Ippudo Tao @ Orchard Central

So I can’t remember the exact orders of ramen, but what I do remember was the quality of the noodles and service.

We went there around 11-12pm so it wasn’t very crowded, thankfully. The service was prompt and they were very polite. Upon stepping into the restaurant, we were greeted with clean, minimalist tables and chairs, and a chorus of greetings from the staff. Although the ramen may be a tad expensive, especially since the toppings are not included (e.g. egg, cha su..), it is well worth the price because the quality of the ramen is very high. The noodles are springy, and delicious, not the type that leave your stomach feeling heavy. The stock was extremely flavorful too.

A word of caution, for those of you with voracious appetites, especially the guys, the portions may be rather light for you so you might want to add more toppings, or order a side dish or two.

Rating:8.5/10

Tiong Bahru Bakery

Tea time!

Its time for tea! I look forward to tea time every day, as I get to take a break from whatever I’m doing, and just sit down to savour some delicious treats with my mum. This round, we went to the much raved about Tiong Bahru Bakery.

The first thing that caught my attention was the unique door which swung both inward and outward at the same time. I can’t really describe it. Its kind of like a revolving door that you see at fancy hotel lobbies, just that with only one door. Nonetheless, it adds to the novelty of dining at a new place!

Earlier on, I’d actually gone to Tiong Bahru Bakery around 7pm to grab a chocolate croissant (they ran out of the original, of course). And it was still good, even though it wasn’t hot! The chocolate was nice and rich, and the croissant was buttery.

This time round, I dined in, and it was a good experience overall.

 

Lemon tart

Lemon tart

I heard about their lemon tart before coming, and was looking forward to some citrusy goodness. But this other version of their lemon tart was extremely blah. The lemon rinds were hard, and I could barely bite through them. The tart was hard too, and a little too sweet. I’d strongly recommend you not to order this.

I was expecting something like this: credits

But apparently it wasn’t on the menu that day 😦 I was so shocked when my foodie in crime brought this lemon tart back. I check 3 times with different staff, whether this was the lemon tart.. and although they share the same name, I’m sure they taste nothing alike.

 

Apple Crumble Tart

Apple Crumble

This was better. The apple was fragrant, and paired nicely with the sweet, buttery crumble topping. They sell a mixed berries crumble too, which looked pretty good as well. Be sure to order a drink though, cause after eating this, I could feel the beginnings of a sore throat.

 

And I saved the best for last….

THE OH-SO-FAMOUS-SUPPOSEDLY-BEST-IN-SINGAPORE CROISSANT

Croissant

Buttery and flaky, this was delicious! Unfortunately it wasn’t hot out of the oven, but it was tasty nonetheless. This is clearly the best item, and they kept baking batches cause pretty much every table had a croissant (of some form.. chocolate, almond, original…) on it. This is a must order! I loved how the croissant was layered so prettily, I’ve never seen a croissant with such intricate twists before. It adds to the pleasure of eating such a pretty and yummy item.

Tiong Bahru Bakery is a nice place to dine at, although finding a table might be a problem since it is always crowded. Of course, if you don’t like the idea of squeezing into small tables, closely packed with other diners, you probably wouldn’t enjoy yourself. But the smells, and omnomworthy display of freshly baked breads and pastry makes the ambience even better.

Is this place worth the hype? So far it hasn’t been particularly outstanding. I’m still on the fence, since only their croissant has managed to impress me. Maybe I’ll give their lemon tart a shot to see if they can win me over to the right side of the fence.

Rating: 7/10

Tiong Bahru Bakery
56 Eng Hoon Street
Singapore 160056

Contact Number:             6220 3430

Operating Hours:
Mondays, Wednesdays to Sundays, 8.00am till 8.00pm
(Closed on Tuesdays)

Everything with Fries

Everything with Fries

40 Lorong Mambong

Holland Village

I’ll tell you guys outright that I’m not a fan of fries, so it does seem rather ironic that I went to Everything with Fries for a meal. Well, let’s just say that EwF is so good, I actually ate all my fries (and it was a huge serving!)

Disclaimer: I didn’t take many photos cause I was ravenous and the food just looked so delicious, I could barely wait to tuck in.

Cheeseburger with straight cut sour cream and onion fries

Cheeseburger with straight cut sour cream and onion fries ($11.90)

The bread bun was super duper moist, beating the potato buns at Food for though by a clear mile. In fact, this burger is way better than the burgers at Food for thought and Burger Shack.. which is quite funny, especially since burger should be the specialty at Burger Shack.

The bun was so pilllowy soft that you could barely taste it when you ate it with the patty. The cooks must know what they are doing cause without any bread to distract you, the star of this burger is the generous amount of succulent beef. The beef patty was moist, flavorful and perfectly seasoned. Definitely the best burger I’ve ever eaten. As for the fries, you could actually taste the potato (unlike Mickey Ds and some places), and the seasoning was nice.

King NZ Salmon

King NZ Salmon with Shoestring Garlic and Herb Fries ($18.90)

This photo does not do it justice. The salmon was cooked perfectly, and melted in my mouth. It was quite amazing how well the salmon was executed considering the fact that they only fried one side of the salmon with crunchy browned bread crumbs, and somehow the salmon remained just nice throughout the entire meal, unlike some places where the salmon continues cooking in its own heat, and ends up becoming hard. The salmon was served with yummy lemon butter too. My only problem with this, was that I do not like the idea of an already oily fish being fried, but nonetheless the texture and taste of the salmon was great.

The fries were crunchy and delicious! They were generously seasoned with the garlic and herbs, and since I don’t usually eat fries, these are a must try cause I finished nearly all my fries! They were so addictive.

Both the meals came with a caesar salad at the side topped with cheese and bacon bits with added a lighter and pleasant contrast to the rich food we were eating.

When you eat good food, you don’t need to add condiments, so even though there were sauces readily available, most people did not even use it, let alone glance at it. Good quality food is good on its own. (See the contrast with McDonald’s and other fast food chains? Everyone loads up on the condiments.. its cause the food doesn’t taste good, but people still eat it anyway 😐 )

Oh yes, I saw someone ordering a Ham and Cheese sandwich, but I don’t recommend you order it cause it looks really simple, just a normal ham and cheese sandwich you can put together on your own, (x2 since they gave 4 slices of bread). Order the cheeseburger instead!

Furthermore, the meal kept me full for 6 hours, actually even longer, but I’m not one to skip meals, so I ate dinner anyway. 6 hours is quite a feat, considering I get hungry every 3 hours or so. In fact, it kept my dining buddy full for a good 8-9 hours, so if the meal seems expensive to you, its actually reasonable since you don’t snack until the next meal!

I have yet to try the nutella tart and mille crepe, but it looks amazing.

On a final note, the ambience here is nice and simple, (and they even have a mini library, just a few shelves) like awfully chocolate, mainly white and black themed.

Oh wow, this was a long post, and it was so much easier than writing an academic essay, that’s what passion does for you. Haha, when I have lots to write, it means that the place is good, so you should head on down!

Rating: 8.9/10 

I couldn’t help myself: Word Count: 699 words XD

Paris Baguette Cafe

Cute brochure

435 Orchard Road, #02-48 to 53 Wisma Atria, Singapore 239977

I was out for a walk with my fellow food lover when we caught a glimpse of this brightly lit, squeaky clean and new-looking bakery. Despite looking so new, Paris Baguette Cafe was attracting a steady flow of customers. Being me, I joined the queue. After all, long queues = good food, no? (Most of the time at least)

First thing that shocked me was that this bakery is from Korea. That’s right, not Paris, despite its name. And they are authentically korean. The staff were even speaking korean to some of their customers! If the true-blue koreans come here for good eats that they are familiar with, I’m joining in.

Now for the food!

Freshly baked Baguette

I thought since they’ve got Baguette in their name, they must be good for it right? Well, their baguette was not bad, unfortunately not as good as I thought it would be. This clearly isn’t their signature item, tastewise, even though they may be called Paris Baguette Cafe. Give this a miss, and go for their other unique bakes.

Giant UFO (aka Custard filled bun of omnom deliciousness)

If you look really closely, you can see specks of vanilla bean. 

This Giant UFO bun is a custard filled bun shaped like a UFO. It has a sweet biscuity crust, with a soft pillowy centre. The bun is so thin, just enough to hold the generous filling of fragrant, wobbly custard within. You definitely have to give this a try! This is such a unique item, and it has one of the best custard fillings I’ve tasted.

Sonoma

Sonoma… hmm, maybe its a korean word for peanut. Well, this bun is covered with a fragrant crunchy peanut exterior which adds a nice oomph to this bread. It doesn’t look very appetizing, and I didn’t think just having a peanut coating would add much taste. But I was pleasantly surprised by the fragrance of the peanut coating. You could really taste and smell the peanuts. The crunchiness of the coating also nicely complemented the softness of the bun. I’d recommend this as well.

Paris Baguette Cafe offers dine-in options as well, but judging from past reviews, you’re better off going for the takeaway bakery options which are value for money, and tasty. The dine-in options are more expensive, and after paying so much, I’m sure you won’t be as satisfied with your food (even if it is above average).

Rating: 8/10

Blueberry bread

Its time for a recipe!

Look at the burst blobs of blueberries! (alliteration)

I came across this recipe on Dawn’s blog a while back, and I decided to give it a go.

Homemade Blueberry Bread

 Recipe (makes 12 slices)

Dry

1 cup bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Wet

1 cup milk

1/4 yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract (or more if you’re a vanilla fan)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 180C/350F.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients EXCEPT the blueberries with a whisk in a large bowl.
3. In another large bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
4. In the ‘dry ingredients’ bowl, make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients. Combine all the ingredients by mixing. Note: DO NOT OVERMIX. About 25 seconds of mixing should do the job. There may seem to be some lumps here and there but it’s totally fine – it’s meant to be like that! 
5. Fold in the blueberries.
6. Grease a baking tin with oil or butter and pour in your batter.
7. Gently tap the baking tin to remove any air bubbles within the batter.
8. Bake for about 40 – 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

This is definitely a healthier bread recipe since yogurt substitutes the butter/oil. Of course, that comes at a cost since this bread is denser than most. However, it still tastes good, and is even better eaten when its toasted and topped with peanut butter.

Another suggestion is that you could spread honey on the top of the bread after baking to add some sweetness. 

Do give it a try and let me know how it went! 😀

Have a great day.

Swee Choon Tim Sum Restaurant

185/ 187/ 189/ 191 Jalan Besar

Singapore 208882 

Enquiry Hotline : 62257788  

Fax : 62941089 

Email : admin@sweechoon.com

 Business Hours :

Monday – Saturday 6 pm – 10 am

Sunday and Public Holiday 6 pm – 12 noon

Close on Tuesday Night

Payment mode : Cash and NETS

************************************************************

So I finally went to try Swee Choon’s dim sum. I didn’t even know they existed until recently, even though they’ve been around for 50 years. Anyway, I went there for breakfast today, and it was quite interesting sitting in a back alley with a couple of old uncles sitting around for their breakfast too. 

Since they open from 6pm to 10am, when I went, quite a few of their items were sold out 😦 So I didn’t get to try their egg tarts, char siew sou, and things like their red bean pancake and xiao long bao because they only sell those at night. 

Anyway, here’s my verdict for those items that I tried:

Front view of the stall, seats are at the back.

(They sell takeaway items from here)

Charsiew Bao:

The bbq pork filling was pretty good, but the pau was too thick for my liking. To me, a good pau must have thin skin, so that once you bite into it, the filling will ooze in your mouth, rather than tasting more pau flour than the filling. 

Rating: 7/10

The ideal pau I was talking about should look something like that ^^

Salted egg yolk custard bun:

This is my first time eating liushabao, and I must say it was really good! I kept seeing photos of this golden, oozing pau, so now that I have finally gotten the chance to taste it, it was definitely up to my expectations. The bao skin was thin, and the filling just oozed out the moment I split it in half. Its like golden lava! The filling was extremely rich and hot, it was a delight to eat. You have to order this if you’re eating at Swee Choon!

Rating: 9/10

Century egg porridge:

Doesn’t look particularly impressive eh? Yeah, well it wasn’t anything special. You can give this carb loaded dish a miss and try something else since this will fill you up quite a bit.

Rating: 5/10

Dumplings in chili oil:

Now, this looks pretty good huh! The skin of the dumpling was smooth and easy to swallow/bite, the meat filling was quite tasty too. However, it wasn’t spicy at all, and tasted more like wantons. So the chili oil doesn’t really add any taste to this dish.

Rating: 7/10

The steamed/boiled food came first, and we had to wait for quite awhile for our fried stuff to come… and when they did, they came all at once! I would have preferred if all the food came together though, cause it can get too much when you eat fried food all at once. I left feeling a little artery clogged :S

Fried food extravaganza:

All served piping hot!

Mee Suah Kueh:

I think Swee Choon is one of the few places which serves mee suah kueh. Its basically a fried chunk of mee sua. Its definitely worth a try.

Rating: 8/10

Carrot cake:

This was good! You should definitely order this, but just one set will suffice. It was crunchy on the outside, and smooth on the inside. Delicious!

Rating: 8/10

Spring roll:

This was ordinary. Tastes like what you can get at Old Chang Kee, just that this is hotter, and crunchier.

Rating: 5/10

Prawn and banana fritter:

This sounded interesting so we decided to order it. It was average. Tasted like goreng pisang with a random prawn. Haha, you can order it for the fun of it though..but do note that prawns and banana do not make the best pairing.

Rating: 6/10

STILL SOME MORE?? Woah, I didn’t realise we ordered so much fried food. And we only had 4 people. We don’t usually order this much fried stuff, but since they sold out on quite a lot of items, we were left with these.

Yam fritter:

I was pleasantly surprised to find mushrooms, peas and minced meat in the yam fritter. I thought it was just fried yam. Anyway, this was nice! The yam was soft and it was nicely encased in the crunchy batter.

Rating: 7/10

All in all, don’t order as much fried food as we did. You won’t feel very good after that, just pick a few 🙂 The chrysanthemum tea they provided did help to wash down the oily aftertaste. I’d suggest that you go at night, since more items will be available, and the atmosphere will probably be better with more people around (although it will be harder to get a seat). Do let me know if you try any other dishes which stand out!

Overall rating: 7/10

Mixed Berries Tart from Fredo Galaxy

Fredo Galaxy at Tanglin Halt

Address: Blk 46-3 Commonwealth Drive, #01-388

Tel: +65 9185 2932

Opening Hours

Mon–Sat: 8.30am – 8.30pm 
Sun: 8.30am – 6pm 
(Closed on Tue)

  <— So that’s just a teaser of what you’re about to see.

Be warned. This is a berry tart of gastronomic proportions. Get some tissue ready, you may drool at first sight. 

Alright, so I jest. But the Mixed Berries Tart ($6.30 if I’m not wrong) from Fredo Galaxy is the best berry tart, or best fruit tart for that matter, that I have ever had.

Take a look at this little piece of heaven:

The first thing that hit me was how generous they were with the berries. Given the cost of berries in Singapore, this tart is actually quite worth it. Next, the sweetness and smoothness of the custard pairs perfectly with the crunchy tart pastry base. It was just so tasty. You should definitely give it a try. 

Fredo Galaxy sells other things like cakes and bread as well. I’ve only tried their marble cake and their brownie. The marble cake was pretty good! It tastes even better when you heat it up. I can’t really remember how the brownie tasted, so I don’t think it was particularly great. (They both look pretty tasty though, as seen below :D)

Rating: (for the tart) 9/10

Pique Nique

Meaty Mac N Cheese

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Crab/Seafood chowder

Mac N Cheese with chicken

Pique Nique

Takashimaya Outlet (Next to KFC)

 

I have been wanting to try the food at Pique Nique especially since my friends have been raving about the cheesy goodness in their food. Although I’m not a huge fan of cheese, I decided to try their ‘Meaty Mac N Cheese’ (I can’t remember the exact name) which is Mac&Cheese with bolognese sauce, topped with a poached egg. When my food came, served in a saucepan-like thing, I couldn’t wait to dig in. The Mac&Cheese was delicious, although there was a bit too much cheese for me (it covered nearly the whole top layer), the tomato bolognese sauce perfectly complemented the cheesiness so it wasn’t too overpowering. The egg was poached  nicely, although it looked kind of awkward sitting a top a bed of cheese. I would rate this dish 8/10 as it was my favorite of the lot.

Another dish I tried was the “Chicken Mac N Cheese” (Actually I don’t know its name but it was basically roasted chicken strips with mac n cheese). It was pretty good as well, but without the tomato sauce, this dish was too cheesy for me. So cheese lovers, go ahead and order this! (They even have a four cheese mac n cheese if you are crazy about cheese) For me this was a 7/10

Also, I tried some of my friend’s Seafood(or crab) Chowder. I’m not a fan of crab soup so I didn’t really like it. And my friend complained about how the bread was too hard. I’d rate this 4/10.

Finally, I had the Red Velvet Cupcake. It looks like a huge hunk of red in the picture cause they coat the cream cheese frosting in the Red Velvet Cupcake crumbs. This was my first Red Velvet Cupcake so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I know that Red Velvet Cupcakes should taste more chocolatey though. The cupcake tasted more like a butter cupcake, with cream cheese topping. While it was interesting eating a red cupcake (clearly dyed with food colouring), I wasn’t a huge fan. On the other hand, my friend loved the cream cheese frosting so I suppose its personal preference. I prefer cupcakes which are less commercial, those which use fresh and natural ingredients and focus on taste rather than presentation. Anyway, this cupcake was pretty overpriced at slightly over 5 bucks. So it gets a rating of 5/10.

In conclusion, I would return for the Mac N Cheese, and the ambience (the eclectic furniture is really fun to sit on).

Rating: 7/10

Golden Pillow 933

Golden Pillow 933

http://www.goldenpillow933.com.sg

1 Kaki Bukit Road 1 #05-11 Enterprise One (S) 415934 
Tel :             6323 8933        Fax : 6222 8933   
Operation Hours: 9.00 am – 9.00 pm

After seeing this in a magazine recently, I decided today was the perfect day to try this ’Golden Pillow’. This is essentially chicken/fish/mutton curry within a giant bread bun. To prevent the curry from making the bun soggy, the curry is encased in a plastic bag within the bun. Pretty ingenious right!

Golden Pillow 933 sells other dishes as well, but this dish is what they are famous for (Hence their name). The chicken curry and fish curry costs $14.80 each, whilst the mutton curry costs $17.80. There is a $3 delivery charge for orders below $30.

Now, back to the food. 

The food took about 1.5hours to arrive, so you have to order early if you want to eat on time. Unfortunately, by the time the food arrived, it wasn’t really that hot anymore. But I closed one eye.

I tore open the buttery, soft bread to reveal the bright orange curry packed neatly in a plastic bag within a paper wrap. The curry was just nice, not too spicy. However, it didn’t have much chicken meat in it. The second bun I ordered had more meat in it, thankfully.

I also ordered dried Mee Siam at the side, which was average as well.

Their portions are pretty large, but my family of 5 can finish 2 Golden Pillows (we have a big appetite), but I shall leave it to you guys to decide.

Overall, the food is mediocre, and I probably will not be a repeat customer. But for the fun of tearing open a gigantic bun, and dipping the curry within, I say this is worth it. 

On hindsight, the bread/curry would have tasted better if I had heated it up in the microwave. Perhaps the bread bowl wouldn’t have hardened that quickly.

Rating: 5/10 (+the fun factor)