YCK people can perhaps shed some tears of joy, thanks to another “cakery” addition in the neighborhood. Like finally.

Despite being only a few weeks old, Salt and Delight may be familiar to pastry lovers, as owner / patisserie chef Gwen has been serving her range of Entremet cakes online since 2015.

So what exactly is Entremet?

Quoting Wikipedia: Entremet is a multi-layered mousse-based cake with various complimentary flavors and varying textural contrasts.

Ah, yes. The interesting blend of cake flavors, was what first caught my attention from this little unpretentious cake store.

The signature Pistachio Pear Entremet ($7.50 for slice, $87 for whole) was notably pleasant, and somewhat unexpected.

It had a balance combination of mousse, sponge and pear slices with light pistachio fragrance, but taste wise, reminded me of… almond jelly?

Perhaps too deep for me to comprehend.

For a safer bet, the Chocolate Earl Grey ($7.50 for slice) could be the better option.

Rich in dark chocolate mousse and sponge, I would actually consider this a great chocolate cake. BUT, since it was so created and named, the earl grey flavor could have been more obvious.

The most oriental-sounding Matcha Mandarin Orange ($7.50 for slice) ended up as my favorite pick.

Despite its peculiar combination, it had a complimentary blend of matcha bitterness with citrusy sweet orange fragrance.

Other than the fanciful Entremets, I would recommend Gwen’s rendition of Banana Cake ($20 for whole, $3 for slice).

Moist, fluffy and not overly sweet. My type of comforting breakfast option which I can do 2 – 3 slices at a go.

Apart from being a proficient patisserie chef, Gwen is also a trained barista who knows her coffee well and serves “Obelisk” blend from Two Degrees North Coffee Co.

While my impression of Two Degrees North Coffee Co.’s blend is often on the acidic side, “Obelisk” blend was much more acceptable with its chocolatey note and slight acidity.

Despite the minor misses, I am still looking forward to see what other unique Entremet flavors which Salt and Delight can come up with, since such exquisite dessert is a not such a common find in the neighborhood.

Salt and Delight
9 Yio Chu Kang Road #01-02, Space@Kovan, Singapore 545523
Tel: +65 6909 0140
Opening Hours: 11am – 7pm (Tue – Sat), 2pm – 6pm (Sun), Closed Mon
https://www.facebook.com/saltndelight/

Other Related Entries
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Out Of The Cakebox (Our Tampines Hub)
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The Jelly Hearts (Raffles Place)
Lamb Cupcakery (Marina Bay Link Mall)

* Written by Lewis Tan @juicyfingers, a self-proclaimed coffee addict. Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post Salt and Delight – French Entremet Patisserie Shop Opens At Yio Chu Kang appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

I am not sure if I am more thrilled by the food or the very idea of the concept of Nanjing Impressions in Singapore 南京大牌档. Though it did strike a positive first impression.

Nanjing Impressions lands itself at Level 4 of Plaza Singapura, where 1 Market by Chef Wan used to be.

(Click PLAY for video highlights of Nanjing Impressions Singapore 南京大牌档.)

Founded in 1994, it is lauded as one of the must-visit restaurants in China, with about 40 outlets in Nanjing, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Wuxi, Hefei and Qingdao, often positively reviewed in various Dian Ping channels.

Once you enter the restaurant, you may understand why. It may take you back to olden China a hundred years ago.

Two seniors were standing outside dressed in a Chinese costume (of the Qing dynasty, I reckon?) under a large signboard that read大牌檔 (Da Pai Dang) – that literally means open-air food stalls.

”Are they for real?” They are.

The interior was impressive, designed like an olden tea house with hundreds of hanging lanterns (You could imagine Gong Li hanging them), attention was paid to details down to every bowl and plate.

Customers sit on wooden benches, listening to old ping tan records (a type of Suzhou story-telling and singing.

Service staff shout ”San Yang Kai Tai” and ”Wu Fu Ling Men” (Words of blessings) as customers in groups of 3s and 5s enter. Vibrant and boisterous.

Some of the recommended dishes include Jinling Roast Duck ($16.80, $32.00, $62.00), Jinling Salted Duck ($16.00, $32.00, $62.00), Poached ‘Lion’s Head’ Meatball ($13.80 per portion), Heritage Roast Duck Claypot with Beancurd ($13.80 per portion), Beef Brisket and Vermicelli Claypot ($16.80 per portion), Crisp fried Baby Pomfret with Plum Sauce ($9.80 each), Honey-glazed Lotus Root ($12.80 per portion), and Braised Pork Shank ($28.00 per portion).

Prices are considered reasonable in today’s Singapore context.

After having a couple of dishes, the Jinling Noodles in Light Soy Sauce Broth ($6.80), Steamed Glutinous Rice with Pork ($13.80) and Lion’s Head ($13.80) count as my top 3 favourite.

The Yang Chun style noodles is said to be based on an ancient recipe, containing long springy noodles served in light-soy flavoured broth. It was simple, but the taste was clean yet satisfying.

While the soup might look deep in colour, the saltiness and oiliness wasn’t overpowering.

The ‘Lion’s Head’ ($13.80) is not a real lion’s head, but a dish created based on a sunflower (ordered by Emperor Sui Yang).

The giant meatball arrived in a salty broth, but so soft and fatty that it would literally melt in the mouth. One of the tenderest meatballs I had in a long time.

The meat is supposedly diced such that fat and lean are evenly distributed for the best flavour and texture, then steamed for six hours.

Some of the other dishes were more average tasting.

The Celestial Roast Duck Dumplings ($6.80 for 3) looking like Xiao Long Bao had too thick a skin.

I was also more indifferent towards the Honey-glazed Stuffed Lotus Root ($12.80) – perhaps I should have had it as a started before the other richer-flavoured food kicked in.

The one thing I hope that would be ironed out would be the reservation system. I called and was told “reservation was full”. Instead, I turned up earlier to queue for about 45 minutes, while there were still some empty tables around.

Nanjing Impressions 南京大牌档
Plaza Singapura, #04-46 to 51, 68 Orchard Road Singapore 238839
Tel: +65 6352 7877
Opening Hours: 11am – 10am Daily

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* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post Nanjing Impressions Singapore 南京大牌档 – Popular Chinese Restaurant That Will Take You Back 100 Years appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

Tokyo Chopped Salad at Millenia Walk is Singapore’s 1st Japanese chopped salad concept store.

The person who developed this salad brand is a familiar name – Chef Teppei Yamashita, who is also behind Teppei Japanese Restaurant, Teppei Syokudo, and Man Man Unagi Restaurant. All considered rather successful.

The Japanese inspired dressings and protein combinations at Tokyo Chopped Salad are crafted by Teppei-san.

How this salad defers from the typical ones is that all the ingredients are chopped up before serving in a bowl, making consumption with just a spoon much easier. More on that later.

5 types of chopped signature salads are currently available – Mentai Teriyaki Chicken ($13.80), Corocoro Shrimp Tofu Salad ($12.80), Premium Beef Tataki ($14.80), Healthy Avocado Mushroom ($11.90) and Soft Shell Crab Oishii Salad ($16.80).

They also have a DIY concept where customers can choose their preferred salad base, proteins, toppings, and dressings.

”10 more minutes, you gotta be kidding me? It is just salad.”

Another customer seemed to have raised his voice a little. The waiting time was lengthy comparatively, about 10 – 15 minutes at least per customer, considering the queue was actually not that long.

Noticed that the server was already furiously chopping away (I think he is going to get very trained biceps by the end of next month), but that was ironically the section holding up.

Office workers in a rush and need to ‘chop chop curry pok’, may need to consider.

The best salad I had was the Mentai Teriyaki Chicken ($13.80), because it was, well, tastier?

Somehow the other two salads I ordered – the Beef Tataki and Soft Shell Crab, were rather flat in both flavours and texture. Deep fried soft shell crab in salad, somehow didn’t gel together well.

The con of having chopped salad compared to the ordinary type?

After the 3rd or 4th mouthful, every other spoon of salad would taste about the same. No large pieces of meat to look forward to (since they were mixed in), no big visible pieces of ingredients to pick out.

With the exception of the Beef Tataki bowl, I have the feeling this may not appeal to diners who like to see their pieces of meat clearly before eating.

A poster printed, “Teppei Premium Salmon Sashimi – Additional $1.50”, and you would assume topping up some sashimi would have cost $1.50.

It actually meant replacing the protein in the existing signature bowl, and a further top-up would be $5.

Perhaps some fine-tuning would be required to make this work better. Faster chopping, more distinct dressings, larger pieces of proteins.

Tokyo Chopped Salad
9 Raffles Boulevard #01-102, Millenia Walk Singapore 039596
Tel: +6817 5718
Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm

Other Related Entries
11 Must Try Japanese Restaurants At Millenia Walk
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* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

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With more heartland malls opening, cafe hopping is more convenient with an increase in eateries opening in the heartlands.

Easties will rejoice with Tampines Mall, Century Square, Tampines One and the latest addition – Our Tampines Hub located at Tampines Ave 4 with Commonground, Out Of The Cake Box and Tenderfresh Classic.

Saap Saap Thai caught my attention when I walked past it on a weekday afternoon, which was almost fully occupied with the OLs (office ladies) during lunch hours.

Saap, pronounced as Sap, means “Delicious” in Thai, and I was curious if the food is as ‘legit’ as the name sounds.

Personally, I felt that the ordering process was interesting – everything was automated, from “feeding’ the notes and coins into the machine at the counter to the automatic refund for our change.

With that said, I think more eateries and food courts should be moving in that direction. Pros and cons.

There are more than 50 items such as Chicken and Beef Boat Noodles ($7.90/ $9.90), Classic Rice Dishes ($7.90/ $9.90), Tom Yum ($7.90/ $9.90), Thai Glass Noodle Salad ($6.50/ $8.50) and Thai desserts and drinks on the menu.

So many choices, so little stomach space. #FirstWorldProblems

I had the Signature Australian Beef Boat Noodle ($7.90) served in a clear soup.

While the glass noodles were springy and al dente, the soup was a tad bland, unlike other Thai Boat Noodle
places which offer a more robust flavour.

Unfortunately, the soft, mushy and starchy beef meat balls did not make the situation better.

The Thai Grilled Chicken Noodle ($7.90) with a choice of dry or soup, on the other hand, was on point.

Springy noodles with chicken slices grilled with savory-sweet sauce was aroi mak mak (‘Tasty’ in Thai).

Drinks were available as a top up with every main dish purchased at a $0.50 discount.

Both the Iced Thai Milk Tea and Iced Thai Green Milk Tea were strong in tea flavour, non-diluted.

Perhaps providing an alternative option for choosing the level of sweetness will elevate the drinking experience.

As the saying goes, we all have a separate stomach for desserts, especially when the dessert menu revolves around their local specialty – Thai Mangoes.

Think Mango Sticky Rice ($5.50), Mango Sticky Rice + Red Beans ($6), Mango Sticky Rice + Ice Cream ($6.50), Mango Cubes with Coconut Cream and Sticky Rice/ Sago ($4.80).

The Thai mango was as good as the ones I had in Thailand – sweet and juicy, whereas the sticky rice was on the dry side though.

Saap Saap? Not quite, but passable as a convenient and fuss-free place to eat at Our Tampines Hub.

Saap Saap Thai
Our Tampines Hub, 51 Tampines Ave 4, #01-100, Singapore 529684
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm (Mon-Sun)
https://www.facebook.com/saapsaapthai/

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* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post Saap Saap Thai – Thai Boat Noodles And Street Side Food At Our Tampines Hub appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

We all kind of get it that South Korean food is IN and popular in Singapore, and you WILL find more Korean restaurants, dessert houses and cafes opening up.

Patbingsoo Korean Dining House at Plaza Singapura understands what will make its target diners (possibly the youths) tick, by serving trendy dishes matched with instagrammable food.

So bring on the cheese and the bingsu.

The location is at the basement next to the escalator, where the fishtank shop used to be? (With that said, I would advise diners seated at one end of the restaurant, near the escalator NOT to look up too much. Please don’t.)

Expect the menu to be divided into Korean style street food and desserts. Expect Cheese Tteokkochi ($17.90), Rolling Cheese Chicken Wings ($22.90), Kimbab ($9.90), House Special Ramyeon ($11.90), Seafood Sundubu Pasta ($13.90), Tteok Carbonara ($12.90), Cheese Kimchi Fried Rice ($9.90), Beef and Chips ($12.90), and Bibimbap ($11.90).

Dishes are obviously modernised to attract a certain segment of customers. There is a lot of cheese going on.

The signature is Rolling Cheese Pork Ribs ($38.90), where pork ribs are surrounded by tons of cheddar and mozzarella, which you can ‘roll’ over with. Quite expensive ah for a few pieces?

The cheese mixture is melted with a ‘slapping’ technique that ensures a stringy texture, before being rolled around each individual pork rib.

The group of us initially thought, ”Let’s try a some items first to try, before ordering more.”

Unfortunately, the House Special Ramyeon ($11.90) ‘sealed the deal’, which all 3 of my friends said ”They can cook better instant noodles at home.”

I went, ”Really?” and understood why. Somehow the noodles were too soggy, and soup base diluted. You can imagine how watery ramyeon soup taste like.

The good thing is, Patbingsoo Korean Dining House has a wide range of bingsoo offerings, including Euljiro Bingsoo (strawberry and cheesecake), the Incheon Bingsoo (Tiramisu coffee and rum) and Sinsa Patbingsoo, cut to maintain the entire rock melon’s dome shape.

Ah, named after my favourite places in Seoul. Prices of the Bingsoo range between $8.90 and $14.90, considered reasonable comparatively.

The Sinsa Patbingsoo ($14.90) contains red bean, cornflakes, nata coco and vanilla ice cream, all within the rock melon.

Created for Instagram, tasted like it was for Instagram as well.

As the cornflakes were inside the melon, they lost their crunchiness fast. Soggy cornflakes with shaved ice? Hmmmm… Also, the combination was too sweet, especially when an entire scoop of vanilla ice cream was mixed within.

I think Patbingsoo Korean Dining House has the potential with its interesting menu. But I just wished food was created not to just have a temporary ‘wow’ factor, but actually excite the taste buds as well.

Patbingsoo Korean Dining House
Plaza Singapura #B2-47, 68 Orchard Road Singapore 238839
Tel: +65 9181 3038
Operating Hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm, Last order: 9.30pm (Sun – Thurs), 11:30am – 10:30pm (Fri – Sat), Last Order 10:00pm

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Daejon House (Havelock II Mall)
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SBCD Korean Tofu House (Tanjong Pagar Centre)

* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post Patbingsoo Korean Dining House – Instagrammable Korean Street Food & Bingsoo. The Taste… appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

Ippudo, which still counts as one of my favourite ramen shops in Singapore, has opened a quick-service, takeaway concept store Kuro-Obi at Marina Bay Sands.

Kuro-Obi was first launched in New York, and this Singapore MBS outlet is its first overseas foray.

Interesting to know: this is the first concept by Ippudo with a chicken-based Tori Paitan ramen.

The signature is the Kuro Obi Original ($12) which comes in a takeaway bowl, with a creamy chicken broth base served with chicken chashu, diced onion, spinach, seaweed and egg.

Other variants include Aka-Obi ($10) mixed in with spicy miso pasta, Cha Obi ($9) which has a vegetable shoyu broth, and Shiro-Obi ($8) – the original with no egg and seaweed.

The bowl of noodles can be customized by choosing from texture of the noodles to soup concentration, stock richness to condiment add-on such as garlic and onion.

I picked “Normal” for all choices.

First feedback (which is similar to what several of my friends had commented) was that the broth was too salty, and somewhat oily.

I can understand why. The soup was oilier than usual as this is a takeaway concept, and the oil would help keep the soup warm enough.

With that said, I did feel that the saltiness masked the delicate creaminess of the chicken broth.

For fans of Ippudo’s Hakata style straight, long and thin noodles, you may be disappointed to know that the noodles here are the yellowish, thicker, shorter type – as it supposedly keeps better and does not turn soggy so easily.

At least the chicken chashu was tender and tasty.

Side dishes of Chicken Rice, Tori Chashu Meshi, Tori Karaage, Takoyaki are available.

Ordered the Tori Karaage and was thankful I had 3 instead of 5 – the pieces were just too oily and not crisp enough.

Thankfully, Kuro-Obi is considered wallet-friendly in high-end Marina Bay Sands, with ramen starting from $8.

If not, Ippudo fans can still choose to dine-in at the 90-seater restaurant next door.

Kuro-Obi Marina Bay Sands
Bayfront Avenue #B2-54/55 Marina Bay Sands Singapore 018972 (beside Skating Rink and Rasapura)
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 11:00pm (Sun – Thurs, PH), 10:30am – 11:30pm (Fri, Sat, Eve of PH)

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* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

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Popular Singapore zi char restaurant JB Ah Meng has move from Geylang Lor 23 to Geylang Lor 30.

Gone are the seating area at a dingy back alley where you may not be able to see your food clearly (and have to feed mosquitoes), to a bright, white-lighted corner coffeeshop that is more spacious and comfortable.

If you are curious, yes, the prices remain the same. Still as ‘chaotic’. LOL

During peak-dinner time, it is still like a ‘war-zone’ and EVERY staff has that hurried, kancheong look.

JB Ah Meng originated from Singapore, and has nothing to do with Singapore’s favourite orangutan.

Accordingly, the chefs from JB Ah Meng are from across the causeway, and cook in feisty Malaysian style with wok-hei

The eatery was listed under the Singapore Michelin Bib Gourmand Guide 2016 – even the Ang Moh inspectors take pleasure.

Just in case you are a tourist to Singapore, Geylang is considered a ‘red-light’ district, but an area which promises loads of good food.

JB Ah Meng recommended dishes: JB San Lou Meehoon, White Pepper Crab, Salted Egg Prawn Roll, 3 Delicacy Beancurd.

If you are a first timer here, you should order at least one of the above.

I heard a statement that “If JB Ah Meng’s White Pepper Crab is 2nd best nobody will claim to be the 1st.” Is that even true?

As I wanted to leave space for other dishes, I ordered one crab which cost me $42.

Note for food instagrammers: these crabs are not as photogenic as the usual ones, coming messy coated in a grey coloured sauce, not properly plated.

The crab was of a smaller-than-the-usual-Sri-Lankan-crab size.

After chomping down those sweet crab meat tossed in piquant kick of white pepper, I think there is some truth in that earlier statement. What I liked was that the white pepper did not overcome the sweetness freshness of the crab meat.

The crab could be of bigger sizes, boosting more succulent meat, but the power sauce would make you overlook that. Hate using this phrase, but this was finger-licking-good.

The JB San Lou Mee Hoon ($7/$11/$14) looked like a plate of flat mess (simi lai?) or a pancake gone wrong, but you know, the taste is quite the opposite.

Fried with shrimps, egg and vegetables at the bottom, there was a play of textures of both thin crisp and moist. Also, the darker the colour of the vermicelli, the more flavours it had absorbed. $7 of goodness.

The Salted Egg Prawn Roll ($20/$30/$40) didn’t arrive exactly how I would have imagine… ”Where’s the roll? Is this it? So little?”

BUT, this was a version where the salted egg yolk merged beautifully with the crisp batter.

The two are totally different in personally like Yang Guo meeting Little Dragon Girl, but coming together wrapping around prawns and corn kernels, that would be swept away clean fast.

Good to announce that JB Ah Meng still presents the same good signature dishes, at the same prices, at a more comfortable environment.

Come earlier (say before 6pm), or reserve via phone during say 2 – 3pm. Do not telephone after 5:30pm because nobody will pick up your call.

JB Ah Meng
534 Geylang Road Lor 30 Singapore 389490
Tel: +65 6741 2418
Opening Hours: 5:30pm – 2:30am

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* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post JB Ah Meng – NEW Location At Geylang Lor 30, Same Good White Pepper Crab and Salted Egg Prawn Roll appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

Friends will know I have some weird mad cravings over Thai style Wanton Noodles aka Baa Mee Moo Daeng and I will pounce if I know of a Thai eatery serving a ‘legit’ option.

I find that the local adaptations would have a few key elements lacking, or were inconsistent. So far, it was Chat Thai’s version – a popular restaurant owned by Thais in Sydney, which remains highly rated among my foodie kakis.

When I heard this NEW Thai noodle eatery KinMoo had opened at Tan Quee Lan Street (near Bugis MRT) and received some positive reviews, I made my way there almost immediately.

The name KinMoo – which means ‘eat pork’ in Thai, may confuse some with Kin Cow (Chinatown Point) and Kin Mookata (Lavender). (Oh, I like Kin Cow too and think it needs more publicity.)

The signature at KinMoo is BaaMee Haeng Cha Kang Rao ($7.50) though, a type of braised knuckle noodles seldom seen in Singapore.

When the bowl arrived, it reminded me of Singapore’s Bak Chor Mee. I totally loved the texture of the springy chewy egg noodles and its seasoning. It was tossed in pork lard oil (have to) which gave this aroma and authentic flavour, and a special sauce which was adequately salty.

Unfortunately, the pork ribs were all bones, almost no meat, and didn’t taste like it was marinated or seasoned. As if it just came out of the boiling water.

There were whole lot of other ingredients from fried Thai shrimps, peanuts and crispy pork lard added, which my friend thought that some Singaporean customers may not be accustomed to.

The BaaMee Moo Dang ($6.50) aka Wanton Noodles was not that salty. Special mention of its plump dumplings, and accompanying radish soup which made the meal almost complete.

I felt this was probably one of the closest versions that would remind me of Thailand. Told my friends, “80% Chat Thai”.

Other Thai dishes I ordered, such as the Tom Yum Goong ($10.90) and Deep Fried Pork Belly with Lime Leaf ($8.00) were better versions that the average Thai restaurant in Singapore.

That was then I learnt that the chef in the kitchen (who was also the wife of the owner), owns a Thai restaurant called Chicroom in Phuket. She did adapt some dishes to what she thought Singaporeans would like.

With that said, KinMoo is new and therefore waiting time can be long. Even though we were the only customers, the food did take some time to arrive. During peak hours, I hear that it can take up to an hour, especially if you are ordering the signature Green Curry Fried Rice ($7.50).

The Thai Iced Milk Tea ($3.50) would probably need some work too – slightly diluted, mildly bitter, and could be more milky-smooth.

KinMoo has some elements and signature dishes that could make this THE NEXT IT Thai Noodle Eatery to look out for. I really think so.

They now got to quickly work out their processes, fine-tune a couple of dishes, to make it work. (So don’t need to rush over now, give them some time.)

KinMoo
2 Tan Quee Lan Street #01-02 Singapore 188091 (Bugis MRT)
Tel: +65 9767 7784
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 3pm, 5.30pm – 10pm

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* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post KinMoo – One Of The Best Thai Noodles I Had In Singapore, At Tan Quee Lan Street appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

The pouring shot of salted egg sauce over orh-lu-lu charcoal waffle, molecular spheres and plated desserts comes to mind when I think of FatCat Ice Cream Bar at Bedok North.

2 years down the road, the folks behind FatCat has opened a modern Chinese restaurant Stray By FatCat right at Orchard Central.

This is indeed, not quite the typical, as one would expect them to stick to the same formula of waffles and ice cream which worked.

So what is the secret of FatCat?

A young entrepreneur with a passion that can fire up the kitchen (pun intended). Add a clear direction to be the trend-setter that differentiates themselves from the rest.

Stray By FatCat’s main focus is on Chinese cuisine using traditional cooking methods, and redefining it with a modern twist.

It is not an easy task, especially when most potential diners have the mindset and expectation of what a Chinese dish will taste like.

I was intrigued with the items on the menu, many not commonly found in other places.

Think Yu Sheng Bowl ($20), Sichuan Black Pepper Wagyu ($22), Truffle Paper Wrap Chicken ($16), deconstructed Mango Sago Pomelo ($20) and Commando’s Favourite ($17) made up of Lychee, Longan and Red Tea Softserve.

Going back to the basics, Yu Sheng has been the around in China history for ages and the combination of toppings (cracker biscuits, carrots, sesame oil) used had been proven to be a winning formula.

Riding on the Poke Bowls trend in Singapore, using the winning formula of Yu Sheng was a stroke of genius – citrusy sauce with a sesame aroma, mixed with chewy chunks of salmon belly and crunchy crackers on a bowl of sushi rice.

No worries, this Yu Sheng Poke Bowl ($20) is a permanent item on the menu even after Chinese New Year. Huat ah!

Another one of my favourites was the Black Pepper Wagyu ($22) with Sichuan black pepper sauce, BMS score 8-9 Wagyu beef, Pink Ginger emulsion and an onsen egg.

While the wagyu beef was fatty with a chewy bite with an unexpected taste from the pink ginger, I wished that the Sichuan black pepper sauce could be spicier.

The salted egg craze continues with this Salted Egg Chicken Waffle ($21) using their signature black charcoal waffle.

The charcoal waffle was still as good as those we had at FatCat, but the chicken piece could be dry and tough.

Having prior experience at FatCat, there was an element of surprise with Chinese influence in their softserve (something different from the usual ice cream at FatCat) and plated desserts.

There was something nostalgic eating a bowl of dessert from chinaware, similar to those Hong Kong dessert shops.

The Commando’s Favourite ($17) and also my favourite (even though I am not a commando) with lychee, red date and longan was light and refreshing.

It was an interesting sight to see uncles and aunties being hipsters, and eating Chinese dessert in the form of a softserve.

The Black & Gold ($18) came with a salted egg in the form of a softserve which wasn’t distinct from its appearance.

The soft serve had a slightly grainy texture with subtle and yet obvious salted egg taste that was non-overpowering.

Probably the Mango Sago Pomelo ($20) time-travelled to the present in the deconstructed form with 2 scoops of ice cream and green grapes instead of the traditional version that we are familiar with.

Coconut milk foam is available separately for a milkier taste.

If there was one item that had been around at FatCat since Day 1, it will be the Keep Popping Spheres ($12 for 3).

Infused with with Chinese influence here, think Osmanthus with lime mojito and rum, Lychee with rose and Blood Mandarin with Shirazilemon.

Pop the entire sphere into the mouth and burst the sphere, delivering the alcoholic content right down the throat. And don’t speak until you swallow the entire thing, in case you Merlion’ everything out.

Potent, shiok, deadly.

At the end of the meal, I was impressed at how Stray by FatCat had pushed the boundaries.

Perhaps it may change your impression of Chinese food, as it can be updated and trendy too.

Stray by FatCat
Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Road, #04-22A/23, Singapore 238896
Opening Hours: 11am – 12pm (Coffee), 12pm – 2pm (Lunch), 2pm – 6pm (Coffee and cakes), 6pm – 10pm (Dinner), Opens Daily
https://www.facebook.com/straybyfatcat/

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Crystal Jade Prestige (Marina Bay Financial Centre)
Janice Wong Singapore (National Museum)
Peach Garden (Changi Airport T2)
Full Of Luck Club (Holland Village)
Birds Of A Feather (Amoy Street)

* Written by Nicholas Tan @stormscape who loves all things [NEW]. Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post Stray By FatCat – Yu Sheng Poke Bowl, Salted Egg Chicken Waffle, Longan Softserve At Orchard Central appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

Food trends come and go, and some Frozen Yogurt aka Froyo shops have said their “Goodbyes” (and you still wonder how the rest are surviving). Llaollao is still doing okay, I think, though the queues are not as snaking as before.

Will popular American brand Yogurtland, which arrived at Suntec City basement, make a difference? Re-spark the trend again?

For a Froyo shop, Yogurtland has a relatively large seating area, with USB ports and photobooths for you to charge phones and take Instagram-worthy photos

The yogurt is sold by weight at $3.00 per 100 grams, with more than 30 different toppings available.

Flavours spotted include Plain Tart, Alphonso Mango Tart, Kiwi Raspberry Sorbet, Dragon Passion Tart, Strawberry Shortcake Pop, Sumatra Coffee, Matcha Tea and Salted Caramel Pecan.

Only creamy, fresh, pure California milk is used, without antibiotics or added hormones, and it is gluten-free.

For those curious, this very cup I bought cost $12.00. Hmm…

It was a mix of 2 flavours, and I preferred the Plain Tart flavour which was smooth and light, though my friend wished the texture was creamier.

Didn’t quite fancy the Alphonso Mango Tart which came across as kind of artificially sweet.

There are more than 200 flavours available which will be introduced in days to come.

Yogurtland Singapore
Suntec City #B1-165/166, 3 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038983
Opening Hours: 11:00am – 10:00pm Daily

Other Related Entries
Birds Of Paradise (East Coast Road)
Popbar (Plaza Singapura)
Kiss The Tiramisu Singapore (Orchard Gateway)
Venchi (Marina Bay Sands)
Apiary (Neil Road)

* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post Yogurtland – Popular American Frozen Yogurt Shop Opens At Suntec City appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

Shop Wonderland Cafe has moved from Haji Lane to 134 Telok Ayer Street, right next to popular coffee shop Sarnies.

The café was known for its floral and botanical-inspired space, that would give you a sense of ease and tranquility while having cakes and coffee.

Compared to some of the other cafes within Raffles Place and Telok Ayer which are more buzzling and vibrant, Shop Wonderland Café somehow has a ‘slowing-time-down’ effect.

Food offered during lunch includes Beef Goulash ($15.00), The Wonderland Om Bowl ($15.00) which is a veggie grain bowl, Sausages with Egg ($23.00) and Soup of the Day served with Toast ($9.00).

I generally think the cakes are the strength here, with favourites such as Earl Grey Lavender ($8.00), Gula Melaka Avocado ($8.00), Rose Raspberry ($8.00), Green Tea Black Sesame ($8.00) and Guinness Chocolate ($8.00).

The texture belonged to the buttery and moist type, best paired with a cup of tea.

The Maple Bacon Cinnamon Tea Cake ($8.00) was intriguing enough for me to order.

While I actually liked the sweet pieces of tender bacon on the cake, the bottom layer was decent, though not life-changing.

Drinks offered include Latte, Mocha, Chai, to more varied ones like Peppermint Mocha, Popcorn Matcha Latte and Thai Milk Tea. Prices range from $4.20 for an expresso to $7.50 for some of the iced drinks.

The drinks could have been their weaknesses, which I feel are priced slightly upwards, and there is better coffee elsewhere. Well, say just next door. (Opps, sorry girls!)

The vibes are different at this new location near the CBD.

While there is still more or less a garden-theme, the florist has been moved upstairs, and the floral scent, eclectic furniture and carefree vibes seem to have diminished when compared to the previous location.

Adding more blooms and greens around can help bring out the mood and fit the theme better, and make this a true wonderland for busy CBD workers to take a short reprise off work and stress.

Shop Wonderland Cafe & Floral Studio
134 Telok Ayer Street Singapore 068600 (Telok Ayer Station)
Tel: +65 9299 4593
Hours: 8:00am – 6:00pm (Mon-Sat), Closed Sun

Other Related Entries
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* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

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Beauty In The Pot by Paradise Group has opened a NEW outlet at The Centrepoint, which is really in the heart of Orchard.

The good news is, the hotpot restaurant opens till 6am.

Is it time to jio those midnight owl friends for ‘beauty’ pot suppers?

Before I continue, I am writing this piece with mixed feelings. While I still like the food and soup bases, there were some unsatisfactory incidents that happened with the service – which I choose not to elaborate further here.

I have given the appropriate feedback, and believe the team will take the necessary action to remedy and improve service standards for customers.

A friend did ask me why I even bothered to write in – I could have posted on social media and let it go viral.

However, I do not think that would not solve the problem. My reply was, ”If I didn’t even care, I could choose to ignore. But coming from a customer’s point of view, I cared enough.”

Back to Beauty In The Pot at The Centrepoint, the restaurant boosts of a larger seating with 3 private rooms that can be connected.

For parents who want to eat in peace, good to know that there is a children’s play area for the little ones.

On top of the 2 signature broths of Beauty Collagen Broth and Pork Bone Soup offered at the Beauty In The Pot OneKM Mall outlet, there are 4 new soup bases – Longevity Wild Pine Mushroom Broth (Vegetarian), Cooling Coconut Broth, Herbal Drunken Chicken Broth and Vitamin C Tomato Sweet Corn Broth.

The soup pot comes in single, twin and quart pot.

If you come in a bigger group, the quart pot which offer 4 different bases make sense if you would like a variety. For a quart pot, each soup base would cost from $5 to $9.

My personal favourite is still the Beauty Collagen Broth cooked with shark’s cartilage which was smooth, milky and tasty, yet not overly salty.

This base generally would work well with meat, seafood and vegetables added in.

The group also ordered Coconut Broth as this was the most interesting of them all. My recommendation would be to complement this with seafood and vegetables, as too much meat could eventually mask off the light coconut taste.

I also realised that the tomato broth was sweeter and lighter than competitor’s Hai Di Lao – which was more robust and appetising overall.

The ‘handsome boy’ service staff who served us was generally prompt, and made suitable recommendations. Though the restaurant overall, was visibly short-handed, and thus food could take A WHILE to come.

Ah yes, if you are wondering… ”Daniel ordered so much ah?!”

It was because I waited for soooooooo long (like one hour), I told my friend ”Just order everything.” For an estimation, each person could be expected to pay before $60 – $80. (Of course depending on what you order.)

To be fair, Beauty In The Pot uses good quality cuts of meats, so consider that a premium to pay.

For those intending to make a reservation, I tried to and it was almost impossible to call through.

They are possibly full for the next few weeks, and going down personally to make a 10:30pm offpeak reservation, could be your safest bet. Until they figured something out.

Beauty In The Pot – The Centrepoint
The Centrepoint, 176 Orchard Road #05-15/16 Singapore 238843 (Somerset MRT)
Tel: +65 62353557
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 6:00am Daily

Beauty In The Pot – OneKM
OneKM, 11 Tanjong Katong Road #02-21 Singapore 437157 (Paya Lebar MRT)
Tel: +65 6702 2542
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 5:30pm – 1am (Mon-Thurs), 11am – 3am (Fri-Sat, Eve of PH), 11am – 1am (Sun, PH)

Other Related Entries
Steam Box (Serangoon Gardens)
Faigo Hotpot (Clarke Quay)
Hai Di Lao (Vivocity)
Crystal Jade Prestige (Marina Bay Financial Centre)
Hai Tien Lo (Pan Pacific Singapore)

* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post Beauty In The Pot – NEW Outlet At Centrepoint, Opens Till 6am, 4 Soup Bases In One Pot appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

Not your typical garage.

The Garage at Singapore Botanic Gardens is within a conserved heritage building that has been around since the 1920s. (While you are at the gardens, there are also Casa Verde and Corner House you can look out for.)

It has now been refurbished into a new F&B establishment which houses two dining concepts – Bee’s Knee at Level 1 and Botanica at Level 2.

The concept sounds familiar. Yes, they belong to the same group which also runs Wildseed and The Summerhouse at Seletar Aerospace Park.

At level 1, Bee’s Knee is the café arm that serves a menu of pizza, pasta, sandwiches and desserts.

One can choose to dine at the exterior garden seating or within the comfort of air-conditioned seating.

The thing I noticed was, most diners were to a wrong counter to collect food.

While collection has to be self-serviced using a buzzer system, more prominent visual guides or a verbal directions provided by the service staff could help.

For the price, the Tiger Prawns Linguine ($18) was adequately decent.

Despite the usage of simple ingredients – fresh tiger prawns, cherry tomatoes and spring onion, there was subtle aroma along with every bite.

What caught my attention was the Lemon Rosemary Tart ($7), which stood out from the range of pastries like a blossomed flower with its golden glazed meringue.

However, when I go for lemon tarts, I would be looking out for the tangy, sour taste to whet an appetite, which this was unfortunately lacking.

“I have banana, I have a toffee, urgh, Banoffee.” (Sorry, bad joke.)

The Banoffee Tart ($7) made from banana, cream and toffee was the favourite pick.

While I was expecting it have the usual hard crust based on its appearance, this version crumbled apart easily with a gentle push of the fork.

It had a balanced combination of rich butter fragrance, a hint of banana, but yet not overly sweet. Totally won me over.

Previously I saw the Caramelized Apples with Cranberries Waffles ($14) making its round on their Instagram and decided to give it a shot, but regretted a little soon after.

Their waffles belonged to the traditional Belgium waffle which was made using yeast dough to give its dense and chewy texture.

As much as I liked the apples compote with Greek yogurt combination, the waffles was too much to handle.

Quoting @stormscape: “Made for Instagram, taste like it was made Instagram.”

Conveniently located along one of Botanic Garden’s walking trail, The Garage has a geographical advantage for being accessible for park goers.

Dine surrounded by flora and fauna, or rest your tired legs after a long stroll in the park.

Bee’s Knee at The Garage
50 Cluny Park Road, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore 257488
Tel: +65 6264 7978
Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm (Tue – Sun), Closed Mon
https://www.facebook.com/thegaragesbg/

Other Related Entries
Wildseed Café (Seletar)
Casa Verde (Botanic Gardens)
Corner House (Botanic Gardens)

* Written by Lewis Tan @juicyfingers, a self-proclaimed coffee addict. Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

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New Year, New Restaurants. City Square Mall, with direct connection to Farrer Park MRT station, is home to several new restaurants and food concept places.

Along with some 200 tenants such as Daiso, Decathlon, Uniqlo, Toys “R” Us, and Golden Village.

Wok Master, Seoul Jjimdak, Meet, Face To Face Noodle House are some of the newer food brands you can find there. Not forgetting Chic-A-Boo Fried Chicken and Châteraisé which will be opening there very soon.

Good news for those intending to find places to dine during the Chinese New Year period (I know it can be hard), City Square Mall will be open on both 28 and 29 January for you to catch a movie, shop and feast with your family.

Here are 9 MUST TRY Restaurants And Food Places At City Square Mall:

Wok Master
#02-51/52
Tel: 6835 9096
http://wokmaster.com.sg

Local zhi char favourites, claypot and hotplate dishes are such comfort food for the family.

Home-grown restaurant Wok Master, opened by the team behind local coffee chain Coffee Hive serves up affordable Asian-local delights. Most of the food items are value-for-money in the $8 – $12 range, considering this is a sit-down, air-conditioned restaurant with service.

Signature claypot dishes include the Wok Master’s Premium Claypot ($28 or $38), Claypot Curry Chicken ($8), Claypot Crayfish Laksa ($12), Claypot XO Crayfish Tanghoon ($14, $28), Golden Salted Egg Pork Ribs ($12, $18), Coffee Spare Ribs ($12, $18), and Boxing Chicken ($8, $12).

Look out for: NEW Salted Egg, Chilli and Black Pepper Crabs
The chefs at Wok Master, previously from renowned restaurants, have cooked up what they have done best – CRABS.

Must, must have these Chilli, Black Pepper and Salted Eggs at unbelievable prices of $48 for 2 crabs, $65 for 3 crabs!

The salted egg crab sauce was ‘legit’ with grainy texture, cooked with curry leaves. Chef explained that the sauce was cooked with REAL salted egg for better flavours.

The flesh of the crabs was so chunky and sweet, and the server commented that the crabs were, well, still alive (and kicking) before we ordered the food. All to ensure the freshness.

Shi Li Fang
#02-53/54
Tel: 6636 7899

Taiwanese hotpot restaurant Shi Li Fang prides itself in its MSG-free soup bases, non-fried cuisine, with over 20 dipping sauces (sauces offered free of charge).

Try their tomato base soup for light tanginess and sweetness in the broth, which would become more flavourful after addition of the meats. Prices are wallet-friendly, plus there is a current 50% off seafood and meat items. Wah!

Look out for: Business Lunch Set Meal At $8.60!
No kidding. A mini steam boat set lunch with soup base (Chicken, Mala, Mushroom, Fish, Picked Vegetables, Tomato, Vegetarian), with 1-2 meat items, 2-4 vegetable items, and 1-2 items from the tofu category with a beverage for $8.60 during lunch time.

Din Tai Fung
#01-10/11
Tel: 6634 2322
www.dintaifung.com.sg

Din Tai Fung needs little introduction. World famous for its signature Xiao Long Baos; ranked as one of the world’s Top Ten Best Restaurants by The New York Times.

Steamed Pork Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao), Steamed Chicken Soup, Stir-fried Dou Miao with Shrimps and Oriental Salad in Special Vinegar Dressing “Xiao Cai” (I can have two at a seating) count as some of the restaurant’s popular dishes.

Look out for: Fried Rice with Pork Chop
One of my regular orders. The delectable main brings us back to basics with the use of eggs, spring onions, pearl rice and good ‘wok-hei’ to bring out the flavours of the fresh ingredients.

The accompanying signature fried pork chop marinated with a variety of spices, was still downright tender with a good bite.

Paradise Classic
#B1-01/02
Tel: 6509 9337
www.paradisegroup.com.sg

Paradise Inn has recently rebranded itself as Paradise Classic and continues to offer classic Chinese cuisine and nourishing traditional double-boiled soups.

Choose from some family favourites such as the Stewed Silver Needle Noodle with Salted Fish in Claypot, Braised Tofu with Crystal Prawn in Claypot, Steamed Fish Head with Spicy Bean Sauce, and you can end the meal with herb, floral, fruit-infused tea (to feel more cleansed).

Look out for: Espresso Chicken
Typically we may see the dish Coffee Ribs in some Chinese restaurants in this region. Paradise Classic’s Espresso Chicken ($13.80) is another interpretation.

The dish contained deep fried chicken, still moist on the inside, coated with this sauce of unique flavour with light spiciness and conspicuous coffee aroma.

Seoul Jjimdak
#05-04
Tel: 6634 2668
www.facebook.com/Seoul-Jjimdak-1705153063034451

Jjimdak is a sharing dish which originated from Andong, made with chicken and various vegetables marinated in a spicy Korean ganjang (soy sauce) based sauce.

Seoul Jjimdak signature ($36.90) is a pot of braised succulent chicken (available with bones or boneless), potatoes, carrots, onions, dried chillies and with chewy glass potato noodles, great for sharing between 2 to 4 people.

Look out for: Gimbap
Gimbap is like a ‘Korean sushi roll’, typically filled with meat and kimchi, wrapped in seaweed.

Seoul Jjimdak has newly introduced 3 types of Gimbap – Beef ($9.90), Chicken ($8.90) and Tuna ($7.90). This would also make a balanced takeaway meal (with carbs, proteins and vegetables) for office workers on the go.

My vote would go to the bulgogi-sauce marinated chicken strips filled roll, in which the stronger-flavoured meats complemented well with the short grain rice.

Meet
#02-37/38
Tel: 69090568
www.meetdining.com

New-to-market restaurant Meet at City Square Mall is inspired by French and Japanese cuisine. It
carries a wide range of lunch selections, premium beef cuts, tapas and artisan beer, with space suitable for communal dining with family and friends.

You may be surprised at its pricing, not as expensive as I would have imagined, with most of the mains below $20.

Expect Braised Pork Trotter with Angel Hair Pasta ($12), 6 Hours Braised Beef Cheek with Somen, Ginger and Roasted Sesame Seed ($15), Pulled Beef Bourguignon Gratin ($16), Caramelised Miso Pork Belly ($15), and Salmon Fricassee ($15).

Look out for: Mussel. Prawn. Garlic In A Pan (2 To Share)
A generous pan of mussels and prawns cooked with garlic, served with creamy mushroom risotto cooked with beef stock.

Chic-A-Boo Fried Chicken (opening soon)
#01-30/31/K1/K2

Wholesome family restaurant Astons started Chic-A-Boo Fried Chicken to offer Southern fried chicken in a cosy country style atmosphere.

Chic-A-Boo Fried Chicken uses only fresh chicken for its signature, accompanied with 11 types of side dishes (such as coleslaw, mashed potato, onion rings, curly fries and potato wedges, soup) and each meal comes with a homemade corn muffin.

Look out for: Hot & Spicy Chicken
The chicken is available in two flavours: Favourite and Hot & Spicy. I preferred the latter with spices rubbed down the crunchy batter.

Boost Juice Bars
#B1-K16

Low-fat Healthy Smoothies and Juices
Boost Juice Bars offering juices and smoothies which are free of preservatives, artificial flavours and colours should be familiar to many.

It is a convenient pick-me-up for a protein smoothie after a gym session.

Do you know there is a ‘Seriously Healthy’ range? Developed with the assistance of a nutritionist, all at least 98% fat free, has no added sugar and is free from any artificial flavors and coloring.

Look out for: All Berry Bang, Lean & Green Range
I asked and the all-time best seller, All Berry Bang ($5.50 for original, $5.00 for medium, $4.00 for kids size) is blended from strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apple juice, TD4 strawberry yoghurt and ice. Refreshing and tangy.

For the health-and-green fans, the “Lean & Green” product range offers at least one serving of greens, and at least two servings of fruit in each cup. Way to go. #NewYearResolution

Châteraisé (opening soon)
#01-12

Châteraisé is a patisserie from the Yamanashi Prefecture Japan (a land rich in nature), which collaborates with Japanese farmers to use high quality ingredients for their cakes and desserts.

Do you know that their cakes in Singapore are delivered over direct from Japan?

Look out for: Happy Cute Bunny Cake and Happy Cute Panda Cake
These two animal-shaped cakes (both $5.10) will bring out the child in you, and should be the cutest food on your Instagram gallery.

Still unsure of what to pick? Get the best seller which is the “Legendary Strawberry Cream Cake” which boasts of light fresh cream and sweet strawberries. Other popular favourites (you should ‘dabao’ back to office) include White Zebra Caramel (that’s like a Mille Crepe Cake), Green Zebra, Crispy Chocolate Cake and Fluffy Cream Rolls.

See Spring in a New Light at City Square Mall this Chinese New Year (6 Jan to 5 Feb 2017)
From now till 5 Feb, spend a min. of $200* ($300* if inclusive of NTUC FairPrice receipts) to receive a chance at the “Sure-Win Fortune Spin” and win bountiful treats such as $50, $10, $5 City Square Mall shopping vouchers, red packets and exclusive premiums. *T&Cs apply.

Head out to the L1 City Green park for some spring fun at the Outdoor Carnival with a giant Rooster inflatable slide, games and rides!

Plus, City Square Mall is opened during Chinese New Year. You can catch a movie, dine and shop during the Chinese New Year on 28 & 29 Jan at selected stores. Check with individual stores for details.

City Square Mall
180 Kitchener Road Singapore 208539
Tel: +65 6595 6595
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm Daily
www.citysquaremall.com.sg

By train: Farrer Park MRT Station Exit I (North-East MRT line)
By bus: 21, 125, 130 (Kitchener Road before Tai Hoe Hotel)
21, 23, 64, 65, 66, 67, 125, 130, 139, 141, 147, 857, NR6 (Serangoon Road outside Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple)

Other Related Entries
10 Restaurants To Eat At City Square Mall
Wok Master (City Square Mall)
Seoul Jjimdak (City Square Mall)
Face To Face Noodle House (City Square Mall)

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with City Square Mall.

The post 9 MUST TRY Restaurants And Food Places At City Square Mall appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

Pantang (superstitious) friends who thought calling a restaurant “One Night Only” can be quite inauspicious.

After all, this shop space at the junction of River Valley Road and Zion Road has seen quite a few change of hands in a few years, from zhi char to pizzas.

The team behind Muchachos and The Daily Cut is considered ‘brave’ then, but they did consult a fengshui master who advised them to shift the location of the main entrance. Which they did.

So you are heading there, enter by the ‘side’.

One Night Only is an American diner serving all-day breakfast, diner classics and comfort food.

The name may remind people of Broadway musical or movie Dreamgirls (by Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson) but co-owner Jonathan said he didn’t even watch that flick.

He thought it fitted the intended brand personality of the place, which is to be rather irreverent and tongue-in-cheek.

The signature items include Chicken-fried steak ($27), Nashville hot chicken ($21), and Maple Bacon Pancakes ($16.50).

There is a Build Your Own Breakfast (BYOB) option where you can choose components of eggs, bacon, sausage, corned beef hash and brioche toast from between $3 to $6 per item.

JoanI’m kinda tired of paying good money for “big breakfast plates” that contain a lot of stuff that nobody really wants, like mesclun salad, roasted tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms.

I had the Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($19.50) which came with 2 side dishes.

Choose from a selection of French Fries, Onion Rings, Mashed Potatoes, Coleslaw, Biscuit and Gravy, Mac and Cheese, Boston Baked Beans and Creamed Corn.

When the plate arrived, I thought it looked sad for $19.50. The dish somewhat reminded me of a 2-piece set from a fast-food restaurant. Nevermind which one.

Thankfully, the taste won me over. Deliciously marinated and juicy. While this might have looked harmful to the expanding waistline, the chicken wasn’t oily at all.

The Charlotte’s Steak Sandwich ($18.00) turned out to be not too bad a choice, with many slices of seared tender steak strips sandwiched between toasted ciabatta. The accompanying onion rings were too oily though.

I liked the ambience of the setting – cosy, personable service and different from the run-of-the-mill hipster cafes. It almost felt out of this country, though I must admit the diner did attract quite a number of expats in the area.

The thing not too ‘American’ about One Night Only would be the portion – are they considering that Asians eat less? I think they can work on making some of the plates fuller and more substantial to suit the theme.

One Night Only
397 River Valley Road, Singapore 248292
Tel: +65 6235 1248
Opening Hours: 12pm to 10pm (Tues – Fri), 9am – 10pm (Sat, Sun, PH), Closed Mon

Other Related Entries
Meat N Chill (6th Avenue)
Otto Deli Fresh (Holland Village)
Spuds and Aprons (Faber Peak)
Cheng’s Gourmet Food Bar (Clementi Road)
Cook and Brew (Westin Singapore)

* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

The post One Night Only – American Style Diner In Singapore, Serving Comfort Food At River Valley appeared first on DanielFoodDiary.com.

“Irrashaimase!” DANRO Japanese Collagen Hot Pot Restaurant by Ministry of Food (MOF) has opened a NEW outlet at the basement of Cathay Cineleisure Orchard.

You can expect hotpot buffets starting from $15.90++ for weekday lunch and $24.90++ for dinners, with a collagen soup base at an additional top-up of $2 (ie $17.90++, $26.90++).

Students aged 18 and below (with student card) get to enjoy the buffet lunch at a Student Promo Price of $12.90++ (T&C apply). Such a value-for-money price!

Although DANRO has branches at Punggol Waterway Point, JEM, United Square, Bugis Junction and NEX, every outlet has slight differences in offerings and pricings. (This write-up is focused on the Cathay Cineleisure Orchard branch.)

Note: Hurray for friends at Punggol. DANRO at Waterway Point offers hotpot delivery now. Details at bottom of post.

In Japan, eating together from a shared pot is important to establish closer relationships with family and friends. DANRO hopes to promote the culture of “nabe wo kakomu” which means “sitting around the pot”, bringing warmness and closeness to the people who eat together.

This new outlet is located at a convenient location at downtown Orchard (right next to Tensho and the food court), which you can gather with friends before or after a movie or KTV outing upstairs.

Unlimited servings of premium meats
What I like is that sliced of US Beef, Pork and Chicken are served in boxes and brought to the table. No need to ‘fight’ for meats at the buffet counter.

The meats are sliced only upon-order at the restaurant, ensuring better freshness. So you don’t get ‘frozen-tasting’ meats.

The thickness (or should I say thinness) was suitable for shabu-shabu, for you to better appreciate the tenderness of the meats.

While the meats presented were not of the highest-highest cut, I was still pleasantly surprised with its quality and thought they were still relatively worthy for its price. Especially the beef and pork.

Note: Dinner buffets include prawns.

5 Types of Collagen Soup Broths
Not just one, but five types – Chicken Collagen, Pork Garlic Collagen, Chicken Collagen Spicy, Pork Garlic Spicy and Herbal Collagen.

The collagen is extracted from boiling the skin and bones of pork or chicken, then made into white wobbly jelly-like blocks.

As the heat from the hotpot dissipates, the collagen-jelly will melt into smooth, milky soup.

If you are a first timer to DANRO, I would suggest you stick to the basic flavours of Chicken or Pork Garlic Collagen, as I found that the spiciness of the other two broths (though it was still light) to be distracting.

Tip: Add some garlic you can find from the condiments area, to enhance the aroma of the garlic soup.

4 Types of Other Soup Bases
Good that this is a ‘Yuan-Yang’ pot which allows double soup broths. The other choices, other than the collagen, are Sukiyaki, Tonkotsu, Mala, and Pork Tomyam.

For something ‘safe’, the Tonkotsu soup is prepared with a traditional Kyushu secret recipe, rich in nutrients and flavours from boiling the pork bones for many hours.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Mala, and was told by Head Chef Sonoda that this was “Japanese style Mala”, in which less spices and oil are used, but you could still appreciate if you are a spice-lover.

Indeed, I found myself slurping up the soup more often, without feeling greasy or with after-rumblings in the tummy.

Another great choice would be the Sukiyaki soup base. Chef Sonoda said that this local version that he created would be less salty than the Japanese ones, because he realized that Singapore customers actually liked to drink the soup (Compared to the Japanese who don’t).

Tip: Break and beat an egg in a bowl, then dip the cooked beef slices briefly into the beaten egg before popping into your mouth – just the way the Japanese do it.

Other food selection includes:
– Different types of Japanese fish cake & fish balls, mini-sausages, crab stick
– Vegetables such as leek, white radish, Japanese lotus root, carrot, spinach, sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, local greens, onions, sweet corn cob
– Mushroom – wood ear mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms
– Cooked food such as deep fried items, fried udon and fried rice
– Fresh fruits (saw a platter of cut watermelon)

Condiments, dips and sauces
A variety of dips are available to compliment the hot pot ingredients, including ponzu sauce, shoyu, goma sauce, peanut sauce and chilli padi.

Unlimited Serving of Drinks and Ice Cream
Drinks such as hot ocha, iced tea and soft drink are also included within the price.

The feedback I had to DANRO was, while the refills of the soups were FREE and prompt, I thought they could be less diluted.

Also, the Herbal Collagen and Pork Tomyam bases might need some fine-tuning for them to be more acceptable to the masses.

From the last time I tried DANRO, I thought the restaurant has improved in terms of both the variety and quality of the soup bases.

This is also probably one of the most affordable, if not the most value-for-money Collagen Hotpots available in Singapore. Time to get together, and get pretty.

DANRO Cathay Cineleisure Orchard Pricing
Weekday * 80 min lunch, 100 min dinner limit per diner
Lunch $15.90++ (Adult)
$9.90++ (Child 4-10 yrs)
Dinner $24.90++ (Adult)
$9.90++ (Child 4-10 yrs)

Weekend, PH and eve of PH * 100min limit per diner
All day $24.90++ (Adult)
$11.90++ (Child 4-10 yrs)

Student Promo
$12.90++ for students age 18 and below with student card.
Promotion Timing: 11:30am – 5:00pm (Mon – Fri), 11:30am – 1:00pm (Sat – Sun). Except Eve of PH, PH. T&C apply.

DANRO Japanese Collagen Hotpot Buffet – Orchard
Cathay Cineleisure Orchard #B1-08/09, 8 Grange Road Singapore 239695
Tel: +65 6262 6103
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 10:00pm (Sun – Thurs, PH), 11:30am – 10:30pm (Eve of PH), 11:30am – 11:00pm (Fri – Sat)
(Buffet Lunch timings during weekdays end at 5:30pm.)

DANRO – Punggol
Waterway Point #01-33 (East Wing), 83 Punggol Central, Singapore 828761
Tel: +65 6386 1741

DANRO – JEM
JEM #01-16, 50 Jurong Gateway Road Singapore 608549
Tel: +65 6338 7368

DANRO Waterway Point Delivery
DANRO at Punggol Waterway Point is offering Hotpot Delivery. Enquire from within store, or call +65 98228271 to place your orders.

* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Ministry Of Food (MOF).

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Hailing from the land with vibrant street food culture, Taiwanese brand Fried Chicken Master 炸鷄大師 has landed in Singapore.

They are now serving up their rendition of golden crispy fried chicken at Serangoon Nex Shopping Mall

Given that we already have a great deal of eateries selling reasonably good fried chicken – from home grown Arnolds Fried Chicken, Shihlin’s XXL Crispy Chicken, Taiwan’s Hot Star Fried Chicken to all the various Korean Fried Chicken In Singapore, we would have raised our standard requirements.

And have our ideal type, of fried chicken I mean.

Claiming to be master of fried chicken can be a case of allegation until otherwise proven. It would be interesting to see how they do their chicken differently, or risk end up being like another passing fad.

Any Taiwanese friends to vouch for their claim?

When the store first opened, it did capture my attention, thanks to their adorable orange lion mascot. Add the alluring fried chicken aroma coming from the joint.

There are 4 mains to choose from – Cutesy Jimbo Fried Chicken (200g) ($4.80), Running Jimbo Fried Chicken Thigh ($4.80), Lovely Jimbo Fried Chicken Breast ($5) and Flying Jimbo Fried Chicken Wings ($3.80).

Jimbo is the direct Chinese translation of ”golden treasure”, and the Lovely Jimbo ($5.00) which is fried chicken breast is supposedly cut into a ‘lovely’ heart shape – thus the name. The meal would be tenderised and marinated to ensure that the breast meat retains the savoury flavor.

You can also choose to add on accompanying sides such as fries, onion rings and drinks at a nominal top up for a complete meal.

Interesting to note, they serve a range of bubble tea drinks like Early Grey Milk Tea ($2.50), Roselle Tea ($1.80) and Lychee Black Tea ($1.80). All the cups are also printed with the adorable lion mascot. “Zhen Ke Ai”.

A small fast food joint with no more than 10 seaters, diners like me would prefer to take out and munch away at the comfort of my own home.

Unfortunately, waiting time was slow (like 20 minutes?) even for take out on a less busy afternoon despite there were more than a handful of staffs working in the kitchen.

So a fast food outlet that was not that fast after all.

They also got one of my orders wrongly. Good thing that I usually double check my orders before leaving the counter.

To be fair, their fried chicken pieces were really damn fragrant. So much so I got awkward on the bus because the aroma was too overpowering.

Their chicken was coated in a thick batter and fried till golden crisp. The crunch can probably be heard from a few centimeters away.

The meat was tender, and managed to retain its juiciness (despite the takeaway).

Another plus point would be that the meat was well marinated and I could taste the rich flavor with each bite. My bet would be that it was marinated with five-spice to give that flavour, added with a mild peppery touch.

Downside? A tad oily.

While waiting for my order, one of the staff also enthusiastically informed me that all their fried chicken breast are shaped like a heart. Well, sorry but I think mine not no heart, no love.

Generally, I love their rendition of fried chicken. But until they can sort out on their operational kinks, there are always comparable and fast fried chicken in the vicinity.

Fried Chicken Master Singapore
23 Serangoon Central #B2-48A, Nex Shopping Mall, Singapore 556083
Tel: +65 6593 9403
Opening Hours: 10:30am – 10pm Daily
https://www.facebook.com/friedchickenmastersg/

Other Related Entries
Smoothie House (Westgate)
Woo RiceBox (Ocean Financial Centre)
NICEDAY (Tiong Bahru Plaza)
Best Taiwanese Dessert Singapore
Hot Star Fried Chicken (City Square Mall)

* Written by Lewis Tan @juicyfingers, a self-proclaimed coffee addict. Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

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BAP Korean Food is not the typical Korean eatery found in Singapore, selling Korean Food ‘chap chye peng’ style at Alexandra Central.

The word ‘BAP’ 밥 refers to a ‘meal’, though it can also mean boiled or cooked rice and grains.

Talking about Alexandra Central Mall which is just next to IKEA and diagonally Queensway Shopping Centre, the entire mall is kind of quiet as many shops are still vacant, plus there is lack of proper marketing.

A pity really as there are some decent food choices there. (For example, another Korean restaurant The Gogi upstairs.)

BAP Korean Food is extremely under the radar, though not considered cheap either.

A meal of 3 vegetables with rice would have set you back by $9.50, while 3 meats with rice is priced at $15.00. An additional vegetable dish cost $2.50, and meat at $4.50.

People may question – What is stopping potential customers from going to a nearby hawker centre or food court where a similar meal would be half the price or less?

So the attraction is, you come here to eat Korean home-styled food.

Cooked food choices include Spicy Pork, Pork Bulgogi, Pan-Fried Tofu with Spicy Sauce, Stir-Fried Egg Plant, Seasoned Spinach with Tofu, Stir-Fried Fishcake and Stir-Fried Spicy Squid.

My plate of a meat and 2 vegetables ($11.50) felt like this was cooked by a loving Korean mummy after I return home from work.

While you do not get the restaurant quality feel, perhaps lacking in that refinement, all 3 dishes ordered were tasty in its own way, and also not overly oily.

Some of my friends commented that Korean dishes can be one-dimensional, with that same gochujang base at every single dish. I reckon you can give this place a chance, and taste that Korean dishes can be prepared in varied ways as well.

I wished the food was hotter though, but cannot be helped as they were displayed in a serving tray by the cashier.

BAP Korean Food has the potential to attract more lunch crowd, and I liked that service was personable.

The eatery probably got to serve a greater variety of food, such as made-to-order Gimbap, Bimbimbap served in hot stone bowls, and noodle dishes.

BAP Korean Food
321 Alexandra Road, Alexandra Central Mall #01-01, Singapore 169971
Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm

Other Related Entries
5 Food Places At Alexandra Central Mall
The Gogi (Alexandra Central)
Daejon House (Havelock II Mall)
O.BBa Jjajang (Tanjong Pagar Road)
SBCD Korean Tofu House (Tanjong Pagar Centre)

* Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

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When Japanese-Italian Nigiro Café first launched at Suntec City) under the Eat At Seven (Suntec City) umbrella, honestly it didn’t capture my attention (as well as many other café lovers).

The lime light fell on Kohaku Tendon and other restaurants with more prominent exposure. Being located at the back of Eat At Seven didn’t help as well.

Fast forward few months, they decided to venture into a second outlet at the Esplanade.

As usual, I am being skeptical about food standards whenever F&B establishment opens more outlets.

Well, Nigiro proved me wrong.

For a start, being situated at second level of Esplanade Mall gave them the advantage of a Waterfront view.

Together with natural lighting and sleek furniture, it elevates the style and dining atmosphere to a different level.

A place which I could envisioned myself sipping a cup of coffee and spending my quiet afternoon away. Quite a contrast compared to the Suntec City outlet.

Also with the luxury of space, it is a possible dining place for big group gatherings as well as for family outings.

Some of their recommended dishes include Cobb Salad ($16), Mentaiko Potato Pizza ($19) and NIGIRO Hamburg Steak ($25).

By the way, the iPad ordering system wasn’t really intuitive because of the comprehensive menu. Just saying.

I ended up with the Hokkaido ($26), a prawn-based broth pasta loaded with fresh seafood such as snow crab meat, clams and sea urchin.

It was like having pasta in prawn bisque, with umami-ness on every bite.

While my expectation wasn’t high for Chicken Gorgonzola ($24), as it was not on the list of recommendations, it turned out to be a pleaser.

The grilled chicken was tender and juicy, added with a hint of charred fragrance. The meat was well complemented with the creamy gorgonzola cheese sauce which gave an enhanced robustness.

Served with a serving of greens and roasted potatoes, I liked how the overall presentation promotes healthy eating and gives an additional visual appealing factor to this dish. Very Japanese-style.

One can also choose to add on a Soup of the Day for $2.50.

There was also a wide selection of desserts to choose from but being an avid matcha lover, I dived straight for the Matcha Cheesecake ($8.90) without much consideration.

But only to be disappointed.

The matcha sponge was dry, and tasted like the cake has been sitting in the display fridge for a while. Pricey for this standard.

Fortunately, the Churros Cheese Tart ($4.80) was their saving grace.

A crumbly tart with overflowing lava cheese when cut open, I enjoyed having the cookie-like texture crust together with the cheesy content.

The must-order from this shop, if you could only pick one thing.

Nigiro Café Esplanade
8 Raffles Avenue #02-14, Esplanade Mall, Singapore 038983
Tel: +65 6238 1669
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 11pm (Sun – Thu), 11:30am – 1am (Fri & Sat)
https://www.facebook.com/nigirocafeesplanade

Other Related Entries
Suzette (Esplanade)
Japan Rail Café (Tanjong Pagar)
Matchaya (Tanjong Pagar)
LeTao (ION Orchard)
KOKI Tamagoyaki (Raffles City)

* Written by Lewis Tan @juicyfingers, a self-proclaimed coffee addict. Daniel’s Food Diary pays for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.

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PO at newly restored The Wardhouse Hotel at Havelock Road, can be considered a tribute to food from our “Popo” – an affectionate way we call our grannies.

Food served includes family-style dishes inspired by grannies’ recipes, and humble local classics which are given an updated twist.

The chef-consultant behind PO is no stranger to modernised local food.

Chef Willin Low behind Wild Rocket, is one of the first to introduce Mod-Sin food in Singapore in a bigger way.

Disclosure: I had this meal with Willin himself, who wanted to dine at PO as a regular customer for the first time, instead of testing food in the kitchen. Yes, he came sort of disguised, but people recognised him anyway (except me who didn’t initially.) Anyway, I told him I would be frank in this writeup – he totally understands (though not everyone does. LOL, oh well.)

The highlight at PO is interestingly the POpiah, which Willin said he ‘pursued’ a granny so hard till he got a glimpse of her secret recipe.

Popiah skin is specially ordered from Kway Guan Huat, a 3rd generation family business at Joo Chiat.

The Popiah comes in options of Classic Platter ($28), a more luxurious Prawn Platter ($38) featuring fresh tiger prawns, and Fresh Flower Crab Platter ($58) with handpicked crabmeat.

So my question to you: Dear Singaporeans, will you pay $28 to wrap 4 Popiah yourself, while knowing you can get a $2 (x4) version easily elsewhere, all wrapped?

I personally think it is about time that Singapore’s very own local street food can go upmarket, to be served on different platforms. We cannot just expect cheap-cheap-cheap as cost of living go all the way up.

Wrapping Popiah could be a way to introduce our local cultures to foreign guests as well, provided you know some history about this dish. My own Popo used to make a superb version almost every weekend, and doing it all over again brought back lovely memories.

Back to PO’s Popiah, I liked the freshness of the ingredients, especially the prawns used. Crispy shallots added gave the fillings a light crunch as you bite through.

The stewed grated turnip fillings wasn’t the usual type I was used to, and I wished it included some dried shrimps and well, pork belly or lard (That’s just me). To be objective, I thought portion of the turnip could be more, as it seemed just enough to wrap 3 sufficiently.

I also ordered a Truffle & Duck Pie Tee ($19 for 6) because I was intrigued enough.

A moment of surprise as I popped the entire shell (always eat this all in a mouthful, and not in separate bites). There was an unexpected bottom layer of mash with truffle, which provided a big contrast to the topping of savoury tasty braised pulled duck.

I suspect this would be an either-you-like-it, or you-don’t option. Let’s just say I may not order this again.

My favourite dishes were the Carabinero Prawns and Konbu Mee ($32) and Kurobuta Char Siew ($19).

The former is another ‘atas’ version of the familiar Hokkien Mee. Surprisingly with wok hei, cooked in rich prawn stock giving the noodles an intense flavour, with sakura ebi adding delightful crisp every spoonful.

The Kurobuta Char Siew ($19) was beautifully charred with caramalised finished. As the pork collar was sous-vide for 24 hours, the bite was soft and tender. (Another worthy char siew other than Char’s.)

Other highlights include the Barramundi Salad ($19) inspired by local yu sheng, Charcoal-grilled Iberico Satay ($20), PO’s Ngoh Hiang ($15) and Paper Spring Chicken ($49).

PO does some pleasing renditions and updates on our local food. It is somewhat inventive, but doesn’t go overboard. Price is on the high side, but understandably because of the ingredients used, and the type of customer base it will possibly attract.

PO
The Warehouse Hotel, 320 Havelock Road, Robertson Quay Singapore 169628
Tel: +65 6828 0000
Opening Hours: Lunch: 11.30am-2.30pm Last order 2.30pm, Dinner: 6:00pm-10:00pm Last order 10:00pm

Other Related Entries
Wild Rocket (Upper Wilkie Road)
Char Restaurant (Jalan Besar)
Mo’mor Izakaya (Tanglin Road)
CreatureS (Desker Road)
National Kitchen by Violet Oon (National Gallery)

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