Bongo Burger @ Jurong Bird Park

This was actually last year when I brought a friend to visit the Jurong Bird Park. That was the most confusing place ever to get to and the car park too. Anyway, there were not much choices for food in the vicinity and so we decided to just keep it simple and eat at Bongo Burger inside the park itself. I ordered the beef burger from the kids menu as I was not that hungry. It came with a side of fries and ketchup. You have to pay if you want mayo and there was no real chili sauce or something.

It was pretty bad. Look at how dried up the beef patty was, and the cheese was not melted at all. Only the fries were good. And the food was so expensive it was daylight robbery. I think for our 2 meals, it came close to $30.

Hokkaido fair @ Isetan Supermarket

I love those special fairs at Isetan Scotts' supermarket where they bring in various Jaapnese produce and products.

The other day I bought a pack of crackers with pistachios and they were so so so delicious! Slightly sweet milk crackers with nutty pistachios. Yum. Too bad it was quite expensive. $10.80 for a pack of 6. So one packet was good enough for me though I was tempted to buy another one over the weekend. Maybe next time when the fair is back.

Anyway, so we were feeling peckish and decided to buy some sushi/sashimi and eat outside as it was already past 9pm. I bought the rice set from the fair as I was tempted by the uni (sea urchin). I didn't particularly like the uni, I seriously think uni is such a hit and miss affair. You cannot be sure to like it all the time. I let JK and NN try and they didn't like it either.

Otherwise the box was not too bad. I liked the salmon roe and crabmeat (didn't think it was lobster).

Modesto's @ Orchard Parade Hotel

After swimming in the icy cold mineral pool over at Pan Pacific Orchard, we were feeling a bit hungry even though it was only 4pm or so. Then again, JK only had a bagel earlier in the morning, and I had chicken noodles from Es Teler (will not go back again unless there is no other option but that is another topic), so this would be our 2nd meal of the day.

At this strange timing of a tea or dinner time, we decided to have something light. We were not in the mood for pasta and I wanted thin-crust pizza (I still want to try the white pizza from Ristorante De Parma) so we ordered a regular pizza and appetizer to share.
The Antipasto Italiano which had pretty much everything - bruschetta, caprese, grilled button mushrooms, rock melon with parma ham, grilled vegetables and fresh greens.

I was never a big fan of parma ham as I found it too salty and porky but this was not too bad and the melon was very sweet. So it was good. The bruschetta was always good at Modesto's and the button mushrooms were juicy and sweet. Very nice!

We chose the pizza con ricotta e spinaci as I really didn't want any meat on the pizza. Somehow with thin crust pizza, I liked it to be very simple and light. Either to be just cheeses or with simple veggies. I usually had the Al Quattro Formaggi (4 cheeses - scamorza, mozzarella, gorgonzola and parmesan) which was pretty good.

The ricotta e spinaci pizza was nice too though JK felt it was a bit plain because of the ricotta. To counteract that, she added the grilled capsicums and olives to the middle part and that gave a bit of flavor. But the crust was so nice - light and cripsy, like eating crackers or bread.

I tend to order the pasta from Modesto's but with the pizza, I have re-discover a fave place for pizza.

Häagen-Dazs - buyer beware

There is a new flavor from Häagen-Dazs in Singapore and I cannot remember it now. I think it is dark chocolate brittle or something which is utterly divine. That is if you like dark chocolate which is not too sweet or bitter mixed with some nutty brittle, giving a bit of crunch to the otherwise smooth creamy after meal dessert.

Just be sure to verify the cost of anything the server asked you, otherwise your bill will come up to more than expected.

This is something I thoroughly disliked in Singapore. The service staff has been trained by the management to always ask customers if they want this and that, making it seem like the option is part of the deal when actually it is an additional cost.

E.g. I asked for a scoop of ice cream. I was asked if I wanted it in a cone or cup. I said cone. Then I was asked if I wanted chocolate sauce on it. I said yes. So I was slapped with an additional $2.20 ($1.20 for the waffle cone, $1 for topping) on top of the $5.50 scoop. Yes, the prices have all gone up too. For my humble 1-scoop ice cream, I was charged $7.70. If I topped up a couple of dollars, I think I could have a sundae instead.

My context for my answers was based on another ice cream chain - Andersen's Ice Cream - which I frequented more than Häagen-Dazs. And at Andersen's Ice Cream, all these choices were included in the price of a scoop of ice cream.

At Andersen's, you could have a choice of 3 toppings - chocolate, strawberry and caramel with whipped cream and a piece of almond! And regular cone is part of the choice, you only topped up if you requested for a waffle cone.

I think at some fast food chains, they do tell you if you upsize your meal, it will be an additional $xxx. Maybe the management should provide a new script to the service staff.

Think of the little child who asked for ice cream, the parents gave the kid the exact amount, and if the child said yes to all the options like I did, how in the world would the child be able to pay for the extras? And if the customer is on a tight budget, and paying $5.50 is a treat, to cough up an extra $2.20 would be a strain on the finances.

Plus $7.70 for a scoop is definitely a treat since I think even the service staff of Häagen-Dazs probably earn less than $7 per hour (part-timer/temp staff). And Singapore does not even have a minimum wage law.

Sun with Moon @ Wheelock Place Wagyu Promotion

Sun with Moon is having a Wagyu promotion for January and we decided to head there for a dinner. It was late when we got there around 9+ pm, so I was not that hungry. Tempted by the wagyu beef, I ordered a wagyu daikon nikomi.

It came simmering in a tasty broth and was served with a slightly spicy vinegar sauce which went very well with the beef.

Thick tender pieces of wagyu grade 9+ beef and radish. There were about 4-5 pieces of the beef and 3 pieces of the daikon. A fairly light simple meal to satisfy the tummy. I also ordered a Rainbow Roll just for some carbs, plus I wanted wasabi!

Barossa @ Esplanade

There is a new outlet at Esplanade and it is Barossa. Under the creative eateries group, they have closed down Aria Bistro (I loved the bread there!) and opened Barossa which is a restaurant, bar and wine place. It is Australian inspired, which also explained the name. House white wine which I liked cos it was sweet. I prefer sweeter wine compared to the drier version.

I was invited to the place and apparently everything was arranged for us, so we didn't have to order food at all. The mojitos (original and berries) were served to us to try. The original was so much better though some friends said the alcohol content was not strong enough. Then again, those who said it was not that strong were "alcoholics" :p It was fine for me though. The berries mojito was too sweet and tasted a bit like cough syrup. Stick with the original.

The prawn paste chicken wings were not too bad. At least they came piping hot though the prawn paste was not detected easily. I much rather have Crystal Jade version for this.

Nachos was not very nice at all. Cafe Iguana does a better job. The cheesey sausage was much better, especially with the wasabi like mustard dip.

I liked the chicken satays. Not too fatty and the meat was tender with enough juices and sweetness. The peanut sauce was quite run of the mill though.

I didn't manage to take picture of the tender pork which was amazing. That was the fave dish of the night. It was not porky at all and the meat was so so soft and juicy. They ran out of the tender pork and so our table of 8 people only had 1 dish despite ordering 2 of that. So they specially cooked the beef version for us. The beef version was not on the menu at all. While the chef was great in cooking the beef, the cut was not really right for it.

They also served us the fries with 3 dips which were pretty nice. Thick chunky fries with ketchup, mayo and cheese.

I liked the place as it was pretty much an open place with tables and benches outside, and you could have a casual chit chat session with friends, and enjoy the view of our skyscrapers and take in the free concerts at the stage.

This was not an invited review though everything was complimentary for us. I just decided to post it on the blog to share.

LOCATION

BAROSSA (restaurant.bar.wine)
8 Raffles Avenue, Esplanade Mall, #01-11, Singapore 038981
T: 6334 6166

E: mail@createries.com

Opening Hours

Lunch: Monday to Sunday 12 noon to 230pm (last order)

Dinner: Monday to Sunday 6pm to 1030pm (last order)

Bar and Snacks:

Sunday to Thursday 3pm to 12 midnight (last order)

Friday and Saturday 3pm to 1am (last order)

Empire Cafe Dinner

I have been frequenting Empire Cafe at Raffles Hotel ever since I got the FAR card, which is really useful. We decided to head there for dinner last week. LW ordered the grilled sambal stingray which came with white rice and achar, plus the chincalok and chili. It was pretty good.

MN ordered the Hainanese pork chops which was served with white rice. The pork chops were tender and not too porky, and reminded me of sweet and sour pork.

I ordered the bak kut teh which was slightly herbal. I loved the sweetness which came from the wolfberries in the soup. There were 3 pieces of pork ribs which were quite meaty and not too dry or tough.

I would want to try other dishes next time. The durian chendol was a bit of a disappointment as the durian paste was a just a frozen slab so it was not that fantastic.

Lounge Chair?

At times when I want to revamp my room, I have this urge to throw everything out and create a lounge area. So I was just looking around and chanced upon this chair in a shop. It is not exactly what I have in mind, but it is close.

I would like something that I could curl up and be comfy enough to read, with a side table for a glass of wine of hot cocoa. I would also use that when I want to surf the web on the laptop. I am not sure if I would want to have a footstool though as it seemed to take up more space.

TCC Christmas Drink

A bit late now but I do love this drink from TCC. It is part of the Christmas special. I don't remember the name now but it is blended chocolate with almonds nibs in there. So this is only nice for those who like nuts. I like how there is some bite to the drink. Delicious!

Countdown to 2009 @ Helipad

We decided to head over to Helipad at The Central to welcome 2009 as Clarke Quay was too crowded. It was the first time we were there and it could be pretty hard to find. Luckily some friends already told me what to expect and how to find the place.

There was actually a line to enter! I realized that after a certain age, you just didn't want to queue unlike when you were younger. But since J wanted to check it out, we waited. It was good that the line moved pretty quickly.

When we got in, we realized what the attraction was....cheap drinks on a NYE. No cover charge but a 1st drink order. House pours and beers were at $11 each. The guy taking our order at the line recommended we ordered those as they were quick to prepare and cocktails would take a longer time.

I don't think Helipad was able to cope with the crowd. The first gripe J had with Helipad was that the staff took it upon themselves to pocket the "tip". For our 2 drinks, it came to $22, the change back from a $50 note was $25. We didn't bother quibbling or questioning the staff since it was NYE and we were in a party mood. But it was the principle of the matter.

The 2nd gripe of the night. We ordered a bottle of champagne but horror of horrors! No champagne glasses or flutes! They ran out of them. How could an establishment have that happen to them? We were given whiskey tumblers instead. How glam was that to cheers to 2009?

And this time, the change was not returned to J when she gave the server $150 for the champagne ($145). Even if we want to give the change to the server, the person should at least return it to us for us to do that. They should not just pocket the change.

How sad was it? To pour champagne into the tumblers.

There was basically no service, but then again, being so packed in there, it was likely to be expected. So drinks were ordered at the bar and taken from the bar.

Another mysterious thing which happened was the disappearance and re-appearance of our jug of vodka cranberry. J went to buy a jug for us and we only had a couple of sips each, meaning there was plenty left in the jug. After 10-20 mins or so later, when J wanted to drink, the jug had disappeared!

An entire jug was gone. The strange thing was that after another 30mins or an hour later, we saw the jug again. But it was empty saved for the ice and dregs of the drink left in there. Someone must have taken it, drank it and returned it.

Another thing we noticed of Helipad that night was the young crowd. There were more early 20s or mid 20s people in there, and young girls who could not hold their alcohol. They were tumbling and tripping all over.

From what friends told me, Helipad was usually a quiet place where people chilled and were made up of mostly professionals or older crowd (30s and above I guessed). And the music played was usually house music, unlike on NYE where retro music was played. I thoroughly dislike retro music! Retro music has been playing for 10 years or more now. Isn't it time we leave the 70s and 80s music alone?

I may want to go check out Helipad on a usual night and go up to the rooftop which I didn't have the chance to do then.

Pandoro

Pandoro, another Italian sweet bread traditionally served during the Christmas/New Year period. It is similar to Panettone except it is plain inside. I decided to buy the mini version to try.

Cute. I think it is meant for kids since it came with a small puzzle to do.

The pandora is served with a dusting of the icing sugar meant to represent the snowy peaks of mountains, and it typically will have 8 points like a star.

Another new found drink - chocolate liquer. Made with gianduia (about 50% hazelnut like nutella), this is simply divine. Pour it over cakes, coffee, ice cream. I like this so much better than Baileys or Kahlua now :p

So I poured some of the chocolate liquer into my coffee and voila. A simple coffee break with the pandoro and alcohol infused coffee.

Botak Jones again

I loved the Botak Jones mini burger which I had during the concert that I just wanted a burger again on NYE. So off we went to Botak Jones @ Youth Park for a thick juicy burger during lunch time. We shared the stuffed jalepenos which were not too bad. I would skip the flour coating though as it was quite thick. The jalepenos were juicy, spicy and a bit tart. The cheese was warm and cheesey inside.

A small order of caesar salad which we also shared. Partially eaten by the time I took the picture. The salad was not too bad with fresh crispy greens.

The mini me burger. This was a disappointment as the cheese seemed to be just slap on over the beef patty. It was hardly warm or melted. The bun was not buttered or toasted at all! The consistency was not there as my friends' buns were buttered and toasted and the cheese was melted over the patty.

The mini fish and chips which we ordered to share. This was not too bad. The management should step up its quality control to ensure consistency in its food. It would be hard to want to keep patronizing the place if the quality of food was a hit and miss affair.

Another thing we learnt when dining over at the Youth Park - do not order Root Beer or 7-Up/Sprite from the drinks stall as the bees love that. You would get the bees buzzing all around you, making dining an uncomfortable experience. Either get mineral water or something totally not sweet. The Jia Jia Liang Cha and Green Tea did not attract as much attention from the bees but they also buzzed around for a while.

Tampopo @ Clarke Quay

We went to Tampopo over at Clarke Quay on NYE for dinner. We got there late, around 915pm but luckily they were still open and serving food. I have heard lots about Tampopo and its black pig so I decided to try the specialty black pig ramen.

The meat was very thin and there was quite a strong porky taste to it so I didn't really enjoy it that much. Luckily the meat was so thin that it was not too unpalatable for me. The ramen noodle was pretty good, springy and not overcooked. The soup was spicy. Nice.

The stewed egg was already all sold out by then, so I only added the extra order of roasted pork. That was not too bad. I would still prefer Marutama for its char siew and egg.

Mushroom Park Hot Pot

There is another hot pot joint and it specializes in wild mushrooms. It is called Mushroom Park and I have been there twice at the Seah Street outlet. Frankly it is really not my cup of tea. There are sets for lunch and I chose the fish (raw slices given). It came with a hot pot of soup with various types of mushrooms and some veggies. You get to choose either the bun, rice or special rice. I liked the special rice. In fact it was the only thing I liked.

I guess this is a good place to go to if you want something healthy. You sure do get hungry after a couple of hours.

A Loy Thai - Steamed Fish

I am quite lucky to have at least 3 pretty good Thai restaurants near my office - YhingThai, First Thai and A Loy Thai.

I love this steamed fish cooked with tom yum. Bean thread (dong fen) and mushrooms were also cooked in the dish. It looked like a huge fish but actually it took up just slightly half of the serving dish.

The fish was fairly fresh but the tom yum soup was divine. Spicy and sour - I liked it.

There are so many other great dishes from this place - Tom Yum fried rice, mango chicken, roast chicken, fish maw soup, tom yum soup, potato leaves and fresh coconut were some of my favorites.

Sun with Moon Japanese Dining @ Wheelock

I have been thinking and craving for the grilled foie gras with beef served at Japanese Sun Dining at Chijmes for the longest time. But at $39.90, it is really too steep to just splurge for a moment of bliss.

Imagine our delight when we saw that the outlet at Wheelock Place also has the same dish, and for less than $30. So we decided to have that, and shared some other stuff.
Cannot remember the name of this dish but it is chopped raw salmon wrapped in tofu skin sheet and drizzled with wasabi soy sauce and salmon roes. It was not too bad but the wasabi taste is not very strong.

Another new item - cheesey seafood pancake. It is so like pizza. I preferred it when warm as the cheese will melt and is soft and chewy. When it is cold, the cheese hardens but that gives a stronger cheese taste.

The ultimate - grilled foie gras with beef. See the slice of foie gras stacked among the zucchini, eggplant, apple and beef. I asked for medium and it was a light pink, not bloody. So amazingly tender the beef was.

Another view of the foie gras. It was topped with crispy bits of radish or sweet potato.

Yet another view. The beef was cut sideway, very different from the outlet at Chijmes which was more of sliced steak. I think this cut made the beef more tender.

The size of the foie gras was disappointing small and flat. The dish over at chijmes wins hands down with its perfectly form round foie gras. It was thicker over there too. Then again, maybe that explained why the price was lower at Wheelock Place.

Souperlicious @ Suntec

There is a new soup kitchen in town and its concept is so similar to The Soup Spoon that I wonder if it is run by an ex-employee or what. Souperlicious is at Suntec City where Carrefour is.

The variety of soups served is more or less the same and with the same deal. Add half a sandwich or salad with drink to make it a combo. Reward card where every $5 spent will earn a stamp (I didn't get a card!).

Anyway, I decided on the Golden Pumpkin soup as my friend said the mushroom was not that good. The pumpkin soup was creamy and sweet. It was quite rich too...not too bad. I have a feeling the soups served are from a supplier where they just need to heat them up. It is quite like any other places that serve pumpkin soup.

I added half a cheezey tuna melt sandwich which came with tortilla chips. Give me potato chips instead! The tuna melt was on the tart side, not sure what was in there to make it sour. I barely tasted the cheese which looked to be those chez-whiz thing. Definitely not good for you.

The beverage in the set was either ice lemon tea or ice peach tea from Seasons. And I dislike that thoroughly. I much prefer fresh-brewed tea.

I doubt I will go back there again to try other soups. It was quite pricey too and GST was not included so the bill will be higher than on the board. This meal costs $10.15 and I do not think it is worth it at all. I rather top up a little more and go to Cedele for its soup and sandwich and drink set.

Christmas Presents 2008

As one gets older, the number of presents received for Christmas also decreased. But I also realize that as one gets older, presents are a "nice to have" but not a "must-have". Seriously, most people can buy their own things after they start working.

Still it is nice to receive presents as there is a thrill in ripping open the wrapping paper and see what is underneath :p But the company of the people is still much better than getting presents (unless of course there is a BV bag or something :p)

I finally got the Hermes perfume. Hehehe. And the SATC movie dvd. TBS water lily shower gel and lotion set, mirror keychain. Mirror and chocolates. And my own Christmas gift for myself - BV mini wallet. After lemming after it for so long, I finally took the plunge and bought it. So yes, I do not need to hunt for anymore travel or small wallet. (Anyone want to buy my blue Tod's small wallet? Used once)

It is the FW 2008 collection - iridescent eclipse. I was actually eyeing iridescent ash but it was sold out by the time I wanted to buy. It is hard to capture the color. But it is like brick red, a bit brown.

This is with flash. Really tiny wallet with just 2 credit card slot and 1 bill fold and coin compartment. It is compact enough to put into my jeans pocket which made it perfect for traveling. I still prefer my continental wallet size for everyday use.

Japanese Dining Sun @ CHIJMES

Yes! We went back to Japanese Dining Sun over at Chijmes again. This is absolutely one of our favorite chain for Japanese food. I love it for the Hokkaido ramen, beef sukiyaki and grilled beef foie gras. For fresh sashimi, there are many other Japanese restaurants famed for that too.

I had the avocado fried prawns. Nobody wanted to share that with me and it was a bit jelak for one person. It was still so yummy though. Not too oily or dry or limp. Light crispy coat with crunchy fresh prawns with the avocado drizzled over them and set in a basket of fried noodles or something. Davis! I need you to share that with me next time. Lol.

There was a 50% off sashimi promotion. The others ordered the sashimi. I didn't share that as I realized I basically only like salmon (and maybe tuna) sashimi so the others were kinda wasted on me. Lol. I don't mind them, but not a die die must eat thing for me. So I ordered a salmon sashimi for myself :p There were extra orders for the salmon sashimi and prawns sashimi, hence the huge portion.

I decided to have the Hokkaido ramen as a main. But after the salmon sashimi and avocado prawns, I could not finish the entire bowl of ramen. It was still so good. I love the butter corn.

Botak Jones @ Orchard Youth Park

After hearing and reading so much about Botak Jones, I finally got to try it properly at one of its outlets as it is in town. The mini burger I had at the Manic Street Preachers concert did not count even though it tasted divine. Chicken Gumbo is on the menu! I love chicken gumbo and cajun cuisine. We shared this even though it was quite a tiny bowl.

It was not too bad. It was full of goodies - turkey sausage, cajun spices, chicken chunks and rice and bits of veggies in a clear spicy broth.

I decided to go with the regular burger set. As the mini burger was a decent size, I had imagined the regular size burger would be on a bigger bun. Lol. It turned out to be the same sized bun, only a thicker beef patty. I think the mini burger would suit me perfectly fine in future. You got to choose 2 sides - I selected cheese potatoes and coleslaw. They were yummy, especially the coleslaw. Crispy, tangy and refreshing.

Close up of the beef patty. I added extra cheese and sauteed shiitake mushrooms. The mushrooms were nice but very little of them. So I would save the $2 and forgo the mushrooms next time.

The patty was full of beefy goodness and tender. The bun was not toasted as well as at the concert. Maybe there was not much butter to give the bit of oomph too.

A fantastic meal at very affordable prices. I rather dine at Botak Jones for burgers than at Wild Rocket, Billy Bombers, P.S Cafe, Marmalade Pantry, Hard Rock or any other burger joints.