Marmalade Pantry II

Marmalade Pantry used to be much raved in its heydey but I realised that has since quietened down (a lot), especially in food forums and the food blogosphere. Reviews haven't been the most promising too, and there's definitely a concern that Marmalade is having trouble maintaining its consistency in quality. Unfazed by the less than encouraging words on Marmalade, I made a visit to its Ion Orchard branch last month.

Sticky Date & Toffee Pudding


Still one of Marmalade Pantry's all-time favourites and signatures, the Sticky Date and Toffee Pudding continues to get its approval from its humble following. I like the way the caramelised toffee was drizzled all around this dessert.


And for a close-up, check out the vanilla beans :)

Chocolate Nemesis


The Chocolate Nemesis appeared to be more of an artistic attempt rather than one meant to fill you up. While it may look large on close-up, it's actually quite small, about the size of a slice of pound cake, with a smear of chocolate sauce on the side. It tasted alright but didn't really excite the senses.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge Cake


The Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge Cake however was even less appetising (for the lack of a better word) because I found it wayyy too thick and rich for my liking. Perhaps this is the "old-fashioned" type of fudge cake but I personally found it hard (literally too) to appreciate.

Cinnamon Spiced Apple Cake


This was something rich as well, but didn't leave that much of a lasting impression. At least the cinnamon flavour managed to reduce the richness of the cake a little.

Blueberry & Almond Tart


The Blueberry & Almond Tart was one of the favourites on the table because it was sweet, soft and smooth.

Cherry Crumble Tart


The other tart however, the Cherry Crumble Tart, felt quite "grainy" or "powdery", and somehow didn't have a very pleasant aftertaste.

The Geisha


The Marmalade Pantry is especially proud of its cupcakes, and if there's one that I particularly like, it would be The Geisha. Buttermilk and pandan cupcake with a delectable green tea and coconut frosting. The coconut taste was more prevalent than the green tea, but still it was sweet and good.

Complimentary Cupcakes


Me and my friends were at Marmalade till closing time, so we got three (leftover) cupcakes for free. The Bananarama cupcake of banana walnut cake with caramel cream cheese was awfully sweet and would rake up the sugars in your system surely. I found the pretty Cloud 9 cupcake, with the colourful hundreds and thousands on top, quite boring actually, since it was plain cake underneath. If I remember correctly, the last cupcake was the Limonata, a tart lemon glazed cake that also didn't impress me very much. I guess The Geisha still stands supreme amidst all of the cupcakes from Marmalade Pantry.

Service
Very good.

Price
$12.00 for the sticky date and toffee pudding
$14.00 for the chocolate nemesis
$7.80 for the slice of old-fashioned chocolate fudge cake
$7.80 for the slice of cinnamon spiced apple cake
$6.80 for the blueberry and almond tart
$6.80 for the cherry crumble tart
$4.20 for the geisha cupcake
$4.20 for any other cupcake

* Prices subject to the usual 7% GST and 10% service charge.

Place
Ion Orchard, #03-22 - #03-34.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Cafe Sapunsa

If you happen to be in the Robertson Quay area and you're on a lookout for something other than the more ubiquitous Western, European or Japanese fare, may I suggest to you this small and almost hidden Thai eatery at Robertson Walk. Its located somewhat behind the 7-11 convenience store and doesn't have much of a sign (hence the lack of a storefront picture in this post), but it does have the menu placed outside for you to take a look. This is also the place for you if you're in the area but want something of a less hefty price tag.

Seafood Tom Yum


The seafood tom yum soup scored a bonus plus because I like it served hotpot style to keep the soup warmer for a longer period of time. It's spicier than many of its counterparts in other Thai eateries but Glenn somehow found it quite addictive and kept drinking it. The portion of seafood ingredients was adequate but not necessarily a lot either.

Green Curry Chicken


This what what I found addictive instead, and perhaps for the wrong reasons? Typical green curry flavour, but slightly milkier and sweeter. If I had more space, this would have gone well with steamed white rice.

Phad Thai


The phad thai was an obvious choice for the both of us and at least it was aesthetically pretty to begin with. As for taste, I would say it's okay but not exactly impressive, need a bit more of the wok-hei flavour. The good thing is that it can fill the both of us up nicely, especially since we already have two other dishes.

Service
Very good.

Price
$10.00 for the seafood tom yum soup
$10.00 for the green curry chicken
$9.00 for the phad thai

Place
30 Robertson Quay, #01-04 Riverside View.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Go! Go! CURRY!

A long overdue post surely, but nevertheless one about a little gem at Ion Orchard's Food Hall that you may like to know about, and also something that is of a personal favourite. Go! Go! CURRY! is one of Japan's popular curry-only eateries that first started in Tokyo in 2004 and it has since opened a branch in New York as well as two others right here in Singapore (the other outlet can be found at 313@ Somerset), bringing its total tally to thirty. If you like your sweet Japanese curry, this is something worth trying.


Apart from the advertising jingle that has been in my head and pops up everytime I think of Japanese curry (hynoptic effect I tell you, made worse because my friend was thirty minutes late and I had nothing else to do but watch rerun after rerun of ads), there was also a very candid write-up on Go! Go! CURRY! that I found on the geeky US-based Wired website. Here's a long but entertaining excerpt from that write-up:

"I love Japan’s curry in the same way that a heroin addict loves shooting up. The only significant difference between the two is that eventually, if you stop doing heroin long enough, you are no longer addicted to it. Japanese curry addiction does not leave you even when you move back home. You just spend your days wishing you could eat it again, saving your money so you can fly back to Tokyo and eat more.

You never forget that first amazing high. For me it was in the school cafeterias at Kanazawa University, where I discovered that what most of the Japanese students were lining up for every day was not teriyaki or sushi rolls but curry: A brown glop that looked for all the world like severely burnt chowder, ladled obscenely over a giant plate of rice. As a final f***-you to the arteries, it was often topped with whatever fried thing the cafeteria had whipped up that day: pork katsu, usually, but sometimes chicken. Sometimes a chicken-fried steak, to the extent that Japanese lunch ladies were capable of making one.

I don’t know who first convinced me to try it, but: bliss! This was absolutely nothing like Indian curry. It was a little spicy, sure, but mostly it was just sweet and savory — a rich, creamy flavor full of ingredients that were mostly unknown to me but almost certainly included crack cocaine. It blended perfectly with the rest of the ingredients: The pure flavor of the sticky rice, the crunchy breading and devil-may-care fat of the pork." [*]

Don't expect me to blog this way, but this writer certainly has some style.

Chicken Katsu Curry


The dishes here come in four portions - healthy, economy, business and first - healthy being the smallest and first threatening a coronary attack. The economy portion filled me well enough, especially since it's thick curry mixed with deep-fried chicken katsu and moist, sticky rice. Did I like it? I certainly did, and it's comfort food at its best.


The Japanese curry here is thicker, sweeter, more stew-like and less spicy than most of the other Japanese curries that I've tried in Singapore. I still like Tampopo's Stone Grilled Beef Curry but this one from Go! Go! CURRY! is almost entirely of a different form and so shouldn't really be compared. The chicken katsu was crispily good and not too oily that it would spoil your appetite, and went well with the moist rice. My friend somehow ordered just the curry and rice but even he felt the curry was quite good. Not suitable for those on a strict diet, but otherwise it can be quite satisfying indeed.

Service
Good. You have to place your orders at the front counter first before you're being allocated to a seat. Limited seating space here.

Price
$12.50 for the economy class chicken katsu curry
$8.50 for the healthy class go go curry
$1.00 for a boiled egg

* The menu can be found here.

Place
ION Orchard, #B4-55.
Also: 313@somerset, #05-01 Stall 24 Food Republic.

First and second pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS, while the third and fourth pictures were taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Boathouse @ The Fullerton Waterboat House

I first heard about the revamped and newly managed Boathouse (previously the Bacchus Boathouse) from a good friend of mine, who was understandably impressed by the rooftop view at its more casual counterpart Prelude. Coincidentally, after I made my dinner reservations at Boathouse, I came upon a few glowing reviews about it from a handful of bloggers who had just been on an invited food-related Fullerton Heritage Tour. Just looking at the amazing, drool-worthy pictures by Camemberu (a very talented photographer indeed) was enough to make me hungry for two whole nights before my actual dinner at Boathouse.

Of course, I've always taken any and every food review (even more so if it was an invited session) with a pinch of salt, and I was cautious about having too high expectations for Boathouse. I say this in my humble, personal capacity as a food blogger as well, because as we all know tastes are always subjective and experiences can always differ. I've never had the audacity to think that my own "Recommended Eats" page is all about me and I actually like to hear alternative perspectives from you readers, rather than take things personally and be offended that my words are being objected to. Pinch of salt, pinch of salt, as honest and as accurate as I would like to be all the time, you know there's the tendency I could be on a post-gastronomic high... sometimes.

So when I hear people going, "Don't believe everything that forums and food blogs say, they can be quite biased", or "I think people should not take your raving review word for word because I had a completely different experience" (trust me, I have close foodie friends who disagree with a couple of my reviews), I feel very proud in fact, because it shows that there are mature and discerning fellow foodies out there and I respect them a great deal. You should know me well enough that I don't get offended over such trivial matters, because in the end it's all for our shared love for food and the delights it brings :)


I've rambled on long enough so let's make our way back to the Boathouse. There is no doubt that there's a certain antiquity and charm about Boathouse right from the start, as you make your way up a flight of (almost) rustic-looking stairs to your dining destination. As history goes, this small building "once supplied water to ships anchored offshore" [*], a long time ago I'm sure, and thus perhaps explains for the historic feel surrounding this place. For city children like us, we'd be more than willing to buy up such stories as a getaway from the much cloned after mega shopping malls that adorn the walkways of Orchard Road.


The view from Boathouse and Prelude, at sunset and at night, is good. While currently unrivalled, I can imagine that an even more spectacular view of the Marina Bay can be enjoyed from One Fullerton once Marina Bay Sands is up and completed. Till then, this is one of the best views that you can take in whilst having a good chill-out drink with your peers.


Of course, it gets even better when there's pretty fireworks lighting up the night sky. Add quality company to that, with Glenn, Angeline and Kaelyn, and the night holds much promise.

Complimentary Bread


The magic of the Boathouse however dwindled as the night wore on. The (tiny) pieces of homemade tomato bread weren't served warm and tasted quite bland. And no, it was not those minutes of photo-taking that left the bread cold, I touched it from the start because I was wondering if the bread had been toasted. Interestingly too, while the ladies at our table were served two slices each, me and Glenn only got one!

Fish Chowder


The fish chowder is one of Boathouse's signatures, but as Kaelyn mentioned it was the "interesting presentation" that appealed more than the chowder itself. The thin slices of sea bass carpaccio were served prettily on their own before the waitress went on to gently pour in the creamy chowder. I thought the soup was just alright, but it did taste quite "powdery" on some parts.

Wagyu Burger


I couldn't say "no" to something like a Wagyu Burger, and I politely asked if I could order the burger from the Prelude kitchen. I was very pleased when they served it to me minutes later, but sadly the burger couldn't satisfy me at all. A tiny beef patty hidden by a burnt fried egg (on the underside), with lightly burnt burger buns and salty fries. The manager explained later that it's only because it's of wagyu quality that's why it's this small, but I thought that's a weak excuse seeing how I could get a decent wagyu burger at a cheaper price at Brewerkz, or an awesome one at almost the same price at Dallas Restaurant & Bar.

Tagliatelle Wild Mushroom


While raved by some of the bloggers who went on the invited session, Glenn felt strongly otherwise. I actually asked him a couple of minutes ago on Windows Live Messenger about his pasta and this is the reply I got:

"ehh TOTALLY OVERDONE!
emphasize!"

I guess the caps on the words "totally overdone" tells us a lot. I also understand that the truffle flavour was not very discernible, so that was a pity too.

French Smoked Duck


Angeline's smoked duck was described in the menu to have been "braised with mint in orange-infused frangelico" but the actual dish fell short of her expectations. While an entirely different type of meat, I agree with Angeline that Cafe Oliv's rendition of a braised lamb shank far surpasses the taste and tenderness of the smoked duck.

Black Cod


Kaelyn's typical dish of fish (haha!), served with seasonal vegetables with a unique Japanese plum jus, was perhaps the only main course that was well-received. Here are the lady's views, in her own words: "...I was happy with the way my Black Cod turned out. Instead of a savoury sauce, the chef used a sweet Japanese plum jus to complement the oily fish. Very unique and different, and this is going on my list of favourite fish dishes (which is saying a lot since I eat lots of fish)!" Something for Boathouse to cheer about surely.

Desserts at Prelude


Seeing how dinner wasn't all too great, we decided to head up to Prelude at the rooftop for a round of desserts. The Signature Tiramisu, "hand-made with loads of whisky", was quite good because of its alcoholic kick, unlike some of its counterparts which are definitely much duller. It would have been better of course if there was better layering within the tiramisu with more soaked ladyfingers to it. I also thought the house-made Panna Cotta with wild berries compote was pretty alright, smooth and sweet, but Glenn felt he had better and didn't like it to be too soft. The Crème Brûlée meanwhile was very ordinary and came with a tasteless shot of licorice reduction, and at $15++ a serving you would probably expect a little more from this.


Well to quote from Kaelyn (again), "The shocker came when the Baked Apple Tart was served". It was because of this awesomely tiny tartlet that finally prompted us to give our personal feedback to the manager (in fact we actually mistook a lady to be the manager, and she turned out to be one of the co-owners!). Can you imagine paying $12++ for a tartlet (those teeny-weeny ones that you can daintily pick at a buffet line with your thumb and index finger) and a (soup-) spoonful of ice-cream??? I think that's terribly ridiculous, and even if you can conjure up an excuse that this is a "fine-dining portion" I would still be appalled. We were all expecting something larger, a slice from a whole apple tart actually, not a tartlet that would have trouble even satisfying a toddler.


If you've read this blog long enough, you know that I don't normally give scathing reviews but the tart(let) did it for me. I am satisfied that the manager Mr. Kannan took a very long time gathering our feedback and trying to explain why some things are the way they are as best as he possibly could. Understandably, Boathouse and Prelude are barely a month and a half old, and so teething problems are expected. Much more tweaking to the menu needs to be done, and the manager also promised to improve on the service here. I'd included a picture of this waitress above, an affable and polite Ms Linda, who is testament to the fact that good service can still alleviate a testing dining experience in some way or another. Not only was she friendly and helpful on the phone with the reservations (complicated too because I wanted to reserve a table at Prelude at the same time), but she was also very patient with our photo-taking and always tried not to get in the way. Thumbs up to good service :)

So the final question that is probably on your minds is, would I return? I would actually say yes, because the manager seemed determined to look into our feedback, and a month or so would give Boathouse more than enough time to (hopefully) resolve all of its teething problems. I must thank the manager too for waiving our desserts, it was never our intention to get anything for free, but it was a gracious gesture nonetheless and we appreciate that. All in all, we're really a group of food enthusiasts more than anything else, and I too wouldn't want to see Boathouse and Prelude put such a fantastic view to waste. It is still a promising restaurant but sharing our experience and alternative take on it may prove to be useful in moderating the otherwise skyhigh expectations that some of the other (invited) reviews have unintentionally generated, and which is something that may take a little more time before this place can deliver. Till then, we can only anticipate and wait in all sincere eagerness :)

Price
$15 for the fish chowder
$25 for the wagyu burger
$19 for the tagliatelle wild mushroom
$26 for the french smoked duck
$31 for the black cod
$12 for the signature tiramisu
$11 for the panna cotta
$12 for the baked apple tart
$15 for the crème brûlée

* Prices subject to the usual 7% GST and 10% service charge.

Place
Boathouse: The Waterboat House, 3 Fullerton Rd #03-01
Prelude: The Waterboat House Rooftop, 3 Fullerton Rd #04-01.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Hooked!

I've always been interested to try Hooked's lunch specials, especially since they're so reasonably priced at just $9.90 and have received fairly decent reviews online as well. Most people seem to be more familiar with the branch at Upper Thomson, but there's also another one in the wild wild west (or so I wish) at The Rail Mall.

Ocean-Fresh Mackerel and Squid Rings Linguine


I found this pasta dish just passable, but at least the fish was very fresh with a smooth texture. I do think the other dishes on the ala carte menu seem way more appetising though, so I'm definitely returning to Hooked! next time to try them out :)

Service
Good.

Price
$10.80 (including GST) for one of the lunch selections and a soft drink.

Place
The Rail Mall, 390 Bukit Timah Road (Website)

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

Dallas Chicken & Ribs

When Dallas Chicken & Ribs first opened in the Chinatown vicinity, it became quite a hit because of it's very affordable $11 buffet (imagine: free flow chicken, wings and nuggets). Now that it has shifted to PoMo at Selegie however, the crowd seems to have dwindled a bit, and I'm wondering if it's because the office people in the area aren't too keen on going for a fried chicken buffet when they have to head back to work after that.


The good thing about Dallas Chicken is that it's real fried chicken, not the kind that's full of flour, soaked in terribly overused oil and yet branded with an extraordinary blend of say... 11 herbs and spices. According to the best friend, the chicken here at Dallas is "the way fried chicken should be". Of course, before we get carried away, I must say that there isnt anything impressive or special about the chicken, just that in comparison to its well known fast-food counterparts it's probably marginally healthier. Yeah, this is fried chicken after all, who are we trying to kid?


For $6, you get two chicken parts, two small drumlets, a packet of fries and a can of soft drink. You could add $2 for another side of onion rings, as I did, but if you're wondering about taste well... this was identical to the ones offered by Burger King. At least it's a tad cheaper.

Service
Fast-food style.

Price
$6 for a Dallas Meal
$2 for a side of onion rings

Place
#02-06/07 PoMo Centre, Selegie Road.

Additional Comments
This eatery is certified Halal.

Pictures taken with the Canon Ixus 80 IS.

Schokolart

I've always wanted to try the cakes at Schokolart but somehow or another they always seem to be gone by mid-afternoon. If memory serves me correctly, the waitress told me that the cakes are delivered "fresh" from Malaysia twice daily, while hot desserts are made in-house at Orchard Central. When I finally did get to try their teatime set of a hot beverage and cake however, I was little impressed. They got my order for a caramel cake wrong and served me a Cappuccino one instead, but I was in a good mood that day and didn't want to waste the cake after already having a forkful of it. Thing is, this cake was all mousse and cream and just didn't have much of a taste to it. I tried to be fair and didn't mix it with the hot coffee, but that didn't help either.

While I didn't voice my displeasure at the taste/quality of the cake, I did inform the staff that they got my order wrong. The waitress was nice enough to apologise and went on to ask if the cake I had was any good. Sensing my hesitation, she immediately smiled and said, "Actually I like the cheese cakes much better, and the hot desserts".

Maybe next time. But a definite no to those moussey cakes.

Place
Orchard Central, #01-24/25.

Additional Comment
There's a newly opened "Jewels Artisan Chocolate" a floor above, right next to Burger King. They happen to sell delicious-looking chocolate tarts like the one I had at Laurent Bernard, but it comes at a higher price tag of about $10. If anyone has tried it, do let me know how it is :)

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Kki @ Ann Siang Hill

Everyone's been talking about this little gem tucked in Ann Siang Hill that it was only a matter of time before I made my first visit here, and since it has been appearing in many blogs recently I thought I would jump on the bandwagon as well and write my piece. Besides, with so many cakes going around the blogs now, I think it's a good idea to let our readers have a preview of just about all of the pretty cakes from K Ki.


Follow the directional signs to get you to K Ki! I think there's a certain charm to the signs and the way they're written, it's like looking for a little fantasy land of your own. There's so much anticipation with every step you take.


And there it is, my cosy sanctuary on a peaceful Sunday morning. Everyone loves the little red mailbox at the door, and K Ki owners Delphine and Kenneth tell me that even their bicycles have become exhibits too, with people gaily taking pictures with them.


K Ki shares the space with The Little Dröm Store, an artistic and dream-like shop that has an attractive range of vintage and quaint knick-knacks that are bound to grab your interest. A good place for a meaningful gift surely.


If there is one word that I have to describe K Ki, it's love. Love in the way that Delphine and Kenneth got together to set this place up, love in the way Kenneth puts his heart into the cakes (he started baking in his own backyard in Japan!), love in the way they meticulously display their cakes, love in the way the cakes look and taste, and love in the way they treat their customers. Riding on bicycles to "work" every morning and pinching the sweet creations from your hubs, it's a dream love story.


And I must add of course, that I love the company of my fellow friends that morning, with Enlin, Glenn, Zaylene and Kaelyn all ready to get a taste of K Ki. With us in one of the pictures above is Kenneth, who is photo-shy like Delphine but we managed to persuade him for just one shot.

Nespresso Coffee and Latte


Nothing like a rich cup of quality coffee to perk you up on a pleasant Sunday morning. People who like their coffee sweeter though would probably have to add more milk or sugar, but it suits just fine for me this way. At first I was concerned that the full flavour of the coffee would affect the taste of the cakes, but it turned out to be a good complement. And oh, delicious coconut sablé cookie to accompany the drink, which you could buy in the pack too!

Antoinette


The owner of The Little Dröm Store loves this cake so much that Delphine and Kenneth decided to name it after her. This is undoubtedly one of K Ki's bestsellers, and it's not hard to see why it is. Light and delicate white chocolate mousse wrapped around a sweet mango purée centre. This is a personal favourite.

Mona


The Mona also happens to be named after one of Delphine and Kenneth's friends, and here you've got a distinct banana flavour amidst milk chocolate mousse. I especially liked the macaron at the top, which was light and sweet, and which everyone was probably eyeing as well but was too polite to make a grab of it.

Mont Blanc


Another one of K Ki's bestsellers, the Mont Blanc is a chestnut-flavoured cake (see the brown swirls) with soft sponge and sweet cream underneath. Always thought Mont Blanc as the snow-capped French Alps, but hey I love this even more because I get to eat it. Yums.

Kinabaru


Coconut mousse, passionfruit crème and chocolate daquoise, this was another of the unanimous favourites of the morning. Kenneth was saying that since there's already a "Mont Blanc" why not one after Kota Kinabalu, but with a hint of something refreshing in "baru" (Malay word for "new"). Initially, I was having doubts about passionfruit crème after an unpleasant experience at Resorts World's Boulangerie, but K Ki has shown me that magic can be weaved with the right hands. While the coconut flavour could be just a little bit stronger, it still fits with the "light" theme of the cake and I like it a lot.

Strawberry Tart


I'm not the biggest fan of fruit tarts, but at least K Ki's Strawberry Tart base made from "French butter for [a] sable breton (French butter cookie)" with "a thin layer of almond frangipane"[*] was a simple delight to munch on.

Cafe Dumo


The name Cafe Dumo somehow reminded me about this adorable Japanese mascot Domo-kun, which happens to be of a similar brown shade as well. This cake is perfect for guys who want something of a stronger (maybe even manly?) flavour as it's a simply delicious mix of coffee and chocolate. Me loves this.


Lovely cakes, lovely service and lovely company. There's certainly a nice charm to this place and I'm missing K Ki already.

So, will I be returning to K Ki soon? Definitely.

Service
Excellent.

Price
$4.50 for a teapot of Gryphon chamomile tea
$4.00 for the Nespresso latte
$3.50 for the Nespresso regular coffee
$8.00 for the Antoinette
$8.00 for the Mona
$8.00 for the Kinabaru
$6.50 for the Strawberry Tart
$8.50 for the Mont Blanc
$7.50 for the Cafe Dumo

* Prices subject to 10% service charge.

Place
No.7 Ann Siang Hill

Additional Comments
1. At the moment there's only seating room for six (more room on the way), so either come early or be prepared to take-away.
2. Opening Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday: 11am - 9:30pm
Thursday Close at 7pm
Saturday Close at 4pm
Closed on Mondays.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.