Monday, August 22, 2011

No Signboard, Where Is Your Signboard?

Once upon a time, when the world only knows chilli and black pepper crab. There was a store that was quietly gaining fame and crowd for its special white pepper crab, the reason that white pepper crab is not well known (or rarely eaten anywhere else) its that there is only ONE store that does the legendary white pepper crab.

No SignBoard 
Ask any decent foodie around and he will tell you, if you are looking for white pepper crab either eat it at no signboard or dont eat at all. Because most of the compeition who tries to create it will fail miserably and all you get for dinner is a choking peppery crab.

Those were the days.


I used to get my white pepper crab fixes @ the national stadium 'jetty' No signboard branch (No longer there). Not only was it facing the kallang river, it had open sitting and air con sitting depending on your meal companion.

Being able to avoid the crazy peak hour traffic @ geylang was also a great plus point.

Lazy foodies rejoice!
Valet was going @ $4 which i think was great, its really more of paying for the conveniences as parking at geylang is really a driver's nightmare. 

P.s i think they park the cars @ national stadium as had to wait 8mins to collect the car upon dinner.

Claypot beancurd

As it was a family dinner gathering we had slightly more dishes than just crabs, to be honest i really dont remmeber any other dishes @ No signboard other than its white pepper crab.

So for starters we had a claypot beancurd, the stock was great and rich that i was sipping the gravvy even without rice. And the fact that it was seafood made it healthier to enjoy the gravvy.


Our Vegetable dish of the night, mushroom with asparagus.
Somehow anyone who loves kailan will love this dish too. The crunchy slight bittery taste off asparagus and oyster sauce over mushroom was a nice combination. A light dish to start your palette up for next to come, definitely a better choice like sambal kangkong which most of the time is too oil, heavy and bad for dates. (I.e kangkong struck in between teeth)



Surprise package of the night. You tiao salad
I dont believe that i have tasted a better Youtiao salad like this before. The effort of making a decent and good dish has been taken. This is not like those sloppy hard and lightly smeared fish paste that you will find in most Sze char store. It was amazingly soft and the generous serving of fish paste in it made it felt more like eating fishcake rather than you tiao salad. Definitely the best you tiao salad in my books (A pity not much people will go back to a place for meal just because of its salad youtiao)


Yam Ring

Persoanlly i am not a fan of this dish. The fried meehoon is what makes the base, deep frying yam paste is like eating deep fried durian. Double heatiness. I just like the stir fry chicken in the ring as they usually take great, as compared to fried peanuts & corn.


Venison in No signboard sauce

I wonder if its called no signboard sauce because no sauce was in it, it looks nicely done up but totally blant.   
I couldnt identify what was the sauce but going by the taste it wouldnt interest me either, i believe a normal hot plate venison would be better in this case 


Pork ribs (Pai Ku wang)

First of a kind, wrapped and baked? i guess, nicely seasoned with a small dose of sweetness. Meat was tender and meaty, no fats or much bone spotted. A dish to cover if you are here, most diners around us had this too.


Fried Ee mian

If i remembered clearly, there was a fanciful name to this dish as well. Turns out that it was just normal restaurant standard. No comment about this, a forgettable dish.


And now i present to you, the disappointment of the day. With high expectations come high hope, and in return big disappointment.

A shadow of its past, one taste of the sauce and it was clear that no gentle sweetness or fragrant smooth white pepper. What we have here is a overdose of pepper crab.

I understand that chinese crusine is one of the hardest dishes to master due to the complexe amount of sauce, wok, heat level, constant frying. It certainly not as easy as rubbing seasoning over a steak and flipping after 2 mins.

But truly i have to say that it is a disappointment. I barely touched it after eating 1 piece of the crab, my fellow diners agreed and it was infact the worst out of the 3 crab dishes we had.


Salted Egg crab

This came together with the white pepper crab and we unaimously agreed that it was better than the signboard 'white pepper crab' the salted egg was delightful and not overly strong, traces of diced egg white added additional flavouring. The salted egg was also creamy and definately yummy, only drawback was the crab meat sticking to the shells at times.


Chilli crab

The saviour dish of the night. Without a somewhat disappointing crab dishes, we wasnt prepared to leave feeling disheartened, hence ordered the standard chilli crab dish. Why i meant standard is because almost all decent cze  char store can whip a decent chilli crab. And luckily for us, this didnt disappoint, meat was firm and easily detachable, gravvy was yummy and balanced. The small mantou made a fail prove great combination.

Conclusion:

Pricing wise this outlet is definitely the cheapest compared to the other outlets @ East coast/ Esplanade/ Vivocity. But i cant help but think in a business way about the chefs allocation.

Picture this, if you are going to charge patrons $75/kg of crab @ i.e esplanade branch. Would you send your best chef to the outlet @ esplande or geylang branch? 

Your guess is as good as mine. 

I am going to try the white pepper crab again and this time i will be trying it out at other outlets hoping that i will again taste the real White pepper crab that meserised me years ago.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Heavenly Garlicious Dishes @ Mad For Garlic (Suntec)

I am a self proclaim garlic lover and man am i proud to say that i have finally tasted a authentic garlic joint.

Ever since hearing about this place i had always wanted to give it a taste, made a reservation on a lazy saturday noon for lunch. In most dish garlic is like the soul of the dish, its presence is required as much as the standard salt and pepper. It is like durian, either you love it or you hate it.



This 'painting' is actually the menu cover, first thing you will notice about this place is the exquisite design of the place. From the fake garlic ornaments to the empty wine bottle, it was a suitable place for anyone. Comfortable for the family dinner or exclusive for a business meal (Absolutely no garlic breath after the meal) 

Service staff was great too, even though there were waiters around the manager was the one who took the orders. We even had the assistant manager bringing our the food to us, not too sure why it wasnt the waiter. But either way it is great service for customers like us due to prompt service.


First up we had the mushroom risotto with chicken. I only have 1 word for this dish.
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

First mouthful was full of flavour, the stock of which they use was close to perfection. It was neither too salty or heavy. The correct word would be RICH in flavour, there had no less than 2 different kind of garlic that wasnt strong but flavour strong enough to make you want to look for more.

The chicken itself was good enough to be a main course itself, if i am not wrong they roasted the chicken. It had a flavour that grilling couldnt bring out. Tender and juicy, together they make a perfect match. The lightness of risotto + the tastiness of the best chicken part available.

The rice tasted like pearl rice used in sushi, am not sure but it did felt soft, sticker and was shorter than normal rice. Excellant!



And now i present you, the dish i couldnt finish! This dish is a monster, Its like eating pizzahut stuff crust with a beef steak on top of the toppings. Its flavouring was stronger partly because we are talking about a tenderloin steak + cream sance. Initially i had no idea why they are it garlic hug steak, i thought that it was because of the sauce 'hugging' it. But i was too naive.

Garlic Hug Steak


This is definitely for amateurs eater or calories counters. There no french fries, salad etc just the real deal.

Basically if cows could swim, this is how they will look like. In a sea of cream cheese.


A good steak no matter done what way, should be soft and easy to cut. You can see the meat juice flowing onto the cheese above. I still didnt notice the catch until i was halfway through the dish.

The 'hug' Secret! Minced garlic inside a whole steak! Thats like finding bacon in a cheese sandwich.

If Cream cheese and beef isnt strong enough, i present you more garlic and more garlic. Fully soaked and cooked inside this piece of delicacy. Surprisingly the garlic wasnt strong at all, just a hint of its flavours. 

In the end, i couldnt finish the never ending tower of stuffed garlic and had to dig them all out as it was becoming a case of every mouth too full. 

Nonetheless i whack finished the beef with cream (the cream makes your go for more, very dangerous side dish)


This meal, by far is one more the better places i had been. 
Location- Suntec city 
Pricing- Wine and dine like fine dine but not its price
Food- Fantastic
Service- Attentive and prompt

Definitely a must go! If you are mad for garlic



Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Kiseki Restaurant, Japanese buffet with a punch.

We braved though one of the heaviest rain in orchard for it (Thank god there wasnt any flood)

It was really a case of jacks place or kiseki but once we walked through the selection there was no looking back. Counter staff was courteous and friendly, we managed to get seat within 15mins on a saturday evening which was fairly decent considering that this is a buffet.

Buffet prices are always rising and it is harder to find decent buffet with decent prices, if you could spend $40 for a international buffet why would you settle for just a single country crusine? and in this case just japanese food?

Well Kiseki tells you why

Buffet reviews are a pain in the ass.. Firstly you have more than 50 selections of food, and most of time you will be starving before heading down. So in between juggling my camera, eating and shaky hands due to hunger i will allow this post to be more of a eye candy rather than lengthy taste discussion.


My absolute favourite, swordfish.. Salmon and tako are just too common in buffets that they kind of lost that exclusive food touch.



Cold frim and tasty prawns together with crab legs! Yummy and juicy!


Some random tori Q stuff, only peeves were that it wasnt as hot as we preferred it to be. 


The WOW dish of the night, you cant go wrong with scallops + cheese + mayo sauce. Excellant dish that not only awaken your palette and the sweetness makes it a must have for any person with a sweet tooth


Just a nice prawn dressing with cucumber. 


There is actually different kind of way to cook the dishes here, either grilled or teppanyaki style. The grill sotong was good and tasty, with a hint of charred bbq taste.


Grilled beef fillet.. Hmmmmm what can i say :D



A wide array of fried stuff 



Garlic rice was prepared on the spot and placed in a cooker. Avoid if rice has been in the cooker for sometime as it tend to dry up, try to keep note when the chef is frying it on the teppanyaki grill. Get it fresh or dont get it at all .


On the spot prepared pasta, didnt really had much as try to stay away from heavy stuff like this and rice.


Rice was kinda filling and lack the punch though, sad to say as am a califonia roll fan :(


Cold soba covered in seawood 


Around round of grilled scallops


Somehow i kinda missed a few plates, like the chicken chop and other dishes due to eating and forgetting to take pictures. (my apologies for the incomplete review)

After depleting the cold crab, they brought this killer out.. Lobster! Value is a definite here, throw in helpful and effective service stuff who clear your plates constantly. It made this meal a truly pleasant experience. 

The last promotion i heard they even had oysters! Will definitely return again in the near future.

Location
260 Orchard Road, #B1-01 The Heeren
About
Kiseki, the MEGA Japanese Buffet at Mini Prices is now in town! With so many items to choose from, you will definitely find something that you like.So join us as a fan to receive news and promotions from Kiseki now!
Company Overview
Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant presents the MEGA Japanese Buffet at Mini Prices!
Description
Lunch: 11.30am to 3pm
Dinner: 6pm to 10.30pm

For Lunch:
Monday to Friday - $19.80 (Adult) $12.80 (Children)
Saturday, Sunday, Eve & Public Holiday - $26.80 (Adult) $16.80 (Children)

For Dinner:
Monday to Thursday - $29.80 (Adult) $14.80 (Children)
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Eve & Public Holiday - $32.80 (Adult) $16.80 (Children)

* Children age 4 - 12 yrs old.
* Service charge and prevailing taxes apply.
Products
We have...
Some 200 displayed picks
Piping-hot dishes prepared ala-minute
Full salad bar
Wide sushi and sashimi selections
Traditional grill with scrumptious seafood and meats
Teppanyaki chef in action
Sinfully gorgeous desserts
Refreshing cold drinks and hot beverages
Email
manager@kisekirestaurant.com.sg
Phone
Call 6736 1216 for reservations.
Website

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Probably Deal of the Year Manhatten Fish Market $3.90!

It all started with a $39 fish and chip ad that started the uproar.

What fish and chip would cost $39? And by the time we know it, MFM changed it to $3.90. Citizens delight,  sometime the best marketing success comes from small changes like this

No fanciful marketing, no gimmicks just pure good food at a good price to reciprocate the favour. Not to mention it was good to see MFM Actively participating with its facebook fans. With many promotions to keep things interesting.

You may join in the fun and get certain online exclusive deals.

Like the page @



This queue started forming at 2pm on a weekday noon!


No cutting of corners! The exact same size the fish looks even on a regular pricing. I couldnt believe it when a faction of people were ranting about the paper plate. But Seriously for this kind of pricing i would gladly eat it on a napkin. Hell i would even walk to the kitchen to self serve if need be, or maybe even bring my own plate for such pricing. To be honest, if your food is going to be bigger than your plate, you are having a excellant problem. Instead of fretting over it, celebrate it!
Phweeee!!

It was a $3.90 limit to 2 fish per person. 


No decoration no plating. Just pure good food for you. I would like to drench the whole fish in the sauce, they actually had a plus size bottle on each of the table. Generous i must say.

Well it was good while it lasted

On a sidenote There is a lot of comparision with fish n co but each to its own, ultimately we as consumers get more choice and end up with better deals. Just like pepsi and coke, yakult and vitagen. 

 930 Yishun Avenue 2, #02-06/07 Northpont Shopping Centre, Singapore
Tel: +65 6257 5507

Its BBQ Chicken 1 for 1!!!!

I must admit, i am a sucker for 1 for 1 deals just the other 5233943 people in Singapore.

So when we stumbled across BBQ chicken 1 for 1 deal at northpoint how could i say NO? (Sorry teppanyaki express we were actually there for you)

Firstly i must say, this place serve some good chicken and the olive oil marketing makes you feel less sinful after devouring everything infront of you. What it does is gives you a sense of lesser guilt so you may eat more.

YES OLIVE OIL IS HEALTHY, dont that make you feel that you are eating a meal your doctor will applaud you for effort?

Haha but we like it.

This meal was really a pain in a butt, i wanted everything. The pizza as a side dish looks good but my bff and me was so hungry we wanted all the dishes for ourselves. (in food you see your real friend colour)

I just wanted to whack the seafood pasta and the BBQ chicken, but the Marinara meatball was kind of tough to pass out. So was the mushroom chicken steak and everything else on the menu................



Truth be told, this is a korean food joint. But there is nothing korean about this place when i was here other than some cheesy korean MTV playing above.


The first thing i noticed, isnt this like 50% share of the food only?? When i saw the menu for the 1 for 1 choices it was supposed 2 chicken steaks.

Not that i wanted to sound like a cheapo but if you brought Mcdonald 's1 for 1 gourmet burger the other time when they had a promotion, you wouldn't expect to see half a chicken patty inside the buns right?

Anyway away from the misrepresentation, BBQ chicken marination is the best in its field. I am not sure how they make their chicken so firm and chewy.


This well was just 'normal' meatball tasted homemade too, not a bad thing but will definitely try the seafood pasta next time.


End result.. None was spared. We will be back

CATCH it before it ends


NorthPoint930 Yishun Avenue 2,#B2-17/20,Singapore 769098 
Tel: 6481 3310 Fax : 6481 7780
                                                                            Operation HoursDaily 11am - 10:30pm
(Last Order 10:15pm)

Please support and 'like' Many thanks

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/YummyBuddies/201853799826596

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Art Of Beef Brisket Noodles @ Balestier Food Center

I must admit i am not a big fan of beef noodles, the only beef noodles i can remember eating was the peppery beef hor fun at Geylang. And that was very good.

I was in the area for some projects and heard from friends that there is a very nice beef noodles over here. 


One interesting point was that there isnt a signboard for the beef noodles here, other than No signboard restaurant i can hardly remember any place without a signboard other than foodcourt eateries.


This plate of beef hor fun looks really tempting, it was nice to see that the beef was chunks of it. Rather than slices which would be very sad if it was.


The gravy was just nice, it is very smooth and delicious. The heavy sauce blended perfectly with the hor fun noodles. I cant remember when was the last time 2 ingredients could blend so perfectly together. That is the beauty of eating, there is no limit to the taste of any food.


A stalk or 2 of vegetable to add that freshness into a otherwise heavy dish. I finished everything of it man, and not even the hot weather or super expensive coffee @ $1.50 could spoil this lunch of mine.


Soup tasted a mix of cow stuff that i didnt know, but was a 'good' bowl of soup as compared to a bowl of noodles.

Balestier Food Center

beef brisket noodles

Apologies for not having more information, i was expecting a 'normal' lunch


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