Sakura Halal Thai Chinese Restaurant

The name itself is unique and deserves mention surely - four cultures under one name, one restaurant. Some of the food in the menu is Thai-inspired no doubt, but most of the rest are your standard, no frills Asian dishes like fried rice and stir-fried noodles. It's certainly a draw for many Muslim patrons, but I realised that half of the tables in the restaurant at Far East Plaza were filled by Chinese customers as well.

Nothing much to review on the food, so it's more or less pictures from here on. The portions are just nice, probably a little too much for weight-conscious young ladies, but it's good enough for me.

Dendeng Fried Rice


"Dendeng" is your Halal, beef-version of the Chinese "bak kwa" (barbecued pork slices), and it fits quite well with the rice here, especially since the dendeng has a slight peppery taste. Looks empty here because I didn't want any vegetables haha.

Beef Fried Rice


Crispy Noodles with Seafood


Mee Goreng


Fried Kway Teow with Cockles


Service
Young staff, but attentive most of the time.

Price
$6 for the dendeng fried rice
$4.50 for the crispy noodles with seafood

*The rest of the dishes are around $4 to $6 as well.

Place
Orchard Far East Plaza, #05-34/36.

Additional Comments
1. Certified Halal.
2. Has a Cafe as well, which serves Western food and snacks.

Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe II

Me and Daphne were thinking of having dinner at the foodcourt in Plaza Singapura but it was under renovation (or so we presumed) and we eventually settled on Xin Wang just beside it. It's actually my third time here at this Xin Wang branch, and I realised that they're always playing songs from Jay Chou. Maybe it's the manager's favourite haha.

Stir-Fried Seafood Hor Fun: 6.5/10


I spotted this dish at a neighbouring table, and it looked good enough for me to point it out to the waitress. Somehow it came out looking more like the "fish hor fun (dry)" in the menu, when I would have preferred an assortment of seafood instead. I found the noodles a tad too oily, and the fried fish fillets were a bit cold too I realised. The good thing? Healthy portion for a hungry guy.

Luncheon Meat Mee Sua: 6/10


Daphne had this, which I learnt was her usual order when she couldn't decide on anything else. She didn't like the veggies, found it too raw, but otherwise it's really an ordinary dish.

Coffee


Something to keep me awake for the night! Typical-tasting coffee.

Service
Not bad, has improved quite a bit to be honest.

Price
$9.80 for the seafood hor fun
$7.50 for the luncheon meat mee sua
$1.40 for a cup of coffee
$1.20 for a cup of horlicks

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

Place
Plaza Singapura #06-08/09/10

Additional Comments
Opening Hours:
Monday to Thurday – 11am to 1am
Friday – 11am to 2am
Saturday – 11am to 2am
Sunday – 10am to 1am

Dai Ka Jie

The both of us were thinking of something oriental, something Chinese, for dinner and I suggested Dai Ka Jie at Heeren because I had a cut-out coupon from The Sunday Times (check the Lifestyle section every Sunday for the "Yummy Treats" page) that gave us a 30% discount on their roast duck. Miss Funshine Bear joined us for dinner as well, though she was contented with just smiling and watching us enjoy our food.

Granny Mui Roast Duck: 7.8/10



For slightly over $8 (after the 30% discount), this duck turned out to be very satisfying indeed. It was very well roasted and there was little fats to bother us. The sauce poured on it was very good too, and we kept soaking our duck slices with it. A couple of parts closest to the bones were quite tough, but overall this went down well with us.

Dai Ka Jie Fried Rice: 7.5/10


I read about this fried rice on other blogs, and the people liked the Chinese sausages cooked with it. This time round though, I asked for the sausages to be removed and the cook was okay with it, giving me instead many more prawns. On taste, it's a typical fried rice, fragrant with just the right amount of salt and pepper. I liked it, especially when eaten with the roast duck. Yums.

Five Spice Roll Noodle: 7.7/10



The girlfriend liked her noodles, she said it was "springy" enough, the gravy was fine, and the spice rolls were crisp and tasty.

Service
Very good. You know sometimes I complain about the state of service that some foreign Chinese staff give me, but here at Dai Ka Jie I have no complaints at all. The staff, and really this is a marker of patience, bent down and listened patiently to my terrible Mandarin, understood the orders and politely excused herself to check if my special requests could be made. She had this tomboyish haircut, if you happen to be there. Our glasses of iced water were also constantly refilled.

Price
$11.80 for the Granny Mui Roast Duck,
$9.00 for the Dai Ka Jie Fried Rice
$9.80 for the Five Spice Roll Noodles

*The usual GST (7%) and service charge (10%) applies.

Place
Orchard Heeren, Level 5.

Japanese Gourmet Town

Ah, the Japanese. For a country that has always been the highlight of our nation-building project (read: Japanese Occupation), we sure do love their food, their anime, their manga, their (at times) odd dressing and their Hello Kittys. Japanese food outlets have certainly been on the rise, especially so if you realise in food courts where a Japanese cuisine stall is becoming almost commonplace.


Located next to Awfully Chocolate in Vivocity is Japanese Gourmet Town, a restaurant that houses three eateries and a combined menu featuring ramen, Japanese curry and "okos" (Botejyu insists it's the hip name for okonomiyaki, a Japanese-style pancake).


Apparently, these restaurants hail from different parts of Japan, though I'm not sure if they necessarily specialise in the various food offered. Singaporeans may be more familiar with Ajisen Ramen, so if you're coming here you might want to try the other two. Not all dishes are offered though, sadly, because I initially wanted to order some omu-soba which looked really good on the menu. For the menu, you might like to check one of my favourite food blogger's posts here (she takes awesome pictures with her dslr man!).

Seafood Yaki-Soba: 6.7/10


As I mentioned, I wanted to try the seafood omu-soba, which wraps the yaki-soba (yellow noodles) in an omelette. Since they didn't have it (I forgot to ask if this is a temporary or permanent arrangement), I settled for the "naked" soba. Seeing how the menu listed "octopus" as an ingredient, I told the foreign Chinese waitress that I didn't want that, only for her to ask if I still wanted the squid. I said, yeah, just not the octopus, and she replied, "No no, octopus is squid head". Puzzled, I said that octopus is not a squid, but she insisted. I wanted to add that I understood that both are part of the crustacean family but are not the one same thing, but held back and just said, "Fine, no squid head then". When my seafood yaki-soba arrived, the first thing I saw was a small head looking at me.

Trivia from Wikipedia: Octopuses have three hearts. Two pump blood through each of the two gills, while the third pumps blood through the body.


I think this dish was pretty disappointing. There was so much cabbage and there wasn't much taste to it. The portion did look small, but then the noodles expand quite fast in you that you feel quite full after a while. Even if this is not the "salty" one (there is a salt flavoured seafood yaki soba), it is still rather salty to me, so much so that I was taking in more water than usual. Explains for the expanding soba inside of me haha.

Spicy Ramen: 6.8/10


Daphne felt the portion shrunk a little, but was merrily slurping up the soup even when she was hissing from the spiciness ha. Too little noodles, too little ingredients, this noodles would be worse for those who can't take too spicy a dish. Daphne did say she wants to take on the volcano ramen soon (supposedly even spicier) and I would expect to see her hissing her way through haha.

I might return to try to the "okos", but otherwise I don't know, doesn't seem that promising. By the way, we passed by this new fast food place called Barcelos, and it looks pretty interesting. We might head there soon if we have the time. Someone go try it fast and tell me about it!

Service
Many are trainees, they do seem to be trying their best. Their manager was like persuading them to greet anyone who walks in. Problem is, you know, foreign Chinese service staff and the command of English... What to do, what to do. This is the government trying to maintain the Chinese population.

Oh, and you write your orders on a piece of paper (HK-cafe style), and you bring the bill to the counter at the front. And yes, you still pay 10% service charge.

Price
$12.80 for the seafood yaki-soba
$9.00 for the spicy ramen

*subject to usual 7% GST and 10% service charge

Place
#01-157/158 Vivocity.

Newton Food Centre [Noodles]

It's coming to a year now since this humble blog was created and I'm glad to see that this little baby has passed 10,000 hits (it's 10573 when I'm blogging this), averaging close to 35 unique readers a day. Thank you to everyone, my friends and blog followers especially, for your support! =)


I'm also beginning to adore my Nokia N85 so much because of the quality pictures it's taking. I'm still trying to fiddle around with the settings, but the colours and sharpness thus far have been really good, especially for a camera phone. Initially I had intended to get the Samsung Innov8 that has an 8-megapixel camera but it seemed too bulky to me. The Carl Zeiss lens of the N85 meanwhile looks to make up for its 5-megapixels, which is an immense improvement from the first generation camera handphones of VGA or 1.3-megapixel cameras.

And, if you're wondering when I'm ever going to use my Canon Ixus 80, well soon, haha, to be honest I've not even charged it yet ;)

Indian Cuisine


John had a craving for some Indian food, and I found that there were only around three stalls scattered around the food centre that could satisfy that craving. This stall in particular (No.44) was along the Number 40+ row of stalls, of which I normally frequent Stall 49's seafood. I think every hawker in Newton has realised that the best way to make business now is not really through touting but really to make a great first impression and hope you return to them. Such a change is good for customers surely.

Mutton Murtabak: 7.7/10



I like this murtabak a lot actually, even if it may not necessarily be out of this world to others. It was served hot, gently crisp on the sides, and tasted good. The curry that came with the murtabak complemented it very well.

Indian Mee Goreng: 8/10


All three of us, me, Darren and John, felt that this fried noodles deserves a thumbs up. For $4, the portion was quite healthy, and it was adequately moist and not too spicy. There were bits of mutton as well that many other Indian stalls have begun to exclude from their noodles.

Mutton Soup: 9/10


Oh this was really good man. I like it hot and thick, and they were quite generous with the mutton as well. Flavourful and fragrant too, it does perk your senses up at every spoonful. For those who are down with flu, try this for a remedy, it has been my tried and tested cure for a long time haha.

Price
$6 for the mutton soup (can be shared by three)
$5 for the mutton murtabak
$4 for the mee goreng

Place
Din Muslim Food, Stall 44.

Chinese Cuisine


The boys were still hungry (of course) so the both of them were considering sharing something else. We had already decided to save some space for supper at Roti Prata House at Thomson, so we didn't want to fill ourselves up too much. Since Fiona Xie's (local media darling) pictures were plastered on the walls of this stall at the entrance of the food centre, John and Darren decided to try the minced pork noodles to see if it is worth the hype. The both of them were initially uncertain if they should have pork when I'm around, but I was urging them to go ahead because I wanted them to enjoy the dinner since they were just back (Darren more so) from overseas studies.

Minced Pork Noodles: 7.7/10



The both of them felt it was not too bad after all, Darren himself was busy slurping up the soup that came with it. The noodles were not too "springy" and they liked the gravy base.

Price
$4

Place
XO Minced Meat Noodle, found at entrance of the food centre.

Additional Comment
This stall in particular is open 24 hours!

And The Usual...


I usually avoid the mild touting by heading straight for my favourite stall. We didn't exactly feel like ordering dishes, so we got the one thing that we did want.

BBQ Sambal Stingray: 8.8/10


Is this really "Chinese" cuisine, or a hybridisation of a seafood grill with Malay sambal and "chincaluk" (brine shrimp sauce, which some believe originated from Malaysia)? Thanks to my enjoyable Sociology of Food module, I really think more about the food I eat these days!

Well, on taste, this stingray keeps getting better and better each time I return to this stall. It's sooooooo fresh, and the chilli is nicely spicy without having to burn anyone's tongue. Very well-grilled and not burnt at all. Great stuff.

Price
$10

Place
Denmark Seafood, Stall 49.

Additional Comments
1. No pork, no lard at this stall, they use vegetarian oil.
2. If you're more particular, there are plenty of stalls around here that have Halal certification.

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.

Zhou's Kitchen

Started by the popular Tung Lok Group, Zhou's Kitchen has seen a steady expansion across the island city and has branches at Far East Square, Anchorpoint and Novena Square 2. Undoubtedly a mid-end range chain as compared to My Humble House, Club Chinois or the seafood haven in Tung Lok Seafood, Zhou's Kitchen was meant to target families as well as those with a smaller budget.

Me and Daphne were actually on an even smaller bufget for lunch to nurse our already battered wallets, but somehow the pictures in the menu outside Zhou's Kitchen did look appetising. With the alternative in the Fork & Spoon foodcourt on the upper level of Square 2, we both thought we'd just have to dig a little deeper into our wallets, again. This is the state of students who don't work during their three-month long holidays as it is.

Prawn Crackers


This is an appetiser served at every table, and us hungry people munched happily away. We thought it was cool to see that it was more than expected, until we realised that it wasn't free and costs us $3.

Braised E-Fu Noodles: 7.7/10


I think braised e-fu noodles is like a staple during ten course dinner events, though me and Daphne do wonder why it's often served at the end rather than at the start. The noodles here is not too bad, and managed to strike a balance by not being too dry nor too wet. Limited ingredients however, just a few mushrooms here and there, making this more like a vegetarian dish. The portion is fairly large though, which is good.

Teowchew Mian Xian Noodles: 6.7/10


It looked good on the menu, and has more ingredients than mine like chinese sausages and meat. Daphne however found it a bit too salty for her liking, and with a large portion, then found it too much as well.

Fried Beancurd Skin Roll with Shrimps and Chives: 8/10


This was delightful, fried to a crisp with tasty shrimp fillings. Zhou's Kitchen has quite a lot to offer on the dim sum menu but we didn't want to overeat. This was good enough for us, a most valuable side dish to add taste to our noodles.

Service
Very prompt.

Price
$3.00 for prawn crackers
$8.00 for braised e-fu noodles
$8.00 for teowchew mianxian noodles
$3.80 for fried beancurd skin roll with shrimps and chives

Place
#01-73 Novena Square 2

Additional Comments
1. Vegetarian dishes served.
2. High Tea Dim Sum buffet offered.

TSC by Tong Shui Cafe

Tong Shui has its quirky element of Italian fusion in it with its baked pasta, and yes a variety of Western dishes as well, making its menu pretty extensive. In fact, it boasts close to 600 items!

TSC by Tong Shui Cafe is the chain's first attempt at reaching out to the Muslim community in Singapore with its Halal certification, and to me it's a pretty impressive concept (and effort) that's worth some praise. Of course, they could have done better with the naming, TSC still stands for Tong Shui Cafe if you think about it, but perhaps it's all under one simple branding strategy.


The interior is quite pretty, the usual Tong Shui design actually. One thing I found odd was that yes, I know it's Halal, but you don't have to play Suria channel on the television right?! I think to make it more authentic, it's fine playing some HongKong serials instead. The other television was showing MTV. Well, on to the food!

(1) HK Milk Tea: 6/10


The milk tea wasn't particularly milky, nor did it have a strong tea taste. Should have gotten the yuan yang coffee-tea combination.

(72) Mango Cooler: 6/10


Daphne had this, but she found it too fizzy for her liking. Still, she liked the fruits and jellies in the drink.

(557) Macaroni Mat Tu Loh: 7/10


"Mat tu loh" refers to what I would call the "processed meat trinity" HAHA - chicken sausage, chicken ham and chicken salami. The macaroni tasted pretty good actually, the cheese was yummy. The processed meats may have made the dish a tad saltier than it would otherwise been, but mixing it with fried chicken wings (chicken again!) did the trick.

(372) HK Dried Noodles - Sunset Egg and Shrimp Wanton: 8.3/10


Daphne liked this a lot, and was grinning everytime she bit into the crispy crunchy fried wanton. The noodles were evenly cooked and if you look at it, it's like a balanced meal in itself.

(300) Half Dozen Chicken Wings with Fries: 8/10


Half a dozen makes 6, but in essence it really means six chicken wing parts rather than six full chicken wings. We liked the spices and marinate used for the chicken, which made them a good complement to our main dishes.

Service
Friendly, and it wasn't really a long wait. Then again, it was close to 8.30 on a Monday evening and there weren't many people around. The airport was pretty quiet, you could play bowling if you wanted to with all the clear lanes.


You've got to write your orders on a piece of paper and pass it to the waitress. If you hadn't known by now, the numbers preceding the food names above refer to their menu item numbers.

Price
HK Milk Tea: $1.88
Mango Cooler: $3.88
Macaroni Mat Tu Loh: $9.88
HK Dried Noodles Sunset Egg & Shrimp Wanton: $5.88
Half Dozen Chicken Wings with Fries: $9.88

Yeah "88" indeed!

Place
Changi Airport Terminal 2
Viewing Mall, Level 3

Additional Comments
1. Halal-certified, but the only Tong Shui Cafe branch that is.
2. Open 24 hours.