Les Artistes Bistrot

C says:

Les Artistes Bistrot is the more casual offering from Chef Nicolas Joanny, of Nicolas Le Restaurant. It's actually at Nicolas’ original premises, and Nicolas has moved a few doors down. We were very impressed with the set lunch that we had at Nicolas the last time, so we thought we’d give Les Artistes a try. (Do note that since then, Nicolas has raised their prices for their set lunch – it's no longer a super affordable $38 for 4 courses.)

The Les Artistes set lunch is $34 for 3 courses. I must say I’m quite impressed by the selection – you get at least 5 choices for each course. This also means a considerable amount of indecision because you feel like trying everything…



A went straight for the trout gravlax without hesitation. After much pondering, I decided on the rillette and terrine platter, only to feel slightly cheated when the amuse bouche arrived – it was rillette on toast! Hmph. The gravlax was a bit too raw for my liking, but the rillette and terrine were lovely.


A ordered the entrecote of beef with red wine reduction, which was topped with caramelised onions and served with a glass of potato puree. I expected this to be quite basic, and was very pleasantly surprised at how well executed it was, with the beef cooked perfectly. The potato was excellent as well.


I went for the Kurobuta pork cheek with penne in a porcini mushroom and thyme sauce. The pork tasted a lot better than it looked – I expected it to be quite dry, given the pieces were quite browned and rather thin, but it was melt-in-the-mouth tender and very flavourful from all the fat. The penne unfortunately fared less well. You definitely had to eat it together with the pork, because on its own it was a little tasteless.



For dessert, I went with the apple tarte tatin with cinnamon cream, and A had the caramelised banana. I actually found the cinnamon cream a tad overpowering, and preferred the dessert without it.

For an amuse bouche + 3 courses, this is very good value for money. Nicolas next door also has a set lunch - $42 for 3 courses and $52 for 4 courses. We walked by after lunch and peeked at the menu, which looked quite similar to the offerings at Les Artistes, so I wonder what could justify the slightly higher prices at Nicolas.

A says:

Awesome. Definitely worth it.

Les Artistes Bistrot
35 Keong Saik Road
Tel: 6224-1501
Lunch: Monday to Friday: 12pm to 2pm
Dinner: Monday to Saturday: 6.30pm to 10pm
www.restaurantnicolas.com/thebistrot.html

Meidi-Ya food court part two – Romantic Kobe curry rice

C says:

Strangely enough, we patronised the curry rice stall but neither of us ordered the curry rice. I ordered the teriyaki beef short rib rice, and A had the pork katsu bento. At least A’s friend M tried a chicken cutlet curry rice, which didn’t look too bad.


The beef rice was ok but I found the teriyaki sauce to be a tad too sweet, although the beef was quite tender.


A’s katsu was well-fried – nice and crispy and quite juicy.

This didn’t wow me the way the udon did, though. And with each plate being about $3-$4 more than a standard bowl of udon, I’d much rather have the udon any day.

A says:

Not bad, but not cheap considering it’s like a food court stall. I’m not a big fan of curry rice anyway so this may turn out to be my least favourite stall here.

Romantic Kobe
177 River Valley Road
#B1-50 Liang Court
Tel: 6333-0630
Open daily: 10 am to 9 pm

Meidi-Ya food court part one – Tsuru Tsuru Tei Udon

C says:

We’re also about 5 minute walk to Liang Court, so we’re on a quest to try every single one of the stalls in Meidi-Ya Supermarket. First up: Tsuru Tsuru Tei Udon.


A went for a Karaage Udon, and I had the Chili Pork Udon. A’s was a clear soup with the chicken karaage served separately. It looked quite nondescript but the soup was excellent – really cheng, clean-tasting yet flavourful.


Mine was the polar opposite of his. This was almost like a kimchi soup base with sliced pork. This is good if you want lots of flavour, but if you’re after a traditional clear soup udon, go for the regular ones. I’m going for the beef udon next - the same clear soup topped with slices of beef.

It was only after we got home that we realised that it’s opened by the same group as Tampopo. No wonder the quality was good.

A says:

Not the best udon I’ve ever had, but it’s certainly served up quick. Passable for a fast food version of udon I guess.

Tsuru-Tsuru Tei
177 River Valley Road
#B1-50 Liang Court
Tel: 6339-7264
Open daily: 10 am to 9.30 pm
http://www.cfc.com.sg/tsuru.htm

Bella Pizza

C says:

We’re squatting in the Mohamed Sultan/Robertson Quay area for the next 3 months, which is not going to do wonders for our austerity drive. Sure enough, on Friday night since we were moving some stuff into our temporary home, we decided to pop down to Bella Pizza, which was just a 5 minute walk away. We learnt our lesson and made a reservation in the afternoon.


We started with a salad of bocconcini, cherry tomatoes and rocket to share. This was quite a tiny portion but it was only $7, after all. Nothing spectacular, but a good way to whet our appetite nonetheless.


I ordered the ravioli stuffed with beef, served with porcini mushroom sauce. There were some good flavours going on here, but it can get slightly rich so it’s best to share. My one criticism is that the ravioli were slightly hard – the pasta skin wasn’t thin enough.


One of their specialities is a boat-shaped pizza, the Barca. It comes in two flavours – one with Italian sausage and sautéed onions, and the other with buffalo mozzarella wrapped in Parma ham. Goes without saying that A ordered the Parma ham one. This was visually quite interesting, but I think their regular pizzas are better – crispier and less crust. Another interesting thing about this was that when you had the parma ham and the crust alone, you could really taste the parma ham, but once you took a bite with the cheese, you couldn’t really taste the ham; you just got a general salty flavour.

We each had the banana crepes with mascarpone cheese and nutella – this dessert is just too good to share.

Well, I think we came to the same conclusion as the last time – there’s a reason they’re called Bella Pizza. Their pizzas are better than their pastas, and their regular pizzas are definitely better than their folded ones.

A says:

I likea the pizza here. Expensive, but good.

Bella Pizza
30 Robertson Quay
#01-14 Riverside View
Tel: 6734-0139
www.bellapizza.com.sg

Michaelangelo’s

C says:

Just our luck that we never managed to try Michaelangelo’s before Chef Angelo Sanelli left to open his own restaurant, Mietta’s. Citibank has an ongoing promotion at Michaelangelo’s till February 2010, where their $80 4-course set dinner is one-for-one. We decided to take advantage of the offer before trying out Mietta’s.

Just like it was with Don Quijote, I think limited buffets and one-for-one deals are not the best showcase for a restaurant. Corners are inevitably trimmed and as a result, you don’t get a true representation of what the restaurant can offer. The set menu was in no way worth $80, so I’m sure they’ve factored in the one-for-one deal when designing the menu.

The first course was a deconstructed smoked salmon Caesar salad – instead of croutons, the salad was on a crispy slice of melba toast. This was pretty well executed, with the best part being the crispy bacon.

The pasta course was an aglio olio spaghetti with prawns and cherry tomatoes. This was very ordinary, and certainly not what I would expect from Michaelangelo’s. I would say it was more like the standard of Spageddies or any generic pasta restaurant. The prawns were pretty fresh though.

We had a choice of two mains – a pan fried chicken breast fillet, and pork ribs. We thought we’d try one each, but the waitress convinced us that the pork was very good so we both ordered the pork. Big mistake. The main course really wasn’t great, so we had two of them to finish. The pork was pretty tough, and it was accompanied with lentils that were unduly sweet and therefore a rather odd and not particular pleasant flavour combination.

Thank goodness we ended the meal on a high note, though. Dessert was panna cotta with berries and this was one of the richest, creamiest panna cottas I’ve had. This was very welcome after the disaster of a main course.

Apologies for the lack of photos. The lighting was completely not conducive to photography. Also, for a Friday night the restaurant was eerily empty. Indoors there were only 2 tables of 2 (ourselves included), and outside there must have been no more than five tables of 2 to 4 people. I guess it’s not just us – the standard has probably dropped since Chef Angelo left. Either that or his followers just left with him. Well, based on the standard of tonight’s meal, I don’t think we’ll be back. Yes it may have been a one-for-one promo, but at a total price of just under $100 for the two of us, there are many other places I’d rather patronise.

A says:

The service was excellent and the setting is definitely interesting. I had high hopes following the excellent re-interpretation of a smoked salmon Caesar salad. It was followed by a passable pasta dish and a very blah meat course. I was ready to leave disappointed when the meal concluded with the best panna cotta I’ve ever had.

So I’m left confused as to whether I’d recommend it. I guess I’d consider it only if there’s a good promotion on and I can’t get a table at Pasta Brava, Valentino’s or Da Paolo’s.

Michaelangleo’s
Blk 44 Jalan Merah Saga
#01-60 Chip Bee Gardens
Tel: 6475-9069
Lunch:Monday to Fridays & Sundays, 11:30am – 3pm
Dinner:Monday to Sunday, 6pm – 11pm
http://www.michelangelos.com.sg/

Bergs Burgers

C says:

We had high hopes for Bergs, a fairly new burger joint in Far East Square, but were sorely disappointed. The restaurant looks pretty enticing, with an open kitchen and the menu scrawled on chalkboard walls, and the website promotes itself as an authentic Australian burger joint, but it really didn't deliver.

The menu sounds enticing enough, with regular beef burgers, a lamb burger, a number of chicken burgers, a fish burger and even a couple of vegetarian options (tofu and falafel). Each burger comes in Small and Berg sizes, with fries sold separately. I went for a regular beef burger (the Berg) with brie, and A chose the Kiwi Stud – the lamb burger.


The Berg comes with red onion, lettuce, tomato, aioli and ‘Bergs sauce’. When you order the Berg with cheese, you can choose between brie, edam and swiss cheese. The best part of the burger was the brie – they were very generous with the cheese and it added a really nice flavour to the burger. Other than that, there isn’t much to recommend. The patty was ordinary, and the bun was not only untoasted, but it was cold, which was slightly disconcerting when paired with a hot patty. My main complaint is that the combination of flavours just didn’t go. The aioli was pungent and garlicky, while the Bergs sauce was undefineable but predominantly sweet. When combined, it just tasted downright weird.


A’s Kiwi Stud didn't fare much better. The ingredients were the same, just no cheese and a heavily spiced lamb patty instead of beef. The patty tasted like a kebab, and again with the aioli and Bergs sauce, which again led to quite a taste confusion.

On to other aspects of the place. They must have the worst ventilation system ever, because the place absolutely reeks of frying burgers. Indoor seating is pretty much out of the question, and even sitting outside, we weren’t spared the oily pong. And even though this is a proper restaurant, not fast food, the burgers come unceremoniously wrapped in plain paper then dumped in a brown paper bag.

If I’m going to spend $28 on a meal (the burgers averaged $10 each and we ordered a side of fries and a drink), I’d rather have the sandwiches at Da Paolo Gastronomia.

A says:

It’s okay only. Not really blown away by either of the burgers I tried. And the wait is seriously long, even considering they were nearly empty at the time we went.

Would I recommend it? Only if you couldn’t leave the area and were desperate for a burger.

Bergs Burgers
137 Amoy Street
#01-01 Far East Square
Tel: 6438-6505
Mon – Sat: 10 am to 10 pm
http://bergsburgers.com

Thai Central

C says:

Our austerity drive seems to be bringing us to the Upper Bukit Timah area with alarming frequency. Tonight we decided to try Thai Central, which is just across the road from Old Town. Being our first time here, we made a point to only order dishes that said “chef’s recommendation”.


To start with, we shared the Thai stuffed chicken wings. Interestingly, they have a separate Thai chicken wings on the menu, without the “chef’s recommendation”. Maybe next time we’ll try those. The stuffed wings were pretty ok – then again, how wrong can they go? The stuffing had a hint of kaffir lime leaves which was an interesting twist.


Just like instant noodles at cha chan tengs, we tend to test new Thai places with their pad thai and tom yam noodle soup dishes. A had the pad thai, I had a seafood tom yam soup with glass noodles (tung hoon). The pad thai fared better than the tom yam – it was pretty well fried, and the sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours were all very well balanced.


My tom yam soup was quite sour, but refreshingly so. My issue with it was the absolute lack of ingredients. There was a huge clump of tung hoon, but just a handful of ingredients – 2 small prawns, a few measly slices of fish, a couple of tiny pieces of squid and a few straw mushrooms.

Still, prices are fairly decent and the service is excellent. We’ll have to come back and try their curries before coming to a firm conclusion.

A says:

Very good service. Decent quality food. Proof that when you go into a place with low expectations, they’ll generally impress you.

Thai Central
16 Chun Tin Road
Tel: 6469-4862
Daily: 11.30 am to 10.30 pm

More from Old Town White Coffee

C says:

We came back here again tonight to have the other items that we were meaning to try – the Ipoh Hor Fun, and the Curry Mee (soup).

The Ipoh Hor Fun was quite a surprise. Expecting the usual dry version that we’re so used to, we were quite taken aback when a bowl of soupy noodles arrived. Only after we clarified that our order was correct, did I suddenly remember P telling me ages ago that the hor fun here was very different from what we get here.


After the initial shock, I actually grew to like this a lot. The soup is slightly thicker and richer than normal clear fishball noodle-type soup. The flavour is subtle and clean, yet not bland. Perfect for when I’m feeling virtuous and can’t bring myself to order the unhealthier options.


The default noodle for the Curry Mee is the thick yellow noodle but I’ve never been a fan cos it’s very starchy and heavy. I tried to get them to change it to Nissin noodles (since they have a Nissin soup noodle on the menu), but I guess Nissin noodles cost more, because they said we can change to bee hoon or kuay teow, but not Nissin. I switched to bee hoon, and it was pretty good. The gravy was rich, and didn't taste of peanuts like a lot of curry noodles gravies.

On cousin L’s recommendation, I decided to try the iced Gao. Wow… I think the regular iced coffee is quite enough for me. The Gao packs a serious punch, and just a tad too potent for my liking. Alas, even though we were there quite early tonight, the caffeine still got the better of me. So, no more Gaos for me, at least not at dinner time.

A says:

It’s not really my kind of Ipoh Hor Fun but it’s not bad. I’ll probably stick to the rendang rice. At least this place has more options for me. Will stick with the regular iced coffee though.

Old Town White Coffee
9, Yuk Tong Avenue
Tel: 6467-4404
Mon – Thurs: 9 am to 10.30 pm
Fri: 9 am to midnight
Saturday/Eve of PH: 8 am to midnight
Sunday/PH: 8 am to 10.30 pm

Old Town White Coffee

C says:

We’re slowly realising that Upper Bukit Timah has lots of little eateries just waiting to be discovered. Old Town White Coffee, a Malaysian cafe chain, is located at the corner of Chun Tin Road and Yuk Tong Avenue (near the Cheong Chin Nam Road stretch), in a unit with surprisingly high ceilings, giving a nice impression of spaciousness.

They’re known for their white coffee, which in Ipoh apparently refers to coffee that has been roasted with margarine and possibly some sugar as well, resulting in slightly caramel undertones. For fear of being kept awake, I steered clear of the coffee but A ordered an iced white coffee. He ordered the regular strength one and already it was thick, strong and not overly sweet; I can’t imagine how much more potent the Enriched White Coffee (Gao) would be.


I tried one of their new dishes, the Dry Curry Mee, but it was a little too similar to Mee Rebus for my liking. The sauce was a bit too thick, and the use of yellow noodles didn’t help. Next time I’ll try their Ipoh hor fun, which is supposed to be their speciality anyway.


A ordered the Nasi Lemak Rendang Chicken, which was quite a large portion and was pretty good. The nasi lemak sambal was just the kind I like – spicy and not too sweet, and the rendang chicken didn’t skimp on flavour either.

They have some outdoor seating so this is another viable post-gym option when we’re in smelly workout clothes. The noodle portions are quite small so it should be just nice for post-running. Still, I’d like to come here in the day so that I can have a full cup of coffee on my own without risking a sleepless night.

A says:

This area is the Siglap of the West. And with less horrible parking problems!

So anyway, the food here is very good (although the portions are rather small for the price).

And the coffee is POWER!

Old Town White Coffee
9, Yuk Tong Avenue
Tel: 6467-4404

More sandwiches from Da Paolo at The Sail

C says:

I got a chance to try more of Da Paolo’s gourmet sandwiches sooner than I thought. Another late night for A meant that we met up there for a quick dinner after he got off work.

We went for the 2 that I was eyeing previously – the Parma Ham with Emmental, and the Mortadella with Provolone. On hindsight, that may not have been the best pairing because they ended up looking almost identical, and tasting quite similar too.

Parma Ham with Emmental


Mortadella with Provolone

I preferred the mortadella, because the taste of the ham was more pronounced in every bite. In contrast, the bites with the parma ham were good, but they were few and far between and the majority of the sandwich just tasted like tomato and cheese.

Tonight’s sandwiches weren’t as good as the previous one I had, because they toasted them for a bit too long, which made for a very tired jaw by the end of the meal, and injured roofs of our mouths from being poked and scratched by overly crunchy ciabatta. Still, it’s not enough to prevent me from trying the other yummy-sounding flavours; I just have to remind them not to toast them for too long.

A says:

I’m really liking this place. And since I’m currently working, I can still afford to eat here.

Da Paolo Gastronomia
The Sail
#01-15 Tower 2
Telephone: 6224-4148
Open daily 9.30 am to 9.30 pm
http://www.dapaolo.com.sg/

July Specials at Don Quijote

C says:

We popped by for dinner on Friday night to sample Don Quijote’s July off-menu specials. This meal reinforced my view that it’s way better to order off the regular a la carte menu (and their specials), than to have the brunch buffet. In fact, the difference in dining experiences is so marked that it was almost like 2 different restaurants. The food at the brunch buffet, whilst perfectly passable, somehow lacked the added flavour and authenticity of the ‘regular’ food.


The July specials that we ordered were the Spanish squid with olive oil and white wine, Madrid broken eggs, and the meat-lover’s paella. The squid was pretty good – tender, and the white wine sauce was well balanced. I’m still searching for a place that serves a good octopus tapas, though.


The Madrid broken eggs was a good concept, but fell a tad short in the execution. The broken eggs are just that – the yolk and white are mixed together but not evenly, and not scrambled either. Chunks of potato and chorizo completed the dish. The dish could have done with less potato and more egg, because it was way too heavy. Also, unless it was deliberate, this was overloaded with garlic, to the point where you barely tasted anything else.


Although we loved the squid ink pasta on our first visit, we decided to try the meat-lover’s paella, consisting of chorizo, chicken and sliced beef. After watching a paella special on TV recently, this was just what I needed to satisfy a latent paella craving. The rice was flavourful, had a lovely smoky flavour especially the charred bits, and it was all meat so no crustacean shells to deal with. A’s not a huge paella fan, so he was a lot less enamoured with this dish. Well, now that I’ve gotten the paella here out of my system, I’ll be fine to go back to having the pasta again next time.

Maybe if they keep having interesting monthly specials, we can make this place a monthly treat. And if you don’t order the phenomenally overpriced Spanish jamons and cheese platters, prices here are actually quite reasonable.

A says:

Parking here is a nightmare. Grrr...

Don Quijote
17 Lorong Kilat #01-09
Tel: 6465-1811
Open Tuesday to Sunday
Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.00pm to 10.30pm
Sunday Brunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm
http://www.don-quijote-restaurants.com/

Da Paolo Gastronomia at The Sail

C says:

The Da Paolo Gastronomia that’s just opened at The Sail offers some items that aren’t available at their other outlets. In addition to the single slices of pizza (which, though quite tasty, can be quite uninspiring after a while) and antipastis and salads sold by weight, the branch at The Sail has a selection of pastas, and quite an enticing array of gourmet sandwiches.


Since we park our car nearby, we stopped by for a quick meal and were quite pleasantly surprised. A ordered the pasta with salmon and creamy tomato sauce. The default pasta is spaghetti, but if you want to change it to any of the other pastas that they have on sale, you just have to top up about $2. A changed it to pappardelle and it turned out really good, though the portion was rather small.


I was spoilt for choice with the sandwich selection, but decided to try an old faithful – roast beef with mozzarella, on toasted ciabatta. As you know I’m not really a sandwich person but this was really good. They were generous with the ingredients, the beef was tender and there was just enough lettuce and ripe juicy tomatoes. Slightly lacking in mozzarella but overall, a good sandwich.

I’m now eyeing some of the other sandwich varieties, like Mortadella and Provolone, Parma ham and Emmental, Italian Sausage with Caramelised Onions, Gorgonzola and Fig Jam, and Black Pepper Sashimi Grade Tuna with Wasabi Mayonnaise. Now the question is – when to go again, and which sandwich to try next?

A says:

Good food and great service for something that’s really just a high-end deli. I’d eat here very often if we weren’t on an austerity drive.

Da Paolo Gastronomia
The Sail
#01-15 Tower 2
Telephone: 6224-4148
Open daily 9.30 am to 9.30 pm
http://www.dapaolo.com.sg/

More from Purple Rose Café

C says:

A’s aunt was raving to us about the chicken pies and strawberry shortcake from Purple Rose Café, so we went there again on Saturday to try our luck. It was only about 4 pm, but they had run out of their regular-sized chicken pies, and only had the minis left. We had 2 of the minis ($1.20 each), and got a quarter portion of the strawberry shortcake ($11) to go, because again they didn’t have the single slices available.


The pies were surprisingly good. The filling was potato, carrot and shredded chicken – no peas! It wasn’t too creamy either, just good old-fashioned filling. The full size is $4.50, and they said if we order in advance they can even bake a giant size. Chicken pie birthday ‘cake’, anyone?


The strawberry shortcake was absolutely divine. This is also no-frills; no fresh strawberry slices or anything. Just sponge cake that literally melts in your mouth, layers of strawberry jam and sweetened whipped cream. I anticipate going back quite regularly to get my fix of this.

To avoid disappointment, I would suggest calling ahead to reserve anything that you like, because the display cases were quite forlornly half empty by 4 pm.

A says:

Very good. But not cheap. Unless you want to be really cheapskate and drink loads of free flow coffee there.

Purple Rose Cafe
Block 42, Holland Drive
#01-91
Tel: 6775-9101
Monday to Saturday: 11 am to 6 pm
Public Holidays: 11 am to 3 pm
Closed Sundays

One on the Bund

C says:

I know atetoomuch usually only reviews places that A and I go to together, but I had a company lunch at One on the Bund today and we figured since it’s highly unlikely that the two of us will ever go there on our own, this might be the only chance for atetoomuch to do a review on it.


One on the Bund is located at the newly refurbished Clifford Pier building. I must say the architects and interior designers did a wonderful job restoring the interior of the previously crummy building. The entire building is now the restaurant, and they’ve fitted it out beautifully. It would be a fabulous place to entertain foreign visitors, especially when the IR is completed. Right now you do get a view – just of the IR construction site. The restaurant itself is quite well designed, with many different semi-private dining areas rather than just one big dining room.

Our group of 20 had 2 tables of 10, and we had one of their set menus. I think ordinarily the food is served family style, but if you request like we did, they can serve individually plated portions. I’m quite impressed that they took the trouble to present the individual servings properly plated. They could just as easily have shown us the whole dish, then dumped individual portions onto standard china plates.


The first course was a trio of asparagus dipped in sesame seeds, scallop with pomelo and yuzu sauce, and a vegetable roll with beancurd skin. I found everything a little tasteless, and the scallops tasted slightly fishy too.


Next up was a fish broth with sliced fish, chives and mushroom. Again, the first mouthful was a bit bland, and it benefited greatly from some pepper and black vinegar. The portion was huge – no matter how much we ate, there was still more in the bowl. It was good but it really filled us up.


The set actually comes with a choice of beef tenderloin or their signature crispy lamb ribs. I was looking forward to the latter, but because it was a company do, we had to change the meat dish to a more universally accepted option, i.e. the soya sauce chicken. Everyone got the same portion – shredded meat, and a perfunctory chicken wing. I have a weakness for any kind of soya sauce chicken, so no complaints here.


Next up was the chilli and fennel prawns, and the fried fish fillet with salted egg yolk. I like anything that’s prepared with salted egg yolk so the fish was right up my alley. The prawn wasn’t too bad but general consensus was that it was pretty spicy. I, however, chomped on some of the dried chilli for more heat…


By the time the tofu and vegetable dish arrived we were quite full, which was a pity because I thought the vegetables were done very well. The stock was subtle yet tasty, and the broccoli was cooked perfectly.


Being a Shanghainese restaurant, I had high hopes for both their xiao long baos and their home-made noodles. Both were unfortunately a let-down. The skin for the xiao long bao was really thick, and there wasn’t enough soup in each of them. The meat inside was well seasoned, though. As for the noodles, maybe we were just too full by then, but I found them way too thick and starchy. For most of us at the table, one mouthful was all we could handle.


The meal ended on a high note with dessert. We were presented with 2 platters containing 5 different desserts each, ranging from a red bean and green tea panna cotta-esque pudding, a chocolate orange mousse, chocolate cake with lemon curd, vanilla mousse with crème brulee, and blueberry cheese cake. No one at our side of the table wanted the red bean one, so I selflessly chose it and to my surprise it was actually pretty good. It was a nice, clean, subtle flavour to end the meal.

Having finally tried the food, I must admit that it hasn’t convinced me to bring A here separately. The set menu we had was $888++ for 10 persons, and at almost $100 per person, I expect the food to wow me. Well, the ambience certainly did, but the food itself was at best above average.

If A were there, he’d say:

I don’t do none of that Chinese food. Give me Subway any day.

A really says:

C never brings me anywhere nice anymore. The magic is gone...

One on the Bund
80 Collyer Quay
Clifford Pier
Tel: 6221-0044
Lunch: 12pm - 3pm
Dinner: 6pm - 11pm

Udders

C says:

Finally! An ice cream joint that keeps their durian ice cream segregated from the rest of the flavours! Udders gets my support purely for this reason alone. They have 3 display units in total – 1 for the durian flavours (2 different types of durian), 1 for the regular flavours, and 1 for the alcohol-spiked ‘adult’ flavours.

Udders first opened near United Square, and recently opened right next door to Don Quijote at Lorong Kilat. Despite being totally stuffed on Sunday afternoon after the Don Quijote buffet, we dropped in just to see what flavours they had to offer. The server was really friendly, offering us tastes of almost all the flavours even though we said we were too full and promised to return.

The alcohol flavours pack a serious punch; definitely not for kids, or even folks like A with a low alcohol tolerance. The rum and raisin I tried was more rum than anything, and A tried a seriously spiked Baileys & Bourbon too.

The one flavour I’m definitely going back for is the Kick S Salt Caramel (or something like that). Come on, with a name like that, how can I resist?! It’s essentially a burnt caramel with a hint of salt, and I was sold by just one taste. A ended up getting a rather interesting flavour combining vanilla ice cream, honeycomb pieces and chocolate chips. The richness and texture of the ice cream is somewhat in between gelato and Island Creamery, and certainly better than Daily Scoop. We’re definitely going pop by after our next visit to Don Quijote.

A says:

I’d recommend this place just cause they keep their durian in a separate kelvinator so the horrid taint of durian doesn’t spread to the other flavours. Having said that, I really didn’t find any of the other flavours to my taste, not even the Vanilla Beanz. The very friendly staff kept offering samples to me and out of shear paiseh-ness, I went with the Snickers Bar with Honey flavour.

Udders
17 Lorong Kilat
#01-08 Kilat Court
Tel: 6466-1055
Sunday to Thursday: 12 noon – 11 pm
Fri, Sat and eve of Pub Hol: 12 noon to 12 midnight
www.udders.com.sg

Don Quijote (Sunday brunch buffet)

C says:

We decided to try Don Quijote’s a la carte Sunday brunch buffet - $33 for unlimited orders from a selection of 20 tapas; $48 with free-flow sangria. I decided to treat myself with the sangria option, but A had the standard.

The selection for the buffet is definitely much more limited than the a la carte menu. It may be good value for money, but I can safely say that with the exception of the chicken wings, I wouldn’t order any of the dishes on the buffet menu on a regular visit. The 2 best dishes from our last visit – the long beans with Serrano ham and the squid ink pasta – both didn’t feature in the brunch menu.


Anyway, I can’t deny that it’s a pretty good deal nonetheless. Some of the better options include the garlic mushrooms, the prawns wrapped with eggplant and the asparagus wrapped with bacon. I only managed 2 glasses of sangria, one red and one white, and while they were slightly watered down, that’s actually how I like my sangria – like a glorified fruit punch, heh.

Rather than stuffing ourselves for less than spectacular dishes, knowing full well what the restaurant is capable of, next time we’ll just come back for the regular a la carte, and just order more selectively. Then at least we won’t be too full for some Udders ice cream from next door.

A says:

Good value for money. I’d recommend it if you’re hungry and don’t want the usual boring buffet spread. The place was fully booked when we went so it might be best if you call the night before to get a seat.

Don Quijote
17 Lorong Kilat #01-09
Tel: 6465-1811
Open Tuesday to Sunday
Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.00pm to 10.30pm
Sunday Brunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm
http://www.don-quijote-restaurants.com/

Purple Rose Cafe

C says:

We read about this cafe in Urban a few weeks ago, and happened to have some time to kill at Holland Village this afternoon. Unfortunately I’d forgotten both the name and exact address of the place, so we were wandering around the various blocks desperately trying to find it. We were almost ready to give up when we finally saw a cafe that looked a bit more posh than the surrounding shops. We walked in to see a blown-up version of the Urban article so we knew we were in the right place.

They sell 500g portions of their cakes for around $11, and they halve those portions into triangular slices for individual orders at around $5.80. We tried the classic Chocolate Fudge Cake, and I wanted the Strawberry Shortcake as well but they didn't have individual slices of that.


In my opinion, most places don’t serve their cakes at an optimum temperature. With the exception of mousse cakes or really light Chantilly cream cakes, most cakes benefit from being thawed at room temperature for at least 10 to 15 minutes before eating. That way, the cake has had a chance to regain its moistness, and the frosting reaches a nice creamy consistency.

This place is no different. The cake came straight from the fridge so it was a little hard and therefore, slightly dry. It got a bit better towards the end. I liked the fudge – it was slightly salty which was perfect for a lover of all things sweet-salty like me.

The good thing about the cafe is that for $3.80, you get free flow coffee. And not just a weak percolated brew either. They use a pretty decent coffee machine where you can select latte, cappuccino etc. I just hope this isn’t abused by customers who plonk themselves there all day with a book, and drink endless cups of coffee.

A says:

Not bad. Think it would be a nice place to chill over a cup of coffee and some cake.

Purple Rose Cafe
Block 42, Holland Drive
#01-91
Tel: 6775-9101
Monday to Saturday: 11 am to 6 pm
Public Holidays: 11 am to 3 pm
Closed Sundays

Quiznos

C says:

A was pretty psyched to find out that American sandwich chain Quiznos was going to open here, but it still took us quite a while before we finally made our way there on Monday to give it a try. The chain was brought to Singapore by the same folks that brought in Tully’s coffee, so both joints share the same premises at Far East Square.

We both ordered combo meals – I had a Turkey Ranch and Swiss with the chicken noodle soup, and A had a Classic Club with a chocolate chip cookie. Both combos also come with a soft drink.




I suppose a comparison to Subway is inevitable. Here are a few pros and cons of each:

Subway – variety of breads to choose from.
Quiznos – only white and whole wheat.

Subway – you can custom design your sub with various dressings, veges etc.
Quiznos – toppings and dressings are predetermined. However what I really liked about Quiznos is the free flow of various types of peppers, like Jalapeno and banana peppers, which added a great kick to the sandwich.

Subway – quality of ingredients themselves isn’t great.
Quiznos – prides itself on serving proper cuts of meat, no ‘mystery meats’. It shows, because the turkey in my sub was a lot tastier than at Subway.

The chicken noodle soup and chocolate chip cookie were both passable, but nothing to shout about. I have a feeling A still prefers Subway, but I think Quiznos has my vote based purely on taste.

And by the way, the latte at Tully’s sucks. Can you say weak?!

A says:

I had high hopes but was let down. I still prefer Subway. Funny story is that my ex-colleagues and I all swore off Subway when we were working on the account. (They were not very good clients.)

Erm, I guess all I can say is Cold Cut Trio on Parmesan Oregano with Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Mustard and Mayo.

Quiznos
49 Pekin Street, #01-01 Far East Square
Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 3pm
Closed on Sundays

Tierney’s Cafe

C says:

Tierney’s, our trusty ‘neighbourhood’ grocer because of our weekend visits to Comics Mart, has just carved out a section of their shop space and turned it into a cosy little cafe. This is very no frills – they sell drinks, pastries like danishes, sausage rolls and chicken pies, and simple sandwiches that are either pre-made or can be made to order, using their existing array of cold cuts.


They also have a limited variety of hot food items, like fish and chips, all day breakfast and a daily special. When we went on Sunday the daily special was a pan fried soya sauce pork served with rice. The portion was quite small but it was right up my alley – pork belly drizzled with dark soy sauce and plain white rice. It was simple but surprisingly tasty.


A went with the all day breakfast – fried egg, chipolata sausages, baked beans, ham and bacon, served with 2 slices of white toast and butter. Again this was quite basic and old school but not bad if you’re looking for simple, hawker centre Western food-type breakfasts. And at least here you know the meats and sausages are Tierney’s quality.

In terms of variety and taste, this will never replace La Petite Cuisine downstairs, but on days when you just want a light bite and the offerings at La Petite are just too rich and heavy, Tierney’s Cafe isn’t a bad alternative.

A says:

I wouldn’t recommend the cooked-to-order stuff really. The portions are small for the price and taste average. The pastries at Tierney’s however have always been excellent. And overall, we’ll still probably add this to our viable dining options when we come to Serene Centre.

Also, as part of our austerity drive, I’m trying to convince C to do reviews of instant noodles (yes, after 7 months of unemployment, it has come to that). Leave a comment if you’re interested in reading that.

Tierney’s Cafe
#02-20 Serene Centre
Mon to Sat: 9 am to 8 pm
Sun: 9 am to 5 pm