Saturday 31 August 2013

Tian Tian Chicken Rice

Back in Jul'13 when Tian Tian Chicken Rice was featured on Singtel Hawker Heroes Challenge, I have been wanting to try out the legendary chicken rice which even Gordon Ramsay couldn't beat. The fiance actually discovered a Tian Tian branch which was situated near my place & we had chicken rice for dinner on Sat night.

Finally I had a taste of this legendary chicken rice. And actually, legendary or not I can't decipher, just tasted like an above average plate of chicken rice to me. The champion of all chicken rice in my opinion still goes to my favorite stall - Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice, review another time! :)

Tian Tian Chicken Rice
12 Jalan Pari Burong
Singapore 488678
Tel : 6448 0120
Operating Hrs : 10:30 AM - 9 PM
Closed On Monday

Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice 
#B1-85/87, Katong Shopping Centre,
865 Mountbatten Road
Singapore 437844
Tel : 97896073
Operating Hrs : 10am to 8pm daily

Table Manners @ Changi City Point

Saturday I had the chance to catch up with my 好姐妹s at Table Manners @ Changi City Point. It was also a belated birthday celebration for Heng Yi who turned 26 earlier in Aug.

Their brunch concept was somewhat similar to Food for Thought where one could customize the different items they want on their plates.

In the 4 plates below -
Hotcakes + Burger Steak with Cheese & Onion Relish + Mushroom Ragout
Truffle Fries + Baked Salmon with Garlic Lemon Buttersauce + Mushroom Ragout
Sauteed Spinach + Baked Salmon with Garlic Lemon Buttersauce + Mushroom Ragout
Classic Caesar Salad + Bratwurst Sausage + Mushroom Ragout (my order)

The 3 of us also managed to pull off a surprise for Heng Yi, with a Sea Salt Chocolate Caramel Tart + Chocolate Mousse Dome Cake

Bill for 4 came up to $84. Food was alright but not fantastic, convenient place for me the next time I have a craving for brunch.

Table Manners
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
Changi City Point - The Oasis
#01-68/69
Singapore 486038
Operation Hours: 1130 morning till late






Friday 30 August 2013

Labrador Seafood Restaurant


Since the last rather disappointing visit, we are back at this restaurant again on a TGIF night. This time round we decided to go with a safe option & ordered chili crab. Just last week we also had chili crab at Jumbo Seafood @ NSRCC! Along with chili crab, we also ordered a plate of seafood hor fun.

Hor fun was served first & we the hungry people attacked the plate of wet wholesome goodness. Portion size is good for 2 adults & seafood servings were generous. The chili crabs was no disappointment this time around as the sauce is thick & tasty which complemented the crab, probably similar to what you get from good cze char shops. Of course, Jumbo still wins hand down but the crab here was also meaty, much to our delight.

Labrador Seafood (PG Foods Pte Ltd)
No. 8 Port Road

Singapore 117540
Tel: (65) 6273 2779
Fax: (65) 6273 2737
Email: contact@labradorseafood.com
Our Operating Hours: 11:00am to 12:30am Every day








TGIF! Was tuning into Kiss92 & heard this sappy love song, not gonna do an emo bimbo sorta thing but really liked the chorus

"If you get there before I do
Don't give up on me
I'll meet you when my chores are through
I don't know how long I'll be
But I'm not gonna let you down
Darling wait and see
And between now and then
Till I see you again
I'll be loving you
Love, Me."



Saturday 24 August 2013

Maxwell Road Hawker Centre

No surprise about the great food available at this hawker centre, we tried the Tom Yum Vermicelli Soup at a Thai stall (located beside the public toilet) & their soup base is better than what you pay double for in Thai Express & Bali Thai. A bowl of awesome spicy Tom Yum for $5.

Another recommendation is the Shanghai dumplings stall, along the same stretch of stalls as the Thai stall mentioned above. Filled & stuffed fresh ingredients to the brim, 8 dumplings for $4! Just gotta love the cheap & good food available in hawker centres!

Maxwell Road Hawker Centre
1 Kadayanallur St
Singapore 069184



Lavaedge @ MacRitchie

It would be no surprise that the bulk of my expenses each month goes to food. After a week long of work, what better way to spend the weekend, than together with the fiance for brunch. Perhaps it would be apt to add - slog like a peasant on weekdays, live like kings & queens on weekends? Hahaha...

We had brunch at Lavaedge @ MacRitchie, a hip restaurant situated at the top of the reservoir. It was definitely a refreshing experience to dine amidst the flora and fauna in the green surroundings.

For brunch, Lavaedge offers the following Main Course options:

  • Eggs
  • Eggs Benedict
  • Asia Laksa
  • XO Pasta
  • Ribeye
  • Chicken Pommery
  • Tom Yam BBQ Ribs
  • Roast Beef

The fiance had XO Pasta (which he found a tad too oily) while I ordered Tom Yam BBQ Ribs (ribs were nicely marinated, meat was tender & moist). Brunch came with free flow of salads, pastries and drinks (fresh juice, coffee, tea, milk).

Total bill for 2 came up to $68. Definitely a good place to check out if you enjoy having weekend brunch but do note that selection is pretty limited.

Post-lunch afternoon found us at MacRitchie Reservoir for some quality dating time. We took a leisurely stroll round the reservoir despite the scorching sun. It was my first time there & the fiance was sharing his memories of secondary school track & field training at this water catchment area :)



Lavaedge@MacRitchie
181 Lornie Road, Hilltop
MacRitchie Reservoir Park
Singapore 297732
Telephone: +65 6353 3220
Mobile: +65 9298 2301
Reservation E-mail: reservations@lavaedge.com.sg
Feedback and Enquires: enquiry@lavaedge.com.sg












Friday 23 August 2013

Jumbo Seafood @ NSRCC

After a long week at work, we rewarded ourselves with a good crabby dinner at Jumbo Seafood. Before heading down, I've read mostly negative reviews on HungryGoWhere hence I went with no expectations & was prepared to face the worst.

To our surprise, service was acceptable, pricing was reasonable & the food was amazing. We ordered a plate of Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles Malay Style) & Chili Crabs. Boy oh boy, the Mee Goreng had a generous serving of seafood in it, albeit slightly salty but definitely value for money.

The highlight of the night was the Chili Crab. The spiciness was just right, the texture of the gravy was not too starchy and the meaty crab was cooked to perfection! In contrast to the Chili Crab I had at Long Beach @ Dempsey, I really found Jumbo's Chili Crab more flavorful & appealing to my taste buds.

Contrary to many reviews about the poor service & non-English speaking staff, the staff whom served us that night were professional & were attentive to our needs. Definitely will be revisiting!

Total orders for the night -
Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles Malay Style)
Chili Crabs + Deep Fried Buns
2 glasses of soft drinks
Total bill worked out to round $85 (can't remember the exact amount)

Jumbo Seafood @ NSRCC
10 Changi Coast Walk
SAFRA Resort
Singapore 499739
Tel: 6552-3435
Fax: 6214-0321



Sunday 18 August 2013

Staycation at Studio M Hotel

Over the weekend my BFF & I booked a room for one night stay at Studio M Hotel. This was my second stay, first time being last year over Christmas with friends. Their Loft room concept appealed to us hence we decided on staying here for our staycation.

The day didn't start off smoothly as we waited in vain for a taxi at my BFF's place. We flagged till our arms were sore & called till our iPhones were heated from prolonged use yet we still couldn't get a cab :(

After more than half an hour round 12.30pm we were finally in a taxi, on the journey to the hotel I called up the Front Desk to check on their room availability (official check-in time is 2pm). When I made the room reservation on Agoda, I specifically stated my request for early check-in however how the hotel handles such request really falls short of expectation to say the least. The staff whom I spoke to could only give textbook replies such as "I cannot promise you anything", "there is nothing I can do", "official check-in is at 2pm."

For the record I am not demanding the staff to promise me anything. What they could or should have done to help with the situation could just be a simple gesture such as offering to call me up once the check-in queue has cleared or when the room is ready. I guess that would really mark the difference between outstanding customer service versus just doing their job.

Leaving this unhappy incident aside, our cab arrived at the hotel at 1pm & to our surprise there wasn't a queue for check-in like what the staff had earlier mentioned on the call. Check-in was a breeze & we even got an upgrade from the Studio Loft to Premier Loft.

BFF & I had a chillax time, just lazing around in the comfortable room & taking pictures in the room, at the pool & around the hotel :)






















 
When hunger finally caught up with us, UE Square was just a stone throw away & we bought tidbits to fill our tummy. Dinner was settled at Watami at Central (also walking distance from our hotel).
















We had included breakfast with our room booking & breakfast was served from 6.30-10.30am. Early in the morning we got up & went for a jog down Singapore River, scenic view indeed!

Back at the hotel, we showered & its time for breakfast! Another unhappy incident happened when we were at the eggs station, this auntie appeared out of nowhere rudely demanding to know our room number. I thought she was a tour guide so I brushed her off by saying "we are not with you guys." But she pressed on to which my BFF replied. Seriously WTH? Who is this woman? Later on we found out she was a hotel staff too but her outfit really does not differentiate her from the hotel guests!

Anyways, we enjoyed our breakfast at the alfresco dining area. Nothing beats having natural sunshine accompanying us as we chomp on our food. If only we could spend Sundays morning like this all the time!






















Soon it was time for out check-out but after this successful staycation I'm sure the BFF & I will be having more in the future :)

Thursday 1 August 2013

Labrador Seafood Restaurant

Bought the Juztoday deal for crabs (53% OFF Signature Sri Lankan Crab at Labrador Seafood! Choose from 8 Choices: BBQ/Black Pepper/Butter/Chilli/Garlic & White Pepper/Onion & Ginger/Salted Egg/Steamed !!). Unbelievably good deal as I only paid $30.80 for a solid meaty crab!

Checked the menu before heading down & I was drooling over the selection of seafood available. Restaurant was located all the way in at Labrador Park, we did see people walking in, I guess it could be a long romantic stroll if you are in the mood.

All staff were China foreign talents but honestly, service was not bad! We ordered Butter Crab (because I was craving for wet buttery goodness) as well as a plate of Punggol Mee Goreng. Mee Goreng was served first and it was cooked to perfection. I personally found it very delicious, the taste and wetness was perfect.

Next came the crabs, to our surprise their butter crab was not the creamy buttery crab I was used to eating, instead they had deep fried the crab in butter. Really a waste because the crab meat was solid and fleshy! Nonetheless, the crab tasted okay despite being a tad oily (deep fried dish after all).

To sum it all, we were delighted with our new discovery as this place gives off the Dempsey kinda vibe, only element lacking would be the hip restaurants. Labrador Seafood place does look in need of refurbishment. Nonetheless, a good place to chill with friends over drinks. We will definitely be back (plus its near my office!)

Labrador Seafood (PG Foods Pte Ltd)
No. 8 Port Road

Singapore 117540
Tel: (65) 6273 2779
Fax: (65) 6273 2737
Email: contact@labradorseafood.com
Our Operating Hours: 11:00am to 12:30am Every day