z94vRiZIbeU/s1600/paradise+dynasty+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-p4jLH9KGqas/TXruqUtkboI/AAAAAAAAArs/z94vRiZIbeU/s640/paradise+dynasty+24.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And it swirls from the spout</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
I've never been to China so I can't tell you if the Shanghainese Fried Rice is the real McCoy. However, everything tasted pretty much the way I <i>think</i> it should be. I wouldn't lick the plates clean but I will still use the chopsticks in a vigilant effort in order to feed myself.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
The different flavoured (and coloured) xiao long baos are attractive if your tastebuds have eyes. Try it once and consider it done. Revert to original xiao long baos thereafter. I can always find truffle in other foods that aren't Chinese. I am quite a stick-in-a-mud when it comes to food unless new creations are revolutionary... which is highly unlikely. Traditions run deep in Chinese blood.</div>
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I fell in love with the rice cakes. I made a mental note to order a plate for myself and NOT share if I ever visit Paradise Dynasty the third time. </div>
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I've used up my word count of the day. Just remember what I said about getting hungry early.</div>
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S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8551692783304446337.post-9217219615152422992011-02-21T21:15:00.001+08:002014-06-15T14:29:43.211+08:00Grannies in Italiannies [Closed]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>In a nutshell</i></div>
<b>Fudz: </b>Italiannies<br />
<b>Cuisine:</b> Italian (duh), wine<br />
<b>Code: </b>Tipping towards fine dining but less stiff<br />
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<b>Location: </b>111 Somerset Road #01-02</div>
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<b>Dial: </b>+65 6736 4211<br />
<b>Interweb: </b><a href="http://www.italiannies.com.sg/">http://www.italiannies.com.sg/</a></div>
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<b>Damage: </b>$30-$50 per pax</div>
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<b>Taste: </b>Authentic pastas, delectable desserts but the pizzas do not wow</div>
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<b>Ambience: </b>A little cramp and lacks italian knick-knacks</div>
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<b>Service: </b>Obliging but not impeccable. Italians are famous for hospitality, thus the bar is raised.</div>
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<i>The story</i></div>
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It was Rahmat A Samad's birthday. He turned into his early forties and we thought that he was way past an age to throw a McDonald's birthday party. Ing How suggested an Italian restaurant in TripleOne Somerset. Some of us still confuse TripleOne with 313. Orchard Road is never the same again with all these numbers to remember.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyQxsWCCKKE/TWJUmzCqo0I/AAAAAAAAAqM/BB9vrf91YJA/s1600/italiannies+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DyQxsWCCKKE/TWJUmzCqo0I/AAAAAAAAAqM/BB9vrf91YJA/s640/italiannies+14.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The attempt to spell the shop name with the dough</td></tr>
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The entrance boasts a tiny baking corner with a big blackboard that claims that their breads are baked daily. We did not see anyone actually baking bread (it was already near 7 pm) but neither were their freshly-baked breads served warm as appetisers. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--w2IKUrcOf4/TWJUbAULy2I/AAAAAAAAAqA/pd0it9mB1-w/s1600/italiannies+08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--w2IKUrcOf4/TWJUbAULy2I/AAAAAAAAAqA/pd0it9mB1-w/s640/italiannies+08.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would have added a brownie point if they were served warm</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9x2H9Fr8LqI/TWJUezBE_GI/AAAAAAAAAqE/WKPgQqiWjkw/s1600/italiannies+09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9x2H9Fr8LqI/TWJUezBE_GI/AAAAAAAAAqE/WKPgQqiWjkw/s640/italiannies+09.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olive oil and vinegar as bread dips</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j4ycoMTufcY/TWJUiq4ktGI/AAAAAAAAAqI/zoyz6qQyfw4/s1600/italiannies+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j4ycoMTufcY/TWJUiq4ktGI/AAAAAAAAAqI/zoyz6qQyfw4/s640/italiannies+13.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Against the ceiling lights</td></tr>
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The menu is pretty extensive, ranging from antipastos, essential pastas and pizzas, house special mains, and <i>Abbondanza</i> - platters for the awfully hungry or people who love to share. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jP2MzSru1Oc/TWJUOsbb9yI/AAAAAAAAAp8/Xt3VPBf5bZY/s1600/italiannies+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jP2MzSru1Oc/TWJUOsbb9yI/AAAAAAAAAp8/Xt3VPBf5bZY/s640/italiannies+01.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They offered us complimentary starters, mini parma ham & cherry tomato bruschettas</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l68OQ0aEQUQ/TWJUq0qCVUI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/yRcT4FvZK0M/s1600/italiannies+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l68OQ0aEQUQ/TWJUq0qCVUI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/yRcT4FvZK0M/s640/italiannies+16.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virgin-Ades - Apple and Orange coolers for the thirsty camels</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YnH2ovN80f0/TWJUuu4z3kI/AAAAAAAAAqU/-kPRd_q1p4Y/s1600/italiannies+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YnH2ovN80f0/TWJUuu4z3kI/AAAAAAAAAqU/-kPRd_q1p4Y/s640/italiannies+17.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ing How choosing wine over Mango Fruit Shakes</td></tr>
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Pastas selection covers most of the local favourites like aglio olio, pomodoro and carbonara. They also serve gnocchi and ravioli if you want to deviate from the usual picks.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ubueQCFtUqc/TWJU3oW2T9I/AAAAAAAAAqc/PlyRFSnnHcM/s1600/italiannies+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ubueQCFtUqc/TWJU3oW2T9I/AAAAAAAAAqc/PlyRFSnnHcM/s640/italiannies+19.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zu Wee said there's crabmeat in them. I tried to make out the taste but my tongue failed me.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0WVTRfhWlCE/TWJU71J_qPI/AAAAAAAAAqg/0OwQCiET2IQ/s1600/italiannies+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0WVTRfhWlCE/TWJU71J_qPI/AAAAAAAAAqg/0OwQCiET2IQ/s640/italiannies+20.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This reminded me of wonton soup. Tasted like it too.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAO5OR-J3Ic/TWJVLLi0RwI/AAAAAAAAAqw/lco63SqvJT4/s1600/italiannies+24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hAO5OR-J3Ic/TWJVLLi0RwI/AAAAAAAAAqw/lco63SqvJT4/s640/italiannies+24.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belle's Salmon Fettucine. Very salmonful. Try it if you love the fish.</td></tr>
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Unfortunately for Italiannies, their pizzas don't quite make the cut or slice. I was trying to imagine that my mates and I were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (four of them were sharing pizzas), tucking into pizzas heartily after a hard day's work. Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael would have groaned in dismay and returned to their sewage hideouts with grumbling stomachs.</div>
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Competition is rough and tough since we have all tried <i>the pizzas</i> from Timbre and Skinny Pizza. We know how pizzas should taste like, traditional or contemporary. Italiannies' pizzas aren't inedible but you won't go back for more.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LWKuscNvBcU/TWJUzFg_Z8I/AAAAAAAAAqY/nQOHYeIn-Dk/s1600/italiannies+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LWKuscNvBcU/TWJUzFg_Z8I/AAAAAAAAAqY/nQOHYeIn-Dk/s640/italiannies+18.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pepperoni</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vYeXCGR29Zw/TWJVHnHmH6I/AAAAAAAAAqs/kDjdd4bk-k4/s1600/italiannies+23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vYeXCGR29Zw/TWJVHnHmH6I/AAAAAAAAAqs/kDjdd4bk-k4/s640/italiannies+23.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seafood</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HmfnHyQkyP0/TWJVAADr0XI/AAAAAAAAAqk/M70tEW-MjVo/s1600/italiannies+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HmfnHyQkyP0/TWJVAADr0XI/AAAAAAAAAqk/M70tEW-MjVo/s640/italiannies+21.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ham and Mushroom</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MSCeL48uc6A/TWJVD1e8nUI/AAAAAAAAAqo/Hc4asN36l-Q/s1600/italiannies+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MSCeL48uc6A/TWJVD1e8nUI/AAAAAAAAAqo/Hc4asN36l-Q/s640/italiannies+22.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mushroom risotto packs a punch with generous servings of thinly sliced garlic and parmesan cheese</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qr6huOmZHuc/TWJVPCtXuEI/AAAAAAAAAq0/hJOk5qGwE1k/s1600/italiannies+25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qr6huOmZHuc/TWJVPCtXuEI/AAAAAAAAAq0/hJOk5qGwE1k/s640/italiannies+25.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rahmat's main. TBH, I have no idea what this is. Veal?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VVlAy6JY3bc/TWJVSuMlSXI/AAAAAAAAAq4/o9U1WNWz3Gc/s1600/italiannies+35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VVlAy6JY3bc/TWJVSuMlSXI/AAAAAAAAAq4/o9U1WNWz3Gc/s640/italiannies+35.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crème Brûlée that makes a heart skip a beat</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M7rDNXLSud0/TWJVWyH0d2I/AAAAAAAAAq8/ua6ZuQlhnPs/s1600/italiannies+36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M7rDNXLSud0/TWJVWyH0d2I/AAAAAAAAAq8/ua6ZuQlhnPs/s640/italiannies+36.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiramisu comes in a large square block and you can finish it with little trouble because it tastes so good</td></tr>
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We made a lot of noise and were not chased out of the restaurant for a few good hours. I guess tolerance level for rowdy behaviour is pretty high. Despite not making reservations, the restaurant allowed 12 of us to come in with few questions asked. I'm not sure if this works every time but if there are hungry people to feed, why not?</div>
S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00173495515613559216noreply@blogger.com0