Tang's Island Cafe

Tang's Island Cafe has been around for quite a while now and it's one of the few casual places in Orchard that I would go to if I'm looking to have some local fare in a peaceful and cosy restaurant setting. The menu has a fair bit of variety that I believe could do for a simple meal, or a brief respite from all those hours of shopping. Do check out their delectable-looking cakes on display too, they seem quite affordable and I'm sure they would go quite well with some coffee, tea or coolers. Sweet treats.


I liked the Crayfish Laksa, quite a lot too actually. I don't normally hold high expectations for laksa served in a restaurant but this was an exception. The piping hot gravy was thick and spicy, and as it warms you up inside chomp on the all-quintessential tau pok (deep-fried tofu) and fish cakes. The café did not scrimp on the crayfish too, a good thing because there was fresh, succulent meat on both halves. Satisfied much, I really wouldn't mind having this again next time.


Or, just maybe, I should have a go at the Black Pepper Crab Tang Hoon instead, which looked really appetising too. This was stir-fried rice vermicelli, cooked with a strong hint of black pepper and served with a crunchy soft-shell crab on the side. Quite a healthy portion too if I may add. Come to think of it, I'm sure it would have been good to pair it with the laksa gravy, just so it would stay a little moist and have a bit more flavour to it as well. Hmm, I'm getting all hungry just thinking about it.


With such satisfying main courses you would expect anything on the dessert menu to be equally good, if not more. I'm afraid we can't say so for the Thai Red Ruby though, because the ice was not finely shaven enough and the coconut milk was a wee bit little. Somehow it looked quite clumpy when it first arrived, and a pity this wasn't a case of judging a book by its cover. If I may suggest, the café may like to try adding a scoop of coconut ice-cream, I'm sure that will be quite well-received!

Service
Very good.

Price
$16 for the crayfish laksa
$14 for the black pepper crab tang hoon
$6 for the thai red ruby
$4 for a glass of ice cappuccino

* Prices subject to the usual 7% GST and 10% service charge.
** AMEX Cardmembers get 15% off.

Place
Tangs Orchard, Level 4.

Pictures taken with the Apple iPhone 4.

Jai Thai Restaurant

I heard about the good and very affordable food from Jai Thai from a few bloggers and have been wanting to try it for quite some time. I finally did, a full two months plus after trying to find time amidst my busy schedule, but it was worth the wait I guess. While the food is not exactly "wow-impressive" and may not eclipse that of my favourite Ah Loy Thai, the dishes do have a home-cooked feel surrounding them which I quite like. It's also "no pork, no lard" here at Jai Thai.

Fried Tang Hoon


The family was having ala carte dishes with steamed rice, but I thought we could order a main to share as well. The Fried Tang Hoon was quite delicious despite the lack of ingredients, and had an adequate amount of sweetness to it.

Fried Kai Lan with Salted Fish


There wasn't any sambal kangkong, so we'd make do with this. Fresh greens stir-fried with oyster sauce. It's alright.

Beef Green Curry


I thought this was the best dish of the night. The Beef Green Curry tasted very authentic with the slight hint of spiciness but also with the sweetness characteristic of a green curry. This has given me reason to return again and to try the more Thai-based dishes like phad thai and tom yum soup.

Pandan Chicken


My sisters' favourite, deep-fried chicken chunks wrapped in pandan leaves for the little added aroma and flavour. The chicken pieces here are slightly bigger than those that you may find elsewhere.

Fried Chicken with Cashew Nut


Blame my sister for being so boring by ordering yet another chicken dish. It's quite sweet and I ended up liking this much more than her because of the crispy chicken pieces.

Deep Fried Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce


Nothing much to this dish, the flavour of the fish was overwhelmed by the batter and the sweet sauce.

Fried Prawn with Pepper and Garlic


Not the biggest of portions but at least the prawns were sizeable. Not too bad.

Service
Seemingly slow service with only two waiters on a Friday night. The place was packed and families tend to laze around their tables and pretending not to see the long queue outside. As such, reservations are a must. I must add that the waiters, while attending to you, are pretty friendly and polite.

Price
$4 for the fried tang hoon
$4 for the fried kai lan with salted fish
$5 for the beef green curry
$7 for the pandan chicken (five pieces)
$5 for the fried chicken with cashew nut
$6 for the deep fried fish with sweet and sour sauce

Place
7 Clover Way (Jln Pemimpin)
Relatively near Bishan Junction 8 and MRT.

Additional Comment
No pork, no lard.

Pictures taken with the Canon EOS 500D.

Red Ginger

There's a humble Halal-certified eatery tucked at a corner of IMM that I hear is a favourite amongst many heartlanders, and for good reason too. Simple, delicious food at affordable prices, with that hint of a home-cooked meal.


As you can see, there's quite a variety of dishes on offer, not to mention that there's also a nasi padang section beside it which serves a plethora of Malay dishes.

Tahu Goreng: 3.75/5


Not your usual tahu goreng with peanut or satay sauce. As you can probably tell this was served with Thai sweet chilli, which I thought was pretty good.

Nasi Goreng: 3.5/5


The fried rice that I had was really simple but I liked it nonetheless. Not too oily and had that "wok-fried taste" to it. Chicken wing was nice too.

Fried Bee Hoon: 3.5/5


This was delicious and came in a sizeable portion. For those familiar with mee siam, this seemed like a fried version to me.

Seafood Curry: 4/5


Red Ginger's "house favourite" is their fish head curry, but since it was out I got the seafood curry instead. It uses the same fish curry gravy, which is really good! Fair portions of seafood as well. Certainly one of the better fish curries (Malay-style) that I've tried so far.

Nasi Padang


As I mentioned earlier, they have a section where you can select dishes from, and these come in a mix of Malay and Chinese-styled cuisines. Not surprising seeing how the people managing the restaurant are Chinese.

Service
Friendly.

Price
$3.00 for the tahu goreng
$5.20 for the fried rice
$5.20 for the fried bee hoon
$6.50 for the seafood curry
$1.30 for hot beverages like coffee

Place
IMM Building, #01-46.

Killiney Kopitiam

I've always thought Killiney Kopitiam was about coffee, kaya toast and half-boiled eggs. I never knew (until recently, of course) that its menu has expanded steadily to include things like penang fried kway teow, sambal fried rice, black pepper chicken and even fish porridge. I doubt all of the Killiney outlets in Singapore have such an expanded menu, but if there's one place that I can be sure of that would be the new branch at Paradiz Centre.

Sambal Fried Rice: 3.25/5


A very generous portion for the affordable price of $4.50. It usually costs $5 but this was on the "lunch special of the day" list and came with a free barley or grass jelly drink. It's tasty enough for my simple tastebuds, but I have to admit that halfway through the rice you would start feeling a little... bored. Still, decent and cheap enough.

Penang Fried Kway Teow: 3.5/5


The fried noodles were not too bad (generous portion as well) and we noticed that this was almost on every table during the lunch hour. Good balance of noodles with ingredients like prawns, squids and fishcakes. Again, this is nothing impressive but we thought it's decent enough for a simple lunch.

Service
Good.

Price
$5.00 for the sambal fried rice
$0.70 for an additional fried egg
$4.80 for the penang fried kway teow

* Lunch specials vary from day-to-day.

Place
Paradiz Centre (Selegie Road), #01-03.

Additional Comments
1. No pork, no lard menu.
2. First picture source here.

Swissotel, The Stamford

Hey Everybody! Hope everyone is doing great!

It's been quite a while since this blog has seen a new entry, in part because school has just started for me and there's been quite a bit (an understatement, surely) of work that has been screaming to get my time and attention. I do have a couple of dinner appointments lined up in the week ahead, so stay tuned for posts on those ya!

Here's a post about room-service dinner from Swissotel, The Stamford, where me and Daphne stayed over during the National Day weekend.

Complimentary Bread


The buns were alright, but we thought the wholemeal raisin slices were a bit too dry for our liking. We dipped the buns in the smooth and buttery mashed potato (came as a side to my main course) and it worked wonders.

Mushroom Spring Chicken: 4.25/5


A well-fed bird, this spring chicken definitely filled me up for the night. The meat was tender and evenly cooked, with a hint of light mushroom sauce. The fries were thick and potatoey, which was nice.

Char Kway Teow: 4.25/5


Daphne wanted something less-Western, and I suggested that she order this so I could share the chicken with her. The noodles came in a large, hearty portion, but without the usual oilspill that's typical of the char kway teows sold at hawker centres. Adequate portions of ingredients too. It may be a bit pricey for a plate of fried noodles, but well, this is how in-room dining is.

Chocolate Fondue


We had chocolate fondue the following afternoon at the lobby lounge, and I have to admit I had high expectations for this largely because I associated the good, dark chocolate fondue from Swiss Culture to a hotel with well, similar origins. Alas, the chocolate fondue here was more of a milk chocolate variation, and it wasn't heated up that much. I would definitely prefer the addition of tealight candles (to keep the chocolate warm), marshmallows, cookies and maybe a bit of ice-cream as well please!

Price
About $65 for the dinner, including taxes.

Place
Swissotel, The Stamford.

Hong Kong: Hong Kong Day

The Peak is one place you cannot miss when you visit Hong Kong, because it has one of the best views of the city especially at night. I followed the advice of a good many travel guides that recommended a trip there in the late afternoon, so that you get to enjoy the sights in daylight and at night. It was winter when I was Hong Kong, and the weather was fantastic. A good jacket would keep you snug and comfy in the cold.


At The Peak is a tall building that many of the same travel guides describe as "grotesque", but within it you can find a large EA Games store, Madame Tussauds and a good selection of restaurants and cafes. The restaurants have a brilliant view too, and you can imagine just how romantic the setting is.


I would love to be there dining with my special someone, but since we were there in a group (and not to mention, not willing to splurge), we headed to a Hong Kong cafe for a light evening snack. We have so many Hong Kong cafes here in Singapore (see: Xin Wang and C-Nai), and we were curious to see how the ones from Hong Kong would be like. And oh, be happy that you've got English translations on the menu. It's not exactly the norm in Hong Kong.

Toast with Peanut Paste and Condensed Milk



I didn't see much difference between this and the ones offered in Singapore, but nevertheless it's still nicely crisp and awfully sweet.

Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Sliced Beef



I've no idea if we were hungry or if this was just really good. The sauce used for the noodles was sweet and thick, and the beef slices were pretty tender. We slurped this up in record time.

Price
HK$13 for the toast with peanut paste and condensed milk
HK$42 for the stir fried noodles with sliced beef

Place
The Peak
Directions: Take the Peak Tram from the Lower Peak Tram Station, which is located near the Central MTR Station.

Ikea Restaurant II

Everyone's favourite Swedish meatballs right here at Ikea!

Fried Chicken Wings: 8/10


But first, chicken wings! No wonder this is a best seller. Everyone seems to be having at least one of these, with the usual order of six. Crispy, juicy and tasty. A bit oily but hey, indulgence once in a while is acceptable.

Vegetarian Fried Tang Hoon: 7/10


I was trying to make a choice between the fish fillet (Friday's special; for a list of Ikea's Daily Specials, see here) and this fried noodles, and went for the noodle because I've been having too much "western" food lately. The noodles were a little too dry, but the side dishes like the mock sausages and mock chicken fillet were delicious. And I have to say the chicken wings went very well with the noodles too.

And oh, this is not on offer now. For a list of November's vegetarian dishes, click here.

Swedish Meatballs: 9/10


Daphne's rating. She would be glad to give a full score for the gravy. These meatballs are a mix of beef and pork, that's why I can't eat them.

Kids Spaghetti: 5.9/10


Really small-sized ordinary pasta that I ordered for her to accompany her meatballs.

Daim Cake: 8/10



We were a bit too full to appreciate this, but I still think it's pretty good. Tastes a bit like Ritter Sport's Cornflakes chocolate. This cake is a bit nutty, a bit wafery, and very chocolatey. Nice.

Service
Very quick. Self-service though, and queue's terribly long for a Friday evening.

Price
$1.40 for a chicken wing
$5.50 for the vegetarian tang hoon
$6.50 for the regular meatballs
$2.90 for the kids spaghetti
$1.50 for a refillable soft drink (can share!)
$3.50 for a daim cake

Place
Ikea Restaurant
317 Alexandra Road

Hooked on Heads

After reading a more than favourable review of this place by a famous foodie, I decided to bring Daphne here for dinner. We initially wanted to have our crispy prata fix at Thomson, but eventually felt Hooked on Heads deserved a try.

The "famous foodie" that I mentioned is none other than Dr Leslie Tay, whose IeatIshootIpost food blog has one of the highest hit rates here in Singapore. It tells how good the review was, since Hooked on Heads has it placed as a large poster inside the restaurant itself.

Fried Beef Kway Teow: 7.8/10



The photos are before and afters, the latter of which was after I took away the garnishing haha. Pretty good stuff, very generous portion of beef and the black sauce used was sweet and tasty. For those who are not exactly sure, "kway teow" is a type of flat rice noodles.

Phad Thai: 7.4/10


Daphne had this, but felt that the one at Joe's Kitchen was better because it was nuttier (more crushed peanuts) and has her favourite "chai poh" (something close to pickled radish). Overall the one here at Hooked on Head's is good too, but could do less with the tomato like sauce that they used. Adequately moist without being too wet, and pleasantly fragrant and sweet.

Banana Fritters Special: 9/10



A splendid choice for dessert really. Yes, I'm gonna say it again, delightfully crisp on the outside, yet still soft and smooth bananas on the inside. The addition of chocolate ice-cream was great too, and having it with the hot banana fritters was just lovely. In fact, we ordered another scoop too =)

Service
Very good.

Price
$5.80+ for the fried beef kway teow
$7.00+ for the phad thai
$5.80+ for the banana fritters special
$1.50+ for a single scoop of ice-cream

Prices subject to 10% service charge

The menu can be found here.

Place
6 Sin Ming Road #01-01/02, Sin Ming Plaza Tower 2
Website: http://www.hookedonheads.com/

Additional Comment
All dishes are pork and lard free.

Streets Cafe & Restaurant III

Daphne really really wanted her pumpkin fries, and since I never did want to order it when it was just the two of us together, the fact that we had friends for dinner meant that she could finally order them. Other than Ci Nai, Streets is the other favourite of ours when it comes to Hong Kong cafes in Singapore.

Pumpkin Fries: 8/10


Alright, so IMM's portion is at least twice this. The rating belongs to the Daphne, terribly high as it is. Daphne (and a couple of our friends) liked this nonetheless, with one continually commenting that if the girls didn't take the fries quickly enough, he would finish them all. They all agreed it's a unique taste, with the salted egg yolk giving it a different kind of oomph.

French Fries: 7.5/10


Yes yes, you can get this everywhere. But the portion's very healthy, the fries came hot and crisp, and they taste good.

Streets Special XO Seafood Noodle: 7.7/10


I would not have ordered this if not for a lady nearby who seemed to be enjoying her noodles a lot. I pointed to it, asked what it is, and told the waitress, "I want that." And it tasted great too, not too oily and pretty generous with ingredients. The only minus point is that the XO is almost nowhere to be tasted, I believe they added only half a teaspoon (if not less).

Macau Fried Rice with Chicken Chop: 7.4/10


Daphne decided to have this again, and still likes it.

Black Pepper Beef Baked Rice


Kimberly ordered this, and it did look yummy. Very cheesy with tender pieces of beef. She said it was good.

Dry Noodles with Garlic Pork Ribs


Quite obviously I did not try this, but Huixiang was eating the ribs with much relish.

Service
If you can't speak Chinese, oh don't get me started.

Price
$6.50 for the pumpkin fries
$3.90 for the french fries (served with mayo)
$7.80 for the seafood xo noodles
$7.80 for the macau fried rice
$8.90 for the black pepper beef baked rice
$6.80 for the noodles with pork ribs
$2.00 for a can of coke
$3.50 for iced honey lemon tea

All prices not inclusive of the usual 7% GST and 10% service charge

Place
Raffles City Shopping Centre #B1-44C
Also: IMM Building #01-126

Additional Comment
Free Lime Tea Cooler for September babies.