Sungei Wang Ampang Yong Tau Foo

This is my favourite stall for yong tau foo, which, for our non Singaporean guests, is a mix of self chosen (often) seafood or soup ingredients. Recommended by local media, as the stall so boasts, it is little wonder why it often has a regular line of loyal customers like us - for me I get a craving for it once a month!

The special thing about this yong tau foo stall is that they deep fry for you ingredients that are meant to be deep fried rather than boiled eg. sausages, fried eggs, pre fried tauhu. And they have sotong you tiao too, which when fried is oh so good!

Ampang Yong Tau Foo: 9/10


This is what I always have, because I feel putting the newly deep fried ingredients back into soupy bases would only serve to moisten them unnecessarily. This "ampang" gravy has a unique sweetness to it, and normally I would add a little more zest to it with a dash of pepper.


If you look closely, I outdone myself surely by choosing every possible fried stuff. Not really, but often times, I stick to my favourite order of at least the usual three sotong you tiao, two sausages and one fried egg. Sinful? Not really, because it feels like heaven =)

Laksa Yong Tau Foo: 8.5/10


While I usually stick to the "ampang" gravy, Daphne likes hers with a spicy laksa base. In the picture(s) above, you can see that the both of us are just pigging out on the fried stuff really.

Service
Satisfactory.

Price
Usual yong tau foo fare. $0.50 per piece, minimum of 7 pieces. Additional $0.50 (each) for curry gravy/rice/noodles. Mine and hers cost $4.50 each. Very cheap considering how much we enjoyed our dinner.

Place
Sungei Wang Ampang Yong Tau Foo
Stall No.5
Suntec Fountain Food Terrace
Suntec City Basement One

Additional Comments
Yum yum =)

Marche Restaurant

If you read one of my food posts some time back, you'd know that me and Daphne made a trip to the Swiss Baeckerei at Frankel Ave because of the closed outlet at Suntec, and Vilage too closed at the Heeren Orchard. In an effort to make sure that Daphne could have her much missed Marche Rosti, we headed to Vivocity after school.

Plain Rosti with Sour Cream: 7/10

Were we disappointed? Yes, I have to say we were quite so. The rosti we had here was quite oily and didnt exactly go well with the sour cream. Tempted to rate a 6.5 even, but well, we hope it was an exception. Call us lenient.

Crepe with Mushrooms: 7.5/10


This was slightly better as compared to the rosti, though it had the same problem of not fitting nicely with the sides like this orange sauce (I assume is mushroom sauce with some spices, because well, it tasted somewhat like that) we had served with it.

Service
Good. Very polite staff. Pretty peaceful atmosphere too.

Price
Pretty alright. $5.95 for the rosti, $7+ for the crepe (I think).

Place
Vivocity Level 3

Additional Comments
For the uninitiated, you charge your food to a card given to you at the start. You then pay at cashout.

Tambuah Mas

Me and Daphne initially thought we would have a try at the Lemongrass Thai Restaurant at Heeren, but seeing their menu and anticipating almost ordinary zhi char (a phrase some Chinese speaking people would use to describe Chinese ala-carte dishes; here it's broadly meant for asian dishes) fare, and at higher prices too, we travelled down to Paragon in search for something else for dinner.

We settled for Tambuah Mas, a small Indonesia restaurant after Daphne mentioned that she likes Tahu Telor (see below) and used to have that with her family at Sanur (another popular Indonesian restaurant).

Nasi Putih / Nasi Kuning


No ratings for these, because really, it's just rice! Putih refers to white, Kuning refers to yellow, if you hadn't already known.

Tahu Telor: 8/10


Tahu Telor is something like fried tofu in egg batter (hence tahu=tofu, telor=egg) and it's one of the most popular Indonesian dishes here in Singapore. This Tahu Telor from Tambuah Mas was nicely crispy on the outside yet still had the smooth texture of tofu on the inside. The sweet sauce was a good complement to the overall taste.

Ayam Goreng Istimewa: 6/10


I had high expectations for this dish not because I'd tried it before or have heard about it, but simply because of its name, which when translated meant Special Fried Chicken. It turned out pretty ordinary, though Daphne kind of liked the slight taste of spices used to marinate the chicken.

Cumi Cumi Goreng: 7/10


Cute nume, Cumi Cumi, but this is your Indonesian version of fried calamari. It's very crispy and pretty good actually, but somehow we felt it would have been better if it was less spicy. If you had a few at a go, you'd find yourself taking quick sips of water. Eat it with the rice then.

Service
Attentive staff during mealtime.

Place
Orchard Paragon Basement One.
Also: Marina Square

Additional Comments
If you look at our dishes, they're all pretty dry, so here at Tambuah Mas you could request for a bowl of curry gravy, which they would give free of charge. It went very well with my yellow rice.

Swiss Baeckerei

Recently me and Daphne took a trip down to Vilage at Heeren Orchard for her sudden craving for rosti, only to find the place closed. Our follow-up trip to Suntec revealed that Marche was closed too, now replaced by works for TCC. In an attempt to be the all so sweet friend I took her to the Swiss Baeckerei at Frankel Avenue today to satisfy that very craving.

Rosti with Bratwurst: 7/10. Rosti: 6.5, Bratwurst: 8


When the rosti came, I think me and Daphne had different looks at it. I was thrilled because it looked burnt and crisp, while the girl preferred her rosti less brown and more... potato-ey, just like the one Marche has.

Indeed, the rosti was warm and crispy, but it had a little too much spice for either of our liking. The sausage (choice between pork, veal and chicken; naturally we had the veal) helped a lot though, not only was it meaty, it tasted good too. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but you have this feeling it's some well-processed sausage. The skin wasn't too dry and inside had just the right bit of moisture for a sausage.

Croque Champignon (Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Mushrooms): 7.5/10


Melted cheese on great bread, with lots of black pepper pan friend mushrooms, yummy! The toasted bread gave it a crisp feel which went well with the smooth cheese and mushrooms.

Service
Very good. Very polite and patient waitresses in this neat little cafe.

Price
More than average. $14.90 for the Rosti and Bratwurst, $11.90 for the Croque Champignon, both inclusive with choice of hot or cold drinks.

Place
97 Frankel Avenue

Additional Comments
None, except that parking is a chore. I had to park around the bungalows.

The Mind Cafe

The menu online looked really good, and the package looked really attractive too, so we thought why not. Eight of us packed in The Mind Cafe at Purvis Street eagerly enjoying ourselves before school reopens next week! Here's our take on the food we ordered.

Mushroom Soup: 4.9/10


This was the Soup of the Day, and it was ordinary. No complaints, but no wild praises either.

Mind Crispy Chicken Platter: 7/10


Three of us ordered this. What I liked about this was the portion, because boy was the chicken slice big and chunky. The meat though was just alright, and after a while we found it a tad too oily to swallow. While I'm accustomed to oily and crispy chicken, the two other boys slowly did away with their chicken skins. Still, it was good enough for me.

The Boat Quay Fisherman: 7/10


Daphne had the usual fish and chips, much of it was because we saw someone else having this and it looked promising. Normal fare really, wasn't too oily and we felt the fish was fresh enough.

Salmon Pasta: 6.5/10


One of the boys had this, and he felt those served at Cafe Cartel or NUS' Munchie Monkeys are better. He preferred it more creamy.

Marinara Pasta: 7.5/10


Seafood pasta is always one of my fav. One of the girls ordered this and she enjoyed it. Good sauce and fresh ingredients.

Seafood Lasagna: 3/10
The girl who had this didn't like it because she felt it seemed more like minced seafood. As much as it looked like lasagna, it tasted more like tomato sauce with slight amounts of cheese. In her words, she found this "super unsatisfying". While we may not have the pic for this, it did look pretty dry to me.

The Mind - Black and White Brownie: 8/10


This was good. Very rich brownie, and I liked the chocolate bits at the top. Any sweet tooth would say aye to this! The vanilla ice-cream was, vanilla, but hey, the highlight is on the brownie.

Milo Godzilla: 8.5/10
Someone wanted Iced Milo, then someone else wanted Milo Dinosaur (which is Iced Milo with Milo powder added at the top for added sweetness heaven). And then I decided to top it off with Milo Godzilla. Coolness in the names isn't it. Milo Godzilla is like a Milo Dinosaur Float. Very thick and sweet as I love it!

Service
Outstanding. Very very helpful and patient staff - with the games and the food. There were eight rowdy and crazy people in us but still they were so cool and calm with us being so slow and indecisive. Thumbs up.

Price
Very very worth it. It was $16.90++ (++ for 10% Service Charge and 7% GST) for:
1. One Drink (Any drink from the menu)
2. One Soup of the Day or Salad
3. One Main Course
4. One Mind Brownie
5. Two hours of boardgaming

Place
Purvis Street, Bugis.
Also: Boat Quay, Prinsep Street.

Additional Comments
NUS Matriculation Cards get their 10% Service Charge waived. Cool, especially when the service is so good!

Nude Restaurant by Indochine

Me and Daphne wanted somewhere peaceful and pleasant, and walking past Nude Restaurant a week before we thought it would be good for a Christmas Eve dinner. We're not Christians, no church for us, so we were pretty much merely indulging in the fun and commercialisation of it all. We remembered to make our reservations early too.

Ragout - IndoChine's French Beef Stew: 9/10


I wanted something warm and the beef stew sounded good, "Succulent beef, sweet potatoes and carrots delicately prepared to ensure robustness and richness in flavour". And it was a great choice indeed. Really rich and thick stew, the way I like it, very fragrant and not watery. The beef was so soft and tender, even my girl who dislikes beef found it good.

BBQ Chicken Set: 7/10


At first, it sure did look like something out of the jungle haha. Creatively designed for sure. The chicken was good, but Daphne found the chilli sauce far too spicy for her. We mixed the noodles with the chilli and probably we should have just kept it for the chicken. Very (or too) fresh salad, you can even see the plastic slices used to separate the veg, as though it was straight out from the fridge.

Ice Lemon Tea Cooler: 5/10
Maybe we didn't stir it properly, because while the first two sips were sweet, the rest of it was tasteless! Still, the sips being little, I guess there was too little sugar in this cooler.

Service
Good.

Price
$20 per person, the whole bill came out to just $45.

Place
Orchard Wisma Atria, Level One
http://www.indochine.com.sg/

Additional Comments
Western food also available. The couple next to us had fish and chips, and grilled chicken, both of which looked big and promising. For next time then!

Ikea Restaurant

I think when anyone who has ever been to the Ikea restaurant, the first thing that would come to their mind would be the Swedish Meatballs, and that was exactly what the girlfriend wanted when we were en route to Alexandra Road.

Pity the meatballs had pork, so I left it to Daphne to enjoy them herself. Although I wasn't hungry and was supposed to have a light dinner, the smell of fried chicken left me with little choice.

Fried Bee Hoon Set: 7/10. Fried Chicken: 8/10


I decided to go with something light like BeeHoon and it turned out alright. Nothing to shout about for the ordinary otah fish cake and fried fish slice (the sweet waitress said she would "give [me] a bigger piece of fish" because I didn't want the veg) but I chose to give a separate rating for the chicken because it was pretty well fried and marinated.

Swedish Meatballs and Spaghetti: 8.5/10


Daphne was cooing with delight at every bite of the meatballs, and she said she would give a separate rating for the meatball gravy at 9/10. The spaghetti was typical, and it seemed it was more of a side dish as compared to the meatballs. The gravy wasn't given if you bought it with spaghetti though, so we had to pay $0.30 for a plate of it.

Service
Self-service. One of the dish aunties yelped at Daphne when we unintentionally used the plain water drinking cup to fill it with 7-Up. We thought it was obvious that we intended to fill it with drinks but realised we weren't charged for it. Drinks are refillable though.

Price
Cheap. $5.50 for the noodles set, around $6.00 for the meatball spaghetti and $1.50 for drinks (refillable).

Place
IKEA Alexandra Road Level 2
Also: IKEA Tampines Level 4
http://ikea.com.sg/store_services/restaurant.asp

Additional Comments
Kids Menu available.
For those who want to cook some meatballs and gravy at home, these are sold at the Swedish Food Market, Level 1.

Hip Diner

Billy Bombers decided to set up another eatery that's less expensive and more in tune with the youth (read: HIP diner) and voila you've got Hip Diner. Daphne wanted to try this for quite some time, and it did look alright to me. Staying away from the downtown crowd, we went to the outlet at Bugis instead.

The decor is quite retro and is clearly an attempt to make this place look like your ordinary American cafe-diner with the bright red pvc seats. Service was outstanding, the staff were all smiling and obliging, which in itself is like a good appetiser.

Mixed Grill: 6.7/10


I wanted to get the Mixed Grill because of some good reviews by foodies on the Net, but the portion of this dish was quite small. While it has almost everything - fish, egg, sausage, turkey bacon strips and veg, I realised it could do better with a good slice of beef. The sausage was quite tough and cold, but the strips were good. I still prefer my Mixed Grill at Jack's Place.

Grilled Chicken Leg: 8/10


The grilled chicken came sizzling in the pan and looked promising. The sauce was good and sweet and Daphne liked the mashed potatoes too.

Service
Great, with attentive staff. Very polite and I could see some of them were really trying to be fluent. Good effort.

Price
Around $20 per person inclusive of service charge and gst.

Place
Bugis Junction Basement
Also: Cathay Cineleisure Level One

Additional Comments
No pork, no lard.

Miss Clarity Cafe

I had a craving for Miss Clarity's Black Pepper Crispy Chicken and so me and Daphne headed there once again - we were there twice within the fortnight =) It's close to Bugis and needs reservations on weekday nights since I heard it's quite popular. Looking at the menu, I realised it's very very affordable too.

Calamari Rings: 8/10


This came hot and one bite and you know it's really crispy goodness. The calamari (or 'sotong' as some of us prefer to call it) is real in the sense that it's not some paste or fake meat (like fake crabmeat), and taste fresher than those you would find at Old Chang Kee. This was good stuff, and had set the pace for the main course.

Black Pepper Crispy Chicken: 8.3/10


The sauce and herbs used were very good, and unlike the harder crispier skin at BBQ Chicken, this one was softer but just as sweet and tasty. I loved this dish really. The steamed potatoes were good too! On my second visit however, the chicken was a little too oily for my liking. But I refuse to change the ratings because it could have just been a lil mistake on their part. You guys are forgiven!

Chicken Baked Rice: 5/10

We were surprised this didn't turn out that good. While the chicken chunks were alright, the rice was cold and had a bland tomato taste. The melted cheese too was quite cold and clung to the sides of the dish. Felt very oven heated if you get what I mean.

Twin Delight: 9/10

My pants was already bursting at the seams but because she didn't have a very good main course I agreed to share the cake with her. It was fantastic. It had chocolate, bit of coffee if I remember correctly, and vanilla all mixed together in divine goodness. Soft and smooth, this was good.

Service
Just like the wallpapers of the restaurant, the waitresses at Ms Clarity Cafe were all as sweet and cheery.

Price
$7.00 for the calamari rings,
$7.50 for the chicken / baked rice,
$4.50 for the twin delight.

Place
5 Purvis Street #01-04
http://www.missclaritycafe.com/

Additional Comments
No reservations for Fridays and Saturdays, and it's closed on Sundays.

BBQ Chicken

I would put double question marks for the cuisine because it's declared as Korea's No.1 Chicken Restaurant, though I suppose it has very much more to do with a competition with KFC, or something like that, in Korea.

I like fried chicken a lot I realise, but sometimes eating too much of it makes me feel sinful and watching my tummy. In comes BBQ Chicken, with its selling point in using "100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil" which probably makes it healthier. Either that or I'm just finding excuses to keep coming to my favourite restaurant for my fix of fried chicken with rice.

Me and Daphne decided to order two separate chicken sets so we could try one each, and I have to admit it was my idea since I was stuck on what to order haha. I was busy eyeing plates around the restaurant and wanted to try everything heh.

Original Chicken: 7.5/10


"Definitely tender on the inside, crispy on the outside." I couldn't agree more. I find the chicken less oily than KFC's, and it has a different taste from normal fried chicken because of the oil. It smells great, and goes well with the crispy wedges and rice, which is added through a "top-up" to "complete the meal".

Korean Charboiled: 8/10


Don't be fooled by the burn marks, it really is just the bits of oil that went dark. The chicken was very soft and tender, and once again the oil and special herbs had an effect on the taste. It makes it simply different really, and you've still got that yummy bbq-grill taste in your mouth.

Service
Great. Very polite staff.

Price
Very affordable. If KFC is alright for you, then a couple more dollars is really worth making you even happier. $7.50 for two pieces of the original chicken, $9.00 for charboiled. $3 to add a drink, coleslaw, wedges and rice. For more, check out its webbie.

Place
Cathay Cineleisure Orchard B1-04/05
http://www.bbq-chicken.com.sg/index.php

Additional Comments
This restaurant is Halal-certified.
There is a new outlet at the Marina Square Food Loft. Should be a very strong competitor against the Indonesian Grill there.
PASSION Card members get extra 10% off. Yayness.

Azabu Sabo

20 Oct 07: Me and Daphne were initially drawn to this restaurant in Marina Square because of its attractive ice-cream and so decided to have dinner here as well.

Sabo Style Chicken Teriyaki Bento: 7/10


I have to admit I'm not very adventurous when it comes to Japanese food, so I stuck to something safe like Chicken Teriyaki. Initially I thought Azabu was generous, judging by the size and depth of the bento box, only to realise seconds later that the food occupies only half the height heh.

The chicken was how I like it, roasted and sweet. The rice and egg however, whether intentionally or not, was quite cold and dry, which explains for the dish's low marks. It would have been better if there was more teriyaki sauce to mix with the rice.

Udon Noodle with Tempura: 7.9/10


Daphne had this because she fancies her udon and ramen. She likes the soup very much but found the udon a tad bit chewy.

Strawberry Sundae: 9/10


We decided to share a dessert, and initially I wanted the Red Bean Paste Sundae. Daphne however was more interested in something fruity, and so I gave in. Turns out that the fresh fruits and smooth vanilla ice-cream was worth the try, and the addition of other fruits than just strawberry makes the sundae not only aesthetically pleasing in colour, but also a sweet mix of taste.

If you're curious, here's a peek at the dessert page of the menu!



Service
Good. The waitresses who attended to us were very attentive and constantly on the lookout for drinks refill and new orders.

Price
About $40 for everything, so it's quite alright. Other than the dessert, I might actually say I prefer Sakae Sushi's rice sets, but Daphne likes the Udon here better. Must be the soup.

Place
6 Raffles Boulevard #02-170 / 171 Marina Square
http://www.azabusabo.com.sg/index.htm

Additional Comments
I wanna try the Red Bean Paste Sundae! Note: Kitchen Mogu-Mogu at Far East Orchard, a Japanese eatery that has opened recently, was said to have something similar, and at a much cheaper price of $3.90. Guess I should try both soon!

Hard Rock Cafe Singapore

I have not visited this place for quite a long time, but in my army days I used to come here for desserts, especially the oh so heavenly Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae. This is a big must try for everyone, don't be surprised by the size ;) Hard Rock uses Haagan-Dazs ice-cream, lovely. Nice cosy environment, little wonder why so many Americans dine here with their families, and you've got mtv playing on the big screen. If you come later in the evening, around 11pm, you would usually have a nice live band playing for you.

Herb Grilled Chicken Breast: 7.5/10


I chose this because we wanted to share and weren't exactly starving, which explains why we didn't consider their signature grills or burgers. We'll leave that for next time. Or very soon.

Really well grilled chicken, and the herb sauce was tops. Wished I could have more of both. It would have been good if there was more potato-ey sides to accompany this too - the fried potatoes can't even be seen in the picture, just hidden underneath. Should be better with mashed potatoes, with extra servings of the sauce!

Fish and Chips: 7/10


I've tried a lot of fish and chips here in Singapore, so I have to admit my expectations for any new dish of fish and chips would be high. The good thing about this dish was that I liked the crispy batter, and you can tell the fish is fresh. It goes very well with the tartar. Only problem was that it could be a tad too oily, which then explains why we kept dipping it in tartar. Still not too bad after all.

Service
Outstanding. From the time you step in, you just have this feeling that you're very welcomed, and me being so fussy about sitting place, they had us changed twice and still kept their smiles up. I also saw a couple of birthdays being celebrated, the birthday kid, or adult, would normally stand on top of the chair, the birthday tune comes up and everybody in the restaurant would sing for the celebrity. Sweet.

Price
For what we had it was around $40, though if we had ventured to the smokehouse choices the bill would definitely have been higher. We're urged to try soon. The price seems fine to me.

Place
50 Cuscaden Road #05-01
http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/cafe.aspx?LocationID=81&MIBEnumID=3

Additional Comments
NUS DBS Debit Card Holders get 15% off. Extra sweet ;)