Tony Roma's- Place for Ribs

Tony Romas has always been one of my favorite places for ribs in Singapore. Our first meal was at Orchard Hotel, but now that outlet has shifted to Orchard Central, which is bigger, but well, losing that rustic feel.

The outlet I am at today is Suntec City's, which is supposedly their second outlet. This outlet's decor is much more sophisticated, which can easily be mistaken as a place for fine-dining with all that dim lights and dark-colored decor. But the prices are actually quite friendly for ribs!

Food & Service

Both food and service have always been prompt and friendly. Their Half Onion Loaf ($9.90) is one of their classic starters! Plus, I love their free baguette with butter while waiting for the dishes to arrive. There are a variety of sauces and side dishes to choose from, and Carolina Honey is one of the classic faves. (Psst, you can ask for more sauce!) 

Half Onion Loaf ($9.90)

Full Carolina Honeys Ribs ($36.90)

Full Carolina Honeys Ribs ($36.90)

If my friends ask for a ribs place, Tony Romas is on my list :) ------------------

Verdict:

Food: 4/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Total Score: 4/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups

------------------

About it:

Tony Roma's

Address: Suntec City Mall, #B1-123

Read More

Delicious @Scotts Square

Malaysia's E&O Group's first establishment in Singapore. But, it doesn't have those Malaysian feel to it like those restaurants in Johor. In fact, nestled in the basement of the atas Scotts Square, this is a very spacious place with lots of seatings. The blue color scheme made it very cosy and welcoming. 

It isn't exactly delicious, neither too bad, but the affordable pricing for pasta AFTER the UOB one-for-one promotion is a rare sight in town. If you're in town, and want a nice, quiet place to chat, but not too fussy about the food, then this place's for you.

Food

Duck Confit Spaghettini ($16.50)

with Sundried Tomatoes & Coriander 

Homemade Pesto Spaghettini  ($13.50)

With Chargrilled Pesto Chicken (+$4.50)

Hainanese Chicken Chop ($17.50)

doused with a Hearty Tomato Sauce

Smoked Salmon Angelhair ($16.50)

tossed in Cream, served with Caviar & Parsley

I think I will be back to try their Afternoon Tea set for Two ($35)! The three-tier rack of deserts looks very yummy, though only available from 3pm to 6pm daily.
Traditional English Afternoon Tea for Two, Served in a Triple Tiered stand  
Assortment of Finger Sandwiches, Cranberry & Raisin Scones, Duck Confit Tartlets, Hand-rolled Chocolate Truffles, Rosemary & Cheese Cookies, Strawberries with a Chocolate Dip, Choice of any one piece of cake.

Take note though, service can be slow even if there's not much customers... ...

------------------

Verdict:

Food: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Total Score: 3/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups, Family

------------------

About it:

Delicious

Address: 6 Scotts Rd, #B1-16 to19, Scotts Square, Singapore 228209
Menu: http://www.thedeliciousgroup.com.sg/#menu

Read More

Chef's Noodle- Affordable Korean Food in Harbourfront Area

"Chef’s Noodle is not another made-in-Singapore ‘Korean-styled’ brand. The franchisor is from South Korea and the menu items are individually and personally ‘crafted’ by a South Korea’s Chef Personality – Chef Choi. It smacks of conventional street fare, alongside with Korean traditions, but tweaked it with a contemporary twist.

What used to be Breeks at Harbourfront Centre just outside of Cold Storage is now Chef's Noodle. Both Breeks and Chef's Noddle are under Zingrill Holdings though. " - Chef's Noodle, About Us

This place is a good option if you are bored of the common restaurants, like Sushi Tei and Swensens, at Vivocity or felt Jamie's Italian is out of your budget. 

The Place!

Service

The servers all serve with a smile, menu and bill delivery are prompt.

Food

We ordered a noodle dish, and a rice-based dish, and sushi (in a Korean restaurant? Hmmm) as we wanted some showmanship...

Chef's Guksoo ($13.90)

Chef's Guksoo ($13.90)

Their signature noodle dish- Soft textured noodles in concentrated, savoury- sweet flavoured beef broth (Chef’s Guksoo) that comes with a tinge of slight peppery aftertaste. To add depth to the broth, topped with a slowly stewed Pork Bulgogi, and a healthy dose of fresh vegetable garnishes.

I thought I would be getting ramen kind of salty soups, but I was wrong! Its soup was tasty, not the salty kind, a very home-cooked feel. The whole bowl of soup was eventually finished!

The side dishes are mix of ups and downs. There is the well-marinated beef bulgogi, and there is a Japanese tamago imprinted with Korean words. There is the kimchi and tau geh, and the noodles were springy.

Daehan Deopbap ($14.90)

Signature korean-styled rice tub- A wholesome work of healthy ingredients piled and rounded up steam white rice at the bottom. From flavourful and sweet sautéed Bulgogi Beef; crisply battered stuffed ‘Gochu’; a medley of healthy veggie of silver sprouts, marinated chives, and tangy kimchi pickle; to our signature egg roll, and a delectably delicious seafood ‘Wanja’ (meat patty in Korean).

You can choose to eat the myraid of side dishes individually, or mix them together like bimibab. I tried the former, but eventually mixed everything up. The rice portion is enough to feed two persons, it is indeed a tub-ful of rice, fragrant rice! The side dishes, like above, includes tau gey, tamago and beef bulgogi. Here, there is a deep-fried filled green chilli (think of those in yong tau foo), deep fried processed crabstick, etc.

The soup that accompanies it is very tasty. Peppery yet not too spicy, a perfect accompaniment to the dried main. It is refillable!

Order this dish if you want a taste of everything!

Sparkling Fire Sushi ($6.90)

Tableside showmanship!

Sushi Chef's Bulchobap 

Sparkling Fire Sushi ($6.90)

Sushi rice ball, topped with a slice of marbled Wagyu Beef, glazed with a coat of sweetened Bulchobap sauce and flambe over a torch of fire to grill the meat. A spectator sight, with comfort and gourmet all in one.

Yes, it indeed caught many diners' attention when the server pushed the cart over to our table and started to flame our wagyu beef. Watching the raw beef curdle up under the flame, and eventually putting it into my mouth, tasting the smoky after taste is indeed an experience worth the value for only $6.90.

We saw many people ordering their interesting mocktails as well, would be good to try them out!

------------------

Verdict:

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 3/5

Ambience: 3/5

Total Score: 3/5

Visit again? Maybe, if there's no other food option...

Good for? Couples, Groups

------------------

About it:

Chef's Noodle

Address: Harbour Front Centre 1 Maritime Square #01-99/100 Singapore 099253 (Outside of Cold Storage)

Another Outlet at Jurong Point 63 Jurong West Central 3 B1-45/46 Singapore 648331

Read More

Tanjong Beach Club- Singapore's Beach Paradise

Sentosa's Tanjong Beach holds fond memories for me. Years passed by, and this place eventually evolved to a sophisticated place like this- Tanjong Beach Club.

Lovely day at the beach...

During its time as KM 8, this place was quieter, with chill-out music, a different feeling. Now, on weekends, Tanjong Beach Club is bustling- with DJ mixes, unique cocktail mixes, many different nationalities of people and breeds of dogs... All having a good time on the more secluded part of Sentosa. If you prefer a more bustling place, you may consider the Siloso beach side with Azzura, etc.

Service

Service is good, staff is always around even in the sweltering heat at the day beds area.

You will need to reserve in advance if you want to get a bed closer to the sea, or by the pool. The beds are comfortable even with all the sand under your bikini bum, and there are cushions for you to rest your back on.They also have a small table on the day bed for you to put your food and drinks, great for finger food.

Food

Price wise for food in Sentosa, this place is pretty reasonable. Ranging from $19 to $36 for mains, and pricier ones for better cuts or seafood or sharing platters, well, you don't really have much of a choice, do you? Since it's the only place that sells food and drinks on this beach.

Tanjong Burger ($26)
cheddar, tomato, red onion, shredded lettuce, homemade bun, fries. Additional $5 for truffle fries

Beer Battered Fish & Chips ($28)

snapper, brown ale, fries, rémoulade

Blackforest Mojito ($20)

rum, blackberry, raspberry, framboise, fresh mint leaves

Don't worry, their taste is great as well! Their Tanjong Burger ($26) is one of their best-sellers. 

Other great foods to try: Mexican Quesedilla ($26) from the brunch menu (tomatillo and poblano braised chicken and scrambled egg in a flour tortilla, fresh guacamole, sour cream, roasted tomato salsa and mozzarella cheese)!

Drinks, we ordered our favourite Berries Mojito ($20). It is the usual Mojito, except with blackberries and raspberries muddled together. We love this drink, a pity it doesn't come in a pitcher as it used to, hence we had to order by glasses. Beer drinkers, they have affordable bucket beers as well, and you can play beer pong on the beach!

Sometimes there are special DJ performances and events such as the Full Moon Party. Keep posted on their Facebook!

------------------

Verdict:

Food: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Ambience: 5/5

Total Score: 4/5

Visit again? Definitely!

Good for? Couples, Groups

------------------

About it:

Tanjong Beach Club

Address: 120 Tanjong Beach Walk, Sentosa Island, Singapore 098942

Menu: http://www.tanjongbeachclub.com/index.php/main/dining 

Directions/ Parking Tips:

The tram is the only way if you're coming by foot. 

For drivers, parking is cheap at Tanjong Carpark just outside of Tanjong Beach Club! At only $3 for 1st 8 hr, per entry of only $1 after 5pm.

Read More

Salut Kopitiam, Salut Coffeeshop aka the (super) Atas Coffeeshop

Salut Kopitiam, Salut Coffeeshop aka the (super) Atas Coffeeshop.

Seating space is pretty constrained. When we reached at 7pm, some of the seatings were, well, reserved, so you have to hunt for seats like in a coffeeshop.

Stalls line-up: 

• Seasalt (Selling fishes & seafood)
• Immanuel French Kitchen
• Two Wings (well, they sell more than just two wings)
• Mi à n by The Travelling C.OW. (the famous food-truck that has been travelling around Singapore)
• Brown Sugar by Eskimo (Vatierty of deserts- cupcakes, etc)
• Jollybell (Bubble milk tea, youghurt milk tea, etc- a drinks stall)
• Stew K üc he (Kopitiam owner focusing on German and Italian Cuisine)

This coffeeshop certainly is 'atas'! In fact, the prices are a little too... expensive. I am comparing prices to restaurants such as Savour and maybe Saizeriya, which many people has lauded as affordable and healthily-portioned. 

For example, Immanuel's French Kitchen (De Burg, a stall known for its burgers used to be there).

As for Travelling C.O.W, their place named Mian, was better on their pricing range. Their food is something that I will spend for, due to its novelty and its cheap add-on!

Moving on to the next section...

Service:

Unlike normal coffeeshops where they bring the cooked food to your table or you had to wait by the stall, this place uses buzzers. Which allows you to roam the place and check out what else you can order freely. 

The stall owners are quite young in their age, definitely evidence of who-says-the-young-won't-do-hawker.

The Food:

Immanuel's French Kitchen

Read that the chef was fomerly from now defunct Keystone Restaurant, Chef Immanuel Tee.

One entree and one main course ordered from their stall.

Amongst all others stalls, there was quite a number of people reading their menus. Perhaps it is due to the familiarity of French food among Singaporeans.

Burgundy Escargots ($11.90)

Burgundy Escargots ($11.90)
Baked half a dozen snails with tomato fondue and garlic herb butter, served with bread.

For the price, I somehow expected more. The whole combination was good, but could have be better. After all, Saizeirya costed merely $5.90 for half a dozen, with extra $2, you could get foccacio bread...

Duck Leg Confit ($14.90)

Duck Leg Confit ($14.90)
Confit of duck leg from France. Served with mashed potatoes 
The duck leg confit, was just normal. The portion was too small too. The side dishes, cabbage and mash potatoes, did not satisfy me as well. 

I am always on the hunt for good duck confits, but either they turn out to be too hard, or under marinated. It was supposed to be the best-seller, hence I had high hopes...

Mi à n by The Travelling C.OW.

Beef Bulgogi Ramen Burger & Truffle Fries ($13)

Beef Bulgogi Ramen Burger & Soup of the Day ($12)
This dish is well-priced. For just an additional $1, you get to swap your soup of the day to Truffle Fries! Well-worth the money, and neither are they stingy with their truffle. 

The ramen, much like Chinese's zhi char stalls of 生面 (sheng1 mian4),  

I have been wanting to catch it during one of its travelling stint around Singapore but never got to do so. Checklist ticked!

Premium Strawberry-lime Cider ($10)

Premium Strawberry-lime Cider ($10)

Cider from Stew K üc he. This cider tasted more like fruit juice than with alcohol. Perfect for girls. this stall serve many other novelty beers as well. Am gonna come back to try their humongous trotter and bangers platter with some friends!

------------------

Verdict:

Food: 2.5/5

Service: 3/5

Ambience: 3/5

Total Score: 3/5

Visit again? Yes... (To try other stalls)

Good for? Couples, Groups, Novelty

------------------

About it:

Salut Coffeeshop

Operating Hours: 11am to 10 pm (Closed on Monday)
Address: Block 119 Bukit Merah Lane #01-40 Singapore 151119

Directions/ Parking Tips: 

• It is situated at Bukit Merah, very near to IKEA & Anchorpoint. 
• Parking space can be a hassle due to Alexandra Food Village nearby, and you may have to park in the industrial area and walk slightly. 

Read More

Roosevelt's Diner & Bar

Dinner at Roosevelt's Diner & Bar, a very accessible location from Outram Park MRT Station. If you manage to get the roadside parking space just outside the restaurant, you can skip the parking coupons! ;)

The Place:
Situated as part of Dorsett hotel, this is the place is known for their waffles and cheap drinks.

When we first arrived at the restaurant at close to 5pm, there weren't much people around, except a few who ordered just drinks.

Service:
This is one of the rare places which actually served water without asking. Thumbs up for this. The waiters were extremely helpful and seem to know their stuff well.

------------------

The Food:
We scanned the menu and ordered the following-



Candied Bacon Beef Burger ($20) - Look at the juicy bacon!

Candied Bacon Beef Burger ($20) - Look at the juicy bacon!

Candied Bacon Beef Burger ($20)
Their burgers are served in their in-house brioche burger bun that's baked fresh daily, with 180grams of juicy patty for the beef burgers, and double cheese fries.

The many layers of ingredients- pickles and the usual cheese, tomato and lettuce complement the patty very well. That being said, the patty was not well-marinated and could not hold itself well. The candied bacon was actually the star of the dish.

What is a candied bacon? As you may be thinking already, yes, it is actually bacon drenched in sugar syrup before deep frying it to get that sweet coating and crunch when you bite. Bacon is already sinful enough, with sugar? Double the sin! But trust me, it's all worth it.

We are definitely going to try this candied bacon the next time we make our home-made burgers!

------------------

Southern Fried Chicken ($18)

Southern Fried Chicken ($18)
Tasting somewhat like Popeye's Fried Chicken, including the 3 side dishes- salad, potatoes and corn.
Tasted tender, boneless, totally perfect for a first date dish. The skin is very cripsy and well marinated as well.

Churros Waffles ($12)

Churros Waffles ($12)
With cinnamon sugar, butter, and mocha sauce on the side.

As the mocha sauce was not sweet as we would have preferred for a desert, we actually drenched it in maple syrup, which was provided on the side. The waffles were a tad oily, but it was soft and airy. The whole combination was extremely tasty. It definitely kept up to its reputation online.

The HUGE vanilla ice cream in the middle totally made my day. I always had to 'ration' my ice cream whenever I have waffles with ice cream. Today, there was no need to, and in fact, the ice cream was the last to be polished off!

------------------
Verdict:
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Total Score: 4/5

Visit again? Yes.
Good for? Couples, Groups, Cheap Drinks

------------------

About it:
Roosevelt's Diner & Bar

Contact: +65 6538 3518

Opening Hours: (Check Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/rooseveltsdinerbar

Address: 331 New Bridge Road, #01-02 Dorsett Residences, Singapore 088764

Menu: http://www.roosevelts.com.sg/menu

Read More

Hard Rock Cafe @Cuscaden- Classic

Service is prompt, and there is quite a fair bit of tourists. Noisy after 9pm, avoid this place if you want a quiet night out. After all, this is Hard Rock yo!

They have a variety of Western food, ribs, meats, and of course burgers. We came here for the burgers. Well, the standard sort of dropped, or perhaps there are too many of such burgers out there for comparison for the price paid.

Legendary Burger ($25)

Big Cheese Burger ($26)

The Place!

------------------

Verdict:

Food: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Total Score: 3/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Couples, Groups

------------------

About it:

Hard Rock Cafe

Address: 50 Cuscaden Rd, #04-01 , HPL House, 249724

Read More

Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-cafe @Bugis, Middle Rd

We were attracted to this place because of its quirky decor. Beer fest this year, this place was one of the stalls, for its beer. Hence, we decided to try their menu.

This place's big for a cafe in Singapore. They even have full-sized (fake) trees in the cafe!
There's a small shopping area, a live band section with a stage, a bar with a fridge selling drinks beside... Except the lighting could be better suited for the atmosphere, this place is great for groups.

Food

Single Portion Pork Knuckle, Sauerkraut, Potato Salad ($18)
The single portion feeds a hungry man well. The Pork Knuckle's skin is crispy and not oily, and their Sauerkraut is good. We are always on the hunt for tasty Sauerkrauts, because these seemingly-insignificant side dishes can vary so much from one restaurant to another.

A party of friends? Get the portion for 2-4 pax ($50).

Maultaschen, Swabian Dumplings, Potato Salad, Oven Baked with Cheese ($18)

Close to the Chinese's Shui Jiao, as the menu goes, "The ideal Maultasche is pale, bloated and floating like a drowned body in the soup. The unattractive outside is hiding a delicate core: a true symbol or my Swabian People."
It's nothing interesting though, it gets pretty jelak after awhile. No juices, too dry. Skin is too thick and requires abit too much chewing. After awhile, I happily hopped over to the knuckles.

Blackforest Cake ($10) 

Blackforest Cake ($10) 

Super rummy!

Alcoholics alert! This dessert contains a strong dose of cherry liquor! One of the strongest tasting Blackforest cakes we have tasted. And definitely one of the most expensive slice!

They offer a variety of draft beers, and we tried one of their German beers on tap.

Interesting place!


------------------

Verdict:

Food: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 3/5 (Quirky!)

Total Score: 3/5

[1- Never visit again, 2-Won't visit unless there's no other option, 3-Perhaps, 4 & 5- Yes!]

Good for? Groups

------------------

About it:

Stuttgart Blackforest Boutique S-cafe

Address: 141 Middle Road, #01-01 GSM Building, Singapore 188976
Menu: http://scafe.com.sg/menu/

Opening Hours:
Daily from 11am till late.

Read More

South Coast @Marina Bay Sands

If the weather's not too hot, you can spend your afternoon chilling here and admire the river, the winds... But if you're coming here for the afternoon, it can get abit warm, but they have affordable beers and cocktails on sale. That is also if you are okay with the pricing, for it will add up to around $30-ish per pax, for just the mains. Well, it's Marina Bay Sands. For a cheaper alternative, try Pita Pan, just a few minutes walk on the same level.

Wagyu Burger ($28) Smoked cheddar, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, beetroot relish, fries 

Read More