K.L, Malaysia: Marrybrown Chicken

Marrybrown Chicken is Malaysia's answer to the world-famous KFC, with a "global reach" of over 250 outlets in countries like Indonesia, China, India, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria and even Iran. The menu is identical to that of KFC's, with the main focus on fried chicken and chicken burgers. If I have to be blunt though, I would say Marrybrown was quite bad and fell flat on expectations - give me KFC and Popeye's anytime man.



Even the colour codes are the same as KFC's red and white! Speak about originality.


The chicken was tiny, thin, dry and tasted bland (uneven marinating I suppose?) on some parts. I wonder if they actually re-fried their chicken due to the low turnover.


The Marrybrown's version of KFC's Zinger Burger was not all too bad, except that it was really small. All-in-all, a waste of calories (and fats).

Price
RM9.50 for the chicken set.

Place
Berjaya Times Square, #03-98A
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

K.L, Malaysia: Oblong Burger

When we headed up to KL, I knew I would be stacking up the calories on the quintessential Ramly Burger. Malaysia is, after all, the motherland of the Ramly, and the burgers here come at half the price you would get at Singapore's night markets. A new kid has made its presence felt though, and for all its worth I think the Ramly has met its match. Never mind that it's just "90% pure meat", heck sausages are processed too. So ladies and gents, here's presenting: the Oblong Burger.


Because you already know that you're stuffing yourself late into the night with a mayonnaise-packed, oil-soaked burger, the only way to make things better is to do it with style by going double patty and adding a fried egg to top it off. Don't be confused by the Ramly packaging by the way, somehow that's all the wraps that the hawker had.


The result? A delicious supper treat that, for the lack of a better description, puts you on a high like no other local burger would - I dare say, not even the Ramly. Juicy patties (it helped that there were two of them) packed with mayo, peppers, and chilli sauce - it's a cardiac sin, but boy did it feel awesome.

Price
About RM8 for double patties and fried egg.

Place
At the tail-end of Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang.

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

Pan Pacific Singapore

Hotel stays in Singapore don't come by cheap, but at least with Pan Pacific Singapore you have the assurance that the room would be extremely comfy and nothing short of luxurious even for the most basic of deluxe rooms. Other than the frustrating problems with the unstable Internet connection (both cabled and wireless), I'm glad to say it was a very pleasant stay indeed.

Beef Burger


We all know my penchant for burgers, and how much of it I'm eating both locally and overseas. To be honest, I had initially intended to order some dishes from Hai Tien Lo, Pan Pac's famed Chinese restaurant, but being pressed for time I settled for the simple and the easy - the quintessential beef burger.


The beef burger was quite good. While it was admittedly dry on some parts, I appreciated the full-bodied beefiness of the patty and the way it was pounded. Fries were delicious too by the way - all hot and crisp. Now if only they added a fried egg and maybe even some sauce - barbecue or black pepper - that would have been quite amazing I'm sure.

Price
$26++

Place
Pan Pacific Singapore (In-room dining)

Pictures taken with the Apple iPhone 4.

Jones The Grocer

Post-processed, lomo-type pictures courtesy of the Apple iPhone application Hipstamatic. I've been toying around with this app with the colleagues during lunch, but as you can probably tell from the blurry pictures more practice is definitely needed haha. Just as well for this post on Jones the Grocer at Dempsey actually, since the food here seems to have left a somewhat sketchy and forgettable impression.




The Jones' Open Wagyu Beef Burger was dull and monotonous. Dry bread and overdone crumbly patty... No sir, this ain't getting the green light from me. The balsamic vinegar did make a valiant attempt to save this dish, but it would have been asking too much of it surely. Quite simply, this burger tried too hard to be different, but it ended up looking (and tasting) like a confused sandwich!




Salads, no matter how dream-like or colourful, can never entice the red-blooded carnivore in me. Not one bit, not by a mile. But the lady who had this seemed to have no problems with the little garden before her, even with the pungent smell of (blue??) cheese wafting around the table. I'll face accusations of being a sexist but really it's something only the ladies can do with these salads. Give the real man a real burger with hot, crisp fries any day please.


Service
Very good.

Price
$26.50++ for the Jones' Open Wagyu Beef Burger.

Place
Blk 9 #01–12, Dempsey Road.

Pictures taken with the Apple iPhone 4.

Nha Trang, Vietnam: Diamond Bay

Two years on, Diamond Bay Resort in Nha Trang is still clinging on to its famed history of hosting the 2008 Miss Universe pageant, so much so that dinner halls still carry portraits of the contestants and kitchenware like cups and plates continue to bear the hotel's 2008 logo. For sure, I had Miss Italy and Miss Australia smiling down at me every morning during breakfast, and that cup I was drinking from may very well have been held by Miss Venezuela.


Nha Trang seems to be a fairly scenic coastal city, but I guess I can't say too much because admittedly I spent most of the time confined to the Diamond Bay Resort. It's odd holding meetings in a resort because you would be walking around in suits, much to the bemusement of some of the tourists. If I had to compare, I think I still prefer the cool hills of Da Lat, having been pampered by the lovely weather (it's hot and humid in Nha Trang) and its serene out-of-nowhereness.


There was a barbecue and international buffet night as part of the host's resort-style "gala dinner", and I quite enjoyed the fresh barbecued seafood (especially the whole fishes, scallops and prawns) prepared by the hotel. Dinners on other nights were terribly forgettable, so at least this compensated things a little.


I ordered the Traditional Lean Beef Burger on one of my long work nights to keep the energy up and running. Pity that the burger turned out to be a tad overdone. To be fair, it was clearly hand-pounded and had a promising beefy quality to it, so it may just have been a cook on a bad day. The fries were hot and crispy and quite simply a delight to munch on late into the night.

Next up: Back to yummies in Singapore! :)

Price
About SGD16 including taxes.

Place
Diamond Bay Resort,
Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Pictures taken with the Apple iPhone 4.

Hanoi, Vietnam: Sofitel Plaza Hotel

Sofitel Plaza Hotel did feel somewhat like a second home to me when I was there for almost two whole weeks in July. It definitely has the two basic things that you could possibly ask for after a long stretch of meetings for the day - a very comfortable bed, and of course, good, hot food. Simple needs, simple desires, all easily satisfied.


If I may add, one of the best things about my room was the view of the lake, a pretty and refreshing sight that greeted me every morning. Things like TVs and cable channels don't quite interest me much when I'm on overseas work trips - if I am not in my room working on my notes or reports, I would probably be chilling out with my colleagues at the executive Club Sofitel Lounge.


If you're thinking I would start rolling out traditional Vietnamese food in this post (and the few to come), I would have to disappoint you and say there isn't any. Most of the time I would be having my dinner in my room, much because I'm usually too tired to venture anywhere else. Other times, it would be at official dinners and I don't see the need to whip out my camera like a wide-eyed tourist haha...

Indonesian Nasi Goreng


The Indonesian Nasi Goreng was alright, I liked the overall flavour to it but did find the rice a tad too dry for my liking. Satay sauce was good.

If I had to compare, the Seafood Fried Rice at the Club Sofitel lounge was a bit better with it being filled with seafood ingredients - prawns, squids, fish and even some clams. A bit too heavy for breakfast though!

Next time, I would try the stir-fried noodles and of course, the quintessential Vietnamese pho, beef noodles! The pho took me a little getting used to (you know I'm not the biggest fan of soupy dishes) but I'm starting to like it quite a bit now.

Beef Burger
With fried egg and cheese


The Beef Burger was everyone's favourite comfort food after a long day of meetings. Tender beef patty, fried egg, melted cheese and crisp crinkle cut fries - a satisfying combination for any road warrior.

Pan-Fried Beef Rib-Eye
With sautéed new potato, mix of green lettuce and herbs from Dr Hung's garden from Da Lat, Phu Quoc green peppers and mushroom sauce


On one of the nights, well the last night actually, I wanted to give myself a treat because everything had gone smoothly. This being Vietnam, one of the most expensive items on the menu only came up to not more than S$30, and you can imagine a much higher price tag if you're having this in a reputable hotel in Singapore.


Don't judge by the price tag though, because this was a really thick and good slab of rib-eye. The mushroom sauce was addictive, and the potatoes were sweet and delicious. A pity the greens were lost on a carnivore like me, especially when they come from the fresh hills of Da Lat.


While the French may not be the most popular people in the minds of the Vietnamese (especially the older generation), remnants of their colonial occupation remain - architecture, language (the romanised quoc ngu) and even technology. The best thing that I think they left Vietnam with however, and this is only in the narrow context of food, is baking skills. The breads and croissants here are heavenly, freshly baked and so good even on its own. Looking forward to more in October! :)

Price
VND 171,000 for the Indonesian fried rice
VND 190,000 for the beef burger
VND 361,000 for the pan-fried beef rib-eye

* Prices subject to 10% service charge.
** The seafood fried rice is served free of charge, upon request.

Place
Sofitel Plaza Hotel,
Hanoi, Vietnam.

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

J.B, Malaysia: Ramly Burger

Me and my family spent the long National Day weekend in Johor Bahru and I thought it went quite well actually (note: we came back in time to catch the NDP on TV, so don't question our patriotism please!). The food was relatively cheap and we indulged happily in simple things like A&W, Baskin Robbins and dim sum (some of these will be covered in the posts to come), all in the name of good fun. What I really came for however, is what you see here in near abundance - Ramly Burger patties!


You don't get many frozen Ramly Burger patties in Singapore supermarkets, if any to start with, and if you do it's usually the chicken ones rather than the more appetising beef patties. It's certainly not 100% pure meat, there's bit and pieces of... what nots, but nevertheless it's still very satisfying stuff. Comfort food, if you will.


And it's really cheap when you convert it back to SGD too, considering it's only RM$3.70 for six unassuming but tasty patties in a packet. I've already gotten the burger buns, the mayo and the chilli sauce, and all I have to do is spin it the way they do it at the night bazaars. Oh, yum yum.

Of course, I'm probably going to put on more weight as well. HAHA.

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

Bloggers Outing: Chef Daniel's Kitchen

Ahh, those memories of Chef Daniel's Kitchen at Iluma. I miss my monthly blogger outings, I really do. Ever since I've started work, it's been close to impossible to find time to meet the rest, and already I'm watching a couple of outings slip by past me because I'm so occupied with work. For now, outings like this one I'm blogging today would serve as pleasant memories, and a small ray of hope perhaps, as I await the next food blogger outing.


Sometime last month we organised a gathering at Chef Daniel's Kitchen at Iluma, which if you hadn't known is situated directly opposite Bugis Junction. It was a bittersweet kind of gathering actually, sweet because it was a meet-up after quite a while with fellow like-minded friends, bitter because it was a farewell lunch for Lorraine since she would be migrating to the Netherlands the following week.


Like always, the cameras would be whipped out once the first dish arrives, the bloggers snapping furiously away for that one perfect shot and without much of a care if the food was turning cold. Normally we would be passing the food around, but the long table kinda forced us to get out of our seats and go round the table. It sure did look messy, but at least it was good fun. As tradition goes, here is the guest list for the day, with a few new faces :)

Dorothy from Dotinabox
Charlene from Foodoshoot
Glenn from Hungry Epicurean
Harris from The Simplest Aphrodisiac
Phoebe and Chloe from The Food Chapter
Daniel and Lay Sian from Memoirs of Food
Lorraine from The Hungry-Trotting Couple
Fen and Yuan from Indulgence After Work-Out


The venue for our outing was, coincidentally so, recommended by Daniel (no relations whatsoever to the Chef), and is a cosy, rooftop diner that is more popular than you would expect. Chef Daniel's Kitchen set lunch, which we all had, is affordably priced at $10.50nett and comes with a soup, a drink and a dessert. Let's roll out the food, shall we?

Focaccia Bread


Any diner that serves warm and soft focaccia bread gets a thumbs-up from me. Focaccia is definitely one of my most favourite breads out there.

Cream of Corn Soup


The soup-of-the-day, the Cream of Corn Soup wasn't very memorable and could have been better if it was a bit thicker.

Grilled Beef Burger


Almost everyone knew what I was going to order: Beef Grilled Burger. I probably have the reputation of being the biggest carnivore and burger fan amongst my food blogger peers, and I know next in line would have to be Phoebe for sure. I thought the beef burger was alright, though a tad small. The patty was a little too moist as well but nevertheless it was saved by the tangy tomato pickles that added some extra flavour to the burger. Read on to see what the rest ate!

Tonkatsu Don


Lorraine liked her Tonkatsu Don, and remarked that she actually likes the tonkatsu here as compared to the one served at Tampopo because of the way it was breaded as well as how there weren't much (if any) fats to the cutlet. Charlene, who had the same dish as well, wrote that the tonkatsu "wasn't exactly very deep fried, and there was a hint of lemon in every slice", which she loved.

Fish and Chips


Fen thought the Fish and Chips was average, but at least it wasn't too oily as some others are.

Here's some others which I don't really know how they went, but still, something to feast your eyes on!

Prawn and Crabmeat Burger


This looked really good, and I'm sure it tasted quite good too!

Lamb Stewed Navarin



Pork Netsuke



Raspberry Mousse Cake


The dessert-of-the-day, the Raspberry Mousse Cake, was a sweet and simple dessert to wrap up the meal. While not mind-blowing, it was decent enough for me.

Service
Very good.

Price
$10.50nett for each set lunch, which includes a soup, a drink, a choice of main course, and a dessert.

Place
Iluma @ Bugis, #07-02/03.

Additional Comment
Thank you Fen and Yuan for the first two pictures on this post.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

EwF by Everything with Fries

EwF by Everything with Fries at Orchard Central is the fast-food extension of the original Everything with Fries restaurant. It reminds me a lot of Orchard Cineleisure's Burger Bench & Bar actually, from the burger-dominated menu to the chalk-written display boards to the young, cheery and eager to please (female-only) staff.


It's mostly burgers here, but of quite a variety that I'm not complaining really. In fact, it's burger joints like EwF and Burger Bench & Bar that give the mainstream fast-food chains a run for their money (because of the fresher burgers and unique sides) and is a refreshing change from all the terribly processed meat.

EwF Super Burger Set


With a name like "EwF Super Burger" you would think this is EwF's signature burger and definitely something that it worth a try on a first visit. It's compactly served in a small tray but the first thing anyone would notice perhaps is the size of the burger. It's a tad small and it definitely won't fill you up if eaten on its own.


The Super Burger, packed with so much expectations.


The meat patty was good, tender and nicely minced. I can't remember what exactly the "special homemade sauce" was made up of, but there's surely mayo and some salsa in it. I think. It's a simple burger, not what I would really call "super" because I would expect much, much more then.



The highlight of EwF has to be its flavoured fries, or why else would it feature fries so prominently in its name? The Sour Cream and Onion fries was voted as the best flavoured fries on the table, but if you happen to like the childhood curry-flavoured Twisties snack, you would love the Curry fries here as well.

Service
Very good, pleasant and friendly.

Price
$11.90 for a burger, fries and drink.

Place
Orchard Central, #01-24/25.
Replaced Schokolart.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Republic of Steak

We're halfway through the Italy series with Florence and Milan still waiting in the wings, but I've decided that a short week-long interlude featuring yummies back in Singapore would be good. Let's not forget that I have a slew of posts of food from Kuala Lumpur waiting to be written as well! Till then, it's good ol' Singapore to entice our senses :)

The one thing many of you would notice about Republic of Steak is that its menu is very similar to that of Aston's. Added to that, Republic of Steak also shares something in common with Ministry of Steak (gosh, it must be so hard to think of names these days huh) in that it was set-up by an ex-owner of Ministry of Steak! I've not tried the latter though, so my benchmarks for Republic were based on my meals in Aston's as well as Botak Jones.

Mushroom Soup


The "Republic Set" is an optional $6.90 top-up option for those looking to complete their main courses, and for that price you get a soup-of-the-day, a drink and a dessert. It's a worthy offer especially when you are hungry (or greedy). I thought the Mushroom Soup was alright, and I liked the addition of croutons for the added flavour.

Fries


Something for me and the dinner companion, Dilys, to share. Quite good thick-cut fries full of potato goodness and spices.

Republic Burger


A signature dish, the Republic Burger was much larger than I expected it to be, featuring a 200gm fork tender beef patty topped with bacon (not in my order here), crispy onion rings, melted cheese and lettuce. Greedy me, with the set in tow, had also called for a (carbo-loaded) baked potato as a side and a basket of fries to share. When you put all these together it really made finishing the burger a very uphill task. I thought this was a fairly good burger but for the same price I would rather have mine from Botak Jones or Botak Favourites.

Republic Steak


The Republic Steak is really a daily or weekly special, and for this dinner the wait staff were enthusiastically promoting their Angus Steak. Dilys, the dinner companion for the night, wasn't all too impressed with her steak though, as it turned out too chewy and tough for her liking. She let me have a bit of it and I couldn't agree more.


When the staff asked for feedback, we were honest with them, and their reason was that they had overdone the steak at medium-well instead of medium (our orders and receipt had indicated it as medium though). As a gesture of apology, we had brownies and ice-cream on the house. It was nice, both the gesture and the brownies.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake


This was quite good Chocolate Lava Cake and for it's low price tag (inclusive of a scoop of ice-cream) it was really quite a steal. A pity though that the vanilla ice-cream was a tad too icy, but a good thing out of this is that it didn't melt too fast. Still, creamy vanilla would be very much preferred to complement the deliciously thick chocolate.

Service
Very good, friendly and helpful.

Price
$6.90 for the Republic Set
$12.90 for the Republic Burger
$22.90 for the Republic Steak
$4.90 for the Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

Place
Victoria Hotel, #01-01,
Victoria Street, Bugis.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.